#('death' can either be interpreted as actual death or the act of leaving someone for good ->

[melit0n]

3:35 to 4:10 in Levitate is so unbelievably comforting to me. In the best (and worst) way possible, it truly does feel like levitation.

The best way I can describe it is laying in someone's arms, lover, friend, foe or family, and simply basking in the comfort they give you. One arm wrapped, gently, around your middle, fingers tracing invisible patterns on your clothes, and the other hand softly combing through your hair as they whisper soft nothings in your ear. You're on the brink of sleep; half listening to their words and half being drawn in by the comfort of the drowsy void.

It's a warm hug that you never want to leave. (catch me replaying that part over and over)

[shakingparadigm]

I always kind of wondered why Hyuna went out of her way to save Mizi in round five out of like anyone else. I originally thought it was just because she was up against Luka but that didn't really make sense because of round 4. You saying that she did it because she personally say herself in Mizi makes everything much more clear!! I was to busy look at the rescue from a more political standpoint against the aliens (which it still is) that from a more emotional one

I felt that too, honestly. When I first saw Mizi's rescue in ROUND 5 I found it confusing that Mizi was singled out as someone worthy of saving. Could Sua have been saved by the rebellion too? Why her and not anyone else? It's not just because she was up against Luka, the green-haired Durian girl went against him in ROUND 4 and there had been no effort to save her. It can't be just be her violent outburst, either, because Till acted out in ROUND 2 (and many instances before that) yet the rebellion remained unmoving.

So out of all people, why was Mizi saved? Since ROUND 5, I've settled on my own interpretation of things.

(The first one is more of my own speculation, while the second is more in line with canon, backed by Hyuna's info from Patreon)

1.) Why doesn't the Human Resistance Force save any other human from ALIEN STAGE? How do they increase their numbers in the first place?

I don't think it's common at all for the Human Resistance to interfere while ALIEN STAGE is ongoing. They must be well aware that it's one of the most dangerous moves they could ever pull. They can't afford to save every single contestant, and even if they could I still don't think they would've. Many human pets are raised to revere death as some kind of honor. Some of them are just happy enough to die, unfortunately. It's risky to try and convince someone who's loyal to the system to come to your side, as they might resist or rat out the whole rebel operation when pushed. You never know which humans actually want to be saved and which ones wish to live and die in the system.

Written on the walls beside Hyuna's wanted poster are messages by the rebels themselves. (Roughly translated) the one on the left reads:

Recruitment of Human Rebellion

Qualification: All human beings who hate segyein

Provides accomodation / residence / basic food, clothing, shelter

If we continue to live like this, we will die

We are better than your master

The Rebellion relies on humans to come to them, encouraging others to make the conscious decision to save themselves and switch sides. The rebellion can't save just anyone, a human has to prove that they don't want to be a part of the system, they need to show signs.

It makes sense that they didn't save Sua. In front of the cameras, she played her part of "the perfect pet" too well. She showed no signs of resistance and even smiled as she was shot dead.

Though still rebellious, Till had purpose in ROUND 2. Even if they came to save him, he wouldn't budge if it meant leaving Mizi behind. Plus, Till's performances usually call for an increased amount of security and guards to pin him down in case he loses control like they expect him to. Increased risk for a rescue mission that might amount to nothing.

Ivan in ROUND 3 played his part just as perfectly as Sua (it was only during ROUND 6 where Hyuna, most likely spurred on by Mizi's attachment to them and the successful rescue in ROUND 5, decided to push forward with saving both Ivan and Till).

After ROUND 1, Mizi lost everything. She lost her joy, her willingness to participate any further in the competition. Anyone watching ALIEN STAGE can tell just how despaired Mizi is, how she no longer wants to go on because of Sua's death. Furthermore, ROUND 5 was delayed because Mizi refused to participate. Maybe it was within this period of delay that the Rebellion began their plan of action.

Mizi openly showed her despair and refusal to participate in the competition any further, she provided the rebellion with a timeframe to execute the rescue mission, and her violent outburst at the end of ROUND 5 not only further proved her anger and disgust, but also nearly killed her. She needed to be saved at that point.

That's the best way I can try to explain the Resistance's decision for Mizi's rescue from a logical standpoint, but as we know, the true reason for Mizi's rescue is far more personally motivated.

2.) What does Hyuna see in Mizi that reminds her of herself? What drove Hyuna to save her?

Hyuna may have an older, tougher edge, but overall she and Mizi are the most genuinely extroverted and outgoing of the cast (or they were, at least). As children, they both shared a bright and sunny personality that positively affected all the people around them. Even their long hair and the way they styled themselves as children is strikingly similar.

Before Hyunwoo's death and whatever went down in the 49th season of ALIEN STAGE, Hyuna was most likely just as excited to compete as Mizi was. Although their motivations differed, they both shared a love for performing. Cheerful, optimistic, and painfully naive.

Hyuna seemed much more innocent and "pure" back then as well, taking a lonely Luka under her wing and caring for him together with Hyunwoo just as she treated every other child in the Anakt Garden as her little sibling. Hyuna seems to retain this sisterly instinct, shown by taking in more humans into the Human Resistance and looking after them, providing shelter and other basic needs for those who wish for a safe refuge. However, she's much more cautious with who she allows to come close. Hyuna in present is incredibly jaded behind her cheery facade, and has lost all her naiveté. She adopted her righteousness from Hyunwoo, who seemed to hold strong positive beliefs from the beginning while she herself held a more realistic and somewhat pessimistic outlook. Hyuna believes that all humans are inherently selfish, and even the most altruistic of people possess this selfishness in their nature.

Plagued by all the past events and the trauma that heavily affected her way of living, Hyuna allows herself to fall into vices such as smoking and drinking, which she indulges in so often that it's stated as her "likes" on her official profile. These not only serve as a coping mechanism for her past hurt, but also as a way to further distance herself from segyein culture, which prefers their pets to remain prim and proper. Although years have passed, it's apparent that Hyuna still hasn't moved on from the death of her brother. While her intentions for an uprising are for the benefit of all human pets, seemingly altruistic, Hyuna herself states that people are selfish, and she is no exception.

It seems that Hyuna is in pursuit of vengeance or justice. Her motivation for rebelling is fueled not only by her wish for freedom, but also by the urge to make up for Hyunwoo's death. She wants to be freed from the shackles of past, and it is through Mizi that Hyuna hopes to accomplish this.

Mizi, much like Hyuna, has experienced the devastating loss of someone who has been with her for almost her whole life. Someone who meant the world to her is now splayed out on the ground, blood spilling out of their lifeless body. The horror in that wide-eyed stare, paralyzed in shock... It's all too familiar.

To add fuel to the flame, the person who further perpetuates Mizi's misery is Luka, tormenting her with memories of Sua and stepping uncomfortably into her space, leading her like a puppet. It's established that whatever connection Hyuna had with Luka is now cut. She no longer holds a fond protectiveness over him, now viewing him as a threat that must be eliminated or brought to justice, hence the dagger held over his head. Whether or not she can find it within herself to actually bring the dagger down... we'll have to wait and see.

Hyuna sees much of herself in Mizi, and she hoped to console her own pain by saving and helping her, almost as if she were helping another version of herself.

Near the end of All-In, it's Hyuna's turn to become paralyzed at the sight of someone that might as well have been dead to her. Re-entering ALIEN STAGE grounds inevitably presents one with Luka's image, and when Hyuna recalls her memories with him, she freezes up. She and Mizi have now switched places, with Hyuna as the one in need of saving and Mizi as the only one up to the task. When Mizi fired the gun and saved her, Hyuna felt more "healed" than before. She felt a sense of satisfaction and peace due to Mizi's growth and slow but steady recovery.

Hyuna's rescue of Mizi ended up serving the both of them. Mizi learned to stand on her own two feet again and gained strength, while Hyuna was able to put herself at ease.

