#(a mostly positive emotional moment but yk still)

[tedthetalk]

I was having an intense emotional moment about my job and then saw a dunkleosteus post so not I’m handing an intense emotional moment about the dunk

[cabotwife]

Can you do a fluffy Johanna mason x reader where reader is bipolar going through a depression episode. If you don’t want to that’s fine I am just doing bad and though tha would be a cute thing because 2 “broken” traumatized people healing together is always a cute trope yk

Two Broken Halves

Johanna Mason x Fem!Reader

thank you for your request! i hope you enjoy 💗

warnings: poorly written fluff, not proofread

word count: 787

a/n: this one was a bit hard to write, mostly because i know that my experience with my depressive episodes are not the same thing that everybody experiences. reader is mostly based off of me and Ian Gallagher a little bit.

a/n pt2: if anybody finds themselves struggling, in anyway, or just need somebody to talk to, i want you to know that i am here and my messages/inbox is always open for you. i love you all<3

-> now i'ma take a nap before i start working on the next request

there’s a quiet buzz in the room as you lay in your bed, curled in on yourself. the faint sound of the door closing can be heard, and you know it’s your girlfriend.

“y/n! i’m back!” Johanna shouts, you can hear her throwing her shoes onto the ground.

you stay silent, staring at the wall beside the bed. “y/n?” Johanna’s in the room now, hovering by the door frame as she looks at you, trying to evaluate the situation.

the brunette huffs as she begins changing out of the clothes she had been wearing all day and into something comfier. she glances at you again before making her way over to where you’re laying on the bed.

she’s never been great at handling other people’s emotions.

Johanna bites her lip as she crouches down by your head, “hey baby, you feeling okay?” she says in a quiet voice, trying to be as gentle as she could.

when she still doesn’t get a reply from you she lets out a sigh, standing up. “i’ll be right back, okay?” even though she knows you won’t say anything she still pauses by the door to gaze back at you. she frowns as she leaves the room, leaving the door open behind her in case something happens.

after about a half an hour the brunette makes her way back into the room carrying a bowl of soup. she sets the bowl down on her nightstand before plopping herself down onto her side of the bed. “y/n/n?” she whispers, pulling your stiff form towards her. she positions the two of you so that you’re laying with your head on her abdomen.

Johanna runs her fingers through your hair as she looks down at you.

you’re staring at the sheets of the bed, your eyes are blank, almost empty. it saddens your girlfriend to see you like this.

“can you eat something for me? i know you haven’t eaten today.” she waits for your response, but none ever comes. “y/n please.” her tone is still soft, she’s trying to be gentle with you but she’s growing frustrated.

Johanna stares down at her girlfriend, a sigh leaving her lips. she pulls herself up, moving you off of her.

she stands by where your head is laying, she hits the bed lightly, “come on, you have to eat.”

“’m not hungry.” she hears you mumble.

she stares down at you, her eyes soft with worry. “just a little bit.” she huffs as she pulls you into a sitting position, sitting herself back down next to you on the bed. your head falls to her shoulder as she grabs the bowl of warm soup.

she stirs the spoon around before pulling it out slowly, moving it towards your mouth. you reluctantly open your mouth, allowing her to spoon-feed you.

Johanna smiles as you eat the soup slowly, “there ya go, beautiful.” she hums, continuing to feed you.

once the bowl is empty she places it back on the nightstand before turning back to you.

a grin overtakes her lips as she feels you snuggle against her shoulder.

you both sit in silence, just letting her hold you.

“i’m sorry.” you whisper after a few moments.

the brunette looks down at you, “you’re sorry?” she questions, “for what?”

“that you have to deal with me.” you stare at your hands as you find yourself playing with the hem of Johanna’s tank-top.

Johanna huffs, “i do not deal with you.” you can practically hear her eye-roll in her words. “hey, hey look at me.” she says, her hand finding its way to your jaw so she can tilt your head up. when your eyes meet she can finally see the tears in yours. “oh, sweet girl..” she whispers.

“i’m sorry.” you mumble again, rubbing at your eye to attempt and make the tears go away.

