Steadytrashpastacash - Untitled - Tumblr Blog

(via Gridllr)

Do you mind expending on your headcanon of Azula being fundamentally a good person?

It's a new perspective I hadn't considered yet.

The thing with Azula is that the perspective of her as a bad person is largely a result of protagonist-centered morality. From the perspective of the Gaang she’s a villain, and therefor she’s presented to the audience as a bad person.

Except if you stop viewing her as The Antagonist, and instead just view her as a teenager raised in an environment of extreme propaganda and parental abuse, she stops being a villain and starts being a person trying her best to do the right thing. She just has been raised with a warped idea of what “the right thing” is. 

She believes that serving the Fire Lord, and by extension the Fire Nation, is fundamentally moral. She’s a dyed-in-the-wool patriot. We as the audience know that the Fire Nation is on the wrong side of this conflict, but then people take that a step further and decide that any actions taken in support of the Fire Nation are wrong (at least, when Azula does them). 

But if you reject the idea that supporting the Fire Nation means someone must be fundamentally evil (which is necessary to accept the redemption of Iroh and Zuko) then there really isn’t a whole lot of reason to think Azula is a bad person. She fights the Gaang, but it’s a war and they’re the enemy. She conquers Ba Sing Se, but it’s a war and she does it without bloodshed. She almost kills Aang, but it’s a war and he’s a walking WMD on a mission to kill her father. 

Azula can certainly be mean, but so can Zuko, and nobody suggests that he’s fundamentally a terrible person. There’s absolutely no reason to think Azula wouldn’t change her behavior if given the kind of mentorship that Zuko got.  

And none of this even gets into the fact that she’s raised by an abusive father, or the psychological impacts of being a child soldier, both of which make it even harder to look at Azula’s actions and conclude that she’s fundamentally a bad person. Not to mention the huge issue with declaring a fourteen-year-old to be irredeemably evil. Nobody is finished developing and maturing at age fourteen. If Iroh can have a redemption as a fully-grown adult and former warmongering general, then surely we can accept that a kid is capable of growth.

 via  Gridllr.com  —  Likes well done!

I agree with the parallels between tenko and eri but I remain resolute that Tenko is long gone and can't be saved at this point. If he was taken in by someone whom did properly teach him right from wrong as a child yes but Shigaraki is an adult that was raised to seek nothing but destruction and has committed many many murders at this point. People seem to ignore the fact that person might not want to be saved. 1/2

Eri is a child with very little agency of her own, but Shigaraki is an adult who can make conscious decisions of his own. I think either deku will save shigaraki by putting him out of his misery or shigaraki will show deku that he cant save everyone 2/2

Thank you for sending me this ask anon! Once again you’re free to have your own opinions, I just hope you’ll join me for a discusssion of ideas. 

Let’s choose to focus on this idea you have that Shigaraki is “Someone who is long gone”, because I believe the story establishes the opposite. I agree in fiction there are villains that need to be defeated rather than saved. The reason I am arguing that Shigaraki can be saved is not because I peresonally want him to be, or I believe he’s owed it, but because those ideas are present in the text itself. 

Shigaraki is a Villain who Fights other Villains

The reason Shigaraki is constantly facing off against other villains, is to make the comparison between them. To show that there are villains who unlike Shigaraki, are set in their ways and not capable of learning from their actions. These villains are past the point of no return in a way that Shigaraki isn’t because his arc is structured differently. Shigaraki is a character that experiences positive growths, whereas these villains are characters that experience negative growth and spiral out of control. 

The reason Shigaraki is constantly compared to other villains is to show that he is not the same as them, because he can do better. 

Keep reading

 via  Gridllr.com   —  Likes made beautiful!

Azula was not power hungry

A common misconception about Azula is that she was power hungry. But she wasn’t. Everything she did, she did for her father and for the Fire Nation. When she conquered Ba Sing Se, she said, “The Fire Nation has conquered Ba Sing Se” not “I have conquered Ba Sing Se.” She categorized it as a group effort. She definitely thought that she’d make a better Fire Lord than Zuko, but she didn’t actually want to be Fire Lord. If she did, she wouldn’t have brought Zuko home as a hero instead of as a prisoner. Azula seemed perfectly okay with Zuko being the new heir to the throne. All Azula desperately wanted was her father’s approval and affection, and she also was terrified of ending up like Zuko (the disfavored child of Ozai).

She also did what she genuinely thought was best for the Fire Nation. Azula did like to be in control in most situations but she wasn’t after a greater power, like being Fire Lord. She only wanted the throne at the very end because it was all she had left. She no longer had her father, friends, mother, or even Zuko. Azula was terribly unhappy when Ozai gave her the Fire Lord title instead of allowing her to come with him to destroy the Earth Kingdom. As messed up as it is, destroying the Earth Kingdom was Azula’s idea of father-daughter bonding time. At her core, what Azula craved the most was real unconditional love, not power.

 via  Gridllr.com   —  browse Likes to your heart's content!

Females with horns

 via  Gridllr.com  —  find those forgotten Likes!

Malachite Character Analysis

(Warning: Mention and analysis of a very toxic relationship.)

¨These two are really bad for each other. Malachite was formed through extortion and deception and held together out of revenge. Malachite is the worst relationship imaginable.¨

Malachite was a character that was introduced in Season 1 finale “Jailbreak” after Jasper and Lapis Lazuli decided to fuse together to defeat the Crystal gems.

In this post i’m going to examine Malachite as a fusion and what she tells us about Jasper and Lapis and their relationship.

Lapis Lazuli´s and Jasper´s backstory:

First let’s talk a bit about Jasper’s and Lapis´ past:

Steven first found Lapis trapped in a Gem mirror, after spending some time with her, he decided to free her and later healed her gem so she could return to Homeworld by using her magic water wings.

In the episode ¨Same Old World¨ (Season 3) Lapis tells to Steven her backstory about how she got trapped in that mirror.

¨It was thousands of years ago. I was only meant to visit for a short time, but I got caught in the middle of the war. It was awful. I tried to run, but… I was picked up by a Homeworld soldier and confused for a Crystal Gem, and used as a tool.¨

Lapis talks about what happened to her as it was an accident, a terrible tragedy in which there´s not only one person she can blame for all her problems. In a way, she´s potrayed as victim of the Gem war, she was on Earth for a visit and then she was meant to leave.

She was treated as a prisoner from gems who were supposed to be on her side, used as a tool and left behind on Earth like her life was nothing.