At present, Hyuna is the person Mizi confides most in. Mizi finds herself similar to Hyuna in many ways, especially after hearing about her past.

[ouaw-facts-i-just-made-up]

I have some thoughts on Remy Garou and Kremy as someone who has only see clips out of context from Prime (and also an obvious lover of OUAW). Major spoilers for probably both but definitely Prime. Also brief discussions of SA (mostly me just bringing up what others have characterized Garou as and why I think that it's not *wrong* to do but not really interesting, to me.)

Often, Garou's the sort of antagonist in coalecroux fics, like specifically a wedge in their relationship where usually he was the previous """"partner"""" of Kremy. Sometimes that's because Kremy *did* have a crush on him but ended up feeling less and less happy and more fearful, a lot of times it's just Garou abusing his power to get his rocks off like a fucking creep.

Now is this an incorrect interpretation? Not necessarily, we don't have much context surrounding their relationships. But, as much as i enjoy some of the fics that have this as a plot point, I don't actually like it that much as a concept.

What do I think their relationship was like? Well I think it comes down to two possibilities, judging by what I know of him;

1) Garou had him as a sort of protege, perhaps finding some sort of kinship with him as, while Kremy isn't a dragonborn, dragons are commonly associated with reptiles in a lot of cultures, and especially dnd. And even beyond that, he may have found his sly, conniving personality to be a good fit for his hoard.

Personally I find this compelling, I imagine he may have had many proteges, but helping Kremy become a warlock makes it seem like perhaps he could have been a favourite, or at least was good at his job.

Having little pawns do your dirty work so that you can overlook and sieze more control of your hoard it probably what drew him to the position he's in now anyway.

2) Remy Garou could not actually give less of a shit about Kremy.

This seems most likely to me. The debt was petty, yes, but most likely less personal than you'd think. A piece of his so precisely controlled possessions slipped away, like a button popping off your jacket. Of course he wants to sew it back on, make sure it never yearns to leave again, lest it ruin your immaculate appearance.

He'd do it to anyone else, if anybody else had escaped and lived to tell the tale. But it's just Kremy. Just business.

Now, for either of these possibilities, I can see an extra factor at play; Kremy having a crush on him. With the way he describes him, whether it's the power or just the fact that he has an obvious type, I *do* believe he may have had some sort of desire to be with him, an easily manipulated trait.

And, well, let's be real here, Kremy isn't subtle. If he did have a crush, Garou most certainly sniffed it out.

For the 1st option, he could have easily strung him along, not exactly acting romantic, but using the fact that he wanted to be with him against him. Garou had no interest at all, and if he didn't like actually have a child I'd say he was actively repulsed by the thought. But oh isn't it nice when a few compliments and nice smiles gets such an efficient worker to do almost anything?

And in the 2nd option, the above could have been true as well, but I also wanted to say that my brain immediately conjured an imagine of Kremy being head over heels and Garou being like "can you lock the fuck in right now please".

Now, overall, I think I'd characterize Garou as being just like Kremy, but with confidence based in actual immense power. Not only that, but where Kremy has *some* morals (mostly relating to his friends or being opposed to sending innocent people to their deaths for no reason), Garou has a code, but not morals. Awgé is his. The people in it are his. As long as they act nice and play along, well he's just a humble fisherman. If one were to disrupt his peace, by, say; running away, attempting to swindle him, attempting to kill him or attack his things, etc....well he's not obligated to stand there and take it now is he?

He is, essentially, what Kremy would be like if he truly got what he wanted, but even that is not the whole truth. Kremy could never be Garou because of his past, which he attempts to run away from, and his shaky but still present morals, which is also attempts to distance himself from. Garou is what Kremy wants to be and never can be, and that's a good thing.

Garou would not have befriended any of the Krew, unless for the purposes of improving Agwé. Garou wouldn't have started a fucking carnival of all things. He is an all powerful dragon warlock, who has a city under his thumb, and consistently lies about himself without fear of losing some sense of identity or loathing himself or hearing the call of the void because who fucking cares. I'm a dragon go fuck yourself.

And Kremy is just a little lizard nipping at his heels. And when pets are presenting undesirable traits, you train it out of them.

[mytragedyperson]

You know, I think i figured out why I like Deruth. So, I've never really seen Deruth spoken about but I've seen fanfic interpretations and it almost seems like the fandom itself doesn't quite know what to make of Deruth. Some people treat Deruth from the Birth of a Hero and Deruth from LCF/TCF as separate characters and other interpretations, the one I'm more in favour of is that both versions of Deruth cared about their son, they just didn't know how to show it or fix their relationship. Cale himself acknowledges that Deruth is awkward and doesn't quite know how to speak to Cale. I personally see Deuth as someone who made mistakes following the death of Cale's mother and wanted to fix it, but couldn't figure out how, so didn't do anything, which was a mistake in and of itself. Cale starts acting like trash and Deruth again doesn't know how to handle this or fix this, since he blames himself, so, again, he doesn't fix it. And the longer it goes without him doing something, the worse the strain on their relationship gets until it ends up how we see at the first breakfast, Deruth awkwardly trying to speak to his son but unable to, as he doesn't know what to say. So what changes? Cale. Kim Rok Soo becomes Cale, realises how awkward things are and takes the first step, as he compliments breakfast, something he doesn't think about and just does to stop things being awkward but it gives Deruth an opening. It's just a short conversation, but what a difference it makes to the probably usual silent and awkward breakfasts before where no one quite knew what to say or do with Cale, and Cale, if he shows up, either says nothing or speaks only to complain about the food and then leaves.

However, this actually isn't the main thing I wanted to note. So, I've discussed the previous, Deruth's point of view. And I'm not gonna sit here and say he was good father to the original Cale or was the father he needed. He's not winning father of the year awards for original Cale, I can agree with that. Are there worse fathers? Yes, Marquis Stan immediately comes to mind. But it would be hard to say Deruth was a good father to original Cale. Now let's consider the third element here, KRS!Cale Henituse, a man mentally older than his new body, a man who only had caring parents for a few years and it's uncear how much he remembers of them, a man who was abused and mistreated, pitied, a man who's can't care about people, because if he does, something bad will happen to him. I think, in a weird way, Deruth was almost the parent Kim Rok Soo needed at the time. Let me try to explain.

So, imagine for a second a world where the Henituse family dynamics are different, healthier, happier. Maybe Deruth and Cale fixed their relationship, maybe Cale is closer with his step family. They'd be caring, nice, what a family should be. Imagine Kim Rok Soo, an orphan who was abused and had hardened himself to not care about anyone, would this not be more odd to him? Going from keeping everyone at arms length and not letting anyone in to having to show his care for parents and step siblings, something he's never experienced before. I honestly think Kim Rok Soo would've liked this less because he wouldn't know what to do when shown obvious care by a family when he's never head that relationship before. I don't know, I feel like this is more Kim Rok Soo's speed, Clearly care but still allowing that independence and freedom. Care when he gets hurt but awkward and distant. Deruth is not the father Cale needs but in an odd way, he is the father Kim Rok Soo needs at this point. Does that mean you have to like him or see him as a good father? No, it's not up to the child to fix ther relationship with their parent. But it gives less whiplash for Kim Rok Soo than a close, physically affectionate family would. Or maybe I just like him, like that he does care even if he struggles, like that he's trying even if it doesn't always seem like that. again, you don't have to like him or think he's a good parent. This is just my opinion, my interpretation. I don't know man. I've been thinking about this story all day.

