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redxblueihateloveyou · 3 years

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I'm surprised people see Tadashi as the victim in his relationship with Ainosuke, when it's Tadashi the one who time and time again takes away Ainosuke's agency, without being able to see that he is throwing him unto unhappiness. I can't help but think that if Tadashi was not working at Shindo's house, Ainosuke would have maybe left or broke with the family. But he can't do that if he wants the relationship with Tadashi going on, seing how Tadashi is set on enforcing the family rules...

Hmm.. I def agree with the fact that Tadashi is not what most fandom makes out of him, my man (I mean, Adam’s man) is a 100% Slytherin. But I disagree with blaming him for this, after all the revealed info. The environment they were both raised in made their situation complicated.

I like Tadashi a lot, he’s probably my fav thing about this anime, bc he’s a dark horse, and I’m once again surprised, that so little ppl see him for who he really is, portraying him as an innocent puppy, which he is definitely not.

Now to why I think both Tadashi and Adam are victims of the dad and aunties in this situation.

We can of course say “if only they told each other how they really feel...”, but like we can say it about any love story really. Every author knows it’s no fun. The truth is that yes, they both hurt each other, and yes, if they were honest about their feelings things would’ve been different, but as I’ve already wrote under that “toxic” commentary on YT, lets look at the whole situation from both of their point of views:

We know that Adam when he was little always treated Tadashi as an equal, he never ever thought of him as someone lower than him and after their fall out, the only reason for this “harsh” treatment (well, besides their confirmed kink) was that Adam tried to get a reaction out of him, so Tadashi would stand up for himself, bc Ainosuke got mad about Tadashi caving to his dad’s wishes and abandoning him, when he needed him the most.

But now, knowing the fact that Tadashi was his dad’s secretary and was under his control, let’s see it from his perspective: Tadashi wanted to stay by Adam’s side, Adam’s dad implied that if Tadashi did say smth, he’s gonna be.. well, dismissed and they won’t see each other ever again. That’s what caused Tadashi to stay silent in that moment. Ainosuke instead saw this as a “he’s not on my side” thing, well, because. Tadashi won’t tell him his problem, bc dad and aunties control everything, so even if he does tell him, what a teen would do really? He didn’t have any powers back then to make his dad do anything.

And that’s when it all gone to shit, since they both were hurt for their own reasons. It’s easy to say leave the family, but 1stly nobody explained to Adam still that he’s physically and psychologically abused by his family, he sees it as them “loving him” and sadly also loves them, bc nobody told him, that love wasn’t supposed to be like that really. He definitely feels that smth is not right and feels emotionally exhausted there bc of this treatment, but did he ever consider leaving? I really don’t think so. He feels obligated to be worthy of a family, who “loves” him.

Do you think, for example, that Akashi Seijuro hates his dad for what he did to him? No. Does he understand that he wasn’t at fault for what happened to him and that his dad instead of comforting his child after his mother’s death, who was his only safe haven, made everything worse? I don’t think he does. Like his mom gave him basketball, an escape from all that family’s obligations and strictness. After her death, it was the only thing left that brought him joy, but his dad ruined even that, saying that if he’s gonna be bad at it/lose, he’d take it away from him too. Does Akashi see this as emotional abuse? No, he sees it like “well, I have to be the best bc I was born in such powerful family, so if my dad says that I must be best at everything, then I must.”

I personally hate such parents a lot. To me it doesn’t matter if Adam’s dad didn’t know about aunties hitting his child. Like if he was too busy to notice this and have no time for his kid and made his childhood miserable, it doesn’t make it any better really.

Same as with Akashi’s dad. Some are like “he was probably also grieving about his wife”. Emm? He was like this from the beginning, bc he treated Akashi not as his son, but as his heir. And yes, that’s different things. Same with Endeavor and Todoroki. Your child is not your post production thing.

2ndly they were too young, even if they knew about each others feelings and he didn’t feel obligated and told everyone to fuck off, they’d be on the streets now, but also Adam’s dad doesn’t seem like a guy who’d leave them alone really. Also eloping seems very romantic, but I don’t think it is, esp when you’re teens. Did you want him to sell some expensive watch and go live on Hawaii or smth? Bc finding a decent job there would be difficult at this age, esp with everyone knowing who your dad is. Chen Ke from “Antidote” survived bc he was 27 and had connections and some great friends. Adam was in high school, where would he go exactly?

Now let’s go back to now. Obviously all this time it didn’t even cross Tadashi’s mind that for Ainosuke he comes first and that he would throw everyone under the bus to make Tadashi stay with him. As we see at the end, he legit believed that Adam was planning to send him to jail and didn’t get that he said it just to shaken he up and that he knew who he’d set up for this from the beginning.

To Adam obviously it doesn’t matter whether they’re in a quarrel or not, he would never him go. Yes, he’s mad at him, he’s angry and hurt, but Tadashi’s still the person he needs the most, he’s still the person who brightens his days, even tho he deliberately behaves like he annoys him. He always looks at him and looks at him and looks at him, but then hisses smth to hurt him. Bc he knows that he needs him, but he also hates that he needs him, bc he thinks it’s unrequited.

And that’s how their classic romance goes in hellish circles. No one wants to talk as usual. Adam is mad Tadashi is like that bc his dad turned him into a slave with no opinion, while Tadashi is scared that Adam would be taken away from him bc of his ugly family.

Now I still think that no one and I mean no one can take Tadashi from Adam now, he is his precious. So my plan is... if Tadashi made aunties do smth against him or to get rid of him, aunties will go for sure. The problem is Tadashi still doesn’t get that he comes first, so we’re stuck in this hell still.

So anyways, my point is Adam’s heart basically sings “you got a hold of me, don’t even know your power” to Tadashi, but he doesn’t hear it, bc of his insecurities, the way he was raised and his status. But yes, he holds all the power. He’s both Adam’s sanity and insanity. No matter how cheesy it sounds he was basically his only ray of sunshine in the darkness, if you take it away, that’s what it leads to, that’s why Ainosuke-sama needs more ppl who care for him. I don’t want anyone to die next time, just cause Tadashi and Adam fought about where to put their new couch lmao. I’m kidding, but you know what I mean. And kill the aunties, pls seriously, we need to be free.

Also ppl need to remember that like lots of animes/characters are parcially inspired by some other animes/characters, also the chosen seiyuus are also very important, there are lots of stuff like jokes and references, that creators use, from characters being fully inspired by smth like “Assassination classroom” characters based on KNB, to little stuff like Levi dressed in Akashi’s uniform in chibi AOT bc Hiroshi Kamiya. Utsumi already said before stuff like she sometimes think of a perfect voice for the character and then fully forms him, we also know her clear love for sports animes. So yes, I doubt Tadashi/Kuroko thing is a coincidence and even tho someone was like “zone? is this knb or smth?” I was like no, zone is actually a common thing in sports, even tho most associate it with KNB including me, it’s not like its their invention, but there were things inspired by this for sure, and from other sports animes too and no, I don’t mean the basic sports anime tropes, I mean, like way too specific things, some character designes, too. And yes, Langa appearence and personality wise is a rinharu child for real, I can literally split his scenes in “that’s Haru”, “that’s Rin”.

That’s why I’ve said that this situation in fandom reminds me of Kuroko/Akashi situation a lot, bc same as here in KNB ppl for some reason automatically thought that Kuroko is this innocent sheep and Akashi is the wolf (but also like it was Akashi who chose to dress as red riding hood, while Kuroko was a wolf lmao), not even seeing who is in reality more dangerous and who can easily control who. It just buffles me bc it’s not some deep analisys really. I mean once again there’s a reason for the saying that the sub holds all the power over the dom.

And like just bc someone yells or threatens ppl constantly doesn’t necessarily mean he is a psycopatic killer, and just bc someone is quiet and doe-eyed, doesn’t mean he isn’t. I didn’t think we needed to explain this to someone, but aparently we do?

And it honestly kills me just how superficially ppl are watching things these days. It really gives me war flashbacks to stuff like the last mdzs s1 episode, where ppl started to comment things like “how LZ can be so heartless” lmao. Or that anonymous ask “do you think haru misses rin?”. Like you don’t see thing at all? Grey substance no needed, while watching things?

P.S. I also would die to see Adam vs Tadashi race just bc I for some reason can bet all my money, that it’s the same situation as with Akashi refusing to ankle break Kuroko, no matter how mad he is. I just can’t imagine Ainosuke hitting Tadashi in the face with a board. Like 100% sure he wouldn’t even try tbh.

#answered #anonymous #tadaai #tadashi kikuchi #shindo ainosuke #adam x tadashi #sk8 #sk8 the infinity #anime #this is what i think about these two at least

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kdramafeminist · 4 years

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Performative Badassery & Women in Kdramas

When I said I wrote an essay, I meant essay. This is a long one! Grab a snack and venture below the read more. I’ll see you at the end!

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You know the feeling. The drama begins. Our female main lead walks onto screen. She’s a successful businesswoman, a hotshot detective, clever lawyer, smartass retail worker, etc, etc. She stares down a random man to prove she’s the powerful one here. Or kicks some ass. Or rattles off a bunch of demands to her workers. Or talks fast to show off her intelligence.

Then she meets the male lead. There’re fireworks. Slowly we find our female lead has a softer side. Good to know. 3-dimensional and complex characters are important. It’s nice to see women on-screen who are both capable and emotional. Kick ass and feminine.

But slowly... something starts to go wrong. She seems to be crying more than showing literally any other kind of emotion. And is it just me or is she getting saved and manhandled and flustered quite a lot for a woman who we were told was so well put together? Sure, the circumstances are extreme. But they’re extreme for the male lead too and he seems to be managing just fine for some reason. Also, if both of them are ordinary people with no on-screen fighting experience, how come he’s so great at throwing fists out of nowhere and she’s busy keeping hidden or needing rescuing? Exactly how many times can one person just faint like that without anyone checking to see if she has a medical condition?

By the drama’s end our lead has gone through trials and tribulations. She’s fallen in love too, I’m happy for her. But... now that the story’s ending and she’s getting in one last chance to show us she’s a “badass”, why am I left feeling hollow? She’s showing us how tough she is but... we ALL spent this whole drama watching her have absolutely no agency or such a little amount that she might as well have been trying to put out a fire with a water-pistol. It’s almost like her previous badassery (in whatever form it may have been - I don’t mean badass only in terms of being able to throw a good punch) was just a façade. A way to hook in female viewers like me who want to see something more than a wilting wallflower or one-trick Cinderella. But the tiniest knock and the cardboard house collapses.

And no matter how many times we get throwaway lines about her being “the smartest/toughest/scariest/most capable one here” it doesn’t ring true compared to the actual character we’re watching.

Rom-coms, melos and sagueks especially (but many more genres besides), have a real problem when it comes to performative badassery in their female characters. The writers give us a female lead they claim is hyper competent, but the reality is totally different. Any plot that features romance, almost always features this. Honestly the way the start of the relationship in dramas actively MURDERS the female character’s agency could be its own essay so I won’t go deep, just know the two are 100% linked.

The “Faux Action Girl” Problem

A Faux Action Girl happens when a writer wants the popularity that comes with having a cool action girl character, or they want the praise that comes with writing a lead that breaks gender norms, or they want to be lauded for writing a FL whose more capable & progressive than the female kdrama lead we’d imagine, but they don’t end up actually giving us her. Instead we get the fake or faux version. The reasons are usually a combination of:

Relying on outdated tropes. Wrist grabs, damsels in distress, a girl fainting so she misses some vital plot related moment to increase runtime etc...

Sexist worldviews. As a by-product of being Korean which is still a heavily sexist country because of the holdover of Confucianism mixed in with the Christianity westerners brought over that leads many writers to (often without even realising) inserting moments that inadvertently reduce their female leads because they think that’s what correct or natural for the female character based on their opinion of women in general. Even if it doesn’t actually fit the type of character they’ve set out to create.

Executive meddling. Producers who think their demographic wouldn’t be able to handle a real badass but also know their female viewers want more complexity and agency in their FLs these days and so give us the paper-version instead of the 3D model.

This character’s more “badass” traits are nearly always just an Informed Ability (the writers tell us via other characters what she can do but never actually show us on-screen these same things) or we only ever see her utilise them once/twice at the beginning and maybe if we’re lucky once at the end, but never again.

It really hurts.

The “Badass Decay/Chickification” Problem

Sometimes she really is a legitimate action girl though. She’ll be a cop whose good at her job or an ordinary citizen whose well-versed in taekwondo. She has actual moments on-screen to prove herself.

Well. She has moments in episodes 1 and 2. Then she almost always goes through Badass Decay/Chickification. Which means that writers (& producers) believe that if we don’t see her having a softer side, she’ll become unrealistic or unlikeable.

