Musician by trade, writer and artist by obsession. Writing & drawing for Bleach, Naruto, and (soon) Attack on Titan. 30s, she/her. Find me at FF.net, AO3, DeviantArt, and Ko-fi as KitsMits!
Nobody asked, but here are my rambling thoughts about Bleach’s Aizen Sousuke
Aizen Sousuke. The man, the myth, the legend. The villain who ~allegedly~ planned out so much of Bleach’s storyline that the fact that that is a meme is, in itself, a meme. And also probably part of Aizen’s plan.
I’m fascinated by this character, to say the least. I mean, why else would I be writing an Aizen/OC fanfiction on both AO3 and FF.net? (Shameless plug. Sorry not sorry.) Despite my many thoughts - so numerous are they that anytime I reply to a comment on “Mono no Aware,” I wind up with a graduate dissertation - I’m not entirely sure where to start with this guy. He’s complex in some ways, yet simple in others, fitting neatly into some psychological molds until you come across that one trait or act that makes you question your whole thesis. Fitting, really.
I don’t think there is one definitive, absolute answer for who Aizen Sousuke is. Even Kubo’s own idea of him isn’t necessarily the only one - once an artist puts their creation out into the world, that creation is open to interpretation by others. Again, rather fitting that we’re talking about a character whose entire power is based on the ideas of suggestion and perception.
It’s fun to explore various facets and ways to interpret a character though, so today I’d like to look at a few: psychology (Aizen the Sociopath), mythology (Aizen the Trickster), reality(I guess…) (Aizen the Opportunist), and philosophy (Aizen the Ubermensch).
So let’s start with psychology.
Aizen the Sociopath
Antisocial personality disorder, commonly/colloquially referred as “sociopathy,” is defined as “a mental health condition in which a person consistently shows no regard for right and wrong and ignores the rights and feelings of others.” (Mayo Clinic) For the sake of simplicity, I will be using the terms “sociopathy” and “sociopath” here. It’s one of four cluster-B personality disorders within the DSM-V (Diagnositc and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders, 5th Edition - the most recent one as of 2023), along with narcissistic, borderline, and histrionic personality disorders. In other words, it is clinically recognized as a mental health condition by the psychology field, and it’s one of a family of personality disorders characterized as having “a consistently dysfunctional pattern of dramatic, overly emotional thinking or unpredictable behavior.” (Considering who we’re talking about…this is kind of surprising, honestly.
To paraphrase the Mayo Clinic’s list of symptoms, sociopaths…
ignore (or have little/no concept of) right and wrong
often lie, steal, use false names, and/or engage in cons
use charm or wit to manipulate others for personal gain
have an inflated sense of superiority and are extremely opinionated
often violate others’ rights and feel little/no remorse for how their behavior negatively affects others
Keep in mind that for a person to be considered a “sociopath,” one must consistently and repeatedly show these traits. Not every mean person is a sociopath, and not all sociopaths are mean (…all the time). Probably the most consistent descriptors I’ve come across for sociopaths are “manipulative” and “callous” - again, they’ll say/do anything to get what they want, and they have no remorse over whether it harms other people.
So…is Aizen a sociopath? And why should we care?
Setting aside the fact that Aizen is a fictional character, and fictional characters are often meant to be simpler than complex, ever-evolving human beings…I’m of the camp that yes, he is. It certainly explains a LOT of his behavior and actions; even the fact that he seems to have no “true” personality fits this mold. Partly because of how Kubo writes him, we can never be certain that anything Aizen says or does is “genuine,” or if he’s just trolling.
Why we should care if he’s a sociopath or not: Eh. Aside from the fun of armchair-diagnosing fictional characters, this gives us a framework within which to work. It gives us consistent traits that help us understand Aizen as a character. It’s sort of like a character sheet or profile: an easily referenced list of traits and tendencies.
However, even if we could truly diagnose Aizen with something, I don’t think that diagnosis would completely define his character. Far from it. Because this is fiction, every major character usually serves a particular purpose for the narrative that influences how they act and how they affect the characters around them. So let’s look at what I believe Aizen’s role is in the Bleach ‘verse.
