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wilcze-kudly · 6 months

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The Gaang being 'bad parents' didn't ruin their characters.

I've seen this argument tossed around a couple times and it's honestly one of my least favourite criticisms of lok.

Katara (and Sokka but we have no confirmed kids for him, which seems unrealistic with how much game he had) lost their mother as children and their father was forced to abandon them when they were barely starting their teens. They were raised by their grandmother with little to no peers of their own age.

Aang did not know his parents and a huge chunk of his childhood was him being groomed into taking up the mantle of the avatar and mastering airbending. He also was isolated from other kids his age. His closest parental figure was Gyatso who was more of a teacher than a father. Also the Air Nomads were literally wiped out so that adds to the trauma pile.

I really don't think i have to talk about Zuko's family life here, but at least he had relatively positive parental figures in the form of Ursa (though i do have a burning personal dislike of ursa) and Iroh. Despite this his struggle around the subject of his family and his trauma relating to his upbringing was a focal point of his character arc.

Toph was raised in isolation by her asshole abelist parents who did not listen to her, sent people to capture and bring her back and then disowned her. (If my cursory understanding of 'the rift' is correct, I need to actually read it because i am unreasonably obsessed with the Beifong family.)

Where, pray tell, were they supposed to learn proper parenting skills? On their brief stint as child soldiers? While fighting a war as literal children?

There is the argument that they must've matured later in their lives, of course. But you can only recover so much from copious amounts of childhood trauma.

Being a bad parent doesn't necessarily make you a bad person. Sure it makes you a failure in an incredibly delicate and important aspect of human life but it doesn't make you a bad person. And saying that it does takes a lot of nuance out of the conversation.

Like, do you know how easy it is to fuck up a child?

Especially that the ways the members of the Gaang 'fucked up' as parents feel mostly in character.

Bumi was going to face some struggles with self worth due to being the firstborn child of the Avatar and arguably one of the most powerful waterbenders in history, while being a nonbender himself. That much was unavoidable, no matter how his parents approached the issue.

And Aang was obviously going to be over the moon when Tenzin was born. Think about it. He's literally the last of his people. He has no one else 'like him'. No one else to pass down the traditions, the teachings that Gyatso and everyone else he cared about and who were horrifically murdered to. Aang is getting older and he feels like his culture and history and his entire life before he got trapped in that damned iceberg will die along with him. And then Tenzin is born and Tenzin can take up the mantle that had been thrust upon Aang.

I'm going to withhold my judgement on Izumi and Zuko, since we barely know anything about them. She seems well adjusted but that's all i can say right now. But Zuko has also been shown to be extremely, painfully aware of how fucked up his family is and has clearly been putting in a lot of work to unscrew what his ancestors have screwed up.

Toph situation feels very tragic to me,because it's obvious that she thought she thought she was doing better than her parents. She gave her daughters the freedom to do what they want, to not feel opressed and trapped like she had. How was she supposed to know that she was making her girls feel like she didn't love them? (Here's another post of mine about the Beifong family and how they just feel like they're cursed or something at this point.)

TLDR; I get annoyed by people saying that the Gaang being 'bad parents' ruined their characters, because to me it felt like it actually enhanced them.

Neither Aang nor Toph acted out of malice or a lack of love. On the contrary, Toph was trying not to repeat her parents mistakes, accidentally committing a bunch of her own. While Aang probably didn't even realise that he was neglecting Kya and Bumi.

But just loving your children doesn't always make you a good parent.

I think these flaws only add to them as characters. It makes them feel more real.

It's unrealistic and, frankly, just plain boring to go 'oh the Gaang were all good people so they would be good parents too.'

The Gaang were a gaggle of traumatised children forced into saving the world, because the adults around them failed them, that then grew into traumatised adults who have no idea how to be good parents.

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echo-and-dust · 1 month

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now that my brain has somewhat unscrambled itself i have gotten most of my thoughts in order about season 3.

and the first thing i will say is: i loved it.

while it was gutwrenching and polarizing in some ways and i feel that i am entitled to financial compensation for what its done to my mental health, i loved this season for pretty much almost everything it did.

i cannot fault people for having issues with much of the characterization and plot choices made—that’s been the trend during the entire run of the show after all, and imo it’s a testament to the phenomenal way it generates nuance—but i wanted to share my feelings on the recurring opinions i’ve seen about some of these things.

first, i do not blame simon at all for the things he said in the final scene. he’s a child who has been receiving endless verbal and physical harassment on top of all the trauma he is still trying to heal from. he just watched his boyfriend lash out in anger and hurt—while not at him, but it must’ve been a close resemblance of how he might’ve seen micke act. at least, that's what i thought, though i've seen others say otherwise.

and yes, wille is not micke, but just because wille’s source of outbursts is different from micke’s doesn’t mean simon is wrong in drawing similarities. at least he's finally getting a true glimpse into what wille has had to deal with. i've honestly grown to like that they didn't have simon immediately comfort him though; wille's mental illness is not his fault, but it is his responsibility, and instead of pushing a message of unhealthy co-dependence, the show has simon be honest: "but i see that everything hurts you and that hurts me too." and to me, that's so important.

plus, it doesn't make their love any less genuine. wille is a victim of the circumstances; he is not evil, and he is not undeserving of simon. he just has a lot of growing and healing to do, a lot of unlearning and exposure therapy because he's still blinded by privilege even when he tries not to be.

speaking of, i have so many thoughts about wille that i feel like i need to save for its own separate post, but to sum them up: i'll still defend him with my life, and he needs to get the fuck away from that institution.

also, the fact that the responsibility of controlling simon's media decisions was placed solely on wille confused me at first like—why wouldn't they get a professional to give him proper media training?

then i realized, this could be the royal court's way of sabotaging their relationship. they knew that making wille the one to tell simon what he can and cannot say or post would create distance and animosity between them. despite the ramifications of simon's behavior on social media, it seems they still thought it best to have his boyfriend be the one to try to mold him into the system. because they knew that's how they could get rid of him. in conclusion, fuck the royal court (we been knew but still).

one of the standouts this season was their transparency regarding the show's politics. it not only works well with the show's arc (wilmon is public, everything's out in the open now and there's nothing to hide), but also it felt necessary at a time where censorship has been rapidly gaining momentum. it felt so refreshing for these characters to talk so openly about racial discrimination and queerphobia and class disparities, forcing both character and viewer to acknowledge that they exist and you should feel uncomfortable about it.

i don't think i can add much more to what was already said about it—most of the fandom is more eloquent and observant than i am anyway—i just wanted to reinforce how important this season is to myself and the story even with how controversial it is to fans right now. a lot of people may disagree with me and that's fine.

#young royals #wilmon #simon eriksson #prince wilhelm #yr spoilers #yr s3 spoilers #ad speaks #i don't know how they're going to tie everything together in under an hour but so far this season is strong enough for me to like it despit #what ending we receive #and i know i'm in the minority in that sense but i've been spending most of the hiatus trying to keep myself from setting expecations #so i haven't really been let down too much #i really don't want to let this show go though :'(#forever my heart #yr season 3 #young royals season 3

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spacelazarwolf · 4 months

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I've seen people say that because you don't talk enough about the genocide in palestine and instead talk about the antisemitism in leftist pro-palestine spaces (even though you have talked about palestine before and don't support israel) that somehow makes you a zionist. It's like ??? That's not how that works. Honestly I'm sick of this performative activism where you must disavow anyone Jewish who dares to talk about antisemitism during this time. Then these people turn around and say that they don't hate Jews they just hate Israel

yeah it’s exhausting. i’ve got complicated feelings abt calling it a genocide — mostly bc of the way non palestinian gentiles are just parroting words without actually understanding why people are calling it a genocide, and also using it as an excuse for gratuitous holocaust inversion — but at the end of the day i think arguing a semantic issue isn’t going to help gazans who are dying right now. i don’t think it matters if we say it’s genocide or if we say it’s a precursor to genocide or if we say it’s a catastrophic loss of human life, it’s all just words. what matters right now is not if one single random disabled jew thousands of miles away uses the right word. what matters right now is that people are dying and that needs to stop. and apparently saying that means i’m an evil genocide denier who’s basically a nazi.

