#could have certainly skewed the original perspective

[camncheesesandwich]

see now im very torn because like support victims yknow but at the same time g did make it a constant point that he thought she was okay with everything at the time

and it sucks because theres honestly no way of knowing exactly what the vibes were because more than likely people who were there that night that could vouch definitely have opinions skewed to cater to the story of the person they like more

[boundinparchment]

Precious

It came to him like any other pondering: in the middle of some other project, when he was just beginning to finalize the conditions for the next experiment to isolate a variable. Perhaps the ideas manifested from the long hours spent among specimens organic and otherwise, away from you; the root of their origin was hardly the concern. If anything, perhaps it meant that this current experiment held no interest but he did not have the luxury to set aside foundational projects. Or: Dottore's unbridled curiosity gets the better of both of you. Dottore/Female Reader, established relationship; breeding kink, references to pregnancy, shameless smut/pwp. Available on AO3 here. Divider by cafekitsune.

It came to him like any other pondering: in the middle of some other project, when he was just beginning to finalize the conditions for the next experiment to isolate a variable.  Perhaps the ideas manifested from the long hours spent among specimens organic and otherwise, away from you; the root of their origin was hardly the concern.  If anything, perhaps it meant that this current experiment held no interest but he did not have the luxury to set aside foundational projects.

So instead, Dottore let the scenario play out.  One possibility of thousands as each domino fell into place, ready to cascade into its neighbor.  At every fork, a consideration, logically worked through, before the next path was made.

His hand paused mid-stroke in his notes as he ruminated over every possible route beforehand and then he allowed himself one indulgence: what about this scenario was appealing?  What would he glean from the experiences?  If he was going to heavily consider this (and given how he could not tear his focus away from the idea, he knew he was in far too deep already), he needed to understand what he sought to achieve.  

How would his seed taking root affect you, what would those changes look like on you ?

Your breasts, undoubtedly sore, but heavy and full in his hands.  Food sensitivities were a given.  Headaches, perhaps (most certainly, given your record of them over the years).  Your radiance would only increase as your hormones continued to fluctuate but an element of that was down to the individual’s emotional state.  

He imagined how you felt in his arms now, nestled close, and then gave thought to the swell of your stomach as life grew inside you.  What would that feel like for you as he experienced the other side of a kick or other motion?

Dottore finished the single shape of the letter and then dropped his pencil, reaching up to rub the lower half of his face.  His pants grew tight in anticipation of starting off the chain of events mingled with his adoration of your presence in his life.  He was getting ahead of himself on pure instinct, he reminded himself; as pleasurable as it would be, planning with you was involved.

The edge of the immediate passion faded as he continued his thoughts to after .  What would he be like as a father?  His younger Segments gave him only the vaguest impressions of what it meant to tend to another life more fragile than himself and it was a skewed perspective.  Would they be as inquisitive and curious as he was, too wide-eyed and excited to understand the world?  Or would they be more reserved, introspective?

He never had a relationship with his parents, not truly, and the adults in his life were always such disappointments.  Without a foundation, could he…

Was he even capable of forming an emotional bond like that?

The arrogance and self-reliance immediately answered; of course, he could, and he would be exceptional at it.  Very little in this world remained unanswered to him, after all, and one of the best things a parent could be was wise and well-connected.

Such sentiments felt hollow as he recalled how foolish such adults in his own life were.  So blinded by their ideations that they failed to consider they were not, in fact, infallible.

Sitting here like this, speculating, was useless, Dottore fumed.  This was nothing more than curiosity.  He was fully satisfied with life as it was but he was well within his realm to wonder what else might be possible with you, between the two of you.  

He rose, straightened his attire, and began stringing his thoughts together on just how to propose this to you.

“Why don’t we try then?”

You said the words as if you were discussing the weather and it took Dottore a moment to let your agreement sink in.  He paused mid-stride across your bedroom floor, formal trappings of his role gone leaving him only in his shirt and trousers with his head cocked as he stared at you.  Truthfully, he expected far more pushback, more questions, examining his thoughts from a different angle as if he were solving some Sumerian puzzle.  Yet here you were, simply…

Agreeing.

The rest of the arguments building up in his head crumbled at the sight of you on the bed, looking at him as if he hadn’t suggested a life-changing series of events all for the sake of mere curiosity.  He would change that, he thought as he crossed the short distance to the bed and crawled atop the covers in one fluid motion.  You would regret being so immediately compliant, for invading his thoughts like this with the sight of you flushed and sated, full of his essence…

Dottore freed you of the remnants of your clothes, soft shorts and a chemise that only served to prevent your skin from chaffing beneath your uniform.  His member strained against his pants as he stared down at you, your eyes aglow as he palmed your bare breast with one hand and then reached for your thigh with the other, squeezing soft flesh as he went.  You made quicker work of his belt and buttons, pushing away the remaining barriers between you with a fervor that betrayed your earlier attitude.

You smirked into his kiss, his tip poised at your entrance, wet heat radiating from you in waves he couldn’t wait to let wash over him.  He would sink deep into you, languid but determined , and even when both of you were spent, not a drop of his seed would go to waste.  Perhaps plugging you up might increase the already favorable odds of success in breeding you.

He felt your leg tighten around his and a sudden shift in weight just as he was about to push into you.  Dottore huffed, his tongue delving into your mouth, defiantly looking to end the space between the two of you.  His hands reached for your hips, gripping you to slide you down, but you were quicker and captured his wrists before he could exert any force.  

His cock twitched against you at the sight of your smile and the way your chest rose and fell, skin flushed with arousal.  He could kiss those swollen lips forever and document every stroke along the way, plush and compliant and yet so capable of delivering a matching verbal blow when needed.  

“Not yet,” you murmured.  “You’re so excited, Zandik.  I want you to beg for it.”

The way you said his name ran shivers down his spine and sent an ache to his loins that bordered on torture.  

You pushed his arms away and pinned them to his sides, so close and yet so far, as you circled your hips.  He inhaled sharply as your soaked entrance, velvety and inviting, brushed him; the sound was wet and obscene, a testament to your own thrill.  His eyes were momentarily glued to the way you sank down just enough to engulf his tip and only his tip, denying both of you the satisfaction of filling you to the hilt.  Your pace was slow, unrelentingly slow, and when you continued to swirl your hips, he bucked, hands gripping the sheets as he sought deeper purchase inside you.  He growled when you pressed a hand to his abdomen and forced him back down, your molten core barely touching him now.

“What do you want, Zandik?”

Didn’t you understand how much he needed you?  Needed to fill you?

You raised your eyebrows playfully, goading him.  If there was one thing he knew well, it was your dedication to sticking to your word and getting what you wanted.  You never relented, not once; he adored that about you, even if it caused him agony in the process.

“Please,” he panted through gritted teeth, knuckles white as his grip on the soft sheets tightened.  “Please.  I need to feel you.  All of you.  Need to see you filled with me—”

His plea died out into little more than a gasping moan as you sank down onto him in one stroke, and then raised your hips, pumped yourself along his tip, and then took all of him again.  He let go of the sheets, hands trembling, and gripped your waist, following your rhythm.  When you finally leaned over to kiss him again, a coil of warmth began to tighten as he felt your bare breasts against him, the flesh of your abdomen against his.  He bucked beneath you, determined now, your walls quivering and fluttering around his cock, squeezing him.

Your rocked your hips, steadily riding our your first orgasm into a second, and then a third.  Your body was begging for it and all he could imagine was your skin glowing, swollen with child, his child, changes driven by his own hand…

White seared his vision as he let go, shooting deep into you, his grip on your waist tightening to keep you in place as and tensed, toes curling.  His mouth dropped open in wordless pleasure and he lifted his hips up off of the bed, driving himself as deep as he could go.  You writhed atop him, core throbbing now, pulsing as you took every last drop he gave you.  Dottore continued, pumping into you until the last of your victorious aura melted into soft whimpers and pleas, your body jolting with every brush against a spot deep inside you.

Perfect.  Exactly how he wanted you.  You weren’t the only one who could play, after all.  

Mindful to keep himself inside you, he leveraged his weight and turned you both back over and pressed your legs up to your chest.  You were spent now, too relaxed to keep up your teasing, and that suited him perfectly.   He withdrew, and immediately replaced his members with two fingers, pushing his seed back into you but not before curling his fingers and pressing against the spongy flesh of your front wall.

“That’s for not being forthcoming about your own desires, my beloved,” he whispered.  “Keep writhing; we’ll succeed soon enough.”

[chaikachi]

since you're caught up on the Locked Tomb, I thought I'd send some asks your way because I'm kind of curious:

1) I've gathered Cam and Pal are your favorite characters, but do you any particular favourite moments/quotes of them? Or just why you love them as characters in general?

2) any plot twists you didn't see coming but liked?

3) any dark horse characters that grew on you over the series or that you'd want to see more of?

EEEE I SURE DID!! Okay, warning for anyone that is not caught up with it or plans to read it, that there are going to be spoilers below. You have been warned!!

Yes, they are my favourites.😔 Friends specifically told me to read the books because they are "very much my flavour" and they were right. Which is very rude of them, tbqh :/// As for the why, it's a lot of things, I think. From a character design perspective, I've always been a sucker for scholarly types like Pal, and you can never go wrong with short hair and double swords like Cam. I like that they have a decent amount of contrast and are quite different from each other in some ways while also being soooo alike in others. From a thematic perspective, all the bits and parallels around devotion, identity, and responsibility. How just by knowing someone, we add 'indelibly to their weight'. How this is explored both as a positive and negative thing. How just by knowing someone else - dare I say, to tame or be tamed by another 👀- can change us irreversibly. How burdening those we care about is something we have to come to terms with, and that being burdened can in and of itself be an act of care. How these themes are exacerbated and mixed with plurality and merging. The ever important question of 'where do you end and i begin'? For moments and quotes, a lot of my favourite things about them are just how they interact with one another (or with other characters). The sort of relationship where words often aren't necessary. How so much of their connection is conveyed in actions. "Tell Cam... never mind, she knows what to do." and the "what to do" is her collecting the fragments of his skull off the floor?? that she glues back together with her own hands?? then travelled millions or billions of light years to meet with the one person that can pull his soul back into it??? Her carrying him, despite the risk and harm it poses to herself, because he doesn't have a vessel anymore??? Pal asking Nona to "give this to Cam" and it's a kiss to the back of her hand???? Sick!! Twisted!! I demand financial compensation for damages!!!! Cam had every right to go sit in the bathtub about that!!! What the hell man!!! But I would be remiss not to mention the conversations they have across the voice recorder when they can't speak face to face, the co-fronting/synergy thing that happens when the protect Nona at the beach, and of course: "Life is too short and love is too long."

I'll admit I was spoiled a bit to some things going in so that skews this answer a bit. There were certainly some things I predicted incorrectly but then was like "OF COURSE THAT'S HOW IT HAPPENED, HOW COULD I HAVE ASSUMED DIFFERENTLY". I was not expecting that many people to die in the first book tbh. What happened to the Fourth and Fifth houses hit particularly hard. Was not expecting Gideon to find a decapitated head in Harrow's closet. I think the most surprises I had were in the second book though. Kept asking myself what the heck was going on. The narrator reveal was such an unexpected and pleasant surprise. Like, I kind of figured that was the case but I wasn't expecting that to be how we found out. Camilla showing up somehow out of nowhere?? The full extent of Harrow and Gideon's origins had me at a loss for words. Also the epilogue leading into Nona had me soooooo confused.

