#but perspective and distance are still clearly real

[mumblesplash]

something that’s been bugging me all day: how would you teach perspective drawing in a society that existed entirely within, say, a varied-gravity spaceship? so much of how we understand perspective is based on the existence of the horizon and our relationship to it. what if there’s no horizon? vanishing points as a concept depend on having a ground to be parallel or perpendicular to.

[cherrydbear]

Since y'all seemed to like this I'll keep rambling on the subject, I can do this all day. Here are some of those examples where I think their friendship really shines through:

From Sanji's perspective, this guy just showed up outside his restaurant one day, dueled the legendary swordsman who slashed Don Krieg's fleet to pieces, willingly got cut almost in two, nearly bled to death, was tied up by his own crew and then captured by the Arlong pirates, still singlehandedly escaped and came back to join the fight and defeated one of Arlong's best fighters, then nearly bled to death again and woke up just in time to drink himself silly at the afterparty. I've heard people say they "match each other's freak" and that's the truth. Sanji watches this absolute wackadoodle of a man and knows he's found someone who matches his freak. From Zoro's point of view, some cook at a floating restaurant just fed all of their enemies out of principle before kicking their butts. How could he not respect that sort of unconditional adherence to a sense of honor and justice? Especially considering he himself experienced starvation not too long ago in Shells Town. Now this cook, the newest stray in Luffy's collection, immediately proves himself to be immensely capable both in the kitchen and on the battlefield, incurs injury to himself without complaint to protect these people he barely knows, and still is the only person to come sit by Zoro and check up on him. So Zoro knows that Sanji has a heart of pure gold, and I think that's a big part of why he gets frustrated when Sanji tries to cover it up with bravado and perviness.

This scene was really interesting to me because usually when someone demands that Zoro does something, he grouches and grumbles about it, so in this case it seems he just spontaneously started helping out himself. And if there was ever a man whose love language is acts of service, it's Roronoa Zoro. He seems to be more of a "companionable silence" kind of guy, while Sanji's a talker and will say anything to keep feeling connected. Now, I don't know if this is just a me thing, but I like to say my friends' names a lot, even just because the association with them brings me joy, but I rarely use the names of people I'm not close with except to refer to them in third person or to get their attention. In this scene, it seems to me that Sanji keeps repeating Zoro's name as a way to show he's thinking about him and appreciates him being there, though I might just be projecting.

Now, I know shippers go crazy over this one, but I think it's honestly really solid platonic evidence and I'll tell you why (not to dissuade shipping, I think you have to be friends before you can be more than friends so all of this can be fuel for the ship too if you want it to be). Firstly, they're comfortable enough to sleep this close together. Sanji's resting his sleepy head right on Zoro's shoulder (it should have been me, not him) and Zoro just lets him. Also note real quick, only a short distance away Luffy is using Usopp as a pillow, so they're all a cuddly cozy little family. When Zoro notices Sanji mistakenly trying to kiss him, he doesn't even move away, he just makes a face and waits for Sanji to wake up so he can make fun of him. Sanji, for his part, doesn't act embarrassed or disgusted that it turned out to be Zoro there, only playfully mad about his expression. They squabble for a few moments before Luffy pushes past them and they turn their attention to the next thing, argument forgotten, proving that neither was actually angry about anything and they were merely enjoying the opportunity to bicker.

This is from the hunting competition in Little Garden that I mentioned before. I just wanted to point out that both of them are grinning and clearly having a grand time.

(I love how Sanji's hands are just massive sometimes.) They have the entire forest clearing, and Sanji chooses to sit his little booty down right next to Zoro and toss his food at him. They're just like those kids in elementary who had beef over who has a more impressive Pokémon collection and would always sit next to each other at lunch to compare cards and play together at recess but claim they're archnemeses. And for as much as Sanji implied to Usopp (though oblivious) that the heart shaped vegetables were just for the ladies, he did choose to make it and serve it to the whole crew. Speaking of the ladies, Sanji is always adamant about protecting them, but he was perfectly fine with leaving Nami and Robin in Zoro's care, just as Zoro trusted Sanji to take care of Luffy and Usopp.

I also loved how Sanji packed Zoro a cute little lunchbox for exploring and he was NOT going to let no stupid south bird take it from him.

Alright that's all for today folks I gotta wake up in like 5 hours for work lol

Continuation from this post

[empty-vessel-of-a-person]

Reasons why Sylus and MC’s Love is Strong and Enduring

The Front Side

Their relationship may have started in a wrong foot but they gradually (specially MC) come to terms that Sylus will constantly be at her side.

In “No Way Out” and “Radiant Brilliance” Sylus, the ever elusive and strong leader of Onichynus has no problem is showing weakness with MC. This is huge considering Sylus reputation. Being vulnerable and open is not something easy for a man like Sylus, but he let MC see every side of him.

Sylus is the first LaDS men to ever directly tell MC that he loves her and proves it to her in every way possible. (Source: Razor Grip)

Sylus is a man of confidence and conviction. MC is not very fond of him at the beginning (Nor he is fond of her) but I don’t feel that they genuinely hate each other. More like irritated and frustrated. But after all of the things ended in Sylus’ branch of the story, Sylus gradually but firmly makes his way to MC’s life. He always makes sure MC is alright and got everything she needs.

The memory “Wild Gaze” and “Melodic Weave” Is probably where Sylus gets the “sugar daddy” label. He really doesn’t mind spending his fortune with MC.

The Back End

They are on the opposing end of the society. Let’s not forget MC is a Hunter and Sylus is a wanted person of her organization. But romantically involved or not, MC never spilled anything about Sylus upon her return to Linkon from the N109 Zone. From this perspective, MC might be eternally grateful that she was able to return home, but this is huge for her. Considering she is all about being a hunter that not even Zayne is able to stop her from doing dangerous missions, her keeping secrets of Sylus whereabouts ans dealings is no easy feat.

Secret Dates and Escapades Shenanigans. This is one of the best tropes Sylus and MC have. The thrill of not to be caught together adds flavor to their relationship. We can see this on both “Melodic Weave” and voice call “Keep Distance”. Yes, Sylus couldn’t care less about what happened to him but MC is clearly not comfortable in the idea of them being seen together.

Given the conclusion above, they both still makes efforts to be together. And one of my favorite moments of them was during the “Riverbank Scenery” Phone Call. Sylus have to send a”suspicious” letter just to invite her out. And the fact that he called their meeting as a “rendezvous” instead of a date adds to anonymity on it and also heartbreaking. They may not directly say it,but they cannot be seen together. Which is why towards the end of the call, Sylus almost pleadingly ask her to stay with him longer.

The Consequences. By the time the we get to the “Razor Dance” memory, it’s clear that MC already has feelings for Sylus. But they are still keeping things a secret and I feel that the deeper reason for this is MC’s situation. What will happen to her once they are found out? MC might be branded as a traitor and lock her up. I know that Sylus will do anything and literally everything to save her but the real question is, will he risk it? I know for a fact that MC will not die but if the association finds out about it, she might be facing a problem same with what Ever Group is posing. MC has a very valuable asset and there is no guarantee that the Hunters Association will not take advantage of her as well.

The Conclusion

MC do not show any signs of giving up being a hunter or ever leave Linkon. She mentioned it in all the memories under the Wander in Wonder Event. She really hopes to return to Linkon and she misses her home. In the same event in the “Grassland Romance” with Sylus she asks him if he ever consider living in Linkon so they could always meet up and he readily agrees. With this we can assume the extent of Sylus love for her. He is willing to give up everything for her and be anything for her.

But although MC is not ready or willing (Depends how you take it) to give up being a hunter or leave Linkon, we cannot ignore the danger she is putting her self in every time she meets with Sylus. MC inviting him to live in her hometown can be taken as she wants him being in a more peaceful environment to keep him safe.

Their love story ma not be easy flowing but it’s not toxic. It may need a lot of effort, but it doesn’t make it less true. Loving Sylus can be a pain but it’s still rewarding.

[voidsentprinces]

One of my favorite details about Warrior of Light is how side character will see us fight a Primal and be both awe struck and terrified of us. Like they can't tell which one of us is the real monster out there on the battlefield. The Warrior of Light keeps Lolorito up at night, the Holy See would rather open its gate to the exiled Scions than to spurn the Warrior of Light, better to keep them clearly in direct line of vision and then send them out on a suicide mission to parley with Dragons than let them stay cooped up in Ishgard and constantly a threat, Ysayle is genuinely at lost for words after we fight Ravana saying she hasn't seen us fight like that since she and her fought and despite just being defeated by Ravana, she seems more afraid of us than she is of still being in ambush distance of the One Mind, Elidibus doesn't truly comprehend our power and after we activate the Crystal of Azem, he genuinely falters and asks who we are, Thordan sees us as a terror beyond terrors, his death not being a peaceful one as we are warped from his perspective, Fandaniel chooses Zenos and us to antagonize genuinely because we are literally the only thing on Eitheirys that could guarantee that Zodiark was vanquished and the Final Days unleashed, Ryne is drawn to us for a reason beyond any sense she knows at first much like her she can sense the powerful light like that of Warden and needs to know more of it, and the only ones who outgambit us (Ilberd, Fandaniel, Emet-Selch and Zenos) are not in their right mind to begin with in dealing with us. And then again, all they can really do is STALL us as we are a single person siege engine cutting through waves of soldiers, the Garleans despise us and yet also respect us for what we did in the Praetorium, Zenos is truly in awe of us and calls us Champion of the Savages in reverence. Very few who meet us at first are gladened by our arrival, some are genuinely nervous and unsure when they meet us for the first time. If they do not hear tales of our gentler side from those who know us best.

