A lot of thoughts on this last chapter but I must say the implications on these two panels currently run free in my head.
Yoru's ability works only on what she see as "things" she owns. Which means she was able to turn her own children into weapons precisely because they are her children, and thus already belong to them in her mind.
And she didn't just turn them into weapons but literally as parts of herself. Just like a lot of parents irl consider their children as an extension of themselves on whom they have a right of property.
In only three pages, almost no lines and without even seeing Yoru directly interact with the Gun and Tank Devil, we learn everything we had to know on her relation with her family.
Would it make sense if I said that it feels like when people interpret Edgar, theyâre more interested in Edgar as a concept than his actual character? Sometimes it feels like theyâre fascinated with the idea of this guy whoâs completely consumed by his love of art but then donât go in depth on the actual build up to that love, his morals, his values, or his motives.
Whenever thereâs an artist in idv, their art is usually an extension of a deeper desire. Phillipe uses his wax sculptures to embody his sense of justice and righteousness (itâs a flawed idea of justice, but thatâs a different discussion). Veraâs perfumes are tied to her desire for acceptance and acknowledgment in the way that her perfume wouldâve been the ticket to getting attention and the way that sheâs now trying to use Euphoria to erase herself and become Vera which would give her acceptance. Aesop engages in the art of embalming, but it also acts as his way of trying to âpreserveâ people while theyâre in their âbest stateâ and spare them from life. Anne likes to make toys, but it also works as a way to show her desire for motherhood and her attempts to cling to childhood (I think, I donât know Anne that well). The ripper uses the art of murder to subvert the minds of others and make a statement. Galatea uses her sculptures to try and obtain the physical maturity she knows sheâll never get.
All of these characters, and many more that I didnât mention, use their art form as an extension of themselves and the art is tied to their goals. When I see ppl interpret Edgar though, itâs like his motives come second and the art comes first. People understand that Edgar is incredibly fixated on art, but why he loves art so much seems to get lost in translation a lot of times. It makes his character seem aimless because he literally only exists to paint. They donât elaborate on why he paints or what significance it has for his overall character. If a character is going to be so centered around their obsession, then there should be a reason why theyâre so obsessed, but a lot of the interpretations I see donât go deeper on that part. Thatâs not to say he doesnât have a reason, Iâd argue he does and itâs stated in his deductions with the whole âlife is beautiful and the brush can preserve that beauty.â People usually ditch this part of his character tho, writing it off as a part of his personality thatâs just gone now because of all the bad stuff that happened to him. But then the question becomes, why does he still paint? If he really doesnât have any hope for this world and thinks everything sucks and doesnât even want to engage with it anymore, then what is he still picking up the brush for?
(Also this is just provably not true because the last thing he says in his deductions is âlife is always odd, yet pleasant,â showing he still does like life and appreciates the beauty it holds.)
I think this is why people are chill with the idea of Edgar basically only existing to die in the narrative and donât question his actions further. People accept the idea of Edgar sacrificing himself for his art while not asking how that helps his art in the first place. Since they donât look deeper into Edgarâs motives outside of âhe wants to create a masterpiece and he likes to paint,â they can blindly accept the idea that he just dies for his art. He doesnât need to have a motive outside of that because his only motive in a lot of pplâs interpretations is just painting. It feels like a bit of a cop-out because he literally has no reason to be doing all of this. Since they disregarded all of the parts of his character that involve why he started painting in the first place (being his love of life and a desire to capture its beauty) it makes it feel like heâs just messing around and waiting for someone to come along and just kill him. Since he has no real motives, values, or desires, he essentially becomes fodder for Patricia to kill. As it stands with this kind of interpretation, he canât do much else. If heâs not fighting for anything or trying to achieve or maintain anything, all he really can do is die. And not even die with a purpose because again, this type of interpretation doesnât elaborate on how his death helped his art at all. It comes off as some random edgy ending to a character with no defined goal. Then they explain it away with âheâs unhingedâ as if that actually explains anything about his character or motives.
