#this is barely coherent

[erinravenseeker]

Just had a middle-of-the-night “ohhhh” moment as I just figured out that Kim Dokja needs the Fourth Wall not because of the scenarios but because it was essentially his survival mechanism for life.

Now I have only read the novel once so I could totally be forgetting stuff & way off-base but this is what I remember. Inane rambling under the cut, major spoilers included.

We know he’s generally antisocial, placing himself outside of society like a reader, and he internally smoothed over Sangah’s rough points even before the scenarios, making her into a ‘character’ (a caricature of herself) that fit into an archetype.

Dissociating from reality & viewing himself as a reader is his coping mechanism & “WoS coming to life” provides a convenient excuse to keep ignoring that fact.

This kind of ties in with an idea I’ve been forming about the Fourth Wall, which is that KDJ is fundamentally incapable of believing that “The Characters” (read: everyone) can experience growth as a result of his actions. He exists outside of the story, he is in the audience beyond the fourth wall, so he cannot affect the characters.

Hence the paradoxical nature of the Fourth Wall. For as long as he is a Reader, the Fourth Wall is maintained. And as long as the Fourth Wall is maintained, he will continue to be a Reader.

(Warning this is where it gets incoherent and messy.)

Kim Dokja fundamentally NEEDS the Fourth Wall to be maintained. Not just because of the OD stuff, but because it’s the way he’s learnt to cope with existing. It’s also why dying is so easy for him—we know he cannot deal with the guilt of making people he cares about suffer, but if he’s just a Reader, that means he can’t really have any meaningful impact on their lives, so it’s fine for him to just… disappear.

Kim Dokja is not actively suicidal, he’s just invested himself so far into the worldview of himself being a Reader that to him, his temporary deaths no longer register as dying. More like… stepping out of the theatre for a bit.

It gets complicated when we hit OD. Because then we realise the KDJ we’ve been accompanying is essentially a self-insert OC. So we can ascribe the way he thinks to OD, including all the coping mechanisms and self-distancing. But where OD manages to escape the narrative along with SP, at the same time the KimCom Crew escape the narrative, KDJ actually kind of… doubles down?

Like, OD does what any Reader does and learns from the book. When KDJ says “I, someone of no redeeming quality, could be loved by the others.” It’s not just him learning this lesson. It’s actually kind of the opposite. OD is Reading this lesson so he learns that he’s allowed to accept the mercy of SP & the 999 crew. So they escape the narrative.

KimCom also manages to escape the narrative but KDJ… can’t. He comes to the conclusion that he was actually backstage all along. But that means he’s still not ON stage. A Character can’t feel for the Script Writer or Director or Stage Manager. So he doubles down on his separation from them, stepping into that role. And then then KimCom comes banging on his door backstage because they’re not just characters, they’re the Actors now, and KDJ disappears because he can’t deal with that, because he fundamentally cannot exist on the same plane as them.

I think that’s why I’m hopeful at a post-epilogue ending. KDJ The Reader exists at essentially a higher tier than the people around him, and so he believes he cannot be loved in a way that has a lasting impact on them. But he DID spend years being affected by WoS, by Yoo Joonghyuk. If he becomes the Character, and them the Readers… maybe, just maybe, he can actually accept that love.

[impzone]

semi-related ramblings about how i feel about making art recently.

i think at this point i need to start telling my stories in whatever skill level i have now. idk it doesn't seem worth it to wait, it doesn't seem worth it to make something good if it means waiting, and especially when it feels like every step i take forward makes my art worse in some way. there's still a lot of waiting to come, especially now that my schedule is busier and ive been feeling even more dried up when it comes to making any big illustrations. i'm kinda questioning if it's even worth it to make big illustrations anymore. i feel so much more alone in my love for these things i may as well just push out whatever if it means getting it out of my head and onto the page, even if it's not in its most pristine form. all the characters i fixate on seem like my least popular ones. it feels like i'm alone in my enjoyment of the things i love, so i need to go on my own if it means going forward, right? i think i owe it to them.

