#raphael kristen

[lorekeeper-backset]

Okay, okay, hear me out, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Christmas Carol.

Edelgard as Scrooge

(I am) Ferdinand von Aegir as Bob Cratchit

Dorothea as Mrs. Cratchit

Claude as Fred (don't question the logistics)

Hubert as Jacob Marley

Sothis as the Ghost of Christmas Past

Raphael as the Ghost of Christmas Present

Jeritza/The Death Knight as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come

[fe3h-academyrp]

Characters Available: September 15th

- Dorothea

- Mercedes

- Raphael

- Marianne

- Alois

[bojack-gifs]

[bloodmaarked]

➸ reading list

just added:

home fire, kamila shamsie

hits different, tasha ghouri + lizzie huxley-jones

someone who will love you in all your damaged glory, raphael bob-waksberg

how to solve your own murder, kristen perrin

the octopus man, jasper gibson

kim jiyoung, born 1982, cho nam-joo

brotherless night, v.v. ganeshananthan

gold rush, olivia petter

bittersweet, susan cain

beyond the door of no return, david diop

[fant-asm4]

someone on twitter (@/pr3cipitation) asked for d20 fancasts, but you can only use people who have also been in dropout shows. it ate away at my brain for so long i did all of the Intrepid Hero PCs with the added challenge of not assigning any of the IH in the casting and i’m so proud of my thoughts i’m sharing them here too:

Fantasy High

Fabian Aramais Seacaster - Oscar Montoya

Kristen Applebees - Carolyn Page

Adaine Abernant - Surena Marie

Gorgug Thistlespring - Omar Najam

Riz Gukgak - Brian David Gilbert

Fig Faeth - Jasmine Bhullar

The Unsleeping City

Pete “the Plug” Conlan - E. R. Fightmaster

Sofia Bicicleta Lee - Christine Medrano

Ricky Matsui - Desmond Chiam

Kingston Brown - B Dave Walter

Kugrash - Josh Ruben

Misty Moore/Rowan Berry - Elaine Carroll

Cody Walsh - Ross Bryant

Iga Lizowski - Izzy Roland

A Crown of Candy

King Amethar - Ify Nwadiwe

Sir Theobald Gumbar - Mike Trapp

Chancellor Lapin Cadbury - Grant O’Brien

Princess Jet - Krystina Arielle

Princess Ruby - Aabria Iyengar

Liam Wilhelmina - Alex Song-Xia

Cumulous Rocks - Connie Chang

Queen Saccharina - Sephie Valentine

A Starstruck Odyssey

Norman Takamori/Skip - Freddie Wong

Riva - Lily Du

Big Barry 6 - Jon Gabrus

Sundry Sydney - Jess Ross

Margaret Encino - Vic Michaelis

Gunnie Miggles-Rashbax - Raphael Chestang

Neverafter

Rosamund du Prix - Becca Scott

Gerard of Greenleigh - Tao Yang

Mother Timothy Goose - Sam Reich

Ylfa Snorggleson - Rekha Shankar

PiB - Erika Ishii

Pinocchio - Jaquis Neal

[vaneshifts]

Vane's List Of Names

I mentioned before that I'm a writer, and I keep a list of names that I consult when I need a new DR name. As promised, I'm posting the list here in case anyone needs some help with their own script.

Note: I DO have more fem names than masc names (sorry) but there's also a bunch of gender neutral names I love. <3

Gender Neutral

Alex 

Atlas

Azusa

Bailey

Blake

Cameron

Casey

Charlie

Dakota

Dylan

Emerie / Emery

Envy

Fallon

Georgie

Harper

Hayden 

Holland

Hunter

Idris

Jasper

Jem

Jessie / Jesse

Jordan

Logan

Maeve

Martin

Morgan

Noah

Reize

Remi

Robin

Rory

Rowan

Rune

Sam

Sasha

Sky

Sloane

Sol

Spencer

Tatum

Taylor

Tyler

Valentine

Kai

Raegan

Wren

Zia

Fem-Coded

Adelaide

Aja

Ajatri

Alayna

Aleida

Alice

Alina

Allison

Amara

Amaya

Amre

Anastasia

Andromeda

Anessa 

Angela

Annabel

Annabeth

Annalys

Anne-Marie

Annika

Anya

Aria

Arya

Astrid

Atalia

Athena

Aurora

Ayla

Azara

Bianca

Bridget

Camicazi

Carly

Cassandra

Charlotte

Chloe

Cielle

Clara

Clarette

Clarissa

Claudia

Cora

Cordelia

Danica

Darcy

Della

Diana

Echo

Elara

Enid

Erica

Esmarie

Estelle

Eunomia

Evelia

Evie

Evora

Gemma

Genevieve

Grace

Hadley

Haelyn

Hayley

Hope

Ija

Inanna

Inara

Indigo

Indira

Iris

Isabelle

Iskra

Isleen

Isobel

Jade

Jasmine

Jenna

Jessica

Julia

Juliette

Kailyn

Kala

Kalani

Kali

Kallian

Kalista

Kamala

Kasia

Kassidy

Kate

Katie

Kaya

Kayla

Keira

Keja

Kelsie

Kendra

Khiti

Kinsey

Kinsley

Kourtney

Kristen

Kylie

Lani

Lena

Lexi

Lia

Liana

Lila

Lilliana

Lilith

Lily

Lizzie

Luna

Lunaris

Lyanna

Lydia

Lyla

Lyra

Maddie

Madeline

Madisyn (Madi / Mads)

Maira

Mallory (Mal)

Malia

Malina

Marcelene

Marella

Maretta 

Maria

Marianna

Marisol

Mavis

Melody

Mercedes (Sadie)

