#she's on an absolutely different level

[tutterypuff]

tbh though if you look at the older episodes, Betty was always like absolutely 100% fully and irrevocably unhinged, and her going insane was barely a departure from the status quo at all

like this woman is and always was nuts, and I think it's for everyone's benefit that they're both equally obsessed with each other, because that means nobody else ever has to get involved with their fucked up dynamic

I think it's less that she put her life on hold for Simon's benefit, but that she's a scary lady who knows exactly what she wants, and what she wants is a relationship with a nice autistic guy who's really into femdom

#simon petrikov #betty grof #fionna and cake #adventure time #and she's valid for it #like remember that time she jumped through a random time portal to 1000 years in the future and entered a magical world #and then shoved half dead simon off of a magic carpet literal seconds after hearing the thing that removed his powers #and went there and fucking murdered the entity that was doing it less than fifteen seconds after showing up #this woman is fucking deranged #that's not codependency #that's something else entirely #she's on an absolutely different level #she doesn't need him but she wants him and he needs her and honestly that's fine #they both have something therapy cannot fix #nobody should even be permitted to try #like they need to be isolated with each other forever #I hazard to say that she would straight up be doing yandere shit if Simon were even fractionally less into her

[moonpaw]

people who actually believe that theory that usopp will die to prove he's a brave warrior of the sea is so ridiculous when oda can't even kill a giant who was in a flashback 22 years ago

#one piece #one piece spoilers #one piece 1066 #egghead spoilers #if it wasnt for the fact that ace's fruit respawned i wouldve doubted all this time he was probably still alive even with a hole in his #chest #wano was kinda different but even then the characters that died were like. side ones and not as impactful #and even when they did my reaction was so delayed because i was sitting there like: ok so when does he get back up i know he's gonna #then the graves are shown and i was just like ''ohhhh you were serious. they actually died oops'' #theres absolutely no way oda would kill a STRAWHAT #a main character #and for sure not usopp who has the best character development in the entire series lmao #i would say usopp's dream already came true but i think it will for sure when he goes to elbaf #that's been his goal his little garden and i cant wait for him to see it #but yeah this is a happy little pirate anime and as luffy keeps saying #he can't become the pirate king without his whole crew #ok maybe saul isnt a good example here when he's gonna be important/already is important #but i can list so many others: lolas dad; bon clay; that mudman's brother and crew; enel?? literally?? shouldve DROWNED? #kalifa by all means SHOULD be dead at the bottom of the waterfall but i think that was just an oversight by oda #(she was on the upper level of the tower of justice when it fell0 #who else. i know theres more #you get it though

[tritoch]

the damsel and the hero: some thoughts on minfilia and elidibus

I get why many people have (understandable, justified, legitimate) gripes to this day about how Minfilia was handled, but I think you don't have to change anything about how she's presented in game to arrive at a reading that lets her feel like more than a sacrificial victim. Within the game as it exists, Minfilia is already a rich and layered heroic character. She is not a damsel or a tragic hero but a victorious figure whose very exit from the narrative affirmed her own ideals, and she controlled her own destiny to the end. All you have to do to see this more clearly is read her against one of her underexamined foils: Elidibus.

Spoilers through the end of Pandemonium (6.4) below.

After 5.3 dropped, the devs mentioned that because they basically had to develop and pay off Elidibus in the space of a patch or two, they drew conscious parallels between him and other characters. The game highlights the G'raha parallels in the scene just before Seat of Sacrifice. There's also the parallels to Alphinaud that people have noticed in both the broad strokes of their characterization (idealistic short kings who believe in the power of rhetoric and diplomacy to achieve true and lasting understanding between people, whose mission to save the world is forever held in balance with their duty to save those they love) and in specific lines of dialogue.

But a far more direct narrative parallel than either character is Minfilia. Like Elidibus and Zodiark, Minfilia offered herself to Hydaelyn, serving as the Word of the Mother, only to be called forth once more when an intractable conflict between her allies threatened the stability of the world. Both were messianic young figures who nonetheless lead their older allies by both example and command. Both, seeing an opportunity to save not just their close friends but everyone, offered themselves up to a higher power in an act not of desperation but of deliberate will. You can even poetically gloss both Antecedent and Emissary as "The One That Goes Before."