The Warrior of Light is a beacon of hope but also a power not to be trifled with lightly and its kind of amazing how they write us.

[phantomchick]

The ending of Oshi no Ko vs The beginning (chapter 166 vs 10)

So as you can see, there's clear evidence of intentional parallels happening here. This is the aftermath of Ai's death that mirrors the aftermath of Aqua's. Aka already claimed to have the ending planned well in advance months ago so it's not a big surprise that even the ending panels of the first (not counting the prologue) and last chapters match.

And yet Oshi no Ko still falls flat despite fulfilling its promise of a revenge-tragedy.

I think the biggest problem it has is the way the last chapter tells us instead of shows us as chapter 10 did.

Yes chapter 10 also used narrative text boxes a lot, but I argue that the effect then was much more immersive.

With them being used with precision to move us through a time skip with only the most necessary information about the fall out for the characters, even the distance had the effect of doing characterisation work with Aqua describing in a narrative text box how the policemen hid the scene from Ruby but Aqua felt his mother's body going cold beneath him as they arrived - this use of the text boxes casual tone over child Aqua sitting in his dead mother's lap gave a sense of disassociation and shock to the scene.

Even the textboxes turning black to mirror Aqua's dark emotions concerning his revenge as the star in his eye turned black showed how much attention was being paid to their use.

Ruby.

Ruby felt much more real in chapter 10, her rant about the internet's callous response to Ai's murder felt real and emotionally charged. In comparison, for all she's the main subject of the last chapter, she feels like a 2d cut out of herself, barely in there for all we see her struggling through Akane's observant gaze.

She expresses her motivation to be an idol despite hardship by acknowledging that Aqua's right about idolwork being difficult and cruel but reminding him that despite the darkside of the entertainment industry, their mother 'shone' very brightly. The talk about how Ruby shines more the darker things get and how this is a good thing because it reaches out to people trapped in darkness of their own (just like her when she was a terminally ill cancer patient) is clearly meant to echo this idea.

Frankly it fails.

Ruby feels hollow.

To the point where we barely get any insight into Ruby's real feelings at all or any emotional connection with her in comparison, by 166 it's genuinely unclear whether or not she's lying even to the portrait of her dead family when she's 'alone' on her way out the door.

We don't see a conversation between her and her adoptive mother about Aqua, we don't see her talking to Akane at all. We see her grief and her success from a deified distance, just like the fans do. And it alienates us from the character.

Lies are love and she has two stars in her eyes. Just like her mother did.

I think this more than anything condemns the idol industry, she has to keep lying even to herself about her job being fun because otherwise what was all that pain and suffering and loss for?

Aqua died in a murder-suicide (shout out to Taiki for experiencing a loved one doing this twice, poor guy) to give his little sister success in a job that she has to get up at 5.30 for, devote her entire youth to and will have to quit in less than a decade. It has to matter, that she provides escapism for people who are suffering like she did, but it doesn't change the grim reality of her exploitation.

I think the lack of dialogue in the final chapter and the loss of voice for Ruby in the last few arcs mirrors the loss of agency she experiences as she becomes the ultimate idol, everyone's star.

But that doesn't change the fact that from a reader perspective it's just bad writing. Aka failed to carry his audience with him to the finish line and his messages about the idol industry were blurred by the rushed plot after the movie arc began.

If it weren't for Mengo's art hard carrying the clumsily executed story, I can honestly say that I don't think many would have read this manga all the way to the end.

[dollypopup]

everyone in the Lukola fandom spiraling once again (which i only know because as a fan of Luke Newton, I go to his tag and y'all spam the SHIT OUT OF IT) and here I am to say that THIS is why you don't get too involved in your delusions and speculations. The Lukola fandom LOVES to claim that it's all fun and games and just theories. . .until those theories are disproved. and then they turn into a raging hate machine that digs themselves in the dirt of their echo chamber with their fingers in their ears and their hands over their eyes.

putting aside the horrific misogyny his girlfriend has gotten, the very idea that y'all will 'stop shipping when they announce they're with someone else' is ridiculous. they have BEEN saying it, but without words. y'all just don't want to hear it. listen to me closely, if someone doesn't 'claim' you on social media, but you KNOW they've been harassed and stalked and bullied and smack dab in the public eye, but they take you on all their trips and meet your family and hang out with you and introduce you to their friends? you've BEEN 'claimed'. just not to cruel hearted fans, but to those who matter. it's clear to me that Luke is doing what he can to keep his girlfriend from being attacked by a wide audience on social media, and no he's not going to come out publicly with it because he has *learned his lesson*. he has had several public relationships fall to tatters and has had previous partners harassed, even on her work instagram, so one day y'all will have to swallow the pill.

nicola is not pregnant with luke's child (this shit was disrespectful to claim in the first place). her and luke are not married or living together. they are not dating. they are in a relationship with other people, and are yes, friends, but more importantly, coworkers. their financial lives are very much tied into upholding a fantasy for people. so on top of not wanting to expose their partners to the absolutely bananas fandom, they are financially motivated to be amicable about Lukola's disrespectful theories. especially Luke, who was, as he claimed openly, broke and looking for a job as he couchsurfed and part time bartended prior to Bridgerton to make ends meet. he's not letting go of the consistency of a yearly gig or the opportunities it brings. selling the costar love story fantasy is a common pr tactic, so of course they're going to be invested in selling the fantasy people fell for. hence bringing one another up in 'romantic hints' in interviews. they are just doing their job. which is acting. not LYING as some of y'all love to clutch your pearls about when you feel they have 'deceived you'

Luke's entire Sexiest Man Alive interview was very purposefully distanced from him as a person. It's clear in his mind that this was a character he was putting on- he does not feel comfortable describing himself as a heartthrob as he has said outright, and his answers in the This or That portion are clearly from Colin's perspective. It is COLIN'S time to shine and be desirable in this way, not Luke's. Which is what Nicola likely means when she says Luke has no ego in it. but there's something very important to put in place here:

Luke is not Colin. He is an actor playing a character. But y'all TREAT HIM like he's Colin. You treat him like he's fictional. Not a real person. And you do the same to Nicola. They are not Polin. They are not their characters. They are real actual human beings you will never personally know.

this man has been STALKED. someone moved across the ocean to the UK to peek into the windows of his home to determine if he was still living there and with a girlfriend. thank god he'd moved prior to that because the trauma of that is horrific. y'all have turned him and nicola into characters you can speculate about instead of creatives whose personas you enjoy.

you. do. not. know. these. people.

they are strangers. please keep that in mind when y'all hop on this parasocial bullshit. stop convincing yourselves that your 'delulu' and speculation is real. and yes, you do that because if you didn't think it was real, you wouldn't get mad when it turns out to be false.

treat the creatives you claim to support with respect. and accept the reality of things.

or at the very least get out of their tags and keep your echo chamber's door shut

[talaofthevalley]

Wonder what woulda happened if Ai hadn't interrupted here.

Cause like, Yusaku and Spectre are like mirrors of each other, this episode establishes that pretty clearly. And even though Playmaker starts out thinking every victim thought the incident was alike to hell, you do see signs that he's trying to understand Spectre's perspective. He asks Spectre questions, and interestingly Spectre answers, honestly at that.

Playmaker asks, and listens, and it seems like he's on the verge of something when Ai interrupts the conversation.

I don't exactly think Ai was wrong to pull this, they had no time and Ai is correct that it's pointless to talk to Spectre right now, since nothing except for Revolver's word would have made him let Playmaker pass. But the more interesting part for me comes from what he says after;

Beyond showcasing Ai's ability to manipulate, if Ai meant this seriously and thought it would play a big part in putting Yusaku into complete duel mode, then Ai doesn't understand Yusaku very well.

He says Yusaku and Spectre are nothing alike, which a normal watcher who's paid attention can pretty easily dispute. Playmaker doesn't acknowledge this claim, only realises they're on a time limit and they need to move. It's the reminder that the Tower of Hanoi is activating that gets him moving. Being told they're nothing alike isn't reassuring for Yusaku, because he's already realised him and Spectre are alike.

It's those similarities that make Yusaku understand Spectre a little, relate to him in a way he couldn't with any other Knight of Hanoi. But even when Yusaku relates or understands his opponent, it doesn't stop him from fighting. Yusaku's thrown from meeting someone with such a opposite perspective on the incident that ruined his life, but still possess such large similarities to him.

While Yusaku cannot comprehend enjoying the incident like Spectre did, I think he understands and relates to some of what Spectre describes here.

What little we know of Yusaku's life post-Lost Incident is that he recieved treatment for what he went through, tried to forget the incident and live a normal life. When we're shown flashbacks of young Yusaku after the incident, he's notably distant from everyone, if not physically then in his expression.

A big empty room filled with toys. No reaction to a kind-looking woman gently holding his hand. Introduced to what seems to be a new class of kids he doesn't know. Sat at the back, apart from the rest. Even if Yusaku was treated nicer than Spectre was, it was obviously not enough and came with its own hardships. And if he couldn't even talk about his experiences like Spectre, it would make adjusting even harder and the distance between him and others larger.

I'm especially honing in on the comment Spectre makes about Yusaku's life before the incident.

"If the incident hurt you, you must've led a happy a happy life before."

Spectre doesn't know that, he's drawing a conclusion based on observation and the information he has. But it's a conclusion Yusaku can't affirm or deny, because he doesn't have any memories of his life before the incident. The idea that the reason it affected him so much being because he was happy beforehand might not have even crossed his mind.