and like. it doesn’t matter how many times i explain my position in excruciating detail. it doesn’t matter how much nuance i give and how many personal feelings and insecurities i share, bc it has never been abt if i’m actually a zionist. they don’t care. in fact, it’s better for them if i don’t openly identify as a zionist, because that strengthens their use of zionist as a dogwhistle. if they only targeted jews who openly identified as zionists, the dogwhistle wouldn’t work.

and for the antisemitism stuff, i’m very unsurprised that’s why they’re targeting me. ppl have made it clear that they not only don’t care abt antisemitism but that antisemitism is necessary for their “activism” so they see me telling them not to be antisemitic as me telling them not to advocate for palestinians, and at this point i can’t help it if they’re idiots.

zionism and antisemitism aren’t a chicken and the egg situation. zionism is a direct response to antisemitism in the diaspora, and by actively participating in making it worse and mocking jews for being afraid of the antisemitism we’re facing, you’re doing political zionists’ work for them. i want to talk about this, about the rhetoric i’ve seen used in some jewish spaces and how antisemitism in antizionist movements just bolsters it, and what they can do to instead connect with these jewish institutions and leaders to address the very real concerns jews have and show them that israel is not the solution. but people don’t want to hear what they can do better. they want to hear that “zionists” and “zionist institutions” are all evil groups plotting world domination and weaponizing the holocaust. i might have more success doing this work in irl spaces but i’ve very much given up on doing it here.

#ask avishai #ip

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rasairui · 3 months

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I think anybody who thinks autism is more "accepted" nowadays is either in denial or can't see outside themselves. What we actually did is just popularize a really weird infantilized perception of autism that focuses on the symptoms that can be repackaged as "cute" or "quirky," and are continuing to treat people with inconvenient or even upsetting symptoms like garbage. And no I'm not talking about bigots who pull the "I'm literally neurodivergent" bs I'm talking about supposed allies telling me I'm acting like a child for getting too emotional when I literally have "Can't Regulate My Emotions" disorder, or that I'm moving weird, or that my voice never has the right tone to it. Sorry my autism doesn't stop and end at hand flapping and dinosaurs lmao I can gaurantee I'm not enjoying my meltdown any more than you are, buddy! In fact, I'd say I'm having a far worse time than you! I do not make a choice to be emotionally volatile nor do I feel good when I get upset. It's not my fault that emoting "properly" is a performance that takes energy and I really can't do it 100% of the time. Like idk it honestly feels like I still have to mask in supposedly progressive spaces just in a different way.

And of course this doesn't even start to get into people with higher support needs than me who are rarely acknowledged unless they themselves are doing it. It's one of the reasons those posts that are like "Do you think neurodivergence is just autism/adhd, and not (heavily stigmatized other disorder)?" rub me the wrong way. They always seem to be addressing the most sanitized version of autism possible which strikes me as counter intuitive to the point being made. And don't get me wrong, as a system I understand why it's being said but it just really frustrates me because the people these posts are about don't actually think severe cases of autism or adhd are neurodivergence either! They treat higher support needs people with the same disorders like shit!

No I do not think anyone who's ever made a post like that is a bad person nor do I expect every post to have a disclaimer containing every possible nuance but I do think a lot of them are not written with the existence of high support needs or "weird" autism symptoms in mind, which inadvertently feeds into this "palatable autism" thing people keep doing

#autism #just thinking lol #ableism #people will say autism is a spectrum until they're blue in the face and then give no thought? To different parts of said spectrum??#''I love autistics'' until you have to accommodate food struggles or one of them is loud or needs help communicating or calming down #or remembering things or even just getting around. Ally in every way but the one that actually matters: actually assisting disabled people #but people think basic human decency is ''emotional labor'' nowadays so idk why I expect any better #like sure maybe the person with autistic in their bio is being ableist about other disorders. I guarantee they're ableist at other autistic #people too. So much of this is enforced from within the community.

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dollypopup · 3 months

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sorry, still on this soapbox but

we have really, REALLY done Colin a disservice in this fandom. we spent so long viewing him primarily as a Love Interest and not as a Character. But when we see and analyze him as a character, so many of his actions make sense, and it becomes almost ridiculous, the dynamics we've imposed on this couple (yes, I'm talking about the 'Colin fucked up and needs to prove himself to Penelope' narrative) when there's so much more nuance and beauty to their pairing than we give them credit for

we as the audience focus so much on Penelope's perspective in their relationship, of course, because we have so much of her perspective in the show, and so our frustrations with Colin stem from that, but we get more insight into him than Penelope does. The 'I would never court her' scene that we've been livid over for years is considerably softened when we actually look at Colin as a character, and the circumstances around his actions.

Colin spends season 2 SAD. He is straight up not okay. We leave Colin in Season 1 freshly heartbroken and running away to Greece to heal. In Season 2, we meet him again, considerably more somber. Colin doesn't participate in the dances. He even says 'I'm just a spectator'. Colin talks about how he started a conversation with himself, tried to understand what he wants and how he feels. Colin offers Benedict shroom tea, and for a moment, JUST A MOMENT, we see the facade slip. His mask cracks. 'Are you quite alright, brother?' and then it's gone. Then he's cheerful again. Calm Colin. Nice Colin.

Colin who is okay.

But Colin is *not* okay. Colin completely isolates himself from women. Colin doesn't flirt, doesn't entertain female attention. Colin is heartbroken, trying to be better. But he views Penelope as a friend, a sacred relationship, a worthwhile relationship, and he can't bear to lose her. To him, Penelope is arguably his closest friendship. His best friend. And in an entire town full of people who don't listen to him, he thinks Penelope does. Unlike the typical dynamic of the ton, in which men are ONLY speaking to women by viewing them as potential sexual partners, Colin views Penelope as a whole person. She doesn't just exist as a romantic option to him, but as a vital connection in his life. That's why the 'I am a woman' 'You are. . .Pen' is so important to view as an act of love- Penelope is NOT just a woman as the ton sees her, good for marriage prospects and little else, Penelope is a complete person. Yes, she's a woman, but more importantly, she's PEN. She's a full human being. And he values her as such. We cannot say the same for the grand majority of men in his society. Tell me any other male-female friendships like that in the ton where that level of respect is given?

But for Penelope, it's hurtful, because she WANTS to be seen as a romantic option in his eyes. That's a fair feeling, though we as an audience should recognize that it can be both upsetting to Pen, and also deeply beautiful as a sentiment. Because of Penelope's hopes of Colin as a romantic prospect, she does not see that he is hurting. Because of our connection as a fandom to Penelope, we do not see it, either. But he *is* hurting. In all of Season 2 he's hurting. That's why he throws himself into the Jack mess. He wants, NEEDS a distraction. He wants to find a place in his world, his society. Honestly? He needs a win. He has spent the last year losing and losing and losing. Who can blame him for being sick of it? His engagement blows up, he finds out his family pays no attention to him, that no one cares about his agency, and he's publicly humiliated. If he invests, if he makes money, he might make more male connections. Might run in more important circles. Like his brothers do. Might prove himself. But Colin isn't friends with the men of the ton. We don't see ANY evidence that he has strong friendships with any of them. Because he isn't like them.

He is 22 years old. Treated like a child in his own family. When he talks about his travels, no one listens. Everyone dismisses him. 'Remarkable, yes, in the sense that I have many remarks about it'. Colin is invisible. He is trying to slot himself in his community, but he does not fit neatly into it. He connects with Will, a man outside his community, and Penelope, a woman also outside his community, because *Colin* exists outside his community. He's the foolish boy who fell headfirst for a woman who lied to him. He's the 'green' baby walking in his older brother's footsteps and unable to fill them. He doesn't behave the way other men of the ton do. He doesn't talk like other men of the ton do. Hell, he *apologizes* to women. We have men NOW in the MODERN ERA who don't even apologize to women.

His own *mother* doesn't even notice he was dating someone for several months in season 1. Colin is a pretty, empty ghost wandering around Mayfair, and so of course he's thrown into a locker room conversation with a bunch of guys who have never once seen a woman as a person, and doesn't relate to them. Colin's not joking and having fun with these men. We very purposefully do not see his reaction after he delivers the 'I would never court her' line.

