#literary analysis is my special interest

[andrewwtca]

on Sephiroth's manipulation of Cloud (an analysis)

— Rebirth + OG FF7 spoilers

how Rebirth tackled puppet Cloud is so unique and so so good, and I just needed to talk about it. first things first, let’s talk about what Sephiroth means by ‘puppet.’

throughout the OG FF7 and Rebirth, Sephiroth refers to Cloud as a ‘puppet.’ it may seem strange at first glance, because it seems to imply that Sephiroth is manually taking control of Cloud, puppeteering him or that Cloud is inherently empty.

it also doesn’t fit with his encouragement of Cloud’s rage. if Cloud is a puppet, why doesn’t Sephiroth just give him rage?

because that’s not what he means. when Sephiroth calls Cloud a puppet, he means that Cloud’s mind can easily be shaped, similar to how a puppet’s identity is dependent on its master. he says that what Cloud feels is fake because Cloud’s mind is a collage of identities, his own and Zack’s, all with Jenova’s and Sephiroth’s influence. Cloud’s feelings are just his master’s feelings.

Cloud’s mind is malleable. he is his own person, the real Cloud Strife is there, but due to the self-esteem issues he’s harbored since childhood and the trauma he’s endured for the past five years, the presenting Cloud Strife can greatly differ. Sephiroth is intensely aware of this, and takes advantage of it.

the persona we see of Cloud is his SOLDIER persona, the tough badass he always wanted to be, a mixture of his interpretation of Zack and his interpretation of being a hero. but the facade cracks quickly and frequently, in either direction. mostly, it cracks to let us see the real Cloud. there’s no one single moment where he shines through: Cloud taking on odd jobs with no real gain other than him helping someone, Cloud doing something stupid and silly, Cloud getting flustered. all the moments of him being kind and dorky is the real Cloud shining through. it’s impossible for Cloud to bury all of himself beneath his persona, so these cracks are only natural. however, the other cracks in his persona are due to Sephiroth’s manipulation.

in Rebirth, Cloud kills multiple people on multiple occasions—one can argue because they were Shinra, they deserved it, but that doesn’t change the fact that Cloud isn’t a killer. even his SOLDIER persona accommodates his desire to help people; so how does he kill people so easily? if you answered Sephiroth, you get a prize!

Sephiroth manipulates his SOLDIER persona in two ways: feeding into ideals and planting ideas. for the first, he (off-screen) encourages violent and/or anti-social behavior in Cloud. while we, the player, and everyone around him views this as strange, in Cloud’s mind, it all fits into what he’s supposed to be. he’s supposed to be a badass, and badasses kill people and dismiss their friends’ feelings, right?

when Cloud is in this mental state, it’s very hard to reason with him. in Chapter 13 (one of the greatest pieces of puppet Cloud literature), Cloud’s entire goal is to reach the center of the Temple in order to acquire the Black Materia. he doesn’t listen to any warnings that the Cetra give or his teammates, becoming wholly focused on retrieving it. but even then, even if Cloud’s behavior doesn’t seem strange to him, why does he want the Black Materia?

that’s due to Sephiroth’s other form of manipulation: planting ideas. it’s easy to force Cloud to become violent because it fits the narrative of badass SOLDIER, but lots of other ideas need time to nourish. case-in-point: Tifa isn’t the real one.

we are introduced to this idea at the very beginning of the game, Cloud walking through the inn at Kalm when he sees Sephiroth who tells him that this Tifa isn’t the real one. the conflict seems to become resolved when Cloud repeats the idea to Tifa who completely dismisses it, but they’re nowhere out of the woods.

next, Sephiroth in Chapter 5 instills the idea that Jenova is capable of impersonation. this doesn’t seem to go anywhere until Chapter 9.

first, Cloud enters that intensified SOLDIER state-of-mind, killing all the Shinra troopers around him. with his mind already fragile, Sephiroth repeating the idea to him now becomes fact: Tifa isn’t real. she is an imposter from Jenova. both the ideas Cloud’s been fed are twisted and he pushes Tifa off the edge.

Cloud snaps out of this state of mind right after, but it doesn’t change the fact that it happened. as long as Sephiroth plays his cards right, he can manipulate Cloud into doing nearly everything for him. hence, the ‘puppet’ label.

(that’s also why Cloud wants the Black Materia. Sephiroth tells Cloud to bring him the Black Materia—and even if Cloud doesn’t want to, the thought is engraved in his head that he should retrieve it for Sephiroth.)

but here’s what’s really special. as we’ve noted, the intensified SOLDIER persona is violent, anti-social, just an all around dick. he doesn’t care about his friends, doesn’t care about anything except getting what he wants (see: what Sephiroth wants.)

but we see something very different at the end of Chapter 13. Cloud isn’t rude and dismissive. he pushes Tifa, but he doesn't do it with the same malice as in Chapter 9. he does it in an attempt just to get her away, just to chase after the Black Materia.

in his pursuit of Aerith, the things he says are the farthest thing from rude. he’s not threatening or demanding her to stop. he’s asking her to talk, appealing to her desire to trust him and save the planet, even starts calling her name in a teasing way like he’s playing a game.

