#PARALLELS CONTRASTS FOILS ETC ETC ETC ETC

[molinaesque]

Lucy MacLean & The Ghoul (Cooper Howard) | S01E02 // S01E08

"You coming?"

[delawaredetroit]

Eri's grandfather saw her quirk as something similar to Shigaraki's - "the power to annihilate". Overhaul discovered that Eri's quirk was actually rewinding living things, but it's easy to see why the boss thought her quirk was destruction. The mechanism might be completely different - rewinding out of existence (Eri) versus breaking things down into particles (Overhaul and Shigaraki), but the end result was still destruction.

It's unfortunate the narrative never did anything with the potential foil that is Kotaro and the Shie Hassaikai boss. There is a parallel between Kotaro and Eri's mom in that after Eri and Tenko accidentally killed one parent after losing control of their quirks, the other parent rejected them.

But the contrast between the Shie Hassaikai boss and Kotaro is crunchy. The boss accepted Eri even with her quirk and acted in what he believed was in her best interest versus Kotaro who rejected Tenko. The boss's issue was that he was a bad judge of character of what help to turn to for Eri...and/or potentially a lack of resources to address quirks like Eri or Tenko's even with well meaning guardians like the boss.

The Shie Hassaikai boss, like Kotaro, was the patriarch who controlled his "house" in that he set the values that everyone else was expected to follow. The boss tried to reform Chisaki by bringing him into the yakuza so he would have a strict moral code to follow, but Chisaki only adopted the hierarchy and the bare bones of an ambition while abandoning everything else. The boss was shown trying to engage in a dialogue with Chisaki multiple times during his flashbacks. Kotaro, on the other hand, reacted aggressively to any challenge to his worldview and his ideal home even when that challenge can from his own young child. There's something about how one of the villains was shown to be one of the more well intentioned guardians (the Shie Hassaikai boss) versus several of the worst parents in BNHA being civilians (Kotaro, Eri's mom, Toga's parents, etc.)

[rwbyrg]

Thinking about how Salem sparking an uprising against the Gods and uniting humanity under one goal is eerily familiar to Ozpins view on Ruby being a simpler more honest soul that can spark the hopes of man.

Both reading stories and being inspired to lead their lives off it. Putting their message out to the world and the people answering back. Their actions are the same but in different fonts.

Their imagery is even eerily familiar, most notable in mind being consumed by water, the cliffside/memorials, and both having parts of one of the Brothers powers within, moon symbolism, etc.

Ruby and Salem are building up to be foils of light and dark.

"Likeminded souls indeed"

Like of course Oscar is heavily implied to have a crush on Ruby. They're two characters who are a version of Oz and Salem without their history.

DING DING DING DING DING!!!! EXACTLY!!! This show is one about parallels, rhymes, and mirrors and these four are at the heart of all of it.

I also think it's really interesting that the task the GoL gives to Ozpin is to unite humanity when that's... kind of exactly what Salem did, only she was punished for it? smh. god forbid women do anything.

But anyway, I love that Ruby has taken over Oz's role in that regard. One of my favourite shots in the show that pushes this is this one from The Lost Fable. Where the line right before it says something like: "In time, (Salem) would find her adversary."

The story Jinn tells to cast is one of Ozma being setup to stop Salem, but the story the show is telling us, the audience, is that Ozma walks off screen revealing Ruby as Salem's actual adversary.

There's also some interesting allusion stuff that pushes this even further with Salem being the witch from the Two Brother's fairy tale that is killed by a silver bullet, and Ruby is a "girl who is also a gun" with silver eyes. But to talk more about the SEW stuff, I have to address the celestial symbolism you pointed out.

What you say about "foils of light and dark" is also right on the money. The way these four interact as symbols within the central plot is so poetic. We have Salem as the darkness of night, and then Ruby as the moon. Silver eyes, as Maria explains in V6, "shine like mirrors, reflecting the light of the world onto darkness". But silver eyes don't just reflect the light of the world, they reflect the desire to preserve life onto that which threatens to take it away. Just as the moon reflects the light of the sun.

Isn't it just. So. Interesting. That the person the story is telling us Ruby is most afraid to lose... is Oscar Pine... a sun coded character? So!!! Interesting!!! I'm so!!! Normal about it!!!!!!!!

By extension of this, I do think Oz is generally symbolized by Daytime. A lot of the songs seem to use "days" as a placeholder for each lifetime (or generation) as a "new day" to try again. It also works in the sense that daytime bring sunshine and his curse is what brings Oscar, this generations "sun", into the fray. Additionally, works as a perfect contrast to Salem's night and her frustration that he keeps coming back over and over again.

or tl;dr you know it's bad when i start making diagrams ooh boy

Anyway, yeah, it makes complete and utter sense why Ruby and Oscar are setup as they are with just how central they are to the main plot. This story is one about breaking cycles, so having those two have a successful version of the Ozma and Salem situation is just the most natural way for this to go.

[slotumn]

Some notes on how I personally like to write the lords + Rhea+ Shezleth wrt sacrifices and deaths and moral dilemmas they face when they make decisions

Basically,

Edelgard: People will die because of my decisions, but it must be done in order to bring change and ensure more don’t die in the future under an unjust system

Rhea: People will die because of my decisions, but it must be done in order to maintain stability and ensure more don’t die in the future under chaos and turmoil

Dimitri: People have died because of me and my decisions, I know it’s unforgivable no matter what and I will atone for it by avenging them (feral mode)/saving as much as or more than I have killed (post-feral clarity)

Claude: People have died because of me and my decisions, but that was the best I could do in my situation, and as long as I/we stay alive thanks to that I/we still have a chance to turn things around for the better

Byleth: People dying is people dying and nobody knows if any of your decisions will be “justified” until it plays out. I’ll help you get the results that will hopefully “justify” your decisions because I love and support you, but honestly, all that shit you're saying is just cope

Shez: Cool cool, where’s my fucking money

As you can tell the main foils/contrasts I like are Rhea <–> Edelgard, Dimitri <–> Claude, and Shez+Byleth. More rambling about it under the cut

For Rhea and Edelgard, I like to focus on them being similar people at different points of life/the project they’ve dedicated their lives to. I’m sure people have already made the analysis about parallels between them, from losing their families/conquering the continent/etc etc but basically, they have very similar philosophies/attitudes/outlooks, and the difference is whether the current system and dominant ideology is what they like or not.

