#When I said short one I meant that it isn't going as in depth as I normally would have done lmfao

[puckish-rogue-archive-deux]

Lore Dump: Regarding the Supernatural

Note: This is gonna be a bit of a short one as it's more of a clarification for people who have Muses that are tied to the supernatural.

So, let me just get this out of the way and say that yes, there are elements of the supernatural present within the original SR games (although more so the first two, and that expansion I don't even consider canon). And while they aren't exactly anything that substantial, I've always seen that as an invitation to explore the concept further. Cause really, how the hell do you not love the idea of mashing organized crime and stuff that's far beyond the realm of comprehension together? It's definitely had a hold of me ever since a particular boss fight in the second game, but that's something I'll get to in a second.

Anyway, let me just lay it out like this; in the first SR, after the death of an important character (no spoilers on the off chance one of you actually wants to check out the series), you are given the chance to call up a number you might have seen around the map for a business known as Eye for an Eye. They are run by voodoo practitioners who can revive the aforementioned character, and have them come back as a zombie homie. This can also be done in the second game after the death of another major character.

Now, in addition to Eye for an Eye, we have a character introduced in SR2 who goes by the name of Mr. Sunshine. He is the second-in-command of the Sons of Samedi, a Haitian drug cartel led by a man who goes by the moniker of The General. Mr. Sunshine is important to our discussion because he is the first instance of The Boss encountering someone tied to the supernatural in the main plot, and not have it be just some silly little easter egg.

This is mainly shown during the fight you have with him (the mission is fairly graphic by the end), where Mr. Sunshine pulls out a voodoo doll that's able to both knock The Boss around, and keep himself invincible until the doll is shot out of his hands. Yet even on the brink of death, Mr. Sunshine is seemingly capable of reviving himself over and over again, right until The Boss decides to just decapitate him.

With all that said, you're probably wondering just what in the hell does any of that mean. Well, I think it's pretty simple; if the game is going to go out of its way to depict something as abnormal and clearly supernatural as that was, in a main mission no less, then what does that tell you about the rest of the world? What else might be lurking around that people might not be fully aware of? And yeah, I know it's kinda silly to go that buckwild over tiny little hints of shit being a little weird in this universe. But like hell am I keep myself or anyone else from taking the opportunity to explore that further.

And let me be clear, I'm not looking to do anything totally out there. There is a way to depict something regarding magic, the supernatural, and anything else that may fall under that category in a way that's both very interesting, and acknowledges that in a modern setting such as this, it's not commonplace. So I would absolutely love to do that with y'all. I love those kinds of settings, I love throwing Django into these situations where he has to deal with things that are soooo out of his league. It's a lot of fun! And I hope you can see that vision as well.

[cafejulii]

I was scrolling through instagram and came across that one scene of Kurapika repeatedly punching Chrollo while on route to make the trade off with the phantom troupe, a scene that though is not canon in the manga nor 2011 anime, is in hxh 1999. I went to the comments to see what others had to say on this addition, and was disheartened to find many fans unanimously coming to the agreement, especially because of this particular scene, that the main difference between Kurapika's characterization in 1999 vs. 2011 is that he's fundamentally "more childish" or "isn't able to keep his anger repressed as well"; rhetoric that I personally couldn’t disagree with more, respectfully.

I must say, they are correct about one thing though, in my opinion; Kurapika in the 1999 version is indeed characterized differently. All of the main four are. Its actually one of the main reasons why I prefer hxh 1999 despite not it not being fully accurate to cannon with the addition of several non-canonical scenes and dialogues. Such scenarios looked upon the original narrative given, estimated what would be the missing pieces in between in order to get to the current picture, and then used a combination of both the filler and original cannon to create characters who are consequently much more dynamic than their original counterparts. All the creators have done was really just set off on a proper set of chain of events in the plot to follow their development.

(In short, hxh 1999 is akin to a very well written, cannon compliant, fanficton with a very specific focus on character study through its additional scenes)

This is one of the many reasons why I find this scene particularly meaningful, as it serves as a direct expansion on Kurapika's characterization. Kurapika is the sort to scrutinize every action he makes based on his self imposed moral structure. We see this aspect of him made clear in the hunter exam, in which Leorio asks him if he's really willing to go to the depths it would take to become a blacklist hunter, knowing this fact about him just simply from the way he talked about hunters, and why, he found becoming a hunter just for the money, unjust. Kurapika, in response, assures him, that he will do anything, no matter if he deems it morally impermissible, if it meant to find and enact his revenge on the Spiders. However, when it came time to follow through with his statement, there is an inherent hesitation made or a flat out failure to act upon it. The very first instance of this is seen when it came time for him to kill the prisoner in trick tower so that he may advance past the third phase of the exam, resulting in a further advancement to his goal as quickly as possible.

He flat out refused to do so, despite it being the easiest most logical thing to do. The man was knocked out unconscious after all. And of course, Kurapika did state that he'd be willing to do anything. So then, why didn't he do it?

Because to him, killing in any circumstance is wrong. He creates a moral paradox for himself:

Cause of Revenge= morality->guilt-> duty

Execution of revenge= duty-> abandonment of morality-> guilt

And moreover, he is horribly self aware of this fact. He knows that discarding pieces of morality for the sake of his mission will fundamentally change him. His duty will never bring him peace and he knows it. In fact, it is the opposite, for he knows it will torment him relentlessly to the point in which he either breaks, or instead, he will become apathetic to it all. The later is the result he strives for though, as to follow through with his mission, he needs to be complicit in the face of evil.

But throughout the narrative, time and time again, it is evident that such moral sentiments never leave him. Sure, he works as a body guard for some of the most notorious criminals in the underworld, so rotten that Melody even goes as far to describe them as "devils", but fails to abandon his paradox. For Christ's sake, he even said in this particular version, that he found the sounds of pain Uvogin made while dying to be so abhorrent to the point, he couldn’t fathom how Uvo does it does it at; nonetheless without feeling any form of remorse. Kurapika loathes violence so greatly that he feels revolted in partaking in it, even if it is towards the person in which inflicted violence on him first. This displays that, to an extent, he held pity for Uvo, not in the sense that he regrets his actions but in the sense they had to be done at all, yet bares this sin for the sake of his brethren. But at the heart of it, especially since so little was gained for his overall mission, he falls to the gripping weight of his actions due to the breach of morality and it overtakes him for a brief moment.

But afterwards, he must carry on regardless if he likes it or not. He must continue up until the point in which he feels indifference to every morally abhorrent thing he has to do for the sake of his mission. Yet of course, he is not there yet, and because of this it only rightfully expected that his anger would boil over due to his moral turmoil, only for him to retreat in a sort of shame directly after doing so, realizing this part of the cycle he signed up for.

And this is why he rages at Chrollo. It's simply a part of this said cycle.

He punches him repeatedly, not only for the murder of his people, but the choices that he had to make as a result of the slaughter; that he was forced to create this paradox and resort to vengeful duty in which can only be fulfilled by measures of violence. The repeated punches, to me, are not done for the sake of incapacitation or for killing Chrollo (after all he couldn't have as that would mean that Gon and Killua's lives would be lost and it's apparent he'd never allow that) but as to give the biggest "fuck you for being so senselessly violent and cruel that in order for me to enact a properly weighted vengeance for my people that I must become just as senselessly violent, just as senselessly cruel, as you are."

Utilizing violence to mourn against the use of violence; this act is the pinnacle of it. A genius, visual representation of his profound moral conflict created for the audience. This is why this scene was so impactful. This is why this scene was needed.

[aliveinacoffin]

A Difference In Fate

You knew Miguel had been hiding something from you, you just didn't know what. Stupidly, you thought the best of him.

TW: Agressive Miguel lmao

You weren't meant to find out.

Miguel wasn't sure for how long he'd hide it from you. Maybe a month, a year, forever. It didn't matter.

He'd only known you for a short amount of time, but he knew he was too late when he started to worry about what you thought about him. When Miguel told you about what happened to Gabrila and that universe, he felt a deep shame he'd never felt before. Yes, he lived with the guilt that came from destroying an entire fucking universe and all the billions of innocent people inside, but he was also terrified that you'd leave him because of it.

When you didn't, after a night of tears and shame, he knew he'd never let you go. Even if it killed him.

Which is why he lied, when he had that meeting about Miles that you had missed, he lied and said that it was nothing.

When you asked why Lyla wouldn't give you a rundown of the meeting, he lied again and said it must be faulty in her coding, and that the files couldn't be recovered.

Sure he felt guilty about lying to you, but he more so felt a sense of anxiety about when you'd find out, not if.

Another thing Miguel loved and appreciated about you, was that you were incredibly acute and intelligent. Nothing ever went past you when it came to people or plans. You always quickly noticed the small details or came up with new strategies.

That, and that you were just incredibly fucking lucky.

___________________________________________

"So, what do you think about that last meeting?" Peter B. Parker from Earth 616B asked you, catching you off guard from the paper you were reading. His tired eyes and five o'clock shadow seemed worse than ever. He seemed to be having a rough day since the whole morning he had been mostly silent, like there was a weight in his mind holding him down to drag him to the depths of hell.

"Oh, I didn't make it. What was it about, anyway?" You shrugged, spider mask pulled up to your forehead to take a bite out to the 'Original Spiderman Burger'

He stared at you for a bit, blue eyes watching your movements. "Did Miguel not tell you?" He asked, genuinely taken aback at your lack of knowledge of the situation.

You chewed quickly, covering your mouth while trying to answer as fast as you could. "No, and he still won't. I want to know! Was it about something embarrassing?" You laughed, grabbing your drink.

"It was about the anomaly." Peter said, voice curt and timid.

You raised an eyebrow at his odd behavior, usually, you and Peter easily bounced off one another, both your jovial and rather silly personalities perfect companies for each other. To see him being so quiet with you was worrying.

"I got that man, just tell me, I don't bite. My teeth aren't as sharp as Miguels." You elbowed him, smiling like you would a timid cat. You took another drink to try and give off a relaxed aura, but inside your heart was picking up with his lack of relaxation.

"It's-the anomaly is the kid I talk to you about all the time. He was never meant to be a Spider-Man. We're not allowed to interact with him in any way until we figure out a way to find a solution." Peter said solemnly, turning to hunch over his uneaten food. His own masked burger staring back at him.

You scoffed with liquid in your mouth, swallowing before giving out a barking laugh. "What does that even mean? Not meant to be Spider-Man, who's meant to be Spider-Man? It just happens, it's luck not fate." You grumbled, face screwed up half in disbelief and half in genuine confusion. Suddenly you jerked up in shock, and quickly turned to the older man.

"Isn't he the kid that made you want to have a baby in the first place?" You placed a hand on Peter's shoulder, feeling his cold shoulder through the soft fabric of his suit.

"Yeah." Was all he said, a grave look on his face.

You tilted his shoulder at you, and watched his eyes slowly move over to your kind face. "Hey man, don't worry about it. Miguel seems tough, but on the inside, he's just a big softie. Trust me, I'd know. I sleep with the man every night. We'll figure it out, alright?" You reassured him, smiling brightly at him.