Colin is uncomfortable around them, but he needs their help to make it up to Will, someone who was kind to him and who he looks up to. He has the mask on so firmly in that scene, it's physically obvious to see. If you compare his reactions around Penelope to his reactions around Fife, it's stark. With Penelope he's open, his eyes are soft, his expression is curious and kind, his shoulders are relaxed. Around Fife he's closed off, eyes hard, muscles tense. Who can blame him? He's acting. He's acting just like he's acting around Jack.

When we look at Colin as a whole character, we get insight into his actions and they make SENSE. The things he say that hurt Penelope are things that are actually defending her- Colin saying he wouldn't court her to those men in particular, is an act of caring. He is defending her in that scene. When a debutante is only good for being 'wed, bed, and bred' in their eyes, Colin saying no, that Penelope is worth more than that, that his connection to her isn't forged on wanting to fuck her, or exploit her, or treat her as a sexual object, is radical. Because anything else, ANYTHING else that he says that isn't an outright denial, puts Penelope in danger. He can't let them believe that the woman he cherishes so deeply he cannot even ENTERTAIN the idea of not talking to her is out here being ruined by his hands.

And when we see it that way, we see that, in reality, of all the men in the series, Colin is the one who has been kindest to his love interest. Colin is the one who has defended her, the one who has stuck his neck out for her, the one who has cared for her with absolutely no expectations of sex or romance in return.

Colin's relationship to Penelope is beautiful, and sure, she can be upset that it isn't in the exact shape she wants it to be, but I think if she takes a step back and looks at it more objectively, if WE take a step back and look at it more objectively, Colin has only ever gone into it with a big, earnest heart. Not PERFECTLY, of course, he isn't perfect, but with the best intentions, and with as much honesty as he can.

And I don't know why we don't celebrate him more for it

#colin bridgerton #polin #penelope featherington #lord fife #bridgerton #once again i am first and foremost a colin apologist #but also like. . .he really does deserve better #he's in this city with all these ain't shit men around him #you think fife has EVER apologized to a woman????#cho???#most of these men are viewing women on the marriage market as meat #at the very least colin sees penelope as a human being #he listens to her he appreciates her he tells her openly that he cares about her #there is not one man who has treated a woman with this much tenderness without already being romantically interested in her #and that should be CELEBRATED not demonized

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khaleesiofalicante · 8 months

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RWRB Movie Review

Since some of y'all asked for my thoughts, here you go:

What I Liked about This Movie:

The casting - They absolutely fucking nailed it. From the main cast to even smaller characters like Ellen and Zahra and Amy and everyone else. Even the King. They all understood the assignment.

The POC nuances - There is a big difference between being queer and being poc and queer. I think the movie captured it better than the book did. Obviously, a lot of that had to do with Matthew. The little conversations about being a person of colour in the US and Alex and Henry constantly bantering (and educating each other) about their cultures and differences between them added so much value to their dynamic.

Subtle Creativity - I really liked how they translated the texts from the books into the movie. The symbolism of the water during the Lake House scene and all the queer historical references spread out throughout the movie. Important. Well done.

The music - I always pay close attention to the soundtrack in a movie and I think they killed it. Starting off with Joan Jett's Bad Reputation was such a good idea. I know everyone is soft about 'Can't Help Falling in Love' playing during the V&A scene, but personally I loved that they included 'If I Loved You' - it's such a classic and it's such a Henry song.

Alex and Henry - I'm going o be brutally honest here. If they had cast anyone other than Taylor and Nick, this movie would've flopped hard. Nick and Taylor carried this movie on their backs and they did SUCH a great job with it. I need to write a whole other post about how much I liked their acting and what I enjoyed the most.

What Could've Been Done Better

The storytelling - I didn't mind the changes we already knew (as much as I thought I would) - such as cutting out June and Alex's parents not being divorced. But I did find the overall pace and storytelling to be a little bit off. Some scenes felt disconnected and others felt rushed. Like, Henry saying 'I need to show you something' and taking Alec to the V&A felt very random to me considering the pace of that scene. I'm very curious about how all of this looked like to someone who hasn't read the books.

The gaps - I'm personally glad June wasn't in this movie because I feel like it would've made no sense. Honestly, a lot of her storyline is connected to Alec's struggle with understanding his sexuality and trauma from the divorce and both those plotlines were not part of the movie, so yeah. No June made a lot of sense. But some other edits didn't make sense to me. For instance, I really wish they had placed more emphasis on the emails and showed the intimate nature of those (they did a good job with the texts, but not with the emails). I honestly didn't understand why Richards was there. Phillip felt like another dead end. Nora was barely there too.

Alex's Bisexuality - There is this line in the books where Alex (in his list to Henry) says 'all the things I now understand about myself because of you'. I always felt that was important. I'm not saying that line should've been in the movie, but it should be a theme. Because in his speech when Alex was talking about the queer rights movements and queer history, I was like 'where is this all coming from??'. It would've been nice to see Alec's interest in these things (whether because of Henry or not) displayed more in the movie.

The lack of friendships - This honestly was my main disappointment. Because the lack of emphasis on Pez was a little shocking. Considering the movie had Henry pov, I really thought we'd see more of him. The same went for Nora (and the lack of June) who were barely there. I loved that the movie focused more on Alex and Henry, but I will always stress the importance of friendships for queer people - because we often feel safer with our friends than with anyone else. So, I wish they had done a better job. I personally feel much better choices could've been made about the secondary characters, such as removing Pez entirely and fleshing out Bea and Henry's relationship instead of giving Pez half a minute of screen time.

The women - this is a bit of a personal qualm and I'm still navigating this writing issue myself, but often in stories with mlm relationships, women are seen as these tiny side characters who are simply there to drive the plot. Sometimes women are barely there at all (I've noticed this in some BL dramas). This is not a rwrb issue, but a broader issue. But the thing is, in the books, Casey did a fantastic job in weaving in women and how just having them around makes a lot of difference (Alex and June are the primary examples of this). It's very interesting to see how depending on the identity of the creator, which themes get prioritized and which themes don't. For instance, we noticed Alex's race (or him being biracial) was more prominent in the movie than in the books, but Alec's relationship with the women in his life was more prominent in the books than in the movie. It's just interesting, I think. Very interesting.

RWRB in (my) essence: I read some say that the above issues could've been simply fixed if the movie was a mini-series. I personally don't think it should've been a mini-series though. Rwrb was always meant to be a movie.

But I do think, a larger conversation needs to be had about queer book-to-screen adaptations - where the budgets are smaller and restrictions are higher and there is bullshit like giving an R rating for a movie with barely any nudity and sex.

It wasn't perfect. It's a rom-com. A rom-com, in its essence, is flawed and talks about finding love in 90 minutes. It's supposed to feel rushed - like a whirlwind. I think rwrb movie did what it was supposed to do. It gave us a good rom-com.

BUT. I think we need more than that. We need cheesy romcoms like this. We need poignant queer movies with bigger budgets that will win Oscars. We need mini-series that have more time to explore broader themes. And we need TV shows that run for 14 seasons and have no plot but we want still want to watch anyway because it's gay people doing gay stuff.

Queer people need all of these options. We deserve the same diversity in content as straight people have. We, as Alex said, have the right to choose.

So, here is to more queer content, each wonderful and each flawed in its own way.

RWRB movie was not what I expected. But I loved it anyway. I watched it twice already and I will watch it again. Because, to put it simply, it made me so happy to have a queer rom-com that I can watch.

But we should and can and must have more of this.

So, I really hope every month will be gay as August 2023 is/was :)

#okay now i am gonna go watch good omens s2 because i heard it was traumatizing #hehe then i can watch rwrb again #red white and royal blue #rwrb movie #rwrb #rwrb spoilers #red white and royal blue spoilers #firstprince

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toastandjamie · 3 months

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Okay so, I wanna preface this by saying that I have not read Sanderson’s other books so this is not a discussion about his actual abilities as a writer, and I’m not saying that he’s in anyway a bad writer. I do not envy the situation he was in At All, it must’ve been incredibly difficult to be given the responsibility of finishing such a long and beloved story as Wheel of Time. Trying to honor RJ’s story and characters when you are jumping in at the climax and expected to finish it in a way that the fans find satisfying when there is no way to make Every fan happy with the ending. Okay with that out of the way let’s talk.

