#i don’t even think the movie is about how “you can be feminine and badass at the same time!!1!” like a lot of li gems do | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

hishighnesstheprincess · 1 year

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Transfem movie Sonic thoughts shoved under the cut. This isn’t gonna be super organized but eh, it’s Tumblr, who cares

Probably should start with the disclaimer that I am not a trans woman, and while I am trans and have a weird relationship with womanhood and femininity that I imagine lots of trans women can relate to, I cannot claim to speak for trans women as a collective in any way, shape, or form. Also while I like to stay up to date with good representation in media and how not to accidentally blunder into stereotypes that hardly means I’m immune from making mistakes. If you think I accidentally say something problematic then please feel comfortable telling me.

Also, my transfem headcanon is specific to movie Sonic, so movie Sonic will be referred to with female pronouns while other Sonics if I bring them up will be male pronouns.

Okay so, movie Sonic is a very unique depiction of Sonic in that she has been in basically survival mode for ten years since her mom died, and due to the fact that some of her mom’s last words to her were just telling her to stay hidden in order to stay safe Sonic has had basically nothing to do with herself, aside from projecting onto the townspeople (could go on for ages about how she immediately went from her strongest relationship being to Longclaw, her protector, to Tom, the “protector” of Green Hill but that’s a whole other text post) and consuming a lot of media while not actually knowing a lot about how human life works (knowing about stuff like the Civil War while also not knowing what a payphone is). Imo she has an idealized version of the American life and the life she wants stuck inside her head (hanging out with her bestie Tom all day and then going to crime fight at night like the superhero comics she reads) and due to the very... macho types of media she consumes (Flash comics, Keanu Reeves films, etc) she tries to convince herself that that’s the type of person she wants to be, even if some aspects just don’t fit. This headcanon came from me noticing that+ the fact that movie Sonic continually jokes about seeing herself as handsome, but the instant she’s alone in the second movie she refers to herself as the hedgehog of the house instead of the man of the house, and also she tries on a dress while having fun at the house before Knuckles and Eggman show up. And then I just latched onto it because I also think it’s just cute and fun.

So like, deconstructions of trauma, media, idealization, and a ton of other stuff aside, I also just have a lot of thoughts about transfem Sonic in general, of course primarily focused around egg cracking and her relationship with her family. I don’t think she’s had her egg cracked yet because among other things movie Sonic is definitely emotionally repressing everything that makes her feel even slightly bad or uncomfortable (and the idea of rocking the boat even slightly by being trans is def both of those things for her) as well as the idea of being trans herself just hasn’t occurred to her yet, I feel like she could have her egg cracked during movie 3 when coming into contact with other female Mobians for the first time in years (Amy and Rouge) and realizing that she actually quite likes some of the things that come along with the particular brands of femininity that Amy and Rouge are known for (kind, caring, yet tough for Amy and the very deliberate, strategic, and badass kind of femininity that comes with Rouge). I have this mental image of her just realizing it in the middle of a battle and then immediately getting hit by whoever her opponent is at the time. And then whenever the world is no longer in danger of being exploded or whatever she sits down and has a long (for her) think about it and is torn between absolute euphoria that she finally knows what these weird thoughts and feelings are and then being completely terrified, which I know was how I experienced my egg cracking moment.

As for her family, obviously none of them are transphobic. Heck I don’t think even Eggman would be transphobic. Shadow might need the concept explained to them (enby Shadow is another headcanon of mine hehe) but they’d get it pretty easily. Tom would fall into the awkward but supportive camp, Maddie would just be like “Sweet I always wanted a daughter”, Tails would be surprised but then immediately connect this to a bunch of her past behaviors, and Knuckles would be aggressively supportive. If anyone even thinks of disrespecting his sister then the rest of his family will have to hold him back from murder. Amy would be like “oh my god GIRL time we have to go to salons together and get our nails done and and and” and Sonic has to awkwardly explain that just because she’s a girl doesn’t mean she likes all of the traditionally girly stuff (she will go shopping with Amy tho, specifically for clothes. She loves sporty gear but also is not immune to getting a rad skirt or dress with pockets on occasion). Rouge does not care (not in a bigoted way she just does not care all that much about other people). Shadow does not care either. Eggman does not care but will always use her correct pronouns when insulting her and it is the weirdest form of gender euphoria Sonic has or will ever experience.

Anyway I have run out of coherent thoughts. This post shall just be incoherent headcanons and screaming now.

As soon as she realizes she’s trans she immediately starts worrying over whether ot not she’s gonna have to start wearing the super girly and uncomfortable clothes that she doesn’t like but then she tells Amy about being trans and Amy is like “You do know skirts can have pockets and actually be comfy right?” and Sonic goes :O

Shadow as Sonic’s rival would not care all that much about any aspect of her personal life but if someone disrespects her in front of them, they get very pissed even if just on principle

Metal Sonic is still a guy but that’s because he’s now trans in the opposite direction. They would bond over it but Metal hates Sonic’s guts for literally everything but the trans thing

Honestly idk about any other trans headcanons I have for movie characters (or potential future movie versions of game characters) but I feel like Sonic could potentially help crack the egg of anyone else who had yet to realize that they were trans as well

Sonic immediately after coming out declares herself the favorite daughter of the Wachowski siblings (her, Knuckles, and Tails) and then refuses to listen to any complaints that she is also the only daughter of the family

Because she’s been alone most of her life she has a lot of experience with like. Doing funny lil voices when she wanted to say stuff out loud (like how in the first movie she does the therapist voice and plays “multiple” people on the baseball field). So she actually has a decent girl voice even from the beginning and she only gets better from there. She’s also fully willing to do an annoying girl voice just to bug her brothers cus she’s still an absolute menace

Also she’s a lesbian who gets big crushes on any girl her age, especially girls that could kick her ass

Immediately starts making trans jokes after coming out

Anyway that’s it that’s the post. Post over goodbye everyone. Btw this goes without saying but if anyone is transphobic in my notes it is an instant block

#sth #sonic the hedgehog #sonic posting #prin posts #transphobia mention tw

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martian-martian-martian · 9 months

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the fact that theres a lot of films about how ‘hyperfeminine beautiful women have substance too!’ which is great. slay. whatever. misogyny affects everyone, dont tear down other women, yada yada. all that is great. TRULY.

but also.

theres seems to be this huge mass delusion that movies like Legally Blonde, and now Barbie, are countering some massive hoarde of movies about how femininity is evil and being beautiful is a crime or something.

and for sure the hot pink megabitch bimbo is a trope, but like. the “not like other girls” girl is ALWAYS hot too in all those movies.

meanwhiles theres like. zero films starring actually fat women who stay fat, or actually ugly women who stay ugly.

and that makes sense i mean. how would they sell any products like that.

“hyperfemininity is okay” messages are important mostly in spaces where women are tearing other women down.

the extremely rare “non-feminity of any kind is okay” would threaten the actual patriarchy as a whole, and several economic industries in the process, which is why they dont make movies like that and if they do, they dont gain a lot of support or traction.

its not to say that these pink camo badass movies are wrong, or that their message isn’t necessary.

it just always strikes me as funny when i remember that while there are plenty of movies that show it’s okay to be feminine, NO major hollywood movie i can think of has ever truly said as its main message that its okay to SPURN beauty expectations and traditional femininity entirely. Key word there.

Because. Sure, there’s Lady Cop movies or Lady Coach or Lady Horseback Rider or Lady Pirate or Lady Baseball Player or even Lady Construction Worker even, women doing masculine things. But the women doing them are still all beautiful, all thin (usually), all hairless and feminine in every other aspect except for the plot point area. In fact, its usually explicitly stated that her doing these things doesnt make her less feminine!! Which begs the question… why is that so important? Why are we always reassured that her femininity is preserved?

You can be feminine and xyz.

You can be a girl and xyz.

Why is the first label so sacrosanct?

Idk, I’m feeling inspired. @ verilybitchie on YT released another amazing video essay and she talked about it and other amazing stuff that spoke exactly to how I felt stepping out of the theater. Check her stuff out.

Also as a plus for nuance, she’s a transwoman so if that isnt enough to scare terfs off this post I don’t know what will, but scamper.

#intersectional feminism #terfs fuck off

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saintshigaraki · 2 years

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God related I recently had a whole convo w a friend stemmed from her talking about how it was so cool that Luisa from Enchanto “was strong and had a big, muscular figure but still dressed feminine” and how that’s not as subversive as you think it is, actually, because can u tell me literally one singular female character in a popular children’s movie that’s actually fucking butch and doesn’t dress feminine at all?

Drives me up the wall how people (who will self-identify as feminists or progressive!!!) have somehow deluded themselves into thinking that dressing masc and not wearing makeup and generally not doing everything in your power to conform to traditional gender norms is accepted & normalized now when anyone who actually does any of those things will tell u that it rlly fucking isn’t. And if u even mention these things women get SO FUCKING MAD bc deep down they know that they’re being manipulated by makeup/clothing companies and the patriarchy but they don’t want to unpack it or even allow others to address it bc it makes them feel icky :( idc idc feel icky feel uncomfortable and use that discomfort to educate urself

(Sorry, sorry, that last bit is perhaps overly bitter but I am Very tired of seeing posts that r like “hey women shouldn’t have to wear makeup to be taken seriously” completely derailed by people going but I like wearing makeup people take me more seriously and I don’t feel beautiful without it 🥺 like yeah! Yeah that’s the problem here!!!!)

plu exactly. like exactly.

the whole ‘badass girl boss who still manages to perfectly perform femininity’ being hailed as the end all be all of feminism just proves that liberal feminism still believes there’s an intrinsic link between femininity and women even though women aren’t born out of the womb performing femininity and there’s nothing inherently feminist about traditional femininity, in fact it just conforms to what is already expected of women under the patriarchy lmaoo which is why popular takes like the one your friend had absolutely baffles and honestly enrages me

#plu your mind #ask

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darkdevasofdestruction · 3 years

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Chapter 5 - Legacy

"Oi, you lovebirds, that's enough, go to sleep now." the playfully teasing voice of 240 as she crouched behind Min Ji and Sangwoo, putting her arms around their shoulders, sniggering. "Don't get so familiar with me." Sangwoo grumbled, getting up. "Do you mind if I keep lookout with you?" Min Ji didn't budge from the place, instead, she pulled down on 240's sleeve, making her giggle and stumble down next to her. "Oh? You gonna cheat on that guy with me?" the girl winked at Min Ji, nudging her with a knowing smirk. "...Maybe?" Min Ji played right into it, giggling together with the girl. "My name is Min Ji. I'm really happy that you agreed you be on our team." "Yeah, I guess I'm happy too. You and that girl are really pretty cool. And I had so much fun seeing you get into curly bitch's face." the girl smirked, before snapping her fingers in realization. "Ji-yeong. Nice to meet you too." "You're so easy to talk to. I'm surprised. I'm not usually talkative or sociable, but you just give off such a lovely vibe. Ah, damn, sorry, I sound like a damn grandma. Shit, I'm old." Min Ji snorted, face palming at her idiocy. "You too, Min Ji. You too. So, go on, tell me something about yourself." Ji-yeong urged her. "Uhm... What should I say? I know people aren't really interested in education on jobs... Hobbies, maybe? Or... Movies? Music? Ah, how about I guess what you're into, and you guess back? How's that?" Min Ji leaned her chin on her hands, turning to look at the girl. "Ohhh, making things fun, I love it! Okay, fine, I go first. Hmm... You like to look classy and elegant, but you have a cutesy and feminine side to you, but also a super badass and dark one that only comes up when you're angry. How's that? You try to appear laid back and chill, but you're really stressed all the time and can get emotional easy but you don't show it until you're alone at home." damn, Min Ji's shocked and speechless. "Shit fam, are you, like, an esper or something? Not even my parents could read me this well. But yeah, damn, yeah you're so right, you're really living me speechless. That was amazing!" she managed to choke out, stumbling over her words. "Then... You're the adventurous, easy-going type who loves to travel and have fun with friends, you don't care about drinking and indulge in the occasional smoke, but nothing serious. And you're a fire sign. I think a Sagittarius... If you care about the zodiac sign that is. You had a rebel-emo phase some time ago, but you still love some of the old song and bands from back in the day." Min Ji tried to guess. "Very good, very good, yes, that's very nice. You do the same, don't you, anyway? Also, yeah, I'm a Sagitt. Late November. I bet you're an Earth sign, right? By the way... I managed to steal a few cigarettes and a lighter from some guys who died some time ago. Wanna go smoke them in the bathroom later?" Ji-yeong grinned mischievously at her. "You bet I do. I'm a Capricorn. January 3rd. Nobody would come on my birthday or remember it because of the New Year's Day." Min Ji chuckled softly, looking around so she won't wake the others up. She could start talking loudly without realising. "What your favourite drink? You like sweet cocktails and stuff?" "I looove Mojitos. Especially on the bitch where it's super hot and the drink is icy icy cold. And you? Red wine enthusiast?" Ji-yeong guessed. "Yeah, but I'm very picky about it. It has to be very sweet, first of all, and it can't be too unbearably aromatic. But I like sweet cocktails too, like Green Apple or Campari Orange... Or vodka with cherry juice. Oh, and there's a whiskey with honey, that's so good, but I haven't found it in so many years, it's a real pity." Min Ji pouted playfully. "Ahhh, you're such a Wine Aunt, Min Ji! Say, when you get out of here, what do you wanna do?" the cheery girl asked. "I'd take your hand and go to Ibiza to have the fun of our lives. Hell, maybe we'll get Paris Hilton as our DJ. And we can drink and smoke and dance and have soooo much fun because we'll have enough money to afford anything we want. Haha, that sounds so cool... I haven't gone to a club in such a long time... I want to dance and go deaf from the loud music, and have my head dizzy from the lights, and have fun with friends..." Min Ji mused, swaying back and forth in excitement. "Ohh, what a hidden party girl we have here! You think that guy can keep up with you? He's an old man. You'll get upset." Ji-yeong turned a bit serious all of a sudden. "Hey, did you see him during Tug of war? Wasn't he so cool? And besides, he's not that old. And at least he's mature. You don't want to know what kind of stupid, immature idiots I had to deal with. Besides... He promised we'd get out of here alive. I'd like to cling on that idea as much as possible. But I want you and Sae-byeok and Ali and Gi hun to get out of here alive too. We get along so well, I'd love it if we could go out and have fun together and... Keep in touch, go on holidays and all that. That sounds very wholesome, huh?" Min Ji smiled warmly at the girl. "Yeah, totally. Let's do that, yes? Let's do that." as Ji-yeong said that, Min-Ji pulled out her pinky towards her. "Pinky promise you'll get to show me your playlist?" the red head asked, and excitedly, the girl with the nose piercing hooked her pinky to hers. "And we get to binge watch netflix stuff, stay late into the night and eat, drink and smoke as much as we want." they promised, giggling like schoolgirls, only to be interrupted by Gi hun who was ready to take over their shift. As he sat down, his back at the girls, Min Ji was ready to go sleep on her mattress, only to get quickly stopped by Ji-yeong, dragging her to Sangwoo's. "Are you crazy?" Min Ji's face must have been as red as her hair from embarrassment and shock at the implication. "What do you have to lose anyway. Go on. You'll just say you were too sleepy for doing two shifts." the girl pushed her unnie towards the self-assigned mattress. "You're insane." Min Ji muttered as, taking a deep breath, she carefully raised the blanket and snuggled up to him, making sure she won't wake the man up.

Unfortunately, morning came by unexpectedly fast, but the warmth she felt made her body fight against moving even by an inch as she snuggled closer to that source of heat. Damn, did it feel nice and safe here, in the comfort of the blanket and pillow.

Pillow that proved, very soon, to be Sangwoo's arm.

"Min Ji, wake up. The guards are lining us up." his voice came up as he helped her up, ruffling her hair up with a teasing smirk. "Oh, hey, I, uh... I... You know..." she tried to mutter an excuse for getting so comfortable, but instead, he simply smiled and shook his head. "Good morning." was all he said, not wanting to give her too much of a hard time. "...Yeah. Morning." she smiled back and went in line behind him, only to be lead to witness 4 guards and the doctor from Deok-su's gang, all lifeless and hanging from their wrists, for everyone to witness the fate of those who don't follow the rules. Oopsy daisy.

Back in the white room, they were told the game will be played in teams of two and that they should pair up. Min Ji bit her lip hard and looked at Sangwoo, then hung her head. She knew he wanted a strong man and would most likely pick Ali over anyone else. That was his game strategy, after all.

"Min Ji..." Sangwoo looked troubled, looking down at the girl. "It's fine, I understand. Get out of here alive, okay? You promised." Min Ji smiled weakly at him, wagging her pinky dramatically. "Thank you. You as well. Take care." he said, squeezing her shoulder and, as expected, going to Ali and shaking hands.

As expected, no one wanted to play with curly bitch. And, again, as expected, nobody wanted to play with women either. The first to get up was Sae-byeok, who went to search around for anyone who'd want to pair up. Then, Ji-yeong jumped to her feet and extended her palm towards Min Ji.

"Unnie, do you trust me?" the girl asked with a smile on her face. "Yeah, I do. Wait, you wanna pair up with me? But I'm-... I'm not physically strong in the least. I don't want to put you at a disadvantage, I -" Min Ji got up, looking concerned at the girl in front of her. "Just say yes. Don't worry, I'll make sure you get out alive. We promised, right?" Ji-yeong's smile was contagious, so much that Min Ji found herself smiling back. "If you think it's alright, then... Hell yes, let's go! Ibiza, baby!" she chuckled, shaking hands and hooking arms with each other, ready to strike down whatever opposition they were going to have.

Funny enough, curly bitch remained alone because nobody wanted to team up with her.

Too bad, so sad.

Play despacito and drink a mojito.

Team by team, they were guided into a labyrinthine game zone that looked like a basic neighbourhood that anyone would have lived in as a kid. They were assigned a small, yet intimate space, and were given a pouch of 10 marbles each. And then, they were told the winning conditions.

You have to compete with your partner... And the player who takes all 10 marbles from their partner wins.