Aerith! Let's talk. I need it... Aerith... Give it to me. Please? You can trust me. Let's save the planet together. (playfully) Aerith.

when Aerith finally gives him the Black Materia, what does Cloud do? he could just walk away. he could just run straight to Sephiroth. but, no—he makes sure to say “thank you” first.

it’s pathetic (I type this in the most endearing way) the way Cloud acts. why is that? what is the difference between these types of manipulation? the answer is who Sephiroth manipulates. for the most part, Sephiroth manipulates SOLDIER Cloud. but here, Sephiroth breaks through Cloud’s SOLDIER persona to manipulate the real Cloud.

we know when we see the real Cloud: if you need a refresher, anytime Cloud is kind or acts like a dork is usually a tell-tale sign. here, Cloud is kind, saying please and thank you. and it’s almost cute, the way he playfully calls out to Aerith. this is the real Cloud, buried under piles of piles of trauma, self-hatred, and alternative personas.

and what is the real Cloud’s utmost desire? to love and be loved. he wants to be a hero, to be worthy of the ones he holds dear; no, to be worthy of anyone. this is a big factor into Cloud’s construction of his SOLDIER persona, he creates himself that hero mask that he thinks will lead to the love he craves.

Sephiroth knows this, and twists his desire to be a hero to a desire to please Sephiroth at all costs. Cloud is still himself, but he wants to make Sephiroth happy no matter what. Sephiroth wants the Black Materia? then Sephiroth will get the Black Materia.

that’s what’s so heartbreaking (and deliciously good) about Rebirth’s depiction of puppet Cloud. he’s not hollow and empty. he’s desperate. this is the most of the real Cloud we get to see. we see fragments of him, but here is the longest consecutive period. this is the realest he acts in the game, kind and silly and so fucking desperate for love, for Sephiroth’s approval.

in short, Sephiroth knows exactly how and when to break Cloud. he knows how and when to manipulate SOLDIER Cloud and he knows how and when to manipulate the real Cloud. this is why Sephiroth calls him a puppet: as long as he plays to Cloud’s desire for approval and love, he can puppeteer him in every direction.

thank you for reading! I hope you learned something new or just understand Cloud better. Cloud is such a fascinating character and Sephiroth really brings out the most pathetic parts of him ❤️ here's to hoping Cloud gets all the love he wants

[ultimateinsomniac]

hopping up on my special interest soap box to say: i think we as a fandom should discuss the satire in danganronpa V3 more.

idk if it is just me but i have always viewed this game as a satire, if only just because of the ending. it exagerrates the formula set up by the previous games to criticize the current state of media and media consumption. i know a lot of people in the fandom don't like V3, and i think that is by design. it is ridiculous, it is over the top, the ending is a punch to the face, but it's all on purpose. you're supposed to be uncomfortable because it is a satire. (of course you don't have to like the game, i just think it is intentionally like that)

the whole theme of fiction vs reality is put in there intentionally to make fun of the fandomization of danganronpa, as well as to poke at game studios and companies that put out media in general. tsumugi, in my interpretation, is representative of danganronpa fans (hence why she's the ultimate cosplayer). she is the mastermind. you aren't supposed to like her. her insistence on the idea that "fiction doesn't affect reality" is a direct criticism of that exact idea in real life fandom. the idea that this is the "53rd" danganronpa is directly making fun of other pieces of media "jumping the shark" because fans insist upon it. this is not to say you can't like tsumugi, i think you absolutely can, i just think her character represents some key ideas relating to the satire of the game.

this is why everything in the game is SO over the top. kirumi being the prime minister, korekiyo both having DID AND being a serial killer in a reference to the first game, EVERYONE'S over the top backstories (gonta and keebo come to mind), it's all acting as an exaggeration of common tropes (albeit highly problematic in several areas, not trying to excuse those aspects by any means).

and then there's kaede. they set her up as a strong female protagonist, only to kill her chapter 1 to be replaced by a male protag. on paper this is very misogynistic, but in the context of satire it is an exaggeration of the danganronpa formula. of course we couldn't have a female protag in a main line game, of course it would have to be a man. shuichi having a secret ahoge only adds to this; it's making fun of the trope. the best part is that i truly do love both of these characters, and their role in the satire doesn't diminish the excellent writing that went into them and the story.

this entirely shapes how i view this game. it manages to tell an incredibly compelling story with very complex characters while making fun of itself at the same time (as a good satire should). i know a lot of people have said they feel like the writers of v3 must have hated danganronpa, and while i see exactly what they mean i don't think that's necessarily true. i think it was an intentional choice as a work of satire.

i can see an intense love behind the writing of this game. the characters are rich and the story is compelling. the ending just serves to send home the point they wanted to make. i think it adds a really beautiful perspective to the danganronpa series as a whole.

[zenlesszonezero]

[scorpiusmalfoylovesoscarwilde]

one of my favourite past times is researching my special interests as if I don't already know all the information I'm seeing. I love googling and reading things like yep knew that yep knew that yep knew that like of course you know that you idiot you only googled this yesterday there isn't going to be anything new 😭

[denkies]

Infodumping in my mutuals dms as a form of affection, like a cat bumping their head against you <3

[riverssongs13]

People talking about autism: "neurodivergent this, neurospicy that"

Which is all and good but, I have a love-hate relationship with my brand of the spicy brain.

Yesterday I saw a random TikTok video that discussed how Mahler's Ninth symphony was not merely just of "death" but is quite decidedly "of dying". The video was showcasing how the audience was amazingly able to keep the last 6 minutes of controlled silence in the 9th's finale without any noise, no clapping, nothing.

The video then talked about how Mahler's Ninth is the greatest representation of the process of dying, and how the last two pages of the score runs for nearly 6 minutes despite the scarcity of notes, with the last note marked as "passing away", this last section being just an extended act of disintegration of life. The whole orchestra holding the music as long as they can, clinging on to the silence until its inevitable end.

