#seamus rambles

[hopeless-eccentric]

coming back to this because i had a meeting with my thesis advisor and he reminded me of some concepts--

it's really interesting to me the way Dros essentially acts like a detective, but is punished because he doesn't have the backing of any government system. theres also an intense irony there--he's a former soldier who is, in some ways, acting like one, but because some far-off bigwigs have decided the war is over, it's suddenly amoral for a sniper to gaze and kill. it's a really neat and ironic way of looking at the often arbitrary nature of "acceptability" in these fictions

detective fiction especially sits on the edge of "acceptability," with a voyueristic, violent, and often-misanthropic protagonist who we're taught to forgive simply because he represents the government.* when we take away the detective's badge and connection to the law, we get Dros: a paranoid, violent, misanthropic voyuer

he's a condemnation of this form of governance and policing through a mirror image, instead of foil.

anyway, this is all to say that Dros is very interesting when considering gazing, but he's especially interesting when read with a closer eye on political theory!

*there's also an argument here that he's written to be sympathetic to white, cishet, male working class readers depending on the era youre looking at, but ultimately the fantasy is about the core values of a capitalist government, i.e., macho individualism, social strata, etc.

disco elysium and the male gaze

spoilers for the game ending under the cut! this one's gonna be long, but bear with me, i promise it's interesting

ok ive been losing it about this game's conversation with gazing in detective fiction for WEEKS and ill do my best to quickly summarize it (again, quick credentials, i did an undergrad thesis on detective fiction with a focus on hard-boiled genre and gender/sexuality)

in short, classical detective fiction (especially hard-boiled, which granted, disco elysium is NOT, though it's referenced often), there's a constant interplay between the ideas of knowledge/gazing and power, as well as power and gender. Looking, deducing, and investigating are highly gendered (male) acts that emasculate or feminize what they look at. the goal is essentially for the gender-transgressive killer (often a woman or man who needs to be punished for killing, and thus penetrating other men) to be "fixed" through gendered punishment or "removed from society," either by killing or jailing them

so ideally for these fictions, a man (the "body in the study," to use scholar kathleen gregory klein's phrase) has been Known About and killed/penetrated by the bad guy. the detective has to fix this by removing the perpetrator's agency through the penetrative gaze and power of the State, in short, emasculating them back into their place

if this feels like a weirdly erotic way to describe detective fiction, that's because it's WEIRDLY EROTIC! theres a history of the "corrective" violence against gender-transgressive women in these fictions being highly sexualized, though often these obsessions with controlling gender-transgressors bodily are a little more repressed (joy palmer's article tracing bodies: gender, genre and forensic detective fiction does a really nice job summing it up and expanding on klein's habeas corpus: feminism and detective fiction, which was the first work to note these patterns)

so what instantly struck me about disco elysium was that 1) the game punishes you for abusing police power against and taking autonomy from queer women 2) instead of being a pathetic, embarassing thing that needs to be corrected, the "emasculated" corpse is treated tenderly, noting the eroticism of autopsy which Palmer raises, and 3) there's a character who behaves exactly like The Detective in terms of gazing at women, emasculating men, and controlling women's bodies and sexualities: the deserter

so breaking things down in an internet-friendly numbered list--

first, the game is actively harder/full of more meaningless, haunting tragedy if you arrest klaasje or break ruby's machine. mechanically, you're punished for using police power to control and punish queer women. even though the classic "femme fatale" is often a cisheterosexual woman, her transgressing gender boundaries (often being a "maneater," having agent sexuality, harming men, often in a phallic manner, etc) marks her as queercoded in a way i really appreciate the game embracing in its more femme fataleish characters. you get the option to Gaze at and Know About women suspects, but the game will NOT make it easy for you

second, the game breaks the idea that the body's murder is a shameful act of gender/sexual transgression that needs to be fixed. the body's objectification (even by a couple of traumatized pre-teens) is treated as a tragedy, and the game does everything it can to humanize lely, even if it humanizes him as a real piece of shit. the autopsy is tender, bordering on romantic/erotic, because the game is constantly trying to remind you that you are exploring a human being's body. the "failed" or "penetrated" man isn't untouchable, which instantly breaks the patriarchal structure of detective novels trying to stamp out unspeakable threats to patriarchy. the further penetration of his life and body by the strange, uncaring investigator figure is also treated as something which could be uncomfortably exploitative, but isn't because you're given the option to be delicate and loving. (i was reminded a lot of lay your sleeping head by michael nava, wherein the protagonist solves his lover's murder, which is portrayed as no less intimate than exploring his body in sex. great book btw)