When he said âI donât care about anything except artâ a lot of people took that at face value. They didnât take into account the symbolism of art in Edgarâs narrative, or the reactionary nature of that statement as a response to Edgar realizing heâs being groomed. I say this a lot, but Edgarâs art symbolizes a lot of things in his storyline. It represents his psyche, like with his paintings egging him on to kill Sarai. It represents his love of life as I stated earlier. It represents the bonds he forms with others like how he relates colors to people he cared about. He uses art metaphors a lot to explain his thoughts and how he processes events, like when he says he had a dream of Sarai guiding his hand across a canvas being one of the main first signs of Sarai grooming him. People take Edgarâs word very literally but often times when heâs talking about art, it can be extended to mean something else.
In general, it just feels like people donât ask why enough when it comes to their Edgar analysis. Why does he paint? Why couldnât he find inspiration in his home? Why does he think going to the manor will help him? Why did he hate the aristocracy so much? The answers to these questions are in his plot, but people donât seem to engage with them. When Edgar says he hates the aristocracy people tend to hone in on the fact he says that they donât understand or respect art, but going back to the whole art metaphors thing, thatâs not all heâs mad about. Heâs constantly talking about their greed, hypocrisy, and gossiping. He finds them shallow which shows Edgarâs values. He values people genuinely caring for one another. He doesnât like when people make up stuff about others and ostracize people based on it. His criticisms of his father in his 3rd letter could extend to the entire aristocracy as a whole. Theyâre all more focused on status and wealth than the actual content of their character. But this all gets lost under the idea that he literally just didnât like the aristocracy because they didnât like art enough which Iâm sorry but that is such a garbage and shallow reason. Especially when, again, most people cannot actually pinpoint why Edgar even likes to paint in the first place. It doesnât do the complexity of his character justice. When Edgar says, âlife is beautiful and the brush can preserve that beauty,â it gives him a motive. Heâs not just painting to paint, heâs painting to make the overwhelming love and astonishment he has for life tangible. When Edgar is clocking his dadâs tea, it shows his morals. It shows that he thinks itâs wrong to use and/or neglect people for fame and status. However, all of these things are expressed through metaphor, which is when things start getting lost. His resentment of the aristocracy is said through saying they donât respect art. Edgarâs adoration for all life has to offer is shown through his dedication to his art. Edgarâs frustration with his father is described by him as his father using his art. And even though Edgar is talking about art, it means so much more than that.
People play with the concepts of a rich kid who resents his peers but donât look into why he does. People play with the concept of someone whoâs unhealthily committed to his craft, but donât examine why he is. People like the idea of Edgar, but they donât seem to engage with the actual character of Edgar. They see the concepts but donât see what the writers are saying with these concepts through Edgar and this results in having what feels like a shallow, bratty kid who has no actual motivations or goals and then dies for an unsatisfying ending to his story. It gives no closure, says nothing about his character, and feels like it was something an edgy 12 year old came up with as a âcool and controversialâ finale for an underdeveloped character.
I could go even further as say this is why thereâs such a big shipping scene for Edgar but very little content regarding how he interacts with others in his actual canon lore. Because this type of interpretation of Edgar is so far removed from everything and everyone else, basically living entirely in his own head until he dies, people put him in ships with basically every character to fill the perceived void of interactions Edgar has in canon. They seek to expand his character and who he could be with all these ships because it feels like he doesnât have much of a character in canon. Now this isnât true, but I believe it is perceived that way by the fandom. I also think this is why a lot of people who arenât fans of him find him shallow. His general demeanor off put them (and it was supposed to, he is a character built on misdirection) and when they try to look deeper into him through what his fans say, it sounds more like a list of concepts than an actual character. This again makes him seem underdeveloped and boring to them, so they go on to call his character shallow and boring. Probably why you also see people go to the furthest extremes when characterizing him, either making him downright deplorable or overly sweet and kind. People donât investigate the things that formed him into who he is outside of the very surface level, leading people to portray him in an almost caricature of his actual traits. Heâs arrogant? Then he must be a complete jerk to everyone and have zero regard for other people. He cares deeply about his art? Then his art is quite literally number one priority, no matter who has to get hurt to achieve that. He can be a bit standoffish? Then he must go out of his way to be rude to people he views as lesser. And who does he deem lesser? Everyone apparently, because when he was talking about the way people donât understand art, people donât analyze what understanding art even means for Edgar. They donât analyze what Edgarâs critiques of the aristocracy are when it came to the way they consumed art outside of this vague idea of âthey just donât get itâ which is so devoid of actual meaning that people just assume that idea projects onto literally everyone. Heâs mentally ill and struggles with psychosis? Then heâs an absolutely deranged and unhinged freak who can barely function (and thatâs not even covering how toxic of an interpretation that is when it comes to mental illness as well as completely disregards the fact that Edgar is explicitly stated and shown to be rational and good at taking in his surroundings).