And so upon reading that description my coffee-addled brain said, hey that sounds like The Locked Tomb series and all the characters from the Ninth House! Music and Necromancy goes brrr! And they're both NINTH so surely there must be some connection there! I must investigate this seemingly irrelevant, unconnected thing about two of my special interest!

Fast forward to now and I've spent the entire night reading countless articles, analyses, and blogposts about Mahler, I've halfway finished about three dissertations on his music, I've pirated a couple books and biographies, learned of leitmotifs, "birds", Leitklänge, and idiophonic sound symbols, and I've listened to all 90 glorious minutes of the Ninth quite repeatedly.

Which is to say, I'm definitely in over my head because the level of analysis Brain wants requires years and years of music theory that I simply do not possess, but stubborn Brain says it must be done no matter what. After a whole day of staring at musical notes and listening to literary words, one thing I can decidedly opine about is that there are parallels between the whole Locked Tomb series and the four structural movements of Mahler's Ninth:

I. Andante comodo (D major) - Gideon the Ninth II. Im Tempo eines gemächlichen L��ndlers. Etwas täppisch und sehr derb (C major) - Harrow the Ninth III. Rondo-Burleske: Allegro assai. Sehr trotzig (A minor) - Nona the Ninth IV. Adagio. Sehr langsam und noch zurückhaltend (D♭ major) - Alecto the Ninth, once it gets published

I have yet to form a deeper impression on all this but, I just find it funny how indeed, the movements somewhat represent the titular characters and their experiences, based on the titles alone. Andante comodo - comfortably at a moderate tempo. (If that doesn't scream GIDEON I don't know what does lol) Im Tempo eines gemächlichen Ländlers. Etwas täppisch und sehr derb - At the pace of a leisurely Ländler. A bit clumsy and very rough (our Lady Harrowhark, post-lobotomy, bleeding ears and all).

Admittedly, I haven't finished Nona, and we're still collectively suffering Alectopause, but movements III and IV are Rondo-Burleske: Allegro assai. Sehr trotzig - Very cheerful, very defiant; and Adagio. Sehr langsam und noch zurückhaltend - very slow and still reserved. Do with that information what you will. (I'm still betting it'll ring quite true for Alecto once it's out).

So there. This is currently eating at my neurons. The next few days or weeks will have no music save the Ninth, or until this particular itch gets scratched/gets replaced. Faaaaak. I truly envy neurotypicals who do not suffer these kinds of sudden obsessions. How quiet must your brains be. 🥴

[wisteriaovermyhightops]

Taylor Swift as a special interest

Pros:

Constant content

The gaylor community

In depth discussions on fame, queer history, lyrical analysis, literary analysis

Really great music

Cons:

If I listen to her music before bed i can’t sleep (not her fault)

When a new album comes out I have to detox for entire weeks for the first couple months or else I can’t sleep, my brain just keeps repeating lyrics (not her fault)

Bullying for engaging in said special interest from a gaylor perspective (she could say something but mainly the bullies fault)

Saying she wanted to be on the right side of history but refusing to comment on Gaza (her fault)

[zenlesszonezero]

[otaku-tactician]

for anyone who is interested in free webinars related to Japanese studies on youtube concerning topics such as:

tokugawa era

samurai

east asia pacific and east asia current geopolitical information

food culture and history

yokai

mythology

sexuality in japan

gender

fashion

kawaii culture, etc etc

Japan foundation new york (in the 'live' category): they have a lot of seminars on video games in japan based on a more thematic, cultural and social analysis as well as literary. they do similar analysis for other popular culture such as manga, shojo manga, bl manga etc

just cuz it aint easy finding resources if one is studying japanese culture (jstor was my saviour)

[barricadescon]

Schedule for Barricades 2024, Saturday, July 13th

Good morning! It's time for the second day of Barricades 2024!

Saturday, June 13th

All times are in UTC, and can be converted to your local time zone at this link.

Key to types of Panels:

Convention Administration panels: Panels run by the Con Committee, to open and end the convention.

Guest of Honor: Special panels from our guests of honor. This year, our guests of honor are Jean Baptiste Hugo, a descendant of Victor Hugo who will discuss his project photograph his ancestor’s house; Christina Soontornvat, the author of the award-winning Les Mis retelling “A Wish in the Dark;” and Luciano Muriel, playwright of the 2018 musical play “Grantaire.” 

Fan/Academic Panel Presentations: Panels on history, fandom, or analysis of Les Mis. Scholars will share historical research, fans will share hobby projects, and the audience may get an opportunity to ask questions. 

Social Meetups: Casual unstructured time to meet up over video call and chat!

Social Games: Games and activities.

Guest of Honor: The Photography of Jean Baptiste Hugo

Saturday, 15:00-16:00 UTC

Session Type: Guest of Honor

Presented by: Jean Baptiste  Hugo

Recorded: yes

Jean Baptiste Hugo is the great-great-grandson of Victor Hugo. He has extensively photographed Hugo’s home in exile on Guernsey, which Victor Hugo decorated following his own aesthetic philosophies–in particular, the journey from darkness into light, which we see reflected throughout Hugo’s literary career. M. Hugo will share his photographs and discuss Hauteville House as a physical realization of his ancestor’s ideas.

Reflecting on Directing Les Mis

Saturday, 16:00-17:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Cait

Recorded: yes

In Cait’s words: “I directed an amateur production of Les Mis at the end of last year, and would love to talk about how that went and share snippets from the show and behind the scenes. This will include talking about adapting Les Mis for the space and budget, approaches to certain scenes, dual casting lead roles, and probably raving about my lovely cast.”