I think that a young Seiros, fleeing a genocide and recruiting allies in the south, would have had faced similar objections Edelgard did; Nemesis may not be the most benevolent ruler, yes, and we don’t literally believe everything his regime preaches, but at least things are manageable and stable if we play along, especially down here in the south. Do we really need to risk everything we have to go up and fight him? Your ideas hold appeal, but some of us don’t find it appealing enough to die for it.

And similarly, I think Edelgard, if she grew old enough to see her system really take root in society, would say a lot of the same things that Rhea would've liked to say, when younger generations complain; look, what we have isn’t perfect, but you really don’t want to see what it was like before, and the fact you can have these complaints at all are a testament to the system I’ve made working. And if you try to burn all this down out of youthful passion, it’s more likely that we will regress instead of progress.

For Dimitri and Claude, it’s about how they deal with guilt; on a personal level, specifically. Politically I think they’d take or dodge responsibility as is necessary lol

Dimitri is straightforward, almost too straightforward. Not great at coming up with excuses, or rather, excusing himself. His way of facing the guilt is very one on one; taking blood for blood, while he's feral. Saving life for life taken, post-feral clarity. And even then, deep down he feels like ("knows") it's will never be enough. And he takes on all that guilt head on even in places where it's not his fault, a.k.a. survivor's guilt.

Claude, meanwhile, dude is a mental gymnastic gold medalist (affectionate). It's not that he doesn't feel guilt, but I think he's very good at seemingly minimizing it, excusing it, and convincing himself that he's better off focusing on other things. As for survivor's guilt, I'm not saying Claude wouldn't ever feel it, but he'd focus on the fact he survived, rather than the guilt.

Finally, Byleth and Shez. Honestly I think they have pretty similar outlooks, it's just a matter of how they explain it lol. The role I like to give these two is reality checkers; because the lords and Rhea can have their debates about Ideology™ and The System™ and Morality™ and Responsibility™ of it all they'd like, but in the end, it's people like Shez and Byleth doing the dirty work and dying on the field for the decisions.

And when people die, the physical, material reality is that they're fucking dead. Attach causes and justifications and obligations and excuses to their corpses as you want, but at the end of the day, it is a corpse and the person is dead. That's the reality they've always lived in, and not just as a one-off incident, either; the thing they do for survival is fighting and killing. They have a "It Is What It Is" type of attitude as a baseline, because, well... it is. Doesn't mean they don't feel things about it. Doesn't mean they don't want to save people where they can. Nonetheless— they know all too well that what happens is what happens.

For this reason, I like to think that grand moralistic judgements are not their thing, no matter the route; they don't even think the lord they sided with is fundamentally more correct/better. Like, come on, when they were asked to choose a house upon arriving at Garreg Mach, they probably weren't weighing their options based on who'd be the most "objectively" "morally" correct if a war broke out between the three (+the Church).

That being said, I think they definitely have a sense of what's good. But it's not the philosophical/abstract type of good you might hear the other four get into debates about. Shez and Byleth's idea of good is, in many ways, very small and inconsequential— but grander concepts of morality can't exist without it. And I like to think that the reason why Shez and Byleth become so important to the side they picked isn't just because of their powers, but also because the constantly they remind others of those small good things.

"Good" to Shez and Byleth is having enough to eat; having warm clothes and bed to sleep in and a roof over their heads; spending time with the people they care about and seeing them safe. It's quite animalistic, in a way; interesting, considering that Agarthans belittle their enemies by calling them beasts.

But I don't think those two would be particularly affected by being called animals for that reason. "These beasts are happy— what about you?"

[agentc0rn]

Another Pretty Long Character Analysis: Kieran and Nemona - Strength

disclaimer: not claiming this to be objective, just another writing piece full of thoughts done for fun because Kieran is such an interesting, in depth character ever

Okay so I mentioned this in my older post about kieran being the foil of nemona and their shared struggles with being at the top, socially excluded, and how strength as social arbiter displaced them in social settings. Like Kieran, Nemona became overly strong that no one wanted to compete and keep up with. Her passion is misread because of that plus the top statuses she holds as a wealthy multi-talented, high-achieving student. She is a good person and true to herself (her naivety to social cues perhaps is because of her lack of social connections with others). She means well and just want someone to battle with their efforts no matter the outcome and enjoy to the fullest. Battling is her expression of self, her way of enjoyment and connecting with others. Kieran is alike to an extent, with his strength already at a high level (stated by Carmen in the beginning), and his joyous expression seen during our first fight. This is supported by the fact as stated by Drayton how Kieran had fun battling pre-Teal Mask. These two rivals' love for battles run parallel with each other!

However, Kieran's transition reflects a common mindset that artists, athletes, musicians, etc. all resonate with: competitiveness + measure of worth in the things you like the most - you have to be good at them. I feel this strongly as well with art being my major source of passion - I pressured myself into thinking I had to be really good at it and not enjoy for the sake of doing it regardless of skills.

Battling was not only something Kieran liked doing, it was his main source of confidence and self-esteem.

We see that clear in Blueberry Academy, in dialogues and student culture, competitiveness is high, demanding, and brutal. Kieran may have internalized the idea, provided with his insecurity of weakness and his goal to become independent and reliant. Seeing that we were able to defeat him and sister with ease, he grew to admire but also envious of our esteemed strength, how our power seems to be favored by luck (having speical mons like Koraidon), inducing him to believe that if he worked hard, he could get to our level too. To add further, his lifelong admiration of Ogerpon supports his motivation and his aforementioned desire to be stronger. He wanted to be strong and cool as the ogre, not caring what others thought.

What I find interesting is how Kieran and Nemona handles their way of battling with us. Nemona guides you through the journey while challenging herself to learn in new ways - she restarts her journey essentially. For Kieran, even though he has experience, he struggles with the losses against us (confidence issues and again, aside our MC Role, there is some skill difference given that we fought the titans, area zero mons, team star, and gym leaders). He does change up his tactics, but ultimately does not see victory. He ends up restarting in a way back at BB academy. As a result, Kieran becomes more isolated throughout his training arc and his domination in the league. Him strictly calling out others for slacking inadvertently turns him into the fearsome "oni" figure that he idolized and thus earns him an unfavorable reputation as the president (similar status with Nemona) of the League, for instance, a dialogue between two students mentions how how ever since he became champ, the League club became less fun....Despite the contrast of tensity in these circumstances, Nemona is misunderstood in similiar manner with Kieran.