Yes. I absolutely adored Augustine. Big fan of his whole vibe; i miss him. Also really liked Magnus, Abigail, and Ortus in the second book. Especially them stepping up and being the Responsible Adults™ Harrow never really had, but always deserved. Also Polyamory Win with both whatever Pyrrha and Dulcie had respectively going on with Cam and Pal aha. Very big fan of Dulcinea in general. From her appearance in htn to popping up in The Unwanted Guest. I don't know how we could see more of her, but I would not be complaining if we did. Muir is really good at characterization tho, i don't know that there have really been any characters I've actively disliked. 🤔

Thank you for asking! I'd love to know some of your fave characters/plot twists too if you feel like sharing!! no pressure tho uwu

[stllmnstr]

How do you write so well?? Your writing is so so beautiful!!! Any tips?

Oh this is so sweet 😭😭 First of all, thank you! I don’t feel like I have any particularly revolutionary advice to give, but these would be my main points:

1. Practice!!! Write. A lot. I posted my first fanfic in 2017 and had already been writing a lot before that, including original stories, poetry, and just about anything else I could think of. From what I’ve seen, I definitely skew on the older side of enha writers on tumblr, so please remember to be patient and gentle with yourself, especially if you’re young and/or newer to writing. The stuff I was writing at 16 certainly doesn’t read like the stuff I write now, but all of that practice helped me to get there. Writing is hard. I think it always will be. But give yourself grace and keep at it, and you’ll only keep getting better.

2. Read!!! There are so many great authors out there that do amazing, innovative, exciting things with words. I always feel inspired to write after I read a really great book, and reading will also strengthen your vocabulary, grammar, and sense of personal style/voice.

3. Let your writing be “bad” !!!! I very rarely reread stories after I post them, because every time I do, I find at least twenty things I want to change. 😭 Writing and words are a living thing, and there’s absolutely a certain amount of subjectivity to what makes writing “good.” There’s always going to be room from improvement, and you’re always going to be able to find something to nitpick or criticize if that’s the perspective you take. Fanfiction in particular is great, because if your story is something you’re excited about, there’s a 99.99% chance that other people will be excited about it too. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Take that pressure off of yourself, and enjoy the process. Use the experience and the feedback and the practice to write something even better the next time around.

4. Develop a strong editing routine. This is probably the most technical and specific point, but I think it gets overlooked. My first drafts look a LOT different from what I post, usually. I don’t remember where I found this tip, but my writing changed for the better when I started rewriting all/most of my story as part of the editing process. Literally, once I finish a draft, I’ll open a new document and will retype most/all of it, changing things as I go. This helps me to catch little errors and also to improve the overall flow and pacing of a story. I recommend trying it if you haven’t! Like I said before, a lot of “good” writing is subjective, but editing is where you improve the more objective aspects. Making sure that things like grammar, word choice, sentence variation, and general plot are solid will absolutely strengthen your writing.

5. This last tip is actually more for readers: INTERACT!!!!! Reblog, comment, send asks, scream in the tags!!!! Do all of the above!!!! Writing is a long, difficult process, and it takes a lot of effort to post a story. It’s especially hard when you’re new. Like I mentioned above, I posted my first fanfic almost seven years ago, and the only reason I kept posting more was because people interacted with my work and took the time to tell me that they enjoyed it. If you want to read better writing, if you want to read longer stories, if you want more stories to read in general, give writers the incentive to write! I love writing. I really do. But it takes a lot of time and effort, and it’s a labor of love. Posting a story feels a bit like shouting into the void. At the end of the day, your interactions are what make it worth it for myself and a lot of others that publish in the fanfic space. If you’re a writer that is struggling to get any kind of interaction/feedback, a good place to start can be connecting with other writers and building a little community! It will help tumblr (or wherever you write) to not feel so lonely. Plus, having writer friends is a wonderful way to share your woes and get inspiration.

At the end of the day, I think that genuinely enjoying writing is half the battle. If you’re already there, that means you like words. You like stories. You like putting puzzle pieces together and making characters come to life. Liking those things is where it all starts, so keep at it, trust the process, and the rest will follow. 🤍

[groggydog]

The Familiar: Post-Mortem for a Crow

(originally posted here, on the IntFic forums)

Hi all. I wasn’t originally going to do this, but I got an itch and just wanted to have a final send-off for my beloved bird, Fran, and the world of Gennemont.

The Familiar was always intended to be an emotional piece, first and foremost. To that end, I believe that I was successful. But I have plenty of other thoughts about the game’s core pieces.

On Mechanics

From the start, I decided that I would take a more rudimentary approach to the puzzles with the full knowledge that it would almost certainly appeal less to the more experienced members of the IF community. That was fine by me. I wanted to share this with my parents, my nephews, my friends - none of whom actively play IF games. And I think I threaded things well enough that people were satisfied even if they viewed the puzzles as very easy.

Perhaps the best advice I received in terms of puzzle-making was when I was stuck on the final ingredient puzzle, and someone from the interact-if Discord recommended I follow the old Aesop fable about the crow and the stone, and it felt like such a duh moment to me that I just had to include it in my game.

(More on art and characters after the jump)

For the rest, I tried to have either multiple solutions to everything or enough interactivity (like with the letter-writing sequence which I think was really well-received) that it didn’t matter so much.

I believe that limiting the vocabulary to just a few words (TAKE, DROP, CAW, LOOK, PECK) was absolutely the correct path, even if it ended up limiting me in many very real ways. I think most of the critical feedback stemmed from that decision and the puzzles. There was always going to be a low upper limit on my puzzles’ complexity after I did that, but I think it’s just silly enough that it works overall. If I were a better coder, I might have done it in a more interesting way. But I’m not, and so I’ll take what I can get.

My code is a mess. It will never see the light of day. But if you have questions just DM me!

On Art

I spent so much time on that dang art, y’all. I needed six months to knock out 30+ pixel-art headers and even then it felt like a stretch. But again, this was important to me: I knew that pixel art would both play into Adventuron’s nature and heighten the emotional nature of the story. To that end, again, I think I was successful.

For all of you had said it felt like a Ghibli story - I could not have received higher praise. The background details of the story were certainly inspired by Ghibli, but much of the art was as well. I referenced heavily scenes from Howl’s Moving Castle and one my personal favorites, Kiki’s Delivery Service, to capture a specific tone and mood.

I used a combination of MS Paint and Aesprite to make my scenes. Aesprite was particularly useful for scenes where I needed to reference perspective lines and could change the opacity of layers. I would highly recommend purchasing it if you’re hoping to do something similar. Some things I cheesed, like using the “thought bubble” tool in MS Paint (translated, flipped, skewed) to make trees and blood/attack effects throughout the game. Adventuron also worked really well for this. I just made the images at 192x64px and the game engine happily scaled things up for me with no interpolation needed.

The piece I’m most proud of, however, is the owl. This thing took me at least a dozen hours of hard work. I know it’s silly to ramble on about art on an IF forum, but I do think these things elevated my game a lot.

There are some art pieces that I wish I could have had more time with: the Opera House in particular was challenging to me. But overall, I was quite pleased with the final portfolio for this game.

On Characters & Story

I am extraordinarily competitive by nature, and so of course a large part of me was hoping I might still squeak into Best of Show even as it became evident just how good my competition was.

But now, after all the ribbons have been awarded, what I feel is mostly just happiness that the stories and characters seemed to connect with people. Most of the praise for my game had to do with either the art or the characters, and it warms my heart to no small degree to hear that. I wanted everyone you interacted with in Gennemont (except, perhaps, the dapper man) to feel like they had a real depth to them. I think I managed to do that.

Again, drawing inspiration from Ghibli, I wanted to inspire both a little bit of sadness and a little bit of happiness throughout the game. There were the really silly bits like helping Cecile write her letter (which came to me as a random thought and I coded in a frenzy immediately), but I also think the direness of Fran and even Hazel the Dormouse’s situations came through without being overbearing.

I was also pleased that I seemed to have dialed in the intensity appropriately. You cannot lose the final encounter with Hunleff, of course, but I think it’s just scary enough that the thought enters your mind.

Especially [here] on Tumblr, Fran seems to have struck a chord. She’s plucky and brash in a way I never could be, and she just sort of sprung to life all on her own. It’s rare and so enjoyable to have a protagonist - especially in an IF game! - who does that. I have a new love and appreciation for crows as a result of researching for her. I also had a great time coding in things like the nearly three dozen types of CAW responses you could get. When the ribbons came in, I was tempted to just choose the “Sweetest Bird” one and be done with it. Fran made this game what it is.

The emotional heart of this story was always going to be Fran and her adventure, and despite the game’s other shortcomings I feel intensely proud with what I accomplished on that front. It’s hard to do it in a parser game, and I learned a lot in pursuit of that goal.

[smokeybrandreviews]

Gum-Gum no Excellence

I finished Netflix's take on One Piece yesterday and, i must say, it was superb. I did not think they'd be able to actually capture that kinetic, endearing, emotional, slapstick energy that the Straw Hat's exude but, to my joyful surprise, they absolutely did. This version of One Piece is every bit as valid as the manga and anime versions. In some regards, I'd say it's even better. Certainly the pacing is far superior. I mean, we spent, like, two episodes in Syrup village which is all you need. I hated that arc because it was so goddamn meh. Not in this adaption. You get in there, you get what you need (Usopp and Going Merry) and you're out. It's actually kind of amazing how adept the writers on this show were able to distill forty-five half hour episodes, into eight hour long entries, without losing the plot is borderline miraculous. There were changes made due to budget concerns and the like but, overall, the alterations were more positive than negative, something that is quite rare in modern Hollywood. I have an issue with the fact that this thing cribs way too much from that Pirates of the Caribbean aesthetic (this show is nowhere near as colorful or explosive as the manga and anime) but that, i think, is just for normie yankee appeal. I doubt the masses would except the technicolor camp of the original vision but who am i to day? What i can say is that the cast is pitch-perfect.

Months ago, when the cast was first announced, i wrote an entire essay about how perfect it was. If you're curious, it's titled "Bon Voyage". Search that up and give it a read. In short, i thought the cast was perfect. There was a lot of frustration about "forced diversity" and perceived "wokeness" but that wasn't the case at all. The characters actually skewed to how Oda, himself, saw them. Luffy was Brazilian, Zorro was Japanese, Sanji as French, Nami was Swedish (i think), and Usopp was Black. That sh*t is chock full of proper diversity and, surprise-surprise, the cast reflected that. Hell, Oda even praised Inaki Godoy for his portrayal of Luffy, even though he's Mexican, not Brazilian. To be perfectly honest, i think that cast, the chemistry of the main characters, is the strength of this show. Godoy's Luffy is a standout, capturing that naive yet powerful energy Luffy exudes. Dude is the engine which makes this show go but his energetic presence doesn't overshadow the rest of his crew at all. Emily Rudd's Nami is every bit the sardonic straight man i expected her to be and Mackenyu's take on Zorro is every bit the bad ass i imagined the Pirate Hunter could be in live action. The lone weak link, i think, is Jacob Gibson's Usopp but that's mostly because Usopp is useless in these first few arcs. Kid gets much more bad ass as the narrative progresses. Hopefully, we'll get to see a bit of Sogeking before Netflix inevitably axes this show because, if we're being honest, that Alabasta arc is about to cost a ton of f*cking money, and Netflix is notorious about not cashing out. I'm curious if this thing makes it past the three season death date because, seriously, even the supporting cast kills. Morgan Davies' Koby, Aidan Scott's Helmeppo, and Vincent Regan's Garp are perfect contrasts as the stalwart Marine contingent in pursuit of the free-wheeling Straw Hat pirates.