[catboyhawk]

something something everyone refers to Hawkeye like thats his Actual Name but. something about his real name being Benjamin. its such a vulnerable name its almost youthful. hes not ben anymore, he has to be the Hero. sometimes you still see Benjy crack through

[zylian]

The implications that Pangi being so confused and asking Red what he possibly could have done for Subz to constantly be backstabbing him for is ever so possible

Like this thought is running through my head

Subz on day 1 helped Rek with his plans to kill Pangi

Subz gave god apples to Pangi (you don’t just do that with anyone)

Subz helped Parrot multiple times with his plan to kill Pangi

Subz joined Leviathan’s side in the fight for the crown

It’s so sad from Pangis perspective that someone he wanted to trust from the beginning has been cutting him down just as easily since the start.

Subz never directly hurt Pangi until that crown fight and I swear it makes so much sense why Red cared so much more that he had to fight Subz in that fight over anyone else.

Subz, Pangi & Red are so tragic.

Red who’s completely loyal to Pangi not going after Subz, Pangi unable to understand why Subz did what he did but choosing to leave it alone and Subz not caring but when asked he does it anyway.

Subz betrayal was slow and built up so much that even after all of it when eclipse temporarily teamed with the Shades, they never acted as close as before.

Yah Woogie was tied into it as Pangis right man, he was also very against Subz but it never escalated. The thing is Red never wanted to hurt Subz, despite being loyal to Pangi.

Those 3 are so level headed that even if they try to ignore it the actions never stop.

I swear it can be comparable to a brutal betrayal, it’s constantly been built up and left them hurting every time the other is involved specifically.

[you-have-been-frizzled]

ok at least the spots hatered of Miles made sense, in superhero worlds. that’s a completely normal thing for supervillains to do, but miguel was just

“i hate you because you are me but better, it doesn’t matter you are a literal child”

which means he’s the worse villain here

[borrelia]

weedspeak vv

lalala rotating little guys in my head. fleet is very self-conscious about self-medicating and when sonic finds out its like oh boy! sonic on sonic violence X2!!! like sonics a very Go For A Natural High kid so. thats also fleet. so hes got some internalized guilt about needing to do this and ALSO this fucking jackass OTHER HIM who DOESNT understand why he would do drugs when he can Just Say No is going to denigrate him over the SAME THING!!

they'll settle down later but the theme of the two of them interacting in my head is that sonic makes fleet miserable when fleets already trying So Hard to just Be Okay.

[emotinalsupportturtle]

Sometimes fucking off during your break, walking around a mall alone and getting a coffee can be more healing than you would imagine

[t4ct1c4l-d1ld0]

Oh god that post is going around huh listen I don't know who he follows on that account but also he does NOT need to know that I'm alrrady this bad sooo maybe save the reblogging until hes not actively online thsnks

[mossy-aro]

sometimes finding aromanticism in media isn’t literally about aromanticism… sometimes it’s about the deconstruction of love as a concept and the subversion of its perception as inherently humanising. it’s about the decentering of romance as a driving force in the narrative. and also sometimes it’s about love being central to the narrative but in a way that defies all traditional categorisations of romantic / platonic / anything else. it is the secret third thing yet so much more and less at once. the point is aromanticism is everywhere for those with eyes to see

[mischievous-thunder]

It's a special skill set, Logan. Wade wants you to make good use of it over and over again!

[casscainmainly]

The Batkids' deaths vary in severity/importance, but they all serve to shake some core part of their superhero identity. Sometimes it affirms their existing identity (Cass' first death), or it spurs them to discover more about what their current identity means (Damian, Tim); sometimes, however, it severs them from who they were. Dick's transition into Agent 37 and Cass' turn to evil both stem from very temporary deaths, where the death is not as important as what happens after. It's not the pill or Cass' dip into the Pit that actually changes them, but the boundary these events create between their old and new selves.

Which is why Jason's death is different from all of the above. Beyond being (at one point) permanent, his loss of self is irreversible. Dick and Cass claw their way back to their identities pre-death, Nightwing and Batgirl respectively; Jason does not. He cannot, because he doesn't fit Robin anymore, and Robin doesn't fit him. It's not only that his sense of self is shaped by his death, but that it was, in many ways, destroyed by it.