If memory serves correct, Nemona really gets into the battling mood and sometimes forgets about hers and others' limits, but does acknowledge them given a few instances when she does not battle you. Whereas for Kieran, once he entered the extreme zone, he fully devotes himself to strength at the cost of his mental, social and physical well-being. He discards his limits, giving everything he has got that ultimately eats him from the inside. The final scene when he reacts to losing may also show not just his struggle to grasp reality but a literal side effect on his health (no sleep = poor mood, poor thinking)

He desperately clings to the idea that endless training would grant him the guaranteed chance to beat you ("I know I am making the right choice") and no longer enjoys battling. Battling became a constant test of worth, the last and only means of proving himself. Even though he did become stronger, it drained his health, energy, sanity and reputation. Again, in an ironic way, he really became the oni (self filling prophecy).

at the end however, when we reach out to him to be confident in himself, that we needed his help, it gave him that confidence boost. We all believed in him - he really needed that support. Maybe seeing terapagos going berserk had him gain self awareness that he was like that too and how that caused harm to not only himself but to others.

One small thing to point out that he is like Terapagos in a way. Both are small, secluded and strong lads who end up going wayhire with their mass power.

Not to sound corny but I really felt Kieran’s frustration about losing. I was competitive too but soon let go of that. It’s fine to improve yourself but doing that to be better than others as your main reason can really cause burnout. Anyways this is a disorganized list of thoughts I wanted to share but if you read it the entire thing I really do got to say thank you for taking the time to do so.

EDIT: fixed some grammar and stuff because this was just a run-on draft lol

[ultfreakme]

I feel like all these fights and hatred for Jiang Cheng would be resolved if people realized he is the narrative foil to Wei Wuxian & Lan Wangji. You think they're different? YOU'RE RIGHT. THAT'S THE POINT. Jiang Cheng's characters is meant to be a contrast. Doesn't mean he's particularly wrong or right but them being pitted against each other calls you the reader to examine why they each took their decisions. The point of a narrative foil is to bring into contrast their particular decisions.

Why do we feel more about Jiang Cheng's decisions, than we do about the other sect leaders' decision wrt the Wen remnants? Because the rest of them aren't narrative foils, the rest of their stories don't run parallel with WWX & LWJ. There's always this question from JC stans on WHY there's hatred specifically towards JC for actions every other character took as well like Lan Xichen or Nie Mingjue. It's because:

a) Jiang Cheng is one of the main characters b) his role in the story is to highlight WWX. Brighter the light, darker the shadow. c) framing in the writing of the story.

We COULD have had a scene or story where Lan Wangji appeals to LXC to help the Wen remnants, and LXC just shuts him down, but that's not LXC's role. Same for Nie Mingjue or anyone else. We don't see their refusal as big as JC's because of the framing.

(yes yes life-debt etc but what's returning the bides of your dead parents in comparison to, idk, sittig by and watching all this shit go down? that's the logic on which JC is operating and it's not particularly wrong of him to think like that. he does not know these people.)

[characterfoilshowdown]

Hello everyone! Welcome to the character foils showdown. Character foils are an excellent narrative tool and go painfully unappreciated. So this is meant to give them some love! 

Character foils are two characters who parallel each other in the narrative. They contrast each other, highlighting their similarities and differences to strengthen the narrative. Are they two people who react very differently to the same situation? Are they a reflection of what the other could've been? Are they people who are extremely similar but were shaped by their different situations? Are they two incredibly different people with one or two key similarities that the narrative uses to parallel them? They can be executed many many different ways. And often, they add to the story very well. This is all about them. 

RULES:

1. I will not be accepting submissions from Harry Potter or South Park. 

2. Be civil with the other voters! Do not say "why would you vote for [x]", "[x] doesn't deserve to win", etc. Also, do not attack the media the contestant is from. Nobody wants to hear you talking about how that show sucks and is horribly written and anyone who likes it deserves nothing (Yes, I've seen that shit on other polls. I wish I was joking.) Seriously guys, be civil. This is a poll on the internet. 

3. You can submit more than one pair, but please don't submit the same pair more than once for the sake of my sanity /lh

4. This is gonna take a while because A. This is my first poll, and B. I am kinda busy, sorry. Please be patient!

5. Please do not tag adult and minor or familial foils as ships. No thank you.

6. Propaganda is encouraged,  but please be civil to others in your propaganda. Again, remember rule two! If I feel like you're being particularly toxic, I have the right to block you. 

7. NO REAL PEOPLE.

The link to the form is right here:

Y'all have two weeks to submit your foils!

Apologies for the ping, tagging other polls but: @besties-breakup-poll @hauntthenarrative @top-teacher-tourney @cartoon-character-competition @badass-queer-couples-battle @bestanimatedmovie

Would also like to say that this is my first time making a poll so might not be the Best at it, sorry in advance. Hope y'all enjoy!

[greatwyrmgold]

I think Charlotte Katakuri is my favorite Charlotte family member. Part of it is that he's given more pagetime than most, part is that his story is simpler than some of his siblings (Pudding) and hence harder to mess up. But his execution is also pretty solid.

Also, please pretend that mochi has layers.

Katakuri's outer layer is pretty simple; he's another foil to Luffy who Luffy has to beat up. This is clear both because he has similar Devil Fruit powers to Luffy's, and because the characters point that out a couple of times, as though Oda is trying to make sure even kids who fail their literature classes out of spite recognize that there are parallels between them.

(Though between splitting limbs and awakened-Paramecia-terraforming, Oda finds plenty of cool new tricks that Katakuri can pull.)

The obvious comparison: Katakuri is as protective of his half-siblings (and full-brothers) as Luffy is of the Straw Hats. Of course, while Luffy answers to no one except his crew (sometimes), Katakuri is loyal to Big Mom and doesn't seem to listen to his subordinate siblings.

But Luffy's friendly idealism contrasts Katakuri's harsh pragmatism.

I gotta be honest, this is catnip to me. I know it's easy and meaningless to have a character point out a cliche they aren't following, but I think it's fun.

By my reckoning, the next layer is another comparison to Luffy.

When he thinks no one can see him, Katakuri is a glutton with just a bit of a goofy streak. Contrast this with his public persona, how he refuses to lie down or eat when people are watching him.

Of course, this leads to another contrast with Luffy. Luffy could not care less what people think of him. He'd probably get mad if people spread lies about him, but if someone knows Luffy and thinks he's lame, so what? Katakuri, on the other hand, kills his subordinate chefs so there's no one alive who saw him lying down and munching on donuts.