The Fallibility of History in Les Misérables 

Saturday, 16:00-17:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Syrup 

Recorded: yes

Throughout Les Misérables, Hugo often reminds readers that what they are reading is derived from some form of documentation or hearsay. While this serves to provide credibility to the tales he is sharing, there are certain moments where Hugo opts out of describing exact details, despite his efforts at a historically-accurate record. In this panel, I will take a look at these instances where Hugo either addresses or obfuscates these events, and how by doing so, he reveals the fallibility of history, and highlights how history documentations are not always as reliable as they seem. Thesis: By crafting Les Misérables as a form of historical documentation, Hugo reveals the fallibility of history, and readers are able to understand how history and history documentation are not always as reliable as they seem.

Break  

Saturday, 17:00-18:00 UTC

What Horizon: Tragedies, Time Loops, and the Hopefulness of Les Amis

Saturday, 18:00-18:30  UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Percy

Recorded: yes

In Percy’s words: “I have directed a staged reading of the play and will have video clips to show! My play is focused on the rebellion and Les Amis; it aims to give the barricades the attention they often lack in adaptation and develop the individual characters of the insurgents. I’m working to make this episode of the Hugo novel and its historical context accessible to audience members who may not be familiar with the source material, while hopefully also bringing something new to the story for longtime fans.

One aspect of the story I’m particularly interested in examining is the persistent sense of hope associated with the barricades, despite the insurgents’ eventual defeat and the previous failure of the July Revolution. Linking the seemingly cyclical process of revolution and restoration, the metatheatrical tradition of tragedies aware of their own repetition in performance before the audience, and the nature of Les Misérables itself as a story that has been told and retold countless times, I hope to show the audience the worth of the insurgents’ struggle and the importance of their continued efforts. Many adaptations construe the rebellion as futile or as solely a tragic story, so I would like my adaptation to counter that idea, as Les Amis grapple with the meaning of their sacrifice and the impacts of their actions.

In a presentation, I would discuss these ideas with reference to Hugo’s original text and the ways in which the rebellion has been changed in adaptation, as well as other works that inspired me (namely Hadestown and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead). I’d discuss the choices I made in my adaptation process and show clips from the staged reading, touching on the different characters and the historical setting as well as the overarching themes with which I engaged.”

Cosette: A Novel, The (Fanmade) Sequel to Les Misérables

Saturday, 18:30-19:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: IMiserabili

Recorded: yes

This presentation is  a deep-dive into the 1995 fanfiction “Cosette” by Laura Kalpakian. It will include a short background on the author and the publication, a summary of the plot, an analysis of represented historical events in the work, character analyses and comparisons to the source material and other Les Mis adaptations, and memorable quotes. 

Musical Eponine and Grantaire in song and lyric edits: Personal research on their development

Saturday, 18:00-19:00 UTC

Session Type: Panel Presentation

Presented by: Ruth Kenyon

Recorded: yes

In Ruth’s words: “I’m an older musical Les Misérables fan who has watched the show develop from its beginnings at the Palace Theatre. I have a special interest in how the lyrics and the characters have changed over time. As plenty of people know now, I am also writing a book on the musical using these experiences. I’m working on Eponine’s chapter at the moment, and while I know fans have a lot of love for as she is now, I feel quite upset to see what happened to her as she was developed from the original French version of the musical. She seems to have lost quite a lot of emotional agency along the way. Grantaire has also changed over time; he was cut before the previews and there was a big re-write of his character when the show went to Broadway, but I really like what they have done with his character. I’ll provide examples of all this detail with material from my book and (trying) to sing bits of lyrics to explain what has happened to the characters.”

Barricades as a Tactic: How Do They Work?

Saturday, 19:00-20:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Lem

Recorded: No

This session will explore the tactical and strategic uses of barricades, with an eye towards what to consider when writing both canon-era fanfiction and modern AUs. After all, the strategic goals towards which the barricades were used in canon-era urban warfare were often quite different from the strategic goals of similar-looking tactics in contemporary protest movements. Core components of the session will be a map-based analysis of July 1830, a comparison with June 1832 highlighting strategic goals and considerations canon-era characters would have, and an exploration of various parallels among contemporary protest tactics (which may or may not *look* like barricades).

Meetup: Musical Fans

Saturday, 19:00-20:00 UTC

Session Type: Social Meetup

Presented by: Erin

Recorded: No

A casual place to meet up with other fans and discuss the musical!

Break

Saturday, 20:00-21:00 UTC

Why is There a Roller Coaster in Les Mis? The Strange History of the Russian Mountains

Saturday, 21:00-22:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Peyton Parker/Mellow

Recorded: Yes

In Les Miserables there is an actual canon scene where Fantine rides a roller coaster. How did a roller coaster end up in Paris in 1817? And why did this ride, one of the world's first wheeled Roller Coasters, make a cameo in Victor Hugo’s novel?

It’s “Les Mis Meets Defunctland.”

We’re going talk about the earliest origins of the Russian Mountains, the fascinating history behind how they came to France, their many connections to the political turmoil of the time period, what they felt like to ride, why they were shut down, how they fell into obscurity, and why Victor Hugo included them in Les Miserables. It’s time for a roller coaster digression.

Fanfic Round Robin

Saturday, 22:00-23:00 UTC

Session Type: Social Game

Presented by: Featheraly

Recorded: No

Participate in a round robin to help write a fic together!