¨It soon became clear that there was no hope in stopping the rebellion. All of the Homeworld Gems fled, and all the panic of escaping Earth, I was left behind. And there I stayed. Freedom in my sight, but out of reach for ages, until I was found.¨

Then she spend thousands of year trapped in that mirror, alone, with no one to talk to, with her gem cracked on top of that. Anyone stuck in that situation who quickly became insane and would definely not be the same person that used to be before the traumatic event.

It´s not suprising Lapis was so angry when Steven free her from that mirror. While she didn´t want to get revenge on the Crystal gems she still had a lot of anger and frustration buried deep inside her.

As for Jasper, her backstory differs greatly from Lapis´:

Jasper was born in the middle of the gem war in the Beta Kindergarten, in less than a few hours she took more than 80+ Crystal gems impressing many Homeworld gems due to her strengh.

She was considered a gem role model in Homeworld, she was an example of what a quartz soldier should be. The issue was that depiste being highly respected by her peers, she couldn´t get out of her mind that she still was a gem that came from the worst kindergarten on Earth.

According to Peridot on ¨Beta¨ most gems born in the Beta Kirdengarten came out flawed or defective in some way. This was because Homeworld rushed the place during the war to get more gems. 

Jasper was one of the few gems that came out ¨right¨ to the point she could be considered a superquartz soldier by Homeworld´s standards.

However not matter how much praised she got, Jasper thought there was something with her because of her origins. This made her develop an  obsession with proving her power and getting more and more self-destructive as time passed.

¨Jasper is a bully in the truest sense. Deep down, she’s afraid there’s something wrong with her, so she has to feed her ego. She has to put other Gems down to stay on top. Who she is and where she’s from gnaws at her all the time. She has a fantastic reputation, she’s considered the greatest Quartz soldier produced on Earth, and that might impress other Gems, but it will never be good enough for her.¨

¨Because she loves honor, fighting, making her mark, and winning the battle, she’ll actually go against her programming a little bit just to be the winner. So she can be self-destructive at times. She is tragically obsessed with proving her superiority.¨

Why is all this important? Well, it´s essential to know where these characters are coming from to understand why they decided to be Malachite in first place and why they were a recipe for disaster the moment that Jasper asked Lapis to fuse with her.

On one hand you have a gem that was spent thousands of years trapped against her will and carries a lot on anger and trauma inside her. On the other hand the other gem also has war trauma, it’s very self-destructive and thinks she’s horrible. Mix these two together and what you get is a unstable fusion made of hate and revenge.

Malachite as a metaphor for Jasper´s and Lapis´ relationship

Now that i have talked about their past. I going examine the scene in which they fuse into Malachite in “Jailbreak” and what the fusion tells us about their relationship.

After being defeated by Garnet (a fusion) Jasper decides to find someone she could also fuse with to win against the Crystal gems.

She spot Lapis Lazuli and grabs her before she can escape flying. She convinces Lapis to fuse with her to get revenge on Crystal gems. She reminds her how they used her and how they are traitors to Homeworld.

¨These Gems, they’re traitors to their Homeworld. They kept you prisoner. They used you.¨

It’s worth of pointing out that Jasper never tries to “force” Lapis into fusing with her in this scene. She tries using her, true, but she waits until Lapis accepts and gives her hand.

Now, Jasper could care less about Lapis in this scene. For her, she was only just a tool to get revenge on the Crystal gems and Rose Quartz. There wasn’t any “trust” between the two.

As for Lapis, she tried escaping from Jasper first but after realising that she was about to being used again by someone who had kept her prisoner in the ship she snapped and decided to stop being treated like an object for once.

Moments later after they fused into Malachite, Lapis took control of the fusion’s water powers and chained her down, dragging her into the bottow of the ocean.

¨I’m done being everyone’s prisoner. Now you’re my prisoner! And I’m never letting you go! Let’s stay on this miserable planet… together!¨

As Lapis stated, she was done of being everyone’s prisioner, she was tired of being treated like a tool by everyone. Control in her own life was something was constanly taken away from her. So by trapping Malachite (and herself) meant that was able to make choices again.

As for Jasper, i already mentioned that she only wanted Lapis to become more powerful. Jasper is a gem that shown to be obssesed with winning and fighting. She doesn’t accept defeat easily and the more she loses, more self-destructive she gets.

In “Chilled tid” Steven gets a glimpse of what Malachite’s mind looked like: Lapis and Jasper were fighting over the control of the fusion. They both were completely exhausted and beaten.

There’s a visual methaphor about how they are both chained to Malachite in this dream sequence. This is very much like how it’s really difficult to get out of a toxic/codependent relationship and how one feels trapped with no hope of getting out of it.

Another interesting detail is when Jasper takes control, all she’s able to say is “YOU! YOU! YOU!¨ to Steven. It shows how crazy she gets when can’t win a battle and how her mind deteriorates in the process.

The episode "Alone at the Sea” explores their relationship even further by showing which their main motivations were and how it affect them both.

First of all, the reason of why Lapis didn’t want to be near the ocean again it’s because it remind her of time she used to be fused with Jasper:

“Look, Lapis, I know you spent a really long time fused with Jasper at the bottom of the ocean, but you’re not Malachite anymore.And water is a part of who you are. You can’t let one bad experience take that away from you.”

During the boat trip Lapis keeps blaming herself for the events of Ocean gem and Malachite:

“It’s my fault. I’m the one to blame.”

“I'm terrible! I did horrible things! I-I broke your dad’s leg. I stole Earth's ocean! Go on! Tell me I’m wrong!”

She describes herself as “terrible”. She thinks she don’t deserve the kindness that Steven has giving her during all this time.

Lapis is a character who usually stuggles with change in the series. She thinks she won’t be able to revover from her trauma, that she can’t grow and become a better person.

She also mentions to him how she can’t help but think of when she used to be Malachite.

“I’m really trying to enjoy it out here, but… I can’t stop thinking about being fused as Malachite, how I used all my strength to hold her down in the ocean, and how I was always battling against Jasper to keep her bound to me.”

“But it’s not like that anymore. You don’t have to be with Jasper.”

“That’s not it. I… I miss her.”

“What?!”

“We were fused for so long.”

This implies that after spending so much together Jasper and Lapis became codependent of each other. Steven, who was still a teenager in this scene, couldn’t fully get grasp of why his friend who missed being in a terrible situation like that.

And Lapis was not the only one that felt like this.

When Jasper shows up, she shows she has been missing Lapis as well and she has been tracking her to find her.

In a very rare moment that would look out of character for her Jasper kneels down and begs for Lapis to be Malachite again.