third, the deserter. dros is everything the hard-boiled detective is meant to be: obsessed with an idealized past, a man out of time (this is more common in neo-noir fiction, including adaptations of a few novels referenced in the dick mullen book), angry at the world for its corruption, unable to escape it himself, and obsessed with gazing at and sexually punishing women. the only difference is that he doesnt work for the government. his matronym is especially ironic, a remnant of a more progressive ideology which has been abandoned in favor of misanthropy. hes become convinced of the same terrifying, comedically corrupt world described in classical detective fiction (read an iconic hard-boiled author's description of that here, at the start of part 7*)

it's such a rejection of the way gazing and patriarchy usually acts in detective fiction. if you gaze destructively, the game gets harder. it emphasizes the sexual connotation of gazing at murders and forces you to be gentle, while empowering the voice of the victim to ensure you treat him like a human, instead of a stock "failed man." the character who thinks and behaves like a detective is a paranoid, sick, elderly murderer who is treated as desperately needing help.

it's amazing stuff

also, if you can't access any of these articles, dm me and ill get you pdfs!

*this article has a lot of issues. dont take it as gospel. it actively contradicts itself like five times and a lot of really good writing has been done roasting it. Miranda Hickman's history of it is really good. that being said, the description of the kind of world the detective thinks he lives in is VERY accurate, even if Chandler describes it as if it's realism. im including it just because it's a famous enough article that it's had a major impact on how detective fiction is written/culturally thought of, and that part is verifiably true

[lilyandthegenshinbrainrot]

Frederica Gunnhildr, and her familial ties

"For Mondstadt, as always" is the Gunnhildr family motto. Every time I use my Vision, I am reminded of my mother and the hopes of the people of Mondstadt. - Jean Gunnhildr

Frederica Gunnhildr, one of oldest leaders of Mondstadt, is the mother of Jean Gunnhildr and Barbara Pegg. She is the second-in-command of the expedition that Grandmaster Varka, Knight of Boreas, has led to unknown origins for unknown reasons. She has been working as a knight for longer than most of the current knights have been alive, and she enjoys being on the front-lines fighting for Mondstadt's safety. All according to Phonia, of course. She thinks incredibly fondly of her eldest daughter, as she taught Jean everything about their family's history, their nation, how to be act with the grace of the heir to their name, and swordsmanship. Jean is considered one of the best with a sword in the nation currently. She even wrote to her, saying that she has found a new sword for Jean and promising that it will do well to keep her safe easily. More so, Frederica hand-sewn the uniform that Jean usually wears to work, but the second outfit that Jean has used to be hers as well ! She does also love Barbara, as she sent her a lovely sunflower dress for her youngest to wear as she performs in her idol work and is written to be spending time with both daughters in Gunnhildr's Legacy description. Which tells me that she both knows of and supports her youngest's dreams and ambitions, even if she is not active in her life. Frederica does however give more time and attention to her heir, of course. She raised her alone. Which brings me to her marriage. Frederica, as established, loves the fight and loves the city. She is a proud woman with incredibly high standards and even higher work ethic. The woman was the inspiration of an entire generation of knights, and has long surpassed the requirements for becoming a Captain, if not for her own love for the front-lines. This is presumably, where she met Seamus Pegg. The Cardinal of Daybreak, a famed ex-adventurer whose name was once known across Teyvat before he settled in the Church of Favonius, cast aside his old self, and became the man of faith that he is today. I think she married him to secure her family lineage, because the way that she raised Jean is so focused on her future contribution to the city that even the people joke, A Gunnhildr learns to say "For Mondstadt, as always" before learning to say "Mommy." Which is why Jean is so... disciplined.