And then we have this fun little tidbit;

A place to belong. Something we in retrospect knows Yusaku feels he doesn't have, but wants. He can understand that desire very well. And if Spectre feels he has found that place with Revolver, then who is Yusaku to tell him he's wrong?

This framing tells a thousand words I think, cause we have Playmaker and Spectre in the same shot, but the focus is on Playmaker's face. It's hard to read his expression, but to me it comes off as thoughtful, still serious but he's considering Spectre's words and conviction here like he would any other opponent. It's like watching Yusaku building an understanding towards Spectre in real time.

Yusaku can understand that kind of loyalty. That unwavering dedication to someone who saved your soul when you needed it the most.

There are so many moments in S1 where Yusaku pulls on the memory of that person to gather strenght, to accomplish his goal of not only defeating Hanoi and learn the truth, but to meet that person again and save them if they are still in danger. Yusaku has survived this far on the memory of that kind voice that reached out to him at his lowest. He's dedicated in a way that, if he ever came to learn of the details, I think Spectre would similarly relate to.

dunno man it's fun to think about. I still have the rest of the duel to rewatch so who knows maybe my brain will be tickled even further or I've said something super contradicting that will be shown in just the following episode. The amount this show can give me to gnaw on in a single episode is kind of amasing.

[kurishiri]

epilogue . . . happy birthday, alfons! ˗ˏˋ🪞´ˎ˗

— this translation may not be 100% accurate or may contain creative liberties for characterization or narrative flow purposes. if you enjoy, please consider reblogging, but don’t repost or claim these as your own!

— please note that the entire story is told from alfons’ perspective. i also do recommend reading his past records with elbie for full enjoyment, but it’s not required!

— cw: mentions of death.

The chirping of the birds drew me out of my slumber.

And, if I listened closely... I could hear the gentle and even breathing of someone sleeping close by.

It felt warm and soft in my arms, and there was a nice scent too.

(...Surely, it must be a cat.)

(After all, there is simply no way... I could embrace a person like this and sleep until morning.)

That was my thought in my semi conscious state.

Kate: Mn...

But, upon hearing a voice that very clearly couldn’t belong to that of a cat, I opened my eyes.

When I did, there in my arms, Kate slept peacefully.

(...That’s right. Only you are a special case.)

No matter how much I tried to lure her into a sweet illusion that treated her kindly, she would simply not let the real me before her escape. Truly, a pitiable, but ever the endearing person.

She was the only one by my side, even after time had passed like a dream.

(To feel so safe in my arms like this... she knows no caution, I see.)

Kate was always the first to get up out of the two of us, so to me, the sight of her deeply sleeping face was quite precious.

(Yesterday, thank you for celebrating my birthday so much.)

(But...)

(The ‘wonderful birthday plans’ you had painted in your mind... if you knew that I would have rather it all crumbled to dust...)

(...you would surely be saddened.)

Since the moment I had allowed Kate in my heart, who had followed me nearly to the point of desperation...

...even though I had the resolve, there were times when I still wanted to distance myself from her as well.

(...And yesterday was one of those times.)

In order to find a way for me to escape the tragic fate I’d been dealt by my Curse, Kate had been trying hard to find leads,

which had ultimately resulted in a vain attempt...

Kate: This time may have come up empty... but I still haven’t given up!

Though she gave a firm smile, I could also see weariness seep through that she couldn’t completely conceal.

...And, when I saw that, I thought to myself, ‘If only you could fall out of love with me.’

(But alas, such was apparently not a possibility for Kate.)

(...That’s why, I wanted to make her plans for my birthday fail.)

As dictated by my inescapable fate, once I died, Kate would forget I ever existed.

When that time came, if we only made happy memories now, that part which had been filled with happiness would perhaps leave a hole in her chest, just like that.

(But, if there were some memories she’d rather not remember in the mix... even if she did forget me, she wouldn’t suffer over it.)

Sadness, anger, pain... if it were memories buried in such negative emotions, not remembering should actually be less painful.

Even if it was just a single memory, it would be alright if I could mix in something like failures on my birthday that could make her think that, even if she forgot this, she wouldn’t mind.

(So, that’s why I made love to her so much the night before my birthday so she would wake up late,)

(and took her to a place I knew was rumored to have bad food when the restaurant she reserved was closed.)

(But...)

When I saw her face scrunch up when she ate the food, I instantly regretted having done something so foolish.

And as if to atone for that, I ate all of the unsavory food on my plate, and seeing the bad luck persist through the day,

blunders followed Kate, even beyond my control.

As they piled up one after another, Kate felt more and more down, and I couldn’t bear to watch that.

So then...

—— Flashback ——

Alfons: No matter if the present comes out as you have planned, or something has gone awry…

A: Your goal to make this a birthday that stays in my memory is going quite swimmingly, I’d say? You have my congratulations.

—— End flashback ——

Trying to weave words in my own way, I encouraged Kate so she wouldn’t feel so down.

(Of course, not a single word I said back then to Kate was a lie.)

(...In the end, she ended up leaving a mark in my memory, as she had hoped.)

(And, as for me, who wished to make this birthday end in shambles, it did not go as I had hoped.)

Alfons: ...To the very end, I can’t win against you.

Murmuring this as I planted a kiss, I quietly left the room.

(...Now then, I should make breakfast for her, once in a while.)

Out of gratitude for giving me a most fun birthday, and out of guilt for wishing that her plans would fail,

I decided to take care of Kate this morning.

And on the way, I ran into someone I didn’t expect——Elbert.

Elbert: Let’s play a game of Dead or Alive.

That was the game I occasionally initiated with Elbert, a death game with two players, but where only one would emerge victorious.

Alfons: ...Well, I’ll be, this is quite abrupt, no? And on top of that, you are the one initiating the game... color me surprised.

Elbert: It was your birthday yesterday, Al. So, you can think of it as a special game.

In both of Elbert’s hands were two glasses. Its contents were perhaps wine.

Elbert: It is a game between just the two of us. And there is one incorrect answer.

His smile resembled that of a beautiful angel — or perhaps that of a impish demon,

as Elbert held the glasses my way.

Elbert: Would you like the glass on the right, or the left?

I didn’t know if something would happen in this game that Elbert had prepared.

(In regards to outward appearances, they both look completely the same. Perhaps he mixed something colorless in one of them...?)

(Let’s see... to see which one is the incorrect answer, and which is the correct one...)

Elbert: If you do not choose, I will go first.

Alfons: ...Come again now?

As I was thinking, Elbert took the glass in his right hand, and without waiting for an answer, downed the entire glass.

Elbert: ...It’s good.

Alfons: To see such an unruffled expression on your face, it would be safe to assume the glass you chose was the correct glass, no?

Elbert: I was the one who made the preparations for the game, so I am aware which is correct and not.

Alfons: ...You chose first while knowing the correct and incorrect answers... would I not be pulling the short end of the stick?

Elbert: You seemed quite hesitant to choose, so that is why. ...Next is your turn, Al.

(...Goodness gracious, just what is going through his mind right now?)

The only glass that remained was the ‘incorrect’ glass.

(That said, I am almost entirely certain he wouldn’t mix in a lethal poison...)

(...but seeing as there’s no way for me to tell, I can only drink what’s in the glass.)

For the briefest of moments, I hesitated taking the glass, but then I subsequently took it, downing its contents.

Alfons: ...

Elbert: Well?

Alfons: I see that it’s some quite delicious grape juice. The kind that Kate would like, I reckon.

Elbert: There is some in the kitchen as well, so you should take some to bring to Kate.

Alfons: I am feeling fine and dandy, though... was the one you drank perhaps the incorrect glass?

Elbert: No.

Alfons: So that is to say that both glasses were correct...

A: ...the ‘Dead’ part of the game is nowhere to be found. All we played was a game of Alive or Alive then, no?

Even now, I didn’t know what Elbert wanted out of this game.

Elbert: ...No, someone did die.

E: I watched you die, just before you took the glass in your hand.

(‘Just before I took the glass’...?)

Just as I was about to ask just what he was saying, it was then I realized.

(Ahh...)

(...I see how it is now.)

I had indeed hesitated when I took the glass that I had thought was incorrect.

And that hesitation was unmistakable proof of a craving for life that had not been within me before.

(The me who thought ‘it didn’t matter when I died’... has indeed died.)

Alfons: ...If I had died and reincarnated, I do so wonder what I would become.

Elbert: Who knows? But... I am sure it would not be anything strange.

E: As long as Kate is by your side, that is.

When I prepared breakfast and returned to my room, Kate was in the middle of getting dressed.

Kate: Ah... good morning, Alfons.

Alfons: Good morning. Would you care for some breakfast?

Kate: Very! I’m really hungry!

Alfons: Indeed, we did many things last night that warranted a workout. So that would come as no surprise.

As I was setting the food on the table, I turned to see Kate’s cheeks as red as an apple.

(She must be thinking about last night, I reckon. ...How honest and endearing of her, to be sure.)

Alfons: If you would like to immerse yourself in last night’s memories again, I would highly suggest looking at your body in the mirror. For you see, I left a plethora of marks—

Kate: Don’t make me remember all those naughty things we did first thing in the morning...!

With the redness of her cheeks persisting, Kate glared at me.

Such an expression resembled that of a cat, and that was adorable in its own right, but it was hardly my intention to spoil her mood.

Alfons: My apologies, it seems I went a step too far in teasing.

A: Would you cheer up for me? See, I have gone out and made breakfast.

Kate: ...! I’m all better now.

Just like that, her expression brightened, and Kate jovially took a seat. I, too, took a seat across from her.