The difference between the two of them is that at every turn, where Elidibus failed, Minfilia succeeded.

Elidibus returned to broker peace between the Hydaelyn faction and the Convocation. He failed, and the result was the Sundering. Minfilia, entreated by Urianger, came back to resolve the conflict between the Warriors of Darkness (Hydaelyn's champions and Warriors of Light themselves) and the Scions, and succeeded in saving two worlds by her actions.

But more than that, Elidibus provided us a picture of what it actually looks like to lose your identity to a primal like Zodiark. He'd lived a thousand thousand lifetimes as himself and he was so broken he could scarcely remember anything more than his name and his duty. He is one of the most explicitly tragic figures in all of FFXIV, and his final sendoff in 5.3 was an image of him plagued by unanswerable grief, which for him was a consequence of his failure: "The rains have ceased, and we have been graced with another beautiful day. But you are not here to see it."

Meanwhile, in the preceding expansion, you actually had the chance to spend multiple scenes with Minfilia and they're all extremely clear: unlike Ardbert or Elidibus, after 100 years this was still Minfilia, she remained resolute in her mission to see the First saved, but she had not forgotten the woman she was or the people she loved. In both 3.4 and 5.0, she went out as herself, head held high.

Speaking to the Warrior of Light before she departs for the First: "So many times have I watched you depart, my heart filled with worry, and ever did you return to me in triumph. Someday, when I have found a way to free this star from Her sorrow, I promise you I shall repay the favor."

Her final words to Ryne: "No one, however powerful, is immune to the whisperings of doubt and despair. Do not give in to them, but do not deny them either. Look instead to the light within, that you may continue to serve as a beacon to others."

In both instances, we were given a Minfilia who had not merely accepted her fate, but who had chosen it of her own volition and rose confidently to meet it, even imparting to her successor some final hard-won words of wisdom. And unlike Elidibus, she met her friends again at duty's end; they live, and they are happy, and she is content. She's already heroic, but the contrast to Elidibus (and Ardbert, and Emet) underlines the extent to which we should see her as extraordinarily driven, self-possessed and ultimately victorious on her own terms.

And in making the connection between Elidibus and Minfilia, we can begin to let Elidibus's characterization inform hers in retrospect.

Elidibus as we see him in 5.3 and earlier more specifically paralleled Minfilia as the Word of the Mother. Prior to that point in her arc, Minfilia's parallel was Themis, the pre-Zodiark Elidibus we glimpse briefly in the 5.3 Echo flashbacks and would only meet properly an expansion later in Pandemonium. The important thing about Themis for our purposes is that he was not some naive or too-young figurehead tricked into serving as Zodiark's Emissary. This was not a Crystal Braves situation for him. In Pandemonium, you can see how the kind of man Themis was very clearly lead to him choosing to be offered up to Zodiark. He took seriously the principles and duties of the Convocation. He valued dearly the lives of all people generally and his friends and comrades in particular, but held those truths in balance rather than prizing one. He was rational, clear-sighted, and decisive.

All of these, obviously, were true of Minfilia. And unlike Elidibus, whose ascension into Zodiark was forever somewhat obscured by the narrative, we were quite close to Minfilia before she became the Word of the Mother. We were quite familiar with her grief and guilt over surviving where Louisoix did not, her fear that she could neither fill his shoes as a leader nor serve in action as others did. She confided in us about the difficulty of her task in serving as the pillar of strength and guiding light for the rest of the Scions. She despaired alongside the player character at both the death of Moenbryda and the disastrous events of the Banquet. We know what she believed, what she valued, what she feared, what frustrated her. When she chose to depart for the First, it paid off very directly everything else the game has said about her through 3.4. Her arc was one of trepidation and doubt, and it ended in her ultimate victory and an astonishingly clean win that compromises none of her values.