On that note, and I could be wrong as someone who is not aroace and has limited knowledge on aroace, but I feel like Cale is on the aroace spectrum. we're in his thoughts for two years and not once does he consider getting in a romantic relationship. In his dream life there's nothing to do with getting married or having kids. Does this necessarily make him asexual? No there are people of all sexualities who aren't bothered about marriage or kids, but they still tend to want some sort of romantic or sexual relationship and Kim Rok Soo/Cale Henituse seems to have zero interest in this. He has kids, he has family, he has friends. At no point does he express any kind of want for a romantic or sexual partner. Could this be because he has bigger problems? Yes. Could this be because of his past and the curse? Yes. Is he the only character this applies to? No, most of the characters show no interest in romance. Because ultimately this book is not about romance, not even slightly. It's found family, it's friendship, it's fantasy but there is no romance and, yet, for most of the characters I wouldn't rule out the possibility of them having some form of romantic or sexual character. Even with Cale I'm not saying he can/will never have those relationships. But even when he acknowledges someone as being attractive, it doesn't seem sexual or anything. He says it like it's a fact, then moves on. This isn't to say I disagree with shipping Cale. I myself don't mind a little Alcale or Choi Han/Cale. Do I personally think they are romantic or sexual? Not necessarily. You can interpret things that way, but i personally like things as they are, no romantic ships but really close friendships, to me platonic love and platonic relationships are just as, if not more, important than romantic love. And, tbf, even in content where there are romantic relationships, those romantic relationships are never the most interesting part. I don't really watch or read things, like non-fanfiction things, where romance is the main point or main storyline. I used to, but as I've gotten older (I say pretending to be wise old woman at the age of 21), I've come to appreciate friendships non-romantic relationships more and it's the main reason I enjoy shows, for relationship dynamics of all kinds.

I think that's why I'm so, like, chill with shipping and fanfiction with like proships. Now, i don't personally read things like incest or age gap fanfiction. It's not for me, no thanks. But i do tend to ship different things for different reasons. So, if I say I ship something, it's not necessarily because I think they'd have a cute, happy, healthy, loving relationship. Sometimes it's quite the opposite. Sometimes it's because i know it would be toxic and unhealthy and dark and it may even be one-sided, but my god, is it interesting. Some ships i ship purely for the angst, for the way they destroy and ruin each other. Other times I go for fluffier, happier ships. I generally think, as long as you know wrong from right in real life, ship what you want, write and read the fanfiction you want to read, and avoid the fics and ships you don't want. Don't like, don't read does apply. Commenting and interacting just gives it more attention. We all know what we like and don't like. At the end of the day you can't tell someone's morals from the fictional media they interact with. Sometimes you don't want something happy and fluffy and safe. You want something angsty and dark and hard to read. That doesn't make anyone a bad person. Sorry, this has little to do with this post. I'm just tired of people saying "if you like reading about X, you're a bad person" and putting labels on people for reading and writing fictional content that doesn't hurt any real, living person

[cynfuldelights]

Wardens: Cops By Another Name

So, in writing my Dresden fanfic I've once again stumbled upon another interesting quandary in the Dresdenverse and that's just how remarkably pro-cop the series is. Not in like, its representation of the Chicago PD which someone tried to point out to me was not "copaganda" because there were "good cops AND bad cops" Okay. Let's talk about Wardens then. So, Wardens unequivocally are the police of the wizard world at least for human mages. They answer to the authority of the White Council and the Head Warden, they're allowed to use lethal force in order to enforce those laws, and members are generally pulled from the populace policed (e.g. other wizards). With maybe the exception of Morgan, they're all generally portrayed the same was as the CPD are. They're also about as easy to corrupt and abuse their power as normal police, are given extrajudicial power to murder pretty much whoever they want if given a good enough "reason", and are able to carry out that act using a means of force unavailable to the rest of the population they police. Warden Donald Morgan IN THE FIRST BOOK, deliberately tries to misinterpret the Laws of Magic in order to kill Harry, who Morgan sees as a dangerous liability to leave lying around. So he just like. Tries to lie to Harry about how the Law works. Either that or he just doesn't understand the Laws of Magic. Kinda fucked up don't you think? Isn't it even more fucked up that if Harry didn't know about the Laws of Magic, Morgan could've just killed him right there in that Chicago park and the series would've just ended? Like. There's not really a criminal justice system it seems in the White Council aside from the Doom of Damacles, a laughably terrible system, that puts people who want to help reform people instead of kill them in harm's way. The only other trial we see is when a poor kid is laughably fucked up from using mind control magic and we just had to kill the fifteen-year old don't you see??

Like, sure, the Doom of Damacles is obviously a terrible shitty system that you could say is a reflection of how old and backwards the White Council is but so little of the Wardens or even the Laws of Magic are shown in the same light. Like, Morgan, is our "quintessential" bad cop, but like NOTHING BAD HAPPENS TO HIM FOR ABUSING HIS POWER! If anything in the end he's given a heroic death despite the fact that he was a terrible Warden who most definitely killed innocent people. He almost killed Harry!

Not only could he have killed him, he could've killed him easily. All Wardens, after all, are given anti-magic swords, purpose-built to negate the magic of 'renegade' mages and warlocks that they're trying to murder bring to justice. Nobody else is given these. Only Wardens, using a method that only ONE WARDEN knows how to use.

All based on, not the letter of the law, but on Morgan's interpretation of it. Just like cops do. They don't have to actually understand the law. Just try to stomp on anyone they perceive as dangerous. I wonder how it would've gone if Harry wasn't a tall White guy. You think Morgan a guy raised in a different CENTURY doesn't have weird internalized views about people different than him? Y'know. LIKE HARRY?

Plus, like... what would've even happened if he did!? Who would investigate Morgan? Other Wardens?! You think a community as insular as The White Council would actually bother with doing something when a Law of Magic hasn't been broken? Do you think they're going to believe a warlock or Lawbreaker over a wizard and Warden of the White Council? After all, breaking the Law(s of Magic) is one of the most fundamentally evil things you can do. So in order to fix that, we need to use summary execution via military police, no matter if they're a child or an adult.

After all: KILLING SOMEONE WITH AN ANTI-MAGIC SWORD DOESN'T COUNT AS KILLING SOMEONE WITH MAGIC. SO THAT MAKES IT OKAY, DOESN'T IT? (And as an aside, uh, what do you mean killing someone with an anti-magic sword, doesn't count as killing them with magic.

Like, I understand that a certain level of semantic bullshit can be argued with a lot of things in any Fantasy setting but like... What? You're telling me a sword forged with magical properties does not count as killing people with magic, even if its magical properties are used to kill them? Like. If I stab someone with a flaming sword and they burn to death, does that count?)

[vigilskeep]

More Leandra defense because the anon you got the other day got me thinking and I think a lot of the fandom acts like she's malicious in situations where she's genuinely just being a flawed human who wants the best for her kids and sometimes falls short

While it can be argued that Hawke having to take care of their family after Malcolm dying wasn't fair to them (and in my opinion it wasn't, but I personally view it more as the result of bad circumstances than individual fault), it's not like Leandra just sat back and went "I'm going to put pressure on my oldest because I don't feel like doing anything". She was depressed! Her life was falling apart! That's not her fault, and it makes sense for Hawke to blame her, but there's a difference between a character being mad and the player being mad, you know?

