#tog s1

[life-is-a-soup-and-im-a-fork]

@local-writer this one is for you!

[nope-the-weeb]

this is such a generic sadboi story I can’t 😂😂😂

[incorrecttowerofgodquotes]

[tower-of-gay]

look i love this comic but why does siu draw blood like a five year old who’s been handed the firetruck red color crayon

[klappert-art]

season 2 anime CONFIRMED!!!

[gaycinema]

shrimp earrings......

[meliohy]

Need a new small but active and chill (and a bit crazy) fandom

[harpieisthecarpie]

no sleep. no normalcy. only tog s2 khunbam!!!!

started rereading tog (beginning w s2 bc s1 is already engraved in my heart) and i forgot exactly how much i adore khun aguero agnes's silly little long-con grief revenge scheming

it's been 6 years and he'd spend countless more getting rachel closer to her dreams just to watch the light leave her eyes right before she's close enough to touch it

bc she killed his light right after he had found him it

the absolute silliest guy can't wait to get to the part where he finds out bam is alive and all that grief condences into completely healthy attachment that requires no intensive therapy at all

the boys are making me wanna write again after like a year. maybe this time...

[coffeeandkhun]

Tower of God, Icarus, and chasing the light that could consume you

Okay so lately I've been over-thinking someone who's been bugging me since we were reminded of his existence in webtoon S3 c. 134 - Icarus. Why Icarus? From all the Greek myths? And don't get me from. I love Greek myths.

But as you probably remember, Icarus was, according to the myth, a youth who defied his father's orders and flew too close to sun. Sun melted away the wax of the wings his father had made him. He fell and drowned in to the sea. It's a well-known story and we've all heard about it. "One should not fly too near the sun". Yes, we get it - arrogance is bad for you. Listen to your parents. Humans can't fly, so don't try to play the god with some fake wings.

But it's also good to keep in mind, why Icarus needed the wings in the first place. He and his father were imprisoned in a labyrinth (or in a tower, in some versions) without any other way to their freedom than trying to imitate the birds. And, according to the original myth, avoiding the sun wasn't the only warning Icarus was given. Because Icarus was also told it's dangerous to fly too low. That is to say, the story of Icarus is not only about the dangers of hubris. It's about finding the golden mean between (self-)destructive ambition and total lack of it while chasing our goals and dreams.

And this is a prominent theme in TOG, too.

We know that before opening the door to the tower, Bam used to spend his days by trying to reach the light he could see coming from the ceiling of his cave. Then, when he met Rachel, she become the "light" he wanted to reach and keep near him. Bam's obsession ultimately led him to climb the tower, and like Icarus flying towards the sun, he was self-destructively obsessed about his target. This can be seen during the Headon's test and many other situations during S1. The light you find so beloved could also burn you - and the others around you. In S2, his obsession reaches it's ultimatum and he risks not only himself, but also many of his companions while chasing Rachel - before gradually finding other reasons to climb the tower, as well.

Khun A. A., on the other hand, used to find it difficult to see his life as worth the struggle. For him, it was Bam who become "the light", and gave a meaning to his life. His attraction to Bam is both beautiful and frightening, because it's clear he would go anywhere for him - even to lock himself inside a Suspendium for eternity. And one could say that him having the yeon flame/fire fish is one more manifestation of the themes of Icarus again, and a very literal one.

And for Rachel, of course, the consuming "lights" are the stars and the sky - or whatever awaits at the top of the tower.

You know what or who else are (sometimes self-destructively) attracted to chasing light, by the way? Moths are. Nowadays, we can see moths fluttering around the light bulbs, but in the old times, they gathered around the candles and naked fare - and as a consequence to their attraction to the light, were often burned to death. This is why moths are sometimes associated with the myth of Icarus, and there is even a moth species named after him.

There is also this beautiful poem by Muhammed Iqbal, The candle and the moth:

O Candle! Why does the moth love you? Why is this restless soul devoted to you?

Your charm keeps it restless like mercury Did you teach it the etiquette of Love?

It circumambulates the site of your manifestation Is it inspired with the fire of your lightning?

Do the woes of death give it the peace of life? Does your flame possess the quality of eternal life?

If you do not brighten this sorrowful world This burning heart's tree of Longing may not green up

Falling before you is the prayer of this little heart The taste for impassioned Love knows this little heart

It has some zeal of the Primeval Beauty's Lover You are a small ñër , it is a small Kalam

The moth and the taste for the Sight of the Light! This small insect and the Longing for the Light!

Moths are often seen at night, and are thus though to be mostly noctrunal animals, even though they can also fly during daytime. In folklore, moths are often associated with death. They have been regarded as spirits of deceased, messengers from afterlife, bringers of destruction - or even as angels.

