#idk I think acknowledging all of the other insecurities and challenges brought up on the album in each song but ignoring that one

[slutabed]

anyway I simply think any workout instructor who teaches a class and uses the song “you’re on your own kid” but doesn’t say anything in response to the “i starved my body” line deserves to be fired on the spot

[stray-tori]

TPN S02E06 - Initial Thoughts (anime-only)

hhh everything went wrong with my reaction video this time - the video is lagging (so i replaced the screenrecording with the actual episode), also facecam broken so my friends won’t get to see me tearing up and the wrong mic input was recorded so I’m sorry for the shitty quality. I’m so upset :(

Edit: Google Drive Link! :)

.

I don’t even know what to really talk about because I liked everything?? it was such a good episode and I just... AHHH. I wish we had so much more of THIS. please give them more seasons.... ik its already too late for that but pleaseee fidusdj- they just... do so well when they adapt imo. the whole comparison panels I’ve seen of the interactions with Norman, I just... genuinely think it’s such a highpoint and they did so friggin well.

I just... I’m so sad this will likely be the last season. I hope we’ll get more, in whatever form. I know there’s the manga and unless we get an announcement about more anime content at light speed, I do plan on reading it! I just... I love the anime. And it’s art. The manga’s art is unique but the style isn’t my jam and some stuff just looks a bit too stylized for my liking hhhh-

That won’t stop me but... it does make me emotional, I guess.

Let’s hope they stay on this path now that they’ve joined back in with the manga, somewhat (still, you couldnt even give them 12 episodes??).

.

. the reunion

It gave me flutters!! it’s so nice and intimate and sweet and dusdhj- THE NORMAN SQUISH. And him noticing Emma’s ear is gone TvT Her sweet, kinda embarrassed “I left it back at home” efiojsd

also the clothing line here separates the two groups, alluding to the conflict between them later in the episode. They’re strangers on two sides, and Norman is the only connecting piece.

I didn’t really dislike anything aside from Ray being left out. I just wanted them both to run for him I guess :( though it makes sense to be more distant, he also was at the shipment itself but idk, it just makes Norman seem so,,, rude that he doesn’t acknowledge Ray at all until Emma is like “hey btw I brought him too” :”D

Slap kinda deserved, on multiple fronts haha-

Though the mutual “baka” calling between Norman and Ray was adorable duihdasjdas

.

. Emma’s arc

a few days ago, I made that whole “anime emma’s arc” post about her feeling useless and how that might come into play - and I do hope they address it and I think they kind of are? Because GF arc Emma was always ready to have her way, even if it seemed impossible.

Either way, I feel like part of why she didn’t speak up is kind of as alluded to, that she doesn’t feel like she has the right to when she doesn’t know any other way right now. And I hope that in the next few episode we will see her headstrong and do things and be pro-active and kind of challenge that and Norman.

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. Norman (+ his crew)

It was kind of on the nose when Norman held that whole speech about what she had said before, a small hint to it would have been enough I feel like, for the audience -- because I think realizing that part of his motivation in all of this was just her words and that he wanted to do that for her (I think that’s the implication) is really sweet. He is kind of the carrier here and I hope that will change because it feels like we haven’t earned this bio weapon at all - which is okay, because it probably won’t be the solution, so it’s more of a plot-moving element than an actual solution. And I hope that whatever the solution really does entail will feel less like an ass-pull and more deserved.

I feel it may have been interesting to have a pov switch somewhere in ep4 or ep5 to Norman and what he’s been up to. The reveal was kind of “...? okay?” anyway so I feel like that would have made things a little interesting, but I also really enjoy getting to know his squad now.

I’m also HIGHKEY SUS (all alarm bells are ringing) at Norman being like “Oh I just did tests” like.... BABY. PRECIOUS SON, ARE YOU PRETENDING EVERYTHING’S FINE AGAIN?

The fact that Norman didn’t bother explaining further just solidifies (to me, anyway) that he’s avoiding talking about it somewhat. He spoke about it very distantly and from an objective viewpoint.

Alone getting that tattoo on his chest must have hurt a lot. So. Please, give me a lot of angst, CW.

I hope both him and his crew will get some flashbacks or trauma moments to really solidify how badly they’ve been treated (and deliver some juicy angst).

I really loved the close-up on the meat Barbara was eating in that scene too. I felt like it didn't even have to spell it out for us that they're eating demon meat but. Oh well - it was well conveyed but I guess the characters had to confirm.

I also love that whole part about how he’s always cold to them auidhjhs - I really do feel like making a gif out of that haha.

Lambda person: “Boss?” Norman: “What? :/” Emma/Ray: “Norman!” Norman: “Yes? :)”

Also only vaguely related but what’s with people who are made to be eaten, in a state of “dead??? who knows” and then coming back as a “boss” :D Yes I’m talking about beastars.

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. Mujika

Norman called her the “evil-blooded girl” and the old guy called the temple “evil-blooded” too. And he said it wasn’t a place for kids to be --- and he likely assumed that they were demon kids.