So i have a lot of feelings about the final three books of Wheel of Time. There were many parts I enjoyed and there were also parts I was disappointed by. Personally, I felt like many aspects of the last three books felt rushed and incomplete and the pacing a bit odd in places and a lot of that comes down to the fact that it was originally meant to be one giant book, but like- that would’ve been ridiculous and I agree with the choice to break it up into multiple books. However I honestly think they should’ve just broke it up into more than three books to properly to pace them. There were a lot of things that Needed to happen that I think ended up causing certain things to get cut, for instance I do believe a big portion of both Mat and Min’s storylines in those last books were cut for time, specifically I think there was probably originally a lot more time dedicated to dealing with the Seanchen. What I believe to have happened is that Sanderson was given the notes about where the Black Tower needed to be and decided to dedicate the time to it and in exchange he cut the Seanchen plot line for pacing since the Seanchen were Technically already solved. Technically. Now controversial opinion but I did actually like Androl, however, I think he and the rest of the Black Tower suffered from having their storyline rushed. The plot line in the black tower should’ve started after the Ashaman with Rand betrayed them as we got to see the corruption already seeping into the Black Tower. Sadly that’s not what we got, but it honestly deserved an entire book to properly introduce it and it would’ve benefited from having pre-established characters that we cared about be more involved. Other parts of the story I think deserved more time dedicated to, the actual process of stealing the horn of Valere back from the White Tower, I wanted a heist mission with Faile and the Band but that is just personal preference lol. More time learning about Slayer and the red veiled Aiel, they were introduced and then promptly stopped actually mattering outside of being enemy fodder. Literally everything about Faine and the Evil of Shadar Logoth, Faine dying so quickly will forever disappoint me, he was a main antagonist since book one and his death felt very quick and unceremonious, like just tying up loose ends.

Next is issues with characterization. Once again I do not envy Sanderson’s job here at all. This type of thing isn’t easy but I can also see exactly where the issues were. Sanderson by his own admission didn’t understand Mat, and he Did get better at writing him but the damage was already done unfortunately and there wasn’t enough time to properly fix the issues with Mat’s characterization. Mat was not the only character whose characterization was flattened however, Aviendha and Tuon for instance also lacked a lot of their original nuance. I think it’s very clear where Sanderson struggled and that is with unreliable narrators. Characters that Sanderson seems to both enjoy the most and successfully write in a compelling way are characters who very straight forward and honest, their internal monologue matches their actions, and they reliably narrate their stories. Characters like Perrin and Galad thrived under Sanderson’s writing style. Androl is a very obvious example of this archetype being one that he’s comfortable writing. The issue he faced with both Mat and Tuon is that their unreliable narrators who act inconsistently to an outsider perspective and I think for Mat especially Sanderson struggled to get past his first impression of Mat. The biggest issue with Sanderson’s version of Mat is that his character arc was reset, Sanderson’s Mat was still running away from his destiny and trying to avoid Rand, something Mat had already worked past in books four and five with Melindra and the Rhavin incident teaching him to accept his destiny and embrace his role as Rand’s General. This meant that Mat and Tuon’s relationship lost a large part of its nuance and Mat’s actions felt out of character and immature for the point in the story we reached. There’s also the difference in how RJ wrote Mat’s “flirtatious play boy” status versus how Sanderson portrays it and it can feel a bit jarring at times, and just in general, I feel like Sanderson often wrote Mat as “stupid” where he very much isn’t. He’s reckless and mischievous but never stupid and I think Sanderson equated his recklessness with stupidity in some places.

Writers play favorites, and it does show, RJ’s favorite was Mat and Sanderson’s favorite was Perrin and both are very obvious preferences. Poor Rand was neither writers favorite but it’s okay because as the protagonist he at least got consistent page time dedicated to him. RJ definitely paid more attention to Mat than Perrin and Sanderson did vice versa. So I’m not complaining just because I wanted Mat to get more page time. My issues with it are that Mat ended up feeling a bit underwhelming during the last battle. Where all other characters got to have their spotlight moment during a Memory of Light, Mat didn’t; and perhaps that’s because Towers of Midnight was originally part of a Memory of Light so Mat had got his big moment in the final book during the original draft. The Seanchen overall felt like it was resolved in an underwhelming manner, as did the Shadar Logoth plot line and it just so happens that both of those plot lines were Mat’s and I do think Sanderson’s bias informed his decision at least subconsciously when choosing which storylines to trim down.

In summary I would’ve rather Sanderson made it five more whole books if it meant that all the plot lines could be given enough time to be resolved in a fully satisfactory way.

#wheel of time #wheel of time spoilers #wot meta #wot book spoilers #brandon sanderson wot books #literary analysis my beloved #I love this book series so much #I really wish I could’ve read the finale that RJ would’ve written

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redlegumes · 5 months

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Dec 3rd: Stolen Pine

Written for @steddieholidaydrabbles

Summary: Spontaneous tree theft and decorating, paired with some pining.

⍋↟⍋♡⍋↟⍋

They'd hauled in the tree. Eddie kept talking about how the evergreen part was the important bit and continued to explain Christmas's stolen nuances from paganism. Steve nodded and did his best to follow along. That was what he did lately, follow Eddie. Whether it started with a need to assure himself the guy was okay after their Upside Down torments, or if he'd honestly found Eddie intriguing from the get go, Steve couldn't say.

It didn't really matter anyway. He was positive that his feelings weren't going away as he nodded along with Eddie's excited ramblings. He hadn't even hesitated to join Eddie that night without product in his hair, glasses on.

…

Steve's vision had started to degrade. He'd noticed after his first run in with a Demogorgon. Pretty soon he legally needed corrective lenses to drive. Vanity prevented him from letting anyone other than Robin know. She'd assured him, ‘a boy is allowed to have his secrets. Just not from his platonic soulmate.’ Kinda the same reasoning behind why she knew how utterly hopeless he'd become around Eddie. The type of lovesick that had him helping Eddie with his non-christ related, Christmas tree caper.

continues after the cut

Eddie already knew about Steve's vision after helping Steve through an awful migraine where he just couldn't stand to have the contacts in. Steve'd been so nervous but Eddie just teased him about commiting to an ’Indiana Jones’ look and they kinda just moved on.

Steve hadn't expected Eddie at all that night when he knocked on his door. He'd come late to ask for help stealing a tree off some wooded, government owned property. He took one look at Eddie's ridiculous smile and dancing deep eyes and threw on a parka to help.

…

Now they were attempting to get the damn thing in a stand in the white-walled, impersonal living room of the house the ‘’Department of Energy’ had provided Wayne Munson with. They managed with no small amount of grunting and sappy fingers. More than once Steve reminded himself not to stare too hard at Eddie through the pine branches. He even liked Eddie's frustrated faces, the downward curve of his lips, the wrinkling of his forehead. Jesus, I'm pathetic.

When they finished he and Eddie stood back admiring their fresh cut theft.

“Wayne's at work for another two hours. Think we can get it done ourselves before he's back?”

“Do you have decorations?”

Eddie sheepishly twisted where he stood. “I picked up some lights, and yeah, there's a box of ornaments.”

Steve stilled, bowled over by the waves of ‘adorable’ pouring off of Eddie. “Uh yeah, I think we can manage.”

—

The box was one of the few items in a very small storage room Al Munson's name was on outside of town. Eddie had been contacted once as ‘next of kin' to make payments on the thing, and that's when he went to see it himself. Inside were his dad's ‘tools of the trade,’’ some suspicious looking luggage and duffels he recognized from a hair brained scheme or two. What a lame cache, he'd thought at the time. That was before he reached the cardboard boxes in the back. They were his mother's. Winter decorations and clothes that were never brought back out when the seasons changed after her death.

It was one of those boxes he'd picked up and brought to the new place, dragging it out now for Steve. Steve stopped unraveling lights to examine the ornaments. “These look like heirlooms,” he said, carefully picking up a blue, blown glass sphere and turning it in his strong hands.

Eddie loved the care and attention Steve directed at the one piece. The way a tendril of hair fell over his forehead; the consideration on his face. Steve was already in his ‘Clark Kent look’ when Eddie'd shown up to his place that night. Which made sense, it was late, but Eddie loved the glasses on Steve. He liked the superman analogy too. Steve was basically Eddie's superman anyway.

“They were my mother's,” Eddie said, touching the edge of a carved angel's wing inside.

