#i feel like this might be a hot take | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

solarpunkani · 11 months

Text

"Oh no, someone's attracted to the aesthetics of my -punk movement but doesn't know the praxis and history behind it like I do--"

OK. Tell them. Make it a teaching moment. Everyone who's in your movement learned the background from somewhere at some point, maybe this is that point for that person. Give them a jumping off point that they can dive into later.

"Oh but I shouldn't be responsible for teaching baby -punks about the history and the how-tos and--"

OK. Then don't tell them. You don't have to be responsible for teaching people with a budding interest in your group the ins and outs and how-tos. That's fair and valid! It can be a lot of work. Someone else will handle it

"But I'm annoyed that they would try to claim to be part of/be interested in my community without knowing all the details that I know after being in it for months/years/decades, they're dumb, they're posers, they're--"

OK. Then don't engage with them, if it's that bad. Maybe someone else will come around and tell them the history, maybe they'll pick it up on their own, maybe they'll just enjoy the fashion elements for awhile.

"But they shouldn't claim to be part of the -punk community if they don't know the--"

I feel like we have a few options here. People can either talk to them, share the history, share the values, share the praxis. Or they can just chase off anyone who even thinks about dipping a toe in their community, and then wonder why it's dying off later down the line.

I dunno, maybe I'm too naive and patient or whatever. But if people are entering your -punk spaces without knowing The Rundown of what you feel they need to know, maybe being nice about it and informing people instead of immediately assuming stupidity and malicious intent could help you make a new friend. Even the loudest voices in a space had to learn from somewhere, and not everyone has the luxury of being in the space as the History was Happening--whether it's an age thing or a not being aware of the space thing. Or maybe I just don't see what the big deal is behind people hating people who like the aesthetic of something and don't know the behind the scenes history about it yet.

Because I believe in the word 'yet.' No one comes into this world knowing everything about everything, and we're all constantly learning new things. I'm not gonna degrade someone and call them a poser for not knowing what I know. Because if it were me, interested in a scene but getting chased out and called a poser? I wouldn't hit the books and study up, I'd go 'that fuckin sucks, those people sucked' and then avoid anyone and anything having to do with it.

So chase people off and call them posers if you want. But if your community starts dwindling, don't be fucking shocked.

#out of queue #ani rambles #punks and posers #i cant even call this a 4am hot take because its 7pm but like #idk i keep seeing posts about like 'how DARE people think I bought my punk clothes how DARE they not know the how-tos and DIYs'#or 'ugh people only care about the ~aesthetics~ of my movement if you don't know shit get out of here' and like #maybe I'm just a shy ass introverted nerd whos scared of social rejection! but I avoid that shit like the plague #so if someone were to reject me based on not knowing about something I'd never even heard about? something i was JUST getting into?#there's a high chance I'd just scram and never look back. i don't wanna be the one who causes that emotion in someone else #granted this is coming from someone who STILL doesn't know how to make her own patches or worked up the courage to do direct action praxis #outside of offering neighbors to my tomatoes and trying to talk to people about what I'm passionate about #but still imo unless someone's a malicious intentional bad actor i dont see the point in scaring newbies off #thats how movements die imo #i know this is my solarpunk blog but its not a solarpunk specific thing #i think the main post that inspired this was about store-bought versus self-made spiked leather jackets #which honestly just feels petty to me but who knows.#might delete later

2K notes · View notes

wundersmith-squall · 2 months

Text

Jupiter North does not know how to sing

My reasoning:

Jupiter absolutely knows how to dance

If Jupiter could both sing and dance he would be too powerful

Therefore, Jupiter, at this point, cannot sing. He can be taught to sing but when he reaches this power level there will be no stopping him, because he will be very good at it

#nevermoor #jessica townsend #jupiter north #this might be a hot take but I feel like im right here

57 notes · View notes

grishaverse-chaos · 4 months

Text

hmmm something about dominik haunting the narrative in king of scars. everything nikolai does is at least a little bit for him. he learns about the life of average ravkan people by meeting dominik's family. he starts gaining influence in politics just so he can improve dominik's life. and then he promises dominik that he won't let ravka break him.

that promise fucking haunts him. it follows him wherever he goes. it's the driving force behind everything he does, every step he takes to heal the centuries-old wounds in ravka. it's what drives him to do better, be better.

