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bylertruther · 1 year

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listen. i love el and i think she's a fascinating character. we all know this. i am very clear about this. but like. it really is SO crazy how she really came in and, like... fucked will's life up so fucking bad lmao. i know that it wasn't her fault, and i'm not saying it is, but that's just... such an excruciating writing choice.

it was a choice to have her be the one that opened the gate & essentially sliced will's life into an ugly before and after. it was a choice to have her replace him as mike's number one as soon as she came back into their lives. it was a choice to make her the party's mage and then "change" will from being their wizard to their cleric. it was a choice to make her his sister. it was a choice to purposely have her wear his clothes and have the same bangs. it was a choice to have her ignore him on mike's first day in lenora, despite the fact that he was mike's friend, too, and first. it was a choice to make her oblivious to his feelings.

it was a choice to make them love and genuinely care about each other. it was a choice to make her feel like a monster for everything that'd happened and kept happening. it was a choice to make will not resent her. it was a choice to make him support her enough that he's willing to uphold her lies to mike (!!!) of all people with his inaction.

it was a choice to have him spill his heart out to mike and gift him his painting all in her name. to have him be the one to unknowingly make mike finally say "i love you" to her in response to his confession. to have him realize too late that he's been needlessly pushing mike towards her this whole time.

it was a choice to place will right beside mike, his first ever friend and keeper of his heart, when he told el that his life started just as will's ended.

it was... a bold fucking choice to replace will with el in mike's eyes due to outside influence. it throws them into chaos and disarray because el and will are not interchangeable, and it shows in how...

mike seeks from el everything that will already gives him.

mike readily gives will everything that el begs him for.

el cannot read or understand mike in the innate, wordless, and familiar way that will does.

mike cannot be vulnerable with el, but he opens up to will without even needing to be asked.

mike always heeds, trusts, and listens to will, even when they're arguing or going through a rough patch.

mike always knows just how to mend things with will, because he knows exactly what he needs and he doesn't ever hesitate to do and give it. nor does he need anyone to help him with their conflicts either. he just knows.

el is always left waiting for him to do things for her that he's currently doing for will.

will visibly hates and feels uncomfortable lying to mike, but el can do it consistently with ease.

will is the one that loves mike how he truly wants (and needs) to be loved.

will hasn't been able to move on in full, because he was cast out of his own story and demoted to a supporting role behind the new lead.

el hasn't been able to find out who she really is, because she's been thrust into roles that were never meant for her to begin with. she has always been contorted into the shape of whatever others need or want her to be, but they don't fit because they aren't her.

and, like... there are so many things in this story, which is to say the show as a whole, that would not have happened had the men in el's life not done that. had they allowed her to just be, it's highly likely that the dominoes would've never fallen the way they have.

thankfully, the narrative is set up in such a way that it appears this disorder will rectify itself, but it's still so... upsetting to think about lol.

it all boils down to choices: who gets to make them, what choices they have, why they made those choices, and what happens after. that's all the show is: a series of choices, or a lack thereof, and their consequences with some monster mumbo-jumbo sprinkled on top.

#byler #they were so insane for that and the girlies just ate that shit right up!!!!!#like. wow. they literally did not have to fucking do any of that and yet. they did. they did!!!!!!!!!!!! soap opera moment.#will is so crazy insanely strong and good and full of love and hope because if it was me?! girl. god. i am not ur strongest soldier #i would be the most bitter resentful bitch alive srry . i kno she saved their lives n the world but she was also used to bring tht all upon #them and especially will. like. and then she became his sister and saved his life and became his friend and dated the love of his life #that he's known and has been the closest to literally since forever and she's a good person so it's not like he can even hate her. he can't #even if he wanted to even if he tried to because she's just like him in a way and it's just like . [clenches fist]#this trio is jus so juicy....#mine

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sherl-grey · 6 months

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dangerous words I fear but I’m craving some OFMD critical but civil discourse… s2 finale spoilers included below the cut. this is incredibly long FYI bc I’m truly desperate to get all my thoughts out

I want to preface by saying I loved S2. I think I loved it more than s1, I think there were some absolute GENIUS moments this season (the entire Calypso episode was *chef’s kiss* my favorite), and I think the cast, crew, and DJ deserve a lot of love and, of course, a renewal for another season.

I know there’s been a lot of anti-finale-critiquing posts out there (and yeah, I also don’t want to see baseless hate or, god forbid, people trying to interact with the cast/crew with anything less than love and respect) but personally, I think the biggest sign that I love a show is me wanting to pick it apart. I think digging into the writing and decision-making and characters of a show means you really appreciate the choices that were made even if you don’t agree with them, because you’re working to understand the story on a level most people only dive to if they’re forced to in an English class. No story is going to be perfect. No story is going to be written specifically for me unless it’s literally by me. But sometimes I still want to study it like a bug under a microscope, you know?

So here we go: I didn’t like the finale, and I didn’t think it fit very well with the rest of the season/show. Weirdly enough I didn’t feel a need to discuss online until I started reading the interviews DJ has been giving about the finale (specifically the choice to kill Izzy and Ed/Stede’s ending) and I’m so curious as to whether others interpreted things the same way. (Yes, they’re DJ’s characters. No, I don’t think all viewers are obligated to interpret things the same way as writers did—that’s half the beauty of storytelling and media consumption.)

Izzy’s Death

Let’s unpack the big one first. I think a lot of what DJ/finale defenders (if I may respectfully call fans who enjoyed s2e8 that) have mentioned is that Izzy’s arc was over and he’d served his narrative purpose. I’ve got a few different issues with this:

1. Part of what I love(d?) about this show is that I did not think this was a show that kills characters once they’ve served their narrative purpose, or a show that kills characters as punishment/retribution for mistakes/earlier actions. To me, OFMD symbolizes the idea that everyone is deserving of love, forgiveness, and second chances. I truly trusted that no one on the Revenge crew would die in this show, and to be proven wrong was a bit disheartening, to say the least. Will talk more on the suicide notion in the next bit because I think it was symbolic, but Izzy also now represents a suicidal character who finds the will to live again. I’d argue that a “full arc” for a character like that should be ending in happiness, not death (and especially not with a line like “I want to go” or whatever the specific words were).

2. DJ seems to describe Izzy’s role as being a mentor to Blackbeard, which I personally struggle to see at all. Despite the Captain/First Mate status difference, I think most signs have pointed towards them being roughly equals—the unrequited love Izzy feels for Ed, the way the two of them stand right up to each other when everyone else would be afraid to, the clear shared history and longevity of their friendship/companionship. (If anything, I’d argue Izzy takes on the mentor mantle for Stede in s2, though it’s a bit glossed over because of how crunched for time everything was.) I certainly have trouble seeing the “father figure” relationship that DJ mentions in interviews, because I think Izzy is the one crew member that puts himself on even ground with his captains.

But even humoring that, Ed’s story has been about shedding Blackbeard. And DJ has a great quote in the Entertainment Weekly interview where he says that Izzy and Ed are both Blackbeard, that the two of them together are what makes Blackbeard “happen.” So in theory, if we’re killing Izzy off to further Ed’s storyline, it’s to ultimately kill Blackbeard, right? Especially since his line at the end is to “just be Ed.”

Except we already have metaphorically killed Blackbeard, several times. I think S2E3 is a really interesting episode because in season 1, it can be argued (and is, by Chauncey Badminton) that Stede kills Blackbeard in his own pirate-y way—with kindness. The crew is also somewhat a part of this, as they all accept and love Ed for who he is and not only because he’s Blackbeard; the crew follows the example of their captain and it changes who Ed is as a person. S2E3 is a crew under Blackbeard, and they also kill Blackbeard following the method of their current captain—violence. And this “death” is, in my mind, the death of Blackbeard while Stede symbolically saves the part of him that is just Ed. (Bonus: we also get Ed trying to sink his leathers, and while it might just be because he’s on a damn boat, it’s interesting that Blackbeard’s clothes are drowned/sunk while Ed’s metaphorical comeback was being saved from drowning by Mer!Stede.)

So Ed’s half of Blackbeard is dead. If we stand by DJ’s idea that Blackbeard is half Izzy, we’ve still got half of Blackbeard left, right? Well, that would’ve been right immediately post-S1, but then they gave Izzy a beautiful arc that seems to be a shadow of Ed’s S1 track. Ed and Izzy are very similar characters, but in S1 Ed is on the receiving end of love, acceptance, and admiration—namely from Stede, but also from the crew. Meanwhile, Izzy is subject to contempt and hostility… once again, namely from Stede, and also from the crew. Ed blossoms under the love during S1 until that’s taken away; Izzy simply moves in the reverse direction. He continues to be an antagonist while being treated like one, but once others start treating him with kindness (Fang hugging him, Jim and Archie amputating his leg while Frenchie lies for him, the whole crew making him the unicorn leg), he too becomes a part of the family. And wouldn’t you know it—Izzy has a near death scene as well, a suicide no less. Izzy is the one who is responsible in S1 for “bringing back Blackbeard,” so the symbolism of him pulling the trigger on himself is huge. This is Izzy killing his half of Blackbeard! Because Izzy Hands continues to live, even if it takes him some time to remember how to live without Blackbeard at first, and his relationship with Ed effectively dies here.

(As a side note, this growth arc and the way Izzy fully transforms into a member of the Revenge crew afterwards—whittling Lucius a shark and talking to him about forgiveness, dressing up in drag and singing to the crew, cracking silly jokes about Ed and Stede’s relationship—are also why I find the “Izzy Hands is the symbol of traditional piracy and his death is symbolic of traditional piracy dying” argument to be weak. In season 1, he was that definition, but we’ve literally watched him grow out of it. He’s no longer symbolic of something stagnant that will remain the same or be destroyed—he’s symbolic of something that grows and adapts to the new situations, that survives when all of the rules change on him.)