Both Urianger and some fans raised the question of whether it was wrong for Urianger to ever offer her the choice of sacrificing herself for the First at all. Minfilia, for her part, got a chance to speak to this directly: "Have we not walked together in the light of the Crystal, and at Her bidding borne witness to the joys and sorrows of this land? Each and every one of you knows my heart. If this be the price I must pay, I pay it gladly." It did not matter whether she was given this particular decision or not. You could have offered her this dilemma in a thousand different permutations in a thousand thousand different scenarios. This was the choice she made. This was her choice, forever and always: to save everyone she can, in honor of those she loves.

Candidly, I understand critiques of Minfilia's writing far better than any praise it could ever receive. Nothing I've written above answers the clear and obvious truths that she is underwritten, that she does not get much to do or much screentime for a putatively important character, that it is very easy and common to read her death as a fridging, that she is unfairly dismissed by many due to her role in the narrative and the way she leaves it. Her sacrifice plays into specific gendered tropes that are disappointingly common to see. Those things all remain true.

But I think as we remember those things we should also keep in mind that she does still get a complete arc that is interesting and thematically rich in itself, and which puts her in some senses on the same level in the narrative as characters like Elidibus, Emet-Selch, and Ardbert.

Her sacrifice continues to inform the game. Her literal ghost returns to affirm the truth and value of her beliefs and the choices she made. Her guiding words ("For those we have lost, for those we can yet save") remain a mantra not just for the Scions but specifically for the player character. They are not an empty slogan. The phrase succinctly conveys an ideal of all-encompassing humanism and compassion arising from grief. The ideal those words represent is one of many organizing principles and responses to grief that the game examines (because a lot of FFXIV is about grief and how we respond to tragedy and change), it is Minfilia who develops and articulates it, and it is the one the heroes continue to align themselves with. It is the same principle that leads her to the First, and G'raha, and us too. It is Minfilia's ideals--Minfilia's heroism--which continue to serve as the model to which the Warrior of Light aspires, in the game's text.

Truthfully, my gripe is this. I think it is very easy to imagine a male Minfilia--same lines, same screentime, same blocking, same ass cut-out--appearing in place of the Minfilia we have. And I feel quite sincerely, and quite frustratedly, that if we had Malefilia, both the fans and detractors of that character would ascribe to him more thoughtfulness and more thematic depth than the Minfilia we already have, even though their lines would be exactly the same. We are so ready to see the damsel we expect in Minfilia that we are unwilling to see her as the hero she is in the text, and my hope is that by holding her up to her mirror, Elidibus, we may see her as a rich character in her own right all the more clearly.

#minfilia #ffxiv #elidibus #and notice that i didn't have to mention the gunbreaker once! #it's kind of interesting actually; she's absolutely crucial to his arc and he's not at all critical to hers #I don't think that means she got fridged for him necessarily i just think they draw on different archetypes and have different arcs #louisoix is ultimately more important to minfilia's growth and feelings of guilt than thancred ever is #in some ways i feel how i do about minfilia how i do about ardbert #would i have liked more time and fan attention on them? sure #they both could be emet or g'raha levels of popular the bones are all there for that kind of popularity #but instead they both have really thematically resonant arcs that the game won't fuck around with anymore. that's worth a lot!

[wonder-worker]

I've been thinking about the tragedy of Elizabeth Woodville living to see the death of her family name.

I don't mean her family with her husband, which lived on through her daughter and grandson. I mean her own.

Her sisters died, one by one, many of them after 1485. When Elizabeth died, only Katherine was left, and she would die before the turn of the century as well.

All her brothers died, too. Lewis died in childhood. John was executed. Anthony was murdered. Lionel died suddenly in the peak of Richard's reign, unable to see his niece become queen. Edward perished at war. Richard died in grieving peace. For all the violence and judgement the family endured, it was "an accident of biology" that ended their line: none of the brothers left heirs, and the Woodville name was extinguished. We know the family was aware of this. We know they mourned it, too:

“Buy a bell to be a tenor at Grafton to the bells now there, for a remembrance of the last of my blood.”

Elizabeth lived through the deposition and death of her young sons, and lived to see the end of her own family name. It must have been such a haunting loss, on both sides.