dominik is always there, in the back of his mind: this country gets you in the end. always pushing him to do more, because he couldn't save dominik and so he has to save ravka (for dominik) (because he promised) (because he loved him)

#my spicy hot take is that nikolai's relationship with dominik actually affects the narrative of the duology more than -#- his relationship with zoya does #you could argue that *none* of the events of the duology would have happened without dominik's influence #and honestly zoyalai as a relationship doesn't really affect the narrative/plotline all that much #which is One of the problems i have with it being endgame #anyway yes i am writing an angsty nikolai backstory fic why do you ask?#it's mostly about how he reinvents himself at every minor inconvenience (but also how incredibly fucked up his childhood was)#and if i have the energy it might turn into a rewrite of the ending of rule of wolves #bc him giving up the throne just plays into that pattern of running away #so honestly i think it's not a great ending in terms of his arc and character development #this may just be a me thing idk but i just feel like he doesn't actually get that much development in the duology #bc there's this idea of him as being Perfect and Invulnerable and Not Affected By His Trauma #which. is not the case.#it's all very dear reader (taylor swift) imo #ANYWAY #mayhem.txt #mayhem grishaverse originals #nikolai lantsov #shadow and bone #king of scars #grishaverse

64 notes · View notes

turtletoria · 1 year

Photo

i was having some wordgirl reboot thoughts and then embarked on a 9+ hour straight journey i can never take back (my hands and back hurt so much) (i have never drawn so much in such a short period of time)

also im sorry the quality is so bad; i just hope theyre clear enough to see!

#turtlearts #wordgirl #wg #character design #character lineup #im not tagging all of them im sorry #it was so fuckin hard drawing them all and making sure they look to scale...... even now they look a little off #i want to color these but im not sure how long it will take because holy shit thats a lot!!!#chucks design is my favorite. hes supposed to have a picnic blanket patterned handkerchief thingy bc sandwich ahha #lady redundie is super techno now becuase i wanted her to look more like a copy machine. not sure if that came across right bc she just -#looks like a mettaton clone ToT sorry #also im so sorry but i gave everybody pockets because my kids... need snakcs. what if they want. to hold hting. item #also the tallest is miss power full stop. i wanted her to be the most physically intimidating #also damn shes hot. sorry #anyways if u read the tags this far feel free to suggest ur favorite wordgirl guy and i might add to this! its very fun #also im not sure if i did a good job but the kids are like. 14-15 here bc if wordgirl ever got rebooted itd be targeted for a somewhat-#older audience. bc all the wordgirl enjoyers are all in their teens and early 20s now LMAO #they look so baby here tho so im not sure i did a good job at that T_T #also i love rhyme and reason so much.#let me know what u think i care so much O_O #blease #now if youll excuse me im gonna go and explosion gif and fart with reverb sfx

291 notes · View notes

darkfire359 · 2 months

Text

#Hazbin Hotel #alastor #Lucifer #hazbin hotel mimzy #hazbin hotel lucifer #hazbin hotel alastor #polls #personally I think Alastor won just going off of Charlie’s reactions #she cares way more about a father figure being helpful and present than about wealth/power #Alastor showed a much greater understanding of Charlie as a person there #(even if his motives were not genuine)#and Charlie calls Lucifer out on the fact that Alastor has been being more supportive of her #I feel like Alastor showing him up helped Lucifer get his shit together as a father #but this might be a hot take

25 notes · View notes

eldewinddolly · 1 month

Text

🩵 Don’t let your spirit die, this is just a conflict of the mind 🩵

✨ !!! HYPERFIXATIONS COLLIDE !!!✨

I’m weeks late but the minute I heard my absolute beloved Aurora’s latest song ‘Conflict of the Mind’ I knew what I had to do. It’s a song that deeply moves me, I relate to it a lot but it also feels so much like something Artemis or Angeline would feel but never say out loud.

It was my first time drawing with an actual reference image (from the music video which you must absolutely check out if you haven’t seen it already), it was pretty fun and I do like the end result, even though shadows still prove to be my ultimate nemesis.