Aizen the Trickster
A “trickster,” in terms of mythology and folklore, is “a character in a story…who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherwise disobey normal rules and defy conventional behavior.” (Thank you, Wikipedia.) Classic examples of tricksters are Loki from Norse mythology; Anansi the spider from West African folklore; and Coyote from many Native American cultures, particularly groups in California and the Great Basin. Even Greek mythology’s Hermes and, at times, Norse mythology’s Odin act as tricksters, using their intellect to deceive others or defy conventions. Tricksters can be villainess or heroic, depending on the tale and their role in it. Consider Odysseus in the Illiad and Odyssey: in both tales (but especially in the latter), he is cast as a hero, but most of his actions are devious and even reprehensible.
I see Aizen as being a trickster in the Bleach ‘verse in many ways:
He’s highly intelligent and possesses “secret knowledge” (ie: truth of the Soul King…but more on that in a bit)
He seeks to defy convention and push all types of boundaries, from combining/transcending Shinigami and Hollow powers (physical boundaries) to being a Shinigami who commands Hollows (societal boundaries)
He openly questions, disrupts, and mocks authority (Even when he was playing the Nice Captain, he was one of the only people to openly question Rukia’s execution…granted, it was All Part of the Plan(TM), but I still find it interesting that he allowed that to be a part of his character at that time)
He enjoys trolling people and making them question their own beliefs and perceptions. Not even just because it’ll benefit him; I think he honestly enjoys throwing people mentally off-balance.
I mean…he openly says it during the TYBW:
Sure, you might say that Aizen’s goal was to kill the Soul King (…I have thoughts about that too), but THIS is the reason for that goal. If it wasn’t the Soul King, it would be whatever other being tried to reign over him. Yhwach, Ichibe, whoever else…Aizen would not tolerate anyone having authority over him. This fits with the Trickster archetype because, at their cores, this is what tricksters do: they challenge authority.
It’s also worth noting that in most Trickster stories, especially ones where the trickster plays the antagonist, the trickster doesn’t exactly “win.” Often, they’re foiled or humiliated in some way, sometimes due to their own hubris; I mean, Loki wound up being tied up with a snake dripping poison into his eyes because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut about having orchestrated the death of one of Odin’s sons. This is also something we see in Aizen’s role in Bleach: At the pinnacle of his power, he is defeated - not only by the hero of the story, but also by another possible “trickster” type (Urahara) and by his own arrogance and, possibly, not knowing his own deepest desires.
Btw - for an interesting take on Aizen “not knowing himself,” check out this video by Nux Taku: Anime’s Most Relatable Overpowered Sociopath - Aizen from Bleach
“Defeated” doesn’t necessarily mean he didn’t win, though. In my opinion, Aizen is, above all, a master opportunist who will turn ANY situation in his favor.
“All according to keikaku:” Aizen the Opportunist
Aizen definitely fits a classic “mastermind” mold, no arguments here. But I think people take the meme-worthy “it was all part of my plan” thing a little too far with him. Aside from the tendency of sociopaths and tricksters alike toward self-aggrandizing, and the fact that it benefits Aizen to be perceived as omniscient, let’s be real: He didn’t plan everything out himself from the start. To be honest, the idea that a “mastermind” necessarily sees all possibilities 100 steps ahead is…a bit much. Rather, masterminds like Aizen who play the long game are excellent opportunists.
Just look at how Aizen acts during “Everything But the Rain”: As far as Tousen was concerned, the Hollow “White” was a failure because instead of going after the powerful Shinigami captain, it attacked a Quincy - the one creature in the area that couldn’t be Hollowfied. But to Aizen, this wasn’t a failure: it was an unforeseen turn of events that presented an unprecedented opportunity to study the congruence of two diametrically opposed beings. After all, his whole schtick is about transcending the boundaries between species; of course he’d be curious to see if there was a way for a Quincy and a Hollow to mix without destroying each other. Plus, I’m willing to bet that Aizen at least suspected that this phenomenon might draw Urahara out of hiding, which would give Aizen his location (and thus the location of the other Hogyoku). The fact that Masaki survives with White’s Hollow energy inside of her, AND that she, a Quincy, and Isshin, a Shinigami, fall in love and have a kid…that’s all a bonus that he later works into his plans.
TL;DR: Aizen had plans for White, but when those plans fell through, he turned the situation into a new part of his plan. It all worked toward his ultimate goals in the end. THAT is what makes him such a formidable mastermind: he’ll take any opportunity that comes his way.
Aizen the Übermensch
Okay, I’ll admit I’m gonna be a little lazy here and point y’all to a wonderful analysis video by DBZimran that goes into this topic. The gist is that Aizen embodies the Nietzsche idea of the “Ubermensch,” or “super man” (from before the N*zis appropriated the concept), and that Urahara is the opposing “last man.” It’s really interesting stuff, and DBZimran explains it way better than I feel equipped to right now.
