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kittykatninja321 · 7 months ago

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(Ok, I’m gonna basically repeat something I’ve already said in my mutual’s replies because the urge to yap about this has been keeping me up at night). Anyways, to me the drama of Dick and Jason’s pre-DITF relationship comes not from not from conflict between them (I don’t think Dick was mean to Jason for more than a day), but rather from the fact that the relationship never reached its full potential. I kinda see their relationship as somewhat paradoxical, while they do have a special connection on account of being in each other’s 1st brother, they’re not as close as they could’ve been, certainly not as close as Dick and Tim.

I just don’t think there’s any way they could’ve been super close. Dick is a young adult in a far away city dealing with his own life, realistically it’s not really his fault if he doesn’t have the time to hang with kid adopted brother every weekend. It’s not that I think that they never hung out, (there’s been retroactive additions to interactions between Dick and Robin Jason, which have been pretty cute for the most part), I just can’t see them being super best brothers. Maybe they could’ve gotten there if they had more time, maybe they were in the process of getting there, but Jason dies before they get the chance, the tragedy of their relationship comes from what could’ve been.

Another thing that leads me to this interpretation is the way Dick talks to Bruce about Jason’s death in Titans #55

Despite his intense reaction to the news earlier, when he talks to Bruce it sorta feels like he’s talking to Bruce about a relative that Bruce lost, but there’s a degree of separation between himself and Jason. Now this could totally just be me and no else see’s it that way, but that’s the vibe I got

But the main reason that I don’t think that Dick and Jason could have been particularly close follows the reasoning of “if Jason felt like he had someone like Dick Grayson looking out for him, he would’ve acted differently”. If there’s anything I think is a worthwhile take away from the infamous “Jason attacking Tim in Titans tower” issue is the part where Jason says something along the lines of “maybe if I had had the sort of friends Tim has, things would’ve gone differently for me”. Like YEAH Jason’s behavior pre-death does not align with the behavior of someone who has a robust social network/feels supported. He rushes to look for his mother after feeling rejected by Bruce because he’s desperate for family, and that sort of desperation doesn’t come out of nowhere. If Jason had felt like he had other lifelines I think he would’ve acted differently. So no I don’t think he could’ve had a super close knit relationship with Dick

To me the ultimate theme of Dick and Jason’s relationship pre death is “ mourning what could’ve been” which makes a great backdrop for all of the post resurrection drama. Like I genuinely lowkey think of brothers in blood as Jason’s honest attempt at brotherly bonding, he was leaving dead prey on Dick’s doorstep like a cat with a high prey drive. Murder just isn’t a love language for Dick the way it is for Jason 😔

#Jason Todd #Dick Grayson #framing someone for murder is Jason’s version of a little brother prank he was having a silly moment #imagine Jason being like ‘Dickie play toys with meee :(‘ (he’s talking about a gun)#Dc #that fan art that’s like ‘I once had a little brother and honestly I didn’t really know what to do with him and when I blinked he was #already gone’ is essentially my exact interpretation of their relationship #Long post #There’s also just the fact that post crisis Jason and Dick only have one on page team up while Jason is still alive in the 80s #and everything else is retroactive

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withthewindinherfootsteps · 1 month ago

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Wei Wuxian and Narrative Agency – Part Three

For Xiantober Day Five: Past and Present, in which the author gets very unhinged about what parts of the past are shown and how that’s affected by the present!

(Part One | Part Two | Full version on AO3)

The Power of Agency: Shaping the Narrative

When I've discussed Wei Wuxian's agency previously, I’ve talked about how what’s shown and omitted tells us about a character, and we’ve talked about the character himself. Though this is a niche topic, it’s not necessarily something out of the ordinary to analyse, and we can assume everything up to here has been in some way intentional.

This? Linking structure to a character’s in-universe preferences?

This is where we get unhinged.