And then we have the return of Blackbeard: Pop-Pop pushing Ed to go back to doing “what he’s good at,” Ed fishing his leathers out of the ocean, Ed killing a ton of people because he thinks Stede is likely dead or at minimum in captivity/grave danger. This bit seems to go against everything the season was building towards; Blackbeard was almost entirely gone, but Ed is now the one who brings him back because he thinks Blackbeard is the one who can save Stede. And that’s fair, but what does that have to do with Izzy at this point? Why does he need to die for Ed to put that part of him away again? While we’re not owed a main character having a death that serves a narrative purpose, I’d hope for that to be the case, and I struggle to interpret what happens to Izzy as beneficial to either plot or character.

3. I think the actual core arcs of the show are character arcs and not plots. I get that they might’ve been trying to wrap plots with Zheng and the British in case they aren’t renewed, but I don’t think it was necessary—the pirating has always been secondary to the rom com and the found family, IMO. In S1, we had two main characters, but I’d argue Izzy got enough focus and attention to be a third this season. Which left us with a great character-driven story: we’re watching all 3 of them come into their own and discover who they are individually, while also discovering that the changes in themselves are causing friction between them now that they’re growing into new people. Which is an amazing story to tell, if you ask me, but the fulfillment of that story requires all three characters to be there. The conflict to be resolved is how these characters can become the people they want to be and still coexist together, because on some level they’re family now. Notably each pair combination of these characters grows together or apart (or in Stede/Ed’s case, both) during this season. Ed and Izzy are growing apart because they hold each other back from becoming the person they want/need to be; to complete this narratively, I would’ve expected the next challenge to be finding a way to become friends again as their new selves while letting go of the fact that they used to have a toxic relationship when they used to be different people.

Ed and Stede’s S2 Ending

So Izzy’s death is the big talking point, but I also think DJ’s take on Ed and Stede was interesting. He said that they deserved a happy ending for the work they put in this season. I agree with him in theory, but I’m curious as to whether others agree that they put in a lot of work. I think Stede followed through with his goal to come back and tell Ed how he feels, and to stay instead of running away from his problems. I think Ed followed through with trying to understand who he is and what his needs are while also trying to find the courage to open himself up to love again. But critically, they never talk. E7 makes a point to highlight the miscommunication/lack of communication between them, and then in E8 they still aren’t shown talking.

(I realize part of the issue is the limited amount of time and the amount of plot shoved into episode 8. I get it; personally, I think the plot should’ve been sacrificed for the characters. At this point, we were 7 episodes into a very character/relationship-heavy season. Plot could’ve waited for a potential S3.)

What’s more—there’s a huge, glaring gap between where they left off and where they end up. Ed left in S2E7 after he begins panicking and realizing Stede is becoming deeper entrenched in pirate life just as he’s finally finding his way out of it. Not once do they talk about this, but suddenly they’re retiring together? And right after Ed says Izzy was his only family and Izzy calls the crew his family (which… is also an unearned line, as Ed and the crew have almost no bonding or forgiveness this season, since we focused mainly on Izzy with the crew and Ed with Stede), they leave the crew to do their own thing? They’re all relatively minor things that could be fairly easily addressed by dialogue, but they fact that they’re not only serves to underscore the way that Ed and Stede really aren’t on the same page.

I want them to get their happy ending. They deserve it. I’m just not sure that I agree that they earned it to the degree that it was received, with retirement alone together without their crew, if that makes sense.

Positivity Tax: Calypso Love 😊

I’ve probably got more to say but those were the big ones on my mind after reading the Vanity Fair and Entertainment Weekly interviews. Just to counterbalance some of the more critical things I’ve said, I wanted to share some loving analysis of the Calypso episode:

1. It’s a minor thing, but the way this episode shows that Ed’s actions as Blackbeard had consequences is amazing. Despite him arguably committing the more grievous wrongs in S1, he’s the one we get the least redemption for in this season (his apology to the crew wasn’t great, and most of his screen time is spent repairing his relationship with Stede), so for him to have to face something that happened because of his past actions is cool, especially because it was done in a way that doesn’t further damage his standing with the crew.

2. The way Stede saves the day is incredible. Competent Stede this season has been an absolute joy to watch, and his success in this episode is twofold: first he wins his way, with signature Gentleman Pirate flair. He listens to Ned’s crew, helps facilitate communication between them, and encourages them to stand up for themselves and demand better treatment. That’s a very classic Stede win. But then he wins in the traditional pirate way, and it’s absolutely glorious; he’s been working towards becoming a better pirate, both in terms of stomaching violence and building up the necessary skills. Ned’s crew can be taken down with kindness, but Ned himself is a pirate and will only be matched by another. I genuinely cannot think of a more perfect way to show that Stede is still himself while also showcasing the newer side of him that he’s been working towards this whole time.

3. Speaking of that newer side of him, the way this episode starts to open up Ed’s insecurities? The combination of seeing his least favorite parts of himself reflected in Stede as well as watching Stede grow into the career that he’s trying to leave? Amazing conflict development.

4. I’ve already talked so much about Izzy but the way this truly caps off the crew’s acceptance of him as part of the family is gorgeous. He’s an entirely new man at this point and there’s no jokes made, no friendly ribbing… just love and acceptance. It highlights both his newfound comfort and familiarity with the others as well as the extent to which they care about him.

5. Less analytical, but it’s also just a really pretty episode.

Considering the fact that I have zero OFMD mutuals and this was a whole essay (I’m on mobile and can’t see how long this is but I’m honestly scared), I would be shocked if someone made it down this far, but if somehow people are here and open to civil discussion… I’d love to know how you felt about this, if you thought DJ was right, if you were a little more on my wavelength and thinking things weren’t adding up, etc. Realistically I’m not sure if anything could change my mind as I’ve done a lot of stewing, particularly about Izzy arc, but new perspectives are always refreshing. Much love to the fandom and of course the creators, who hopefully never see this and get their s3 renewal 🤞🏼

#ofmd spoilers #our flag means death spoilers #our flag means death #sherlgrey.txtea #i am SO going to regret posting this aren’t i #i guess worst case scenario i delete #but I suspect most likely scenario is no one reads this lol

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grainjew · 1 month

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Nikaposting Pt 3: Joyboy was Shandian

This is the third of a series of posts about Nika & associated religious practice in the One Piece world. As I write and post the rest of the series, I’ll add links to this header.

Pt 1: Crypto-Religion | Pt 2: Symbology & Syncretism | Pt 4: Sun God Tropes

Enormous credit to @oriigami for being my discussion partner through all of this and having a substantial influence on the final product. Check out our ao3 series Joyful for a narrative rather than analytical take on the Nika tradition, and definitely go read her OP blog @kaizokuou-ni-naru for meta and translation fun facts.

Joyboy. What’s his deal?

Context note: This post makes the assumption that Joyboy was an awakened user of the Nika fruit. I don’t think that’s a particularly disputed take but I wanted to make sure we were clear on that to start with: To these posts, Nika is a mythical figure with a cult of worship and an incredibly potent wish attached to his name. And Joyboy, like Luffy now, was a user of the fruit created of that wish and harmonized enough with its nature to awaken.

We know basically nothing about Joyboy, but there’s just enough there for some really fun theorizing. This post will be shorter and more speculative than the rest of the series, but I think it’s a fun enough concept that I wanted to add it in.

So: Here’s why I think Joyboy was Shandian!

Let’s start with the obvious- Oda definitely re-read Skypiea while he was planning out the Nika stuff. It’s widely known that the Nika pose and the rhythm of the Drums of Liberation were pulled directly from the Skypiea dance scenes, especially the mid-arc one with the wolves. I’d add that the concept generally of Luffy being silhouetted against the sky in a pose & percussion instruments taking on a symbolic liberatory role (the bell and the drums) can also be traced back to this arc. The visual choice to have Who’s-Who’s imaginary version of Nika dressed stereotypically “tribal”—not a design choice I feel particularly positive about but a design choice Oda would make purposely—also evokes Shandora.

Skypiea was also the arc where we encountered the Shandora poneglyph, which is eventually revisited in the same arc we’re introduced to Nika and Gear 5 (that is, Wano), and which is the poneglyph pointing to the location of Poseidon, the Mermaid Princess, in Fishman Island.

We know from Joyboy’s poneglyph apology that he was a surface-dweller who was nonetheless a great friend of Fishman Island and of the Mermaid Princess of the time. His apology was addressed directly to her, for breaking a promise to her and her country. Similarly, the Shandians held the protection and eventual delivery of their poneglyph as a tenet of extreme importance until Robin took that burden from them onto her back. I doubt such a precious friend of Fishman Island would leave the location of Poseidon with anyone other than a nation he trusted absolutely- with his own people, the shandians.

Skypiea and Fishman Island are also arcs with a very pronounced thematic parallels/opposites thing going. Briefly:

They’re both set either 10 000 meters above or below the surface of the blue sea, in unfamiliar environments that require their own methods of fighting and navigating.

They feature longstanding conflicts the Straw Hats have sort of blundered their way into regarding oppression, power imbalances among cultures and classes of people, and very flawed but ultimately compelling depictions of real-world issues.

Their ruling parties are named after real-world religious figures (Skypiea’s God; Fishman Island’s King Neptune and Queen Otohime).

And silliest of all, Luffy has to be nerfed in both arcs because otherwise the final battle will be over in about one second lmao.

I think it’s safe to say they’re at least connected on a thematic level, and it’s my connection that once upon a time in the forgotten history, Joyboy, shandian friend of the Mermaid Princess, was that connection point.

It’s also notable that Shandora was a great nation back in the Void Century (indeed one of the three disconnected rays sun symbol nations, as well as a sun god-having nation - see pt 2 of this series of posts), and is the only nation other than the Ancient Kingdom that we have been explicitly told was brought to ruin during that time. Of course there’s infinite reasons the Twenty Kingdoms could have had to wreck the place, including “they were in a war,” but a strike at the home of that most problematic user of the Nika fruit seems particularly in-character.

And even if none of this convinces you that Joyboy was a child of Shandora, I sure hope you can agree that we should all be giving Skypiea some very close reads in the coming years!

