#again: this is just my interpretation so feel free to discuss your own!

[uriekukistan]

JJK 261 ANALYSIS: What happened, how, why Yuuta made the choice he did, and a discussion of tragedy & major themes of JJK

MAJOR spoilers below the cut so please read at your risk.

i wanted to dissect what happened a bit, and address a few points i saw floating around since the leaks dropped. of course, these are all my interpretations, so feel free to disagree, i just had a lot of thoughts floating around that i wanted to put out for discussion.

I. Gojo was never coming back

first of all, i don't know how you guys expected him to survive bisection. i said this earlier in the day as my justification for why i didn't think gojo was coming back, prior to leaks, and i don't think i can say it any better now.

and this is just my interpretation of reverse curse technique, but if anything, yuuta in this chapter supports my theory. in the scene where he's on shoko's table and arata nitta says that he's used rct to keep the wounds from getting worse, but it might be too late for yuuta to recover. in that case, gojo wasn't coming back from being sliced in half. it's just not possible.

additionally, and this is another thing that i've said for a long time. he says right in episode 6 (i forgot the chapter) that his dream is to reset the jujutsu world raise up a generation of strong students that work together. that is why he became a teacher. this very clearly comes from his relationship with suguru, and it's one of gojo's clearest motivations from the beginning.

the problem is, in order to achieve this, he has to die. so long as satoru gojo is alive, he will have to carry the burden of being the strongest alone. his students won't have to work together, because gojo will just take care of everything. this is already in the works, with how many people have come together to stand against sukuna. if gojo lived and defeated sukuna on his own, this wouldn't have happened, and bringing him back would, again, reduce the need for his students work together.

unfortunately, gojo has been doomed by the narrative from the start, and his primary goal as a character basically requires his death to be realized in its entirety.

II. They're not heroes, they're jujutsu sorcerers.

yeah, i'm stealing megumi's line because it's true. he literally said it twice for a reason, and then yuuta said a repackaged version of it in this chapter ("we're about to fight history's strongest jujutsu sorcerer. if we can win by throwing away our humanity, we shouldn't even be arguing about this").

trust, all the characters are well aware of the ethical issues with taking gojo's body after he's dead, both with what it means for gojo, and with what it means for yuuta. but this isn't a story about heroism, this isn't a story about the power of friendship. if it was, yuuji would have saved junpei all the way back at the beginning of the series. it was pretty clear from the start that this wasn't going to be the typical shounen manga like that.

in fact, expecting it to be is unrealistic. it's unrealistic in real life too, if i'm being so honest. everyone wants to think they'd take the moral high road in this type of situation, but the reality is, when you're fighting tooth and nail against an opponent that is fighting dirty, you have to fight dirty too if you want to win, and i think that's what yuuta is trying to point out in this chapter.

this happens in real life wars which im not gonna get into examples because i dont want to start that kind of discourse, but like...it's so great to be idealistic and hope that virtue will triumph simply because it is virtuous, but i think if you take a look around, you'll realize it's true that good people do not get what they deserve simply because they're good (that's so megumi of me to say...). or if you think of it like a board game, if a player is cheating, it is infinitely harder to win without cheating yourself.

maybe this is a bit pessimistic of me to say, but you will not win a dirty fight without getting dirty yourself, and i think it's pretty clear that sukuna fights dirty.

additionally, it's shitty to see gojo be weaponized, and i understand that, but it plays into the themes about strength in jjk, which i will get into.

III. This was not an "ass pull."

i don't really have much to say to this. did you think yuuta wouldn't take kenjaku's technique? plus, kenjaku being eaten by rika is probably the only surefire way to ensure that they're dead and won't just hop to another body. i've already said why gojo wouldn't come back, but it makes sense that if yuuta were to copy kenjaku's technique, who else would he body hop into, if not gojo? there's already narrative evidence to support this action, from the guidelines of yuuta's technique, kenjaku's technique, and gojo's technique, to the character of yuuta okkotsu, which i want to do an analysis in a separate post for him, so i won't get into that right now.

idk...to me, all the threads connect, plus i felt like yuuta's return was foreshadowed pretty heavily in 259 & 260, with the mention of yuuta's plan that yuuji couldn't know, and then on the last page of 260, the comparison of sukuna and yuuta, so for me, i always thought that it was not actually gojo, but yuuta at the end of 260.

IV. Themes of JJK: The burden of being "the strongest," or even just strong

even many jjk fans see gojo as "the strongest," and nothing more, doing exactly what the narrative sets up as one of the chief problems of jjk. a lot of gojo's actions are spurred on by the burden he feels from being the strongest modern sorcerer. his entire character is built around this problem of the responsibility and burden that falls on someone who's considered to be "the best" at anything.

in fact, this is also a driving point for geto too, and the conflicts geto and gojo come into with each other, as well as geto's inevitable fall from grace. it all comes from this issue that's at the core of jujutsu society. gojo recognizes that, and, as i mentioned, that is why he became a teacher. so that no young sorcerers will feel the burden of being the strongest alone.

the problem is this is easier said than done. after gojo dies, this burden gets passed down to yuuta, and he feels that immense pressure, which is why he decides to do what he does. he says "haven’t we been pushing the burden of being a monster onto gojo-sensei alone? if gojo-sensei is gone, then who else will be the monster? If no one intends to become one, then I will!" and i think this really powerful evidence of the pressure and burden of being the strongest, and i think the word monster is really important here. the burden pushes people to be something they're not, a shadow of their true self.

it distorts morality, like with geto. it isolates people, like with gojo. it forces people to go to unspeakable lengths to uphold their burden, like with yuuta. it leads people with immense power to doubt themselves, like with megumi. it leads people to feel like a cog in the machine, not a human, like with yuuji.

this is sooo so important and a key theme of jjk, and this chapter in particular, and the driving force behind yuuta's actions.

V. Themes in JJK: Loneliness and Isolation

this one has, in my opinion, a bigger role in the story overall than just in this chapter.

as i mentioned before, gojo is lonely. the only person who could understand him was geto, and he turned away from him, and then died. he seems like a silly guy or whatever, but it's just a mask.

but geto also felt alone and isolated, and that's why he turned away. between gojo and geto, neither of them were able to put share the burden of carrying their strength alone, and it's what kept them apart and made their relationship so tragic.

arguably, and though he would never admit it, sukuna is also lonely, though it's buried deep within him and something he will likely never acknowledge, despite it, and his lack of understanding of love (arguably a symptom of his loneliness), are major reasons for the way he acts.

yuuta, though supported by maki, inumaki, and panda in a way that the previously mentioned characters are not, is still isolated. he alone carries the burden of his strength. he was also alone his whole life after rika died, and then again when he was shipped off to africa, away from his friends (yeah he had miguel, maybe i'm missing something, but i dont see them having that type of relationship.

not only that, but yuuta recognizes gojo's loneliness, and reaches out to tell him not to try to stand by himself once again, and gojo admits that's something he can't do, the reason being his relationship with geto.

even further, yuuji and megumi, the parallel to satosugu, are both deeply lonely, except for when they have each other. i mentioned in this analysis that the reason megumi can't just get up and keep going is because he's alone and has been for over a month. i want to get into this more in my next point.

VI. Where I think (hope) this leads for JJK

a satisfying ending for jjk, in my opinion, would be the resolution to this loneliness and burden of strength issue that has been present throughout the narrative. something like yuuji being able to save megumi and them being able to correct what went wrong with satosugu in their own relationship.

personally would like to see satosugu reach the ending they should have had through the itafushi parallels - let them save each other! but i do know gege said only one of them (the trio + gojo) will die, or only one will live....that was years ago maybe he changed his mind :D

we all want to see yuuji take down sukuna himself, but i think it would be a great resolution to see everyone take down sukuna as a team. no one person is alone, no one person has the burden of the strongest. i know i said this wasn't a "power of friendship" manga, and i stand by that, but i think this would be the perfect ending. yuuta throws his humanity away to do what he did in 261 because he felt like it was the only choice and it was something he alone could do, but yuuji represents unwavering humanity (literally his name), and i think to preserve that, they all need to share that burden. let them realize they need each other.

this is what gojo died for, and this is what he lived for. this is why he became a teacher in the first place- to raise a generation that can be strong together, that can support one another.

VII. "It's poorly written torture porn!" "There's no point if there's no happy ending!" etc

i said this in a separate post but tragedies have existed in literature since the 6th century BCE, 2600 years ago. many of the most popular stories throughout history have been tragedies, for example, orpheus & eurydice, romeo & juliet, even things like the fault in our stars and the titanic movie. here's a quick explanation of what it means for a story to be a tragedy (yeah it's from wikipedia but they want me to pay to access the original source and im not doing that for a jjk analysis)

one of things i like most about this definition is the use of the word "catharsis," which is to say that the expression of strong emotions is a way of bringing about renewal and relief. in literature, it's used to say that with the arousal and following release of negative emotions relieves suppressed emotions for the viewer. im not gonna get too personal with it, but i know i've experienced this with jjk.

additionally all of the aforementioned tragedies, they have a message, no matter how sad they are. orpheus & eurydice inspires perseverance and faith in the gods. even something like titanic has messages about everlasting love that overcomes all boundaries. jjk has its message too, and it's long underway. we just have to wait for it to reach its conclusion.

it's easy to lose sight of the bigger picture when we only get one chapter a week, and the fact that the pain is so dragged out is a bit tiring, i'll admit. but that doesn't mean it's bad. having negative emotions stirred by a story doesn't mean bad writing. i mean, i would hope you feel sad. i would hope you feel angry. i would be concerned if you didn't. but given that jjk is a tragedy, that just indicates good writing. especially these last two chapters, i've felt moved in a way nothing else has done for me in a long time.

as always, these are just my thoughts!!! im happy to hear from anyone what they think :D

[hotdaemondtargaryen]

TOM GLYNN-CARNEY INTERVIEWED BY VARIETY MAGAZINE.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE SEEING THE MAKEUP AND PROSTHETIC FOR AEGON'S APPEARANCE AFTER ROOK'S REST?

"The testing stage was long, and took a while to nail what we were gonna go for."

"Lots of different versions."

"The one we settled on was gnarly, to say the least."

HOW DID IT FEEL WEARING THE MAKEUP FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE EPISODE? WAS THERE ANY POINT WHERE YOU DISCUSSED WAKING UP FOR A BRIEF SCENE? IN “FIRE & BLOOD,” AEGON IS OUT FOR A YEAR, SO I WAS CURIOUS THE EXTENT TO WHICH AEGON WILL BE OUT OF COMMISSION?

"Well, no, we couldn’t give Aemond a year or two to enjoy his position."

"We had to speed up time a little bit."

"But it was great."

"It was restrictive in all the right ways."

"It was claustrophobic."

"It informed the way that I breathe and move and spoke, whenever I did."

"I was very grateful to be included in the discussion process, from conception stage to the end."

HAVE YOU CREATED A NEW VOICE FOR AEGON FOR WHEN HE'S ABLE TO SPEAK AGAIN?