"......HUH?!" Min Ji cried out loud from shock, feeling the sky falling down on her. "HUHHHHHHHH?!" she left the assigned space, looking around at all the teams, and it seemed that no, she wasn't the only one with a crestfallen expression of extreme disbelief. "No! No! NO! This-... No, this can't be-... This can't be happening! What the fuck is wrong with y'all?!" Min Ji punched a wall as hard as she could from anger, not even caring about the pain anymore. "Hey, calm down, you're supposed to be the calm one, right?" Ji-yeong pried Min Ji away from the wall, taking her hand in hers. "I want to compete WITH you, not AGAINST you, Ji-yeong! We are supposed to get the hell out of here together! And go have fun in Ibiza and dance until we can't stand and get shit faced drunk and smoke more than the whole fucking fog of London!" Min Ji yelled at her new-found friend. "We will, but calm down. I have a plan, okay? But we have enough time, so don't rush or anything, okay? Let's chat a bit, maybe it will ease your nerves or something. I really enjoy talking to you, you know?" Ji-yeong dragged the frowning red head down on the small stairs and leaned her head on her shoulders. "...Fine, we do it your way. What do you want to talk about?" Min Ji asked in a small voice, hanging her head down. "I dunno. Tell me about your family. Why'd you end up here. You don't seem like someone who'd run their lives down into the dirt." she asked so casually. "Hmm... Well, okay, I don't mind telling you. My parents died in a car crash about 10 years ago. Incidentally, about 10 years ago, they found their business to be failing, and found that the CEO of another, bigger business had a son, pretty successful himself. I was out of SNU, Veterinary Medicine degree, just finished my PhD in Oncology. I was 27. I had earned scholarships throughout all my years in SNU, being the top of my class, I had internships at one of the best hospital where I work even now, to this day... Everything was going spectacular for me. In 2 years I managed to buy myself a penthouse and fully furnish it myself, somewhere near the national park. But my parents claimed I was nothing because I didn't have a family, so they pushed this arranged marriage on my back. Really... They weren't the worst parents in the world, but... My ex-husband is Gun-seo, the guy staying so close to Deok-su. The guy who beat me up during the riot night. And during our wedding night. And during every other night when he'd come drunk and want to have fun. Fucking bastard." Min Ji stopped for a while, then looked up at the faux red sky. "And then he divorced me, forged papers, sued me and got me 1 billion won in debt to him. Fucking prick. I want to strangle the life out of him with my own hands. I want to punch him until his own mum won't recognize his ugly mug anymore." she spit on the ground from anger. "Jeez, how disgusting of him. I hope you get to kill him. He doesn't deserve all that money. You worked so hard for yourself, only for him to steal it away? Nuh-huh, no way." Ji-yeong shook her head in denial. "Anyway, when you get outta here, what do you wanna do with the money?" she asked, once again. "I told you, didn't I? I'll get you to Ibiza." Min Ji spoke, still rejecting the reality. "What else?" Ji-yeong pushed her. "I... I and Sangwoo promised each other we'd travel the world and find out what hobbies we have so we can properly pursue them." the red haired girl spoke. "Can I bride your hair? It's really pretty. You dyed it recently, didn't you?" she asked, going a stair upwards, getting behind the girl. "It's pretty gross from not being properly washed, but if you don't find it disgusting, I don't mind. I always found someone playing with my hair so soothing. It always calmed me down and helped me sleep." the red head spoke, a bit nostalgic. "Do you have any hobbies that you enjoy now?" the younger one asked. "Well... It's not often, but... I realised a few things after watching chinese dramas. One, I love playing the guqin. Second, I love dressing up in those super pretty dresses and dancing and singing songs from those dramas. Also, I actually picked up embroidery super fast and I pride myself with making some damn pretty flowers. I have a few of my works hung on a wall in my room, actually." Min Ji chuckled, a bit embarrased. "Ehhh, I'd love to see them too. And hear you perform... Actually, why don't you perform something for me some time today?" she asked, finishing her braid. "I'd be too embarrassed. I haven't ever performed in front of anyone. My voice and dance moves aren't as gracious and fluid as those girls' on TV, you know?" Min Ji blushed, looking down. "Ah, who cares, not like anyone would see anyway. They're all busy killing or dying." many more shots were heard. "Say, had you ever seen a dead body before coming here?" she asked again. "Well... Not human ones, no. I'm an animal doctor, so I have to deal with a lot of death, but only of the animal variety. It's really heartbreaking." Min Ji muttered, before shaking her head. "And you?" "The first one I saw... Was my mum. One day I came home after school, and found her dead on the floor. Next to her, was my so-called dad with a knife in his hand." silence took over them for a few seconds. "The next person I saw dead... Was my dad. And the one standing next to him with a knife was me. He was a pastor. Whenever he'd beat my mum and did the unthinkable to me, he always prayed... For our sins to be forgiven. But he didn't pray the day he killed my mum. Maybe he knew he couldn't be forgiven." she spoke in a solemn voice. "He deserved to be killed. If there is a hell, I hope he, and everyone like him, end up burning in the most torturous pits of hell. I'm glad you killed him. Disgusting jerk." Min Ji cursed him. "Enough of the sad talk. What will you do when you get out of here?" "Hmm... I haven't thought about that. Someone was waiting for me, when I was released from prison. I thought he was a creditor who came to collect my dad's debt. But he gave me a business card. That. Weird card. I just came here because I had nowhere else to go. So... I haven't thought about what I'd do if I get out... You know, Ibiza sounds really nice. Let's go there. And then in Tenerife. That sounds like fun." however, Ji-yeong's voice lost her cheerfulness rather quick. "Ah, yeah, right. My mistake." she tsked, realising only one of them could get out. "There's only 5 minutes left... Fine. I'll perform for you. Whether I live, or you live, at least we had a bit of fun, right?" Min Ji sighed, getting up and unzipped her jacket, letting it flow behind her, revealing the bruises on the revealed skin. "I... Hope you'll like it. It's from a drama called The Story of Yanxi Palace. I... Really hope that... We could watch it together. The protagonist kinda reminds me of you." Min Ji took a deep breath, stopping herself from crying.

Palace wall willows, a jade hairpin Slender and rosy hands Lonely wine locks up the worries of spring Past events are hard to talk about The wavering sleeves do not carry away the yearning of lovesickness After having a golden millet dream Gossip until old age

Palace wall willows following with the wind One step, one kowtow Love everlasting, hate everlasting I imprison myself in my own cocoon Who says loving affection lasts forever? The thousand gold prized fur coat breaks into pieces I dream of being intoxicated at the gazing river pavilion Who cares about these ten thousand old worries?

Min Ji didn't know Chinese, and she was sure she must have butchered a few words here and there, but she learnt the lyrics by heart and, in her head, the song was playing and she let it guide her moves the same as when she performed in her own living room, in her pretty pink outfit and her bejeweled mask.

She was brought back to reality by not only a few shots, but by Ji-yeong's applause as well, and the first thing Min Ji saw was the glee in her eyes and the happy smile on her face. "That was wonderful! I didn't think anyone could dance so nicely while dressed in this ugly track suit, but you proved me wrong! I can't wait to see you in a dress too! I bet you look like a fairy!" "Aha, don't flatter me, Ji-yeong! Besides, I'm sure you'd look even better than me! And dance better! You look like you enjoy dancing too- You must have done some modern dancing in your life, right?" Min Ji shot back quickly, seeing the girl nod enthusiastically. "Yep, you're very right! I love dancing too. I like singing, but my voice is pretty basic, so I can only sing these new pop songs at best. But hey, they're hella fun, so who cares when you're at a party, right?" she laughed, then, as another shot was heard, she looked up and realized there was less than a minute left. "Alrighty then, let's do this before we run outta time." she jumped up, going in front of a wall. "Whoever throws a marble closest to that wall wins. That cool?" "Yeah, I think that's fine. Do you want to go first?" Min Ji asked, only to receive a shake of her head. "Nahh, unnie, you first." despite being reticent, Min Ji threw that marble, and it landed pretty close to the wall. Her heart shrunk.

Then, Ji-yeong went up, she bent a bit to throw the marble and... It... Fell to the ground. Immediately, Min Ji rushed to pick up her marble, dusted it and put it back in her hand. "You can try again, come on. Falling doesn't count." "Haha, alright, alright, sorry." however, even though she threw it again, it barely landed a few inches farther. "Ji-yeong... What the hell are you doing." Min Ji muttered, picking up the marble again and putting it in her hand. "Again." "Unnie... I lost. That's it." Ji-yeong smiled sadly at the girl. "No, you didn't. It fell from your grasp. Go again." Min Ji nudged the girl, only to see her lethargically throwing it away. "...Ji-yeong... Don't... Don't do this. Please. Don't... You can get out. You can live your life. Carefree and happy. You deserve it. You've been through hell and back, you deserve so happiness. And-... And... And... And you're so young and beautiful and smart, you can do anything you want!" Min Ji tried to argue, but the girl merely chuckled and hugged her tightly. "I promised I'd get you out of here. And I am. Just let me lose in my style, okay? This is what I want." Ji-yeong tried to argue in her soft, calm way. "I can't allow you to throw away your life like that for nothing! Get that damn marble and throw it again!" Min Ji cried out, tears streaming down her face like rivers. "Min Ji... I have nothing. Nothing. But you have a future. You, and that old guy you keep talking about... You're sweet together. Make that dream of yours happen. You have a reason to leave this place, and have the brains and means to make it far an be happy. But I don't. You asked me what I'd do once I get out of here, and I've been thinking about that... But no matter how hard I think... I can't find anything. Someone with a good reason to live should be the one to get out of here. That's the right way, unnie. So please don't cry for me. This time we hung out together... It really made me happy. You're my friend. And... I'm happy that you trusted me enough to perform in front of me. And to say that you want to go out and party with me. I loved imagining that. Make sure you leave this place alive. And smile. Be happy. Do anything your heart wants, no matter how reckless or silly it may be." Ji-yeong hugged her tightly. Min Ji froze completely. The only way you'd know she was not a statue was the tears still flowing down.

And so, the time was up.

Ji-yeong rushed to get the two marbles from the ground, put them in her pouch and put it in Min Ji's hand. She dragged the girl to the guard and showed him that the read head won. There weren't many people left on this battlefield, and all Min Ji could do was stare at Ji-yeong as she cried and smiled back at her, the machine gun to her head.

"Thank you, Unnie, for being my friend... And for playing with me... Thank you." she waved her good bye, but Min Ji couldn't accept it. "DON'T KILL HER!" she shrieked so loud and painfully, throwing herself towards her friend, only to be pulled backwards by two guards as she watched her friend being shot dead, all that blood splashing all over her.

A painful cry of despair resounded throughout the place as Min Ji was dragged out of the game zone and back where all the other winners were waiting. As usual, they were guided back to the dormitory. Sangwoo, as shaken up as he was, looked at the trembling, bloody girl and tried to approach her, but she walked past him as if she was a ghost, not seeing anything.

This game must have truly affected her psyche.

He watched as she didn't get bothered by the curly bitch being alive, or her stupid discourse, and when the food was served, she got it and dumped it in his lap so he would eat her share too. His gaze followed her going to, to the bathroom most likely, to wash up all that blood, then, as she returned, she got into the bed farthest away from everyone and covered herself wholly, soft sobs being heard even from the front of the place.

She then had the misfortune of having to hear the discourse of the man who had his wife killed in the marble game, now wanting to terminate it because he couldn't do it anymore, and Sangwoo got pissed off enough to rough him up and tell him he should have died instead, and if they all give up now, it would be disrespectful to all those more than 400 who died already.

Somehow, Min Ji felt a sudden flame of rage bubble inside of her, thinking of having to give up Ji-yeong again, and she got up, the blanket around her shoulders as a cape, and dragged her feet in front of the wailing man.

"If you loved your wife so much, then why isn't she here, with us, but it's you instead, huh? Now you can't do it anymore, but you want us all to give up, just for you? Go ahead and fucking kill yourself, then. You think that's why your wife sacrificed herself for? So you'd go ahead and cry like a little baby and not do anything in her memory? Then, by all means, get a sheet and hang yourself, it's that easy." the hatred and anger in her otherwise low and threatening voice seemed to shock everyone watching, as she was usually so sweet and calm.

Silence took over the place, and Min Ji could only scoff at the weak, cry-baby man, only to hear a deranged laugh coming from the other end of the room. It was Gun-seo, without a doubt. Only he could laugh so sickeningly at such a morbid scene. And clap, nonetheless.

"My, my, Min Ji, I've never seen you so angry in my life! So, beating you up wasn't the way to go, to get a reaction out of you, but going ahead and killing your friends in front of you? Ah, wait, never mind, you don't have any. But hey, I'm sure you enjoyed killing that one, didn't you? How did it go? Did you cheat? Or did you manipulate her into letting you win? Did you--" the more he spoke, the more he approached her, however, he didn't expect his words to get a rise out of her, and he found himself painfully pushed against the metal of the bunk beds, just as he previously did to her. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" she shrieked in his face, before getting a fistful of his hair and throwing him to the ground, crawling on his torso and punching his face. "SHUT THE FUCK UP! SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY, YOU SICK FUCK! DON'T TALK ABOUT HER! DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT HER! AND YOU THINK YOU'LL GET OUT OF HERE ALIVE, THINK AGAIN, 'CAUSE I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU WITH MY OWN HANDS! DO YOU HEAR ME?! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" she cried out, getting blood over her hands, and it took both Sangwoo and Gi hun prying her away from him, as, on the other side, Deok-su and what was left of the people didn't care enough to save him or fix him up. "Fucking psycho bitch, you deserve everything I did to you! Better sleep with both eyes open, 'cause you won't wake up again otherwise." he spit blood to the ground, walking away as the two man dragged Min Ji away. "Let go of me already. I'm done." she took her arms away from their grip, going to pick up the fallen blanket from the ground and returning to her bed. "Min Ji." she heard Sangwoo's voice and she stopped in her tracks, but didn't look at him. "I'm sorry about what happened." "You killed Ali. I feel more sorry for you. I just got stupidly attached to a girl, that's all. It's my fault. It's my fault. It's all my fault. There's no place for emotions in such a cruel world that punishes everyone whose heart hasn't turned to stone." Min Ji muttered, slowly walking towards her bed and sitting on it, looking at the ground, a few tears falling down her face. "Just two more games, Min Ji. We can do it. We will get out of here together. We can do it. I promised that, didn't I?" he put his arms around her, holding her tightly and playing with her hair. "I'm so scared. I'm so scared, Sangwoo. I don't want to die. I don't want you to die either. But I'm afraid... I'm so afraid that somehow, the cruel fate will have us go against each other, or somehow get either of us killed. I don't want another person I care about to die. I haven't felt close to anyone in so many years...I don't want to lose this feeling. I don't want to be alone anymore. Don't leave, Sangwoo. Don't leave. Please don't die, no matter what or who you are against." she cried in his arms, clinging onto his shirt. He had no idea what he could say anymore. That he knows exactly what she was saying and that he, too, felt the same. Somehow, he was driven and more motivated to get the hell out of there and drag her with him so they will finally be happy and can have a god damn proper life, free of worries and just... Living, damn it. They deserved it. They've been through so much, such torture, such nightmares. They deserve some fucking happiness, alright.

"We will get out of here, Min Ji. We will. No matter what. We will get the hell out of here, get their money and do whatever the hell we want. I promise." he muttered, holding onto her tightly as the curfew came and the lights were taken out. "Pinky promise?" she asked in a weak, shaky voice. "Yes, Min Ji. I pinky promise you, we will get out of here. Successfully."

< Previous Chapter Next Chapter >

#squid game #squid game x reader #squid game imagines #gi hun #sae byeok #ji-yeong #ali abdul #cho sang woo #cho sangwoo x reader #cho sangwoo imagine #cho sangwoo x oc

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devilsskettle · 3 years

Note

oh man i have a Lot of thoughts about the autopsy of jane doe, both positive and critical For Sure, i'd be SO excited to see your analysis of it! definitely keeping an eye out for that 👀

thanks! i'm working on something article-like to talk about the film and i don't know what i want to do with it yet lol but if i don't post it on here i'll definitely link it. it's mainly a discussion of gender in possession/occult films in the same way that carol clover describes in men, women, and chainsaws - that there are dual plot lines in occult films, usually gendered masculine and feminine respectively, where the "main" feminine plot (the actual possession) is actually a way to explore the "real" masculine plot (the emotional conflict of the "man in crisis" protagonist). typically the man in crisis is too masculine, or "closed" emotionally, where the woman is too "open," which is why she acts as the vehicle for the supernatural occurrence as well as the core emotions of the film. the man has to learn how to become more open (though if he becomes too open, like father karras in the exorcist, he has to die by the end - he has to find a happy medium, where he doesn't actually transgress gender expectations too much. clover calls this state the "new masculine," and we might apply the term "toxic masculinity" to the "closed" emotional state). part of the "opening up" feature of the story is that it allows men to be highly emotionally expressive in situations where they otherwise might not be allowed to, which is cathartic for the assumed primary audience of these films (young men). another feature of the genre is white science vs black magic (once you exhaust the scientific "rational" explanations, you have to accept that something magic is happening). the autopsy of jane doe does this even more than the films she discusses when she published the book in 1992 (the exorcist, poltergeist, christine, etc) because the supernaturally influenced young woman who becomes this kind of vehicle is more of an object than a character. she doesn't have a single line of dialogue or even blink for the entire runtime of the movie. the camerawork often pans to her as if to show her reactions to the events of the movie, which seems kind of pointless because it's the same reaction the whole time (none) but it allows the viewer to project anything they want onto her - from personal suffering to cunning and spite.

compare again to the exorcist: is the story actually about regan mcneil? no. but do we care about her? sure (clover says no, but i think we at least feel for her situation lol). and do we get an idea of what she's like as a person? yes. even though her pain and her body are used narratively as a framework for karras' emotional/religious crisis, we at least see her as a person. both she and her mother are expendable to the "real" plot but they're very active in their roles in the "main" plot - our "jane doe" isn't afforded even that level of agency or identity. so. is that inherently sexist? well, no - if there were other women in the film who were part of the "real" plot, i would say that the presence of women with agency and identity demonstrate enough regard for the personhood of women to make the gender of the subject of the autopsy irrelevant. but there are none. of the three important women in the film, we have 1) an almost corpse, 2) an absent (dead) mother, and 3) a one dimensional girlfriend who is killed off for a man's character development/cathartic expression of emotions. all three are just platforms for the men in crisis of this narrative.

and, to my surprise, much of the reception to the film is to embrace it as a feminist story because the witch is misconstrued as a badass, powerful, Strong Female Character girl boss type for getting revenge on the men who wronged her, with absolutely no consideration given to what the movie actually ends up saying about women. and the director has said that he embraces this interpretation, but never intended it. so like. of course you're going to embrace the interpretation that gives you critical acclaim and the moral high ground. but it's so fucking clear that it was never his intention to say anything about feminism, or women in general, or gender at all. so i find it very frustrating that people read the film that way because it's just. objectively wrong.

there's also things i want to say about this idea that clover talks about in a different chapter of the book when she discusses the country/city divide in a lot of horror (especially rape-revenge films) in which the writer intends the audience to identify with the city characters and be against the country characters (think of, like, house of 1000 corpses - there's pretty explicit socioeconomic regional tension between the evil country residents and the travelers from the city) but first, they have to address the real harm that the City (as a whole) has inflicted upon the Country (usually in the forms of environmental and economic destruction) so in order to justify the antagonization the country people are characterized by, their "retaliation" for these wrongs has to be so extreme and misdirected that we identify with the city people by default (if country men feel victimized by the City and react by attacking a city woman who isn't complicit in the crimes of the City in any of the violent, heinous ways horror movies employ, of course we won't sympathize with them). why am i bringing this up? well, clover says this idea is actually borrowed from the western genre, where native americans are the Villains even as white settlers commit genocide - so they characterize them as extremely savage and violent in order to justify violence against them (in fiction and in real life). the idea is to address the suffering of the Other and delegitimize it through extreme negative characterization (often, with both the people from the country and native americans, through negative stereotyping as well as their actions). so i think that shows how this idea is transferred between different genres and whatever group of people the writers want the viewers to be against, and in this movie it’s happening on the axis of gender instead of race, region, or class. obviously the victims of the salem witch trials suffered extreme injustice and physical violence (especially in the film as victim of the ritual the body clearly underwent) BUT by retaliating for the wrongs done to her, apparently (according to the main characters) at random, she's characterized as monstrous and dangerous and spiteful. her revenge is unjustified because it’s not targeted at the people who actually committed violence against her. they say that the ritual created the very thing it was trying to destroy - i.e. an evil witch. she becomes the thing we're supposed to be afraid of, not someone we’re supposed to sympathize with. she’s othered by this framework, not supported by it, so even if she’s afforded some power through her posthumous magical abilities, we the viewer are not supposed to root for her. if the viewer does sympathize with her, it’s in spite of the writing, not because of it. the main characters who we are intended to identify with feel only shallow sympathy for her, if any - even when they realize they’ve been cutting open a living person, they express shock and revulsion, but not regret. in fact, they go back and scalp her and take out her brain. after realizing that she’s alive! we’re intended to see this as an acceptable retaliation against the witch, not an act of extreme cruelty or at the very least a stupid idea lol.