Steve's mouth made a small ‘o’ shape and he carefully set the ornament back into the nestled layers of tissue paper. “They're beautiful Eds.”

They decorated together, and it was easy. Eddie was warmed just being near Steve but they seemed to naturally work well together, joking and spacing the lights and decorations just right. Steve got Eddie's radio out and they listened to crackly Christmas tunes as they went along.

They finished about thirty minutes or so before Wayne's anticipated return. The men stood back to admire their handy work. Steve took his glasses off.

“Prettier that way,” Eddie asked, breathier than he wanted to sound.

Steve chuckled. “Good both ways, but yeah. One of the only perks I guess? The lights all expand and blend a bit.”

Eddie stared at Steve taking in the tree. If the lights were as fuzzy as he'd said, Steve wouldn't notice Eddie's stare. Truth be told, Eddie always wanted to stare at Steve. The lights reflected in Steve's light brown eyes… Christ, he is so pretty. Eddie's fingers itched to twine themselves with Steve's. He was dying with every little kindness Steve showed him; dying to bite the bullet and confess. He wanted to know if his crush was one sided, but if things took a different turn... Telling Steve could ruin what they had, and then who would help him steal a Christmas tree at two am?

He could live with this for now, watching Steve lit by the glow of Christmas lights they hung together.

“Thanks Stevie.”

“Anytime Eds.”

2023 RedLegumes Steddiemas 1 2 3 4 5 6 10 SteddieHolidayDrabbles 1 2 3 4 6 8 9 10

#steddie #eddie munson #steve harrington #ao3 fanfic #i write things #stranger things #christmas tree #xmas #winter solstice #crimes #decorating the christmas tree #idiots in love #mutual pining #steddieholidaydrabbles

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katapotato55 · 6 months

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my theory as to why doomers exist (and how to break that mentality to be a better writer)

yesterday my sibling texted me "hey can you list me what major historical events you experienced in life for an assignment? " of course I listed the big ones like COVID and other depressing shit I went through in my life but most of the ones i listed were not super depressing. here are some of them: -the rise of steve jobs and the popularity of modern OS -the rise of smartphones -new technology completely changing the world that I thought I would never see in my lifetime, like VR and self driving cars. -massive cultural impacts such as spongebob being created affecting pop culture -the start of facebook and modern social media -pluto being declared not a planet yknow stuff on the top of my head that I thought would be interesting to write about.

then my sibling came home to tell me that most of what I sent was not helpful at all and that they meant "world events" And i asked "how the hell is the invention of the smart phone and the beginning of modern social media not considered "world events" by these standards" they said "idk just not that"

I think what they meant to say was "my teacher only wants the really depressing miserable shit the media thinks is headline worthy"

You know, I think this is why my generation is full of so many doomers. God forbid we have a positive outlook on this world and try and look at the bright side of things. god forbid we try to be optimistic for both the future and our current lives. we seem to have this thin veil of maturity that depressing=mature somehow. That the only way to make anything of nuance is to basically spam "look how shit everything is! look how enlightened I am" like you are Steve cutts.

well you know what ?

I hate art like the stuff steve cutts makes, and I hate this redundant "look how shit the world is" mentality

I plan on making an analysis post later on about Mr. Cutts, but for now let's stay on point this mentality is redundant and helps no one. yes. we do need to be aware of the bad parts of life. But being a pathetic miserable sod and ignoring the upsides is just as immature and childish as an aggressive optimist thinking the world is all sunshine and rainbows. you know why I like undertale so much ? Undertale knows when to be optimistic and has a mature take on a happy ending. Undertale ALLOWS itself to be happy. enough with the rick and morty level of writing where everything sucks and "fuck you in particular for being hopeful" only edgy 14 year olds think being depressing is the same as being mature. Maturity is understanding that there is nuance to everything and understanding that things are what they are. Do you want to be a good writer ? stop overly relying on being a sad doomer. Even the darkest writers in history like Edgar Allen Poe knew how to lighten the fuck up, because you need to understand the positives in life to effectively create dark writing.

thank you for reading this ironically negative rant, I plan to expand more on the subject later on.

EDIT

ngl i was honestly scared this post would open me up to harassment. I was genuinely terrified of attracting the psycho political crowd that treats politics like religious doctrine. first of all, shout out to this person:

I feel like this would be the perfect opportunity to talk about my struggle with depression as an artist and the stereotype behind it. the stereotype is that only the best artists are emotionally tortured people constantly struggling in agony and putting that into their art. now as someone who has been battling depression for 10 years let me tell you: that mentality is a load of horse shit. the greatest artists in history such as Van Gogh were not great artists because they were depressed they were great artists because they had a combination of passion and unique life experience. It just so happens that depression is a unique life experience to go through. being depressed does not make you deep, it just makes you feel empty and possibly sad depending on what flavor of depression you have. all the great stories about depression are not great because its about depression, but because its about the writers personal experiences and the love and hard work that went into making it. if Van gogh got treatment for his mental health issues, he would have still created art. Yes he created art as his job, but he also did it because he loved it and put his personal feelings and passion into his work. the biggest reason why I detest Steve Cutts is because there is no passion nor personal experience in his work. yes he is talented but most of his animations are just regurgitating all the bad things he could think of and nothing personal is going into it. (again I plan on making an analysis post about steve cutts sooner or later) What makes the art of Van Gogh deep and Steve Cutts as deep as a dry puddle is the fact that you can tell who put their own soul and personality into their work. heed my warning new artists and writers depression =/= deep all depression does is cripple you. Seek out life experience to be the best artist you can be.

#writing advice #writing #creative writing #writing help #writing tips #writer #writer on tumblr #writer problems #writer tips #writing community

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hiiragi7 · 7 months

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Honestly, it's talked about a lot just how rigidly medical many anti-endo spaces are, but I don't think it's talked about nearly enough how pro-endo spaces often fall into the exact same rhetoric. In fact, I have seen many pro-endos who push for even more strict medicalization than anti-endos do with regards to CDDs.

I cannot count the amount of times I have seen a pro-endo system say "I cannot have DID because I did not experience this specific type of severe abuse" or "I cannot have DID because my trauma didn't happen before the age of 9" or "I cannot have DID because I can still function fairly well in my daily life".

By making statements about what kind of trauma needs to happen, or quoting rigid age ranges for DID, or drawing lines in the sand at how disabled you need to be in order for it to count as "disordered enough" to be DID, pro-endos very much frequently fall into the exact same arguing points as anti-endos in order to seperate themselves from DID even if they claim to be against and mock the strict medicalization of DID often seen in anti-endo circles.

Despite claiming all the time that the rules are not as rigid as anti-endos make them out to be, pro-endos still often view DID as something "other" and create similar strict rules and binaries surrounding DID. It's especially prominent in systems who call themselves OSDD, who view OSDD as "less bad DID" and so cling to the OSDD label when their symptoms actually align more with DID. The lines they draw between OSDD and DID very often just show a lack of understanding of what DID's diagnostic criteria actually describes based on their own misconceptions about what DID is, which tends to be very narrow and specific. (Not to say everyone with OSDD is actually DID, of course, but it is a much higher number than people are really comfortable talking about.)

A lot of the time, this is very heavily related to downplaying symptoms as well as misinformation about what DID is. However, when downplaying is related to trauma, it is also a massive issue that the pro-endo community largely does not know what trauma is, either. Similar strict binaries and rules that people make about DID are also applied to the concept of trauma as a whole; especially when trauma has been so discoursified and used as an arguing point to harm endogenic systems, many systems are not comfortable talking about trauma at all.

We see this not only as it relates to dissociative disorders (ex., "Emotional neglect isn't enough to cause DID, you have to have been physically or sexually abused and I wasn't so I cannot have DID") but also as it relates to origins, particularly with things like traumagenic vs. stressgenic. Many pro-endos have very extreme ideas about what counts as trauma, and so do not believe they are traumatized if whatever their idea of "severe abuse" is was not present. Many who were abused in less overt ways or who dealt with trauma that was not related to abuse (ex., chronic stress, major surgeries, or natural disasters) tend to believe they are endogenic and non-disordered because they do not fit the picture of "trauma survivor" they have stereotyped in their head.

A lot of systems also have very narrow ideas of what a trauma response looks like, and believe it only ever looks like classic PTSD symptoms. If they do not have PTSD symptoms such as flashbacks or nightmares, there is a tendency to say "I am not traumatized".

