#the family narratives…. cannot do this rn
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“Like father, like son”
brittany wedgewood’s instagram story 04.15.24
#i’m punching a hole in the wall#LIKE FATHER LIKE SON#the family narratives…. cannot do this rn#thank you brittany. as always#and her sitting between them ): her boys ): i’m#scott wedgewood#thomas harley#honestly need to start tagging brittany in stuff tbh#dallas stars
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OFMD Critique: Finales, Writing Backwards, and the Importance of Building Relationships
Continuing on the rambling meta bc it turns out there are a couple of people that responded well to my initial thoughts...
Am I the only one that felt like the OFMD Season 2 finale suffered from the exact same problem as the Game of Thrones or the How I Met Your Mother Season finales? Well, not exactly the same, but lemme explain.
The treatment of Izzy Hands in Season 2 of OFMD feels like when they sat down to write this season, they wrote his death scene first (for whatever reasons that might be, though likely for the sake of Ed's arc- we're not going to address my feelings on THAT rn), THEN backfilled his arc for the rest of the season based on that, but then didn't rewrite his death scene to address the stuff that organically happened when writing the rest of the season.
Like, for example, I've seen plenty of people point out that the deathbed apology from Izzy to Ed doesn't really work (I fed your darkness) both in regards to the sheer imbalance of damage shown onscreen between Ed and Izzy, but also doesn't work as a "putting Blackbeard behind us" scene when Izzy figuratively (and literally, if you count him as part of the group with the cannonball) killed his half of Blackbeard in the storm scene in 2x2, with whatever parts lingering in him killed with the unicorn scene in 2x4. After this point, his arc and his focus has very, very little to do with Blackbeard or hell, Ed in general besides the couple of comments made to Ed and Stede that cement that Izzy is happy that Ed moved on and found someone that makes him happy.
Izzy's arc has left Blackbeard behind already. He has already hit the emotional beat that the finale wants to retread.
And then the other part of his deathbed comments to Ed- "the crew loves you, Ed"- makes no sense from the Ed side of things. The show built up an arc for Izzy that would make people care when he died, but that arc was literally about the crew literally putting aside their differences/fear/distrust of each other to help, support, and accept Izzy as their figurehead, their protector, their friend, their recovery, their family, their (insert positive symbolism/metaphor for all of the VARIOUS implied flirtations here).
What did they have with Ed? Other than his moments with Stede and Fang, what relationships were built up before Izzy's death? Calypso's birthday included no scenes of the crew interacting with Ed other than the short Archie/Ed/Stede convo at the beginning. We get none of him talking to them when prepping for the party. He spends 2x7 and 2x8 with Stede, only having scenes with Stede, never building anything with the crew.
THE LAST SUBSTANTIAL INTERACTION ED HAS WITH THE CREW BEFORE IZZY DIES IS THE "INFLUENCER APOLOGY" IN 2X5 (other than with Fang in the boat). Holy shit, I didn't even realize that until I got to this point in the meta. I had realized that something felt wrong/off about the "the crew loves you line," but I thought that it was because 2x1-2x3 cast such a long shadow on the rest of the season that it was impossible to escape. No, there were cracks in the back half of the season as well.
All of which is to say: if you have to kill Izzy (which you really, really don't, btw, it makes little sense in a show where pretty much every character has survived a near death experience with nary a scratch, but for the sake of hypothetical), there is a way you can pull it off: you have the crew at Izzy's side as he dies instead of Ed. You have their relationship with Izzy at the forefront, because their relationship is the one that matters at this point in the narrative. You have Izzy die trying to save one of them, not by random gunshot.
And then after Izzy dies, you finally give the crew their agency back. You let Izzy's death be the last straw in THEIR arcs. You let them tell Ed that they cannot allow him to stay on the ship after everything. You let them tell him that they are putting their foot down, and he can go retire if he wants, but they will not let him destroy this crew anymore.
(Or, you know, you can have all of that with a death SCARE instead of an actual death, and allow Izzy to sail off into the sunset as a first mate instead of as a dead body. Because that would suit the tone of the show and the story better.)
But I have the feeling that point B (Izzy dying/his death scene) was the thing that was decided on first, and so the budget crunch/other factors may have led the writers into making the same mistake as so many before them have: writing point A out organically, and then failing to change Point B when it no longer fit the story they had written.
#izzy hands#ofmd critical#2x08 mermen#ofmd 2x08#ed teach critical#meta#fix it#kind of#analysis#i know I'm rambling#calypsos birthday#we really ahould have taken the “red flags” episode title more seriously#ofmd meta
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Umineko Episode 5 Theory Crafting
This episode has more or less been an exploration of HOW to solve the mystery, and while I really appreciate all the help Ryukishi is giving me it doesn't make sense to repeat the actual text of the story and call it a theory, so I'll just be combining all my theories about the wider mystery for this one, in no particular order:
Battler's sin is making a promise / confession to Shannon and then bailing for the next six years. She's heartbroken by him, and that directly or indirectly led to the massacre. Normally I wouldn't suggest mass murder over a lame man, but considering Battler's rejection had her getting together with George I think I can make an exception. She's justified
Speaking of Shannon, I think she's the culprit for all the unsolvable murders, or at least involved with them somehow. "But she was confirmed dead!!" True but that was only as Shannon, I can see her using "Sayo" as a loophole. Shannon can die metaphorically speaking and Sayo can still be kicking it and shooting people, as she deserves. This also could apply to Kanon, especially regarding the second twilight in Episode 2
I have a feeling Rosa is involved in at least some of the Episode 2 deaths and Eva I'm pretty sure is confirmed to have played a part in the Episode 3 ones, but Natsuhi isn't a culprit in Episode 1. I have no proof but I love her. Overall, I think Shannon takes more of a "mastermind" role, since just about everyone else can be bribed into being a culprit or accomplice
Bc of the above, I think both Battler and Beatrice are right-- since the witches / furniture seem to be a magical extrapolation of things in the real world (Chiester sisters are the forest animal band, Virgilia is Kumasawa, Ronove is Genji, etc) I think Beatrice is Shannon's magical counterpart. Beatrice IS the culprit like she's been claiming, since Beatrice is a proxy for Shannon, but technically there's always been a human culprit
The "accident" that wiped out the family mentioned in Episode 3 is an earthquake. I don't have proof I just can't think of anything else and the irony would be really funny. I have a feeling Battler's fear of falling is related to this part of the narrative but I don't know how
The seven stakes are supposed to represent guns. The reason they got driven so deep is bc the deaths were never stabbing, just guns. bang bang.
There's smth fishy about the whole Missing Child (tm) thing from Episode 5. The idea that Kinzo just. Gave her a child? without Krauss there??? and then covered the whole thing up before he got back???????? It's giving a lot of He Would Not Fucking Say That and I don't think that's exactly what happened. I do think Natsuhi committed infanticide though. sorry bestie
Magic isn't "real" in the traditional sense but I do think there's gonna be a moral about how alternate truths and white lies are their own kind of magic and it's wrong to destroy that
Erika is going to have a full blown breakdown in Chapter 6 and I cannot WAIT
Ok that's all I can think of rn, might add stuff to this later!
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WoR is finished! I don't have a whole lot to say other than I enjoyed it! lol Disjointed out-of-order thoughts and reactions below the cut. TWoK ending is still TOP for me, but WoR ending was very satisfying too in a different way. Like letting go of a BIG SNEEZE (for me the big sneeze was Kaladin finally being his true self and not hiding anymore)
Honestly though this ending was kinda insane?! I'm looking at you, Adolin!