(also - i hate how much of a buzzword salem is in movies like this lol, nothing about her injuries or the story they “read” on her is even remotely similar to what happened in salem, except for the time period. i know they don’t explicitly say oh yeah, she was definitely from salem, but her injuries really aren’t characteristic of american executions of witches at all so i wish they hadn’t muddied the water by trying to point to an actual historical event. especially since i think the connotation of “witch” and the victims of witch trials has taken on a modern projection of feminism that doesn’t really make sense under any scrutiny. anyway)

not to mention the ending: what was the writer intending the audience to get from the ending? that the cycle of violence continues, and the witch’s revenge will move on and repeat the same violence in the next place, wherever she ends up. we’re supposed to feel bad for whoever her next victims will be. but what about her? i think the movie figures her maybe as triumphant, but she’s going to keep being passed around from morgue to morgue, and she’s going to be vivisected again and again, with no way to communicate her pain or her story. the framework of the story doesn’t allow for this ending to be tragic for her, though - clearly the tragedy lies with the father and son, finally having opened up to one another, unfortunately too late, and dying early, unjust deaths at the hands of this unknowable malignant entity. it doesn’t do justice to her (or the girlfriend, who seems to be nothing but collateral damage in all of this - in the ending sequence, when the police finds the carnage, it only shows them finding the bodies of the men. the girlfriend is as irrelevant to the conclusion as she is to the rest of the plot).

but does this mean the autopsy of jane doe is a “bad” movie? i guess it depends on your perspective. ultimately, it’s one of those questions that i find myself asking when faced with certain kinds of stories that inevitably crop up often in our media: how much can we excuse a story for upholding regressive social norms (even unintentionally) before we have to discount the whole work? i don’t think the autopsy of jane doe warrants complete rejection for being “problematic” but i think the critical acclaim based on the idea that it’s a feminist film should be rejected. i still consider it a very interesting concept with strong acting and a lot of visual appeal, and it’s a very good piece of atmospheric horror. it’s does get a bit boring at certain points, but the core of the film is solid. it’s also not trying to be sexist, arguably it’s not overtly sexist at all, it’s just very very androcentric at the expense of its female characters, and i’m genuinely shocked that anyone would call it feminist. so sure, let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water, but let’s also be critical about how it’s using women as the stage for men’s emotional conflict

also re: my description of this little project as “a film isn’t feminist just because there’s a woman’s name in the title” - i actually don’t want to skim over the fact that “jane doe” isn’t a real name. of the three women in the film, only one has a real name; the other two are referred to by names given to them by men. i’ll conclude on this note because i want to emphasize the lack of even very basic ways of recognizing individual identity afforded to women in this film. so yeah! the end! thanks for your consideration if you read this far!

#the autopsy of jane doe #men women and chainsaws #horror #also to be clear i'm not saying that the exorcist is somehow more feminist because. it's not. i'm just using it as a frame of reference #you'd think a film from 2016 would escape the ways gender is constructed in one from 1973 but that's not really the case #i actually rewatched the end of the movie to make sure that what i said about the girlfriend's body not being found at the end was accurate #and yeah! it is! the intended audience-identified character shifts to the sheriff who - that's right! - is also a man #the camerawork is: shot of the dead son / shot of the sheriff looking sad / shot of the dead father / shot of the sheriff looking sad /#shot of jane doe / shot of the sheriff looking upset angry and suspicious #which is how we're supposed to feel about the conclusion for each character #the girlfriend is notably absent in this sequence #anyway! this is less about me condemning this movie as sexist and more about looking at how women in occult horror #continue to be relegated to secondary plot lines at best or to set dressing for the primary plot line at worst #and what that says about identification of viewers with certain characters and why writers have written the story that way #i think the reception of the film as Feminist might actually point to a shift in identification - but to still be able to enjoy the movie #while identifying with a female character you need to change the narrative that's actually presented to you #hence the rampant impulse to misinterpret the intention of the filmmakers #we do want it to be feminist! the audience doesn't identify with the 'default' anymore automatically #i think that's actually a pretty positive development at least in viewership - if only filmmakers would catch up lol #oh and i only very briefly touched on this here but the white science vs black magic theme is pretty clearly reflected in this film also

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diaphragmjellyfish · 3 years

Text

Hawk Fluff Alphabet

Requested by @manicgrungegf

A = Attractive (What do they find attractive about the other?)

What hawk finds most attractive about you is your kindness. You’re literally the sweetest person to everyone you meet and he likes to think that if he knew you when he was Eli, you still would have dated him. You didn’t care about the muscles or the tattoo or the hair. You genuinely loved him and were always kind to him even when he was being an ass.

B = Baby (Do they want a family? Why/Why not?)

He’s not sure about whether he wants kids or not. He’s kind of just enjoying being young and having fun right now, and he never actually thought he’d get married before, but he’d be open to it later on down the line if it was something you really wanted.

C = Cuddle (How do they cuddle?)

For as much game as he talks, this boy is a LITTLE SPOON. He loves being held by you, and sometimes can’t fall asleep unless your arms are wrapped around him. In public, he’s always the one with his arm around you, hugging you from behind, putting on that alpha male persona, but when it’s just you guys he’s a total puppy.

D = Dates (What are dates with them like?)

Hawk likes to take you to parties. You guys can drink, dance, hang out with your friends, it’s the perfect place in his opinion. But for more private occasions like your anniversary, he likes a nice picnic on the beach. He’d make PB&J’s for you guys (and cut off your crusts), pack some juice boxes, and bring a big giant blanket (and condoms shhh) for you guys.

E = Everything (You are my ____ (e.g. my life, my world…)

You’re my happy place. Hawk thinks of you as the best thing that’s ever happened to him. Whenever he feels frustrated from training or insecure about his scar or angry at Demitri, he knows he can always go to you for support and you’ll make him forget all about that stuff. He’s never not smiling when you’re around.

F = Feelings (When did they know they were in love?)

He first knew he loved you when you said his scar was cute. It’s always been his biggest insecurity, and even when you guys first went out, he always just assumed you just tried not to look at it and look at his hair or muscles instead. But when you told him you liked it, thought it gave him character and looked kind of tough, his heart shot through the roof. This beautiful, ethereal, magnetically charming girl thought his scar, his deformity, was cute?! Love on sight.

G = Gentle (Are they gentle? If so, how?)

He’s more gentle than you would think, but still not as gentle as, say, Miguel. He would never hurt you or make you do anything you don’t want to do, but he likes to rough house, play wrestle, and tease you a little bit. He likes to sneak up behind you, pick you up and spin you around, and ruffle your hair as a “good morning” every day.

H = Hands (How do they like to hold hands?)

Hawk is holding your hand all. The. damn. Time. He likes everyone to know who you belong to. Inside, he’s still a little insecure and nervous that you’ll decide you can do better and leave him, so he finds holding your hand reassuring, especially when you run your thumb over the back of his hand.

I = Impression (What was their first impression?)

His first impression of you was honestly not good. You were friends with Samantha Larusso so he just assumed you were stuck up and snobby. The first time you guys actually talked was at a party. You were pacing nervously outside because your friends had left, your phone died, and you had no way to get home. Hawk took pity on you and offered to give you a ride on his motorcycle, and you guys ended up driving all over town, talking, laughing, drinking milkshakes, and you quickly made plans to hang out the next day.

J = Jealousy (Do they get jealous?)

He is the most jealous boy, mostly because he’s insecure that you’ll leave him for someone else. Sometimes you think it’s hot, but if it ever bothers you, he’ll make a conscious effort to work on himself and trust that you’ll always come back to him.

K = Kiss (How do they kiss? Who initiated the first kiss?)

Your first kiss was the sweetest moment ever. You guys were sitting on the beach one night talking about all your deep thoughts. He started telling you how he was super insecure about his lip scar and thought no girl would ever want to kiss him before he got the mohawk and muscles. “Well I can think of one girl who would love to kiss you.” At this, he looked at you with pure shyness, and you leaned in and gave him a sweet kiss. Now, his kisses can range anywhere from sweet and loving, to possessive and dominant. You love them all.

L = Love (Who says ‘I love you’ first?)

He knew he was in love with you when you first talked about nerdy shit with him and Demitri. He always thought he couldn’t like nerdy stuff like Dr. Who or girls wouldn’t like him, so when Demitri brought it up while you three were hanging out, he panicked. But then you started talking about the new trailer and how excited you were for a female Dr. and he fell in love on the spot.

M = Memory (What’s their favourite memory together?)

His favorite memory with you is that time he needed to touch up his hair color and you asked if you could do it for him. You got him a little poncho (garbage bag but shhh), parted his hair in neat little sections, and touched up the dye. You guys had such a fun time, you gushed about how good his hair looked down, and it ended up looking way better than when he did it himself. Now every time he needs a touch up he comes to you.

N = Nickel (Do they spoil? Do they buy the person they love everything?)

Hawk doesn’t generally spoil you with material things. You both would much rather spend your time and money on memories, or food. Of course on your birthday and anniversaries he gets you little gifts, but generally speaking, his love language leans more towards quality time.

O = Orange (What colour reminds them of their other half?)

Lavender reminds him of you. Soft, sweet, feminine. He thinks it looks amazing on you, too. He’s actually thought about dying his mohawk lavender next just to feel closer to you.

P = Pet names (What pet names do they use?)

Princess. That’s the biggest one. Sometimes angel, or babygirl.

Q = Quaint (What is their favourite non-modern thing?)

His favorite non-modern thing is old muscle cars. He’s saving up to buy an old Corvette one day. It’s one of his big goals in life. He wants to have a mohawk made for the car, too, so everyone knows how cool he is.

R = Rainy Day (What do they like to do on a rainy day?)

Little secret about Hawk, he loves to cook. When it’s raining outside, he likes to have you come over and make a big meal with him. Maybe chicken pot pie, steaks, or pad thai, and sit on the couch eating and watching old movies.

S = Sad (How do they cheer themselves/others up?)

Unfortunately, Hawk used to be an expert at being sad back before he joined Cobra Kai. The way he likes to deal with it is generally just crying. He likes to let it all out, be alone, collect himself, and then maybe watch a movie or hang out with you. If you’re sad, his first question is “who do I have to beat up?” If it’s not from a person, he’ll take you on an adventure. Hikes, long drives, exploring new places, just to get your mind off it.

T = Talking (What do they like to talk about?)

Umm karate. It literally changed his life. He loves to tell you about the new moves he learned in training, talk about the tournaments coming up, or the rivalry between Cobra Kai and Myagi-Do. And you’re a sucker for gossip so you love to hear about it.

U = Unencumbered (What helps them relax?)

Music, soft blankets, the tiredness after a workout, a good hot meal, and he loves to watch cringe compilations on Youtube.

V = Vaunt (What do they like to show off? What are they proud of?)

Ever since his transformation from Eli to Hawk, this boy likes to show off everything, all the time. His hair, his tattoos, his muscles, his fighting skills, his sarcasm, his girl…

W = Wedding (When, how, where do they propose?)

He proposes to you about 6 months into your relationship with a ring pop outside of a gas station. You both knew it was a joke, but honestly started referring to each other as fiance and never stopped. Then, about 3 years later, he got you a real ring and took your hand and said “about time we actually do this, huh?” Of course, he took you to the same gas station where he had “proposed” the first time. Not the most romantic thing looking in on it, but to you guys, it was perfect.

X = Xylophone (What’s their song?)

Highway To Hell- ACDC

Y = Yes (Do they ever think of getting married/proposing?)

He proposes to you multiple times! Of course he thinks about it. He wants you guys to be together forever!

Z = Zebra (If they wanted a pet, what would they get?)

A hawk! It’s his signature symbol, of course he thinks it would be super badass to actually have a pet hawk. He would name it Desmond, and get it a tiny little mohawk.

#cobra kai #hawk #hawk x reader #miguel diaz #eli moskowitz #eli moskowitz x reader #jacob bertrand #fluff #karate kid

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shelobussy · 3 years

Note

Ohmygod YES Susan Pevensie is awesome please talk to me about Susan i want to know everything you have to say

Literally THANK YOU for asking me this bc Susan Pevensie is a character I never get asked about and I have So Many Opinions.

I'm going to start by saying that Susan used to be my least favorite character in the series. This goes for the books and the movies. Some of it was for personal reasons--she reminds me of a couple of annoying ppl I know irl--but it was also bc I watched Prince Caspian which shoehorned her into a relationship with Caspian which I hated.

HOWEVER. I ended up rethinking this position after interacting with Susan fans and realizing that there are so many wonderful things to love about her!

(putting under the cut bc this got long)

Things Ash Loves About Susan Pevensie

Aight I'm not going to do a formal analysis yet on her, but instead rant about some of the unrelated things I adore about Susan Pevensie.

Susan the Archer

Look we all love archery here. I don't have anything more to say.

Okay, I actually do have more to say. I love the fact that Susan is a complete badass with the bow. You get the general impression that she's one of the royals in charge of public relations, traditions, foreign policy, etc. and yet she's the most competent archer in the series. One of the few things I liked about the movies is how they didn't downplay this. They actually let her be a badass and show off her skills.

Also the part where she kicks Trumpkin's ass was awesome.

Susan the Gentle

Susan being the most passive Pevensie was something I definitely underappreciated as a teenager. I think my non-ability to see past "I'm not like other girls" narrative and the combination of Susan being described as the most traditionally feminine woman in the Narnia series is what initially turned me off from her.

HOWEVER, now it's one of my favorite attributes! I love that Susan is a badass and the most beautiful woman in Narnia. She has hair down to her feet, every man and woman in the kingdom want to fuck her, and she's still a fucking badass who will not hesitate to kick your ass.

Susan the Sister

Most of my thoughts of Susan as an older sister mostly stem from my own personal headcanons, but she is an awesome sister to her siblings. She's Peter's voice of reason, Edmund's sass partner, and Lucy's big sister.

Susan the Mom-Friend

She is a literal mother-figure for Corin.

"[...] the most beautiful lady he had ever seen rose from her place and threw her arms round him and kissed him, saying: "Oh Corin, Corin, how could you? And thou and I such close friends ever since thy mother died. [...]"

-The Horse and His Boy, 33-34

Most everything I have to say about this ventures into headcanon territory, but I love the idea of Susan basically adopting Corin after his mom dies. The way she trusts Cor--who she thinks is Corin in this chapter--is really sweet and I wish we could've seen more of that relationship.

Susan the Flawed

Something I notice from the fandom is a lot of people who hate Susan tend to because of her flaws. On the other hand, most Susan stans like to wave away these flaws and blame C.S. Lewis for being misogynistic or Aslan for being a "cruel god" and ignore the fact that she is a deeply flawed person.

Susan gets something of a "reverse redemption arc" in The Chronicles of Narnia. This makes her not only a fascinating foil to Edmund--as both are analytical, logical people--but an interesting character by herself.

She starts out in TWW as very skeptical of Narnia and it's whole deal and also very condescending to Lucy throughout. She ultimately does admit that Lucy was right and does get on board with the whole prophecy at the same time Peter does, and ends the book being crowned "the Gentle Queen."

In The Horse and His Boy, she has a very interesting dynamic with Edmund and in even more interesting relationship with Rabadash. They don't even interact on-page with each other, but it's highly implied that she was interested in him when he was a guest in Narnia. His behavior obviously changed when she visited him in Tashbaan, but you have to wonder what their dynamic was like before for her to travel all the way to his home when relations between the countries were strained at best.

Prince Caspian is where the cracks start showing through. Susan has lived an entire life as an adult in Narnia, gets thrown back to England with her siblings, and is yet again in Narnia as a child. This book is what really emphasizes her one fatal flaw: convenience.

(Put a pin in that thought, I'll get back to it.)

Susan denies once again that Lucy saw something that the rest of them can't seen. She continues this narrative until every other sibling finally acknowledges Lucy in the right and only then does she apologize.