#nikaposting #joyboy #opmeta #meta tag #zephflix original

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donkeys-waffles · 3 months

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Okay, listen I'm not all that convinced AFO is completely gone. And let's put DFO aside for a moment. His and Yoichi's story feels uncomplete, there are certain elements that were given the time to be graced on but never really elaborated on. Like for example, that possibility that certain elements of AFO's backstory were fabricated to accomplish a certain message.

It's very easy to read over his backstory and gather the idea that he was born evil. But after a deeper look, it's very clear that was the purpose. We are meant to believe AFO is evil because that's what he wants us to believe, that's what he sees in himself. I feel bittersweet towards his supposed 'end'. Because I hate how Bakugou delivered that end, for one. But on one hand I enjoy how he mentioned needing Yoichi, it starts with denial and ends with recognition. And even if this a hot take, I think it's a beautiful, emotional end to such a messed-up individual.

However, I have a weird feeling about two things. First, I'd like to say, one thing I've noticed in writing is if something is brought up randomly, it'll generally come back to bite you later. Nothing is left unsaid, otherwise you have plot holes.

I found it interesting how it's mentioned AFO wasn't able to use his last trick up his sleeve, without any elaboration as to what that would have been. And I would say this was done on purpose, maybe just used as another example of every dream he wasn't able to accomplish before he died. But bringing light to this does nothing to strengthen the impact of his death on the narrative. Another interesting detail was Yoichi's wish. His dream of AFO being the kindest quirk in the world, which I can see being used to cause a reaction in the reader, as if trying to make them feel some heartache for such a bastard. But even with that reasoning, that sentence in the end feels so empty. unfulfilling, and almost lack-luster. It seems odd to be brought up and this could be bias, but I feel like that sentence had more importance than just literary cannon fodder.

We know AFO's main goal, make everyone love him like Yoichi, and his midterm goal was to steal his brother back through OFA. Makes sense.

But I still have questions. I understand why he took Tomura, to get a strong enough host to steal OFA, makes sense. But how does leaving Gigantomachia in the mountains have anything to do with such a goal? For what? Retirement? What did that achieve, wouldn't it better if he kept him around? If he was planning on moving his consciousness to Tomua later, then keeping him around would be better, right? Afterall, he'd be able to meet the child and possibly have a better understanding of the situation. Gigantomachia is an incredibly strong asset (look how he took down SO many heroes in the first war); he could have possibly even used him as backup during his fight with All Might.

And why keep OFA at a distance when his entire goal is to steal said quirk? I'm referring to that one panel in Vigilantes. Thats the entire opposite of his entire 200-year-old goal.

And that whole thing with his copy of rewind... This man is 200 years old, with an extremely strong villain empire, who has earned the respect of a genius scientist... You don't achieve any of those things by being stupid. And now I'm not normally one for completely trusting the MHA Wiki, but I can't blame them for giving him a 6/5 intelligence. He's a genius, and is spectacular with quirk analysis, it's his thing ya feel me. But it does show his lack of self-preservation, which is against what he's supposed to be angry at All Might for.

All Might took his health and his empire; we know he didn't really care about his empire as much from Spinner. (I mean lack of self-preservation because he's using a quirk that will eventually rewind him out of existence, whether he transfers his quirk to Tomura entirely or not. There's a possibility that it won't work, he failed to take complete control the first time remember. Is that what this supposed 'trick up his sleeve' was supposed to remedy? This is the same man that gave himself immortality, the same man that ran away from All Might for years, the same man that has shown to rely on the strength of others instead of dealing wounds himself. And might I add the same man that is supposed to be angry about his health being diminished. Afterall if not his health or his empire what could he possibly be angry at All Might for that's so special, so unique compared to his predecessors?)

This brings me to my last point. Since when the hell did this bitch care about THE CHILDREN! This man literally stole quirks from children, killed thousands, and turned a crap tone into braindead nomu. And he's angry on behalf of the children. Are we ever going to get an explanation for that?

Like I would understand if he killed the children that he apparently gave heroic ideals to. Like Ha! You will pay for passing on your ideals to children by watching me steal their quirks and kill them. But that's not what he means, or he would've stolen Tokoyami's quirk, killed Jiro instead of leaving her with a broken eardrum, and blasted Izuku away with deadly force instead of holding back in the first war. We have no answers for such behavior from a man known for exhibiting zero humanity (and making that behavior his ENTIRE personality.) Need I remind you this man stole Tomura (possibly gave him the quirk that killed his entire family,) and groomed him just to possess him later alright. He also turned Tsubasa into a nomu for shits and giggles, which we have never talked about once! Tsubasa, need I remind, was a small child and was the Doctor's grandson (which you'd think give him immunity to this kind of sick shit but apparently not.)

There are so many questions left unanswered, many of which Yoichi himself can't even answer. Like with all their human experimentation they do on a daily basis, the clone theory wouldn't really surprise me. It would make a lot of sense for his character as well. And even if that theory doesn't pan out, the vestige behind the locked door (which is entirely separate rant honestly,) or even Tomura's AFO vestige maybe. Though I feel if Izuku really saves Tomura in this war, then we might never hear much of anything from that vestige. Especially since their first priority would be to cancel it out as soon as possible. A lot of people bring up how the story is almost over, and they are probably right. But the end date was supposed to be 2022 originally, right? Then it was moved to 2023, now it's 2024-2025. Like yeah it is almost over, but there's still story that needs wrapping up clearly because that deadline has been pushed back multiple times. Too many times to make it a valid counterclaim anymore. Either way, I don't think we are in the clear of the Demon King's superiority complex anytime soon.

#all for one #izuku midoriya #bnha #dad for one #bnha all for one #afo #dfo #all for one is hisashi #mha #LONG RANTS #META

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imthepunchlord · 6 months

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Do you think Gabriel is a better character than Adrien?

No, honestly, ML over all doesn't have any "good" characters. And it's largely due to their writing.

They either have characters hop between two extremes and they have those two extremes exist at the same time like Gabriel "I love my son" to "HAHAHA! I'M GOING TO CHUCK MY SON ACROSS PARIS!" or "Chloe the Hero!" to "Chloe the Villain!" or Alya "Marinette I'm your best friend, here to support you, you can trust me with your secret and I will keep things secretive" to "I'm Lila's best friend, you're just being jealous, and hey, Nino, I gotta tell you something".

Or characters have the issue of just being stagnant and they just don't do anything with them, which hey, there's consistency at least, but you're kinda boring as a character cause nothing changes or is done with you, best examples being Adrien and Luka. But we can appreciate consistency so thumbs up?

Or characters are a pinball that writers will fire at random to meet their needs in certain eps so there is zero consistency in their characterization. Best and biggest example is Kagami. Riptose introduces her as someone overly dedicated, no nonsense, competitive, doesn't like her time wasted, and holding herself to a very high standard. Frozer she's a bold romantic, who is still willing to pursue Adrien despite him saying he wants to pursue his initial crush and wasted her time (Riptose Kagami would've slammed the door on his hand). Then Animaestro she's a more subtle Chloe, purposely acting out to make Marinette jealous and show off her close ties with Adrien. Then Ikari Gozen she's all "I want to befriend Marinette but she's initially hostile/wary of me why?".

Lastly, there's the plot device, best and biggest example is Lila, who can mold the narrative to her needs that it throws logic out the window and she only exists when necessary.

So is Gabriel better than Adrien?

No.

Not by a longshot. He's bad by different means.

Adrien suffers by being stagnant, and by making choices that are clearly bad and should be called out, made to be a lesson, or give him some form of consequence, but aren't cause he's not meant to grow as a character.

Gabriel is bad with his inconsistency. Between his feelings of his son, between how we're supposed to feel for him which they do try to play the pity card sometime but he's also an active eager terrorist, between whether he's a joke villain to laugh at or if he's a more serious villain to take seriously. The latter of which is especially hard cause he's an idiot. Dude had freaking time traveling power and he stilled messed it up.

Gabriel I'd probably say is the most embarrassing part of ML simply by the extremes of his portrayal as a villain, cause he's meant to be that idiotic Saturday morning villain to laugh at, but he's also meant to be the big scary force that you're to take very seriously.

It's very rare to get these two to mix, and ML's crew are not skilled enough to do so, leaving Gabriel as a threat you can't take seriously, one that stuck around for far too long, and is someone you don't feel pity for. And his ending is just irritating.

Much like Chloe, with Gabriel they should've just picked a lane in what sort of villain he is.

#ask Punchie #gabriel salt #adrien salt #kagami salt #chloe salt #alya salt

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flowerandthesongstress · 5 months

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Requesting something heartwarming and sweet with Rafael!

awww come o-ooon be more specific 😅

G to T; 1300w, Warning for swearing, mild suggestive themes, implied self-esteem issues, and an out-of-character, hyperbolised-macho Pablo — for narrative and comedic purposes; nonetheless, if you feel like the latter notion might distress you, skip this one.