"I didn’t create a new voice."

"I did a lot of research into how intense heat and burns can affect your vocal folds, and just completely decimate them."

"Obviously I couldn’t do that to myself, so I had to find a way to replicate it."

"It was something that I had to definitely consider going into this new stage of Aegon."

"He has to feel changed, like he’s shifted."

"And I hope that reads eventually."

IN HIS INCAPACITATED STATE, DOES AEGON KNOW AEMOND DELIBERATELY ATTACKED AND BURNED HIM? HOW DO YOU INTERPRET THE FINAL SCENE OF EPISODE 4, WHEN IT LOOKS LIKE AEMOND IS EITHER SHEATHING HIS SWORD WHEN HE APPROACHES AEGON, OR HE'S GOING IN FOR THE KILL?

"That’s for the audience to decide."

"I can’t comment on that."

"I don’t want to tell people what to think."

"That’s up for grabs."

AEGON AND SUNFYRE HAVE A BEAUTIFUL SCENE TOGETHER IN EPISODE 4 WHEN HE RIDES HIM. WHAT LEVEL OF RESPONSIBILITY DOES AEGON FEEL FOR WHAT HAPPENED TO HIS DRAGON?

"He is very important to Aegon."

"What I enjoyed about that moment was that there was a little bit of a light shown on their relationship to each other, and the vulnerability between the two of them."

"It’s funny, I have a beautiful golden retriever, and on the day we had that scene, it was as if it were Ziggy, my dog, sort of pushing my chest."

"It felt like it was him."

"So any interaction I’m having there with Sunfyre is like having my own dog."

"There’s an understanding and appreciation of each other, and they don’t see each other as often as they would like, but there’s probably good reason for that."

"It lends itself to showing Aegon’s vulnerability and that softer side that I’ve tried to carve out a little bit more of this season."

SO AEGON WOULD FEEL SOME RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?

"Of course."

"It’s like taking your dog for a walk and he gets hit by a car."

"That’s my fault."

HOW DOES TAKING AEGON OFF THE BOARD AFFECT ALICENT AND THE GREENS?

"Well, from Aegon’s bed, he probably thinks it gives her a little bit more room to be more of a dominant force in the small council."

"It frees up that seat at the end of the table."

'I don’t think in Aegon’s bed he’s thinking': — “Oh, Aemond’s probably going to sit there as prince regent.”

SO YOU DON'T THINK AEGON THOUGHT AEMOND HAD INTENTIONS OF SITTING ON THE IRON THRONE? BACK IN SEASON 1, THERE WAS A MOMENT WHERE AEGON DIDN'T EVENT WANT THE THRONE, BUT AEMOND BROUGHT HIM BACK TO SERVE.

"I think that’s where that idea at the start of Season 2 was born, where Aegon is talking about how Aemond’s as loyal as a dog and will attack enemies on command and knows his place within the realm."

"But that coin can flip at any moment."

"We’re all dancing on a knife’s edge, and all it takes is one little push from one side."

"With the volatility that runs in Targaryen blood, there’s always potential for betrayal."

"But then again, was it intentional? Who the hell knows?"

WHAT WOULD WESTEROS BE LIKE WITH AEMOND AS KING?

"He’d be a steel fist, wouldn’t he? I think he’d be quite cutthroat, and a cold king probably."

"At least from the outset, he’d want people to fear him."

"He often talks about being bullied as a child, so he probably wants to reinstate himself as a secure, powerful man who won’t be messed with, which could be dangerous in a kingly position."

[another-goblin]

2.1 Spoilers

I have two versions of how Aventurine and Ratio planned that "betrayal." As always, I might be missing something, so please feel free to comment.

1. They planned everything, including the "betrayal", beforehand. They probably didn't expect Sunday to mess with Aventurine's head, though. And Ratio was so convincing that Aventurine, in his confused state of mind, started to doubt whether or not the betrayal was actually real. Ratio anticipated it, so he had that note prepared.

2. The second version: I don't think it's the intended interpretation, but it's much more interesting in my opinion. They didn't expect Aventurine's stuff to get confiscated. He managed to crush his stone and hide it among the common gems before that. But from now on, they weren't able to discuss their plans openly because their every word was being monitored. They were able to devise that entire "betrayal" thing with just hints and implicit understanding.

It's something akin to a conspiracy theory on my side. But I think it's fun to try and reinterpret all their dialogs with that idea in mind. Them trying to secretly communicate their new plans and, at the same time, reassure each other of their mutual trust. While portraying the picture of a disfunctioning crubmling team.

From their scene in 2.0, it's "We still trust each other, right? Do you have a plan? no? I know how crucially important these stones are for you, so I'll go and try to do something" on Ratio's side.

And in 2.1, his joke about "Maybe I do intend to betray you, haha," meaning "I will "betray" you, be prepared," and later "I'm still a manager of this mission," meaning "I know what I'm doing, we are still a team, I'm on your side, carry on."

(I don't remember their dialogs that well, though. I don't have time to rewatch the whole mission to listen to their dialogs again. Is there an option to just read dialogs later, like in Genshin?)

It feels like Ratio took the lead as always, while Aventurine was running around planning his own demise. And it shows Ratio's respect for Aventurine's intelligence. "I trust you are smart enough to understand what I mean without me explaining it explicitly."

But imagine what was going on in poor Aven's boiling brain. "Everything went wrong *panic mode* Ratio is trying to tell me something. I think we have a new plan. Or is he just manipulating me? Are we still together on one side? Or is it just my wishful thinking?"

3. Not the third version, I'm just curious what their overall plan was.

Topaz and Jade said something like "The stones are in place, so let's begin." So it feels like Aven's task from IPC was to just deliver the stones to Penacony (and maybe gather some intel).

So him crushing and later retrieving his stone, and all that happened next was his personal affair. Why would Ratio help him with that?

He probably recognized that spiraling into the depths of despair and self-destruction and going through this dark cathartic experience was the only way for Aven to (hopefully) appear on the other side, a happier and freer man.

Also, I've got the idea that crushing his stone is irreversible. You can't glue it back together. I think Topaz or Jade said in the end something like "We can't detect the aventurine stone anymore, you know what it means" (what exactly does it mean though? that he's dead? Is he free from IPC now?)

[ancunincurator]

Some Astarion musings...

These are some headcanons I felt like jotting down. Feel free to discuss your own interpretations.

The second time he propositions you, I truly believe he is already into you. Not love, or anything close to it. But the way he lets you in on the game just feels like it's because you're not really part of it any more. I know some people view this as Astarion toying with you, being cruel and potentially mocking. And I definitely think he's playing with you, but to me it's because he enjoys your company and isn't really using these tricks on you any more, and trusts you enough to let you in on it. The way he reacts if you turn him down, admitting your time together was special to him. The way he says it's hard not to have fun with you when you play along with him. I don't think he realises how deeply he's started to fall into his own trap.

I think, if romanced, Astarion always intended to turn you once he ascended. Maybe not into his spawn, but he intended to grant you immortality. What drives him to desire ascension? Fear. What drives most of his actions and reactions? Yup, you guessed it. And while it was immensely brave to open himself up and enter a relationship, can you imagine the new layer of terror that comes with loving someone? To have something to lose when you've only ever had yourself to worry about? When you speak to him after his siblings attack the camp, he can say "I'm doing this for you too, you know. To make sure we're both safe. Forever. For good". He says it with such intention. Forever. For good. But you don't have forever together, not unless he can do something about it. Which also makes sense why AA sees you as a possession, because he ran away from that fear of losing you by making sure he gets to keep you forever. (Also, I don't think Astarion is manipulating you when he says he wants to ascend for you both. Though he does it plenty in act 3)

A silly one, but I've seen people say that the graveyard sex was a spontaneous moment of passion. However, when you ask him before you both leave for the graveyard if he's giving up on walking in the sun, he replies that he's "Re-accessing what I want. What I really want." And my goodness... the tone is dripping with desire my friends. It's like The leg thing™ but in words. So I think, for maybe the first time in his life, Astarion had a plan from beginning to end.

I think Astarion was wild back in his magistrate days, a real hedonist. I'm talking regular orgies, hungover rulings, a true nepo-baby making the most of his beauty and youth. And I think 200 years later he feels nostalgic for it, but it's really only the feeling of privilege, freedom and the lightness of someone without trauma that he misses. I've never done the brothel scene with him, but I've seen it. When you go post Cazador he says he wants to "Try enjoying things like this again". He only says this after a night of passionate sex with the one he loves where he was totally willing and present and he felt good the whole time. So I think, at that moment in the brothel, he's riding that high. It takes him back to the old days for a moment. But then during, he's harshly reminded he's not that young elf anymore, he feels fingers bump over the scars on his back and is suddenly a million miles away.

[callivich]

Hiiii, Calli! It’s been a while since I’ve found myself in the inbox of my mutuals with a thoughtful question about our boys. However, we’re preparing for the hurricane down this way and I’m looking for something to keep me occupied — like talking to all of my beautiful lovely friends!!

So what I want to discuss today is the love language of our boys. What love language(s) do you think they each excel at and which one(s) do they struggle with the most? Do you think their love language(s) have changed since the beginning? Do you think they still excel or struggle with a certain one(s)?

I would also like to pick your brain on your thoughts of how they protect one another — how they protect one another physically, how they protect one another’s peace, how they protect each other mentally, etc! 🩵

— Much love, Chey

Hi Chey! 💖

I hope you stay safe during the hurricane! 💖

I love these questions!

So, as far as I understand it the love languages are: words of affirmation (compliments) / quality time / gifts / acts of service / physical touch. (I’m going off wiki so hopefully I’m interpreting these correctly!)

I think they both excel at physical touch now (but struggled at first - Mickey not wanting to let Ian get too physical outside of sex and Ian having to hold back). But now are very comfortable with physical affection.

I think quality time comes easy to them as well - I think they really enjoy spending time together but also really appreciate that they can do so now.

I think they can be good at words of affirmation (compliments) sometimes - they do come out with some great lines in canon (“what you and I have makes me free”/“you are so much better than that”) which I feel fit into this category. I don’t think they are great at it all the time though and certainly weren’t at the beginning. I like to think it’s something they are getting much better at now but I think it might be their weakest one in some ways.

Gifts is an interesting one - we don’t see a lot of this in canon (Mickey buying the vitamins and Ian giving Mickey the money at the border are two good examples) but I think they are probably good at it. They’re not always great at verbally communicating so giving a thoughtful or useful gift might be easier for them? I think Mickey is better at giving useful gifts and Ian is better at giving meaningful ones.

Both are good at acts of service in their own ways - Mickey’s definitely good at caring and romantic acts (rolling on the cartel for Ian, planning the anniversary party, doing his best to take care of Ian when he’s sick) and Ian is good at caring and supportive acts (helping with Terry, getting Mickey a job at the Kash and Grab, organising the singer/guitarist to play at their wedding). Again, I think this ties in to gifts? Because they probably find it easier to do things sometimes rather than say things.