I also think there's this really bad faith reading about her just wanting the estate back and to be noble again to reclaim some lost glory, and that's not at all how I interpreted the situation. To me it always came across as her trying to provide for her kids (possibly to make up for not being able to before) in the only way she knows how. She doesn't want them to feel out of place (and again, Carver's feelings are valid but they're also feelings and he's not a mind reader), she wants them to be safe and cared for

Sorry for the long rant, it's just rare to come across other people who think of Leandra as a person with thoughts and feelings and opinions and not some malicious force trying to ruin Hawke's life

yeah this is super true. of course it wasn’t fair some of the things she said to hawke and the responsibility placed on them, but as someone who deals with depression & whose family members deal with depression, i find it quite uh startling that people are so quick to act like it’s leandra’s fault she’s clearly prone to an illness that she suffers from after a) the death of the love of her life, her husband and partner who she had relied on to build a life with, and b) the death of her child and being forcibly displaced from her home for the second time in her life. i also think that, while there’s definitely implications that there was a fair bit of pressure on hawke as a kid, it’s a little funny to act like hawke grew up as a sole parent in a wet cardboard box with their baby siblings all alone as if malcolm wasn’t fully alive until hawke was 22. and to me it’s very harsh to act like anything prior to that was not also malcolm’s responsibility?? he seems to get away scot free lmao

yeah the estate issue isn’t uncomplicated but like what is wrong with her actual goal here. sorry a woman who was forced to leave for 26 years wants to go home?? sorry it upsets her to see her children forced to do either illegal smuggling or mercenary work. sorry she doesn’t want to live in a dangerous neighbourhood in a small space with her brother who’s constantly mad at her for something that wasn’t her fault. how abnormal of her??? sure the game is a little harsh on gamlen and she is somewhat entitled about the idea of rent and so on, but she doesn’t even hold what gamlen did against him when he literally hid from her that their parents forgave her on their deathbeds in order to avoid consequences for stealing from her

[peoplesrazor]

Sorry for the long screenshot, wanted to get it all in.

Not going to address everything, but wanted it available to view. Also, I have that complete transparency policy thing. I get itchy if I don't post honestly.

Just for edification, I present the real definition of allegory. It goes thusly: a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

I have not played Her Tears Were My Light so I cannot speak to that game's allegorical themes. However, the title alone surely hints at hidden meanings. Tears aren't normally described as actual light most of the time. I also know that the characters are Time (the player), Space and Null. That feels like that might not just be a naming convention. I'd have to see someone else's interpretation of it to know for sure, because I don't trust yours, Lily.

Can we just, for once, leave Tolkien out of this. At the end of the day he was a brilliant linguist who created an amazing world for the language he created to live in. He just got tired of beatniks and bohemians getting wasted and going on about Tom Bombadil and trying to add anti-war and environmental messages were he didn't intend them. Either "death of the author" his works and talk about what you see in them, or abide by his wishes and don't bring up those works. Trying to do both is cringe.

The real definition of metaphor: a thing regarded as representative or symbolic of something else, especially something abstract.

The real definition of a proverb: a short pithy saying in general use, stating a general truth or piece of advice.

Every rose has it's thorns is a literally a proverb.

A rose among thorns is the metaphor you were looking for. The rose themes and images around Rose Quartz is this metaphor and not the improperly attributed every rose has it's thorns proverb. But, hey, you were right about it being metaphorical. A metaphorical theme, in fact.

I think you are only half-right about fusions though. This is just my take, mind you. I think the act of fusing; the two component gems coming together, sure, that's just the relationship. But the fusion itself, the way it looks, the way it operates. The actual being with a name like Garnet or Alexandrite or whatever. I think that's the metaphor.

Like Garnet is generally calm and somewhat easy going without being frivolous because the two component gems inside her are a couple who are happy and content to work as one. That reads metaphorical to me.

Lastly, Lily, something can absolutely be explicit in the text, while also being an allegory, a metaphor, a theme, a simile and a dozen other things. It can even be, as I hope I explained with fusion, the exact thing and a metaphor of the thing at the same time. Especially, when part of the audience is expected to be children.

You know who once did a good job discussing the allegory of a show's source material? Mikailia. @that-one-kiddo-in-the-back recently posted about Mikalia's video on Lego Monkie Kid and I'll let that post speak to how she did on the rest of the video, but she understood that Journey to the West is an allegory for the facets of the human mind.

I'm not even going to complain that she probably only knows that because of Overly Sarcastic Productions videos. That's why I know that. I've also never read the source material and am mostly familiar with adaptations. That's an acceptable way to learn something.

See, Lily, you can listen to what other people say, build on that, and not only will people not call you dumb, they might even praise you for your effort.

Works the same with criticism.

Addendum: Look at that, I became Lily's English teacher for a second, anyway. Cleaned it up. Added a few tags.

[trashbins-stuff]

the hollowheads rant again bc im crazyyy, chodarksec specifically

chosec is full of apologies

ive seen alot of ppl interpating sec looking up to cho as an older siblings and hoenstly..i agree! its lovely yes but also, to me, it is one sided and its coming from cho, like your successor turn out to be pwoerful enough to fight your best friend (and then kill her) AND he fight like four different people at once too!! how could he be any prouder. But he kind of dragged them into all of this, sec doesnt wanna fight, they think cho revived them and their friends and defeat the dark lord, all of that, while also dragging them head first into danger, getting them killed in the first place, kidnap them again, then they had to fight a bunch of strangers and then got kidnap AGAIN. But he saved them..they arent ALLOWED to hate him, they arent allowed to feel anything but appreciation and admiration and cho is just sorry. I guess this is how its geos when you meet your predessecor, i mean imagone if you were someone's return, yoire not even your own perspn youre whats supposed to come after them, youre what they imagined of them what they wanted from them, but second had a life outside of that, outside of being chosen's return, theyre also orange, who loves their friends, get angry over small things, someone who laughs, not a cold blooded killer. Chosen drags orange back to the life the role the purpose theyre trying to outgrow, chosen asks why cant you stop time chosen hold them close to his heart chosen reach for them, but theyre not there

darksec is full of what ifs

second think theyre better in another universe because maybe then they wouldn't have to be themselves, maybe theyre better for each other in another world, maybe theyre better for each other if...they arent each other. You ever get annoyed when the conflict can be solved outernally but not internally? Everything could have easily been better if they jsut do this, do that, but for that to happen, it wouldn't be them anymore, it require them to be someone else. Dark believe in mabe another life because he wasnt full of fear when sec and her interacts, had they not met during her rampage and get in the way of her destroying noogai's computer, maybe if they meet sooner, they could have hung out, or even know each others beyond powerd amd death. Dark killed second and second killed dark, theyll remember each other more then they miss eachother more then they know each other

Chodark is full of grief

Just like chosec's relationship, my interpretation goes a bit different from the fandom, lets say, dark grieves chosen more, or struggle at it more. Now thay DOES sound a bit weird isnt it>? Destroy the chosen one was his mission, thays like having someone's name carved into your soul, np matter what destroy means the line between love and hate blurs so much it might as well be the same thing, everytime they fight (its how they show love) for a moment cho could see it in darks eyes: an intent to kill, destroy, but she'll blink and it goes away, and dark is aware of his code acting up too but none of them talls about it, maybe npw that darks gone, he doesnt jave to put on with that anymlre. Chosen have thought about it, one day they will ends either by dark's hand or his (it was neither it was both), the thing with grief is that you dont OUTgrow it u outGROW it, grief doesnt leave you, you grow around it, you do mroe thing outside of that grief, i think the firsy few fights osnce their esxape from the computer chosen grieves, theyve grieves a thousand time, thats why its easier for them to grief than dark. Which is not to say he doesnt grief, cho sits on the hills where dark and him used to run around at, everything remind him of her, and now hes watching her die, maybe hes numb because he is "used to it" since he grieves so much, but also maybe he grieves so much he believes she'll come back in the back of his mind, belief so strong it stops him from actually grieving

[pistolenprinz]

RDR2 CHARACTERS AS THE MAJOR ARCANA (PT. 4 OF MANY)

I’ve been really digging tarot lately, and finding a lot of comfort/joy indulging in the universe’s energies, so I figured I would try my hand at assigning each of the main gang (with some exceptions) to one of the major arcana, as well as giving my personal interpretations of how it fits. Note: For this post, I’ve dipped into my own deck (Raven Rogue’s Tarotorial), and will be pulling the imagery-specific elements from them. I will cite things as such “Insert text here [Source Name].” Regardless, the actual applications to the plotlines and characters is my own and is my opinion. To cut down on the length of these posts, I’ve privately paired up gang members that I either think provide a good foil for one another, or those that I just think pair well in terms of discussion. This section will be copy-pasted across all the posts in this series for sake of clarity.