Before I start, let’s quickly establish something which will be important later: although Wei Wuxian is the central character, MDZS isn’t strictly from his POV. While omitting events a character doesn’t like to dwell on and concealing things the character wishes to hide is common in books with only one narrator, MDZS has multiple narrators which it switches between relatively quickly. This includes Wei Wuxian, but it also includes nearly every major character that appears in the story, and omniscient narrator as well. As a default, this format doesn’t lead to this deliberate shaping and omission because of one character’s preferences, since we have many other sources of information and events – which is what makes Wei Wuxian’s influence over the narrative and structure so interesting. We could have access to a lot more information, and access to it at different times, than we do (and that’s not an insult, quite the opposite!).

To begin: we’ve established that times such as Wei Wuxian’s time on the streets, his three months in the Burial Mounds and his loss in the Siege aren’t shown because Wei Wuxian has little agency there. But that’s not the only special thing about them. They’re also the three most traumatic times in his life, and so moments Wei Wuxian himself either can’t remember, or doesn’t like to dwell on.

This is why discussing Wei Wuxian’s treatment of tragedy in his life was important. Firstly, it shows he doesn’t focus on the tragedy in his life, so the idea that the narrative not focusing on this tragedy relates to his character has merit; secondly, it affirms that this is not a passive trait, but a choice. Therefore, when the narrative omits events due to this aspect of Wei Wuxian, it’s respecting not only a character detail – which would be cool by itself – but also an active decision. One that shapes the story it’s made in.

In other words, its very structure is respecting Wei Wuxian’s agency!

Now, of course there are flashbacks to other moments of his past he probably wouldn’t like to dwell on, too. But within the structure, they’re only shown when Wei Wuxian is thinking about them (or when he has reason to)!

Wei WuXian hadn’t woken up yet. His eyes were still tightly shut, yet his hand didn’t let go either. He seemed to be dreaming, muttering, “… Don’t… Don’t be angry…” Lan WangJi seemed somewhat surprised. His voice was gentle, “I am not angry.” Wei WuXian, “… Oh.” Hearing this, as though he finally felt assured, his fingers loosened. Lan WangJi sat beside Wei WuXian for a while. Seeing that he was motionless again, he was about to stand up when Wei WuXian grabbed him with his other hand, hugging his arm and refusing to let go. He shouted, “I’ll go with you, quick, take me back to your sect!” Chapter 63, EXR translation

Which, of course, is him dwelling on…

Lan WangJi spoke one word at a time, “Go back to Gusu with me.” Hearing this, both Wei WuXian and Jiang Cheng were surprised. Quickly afterward, Wei WuXian laughed, “Go back to Gusu with you? To the Cloud Recesses? Why go there?” He immediately seemed to realize, “Oh. I forgot. Your uncle Lan QiRen hates crooked people like me. You’re his proudest disciple, so of course you’re the same as him, haha. I refuse.” Chapter 62, EXR translation

…the painful flashback immediately preceding this. The third set of flashbacks (which are also painful) are a similar case. Look at the contex:

He lifted the bottom of his robe, revealing a prosthetic leg made of wood, “This leg of mine was destroyed by you, that night in the Nightless City (…)” (…) “Wei WuXian, I won’t ask you if you remember or not. Both of my parents died by your hands. You owe too many people. You definitely won’t remember them either. But, I, Fang MengChen, will never forget! And never forgive you!” (…) “In the fight at Qiongqi Path, my son was strangled to death by your dog Wen Ning!” “My shixiong died by poison, his entire body festering due to your cruel curse!” Chapter 68 (immediately preceding the flashbacks), EXR translation

And Wei Wuxian’s own thoughts and words:

Wei WuXian looked at the cultivators before the Demon-Slaughtering Cave. Their expressions were the absolute same as those of the cultivators from the night of the pledge conference, pouring their wine on the ground as they took the pledge to scatter the ashes of the Wen Sect’s remnants and him. (…) Wei WuXian, “Now it’s time to ask just whom it is that treasures it so much. It’s like Wen Ning. Back then, some certain sects or so were scared to death of the Ghost General. They said they’d kill him on the surface, but behind their backs they hid him for over ten years. How strange. Who was the one that said his ashes had been scattered back then?” Chapter 79 (immediately succeeding the flashbacks), EXR translation

