#this is the character foil to that other post

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Since the Yus of the Manga are (Maybe) meant to be foils to the OB characters. What do you think the foils of Vil, Idia, and Malleus will be like?

I think there's a variety of ways Vil, Idia, and Malleus could be "mirrored", depending on which traits of theirs you focus on and how you interpret the "opposite" of those traits. This post only covers MY ideas; these are by no means the only ones, nor the definitive ones.

For Vil, I see his Yuu being someone that isn't conventionally attractive (scraggly hair, dark circles, imperfect skin) but has a very pleasant personality if you look beyond their appearance. Agreeable, generous, always willing to lend a hand and listen, etc. Or maybe his Yuu is someone who is similar n Vil's beautiful appearance but is humble about how they look or doesn't really care how others perceive them. This could parallel Vil/the Fairest Queen, who look beautiful but are made rotten and ugly by their envy. I’ve also seen people suggest a hypermasculine Yuu that has traditionally feminine interests or someone who is gender nonconforming in some way.

For Idia, I've seen a lot of joke posts about how his Yuu should be a fujoshi, two Yuus (siblings), or simply "a woman" because that's an otaku's greatest weakness 😭 and while those can be funny, I don't think the parallels to Idia would be on such a surface level. Since Idia's trauma is deeply related to that of his brother's passing, I wonder if his Yuu will be an older sibling (to parallel him) or a younger sibling (to parallel Ortho). Maybe it's someone who has already overcome the grief of losing a family member, or a Yuu that got isekai'd but the carriage while rushing in to protect their sibling from the truck or carriage.

For Malleus, I think it'd be neat if they did something "meta" to sort of tie everything together, since book 7 has had meta themes such as Lilia talking about dragons like Malleus becoming fairy tales, dream hopping, and Malleus himself likening the changes to the real world to the changes in Gao Gao Draco-kun's life cycle. What if his Yuu is a storyteller? Someone familiar with fiction tropes and can read others + situations well? That way we could wrap up the main story with something meta too, like how all the characters' stories have woven together to become one. Alternatively, it might be interesting to parallel Malleus with a Yuu that's a chunnibyou... because he is someone who relies on his magic to make people happy, yet is always alone--yet maybe his Yuu is someone who claims to have powers and broods, but is actually an average person that's a bit silly and attracts people to them.

[gleamingtempest]

Archetype & Foil Theory - Despair Time & 'AltDRDT'

Preface: I dislike the placeholder 'AltDRDT' and will be using Knight's Game in it's place for the entirety of this post. Also the entirety of this post will not be written when it is posted ! So the initial preface does not actually mean anything if you are reading this now.

Similarly, I will also be referring to the Knight's Game characters by the animal they are associated with in the Chinese Zodiac & not by the usual names assigned to them by fandom. I just find this an easier & less clunky way to recall them. ^^'

I will translate this post into written text at a later point. TL;DR all the despair time & AltDRDT characters parallel mainline game characters & the death order does as well.

Spoilers Ahead.

Knight's Game Animal Visual Guide:

Disorganized Rambling:

Both chapters so far have already substantially paralleled key elements of THH. These parallels are often presented through a 'deviant', non conventional lens.

Chapter 1: Sayaka Betrayal, Makoto Accused first, Min doesn't like her talent (Leon), Xander worked super hard for talent (Sayaka), Xander is a red haired rebel who used to do something with his hair he now refuses to do on principle (Leon), Min wants to try something unrelated to her talent (Leon), Xander idolized a blue haired character he knew before the game (who also knew him [Sayaka]), a 'purple' 'smart character' who didn't talk much before helps the protagonist during the investigation, something unlucky happens to the protagonist which partially results in an aspect of the case or the murder itself, a stabbing in the stomach occurs.

Chapter 2: Smaller timid character grapples with gender identity, tough guy & timid character conflict, Arei was bullied in the past and tries to change (Chihiro), victim is hung up (Chihiro), character has a 'personality change' during the trial (Toko), character becomes obsessed with another character and stalks them, Ace grapples with a life he feels responsible for the loss of in his past (Mondo), Ace did not feel he was capable of changing and becoming a better person (Mondo), David 'tampers' with the case (Togami), Levi is outed for murdering multiple people prior to the killing game (Toko)

Several characters also intensely reflect aspects of mainline characters, either directly or by inverting them.