His next layer isn't actually a comparison or a contrast with Luffy. It's a textbook Zoro moment.

I'm pretty sure Zoro did this exact thing back in East Blue. I wanna say it was during the Baratie Arc?

And come to think of it, Zoro fits a lot of the outer layers, too―some better than Luffy. He's protective of his crew, he trusts and obeys his captain, he's almost as much of a glutton as Luffy, etc.

I guess that just goes to show that like half of One Piece's cast is foils to one another.

[pomefioredove]

As the president of VilYuu nation what are your speculations for manga!Yuu for Pomefiore installment, considering the manga version of each Yuu serves as the foil for the overblot boys ✨️

(Or they should be, but tbh I only Yuuta who served this purpose the most clearly as he looks like how Azul was in the past yet he is happy and content, unlike Azul. I wished we could have seen Yuuken's and Yuuka's backstories explored more to mirror Riddle's and Leona's.)

For Vil's Yuu, I'm thinking of child actor whose fame is rapidly vanishing but is still dedicated to their work until they're tossed into twst 🤔 But again manga Yuu has all been average high school students so idk, maybe they're in some clubs which involve performing arts? Or the average fan who is fond of innocent type of idols like Neige hot idols like Vil? Anything's possible and I'm not sure if I can contain my excitement until the Pomefiore manga is finally out 💕 (which will happen in 2 years if we're lucky, considering how long it took Heartslabyul manga 😭)

admittedly I don't keep up with the mangas so I am reading this all as you explain it to me, but if they were a foil, they would contrast him more so than not, yes?

so it actually would make more sense for yuu to just be an average high school student. even more than that. make them a nobody, a complete introvert, someone who hates being looked at

I think the most effective character foils are ones who contrast the main character's superficial qualities (which, in this case, would be vil's elegance, style, fame, talents, etc), but mirror their repressed thoughts and feelings. make this yuu someone who struggles with feeling inferior, make them insecure about their morality, make them someone who is a loner, not by their own hand, but by being villainized and isolated by their peers

I guess I would go for a backstory that's more like, yuu as a young child who wasn't socialized properly (I think this would parallel the film industry in vil's background well). but they're a terrible actor, and thus can never lie about anything. they're blunt, they don't fake smile, they express disgust and contempt often and easily... others call them mean and scary and they were othered, and so they grew to fit the role of the villain. almost unashamedly so.

they avoid people, they hate being the center of attention, and they hate feeling judged, which creates a lot of conflict between them and vil for a long time. "don't talk to me, don't look at me, I hate you" type of edgy. lots of self-hatred, and a deep bitterness towards others they think of as perfect. what they feel for vil is almost what vil feels for neige

but yeah idk lol. I was imagining a fem yuu for all of this because I feel like this sort of personality is way more interesting for a female character to have, but as far as I know all the manga yuus are male. just some speculation!

anyway tldr since this is mostly just me babbling

yuu is a terrible actor who can't so much as fake a smile

their bluntness and lack of expression makes them come off as mean and judgmental

they grew up being isolated and villainized by their peers because of it

they began isolating themselves as a counter measure, avoiding people, becoming introverted and lonely and hating attention/being looked at

they develop a deep hatred of "perfection" and people they consider perfect, which includes vil

[elysiaishere]

Genshin Nonsense — Fontaine Edition (Spoilers)

I'm overwhelmed and I'm stressed. So, here I am again with more Genshin Nonsense—Fontaine edition!

Since 4.0 dropped, I've been swept up in all the themes and biblical references that are prevalent throughout Fontaine. So, on this episode of Genshin Nonsense, the theme is...

Okay, maybe not quite. But, we are going to deep-dive into one particular theme: duality.

In fiction, duality is often described as a tool or a theme used to contrast two opposing perspectives, characters, etc., to showcase the complexities of a particular idea and/or issue. A common example of this is "the duality of human nature," which often explores our capacity to commit great good or to commit great evil.

In Genshin's case, dualism seems to be everywhere in Fontaine. So much so that Hoyo's writers obviously want players to take notice of a particular idea. However, what would that idea be? Let's consider the evidence:

The Arkhe

The Arkhe is an energy system exclusive to Fontaine, used to power the elaborate machines and various automatons found throughout the region. It is composed of two parts: Ousia and Pneuma. Most notably, Ousia and Pneuma are opposing forces. This reflects in their appearance too: Ousia is a dark blue, almost purple, while Pneuma shines bright like gold.

Beyond that, our information about Arkhe is extremely limited. We still don't know what creates this energy or where it initially originated from. In fact, the only other additional information we have (that seems relevant here) is that when Ousia and Pneuma come into contact with each other, they create an energy reaction called "Mutual Annihilation."

The Primordial Sea

In short, the Primordial Sea seems to have two primary abilities: to create life and to take life.

Neuvillette confirmed as such in 4.1, stating that the Primordial Sea is where all life on Teyvet evolved. However, during the court cases we explored in 4.0, we're well aware that the Primordial Sea can also dissolve the people of Fontaine—and this process, unfortunately, is permanent.

The Hydro Archon and the Hydro Dragon

Furina and Neuvillette are often presented as polar opposites.

Furina is theatrical, lively, and expressive, while Neuvillette is reserved, thoughtful, and cautious. If anything, they're each other's literary foils. Her surface confidence, public speaking, and social intelligence showcase an individual able to connect with the people around her. Comparatively, Neuvillette struggles with this. On the other hand, his confidence is innate, and he demonstrates a stability that is at complete odds with Furina's chaos.

Nonetheless, I believe the parallels between them run much deeper, still. Not only as Furina and Neuvillette, but as the Hydro Archon and the Hydro Dragon.

In our conversation with Neuvillette at the end of 4.1, we learn that the Gnoses were, in some part, created from the stolen power of the original Dragon Sovereigns. To me, this means that, by nature, Furina and Neuvillette should be mortal enemies. She encompasses all that he's lost, after all, and in turn, he represents a bygone age that poses a severe threat to her already tumultuous rule. However, our in-game experiences with them suggest that their personal relationship is nothing of the sort.

If anything, Furina and Neuvillette showcase how two contradictory forces can instead be complementary.

Furina

Furina is a living, breathing dichotomy. Even her visuals showcase this: her mismatched gloves, her inverted eye colours, her hair length, etc. Symmetry, it seems, is the real enemy of Fontaine.