The villains, too, were pretty solid. I thought Arlong was kind of rushed but both Buggy and Mihawk were perfect. Their portrayal gives me hope that cats like Crocodile and the CP9 can be executed in live action rather faithfully. I don't know what the future holds for this adaption but i adore what we've gotten so far. and so do general audiences. Outside of the weird slather of grime the US perspective pushed on this technicolor wonderland of camp, Netflix seems to have cracked how to adapt anime. Well, if I'm being honest, that was more James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez with Alita: Battle Angel but One Piece is the next step in that growth. In terms of Comic adaptions, I'd say Alita is akin to Blade and One Piece is this genres X-Men. Cats can look at this show and see the ground work laid. They can crib that formula, tweak it as necessary, and really understand how to translate the very Japanese feel of anime toward the more mundane and formulaic notions of the American palate. I love what I've seen in these first eight episode and look forward to what comes next. I want Skypiea. I want Lougetown and Dragon. More than anything, i want Alabasta because i NEED Nico Robin. She's my favorite character of the entire series and it would be an absolute shame if we didn't get such an integral part of the Straw Hats. Hell, even Tony Tony Chopper needs to at least make a cameo. Netflix's One Piece was excellent. On it's own, as a show, it was fun, whimsical, entertainment. As an anime adaption, it's one of the best I've ever seen, up there with Alita and Speed Racer. All eight episodes are out right now. Go binge them right now. Support this fantastic show because we need more of this and less of sh*t like Bebop and Death Note. Even though i kind of like Netflix's Death Note.

[smokeybrand]

Gum-Gum no Excellence

I finished Netflix's take on One Piece yesterday and, i must say, it was superb. I did not think they'd be able to actually capture that kinetic, endearing, emotional, slapstick energy that the Straw Hat's exude but, to my joyful surprise, they absolutely did. This version of One Piece is every bit as valid as the manga and anime versions. In some regards, I'd say it's even better. Certainly the pacing is far superior. I mean, we spent, like, two episodes in Syrup village which is all you need. I hated that arc because it was so goddamn meh. Not in this adaption. You get in there, you get what you need (Usopp and Going Merry) and you're out. It's actually kind of amazing how adept the writers on this show were able to distill forty-five half hour episodes, into eight hour long entries, without losing the plot is borderline miraculous. There were changes made due to budget concerns and the like but, overall, the alterations were more positive than negative, something that is quite rare in modern Hollywood. I have an issue with the fact that this thing cribs way too much from that Pirates of the Caribbean aesthetic (this show is nowhere near as colorful or explosive as the manga and anime) but that, i think, is just for normie yankee appeal. I doubt the masses would except the technicolor camp of the original vision but who am i to day? What i can say is that the cast is pitch-perfect.

Months ago, when the cast was first announced, i wrote an entire essay about how perfect it was. If you're curious, it's titled "Bon Voyage". Search that up and give it a read. In short, i thought the cast was perfect. There was a lot of frustration about "forced diversity" and perceived "wokeness" but that wasn't the case at all. The characters actually skewed to how Oda, himself, saw them. Luffy was Brazilian, Zorro was Japanese, Sanji as French, Nami was Swedish (i think), and Usopp was Black. That sh*t is chock full of proper diversity and, surprise-surprise, the cast reflected that. Hell, Oda even praised Inaki Godoy for his portrayal of Luffy, even though he's Mexican, not Brazilian. To be perfectly honest, i think that cast, the chemistry of the main characters, is the strength of this show. Godoy's Luffy is a standout, capturing that naive yet powerful energy Luffy exudes. Dude is the engine which makes this show go but his energetic presence doesn't overshadow the rest of his crew at all. Emily Rudd's Nami is every bit the sardonic straight man i expected her to be and Mackenyu's take on Zorro is every bit the bad ass i imagined the Pirate Hunter could be in live action. The lone weak link, i think, is Jacob Gibson's Usopp but that's mostly because Usopp is useless in these first few arcs. Kid gets much more bad ass as the narrative progresses. Hopefully, we'll get to see a bit of Sogeking before Netflix inevitably axes this show because, if we're being honest, that Alabasta arc is about to cost a ton of f*cking money, and Netflix is notorious about not cashing out. I'm curious if this thing makes it past the three season death date because, seriously, even the supporting cast kills. Morgan Davies' Koby, Aidan Scott's Helmeppo, and Vincent Regan's Garp are perfect contrasts as the stalwart Marine contingent in pursuit of the free-wheeling Straw Hat pirates.

The villains, too, were pretty solid. I thought Arlong was kind of rushed but both Buggy and Mihawk were perfect. Their portrayal gives me hope that cats like Crocodile and the CP9 can be executed in live action rather faithfully. I don't know what the future holds for this adaption but i adore what we've gotten so far. and so do general audiences. Outside of the weird slather of grime the US perspective pushed on this technicolor wonderland of camp, Netflix seems to have cracked how to adapt anime. Well, if I'm being honest, that was more James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez with Alita: Battle Angel but One Piece is the next step in that growth. In terms of Comic adaptions, I'd say Alita is akin to Blade and One Piece is this genres X-Men. Cats can look at this show and see the ground work laid. They can crib that formula, tweak it as necessary, and really understand how to translate the very Japanese feel of anime toward the more mundane and formulaic notions of the American palate. I love what I've seen in these first eight episode and look forward to what comes next. I want Skypiea. I want Lougetown and Dragon. More than anything, i want Alabasta because i NEED Nico Robin. She's my favorite character of the entire series and it would be an absolute shame if we didn't get such an integral part of the Straw Hats. Hell, even Tony Tony Chopper needs to at least make a cameo. Netflix's One Piece was excellent. On it's own, as a show, it was fun, whimsical, entertainment. As an anime adaption, it's one of the best I've ever seen, up there with Alita and Speed Racer. All eight episodes are out right now. Go binge them right now. Support this fantastic show because we need more of this and less of sh*t like Bebop and Death Note. Even though i kind of like Netflix's Death Note.

[nobuverse]

Stheno Headcanon: Skewed Perspectives

There is very little known about the true circumstances of Stheno's creation among humans. She herself can certainly not remember it, even if she had any such desire to reflect on the first few decades of her life again.

The closest hint she has is that saying more repeated so often - that she was the epitome to everything men could desire. She can't even distinguish it as something she's simply heard; it has become truth itself for her.

She's never considered questioning this tale of origin because it's only ever lined up with what she's seen and experienced. Ever since she could remember she was just that - desired. For some, it was as something to spoil and love, but it was not always so pure.

She truly does hate men

She might have seen this differently if she lived freely among humans - and not as some doll to be passed down and used. ( Though, with ample time, she was usually the ones using them. )

Her exile to the shapeless isles did not do very much to change her perspective. In fact, she would continue to see the worse of them - those who would wander into strange lands in desperation for her and her sister.

To her, the virtuous ones are among the few; so she has no issue sending those who bow at her feet on impossible quests. Not when all of them would rather claim her for themselves.

[ere-the-sun-rises]

Okay, some addendums to this infographic:

1 - News citing other outlets is not an inherently bad thing. Big outlets will often rely on other sources who get there first so as to not crowd the space. For instance, if MSNBC quotes CNN, who had a reporter on scene, that is fine. HOWEVER, I do suggest then looking at the original outlet to see exactly what they said because misleading paraphrasing can and does happen.

2 - The way news phrases itself can be very hard to parse out. Often "we have learned" does mean they have a fact or statement about the event. HOWEVER, it doea pay to actually listen to what they say. For instance, there is a difference between "we have learned the details of what policy is being proposed" from "we have learned what Senator Blah-Blah thinks of this new policy proposal." Both of these are true, in the barest sense, but only one of them is reporting concrete facts and not opinions.

3 - Written articles are often more factual and less speculative. Partly this is because, by definition, they can't report "in the moment" or speculate out loud as an event happens. Partly, this is because authorial opinion and fact-relaying must be clearly denominated for the reader in a way that televised(/social media) news isn't always. For instance, Fox News "personalities" (note that title is not "journalist anchor") like Sean Hannity and (formerly) Tucker Carlson could present their opinion on news items as though they were fact (usually though a "just asking questions" lens) specifically because they were quietly marked as opinion shows and not proper news segments. Print does not get that excuse - opinion and fact must, legally, be separated.

3a - Don't jump down my throat, I know bias exists. It's not actually avoidable simply because even attempting not to have feelings about a subject is a feeling about it. "Bias" itself is a somewhat loaded term that doesn't accurately capture what the issue with "bias in news" really is. "Bias" in this context is usually understood as "in favour of" or "opposed to", but should be better understood as "the amount of influence perspective has over the presentation of facts." For example, a black journalist discussing black racial justice issues in an article has a valuable perspective to offer on top of the facts they're presenting.

3b - Again, don't jump down my throat. "Bias" doesn't have a negative connotation for no reason. Authorial perspective does skew what facts are deemed relevant/important and the way they are expressed. Some journalists/media personalities DO have a harmful agenda on purpose, and some have editorial decisions made that negatively impact their work. Language can be used to evoke emotion, but also to dampen it. "Bias" shows up in how an event can be downplayed or sensationalized. Print media is generally better about this (though their headlines aren't necessarily - but again, those are editorial, not necessarily authorial decisions), but they are by no means immune. Really read what you're looking at.

4 - The graphic is right - we are part of the problem. We like drama. Drama is fun, it's entertaining. And while news certainly can be that and still be valid, factual information, I strongly advise approaching sensationalized news cautiously. Here is where hyperbolic language, speculation and projection are most rampant (especially for breaking news). Search for identifiable facts about the event - names, dates, locations, times, numbers, titles, basic personal descriptors (hair/eye/skin colour, clothing, sustained injuries, age, gender, demographic info, etc) - and discard elaborate and evocative illustrations of events - "his fist was raised high and proud in glory". You want details, not theatrics. Try listing the information in bullet points.

5 - Infographics and short-form videos are good for getting snappy info out quickly to grab attention. But how many of you looked to see where THIS infographic came from? It's from a site called onthenews.org, but if you search for it on google, the link will be dead. If you type the thing in, it redirects to a podcast page called "On The Media with Brooke Gladstone", under the outlet WNYC Studios. At the top of the page, there's a link to its parent organization, NYPR (New York Public Radio) Network. Now, luckily, NYPR is a highly factual, centrist organization (thank you, Ground News) and is therefore very trustworthy. However, much more malicious organizations like PragerU use the exact same media tactics to champion white supremacy, homophobia, misogyny and US nationalism.

5a - Be very, VERY suspect of a graphic or video that does not list a source, and definitely google any you don't recognize. Malicious and misinformation actors often obfuscate or omit their parent organizations to make themselves seem more legitimate than they are. If they are hard to find or if what they are is difficult to discern (are they a charity, a lobbying organization, an educational organization?) then they are not to be trusted at all. Find more reliable information somewhere else.

6 - Remember that you will see and find what you want to. This is the basis of conspiracy and cult mindsets. Just as outlets' phrasing give away their bias, your search results will do the same (especially inundated with algorithms as we are). For example, you may look up "essential oil health benefits" to see what it says. If you want to believe in them, you may gravitate to sites/blogs that discuss testimonials about what they cured and how they helped. If you're neutral or negative on them, you're more likely to click on a Mayo Clinic or WebMD link that discusses the pros, cons and unknowns of essential oils. What answer appeals to you can impact how trustworthy you find the source.

Media navigation is difficult and nuanced even when not being actively sabotaged. It can also be exhausting, constantly looking shit up and double checking everything you see. Things with specific and identifiable meanings get co-opted and misused (see what buzzwords "bias" and "misinformation" became), and the style of information presentation can't tell you whether the author means you harm. It's all a game of balancing between too-much and not-enough skepticism - it's almost never a conspiracy, but it's almost never "nothing" either. Just because bad actors do/use something doesn't mean the thing itself is bad.

I suppose that this is my best advice: everything has a perspective and a point to make, even when it's trying not to. Read language carefully, but believe something when it tells you what it is. Be honest about what matters to you and what doesn't. Having the moral high ground or being right can be drowned out by yelling loud enough, so beware of the ones who never stop yelling. Facts do not care about your feelings, but your feelings about those facts inform what you do with them. Outright lies are obvious - the real insidious ones form around a truth.

Lastly, don't stop caring. It's hard and exhausting and it sucks, but when you stop caring, everything goes to shit.