Meridia

Michaela

Millane

Moretta

Myrcella

Myrcelle

Naima

Nara

Natalia

Natasha

Neera

Nefeli

Nerissa (Nessa)

Nymeria

Nyx

Pandora

Pearl

Pepper

Piper

Rachel

Ravenna

Rayne

Rayyana

Rosa

Ruelle

Sadie

Saige

Samantha (Sam)

Samirah (Sam)

Savannah (Sav)

Scarlett

Sereia

Shivani

Sienna

Sirine

Solana

Sophia

Sophie

Soraya 

Summer

Sylvia

Sylvie

Talia

Talto

Tara

Taria

Teagan

Tessa

Tessabelle

Thalia

Thena

Theresa

Tiyenna

Valeria 

Vane

Victoria 

Vienna

Visha

Wanda

Zhara

Zoe

Zoey

Masc-Coded

Alaric

Asael

Asher

Cahir

Caspian

Conan

Eros

Ethan

Evan

Jeremy

Julian

Kane

Luke / Lucian

Marcel

Oliver

Raphael

Ronan

Warner

William / Will

Surnames

Anderson

Aspen

Baker

Barnes

Bishop

Daxer

Foster

Graves

Grayson

Harper

Holland

James

Jayde

Keita

Keller

King

Lawrence

Lawson

Linden

Madden

Marshall

Miller

Moore

Morris

Pearson

Pierce

Prince

Reeves 

Thorne

Smith

Solace

Summers

Wilson

Bonus! Valyrian Names

(first names only)

Aerion (M)

Araenia (F)

Chaereah (F)

Daenera (F)

Daenya (F)

Daenys (F)

Delaena (F)

Daenerya (F)

Daenyra (F)

Elaena (F)

Haella (F)

Maela (F)

Maerys (F)

Naelyra (F)

Nerys / Naerys (F)

Raenela (F)

Rhaegon (M)

Saelyra (F)

Saerya (F)

Selaehrys (F) 

Selaena (F)

Shiera (F)

Tyrax (M)

Valaena (F)

Veraena / Vera (F)

Vyra (F)

Vysea (F)

Notes:

Feel free to use this list for your DRs, and good luck.

I would absolutely LOVE to know if this helped anyone! <3

And I'll be posting the link to it on the original post I made about this list as well as my pinned introduction post.

Inspired by @batsyi

Happy Shifting!

XO

[deconstructthesoup]

Okay, everything about this finale made me ricochet through a thousand different emotions (and seeing the Cathilda art was just the icing on the cake), but what it did give me, first and foremost, is a concept for a season with the High 5 Heros.

It really is just the five of them now, and they're still processing Kipperlilly's betrayal and the lasting effects of the shatterstars. In an attempt to fully reconnect as friends and prove themselves as adventurers, they retake their spring break quest... and things spiral out from there.

Ruben (played by Raphael Chestang) doesn't remember anything from when he was shatterstared, but he still has all those fans who want to hear more of the emo music he wrote... and even though having attention is good for a bard, he's very upset about the fact that nobody wants to hear his real music. Ruben's starting to get a lot of self-confidence issues based on the fact that the guy that he doesn't even know but who he briefly was was so popular, and he's trying to be himself, but, well... it's hard.

Ivy (played by Mariah Rose Faith Callias) is... well, actually, the fact that she wasn't shown as often in the season means that her player can make up an arc from scratch for her, and I like that. Let's leave that up in the air. Maybe she's trying to reconcile her stint as a mean girl with her true self, or maybe her mean-girl self is closer to her true nature than we think.

Mary Ann (played by Katie Marovich) is still, at her core, Mary Ann, and I like the idea of her arc being less of an arc and more of a reassurance thing---this is who she is, she's not apologizing for it, and that doesn't mean that she doesn't deserve the same amount of respect. That'd be pretty cool to see.

Oisin (played by Joey Richter) is dealing with... a lot. Seeing as his actions led to getting his great-great-great-great-whatever grandmother killed, his family has not outright disowned him, but there's a lot of snide comments and clear disrespect being thrown his way. He's trying his hardest to prove that he's better than that, but, uh... yeah, I think it would end in a "fuck my rich asshole family" thing, much like Adaine's arc.

And lastly, Lucy (played by Ashley Johnson) is, of course, very shaken by the fact that she legit died, and spent a good chunk of her death in a hellish state. Her connection to her goddess has wavered after her experience, and she's very much in a space of doubt---maybe a space that's big enough for her to connect to Cassandra, and maybe share in Kristen's four-deity pantheon. Not to mention, it's still very hard to interact with her friends when she still remembers the night of her death, even though they were possessed.

So, uh... yeah!

[crooked-wasteland]

The Anti-Bojack: Anti-Intellectualism and the Death of Substance

In the blog essay “Staging Philosophy: the relationship between philosophy and drama”, Kristen Gjesdal opines on the home of philosophy. Many today would consider philosophy a relic of a bygone era with names such as Keikegaard, Voltaire, and Neitzsche. Many don’t know, however, of the close relationship philosophy has always held with the arts. Gjesdal mentions Ibsen in the article, discussing how many playwrights of the time were avid students of philosophy and how many philosophers regarded the arts highly. Nietzsche spoke of social leaders, specifically the religious leaders of his day in Beyond Good and Evil when he wrote, “Men, not great enough, nor hard enough, to be entitled as artists to take part in fashioning man.” Frankly denouncing the power and influence held by the religious men which he felt was more appropriately left in the hands of artists. In fact, Nietzche considered art the definition of culture and hence why he says that artists are the ones who should be responsible for shaping society and defining what it means to be “man”. As such, the expressions of art, poetry to cinema, is a definition of man and inherently a philosophy.