The last mention of Susan is in The Last Battle, where all of her flaws rise up against her in the worst way possible. I have a lot of controversial opinions on this that I'm going to address later, but I just want to say that Susan's reverse-redemption arc is something I actually like about her.

(There is also evidence that Susan does get a full redemption arc, just as Edmund and Eustace did, but C.S. Lewis was pretty much done with The Chronicles of Narnia at the point and instead encouraged fans to write their own version of how that went down.)

Okay, back to convenience being Susan's fatal flaw. So the one thing that comes up time and time again in the series is that Susan is very focused on material comforts. I believe it's implied that she's vain, and it's canonical that her own personal comfort spurs her to make decisions.

"[...] I really believed it was him — he, I mean — yesterday. When he warned us not to go down to the fir wood. And I really believed it was him tonight, when you woke us up. I mean, deep down inside. Or I could have, if I'd let myself. But I just wanted to get out of the woods and — and — oh, I don't know [...]"

Prince Caspian, 81

Prince Caspian has the strongest examples of Susan doing this, but certainly there's evidence elsewhere. There are a lot of fans who are distressed by this, claiming that Aslan and the others are too hard on her and shouldn't judge.

Honestly, I like that she's written with this flaw. Not only is it very relatable--(my own personal comfort and convenience is something I highly prioritize too)--but it humanizes a character who otherwise is ridiculously op and basically the Helen of Troy of the series. It may sound like I'm using this as an excuse to rant, but I really wouldn't have her any other way.

Susan As Portrayed by Anna Popplewell

Movie!Susan is a fucking delight.

She's sarcastic and badass and awesome and I could spend hours heaping praise on Anna's acting and her portrayal of Susan, but I can already tell that this post is going to be long so, I'll just stop here.

(10/10 want to be stabbed by her tho.)

Personal Headcanons

Let's talk about my fanon thoughts. I have many.

Susan is Aro

There's canonical evidence for this! Susan is a character who is heavily pursued by suitors everywhere, and even lets herself be courted by many of them, but chooses not to settle down. Even when she gets back to England and is described as only having interest in parties and material things, boys aren't mentioned.

I like to think that in The Horse in His Boy Susan was interested in Rabadash at first because he was a brilliant conversationalist. Nothing she says about him implies romantic interest, before and after she realizes the truth of his intentions.

Susan and Edmund Were Best Friends

This might be my love for The Horse and His Boy showing itself, but I think Susan and Edmund were thrown into circumstances where they interacted the most with each other.

Edmund is the ruler in charge of politics. Susan is the ruler in charge of Cair Paravel's public image. I imagine they spent time as ambassadors to other countries and planning royal functions.

They're also the most level-headed and logical out of their siblings, so they probably found a lot in common.

Susan Fancast

I literally just said I loved Anna's potrayal of Susan's (and I love what they gave us of older Susan too in LWW!), but I read the books in 2008 and my parents didn't let me see the movies bc I was like...nine years old and they thought it would be too scary.

So I had to headcanon my own interpretations.

Queen Susan the Gentle:

For some reason Merlin wasn't too scary for me to watch and I fell in love with Katie McGrath in like. Two episodes so. (On an unrelated note, I also fancast Bradley James as Peter at the time.)

Anyway, fanon Susan is basically Morgana Pendragon pre-evil arc. Sassy as hell, hot as fuck, and can kick your ass.

Unpopular Opinions

Yeah, feel free to skip this part if having controversial fandom opinions is a deal breaker for you.

The Problem With Susan Isn't Actually A Problem

I'm about to start so much discourse in the Narnia fandom, but C.S. Lewis's choices with her in The Last Battle weren't misogynistic. Bear in mind, I'm not saying that all of his writing choices in the series were A++ or excusing away certain racist/sexiest bits, but it's honestly baffling to me that people are so up in arms over Susan's exclusion in the final book.

So the part that everyone loses their shit over is as follows:

"My sister Susan," answered Peter shortly and gravely, "is no longer a friend of Narnia."

"Yes," said Eustace, "and whenever you've tried to get her to come and talk about Narnia or do anything about Narnia, she says 'What wonderful memories you have! Fancy your still thinking about all those funny games we used to play when we were children.'"

"Oh Susan!" said Jill, "she's interested in nothing now-a-days except nylons and lipstick and invitations. She always was a jolly sight too keen on being grown-up."

"Grown-up, indeed," said the Lady Polly. "I wish she would grow up. She wasted all her school time wanting to be the age she is now, and she'll waste all the rest of her life trying to stay that age. Her whole idea is to race on to the silliest time of one's life as quick as she can and then stop there as long as she can."

The Last Battle, 83-84

There's a lot to unpack here and I first want to say that everyone's opinion on this part, no matter how different than mine, is valid. I'm going to be quoting some other ppl's opinions on here and by no means am I bashing them. I just want to address my feelings on the matter and the best way to do that is to cite the thoughts of ppl who have opposing ideas.

Here are some arguments on Tumblr I've heard regarding "The Problem of Susan":

"How about we talk about what might have happened if Narnia hadn't deserted Susan? [...] What if we didn't tell Susan she had to go grow up in her own world and then shame and punish her for doing just that? She was told to walk away and she went. She did not try to stay a child all her life, wishing for something she had been told she couldn't have again."

"Narnia is filled with metaphors (often not very subtle ones) that are supposed to teach us how to be, and the most glaring one for any young girl to absorb is that it's okay to be a girl like Lucy, unthreatening and cheerful and valiant and faithful, but to be a girl like Susan gets you punished - in fact, you aren't just punished, you're destroyed."

"why do we call it ‘the problem’ where’s the problem about a young woman dealing with her trauma and choosing her own path, actively making the choice to keep living and to stay and to carve a life out in England when her siblings couldn’t? what is the problem about susan forgetting to somehow cope with what she’s experienced? why is it ‘the problem of susan’ that she recontextualised her faith?"

And then there's JK Rowling who said this:

There comes a point where Susan, who was the older girl, is lost to Narnia because she becomes interested in lipstick. She's become irreligious basically because she found sex. I have a big problem with that.

It's weird how I'm still finding new ways to hate JKR in the year 2021. Again, there is absolutely zero implication that Susan had sex when she came back to England. ZERO. Did she actually read the books? IDK. If someone shares this opinion pls reply with actual canonical evidence.

Back on topic, I'm a firm believer of death of the author and interpreting art via your own experiences. Which is why I'm also going to share my own interpretation by saying y'all are wrong.

Susan Pevensie was not abandoned by Narnia. She was not barred from Narnia because she is traditionally feminine or because she "owned her sexuality" (another opinion I didn't have time to condense down for this post) or because she recontextualized her faith or even because she deserved to be punished.

I also fail to see how Susan recontexualized her faith, as the entire point of it all is that she has none. Bringing this back to Susan's fatal flaw (personal convenience/material comforts), her prioritizing herself over her own faith is the reason she is "no longer a friend of Narnia." Not...whatever fanon y'all are imposing on her character.

Susan is not being punished for liking lipstick and looking pretty. Susan's not even being punished. Y'all read Neil Gaiman's The Problem of Susan and forgot it wasn't canon.

There are many reasons Susan is not in Aslan's Country (one of them being that she's not actually dead yet), but the main one has to do with this:

"[...] But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.”

Voyage of the Dawn Treader, 215-216

Yeah, okay that's why Susan is no longer a friend of Narnia. The implication when the Pevensies are told that they can no longer enter Narnia is that they are to find Aslan in other places. Susan doesn't do this, instead choosing to focus her life on material things. It isn't the lipstick, it's that she only wants the lipstick.

Susan Had Sex In The Books

Oh and not in the context y'all are thinking. (Again, there are no implications that Susan was barred from Narnia for having sex or that she had sex when she came back to England.)

So there's actual canonical evidence that Susan and Rabadash had a sexual relationship. Sort of.

"What think you? We have been in this city fully three weeks. Have you yet settled in your mind whether you will marry this dark-faced lover of yours, this Prince Rabadash, or no?"

-The Horse and His Boy, 35

Edmund calls Rabadash her lover. Not her suitor. I don't know if the word had a different meaning in 1954, but it feels like C.S. Lewis is saying that they're fucking. I'm not really happy with the idea of Susan sleeping with an abuser, but really proud of her for Getting Some as a woman born in a time period where having premarital sex was a big no-no.

This also invalidates the weird opinion going on that Susan was barred from Narnia because she had sex.

Suspian Is The Worst

I haven't really talked about Movie!Susan much, but as long as we're talking unpopular opinions, it's worth noting that I hate Suspian. Some of it is the "Susan is Aro" headcanon screaming inside of me, but it's also the fact that it's written poorly, does nothing interesting for either character and generally comes across as awkward.

I feel like they were trying to make Prince Caspian sexy and relevant to teens. It came across as super heteronormative and unnecessary.

It also gets really really weird bc the next movie then gives Caspian and Edmund mad chemistry and we're all just like........ok.

Final Thoughts

Susan may not be my favorite character in the series, but she's grown on me over the years. I have many issues with fanon interpretations of her--which definately fueled some of my disdain for her initally--and I don't identify as a Susan Apologist.

I do however adore Susan and have many headcanons for her not mentioned here. I love reading fanfic, writing fanfic and meta, and generally having conversations about her and would love to talk more about it.

I welcome criticism (CONSTRUCTIVE) and conversation on all of my opinions and observations. Please drop into my inbox. <3

#susan pevensie #the chronicles of narnia #the problem of susan #narnia #meta #narnia meta #susan meta #ash does fandom #ash does meta

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hutchhitched · 3 years

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And training has begun. Our favorite duo is impressing the gamemakers and learning to tie knots. How very non-domestic of them. Here are thoughts and musings on Chapter 7 for @everlarkedalways THG reread.

Currently, I’m reading a book called Jesus and John Wayne, by Kristin Kobes Du Mez. The general thesis of the book is that white evangelicalism is obsessed with patriarchy and masculinity and celebrates that rather than emphasizing the gentler, more peaceful teachings of Jesus Christ. (While I have some issues with the larger historical study, I don’t particularly disagree with her thesis. Her book is the most gendered studies of American evangelical Christianity I’ve read in a long, long time.) A friend from work invited me to an online discussion group about the book with some friends of hers and the topic of gender roles played prominently in our conversation. Mostly, I kept thinking about portrayals of Katniss and Peeta and how those have sparked debates and arguments over Peeta’s masculinity or lack thereof.

Peeta is strong, but he’s an artist, a painter, and a baker. He’s gentle and compassionate and kind, and he’s in love with Katniss. He’s been emotionally and physically abused by his mother, and he knows brute strength can’t help him win the game because Katniss will die if he tries. He makes a decision to protect her, but to do it behind the scenes. He can’t puff up his chest and kill the people who want her dead, so he does it by sacrificing himself for her long before they’re in the area. As such, many critics of the series (more so the movies than the books, I believe), including the actors themselves, often referred to Peeta as the damsel in distress who has to be saved by Katniss.

There is a fundamental lack of critical examination in those interpretations of Peeta’s character. He is the epitome of non-toxic masculinity, but there is a rejection of that by society. Remember the Gillette commercial a few years ago that showed men being kind and gentle? Remember the backlash from it? Society is obsessed with strength and violence, and looks down on men who aren’t hypermasculine and/or show what are considered “feminine” qualities. In other words, Peeta has been emasculated.

In the book itself, Peeta’s mother emasculates him by brow-beating him into submission and running her family with an iron fist. Mrs. Mellark is a strong woman, and in this context, that’s not a good thing. She’s overbearing and a “witch,” according to Katniss. She’s taken power away from her husband, evidenced by him not buying squirrels from Katniss unless Mrs. Mellark is absent. She’s also taken Peeta’s self-esteem and self-worth away by abusing him and telling him she thinks Katniss is a survivor, implicating that Peeta is not.

Historically, masculinity has played a significant role in the development of the United States. White masculinity was codified in a series of laws in colonial Virginia in the seventeenth century, and southern masculinity was glorified and adulated during the antebellum period and beyond. Non-white men were emasculated in order to highlight the power of white men. Some examples:

Traditional gender roles in European societies centered on men providing for the family by owning land, farming, running an estate and so on while women’s roles were to work within the home. Rich men hunted for leisure (think fox hunting in packs, hunting quail, that kind of thing). Traditional gender roles for many Native American groups included women farming and gathering, while men hunted. Europeans believed Native American men were lazy because they played all the time (went out in hunting parties), while the women worked the fields. As a result, Native American men were emasculated and had their power stripped by European colonizers.

Africans who were enslaved were not allowed to legally marry under the system of slavery. Despite that, slave owners encouraged their slaves to “marry” (lived together as man and wife without the legal protections that entailed) because enslaved men who were married tended to be better workers due to fear that their wives and/or children would be punished if they rebelled or misbehaved. They had no control over their own families because enslaved peoples could be sold at any time at the whim of their owners (fathers sold away from wives and children or vice versa). In addition, white men often raped female slaves in order to a) terrorize the enslaved and b) impregnate the women who would give birth to more slaves. In addition, matrilineal succession was codified in a series of laws that ensured the offspring of an enslaved woman would follow the mother, not the father. That allowed white men to enslave their own offspring without consequence, and it emasculated male slaves in numerous ways. For example, enslaved men were not allowed to protect their spouses from being raped; enslaved men were not able to pass on their family names due to matrilineal succession; and enslaved men frequently had “wives” with children from another male. Each of those methods took power away from black men and put it in the hands of whites.

In 1676, Nathaniel Bacon asked for permission to raise a militia to fight a group of Native Americans who he believed had attacked his land. The governor refused permission, so Bacon did it anyway. He mustered yeomen farmers (poor white landowners), indentured servants (often Irish or poorer English contract workers), and slaves (African men). With this group, he challenged the wealthy white men in colonial Virginia.

What does all this mean? Peeta is a male with characteristics that are typically viewed as feminine (point 1), who is forced against his will to perform/work for the wealthy and privileged (point 3), and is unable to protect the woman he loves from harm (point 2). In other words, Peeta has been emasculated by Panem’s government and society.

Please don’t read this as me saying Peeta is not masculine. I personally don’t hold to this idea that men have to engage in toxic masculinity in order to be male. My personal preference is a man who is compassionate and caring and nurturing. What I’m saying is I understand why people can read Peeta as weak, even if I don’t happen to agree that his characteristics are effeminate.

Collins presents Katniss as a scared, angry, determined girl who engages in activities that aren’t necessarily feminine. Hunting and killing game, trading, and so on are very different activities than most of the women in Panem. She is, figuratively, bringing home the bacon and the primary breadwinner (ha!) for her family. Her role as a strong and independent and working against traditional gender roles is celebrated while Peeta’s are criticized. I find that fascinating. It’s kind of like it seems normal for women to dress in pants and t-shirts, but Harry Styles can’t wear a dress without causing an uproar. Oh, the double standard.

I won’t get into how the movies and press marketed Katniss as a badass warrior. Let’s just say it pisses me off and absolutely misses the point of the books in my opinion.

One last point since I’m headlong into gender theory here. Katniss and Peeta work as a team, equal partners as they negotiate their way through training. Collins seems to be a proponent of men and women carrying equal loads in relationships, and I’m here for it. Peeta doesn’t look down on Katniss as someone who needs to be protected (although he wants to protect her in any way he can), and Katniss doesn’t allow Peeta to make all the decisions for them. They work together, and it’s a beautiful thing. They have no idea the effect they have…on me when they do that. It’s my life’s goal to find someone who wants to be with me because I’m capable and not someone to be rescued. Katniss can rescue her own damn self, and I’m here for it.

Okay, I’m behind again, but I’ll get there. If you’ve read all this, thank you for your consideration!

#thgagain #the hunger games #the hunger games meta #i did not proofread #my apologies for any mistakes and typos #i'll fix them at some point

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demetriandelibinaryboyfriends · 3 years

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AIGHT Y’ALL I wasn’t tagged but I’m doing this anyways because f u c k i t

It's the year 2021 and you're obsessed with The Karate Kid. How are you feeling?

Deadasss weird as fuck, my dude. Like...out of all the things I could’ve predicted happening in our lord’s year 2021, it definitely was NOT getting hyperfixated on a hammy gay ship with a punk and a nerd from a goddamn karate soap opera. And yet...here we are??? I will never understand hyperfixations, my guy. But I’ve met a lot of really cool people in this fandom, so I can’t really complain.

Did you grow up with TKK or are you new to the series?

I have never seen a single Karate Kid movie in my entire life. When I was a kid, it looked kinda dumb so I never got into it XD But then I saw my roommate watching Cobra Kai on Youtube Red one day (he has every streaming service known to man) and I was hooked. And...here I am!

We gotta do the basics. Favorite character:

Literally EVERYONE except for Kreese, Yasmine, Kyler, and Tory, sorry stans

Okay but if we gotta pick, Johnny Lawrence is my Problematic Fave. Also I love my boy Daniel, he’s trying his best!!! And Amanda LaRusso, we stan a queen!!!

Among the kids, definitely Miguel, with Demetri as a close second. I also love Sam, Aisha, Moon, and Hawk (pre- and post-Bastardization Arc, anyways XD)!

Favorite ship:

Take a look at my username and take a WILD FUCKING GUESS lmao Yes it’s Eli/Demetri because DUH, every interaction they have is so fucking gay and Eli fucking saved him!!! And came back to him!!! And betrayed the world’s most terrifying dojo with a WAR CRIMINAL SENSEI all for Demetri!!! And how Demetri was willing to forgive him for everything at the drop of a hat because he always had faith there was still good in his best friend??? That’s TRUE LOVE motherfuckers. Please let them kiss in Season 4. I will sell you all of my limbs. Sam/Miguel is a close second because they’re cute as shit and it’s just so lovely to see two people so unapologetically smitten with each other. They are in LOVE, and I will RIOT if they break up again!!! Keep Sam and Miguel together 2k21!!!

Underrated character:

SAMANTHA LARUSSO!!! The amount of hate my girl gets for acting like a normal teenager and fucking up occasionally JUST like the rest of the cast makes me want to start punching things. She cares SO MUCH about her friends!!! And she loves the shit out of Miguel!!! She hasn’t always been the best friend but you know what??? Neither has Hawk, and we still forgave his ass!!! Also LET HER BE FEMININE but also kick utter ass, my god!!! Femininity should not be synonymous with being weak, y’all! ALSO DEMETRI, like yes, he likes to complain and occasionally run his mouth, but guess what else he likes to do??? Never give up on the love of his life his best friend Eli Moskowitz and refuse to lose faith in him no matter how much of a little shit he’s become, and I for one think that’s very badass of him. Also the way he takes care of Eli pre-Cobra Kai in his own snarky bastard way makes me absolutely Weak and needs more appreciation. Like the dude has charisma and COULD have probably made other friends and left Eli behind if he wanted, but did he??? No, he wants the weepy loser with the lip scar in the polo shirts and dorky sweaters and will protect him as much as his wimpy ass is able!!!