First of all, RIP TO A REAL ONE SADEAS. I LOVED YOU UNTIL THE VERY END, MY FAVORITE STYLISH REPRESSED EVIL GAY. You coulda lived if you'd followed Sebarial's hedonistic way of life, but you were too hyperfocused on Dalinar, I get it. And now ur dead smh. LOL but honestly what a stupid move on his part to lay out his plans like that right to Adolin's face IN A CORRIDOR WITH NO WITNESSES. Ok not stupid, bc he's talked shit about Dalinar in front of Adolin before but, this was just the last straw?! I GUESS? YOU CREATED A BLACKTHORNE JR CONGRATS
And, I doubt this will be the case, but a morally-gray-to-morally-bankrupt Adolin arc would obviously be my favorite thing ever and infinitely more interesting than another honorable character POV. But as that belongs to Moash (WHOMST I ADORE) and seeing as he is Dalinar "Live Laugh Honor" Kholin's son, right now I'm taking this as a moment that mirrors that of a younger reckless Dalinar. Regardless, I was Shook, lol.
Quick celebration/mention of these two bc I cannot deal with these divas. Was it absolutely ridiculous? YES, AND also right up my alley - which with Brandon's humor isn't always the case, lol.
LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN
-holding brandy's face- IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO MY SON'S PARENTS (I AM AWARE THAT IS A NONSENSE STATEMENT) I WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION. The dread I immediately felt. I am not ready for three more books of Kal suffering hahahaha
A LITTLE COMMOTION FOR KALADIN SAVING DALINAR'S BOOTY AGAIN PLS. In my head, he bridal-style carried him back to earth. 👉👈
Elhokar is now a flavor of pathetic man that I can 1000% get behind - thank you, Brandy.
BRIDGE FOUR FOUND FAMILY FOR LIFE!!! 😭😭😭 Oh Rock.... Oh Teft.... The love I have for this darling crew is SO MUCH MY HEART RISKS BURSTING EVERY TIME THEY'RE ON THE PAGE.
And oh I'm so happy Syl and Kal are back together... What a relatable queen - I too would let Kal's shenanigans slide for one (1) single smile from him.
How did I fare plot-wise? WELL, I WAS EVENTUALLY ABLE TO KEEP UP. I am wonky on some of the factions affecting change in the world atm. I made a very incorrect cheat sheet so I wouldn't forget everything whenever I get to the next book LOL
Gavilar's confusing me rn tbh and also Nin actually bc he straight-up gave Szeth his honorblade and made him a Skybreaker (I just shoved him in the Ghostbloods camp initially bc of him exacting revenge on Shardbearers but I don't think he's part of them exactly) soooooo ???? I am not sure what's going on there EXAAACTLY but I am loving the ride, safe to say, lol.
The novella is up next! It's such a cute and tiny tome to hold compared to the Monsters. I will say I am very pleased that the narrative still leans into the cheesy, earnest tone of TWoK, and while Kal will always be blorbo numero uno, all the major and minor characters are so compelling to me. I love every single one, actually, lmao. EVEN AMARAM. He's really drinking the kool-aid so I don't JUST despise him with the passion of a 1,000 burning suns anymore, now I feel PITY for him. It's great!
The action in these books is always so epic and in particular the scene with Szeth and Kaladin fighting in the storms, my thoughts couldn’t help but go to “DO THE DRAGON BALL Z FANS KNOW ABOUT THIS” hahaha and ofc I mean that in the best way. I feel like a little kid hyperfixating on power rangers when I read the Windrunner action.
If there's one thing I wish for it would be another main POV female character that is not part of the Kholin family. Funnily enough Veil does somewhat scratch this itch for me, considering it's... just Shallan LOL, but yeah. ANOTHER! I don't think we're diverting much from the current POVs we have though (besides the interludes and the brief POV switches within the main POVs), which is fine. SHOULD I DO A RANKING? ok! My number one is still The Way of Kings, so obvs, for now, that leaves Words of Radiance in second place. :)
#steph reads wor#words of radiance#words of radiance spoilers#stormlight archive#cosmere#brandon sanderson
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Thoughts on Demons (2014)
this was originally going to be part of my demons (2014) thread on my twitter, but i'll just be dumping my thoughts about the series here on tumblr. i'll continue where i left off from where i closed the thread.
spoilers below the cut. there will be triggering content as well (suicide, mention of blood). don't expect this to be coherent. also i haven't read the book yet (oooh when i tell you about how desperate i am in getting a copy here in the PH), so yeah.
long read ahead.
okay. the last scene i watched last night was liza nikolaevna (and mavriky) getting beaten by the townspeople after the death of the lebyadkins due to her connection to stavrogin (and stavrogin being the main suspect of the siblings' death). did they really have to beat the poor girl? why must a woman (yet again) suffer from the misdeeds of a man HGKJDGFJGHDK
also pyotr,,, maniacally dancing in the pig pen....
man. the whole thing about shatov finally getting the chance to be a father and live with a family of his own only to be shot in the head by pyotr is just. :((( my jaw was on the floor i tell you. i was devastated and utterly wrecked.
the thing with demons (2014) is that it's on a different level of insanity than, say, c&p. c&p is depressing. demons wrecked me from start to finish. i cannot stress how many times the hairs on the back of my head stood up whenever pyotr would manipulate and rope in stavrogin in his plans.
it has the vibes of like,, trying so desperately to wash off blood from your hands but the blood just "magically" keeps on getting redder and redder and it doesn't really come off
also what the fuck was that pyotr??? mans just shot shatov in point-blank range and has the audacity to eat chicken (without washing his hands, to boot)??? like OH you going to HELL hell.
this scene with kirillov's lines:
i mentioned in the thread that i had to brush up on russian history before i read/watch demons because otherwise, it would just completely fly over my head
it was pretty interesting watching how this movement that pyotr was trying to mobilize fit the existing narrative then within the context of 19th century russian politics; demons was essentially dostoevsky "warning" of what could possibly be if people who thought like verkhovensky would get the upper hand in deciding the course of the russia's future
i admit i can't really speak about this because well, i'm not russian, but i deeply appreciate the how dostoevsky was able to weave all of this in his novel in such a way that leaves even me, a foreigner, in deep thought about what the implications of such an ideology would have on a wider context outside its country of origin
ok kirillov wtf HAHAHAHAHA ang gago niya XD
stavrogin's confession.
VILE. stavrogin you VILE, VILE, MAN. i don't have any words for it at all. raskolnikov ends up looking like a saint when i put him next to stavrogin.
on another note maksim matveev's teary-eyed face in that scene is so fucking beautiful i almost cried along with him
i seriously want to ask dostoevsky why he insists on making beautiful the characters that we're supposed to dislike/critique
heck even that notion warrants much introspection
like he's about to k-word himself but he still looks so hot? okay i need to stfu
i like the bit here with tikhon talking about revolutions and such:
this reminds me very much of my country's very own EDSA Revolution (there's EDSA Uno and Dos, but I'm talking more about EDSA Uno here because it's probably more relevant to the political state of my country rn). i won't go into depth about it, but you can check the wiki of it to get an idea of what i mean.
(they can be *gets shot*)
the ending scene. okay.
i talked about this w my twt moot and according to her, the most accepted theory is that the kid there (with dasha) is stavrogin's, and verkhovensky's reaction to seeing them there was like him getting the idea to continue his failed twisted plan, but with the kid in the place of his father. just. what the fuck man. leave that kid alone.
i was also told that this scene wasn't really in the book? yeah. so there's that.
concluding thoughts:
at this point i'm quite used to ruslit plots wrecking my mental state and subjecting me to emotions that make me want to stare at a wall, so this experience with watching demons (2014) was not as jarring as i feared it to be XD as expected, there were really some scenes that left me like "huh??? 🤨🤨", but really that's because i haven't read the book. what i plan to do is once i get the book, i'm gonna read it as i revisit the series.
also maksim matveev? yeah. that man is HOT hot. i could stare at his stavrogin all day if i could.
that's it for me! thank you to everyone who engaged with the thread, it made the experience of watching demons (2014) more enjoyable.
my next target watch on the dostoevsky adaptation list is the italian tbk film!! that or the 1968 russian one. will definitely make a live commentary thread about either on twitter as well.