———-

Very interesting question about how they protect one another! I think they are obviously very good at protecting each other physically- I think maybe Mickey does it ore than Ian, just because he’s got a bit of a shorter fuse. But they will both have no issues with protecting each other physically if it seems like the other one needs it or wants them to step in.

I think they know a lot (if not all) of each other’s trauma and so I think they try to avoid certain topics or things, or check in if something happened. I think the deleted scene where Mickey asks if Ian getting fired in s11 is a trigger for him is a nice example of this - I can see them doing something (an act of service) to take the other one’s mind off whatever might upset them and then asking if they’re ok.

I think in general, they’ve always wanted to protect each other and haven’t always been able to so now they try hard to, and it’s something they get better and better at as time goes on. (Has anyone written a five times Ian and Mickey protect each other fic? Because that would be a great topic for a fic!)

Would love to hear other people’s ideas and opinions? 💖

[detectiveneve]

omg your tags on that last rb? i want to know your Exact thoughts on That dialogue in the scene right after astarion and tav get together because it is so interesting to me 👀

***WRITTEN DURING EA

Okay hi yes, I do indeed have some thoughts. Fair disclaimer that this is just my interpretation! I've only been playing the game for a few days technically, so this is all my first impulse in terms of characterization and influenced by my own path, so! Other interpretations will also be super interesting to read about. Also, obviously, we don't have the full cut, whatever comes out in 2 weeks will come out in 2 weeks. Anyways! Overanalyzing this little bastard's dialogue below.

Okay, this affectionate ribbing was referencing this dialogue here where you can comment on Astarion not being totally "present" post-party sex. Sorry this took me a second to respond to, I wanted to grab the screens for this:

(screencaps of subtitles that read:

Astarion: That's what you want, isn't it? To lose yourself in me?

(new scene) Astarion: You sleep light. I thought you'd be exhausted after last night

Tav: Did you enjoy it? It felt like you weren't fully there.

Astarion: I was holding back a little, it's true. I didn't want to lose control.

To preface this, Astarion's arc is clearly dealing with the push/pull of power and control, one's personal agency (and how it can be taken away), and what happens when an individual reclaims power after for a very long time being without that power. He's endured god-knows-what for 200 years, giving glimpses of his former life, the torture under Cazador, the things he had to do for Cazador (which, included at least finding Cazador's meals through likely charm and seduction, without his own say in the matter.) Now he's out, he's free, he's experiencing the world for the first time basically (as he remarks on in ambient dialogue a lot: everything looks different. Click on a globe and he'll say something along the lines of having never seen the world, but there's time now.) Stating all of that is necessary to me because I think whatever's going on in his terrible brain is several factors all kind of thrown into one; some factors good, some bad, some neutral, some questionable; again, just my interpretation of him, but.

OKAY. Now that that's out of the way. The first interpretation of this scene (and the sex scene in general in its limited capacity: since we don't have eyes on the cinematic.) we can have is the obvious one: you two had a great night, Astarion is being upfront, he simply didn't want to lose control, nothing else here to look at. It's fantasy sex and it's simply good fun.

(The rest is under a cut. Sorry, this kind of turned into a meta Astarion and Sex and all of that? Anyways. CW for a bit of discussion about sexuality + trauma + implications of lack of consent.)

But Do I Believe It's That Simple? Not Really.

On one side, I do think Astarion is genuine in his pursuing of Tav, of sex, of good times and pleasure: he's been locked away for 200 years and now he's traipsing around in mud (a novelty), which might not be ideal, but he can still enjoy the thrill of that too, looks for what's in it for him, what feels good, etc. in all of the circumstances he finds himself in. There's a kind of subdued wonder from him about the world at large; remarks on craving the sun while you're in the Underdark, of experiencing the world, and I think he really is rushing around relishing the freedom as much as he can. And since of course he can reject you, he's not doing anything he doesn't want to do. In short: "simple pleasures," have eluded him under Cazador's thumb, and good sex with someone that you're into is likely just one more of those things he hasn't really gotten to do in ... [checks notes] 200 years.

But I don't think that's the only thing going on in this scene. The fact that the dialogue specifically notes a kind of distance from him feels relevant (since, if they wanted us to think it was all seamless good fun, they could've left it as is.) And the thing is, Astarion. is a big fucking liar.

When he wants to brush aside his dream to Tav, he'll simply say he had some naughty dream and brush it off--which we later find out was a lie ("that's what we call a lie, darling.") and his dreams have actually been about Cazador. Again, only relevant because the first thing Astarion reaches for when he wants to obfuscate the truth is lying through charm, or lying through witty barbs, and when pushed, turns into outright snappy aggression. Saying that the only thing on his mind was the hunger is an easy solution to reach for; maybe it's not even quite wrong, that likely was also an aspect of it! But.

His general .. quick sleazy flirting doesn't come out of nowhere. He uses it liberally, and with everyone, in his Evil Twink Fashion. Can flirt with half the camp at one point or another in environmental dialogue (specifically gets shut down by Shadowheart and Gale, humiliatingly.. the secondhand embarrassment there oh boy.) How much of that he learned while under Cazador's thumb, having to manipulate and charm for Cazador, sexualizing situations where he did not actually have full say and consent in the circumstances, is unknown to us, but can be inferred as not negligible. It's his default state. Charm and persuasion and trickery spell safety, as does disguising any kind of weakness. Disguising his weakness poorly, mind, because he obviously has several moments of raw vulnerability you can get even without his romance being initiated.

I think his current mental state here is a combination of that; of lying to disguise whatever raw state is beneath, unearthed by having simply... some good fun with someone, not out of servitude to Cazador, not to flirt or cajole to protect his own skin, but yet one more thing that's been denied to him (and, possibly, albeit we can only guess at this, not claiming it as canon, forced on him unwantedly) over the last 200 years. But he and Tav here aren't close, close yet, and when Tav tries to push (via talking about the scars on his back), Astarion clams up quite quickly, moving on from the discussion as soon as possible. So whatever is under the minor half-truth of "losing control," isn't open to us yet; we've really just met in the grand scheme of things.

We don't know yet what sex means to Astarion; he hasn't really elaborated beyond the obvious. But, I think, given his behavior, his casual flirtiness, his "You want to lose yourself in me," (another line I can squawk about endlessly in terms of character analysis), sexuality (actual sex or simply sexualization) can be as much a means of securing safety, control, coercion, power, and pinpointing weakness. It's also something he can clearly also desire wholeheartedly and with no ulterior motives involved; and I think this moment shows that, and he's grappling with it uncomfortably, what this means for him, one more thing that he can reclaim for himself. He craves something real, I think, and he's only just now beginning to form a real identity outside of what Cazador did to him, and how Cazador haunts him.

Pursuing something like this is one more step in that direction. Unlearning these gut impulses to lie and deceive and charm his way with Tav is probably what we're going toward, given his glimpse of a reaction to a hug. Whatever else Astarion has to work through in regards to intimacy is up in the air, but there's clearly a lot more going on beneath his fairly shallow veneer of charm and flirtatiousness.

(Which. Can we just have the option to hug him as a casual dialogue option? Please?)

[lurksunderthebed]

Ghoap Analysis/Meta (2.5)

The Evolution of GhostSoap Redux

Finally finishing Codmwii (22), via discussion of "Ghost Team" and "Countdown".

Discussing Ghost's face reveal and what it means to his character motivations/backstory.

Part (2.5/?) out of a series.

Brief mentions of MWIII. Practically spoiler free.

Please read the Alt text.

As I said more or less in my previous post, "Ghost Team" and "Countdown" doesn't have as many GhostSoap interactions by virtue of having the whole gang altogether again.

But what we do have however is the final evolution of Ghost as Trusting Teammate Ghost and a teasing look at our favourite masked character's face.

In this post, there'll be less analysis based on dialogue and more speculation/assumptions so take that as you may.

So let's look at "Ghost Team".

Ghost Team

Price: Alright, listen - We are taking back your HQ. We are getting our prisoner. We are killing Commander Graves.

Rodolfo: When?

Ghost: Now.

Price: This is a fight against our own... We are not 141 and Los Vaqueros on this. We're a team...

Ghost empties a bag full of skull masks onto the table.

Price: ...Ghost Team.

Ghost removes his mask in front of everyone, although the camera shows only the back of his head. Price nods and smiles at Ghost.

Price: Good to see you again, Simon.

Price removes his boonie hat.

Price: If you're in, take a mask... If you're not... Don't.

Everyone around the table takes a skull mask. The camera circles around Rodolfo, Gaz, Soap, Alejandro, Price, and finally Ghost as they put on their masks.

"Ghost Team" is bluntly named after Ghost finally deciding, hey these are all trustworthy guys and I'll show you the proof of my trust, by extending trust via face reveal. It's an extension of his previous statement in "Prison Break" that, "We're a team... all of us". It's like a switch with Ghost; once he decides to trust someone, to really consider them as Team, he proves it with his actions.

I know many out there were disappointed by Ghost showing his face to everyone, in fact I was too. In some ways it does feel a bit like whiplash to have Ghost struggle so hard to trust Soap and then in a span of 16 traumatic hours, he takes off his mask in front of all everyone. Remember this isn't just Rudy/Ale and 141, this is also a bunch of random soldiers from Los Vaqueros who were imprisoned seeing his face.

So why does he do that? And more importantly, does Ghost actually trust all of Los Vaqueros and Gaz as much as he now comes to trust Soap and Price?

To answer that we have to look at why Ghost might have decided to take off his mask, his thought process on doing so and the events leading up to this.

Let's go back to the cutscene before the whole reveal:

These are two separate frames that we are shown while Price is talking to Shepherd. We have Soap, Gaz, Alejandro and Ghost listening in.

Now this is again all interpretation and assumptions, but if you look closely, Ghost is noticeably a fair distance away from the rest of the gang.

For a guy who is extending a lot of trust by showing his face in the next scene, it's interesting that he's still framed as a man somewhat separate from the bunch. I know the framing was partially because showing all 4 men distinctly would mean placing them neatly like that.

But putting that aside, they could've placed Ghost closer to Soap. He could've taken Alejandro's spot on the opposite side of the table. It would make sense to group all of 141 closer together. Ghost has worked with Gaz since 2020 in Verdansk. They've known each other for 2 years already while Ghost has only known Alejandro (and los Vaqueros) for a whopping 5 days.

Again, they didn't. Personally, given how much the game relies on framing to indirectly inform players of character relationships, I'm going to read into this probably deeper than it's supposed to be.

One way to look at it, is that Ghost still isn't completely trusting of the rest. He still holds himself apart from the rest. Physical positioning actually does matter when we look at Ghost because 9 out of 10 times it isn't what Ghost is saying that matters insofar as what the man is actually DOING that determines his motivations.

It says a lot that the game decided to frame Soap and Gaz together and yet Ghost isn't placed closer to Price nor Soap—the two men we know he is the closest to.