¨Let’s be Malachite again.¨  

Keep in mind that until know Jasper has always been potrayed as someone who would do anything it takes to win. She’s tough gem soldier who isn’t afraid of her enemies. She’s strong,cocky and agressive. So why did she ask to be Malachite again?

“I was wrong about fusion. You made me understand! Malachite was bigger and stronger than both of us! We could fly!”

She emphazises Malachite’s power when they were fused. How strong and powerful she was.

This makes sense considering the factthat Jasper thinks of herself as “horrible” and “defective”. She has a huge inferiority complex that comes from how Earth gems are perceived on Homeworld.

So, being Malachite made her feel “complete” and cover up her insecurities and personal issues.

“It’ll be better this time. I’ve changed. You’ve changed me. I’m the only one who can handle your kind of power.”

She tries to convince Lapis by saying how she’s the only one that can “handle” her powers. This shows again how self-destructive Jasper can be as she was willing to go through that pain again just to feel powerful.

Another reason, i think, it’s because she partially blames herself for Pink Diamond’d shattering. She probably wanted to be punished for her “failure” or wanted someone who she could follow again much like she started calling Steven “My diamond” in “Homeworld Bound”.

As for Lapis, there are a few reasons she had her doubts of being Malachite again:

1) The fusion was a way for her to gain control back on her own life. She was tired of being tricked and used by everyone that she wanted to take her anger on someone.

“I was terrible to you. I liked taking everything out on you. I needed to, I-I hated you. It was bad!”

Lapis wanted someone to go through the same pain she had to endure for thousands of years. And that someone could have anyone. She choosed Jasper as she was the closest one to her in “Jailbreak”.

When she was separated, she felt she suddenly lost that great amount of power that the fusion gave to her. She lost that “control” she had.

2) During “Alone at the sea” she describes herself many times as terrible and how she doesn’t deserve the boat trip. She keeps blaming herself from her actions and how she can’t get better.

Jasper even calls Lapis a monster in a moment, stating they very much alike:

“You can’t lie to me. I’ve seen what you’re capable of. I thought I was a brute, but you… you’re a monster.”

Lapis wanted to go back to be Malachite since she thought it was what someone as terrible as her deserved. She thought she couldn’t grow into good person. Gems terrible as her and Jasper were meant to be together.

But Lapis knew better than getting trapped in that fusion again.

“NO! ”“What we had wasn’t healthy. I never want to feel like I felt with you. Never again! So just, go!”

In the end she refused to fuse with Jasper and realised how toxic their relationship was. It was a terrible experience and something she didn’t want to take part in ever again.

Malachite as a character

Being fusion who is supposed to represent an very toxic relationship, Malachite is potrayed as very agressive, unstable and sadistic. She´s quite unpredictable since her actitude depends of who it´s taking control of her.

When her eyes are ¨cat shaped¨ it usually means that Jasper is the one controlling her. If her eyes are wide and open, it indicates Lapis is the one in control.

It´s difficult to affirm Malachite ever had her own personality at all,as her components were always fighting over her power and she was a mere tool from the moment she was ¨born¨.

¨A fusion like theirs is unstable, bound together by anger and mistrust. If that bond snaps, their anger will take over, and destroy.¨  

She ends up being a pretty tragic character as her whole existence was filled by hatred and suffering to the point she didn´t know anything else. Unlike other characters from Steven universe she wasn´t given the chance to redeem herself.

It´s interesting how Malachite in ¨Super Watermelon Island¨ kept exchaching between ¨we¨ and ¨I¨ to talk about herself. This indicates again that she wasn´t fully her own person.

If Lapis and Jasper were to fuse again after having worked through their issues, Malachite would be a more stable and less agressive fusion. But that´s very unlikely to happen since it was a terrifying experience for both of them.

In conclusion: Malachite is character with tons of metaphors that talks a lot about Lapis and Jasper and who they are as people. She serves to show how toxic some relationships can get when there is a lack of basic trust and understanding and is created by mutual hatred. It´s an example of how complicated relationships can be and how a person it´s really more complex they appear to be.

(via Gridllr)

Wordgirl is unironically better than Miraculous. It's 1000x funnier, actually sticks to its logic, has an adorable enemies to lovers slow burn ship and the emotional beats hit much harder. Wordgirl/Becky is much more relatable than Ladybug/Marinette. Scoops is much less pushy than Alya and while it's still true that no one recognizes Becky even though they totally should, it's not shoved into our faces with people making it their mission to unmask her every episode. Plus, it makes it more emotional and easier to buy the few times her identity is revealed.

I love both shows but I find it easier to watch Wordgirl and find it more enjoyable.

 via  Gridllr.com   —  grid view for your Likes!

People who ‘love nature’ but violently hate their native coyotes, spiders, snakes, and scavengers are fake.

(via Gridllr)

Hugging but jerrick, and in the rain. But only if you want to

It’s probably not the content you wanted lol, but I just can’t see them hugging in the rain in a way that wasn’t angsty or smth.

More thoughts behind the cut.

Keep reading

(via Gridllr)

every cartoon deserves a bad end friends story i guess

 via  Gridllr.com   —  like Mega-Editor for your Likes!

😏💗🤕

(via Gridllr)

Can you do Boscha x Edric trapped in a lighthouse? If not that's okay too thank you

sorry for making you wait so long! I hope you get to see this, question asker, and I hope you like it! I hadn’t heard of this ship before so I wanted to do something silly and wholesome! thanks for the patience!

—

“I can’t believe I would listen to Amity after everything,” Boscha grumbled, crossing her arms. “Telling me to meet her down by the old lighthouse…she probably knew the boiling rains were about to start, too…” As she sat on the splintering wooden floor, she realized all three of her eyes were fighting back tears. Not of sadness, of course- Amity lost her chance to be Boscha’s friend and frankly, Boscha didn’t really care about the loss. No, they were tears of embarrassment. She leaned against old crates draped with worn ropes and realized this whole adventure was just a trick from Amity so her time with Luz wouldn’t be interrupted. Well, fine. I needed some alone time.

As if on cue, she heard the noise of something heavy falling on the upper level of the lighthouse. She sprung to her feet, fists clenched. Her mind went completely blank, forgetting all the magic she knew. Adrenaline was taking control, and she only half-noticed, with a hint of despair, that she soon found herself bounding up the winding stairs of the old building. “Who’s there?” She shouted.