But it's ultimately Stephanie's death that links death so closely to the loss of a superhero identity. Her death, unlike the others, is instigated by loss - Batman fires her from Robin, which leads to the events of War Games. On her deathbed, Steph asks "was I ever really Robin?", and Bruce replies "of course you were." It's a sweet moment, but it's retroactive. He can only affirm her legacy as Robin in the past tense (it's over; it can't impact anyone anymore). Her non-existent memorial can be read not only as a lack of care for Stephanie Brown the person, but for Stephanie Brown the Robin - Jason's Robin is immortalised, Stephanie's Robin is erased. She dies because she was made Robin, and she was made Robin to die.

I guess my point is that everyone's deaths are linked to how much they are valued within their mantle, not just in a metatextual sense (as in, how much DC editorial liked them) but also in the text itself - deaths either instigate further ownership of their name, or dismantle their sense of self. This is why it's important to recognise Steph's tenure as Robin (both in comics and fandom). Recognising Steph-as-Robin is a direct refutation of her death, a long-delayed memorial.

[bacchuschucklefuck]

doing chibi is a good design exercise bc it forces u to think on shapes n essential details, essentially thumbnailing ur designs. its also a terrible design exercise bc it ends up looking cute no matter what

[astrothii]

something about the parallels between andromache weaving a tapestry when she learns her husband isn’t coming home vs. penelope weaving one waiting for hers to do the same. idk.

[casdeans-pie]

If I could pitch season 16 of Supernatural:

Dean wakes up and it turns out that everything from 15x18 was an Empty Nightmare because he actually grabbed Cas just before he got taken, so got pulled in too.

Sam and Jack have been trying to get them both out for 5 years.

Jack still got the God Powers but he's whimsical with them and retains his personality. He wants to try and preserve human free will. But also helps in small ways where he can. (and still pops into the bunker for a bowl of cereal from time to time)

Sam is the 'new Bobby' in the MOL bunker - sending out hunters and knowing all the lore about all the monsters. (Also he practices witchcraft on the side)

No blurry wife - Sam and Eileen are engaged - and no Dean Jr. But! they are considering having a kid soon. And! They can get married now that Dean and Cas are back!

Dean and Cas heartfelt reunion!!! Clinging hug!!!! Never let me go again!!!! We're not talking about the confession but we both want to!!!!! etc etc

Cas is still an angel and Jack offers to make him an archangel !! Cas feels like he should say yes out of obligation (even if he doesn't want to leave) but Dean actually FINALLY asks him. to stay? (Cas immediately declines Jack's offer)

Dean struggles with the memories of his Empty Nightmare. (It was just SO bad. But also he tries to describe Old Man Sam and his bad hair and that cheers him up.)

The original Death is back because he never really died, he just didn't want to be involved in all the Winchester shenanigans. But he's back now that all the world-ending chaos is over. (Tessa is also back as his second-in-command)

Billie is the new ruler over the Empty, and it's a place of eternal rest now. Very peaceful. Meg is there and she's having a great time relaxing.

Crowley comes back as a human for a second chance. He's still kind of an ass but he's lovable with it.

Lots of reunions and cameos. It's magic you can bring all sorts of characters back to life - a lot of them died unfairly in the first place. Bring them all back!

Dean! and! Cas! Kiss!

I want all the genres of kiss. Confused. Desperate. Relieved. Passionate. Tender.

The season is all very character focused and character driven and ties up any loose ends the show had left.

The drama comes from internal character struggles and with Dean and Cas figuring out where they fit into this 5 years on world now. (The answer is together doing whatever they want to and Dean comes to the realisation he wants to retire, but he struggles with reconciling that he wants to retire and Sam doesn't and they have to go on different paths now).

The series ends with the big Sam/Eileen wedding and it's just a huge party and gathering of all the cameos you can possibly think of. Friends, family, frenemies, some beloved characters who only appeared in one episode... they're all there.

Dean proposes to Cas by taking the loop from Baby's keys out of his pocket and getting down on one knee and using it like a ring stand-in (it's way too big but it's symbolic and cheesy and sweet and it doesn't matter)

Of course he says yes.

The end.

[eyes-of-nine]

tfw when minibosses take you an average of like 8 attempts minimum but then you somehow manage to defeat your fav boss in the entire game on your first try :v

[originalartblog]

HOW THE TURNTABLES