Nonetheless, I think the most interesting contrast about Furina is her personality.

As I implied earlier, Furina is a study in contradiction. Her outward bravado masks an anxious mind, and intense, overwhelming worries. But, that isn't to say that Furina is all bravado. No. I believe her enthusiasm and charisma is just as much a part of her as her apparent insecurities are.

She's a person, with dreams, ambitions, worries and fears. If anything, she is the most human Archon we've met thus far.

Conclusion

Duality. Parallels. Contrasting perspectives.

Whatever it's called, Fontaine evidently demonstrates these ideas in abundance—including a few additional points I didn't touch upon here. Nonetheless, I think one possible message Hoyo's writers are foreshadowing is this: there are always two sides to every story.

Not only does this particular message fit with the duality theme, but it also nestles quite nicely with Fontaine's philosophies around law and justice. After all, we are unable to pass judgement until we have all the facts, and presently, our picture of the ongoing happenings in Fontaine are far from complete. And I suspect, even when we do have the whole story, it'll be complex, and full of dichotomies.

Meaning, there will be no "right" answer. Just the consequences of the decisions Furina, Neuvillette and wider Fontaine make.

[paingoes]

Questions for any/all/however many of your OCs because I'm bored and curious.

How have they changed throughout their development? (I don't mean in-character --- like how do they differ now from the previous versions? How are they different now from the very first time you thought of them?)

How would the story differ if a character/s were in the position (societal, emotional, etc, any or all) of other character/s?

What's something (or multiple things) that they'd never, ever tell anyone?

What's something they'd never tell anyone, but really want to?

What do they think of when they hear the word "home"?

Are they religious? What are their thoughts on religion?

ooooo this is so much fun thank you for sending!!! okay!!!

1.) How have they changed throughout their development?

i wanna say that delta has been pretty watertight since inception. the story was created with him in mind. honestly i didnt always know where the plot was going and a lot of that was improvised, but his character and the way he reacts to things are fundamentally what holds the whole thing together. living weapon-whistle blower dichotomy was always there. thats my boy :)

paris and lorelai were both like. they invited themselves in and havent left basically id say that was their effect on the plot. ive said this a lot but the early paris characterization is kinda weak, he was just meant to be a kind of controlling and cruel whumper. and he was always supposed to be close to delta in age. that was basically it. i feel like the first time i really "got" him was when i wrote him in Moonshine blacked out and sobbing on the floor. and even now when i reread it im like. Oh there he is.

lorelai i guess ive also had her characterization down for a while. she has a good heart and despite her sheltered upbringing she has a very strong revolutionary spirit! shes kind of an idealist and she has a really rigid moral sense which is a good contrast to paris's ability to justify literally anything.

i planned to write rubies before crash out or to have crash out be like. a side story to rubies. but i remember the exact moment i realized when i wanted to do with paris and lorelai and it hit me in the head really hard. i was like. they neeeeeed to do fear and loathing in las vegas.

2.) How would the story differ if a character/s were in the position (societal, emotional, etc, any or all) of other character/s?

gonna hold my tongue on this one because the roleswap/princess delta AU is coming!!!!! no spoilers hehehehe

3.) What's something (or multiple things) that they'd never, ever tell anyone?

hmmmm. i feel like delta would really try to avoid talking about times where he was like. gleefully and proudly complicit in hurting and destroying other people. "glee" is definitely a strong word but he takes pride in his work and he knows hes the fucking best at it. he really enjoys the dopamine rush of hitting targets on a purely mechanical level and he enjoyed being The Favorite at the institute. hes knows its wrong now but at the time? he lived off the validation.

one thing lorelai would never tell anyone is that she thinks the living weapon thing was hot.

lorelai: omg poor delta :(((( thats so sad lorelai: it shouldve been me

while lorelai is pretty morally upright she defintiely has a thing about violence and control CTRL. lorelai is a foil to paris but she is a parallel to delta and i think she also really really wants to feel useful in the same way he can be. this doesnt mean shes okay with what paris did to him AT ALL but she is very. captivated by the concept to say the least.

4.) What's something they'd never tell anyone, but really want to?

i cant think of anything tbh! lorelai is mostly an open book and she says what she's thinking. if delta felt strongly enough about anything to confide in someone, and he felt safe to do so, i think he'd cave to that too. i feel like i should have an answer here for paris because he's definitely in the business of "i can't admit this even to myself" but i think if he really wanted to say something he would just say it. i dont think any of them are really good at keeping secrets.

5.) What do they think of when they hear the word "home"?

paris thinks of thales, which is silly. it's not like he ever spent that much time there.

loreali thinks of absalom! she loves her home and its kind of incredible she ever left. she made a big sacrifice doing it and she doesnt regret it but she does get homesick a lot.

delta has no immediate associations and that is something that definitely eats at him. minor spoilers for rubies i guess but he will eventually come to associate Galatea -- and especially Levon -- with home.

6.) Are they religious? What are their thoughts on religion?

i think it would be funny here to say lorelai's family is southern baptist. delta was raised atheist and in fact i think Martino was probably a total snob about it and made him read Space Richard Dawkins. none of them are particularly spiritual but paris and lorelai are both weirdly superstitious. paris believes in the afterlife.

destroyer does not have good religious lore but i did once canonize Space Catholicism so i could make a dick-sucking joke

[adampage]

HANGMAN PAGE BIRTHDAY WEEK

-> starts Friday, July 21st, 2023 and ends Thursday, July 27th, 2023

Hello, everyone! It's me, Emi adampage here, coming to you fresh from the post-Double or Nothing high, to announce that HANGMAN PAGE BIRTHDAY WEEK will be happening again this year! I am going to make this considerably hard on myself, as I will be out of the country during the week of, but I will do my very best to reblog any creations you make!

That being said, here's what I have in mind for this year :)

OBJECTIVE

To create wonderful works [edits, gifs, writing, art, videos, etc] in the name and in the honor of our lovely cowboy, Hangman Adam Page, during the week of July 21st, 2023, to July 27th, 2023.

RULES

There are prompts/themes for each day, sometimes even two. You may choose to do either or both! You may also do multiple of each, if it strikes your heart to do so.

Do not take the prompts at face value. You may interpret them in any way you would like! (If you cannot choose one of something for a theme, feel free to talk/write/create about more than one. Multiple loves and multiple favorites are implied!)