I think that she was excited to meet someone as formidable as herself- a respected adventurer- and she ended up with a man who... perhaps was unprepared for the Gunnhildr expectations. Sure, they were married with two children but I believe Frederica left Seamus. Remember what I said about Gunnhildr's Legacy, Jean's second outfit? Yes! Seamus kept her ceremonial clothes for years after their divorce. Why? She didn't care about those clothes ! She immediately tells Jean to keep them ! "Those were the clothes I wore when they granted me the title of 'Alder Knight.' You can take them, if you don't mind." And admittedly, while it would tragic enough that this poor woman married a man solely for her family name and for Mondstadt, I cannot help but wonder what they were like together because of that last line. Take them, if you don't mind. For a known proud woman, that sounds awful close to begging. Why? I wonder if this pious man, who quickly became an authority in the church, would turn to Ms. Gunnhildr in an effort to secure Barbatos' favor. After all, Gunnhildr's biography is public and everyone knows that Barbatos favors that family line. Was he the sort to marry for that ? Did he wonder if there was a family record, a Gunnhildr's autobiography ? Did he agree to marry Frederica in hopes of receiving private information about their nation? You know that they have it. It's suspicious to me that an adventurer would quickly rise through the theocratic ranks of one of TWO government reigning organizations in Mondstadt, when his wife was already a well-established name in the other. Seamus, a retired traveler and treasure hunter, what were you expecting in your marriage? Did Frederica leave once you gave her a legacy, or did she leave when you asked for things that don't belong to you?

[hearts4hughes]

LOVING THE NEW UMICH CONTENT!!

[lxnceclercs]

every time i see a picture of their house it looks scary as FUCK

[hopeless-eccentric]

Interesting additions! The thing that complicates this for me is whether or not the Looking itself COUNTS as punishment. In a lot of cases, even traditional ones, things aren’t formally “solved,” but order is still broadly put back in its place because the detective figured things out. Looking/gazing still fills the narrative role of punishment, especially when it’s so associated with emasculation. If you break the social contracted, your individualism is removed, your privacy is revoked, and your life and bodh are penetrated by both the gaze and often the weaponry of the detective. This works well for femme fatales whose masculinity “needs to be corrected” as well as it does your typical male killer. (Obvious caveat that these are not stories trying to rehabilitate the literary image of penetration, unfortunately, and that detective fiction is regrettably STEEPED in Freud’s legacy)

So for me, I guess I could see an axis between “punished by the government” and “informally punished by something that represents the social order,” but it feels a little insufficient to me, especially because detectives can represent different social orders or desired ideologies (though often while still espousing a base support of the model of governance/dominant political order).

I also think the insider-outsider binary is a little fraught when a large portion of the canon is founded on playing both sides—it’s not necessarily in the middle of a spectrum so much as a “yes, and.” Being a street smart individualist doesn’t make Phillip Marlowe or Sam Spade or Mike Hammer less of a cop, and even when the insider community is marginalized, the detective’s role as literal narrative Gazer can complicate whether or not he’s just doing hegemonic acts of subjugation uncritically to others

anyway, excited to see what everyone thinks! If anyone’s curious I can dig up some old citations on the insider/outsider binary (or lack thereof), I have them sitting in a google doc somewhere :)

The Insider and Outsider Detectives

So there's a lot of discourse about detectives floating around, ever since 2020 shifted a lot of people's Views on the police. Everyone likes a good mystery story, but no one seems to know what to make of a detective protagonist- especially if they're a cop. And everyone who cares about this kind of thing likes to argue over whether detective stories hold up the existing order or subvert it. Are they inherently copaganda? Are they subversive commentary on the uselessness of the police?

I think they can be both. And I think there's a framework we can use to look at individual detectives, and their stories, that illuminates the space between "a show like LAPD straight-up exists to make the cops look good" and "Boy Detective is a gender to me, actually".

So. You can sort most detectives in fiction into two boxes, based on their role in society: the Insider Detective and the Outsider Detective.

The Insider Detective is a part of the society they're investigating in, and has access to at least some of the levers of power in that society. They can throw money at their problems, or call in reinforcements, and if they contact the authorities, those authorities will take them seriously. Even the people they're investigating usually treat them with respect. They're a nice normal person in a nice normal world, thank you very much; they're not particularly eccentric. You could describe them as "sensible". And crime is a threat to that normal world. It's an intrusion that they have to fight off. An Insider Detective solving a crime is restoring the way things ought to be.

