#guardians of childhood analysis

[someprettyname]

Reading this made me realise just how much more traumatic his story can get. There's a whole SEGMENT we do NOT know about

I get why nobody really asked about it considering Everything Else that happened in blue lock chapters 260-262 but what is kaiser's legal situation vis a vis ray dark and bastard münchen. does his father still have legal custody of him? it's possible that he's still kaiser's legal guardian but has in practice left him to be a ward of bastard münchen. but if that were the case wouldn't kaiser make some reference to it? kaiser very much conducts himself like an emancipated minor imo, and there's no indication that he's not getting every cent of that paycheck, and even an arrangement where his father is no longer physically in contact with him has potential for coercion (child prodigies are famously never financially exploited by their parents /s), as he needs to approve kaiser's status as (at some point) a working minor. but if he doesn't have custody of him, how did he lose it? by all accounts he has never given a shit about providing for kaiser, so it's possible he transferred custody over to someone else (and who would that be? ray dark? some third person who in practice will approve anything ray dark wants?) with no fuss, but it's equally likely that the guy who had been coercing kaiser into stealing from a young age to support them both would want to profit from his son's athletic career too. did ray dark have to sue? in which case kaiser's dad broke that bottle over his head in front of the police, so there's irrefutable evidence for a child abuse case, and they've got all the money of the bllkverse's fifa-analogue on their side too.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

sebek and his big ol' heart

Y’all thought I would be writing an extensive analysis on [REDACTED] or Skully but JOKE’S ON YOU, I love my lame idiot child Sebek 😭

When I tell you I actually CRIED MULTIPLE TIMES reading his Nightmare Suit vignettes… because all the pieces fit together SO well…

Before reading this (long) post, I’d like to ask that you also take your time to read this analysis and this analysis. They will help you understand some of the points I made later regarding Sebek and his internalized racism + how he expresses himself.

Have your recommended reading done? Great, then let’s hop to it!

***Spoilers for Sebek's Nightmare Suit vignettes, book 7, and various other Sebek and Silver card vignettes.***

Sebek is one of those characters that lives in infamy for how much time he takes to get warmed up to. He presents himself as loud and brazen, with these traits often earning him the ire of both in-universe peers and irl fans alike. Worst case scenario, Sebek can be seen as someone who is outright hateful. He’s rude to most people (including Silver, his childhood friend, sometimes), denounces humans, acts like Malleus can do nothing wrong, and doesn’t seem to respect his own father.

Well, I’m here today to tell you those claims are false and that Sebek is actually capable of so, so much love. All you need to really do is look at his Nightmare Suit vignettes—and how well they connect with the rest of his lore—to understand what I mean.

The vignettes start with Jack Skellington finishing a bento that Sally made for him. Sebek tells Jack that he should now return the basket that the bento was delivered in to her and to let her know what he thinks of her meals, but Jack says he can’t because he’s busy with Halloween preparations. Jack asks Sebek and Azul to return the basket in his stead, which they do. (These vignettes appear to be following Trey’s Nightmare Suit vignettes, as those open with Sebek and Trey seeing Sally jump out of a window with food with Jack. Sebek points out to Trey that Sally wants to hand deliver that food and says he believes there is some other reason than just being nice to Jack.)

They aren't allowed to see Sally because Dr. Finkelstein has locked her up for misbehaving, so they leave the basket. Azul advises that they also pass along Jack's comments (he had called Sally smart, thoughtful, and kind; he often forgets to have meals when he's absorbed with his work, so it's generous for her to prepare a delicious meal like this for him). Sebek loudly refuses, as he believes that hearing these grateful words from Jack himself would be much more meaningful to Sally.

He later confronts Sally at Town Hall and asks to speak with her privately (in an ALLEYWAY lol). There, Sebek flat-out tells Sally that such roundabout tactics will never help her feelings reach Jack because he's way too dense. Of course, she reacts with denial which sends Sebek into a passionate speech about the lengths Sally will go to for love (short of actually speaking about it). She literally threw herself out of a window and put herself in bodily harm to get to Jack when Dr. Finkelstein locked her in her room. She deliberately disobeyed her guardian and brainstormed a way to get out when theoretically she should not have been able to move around freely. If that's not motivated by love, then what is? Sebek declares that it's really annoying to watch Sally dance around the issue and to see her devotion go to waste. IT'S LIKE HE'S WATCHING/READING A ROMCOM AND THE TWO MAIN CHARACTERS KEEP PLAYING THE "WILL THEY, WON'T THEY" CARD... She admits that she can't share her feelings because Sally thinks she's not worthy of someone as impressive as Jack... They're not compatible. And you know how Sebek responds??? BY TELLING SALLY ABOUT WHAT IS BASICALLY TWISTED ROMEO AND JULIET... Sebek reading tragic romance confirmed 😭 He describes the story as one of two lovers whose families do not approve of their union. In desperation, the lovers try to elope--but their plan fails and they return to their warring families. Instead of committing dying like in the original tale, the lovers live the rest of their lives lamenting the outcome and how they can no longer see the person they love most. Sebek shares his own interpretation of the story and its moral: because the lovers gave up hope that they could get their families to accept one another... because they never tried to get their families to get along... because they could not properly articulate their feelings to their families... the lovers could not be together. He is convinced that if they had communicated better, the story would have a happier ending. Sebek is of the firm belief that a story itself cannot come to be without the author wanting to share their own thoughts or feelings; he even suggests that maybe the author of Romeo and Juliet experienced something similar--a regret that resulted from neglecting to express deep-seated feelings. It's not just this book either, Sebek claims to have many stories with a similar theme or miscommunication leading to conflict.

Above all, Sebek stresses to Sally that she must believe in herself and take swift, decisive action. And why does Sebek whole-heartedly throw himself into this belief? Because his own family is living proof that a happy ending is possible if you try hard for it.

If you've paid attention to Sebek lore prior to this, you'll know that he has a human father and a fae mother. Their marriage faced opposition and scrutiny in Briar Valley, a country which is isolated from the rest of the world and suffered greatly from human invaders pilfering the fae lands for resources. One of these sources of opposition and scrutiny is Sebek's own grandfather and his mother's father, Baur. Apparently, Mrs. Zigvolt married Mr. Zigvolt against the wishes of her dad.

Sebek shares even more details with Sally in his Nightmare Suit vignettes. To this day, Baur does NOT approve of his daughter's marriage--but Mrs. Zigvolt doesn't let that get her down! No, she does everything in her power to prove to her father that she made the right choice and she's perfectly content with her life. She'll send letters enclosed with photographs of her family, take her children to visit Baur's home, and invites him to join family dinners. Sebek adds that he's sure his mom made other efforts too--all to try and get Baur to acknowledge her marriage. More recently, Baur seems to have lightened up a little... as in, he always used to turn Mr. Zigvolt away at the door, but now lets him in about once a year (though Baur still avoids eye contact with him and continues to frown). Mrs. Zigvolt stubbornly believes that if she keeps this up, her dad will one day change and bless her marriage with the man she truly loves. Sally commends Sebek and his mother's ability to speak their minds loudly and proudly, but then disparages herself again by saying she can't do the same. Sebek then confesses that he can relate to Sally's frustrations. He related her feelings to his own inadequacy in serving Malleus, the powerful and noble king-to-be of his country. That feeling... Sebek describes it as akin to heartache. But instead of wallowing in that heartache, he pushes himself to close that distance between himself and his idol. If he keeps hesitating, then there is absolutely no way he can catch up to where Malleus is! Sebek must dedicate himself to becoming someone worthy of serving him. He encourages Sally to do the same through both her words and her actions! At that moment, Jack walks in and Sally makes good on Sebek's advice. (This part isn't important to the analysis on Sebek's character, so I'm glossing over it.) The vignettes end with Epel complaining about Sebek being loud as per usual. Sally doesn't take issue with his volume though. She simply giggles and informs Epel that Sebek speaks so loudly and clearly so that his words can resonate with others--like how his words gave her courage.

We have learned new lore about Sebek's grandfather and mother. What does this tell us about Sebek? A lot, actually--if you slate it with all the other lore we have on hand.

We see just how strong of a woman his mother is. I suspect this is where Sebek picked up a lot of his hard-headedness, as well as the tendency to express himself very overtly, from. However, it also speaks to the loving environment he grew up in.

His mother seemingly never questioned her own life choices and never gave up fighting to prove her happiness to a father--and likely an entire community--that rejected her marriage, her husband, and maybe even her children. She fiercely loves and defends her family and the life they have made for themselves. Sebek states that he looks up to her for her magical strength, but that he also admires her principles and strong convictions. Indeed, it was her who ardently pursued Mr. Zigvolt and did not allow naysaying to deter her.

Then there is Mr. Zigvolt. In Sebek's Birthday Boy vignettes, he describes his father as "a strange man" who is "magically deficient" and "never lets his smile fade, no matter what I say to him [...] he defies comprehension." Though Sebek doesn't seem to hold the same amount of respect he has for his mother for his father, we don't hear Sebek openly insulting his dad, just expressing confusion about him. When asked about it, Sebek denies depending on his father--but it's clear there is a fondness there that he's not addressing. Mr. Zigvolt is impressed whenever his children use magic, buys them snacks they never asked for, and talks with them for long periods of time in a calm, patient manner. His father, too, has given Sebek so much compassion and understanding.