#(the quote is by Richard Woodville in his deathbed will; he was the last of the Woodville brothers to die) #elizabeth woodville #woodvilles #my post #to be clear I am not arguing that the death of an English gentry family name is some kind of giant tragedy (it absolutely the fuck is not) #I'm trying to put it into perspective with regards to what Elizabeth may have felt because we know her family DID feel this way #writing this kinda reminded me of how I am just not fond at all about the way Elizabeth's experiences in 1483-85 are written about #and the way lots so many of the unprecedentedly horrifying aspects are overlooked or treated so casually: #the seizure and murder of two MINOR sons and the illegal execution of another; #her sheer vulnerability in every way compared to all her queenly predecessors; how she was harassed by 'dire threats' for months; #how she had 5 very young daughters with her to look after at the time (Bridget and Katherine were literally 3 and 4 years old); #how unprecedented Richard's treatment of her was: EW was the first queen of england to be officially declared an adulteress; #and the first and ONLY queen to be officially accused of witchcraft #(Joan of Navarre was accused of her treason; she was never explicitly accused of witchcraft on an official level like EW was) #the first crowned queen of england to have her marriage annulled; and the first queen to have her children officially bastardized #what former queens endured through rumors* were turned into horrifying realities for her. #(I'm not trying to downplay the nightmare of that but this was fundamentally on a different level altogether) #nor did Elizabeth get a trial or appeal to the church. like I cannot emphasize this enough: this was not normal for queens #and not normal for depositions. ultimately what Richard did *was* unprecedented #and of course let's not forget that Elizabeth had literally just been unexpectedly widowed like 20 days before everything happened #I really don't feel like any of this is emphasized as much as it should be? #apart from the horrifying death of her sons - but most modern books never call it murder they just write that they 'disappeared' #and emphasize that ACTUALLY we don't know what happened to them (this includes Arlene Okerlund) #rather than allowing her to have that grief (at the very least) #more time is spent dealing with accusations that she was a heartless bitch or inconsistent intriguer for making a deal with Richard instead #it also feels like a waste because there's a lot that can be analyzed about queenship and R3's usurpation if this is ever explored properly #anyway - it's kinda sad that even after Henry won and her daughter became queen EW didn't really get a break #her family kept dying one by one and the Woodville name was extinguished. and she lived to see it #it's kinda heartbreaking - it was such a dramatic rise and such a slow haunting fall #makes for a great story tho

[polysyndetonaddictsupportgroup]

Hi, I was just rereading today, and I still think it's hilarious how Tsumiki handles Megumi’s divine dogs😭😂

Nanami, highly experienced grade one sorcerer: *appropriately assessing the risks of shikigami in a highly aggressive attack mode whose sorcerer is not coherent enough to order them down properly, trying to find a solution that prevents injury without necessitating the destruction of the shikigami*

Tsumiki, has a decade of being secretly smug that her brother’s shikigami love her best under her belt, ready to bank it all on the fact that her brother’s dogs are Good Boys: nanami would you move your ass

#makis spent her entire life listening to her family never shut up about the ten shadows shikigami #had one try to rip her fucking throat out #only to have everything she thought she knew turned on her head by some rando high schooler who thinks of them as her baby brothers puppies #the Zenin: the divine dogs are ancient and deadly weapons revered by our clan #tsumiki comes home every day and asks her brother to summon them so she can give them belly rubs: they’re good boys is what they are #Shiro: *absolutely rabid levels of aggression against everyone* #tsumiki: :( #Shiro: *sad puppy mode* #sea glass gardens #next chapter still almost done just on brief hold due to work being crazy #when tsumiki was growing up kuro and Shiro was just megumis invisible puppies who walked them home from school and kept them safe #she has suchhh a different frame of reference for them #she remembers a time where she didn’t even know if they were real but she knew that they made her brother happy and that he loved them #so she loved them too #tsumiki was a scared little girl all on her own who’s brother was suddenly seeing horrible monsters but he also had his puppies to protect #them. she’s always adored kuro and Shiro because she views them as megumis protectors and companions

[theywontletmebeprincipal]

so insane that this ep had a villain who wanted to literally blend the bodies of her n her crush together into some kind of terrible marriage chimera n she somehow came off as the more normal one

#ok yes. objectively I know that’s way crazier than going a bit silly living alone for a century. that’s something absolutely anyone would do #n even in normal ooo pb’s bullshit is on a whole different level than ice king’s #but it’s the masking it I think. like candy queen is very upfront about what she wants #even if what she wants is romantic murder suicide #winter king is hidden behind such a fantastical facade that his goal of ‘stay sane no matter the cost’ is to me at least #infinitely more unhinged than whatever candy queen is up to #sanders bullshit #adventure time #fiona and cake #fiona and cake spoilers

[a-wins-a-win]

unpopular opinion?? maybe?