BILL WILLIAMSON - JUDGMENT

Judgment presents as adults and children rising from their graves to respond to an angel's trumpet call as they're ready to be judged by the universe. This card deals out absolutes. [Tarotorial; Card Imagery].

Stating the obvious first, Bill is a man who deals in absolute. There is, or there isn't. This is not an inherently bad thing, particularly in the type of environment he finds himself in among the Van der Linde gang; the preservation of the group comes first and foremost…. usually. That said, the question of good or not comes from Bill's inner motives. We see this in RDR2, we see this more in RDR. Bill's motives are, arguably, driven by a simple lack of self-awareness. A 'rules for thee and not for me' mentality, that ultimately leads to him being unable to learn his lessons, and going on to become even more of a brutal terror on his own than he was within the Van der Linde gang (where he, usually, had others to ground him and refocus his purpose). This card's imagery echoes those of Death, reminding the interpreter and viewer that everything comes to an end, damned be the consequences.

MICAH BELL - THE DEVIL

The Devil typically depicts a saytr, known as Baphomet, atop a pedestal behind the chained male and female figures to show that they're under control. The man and woman are ashamed, and becoming less human the longer they're under the Devil's control [Tarotorial; Card Imagery].

Ignoring the explicit evil imagery, the label of "evil" as a whole, and Micah's status as an antagonist within the gang, I want to instead focus on the core of his character. Of the deep-rooted greed that pushes him to become such a powerful force among the members, effectively overturning the dynamic and tipping the scales in his balance. If we look further, into the time before his gang, we see that it's a constant. All he has known is greed and violence, through his father's own outlaw nature. We can look at how vicious the falling out between himself and his brother, Amos, was, with the latter threatening to kill if he'd even considered contact with his family. The Devil itself is less about evil itself, but the intricate acts that may lead to someone being considered evil: Greed, materialism, excess, temptation. All things that Micah exhibits throughout his story, all the way from attempting to "take" Sadie for himself, to confronting Arthur at the end of it all and ensuring that he would not leave freely (with or without the money, as that choice is player determinant). On the other hand, and through the lens of characters such as Bill and Dutch, Micah is a symbol of true freedom. Of releasing one's inner desires and being prideful with them. These tenants are core to the "outlaw" life, in their eyes, just as they are core in the card's other half. There are reasons for his actions, but those actions are not "good", regardless of intent or reason.

[laf-outloud]

https://www.tumblr.com/laf-outloud/732013686369189888/everytime-i-wish-for-jensen-to-do-better-hoping

So, I sort of agree with what people have been saying about Jensen sounding bitter when he makes jokes that seem like digs on Jared, especially when he isn’t present. Because of his actions with the prequel, it definitely makes any jabs feel like they come from a place of resentment, which they certainly might. There is a time or two where I think they really were. However, at comic con, he and Mark were joking about Jared, and it seems very clear that Mark holds Jared in high regard. We also haven’t seen a whole panel, so it’s hard to know the full context.

Jensen also makes jokes that that seem like digs at Misha. And I would say he does it more frequently than he does at Jared. He makes them when Misha is there and behind his back. Yet, I don’t see people calling him a bitter asshole when he does that. There was even a con where I felt like his teasing went a bit into the overkill territory, where Misha didn’t look like he was enjoying it, and I don’t normally really mind seeing Misha brought down a peg.

Anyway, my point with all this is, Jared is not the only person Jensen makes jokes at the expense of, so I’m not sure it’s always because of bitterness with Jared, so much as he’s just that type of guy. People certainly don’t have to like that about him, but for me it’s hard to judge if it’s truly coming from a place of anger at Jared or just going for whatever laugh he can get. Again, not saying that’s a good quality, just that it might not be intended maliciously.

People do a lot of projecting onto to broth Jared and Jensen, but at the end of the day, we can’t actually know either of their motivations in full. People say Jared doesn’t like Jensen anymore, and he’s the main reason Jared seems to be moving away from CE cons. Maybe, but maybe it’s just a good career move. People say Jensen is mad at jared for succeeding more than him, so his every joke is based on bitterness, and his every nice action is just a manipulation. Maybe, but they do have years of shared history and experience and good time too.

At this point Jared Stans are starting to use the kind of “bad faith” interpretation that AAs have been using for years. Everything the J we don’t like does gets interpreted in the worst possible way. Don’t get me wrong, Jared stans still aren’t anywhere near as bad as AAs because they don’t tag Jensen on their posts, wish for death on anyone, or attack on mass when someone shows appreciation for Jensen on Twitter or wherever. But, looking at someone from the worst possible light all the time leaves us open to misunderstandings and assumptions.

Sorry, if I’m coming off preachy or something. That’s not my intention, especially when I agree that Jensen has been acting a bit douchey, but I also don’t think he’s the devil with nothing but bad intentions.

Ugh, I don’t know if I got my thoughts across clearly on this post. I’m not trying to tell people what to think, just remind everyone not to .. assume the worst in every situation.

Anyway, feel free not to post of this comes off wrong.

Thank you for sharing, anon! I do get where you're coming from in wanting to share your opinion without sounding like you're trying to police other's opinions, and I appreciate that!

You are correct that we all interpret things based on our own opinions/biases, and at the end of the day, what's missing is the understanding of the motivation behind certain actions, words, etc. So, at best, we're opining on incomplete information.

I'm glad you're able to see things from a larger perspective, particularly in regards to the way Jensen jokes about other people, in addition to Jared. I'm with you in that I find that style of joking distasteful, particularly when the person isn't there to joke back. It feels like laughing at that person rather than with that person. It's almost reminiscent of the playground bully teasing other kids in front of a group in order to build themselves up while hiding their own insecurities. (Yeah... I probably projected there, lol.)

Anyway, I do appreciate you writing in and perhaps it might help others consider how and why they see things a certain way. Perhaps they'll stick with their opinions, or perhaps they'll adjust some of them, but either way, you've provided another perspective to consider, so thank you!

[nova-starcutter]

based on your answer to the fight to the death poll and this blog’s theming i am gonna go ahead and guess that your discord icon is something to do with the lor

whats the deal with magolor anyways

1. Yeah, it’s one of my favorite frames of any cutscene ever.

(Just as a little bonus before I get to the second part of your ask, that little “Lor gets unexpectedly close to the viewer for no apparent reason” sequence is actually what made me headcanon her as nearsighted. Originally it was just a “soft” headcanon that I had no intention of entirely subscribing to but nowadays it’s actually become one of my favorites.)

2. Ok so there’s a whole lot of ways that can be interpreted and it is almost 2 AM as im starting this so I’ll go with just one for now and elaborate on others if asked. Halcandra— at least the part of it where he lived— was hardly the sort of place anyone would reasonably choose to live in, let alone try to have a family or raise kids. Resources were scarce, dangers weren’t, and really the primary types you’d find staying there were those who wanted to live out their lives away from civilization, criminals hiding from authorities, and those who just wanted to be somewhere less permeated by the government’s influence and prying eyes. As a result, Magolor never really knew anyone close to his own age growing up, on top of just not knowing many folks aside from his parents to begin with. Though his upbringing was otherwise relatively positive— on good terms with his parents, well-educated, given opportunities to learn and practice various skills and hobbies, etc— not having peers to connect with and grow alongside did leave him somewhat socially stunted.

One of the ways this manifests is his maturity, or seeming lack thereof. He has the experience and knowledge to act like an adult at this point, but never really had the social cues to begin doing so. Like that guy in highschool who still acts like a 6th grader in senior year while everyone else has moved on to bigger and better things. Of course his perspective has changed after what he’s gone through, but he’s always going to act less mature than other Halcandrans his age would be expected to.