We don't know a lot about Sebek's siblings, but they seem to get along fine! He has mentioned going to parks with them. They've also gone fishing together and witnessed magic competitions, which they were all amazed by. The Zigvolts in general (or at least the parents) seem to be accepting too, as they volunteer to take Silver in whenever Lilia is unable to take care of him.

And you'd think that's where it ends, but NO. Baur ALSO has a lot of love to give. Despite not approving of his daughter's marriage, he doesn't actively despise his grandchildren. Quite the opposite, in fact! Though he's rough around the edges and looks scary, Baur doesn't fault any of his grandchildren for being born half fae and half human. He actually makes it a point to bond with them, and especially with Sebek. It was Baur who taught Sebek the language of nocturnal fae and instilled in Sebek his love for reading (as he bought many books for him and tells many stories himself). He also personally reached out to Lilia to train Sebek, as the young boy (at around age 7) expressed an interest in martial arts. Sebek has a love for salmon carpaccio because he and his siblings would fish at Baur's house and then prepare the dish for him--Baur was so happy about it. Additionally, Baur values getting a good education and was proud when Sebek shared with him that he was invited to attend Night Raven College.

Sebek grew up in a country that dislikes humans, but he was raised in an household where he was loved unconditionally and provided with all the resources he could need to get a good education and become someone who is physically strong. So of course he becomes frustrated when he sees Sally, who is so nervous to act on her feelings. What would have happened if Sebek’s mother had been like Sally, thinking she and her now-husband are incompatible? If she didn’t try pursuing her feelings at all? Sebek, as the youngest of three, might not event exist. His parents may not still be together… or maybe they wouldn’t have gotten together in the first place. It’s exactly because Sebek knows what love is supposed to be like--courtesy of his own family—that he can see it so well in others, and wants them to act on it. His very existence is proof that love is possible, and it transcends arbitrary labels like race that serve to divide people into categories.

One quirk of Sebek's is how he's always dishing out back-handed compliments or making comments that come off as rude but aren't at their core. He can't seem to help but say a good thing that sounds like something bad. His Diasomnia classmates, usually Silver, have to translate these Sebek-isms for others, who misunderstand him or interpret his words in the worst possible way. For example, from one of Silver’s Fairy Gala lines; “Sebek said to me that no self-respecting disciple of Lilia’s would dare get a single stain on this clothing. That's his way of encouraging me.” In Silver's Dorm Uniform vignettes, Sebek tries to reassure his friend and tell him to not let other people's opinions hurt him--but he phrases it as, "Hmph, ridiculous! I see no reason for you to heed a few random comments from some humans." The duo is also shown to be competitive with one another in training; it's never malicious, they both want to prove themselves as the superior knight, and the other serves as motivation to improve and/or a means of measuring one's own growth against a fellow disciple. When the mostly elderly population of Harveston is in need of physical labor, Sebek comments "[...] the humans in Harveston are woefully out of shape," yet he insists he "still [has] energy to burn" (as if to volunteer himself to do more work) and calls such tasks "simple" (as if to point out how easy it is for him to do, so don't worry about troubling him). He hauls apples and helps the villagers with whatever they need, declaring that they should "be grateful"--but if he truly did not care, he could have stopped at any time or settled for just making fun of them. But Sebek doesn't, because he DOES care deep down. This aspect of Sebek is made even more obvious in Fairy Gala: What If. He appears at Ramshackle and opens by declaring, "NO! I am by no means worried about anyone! [...] Don't mistake my intentions. I am NOT here to help! If your mission doesn't succeed, the repercussions will definitely affect Malleus and Lilia. Hence... I shall lend you uneducated humans my aid! [...] You're welcome to weep with joy at my magnanimity..." Time and time again, we see Sebek demonstrating a lot of kindness, but deflecting or not being totally transparent with his intentions due to pride or embarrassment. This behavior is very reminiscent of Baur, the grandfather that Sebek loves dearly and spent so much time with. Baur, too, can be very passionate and loving, but struggles to speak of those feelings openly. Just look at how the man deals with Mr. Zigvolt. The behaviors of the family, then, imprint on Sebek and influence his behaviors--and being that Sebek is from such a loving group, it follows that Sebek puts out a lot of love into the world too.

A lot of times when the fandom discusses Sebek's attitude, I feel it's from the context of him being hateful towards humans. I'm not going to deny that Sebek has said some pretty nasty things about half of his own identity. The point I would like to make here is that Sebek can love just as strongly.

The most obvious thing that supports the claim that Sebek is capable of strong love is how he views Malleus. It's no great secret that Sebek practically worships the ground his dorm leader walks on. That's essentially Sebek's key defining character trait. What I'll ask you to consider instead is the nature of Sebek's love--not the obsessiveness of it, but rather the unconditional nature of it.

In Lost in the Book with Nightmare Before Christmas, Skully laments that Sebek has not been disappointed by his idol, Malleus. Sebek actually corrects him by saying that love isn't imposing your own views on your idol, it means preparing to accept them, flaws and all. He says the same of Malleus; should the time ever come where Sebek's expectations of Malleus falter or their paths have to diverge, then he will still embrace his young master, never once turning his back on him. And where does Sebek gets this from? His parents. The father who loves his children no matter how critical Sebek may be of him. The mother who remained so strong in the face of her friends and family being against her life choices.

A common fandom sentiment regarding Sebek is that he blindly follows Malleus--and to be fair, he does for a large part of the main story. But when speaking about his idol to Skully, Sebek says that agreeing with someone and continuing to love them are different things. You can disagree with someone's actions and still continue to love them and accept them. This follows what Sebek does in book 7 and likely alludes to the character development he goes through during + following book 7; though he is betrayed and hurt by Malleus turning his powers against the world, Sebek does not let up on the hope that he can bring his young master back. He even sillily calls the yet-to-be-hatched Malleus tamago/egg-sama, showing even an infant form of Malleus great respect after witnessing his OB. Skully took the opposite path that Sebek did; when he realized that his own idol, Jack Skellington, was not as he imagined him to be, Skully became enraged and lashed out over it. Sebek points out Skully's inadequacies as well, which ties back to how he spoke of his own drive to improve in his Nightmare Suit vignettes. Skully confesses to trying desperately to emulate Jack--so much so that he breaks down when Sebek's UM destroys his iconic shades. He wallows in his current state and doesn't make efforts to change or to be better; the past and his own vision is where he's comfortable. It's a strong contrast to Sebek, who has made it clear he will continue to train and work hard to prove his merits and to be someone worthy of protecting the great Malleus Draconia.

It is Sebek's passion and boundless love that makes him a hero both in Lost in the Book with Nightmare Before Christmas AND in the main story's book 7. He serves as a foil to Skully in the former and actively saves Silver when he's on the brink of despair in the latter. After learning that his biological father is the man responsible for killing Malleus's mother and leading the Silver Owls' onslaught on Briar Valley, Silver despairs and comes to the conclusion that his father must loathe him. "He could never love the son of the man he despised! He has to hate me! He has to!" Sebek rushes to Silver's side using Living Bolt, a UM he has yet to master (thus causing residual damage to him when he casts it), to correct him:

"You have this much strength... and you dare to say you weren't loved?! That you were hated?! [...] If [Lilia] hated you, he didn't have to give or teach you anything. He could've just raised you into a dimwitted coward and made you a servant. But he didn't--and look at you now. Even alone and helpless, you stood firm. You spoke up, unfaltering in the face of our liege's madness. Even trapped in the darkest despair, you kept on fighting! Who raised you to be so strong? LILIA DID! Why don't you see? Why do you doubt? You should have understood years ago! What can you call your strength, if not the direct result of Lilia's love?!"

WHETHER SEBEK REALIZES IT OR NOT, A LOT OF WHAT HE TELLS SILVER HITS HOME FOR HIM TOO... Like, thinking about it... Sebek must have faced a lot of prejudice from his community because of who his father is. He might have grown up thinking he, too, was hated, had he not been protected by his loving mother, father, and, yes, even grandfather, who is still struggling to accept the human in their family. Baur must have been feeling very complicated emotions upon meeting his half human grandchildren for the first time... but even though he dislikes humans, he could never find it in himself to dislike his grandkids. If he had hated Sebek, he wouldn't have wanted him to get a good education. Baur wouldn't be happy that he got into NRC. He wouldn't personally ask Lilia to train the grandson who expressed an interest in combat. He wouldn't buy so many books for Sebek or read with him or tell him stories or teach him his language. He wouldn’t spoil Sebek by giving him sweets (which, by the way, Baur himself dislikes). But Baur DOES do all of these things, because deep down he loves Sebek no matter what he is. You can hear it in the hurt of Sebek’s voice when dream!Baur reacts to him coldly. That isn’t the grandfather he is used to. Though it’s said that Baur doesn’t exactly welcome his grandchildren with open arms, he definitely loves them and cares for them in his own way. If it was anything less than love Baur felt for his grandson, if he decided to neglect his grandkids, then Sebek would have grown up as some "dimwitted coward". IT'S ALL CONNECTED.