Once again, Wei Wuxian’s own thoughts relate to the flashbacks we’ve just been shown. And, as I previously mentioned, though all the events which are shown are tragic, they’re also events which Wei Wuxian’s own choices and actions shaped – which he has this to say about:

“The things I did, not only do you remember them, I remember them too. You won’t forget them, and they’ll stay even longer in my mind!” Chapter 82, EXR

Admittedly, this applies more to the third set of flashbacks than the second (which is still fitting as the third set was the most recent), as in the second, although he still had agency within and influence over his circumstances, the majority of the pain was caused by others’ actions (excluding, of course, the Golden Core transfer… which is something we know stays for a long time in his mind, albeit with a caveat we’ll soon discuss). But it’s still important to note – especially considering that otherwise, focusing on this very painful time in his life wouldn’t seem like something very in-character for Wei Wuxian to do.

Of course, this can all just be explained by good writing. It is best to insert flashbacks when they’re relevant to the characters and events in the present day! But it is interesting to compare these to the start of the (not painful) Gusu flashbacks, which open this way:

At a later time, Wei WuXian pondered upon the reason why his relationship with Lan WangJi wasn’t good. Getting to the root of the matter, everything started when he was fifteen, coming to the GusuLan Sect with Jiang Cheng to study for three months. Chapter 13, EXR

Again, considering the circumstances around which these flashbacks take place – returning to the Cloud Recesses for the first time since the lectures, and meeting Lan Wangji once more – it makes complete sense for Wei Wuxian to be thinking about these events*. So it does fit the pattern of Wei Wuxian dwelling on something, thus leading to the narrative dwelling on it, too (and being shaped by his thoughts)… but there’s another layer to this. Importantly, it is the only flashback where Wei Wuxian’s present thoughts don’t lead to this happening, with his thoughts at an unspecified future time leading to it, instead. I like to interpret this as the text saying that, since these events aren’t something Wei Wuxian wouldn’t focus on in normal circumstances, he can dwell on them at any time. Therefore, they’re free to come up in the narrative at any time as well, even if he’s not dwelling on them in the present moment!

So, to summarise: Wei Wuxian’s decision not to focus on the painful times in his life directly influences the narrative to not focus on these times. When painful times are brought up and shown to us, it’s in the context of him thinking about them in the present day, and even then, his most painful moments still aren’t shown to us. His agency in this regard is still respected by the narrative structure.

This is the main way his agency influences the structure of the narrative, but I’d like to talk about the revealing and concealing of information, too. For example, I said I’d talk about the Golden Core transfer – though Wei Wuxian does think about this many times, as evidenced by his internal narration in Chapter 103. But unlike everything we’re shown through the flashbacks, this is something Wei Wuxian is actively trying to hide from others. And the narrative respects this choice (Wei Wuxian’s agency, again), never reveals it even when it would be relevant in the flashbacks, and we find out not through narration, but through a character’s dialogue!

And to clarify – I know these aspects may not be in the book for this exact reason. Showing flashbacks in relevant moments is good writing, concealing an important plot point you want to do a reveal for is necessary writing, and MXTX has said she didn’t want to write about Wei Wuxian’s time in the Burial Mounds, due to not liking to write transformation sequences (and also because it would not be pleasant at all, which likely also applies to Wei Wuxian’s death). That doesn’t prevent it from also being intentional – MXTX’s intelligence is shown in many aspects of this book, and there’s nothing disproving it – but there’s no proof for either option, so I won’t pretend there is. I bring this up because I know this feels like I’m overanalysing, as I feel that way as well.