#shut up rin#fyodor dostoevsky#demons (2014)#devils#the possessed#russian literature#rin's stuff: ruslit commentary#nikolai vsevolodovich stavrogin#pyotr stepanovich verkhovensky#ivan pavlovich shatov#alexei nilych kirillov#darya pavlovna shatova#lizaveta nikolaevna tushina#maksim matveev
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Keeping up momentum.
I am editing some things down. I will be sharing non-political facts and personal concerns as they relate to me on a personal level through my job. My opinions and beliefs do not represent the VA, the government, or any political party. These posts are to encourage transparency for all.
I’ll continue to show the exact emails we have been getting in federal service (VA social worker)
The next email to come through:
MESSAGE FROM THE ACTING SECRETARY
To increase the efficiency and accountability of our workforce, I intend to ensure the Department of Veterans Affairs is in full compliance with President Trump’s January 20, 2025, memorandum, Return to In-Person Work, which states:
Heads of all departments and agencies in the executive branch of Government shall, as soon as practicable, take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis, provided that the department and agency heads shall make exemptions they deem necessary.
This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable law.
To take these steps, I will provide more detailed guidance for managers and supervisors in the coming days, including on exemptions.
I appreciate your support in this effort and your continuing focus on service to Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors.
Todd B. Hunter
Acting
This one may take some background to explain why those in my department and team reacted so negatively to it.
For those that have been watching and reading the news, it’s not a surprise that a mandate to go full time in office is would come through. Elon and those in the DOGE said they would.
I cannot speak personally to the narrative of other sections of the federal workforce. I haven’t worked in those. We have heard, just like they mention in the news, that other systems have empty buildings sitting around with everyone working fully remote. That is not the case for the VA.
I am hybrid remote. My agreement is “AD HOC”, or “as needed” for remote work. My whole team is. My job requires me to work directly in the primary care clinics at the VA for various psychosocial problems veterans could be facing. I work directly with the primary care providers and RNs. And a chronic issue has always been space.
In my position I do not have the recommended space to do my position. We do not have enough desks for our staff to be on site and we do not have the “consult” rooms (where we can meet veterans for walk ins) for our service either. Other discipline, such as nutritionists, mental health providers, pharmacists, and others, are all taking turns for the limited rooms and space we are allowed to take. I often see my veterans in rooms I beg for from RNs and PCPs, even though veterans are uncomfortable meeting me in an exam room, I try to make it work.
Working remotely is the only way we get our work done. I can make calls one after the other in my home office in ways that don’t put HIPAA and privacy at risk, and I don’t have to worry about taking turns with several other workers (for calls that can last 30+ minutes at times).
Forcing us back into the office would do exactly what Elon and his colleagues predicted: we would quit. It is not because we are not adaptable and “hate to be inconvenienced”. It’s because we physically couldn’t do our jobs effectively.
Our team is already doing more than double the work (more like x4 for some) recommended in our handbook. We are fighting to make sure that any and all requests for our veterans can be done within a 7 day timeline. But this would be the straw for many of us.
The solution for us to be in office full time would be to give us the space to do so. But this is not feasible. Getting new spaces approved takes (literal) years. I wish I was joking. And we also do not have the budget for it, as we have been told time and time again.
My discipline is important, but any additional space to see patients in person would HAVE to go to RNs and PCPs and specialties. I want it to.
Remote work is not laziness. Studies show how productive people can be when in an environment without distractions of the office. I know I personally get much more work done when I’m home and able to set up my focus.
This mandate shook our whole service. Even as I write this, we still have not been mandated to return to office, as it’s logistically not possible. We receive daily updates telling us that “more news will be coming soon”.
I hope it’s good news
Disclaimer: this post is for educational purposes and is in no way supporting any particular political party and is not meant to incite any political activity
#us politics#president trump#federal workforce#federal workers#federal government#politics#elon musk
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1 and 8
character everyone gets wrong
hmmm.... there's so much asoiaf meta at this point it's hard to say.... tyrion perhaps? he generally maintains this antagonistic view of his father and sister, but, in hindsight, it does seem to me that not everything tywin and cersei did was to designed specifically attack him or to work against him. tywin does send him to KL to be hand of the king in his stead and gives him actual power to reign cersei in and cersei does try to team up with him at the beginning of ACOK. but tyrion is so set on undermining her that he never really takes this offer of collaboration seriously and everything escalates quickly afterwards.
idk how to best express this but i feel like, even though the ableism was real, there was a point where they could have mended their relationship, but tyrion did play a crucial part in destroying this truce, it wasn't all a premeditated assault on him. but, while fans have smartened up to his POV trap and realised that he is truly on a downwards spiral and not necessarily a "good" person, this unblemished victimisation narrative remains
by now i sound like a broken record but i cannot truly investigate these leads until i begin the great re-read project (if only i wasn't preoccupied with other books rn !! )
8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about
i'm gonna start this with cersei bc this is the shorter rant, but people are so obsessed with this take that she doesn't really love her children, they're all just extensions of herself and that's what she cares about. it's so boring. it sounds like something parroted back from a psychiatry textbook. listen, cersei is her own brand of delusion, but she is also a person with feelings, not some ice-cold demon. people forget that in the quest of stripping her of her humanity, they also make her a less interesting and complex character. yes, she is an awful person with the capacity for love, otherwise what's the point? why do you think she became a POV character if it's all clowning around? also i think many people are way too eager to mistake paranoia and the effects of two recent traumatic deaths in the family with stupidity in her case
i'll have to move onto jaime rn bc his redemption discourse is also reaching tedious levels. first, in the ancient days, you had the dudebros who considered him a villain from the get-go and absolutely hated his guts, then these same dudebros discovered his POV in book 3 / season 3 and thus jaime gained a lot of fans who were suddenly on board the redemption train for him. then others got sick of this interpretation and countered with "jaime is not on a redemption arc !!! insert many exclamation marks!!!". this reaction was necessary at the time because debates were getting frightfully silly, but, nowadays it's like we've veered too far in the other extreme (from what i've seen anyway. i'm not an up-to-date scholar in jaimeological studies).
what i mean to say is that "redemption" has become such a dirty word in relation to jaime, when it's truly just a term. what does it matter what you really call it? redemption arc, identity arc, we're getting bogged down in definitions, snootily pointing the finger at each other and not really seeing the forest for the trees anymore. like he is objectively reconsidering, reinterpreting and trying to redefine both his relationship to the people around him and to abstract concepts like knighthood, justice and honour.
he doesn't exactly """regret""" pushing Bran out of a window, but he doesn't not regret it, you know what i mean? (another thread people are obsessed with: jaime will not get "redeemed" bc he doesn't regret pushing bran. i mean sort of? it's not that black or white, though: the situation was constructed in such a way as to be a fucked-up trolley problem with no true right answer. even sainted NED thinks this, i.e. to what lengths he or cat would have been willing to go to save their children. EVEN NED). yes, he also famously threatens to trebuchet edmure's baby, but he is also kind of pissed off in that moment, bullshitting and playing the tough guy in front of edmure. he lies a lot, to others and to himself. he is prone to violence, but he's not heartless. he is delulu but he is also re-evaluating his life. he's thinking about emulating his daddy but also cosplays as goldenhand the just. the man is really going through it.
if you ask me, it's vvvv likely jaime is the valonqar and his story will end with cersei in a bout of violence. but: as a manifestation of his unjust jealousy or as an act of kindness (to save her from a worse death)? i think both are possible. jaime is the pendulum swinging, he is a work in progress, he can get better, he can get worse. he is not a good person, he is pretty decent at heart and trying to do better. his 'identity' arc or whatever you want to call it might as well be a 'redemption' arc but with the quest unfulfilled. or partially unfulfilled. he might retcon himself into a true white knight, but still choose to go back to cersei, because he feels responsible for her or, you know, (incoming controversial opinion) because it's the right thing to do. yes, the incest is a bad coping mechanism, yes, you did many fucked up shit together and that was wrong, but, for better or worse, she is your sister and the person you shared your life with. you can't let her die alone. whatever she did, you also did, and you should carry the burden together. there is love there and you must honour that or else nothing means anything in this world. you go into the light together!!