(The me who ‘woke up every morning alone,’ and the me who ‘felt it was alright to die at any time’... they had all been killed by Kate.)

(And reborn in their places was the me who ‘embraced a precious Kate as I slept,’ and the me ‘who didn’t wish to die before her.’)

(I can’t help but wonder just what parts of me will die, and which parts will be born next?)

It was the day after my birthday, the morning sun filtering in the room.

This would surely end up carved in my heart, and hers, as a happy memory.

And finally, when the time came, those memories would perhaps end up hurting her.

In all honesty, flipping the table over here and now, and hurting Kate in the worst way possible

would, in the long term, be for her benefit.

(But... even so.)

Right now, I wanted to taste the flavor of happiness together with her to my heart’s content... and engrave it in me for eternity.

← main story fin. letter →

full masterlist 🪞🍰 ╱ ko-fi ☕

END NOTES: friends, I think I may just have a thing for the star-crossed love but trying to make it work trope… the way Al was really soft here when he’s normally a more guarded character, I feel proud that he is able to be try and be more vulnerable 🥹🫶

and the way Al understands Elbie so well, too! I adore their unorthodox friendship a lot. (and though it’s not mentioned in this story, I think the fact that Al chose the date he met Elbie of all days as his birthday… I think it speaks to how they may be meant for each other in some sense.)

happy birthday, Al! may this year be full of happy memories for you as well 🪞

[ari-the-arotistic]

So I was thinking about pirates of the Caribbean, and each characters unique moral code and way of approaching life, as one does, when I remembered a particular scene about our beloved James Norrington... the very first scene in which Jack and James meet. Now, as a long time Sparrington shipper, I adore the Sparrington fandoms adopted head canon of Jack's compass pointing directly at Jack when James is holding it as having a romantic connotation too it, but this is Disney we're talking about, and a Disney from 20 years ago at that, so it is of course just a head canon. And while it is a beloved head canon, I will always be a writer before a shipper, and what that scene says about Norrington from a writer's perspective is far too juicy not to share... So buckle up for a very long meta post about who James Norrington is as a person, and how it was set up in this scene(and later reinforced in the second and third movie). This is my first real meta post, and I'm very excited for it, so let's jump right in.

First of all, the compass scene.

As we can clearly see in the image above, since the red line that points to the object of the holder's desires is no where to be seen, its relatively easy to conclude that it's hidden from our view by the sun dial in the middle, and thusly is pointing directly at Jack. Elizabeth is off to James's right, and no one is standing behind Jack, so unless the compass was pointing at something in the far off distance that just so happened to be in Jack's general direction(unlikely) its pretty clear what(or who) the compass is pointing at. For most potc fans, this is fairly standard knowledge. But it's what this fact says about Norrington's character that I'd like to focus on. After all, what does it say about a man that a compass that shows you what you desire most is pointing at a pirate, and the very face of piracy at that, instead of your canonical love interest, when you're a Commodore of the Navy? As stated above, Sparrington shippers often point at this scene as proof that James has a bit of a pash on the ruggedly handsome pirate, or at the very least, a thing for men. But from a writer's perspective, this just simply isn't the case, and not because the writer's in this instance are the notoriously homophobic corporation we call Disney. The reason why this is so unlikely from a writing perspective is because given the context clues, we as an audience are meant to draw the conclusion that this is the first time that they meet(I have heard rumors of them meeting as children in the books, but having never read them, and focusing only on the movies, I'm not including that in this post). And since this is the first time they've met, it's highly unlikely that the compass is pointing at Jack because James has a bit of a thing for him. Even if James has heard of Jack's many exploits, he does not truly know the man behind the legend, so having romantic feelings for the pirate at this point in time just isn't believable. And even if James was a closeted gay/bi man, it's still unlikely that the compass would be pointing at Jack of all the men around the Commodore(of which there is a lot, some of whom he is incredibly close with) seeing as Jack is the poster boy of piracy, and at this point in the movie it's made abundantly clear that James vehemently detests the notion and all who practice it. If James were to be holding the compass in Jack's vicinity in later movies and it still pointed at the pirate, an argument could definitely be made that it was because he had developed feelings for Jack, but for their first meeting, it's just not realistic. So it's much more likely that the reason the compass is pointing at Jack is because of James's desire to send every pirate he meets to "a quick drop and a sudden stop" as he so eloquently put it to a young Elizabeth. This is further reinforced in the third movie when it is revealed that Beckett's desire to have Jack dead at his feet would prevent him from using the compass to find Shipwreck Cove if the pirate was not already at the aforementioned location, or, well, dead. This is again, relatively common knowledge. But like I said before, it's what this fact says about James that is the whole point of this post... and that is that James cares more about his career than anything else, even the woman he claims to love. Now for some, that statement alone might seem like a pretty obvious conclusion, but it's how this scene subtlety sets up this core aspect of Norrington's character before we even truly get to know who he is, and how it's brought to it's full height in the second movie, and the core aspect of his redemption and subsequent death in the third that I'd really like to talk about. Which brings us to the next segment of this post...

How James lost his commission to the navy...

And how he got it back

So let's start off with how James lost his commission... it's a story we all know pretty well, and one he tells to Gibbs in the scene shown above, when he plans to either join Jack's crew or get revenge on the man that(he believes) ruined his life. After Jack's escape in the first movie, James grew obsessed with capturing the pirate, so much so that he foolishly followed the Black Pearl into a hurricane, resulting in the sinking of the Dauntless, and the loss of countless lives that had been aboard the vessel. It's unclear aside from James himself who had been on the ship at the time, and who did or did not survive, but the death toll was heavy, with most, if not everyone who wasn't James, having perished in the storm. While it is not the most extreme example(which we'll get too in just a bit), this is a pretty clear example of James prioritizing his career above everything else, even reason and logic. And all just to capture a singular pirate, even at the cost of his own ship and crew, and rather ironically, the very career that he had been so desperately trying to hold onto in the first place. Which brings us to the next scene I'd like to discuss... James stealing the heart of Davy Jones. This moment is the absolute peak of this part of James's character. This is the moment where James takes his obsessive need for his career to the max. This is the moment where James truly prioritizes his career above everything else, even the woman he claims to love(and for Sparrington shippers, above the man he's reluctantly come to care about). At this point in time, when James decides to take the heart for himself to regain his old station, he's been on the Black Pearl long enough to know the full situation. That Jack is in some kind of trouble with Davy Jones, and that if Jack doesn't use the heart to bargain for his freedom, then the Kraken will hunt Jack, and subsequently the Black Pearl, down until he and everyone aboard are dead. And that includes Elizabeth. And yet, despite knowing that stealing the heart would basically mean sealing Elizabeth's death, he still decided to do so. Sure, the argument could be made that he thought Elizabeth would be able to escape somehow, but the chances of her dying at sea, or some other terrible fate befalling her before she could safely make it back to civilization would have been highly likely. Of course we as an audience know that this isn't the case, but James does not. So essentially, James was so obsessed with his career, and maintaining the image of the honorable Commodore that he didn't even truly register that he was putting Elizabeth, the woman he loves and has been trying so desperately to woo for the past two movies, in danger. And he won't fully realize the consequences of his actions until the third movie, in a deleted scene no less(I swear when I find whoever decided to delete some of the most important scenes to James's character...), when Davy Jones informs Governor Swann of his daughters untimely demise on the Black Pearl. Of course, almost immediately afterwards, Beckett retcons that statement by informing the Governor that Elizabeth was recently seen in Singapore, but for a few minutes, James has to sit with the fact that Elizabeth was dead, and it was his fault. And even after learning that she was in fact still alive, James has now finally come to the realization that if she had still been on the Black Pearl when it sank with its Captain, he would've been the one to send her to her death. And for Sparrington shippers, James has to sit with the unavoidable fact that he was the reason Jack had died(even if the pirate does come back), despite the fact that it was Elizabeth's betrayal that was the final nail in Jack's coffin, since she wouldn't have had to do that if the Kraken wasn't after them in the first place. Which brings us to the final scene I'd like to discuss...

James choosing a side, and paying the price

Now, before we fully delve into this scene, I'd like to take a moment to talk about James's own perception of himself, and his relationship with honor and integrity. From the very first scene in which we meet James Norrington, we are made aware that he has a strong moral compass. He firmly believes piracy is evil, and that all who partake in piracy deserve a swift end. He perceives his Commodore persona as being the paragon of honor and integrity, and the sole arbiter of justice. We can infer from the line "By remembering that I serve others, Sparrow, not just myself" that James does have honorable intentions when ridding the world of pirates, that being protecting the innocent citizens under his care, but as seen once again in the first time James and Jack meet, wherein James adamantly tries to arrest Jack despite the fact the fact that pirate had just saved Elizabeth's life, his actions to achieve that goal are not always quite as honorable as his intentions are. This is especially highlighted once again when James gave Beckett the heart of Davy Jones. James's intentions here were once again rooted in honor and integrity - he believes that the only way to keep people safe from pirates is too return to his old station, to the image of honor and integrity he had built around the title of Commodore, and the only way to return to his old station is to give Beckett the heart. But the action itself was far from honorable, seeing as James had to betray the woman he loved just to obtain the heart, and that he was now putting it into the hands of a dangerously unstable individual who planned on using it to commit mass genocide.