Sosuke Aizen: THE FALSE GOD | BLEACH: Character Analysis
While you’re there, check out his other videos about Bleach. I took a lot of inspiration from his analysis of the Hogyoku when writing Mono no Aware, to be honest.
Other interesting takes on Aizen
I can’t get enough of this man, and if you’ve made it this far in this ridiculous long post, I’m guessing you can’t, either. I’m definitely open to writing more about him, answering prompts, giving headcanons…just ask! Here are some other people I like to reference for Aizen and Bleach content in general:
Youtube:
MrTommo2304
DBZimran
This wonderful hellsite, aka Tumblr (not a definitive list - I’m sure I’ll forget peeps):
@bleachbleachbleach - I LOVE THEIR WORLDBUILDING HEADCANONS OMG
@my-my-my - large variety of headcanons and imagines, from worldbuilding/story analysis to romantic/shmexy stuff
@brittscafe - fun, shmexy headcanons with an excellent grasp on the characters
@recurring-polynya - writer who also has lots of interesting and fun headcanons about the Bleach world; also their page is just really pretty
@brainbleached - silly totally-real-not-at-all-made-up incorrect quotes and such
This weekend I was told a story which, although I’m kind of ashamed to admit it, because holy shit is it ever obvious, is kind of blowing my mind.
A friend of a friend won a free consultation with Clinton Kelly of What Not To Wear, and she was very excited, because she has a plus-size body, and wanted some tips on how to make the most of her wardrobe in a fashion culture which deliberately puts her body at a disadvantage.
Her first question for him was this: how do celebrities make a plain white t-shirt and a pair of weekend jeans look chic? She always assumed it was because so many celebrities have, by nature or by design, very slender frames, and because they can afford very expensive clothing. But when she watched What Not To Wear, she noticed that women of all sizes ended up in cute clothes that really fit their bodies and looked great. She had tried to apply some guidelines from the show into her own wardrobe, but with only mixed success. So - what gives?
His answer was that everything you will ever see on a celebrity’s body, including their outfits when they’re out and about and they just get caught by a paparazzo, has been tailored, and the same goes for everything on What Not To Wear. Jeans, blazers, dresses - everything right down to plain t-shirts and camisoles. He pointed out that historically, up until the last few generations, the vast majority of people either made their own clothing or had their clothing made by tailors and seamstresses. You had your clothing made to accommodate the measurements of your individual body, and then you moved the fuck on. Nothing on the show or in People magazine is off the rack and unaltered. He said that what they do is ignore the actual size numbers on the tags, find something that fits an individual’s widest place, and then have it completely altered to fit. That’s how celebrities have jeans that magically fit them all over, and the rest of us chumps can’t ever find a pair that doesn’t gape here or ride up or slouch down or have about four yards of extra fabric here and there.
I knew that having dresses and blazers altered was probably something they were doing, but to me, having alterations done generally means having my jeans hemmed and then simply living with the fact that I will always be adjusting my clothing while I’m wearing it because I have curves from here to ya-ya, some things don’t fit right, and the world is just unfair that way. I didn’t think that having everything tailored was something that people did.
It’s so obvious, I can’t believe I didn’t know this. But no one ever told me. I was told about bikini season and dieting and targeting your “problem areas” and avoiding horizontal stripes. No one told me that Jennifer Aniston is out there wearing a bigger size of Ralph Lauren t-shirt and having it altered to fit her.
I sat there after I was told this story, and I really thought about how hard I have worked not to care about the number or the letter on the tag of my clothes, how hard I have tried to just love my body the way it is, and where I’ve succeeded and failed. I thought about all the times I’ve stood in a fitting room and stared up at the lights and bit my lip so hard it bled, just to keep myself from crying about how nothing fits the way it’s supposed to. No one told me that it wasn’t supposed to. I guess I just didn’t know. I was too busy thinking that I was the one that didn’t fit.
I thought about that, and about all the other girls and women out there whose proportions are “wrong,” who can’t find a good pair of work trousers, who can’t fill a sweater, who feel excluded and freakish and sad and frustrated because they have to go up a size, when really the size doesn’t mean anything and it never, ever did, and this is just another bullshit thing thrown in your path to make you feel shitty about yourself.