Not comprehensive: Teruko is miserable because of her luck (Makoto), Charles suffers as a result of his family legacy (Togami), Eden aids the protagonist after the aftermath of the first case (Kyoko), Veronika obsesses over fiction to the detriment of others (Hifumi), Rose has borderline psionic powers (Yasuhiro), J lied about her name (Celeste), Whit has a strong 'intuition' (Sayaka), Veronika is easily bored (Junko), David is dedicated to upholding the ideal of another to the detriment of his own humanity (Mukuro)

Regarding the Knight's Game cast, while we know next to nothing about them personally we can make inferences from the unofficial side content as well as their designs & the chinese zodiac motif.

For the 'tiger' character, she is in demeanor obviously very similar to Akane's surface level personality and we can extrapolate that she is likely a fighter of some sort based on her design. Her 'zodiac foil' is the horse which based on the zodiac motif theory would be the host. Akane's most notable action as a character within DR2 is attacking the host in chapter 3 and Nekomaru sacrificing himself in order to protect her from dying. Notably, dragon's parallel is Nekomaru & is almost certainly Tiger's brother, making a sacrifice of this nature much more believable.

Also notably, we are currently at 11 cast members, placing the Knight's Game KG at chapter 3 of DR2 - where Ibuki would have already died and been killed by Mikan. This would put that sacrifice at some point either in the events immediately prior to the memory wipe OR during the first chapter we are going to see. This would also notably place Dragon as the victim in the following chapter, allowing for him to have an adequate amount of screen time prior to his death as proposed by this theory.

This means Sheep, Mikan's parallel, would have killed prior to the memory wipe and that for some reason she was not punished for this crime. (Potentially suggesting a trial was never held for her murder or that it could not be completed.) Sheep is foils with Ox, who is Hiyoko's parallel and much like Xander & Charles to Teruko, is placed adjacent to Teacher in the cast art, alongside Rabbit who is often shown to be positive towards Teacher, is so far suggested to be closer to him than other students and would be his foil within the zodiac. Xander was the one to begin to start the killing game and betray Teruko. Much like Xander, Sheep may betray Teacher and begin the killing game by killing ox, also playing into the motif of a 'wolf in sheep's clothing.' Alongside this, Sheep has Whit's color pallet, who would be the DRDT mastermind according to this theory - even more notably, pink is a recurring color of significance in Danganronpa as a whole and is often associated with despair as it is the color of blood. As evidenced by Xander & Mai, despair is certainly no stranger to reccuring color and design motifs.

Potentially unrelated but still notable: within the story of the zodiac race itself, the monkey, sheep and horse work together in order to win the race. The horse is the host and the monkey is a character already immediately entrenched in mischief due to both demeanor, parallels to both Xander and Min's designs (as well as parallels in side content art, their design literally being swapped with theirs) and her association with XF-Ture tech. Not to mention his proposed parallel being Nagito. These two characters being paired with Sheep in the context of working together to 'win the race' in a killing game, who is potentially the first killer we'll be seeing, is certainly an odd string of coincidences in any case.

The dog is paralleled to Fuyuhiko who's bodyguard he grew up with sacrifices herself for him as a result of him lashing out over the murder of his sister being covered up. Dog is currently best known for his potential relation to Teruko and if the cases do reflect one another then this would be a case which occured before the memory wipe - giving the author ample opportunity to explore Dog's relation to his 'sister' (Teruko) while exploring the erased memories. While not explicitly related nor confirmed, it is speculated that Dog is a bounty hunter and at the very least Dog's design and present promotional art clearly depicts that he has some association with the military. The dog motif further emphasizes this.

Regarding the zodiac foils themselves and whether or not they are reliable: while tenuous at the moment, they are not entirely unsubstantiated. Teacher and Rabbit are often paired in positive relation in official art. Dog is deeply suspected of being Teruko's older brother and Dragon is very likely Tiger's brother. The two both potentially being protective brother's who try to protect their sister's that are always getting in trouble could very well be explored within the text. Mouse and Monkey are both design swapped and paralleled to Min and Xander, the first victim and killer as well as the (IMO) most blatant foil pair within their respective entry. Tiger, who is paralleled with Akane, could from what we know very believably have a disposition which would lead her to conflicting with the host frequently. Ox and Sheep both have very explicit horns in their designs and this could very well be a nod to them frequently 'butting heads.' No substantial connection between Pig and Snake occurs to me at the moment, as we have seen next to nothing regarding both characters however they are paralleled to Gundham and Sonia which I think is notable at least.

I would also like to note that I did not parallel Teacher to Hajime because I believe he much more intensely parallels either Monomi or Chisa. Hajime also has another character which very intensely parallels him which we already know about: Mai Akasaki.

Both completely normal people with presumably no talents who are simultaneously upheld as 'gods' by those around them or at the least deeply idolized. Albeit for very different reasons. A significant theme in both of these characters stories is of course aldo that they grapple with whether or not they want to adhere to the 'rules of society.' For some reason or another, these characters are also blamed for a killing game.