Potentially, we can infer that Ghost taking off his mask in the next scene was a bigger leap of faith than thought before.

Ghost has decided to trust men (random Los Vaqueros) that he maybe hasn't personally talked to before. It's quite the jump, especially since we know that he STILL holds himself apart from everyone (even Price&Soap).

There's a couple ways we can look at why Ghost decided to do the face reveal.

Maybe Ghost showing his face happens more than we think and that's why it was so easy for him to reveal his face? Perhaps Ghost freely takes off his mask on his downtime and only truly cares about it being on or off while he's working.

It's possible. There's no way to determine Ghost's actions outside of him on duty. But even that doesn't fit right with the fact that we see him all masked up and bundled in layers in the bar scene at the end of this game and at the end of MWIII. Both times he could've gone with something more casual looking and less anon if he truly was someone a bit different than how he presents himself on the job.

Granted, the times we do see him in a more casual context, he's with his co-workers so it's not quite the fairest assumption to make. Perhaps he separates who he is with people who know him as Ghost with who he is when people don't.

But given what we have and what we already know of the man, I think it's fair to assume that how Ghost is in-game is probably how he acts when he's off duty.

After all, the one person (Price) who knows Ghost as both, the LT still isn't that close to. There's respect and trust but the casual joking friendship you see between Price and Laswell isn't there. That might be more on the fact that Price is still Ghost's superior so maybe the man just likes to keep their relationship on a strictly hierarchical basis. (Yes, I know Ghost jokes at Price in MWIII, but that was arguably more for Soap and also at Price's expense).

We know that showing his face isn't something Ghost does habitually. Soap hasn't seen it before and they've worked together for 3 years already, 2 of which they were in the SAME taskforce. They had to have seen each other a fair bit considering that Soap, Ghost and Gaz are apparently the only 141 operatives.

If there were more 141 operatives, I would expect them to come out in MWIII especially with the whole Makarov/brink of war thing, so unless any new info comes out I'm assuming that 141 is just Price, Ghost, Soap and Gaz with random loaned soldiers to pad their ranks when needed on missions.

So why does Ghost decide to take off his mask if him showing his face isn't a casual thing when he's off duty, nor does he fully trust PEOPLE as a whole?

Honestly, I see this as a massive leap of faith/hope and Ghost wanting to see things done right this time around.

As I said previously where I somewhat go into Ghost's backstory, there's an implication with Mace's inclusion that there was/is a unit of 'Ghost' styled operatives who might have all worn the ghost mask. Added with the fact that the reboot likes to take a lot of character depth from the older popular games in the franchise, it's not a stretch to assume Mace and Ghost being teammates are a nod to Ghost squad in cod: ghosts.

We know there was a betrayal of sorts, potentially one that might have involved those fellow ghosts. Mace left the unit and there's an ominous, "things are very different now" statement by the dev about Ghost and Mace's time as teammates.

Perhaps the title "Ghost Team" wasn't so much named after the man, Simon "Ghost" Riley, but rather after the 'Ghost' unit that Ghost and Mace were on.

Maybe Price calling them all "Ghost Team" was actually referencing that unit.

This is based on assumptions but hear me out.

We know Price obviously knows what Ghost looks like. The captain references the LT by name a couple times before: when talking about him to Laswell in the ending scene in 2019, in Verdansk (via comms) in 2020 and now here after Ghost takes off his mask. There's a relationship in between the lines that suggests that Price knew him before Simon Riley ever became Ghost.

Therefore we can also assume that Price also knows what happened to Ghost and potentially the details of that unnamed unit as his current direct superior. With Price's connections and his casual disregard for rules, I'd be surprised if he wasn't familiar with that hypothetical Ghost squad.

I think the biggest nod to this, is Price having on hand a bunch of skull balaclavas. He could've gone with plain balaclavas if just being anonymous was the concern, but didn't; the choice of a skull pattern was deliberate. This was potentially planned out prior to Price's rescue of the group in "Prison Break".

Unless Ghost just randomly keeps 6+ extra skully balaclavas on his body at all times, it's most likely Price that brought the balaclavas with him.

There probably wasn't enough time for Ghost to communicate to Price of Shepherd's betrayal and thus their need to hide their faces to fight the general. In "Alone", the LT even mentions it to Soap that they have to rely on themselves and not Price or Laswell. Heck at that point, Ghost didn't even trust Laswell. Only Price, Soap and everyone that got betrayed was deemed 'safe'.

I suppose Ghost could have sent a message to Price that they were going to break Alejandro out at the safehouse, but I'm not entirely sure there was enough time for that between everything that happened and Soap's injury. Plus Ghost and Soap were surprised to hear Price on comms. If Ghost was sure Price was going to show up, I doubt he would hide it from Rudy. And even if he knew the captain would come, it's likely he would change their plan to factor in Price's arrival. Therefore we can say that this was most likely all Price's initial plan. Not Ghost's.

Price clearly knew that to defeat Graves and Shepherd, they would have to 'go dark' so to speak. Obviously showing their faces would make the group war criminals. Naturally that meant they would have to emulate a unit that was probably well known to do missions completely anonymously without any country, rules of engagement, or signifier outside the skull mask. An international unit that carried out presumably the blackest of ops would be a perfect fit.

And to make it even more authentic, they have a member who was/is a part of that special group. Now the title of a game serves two purposes. Referencing Ghost's change from lone wolf to teammate as well as a call back to cod: ghosts.

So again, if this was Price's idea why does Ghost go along with it?

Well harking back to what I said earlier, it's assumed that Ghost has been betrayed by potentially his own ghostly teammates.

Ghost coming up to this point had no idea anyone other than Price, Soap and Los Vaqueros were trustworthy.

But then the events of "Alone" and "Prison Break" happen and Ghost sees Laswell being, "still solid as a rock". He gets rescued by Price unexpectedly. Soap shows that outsiders can be trusted by proving Ghost wrong about all his initial suppositions. Everything Ghost said to caution Soap— them not being able to rely on Price, them not trusting Laswell, Soap surviving, all of them were proven false.

And from seeing that, perhaps the man decides he wants to overturn his past experiences with betrayal to something better. Because now Ghost has hope. What else could he be proven wrong about?

This hodgepodge ghost squad might be a catharsis for Ghost in the sense that this time, he can get some revenge for being betrayed. He can have solid 'ghost team' members who have his back (unlike previously). He can let himself have a team again, with all the vulnerable trust that is implied with letting himself be a part of a team.

So Ghost taking off the mask makes more sense when we look at it as him trying to redo his own past as well. He is asking the rest of them to trust him by extending trust back (by showing his face).

But again that's just a theory. A video game theory.😎

I could be very wrong with everything here. It could just as well be as simple as Ghost after finding love trust from Soap, is so moved by the power of love trust that he felt compelled to take the next step in teamhoodness. Again, by asking the bunch to trust him by showing his identity.

The masks and the naming could just be based on Ghost and his apparently infamous legend. The guy has a bit of an ego about his skills. Maybe this plan was hatched by Ghost and Price together, and the LT wanted his ego stroked by having everyone dress up as him.

I also wouldn't put it past the man to randomly have 6 spare balaclavas on him at all times. He wears SKELETON GLOVES for god's sake. The guy is truly committed to the bit. Maybe he really is that eccentric/well prepared.

Who knows.

What we do have however, is the fact that Ghost taking off his mask was an action of trust and vulnerability. An action that wouldn't have happened without Soap being there and being his snarky lovable self.

Without Soap proving himself and working together with Ghost it's doubtful whether the LT would've opened up enough to show his face.

But enough of that. Lets talk GhostSoap interactions. It's sparse but boy do they stare at each other like no tomorrow.

It does feel a bit like grasping at straws to go, 'THEY'RE STARING AT EACH OTHER YOUR HONOUR. THAT MEANS ITS DEFFO LOVE!!! LOOK AT THEM SPARKS FLY!!!!'

But we've already established that stares are a form of wordless communication between the two. The game did it forcibly, by framing shots in each other's perspectives CONSTANTLY. This isn't the only time they've been long gazing into each other's eyes for an amount of time that would normally be uncomfortable for anyone else.

Soap is placed directly across from Ghost. The game wanted us to see Soap's expression when it pans teasingly behind Ghost's back and you're only left seeing Gaz, Soap, Alejandro and Price. This was all deliberate.

From start to finish, Soap barely takes his eyes off of Ghost. Even when Price is explaining things, Soap is very obviously looking Ghost's way. And Ghost is quite obviously staring back at Soap.

What could they be communicating between them here?

Well from Soap's expression on the third picture, it kind of looks like the sergeant is grinning. No doubt thinking back on his words where he flirts tells Ghost to show his face. Maybe Soap is stuck on the truth of Ghost's boasting. That Ghost really isn't an ugly guy at all. Quite the opposite indeed.

Really, it could be a multitude of things. One thing for certain is that we can see that they're both caught on each other from the very start of the conversation.

The funniest thing is that this isn't the first and last time we see Ghost and Soap seemingly ignore everything around them but each other. It happens in the cutscene in "Alone", here in "Ghost Team" and later in MWIII multiple times.

We can sort of excuse it here because this is the very first time Soap gets a look at Ghost's face in 3 years of working with each other. Anyone would be staring like the other would disappear in that circumstance.

Every other time though? Yeah... It suggests something very non-platonic in nature about their relationship. Let's not forget that they only really do this with each other. Not Gaz nor Price elucidates this sort of behaviour from either man. Both of them have a staring habit but it only seems to activate when the other is there.

Unfortunately, this whole cutscene was pretty much it for notable Ghost and Soap interactions in this mission. As I said earlier, "Ghost Team" doesn't have a lot of meaningful GhostSoap interactions. That can be said of "Countdown" as well, but we do get a few choice bits.

Let's look at "Countdown":

Countdown

Rodolfo closes the vehicle door as he and Alejandro turn to Soap.

Alejandro: Go... You have work to do.

Soap shakes hands with Alejandro and Rodolfo.

Soap: Keep fighting the good fight, hermano.

Alejandro: To the bitter end, my brother.

Rodolfo: Good luck, amigos.

Soap turns to go on the transport plane and taps Ghost on the shoulder to motion him to go as well.

Alejandro: Ghost...

Ghost turns around to face Alejandro.

Alejandro: No te pierdas, carnal. (Don't get lost, brother.)

Ghost: A huevo. (Of course.)

Alejandro and Rodolfo smile and laugh as Ghost boards the plane. The doors to the ramp close shut.

Now this scene is interesting when we contrast the Ghost of "Kill or Capture" to the Ghost now. The Ghost at the beginning of the game visibly hated being fistbumped. The Ghost now, doesn't seem to bat an eye at it. For a man that seems to treasure his personal space, this is a big moment. Soap is now solidly in the rarified group of (2!) members that are allowed to touch Ghost (without getting glared/intense side eyed back). The other being Price of course.

Let me reiterate that this whole process only took 7 days.