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seeing the end of chapter 1088, im pretty glad that we're getting back to the Straw Hats. i loved the period of focus on worldbuilding and major global events, but i kinda wanna see our main crew again now. i wanna see how the futuristic island battle unfolds too. not to mention, it's EMPEROR luffy now. always feels weird to say that (especially after the color spread in this week's chapter). look how far he's come from being a weird little 30 million bounty gum-gum boy from east blue!
plus, if Garp really is on the verge of death, as Oda seems to be building up to, I don't want it to be offscreened or for it to happen while Luffy isn't there. somehow i feel like it's narrative importance will be majorly lost if he dies in this anticlimactic way. i don't really want Luffy to suffer another heartbreak, but I just can't see Garp dying without leaving some long lasting impact on his family as well as the world. it seems too hushed rn to be actually happening, if that makes sense?
also, do any of y'all feel that the entire "old man and baby" dilemma wasn't for coby and helmeppo, but rather for Aokiji and his mission as a double agent? perhaps Garp thought that Kuzan is too emotionally fond of his mentor to stab him, and so he told that story in order to remind Kuzan of his duty? it's always been hard to gauge Kuzan, but he seems more of a morally good guy ever since his introduction in Long Ring Long Land, and this behavior seems very out of line with his character, unless he's doing it for some greater good. i genuinely cannot fathom Aokiji ever genuinely aligning with Blackbeard's morals or goals.
#one piece manga#one piece chapter 1088#chapter 1088#one piece 1088#op 1088#garp#repost because tumblr kept giving me a weird error on the app#monkey d garp#garp the fist#vice admiral garp#garp one piece#kuzan#aokiji kuzan#aokiji#kuzan one piece#aokiji one piece#captain coby#coby one piece#hachinosu#op manga#op manga spoilers#honesty impact#monkey d luffy#straw hat pirates#straw hat luffy#one piece
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are there any specific ocs your rotating in your brain rn that you wanna talk about ✨👀
yes! always :)
recently I've been thinking a lot about my toyhouse corners guys as I continue working on their comic, especially basil, alfred, foster, and mac :) coincidentally (or not so) they're the four of the cast who do the most yearning and pining and of course I'm very normal about all that (that's a lie they all make me insane). I can't wait to reveal more about them, I could (and will) talk about them for ages (any questions always welcome, I'll try not to spoil anything too big). particularly I've been thinking about basil's past, his complex troubles with getting close to people, and his relationship to whisk, a troubled kitten who he sees a lot of his younger self in and may or may not be fixated on trying to help because he wishes he could somehow reach though time and help himself when he was a kitten in a similar position to her. all in all I am very excited to keep putting those guys in situations (there will be a candyland, a creepy safety village-esque town, and a mirage-like travelling megastore called appleworld in their future).
I've also been thinking (as I often do) about my tragic fantasy gays, sebastian & konstantine. I've been busy enriching their world with lore and planning out their story so I can start (yet another) draft for the first book of the grey circle, and with that comes a lot of thinking about those two, the haunted prince & his begrudgingly valiant knight who knows him better than anyone and yet cannot know him fully because of his unfathomable secret... oh, there's just something so intimate about being doomed by the narrative and bound together, done part by none, not even death <3 they're very enemies to lovers in a "we're on the same side but I can't stand you but I also can't stand to be without you and if anyone messes with you I'll kill them" way, which I can't get enough of myself.
also! the grey circle has lots of characters I haven't posted about nearly as much but are so dear to me and that I oft rotate in my brain, like ilèan & cainiph, who are a very skilled fairy princess with truly profound mommy issues and cain-and-abel vibes with her sister & an adrenaline junkie bounty hunter who is a bit of a hothead and accidently becomes a werewolf :) another mismatched pair that end up needing each other as much as air. and of course, gren & bain, the little mousy halfling-type creatures who are inseparable best friends in love beyond words, a sly bartender & a leisure-loving bard respectively, both incredibly curious and brave beyond credit, setting out to right a wrong and solve an old family mystery. I think about the grey circle very often, it's one of my favourite little worlds to visit in my head & I can't wait until I have something written that allows others to visit as well :)
the last herd of ocs I've been preoccupied with lately are my room & board cast, the characters for a comic idea I have about silly and bizarre sci-fi/fantasy comic about alternate-dimension-faring roommates travelling in a house-turned-spaceship in search of a (the?) holy grail. they're all old ocs of mine (6+ years I think) that I've rebooted a few different times, and returning to them after some years off feels like reconnecting with old friends as cheesy as that sounds. I genuinely missed them, and I'm excited to be messing about with a story for them again, even if it's just for fun. I've especially been thinking about the main(est) character, martin, and how her journey with transness fits into their larger existential and relentlessly silly adventures.
thnks for offering the stage to talk about my ocs! I love talking about them but I'm not always sure anyone wants to hear, but perhaps it's time I curb that mindset and just start putting more out there because it's fun for me :) also! if anyone reads all this, first of all thnk you for indulging me, and second I am genuinely always open to hearing about other people's ocs, whether through ask or dm or whatever! I know it can be intimidating to just reach out of the blue but I really do love talking about people's characters / stories / creations and I am always open to it. maybe I ought to make some more dedicated venue for that sort of thing but yeah casual oc chat is always an option! I hope anyone who sees this has a wonderful day / night :)
#asks#my very sincere thnks whimsy; this was such a nice ask to receive!#your artwork & characters are so lovely & I am very humbled that you'd be interested in mine :)#toyhouse corners#they grey circle#room & board#(I may end up archiving this on butchjesus but I'll leave it up here for now)
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I feel like I’m not doing enough, or enough for my family at least. I don’t have a job, I work volunteer, I’m trying to get a certification in UX Design after being in physical college failed so badly (or at least in my eyes I feel like I failed so badly), I worry that 4 year college isn’t for me rn and how it’ll be harder as I get older because that’s what my family members told me.
I feel like despite being able to somewhat support myself (like having money to get groceries and gas) I’m still not doing enough. Then I do art on top of that which makes me feel EVEN MORE like I’m not doing enough because “starving artist” and all that jazz. And I really don’t have much a plan B all that much in my life and don’t know what to do.
I’m basically fighting between remembering that my value isn’t solely based off what I do or don’t do and the narrative that I’m supposed to surpass my mom who was a programmer and did really well in life before she passed and basically be the baseline for the family since that was what my mom was essentially. She helped my family financially A LOT. I'm scared I’ll either hurt myself before I get a chance to know myself or end up losing a large support system. I’m just scared of the future in general. And I’m only 19…
if you’re okay with it then i’m sending you a big warm hug. it looks like you’re under a lot of pressure to do well and perform.
it is incredibly difficult to deal with and i just want you to know that you’re not alone in your struggles. i, and so many others on this blog, see you and hear you.
transitioning into young adulthood does put us in a situation like this a lot of times where we feel compelled to fulfil certain expectations that we have of ourselves and that others have put upon us.
it is true that your worth is not based on what you do or don’t do. you’re valuable regardless of any of that. and as far as the narrative that you have to be better than your mother is concerned, i’d just like you to know that life works differently for all of us.
your life cannot look exactly like your mother’s no matter how much you want it to. please be patient and gentle with yourself. you’re getting there. sometimes things can take time but that does not mean that they will not happen.
i hope that you can be kinder to yourself and show yourself compassion when you’re troubled by such thoughts. good luck for your future! we are all rooting for you ❤️
#mental health#mental health awareness#mental health support#mental health reminders#coping#positivity#reminders#therapy#wellness#kindness
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Will there be angst? Is your take on the tugs story a comedy, or drama or coming of age or tragedy?