Underrated ship (don’t say therapy, lol):

Among the adults, Daniel/Amanda!!! Like maybe I just don’t watch that much tv, but it seems kinda rare to me to see a happily married hetero couple, and it’s just nice to see a married couple who genuinely love each other and where there’s not like...lingering resentment or some shit. I feel like this ship gets overshadowed by Lawrusso a lot (which like--okay, fair!!! Daniel and Johnny do have a ridiculous amount of chemistry, and the gay undertones are undeniable, so I get it), and it makes me kinda sad. I do love Lawrusso, but I don’t like when Amanda has to get her heart broke for it to happen, you feel? Among the kids, honestly YasMoon. Like I really love the idea of Yasmine trying to better herself because of Moon’s influence on her and because Moon like...inspires her to be a better person, I guess? With their pretty strong friendship, it just makes more sense to me for Yasmine to get a redemption arc through Moon than through Demetri. ALSO girls DO often pull the whole “mean girl” shtick to cover up being closeted lesbians, and Moon IS canonically bi, so it could work!!! I just think this one could be a really interesting Friends to Lovers take, and could make a really nice coming-out arc for Yas. And MoonPiper too, honestly!!! Like they only got 5 seconds of screentime so I understand WHY it’s underrated, but I still love what we DID get and loved that there was a canon gay ship (even if only for 1 scene lmao). I’m really excited to potentially see more of them in Season 4!!! Please, I’m begging!!!

Wax On, Wax Off or Sweep the Leg?

Sweep the Leg because it will always be deeply hilarious to me how Demetri took note of the first move Eli ever used on him and spent presumably weeks perfecting it OUT OF SPITE just to get him back with it at the soccer game MONTHS later. Just goes to show how OBSESSED Demetri is with Eli and their little karate rivalry which is just NOT straight, I’m sorry

Which of Daniel’s dumb little outfits is your favorite?

There’s something so funny about this pretentious little fuck walking around in fancy suits once he becomes a #SuccessfulBusinessman, and still occasionally trying to do karate in a full-ass suit (take THAT, Tom Cole’s boba!!!) I’m also a big fan of how he looks in his gi with his little headband. Still killing that look as a 40-50-something!!!

Character from the films you most want to return, who’s not Terry Silver:

Tbh I have still never seen a single Karate Kid movie (they took them off of Netflix, RIP), so...I don’t really care if they bring anyone else back??? I’m invested in the characters we already have in the show, I don’t need some rando from the movies to make a cameo to have a good time XD The only character I really wanted them to bring back was Ali, and they already did, so like...I’m good??? That’s all I really needed, I can die in peace now XD

Scene that lives in your head rent-free:

Basically any fluffy Elimetri scene, but 5 in particular: ~Miguel first meeting Eli and Demetri at the lunch table, and Eli looking at Demetri like he hung every goddamn star in the sky ~Demetri going off at a terrifying, “unhinged” karate sensei on the first day of Cobra Kai because he made fun of Eli’s lip and Demetri is not about that shit ~ELI STEALING DEMETRI’S NACHO AND SMIRKING AT HIM, LIKE EXCUSE ME SIR PLEASE BE A LITTLE LESS HOMOSEXUAL IN FRONT OF YOUR GIRLFRIEND ~Eli yanking Demetri onstage during Valley Fest to hold a board, and Demetri being visibly like...extremely turned on when Eli breaks said board ~ELI SAVING DEMETRI DURING THE CHRISTMAS FIGHT, ELI APOLOGIZING, DEMETRI AND ELI KICKING COBRA ASS TOGETHER AKSBDCUWYVCBU

Will Anthony LaRusso ever be relevant?

I hope not! He’s kind of a funny meme character to pop up now and again but I don’t think he deserves a serious plotline when there are so many more interesting characters to follow.

You live in The Valley and are forced into the karate gang war. Which dojo do you join?

Miyagi-Do because Cobra Kai would eat me alive. Also I’d probably straight up get stuck and die in that cement mixer, if I even made it that far XD Besides, being salty that your friend who you have a crush on likes martial arts better than you and starting martial arts to impress them but also being too lazy to join anything TOO intense is a Big Mood and I am certainly not speaking from personal experience here, no sirree

What’s your training montage song?

"Shut Up and Drive” by Rihanna for a weight-training and bicep-flexing montage, “Whatever It Takes” by Imagine Dragons for a more intense punching-and-kicking-shit montage. I don’t know why this is, I just feel it in my heart.

It’s the crossover event of the century! Which TV show are you combining with Cobra Kai for an hour-long Saturday night special?

*Briefly panics because I don’t actually watch that much TV and most of the stuff I do watch is fantasy/sci fi shit that absolutely would not work for a CK crossover*

Hmmmm okay but ACTUALLY

You know what would be fucking funny as hell would be an It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia crossover. Allow me to elaborate: ~The Gang goes to LA on vacation during the height of the Karate Dojo Wars. They literally can get barely anything done without all these goddamn karate-fighting teenagers getting in the way. ~They are all very annoyed by this. Even the most obscure of tourist attractions is eventually intercepted by karate fights. ~Mac tries to join Cobra Kai because he sees all this karate fighting on, and wants to unquestionably prove both his badassery and masculinity. Both Johnny and Kreese are like “Wtf are you doing here? Aren’t you like 30?” ~Mac gets a planet-sized crush on Johnny after all of 5 minutes and endlessly gushes to the gang about him. The gang mercilessly roast him about this and about how much of a pathetic loser with his life together in no way whatsoever Johnny sounds like. They proceed to have exactly 0 self awareness about this. ~The Waitress is in town visiting family or something, and Charlie is stalking her, as per usual. However, every time he’s about to go up and talk to her, a pack of battling Miyagi-Dos and Cobra Kais throwing punches and kicks everywhere blocks his path. One times, Mac is among one of these packs and Charlie is like “???? He didn’t get kicked out of that teen karate dojo yet???” ~Seeing how much the Kids These Days seem to like fighting, Charlie drops by a local high school to try and sell Fight Milk to the kids doing karate. Only Kyler and Brucks buy into it, and subsequently get the entire West Valley High wrestling team sick. Charlie is inevitably arrested, as Counselor Blatt thinks he’s selling the kids drugs. ~Dennis makes a plan to have sex with every hot chick he can in Los Angeles. He meets Ali on a dating app post-divorce, and inevitably tries to bang her. It doesn’t work. ~Frank crashes the rental car, and inevitably the gang ends up at one of Daniel’s dealerships. Dee quickly takes a liking to Daniel and is like “Watch, assholes--Imma homewreck this guy’s marriage.” She starts frequenting the dealerships to attempt to flirt with Daniel, until one day she walks in on him having sex with Johnny in a back room and she’s like “Is that the guy from Mac’s goddamn dojo?!?!” ~Dennis, of course, tries to sleep with Amanda. Amanda is not having it, and rebukes him in the most snarky, Amanda-esque way possible. Dennis is just like “Oh not AGAIN--the women in this goddamn diva city have too high of standards!” ~Later on, the gang is at the beach and Dennis spots the blonde lady he went out on an ill-fate date with, and decides to give it another shot--that is, until he sees her go up and kiss another woman and he’s like “IS THAT THE LADY FROM THE CAR DEALERSHIP??? STUPID-KARATE-KICK-COMMERCIAL’S WIFE?!? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME.” ~Dee complains to Dennis about her lack of luck getting laid, and Dennis is just like “Oh come ON, is everyone in Los Angeles gay???” Smash cut to Hawk and Demetri having sex, Moon and Piper making out, Bert and Nate holding hands, Chris and Mitch doing oral, and Amanda, Ali, and Carmen having a threesome. ~Frank tries to scam Kreese into buying cheaply-made karate equipment for his dojo. The gang ends up having to leave LA because Kreese is quite literally plotting all of their murders.

For tagging, uuuuhhhhhh @jackonthelongwalk @soe-leo @max-eagle-fang @cc-tinslebee @backawayfromthegay @asphodel-storm do the thing, if y’all haven’t yet!

#cobra kai #cobra kai season 1 #cobra kai season 2 #cobra kai season 3 #ck #tag game #binary boyfriends #daniel larusso #johnny lawrence #it's always sunny in philadelphia #iasip

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fae-fucker · 3 years

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Zenith: Chapter 76-79

Chapter 76

Andi has a nice little poetic nightmare. It’s irrelevant. The next morning has the girls preparing for the ball, complete with dresses and makeup.

Some things to note include Lira saying that in Adhiran religion (which is global, I guess), one has to mourn for three days before “letting” the souls of the dead pass on into ... everything.

Andi tries to say that it’ll take time to heal from it all, but Lira is having none of it.

“It will take time to move past what happened on Adhira,” Andi started, but Lira held up a hand.

“My three days of mourning have passed. Lon’s and my aunt’s, too. Now we, and the others who lost loved ones during the attack, must give the lost spirits to the stars, to the trees, to the wind.”

Which basically means that she’s done feeling bad about the unexpected and brutal attack on her home planet, so that’s convenient. Well, if one of our main characters doesn’t care about her people getting senselessly murdered, then why should we?

She also lets us know that her aunt has fixed up the Marauder and brought it here, because of course. Lira wants to arrange for Lon to be transferred to the Marauder, and though she has a logical reason for it (taking him home personally), it’s only a setup so we know why he’s on there at the end of the book when Andi’s bleeding out and needs a universal donor.

Spoilers, I guess.

Andi’s mother, Glorya, intercepts Andi as she tries to leave her crew to their makeover montages, just so we can move into a scene where her mom is brushing her hair and babbling on about gossip and vapid high society stuff.

But Andi, of course, gets lost in a flashback that’s so amateurishly written it’s honestly embarrassing and only highlights Shinsay’s helpless reliance on flashbacks as a storytelling device.

Observe:

Her words faded away as memories took their place. Andi lost herself to them.

The whole flashback is written in italics for some inexplicable reason, even though it would’ve been fine as just regular text since we’re clearly told what’s happening now and what’s a memory.

Also, there’s one bit where the memory “fast-forwards” to a different one. Shinsay, this isn’t a fucking movie. This isn’t a screenplay. What the fuck are you DOING.

The flashback and the mother’s inane babbling are all there to illustrate how vapid and brainless Glorya is and how she only ever cared about her status and not about her kid. Glorya pretends that everything is back to the way it was but Andi curses her out for abandoning her when she needed them most and how “the way it was” was actually always shit.

I mean it’s fine. It’s all right. I see what they’re going for, it’s melodramatic as all fuck but it works for what they’re trying to do? I can see this as being a realistic way for an emotionally neglectful family to look like. I wish it was more nuanced and wasn’t just shoe-horned in here (Glorya doesn’t show up before or after this bit, this is the only time she’s ever present or even mentioned in this book in any meaningful capacity) for the sake of making Andi’s friends look better and for her to not have anything that anchors her to Arcardius, but like, I won’t say this isn’t realistic.

And then Shinsay can’t stop themselves and it’s back to silly time:

“Really, Androma...”

[...]

“That is not my name,” Andi whispered. She allowed the darkness to come up into her voice, the mask of shadow and steel to sweep across her face. “My name is the Bloody Baroness. And if you or Commander Racella ever so much as utter a single word toward me or my crew again, I will personally strip the skin from your body and wave it like a flag from my starship.”

Glorya let out a soft squeak. Andi snarled with all of her teeth.

Guys I can’t breathe this is too fucking funny. And not in a good “woo vindication!” sort of way, but in a “they really put this right after an emotional confrontation about parental emotional neglect/abuse huh?” way. They really thought this was ... badass? Revenge? Andi, sweetie, you’re, like, traumatized? Presumably? I can’t really tell. But maybe get some therapy?

Do Shinsay think this is somehow a win and that Andi’s threat means she’s fully released from the hurt and pain her parents have caused her through their neglect? It’s honestly written as if Andi just confronted her mother and her own hopes of coming back to her family in this one short scene, and then upon realizing her parents never loved her, she scares her mom a little and then is all smug and satisfied at the end.

That ain’t how it works, darlings.

Then the annoying Marketable Space Pet runs in and starts biting Glorya’s toes and she runs away shrieking like a defeated Disney villain.

Way to undercut your own drama, Shinsay.

The chapter ends with Andi thinking about how her crew is her True Family for the bajillionth time. Because we’re all idiots and Shinsay wants us to remember that.

Chapter 77

It’s the evening of the ball and Andi thinks about how she missed Bavista, which is apparently your generic coming-of-age ball held at Arcardius for every 16-year-old. I’m guessing it’s a yearly thing? The book never clarifies. Not sure why the fuck it’s here tbh.

Actually, it’s a pretty good demonstration of how the worldbuilding in this book is presented so here, have at thee:

She could still remember seeing the otherworldly dresses and suits float by her on the feeds as she watched the girls and boys glide into the A’Vianna House in the Glass Sector. They seemed light as air, full of pride, bursting at the seams with excitement. Once inside, they would be greeted by members of the Priest Guild, who would award each young person three items.

The first was a vial of water from the Northern Ocean, symbolizing strength. For growth, they accepted a single leaf from the oldest tree on Arcardius, known as The Mother, which was said to have been planted when the Ancients first arrived. Lastly, they were given a single floating pebble, no larger than a child’s fingernail, chiseled from the very gravarock where the Cortas estate was. It represented the wisdom of rising above.

Is this relevant to anything? Does this help you understand this world or its inhabitants? Does it tell you anything of the culture of Arcardius or its youth and what’s expected of them? No? It’s just a really generic list of things thrown together using Mystical Proper Nouns as glue? Weeell heeell.

Also what does “it represented the wisdom of rising above” mean? This is utterly generic and means fuck-all, that’s what.

Anyway, Andi’s admiring herself in the mirror. Her dress is very sexy, trust me, I can’t be bothered to include it so just imagine your favorite My Immortal outfit description. It does include sword holsters at the back, which are Andi’s favorite part, because she’s a strong independent woman who don’t need no man. She never actually uses them or brings the swords to the ball so ... Idk what the point of this was.

We also get some shit about how Andi actually LOVES dresses and being pretty but she never admitted it to anyone. But don’t you worry, this badass space criminal LOVES all things girly, because that’s feminism! Can someone check in on Shinsay? I’m not sure they’re getting enough air with their heads so far up Sarah J Maas’ asshole.

Admitting to herself that she looked pretty was something Andi kept private. She didn’t want to give her crew the satisfaction of knowing her true thoughts about fashion. How even though she was a fierce, hardened criminal, she could still appreciate the joy of a beautiful, impractical ball gown.

Huh. And here I thought they were your family. That’s weird that you’d keep this information from them, especially considering all of them seemed pretty excited to be prettied up in the last chapter. I guess they’d really just haaate the idea of sharing this joy with their captain, huh? Why aren’t you admitting this to them, Andi?

You’re saying shit about how “even though” you’re a hardened criminal, you can “still” appreciate beautiful gowns, like those two are somehow contradictory. Are you, mayhaps, ashamed of having this traditionally girly interest? Hmm! Interesting. Why could that be, I wonder? Why would having traditionally feminine interests or even caring about one’s appearance be seen as something inherently shameful or embarrassing, as inherently contradictory to being fierce and “hardened?”

This is all just so *clenches fist* feminist.

Forreal though, somehow Shinsay managed to take their entire made up GALAXY and make it subtly and not-so-subtly sexist. Good job, morons. Really girlbossed that one, huh?

The only bit I like about this whole mess is this:

The dressmaker had also accented her gown with a sparkling necklace full of jewels that Andi didn’t plan on giving back.

This is the one and only space pirate-y thing Andi does -- sorry, considers doing -- in the whole book and honestly could’ve been used to build her character more, but it’s just a one-off joke here. Wasted.

Valen comes to fetch her and we get some subtle foreshadowing.

“Valen the Resurrected.”

He stopped to look at her, brows raised. “What?”

She shrugged. “It’s what the press is calling you in all the feeds.” Valen let out a deep chuckle.

[...]

“Something tells me things are about to change for the better,” he said. “I’m ready to see it all happen.”

Andi wondered what he would do now that he was home with a whole planet at his disposal.

He deserved to have some fun.

Is it bad that I’m rooting for Valen to destroy everything? And this isn’t my villain-fucker coming out, I just want this poor bastard to absolutely annihilate Andi and her gang of acolytes.

Chapter 78

Andi and Valen arrive at the ball. It’s all very pretty and space-y and aesthetic. There’s a bunch of aliens everywhere. Andi sees a woman with funky eyes and assumes it’s a body mod, because I guess she knows the genetic characteristics of every species by heart and can tell when something is real or not.

An old classmate of theirs comes up to talk to Valen and congratulate him on being alive, then Andi reminds him of who she is just to be a smug asshole and the guy fucks off in a panic. She’s just so cool and badass, you guys.

Then it’s time for Valen and Andi to dance, and of course General Cortas looks like he’s about to lose his marbles because these darn kids! >:(

The chapter ends on Andi noticing Dex pouting in the distance.

“Relax,” Andi whispered. “Let’s give them something to talk about.”

She flashed him a wicked grin as the music began.

And as Valen spun her into the first move of the dance, Andi saw Dex standing on the fringes of the crowd, an expression of longing clear on his face.

Chapter 79

This chapter is exactly 298 words of Dex moping around about how he’s actually not over Andi at all when he thought he’d done such a good job of repressing his feelings, and how he should be the one dancing with Andi instead of Valen. If you’re surprised, you’re clinically dead.

#eff reads: zenith

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mk-wizard · 4 years

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Top 10 Good Reasons TF Needs to Change its Status Quo

When I say status quo, I mean Transformers needs to stop making shows/comics/movies that are about Autobots vs Decepticons, Autobots are always good and Decepticons are always bad, Optimus can do no wrong and is Primus’ gift to the world, Megatron can do no right and is doomed to fail at everything, nobody can be a better Prime than Optimus and no one can be a worse evil than Megatron, etc. I think you get the picture. Here are 10 EXCELLENT reasons as to why Transformers needs to change its status quo so that the rare diamond that is Rescue Bots is not a blue moon case.