And now, we finally get to the scene above... Of course, it's made clear throughout his scenes in the third movie leading up to this one that James is already starting to regret giving Beckett the heart after seeing the damage being caused, but since Beckett is targeting pirates specifically(although we as an audience know that Beckett's definition of pirate is very loose) James figures that the ends justify the means, as he often does in situations regarding piracy. It is not until his reunion with Elizabeth, where he learns that Governor Swann is dead, and that Beckett lied to him about the Governor's whereabouts, that James truly realizes the enormity of his mistake. It is in this moment that James has a sudden realization that fundamentally shakes him to his core, and is the reason behind his change of heart later on. He realizes that the honorable Commodore persona that he had tried to cultivate and keep a hold of for so long had never been truly honorable at all, and that by giving Beckett the heart of Davy Jones, he had effectively tied the noose around the neck of his own honor and integrity, as well as the necks of hundreds, if not thousands of innocent people, with his own hands. And as that one vine goes, this was the moment James knew, he fucked up. Which leads to his decision to change sides in an attempt to redeem himself, and his subsequent death in the process. Of course, part of James's reason for helping Elizabeth escape was that he does care for her, but given everything I've detailed about him so far, I think it's safe to say the main reason that James decided to help Elizabeth and her crew was because he wanted to undo the damage he had done, and he had faith that Elizabeth, Will, and Jack would have some sort of plan to defeat Beckett, and stop any further damage to come from his mistake. And now, for his death scene itself... As much as I love the idea of James surviving and joining the pirates(whether at Elizabeth's side or Jack's is unimportant), I firmly believe that his death was a necessary end of this part of his character arc, and that if he were to survive he would still have to go through a major ego death for this part of his character arc to end properly. Because as Bill turner drives that wooden pike into James's gut, it's not just the physical death of his body, but also the metaphorical death of Admiral James Norrington, and the ideals that James had used to build the persona out of. So even if James survived, the Admiral would still have to meet his metaphorical end, thusly causing James to lose a core part of himself that had been guiding most his decisions so far, in the process, which would start the next part of his character arc, where he would have to deal with the loss of a key part of his personality, and rebuild himself from the ground up to finally, truly become the image of honor and integrity he had envisioned from the beginning.

And that concludes this very long post. I could probably wax enough poetics about this aspect of James's character to write a short novel, but I've said everything important to this post, and if I go on any longer, I'm likely to start repeating myself lol. Thank you for reading, and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments or a reblog! I will always love hearing more about our polished peacock <3

[thedenofravenpuff]

Ballora and Eclipse's Relationship - A Ramble

I love the growing friendship between Ballora and Eclipse V4 on EAPS.

Which to me is a funny observation if you go deep lore on it, like an obsessive fan (is me, I'm an obsessive fan)

Wall of text under the cut

If you look deep cut into FNAF, I always liked to consider the Daycare Attendant kind of related to creations like The Puppet and Ballora. Ballora is a marionet, a performer, a doll for the stage. The Puppet a security measure, a caretaker, meant to look after special kids, but failed (Charlie).

The DCA are built like dolls. Marionets with intricate parts, originally meant to be performers for the stage but then repurposed to be caretakers, protectors of children. Like Puppet and Ballora they stand out against the animal themed animatronics that always took center stage.

On EAPS Ballora was introduced as a vapid person, only eyes for herself, calling others 'peasants' and refusing to get Puppet's name right. In EAPS they played up how Lefty was Puppet's replacement in the TSBS universe, as a model, while in FNAF lore Lefty was created as a means to capture and contain the possessed Puppet. A failure, compared to the fates and purposes of creations like Ballora.

Ballora only showing interest in friendship with the DCA, something she feels related to. Even to a point where she sticks around even when Sun and Moon each proves to perplex her, because they are programmed so differently from her. Yet she still insists in feeling a relation towards them, over anyone one.

While still acting high and mighty over others, to Sun and Moon she is more open and calm. Wanting to spend time and expand on them as people, as individuals.

This need becoming useful to Eclipse, because the EAPS DCA are very quickly attached to him, because again, an unspoken relation binds them together. Eclipse has the experience that could benefit the two baby AI that learns and grows very different from how Ballora does, as she was clearly more 'finished' in her programming to be ready to perform while not much older than Sunpea and Moonpea. Eclipse have been both of them, he is a copy of Sun and Moon both, no matter how much he hates this fact.

When Eclipse needed help the most to get through to Sunpea about his obsession with seeing real magic, Ballora came through, recognizing Sunpea needs to be spoken to in a specific way. She respected Eclipse's need to hold some distance to things that pulls back to where he came from. To a point he THANKED HER. Granted, he spoke the gratitude AFTER she left the room (much like when New Moon apologized for Old Moon's abandonment of Eclipse, when Eclipse V3 had already left the room).

Eclipse V4 is already a friend to Earth, the one he has dared to attach to because she actually cares to know his side of things. While not taking offence but actually gaining from his refusal to sugar coat things the way her family and partner does. She isn't perfect, she needs to be told that now and again.

In this other dimension.. Ballora is gaining his trust in other ways. She accepts the things he says but dares to speak up that other perspectives exist. But not in the same way others around him does. Puppet is NOT on same wave length, Puppet is just using Eclipse and he knows it, even if Puppet denies so to themself half of the time. Ballora is full of herself, but so down to earth around Eclipse and the EAPS DCA.. she isn't Earth, but connecting to Eclipse in different ways.

She hasn't shamed him, yet tells him off when going too far. She hasn't lied to him, she hasn't forced him to do things. When she says "We are friends" it is with even more honesty than Earth because she holds no baggage that Earth has. Ballora is still young and new. She has nothing to gain from lying to Eclipse, she holds no power over him like Puppet does with the EAPS contract. Heck, I'm sure her hazing Puppet is a great source of amusement to Eclipse.

When Eclipse dropped out from that Gang Beast video after Puppet ONCE AGAIN forced Eclipse to interact with Lunar, despite his protests time and time again, all acted like they did not understand his reaction at all.

Because Ballora is the one to actually care. Eclipse has said out clearly what he wants and what he dislikes, and others, especially Puppet, has an attitude of "get over it" or "you deserve it."

Again, Ballora has no baggage to judge Eclipse with or add any 'but' to things she claims or says to him. She genuinely wants to be his friend as much as with Sunpea and Moonpea. While recognizing the DCA still has some growing to do, realizing she was programmed to start off more mature, while Eclipse IS already the most mature around. Sunpea and Moonpea are made to learn differently because they have to interact with children, with humans, directly. They have so much more to learn and expand on, than a performer meant for the stage.

I like the duality it gives Ballora. She is a primadonna full of herself. She talks to her bandmates and mocks Puppet by refusing to acknowledge knowing her name. Yet so patient and kind to the DCA and so eager to give Eclipse the understanding and care he so needs.

She truly grown on me over time, showing this much duality to herself. Her priorities and her own growth as a character, the more she learns of things she can do as (and despite of being) an animatronic.

I love her interactions with Eclipse for this. And I truly feel, with Ballora, Eclipse V4 can count two whole genuine friends, who actually cares and listens.

Thank you if you read this far. Just needed to ramble on this for a bit.

[scarlet--wiccan]

Semi related to the "Mayomoff" thing, but I really dislike sometimes how cb twt tries to distance Billy from Wanda. I get it's a way to overcompensate because MCU stans usually have the misconception that Billy and Tommy were raised by Wanda, but the insistence feels icky. By the way these people write about these characters, it would make you believe that Wanda tried to steal baby Billy from Rebecca's arms (anti roma tropes are still super present even in "leftie" fandom spaces).

This has been a thing for years, and I've definitely noticed an uptick recently, from both sides, in response to Billy's imminent arrival in the M C U. I think a lot of comic fans, in particular, have a hard time accepting that characters can be more than one thing, or have more than one important storyline or relationship. Whether or not you find it interesting, Billy's relationship with Wanda is a major part of his story, and both characters care about each other a great deal. If you think you can have one without the other, you've lost the plot.

But if I'm being honest, I do think that racism is a part of the problem. People undervalue Wanda's relationship with her sons because they don't understand the significance and nuances of Romani heritage and identity. They undervalue how meaningful a story about family separation and reunion can be, because they have no investment in our history or generational trauma. I think a lot of folks are not willing to hold the space for those perspectives or learn from Roma voices. When we talk about representation and authenticity, a lot people think they need to understand the interiority of Romani culture, but I think these experiences and historical perspectives are much more important.

On top of that, a lot of people seem to think that acknowledging Wanda as Billy's mother or labeling him as a person of Roma heritage somehow erases other aspects of his identity. In some cases, this is well-intentioned-- Jewish identity can be just as nuanced and specific, and needs to be respected-- but a lot people clearly just feel threatened by the idea that he might not be white. And that's a real shame, because in my mind, Billy's Romani heritage only adds to the richness of the character. Mixed families with varied identities exist, and there several real-world experiences you can map Billy's identity onto without invalidating his Jewishness.

-----

Homophobia and gender anxiety are also important factors. I've been following this character for nearly two decades, and I find that Billy's depiction, and how fans respond to him, often reflect shifting attitudes about "positive" gay representation-- specifically, where femininity, diverse gender expression, and gay cultural semiotics fit into that narrative. [x] [x] The character has always been legible as a certain type of gay guy, and over the years, more writers and artists have taken license to explore that aspect of Billy's style and personality. All told, it's pretty subtle, and since most of those writers are gay/bi men, I usually find it quite authentic, but certain fans-- particularly the Young Avengers fanbase-- always respond negatively to any degree of femininity or androgyny.

