#AoB essay

[stardustizuku]

Part 2: PART 5 changed everything.

So, why is Part 5 important to the discussion? Simple.

I’ve read enough Isekai stories, and Saintess stories to realize the parallels. I’m not saying it was conscious, since Kazuki-sensei has said that it was not her explicit intend to reference Isekai, but rather to create a realistic story with the basis of Isekai around it. But, to me, it is actually one that I’ve seen before.

It’s actually quite common for the “adopted princess” narratives to flood Isekai and reincarnation stories:

The Saintess, adopted by a nobleman after finding out about her powers, slowly rising through the ranks to save the world.

Oftentimes these narratives either make the parents abusive, or dead, to justify why the Saintess would be so willing to leave. But on not-so-rare occasions, the parents are written as simply, being okay with it. Or in particularly bad stories, it never gets addressed.

While the commoner origins of said Saintess is mentioned, that “commoner’s logic” that is so relevant to Myne’s characters, get completely brushed off in these stories. It’s either torture porn meant to highlight how tortured the poor Saintess was before this, or cheap tactic to make her appear more good hearted because she cares for the “commoners”. Some newer Villainess novels have even poked fun at this, calling out the seemingly self serving attitude these plot-point have.

In truth, these stories start, either in Part 3, Part 4 or Part 5. We skip over most of their commoner days, jumping straight into either the “Adopted Child” narrative, the “Royal Academy” or “Saintess” narratives.

However, by starting in Part 1, Ascendance of a Bookworm confronts these unpleasant and hard questions with the ruthlessness they deserve. For one, the extreme poverty she was raised in caused he money and profit driven self to be created.

The adoption wasn’t something she would have chosen. Given the option of death or being adopted, Myne would have chosen death. But since it involved her family’s lives, she had no other choice than to give up her freedom in exchange for their safety.

In her case, it wasn’t something she willingly jumped into, or something magical to be adopted by the “Duke of North” but it was a tragic affair. She was ripped from her family, she was forced to act and learn things she didn’t want to. Simply put, this was far from the magic outcome other Isekai stories form.

By the time we jump into Part 3, while the sense of wonder is still there, it’s painted with these undertones of sadness. It also doesn’t help that most of the fairy-tale like “Adopted Child” narrative that often forms in these stories, is more than absent in here.

The whole “I’m a Saintess so I was adopted by the Duke” would be tooth rotting fluff in other isekai novels, where the protagonist has to gain the affection of her adoptive father by being the cutest little thing ever.

…In her case, is one traumatic even after the other.

Rozemyne keeps getting swarmed with work and lessons, having to fight for her life to get ingredients for her medicine, having a half-brother who’s little more than useless, and the entire thing with Hasse…It again reiterates: The adoption, emotionally speaking, was never an upgrade.

While Sylvester considers her valuable and cares for her to some degree - there’s a clear divide between them. Sylvester puts this divide simply because he’s an archduke, and Rozemyne, well, for being Rozemyne. Sylvester never sees Rozemyne as her child, or treats her with doting kindness. To him, she’s a powerful ally, nothing more.

(Despite what people may think, Rozemyne’s closeness to someone is determined by an entirely different system, and Sylvester is counted as more of an ally than family. She put Charlotte on a higher scale than him. She very much does not see him as a Father and would sooner call Kardestadt that)

And even then, Part 3 is not really the focus of the story. The actual story begins to kick in during Part 4, when they go to the Royal Academy and Rozemyne starts to interact with the other Duchies. Again, it’s very common to have Royal Academies in isekai novels. And it’s also very common to jump to them, out of the nowhere. I appreciate how Ascendance of a Bookworm planted the seeds of Royal Academy since as early as Part 2, because I sweAR TO GOD, the NEXT isekai that drops the stupid “magic school” out of the NOWHERE in the middle of my childcare novel is getting PUNTED.

The Royal Academy actually starts to introduce us to the story setting we’ll spend the most time with. Part 1, 2 & 3 form about just half of the entire story. The other half is spent on the Royal Academy and dealing with, well, Royalty and other duchies. And it’s when we first get introduced to how absurdly powerful and abnormal Rozemyne truly is. Because back home she got constantly compared to Ferdinand, very rarely could we see just how different she was to her peers. We sorta could peer at it with Wilfred, but because he was such a bad example of what a Noble should be in Part 3 - it couldn’t even be called a comparison.

And while I was pleasantly surprised to see a subversion of my expectations on all these volumes, I was so focused on these things that I failed to notice what this all meant, until I had the full picture in Part 5.

Part 5 is, well, it’s interesting. It’s interesting because it’s the first time Rozemyne has to walk on her own two feet without Ferdinand there to hold her hand. Yeah, sure, Sylvester is there, Bonifatus is too and Kardestadt, but it quickly becomes apparent that they’re not nearly equipped enough to properly guide Rozemyne. Not only because at that point in time they’re too busy to give her an education, but because she has a better control in many of these issues than they do.