They fix her. So she becomes more vulnerable. As the only girl on the team (usually), she becomes the one who ends up injured more often or needs rescuing most. Her life begins to revolve entirely around her romance and nothing else. (Meanwhile the male leads gets to have the romance and keep his side-quest - have you noticed that? If the FL is really lucky she gets to keep one side-quest too, maybe a dream job or solving some family mystery. Never more though.. only men get to be complicated here). Once she was competent... now it feels like she legitimately had a personality transplant.

Is this even the same person we began with?

The “Worf Effect” Problem

Worf Effect is when the danger/power level of a villain is shown to the audience by making him successfully attack/hurt/ruin the plans of someone that the audience knows is skilled. This isn’t a bad thing alone and writers use it all the time. We need to acknowledge the villain as a proper threat and this is a useful way to do it!

But in kdramas it’s something used almost always against the lead female character. The one we’ve seen is intelligent, or strong-willed or quick-witted.

And because it’s always her, this character begins to look weak. If this writing trope is abused, her reputation as the "biggest, toughest" etc. begins to look like it never existed and we’re back to her having an informed ability.

That this is something that happens to the female characters not only more often but almost exclusively is a sign of sexism. Plain and simple.

Competent, Real Badass Female Characters Aren’t Scary

If you’re going to sell me a capable woman, give me her.

Not someone who has one very unique, specialised skill but otherwise can do nothing else except for that one time when her one skill is useful.

Or has built up her own empire, implying a certain level of smarts, business ability or networking skills, but then once she’s removed from it she becomes so utterly useless it begs the question how she built that empire in the first place.

Or has a rep as the detective whose taken down the toughest guys off-screen, but whatever skills she used to do that seem to disappear the moment anything really challenging happens on-screen.

I’m not saying she needs to win all the time. Of course she doesn’t, how boring is that? All I’m asking is that when she loses, it’s in keeping with the character I’m supposedly watching. A woman that can kick ass can still be outwitted. A clever woman can be physically beaten. A street-smart girl can be foiled by rules and regulations. A leader-type can be beat by someone whose more unconventional.

It’s not difficult to write someone like this. I know the writers can do it because every male lead is written this way. I’ve never once, whilst watching a badass male lead lose, get beaten and cry, thought “oh no, his badassery was fake all along!”

Because when he loses it makes sense. It’s in character. There’s a solid plot reason behind why it happens.

Meanwhile my ladies who are meant to be able to kick ass and take names somehow just got kidnapped out of nowhere?

Make it make sense!

Consistent Characterisation is Good Writing

I get wanting moments where one is injured and the other fusses over them. I love those moments! All I ask is more imagination taken to get us to that point. Make it in-character. If my taekwondo black belt is kidnapped, I want to see her really fight. I want the kidnapping to be shown as genuinely tough on the people trying to nab her. Imagine how much more satisfying it would be to see her fight off all these bad guys, yet still end up losing? How much more heart-breaking?

We’d be so much more invested in the mind games or politics the villain is playing if the female lead we’ve been told is good at that stuff is playing the game just as hard. When she loses it’ll hurt more.

Writers need to stop being afraid that her remaining capable in some way diminishes the masculinity, attractiveness, prowess or “hero” status of the male lead. Trust me. It doesn’t. Ever.

It’s not a case of either/or. We don’t think less of the male lead because his partner is as capable as him in whatever way that may be. Instead, we think more of them both. Once a romance begins, the heightened worry both characters have for each other should only make both of them stronger in whatever area they’re skill lies in. Not just make the man a sudden defence wall and the woman a worrying mess.

I’m sure everyone who reads this can immediately think of at least one drama with a FL who is a Performative Badass. I know I had about ten in mind as I wrote this.

There are exceptions. Cases where the badass gets to stay a badass. Usually these cases happen in genres without romance because like I said above, those problems are linked. But I can think of a few romcoms/sageuks/melos where it happens too.

But those are the minority.

Women in kdramas. Give them agency. Make their characterisation genuine, not just a bit-part for the sake of a cool trailer. Not just one moment someone can edit into a “badass multifemale” video edit - only for us to watch the drama from the clip and discover we’ve been sold a lie.

How satisfied would we be?

Writers! Give us a story we enjoyed because of the excellent characterisation. A new female character we can add to our lists of faves. Women who proved themselves as consistently badass as their first scenes claimed. Women in kdramas who, no matter what problem they faced, don’t become echoes or paper-thin versions of who we were promised.

Actual, complex, layered, enjoyable, KICK-ASS AND BADASS female leads.

Wouldn’t that be a miracle.

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PS. This is an open notice that it’s OKAY to reblog with added commentary/thoughts/rambles of your own. I would *love* to see it if you have anything to add.

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(Disclaimer: This essay was written with a specific female character type in mind. I am not saying every FL needs to be a badass or hyper competent. Soft, shy, physically weak female characters exist and can be just as realistic and complex. There’s a few I can think of who I adore. Instead my essay is very specifically about characters who are *meant* to be badass from the start but then... don’t end up being. So, yeah, before anyone claims I’m some angry feminist who needs every FL to be some tough martial artist or something. Absolutely not! Diversity is amazing and interesting. All I ask is that when I am told I’ll be getting a badass in a drama I get her. Not have my heart broken by the fake wilting flower I find in her place. Ok. End disclaimer. ^^)

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Also I’m tagging a bunch of you because you reblogged my post saying you wanted this so here! TY for making it to the end ^^

@kdramaxoxo @islandsofchaos @storytellergirl @vernalagnia-blog @lostindramas @salaamdreamer @planb-is-in-effect

#kdrama #kdrama discourse #kdrama feminist #women in kdrama #badass women #strong female lead #though to be clear I am an angry feminist lmfao #how does a woman living in this world not be tbh

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cruelfeline · 4 years

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That earlier post got me thinking about the difference between Horde Prime’s anger, and Hordak’s. Namely in terms of where it comes from and what its purpose is. Because my word, but there is a discrepancy, and it’s the sort of thing that I feel sheds quite a bit of light on how differently the two of them see the world.

When we meet Horde Prime, he is the picture of calm and collected, the classic affably evil villain who appears entirely in control of everything. And for a good portion of his time in the story, he is. He controls what we understand to be a vast empire. He controls the physical, mental, and emotional lives of countless clones who worship him entirely. He is totally in command of everything he interacts with.

So when we see his first angry outburst, it is less an “outburst” and more a targeted weapon. Horde Prime turns his vicious ire onto a trembling, pleading Hordak specifically to frighten him. To dominate him. To terrorize and punish him for the moral crime of taking a name and exerting his will. There is no loss of control here; once Hordak is dealt with, Prime calmly returns to his default cool, collected state. He is entirely the master of this situation, and when he exhibits anger, it is specifically to harm someone over whom he has power.

An important aspect of this, one that differs from what we see in Hordak and adds a significant level of cruelty to Prime, is that he is so legitimately mighty that this sort of fear-based punishment has nothing to do with self defense or personal safety. It truly appears geared towards inflicting suffering on others for his own glorification. Essentially: when he turns his anger on Hordak, it is not because Hordak poses any sort of actual threat that needs to be fought off. It is purely to hurt him in a way that strokes Prime’s ego.

This use of anger, of violence, to hurt and punish others seems to be the chief purpose Prime has for the emotion. Granted, as the show continues and he loses his dominant position due to our heroes’ efforts, his expressions of anger fall more in line with frustrated outbursts, but to my mind, this is the exception rather than the norm for him. After all, he has been dominant for so, so long. And because he has been comfortably in charge, he has had little to be frustrated about. Thus, Prime’s anger is largely a weapon of manipulation and enforced fear, rather than a reaction to a lack of control until the very latter portion of the series.

Now: Hordak.

Hordak is very different. Hordak, given the deeply unfortunate circumstances he faces, has had everything to be frustrated about: his illness, his failed projects, his precarious leadership position. And because of these things, particularly said precarious leadership position, he does not enjoy the easy dominance that Prime enjoys. Every moment Hordak spends in command of the Etherian Horde is one during which he has to hide his defect and maintain the facade of all-powerful ruler. It is a stressful thing that threatens to fall apart the moment his ruse falters, not only shaming him but putting him in potentially great physical danger.

which... y’know... happens in season four via Catra; so not a false worry

Because of this, Hordak exhibits anger far more constantly than Prime; he is almost perpetually grumpy, ready to snarl at a moment’s notice since his reasons for anger are ever-present. Furthermore, he uses said anger less as a tool to hurt people for his own personal pleasure and more as a negative coping mechanism combined with a method of personal defense.

The negative coping mechanism is probably what we see most often: whenever things don’t go Hordak’s way, he lashes out. The most common casualty of this is a piece of property (RIP lil’ green wrench) rather than an actual person, strongly marking this form of anger as one used to vent frustration rather than to influence others in any way. Hordak, along with his brothers, functions under a doctrine of minimizing emotional expression. As a result, his ability to cope with negative experiences via a healthy expression of the resulting emotions is heavily stunted, leading to the outbursts we see. It’s not a positive aspect of his character by any means, but it is an understandable one: he never learned how to manage failure and disappointment in a constructive way, so he suppresses the related emotions until they come to a head and manifest in violent anger.

This is akin to what Prime exhibits in the late stages of his life, but because Hordak constantly experiences such vexing frustration, he expresses this sort of anger far more consistently than Prime does, to the point that I would hazard to say that it is his norm.

Now, looking at Hordak expressing anger and using violence targeting other people, we again can see that he differs from Prime. Prime, as stated before, has all of the power and thus no real need for this sort of violence-based maintenance of control and self-defense. When he wields his anger, it is to cause hurt. Hordak? Hordak has that fragile leadership standing alongside a frightening lack of personal agency, and so he does use his anger to attempt to maintain both. He wields it both to protect himself from people and to regain control when he loses it. Various instances come to mind (besides him trying to drive Entrapta out of his sanctum via Yelling (c)).

One involves Adora in the moments leading up to the portal activation at the end of season three. When Adora threatens to thwart Hordak’s plans and utters that awful word, “fail,” he reacts. He reacts to two things: the concept of Adora has a dangerous enemy, and the loss of control over his own life via the threat of failure. When he turns his anger on her (and later displaces it onto Entrapta when said anger causes his armor to glitch) it is to combat these two adversarial things in order to maintain his own safety and stability. Hurting Adora as some sort of twisted moral punishment is not the intent here; protecting himself, from both physical and emotional threats, is.

Another instance involves throwing machinery and yelling at Catra after the portal incident, once she mentions Entrapta. This marks another moment of Hordak combating the sense of losing control. He experiences emotional pain due to Entrapta’s mention, likely suffering feelings of loss and shame and abandonment, and in order to regain control over the situation, to feel less vulnerable, he directs his anger at the source of discomfort: Catra.

In a similar instance, he throws a chip at Imp when the little spy teases him with Entrapta’s name, again seeking to defend himself against the unpleasant feelings her memory brings.

When Shadow Weaver and the Princesses invade his Sanctum, he loses composure and turns furious, throwing a column at them in an attempt to defend himself and his most private quarters.

He does the same once he learns of Catra’s lies, erupting into a true rage once she further prods at his insecurities by asserting that Prime will not want him due to his being a defective mistake.

Over and over, Hordak uses his anger to both protect himself from potentially dangerous people and to attempt to regain control over situations he feels are slipping from his grasp. Often when facing increased personal vulnerability. All of these moments show this very different set of reasons for expressing this potentially violent emotion compared to Prime.

It’s an interesting contrast, isn’t it? And one that serves to highlight the very different lives these two characters lead: one a cruel cult leader who has almost unfathomable power over his worshipers, the other a traumatized man trying to obtain power and security and stability in a life where he has nearly none. And their anger provides an intriguing lens through which to assess this contrast.

#hordak #catra #entrapta #entrapdak #horde prime #adora

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Where Are All of the Mothers in Fantasy Fiction?

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This is a guest post from Gabriela Houston, the London-based Polish author of Second Bell, a Slavic fantasy debut described as a cross between His Dark Materials and The Bear and the Nightingale. You can find out more about the book here.

Historically speaking, the fantasy genre has a thorny relationship with motherhood. Technically, it’s acknowledged that the protagonists must have sprung from somewhere. But it is often solely their paternity that is seen as important—while the mothers, if mentioned at all, are usually either dead of irrelevant: unmentioned or languishing in a convent somewhere. If the mothers (or stepmothers: a different type of a mother-figure) persist in being alive into their children’s adulthood they are most often presented as an obstacle to their child’s self-actualisation/quest, or, as is most common with the stepmother archetype, present an actual threat to the protagonist.