Peter looked down again and hit his fist on the counter. "Yeah, you're right. It always works out in the end, huh?" Peter's voice was strong like all the hope he had lost was now found and stronger than ever.

___________________________________________

"It's kind of sad, you know? Like, it wasn't his fault he wasn't supposed to be Spider-Man." Pavitr Prabhakar said, hands deftly working to fidget with his yo-yo.

Both your guy's hair swayed softly in the warm Mubattan air. You played with the bottom of your spider suit feet. "Yeah, sounds like he's just a kid."

"Well, I'm sure it'll figure itself out, after all, we're all Spider-People right? Everything is great!" Pavitrs voice got fainter as he whipped away, probably going off to swing around Gayatri's neighborhood.

You looked off into the sunset, eyes squinting at the bright light of the sun. Still, you basked in the warmth as you sat, just pondering and mulling over your feelings over the whole situation.

You liked Pav, as you've all started calling him, his happy-go-lucky and glass-half-full personality was infectious, and he was overall just a joy to be around.

It made you have a gut-wrenching bad feeling, especially since he hadn't had his canon event yet. You wished there was a way for him to just be happy and be Spider-Man without the life-altering loss that came with it.

___________________________________________

"That's the price you have to pay when you become Spider-Man." Miguel said later that evening, sitting at the table while he filtered through emails, videos, and reports.

You came over and kissed his head, swiping away all the red screens taking over your shared table. Instead, you replaced his work with food, more specifically asada quesadillas.

"Okay sure, but he's just a kid y'know? Like, he's barely able to drive a car and now has this duty to protect a whole ass city. Let alone deal with an unbearable loss that would break a full gown adult." You challenged, staring at your boyfriend across the table. You had brought up your feelings about Pav and how the guilt of his misfortune weighted you down.

You still haven't told him that you know about the kid. Miles. For some reason, a part of yourself told you that you should. That you should hide that knowledge because for some reason a part of you thought he'd be upset. No, knew he'd be mad.

"It's the fate of the universe." He sighed, eating his food as if the whole conversation was boring.

"But what does that mean? Doesn't fate bring in the idea of gods or goddesses? A higher power saying this should be the way? And what about destiny? Then doesn't that bring in the question of whether or not it's real, let alone that we have to abide by those rules?" You started, rambling about the subject. This whole situation seemed wrong, like Miguel's ideals weren't quite right. You knew Miguel was intelligent, insanely so that he created his own AI and created a multi-diversional portal travel and created a society within his universe to combat world-breaking enemies.

Still. Something about this was wrong.

Miguel growled out your name, dropping his food on his plate to stare at you so intensely it made you gulp. He clenched his fists on the table, obviously trying to hold back his anger before he spoke to you.

"You know what happened to me when I tried to break the rules. God or not, things happen for a reason." Miguel said, eyes lowering to try and continue eating.

"What about us? We're from different universes, yet we live together, and we're dating. Are we fate? Or are we pure coincidence?" You asked, trying to get him to explain in a more logical reasoning like you know he's capable of.

Miguel slammed his fist on the table, rattling the dishes placed down and you. "Can we drop this? This conversation is going nowhere." He was getting angry, you could tell. But still, something in you nagged and ate away at your soul.

"Yes, perdón amor." Your eyes fluttered down, and you gulped away the hot stinging of your throat.

"I'm sorry hermosa, but you know this is the only way." Miguel offered, holding his hand out across the table to reassure you.

You met him halfway, and smiled at him shakily. Still, you didn't believe him.

___________________________________________

"He was your friend?" You asked curiously while you went over the blueprints for the watches. You wanted to customize yours further, so you invaded Lyla's security, (asked pretty please), and now were trying to see what changes you could make.

Gwen Stacy was behind you, arms crossed while she looked to a wall, dissociating. "Yeah, and I can't see him at all even though I want to. So badly." She sighed, tired eyes looking down. You looked back to her, offering a sad smile.

"We'll figure it out honey, I'm sure."

"Why are you dating Miguel?" She suddenly asked, and at those words, you whipped around and gave her an incredulous look. Your hands on your hips with a disbelieving smile.

Both of you looked up to see Hobart walking in, sauntering over to your workstation. "Hey." He nodded up to both of you, immediately going through your files.

Both you and Gwen greeted him before you turned your attention back to the girl. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you're just so nice and understanding while Miguel is...well Miguel." She said, exasperation filling her voice.

You laughed, brushing her off. "Hes not that complicated, just rough around the edges, I promise."

"What do they say, love is blind?" Hobie spoke up, eyes hyper-focused on the watch details.

"That's not applicable to this." You waved him off. Walking over, you put both hands on Gwen's slim arms, giving them a grounding squeeze. "Everything will be fine, we just need time to figure out a solution to this problem yeah? Miguel and everyone else has been aware of this problem for a while, it's just now it has a name!" You smile, trying to uplift the depressing mood.

"Yeah, and his name is Miles Morales, a sixteen-year-old kid." Hobie said, his hands drifting down from whatever he was doing with his watch.

You sighed, hanging your head down before you walked back over to your table. "Thank you for the optimism Hobie."

"You're welcome." With that, he walked out.

___________________________________________

That conversation went the same with Jess and many other members of the spider society, saying that 'taking care of' Miles would be for the greater good.

But what is the greater good? What good were the protecting? Apparently, Miles's universe has been doing fine so far, what's so wrong with that?

Apparently, his whole existence was flawed.

At the end of that day, when everyone either went home or started a night shift to find out where Miles had gone, Miguel returned home.

When he opened the door, he half expected you to be at the table or living room searching for Miles for him, to be directing people, or actively searching for him with Miguel. Of course, he knew you really wouldn't be.

Miguel only returned home to check up on you, after everything.

The whole time you had stood back, and without his knowledge helped Miles escape Miguel's wrath. But he didn't know that.

The front door creaked open, and Miguel was greeted with a dark and quiet house. The only light that was seen was the yellow light of your shared bedroom down the hall.

When he closed the door and silently crept in his own home, he could hear quiet sobbing coming from the room

"Amor?" He peeked in his room, fully stepping in at seeing your hunched-over form. Basically in the fetal position, sitting at the edge of your bed you had your hands on your head.

You looked up, and when he saw your face he immediately stepped back. Rage still filled him, but seeing you made him completely break down.

Your face was one of pure fury, an anger so deep and true it morphed your wet face into something unnatural. Your hair was wild and messy, your face also covered in small scratches form god knows what, and your knuckles were white from how hard you were clenching them.

"What the actual fuck are you doing here? Don't you have a child to murder?" Your snarled mouth pulled back to show off your teeth. Even though you didn't have fangs like him, doesn't mean a bite from you wouldn't hurt.

Instantly, Miguel snapped back. "Don't you dare-"

"No, shut the fuck up. What the fuck was that? Who even are you?" You asked, standing up to your full height.

"I was-am stopping an anomaly from destroying the entire multiverse. I'm saving-" Miguel's voice was raising by the word, his large build hunching over to try and intimidate you.

"Don't talk about him like he's not a child! Don't act like you're not hunting down a literal child? What is wrong with you?!" You screamed, voice raw from the running and crying you'd done all day.

"This. This is what I didn't want to tell you! You don't understand the gravity of the situation! Pinche-" He started, eyes glowing that sparkling red you had grown to love after the long three years you'd known Miguel.

Now they just disgusted you.

"I knew! I've known this whole fucking time! But I trusted you to know what to do, because I love you, and I know you're so smart. But this? I-i can't-" You turned around, hands shakily typing frantically into your watch.

"Lo siento, lo siento preciosa, no quise gritar-" Suddenly Miguels voice was filled with sorrow, and he reached out to hold you in his arms. The same arms that held you, cradled you, strapped you down, and lifted you up.

"Stop, just stop." You sobbed, quickly opening a portal to god knows where, just anywhere but here-

Miguel called out your name, and you turned around to see his eyes piling with tears. His face twisted into the most pained face you've ever seen, his fangs popping out of his lips, his mouth pulled back to a vicious snarl, and his eyebrows furrowed down so deep he grew another crease in his forehead.

You looked down to hold back another sob, shaking your head while walking closer to the portal.

You didn't even glace back at him when you left.

[flying-fangirls]

Arthur's Story

Okay so now that Part 46 is out and we got that moment of John explaining what Arthur's train story meant to him, I kinda want to talk about this particular allusion myself. Arthur's retelling is mostly pretty close to the original, but I am going to get into interpretation/implementation stuff. So if you want to read the original story for full context, it's "Solitude" by Ben Ames Williams!

To start bluntly: I do not like the Lilly comparison /nm

I'm not saying it's wrong per se, but I do believe it's a fairly weak conclusion that misses out on a lot of other potential.

Let's back up.

Alright, so if you go and read it, you'll quickly see that the original short story, "Solitude," is ridiculously well-aligned with the tone and mood of Malevolent. There are ideas of cosmic insignificance, perseverance and despair, questioning morality and "goodness," and helping others in dark times. (it does have some of the weird hallmarks of early 1900s white dude writing, but otherwise I actually quite like this story! it's got nice vibes and pretty words)

Where It Falls Short

Now, an allusion is a reference within a story to an outside piece of information, and its entire purpose is to add new depth. A good allusion considers the full context of whatever it's referencing, and uses that context to its advantage. It challenges the audience to work through that outside context and uncover some new perspective(s) on characters, themes, and/or plot— something they otherwise had not seen or considered before.

The thing is, when Part 46 applies the "Solitude" allusion to Lilly specifically, there's nothing new gained whatsoever. What does John tell us during this moment?

Lilly took care of him, showed him his first glimpse of humanity, and gave him a name— all good stuff! But also all old stuff, these details have all been said in the show before, some more than once. Since we know that the main point of an allusion is to bring something new to the table, then this implementation fails on that point because all it's done is simply rehash previously established perspectives on Lilly.

Not only does this take on the allusion fall short, the show's interpretation also limits our ability to understand it. This isn't a moment where the podcast shows us new information and lets us draw our own conclusions. This is a moment where John stands in for the podcast's voice, and he tells us what it considers the "right" interpretation. Even if we had formed our own interpretation about this allusion, the show has now essentially told us that those interpretations are "wrong" (which isn't an antagonistic move on the show's part, by the way! just the message it's unconsciously implying)

I agree that John's connection between the story and his experience with Lilly in Part 46 is a genuinely sweet moment! But unfortunately, because it neglects to take a new path, it's also a predictable moment that loses its strength among all the other sweet Lilly moments. And that takes away any chance for the allusion to impact the audience in a unique way, wasting its full potential.

Where It Misses Out

(now here comes the English major moment when I tell you why I'm right and you're not /j)

Alright, again, the Lilly comparison isn't wrong. I think it's totally legitimate to see this story about a woman helping an injured and lonely man, and think of Lilly! But personally, when I heard Arthur's retelling, I never once considered Lilly until the show told me to (12 episodes later). When I listened to Part 29 and the first half of the story, I admittedly was totally lost and dug through those lines over and over to find a meaning. And the only real interpretation that naturally came to me was a parallel to Arthur and John's journey. A man lost in a terrifying world, at the whims of forces much stronger than him, who has lost all of his loved ones to death or abandonment? Yeah, that's literally just Arthur and John.