It is called Knight's game because I do not know what you could design a horse mascot as other than a knight chess piece. Maybe a zebra, for the 'mono' design the stripes would lend to. Zebras are not horses but are adjacent. I do not know. A horse mascot is kind of funny to me.

All mainline parallels for the Knight's Game cast are either based on design elements or speculative elements of the story which have no actual basis so this is entirely unsubstantiated lol. I'm arrogant to a detrimental degree so I'm secure in my conclusion regardless and feel gratified by how many connections I incidentally spawned from what is an intensely miniscule amount of content.

Can we please begin tagging this series as Knight's Game instead of AltDRDT. This is not a realistic ask since it is already ingrained but I do not like AltDRDT lol. I'm not sure why it's just difficult for me to attach to.

I feel similarly about most common names for the characters. I'm actually a bit surprised by how long it took for a large portion of the fandom to notice the Chinese Zodiac motif after the designs were released. Though I suppose some design aspects which were rectified later on makes that much easier in retrospect that it would have been at the time. Still, they do have obvious placeholder names, at least IMO.

Here's a link to my Zodiac post which explains the motif in more detail. I am not inclined to do so here. ^^'

https://www.tumblr.com/gleamingtempest/743823810967617536/dog-7?source=share

Thanks for reading, apologies for the visuals not being translated ATM; I'll get around to it. I hope this was engaging, helpful or insightful. : ) Be well and take care. 🎉

@bronze-ocs

This post indirectly answers your ask. At the very least it gives my current death order predictions. If I feel inclined to I'll also make a separate post for those individually where I explain my thoughts on them in more detail. ^^' I hope you enjoy anyway.

[commsroom]

Hi, I like the way you write and I like reading it, makes my brain worms go on overdrive. If you're feeling up to it, I'd like to know your thoughts on Kepler and Eiffel as a dynamic. I've always thought they were incredibly similar in a way none of the other characters in W359 are (save Eiffel + Hera with regards to their circumstances), imo they have some of the same core traits that just then...diverge and express themselves so differently. So yeah. Would love to see your perspective on them.

first, i'm not sure if i see the degree of similarity that you do, but i do think that one of the strengths of wolf 359's character writing is that basically any two characters can serve as narrative parallels and/or foils in some aspect or another.

for eiffel and kepler, i think the main thing they share is a desire to narrativize and distance themselves from their identities. in kepler's case, he perceives it as a career necessity; he's compartmentalized and redefined himself so much that his job is all that's left. for eiffel, it's a manifestation of guilt and self loathing: he can't reconcile the things he's done, the versions of doug eiffel that he's been, with his own moral compass, and it tears him apart. kepler is a man with so so many ulterior motives, and eiffel is a man who really doesn't have any, but i think you could probably say they're both "honest liars" - that how they spin their respective narratives betrays some simple, fundamental truths about who they are as people.

as a dynamic... well, i have a post here about need to know. eiffel and kepler are both pretty good at sizing people up, though obviously what information they value (and what they intend to do with that information) is very different. what kepler is always trying to assess, what he values most, is the utility of others. not necessarily what they can do for him, but what can they do, period? what do they have to offer? eiffel is the exact opposite: he only cares about someone's character, who they are. minkowski is the commander, even when she's not, because the person she is to him remains the same.

this might be a little contentious (and i'll elaborate if i ever write more about gender dynamics), but i think kepler is specifically good at knowing how to appeal to different forms of masculinity. he's good at being someone's drinking buddy, which is a very loaded concept in this context. jacobi is a gay man with military father issues, and kepler knows he will respond to masculine authority. eiffel - however you read him - does not feel out of place in straight society, and has no respect for authority. kepler initially tries to be his buddy, to be the "cool boss" who laughs at his jokes and respects his work and gives him perceived leniency (and stands up for his autonomy against hilbert, which is a whole other thing with a whole set of other ulterior motives), in an attempt to make minkowski out to be high strung and unreasonable, and to reinforce eiffel's biases about her. he's trying to pit them against each other, but that strategy doesn't work, in part because if you give eiffel an inch, he'll take a mile, and in part because kepler misunderstands and underestimates eiffel's loyalty to minkowski. (incidentally, i think kepler is actually less attached to his own masculinity than either eiffel or jacobi are; like every aspect of his identity, it's more of a tool he's learned how to use.)

as an extension of that, kepler knows how to get at a very particular sore spot of eiffel's: his role as a father. when kepler threatens anne and eiffel instigates a fist fight with him over it, it's the only time in the entire show where eiffel resorts to violence. it's the only thing that makes him react like that; he can't physically attack cutter in pagliacci, but it sure sounds like he wants to. he knows, once he's calmed down, that it was stupid, and that he was manipulated, and that it didn't do anything to help his daughter, light years away, but there's a gut anger in him that overrides that in the moment. maybe you can argue eiffel using kepler's ideals about "the big picture" to convince him to stand down in desperate measures is the other side of that. eiffel never resorts to violence, but that time he did. kepler pushes, he doesn't stop, he doesn't surrender, but that time he did.