Since mainstream fantasy as a genre was Eurocentric, this is a trend that is very much connected to the patriarchal structures persisting throughout Europe for most of recorded history. King Arthur, whose legend was first written down in the 12th Century by Geoffrey of Monmouth, had a mother, of course, but her only real importance was in how her beauty drew the eye of Uther Pendragon, who raped her, conceiving Arthur. Since Uther ended up marrying Arthur’s mother, Igraine, story-wise all was considered to be well, and, her role in birthing the future king done, Igraine became an irrelevance, just as any feelings and thoughts she might have had on her second husband. All we know is she was beautiful, chaste and gave birth to the real protagonist of the story.

The courtly love conventions forming the basis of many medieval European legends have seeped into the genre of fantasy, especially high fantasy, and have shaped the way in which female protagonists are related to. In most “traditional” fantasy, motherhood was seen as nearly opposite to personhood. A female character’s value centred squarely on her attractiveness to the male protagonist, meaning that the moment she aged/became a mother, she ceased to hold that particular form of attention that comes from extreme youth and innocence. Motherhood is seen as the end of a female character’s journey. The experiences, shifting relationships and emotions linked to motherhood are not seen as interesting enough to garner any space at all.

In The Lord of The Rings, we are faced with a whole cast of missing mothers. Moreover their absence is not noted as particularly important or carrying any emotional load. Aragorn, son of Arathorn, clearly had a mother, but when his father died he was shipped off to live with the elves. We neither know, nor are expected to care about what his mother thought on the subject. Then, of course, he falls for the elven maiden Arwen, whose mother, we’re told (as an aside) had the good sense to disappear from the scene by sailing beyond the sea before the plot of LOTR begins. Frodo Baggins’ mother helpfully died before he was born and Bilbo Baggins has the rare privilege of having a named mother, Belladonna Took, who, however, is quite dead by the time The Hobbit begins, and is referenced only as a link between Bilbo and the adventurous Took clan. She was a Took and she birthed him. Thus her role ended.

The halls of speculative fiction are carpeted with the corpses of the mothers who died of broken hearts and colds in order to not complicate their progeny’s journey. In fantasy TV and Film the trend, quite naturally, continued. In the original Star Wars trilogy, Princess Leia and Luke’s mother, Padme Amidala lived a full life of adventure but then died of a broken heart shortly after her children were born, as of course she should have done. Can you imagine, had she survived, the plot-spoiling link to their past she would have become? In Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Joyce Summer’s death, whilst arguably the critical highpoint of the series, was seen as necessary. She had to die, or else Buffy might have never become who she was always meant to be. As a mother she was an obstacle, one the scriptwriters helpfully removed.

Occasionally, the death of the character’s mother brings about the advent of the perennial archetype of the evil step-mother. A twisted parody of what a mother should be, just as the dead mother was convenient to the character’s journey, the insertion of the stepmother exists solely to scupper all of the character’s efforts. The examples of the conniving stepmother trope abound in traditional folktales (like in Cinderella, or its Slavic equivalent, Vasilisa, where the young protagonist is sent off by her stepmother to ask a favour of the infamous witch, Baba Yaga), mythologies (think the ultimate evil stepmother, Hera, who habitually persecuted the innocent results of her husband Zeus’ many indiscretions), and, not surprisingly, in fantasy genre as well.

In A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin (which actually does portray an unusual range of mothers with agency), Catelyn Stark, an otherwise fiercely loyal mother, is a cold and distant stepmother to Jon Snow. In the first novel in Katherine Arden’s fantastic Winternight trilogy, the main protagonist grows up in the shadow of her vapid, fearful and cruel stepmother. Part of the reason, I’d argue, why older women are so often portrayed as annoying and conniving, is because, as far as the traditional narratives are concerned, the whole of their role and purpose is fulfilled the moment their physical (youthful) attractiveness wanes. Those without the wisdom to exit the stage by dying become at worst a cumbersome plot bunny and at best an obstacle.

The issue of a lack of older women in fantasy is such an expansive subject that it demands the respect of a separate thought piece, really. And, as regards the stepmothers, I’m not saying, of course, that they should always be portrayed as kind and loving. But precisely because their archetype is rooted so strongly in our collective consciousness, it’s particularly important to acknowledge their humanity. And as far as the humanity of the older female (in the traditional fantasy fiction this seems to describe any woman over twenty) character goes, the good news is the tide is turning.

Part of the reason for that is that more women than ever are given the platform to write their stories. Perhaps somewhere along the way the publishing industry as a whole realised that as women account for the majority of fiction readers (according to one cross-Atlantic research they make up to 80% of fiction market), then perhaps portraying women as actual people, whose agency doesn’t evaporate once they get pregnant, might simply be good marketing.

In the recent years I’ve been ecstatic to see nuance brought into the motherhood trope within the genre. Where the mother of the character is dead, she is so for a damn good reason, with the echoes of her absence reverberating through the story in the most compelling ways, like in Tracy Deonn’s Legendborn. Mothers fight beside their children, and grandchildren (Like the pink-haired protagonist of The Phlebotomist by Chris Panatier), and battle hardship and heartache, like in Madeline Miller’s Circe.

As a mother it was important to me to focus on the humanity of motherhood in my debut, The Second Bell. The mothers I wrote are not perfect, and they are not always right. And even when they are, they might not know it for certain. And that is the point. Mothers deserve their place in fiction not because they’re perfect, but because they are human. Their decisions are just as complex as their younger counterparts and are complicated further by their new and life-changing bond with their child.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Writing mothers is writing humans. No more, no less. They matter and they are worthy of notice.

Second Bell will be released on Tuesday, March 9th. You can find out more about Gabriela Houston here.

The post Where Are All of the Mothers in Fantasy Fiction? appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/30r63n4

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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my-introvert-hideout · 4 years

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Izumi Kyōka: ISFP [BSD]

Fi > Se > Ni > Te

*Based off Season 1 of the anime [Chapters 1-12] with character-based spoilers from the Wikis. I’ve also read a synopsis of “The Untold Story of the Founding of the Detective Agency,” which gives lots of insight into Fukuzawa and Ranpo in particular, and also I know Yosano’s backstory. The Onsen Drama will also make an appearance occasionally. I feel like I have a good enough grasp on their characters for this and will only add more examples rather than changing types in the future. (At least, I think so.)

I’VE ALSO SEEN HER TYPED AS: ISTP, ISTJ, ISFJ, INTJ

Fi is sometimes seen as a Thinking type, at least in Kyōka’s case, because it doesn’t demonstrate as much Feeling outside of itself -- the very definition of an introverted function, but I digress. I haven’t seen much of her character yet, but I feel that it’s enough; she’s young and her other functions haven’t developed, so it’s easier to pick out the ones she uses. She may not be very expressive, but that can be drawn back to Fi and her trauma. (It’s important to remember that other things besides personality type affect someone. Though I think trauma generally affects different types in different ways.) So far, all of her decisions have been made based on Feeling. I can’t see an xxTx dramatically jumping off a moving train while saying they didn’t want to kill anyone else, tearing up. Of course, Thinkers are still humans and have emotion, but their go-to for decision making is logic. They’re also more likely to simply go to the police station rather than visiting other places before their assumed death. Furthermore, Kyōka believes that killing people is now part of her identity, which is something that Fi is very concerned with; identity and sense of self. Again, most healthy people will feel regret for doing something like that, but it’s such a large part of her personality and probably future development.

Her Se is demonstrated in the same brush stroke as her Fi; she wants to experience things before going to the police station. Kyōka also apparently has a photographic memory, which is often associated with sensors; especially those with Se. She’s also very curious about the physical world since, from what I can tell, Kyōka hasn’t had that much contact with it. Atsushi hasn’t either, being cooped up in an orphanage, but he doesn’t show the same enthusiasm for new things like she does, as he doesn’t have Se in his first four function slots. I’m also trying out this theory that generally someone’s likes and dislikes correspond to whether or not they’re a sensor or intuitive.

LIKES: Rabbits, tofu, hydrangeas, ghosts

DISLIKES: Dogs, thunder, flies

Again, the vast majority of her likes and dislikes are Sensing-related, although intuition could be argued for things like ghosts.

Ni is pretty obvious in her character, but not enough for her to have it as a dominant function; she’s also too good at Se for it to be her fourth. Kyōka is aware of the fact that Atsushi is supposed to bring her to the police station and plans with Fi-Se on what to squeeze in before she has to get there. She also demonstrates a more forward-looking view on her past rather than being stuck in it, like Atsushi’s dominant Si. Kyōka wants to prove to Akutagawa that she’s more than just the killer he (and the Port Mafia) made her be. Again, Ni working in tandem with Fi.

Te is the function she was forced into during her time in the Port Mafia. This is the kind of ruthlessness they needed as it’s kind of an opposing function to Fe, which would absolutely not tolerate it (again, if the person is healthy). Especially pairing it with Se. It’s the loop we saw with Yosano. However, looping the extroverted functions of an introvert rather than their dominant and tertiary ones would probably be a bit damaging, as well. Because it’s inferior, we haven’t seen much Te from her yet, but Kyōka suggesting to use her ‘charms’ during Agency missions kind of freaks out Atsushi’s Fe (along with Si) -- and not to mention that he’s already somewhat shy. It is worth noting that ISFPs can come off as INTJs when trying to use their lower functions. In my opinion, that’s what happened to Edmond Dantès (The Count of Monte Cristo) who was a more unhealthy ISFP.

Ne Blind Spot: {LATER}

Fi-Ni Loop: ‘An ISFP in a Fi-Ni loop overanalyze situations, getting stuck in their head and find themselves unable to act on any of their beliefs. They will wallow in their feelings and overanalyze situations, also becoming overly anxious in situations. They will also become overly worried about the long term implications of an action and have trouble acting in the moment, worrying about whatever future emotional repercussions will result from actions. They will read into things past what is on the surface and come to negative conclusions which result in negative emotions, which they then stew in.’ source I haven’t specifically seen her in a loop yet, but her Fi-Ni use is quite apparent. So far, she hasn’t been using them too unhealthily or gotten stuck with those functions. But I can definitely see her in this loop.

#kyouka izumi #bsd kyouka #mbti #mbti personalities #bungou stray dogs #isfp #isfp personality #character analysis #typology

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ecto-american · 4 years

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I think Ember’s entire self would have fit really well as being a deceased Kpop idol. Not just in terms of who she is as a character and it giving her more depth and personality that already matches her canon, but also give great social commentary on how toxic the music industry, especially Korea's, can be.

More detail explaining this under the cut.

Firstly a disclaimer: I was an absolute Kpop weeb in my high school years. I knew all the bands and dances and stuff, and thus I was somewhat exposed to the culture of Kpop. Since then, I kind of have gone back and done some researched and watched documentaries and the like (because I am a big sociology nerd), but I'm not that deeply invested in Kpop anymore. But this is a thought I've had for a long time, ever since I first began to hear some of the problems surrounding Kpop idols and such.

I also want to point out that I am not saying that Ember within canon is a deceased Kpop star. She clearly isn't, and I'm not trying to make a case as to why she is given canon evidence. I'm writing this because I really like this interpretation a lot better than what canon gave us. In my own personal headcanons and worldbuilding and rewrite fanfiction, Ember is a deceased Kpop star.

We got that squared away? Coolio. Let's start.

Now that “preface” or whatever is out of the way, I really want to begin this by giving some background on Korean pop, specifically the industry and the culture surrounding it, for those who don't know. This is going to give some much needed and important context behind what I'm about to say about Ember. I will also be providing as many sources as I can to this section, but a lot of this is really easy to find on google as well.

In Korea, to be a pop star: you basically have to be perfect. In your dance, music, appearance, your entire image is now basically the property of your manager. Plastic surgery is a massive deal in South Korea, and it's partly due to this.

When you get your contact, you basically have to go through a bootcamp, which involves: Limited contact with family and friends, dropping any romantic relationships or behaviors that would be deemed unwholesome (many companies even go as far as forbidding relationships so that fans can better “see” themselves as being with the idol, which increases sales), brutal training schedules and everything you do is so heavily monitored by your bosses. This has lead to many Kpop idols (especially women) to be dangerously underweight or to have eating disorders, 15 hour training days day after day, being fired for being in a relationship outside of their company's approval/against contract. It's caused literal deaths and mental breakdowns.

Of course, America has the eating disorder problem too, and long work days. But please take in mind: management in Korea actively pushes for these eating disorders and are almost applauded publicly for keeping their stars thin, while in America, it becomes an absolute scandal. And yes, America has long work days too, but in comparison to Korea, American musicians basically only release a single or two in a year, and an album about every three years or so. On average. Kpop groups are pressured to release one or two albums every year on top of regular singles. If you youtube Korean pop shows, there's so many examples of stars collapsing on stage due to exhaustion and hunger. And most of the time, they're forced to get back up and continue, compared to America where they're normally “hey show over”. There are some Americans who will go through with it, but it's normally stars who are determined to finish in spite. It's not a push by your boss to finish or be fired and blacklisted from the industry.