Edgar is a character that requires a lot of engagement, especially since his character is built on misdirection. The audience has to be willing to accept that the writers are misleading them about his character and try to look deeper into his words and actions to understand his true character. Unfortunately, it feels like a lot of ppl donât want to.
People treat Edgar like heâs so far removed from his team. And I donât mean in the way that the narrative goes out of itâs way to treat Edgar like an anomaly (abnormal letter releases, wasnât in a faction, recognized what Patricia was doing, missing the theme of self deprecation that every other game 5 participant has) I mean they act like he basically isnât there PERIOD. People will act like all he did in that game was dick around, screw with his teammates, and die. All I ask is⊠did no one read Joseâs 2nd letter? Edgar is shown to be deeply involved with his team. So involved that heâs finding things out about the manor, directing his team on the best way to go about playing the game, and just generally seeming like a useful teammate to have. The way they keep tiptoeing around giving Edgarâs account of game 5 should be enough to hint that heâs probably a cornerstone to the game, but nooo. Everybody just wanna act like he doesnât do anything except die. I CANâT TAKE IT
Everyone has a superhero. For any girl in the world, her superhero is her father.
He is our hero. He is a doctor. Before this ongoing genocide, he worked at Al-Shifa Hospital. He is a wonderful plastic surgeon, loves his work and is committed to it, to help people and relieve their pain.
When We were forced to be displaced to Al-Shifa Hospital at the beginning of the war, he was still committed to his work. He worked nonstop for 40 days, besides caring for his family, especially in these difficult times!
But unfortunately the occupation stormed and burned the hospital after We were forced to evacuate , raising white flags. We could not carry anything, just our souls. We fled to the south on foot. He carried his two children in his arms, and walked long distances for many kilometers during the afternoon among tanks and heavily armed soldiers, and even among decomposing corpses!
Finally, we reached the UNRWA school at Khan Yunis. He started working in Nasser Hospital, which the occupation also stormed and destroyed! Even when we were displaced, he was working.
All that happened did not stop him from performing his lofty job as a doctor. He has now returned to work in MOH hospitals to carry out operations of debridement and grafting of needy injured people, but he is alone, we are far from him.
He decided to protect us and made a decision to refuge in Egypt to be survived. While he stayed in Rafah before the beginning of the military operation there. Then he was forced to be displaced to Deir Al-Balah.
Every morning he goes to work at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis and returns to his tent in Deir Al- Balah in the evening all week.
Is this what we and he deserve?
We stay away from our hero and torn our family. While at the same time, he is putting himself in danger while saving innocent lives!
For your information, his profession is considered more dangerous than ever before, due to the occupationâs systematic policy of targeting hospitals and medical staff!
All the day, we are worried about him. May Allah save him. Moreover, there is no safe place.
We hope to reunite again, we want each other, we want our home and our dreams!
We need your help and support to meet our father again, reunite our family and rebuild our lives. Little matters! Your little means a lot to us.
Please, donate or reblog this with others.
Our story is here:
This was not our only tragic story in this genocide, every day was a struggle for survival!
Everyone has a superhero. For any girl in the world, her superhero is her father.
He is our hero. He is a doctor. Before this ongoing genocide, he worked at Al-Shifa Hospital. He is a wonderful plastic surgeon, loves his work and is committed to it, to help people and relieve their pain.