A lot of rumors are about to fly about this rally. Trump's team is 100% going to try and take advantage of this situation. So will malicious foreign actors/bots/etc.

Please don't auto share. Check your sources, and vet their wording/sourcing carefully.

Ask yourself - What do you not need evidence to believe? Be very careful with those biases.

[lastwish]

REGARDING  ::  DIFFERENT  VERSIONS ,  CANONS ,  &  MEDIUMS

 stories  have  been  told  since  the  beginning  of  time  and  passed  down  for  centuries .  at  times ,  different  versions  of  certain  events  are  found  in  the  tangle  of  bard’s  tales ,  wives  tales ,  and  those  belong  to  brother’s  grimm .  when  tracing  these  stories  back ,  they  all  find  their  commonality  in  their  beginnings .  they  all  come  from  the  source  of  events  but  there’s  no  easy  way  to  determine  which  source  of  events  are  correct ,  true ,  and  exact .  in  fact ,  it  could  be  wagered  that  none  are  quite  the  truth .

   bards  are  known  to  exaggerate .  they’re  known  to  spin  tales  to  excite ,  entice ,  and  arouse .  if  the  subject  at  hand  does  none  of  these  then  it  must  be  changed .  the  truth  must  be  warped  until  the  bare  bones  exist  but  the  excitement  is  left  alive  for  those  who  wish  to  listen .  the  importance  of  events  remain  the  same  but  the  acts  and  words  surrounding  them  are  blurred  to  suit  the  needs  of  a  poetaster  singing  for  his  coin ,  praying  for  his  next  meal ,  seducing  his  next  wench .

   and  then  there  were  fairy  tales .  stories  woven  for  children  to  teach  or  frighten .  stories  that  changed  endings  depending  on  the  teller ,  the  child ,  and  the  parent .  they  could  not  all  be  the  same ,  there  couldn’t  be  just  one  version  for  too  many  stories  could  be  used  for  so  many  reasons  and  lessons .  still ,  those  stories  never  quite  matched  the  bard  but  maybe  they  were  the  truth ?  maybe  they  were  bent  just  enough  to  hold  onto  the  original  tales ?

   but  what  about  the  historians ?  surely  those  accounts  must  hold  the  most  truth .  they  certainly  have  to  be  telling  the  events  exactly  as  they  happen .  oh ,  but  wait …  history  is  only  told  from  the  perspective  of  those  that  win  wars  and  triumph  over  those  they  battle .  their  perspective  is  skewed  towards  whatever  suits  them  best .  could  there  really  be  a  full  truth  behind  their  tellings ?

   as  such …  numerous  versions  of  the  tale  of  the  witcher  exist .  no  one  is  quite  sure  which  is  exact  but  none  dare  question  the  existence  of  the  events .

[adamwatchesmovies]

The Thief and the Cobbler - The Recobbled Cut (2013)

The history of The Thief and the Cobbler is long and heartbreaking. In short, it was an impossibly ambitious animated film whose troubled production went on for so long it was never finished. Eventually picked up, pieced together as best as possible, and then released by two separate studios, the versions we've seen are heavily compromised. Nonetheless, Richard Williams' original vision captured the minds of many. In 2013, a painstakingly reconstructed fan edit dubbed "The Recobbled Cut" - the closest we’ll ever get to the director’s intention - emerged. Though still incomplete, this glimpse at what could've been is breathtaking.

Golden City is kept safe thanks to three magical golden balls atop King Nod’s tallest minaret. When a thief steals the balls, all seems lost. Hope rests in the hands of Princess Yum-Yum (Sara Crowe) and the cobbler Tack (a silent role) while the scheming Grand Vizier Zig Zag (Vincent Price) sees the disaster as an opportunity.

A simple summary of this film’s plot does not do it justice. This is an unusual film you cannot forget. The visuals are a cross between Persian miniature paintings and the works of M.C. Escher. As characters run through corridors, you’ll be blown away at the amazing use of perspective, the crispness of the lines, and painstaking amount of detail. It’s so beautiful it’s overwhelming. The sheer amount of long, unbroken shots, the way every scene had to be painstakingly choreographed and developed, the brilliant way perspective is skewed to show off the lush background and the brilliantly designed characters… The Thief and the Cobbler is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. It uses the medium of animation like no one else ever had - and it was all done by hand.

This picture's unconventional choices make it a fascinating watch. When was the last time you saw a film whose two leads had no dialogue - outside of the silent era? Sounds weird for the sake of being weird? Maybe, but it allows the story to focus on body language, facial expressions, and color to convey to you what is happening. You haven’t seen slapstick done this well since the Looney Tunes' golden years.

Based on this glimpse of what might've been, did we miss out on “the greatest animated film of all time”? Not quite. The visuals are spectacular. The story? just ok. Some scenes last too long and the way the villains are introduced means the stakes don't feel as high as they could. It’s easy to get mad at Allied Filmmakers and Miramax for releasing butchered versions of this artistic vision, but you also can’t blame them. This film is so strange, so unusual, and was taking so long to produce anyone would worry. A 30+ year obsession like this one almost certainly saw scenes that were previously “finished” scrapped entirely because the character designs were tweaked or a new stylistic choice was made down the line. Looking at it from today's standpoint, I don’t think this project would have ever gotten finished no matter how much money Richard Williams would've managed to raise.

If you love animation or movies with interesting backstories (so basically, ones where everything goes wrong), it's worth digging up this version of The Thief and the Cobbler. Usually, I’d criticize a film for demanding the audience “do homework” to enjoy themselves. This case is so wild you gobble up every testimony, date, and name like a hungry wolf inside a chicken coop. This “Recobbled Cut” might just be the most important fan edit ever made. (Recobbled Cut, June 10, 2016)

[colleybri]

My God, I’m so sorry you received personal crap from these people. I’m so new to tumblr that I haven’t got enough followers to attract that kind of attention yet. I’ve spent decades as a teacher – the last thing I would be able to tolerate would be childish hurtful nonsense of that kind. Geesh.

I chose the wrong word when I said that the trope is subverted. As you say, it’s actually played straight.. “damsel in distress”. But if you flip the gender roles, would there still be a problem with it? I guess what I’m arguing is that writers shouldn’t hold back from these tropes if there is a genuine need for them in the story. They are tools, not clichés. But I do agree that this will all be very very uncomfortable unless there is considerable focus on developing Bix now, and definitely those parts of the story which are independent of her relationship with Cassian. I really want her, for example, to develop her own resolution to become a rebel. I would still argue that because she is a lot more complex there on the screen in episodes 1-3 and 7 than some of her detractors seem to think, for me it “ carries her through” those final episodes – I remember who she was, mourn for that person, I hate the Empire because of what they have done to her and I desperately want her back. For that reason, I would still disagree that the fault lies in the actual writing of her character as opposed to the writing of the narrative. It absolutely is the case that she is reduced to a shivering victim in those final scenes – but I still can’t see what the alternative would be really. But I completely agree with you here: it is deeply uncomfortable just to see that she is still… existing, just about, and in need of rescue by the male protagonist. It really does depend, for me, how they take this in season 2 about how I will judge this arc in the end. At the moment, I just think they’re trying to establish how very low she has fallen in order to make sense of the journey still to come. Her line about Cassian finding them at the end actually makes me wonder if season 2 might start off, quite realistically, with her in a state where part of her coping /healing mechanism is to idolise and idealise him in a way that spells – let’s say – deep trouble. Then they would effectively have to rebuild their relationship from scratch as she starts to recover her independence. All complicated, of course, by her trauma and his commitment to the rebellion. Perhaps it rather ironically becomes the beginning of the end.

Funnily enough, I’ve been thinking about her a lot lately, and your excellent original post essay has fed in to that . and because I had no idea before coming to Tumblr that there was that very limited view of Bix out there, she just became the subject of my latest in a series of essays on Reddit designed at ‘defending’ less popular Andor characters. I’ll link below. Re the comments: some are obviously from very sexist perspectives. I suspect that’s because Reddit skews more male and conservative, while Tumblr skews more female and liberal (but I may be wrong on both of those).

On a lighter note, I really like the idea that somebody came up with in one comment that Bix is to be the one who reprograms K2-SO. I don’t think it’s very likely – but I kinda like it anyway :) Anyway - putting her skills as a mechanic to use for the rebellion would be very nice to see. 😀 And I’m not opposed to sapphic Bix either - that could certainly make sense going forward.

https://www.reddit.com/r/andor/s/n86BznwFJH

me before experiencing the star wars fandom: "huh bix seems like a cool character. kinda underutilized though, i'm sad they didn't pull much on the threads of her being the main rebellion contact on ferrix and likely fencing stolen tech on the black market even before that. her isolated situation even when surrounded by community was really interesting and she clearly had a lot of potential there, I hope she gets to do more in season 2" *ready to move on*

half of the star wars fandom: "bix only exists as an accessory to cassian. if you talk about her, you should be talking about him"

the other half of the star wars fandom: "bix is a flat nothing character and anyone who sees anything to like about her just thinks she's hot. i will not consider anything else to like about her so clearly no one has"

me: "... ok it's now my life's mission to explore every bit of this character's circumstances and emotional depth i am thinking about her 24/7 she's everything to me i will defend her to the death"

[shihalyfie]

Ichijouji Ken, his future, and Kizuna

Having talked about Kizuna’s extremely deep relationship to 02 as a series, it’s only natural that I should probably spend some extra focus on its main central character, Ichijouji Ken. It’s no secret that, although Daisuke was the protagonist of 02, Ken was the central figure to the series itself (after all, the series was founded on the concept of deconstructing the supposed “genius kid”), and so Kizuna having such a deep relationship with 02 means that it does, inevitably, have a deep relationship with Ken in particular.

The last twenty years have been full of a plethora of meta analysis on Ichijouji Ken as a character within 02 to the point I feel anything I could possibly come up with would probably be redundant, so today I’d like to place extra focus on his development after 02 (in terms of both canonical materials and general analysis), and how it leads up to his portrayal in the recently released Kizuna. (Naturally, spoilers for the movie will be below.)

We’ll start this analysis by looking at where Ken left off during the final episode of 02.

Thanks to his interactions with the rest of the 02 crew (especially Daisuke), Ken was slowly putting his life back together, but he still had a long way to go. As late as episode 49, we learned he still had suicidal ideation tendencies in regards to his deeds as the Kaiser, and although the rest of the team did get through to him in the end, it was clear that there was still a huge path ahead of him as far as coming to terms with himself and bonding with the rest of the team went. This was especially because he ended the series with the Dark Seed still in the back of his neck -- supernatural forces may have assisted his initial downfall, but it was going to be entirely on him to make sure that he never went back there again for the rest of his life.

One thing that’s really important to put in perspective is the actual chronology this ordeal took place in. Although the Kaiser saga spanned a little under half of the yearlong series that 02 was, Christmas skewed the schedule a little bit, so a good chunk of the second half of the series actually took place in much more condensed time than the first. Taking into account the official statement that everything before Christmas roughly aligns with the time of the year the relevant episode aired, and given the exact dates in December that we know episodes 38-50 take place in, within the course of 02, Ken’s reformation from being the Kaiser and bonding with the group spanned around only four months. That is not a lot of time, especially compared to the roughly two-year period Ken went through the trauma of his brother’s loss and his transformation into the Kaiser, so in actuality, Ken made a huge amount of progress considering how little time he had to do so.