Some clear-cut examples of Insider Detectives are the Hardy Boys (and their father Fenton), Soichiro "Light's Dad" Yagami, or Father Brown. Many police procedural detectives are Insider Detectives, though not all.

The Outsider Detective, in contrast, is not a part of the society they're investigating in. They're often a marginalized person- they're neurodivergent, or elderly, or foreign, or a woman in a historical setting, or a child. They don't have access to any of the levers of power in their world- the authorities may not believe them (and might harass them), the people they're investigating think they're a joke (and can often wave them off), and they're unlikely to have access to things like "a forensics lab". The Outsider Detective is not respectable, and not welcome here- and yet they persist and solve the crime anyway. A lot of the time, when an Outsider Detective solves a crime, it's less "restoring the world to its rightful state" and more "exposing the rot in the normal world, and forcing it to change."

Some clear-cut examples of Outsider Detectives are Dirk Gently, Philip Marlowe, Sammy Keyes, or Mello from Death Note.

Now, here's the catch: these aren't immutable categories, and they are almost never clear-cut. The same detective can be an Insider Detective in one setting and an Outsider Detective in another. A good writer will know this, and will balance the two to say something about power and society.

Tumblr's second-favourite detective Benoit Blanc is a great example of this. Theoretically, Mr. Blanc should be an Insider Detective- he's a world-famous detective, he collaborates with the police, he's odd but respectable. But because of the circumstances he's in- investigating the ultra-rich, who live in their own horrid little bubbles- he comes off as the Outsider Detective, exposing the rot and helping everyone get what they deserve. And that's deliberate. There is no world where a nice, slightly eccentric, mildly fruity, fairly privileged guy like Benoit Blanc should be an outsider. But the turbo-rich live in such an insular world, full of so much contempt for anyone who isn't Them, that even Benoit Blanc gets left out in the cold. It's a scathing political statement, if you think about it.

But even a writer who isn't trying to Say Something About The World will still often veer between making their detective an Insider Detective and an Outsider Detective, because you can tell different kinds of stories within those frameworks. Jessica Fletcher from Murder She Wrote is a really good example of this-- she's a respectable older lady, whose runaway success as a mystery novelist gives her access to some social cachet. Key word: some.

Within her hometown of Cabot Cove, Fletcher is an Insider Detective. She's good friends with the local sheriff, she's incredibly familiar with the town's social dynamics, she can call in a favour from basically anyone... but she's still a little old lady. The second she leaves town, she might run into someone who likes her books... but she's just as likely to run into a police officer who thinks she's crazy or a perp who thinks she's an easy target. She has the incredibly tenuous social power that belongs to a little old lady that everyone likes- and when that's gone, she's incredibly vulnerable.

This is also why a lot of Sherlock Holmes adaptations tend to be so... divisive. Holmes is all things to all people, and depending on which stories you choose to focus on, you can get a very different detective. If you focus on the stories where Holmes collaborates with the police, on the stories with that very special kind of Victorian racism, or the stories where Holmes is fighting Moriarty, you've got an Insider Detective. If you focus on the stories where Holmes is consulting for a Nice Young Lady, on the stories where Holmes' neurodivergence is most prominent, or on his addictions, you've got an Outsider Detective.

Finally, a lot of buddy detective stories have an Insider Detective and an Outsider Detective sharing the spotlight. Think Scully and Mulder, or Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde. This lets the writer play with both pieces of the thematic puzzle at the same time, without sacrificing the consistency of their detective's character.

Back to my original point: if you like detective fiction, you probably like one kind of story better than the other. I know I personally really prefer Outsider Detective Stories to Insider Detective Stories- and while I can enjoy a good Insider Detective (I'd argue that Brother Cadfael, my beloved, is one most of the time), I seek out detectives who don't quite fit into the world they live in more often than not.