Pro-endo spaces absolutely need to become more comfortable discussing and sharing information on disorder and trauma, because the current lack of knowledge is depressing at best and a barrier to recovery for many systems at worst. I do feel that syscourse has definitely worsened a lot of the pro-endo community's avoidance of discussing trauma and dissociation and the push to seperate experiences into anything except "traumagenic DID", though I do also feel it's related to unchecked trauma responses and internalized ableism as well. There's a lot of nuance and complexities to be found there, and this isn't a problem that can be solved overnight, but I do believe it can get better.

#syscourse

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etincelleart · 3 months

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I have a lot of weird moods lately, all of it being mixed completely in a chaotic way, but I think it feels nice to figure out some stuff and to think about it o/

I'm thinking a lot about how I experience love in fact, because I always wonder if my affection comes from my desire to get some physical reassurance or just to feel loved because of my own complex family situation. Like even if it takes me time to fully develop crushes or actually fall in love, I always find myself wondering very early in relationships if romantic (or at least romantic coded) stuff could happen between one person or me. And idk I just don't know if that's something pretty ok or not, or if it's just my lack of confidence speaking ? What do I need or want exactly ? Sometimes I feel like my brain is just jumping on people as if I was searching some kind of comfort absolutely, but it's not always something I have control over.

It's confusing, I remember I loved people deeply but it also caused me a lot of pain, and I don't want to go through that again and I felt really free last time I finally felt like I cut off the strings that took me attached to someone too much to the point I would feel bad. It's a real difficult thing to talk or even think about because I now realize love isn't just "we love each other, let's date", there are so much situations, so much nuances, so much needs, so much differences depending of the person(s).

I know I'm demi and super super super super super romantic and also can be super super sexually attracted to someone at some point, it just takes me time, and sometimes it's blurred and confusing, but at the same time I just don't know what to expect or want from a "classic" or "normal" romantic relationship. I want to date yes, but what is it exactly ? How does that work ? How are you supposed to know these codes or norms, how can you be sure you're doing good ?

Sometimes I just wish things could just be like, "we have this strong bond and we both love physical affection, let's just do our thing and decide of what we'd like for us as we go" without just thinking too much, but at the same I'm demi and developing a crush or love can take so much time, and sometimes it's not even a crush it's more but it's not fully romantic either, I can get so lost in all this,,

It feels good to learn and do researches about it tho, because in fact even if I did try and even if I did loved people a lot, I never got into a romantic relationship for real and idk I'm 24 and just wondering how that stuff work. I'm not even pressed by time or anything or what I'm just, really curious and also just trying to understand what could work for me too, or what if I'm just lacking experience and stuff will be clear as I go on, idk

I haven't really thought about all of that for the past few years, mostly focused on uni, and honestly I just felt really good on my own after the chaos of my previous romantic experience. But now after a few years chilling in my corner I admit I start to think about it again, and while I don't actively seek anything or just want it absolutely, I'm just scared of how I would handle things if that does happen again. Especially with all the stuff going on on my side, with family and all

I may be good at art, I'm not that great when it comes to relationships. But I always have been really romantic lmao and it just comes out because I still have this idea of giving a lot to someone. idk when you experience romantic attraction it's just so big and so hard to describe, I just wish I could love myself just as much as I loved someone else in the past

So I've been learning about QPRs, searching and also reading and watching videos, talking about it, and basically I'm learning a lot of stuff about all of the possibilities that exist for relationships. I don't know if my strong love always come from what I experienced at home and I just try to fill the hole, or if I'm just truly like that and love a lot, but either way, no matter when or what happen I just hope things can be smooth, and that I can learn to handle my own insecurities

#just some thoughts about love and attraction and relationships because i admit it's been on my mind a lot lately #qpr #relationship #romantic #love

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safety-pin-punk · 5 months

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A joint statement from @polyamorouspunk and @safety-pin-punk- this is NOT a divorce kids, it’s just setting some bOuNdArIeS

Dear Punks,

We are gathered here today to talk about a shared view of the punk culture specifically in the tumblr bubble that we share between ourselves and also with so many of you.

To be frank, we get a lot of asks, which is a joy for both of us, and we love answering your questions with our opinions, other’s opinions, bouncing things off each other and our other mutuals, and directing you to anything that you might find helpful in your inquires. However, we get a LOT of asks specifically asking for permission or “Is it okay if I…”, and we really want to stress a point here:

Asking what you can and cannot do to be considered “punk” goes against being punk.

We get so many questions asking “will I be considered a poser if” and the best answer we can give you is: whatever your question is, the answer is PROBABLY going to be ”no, you wont be considered a poser”, BUT, asking if you’re going to be a poser if you do ‘xyz’ thing is gonna be what makes you look like a poser. Part of being a punk is deciding what’s right for YOU. It’s going AGAINST the grain. If you are ASKING what is acceptable, you are not ACTING in a punk manner. Punk isn’t about doing what someone says is okay, its about doing what you think is right.

Not only that, but it is very draining on both of us to receive numerous asks like this. As much as we want to answer every ask that comes our way because we genuinely WANT to help, for people to ask us questions, and to come to us for advice, when there’s a buildup in our inbox of questions asking for permission, one after another, they can be really draining. (And honestly, with how often we get asks about being a poser, the term feels very overused and watered down to the both of us). (We are taking the term poser away and putting it on the tall shelf kids).

Key loves getting asks about punk history and culture, and Punk loves getting asks about DIY tips, what’s worked for them, and both of us love talking music. In fact, we both listen to non-punk genres quite a lot as well, such as metalcore and pop rock. So, yes, we’re both team “You don’t need to listen to punk music to be punk”. But like with everything else, there’s a level of subtext in that statement. There are so many different genres of punk music. There are also so many different genres of alternative music in general. When the two of us say “You don’t need to listen to punk music”, we are not talking about the people who listen to music that explicitly goes against punk values. And we would hope that if you are existing in punk spaces online, that you can reason your way to understanding that without us having to explain it every time it gets brought up.

And that goes for more than just that specific idea, there’s a lot of things we say that should be taken with nuance and your own critical thinking skills should be applied to. And on top of that, its also important to remember that we ALL come from different backgrounds and have different life experiences that have shaped our views and opinions. Because of this, we would also like to point out that you should not be asking us questions that involve us being your moral compass. Asking for opinions is one thing, but asking for what right and wrong is another.

There are punks out there who we’re both mutuals with who have differentiating opinions on topics, like whether or not punk is a music-based or political subculture at heart. Us having differing opinions than some of our mutuals doesn’t mean that us or them are less punk than each other. Since part of being punk is about thinking for yourself and going against what the mainstream and the masses think, then it makes sense that we don’t all agree on the smaller details. When it comes down to the real big problems, on topics like fascism, or bodily autonomy, or queer rights, etc., that’s what really matters.

We’re not the perfect role models for punk culture. We’re messy, flawed, human beings like everyone else. We like problematic things. We say shit that doesn’t always come across the right way. We can get irked easily from things on tumblr, either by asks we get or posts we see. We’re more than just our blogs. We have whole other lives outside of our punk worlds. We have different styles of fashion, different music tastes, etc. We do not live and breathe being 100% the perfect punk 24/7, but we try our best to make a difference where we can.

We genuinely enjoy being part of this community, but we also reserve the right to not answer asks that make us uncomfortable in any way, even if they come from a place of genuine desire to do what’s right. And again, we both do genuinely enjoy questions that ask for our opinions on topics, but asking for our opinions is a LOT different than asking for permission, which is something that we’ve both said a few times, but we feel like might not be reaching everyone who is thinking about sending in an ask like that. We thank you for taking the time to read this, and hope that our friends and followers understand where we are coming from and respect our wishes and boundaries on these matters, and hope you choose to continue along with us on both our individual and joint content.