1- Fans WANT to know more about Transformers culture. - Instead of keeping us guessing how things work and what the lore us, just come out and tell us. It would be a compelling story. Plus, the world building would be impressive. Star Wars did it and it was better for it.

2- After seeing Netflix She-Ra and Steven Universe, the new generation will not be satisfied with the bad-guy-bad and good-guy-good formula. - Kids have higher standards after being exposed to better storytelling. If Transformers wants to stay in the game, it has to reach this high standard not go below it anymore.

3- Fans are tired of being told the same story. - Don’t get me wrong. The classic story is a great one hence why we keep watching it again, but that’s just the thing. If we want the same story, we’ll just watch the same story again. Don’t give us a constant reboot that’s slightly tweaked, but ultimately is the same story.

4- Storytelling needs to parallel real life to an extent. - Yes, I know that cartoons and Transformers especially are for escaping reality, but the status quo that a character is good by way of their faction, which is not a far cry from nationality or religion, seems feudal and gives some bad implications. If you’re going to expose kids to a story which they are going to take something from, give them the right lesson. Show them the difference between a nation (an entire faction) and terrorists (a specific group that just happens to be of a said faction).

5- It is high time we gave other characters in the lore time in the spotlight. - Transformers has gotten better at this in the recent years as we are starting to see Bumblebee come out more as an individual and even a leader. We have seen that Optimus doesn’t need to be the main for the story to be interesting, so let’s do that more with others.

6- It is ok for good guys to be bad sometimes. - One of the reasons I fell in love with Transformers Rescue Bots is because Heatwave was very compelling. He is an Autobot and heroic, but he is not above doing “bad boy” things like being a showoff, teasing his friends, holding a grudge or openly showing reluctance to be the nice guy. It’s ok to show that not all good guys are saints. It makes them relatable and interesting.

7- Fans are sick of turning to fanfiction for variety. - Not that there’s anything wrong with fanfiction. It’s all good clean fun, but it’s a bit embarrassing when the only variety there is in a media is when it isn’t even official. Like... shouldn’t professionals who are PAID to write have broader imaginations? Plus, fanfiction (even very well written) just doesn’t compare to an official polished piece.

8- Rodimus deserves another chance. - My brother made an incredibly good point about Rodimus Prime that I didn’t see as a kid, but I see now. He wasn’t badly written or a bad Prime who whined all of the time. His story was too advanced at the time for the times. He was a young leader who had an enormous pair of shoes to fill, but when he would do his work, he did it well. He deserves another chance to have his story told and properly by an audience who is more open minded.

9- It is ok to have settings that aren’t war related. - As Rescue Bots showed, you can have a compelling Transformers based story that doesn’t involve war or some great evil. You can show them having more down to Earth struggles and having less violent jobs. Yes, I admit rescue work involves a lot of action, but the series is more educational and humorous than it is some action show. Heck, there aren’t laser guns and the show is still great.

10- We want to see female and feminine positive Transformers. - So many girls watch and play with Transformers so why not create a Transformers series made for girls or that explores feminine plot lines like family or romance? Or have a female-centric narrative? Being a girl and a feminine one isn’t weak, stupid or yucky. And it doesn’t mean it can’t be funny, interesting, badass or enlightening. Or even appealing to boys. Think of all the boys out there who watch Sailor Moon because they really like the plot and characters for the right reasons. Speaking of which, if you watch Sailor Moon, you’ll get the gold standard example of female appeal, female-centric and female narrative in a series. Having a Transformers series that celebrates females and feminity would be the ultimate Valentine to female fans. I say this as a female fan myself.

PS: I made a list giving 10 more reasons Transformers needs to change its status quo if you want to see it.

#transformers #transformers fanfiction #transformers fandom #fanfiction #fandom #rodimus prime #optimus prime #prime #transformers optimus prime #transformers megatron #megatron #autobots #decepticons #rescue bots #rescue bots academy #transformers rescue bots #transformers rescue bots academy

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loser-writings · 4 years

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Theyre an Omega || Omegaverse

Dabi

Dabi hated the fact that he was an Omega. Originally, it was because his father couldn’t handle the fact that his first born wasn’t an alpha. As he grew older, he hated his status because of a variety of reasons, the main one being how people seemed to underestimate how dangerous the man could be as well as the standards that society claimed he had to follow.

Before joining the league of villains, he made do with popping suppressants, using scent blockers, and even using his quirk in order to cover up the smell of toasted Marshmallows. His own scent disgusted him since it was just so sweet, but once he managed to befriend you, he seemed to not mind it as much due to you allowing him access to your room as well as your cologne which masked his scent fairly well.

He covered his scent so well that the majority of the league believed that he was a Beta. Toga had originally claimed that he gave “Mega alpha vibes” but he just assumed that was because she was a young omega who really wanted an alpha. He understood the desire for an Alpha, but at the same time the thought of being vulnerable like how an omega was made his stomach roll.

He did have a nest in his bedroom, but it was tucked away in the farthest corner of his closet and he would only go into it if he was having a particularly hard day or he could feel his cycle coming up. Despite the suppressants, his heat would come in very minor ways. He would be much more obedient to the alphas, not bickering as much with them, his scent would be a little sweeter and it never failed to have one of the alphas doing a double take, just assuming that he had just fucked around with some poor omega instead of the actual truth, and he did seem to be a bit clingier with you.

You had even fallen for the Omegas’ act until one day it was just the two of you at the hideout. Shiggy had decided to go out to buy some new game and the other members were doing their own thing, so that left the two of you to chill on his bed and snuggle while watching some random horror movie. He managed to convince you, the alpha he had managed to take interest in, into his bed as well as in his arms. He almost cooed at the thought of having his bed smell like you, remembering that he would sleep well before you yawning brought his attention to you.

“Hey Dabi?” You mumble, eyes never leaving the TV. “Yeah, doll?” He cooed back which only made you chuckle. “What are you? Like are you an Alpha or a Beta?” You asked and moved to hug him a little tighter which only made him blush. “Why are you askin’ that?” he mumbled before rolling his eyes which only caused you to grin. “Well I need to figure out how to court you. I sure as hell ain’t going to just say ‘I think you’re a badass and you’ve been my partner in crime ever since we met, so why not be my mate?’ I think that is kinda lame since it is my job as an alpha to express my interest.”

Dabi instantly rolled his eyes before flicking your head. “Fuck what you’re supposed to do. Just do what you want.” You chuckled and rubbed your head before sighing, snuggling into his scent gland which made him blush since he knew your scent would be stuck to him like glue. “You didn’t answer me. Are you an alpha, or a beta?” Your tone became a bit more dominant and he could feel his inner omega coo at your dominance, but he had to keep that to himself.

“I’m an Omega.” he admitted, unable to lie since you had expressed your interest in him. You blinked for a moment before sitting up, chuckling softly. “Dude, Stop fuckin around. I’m serious I want to court you and I need to know the truth-” “I’m a fucking omega you dumbass.” He responded once again in a harsh tone, not meaning for it to come off as hostile as it did. You sat for a moment before tilting your head to the side in confusion.

“But...You’re all tall and muscular and dominant?” He scoffed once again, the sweetness in his scent turning more like burned sugar with each passing second. “Do you seriously fucking believe all Omegas are little feminine brats? Hell no.” You just continued to watch him before smiling a little. “Well...Then can I scent something of yours for you? Like I dunno if you have a nest or somethin’ like it, but I want to court you properly and I guess that means I should ask to scent something!”

His face turned bright red at your optimism before he just sighed, moving to sit up and kiss your head as he stood to go to his closet. He couldn’t deny that he wanted to start tossing out his clothes for you as well as the items in his nest, but he settled on one thing for now. He came out of the closet holding a large blanket, folding it up as he sat beside you. “This is my moms’ blanket. She gave it to me before she was sent to the hospital…” Your eyes widened as you looked down at the beautifully crochet blanket. “She told me to have someone I trust scent it for me. Someone who wouldn’t hurt me the way my dad hurt her.” His hand raked over the delicate pattern before he moved to sit it on your lap slowly. “So...just scent that for me. I know you won’t hurt me, and I trust you.”

He watched as your eyes lit up as you nodded, carefully unwrapping the blanket before rubbing it against your scent glands. He smiled as your scent filled the room which only made him sigh. His omega was content, and so was he. He was about to look over at you only to feel you draping the blanket over his shoulders. “Maybe we could go give your mother a visit, but only when you’re ready. When that time comes, I’ll make sure to be there for you, Okay?” he nodded instantly, pulling the blanket closer before yawning sleepily.

“Dabi, let's take a nap.” He just nodded before moving to lay where you had been moments before, shoving his nose in the pillow as you got up to lock his bedroom door and turn off the lights. After a minute, he felt the bed sink beside him as your arms wrapped around his torso, pulling him closer so he could sleep against your chest. He had yawned but wrapped his arm around your waist. He couldn’t help but smile as he heard you softly whisper “Goodnight, my omega.” in his ear. “Goodnight Apha, don’t think this means everyone needs to know-” “Don’t worry. No one will know. Now sleep, you need it.” He simply nodded before shutting his eyes, letting your scent lull him to sleep.

Hitoshi Shinsou

Shinsou was always told that he could never be a hero. That his quirk would instantly make him a villain instead of a hero, and that there were hardly any successful Omega heroes. Yet he managed to get into UAs’ General Department 1-C on his own. He held his own on the sports festival and even caught the eye of the class 1-A teacher, Pro-Hero Eraserhead. Now, he had been told that he would be able to join the Hero Course. To say that he was proud was a damn understatement.

Yet he couldn’t help but be upset when some of Class A found out that he would be joining. Sure, he didn’t assume everyone would be supportive of this choice, but he didn’t expect it to go this far.

It started with Bakugo grumbling about how it was stupid to have omegas in the heroes course since no one in the top ten were alphas. Both Izuku and Aizawa were quick to mention that there were omega heroes that were very well known, the best example being best jeanist. That was when you hopped into the conversation and reminded him that he had understudied under Jeanist, so the alpha was weak against the omega. That promptly caused him to blow up at you since you had “Insulted his strength.” Safe to say that Aizawa had kicked him out of the class before going back to teaching.

Then it turned to how Omega heroes had some benefits due to their heats and possible pregnancy benefits. No one really said anything that was rude, but the fact that the Omega heroes had more benefits because they are “Weaker” pissed him off. He wasn’t weak and some acted as if Alphas didn’t have time off for ruts too. It just seemed like there was a double standard.

It seemed like every time the Sub-Dynamics were mentioned, Shinsou found a new reason to be irritated. Sometimes he took out his frustrations while training with Aizawa or when he was with his friends, but it normally didn’t help much since he was tired of people judging him for being an Omega, not for his actions.

Courting was something he had thought about from time to time, but his determination to be a hero outdid any want for a mate, yet he couldn’t help but be intrigued by the small vase of colorful orchids that sat on his desk when he walked inside. Others were also surprised and wanted to know who left them there since this was the first display of courting in the class, but couldn’t think of anybody who looked suspicious.

Shinsou couldn’t help but think of the meaning behind the orchids that night in his dorm. As they sat on his desk, he looked up the meaning of the colors.White ones were positivity and safety, purple were independence, Blue were faith and wisdom, orange were determination and success, and red were passion as well as love. He hated to admit it, but he was interested in the other person's intention behind the flowers because it seemed like they were extremely positive.

The next day he was shocked to see a leather notebook on his desk as well as a beautiful fountain pen. The girls swarmed around his desk, wondering if it had anybody's scent on it yet Shinsou just shook his head. It just smelled like leather and ink. Everybody had failed to notice their teachers smirk since he knew exactly who it was. Of course he did, He was the one to give them the key to his room after they asked permission to court him which Aizawa instantly deemed mature. Not to mention, he just seemed to like you more than a few others in the class.

These courting gifts continued on through the week. A cat pillow which he instantly put in his nest, a hoodie that was dark yet had a nice graphic design on it, and the final gift was a note that was beside a handmade bracelet. The girls were so confused since no one seemed to have that talent or had been working on a bracelet, and the note had been printed instead of handwritten. Shinsou sighed softly and moved to open the note when he was alone, seeing that it had asked to meet at the nearby movie theater that night to go see the new horror movie. Of course, it was one he had mentioned previously. This alpha listened. He approached Aizawa after class and told him that he was accepting the offer and would be missing out on training tonight. Aizawa instantly nodded and ruffled his hair. “It’s alright Sinsou. Have fun.”

That night, the violet haired male wore the hoodie the alpha had given him as well as the bracelet. He couldn’t help but imagine who could have weaved something so intricate, but the fact that he was gifted it made him smile to himself. About half an hour before the movie started, he left his dorm to see if he could find who it was that kept leaving him the gifts.

He was surprised to see you inside after he walked to the theater. You were looking down at your phone before running your fingers through your hair to calm yourself, clearly nervous. He couldn’t help but find it charming as he slowly approached only to sit next to you. “So, it was you who was courting me?” You blushed slightly but nodded. “Were they all okay? I tried to think of things that seemed to remind me of you or were related to your likes.” He instantly nodded before looking at the bracelet. “Did you make this?” He asked before you nodded. “My dad always told me that if I were to ever court somebody, that I should always handmake something for them since handmade gifts are cherished.”

He couldn’t deny that. He truly adored the purple and grey threads you used to weave the design, black there to make the few colors pop even more. “It’s lovely. Thank you so much for making it for me.” He smiled at you before you gasped softly. “Oh, I also got this for you.” You reached in your wallet before pulling out his ticket. His eyes lit up and he grinned before taking it from you. “Thanks, you didn’t have to pay for it you know.” Your small chuckle only made his heart flutter before you stood. “I wanted to. And I’ll pay for your snacks too okay? This is my treat.”

He had followed you into the movie, smiling as you carried the popcorn in with your drink. He held all of the candy as well as his own drink before looking at you. “Uh...Where should we sit?” he asked as he looked at the empty theater. He assumed that you would want to sit in the middle so you could get a good view even though the back was his favorite place to sit. “You lead. I want you to be comfortable, okay?” Your smile made his heart flutter again before he moved to walk up the steps before sitting in the middle of the farthest row.

Once you both settled in, you grinned at Shinsou who seemed to be excited. You could tell from how he grinned and sat in his reclining chair. It was laid down most of the way, but he had moved the armrest up between the two of you to sit the food down. He curled up into the hoodie, but he huffed softly and moved closer to you.

“It’s a horror movie, and I want to make sure you don’t get scared.” He joked to see if you would be insulted, but you just chuckled and moved to wrap an arm around him instead. “I appreciate it. I dunno how scary this movie will be, so If I text you at 3 in the morning, then I’ll deem it a success in its goal.” He only grinned and moved to lean on you a bit, happy in your embrace.

As the movie played, it wasn’t exactly scary. A couple of jumpscares had got you, The omega beside you only chuckling before taking your hand after each one. By the time it ended, Shinsou was smiling and you weren’t too shaken up. “That wasn’t that bad.” the boy said to you as he picked up the wrappers from the snacks. You nodded and smiled at him before taking the trash. “A lot better thanks to you. It was nice to have you to hold on to.” He chuckled and followed you before sighing softly. “We should do this again. I really enjoyed being with you.” You raised an eyebrow and grinned a little, liking the sound of it. “So...should it be a weekly date?” The boy nodded and moved to grab your hand after you tossed the trash. “Of course. I think it would be stupid to turn you down.” You smiled bigger before lacing your fingers together, happy that he seemed to enjoy you.

Toshinori Yagi

Everybody assumed that the number one hero, All Might, was an alpha due to his strength, speed, and natural charisma, but the truth was that Toshinori Yagi was just a quirkless Omega, given his quirk by his wonderful Alpha mentor. In his hero form, he appears to be an alpha due to the quirks that had been passed from one to another but in his true form, he was skinny, frail, and weak. His scent of matcha green tea deepened in his hero form, turning more musky yet the tea smell still lingered. He honestly was quite conflicted when it came to himself. Not many Alphas would turn their head at the sight of him, not to mention he was a bit older than what most desired.

He didn’t intend on ever finding a mate, yet he would occasionally find himself daydreaming about you, a fellow pro hero and teacher in UA. You had been in the same class as Hizashi and Aizawa, so you were a little younger than him, yet you never failed to greet him and hold conversations with him when he walked in the building every day. For the first few weeks, he would only talk to you in his hero form. It was only after the fight against the league of Villains, when he was completely spent, did he reveal his true form to you.

He expected slurs and degradation, yet was only met with praise as you bandaged up the lanky man. You treated him the exact way as you would when he was in his hero form and it made his heart flutter. You did make a comment on his sweet green tea scent, blushing dark after you told him that it was almost intoxicating. Once you finished patching him up, you helped him stand with a small smile. “I think it is safe for you to go home. Rather that, or we can go to your classroom until we are ready to go home.” He openly expressed that he preferred the 2nd option. As you both walked back to the school, you both talked. Well...You did most of the talking since Toshi was still hurting and pretty exhausted

Ever since then, Toshinori didn’t mind having you see him in his natural form. You would bring him lunches to make sure he was eating, bring him small gifts since they made you think of him, and you even made him a blanket for his house! He sleeps with it every night in his nest since it smells like you and makes his aches almost go away. He was completely oblivious to your courting attempts, but he never turned them away. It wasn’t until he noticed students courting each other when he started to get the feeling that you were courting him.

He sat in his nest after class one day, huffing softly as he looked at the large blanket you had made for him, thinking about the possibility of you courting him before just thinking that he had no chance. He whined and pulled it over his body before feeling himself sigh under his breath. It was losing your scent and he couldn’t have that happen, so he decided to ask you to re-scent it for him. In a way, this could be a way to see if you were courting him since he was aware of how to court an alpha.

He ended up bringing the blanket with him in his bag, sighing softly as he put it in the teachers’ lounge so he didn’t have to worry about the students finding it before asking him a thousand and one questions he couldn’t answer if he tried. Aizawa had noticed it and raised an eyebrow at the older omega, yet didn’t say a word before hearing the bell ring for the first period to start. Toshi thought about it for a moment before sighing, He would have to wait till lunch to ask you to scent the blanket.

He was surprised to see a lunchbox on his desk as well as a note for him when he walked into his classroom, yet he couldn’t help but smile as he read that it was from you again. He opened the box to notice an All Might inspired bento that you had made. Sure, it was a little clumsy but he loved it just the same.