... and it is compelling that kepler, specifically, is able to provoke eiffel like that, when i would argue the central disagreement of their characters is "force vs. diplomacy." kepler's response to conflict is an assumption of violence and preemptive intimidation: "someone always has power, which means that someone else is always getting shafted. first order of business when a new element pops into your comfortable power structure: reconnaissance. these folks gonna help or hinder? do they have anything i want? anything worth taking? or have they got a stick big enough that it's worth leaving them alone?" while eiffel's approach can basically be summed up by, "can't we talk about this?" and so he fundamentally does not agree with that framework; eiffel believes in teamwork and cooperation. eiffel wants there to be a way for everyone to win. the dear listeners, narratively (and sometimes in some very literal ways), serve as a mirror to humanity, and i think you can extend that on some level to individuals. kepler's approach gets him "disarmed"; eiffel's approach... facilitates "communication."

sometimes i see people joke about eiffel's phrasing in succulent rat-killing tar - "i just like being able to have them in my mouth. i like the taste." - in comparison to the whiskey speech, but i think maybe there is something in the different ways they present those vices. kepler is putting it on display to say, "i'm better than my vices, and i expect you to be, too" - it's a threat, yes, but also a purposeful display of (projected) discipline and temperance. that's how he wants to be seen. eiffel, on the other hand, is completely hedonistic and indulgent, and he's proud of that. it's an act of resistance for him. he's saying, "this is the only vice i have left up here, i am going to enjoy these goddamn cigarettes, and you're not going to take that from me too." douglas f. "maintaining my humanity in the face of bogus military protocol" eiffel.

"long story short" (and it is also funny to me how mad kepler gets at eiffel in all things considered: "your story was not only the most incomprehensible, it wasted the largest amount of my life." ... oh, really now?) i think you could probably put the scene where kepler tells lovelace: "you're an unknown variable, and i hate those." next to: "it's a fire. on a spaceship. you shouldn't need any further explanation!" / "hah! spoken like a man that doesn't know the first thing about commanding douglas f. eiffel!" ... and that would pretty much sum it up. doug eiffel is like perfectly designed to piss off anyone with any attachment to order and authority.

[nbmudkip]

“how could you have forgotten that” i forget Everything. unless i remember

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Parallel Lines and Brothers.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[tsutsumi-kurose]

I find it interesting that Tsukasa reached for Nene without hesitation. It was probably because he needs her to fulfill his goals but I wanna be delusional and say he has a heart and cares for her / people

lol it is very hard to tell with tsukasa!! but he definitely does have a heart it’s just….selective lol.

and i think the fact that it's so hard to tell how tsukasa feels about people makes him and nene such good complements to each other!! nene is so expressive and open, and tsukasa is such a mystery to the audience and especially to amane, the person closest to him. these differences play off of each other beautifully. it's nene's openness and persistence and open-book optimism that gets us so many glimpses into tsukasa's feelings and past and world view and the different attitudes he's capable of embodying and expressing. and i personally think this moment is an example of that!

i think tsukasa catching nene was a very instinctive action he took!! i don't think he gave it any thought:

i loveeee this moment and these two pages like... he makes the decision so quickly that the panel of nene falling doesn't even have time to complete!! tsukasa physically breaks into the panel of nene falling, that's how fast and split second his decision is!! it's such a beautiful use of the space on the page. and tsukasa looks surprised by himself on the next page!! tsukasa is a very calucated person who usually has the upper hand, and in this moment he realizes he has truly given that upper hand and that foresight and that planning up, that he needs to resort to the last resort of calling amane for help. he resorts to what he sees as the impossible!! so i really don't think catching her was just part of the plan. there was definitely an emotional element involved there!!

i also think nene really has a knack for bringing out new sides of tsukasa. she's the reason he revealed that he's called for hanako before with no response!! she challenges him in ways he hasn't been challenged before!! she constantly surprises him and makes things interesting for him. i think she is definitely a very unique relationship in his life, and given all the reactions she gets out of him, i would say he definitely has at least some level of emotional investment in her as a person.