#artemis fowl #angeline fowl #artemis fowl senior #fowldom #drawing #fanart #procreate #aurora music #aurora aksnes #hyperfixations collide #am I the only one to feel like aurora is what Artemis would have been had he had an actual childhood #…yeah probably #might expand later #but I will die on the hill that her music is perfect for Artemis fowl #I dare you to listen to The Seed or Nature Boy or Apple Tree or Soulless Creatures and then say it wouldn’t be *perfection*#and I also think Grimes would be the most perfect cast for Opal Koboi but that’s for another time #that was your latest episode of Dolly’s Hot Takes That No One Asked For

21 notes · View notes

graveyard-society · 8 months

Text

the sheer amount of headcanons i produced while i was drawing this is insane

#a few of them i might try drawing cause theyre scenarios instead of concepts #i would actually like try to list a few down in a separate post or scatter them around in other posts #but because of the clothing i put them in here #ill focus on that #yes in the tags #nagito's body temp is very naturally cold and also gets cold very easily #he needs to have like two layers on him at all times or else he'll actually freeze #maybe even 3 layers if its Just That Cold #hajime on the other hand is the complete opposite and is both naturally warm and heats up easily #i feel like he sorta doesn't really like wearing long sleeves that much cause it feels kinda stuffy?#that or he just cant find a decent article of clothing that is both comfortable and to his tastes #chiaki is relatively normal in body temperature but she also overheats easily much like hajime #except because i hc her with autism (as an autistic myself) i feel like chiaki wears long sleeved clothing regardless of weather #because she enjoys the weight of her hoodie even if its hot as fuck out and will probably stop functioning right if she doesn't have one #anyway thats my take on my favorite trial trio #komahinanami my absolute loves #question to you guys who's read the tags: how do you interpret this?#sdr2 #danganronpa 2 #danganronpa 2: goodbye despair #danganronpa nagito #danganronpa hajime #danganronpa chiaki #nagito komaeda #hajime hinata #chiaki nanami #komahinanami #aiden.png

56 notes · View notes

yesmissnyx · 4 months

Text

New Year's Resolution: get to my fucking Tumblr DMs eventually 😤

#I have so many they stopped counting them.#nyxrambles #I feel bad leaving y'all hanging for so long!#I might just skip the “hi” and “be my mommy pwease” ones because like...#Yanno.#Resolutions also include: Going back to eating at least 6 servings of veggies every day!#Actually getting my other fansites up!#Moisturizing my feet daily!#And taking more hot selfies.#So like...stuff you guys can all enjoy too 😘

31 notes · View notes

winterrinpariss · 17 days

Text

the pacific is so criminally underrated that show was amazing

#the pacific was a thousand times better than mota #that shouldnt be a hot take but i feel like it might be #the pacific

11 notes · View notes

lil-oreo-crumbles · 3 months

Text

I’m pretty sure this is a hot take/unpopular opinion in the Toffee fandom, but I’ve never been the fan of the theory/assumption that Toffee was framed for Comet’s death

I fully admit that the plot point was most likely thrown in there to completely demonize him in the eyes of the audience and make us sympathize with Moon (making his death more “deserved” (HEAVY airquotes) for general audiences), and it does feel random and out of character, but when you think about it, it does make sense why he’d be the culprit. You have to dig but he has at least two canon supported reasons for why he’d kill Comet Butterfly.

Now this isn’t commentary about if Toffee is taking orders from Seth, that’s a whole other conversation, but this is simply about the theory that Toffee didn’t have any part in her death (someone else did it) and he’s innocent of all charges.

I completely empathize with the theory, especially because the show demonizes him so much already and it’s just another scoop to add to the pile of “evil” he’s been boiled down to by the show, but Toffee was no doubt in my mind the one who made that blow on Comet.

And he’s SO fucking proud of himself too

“Hello Princess” HE LITERALLY GIVES MOON SUCH A SASSY LOW BLOW.

16 notes · View notes

ghostofasecretary · 4 months

Text

it's been a while since i've cried hard enough to have a headache but. sure got there today, babes!