And the conclusion in Part 39 only seemed to support that interpretation more— Moll abandons her entire life to follow Mat into the cold and dark, John and Arthur both (literally and figuratively) throw their lives away to help the other through the dark. We can even swap who's who here— either Arthur or John could be Mat struggling to survive as a "good" person, and either one could be Moll extending a hand to that person.

There's also a particular line that John says in Part 46 that feels completely out of place with the interpretation the show tells us:

He implies that Lilly did the same as Moll and shut out everything around them. But when Lilly takes care of John in the hospital, his development there isn't that she "drove out the world." Lilly brought the world closer to John, not further away— she helped him expand his focus outward, not close it off.

However, this line does fit extremely well with John and Arthur's dynamic! How often have we heard about these two's edges blurring, about their minds and emotions and internal selves blending together? How many times have these two expressed a love so codependent that it rejects everything outside of themselves? Heck, John's major emotional plot in s4 revolved around the desire to shut out the outside world and isolate himself together with Arthur.

Just like how Moll's arrival drove out the world for Mat, the arrival of John into Arthur's life certainly drove out the rest of the world, pulling him away from his job, home, and friends. Likewise, the arrival of Arthur into John's life most definitely drove out the rest of the world, removing him from the legacy of the King and literal world of the Dreamlands.

The podcast tries to push its Lilly interpretation into a mold that it simply does not fit. And in doing so, it completely misses the perfect connection between Moll/Mat and John/Arthur that already exists. "Solitude" offers a naturally perfect bridge between its story and Malevolent's, but Part 46 steers us away from that bridge and straight into the river where we're left without any strong understanding or impact.

Where It Could Go

Not only does a Jarthur interpretation of Arthur's story connect the allusion to the podcast well, it also gives us a new perspective to think about Jarthur with (again, the most important part of a good allusion).

Earlier I said that Arthur's retelling of "Solitude" mostly followed the story, and that's because he leaves out one key detail: Moll had spent most of her life trapped as the victim of abusive men who forced her to neglect herself and care for people who didn't care for her back. (Admittedly, I think it's weird the show ignored this specific detail, but most allusions do intentionally require outside work on the audience's part, so for now I'll hesitantly just say that was Guthrie's aim.)

If we consider this backstory in our interpretation, we can find a really fascinating view of Jarthur's dynamic. Both Arthur and John could be Mat: a man who has seriously harmed others before and is now left broken and lost in a dangerous world. Then we can have John as Moll: trapped by the King and the Dark World and Arthur's body, powerless to take control of his own self, forced to neglect his identity/values for others' wants. And we can have Arthur as Moll: stuck in relationships/lifestyles that restrict him, autonomy stolen by social expectations and eldritch beings with far more power than him. Both of them as Moll: escaping a past of abuse, but nevertheless still finding yourself in a position of supporting men at the cost of your individuality.

A Jarthur interpretation frames Arthur and John's pasts in a concept of abuse and neglect, which is not usually (if at all) how the podcast presents their backstories. It also forces us to reconsider the full scope of their dynamic with each other. Normally the show presents Jarthur as a messy, yet overwhelmingly restorative and supportive relationship. However, when we place Jarthur into the context of Moll, we are forced to stop and acknowledge how their dynamic still harms them both: They're codependent to a self-destructive degree, protective enough to harm anyone else who gets close, so closely connected that they lose a part of who they are for the other's sake. Neither one of them exist as a wholly independent individual anymore, both of them losing pieces of their minds, emotions, and bodies to accommodate for the other's needs.

While s4-5 John and Arthur are clearly at a point in their relationship where they openly express their love and gratitude to the other for "saving" them, this allusion presents us with a perspective on their situation without the rose-colored glasses. We have the opportunity to recontextualize their dynamic and remember just how much Arthur and John have lost for the sake of each other, no matter how loving and compassionate that sacrifice might be in their eyes.

Where I Conclude the Ramble

From the moment Arthur first told this story in Part 29, its ambiguous inclusion captivated my little overthinking brain. It was incredibly fascinating to mull over Arthur's words and John's reaction, and then to dig deeper into this obscure story outside of the podcast and uncover answers!

Which is why I think I'm so disappointed with the final answer that Part 46 told us. If anyone else has looked into "Solitude" outside of the podcast before, they likely saw the same well of potential depth to work with that Harlan Guthrie clearly also found. Yet, for some reason, the podcast offers a conclusion that barely scrapes the surface of that well.

Instead of giving us new depth to the story, a Lilly interpretation really just brings up more questions for us. Did Lilly neglect herself in some way when she took care of John? Was Lilly the victim of abuse at some point in her past? What parts of Lilly's past led her to this point? There's so much more information that we need for this layered allusion to make sense, but we never get that information, so all we're left with is a weak conclusion and wasted potential.

On the other hand, a Jarthur interpretation does answer questions for us, and it adds depth to our previous understandings of their dynamic. We better understand how John and Arthur's bad decisions lead them to their darkest moments, how lost and afraid they both felt at the start of the podcast, how they found relief and protection in the other. And we consider new possibilities of how John and Arthur's past circumstances abused them, how they were trapped in cycles that stole their autonomy, how they still cannot escape these cycles and keep throwing their lives away for others.

Part 46 told us a single interpretation to have for the train story, but there is no reason we can not (nor should not) look for other interpretations— especially when the story itself shows us evidence that points to a different answer.

(final disclaimer: I absolutely do not intend any of this as any sort of attack! this is just general literary critique to try and explain why I'm a little annoyed at a single line lol)

[karizard-ao3]

https://www.tumblr.com/karizard-ao3/764894758909935616/thinking-about-last-chapter-im-actually-surprised?source=share

Porco isn't even trying and getting dragged in their love life lol

Lol he is really going through it.

And, actually, I was having so much fun thinking about poor Porco being Mason's confidante that I wrote this scene about it really quick (it's not edited or anything):

Mason and Mr. Galliard have a heart-to-heart

Porco Galliard counted down his line of third graders as they streamed outside for recess, making sure each one was accounted for. He frowned as the last kid scampered onto the blacktop and made a beeline towards the playground. He was one short. He took a step backward to do a visual sweep of the classroom and bumped into his missing pupil.

“Ope, sorry, kiddo!” he said, turning around to discover the identity of his little lost lamb. 

“That’s okay,” said Mason Ackerman-Jacobs with an unconcerned shrug.

“Why aren’t you outside?” Porco asked. “It’s recess.”

Mason shifted his weight from foot to foot, his brow furrowing. “Uhhhhhh…”

“Is everything okay, my friend?” Porco asked, putting his hand on Mason’s shoulder and guiding him outside with him.

“Um…” said Mason. “Can I tell you about something? I don’t think I can tell my mom, but she said a teacher can be a safe adult so I was thinking maybe I could tell you and it would be okay.”

“Sure,” said Porco, with growing concern. “What’s going on?”

Mason took a deep breath, then looked at his feet. “Do you promise I won’t get in trouble?” he asked.

Porco squatted down so he was eye level with the boy. “I promise that whatever you tell me, I will help you. Okay?”

Mason nodded, then took another deep breath. “I think Eren is in love with my mom!” he said, clapping his hands and beaming.

“Huh?” said Porco.

“Do you want to know why?” Mason asked, bouncing up and down.

“Uh, sure,” said Porco.

“I saw them in the kitchen when they didn’t know I was there and he kissed her right on the mouth and he put his hand on her butt!” said Mason. His eyes shone. “You’re not supposed to touch each other’s privates unless you’re in love!”

Porco made a frantic, gurgling sound. “That’s true,” he said. “And you also are supposed to wait until you’re 18.”

“Ohhh, okay!” said Mason, then drooped. “But I can’t tell my mom Eren is in love with her, because she’ll take away my tablet privileges. So maybe she doesn’t know!”

“Maybe you could ask Eren?” Porco suggested, completely out of his depth. He’d thought Jaeger was already dating Mason’s mom. Hadn’t Mason called him “dad” before when he came to pick him up?

Mason shook his head vehemently. “If I ask Eren, he’ll tell my mom I asked because he tells my mom everything. He’s always on her side.”

“I see,” said Porco, biting back a grin. 

“Maybe Gigi knows,” Mason mused. “Do you think Gigi will tell Eren if I ask her if he’s in love with my mom?”

“Who’s Gigi?” Porco asked. 

“Adri’s grandma,” said Mason. “But she said I can call her Gigi any time I want. She lives at Eren’s house because she’s his mom. I’m going to live at my mom’s house with my kids one day when I grow up, too. I love my mom.”

“It’s good to love your mom,” said Porco.

Mason covered his mouth. “Do you love her, too?” he gasped.

Oh, Christ!

“No! No! Absolutely not!” said Porco, holding up his hands. “I meant it’s good for you to love your mom! I have a wife! A very beautiful wife who I love! Her name is Pieck.”

“Do you touch her butt?” asked Mason.

“You know, I think it is time for you to go play,” said Porco.

“Are you going to tell my mom I talked about Eren being in love with her?” Mason asked.

“I guess not,” said Porco. He wasn’t sure how he would even begin to broach the subject.

“Can I tell you if Eren touches my mom’s butt or something again?” Mason asked.

“...Sure,” said Porco.

“Okay!” said Mason. “See you!”

He skipped away.

Porco pressed his hand to his forehead. He hadn’t done anything wrong, but he was still going to buy Pieck flowers on the way home.

[gojuo]

Is satosugu a queerbaiting ship?

Yes and no. No, it's not queerbaiting in canon because Gege is not writing anything romantic in their relationship; Yes, it's queerbaiting coming from the fandom because the majority of stsg shippers are genuinely convinced there's something romantic between them in canon, and fandom is what a fan engages in way more than just canon therefore people get brainwashed/gaslighted into thinking stsg is meant to be canon.

Theories you read? That's fandom. Art you reblog? Fandom. Memes you consume and regurgitate? Fandom. Sending me asks about JJK? You're engaging in fandom. When you only—and I really mean only—read the manga and do not engage in any other aspect of JJK in online spaces, then you are not engaging in fandom therefore you have no stsg shippers forcing their headcanons down your throat and manipulating you into believing that shit. However... not engaging in fandom really isn't the reality for most JJK fans ... and because the majority of the JJK fandom are stsg shippers ... and because the majority of stsg shippers are truly convinced Gege wrote those two with a romantic dynamic ... people start to think there's actual romance happening and therefore he's queerbaiting bc "Gege will never have the balls to make stsg canon so he just sprinkles in random hints bc he's being censored by homophobic Shueisha!!!!" even though JJK has a lgbt couple and openly trans character like ... Lmfao.

The answer is no, there's no queerbaiting going on because there is no romance between stsg happening. Neither Gege nor his editors have never insinuated anything of the sort, nor have the voice actors, or anyone from the animation team. In canon, Gojo and Geto's relationship has only ever been portrayed as platonic. Any stsg cope that their friendship is secretly romantic is manipulative gaslighting. They keep twisting facts to suit their narrative and it's so annoying. "My one and only" is not romantic, the line before that is literally "My best friend"; "My soul knows otherwise" is not romantic, Gege said in the fanbook it's about the way Kenjaku's CT interacts with Gojo's Six Eyes; "Geto is the only deep bond Gojo has with a person" Literally a lie but this is also because of the age-old issue of Shonen writers' misogyny.