Will someone's heart be broken? Who's shall be filled with love?
I don’t really have any set narrative for my au, but angst? There is always room for angst when you have like 20 boats running around with every personality ever concived. I treat TUGS as a canvas for whatever I wanna write,sometimes that silly shinanigans, some times its like the Zaffre fic i’m writting where it’s a VERY serious and mature look at why it’s a bad idea to be a female tug boat operator in the 1920s.
I love writting tugs in a more found family sense, and whats a family without a mix of everything. Cerain charaters have certain plots, Zaffre and Zip are on a coming of age wave length, where as Zak is drama city and Zorran is living a one man vaudville act that is taking itself too serious. Zug is just happy he hasn’t gotten himself killed yet and Zebedee wnats a nap. When it comes to the Star Tugs, i have, very few ideas that arn’t just “and charater does x and everyone is egging it on because this is gonna be funny.” which, honestly is just plane fun.
I also love writing the Capatins as major facets in storys, Star and Zero interacting with eachother, there tugs, and other charaters are gold mines for charater exsploration. Which is really what I write Fanfic to do.
I tend to write Zero a bit on the angsty side, he’s not trying to reform from a life of crime per say but he is trying to settle his debts and secure finacial security for him and Zasha, and by extension his tugs, and that really stresses him out and triggers his ailling health. Thats in contrast to Star, who isn’t as ‘sucessful’ or financially secure, but he’s content with his life and would do anything for his boys even if that means eating water sandwiches for a few weeks.
Star and Zero also have shreodingers divorce going on at all times. Are they amicable? Do they hate each other? Where they ever dating? Are they even gay? Are they starting to date again? Not a single soul knows, and they deffently don’t know themselves. Oh and the Z stack love/hate/casual Polycule thats constantly going on as a gag, cannot forget the z stack polycule
I think that covers the ask? This is a very discombobulated ramble [on the train to York to vist NRM rn!]
#the fire burns#asks#nonny#z stacks#this is tugs#tugs captain star#tugs captain zero#tugs zorran#tugs zak#tugs zebedee#tugs zip#tugs zug#star tugs#tugs zaffre
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luz noceda for the ask game
Anon you caught me right before I was Abt to go to sleep but I can't not do this. It's for my girl (feel free to send me more while I sleep btw these r fun)
favorite thing about them: LITERALLY WHERE DO I EVEN START. She's one of my top ten protagonists of all times. I love the lessons she learns, the way she learns them, I love watching her grow and struggle and thrive. I love her so so so much. To keep things simple(ish) I will say that my favorite thing about Luz (which I've mentioned once or twonce before) is that she's an objectively cringey, very ND coded kid who's still given the utmost love and respect from the narrative. She gets to be objectively fucking uncool and this story still loves her. And it's nice it makes me feel loved by proxy
least favorite thing about them: I mean, I'd say in season 1 it's the tendency to flatten the boiling isles and it's people into 2 dimensional tropes for easily comprehension, but that's also one of my favorite flaws of Luz and the narrative always makes an interesting point out of this attitude. Maybe it's the suicidal ideation bc it really scared me the first time I watched thanks to them. I knew nothing bad was gonna happen (within reason), this is Disney, but I was like DAMN THEY'RE GOING THERE!!!
favorite line: okay I actually cannot in good conscious choose one bc my friend once informed me that me and Luz just. Talk the same. Same silly idioms and phrases same whimsical expressions and syntax same humour, etc etc. It's a chicken egg situation and do not know who started it but I know that it's frighteningly accurate. So I'll just go for the safe classic "the only thing I've ever really wanted was to be understood" bc. Y'know. Best moment in the whole show and everything
brOTP: LUZ AND HUNTER DREAM TEAM I LOVE THEM SO SO MUCH!!!! OH MY GOD. Close second is Willow tho
OTP: you guys already know I'm here for lumity but I will let you guys in on the fact that when I first watched the show and was still on the early episodes of season 1 where Amity is a dick I was firmly on team willuz. I still love them <3
nOTP: Luz and Hunter. It's just really not for me, even if I can see why it appeals to others. I'm too attached to the familial reading of their dynamic and the doors that opens up analysis wise. Also my irl brother is a hunter kinnie and I just outlined my credentials for being a Luz kinnie so /j
random headcanon: she played guitar when she was younger! The one in the basement belonged to Manny and he'd sit her on his lap and show her simple chords and riffs. She got a ukulele so she could practice. Then when Manny died she fell off playing it bc it felt wrong doing it without him, even though she still played uke sometimes. She picks it back up though during the season 3 timeskip and post canon! Also she was born in New York and lived there til she was 2/3, at which point she moved around a few states until landing in Connecticut at the age we see in the thanks to them video diaries (I wanna say 7 or 8?)
unpopular opinion: I also think Luz gets characterized as more bitter/vengeful/surly than she really is, especially in fics set around season 3. She wants to be happy, to have fun with her friends, she just feels like doesn't deserve it. Also I low-key think Luz is like. A genius. Just in an unconventional way. She rediscovered a lost form of magic and then taught herself it all on her own. She probably struggles with long division but I mean it when I say she is literally a genius imo
song i associate with them: TOO MANY TO NAME MAN!!!! LITERALLY!!!!! The ones on my brain rn are sweet hibiscus tea by penelope scott, underground and life on mars by david bowie, people pleaser by yet to bloom, towards crescent park by bad moves and fine, great by modern baseball
favorite picture of them
Tie between the iconic "to be understood" frame (boarded by Emmie Cicierga) or like. Literally any Dana art of her but specifically the "see you in 2023" gif cycling through all of luzs most iconic fits. I love both of those sm
#ramblings of a lunatic#asks#toh#thanks for the ask anon!#again feel free to send more these are fun they make the gears in my brain turn
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//Still got writer's anxiety, but now of a different kind. Lately I feel like I just write bleak or depressing things, but if I write goofy or fluffy all the time, it feels fake, like I'm wearing a mask. But if I am to write anything uplifting, it's gotta involve the Hero Crews (especially Johnny) or the Heyder Family. And the canon story is still incomplete (we're actually at a narrative wall rn), the Hero blog is still a WIP (and I AM actively creating art/profiles for it), and many other things are put on hold for a while.
But at the same time, I don't have to rely on canon for something more uplifting, I have my other partners for non-canon goodness.
But also at the same time, my muses are awful people and I want this to be acknowledged.
But also also at the same time, even if the muses improve, there is still the Master looming over them as a real threat.
And yet I cannot just. Remove the Master. The Seven stop being the Seven by that point, as their pact with the Master defines them as characters for Devil's Eye.
I suppose i can do AUs (Bioshock is the most developed where the Master is not an entity at all), but I know I'll get bored of that fast.
Motherfuck, it's a combination of ADHD and depression, what the hell am I supposed to do with that?
I'm not necessarily asking for my RP partners to send me happy/uplifting things too, as I am still feeling overwhelmed with trying to continue threads/RP plots too, but the longer I am not doing anything, the more I get frustrated.
I really don't know what to do beyond "take one thing at a time", which is what I am trying to do. All while the ADHD brain is behaving like a 6 year old child being told to sit still and quiet and not do anything for 12 hours.
It's the worst feeling ever.