#ghost speaks #personal #ripped my favorite tights i've had for 5+ years and can't replace #can't return my glasses #got ptsd triggered by going past my old church because i took a wrong turn because i was. crying about not being able to return my glasses #have been crying for a solid 40 minutes straight #am still incredibly aware of how isolated and lonely i am #my parents are on vacation so i won't see a friendly face or get a hug till sunday night at the earliest #just. doing BAD #(well. there is the faint hope that the office manager will take pity on me since her office literally cannot manufacture lenses #that will meet my needs)#(but considering i spent a lot of the last hour yelling and begging out loud trying to work out a maximally sympathetic pitch)#(and also dreading 1-2 years of not having transition lenses because theirs fuck with my color vision)#(i'm not sure the hope makes things. better?)#i am gonna. make hot chocolate because it sounds like a marginal improvement over crying without that #the last time i couldn't stand up or i'd start crying harder was yesterday but boy did i not miss it #i thought i might feel better in the morning. ha. ha ha. ha #(like i know this is temporary i'm just. i just. i am so tired and SO stupidly ridiculously incredibly upset)#(like my emotional equilibrium right now is. not)

14 notes · View notes

undyinglantern · 1 year

Text

the amount of surprised pika “wait people actually shave their arms?” comments on posts about body hair are so funny like I unironically am so happy for you that you weren’t laughed at by a classmate for having hairy arms “like a man” in like 4th grade this is why I wish body hair conversations would stop centering around armpit hair

#okay that’s the tldr but the way I actually remember it is that the classmate (a boy) pointed out my arm hair and ask why so hairy #and I genuinely was so confused I was just like idk??? and then later at home that day I asked my mom about it and she was like #It’s bc your dads side of the family is hairy so then I later talked to that guy again like ‘I take after my dad’ or whatever #And /then/ is when he laughed and was like ‘but you’re a girl’ about it #Granted I’m non-binary but like I didn’t know that in elementary #Plus I didn’t stop shaving until around mid 2010s and was still self conscious about it for years #Like I remember feeling embarrassed during college (2018ish) if I had to use the rest room and someone else was in there when I would roll #My sleeves up to wash my hands #Anyways I eventually stopped caring about it sometime within the last year or 2 but see how long that took? It really shouldnt #Like some of us just genetically have more darker thicker visible body hair than others and we shouldn’t be shamed for it #One thing at a time though because even I’m still working through leg hair shame #I don’t shave them anymore but I also haven’t worn shorts outside of my bedroom in years #I’ll literally switch into shorts if it’s too hot right before bed and switch back into pants before stepping out of my room in the morning #I’ve been feeling cute the past few days and it’s starting to warm up again plus also had a convo w mom recently so #I might change that soon but only within the house still bc baby steps <3 #Anyways I’m just rambling now so I should stop. Good night !!

76 notes · View notes

skullboiz · 4 days

Text

when any artist these days say this “my album should be played end to end” thing im like…. Yes? that is? the point? of making something an Album???? Congratulations????????? lmfaoodjfkwlcmekcndk

#like i know its all ‘streaming has ruined listening to entire albums!!1’ critique. but casual fans/listeners were never listening—#to whole albums in the first place im sorry #its like someone saying the coldest take of all time thinking its hot U R STATING THE OBVIOUS ok nitpick over #still might throw some specific tay hate on here today for the occasion if im feeling it sry not sry i will never understand the hype #skulltxt

8 notes · View notes

purpleshadow-star · 3 months

Text

So, the season finale of Hazbin Hotel came out last night.

Spoilers ahead

I was never part of the Hazbin Hotel or Helluva Boss fandom(s), though I have been watching Helluva Boss since about midway through when season one was being released. I only watched the pilot for Hazbin Hotel maybe six months to a year ago, and I only ever watched it once. I never kept up with VivziePop or whatever was happening behind the scenes. I watched Hazbin Hotel as it came out the past few weeks, I’ve watched some TikToks about it over the past week, and I read through a few (like, three) of the character’s wiki pages like, yesterday.

So, with all of my inexperience in the fandom and in this universe, I’m going to try to predict how the show is going to end.

Kind of.

Well, I’m going to make a prediction.

I think Angel Dust will be the last resident of the hotel we see get redeemed.

Angel was the first resident of the hotel. It’s only fitting that he’d be the last (that we see, anyway).