The biggest and greatest example of this issue is what Kishimoto did with Naruto/Sasuke/Sakura. To keep it short, Kishimoto, self-described as "I don't know how to write women", put all his effort into developing both Naruto and Sasuke as independent characters, their dynamic with each other, their relevance to the plot, their narrative arcs, etc. etc. and Sakura? She was just ... there. Not saying she was a nothingburger character but the gap between Naruto & Sasuke vs Sakura was considerably evident. And what happened when Kishimoto gave way more depth to the two guys in the trio over the girl? Mass shipping and delusional nrss is canon takes and egg hunts everywhere, even though it was clearcut that nrss was nothing but platonic. It's the same story with Gojo/Geto/Shoko (she literally disappears during HI like fuck you Gege), and the same story with Yuuji/Megumi/Nobara. Hell, I'd even go as far as to say it's the same with the Special Grades: Gojo/Geto/Yuuta/Tsukumo. There's a big disparity between character work for Gojo, Geto & Yuuta vs Tsukumo.

Gege might not make his female characters do fanservice like panty shots, unreasonably big tits, mad sexualization, KYAAHHH!!!, etc. all the time but that don't mean he's above being misogynistic to his female cast .

Gege did a lot of character work for both Gojo and Geto in HI which led up to the iconic Kenjaku reveal moment in Shibuya arc. Great. None of that shit was romantic in any way though. Had he given Shoko the same care and love he's given to the boys, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. Because that would mean that the fujos would have to engage with her character and her dynamic with other characters in a meaningful way. Alas... that didn't happen because Gege said this is a sausage fest.

Now, all this doesn't mean that you can't ship stsg. It just means that stsg is not a canon ship, Gege is not being censored so he can't "confirm their love", it means that in canon there is no romantic love between those two and there never has been. But you can still ship it, though. Hell, I ship TojiGo! Literally negative romance there in canon obviously, but that won't stop me because exploring character dynamics outside of the confines of canon and the what-ifs is what shipping is all about! (Majority) stsg shippers are just annoying as fuck because they genuinely believe their ship is canon, try to force their headcanons and misinterpretations of the material down everyone's throats, and send death threats to anyone who dares to ship Gojo with literally anyone else. And then gaslight the part of the fandom that isn't into shipping culture so bad that people start to think this fujo ship is queerbaiting. Goddamn.

[yanderes-galore]

Thank you a lot! You deserve a flower (•́ᴗ•̀✿)

So, for my request, I was thinking of a scenario for the Fox (colt). So, if you are in a gorey mood and want to write something rather dark, how about a scenario where he eats darling? His darling's experience with him will probably end with them dying to him anyway, so why not go all out

I just really love how you write horror. Your disturbing content is so good

Well...you get what you asked for.

Appetite of A Predator

Yandere! The Fox Short/Scenario

Pairing: Romantic/Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, GORE WARNING, Darling is quite literally eaten, Blood, Delusional behavior, Possessive behavior, Manipulation, Stalking implied, Dark themes, Murder, Religious themes briefly mentioned, Forced companionship (Dubious)

It started with small deals. Deals made late at night with a mysterious hooded fox. Being alone at night is dangerous as is...

But the fox always reassured you he wouldn't hurt you.

He always wanted one thing, in return he'd give you something else. Perhaps you considered this elusive fox a friend. Someone to keep you company in the late hours of the night....

He always offered chat, appearing when you least expect him on your nightly walks. You thought you saw glowing red eyes stare at you at night. But surely... such a thing isn't connected to the friendly fox who just wants to chat.

He seems to listen to every word you say with a strange fascination. Afterwards, the fox makes a suggestion... a deal. He's always quite hungry.

Very hungry.

In response to appease your mysterious friend, you bring food. You bring meat... you bring fish... you bring all sorts of goods for the hungry fox. Said fox is appeased by your gifts.

In return he gives you friendship. He gives you all the attention you could ever ask for. Just as long as you keep his gaping maw fed and happy.

Soon enough the fox begins to grow attached to you. You feed him... you talk to him... you treat him like he isn't some predator. It's a very naive aspect of you that he adores.

After all... he is a very hungry predator... one who could easily make you prey.

The thought comes to the fox a lot. When he sees you talk and babble to him his mouth salivates. You look so adorable... so small and cute... so edible.

You put so much blind trust into him. You make things too easy. The food you give him fills him... but it's never enough.

He wants to not only fill his stomach... but his heart. The fox both wants to create a bond with you... but never let you go. In his glaring red eyes... you're his...

His prey.

Your innocence is slaughtered like the lambs slain by the Bishops of The Old Faith. Once you get close enough to the fox one night... he beckons you closer. He offers you a deal... he offers you his adoration...

He'll end any suffering in your life... if you give in to him.

So you do.

Your cries and squeals almost make him feel bad as he sinks his teeth into your flesh. His sharp canines tear into your meat and blood as though he was starved for days. The taste is that of ambrosia.

You fill his hunger deliciously. He feels himself grow possessive as he devours you. You make him finally feel full... his desires fulfilled.

You will now forever belong to him nestled deep in his gut. He adores the thought as he tears off an arm. He nibbles on you even as you voice your cute noises of betrayal.

He reassures you the pain will end soon as he laps up your juices with the hunger of a true predator. Nothing could satiate his desires before. But then he met you... he was patient... he waited...

Then he got what he wanted.

By the time he was done blood soaks his maw. He growls softly... the taste settling on his tongue. You were perfect for him... part of him wishes he savored you more.

Guilt does not echo within him as he sinks back in the depths. Why should he feel bad? It was meant to be.

You two were meant to be for each other...

Predator and Prey.

[ludiharambasha]

Hey! So I saw your anti atla posts. I was intrigued.

I have to ask, how would have liked the show to go about Zuko? How to handle him and his plot and arc? And what do you think about him as a character in general?

Hi, sorry that it took me so long to answer this ask, and this is sadly because I am not sure I am able to provide a satisfactory answer. (This is going to be very long). I will try to approach this from several angles.

In short, Zuko's entire conception is one I have a problem with. Zuko is not a character the writers tried to do something with and failed or wrote in a confusing, messy way that could be bettered with some tweaks- Zuko is exactly what the authors of AtLA wanted him to be, and it is their artistic vision that I have a (and at the same time don't- this will be clear to you as you read on) problem with. Not just Zuko, but Iroh as well, and I think this character arc stems from the privileged background of the authors, and a larger context of Western popular art, something I discussed in greater depth when I wrote a couple of posts about The Hunger Games.

Now, there are three angles I read Zuko and his redemption arc from:

1. Redemption arcs generally being indicative of poor or mediocre story-telling;

2. Zuko as a Western, colonial fantasy;

3. Zuko as a character in media intended for children.

I think this is the most organized way I can argument my feelings and thoughts about him as a character.

1.

It was fairly obvious that Zuko was a character fallen from grace that will see glory by the end of the story. From the moment he first graced the screen, it was apparent that he would go through a redemption arc, and that his character was all about that. There are some blogs that I will add here that might have a lot more to say on the issue (I will tag them in an edited version of this post if they would be ok with me tagging them), but redemption arcs are indicative of, at best, juvenile, at worst, flat out bad writing. Redemption arcs are really fine in children's literature because of their didactic nature, but in writing intended for older audiences they should not be treated seriously.

Art really isn't about instilling morals into the audience - art is supposed to make the readers'/observers' ideological, sensory and moral world challenged in interaction with it - art presupposes the already existing morality of the one interacting with it, not a blank slate onto which the art is supposed to leave an imprint. This notion that art is about didactics is a very outdated, passée idea that resurfaces every now and then, usually in think-of-the-youths type of discourse. Art is the fruit of the author's sensory, ideistic and moral world, and innately expresses something about the auhor and the world as they percieve it-it is not meant to indoctrinate or instill something, but to provide someone's perspective on a phenomenon or idea. This does not mean that art cannot be evaluated because it is personal; its merit is decided through analysys, usually of theme(s), characters, motifs, etc., of their quality, inventiveness, coherence, and so on. It is a delicate matter and not all critics agree on every work; moreover, there are different schools of methodology of the analysis of literary works; they do not agree on many things. There are good resources on the internet where you can find more info on lenses, approaches, etc.

I cannot say that evey literary lens or critical approach condemns redemption arcs (some classics with this arc include A Christmas Carol); however, there are two very good reasons to be vary of them in fiction. A) they are moralistic, and b) they are predictable, and these two reasons are somewhat intertwined.

I've already said quite a lot about didactics and moralizing in fiction earlier, so now I will try to focus on why this impacts characterization poorly and give more focus to reason b). When I say predictable, I mean that the character that this character arc goes along traditional lines of a certain archetype, and never once goes beyond them or manages to state anything new about the convention itself or break out of its confines. Zuko starts as a prince fallen from grace and ends up as the new Firelord- there is nothing in his story that even once nods to the fact that anything else was going to happen (him failing to redeem himself in book 2, only to then be consumed by guilt and finally be redeemed for realz is also an incredibly common pattern). There is nothing transgressive or challenging to constructing a character like this. There is no profound idea that Zuko brings forward with his presence in the story. How can someone genuinely say that writing a character that has been written a MILLION times before in the EXACT SAME way to be good? We laud stories that say something; creating a character like Zuko is akin to butting into a conversation, not because you genuinely have something to say, but just to hear yourself speak. Redemption arcs are the death of character- if we know where the character arc is going to go, the readers' perspective is not challenged. It is failure to tell a unique, authentic story.

Redemption arcs are enjoyed because they deal with a commmon fantasy that we CAN do better and be better, eventually. Very few follow up on this and become better people, but reading about people that do sure is reassuring. This creates this self-righteous feeling in the reader for aligning with the right cause. This has a very clear moral and instructive tone - do better. When art is made to instill values is when the art ceases to be creative. This does not mean that art is and should be devoid of morality; on the contrary, art is meant to engage your morality through self reflection. When you read about deplorable characters doing deplorable things, there is no need for the narrator to outright say 'this bad' - how you feel about actions of the characters is inherently a moral excercise. (Why should anyone celebrate art that insults the readers' intelligence and their ability to make moral judgements?)

At the heart of redemption arcs is that they are digestible, easily understood, and reaffirm the goodness of the reader. It is the most simple, juvenile type of writing there is.

2.

There is a reason why Zuko's redemption arc (and many others of the like) have a particularly strong appeal - they are reassuring to white, Western readers. They play into another, more disturbing fantasy - the sins of one's colonial past can be undone, forgiven and forgotten. If a prince of an empire that committed genocides, military occupations, and so on (there is a very long list of the crimes the Fire Nation committed), can be redeemed and become better and help the oppressed people, then so can they (they won't, and don't really intend to, but the fictional realization is enough!). There is also a reason why the fucking beach episode is beloved in AtLA fandom- it goes through the motions of 'humanising the Fire Nation' and showing them full of just some random, 'normal' kids that just live normal lives (in the eyes of the 1st worlders). It is the ultimate justification of white Western conformity, ignoring how this conformity keeps oppressive, violent systems running. Aang's culture being wiped off the face of the Earth, showing us the torture Hama went through, seeing Katara never find peace about her mother being killed by a Fire Nation soldier, never getting to see Jet get justice for the murder of his parents, all the environmental damage the Fire Nation caused is extended as much or less sympathy than privileged kids from the Fire Nation. Let that sink in. Zuko is just the most glaringly obvious realization of this motif.

