#humans can't be paragons forever

[amandaoftherosemire]

Chris Evans, Mask Off

I was scrolling earlier when I came upon a post by someone who is feeling very betrayed by Chris Evans right now. The post was about how stupid they felt that Chris Evans was not the man he had pretended to be, that recent events had proven he was a PR fabrication and they felt like a fool for falling for it. I went looking for the source of this pain, trying to figure out what Evans had done to be denounced as a fraud and a liar. I admit, I was surprised when I figured out it was his recent marriage.

Now, I'm not linking back to the post or reblogging it because I'm not interested in calling anyone out or making them feel bad for feeling bad. If you're feeling betrayed by the news that Chris Evans married someone much younger than himself, I'm not going to assume it's simply because you're mad it wasn't you. I believe that plenty of people feel that the age gap between Chris Evans and Alba Baptista is problematic and indicative that he is not the woke king he purported to be. But I would like to offer a different perspective.

My parents had a twenty-two year age gap. When they met, my father was 48 and my mother was 26. Plenty of people looked askance at the age gap between them, wondered why in the hell either of them would want to be with the other. But they were madly in love and happily married until he died twenty years later. And she never remarried, said until the day she died that she just couldn't find anyone who could follow my dad. So age gaps don't weird me out unless one of the people in the relationship is clearly being exploited. For example, hanging around a teenager until she's legally old enough to date. Two adults meeting, falling in love, and getting married doesn't set me off even if there's what others think of as a problematic age gap. I've seen firsthand that it depends on the people in the relationship.

None of us in this fandom know him, or his new wife. None of us know what their dynamic is and we cannot infer that she is being exploited based solely on the fact that she is sixteen years his junior. (I promise you, despite the 22 year difference, my dad was not in charge of my mom.) We only know his public persona, the carefully polished version of himself that he shows to the world for marketing purposes. Chris Evans' persona is very appealing, but it is curated, as is everyone's, really. We all put the good stuff on social media and hope no one puts our bad stuff on theirs.

My point, I suppose, is that having any real opinion on Chris Evans' personal life is evidence of a parasocial relationship that you might want to reevaluate. There is no good to be found in valorizing celebrities; they're just screwed up humans like the rest of us and will always ultimately disappoint you. Also, just because we may find the actions and behaviors of others uncomfortable or problematic, doesn't mean they've actually done anything wrong. He's not a paragon and never has been. He's a celebrity living his life and unless he's hurting anyone, what he does is really none of our business.

[black-arcana]

NIGHTWISH's FLOOR JANSEN Announces September 2025 'Music And Spoken Word' Tour Of The Netherlands

NIGHTWISH singer Floor Jansen will embark on a 10-date solo tor of her original home country, the Netherlands, in September 2025.

The 43-year-old Dutch-born vocalist, who resides in Sweden with her husband, SABATON drummer Hannes Van Dahl, shared the news of the upcoming trek in a social media post earlier today (Monday, October 14). She wrote: "Big news, everyone! I'm thrilled to announce something very close to my heart – my first-ever theater tour, 'Strijdlust' (Fighting Spirit),coming to the Netherlands in 2025!

"This is a dream come true and a new chapter in my journey. From metal stages to intimate theaters, I'm taking a leap to share my story with you in a whole new way.

"'Strijdlust' isn't just a show. I'll be opening up about my battles with cancer, the joy of motherhood, and the whirlwind of my music career — all through music and spoken word. And yes, it'll be in Dutch!

"Life has thrown some curveballs my way, but each challenge has only made me stronger. This tour is my way of sharing that strength with you. From NIGHTWISH to my solo career, you've been with me every step of the way. Now, I invite you to join me for this intimate, powerful experience. Let's celebrate life, music, and the fighting spirit that connects us all.

"Tickets are on sale now! Can't wait to see you there and share this special journey with you all."

In November 2022, Floor revealed that she was "cancer free" after undergoing surgery to have a tumor removed following a breast cancer diagnosis.

In October 2023, Jansen and Van Dahl welcomed their second child, Lucy. Jansen and Van Dahl also have a seven-year-old daughter named Freja, who was born on March 15, 2017.

In April 2023, NIGHTWISH surprised fans by announcing that the band was not going to be playing any live shows for the foreseeable future and would be not be touring in support of the group's latest studio album, "Yesterwynde", which arrived on September 20, 2024 via Nuclear Blast.

Floor's debut solo album "Paragon", arrived in March 2023.

As part of NIGHTWISH, Jansen has landed two No. 1 albums in Finland, and Top Five albums in Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

Born in the Netherlands, Jansen joined her first band, one of the world's first symphonic metal bands, AFTER FOREVER, when she was only 16 years old. The group went on to release five albums from 2000 to 2007, before they broke up in 2009.

Jansen's next band, REVAMP, released two albums in 2010 and 2013, before she joined NIGHTWISH as a full-time member.

NIGHTWISH's first album with Jansen as the lead singer was 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", which landed in Top 10s around the world. This was followed by 2020's "Human. :II: Nature." , which was also an international success.

Jansen has toured extensively with the band and appeared on three of NIGHTWISH's live albums "Showtime, Storytime", "Vehicle Of Spirit" and "Decades: Live In Buenos Aires".

In 2019, Jansen participated in the popular Dutch TV show "Beste Zangers" where she scored a big hit with "Phantom Of The Opera" together with Henk Poort. She was recognized with a Dutch Popprijs award — a prestigious accolade for artists that has made important contributions to Dutch music. In the same year, her first solo tour sold out in less than 24 hours.

Jansen performed live with NIGHTWISH for the first time on October 1, 2012 at Showbox Sodo in Seattle, Washington following the abrupt departure of the band's lead singer of five years, Anette Olzon. Jansen officially joined NIGHTWISH in 2013.

Photo credit: Tim Tronckoe

[hell-drabbles]

After the recent companion angst, I just can't help but think about how companion would come back as something that's not quite angel but not quite devil either. I don't have any cool writings just some thoughts..