I think that season one was almost like a set-up season. The main characters and their characterizations/arcs have been established. The main problem, the extermination, has been temporarily dealt with. It’s been proven that the main objective in the show, redeeming sinners through the Hazbin Hotel, is possible. Seeds of a bigger plot and future trouble have been planted.

Now that the bigger plot things are out of the way, I think the show will be able to (hopefully) slow the pace down now and really focus on the hotel itself and the redemption process of the sinners that choose to be there, along with the individual characters and their personal journeys and arcs.

I think that Sir Pentious getting redeemed and making it into Heaven proved that the concept of the hotel can work, so now that they have the bigger, newly built hotel, they’ll start to get more residents. We’ll meet and bond with more characters as the seasons go on and they’ll go through the hotel and eventually get redeemed and go to Heaven.

I think that during all of this, for the next few seasons, we’ll see Angel work towards redeeming himself too. At this point, he’s accepted the hotel. He’s accepted his place there and he’s been visibly getting better. We’ll see him continue his path to redemption while also dealing with Valentino, his contract with him, and any other personal conflicts that arise.

I think that partway through the show, we’ll see Angel start to kind of put off becoming fully redeemed. Maybe he’ll just slow down, but I think we’ll see him become more apprehensive about completing his redemption.

At this point, he’ll probably already be in an official relationship with Husk, and his situation with Valentino might be resolved or at least not as much of an issue anymore. I think he’ll start putting off officially moving on into Heaven because he realizes that he doesn’t want to leave his friends behind. He won't want to leave the friends he’s made at the hotel, so even though he might be ready or almost ready to go to Heaven, he’ll just keep putting it off.

I think Angel’s ascension to Heaven will be the big series finale. I think that it’ll be a big emotional moment. Angel will accept that it’s time to move on, and there will be an emotional scene where he says goodbye to Charlie (who, as a Hellborn demon and not a mortal soul, can’t go to Heaven like the other sinners), and Vaggie (who will choose to stay with Charlie and has no desire to go back to Heaven), and probably Alastor (who loves his power and control too much to want anything to do with redemption himself) and maybe Niffty (I’m undecided about whether she’ll try for redemption, but I’m thinking no, at least as of right now). If Husk stays behind, that’ll be an absolutely heartbreaking goodbye too, but I’m thinking that, at some point in the show, Husk might decide to try for redemption as well, so maybe he and Angel are going together and saying their goodbyes together.

I think we’ll get a teary goodbye for the people Angel is leaving behind in Hell, but we’ll also get a joyous reunion scene where he meets up with all the redeemed souls in Heaven as well. He’ll get to see all the former residents we got to meet throughout the show, and maybe he’ll even have a moment where he gets to reunite with his sister, too. It’ll be a somewhat bittersweet moment, but a happy one overall, because Angel Dust, the first resident of the Hazbin Hotel, who didn’t take it seriously in the beginning and thought redemption wasn’t possible, who went through so much in Hell and who didn’t think things could get better for him, will have finally completed the journey to redemption and moved on to Heaven.

And then maybe we’ll get an epilogue-esque scene or series of clips of Charlie and Vaggie happily continuing to help redeem sinners in the Hazbin Hotel, of Angel and the other redeemed souls happily living their best afterlives in Heaven, of the redeemed sinners meeting and welcoming new redeemed souls into Heaven as they come in.

And maybe, taking place some time in the future, maybe years after Angel goes to Heaven, we’ll get a moment of Charlie and Vaggie, and any of the other original cast that stayed in Hell, being allowed to take a day trip into Heaven. Maybe we’ll get to see them reunite with the redeemed sinners in Heaven in person for the first time since the redeemed souls left, and it’ll be a happy reunion where they’re all just happy to see each other again and catch up. Maybe at this point the show has already established a way for the redeemed souls to still be able to communicate and keep in touch with those in Hell, so maybe this isn’t the first time the two groups have spoken to each other since the redeemed souls left the hotel, but maybe it is the first time since the redeemed souls left that they’ve been able to see each other in person, so the teary hugs all around are expected and maybe even appreciated.

Maybe the show will end on a happy note, where our first and most skeptical hotel resident ends up happily redeemed with a partner who loves and values him for who he is and friends who care for him, and where our main character is able to fulfill her dreams of helping her subjects find the best version of themselves and move on to a better place.