“B-Boscha?” A familiar male voice answered. She stopped dead in her tracks. “Edric? What are you doing here?” Her knuckles were now a bright white from being clenched so tightly. Edric popped up from behind a stack of crates and immediately noticed the offensive position she’d taken. “I don’t think I could win a fight against a grudgby player,” he said lamely. She glanced down at her hands and let them fall to her sides. “My question still stands.”

He dusted himself off before responding, “For your information, I was working on an illusion for class. I wanted to see if I could make a kraken.”

“Could you?”

“Could I what?”

Boscha stared incredulously for several moments. “Make the kraken.”

“Oh!” He laughed, pretending to hit himself in the forehead with his palm before  suddenly getting serious. “Do you see one?” Boscha let out the loudest sigh she could. Before she could respond, he immediately cut in: “Clearly not. I could have, but then the rains started, and I’d need to be on the top of the lighthouse for it to work. So I’m stuck here now, with you.”

They stood in an uncomfortable silence for several moments before Boscha asked, “So what did you drop?”

Edric turned a bright red. Behind him, a many-tentacled little beast with a dangerously sharp beak screeched. It padded around madly, making satisfying pop-pop-pop-pop sounds. “I thought you said you needed to be outside,” Boscha smirked.

Edric rolled his eyes before the little kraken disappeared. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

“Your stupid sister was trying to get me to go away,” Boscha said quickly and bitterly, turning from him. She made a move for the staircase, hoping to wait out the rest of the storm on a lower level from the Blight son, before he grabbed her shoulder. “Sorry,” he said immediately, putting his hands up defensively. “But, maybe you two just…aren’t good for each other anymore.”

    Boscha opened her mouth to answer, but once again he was faster. “You’re not a bad person. You know that, right? You’re cool, and you’re talented, and you’re cute…” A pause before shaking his head, as if to right his thoughts. “But that doesn’t mean you’re always gonna have the same friends forever.”

    Boscha crossed her arms in front of her chest, almost protectively. Her face was burning, for a multitude of reasons. Edric sighed, and turned to sit on the nearest crate. He patted the space next to him until she finally gave in and sat next to him. “She abandoned me.”

    He considered this for a moment. Boscha wasn’t looking at him, which was okay. He was confused why he was so suddenly shy. This never happened. “It was just so sudden she changed, and then all of a sudden I was the bad guy for just being me.” The tears were starting to well up again.

    “Maybe it didn’t happen the way it should have,” Edric started to say slowly. “But maybe it needed to happen. For both of you. Sometimes you’re just in different places. Maybe she could’ve been a better friend, but maybe you could’ve, too…?” He said this with extreme hesitation, once again aware that he wouldn’t be able to win a fight against a grudgby player. Instead, she put her head on his shoulder and sighed for several seconds. “Maybe.”

    They stayed that way for a small eternity before suddenly Boscha felt a tiny pop-pop sensation on her calf. She kicked her leg up to see another tiny kraken clinging to her pant leg. “How many of these did you make?” She laughed, wiping her eyes. Edric smiled. “Probably too many. Can’t even find them all.”

    After several moments of quietly unsticking tentacles from her pant leg, Boscha and Edric proceeded to do a sweep of the entire lighthouse, top to bottom, laughing and collecting the tiny krakens. The storm had stopped hours ago, but neither of them pretended to notice.

 via  Gridllr.com   —  the Like-master!

Chloé d'Apchier ☾ The Silver Witch

“I am a terribly jealous woman.”

Happy Birthday Hân ♡ @keikuns

 via  Gridllr.com  —  4000 Likes, no problem!

The Ricks of s3e6

I took Rick notes. Morty notes can be found here.

Toxic Rick 

1st thing after gaining consciousness, he cries out for Morty and hurries to his rescue

Assumes the worst of the spa hand, blaming him for retaliation

Sense of ownership over Morty

Nothing is worth his time due to his overwhelming genius

He really does seem overwhelmed by it.. Imprisoned by it?

Rages as he does science, intense and urgent need for immediate and absolute control

Morty is weak and so inferior that he is undeserving of attachment

Equates genius to godhood, genius is everything

Immortality and God-complex, “If God exists, it’s fucking ME!” Might actually be undercut by a cry for help—this is his fate.

Conflicted by his godhood, and the pointlessness of it—he has nothing to prove to anyone, everyone is beneath him.

And that seems to trigger his realization of his Toxicity..

Seeks validation from Morty regardless, “Think anyone but me could do that?!”

Vengeful

Believes he’s the part of “Pussy Rick” that “keeps it real”—Real being pessimism, cruelty, suffering

Constantly indignant.

Calls Healthy Morty a “sociopath”, implying Rick is aware of Morty’s darker potential.. And maybe wishes he weren’t, since it’s with Toxic.

“Remember us?!” Us. Not “me”.

Denial of reliance on Morty, a reliance which sounds almost like a (psychotic?) dependency.

Affirms to Healthy Rick he must assume dominance over Healthy Morty. He sounded especially earnest, and anything but dismissive over its importance.

“Don’t negotiate”, anger and indignance but subtext might be worry and necessity for the ‘proper’ dynamic

Eyes adjusting, or so caught up in rage he misses what’s obviously going to be in front of him?

Demands Morty’s excitement, and includes him, “We did it”

“Fuck you Summer!”

Described by Healthy Rick as “literally unable to see the bigger picture”, implying he is myopic and self-obsessed

Incapable of humor. Too much suffering and self-obsession.

“Bottled up inside a sentimental jackass” Rick hates his own sentimentality to no one’s surprise

Coo’s to grow a monster into a loyal fighting dog with gibberish love, both manipulative, controlling, and possibly earnest

Straight into a violent brawl, immediately fighting dirty. No honor!

“I lie about everything!”

Fear of confinement, of being stifled or silenced. He values his freedom and autonomy above anything, and no one else’s.

Simply vacates once Beth shows up, not a word to her or about her

Can’t achieve vengeance, so he damns the world to his own hell

“You’re not impressing anyone!” Because impressing people is what HE wants to do, and he IS impressed by Healthy Rick’s callous cruelty

Requires constant validation, despite that impossibility when all of existence is beneath him

Rage as a plaintive call into the Absurd

“Grandpa’s here.”

Summary: Despite everything, he is paradoxically insecure and suffering his intense narcissism. He is wracked with oppressive psychological pain and tortures himself with his loneliness. Godhood is inescapable, a burden he cannot make peace with. He never seems pleased by his power, only harnessing it because there is no other way of being. His fate is eternal isolation, no matter how much he screams or how hard he thrashes.. or how much his familial bonds matter to him.