Zuko's redemption arc is reflective of Westerner's feelings about colonialism and racism. This guilt is something that is part of them, as one has to be painfully stupid to be oblivious to their nations' pasts- everything around them reflects their vile history. They either choose to double down on this fact and percieve themselves as victors and their past as full of glory, others have trouble dealing with the gravity of these facts. And Zuko's moral dilemmas, his failures reflect this "revelation" and (surface-level) abhorrence towards imperialism. And it reflects a more awful truth, that these people seldom truly recognise the true implications of their own involvement in these systems - they often see colonialism as these sins of the past and systems divorced from their own involvement, and not the sins of both the past and present they actively contribute to - and Zuko also realises the faults of the Fire nation not based on what he personally did or has seen with his own eyes; he truly starts to recognise the evils of the Fire Nation when confronted with his past and his lineage. It is not the institution of the Fire Lord and the immense power it carries that has led to these heinous crimes, or the militarism- it is particular people that need to be brought down. Zuko, despite being a war criminal just like his father and sister, is absolved of what he did de facto. Just like the primary audience of AtLA would like to be.

Another thing to note, one that is not analytic but entirely subjective on my part, is that I cannot brush off the feeling that Zuko's redemption is more strongly motivated by Zuko's feelings of inadeqacy, rather than a developed sense of justice (this one is more up to interpretation, as there is proof n the story for and against this assertion).

3.

Redemption arcs and Zuko I don't have a problem with if we are looking at AtLA through the lens of mediocre standard children's media. Children's media should be didactic, because children learn a lot from engaging with the environment, and media is a particularly influential one. A child will not be capable of detecting all the implications of AtLA as a narrative - for them, it is enough to see a simple character like Zuko. I just cannot stand it when people delude themselves into believing he is written well, he's average at best.

That is all I have to say on the matter, for now. Thank you for your question. Take care.

[dragynkeep]

Oh boy! Time to be RWDE again!

Volume 1:

Why is Glynda set up with every possible anime trope of being Ruby’s mentor, yet she gets shafted?

Who thought two minutes and forty seconds is an episode? No, that’s a clip. A short.

Speaking of episode length (or lack thereof), what is up with this pacing…

So…team RWBY aren’t going to ever speak to each other? Why not assign them to different teams?

Borrowing from Young Justice, Weiss could lead the team until Ruby is mature enough to handle the role. Why yes, I do think Weiss has the head to be a leader, or at the very least, try to be a leader and fail, teaching her how to be a better team player. Character Arcs 101.

You had Weiss having a internal dialogue (great! Do that!) and then drop it to never use it on her or any other character. That’s a staple of anime, geniuses.

-we’re not copying Soul Eater down to the school layout, we swear- Uh huh. Sure.

Why is Ruby giving Jaune advice she doesn’t know herself??? How did she learn/know that???

Also PS- While Emerald’s redemption is something RT did, it could have been pulled earlier in Volume 2 or Volume 5, but that requires actual good writing and planning.

So many points, so little time with this show fr.

1:

RWBY just hates women. Like I'm not even joking, this show hates women despite being a female-led show. Glynda was given the oppotunity to be this figure for not just Ruby, but the team as a whole, but every chance she gets is given to the male teachers for no reason.

Professor Port was the one to lecture Weiss about being a good teammate and to not allow her ego to blind her to her own shortcomings, even if that scene is dogshit in retrospect. Professor Oobleck was the one to challenge Team RWBY's ideals around being Huntresses, to the point where we got depth into his character on why he wanted to be a Huntsman.

Even when Yang had lost her arm and needed guidance, Port and Oobleck were there with Tai for that arc. Glynda never gets a chance to even talk properly with our main team, or even flesh herself out as a character to the point that the most we got is from the AA game.

2.

The reason why V1 was like 20 episodes long. The episodes were like five minutes long and would've done better just shoving the parts together. It also meant that the pacing was really slow because we'd be waiting a week for a continuation only to have another five minute long episode.

3.

Interteam relationship outside the partnerships have always been an issue tbh. It's just more egrigious now because it's been like ten years and Ruby/Blake are barely friends, let alone close enough that Blake would admire Ruby like she said she does. Classic told =/= shown.

4.

I think the whole leadership issues with Weiss and Ruby were concluded far too quickly, they could barely be counted as arcs. Weiss has justified issues with Ruby not taking Beacon or her role as their leader seriously, but rather than that being built up more and having the two actually grow together, they just get lectured at and immediately change.

5.

Unpopular opinion but I hate the inner monologue used in anime and I'm glad RWBY doesn't go into it all that much outside of that one time with Weiss. The issue rises because they don't ever let the watchers in on what these characters are thinking or feeling, and even contradict themselves over the volumes.

6.

The advice Ruby gave to Jaune is honestly bad advice? A leader isn't someone who puts the team before themselves, that just opens up for the burnout and idiolising the leader, which is exactly what happened to Ruby in the later volumes. But they didn't show that the advice she gave them was not meant to be something taken seriously.

If they even remember what Ruby told him when they can't even keep track what happen in the volume before.

7.

The whole thing with Emerald's redemption is that she really wasn't given much to flesh out. She started the show straight up ignoring Cinder's orders to go out of her way to be more evil and violent, murdering a minority who ran from an organisation she has no part of. Only for the show to try and paint her later as a lost soul who doesn't realise how bad Cinder is for her.

Nevermind the actual redemption doesn't have her face consequences for the fact that she murdered countless people without much care and only ever pulled sad faces rather than, you know, having actual character to push her redemption.

[apocalypticavolition]

Let's (re)Read The Dragon Reborn! Prologue: Fortress of the Light

Well I took a much longer break than I expected and now winter's over (hopefully; I do live in Alaska) so it's time to get into the book with a longer break than expected between it and its prequel, but that gets going now that winter's over. Everything else is of course spoilers, and this post is going to have spoilers for the whole damn series so... don't keep reading if that's a problem.

Pedron Niall’s aged gaze wandered about his private audience chamber, but dark eyes hazed with thought saw nothing.

We start out this book with the Whitecloak icon because we're in Whitecloak town. And as is usual in Whitecloak town, every person in the place is looking around wildly and still completely blind to what's in front of them.

Still, he was suddenly aware of the tendon-ridged back of the hand holding the drawing, aware of the need for haste. Time was growing short. His time was growing short. It had to be enough. He had to make it enough.

We do see evidence here and there that despite being a Whitecloak, Niall isn't a completely contemptible person but... He is of course still completely wrong. He's not going to make it to the Last Battl and it won't be old age that takes him. He's in audience with a guy who could be warning him about the threat that will destroy his country but is focused on something else entirely.

It is a worse madness than any false Dragon I’ve ever heard of. Thousands have declared for him already. Tarabon and Arad Doman are in civil war, as well as at war with each other. There is fighting all across Almoth Plain and Toman Head, Taraboner against Domani against Darkfriends crying for the Dragon—or there was fighting until winter chilled most of it. I’ve never seen it spread so quickly, my Lord Captain Commander. Like throwing a lantern into a hay barn.

Considering how in-depth the series gets later on, it's a bit surprising we don't get much of a taste of this initial conflict. This all-consuming war, IIRC, continues to run on and off for pretty much the rest of the series, though the Seanchan do quiet it down and reframe it a great deal in the latter half.

“Lord Captain Bornhald said they called themselves Seanchan, my Lord Captain Commander,” Byar said stolidly. “He said they were Darkfriends. And his charge broke them, even if they killed him.”

Even when Byar touches on the Seanchan it's only in ways that actually misinform Niall. No wonder the LCC is so frustrated with this conversation.

“By this one Darkfriend you spoke of, Child Byar?” He could not keep an edge out of his own voice. A year’s planning lay in ruins amid the corpses of a thousand of the Children, and Byar wanted to talk only of this one man. “This young blacksmith you’ve only seen twice, this Perrin from the Two Rivers?”

Dude is so Perrin-obsessed that I feel that Perrin's ta'veren must be working against them both under these circumstances. Just like how Rand's causes both good and bad things to happen at random, so too does Perrin attract allies and enemies.

Perhaps these wars meant nothing in themselves—men fought wars—but they usually came one at a time. And aside from the false Dragon somewhere on Almoth Plain, another tore at Saldaea, and a third plagued Tear. Three at once.

Consider how different from Europe the setting of this story is, that wars come "one at a time". They don't have the population to sustain Renaissance war rates, even if they do still have the technology.

The Atha’an Miere, the Sea Folk, were said to be ignoring trade to seek signs and portents—of what, exactly, they did not say—sailing with ships half full or even empty.

I believe this is the first mention of them acting weird, so... that's an additional complication to look forward to.

But Tar Valon had apparently sent other Aes Sedai to support the other false Dragon at Falme. Nothing else fit the facts.

Props to Niall here for coming to a somewhat correct conclusion from a variety of incorrect data.

Carridin was tall, well into his middle years, with a touch of gray in his hair, yet fit and hard. His dark, deep-set eyes had a knowing look about them, as always. And he did not blink under the silent study of the Lord Captain Commander. Few men had consciences so clear or nerves so steady.

It's pretty easy to have a clear conscience when you don't have any conscience at all. Shame Niall's not a good enough judge of character to see that.

To serve the Light. Not to serve the Children of the Light. All the Children served the Light, but Pedron Niall often wondered if the Questioners really considered themselves part of the Children at all.

Maybe instead of setting up plans to conquer the continent you could have dealt with the Questioners, Niall? No? Just gonna let that shit heap fester in the sun? Great choice. Absolutely no knives in the back are coming your way... His eyes really aren't seeing anything in this chapter.

The Shadow’s plots are murky, and often seem mad to those who walk in the Light.

Sad thing is, Carridan is probably perfectly accurate in this particular sentence. The Dark spends a lot of its time acting in ways to maximize the paranoia of the common folk, to keep the Light too divided to properly purge it before the end of the Age.

Few ships have tried to cross the Aryth Ocean, and most never returned. Those that did, turned back before they ran out of food and water. Even the Sea Folk will not cross the Aryth, and they sail wherever there is trade, even to the lands beyond the Aiel Waste. My Lord Captain Commander, if there are any lands across the ocean, they are too far to reach, the ocean too wide. To carry an army across it would be as impossible as flying.

1. The Seanchan also do fly, naturally.

2. As Niall points out, this isn't a proof, it's only a (logical) guess.

3. The Sea Folk actually have made it across a few times, though they refer to the far end as the Isles of the Dead or something similar. Carridin probably isn't pointing this out either because he doesn't know or if he does because he doesn't want to make reaching the Seanchan continent seem plausible.