This is also compounded with Ghost actually engaging in friendly conversation with Alejandro and Rudy. If at the beginning of "Cartel Protection" where we see Ghost more or less stonewall any sort of friendly jokes/banter, here we see Ghost actually respond positively. He even raises a fist in a total bro gesture. 🥹 Antisocial Ghost who's him?

This is further reinforced when we look at the usage of Spanish by non native speakers. Notably Soap, Ghost and Graves.

Soap's Spanish usage is used to denote affection/care from Soap to Alejandro/Rudy. We know that Soap cares about Rudy and Alejandro because he makes an effort to ask personal questions about them AND tries to learn/use their language.

Graves by contrast uses it too. But none of that is meant affectionately. When we do see it, he's mocking Los Vaqueros and taunting them over the loss of their base.

And reflective of Ghost, the LT doesn't even mutter a word of Spanish at all to Rudy or Alejandro. His non usage is used to imply how he intentionally distances himself from everyone.

In "Cartel Protection", they asked Soap and Ghost whether they knew any Spanish. Throughout the game we see Soap learning and using Spanish to the delight of Alejandro and Rudy. Ghost did not join in to that cultural/language learning at any point up until this key moment here.

Perhaps Ghost was actively learning Spanish as well, paying more attention/care than anyone would've thought. Or maybe Ghost being the secretive troll he is, might have already known the language to some degree and refused to reveal it to Ale/Rudy. Which ever reason behind it, this scene was the perfect moment to show how far Ghost has come since 7 days ago.

From arrival via transport plane and instantly stonewalling Soap from making any jokes, to now leaving via the same transport plane and revealing something about himself—it's like deja vu except Ghost is the only thing different. The lightning is even the same. Ghost has been changed by the past events. His motivations now are evolving and expanding into something a little more friend shaped.

But sadly, that's the last time we see Ghost and Soap physically together since we see Ghost has been put on overwatch for the millionth time in Chicago.

We do however get some delightful exchanges at the end of the mission:

Soap: It's detonated.

Laswell: Copy that. Air Force will confirm. Thank you, Sergeant.

Soap: Yeah... Pleasure doin' business with ya, Laswell.

Laswell: Where's Hassan?

Soap: Not alone- he's got AQ guards with him. I'm gonna kill every one of 'em... and then I'm going for him. Out here.

Soap moves throughout the construction floor evading Al-Qatala guards.

Soap: Steamin' bloody fuckin'...

Ghost: Nicely done, Johnny. Now for the hard part.

Soap: That was the fucking hard part, L.T...

Ghost: Let's find out. You need to stay alive, take out the guards, and kill Hassan.

Soap: I just need a weapon.

Ghost: Make one.

Soap: Aye. Like old times, huh, L.T.?

Ghost: Seems like yesterday...

Soap: It was yesterday...

Ghost and Soap fall back into snarking at each other during critical moments. What's interesting is that because Ghost is on overwatch and we see Soap work with Price and Gaz, we now have a chance to compare [Ghost and Soap], [Price and Soap] and [Laswell and Soap].

There's an odd thought rattling around that Soap could just be a very flirty person by nature. He likes to buck authority. Maybe Soap snarks back to all his superiors.

But we find that might not be true at all, because Soap doesn't snark at Price ever. Not here in mwii(22), not in "Flashpoint" in 2019 and not at any time in mwiii(23).

Gaz actually jokes more with Price than Soap ever does with the captain. And that's wild because according to the official bio, Price has known Soap since the sergeant was 18! Soap and Price's relationship go wayyy back. To our knowledge it's the longest official relationship we know between any of the characters. Maybe Soap's relationship to Price is more respectful/devoid of any back talk?

Regardless, Soap doesn't pull any of that towards Price. He actually snarks more to Laswell and their relationship started around 2019/20 when the taskforce was formed.

We see this here with Soap in an echo of what was to come in mwiii(23):

Laswell: Copy that. Air Force will confirm. Thank you, Sergeant.

Soap: Yeah... Pleasure doin' business with ya, Laswell.

Laswell: Where's Hassan?

Laswell thanks Soap. To which Soap snarks back happily. Laswell shuts down any jokes and moves the convo back to more pressing matters.

Contrast this convo with Ghost congratulating Soap and then starting the snark up first cause he can't help himself:

Ghost: Nicely done, Johnny. Now for the hard part.

Soap: That was the fucking hard part, L.T...

I honestly think the snark came out of Ghost from all the sheer worry the LT had. Remember that Ghost jokes to distract himself and Soap. This is another extension of that.

When we look at this as a whole, we can read it as further framing of Ghost and Soap's relationship as something unique, something special to only them. Out of all the superiors Soap has ever been directly under, it's only Ghost that seems to snark back. They egg each other on and we see this with each successive line in the dialogue bit:

Soap: I just need a weapon.

Ghost: Make one.

Soap: Aye. Like old times, huh, L.T.?

Ghost: Seems like yesterday...

Soap: It was yesterday...

Soap doesn't really joke back to Price (though we don't see them interact outside of extremely critical time sensitive missions so it's a little debatable). Laswell sort of tolerates it, but forcibly moves the subject.

It's Ghost who previously ignored Soap, that entertains and even encourages him to snark.

Soap isn't like this with Alejandro, Rudy or Gaz. We see (1) instance of Soap being pouty about Gaz being right (for once) in MWIII and that's all we really see of Gaz and Soap's relationship to be frank.

We also don't see Soap snarking at Alejandro or Rudy. The one time we saw Soap quip back at anyone, it was at Graves specifically during the tank scene. And that snark was meant murderously of course.

On the other hand, It feels like Ghost and Soap could go on forever trading banter at each other for hours.

And they somewhat do when the mission suddenly becomes a crafting survival game at the end. It becomes a little segment similar to "Alone" where you have Ghost encouraging Soap to murder better via helpful tips about how to do so.

There's a call and response thing going on with the two of them. Every time Soap says something, there's an automatic response from Ghost. And we see this especially so, at the very end of the game:

Soap: Ghost...

Ghost: Soap...

Soap: Watch the window...

The window blows apart and Hassan walks up to Soap.

Hassan: We are not attacking...

Hassan hauls Soap up to his feet and brings him to his face.

Hassan: We are invading...

The scene shifts to Ghost on the rooftop of his building as he deploys his MCPR-300 sniper rifle and aims at the floor where Soap and Hassan are located. He sees Hassan hauling Soap over to the window preparing to drop him to his death. At this point, the player must shoot Hassan before Hassan can push Soap out of the building.

Ghost fires a shot that hits Hassan in the head. Hassan collapses to the ground, dead. Soap drops to his knees and looks at Hassan before looking back to Ghost's position.

Soap: Perfect shot, L.T.

Ghost: You called it, Sergeant. All stations- Hassan's down. Enemy KIA.

Like "Alone", which literally was just yesterday for them, all Soap and Ghost have to say is their names and one of them will respond similarly. It's like they're a perfect pair meant to always be framed together. We are introduced to these characters together and we see the depth of who they are as characters in contrast to one another. (I'm not counting warzone because Ghost/Soap being there was equivalent to a fun Easter egg tbh)

And finally we get to the circular ending of mwii(22). It ends like how it starts. The game itself starts in Ghost's perspective with a missile strike to kill general Ghorbrani. We are in Ghost's perspective looking through a scope to confirm the target.

Here at the end, we are in Ghost's perspective after looking down another scope to kill Hassan.

Except this time Ghost isn't solo.

SoapAndGhost worked together for everything to end happily. It's in the text explicitly. Soap praises Ghost on his perfect shot. Ghost is like, noo, you called it. It's a regular ole praise hot potato here.

From beginning Ghost (who works alone) to end Ghost (who works with Soap): the heart and soul of this game is centred on these two. The big emotional breakthrough is Ghost's evolution from lone wolf to devoted teammate.

Whatever people might think about the nature of their relationship, it's unmistakable how important these two are to each other in-universe, but also just when we look at how the game was written. These two are the crux of MWII.

If MW19 was emotionally centred on Farah's backstory and her growth as a character in which we see her literally grow from child to freedom fighter, MWII was emotionally centred on Ghost learning how to trust (outsiders) and be a part of a team again.

It's really no wonder people like to ship Ghost and Soap when the game is focused on their particular relationship. From the framing to the dialogue, this was all deliberate. The shots had to be created/animated, the dialogue had to be written (no ad lib from what it sounds). There was a reason to have all these borderline non-platonic cutscenes/lines. And again I'll thank everyone there who had a hand in those choices.

They took what could have been a very dudebro game into something that appealed to a larger (feminine) audience by making choices that went against the grain of what a typical fps game does. Especially one so painfully mainstream.

Thanks game devs for creating such compelling characters/relationships. You really did us a solid by making it.

Now the next thing to look at is this: How has Ghost and Soap's relationship changed between mwii(22) to mwiii(23)?

That's a tough question. There are differences though those are best talked about in comparison to how we see Ghost and Soap in 2019, 2022 and then to 2023. There's sadly nothing truly explicit and all we have to look at is context, stares and little touches. Which still is enough to sink our teeth into in my humble shipper opinion.

But if anything, given how little time mwiii(23) had to bake, I'm glad that there was an effort to at least sub textually in the dialogue try to communicate Ghost and Soap's relationship.

We could have had zero relationship growth in mwiii(23) guys. I'll forever be glad we got the tidbits we do have over literally nothing.

Does this mean I think mwiii(23) was a good game that did Ghost and Soap's relationship justice?

No.

But I actually don't think it was completely the worst. And looking back at certain dialogue choices after going through mwii(22), there was some reasoning behind it. Which somewhat makes the ending better, though I'm still bitter about the whole nonsensical plot.

Anyway. Thanks for reading my stupidly long post, anyone who's still tuned into the whole thing, you have my endless gratitude. 💕💕💕🥺

And thanks to all the gifers out there to make my life easier for these posts. You guys are the real troopers. 🫡

Part 3 will prob take a good time that might not happen anytime soon because I keep on getting side tracked with writing/plot bunnies. Sorry guys 😔

+

Also sidenote, I have my own thoughts on why the game chose to not have Ghost join in the killing of Graves and instead have Soap and Rudy do it. My ghost squad theory is admittedly weaker when we see the game deliberately choose them (not Ghost) to get revenge. But honestly, it was always going to be the player character insert (Soap) and one of Los Vaqueros. Not Soap and Ghost. After all, it's Los Vaqueros that had their base taken over. It makes narrative sense for one of them to help end it as well.

[moonlight-divination]

✨🌙 Free Intuitive Readings Open here!! 🌙✨

Hi guys:) I’m back:)

None of you probably remember me lmao but I used to do intuitive readings on here a few years ago now I guess and now maybe its the influence of this Cancer Moon but I’m feeling very drawn to do some intuitive readings again.

I’m feeling people’s energies pretty intensely & easily these days and can tap into energies pretty well.

I used to do these to practice my intuition and improve it but I really feel I’m in a place where I can hear and trust my intuition well and easily now. And I’ve came back here because idk where else to really do these for now lol so if u guys have any suggestions on where I can do these intuitive reading’s please dm me or inbox me and let me know.