“i love you, y/n, i do.” she places a kiss to your forehead as she speaks, “you mean the world to me, i don’t- you’re not someone i have to deal with. i choose to take care of you, because i love you and you matter to me.” her fingers are running through your hair as the tears stream down your cheeks, “we take care of each other, y/n, we do. some days are harder than others, i, of all people. understand that.”

“i love you, Jo. thank you.” you whisper. Johanna grins, leaning down to place a soft kiss to your lips.

“wanna come out with me tomorrow? we could have a picnic..” Johanna asks gently, trying to probe you into leaving the bed.

you think for a moment before nodding slowly, “sure..” you hum.

[lover-of-mine]

No, but I could have so much fun playing with the perception of canon to lean buddie towards romantic, but mostly on Eddie's side because I stand by the fact that Buck doesn't realize what he's feeling. Because in season 3, Eddie basically tells Frank that he boxed his emotions so much he's not feeling anything, positive or not. And that begs the question of when did the box started to crack. We know it explodes in season 5, but that's because he couldn't contain it anymore, so when did it start to break? My bet, the well. What the did the well trigger? Eddie changing his will. And hiding it. The hiding it part is important because why would he hide it until he had an excuse to say it that was about Buck not himself? He almost died and his reaction is to give Buck the single most important thing in his life. And season 4 Eddie, he's more open but the box is still there, until the shooting. Say whatever you want, Eddie reached for Buck. He thought he was going to die and reached for him. That was Eddie oh! moment and I will die on this hill. But terrible moment to have an oh! moment, because he's, yk, dying. Then he used whatever energy he had left to ask Buck if he was hurt. Did he ask because he knows Buck enough to know he would ignore himself if someone he cares about was worse? Did he ask because he needed one of them to make back to Chris? Did he ask because he just realized he loves Buck and needs to make sure he's okay before dying? Who knows, I like the last one tho.

But then he wakes up in the hospital. With Ana, the girlfriend he was really intense for a second there but then we had doubt thrown on it by having Carla imply that the reason he's with her is Christopher. And then Buck tells him it would've been better if he was the one who got shot, and now he can tell Buck about the will while making it about Buck, not him (Edmundo Diaz say I love you like a normal person challenge). Maybe he was working himself up here to say something else, waiting for him to be healthier? I mean, he knows Buck associates pain with love so he wouldn't do a bedside confession. But then Taylor Kelly is in his welcome home party. And that's a reminder that Buck is straight (debatable) so he stays with the girlfriend we now have doubts about and who his doubts about will evolve to full on panic. Per season 6 he doesn't remember details of the shooting, but it would be great for dramatic purpose if he was lying because he can't say whatever he realized when he hit the ground.

But we keep going, he likes Ana, maybe he can love her, but that fails miserably. Isn't interesting that he needed Buck's permission to breakup with Ana? But then he swear off dating again. Which makes sense considering the fact that the box was about to blow and he was minimizing the amount of people that would be around when it did. But the box blowing up made him work on dealing with feelings in a healthier way. The first crack on the box made him sure of Buck, and Buck was with him all throughout him dealing with having no more box. And now there's no more Taylor Kelly. Eddie's single, Buck's single, and he's living in this bubble where he can pretend things are moving to the direction he wants them to, without actually doing something about it. Buck's is cooking dinner for him and Chris, he's asking Buck about things Chris hid from him. But then his bubble got popped. By Buck dying (if we believe Oliver, there was some sort of reaction shot from Eddie that we missed) but even with just what we got, he was acting like a grieving partner.

And after that we actually see Eddie being around Buck more. Does he want to be there if Buck breaks over dying? Is he just convincing himself Buck's still alive? Who knows. But he's also being pressured into dating again (after that poker game, tell me that wasn't a date, I dare you) but he's still ignoring it while hanging on to Buck. Until Buck blindsided him with Natalia. It's interesting that Eddie is hostile to every girl that shows interest in Buck, he looked like he could fight Abby, he looks like he poisoned Taylor. But he's not like that about Natalia, his main worry is actually if it's a good idea to date someone else he met in a call. And it is a choice to have Eddie looking that heartbroken while Buck talks about dating, then deciding he's ready to date (he's accepting the fact that he's gonna be Buck's best man and needs to move on). But he's settling, he's chasing what he knows (what he had with Shannon) to feel something. And to use that perception of the facts could be fun.