Kpop idols are often broke as fuck, so there’s not even that as compensations. Many literally don't get most of the proceeds from their music. Their contracts are often compared to being slave contracts by stars. One Kpop star even said that she and her group had to split one meal whenever they were on tour because they were in such poverty. Oh, a rising group, right? NO. It was one of the biggest fucking Kpop girl groups of the time, Stellar! But even if they were a brand spanking new group, what the fuck.

And why don't they leave? Because they wanna be famous and make music. It’s just that unfortunately, it’s a very saturated industry because the agencies literally just crank out so many idol groups every single year, thus leading to absolutely brutal competition. People are regularly rotated out and replaced within groups. Idol groups are regularly formed or disbanded There's lots of weekly programs and music competitions to see who's the best of the best. You're constantly ranked. You're constantly fighting for the top spot. Lots of Kpop idols have to really fight to get their name remembered or known. The best of the best get reknown internationally.

Okay I'm done with the background now, lol. But you get the jist! The Kpop industry is fucking brutal and needs a good social change. Though now that I've laid out a lot of this, you can kind of get the sense as to where I'm going with this.

Based on every appearance Ember has in the show, we can deduce two things: She hates adults and wants to be remembered.

What are two major problems within Kpop industries? Adults controlling these really young adults (normally freshly 18) trying to break into the industry that's hard to make a truly lasting impression on, that's trying to be remembered.

Ember, if we take her canonical song and the background information provided by interviews, is meant to have died in a fire after being stood up. But I think that she would much better fit as a character who died from the intense social, physical and mental pressures of being a Kpop star. Perhaps a Kpop star that was left forgotten in the crowd of idols, whether it's dying in an accident or suicide.

It’s just me, but I really personally don’t like the canon that she died in a fire because of a boy. It’s just really weak imo, and idk. I don’t like backstories based around a romantic interest like that, especially when it’s so bland. Ember is a fucking dead musician and rock star within canon, and that’s the best you can come up with? She died in a damn fire after a boy stood her up? No mentions that she was into music or something?

Of course, she likely wasn’t famous she died. She likely rose to fame post her death, but that’s still just really? Kind of a headscratcher in a sense? Ember deserves more. The given backstory of her death is literally so? Random imo? Given who she is in death? Unless her entire thing is about how she changed so much in death for a guy, which is kinda Hmm for me. But that’s most of canon lmao.

I feel like this Kpop idol angle would have been a much stronger backstory potential for her. It could paint her as this really hardworking idol, this incredibly talented musician and vocalist who just couldn't make the cut. Maybe she got fired for loving another idol. Perhaps she just wasn't up to the brutal industry standards of being a Kpop idol. It’s a backstory that clearly incorporates her musical talents within her life, and kind of gives her death more of an impact, that gives her more character depth. Whether she’s a perfectionist because of this or has such strong self esteem issues due to the pressures she experienced in life. All of this motivating her to work solely towards her goal, or making her realize that she just really wants to have a more relaxed life and do things like date freely and enjoy the peace and privacy she now likely can have.

Ember's powers would fit really well with this Kpop backstory too She can hypnotize people. Besides Kpop kind of literally hypnotizing a lot of people, it could be shown as a legitimate skill of hers, or something she gained in death as she hoped that she could truly charm an audience into remembering her. She wants to be remembered within canon. No matter the cost or sacrifice. The same kind of sacrifice and price many Kpop idols are forced to make and pay.

It gives her stronger motivations other than just being famous for the sake of being famous or to possibly get that one boy’s attention (? It really depends on your personal take). She wants to be famous to prove herself to a company that worked her to literal death or that basically rejected her, or as a personal dream finally achieved. She now has the power to destroy the adults that likely exploited her as slave labor that maybe made her die in poverty or after being another abuse victim.

To me, it’d help pack a better emotional punch and reasoning as to why she does what she does. Fame has much more meaning to her, it’s personal, losing it again would devastate her. At the end of Fanning the Flames, can you imagine how hysterical she might be if the entire sequence was an unintentional repeat of the events that lead her to her death? Why she’s so specifically disgruntled against adults other than the typical “teenage rebellion” to the point of turning them into slaves in Pirate Radio (which is? fucking wack considering how much better it’d be to use something else). Turning them into slaves just like they would have done to her for years, especially since it’s on exercise equipment. It’d bring personal satisfaction to possibly watch them run or bike or work out until they literally collapse like she might have done before. Then forced back on and continue. Hell, you can even explain as to why she kept her relationship with Skulker an apparent secret: she’s used to have to hiding a boyfriend or risk losing everything.

I would have loved to see her being used as a good social commentary on that industry specifically, but also as a hot take for the abuse that just happens in general too much within the music (and many other fame based industries).

If we're going by canon show airing date, Ember would have popped up right around the time Kpop was really making it's mark on American culture. America got really into Kpop in the mid-2000s and, as you can tell by BTS's popularity, is still going really strong. There's even an entire Wikipedia page about it, the Korean Wave. Whether you want to “modernize” DP or keep it in it's canon air date roots, this would still be a relevant possibility no matter where you personally like DP to fall on the IRL timeline.

While many Kpop stars are in groups, given her possible circumstances, she likely broke off to be a solo artist. If you've ever seen Kpop idol fashion, they're also very colorful! Very fashionable and interesting, and it'd be really cool to see more of that kind of fashion for her. The dances are very good too, well choreographed, and it'd just lead to really interesting possibilities as to how she looks and behaves on her stage.

I dunno man, I just feel like this is a really cool take. My personal take tbh, and I just think more people should think about deceased Kpop idol Ember.

#nick talks #headcanons #hcs #ember mclain

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avengerscompound · 5 years

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Pay Attention

Pay Attention: A Black Widow Fanfic

Buy me a ☕ Character Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x F!Reader

Word Count: 1872

Warnings: Violence, dying, blood, brief FF smutty stuff but not super explicit

Synopsis: Your life with Natasha seems to be slipping through your fingers because you can’t quite pay attention.

Pay Attention

You could taste the blood in your mouth. Hot and metallic. Worse still when you breathe in, it felt like shards of glass were being drawn into your lungs and each breath out was accompanied but a gurgling sound, like mud being pushed up through a drain.

You were fairly sure this was it for you. You'd stopped feeling pain a while ago. Endorphins had flooded your system dulling everything and making you feel soft and fuzzy. You were still scared, but it was almost like you were looking down on someone that should be scared more than actually being scared yourself.

As the world started to lose focus all you could seem to focus on was her.

...

“You need to pay attention!”

You blinked your eyes confused. It was your first day of training and Natasha had decided to make an example of you under the guise of teaching the group some defensive moves. Five times you had been knocked on your ass. Five times she'd yelled at you to pay attention in front of all the other recruits.

The thing was you could fight. It just didn't quite seem fair that you were expected to knock down the Black Widow on your first day. What was next? They'd bring the Hulk in here to wail on you for a while?

She pulled you back to your feet. “We’ll try this again, shall we? Now this time actually block me. Don't do whatever it was you were doing.”

You took a defensive stance and she came at you again. You braced yourself and tried to get her leg out from under her, but she threw you. You slammed into the mat with an ‘oof’ sound and squeezed your eyes shut. You were never going to live this down.

...

“Hey, pay attention.”

You turned your head slightly at the sound of Natasha’s whisper. Captain Rogers had been droning on and on and you had guessed you had zoned out. She smiled at you. That adorable little half smile of hers. God, having a crush on your teacher was embarrassing. That was something meant for teenagers and people in their first year of college. Not for people who are going through the recruitment program for the Avengers.

Yet here it was, full-blown and ridiculous. Something about that tiny hard-ass had crept into your heart. Maybe it was just that you’d been put into too many thigh locks and you’d started thinking that your head belonged between those muscular thighs. You just couldn't help but want to bury your face in her red hair. Or bite at those perfectly painted red lips. You wondered what it would be like if instead of chewing you out, she used that mouth to eat you out.

“He’ll be done soon and then we can all go get a drink.” She whispered.

Logically you knew she meant that everyone would go get a drink together. You decided for a moment that you’d live in the fantasy world where she asked you out though. You smiled back at her. “Yeah, that’d be great.”

You returned your gaze to the stage, listening to what Steve said about a family and how it was important to protect each other as well as civilians.

...

“You need to pay attention to what you’re doing. You could have been killed.”

The air rushed from your lungs as Natasha slammed you against a locker. “I was doing my job. The job you trained me for.” You hissed back.

“That was not what I taught you.” She growled. “I taught you to be careful. To make calculated calls. To not get yourself killed.”

You were painfully aware of how close she was right now. Even ignoring the way her forearm pressed against your chest, you could feel the heat radiating off her body and her breath against your skin. If you just tilted your head forward you could kiss her. You really, really wanted to kiss her.

“Why do you even care, Natasha? I wasn’t any more reckless than Clint is when he just goes to the store.”

Natasha scowled and her eyes flicked from your mouth to your eyes to your mouth again. “I don’t need two Clint’s on the team.”

A smile crept over your lips. “Say what you’re actually thinking, Natasha.”

She scowled. “I don’t know what you mean.”

You bit your bottom lip and watched her eyes flicked back towards it. “Why were you so worried?”

“Because we’re a team.”

“Mmm… Natasha… tell the truth.”

Her eyes flicked from your eyes to your mouth and to your eyes again and she crashed her mouth into yours. You wrapped your arms around her as she kissed you with a frantic need. You tangled your hands in her hair and moaned into the kiss.

...

“Pay attention, now.”

You opened your eyes and pulled your head back up as it rolled forward. Natasha’s fingers slid up and down you pussy sending tendrils of pleasure through you and it was getting harder to remember you were in a room surrounded by hundreds of other people.

The room was dark and the sound of the music drained out almost everything else. The thud of the base going half the speed of that of your heart. At the table in the far dark corner, you and Natasha could be anyone. You blended in and faded into the background. She was taking advantage of the anonymity.

“We can’t let them know what a dirty little girl you are now can we.” She purred against your ear.

“Mmm … Nat… that feels…” You moaned softly. Your lips parted in silent pleasure as she pushed two of her fingers inside of you and curled them like she was beckoning your orgasm to her.

“Shh… you’re going to get us busted, l'vionachik.”

Her hand kept moving, her thumb rolling over your clit and her fingers stroking your inner walls. You closed your eyes and moaned as an orgasm bore down on you. You were going to be loud and there was nothing you could do about it.

...

“L’vionachik, pay attention.”

You smiled softly and shook your head a little. You couldn’t stop staring at her. You still couldn’t quite believe she was standing at the end of the aisle with you. She looked so beautiful right now. She always did but in the eggshell mermaid style dress, the crystals sewn into the fabric sparking in the sun, the way it played off the red in her hair, she looked like some kind of fire god. Clint stood beside her grinning like an idiot. You supposed you probably had a similar expression on your face.

You had been so caught up with how lucky you felt and how beautiful she was you’d forgot to listen to what was being said.

“I’m sorry what?” You said, blinking

There was laughter from everyone and your cheeks warmed slightly.

“I asked,” teased the celebrant. “If you took Natasha to be your lawful wedding wife.”

“Oh, I do.”

“Then by the power vested to me by the state of New York, you are now wed. You may now kiss the bride.”

Natasha grinned at you and cupped your jaw, smiling brightly. Her smile never left her face as she brought her lips to yours. You closed your eyes, smiling just as wide and all around you was applause.

...

“I feel like you never pay attention to what I’m actually saying.”

You scrubbed your hands down your face and looked up at her. This argument had been going around and around in circles now. It felt pointless. Like there was never going to be a way to resolve it. It wasn’t even as if you disagreed with her. You wanted children too, but the choices were either you had them or you adopted and there was no way an adoption agency would agree to give a child to two active Avengers and maybe you could carry a baby, but that was a big ask and you were still enjoying your job.

“I do, Natasha. I just don’t know what you want me to do? I like what I’m doing. I don’t want to stop yet.” You argued.

She collapsed down on the chair beside you. “I just - I just -”

You could tell she was trying to be vulnerable with you, she just wasn’t great at that kind of thing. She was very, very good at keeping her emotions in check and only showing parts that allowed her to manipulate people to get what she wanted. You put your arm around her shoulder and she leaned into you. Liho, the black cat that seemed to have adopted her, jumped up into her lap and head-butted her face.

“It’s just - I always wanted it and I tried to tell myself I was okay. I wasn’t the maternal type. I’d be a terrible mother. It was probably good they sterilized me. But I do want to be a mother and we’ve been married for 4 years now. Each year we’ve been together I’ve seen it stronger and I - I just want to know if you see that too. If maybe we can look into our options. It doesn’t have to be now.”