Billy's proximity to Wanda-- as a legacy character based on a female hero, and as a man who identifies positively as a "witch," when that word is used with explicitly feminine connotations elsewhere in the Marvel canon-- evokes a lot of those same responses. Again, I think this is a perfectly authentic and frankly very common relationship for gay men to have with femininity. But characters like that are rarely represented as powerful, admirable, or desirable, and Billy is all of those things. To me, that is positive representation, and anyone who can't see that has an internalized bias they need to work on.

On the flip side-- homophobia and transphobia are on the rise in America, and I really think the pendulum has swung back around in terms of how comfortable people are expressing those views in public. I've been more plugged into the M C U fandom lately because of Agatha, and I've seen a lot of folks just saying mean, homophobic things about the actor and character. I don't want to defend Locke, because of the whitewashing, but that sort of hate okay is not okay.

[impossiblesuitcase]

do you have any head cannons on Kai’s mom? It’s just one of those things where I soooo wish that MM went into more detail. I feel as though we were robbed.

I know 😭😭Marissa killed her off and never had the decency to tell us anything about her.

I have a few headcanons about her. As I mentioned in one of my fics, I think that she came from Japan, hence Kai having a Japanese name. She was from a rich family but not aristocrats and they weren't great supporters of the monarchy. Many provinces in the Commonwealth have bubbles of anti-monarchal sentiment. She and Rikan met when he visited Japan and began a long-distance relationship. After a few years she moved to New Beijing and married him, something her parents weren't fond of. They lived in Japan and rarely visit Kai for this reason, which is why they are absent during the series.

Because she came from a slightly lower social class than her husband, she lived a more normal lifestyle. She cooked her own meals, would go shopping for herself rather than having servants do it, and took a real interest in all the staff in the palace. It's where Kai learnt this from. Marissa wrote a brief description of her from Kai's perspective: "Going to the Annual Peace Festival when I was growing up [was when I was the happiest]. We would go every year as a family...Mom always found a way to sneak in a few private moments. Just the three of us, eating spicy noodles from the street vendors and watching the musicians practice for the parade." Kai also says in The Mechanic that she would take him to the market, so she evidently went against the norms and protocols for royalty to give Kai a more normal upbringing. Very Princess Diana of her.

Because she was a rule-breaker, I think it would be funny if she and Torin did not get along. She encouraged a looser side from Rikan which was at odds with Torin's perfectly constructed regimen for the emperor. But eventually he warmed up to her, and part of the reason he warms up to Cinder is because she reminds him of the late empress.

I like to think that Kai got his cheekier side from her. She would make jokes from tough situations and that helped Kai process his emotions. She also inspired his penchant for the impossible (conspiracy theories) and his hopeless romantic heart by reading many fairytales to him as a child.

But of course every character has flaws, so I think that she was more of a philanthropist than a lawmaker. She died while on a diplomatic mission to the infected areas, so her heart was clearly on helping people. However she wasn't quite aggressive enough to help with the legislative side of things, so Rikan was mostly on his own in that regard.

Finally, I think that Cinder and Kai have a daughter who looks a lot like her. Kai loves seeing a piece of his mother still with them and the people adore the reminder of their last empress in the empress-to-be.

[goodluckclove]

In Defense of Self-Inserts

This is written in response to an ask sent from the Always Delightful @fukurouonthesea, who asked for my thoughts on creating unique characters in regards to a tabletop game character they're building. My first thought on getting this question is that Fukuro likely assumes unique characters are a subject I know things about - good to hear! Good that people assume I know things! That works out well for me.

So I can speak more on the perspective of writing characters for prose and scripts rather than TTRPGs. I recently finished my first campaign, but I was sort of tricked into playing by my wife who was DM-ing and ended up going the whole time with a joke character I really couldn't find any actual dramatic pathos in*. My next attempt will hopefully be more intentionally-crafted. But also still probably chaotic. I tend to lean that way, apparently.

But characters! How do you do them? Or, more accurately, how do I do them? There's a ton of paths to get to the same goal of Cool Guy That's Fun To Read About, but I'd love to take this opportunity to put off actually working on Migration Patterns for a while longer and instead ramble about something I've been wanting to dive into for a while.

Self-inserts are actually super useful! They're great! All of my characters are self-inserts and virtually no one has ever commented on that! I genuinely don't think they've noticed!

(this is a long one)

What is a self-insert, really? The definition I'm the most familiar with in writing is a character drawing (maybe even heavily drawing) from yourself as the author. I saw people back in the day get very mean about self-inserts, considering them an overlap with the Original Sin of Mary Sue-dom. It's 2024, though, and these days Mary Sue is primarily a term used to describe female characters that a critic personally doesn't like. Still, I've had a TON of writers come to me worrying about writing self-inserts, and I'm consistently confused.

Maybe it's because I've been doing this for long enough that I've built up an immunity to the dumb nonsense people say online posing as "Objective Writing Advice". Maybe it's because I'm a huge fan of Kurt Vonnegut, a man who straight up wrote himself as a side character in a few of his most notable books. I've never gone that far, but I absolutely pull from my own life and identity for all of my characters and it consistently works.

I think when a reader points out a character as a self-insert, it's a reflex of seeing someone with notably less nuance than the rest of the cast. This character - let's name them Goobis - is written with the near-explicit intent to be just super cool. It's an instant turn-off for me in a written work if there's one person I can just look at and immediately know they're crafted to be the fandom darling. Goobis might have faults, but if they do, they're pretty cool faults. They're things that could definitely be bad if pushed to a thematic height (Caring too much, over-protective, self-sacrificing, a level of snark that's guaranteed to make impressionable fans slightly insufferable for a few years), but they aren't.

Goobis, typically, gets kid gloves in terms of the treatment of the story. Plot Armor, maybe. Or they might be a Plot Martyr that has every bad thing ever happen to them and everyone around them is either an old-timey villain or a kind cardboard cutout that weeps oh no poor Goobis!! Both are fine. There's an audience for both, clearly. But from what I've seen those are the types of characters that typically get readers - myself included - to think they're a form of wish-fulfillment.

You can do wish-fulfillment in writing. You should do that at least one, it's nice and good for bone health. But man, there are a lot of writers (Including adult ones that I've known in my real life) who can benefit from - like - distance, man. Draw from yourself and your life, but unless you're ready for a conversation maybe don't be one-to-one accurate.

I have a relative who got a masters in creative writing. I found his novella online and aimed to read it and send him my thoughts as a show of support, only to find that it was actually unbelievably pretentious and I honestly couldn't get through it. What drew my attention, though, was that the main character was dealing with the grief of his father, who died literally the exact same way my relative's actual father died.

I caught it immediately and I think I whispered "oh no" out loud. Like, what are you doing dude? Your mom read that shit, and she had to see you describe an entirely accurate depiction of how her fucking husband died that is such a weird move. Processing grief through writing is great - but change some fucking specifics, you weirdo. Make it a mom instead of a dad, or maybe an uncle or grandpa if you're keeping the patriarch thing. Change the reason why he needed surgery, or the medical complication that caused his death. Maybe don't name the exact hospital where your Dad died in this non-autobiographical work. Fucking hell.

Shifting some surface-level details from events in your life is, often times, enough to make it so people directly involved in these events can read them and not even realize what you're referencing. You can also tweak a certain event slightly to fictionalize it even further, while still having the honesty of your real life experience. I dropped out of school while starting the same creative writing program my relative graduated from. What if I stayed? What would my life look like? What would my writing look like? Would I still even enjoy writing? The concept of sliding door moments is a fascinating one to me and it's something I think about a lot.

On a more internal level in terms of character, you know more of yourself than anyone else in your life. You know your fears and your faults. You know what makes you lovable - or what people say they love you for, or what you'd like them to love about you. You probably know things about yourself that are so painful and trembling that you assume that if anyone else finds out about them they'd immediately realize you're worthless as a human being. If you don't know any of that, maybe you should. Internal contemplation - or external though something like therapy - is absolutely beneficial in a ton of ways, including for your art.

People are complicated. Everyone is complicated, and the average person as the most experience with their own network of identity. And in my own work (The only craft I can really speak for), putting at least a touch of myself in the characters I create has really caused people to engage and relate to them.

And it's weird, because I can't really think of any major faults that any of my characters have. At least, not in the way a lot of newer writers describe character faults - like some rubber stamp easily marked in the center of a person's forehead. There are things about the cast of my series Songbird Elegies that I see as struggles that either have to be processed or managed. Someone might be self-loathing, or struggle with emotional intimacy, or have a temper that will absolutely steer them wrong. They might be impulsive to a degree that is no longer Quirky Cute. That's not great.

But growing writers will sometimes make a fault out to be a thing that you can see very clearly in a person above anything else. As if you can point at a guy on the street and say BAM - SEXIST! Which - yeah, you can do that. I can have brief interactions with people I don't actually know and come away thinking that someone is stupid or lazy or irresponsible or any number of bad qualities. It's only if I got to actually know them - either though a relationship or just somehow following their lives as an outside observer - that I'd learn they slipped through the cracks in school so deeply that they just stopped caring, or they went through a loss that resulted in them choosing to survive instead of actually live.

Your worst qualities weren't predestined from birth. The Meyers-Brigg is absolute nonsense mainly utilized by the military and most major corporations. There are things you might hate about yourself that once served to protect you. This is true for everyone you see, but when you're just starting out in art it might be hard to see that. That's why it's so helpful to first draw from yourself.

So draw from yourself to whatever degree you want. Give Goobis your sense of humor, but maybe use it as an opportunity to explore why you're so quick to joke and what doing that might be avoiding. Have Goobis experience the same childhood birthday that irrevocably changed the course of your life, but maybe change what year it happened and make it a close-up magician you found instead of a Spiderman Impersonator. In fact, consider seeing what would change if it was Goobis' innocent little brother who stumbled across Spiderman's dead body instead of Goobis themself. If you're willing to be honest - not excessively self-deprecating or praising, just honest - you'll probably be surprised how many people see themselves in the people you write.