When We were forced to be displaced to Al-Shifa Hospital at the beginning of the war, he was still committed to his work. He worked nonstop for 40 days, besides caring for his family, especially in these difficult times!
But unfortunately the occupation stormed and burned the hospital after We were forced to evacuate , raising white flags. We could not carry anything, just our souls. We fled to the south on foot. He carried his two children in his arms, and walked long distances for many kilometers during the afternoon among tanks and heavily armed soldiers, and even among decomposing corpses!
Finally, we reached the UNRWA school at Khan Yunis. He started working in Nasser Hospital, which the occupation also stormed and destroyed! Even when we were displaced, he was working.
All that happened did not stop him from performing his lofty job as a doctor. He has now returned to work in MOH hospitals to carry out operations of debridement and grafting of needy injured people, but he is alone, we are far from him.
He decided to protect us and made a decision to refuge in Egypt to be survived. While he stayed in Rafah before the beginning of the military operation there. Then he was forced to be displaced to Deir Al-Balah.
Every morning he goes to work at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis and returns to his tent in Deir Al- Balah in the evening all week.
Is this what we and he deserve?
We stay away from our hero and torn our family. While at the same time, he is putting himself in danger while saving innocent lives!
For your information, his profession is considered more dangerous than ever before, due to the occupationâs systematic policy of targeting hospitals and medical staff!
All the day, we are worried about him. May Allah save him. Moreover, there is no safe place.
We hope to reunite again, we want each other, we want our home and our dreams!
We need your help and support to meet our father again, reunite our family and rebuild our lives. Little matters! Your little means a lot to us.
Please, donate or reblog this with others.
Our story is here:
This was not our only tragic story in this genocide, every day was a struggle for survival!
At this time, children are usually on summer vacation, playing in the streets and going to the beach to swim. But this does not happen in Gaza. The occupation kills children in cold blood in front of their families because they demand their right to play like other children in the world. What injustice? You are my last hope. Our children want to go to school and live in peace and security
How can you help our children? This is done by donating, publishing the campaign, sharing it with friends, and reblogging. Thanks for helping us
Emergency: Evacuation assistance My family is from Gaza war Dear humanity, We are Amal Fadi from the Gaza Strip, a modern couple
We met together, we want to build fascinating family with each other, we want to be officially Engaged on 10.7.2023, but 7.10.2023 everything changed forever, since it all started that night, but we made it together and got engaged while war! Love always wins!! We are sharing our love story with you because we wanna start our life over outside Gaza, so we need your support, please help us evacuate Gaza and build our life together, we deserve life!! We can do this with your generous help and donation !!
Your donation is not just a donation; it's an opportunity to rebuild life and brighten a better tomorrow. Be part of our hopeful story, for we need your hand to start anew.
The goal of this fundraising campaign is to rescue me and fadi through the Rafah Crossing to Egypt, which currently requires $5000 per person. This campaign is our only chance to stay alive, and I humbly request your assistance at this critical time. I will provide you with a comprehensive breakdown of the expenses, committing to transparency and clarity.
With love, Amal and Fadi.
I've witnessed the evidence of the tragedy that has struck our lives in Gaza, where my family and I have survived amidst numerous previous wars. But today, we face the most dangerous and fierce battle in the current war. The urgent need intensifies for us, as we have nothing left and are unable to secure our basic needs such as food, water, and safe shelter.
Here is our story - On October 7th, our lives changed forever, my family and I evacuated from northern Gaza to southern Gaza, hoping to return soon, but it wasn't meant to be. Our home was surrounded, burned, and then completely destroyed, Our home, once a fortress of hope, now lay in ruins, a stark reminder of our shattered dreams.
The night before we left from the north to the south was terrifying. Shelling sounds were everywhere, making a loud noise that felt like it went through our souls. Every explosions shook the ground like earthquakes, sending shockwaves of fear through our trembling bodies. filling us with fear.
The air smelled of destruction and blood, making it hard to breathe. When dawn came, we saw the devastation around us, realizing our home was now a symbol of loss and despair.