Also here I rest my case for Eddie fell first. But mostly because Buck is loud with his emotions and if he realized he's in love with someone that deeply he would start vibrating in such a frequency that there would be no hiding it. Dude is gonna have his oh! moment and have wedding rings later that day.

[the-s-exy-squad]

I have so many headcanons about all for the game and the parts of everyone’s lives that weren’t discussed in depth. Also a few oc/canon character interactions yk. (Another post bc I am not adding it to this today)

To start off, things about canon characters.

I don’t think the entire reason Neil stayed was bc Andrew and Exy. I think he decided at some point whether it be subconsciously or not that even if it results in death, he wanted to help the people who treated him the best. He wanted to make sure that they were better so that he’d have the comfort of knowing that in his last moments when his dad finally caught up to him. He was the foxes team captain and lead most of the practices until he left palmetto and got signed to a pro team with Andrew. They lived together and everything.

Nicky still have spurts of depressive episodes around thanksgiving for sure and during random times bc he feels guilty. Andrew wouldn’t have been there if he didn’t ask Neil to get him to go. Andrew snaps at him once about how it isn’t his fault and he didn’t hand him on a silver plater to drake and that even though he wanted him to go, it wasn’t like he KNEW. Which would also mark the first time Andrew openly talks about the shit drake did to him. He eventually goes back to Germany but makes sure to stay in contact with everyone so he doesn’t miss them too much and can make sure they’re staying out of trouble.

Andrew gets better. He still struggles with his feeling and emotional control but it’s gotten to where he knows his limits and the little tells that his body gives him in regards to what he needs to do to calm down. Mostly includes alone time with Neil and Neil touching his shoulders or hair. I also like to believe that one day he forces himself to budge on his touch boundaries. They start off small like one of Neil’s hands on his arm and when he gains a positive association (Neil) with that touch they do another. I also like to think that he goes back to criminal Justice and gets a career as a social services worker or juvenile court lawyer. He wouldn’t want any kid to get some shitty ruling like he had with the meds and he’d be trying everything he can to ensure it doesn’t go that way bc fuck he knows those meds didn’t do shit but make him find stupid shit funny.

Kevin goes to pro obviously and that’s his entire life. He gets traded to a team and agrees to go because it’s the same city Aaron is a doctor in. He missed his college team and despite how he disregarded their well-being over exy, he hopes they’re doing good. He and Neil still stay in contact and occasionally taunt each other on social media that the fans go WILD for. Andrew rarely pops in with some embarrassingly clumsy thing Kevin did in college or a picture of him half asleep during a practice HE scheduled and the fans eat it up.

Aaron leaves the state and goes to a city that was hiring for doctors. During his intern/probationary period, he would work 3- 12 hour shifts a week and usually pick some up as well because he didn’t like having entirely empty days. When Kevin moved to that city to play exy Asron debated letting him stay in his apartment bc he’d have social interaction and he closer to someone on the team again. I read in a fic once and I absolutely love this idea: Neil is still working on fixing their relationship by making them have calls. I edited it a little to be at least 10 minutes once a week instead of however long once a month.

I think Matt would (since he majored in business administration) just go get a job at some big corporate business of some sort. He’d be the funny work friend guy and a lot of people would ask questions about college and how he and the team get during the whole thing with the ravens to which he’d laugh and say something light hearted about the situation. Even though they asked, they still treated him great and never brought up his life before palmetto.

Renee on god I love this so much. Since she’s adopted, I think she’d start a summer camp for kids in foster care and adopted kids so they didn’t feel alone. I feel like it would be the same way a Christian summer camp is but that wouldn’t be the priority at all. She’d mention it a few times as camp Dean and they’d pray before meals (if kids didn’t want to partake that was entirely fine), but the main thing for the camp is to be able to feel less alone and gain some friendships through exy and religion just like she was. I love this idea sm and it is entirely based off a camp I went to when my dad got full custody of me that was entirely for kids in bad homes or in distaste/was in distaste and adopted.