I thought about all of that, and then I thought that in elementary school, there should be a class for girls where they sit you down and tell you this stuff before you waste years of your life feeling like someone put you together wrong.
So, I have to take that and sit with it for a while. But in the meantime, I thought perhaps I should post this, because maybe my friend, her friend, and I are the only clueless people who did not realise this, but maybe we’re not. Maybe some of you have tried to embrace the arbitrary size you are, but still couldn’t find a cute pair of jeans, and didn’t know why.
I love this post but it always frustrated me just a little because I can’t even afford to buy new clothes let alone get the clothes I have tailored. But then I remembered that a lot of things are easier to do than you think they will be, so here’s some resources on how to alter your own clothes!
Do you have any drawings of Kaede? Since I see you being a very talented artist— btw I love your Oc so much Kaede stan 10000000%
Thank you so much! That means a lot coming from you - I love your art!
I only have a few of Kaede right now - I haven't really drawn anything in over a year, unfortunately. The longer I go, the harder it is to get back into it :/ But here's some of what I have (under the cut):
The eye color isn't quite right in that last one, but it's hard to get the color just right because my ideas for it keep shifting XD Actually, I think the 2nd one has a REALLY outdated eye color, lol. (One of my original eye colors for her was "garnet") Her overall design is a tad outdated in these too, but the basics are still there. I really do need to pick up my stylus again.
I also found a few others - sketches, a work-in-progress...maybe I'll revisit these first :)
This is the closest I've gotten to the eye color I want for her. It's tricky 'cause it's so close to her skin color at first glance, lol.
Work-in-progress titled "Hanami." Three guesses what chapter this scene is from, and the first two don't count XD The kimono design is just a pattern I found in Clip Studio Paint; it's not quite the design I have in mind from the story, to be honest, but I'm not confident enough in my skills to actually draw what I have in mind. Or maybe I am. Maybe I should give it a shot :P Obviously, Aizen is unfinished here XD
As you can see, her coloring is...not quite standardized XD I think I do have a palette for her, but looking back at these...I need to revisit it. I found a couple others too, but they're still VERY early stages so I'm holding them back for now!
The reason I started with writing my fanfiction „The Nameless Moon“ was really the desire to understand what type of surroundings someone has to grows up in and which character make up has to be there at the first place to create an „Aizen“ and his so called “god complex” and how this subconscious desire of closeness can work— so it was a excuse to over analyze him xD
Warning Social psychologist major rambelings ahead~
Understanding Aizen God Complex
In my understanding a “god complex” or a grandiose self doesn’t come from self-love. For Aizen, it comes from never being able to experience anyone as truly equal.
the core isn’t just:
“I am a god.”— at least that would oversimplify it.
It’s closer to:
“No one exists on my level — so I have to stand above them.”
That’s not arrogance, at least not in the beginning. It’s isolation, carefully rationalized until it feels like destiny or truth for them.
⸻
How a psych like his is developed realistically
Phase 1: Early cognitive superiority
People like Aizen are often:
-highly intelligent from a very young age
-quick to recognize systems, lies, and power structures
-always a few steps ahead of others
What happens in reality is simple, but damaging:
They aren’t understood.
Their questions feel uncomfortable to others. Adults respond with control instead of dialogue.
So the child learns:
“I can’t show what I really think.”
⸻
Phase 2: The mask as a survival strategy
Because genuine connection to others is missing, something else takes its place:
a mask.
It appears:
-polite
-charming
-socially adapted
-even empathetic
And this is important:
This mask isn’t created at first to manipulate — it’s created to pass inside a society were they felt no place in.
But the longer it’s worn, the less likely they are able to connect to others or consciously wanting to.
⸻
Phase 3: Intellectual loneliness turns into contempt
Over time, something shifts— as a consequence never experiencing any genuine connections in his early years. He only learned to see people as patterns— disconnected from himself.
He recognizes hypocrisy in morality. He understands that systems sacrifice people—And no one else seems willing to acknowledge it, rather hold on to their moral compasses that are at the end tied to people.
But he has no ties to anyone.
So he concludes:
They are blind.
Or foolish and weak.
Ties are ignorance.
The Grief of never being able to meet someone at his level doesn’t disappear— it transforms into contempt. Thats when his arrogance of superiority turns to an ideology of a “god complex” and it becomes pathological and dangerous.
Phase 4: Control as a substitute for connection
His so-called “god complex” Is not only:
“I am better than everyone.”