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okidoki, @elsonambulo and I have been having fun conversations about reading Amanda as aro --
EDIT: this has been in my drafts for months. pre-s5 months, so I probably won’t mention s5 much in here because I cannot remember toooo much rn (I will rewatch it) @elsonambulo I lied to you, I found it and I wrote some more and now I’m posting it-
going through some interesting thoughts that I wonder if exists amongst other people who are aro themselves (I get the same feeling when I hc characters as ace + aroace) of internalised Stuff that makes one feel like that headcanon is somehow “less allowed” than others -- ex. it would be easy to say “oh of course Amanda is now conveniently aro, because then you can have her and Daniel divorce, so he can hook up with Johnny or Chozen or whoever,” and to be clear, nobody has said those things to me!
but those things exist in my head (and they exist because aromanticism and asexuality are considered less interesting in narrative -- too complicated, not dramatic enough, and definitely not normal enough! surprise, it’s just classic queerphobia).
So in honour of saying “fuck you” to internalised stuff, let’s look at why aromantic Amanda is very compelling -- including the idea that... maybe she would have that sort of internalised thinking as well that could stop her from being able to pursue these ideas within herself
Here’s something the ever-intelligent elsonambulo and I talked about (shared with permission):
VQT: considering how gung-ho this season was about the perfect nuclear family, it's just making me even more interested in exploring those cracks! and amanda is such untapped Potential
E: There's just So Much there with her. She is not a traditional wife or mother by any means and I'm sure the writers patted themselves on the back for that and just stopped thinking about it but we know there's more there. She speaks to us jghgg
VQT: it's the mix of how daniel gets the most important moments with sam + presents himself as the family-minded in more personal/smaller-scale ways to amanda's focus on making sure the business continues to run and the notion of what Makes a family and why is it important to maintain it (and what is it maintained on -- is it love? respect? communication? mutual agreement? shared goals?)-- and of course that amanda, while better off than other women on the show, is still full of gaps where her motivations would be, so we're free to invent them!
AND that these notions of "what a woman should do" are so to the left with her/you see her struggling with "performing" marriage and motherhood
E: I will never be over how in making Sam the karate larusso instead of Anthony and in making Daniel an all in family man to contrast with Johnny, the writers almost had to make Amanda the practical go-getter.
And it's clear it's a happy marriage, because the point was that Daniel just kept winning at life. But when audiences get happy marriage + stay at home dad energy + a woman who is, in the end, there to play the role of wife and is therefore not as present as the man, then questions start to come up. Questions like yours about what it takes to maintain a family and a marriage and what a marriage is based on, but also questions on who this woman is and what her motivations and inner thoughts might be.
Because, like you said, she's in the role of wife and mother but she occupies that role differently than others do. So what's the deal there? Yeah maybe she's just "not like other girls" but that's boring ghhjh. Not enough meat in that
First things first, slow clap for that last message!
Secondly, broadly and vaguely perhaps, but reading Amanda as aromantic is simply an incredibly interesting way of queering the text with Intention. I’m under no illusions that the word probably doesn’t even exist in the lexicon of the writers, never mind the ability to compute it into narrative
Amanda doesn’t suffer as much as Carmen in terms of being allowed action and motivation and some internal life, by far. But the creators of the show probably haven’t gone much further than, “ok she’s a little more badass, she’s practical and pragmatic,” and if we were to go a stretch further (and to echo Elsonambulo) there’s also a tie-in to Daniel being a little less acceptable as a guy, because he’s taking on a family-man role
She’s not entirely trapped in the home (like Carmen almost always is) -- in the first couple of seasons she’s in the dealership a lot (a different sort of trapped) and her most emotional moment with Sam happens while Daniel is noticeably away in Okinawa, and then in s5 (which I do have to rewatch) she’s “karate adjacent” which is pretty great, and there’s the babe ruthless moment which, like many things, is kind of a mixed bag for me.
(“why are they in a womens’ only bar” I ask, wondering if the writers have heard of lesbianism. “why are they suddenly fighting?” “okay but babe ruthless is a genuinely killer name”)
She’s equally practical about the marriage, which is another place to use the crowbar and look underneath for some fun aro-reading. Daniel isn’t putting in the work that’s promised in the marriage and Amanda seems to be calmly moving towards something like a separation, until he promises to make it up and course correct -- the placement of her (dealership) with the narrative about the marriage, can easily be analysed from the perspective of said marriage being equally a business. This not meant coldly -- after all, she is incredibly fond of Daniel and wants them to run these things together -- but simply... practically
So now imagining this practical woman and this highly romantic man -- so romantic that it’s kind of catching and charming and you do wanna just do things to him, and yeah, this is probably what love is, and besides what references does amanda have? that time her parent cheated with her maths tutor and she fucked up that tutors car?
more important than deep, deep emotion of the kind apparently seen in other relationships (dubious, footage not found), is something that works and is good with someone you care about, and also are attracted to!
- here I note that I know this was once meant to be a much longer text, but it’s been a few months, so much of the thought process has gotten a bit muddled since, but I wanna just post it as-is. the main conclusion is
1. young!Amanda who doesn’t feel the way other girls feel about the whole cute falling-in-love type thing, and is rather just very sexually confident and gravitates towards Daniel’s whole Thing in the way a lot of the guys do, but without the toxic masculinity or Need For Ownership that they seem to have -- but his magnetism, his open charm, his ability to work hard, his honesty-
2. which speaking of honesty, do headcanon a large part of her own private “fuck this whole thing” is discovering he has a secret past of karate trauma that she simply wasn’t let in on, which is Breaking The Marriage Deal
3. I wonder as well -- in terms of that pragmatism it’s not simply that she’s aro, but there’s an element of some kind of neurodivergency in that. she’ll go for the steps that seem most correct to her, and unless genuinely freaked out (the house alarm going off, Daniel having his breakdown in s5 about Silver, Sam getting hurt), she’s quite cool about most things
4. Amanda slipping under the radar, because she’s simply -- from the outside -- a very confident, capable, heterosexually married woman, and that is the Image she likes to present, but canonically she has this whole side to her that she’s very effectively buried, that may not be as extreme as karate-rivals, but is evidence of her as not this picture-perfect being
5. and so this whole process of karate rivals coming out of the woodworks on Daniel’s side, offers her a chance to think of some stuff on her side, like why she does the things she does, and why she’s in this marriage, and what is important to her about it (and is it this nebulous idea of “love” or is it something more hardy, more pragmatic, more physical -- like a business and kids)
6. not to say her dedication to Daniel isn’t real, but she has to go through what exactly that consists of, and why Daniel matters to her, and also she’s not onboard -- not with Kreese and not with Silver -- until she has real, tangible proof that they’re bad guys who can directly threaten the things she and Daniel have built. so she’s not with Daniel through everything no matter what, she’s with him on the condition that his whole deal is something that can at some point presumably be ended through fighting back. if it were just that Daniel was having a breakdown of some kind, she was ready to call it broke and pack up the kids
7. this might seem cold from the outside, but it just makes good sense. and again, does not mean she doesn’t care for Daniel, just that she’s not in it for the true love, she’s in it for the contract they’ve made (truly truly wonder what would happen if Kumiko and Amanda were onscreen together, alongside Daniel)
8. Amanda going through this process and maybe wanting to lean into her bisexuality more? just try some things out? if it won’t ruin her marriage, and it won’t ruin her business, and she’s not deemed a slut, then... actually that feels quite appealing?
9. Amanda’s queer karate awakening deserves to happen is all I’m saying. we already know that she’s just as into it as other characters....