And if that's the vibe you're looking for... you're not going to run into a lot of police stories. It's absolutely possible to make a story where a cop (or, even better, an FBI agent) is an Outsider Detective-- Nick Angel from Hot Fuzz was originally going to be one of my 'clear-cut examples' until I remembered that he is, in fact, legally a cop! But a cop who's an Outsider Detective is going to be spending a lot of time butting heads with local law enforcement, to the point where he doesn't particularly feel like one. He's probably going to get fired at some point, and even if his badge gets reinstated, he's going to struggle with his place in the world. And a lot of Outsider Detective stories where the detective is a cop or an FBI agent are intensely political, and not in a conservative way- they have Things To Say about small towns, clannishness, and the injustice that can happen when a Pillar Of The Community does something wrong and everyone looks the other way. (Think Twin Peaks or The Wicker Man.)

Does this mean Insider Detective Stories are Bad Copaganda and Outsider Detective Stories are Good Revolutionary Stories? No. If you take one thing away from this post, please make it that these categories are morally neutral. There are Outsider Detective stories about cops who are Outsiders because they really, really want an excuse to shoot people. There are Insider Detective stories about little old people who are trying to keep misapplied justice from hurting the kids in their community. Neither of these types of stories are good or bad on their own. They're different kinds of storytelling framework and they serve different purposes.

But, if you find yourself really gravitating to certain kinds of mysteries and really put off by other kinds, and you're trying to express why, this might be a framework that's useful for you. If your gender is Boy Detective, but you absolutely loathe cop stories? This might be why.

(PS: @anim-ttrpgs was posting about their game Eureka again, and that got me to make this post- thank them if you're happy to finally see it. Eureka is designed as an Outsider Detective simulator, and so the rules actively forbid you from playing as a cop- they're trying to make it so that you have limited resources and have to rely on your own competence. It's a fantastic looking game and I can't recommend it enough.)

(PPS: I'm probably going to come back to this once I finish Psycho-Pass with my partner, because they said I'd probably have Thoughts.)

(PPPS: Encyclopedia Brown is an Insider Detective, and that's why no one likes him. This is my most controversial detective take.)

[zipstick]

back to the future part iii is so funny. "i feel like we have a connection to him" yeah seamus that's because you look exactly the fucking same

[pooks]

(Seamus' favorite Irish Quidditch team lost and Percy attempts to cheer him up, as Prefect) Percy: C'mon now, Seamus. Think of a happy place! Now, what makes you happy? Seasmus: Being in the middle of a HUGE explosion! :D Harry: Less happy place, Percy! Less happy place. Percy: Um...think calming thoughts. I know, let's count back from ten! 10, 9, 8- Harry: NO! Ron: Duck! Hermione: NO!

[silveredsticks]

x

[wutheringmights]

So I finished rereading Beowulf a few days ago. I really don't have a lot to say about it. I read Beowulf two other times before for my degree, and so I already knew what I was getting into both in terms of story and literary analysis. Nothing really new there. I was mostly rereading Beowulf in order to do research for a piece of original fiction I'm working on.

Generally, I really like Beowulf. I like the main character, how he's just a Swell Dude. He's the greatest warrior ever, and a not-so-great-but-not-bad king. I like how differently the poet treats Grendel and Grendel's mother compared to the dragon. I like how suddenly tragic the story is. I like the tensions between the pagan and Christian lore and wondering if the poet was Christian themself or if the poem was changed once transcribed by some monk.

I read the Seamus Heaney translation this time around. I admire the rhythm of each line and how he attempts to maintain the poet's flairs in its translation into modern English. I don't think it was any better than the other translations I read, and I honestly miss the level of detail of the versions I read for school compare the Heaney's brevity.

Heaney's introduction was fascinating, though. The way he related the translation to his thoughts how colonization damaged the Irish language, as well as how translating the poem allowed him to explore ways in which Irish persevered in modern English is really interesting, and anyone who is interested in studying Beowulf should give it a reread.

But yeah. I like Beowulf, but perhaps more as something to study than anything to read for pure enjoyment.

[devilish-parrot]

i just finished zach stone is gonna be famous and the ending... OH MY GOD HOW DO I EVEN BEGIN. i just sat there eyes wide breathing heavily just listening to zach sing the song AND THEN THE CREDITS PLAYED IT AND I NEARLY CRIED

[hopeless-eccentric]

my thesis advisor (the one i did the post-structuralist reading of queer detective fiction with) emailed me today to ask about "that video game you mentioned the other day." if i get a middle aged dad with a phd into disco elysium, i think ive won

[lilyandthegenshinbrainrot]

Mondstadt Governmental Systems

walking to class and thinking about the Mondstadt governmental and power systems

So the power of the people is split between the Knights and the Church, yeah?