Also some nice clue before we even know to connect Mujika with the temple.

A demon temple that’s “evil-blooded” and too dangerous for demon kids?

It could just be because it’s a ruin, but he IS praying for the world to change there. Mujika seems to be able to maintain her form without eating humans, so maybe that’s what this is all aiming towards.

I guess it also means that the statue with the violet veil is Mujika??? She does have purple hair I suppose.

At first, I was surprised that Norman recognized her just by the description - there’s more than one demon girl :D but I guess only one demon girl who doesn’t need to eat humans? - and I thought he may have crossed paths with her.

But for that to be the case AND for him to assume she’s alive because Emma and Ray have met her, it can’t mean he actually MET her. Because well, RayEm met her like 2 months after his shipment. Assuming he didn’t break out immediately, he couldn’t have met AND tried to do something to her (likely kill). So my guess is that she’s some sort of legend or diety or just like, commonly known and she’s supposedly dead and he’s shocked because she isn’t.

He also first asked “where did you hear about that?” assuming he also only heard about it. Norman's reaction to them having met them also isn't "when?" (so he could confirm if it was after or before his supposed encounter with her), it's shock that they met her AT ALL. Which to me, implies that she's supposedly dead (which lines up with the temple in ruin, so something happened to her line, or whatever she's a part of). And since Norman couldn't have met her before their escape (Mujika hasn't seen a human when they meet the GF escapees), that's my conclusion.

Assuming she’s dead also makes sense since her (religion’s) temples seem to be in ruin. maybe that’s why no other demons seem to have that ability (that we know of), because it was lost when her presence was destroyed (therefore the ruins) or something of the sort.

She’s never seen a human before apparantly though, so I’m not sure what exactly that means. She doesn’t seem to have wanted freedom for humans prior to meeting them either (she only seemed hesitant about eating them after all that), so I’m not sure what her own motivation in having that sort of religion would even be.

There’s of course also sonju, so maybe it is after all a religion-thing? Who knows-

.

As I’ve talked about before, I think it makes a lot of sense if the demons are part of the solution, I’m just really curious what that solution actually entails for the demons / what exactly Mujika is. I still think it’s plausible that another promise between Mujika and Emma will happen, considering the narrative mirroring TPN does a lot.

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. other random stuff

there’s mass production farms! I shouldn’t be surprised, but I hope we get to know more about those (likely not since yknow 5 episodes left and all that)

I also liked how they showed the different plants while talking about it, mirroring how we too mutated plants and some animals to further benefit our needs and exploitation...

The pep talk from Ray was good and the sunrise was SO BEAUTIFUL, TAKE ME NOW ANIMATORS

generally the animation, especially in the trio scene and the lambda squad hideout scenes, was so BEAUTIFUL

I liked that I kept joking about how the WM system was rly insecure if a random guy just dropped the pen for Krone to find, but NOW WE HAVE CONFIRMATION IT WAS INTENTIONAL and Smee is truly the MVP / big brain puppet master of this series.

It did seem kind of weird that Norman just left like "yeah this will probably be discovered soon. anyway, I'm leaving you here to go to my base, see ya" - LIKE BRO TAKE THEM WITH YOU SO YOU CAN PROTECT THEM IF THEY SHOW UP LIKE, TONIGHT

[sandcrowned]

why i think ozymandias and gilgamesh would get along

is this a meta??? a shitpost?? me just fucking rambling? we don't know. no one really knows. no one ever asks anymore. i don't know how i am. i am not okay maybe but i'm going to start about my two favorite servants! ramesses ii or better known in fate as ozymandias, and our dear king of heroes gilgamesh. we're going to leave aesthetics aside because it's obvious that these two asshats are in love with the color gold and with a very good reason. im also gonna leave their noble phantasms out because while gate of babylon and ramesseum tentyris are both representations of their glory in life, the same could be said with other servants.

prideful, arrogant, powerful... what have you. these two have a lot in common but i think it runs deeper than that or maybe it's just me tryna be deep but i will start with their identity. ozymandias is a pharaoh who believed himself as someone rivaling even the gods. that he stands alongside them. that he can be considered as one because of his reputation, and one not entirely undeserved. then there's gilgamesh, someone who is 2/3 a god. he's a demigod, who also thought of himself highly, and that's because he had every right to be. he demonstrated that enough to his people, so much that it troubled even the gods. so what do they have in common in regards to this? in spite of their prowess and domineering personality, what they were blind to initially is that they could still be considered human. suddenly that human part was something they forced themselves to feign as they went on with life.

both their stories revolved around them being challenged to the point wherein they realized their own mortality. ramesses was acknowledged as the greatest pharaoh to ever exist, in some cases it's exaggerated, but there's no denying that he was certainly the most well known. he was such a great architect, a good ruler to the point it scared even his own people at times. but what else? even as he announces himself as equal with his gods in his time alive, he lamented the fact that he was born into a mortal body. he was insecure because he was made aware of his limited time on the world. he had forgotten that humans become weak over time, and that made him hate himself so much, so much that even as a servant, he still laments that he was not born into a god’s body. then we have gilgamesh, who also realized this as he continued on his days as king of uruk. the fact that reminded him of his own limitations as someone who was not fully a god was the death of his own friend. seeing enkidu's decaying corpse with maggots made him hurl and afraid that he would also end up like that-- a sand in the air, leaving nothing but only his legacy, which will someday perish and forgotten.