#not a divorce

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mike-haters-dni · 3 months

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So while I'm Saying Shit, I also have a problem with this idea that El was upset that Mike wasn't saying I love you specifically because her love language is words of affirmation so she really needed to hear it? I mean, first of all I think the idea of love languages is mostly useful as a quick generalized way to discuss how we respond to and express affection—a messy nuanced human behavior thing that is hard to talk about, and the show is written with that nuance, but even then I don't think El particularly craves or requires words to feel loved anymore than anyone else does. I think in s4 she was really just confused about why her boyfriend was refusing to say the word 'love' under any circumstance to her? Especially after she heard him say it once already and then she said it back to his face in response so its like, he said he loves me before and I let him know I feel the same and now he won't say it again? Not even as a way to end letters—a normal thing people do for someone who means much less to them than she supposedly does to him sooooooooooo like what's the fucking deal? The contents of the letters sure implies he holds a lot of affection for her and he brings her flowers in her favorite colors and ok we're in love and then he signs 'from' on the card and its like ????? like even as the audience you're supposed to be confused lol like he clearly has some kind of hang up I wonder what it is? Then after El smashes a girl's face in she thinks "oh yeah, the hang up is that he actually hates me because I'm evil haha lemme just start projecting real quick" and then, you know, s4 happens. I mean, it's not like she doesn't value words at all, I just don't think her relationship to them is particularly tied to her trauma like people say, or if anything, maybe she values them less because that's all Brenner would ever give her? Like, perhaps the big Love Confession hits the hardest because it came after Mike and company spent a week or whatever driving across the entire western united states to save her from the government. Idk, something to chew on.

Honestly, if anyone's love language is words its Mike lmao he's the one whos constantly telling El how amazing she is. He's also desperately trying to tell her he loves her in like 5 scenes (arguably succeeding except for not saying the actual word in most of them) before he actually does like, he wants to so bad it almost comes spilling out of his mouth against his will (except for that one time it does ha) he's just terrified of doing so because it would essentially be ripping his entire beating heart out of his chest and handing it to this powerful-in-every-way girl on a silver platter for her to do whatever she wants with—like crushing it into a fine paste in front of his eyes, killing him instantly and preventing him from having the strength to love anything ever again. Like, the other half of the love language thing is that you also speak the love language, meaning you are more likely to show affection by doing the thing you want for other people, and Mike does this waaaaay more than El does for anyone actually (something I would love to see her do more in s5 lowkey. Like, she was at a severe disadvantage before and was too busy dealing with her own shit to have a ton of emotional energy for anyone else so it makes sense, but we're matured now. I think now is the time for a heart-to-heart that goes both ways u kno).

If I wanted to be cute, I could argue that both Mike and El's main love language is actually acts of service. They're both little heroes who jump at the chance to do anything for the people they love with no regard for their own personal wellbeing. Also, adorably, the thing that gets them back together in s3 is Mike saving El from Billy, which El responds to by helping him and Lucas with the vending machine. One offering of m&ms later and we're back baybee it's the quiet understanding that no matter what they'll always be there for each other for meeee

If I'm not being cute I'm saying the idea that everyone has a main 'love language' is bullshit and you're gonna appreciate different things at different times and people are not that easily categorized but it's still a good jumping off point for discussion so—

Anyway El saves the world and Mike saves her and they're dying in each other's arms thank you for your time <3

#mileven #mom and dad vibes for s5 pleeeeease honestly

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autisticlancemcclain · 1 year

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I would like to preface this by saying that I don’t think VLD intended for this nuance to be possible. When they originally made the characters and gave them their lions, I think they made them very one dimensional (hence why everyone’s outfit matched their lion colour), but I think they also started several background plots that drastically changed each character, to the point where they no longer fit the molds they were originally intended to be. That’s why Black Paladin Keith and Red Paladin Lance hit so hard. They were originally assigned lions according to the personality we saw in the first episode, and those personas changed so much and went through so much growth throughout the show that seeing them in their original lions would feel wrong. The change of lion was necessary to their growth as people and that is a fascinating storyline, one that VLD gets zero credit for because they definitely did not intend it (I know because if they did it could have been done way better and with way more nuance). Anyways. I present to you each paladin, what they want, and what they needed but could not get until they grew and accepted themselves.

PALADIN: Shiro

LION HE WANTS: Black

LION HE NEEDS: Green (or, honestly, rest)

Now this is a controversial take. Shiro? The natural born leader? The one who everyone listens to without question? Him? In Green? But hear me out! As much as he exudes an aura of someone who can provide answers, I have to ask — did he ever really, truly, want to be the person everyone relied on? I don’t really think he did.

From what we were shown, Shiro grew up ill. He grew up in a constant state, I would assume, of people telling him that he was incapable of achieving great things. I would imagine this would solidify in his head that he had to achieve great things, or else he would fail himself. I think that’s why he and Adam fought so hard. In an effort to keep Shiro safe (and as someone who may have known Shiro better than he knew himself but was incapable of articulating that in a way that was loving instead of controlling), Adam became one of the many people who told Shiro what he couldn’t do. And Shiro, who was desperate (interestingly, much like Lance) to prove himself, gunned for the position of leadership. And to his credit he performs this leadership exceptionally well! He knows how to comfort and steer people and gain their trust. But at the core of him, I think all Shiro ever wanted to do was explore. Look at his excitement for the Kerberos mission — as much as he, in part, accepted that mission as a show of strength and health, he is a nerd. He wanted to explore and he wanted to explore badly. Even throughout the show, he’s a dorky nerd who gets very excited to learn new things and meet new people. He’s intensely curious, intelligent, and inquisitive, so I think green would be his best fit. (Also, his biology and geology geek ass would love forest powers.)

PALADIN: Keith

LION HE WANTS: Red

LION HE NEEDS: Black

I have talked endlessly about this exact thing before, and I’ll do it again, but this time in more detail.

Keith was struck with a truly heartbreaking amount of trauma in a very short amount of time. He lost everyone he ever loved, quickly, and from what we could see of the flashbacks, his attempts to reach out for help were often met with disdain or even blame. This, I imagine, would paint a very specific picture of life for Keith: it sucks, and it is something that happens to you. Something you can’t control. That’s why he wants to red paladin — since he assumes there’s no control in his life, he acts out, he’s impulsive because he’s been conditioned unfairly to look out only for himself, trust no one for help, and therefore does not often consider or care about the consequences of his actions. With shiro as the black paladin, Keith does not need to offer support as the red paladin, and so in that position he can fully exercise his wild and impulsive tendencies. In fact Shiro was often the one supporting him, and so a lot of his impulses worked out for him. In the red lion he isn’t forced to seek change in himself — at most he is expected to work within a team, which is new, but because of the expectation of his wild tendencies, he doesn’t have to undergo much change.

As the black paladin, Keith is suddenly responsible for everyone else. He can no longer fall back on the idea that he cannot get help from others and he’s the only person he has to worry about. Now, not only is he looked to as the one to make decisions, he actively has to rely on every other person on his team — the black lion is the head, which means it’s held up by the body! Keith is as reliant on his team as they are on him. He now has to carefully weigh almost every single one of his decisions, and untangle the harmful outlook on life that was forced on him. He has to accept that he is not at fault for the trauma he went through, he has to learn how to love and trust. Also, his lack of desire for power makes him a better leader in the long run, because he is less likely to be corrupt because of it.

PALADIN: Lance

LION HE WANTS: Black

LION HE NEEDS: Red

As much as Lance does and obviously enjoy being the blue paladin, if he was asked, in the beginning, to choose one, he’d choose black. And we know that’s true because when he had the potential chance to be Black’s paladin, he jumped for it.

It’s because Lance desperately wants people to listen to him. Much like Shiro, Lance — as the youngest sibling and as someone who we saw face so much pointless and even cruel scrutiny — wants to prove himself. He wants to be the best, he wants to be on top, and most of all, he wants to be appreciated for what he offers. Many of his skills are under appreciated, because although he is unbelievably talented in the things he can do, the path life took him on does not place a lot of value on the skills he has. Dance & arts, tension-breaking, long-range fighting — all of these are often considered frivolous and/or expected to be quiet skills. These aren’t things that get praised in the setting of war or battle, and Lance, as someone who is very insecure, needs that praise and validation. As the black paladin his skills and decisions would have a direct impact on the people around him, which would prove an instant validation for him to see, and as the black paladin he would be free from any shadows (like Keith’s).

But, ironically, Lance’s skill aren’t suited for solo leadership, not the way he wants. Lance does have many skills of a leader, that’s true, but that’s why he’s so good at the red paladin — specifically Keith’s red paladin, although so long as he would have the position of right hand man (unlike Keith with Shiro’s leadership, which was very solo) he could work with anyone.