Maybe the extermination no longer happens, so there’s no more deadlines. Maybe being redeemed is no longer just an escape from second death. Not every soul in Hell is going to want to change, but for Charlie, it’s not about redeeming every soul. The Hazbin Hotel started as a way to decrease Hell’s population so that the extermination would no longer be necessary, so that no more souls, however awful, would be needlessly killed, but Charlie knows that the extermination was never about overpopulation, and yet she’s still going through with the hotel and she’s still working to redeem sinners.

So, maybe the extermination is a thing of the past, but Charlie will still continue running the hotel and giving sinners another chance, because everyone deserves another chance. Because Hell isn’t forever, and despite whatever some people did when they were alive, they deserve the chance to try to redeem themselves. They deserve the chance to try to be better. And that’s Charlie’s dream. She just wants to give her subjects the opportunity to do better, and not everyone will take it, but in the end, we'll see that all the effort was worth it for those few souls who do.

So, to recap: I think Angel Dust will be the last sinner we see get redeemed. We might get clips and/or mentions of souls after him, but he’ll be the last character to go to Heaven who’s journey to redemption we’ve seen. In the series finale, he’ll be the last major character to be redeemed, and we’ll get to see him live his best life in Heaven while Charlie happily stays behind in Hell to help guide more souls along the path to redemption.

Or at least, that’s something I’d like to see, anyway.

#even if this doesnt happen i think it's a cool idea lol #i love the idea of angel starting the hotel and then finishing it (for us)#like i feel like angel moving on should be a big deal right?#there's no way they wont make it a big deal #and i feel like they'll keep him in the hotel for as long as possible because he's a very popular character #and sending him to heaven earlier would split the focus of the show too much bc there's no way they'd write him off the show #and he has a lot to resolve in hell before going to heaven ie the situation with valentino and his slow burn with husk #there'd not be enough proper time for that if he goes to heaven too early #but there's also no way he doesn't go to heaven in the end lol not with his current tragic 'life' story #i also really hope husk tries for redemption and goes with angel in the end #it would suck for angel to finally find and bond with someone who actually loves him for who he is only to have to leave him behind #that would suck #so idk this might be a hot take but i really do want husk to eventually start working towards redemption #but i also want it to be bc he wants it. not just for angel if that makes sense #like getting to stay with angel is definitely nice and good for him but i want him to ultimately try for redemption for himself yknow #anyway ive gotten way off track lol #i also kinda got off track in the post at the end oops. but charlie can actually be so interesting #anyway this might all be wrong and maybe vizziepop has already said smth about angel's fate but like i said im new to all this so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯#hazbin hotel #hazbin angel dust #angel dust #huskerdust #hazbin hotel theory #hazbin hotel thoughts #hazbin hotel angel dust #hazbin hotel analysis #hazbin charlie #charlie morningstar #vivziepop #hazbin hotel spoilers

10 notes · View notes

squib-2006 · 2 months

Text

I was watching the new clip for season 2 of dr and for some reason I have a REALLY bad feeling about the season now. All the other clips seemed to be fine to me but something about this one just threw me off. Idk if it was the emphasis on the Lloyd chosen one bull crap that the old writers loved to fall back on, or the way the whole vision thing is set up, but I just think something isn’t right with the clip.

Also idk if this is just me but the voices of Lloyd and nya sound off??? Like it’s their voices but it’s not quite them talking? Idk how to explain it but it sounds weird to me.

#ninjago #lego ninjago #ninjago dragons rising #this whole bad feeling might just be my nerves but like I feel uneasy about the season for some reason #like all the red flags are popping up in my head and I don’t like it #this seems to be a hot take compared to what I’ve seen about the new clip but I had to get it out of my head #and side note but big riyu looks so bad #like what did they do to him #he was so cute #now he looks weird

10 notes · View notes

meenawrites · 5 months

Text

Jin Ho Gyeong – A Discussion

So I want to talk about one of the major players in Alchemy of Souls: Jin Hogyeong.

As matriarch of one of the four great families of Daeho, protector of relics, able to defy Royal orders, and mother of Naksu's body, Jin Buyeon, she is one of THE most important characters in the show.

I want to preface this post by saying I don't like her. As a person. As a character, I think she's interesting.