“Healthy” Rick

1st thing he does is apologize to the spa hand, insisting on his wrongdoing even as the apology is accepted. It isn’t just politeness, he seems to feel real guilt.

Smiles at the infinite possibilities of the universe, and relinquishes his sense of control or understanding of it (Relinquishing self to Camus’ Absurd?)

His genius naturally wants to expand on Morty’s “interesting” music idea, before realizing he’d gotten caught up in trying to calculate happiness. Some things are out of his reach and not his place, and that’s okay.

Pride in Morty, and his familial connection to him

Blows off his genius and potential in favor of simplicity

Respectful of others’ autonomy and needs, “A moment of your time?”

Apologizes several times throughout

Personal responsibility

Feels concern, and openly comes to Healthy Morty about it

Shares the entirety of the problem, as well as his feelings on it

Nervous, uncertain when Morty blows off the phone call, and hesitates before continuing

Wants to work with Morty at an even level, seeing him as an equal?

Wouldn’t have detoxed, but knows he still would have if he had known pre-detox. Familiar with himself and his demons.

Not seeing the disturbing voicemails as the problem to stop, but rather the pain of the Toxics.

“We yanked them from their home.”

Trusting to a fault, even trusting his own inner demons not to lie

Seems okay with the concepts of finality and things being finite

Seems to smile as he works, implying a sense of ownership over his capability

Even smiles at his toxins. Does this Rick actually love himself? Empathy for others’ suffering? Seems pleased with himself for finding and facilitating an amicable solution.

Indecisive, insecure with his own judgement without Morty’s assurance. At first. Sense of adult responsibility bringing him to make the choice anyway?

Can’t disregard the “will to live” in the Toxics. Respect for and values life in all expressions

Has his sense of humor, though it is still capable of being destructive

“I’m accountable to my own toxins, right?” Strong sense of responsibility for his whole self and his behavior. Uncertainty, and a desire for moral integrity. Seeking validation and reassurance, expressing weakness in the form of uncertainty and insecurity.

Also responsible for their resolution, their happiness, homing them. Owning them as part of himself.

Startled by Morty’s outburst of breaking the phone– by the suddenness, finality, and violence of it.

Realizes Healthy Morty won’t be of help, confused and disappointed by it. Something else he failed to expect.

Doesn’t anticipate the actions or motivations of others, making only the best assumptions. Belief in inherent good?

Ready to fight only after being struck, and even then, he takes slow initiative

“We can resolve our issues without resorting to—“ This Rick believes in resolution and recovery! Maybe therapy too..

Tolerant to the point of absolute pacifism, even in the face of a world-scale threat that he should still be responsible for.

Honorable in his treatment of others, even attempting to fight his Toxic as a last resort and in a fair boxing fashion

Didn’t seem to predict that the Toxic would fight dirty, even as its obvious. Does his intelligence take such a backseat to his honor?

Capable and fully willing to self-sacrifice for what’s right(re-toxifying)

“Sorry Summer!” “Summer get out of here!”

“Leave her out of this!” Protecting Beth from his own personal struggle, and the danger it wroughts

“I’m so sorry, girls.” Accepts and embraces his role as caring patriarch

Appreciative of Healthy Morty’s drive to stop the Toxics, but explains in a fatherly way that it “isn’t their place” and the Toxics have “a right to their worldview”

States that Toxic Rick’s motivations “are a mystery”. Might be a vague answer to avoid explaining more than he sees is necessary. If so, doesn’t want his Toxic to trouble his family.

Describes Toxic Rick as his “entitlement, narcissism, crippling loneliness” and his “irrational attachments”

Too healthy to lie, and too uncaring to have a personal stake in Toxic Morty

Possesses Rick’s capacity for ruthlessness

“You’ve never done anything but complain about me being in charge” Healthy Rick holds dominance in Rick’s psyche

Sees merging with the Toxics as healthy. Becoming a complete and healthy person requires embracing one’s demons

Empathy for others, including himself

Forces his Toxic’s surrender by exploiting his love for his grandson. Ouch.

Summary: Doesn’t let his own shortcomings be a problem for himself or anyone else, apologizing when they do. He is never controlled by fear, unlike the Toxic, and finds peace in being passive when it comes to the grandiosity of the universe. Feels openly, unguarded. Believes in personal growth, being honorable, and talking things out. A strong sense of personal responsibility, especially in regards to his place as patriarch of the family. Either possesses a sense of empathy for the plights of others (and himself), or feels such responsibility that he will do what is “right” regardless.. and by any means necessary, as long as it doesn’t conflict with his own ethics. At times, he is contradictory, perhaps telling of his indifference.

 via  Gridllr.com   —  Likes made beautiful!

actually, stop infantilizing remi and evie

they're teenagers; they're not 'uwu girls' or 'soft babies' or 'innocent cinnamon rolls'. shut the fuck up.

 via  Gridllr.com  —  an Archive of all your Likes!

Shizuka Cousland.

Full Name:

Shizuka Cousland.

Nickname/Alias:

Lady, Lady Cousland, Lady Shizuka, Ice lady,  Yukion'na, Shirayuki-hime.

Meaning:

Shizuka:

Quiet, Summer, Fragrance.

Yukion'na:

Snow Woman.

Shirayuki-Hime:

Snow White.

Title:

Lady, Warden, Lady Warden, Shirayuki, Shirayuki-Hime, Shizu.

Pet Name:

Pup, Ice Lady, Hime.

Gender Role:

More lady-like than anything. But, she has her moments.

Class:

Enchanted Warrior

Sheild and sword.

Orientation:

Straight.

Real Age:

Depends on the place and time.

Age Appearance:

17-20.

Birthday:

August, 24th.

Birthplace:

High Ever.

Zodiac Sign:

Virgo.

Immediate Family:

Father:

Bryce Cousland.

Mother: Eleanor Mac Eanraig.

Brother: Fergus Cousland

Sister in law: Oriana.

Nephew: Oren Cousland.

Ethnicity:

Alamarri and a Fereldan.

Eye Colour:

Crystal blue.

Hair Colour:

White-Silver, with a blue Tint in it.

Hairstyle:  

You would think her hair was easy to tame, but it wasn’t. She has thick hair and while it was still straight and seemed to look neat, Shizuka always had a hard to taming it into the usaul hairstyle. It was down, never tied up so what could be hard about that. Right? you would be surprised to know how many tugs is there.  Brushing it into a neat place and leaving it was the hard part mostly, unlike most nobles who move there hair into buns or braids. She preferred it down and long, at least to her hips. Her bangs were combed to both ends, right and left. Leaving the centre of her forehead and face to be seen.