God that was long. I hope that helped maybe? Helped someone?

*It was an eldritch horror wearing a cowboy Hat of Disguise to look like a bulldog. His name was Socks. He ended the campaign traveling to early 2000s Philadelphia and kidnapping an NPC with him. This was after Socks paid for the NPCs Wizard school education, then paid for the NPC to become a potter after crossing paths again, and then sacrificed the NPC to be an immortal slave to a Time Spider. In the climax of this campaign Socks used the Teleport cantrip from Wizards101 to banish the final enemy to the Tomb of the Beguiler. Things went off the rails real quick.

[teezersfics]

Journey To Wonderland

˚‧｡⋆⋆｡‧˚masterlist˚‧｡⋆⋆｡‧˚

Genere : Fantasy, Royalty, Pirate

Pairing : Secret

Ch.6 / Ch.7 / Ch.8

Chapter 7 : Face off

“Yes, I do have some doubts.” You say as you are leaning against the railings with Yunho accompanying you. Since, day before yesterday, from when you have heard the story of Wonderland's creation, Ynitasia's downfall and the rules of the Wonderland, you have been constantly thinking about it. As yesterday was a busy day for you, you didn't get a chance to ask anyone, but today you are given day-off from training because today is important day for you. The Destiny will be crossing the Sapphire Sea today, that means your real work starts from here. The day-off has been given to you to relax and be properly ready for work.

You always used to think that the Navigator's work might be easy. Look at the map, locate where the ship is, and tell the further route, easy!!. But now that you are in Navigator's shoes, you understand that it's not as easy as it look. You have to constantly keep an eye on the stars and constellations in night to confirm the ship is going in right way, at night you have to plan and decide the day route, it's like imagining the stars in the day. Also keeping an eye on the position of the Sun. Calculating the distance that is to be travelled in day so as to perfectly align with the stars at night. In the day, if the ship trails off the route even an inch, the whole route changes, and it takes time to adjust the route again at night. It's like, navigators duty is 24/7.

Nobody is clearly speaking about it, but today, you can feel a intangible pressure on you. As you walk by crewmates, you feel their lingering gazes on your back. It's as if, they are shooting the arrows to your back. For some reason, it's natural coming from them, they have so much expectations from you. And the fact that you yourself can't guarantee if you can remember the route. This makes you nervous, and to kill your nervousness you decide to get yourself busy by talking with someone, and you found Yunho.

“Yes, go ahead.” He says, wiling to solve your doubts.

“Actually, while telling to story, Sir Yeosang said that even many trained warriors from the Kingdoms have not passed at Wonderland. Then, how are we, some pirates are going to win all the games of Wonderland??”

As you say this, he smirks and replies,

“It's about the training.”

You didn't get it and the look on your face expresses your doubt.

“The training that we give you, it's not as simple as it looks. Even though it might not look any special now but we are just getting all of you rookies ready for more tougher training ahead which will be carried on land.”

“Ohh, that's impressive. But is the training enough to beat what's waiting for us in Wonderland?”

“What's enough is not training, but it's the intellect. It's about how you play the games with your mind. Not all the games require physical skills but also how you look at the things with your perspective and ability to solve the situations. That's how Wonderland works.”

Whatever Yunho told you is just something that brings goosebumps on your skin. The more you hear, the more you grow curious about Wonderland. Now you understand that why people say,”Wonderland is not the game for everyone to play”. It is for only that type of people who are involved with stuff like managing teams, performing tasks that need quick decisions to be made, solving disputes, etc. These tasks are carried out more in Royalties, on daily basis. They have, king who manages and looks over his whole kingdom, makes decisions about various things in kingdom, also he has clever advisors who help him his kingdom. Not only clever people but also an Army of people who can fight unimaginable wars. This tells so much about why Gods kept the limit of “Royals only” for this game.

But, it still worries you that ‘are the people on ship enough’ to carry out tasks that waits for them in Wonderland. Sure, the people on this ship are not like the people from typical pirate stories you have heard about. Not the ones blinded by greed and drowned in pride they hold, earned by looting, killing, torturing, fighting wars, etc. These people are different, diverted by a different goal. They don't go around stealing from merchants, killing for no reason, enslave anyone just for the fun of it. You can see the common motivation, and it's something more than just winning all those tasks and getting the powers. It might be something related to their personal lives or for someone, but it's for sure beyond your level to know.

As you are quietly sitting there on the Forecastle deck reading a book you bought with you, the sky is clear, wind is gentle, there is bright sunshine but its not stinging, making it a perfect day without any inconvenience, its as if nothing can go wrong in this moment. Just as you think about this, it sends the shivers down your body. But, this good-day is short lived just as you feared.

“SAIL HO!”

Shouted Mingi from the crows nest who was currently guarding the ship from up there.

[Sail Ho! : is shouted when there is a another ship approaching your ship]

“IT'S PIRATES!” He shouted again.

All the crew on the ship got alerted and soon the rustling started. Everyone running from here and there. You stand from where you were sitting, not knowing what to do you just stare into the horizon and there you spot another vessel speedily charging in your direction. Everything was happening so fast it confused you where to go, when you can't spot any of the 8 familiar faces, panic filled your chest and sweat broke on your forehead. As you were about to run, Captain came out of the cabin and stood behind the wheel.

“ALL HANDS ON DECK” He ordered. Everyone stopped in their tracks and looked up where captain was standing.

“Even thought we are going to face the enemies, don't panic. Stand confident. If they sense the fear in your eyes, they will not hesitate to attack. No matter what, be ready to face them with weapons. Am I clear??”

You hear a chorus of “AYE” from the crewmates.

As you see all the crewmates rushing to bring the weapons, you thought it was a cowards act to leave the ground and hide. You have participated here as a crew and it is your job to help the crew. Without another thought you rush to help crewmates with withdrawing weapons from the inventory. But as you enter the inventory, the many racks are just empty, only few filled with weapons. It’s just so hard for you to process what's happening you told there, but you caught a crewmate who was passing by you.

“Hey, wait. Where are all the weapons?”

“Before coming to Ohnoj, we faced a big storm and there we lost most of our weapons and even some crew. When we dace another pirate we are never this scared, its the first time we don't know what to do.”

This is worst that what you thought. No weapons means no way to win if the war happens.

There is no use in thinking, you just move to help the crewmates. That's the best you can do for now.

As you are helping with crewmates, you overhear a crew telling something to Jongho.

“Master, there is only some kilos of gunpowder. It is not even enough to break one of their masts. What should we do?”

No, it can't be, the every new sentence you hear, it just makes the situation worst.

“Don't worry, as captain said, don't let that fear show in your eyes.”

He storms off to supervise other activities and you are left with nothing but your thoughts.

As you are zoned out suddenly the voices in your background making you look back.

Here it comes, the enemy ship. Mostly in pirate world, all pirates are rivals of each other until some of them have equal motives. Only the. Some of them come together to create a bigger pirate group and achieve what they want. But, all of them envies ‘The Destiny’. All of them wants to have what Destiny has. And you are just going to face one of them.

As you see it coming in view, it's as if all the crewmates in your view blurred out and only focus is that ship you see. The captain is standing proud on upper deck, meeting eyes with the captain of the other ship.

“Ohhh, long time no see my friend Hongjoong, oh, or should I say ‘Almighty Captain Of The Great Destiny’,” Dean, the captain of other ship said. But, instead of answering Hongjoong just stood there giving him a look.

“What? Wouldn't you say Hello to me?” He asks again.

Hongjoong is quiet again.

Dean, a man dressed in all black attire adorn with gold and silver jewellery, guns and daggers at his belt, black long nails and a long scar starting from his neck and disappearing behind his clothes.

“Cut the crap Dean. It would be beneficial for you if you leave” Warns Seonghwa who is standing behind Hongjoong. The other boys are with their respective teams.

“You think Seonghwa, now that I have got chance to come face to face with Destiny and I would let that go without winning over you?”

You can hear a bunch of scoffs. He seems too overconfident to defeat the undefeated.

“Seems like he is still sleeping, dreaming in broad daylight like that.” San exclaims from crows nest to which many crewmates laugh.

Irritated, the Captain of other ships says.

“Laugh how much you want. But, I do know that you all lost half of your everything in the storm of Dead's ocean and are now left with few, which is not even sufficient to blow off a merchant ship. Am I right?”

Everyone is silent, instead of brushing this off as nothing everyone is making it obvious instead.

“So, I should be the one laughing now.” He finishes the sentence with a low chuckle.

All of the crew are just looking at each other, confused as to how he came to know about this news. If our enemies knows you all's weakness at this point, Destiny is done for.

“What a bad ending it will be for you, to be killed off by your dear friend, Hongjoong. What a pity” He sighs.

“Killing you doesn't sounds too bad either.” Wooyoung screams from Forecastle.

“And with no pity.”

Dean doesn't know how to Comeback with this one. He is just irritated that none of the Destiny crew is backing off.

“Say all you want to because tomorrow you will be saying no more.” It's getting serious now.

As Mingi is about to open his mouth to talk back, he is stopped by Yunho holding him back.

“Enough of this bullshit, we are gonna get nothing out of this stupid talk.” He tells Mingi.

Just as you thought the talking is over, you lock eyes with Dean for some milliseconds. You avert the gaze feeling like he will consume you by his eyes themselves.