And now here Sebek stands, able to tell others that they are loved and should be cognizant of that love. He reminds Silver that Lilia loves him. He advises Skully to reevaluate how he sees his idol. He tells Sally to speak honestly about her feelings, because it was his own mother speaking honestly about hers that led to Sebek and his entire family being as happy as they are now. He shouts at people to act and to speak their minds because he doesn't want them to live with regrets, because he doesn't want to see them be weak and timid--a version of himself that could have resulted if he hadn't been loved so strongly.

You can say many things about Sebek: that he's loud, that he's rude, that he's a fanboy, that he has big muscles. But of all those muscles, Sebek has a very big heart too. And what made him so strong? All the love he received from his family, despite growing up an environment that surely invited hatred for humans.

[mitfloya]

𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐘𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬: 𝐙𝐚𝐲𝐧𝐞

pairings. Zayne x gn!reader

wc. 7K (yes, I like to torture myself)

synopsis. He was believed to be devoid of emotions, until you unveils his chilling secret. His hidden obsession with you has ensnared you in his icy sanctuary. You were blind to his fixation until it was too late, and now you find yourself trapped in his clutches, unable to escape.

warnings. The following content contains elements of obsessive behavior, yandere thoughts, stalking, possessive behavior, and may include poorly written narratives. Reader is referred to as 'you'. Proceed with caution, as this writing may be unsettling or uncomfortable for some individuals.

a/n. Hello people of the internet! I’m pretty new on this writing community so I hope I bring you guys some good crumbs to munch on! and excuse my horrible grammatical errors, English is not my first language. I may or may not have spend my time throwing up this whole ass detailed (press x to doubt) HC out of my mind, I tend to go overboard with my analysis and writing. Get some snacks and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy making this HC.

p.s. this is a reupload ver. the original of the post is accidently deleted

♡ Please reblog and comment on this post are much, much appreciated ♡

Ah…the ice king himself, known for his emotional detachment and seemingly heartless demeanor. His motives and intentions remain shrouded in mystery, as he builds impenetrable walls around himself. Yet, somehow, you managed to slip through those barriers, like a delicate flower pushing through the cracks in concrete, planting the seed of love without his knowledge.

Does he act upon it? Certainly not at first. He ignores it. Pretend that is was merely a sign you were someone he tolerated.

His acts of kindness are always subtle and unexpected. He treats you in a way that evokes certain reactions.

At first, he might seem out of reach. But you never know that he is always there for you. Always observing and studying your responses.

As you both transition into adulthood, he becomes your primary physician, a role that only intensifies his growing obsession with you. He never considered himself capable of falling in love at first sight, but his feelings for you gradually took root. He is always there with you, from childhood and in adulthood. Fate must have bestowed him with great luck to be your guardian, the one who monitors your health and controls your existence.

The time when you both went on your separate ways before you met again, he feels a void, a sense that something is missing. Maybe you meant more than he thought. The loss of you kills him. But does this heavy feeling affect his daily activities? no.

The thought of not knowing about your health and safety gnaws at him, like a splinter lodged in his mind. Have you eaten yet? Did you eat enough? Did you get enough sleep? Did you stumble upon an accident? Just a single scratch of wound on your skin would infuriate him.

You, on the other hand, dismiss it as the instinctual concern of a physician, and your own health condition made it even more difficult for him to let you go. You were far too precious to be released or, worse, left alone and broken.

Even when you’re away on your mission, he always ask about your being and whereabouts. He just wanted to know how you’re doing and it shows how much he cares for you, not monitoring you! That’s ridiculous, right?

However, whenever you were around him, you never felt like you were in control of your own bodily autonomy. Maybe you’re seeing things but have you realize how much you’re changing your lifestyle?

Zayne intelligence is no joke. You were far too naive to look back over your shoulder to notice he is manipulating you. He wants you to be completely dependent on him. But is it really that bad? After all, he was providing you with a healthier lifestyle, not to mention preserving your beauty. Or so it seemed.

Oh, but when you became his, everything changed. He became more open, more loving and caring, the kind that makes you melt to the ground and swallow you whole. Always attentive to your needs and wants, he has no problem with you buying expensive items, the money isn’t his concern. Your happiness is.

His actions become more evident, sometimes you notice it in the way he always makes sure you’re fully geared up and energized for the day, or the way he tries his best to brighten up your day in rainy days.

And when the time came for you to move in together, almost imperceptibly, it felt natural, that’s when he brings the real authenticity of himself, the carnal desire to claim over you starts to show.

He adorned you with the finest fabrics, adorned you with the most exquisite gems and jewelry that accentuated your beauty without overshadowing it. He always gives you the best and never less.

No one would question how many pictures he has of you around the house, as they simply depicted a man deeply in love with his partner…wait, you don’t remember taking this picture..how did he get this picture? 

Caleb gives it to him. As always he has answers to everything, it makes you think he is expecting that kind of question, which is an odd behavior.

Even the windowsill display those seals and trinkets he has given you over the years, customized to your liking.

You saw it as a preservation of memories and the time he had spent with you, when it’s clearly a growing sign of obsession with the abundance of things of your own possessions, or things that reminded him of you were around the house, to the dark corners of his secret room you were unaware of. 

You don’t realize you were brainwashed, did you? Or maybe because he is telling the truth from the start, he loves you very much and his actions serve as undeniable proof!

Until you try to resist or argue with him. It would be best for you to stay obedient and let him lead, he is the man in the relationship, you are his good girl, right? He never wants to hurt you, he is doing it for the better sake of you.

You learned your lesson when you got your first punishment. Each mistake or letdown adds a droplet, gradually increasing the intensity. When the glass finally overflows, it serves as a stark warning to never hurt or disappoint him.

Your life revolves around him. You want to buy groceries? Wait until he finish work. You want to go to the park? Let’s go together and don’t forget your coat, he doesn’t want you to get cold. You want to have some time alone outside? Sure.

Ah, the innocence of those early stages of dating, when the idea of tracking your partner's whereabouts seemed endearing. Little did you know that innocent app you stumbled upon on a social media platform would become the chains that bind you. In the beginning, it seemed like a cute way to track the distance between you and your partner.

That app, like a digital spider's web, silently weaves its threads around your every move. From the moment you installed it, it became his watchful eye, tracking your every step, monitoring your every move.

How naive and compliant you are, unknowingly making it easier for him to watch over you. 

He doesn’t react much when a guy approaches you, no one will be brave enough, because you will always stay glued to his side. He often uses his sharp tongue to highlight their flaws and insecurities. Give them a judgmental stare at the guy as if he was nothing and brings nothing good in life like a mosquito.

Resorting to violence or criminal acts were never his first choice to get rid of those pesky nuisances, his jealousy always remains hidden and possibly close to nonexistent.

Because he knows, you will always comes running back to him. Even if you manage to slip from his grasp, he holds the power to reclaim you, by any means necessary. In dire circumstances, he does not hesitate to resort to violence, to eliminate anyone who dares to steal you away. He doesn't care if he has to hurt you or isolate you, nobody could ever love you like he did. 

Once you are married and start a family together, your life will be forever intertwined with his. That's the end of you or maybe a better version of you that you never envisioned or hoped for, nevertheless it was all because of your love for Zayne that you willingly let him take control, it’s the best life you could ever live in, right?

You will never leave out of his sight forever.

© 2024 mitfloya — all rights reserved. kindly refrain from altering, translating, or repost my works on any platform without my consent, do not claim my content as yours.

[heyftinally]

April 30th is the Day of the Homeschooled Child

I was one of the 1.7 million children homeschooled in the USA.

I am also one of Homeschool's Invisible Children.

I was heavily restricted at home - I was barred from nearly everything that my peers were connecting with. I had incredibly limited access to movies and TV, even more restricted internet access, and was even barred from many of the same toys my peers played with. This on top of my academic isolation made socializing very hard.

I didn't relate to my peers socially.

Children younger than me were more academically advanced than me.

I was socially unaware, and frequently missed jokes or made faux pas comments because I didn't understand how to interact with peers.

My ADHD went untreated my entire childhood.

And the issues were not only social. Despite living in a state that boasted some of the most rigorous checks for homeschooled students, I was missed. My portfolios every year were falsified - much of what they claimed I had learned I had little to no understanding of.

By the time I graduated high school "with honors" (that I did not earn and were entirely false), this is a brief list of some of my academic failings:

I had never written an essay, and did not know how

I did not know how to do a critical analysis of a piece of text or media

I was incapable of math above a 4th/5th grade level

I could not tell time on an analog clock

I could not identify more than ~5 states on a map of the United States

I could not identify more than ~5 countries on a map of the world/globe

I could not spell above a ~6th grade level

I did not know that there was proof of life on earth prior to dinosaurs

I did not know that the lymphatic system was real

And so much more.

I entered college woefully unequipped for both the academic and socal demands that were placed on me. At 18, I was closer to as 14 year old, social/emotionally. Academically I was much worse.

I had to work three times as hard as my peers to achieve the same results, battled my still-undiagnosed ADHD as well as my academic and social neglect.

I didn't fully know who I even was as a person, due to spending so many years being expected to fit a specific ideal that was enforced upon me 24/7 through the isolation of homeschooling.

This April 30th, I'm wearing green for Homeschool's Invisible Children - for children like me.

If you are a child experiencing homeschool neglect, please know that you are not alone. There are resources available to you, and your future is not doomed just because your guardians failed to educate you. I'm listing some resources below that may be of help to you.