I think Dan starts her own little league exy team and would take the team to the camp. I just don’t see her slipping out on letting her team go to a camp that’s p much CENTERED around Exy but also super fun and nice and also missing out of her friends.

I believe Allison would also work at camp with Renee bc she thinks that if there’s support at a younger age, kids won’t turn to drugs. When the camp isn’t open, She runs a non profit organization for helping families with struggling kids to work through finding ways to support them. (She would very clearly state she is not a psychologist but she does have a thing for helping people see things through their kids eyes and emotions) she runs a small fashion and clothes/accessories business that she uses for funding the non profit that allows for more people to have a chance at getting assistance through her or other programs. A lot of the kids she works with through her non profit go to Renee’s camp since she can send a majority of them through her business profit. The ones she doesn’t send have stated their stance on it and would rather not go. (Usually it was for it being too overstimulated and/or anxiety about being away from home or with a bunch of strangers).

I DEFINITELY want to believe that since Exy is one of the main topics of this camp, Kevin, Neil and the rest of team go visit for a few summers when they can. Matt would even save up his vacation days so he could go. It’s like a annual reunion with the team (Nicky would call and be on call with them every second he isn’t working or something if he can’t go back to the states to actually be there). All the kids that knew of exy previously would be jaw dropped that the entire team that beat the ravens were standing in front of them.

As for Seth, I think he didn’t cross over yk. I think he decided to stick it out until his found family was happy so he can say he’s seen them happy before he goes to the after life. I think he’s been with them since his death and the beginning broke him. Seeing Allison miserable and so broken. I guess he just wanted closure on their closure. Seeing everyone together and smiling as they played Exy with kids left him feeling genuine joy her never thought he would. They were still foxes, the disfunctional, and emotionally stunted college kids that he knew, but they were happy.

This doesn’t really fit into the the previously stated ones but I think when his old teammates going to interviews he fucks around behind them bc cmon. He would. He’s dead nobody’s gonna see him 😂 and always adds in his own two sense about the situation. He’s also joked several times about his death bc what’s gonna happen? Ghost therapy?

[mitiass]

“the untamed” acting ranking

I’ve been a “Mo dao zu shi” fan for a while now but only recently I’ve finished watching “The Untamed”. The show has brought me lots of fun and I genuinely enjoyed watching it. I tend to find the ‘asian style of acting’ more cringey at the times (like yk for example those Indian dramas...) but I was positively shocked with how good the acting is in “The Untamed” so I’ve decided to praise my favourites online.

Disclaimer: English is not my first language; I’m not a professional nor do I have any experience with acting (except for middle school theatre club but yeah...); the ranking contains spoilers; this is only my opinion and I’ll be more than happy to see you sharing your rankings!

1. Jin Guangyao played by Zhu Zanjin

I think that many people would agree with this one. He made it hard for others to beat him when it comes to acting. Not only did he have a hard role but also he managed to make a support role into one of the most eye-catching characters. He made an incredible job with all the facial expressions. Especially I loved the moments when he acted angry/sad but then immediately turned back into smiling (off topic but he has a gorgeous smile). The smile itself was also very special, it showed how much his character was rather mysterious and suspicious than genuine and kind. Many times I caught myself taken aback by all the gestures and movements that reflected Jin Guangyao’s personality perfectly. The last episodes when we got to know more about Mengyao’s intrigues and his past were more than a pleasure to watch. Basically Zhu Zanjin carried the show even though the character he played wasn’t the main one. (pls i can’t shut up about how good Zanjin’s acting was)