In Part 1 we're introduced to Hogyeong (or Mama Jin as I will likely call her) as a powerful woman who is still grieving the loss of her first daughter like a decade after she disappeared. It makes her sympathetic to the audience even though she might be a bit cold and harsh at the beginning, especially to her second daughter Jin Choyeon.

I have to say that I was waiting like all of season 1 for Mama Jin to realize that how she treats Jin Choyeon is super wrong. Like she's constantly ordering her around, doesn't care about her feelings, and overall doesn't really treat her like her daughter, more like an extension of herself and someone she can just order around.

Like I get that you're devastated over the loss of your daughter; no mom should ever have to go through that, but that doesn't give you leave to be a dick to your remaining kid. And it clearly isn't even because she's lost one daughter so she doesn't want to lose the other and is thus controlling of Choyeon. She just clearly disregards her as her own person entirely, constantly just reminiscing about Buyeon instead. And we see from her flashbacks that she's capable of being a good mom, but apparently the kindness that we see in these memories doesn't extend to anyone other than Buyeon, who is long gone in her perspective ( we know better of course).

So strike one against Mama Jin to be honest.

Still, because she has this one weakness of desperately searching for her first daughter, Jin Mu is able to take advantage of her and use her power as the guardian of Jinyowon by promising her to find her daughter (who he made disappear in the first place, like damn no morals at all this guy). Smart move and totally believable successful manipulation.

Strike 2 against Mama Jin is honestly how fine she is with knowingly going against the greater good, aiding and abetting crimes, if something's in it for her. Like as someone with such an important role of guarding the relics of Jinyowon from falling into the wrong hands AND having the plaque (I can't remember what it's called) that allows her to both call forth the Unanimous Assembly and exempts her from obeying royal orders, she is not being faithful to her duty at all. She takes great pride in her Jin family line and being protector of all these relics, but when it comes down to it, despite acting so high and might above everyone else she is totally fine with abusing her power for herself.

This is where her and Park Jin are actually contrasted. Park Jin too is in a big position of power within Daeho as the head of Songrim. He has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders, and we do see him struggle with how his responsibility and duty binds him to act and what his heart wants. Because Park Jin actually isn't a moral absolutist. He is more one that Jang Uk for sure, but we can see in his moral dilemma over how to treat Jang Uk and what he should do for him and what he WANTS to do for him, that his heart does sometimes stray from the path described by his duty. But as opposed to Jin Hogyeong, he never abuses his power to assist in a crime or something that will be bad in the larger scheme of things.

(I'm not being very eloquent rn but bear with me).

The most he'll use his power for are to protect Jang Uk as much as possible (the little troublemaker hehe). But what's important to note about Park Jin is that he's taken what I call a '100% decision' that if anyone around him does something against the greater good, even Jang Uk, he will cut him down.

Park Jin recognizes the weight of his own position and responsibilities, and does his best to rise to meet them. Not to say that he's perfect. He's only human after all. But he assumes his role and duty as a leader and someone with the power to change the trajectory of the nation if he actually wanted to.

This is marked even with the change in his attitude between season 1 and season 2. Like in season 2, Park Jin has become this retired farmer who's a terrible cook, and he's jarringly happy. Very laidback, very happy to just host people and have cute moments with his fiance. This is a huge change from season 1 where yes he had comedic moments, but he was way stricter and constantly on the verge of a nervous breakdown (man holds his heart at least once every episode). This is because he is no longer in this position of power, his responsibilities are no longer weighing on him. Which also just goes to show how seriously he was taking it when he was leader of Songrim.

I hope I'm making sense.

So yes, Park Jin and Jin Hogyeong are also narrative foils to each other! (I'm starting to sense a pattern, Hong sisters, but I'm not complaining)

Let's circle back to Mama Jin and get into the meat of season 2, where she just continues to go down hill. No introspection this lady I swear.

Having gotten her daughter's body back, Mama Jin decides to lock up Jin Buyeon/Naksu basically forever. That's the plan anyway. Like I get it's probably hard to know that it's your daughter with an assassin's soul, don't get me wrong. But the way she's acting and with her plans for Buyeon, it's kind of clear that she is valuing the body's Jin blood more than the fact that it's her daughter.