But, whether it’s intentional or not, it exists in the text, and I adore it – so, regardless, it’s something I’ll explore. Because taking this into account… We aren't just told about Wei Wuxian having agency, we aren’t just shown it in the text, we aren’t even just shown it through which parts of his past are shown and hidden in the structure of the text (as I talked about in Part One). The parts of the past that are shown and hidden also have an in-universe reason for being shown and hidden, this reason being the choices he makes! Agency is the ability of a character to influence the story they’re in, but Wei Wuxian’s agency, as a property of a character who only exists in-universe, shapes the out-of-universe structure as well! That’s how we’re shown its importance! How cool is that?

At The End Of The Road: Summary and Final Thoughts

In this essay, we’ve covered how important Wei Wuxian’s agency is not only to the events of the plot, but to the structure of the narrative as well. The narrative omits periods in which Wei Wuxian has little or no agency, in favour of showing us periods in which he does, even when important events happened in the former. This indicates that who Wei Wuxian is without agency isn’t important enough to be shown to the audience, and therefore that his agency is an integral aspect of his character in MDZS. We’ve discussed how both in-universe and out-of-universe, tragedy does not define him – out-of-universe, the tragic events in Wei Wuxian’s life are used not to build sympathy but rather to show his strength of character and who he still is despite going through them; and in-universe, he chooses not to focus on the negativity and resentment caused by his circumstances or others’ actions, instead staying true to his moral compass and enjoying his life in the present day. Finally, we’ve also explored how this choice is another reason for the omission of certain events from the narrative, resulting in his agency shaping the story in a very literal way – it affects the out-of-universe structure, as well.

It’s quite fitting, for a story whose essence is about defying a conventional narrative – that of righteous clans rising up and defeating a great evil – and about a character who defies many conventional narratives on his own – that of status defining how skilled you could be, that for a golden core being necessary for cultivation and other paths being unavailable, that of a tragic but complete story of someone killed for staying true to their moral code (instead, that character returns to life and has a happy ending) – to have its own narrative play a role in such an important and interesting way.

(Or, if an image would be preferable:)

Thank you for reading!

(Part One | Part Two | Full version on AO3)

*This strong relation to the present day circumstances is another reason I love the flashback placement so much (and why I think it’s such a loss both screen adaptions altered it so strongly)!

#get ready for tag thoughts because there are a LOT of them #it’s for THIS reason that fanon wwx bothers me so much (didn’t want to get negative on the acual post)#bc so often all the changes are changes that woobify him!#self-sacrificial idiot wwx?? only doing things because… poor him he has so many internal issues and values himself so little-#-so of course he’d sacrifice everything before thinking of another option? woobifying #(whenever he sacrifices something it’s a deliberate choice to act on his morals because he values his morals so much – and he’s also very-#-capable and DOES often find ways for no people to get hurt!)#wasn’t aware that what happened to him at lotus pier was wrong and needs lwj to tell him that for him to have any idea if it?#woobifying (as we see in the lotus seed pod extra he KNOWS it’s unfair)#(he downplays it retroactively in his memory (links into not focusing on the bad things in his life))#(but that’s the actions themselves that are being downplayed not their fairness!)#he chooses to act! he is defined by acting! not tragedy – all the more impressive in the face of the amount of tragedy that’s happened #he could SO EASILY have been a woobie but instead he’s the opposite of one: defined BY his agency instead of the absence of it #that doesn’t mean he’s not impacted by tragedy or trauma – he is! but it’s not the most important aspect of his character (bc he doesn’t le #it’s also something that bothers me about the changes cql made #by making qq path and nightless city the fault of someone else it means he IS someone who’s more a victim of circumstance than anything els #he had no control over the tragedies of his first life at all #apart from ig his death being controlled by him? because he just leaps off the cliff during the nightless city siege?? but in THAT case it’#i watched that part recently (i’m getting through it very slowly) and yeah it reaffirmed my love for this aspect of the book even more #despite. having these exact thoughts for two years already #he also dwells on the past events a lot more than book wwx which adds to that version of him BEING defined more by tragedy rather than who #anyway over 7.3k words total (and 400 more in the tags apparently)... it'll be posted to ao3 in its completion this evening!#mdzs meta #my meta #wei wuxian #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #魔道祖师 #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #gdc