Our house was precious to us. It meant a lot to me. It was completely gone, along with all the neighbors' houses in Tal al-Hawa
I - Amal - is a computer engineer. I graduated from Al-Azhar University in July 2023. I used to work in a private technology company in the Gaza Strip, and with external companies as a freelancer at Ux-Ui, but with the start of the war, I lost my job since the planes bombed the companyâs location. I also lost My job as a freelancer at Ux-Ui Because there is no internet connection here in Gaza, I was always striving to complete my master's but with these circumstances I cannot do anything after all the universities were destroyed by the Israeli occupation.
My name is Ola, and I am a mother of three young children. I have lost everything in the war. My husband, who left ten months ago before the war began, has been unable to return due to the closure of borders. In these harsh and unforgiving circumstances, I have lost my passion for life, and despair has filled my heart. The absence of my husband, the pillar of our family, has left me to face this nightmare alone.
With no income and no one to turn to, I have created a fundraising campaign, but it is struggling due to the lack of donations and the limited sharing of my story.
We desperately need your help to reach our goal so I can provide my children with a roof over their heads, food, water, and medicine. We are on the brink of losing hope.
Where is the world when a mother and her children are left to suffer in silence? Where are the human rights, the rights of children, the rights of women, in times like these?
Please, help us survive. Your donation, no matter how small, and your willingness to spread the word, can bring light back into our lives.
If you would like to check out our campaign, you can request our Instagram account, as Tumblr is very private to share our situations and actions.
I have come to realize about 85% of Edgar Valden fans actually just want Jack, or more specifically the ripper. Edgy ass painter who murders for their art? Yeah, thatâs just the ripper. Is outwardly really suave but in reality is a heartless man who doesnât have any regard for human life and has no problem killing people for his craft? The ripper. Incredibly misogynistic (because for some reason a lot of people make Edgar dislike/hate women and being perceived as feminine despite what he wears and the way he regards the men in his life negatively)? That is all just the ripper. A lot of yâall just want the ripper.
My name is Eman, and I am a mother of three young children. Until recently, we had a home, a life, and a sense of stability in Gaza. I ran a small office, worked hard to provide for my family, and like any mother, I dreamed of a better future for my children.
But everything changed in an instant. The war in Gaza destroyed our home, my office, and my livelihood. In a matter of moments, our lives were turned upside down, and we were forced to flee, leaving behind the only life we knew.
Now, my children and I are refugees in a new city, trying to find a way to rebuild from nothing. We have lost not just our home and possessions but also our sense of security and hope. My children ask me daily when we can go home, but I have no answer for them. The war has taken everything from us.
I am reaching out for help because I believe in the kindness and generosity of people. With your support, we can start to rebuild our lives. Donations will go towards finding a safe place for my children, securing basic necessities, and eventually, rebuilding a new future for us all.
Your contribution, no matter how small, will make a huge difference in our lives. Please help us rebuild after this unimaginable loss. Together, we can restore hope for my children and give them the chance to heal and thrive.
đHelping Lama & Mohammed to evacuate from Gaza đđ”đžđ”đž
I'm Lama Al-Hourani, 24 years old, administrative assistant from Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip and my husband Mohammed, 30 years, an accountant for Elites Centers Group in the Gaza Strip.
We married in August 2022, our lives are filled with love, happiness and comfort in a beautiful, quiet, spacious and warm house that has never lacked anything of all the requirements and luxury and this house was like everything we had. Life turned upside down in Khan Yunis ground war.
My husband's family of 12 people and I had to be forcibly displaced to the city of Rafah without anything in a tent that does not accommodate five people in a cold and harsh winter with the difficult possibilities of life without income and all the necessities of life are 20 times the price of more than its normal price.
On the 120th day of the war, our beautiful house was bombed, which I did not live in for more than two years. The family house of six floors has settled on the floor and we only have some beautiful memories and some pictures left.
My husband lost his job because of the occupation blowing up the centers in the Gaza branch and Khanyonis, and we lost the beautiful family car as well, and I stopped working as well because of this grinding war.
We became homeless and jobless. Help us get out of Gaza. Every dollar makes a difference and saves our lives.