When it's all quiet, he speaks again.

“Hmm, but I smell something else, Hongjoong. You didn't tell me….” There is a pause and his head snaps in your direction again making an eye contact with you. This time, it sent millions of goosebumps in your body.

“You didn't tell me that you have been also keeping live treasures on your ship now?” All eyes are on you.

‘WHAT!!!!’ The word resonating in your mind. You can see the hint of panic on the faces of the eight boys.

Dean points at you with the sword in his hand. All the crewmates in front of you clears the way for you. There is no turning away from this. With courage, you start stepping forward.

When you are in front, he speaks again.

“A young lady, beautiful, delicate, brown hairs, marine eyes, that body and the-”

“Don't you think you are going too far, Dean.” It's the first time you have heard Hongjoong speak.

“Taking a stand for a lady now, aren't you? There must be something special about her.” He smirks.

“She does looks like a Princess or a royalty from the way she looks. Whose girl did you steal this time?”

“Enough about that Dean. If you want to fight, we can just start now.”

Dean starts laughing after hearing the sentence.

“Oh Hongjoong, how brave you are, still ready to fight even in the lack of your weapons. It makes me want to spare you.”

At this sentence everyone look at each other in confusion.

“Hmm hmm. Look, I will spare you this time. No fighting. But….”

He looks at you again.

“Only if you give her to me.”

Your heart beats so loud that it feels like it will rip your skin and fall out at any second and you can also hear collective gasps from your ship. What does he mean by ‘Giving you to him.’ ‘Giving you as a bait’ or ‘Giving you away as a trade for the war’?

If it was other case, you'd give yourself away hundred times, just to save Destiny, but this time you have to be with them and lead them to Wonderland. Hongjoong had already started climbing down the Upper Deck to reach to you. You can't just stand there and do nothing, you have to fight back. And it's the time you speak.

“What do you mean by that. Do I look like a thing to you?”

Not expecting you to speak, all the head turns to you. The way Dean gazed you, burned a flame of rage within you. How can he have the audacity to say something like that.

“Oh Darling, even your voice is beautiful.”

He says and that's the final limit for you.

“DO I LOOK LIKE A THING TO YOU?” You shout. Nothing around you dares to break the silence.

“People like you think, its ok to talk with Women like that and treat them like object and use them as you please. You speak of taking me with you, but if I step a foot on your ship, no matter how much time it takes, I will make sure to rip you into pieces and destroy every single one of you, and the next thing you know, I will be the owner of the ship which you are standing on right now.”

There is a slow rise of cheers from your side. Crewmates cheering with pride at your outburst. This fills crewmates with confidence. This is what they need at this time. But Dean being the man he is, he wants to play it cool no matter how much it intimidates him.

“Quiet sharp tongued she is, isn't she? Exactly like you, Hongjoong. Is she your wife or something?”

Everytime Dean opens his mouth, he says something offending. Offending, not in a bad way, but it just feels weird and kind of honourable to be called as a wife of ‘Pirate King’.

As you are about to open your mouth and defend that claim, you feel a hand sliding to your waist making you flinch. What is happening right now? You think to yourself but as you look up to see its Hongjoong. Its the first time in your life when you are so close to a man and the thought just burns your body. You can't be thinking about those things at this moment.

The next words that comes out of Hongjoong's mouth, looking longingly into your eyes and feeling is breathe right on your mouth, have your mind running erratic.

“And…….what if she is?”

Chapter 8 : .............

[sandraharissa]

I really absolutely love the idea of LoL Jinx being Jinx’s reputation, or maybe even a crazy persona she intentionally projects onto the world, but not how she really is.

There’s this passage from her game bio that hints at smth sinister and mysterious that happened and sets up the question of ‘what made Jinx the way she is?’.

No one knows for certain what happened to turn that sweet young child into a wildcard, infamous for her wanton acts of destruction.

But when she emerges and makes a name for herself as a terrorist the average citizen would only see her cackling as she blows up buildings and wouldn’t care to ponder this question. Well, her LoL behavior fits the stereotype of a crazy woman and it makes sense that in-universe ppl would perceive her like that and nothing more. She’d kinda become a boogeyman to Piltover/Zaun and they’d see her as such, as this exaggerated caricature of 'crazy'.

Ig what I’m trying to say is that we learn the story chronologically but imagine we first meet adult Jinx and then there are reveals or flashbacks. You’d never believe LoL Jinx has this much depth or such a real and tragic aspect to her. It could be a fantastic story on its own. So new characters having this kinda arc with Jinx where they first hear/see the fake persona and then gradually learn the truth about her could be super compelling. I think in a lot of ways it’s way more compelling than e.g. the observant Cait just going back and summing up Jinx to everybody else in Piltover in one sentence like 'her issues are a,b,c' like she watched Arcane alongside us and ig everybody's caught up now, no need to do these revelations through arcs and interactions.

Especially that there’s groundwork for this type of reveals with already established characters like Cait, Vi and Ekko. The story is intentionally constructed so that they don’t have nowhere near as much of an insight into Jinx that we got, like of course Cait would only see her as a psychopath, she investigated her crimes for months, nearly died in the explosion, saw her violent behavior during the reunion and bridge scenes and then got kidnapped and then witnessed her blowing up the government with her mom inside. And this sentiment also applies to everyone who didn’t know Powder and isn’t the audience. But even Vi and Ekko don’t seem to know enough to understand what’s going on. They knew Powder but as far as we know they have next to no interactions with her after she becomes Jinx and mainly just see her from her violent side and also from a distance.

Idk if this comparison makes sense but I get the impression that ppl’s takes on mcu Loki depend on whether they remember the events of Thor 1, and based on that they see him as tormented and complicated or a cartoon psychopath villain. So that’s kinda what I mean. LoL Jinx is if you skipped the set-up movies and went straight into Avengers and Arcane Jinx is if you watched everything chronologically and have full context for a character’s behavior. And while we already know enough to understand why Jinx became Jinx, it’s still a crucial and lingering question cos it’s a questions a lot of characters ponder and they never got that answer in s1. So s2 could explore their perspective, seeing Jinx only behaving like a maniac until finally getting answers to their questions.

Ig my point is that Arcane is clearly going in a different direction so I don't expect or want the characters to end up being identical to their game counterparts but I also find the idea that Jinx masks herself with an exaggerated crazy persona more compelling than the idea that she is perceived by everyone in s2 exactly as she is, even tho a huge part of s1 is how misunderstood she is by everyone around her and how she leans into her strengths and into how ppl perceive her for empowerment.

[horse-girl-anthy]

THE SPELL OF CULTS. IKUHARA KUNIHIKO X ENOKIDO YŌJI CONVERSATION.

Enokido: Utena still doesn’t realize that there is something outside of the egg’s shell. The moment she realizes this, the real drama of Utena will begin. It is precisely because there is fundamentally no true equality that equality is created by rules – that ought to be the ideal for human relationships. In today’s society, we don’t think about the part that says “things are essentially unequal” but end up saying “things are equal from the start.” Wouldn’t you say that is where all disorder and confusion (混乱) starts. ──”Equality of the sexes.” People go out of their way to emphasize that only because in reality, there is no equality between men and women. Ikuhara: It is that sort of thing. Enokido: Don’t you think human relationships in society are all controlled by power relations? ──Whether or not you’re rich, or, whether or not you’re good at school. Enokido: Normally people look away to avoid those kinds of things. But if you end up noticing those things, you have no choice but to become a duelist. ──You must revolutionize the world. Enokido: I mean in today’s society, on one hand you tell children “society is equal, friendship is important” but then you make them compete like hell for school entrance exams. Ikuhara: It is about putting distance between you and others in order to not feel pain. Study, get good grades, go to a good school –  all those acts are to get up above other people.  However, those acts aren’t particularly painful, right? That’s why they don’t feel real (*実感). Enokido: The way the duelists relate to each other, just by knowing the pain of fighting, is beautiful. Ikuhara: Without question, it is because there are people who hold power in the real world. And because, to hold power is a cruel thing. ──That is because it is cruel that there are people who hold power while others do not. Enokido: The reason why that is taken as cruel though is because you’re seeing it from the side of those who have had “society is not cruel” stamped onto them from the beginning… Ikuhara: That’s true. It is only cruel for the people who think that the world is equal. Enokido: It will seem like merely a natural law to people who have strong power. ──A feeling like “you’re no good because you’re weak.” Enokido: On the contrary, if you see it from the perspective of people like that, they will make those who are conscious of equality feel bad (平等意識を持っている人が気持ち悪く思えるん).  That’s why I think the duelists wouldn’t be friends with anyone who isn’t also a duelist. ──In that situation, what is a duelist? Enokido: In this situation, a duelist is someone who knows that reality is cruel. Yet, somewhere they also hate that the world is cruel. Though they realize that this world is cruel and participate in a dueling game governed by these cruel laws, in truth they still prefer one that is not cruel. That’s why everyone, somewhere in them, clings onto those non-competitive human relationships from our childhood, like with a little sister or childhood friend. On the contrary, that is the weak point; there is a pattern where you give up in order that it doesn’t turn into cruelty. ──In that sense, episode 9 is striking. Ikuhara: Episode 9 stated very clearly that our society is essentially a cruel one. If our world is a cruel one, we’ve got to make the world equal with new rules when we get out beyond the egg’s shell. ──So that means the duelists are trying to create revolution in order to change the world. Ikuhara:  That may be so. The form of the world or of society is actually merely determined by rules. Even for the real world, there is a possibility that the rules of the world and society can be changed for those in power.