Since companion was in a friend group of three with Minhyeok and Ra-on. Companion seemingly being the odd one out with Minhyeok liking Ra-on, being a crucial part in giving Ra-on human energy and Ra-on being an important figure to the devils. Despite them being there to get Ra-on the respect he deserves, Ra-on would still be fine without them

So by coming back as an unusual combination, it would place them where they always have been the and will forever be until they die once more, someone who doesn't belong anywhere. Being by themselves, unable to join either side, not even going back to living as a human

I have a whole other section of this thought but I don't think it's what you're going for so I'll pause there

Oh? Please don't pause there, I like hearing people's thoughts and how they would develop the things I've written.

The Companion is 100% the odd one out with Minhyeok and Ra-on basically vanishing off into their own world the longer they stay around one another. But now they're apart and they really are forced to re-examine their own place in the world because of how much one influenced the other.

With the Companion being taken out of the picture, this version of Minhyeok and Ra-on can and will become worse.

Ra-on over here is letting himself dive deeper and deeper into Hell, basically getting so addicted to the indulgence of this place that he will not go back once all is said and done. He will end up struggling to even remember Minhyeok's name if he's there for long enough. This Ra-on has a very avoidant personality when it comes to things that bring him hurt, so, as time goes on, he starts thinking about Earth less and less. And, as such, he starts forgetting about his old home.

Though, this only starts happening when the Companion isn't there to screw his head on straight.

And Minhyeok... ah, oh boy. This version of Minhyeok starts retreating more and more from the outside world. Ppyong is about the only thing keeping his head on straight, but even then, it'll be made pretty obvious that he's still slipping. That he's losing touch with his friends. That he doesn't have any close friendships beyond the one he made with Ra-on. Even his friendship with the Companion has gotten weak when compared to Ra-on.

Rather than trying to move on with his life and simply let things be and get on that road to recovery, Minhyeok heavy dependence on Ra-on takes on a very emotional toll on him. Had the Companion been there, this would not be happening.

That being said, it would be wrong to say that the Companion is a therapist. They are not meant to act as a therapist, they are basically a role model for both Minhyeok and Ra-on. A flawed role model, but it's actually for the best that they are as flawed as they are, because that makes the Companion very human to them. If they were the perfect paragon of a person, the distance would be too wide for the friendship to ever recover from.

Anyways, I ramble like the whole angelification of the Companion was for a deliberate thematic purpose. It wasn't. I went down that path because I remembered that Ra-on and Minhyeok have a connection to the angels, as weak as it may be. Ra-on has been marked by an angel, Minhyeok was killed by an angel.

As such, Companion was transformed by an angel.

That's it. Nothing deeper, other than wanting more angst and suffering all around.

[spntoxicfemslashevent]

colette's so fucking tired of cain treating her like she's some perfect untouchable thing. she loves him, sure, but she can't take being treated like a paragon of virtue all day every day. sneaking out to meet abaddon every night is wrong, but when abaddon fucks her dirty in the woods and calls her a filthy whore it's the only time colette feels like a whole human being again. she always knew it wouldn't last forever, but she didn't expect abaddon to take an axe to her.

love seeing a woman who exists as a dead perfect image be given character. and previous horrible decisions

[altocat]

Any sefikura headcanons pretty please?

The spicy, spooky ship!

Sephiroth's feelings for Cloud are complicated. On one hand, they are fed by the strongest feelings of complete hate and malice. He wants to watch Cloud suffer. He NEEDS him to suffer. But on the other hand, he finds himself longing for Cloud all the same, to the point where it makes him sick, keening. It's the only relatively human feeling he's able to evoke within him, enough to momentarily distract him from Jenova. Just to be near Cloud. Just to fight him over and over again.

At some point later on, Sephiroth admits that yes, he desires Cloud. And not just physically. He wants to keep Cloud as his own, to never let him go. He wants Cloud to worship him, to be devoted to him completely. Cloud is HIS. No one else's. No one else can EVER have him. Just Sephiroth alone, finally having everything he could ever want--Mother, and someone who can't leave.

Sephiroth fully intends on integrating Cloud into the new world he is destined to create as a god. All the other humans will be eliminated, but Cloud alone will be preserved as his pet and muse. They will fight together for all eternity, crashing together in love and hate until the very stars quake. The planet will belong solely to Sephiroth and Mother, but Cloud will remain as the last paragon of humanity, both cherished and brutalized, bound to him forever.

Cloud, for his part, hates Sephiroth and is horrified at the twisted extent of Sephiroth's feelings. Part of him is even more horrified to find that he's still very much physically attracted to Sephiroth even now, after all the nasty things he's done. It's repulsive to him, disgusting. But the feelings are still there. He'll never forgive Sephiroth, of course. And is fully intent on stopping him for as long as it takes. But some part of him WANTS Sephiroth, wants to submit and allow himself to be consumed, body and soul.

Thankfully, Cloud's resolve and will to fight is stronger than Sephiroth's seduction, allowing him to break free and reject Sephiroth for good. Cloud has other people he cares about more, and is here to fight for THEM, not succumb to Sephiroth's hold as his puppet. Thus, Sephiroth's desires remain unrequited, though he'll never really stop.

[coldforestnight]

Having a thought about Logan's physical body and Kendall having both an aversion to it and a fixation on his health, and all the conflicted feelings on how it assures Kendall that he won't be weaker than his father forever but that's also something that disconcerts him because in his mind Logan must always be a God and a paragon of strength and vitality, which after his death is the version of him that Kendall tries to keep alive inside of himself while also warping it into something more comforting.

Geez that was a crazy run-on sentence. Anyway, I was also thinking back on S2, how Kendall's reverted to a small child and their relationship becomes much more *intimate* than it's been in a long time. And on the one hand he feels vulnerable and powerless and revulsed at going back to that place, but then there's also a dissonance in seeing that Logan just isn't all that he used to be, doesn't look or feel the same and can't do what he used to. And then maybe that triggers another primal fear, of his dad one day being gone forever and himself left alone and torn apart.

(And at the same time he's retreating into childhood as an escape from the guilt of what he did to Dodds, wanting to be an innocent victim because it feels safer.)