Behind it there is also:
“If I don’t take control, everything inside my reality of life will remain meaningless and worthless.”
Control provides:
- security in self image
-structure
-meaning
And most importantly:
It replaces closeness. But the control stabilizes you— filling the void of closeness.
⸻
But why does the need for an equal still remain?
I understand why people think that he was always just an empty husk of cold ambition and superiority— so no human sentiments of wanting an equal and I don’t really fully want to argue against that. Because I believe he thinks that as well. But still I think on a subconscious level that he yearend for the equal Ichigo mentions.
Because no matter how intelligent, powerful, or “psychopathic/sociopathic” someone is, the human brain still needs some sort of resonance.
For Aizen, that need isn’t soft or romantic.
It’s existential:
“Is there anyone out there who sees what I see — and still stays?”
We all need to be seen— to be understood.
To resonate with someone else.
But the issue is with him that he only would take someone serious having his exact line of thinking and realistically people never ever think entirely the same— but he doesn’t compromise. He is to egoistical and self absorbed to do that, so connecting with this piece of work is close to impossible.
(It’s so funny that he has the zodiac sign Gemini so maybe he would accept an exact copy of his)
⸻
The internal contradiction
This is where the tragedy lies. He believes no one is on his level, and he has build his sense of self on that exact reality, yet he longs for exactly that person.
This creates:
-cynicism
- constant testing
-boundary-crossing
Because if someone truly sees him and experiences his reality and doesn’t break, it would shatter his entire worldview of being the superior being— and with it his sense of control. And that’s more threatening than loneliness.
⸻
So Needs such like connection become distorted
Like I said closeness = loss of control, for him.
So the desire, no one fully can suppress, expresses itself as:
-When some sort of intimacy arises = Annihilation(Hinamori Momo): closeness triggers hostility and the urge to destroy.
-When ownership or destiny is at stake = Possessiveness (the Hōgyoku): he believes it is rightfully his, seeing mastery as proof of superiority.
-When he encounters strength = Clinical fascination (Ichigo): he studies and tests others like subjects, detached yet fixated.
⸻
Why is the desire corrupted?
Because someone like Aizen:
- never learned what real closeness looks like
-sees boundaries as negotiable
-understands people as variables
So when someone appears to be interested in getting close to them or seem to be an “equal,”
they aren’t embraced — they’re tested.
Provoked.
Pushed.
Destabilized.
Not out of pure sadism,
but to answer one question:
“Are you real — or just another illusion?”
So that’s it with my rambling don’t know if I said anything new at all. But I wanted to share how I understand people like Aizen develops or function💚
I've picked up a few new followers, and just to make sure we're all here hanging out and understanding each other:
I support Jews.
I support Israel existing. I do not require Israel to meet some perfect level of existence I don't put onto any other democratic state. I'm from the USA. My own country is shitting the bed really regularly. I still support its existence. Nuance!
"I support Jews but not Zionists" is Nazi talk.
I have been reading/watching information about Nazis for 30 years, and I know "Those are BAD Jews, but these are GOOD Jews" is Nazi talk. That's literally how they started using the centuries-long antisemitism to fully poison the German people. "Oh, we won't go after the GOOD Jews who have assimilated and served in the Great War." (Guess what they fucking did. Otto Frank was a fourth-generation German secular Jew who served in WWI.)
Antizionism is antisemitism because I have literally never seen a so-called antizionist do sweet fuck all to make Jews feel welcome in the diaspora.
I am not a Jew. I make this point in case you are now mad that you followed me and want to piss in my inbox before you leave. It's not an insult to call me a Jew because (to paraphrase Iggy Pop), there's no shame in being a Jew. I just want to skip that step if possible. Means I can save time on my response telling you to go fuck yourselves.
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Also gonna add: being Jewish or supportive of the existence of Jews and Israel does NOT mean someone “supports genocide.” FFS. It’s literally the opposite. Grow some sense of nuance.
Reblog to let your followers know that despite your current obsession your previous obsessions still exist and are simply lying dormant until they awaken and strike again
It has been literal years but every time I see Martin’s tweets posted somewhere and his word is shared as truth while her post is not shared it sort of reiterates the fact that we trust men to speak about feminism more than we believe women who experience it.
Reading her account of how their boss treated her blows me away. Men are so emboldened that they will literally admit to illegal discrimination casually and face no consequences.
Adding screenshots of her post. His whole post is there without needing a link. Hers should be, too.