Obscure(-ish) Les Mis Adaptations To Watch

Saturday, 23:00-23:30 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Pureanon

Recorded: Yes

Les Mis has been adapted many times over the years, and this means there’s a lot of adaptations to enjoy. Because of this, a lot of adaptations are underviewed or underappreciated. I’d like to use this panel to discuss some of my favorites/the most unique — 1925, 1948, 1967, and 1995. These are all very different, and aside from all being ones I enjoy, they’re fascinating looks at how different countries and different time periods adapt this story. 

The adaptations I’ve chosen are both some of the best and some of the worst out there, but they’re all unique. 1925 is one of the most faithful adaptations out there, and it uses the medium of silent film to full effect. 1948 has Valean get shot at multiple times in the opening minutes, and the revolutionaries fight with BARRELS in the barricade. 1967 is half one of the best Anglophone Les Mis adaptations ever, and half the drunkest. 1995 is more of an adaptation of how people react to Les Mis as a story than a straightforward adaptation, and it’s one of the most beautiful and unique versions out there. I intend to show a clip from each adaptation, so people can get a little taste of what each adaptation is like.

Recovery: a Fanfic Live Read

Saturday, 22:30-23:00

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Eli, Barri

Recorded: Yes

A full cast will live read a Les Mis fanfic written specifically for the con.

Compared to Some People Grantaire is Doing Just Fine (No, Really)

Saturday: 22:00-23:00

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Ellen Fremedon, Pilferingapples

Recorded: Yes

Grantaire and Marius are the two characters on the fringes of the Friends of the ABC, connected to the group by social ties rather than sincere political belief. In this panel, Pilf and Ellen will discuss the two characters as narrative foils, touching along the way on the problem with Great Men, bourgeois inaction, what it means to have the republic as a mother, and dying for love–plus those two pistols in Marius’s pocket.

Preliminary Gaities

23:00-24:00 UTC

Session Type: Social Game

Presented by: Rare, Percy, and ShitpostingFromTheBarricade

Recorded: No

Preliminary Gayeties is the chapter where Grantaire gets drunk with Joly and Bossuet before the barricades.  It is perfect for a drinking game. 

In keeping with personal tradition, Rare, Percy, and ShitpostingFromTheBarricade will bring you a second year of our dramatic reading of the “Preliminary Gayeties” chapter of the brick. all while following specified drinking game rules (including classics such as “drink for brick quotes that appear commonly in fanfiction,” “pretentious classical references,” and “drink/eat when characters drink/eat”), and enjoying snacks mentioned in the chapter as they are mentioned. Everyone is invited to participate by reading, eating, and drinking along with this activity!

[hyperpotamianarch]

Well, I'm reading the Secret Commonwealth, I have some thoughts, and am unlikely to get to talk to anyone who has read it in the near future, so I'm going to dump my thoughts here! We'll see where it goes.

I'm currently at the middle of chapter 6. To start with, this book is very clear that our current focus is on special roses that come from the Levant. By which I mean, for the duration of the second chapter (I think?) literally everything ties back into those roses. I suppose the Gobblers had a similar role in Northern Lights/the Golden Compass? I don't know.

The book also seems to start to play out as a mystery/detective story, but I guess I'll have to wait and see where that leads.

More tidbits I might want to make include... well... people who've followed my HDM related posts know I'm trying to work on Judaism in Lyra's world. I already knew this book has to do with the Ottoman Empire, so I suppose it could showcase some things about Islam in this world. This would be a step towards seeing how strong is the Magisterium worldwide. There seem to be implications they burned rose gardens because of a connection discovered between those roses and Dust, so it's clear their long arm can reach into the Ottoman Empire. That is interesting, as I'd expect the Ottomans to be against outside influence in their land. Coverup stories or no, something is suspicious and the Ottomans probably also have income from the export of roses. I mean, if those roses can only grow in lands under their control... I would expect them to protect their interests better. If they can't... That has bad implications all around.

Also, Miriam is a Jewish name which appears at the beginning. I don't know how common it is among non Jews, I kind of assumed Maria was the more popular version, so it makes me just a tiny bit interested in that character - though with the way colleges work in Lyra's world, I'm not sure she could practice any religion that isn't Christianity.

Also on the front of Judaism in Lyra's world but a lot more distant, this world probably doesn't have a Sigmund Freud. The connection is that Freud was Jewish (though relatively assimilationist). The reason I think he didn't exist here is that therapy seems to not exist here, and I believe Freud's field of Psychoanalysis is what led to that existing? Also, if Freud existed I highly doubt this "The Hyperchorasmians" book would've survived without any Freudian interpretations of things. I might be extrapolating too much on that field, let's give this book a separate paragraph.

To be clear, I'm team Pan regarding this book, though my reasoning might defer from his. "It was nothing more than what it was" is a completely rubbish statement on events in a fictional novel. Everything can go through literary analysis and be found to have metaphors. I find it odd that I'm saying that because I'm not too fond of literary analysis, but saying there is no symbolism in your book is... a rather odd statement. But in universe, Pan's complaints about the different books can easily seem as him being a crybaby over people who deny the existence of dæmons. It does seem as if this book is going to explore what dæmons are more deeply, or so I'm assuming.

I do have a half-hearted theory regarding what the Hyperchorasmians was intended to represent. Thing is, I've seen HDM described as a book about teenagers killing God, and it's supposedly written as an antithesis to Narnia while being just as preachy in a different direction. Equivalents could be drawn. Obviously, the core problem Pan has with this book is something HDM can't really be blamed for... I'm having some trouble articulating my point exactly, we'll see how things go either way.