Homeschool alumni/survivors who resonate with this story: we deserved better. We deserved education. We deserved freedom. It's okay if you're angry at your past. It's okay if you're grieving the life you might have had without homeschooling. It's okay if you're conflicted. I hope you're able to find closure and healing in whatever form that means for you.

And, because I know it unfortunately needs to be said, if you're an ex-homeschooler or a homeschool parent who feels the need to jump on this post and defend yourself, I need you to step back, sit down, delete your comment, and sit with why you feel so attacked by our truth.

This is not a personal attack on you - this is abuse survivors speaking up to prevent further abuse. It is not your place to tell us we should be silent.

"But homeschoolers test better and are more successful!" I'm sure you're dying to say. To wave your statistics at me.

And you would be wrong. Because here's the problem with those statistics.

Let's pretend we have ten homeschooled children and ten public schooled children.

All ten of the public schooled children take a school assessment. Because some excel at different things than others, the public school students average out to an 85.

Only four of the homeschooled children take the assessment. Of the other six, one is traveling with their family during the assessment, two are not permitted because their parents know they aren't up to grade level and fear backlash or judgement, two are mentally or physically disabled and so their parents don't feel the test will adequately display their knowledge, and the last hasn't received any kind of education in years because their parents keep them at home either doing chores, working a job, caring for siblings, or they are simply neglected and spend all day hungry and scared.

Of the four homeschooled children that do take the assessment, they do quite well, as their parents knew/suspected they would. Their average score is a 98.

A 98 is better than an 85, yes. But just because 4 out of 6 homeschooled children were above the public school average does not mean homeschooling is automatically better. If you tested the top four public school students, they might very well score a 98 as well.

However, if you included those other six homeschooled students, the average homeschool score would very likely be something closer to a 45.

So when we talk about Homeschool's Invisible Children, we're talking about those six that never got the chance to take an assessment. Those six who never had a chance to tell a teacher "I'm ten and I don't know how to read". Those six who may not even realize how far behind their peers they are. Those six who deserved to have access to supports so that they could learn in ways that actually met their needs.

So while your statistics look good on paper, they are not honest. They do not present the full picture of homeschooling. Listen to the homeschool survivors who were one of those six kids who never got to make their voices heard. We have a voice now - don't try and take it from us.

Resources for current homeschool students and alumni:

Khan Academy - basically free online self paced K-12 classes. They have fantastic explanation videos for the lessons, you can review them whenever you want, and you don't have to stay in the same grade level for every subject - great if you're trying to catch up and you're in 6th grad for English but 2nd for math. They have courses besides just core classes (math/english/science/etc), too! They run on donations, but it's completely free to use. Also, this site is used in my local public school system to supplement the existing curriculum, so it's not just for homeschoolers!

Coalition for Responsible Home Education - actively fighting for more oversight and restrictions on homeschooling in the USA. They mostly do awareness and advocacy, but they also have resources on their site for things like what to do if you don't have a high school transcript. They run on donations, but the information is freely available.

Probably the most famous resource on this list. Videos that give you a "crash course" (aka a condensed overview) of a wide variety of topics. These are best used as supplement to more structured lessons like Khan Academy, but they have a lot of merit on their own if they're all you can manage. Knowing a bit about something is better than knowing nothing about it!

[stormingfrost]

What’s most interesting to me about the description of the nightmare men and the fearlings is that they are seemingly both not-people and people at the same time. They talk and have full armies and have clothes and weapons. They end up becoming an amalgamation of shadows with one voice and can be used as material to create weapons and shields.

They are both the Bad Guys and shadows, strange imitations of people. They aren’t real. 

When Kozmotis turns into Pitch Black, it’s treated as a good man falling. He was good up until the very moment he opened the door.

Kozmotis is allowed to have his revenge on the nightmare men and fearlings not only because he was the Good Guy, but also because of what the nightmare men and fearlings are seen as, both within the minds of the people of the golden age and the narrative: corrupted souls at best and inhuman beasts that need to be destroyed at worst. It only happens because they are seen as something less than human. 

Kozmotis Pitchiner won, he got his vengeance, he killed every last Dream Pirate on that ship, beheaded every single person who had a hand in the attack on his home, the death of his family.

It wasn't enough.

He fought a war, left a trail of destruction so wide through the ranks of the enemy that the battle that had lasted for centuries was over in a few short years. Every Dream Pirate and Fearling not brought to ruin under his hand was corralled in a prison so deep no crack of light or drift of fresh air could enter.

It wasn't enough.

Kozmotis Pitchiner wanted vengeance, and he got it. He wanted to see them dead, and killed them, wanted to see to it that no one would ever be hurt by them again, and succeeded. He wanted to place himself at the door of their prison and bear witness to their eternal torment, sure in the fact that they could never be free from the fate he had personally sealed for them. He was granted such.

It was never going to be enough.

Kozmotis Pitchiner is the hero who won, the man who saw his family slain and fueled that rage and grief into his quest to destroy all evil, and he did it. No one stopped him, no young plucky protagonist stood in his path and told him sliding his sword through the necks of every last Pirate wouldn't bring his family back, no good natured lifelong friend talked him down from that ledge, no one on the side of the Just and Noble and Right ever tried to stay his hand.

Kozmotis Pitchier eradicated the Dream Pirates in their entirety, and it simply wasn't enough.

He didn't lose his daughter and suddenly decide to burn the whole universe to the ground. He got his vengeance, and it wasn't enough, he protected everyone else in the living realm from suffering the same fate, and it wasn't enough, and finally when the war was ended and he should be at peace he placed himself in the position where he could watch the endless suffering of his enemies, and even that wasn't enough.

Pitch Black is a being crafted from a man who at every turn won, but all that slaughter never did the one thing he needed most, it didn't bring him peace.

His daughter was alive, adrift in space, and he never looked for her because he never stopped to question the information he had been given. Never stopped to investigate their deaths, never noticed the missing schooner, the missing life-sized doll, never tried to recover their bodies? Just believed the words of the captured Dream Pirates without question and lost himself to the quest for his vengeance.

In every possible way Kozmotis Pitchiner has been losing the war inside himself, and instead of stopping to wonder if maybe he has been wrong all along he continues on, pushing further and further into the darkness.

Pitch Black murdered his way across the cosmos precisely because Kozmotis Pitchiner could never be satisfied with vengeance alone. There was no point to a universe where his daughter no longer lived.

Learning she was alive the whole time?

Well.

That's enough to drive anyone mad.

[clean-casual-analysis]

Jentry Chau vs the Underworld: Family, Deception, and Consequences

Haven’t seen much analysis/review about this wonderful show, so I’m gonna do my best to highlight one of its best qualities.

The premise is a familiar one. Teenager Jentry Chau has supernatural fire powers that attracts demons from the underworld, her family members have secret pasts, all the while she just wants a normal life. Typical action/adventure/comedy stuff. That’s not what I’m here to talk about. Don’t get me wrong, the action sequences are top notch, the art and animation is gorgeous, and the comedy gets a lot of chuckles out of me. But its greatest achievement to me is the emotional theming and characters. The core meaning and lessons about complicated family dynamics.

I won’t go into spoilers here but these are messy, messy characters. They lie and tell half truths once caught in the lie. They try their best, and their best isn’t always good. They bicker, they take advantage of, and fail eachother. But the source of all that turmoil is a herculean love for their friends and family. I’m reminded of when I was told I was lactose intolerant by my amazing mom when I was young, only for her to say that she kept dairy away from me because of a (probably outdated) study that said autistic people get night terrors from dairy. A relatively harmless lie for me to have a better childhood, but some parental guardians tell more drastic lies. Many of us do what we think is best for our friends, our family, and ourselves despite the risks.

But the consequences can be devastating if we aren’t careful. The truth more often than not reveals itself, which makes the lies sting more. Ego and fear and cause terrible decisions to be made. Thankfully, the show reminds us that we all make mistakes and we are all human. What’s important is fixing what might accidentally break. Emotional honesty, careful and thoughtful decision making, accepting when you’re in the wrong. These are lessons both kids and adults can learn from Jentry Chau. That’s why it’s one of my new favorite animated shows.

[wings-of-fire-confessions]

I used to looooathe Glory. I thought her bad mood and constant sass was really annoying; however, I came to realize how a lot of her behavior stems from her abuse. Since then, she has become waaaay more of an interesting character to me.

Kestrel and the other guardians (but mostly Kestrel) always berating her and making her feel useless is probably why she started off as so snappy and pessimistic. She didn't see much of a point in trying to be better because nothing she ever did was good enough to them.

She doesn't show her emotions because crying or getting angry would've made her vulnerable to further abuse from the guardians. Some people find it strange that Glory doesn't seem shaken after using her venom on someone, but with this in mind, I think her cold attitude makes sense. She buries her feelings deep down (she doesn't even like to let her emotions slip through her scale color).

I doooo have to admit that it's little irritating to me that ever since the first arc, pretty much every dragon that isn't a villain automatically adores her? I guess dragons like Snowfall are initially skeptical of her, but they come to admire her pretty quickly. Of course!! It's great that she's finally getting appreciation after a childhood of neglect, but it just feels a bit forced to me.

I also think she becomes a little bland after the first arc, but I think that's because we don't get things from her POV anymore and generally just isn't that involved. As I said before, Glory tends to keep her thoughts to herself. Plus, she's learning the ropes of being a queen, so she's probably trying to be more mature.