“Dearest Valentina, I am writing this letter to you because I want to ask you for a favor. News has reached me that you are scared of me and everyone who looks like me. I hope that, upon reading this letter, you will understand that I’m not scary at all and that I am worthy of your trust. But first things first. Please allow me to explain who I am and what it is that I do. Long ago, I was tasked with collecting baby teeth from children and turning these teeth into magic, the magic that makes teeth grow. Just like you, I live in a big house with my family who all help me with this task. Our house is made of cheese. It is a very tasty house, but we only eat small bites of it, because we are tiny and do not need a lot of food. My job is very important and cannot be disrupted, because if I don’t collect baby teeth, children will never grow new teeth. And if they don’t grow new teeth, they will never be able to eat delicious food. And if they cannot eat delicious food, they will never be able to enjoy the taste of the finest cheeses. When I learned that you lost your baby tooth, I was overjoyed! But when I heard that you were unwilling to give it away, because you think that I’m scary and will eat it or do something nasty to it, and how you told your mother that you’d rather throw it away than give it to someone as ugly as me, and how you couldn’t sleep because you thought I would steal your toys along with your tooth ... I grew sad. Your fear is normal and nothing to be ashamed of. I understand why you might be scared. Not all of my cousins are as well-behaved as me and my immediate family. You had a less-than-pleasant encounter with one of my cousins years ago, and I understand why you might be scared. I know that cousin, his name is Hector, and he’s the shame of our whole family! He loves to startle humans and then laugh about it! What a reckless bully. Bullying is never okay. I am disheartened about his bad behavior, and I do apologize for it. But I wanted to tell you that it’s not right to judge a whole group by the behavior of one of its members. You are a very smart girl, and I hope you give this idea some thought. I assure you that there is always enough cheese for us, and we would not bite you nor anyone in your family. Humans are not tasty. If you see any members of my family in the wild, please know that we are around not to bite, or to steal from you, or to cause any harm, but to help you. We are here to bring you joy. We might not look the prettiest, and our voices might be too high-pitched and not be the most melodic, but this is just the way we were created. We can’t speak the humans’ language, but at least we can write letters. It is a good idea to stay away from members of my family, because we’re tiny and humans are huge and can harm us. It is a good idea to not feed us, because we already have a house made of cheese. Please, dear Valentina, leave your baby tooth under your pillow, so that I can collect its magic and make it grow back. To show my good intentions, I have arranged for an exchange gift to be sent to you. The fire agate you are receiving along with this letter, is my way of saying how much your courage and trust would mean to me and my family.

With best wishes, including a wish for more baby teeth to fall out soon, so they might become magic teeth and help you grow a healthy smile,

—el Ratoncito Pérez, also known as the Tooth Mouse.”

~*~

“Dearest Valentina: We are writing you this letter to explain why your gifts arrived with a delay, and how it has nothing to do with your character. In fact, you have been very good this year, diligently cleaning your room, brushing your teeth, doing homework, and being nice to your friends. Your parents are proud of you, never doubt that! They informed us how good you were, and we felt proud on their behalf. We couldn’t wait to deliver the gifts to you and to reward you for making an effort. On our caravel meant for delivering gifts to children who live on islands, we set out early on. Yet then a treacherous storm unexpectedly caught up with us. Dark clouds surrounded us, blacking out the sun, wind rose and with it, the waves. Tall and roaring, they were threatening to break our ship into pieces. We had to tie ourselves to the main mast, and could only pray for the storm to pass. How stupid of us to store some of the gifts right on the deck of our ship! Some of them were grabbed by the waves and washed into the sea! Luckily, the tide brought them to the island before our arrival, and just in time, but, naturally, we could not have known that they would, and thought the gifts for your friends would be lost forever. By a strike of luck, they were not, and this is the only reason why your friends were fortunate enough to receive their gifts on time. In the end, we survived and mastered the treacherous storm which carried us so far from our destination, that it took us two days to map our way by the stars and find your island. Yet we only had time to pass the gifts over, before leaving in a haste. Such is our lot, but we never lament it, for we live to reward well-behaved children like you. We hope that you will show understanding in regards to our predicament, and we hope that the weather will be much better next year.

Con todo nuestro cariño,

—Los Tres Reyes Magos.”

~*~

Suki M. >Rafi I don’t know how to thank you >Again! >I owe you one 🙏

Rafael S. >no, you don’t >I’m always happy to help, Suki >Just please don’t tell her it was me >ever

Pablo S. >primo ¿what the fuc? >¿¿you srsly frgot youre own hijas bday??

Antonio M. >I was busy

Pablo S. >busy boning that puta turista >puto perdedor >I kick you ass >and then bone youre ex >twice

Antonio M. >I don't care > >you’re more than welcome to my leftovers, primo.

Pablo S >thats it your fucked

Pablo S. >kicking primos ass today >your coming with me >that pendejo forgot vals bday >she is sad

Rafael S. >No need. >It has been dealt with, Pablo.

Pablo S. >¿already you beat him up? >nice >then ill go drop by suki 😏 >hold the fort

Rafael S. >I’m sorry, I can’t.

Pablo S. >why

Rafael S. >I’ll be taking Valentina to see her friends.

Pablo S. >with any luck will be >boning her mama >today

Rafael S. >Yes, so I gathered.

Suki M. > >Rafi you'll make such a good husband and father one day

Rafael S. >That’s very kind of you to say. >But I doubt the day would ever come. >who would want me

#requests #my writing updates #Rafael Sanchez #coral island fanfic #coral island #coral island rafael

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bookloure · 7 months

Text

This is perhaps my most anticipated read of the year, and I’m happy to report that it did not disappoint. This novel has a lyrical, almost feverish prose that is brutal in (a lot of!) places. If you do not like flowery writing, I don’t think you’ll appreciate this.

On a sentence level, “But for the Lovers” demands a lot from the reader. The prose is dizzying, challenging, and is rife with code-switching. It is not a book that will coddle purely English speakers, which I laud. In the novel's foreword, Gina Apostol wrote that every time the Filipino employs the English language, the purpose is always subversion. BftL perfectly demonstrates this point. The way Nolledo used English in this book is very Filipino and very weaponized. And as I read, I got the sense that he was having a lot of fun writing this masterpiece. This book is not an easy read, but one that is worth the trudge.

So what is it about? “But for the Lovers” follows a cast of characters living in a rundown tenement building in a Japanese-occupied Manila at the tail end of World War II. This is a war novel with much waiting; the characters await their American “liberators.” And the reader waits too—knowing full well that when Americans do finally arrive, Manila will be razed to the ground.

The way Nolledo employs language in this book is really unique. It reads a lot like magical realism with its lyrical and flowery prose, but this book is very much grounded. And brutal. The seemingly magical things are actually happening in the physical world. For example, the opening sentence reads: “He was beginning to eat flowers, and the crescent moon was in his eyes when he awoke again.” It sounds a lot like a work of magical realism. But later in the chapter, we find that the man was literally eating flowers because he passed out under a flowering tree. And when he awoke, he saw the crescent moon. This push and pull of seemingly fantastical language against the physicality of the scenes continues throughout the novel. In magical realism, the fantastical elements are also usually employed to shield against the brutality of the physical world. In Nolledo’s novel, the brutality of the physical world disrupts the reader's enjoyment of its fantastical language. When brutality happens to the characters, it punches you in the gut.

So much trust is put in the ability of the reader. Whenever a chapter opens, the reader is plunged into the middle of the narrative and is expected to make sense of what’s happening—who’s the speaker in this chapter? Where am I? What is happening? And it’s only in the latter part of the chapter where things will start to make sense. Then, you’re on to a new chapter, and the disorientation starts again. I enjoyed trudging through the book, but can understand why people may be turned off by that.

Another marvel of this novel is that from start to finish, everything moves parallel along two realms: this is a physical novel, but it’s also very much an allegorical one. This beautifully reflects the poetic quality of our history and experiences. Of how we always seem to repeat the mistakes of the past. Of how, many years later, we seem to find ourselves in the same situations. And if we extend this to the rise of the Marcoses and the historical revisionism happening in the present… hay nako.

Which leads me to the way Nolledo wrote the novel's climactic moment: this war novel culminates in an overlap of memories. The parallel sentences hone in on the point that things that have happened before will happen again. America fooled us twice—first when they colonized us in 1899 and now in 1945 as they shelled Manila to the ground—both done in the pretense of being our liberators.

I found the allegories too in the nose at first. But thinking about it now, I’m glad the subtexts are simple and obvious, because the text itself is already challenging enough. Kung mahirap pa pati subtext san na lang ako pupulutin?

Some things I did not enjoy: I did not like the dream sequences in this novel. I did not like the woman (or, in the case of BftL, girl) as a nation trope employed. Especially since the waif who is the stand-in for the nation is worse than Maria Clara in Rizal’s novels. I don’t appreciate the sexist language (i.e., penetration), especially around the awakening of the nation’s soul. That said, I forgive Nolledo for his sexism. He’s a genius but still very much a product of his time.

The novel ends on a hopeful note, a promise of becoming, of blossoming for this nation. (Reading it today under another Marcos administration is bleak and depressing.) But one has to hold on to hope.

This novel is breathtaking, audacious, and blatantly anti-imperialist. It also tells us that the poor, the masa, carry the nation’s soul—not the educated middle class, not the wealthy landowners, not the ruthless authoritarians in power. But for the Lovers is a challenging read, but one that is well worth your time.

More photos from the book on my Instagram!

#philippine literature #but for the lovers #book review #bookblr #booklr #wilfrido nolledo

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sc-intothedarknightofthesoul · 15 days

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maxi

Maxi is one of those characters that I didn't think I'd enjoy much, but the more I learn about him and his story and the more I write about him in my fic, the more I adored this guy all over again.

His partnership with the Conduit in Libra of Soul, even if it's for a short while, reminded me so much of him being one of the characters to partner up with the custom character in their story in Soul Calibur 4, along with Talim, Cassandra, Rock, and Setsuka.

It's such a nice call back in a way, whether Project Soul did that on purpose or not, like he's predestined to be there for you, the player, in some capacity.

It's easy to poke fun at him for the hair and his corny lines, but it's also hard at the same time because he gets bullied by the narrative enough.

Plus, his energy is contagious! I can't help but feel happy for him whenever he's happy and feel angry whenever he's angry. Plus it always warms my heart to see him around his crew and him having a family bond with them.

One thing I do get kind of an ick from is when he decides to team up with Tira, of all people, to work for Soul Edge. But if I could read between the lines (and something I learned is my favourite tactic playing as a Rogue to infiltrate enemy bases in Baldur's Gate 3) I like to think he's just keeping her AND the cursed sword at arms length because he knows for a fact that as long as Soul Edge is around, Astaroth wouldn't be too far behind, while also not painting a target on himself as he is also Malfested and among his "fellows."

And I think it's a similar trick he pulled in his Soul Chronicle in 6, keeping Lyla - who also isn't to be trusted - close in order to use her connections to get good materials for Yagaji to make Fatibul for him, a plan that also made his crew doubt him at first until said plan succeeded.