10. there’s more thoughts but this is kind of the gist of it all. Amanda isn’t technically closeted, because she doesn’t even have the vocabulary, she’s just aware that she’s in it for other things than is traditionally expected, but she’s not “struggling” per se with her identity, because she’s not even aware of the option
11. you know those middle-aged men that are like “yeah I fucked around with a guy when I was in my late teens/early 20s but then I got married so I’m straight” -- Amanda has those vibes but with women + bonus “and I got married because that’s the thing that’s expected of me and it was the best way to merge my interest in running a business with performing correct womanhood, and he gives good head, so I’m just winning all around. what do you mean he has several men in his past who are obsessed with him to the point of violence????”
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Thinking about tserriednich in this parallel pile as a foil to all four:
Has plot and/or narrative connections to all four.
Legitimate as opposed to Morena and Halkenburg’s relationships with illegitimacy. (Chrollo and Pika have their themes of ‘real’ family as well)
Sees everything like a game, similar to Morena, opposite of Halk and Pika. Chrollo tries to see everything as theater, which feels similar?
Has a loyal group of friends/followers opposed to what their ‘leader’ is doing like Chrollo (and Pika in Yorknew), while Halk’s and Morena’s loyal groups are not opposed
Is explicitly not willing to give up his life, unlike all four. No death wish with this guy.a
Jesus/Antichrist symbolism abound, like with Chrollo, Halkenburg, and Morena. Notably, Halkenburg, Tserri have both died and “risen from the dead” (Hisoka, too!!). A heavy cross to bear
Has an interesting relationship multiple Nen abilities and dehumanization. On the surface, it would appear that, unlike the other four, Tserri does not repress his emotions and urges at all. However:
both his abilities play on his hatred of “those who don’t know their own ignorance”, and his refusal to see as his own ignorance. Both the lie detector and future sight abilities act to cover up Tserri’s unknown ignorances (he didn’t even know Nen existed lmao).
both of his abilities manifest as Nen beasts outside of himself. He himself is not privy to the fact that his beast knows Theta is lying, or to her intention to kill him (until she is literally 10 seconds away from doing so). His abilities manifest as two parents protecting him from the world around him. He remains ignorant by sheltering himself
Compare to Pika, whose abilities reflect both his desire to do everything himself (he wields his chains, Tserri does not wield his abilities), but also his resistance to his own dehumanization (Dolphin chain allows him to create allies, Tserri’s abilities are his allies/force others to be maybe)
compare to Halk, who has an ability to takes over others’ bodies, but it notably DOES NOT KILL THEM, or even hurt them. If you do strategically kill them while they are vulnerable, their soul will be returned safely to their body (Balsa returning to his body rn). Tserri will make his enemies “less than human”, but Halk cannot dehumanize his enemies with his abilities, only himself. Tserri turns his enemies into slaves (or something similar, presumably), Halkenburg literally cannot sacrifice anyone who is not willing to die for the cause.
compare to Morena, whose scars and illegitimacy prevent her from being ignorant of the world around her. Her ability is not only a) directly, intimately used by her and b) spreads knowledge of her worldview to others, but also c) she herself guides and mentors her subjects, but not have total control over them. Her ability requires her to sacrifice casualties en masse, unlike Halk, unlike Pika.
compare to Chrollo, whose ability also reflects a search for knowledge about other people. While Chrollo’s ability showcases his curiosity in others’ individuality, Tserri’s ability shows he only cares how other people will affect him. Chrollo’s ability requires careful long-term planning, Tserri’s allows him short-term flexibility.
something something chrollo steals nen abilities and morena grants nen abilities.
chrollo steals abilities to hoard while kurapika steals them to use once, or grants them to others.
kurapika teaches a class of 20+ people working for the upper class how to use nen in order to force a stalemate- in other words, stagnation. morena "teaches" (infects) 20+ lowerclass nobodies to wreak havoc, cause anarachy, and ultimatly bring about change.
kurapika's cause being a just one that happens to benefit a bunch of awful royals while morena's cause is objectively, profoundly malevolent while also inconviencing those same awful royals.
morena wanting societal change for the worse while halkenburg wants it for the better. kurapika wanting personal justice (arguably for the better) chrollo wanting personal justice (arguably for the worse).
halkenburg coming to terms with being willing to sacrifice the lives of his own (consenting) people for the betterment of society. morena being willing to do the same - for the opposite cause.
both chrollo (the spider) and kurapika struggle to justify doing the same. personal justice does not make their loss any easier to bear or grief any easier to withstand.
kurapika, chrollo, morena, and halkenburg all having their own sets of disciples.
all of them being attached to biblical imagery. all of them fighting for wildly different causes.
all of them completely willing to throw away their lives.
something something something it's a heavy cross to bear
#hxh spoilers#hunter x hunter#hxh#morena prudo#halkenburg#hxh meta#hxh manga#chrollo lucilfer#succession war arc#kurapika kurta#tserriednich
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hi, i'm the anon from before! oooh, so many thoughts, i can pretty much agree with all you said! good tea good tea. i do not want to make this too long and bombard you with a mile-long message so i will *try* to keep this short...er? by picking out a few things you mentioned that rotate in my brain the most rn!
(edit: okay sorry, i failed at keeping it short lol <3 just ignore this massive text if it's too much, no worries lolol)
hen's doc arc... oof. ok so i am having lots of thoughts about that specifically but i think the issue is more of an overarching problem than hen's doc arc actually. i hope you are ok with me going on a tangent LOL. how you said that the characters feel like they are *stuck* – yes, that is exactly how i see it, too. tbh i realized that especially in the finale episode when they all got their "happy end". anyone noticed how it was incredibly romance-heavy for all characters? none of the characters seem to move towards any type of bigger personal goal that they want to achieve. hen did for a second there, and it was tossed into the trash. none of them express interest in anything that isn't their current job or family tbh, and none of these characters were shown to achieve something tangible except falling/staying in love. buck seems to express interest in being captain whenever it's a topic, so there's that, but it's still more of a vague idea and less something he's actively working towards (cause how can you work on gaining life experience? bobby basically just said he must be older). don't get me wrong, them finding love and staying a close family is cute, but it's incredibly bland when that's the only thing you give to the entire ensemble. cannot for the life of me remember any of them have actual hobbies or life goals that are meaningful to them and that are not linked to firefighting or romance/family. that's also a reason why the s6 ending felt so disney-esque, i think. the characters have nothing to show for themselves after 6 seasons worth of development, so the message of that rushed ending was "but at least they all have a romantic partner now, aren't you happy?" greetings from the land of amatonormativity lol. do none of them want to achieve anything in their lives? do none of them have some dream they want to fulfill, even if it's something small and silly but still meaningful to them?
this is pretty dramatic for the show imo, because the heavy emphasis on the found family trope seems to be more of a cage for the individual characters than a support system at this point. if the characters aren't allowed to outgrow their baby shoes because their work dynamic is not allowed to change, then their future in the show looks quite bleak. forever forced to stay in the same dynamic, forever playing the same role within the family. "doomed by the narrative" sounds a bit too much but honestly, is it really that far off? this is why, i think, they abruptly ended hen's doc arc as well – because her leaving the firefam is against the idea of them staying that perfect team that they are rn and that every single one of them is irreplaceable within that family dynamic. i do love found family, i really do, but it's obvious how it's turning into a stiff corset for the characters that forces them to stay in this One Place their entire lives. i really need the show to stop with that and focus on the individuals more: give them hobbies, give them passions, give them silly/interesting/meaningful life goals! give them something to achieve that is not connected to their families or love interests! allow them to "leave" the firefam to show us that they're family even if they do not work together anymore! i am pointing at Guardians of the Galaxy 3 as reference – a movie that understood that there is a charged relationship between "the needs of the group" versus "the needs of the individuals" within family dynamics, and how you can let others live their own lives without it destroying strong family bonds. i genuinely do not want to see them all be reduced to the relationships they have with each other. give them something to experience and work towards and achieve that is just for themselves. something that they can be proud of.