She has more mana, she interacts better with other duchy’s nobles, she gives insight and solutions on many of their issues, is able to directly face the consequences of her actions, and controls their duchy’s main exports and trends. This is not to say that Sylvester isn’t doing a great job as an archduke, since he’s been shielding her all this time and trying his best to contain her - it’s just that without Ferdinand there, Rozemyne simply grew too big for the duchy. Ferdinand was the only one capable of keeping up with her, her ideas, and her projects. Without him, Rozemyne became too much of a central piece in Ehrenfest.

And that’s when it hit me.

Up until now, we weren’t watching the story of Rozemyne. I couldn’t describe it as anything more than the prologue, or setting the stage for the actual real conflict that is about to unfold in Part 5. And each and every part beforehand was a way to properly give the tools to Rozemyne to become this. The Avatar of Mestionora.

Part 1 develops her merchant and commoner’ side. Her ruthlessness when it comes to profits, her single minded obsessions, and developing the empathy and love above books that comes to define her.

Part 2 develops her as Saint. Her temple work, her learning about gods and goddesses, her prayers, and work in the orphanage. Since this is the narrative that helps her with magic it’s imperative she learns it.

Part 3 develops her as an Ehrenfest Noble. Her position on the social hierarchy, the expectations of her in regards to supporting Wilfred, and the duchy.

Part 4 develops her as a Yugerschmidt Noble. One with a schtappe, one who can wield mana, that of a prodigy.

And all these identities, all these values and lessons, culminate in Part 5. Where, with no one left who can properly prop her up, she has to start standing for herself. She can no longer rely on Ferdinand to tell her what’s right and what’s wrong, she has to make those decisions herself.

And this is why I say Part 5 is amazing. When I was talking about being unable to accurately interpret the politics of Ascendance of a Bookworm, this was the issue. I wasn’t reading the story of politics, but rather - I was reading the setting of the stage for the story about politics.

Before Part 5, it was all about laying the groundwork. How the temple works, how the nobles work, Myne’s logic, etc.

Part 1 Myne couldn’t form her own identity, or properly have an opinion on things, because she didn’t understand how the world works. Likewise, us the audience, couldn’t fully understand the message or the politics being pushed forwards because we lacked the context. We were relegated to, much like Myne, listening to what Ferdinand said was right or wrong.

Now, however, with Rozemyne having her own identity, she no longer has this issue. She has learned, she’s watched. She has formed her three core values that rule her world.

These are:

Family

Meritocracy

Capitalism

These are things she’ll rarely budge in. You cannot threaten her family. He who does not work, shall not eat. And when the opportunity arises, take it and profit as much as you can.

I actually had not realized this for a while. I kept having this nagging feeling that I was missing something, but it finally clicked in Volume 4 Part 5, with.

PREV << MASTERLIST >> NEXT

[ming-sik]

was about to make a very accusatory and hateful post about people misreading my complaints about rozemyne being overpowered in the sense that now that her disability is cured she doesn't have to come up with interesting solutions to problems she previously had to because while she doesn't want power for power's sake or political power she does want the power to make books and protect her family so if she has so much of the second thing the narrative tension gets pretty limp but. it turns out the post i was mad about was vagueing someone else so nevermind.

anyway just to reiterate I completely understand and actually like that rozemyne doesn't want political power, i just don't want to read an entire volume of rozemyne and co. instantly winning battles with no effort because i think that's boring, and i don't like her disability being cured. i hope she doesnt become zent specifically to further subvert the isekai overpowered protagonist formula. so I'm glad everyone understood that and i don't have to pick fights in a community of 50 people. crisis averted.

[scrollll]

Sign me the hell up for it!

aobpuen nation, where are you?

i need more aobpuen friends to talk to about these stupid homos

[scrollll]

Okay, am I the only one or can anyone explain it to me?

Because the whole time I've been wondering how the hell the actors managed to do that...

I mean in a time when dead-fish-lips-kisses are not yet extinct, this team not only DELIVERED in the intimate scenes, but also in the emotional ones!

And I can't help but be absolutely impressed with that. Intimate scenes are damn difficult, require immense planning and trust and an insane amount of professionalism from all involved, not just actors but also from the team, camera and directors.

In many series I have seen good intimate scenes between the actors, a wonderful example is once again Kiseki (I could write an essay about the expressions and eyes and facial expressions alone), Not Me (OffGun deliver), and of course KinnPorsche.

But what sets Playboyy apart in my opinion is the change.

There are couples, but intimate scenes are not limited to them. We see Nont at his fuck-around-and-find-out best, Puen and Aob with other clients, First with Aob, Puen and Soong, Soong with both First and Keen, Jump with Tutor, and so many other combinations (someone awesome once put up a "who with who" chart, it would fit here now).

The key point is, it works.

I didn't experience a scene that didn't work because of the actors.

They had chemistry, it fit and was relevant to the plot. And that's what really fascinates me and fills me with confusion at the same time.

Because how the heck did the acting coaches get such a large cast and so many individuals to be so comfortable with each other that they just act with no matter who????

Like- how, what, hae????

I once again express my respect for this team.