Bojack Horseman is an openly philosophical series that plays with existentialist schools of thought. Having liked several tweets endorsing the comparison of her work to that of Raphael Bob-Waksberg, Vivienne Medrano demands her work be valued the same way. From being favorably compared to Bojack Horseman to being praised as the “Anti-Bojack”. Which begs to question, what does that even mean? First let’s discuss the Philosophy behind Bojack Horseman, then compare the tweets Medrano liked and her series to that of Bojack directly, and then study the overlapping themes and why Medrano’s style of writing makes her storytelling a mockery to the art.

Existentialism in particular has been the darling of the theater for about the last 150 years, though generally ridiculed by “proper” society. For a philosopher to be labeled a nihilist or existentialist was often a denouncement of their school of thought, often for their general rejection of fundamental social structures like ethics. In 1942, writer Albert Camus published his essay The Myth of Sisyphus, rebranding traditional existentialist concepts as Absurd philosophy.

Camus begins his work poised with the question of suicide and whether life is worth living at all. He argues that life is inherently meaningless, an idea originating with Kierkegaard, but while the latter sided with finding purpose in constitutions like religion, Camus argues that religion itself is a philosophical suicide. In the Routledge encyclopedia of philosophy by Charles Guignon, he writes of the criticisms levied against existential and absurdist philosophies in a society awash in moralist anti-intellectualism. He opens this section by saying, “Existentialism has been criticized from a number of different angles. One line of criticism holds that the emphasis on individual freedom and the rejection of absolutes in existentialism tends to undermine ethics; by suggesting that everyday life is ‘absurd’ and by denying the existence of fixed, binding principles for evaluating our actions, existentialists promote an ‘anything-goes’ view of freedom that exacerbates the nihilism already present in contemporary life.” Which comes from this negative misreading of nihilism.

In their video Nihilism: Are We Missing the Point, youtuber Michael Burns of Wisecrack tells an anecdote of his time in grad school where he paraphrases his professor as saying, “This idea of the constant misreadings of Nietzsche’s writings on Nihilism leads to, his words, angry seventeen-year-old atheists.” Which tends to be the issue when discussing concepts such as nihilism, existentialism and absurdist philosophy. Nietzsche, the credited father of the school of thought, is often taken out of context or his views distorted by society’s sensibilities. For one, the quote given earlier extends further into a condemnation of religion by saying, “Such men, with their "equality before God," have hitherto swayed the destiny of Europe; until at last a dwarfed, almost ludicrous species has been produced, a gregarious animal, something obliging, sickly, mediocre, the European of the present day.” Which many an angry seventeen-year-old and moralist has seen as an endorsement of the might-is-right philosophy that nihilism is credited with.

To a lesser extent, Camus writes in The Myth, “I must say what counts is not the best living, but the most living”. It feels like it should be rather straightforward then, the concept of the thought. More equals better, and Camus practically says as much when he later writes “Why should it be essential to love rarely in order to love much?” However, if one follows the first quote to its natural conclusion, he continues, “The most living; in the broadest sense, that rule means nothing. It calls for definition.” His wording may come off confusing as the essay is translated and the theories involved are dense, but Camus clarifies that “most” could mean the sheer number of experiences or the depth of the experience. He is not saying one or the other is the correct answer, but that both are equally valid ways to live one’s life. The focus, then, is not on directing anyone how they should live, but in the manner they should do so. He says, “It is not up to me to wonder if this is vulgar or revolting, elegant or deplorable … Suppose that living in this way were not honorable, then true propriety would command me to be dishonorable.”

Camus, and even Nietzsche, argue that truth is the only ultimate value. It throws back the moralist dilemma by arguing that living to a code of ethics or values when one is not truly that sort of person is to live reprehensibly. Better is it to live authentically “without appeal” as Camus says, than it is to live the lie of following the rules.

Thomas Polzler from the University of Graz in Austria wrote a 2014 article titled “Absurdism as Self-Help: Resolving an Essential Inconsistency with Camus’s Early Philosophy”. Personally, I fundamentally and adamantly disagree with his assessment that there is any sort of inconsistency in Camus’s writings. Camus’s books of The Stranger, The Plague, and The Fall are not inherently inconsistent, but depict his philosophy in layers.

Like water painting, Camus starts with a thin veneer of color, a loose and almost detached protagonist in Meursault from The Stranger. He is a man aware of the absurd as an individual, the story maintaining the focus of a man living aware his life means nothing and thus seems to have an almost neurodivergent disinterested in the world beyond himself. What he feels in the moment is all that matters, so when he commits murder out of feeling uncomfortable from the heat of the sun and the painful blinding of the light, he is then juxtaposed with the ethical society he exists simultaneously within and outside of. Meursault is held up as a sociopath for not wishing to see his mother’s body the night before her funeral and smoking by her coffin. Because he does not cry at her passing, he is deemed a danger to society. Because he goes on a date to a comedy picture the day after, he is denounced as a menace. None of which has anything to do with the man he killed. The trial highlights the absurdity of ethical society and how the moralists demand the appearance of values over actually having them.

In fact, the trial of Meursault closely resembles that of Bojack and Sarah Lynn. The end of season 3, Bojack and Sarah Lynn go on a cross-country drug-fuelled bender to apologize to people Bojack has hurt in the past, stopping at the Griffith Observatory where Bojack has a profound revelation. He talks about living in the moment and how neither the past or future really matters at all. What you did and your legacy don’t matter if you cannot exist now. It is this moment that he realizes Sarah Lynn is not responding. It isn't until season 6 that it is shown that Bojack waited before calling the police and thus played a hand in Sarah Lynn's death. He is taken to civil court by Sarah Lynn's mother and step-father and made to pay them a fine for his involvement. However, is it really justice when Sarah Lynn's mother exploited her in the business and never once supported Sarah Lynn for what she wanted and what her dreams were, or even just who she was? Can one argue that it is justice when Sarah Lynn was sexually abused by her step-father throughout her childhood? Yes, Bojack does have responsibility in Sarah Lynn's death, but so do her parents. The absurdity of it all being that in no way could there ever be justice for Sarah Lynn.