NOT 2 AM UPDATE: The above doesn’t mean he can’t convincingly act like he had a normal/actually existent childhood, the main indicator that he didn’t would just be that he never brings up his personal life back on Halcandra, definitely treats Kirby as his very first friend ever™️, and doesn’t really have a distinct hanging with friends mode vs interacting with peers/colleagues/etc. In other words he kinda treats everyone the same, exceptions being Lor and people he either actively dislikes or finds intimidating. This can definitely be offputting for some because often comes off as him not being genuine, akin to someone using their customer service voice at all times, but no he is in fact just Like That™️. It does certainly help him a bit when he’s actually scheming, given that his normal already comes off as dubious plottingcore, with the trade off that he’s always the first person everyone suspects when shenanigans are afoot. This guy can never win at Among Us

[saintbleeding]

[id: a reply from @milkteamoon​ that says “I would kiss you about it” end id.]

GREAT THANKS IT’S ABOUT TO BE REALLY INSUFFERABLE IN HERE

ok so first off i’m gonna distinguish between the book n alw musical at points wrt characterisation bc they are to me. but

also cut for length lmfao sorry

the phantom and/or erik: yeah ik lonely right? NO WRONG. bc like. altho i think he’s very much a person to use his isolation as a psychological hidey-hole, i don’t think he’d be an avatar of it for the simple reason that his deepest most closely held desire is to be freed from his loneliness, so he would grip any and every opportunity to get away from it in both hands. i think arguments can be made for: buried (his desire to smother and encompass and control and obscure, plus like. living. in a hole in the ground. for sanctuary. that’s uh. yeah), corruption (love so complete that it is corruptive, it leaves dirty marks, it changes the very nature of the person acting as its vessel), or end (this particularly applies to the book where the specific comparison is drawn between his appearance and a death’s-head/a straight-up corpse, which i think would obvi lend itself particularly well to playing upon the fear of mortality). 

but, and this is absolutely potentially a really basic concept, i see him being most aligned with the dark: i think if he was approached and someone/something made the offer to him that he could blot out the very sun, never have to be perceived, never have to perceive the gulf between himself and the rest of humanity, instead living forever in the cold embrace of the formless void where nobody could see or judge him? i don’t even think he’d hesitate.

christine: again i think several different arguments could potentially be made: as i’m writing this i’m realising interpreting her as stranger-aligned could be really fun (nobody ever knows the True Her, and apparently attempts to try have a tendency to drive people insane), lonely (the absence of her father never quite healing, something she feels forever, to the point where it dulls her ability to really feel close to anybody), or web (this would require a certain level of girlbossification to the character that exists in either text, but you could do something with the fact that her biggest display of agency is a) one of the most significant events in the story and b) kinda calculated/manipulative, but again, that’s not the argument i’m personally making, i’m just saying it’s there).

but personally, i think she’s pretty eye-aligned: the main conflict of the story centres around where her gaze is directed, and (in the musical) two of her big, powerful moments are based around her having a more-than-surface understanding of someone’s core character (i’m thinking of that bit where she tells carlotta off* and it works, and the kiss). plus, i think the balance between exaltation and dread is there: i think her biggest conflicts and fears are based around her internal truth being caught in the open and seen and known by others (in the case of the musical i’m thinking of the don juan triumphant rehearsal, and in the book i’m thinking of how when her honest feelings are/are almost revealed, she tries repeatedly to deride and ridicule the person who does it), so i think she’d be a perfect target/candidate.

*i mean. one could also argue that her calling carlotta ‘evil’ is... well. too much. but that’s. not what i’m focusing on rn.

raoul: GENUINELY a little tricky because again i think you could lean in several directions if you wanted: again, the lonely (though more than the other two, i can see him falling to it in perhaps a misguided attempt to have christine prove she loves him/wants him around, but, stories being how they are, i doubt it’d actually work), or the vast (this is particularly supported by how in the book there’s the looming threat of him running off to the north pole, plus in both how relatively dwarfed by and unprepared for the events he is), or the buried (tbh i’m mostly saying this to make a tasteless joke abt choking).

but in his case i can actually see the corruption most compellingly: to experience a love that is intrinsic in your very being (what with having loved this person since you were literally a child), that changes you, that pulls you away from your life and your family (the risk of being disinherited is much more something present in the book, but the musical is also set in belle epoque paris, therefore it’s still kinda subtextually there), that draws every bit of your focus until your physical form becoming changed or destroyed in pursuit of closeness with your beloved seems a relatively very small price to pay. corruptioncore.

UMMMM CAN’T THINK OF A COOL WAY TO FINISH THIS POST SO THANKS FOR COMING TO MY. THIS. TALK XOXO

would you guys be mad if i nicheposted abt what type of avatars the three main charas of poto would be. To me

[electrosweaters-arts]

Question!

Is Victor in the cryptid college universe? What’s he like, if he is?

Victor IS in CC! In fact, he's already appeared in two pages during the prologue

He's kinda a silly little guy but I'm going to PREFACE real quick by saying: Victor in CC is probably the MOST canon-divergent in terms of personality you're gonna get in CC, at least depending on your interpretations of the OG book characters, but he's pretty different from how either of us actually view him in the book.

CC Victor isn't an exactly an evil mad scientist trope or anything (being a mad scientist in CC is basically like being a mathletes nerd but a bunch of you keep dropping random children off at other peoples houses) but he's just a bit of a general asshole, SPECIFICALLY because placing him in a modern college where EVERYONE is a monster changes who the character is a Lot. A lot of his base traits come from the book, but amplified as a parody like we do with all the CC characters (so yes he does get tropey on purpose) + some changes based on how being in a monster college changes his and the creature's story.

While not uncommon for mad scientists in this universe, he's pretty self-centered, he believes himself to be the superior scientist of his class and can often be rude and dismissive of other students' work. (Though he IS actually incredibly good at what he does, he's top 3 in the class and would most likely be #1 if Griffin didn't have a grading bias towards experiments that can help him with world domination)

(going to be using some LOVELY sketches from @internetwerewolf now <3 theyre the person currently drawing episode 1 of CC <3)

Also, before I forget to mention! CC victor is gay and autistic and both he AND both of the creatures have chronic illnesses that leave them with a lot of joint pain. Their illnesses are based off my own so since *I* don't have a medical diagnosis for my joint issues I can't put an exact name to what they have but ???? maybe Fibromyalgia? again, can't put a name to it but their joints are stiff and HURTY. Adam and Victor's symptoms usually manifest in more invisible ways, from time to time they will need a mobility aid of some sort but most days they get by with painkillers and compression-wear. (Mary almost always uses a crutch or a cane and from time to time will use a wheelchair)

And oh right, the creatures! Let's talk about the creatures, I'd say they're pretty important to Victor's character, wouldn't you? (^another @internetwerewolf doodle of Adam and Mary at Victor's dissertation)

Starting with Adam, Victor made Adam in his first semester of Freshman year at CCU (if you don't know, the school Oracle acts as the head of admissions for the school and is particularly in charge of inviting new mad scientists to the school, which is why characters like Victor or Jekyll were accepted and allowed to know about monsters before having made their experiments themselves, the Oracle knew that they would make them eventually) his reasons for creating and then abandoning the creature are mostly the same as in the book, the death of his mother gave him a fascination with restoring life to the dead but once he actually gave life to the creature he was horrified an ran out on it. Adam was left in Victor's dorm room alone for about 3 weeks before being found by an RA and due to school policy on mad science experiments he was given free room and board for the course of his college degree, he was also taught english directly from classes at the school and found a copy of Paradise Lost among Victor's old things, which gave him the idea for the name Adam.

Adam never actually killed anyone in CC, but he DID ask Victor to make him a family member. He was incredibly lonely from being unable to connect with any of the other students and wanted someone like him, Victor obliged before he and Adam got into an argument which ended with him partially destroying the other creature and leaving Adam to do the rest of the reanimating work himself. (This is why Mary is not quite made right, the stitching on her limbs is very loose and she's missing an eye)

The creatures' and Victor's overall relationship is rocky at BEST, most days they can't STAND each other and squabble any time they pass each other in the halls. Though Victor's family is all still alive AND Adam got his second creature so from time to time they can get along, if a topic in interesting enough for both of them Adam and Victor can hold a conversation for a few hours, and they will sometimes help Victor out if provided a good enough reason to. Mary's less likely to talk to Victor but that's mostly because she just...doesn't like talking to people. They treat him like a shitty dad, and as seen in the prologue they DO like to rough him up a bit from time to time for fun but they wouldn't ever really want to KILL him. (Hyde would. Hyde wants to kill him. Adam has to hold him back from it.)