Yes! Kendall’s fixation on his dad’s health before he dies is such an interesting current to pick up on. I’m thinking specifically of the scene in 3x04, where Logan suffers heat exhaustion at Josh Aaronson’s, and if this was a less well-written show, Kendall might take this moment to lord his own physical health and superiority over his father’s weakness. He doesn’t. It’s a moment of fear for Kendall, being confronted with something that seems so impossible - he’d rather have his father be an all-powerful abusive God than a frail human man. Him putting a healthy, alive version of Logan on screen in 4x06 is almost akin to reanimating a corpse, making his father a Frankenstein monster, because the monster is what Kendall is familiar and comfortable with.

This ties into this message a little, I think: when you’ve been abused by a family member, you want to believe they’re powerful, they have reasons for hurting you that you could never possibly escape, because villainizing them is the easiest way for your brain to cope with the abuse. Oh, Kendall. You are never going to stop craving your father’s boot on your neck </3

[narrative-nareth]

Okay this will probably not be seen but I'm posting it as a promise to myself, from now on once per week I will post a post with random information about a story I'm building, it will not be formatted correct or grammar correct because I will be speech to texting it because I'm lazy.

Names:

Okay starting out with this because something I've been obsessed with for years it's the concept names specifically the concept of the chosen name.

Choosing one's own name is primarily a thing of demonic culture in the Isle which is the place that this is taking place in (they'll be better name in the future) however essentially upon one becoming an adult they will choose their own name different from the one they are giving at birth and this will be their name you know.

I think it is a very interesting concept because it changes the balance of things in the world instead of your life being defined by those before you it is defined by you as henceforth represented by your name.

Paragons:

Okay the paragons are something I can't really get into too deeply without first discussing the rules and laws of magic however I want to simply State some basic things here the paragons are immensely powerful beings that are immortal and represent something fundamental about reality or human nature. Or I guess I probably shouldn't say human nature as there are things other than humans in this world but just the nature of intelligent sentient life.

There are several different types of paragons some of them are it just immortal beings that have existed for a very long time and represent things like that the best example of this is the Paragon of time, the Paragon of time is a elven woman generally that is deformed they choose and they have simply existed since ever, they've never not existed that is their entire thing is that they exist forever and ever and ever.

Then there are those paragons that are more like a position it has been held by many people throughout the ages. The best example of this is the Tischgen (I really hope that isn't something offensive because i googled it and got nothing) the Tischgen is the Paragon of life and death, they have domain over a series of tunnels and caves in one of the northern isles known as the soul caves which are kind of geode like and they contain like a bunch of souls and water filled with souls.

Existence:

This is probably one of the newest concepts in the aisles and the fact that the aisles is created by three interwoven sections of reality. There is magic which is the plane of all energy and all forms it is energy pure energy or mana as we're going to call it for now.

Then there is the physical plane which is just everything physical your rocks your dirt your woods your trees all of that it is what most being see in.

Then there is of course the mental plane this is the thing that took me the longest to come up with despite its obvious nature and hindsight it is a plane of existence that is contains all thought and that includes intention dreams and that's a major proponent of how magic works in the isles.

Then there of course the bridges between these three interwoven fabrics of existence these Bridges basically block two of two sections of them together for example there is souls which locks a physical form to a mental thing and it of course has a high level of magical energy which results in having a major present in the magical plane.

Magic✨:

Magic in the aisles is very closely related to blood because the fact that there are particulates and your blood that bind the physical and magical world together and so moving your arms and anything any part of you that has blood will is one part of a magical effect.

Then there's of course intention mental fortitude you have to intend to do something or be extremely angry or emotional to be able to get something to happen you have to exert your mind over the magical world.

Now that you're actually affecting the magical world that will then go to link into the physical world as those two are very interwoven in the mental plane is only somewhat interwoven with both of them.

So basically if a mage intends and has the mental fortitude to set something on fire and then performs the physical acts related with fire they will then set the thing on fire.

Okay this is absolutely all over the place but it'll work for now it's not meant to be organized it's just me getting my thoughts into the air and on to some form of a document so yeah probably make another one of these very soon bye.

[ceilidhtransing]

Seriously, if what happened in 2016 - when 132,476 voters in three crucial swing states handed Trump the presidency by voting Green rather than Democrat - happens again this year, and Trump is helped to victory by a whole load of progressives either sitting it out or splitting the vote, the folks who choose to do that will not be looked on by history as heroes. People in the future will have the same desperate, exasperated “oh my GOD how did they not WAKE UP to what was COMING???” response as we have now to those among the German antifascists in the 1920s and 30s who could potentially have joined forces to strengthen their ability to avert a Nazi takeover but who decided instead that they hated each other more than they hated actual fascists.

As is often said, if you as a leftist reach a point where you earnestly believe that liberals are more your enemy than fascists are, you have at some point gone seriously astray. (And why is it seemingly when the enemy is most at the gates that a certain chunk of leftists who have spent forever shouting about the importance of doing whatever it takes to crush fascism decides that actually, that can apparently wait, because the real priority right now is defeating liberals.)

And if your response is something like “but I'm sure the German Social Democrats weren't the morally reprehensible warmongers that the US Democrats are! Joining forces with the SPD would have been a totally different question; it's nothing like what you're asking leftists to do today by siding with the Democrats!” - the Social Democrats supported Germany's declaration of war in 1914. It was a completely unforgivable mistake. Their hands were hardly clean here; no major force in politics is ever morally untarnished.

But there is a difference between “well-meaning progressive liberal Social Democrats who took the indefensible position of at least initially supporting a terrible war” and “the fucking Nazis”*. Just as there is a difference between Harris and Trump. The Social Democrats, immensely flawed as they were, would not have enacted the Nuremberg Laws. They would not have launched Germany into the worst war in human history. They would not have perpetrated the Holocaust. No, they wouldn't have solved all of Germany's problems had they been in power instead. They would have made blunders and mistakes and some bad decisions. But they wouldn't have done that. And if you can't see a difference between the SPD and the fucking NSDAP, just as if you declare “there's no difference at all” between Harris and Trump, then god, you are blind.