Makeup:

Her lips are painted red or pink, depending on her mood or how they got up. There was no need to put anything on her face really, she was perfect the way she is and her mother believed that woman should wear less than more when it comes to make up. She did, have some silver eye shadow as well. It was barely seen though.

Appearance:

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Body Type:

Athletic, but looks fragile from the first glance.

Build:

Petite looking, but well built for a women.

Birthmarks/scars:

There was a birth mark, of two eagles on her right shoulder, her twin has it as well.

Distinguishing Features:

Her pure white hair, pale skin and blue eyes.

Posture:

Lady-like.

Scent:

No one can place her scene, but apparently it’s a flower called Andraste’s Grace.

Heroes:

Mother and Father, Though recently it was the Grey Wardens.

Pets/Familiars:

A wolf, Though for this it is going to be like a normal dog, able to withstand the Taint.

Wardrobe examples:

F-o-r-m-a-l. O-u-t-f-i-t-s. B-a-l-l-r-o-o-m. O-u-t-f-i-t-s. F-i-g-h-t-i-n-g. O-u-t-f-i-t-s. C-a-s-u-a-l O-u-t-f-i-t-s. D-a-n-c-i-n-g. O-u-t-f-i-t-s. N-i-g-h-t w-e-a-r.

Equipment:

-Family sword.

-Sword level one.

-Sword level two.

-Sword level three.

-Cousland Shield.

-Shield level one.

-Shield level two.

-Shield level three.

Accessories:

-Locket.

-Family Ring with the crest on it.

-Magic book

-Journal/Diary.

-The crest of the Cousland family.

Element:

Water.

Biggest Failure:

Letting the people she loved die alone, even at all.  Her life was always about them and how she would bring her people up as a heir. At least, they told her as much. If she didn’t then her brother would. Even then, they would have found someone willing to marry her anyway.

Secrets:

As a young girl she wished to be free, never to hold herself back. Her family always knew she wanted to be free and wander like her brother did. However, due to her class he was forced to ignore that and grow up. But, in there group she fears that her secret love for freedom might come out. A witch who has been free since a child, A sister who choose her path and lived with it, Even there Assassin friend made her wonder.  No one like her should even be thinking of that, but she did.

Hobbies/Interests:

Writing in her journal and diary, by herself, Walking in the forest alone or with someone, Watching the night sky, singing, Dancing, writing poems, horse riding.

Skills/Talents:

-There is a small part of magic in her, but not enough to call it dangerous. I’m trying something new with this, so I hope you will accept this part- She is NOT a full blood mage. -Casting without her hands. -Making her magic flow into her weapons. -Knowing different herbs, poisons. -Cooking. -Flower Arranging. -Can work with a shield, but she choose a smaller one than most.

Likes:

Singing, Dancing, Children, Animals, her brother, Alistair, morrigan, Writing poems, Cooking, Night walks.

Dislikes:

People treating Elves, Servants or anyone of low class bad, Her title coming up, talking about the past,  howe.

Pet Peeves:

-The Servants being treated badly. -Someone giving up with not say in the matter. -Pointless talk. -Bringing up the past. -Judging someone for no reason.

Personality Detailed:

Personality:

Intelligent

The Virgo are an intelligent lot, who would love to know about various subjects and increase their general knowledge.

Practical They don’t believe in living in the fantasy world and will be very much in touch with the reality. Their practical approach is one of their biggest strength.

Analytical The Virgo possess an analytical mind and see things in black and white. They are capable of producing a clear analysis and thereby a solution of even the most complicated problems.

Reliable You can trust a Virgo for following the instructions and trying his best to do the job well. Besides, he is a rational person and would not let emotions affect his decisions.

Modest Since they are goal-oriented, perfectionists, rational and reliable, it is very likely that they are great achievers too. But you will rarely see them boasting about their accomplishments. Overcritical They have such a clear picture in their minds as to how things should be, the Virgo tend to be overcritical and lose the plot in the process. Fussy The Virgo-born often get lost in details and they will not have a peace of mind till they resolve all the issues. Besides, their strong likes and dislikes make them quiet fussy. Fastidious Pleasing or impressing a Virgo is tough job, as anything less perfect (in their eyes) does not make the cut. Harsh They call a spade a spade and they don’t sugar-coat their opinions before putting them across. Their harshness does not always go down well with the people around them.

Conservative The Virgo are conservative and won’t readily accept modern ideas. Maybe it has to do with their need to test the waters and be sure of the outcome.

Judgemental

The Virgo-born are criticised for being judgemental. They cannot ignore faults and mistakes as anything less than perfect is not good enough for them.

Symbol:

Cousland Crest.

Vice:

Chastity.

Virtue:

envy.

Background.

The outpost of Highever was originally a bannorn and was held by the Elstan family, who was a secondary branch of the then-freeholder family of Howes. During the Towers Age, Bann Conobar Elstan was murdered by his wife, Flemeth, thus ending the bloodline. Sarim Cousland, the captain of Conobar’s guard, took the lands and title. The Couslands declared their independence from Amaranthine, starting a war that lasted thirty years. When the war ended, Highever won its independence and possession of half the land that had once been southwestern Amaranthine. Highever became a teyrnir during the Black Age. Previously, the Couslands held only the minor title of Bann. During the lycanthrope plague, Bann Haelia Cousland[1] or Mather Cousland[2] according to other sources, gathered the lords together under the Cousland banner to drive the werewolves out of their lands, thus earning the title of Teyrn. Calenhad Theirin was born in Highever in 5:10 Exalted as the third son of a poor merchant. He left at a young age to become a squire, but returned during the Unification of Ferelden as a Teyrn. The contemporary ruler of Highever was Teyrna Elethea Cousland; She fought the soon-to-be-King Calenhad in an attempt to maintain Highever’s independence, and so when Calenhad’s army reached Highever, Teyrna Elethea led the local banns against him, but lost against the future king. After Elethea’s men were defeated, Calenhad asked her to swear fealty. She did, thus allowing the Couslands to retain the teyrnir in Calenhad’s new kingdom.[2] In the beginning of the Storm Age, the Couslands conspired with Warden-Commander Sophia Dryden in the Grey Wardens’ attempted rebellion. The rebellion was betrayed to King Arland by politicians before it began, and the king’s guard ambushed their meeting place, with the rebels barely managing to escape. The Couslands were not so lucky, however. King Arland executed the Cousland Teyrn and a number of others, and then sent soldiers to Soldier’s Peak to stamp out the remainder of the rebellion. During the rebellion against Orlais, the Couslands opposed the Orlesian rule. However, Arl Tarleton Howe of Amaranthine supported the Orlesians and this resulted in several bitter battles between Amaranthine and Highever. Eventually, the Couslands manage to capture Harper’s Ford and hang Tarleton Howe for his treachery. Unlike his father, Rendon Howe was part of the rebellion like his uncle Arl Byron Howe. Rendon and Bryce Cousland fought beside each other at the battle of White River, becoming two of the fifty rebels who survived the defeat. Thereafter, Arl Rendon Howe was a great friend of the Couslands. Arl Howe later betrayed the Couslands, using the chaos of the Fifth Blight as his route to power. Teyrn Cousland had called together the forces of Highever and Amaranthine, intending to ride with Howe to support King Cailan against the darkspawn. However, upon arriving at Highever, Arl Howe told Teyrn Cousland that the Amaranthine forces would be delayed for a few of days. Not one to keep the King waiting, Teyrn Cousland sent the bulk of Highever’s forces ahead to Ostagar under the command of his eldest son Fergus Cousland, intending to leave with Howe’s Amaranthine men once they arrived. After Fergus left the castle, Howe’s forces took advantage of the Couslands’ weakened defense and made a surprise attack during the night, killing the teyrn, his wife Teyrna Eleanor Cousland, and Fergus’ wife Oriana and son Oren, as well as most of the other inhabitants of the castle. Though Fergus was left as the rightful heir to the Teyrnir of Highever, Howe then declared himself the new teyrn. Eventually, however, Duncan will rescue the human noble from the surprise attack on Castle Cousland in exchange for joining the Grey Wardens. Following the end of the Fifth Blight, Fergus Cousland will inherit Highever and become the next Teyrn. Fergus will also be given control of Amaranthine, which he presents to the Grey Wardens.