Matt & Ivy have a really interesting dynamic!! both pre- and post-canon!! with or without romantic undertones!! either reciprocal or one-sided!!

and obviously it has to be handled with a particular level of care/respect BUT I think if we allowed them enough grace there is space to explore a really interesting possibility for that relationship.

#obviously Matt is not ENTITLED to Ivy - im absolutely not saying that at all #and he definitely did a lot of things extremely wrong and Ivy doesn’t HAVE to forgive him - she doesn't even have to *like* him #and in many stagings she actually doesn’t at all! even pre-canon she isn't into him on a *platonic* level - which i love for her #but I also think that - misguided & clumsy about it though he was - Matt is genuinely trying his best to see her as a person. #an idealized version of a person yes. but a person nonetheless. #which is what Ivy wants from Jason (and tbf he sees her as a person also but it’s an obviously different situation) #and while you can't force romantic compatibility (that was like. the whole point.) in some versions of the show they're not-quite-dating #- in varying types of “situationship” with varying levels of commitment. so it's not insane to me to say hey #maybe they need time to stabilize themselves and figure out who they are again after the events of the show. but maybe a couple years - #- down the line they reconnect and they're both in a better place & maybe this time it can all work out. #idk I think I just see a lot of people write it off entirely - and they’re well within their rights to do so don’t get me wrong #but I don’t think it’s fair necessarily to put them in the ‘doomed to fail’ category #wow okay I care about them as a pair more than I realised #tldr; give Matt & Ivy and their relationship dynamic the grace + complexity they deserve #mouse talks bapo #bare a pop opera #Ivy Robinson #Matt Lloyd #[as a side note - sometimes I think about queer Matt & transmasc Ivy & the interesting concept of their potential boyfriendism]

[disquietiswhatitis]

…

…

…

*sighs*

I’m not proud of this…

Supercorp Pop Star/Famous Athlete AU when

*runs away*

#idk if they’re a real couple and it’s none of my business #could all be a PR stunt for all I know and it’d have no impact on my life whatsoever #but the vibe/general trope potential popped off and I recognize that #like take all that and make it gay? game over #lena has a famous musician with terrible luck romantically #Kara as a confident jock with that fashion sense and a sibling who plays the same sport at the same level #Eliza being the national treasure who had to see her daughters compete against each other for the championship #Alex could absolutely be the wholesome family athlete whose beloved by all even though her city is not #Kara shooting her shot at a concert with a friendship bracelet with her number on it #and it somehow works when Kara isn’t Lena’s type at all #so they talk for weeks before Lena goes to Kara’s game with HER MOTHER #Kara beaming when she sees Lena in her suite at the same stadium where she first saw her performing? #Lena who has never been into sports cheering Let’s Fucking Go watching Kara score points? #Lena buying out a restaurant for Kara her teammates and their WAGs so they can spend time without the public/press around #the HEIGHT DIFFERENCE…please tell me I’m not the only one who sees it #lena luthor #supercorp #kara danvers #supergirl

[littleragondin]

And a huge THANK YOU to Joey for finally raising the question that b e g g e d to be asked.

#I mean please #Mint and Aun are basically the same product in different color #and don't get me wrong I don't mind - even think it is kind of interesting #especially in the way Mint seem to absolutely refuses to admit #even to herself #how alike they are in their pursuits #but I guess it was due time that someone had her face her mirror a little #(even if she still seems to refuse to look) #(on another note: what is Joey's deal with Aun - where does that level of loyalty comes from I'm dying to know) #609 bedtime story

[jibunwo]

the phill and myeol vs faneolli and ajin parallel is insane. i am thinking about it….