[the-alexel-lucas]

Looks like it’s AoB essay time, might as well join in. I want to focus on the conflict of the story as well as Myne’s noble persona. This will be getting into end of series stuff so if you don’t like that…don’t look.

So, what is the conflict? Well the easy answer is that it varies, P1 is Myne’s devouring and her struggle to survive, P2 is her struggles in the temple and the inevitability of being adopted, P3 is her adjusting to being a noble and trying to gather the ingredients for her jureve, P4 is struggles of Ahrensbach affecting Ehrenfest, and P5 is the Lanzenave invasion and potential collapse of the country. But that’s looking at the story in it’s individual parts, not as a whole. What I believe to be the true conflict of the story is Myne trying to make her way back to her family.

It is often said that P1 and 2 are the prologue (sometimes this is extended to P3 and occasionally even P4) and this is what I am basing my argument off of. In P1 we are introduced to Myne’s family, Gunther a hard working well meaning father, Effa a caring but stern mother, and Tuuli a supportive and gentle older sister. Initially Myne has little to no interest in them outside of survival but over time she grows more and more close to them, to the point that she would choose death over leaving them even if it could mean having books. This is reiterated and doubled down on in P2 where we and Myne see how poorly she treated her mother as Urano and while she understands that she has to leave them for everyone’s safety she wants to drag that out as long as physically possible, and then that time is cut short. Now bound by magic contract they cannot interact as a family and as time goes on more and more connections to that life are taken from her and it hurts Myne deeply. She is forced to wear a mask at all times, she must be the noble Rozemyne for everyone everywhere, that image cannot slip. However when she is in absolute private with those in the know who are not her family she can drop the act, but her engagement means she cannot use the hidden room where she could be Myne with Lutz, Benno, and Mark, Ferdinand’s engagement takes from Ehrenfest entirely and takes not only her mentor but the only noble who truly knows her. And then once again she must prepare to leave everyone she knows and loves, even if it is just momentarily, to protect them.

Her love for her family runs so deep that when Mestionora takes over her body she must block those memories to keep her occupied. At this point she is no longer Myne, she has become the mask and is fully Rozemyne. When Ferdinand restores her memories he offers to fake her death so she can return to her family and live her happy life but at this point she is much more aware of who she is and what options are available to her, but a concession can be made. And that is where the story ends, with the resolution of the conflict, with Myne returning to her commoner family and putting her hair up like she did in P1V1, because while Rozemyne is 14 Myne has come of age. And is home.

[gt-ridel]

If you see a bad take or interpretation of a character you don't agree with, remember, it's just like someone using a skin in a video game.

Would Luke Skywalker really join a Fortnight tournament? Probably not. But you can still play as him, if you want.

You can look at someone's extremely ooc stories or art and just go, "Ah, I see they are using the (insert character here) skin for this gangster/yandere/AOB/whatever thing." And then not write a 1,000 word essay about how awful that is.

In fact, I encourage it. The more you stew on something that you can't change, the more miserable you and those in your sphere will be.

Don't make other people's playtime a burden you have to carry. And don't ruin their fun by stomping in and demanding they do things your way. Whose side do you think the teacher would take if a little kid did this on the playground?

We're literally all just playing barbies with our blorbos.

You have the power to choose not to be miserable about it.

[vampireopossum]

how DARE you slander the good name of ice pick joe !! i’ll have you know i had to write a character analysis essay on him in middle school ! he was very clearly presented in Mob Love, and slightly hinted at in the third chapter of AoB !

I feel like with this whole 'Goncharov' (1973) resurgence thing going on, too many people are completely ignoring the underrated book trilogy that the film is originally based on. They updated the time period and setting for the movie narrative, but it's basically the same story minus that ridiculous 'Ice-Pick Joe' henchman character which they added in for some reason, and the fruit market scene that preludes Katya and Sofia's affair is originally a flashback from 'Mob Love' between Katya and her childhood friend visiting from Petrograd.

[soleminisanction]

Much as I support bringing back useful fandom terms like squick and NoTP, I need people to understand that there is a difference between a squick and having a concrete reason why you dislike a certain character or pairing.

Personal example: know what my DC Comics squick is? People feminizing Jason Todd. Not in the sense of full gender swaps, I'm fine with those, but in the sense of making him an omega in AOB, dressing him in women's lingerie, referring to his pecs as tits, or drawing him with huge eyelashes and big wet fuck-me lips.

I couldn't tell you why all that creeps me out, it just does. That's why it's a squick. I am fully aware that it is a me thing, a personal preference, and I simply avoid those parts of the fandom as best I can.

On the contrary, Tim Drake/Stephanie Brown is my hard-line NoTP, but it's very much NOT a squick. I don't like that pairing because I have concrete criticisms of it: I think the canon portrayal is toxic and distinctly one-sided, that it props Steph up at Tim's expense, and that more often than not he (if not both of them, in the long run) is actively hurt by it.