Before we continue, I should make clear that I generally count pretty much everything in the Toei-esque fashion of “everything is canon, don’t think about contradictions too hard” (which is generally their modus operandi with pretty much any franchise), so pretty much everything here is fair game. That said, obviously, contradictions and other outliers do exist, so occasionally I am going to have to omit stuff that really, really doesn’t track...so for the sake of this analysis, I’m skipping Armor Evolution to the Unknown for two reasons: one, because it takes massive liberties with characterization for the sake of crack (it’s pretty hard to believe Ken would be this degree of flippant about the Kaiser persona in a more serious situation), and two, because it was written before 02 finished airing (it was released between episodes 43 and 44) and doesn’t reflect a lot of series and characterization development that happened later in the series. (Armor Evolution to the Unknown was released during a time period when the drama CDs were really, really big on the crack -- the three Adventure mini dramas are the same -- and it wasn’t until later that actual “serious” ones would start coming out.)

Given that, our next canonical point we can work with is Diablomon Strikes Back, which takes place in March 2003.

At this point Ken’s recovery is at a little around six months, and he’s making massive progress -- even if you’re not sure about counting the actual events of this movie as canon, it’s an excellent character study in terms of watching Ken’s emotional recovery at this point in time and his relationship with Daisuke, now that he’s not directly dealing with issues pertaining to his own past trauma.

It’s already a very different Ken from the one we’ve seen in the original series, where in episode 38 the idea of him laughing was such a huge shock, but here we already see a much wider emotional range from Ken -- light cheerfulness, playfulness, and at times even a bit of petulance. His actions and dialogue still have Ken’s trademark “softness” -- being kind and gentle has always been said to be his core inner trait, after all -- but, nevertheless, he’s a lot more willing to show “superficial” emotions, especially compared to how closed up, shy, and sometimes standoffish he would be within 02 proper.

Even Ken’s own body language indicates a lot -- he’s much more relaxed and  natural. Observe how he slouches here.

In fact, if you listen to Park Romi’s delivery of his lines throughout this movie, she voices him with a significantly higher-pitched and “lighter”, soft tone through all of it, which really gives off the impression that he’s much less emotionally uptight.

We get a glimpse of Daisuke and Ken’s future dynamic and how they’ll continue to be such tight friends in the future -- Ken is someone who can keep the infamously chaotic Daisuke in check (especially since prior to Ken coming into his life, Daisuke’s closest friend was probably Miyako, and while the two certainly got along very well with each other, they had a tendency to enable each other’s chaos a bit too much at times).

But despite Ken obviously trying to be more sensible than Daisuke here, it still manifests as a much greater show of emotion than the kind you’d be used to within 02 proper. He’s much more assertive with putting his foot down in keeping Daisuke under control, which indicates not only a more comfortable relationship with Daisuke in particular, but also a general increase in his ability to be assertive.

In one of his most famous scenes in this movie, he actually outright taunts Daisuke in order to spur him on. He’s doing it totally affectionately (it’s specifically to give Daisuke more motivation to keep running), but nevertheless, he’s taunting Daisuke -- not really something you'd expect from Ken in 02 proper. The original line in Japanese even has him use the very super-casual and aggressive end particle ~ze.

He even snarks about Daisuke’s convenient bouts of luck in ways that aren’t exactly complimentary (the literal phrasing of this line has “baka mitai ni” in it, in this context "some kind of ridiculous incredible power”).

And, near the end of the movie, when he starts to lose hope, it only takes a single line from Daisuke to get himself back together -- this kind of thing would have probably taken a whole speech in 02, even from Daisuke himself, but by this point Ken’s got a much better emotional grasp on himself.

And in the end, the movie ends on both Daisuke and Ken laughing together -- very lightly.

It’s easy to pass off Ken’s characterization in DSB as an incidental thing simply because this is a “side story” movie from 02 -- especially since it was technically produced during 02′s airing -- but in fact, this portrayal is consistent with what Ken has to say about himself during his next known point in canon, Spring 2003.

Given that Takeru’s track is apparently set “three months” after Christmas, and Miyako’s track talks about having just entered middle school, I assume that this means Ken’s takes place in around late March or early April 2003 (almost exactly a year since 02′s start), but in actuality nothing really “happens” during Ken’s track. Nevertheless, it provides a lot of information on Ken’s state of mind during this time and his own self-reflection on his past...and defines in very clear words what it is that Ken needs to move away from.

You were always in a bad mood and you were cold to me, but now that I think about it, maybe you really wanted to be nicer to other people. I don’t know what happened to you that made you act like you did, but now, I finally feel like I understand a bit. You were demanded to grow up fast, weren’t you, Brother? Because we were always being evaluated and compared by someone, we didn’t get a chance to have more freedom. We didn’t have any chances to run down an alley because we felt like it, or pull up weeds, or tumble around… meaningless things, things that didn’t bring any value to us at all. Just like the cat napping on the roof… we weren’t able to fully enjoy any everlasting freedom.

02 -- especially its latter half -- dealt largely with the concept of parents imposing too many expectations on their children, acting “proud” of them but actually using them to inflate their own self-worth, and in the end effectively robbing their own children of their right to “be children”. While we don’t know a lot about Osamu based on limited information about him, Ken’s parents also lament that they might have robbed Osamu of the opportunity to be a “normal boy” in 02 episode 23.

Once Ken took the role of the “family genius” after Osamu’s death, Ken was thus likewise robbed of that “normal childhood” due to all of the expectations put on him -- and Ken’s words in his track imply that it extended to before Osamu’s death, because just because Osamu was the favored one at the time didn’t mean that Ken wasn’t subject to the same kind of expectations to at least some degree, even if not as much. (Note how he really didn’t seem to have any kind of friends at all prior to Daisuke and the others.)

Thus, Ken’s ideal trajectory is to become “a normal child” -- one not subject to expectations as a “well-behaved genius child”. That applies not only to things like his academic or sports performance, but also even his core manners -- being a “normal person” in this context meaning being allowed to show emotions, be petty, have emotional range that extends beyond just being deferential and polite, and generally do things because he enjoys them and not because others expect him to. This is consistent with his portrayal in DSB, as in said movie he really does come off as a “normal boy” -- a young child who, while certainly less chaotic than Daisuke, is still enjoying himself and interacting with the world in “his own” natural, relaxed way rather than holding himself to obligations.

Another interesting thing about DSB is that it has Ken refer to Daisuke by given name. This is particularly intriguing because up until the end of 02, Ken consistently referred to Daisuke as “Motomiya” (he did use given name in episode 39, but it wasn’t something he really followed up on). This despite the fact he went with given names (plus honorifics) for everyone else in the 02 team, but it seems like Ken was still trying to figure out his very complicated feelings about Daisuke as someone who was his Most Hated Person™ during his Kaiser days and yet is now trying to aggressively reach through his barriers that he’s constructed out of self-defense.

And yet, extremely notably, almost every single post-02 material is consistent about the idea that Ken switches to given name basis with Daisuke after 02. (The only exception is Armor Evolution to the Unknown, which, as stated before, was written and recorded during 02′s airing and not after; notably, Daisuke is also on surname basis with Ken during that drama CD, even though he permanently switches to given name basis after episode 39.) That includes “out-of-hard-canon” things like Xros Wars episode 78.

Yet they still couldn’t remember to put the highlight back in Ken’s eyes, among other things.

Honorific and surname-given name basis fluctuated quite a bit in both Adventure and 02 (especially whenever canon material changed hands between writers), but for all intents and purposes, there is no reason Daisuke and Ken should not be on mutual given name basis after 02. This is especially when you take into account the more naturalistic relationship they have as of DSB -- there’s no standoffishness at all between them anymore.

This ties very deeply into how 02 portrayed its characters. One thing I’ve very, very often pointed out was that it was always an explicit point of contrast between themselves and the original Adventure team was that the 02 kids were not only “friends” in terms of fighting together on Digimon cases, but “friends” in the sense of actual social-life friends who clicked well in personality and adored each other’s company. (Part of this was because of the core theme of the series; Jogress being such a huge motif, “understanding your friends” took precedence over Adventure’s “understanding yourself”.) These are the kids who hung out together in the totally-not-related-to-any-Digimon-incident (at least, not at first) picnic in episode 6 and Christmas party in episode 38, a stark comparison to the Adventure kids who infamously started drifting as early as Our War Game!.

(Note that this isn’t meant to diminish or drop shade on the Adventure kids’ bonds in any way -- I feel like their bond is more of one that’s a “transcendent” one that crosses space and links them through their shared experience, but, nevertheless, is simply not the same in nature as the “social life” bonds the 02 kids had where they were very casual and yet intimate with each other in almost all daily life respects.)

As a result, Daisuke and Ken’s relationship ended up very different from that of their predecessors Taichi and Yamato -- it’s actually hard to imagine them getting in all that many highly heated fights in the same way their seniors would be prone to, and they’d generally be on “mild banter” terms for most of it. In fact, they come off as pretty casual and in-sync with each other, and it’s to the point where it really does feel like -- especially by the point of DSB -- staying on “standoffish” surname basis really is unwarranted.

And while it’s tempting to limit Ken’s relationship to only Daisuke, this did involve the rest of the 02 group, after all -- we got significant episodes defining his relationship to the others (Miyako got a whole episode in 25, and 30′s entire events kicked off because of an attempt to get him to better socialize with Iori!), and the 02 kids as a cohesive “overall group” were integral in getting Ken to open up and show different sides of himself. Although his relationship to certain team members ended up closer than others (Daisuke and Miyako, the ones who tried most aggressively to reach out to him, ended up getting the most out of him), nevertheless, it was important that Ken ultimately cultivated a relationship with a group of friends, and not just one.

This, of course, brings us to Kizuna, which takes place in the summer of 2010. This is a massive leap of time we don’t know a lot about, and for all it’s worth, this means we have, compared to the approximately two years Ken spent suffering under the influence of the Dark Seed, a whole eight years dedicated to potential recovery. There’s a lot that could have happened during that time, and what happened in between, we can only really guess.

Well, for one, he cut his hair.

The reveal of Ken’s design for Kizuna was a huge shock for those watching, because, among all of the twelve main human characters in Kizuna, he probably has the biggest and most drastic design change -- especially because his long hair was so iconic that even the epilogue depicted him with it (and even longer, at that). Were it not for other important identifiers like Wormmon’s presence and the fact said hair is at least still indigo blue, you’d almost wonder if it’s the same character.

(I do have to at least give props to this Animedia poster, though -- that soft and concerned expression is textbook Ken-chan, so it absolutely nails the vibe that it’s the same character despite the massive design change, and it even has a small cute detail that, despite clearly trying to calm Yamato down in haste, he’s still tidy enough to lay his chopsticks neatly on the bowl. That Ken has a habit of doing this while eating hot ramen is a very specific minor blink-and-you’ll-miss-it detail in 02 episode 36, and while I’d normally pass this off as coincidence, Kizuna and its PR has had such ridiculous attention to detail that I’m not entirely willing to.)

Not only that, his actual outfit in the movie is rather unassuming -- it’s just a black shirt, pants, and a belt, compared to the more distinctive/fashionable or setting-immersive outfits everyone else has. I mean, it sure beats that godawful grey gakuran he was constantly wearing during 02, but there were certainly a lot of complaints about how...well, unassuming and plain he looks.

The thing is, though, this is very much in line with how Ken would most likely want to present himself. When you think about it, Ken himself would probably not really appreciate his fanbase status as the “sad pretty boy”; having been scrutinized, evaluated, and put on uncomfortable pedestals through all of his early life, “blending in” and coming off as an average, unassuming person would be right up his alley.

Anyway, before we get into Kizuna itself, we have the drama CD that came with its BD, Where Should We Go? While it was released after the movie, in chronological timeline, it serves as a slight prequel, and what we learn about Ken in it is certainly...interesting. Namely, that he’s apparently a hardcore fan of Japanese hot springs. And not just a hardcore fan of them, but also a complete nerd.