these two were so detached to other people that the only people who could claim to know them in full are so little. they've invested their trust to only one person because they didn't think anyone else was worthy of their company in that aspect. ozy had moses. gilgamesh had enkidu. when that person left their life, they were suddenly a different being. moses leaving egypt perpetuated ozy's cultural mindset about being a pharaoh, about what it meant to be egypt's king. meanwhile enkidu dying made gilgamesh seek out a way to escape his only weakness-- and that was his capacity to die. in this regard, ozy is certainly the luckier one. aside from moses, he also had nefertari. he had a loving family to cling onto when there was no 'moses' to fill the gaps of loneliness that stayed with him. gilgamesh had no one. he sought out the potion of immortality alone. had suffered in his journey. while he did gain it in the end, it hadn't been easy even to someone like him who was undeniably monstrously strong. gilgamesh for the first time in his life was made to realize what a challenge meant. him succeeding in his expedition was the true proof of his solid want to become immortal. only for what? only for a snake to steal it in the end.

but the good part about gilgamesh being unable to drink the potion of immortality is that, he had been given the chance to look back at uruk with such ardor. that this is the uruk he ruled. the uruk he had created. the people who adored him and acknowledged him as their king. that suddenly immortality became less tempting, and he had come to terms with his humanity and had learned to move forward without enkidu in his mind. he clung to the memory of his friend from time to time, but it became a healthy kind of reminiscing. he smiled, grew old, became the king enkidu would have been proud of and died content.

then you compare this to ozy, who after the plagues had nothing to him. not his most beloved wife. not his first born. not even his brother who left yet again and never returned. moses died even without reaching the promised land. in spite of that, moses believed he had taken the right path. meanwhile ozy could clung to nothing but his faith and the lingering memories of the people he had lost. not his just his family, but the people of egypt who had to suffer because of his pride and how the hebrew god strengthened his heart so he would not relent until all the plagues were unleashed. he remained as the pharaoh and in his rule egypt regained its footing, but it was never the same egypt that he was proud of. it was just the egypt wherein he lived, and where his people and family died. there was nothing he could do to prevent his own mortality. he was forced to come to terms with it by suffering in loneliness. but you know what’s good? ozy finally understanding moses’ feelings, and that he was ignorant of other people’s lives because he basked in nothing but privilege his entire life.

what makes this so different yet so endearing is the fact that conflict with gilgamesh and enkidu happened at the beginning. enkidu wishing to teach this arrogant asshat a lesson to treat his people better. and what? it ended up well. gilgamesh became the king his people was proud to serve just because this clay hairy creature who somewhat looks like one of his temple harlots managed to give him a fight he could neither win or lose. compare this to ozy and moses wherein the conflict happened at the end. they were on good terms in the beginning, their relationship being full of nothing but love, but ended in drastic measures and given an ending that is far from happy and acceptable at that.

it's also important to note that both ozy and gil were treated like they were strange because of their extraordinary greatness. enkidu realized that gilgamesh was someone lonely because no one could really handle him. no one could really rival him. moses, too, realized this with ozy because he was going to become a pharaoh, and pharaohs were seen as rulers who had to make inhuman decisions for the greater good. that certain isolating nature that ozy and gil have, could only be broken by moses and enkidu respectively, so losing that person, the person whom they've entrusted their smiles, sadness and wishes towards, brought so huge of an impact that both of them had been changed forever, and there was nothing that could return them to how they were before-- gilgamesh only improved, then ozy only became worse.

like they're both arrogant scumbags because they know. THEY KNOW THEY'RE SO GREAT. THEY KNOW THEY'RE SO AWESOME. THEY KNOW THEY'RE SO INCOMPARABLE TO THE REST. even then, they have hearts. they can love people and devote themselves to others given the right approach. moses had always approached ozy with care and love, because his father never really treated him like a son. enkidu was never afraid to call out gil with his shit, and that somehow helped gilgamesh because no one was brave enough to point out his flaws-- to understand him beyond what he chooses to show to others. not to mention??? they’re both??? parent loving boys. ozy respected his parents. gil respected his parents. in spite of their self-awareness when it came to their disposition, they have never once forgotten their roots.

these two would get along because of their oh so similar circumstances in life, and would also come to share the same mindset. but the difference that sticks with me the most is how gilgamesh entirely separated himself with the gods. and then you have ozy, the very religious pharaoh who feels a deep spiritual connection to his patrons. i think it would be interesting if the two could talk about their beliefs and realize their differences on their own. but also?? talk about how proud they are of the kingdom they’ve led??? how important moses and enkidu are to them??? like??? i want this. i want this so much typemoon.

and idk i just love them