Brief mental health sidebar. While I have to expressly disagree with Polzler’s reasoning, I do agree with his conclusion. Philosophy and especially Absurd existentialism are powerful tools in the journey to self improvement. It is both the line from Bojack where Diane says "That's the thing. I don't think I believe in 'deep down'. I kind of think all you are is just the things that you do." And Dr. Wong in Rick and Morty when she says, “You seem to alternate between viewing your own mind as an unstoppable force and as an inescapable curse. And I think it is because the only truly unapproachable concept for you is that it's your mind within your control … You are the master of your universe.”

It may be shocking to know that Medrano was not a fan of Dr. Wong, considering the scene all about telling and not showing Rick’s problems. However, this is after two and a half seasons of witnessing Rick’s shortcomings and Dr. Wong is not telling Rick’s problems, but rather identifying the solution. In both the words of Diane and Dr. Wong, who we are, comes down to the choices we make. There is no moral argument being made with either of these comments. Bojack asked Diane to tell him that he’s actually a good person deep down. That he means to be good, that despite his actions he doesn’t want to hurt anyone and that his bad behavior is the fault of his emotionally unavailable and narcissistic parents. So really, he isn’t a bad person. Whereas Dr. Wong calls out Rick’s behavior as a choice because Rick knows he is making these choices.

The difference between Rick and Bojack is the level of personal awareness and responsibility. Rick knows he has the power to change, but simultaneously so miserable but is so afraid of change that he turns himself into a literal pickle and risks his own death over confronting his own choice to stay the way he is. It is easier for him to justify his lack of trying by simply claiming this is just what it means to be as smart as he is. Whereas Bojack feels helpless. Bojack was not set up for success as a child, his success was never validated by his mother and thus he never valued himself, and every time he tries to change he has no internal fortitude to keep from backsliding at the first sign of defeat. Rick knows everything that is making him miserable is himself. Bojack externalizes his misery and thus also externalizes the solution to his problems, which is why he lets himself return to square one whenever things don’t go his way.

Absurdism is the recognition that life is meaningless and thus we have two choices: Live or die. But these concepts are not so straightforward when discussed. To live, in Camus’s philosophy, is to live authentically to oneself. That may sound like Rick’s situation of accepting things as they are, but that is only true in the case of the individual genuinely wanting to be that way. Authenticity is a dichotomy consisting of both how we behave and how we feel. In the case of Rick he lies, cheats, manipulates, and behaves cruelly towards his family. However, it is implied and later revealed that Rick genuinely cares about his family, but is too afraid of experiencing loss to really let them in. So he’s abusive and insulting, keeping his family at an emotional distance that keeps them around, but never too close, making Rick miserable. He really wants his family, so his feelings are at odds with his behavior. So in reality, him claiming “this is just how things are/who I am” is just as weak an excuse and removes agency over oneself as Bojack saying “It’s because my mother was never there for me.”

The actions both Rick and Bojack partake in are what Camus would call a philosophical suicide. Concisely put, to commit a philosophical suicide is to remove one’s sense of agency in their own life. How can one claim to be living when they have no effect on anything including themselves? You would exist in a void no different than a dreamless sleep. Your actions are meaningless, your thoughts are meaningless, your feelings are meaningless because you are a passenger to the act of living. Everything else has power, everyone else can influence you, so you may as well be nothing. Camus includes religion in this section of his philosophy, as living for something other than yourself is the same as not living at all. And this encompasses Ethics.

There is a massive difference between being kind because you are supposed to, and being kind because you want to. This delves further into living inauthentically and how that mere act alone results in misery. Even if one is to behave in a way deemed “right” without making the choice, they will inevitably become resentful. There is no such thing as faking it until you make it. One has to actively choose and change themselves on a fundamental level to find happiness, and that takes work. Just as Dr. Wong says, “It’s just work. And the bottom line is some people are okay going to work and some people, well some people would rather die.”

Which gets to the main point.

Medrano’s liking of a series of tweets calling Blitzo the Anti-Bojack has both infuriated and confused me. I suppose that I should be embarrassed at the latter since it's obvious both Vivienne and her fans lack basic media literacy. It’s actually rather spectacular just how badly they misrepresent the situation of the characters in the narrative. I can only break this down comment by comment.

For one, Bojack’s entire character is that he doesn’t intentionally hurt others. He has his reasons that fundamentally comes from a weak sense of self associated with a child who never had the emotional support he needed growing up. Those aren’t excuses, those are the reasons. Bojack has an unhealed inner child who wants to be a good guy, but he is so caught up in his self-loathing and resentment that he doesn’t do anything about that inner child. Instead he indulges these immature emotions through self medicating with drugs and alcohol, lashing out, promiscuity, and careless spending. These are the symptoms of the problem, the problem does lie in past trauma. The issue is Bojack doesn’t see the solution as himself, but someone or something else. In my post comparing Bojack and Todd’s relationship to Blitz and Moxxie, I pointed out how Bojack and Blitz treat their “closest friends” exactly the same by verbally abusing them and tearing down their abilities. While not always consciously intentional for Bojack, it is to keep Todd feeling codependent on Bojack and thus never leaving him which is abusive and manipulative. For Blitz, the narrative says it's because he is aware of his behaviour and is intentionally pushing Moxxie to be better, which is abusive and manipulative.