Like Mama Jin literally imprisoned Jin Buyeon for three years, not allowing her to even actually step outside the BUILDING she's locked in, and then was like btw I found a submissive and breedable husband for you. You'll be able to leave just for the wedding ceremony but then you're going to come right back here and pop out babies for me.

Like. Absolutely insane. Crazy. How can you even call yourself a mother, let alone her mother?

I can't believe she was even surprised that Buyeon ran off and got married as soon as possible.

Not to mention the guy she picked was slimy as hell, like yuck, go away.

And then, instead of having some self-reflection on her controlling methods that got her to this point and taking a different approach if only for her bloodline's sake, she was like, 'actually I'm going to torture you until you're in so much pain you cave in and come back to me'. Because for real what she did was basically the equivalent of putting a shock collar on her daughter.

Basically, girl just got worse and worse throughout the season. Constantly blaming other people for her problems, still somehow bragging about her own family after being complicit with everything that happened last season. Just no no no no no.

Her plans for Buyeon/Naksu? Strike 3 man. And I haven't even gotten through another incident that angered me so much.

Strike 4: refusing to help Seo Yul when he was dying from the parasite.

Like.

EXCUSE ME! OUT OF SHEER HUMANITY YOU SHOULD BE HELPING HIM

Like she has known Seo Yul forever probably because it seems the four kids largely grew up together even if Jin Choyeon isn't as close to them as the four boys are. He's the only heir to the Seo family WHO COULD LITERALLY DECLARE WAR ON HER AND WIN.

If anything, it came from Jinyowon, which is HER responsibility, so ya know, TAKE RESPONSIBILITY!

But she was like no, I won't save him. I don't care if he lives or dies. I was so ready to throw hands guys you don't understand. Like how can you say that? Not only about a person in general, but someone she knows is a good person, has known her kid his whole life, and has literally never wronged her in any way?

And she leveraged that to manipulate Jang Uk into giving Jin Buyeon back, as if her daughter is an object. Not respecting her daughter's agency and personhood is what had gotten her in this situation in the first place, but it seems like WE DON'T LEARNNNN

I cannot accurately describe how mad I was. Like I have no words. I wanted her to die so bad.

Jin Hogyeong is super self-centered, a terrible mother, a terrible leader, and just overall a terrible person. Not as bad as Jin Mu! But let's be honest his bar is in hell.

Even besides my own personal opinion and reactions though, I do truly thing that Mama Jin should have died at the end of the show.

She has this "awakening" moment where she realizes how much she's fucked up (not about everything she's done wrong but whatever), and she finally FINALLY does the right thing, and is prepared to lay down her life to try to stop as many relics from escaping as possible. It's satisfying as a viewer to see someone who had made so many mistakes through the story finally get some redemption by deciding to do the right thing, and this was one of those moments.

However, I really felt like the moment was cheapened by the fact that she was alive after all of that. I really think she should have died to bring her character arc to a close, to have a satisfying ending for her with the viewers, and also show what the consequences of abusing your power (and just generally being a terrible person) lead to. Narratively speaking, I think her dying would have been the best choice.

Or she should have at least returned maimed in some way, maybe drained of her divine powers. But it doesn't seem like she came out of it with any problems.

We do see her finally decide to let Jin Buyeon/Cho Yeong go (as she should, took her long enough) but it's just not satisfying. Because there's no apology, no actual recognition that she did anything wrong. Just a 'I'm at peace with my daughter's fate now so I guess I'll let her go". Like... what?

And Jin Choyeon STILL is cowed by her mom. Which is a post for a different time but likely clearly she hasn't made amends with her daughter either.

Anyway, that's what I wanted to say. Both personally and from a narrative standpoint, I think Jin Hogyeong should have died. Maybe the writers didn't do it because they didn't have enough episodes to deal with what the aftermath of that would mean, but who knows.

#Jin Hogyeong sucks #I don't know if this is a hot take #But I feel like it might be #She should have died fr #alchemy of souls #Jinyowon #Jin family #Jin Ho Gyeong #Jin Choyeon #Jin Buyeon #Seo Yul #Jang Uk #Park Jin #Songrim #Naksu #Mudeok #Cho yeong #alchemy of souls: light and shadow #Narrative foils

16 notes · View notes