You can use any form of post available to you through tumblr. Video, photo, gif, text, audio, etc etc. It’s ALL up to YOU! (Fics can be linked from ao3 if it’s easier for you)

If you only want to do certain days, no worries!! Do everything in any way you would like. And if you’re a bit late on some prompts than others, that’s completely fine (just don’t be early lol)! the hangman gang will want to see them either way <3

If you have ANY QUESTIONS, please don't hesitate to DM me or send me an ask!

THEMES

Day 1 - July 21st - FRIDAY: Hangman + LOVE

Day 2 - July 22nd - SATURDAY: Hangman + HATE

Day 3 - July 23rd - SUNDAY: Hangman + BLOOD (or, if that's not your style, SILLY/GOOFY)

Day 4 - July 24th - MONDAY: Hangman + PLAYLIST

Day 5 - July 25th - TUESDAY: Hangman + FOIL* (or other literary device, such as 'parallel')

Day 6 - July 26th - WEDNESDAY: Hangman + FANTASY/DREAM

Day 7 - July 27th - THURSDAY: HANGMAN'S BIRTHDAY! Hangman + FREE CHOICE

*it was brought to my attention that this one can seem confusing. The definition of "foil" is as follows (from literarydevices.net): Foil is a literary device designed to illustrate or reveal information, traits, values, or motivations of one character through the comparison and contrast of another character. A literary foil character serves the purpose of drawing attention to the qualities of another character, frequently the protagonist. This is effective as a means of developing a deeper understanding of a character by emphasizing their strengths and weaknesses. In addition, a literary foil allows writers to create a counterpart for the protagonist that puts their actions and choices in context. (You can use this definition, or you can get inspiration from it. Or, you can use a different literary device, if you so choose. You can also liken the word 'foil' to, I dunno, tinfoil. What I love about word prompts is that you can take a word and create something completely different than someone else. Go crazy!)

As always, thank you to @mistress-omega-majesty, @jonmoxleys, @sheslikealostflower, and @cowboyshit for the feedback on the prompts!

LAST BIT OF RULES

Please remember to mention the THEME in your post, as well as to TAG YOUR POST with the following: #HANGMANPAGEBIRTHDAYWEEK within the first five tags, and to tag ME (main @adampage​), in a reply comment under your post, or in the body of your post, whatever is easier. I will be posting my edits to @bloodycowboyclub, and likely will post any text posts/writing from my main.

PLEASE REBLOG TO SPREAD THE WORD! Even if you only plan to enjoy the creations!! I want as many people as possible to participate and it’s only possible if this ends up on their dashes! Thank you (:

Don’t forget to have fun!!

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

After reading the manga Twisted Wonderland something make me feel odd, some theories about Twisted Wonderland with Undertale ideas, Yuuken and Riddle is opposite, Riddle could represent WRATH of 7 deadly sins, there’s a thing call 7 virtues, the 7 virtues is the opposite of 7 deadly sins, the opposite of WRATH is PATIENCE which very make sense for Yuuken, next is Yuuka she is tough, Savanaclaw try to sabotage other players which is very coward, the opposite of coward is BRAVERY, the next Yuu could be perseverance, now each arc have new Yuu make me think the last Yuu could be determination, what do you think

I’ve seen multiple people point out that the two Yuus so far seem to be “opposite” personalities to Riddle and Leona respectively. I think the idea here is that by being the opposite of the OB boy, they “mirror” them as their foil and have the capacity to “show them the way”. The Yuu tends to have whatever the OB boy lacks. In that sense, I really like this idea (as it continues TWST’s themes of “mirrors” and gives us fun new dynamics)—but I actually don’t think the manga!Yuus so far have personalities that are super different from each other??? They both seem to be stoic and serious athletes with deadpan humor. I guess Yuuka is a little more proactive and “go-getting” of the two while Yuuken is more reserved and keeping to himself? But the change is still so very slight that they still read as basically the same to me sometimes 💦 It could honestly be because the Episode of Savanaclaw is still ongoing, so I don’t have a complete picture of Yuuka yet. I suspect she’ll have much more time showcase her strengths and square off against Leona in the climax, so I’ll reserve my judgement.

I’ve also seen many people make the seven deadly sins parallel, although there is some debate about which dorm leader matches with each sin. For example, Riddle for wrath. However, there isn’t a very overt OB boy to assign to like… lust unless you stretch or really expand on the definition. Like, you could argue Jamil “lusts” to be seen, but you can just as easily argue that Vil and Leona “lust” for recognition too. For other boys, it could be argued they fit multiple sins, or multiple boys fit in the same sin. It’s not a concrete, all-or-nothing thing. Then there are really complicated cases like Idia, which… doesn’t seem to fit anything, man’s just dealing with grief. The same goes for Malleus, I don’t know if I can classify his loneliness and desperation under one all-encompassing sin. If I remember correctly (?), there’s also debate surrounding the existence of other sins (some categorize cowardice as the 8th, others classify cowardice under sloth, the virtues are not always translated the same, etc), and I don’t care to get into all of that.

To summarize: yes, I do think each manga!Yuu is meant to be a character with which to contrast to the OB boy of the particular episode they star in. I don’t think each Yuu and OB boy pairing is meant to be 1:1 reflective of the seven deadly sins (which seem way too broad to squeeze some of their complex backstories and desires into), but I do like the concept/central motif or theme of “seven deadly sins” for TWST fan art and fanfiction.

[chaosmax]

More on: “I’m so surprised more people don’t evaluate and compare & contrast Kaiba and Diva in relation to each other more often”

I'm looking at these pics side by side and either KT just straight up has a type of fav character design that he can’t shake himself out of OR this was on purpose to draw parallels between the two making them seem like shadow figures of each other/rivals/foils--

Both have a sleeveless coat, high collar, dramatic coat tail, pendant (or at least, I still solidly believe that KT just forgot to give Kaiba’s his, or perhaps you could argue that it missing has a symbolic reason or maybe to contrast with Sera and Diva who both have a small triangle pendant, turtleneck

Kaiba: silver/gray metal arm bracers, nothing special with hair sans when he’s dueling the duel gazer/headset is on his left, kneepads, belt, and his coat has the little spikes at the waist creating the flair of the spikes at his waist

Diva: gold bracelets, decorated hair with the longer strand on his right, wrapped fabric at the waist, spikes/flair at the end of his sleeves Also, nice framing with them literally in an inverted stance toward each other. And while on the Seto’s side it’s just himself and Mokuba against the rest of the world on Diva’s side he has all the kids that have joined the Plana at his back.