[*And then, as now, there was no Morally Upright Third Option, not in reality. There was no “we won't support the Nazis or the Social Democrats; we'll have communist revolution instead!” - and that was in a country where the KPD was infinitely more organised and established and mainstream than any similar far-left US organisation is today. Sometimes there isn't a “secret third thing”. Sometimes there isn't a “well I would simply demand to know who keeps tying everyone to these tracks!” Sometimes time is running out and there really are only two options.]

And that's really what you have to consider if you're still umming and aahing over whether to vote for Harris. You don't have to love her. You don't have to “stan” her (in fact, you shouldn't). You don't have to pretend she's a paragon of morally unblemished perfection (because of course she isn't; she's a prominent politician of a major mainstream party in the most powerful country in the world, and no one in that position is ever going to be such a paragon). You can be furious with her. You can think that some of her stances are appalling. But right now, as in late-20s and early-30s Germany, the fucking Nazis are at the door, and this election is on a knife-edge. And if you just open that door for them because you can't bear to temporarily, in one single act of voting, get behind the best chance - hell, not the best chance, the only chance - there is to prevent that and everything it entails, history will not remember you fondly. That kind of mistake has been made already, and we have seen what happens.

To those who say the likes of “I won't be voting for Kamala Harris because I want to be able to look back from the future and know that my conscience is clear and that I didn't compromise my morals”, I want to say:

History does not look kindly on the Communist Party of Germany for helping the Nazis into power by refusing to work with the Social Democrats.

(Yes, this is what really happened. The KPD (Communists), under the heavy influence of Stalin - who sought a weaker, more divided Europe because it would benefit his interests - decided that the Social Democrats were really “social fascists”, despite being nothing of the sort, and thus were just as bad as the Nazis. They refused to work with the Social Democrats against the Nazis, and in fact actively fought the Social Democrats, and in so doing directly paved the way for Hitler. The results were the Nazi takeover of Germany, the Second World War, and the Holocaust. Nowadays no one looks back at those Communist Party members and thinks “good on them for sticking to their guns and refusing to work with anyone who wasn't as left-wing as them”. We think “how could they be so dangerously naïve and stubbornly irresponsible in the face of such looming horror that they prioritised their own sense of political purity over preventing that horror from accessing the reins of power”. If Harris loses to Trump because too many progressives voted third party or quote-unquote “boycotted” the election, it will not be the first time that leftists have opened the door for a far-right takeover by asserting the absurd stance that liberals and fascists are equally the enemy. We have seen what happens when leftists refuse to cooperate with liberals to defeat a much, much greater evil. This is part of what “never again” means. Please don't repeat the mistakes of the past.)

[arrowsgotamnesia]

So, when it comes to space travel, usually only the most Qualified get to go, with the individual being required to be exceptionally intelligent, psychologically fortitude, and physically peak. These qualifications are so strict that anyone with a history of mental disorder, especially behavioral, are immediately disqualified, anyone 'too short' or 'too tall' are immediately disqualified, if you do not perform over a specific amount of time flying or operating aircraft annually, you become disqualified, and so much more. These restrictions are set to make sure two important assets aren't wasted: Time, and Lives.

So, to this, it will be that most of humanity will be staying right here on our lovely blue Rock. Why do I talk about this? Because we still have the chance, as a species, to visit the stars and explore them in person! For such an 'evolutionary species' that we are, I do believe that if we ever met aliens, especially if they aren't from a death world like our own but somewhere even more docile, then we will be the aliens. What I mean is that, even through all the things we as a species went through and traits we gained, that allow us to go to space, other organisms have not always gone through that same pressure. You can't send anyone and anything up there. Which is why, likely, we will be making the first move.

Interestingly enough, Escape Velocity only applies to when we're slingshotting something into space. Theoretically, at least, any amount of propulsion away from the planet's gravity well could escape if provided enough feul and that the mode itself is efficient, which means in a far distant future, many more humans could qualify for space travel.

Scarier than that, though, is the realization of how technologically advanced a species must be to do that. Perhaps it is good that so few humans can touch the stars, and that we haven't seen anyone else yet, because if we ever do meet some species like us, there will only be two possibilities: either they're near Physical Paragons of their species (like our own astronauts) or they've advanced beyond the need of worrying about resources spent to leave their plant. Of which can be either good or bad, but both will be revolutionary.

To this, imagine the tragedy of a human contacting alien life, meeting someone from their species, and falling in love. The human wants them to meet their family, to see their home, but the Physical form of that alien is just not strong enough. Forever, until the day that human ages out, they will know the freedom of the cosmos, and watch it be unfairly ripped from that one they hold most dear. Imagine they're going to retire, planning to settle down with their beloved on their planet, but they have to make a stop at earth to handle some paperwork, and in doing so are deemed unfit for further space travel. Now, they're stuck on Earth forever, just as helpless as their Lover. Just as helpless as they once were.

I do not imagine that interplanetary postal services are exactly as fast as the form of communication we're used to. Imagine We found a way to love, and then lost the way to obtain that love.

[crossdressingdeath]

I know you'll probably disagree with me, but i rlly hate the Cloud recessess ending. It's just....

Those elders killed wwx. The Lans were 100% ready to murder both at Qiongqi path but also at the siege. They see him as the guy who corrupted their precious jade. They all preach righteousness, but the whole madam Lan thing is iffy at best and i do not believe that everyone there fully believes the rules. Hell, i have a special bone to pick with the " do not gossip" rule, seeing as gossip had been the main info route for women in patriarchal societies.

I just don't think that after wwx killed Lans in the siege they'd be all that willing to forgive him and take him in w open arms. The juniors and kids love him, yes, but people who saw the war....

Not to mention the whole " do not speak to WWX " rule. I've seen ppl say it's a joke but it's On The Wall. It's supposed to be followed. Even if it was intended as a joke - which i don't believe - it's very cruel for someone w rejection and trust issues.