Like yeah, take out the fact that his plans could and did put others close to him in danger (maybe that's where I get the ick), and you would almost call it a galaxy-brained move.

And I do fuck with the fact that he's a pirate and an unconventional one at that (or maybe he's just unconventional to me as whenever I think pirates, I think of Cervantes) and why I'm a big fan of the "one size doesn't fit all" mentality.

#soul calibur #ask game #character bingo #maxi #soulofamy #sorry for the late response!

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jmdbjk · 2 years

Text

The maknae line

Much has been seen, said, done, thought and fought over when it comes to Jungkook, Taehyung and Jimin.

These are just my opinions about Jimin, Jungkook and Taehyung from spending hours and hours watching content. I am missing years of witnessing content as its released, but hopefully I have done my due diligence, gone back and watched and I’ve seen enough to come to logical conclusions.

And like everyone, I noticed the connections between these three as well as their relationships with the rest of the group. They all share closeness due to their respect for each other, their commitment to the group, and their passion to their craft.

All I want to do is write some stuff down about each of their personalities and my impressions of how they act with each other and what it might mean. These are my opinions and might be stuff you all have heard before but here they are anyway. Feel free to disagree and form your own opinions. Also, please feel free to point out if any of the images I used were edits because I just searched and grabbed some just for illustrative purposes.

I formed my opinions based on my fandom experiences throughout my life including my journey with BTS which began early 2020 because that is when I actually started paying attention to the individual members. Ok, it was Jimin. Jimin is who I paid attention to at first. (hahahaha)

Then I started this blog as a way to discern what I was seeing between Jimin and Jungkook, so I will use this as a jumping off point to describe my interpretations of the relationships between Jimin and Jungkook, Jimin and Taehyungie, and Jungkook and Tae.

RelationSHIPS...I knew what shipping was before BTS, but it wasn’t until BTS that I learned there was an actual word for it. Shipping is a construct of fan culture (as we know) and involves pairing two individuals together and creating romantic or sexual fantasies and imagining extended narratives about them based on what is observed. Or actually, based on nothing other than a fan being (sexually) attracted to at least one of them. Fanfiction and fanart are sometimes manifestations of this shipping mechanism that allow fans to have something “real” that bonds them to the objects of their obsession. Fanfiction and fanart can also be simply expressions of fandom and have nothing to do with shipping.

Most rational people still understand that shipping is fictional, but some are not able to distinguish the difference and believe their fantasy is reality. Please hear me out.

All the members are aware of shipping culture. It’s been part of Kpop since the get go. There’s no way to NOT know about it. And because Army is so huge, there’s a lot of shippers. I think the members most likely don’t pay much attention to it.

Anyway, because I am going to talk about pairing them off, I wanted to speak about my opinion of what shipping is. Now to say my thoughts about each member of the maknae line:

Talking about Jimin first because I’ve been paying attention to him the longest: He is a deep thinker. He is meticulous when it comes to details.

Jimin is very empathetic, has very strong compassion towards others. We call him emotionally intelligent because he can sense when someone needs support and doesn’t hesitate to offer it. He can be openly emotional. He feels emotions at a very deep level. At the same time, he can be very closed off and we have no idea what he’s going through. This would be the super-private Jimin.

And we know he cares very very deeply about those he loves. I also think he has a hidden need to feel that appreciation and care and trust reciprocated because of deep-seated insecurities about himself that he’s had to work through over the years.

When it comes to his work, he can be extremely laser-focused on goals. He has a work ethic and ambitious drive that is off the charts. He is a natural self-starter and a natural leader.

Other words that describe Jimin: Professionalism. Perfectionist. Constant self-reflection. Humility. He has stated a few times that when he realized Army was still standing by them throughout the pandemic, he thought he could have or should have done more in return.

Jimin lives to be an idol, we’ve heard him say that and we know from years of content that he puts his heart and soul into his singing, dancing and performing. He used to be so hard on himself if he wasn’t perfect. This is his perfectionism and insecurity.

He has said when he dances he is in his own world. To me, that means he feels a high level of confidence and freedom when he dances and this allows him to be the bold and assertive Jimin that we saw for so many years.* (refer to notes at the end of this post)

In his WeLive last week, he assured us he was living a very emotionally calm and routine life these days. His days are filled with the work it takes to make music. He looks forward to a return to the stage soon to see us because he’s an idol and that’s what he does. He is actively taking care of himself to be the best idol he can be. Jimin has found a version of himself that makes him happy right now.

We know Jimin is not really a loner. He reminded us during Festa dinner in June. He is not a soloist, he is part of a group. It is part of his MBTI make up. Personality tests like that will ask the same question over and over, just in different ways. His answers would have leaned toward feeling more comfortable with people, most likely his circle of friends, and not being comfortable when alone. He needs someone to play off of socially otherwise he shuts down.

And apparently his “recharging” mode is sleeping.**

As I said, Jimin LIVES to be an idol. He thrives when he’s with the other members.

Because Jimin is not a loner Jimin needs people in his daily life. People that he trusts, that know all of him. It would make sense that it would be people who can really relate to his lifestyle and life’s work.

At Hobi’s party, after getting over his initial apprehension in an unfamiliar environment, Jimin mingled and spent time with many guests. Instagrams are full of pics of him and others at the party.

Let’s talk about Kim Taehyung now.

Social butterfly Kim Taehyung is definitely an intensely playful personality. He has a great imagination and is very skilled at spinning up a character on the spot and thus acting comes easily for him.

And this leads to one of the main things we love to see in he and Jimin’s relationship: their ability to spontaneously jump into roleplay with each other without saying a word.

Tae has hinted that he’s felt “trapped” (maybe not the right word) in his BTS persona. We’ve heard him talk about wanting to show us other sides of himself as well. He has said that he tried to keep V of BTS and Kim Taehyung separate. This might be something they’re conditioned to do as trainees? I’m not sure, but in Kpop, it’s been said that group members are given a role to fulfill. I don’t know if BTS adhered to this much. If they did at first, they eventually shed this as not being authentic.

But being one to “act out,” Tae can look at people like they are the love of his life, he has this gaze where it looks like he’s about to take them back to the hotel and jump in bed with them and it is not limited to anyone in particular. The times I mostly remember seeing this are during performances. When he does this it is Tae in full “V of BTS” mode.

As much as he’s said about wanting to go beyond V of BTS or to find Kim Taehyung, I don’t think he realizes his idol persona TODAY is really not going to be too far off center from his real self because typically as we mature, we just tend to naturally and unconsciously shed behaviors we no longer need to fit in with our peers and social circles. All the members have experienced this.

Writing this, I realize I probably have not seen enough of the real Kim Taehyung to really say as much about the private Tae as I can about Jimin and Jungkook.

I think private Tae can be very sensitive emotionally. His family is important to him. He doesn’t like rules much (actually I think all three of these guys pick and choose which rules they want to adhere to hahaha).

Tae explores what’s out there in the world, he is more cosmopolitan and lately, he’s really shown us how far and wide his interests span in his tastes in art, fashion and other passions. He’s kind of an old soul with an avant garde streak.

Tae makes friends very easily and is very at ease with his other male friends.Tae is the kind of person who can maintain many friendships at a high level because of his very social nature. He has no problem introducing himself to others as we witnessed during the Grammys this year.

Of all the members, I believe Tae would be the one to handle his album release in a similar manner as Hobi did, having a listening party and it be like a laid back piano/hookah lounge vibe type thing where everyone is sitting around on sofas drinking martinis and eating canapes and couple dancing.

At Hobi’s party, Tae flitted about from person to person, danced in the middle of the dance floor like nobody was watching and pretty much was in his element.

Here’s Jeon Jungkook:

I don’t know how you can hate Jungkookie. He’s like an open book. What you see is what you get. What triggers people to hate on him? I have no idea.

But Jungkook’s personality... to describe him is to just watch him in action ... I would say Jungkook is the most quirky personality of all the members... the weirdo of the bunch.

Jeon Jungkook is an anomaly: starting so young and then finding such global success at such a young age in the cutthroat Kpop industry and still be the sweet, unassuming person that he is, is a testament to how he was able to handle the hard work, grinding schedule, and good luck of having god-given talent and the influence and support of the other members...ESPECIALLY the influence of the others that surrounded him as he grew up.

He is a free-spirit creative. Passionate about singing and dancing and whatever thing is fascinating him this week. The man has perfect pitch vocals and dance skills that are world class. He has a desire to be different. He’s not very outgoing, but like an expressive introvert. Almost what we call a wallflower. Not exactly moody. Aloof? Anti-social is not really correct either. I will find the right word... but definitely NOT an alpha to all you fanfic writers HAHAHA! Definitely NOT the conversationalist that Jimin and especially Tae can be.

Half the time, he appears to just be along for the ride, but I don’t think much gets by Jungkook. Very observant. Very intelligent. Very good memory. But sometimes just can’t stay focused which manifests in being fidgety.

Not an instigator. But not really a follower either... A FREE SPIRIT I SAID! I think he is slightly impulsive too. Has a competitive streak. He has stated he is lazy which to me says he is not a natural self-starter but when he puts his mind to it, will learn a skill or become very disciplined... examples: his boxing pastime and adhering to his conditioning regimen for performing.

Jungkook has matured enough to take care of himself well these days. When in situations that make him uncomfortable or with unfamiliar people, he can now handle these types of instances with confidence but he had to learn how to do this. Jungkook being the type who is not a self-starter, he needs a motivator in his life, but once he gets started, watch out, the golden maknae will become the master.

At Hobi’s party, after checking out his surroundings, Jungkook mostly either sat alone or danced with Hobi.

NOTE: Of course, I was not at the party, no one except the people who attended can really say how the members were while there and who they hung around most. I only have the available photos to illustrate my points.

Jimin and Tae:

Their documented history is well-known. They have talked about and displayed their emotional connection many times. I already touched on their roleplay and their soulmate relationship.