Nobody has to agree with me on this reading of the material, but it is a valid one, and I can (and have, in various posts and essays) pointed to citations of why that is. That reading, that experience, is the source of my dislike for the pairing and for how Steph has been written for the last decade and a half; it's not something I made up to justify some seething dislike that stems from nothing and nowhere.

There's this weird idea that people will dislike something and then make up a reason for it, as opposed to finding something in its portrayal objectionable and those objections being the source of their dislike. I'm sure some people do that, but I don't think it's nearly as common as people want to believe. Sometimes, people's feelings stem from concrete opinions, whether they're able to articulate them or not.

[astrangertomykin]

those people that go "i accidentally emailed my professor ..." really make me side eye because like do you not organise your files? just lumped everything together? like ive forgotten to attach things and have attached the wrong piece of work, I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but you expecting me to believe you keep your aob bdsm huxpoe or whatever fics with your essays on post war consumerism is not gonna

[stardustizuku]

Part 3: A Criticism on Wilfred

Okay, Wilfred is an interesting character. I would go as far as to call him “a deconstruction on the paragon of a fantasy hero”.

He’s the heir to this duchy, who by the evil doing of others has been stripped away from the right of succession.

Despite it all, he’s hardworking and with natural talent, capable of overcoming all hurdles through putting his all into it. He’s nice, he’s kind, and has a positive outlook on life that makes him great to lead big teams and unite them under him. People around him look up to him, and believe in him. In fact, when he arrives at the Academy he realizes that, despite his duchy’s position, he’s able to fight side by side with powerful Greater Duchies. In any other story, he would be the hero.

But Ascendance of a Bookworm is not his story. And while he (and his retainers) sees him as this amazing heir that’s faced nothing but problems since a young age - everyone else sees him for what he truly is.

A spoiled kid, who never learned to become an archduke.

But this is only hinted at in Part3, and doesn’t implode on itself until (again) Part5.

You see, in Part 3, Rozemyne serves as a buffer to paint him in a much better light. She applies a lot of the logic we have from our world. “He’s a kid, he shouldn’t be dealing with so much work”, “he may be lazy but he’s well meaning and wants to become a better person”, “it’s unfair to compare him to me, an adult”, and “I would make the same mistakes he has, so his situation is unfortunate”.

Because of Rozemyne’s coddling, we see Wilfred as this kid who is trying. Who deserves the position because, for one, Rozemyne would be even worse than him at it, and he really, really wants it.

But this changes in Part 4, when we meet way more nobles around their ages, and critically: We know about Charlotte.

Charlotte is so important. People who justify and try to make excuses for Wilfred, have either not read in depth Charlotte’s chapters (which granted, the most powerful one of them “A New Step Forward” comes from the Side Story Collection), or have swallowed Rozemyne’s Kool-Aid when it comes to why Wilfred is being treated unfairly.

The truth is, from another noble’s perspective, we realize that Wilfred being given his title of heir is pretty much the definition of getting spoiled rotten. In any other duchy, HELL, even Ehrenfest before Sylvester, such a thing wouldn’t fly. The succession is a competition. If you think of it that way, and see how Wilfred is behaving - you realize how badly he’s losing. There’s no way that, as he was before Rozemyne, he could have become a decent archduke.

This could have changed, if at any point, Wilfred stopped perceiving himself as the legitimate heir who had his title stolen. Because that’s not what happened. He was meant to fight with his siblings for it. But because of pure luck, he was given it without even having to prove himself. When the people around him failed to train him, that title was temporarily removed. (Emphasis on temporarily because Sylvester had every Goddamn intention to keep Wilfred as the heir)

And we don’t really see him, ever, acknowledging his siblings as any sort of threat. While on paper, he has been stripped from the title, he never has to truly internalize it. It's shameful, yes. But Melchior is straight up too young. He knows Rozemyne won’t be given the title of archduchess, that Sylvester won’t ever allow it.

And something to note about: We know why: She’s a commoner.Sylvester will never let her be Aub for that simple fact - BUT

Wilfred does not know that. He should know that Rozemyne is the “best” candidate, from early on. That’s just a fact. But Sylvester purposely shields him from that harsh truth.

Objectively, Wilfred should know that it is only through luck and Sylvester BLATANT favoritism that Rozemyne isn’t a threat. But because he does not register until FUCKING PART 5, that he is fact, inferior to Rozemyne, he gets baited by Lestilaut. He almost loses Rozemyne, because of his own ego.

And with Charlotte, my poor girl, he doesn’t even registers her as a threat. When Charlotte straight up tells him “I would have beaten you, had I been granted the same privilege you have” aka, being born a man - Wilfred never understands this as a warning or even taunt. He still thinks he’s better than Charlotte. He still thinks that, were things leveled, he would have beaten her. And that couldn’t be further from the truth.

If you haven’t caught up on it yet, Wilfred is a blatant criticism of sexism and the patriarchy.

He has a privilege he does not recognize, and because of it, he acts he’s entitled to a position in power - that anywhere else, it would be UNTHINKABLE for him to have.

He’s literally surrounded by women three or four times more competent than him, yet for the simple fact that he’s a man, and Sylvester likes him more, those women will NEVER come to have the power they deserve.