When lunch finally came around, Toshinori quickly grabbed the blanket out of the teachers room before joining you in your classroom, smiling as you ruffled the hair of Izuku before looking at Toshinori. Toshi had already told you about Izuku and you had instantly took a liking to the sweet boy. Once Izuku saw Toshinori, he instantly bowed before rushing off to lunch to leave the two of you alone.

He raised an eyebrow at you as you chuckled and rolled your eyes. “He was asking me about some extra credit. Don’t worry.” He hummed and moved to attempt to sit at the desk before you scoffed. “Toshi, just sit here.” you said and stood from your desk before bringing another chair to your desk. He chuckled and nodded before moving to sit beside you. “Thank you. You always seem to go out of your way for me.” He smiled before moving to sit the lunchbox on the desk, opening it up to grab some of the food to eat. You shrugged and moved to eat a bit of your own lunch. After a moment, you noticed the bag he brought.

“Toshi? What is in the bag you brought?” You asked before noticing the red covering his cheeks. “O-Oh..” he moved to cough a little against the back of his hand which made you reach over and grab a water bottle and push over the tissues. He smiled a little before taking them both. “It’s the blanket you gave me.” he said with a small smile. “It actually is loosing your scent, and I wanted to ask if you could scent it for me since it makes it much easier to sleep in my nest.” Now it was your turn to blush, but you nodded with a smile. “Of course Toshi. You don’t have to ask for me to scent something for you, just bring it to me and I’ll do it in a heartbeat.” He felt himself getting flustered again before pulling the blanket out to hand to you. “Thank you. I was hoping you would accept since I wasn’t really sure about how you would react.” You laughed before taking it with a grin. “Well, seeing as how I’ve been courting you for a while now, Why would I turn you down?”

Cue him coughing up blood once again. You laughed a little and moved to rub his back. “Hey now, Don’t die okay?” You joked as he calmed down, clearing his throat before sitting up a bit straighter. “I apologize. I guess I really was oblivious since I just assumed you were being nice.” You grinned and moved to hold the others large hand. “Don’t. I really enjoyed the courting.” You felt him lace your fingers with his, a dark blush across his face. “Ah...well I enjoy it too, but I honestly didn’t think that you would like me back.” You smiled before shrugging. “Well honestly, I like you for you. You may be older than me, and way taller and stronger than me, but I think you’re still the most handsome omega I’ve ever seen.” He felt himself blush darker before hiding his face from you. “I swear...You are going to kill me.”

You laughed before moving to wrap the scented blanket over his shoulders, smiling sweetly as you watched him relax before snuggling into the fabric. You grinned bigger and moved to softly wrap your arms around him. “I love you, Toshi.” You said softly as your hand tangled into his blond hair. For once, he didn’t react to it dramatically. No blood was coughed up and no nervous laughter was heard, but you soon felt his arms wrap around your waist before he moved to kiss his cheek. “I love you too...Hey can you maybe come over for dinner?” He asked as his thumbs massaged into your hips. You just grinned before nodding. “Of course, darling. Let me cook though. I still want to spoil you.” he nodded and grinned happily, refusing to leave your arms till the bell was close to ringing, and even then you had to remind him that you both had class which was only met with whines. The second you pecked him though, he was quick to scamper off with the blanket, still as bashful as the day you met him.

Yugi Aoyama

Not to just say that he is a clingy omega, but he is such a clingy omega. Not because he isn’t independent, but because he just enjoys the affection. Clinging to other omegas, betas, and alphas was something everyone had gotten used to with him.

God can this man make a nest. It takes up almost his whole bed and looks very aesthetically pleasing. When he works on his nest, me makes sure everything inside is not only comforting, but matches the aesthetic he strives for. Fairy lights hang on the wall above it, the pillows are a beautiful creme color, and the deep purples with hints of gold made his omega howl in pride. If only he had an alpha to share it with.

Sure, he had thought about his options. He had a notebook under his pillows with the pros and cons of each person, but he did have a desire for an Alpha specifically. With Deku, he was kind and sweet but Aoyama wasn’t sure if he would be willing to focus more on family than hero work. Bakugo was strong, protective and could give the best hugs, but his affection was too aggressive and god forbid Aoyama start whining when Bakugo is around. There were a few others, Kirishima, Tokoyami, Iida, Sero, and Momo, but none of them peaked his interest. He had originally forgotten that you were an alpha altogether.

It wasn’t until you weren’t in class that he realized you were an alpha as well, gone because of your Rut. That night, he filled a page completely dedicated to you. You were willing to be a hero, and even encouraged Aoyama to do the same despite his status as an omega, and had discussed with friends how you had wanted to have a family one day too. The thought of having pups with you made him whine softly as he pulled a pillow close to snuggle himself against. It was while he was laying in bed after writing down your interests, likes and dislikes, and more when he realized that his omega had chosen who they wanted to be with.

Once you had come back from your heat, he instantly noticed how you seemed to glow. Have you always been that attractive? He continues to try to answer that question until he notices how the other omegas started checking in on you. He couldn’t help but feel a bit of jealousy as he moved to sit in his spot, looking at you from afar before daydreaming about a future he could have with you. His hand carefully moved into his bag, moving the lunchbox he had made for you before stroking the soft stuffed rabbit inside to calm himself before the class bell rang.

His attention would randomly turn towards you once class had begun, huffing softly to himself as he doodled in his notebook, nothing more than childish love doodles. On one side of the page was Present Mic’s english notes, the other his plan of action. He wrote it all in french just to make sure that no one would read it and understood what it said, just in case someone ruined the surprise or told you about his feelings.

It was later that day when he finally started his plan, approaching you slowly at lunch only to notice that you had forgotten your lunch back at the dorm. His omega perked up and he offered you the one he had made. When you opened it, your eyes lit up seeing your favorite comfort food. You thanked Aoyama over and over and gave him a large hug, unaware that the other was purring from the affection.

Once back in the dorms, he asked if you wanted to go to the store with him since he didn’t feel like going alone. You, of course, agreed and grabbed your bag before you both walked towards your destination. The only thing that was odd about it? Aoyama had hardly spoken a word since you left, seeming to be in his own head.

“Yuga, can I ask what’s on your mind?” Hearing his first name snapped him out of his thoughts and he looked at the ground in an almost shameful manner. “Ah...It is nothing really...I suppose it might just be puppy love.” His normal scent of roses turned almost burned sugar as he felt himself becoming insecure. Yet you managed to make him smile when an arm slipped around his waist and pulled him closer. “Hey! If you have feelings for somebody, then I wouldn’t say that so negatively.” you cooed before letting go to hold his hand. Of course, you knew affection would make him feel better.

“I just doubt they would want me. They’re such a sweet alpha, so why would they want some weird omega who can’t even fully control their quirk.” He scoffed, scent getting even stronger. “Hey, stop that.” you scolded and stopped walking before moving to grab his chin so he would look at you.

“You aren’t a weird omega, you are a beautiful and heroic one that I think anyone would be lucky to have.” You let go before squeezing his hand to reassure him. “I think your quirk is insanely strong and you, as a person, are so sweet and kind. Yeah, you do put on a show for others, but I know the real Yuga, and I think he's really cute and sweet and that any Alpha would be lucky to call themselves yours.”

Aoyama felt himself tearing up as you released his chin. He quickly moved to hug you and hide in your neck which only made you chuckle as you pulled him out of the middle of the crosswalk so you weren’t in anybodys’ way. His eyes shut and he purred when he felt your hands massaging his hips. His nose subconsciously found its way to your scent gland, snuggling into it as he calms down completely thanks to your scent.

You chuckle and hold him tight until he pulls away, wiping at his eyes before smiling bright at you. “Thank you...I really needed to hear that.” You grin and kiss his forehead before taking his hand again. “Of course Yuga. You deserve the world.” He blushed as his scent turned back to normal. “Hey...I actually don’t need anything from the store, but I do want to ask you something else when we get to my dorm room, okay?” You smiled and nodded before you both started walking back to the dorms.

Once you both got back to the dorms, he pulled you into his room. The only time you had seen it was when everybody first moved in, but it was much more tame than that day. He had his nest in his bed and you couldn’t lie, you were a bit jealous of whoever got the honor of laying in it with him one day since it looked so comfortable.

Your attention went back to Aoyama when he opened up his school bag to reveal the rabbit plush. He slowly brought it to you and smiled. “I uh...Would you scent this for me?” he asked and held out the rabbit, feeling hopeful and bold after your little pep-talk to him earlier. His cheeks were pink and his omega stood on high alert, waiting for your answer impatiently as you examined the stuffed animal. When you finally realized what he was really asking, your eyes widened and you nodded, bowing as you took the bunny softly. “I’d be honored to.”

He couldn’t hold back his joy as he started bouncing happily on his feet since you accepted his attempt at courting. Once you were finished, you carefully handed the rabbit back to Aoyama who had the biggest smile. He hugged it tight to his chest before pressing his nose to it, taking a deep breath of his calming scent before giggling softly. Seeing him so happy made you feel proud in a way since you had been the one to cause his joy. When he looked back at you, he just smiled and moved to kiss your cheek before walking over to his nest and crawling inside to sit the rabbit down inside. That’s when you spoke again.

“Love, do you have anything else you want me to scent?” You had asked as you approached the area, stopping at the edge of his nest. He felt himself grin at the new nickname before he nodded. “Mhm, but wouldn't it be easier if you just laid in my nest with me? I think that would be nicer for the both of us.” Now it was your turn to grin, but before you could enter, Aoyama gasped. “Hey! Shoes off first! And can you turn off my light? I have these ones that are bright enough for me.”

You smiled at how the omega had chirped at you and obeyed his requests, apologizing about your shoes as you crawled in his nest after. “It’s okay, but I can’t have this get all dirty after it smells like you.” He said and moved to lay down, holding the rabbit happily in his arms. You grinned before laying beside him, pulling him close before kissing his head softly. “You sleepy?” The blond shook his head. “Nope..Just happy to have my Alpha in my nest with me..” You chuckled and moved your hand to his waist, rubbing it softly before hearing him purr at the touch. “Well, my darling, just tell me that I need to be here from now on and I will be, okay?” He nodded and giggled softly before kissing your cheek softly, happy to have the attention of you to himself.

#Dabi x reader #mha dabi #Dabi #Dabi imagine #Toshinori #toshinori x reader #mha toshinori #toshinori yagi #mha omegaverse #omegaverse #mha aoyama #aoyama x reader #mha hitoshi #my hero academia shinsou #hitoshi shinso imagine #hitoshi shinso x reader

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seattlesea · 3 years

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The Wasted Potential of Piper McLean’s Backstory

I think it’s safe to say that Piper’s backstory was easily the weakest, most boring, and worst-written one of all the characters in Heroes of Olympus, but it didn’t have to be. Riordan wasted a lot of potential for her backstory that could’ve added much more to her character just for ‘My dad doesn’t pay attention to me!!11!!!11!’ and then showing multiple flashbacks of Piper and Tristan spending quality father-daughter time alone together and completely invalidating all of Piper’s annoying complaining. Not only that, but Piper’s backstory is just a boring copy of Rachel’s.

So, this is what Riordan did with Piper’s backstory:

1. ‘Neglectful’ dad. Piper spends 50% of The Lost Hero complaining about how little time her dad spends with her (and 49% thinking about Jason) instead of focusing on actually helping him. And while neglectful parenting can be very dangerous to a child’s happiness and social skills, Piper clearly wasn’t neglected or ‘ignored’. How do I know? Well for one, there are multiple flashbacks in The Mark of Athena of Piper and her dad hanging out- surfing, researching Greek mythology stories, watching Tristan’s movies and laughing over them, Tristan telling Piper Cherokee stories, etc.- and two, Piper isn’t unhappy nor unsocial and doesn’t show any symptoms of child neglect besides being clingy and possessive (but remember that the McLeans weren’t always rich, and were actually quite poor before, so Piper didn’t learn that behavior from her father). Besides, for someone who is claimed to be ‘smarter than all her other siblings’, Piper clearly doesn’t know that it’s her father’s agent that controls his schedule, not Tristan.

2. Rich and pretty= bad. In a lot of different circumstances, being rich and pretty has its cons, but Piper’s complaints about it are completely offbeat. Why? Cause we don’t know why she’s complaining about it. She complains about being rich, but why? She complains about being ‘too pretty’ (as if that’s something people legitimately complain about), but why? There’s no backstory or reasoning given to this. If there was, Piper’s constant complaining might have been valid, but Riordan just threw it into her story to give the readers a reason to take pity on and feel sympathy for her, and because he didn’t give Piper an actual reason for her complaining, it made it unbearable. If he had written it in smaller doses (much smaller) and wrote it realistically, it could’ve been really awesome. Because if you’re going to complain about something, make sure you’re complaining for a reason. Why does Piper hate being rich? Why does Piper hate having a bunch of awesome things most people would kill for? Why does Piper hate being attractive? And how Riordan tried to validate her complaining with ‘She wants to be normal’- NO ONE WANTS TO BE NORMAL. What teenager wouldn’t want a private airplane and giant mansion after living in a shitty wood house most of their life? Cause yes, Riordan, write your character complaining about her private chef making her a gold-wrapped sandwich while most of the other characters were worrying about where their next meal was going to come from and have her complain about having things while most people didn’t have 5% of what she had. That’ll totally make her a likable character. There’s a difference between being modest and being ungrateful.

3. Bullies. Being bullied sucks, and Piper has every right to complain about it. But...she didn’t. She didn’t complain at all. She didn’t even care about it. So she’s perfectly fine with being bullied and pushed around for her ethnicity, but her dad working a little overtime is the end of the world? How??? Besides that, Riordan didn’t write in bullies to shine a light on racism towards First Nations people, but for one reason only- to degrade femininity. Piper is described as a ‘tomboy’ (even though she doesn’t actually dress tomboyish, but that’s for another mini-rant) and the only bullies towards her we have been introduced to are girly-girls- Isabel and her group of friends who wore ‘matching pink tops and enough makeup for a Halloween party’, Drew Tanaka, Khione, etc. That’s not progressive, it’s sexist. ‘Femininity’ and ‘weakness’ are not synonymous, and nor are ‘masculinity’ and ‘strength’. Also, how did Isabel and her friends not know who Piper’s dad was? I’m pretty sure Tristan didn’t hide her from the entire world (though that would’ve been a way cooler backstory).

4. Stealing. Anyone else out there who also knows that Piper isn’t actually a rebellious trouble-maker? Cause she isn’t. She got kicked out of four schools for being accused of stealing, but she never actually canonically broke any rules. As for the stealing part of her backstory, it was really, really lame. It was just a bad, invalid excuse to make Piper look like the badass and cool trouble-maker when in reality, all she did was politely ask for things. Not exactly ‘badass and rebellious’, and it was completely unnecessary. Piper wanted attention from her dad, but she got it multiple times and could’ve gotten it in many other different ways that didn’t enforce the racist ‘kleptomaniac First Nation’ stereotype.

And this is what he should’ve done with her backstory:

1. Rich and pretty= distrust. Piper was reluctant to tell Annabeth about her famous father in The Lost Hero, but for the wrong reason. She didn’t want Annabeth to know about her movie-star dad because she didn’t want the ‘attention’, but she should’ve not wanted Annabeth to know out of distrust. And by ‘distrust’, I mean ‘not knowing if they want to know you for you or for your money’. This is a common con for rich and famous people, and they often turn paranoid and distrusting because they can never be certain if someone wants to be their friend because they think that they’re a cool person or if they want to be their friend because they’re rich and famous. That would’ve been a perfect reason for Piper to be reluctant to make new friends (especially after announcing to her whole cabin that her father was Tristan McLean), but she didn’t care. She even said that she ‘hated using the famous dad card’ but never showed signs of being dubious of new people who knew who she was. As for being pretty, a lot of attractive people are also distrustful because they never know if someone wants to date them for their personality or for their looks (and in Jason’s case, it was definitely the latter. No one wants to kiss someone a few minutes after knowing them and never actually talking to them one-on-one and it be anything but sexual attraction). Piper should’ve been very reluctant to get into a relationship (especially after Jason embarrassed and sexualized her in front of the entire camp calling her a ‘knock-out’) and it would’ve added a valid reason for her to complain about her looks. Cause again- why does she hate being attractive? Cause she’s tired of being stereotyped? No, cause she stereotypes other people. Cause she doesn’t want to be attractive? No, cause she never said anything about that. There was no reason for it, so it was a huge waste of many chapters and made for a horrible character arc.

2. Alone in a big house. Piper complained about her dad being ‘too busy’ despite him being a very loving, caring, and inclusive father, but why didn’t she even mention the other part of it- being alone? Sure she had personal chefs, assistants, etc. with her, but no one related to her and no one who wasn’t being paid to be around her. Being alone sucks, but being alone in a giant house with a bunch of games and other stuff you’d love to share with another person but can’t? Damn. Speaking of which, what about Piper’s past schools? Five schools and no confirmed friends? It’s not like Piper has a hard time making friends since she was able to become friends with Leo (and only after being at the Wilderness School for a few months versus full school years at the others). Riordan could’ve written a very interesting backstory that didn’t have to relate to monsters (like Leo’s) but focused on the wrong parts.

3. Impossible (and toxic) beauty standards and pressure. While being unattractive (or thinking you’re unattractive, cause you’re not ugly, you’re just not your type) sucks, being attractive (and extremely attractive) has multiple cons. Not only is there- racism in the beauty industry, society’s toxic and even deadly standards of beauty, not being open to relationships out of fear of only being liked for your looks, fear of not being taken seriously and being stereotyped, being cat-called and even the fear of rape, being compared to others, etc., but there’s the constant pressure (especially from family members, friends, and peers) of showing off your looks even if you don’t want to or are not comfortable doing so. I have an ‘hour-glass’ shaped body, and at first I loved my body and was very confident about it, but after the constant urging from my family members to wear tight (almost revealing) clothes to show off my body starting at only twelve years old despite me not being comfortable wearing those types of clothes, I hated my body and wore exclusively baggy and layered clothes for nearly 3+ years. This would’ve been perfect for Piper’s backstory, especially since her mother literally sexualized her by putting her in an ‘embarrassingly low v-neck dress’ in front of tons of campers. She wore basic, simple clothes, but she only wore them to avoid being labelled a ‘girly-girl’. It’s not even canon if she actually likes those clothes or are actually comfortable wearing them or not, she only wore them to avoid being something else she didn’t like. It could’ve led to an awesome character arc- going from insecure about your looks because people keep pressuring you into showing them off to only wearing and doing what you like. Piper tried to hide her looks, but for what reason? To avoid being stereotyped as ‘girly’? Yes, Piper, because girly-girls are the only type of girls that are pretty. Obviously.