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silhouette-cosplay · 10 months ago

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Hello travellers! I'm Sil, an avid cosplayer and professional costumer with too many Lokis and a detail obsession. I handmake most of my costumes, and I love sharing the behind the scenes of my builds! My ask box is always open for questions (seriously, I will never shut up about making stuff xD)

🔜 CURRENTLY WORKING ON: Astarion/Faded Drow Armour (Baldur's Gate 3)

✔️ FINISHED!!: Loki (Ragnarok concept art by Aleksi Briclot) 🔘Upcoming: Galadriel silver gambeson (Rings of Power) Vax'ildan (Champion look from Critical Role)

Cosplay Masterlist (for this blog, which I only started in 2017, so this isn't everything I've made!) Loki (MCU) - Briclot/Ragnarok Concept Art | wip tag - Dark World | wip tag - Original Design | wip tag - Concept Tunic | wip tag - Avengers | wip tag - Jotunheim - Jotun - Prison | wip tag - Black Suit Black Widow (MCU) - Winter Soldier - Civil War - Infinity War | wip tag - Endgame Galadriel (Tolkien) - Mirror Gown | wip tag - Silverlode Cloak | wip tag - Lindon Gown | wip tag - Ceremonial Silver Vax (Critical Role) - Legend of Vox Machina | wip tag - Champion | wip tag Eowyn (Tolkien) - Shieldmaiden | wip tag Culinwen (LOTRO OC) | wip tag Raven (RWBY) | wip tag Qui-Gon (Star Wars) | wip tag Daenerys (Game of Thrones) - Dragonstone | wip tag Rapunzel (Tangled) - Classic - Rapunzel Rider Crowley (Good Omens) | wip tag Amity Blight (The Owl House) | wip tag Arthur Pendragon (BBC Merlin)

#I made a masterlist folks!#so it's much easier to go through wip tags #or find particular costumes #the one downside is that this is only retroactive to 2017 when I started this side blog #everything else is still on my main #but that gets complicated #so sorry for that xD

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faradyke · 1 year ago

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I think the post Ohtori headcanon that plagues my brain the most is Touga and Nanami being no contact, and Saionji choosing to be there for Nanami over Touga.

#something abt them both constantly choosing touga over everybody else in their lives including themselves #onlt for after everything is said and done to not only choose themselves but to support eachother over Touga #nanami and her big brother kyouichi are so important to me -anyway- cries and vomits all over myself #revolutionary girl utena #kyouichi saionji #nanami kiryuu #touga kiryuu #retroactively making a tag for them <3 #eggisode siblings

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amelikos · 2 months ago

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I love when they casually reveal that Spinel hasn't stopped tracking the main trio once in this arc.. retroactively makes some of the past lighthearted episodes of this arc have a worrying edge to it, because you just end up wondering how long he's been watching, or if he was already watching at that point etc.

He is also even apparently keeping an eye on the Brave Asagi being repaired. He followed Friede around without his knowledge a while ago too. He just knows everything, and could act but just doesn't strike until the time is right.

I wonder if he is the one orchestrating Liko being separated from Roy and Dot in HZ064. The preview mentions that she is separated from them. And next ep will be exactly fifty episodes after HZ014, which was also when Spinel lured Liko away from the RVT to steal her pendant. He used her kindness against her by sending a fake ad about that one spice Murdock wanted. He spied on their conversation in that episode and used that bit of dialogue against Liko because he knew she would be exactly the type to want to go get that spice because it would make Murdock happy. Maybe he is creating some kind of diversion to separate Liko from her friends in the next episode. It wouldn't be the first time he messed with people's phones or other devices.