2. Wei Wuxian played by Xiao Zhan

He would’ve been on the first place if not for Zhu Zanjin. Of course he had been picked for a main role for a reason. He had lots of hard scenes to play. Some of them were more aggressive, some more moving, touching and some funny. He gave in all of those scenes his all and it shows. Although some of his scenes I found ‘cringey’ he did an amazing job capturing Wei Wuxian’s personality, style of being and facial expressions. I fell in love with his mischievous smiles, smirks and chuckles. Just as perfectly as he gave away Wei Wuxian’s funny side he also acted just on the point in more serious moments. I’m not the type to cry while watching movies, TV series or anime but some of the touching, moving moments made my vision go blur. The scene on Burial Mounds when he couldn’t do anything when Wen Qing, Wen Ning and the rest of still alive Wen sect were giving themselves away to other cultivators made me cry a lil’ bit. Xiao managed to make all the scenes move me deeply. Sometimes I felt heartbroken, sometimes pissed off, sometimes I laughed so hard i couldn’t catch a breath and sometimes his acting made me feel warm. Xiao Zhan really deserved the main role. Not only his amazing and helpful skills as an actor (like memorising his lines very fast) but also the fact that he managed to evoke so many emotions in me whitin those 50 episodes, are the cause why “The Untamed” is such a high quality TV series.

3. Xue Yang played by Wang Haoxuan

Wang Haoxuan played one of the darker characters and he did it perfectly. Xue Yang himself is also a very well-written character. After we get to know his backstory, even though we hate him for all the things he’s done we cannot decide whether to still despise him or pity him instead. He’s just that type of a villain. But now, about the acting, there’s the similar situation like with Jin Guangyao. I just fell in love with the facial expressions and body language. Xue Yang’s evil smirks, posture and gestures just scream ‘menace behaviour!’. I totally fell in love with Haoxuan’s acting during the ‘blind girl arc’, especially that one scene when Xue Yang cried after Xiao Xingchen’s death even though he was long-life enemies with Xingchen and Song Lan. It is quite common in many books, series, movies, etc. that villains are better written characters personality and backstory-wise than some of the main protagonists and “The Untamed” isn’t an exception (maybe except for wei wuxian:]]).

4. Jiang Cheng played by Wang Zhuocheng

Even though I found Zhuocheng’s acting rather awkward quite often I still placed him on the 4th place because he really deserves it. I think that Jiang Cheng is one of the hardest characters to play with all his strong facial expressions and bold, effective movements. Zhuocheng captured Wanyin’s temperament perfectly and countenance was mostly just on point although sometimes a little bit too much. Also Jiang Cheng had quite a lot emotional scenes with lots of crying involved and he did and amazing job going through them. For example one of my favourite scenes of all(!!) was this one when they were kind of held hostage by Jin Guangyao and Su She and they talked about Wei Wuxian giving his golden core to Jiang Cheng. I was entirely moved when Wuxian brushed away Jiang Cheng’s tears.

Special mention: Lan Wangji played by Wang Yibo

Of course I wouldn’t ignore Yibo’s acting, it’s just, I couldn’t place him anywhere in this ranking since his acting is quite special. He had to play more of a gentle and peaceful character while others had a lot of strong facial expressions and sudden movements. Wang Yibo had a hard job since he had to act more with some subtle body language. Also he had a lot of fighting scenes which are really difficult to act since battling with a blade is not so common these days. He did an amazing job and in my opinion he just fits perfectly to the role of our beloved Lan Zhan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So there are the actors who really moved my soul and mind while I was watching “The Untamed”. Of course all the actors did a great job and I don’t want to forget about my ladies Wen Qing and Jiang Yanli and also about other characters like Lan Xichen, Nie Huaisang, Jin Ling, Lan Sizhui or Jin Zixuan who also had their moments of glory. I would be able to talk about everyone’s acting skills for hours and hours but the post would be just too long to go through it in one go. I really had a great time enjoying mdzs content and I hope you had too! :]]

[hidewari]

Your review for chapter 143 please. No Hide in this chapter but I suppose it's not a big deal. It means he's still safe and sound.