you are right though, that this doesn't necessarily mean he cares about her... but i don't think it's delusional for us to hope that it means something along those lines!! after all, they've spent a lot of time together leading up to this moment, and thanks to time travel, who knows how many interactions they've had that only tsukasa has experienced at this point? there's so much we don't know about tsukasa, constantly!! and i think the way he feels about nene is one of the more confounding mysteries about him.

i think it's very possible he has a soft spot for nene at this point! or at least is developing one. I’d believe it!! after all, if nene falls to her death who will listen to tsukasa talk about amane for four hours straight??

also look at them here:

serious analysis on pause they're best friends here. they are consulting they are looking to each other they are silently communicating!!! where do we go from here!!! nene said :0!!!!! tsukasa said O_O!!!!!

okay back to more text based analysis lol: from a different angle, you could also argue tsukasa's end goal with all of this is extending nene's life, as he's working to grant amane's wish, which, to his knowledge from the conversation in ch91, would be to extend nene's lifespan. so indirectly, but still supposedly his goal in a way!! which is a way to interpret his motivations in this moment as well.

and on the topic of tsukasa's goals, i think they show his heart!! yes, he's got an agenda, but overall his agenda has really just been to grant amane's wish. and it's an agenda he does his best to fulfill, which is a way of showing heart!! he thinks this is how amane can get whatever he wants. so in a way, even if this moment was just about needing nene as a means to an end, the end and the means of getting there are all motivated by his heart!!

but yeah in summary i definitely think there's a lot of depth to this relationship and to this interaction in particular. it haunts me constantly!! i love tsukasa i love nene i love the ways they play off of each other so much!! yes i'm biased because i would steal the moon from the sky for tsukasa and nene, but i really do think she makes him feel a lot!! whether that results in affection for her i think is beautifully complicated and unclear, and i can't wait to see their relationship progress throughout the rest of the manga!!

so i am with you in your delusions anon!! keep the faith!! i certainly will!! <3

[jonsnowunemploymentera]

It’s important that the first revelation of Nissa Nissa is accompanied by some level of skepticism from Salladhor Saan and aversion on Davos’ part. It doesn’t sound right that Azor Ahai chose to sacrifice his wife for a magic sword. It shouldn’t sound right.

“A hundred days and a hundred nights he labored on the third blade, and as it glowed white-hot in the sacred fires, he summoned his wife. ‘Nissa Nissa,’ he said to her, for that was her name, ‘bare your breast, and know that I love you best of all that is in this world.’ She did this thing, why I cannot say, and Azor Ahai thrust the smoking sword through her living heart. It is said that her cry of anguish and ecstasy left a crack across the face of the moon, but her blood and her soul and her strength and her courage all went into the steel. Such is the tale of the forging of Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes.

“Now do you see my meaning? Be glad that it is just a burnt sword that His Grace pulled from that fire. Too much light can hurt the eyes, my friend, and fire burns.” Salladhor Saan finished the last grape and smacked his lips. “When do you think the king will bid us sail, good ser?”

[…] A true sword of fire, now, that would be a wonder to behold. Yet at such a cost … When he thought of Nissa Nissa, it was his own Marya he pictured, a good-natured plump woman with sagging breasts and a kindly smile, the best woman in the world. He tried to picture himself driving a sword through her, and shuddered. I am not made of the stuff of heroes, he decided. If that was the price of a magic sword, it was more than he cared to pay.

Not only does it not make sense that Nissa Nissa would agree to her husband’s request, it’s also telling how Salladhor Saan expresses relief in knowing that King Stannis didn’t actually forge Lightbringer. Because forging Lightbringer means human sacrifice. And why should one be deprived of their life, even if it’s for a magic sword? Davos is very right to be creeped out by it.

The theme of sacrifice shows up quite a bit in ASOIAF and Davos I isn’t the first or last time. The very first chapter in the series, Bran I, tackles this idea with Jon and the direwolves.

“Lord Stark,” Jon said. It was strange to hear him call Father that, so formal. Bran looked at him with desperate hope. “There are five pups,” he told Father. “Three male, two female.”

“What of it, Jon?”

“You have five trueborn children,” Jon said. “Three sons, two daughters. The direwolf is the sigil of your House. Your children were meant to have these pups, my lord.”

Bran saw his father’s face change, saw the other men exchange glances. He loved Jon with all his heart at that moment. Even at seven, Bran understood what his brother had done. The count had come right only because Jon had omitted himself. He had included the girls, included even Rickon, the baby, but not the bastard who bore the surname Snow, the name that custom decreed be given to all those in the north unlucky enough to be born with no name of their own.

Their father understood as well. “You want no pup for yourself, Jon?” he asked softly.

“The direwolf graces the banners of House Stark,” Jon pointed out. “I am no Stark, Father.”