“Okay.” You said and kissed the top of her head. “We can look into it. I don’t know if I’m ready yet, but yes, I do think I’d like that.”

She smiled up at you and touched the tip of your nose. “Thank you, l'vionachik.”

“It’s not going to be an easy process though.”

She smiled sadly. “I know. Nothing for me ever is.”

You leaned down kissed her softly.

...

“Pay attention to me, l’vionachick. Don’t fall asleep.”

There was a bright light that cut through the fog and a face appeared through the thick fog around you and her face swam into view. “Tasha?”

You were vaguely aware of people moving you and the pain returning to your body. “That’s right. Keep looking at me. We’ve got you.”

“Tasha, what happened?” You asked. Everything was hurting now, but still dull and in the background. Like you were slowly becoming aware of something really awful.

“They blew the side of the building out. You got trapped under the rubble.” She said. “You’re my little lion though. You’ll stay with me.”

“I’m sorry, Tasha. I didn’t notice. I should have paid more attention.” You sobbed, tears slipping down the side of your face.

“It’s okay. You couldn’t have known.” She said, her hand tightening in yours.

“We can try and have children, Tasha. When we get home. Maybe Clint will help. I’m sorry I didn’t give you that when you gave so much of yourself to me.”

“It’s okay, l’vionachick. We’ll figure it out when we get home. Don’t worry about that now.” She said leaning down and pressing a kiss to your forehead.

“Don’t leave me, Tasha.”

“I won’t, my darling. Just as long as you don’t leave me either.” She replied.

#natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x reader #black widow #black widow fanfic #fanfic #fanfiction #femslash saturday #reader insert #pay attention

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sonderisms-blog · 5 years

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❛ Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing which to do is the worst kind of suffering. ❜

Spotted at Grand Central, bags in hand, {KAREN GILLAN}. No, that’s a mistake. It’s {AMELIA POND}, they are a {CANON CHARACTER} and come from {DOCTOR WHO}. They are {TWENTY-NINE} and I’ve heard they are {CREATIVE}, as well {OBSTINATE}. They happen to hold {THEIR} memories. Don’t believe me? See for yourself. Lucky for us, {jinx, 23, pst, she/her & they/them} sent us proof.

Welcome to New York, what is your character’s name?

Amelia Jessica Pond-Williams. Though, she took on the last name Williams when she was transported back to 1920s New York because she couldn’t really legally hyphenate + it was a testament to how much she loves Rory & how she was willing to leave behind her old life with the Doctor behind. But she prefers to just be called Amy!

Where have they been pulled from in their fandom?

Right when Amy & Rory make their exit in Doctor Who, in the Angels Take Manhattan. I imagine that she wakes up in her new life in this RP from that point.

With the curse, how has your character’s life changed?

Well, I don’t want to godmod the potential Rory player but if Rory isn’t in her life then that’s a major change ( though, I’d love if they were best friends who grew up together or something in the new life ). Like in canon, Amy had the belief the Doctor was real but instead of him coming back, he was just a story. She still grew up the same way in canon, the weird girl who turned ginger bombshell who was a kissogram but in this verse ( to mirror canon ) she gets picked up by a modeling agency and moves to New York. As far as Amy knows she’s lived in New York for 10 years, now a successful science fiction author and currently working on a children’s book both illustrating & writing it. Her life has changed because she turned her childhood shit into stories that have sold pretty well. She didn’t get married to Rory at a young age, she’s had quite a few years to develop who she is and live her life outside of Leadworth.

With Amy’s memories coming back, to put it simply, it hurts. All over again. Remembering it all, losing it all, it hurts. Though not a drinker AT ALL, Amy has found herself doing anything she can to forget remembering, working on a much darker novel than her previous ones. It’s been disorienting because even though her life is beautiful & brilliant as it is -- it’s not real. The feeling of things not being real, the blurring of lines between reality & falsity has really done a number on her as she does deal with mental illness, worrying that she’s finally, properly, losing her mind. Frankly, she doesn’t know if it’s real, she doesn’t know what’s real, though she tries to be Amy Pond, this blurring of reality is something that scares her. Another feeling she feels is anger, anger about what happened to her in canon, anger about having to doubt her own mind all over again and a determination to fix this and/or find the person responsible.

Do they have a job, and if so what is it?

To dive in more about her job, Amy isn’t the most famous person around but she definitely has mild celebrity due to her early modeling ( a model turned scifi author intrigues a lot of weird fanboys that’s for sure ), her books are what has really launched any celebrity she has into something more recognizable. Sometimes asked to help host D list red carpet shows, etc. Amy is not Known Known but you find her face recognizable. She’s done a lot of activism as well for mental illness and the LGBTQIA+ & Queer communities as she’s openly bisexual so there’s definitely a funky little cult following she has and she’s fairly popular in Scotland as well as a hometown hero in her town of Leadworth ( something she finds HILARIOUS as they hated her for years ).

Is there any other information about your character that members might find helpful?

THIS SECTION WILL BE FOR MY RAMBLING. Because where else am I GONNA DO IT??? I’ve been playing Amy for 5+ years now and I’m going to give y’all some insight on how i play her as well as how i see her. I’m watching an episode right now that’s helped come up with some of this as well. I’ll probably add more HCs as I slowly rewatch her scenes, etc.

A Sagittarius!!!!!!!!!! which literally fits her so well if you love astrology and Amy Pond, you already know!

One of my favorite aspects of Amy’s character is her empathy & intuitiveness. While sometimes lacking social grace and not always the best with interpersonal relations, she can see people for who they are deep down, their intentions, the emotions she feels like she feels from others often overwhelming but something that does lead her. A gut instinct magnified. She’s intuitive and empathetic because she’s got such an active imagination paired with a creative mind, she’s able to put those two things together, not only painting a picture of who someone is, painting colors on them they might not see themselves. Maybe this is a bit naive at times, maybe even a bit dangerous if it steers her wrong ( which is why Rory Williams is so important to her, her impulsiveness paired with this can get her into tough situations and he always has her back, always by her side ). Amelia is not always one to think before jumping into situations if she feels it’s the right thing to do, a prime example of this is her running off with The Doctor EASILY. Both as a kid and an adult. Luckily, not many have taken advantage of this as she can be extremely closed off emotionally. She’s a good judge of character and if she puts her faith in you, know while it could be surprising, it was a very much calculated, thought out, and a felt through choice. Amy’s extremely stubborn so good luck getting her to do something she doesn’t want to do ESPECIALLY if she doesn’t feel it’s right. Amy is usually able to connect to anyone and everyone some sort of way when she tries due to all of this, usually better with connecting to people than the ( Eleventh ) Doctor himself is.

[ EMOTIONAL NEGLECT MENTION, ALCOHOLISM MENTION ] Verbal, straightforward, blunt, but it when it comes to her emotions, the ones that hurt, the ones that can’t be wrapped in something beautiful or lightly joked about are the ones tucked away. Amy’s got serious commitment issues as well, as shown throughout Doctor Who, that stemmed from the Doctor leaving her multiple times as well as never knowing her parents. I play her Aunt as a high functioning alcoholic, growing up she was never really home much less attentive to Amy ( also due to the whole crack in Amy’s wall thing, but, that’s a whole other topic ). For insight on how this effects her, I once played her in a multifandom at hogwarts rp where she was in a relationship with a character and they were really fucking cute ( I still rp them to this day w/ my friend ). But she was SO cared of this relationship not working out / losing Rory because he had just confessed that he romantically liked her, that she broke up with the other person ( who she had deep feelings for who never EVER would’ve left her ) because Rory meant too much to her, he’d been there through everything, the thought of losing him? Unthinkable. this isn’t to say she didn’t love them both ( polyamorous Amelia Pond ftw! ), or value Rory as much ( I felt pressured to go into canon as well so I had to find a believable fault/fear/issue to really sell this but I think there’s something to be said for this ), I don’t play it that way in THIS rp, of course. [ END OF EMOTIONAL NEGLECT MENTION, ALCOHOLISM MENTION ]

It goes to show that she will make fear based decisions as well as decisions based on her insecurities that she’s not enough, that she’s more pain than she’s worth, out of not being able to give someone she cares about what they need. For example, when in canon Amy breaks up with Rory because she feels so guilty she can’t have biological kids when she knows he ALWAYS wanted kids. She was scared if she stayed with him, he’d hate her, that she was keeping him from having a fulfilling life, that she wasn’t enough and didn’t fit into what he wanted. Rory deserves everything to her, she couldn’t give it to him, when he gave and gave and gave to her. She didn’t feel worthy, but she didn’t express that fear either, making Rory feel completely shut out because she was shutting him out. She’ll self sabotage easily, because commitment is scary to her and she’d rather be the one leaving than being left. Amy can’t stand to wait for the worst to happen, for the other shoe to drop, she isn’t the fucking girl who waited -- not anymore.

Amy is diagnosed with major depressive disorder previously diagnosed with psychotic features added on as well until the Doctor came back but after having 4 psychiatrists in her youth, Amy definitely fits into having MDD. There are many evidences in canon besides her literally going to psychiatrists that suggest that Amy is mentally ill / ND, another hint in the episode ‘Vincent and The Doctor’. Amy empathizes with Vincent Van Gogh ( my Amy is an extreme art history lover as well, especially Vincent Van Gogh ), she says she’s been where he is, that she gets it. [ SUICIDE MENTION ] She is physically effected when he talks about dark shit and in another episode with the Dreamlord, she talks about how she doesn’t want to live in a world if Rory’s not in it, then killing herself in the show. The way she does it in my head ( and in the show ) is extremely steely, easily done, because Amy has dealt with mental illness, because she’s been in dark places & suicidal ideation. [ END OF SUICIDE MENTION ] In this RP, she’ll also have been diagnosed and is taking medication because we stan healthy characters who cope with their mental illness! Even though she’s definitely having a hard time currently.

Rory Williams really is everything to her. Her best friend, a love of her life, her partner, the only person who stuck by her side through everything. She never waivers in this love for him, even though she does have doubts due to her own commitment issues ( and regular issues ) but she doesn’t have doubts about who Rory is. She loves him. The Doctor is also someone she loves passionately, though she could’ve loved him romantically and often could see that sort of a future with him -- he’s completely unavailable and unreliable. If there’s one thing that Amy can’t do in a partner romantically it’s unreliable. Plus, after finding out her daughter was married to him in canon? She’ll pass. The Doctor is more like a twin flame sort of thing for her, a very kindred spirit. She loves him because in her little town of Leadworth, full of boring, sensible things, where she was the weird girl in town -- he was just as weird as her.

If I had to pick a Hogwarts house for Amy, it’d be Gryffindor.

#intro: amelia pond.#amelia pond: she's mad but she's magic.#intros make me nervous bc i never learned the art of brevity & my name is jared im 19 i never learned how to read #so we got a MESS ur honor!#but i just tell myself no one is paying me to rp STOP CARING SO MUCH fewoijfw #i aint getting no AWARDS #NO GRADES #this took so long bc its a high pain day and im slow! LRIJFFWE

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harmonic-psyche · 6 years

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The Finalysis: @askgiegueandcrew

Hey y’all! Here is my first post in The Finalysis. Below, I analyze the personalities of 26 characters from @askgiegueandcrew and @bunchofaliens, in alphabetical order. Here are a few summary charts:

“Holy heck there’s a lot of characters right now.” -M

Without further ado, here are my explanations for why I put those characters where I did — and why I excluded the characters that I did.

Bala: Probably ESFP.

“Rather over the top and exaggerated,” Kalpana’s husband “has a more serious side, too, but it's very hard to get him to show it.” Being extra indicates extraversion and a high Feeling function, since if it was lower then he would not be so open with his emotions. A lack of seriousness is most common in E__P types. A love of explosions often comes from Se’s visceral love of intense sensory experience, and boy does he love explosions. His only line in the @askgiegueandcrew narrative is “I’m going to blast all this out of the way!” (not counting his one line on @bunchofaliens discussing his family tree) with a scarily huge wide-eyed grin to match.

Captain Deepsea ("Malarky"): Seems like an INFJ.

Despite being funkiest disco-loving robot in the solar system, Captain Deepsea comes across as more of a wise father figure than a wild partier. He is "very, very patient" and warmhearted towards his crew. This kindness combines with his curiosity to produce an unusual amount of leniency. Contrast the rigid, strict rule enforcement of the predominantly ISTJ gieeg and Starman leadership — particularly as displayed by Alum, Giegue, and Henry Killjoy. Unlike any other Starman Army leader save Niiue, "the word most folks would use to describe Deepsea" is "[e]ccentric." Malarky's voice carries a tone of "calm authority," and he gains respect from his subordinates not by explicitly demanding it but earning it implicitly through socialization, as one would expect from a Fe rather than Te user. He keeps his cape for sentimental reasons, again implying F over T. While not obvious, Ni seems implicit in his love of learning and his humor style of playing with language. For the latter, consider his in-game speech to Alin and co: "I knew you'd come after the *whirr* Apple ... [but] if you fell me, more take my place ... So how do you like them apples?"