@nitsuki-baka said:I think this abrupt ending is pretty good and strong, even if everyone seems to hate it. There is Kaneki who worked so hard for this moment but has still has to realise that everything can be gone within a second. And the desperation that he still had to make him crawl, I cried my eyes out. Hyped for the next bit we’ll get.

anonymous said:do you think the “GAME OVER” could have meant that there is going to be a new start/new beginning for kaneki? the caterpillar thing also makes me think he’ll change again into smth else and have a new beginning. And that that’s what we’ll see in part 3? maybe one where hide shows up and instigates a reform in kaneki’s group and leadership into something better yk?

anonymous said:Reading the spoilers of chapter 143 makes me feel like we’re going to have a trilogy. Especially the way Furuta is acting.

Alright, so I read both the MS and JB translations twice to try and understand the chapter as well as I could and hopefully catch on to anything I might have missed and I think I have a bit to say on the direction I think the series is going to take now.

This chapter has been the big turning point that I think Kaneki really needs to push him in the right direction. He took up the role of the One Eyed King, and that means that he has a whole lot of responsibility on his shoulders whether he likes it or not, and I’ve mentioned before how most of his decisions as King have mostly just been influenced by his emotions. (I’ve given these examples before, but for those who haven’t seen, a couple examples would be when Kaneki wanted to endanger their mission by talking with Amon and another would be his refusal to kill Hajime which essentially lead to the twenty fourth being attacked. Both times Kaneki’s actions have been criticised by Ayato and Tsukiyama respectively. To me, this shows an awareness by the series that this is a major flaw of Kaneki’s which he’s chosen to ignore.)

Kaneki made yet another decision based on his emotions to return to the twenty fourth ward (because he has a “bad feeling”) and that decision went abysmally wrong. To me, this is actually a good thing for Kaneki’s character. This devastation has now been a direct result of his original emotionally driven decision not to kill Hajime, and now, his second emotionally driven decision to return to the twenty fourth ward has resulted in Furuta’s supposed victory.

He’s now not only having to face the fact that he has these flaws as a result of the situation, but it’s also blatantly laid out for him by Furuta himself.

Kaneki is finally being forced to face these flaws that he has in his leadership and the way that he approaches and tackles situations. Even as King, knowing that he’s responsible for the lives of hundreds, even thousands, he still too often thinks of himself and does things for selfish reasons, even if he doesn’t know it.

He only takes the side of ghouls because he wants to protect those who are close to him. He doesn’t really care for the unification of species in and of itself, he only cares about it because it would put the people he cares for in a better position and make them safe.

And this always reminds me of the scene in chapter 120 of Tokyo Ghoul where Touka confronts Kaneki about this exact motive and indicates exactly how it is driven by Kaneki’s own selfishness.

Kaneki still hasn’t moved on from this mindset, and even he himself acknowledges that this makes him a terrible leader, yet he appears to have no desire to change this, presumably because he doesn’t realise that it’s the exact reason why he could be putting the people he cares about in trouble.

In fact, I think it still isn’t clear to him what his role as leader should be. He still isn’t looking at the big picture, and seems to only focus on his own role within all of this, which is ironically inhibiting him from being able to take up the position that he wants to and become the leader that he has to in order to achieve his goals.

He touches his chin when he tells Hinami that he’ll be right behind her; at least a part of him knows that he isn’t going to make it out of this, but I think he’s made himself content with that. This is the moment he claims to have been living for; this is the moment he finally gets to protect everyone he loves. This is the moment that he shows himself as a true leader, by becoming a martyr to protect the ones he loves.

It may have appeared that he had chosen to live alongside Touka, but the reality is that he never really moved on from that mindset he had back in cochlea; wanting to die “in style” for the sake of someone else.

This much is clear in his dialogue in this chapter.

He says he’s been living for this day, this day that he seems to apparently realise he won’t be able to survive, but he’s content with that. All this time, he never really moved on from wanting to protect others with his life; that’s been his motivation since the beginning of the series, and it still is, and although this isn’t exactly a negative thing, it is preventing him from seeing the bigger picture. His desire is still the same, just he’s shifted his focus from death to life.

He’s so concerned with himself in this situation; he wants to defeat Furuta, and in his death, he’ll be able to protect all those who are close to him, but he isn’t considering what his role as King really means beyond this. Killing Furuta isn’t just going to magically bring about the unification of humans and ghouls; it isn’t going to guarantee the safety of those close to him. As King, as a leader, there is so much more work to be done, but Kaneki fails to really see his role in this in perspective as a result of his bias.