Jimin and Tae butted heads at first, same-agers, young and hungry to be successful at their careers when they debuted, still rough around the edges. We’ve heard from the other members that Jimin and Tae were most likely to have disagreements pre-debut and in the early years. Still learning how to live and work as a team. Which led to the infamous dumpling fight. The dumpling fight supposedly led to what sounds like an emotional soul-to-soul talk.

The story goes, they went around sulled up for a while, then got together, talked it out. Probably some (alcohol-fueled) words were said to each other that peeled away layers and layers of emotional self-protection. If you are able to reach that point, it is very liberating to bare your soul to someone and have them accept you as you are.

I think Jimin’s natural compassion touched something in Tae so profoundly, it made Tae look at Jimin in a totally different light. I think Jimin allowed Tae to feel like he could take (emotional) risks (as a male) that maybe he had not considered or was uncomfortable to do before. And this is the foundation for their level of comfort and ease with each other. They worked it out and the word “soulmate” got stamped on their relationship from there on out.

Today, I believe all the members would consider each other mutual soulmates on some level, but Jimin and Tae were the first to reach that level and maintain it to this day.

Jimin and Tae have told us they speak to each other often. I think they are great supporters of each other’s well-being but I don’t think they spend a lot of time together when not working. Their interests are too divergent.

Tae and Jungkook:

From what I’ve seen, it’s a classic close sibling relationship. I see a lot of rough housing puppy play especially when they were younger. They were partners in crime when it came to being mischievous back then. A lot of physical closeness and skinship. Teasing, some big brother/little brother love going on.

Nowadays they just seem like best buddies slinging their arms around each other. I think Tae naturally falls into his hyung role very easily with Jungkook. I think sometimes Jungkook is done with it though. It’s like super-intense Tae clashing with laid-back Jungkook... a push and pull that is very subtle but it’s there.

I watch carefully but I don’t see a really noticeable emotional connection.

Jungkook and Tae have a great work relationship as does the entire team. That’s what makes them the top of the game. I see A LOT of interactions between Tae and Jungkook while performing, while they are in front of cameras. I don’t hear much about what goes on between them when they aren’t performing.

I don’t think Tae and Jungkook spend much time (if any) together when not working. Their interests are too divergent.

Jimin and Jungkook:

Though they basically grew up together, Jungkook was able to mature into adulthood under the watchful eye of Jimin who was years ahead in maturity.

I would say everything Jungkook knows about being compassionate and empathetic toward others, he learned from observing the other members but mostly Jimin. Everything he knows about work ethic, he learned from Jimin. Everything he knows about enjoying life and celebrating other people, he learned from Jimin. How to navigate uncomfortable situations, he learned from Jimin. He’s said more than once that he watches Jimin and its obvious in all the years of content that he’s always watching him.

There is a palpable level of chemistry between them on-camera. This is the type of thing you can’t really fake. You either have it or you don’t. We’ve seen movie actors have such great chemistry on screen, and then we hear about them actually dating and sometimes getting married in real life. You can’t fake the chemistry.

I think Jungkook enjoys a comfort level with Jimin that he does not possess with the other members. I think we all agree on that. There is an intimacy and closeness in their body language and tone of voice toward each other. It’s been a documented fact by staff and people on the street that they spend a lot of time together during work and off work. What they have in common is their approach to their work and what they choose to do off-work.

There is also a push and pull that is sometimes noticeable between Jimin and Jungkook but they are not really like the others. The thing that sets them apart is the lack of honorifics, the body language and the facial expressions. You just have to watch closely. This push and pull is more about their personalities than the age difference/honorifics customs.

I could go on and on about Jimin and Jungkook because, in my opinion, they have the closest bond amongst the maknae line. I am certain we will continually see this bond between them express itself no matter where they are.

What does all this mean “shipping-wise”? Since in my mind, shipping means an imagined romantic/sexual relationship, I will say I am not a shipper. Vmin are not dating in real life. Taekook are not dating in real life.

I will be honest here, when I see taekook trending, I DO look to see what it is and it will be Tae and Jungkook next to each other in whatever the latest content drop is and that’s fine! But I can never scroll very long before I reach a post that is an edited image (edited Jimin out and inserted Tae with Jungkook, etc.) or toxic/negative/hating on Jimin so I stop looking. I never see this level of toxicity with any other shipping groups.

If any of them are dating in real life, it would be Jimin and Jungkook. Not fantasizing, not creating a narrative. Just watching and seeing things as they happen. We know what we think from the things we’ve seen, but the truth is something only they know.

=====================================

Further explanations noted with the asterisks:

*That long break during the pandemic almost shattered Jimin’s ability to hold on to those parts of his idol persona that were what we call “shameless and bold”. Where did “shameless” Jimin go? Why are we suddenly confronted with so much “shy” Jimin? We heard him say he wondered during the pandemic what his purpose was since he could no longer perform. Jimin lives to be an idol. I would venture to say all that anxiety really wore him down and made him question everything. And the lack of immediate feedback of an audience during all those recorded performances made him lose his confidence somewhat. His subconscious was telling him “what’s the point of this?” But as they returned to performing with live audiences, we saw hints of the old Jimin returning. During the Vegas concerts we really witnessed Jimin getting his mojo back finally.

**Comprehensive personality tests will also describe a person’s natural recharging/rest mode. Some people get recharged by being active like participating in sports, being outdoors, or some other highly physical activity, some recharge by reading, gaming or doing another low physical energy/high brain energy activity, others recharge by socializing with people, and then there’s those who recharge by sleeping. All are valid and natural reflexes according to personality research.

#jimin #taehyung #jungkook #bts maknae line #vmin #taekook #jikook #kookmin

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mumpsetc · 9 months

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Here’s some object show criticism if you please:

I don’t give two shits if HFJONE was supposed to be a commentary on object shows and the object show structure a la never finishing, failing to develop characters, whatever. I didn’t come to ONE for the commentary, even if it was a super interesting facet of the show; I came for the mystery, and the mystery ended up disappointing me HARD.

When you set up plot points and emotional beats with absolutely zero payoff, you inevitably create a sense of disappointment and a near betrayal of the audience’s trust in you. Hfjone could have been a magnum opus of the OSC, and by god it still might be, but it fell into the same trap of mediocrity every other object show does when they lose sight of the storytelling.

There’s not even really any real tragedy (even though that’s what the show sacrificed its narrative cohesion for), because applying logic for a second mitigates any questions we might have of where the characters will go next. When there’s only one or two answers available to any questions asked by the open-ended ending (will they get out? Probably, if they wait long enough! Is Liam gonna turn into Airy? Sure would be a poor writing decision if he did, cuz “facing similar traumas automatically turns you into your abuser!” Is bit of a bad take imo!) it’s not really so open-ended, is it? I physically couldn’t be too sad about how the characters ended up, because giving it a even little thought already routed out how the rest of their arcs and lives might go.

I don’t know. There’s so much that HFJONE could have done and been that it just genuinely ended up not becoming, and I was really saddened by it, because I know it’s not for lack of trying. It was purposeful storytelling that it ended up how it did, and I feel like it was the wrong decision.

Also, the complete under-utilization of Amelia as a character was probably The largest detractor of the show. Dangle her presence and significance to the story in front of us then grant her like, a minute and a half of screen time. For someone so critical to the themes of the show she really ended up hardly existing, which inadvertently says something about the themes of the show (that being that they hardly exist :shrug:)

I've Been Rewatching One With Friends Lately and I've Run Into a Lot of Similar Qualms You Mentioned. I Will Admit to Being a Lot Softer on One, Both for Emotional Attachments Because I Am a Sap, and Just Out of Respect for Doing a Lot of Osc Firsts, But Yeah I Do Think It Held a Lot of Punches, Esp in Regards to Amelia.

I Don't Think Cheesy Was Misogynistic on Purpose But Her Writing, and a Lot of S2's Writing in General is Unintentionally Pretty Misogynistic. I Think There Were Ways to Keep Amelia's Role as the One Who Knows Nothing and Gets Beaten Down While Still Giving Her Anything to Do, a Friend Pitched the Idea of After Credit Scenes Done in the Black and White Style With No Dialogue Just Kind of Showing Her Subcumbing to the Monotony of the Plane and I Love That Idea.

However I Will Say I Do Still Love the Ending and the Themes are Enough for Me Personally. I'm a Huge Sucker for Very Theme Centric Work and One Scratched That Itch for Me, Though I Can Definitely See How a More Mystery Focused Viewer Would Be Disappointed. You're Right the Ending Isn't as Open Ended as People Like to Pretend But IMO It Doesn't Need to Be. I'm Just Happpy That the Final Time We'll Ever See the Characters is At Their Absolute Lowest, I Think That That's a Very Interesting Final Note and At the Very Least I Respect the Hell Outta Cheesy for Sticking to That in a Community Who's Barely Interacted With Bittersweetness at All.

#I Really Appreciated This Ask Anon I Know I Didnt Hit All Your Points But Its Cuz a Lot of It is Jusr Very Good on Its Face #Sorry It Took Me Somw Time to Respond I Wanted to Properly Phrase My Own 2 Cents #Also My Friend With the Amelia Idea I Mentioned is @Schoolunchtray Go Follow Him #dreamy.txt #Objective Criticism

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dgcatanisiri · 7 months

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I understand the argument that Riley being upset about Buffy "not paying him enough attention" while her mother is sick, but I've always said that it's an oversimplification - that what's going on is that Buffy is not trusting him with her weakness in this time, that he wants to be there to support her, and she is actively pushing him away and not letting herself be weak.

But y'know, I think another thing that really hammers home how Riley at least had a valid point in all of this, even if it was buried under the whole vampire feeding thing... How does he learn about Joyce going into the hospital, having the overnight stay, the CAT scan that revealed her tumor?

He goes to Buffy's house while the Summers women are at the hospital, not knowing what's going on with Joyce, walks in to find Spike SNIFFING ONE OF BUFFY'S SWEATERS, and then learns that SPIKE knows what's going on with Joyce before he did.

Sure, Spike knows because he'd gone to Buffy's house intending to kill her or die trying and had a change of heart when he saw her so emotionally vulnerable, but it doesn't change the fact that he found this out, but no one made an effort to pass the information on to Riley.