#like. fanneoli made ajin leave so that she could become what she called a ‘natural disaster’ and have no emotional attachments but phill wa #already like that BEFORE he met myeol and even though he knows listening to myeol is making him softer but his solution is to just try to #manipulate myeol even harder which. isnt working. and thats in no small part because he cannot bring himself to fully commit! hes doing thi #balancing act of trying to maintain himself as he is but whenever he spends time with myeol he absolutely cannot help opening up to him. an #he doesnt have the same level of self awareness that fanneoli did so he hasnt realized that myeol will change him no matter what and the #only way he can possibly stop it is by removing myeol from his life permanently. and well the method he would have to use for that is very #different from what fanneoli did with ajin. so im looking forward to when he figures that out ^_^ #mine #immortal days

[starsarebleeding]

#1 1 2 3 5 8 #otp of all otps ever #theyre JUST!!!!! so!!!!! much!!!!!!!!!!!! what are you gonna DO!!!! #YALE brats JESUS #like i cannot express how much i would hhhhhaaaaaaateeeeee these two if they were real life humans oh my god #but the fact that they are so absolutely rich and elite and awful is like my favourite thing about them rn lmao #and look at how little she is in comparison to him but just fierce as fuck #their height and size difference KKKKIIILLLLLLLLLLS ME #look at the difference between their shoulders 😭 rei has a long neck lol #like he can just scoop her UP #firecracking and all #like sitting on his lap i think shed be right at eye level which is just so fucking hot i cant

[badolmen]

Controversial opinion but the original Despicable Me movie is almost as good as Megamind. Only the soundtrack could be better I’m not lying.

#ra speaks #personal #despicable me #megamind #the minions weren’t even gimmick-ified then they were just funky yellow henchmen. I’m sorry the sequels ruined the whole shebang for you but #that first film is a banger and just needed better music to put it on the same level as megamind #don’t try and put these two bad bitches against each other you know megamind and roxanne watch the girls when gru has work. #minion absolutely gives agnes horrifying monster fish plushies that she adores. #megamind gives edith so many weapons (and appropriate safety training. not that it makes a difference) #Margo and Roxanne would vibe I think Margo would be inspired to take up journalism :)

[blujayonthewing]

channeling High School Jay for for juniper vibes comes in clutch once again with the realization that I can get more of the astarion conversation outcomes I want by virtue of his being more conversationally forceful than she really knows how to push back against

#juniper would ABSOLUTELY be peer pressured into picking a friend she'd want to bite by a very forward man who makes her uncomfortable #she doesn't want to be having this conversation but doesn't know how else to remove herself from it #but for ME THE PLAYER approval is approval babey astarion's computer brain can't tell the difference lmao #'which way would you want me to murder you 😏 ' whichever way will make you happy so I can leave this conversation 😰 #juniper HAS more of a spine than she thinks but it's easier to stand up for yourself when it's against something specific you're opposing #'I feel uncomfortable right now' is nebulous and trickier to address and she has anxiety and a lot of self doubt :') #anyway I love astarion lol I'm glad I can loophole my way to interacting with him more #and juniper DOES feel sincere compassion for him and wants to help him because of course she does #but it'd be fun to play through as someone more willing to properly yes-and and banter with him on his own level #about me #my OCs #juniper #bg3

[fortes-fortuna-iogurtum]

I was just about to make a post that said something like 'Eliza Scarlet and Inspector Wellington wish they had what Bobby Jones and Lady Frances Derwent have,' but the truth is they still have a looooonnnggg ways to go before they're actually to the point of actively desiring to work as an effective a team, instead of turning very single one of their interactions into either a competition or an opportunity to pointlessly take offense at the other (and most often, both at once).