But yes I’m doing intuitive readings again and my inbox is open for your questions of all kinds.

My rules are generally no health or pregnancy or death questions (obvious ethical reasons). I am not a psychic medium I cannot channel spirit but I am highly empathetic and intuitive & can tap into your energy and feel it to answer any questions you may have about your situation when it comes to general, love, friendship, financial, spiritual, career or anything else. I’m very visual so I will see what my intuition is saying sometimes.

I am mostly claircognizant (clear knowing), clairvoyant (clear seeing), clairempathy (clear feeling), clairaudient (clear hearing) and clairsalience (clear smell) in that order.

So I will usually feel your energy first then I might see some visions in my mind regarding you and your situation and can map out an answer from there. I feel you’re energy deeply so I may feel your pain and emotions too.

Reading rules

I just ask that you ask and send your questions into my inbox this format please:

• send all questions to my inbox

• anonymous questions are welcome. Just add your initials please

• your initials in your question please (it helps me focus on your energy)

• 3 free questions per day

• no health/pregnancy/death/spirit/celebrity or idol related questions please

• no spamming

• no future spouse readings

• feedback is not necessary but is greatly greatly appreciated. Feedback helps me understand and improve my intuition

• respect my space and time

Type of questions you can ask:

• yes or no questions

• how does X feel about me?

• test questions (test my intuition first if you like, ask what your pet’s name or initial is or something)

• should I pursue something?

• how do I feel about X?

• will I receive X by X amount of time?

• general questions regarding general, love, friendship, financial, spiritual, career

• what’s my energy/vibe like?

• what’s X’s energy like?

• I hear messages through songs ALOT so questions like: what song do you hear when you tap into my energy? What song represents our connection?

DISCLAIMER:

- Please take these readings with a grain of salt. I do these using my intuition, gut feeling & interpreting your energy. I feel out your energy whilst reading your question & discuss what the energies are like regarding your topic & what messages i may hear or see. Therefore my interpretation of the energies is subjective to your own.

- I do not claim to be 100% accurate or completely right. I just get a feel of the energy & I may not always be right. I understand sometimes I may misinterpret energy or get thing’s completely wrong and that’s okay but I try to separate my thoughts completely when tapping into readings & energies to avoid this as well as cleansing my energy regularly.

- Everything I say is based on the current energies of whatever situation. Think of energies as being in different restaurants or social settings; there’s a different vibe in each bar, restaurant or social setting & the people add to the energies within that setting. This is what I mean by “energy”. Therefore, I am extra sensitive & empathic to these energies & can feel the emotions of the environment/people/situations a whole lot easier.

Tips are also welcome if you feel inclined, it is much appreciated. 😊✨🤍

If you have any questions dm me but thank you so much! :)

(FAQS are in #faqs search tag in my profile)

[acti-veg]

Hello! I'd like some advice please. Me and my boyfriend are both vegan and living together. He recently got a job at Tesco's. They have something called 'colleague shop' where employees can get free food out of date. Most of it is potatoes, bread and bagged veggies which is great! But a lot of it is also pastries and general bakery items. Almost all of those aren't vegan, however my boyfriend takes it home anyway. He says it's free food that he hasn't paid for, so he's not contributing to animal suffering. Other times he just says he admits he can't resist the temptation of a free shortbread. Lastly he says that certain foods make him nostalgic and it makes him happy to have it again. He's conflicted and whenever I try to talk to him, he feels bad in some way or another. I get his struggles, I would also struggle if presented with free food while living paycheck by paycheck as we do. I can't stop him from taking those items home, I tried discussing it with him but he either finds reasons to justify it or feels guilty without taking any action. I'm not sure how to deal with this. I don't want to see these items in our cupboards. Any suggestions?

I think that this may become a bit easier to deal with if you disregard your boyfriend’s veganism and just think of it in terms of your own boundaries and comfort levels. How he interprets his veganism and his idea that free animal products are in keeping with his personal ethics is completely up to him. However, you share a living space, this is your home and you have to be comfortable on it too.

If you are not happy with animal products in your kitchen then he should respect that. Maybe a compromise can be reached where he is storing them somewhere that isn’t a shared space where you have to look at it, or just eating them before he gets home? Don’t treat this as solely a vegan issue, it’s a cohabiting issue. If you are fundamentally uncomfortable in your own home then that needs to be addressed and he will need to make compromises to do so.

[joepelling]

“WHY ARE YOUR TAGS LIKE THAT?” OR: RED GUY DUCK AND YELLOW GUY ARE THE EGO SUPEREGO AND ID TO THE ENLIGHTENED MIND, A MASTERPOST

BASICALLY: the ego, superego, and id are freudian concepts of how the mind works in psychoanalytic theory. i match up the three protagonists of don’t hug me i’m scared with these concepts. here’s my insane person, long-winded explanation as to why.

THE EGO: rational, realistic, practical. the true self, the mediator between the other two. very concerned with self-preservation.

THE SUPEREGO: idealistic, critical, perfectionist. the judge, jury, and executioner.

THE ID: impulsive, childish, emotional. pure desire. associated with sexuality and romance.

the characters have been described by joe pelling as “the middleman” “cynical and fussy” and “optimistic and idiotic” respectively

RED GUY: is CONSTANTLY the mediator between yellow and duck. the only one seen in the “real world,” and the ego is the self presented to the outside world. the “worm in his brain” has to do with outward appearance.

DUCK: famously hostile and judgmental, constantly associated with the military (authority figures), even becomes a dictator in the scrapped pilot. his aggression is often targeted towards yellow, who he deems too emotional and sensitive and deserving of it the most. the “worm in his brain” has to do with morality.

YELLOW GUY: while he is often read as asexual and aromantic (which i agree with!), he has multiple “love interests,” even if none of them are played straight. his brain friends are all very emotional and have nothing resembling a voice of reason, and no way of handling warren (who can be interpreted as an intrusive thought) without enabling him. the “worm in his brain” has to do with relationships.

MISC DYNAMIC THOUGHTS: when yellow claims “grolton is the dog,” red corrects him gently and politely and duck swiftly shuts him down and tells him to shut up (there’s a lot of instances of red gently correcting yellow and duck doing it harshly, but to my memory this is the only time they do it with the exact same thing). during the friendship fight, red implies he’s told duck to stop being so harsh on yellow. duck has to intervene to remove warren (again, here a symbol of intrusive thoughts) as yellow is physically incapable of doing so on his own.

CLOSING THOUGHTS: do i think this theory is the key to understanding what dhmis is about? not at all! i personally believe that dhmis is just made for fun and with no deeper meaning than “becky and joe made something fun to make each other laugh.” do i as a psychology enthusiast think it’s an interesting way to interpret the text? yeah. my theory is flawed, for sure- yellow is concerned with keeping harmony and is usually nonviolent despite the id’s association with aggression, duck is the least likely to go along with the teachers (authority figures, when the superego gets its moral system directly from them), red often doesn’t care about the other two, among other things, but that doesn’t mean it’s not fun for me to think about!

if you’ve made it this far, thank you so much for reading! feel free to ask any questions and i would be very happy to answer them, as i’m very passionate about this theory and love to discuss it. love you!

[curio-queries]

FACE, LETTER, & CLOSER THAN THIS

Disclaimer: The following post is full of my own opinions and interpretations. I do not share this with the intent to convince anyone else that this meaning upholds for all. My interpretations are also limited to English and that is an important distinction to make when accessing art from another language and culture. There are absolutely intentions and meanings that won't translate. Art is beautifully subjective, and I hope you all find your own reasons to love Jimin's music.

This is quite a lengthy post. Thank you to anyone who reads. I'd love to hear your thoughts as well, so don't feel shy to share! 💜

So FACE has been out for nearly a year, why am I making this post now? Honestly, it's all because of Closer Than This and the few nuggets we can glean from the music video. The very first clip of the mv is of Jimin's team discussing the lyrics and then Jimin's recording session. Honestly, I was quite surprised CTT was written at the same time as all of the FACE songs.

So the question then rises: Why wasn't CTT included in FACE? The answer I've arrived at is because CTT is not part of the journey Jimin was describing with FACE. More on CTT below but first, we need to revisit FACE:

TIMELINE

(US dates - I have to do too much timezone manipulation in my job, I'm not spending the time here):

30 DEC 2018 : Promise Release on SoundCloud

21 FEB 2023 : FACE announcement

16 MAR 2023 : Set Me Free pt.2 Release

23 MAR 2023 : FACE Release

22 DEC 2023 : Closer Than This Release

And here's the FACE schedule:

MOTTO-THEME-GUIDE

These phrases are ALL OVER the FACE project! They're in the digital media that was released, on pretty much every side of the physical albums, on the back of the photocards and postcards... They're pretty much on everything official connected to FACE. They're not just fluff included to fill up space; these words have MEANING in this project. I've been using these phrases as guide posts to help me interpret some of the meanings behind FACE recently, and I would encourage anyone interested in Jimin's deeper message to do the same. I've highlighted my references below.

Circles of Resonance Reflection of vulnerable minds and unexposed wounds. An echo, tremor and small movement to reach you. Face of facing the deepest part of inner-self. Face, the reflection of myself in an unfamiliar appearance. Waves originated from the deepest invisible inner world, pass through the face on the surface and reach others to resonate while transmitting the inner voice. Waves spread beautifully, finding its own flow despite wounds and distortions from a smallest scratch. The face of unwavering effort despite repeated falls and pain.

When asked what the album was about, Jimin freely shares that it relates to the events during the pandemic...and then the conversation usually moves on without any deeper discussion. This interview is probably the most verbose Jimin was any time he described the meaning behind FACE. If you haven't watched it recently, I highly recommend it.

We know that Jimin rarely shares the problems he's having whilst he's going through them (with us at least). He always waits until after he's moved on so that he can tell us not to worry, that it's in the past. (This concept comes up again in this post so keep it in mind.)

The distinction that I think is important to make is that, yes, FACE is about the pandemic, but it's not a straightforward diary of events. It's about how those events affected him. How the waves caused by the pandemic RESONATE, ECHO, and TREMOR through him - effecting the UNEXPOSED WOUNDS. Jimin found something in himself through this experience and had no choice but to FACE it. There were no distractions anymore, no pushing it to the side to deal with later. And he was able to share that journey with us in such a tragically beautiful way.

THE TRACKS

I made the below gifs for each track but I think they look best as a set without the tags so you can get the full effect of the differing ripples. Check out this post to see what I mean. ☺️

FACE-OFF

I know everyone likes to meme about Face-Off and trying to find who hurt Jimin to make them pay...but I really don't associate Face-Off with an external person. You can betray yourself in much worse ways than anyone else can because you know exactly all of your own weaknesses. You know exactly what pretty lies to tell yourself. And honestly, the source of the event doesn't really matter in the context of FACE. I view Face-Off as the initial incident. The SMALLEST SCRATCH that pushes the waves to spread.