Jon, though he may desperately desire to have his own piece of magic, would not sacrifice his siblings for it. He wouldn’t dare to deprave the girls, Arya and Sansa, of their own magic even when it might be very easy to do so. This is a pretty stark contrast (pun intended) to Azor Ahai and his Nissa Nissa. Azor Ahai’s first line of thought was to sacrifice his wife whereas Jon’s was to sacrifice himself. Sure Azor Ahai got his magic sword, but Jon’s self-sacrifice is not in vain either because he later earns his own wolf, who turns out to be even more special than the rest in the pack.

Bran IV kind of alludes to the idea of self sacrifice through Old Nan’s retelling of the last hero:

So as cold and death filled the earth, the last hero determined to seek out the children, in the hopes that their ancient magics could win back what the armies of men had lost. He set out into the dead lands with a sword, a horse, a dog, and a dozen companions. For years he searched, until he despaired of ever finding the children of the forest in their secret cities. One by one his friends died, and his horse, and finally even his dog, and his sword froze so hard the blade snapped when he tried to use it. And the Others smelled the hot blood in him, and came silent on his trail, stalking him with packs of pale white spiders big as hounds—”

Though the one we know is called the “last hero”, notice that it’s not a title but a mere descriptor; there were many heroes before him who died and he was the last one standing. There is a human toll in this legend, but it’s implied to be self sacrifice. It’s also interesting that though there is mention of a blade, it is the children of the forest’s magic that is key. This does kind of bleed into what we know about the Night’s Watch and its relation to the long night. The Night’s Watch victory was a group effort, rather than the actions of any one man.

We have several legends surrounding the long night that work, but only one involves the cost of sacrificing someone else (that we know of). This might be where GRRM is headed with Stannis and his creation of Lightbringer. Sure Azor Ahai did get his magic sword, but it doesn’t negate the steep human cost. GRRM has lowkey confirmed that Stannis is sure to burn Shireen. And rather than this sacrifice not working, I think it’s more likely that it does work. Stannis does indeed create the flaming sword. But this will be directly weighed by other (self) sacrifices made for the same purpose. Stannis’ sacrifice of his daughter won’t work any better than other characters who choose to sacrifice themselves even when knowing that they are not going to go down as individual legends; I think Jon Snow will once again be the prime example of this, as he has already resigned himself to being a shadow in history despite initially wanting the opposite. Maester Aemon was right in saying that

[…] all deceive ourselves, when we want to believe. Melisandre most of all, I think. The sword is wrong, she has to know that … light without heat … an empty glamor … the sword is wrong, and the false light can only lead us deeper into darkness, Sam

The sword is wrong. Azor Ahai is NOT one to be emulated. Rather, he should be a cautionary tale. He is not any more special for his sacrifice than what the last hero or the men of the Night’s Watch did, even though we know his name but don’t know theirs. GRRM answered the question regarding sacrifice before he even posed it. To make someone else pay the price is flat out wrong. The only true and worthy sacrifice is really that of the self.

[licensedproldier]

brennan will really be like "is anyone gonna write six of the most tragic and fucked up teenagers in the whole world and their narrative foils having violent murderous beef with each other in a devastatingly teenage way and then tell their story through a series of unreliable narrators or" and then not wait for an answer.

[sweetie-peaches]

I’ll get off my soulfire posting in a minute but how different do you think it would be if they didn’t hold back, if tubbo loosened his hold on bads leash, if they weren’t afraid.

Speaking of that actually, I wonder how much tubbos duel with etolies in the beginning changed things. Idk how to describe it but I think loosing that fight made a big shift in his character (it was also such a cool moment, a fight in a desert. No one else around, honorable and equal) like it changed his perspective on things

[shaylogic]

Poor Crystal literally getting yanked around by these guys. . .

[hazellvsq]

frank and piper are interesting counterpoint narratives to me. both of them have relatively mundane problems compared to the rest of the cast yet their parent's domains represent the heights of human passion as defined by the series, despite piper and frank both being (outwardly) dispassionate and (inwardly) mopey. the good end of these domains is love and protection (selfless), the bad end is heartbreak and bloodlust (selfish), which both of them try to resist. they both get claimed last out of their trios and had beforehand assumed that they were the children of someone else. both also experience perceived rejection from their mortal family directly before the series begins - both express anger and hurt at being "sent away". their rejection and unexpected claiming, back-to-back, results in discombobulation for them both, and feelings of humiliation brought on by both sets of parents.

they also both go through forced physical transformations by their parents to fit an ideal they don't want. all of the characters experience issues of identity and self-esteem but i think its the most pronounced with these two in the series. neither of them really knows who they are, and are pessimistic about their own capabilities. they are also counterpoints in that they feel disconnected from their own looks - both are very self-conscious people, but, based on how they're described by other characters, piper is probably the most beautiful member of the 7 and frank is probably the least. piper is frequently harassed and objectified, whereas frank is teased constantly about his looks. he neither feels as childish as his face is nor as grown as his body is, and he doesn't understand how to move through the world. both of which are common experiences throughout puberty - suddenly being treated differently on the basis of a body that's changing faster than you want or understand.