Contrary to what a good chunk of the fandom believes (and what I used to believe), Glory definitely isn't a "Mary Sue." Yes, she achieves a LOT, but she is still flawed. Honestly, I think that term is often used just to be sexist :/ But that's a whole different debate.

This is a pretty shallow analysis; Glory is a surprisingly complex character (so are the other DoD tbh). But I don't have the energy to do a deep dive right now 🥲 So yeah. You can still dislike Glory (even with all of that said, I myself still feel kind of neutral about her), but don't brush her off as OP or a Mary Sue or whatever.

.

[theblueprincess590]

The Protector of Children’s Laughter-An Analysis of Kingdom Heart 3

Sora has assumed many roles throughout the Kingdom Hearts series from, Unlikely Hero, to Knight in Shining Armor, to Fool, but in Kingdom Hearts 3 Sora assumes his most important role, as a Fairy Tale Guardian.This can first be seen in Kingdom Of Corona where Sora Guides Rapunzel throughout her journey and encourages here to see the beauty of the outside world. The main point of the world was to explore how Sora’s role allows him to spread joy to others. Monstropolis further elaborates on Sora as a Fairy Tale Guardian by exploring how his role makes him a protector of children.

The goal of Monstropolis is to protect Boo and get her back home. Fighting the Unversed, putting out the fires, overcoming Randall’s challenges, and traversing the Door Vault, it’s all done for Boo’s sake. However it is not just her physical body that the team strives to protect her heart as well. Throughout the World a special meter known as Laugh Power appears. Whenever this meter appears the mission statement changes from just fighting the unversed and heartless to keeping Boo happy. You must pull out all the stops and defeat the monsters as flashily as possible without letting yourself or Sully get hurt. This is all done for the sake of keeping Boo Happy. Her laughter must be preserved in the face of darkness, not just because it serves as an in-universe power source but because a child should be laughing. No child should ever go through such terror like this, their childhood should never be sullied by the greed of selfish adults. So Sora fights to keep Boo smiling, to keep the memories of terror far away from her heart and to instead give her memories of laughter. 

Even outside of the meter the ideal of preserving Children’s laughter is ever present in the World’s story. Several times throughout the Journey the Gang takes pit stops to cheer Boo up such as when Mike and Sully cover themselves in paint to make Boo laugh or when Sora puts on his iconic silly face. And interestingly enough both of these events have the characters calling back their past. During Mike and Sully’s College years they were humiliated by a group of bullies who covered them in colorful paint. This was one of their lowest moments as their dignity was stripped from them for the sake of a petty joke. And Yet in this moment they reclaim that humiliating memory and use it as a force of good. Willingly covering themselves in pink and blue paint in order to make Boo Smile. The sting of the painful memory now replaced with the child’s joyous laughter. As for Sora’s goofy face this moment calls back to Sora’s first meeting with Donald and Goofy in KH1. When they first meet Sora’s soul was playing a symphony of sadness. The loss of his home and friends dragged his heart down, threatening to drown him in darkness. And so to combat this Donald and Goofy shared their ideals with Sora, telling him that if he wants to come with he has to wear a happy and silly face, explaining that their ship runs on happy faces. And while out of context this may seem harsh, it’s far more than the two just telling Sora to buck up and smile. As disney characters and fairy tale heroes it is Donalds and Goofy’s mission is to not only help others but to make them happy. They can not waste time worrying when people need them, they must traverse the Ocean Between smiling all the way so that others may smile in turn. Sora shows his understanding and acceptance of this ideal by giving his own Goofy smile in turn, Truly becoming a Disney character and fairy tale hero. So when Sora brings this smile back in KH3 we know he is putting on a Brave face for Boo, inspiring her to be courageous and smile in turn, becoming for her what Doanld and Goofy were for him in KH1.

If Sora and Sully are Fairy Tale Guardians Than Randall and Vanitas are Childhood Nightmares. Randal is a selfish egomaniac terrifying children and  preying on the weak simply to validate himself. He rejects the truth that Laughter is more powerful than screams in order to justify his self-serving desire of returning to the old way. He doesn’t care for the safety of his world nor the well being of the children. To him everyone else only exists to stroke his ego. And so he warps Monsters Incorporated into a twisted reflection of its past. A death trap filled with mindless monsters that never think for themselves as they preying upon those that are different from them and machinery that destroys rather creates. Born from sinful pride Randall’s path of fear only serves to reveal the weakness of both his ideology and his true self. The Factory falls apart under Randall’s control. With the Unversed and Heartless free to run wild as they burn down the metaphorical Kingdom Randall lusts for all while the screams Randall gathered fail to power anything of value. Randall himself is shown to be nothing more than a parasite. He never once fights Sora, Donald, Goofy, Sully, and Mike himself, instead choosing to hide in the shadows while letting the Unversed and Heartless do all the fighting for him as he pathetically taunts the heroes or complains when they fail to get the job done. Randall can do nothing for himself because he is fundamentally a coward  who prays on the weak in order to feel like a big man. And in the end Randal is rejected by the world itself as not only does the authority of the world in the form of the CDA Agents oppose him but he is permanently banished from the monster world thanks to Sora’s keyblade, a weapon born from a literal age of fairy tales. For parasites parading as Nightmares have no right to stop children from laughing.

 While Randal was just a weakling parading as a creature of fear, Vanitas is a true walking nightmare. A horror born from the abyss itself, Vanitas seeks only to spread terror and despair. Using Randall’s ego and the Unversed spawned from his maelstrom of hatred Vanitas spreads terror to not just the world of monsters but the countless dreams of all children, he torments them, scarring their very hearts for no reason other than to consume their very screams. Every tragedy in the world is born from his twisted machinations, the torment of the children, the destruction of the factory, and the creation of the Lump of Horror. This is what Nightmares do, they spread misery everywhere they go, feeding off the fears of children to take shape, just like how Vanitas needs the negative emotions of others to take a form. And that is exactly why Vanitas losses at the end of the world. He can only exist through the pain of others whereas Fairy Tale Guardians like Mike and Sully exist for the sake of others. They do not rely on the children for strength but instead are the ones who give children the strength to move forward. And as such Vanitas is powerless against Sully. Even with his body fully restored Vanitas is incapable of fighting back against Sully who effortlessly banishes him from Monsters Incorporated using the Very doors Vanitas abused.

In Contrast to Vanitas and Randall who are punished for their acts of terror against the young, Sora and Sully are rewarded. By protecting both Boo’s innocence they are able to use her laughter to save both their world and themselves. Through the Laugh Power meter they are able to destroy Armies of Heartless and Unversed or restore power to the falling machinery, more importantly near the end of the journey Sora is rewarded with the powerful accessory of the Laugh Pin. A one of the kind item that grants the miraculous ability MP walker which restores MP with every step taken. Ultimately the accessory represents both the courage Sora gave Boo through his goofy face and the power Boo’s laughter gave to Sora. 

In the end while a Fairy tale Guardian’s job is to protect children they can’t keep them safe forever. As Seen by the Unversed malice will always find a way to reach the children and their hearts. Pain is an inevitability of life and while what Randall said about fear remaining sticking with a child is true that is not the end all be all. Hope though weak is eternal and can blossom in any heart is nurtured by Joy. While Mike and Sully can not erase the pain burdened upon them by Vanitas they are more than capable of healing the wounds by continuing to make them laugh every night. For a fairy tale guardian never gives up on the children. They will always be the protector of the light of children, Just like how Sora will continue to protect all hearts in his war against Xehanort.

[rebo-chan]

HI GUYS!!!!

In an attempt to pump some positivity into our little tag. I've had a bit of a rough week and in late celebration to our protagonists birthdays passing by earlier this week. I wanted to kinda go around and see what we got in terms of love for this series. I wrote something for Tsuna's birthday that really gutpunched me and like..Its serious yall. I'm here for LIFE.

So, devoid of any criticism towards the series, it's all love around here. What are your favorite aspects of this series? Anime, manga, stage play, novels, characters, fandom, etc. Anything goes. I just want to know what keeps you all around? Let me hear it, my friends. Why do YOU stay?

I'll go first.

I love the found family aspect, each and every single bond of the series is so heartwarming to me. These people feel like family, and everytime I consume the series, I notice a new aspect about their friendships.

The anime!!! The anime is really really important to me. Every voice actor, every OST they add, every little flavor scene they add to extend a manga chapter to fit the anime time. I adore it. The anime directors brought this series to life, and its so full of love.

Flames, flames, flames. I love them so much. The color-codedness? The Vongola Guardian characteristics? It feels me with such a childhood level of whimsy.

Tsuna's character arc. Just. That is so deeply relatable, I can't even.... God, i love him.

The!! character songs!! (again, thank you anime producers. For Rebocon, for making the character songs, for everything!!)

Our silly character numbers. To the outsiders, it looks like morse code, and it makes us feel like a community talking in secret to one another. The KHR fandom club.

In terms of fandom, I love love love love love AUs, as well as canon-adjacent of course. But, this cast is so colorful. Let me yoink them and put them in a new place and watch them fuck around. (Amen to monster tamer, our canon AU)

And of course, I love the character analysis posts we get around here. I have deep respect for those who can make little meta posts. Shoutout to hopeswriting, I won't tag her but gosh. Some of the most fun conversations I've had in my life. As well as a number of people I've met along the way. You guys are!! amazing!! Thank you for all the conversations, they've driven me so so insane!!!