#spinel #pokemon spinel #liko #hz064 #character notes #episode notes #he is so terrible (affectionate)#i love him.. one of the few characters in the anime who actually sends shivers down my spine #because he is so smart at everything he does #and he kind of could barge in whenever to do his thing but he never does and just keeps gathering info without others knowing #only sharing what he feels like sharing #and it kind of shows that he has the upper hand too. he could have acted at any other moment #but potentially waited for such a specific situation #liko being separated from the other in snowy mountains and not anywhere else #it's dangerous. and we know he can mess with people's phone signal #he did that in hz011 and at the time we brushed it off because yeah liko and mollie were in a forest so of course the signal is bad #and then hz012 showed that nope. it was spinel :) which retroactively made ep 11 worrying (he was watching at the time)#maybe he is doing that in ep 64 too #the expectation that of course the signal is bad in mountains and maybe that's why they can't contact liko etc #i love it. i love how he uses everything against others. their expectations the settings etc. even their feelings #he used liko's kindness against her in ep 14 and even used rayquaza's feelings towards terapagos to lure it out in ep 44 #(by recreating terapagos' cries with the resonance generator etc)#doing all of that while serving in all his outfits. keep going king!#(i love how he has so many differents outfits and hairstyles ww they know who they're targeting with him)#he is soooo hhgh. a good character.

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shock-micro · 4 months ago

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i was thinking about the stars this morning... well... i'm certainly thinking about them a lot more now! shoutouts to stars!

btw you've might noticed me saying stars instead of lord or god recently... well, i've decided to adopt that mannerism? because i don't really?? follow?? the christian god?? and so the stars feel a lot more meaningful to invoke??

essentially, i've resolved myself to putting in the effort to change, recently. i'd already set in motion going to college, so why not try and put the best version of myself out there? i wanna be a person who can reliably do things herself, take care of itself, and above all, help others, regardless of what it takes.

i've thought a lot about change, in the past years. the idea of everything always changing, nothing being everlasting... the concept first resonated with me after i had come up with a theory about a game, which i then applied to the lore and gameplay of my own game concept. it's funny, but it's when i first really thought about it...

it wasn't until i played in stars and time when i realized how important that concept really was to me. seeing it reflected in everything about the game's environment... it made me think.

the idea of cycles has kinda bounced around my head a lot, too. zelda, one of the first game series i knew of, is built around a cycle of reincarnation. one of the best entries is even a time loop story! and history always taught about different religions, about the cycle of reincarnation and how it's interpreted differently...

but i didn't really think about that all too much until i played rain world. seeing such a profound story centered around the concept, a whole world trapped in a cycle... well, it made me think!

because isn't everything a cycle? isn't everything constantly changing within it? think about it. the water cycle, raining, collecting, and evaporating back to the sky to rain down again. life, growing, reproducing, dying, and becoming nutrients for new things to grow. it's all constantly changing, yet in complete equilibrium, a cycle.

it's beautiful, isn't it? our seasons, the rain, the emotions we feel, life itself, they're all in flux, all ever changing, every moment fleeting, and we live it! we get to experience it all! and we get to lock it all in our memories, write it down, pass down our stories across generations, lay them bare for all to see!

and i don't think anything exemplifies my point better than the stars. the stars, which are constantly shifting in the plane of the universe, growing, fusing, casting their life-giving rays for all to see, and eventually dying in a fiery passion, reduced to stardust, ready to be used as fuel for the creation of another star.

a perfect cycle, at a scale of time and space nigh-incomprehensible to us. yet, we're able to know it all, thanks to the vastness of our universe. the cycle of something which used to be held in religious reverence, something which gives us life, the ashes of which give us form, is now within our knowledge.

...i think it's about time we treat them with a bit of respect again.

#what do i even tag this as? in stars and time? rain world? both? neither? it's just kinda the musings of a robot...#i think that has a good ring to it! if i ever make another post like this again (or if i find the time to retroactively add it) i'll use...#the musings of a robot #it's more of an impassioned ramble but musing works better for a tag i think!#stars... i wish i lived in a more rural area in that regard. with everything else i prefer a more urban style without cars!#but i'd be willing to learn focus and drive- just so i could live somewhere or go somewhere to see the stars better.

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