“Most people think Trollocs are only travelers’ tales and lies, and most of the rest think they were all killed in the Trolloc Wars. What other name would they put to a Trolloc but monster?”

This... also isn't proof. Shame the Whitecloaks don't like logic as much as the White Aes Sedai do.

“Even a false Dragon,” Niall said dryly, “is not enough to make them forget four hundred years of squabbling over possession of Almoth Plain. As if either of them ever had the strength to hold it.”

Even the real Dragon only manages to unite them through his second-order unification, as they lie across the Seanchan/West divide otherwise.

“At first they were only rumors, my Lord Captain Commander. Rumors so wild, no one could believe. By the time I learned the truth, Bornhald had joined battle. He was dead, and the Darkfriends scattered. Besides, my task was to bring the Light to Almoth Plain. I could not disobey my orders to chase after rumors.”

Bro doesn't even have a good excuse. If Niall wasn't busy scheming for his own agenda, he could have ended Carridan here and now and saved everyone a lot of trouble.

He would never put forward one of his own, but I doubt he’d quibble if I named you. A few days under the question, and you would confess to anything. Name yourself Darkfriend, even. You would go under the headsman’s axe inside a week.

Actually perhaps I'm overoptimistic here. Perhaps the High Inquisitor - or just the Darkfriends amid the Whitecloaks - would ferry Carridin away or arrange for an early demise before he could give away any information at all. Replace him with the next dude, same as the first.

Loose a lion—a rabid lion—in the streets. And when panic grips the people, once it has turned their bowels to water, calmly tell them you will deal with it. Then you kill it, and order them to hang the carcass up where everyone can see. Before they have time to think, you give another order, and it will be obeyed. And if you continue to give orders, they will continue to obey, for you will be the one who saved them, and who better to lead?

Niall of course foreshadows Perrin's rise to power, though the boy does it kicking and screaming.

Niall rubbed his hands together. He felt cold. The dice were spinning, with no way of telling what pips would show when they stopped.

In a way, Niall inadvertently views himself as a dark mirror to all three ta'veren. Perrin, by means of creating an enemy to unite people; Mat, as a Great General with a focus on gambling, and Rand...

But he, Pedron Niall, would unite humankind behind the banners of the Children of the Light. There would be new legends, to tell how Pedron Niall had fought Tarmon Gai’don, and won.

Rand like this.

A month before, in the dead of winter, the gangly little man had arrived in Amadicia, ragged and half-frozen, and somehow managed to talk his way through all the layers of guards to Pedron Niall himself. He seemed to know things about events on Toman Head that were not in Carridin’s voluminous if obscure reports, or in Byar’s tale, or in any other report or rumor that had come to Niall. His name was a lie, of course. In the Old Tongue, Ordeith meant “wormwood.”

"Wormwood" is a Book of Revelation reference: "The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many died from the water, because it was made bitter."

But also, poor, poor Niall. He sees himself as a man of cold logic (steel, cuendillar, etc.) but with Ordeith around whatever virtues he had are assuredly doomed.

The Two Rivers,” Niall mused. “Someone else mentioned another Darkfriend from there, another youth. Strange to think of Darkfriends coming from a place like that. But truly they are everywhere.”

Niall is almost, ALMOST clever enough to realize how stupid this claim is... But Ordeith's a fast talker.

Much of the drawing was only a smudge, and a rip ran across the young man’s breast, but miraculously the face was untouched.

Fain can tear Rand up physically, as can most of the Shadow, but despite everything, the boy remains.

“Perhaps I must make plans for the Two Rivers. When the snows clear. Perhaps.” “As the Great Lord wishes,” Ordeith said blandly.

And so we set up... next book's plot. Seems a little premature for this book's prologue but sure! Also note that Ordeith calls Niall the same thing all the Darkfriends call the Dark One. You'd think a real servant of the light would notice and object...

It was a man in form, no larger than most, but there the resemblance ended. Dead black clothes and cloak, hardly seeming to stir as it moved, made its maggot-white skin appear ever paler. And it had no eyes. That eyeless gaze filled Carridin with fear, as it had filled thousands before.

Oddly, the wiki says that this is the first appearance of Shaidar Haran and that it was only described as a "very tall Myrddraal" at this stage but as you can see, this Myrddraal is actually... a little short for a storm trooper. I'm going to make the executive decision that no, this Fade is not even an early SH variant and that if Jordan wanted me to think so he should have put it in the text where it belonged instead of interviews after the fact.

The Halfman’s bloodless lips quirked in a smile. “Where there is shadow, there may I go.”

There really must be some other limit to the Myrddraal's shadow-stepping technique because otherwise one of them should have just stepped in Rand's shadow and killed him if they wanted him dead so bad.

The Myrddraal grated, “Your Lord Captain Commander’s words are dung! You were commanded to find the human called Rand al’Thor and kill him. That before all else. Above all else! Why are you not obeying?”

And so we see the trap that Carridin is in, an interesting trap indeed considering that in later books Rand will be off the kill list. It's a good thing Ba'alsy is mad enough for the inconsistency to just seem to be his illness and nothing more. Though perhaps this Fade works for one of the other Forsaken (Sammael? Rahvin?) It certainly isn't the DO deciding this (another thing that makes it hard to believe it's SH), because his orders are even clearer: let the Lord of Chaos rule.

“Hear me, human. You will find this youth and kill him as quickly as possible. Do not think you can dissemble. There are others of your children who will tell me if you turn aside in your purpose. But I will give you this to encourage you. If this Rand al’Thor is not dead in a month, I will take one of your blood. A son, a daughter, a sister, an uncle. You will not know who until the chosen has died screaming. If he lives another month, I will take another. And then another, and another. And when there is no one of your blood living except yourself, if he still lives, I will take you to Shayol Ghul itself.”

Frankly Mr. not-Haran, I don't think that's a great threat for Carridin until you invoked his suffering. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy who cares about his family at all...

With his good hand Carridin struck the basket from Sharbon’s hands, sending withered winter apples rolling across the carpets, and backhanded the man across the face.

The hierarchy of evil is so pathetic, isn't it? Ah well.

So ends the third book's prologue. The first book's prologue was an Age before the main story and sets up the conflict of the book and the series clearly. The second book's prologue was at least a little before the chapters of the second book and set up the conflict of the book and the series clearly. This prologue doesn't bother with that and instead sets the tone for the vast majority of the prologues to come: checking in on the plot threads that aren't doing anything this book. Probably one of my least favorite structural choices in these books, but it's a minor quibble.

Next time: Rampant abuse of innocent corvids.

[mushroomminded]

NO BUT FR FR IN REGARDS TO THAT "PUSHED HER TOO HARD BUT ITS BECAUSE HE CANT BEAT TO SEE HER GIVE UP POINT"; yes, though he was saying what he said in Light Motion specifically to rile her up so she'd fight it, he meant it when he said 'surely Peachy, the girl who carries knives in her coat etc etc, isn't going to GIVE UP?' because he KNOWS how strong she is, not just in skill or physical strength- hell not even predominantly because of that- but in terms of her fortitude, her stubbornness, how much she's already fought to get where she is. And as covered in DMs, if he were to meet Mars/was present for main comic canon, how hard he treats him, the shit he gives him, saying things like "if there's something i can't abide, its a coward" it's not to be a jerk for being a jerk's sake- again he KNOWS how hard Mars has fought to get where he is, he knows Mars is hurting and deeply wracked with guilt, but he also knows just running away from his demons won't solve a damn thing. He knows running away and submitting to fear keeps you trapped in a cycle.

None of this is meant to mean he can't be criticised for his mistakes, like (unknowingly but lets be real, his idea of a first training session was still insane) bringing up significant trauma from Peachy' past, or that he'd be so hard on Mars to the point of being a little abrasive, but it all comes from a place of understanding because he's been where both of them are emotionally- and in some cases (eg the business with Commander Tartar hijacking his body) literally. He comes from two long lines of pro Turfers, one side of his family is known for chronic poor health, he lost his father when he was eight years old (because his father just couldn't let go of the dream and kept pushing himself harder and harder), he was bullied relentlessly for being 'weak' and told he'd die young just like his dad did, the pressure to live up to that family heritage eating away at him, throwing himself into the life of a soldier as a teenager for glory and having a rude awakening as to what REAL combat is like and having to adapt to it, having to fight against foes who were desperate and brainwashed and if not justified in their actions then in their motivations or the events that forced their hand, being involved in World Ending Threat after World Ending Threat, reconciling with the unease that comes with realising you've not just adapted to being a soldier but that you're GOOD at it, being promoted to a leadership position and burdens that comes with that, feeling your own body start to fail you just like your dad and compromising both your job security AND what you do in your free time, briefly thinking that you're having to see and hold the dead body of your secondary father figure- Avex has been through so, so much in his comparatively short life, and there are days it weighs so, so heavy on his head.

But he's still here. There's still air in his lungs, still blood in his veins. Everything that tried to drag him down into the very depths of despair and hopelessness, everything that has tried to kill or hurt him, has failed. The marks on his body and on his mind, many of which have begun to heal, are not things he is ashamed of, not things he thinks make him ugly, but are instead evidence of how truly alive and free he is. And throughout all of the stuff documented above, he still found joy, he still found fun, he still found love- he was never alone, even if he sometimes felt it, and the bad things were never permanent.

Its hard. But it can get better. There is ALWAYS the opportunity for things to get better. Sometimes, you have to fight for it- figuratively and literally. And that's scary. But you can win. You can overcome. You can smile again. Because he has. And he will not, can not, sit idly by and watch people submit themselves to hopelessness.

funnily enough that gives him n mars something in common, not putting up with quitting. Avex's perspective has a more optimistic end, that things will be better, while mars just goes on because what other choice is there?

peachy's not a quitter, shes stubborn and a fighter and she tried so hard to carve out her future and it burned her so so badly. im sure its hard for her to articulate to either of them how dead tired she is and how low and desperate she had to become to reach a point where she doesn't want to pull herself up again

[ravenwitch45]

do you think millie is a poorly written character?

I'm gonna be honest... I dreaded this ask but I don't skip over asks so I will answer. And hopefully put some well earned respect on this girl's name. Short answer? No. I don't. Long answer? Well let's get into that. My understanding of the argument is that Millie just doesn't have much going on for her that isn't in relation to Moxxie. But frankly that just isn't true. She doesn't have as much depth as Blitz or Stolas but she still has stuff. She's protective, and not just with Moxxie.

In CHERUB she pulls Blitz behind her when Keenie is ranting at him. Her protectiviness is just an instinct she has with the people she cares about.

In Harvest Moon this notably doesn't show up until the end of the episode, and we also learn her dynamic with her family, something only Stolas has gotten as well. Her getting easilly peeved with her Sister Sallie May, and her parent's very nagging attitude towards her, treating her like she can't defend herself, presumably why she is so docile for the episode until the end where her and Moxxie tell them off. So her relationship with her family isn't perfect.

In Truth Seekers in a detail I see never brought up outside "Oh this duo is cool" Her and Loona team up to save Blitz and Moxxie from the agents. In fact they work really well together as a team. Now I understand the piloit has questionable canonicity but If you remember these two could not stand eachother, but now they are a force to be reckoned with. They settled their difference just like Moxxie and Blitz did. Maybe a little less obvious but still. On screen character development. And if you want more of that, remember how she didn't defend Moxxie from Striker's insults in harvest moon?