This was WAY longer than I expected, kinda incoherent, feel free to ask any follow up questions if you'd like! I LOVE talkin about these guys :3

[lemonhemlock]

Sooooo tired of the Team Black allegations. For the 1256th time, they either do NOT like Helaemond and dislike it as well OR don't care about it at all. Sure, there are some self declared Helaemonds out there who say they are Team Black but they're like…five people??? Why is it so difficult to admit Helaemonds are 99% Greens? Otherwise yes, there are trolls who will love the drama of the kids being bastards or simply the idea of the Green side having its own incestuos affair because it will paint the fans who hate incest as hypocrites (and many are for sure since they ship Helaegon, sorry, but it is the truth) as they will have to defend Aemond from it but do we have to care about them and their opinions? They're going to find stupid and baseless reasons to hate the Greens regardless of Helaemond becoming canon. F**k them. Also, this whole Team Black thing is very transparent and reminds me of the times when Al*smonds and antis were accusing Helaemond shippers of being secretly Team Black because they want to justify Blood & Cheese and paint the Greens as hypocrites. Yes, this happened.

Thank you for pointing out Aemond's duty to his Baratheon betrothed. You're actually one of the very few Green bloggers who do so. For some reasons most forget, or pretend to, about this which is…very telling! I also hate the theory that Aemond will stop caring about duty after Storm's End and B&C. Although not impossible like you've mentioned, for Aemond to act as if he can go and do anything is very child like behavior and feels like it would be really bad characterization and, at least in my opinion, will make him really, really unlikable as a person. No matter how awful he will be feeling about himself, his remaining family still depends on him honoring his promise to the Baratheons. It's literally a matter of life and death, he can't just say "Fuck duty, fuck everyone, I will be marrying Alys because I can and want to" and expect no consequences, especially militarily. Why should the Baratheons accept such an insult? Having bastards is one thing, he would very easily get away with it being a man, but marrying a bastard servant twice his age? Do these people think he can marry Alys and, if he wins his battle against Daemon, return with her as his wife to King's Landing afterwards? Do they think the remaining lords should simply accept it?

I'm not kidding, if they go with this interpretation, with Aemond not giving a fuck anymore, I will only 100% ship him with Dark Sister. I'm not sure I can bear how insufferable antis will become if Aemond will be leaving his remaining family's fates to the Blacks for a woman, because this is what the whole affair would essentially be even if they will claim it to be a tragic love story and go after anyone else who disagree as they're doing right now. And I hate even more how the same people who use the duty BS argument against Helaemond claim that he married Alys BECAUSE he is DUTIFUL and didn't want their kid to be a bastard. It's just baffling. The hypocrisy is amazing. Yeah, I get it, we should like it because love >>> duty and Aemond still became a kinslayer despite following his duty so why he should care about it anymore? but regardless, these people we are talking about are royals whose actions have deep repercussions across the entire realm. They can't do whatever they want even if it's in the name of love.

Also the idea that we should protect Helaegon from the infidelity allegations when show!Aegon is out there cheating (and raping women) on Helaena is just sick, and dare I say misogynistic. It's simply insane to expect her to stay faithful to him no matter what, especially if there is someone out there who genuinely loves her and vice-versa. Why is it that every time a situation like this comes up (the man cheating with other women) it is ALWAYS on the wife to remain faithful?

I have to say that this post had me in stitches, so thank you for that. I basically agree with everything you've said, love the passion & also, you're going to love this, because I was on Four Storms alert ever since my first Aemond/Alys post. [For any new visitors, there's more in my tag + this particular post that delves some of the points anon is talking about, with contributions from many other friendly voices. Also, ofc, my Maris/Aemond cinematic universe. Alrite, enough shameless self-promotion].

Yeah, the idea that we should protect the sanctity of the helaegon marriage never really sat right with me when Aegon is out there cheating left and right and Aemond is making the beast with two backs with a random woman he's known for 5 minutes. Meanwhile Helaena is subjected to indescribable trauma and gets a horrific ending, but she's not even allowed some measure of reprieve after the showrunners made sure to depict even her book!decent!marriage as sketchy. Personally, this concept of unconsummated courtly love rings rather too flavourless to my ears, as well - what can I say. To each their own, but it's kind of unfair to Helaena.

A further observation I would like to make is that I, too, often find this discourse on Aemond's sense of duty lacking, because many fans seem to treat duty like a switch. "Aemond is dutiful up to X point in this linear timeline I've decided upon (and any alternative interpretation is blasphemy and should be vigorously suppressed), after which his sense of duty completely dissipates because I need to make his relationship with Alys ~romantic~ and he basically doesn't give a shit about his family or political responsibilities anymore." I actually think helaemonds have the right of this, because they're always more likely to paint Aemond as a conflicted figure, consumed by a very byronic inner turmoil, who's always teetering on the edge of doing what's right by his family vs experiencing the freedom of giving into his own desires for once. It is within that precarious balancing act that you can build the most compelling dark princely figure that makes the girlies' hearts a-flutter! Whereas the first interpretation feels very robotic and soulless to me, yes, perhaps even shippable with Dark Sister.

To close off, nothing would ever justify Blood & Cheese, even IF Helaena's kids would be Aemond's. The retributive "payment" for Luke's life would be Aemond's life aka his actual killer END OF. "A son for a son" does not make sense and is not justified - that was always the point of it. Needless brutality, the horrific inhumanity of it. Killing off innocents who had absolutely nothing to do with the act is not how people enacted retributive justice. I'm pretty sure Hammurabi would agree with me on this.

[singingninja4]

6x08: Point and Shoot Tribeca Q&A

watching the episode on a huge screen with surround sound with an audience with great energy and some of the actors and creators themselves was an incredible experience. I want to share as much of that experience with you as a I can 💖 so here's a few highlights from the Q&A

when asked about the cold open, gordon stated that since 6x07 ended with such trauma they wanted to start 6x08 with the stark contrast of the calm beach scene. then we're dropped straight back into jimmy and kim's apartment, which for me was super jarring, so thanks for that gordon

the audience busted out laughing when jimmy first tried to convince lalo that kim should be the one who goes to kill (unbeknownst to them) gus fring. I think it was just his delivery of it, but in the q&a bob mentioned that he thought that it was hilarious that everyone laughed at that scene and that he loved it lmao. But I think this is maybe why that reddit user came up with that god awful cold take that jimmy was doing that to save himself. I don’t know how it could even be interpreted that way, especially after the interviewer asked him that exact question, “was jimmy doing it to save himself or to save kim” and bob was like ???? he definitely did it to save kim. Anyway I don’t know what that reddit user was on about.

the audience also laughed when gus said, "lalo talked him out of it" when talking to kim, and bob said he thought that was fucking hilarious that we laughed at that too 😂

The interviewer at one point asked rhea about how “kim was straight up ready to shoot someone” and rhea was like ???? she wasn’t??? and then she went on to talk about how she imagined that kim had never shot a gun before and about kim’s internal struggle on the drive over to fring’s house. she had opportunities to leave, to even report it to the cops, but she resolved to do whatever she needed to do to save jimmy even if she was terrified. 