4. Charity. Rachel rocked this one. If Piper wanted to be kind and modest, why didn’t she give any of the things she had to people who actually needed it? Instead of moping about how rich you are, give the things you don’t want to those who need it. It’s a lot more effective and moral than spending all your days complaining and sulking, and it’s much more likely to gain readers’ favor than constant whining.

5. Stereotypes. Riordan tried so hard to avoid the ‘snobby rich girl’ stereotype, but in my opinion- he should’ve utilized it. Piper went from ‘I don’t care about what I have’...to the exact same thing. She didn’t grow at all regarding her fortune and riches. Even in The Trials of Apollo, she lost everything and didn’t even care. Who wouldn’t care if they lost everything they had? Piper could’ve been grateful that she still had her dad and humanity while still being upset she lost everything. Back on topic- Piper could’ve gone from spoiled, obnoxious, and money-obsessed to ‘It doesn’t matter what I have or what I am but who I am’. She should’ve started off as the basic, stereotypical rich girl- a greedy, selfish, idealistic, spoiled, rude, dramatic, and overly ambitious primadonna diva who tried to buy her happiness and relationships but realized she couldn’t fill the hole in her heart with money and lipstick. Or how about the reckless homewrecker who broke hearts just for fun before realizing she actually wanted a real relationship, so started letting people in? Riordan avoiding the rich girl stereotype to make Piper more likable is what helped make her dislikable, because it ruined the chances of a good character arc. Besides, while not showing it on the surface, Riordan did actually sink into the rich girl stereotype by making Piper a selfish, ungrateful, and attention-seeking whiny brat, but she never grew from that or even realized she was doing it.

6. Looks don’t matter. The fandom thinks that Piper is the one who stands for ‘looks don’t matter/it’s what’s on the inside that matters’, but she’s the opposite. She: -dismissed Percy and stereotyped him based off how he looked -hated her entire cabin and mother just because they were girly -hated and stereotyped Drew just cause she was wearing jewelry and makeup -constantly fussed over her looks and looked at herself more times in one chapter than all the other characters did combined -commented on Jason’s appearance multiple times, etc. So no, she isn’t the one who stands for that. The character who doesn’t think about their appearance at all is the one who stands for that, not the character who thinks about their looks 24/7. She should’ve been the character to stand for that, cause who better than the daughter of beauty and a famous, attractive movie-star? She should’ve been the one to scream to the mortal world that ‘Hey, I’m attractive but I’m not my attractiveness’.

7. Racism. If Riordan wanted to expand on Piper’s character, why not write about the number one thing she should’ve been struggling with before being introduced to the mythological world- racism? She’s Cherokee, and there are multiple things against First Nations people nowadays like horrible living in reservations, living in the land she knows was stolen from her people and watching her father pay taxes to the very people who stole it, etc. Bullies suck, but bullies are common. The struggles of First Nations people is not, and it should’ve been added to Piper’s backstory not only to make her more realistic and better-written, but to shine a light on the racism and oppression against First Nation tribes.

8. Monster attacks. So Piper is the daughter of a rich and famous movie star, most likely used multiple different pieces of technology, was out in the open only a few hours away from Camp Jupiter, and was out in the mortal world her whole life, but didn’t experience any monster attacks whatsoever, even at fifteen years old? That’s extremely unrealistic and dumb. Monster attacks should’ve been used to make her backstory more interesting and realistic.

9. ADHD and dyslexia. Was I the only one bothered that Piper didn’t show any signs of ADHD or dyslexia? Every demigod has them and Frank is the only one confirmed not to, but Piper had no trouble focusing, staying still, reading, concentrating, forgetfulness, short attention spans, etc. She was even able to read the directory at Medea’s Department Store, the writing on the wall at the Cyclops-infiltrated warehouse, Greek stories with her dad, etc. In canon, she doesn’t even have ADHD or dyslexia, but showing her struggling with it (especially as the daughter of a famous movie star who’s pressured into being perfect and poised at all times) would’ve added so much to her backstory and character.

10. Abandonment issues. So Piper’s mother literally leaves her before she was even born...and she didn’t care? It’s understandable that she would accept her mother’s choice after finding out that her mother was a goddess who couldn’t stay with her, but what about before? She didn’t even comment on it. She showed signs of abandonment issues (insecurity over her relationships, the inability to trust her partner’s intentions, constant jealousy, difficulty with feeling actual intimacy, possessive and controlling behavior, clinginess, constant need for attention, etc.) but they were never expanded on or even called out. She was portrayed as the perfect one without any faults or need for help cause she was (in Riordan’s eyes) supposed to be the ‘strong one’ who didn’t need others to help or save her, but that just led to a dull character and flat arc.

11. Standards of perfection. Piper is the daughter of a rich and famous movie star, is extremely attractive, etc., so writing her backstory as being constantly pressured, raised, and even demanded into always being poised, presentable, and perfect her whole life would’ve been way better than whatever the hell Riordan was doing. Piper should’ve rebelled against society, not her dad who didn’t even do anything wrong. Basically- What Piper did: My dad wants to bring me to a nice salon cause he loves and cares about me? NO! I’m going to cut my own hair even though cutting your hair in First Nations culture is literally taboo without even bothering to tell my dad that I don’t want to get a haircut to see if he’ll agree! What Piper should’ve done: Society wants me to always be perfect and presentable? NO! I’ll show them that I’ll be whatever I want to be without their input!

12. Rich and famous ≠ a perfect life. People are often mistaken that rich and famous people have the best, perfect life, but they don’t. With society’s impossible standards, controversy in the fame department, tons of hate for a bunch of different reasons, and more, Piper could’ve been the one to show that more money doesn’t equal more happiness, cause who in the world would constantly want flashing cameras in their faces, the inability to go out without being followed and/or harassed, fake friends, constant judging, the inability to have any privacy or being able to do anything normal people can, etc.?

So, yeah. Piper’s backstory was just a steaming-hot mess, a pile of wasted potential, and flat-out bad writing. Riordan could’ve written an awesome character with a great character development, but it was trashed only because he couldn’t focus on the right aspects of her backstory.

#heroes of olympus #percy jackson #piper mclean #backstory #tell me im wrong #am I wrong tho #demigods

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raaorqtpbpdy · 4 years

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Finally watched Birds of Prey and fuck yes you guys! I’ve seen some mentions of how badass all the girls are, but more than that there are so many distinctly feminine traits in the way they fight.

Harley giving Dinah a hair tie mid fight? Dinah fighting hands free while she puts her hair up? Awesome, realistic, and something you would never ever see in a fight with male characters. In fact I’ve never seen anything like that in a movie before. Woman take their hair down before they fight, or it falls down during the fight, but I’ve never seen it done the other way before.

The fact that Harley wears the same bra for the entirety of the movie even though it takes place over the course of a few days? She has like four outfit changes and the same bra in each one. Iconic.

All the times the ladies hit guys in the balls? Fuck yes! It seems like shots like that are completely off limits in so many fight scenes. Even female characters don’t do that because there’s some unsaid rule among guys that that kinda shot is illegal, and most fight choreographers are men, they don’t think about how women might fight differently.

Speaking of fighting differently they each have their own distinct fighting style. Harley the roller derby girl/gymnast has a very mobile, acrobatic style whereas Montoya with all her police training has is a hard hitter without a lot of flashy moves. Huntress with her assassin background moves fast and hits faster, usually taking people down with few precise hits, and Dinah who likely learned her skills on the streets without a lot of formal training fights using her legs because they’re stronger and she knows they do more damage, and kinda desperately just trying to get as many kicks in as she can until they stay down.

I love the casual injection of femininity into this super badass movie. They have masculine traits but are not written like men played by women which so so many female characters who fight.

There was definite room for improvement when it came to stunts and fight scenes but I think that’s majorly attributable to the lack of experience because female actors and directors and such get so few opportunities to do things like that. I look forward to that improvement as movies like these become more prevelant.

Also! Absolutely no romance! A female led movie and none of them are given a romantic interest! Other than Harley getting over the joker and a mention of Momtoya’s Ex that’s it.

There’s so much more I could say, but all in all it was a super fun, really good movie with excellent writing that treated its female characters better than a shit ton of movies that critics will say are better.

#birds of prey #i didnt mention this in the post #but i also adore that the writers repeatedly made use of Harley’s background as a psychiatrist #and i still love margot robbie as harley quinn shes perfect #harley quinn #huntress #black canary #renee montoya #movie reviews #dc

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lightaroundthecorner · 4 years

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TROS - What did I even watch? Or how I lived to see the day Disney murdered a prince, left Cinderella alone in the desert, and hoped for the world to rejoice because it was “fun”?

Dear friends, I’ve been here for the spoilers and I’ve even talked with some of you. I went to watch the movie today, with 0 hope of anything except of seeing my baby Ben Solo and Adam’s fenomenal acting (and listening to some good John Williams).

I knew it would be horrible, but as @nevernerdenoughblog said seeing it makes it even more. Like @clairen45 it felt so wrong. Should I rejoice with a Reylo kiss that Rey gave but seconds later didn’t even cry over Ben’s dead body? I refuse to acknowledge this characterization of Rey. She was the only one that ever believed in Ben Solo, she shipped herself to make him know he was loved and wanted and to help him. Where was this Rey in this movie?

I am sorry guys (especially for the tagging) but I need to write this out or it will eat me and you guys are the few ones that relate to my pain. You know what really hurt me the most in all this? Toxic masculinity disguised as feminism.

1) FAREWELL HEROINE’S JOURNEY

They trashed the Heroine’s Journey. They murdered it and spit in its face. JJ Abrams simply decided that the Heroine’s Journey (done in act 1/ep. VII and act 2/ep. VIII) was not cutting anymore and decided to send Rey on a Hero’s Journey (ep. IX only, new 1st, 2nd and 3rd act altogether), where she has become this almost toxic masculine fighter under Leia’s training — Badass girl? Yes. Full of anger? Yes. Logical? Yes. Connected to anything? No, not even herself, she kept on the run, afraid. In search of the Jedi detachment? Yes. —, only to send her happilly off to a desert planet in the end of her journey and finishing with her alone talking with an old lady.

Which remind us of the start of TFA, meaning she has comeback to what? Luke didn’t even comeback to that “home” in Tatooine the end of his Hero’s Journey? So she went to a place of death to what? This is a slap on the face of the Heroine’s Journey. This is how toxic masculinity corrupts and interrupts the most uncomfortable (to psychologically unhealthy bystanders) and fundamental (to the woman herself) phase of Heroine’s Journey: You want love, family, a partnership, connection, nurturing or progeny? That is weak, it is foolish. You need to fight, to conquer, to take, take and take. Otherwise you won’t be strong or independent.

REALLY???????????

I AM CRYING! WHY? WHY? WHY? Daisy, are you really seriously satisfied with this ending? Because REY DESERVED BETTER.

BTW, BEN SOLO DESERVED BETTER! The true feminist of this story DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER! ADAM DRIVER DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER! He always respect the director’s view, does his best to accomplish it and brings his best acting to the table. The only saving grace in the whole movie to me was Ben’s arc because 1) Adam was doing it and 2) He honored his character. Man he deserved so much better!!!!!

I’m not even going to repeat what everyone already said about where is George Lucas’ Fairytale Story, because you guys said it all. But I have a beef with Disney executive decisions:

2) WALT DISNEY - HOW I WISH WALT WAS ALIVE

Walt Disney. Much have been criticized concerning his choices to make HEA in fairytales. But what now? We find balance by wanting our children to grow up to be cynic and seeing the feminine as weak? Unhelpful? Bad?

“Yo independent women! You need no prince even if you have one. He can compassionately and selfelessly die to save you because he loves you and you can go off, happily, to celebrate with your friends! You don’t mourn his body, oh no. You don’t tell him you love him. You forget him. You go be that cool lonely warrior.”

Excuse me but I can kick ass and have the romantic love life and children I want! I can have both! Because I am a human being and I deserve it. This is not a matter of being a men or women. This is a matter of balancing the feminine and masculine within.

But that is not just it. BEN SOLO DESERVED BETTER! WALT WOULD NEVER, EVER LET A CHARACTER THAT WENT THROUGH ABUSE AND SO MUCH PAIN DIE THE WAY BEN SOLO DID! Is that a Disney movie??????? I mean, what did I just watch????

Walt Disney, the man who promised P.L. Travers, upon knowing who Mr. Banks was to her (her deceased alcoholic father) and what Mary Poppins, her work, meant to her, said:

“George Banks and all he stands for will be saved. Maybe not in life, but in imagination. Because that is what we storytellers do. We restore order with imagination. We instill hope again and again and again.”

THAT IS WHAT STORYTELLERS DO! Like so many fanfic writers in this fandom @nite0wl29, @stargazer1116, @intp-slytherin97, @eleanor-writes-stuff, @postedbygaslight, @raven-maiden, and so many others!! Btw, thank you all!! My vacation starts tomorrow and I’m going to read again all your amazing fics to regain exactly that: HOPE!

What was TROS? Leia and Luke believing in the good in Rey? The whole Jedi Order believing in her? I have nothing against that but why didn’t they believe or help Ben too? Ben didn’t receive any of that love, WHY? What was wrong with him? What did he do?! He was the most selfless of souls, just like his Father and Grandmother. Is this vicntim blaming??? WHY DISNEY, LUCAS FILM and JJ ABRAMS, WHY?!

I used to think people were wrong when they said Disney was only doing SW for money. Because Walt Disney also said and lived by this rule:

“The important thing is the family. If you can keep the family together — and that’s the backbone of our whole business, catering to families — that is what we hope to do.”

SW is about family and I refuse to accept ep. IX as SW. It has all the make up of SW, but it lacks the heart and very essence of it.

As dear @eleanor-writes-stuff said, so much for criticizing Rian Johnson, only to consagrate his work. That man honored the storytelling art and I’ll be forever grateful to him for his touch in SW and for how his writing touched and changed my life. And I know Waltz would have approved too because he also said:

“I prefer to entertain people in the hope that they learn, rather than teach people in the hope they are entertained.”

3) PLOT? WHAT PLOT?

Leia’s feelings for Ben have remained ambiguous, you can both read her as someone who wants her baby boy dead (because her death allows Rey to stab Ben to death if she wants to, when Ben was never going to harm Rey) or not. Actions speak louder than words, and this was the movie when Leia would have the chance to assume the responsability for her mistakes and take action, instead of only claiming she believed her son was alive.

If she clearly wanted to reach Ben, was Maz’s words needed? No, they weren’t. It was exactly because Maz needed to voice it that proved Leia’s actions could be read as ambiguous. Again, actions speak louder than words. Her body only disappeared after Ben’s did too because what? She was expecting him to die so she could collect his soul?

I dearly love Leia’s character but LEIA DESERVED BETTER! CARRIE DESERVED BETTER! In the end I’m not sure what to make of the ST Leia. She could have helped Ben but clearly sent him away to Luke because? What?

Ben Solo get his redemption from his own 2 hands + his father’s memory (not force ghost) + Rey’s confession. In the end he becomes the bride of the monster, only to die right after, in a what? Plot twist?

Finn, who? That was so messed up! Rose? Poor Rose!!! Hux? Oh Hux deserved better too. I was glad to see that Poe matured though and grew in his arc.

I’m also mad and confused about other plot points:

Ben throws his bleeded kyber krystal away because of his father. Okay. Why did no one help him when he cried on the Force to crack his kyber and soul, but Luke Force Ghost appears to catch Rey throwing a lightsaber in an on fire tie fighter?

Rey would turn to the Dark side if she killed Palpatine, right? 5 minutes later she won’t turn to the Dark Side anymore even if she still kills him in anger? Just because the self righteous jedi chose to let Ben get thrown down the abysm by himself but Rey was the Chosen One?

Still on this topic, so she choses to give up her soul so Palpatine uses her body as the vessel of his soul and the legion of siths, in order to save her friends, but she won’t take Ben Solo’s hand, even if she claims she wants to + retaining her body, to do the same?

I think force bonds don’t make much of a difference anymore when one of the parts dies. Ben can die and Rey seems pretty okay?

INTERESTING FACT: Beside me there was a father with his 6 or 7 year old son. The child kept asking what was going on everytime the movie introduced any plot twists or too much information too quickly. When the Reylo kiss came on screen, you know what the kid said? “I told ya!” I wanted to cry when seconds later the boy was claiming now was Rey’s turn to bring Ben back. Children understand the Heroine’s Journey and it doesn’t scare them. It is beautiful like that. The father then had to try and explain to the boy that other things were going on and that no, “that guy was gone”. What have you done people?

4) EPISODE X

I must have a clown face. They lied to us about this movie being “The Rise of Skywalker”. Maybe they lied to us about this being the end of the saga? Considering JJ claims this is fun, happy and hopeful, yeah, I doubt they are making an episode X or ressurecting Ben Solo after throwing in the garbage the Heroine’s Journey. I vaguely remember Adam also said he wasn’t going to appear in another SW.

IF they do announce an ep. X, I’m not watching it unless Ryan or someone like him directs the movie.

I loved to see Han Solo’s memory helping his son. That man trully loved him and it is tragic that he screwed up as a father only because he thought he wasn’t enough to be a good one and that Leia and Luke would know better.

I also loved to see Ben Solo as his father son and grandchild to his grandmother and great grandmother. He was beautiful and I love him and he’ll be forever with me.

I liked the Reylo kiss... but Rey’s actions in this movie have affected me so that it doesn’t feel like they scrapped the surface of making justice to this that could have been the happiest and most balanced of all SW couples.

IT COULD HAVE BEEN EPIC. IT COULD HAVE BEEN GRAND. But it wasn’t.

I’ll forget TROS. YBTOTT is now canon to me, because it is a perfect 3rd act in this trilogy, and @postedbygaslight honors the Heroine’s Journey like few writers have the gut and courage to do. Thank you so much Wayne!

And if anyone had the patience to read this to the end, thank you. I feel it too guys, this was awful and horrible.

#star wars #sequel trilogy #heroine's journey #tros spoilers #ep. ix spoilers #the rise of skywalker spoilers #spoilers #I extremelly rarelly consider a movie horrible #but this I can't deal with

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