Theme song:

(via Gridllr)

cannot stop thinking about how good the fabrication of consent in squid game was… like yeah, the participants consent! over and over, from agreeing to the slapping game to ringing up the number of their own accord to meeting at the location to signing a separate sheet once more upon arrival… they can even disband the game if the majority decrees it. but this is all performative. because of course they’ll agree - of course they’ll come back.

the second episode is even all about addressing this ‘consent’, and that potential audience superiority: “so why don’t they just leave???? if they can??? why did they even do all this to start with?? it’s so extreme, to do all that just for money, i would never”

because, the show says, look at what they’re returning to. look at the life that’s offered as their alternative. debt up to their ears, money-brokers beating them up, poverty at its worst. do you see? do you see how yeah, joining that game is optional, but it’s optional in the sense of choosing to be stabbed or shot: theres consent, but not actual desire. that theres agreement, but under exploitation. there’s a reason only poor people are chosen to compete and it’s so obvious but i fucking love how the show handles it and addresses any audience superiority anyway

(via Gridllr)

TIRED: sang-woo's immoral actions in squid game were a result of a ruthless economic system and life-or-death situation in which selfishness is the best path to success

WIRED: business majors are just like that

 via  Gridllr.com   —  find those forgotten Likes!

Look Becky literally is a human dictionary, you cannot convince me that she dosen´t know some vulgarities. 

 via  Gridllr.com   —  rediscover your old Likes!

squid game is an purposeful critique on the consequences of capitalism and explores the desperate measures those living under it will take. to say that it was simply "their choice" to return is... deliberately missing the point :/

IN THIS ESSAY I WILL—

 via  Gridllr.com   —  gridlify your Likes!

A lot of “you’s” and a lot of “he’s” in here. A lot of shifting the blame onto his child with the language he uses, both in the most recent flashbacks and in previous ones.

Obviously, there’s a reason Endeavor does this, whether consciously or not – he’s distancing the blame from himself by placing that burden on Touya. 

If only Touya didn’t have a defective quirk, Touya could’ve “smashed the ugliness in [his] heart” and made his father’s dream come true. If only Touya wasn’t born with his mother’s constitution, Endeavor wouldn’t have had to create more kids to find a new successor. If only Touya understood that he had to stop using his quirk, even though he was created solely to become a hero, but since that can’t happen now he has to look elsewhere for meaning in his existence?

As reprehensible as it is, it makes sense that Endeavor does this to justify his own actions. My main issue is that with the framing and prioritizing of his viewpoint, it runs the risk of readers inferring that Touya is to blame.

To be fair, everything in the chapter aside from Endeavor’s words show that he’s wrong and at fault, so it only takes a minimum level of critical thinking skills to see this. A doctors advises him to stop recklessly engineering his children, since it’s taboo and potentially dangerous to the child, but he has Natsuo and Shouto in spite of this. Rei expresses her reservations, since Touya has already caught on to what he’s doing and it doesn’t seem like she’s enthused to have more children, either. He disregards her concern and pressures her into it, anyway.

And it doesn’t matter what he said to Touya or how caring it sounded when all of his actions directly contradict this. If he cared for Touya, why not spend his free time with him, even if they can’t train anymore? Because he spent time with Touya not to bond with him as a son, but to train him as his legacy. If he was concerned for Touya’s safety, why did he have 2 more children, knowing they could be born with the same detrimental quirks? Because it was never to protect Touya, it was to replace the child who was supposed to be his successor.

Everything Endeavor did as a father taught Touya that he was not good enough and thus he was not worthy of his father’s attention. His language places the burden of that on his son and that’s how he internalized it a as a child. Telling Touya to stop without providing the unconditional love he’s vying for is useless and shows a blatant lack of awareness for his child’s needs. Endeavor created an environment where he pays attention to his kids based on their ability to be a hero that could surpass All Might – no amount of talk was going to convince Touya to cease his self-harming behavior unless Endeavor changed his behavior as a parent first.

Now compare the more recent flashbacks to the last one listed above, which is from Shouto’s perspective. There’s no denying the way Endeavor treats his children as objects for his own gain is wrong when he makes this remark about Touya while he’s literally beating down his five-year-old. And he does this for the same reason he abandoned his firstborn. The point of this scene is to show that Endeavor holds his ambition above all else — even his family.

And there’s no issue per se with giving nuance to his character. He should have regrets and he should be remorseful for what he’s done, but that doesn’t automatically mean he’s deserving of forgiveness or sympathy. 

The problem is when this “nuance” is prioritized above the not-so-subtle and far more important suffering that his victims endured, and are still enduring, particularly in the case of Dabi. And it shouldn’t be obscuring the unequivocal truth here, which is this: Touya’s self-harming tendencies and inability to regulate his emotions as a child doesn’t negate the fact that he was neglected to the point of self-harm and his father is as culpable in that as he would be if he had burned his son with his own flames. 

 via  Gridllr.com  —  find those forgotten Likes!