The hot springs *obviously* must have free-flowing water. If possible, I think I’d prefer a quiet, rural flowing hot spring that’s surrounded by a moss-covered garden. Then I want to stay the night at a historical inn that focuses more on tranquility and wabi-sabi rather than wildness or beauty. I’m not looking for a lot on the food options, but the portions should ideally be neither too large nor too small. If we’re just going to relax our bodies, then I’d like it if there was a variety of hot springs to choose from. The water quality that I recommend for the ladies would be the hydrogen carbonate spring or the alkaline simple hot spring (these are otherwise known as simple hot springs with a basic pH of 8.5 or above), but my personal favorite is the hot sulphur spring! Incidentally, the hot sulphur spring is said to treat arteriosclerosis and high blood pressure. If it were possible, I’d like to take my time there… At least stay for two nights! Ahh… Hot springs… Hehehe…

I cannot stress enough how much the audio delivery for this depicts him as being terrifyingly into it. It’s also...not exactly the most fashionable thing for a nineteen-year-old to be into (actually, it’s more of a stereotype old man thing, what with the fixation on traditional Japanese aesthetics and health nut aspects), but we have Ken being very shameless and assertive about his personal interests, even if they’re a bit unusual.

Funnily enough, this isn’t actually the first time he was demonstrated to be a huge infodumping nerd -- it’s just that the last instance was questionably canonical, but tracks extremely heavily with what was just demonstrated here. Namely, Daisuke and Ken’s Shopping Carol:

Listen, the thing about Christmas is that it's one of the most important days in the world... It was the day the Savior was born... So, you go to church and pray... Of course, you knew all of that right?

Or in other words, he interrupts Daisuke’s wistful thoughts with The Actual Nerd Facts, because he’s a nerd. He even has a bit of a smart-aleck atmosphere...and then he cheerfully and sassily dumps all of the work on Daisuke thereafter. While the canonicity for this song is hard to place since it was released during 02′s airing (and 02 itself depicted a very different Christmas), plus the ambiguity of character song canon in general, it’s interesting how Ken’s portrayal here is pretty surprisingly in line with what we’re learning about his future personality.

The rest of what we see of Ken in the drama CD is what we generally knew about him already -- he’s kind, he dotes on Wormmon (he even indulges Wormmon’s request to take him skiing!), and he still keeps up with being into intellectual studies, and even soccer (he’s described as actually keeping up with soccer to the extent he does training camp), because he was always interested in those kinds of things -- it’s just that now he can indulge in them in ways he personally likes instead of being held to other people’s standards.

But he’s also very emotional, passionate, and openly assertive -- something he could be in 02, but only when it was something he really, really cared about, because most of the time he was a little more on the shy side with others. Not anymore. And he’s happy to indulge in the chaotic trip planning and enable the others, and, at the end, gives some sentimental words to Daisuke, his best friend.

Anyway, onto the movie itself!

Notably, they do not mention Ken’s past trauma nor his deeds as the Kaiser throughout the entire movie.

That might surprise people, given that this was...well, central to the entire plot of 02, so it’s arguably a glaring omission that despite having the 02 cast here, it’s not even brought up once. The only real “reference” to it is this scene, where Ken happens to be the one who knows about Menoa’s background as a child prodigy -- and even then it’s uncertain whether this had anything to do with said traumatic events (Menoa was admitted to Liberica in 2002 itself) as much as it’s a meta nod to Ken having a suspiciously similar background and the fact he and Menoa were based on the same real-life story (the nine-year-old boy who skipped grades into Columbia University).

But, again, recall that Ken has had eight years to move on from the events of 02, more time than said events had actually spanned over. That doesn’t mean he’s easily going to forget that trauma, nor that said events don’t still have an impact on him, but rather that a true positive development for him should have him not having to consciously dwell on it if it’s not necessary, and that his friends of now eight years should probably not be still holding it over him at a time like this.

After all, 02 itself was dedicated to scolding this kind of behavior -- not being “stuck in the past” (which, well, also happens to be a very pertinent theme when it comes to Kizuna...) was basically the entire point of the latter half, and so it stands to reason that Ken, and by extension the rest of the 02 cast, would be more focused on what they’re doing now instead of what happened back then.

In the absence of any references to said past, Ken in the actual movie ends up coming off as a bit unremarkable and plain compared to the three friends who end up surrounding him, all of whom have much more extreme personalities (the chaotic and exuberant Daisuke and Miyako, and the comically poker-faced Iori). But you get the feeling that he’s perfectly fine being that way -- rather, he’s enjoying getting all of his fun from his exciting friends, without feeling a need to spice things up himself.

So when we finally do meet Ken for the first time in Kizuna, he’s cheerfully eating ramen with Daisuke and Iori in New York (which, for all it’s worth, is probably really questionably legal, considering that Adventure’s world of 2010 likely still hasn’t figured out how to deal with that whole thing with “immigration and customs” as it pertains to Digital Gates.) Emphasis on cheerfully. He’s as tidy as ever (note how he still properly keeps his chopsticks between his fingers and cleans up after himself, albeit not as well as Iori), and he’s obviously more straight-laced than Daisuke or Miyako, but he isn’t really hiding the fact he’s also totally enjoying this. He didn’t even know why they were there for ramen in New York in the first place, but he just rolled with wherever Daisuke took him.

Recall that, according to their official profiles, these three go to completely different schools now -- Iori’s in high school, Daisuke’s at vocational school getting a chef’s license, and Ken’s in university studying psychology. (Which, by the way, is not brought up at all throughout the movie nor the drama CD! It’s easy to glean how his past experiences might give him an interest in the topic, and it’ll certainly be a valuable background to have for his future known career in criminal investigation, but despite Ken previously having had a reputation for being studious, it’s not brought up at all -- almost as if hanging out with his friends and having fun with them is more important and pertinent.) The drama CD even points out that Ken would normally be busy with soccer training camp. Yet they’re hanging out. In New York. Eating ramen. So, Yamato, what were you saying about how “choosing your own path can sometimes mean being alienated from friends”? If anything, these friends seem to be going out of their way to make sure they’re staying tight.

And, as you’d expect, Ken refers to Daisuke by given name, following DSB’s precedent. Again, given the nature of their relationship right now, this should be expected. There’s other evidence that Kizuna does use DSB as reference in certain other respects as well (Takeru calls Yamato “niisan”, which had previously been exclusive to that movie), and it’s very possible that Ken as portrayed in that movie was used as reference for his potential trajectory here.

Note that he seems to be even more outwardly affectionate with Wormmon than before (which is, shockingly, apparently possible) -- he still feeds his partner before feeding himself (similar to what he did in 02 episode 37), but now he also shamelessly carries Wormmon on his head, which he never did in 02. Perhaps it’s because he’s tall enough to carry the weight, but unlike with Takeru and Patamon, Wormmon is big enough that the sight is honestly comical -- yet Ken couldn’t care less, and while we don’t see him in his own school, it’s a sharp contrast to how Taichi and Yamato scoffed at the idea of bringing their partners to school because they “have their own lives to live”.

(A nice touch is Ken carrying Minomon from his arm, which actually comes from a very obscure piece of 02 concept art -- you can find it in the Character Complete File or the Animation Chronicle -- but was never depicted in the series proper. The Kizuna design works in the April 2020 edition of Animedia actually recreated that piece of art with Ken in the exact same position, only as a nineteen-year-old this time, which was an incredibly welcome thing to see.)

He greets Miyako upfront when she arrives, which doesn’t look like much on its face, but recall that this probably wouldn’t have happened during 02 proper -- not even with Daisuke! -- and, at the very least, not with this very casual “hey!” tone. It means a lot in terms of how much more casual of a person he’s been able to become in the last eight years, and how much more casual he is with this group (well, at least with Miyako). Takeru also greets Wormmon in the drama CD, and Wormmon seems pretty unusually happy to see Hawkmon when they meet each other there, certainly implying a lot of interpersonal interaction since.

Miyako meets up with them (and, going back to how tight these kids are, Miyako would come in all the way from Spain to meet her friends even for the exact same job that she dumped on her seniors), and they end up infiltrating Menoa’s office. He gets in a line of snark, especially because the Shueisha Mirai novel indicates he’s deliberately “looking the other way” in regards to worrying about security -- looks like he’s developing some Lawful tendencies, but in the end, his friends and getting to the bottom of the real truth take priority.

And, also, it’s still pretty clear he’s totally taking the opportunity to enjoy this.

So what does this all mean, really? He’s taking a fairly passive attitude with his abundantly more chaotic friends, but he’s also not protesting, and he’s enjoying everything he can out of it. He’s a bit quieter than he was in DSB, but that could easily just be from being older and a bit more mature, and he hardly comes off as reserved, either (it helps that Daisuke doesn’t quite resort to any antics nearly as ridiculous as he did in DSB, so there’s no need to keep him in check -- yep, even Daisuke got a bit more mature himself). And he’s joining these kids in being possibly some of the most chaotic disaster adults (near-adults?) on this planet, in a sharp contrast to their seniors.

I mentioned earlier in my analysis of Kizuna’s relationship to 02 that Ken is actually a “hidden” foil to Kizuna’s main antagonist, Menoa -- they were both conceived from the same idea Producer Seki had regarding the real-life “genius boy” who ended up going to Columbia University at a young age and, in her opinion, was going to be robbed of a proper childhood experience. 02′s Dark Seed children arc was a major indictment against parents forcing this kind of pressure on children, not only in the sense of pushing them academically but also quashing out their more “childish” dreams for the sake of a more “dignified” outlook and future. Through the events of 02, Ken learned a very personal lesson on not losing his “true self” to the pressure of those expectations, and the meaning of valuing his family and friends instead.

Ken and Menoa, effectively, were originally on the same path, but thanks to the circumstances of 02, Ken managed to avert Menoa’s fate and ended up following his own way. Nevertheless, Ken was largely robbed of a normal kid’s childhood up until the age of eleven, and it stands to reason that, even at the age of nineteen, he might still be trying to make up for all of those fun experiences he never was able to have.

Funny thing about his haircut, too -- this isn’t the first time Ken’s had this haircut, actually. You know when was the last known time he did?

Hm. Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not.

But unlike Menoa, who decided that it would be better to trap herself in her own distorted view of what “childhood” is, or Oikawa, who ended up clinging dearly to the last reminder he had of what he’d lost from his childhood, Ken ends up dealing with it in a very forward-facing manner. In fact, he’d elucidated his feelings on the issue back in Spring 2003:

There are still a lot of times when I think about how I should have “done this back then.” But I discovered that there are many things I can do over afterwards. I’ll stop counting the things that I can’t do. Because I’m sure there are many things that I can do.

Instead of living in regrets about the past, Ken simply chooses to move forward by making new fun experiences and memories with his friends, befitting those he couldn’t have when he was a kid, and perhaps even enhanced by his newfound freedom as a nineteen-year-old.

During the final battle, we get a few more emotional and assertive shows from Ken -- his concern about Miyako is pretty frantic-sounding, and the fact he steps in so quickly and frantically to help her out by his own will is pretty impressive. And then he definitively declares that they can’t afford to give up -- which is certainly in line with the nobility he had even during 02, but remember when, even in DSB, Daisuke had to be the one to remind him of this? Now he’s the one reassuring his teammates about this, all on his own. When it all comes down to it, his sense of awareness of what he wants and what he wants to do is stronger than ever.

I mentioned in my analysis of Kizuna in relation to 02 that the 02 kids are in a fairly unique position in the movie, thanks to having already practically gone through a lot of the lessons in both 02 and Kizuna, thus leading them to become very lacking in susceptibility to potentially losing their partners anytime soon (and in fact are deliberately portrayed as such). I would say of all of them, Ken is the most representative of this -- being such a direct foil to the movie’s main antagonist, one who actually came dangerously close to making some of the exact same mistakes she did and emerged with his own trauma as a result, the lessons and warnings imparted by the movie are already deeply embedded in his being.