AND, when he does come the realization that, perhaps, Rozemyne truly is a better suited candidate: he lashes out.

When Lestilaut points out she would be a better archduchess than him, his first instinct is to lash out (and quite aggressively I must add) at the heir of a GREATER duchy, who he does not even get along with! Again, Hannalore and Rozemyne are close friends but Lestilaut and Wilfred are NOT.

This is the society that constantly berated Rozemyne for showing a hint of emotion. She held back even as Royalty itself threatened her most beloved Ferdinand - and Wilfred cannot even handle taunts.

He only calms down when she straight up declines. Stating that she wants to be a first wife. Lesitalut retorts that she could very much be a Dunkelferg first wife.

This sort of snaps Wilfred out of a trance. But interestingly enough, the idea confronted is no longer “Rozemyne is better than me”, but “Rozemyne may actually be a good wife candidate”. Again, the fight isn’t centered, at that point, in who’s better suited to be archduke - because Rozemyne herself smashes apart that idea.

It gets shifted to Lestilaut informing Wilfred that Rozemyne is a coveted first wife candidate, that he’s not using properly. Which is a much easier truth to swallow.

He does not come to terms with “Rozemyne is better than me”, which she objectively is, but with “she’s actually a valuable fiance”.

Sylvester, on the other hand, was very quick to realize that Rozemyne was a valuable asset. Someone who he couldn’t let go of, and adopted because of how vital she was to improving the duchy. Again, while he does care for her, he’s aware that regardless of that - she’s worth it. If she causes him headaches, it’s worth it. If she causes a problem, it’s worth it. She’s running the temple, she’s running their new main export and economy, she is rising their ranks like nowhen before.

It took Wilfred, Lestilaut literally shouting it to his face, for him to realize this. To start seeing Rozemyne as valuable, instead of troublesome. And the moment he realizes, oh, maybe she’s more than competent enough - he’s forced to confront the truth: She’s a better candidate than him. And his current title is only uphold because he’s married to her.

His lashing out in Part 5 Volume 4 is a direct result of him having to confront that he’s a nepo-baby that was only given this position because he’s a man. And instead of owning it, or making sure that despite it all he’s still deserving of the position - he throws a tantrum.

When Charlotte realized that the odds were stacked against her favor, she cried, yes. But she had to maintain appearances. She continued to smile, she continued to support her brother, and worry for the other members of the family. She even had to support Sylvester, despite the fact his obvious favoritism was constantly hurting her.

When Wilfred realized that someone else was better than him, namely Rozemyne, he lashed out. I’m mostly keping up with the Translation Light Novels, so most of his internal turmoil isn’t being shown as of yet. We see it through Charlotte, Sylvester, Rozemyne and other retainers. But suffice to say, that while Rozemyne finds it simply a teenager being a teenager - everyone point out how incredibly damaging his little outburst is.

Unlike other kids, Wilfred is set to become the Aub, and while it’s been promised to him, he still has to work for it. And unlike other kids, such a tremendous amount of power, is not something to wield freely. He is not like any other kid, and cannot be measured in those terms - precisely because of the title he’s set to have. With great power comes great responsibility. If he were to be a commoner, yeah, he wouldn’t have to deal with this. He would be allowed to be just a kid. But if he’s set to become Aub, which he WANTS, he has to play the part. Act like a noble, respect the rules. Just like Rozemyne was forced to do, just like Charlotte trained all her life to do.

He has to learn to manage his emotions, his workload, etc, just like his sisters have. Neglecting to do so, is putting the brunt of his emotional labor unto them.

Here’s where PART 5 does its job wonderfully - because by this point, we’ve seen that the kids of greater duchies, have to work their asses off to support their duchy. Things like feelings, and desires are thrown out. You do not decide who you’ll marry, you do not decide if you become aub or not, you do not decide basically anything in your life. There’s a sacrifice to be made if you want power. You have a role to play, and you either stick to it to perfection, or you get the short end of the stick.

Charlotte has grown with this mentality, she understands it. She plays her role, and does her best to support her duchy.

Wilfred, does not.

He expects everyone to want him as an Aub because, thanks to Veronica, that’s everything he’s ever been promised.

Patriarchy is poisonous because it promises men power. And when capitalism tells them they can’t have it, their first instinct is to blame women.

Much like Wilfred has done, by blaming Rozemyne. For “not being a good enough fiancé” or “for trying to steal his rightful position”.

Wilfred is, unfortunately enough, an antithesis of one of Rozemyne’s core values. Meritocracy. He’s the definition of nepotism.

And if Wilfred represent the corruption of Meritocracy, Veronica represents the corruption of Family.

Veronica corrupts it in a very interesting way that almost parallels Rozemyne.

Veronica was the daughter of a first wife, who loved her husband. Said husband, however, only loved his second wife. This caused her mother great anguish, something she had to witness. She lost her older brother, then lost her mom during childbirth. Finally, her only baby brother was taken to the temple by the second wife she hated. This leaves her with an obsession to keep her blood related family safe, and a disdain for second wives.