My point herein being that these are the same people. There is no Anti-Bojack happening here. If anything, Blitz is more malicious in his abuse seeing as he appears actively aware and intentional in how he mistreats Moxxie. Bojack is abusive towards Todd, but in a way that is a reflection of Bojack. And the series acknowledges how Bojack's inability to be alone actively harms his other relationships. Not just Todd.

In one way, however, Blitz absolutely is the Anti-Bojack. Blitz externalizes the source of his behavior to a character failing on Moxxie's part. And the series reaffirms and justifies Blitz's abuse as okay.

The other misconception of this post is thinking that an explanation is an excuse. Creative Screenwriting did an interview in 2019 with Raphael Bob-Waksberg’s process and philosophy of writing Bojack Horseman, quoting him for the title of the article, “Characters should be understandable in their vulnerabilities.” What Medrano’s fans fail to do, fundamentally, is understand. Their opinions and twitter orations are so barren of understanding that one must ask if they simply choose to ignore what does not serve their narrative or if they really are just incapable of comprehension.

They see Blitz’s mother’s death as a reason for his attitude more than his behavior. His behavior then necessitates that it needs to be excusable. As such, Blitz cannot actually make mistakes. Things happen by chance rather than a deliberate choice on any of the characters’ behalf. The fire in Oops wasn’t a mistake made by Blitz, if it is anyone’s mistake, it is the no-named imp who lit the candle before getting to the room. Blitz didn’t intend to bump the other performer, he just happened to turn at that moment. His mistake, then, is one that only makes sense on a metanarrative aspect. His mistake was deciding not to confess his feelings to Fizz. Which… no. As novel as the concept of the butterfly effect was in 2015, the fundamental nature of something inconsequential being attributed to a disaster negates blame. No one is going to blame the butterfly for a hurricane. Similarly, Blitz’s decision to not confess has nothing to do with the fire, in fact the fire itself is not even his accident. His contribution begins and ends with accidentally bumping the other imp; a situation that would have been entirely harmless if not for another character’s unrelated decision made off-screen.

Additionally, Blitz is a heinously insufferable individual who has been nothing but insulting and abusive to his “friend” throughout the series. He sexually abuses Moxxie in Harvest Moon by touching his penis against his will. He threatens to rape Moxxie and Millie in Murder Family. Blitz humiliates Moxxie through emasculation by masculinizing Millie over Moxxie, mocking Moxxie’s anatomy through his weight and genital size, and degrading Moxxie’s hobbies and abilities. Often without any prompting whatsoever and for Blitz’s own personal enjoyment. Blitz simply is a malicious individual, and at one point the series seemed to know that. The issue isn’t that Blitz is an awful person, it’s the lack of acknowledging that fact. The fans and Medrano conveniently ignore who this character is and what he has done to justify him instead of seeking to understand him. This is a running theme throughout the show.

I also briefly compared the scene in Oops to Herb and Bojack in this post, but I didn’t focus so much on the characters and more the metanarrative reason why Bojack worked and Helluva Boss didn’t.

Here, let’s look at why Bojack went to see Herb: Because Herb told him to. Unlike the scenario between Fizz and Blitz where they didn’t see each other for fifteen years and then conveniently run into each other and just so happen to be spotted by Crimson and Striker who, for some reason, know all about Fizz and Ozzie being a thing and they just keep Blitz around because … he’s the main character. Sure, one could argue both Crimson and Striker have a personal thing against Blitz, makes you wonder why they didn’t, you know, do anything to him? No torture or revenge of any kind, he’s just there now. Conveniently tied up and kept with Fizz instead of literally anything else they could have done with him. There is no internal logic to the characters as to why things turn out this way. As seen in the Mammon episode, it's a metanarrative compulsion to make sure Blitz is in every episode regardless of whether it makes sense or goes anywhere, or not.

Another sidebar, but the fact that so much of the series is not able to be explained within the narrative and requires an understanding of how Medrano and her team formulate a script is a huge issue. It removes the ability to properly dissect the characters as individual people and necessitates a reading of them that is how Medrano wants the audience to think about them. When it comes to the character dissections, it is effectively impossible to have a complete or coherent reading in regards to the literary philosophy of the Death of the Author. You have no story or character if you remove Medrano. The world as a whole completely falls apart unless you inject it with her metacommentary and narrative intention like one would preserve a corpse through glycerin. There is absolutely no substance here. And the longer she goes on, trying to compile the whole show into a coherent narrative of its own is like building a skeleton with a human ribcage, an ostrich spine, an elephant skull and the lower half of a barbie doll.

Bojack calls Herb after finding out he is dying from cancer, Herb tells Bojack to come visit him. He refuses to talk to Bojack any other way, and Bojack is compelled to go by his guilt, not ego. Herb calling him to his house obliterates Bojack’s ego, this is Herb’s home and he is the one being summoned. This is where Herb has the most power compared to, say, over the phone. This is not only a move of superiority on Herb’s part, but an act of submission on Bojack’s. Herb forces Bojack to come to him. Once again, this is what power dynamics look like. But, despite the resentment and awkward bitterness, he does want to see Bojack.

I don’t know how many times I can articulate this. Herb is the one in control and he is the one who wants to see Bojack and he is the one calling the shots. Not at all comparable to Fizz being kidnapped, forced to interact with Blitz and then wholly reliant on him due to the narrative in order to facilitate this forced reconciliation. Herb and Bojack are people with complex feelings and agendas. Blitz and Fizz are two dolls being smashed together and held in place by the will of a childish god.