The desert - Karamakan - is interesting. It's portrayed as similar to the Land of the Dead or the place in the north the witches use for their practice of separation, but Dr. Strauss's dæmon managed to get there - and it seems that the only way to get into the building is with one's dæmon? So I don't know what's going on. This is another thing to be seen.

Also, Malcolm from La Belle Sauvage is a scholar now. I don't really remember much from this book, and I'm not sure what's going to be relevant? Bonneville is dead, I think, and likely irrelevant. There's the odd faerie woman from the flood, which... I don't know what she has to do with anything. I'm not sure what anything has to do with anything from this book. Again, I suppose we'll see.

That would be it for now.

[anneangel]

Sherlock Holmes explaining, or grumbling, about why John Watson's writing dismays him, canon:

"To the man who loves art for its own sake," remarked Sherlock Holmes, tossing aside the advertisement sheet of the Daily Telegraph, "it is frequently in its least important and lowliest manifestations that the keenest pleasure is to be derived. It is pleasant to me to observe, Watson, that you have so far grasped this truth that in these little records of our cases which you have been good enough to draw up, and, I am bound to say, occasionally to embellish, you have given prominence not so much to the many causes celebres and sensational trials in which I have figured but rather to those incidents which may have been trivial in themselves, but which have given room for those faculties of deduction and of logical synthesis which I have made my special province."

"And yet," said I, smiling, "I cannot quite hold myself absolved from the charge of sensationalism which has been urged against my records."

"You have erred, perhaps," he observed, taking up a glowing cinder with the tongs and lighting with it the long cherry-wood pipe which was wont to replace his clay when he was in a disputatious rather than a meditative mood—"you have erred perhaps in attempting to put colour and life into each of your statements instead of confining yourself to the task of placing upon record that severe reasoning from cause to effect which is really the only notable feature about the thing."

"It seems to me that I have done you full justice in the matter," I remarked with some coldness, for I was repelled by the egotism which I had more than once observed to be a strong factor in my friend's singular character.

"No, it is not selfishness or conceit," said he, answering, as was his wont, my thoughts rather than my words. "If I claim full justice for my art, it is because it is an impersonal thing—a thing beyond myself. Crime is common. Logic is rare. Therefore it is upon the logic rather than upon the crime that you should dwell. You have degraded what should have been a course of lectures into a series of tales."

Sherlock Holmes (...) emerged in no very sweet temper to lecture me upon my literary shortcomings.

"At the same time," he remarked after a pause, during which he had sat puffing at his long pipe and gazing down into the fire, "you can hardly be open to a charge of sensationalism, for out of these cases which you have been so kind as to interest yourself in, a fair proportion do not treat of crime, in its legal sense, at all. (...) But in avoiding the sensational, I fear that you may have bordered on the trivial."

"The end may have been so," I answered, "but the methods I hold to have been novel and of interest."

"Pshaw, my dear fellow, what do the public, the great unobservant public, can barely tell the difference (...) They do not care about the finer shades of analysis and deduction! But, indeed, if you are trivial, I cannot blame you, for the days of the great cases are past. Man, or at least criminal man, has lost all enterprise and originality”.

And

"I must admit, Watson, that you have some power of selection which atones for much which I deplore in your narratives. Your fatal habit of looking at everything from the point of view of a story instead of as a scientific exercise has ruined what might have been an instructive and even classical series of demonstrations. You slur over work of the utmost finesse and delicacy in order to dwell upon sensational details which may excite, but cannot possibly instruct, the reader.”

“Why do you not write them yourself?” I said, with some bitterness.

"I will, my dear Watson, I will. At present I am, as you know, fairly busy, but I propose to devote my declining years to the composition of a text-book which shall focus the whole art of detection into one volume".

[zenlesszonezero]

[zeleneagle]

95 theses (meowers version), grief, Pt1

By now you've seen us lose our collective minds over topics such as but not limited to: alcina slander, romeo and juliet, tragedy in resident lover, Cassandra™, and how everyone is Miranda. If you haven't, you can find the previous post by @ravensuizo here.

Which brings us to our next topic, grief, we start off with some absolute cookery by @lapisdemon22.

This is followed by another round of people losing their minds (understandable I did the same)

Here Lee aka @h-doodles links the stages of grief to each love interest, I will come back to this later to conclude my segment, for now I'll just let you keep reading what the girls cooked up.

And so we loop back to Romeo and Juliet once more.

And back to grief again.

This bit by @alexandroseleven is just great, it ties our previous topics back together along with getting to another part of what makes Miranda so interesting. From the moment she's lost Eva and Feather she's been dealing with grief. Yet instead of working through it she just pushes forward and claws her way back up, regardless of what the universe intended she WILL get back what she lost, at the cost of everyone and everything around her.

Things just keep spiraling from here, going from grief to how the game could be seen as Miranda's purgatory.

This then loops back to quantum physics and the multiverse theory. I hope the screenshots give you a bit of an idea but waking up to a 5 hour long literary analysis done by your fellow fans who are also Very Normal™ about this game is a special experience.