Like... That stings ME and I'm not even one of the people in the relationship. That this soulless vampire who is creepily obsessed with her, has tried to kill her multiple times, who he just found fondling her laundry... That HE got to know about this devastating news before Riley, Buffy's boyfriend, did.

This is coming after the episode where he got Walsh's super-soldier stuff flushed out and told her, specifically, he is scared of her running away from him. And the episode that followed THAT, his only scene in the episode was Buffy telling him she needed to do something alone, without him (the spell that had her find out Dawn was inserted into her life). And it just keeps going, where we don't really see efforts being made to involve Riley in Buffy's life, all the way to the point where Buffy's mother and sister end up taking up the majority of her non-Slayer time.

That's what I mean when I say that Riley wasn't wrong to want to be wanted - Buffy's actions were alienating him, and, while she certainly had reason to be concerned about things not-him at the time, it also showed that he had issues in the relationship that were not being addressed. Issues that did get acknowledged at one point, but then got shoved off to the side as Buffy had her own issues (understandably) take precedence.

I'm not saying Riley's blameless, but I am saying that Buffy DID have responsibility in that relationship's collapse as well, that she isn't blameless - that they BOTH contributed to the relationship's collapse. The bigger issue is that Riley was not given enough of development outside of being "Buffy's boyfriend" to make his side at least be shown in a more sympathetic light, or give him things to do with the other characters beyond Buffy, so that he wouldn't be stuck in that rut of "but without Buffy, what do I do?"

Ultimately, he's a victim of the writers forgetting to really give him a purpose in the narrative outside of his ties to the Initiative, and, since that arc wrapped up the prior season, there was nothing really for him to do but be "Buffy's boyfriend" afterwards, and that was a role that even I, someone on team "Riley's not that bad, actually," will grant that he was NEVER going to be endgame on.

And that's also part of the issue, that the writing seemed to have wanted this to be an endgame romance, something on the epic level of Buffy and Angel's love, but... It really was a relationship that was never going to last. It WASN'T a one in a million love, it was a young romance that burned bright, fast, and out. Buffy was going in to it as a rebound, hell, the rebound FROM her rebound. Riley was going in and taking the relationship as an identity. And, of course, we have the out-of-universe fact that Whedon himself didn't want another vampire romance, so he was trying to push this relationship SO. DAMN. HARD, which... I mean, since when does that even work in the first place? All those factors doomed the relationship before the word go.

Yeah, I do think Riley was screwed over by things no matter how things had turned out. So, y'know, that's one of those things that tends to endear me to a character in the first place.

#dg rambles #riley finn #buffy the vampire slayer #buffy meta

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esther-dot · 1 year

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I'm almost certain of at least one thing. They won't villainize or take Sansa's crown away from her. If anything, HotD has demonstrated one thing. Hbo/the writers are too afraid of being called misogynists, and despite everything they did with Sansa's storyline in got, they did present her coronation as a triumphant moment. So while I do believe they may play with certain tropes I dislike (Sansa being annoying blah blah blah), I doubt they would ever take her power away from her for the sake of a man, even if that man is Jon Snow. No doubt they would still mess up with a lot of other things tho lol

“I doubt they would ever take her power away from her for the sake of a man, even if that man is Jon Snow”

I agree that they wouldn’t take her crown away, but in s8 they tried to act like Sansa breaking her promise to keep Jon’s parentage a secret was unforgivable while a little mass murder by Dany was bad but... understandable? As in, they never allowed Sansa to explain her actions, they never tried to get the audience to sympathize, but they spent all season trying to paint the woman who came to Westeros specifically to wage war as a victim. Missandei’s death was inserted for the sole purpose of getting people to side with Dany, but they couldn’t grant Sansa a decent length convo to explain any of her reasonable, correct, fears and choices.

They sacrificed Jon on the Dany altar as well, so it’s easy to think this is only a Dany centric issue, not misogynistic thing, but there was no indication that Jon had made a mistake, we didn’t get a good, solid critique of Jon’s choices, and that’s why, for someone like me, the sequel fills me with fear. The sequel wouldn’t be Dany-centric, it would be Jon-centric, and unless set entirely beyond the Wall, Jon would very likely end up in some sort of conflict with Sansa. On the one hand, I love! Their arguments are great tv! On the other, it’s only good if Sansa’s concerns and her side of the issue is given the same weight as Jon’s, and I sincerely doubt they would be.

So, no, I don’t worry they’d take her crown, but I do worry that if it is picking up relatively soon-ish after the end of GoT, they’d focus on Jon’s resentment that Sansa broke her promise and not allow her to point out that he lied to the North about why he bent the knee and that he ignored her warnings and led their men into a massacre. That he broke trust with her before she did with him. I think it would be amazing to dive into their mutual grievances, but there’s like, a 2% chance of that happening unless there’s a jonsa on the writing team. 😂 As you can imagine, I therefore think any new challenges, (grievances the FF have against the Northerners that Jon may take up with Sansa, perhaps?) would present Jon as the self-sacrificing good guy without doing justice to Sansa’s stance.

It isn’t that I need show Jon or Kit to feel one way or another about Sansa, it’s that Sansa was the most coherent character in the later seasons, she had the best ending, not because she ended up in power, but because it fit with the beginning of the story and her arc rather than feeling slapped on/contradictory. Any interactions she might have with Jon in a sequel have the potential to be played the same way her disagreements with Jon in GoT were. She is ultimately correct but the narrative never presents her with the sympathy it does Jon, and that, even if they don’t strip her of a title, undermines her ending (for me).

I also have to say, I love Jon and Sansa as individual characters. My love for them isn’t contingent on a ship. Despite Jon’s failures on s7-8, I still love him, I would still like to see him heal and be happy. I do not like the dismissal of his trauma simply because he is a man. However, the choice to make Jon KitN in s6 and Sansa QitN in s8 means that we are in a pickle. Jon having kids was referenced enough in s7 that some fans still believe Dany was pregnant. Even after they were done teasing Targ restoration, in s8 we have that scene of Jon finding out Gilly is preggers, so again, the idea of Jon having kids was put into the scripts/Kit’s mind. He wants that for Jon. I assume that getting Jon’s happy ending is what this sequel series is about. But, Jon can’t have kids without it being a threat to Sansa unless they are Sansa’s kids too. Even if the show takes place beyond the Wall and his love interest is a FF woman, his children are a threat to Sansa and her kids. I don’t know that they care about that though. The politics became such a joke in the end of GoT, I don’t feel sure that they’d focus on realities beyond Jon’s feelings. Even as a Jonsa, I don’t hate the possibility of Jon finding happiness with a different women (theoretically) because I care about him. What I do hate as a Sansa fan, is that there’s no guarantee they care about or respect her (and her ending) enough to protect it.

Also, I didn’t watch HOTD, but from what I’ve gleaned, the fear of appearing sexist hasn’t kept HBO / the writers from still delivering pretty sexist content. It sounds like they don’t want their female characters to intentionally be evil, but they still don’t mind fridging them or having them be sexually harassed/ abused. IMO, that’s trying to protect themselves, not showing any deeper understanding or care for their female characters. And if anything, it looks to me that they’re more dedicated than ever to whitewashing Targaryens which is a major problem.

Anyway, my disinterest in the sequel doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy other people’s excitement for it and I will continue to engage with/support that, but I don’t trust HBO. It would be lovely to have a great sequel that rights some GoT wrongs, but I don’t think there was a sea change. Kit and Co. could surprise me tho!

#dot chat #jonsa #anti daenerys #jon show #< tag to filter

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mlchaelwheeler · 1 year

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Reading bylers' theories are interesting and all but i really do not think mike understood that those were will's feelings. i think he legit thinks el made will paint a drawing for him, he prob thinks it was gonna be a surprise for him before el left, and i legit think he believed in will's words at the van because he doesnt have any reason to believe that Will would lie to him. People say that mike should have known that the painting was from Will not El bc El mentioned it in her letter that she didnt know who the painting was for. And we canonically know that El straight up lied to Mike all those months on her letters, so Mike actually has a reason to believe that El lied about the painting thing too just to keep it as a secret surprise or something. That's just me though bc that's how I read the narrative and the purpose was to make Mike believe in Will's lie in the first place.

ok listen. mike is smart. remember s1? s2? s3? the pen in s4? he is always figuring things out that majorly benefit the group. i really don't like the trend in the fandom where people believe mike is stupid. sure, it's fun to joke that he has nothing but rocks in his brain, but let's take a step back and be real. he's struggling with his sexuality while growing up in a conservative household/town while also battling life-threatening monsters/situations on a yearly basis. of course he's not on top of every single thing emotionally-wise. however, he still is very smart. one of the smartest characters on the show imo.

anyways, back on topic: the van scene. yes, mike has no reason to think will's lying to him. however, mike knows el doesn't know anything about dnd. he knows el's been lying to him left and right. is will's painting for a girl? nope. if el was lying about that, then she clearly doesn't know who the painting's really for. since mike arrived in cali, he was hoping that painting was for him. he loves receiving presents and will knows that. (i'm going to write a more detailed analysis about this scene soon so stay tuned). so of course he was hoping the painting was will's gift to him.

the way mike was looking at will in the van though? that boy is in love.

that is not the look of someone who's hearing their "girlfriend's" feelings come out of their best friend's mouth. this is the look of someone in love with the best friend. trust me. has mike ever looked at el with that level of love?? (a rhetorical question because we all know the answer to that). also, i don't have the gif (nor do i know how to make one), but in that scene above ^ mike looks at the painting then looks at will. if he would've kept looking at the painting, sure, i might've believed he actually believed el commissioned it. yet he looks back at will. he's clearly thinking it's actually from will!

later on in sbp, mike still believes the painting is from will. he still desperately want to believe that will does feel that way about him. so he jokes around with el, because he's happy she's back and safe. yet do they get a meaningful conversation? nope. they're interrupted before they can say anything substantial to each other.

mike goes into the monologue scene believing that will loves him. so when suddenly will is pushing him to confess his love for el, mike's confused. he doesn't understand, did he misinterpret everything? maybe will really was saying how el felt? whatever the case, mike has no time to react. el is dying. he has no choice. he tells el he loves her. he tells her so much, all of it lies, but it's what she wants to hear. what he thinks she wants to hear. but it's not enough. (because it's a lie). mike doesn't mean it! of course he loves el, but he loves her like he loves the rest of the party. there's nothing romantic there.

so two days later, when will refuses to sit next to mike on the ride back to hawkins and el ignores mike in the cabin, mike feels utterly alone. maybe nobody loves him. but he wants to feel needed, and he knows he loves will, so he stays by his side for the rest of the season. he doesn't try to go talk to el. instead, he has another heart to heart with will where he convinces him that even though vecna pretty much just killed max, mike won't let him touch will. they'll figure this out together. because even if will doesn't love mike, mike does love will. and he's not losing him ever again.