And that's my list :] And now, I toss the question back to the rest of you all. Why, who, or what do you love?

[antmightpost]

A Character Analysis on Megumi Fushiguro from a Jungian perspective- The Shadow

"Emerge from the darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify all that is impure"

Megumi has been consistently portrayed as someone who really struggles with his self worth or his sense of self but there have been instances when he starts behaving in a really confident and assertive manner.

In order to better understand Megumi we need to look at his background. He was basically raised by Tsumiki with Gojo acting as his guardian at times. At a time when a child's personality develops, he had to make a deal with Gojo to work as a Sorcerer in exchange for Tsumiki's safety.

As a child, he had to come to terms with the idea that his father is somewhere out there but he has been abandoned by him when we know this wasn't the case. Toji did his best to look out for Megumi but he couldn't be close to him because he was fearful of the type of influence he would be on Megumi.

When Gojo tried to tell Megumi about his father, he himself stopped Gojo, acting as if it doesn't matter but that's a literal child, why wouldn't it matter, yet he refrained from trying to know the truth about Toji out of fear. Fear of what if the truth is even worse than being abandoned by his own father.

What did the most damage to Megumi was hearing from Gojo that Toji kept him hidden from the zenins to use him as a trump card against them as if he was just a commodity with value , who he is , is just about what is the value of his technique. His own potential crushed him, in a sense took his childhood away from him and halted his personal development.

Even Gojo mostly interacted with him in a manner where it looked like he is more worried about Megumi not being strong enough than trying to understand and talk to him about who Megumi is and who he wants to be which isn't because Gojo didn't want to , he just didn't knew how to. Gojo met Megumi at a time when he himself lost all sense of his identity and didn't knew how to relate and understand others on a deep personal level.

THIS led to the creation of the biggest divide between the persona (ego) and the unconscious (shadow) in Megumi's psyche. The mask that Megumi wears to face the society stored all the aspects of his personality that he doesn't deem good or worthy in his shadow, including his 'Potential' and feelings which is why Megumi looks so emotionally detached from everything . He has locked up his emotions in his shadow, he tries to rationalize everything without accounting for the feeling behind it and thats why his "instincts" are dull.

Megumi's persona Megumi's shadow It's because he felt like an empty vessel with a technique that he objectified the only person he looked up to, Tsumiki. He viewed her more as someone whose goodness and purity needs to be protected than as an individual, he didn't let her reach him, himself acknowledged how immature he was, all a result of the deeply traumatized 'inner child'.

It's interesting how inner child was also used for a character who was introduced during Megumi's colony fight, Takaba. Both Megumi and Takaba ignored the "inner child" within them, except with Megumi, his ignorance is the result of an absence of childhood.

Megumi's fixation on saving Tsumiki got to a point where his own shadow took Tsumiki's form or this could actually be Tsumiki's own shadow that is connected to Megumi. The Shadow that influences him yet he isn't aware of its existence.

What Megumi is going through is described as "Dark night of the soul" in philosophical terms. It is the longest and darkest night of the soul where the soul is at its lowest, the will to exist ceases, however it is also the moment where divine light shines above oneself to guide them out of their suffering (How Gege depicted Megumi's condition). I think it's important that Megumi's birthday is on 22nd Dec ( winter solstice) the longest night of the year which in Japanese is called 'Toji' . Perhaps some intentionality on Gege's part to show how Toji is the core of Megumi's trauma.

Dark night of the soul But what lies ahead ? I believe the process of 'Individuation' , theorized by Carl Jung it's the process by which a person achieves psychic wholeness, recognizing his innermost uniqueness and he identified this process with becoming one's own self Or Self realization. It's the merging of the Persona and the Shadow

A personal "Merger" of sorts in Jjk's context and i believe Megumi's arc had already been foreshadowed in chap 47 through the introduction of 'Totality'. The 2 divine dogs represent the dual aspects of Megumi's Self. The White Divine dog is the Ego or Persona, first the ego dies but it doesn't disappear , it dissolves into the existing shadow (Black Divine dog), merging with it to create the 'whole' of SELF 'with no boundaries' between the Ego and his Shadow (Fate)

Totality (Individuation or merger of Persona and Shadow)

Ego death The shadow self In order to find his life , Megumi first needs to lose it. He needs to bring forth his Deepest shadows and stop suppressing them because the True self is not Black and White, it's a hint of Grey. It's not just Tsumiki or Yuji who are good and pure , His own shadow that he deems evil has purity as well This personal merger is the route to 'Love' , Love of the self. To stop ignoring the inner child and his own shadow that Megumi has suppressed constantly . To stop looking for Logic behind everything as he is a human, we value our feelings, they are our fuel.

The dormant feelings that need to be realized and this is where Yuji comes in. When he says he wants to save Megumi , it's not because of Megumi's value or his technique, it's because he genuinely cares about who Megumi is and wants him to grow out this personal nightmare.

This can lead to Megumi conversing with his shadow and realizing that people do care about him and he needs to show the same care to his shadow and let it invoke the feeling within him Ultimately Megumi is a product of this 'cycle of curses', being the son of Toji who was himself deeply traumatized and Gojo being his guardian who himself was never whole. Gege always tries to explore the Self, the person that was Satoru Gojo, the person that is Megumi Fushiguro, not "the Strongest" or "The wasted potential"

This is why I think Gege has masterfully constructed Megumi's character in a real subtle manner. He never really talks about himself or how he feels and that leads to a big chunk of the fanbase paying no attention to who he is as a character and only focusing on his potential which is Megumi's EXACT problem. What's interesting is that i always thought of this sort of individual merger for Megumi's arc but now he holds the keys to the completion of the merger between Tengen and Non Sorcerers in Japan as well . Gege always knows what he's doing !!

[4str0nuts]

AN ANALYSIS OF HORROPEDIAS OUTFITS: BOTH INSIGHT ONE AND TWO

disclaimer: this will be written less formally than my autism analysis ! be wary

horropedia has one of the most basic and simple(in a nice way) outfits in game, and would probably be mistaken for an npc by someone who doesn’t play the game, as he looks like a normal foundation member . however, after some intense staring and late nights, there are some interesting details within both outfits that i believe reflect both the foundation and horropedia very clearly— even if they aren’t clear!

I'll start off with his insight one outfit, a simple, neat, and basic design that clearly abides by foundation rules. Though looking closer, there are inconsistencies with his design. Despite how “advanced” the foundation is, horropedia still carries around a gadget kit; he also only wears one glove, wears a dashing green clip tie, and his sweater vest is practically untucked. Despite the foundations harsh rules, he still manages to maintain parts of his personality and hobbies, despite being silenced in the past; this all reflects his experiences within the SPDM. His inconsistencies are all a giant ‘screw you’ to the foundation, no matter how hard they tried to make him a ‘good kid'. Even so, he still has to uphold his ‘ideal self’ to maintain the little freedom he has, showing how the foundation still has this control over him.

One thing i found interesting throughout his designs is the green present. The description of his tie clip reads “just the dash of mania the routine needed”, which i feel perfectly represents his character in a simple way. No matter the rules he abides, he will always clash against the rules laid out in front of him; it’s subtle yet is a giant statement against the foundation.

Onto his insight two: scruffy, expressive, and unneat— practically the opposites of what the foundation enforces. In fact , ALL foundation references are removed from his character, the only thing remaining is his shirt. The green is now present in his shirt, vibrant and bold with a design clearly at the front. This could represent how Horropedia is still fighting against the nature of the foundation from being his own person, the shirt hiding the graphic tee as if to keep it hidden and out of sight. His insight 2 design is more outlandish and childish, almost like it is diy or handmade; his gadget kit is a great example of it, the fine design now replaced with leather and stitched up as if it was frankensteins monster. His design reflects his childhood with his grandpa, picking up what pieces there were and building his own life with him. Despite his limitations, Horropedia tries to create his own safe space to express himself. Though even in that safe space, his experiences within the SPDM almost suppress him even till this day (throw back to the shirt). Anyways, this is another fuck you to the foundation.

One thing that doesn’t really fit in anywhere is the description of Horropedias insight 2; “A little monster under the sheets and a steadfast guardian of the heart.” This perfectly goes along with what i have stated before about Horropedia being his own person and reflecting on his childhood; how he protects his heart / the things he loves so closely, his ambition will never falter.

Another thing that I've noticed is the fact Horropedia still has the watch on in both of those outfits. It doesn't exactly fit with any of the two, and I have mentioned how advanced the foundation is (look at laplace). A reason i’ve come up with (and a personal head canon) is that the watch is from his grandpa, and holds great meaning to him.

I don’t have anything to wrap this up with so i’ll take the time to mention his udimo! His udimo has a bandana representing the foundation yet he still carries around a horror movie poster in his mouth— another fuck you to the foundation. It goes to show how he is now accustomed to the foundation life whilst also trying to love put his life in his own way. That’s all that I needed to say , hope you have enjoyed reading!

[pesky--dust]

I wanted abigail to be away from hannibal and will’s mess so badly like let her heal omg. It was just weird and off putting bc she was too grown for them to act like that with her.

Fr! I have so many thoughts about this!