Ozzie's has her literally clock Fizzarolli over the head with a guitar, in front of Ozz himself not to mention the crowd. Fuck all to the reactions she is defending her husband, again she has growth, she learned a lesson that just get's mostly ignored by the fandom.

And one last thing. I recently saw something claiming that Millie, along with Loona and Octavia are all terrible characters. I didn't watch it as Helluva critical stuff is often baseless but this I suppose has a crumb of truth to it if they meant they were underdeveloped. But here's the thing, this show has barely ten episodes IF you include the pilot. And there all like ten to twenty minutes, that isn't that long and if you cram a ton of stuff into something that short, it ends up a mess. So that's why an episode only has two to three points. Makes it easier to digest the info presented, The story of this show is still unfolding so maybe wait before claiming everything is awful while ignoring crucial points. Sounds exhausting if you ask me.

So yeah, I like Millie, I said it. Is she perfectly written, no, no character is but she isn't that bad. She's funny, she's enjoyable and her dynamic with the other members of I.M.P is something I like seeing develop. She doesn't need to be THAT deep to be an enjoyable, People like Stella and she has about as much depth as worn out shoes. Just enjoy the show, that is the point after all.

[hustlemeanokay]

After playing Veilguard for a few days (no spoilers)

So, I do this thing with RP games. I make my 1st character however I want, do whatever I want, with zero thought as to the consequences as far as disapproval/approval goes. Just wing it. Then, as I go, I'll make characters that are more tailored, more specific play styles etc.

I currently have two Rooks and am making a third. No, I'm not kidding. I do/did the same thing with BG3. I simultaneously play multiple characters. I'll play one character for a few days and then swap over to another for a few days and back and forth and around and around until I finish them up and then start on whole new ones. Just the way my brain works.

So, when I've said in the past that I have a lot of Wardens, a lot of Hawkes, a lot of Inquisitors... I meant it. And each one has their own in-depth story, relationships, histories and futures.

Right now - I have my 1st Rook - she's just winging it, completely. She doesn't have a clue. Purple options almost always. I went with a random generated name on her because I was like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Zea Laidir. Lords of Fortune elven mage. And I have to say - the fighting for mages is on point and awesome. The only thing I did that was kinda like "oops" was I made her crazy short LMAO. I didn't mean to make her quite so small but it is what it is and she's a little thing.

My second Rook - Grier Thorne. Grey Warden - dwarf - warrior. And somehow, he ended up looking like a cross between Erend from Horizon Zero Dawn and Soap from CoD. He's direct but a smartass when the need calls for it. And I can already tell he has the biggest crush on Lace (who is so incredibly huggable it isn't even funny). I'm usually a distance fighter in games so warriors always take some getting used to but I'm slowly getting there - luckily they can take a beating.

I will say that I do like how your faction choice actually does come up a lot and in real ways. Not just in passing comments. OH and - Lucanis' voice doesn't bother me as much as I thought it would which I'm so happy about because I was worried there for a bit.

But I am having so much fun with this game and I don't care what other people are saying, they're just being mean. They want Inquisition. They want DA2. They want Origins. They want all of that in a new game. They didn't actually want a new game. They can argue all they want but that's what it boils down to. If it wasn't those exact lines, those exact quests, those exact references, those exact places and look the same? They weren't going to be happy. There's no pleasing some people and that's just how it is. As the saying goes - haters gonna hate.

But for me? I'm loving it. The styling is different. The look is different. (And the heads are only big if you make them that way dipshits). But the voice acting is amazing, the story is engaging (if you aren't expecting it to be a regurgitation of the previous ones) and if you genuinely want to be engaged. If you're looking for a reason to be bored? You'll find it anywhere. I like that it's not rushed nor too slow, it gives you breaks and time to explore and pick up extra quests if you want but you don't have to. So yeah - I'm happy. (❁´◡`❁)

[cinhomi]

nooooo don't apologize haha! I love hearing about your life :3 but I kinda find it funny because my experience is kinda like the opposite of yours. in high school I never took art because, like you said, I didn't like being forced to do art that isn't on my own terms, and i had a short attention span that wasn't ideal for in depth art research, my parents also told me that I wouldn't be able to handle taking art.

but not taking art in high school meant that it was much more difficult for me to make a portfolio, I didn't have a standard number of works some of my art friends did, and I didn't have the experience taking art would've given me. when it came to choosing a program in uni it also meant that I couldn't take any creative subjects because I was lacking experience and a portfolio. I ended up going into the most creative related subject in business school (kinda a stretch) which is marketing. but classes are also completely different from what I expected. in the first semester I have to take general business courses, like accounting and math (which is a nightmare.) and sometimes I wonder if I made the right choice, yknow? maybe I wouldn't be wondering so much, maybe I wouldn't have to do nasty math :") I guess I got what I wanted but it's just not what I expected haha

anyways haha for skzoos and stuff I buy them from a fan agent! (speaking of pilot skzoos my bbokari came in today :3 he's SOSO tiny he's a lil babie hehe) fan agents are fans who help buy fan products through group orders, so you can just pay them the cost + shipping (shipping will be much cheaper since the cost is split with other fans) it'd still be a bit more expensive than the price stated by jyp but it's a bit more affordable and you do save on the shipping 👍 I hope you'll be able to get your skzoos one day :D

- titracha nonnie (who has not started studying for finals next week pls send help)

hm, I get it nonnie, I super get it, believe it or not. it'd be too long to explain but I'm now kind of forced to take the "artistic" path and I'm afraid I'll have to suffer few other years doing meaningless, repulsive, imitating art over and over and over again until I take that stupid degree... anyway, I'm sorry that you had to do something else... hope you'll find your dream job someday :/ ♡

aahhh so that's how so many people get certain types of merch... I was starting to think I'm one of the few people who's too broke to afford even one album lol (I've been a k-pop enjoyer for six years and I never knew the existence of this thing, great 👏👏)

I'll try to search for something similar then???? I really, REALLY want those pilot skzoos... 'been obsessed since they came out... TーT

[woggle-bugger-me]

Uncle Henry and Aunt Em in Oz

(Content warnings for mentions of racism) So... March Laumer. Truly one of the writers of all time.

Laumer's a bit infamous in some circles for writing Oz books that're aimed at adults. They're not that dark for modern, post-Wicked Years standards (none of the ones I read had any explicit sex or swearing) they're more like if you got a normal Oz book and added a sprinkle of what-the-hell stuff to it. Someone online once described them as like Baum's Oz, but without the innocence, which I think is pretty accurate (although Baum's books had their dark moments). That being said, Laumer wrote a lot of his books throughout the 80s, so it makes sense that they'd be controversial at the time.

Anyway, here's my review of "Uncle Henry and Aunt Em in Oz" by March Laumer. I'm not going to give an in-depth plot summary of it cos I assume most people that're gonna read this either 1) have already read it or 2) don't actually care about the plot and just want to read about the weird stuff, but basically it's about Aunt Em getting possessed by the spirit of the Witch of the East, and Uncle Henry teaming up with a kid called Zippiochoggolak (or 'Zip') to save the day.

The writing

I actually like how Laumer handled some characters, mainly Aunt Em and Uncle Henry themselves. Em and Henry are underrated characters imo, so it's nice to have a book that focuses on them.

Some of the characters are handled weirdly, though. One of the reasons why some people dislike Laumer is because his versions of Oz characters are usually OOC. He doesn't give them whole new personalities like some writers do, but the characters are usually a bit "off". For example, characters will talk to each other about politics and other serious topics, which obviously didn't happen a huge amount in Baum's books, unless you count a scene in The Road to Oz where the Tin woodman bonds with the Shaggy Man over their shared hatred of money. Some characters have a slightly meaner or sarcastic edge to them.

The child characters are portrayed as being less sympathetic in this book, and I get the impression that Laumer didn't really like kids much. There's a sharp contrast between Baum, who was good at writing child characters, and Laumer, who wasn't. It makes me wonder why Laumer didn't just focus on the adult characters seeing as he clearly found them easier to relate to?

The plot itself is unfortunately really boring around the middle. I found myself skim-reading several chapters. Laumer's books are all pretty short, but reading this felt like it took years (that might be because I was tired, but still).That being said, Laumer sneaks little bits of dark comedy into it, and there were a few funny moments.

Also, I didn't care about Zippiochoggolak. I admit I'm biased since when people make OCs for Oz stories, I often find it hard to connect with them, but I didn't find Zip interesting at all. It doesn't help that he's shipped with Dorothy, which I just found weird.

Anyway, onto the weird parts of the book!

The weird stuff

Laumer establishes early on that Aunt Em and Uncle Henry are siblings-in-law. I'm not sure if this counts as incest or not since they're only related through marriage, but it's still a bit uncomfortable to read about. That being said, they were living in an isolated rural area during the Victorian period, so it's not that strange from a historical perspective.

Later on, Dorothy discusses her family with Zip, and talks about how she'd "like to see more tolerance in Oz". They then talk about how Christians try and convert people because they want everyone to be like them (Laumer's words, not mine).

Dorothy then says that Ozites are also racist, and that no one would want anyone who isn't a white Christian to come to Oz?? I assume this is meant to be a response to some of the later (mostly Thompson) Oz books, which have some really horrible racist moments. Dorothy and Zip obviously agree that this is bad, but then Dorothy comes out with this:

“Of course,” the Princess hastened to amend, “we would probably want to exclude deviants and unmarried mothers. I guess we wouldn’t want just everybody to think they could come here—no matter how harmless they might be.”

Just in case anyone gets the wrong end of the stick, I think this is just Laumer's dark sense of humour.

The book's ending is pretty dark. A character from Baum's books is accidentally killed and the other characters have survivors guilt. They where only a minor character in Baum's books, but still.

Final thoughts

Who is this book actually for? Oz purists won't enjoy it because it's too adult and people who want a dark Oz parody won't enjoy it because there's not enough adult stuff to keep them entertained. I don't want to put people off reading it, but at the same time I can't recommend it.

That being said, I am going to read at least one other March Laumer book, mostly so I can compare them. Maybe I'll write another review?

[necrosin]

❝ i don't like to bet on losing dogs, ❞ there's something to be said for the violence of language, the way that they poke and prod but also stab and slash at each other with nothing more than their voices, their vague intensions, veils drawn back to reveal the horror of them in full. well, horror is a strong word —— how do you speak to someone who had meant THE WORLD TO YOU once upon a time? a long lost best friend, someone you had known as well as you had known yourself, if not better —— as far as suguru is concerned, why would he speak and act any differently than ever?

nothing has changed / everything has changed / is there a deeper hidden meaning in how they speak to each other, now? yes and no and maybe ; older and not really any wiser, perhaps, but still falling into old habits, their hands lodged too deeply into each other's chests to withdraw, nails sinking into hearts, lungs, soul, so on.