I also hate it from a very personal perspective. I see Wwx as ND, and, as an ND myself, all those rules terrify me. From the no running and the proper posture ones, i can pretty well imagine they forbid stimming. The Lan curfew would fuck anyone with insomnia and there's smth deeply ucked up abt the " do not grieve in excess". I get that they're supossed to be a paragon of the best things at all time, and that LJY is very UnLan like, but for someone w anxiety who CAN'T follow those rules, it would be a nightmare.

...Some points:

First, the Lan elders did not kill WWX, nor did they attack him unfairly. They weren’t looking at him as the man who corrupted LWJ, either, or at least that wasn’t their primary concern (I will never forgive CQL for suggesting they were or it was); they were looking at him as a traitor to the sects who was raising an army to destroy them. Remember, that is the information the Lans had. Every source they had except for LWJ (who the people he would have gone to would have known was biased and who presumably everyone knew had recently been in close contact with WWX where he could have been manipulated or enchanted in some way), sources which included multiple sect leaders (one of whom was WWX’s brother) and LXC’s dear friend, swore up and down that WWX was a major threat, and let’s face it, WWX didn’t do much to dissuade people from thinking that! Acting like the Lans were maliciously targeting WWX is doing them something of a disservice, I’d say. They acted based on the knowledge they had available; note how the Lans are the first to offer WWX their help once they’re given reason to believe he may not be a villain! And even aside from that, saying they killed WWX (and not JGS and JGY’s manipulation or JC’s army) feels a bit like scapegoating, honestly. Of the four sects, the Lans are quite possibly the least responsible for WWX’s death. If it would hurt him to live with or around anyone who held any responsibility for his death his only option would be to live as a hermit, which would be far worse for him. And yeah, the Lans aren’t perfectly righteous all the time and some morally dubious things have been done by Lan sect members; they’re human, after all! Some of them will only be as moral as their sect leader demands they be! That doesn’t mean the sect as a whole is bad, especially with LXC, LQR and LWJ in charge. Certainly I’d say they’re still better than the other sects, all things considered. One ambiguous situation that may or may not have involved some members of the previous generation doing some fucked up shit doesn’t mean WWX would for sure be mistreated! 

As for gossip... there’s a difference between sharing information and gossiping. There’s no evidence that the Lan women are blocked from... y’know, freely communicating and sharing information between themselves. We have no reason to believe they are reliant on gossip. Also they presumably go out night hunting just like the men? Men and women are kept separate in the Cloud Recesses, but I get the sense that that’s more like... school stuff than anything else. The women aren’t exactly locked up, they can be cultivators! The society is still sexist, but that doesn’t mean they’re kept from going out and doing things. And I need to make this clear: there is a fair chance that the rule against gossip saved LWJ’s life, because it kept word of him defending WWX from the sects from spreading to people who would not be willing to let bygones be bygones. Gossip sucks! It hurts people! A lot of this story (and more to the point the suffering of the characters within the story) happens because of gossip! The Lans banning gossip is pretty clearly supposed to be a good thing, I’d say.

And yeah, maybe after WWX killed a bunch of their sect the Lans wouldn’t accept him with open arms as if nothing ever happened! And that’s fair! I can’t imagine where WWX could go where that wouldn’t be the case, unless he and LWJ chose to abandon the cultivation world forever. But you know what else the Lans won’t do? Try to execute him. Or from what we see in the extras even dwell on the past that much. No, the Lans aren’t going to immediately forgive WWX and bring him into the fold without a moment’s hesitation, but you know what? They accept his marriage to LWJ! They let him supervise the juniors on night hunts! They consider him part of their sect! Honestly, that is all WWX can really ask and far more than he’d get from any other sect. There are consequences for what WWX did, even though he wasn’t the villain or necessarily trying to hurt anyone, and frankly people not being entirely comfortable with his presence is very much reasonable.

The “do not speak to WWX” rule may not be a joke, but it’s also pretty clearly not a serious rule. No one takes it seriously. The juniors (the only people WWX really talks to anyway aside from LXC and LWJ) only pay it the minimum lip service of talking to him off the path. WWX himself sure as hell doesn’t care! He clearly finds it pretty damn funny. And I don’t think a guy who has never liked him once again proving he does not like him (in a way that is clearly temporary given how later LQR invites WWX to the Lan family banquet with... reasonable amounts of grace, thereby implicitly accepting him as LWJ’s husband and therefore his own family by marriage) counts as a rejection or a breach of WWX’s trust? Like, LQR has literally always hated WWX. He isn’t preventing WWX and LWJ from spending time together or shutting WWX out of the Cloud Recesses or even making a concentrated effort to keep people from talking to him; he’s venting his frustrations, but if he really intended to block WWX from taking part in life in the Cloud Recesses he would’ve done a hell of a lot more than just make a rule who no one WWX likes follows anyway. It’s a temper tantrum, that’s all, and clearly that’s what WWX takes it as. I mean, if nothing else you can’t ban people from talking to the sect heir’s spouse indefinitely. That’s just not sustainable.

As for the rules... banning people from running in the Cloud Recesses and demanding proper posture during lessons doesn’t suggest to me that they wouldn’t allow stimming? ‘No running’ at least is a common rule... most places. It’s distracting, and can be dangerous. And the rule about sitting properly doesn’t mean “Don’t move at all ever”; it means... well, “sit properly”. Don’t slouch or sprawl across the floor. I see no reason why that wouldn’t preclude means of stimming that wouldn’t be disruptive (and given this is in a classroom environment “not disruptive” is kind of important). I mean, those rules certainly don’t suggest that they’re any worse than other sects, and given this is the sect that has magic music for calming people’s minds if any sect would give allowances for neurodivergence it would be this one. Also I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a song to put people to sleep, or medication that can help; this is a world with magic, after all, and if there’s a song that can put spirits to rest there are probably songs for human medicine and care. And of course there’s an element of conflicting needs; maybe the rules would screw you over, but frankly firmly enforced rules keeping people from running around or sprawling out of their seats would’ve been a godsend for me in school, given how much trouble I had focusing with people making noise around me. At the end of the day, is it guaranteed that the Lans would make allowances for people with needs that conflict with the Lan rules? No. But I’d argue it’s more likely that they would than any other sect. This is ahistorical fantasy ancient China, too; you can only expect so much in the mental health department. Still, a sect that literally invented magic music for calming the mind actually seems like the best choice for people with anxiety and such. There’s a reason why there are multiple fics that essentially set the Lans up as mental health experts in the setting!