In a way, having her family torn from her, and wanting to protect them even from afar, to the point or bending and breaking rules to do so - is very much a Rozemyne thing.

But while Veronica did it by ignoring most of Noble's ways and via corruption, Rozemyne is constantly kept in check from doing as much.

Wilfred is a direct result of the generation trauma Gabrielle imparted. Veronica grew obsessed with making sure her bloodline was better off - at the cost of the suffering of anyone who wasn’t.

She saw everyone as an enemy, someone to subdue. Because if she let them fester, maybe they would take her baby brother away. Maybe they would hurt her kids. Maybe she would lose her mother again.

Ironically, it was this unwillingness to let them grow that eventually rotted them. If she hadn’t let Bezewanst do whatever he wanted, Sylvester wouldn’t have told Ferdinand to get rid of him. If Wilfred had grown with the proper education, he wouldn’t have been as easily tricked.

Veronica and Wilfred also serve as a reminder to Rozemyne of what, even well intentioned, toxic love can do. It’s better presented when she refuses to meet Kamil, even when she absolutely could, because it isn’t safe to do as much.

To add, Rozemyne sees family entirely different from her, and Wilfred for this matter.

Family to Rozemyne isn’t something bound by blood. Her family doesn’t begin and end with that of the lower city. Her retainers from the temple, Cornellius, Charlotte, and most importantly, Ferdinand, are family to her. They deserve her unconditional protection. She cares and loves them.

Contrast it with Veronica who saw Florencia and Ferdinand as threats to her family. And said view of the world is translated to Wilfred.

He sees Detline as family. And after Ferdinand get married, he stops fully perceiving him as such. This is again, likely due to Veronica and her faction. We saw that during Rozemyne’s two year slumber he grows really close and reliant on Ferdinand.

But when the issue of worrying for either Detline or Ferdinand came up - he chose Detline.

Someone he knew almost nothing about, but has his blood and Veronica’s looks. Instead of Ferdinand, someone who supported him for more than three years.

What’s more, he stopped seeing Rozemyne as an ally in Part 5 Volume 4. He could never fully trust her because, again, she’s adopted. Yet, he did go to Charlotte for help, expecting her to help. Likely, because he sees her as actual family, and therefore in his side.

Rozemyne isn’t blood family. Therefore, expendable.

Veronica’s corruption reached him. He tainted one more of Rozemyne’s core values.

All this said, he’s not an irredeemable monster. If anything, the LNs make it clear that despite all this, he’s still a good kid, who given the time and training could become a good archduke.

(Again though, Charlotte wasn’t even offered “time and training”, she was dismissed from the title despite her qualifications for much less)

It’s actually made quite clear that he could be great. Instances of Part 4 shows just how he’s a really nice kid, capable of propping others up, conscious of his actions, asking for help when needed and a natural leader. In this case, his environment has corrupted him - yet he’s not beyond salvation.

He is not an irredeemable monster, since he’s had time to grow, change and better himself. I’m looking forward to how exactly they’ll handle his character in coming novels.

The same, however, cannot be said of Sisgwald.

PREV << MASTERLIST >> NEXT

[ming-sik]

there should be a massive popup that appears any time you hinge the entire basis of your media analysis on some percieved hypocrisy that forces you to provide 1-3 specific examples of a singular person who actually holds these conflicting opinions because i swear to god like 99% of you are falling into the age-old trap of "i have decided this collection of people is a hivemind and am now very upset that members of the hivemind have differing opinions".

but on top of that, it's important to understand that on its own, accusations of hypocrisy are ad hominem attacks, they don't actually have any bearing on the correctness of individual arguments. to put it plainly, i could argue that detlinde's characterization in ascendance of a bookworm is sexist, and this would be correct. if someone then pointed out that pina from one within the villainess has a lot of similar problems and i refused to entertain that without making a convincing counterargument because i like one within, that would be hypocritical of me, but it wouldn't actually disprove my argument that aob is sexist unless you could argue one of the points. you could certainly use it to criticize my ignoring the faults of something i happen to like, but it would be inappropriate to put in an argument that's meant to be about sexism in aob or one within. this is actually why it's so highly recommended to read works by people you disagree with, and why academics will often cite people they actively disagree with on other important points.

why does this matter? peepaw's getting mad at bad fandom analysis again. not the actual post that made me write this, i've spent the last hour i was meant to be relaxing after finishing my other essay getting unproductively mad at really samey posts about a completely different fandom. no i'm not "losing it" YOU'RE LOSING IT

[botanyshitposts]

Gagliano is also the one who led the experiment that showed that corn plants "talk" to each other by emitting sounds at specific frequencies, influencing each other's growth

ok i was like woah are you kidding me??? so i went to her google scholar page and dude. 

every. single. plant paper. is badass. bc shes badass. 