❝ and i know nothing short of decapitation would make you stop talking, ❞ he'd loved the way that satoru talked, the way his voice filled spaces and silence, how he would go on and on and on about anything and everything. he loves it still, really / knows that satoru isn't being succinct for the sake of it, instead doing it to MOCK HIM, a coy little joke at the idea of debating morality and principles for the millionth time between them —— haha, i don't care, childish things like that. something inside suguru burns in response / something like desirous wanting / something like frustrated longing / or maybe just frustration warring with unerring amusement. ❝ maybe not even that, ❞ satoru would talk his way through his death and funeral and cremation, somehow, laughing and crowing all the while.

I KNOW YOU, funny how it sounds throwaway but they both know it's the core of it all, the bleeding core, pulsing like a heart but nothing like one, all the same. ❝ did you expect me to go on a murderous rampage immediately? i thought you knew me, ❞ amusement soaked tone / honey soaked voice : the idea is humorous, really. if he were THE STRONGEST then, perhaps / but suguru knows perfectly well he isn't, that for all the power he holds he needs more to exact the reckoning that this world requires, desires ; elsewise, he would simply be walking into his own massacre, and we can't have that, can we? ❝ not all of us are THE STRONGEST, satoru, ❞ the title held lovingly, mockingly on his tongue. ❝ the rest of us require planning to carry out our lofty ideals, ❞ like chastising a child, softly condescending like i know you.

satoru presses / suguru presses in return, a morbid recreation, corpses shambling along —— ah, but neither of them were corpses, they were simply fools who couldn't stay away from each other, after all. satoru squeezes hard / suguru squeezes harder, always a push and pull, always a give and take, always action and reaction when it came to them and these silly games they like to play. that steadiness inside of him persists, the surety and absolution with which he chooses to enact justice prevailing even here, even with satoru / suguru is hardly one to waver and pale, ever with that PERSISTENT NEED to meet every challenge ( perceived or true ) head on, even with something as sickeningly saccharine as holding hands with his one and only.

and it isn't a secret what satoru gets up to, not really, the whole of the jujutsu world seems to follow near every moment he makes —— suguru doesn't bother going out of his way to avoid news about him or to receive it : it simply LANDS IN HIS LAP, and he finds he doesn't mind it. still / he wants to laugh and does, a ringing sort of thing, dredged up from the depths of love that curls with amusement. he bats his lashes like a coquette, would throw in biting his lip too to drive the point home, for the sake of teasing, but doesn't. ❝ you think i'm interesting, satoru? ❞ as if he hasn't known, as if it weren't a simple fact of their existence, as if that simple fact hadn't thrilled him as a boy, as if it doesn't thrill him now, still : this proof that he retains the focus of satoru's attention, always, their claws set deep into each other. ❝ i'm honored, ❞ were it possible to carve himself deeper into satoru, to pull apart his ribs with a soft sort of savagery, to settle himself further in, to spread that seeping rot, perhaps he would. perhaps satoru would let him, and isn't that a thought? a possessive sort of thing, a darkly amused sort of thing, like reaching further into satoru's chest and heart and soul until his hands scrape the bottom only to push beyond / because of course his being is infinite, too.

for a moment suguru searches for jealousy in satoru's face / to have and to hold. the idea of a WIFE is so amusing he could die for laughing at the concept / he thinks of his daughters and their laughs and their smiles and doing their hair for them and letting them to his whenever they wished. nothing was too much for his girls, not his love and not their wishes and wants and whims in this world / he loves them and wants to create a BETTER, KINDER WORLD FOR THEM, to spoil them rotten with his love for them.

his daughters, his girls, his most beloved blessings in all of the world —— he wants nothing but happiness for them, to watch them grow into their selves and their confidence and to challenge the world as surely as its challenged them. HIS DAUGHTERS / thinking of them in time with satoru is a strange idea, a strange concept, something disjointed and strange. he loves satoru —— the idea of introducing him to his daughters is utterly impossible, a smoke-like concept, something without substance, just trying to imagine the three of them in a room together brings up nothing at all, as if it were so improbable that the mind refuses to picture it.

but : suguru is a doting father, a fact that amuses his family to no end, tittering and laughing and teasing as the girls glow beneath his affection and love. ❝ my daughters are doing splendidly, ❞ lofty and adoring / not to mention deeply looking forward to any sign or indication of surprise on satoru's face at the mention of them, the idea of them. perhaps the idea of suguru with daughters is as impossible in his mind as suguru trying to imagine mimiko and nanako in satoru's presence. a soft, lamenting sigh, ❝ they've started fourth grade and are excelling, naturally —— they grow up so fast, ❞ he keeps the information vague, half—formed if that, just enough for satoru to determine that they're nine and twins and little else / THAT IS ALL SATORU IS AFFORDED OF THEM. suguru keeps his daughters close to his chest out of a protective instinct, wishing to keep them safe, their lives and existences so thoroughly separated from satoru that trying to place them in the same space would be CATACLYSMIC.

❝ as for my wife, ❞ the word feels unnatural on his tongue / the slant of his mouth a smirk, something morbidly mirthful / he wants to reach inside of satoru and inside of satoru and further and further and FURTHER. to tear him apart. to reach so far into him there's room for little else but suguru. ❝ he's estranged, ❞ A LAMENTING SIGH, NOW, utterly undermined beyond compare by the smirk deepening on his face, love rupturing inside of him, a bleeding and pitiful and relentless thing : satoru as his wife is laughable, really, the way that the question is, the way that the idea of suguru having a wife at all is. who else would he love even half as much? a quarter as much? there's something objectively foolish about digging out your heart and gouging out a place for it in someone else at the tender age of fifteen, but suguru doesn't especially want it back. ❝ we fought and he hasn't seen me in years, ❞ he pulls at their joined hands, bumping against his chest, there's no room to pull satoru closer, at this point, but still.

fingers tap against satoru's jaw, a slow movement, a practiced one, touch dragging against the firm line of it and beneath, touch like a ghost over the fragile skin. ❝ you know, satoru, life is much easier when you simply say what you want, ❞ a play at being the unaffected, to only be affecting. ❝ subterfuge doesn't suit you. ❞

❛ don't you wish. ❜ to behold suguru's wickedness, the brutal way he smiles sick and similar at the thrill of his own cruelty, it's almost too much for satoru's heart, set to burst from delight. at what moment would the knife twist again, the very real way they've shifted and grown again come heavy handed to beat against him? it didn't matter, he would repeat it to himself as many times as he needed to, as long as it would take for his brain to catch up with the lazy drag of hands / wrists / touches that would, in any other context, surely kill him for how much he'd wanted them. what could possibly drive him on, if not that want for suguru against him.

perhaps it would be best to concede, to give the ground that suguru wants over and lay bare the truth of it all. suguru passionate / satoru dispassionate: it would take nothing from him to roll his eyes and churn out faux disgust at the horrid things thrown at him so casually. perhaps, now that things were different, there would be something to it, an end in sight, but they're so stubborn and set that really there's nothing to be done but waste time —— and how much of that do they even have? it had been so easy last time, with those final words ( THERE'S A MEANING TO THAT, what tripe ) and the flex of his hands, grunting from some pained exertion to place them there in the first place.

it hadn't been enough: for him to claw his way inside suguru, to curl his fingers around his heart just to hold, just to see what would happen. to let suguru feast on him and to feast in return: there's a frenzy to it now, a desperation he'd not thought possible, but it was all so normal then, daily and casual as cherry-pop and sweat. the implausible fact of them, to make himself so almost dependent on the rush of love that he'd never thought to scour for again. he was manic, hungry, bedding inside another body and mind for the simple reason that he could.

if suguru could break that, could slice through the conjoined parts of them ( how it festered, how it stunk ) like it was nothing, he'd have no trouble walking away now.

❛ but i know you —. ❜ how true, even now. ❛ i give you an inch and you take a mile. ❜ a click of his tongue, a roll of his eyes, like this is all so far below him he cannot fathom speaking another word. ❛ but y'know suguru, there is something i've been noticing. there's an awful lot of non-sorcerers still around —— is this the 'best' you were talking about? ❜

there was always something else to do, somewhere else to be : people to save, yada yada. he didn't think of suguru constantly, had the willpower and want to avoid the snaking thoughts that rolled into him when it was warm, or cold, or when he saw glimpse of ink-dark hair wrapped around itself. the unavoidable taste of sweets and nice things —— he'd never tried to purge himself, couldn't rid the rot that settled deep within him. but he would never deny himself that twisted pleasure, indulging in his own sickness alone and quiet where he couldn't be caught, wouldn't be found turning over memories and searching for a new way to hurt himself. a survival mechanism maybe, he liked to think of it as a treat.

half-truth. how rude.

the contorting of their hands, falling into place. palm to palm, satoru presses his flat, the boyish want for proximity, and squeezes hard, once. the tips of their shoes hit, and he moves his ( just ) so there's a tiny overlap, a tiny threat. it excites him beyond belief. ❛ aren't you sweet, still feeding my ego after all this time. ❜ again he coos, shoulders leaning effeminate and pointedly. if there's anything that's shy about suguru ( and what could he be shy about , it's a fact so innate to them ) he'd have gouged it out for the sheer audacity of its presence. the light floats around them, the world still spinning, and for a glorious moment he pokes suguru's cheek, nail digging into the skin bending under him. ❛ i really didn't think you had it in you, suguru. ❜

perhaps that is his confession / the omission of his guilt / proof of flushed long-lived longing for summer because words never meant much to him. he finds himself shocked at his lack of lamenting, had imagined the hours he spent mourning would return to him but his eyes are dry and his stomach settled. what a mess they've made, what a sad honest they've laid bare to poke and scratch at: if he'd done something different … no no no. we can't go over this again.

❛ my guts are spilled thanks, and it's no secret what i get up to. ❜ by nature of his being, and by nature of him being very loud and incapable of shutting up. he cocks his head, heavy eyelashes, if he's going to make all this mean something it's going to be easier than he'd thought. suguru is unshakable in his principles: satoru knows this better than anyone, and i miss you is good enough to prove that love still suffers within him and he wants to grasp at every straw handed to him, too used to gifts and open palms and affection smeared thick across him. ❛ you on the other hand, are a variable platter of intrigue. ❜

satoru loves suguru, but for all the love in them the story still changes from theirs to their own. he'll live and rule without it, he'll never try to bury the parts of him still fat from it and he'll think ( when he lets himself ) about the world with them in it. he can never go home, never bothered to make himself a new one so now ——

he'll claw his way back into suguru's stupid, principled world.

❛ how's work, suguru? — how's the wife and kids? any nice holidays booked? ❜ ugh, and even as he says it ( as he jokes ) jealously from the thought blinds him. he purses his lips, raises his eyebrows, too intrigued for his own good. he cannot have all of suguru's attention, knows that it's a blind want and so doesn't bother thinking about it, but still —— satoru is destined to drive away any girl that looks at him twice. it would be unfair of suguru to one-up him.

❛ any more villainous rampages planned? it's best you tell me now, i don't keep up with the news. ❜ he snickers, still looking untamed and busy. the thought had occurred to him ( running, the sound of his heart in his ears, pounding in his head ) that this was a sick last hurrah: the feeling that something terrible was going to happen. he really, really doesn't want that to be true —— but.