One of the murals on Headon's floor depicts a moth-like bug:

(Picture from the TOG Wiki)

It's also quite clear at this point, that Bam's final form is going to be a butterfly - or, what I consider more likely - a moth. Now isn't this fitting for someone whose name means "night", who's literally died once and came back to life, and who's often told to be the one who will bring destruction to the tower?

Then would this mean Bam is Icarus? Well, it could be, but then maybe it's too straightforward to assume so. (Though I'd like to add that I don't think 'Icarus' in TOG will be the one who's going to be burned by their "light" in the end. It could also be that 'Icarus' in TOG is the one who is going to overcome the fatal flaw of Icarus - by finding the golden mean.)

This is all just speculation right now because we know next to nothing about Icarus in TOG. But as someone, who is easily fixated over things, and who has used most of their life on searching the medium between obsession, dullness and the golden mean, I find some horrific beauty in the fact that it's the same light that makes the life meaningful, that could also consume you.

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (16-22 Jun 2024)

fuck this heat dome for reals

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

🥰 The Settler (charlesdk) - Stucky Book Club pick - 52K, shrunkyclunks, Steve retires & buys a farm, Bucky's the local baker. I really enjoyed this fic - though it is unrealistic fantasy about both small towns and owning a farm so YMMV. As I said in book club, I didn't have any problems doing the hand-wavey "escapist unbelievable small town/farm fantasy of it all" bc Steve's feelings & character were more my (and the author's) focus than his occupation & location. You could really feel Steve's exhaustion and emotions, and I loved the way Sam & Natasha were shown-not-just-told as his family. But also I don't have any deep personal resonance with this setting, other than recognizing it's unrealistic.

🥰 The Marlow Murder Club (The Marlow Murder Club #1) (Robert Thorogood, author; Nicolette McKenzie, narrator) - really entertaining small British village cozy mystery with very enjoyable characters. Had such a blast reading it! The mystery puzzle wasn't difficult to guess but that's not why I read cozies, and it was satisfactory in its twists & turns & fair play.

🥰 Civilians, GDI (relenafanel) - I love it when an author writes an AU of their own fic! AU of The Steve Rogers Problem with SHIELD agent!Bucky & actor!Steve except this time it's a meet ugly and Bucky's a dumbass about his own feelings

😊 The Theory Of Attraction (Delphine Dryden) - novella - good femsub D/s rec'd by the discord. Very satisfactory.

😊 Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age (Annalee Newitz, author; Chloe Cannon, narrator) - nonfiction; "explores the rise and fall of four ancient abandoned cities, each the center of a sophisticated civilization: the Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük in Central Turkey, the Roman vacation town of Pompeii on Italy’s southern coast, the medieval megacity of Angkor in Cambodia, and the indigenous metropolis Cahokia that stood beside the Mississippi River where East St. Louis is today." really interesting and well told (although tbh the narrator sounded a bit AI (but definitely wasn't))

🙂 The Pure and Simple Truth (lettered) - 65K, ostensibly drarry (but in the way that lacroix is ostensibly fruit flavored) - really about all the friendships & how people, the world, and redemption are all complicated - another discord server rec

🥰 Death Comes to Marlow (The Marlow Murder Club #2) (Robert Thorogood, author; Nicolette McKenzie, narrator) - enjoyed Judith & her 'gang' so much I went back for more ASAP!

💖💖 +127K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

Like herding cats (JehBeeEh) - Rachel Reid's Game Changers series: Troy/Harris, Ilya/Shane, 1.5K - short but very cute; perfect character voices - love a well done text fic like this

My Heart Comes Tumbling Down (DevilDoll) - TW: Sterek, 5K - reread, forever fave - peak oblivious Stiles who almost fucks everything up

All that I know is I don't know a thing (emjee (MerryHeart)) - TOG: Kaysanova, 10K - "In which Nicky's at seminary because he likes to argue, not because he's becoming a priest, and Joe has missed this essential fact and can't figure out why this future-priest-slash-bartender is flirting with him." SO GOOD!

Beltane (DevilDoll) - TW: Sterek, 8K - reread, forever fave - always-magical-Stiles AU

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Doctor Who - s1 (series 14), e7

Game Changer - s6, e9

Um, Actually - s9, e9

Smartypants - s1, e5

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

What Next: TBD - The FBI Made a Phone Network. It Was A Trap.

NPR's Book of the Day - Questlove maps a cultural revolution in 'Hip-Hop is History'

Re: Dracula - June 17: Die Away in the Distance

Consider This - 25 years on, 'Boys Don't Cry' remains a milestone in trans cinema

⭐ Working - How a Colonial Williamsburg Actor Humanizes History

⭐ The Atlas Obscura Podcast - America’s First Celebrity Bartender And The Book That Changed Bars Forever

Pop Culture Happy Hour - It's getting hot. So what's sweatiest movie ever made?