He’s one of the most openly affectionate and intimate with his partner, having already learned the very, very hard way of what happens when you don’t treasure your partner properly. (He’s taking Wormmon jogging with him, which has got to be an awfully uncomfortable setup, but, goddammit, he’s gonna make it work. And if ~With~ is to be believed, he’s been doing this for years now.) He’s still got a Dark Seed in the back of his neck as an eternal reminder to remember who he is, and to acknowledge the love from his family and friends around him instead of succumbing to arbitrary societal expectations. Remember what I said in my earlier analysis about the true reason for partnerships dissolving, and how deeply it was tied to throwing yourself away for the sake of arbitrary standards of adulthood? Ken’s experiences and extremely painful trauma are like a giant do not do this stamp on his face, and although everyone in this cast is naturally human and may have ups and downs or relapses, Ken is possibly one of the last characters one could imagine succumbing to that kind of mistake again.

So we make it to the epilogue, and although Ken’s technical job title as given in the epilogue is literally “police officer” (keisatsukan), his form of dress (plainclothes, not uniform) and his the Character Complete File indicate he’s from the Digimon Special Investigations Unit (tokusoubu), or, in other words, he’s actually a public-servant detective. (So no, the various dubs also going with “detective” are thus not “changes” in this respect.) In short, he investigates scenes of crimes after they happen, and the Character Complete File provides an example in the form of him investigating a dead body found at the river.

This is probably why Kizuna has him major in psychology, because forensic psychology would be a pretty useful skillset for this kind of job, and a university education in general would most certainly be helpful. (The job requirements as per the Japanese system also require a very high level of athleticism and aptitude.) On the other hand, considering what we know about Ken up to Kizuna, there aren’t any indications that he treated this like any kind of major aspiration, and the psychology major makes you think he might have just fallen into this career by a series of accidents -- he took an interest in psychology (and mental health) due to his own experiences, and then decided that “discovering the truth behind things” was up his alley (much like Iori). Even more notably, his position isn’t really described in any history-making terms, not even ones like being “the first” of anything (like Jou), and it feels like he’s doing this to contribute to society in a way he prefers more than he’s trying to accomplish anything world-shattering.

But on the flip side, it’s probably no coincidence that the 02 epilogue portrays him with such a big family. Of course, it also fits with his and Miyako’s family backgrounds (they’d probably want their kids to have siblings, given their own experiences), but since the Dark Seed was described as having its effects countered by acknowledging how much you’re loved, Ken is clearly surrounded by love -- his wife is one of the most openly affectionate people out there, and his kids (or at least his middle child) use the same “Mama” kind of affectionate language Ken shared with his own parents. Once the events of 02 came to a close at the end of 2002, Ken went on a journey of discovering his own self-assertion, personal desires, and fun -- shedding the expectations and societal standards others had of him, and learning to enjoy life in ways he personally enjoys, for his own sake.

[eeemarvel]

In Hero Reform (and in one of your lovely replies to me), it's mentioned that Viktor wore a very revealing hero costume as a teen, which Yakov and Lilia allowed him to do once he threw a tantrum, because they wanted him to feel better .

In your very kind (and funny!) reply to the horror movie ask, it's mentioned that it didn't even occur to Lilia that Yuri P could find the horror movie scary.

What do you think of Yakov and Lilia's parenting style?

(No need to answer if you don't want to/don't feel like it, ofc!😊)

😂😂😂😂😂

This is fantastic. So, I have absolutely no idea why I made Yakov, Lilia AND Celestino Victor and YP's parents. It was just an unexplainable knee jerk reaction when I was first writing this and it's admittedly a bit silly but idc. Also, as time went on, it just made more sense in my mind for their characters. It was just easier for three out of depth, overworked adults to raise 2 kids than it was for one to do it by themselves.

Yakov was not always the parental figure that he is now, someone who is firm, but mostly fair, loving, and very protective. He originally tried to raise Victor and Yuri P. the way he taught heroes: with a firm fist and no mercy. He was far too emotionally distant for a father, unwilling to accept when the boys made mistakes, and valued discipline over everything else. But, of course, Victor and Yuri did not respond too well to being held under a thumb, headstrong as they are. Many many tantrums (Yuri's), fights, and slammed doors helped Yakov to learn that he needed to take a slightly more gentle approach.

Old Yakov: This is the second time this week that I've caught you sneaking out. That means you will spend two months in this room and you've got dish duty until I say so.

Lil' Victor: But—

Old Yakov: This isn't a discussion.

Lil' Victor at nobody because Yakov has left: YOU NEVER LISTEN TO ME!

After the terror that is Yuri P. entered their lives, Yakov quickly learned that some changes needed to be made...

New Yakov: Now, why am I watching you climb through a bedroom window right now, Yura?

Slightly smaller Yuri: .... the front door was locked.

New Yakov: Naturally. And what were you doing at this hour?

SS Yuri: Nothing... I just wanted to see Mila.

New Yakov: Unless Mila is a vampire, I'm positive she'll be more than happy to see you during the day, and if not, she's welcome to have dinner with us anytime.

SS Yuri: ...Really??

New Yakov: Certainly. That is of course after your punishment has lifted which will be two months from now. You're taking Victor's dish duty starting tomorrow. We'll continue this discussion in the morning. Good night.

SS Yuri: But—

Lilia is quite similar to Yakov when it comes to parenting but her thing is that she has a very skewed perspective about what she finds to be upsetting or triggering. So, while Yakov was unfazed by tears, Lilia was positively baffled.

Old Lilia: There will be no dessert until all of your toys have been properly put away, and that's final.

Teeniest Yuri: ｡･ﾟヾ(✦థ ｪ థ)ﾉ｡ﾟ･｡

Old Lilia: W-w-what? What's happened?? Are you hurt? Why are you crying?????

Teeniest Yuri: ｡･ﾟヾ(✦థ ｪ థ)ﾉ｡ﾟ･｡*intensifies*

Old Lilia: What did I say??? Celestino, what did I say??

Celestino, who is somehow more "normal" than Yakov and Lilia really helps out in situations like this so that Lilia can learn and adjust:

Lilia 2.0: Your dessert is waiting for you, Yura. We'll eat together when you've finished putting all of your toys away.

Teeniest Yuri who knows he's not gonna starve: °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

For Celestino, trying to parent with Yakov and Lilia is like Chris Pratt trying to subdue those dinos. Yakov is very militaristic, disciplined, and emotionally distant by nature. Lilia is the same, possibly more so as she was trained at the Guild of Champions. They're both not great at dealing with emotions: Yakov doesn't pick up on when people have them and Lilia doesn't realize that pain, death, mortal danger, and significant life events aren't the only reasons why someone may feel strong emotions. When Yakov does realize that someone is having BIG feelings, he sometimes just... ignores them/doesn't acknowledge them at all... something that he still struggles with but is better at now than before.

But Celestino is just a guy who has great abilities and trained those abilities at the Grand Prix like most heroes. He understands people. He understands when someone is hurt or when there is more to their feelings than what they express through words. So, like a normal compassionate/empathetic person. Celestino started at 0 (maybe 3 or 4) when he became a parent while Yakov and Lilia started at negative 10.

Celestino: Oooh, all dressed up? Where are you guys going?

Lilia: I'm taking the kids to see Naomi.

Celestino: ... giant mutant lizard owner Naomi or pastry chef Naomi?

Lilia: The former.

Celestino: Ok, perhaps don't????

Lilia, huffing agitatedly: Fine. But it's the pastry chef that has the license to kill.

It was also Celestino that reluctantly took Victor's side when he threw a tantrum over his super suit. Lilia and Yakov's argument was that a hero suit was a uniform, a mark of power and trustworthiness that should stand out in a crowd. And not stand out like that as a teenager in the fishbowl that is the world of super heroes. Celestino agrees with this but.... there are exceptions.

Celestino reasoned that a lot of Victor's choices were taken away from him as a kid and that he didn't have the chance to explore and grow the way normal kids did. Victor experienced a lot of trauma and he wanted to take control of his life again. He wanted to feel happy, confident, and strong again. If that meant Victor had to wear a slightly risque super suit... then so be it??? It wasn't too bad after all. And Victor was a good kid, a hero, and his taste in fashion changed like the wind. He'd want a new super suit by the end of the winter anyway. Teen Victor rarely threw huge tantrums. He may have shouted back out of anger, whined a bit, or tried to plead with puppy dog eyes, but he rarely ever went off on a screaming, tearful tirade. That was Yuri P.'s thing. So when Victor snapped, Celestino knew that this was a big deal to him.

Somehow the three manage to balance each other out. And the boys know that they are well loved even if 2/3 of their parents have a funny way of showing it.

[antianakin]

Yes, the Jedi like him, but let's not forget the Jedi don't know about the oathbreaking and the child murder and village massacre stuff. I imagine they'd celebrate him a LOT less if they did because then he's not just a "maverick" but a very dangerous tinderbox that could explode into darkness and murder at any point who has broken quite a few of the Jedi's central tenants. So TO THE JEDI, Anakin just appears a little "spontaneous" to put it in Yoda's words. He causes trouble, yes, but he also is perfectly capable of spouting off the right words and WANTING to do the right thing and occasionally shows the ability to learn and mature. His "crimes" such as they are from the Jedi's perspective, are relatively minor and nothing that they aren't willing to work with and allow Anakin to learn from over time. This doesn't mean that Anakin ISN'T someone who absolutely does not believe in the Jedi way of life and HASN'T broken many of their most important vows (like marrying Padme, which means he places Padme as his priority over his duty and the Jedi themselves, something he says pretty explicitly in TCW season 1). This probably skews the way the Jedi are able to view him, too, since what they need from their people during war is a little different to what they need in peace time and they don't yet have a way to view Anakin from that perspective (without Obi-Wan's supervision at least), so even if they're a TAD skeptical about some of Anakin's methods they're probably very willing to give him the benefit of the doubt here.

Anakin LOVES Obi-Wan, and has an attachment to him, and does respect him to a DEGREE, yes, but we don't actually know for sure if Obi-Wan being in the room would've kept Anakin from doing what he ultimately does. The times Anakin sides with Obi-Wan over Palpatine are generally when Padme's life ISN'T on the line. If it were a choice between saving Padme by siding with Palpatine, and letting Padme die because he sided with Obi-Wan, well. I don't think Obi-Wan would've come out the winner on that one. And I mean. Anakin very much tries to kill Obi-Wan. He doesn't try to save Obi-Wan (or Ahsoka) from Order 66 when he COULD, he's clearly aware of what's about to happen and makes no attempt to get an exception for either one because neither of them are as important as Padme and he's entirely willing to let them both die if Padme lives. And once Obi-Wan shows up later, he spends quite a while trying to actively kill Obi-Wan and continues to do so more than once. He also tries to actively kill Ahsoka when THEY meet up 15 years down the line. So like. How much did he TRULY respect either one, given that?

I am not arguing, nor have I ever argued, that Ahsoka isn't influenced by other people teaching her. What I AM saying in this post is that Anakin's BEHAVIOR that we know to be SPECIFICALLY influenced by PALPATINE does have an impact upon Ahsoka as Anakin's student. Ahsoka doesn't completely fall to the Dark Side herself, and I will certainly credit her foundations as a Jedi and training with other teachers for that. But she also takes after Anakin and inherits many of his bad habits as much as she does good habits she inherits from the Jedi. Which is why the final piece of my original post was that Ahsoka, unlike Anakin, might have enough Jedi mindfulness training to choose to walk AWAY from the Order if she ultimately felt like she couldn't trust them or didn't like the way they worked rather than staying the way Anakin does. Anakin refuses to accept that this way of life might not be what he wants, he refuses to walk away even if he's not happy as a Jedi, because he refuses to be mindful of himself and his feelings. Ahsoka's (generally) better about that, and if Anakin's behavior ultimately turns her against the idea of being a Jedi, then I think she'd leave. Same as she does in canon where she knows she can't go back to being a Jedi until she comes to some peace with herself and who she is and what she wants and whether that still aligns with being a Jedi or not. She could maybe come BACK if she left and spent some time on her own without Anakin, but I think she'd have to get away from him and his poison.