(discourse alert) i don't have a lot to add to the piper transformation discourse except that i do think its interesting that her blessing was temporary within the book and her love interest actually self-reflected on his reaction to it and realized that he should not have told her that she looked hot in that instance. rick did reverse frank's transformation five years later and i'm curious about his thought process about both writing it in the first place and in reversing it, and what feedback he received, if any. piper's transformation was a makeover whereas frank's was a puberty, which later rick walked back with "actually frank is still going through puberty". piper's was cheesy, sure, but frank's falls so flat bc that's just not how it works. its too much of a stretch. i don't even think it was in rick's og plan for frank, maybe he just watched captain america and was like "hell yeah i should do that" and flipped a coin between frank and leo, bc again frank was already initially described as physically grown in his debut book. and i can't even talk about hazel's reaction to to it bc its not real to me and i can't read suddenly. idk frank's plotline in general was too rushed in that book and he should have gotten another pov chapter set at least bc rick was trying to do too much too fast and relied on idiocy like the transformation to support it in the place of real character work when it wasn't even necessary for anything he accomplished in the book. he could've just walked around with better posture and achieved the same effect.

[shitpostingkats]

YOU think Apollo and Klavier are in love and should date about it. I think Apollo and Klavier are in love but will never be the most important people in eachothers' lives and should have a tragic situationship about it where they try and fail at least three times to make it work between them. We are not the same.

[silentoathprincess]

ooooh man i had such a great idea for an au where sei joins all the polyamorous dmmd bfs and it like goes through his relationship with each of them and all the similarities in their stories and i am FIGHTING myself not to write it right now

[fanaiceach]

I honestly think Geoffrey is a nerd by birth and is only a jock by circumstance:

The vampire panic room at the Pembroke. I know it's not canon that he had any involvement in its development but like... come on. He knows exactly how it works. Maybe you could argue that he beat the info out of Edgar in the time before Jonathan got to the hospital, but why would he have bothered asking about the technical specs and not just basic operation instructions? At the very least, at some point he had a very in depth conversation with Edgar about all the details -- but I maintain that the only way he could be so familiar with that room is if he helped design and build it

He says that the room functions via "ultraviolet curtains and Orichalum powder," the latter of which is either a fictitious metal referenced ancient stories or an ancient but real metal alloy, or is just a magical substance in a lot of fantasy / fiction. Either way its existence isn't exactly common knowledge, and considering Geoffrey has initial confidence that it'll work, I think that indicates that he's more than passingly familiar with it.

He does however immediately drop the "so much for modern technology" line the minute the room stops working and then resorts to 1v1ing Jonathan ("the tried and true") so again... he's a jock by necessity, but his first inclination is still to try the nerd way.

His interest in new technology and methodology is reflected in his writing too: "We can learn many things from the war in France: new strategy, new equipment, and new weaponry. Grenades, white phosphorus, ultraviolet light, bulletproof vests, and flamethrowers: it is time for the Guard to embrace the twentieth century."

Also in line with the first point: he's on friendly enough terms with Edgar to joke about giving him a head start if he ever turned, and clearly feels comfortable enough to show up in his office to talk about the current state of London. Even if their relationship and background is purely headcanon, that vaguely hinted alliance alone is a huge departure from how Geoffrey's predecessors talk about the Brotherhood. The schism between the groups is something both sides still reference with each thinking the other is stupid, and yet Geoffrey seeks Edgar out in a time of crisis -- in addition to whatever background the two of them might have. Geoffrey clearly sees value in the Brotherhood's knowledge and doesn't dismiss it as dangerous or useless like everyone else in Priwen seems to.

Again, much like with the anti vampire room, he does later shit on the Brotherhood and calls them cowards. Unfortunately life just keeps proving to him that knowledge can't compete with simply hitting things until they stop moving <3

The way he talks is also just very nerd coded to me. I don't necessarily think that language correlates with intelligence, but the game lets other working class characters speak in a way that Geoffrey really. Doesn't. "I've a good nose for machinations" and "you've set the table for a snake and wonder why there's venom in your food" and "it's within me to take your words as truth" are almost annoyingly verbose lines for a character that everyone else views as a brute force dumbass. I think it gives him a very guy who reads a lot and therefore has great vocabulary energy.