Like, I’m not an artist or visual director but all of these things are almost so 1:1 I highly doubt that we WEREN’T supposed to draw these connections. This seems to be visual cues galore.

And then for the meta/story side because I am first and foremost a story and writing evaluator:

When you really stop to think about it Diva and Kaiba are remarkably good character foils of each other with a lot of the same yet different methods, actions, flaws, weaknesses, and goals/motivations.

Motivations/Goals (those outside the main conflict of the film): Diva wants to create a new perfect dimension, a Utopia collective consciousness that the Plana would create and guide others to (this is more explicitly stated in the sub). And the Shadi and revenge thing, but more on that later.

Kaiba, (again most explicitly stated in the sub with Kaiba’s pre-tournament speech about how the new Duel Disk is meant to bridge the gap between people of all race/country/creed/etc. and the Transcend Game Manga) is trying to achieve a similar thing with his games and the duel disk. He states how the body is like a prison and these barriers between people lead to bloody useless wars. His connection via games is meant to escape that. He has a bunch of kids as the beta testers for their minds are the most imaginative. Kaiba is reaching for his own collective consciousness here but in a very different way.

Methods: Diva has complete confidence in the power of the Plana. He’s been told by Shadi about this great power and has seen it in action before he even receives the Quantum Cube himself. Diva and the rest of the Plana has seen that utopia the power of the Plana can provide (and Sera even showed Yugi a glimpse of it) but there is still that level of uncertainty in the creation of this new dimension. Sera states after Diva has gotten corrupted by the ring that the Cube has the power to create a new shining world of light, but if one drop of darkness gets in there the whole thing can be corrupted.

Kaiba has complete confidence with his tech. It is a simple equation of A + B = C. It may take it a while to get there, but there is a steady and succinct step-by-step process in his mind on how to get to point A to point B. And if he runs into a roadblock one way he explores another solution--as seen by when the Dimension Ascension had its safety limits in the World of Duel Links his focus became entirely on the puzzle, and then from the puzzle to the Duel Dimension System (it’s not a time machine i s2g if I see that one more time I will sCream. Atem recognizes him. He wouldn’t if it’s a time machine. It’s the darkside of dimensions, not the darkside of time travel). Kaiba’s methods are calculated and testable. There’s a scientific process to his approach.

Actions: They have very similar goal when it comes to the wider global scope, and yet intact that goal in different ways, despite both believing they are right in their own solutions even though this point never came up between them (but did between Diva and Yugi). Diva has seen paradise and that’s all he’s interested in until Yugi challenges him about building that paradise with everyone instead of gifting it to a few.

Aside from that conflict point though, Diva and Kaiba are pretty similarly ham-fisted when it comes to their actions once the plot of DSoD kicks off. Kaiba stomps around Domino City as he sees fit, he faces his challenges head on. And he is pretty clearly 100000% done with magical things running his tournaments and creates a counter for both of Diva’s Plana powers without much of a snag.

The Duel: Then of course they duel each other. And in this direct challenge they are pretty evenly matched. Kaiba, who the audience knows is a powerful duelist at this point dishes out powerful attack after powerful attack and even has new, stronger monsters to fight with. Yet Diva finds a way to avoid or redirect those attacks, even being bold enough to have an attitude that feels like he’s toying with Kaiba. While few others can go toe to toe with Kaiba in a duel the match was heavily going in Diva’s favor until Seto managed to summon Obelisk by picking up with the trace memories/wavelengths in the tomb.

Death and grieving: Both of them are trying to deal with the fallout of the death of someone that played a big role in their lives, but how each of their plotlines resolve for this are opposite at the end. Despite Diva’s actions to try and get rid of Bakura being against everything Shadi taught him and the rest of the Plana kids and even Sera and Manny trying to talk him down from it he doesn’t listen. Diva gets so caught up in the pain he’s feeling instead of what he knows. He’s eager to be able to blame someone for Shadi’s death he’s ignoring that Ryou Bakura is likely not the same as the ring spirit. But when confronting Ryou and realizes the truth he can’t ignore it anymore and he lets Ryou go and the glow of the cube fades. (Remember, it was the appearance of the corrupted Manny that caused the banishment of Ryou, not Diva himself, I see this getting mixed up quite a bit) And then he is able to start to fully move past his fixation on revenge.

But Kaiba hasn’t been able to make that progress himself. Even after Yugi reassembles the puzzle himself and shows it’s empty Seto keeps hounding Yugi, spitting cruel words and still refusing to believe that Atem isn’t still within Yugi. Then, even after Atem temporarily returns that isn’t enough for him to complete his grieving process, he finds a way to travel across dimensions for one last duel.

Flaws: Seto and Diva share some weaknesses in their ambition, ego, and arrogance yet at the same time it’s a situation of the pot calling the kettle black. Due to their own respective power they both think they’re invincible. Diva shittalks Kaiba’s egotistical actions of taking over Domino City and creating his own version of a collective consciousness within Duel Links. But Diva is doing a similar thing himself by how he’s dictating who should have the right to exist and even erasing people just for standing in his way like Jounouchi. Yet at the same time Diva thinks the power of the Plana is unstoppable and plain incompressible to anyone who is not apart of it--something that he gets a rude awakening for when Kaiba deflects his attempt to distillate him in the tomb and then later when Diva gets captured.

And then Kaiba gets knocked down a peg when his duel with Diva is a close one and then again when he has to team up with Yugi in order to defeat Diva’s corrupted form.

The character paths Diva and Seto are on through dsod are very similar. The characters are alike, but different. They have plenty in common to draw comparison to yet also differences that foil each other many steps of the way. And I just find this neat ™ and am surprised there isn’t more talk about these two in relation to each other when there’s so much crossover and they’re honesty the main two opposing forces of the film. Like there is so much going on here  TwT

[esther-dot]

What do you think about Jaime's fate? Is he doomed by a narrative? Is he doomed because of the show? Or does he stand a chance?

Personally I'd like to believe that he would live. As far as I can remember (I could totally be wrong though) the most evil thing he does in the series is the Bran thing. And westerosi karma already held him responsible - he loses his ability to do that one thing that he loves the most and becomes disabled just like Bran. He's not the kindest, bravest, most noble etc person in the westeros but he's far from being evil like ramsey or tywin or cersei. Imho he's way better than fan favourite boy tyrion and not so favourite boy stannis - for a bunch of reasons. I just don't want him to die although chances are, well, questionable.