There's also a lovely bit of foreshadowing with the lyric "Like crazy, everyone shout out, yeah yeah". CIRCLES OF RESONANCE. Not singular, multiple; we are in for a bumpy ride.

INTERLUDE : DIVE

I admit, I only listen to this track when I'm doing a full album listen. I love instrumental tracks but this isn't instrumental to me, it's sound effects. And I just personally have a sensory issue that comes out to play here BUT it's important to include in our discussion so don't skip it when you're trying to delve into the meanings!

The message I glean here is just how pervasive the issue is becoming. Jimin can be going about his life, trying to disregard it but the UNEXPOSED WOUNDS are there lurking underneath it all.

The pretty music overlaying the track may sound like glitz and glam, but this is just the beginning of the WAVES SPREADING BEAUTIFULLY, FINDING ITS OWN FLOW DESPITE WOUNDS AND DISTORTIONS...

LIKE CRAZY

I've been promising a post on Like Crazy for ages and this may be the closest I get to it. Let me know if any of you are interested in a more in-depth discussion on how the movie and the song work together. My short summary for both is this: there are moments when you willfully take actions that you KNOW are against your best interest. Not in a fleeting eats-too-many-cookies way. In a I-know-putting-my-hand-on-the-stove-and-turning-it-on-will-burn-me way.

I hope none of you experience this to such a damning extent. I have. Despite being the kind of person who I thought would never venture down such a path. It's not something I wish upon anyone. This is the WAVES ORIGINATED FROM THE DEEPEST INVISIBLE INNER WORLD, PASS THROUGH THE FACE ON THE SURFACE...

ALONE

Have you ever repeated a word enough that it starts to sound bizzare? What if you got the point where you thought the weird sound was reality? And then you were confronted with the truth. This song is that point. Where you are left with the sober understanding of yourself. FACE, THE REFLECTION OF MYSELF IN AN UNFAMILIAR APPEARANCE.

SET ME FREE pt.2

The rise! Jimin was able to find a way to push himself beyond the betrayal of himself. It absolutely wasn't easy and there were setbacks, but this is a clear call to any who find themselves in similar circumstances: you CAN overcome. THE FACE OF UNWAVERING EFFORT DESPITE REPEATED FALLS AND PAIN.

Remember when I said earlier that Jimin only tells us about his struggle once it's over? I honestly believe that's why SMF was the pre-release track. He needed us to know that there was a happy ending before he would tell us about the pain he went through.

LIKE CRAZY (English Version)

As I mentioned my sensory issue above, I cannot talk about Like Crazy without mentioning the whispered English at the beginning/end. I HATE it sooooo much! It just twigs my brain in all the wrong ways. It's a huge part of why it took me a long time to appreciate LC. As much as I hate it though, it's absolutely necessary for the interpretation of LC. It firmly gives us a landmark into where and how the song relates to the movie. It also creates a bookend structure that gives the original and the English versions their own rightful places to exist.

LETTER

My very first post on this blog was a simple comparison of the lyrics in Like Crazy from the translation on the original music video to the english version. There is absolutely a difference here and I think it's a very important distinction that there are two versions of Like Crazy in the album. One is AN ECHO, TREMOR AND SMALL MOVEMENT TO REACH YOU. This phrase is for us, the audience. None of the other phrases use "you". Even though Jimin has set himself free, there are still CIRCLES RESONATING.

If you have seen any of my posts prior to this, you likely know how obsessed with Letter I am. I have the hardest time naming anything as a favorite (even favorite colour, there's just sooo many good uses of different colors) so I hope you understand how revolutionary it is for me to unequivocally state that Letter is my favorite song. Like ever. For all of my (cough*decades*cough) of music-listening, opinion-having life. Letter is THE ONE. Letter is it. I probably have stronger feelings about Letter than any relationship I've been in (but I'm aspec so take that with a grain of salt...)

I listen to Letter A LOT (sometimes on literal repeat - there's a video on YouTube that loops it for over an hour and I've definitely contributed several of those listens) and while working on this post, I would still get emotional hearing it at the end of FACE. This song is the absolute definition of the beauty that can only truly be understood after utter tragedy.

To me, Letter is about how this experience has effected Jimin to the point where there's a noticeable difference in the way he interacts with and appreciates those he loves, in all interpretations of the word love. WAVES...REACH OTHERS TO RESONATE WHILE TRANSMITTING THE INNER VOICE.

I am not using this post to debate the merits of exactly who Letter is for: a significant other, ARMY, or Jimin himself. Frankly, I don't think it matters to the meaning of the song. Use whatever flavour most appeals to you. That's the real genius and gift of Jimin's music imo. He creates it in such a way that we can fold it around our own personal stories and needs.

WHAT WAS THIS POST ABOUT AGAIN?

Right, so rewind to the release of Closer Than This. I'd had very little sleep as I traveled for the holidays and was absolutely feeling the timezone difference. But I stayed up to hear Jimin's new song. I listened to it first in Spotify and thought it sounded like a beautiful, happy, well-produced gift of a song - perfect for the end of the year and to comfort us with his departure for military service. Then I watched the mv to read the subtitles... Y'all, I absolutely was NOT expecting to see clips from the time covered in Jimin's Production Diary! I wouldn't have been surprised if it was the same team that Jimin worked with before but at a later time - he trusts them artisically after all. BUT these clips were the same angles and same conversations we saw from the development of FACE.

So I started my due diligence. Is it possible CTT was supposed to be part of FACE but they held it specifically to release when it did? I listened to FACE multiple times trying to insert CTT into the narrative. And it just doesn't fit this journey...at all. Like not in the slightest. I thought maybe immediately after Letter or even replacing Letter but no. I even tried inserting Promise as a bridge and it just doesn't work in the context of FACE.

CTT has a pretty literal storytelling narrative. It describes the journey WE have been on with Jimin. It lists his promises to US going forward. The music video being an album of memories, supports the nostalgic and loving viewpoint of the song. It has absolutely nothing to do with how Jimin was affected by the events of the pandemic or anything he found inside himself because of it.

Both songs have been described by Jimin as a 'fan song' and as I described in this post, there are many reasons that support both of them falling into this categorization. To me, Letter is more about Jimin having a deep intimate conversation with us because he trusts us. While CTT is literally about the relationship between ARMY and Jimin.

Anyway, I think that's all I've got to say about it for now. What are your thoughts? Should Closer Than This have been included in FACE? Was it just a marketing ploy to keep generating our interest after Jimin left?

(BTW I'm really happy with those FACE gifs and how the ripples look when they're together. They took some time to figure out. I just wish I had some better software to turn them into gifs so the colours display better, but alas, beggars can't be choosers. They look really great in the ppt that I made them in but I guess that's just for me to enjoy!)

[verysium]

図書館: personal rec library

チェックイン: check-in

this is a personal collection of my favorite fics/series on tumblr and ao3. all works are divided by fandom then character. each fic is given a synopsis and brief paragraph of reflection notes i had while reading them. again, these are just my own interpretations, so feel free to take them with a grain of salt.

some works contain 18+ nsfw and dark content. in this case, minors do not interact. please keep in mind the original tags and warnings. most of these works are also not spoiler-free, so please read at your own discretion.

all authors are given their respective credits, and i highly encourage you to check out their works on their own platforms.

my ask box is always open for discussion, so feel free to drop by.

i will update this list whenever possible depending on any new fics that i read.

本を借りる: check-out

01 // jujustsu kaisen

02 // genshin impact

03 // blue lock

04 // my hero academia

05 // chainsaw man

06 // bleach

07 // hazbin hotel

[mastermindmp3]

or: the epilogue of a murder ballad

Florida!!! is a song about escaping. Wait out the shit-storm back in Texas / I need to forget, so take me to Florida. The narrator (or perhaps, narrators, if you interpret Florence's feature as a separate speaker) was accused of being a "cheat," and escapes to Florida to bury her regrets. Love left me like this, and I don't want to exist, so take me to Florida.

Textually, the narrator has either left or been left by a lover she needed like a drug, and now, she wants to escape everything, escape to the land of retirees and sand and heat. Florida, especially for Americans in the east of the country, is associated with vacation, so it's no wonder it's many's idea of an escape.

Florida!!! also contains my favorite couplet: All my friends smell like weed or little babies, and the city reeks of driving myself crazy. The through line of the sense of smell, and how real the line feels. Yeah, everyone my age does smell like smoke or diapers. There's also the underlying idea: When you associate a place* so heavily with your own destruction, isn't it only right to want to bury it?

*Place, here, is more than simply the city itself, I think. The Place can be anything. A person, a relationship, a job. Florida!!! tells you that you can just walk out!

And like the rest of Tortured Poets, the song is also filled with death as metaphor. The narrator tried to forget the memory of her previous lovers, the ones who seem to trouble her so:

And in my mind, they sink into the swamp. She smirks at the audience. Is that a bad thing to say in a song?

Hear me out: Florida!!! is a murder ballad.

Rather, it is a murder ballad as metaphor for the killing of a relationship, and the needing numbness and escape that follows. After all, Florida!!! is one hell of drug / Fuck me up, Florida. The death, the bodies in the swamp here are not literal, but a symbol of the "bad past" the narrator wants to escape. But that's kind of the point of a murder ballad.

The murder ballad is an important part of country and folk music. We love to tell stories about death, and there's a reason we joke about how often women in country music "kill their husbands." It's not actually about glorifying violence, it's about what the murder represents. From Mary Anne's and Wanda's cathartic freedom in Goodbye Earl, to a little girl's revenge against her abusive father in Blown Away, to the law's puppet show that leads to a brother's hanging in The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia, all the way to Este's best friend's retribution for her murder in no body, no crime.

What comes after is rarely discussed. The Night the Lights Went Out ends at the narrator's bother's hanging. Blown Away leaves the narrator in the remains of a blown out house. The odd man out, Goodbye Earl, tells us about Mary Anne's and Wanda's happy life together, now free from Earl. Even no body, no crime only ends with the narrator's knowing grin, that she wasn't going to get caught.

Florida!!! is what happens next. The bolting, the finding yourself again after leaving it all behind. The narrator didn't kill anyone, but with all the damage she's worried about, she feels like she might as well have.