Basically, a lot of your arguments seem to be issues that WWX would have in any sect. Unless he wanted to give up on the support of a sect altogether, they’re all things that he would have to work through or come to terms with. And of course... the most important point is that WWX is happy in the Lan sect. The extras make that clear. He has a home, duties that he enjoys performing, the love of his family and the support of his sect. He’s happy. I just... I do not understand why people keep feeling the need to try to make it angsty when the novel makes it clear that he genuinely enjoys his life in Gusu, and more than that that if he ever decided he didn’t enjoy it he could leave at any time. You have to remember that: if WWX wanted to leave... he would. He and LWJ would just go, and only come back occasionally so that LWJ could visit his home. Hell, LWJ would insist on leaving for WWX’s sake. So like... the Lan sect wouldn’t suit everyone, but WWX is quite content there and doesn’t want to leave. He’s happy and free to come and go as he wishes; there really isn’t anything to be concerned about there.

[misstrashchan]

Pyre/Greedling Meta:

I remember in the earlier volumes that a fair amount of people in the FNDM would compare Cinder to Lust from Fullmetal Alchemist, due to her femme fatale persona and voice seeming like an impression of Laura Bailey's Lust.

But as we learn more about Cinder and meet Salem in vol4, it's very clear that the version of herself she likes to present herself as is meant to come across as an impression, an imitation. Because she's trying to imitate Salem, the person who defines what power is to her.

And as that facade crumbles and we slowly start to see how deep Cinder's desires really run, it's far more clear to me that her character and story have much more in common with Greed, not Lust.

:read more:

Greed is the only homunculi who is willing to follow his deepest desires to the fullest, regardless of where that placed him. He was certainly willing to do evil, but wouldn't if that evil didn't personally benefit him. And, over time within the series, Greed comes to realise that his obsession with power, glory and seeking to become God, were nothing more than vain attempts to cover up his true emotional emptiness caused by a lack of connecting to others. And once he finds a cause and people to support who help and support him in turn, his character arc finishes with him, Greed, looking on all that he has, his friends, and is grateful. Content.

Which ties into the lesson of the Fall Maiden in the Tale of the Four Maidens in which Fall begs the Hermit to look around at all he has and be thankful. To be satisfied and content with oneself, which is a lesson Cinder has to learn in order to truly become a Fall Maiden.

Greed's desires are similar to Cinder's own ambition for power driven by her fear and insecurities, seeking to become a "godlike maiden badass" wanting to fill the emptiness and craving she feels, not yet realizing that this will not be what brings her true satisfaction to her, well, greed.

"Greed may not be good, but it's not so bad either. You humans think greed is just for money and power! But everyone wants something they don't have"

"You Atlas elites are all the same! You think hoarding power means you'll have it forever. But it just makes the rest of us hungrier! And I refuse to starve"."

I think it's very important to point out that Greed doesn't become good or redeem himself because he sees the error of his ways and wants to atone for the things he's done, rather he starts on the path to redemption by refusing to be a pawn to Father any longer, when realizing the power and glory he craves he wouldn't be able to obtain by staying and working underneath Father like the rest. His greed and dissatisfaction are what motivates him, though it is ultimately Ling who gives him the final push and convinces him to side with the protagonists.

And Cinder at the end of vol7 seems to be heading towards a crossroads of whether or not she'll stay with Salem, given how the Grimm arm that was "gifted" to her by Salem seems to be slowly consuming her body, she might have doubts about whether the kind of power Salem has promised her is really the kind of power she wants, and whether she's prepared to sacrifice herself to obtain it, or whether she could choose to strike out on her own. Again, some villains start on the path to redemption solely out of self interest.

It's also not just Greed's story I think Cinder's is remarkably similar to, but the stories of Ling and Pyrrha and the role they play in Greed and Cinder's stories, as their souls and stories are intrinsically intertwined.

The ouroboros tattoo and its meaning was the first thing that caught my attention, as it the ouroboros symbol represents eternal cyclical renewal. Of life, death and rebirth. And how that aligns with Pyrrha's incantation used to unlock Jaune's aura:

"For it is in passing we achieve immortality. Through this we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee"

Cinder also has a tattoo of her own symbol that appears after connecting to Amber's soul and taking half of her power, just like the ouroboros tattoo appearing after Greed and Ling's souls were intertwined and he had taken over his body. Cinder takes the other half of the maiden powers after Pyrrha had been bound to them as her and Amber's aura were intertwined, making it likely that Pyrrha is a part of Cinder in the same way Greed and Ling are.

Both Pyrrha and Ling are considered to be people in positions of power and prestige with great expectations placed on them that they intend to live up to. Ling as an Xingese prince, Pyrrha as a world renowned champion fighter and promising huntresses, the "invincible girl". Both agree to becoming a maiden/homuculus respectively, despite the inhumane means of doing so and risk to their body, soul and life, as they believe obtaining this power will help their people.

"We can't transfer Amber's power to you but we can give you what those powers are bound to."

"Her aura"

"Her life... would become intertwined with yours. The question is-"

"What's that gonna do to you?" - (RWBY Volume 3 Chapter 6)

Greed and Cinder's stories are body horror stories about what you'll sacrifice for power, and the power they are "gifted" by their masters, Father and Salem, is concentrated in their left arm.

Interestingly, Greed's power that transforms him into an inhuman monster is his "Ultimate Shield" that makes him invulnerable, which is the exact opposite of the "power" that Salem grants Cinder that slowly crawls up her left arm threatening to turn her into a monster makes her more vulnerable than most, because she doesn't have aura to protect those parts of her.

Both Greed and Cinder are the most defiant of their masters wishes, and often Father and Salem experience losses and failures because they underestimated Greed and Cinder's ambition. What should have been an easy win at Haven for Salem failed because Cinder was overly ambitious in her need to to win, to feel powerful, and Greed's betrayal of Father is simply because his own ambition is greater than his, thus he would never be content to work underneath him, to be less than him.