(I keep promising myself to write an analysis of Abigail and her relationships with others actually, but I can't bring myself to do it, because it would be a looong post)

Writing as brief as possible for now though:

I believe it would be best for Abigail to remain at the facility, under Alana's care. However, considering G.J. Hobbs and his obsession with his daughter, I understand why she ended up in a rather similar and toxic relationship with Hannibal.

Because let's face it: G.J. Hobbs' love towards Abigail was toxic and victims often don't see these relationships as abusive and yet, they are aware that they shouldn't be speaking about them with anyone; they often tend to ignore all the red flags in current or future relationships.

In Abigail's case, it is tragic because she did not experience such a relationship in her adult life as a fully developed person in a romantic relationship, who grew up in a healthy and loving household, who knew better; she lived in such a relationship from an early age because this was her father - it was his love which was toxic. Having lived this way since childhood, it became the norm for her and living in such an environment changes the way you look at many things.

She may not be fond of Will and Hannibal, but she was already used to the mess. She believed that Hannibal would save her, because after all they were in this together - she killed someone and he helped her to hide the body. If she would end up in jail, he would end up in jail too.

Will's attitude towards Abigail: Did Will love her? No. He thought he loved her. Because he empathized with G.J. Hobbs (which already makes it toxic), blamed himself for failing to save her mother and since he killed her father, she became an orphan. Moreover, he saw her as a victim of G.J. Hobbs, just like himself. Will wanted also to believe that he could be "good" and "normal", by taking care of her; Alana told him that Abigail is a success for him, right? And Hannibal took advantage of all of this to convince Will that they were now responsible for her.

Hannibal's attitude towards Abigail: I think it's complicated. I believe there were several reasons he saved her (I have a post queued on that). He knew from the beginning that she could be useful to him, and when she outright suggested that he be the man on the phone, letting him know that she knew it was him who called her house, he knew he had to keep an eye on her. I won't believe he didn't have to bribe someone to become her guardians along with Will after that.

But I also believe that Hannibal became kind of fond of her. Because saw an opportunity in her. As I wrote in one of the posts, Hannibal could not turn back time to save Mischa. He could turn back time for Abigail; he faked her death and then "brought" her back to life.

The script says he feels genuine sadness when he slits her throat. And I think that's true to some degree, because it turns out he couldn't save Mischa and he couldn't save Abigail from his wrath when Will hurt him. Like a child, he wanted to hurt both Will and Abigail, as much as he felt hurt. It turned out that Abigail was not Mischa; she was Will's Mischa.

She was not truly loved by anyone. She was just a "father's joy" and each of her fathers saw in her what he wanted to see. Hobbs wanted her to remain his little girl. Will wanted to believe that he could be "good" and "normal". To Hannibal, she was a tool, and for a moment he believed she could be the "Mischa" he could save, for Will.

This all made her unable to stay away from the mess.

Of course this answer ended up being longer than I intended, so tl;dr:

Considering G.J. Hobbs and his obsession with Abigail, I understand why she ended up in a rather similar and toxic relationship with Hannibal. Having lived this way since childhood, it became the norm for her.

Will acted this way, because he thought he loved her (he empathized with G.J. Hobbs (which makes it itself toxic), blamed himself for failing to save her mother and killing her father, which made her an orphan; he saw her as a victim of G.J. Hobbs, just like himself. And Hannibal took advantage of all of this to convince Will that they were now responsible for her).

Hannibal's relationship with Abigail is more complicated. When she suggested that he be the man on the phone, he knew he had to watch her. However, I believe he saw an opportunity in her. He could not turn back time to save Mischa. He could turn back time for Abigail; he faked her death and then "brought" her back to life. But it wasn't enough to keep him from killing her, feeling hurt by Will.

She was not truly loved by anyone. She was just a "father's joy" and each of her fathers saw in her what he wanted to see.

[kaeyaswifefromsnezhnaya]

We don't need Yugi's flashback because their story has been told for a long time. (an analysis) Part 2.

3. Hakubo and Sumire. Mystery and yorishiro continue. How does this relate to Yugi?

Tsukasa is also a sacrifice to the demon hole in exchange for a wish, also a yorishiro in the form of a human. There is a difference in how Sumire was betrayed against her will, while Tsukasa died of his own free will.

Tsukasa sat alone in Hanako's boundary for a long time, calling for him, but he never came.

Most likely, Tsukasa has not met Amane since the very day of his death, and when he appears in the chapter with donuts, this is really the first time he was able to go free and enter the plot.

Tsukasa, unlike Sumire, is sure that Amane hates him, and does not consider himself significant to him, he is surprised when Amane begins to cry.

Tsukasa is also tired of his existence, he just has some goals that still keep him afloat, but having achieved them, he is just as ready to disappear if it will help others, close to him.

What is so good about Amane, because he is unbearable? Why did Tsukasa and Nene love him so much? Here it is, the irony. Sumire had no options, Nene and Tsukasa still get along with people easier

and nevertheless, love is blind.

Tsukasa is very unrestrained, and probably because he finally got out of prison and can control his and even other people's actions. Tsukasa does not ask to be remembered, but deep down he also wants at least some recognition of his value. Amane also suffers that he acted this way towards Tsukasa, he blames himself a lot, but at the same time also shifts part of the blame to his brother.

After all, it is his fault that he is fake, if everything were different, if Amane had lived a different life, he would not have done this. He, just like Hakubo, did not value the time he spent with his brother, and now he is stewing in his own guilt, while leaving Tsukasa alone in the locked boundary and not answering his call.

4. Aoi and Akane. Close since childhood.

These two were close like twins, growing up together since childhood. Aoi was a shy girl, while Akane was more easily approached by people, and as a result, she remained in his shadow.

At first, they grew up like normal children, and both acted completely normal, until one fateful day came...

The Clock Keepers recruited Akane by threatening to kill Aoi, and thus, he made a contract with them, becoming half-supernatural.

Here, I want to refer to the theory of friend if mine that Aoi died that day and Akane sacrificed his lifespan for her. [But he doesn't remember it. Come to think of it, the flashback abruptly ends with "do you want to gain the power to control time?", continuing the story from the perspective of an unreliable narrator - Akane. I say "unreliable" because it was easy for him to have his memory erased, or even have some of his memories fabricated.

It's worth remembering that the senior guardian can actually rewind time, deleting unnecessary memories. And I don't believe that the guardians of the clock choose a third one for fun. They probably have some kind of selection criteria. Besides, Akane is literally half supernatural, and I don't think that will go unnoticed. Most likely, his days are numbered, like Yashiro's. Maybe he wasn't supposed to die in the first place, but he probably sacrificed his lifespan to correct a terrible misunderstanding. He thinks that after graduation he will simply stop being a guardian of the clock and return to his normal life, but what if everything is played out in such a way that he does not remember the first and most important point of his contract: in exchange for Aoi's life, he gave up his future?]

Also, Akane is very traumatized by what happened. I already said that the reason why he clings to Aoi so madly could be his trauma that day. Just like how Tsukasa got fixated on the idea of "knowing more about Amane" because he discussed it before Kou traumatized him with his revelation, Akane got fixated on the idea of "enjoying the time spent with Aoi and confessing my love to her because I love her and want to be with her" because he also talked about it with Aoi before the Guardians put her in danger.

That's why he doesn't act like a normal person anymore, and that's why he's becoming less and less like his calm younger self. Akane made a contract with a supernatural in exchange for the life of a loved one and became half supernatural, changing internally, but mostly because of the trauma and fear of losing Aoi rather than the effects of the supernatural specifically.

The boy who came back to Aoi after that day was a slightly different person. He acted differently and hid a lot of things, and that's why there was a distance between them that grew wider as the years went by. This isn't an "Akane is hiding something" level problem, it's an "Akane has really changed a lot" level problem.

So Aoi, who was initially comfortable around him, starts to feel weird. She stops being playful and teasing around him like she used to because Akane has become so obsessed with the idea that she's slowly starts pushing him away.

Eventually, the tension reaches a breaking point and Aoi is pushed to such a stalemate that she lays hands on the person closest to her, Akane, because she thinks that will solve her problem.