Second, the reason Bojack calls Herb is because he feels guilty, not for abandoning Herb but because he betrayed Herb. He told Herb he would stand with him and walk off the show if they tried to fire his friend, but according to Bojack, he was a coward and didn’t keep his word. He feels guilt for that, he regrets it. But when he apologizes to Herb for it, Herb corrects him. It isn’t because Bojack didn’t keep his word, like the horse man thought, it was because he thought the betrayal was more important than their friendship.

He’s a coward, but not for staying on Horsing Around. He’s a coward because he didn’t believe in their friendship. They were together for years and Herb thought that meant something, but Bojack avoiding Herb and never reaching out to him showed how little their friendship meant to him. And it wasn’t because Bojack didn’t care, Herb knows that. And that fact is necessary to understanding the sequence. Bojack didn’t value the friendship because he thought he was valueless. He avoided Herb because he thought Herb would never forgive him, because that is how little Bojack thinks of himself. Him calling Herb is the active display of him still not forgiving himself, so he needs Herb to do it for him. And Herb knows all of this.

“You know what your problem is? You wanna think of yourself as the good guy. Well, I know you better than anyone else and I can tell you that you're not. In fact, you'd probably sleep a lot better at night if you just admitted to yourself that you're a selfish goddamn coward, who takes whatever he wants, and doesn't give a shit about who he hurts. That's you. That's BoJack Horseman."

Bojack has no value in himself, leaving him extremely fragile. So he took what he wanted, he took their relationship and defined it for both of them. He ran away, protecting himself while determining that this is what Herb would want, and left Herb alone and powerless even in his closest friendship. Which is why Herb demands Bojack come to see him, it’s Herb reclaiming his power in the relationship. And all of this only has any meaning if you clearly define the fact that Bojack apologized for the wrong thing.

There’s an alternate universe where Bojack doesn’t go back and apologize at all, and he and Herb rebuild their friendship anew in Herb’s last days and they simply, quietly agree to start over. Because that’s not off the table. Herb still values the telescope. He still values their friendship. Bojack, once again, takes it away. And Herb, a dying man, fights viciously to keep hold of it. Him not forgiving Bojack is not wanting his friend back, if anything, it’s because he desperately wants Bojack back that he won’t forgive him.

The telescope isn’t just a metaphor when it breaks. It's the symbol of their friendship the entire time, and the physical actions taking place over it are a screenshot of what happened. Bojack took their friendship and left with it. But it meant something to Herb, and you would only know that by how he fights over it now. And when it breaks it shows that, because of Bojack and his cowardly need to run away from his problems, their relationship is now, finally, beyond repair. Not because Herb didn’t forgive him. It wasn’t over when Herb didn’t forgive him. The telescope is literally on the shelf the entire time.

Bojack ended it, not Herb.

But just like Bojack, Medrano and her fans believe that forgiveness is the end all of the story. It’s why so many people were not invested in Fizzarolli and Blitz makeup. Because Fizz just forgiving Blitz makes everything they went through meaningless.  It strips the characters and what they went through of depth and nuance in a single moment. It also validates Bojack's general mindset in the belief that one moment can fix a systemic problem. In this case, Medrano isn't the Anti-Bojack, she just is Bojack.

The issue between Herb and Bojack wasn’t the job, or even the time. It was Bojack. And it is the failure of Bojack identifying the part of himself that resulted in this outcome, and not making the choice to do anything different that results in the end of everything. Maybe Herb would never have forgiven the Bojack who left him. But that’s why Bojack needed to be a different Bojack. And he wasn’t.

Wrapping this back around to the start of the essay and how Absurdist philosophy plays into Bojack intrinsically, Herb says exactly that truth to Bojack. That if Bojack was only honest to himself and lived authentically, maybe he would be able to sleep at night. Because being good is less important than being real.

This reminds me of Jean Baptiste Clamence from Camus’s The Fall. A Frenchman in the seedy center of Amsterdam, a city encircled by canals like the rings of hell. He spends his nights in the bar just outside of the red light district, drunk off his ass, it is uncertain if he is actually telling his story to anyone at all. Over the course of four nights, he tells his story of his fall from grace. His self exile to Hell after being unable to cope with his guilt. He tells so many stories of himself, egotistically claiming he has the lost panel of the Ghent Alterpiece in his apartment, the piece titled The Just Judges. 

Even his name is a plea for repentance. John. Baptist. Clemency. He claims to sleep with Judges looming over him. Words endlessly flow from him and he confesses his sins.

It’s when he fesses to witnessing the suicide of a young woman in Paris that he explains why he ran away to Netherlands. He says how she called for help after jumping into the water, but he quickly fled the scene, hearing the splashing below become eerily silent. One could argue that he couldn’t do anything. In the Paris winter, the freezing water of the canal could kill them both, let alone the dangers of trying to save someone who is drowning. The main concern being the victim drowning their savior in a frenzied panic of keeping themselves above the water. It could be said that he did the only thing he could. However, he knows she was aware he was there, so she called out to him specifically when she came to her senses. No one witnessed the incident or knew he was there but her, and no one could fault him for doing nothing.

But he feels the guilt in himself, and thus runs away.

Jean-Baptiste, Bojack and even Diane all have the same mentality. They fetishize their misery and trauma, making themselves important through the loops of suffering they inflict on themselves. Thinking that because the events happened to them, it must mean they are somehow special. That their damage meant something out of all the other people on this planet who suffer. That because they felt alone and responsible, they are a mythical chosen one selected from the masses to do something. They find value in the negative self-image they have, their pain being their purpose.

Because if it didn’t matter, why did it happen to them?

This is where I normally would keep just ripping apart the arguments, but frankly, there isn’t one anymore. For one, the original poster just blatantly lacks any fundamental understanding of Bojack as a series since the entire premise of the show is every season Bojack tries to change.