Both are charismatic individuals and good at convincing others to work with them. They like to surround themselves with others and both are the only ones under Father/Salem to have their own subordinates (Wrath doesn't count since it was always Father's intention to have him become Fuhrer). Despite them clearly needing human connection, their relationship with their loyal subordinates we are introduced to alongside them is... Not Super Great. They might care about them to a certain degree, but at the end of the day they ultimately view them as useful tools and possessions.

Both of them speak of an emptiness they feel inside of them:

"All of these souls inside of me, and yet I still feel so... empty"

"It's... an emptiness. It burns. Like a hunger."

It's ultimately Ling thst acts as Greed's consciousness, as when he doesn't show any remorse over killing Bido, the last of the old Greed's followers, on the orders of Father, Ling is the one who drags out all of his repressed emotion, being able to feel his pain and see his memories, he forces Greed to face them and how terribly he treated his "friends", and to reevaluate his priorities and self, pushing him away from Father.

"It's nothing personal. I'm just doing my job. I am sorry, honestly!"

"What have you done, Greed? Are you determined to prove you're a monster? What kind of sick creature... would kill his own friend!?"

"He wasn't my... friend..."

"Then why do you remember him? And are you gonna try and tell me Bido was just making everything up?"

"Those were the last Greed's memories! They're not mine!"

"THEN WHY ARE YOU IN SO MUCH PAIN!?

Pull yourself together, Greed. I'm warning you. I'll take this body back if you drop your guard"

"They aren't mine... Father purified me and purged the old Greed's memories. Those memories aren't a part of me any more!"

"No! You're wrong Greed! It's not that easy! They'll always be a part of you! You can't just erase them from your soul! They were the only part of you that you chose!"

"Look at them! Can you not hear their souls crying out? You abandoned them. Your real family! You threw them away like trash!"

"Fool. If you turned your back on something you wanted, YOU DON'T DESERVE TO CALL YOURSELF GREED!" (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood episode 44, Greed and Ling)

If Pyrrha were to return, it's likely she would manifest and communicate more directly with Cinder than maiden predecessors usually do (though in all fairness we don't know the details of if maiden predecessors do or not), being more similar to Ozpin and Oscar's situation, rather than just being a part of her soul, because of how unnatural her interference with the fall maiden's power transfer was. The way Ozpin looks and speaks about it makes it clear he knows there is a very good chance he was recreating his own curse the GoL bestowed on him, and that this isn't like when he was the Hermit, giving his magic happily to the Maidens.

There's also the parallels between Ozma and Pyrrha's situations too, and how readily they accept their mission and fate, and in how they die, and I believe we still haven't seen the full payoff to those parallels with Pyrrha.

When Ozma reincarnates the first time, it's implied that he completely overtakes Ozma 2.0/ Oisín/Diggs (why do we have so many names for him), having not yet learned how to live with the souls with which he had been paired. It's not until much, much later when Oz is beginning to have doubts about whether he should stay with Salem , but still continues to go along with her plans that Oisín makes himself known, (and we know Ozma isn't used to him communicating with him with how suprised and shaken he is by this, which is strange considering he's been paired with him for a long while, unless Oisín hadn't made himself known before this) and is the one who finally pushes Ozma to leave Salem.

"What are we doing?"

With Cinder returning to Salem's side, full of doubt of whether she can go through with Salem's plan for her, to hurt and destroy herself for this power, and Emerald and Mecury (probably Neo too) likely betraying and cutting ties with Cinder too, which is going to leave her full of even more doubt, hurt, anger and additional feelings of betrayal and confusion. And more than anything, alone. Which would be the ideal time for Pyrrha to say to Cinder like with Ozma, "What are we doing?" To push her to reevaluate her priorities and self.

Imagine Pyrrha finally being able to manifest or communicate with Cinder, realizing she's bound to the woman who killed her. Knowing her emotions and memories in their entirety, feeling her pain and anger as if it were her own. And Ruby describing her as "Pyrrha thought that if there was even the smallest chance of helping someone that it was a chance worth taking" the Pyrrha who told Jaune "Everyone needs a little help sometimes" understanding what Cinder went through, and that if she couldn't save the world or make it better by attempting to kill Cinder, then, maybe as she is now, the one thing she can do to help save the world, to make it a better place, is by helping Cinder be better, helping her use her talents for good, like a true maiden should? (On a more fun note, imagining Pyrrha deciding to help Cinder but not missing any opportunity to be a playfully snarky little shit towards her. Because what is Cinder gonna do? Kill her again? Like tell me Pyrrha would not Do Both. And Cinder's not sure which she hates more: Pyrrha teasing her or feeling sorry for her)

Another interesting thing is how in The World of RWBY: The Official Companion states that Salem's goal is to possess all four relics, and to absorb the power of all the Maidens, which she means to at some point, absorb Cinder's power. It's likely part of why she favours Cinder and has such an intimate relationship with her (the Relic of Choice might have played a role in why Salem chose Cinder specifically) That transition of maiden powers from Cinder to Salem would be made much more seamless for Salem if she was grooming Cinder to be more like her, and was slowly becoming more Grimm, if she was treating Cinder like an extension of herself, because to Salem, she would be. Which is again, similar to Father and Greed, as Greed literally was an extension of Father created from him, and absorbed back into him when he became too disobedient and remade and reborn again.

The finale of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood has Father absorbing Greed's philosopher's stone in an attempt to claim his power, but Greed ends up sacrificing himself by inverting his Ultimate Shield inside of Father, making his whole body incredibly fragile and vulnerable so Ed is able to defeat him. In the end, Greed ends up being the key to their victory against Father.

I want to make it clear that I don't personally think RWBY will end with Cinder dying or "defeating" Salem. At least, not in the traditional sense. I can draw as many comparisons as I like between Greed and Cinder but at the end of the day they're two different stories with different themes. And I don't believe that kind of ending would align with RWBY's. One of the themes of Cinder's story is to find a way to keep living no matter what. And as for Salem, the only way she can "die" is to learn the value of life and death, which would require a much more different approach.