to give an overview: this is Dr. Monica Gagliano, a research associate professor at the University of Western Australia. this is her (pic from an article about her research published in australian geographic. this is her with a colleague, shes on the right):

she technically got her bachelor’s, master’s, and phd in marine ecology and fishery science, but she’s also done some super hardcore awesome badass work on plant cognition. idk man i just got so excited when i saw her google scholar page that i just straight up had to just copy and paste all of her plant papers on this ask from her staff profile here. pls look at these amazing plont things she did/is doing (again, I did NOT put together this list, just kinda. copied and pasted it for ref and sharing and then edited it a little to make it tungle friendly)

STUFF SHES PUBLISHED SO FAR:

PLANT COGNITION (including perception, learning & memory, choice behaviour & decision-making, consciousness and more)

-Gagliano M (2017) The mind of plants: thinking the unthinkable. Communicative and Integrative Biology e1288333. Available here ​-Gagliano M, Vyazovskiy VV, Borbély AA, Grimonprez M & M Depczynski (2016) Learning by association in plants. Scientific Reports 6: 38427. Freely available here with video abstract here​-Gagliano M & M Grimonprez (2015) Breaking the silence – language and the making of meaning in plants. Ecopsychology 7: 143-152. Freely available here-Pelizzon A & M Gagliano (2015) The sentience of plants: animal rights and rights of nature intersecting? Australian Animal Protection Law Journal 11: 5-13. (NOTE: found the full text available here if your interested in the question “should plants have rights as sentient creatures”, although it wasn’t included on her page)-Gagliano M (2015) In a green frame of mind: perspectives on the behavioural ecology and cognitive nature of plants. AoB Plants. Freely available here -Gagliano M & M Marder (2015) Plants can learn: it’s a no-brainer! LA Review Books Blog. Published March 2015 and freely available here -Gagliano M, Renton M, Depczynski M & S Mancuso (2014) Experience teaches plants to learn faster and forget slower in environments where it matters. Oecologia 175:63-72. (DOI 10.1007/s00442-013-2873-7) (NOTE: couldn’t find this one for free, although you could try it with the couple journal unlocking sites on my resource page if you’re really determined)-Gagliano M & M Marder (2014) What Plant Revolution would you opt for? LA Review Books Blog. Published November 2014 and available here -Gagliano M (2013) Seeing green: the re-discovery of plants and Nature’s wisdom. Societies 3 (1): 147-157. In the special issue ‘Rethinking the Vegetal: Emerging Perspectives on Plants and Society’ and available here -Gagliano M (2013) Persons as Plants: Ecopsychology and the Return to the Dream of Nature. Landscapes: the Journal of the International Centre for Landscape and Language 5(2):1-11. In the special issue on ‘Ecological Creativity’ and available here -BOOK - The Green Thread: Dialogue with the Vegetal World. Edited by P Vieira, M Gagliano and J Ryan. Lexignton Books 2015: This book is an interdisciplinary collection of essays in the emerging field of Plant Studies. What unites the contributions to the collection is the principle that the re-imagining of the green world involves the re-conceptualization of plants as active agents in social and cultural environments 

(NOTE: the above book is available for purchase, but is priced at the crazy ass textbook price we all know and love. it’s here on amazon if you want to shop around tho)

PLANT COMMUNICATION (including behaviour, acoustic signalling, language & meaning, and more)

ok guys this is what she says about this research on her page, which is what @verdanturf is referring to here: Plant bioacoustics is a newly-emerged field of plant communication. Plants produce sound waves in the lower end of the audio range as well as an overabundance of ultrasonic sounds. By capturing the signals emitted by plants under different environmental conditions, I am exploring the ecological significance of these sounds to communication among plants and between plants and other organisms.

*heavy breathing*

anyway, so the papers she’s written in this research:

-Gagliano M, Grimonprez M, Depczynski M & M Renton (2017) Tuned in: plant roots use sound to locate water. Oecologia (in press) OnlineFirst, article here video here ​-Gagliano M & M Renton (2013) Love thy neighbour: facilitation through an alternative signalling modality in plants. BMC Ecology 13:19. Freely available here -Gagliano M (2013) Green symphonies: a call for studies on acoustic communication in plants. Behavioral Ecology 24(4): 789-796. Freely available here 

-Gagliano M (2013) The flowering of plant bioacoustics: how and why. Behavioral Ecology 24 (4): 800-801. Freely available here -Marder M & M Gagliano (2013) How do plants sound? Columbia University Press Blog. Published June 2013 and available here -Gagliano M, Renton M, Duvdevani N, Timmins M & S Mancuso (2012) Acoustic and magnetic communication in plants: is it possible? Plant Signalling and Behavior 7: 1346-1348. (NOTE: found here, although not listed on her page)-Gagliano M, Renton M, Duvdevani N, Timmins M & S Mancuso (2012) Out of sight but not out of mind: alternative means of communication in plants. PLoS ONE 7(5), e37382. Freely available here 