[neolxzr]

you do see my point though, I was saying that yes a piece of media can have a character imply they are queer, but it’s frustrating when they won’t explicitly confirm such, because of (in the case of… checks app store purchase statistics…. A multi million dollar game franchise!) the need to market to as many people as possible. Shumika will never be “canon” because some people just don’t like shumika and won’t spend money on the game if shu and mika are in a relationship, whether or not that’s because they like the ship or the characters or are genuinely homophobic or whatnot. If the writing team cared about telling a love story, they would tell a love story, not go “well maybe they’re in love, it’s up to viewer interpretation!” like this works, sometimes it adds to the meaning of the work, but enstars really doesn’t have an excuse for their constant “this character might have feelings for this other character, but we’ll never have them say it out loud!” except the fact it makes them a lot of money, since they can market to people who like a character being the way they want that character to be, whether that’s with that character being in love with another in game character or self-shipping or whatever else. Outside of shipping, this is why some characters like Shinobu haven’t changed despite wanting to change (he continuously talks about how he wants to be more mature and taken seriously but his cards continue to make him look small and cute because his fans like that about him and god forbid we change anything!) I just think enstars should not be your first thought when someone asks you about a good piece of queer media because they’re doing just about the same job as large cast games with characters of the same gender (minus Arashi) who continue to have characters go “we’ll do all these things to imply we could be in love, but we’ll never have our characters actually date! teehee!”

i can understand being frustrated about your ships not being "confirmed", but the obsession with what is "canon" and "not canon" is just straight up not a very interesting discussion to have. what happyele's or the writers' agenda is is not of particular importance to me. one of the first things they teach you in classes about media analysis is that once a work is out there, the intentions of the creator no longer matter. the only thing that matters in your analysis is your own thoughts and the way you interpret a text.

if we were having a conversation about how much the creator of something sucks, then sure, talk about that all you want, but i am specifically referring to discussions about the piece of media and these characters and their relationships and their growth and the themes of the work etc. those things are removed from whether or not the company writes the way they do because of profit motives or whatever. companies make money, that's just what to expect. if you want art that is free of profit motives, read something by an independent creator.

even so, it feels strange to place enstars into the bucket of "stuff that should be gayer but the bad company that makes it wont let it be" because the characters ARE so very openly queer. there are so many instances in it where characters pour their heart out to each other or offer themselves to another character in beautiful and poetic ways, and i think it's wrong to claim it doesn't count because they didn't confirm their relationship status at the end of it. if you ask me, there is absolutely no way to interpret enstars in a way completely free of queerness. there is so much explicitly queer text that ignoring it is just plain incorrect. but, if homophobic people like this game and choose to look the other way at all of the gay shit, again, that is not my problem.

why is canonization the only thing that matters? is a shitty BL with awful writing better and more worthwhile than enstars as a queer narrative because the characters had explicit gay sex on screen? are poorly written gay characters in the background of other media with nothing going on more worth talking about than shumika or wataei or rinniki or whoever else just because they say the words 'i'm gay' out loud?

queerness is so much more than all of that. it is so much more than labels and it is so much more than relationships that are easy to understand. it is so much more than the extremely narrow view of it that the internet has concocted about it over the last few years, where you’re only allowed to talk about queerness if you yourself are openly queer and out of the closet, and even then you’re only allowed to make art that makes for “good representation.” that is just so incredibly limiting. i would rather tons of companies who are trying to profit off fujoshis make vaguely gay media with unconfirmed romances and relationships that aren't easily defined by labels than have less queer art in the world.

more queer art means more queer people who will find something to really connect to. more queer art means telling more queer stories. why should who is allowed to write lgbtq media be limited? why should the kind of media people are allowed to make be limited?

its fine to criticize happyelements if youre unsatisfied with the way they do things, im not always 100% in love with everything they do either. i wouldn't even consider enstars to be the worlds' best example of a queer piece of media. but no one is forcing you to like or engage with it or give the company money if you're unhappy with how they write and market their game. they don't owe anyone explicit confirmation that any of their characters are dating, and it doesn't even matter if they do provide that confirmation or not.

regardless of who made it or for what reason, queer stories are worth talking about, "canon" or not.

[gavinom123]

RIGHT HI HELLO i'm going to make a quick post discussing what's been happening over on twitter these past few days, but it's going to be very long as I'm including as much context as possible!

Before the majority of the post begins, for context: IZ-san does not allow any edits of their artwork, including video fancams, meme edits, and even color filters. Nothing of the sort regarding their artwork is permitted. Full guidelines regarding their work can be found here, so please give it a read if you haven't already! I've been seeing more and more people across various socials disrespect their boundaries, and it's only basic manners to respect them.

It started with a peing ask (similar to curiouscat or retrospring for non-en twitter users) regarding Noel's status as a transgender character

To briefly summarize, it this ask explains that since Noel was Patricia, many people mistake him for a transgender character. It goes on to ask about IZ-san's opinions on trans and LGBT headcanons for their characters, and apologizes if their questions don't make sense as they are using a translator.

They included a translated version of their response in english, so I'll be sharing that below as well.

To put it simply, none of the characters in Witch's Heart are written as members of the LGBT community. While these headcanons are allowed, they should not pretend that these are official and should not use IZ-san's illustrations to share them.

They quietly added onto this after posting their response

They build onto this the next day, first tweeting in japanese, and then in english. I'm sharing the english screenshots below.

Again, they are nothing but respectful about the situation. They've chalked it up to cultural differences, but in my opinion it's not even a cultural difference. It's others pushing their interpretations of the characters onto the fucking developer of the game. The characters of Witch's Heart aren't those made by some big company, they're literally IZ-san's OCs that they've been kind enough to share with us. They do build onto the cultural differences interpretation here, again showing nothing but their attempt to understand why people are time and time again horrible to them.

After this, they received another very very long peing ask, which I'll include the MTL of below.

Their response isn't translated this time, so I'm including the MTL below.

They explain their perspective, as well as the japanese perspective on LGBT+ representation-- specifically that many people in Japan consider it disrespectful to include LGBT+ characters in works that are not themed around the subject.

They build onto this in their tweets after answering this question, some of which are screenshotted below. I won't be screenshotting everything as this post is long enough as it is, but if you're interested please go check out the rest!

After this point, IZ-san hasn't tweeted anything new outside of replies to those offering their support.

To summarize all of this succinctly: you're allowed to have your own personal headcanons! However, they aren't allowed in the official tag (#witchsheart), and should be kept to the non-official-content tags if mentioned (#whnoc + #whnos). Additionally you cannot pretend that your headcanons are canon, and use that argument to harass others over them. You are also not permitted to use official art in sharing these headcanons. Please be respectful of IZ-san's boundaries as they've had to explain this way too many fucking times.

From here on it's just going to be my opinion on everything, so feel free to stop reading from here if that's not something that interests you. In my opinion, main problem here doesn't have anything to do with headcanoning or editing IZ-san's art: it's a simple matter of respect. Witch's Heart is an indie game made by a single person in their attempt to share their characters and their story with people worldwide. Why do people treat it as if it's some big game made by a corporation? Why the fuck are you so entitled to someone else's artwork and characters that you'd go out of your way to disrespect their very clear boundaries? This isn't unique to IZ-san, there have been so many other creators having similar issues. Segawa-san disallowed english translations of their work entirely because so many people were reposting and editing their artwork. Even EN artists are having similar struggles-- just look at Welcome Home and all the fan merch people made against partycoffin's wishes. The commodification of someone else's OCs has got to fucking stop, you can't claim them just because they got popular!! It's not even limited to just gamedevs and content creators-- people feel entitled to doing what they please with even just fanart. Many of my friends and I have had our work reposted without permission, even when "DO NOT REPOST" is written all over it in clearly visible and bold letters. Literally last fucking week I saw a group of like 14-year olds harassing a kr artist because they asked them not to repost their art, and these fucking kids responded by maliciously editing and tracing and reposting it even more. There's a level of basic human decency that isn't being met in fandom overall nowadays, but especially rpgmaker circles and it makes me so fucking sad. It's not that hard to be a decent human being so just fucking stop.

[witheredsnow]

How do stories come to be? Not too sure. I simply browsed some tags in Tumblr at one point then my mind started narrating in a melancholic tone a story in my head while taking pieces of memories of mine.

Anyway, TW! for imagery of some trauma that is not specified that much below. Feel free to think of filling in details to your liking.

-as always, Rei

Untitled, an aro/ace/aroace (depends on how you interpret) short story

On an ordinary day, nothing is out of place. Although, perhaps not yet.

I minded my own as I sat still as the world around me went by.

Right, your company besides me. A present presence. Did I bore you with my silence? Although I do not know what else to discuss... Not when I know where you wish to lead it to.

Hm. You look at me like so. A gaze I've grown accustomed to. Yet, I can not return the favor. I would not anymore, although that would be a question on whether I was able to in the first place. To add, I don't even think it's a favor I'm willing to accept anymore.

However, yes, I'm still here. Am I misleading? I don't know. Perhaps.

In truth, I wanted to know of something but now my question is answered as I've achieved it.

I stood up.

...

......

..........

Gentle physical touches whether by accident or a purposeful comfort, lingering gazes that speak more than just simple interest, smiles and laughter that carry warmth that spreads, and words whether spoken with explicit intention to say or implicitly hint at the other.

All accompanied by that feeling, that sensation, that... Whatever it would be called.

I wondered if they were real.

I envied the feelings described.

I wanted to have that feeling myself.

But perhaps not. I don't.

Not when I fear?

.....

It still hurts to remember, but perhaps time has numbed me enough to not cry and to fear... Less.

....

A plate broke. Again. Shattered pieces scattered on the outdated floors of the room.

The floors were already ugly, but the question of aesthetics is not what's wrong here.

It felt like my heart rate dropped in sync with another plate crashing down, then cabinets, chairs, the whole room and... Whatever else that is in the way of this maelstrom.

Oh how a young mind could comprehend what happened. I first thought before that was what life was, that was already what it would be forever after.

Strong, vice-like grips, rough handling inadvertently causing harm, furious glares and resentment filled stares, harsh tone of voice that causes one to tremble with a chilling anxiety.

For how long had that lasted, that scene which followed the general outline with variations.

.....

Truthfully, I did not once question how it had affected me. I thought I was supposed to be whatever it was I was and am. Although...

....

The present. Right.

I heard you. Yes. Sort of, but I won't say.

You asked me a question, hurt and disbelief in your tone.

My answer was that now I know. It wasn't a pretty answer. Perhaps I deserved that projectile hurled at me. The only thing I regret is not knowing sooner. Believe it or not, I care. Despite the way I am, I do. Or rather, the way I am doesn't affect how I care about you.

... But I know it's not enough. Or perhaps not what you wanted.

....

Perhaps it is ill timing, but I am reminded of that time by my own mind.

Again and again.

When I've confessed to have that phantom haunting me, peers of mine would be so kind. My ideas on what ails me, and what it would mean for me, my peers have guided me.

You were one of them. And... Well, I still am grateful to you. What kept haunting me now has made me fear less. I thought I could function the way a "normal" person would because of you—however, I suppose I am not. Normal, that is.

Not to you, perhaps. Or even others.

....

.......

Kindly. Please. Do not reason with me how I'm still in a choke hold by my own phantoms. Especially for the reason of chaining me to your ideas.

I know what I am now.

Not the haunted caused by them. But simply my own existence that has its own seperate identity.

I breathed out, exhaling slowly.

I hope you understand. Try to understand the me now, the being that I am.

I am placing myself in this world as I am and the details simply solidified who that is.

I'm sure you'd rather think of me as the villain now, so I do not speak after. In my limited ideas of fiction type villainy, I walk away silently while leaving you in your own turmoil.

....