#miss scarlet and the duke #why didn't they ask evans? #i've finally figured out my biggest problem with this show-- #I genuinely want to see Eliza and William reach this level of teamwork and character development #bc on the rare instances where they put their differences and respective agendas and opposing worldviews aside #and actually //work together// as a //team// #they are AMAZING at it #and I WANT them to fall into this naturally!! I WANT to see them grow to respect each other and learn to work together even when they don't #always agree with one another!! #they're both so fixated on always being RIGHT and always WINNING that it's like they have absolutely no idea how to selflessly put their #own agendas aside just for //once// to accept a show of concern for the other's well-being #(Eliza snarking back at William every time he asks if she's ok in this episode) #or a clumsy attempt at showing how much they actually //do// care for and value the other person's place in their life #(William accusing Eliza of trying to humiliate him when she suggested he work for her instead of transferring last season) #but the truth is--I simply do not trust these writers enough to believe that they will give us that sort of development and growth #because this is the 3rd season and we've gotten... pretty much nowhere :') #sure they're closer than they were. if I didn't know better I'd almost say something significant has happened between them #in the gap between seasons #bc they're a lot more touchy and prone to invade one another's personal space this season than they have been before #there's a new level of chemistry between them I've never noticed in the previous two seasons #and yeah I think they're both unspokenly aware of both their own feelings and each other's #but... they still have SO much growing to do before they'll be the kind of team they COULD be #and sadly I'm not sure if that will ever happen :P #gurt says stuff #rambling

[dandelion-wings]

jean has less mom or babysitter energy and more like. assistant teacher vibes. if she was better rested she’d seem like a junior high teacher but she’s a bit too harried and exhausted to be anyone who works with high schoolers. she spends all day wrangling 5-12 year olds then goes home to pass out

I think those are her vibes in general, yes! XD It's a good way of putting it. She just... definitely does not have mom vibes with Klee, specifically (or if so not a good mom), because honestly she does not do much teaching or development with Klee, she just supervises and punishes. Which I've mentioned before I don't think is her fault, per se, in that she never asked to have such a precocious and potentially dangerous kid dropped on her and she's trying to manage the Knights and a city that seems to over-rely on her as her first priorities, which makes sense as those two are actually her job, and Klee ends up being an afterthought. (I tend to assume that either Alice dropped Klee on the KoF while Varka was still around, or Alice frankly does not care about the individual Knights and whether they're suitable for this as long as Klee has fun and learns some things--if she's a long-lived and very powerful sorceress, it's very plausible that her views on regular humans are pretty wonky!)

#asked and answered #i have a lot of feelings about klee getting put in solitary over and over again #even though it's clearly not helpful and even counterproductive #(since she builds explosives in there) #it's a bad call and it's not fixing anything #and i can absolutely see how jean (overloaded and exhausted) keeps doing it #she doesn't have the time or energy to figure out anything better #but it's... not good parenting. or supervision. or whatever #it's not a great situation for anyone! #the knights don't have the manpower in general to handle a kid at klee's danger level #her vision and the threat her bombs pose very specifically make this a lot harder for everyone #if she was an unarmed eight-year-old-equivalent it would be very different i think #but if she was an unarmed eight-year-old-equivalent the knights could find her a regular babysitter XD

[a-wins-a-win]

ivy robinson is the prettiest boy and I mean that unironically in a gendered way

#what if I told you he was a gay trans man? what then? #she isn’t aware of it in most universes but I just. i know it in my soul #like I am fully aware that so much of Ivy’s story in inextricably related to her female-ness & her girl-ness by extension #(sex & gender as different concepts from where we stand. within the canon they're pretty interlinked but you get me) #and absolutely i don't mean to malign or detract from or ignore the significance of that within the bapo canon - not at all #and obviously ivy is an interesting and compelling and complex character in the way she exists in canon as a cis girl! #but like. just for fun. he is transmasc to me #sometimes he knows/realises this. sometimes he doesn't. #bare a pop opera #mouse talks bapo #Ivy Robinson #transmasc ivy robinson #i actually have many thoughts on this that may warrant an Actual Post but for now im rambling in the tags #for context I was thinking about bapo at work (as I am prone to do) and was struck by the concept of Ivy being right about her relationship #with/attraction to Jason being something more special (for lack of a better word) - on a deeply subconscious level she feels as though she #*belongs* with a boy Like Jason (read; a gay man) because on this subconscious level she knows she too is a gay man #[ask me to elaborate on the femaleness vs girlness aspect of it as it relates to Ivy and I will btw! I think it’s an interesting concept]