On a narrative basis, the lack of intentionality on Blitz’s part absolves him from needing forgiveness. Fizzarolli forgiving him holds no weight because Blitz didn’t intentionally set the fire, he didn’t see Fizz in the explosion when he ran away, he didn’t not try to see Fizz in the hospital and then Medrano puts the cherry on top about how Fizz’s life is actually better because of everything that happened. It’s equal parts boring and vile. The conflict is artificial, the resolution is repulsive and contrived. There is no depth to these characters and Medrano actively removes depth, either because she herself lacks the ability to comprehend it or because she knows her fans are incapable of doing so.

Also, let's just not comment on how this line explicitly overshadows Fizz's trauma. Everyone knows you don't end an apology with "but". That negates the whole apology. This is literally "I'm sorry you got hurt and I can never make that up to you, BUT my mom's dead so you don't even know what it's like being me and feeling responsible for that."

While the writers of Bojack sought to make their characters understandable and thus empathetic, they at no point excused or retconned the behavior. The writers on Bojack didn’t do anything to justify their characters in order to control how the audience felt about them. They were showing that the characters were well rounded, had reasons, why they had those reasons, what core memories made them who they are today. And the audience had the choice in how they responded to the characters. Medrano needs her audience to feel the same way about her characters as she does in order for the story to work, because she has never put forth the effort of actually telling this story.

One does not need the interviews with Bob-Waksberg to understand his cast and their story. Everything a viewer needs to know can be found in the show proper. There are not huge points of context happening just over there, off screen, between episodes and relegated to background details. Everything relevant to these characters and their stories is in the show. That has not and at this point never will be the case for Helluva Boss. So in many ways, yes. Helluva Boss is the anti-Bojack.

That's not a good thing.

[myths-tournaments]

Found Family Tournament [Round 2 - Poll 12/32]

(list of characters under the cut)

RISE OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

Leo Raphael Donnie Mikey Splinter April

DIMENSION 20: FANTASY HIGH

Fig Faeth Kristen Applebees Adaine Abernant Fabian Seacaster Riz Gukgak Gorgug Thistlespring

[saulwexler]

jon ossoff kristen gillibrand maura healey liz warren raphael warnock

jon ossoff: answered (hot ofc)

Kristen Gillibrand: Hot! we love and support all blonde senators from NY. also the way she was treated because of franken is part of my villain origin story. she was right!

Maura Healey: Not 😔 stuck in the cuteness zone with fellow dimpled governor Shapiro

The first lady??? way to go Governor Dimples 🫡

Liz Warren: Not (she's my former senator/mom). cringe fact - over a decade ago I met her at logan airport and she helped me find the silver line. I didn't know who she was until someone told me 😭 still haunted by that

Raphael Warnock: not sure if it's stockholm syndrome from writing 500 postcards for the reverend but. HOT 😍

[beljar]

1.

July 1950 - I may never be happy, but tonight I am content. Nothing more than an empty house, the warm hazy weariness from a day spent setting strawberry runners in the sun, a glass of cool sweet milk, and a shallow dish of blueberries bathed in cream. Now I know how people can live without books, without college. When one is so tired at the end of a day, one must sleep, and at the next dawn, there are more strawberry runners to set, and so one goes on living, near the earth. At times like this, I'd call myself a fool to ask for more...

2.

Ilo asked me today in the strawberry field, "Do you like the Renaissance painters? Raphael and Michelangelo? I copied some of Michelangelo once. And what do you think of Picasso... These painters who make a circle and a little board going down for a leg?" We worked side by side in the rows, and he would be quiet for a while, then suddenly burst out with conversation, speaking with his thick German accent. He straightened up, his tan, intelligent face crinkling up with laughter. His chunky, muscular body was bronzed, and his blonde hair tucked up under a white handkerchief around his head. He said, "You like Frank Sinatra? So sentimental, so romantic, so moonlight night, Ja?"

text: Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath, 1982 // Susan Jane Walp, “Blueberries in a Bowl with Bean Pod, Cork and Knife” (1999), oil on linen, 9 x 8.75 inches // Kristen Garneau, “Strawberry Fields”, 18 x 20, Oil on canvas // Maryann Mullett – “Strawberry Fields”

[occasional-ghost]

My turn to ask even though my list was long as hellll but crossover ideas???

Truly this is so long but here’s some ideas:

Bridgerton:

• Like you said, Ambrose Charles and Alexander because brothers but also consider: Priscilla Featherington/Ambrose au with Friedrich/Edwina happening in the background? (Alexander can be single he doesn’t mind)

• Pricilla Barington and Pricilla Featherington: yes absolutely to this one, name twins, besties, all around vibe.

Descendants:

• Annalise Andersen with Aria (sisters), Almeria (l cousins), or Melvin (because aunt)

• Brendan Marmontel and Edmund Tremaine (clone shinanigans, ship vibes if Brendan’s down.)

• Brendan Marmontel & Raphael Fitzherbert (definitely shipping, also Logan & Grant are my boys so I’m down.)

• Cadence De Vil & Andrew Radcliffe (Andrew’s the biggest reason as to why Ben chose Carlos as part of the original VK group and he’d try to extend that to her and would want to be her friend to.)

• Emmeline Fitzherbert & Atticus (besties for sure, but also I vote she gets a crossover with Raphael because siblings + Atticus is his bodyguard/head of security.)

• Kirsti Bjorgman and Princess Kristen of Arendelle (cousins so could be fun)

• Gabriel Legume & Edmund Tremaine (yes absolutely to ship energy Edmund is so here for it)

• Gabriel Legume & Gage Legume (Gage wants all the siblings he needs more family that’s not terrible also sorry Gil Gabe would be his new favorite brother.)