I am not entirely confident calling Malarky Ni-dominant, though, because he “Likes following orders,” rarely questions them, and fully swallowed Giegue's Kool-Aid (e.g. when he said in CogDis that "the might of the Transcendent One is approaching infinity itself"). I would have expected that, at some point, the gieegs' orders would conflict with an INFJ's idealism (contrast Istic, Hahu, and Harod). The Captain seems chill about everything, whereas an INFJ often has Very Lofty and Serious Ideals. Still, Malarky does not seem to show Fi's fiery individualism, Ti's blunt lack of social tact, Si's rigid standards, or Se's impulsivity in his dominant function. I could see him as a high Ne-user, but even ignoring his obedience, that would imply either high Ti or high Fi. INFJ it is, I guess.

Crazy-Eyes: No clue.

The only things that I know about this mysterious character are that 1) they have crazy eyes, 2) Origen thinks they are "very talented," and 3) they dislike anons bursting into their lab. At this point, I cannot even venture a guess.

Emmet: Probably ESFJ, maybe ISFJ.

Despite being a fairly simple "music dork" who only wants to play his guitar, I found Emmet difficult to figure out. At first I considered him an introvert because he is generally passive and indifferent, letting things happen to him without much agency. But even though Vivek thinks that Emmet is a jerk, Emmet shows dominant Fe. Showing affection to random anons is no problem for him.

More importantly, he is loyal to his friends (Fe) and then to authority (Si) in that order. When helping the protagonists steal an Apple piece from Giegue, he thought primarily about how it would make his friends feel. While he called Col. Saturn "real great" for "explainin' all this stuff to me" because it "[m]akes it feel a lot less like I’m breakin’ too many rules!," he felt bad about disappointing Malars. Despite his treason, Emmet is very obedient. He betrayed Giegue only because his friends asked. Afterwards, Emmet had no problem deciding to turn himself in. Even though losing his guitar devastated him, he still prioritized completing his work. When asked by Harod, he did not even understand the concept of questioning authority. These show high Si, and thus ESFJ.

Euclid: Seems like an ESFJ, maybe ENFP.

An enthusiastically creative, determined kid with a goal-oriented mindset, a positive attitude, and a lot of respect for authority figures. Positivity and enthusiasm support E_F_. Determination and respect for authority support high Si. While his occasional randomness and righteously indignant sass make ENFP also seem likely — especially since he does not seem to care about being messy — his strong work-related principles imply strong Si. I considered that an ENFJ typing could reconcile those traits, but they still seem Ne/Si and I have seen no evidence of Ni or Se. I do not think I have seen enough of Euclid to type him precisely.

Giegue: Definitely ISTJ.

See his and Niiue's analysis via @cogdisblogging, or his (revised-ish) analysis via Starmen.NET, for details.

Giselle: Seems like an ESFP, maybe ESTP.

"No number of yesterdays are more important than today. That's where you gotta focus." This “short description” of Giselle shows Se’s focus on living in the present, without planning for the future or dwelling on the past. Her “occupation” is a “Sled Expert and Life Enjoyer” and she is “[a]lways looking for excitement and fun things to do,” showing that she prioritizes new experiences (Se) and happiness (Fi) over practical matters (Te) or long-term goals (Ni). As is most common for E_F_ types, her “personality” is “[b]right and chipper!” and she “talks fast ... like a hurricane.” The latter shows how, in contrast to I__J types, she takes life at a fast pace. Inferior Ni is evident not only in her ignorance of long term goals, but in that she “dislikes ... books” and wants “noooo, no, no reading.” Her “bad habits” include “[p]ushing on ahead no matter what without stopping to think about things,” again showing that the long-term planning function Ni is inferior. Her “sworn enemy” is “[s]ocietal constraints,” showing Se’s love of freedom and Fi’s prioritization of personal passion over politeness and social norms.

I found no posts about Giselle on Tumblr, so I based my conclusion entirely on her Charahub. Since I have not seen any dialogue or social interactions including her, I cannot claim much confidence in assigning her a personality type even though the Charahub description strongly indicates Se-dominance. She could also potentially be an ESTP: although I have seen no evidence of Ti, I have seen nothing to rule it out either.

Kalpana: Probably ESFJ.

The loving mother of Vivek and Mips, Kalpana tries to help others and take care of their needs. "She tries to be very positive and loves to help out[;] is outgoing among small groups, but closes up a lot in crowds[; and] is rather dreamy." Fe-dominants disproportionately radiate positivity and love to help others. It is somewhat surprising that she closes up in crowds and is rather dreamy, as those would be more expected for an I, N, and/or P type. Still, her "patience level" is "[v]ery high with everyone who isn't Malik or Nila," so in other words, she automatically extends patience to everyone who is not rude. That shows dominant Fe because of the expectation of reciprocal kindness in social behavior. The "deadly sin that best represents" her is "wrath," which would be difficult to explain in an I_FJ. The "most important person in [her] life" is "everyone in her family," which coheres well with SFJs' tendency to value family more than other types.

Working as a "spiritual healer/housewife" shows her Fe-based desire to nurture. She seems to have a penchant for giving gifts to others, which demonstrates the wide-ranging generosity of dominant Fe. In Niiue's mind, her manifestation asked if he'd had enough to eat, showing that she is a Mom Friend even to others besides her children. She is still very strong-willed and can be very blunt, as shown by her badass/sassy response to Porky and repulsion to Malik, making an I_F_ type unlikely. Together, these imply ESFJ.

Keter: Seems like an INFP.

Similar to her brother Euclid, but less likely to take initiative and more likely to enjoy solitary activities like reading. I thought she was ISFJ at first, but she does not seem to show the typical ISFJ nervousness — at least as much as someone like Mips. She is also much more of a daydreamer than most Si-dominants. Her hopeless-romantic attitude supports an INFP typing, as does the possibly Ne-based randomness she shares with her brother. Like her brother, I have not seen enough of her to be sure.

Koru: No clue.

I have found no information about her personality, including on her Charahub page and the two posts that she appeared in on @askgiegueandcrew.

Lilac: No clue.

I have not seen enough content to guess Ano’s and Ore’s mother’s type. While her Charahub calls her “[v]ery, very bitter and very, very troubled” and notes that she “can seem very threatening when she wants to be,” these are insufficient for me to hazard a decent guess — especially since the latter is probably situational: “She was put under house arrest because she wouldn't help the government convince her mate to cooperate.” Her demeanor sounds like it might be an INTJ’s, but I have only stereotypes to use there.

Lochan: Probably an ISTP.

"Spooks' perpetually grumpy dad" has precisely the opposite attitude as his daughter: where she is eternally upbeat and optimistic, Lochan "comes off as really grumpy and really ill-tempered." A grumpy attitude often implies I_T_, since introverts are less likely to enjoy social interaction and Thinkers are less likely to care about appearing friendly. As another factor explaining his grumpiness, "he just isn't the best at showing how he feels about others," showing inferior Fe. The "most appropriate TV Trope(s)" to describe him include "[s]our outside sad inside" and "Silly rabbit idealism is for kids," again showing the lack of Fe's warmth and idealism. I_T_ types are probably most likely to frequently call others idiots, as he evidently does.

Lochan's "bad habits" include "[t]alking without thinking things through," showing Se's impulsivity. When asked his age, he dismissed the question as irrelevant, showing the STP impatience for the impractical. The hair-trigger argumentative temper evident in his "strong opinions" and tendency to yell about them also indicates Se rather than Ne (compare Zarbol and contrast Ano), since ESTPs often become angry in arguments whereas ENTPs simply like to troll. If he had high Ne, he would probably show mischievous (contrast Ano and Static) or eccentric (contrast Niiue and Origen) behavior, but he shows neither.

Loris: Seems like an INFP.

This “standard blue starman” is “[f]airly straight forward,” but “can get a bit too curious and nosy about things” and is. A bit. Gullible.” Curiosity is most common in high Ne-users, and NF types are often gullible because they lack ST-types’ realistic (S) skepticism (T). Loris’s “patience” is “high,” unlike high Se-users. The limited dialogue that Loris gives shows the same kind of eccentric strangeness as Origen (INTP): “[T]his one is a wobblebot, look at it go! Wobble wobble, wobble wobble!” As a “Wide-eyed Idealist,” Loris lacks the cynicism one would expect from an I_T_ type. His “bad habits” include “[w]andering after his friends,” often right behind them: “[L]oris is really annoying and follows his friends around places,” showing a lack of the social awareness that one would expect from a high Fe-user.

Manjula ("Jula"): Probably ENFJ, maybe ESFJ.

This “too precious” child practically radiates dominant Fe. Blatantly kind, caring, “full of love,” and empathetic, she generally tries to help everyone. Friendship is one of her strongest values. Her voice is "[s]oft and kind," and conveys sincere interest in others. She has a special talent for "[o]rganizing groups together and encouraging teamwork." Manjula is a "responsible child who has a good amount of bravery and intuition about getting others to work together well," which shows Fe-dominance because auxiliary Fe would be much more passive. Frankly, if she is not Fe-dominant, I will eat a hat. Perhaps Manjula and Iso should have a fight to the death to see who better exemplifies the wholesome sweetness of dominant Fe, if either could ever be convinced to fight.

I am less sure that Manjula has Ni instead of Si, but her dialogue often seems to carry Ni's undertone of wisdom beyond her years.

Max: No clue.

I have not seen enough content to make a guess. I only know that he "do[es] not want to fight" and that he was scrapped, but those say little about his personality type.

Mips: Definitely ISFJ.

Cute nervous cinnamon roll who likes to take things slowly instead of acting on impulse. His reclusive tendencies show introversion. Likewise, his politeness, sensitivity, and desire to help others too much show high Fe. When asked, Mips was happy to share a long list of people he loves and the whole thing is adorably cheesy, showing his eagerness to openly discuss feelings. For Mips and many other Si-users, security entails comfort and vice versa: one of the reasons he loves Larice is that the Starman "makes me feel like I have a solid foundation to stand on" (compare Ambrosios). Conversely, he is known as a "scaredy mook" who struggles with paranoia and distrusting others due to inferior Ne. The inferior function is usually not trusted, and Ne holds many possibilities at once, so Mips fears the possibilities he sees.

Speaking of Mips the "scaredy mook," this actually happened (as of 2018-06-11):

I think that speaks for itself.

Nik: Probably ESFJ, maybe ENFP.

This "very up-beat and chatty" mook is "[p]retty social and ready to talk," showing extraversion and a high Feeling function. Love is "really important and not somethin' to give up on" to Nik, showing the sappy emotional idealism of Fe-dominance. His "bad habits" include "[b]eing too stuck in his ways" and "not hearing new points of view." Similarly, his "pet peeves" include "[h]aving his beliefs challenged." Both show the stubbornness of an immature high-Si-user, unwilling to consider alternative possibilities through Ne. Nik's "personal problem" of "not wanting to give up on the past" also shows high Si, since Si often focuses on the past. While Nik has a "chaotic good" alignment and is a "ditz," which would cohere better with an ENFP typing than ESFJ, typing based on alignments is often unreliable. Plus, it is far easier to imagine a ditzy ESFJ than an ideologically stubborn ENFP stuck in their ways who refuses to give up on the past.

Nila: Almost certainly ISTP.

"The goddamn doctor around here" is a grumpalumpagus like Malik — reclusive, practical, and tough, among other ISTP qualities. She has no patience, is best represented by the deadly sin of Sloth, and has personal problems with "being too apathetic at times" and consequently lacking motivation. In other words, she is almost certainly not a Si- or Te-dominant. Her tone with others tends to be very blunt and gruff, making her "not all that pleasant to deal with," and she dislikes impractical socialization. All of those show inferior Fe. After healing Ambrosios, for example, she told him to "git, get up, you're fine now ... 'n learn to use your healin' and life-up PSI, you're a mook, dammit." When Iso asked to become her apprentice, Nila asked the butterfly to "Tell me why this won’t be a waste of my time," and Nila has (endearingly, I think hope) referred to Saral the ISFJ as a "nice and borin'" "idiot" and a "git." Insensitive apathy implies high Ti, and her down-to-earth straightforwardness implies that she is not an INTP.

Behind her demeanor, though, Nila seems to be unusually driven by Fe. Her inferior Fe motivates her career as a healer. Apparently she even gives others therapy to help heal minds as well as bodies. She makes a nice contrast with Iso the ENFJ, and each helps the other with their weaknesses: unlike Nila, Iso is uncomfortable dealing with gore, but on the other hand, Iso has used her social skills to help compensate for Nila's lack thereof.