That’s why I think this whole chapter’s themes have been a pivotal point for Kaneki’s character. Not only is he forced to come face to face with the fact that his methods are inefficient, but we also get more subtle symbolism.

Firstly, as some have pointed out, Furuta’s referral to Kaneki as a caterpillar could be foreshadowing of a coming transformation he may make, a metamorphosis, which links to Franz Kafka’s story of the same name which Kaneki’s story has been compared to before.

Not only that, but the butterfly has been a symbol of positive change in the series before, and assuming we are currently in the Judgement arc, this points to significant development and flourishing in Kaneki’s character to come, which brings me onto why I think there will be a third part and how this will line up with the Fool’s journey.

Judgement is a card which calls for a period of self-reflection and self-evaluation. Kaneki is now being forced reflect and evaluate his approach, and this is the key to his fulfilment. The Judgement card calls for a moment in someone’s life in which they “come to a point of deep understanding about the common themes throughout [their] life and what [they] can do or change to avoid these situations in the future.”

“The Judgement card suggests that you have had a recent epiphany or an ‘awakening’ where you have come to a realisation that you need to live your life in a different way and you need to be true to yourself and your needs. You have opened yourself up to a new possibility – to lead a fulfilling life that serves your higher needs and that offers inspiration and hope to others. You feel as though you have had a ‘calling’ in life, and you are getting much closer to the point where you need to take action. Something that was lying dormant within you, some unconscious knowledge or truth is finally being awakened and brought into the light.”

“The Fool has been reborn.

His false, ego-self has been shed, allowing his radiant, true self to manifest. He has discovered that joy, not fear, is at life’s centre.

The Fool feels absolved. He forgives himself and others, knowing that his real self is pure and good. He may regret past mistakes, but he knows they were due to his ignorance of his true nature. He feels cleansed and refreshed, ready to start anew.

It is time for the Fool to make a deeper Judgement (20) about his life. His own personal day of reckoning has arrived. Since he now sees himself truly, he can make the necessary decisions about the future. He can choose wisely which values to cherish, and which to discard.”

To me, this is reminiscent of this piece of art which foreshadows this awakening with the caption “I stand here with my past self,” indicating that Kaneki has moved on from his past self and his old mindset, ready to start anew.

Tokyo Ghoul and Tokyo Ghoul:re are the stories of the Fool’s journey on his path to personal development and self-fulfilment. Judgement is the second to last stage of the Fool’s journey, so that may leave you asking, what could come after this to warrant a third part?

I believe a third part to the series would serve as “the World” stage of the Fool’s journey. Though Kaneki’s journey of self-development and fulfilment comes to an end in Tokyo Ghoul:re, the third instalment should be about how he uses this fulfilment and flourishing to make his influence on the World and finally pursue the goal he’s established as the One Eyed King. The Fool’s own personal journey ends with Tokyo Ghoul:re, but that just means that he’s now ready to begin his influence on the world.

“The Fool reenters the World (21), but this time with a more complete understanding. He has integrated all the disparate parts of himself and achieved wholeness. He has reached a new level of happiness and fulfilment

The Fool experiences life as full and meaningful. The future is filled with infinite promise. In line with his personal calling, he becomes actively involved in the world. He renders service by sharing his unique gifts and talents and finds that he prospers at whatever he attempts. Because he acts from inner certainty, the whole world conspires to see that his efforts are rewarded. His accomplishments are many.

So the Fool’s Journey was not so foolish after all. Through perseverance and honesty, he reestablished the spontaneous courage that first impelled him on his search for Self, but now he is fully aware of his place in the world. This cycle is over, but, the Fool will never stop growing. Soon he will be ready to begin a new journey that will lead him to ever greater levels of understanding.”