When mike asks kim “why are you here, Ms. Wexler?” and she points a gus’s double and says, “to kill him.” the audience bust out laughing at the double’s reaction lmao it was just so fucking funny. bob also stated that he thought this was hilarious so I’m curious if we all laughed because of the energy in the room or if it read that way for everyone else. y’all will have to let me know!!

tony, peter, and gordon were asked several questions about lalo’s death scene and show down with gus. I can’t remember all of them, but I do remember the interviewer asking about the set up for the show down in 6x05. either Gordon or peter…or maybe both mentioned the principal of “chekhov’s gun” which is “If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired.Otherwise don't put it there.” Tony was also asked if that was really him and Patrick lying in the grave in the superlab and he said it was. They had to lay down there for a few hours lmao

they also said that they decided to have mike be vague when telling jimmy what happened with lalo because they wanted lalo to always be a ghost in the back of jimmy's mind. a kind of boogeyman that he always feared would come around the corner. so thanks for that peter and gordon 🙂

I know I didn’t cover everything in the q&a, but this post is getting too long as is lol I still really wish I had been smart enough to write down all my thoughts sooner than a week after the showing though…but since I met rhea after the event I was on a high from that for days and that experience occupied too much head space lmao actually let’s be real, it’s still occupying all my head space

[dolugecat]

On some Japanese social issues I had learned about at uni and abroad):

(Rb ok!)

Legit had an epiphany about the true hidden meaning of the last arc of Mob Psycho 100. It’s hella projection but for real there is nothing neurotypical about Mob or Mob Psycho. I do not wish to enforce my interpretation on others (ironic bc I do that all the time but this is a serious social theory). There are some interesting and very sad social issues in Japan that the west really doesn’t understand but would I think help people understand a lot of context behind not only Mob Psycho, but also a lot of other anime. I learned this at my shitty university (prestigious but horrific) and while studying abroad in Japan and talking with Japanese peers. Get ready here we go (and tw for bullying and darker things):

Unfortunately in East Asian education systems, bullying can be extremely intense. Growing up I assumed it was over exaggerated extremely in anime for drama but it really can be so horrific. From what I’ve heard, there is often a single kid or so who is just shit on by everyone else, even the teacher. Mogami land *is* the reality of some Japanese kids. I’ve read that in Korea, this social punching bag sometimes is just the darkest skinned person (yayyy colorism /angry) and or someone who does not fit in. I mean, we have that in America too, but maybe not as common for the bullying to be as focused on one misfit rather than several. These kids just can’t escape the stigma too, kids from other schools find out they were a major victim at their old school and it starts anew. Thus there is so much stigma and incentive to join in on bullying so you aren’t the one. Sadly, this also ofc leads to higher suicide rates. That’s where the “shoe on building roof” anime trope comes in, bc somehow taking off shoes is relayed to death (I forgot why sorry)

There is a difference in how intense in general high school vs college is too. In the West, commonly college is the more intense curriculum and is harder than high school, but in Japan it’s usually the opposite. Grind suuuupppeeerrrr hard for entrance exams (huge standardized tests that determines what college you can qualify to) bc unlike the ACT or SAT here, that test is by far the most important factor for college admission. Then chill and relax a bit in college. Can’t relate. Name and prestige is very critical for job application, more important than here. That’s why planning out your future is sooo much more intense for Japanese high schoolers than in America, and why there is sooo much more pressure to excel in high school than here. Japanese school years and holidays are done different than ours, I’d suggest looking it up.

Social prestige of going to an American high school or college is nuts. Like whyyy do you value our shitty education, Japan’s is much higher quality (it’s bc we neo colonized them). Being able to speak English is very, very highly valued and any association with Americans make you cooler. From my experience, some Japanese students got very excited to practice speaking English with us, and their biggest issues with learning it is pronunciation, lmao. Wasai english is unique slang that is indeed English words but it’s kinda different and it’s kinda jarring to remember lol. So, Teru having parents that are working overseas isn’t too uncommon, idk about leaving him absolutely alone, but I did have a ex-friend who just came from Japan in middle school who’s situation probably wasn’t too far off from that. Empty wealth with no love, it’s no wonder those kind of people can end up being huge bullies (minori?)

I did a presentation on 引きこもり(hikikomori) for which means “shut in”, (like Serizawa) and it’s fucked up. It’s a social phenomena where according to some Japanese researchers a mix of undisciplined parenting, guilt/not living up to expectations, and hopelessness makes an alarming amount of youth/ young adults literally never go out side their house/room. Often a parent is “enabling” the behavior by supporting them, but idk the articles seemed a bit victim-blaming to me when I read it, but I don’t think I should make a judgement too hard, not my place. I will say I do suspect and believe I read something to support that ASD might play a role in hikikomoris (there is pitiful resources for autistic people in Asia, much much less support than even here, to the point I don’t think most know it exists). Like come on, with the other points I laid out my personal opinion as an Asian American with autism is that it really seems it’s unknowing ableism against autistic classmates, but I didn’t grow up in Asia so I don’t want to say.

Mental health in general is tragically quite abysmal in Japan, and with it being so hyper competitive and brutal work culture, it’s no surprise birth rate in Japan is so low; some Japanese young adults say it seems unethical to bring a life to such hostile world. Suicide rate is of the highest in the world. It’s fucked, I’ve interacted with some of the locals in Tokyo and they were so nice, but the business men just looked dead inside, it’s so sad.

Relationships between child and parent is also strained bc of this intense work and school culture. Quality time is too scarce when you gotta work so much. And the pressure from parents to do well in education or else you might end up socially stigmatized is rough. Bc your job is who you are, it’s hyper capitalism (thanks us for making them do this)

With autism being so unknown, support for parents in raising autistic kids is almost nonexistent. What happens if the “darker” side of ASD shows up in kids? I used to be a menace when I had meltdowns, I felt so bad but really just became so indiscriminately violent. See where this is going? Legit, I think ESP is a sort of metaphor for neurodivergance to ONE. There is so much stigma around it, and even less way for kids to understand why they are different than the others. My Korean family can’t admit we all got ASD, too much fear and internalized shame.

I got finally diagnosed with ASD as an adult and I’ll tell ya, I relate too much to Mob hurting Ritsu. I felt so bad, but also not in control, I knew what I was doing but not how to stop. Luckily, is was blessed in that my hyperfixations involved science and logic, so I did well at school. Sadly, our boy Mob just don’t got the passion or ability to do well at school. His kanji is very bad, even to point of not being confident he wrote a kanji (世) they learn when they are 9, in elementary school (thanks @katyatalks). Him being a bit berated by his parents for having bad grades and bending spoons seems harsh to Westerners I think, but IMO it’s pretty tame from what I’ve seen of some Asian parents (I get to say that lmao). Ofc, however the shaming is very real and Mob just agreeing with them about how weird and stupid he thinks he is so sad. There is even more pressure for the eldest to be better than here, I feel from some interactions. Nonetheless, it’s implied Mob is quite emotionally detached from his parents, even though he loves them, which also adds to his emotional complex. Combined with originally fragile self esteem and feelings of worthlessness, we got one emotionally stunted boy. However, contrary to common belief people with ASD are sometimes hyper empathic and experience emotions very intensely. We are prone to having “meltdowns” which if not assisted with can be quite violent if very intense. For me, my worse meltdowns as a kid came from when I didn’t understand why I wasn’t getting what I wanted, it seemed selfish and cruel of me but I couldn’t control it. I wanted to be a good kid, so why did hit my moms leg at target when she refused to buy me Pokémon toys? I couldn’t come up with a good reason for why my mind just commanded my body to do bad things, just a single thought was controlling me, I want I want I want I want I want ____. Which I argue could be what ???% represents… bc well…. Yeah….. hmm….. not in control of self (mob unconscious), selfish (not actually, I’ve forgave myself but my “normal” kid self was so ashamed), destructive, hurt family, wanting to stop but can’t, that’s kind of…. Too relatable.

But legit, since realizing my new HC, I’ve started to think of the last chapter of mp100 when I “explode” and it helps me feel better and I do gain “control” a bit easier. I don’t feel so bad anymore either, Mob!