Origanum Vulgare ("Ore"): Almost certainly ISTJ.

Ore is a HUGE nerd and somewhat of an ISTJ stereotype, although a different kind than Alum. Emotional expression, or emotional anything, is not his strong suit. Friendship is a foreign concept to Ore. Due to his dominant Si, Ore has been highly obedient since his childhood. He obsesses over the details and minutia of his special interest — plants — to the exclusion of everything else, storing it all in memory. As Euclid eloquently put it, flowers "are one of his reasons for being." Intensive memory for concrete details is a hallmark of high Si. Not only does he consider endlessly studying mooks fun, but he considers it "illogical" to receive appreciation when he has yet to publish his research findings. Regarding mooks, academic study is even how he expresses romantic feelings unless that Elmadan x Ore fic is non-canon, in which case lol whoops.

I also consider INTP a serious possibility due to his occasional problem of forgetting that the outside world exists. However, an INTP typing cannot explain his obedience ("It's like he can do no wrong or something"), his intensive focus on one concrete subject, his "addiction [to] work," or his diametric contrast with Ano — and with Static, for that matter. He may show the "absentminded professor" stereotype common to INTPs, but he is not the same type as Origen.

Origen: Definitely INTP.

See full analysis for details.

Pelly: Almost certainly ESFJ.

This happy gieeg's expressive optimism, desire to help others, high patience level, and Lawful Good alignment exemplify dominant Fe. Her unwavering loyalty to her friends, family, and superiors shows strong Si. She felt angriest when people try to bully her brother or Alum, and hates bullies in general, which shows Fe's desire to protect others and Si's family loyalty. One might expect her protective instincts to impede her profession as a soldier, but she copes by reminding herself that she does everything to help her loved ones and "[tries] to keep my morals, even on the battlefield." After all, she believes that "[y]ou can kill without being a bully." If not for that belief, the cognitive dissonance between her moral feelings and her duty as a soldier would probably tear her apart.

Pia: Definitely ISFJ.

Pia's absolute loyalty and obedience to the orders of his "master(s)," to the extent that he is very frequently called a loyal dog as a joke, display dominant Si. When told that extreme obedience might cause his death, he said, "That's...ok." Like Pelly's, his unwaveringly compassionate and protective behavior — especially towards children — shows high Fe. The contrast between Pia's Fe and Giegue's Te is evident in that Pia thinks they are friends but Giegue does not (but for the record, Pia is probably right). Pia's inability to understand metaphors, puns, colloquialisms, or abstractions in general shows inferior Ne combined with low intelligence. A less intelligent person with high Ne may understand abstraction but not understand reality (contrast Patrick Star the INTP). Pia is a stereotypical ISFJ in almost every way, except that he is not (usually, with exceptions) visibly nervous (at least compared to e.g. Mips).

Pimpinella Anisum ("Ano"): Definitely ENTP.

See full analysis for details. Also, I really should have included this gem in her analysis: "Personality: Wow, what a bitch."

Rigby: Probably ESTP.

This shady character “has the kind of voice you instinctively don't want to trust,” perhaps because he exudes sketchiness and is the kind of salesman who is a bit too eager. The contrast between outer friendliness and salesmanlike insincerity is especially common among E_TPs, who use their Fe to project a friendly demeanor despite that it rarely gives them altruistic motivations (compare Ariana). Rigby’s technical skills (”He's actually really good with gadgets and inventing”) and love of “tinkering” show that he loves working with concrete yet logical systems due to Ti (compare Ayjo and Malik). Specifically, he loves “making explosives” since Se’s craving for sensory intensity makes him viscerally love fire (compare Bala and Zicca).

Like many STPs and few SJs, he “dislikes ... the law” because it imposes seemingly arbitrary rules on his freedom, making him willing to conduct (despite his insistence otherwise) legally dubious sales. Similarly, he would probably rather not “get married, ... have kids, [or] raise a family.” The aversion to commitment shows low Feeling and no Si. Rigby even shows the characteristic crude and slang-filled Se-dominant speaking style (compare Boson and Juice). While it may be dangerous to assume that only Se-dominants use it, so far that heuristic has seemed fairly reliable.

Saral: Definitely ISFJ.

See full analysis for details.

Sprita ("Spooks"): Definitely ENFP.

Above all, Spooks is "excitable and cheerful!" This "Wide-eyed Idealist" with a "Sunny sunflower disposition" has a "bright and bubbly" voice, and the element which best represents her is "sunshine." Her excessively friendly demeanor shows extraversion and Feeling, while her playful spontaneity points to Ne or Se dominance. Her romanticism suggests _NF_. When asked about how to biologically classify mooks, she replied, "I like thinkin[g that] we're like works of art, beautiful and unique!" which is one of the most violently ENFP sentences that I have ever read. It upheld romantic, happy idealism while notably providing zero concrete scientific details. Spooks is also known as "the Supreme Ribbon Noodle" because she wears cute ribbons and gives others cute ribbons and is a cute ribbon. She constantly calls stuff "cute," but maybe she is merely projecting. After all, she is "very determined" to be adorable, and her determination is obviously paying off (EEEEEEE, she’s so cute!). Like certain other ENFPs that I could mention, Spooks is a Motor Mouth who excitedly "goes on and on" and doesn't shut up while talking —especially about feelings, since she "is here to talk about feelings." Unlike Beams, Spooks fully embraces that she is Delightfully Squooshy. Spooks is basically the same as ViHart, another ENFP.

Tonic: Probably INFJ, maybe ISFJ.

This small friend "is mild-mannered, but determined," and a "bit withdrawn around strangers, but she warms up to others after a bit." Like Yi, the contrast between her warmth and her reclusive shyness shows introversion and auxiliary Fe. A mild-mannered attitude generally indicates I_F_, as does a "[s]oft and sweet" voice. " "She stays as positive as she can," showing the optimism of high Fe. The idea of killing someone repulses her, even Elmadan when he shut down Bowfest. Ni-dominance makes her "seem very reliable" and “determined” with a "[h]igh" patience level. Yet Ni also gives her the "personal problem" that she "isn't outgoing and doesn't know how to reach out and get what she wants on her own." Ni generally takes things slowly, avoiding impulsive action. Fe prefers to act polite instead of blunt to maintain social harmony. Both make it difficult to act assertively and take social risks. When nervous, she "pretend[s] she isn't in the ship and just go[es] quiet," since as an introvert she generally feels more comfortable out of the spotlight. Then, she lets her extravert brother do the talking — although she sometimes discourages that when the conversation enters, ah, unwholesome territory. When talking to Iso, Tonic is very flattering and encouraging, almost like a tonic to the nerves — GEDDIT???

ISFJ is also a possibility, since Si could also explain her shyness and determination. However, she shows no signs of low Ne's nervousness (contrast her brother, as well as Flux and Mips). I though INFJ unlikely because she lacks some grand vision, but when Elmadan cancelled Bowfest, she decided to lead the resistance. It may not be as obvious or overarching as e.g. Harod's or Penini's dream to explore the stars, but still shows a strong-willed resistance to existing authority which is less likely in a Si-dominant.

Yi: Probably ISFJ, maybe INFJ.

Very polite, well-meaning, and cultured, Yi exemplifies the well-developed tact of auxiliary Fe. Despite his genuine friendliness — in that he likes hugs and "gets along well with most everyone" — he is "just not a terribly social person," showing the paradoxical combination of high Fe warmth and introverted reclusiveness. Politeness is so second nature to him that he even let enemies rest at a hotel before fighting them.

For a long time I considered Yi an INFJ, reasoning first that Ni-dominance explains his fascination with Earth culture and second that inferior Se explains his detachment from physical reality and indecisiveness. Strong Se-users are generally much more aware and decisive (contrast Yi with Ly, Zarbol, or Zicca), after all. However, Yi's detachment and indecisiveness can be explained reasonably well with an ISFJ typing too. Yi's main interest (guns) is more detail-oriented than I would usually expect from an INFJ, although Harod's gembloom interest is notably similar. Si explains other parts of his personality slightly better than Ni as well, e.g. that his “hobbies” include “[o]rganizing things.” Also, while INFJs and ISFJs both care for others, Yi tries to attend to Zannie’s immediate practical needs, which NFJs (like Zannie) often accidentally ignore.

My most significant reasons to call Yi an ISFJ instead of INFJ are his lack of righteous indignation (e.g. at the gieegs' regime) and his lack of a lofty idealized vision or dream (contrast Harod, Istic, and Penini). If I saw his righteous indignation or lofty vision, then I would consider INFJ probable, but he gets up early and "appreciates getting a good night's sleep" and i can't relate so therefore he can't be my type. /jk

Alright, that was my first Finalysis post! :D I hope that y’all enjoyed it. The charts are far messier than I intended, but I figured that they looked better that way than if I had tried to stuff six ESFJs into a single box on a traditional MBTI chart while leaving three boxes empty. While this post includes about a third of the total characters in my Finalysis so far, I intend to make one of these for every RP/ask blog with CogDis-related characters — so if you have one, then stay tuned!

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ohlvca-blog · 6 years

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INTRODUCING,

» francisco lachowski & twenty-two & cismale.「 after checking isabella’s diary, we saw luca rosario show up many times. apparently, he is a fashion photographer that isabella called her mutual friend. she mentions that they can be compassionate yet naive, and our background check says luca has lived here one month. if we move fast, we might catch them at the photo lab. 」

waddup, peeps ?? this tiny bean goes by the name of rue ( she/her ) and i’ll be playing Soft Boy™, luca rosario. he’s pretty much a new faceclaim for me with an old character’s background. however, francisco has recently become my forever Fave, therefore i’m so excited to have the opportunity to play him !! if you would like to hmu for plots / scream about connections all day long, please give this a LIKE and i’ll come wiggling into your ims ( or discord; find me at justrue#2233 ) shortly after. under the cut, you’ll find a brief summary about luca and his life. also all my wcs are listed over HERE if you wanna check that out as well. can’t wait to start interacting !!

+ disclaimer: very slight talks of cancer and mental health are below. read at your discretion.

LAYER ONE: THE STATS.

NAME. luca leonardo rosario. he was born out of wedlock, so he took his mother’s name at birth even though his father’s surname is polish.

ALIAS. people usually just call him by luca but sometimes luke, luki, or leo make an appearance.

TITLE. over time, he has proudly deemed himself an obsessive pizza addict, artistic nutcase, or one of the missing dead poets society members.

NAME MEANING. his true significance of his name means a bringer of light.

AGE. twenty-two years old.

GENDER IDENTITY. cis-male.

PRONOUNS. he/him.

SEXUAL ORIENTATION. predominately panromantic demisexual. it isn’t so much so that luca is completely disinterested in sex (he’s got a perfectly good libido, thank you very much), he just doesn’t find himself sexually attracted to people based on physical appearance or initial impressions. instead he finds personality, intellect, and existing emotional attachment considerably more compelling. the idea of intimacy with somebody he’s not close with rather repulses him.

CURRENT RESIDENCE. he currently lives in venice, california but he travels quite often for his job, so residency usually fluctuates depending on how long he stays there.

BIRTHPLACE. san paulo, brazil.

NATIONALITY. brazilian.

ETHNICITY. half portuguese and german on mother side, half polish on father side.

RELIGION. he was raised roman catholic but converted to spiritual agnosticism when he was eighteen. he views that universal ethics and love are far more important than claims about any deity and trivialize the arguments supporting or rejecting such claims. to luca, it doesn’t matter which religion someone might follow, nor does it matter whether or not someone believes in God. what matters is what someone does, not what they believe. he has his parents’ full support in his switch even though the rest of his family practices catholism.

SPOKEN LANGUAGES. portuguese (fluent/main), english (fluent/2nd main), french (still learning but can understand it quite well).

EDUCATION. graduated with the bachelor of fine arts in photography and painting at the school of visual arts in nyc.

PROFESSION. he works as a full-time fashion/commercial photographer. meaning, he works with different agencies such as fashion magazines, building, modeling, landscapes, etc. he’s also usually on location and travels a lot for his career.

LAYER TWO: THE STORY.

- so this is my baby boy, luca rosario and i love him sm ?? he usually goes by luca, but on occasion people call him either luke, luki, or leo. but he doesn’t care what people call him as long as it’s kind.

- luca was born in san paulo, brazil to both loving and supportive parents named jeremi and mariana. he lived there until he was six years old when his family moved to maryland because his parents, who are both marine biologists, were relocated for work.

- his parents had him when they were both young, making his parents both twenty-two when he was born.

- luca was also born out of wedlock, so by the time his parents decided to marry two years later, his parents had already made the decision to give him his mother’s maiden name even though his father’s last name is polish.