[bthump]

Unpopular opinion i guess but i really miss the grimdark tone of the early berserk volumes (well except the gross rape stuff). I'm not a big fantasy fan and i started reading the manga bc of the horror-ish/realistic elements in it but since guts new party came into the picture it has gone through a dizzying tonal shift lol. Also griffith/guts is my main emotional investement here and ngl i have a hard time caring about guts new party,griffiths companions and all the other secondary (contd)

(cont’d) characters that have seem to multiplied since the aftermath of the eclipse. the comic bits with isidro and puck are especially tiring. idk i just miss griffith/guts interactions and the golden age/black swordsman arc.

Yk I mostly agree. I love Farnese and Serpico, and I find NeoGriff’s side of the story rly engaging, but overall I’m also not super invested in most of Guts’ posse and I feel like I’m kind of just waiting for half of them to die lol. Like Magnifico, you’re just not necessary man, your cute subplot with Puck adds nothing.

When it comes to tone I also mostly agree? Like I recognize that this is personal opinion and I totally get why people would enjoy lighter, less angsty Berserk just as much if not more, but I’m a big fan of dark stuff, I got into Berserk in part bc it was dark and tragic, and my favourite kind of light fluffy stuff is when it’s bittersweet because of what’s to come (eg the whole golden age), or when it’s a stark contrast to the darkness surrounding (eg when Jill falls asleep on Guts’ lap - great sweet moment, all the sweeter because it’s surrounded by darkness in and around Guts).

So yeah, it’s subjective, but also… tbh I think the way the change of tone has been executed is lacking. Liiike, idk eg the Golden Age had a lot of light, good, funny moments, and the tone of it definitely wasn’t grimdark until everything went to pieces. But the humour was more balanced and natural and plot-based, I felt, rather than the current digressions for Puck to be cutesy and Isidro to be a little brat. Like, Puck also had gr8 funny moments during the Black Swordsman and Lost Children arcs, to balance out the rly dark tone, but they felt better integrated to me then in general, character-revealing and part of the plot, rather than asides that distract from the focus of the moment.

Maybe it’s part of the difficulty of making your core cast larger - like there are a lot of panels now that are just a series of reactions from the side characters to the main action, and it interrupts the flow imo. The secondary Hawks in the Golden Age didn’t get that amount of time dedicated to their reactions to stuff bc they weren’t important except insofar as their reactions added to the tone or to our understanding of the main characters (eg the abject horror when they run into the eclipse, the raiders crying when Guts returns, etc). Now it feels like an obligation to include 8 characters in everything even when they’re not particularly important to the scene.

Also there’s a bit of tonal whiplash with that bc it’s still just as gorey and violent, and there’s still gratuitous rape w/ trolls and ganeshka eg (though way fewer rape threats and attempts at least, which is one blessing for sure). It’s just that there’s more children and elves and their wacky antics too, which makes it a little whiplashy at times.

And this isn’t really related to anything you said but for my part there’s also the way that the first two arcs feel like a self contained story. The Black Swordsman arc shows Guts being a depressed anti-hero, the Golden Age arc shows how that came to be. The rest of it is very open-ended, which isn’t a bad thing obviously because we’re all excited to see where it’s going and that’s the nature of an ongoing series, but it does make it harder for me personally to enjoy some of it because I don’t know what the payoff is yet. A lot of the post-eclipse stuff feels like seed-sowing for later drama to me, and until we get to that drama I’m unable to react to the seeds with anything more concrete than anticipation.

TBH tho that’s just my personal thing. I almost never get into ongoing stuff lol, most of the shows I watch I wait until they’re over because this is how I feel about ongoing works. For lots of other people I’m sure the sense of anticipation and not knowing what’s to come adds to their enjoyment, rather than diminishing it, but for me I feel like I can never truly appreciate something until it’s over. So looking back I might find all this a nice change of pace between dark angsty and emotional arcs, but at the moment I do miss the angst lol.

lol sorry I kind of took this as an opportunity to share my own less positive thoughts on current Berserk. Don’t get me wrong though everyone reading this, I still love it, and it still has a lot of breathtaking sequences and moments, and a lot of great characters. And earlier Berserk wasn’t perfect either by a longshot. But yk, just when it comes to tone and style of comedy and cast of characters I get why people would have a preference.