Unordinary episode 89:

Now we reached the TRUE problem with John. It’s not his powers that makes him hesitate, it’s himself. He needs to find a way to forgive and love himself so that he won’t revert back to his ruthless ways.

 via  Gridllr.com   —  an Archive view of your Likes!

> I love you… > Once I can smile again from the bottom of my heart, I’ll come visit…

(via Gridllr)

ELECTRODE FROM POKÉMON STADIUM

Illena character analysis

The unrighteousness of the Hierarchy took Illena's fragile state of mind and twisted her into a monster. And while we can understand her cruel actions and such she should still be held accountae as she is deserving of the consequences. Narratively, She is not a sympathetic character but instead a pitiful character due to how she is presented in the story

But to provide some background, the high rankers dictating the lives of people beneath them reinforced the idea that power is everything to the mid tiers and that if you have it you're better than anyone who is weaker than you and are allowed to do what you want to them basically, that's part of the why the mid tiers bully the low rankers so much, because that sort of thing is justifiable in their world due to the hierachy.

But they aren't just doing it because they believe that they deserve it, it's deeper than that. The mid tiers want to be respected and or atleast acknowledged/taken seriously for the strength that they possess, just like the high tiers. And with that being said, there are things that the mid tiers cannot do in society because they're simply not strong enough, and because of they're forced to conform to what the high rankers tell them. The mid tiers quite literally hate that they have to listen to the high rankers because they will suffer the consequences and get beat up if they dont. Point is, they're just picking on the lower tiers to feel good about themselves and vent their frustrations in a system where power is everything. Illena is no exception

But she practically sees a former god tier acting all high and mighty/condescending when they've literally been rendered powerless, and notice that they are now attempting to take the moral high ground since that they're the one being discriminated against after losing everything. High tiers wanted mid tiers to know their place but cannot accept their own if they're not in a position of power, that is what Illena learns here.

think about it, all of a sudden they neglect the entire structure of the system and consider beating up low tiers as an injustice when they did not care about what happened to them at all when they were on top of the food chain where she perpetuated the same caste system because it was once beneficial for her. And that seriously pisses off Illena because to her this must mean that Sera still thinks that she's better than them even without any abilities because she decides to fight back/retaliate, perceiving the mid tiers as week (protecting other low tiers in the process and more importantly acting as if she still owns them by telling them what to do and getting into their business, as Illena has said)

And Illena doesnt just kidnap Sera to get back at her specifically, but all of the high tiers in a sense, their arrogance entitlement, etc etc only using Seraphina as an outlet for all of their pent up frustration and hurt. She didn't even see them as an individual, but just another high tier, as we see when Illena addresses Sera using words such as "you guys" "her kind" "them".

Illena basically just wanted to hammer in notion that the high tiers were nothing without their powers to get rid of that same high tier like mindset ingrained in Sera's head to establish her place in the hierarchy as the most worthless and incompetent student in Wellston. All she wanted was for Seraphina to learn her place and act her rank accordingly. Because as a cripple she's worthless, and she should act/be treated as such. For in this society power is everything, and high tiers were the ones who ebstablised this with their Hierachy. Seeing Seraphina acting like she was better than them was unacceptable after everything the high tiers perpetuated

Which we can see here

In this instance, Illena wanted Sera to admit that they were better than her and that she was beneath them

And so, when she refuses. Illena gets pissed off because of her stubbornness, this is when the others step up and tell her that what she's doing is excessive.

Here Krolik implies that they should let Sera go, and this isn't what he tjinks but everyone else present too, as seen as other mid tiers stand by his side. But I am not saying that they felt remorse for Sera necessarily, but felt that torturing her was unnecessary and that if they kept her hostage/continued abusing her they would be severely punished once they're eventually caught, and that just isn't worth it to them as they know that beating her up will ultimately change nothing in the long run, anyway. They just wanted to get back at her for what she did... But not like this

Basically, they want Illena to accept that they don't need confirmation to know that they're better than her, it's a given seeing as Sera's a cripple, having no value/worth. She should just give up...

But she's refuses.....out of pride, insecurity. Needing reassurance, a sense of superiority above someone that was better than them for so long as she is offended by their hypocrisy and double standards

..Anyways when Arlo catches them and calls them disgusting, Illena calls him out for valuing a cripple above the rest of them when they were stronger than her, as following the structure of his hierarchy he shouldn't even care. Usually he would just ignore them anyway. And while it is debateble on whether or not Arlo would do anything if it was someone he didnt know the fact that Illena genuinely believed that he wouldn't step in only reinforces how bad the system really is where no one expects a high tiers to help someone beneath them when they're in trouble. She also said that the high tiers dictate the lives of the people beneath them because they were born gifted and get specials privilege because of it, just because they are stronger than everyone else. And Illena is frustrated that they have to listen to the high tiers, because they're punished if they don't comply, to her it's unfair. The high tiers did whatever they wanted with the mid tiers because they were above them, so the mid tiers should be able to do whatever they want with Sera as she is beneath *them*.

But Arlo just ignores her, and this reinforces her belief that the royals dont care about the feelings/opinions of anyone beneath them since it doesn't matter what lower tiers think because the high tankers will always be stronger, meaing they dont have to listen to shit(The lions do not concern themselves with the opinions of the sheep). And that pisses her off. In that moment, she disregards his rank. Pushing past her fear and trying to sucker punch that bitch. As the only way to get your point across in this world is through violence….but the realization that she can't do shit begins to sink in once she receives reflective damage from his barrier, serving as a reminder that no matter what they really can't do anything, because they're not strong enough. Turns out her little stunt was nothing but a meaningless attempt to change the status quo, this hits Illena hard. And she just accepts that she will probably be expelled

And with all of that said Illena might've been a hypocrital bitch but she still had a valid point.And if anything her being a hypocrite only reinforced how bad the system is at hand as well. Simply put, Illena represents the struggles of being a mid tier and sheds light on their mentality and what they deem jusifiable as a result of their system. She also provides insight on the damaging us vs them mentality and actually had a point in her rant to the high tiers. She had actual depth to her actions other than just being an asshole and had something of importance to say

I like her as a character study. I think her motivations are pretty realistic in context of the world she lives in. She's an product of her environment that shaped her into becoming this bully who resents the higher ups because of their privellege.

And that my friend, is why I like Illena as a character from a narrative standpoint