Lance grew up with people. He never knew a time where he was alone. He learnt simply by being alive how to mitigate fights as much as he learnt to escalate them, and how to work with people as much as intentionally upset them. There’s a reason Lance is so good at getting under Keith’s skin, and it’s because he can predict what would make Keith comfortable and is fiery enough to delight in the opposite. Lance can analyze incredibly well, and all of his ideas work best with a partner. He also would have the freedom, as the red paladin, that Keith had — to be as impulsive as he wants to be, but often isn’t, because he’s scared to shake his reputation. Lance, sometimes, visibly wants to go a little apeshit. He likes causing problems. He works well in chaos. But as the blue paladin or the person who is meant to go with the flow, he’s restricted from this desire, and it dampers his ideas and plans. When he’s allowed to think outside the box and move in unexpected ways, he comes up with excellent ideas and puts in new supports that take the team in different directions. Also, by being forced further into Keith’s shadow, he had to learn how to find his light himself, which helped him realize his own worth more than being a leader ever could. If he were to be in Black, he would find himself (due to his worship of Shiro and his lack of faith in himself) in Shiro’s shadow. If he were not forced to find his own worth, it wouldn’t matter which lion he was in, he’d never be able to prove to himself that he was ‘just as good’. By being in Red and as such directly compared to Keith in every aspect, he was able to realize that no, actually, he was individual and that individuality made him strong.

PALADIN: Allura

LION SHE WANTS: Red

LION SHE NEEDS: Yellow

This one was a lot harder to puzzle out.

Allura wants to be her father desperately. She wants to be everything he was. Like Lance, she has placed herself in the shadow of someone she could never be. From what I can tell, Alfor was a very impersonal leader — although he did love and care for his daughter, and presumably his wife, many of his decisions were ruled largely by logic. Allura, on the other hand, is passionate in everything that she does. She loves sparkly things and grand shows and she wants to know everything about everybody and be right in the middle of everything. Alfor wants his people to prosper. Allura wants her people to be happy. You can see Allura’s struggle especially in the beginning — Allura, when trying to emulate her father in her leadership, is kind of a drill sergeant. She is strict and has impossibly high expectations. But when she has the chance to be herself, she is bubbly and kind and excited. She wants the red lion because she wants to be like her father. She wants to hold on to what she has left of him, and is willing to bury herself to do it. She already has a position of unquestioned leadership in the castle, so it’s not necessarily the power she wants, but she doesn’t trust herself to be strong just as she is, so like Keith, she wants the red lion because that’s what’s expected of her.

But Allura likes being right in the middle of things. She likes being the support, likes hearing about people’s lives and doing what she can to help fix problems. She is the definition of a sunshine character, and as the yellow paladin would be able to be as strong as she is soft. Being the yellow paladin would also help her differentiate herself from her father and establish herself as her own person. This would break the heavy burden of expectation she has on her — instead of obsessing over what everyone wants her to be, she can be who she is exactly, and let that be what helps her move forward. The yellow lion would allow her to be as soft and emotional and grieving as she is, without compromising her ability to help guide and support her team and family that mean the world to her.

PALADIN: Hunk

LION HE WANTS: Yellow

LION HE NEEDS: Black

This was a hard one, actually, partially because it does provide some conflict with two people who would best suit Black. Hunk, though, is so versatile that he gets TWO lions that he needs.

LION HE NEEDS: Green

Hunk has a very strange reputation. He’s seen as the sunshine cinnamon roll, which is almost at direct odds with his actual character. Hunk is witty and dry and intensely distrusting. He is the epitome of kind, not nice. He has his suspicions of people and is very fond of his family while also being critical of them, which means that as much as he protects them and cares for them, he’s also willing to protect them from themselves. He’s the one to point out detrimental flaws that others gloss over. He is (mostly) tactful, of course, but he assumes his role as supporter means that he is responsible for pointing out and helping change poor behaviour — which, in fact, is the role of a leader. Hunk also has a very solid view of things in general. He sees situations for what they are and does not struggle to see through smoke and mirrors. He is also capable of being nuanced, even though he prefers things to be black and white. He’s good at taking other peoples feelings into consideration and caring for them while also helping them improve. As the black paladin, he would be able to exercise these abilities in full, as well as utilize his strategic brain to come up with several on-the-fly and reasonable tactical plans.

His surety as a black paladin is directly unlike his role as the yellow paladin, where he often falters due to his anxiety and struggles to be as preppy as he is expected to be. As much as he does like being in the middle of things, he also has a certain need for control, which could be carefully exercised with the black lion. The best way to cure anxiety is to see regular proof that you are capable of overcoming your fears, something that would be obvious in Black. (Also, if Lance were his red paladin, they would be able to utilize their previously established supporting roles and dynamics as leadership ones.)

Alternatively, however, Hunk would work well in the Green Lion. He is just as curious and inquisitive as Shiro and Pidge, although his anxiety and fear of the unknown frequently holds him back from discovery. That’s why he’s so reluctant to trust new people, why he sticks to what he knows. As the green paladin, he’d be the one who’s required to stick his hand out first, the one to mitigate his own anxiety and reckon with the fact that he is not as fallible as he believes he is. He would have to understand that he is capable of things outside of what he’s known to be. It would also help his natural distrust of new people become an intrigue, where instead of assuming new things are threats, he would expect and prepare for the threat while understanding the possibility of progress.

PALADIN: Pidge

LION SHE WANTS: Green

LION SHE NEEDS: Blue

The common theme among each of the original wants and placements is that the paladins force themselves into roles that fit their reputations and expectations. Pidge is no exception. She is curious, and she is inquisitive, but to some degree, that’s all she’s allowed to be. She’s constantly dismissed as a young girl who’s just looking for answers, and so I think that makes her desperate to prove that she’s capable of finding those answers, that she’s the smartest person in the room. In fact it’s when she’s backed into that corner of a one dimensional nerd that she becomes the most volatile. I think she resents that position she’s forced in, and perhaps the time she took over for her brother upset her ability to separate him and the persona she made of herself impersonating him from her real personality, wants, and desires.

But when Pidge is at her strongest, she is thinking about and working towards helping her family. Her greatest and most selfless moments come when she is sacrificing herself to protect those she cares about. Pidge sacrificed her entire identity to find her father and brother, and throughout the show often sacrificed her search for her father and brother to help the universe and the other paladins. Pidge’s greatest shows of strength are when she is protecting, caring, and supporting other people. Also, pidge is incredibly adaptable. Even at her most one dimensional — a coder and programmer — she is constantly hit with huge amounts of obstacles that she must work around on the fly. Most of her young life has been impossibly high hurdles that she’s had to work around. She doesn’t seek those problems out, but rather they are forced upon her, and she uses her resources and intelligence to work with them and eventually overcome them, which speaks more to her adaptability than to her curiosity.

Part of the disappointment in the later seasons of Voltron is that a lot of storylines and character arcs either felt unfinished or mishandled. Part of that is because by prompting so much change in the paladins and then introducing a visible marker of that change in the lion swap, but neglecting to actually flesh out those changes in later seasons, huge parts of the characters felt empty. Shiro was forced to take on a task way bigger than he ever wanted to have — did he ever get the time to find himself and his interests again before he was slapped into a new leadership role and married off? Keith finally seemed to find himself and feel comfortable in his skin as the black paladin — why was he sent away before he could enjoy it? And then why did much of the progress he made while he was away come at the detriment of his ability to co-lead with Lance? Lance had so many interesting arcs and relationships with the rest of the paladins and his own inner turmoil — why were these arcs muddled in the name of a forced romance and settling down on a farm? Allura got to move from an impassive leader to a fun young woman with her entire future ahead of her — why was she forced into a relationship she didn’t want and then killed? Hunk’s entire character was so interesting and funny — why was he immortalized as the caricature he was forced to play in the Coalition show that he hated so deeply, and forbidden from reaching his full potential? Pidge had a fascinating dynamic with the paladins in contrast with her own internal struggles — why was her development dropped as soon as she found her brother?

Dreamworks dropped the ball. But I’m happy to take the seeds they planted and care for them myself — to grow them into a diverse and interesting cast of characters that had deep and nuanced relationships with each other and the situations they were in. Also, I don’t know how to end this essay, so end scene.

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