Continue in the next post 🙌🏻

Part 1

[thewolffairytaler]

Masterlist

Characters I write for

House Of Wax:

Bo Sinclair x reader - His sweet pea

Ex Bo Sinclair x reader - To find comfort through each other

You'll be mine in time - oneshot | Bo Sinclair x Female reader

Allow me to be human once more - Bo Sinclair x Female reader

A plate of warmth and sweetness - oneshot | Drunk Bo x female reader

Je t’aime, Beaurgard | Bo Sinclair x Drunk female reader

A heart belonging to anathor - oneshot | Bo Sinclair x female reader

A beautiful specimen - oneshot | Vincent Sinclair x female mermaid reader

Farewell, my innocent Minnie - oneshot | Sinclair brothers x daughter reader

An excess of madness with a glint of affection - oneshot | Sinclair brothers x daughter reader

Our Angelic Sinclair series - House of Wax:

Our Angelic Sinclair - oneshot | Sinclair brothers x little sister reader

The Angelic Sinclair's first word - part 2 | Sinclair brothers x little sister reader

Cougar Town:

The bartender's bitter drink - Oneshot | Bobby Cobb x female reader

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - beginning:

Guardian spirit - oneshot | Thomas Hewitt x Gender neutral reader

One devoted husband | Obsessed Thomas Hewitt x pregnant reader

Saved or endangered? - oneshot | Thomas Hewitt x child reader

Carrie - 1976, 2002, 2013, & Book adaptation:

Wisdom from the living - oneshot | Carrie White x Female Goth reader

The little sheep series - TCM Beginning:

Little sheep - Oneshot | Thomas Hewitt x Female reader

You're just trouble little sheep - part 2 | Thomas Hewitt x Female reader

Have a drink little sheep - part 3 | Thomas Hewitt x Female reader

You're mine little sheep - part 4 | Thomas Hewitt x Female reader

One sad little sheep - part 5 | Thomas Hewitt x female reader

Our unplanned date, little sheep - part 6 | Thomas Hewitt x female reader

A kiss from me little sheep - part 7 | Thomas Hewitt x female reader

To become one, little sheep - part 8 | Thomas Hewitt x female reader

You're in big trouble, little sheep - part 9 | Thomas Hewitt x female reader

See you later, little sheep - part 10 | Thomas Hewitt x female reader

The little sheep and the bear cub - part 11 | Thomas Hewitt x female reader

The sheep & bear's son series - Thomas Hewitt x OC x female reader:

The Bear's morning routine - part 1 | The little sheep sequel series

To gain the sheep's & goat's approval - part 2 | Thomas Hewitt x oc x female reader

Horror headcanons:

The brothers reacting to their offspring getting shot | Sinclair brothers x Gender natural reader

Scenarios to ponder over:

Being childhood friends with Beauregard "Bo" Sinclair

Being an acquaintance with Carrie White

Character research analysis:

What is Thomas Hewitt's disease?

I think I figured out Thomas Hewitt's disease

Why Beaugard "Bo" Sinclair in the 2005's House Of Wax works

Gif set:

Brian Van Holt as Vincent Sinclair

Brian Van Holt as Beauregard "Bo" Sinclair

Andrew Bryniarski as Thomas Brown Hewitt

2nd gifset of Andrew Bryniarski as Thomas Brown Hewitt

Sissy Spacek as Carietta "Carrie" Nadine White

Damon Herriman as Lester Sinclar/Roadkill Driver

Will Sandin, Nick Castle & Tony Moran as Michael Myers

Gunnar Hansen as Bubba Sawyer/Leatherface

Bill Johnson as Bubba Sawyer/Leatherface (1986)

Knowledgeable & nostalgic topics:

Art thievery & Art crediting

Maladaptive Daydreaming

That one time, a wax statue scared me

This is getting concerning | Aria, the AI robot

When The Omnivores Scream by Vividly_Changing & Co - writer The Wolf Fairytaler:

Chapter one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven.

Want to improve your writing?

[germygilbert]

it is like. both fascinating and infuriating to me when people downplay Liam's overdose at the end of season four

1.) I don't expect to hold addicts 100% accountable for their behavior while on drugs i think there's some play in culpability. HOWEVER:

2.) I do think that people who completely write this off and excuse this for the benefit of Fiona are pretty racist or at least have the biggest racism blinders on BECAUSE

2a.) like point blank comparing this specific act of neglect to other acts of neglect (which were no doubt terrible and traumatizing) is one thing. acting like they are on the same level or that say, monica's neglect of Carl is somehow worse is literally just racism

2b.) The choice in drug, as my girlfriend pointed out for a white caregiver to expose a black toddler in her care to, is intentional. You are meant to think about the racial dynamic at play here in regards to conversations and behavior around drug use for the last fifty plus years. Liam is a fucking BABY and you still cannot muster pretend imaginary sympathy for him? How racist do you have to be to react to this arc in this way. Has it been over a month since you called a black drug user a cr*ckhead be honest

3.) Lip losing his shit on fiona while this was happening was not an example of him "perpetuating Frank's cycle of abuse omfg

3a.) I'm not going to say Lip's behavior towards Fiona while she was being incarcerated was completely justified of course but that was their little brother who they both love dearly who might die and Lip is justifiably freaking the fuck out. this is categorically not the same thing as an abusive father yelling in order to exercise control

3b.) Your baby brother does not have the power required to exercise an abusive dynamic over you. Of course he can replicate abusive behavior as anyone who was raised by an abusive parent or otherwise can. The line of thinking that Lip is "abusing" Fiona here shows an irresponsible and, in the wrong hands, entirely dangerous misunderstanding of how and when abusive dynamics come to be

3c.) that is not even Frank's brand of abuse. I can count on one hand the amount of times that Frank uses yelling as a tactic. The name of his game is manipulation and he usually exercises it by acting overly kind to the youngest gallaghers in order to get them to participate in his insane schemes. We see him doing this to Carl and Debbie and Liam and we even hear of him doing this to lip when he was younger. He only hits Ian once and we have reason to believe that is the only time he has hit one of his children. textually. He understands he can't control Lip Ian and Fiona by series start and as such he moslty leaves them alone and occasionally even pals around with them. We SEE him discard Debbie and Carl when they begin to question him and argue against his hair brained ethically heinous schemes

4.)the narrative is indeed asking you to engage with the theme of cycles of abuse being replicated by people who mean well. During this specific arc is asking you to do so with FIONA, not Lip, FIONA, who is liam's legal guardian who she is in this moment recklessly endangering. Even if you pretend the race thing isn't there (which is extremely difficult because its place in the narrative is, as I've pointed out, intentional) Fiona still allowed a baby to eat cocaine through her neglect. You are supposed to be thinking about this. You are supposed to be comparing i in your mind to Carl's childhood injuries and Frank using drugs as a sleep sedative for infants. At all times throughout the show you are meant to be examining how many steps away each character is from being "just as bad as frank"

I know fandom is specifically designed to stomp out critical analysis but omfg.

[imsosleepyofyourbull]

Trey Clover Playlist + Analysis

Okay, so first and foremost; this playlist is a WORK IN PROGRESS that I will be slowly adding to as I find more neat songs and further develop my understanding of Trey as a character. He’s a very neat little dude who has rather unexpectedly become my #1 favorite (skating right past Ruggie who had been my #1 since I first found the game) and I wish more people talked about him. This is me trying to get people to talk about him, and also me making up an excuse to yap some more.

Here’s the playlist on YouTube Music!

Here it is again on Spotify!

And if you listen to it while you read, you may notice that a lot of these songs have some vaguely conflicting themes. That’s because I’m insane and LOVE exploring the way Trey’s ingrained instinct to watch out for the people around him gets in the way of his personal desire to be perceived as an unremarkable person, and how that meshes with his unexpectedly sly nature. Many of the songs I included are clearly sung from the perspective of a caretaker trying to do their best to hold their loved one together. The Rockrose and The Thistle and Welly Boots are the most obvious examples of this, but it’s also in Achilles Come Down and Coraline (once you translate Coraline’s lyrics.)

This is a pretty obvious reference to the way that Trey plays the peace maker and reliable right hand within the structure of Heartslabyul, as well as his complex dynamic with Riddle as the result of his childhood guilt. At the same time, however, there are songs like The Harpy and the Hare and And the Hound, which create an image of a caretaker who is (unintentionally or deliberately) smothering their wards. This is in reference to the way that multiple characters call out how dangerous it can be for Trey to cover up for everyone’s mistakes and concerns, as it can lead to them being unable to take care of themselves and messing up really badly when Trey isn’t there. Further, there are songs like Over&Over or Timekeeper’s Heartbeat where I play with Trey’s exhaustion and burnout.

These pieces all contribute to the mystery of Trey’s character, and who he is as a person.

His care for the people around him is undeniably sincere, especially for Riddle, but it also seems to be a learned response from his position as both the oldest son in his family and vice housewarden of Heartslabyul. The reliable older brother to much more interesting and energetic younger siblings. The steady but unremarkable right hand to the rose red prodigy tyrant. And that’s just the image he wants to cultivate, isn’t it? That’s how he wants people to look at him, right? He’s repeatedly told everyone around him that he prefers to not draw any more attention than he has to, because he’s a perfectly normal guy who isn’t worth it.

But how much of that comes from a place of genuine wanting, and how much of it is the result of his experience as “the guardian?” When he says that his care for the people around him isn’t as kind as people believe it is, I wonder if that means he’s aware of the box he’s built around himself in an effort to keep being everyone else’s safety net. It even plays into his unique magic and how it’s revealed to us! He doesn’t go to any effort to hide what it does, and willingly uses it to change the flavor of their dessert when Cater asks him. As far as anyone else is aware, Doodle Suit is a harmless trick incapable of causing any real harm.

But then he uses it to overwrite the spells of one of the most prodigious and powerful mages that attends their school.

He clearly knew what it was capable of for quite a while before he used it like this too, given the ease with which he deploys it in action. He’s a total wolf in sheep’s clothing; but for whom he chooses to play the harmless woolen prey, the sharp-toothed predator under the moon, and the protector of the pack changes from moment to moment. It seems to depend on whether it’s his own personal desire or his built in response to put the people around him above himself that takes precedence. But the vast majority of people he interacts with don’t end up ever realizing this about him because of how his motivations manifest. He doesn’t want trouble, so he prevents trouble from being able to occur in the first place by getting in the way to solve it.

His image is his mask, and his cage.