i agree re your stance on buck's storyline! i think it had a lot of incredible moments, hence why i was SO excited to see what they plan to set up with this, if he'll truly go to italy like the doctor said many do after traumatic experiences or something lmao. the fact that it just kinda... did not lead to anything was a bit disappointing, but i am still hopeful that they'll pick that back up in s7 and expand on the idea that buck somehow found his answer to what "true happiness" looks like to him.
and you are so right, the show is just not that good with giving us tangible consequences that truly affect the narrative long-term. they do something, but only shortly, and often just to create a bit of predictable drama that i KNOW will not matter anyway, before they return back to the status quo as if nothing ever happened. and i'm like, (shrug emoji) why should i care, karen? all of this is inconsequential anyways. one example is eddie leaving the 118 because chris was upset. instead of showing them working through it by communicating and both learning something from it all, they made eddie leave abruptly and then, blink and you miss it, he's back again. neither he nor chris learned anything from this. the show fails at doing that at sooo many points, though, that i just don't expect anything else anymore. (that sounds fairly defeatist but i'm just being honest). granted, ik that this is typical for a show in this genre, but others are able to really be consequent with their narrative choices and show that the characters and their priorities were truly and irrevocably altered due to what happened to them. that leaves me unsatisfied a lot of the time because it's giving me Marvel? like, these characters can literally go through anything, even literal death, but in the end, it's like you multiplied them by one: they are somehow exactly the same as before but a Process Has Occurred. not trying to say that there is zero character development; however, given how much shit they all go through, the consequences are disproportionately small and disregarded too easily.
omgggg strongly agreed with the pacing. chim's proposal is a good example for it, yeah sdfghjk. it often feels like the show sets up very simple ""problems"" that every normal person would easily solve in five minutes but the show just streeeeetches them to no end until i am, quite frankly, fed up with it to a point i skip entire chunks of the episodes. and that is, how you explained very well, tied to the cases as well. i quite literally do not understand that weird system they have set up in 911. they take sooo much screen time for side characters that will never matter again and who do not interest me at all. these are characters that are there to be vehicles and narrative foils for the main characters imo, but they get too much screen time for the job they have narrative-wise and even then do not really fulfill the job they were created for. if they worked on one (1) case that stretched over more episodes, then maybe i'd say that investing a bit more time to build these characters is useful. but that's not how the show does it, so all i can think is "you wasted 10 precious minutes here that you should have given one of the main characters during one of their pivotal moments instead". meanwhile, 911 somehow fails to give canon love interests or new reoccurring characters this type of treatment? why did we not get a 10 minute set-up solely focusing on natalia, marisol, taylor, ravi? i would genuinely want to see these characters exist outside of their relationship with the firefam. same with more established ones. where is the episode that shows us a bit more of christopher's life, for example? it's been 5 seasons and i have yet to see him live his life outside of his relationship with eddie and buck.
ough, there is more to talk about but damn this has been a long ass message, oopsie. i wanna end this by saying that i definitely wish for buck to take more responsibility, too. i lowkey think that he's actually set up to eventually be a captain, looking back at the past 6 seasons? the way buck was introduced in s1 alone was golden, but we see his stint as a fire marshal paid off work-wise, we saw that the firefam became a family thanks to his influence and that he is the one who has the strongest wish for the firefam to be a family (opposing hen and chim who said that they lost touch with other 118 members beforehand), we saw him being the one to train ravi, he actually expresses interest in the position, he loves his clipboards and is being a pendant at work, he is learning how to cook for the firefam like bobby always does (maybe means nothing but the bobby parallel is still there), he was shown to stay confident and professional and in control in the s6 finale even while helping during the birth of his own biological child, he seems to truly find his calling in being a firefighter... might just be me, and maybe the show will never get that far with bobby retiring and buck truly being ready for it on screen, but i will keep this dream alive cause it helps me to look past all the pointless shit in 911 lolol.
if YOU got this far... i applaud you and give you an award. have a nice day and sorry again for the length, NO pressure to reply dsjfdfsl <3
Hey!!! ALL of this! Wow, under the cut we go:
First point: Literally YES. I feel like everyone piqued in terms of their characterisations about 3 seasons ago and since then we have been left with the same characters dealing/feeling with the same things and not really going anywhere. And yeah sure that's real life. But it doesn't make good TV. Even with Maddie, I love her in the call centre but they could have had her become further involved in the support group that helped her, have May come in and take on the call centre role but ... No. The show tends to tease with changes but never fully commits to them. Eddie leaving the 118 could have been explosive and new and different but ... no! Hen could have been a doctor but ... no! It feels like the writers are scared of rocking the boat and changing up dynamics but I think that's exactly what the show would benefit from. Also ... yes about the romantic relationships. We get it ... Eddie is lonely. Buck is incapable of not having a gf for more than half a season. The only romances in the show that feel earned are the ones which have been central to the show for years but you're right it felt like: EVERYONE GETS A ROMANTIC PARTNER AREN'T THEY SO HAPPY!! It's also funny knowing the strong likelihood that the two characters they keep matching with people (Buck and Eddie) will probably serve as comedic oh no I've walked into another relationship I'm not ready for ! Ha ha HA!
the found family trope seems to be more of a cage for the individual characters than a support system at this point > YES! Like I love how much of a family they are, it's amazing but it's also a bit like ... choosing to do something for yourself is sometimes presented as going against the team or automatically shutting you out and that's odd lol. I honestly think the only character who does seem to be independent from the group in a good way is Bobby. He has his AA stuff going, friends and support away from the group and that's so interesting to see. Same with Eddie's family, although literally every other scene was them all trying to set him up with someone and furthering the: one of the lead men is single?! fix this immediately idea they've got going on.
Eddie leaving: Yes exactly this! I actually enjoyed the change but I felt like I shouldn't have? That seemed to be the vibe. It was like another poor Eddie he's doing this for Chris rather than hey let's talk about this son and work through your very valid feelings. It was another example of ohhhh we can change the dynamic but it's just not the same :( and it's bad :( Heck even when the evil paramedic replaced Chimney and Hen was like it's temporary! you're Monday! You're not part of the team I was like ... and this is the issue with this family unit. You're at work. It's work.
they take sooo much screen time for side characters that will never matter again and who do not interest me at all: RIGHT! I thought I was just being mean but omg I do not care! The cheesy montages are the worst ssksksksksk I just ... yeah. Don't care. I really like when calls make the team reflect on something going on in their life because that's cool or when the calls have like a funny theme tied into the title of the epiosde but dear God when it's just not connected whatsoever I give up. I skip bits. I literally think: well if I skip past this, nothing will change the lives of any of the characters in the show that I am interested in. And YES, there's side characters who deserve some form of recognition/screen time and it just ... does not happen unless it is related to the firefam which again just reinforces the idea that if it is not linked to those characters - don't worry it doesn't even matter. It makes it almost silly to love any side character more than the firefam characters - bar Maddie but I think that's a lot to do with a fairly high profile known actress playing her.
Buck's progress: Honestly everything you said! I don't see them going that far with Buck, as in making him more responsible mainly because I feel like the writers still can't resist writing Buck as the child of the firefam, the impulsive hey I just cheated on my gf, hey I've walked into a relationship I don't want, hey I don't have a sofa! trope that they like because they need someone to be silly. Hen and Chimney and Bobby are all Older, they have their life together, they're settled and Eddie sort of floats between Buck and the other three. I'm hoping they grow Buck up a little! They've given him very serious stuff with him now having a biological kid, being in what looks like a serious relationship, cheating death again but out of all the characters, Buck still seems to be the one where writers love undoing maturity and progress within him so we'll see.
Don't apologise for the length! I'm not in the fandom and watch 911ls so see lots of reactions there, so it's nice to see what the consensus is in the 911 fandom
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