Also, she posted this is 2017! It’s fucking 2020 and I’ve seen his side of this for years, but it took 3 years for her side to make its way to my dash…
Good god…I don’t even remember now. I was in college at the time, I think…or high school? Either way, the manga was still in production, so that gives you a notion of how long ago this was 😅. I was already into anime/manga at the time, I know that. I was a Toonami kid back in the day. I don’t even remember if I first got into the manga or the anime - probably the anime first, then the manga when I got impatient with the fillers and wanted to be up to date on the story.
I stopped somewhere around the Fake Karakura Town, and then only picked it back up a few years ago. (A few? Five? I dunno, time is a construct.) Funnily enough, it was Bleach S Abridged on YouTube that got me back into the series 😂
When people make false claims, sometimes they know exactly what they are doing, and other times they too have been deceived by the sources of false beliefs. Purposeful or not, when people promote false claims, the claims, and the arguments used to support them, share some of the same hallmarks (Hupp, 2019; Lilienfeld et al., 2014; Novella et al., 2018; Sagan, 1996). Being aware of these hallmarks, described here as the Mucky Seven, will help make you more resistant to believing in false claims:
Meaningless Jargon – Incorporating scientific-sounding words that don’t have any real connection to the proposed concept. For example, words like “quantum,” have real meaning in certain situations, but these words are often used to make a pseudoscientific concept sound more scientific.
Untestable Idea Promotion – Endorsing statements that are not able to be studied through sound research designs. For example, there aren’t research study designs that can test many of Freud’s concepts.
Anecdote Overreliance – Putting anecdotes ahead of research studies. For example, testimonials are one type of anecdotes that are often used to promote questionable treatments.
Placebo Exploitation – Relying on improvements that occur simply because people know they are getting a treatment. For example, people have the expectation that a treatment will help them get better so they start to feel better once the treatment starts regardless of which treatment is being provided.
Data Manipulation – Using problematic practices related to analyzing and reporting data. For example, when people make dubious claims, they often cherry-pick the data that favors their hypothesis and leave out the rest of the data.
Burden of Proof Shift – Offering a defense by suggesting that it’s the skeptics that need to prove them wrong. For example, a psychic might suggest that a skeptic cannot point to research that disproves someone had lived a previous life.
Science Discreditation – Offering a defense by attacking different aspects of science. For example, those making dubious claims often harshly critique the peer-review process.
“A project manager conducts Beethoven” as a full symphony shortened to a cacophanous quarter of its usual runtime with 4 orchestras each playing one fourth of the symphony simultaneously sure would be a statement on the infeasibility of capitalist managerial expectations and harmful corner cutting contrasted with the necessity of labor being done the way it NEEDS to be done in order to produce quality results
“An “angel” is anything that carries out a mission for God. This includes forces of nature. […] Photosynthesis? That’s an angel. Gravity? An angel. Magnetism? Angel. The Midrash in Bereishis Rabbah (chapter 1) says than an angel only performs one job. That job doesn’t have to be destroying Sodom; it could be peristalsis, centripetal force or condensation.”
I am also obsessed but I’m considering the idea that caramelizing onions is really just an example of the Maillard reaction, which is also what causes bread to toast, chicken skin to crisp up when you roast a chicken, cheese to brown on pizza, and milk to become caramel.
Basically I’m saying that there could be an angel of the Maillard reaction and they really won the angel mission jackpot.
This will, of course, also be the angelic Power responsible for bacon getting brown and crispy when you fry it. :)
(And a side issue for those linguistically interested: the Greek word from which the English “angel” is derived, Αγγελος / angelos, just means “messenger”. …For certain values of “just.”)
I think "fuck you, I hate your work and I will do it myself and I will do it better" is a really funny and epic sentiment. i started publishing poetry because an ex boyfriend of mine was publishing really ass poetry in a bunch of journals and I was like "Jesus christ, this is garbage, I could do that, and I could do it better." now I have a page in the Academy of American Poets and I've published a full length collection and his website says "former poet." You should win by succeeding way harder than they do. Spite is a legitimate energy source.
Right???!!! This was me as a kid/teen/young adult when it came to piano, and me now as a writer. Though I have yet to monetize my writing in any way since it’s fanfiction 😅 (I know there are plenty of people who’ve done exactly that, but I’m too lazy not interested in making my own worlds just now, or having the pressure of being on a deadline, or adhering to genre formulae.)