• Gabriel Legume & Jericho (Sorry Gage but always here for any Gabriel ship they’d be a fun vibe.)

• Zinnia Hook and Fabian Facilier (yesss to dating/ship vibes, possibly poly with Evie?)

• Stephen White & Barbie (admittedly Barbie has zero devlopment but yes absolutely they’d vibe so well)

• Doctor Who

• Fiona Baker & Maisie Cameron (Poly vibes with Martha please Martha deserves two girlfriends)

• Lottie Tyler & Gwyneth Boe (look this could be literally anything i just like the vibe of Katie McGrath & Diana Agron together.)(Gwyneth steals her future father’s girlfriend.)

Malcolm McAllister & Gwyneth Boe (yet again Gwyn steals her future father’s ship for herself they vibe as a ship so hard.) (They can also steal the Doctor and Jack can just have Ianto idk.)

Gilmore Girls

• Blair Lister and Lili Lister (because sisters, could do Blair/Jess and Lili/Rory?)

• Caspian Geller and Vienna Geller (siblings)

• Caspian Geller and Richie Gilmore (friends or ship energy idk I just think they’d look good together.)

• Daliah Gilmore and Richie Gilmore (siblings, also there’s irl connect with Melissa and Grant. 🥺)

• Dorian Gilmore and Richie Gilmore (Richie doesn’t always have a good relationship with Lorelai but he wants an uncle. 🥺)

• Lydia Millstone-Gilmore and Regina Gilmore (there’s an energy here i can’t explain but I like it)

• Lydia Millstone-Gilmore & Lili Lister (Friends?? Lydia steals Lili from Rory??? Idk but we have content can’t believe I’m saying this but thank you Riverdale.)(also yes to your Floyd suggestion for the same reason.)

• Theodore Gleason/Edgar more shipping vibes here, possibly poly with Harlow?

• Thomas Mayfair & Belinda Gilmore (sorry Rory your boyfriend is definitely getting stolen I like the vibes of these two.)

• Wyatt Hayden & Edgar Danes-Rygalski (also yes to poly with Harlow)

Glee:

• Annie Shuester and Steve Schuester (she’s technically his aunt but I feel they’d be close.)

• Andrew Berry and Felix Dosier (sorry Finn but I vote boyfriends au)

• Andrew Berry and Bentley Reynolds (look Andrew’s demisexual but his type is hot and knows they’re talented.)

Gossip Girl + Gossip Girl 2021

• Darcy Hearst and Earnest Applebaum (yes theme is understood and yes boyfriends.)

• Darcy Hearst and Eli Bass (yes to boyfriends please, tbd on poly with Romeo.)

• Darcy Hearst and Neveah Booker (they’d just be fun, either exclusive or poly with Chuck?)

• Miles Humphrey and Maggie Francis (she’s technically a 2021 girl but siblings, miles would be her favorite family member.)

Hunger Games

• Epithany and Eliana Trinket (sisters)

OUAT

• Aimee Grimard and Cornelia Sheridan (mostly because Bridgerton)

PJO:

• Austin Hayes and Cordelia Castellan (vibes, sorry Percy but potential poly with Annabeth?

Red, White & Royal Blue

• Sebastian Van Wyck and Remi Mcintire (I just like them, chaotic poly OT4 au with Alex and Henry?)

[fe3h-academyrp]

Wanted to try Fire Emblem RP?

Is your favourite character by any chance Mercedes, Leonie, Raphael, Yuri, Alois or Shamir? Well now is your chance!! Snatch up these character's by applying today before they're gone!! We hope to see you soon!!

[siegecraft]

2023 Reading (So Far)

For the first time in a couple years I'm actually on track to finish a book each week, which is always one of my yearly goals. Below is a list of what I've read so far and which books I particularly recommend.

✨ incredible, recommend without exception ☕ I quite enjoyed this but your mileage may vary

Novels & Novellas The Candy House by Jennifer Egan Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin ✨ Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun All Grown Up by Jami Attenberg Swamplandia! by Karen Russell Any Other City by Hazel Jane Plante ☕ Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor The Guest by Emma Cline Turtles All the Way Down by John Green Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld ☕ Finna by Nino Cipri Pet by Akwaeke Emezi ✨ Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead ✨ Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead ☕ Luster by Raven Leilani ☕ Counterweight by Djuna

Short Stories Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty ✨ God of Want by K-Ming Chang Manywhere by Morgan Thomas ☕ Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory: Stories by Raphael Bob-Waksberg

Nonfiction & Essays Bad Jews: A History of American Jewish Politics and Identities by Emily Tamkin Tanqueray by Brandon Stanton and Stephanie Johnson You Sound Like a White Girl by Julissa Arce Side Affects: On Being Trans and Feeling Bad by Hil Malatino ☕ Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong ✨

Poetry Bloodstone Cowboy by Kara Jackson ✨ Homie by Danez Smith ✨ Tits on the Moon by Dessa ☕

Comics/Graphic Novels The Boondocks: Because I Know You Don't Read the Newspaper by Aaron McGruder ☕ The Boondocks: Fresh for '01...You Suckas by Aaron McGruder ☕

[saecookie]

oh there's Kristen Johnston and June Raphael as extras that can't be bad

[movies-to-add-to-your-tbw]

Title: Bride Wars

Rating: PG

Director: Gary Winick

Cast: Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway, Bryan Greenberg, Chris Pratt, Steve Howey, Candice Bergen, Kristen Johnston, Michael Arden, Victor Slezak, Kelly Coffield Park, John Pankow, Zoe O'Grady, Shannon Ferber, June Diane Raphael, Charles Bernard

Release year: 2009

Genres: comedy, romance

Blurb: Two best friends become rivals when their respective weddings are accidentally booked for the same day.