#and this is why i said i'm gatekeeping mike from everyone except me and a select few mutuals #i understand him. i know the truth #mike wheeler #byler #narrative tag #s4 #ask sarah

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msmargaretmurry · 11 months

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hi! for the game, 'blue sun' and any combination of matthew, leon, connor

"blue sun" as a title has very edmonton in winter vibes, doesn't it? or maybe that's just me, but having experienced edmonton in winter i feel qualified to make that call. (also, i do not recommend experiencing edmonton in the winter.) anyway i feel like this is a fic about how connor mcdavid needs a hug.

okay so, i'm not against connor/leon — i totally see the dynamic duo appeal — but i have always had some trouble coming up with a narrative for them that i would find compelling enough to write, so i kind of challenged myself here to come up with a story that feels like something i would want to write for them. as usual, it got long! really long! sorry! i wanted to talk myself all the way through it and there was just a lot happening!

let's set this in the 2019–20 season, because a) peak season for shoehorning some matthew content in there and b) what a grim time to be connor mcdavid. his fifth season in the league and other than that one brief shining season in 2016–17, it doesn't matter how well he plays, the team has been dogshit. the oilers are a joke. they have made the playoffs one (1) time in the past 13 years even with four entire first-overall draft picks at their disposal. they have traded away almost the entire core they thought they would rebuild around in the early 2010s. their poor management has basically run multiple promising prospects out of the organization. and you are the mcjesus who is supposed to be saving them. it's year five; you've collected some trophies; you've gotten used to the prairie winters. it's not that much colder than toronto or erie, really, and you spend most of your time inside anyway. sometimes, the frigid fresh air is refreshing after hours in the artificial cold of the rink, even though it burns your throat and chaps your skin.

besides, this season is going to be different. it already is different. it's still early days, but the team it winning more than it's losing, and connor has decided: this season is different.

i feel like around this time is also when we really saw the transition from young connor to adult connor. he was such a shy, awkward, anxious kid (they named him captain at least a season too early for real) and i think this fic would explore that as well — him becoming more self-assured, or at least better at faking it; becoming more confident in his leadership skills; learning to trust his relationships with his teammates more instead of feeling like he has to do it alone — but at the same time, taking on even more of that pressure to succeed, feeling the patience of the organization and the city and the hockey world at large already starting to wear thin.

so what of the leon of it all? obviously they're good friends now, but i've always felt that the friendship was a little bit manufactured in the beginning — the oilers did not expect leon to be as good as he is, they did not expect to have a two-headed monster, but how serendipitous that they found one. only natural to stick them together as much as possible for marketing purposes. connor, though, is a soft, stubborn heart wrapped in a perfectly bland public persona; he's something of an island, and leon's closest friends on the team in the earlier years are guys he can be way more fucking normal with. so this is also a story about them coming together in private instead of just in public.

connor doesn't want to be an island. he just feels like he has to be. he has, after all, been told constantly and consistently that there is no one else quite like him. he was happier in erie, where he was half of a whole, but that relationship started crumbling as soon as he left for alberta to pursue his destiny. it was an excruciating falling apart over long distance, and the loss left a hole inside him that would still ache if it wasn't so obscured with scar tissue. anyway, he's pretty sure it was his own fault, and it's not really the being in love part he misses — being in love was as much nauseous anxiety as it was joy and comfort — it's the having a teammate so completely on his side that he could let his guard down and just be connor instead of Connor McDavid.

he likes leon. he wishes they were better friends. not that they're not friends, because they are, but connor knows he's everyone's first choice on the ice only. but, again: this season is different. they're winning again. he knows people find him much easier to like when they're winning, so maybe that can be different this season, too. it already feels different, like he and leon are clicking better as people this year, although connor can't tell if that's due to the extra effort he's making or just because they've been stuck together for years now so there's an inherent comfort level there. but it's nice. connor likes it a lot. he's afraid of liking it too much, but the more space leon allows for him, the more of leon's space he takes up. he can't seem to help himself.

(sorry to leon for sticking him in yet another scenario with an anxiety-ridden weirdo who can't seem to see that the people close to him really do just like him. from his side here, i feel like he wasn't really sure what to think of connor or how to get close to him for a while, and is equally quietly pleased about this coming-together. he knows to the rest of the world he'll always be in connor's shadow, but he also knows that every great hockey team in recent memory has had a duo at its emotional core. he thinks they could be that.)

anyway so we've got this slow burn thing happening where connor and leon are getting closer, becoming each other's confidantes, starting to really feel like they are building this thing together, and also at the same time the battle of alberta is at a fever pitch and they keep losing to the fucking flames.

off the ice connor likes matthew tkachuk just fine. they've trained together in the off-season, and he's actually an incredibly nice guy. as an opponent on the ice, though — woof, he really is annoying. leon finds him particularly irksome, and while it gets tedious listening to him go through the same laundry list of complaints every time the guy comes up, connor likes being the person leon complains to. besides, connor thinks leon is secretly having fun — he always comes out of those scrums grinning — although when connor says this, leon rolls his eyes and scoffs.

then comes the all-star game, the "i'd get off the ice" of it all, the silly little media storm around all that. connor can't tell if leon actually meant it in the moment or if he was trying to be funny, but he's selfishly a teeny bit glad it means less attention on him. they're in the same division with matthew but matthew has his own people at the game, so they don't interact much beyond exchanging pleasantries. connor chats with him a bit during the skills comp while leon huffs in the periphery, but later connor catches a glimpse of them across the ice talking for a moment without a chaperone. tkachuk is grinning, and leon is rolling his eyes, so it all seems very normal.

but then they run into him AGAIN out in the city that night, matthew with his friends, them with theirs, everyone varying levels of inebriated. matthew greets connor with a one-armed hug that catches connor off-guard, but with leon, he tugs on the front of his shirt and leans in to say, "remember, i'm gonna sauce you the sickest pass you've ever seen tomorrow, you better be ready."

leon laughs and tells him to fuck off, but as the tkachuk crew melts back into the club, leon watches him go, grinning to himself, and connor says with a sinking stomach, "you like him."

"what? i do not," leon lies.

"yeah, you do," connor says.

"eh, fuck off," leon says, but he scans the crowd again, and connor is so, so jealous. he's so jealous, and he hates that. he tries to be a good sport, but his night is pretty much ruined, and he dips out early, feeling every bit the stick-in-the-mud he got teased for being when he was younger.

the all-star game the next day goes fine. they win, which is nice. matthew does indeed set leon up for a nice goal, which leon pretends he's not grinning about for several minutes. he's not acting bothered at all about what connor said last night, and connor isn't going to bring it up again. he would rather not think about it, except for of course how he thinks about it constantly for the next few days, all the way through their first game back, which is against the flames, and is a huge tkachuk-centric shitshow that they lose in the shootout. connor is in a shitty mood about it, and leon is also in a shitty mood about it, but he tries to say something conciliatory when he drops into his stall next to connor anyway, and connor hisses back something mean and uncharitable about leon's crush, because he wants to throw a temper tantrum so bad, but he's not allowed to, because he's the captain and the savior and, as always, he is in this alone.

leon is not a person who takes kindly to people being a dick to him, so he kinda cold shoulders connor for a couple of days. then they play the fucking flames again, and it is once again a shitshow, but they finally get the win. leon gets four points and snipes at connor when no one else can hear, "you think he'll suck my dick now?"

connor, who is good at nursing his anger but bad at confrontation, totally deflates.

"sorry," he mumbles, and goes about his business. the team was great tonight, and he needs to put on a mood that reflects that. he does an okay job of it, he thinks — the mood in the room helps, and the fact that leon doesn't feel quite so icy next to him helps, but he's still got this awful hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach that he's never going to get what he wants. but he knows that's not true, because he's spent his whole life deciding what he wants and taking it. so maybe he'll decide what he wants and take it.

he and leon walk out to their cars together, and when they get there, he opens the door to his backseat and nods for leon to get in. leon gives him a puzzled look; connor says, "well someone should suck your dick."

so they do that. it doesn't leave connor feeling exactly how he wants to feel, but it's satisfying in its own way.

he goes home and spends the whole night wondering if he just made everything worse or if things are going to be unbearably awkward now, but leon shows up the next morning with coffee and breakfast sandwiches like, we should talk, so they do talk, about a lot of things — about how this season feels different, feels good; about the winning tradition they want to build here, where they've already put in so much work; about what they need to be to each other to make that happen. connor apologizes for kind of jumping leon in the parking lot, and leon laughs and says don't apologize, it was fun. they talk around the question of being together or commitment to each other, couching everything in terms of being in edmonton, commitment to the team, but leon squeezes connor's hand when he says these things, and connor is filled with nauseous anxiety and dangerous hope.

and i feel like that would be like 50k worth of fic. it would end there and everyone would be very mad at me, and then 2–3 business years later i would drop a sequel titled "pink moon" where they actually get together during the 2022–23 season. i'm so sorry about me.

#feeling like a traitor posting this while rat boy is getting speared in the nuts but what can you do #the mortifying ordeal of being connor mcdavid #ask #writing meme #hockey for ts

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