And here ends the grief section of the convo. The next part leads into Grief And Hope which will be covered by @h-doodles instead. I did however have some additional stuff to add once I finally woke up. These will be added in the next post here. Since I'm at the limit for now

[andrewwtca]

Maybe I'm just looking way too deep into this, but I think the reason that BBS uses a command system instead of letting you freely use skills and magic because Masterhood requires you to discipline yourself and do things 'by the book'

And that's why in both BBS and DDD a command system is used, because the primary goals is to become a Master. You want to do things 'correctly' so that you can prove that you really understand how a Keyblade works.

(and also, funnily enough, the ones who seem to have the most freedom in this rigid system is Ven and Sora, who only want to be Masters by association of their friends)

And then in KH3, even though Sora was technically trying to be a Keyblade Master alongside Riku, he goes back to the normal action commands menu, because Sora never truly cared for being a master. But.... even then...

The game lets you play as Riku and Aqua, who have become Keyblade Masters, and the combat system doesn't change (and don't you dare stop me here and say, 'Andrew that's because it would be silly to change a combat system for two briefly playable characters' BECAUSE THAT'S NOT THE POINT). They've grown from the games where they achieved Masterhood and they realized the limitations of their teachers and of Mastery itself.

Aqua realized how fragile the balance truly is and Riku, time and time again, learned that doing things 'by the book' entails completely denying the darkness. Both of their struggles stem from darkness - Aqua rejecting it and Riku being unable to reject it. And they learn that the books were wrong: darkness can't be eliminated. They realize how their teachers have failed them, to an extent, and don't hold themselves to their exact teachings.

But, this is only a small example of breaking the toxic cycle their Masters taught them and RIKU IS STILL THE PRIMARY ONE TO LEAD THE CHANGE TO TRULY ACCEPTING BOTH LIGHT AND DARK (ROAD TO DAWN), AND OF COURSE, RIKU ONLY FINDS THE LIGHT BECAUSE OF SORA AND SORA ALSO HAS DARKNESS HE NEEDS TO ACCEPT, SO THEY'RE BOTH THE ONES TO LEAD THE CHANGE, SO THE COMMAND SYSTEM ACTUALLY PROVES SORIKU ENDGAME ANDliterary analysis is my special interest

[karlie-what-you-want]

People were discussing Taylor’s lyricism, and the level of it compared to other artists. Most people said that her lyrics are very good, but not better than other beloved writers like Carol King, MJ, John Lennon, Bernie Taupin, and even a few more contemporary artists. As a songwriter myself, I respect people’s opinions, and I also enjoy a good analysis, so I asked what people feel makes her not better or perhaps a few steps below those songwriters.

I got some really lovely, genuine answers that I won’t go into on this post, but I really appreciated those! They gave me some good perspective.

I also got one answer that emotionally landed somewhere between amusing and frustrating to me. The answer was that the “problem” with Taylor is that her own fans can’t even say what makes her lyrics so good. They’re unable to define it. What makes MJ, Lennon, and others so good was how they influenced artists for years to come. And MJ has lyrics that are clearly better than Taylor’s. (This was all according to one person.)

I wasn’t offended by this, but I found it interesting, because I can define exactly what makes Taylor special to myself and so many others. So I politely put it into words:

I would gently disagree there. As a Taylor fan, I could tell you what (I feel) is so good about her compared to other artists of our time. For me, it’s her ability to place the listener in a moment—in an experience. At her best, Taylor doesn’t have to tell you how she’s feeling; she describes a series of moments, and through the details she gives, you as the listener just feel it. However, I think that gift does tend to get lost in her more “pop” style songs—not always, but often. I’d say All Too Well and Ivy are great examples, though. Not just that the lyrics are strung together nicely, but that they’re very effective. That is just my opinion of course.

I am someone who tries to be objective, so I’m not going to beat anyone over the head with my opinions.

The response I got was…interesting. This person decided that my opinion was to be disregarded because it was…an opinion? “Judging the lyrics should be an objective thing, not a subjective thing. The things you described were subjective things, any artists fans can say that about their favorite artist and it would be true for them. I was talking about more objective literary judgment.”

…🙃

I’m not one to argue with strangers on the internet, so all I could do was politely point out that almost all literary judgement is subjective. And also that the things I described of Taylor are things she objectively does, but whether that makes a good song is where opinion comes into play. And, because I’m a little petty, I pointed out that their statement of “MJ has clearly better lyrics” was also very subjective. Because it is—and that should be okay! But let’s not pass of our opinions as facts while accusing others facts as being mere opinions.

Anyway, like I said. I don’t argue with strangers online. I DO, however, come to vent about their silly behavior to my tumblr community.

[ignore-the-typ0s]

Hey Jas, just got an acc on here to thanks to the pestering of my dickhead legal brother nobody in particular

Quickly learning this place is both special interest heaven and hell E:TM, Hatchetfield, random literary analysis, off the wall poems- ✨ it’s great ✨

- @bury-shelly

Oh, hi Jason.

Yeah, tumblr seemed pretty cool- It's got plenty of links to valuable sites with stuff I enjoy. And other... ahem- valuable things. Anyways, would you like to discuss these special interests you're talking about? Hatchetfield in particular sounded intriguing.

[hello-there]

Communities are a new way to connect with the people on Tumblr who care about the things you care about! Browse Communities to find the perfect one for your interests or create a new one and invite your friends and mutuals!

[genericpuff]

…Here is something a bit more serious I wanted to ask…

How do feel when it comes the fact that plenty of sexual themes inside LO are being told incorrectly to a young audience (I keep hearing on how most of Webtoon readers are still around 12-16 year old girls)?

Specially with the fact that Rachel keeps on sexualizing Persephone after some scenes showcasing her trauma….