So how do you see his chances to survive?

Hope you're having a nice - or at least decent - day!

It's lovely weather, and I took a long walk first thing which means, it's a great day in my book. Thank you!

I can't remember what specifically convinced me, but somewhere along the line I accepted that Jaime and Cersei would die together, so I believe D&D got that from Martin. I wrote at the time that Jaime is a better man for returning to his sister/lover/mother of his children than leaving her to die alone, so I didn't share the opinion of the rest of the fandom there. It's really easy to project our feelings about a character onto a different character, and I think that happens a lot with those two.

Anyway, since then, @istumpysk has collected all the book foreshadowing for them to die together (here, a long google doc about it, more here), so I give him no chance of survival.

Ramsay is cartoonishly evil, so I don't think he's particularly interesting. Tyrion is Martin's fav and will likely benefit from that, Stannis is doomed, but Jaime really is an interesting character. My controversial take is that I don't think he's more deserving of a happy ending than Cersei who all the fandom recognizes will die. Yes, this a) reads like foreshadowing for King Bran, and b) also reads like karma:

"Does the sight of my stump distress you so?" Jaime asked. "You ought to be pleased. I've lost the hand I killed the king with. The hand that flung the Stark boy from that tower. The hand I'd slide between my sister's thighs to make her wet." He thrust his stump at her face. "No wonder Renly died, with you guarding him." (ASOS, Jaime V)

but I didn't think Jaime fundamentally changed as a person as far as values go? That's a severe punishment for him, I'm not gonna minimize what it means to him, but I did laugh in the show when he's facing Bran and unapologetic because to me, that's Jaime. Martin writes kid killing as a big no-no. Jaime is pretty cavalier about it:

Jaime got to his feet. "Your wife may whelp before that. You'll want your child, I expect. I'll send him to you when he's born. With a trebuchet." (AFFC, Jaime VI) Ask Edmure how chivalrous I am, thought Jaime. Ask him about the trebuchet. Somehow he did not think the maesters were like to confuse him with Prince Aemon the Dragonknight when they wrote their histories. Still, he felt curiously content. (AFFC, Jaime VII)

Now, I don't think dying with Cersei is necessarily meant to be read as karma for Bran, but I included the above for two reasons.

1.Jaime is a foil to Jon, I believe we're meant to contrast Jon's, morally grey perhaps, attempt to save a child with Jaime's disregard for one, and overall compare what their upbringing, the morals or lack thereof instilled, have formed of these two who had similar dreams, experienced disillusionment, shared the same hero:

They were not little boys when they fought, but knights and mighty heroes. "I'm Prince Aemon the Dragonknight," Jon would call out... (ASOS, Jon XII)

2. Jaime and Cersei are a variation on the Aemon and Naerys idea, and the parallels between Jaime and Jon, Sansa and Cersei, point to Jonsa being the positive variation of the old tale. So that expectation, in which Jon will successfully save Sansa from a marriage she doesn't want (hello girl in grey prophecy) and they'll fulfill the maiden/warrior vision that Jaime once had of himself and Cersei, the underlying, uh, preoccupation with and loyalty to their sisters (that Jaime has and Jon will have post reunion) means I'm ok with Jaime deciding his fate is to be with Cersei, in birth, in life, even in death. As I thought it worked in the show, returning to Cersei in the books will likewise mean he is able to have some self-respect. I don't think you can read his, I mean, I would say Cersei obsession and believe he'd ever have any peace of mind if she died alone while he had to go on living. We will get a healthier, happier version of the “brother/sister” (in the Targaryen sense) relationship with Jon/Sansa to complete the convo which is important to keep in mind when bemoaning the fate of certain characters--their endgames are part of a much bigger picture.

I thought this was a great write-up of his character which you might enjoy reading:

But what’s so vital about Jaime is that this is who he is - a bad person, a person willing to kill children to achieve his aims - but it isn’t all he is. And the point of introducing him as a POV is to force us to confront this fact, the fact that this would-be childkiller is also a three-dimensional, even sympathetic man with his own heartaches and struggles, with a sense of humor and a sense of honor and the saved lives of half a million people to his name. The good deeds don’t cancel out the bad, but neither do the bad cancel out the good. And instead of allowing us to take the easy path and categorizing him as either ‘purely evil’ or ‘wholly redeemed,’ the story simply pushes us to dwell within the psyche of this complex, broken man who is neither fully one nor the other. (link)

[gold-rhine]

That’s because the quest was actually about Cyno and his relationships and NOT about sethos! Hope this helps <3

So in storytelling there is such common used techniques as "supporting characters", and specifically "foils" - characters, used to contrast\mirror\parallel main character. This used in many best written genshin character quests, such as venti, itto, zhongli's, etc. By exploring this "character foil", you explore and highlight main character's conflict and give it depth and different perspective. When the character foil is not explored properly, then whatever contrast they were supposed to highlight in main character also fails to be dramatized. So actually a well developed foil not only makes a story more interesting, but benefits the main character also.

You could notice that this is what I was proposing because I said "so cyno and sethos can have conversation about what the spirit of hermanubis means to them." Notice that THEY includes cyno! next i explain in depth

"sethos can be like you're from the desert and using power of hermanubis, but you don't respect it, it means nothing to u, you treat as just a weapon when its a god of our peoples :\ to which cyno goes i'm me, i'm not a vessel to a dead god, my ppl are sumeru and akademiya, and i have worth and strength beyond just magic powers, and then can have a lil back and forth on this that leaves both of them in thoughtful state"

here you can also notice how more than half of the paragraph focuses on CYNO, to give him space to explain himself and his views, provoked as reaction to sethos' foil.

you can see that I added further "cyno's exploration in "also, after the Hermanubis Lore Infodump Animation cyno could be like huh, Hermanubis was protector of his people just like i am, we actually share a lot of core principles, mb thats why his power resonates with me so well and i was wrong to dismiss who he was as just dead god who gives me powers."

This is exploration of CYNO's character, it's adding HIM depth based on expanded interaction with sethos! here i spelled it out for babies in the end - "so tldr in the end sethos accepts his individual worth beyond being a temple of silence servant, but cyno also gains connection with his heritage and the culture of a god, whose power he embodies". see how giving sethos more space to talk and confront cyno would give cyno more reasons to think and develop! yay!

I don't hope this will help your condescending ass, but mb my followers will find it entertaining