- growing up, he had and still does, have a great relationship with his parents. with his childhood consisting nothing more than love and devotion from his parents, luca had nothing to complain about. his parents loved him dearly, whose pure heart and open-mindedness they helped to cultivate. they encouraged luca’s belief in extraordinary things and hoped he had carried it throughout his life growing up. his parents had always made him promise to have courage and be kind to others, for—as they explained to him—kindness has power, and that they would see him through all the trials that life could offer, in life and death.

- cancer/mental illness tw: when he was thirteen, his mother had been diagnosed with cervical cancer. upon hearing the news, luca’s whole world clasped. not only was he at a pivotal stage in his life where everything was changing and becoming more stressful ( becoming a teenager, starting high school, going through puberty ), one of the most important people in his life had be claimed by the deadly disease altogether. so many thoughts and feelings were going through his mind at the time, that he ran himself physically sick and had experienced his first panic attack. he has since been medically diagnosed with panic disorder. thankfully the cells on his mother’s cervix were diagnosed at precancerous stage and the doctors were able to treat it because it developed and spread. however, that didn’t and doesn’t stop luca from being in a constantly state of panic every time his mother so much as feels pain or coughs due to irrelevant reasons. the entire year had changed him and his family for a while.

- he has brother, who is three years younger than him, named tomás. his relationship with his brother, however, is a bit estranged. as much as he loves his brother and wishes they could see eye-to-eye, sometimes they have a tendency to butt heads often. whether that might mean your typical sibling arguments or full-on blown out fights, they just can’t seem to see get along. sometimes people believe they aren’t actually related or that they’re half siblings because when his brother was born, he took their father’s last name.

- most people would describe luca as the benevolent. despite being in a world where there’s hatred and suffering, luca declares himself independent and strong-willed by remaining kind-hearted and self-loving, not allowing the bitterness surrounding his life to overtake him and morph him into someone as cruel as the world seems to be every day. he makes the most of his life by remaining optimistic of the possibilities of a brighter future. but besides that, he’s also witty and sarcastic. he is unafraid to stand up for himself when he feels he’s in the right–or at least, attempt to do so. and although he strives to contain his optimism aura, he can fall into fits of frustration and annoyance quite often.

- he’s also super quiet and shy. he loves to make friends but because of his quiet complex, he usually has trouble speaking up and making his voice heard. he tends to become flustered a lot too when he can’t express his emotions; which he has trouble doing anyway when he’s not flustered.

- luca is capable of enduing tremendous hardship. though he may not handle difficulty in the healthiest or best way, often repressing emotion, he mostly like emerges on the other side. he doesn’t know how to express his emotions in a diplomatic way, but rather fumbles it all up and starts to ramble. rarely opens up because of this.

- to put it plan and simple luca is an art ho. he even went to university for it too ( the audacity of it all smh ). luca always loved anything artistic. even when he was little, he would go around with his disposable camera and take pictures of everything and then take to paper to draw of all the things he had taken pictures of as well.

- he’s like a hippie dippy child of the universe. no joke. no seriously, his place at home is full of sensual shit and art. it’s getting out of hand and somebody needs stop him soon.

- he strongly believes that art is an umbrella term that relates to expressing of oneself ( not just through photography and painting ) and that everyone has the freedom to express themselves however they please. because of his beliefs, he chooses to break gender roles like bread and wears whatever the fuck he wants because yolo.

- his appearance pretty much represents his hippie dippy lifestyle with him wearing all sorts of cute hipster shit. he’s clothes are v flow-y but don’t let that fool you. he doesn’t miss the opportunity to represent his upper-middle class within his style, so he does dress to impress, let me tell you ( he’s a fashion ho too ). his hair color changes sometimes too depending on his mood but it’s generally never too eccentric.

- when he turned seventeen, luca decided he wanted to go to college after high school. so he applied to an arts school in new york and graduated at twenty-one with two degrees in photography and painting.

- for about a year after graduating, he took some time to create his own freelance business while also looking for jobs in the commercial and industrial world of photography. about a three months ago, a fashion agency, settled in california, had contacted him about loving the work he had done in his freelance business and offered him a job as their full-time photographer. of course he accepted the job and moved out to venice, california. he’s been there for a whole month and hasn’t looked back since.

- upon hearing the news of isabella souza’s murder and also being a suspect in the case, luca’s kind of been on edge since. granted, he never knew isabella all that well, considering he met her through a mutual friend of theirs about as long as he’s lived in venice and became rather decent friends because of it. but to know someone killed her, freaks him out. he never met someone who has been a victim of a homicide case before and frankly, he doesn’t know how to act since the news broke.

#vb;intro #procrastination at its finest ‣ 「 out of character 」#this is long and unnecessary i'm a mESS.#please love me dfjdkflds.

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scrawnydutchman · 7 years

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Zootopia and it’s Horrible Resolution

*Note: this article contains major Zootopia Spoilers.

Disney is popular. Probably the most obvious opening statement you can make besides the sky is blue. But acknowledging the obvious is important to establish in order to build this case. Disney is not only one of the largest marketing giants in the entertainment industry among the masses if not THE largest, but they are also always incredibly popular among critics and the academy. Not without good reason either; while not every movie they put out is quite the titan of achievement and quality entertainment the critics make them out to be (in my opinion at least) they still have very beautiful, incredibly performed, just overall very charming flicks for the whole family. Zootopia is a great example of a Disney film that still receives ceaseless praise to this day; receiving near 100 percent scores on Rotten Tomatoes upon release and going on to win the academy award for best animated feature in 2016. It’s also received more then it’s fair share of cringey fan art, but to be fair it’s premise practically lends itself to this kind of stuff.

*in all fairness this is beautifully drawn and coloured even if the idea itself is unsettling*

For the record I quite like this movie too: it’s got beautiful and diverse scenery, a compelling premise with an enticing plot, great leads that play off each other seamlessly and it all comes together to make a genuinely charming and cool romp that’s really got an adult edge in comparison to other Disney films (I can’t imagine most kids getting the “tax-evasion” humor of this film).

But there is one thing about this movie that makes me feel ultimately very bitter sweet about the whole experience. A factor that is frankly so bad and baffling to me that it honestly turned me off to the whole thing as soon as I saw it. The resolution. More specifically, the way in which officer Judy Hopps finds out what’s really going on after discovering where all the savage predators were being kept and makes a presumptuous as hell conclusion about it.

Let’s back up a bit: The first 2 3rds of this movie is a buddy cop crime thriller for children. Something is causing a series of predator citizens to suddenly disappear and it’s up to officer Judy Hopps to figure it out by following the necessary clues alongside sly con-artist Nick Wilde. Every clue leads them to a new environment, every environment leads to a wacky new character, every wacky character has some new but vague information as to where all of these predators are going and it’s up to Nick and Judy to use their detective skills to figure it all out. So this film is establishing very early on that paying attention to clues right in front of you is very important, as it should if it wants to be a compelling mystery story. A good mystery spoonfeeds both the leads and the audience just enough information to let them know ahead of time who is responsible and the fun for the audience is guessing right along side the lead and seeing if they get it right. Which is why the absolute worst thing you can do is pull unknowable information out of your ass at the last minute and use that as your resolution. Remember this.

Eventually Judy and Nick find the other predators, arrest mayor Lionheart without heeding his warnings, and then when making an official statement about the case Judy single handedly ruins the reputation of every Pred in town by stating a mere theory she has as irrefutable fact, despite the fact that she can’t actually prove a biological component is causing the Preds to go savage. Granted, that’s a very viable theory that doesn’t deserve to be brushed off, but you can’t just jump to a conclusion like that without asking further questions. Why are predators turning savage now of all times? Why all at once instead of incidents spread further apart chronologically? If it’s a biological component it’s a pretty convenient as hell biological component to just be coming up this often by shear coincidence. Judy is a cop. She should know this better then anyone. And I know what you’re thinking: It’s a kids movie. Don’t you think you’re reading into it way too much and asking questions children would never ask? Except as previously stated the first 2/3rds of the film are all about gathering case notes, putting together evidence, thinking outside the box, using what you know as a means to come to a more solid conclusion and not assuming ANYTHING. If a movie for any demographic is going to have a set up like this then the payoff better be consistent.

But nope. Everybody accepts that baseless allegation as fact. Society begins to demonize innocent preds, the fat cheetah guy loses his job, Nick walks out on Judy in frustration and Judy quits the force because she feels bad about creating a situation she should have had the professionalism to avoid. Just a quick note: I know another major point of this movie is to make a statement about social justice and prejudice, but they did not have to go this route in order to maintain this aspect. You’ll see how when I get there.

So Judy goes back to the farm and mopes and dopes and has completely given up. She has no more ambition; no more drive to be the cop she wanted to be or to prove herself in the force. Miss Bellweather would have gotten everything she ever wanted with no hassle . . . if not for Judy’s childhood bully popping up randomly and nonchalantly giving Judy the final piece of the puzzle; Night-Howlers. An organic narcotic that causes it’s consumer to “go savage”, thus the Preds were being drugged the whole time.

Sigh . . . this is my major problem with the movie. This is the moment that makes the whole thing fall apart for me, the thing that made me exclaim “OH COME ON!” as I was watching it.

1. Judy grew up on her parents farm and in the same area as her bully. How in the holy hell has she NEVER heard of Night-Howlers before??? She made a baseless allegation not once considering that they might have been drugged by a COMMONLY KNOWN NARCOTIC INFAMOUS FOR CAUSING ANIMALS TO GET VIOLENT??

2. This whole movie is about Judy’s journey to fulfill her dream of being a cop and proving to a doubting society that bunnies can be a force of protection too. She demonstrates her competence the whole way through the movie and works hard to get in the position she’s in, gives up . . and then is rewarded for giving up. Anybody else see the issue here? She apparently would have never figured this out without stooping to her lowest point. She didn’t suddenly find the will to fix everything; she didn’t pick herself up or get inspired to figure something out by her parents or her bully. The magical answer to all of her problems just landed on her lap with no prompt or sacrifice on her part. A deus ex machina is pretty well always a bad thing in a movie but it is ESPECIALLY bad for a film where the whole point is demonstrating the characters agency and their own capacity to make their situation work.

3, and most importantly, this defeats the ENTIRE PURPOSE OF A MYSTERY STORY. Like I said, a mystery is supposed to have it’s resolution be possible to anticipate to the audience early on, because a huge part of the satisfaction is for the audience to be correct in who they think is the culprit. But this resolution was impossible to foresee. Nothing about the movie prior to this scene suggested it might be something from Judy’s past. The information laid out to you could never have given you enough for your prediction to be right. Some may argue that it’s good to challenge audiences expectations with a twist they may not have considered, which I can agree on, but if you’re going to do a twist in a mystery story you should do it in a way where the audience can look back on all the information they gathered up to that point and think “Oh, that’s how it connects”. But this resolution doesn’t do that.

I hate this resolution. It practically ruined the whole movie for me and it fails on so many levels. It rewards a character for giving up when their victory is supposed to be built on their hard work, it’s a deus ex machina that just resolves everything magically and with no effort put in by any of the characters and it defeats the purpose of a mystery entirely.

But that just leaves one question: How can you make it better? I’ve got the answer.

Have Judy state in the conference that she cannot confirm nor deny any given theories as to why the predators might be getting violent at this time, but she DOES share the theory that it could be a biological component not knowing the ramifications of saying so. The media takes her completely out of context, Nick gets upset with her and leaves. Judy feels an intense obligation to fix her mistake but the police department has closed the case as they cannot find any trace of evidence disproving Judy’s theory. Judy gets fed up with the force and resigns, but still tries to figure out for herself what’s going on. She goes on for days trying to find any lead she can but comes up empty handed. Depressed, she decides to visit Mr and Mrs. Otterton, as the Mr. is still savage and the Mrs. is still grieving. On her way out, Judy notices that Mr. Otterton has a small blue stain on his clothes. Curious, she decides to do some research on possible blue narcotics that may cause an animal to have violent tendencies and finds out about Night-Howlers. She pieces it all together, goes to Nick to have that emotional scene under the bridge and the movie goes on like it already does after that (because the rest of it is fine).

This turn of events would have resolved all of the issues I had with this scene. Judy would have still maintained her ambition, the discovery of the real cause would have been based on her own inquisitiveness and at no point does it compromise the social justice message. Mystery movie is maintained as a mystery.

Now, as upsetting as this resolution is to me I can’t stress enough that there’s a lot about this movie that I like. The animation, voice acting, plot progression (up till that scene),comedy, drama, setting design, character design, it’s all masterful and a natural choice for the best animated feature award. But this just goes to show how much a single scene can impact how you view a film.

#zootopia #disney #animation #film #review #film review #editorial #critique #judy hopps #nick wilde

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