[qprstobin]

Everyone loves the 'eddie has been crushing on Steve off and on since sophomore year' trope but honestly love me an Eddie who is like "yeah Harrington is hot, I've got eyes, but prep isnt my type" and honestly just doesn't think about Steve that much! Outside of, like, school gossip, especially during/after Steve's fall from grace. Really kind of love the idea of Eddie not giving the time of day to Steve up until his little sheep come to him every day weaving wild tales about the shit Steve has done, and even then it isn't really until he sees Steve go teeth first at a demobat that he starts reevaluating Steve and seeing him in a new light.

Because Eddie honestly kind of gives the impression that he's just as much caught up in his own world view as Steve was pre upside down/even pre S2. And like I know that we love Steve but Steve hasn't really done anything to give most of like his classmates any reason to love him aside from the generic jock stuff lbr. Especially for someone like eddie who is extremely anticomformist to the point of monologuing on the lunch tables.

And it's not so much a 'love at first bite' (heh) situation either but just all the things during and after s4 and the friendship they develop that makes Eddie reevaluate not only Steve but his world view and what he wants from the world! It makes him think. Fighting interdimensional monsters has a way of bringing out the best and the worst in people. And Eddie finds he likes what he's seeing. I'm not necessarily saying I want a slow burn either, but having them both have time to be like "huh maybe this person isn't what I thought i would want but he is want i want, isn't he?"

[that-spider-fan-over-there]

Read a Twitter thread a few days ago how Katsuki, Izuku and Tomura are meant to be the pillars of hope and change for hero society (by Kikibats, go check her out, the thread is her pinned tweet), and that got me thinking about Tomura's birth name, so I looked up the kanji for his name (志村 転弧, for those curious), and I wanted to share.

(someone probably already did make this connection and worded it better but screw it we bail let's go-)

Kikibats' thread has mentioned what "Shimura" could have originally meant In-Universe, especially "Mura", so it's about a paragraph short, because I'm writing what it could mean in the story as it is (again, In-Universe):

So from the name Shimura Tenko, we have:

Shi (志):

"Determination, ambition, intent", which Tenko does have, arguably even more than Izuku has (I mean, running around barely sleeping while facing Gigantomachia for three months? spending four months in a tube and resurrecting by sheer anger?), but ambitious is after realizing his convictions and intends to carry on the League's. It can also refer to “will” as in willpower, the one trait AFO doesn't have, and the reason he was selected as his vessel.

Mura (村):

Mentioned in her thread, but "Village", could be an ironic spin on “it takes a village to raise a child”, since after his family's death no one was willing to take him in, and the one who did only did so to groom him into a monster. It could also refer to a heroic trait he has (yes, even as he was annoyed at Toya and Himiko when he first met them): taking people in when he thinks they're lonely, have been rejected, wronged by society and wanting to carry on their convictions, which leads to:

Ten (転):

a verb; "to shift", and sure enough, he's the one who created the Vanguard Action Squad with the purpose of kidnapping Katsuki, setting off the Kamino Incident and shifting the status quo of society. You could argue he has been since the USJ but no one really feared him until Stain came along. Tomura is also one of the characters whose goals and motivations develop the most through the story.

It can also mean "to turn", from changed from the sweet kid who wanted to play heroes with his friends, to a symbol of fear. And physically, he's the willing participant in Dr. Garaki's body experimentation and his body is constantly shapeshifted depending on his (and AFO's) mental state.

Finally, “Ko” (弧):

The kanji for “arc”, which is admittedly very vague and it could mean nothing, but.

It could refer to the arc he goes through.

From a kid playing with those others ignored who wanted to be a hero, to being groomed into the Symbol of Evil('s puppet), which eventually unravels once he becomes powerful enough to fight Izuku, resulting in the reveal that in spite of all what he’s been through, he’s still that kid willing to extend his hand (well, in a metaphorical way) for those who want/need someone to rely on. Someone who wants to be the LoV's hero.

Not quite a full circle, but still not too far off from his beginning.

A bonus point, since we (readers and watchers who like to read the raws/watch subbed anime) use "Ko" we usually think of "子" as in komodo, the kanji for "kid", this one abandoned by a complacent village. And remember since Izuku wants to offer him a hand, a crying lonely child in need of a hero. With AFO taking control of him, while Izuku (and most of Class 1-A) trying to save him, wouldn't it be neat to see Tomura choosing to take Izuku's hand, especially someone whose identity was forcefully defined by a touch of death?

Not quite the same innocent kid, but still the kid who wanted to be a hero for those left behind.

Would be fitting for this arc to come full circle, wouldn't it?