Of course Anakin tries. And of course Ahsoka is getting influenced by more than one person, I literally never said anything that went against either of those things. Anakin talks the talk, but he does not walk the walk, and the things Ahsoka's picking up that Anakin gets from Palpatine are not, I think, things Anakin is intentionally trying to teach her. I think they're just things Ahsoka will pick up from Anakin's own behavior ("do as I say not as I do" style of teaching as Obi-Wan calls it), osmosis and influence simply from spending time together. Which does not amount to the entirety of Ahsoka's character, but it's an interesting influence to look at her in terms of who she becomes and the choices she makes, that through Anakin, she is also poisoned a little by Palpatine.

Man, now that I've made the connection between Palpatine intentionally manipulating Anakin against the Jedi and Anakin somewhat unintentionally poisoning Ahsoka against the Jedi, I can't unsee it.

We have this lineage that, yes, is called the disaster lineage, but is full of such beautiful wonderful Jedi who seem to have genuinely loved being a Jedi (at least, for a while in Dooku's case) and genuinely loved teaching and loved their students. And we see how that love and passion and dedication DID get passed down. We can see Yoda's patience and cleverness in Dooku, Dooku's passion in Qui-Gon, Qui-Gon's love and determination in Obi-Wan. We can even see some of Obi-Wan's lessons in Anakin every so often.

But Anakin isn't listening the same way everyone else was. Anakin doesn't believe the same way everyone else did.

Anakin gives lip service to the lessons he learned from Obi-Wan ("purpose before feelings") and Ahsoka certainly HEARS them, but she's also picking up just as much from Anakin's actual actions and choices and the lessons he teaches that go unsaid as she ever is from the few times he throws out some platitudes. She picks up on his mistrust of the Council, his belief that the Jedi aren't good enough. She knows that he wants to leave, that he's not even necessarily HAPPY as a Jedi all the time. She picks up on his disobedience and arrogance and impatience and puts herself in dangerous situations because of it. She sees his attachments, his attachment to HER, his attachments maybe even to Padme and Obi-Wan.

Anakin passes on just as much if not more of what he learned from PALPATINE than he ever did from Obi-Wan. Because actions can speak louder than words, and Anakin's actions show where his beliefs and values truly lie, and it isn't with the Jedi.

So Anakin breaks the lineage. He destroys Ahsoka's hopes of ever truly being a good Jedi Knight long before he commits genocide against the Order because he'd already started turning her against them, potentially without even realizing that that's what he was doing. Ahsoka got trained by Darth Vader, by Palpatine's apprentice, before he took on the name and position officially.

Which raises the question of whether Ahsoka WOULD'VE stayed in the Order ultimately in a situation where the Wrong Jedi arc doesn't happen, Palpatine is killed early, and Anakin stays for longer for one reason or another, but remains married to Padme and living a life of secrecy and lies. Would Ahsoka have ultimately had just enough mindfulness to decide to walk away? Would she have always decided the Jedi were too busy playing politics to truly help anyone, or did that only happen because of the Wrong Jedi arc? Would Anakin's training of her always have ultimately led to that end just because he's giving her Palpatine's poison, but she grew up on Jedi foundations of mindfulness that would give her the ability to actually walk away that Anakin has never had?

[max1461]

Just read Scott Alexander’s post on “conflict theorists” vs. “mistake theorists” and, hmm. I have several thoughts. First, to summarize the concept for anyone who hasn’t seen it before: Alexander links to a reddit post by user u/no_bear_so_low, who originated the idea, saying

There is a way of carving up politics in which there are two basic political meta-theories, that is to say theories about why different political ideologies and political conflict exist. The first theory is that political disagreements exist because politics is complex and people make mistakes, if we all understood the evidence better, we’d agree on a great deal more. We’ll call this the mistake theory of politics. For the mistake theorist, politics is not a zero-sum game, but a matter of growing the pie so there is more for everyone. The second theory is that political disagreements reflect differences in interests which are largely irreconcilable. We’ll call this the conflict theory of politics. According to the conflict theory of politics, politics is full of zero-sum games.

u/no_bear_so_low claims that both the far left and far right are more amenable to conflict theory than liberals are, who lean more towards mistake theory. Alexander seems to agree, though in his own post he’s speaking mainly about Marxists in particular. He summarizes the concept as follows:

To massively oversimplify:

Mistake theorists treat politics as science, engineering, or medicine. The State is diseased. We’re all doctors, standing around arguing over the best diagnosis and cure. Some of us have good ideas, others have bad ideas that wouldn’t help, or that would cause too many side effects.

Conflict theorists treat politics as war. Different blocs with different interests are forever fighting to determine whether the State exists to enrich the Elites or to help the People.

In addition, Alexander subdivides the categories further into “hard” and “soft” versions:

Consider a further distinction between easy and hard mistake theorists. Easy mistake theorists think that all our problems come from very stupid people making very simple mistakes; dumb people deny the evidence about global warming; smart people don’t. Hard mistake theorists think that the questions involved are really complicated and require more evidence than we’ve been able to collect so far [...]

Maybe there’s a further distinction between easy and hard conflict theorists. Easy conflict theorists think that all our problems come from cartoon-villain caricatures wanting very evil things; bad people want to kill brown people and steal their oil, good people want world peace and tolerance. Hard conflict theorists think that our problems come from clashes between differing but comprehensible worldviews.

So what do I think about all this?

Well, it seems to me that this framework is (a) a fairly reasonable descriptive dichotomy, in the sense that, yes, a lot of people do genuinely seem to fall into one of these two camps, and (b) a horrible dichotomy on which to base any prescriptions about political meta-theory, in that these are both awful (and obviously wrong) ways to think about the world. Now, Alexander doesn’t explicitly give any such prescriptions, but he does describe SCC as “hard mistake theorist central”, and generally speaks of mistake theory in approving terms, while speaking of conflict theory in disapproving ones. I think this is bad.

At a base level, my problem with both these “theories” is that they’re, in some sense, just too optimistic.

I agree, for example, with the hard mistake theorist sentiment that the world is full of extremely challenging technical problems, that these problems can be the source of real human suffering, and that the only way to address these problems is through data collection and empirical analysis and hard technical work. And I agree that this will often produce unintuitive conclusions, that run against people’s gut sense of what the right policy might look like. I agree that the state is diseased. I do not agree that “[w]e’re all doctors, standing around arguing over the best diagnosis and cure.” People, it turns out, often do have genuinely different and irreconcilable values, and genuinely do envision different ideal worlds. In addition to that fairly mundane observation, there genuinely are a lot of bad actors, who are just in the game for their own benefit. The world is full of grifters, schemers, and petty (or not so petty) tyrants; on an empirical level that’s just not something you can deny.

On the other hand, I agree with the easy conflict theorist sentiment that, e.g., “bad people want to kill brown people and steal their oil.” There’s plenty of pretty immediate proof of that to be found if you look into the history of colonialism¹, or the slave trade, or US foreign election interference in the twentieth century. Actually, just so I’m not pissing anybody off by only mentioning “western” examples, I’ll include the Khmer Rouge and the Holodomor and comfort women and uh, you get the picture. For god’s sake, the Nazis really existed, and yeah, they really believed all that Nazi shit. In retrospect they may seem like implausibly evil cartoon villains, but in fact they were real flesh and blood humans, just like the rest of us. You think that was just a one-off?

And on a much more mundane note, sometimes (actually, very very often), ordinary people just have incompatible ethical axioms. Sometimes people have genuinely different values, and there are no rational means to sort out which value-set to choose. I suspect this is at least part of the reason for the rationalist community’s skew towards mistake theorizers, in that their favored intellectual tool has more-or-less nothing to offer when it comes to selecting your values (=ethical axioms, =terminal goals, etc). I mean, of course rationality is good for diagnosing contradictions in your value set, but it can’t tell you how to resolve those contradictions. That’s the domain of intuition, empathy, and aesthetics, were data cannot light your way.

However, I do not agree with the conflict theorists’ underlying sentiment that if “the good people” were just in charge, everything would be better. After all, there are all those pesky technical problems with unintuitive solutions getting in the way, requiring all kinds of expertise and thorough empirical study and uh, plenty of them might not even be solvable.² This is a huge deal. It’s incredibly easy to have the best of intentions and still make horrible mistakes by virtue of just... happening to have the facts wrong. Not through malice, or self-interest, or even some nicely-explainable sociological bias like white fragility or whatever. Just because problems are hard, and sometime you will fail to solve them. Even when people’s lives and livelihoods are at stake.

Here’s a handy latex-formatted table for your comprehending pleasure:

lol, we live there.

So this all sounds a bit pessimistic and, well, I suppose it is. I think we have a responsibility to acknowledge the gravity of our situation. We could, conceivably, live in a world that was structured according to either the conflict theorist’s vision or the mistake theorist’s vision, but we don’t. We live in a much scarier world, and if we don’t face that terrifying reality head-on, we’re not going to be able to overcome it.

Now, in general, I’d say I spend a lot of my internet-argument-energy-allowance trying to persuade [what I perceive to be] overly conflict-theorizing leftists in the direction of a greater recognition of the genuine technical difficulty of the problems we face. It's probably worth making a separate post about why I think a “denial of unintuitive solutions” is so common on the left, but I’ll just mention here that I think it relates to what I once jokingly called the “Humanistic gaze”. That is, the bias to view everything quite narrowly through the lens of the humanities, and to view all problems as fundamentally sociological in nature. When the world is constructed entirely by humans and human social relations, there’s a level at which nothing can be unintuitive. After all, an intersubjective world must ultimately be grounded in subjective experience, and subjective experience is literally made of intuition.

I usually don’t spend much time pursuing the dual activity (trying to argue liberals out of [what I perceive to be] an overly mistake-theorizing perspective). This is largely because, well, I think the optimistic assumption that mistake theorists make —that most people have basically compatible goals, and that relatively few people are working out of abject self-interest or hatred or whatever— is so obviously false that it doesn’t warrant as much genuine critique as it warrants responding with memes about US war crimes. The principal of charity is best extended to ideas, not people or institutions. You can take the neocons’ arguments seriously without extending charity to the neocons as agents.

The post concludes with Alexander writing

But overall I’m less sure of myself than before and think this deserves more treatment as a hard case that needs to be argued in more specific situations. Certainly “everyone in government is already a good person, and just has to be convinced of the right facts” is looking less plausible these days.

And uh, yeah. Indeed.

So, in conclusion: is politics medicine, or is it war? No, it’s politics.

There are disagreements, and conflicts of interest, and coalition building, and policy-wonkery, and logistics. There is, as with anything involving the state, the implicit threat of violence. (That’s where the state’s power comes from, remember? Whether it’s their power to tax, or their power to enforce individual property rights to begin with. Their power to regulate or build infrastructure or legally construct corporate personhood or whatever. There’s more than a bit of game theory involved, sure, but the rules of the game are set through the armory.) Every scholarly technocrat with double-blind peer reviewed policy suggestions still ultimately just decides who the guns get pointed at, if at several layers of abstraction. Every righteous people’s vanguard is still bound by the mathematics of production and the dynamics of a chaotic world. There are no easy solution, not conceptually easy nor practically easy. And unless we recognize that on a very deep level, we have no chance of fixing anything.

[1] I’d quote my go-to example here, of the truly ghastly stories relayed to linguist R. M. Dixon by the Dyirbal people of Australia about their subjugation at the hands of white settlers, but unfortunately I don’t have his book with me at the moment. Also this post would require several additional trigger warnings.

[2] I mean, after all, there are only countably many Turing machines, and the set of all languages with finitely many symbols has cardinality 2^(aleph_0)!