-Gagliano M, Mancuso S & D Robert (2012) Towards understanding plant bioacoustics. Trends in Plant Science 17: 323–32 (NOTE: full PDF can be viewed here, although not available on her page!!! it’s a shorter one at 3 pages)-Gagliano M (2012) Green Symphonies. Australasian Science. Published September 2012 (NOTE: not on her page, but pdf is here!!)-Gagliano M (2012) Heard it on the grapevine: the mysterious chatter of plants. The Conversation. Published 12 April 2012 and available here-BOOK - The Language of Plants: Science, Philosophy and Literature. Edited by M Gagliano, J Ryan and P Vieira. U of MN Press (June) 2017: This book commences a dialogue between philosophy, science, literature and cinema dealing with plants. The aim of the edited collection is to develop a better understanding of plant life through critical awareness, conceptual rigor, and interdisciplinary thinking. Envisioned as a ground-breaking work that will bridge a number of fields, The Language of Plants will (1) allot to literature, cinema and the arts a special role in the integration of the scientific and philosophical research on plants at the experiential level, (2) promote the freedom of imagination necessary for the rethinking of vegetal life and, thereby, (3) inspire further philosophical and scientific investigations. The book will not only seek to consolidate the nascent paradigm shift in the human conceptualisation of vegetation, but it will also join ongoing discussions of plant ethics. 

(she neglected to update this; the above book on plant language and is now out and available for purchase by the public!!! here’s the barnes and noble link, I’m sure you can find it for cheaper somewhere else tho. it has 281 reviews and 4.5 out of 5 stars, and came out in June of this year.)

just like……… GOD shes so cool. again, her google scholar is here and her university research page is here. 

[asmalljaroflove]

my paper handwriting is more fluid and connected (aka lazy) than my digital handwriting! but either way around both are very out of use my hand feels very fat and inefficient when i write uh oh

1. @asmalljaroflove

2. once upon a time

3. sphinx of black quartz, hear my vow

4. Wuxian, Luo Xiaohei, Nezha, Aobing

5. college essays and homework :///

6. @ anyone i don’t know people on this app

Handwriting challenge! I was tagged by @academicgangster

1. your url

2. “once upon a time”

3. “Sphinx of black quartz, hear my vow”

4. write some characters’ names

5. what are you working on right now?

6. tag people: @cassianserso, @ohmuqueen, @terribleteej.

[stardustizuku]

Im so extremely careful to NOT spoil anything and not bring up stuff that comes in later parts of AoB to new readers

And then I see someone name dropping and explaining Gerogine’s entire backstory in a COMMENT of a Part 3 review video of the book WHEN HER NAME HASNT EVEN BEEN MENTIONED

Like fr stop spoiling it for new readers

[stardustizuku]

Hi, I just finished reading your MBL Magical Girl analyis and wow, it was great. PTT is really the only magical girl anime I've seen, but you were so articulate and your passion for the genre makes me want to watch more of them. I could spend hours reading your thoughts, they were so well-presented and I'm just drooling over your writeup right now. I was curious if you you have watched/have any opinions on the redemption that happens at the end of Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure? I thought it was really badly handled because of characterization, motive, etc, but that it COULD have worked with better writing. Thanks for your time!

Unfortunately, I have not.

I did watch the first few episodes, but I was not that interested in it. I do follow some people who like it, but from what I've gathered - the redemptions were extremely rushed. Not that I'm surprised, but from the few episodes I saw, Rapunzel came off as a bit of an overbearing person whose fatal flaw is how she wants everyone to like her/love her.

It'd make sense for her to just forgive anyone if that means having less enemies - which makes sense when you consider her abusive upbringing and how Mother Gothel would make her love only "accessible" if Rapunzel pleased her - aka liked her.

It seems like because of this Rapunzel has been made into someone too trusting, too forgiving, all for the sake of being liked and not denied the small safety net she's created.

However, if neither the show nor other characters call it out, that's where we have a problem. I adore redemption arcs, but we have to address the elephant in the room that is "not everyone deserves a redemption" or better yet "you don't owe anyone a redemption".

Little girls, the primary audience of these shows, are being taught to do the emotional labour of forgiving the people who hurt them. I'm not particularly mad when it's girls forgiving girls - because I think it serves us form communities and heal from the patriarchy.

"I'm sorry I made fun of your weight, I was taught to that my beauty means everything, so I lashed out when I saw how confident you could be and how my worth is beyond that" is more about healing and becoming a better than person than anything else.

BUT when it's girls having to forgive men who've hurt them...I'm less inclined to agree. And while I'm aware the person I'm thinking abt is a kid, I've suffered enough harassment from "kids" or well, "teenagers" to know it's not a justification.

I am pretty sure I would have strong opinions abt it if I were to watch it, but unfortunately, I do not watch things I know I won't like, or at least not enjoy the hillside of a ride I'm about to embark in.

[stardustizuku]

The more I do research for my newest essay (mostly about the villainess stories) the more my jaw fucking drops about how AoB exists in the context of a webnovel

Like I always thought the “Saintess” scam was a fun poke at the rise of the fake Saintess stories popping up

It is not. It came up with that concept on its own.

Like here i was thinking the whole “fuck the patriarchy and abolish the monarchy” thing was a result of seeing it depicted in novels too much

But no??? It was a genuine “fuck you” from Kazuki sensei?!?!