The Knights are responsible for the executive and judicial decisions. They're the law enforcement, they're the guardians, they're the trade and resource management. We know they are responsible for foreign relations, for ensuring that the lands are safe, and for enacting justice. We have seen both Albedo and Eula act in their capacity as Captain of Investigation and Reconnaissance respectively, we have seen Hertha work with Logicistics and Human Resources, and ofc, the Kaeya and Jean acting as Quartermaster and Acting Grandmaster respectively as well. We know the knights, we are a knight, this isn't new information.

The Church, however, less known and understood, is responsible for the social, environmental, and really cultural work of Mondstadt. Most obviously seen in the game where a couple sisters take responsibility for children during the day (Nora and Timmy), but also in the foreigners who go stand in front of the Statue to learn about Mond and the way that Seamus Pegg, Cardinal of Daybreak, was the one who Fatui approached when asking for Mondstadt civilians to be recruited.

This is interesting because we actually have never met any of the church leaders, only the Sisters and the Deaconess, with leaks mentioning a Deacon soon. We have not met Mother Maria, Cardinal Calvin, or ofc, Senior Cardinal Seamus Pegg himself. More on them specifically in a separate post.

My point being, there is still more to look into and there is still plenty of mysteries left in Mondstadt, and they aren't all hidden with Venti.

[bbrissonn]

someone at work came to the cash with a magazine, and lemme tell you i was SHOOK when i was seamus casey on it… i had to hold back a little giggle 🤭🤭

[lxnceclercs]

seamus casey has a gf this is the WORST day of my life😔😔😔😔😔

[eljeebee]

Bonjour, C'est moi 👋🏽

I'am back with another one of these random questions 😎

List 3 pet peeves from one of your OC's. Don't overthink. GO!

Kamusta!!!!

Thank your for the ask, I've been in a writing mood!

Lord Seamus II

1. Paparazzi. He hates how they're everywhere. From the moment he and his sister was born, to his father's death, and now their move to Del Sol Valley. He can tolerate them, he can keep them at bay, but the more they shove their cameras on his face, and the more his mother's mental health gets affected, the more he becomes pissed with them.

2. Girls trying to get his number. The twins has quite the reputation, especially back home at Hidden Springs. Though they may not be in the direct succession line, the people adore them, especially him, when he turned into a young adult. (Bea Valderama is different though....👀)

3. As much as he loves being back at Hidden Springs, his whole family is the biggest pet peeve of all. Sometimes he wishes he isn't born into a royal family, because even if you're not in the main limelight, time and time again that lights will be on you, either in joyful news, or in tarnishing the family's name. A royal family is quite a show, with age old tradition of family politics and intrigue. And he hates it.

[callsign-bubbles]

☕ prospects? of any teams u follow

hello nonnie!!

so i’m not even gonna lie i only have like two or three teams that i follow closely enough to have prospects HOWEVER 👀

the main prospects i follow are easton cowan and fraser minten from the knights/blades, seamus casey from umich (although he’s not really a prospect anymore, baby just signed his first pro deal 🥹), dylan duke from the syracuse crunch (umich girlie [gn] forever!) and mavrik bourque from the texas stars!!

mav and mints had amazing seasons and i’m so proud of them UGHHHH but cowboy is currently tearing it up with london in the cup final as they beat oshawa’s ass! (though at the time of me writing this they’re down 3-0 :/)

dylan played in his first ahl game a couple months ago and i’m so proud!!! (i’ve said this like five times but they're all my sons)

OH AND HOW COULD I FORGET BARKIE AND BONKS!!!! future philly flyers iktr 🫡 truly all my london boys are doing so well and i’m so damn excited for our teams’ futures!!!

this turned into me rambling but i have such a soft spot for player development :( nonnie you should’ve seen me sobbing when my guy frankie scored his first NHL goal, especially seeing it live i was in shambles

BUT YES! JUNIOR HOCKEY! PROSPECTS! GO LONDON!