But either way, I do believe Cinder will end up being their key to victory one way or another, similar to Greed.

[lunaefall]

RWBY Soundtrack Analysis: Rising

With the V7 outfits now done, I’m moving on to the extremely dope V6 soundtrack! Easily my favourite one by far, the songs, like always, don’t fail to impress, and Rising, the opening theme of the volume, sure is dope as hell!

Well, then. Let’s begin analysing this song for it’s awesomeness!

Stay close

Move fast

The darkness cannot last

No hope

No path

But we've got a dream to catch!

This opening already sets the general mood of the song — and it’s somewhat dark. Things are looking bleak for our heroes and they’ve got to stick together if they wish to survive. The situation with Salem’s immortality is looking hopeless, but even with this new development, Ruby and her friends choose to stay together and keep fighting for Remnant, because that’s their dream and what they signed up for — to protect people no matter the cost.

And we cannot wait

Trust the way we're made

The sparrow's born to fly

The mountains tower

The river knows to reach the sea

Rain will help the flowers be

We're the same, you and me

Even though the situation isn’t looking good for our heroes, they’re not going to sit on their asses and wait for the world to burn. Like certain things are meant to do what they do, like the sparrow is meant to fly and the mountains are meant to tower, the protagonists have to protect the people because that’s their job.

The lightning doesn't take advice from anyone

The willow doesn't need to learn to stand

As sun seeks day

We'll find our way

And we'll catch that dream together someday soon

We're rising like the moon

The heroes have spent the first five volumes of their miserable and pathetic lives listening to Ozpin’s crap without questioning whether he was being truthful or not, and with the recent developments regarding information on Salem, they’ve realised that they can’t let Ozpin decide what’s best for them.

Even though Ozpin is not a bad person, what he’s done by hiding important information is wrong and the entire team is upset. But that doesn’t mean they’re ready to surrender.

Like the lightning doesn’t need to listen to anyone’s BS and the willow can stand by itself, so can the heroes fight this war without listening to Ozpin. They’ll find a way out of this situation and, somehow, they’ll fulfill their duties as Huntsmen and Huntresses by saving the world.

Stand firm

Outlast

We won't be beaten by the past

One goal

One pact

Looking forward, never back

Even though the heroes have gone to hell and back before and during the events of this show, they won’t let their traumatic experiences bring them down. While they still carry the scars of their pasts, they won’t look back at the things they have endured. They choose to keep moving forward even with the pain.

And we're on our way

Love's the choice we've made

We're looking to the sky

The light will guide us

The rose will grow to be a seed

From every life, another leads

Born the way we're meant to be

The heroes choose not to be consumed by bitterness and hate, instead choosing to be guided by love and make peace with everyone. They’re still hopeful as they follow the light. Even though they’ve been through difficult situations, they can still be reborn and have a fresh start in life. Because that’s what they’re meant to do — keep fighting.

The sky is turning black

Light is fading fast

But we don't surrender

Shattering the night

Radiant and bright

Armored in splendor

Shining forever

The situation has grown dark, but with their hope and strength, the protagonists choose to bring light into the world and wash away the hopelessness and bitterness of everyone. Even though things don’t look too good, they’ll still have smiles on their faces and will never go back to their days of sorrow.

We are paragons of virtue and glory

Death can't bind our endless story

Infinite and unbound

This part of the song is no doubt about Pyrrha. She died fighting a battle she knew she wouldn’t win, but the point is that she knew her fate and made her decision anyway, because that was her job as a Huntress. Even though she’s long gone, she’ll always be remembered as a hero and a legend for as long as humanity is on Remnant. Her death was not in vain and the heroes refuse to let that be the case.

The basic message of this song is that, while the situation looks like a losing battle, our heroes will still fight till their last breaths because that’s their job. They won’t give up the fight no matter how hard it is to move on, because they’ve grown stronger and, even though they may bend, they won’t ever break.

I absolutely love the beat of the track, the gorgeous imagery in the lyrics and the message of the song. Basically, this is my favourite opening track of RWBY till date and my second-favourite anime opening in general, standing right below Unravel from Tokyo Ghoul.

[thecaffeinebookwarrior]

/1 What you said about Tumblr always being offended made me think about my favorite piece of classical literature: ‘Nathan the Wise’. Like. Of course it has issues. It was written in 1779 by a white christian preacher but takes place in Jerusalem during the Crusades with a Jewish Paragon as the MC. There is no way its not (rightfully) offensive too some. But it is so well intentioned that I just can't hate it.

/2 Like, in 1779 some random dude wrote a book that boils down to „Jews and Muslims are people too! Religious prosecution is stupid! Absolutism is stupid! Also, stop marrying your daughters to awful people, you dimwits!” (Though that’s more ‘Emilia Galottie’, to be honest). There are three woman in the play (gasp) and everyone is a fully fleshed out character. The antagonists are all Christians. The whole thing literally ends with all the ‘good guys’ having a feel-good hug-party. It’s adorable

/3 We all want to write something that’s perfect forever, but we can’t and everything has some kind of problem, but that doesn’t mean we have to hate everything that’s well-intentioned, but flawed. Thank you so much for that sentiment, because Tumblr really needs people like you who point that out! (I would say ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, while younger, would be an appropriate ‘american’ example.)

No problem, friend!  

As I’ve mentioned before, Tumblr’s obsession with ideological purity is borderline cult-like, and does a lot more harm than good.  We have people literally driving content creators to suicide because they draw fanart of fictional cartoon characters in a way that’s not to their liking.  

Ideological purity does not make a good piece of literature, and all fiction is influenced by the intrinsic biases of its era.  All we can do is try to improve.  And as I’ve mentioned before, it’s a hallmark of emotional maturity to wholeheartedly enjoy fiction while still keeping a critical eye towards its flaws.  One might argue that that’s the only way to enjoy fiction, as all fiction has flaws.  Human beings are flawed organisms, but we are improving.  And ideally, so is what we create.  

So stay strong, enjoy what you like, and keep an open mind towards its flaws.  Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.