WikiHole - Bay Area Music (with W. Kamau Bell, Guy Branum and Aparna Nancherla)

Re: Dracula - June 18: Turned his Mind

Short Wave - What 'Inside Out 2' Got Right About Anxiety, Per A Psychologist

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - The Last Baldwin House

Vibe Check - Yesterday’s Price Isn’t Today’s Price featuring Lena Waithe

⭐ Switched on Pop - Bootsy Collins is gonna funk you up (with Bootsy Collins)

Here & Now Anytime - How jazz icon Duke Ellington helped change America

⭐ Storylines - What The Puck? The strange story of a decades-old hockey rumour

99% Invisible #586 - Category 6

Wild Card - Taylor Tomlinson is fine with being 'perpetually afraid'

Shedunnit - Murder in the Library

Shedunnit - Bonus: Harriet Evans Interview

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - The Start of a Language

⭐ It's Been a Minute - Fouling Caitlin Clark; plus, a shoplifting panic!

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Fleetwood Mac Radio • Upbeat

Stereophonic (Original Cast Recording)

We Are Lady Parts (Music From The Original Series - Seasons 1 & 2)

Meet Me @ the Altar

Bootsy Collins radio

Duke Ellington

Dance Party Hits

Survivor Radio • Deep cuts

No Vocals EDM

Bass Haven

[deiaiko]

#14 - Partner

Masterlist

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Let me know your thoughts in the reblogs <3

☕ Buy me coffee ☕

[garden-bug]

I wish they’d kept the s1 TOG animation but it’s fine I’ll take what I get I’m just so hyped there’s another season.

The s1 animation was part of what drew me into the story honestly. It was so unique and surreal which was perfect for the vibe of the series.

[tower-of-gay]

BREAKING NEWS: khun “i won’t do anything that won’t directly and assuredly benefit myself to get up the tower” aguero agnis meets one (1) helpless twink and has rerouted his entire life plan to “fuck it we ball”

[harp-haunted-by-khunbam]

Harp's Tower of God Sideblog!

Hey guys! I'm Harp and this is my new ToG sideblog :D The main goal of this is to capture my rereading thoughts and favorite panels, but there'll be more Tower of God stuff posted in general.

If you've been in the fandom for a bit you might have known me as Magpie (blog was khunfounded but I forgot my password), the guy who owned that server and wrote a bunch of (not top-tier) fics! If you read those, no you didn't!!!!!

Basic Info

Name: Harp [derived from harp seals]

Pronouns: They/Them

Main Tumblr: @harpieisthecarpie

Discord: lovelyharp [harpy talons]

Ao3 ToG Pseud: harp-haunted-by-khunbam

Feel free to DM this sideblog, my main, or my discord. I'd love to chat about Tower of God or anything else :D

Asks open!

ToG Blogging Info

Biggest ToG Loves: Main trio (rakhunbam), khunbam, Hwaryun, Team Isu, Team Sweet & Sour

Current Writing Projects and AU's: Weaponsmithing AU, Bird AU Revamp, Paleblood (Bloodborne Floor Fic idea with @katalean)

Harp Blogging Tags

Main Tags: #tower of god, #tog

Show: #kami no tou, #knt s1, #knt s2

Webcomic Panels: #tower of panels

My Thoughts and Musings: #harp climbs the tower

My Fanfiction and Writing: #harp becomes an axis

Important and Housekeeping: #inside harp's lighthouse

Season Tags: #tog s1, #tog s2, #tog s3

Arc Tags: [Ex.] #the workshop battle

Panels of Tower Animals: #anima treats

Additional Tagging: character names, team names, ships

Reblogging Tags

Fanart: #art love

Fanfiction: #fic love

Meta and Analysis: #tog wisdom

Memes: #rak would laugh

Event, Merch, and Commission Reblogs: #found surfing the box

Reread Location: Season 2 [The Devil's Right Arm]

Updated: 5/5/24

[gloriadenton]

Tagged by @charlottenewtons!

last song: Chappell Roan - Good Luck Babe

currently watching: Just finished HotD s1, going to start either Mary and George or Hacks later.

3 ships: Audrey/Cooper, Edith/Lucille, Nina/Lily

favorite color: Red

currently consuming: Reading the Throne of Glass and ACOTAR series, entertaining myself by fancasting Matt Smith and Milly Alcock as the main straight people in ToG and Rebecca Ferguson as both of the main sisters in ACOTAR.

place of birth: Normal Island for Normal People

relationship status: Single

last movie: Saw (2004), because I decided yesterday was Saw Movie Sunday.

currently working on: A sweater! One sleeve left to make.