I hope I’m not overstepping my boundaries here…thanks again for listening.

You're not overstepping at all ! This is actually a topic I've gone off about in the past at length on reddit and in chatrooms like Discord so I'm always happy to divulge about it and talk about it. It's a problem that goes way bigger than LO but I'll try my best to keep it focused on LO for the sake of getting to the point.

Before I get into it, obligatory TRIGGER WARNING for discussion surrounding sexual trauma/abuse/etc. and how it's romanticized and marketed in Webtoons media.

There are so many comics in Webtoons library that are just skeevy beyond belief for the stories they're trying to tell. Whether it's gratuitous oversexualization of its characters to the point of being absurd, to the implications of the romances in these stories that often border on non-consensual/toxic, Webtoons seems to be using these types of things as its main draw in a lot of their "big money" series - or at least, the ones they tend to market the most.

Now don't get me wrong, I've got a strong stomach for weird/creepy/dark shit and I'm capable of having suspension of disbelief when reading stories like this. I'm an SA survivor myself but despite this, I'm no stranger to dark romance or stories that 'toe the line' or even overstep it completely between morally acceptable and morally apprehensible, a lot of these kinds of stories have actually helped me overcome and heal from what I've been through. Suspension of disbelief is important and this is, after all, fiction, where we as creators are able to explore taboo or 'forbidden' topics in ways that either interest us or empower us or just feel like fun to write.

But there's still a line to be drawn because I'm an adult person who has literary analysis skills and is capable of picking apart these stories and what they might be consciously - or subconsciously - teaching us or portraying. Kids and teens? They basically are what they eat. This isn't to say teenagers are stupid or anything of the sort, but I was a kid too once and I know I internalized a lot of media that I straight up shouldn't have been consuming at the time. And I do think a lot of webtoons on the WT platform specifically dangerously veer into that territory all for the purpose of money and clout.

Again, don't get me wrong, I love morally questionable or otherwise abrasive characters, I think they're fun to write and fiction is a great way to explore those kinds of dynamics (and I've had pals weirdly thank me for how much suffering I put my characters through LMAO). But I'm also not gonna sit here and bullshit people into thinking my main projects are meant for teens. They're not. My main protagonists are in a shitty toxic relationship that should not be romanticized. My main character is a hyperbolic self-insert reflection of how awful I used to be as a person and how I was at the center of all my own problems for years. You should be 18 at minimum if you want to read my work because the stuff I write about isn't appropriate for or wouldn't be able to be observed and accepted as just fiction the way most mature adults can.

Now I'm not saying my work is "deep" or anything like that, it's stupid fun weeb shit. But it's the kind of stupid fun weeb shit I wouldn't want a teenager internalizing or taking to heart. It's why I'll include plenty of disclaimers to remind people that my stuff is a work of fiction and I simply enjoy exploring these kinds of tropes and dynamics through my characters, but I do not condone their behavior or the things I represent in my work. I fully respect other creators and writers who do the same.

Rachel is not one of those people. Rachel doesn't do this. She tries to claim to be progressive while completely misrepresenting the things she writes. She doesn't actually care about these topics, she just wants you to think she cares about them. Don't get me wrong, there are other series on the platform that are absolutely problematic when it comes to this sort of thing (Webtoons looooves marketing them, blech) but Lore Olympus is the absolute pinnacle of irresponsible, the sum of everything that's wrong with Webtoons.

It gets constant special treatment - often times being put in the banner reel every time it updates and in the prime spots no less that are rarely ever given to other - far more thought-provoking and well-written - series that could really use the ad space.

It markets itself to kids and teens despite having subject matter that either isn't handled responsibly OR should be taken with a level of suspension of disbelief that a lot of teens/kids aren't capable of having.

And the subject matter that it does try to handle responsibly is flubbed entirely because they're leaving it up to the writing 'skills' of a privileged white woman from New Zealand who's either never lived these experiences or, those that she has, couldn't even write them into a narrative when she tries because she still exists with internalized biases that completely miss the mark because she's never tried to look at things with a viewpoint outside of her own.

She's just not a writer, full stop. But because it's Webtoon's golden goose, they market the shit out of it anyways and give it preferential treatment. And of course, they market it to kids and teens because it's cute and colorful, and kids and teens will be more likely to overlook its blatant problems because they don't have the literary analysis skills yet to identify them.

The other side of the coin they market to? The adults who don't think these problems are problems to begin with. These are the same adults who celebrated 50 Shades of Grey and After as if they're masterworks of fiction. Overall very shitty, problematic people. At least the teenagers have the potential to "grow out of it". The adults who defend Rachel like their life depends on it are grown up but not mature or empathetic in the slightest towards those who have found their own stories and experiences trivialized or otherwise misrepresented completely through LO.

I know, that's undoubtedly a lot of hot takes, but this is such a massive problem in romance stories today. I get it, it's "drama", and it's been around since the harlequin novels of old, but the way it's pushed and romanticized and presented as if it's somehow "couple goals" by the people - often women - who write them is getting to be exhausting.

At this point I put Rachel Smythe right up there with Anna Todd and EL James - ego-driven female "writers" who wrote shitty fanfiction that got a lot of views and happened to fail upwards in their success, but when you dig past the subscriber count numbers and the clout, they themselves are not that profound or well-read in any meaning of the word. They're just people with huge deeply-rooted issues who write problematic romances instead of going to therapy.

And that's all I'm gonna say on that.

[toasted-valentine]

Jokes on you fuckers, my special interest is actually biology and animals… also literary analysis.