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nebulouscoffee · 10 months

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The thing about Kai Winn's storyline ultimately being a tragedy is, it's not only a tragedy because her fate (in the eyes of the non-linear Prophets) was already known and nothing she did or said was ever going to make them acknowledge her- not only because she wanted so badly to have a big role to play in the grand, historic story of the newly independent Bajor and just couldn't handle the fact that she was never meant to- not only because the Prophets spoke to Sisko and Bareil and Kira and literally even Quark but not her- not only because she was deceived and raped and killed in the end- but most of all because, it was partly her love of Bajor that killed her.

Think about it- her whole regression during that final arc with Dukat is so tragic precisely because she was THIS close to redemption! Throughout the show, we see that her brain processes information in very rigid, binary ways: if you are not my ally, then you are my enemy. If you disagree with even one of my opinions, you are my enemy. If you refuse to endorse and support me in this mission, you are my enemy. That's part of why she's so easily swayed by fascist rhetoric, I think- she's just unable to cope with nuance. (This is foreshadowed in 'Shakaar', where she puts the whole of Bajor under martial law just because Shakaar disagreed with her over how she was handling soil reclamators.) Her personal narrative is I am the one who will save Bajor -> anyone who gets in my way is my enemy and therefore an enemy of Bajor -> I must stop them using any force necessary for the good of Bajor because I am after all the one who will save Bajor.

But when Sisko discovers the city of B'hala in 'Rapture', she is for the first time forced to accept the truth that he really hasn't been faking this whole "talks to the Prophets" thing- he's the real deal. We learn later on (when she tells "Anjohl" about how she honestly felt nothing the first time she saw the wormhole open) that a small, small part of her actually always doubted the existence of the Prophets. Now, she is faced with definitive proof that they are not only very real, but they also really do have a bond with Sisko. And for a while, she even comes to terms with this! In fact, at the end of the episode, she and Kira have possibly their first completely honest exchange:

KIRA: Maybe we're the ones who need to trust the Prophets. For all we know, this is part of their plan. Maybe they've told Captain Sisko everything they want him to know. WINN: Perhaps. I suppose you heard that Bajor will not join the Federation today. The Council of Ministers has voted to delay acceptance of Federation membership. KIRA: You must be very pleased. WINN: I wish I were. But things are not that simple. Not anymore. Before Captain Sisko found B'hala, my path was clear. I knew who my enemies were. But now? Now nothing is certain. KIRA: Makes life interesting, doesn't it?

Like, YASS babygirl- you too can learn to handle nuance!! I believe in you!!💪💪

And later on, at the onset of the Dominion War, she comes to Sisko for advice herself. She doesn't want to see her planet colonised again, and she's even willing to put aside her desire to be the main character to ensure it doesn't happen. Driven by pride and the need for power as she is, she is also driven by the desire save Bajor (and preferably be the one saving Bajor, which is the subsection of this desire that ultimately ends up being her downfall) - and she does briefly decide that cooperating with the Emissary is the best way to do this! I think about this scene from 'In The Cards' so much:

WINN: ... I have asked the Prophets to guide me, but they have not answered my prayers. I even consulted the Orb of Wisdom before coming here and it has told me nothing. So I come to you, Emissary. You have heard the voice of the Prophets. You were sent here to guide us through troubled times. Tell me what to do and I will do it. How can I save Bajor? SISKO: You want my advice? Then this is it. Stall. Tell Weyoun you have to consult with the Council of Ministers, or that you have to meditate on your response. Anything you want, but you have to stall for time. WINN: Time for what? SISKO: I don't know. But I do know the moment of crisis isn't here yet, and until that moment arrives we have to keep Bajor's options open. I'm aware that this is difficult for you, given our past, but this time you have to trust me. (Winn holds Sisko's left ear.) WINN: Very well, Emissary. We put ourselves in your hands. May we all walk with the Prophets.

In the earlier seasons, Winn would often casually make claims that the Prophets had "told her" something, or that she was just "doing what the Prophets asked"- and her political position as Kai always allowed her to just lie about being in contact with them all the time. Now, you can see the sheer humility- the embarrassment, even- on her face as she (for the first time) openly admits to Sisko that she has never actually heard them speak before; and that they clearly "prefer" him. Yes, there's some (understandable imo) bitterness here- but not at him, at THEM. And when she tries to read his pagh at the end- something she probably does to dozens of people every day, most of whom would unquestioningly believe anything she declares afterwards- she doesn't even try to pretend she felt anything there. It's one of her most genuine moments in the whole show, you can just SEE the redemption arc in reach and it's so heartbreaking!!

I think 'The Reckoning' is a huge episode for her too, for many reasons- but let's talk about how it sets up this fascinating parallel between her and Kira (who Odo describes in this episode as having "both faith and humility"). The Prophets choose Kira as their "vessel" because she was "willing"- meanwhile, Winn was right there just begging to be a part of this! Here she is, with a Prophet right in front of her face- and she prays and postures and begs and prays some more, all just to get ignored. Kira's brand of faith is very, "I am ultimately insignificant and I surrender my power and my body and pagh to the Prophets"- Winn's is more, "if I do all the right things, then I will be able to prove to the Prophets that I am worthy of their attention, worthier than everyone else, and maybe then they'll appoint me the saviour of Bajor! It's My Destiny, You See!! (Why Isn't This Happening For Me??)" And the events of this episode are kind of a big slap in the face to her honestly, because they sort of prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Prophets have no interest in her. Maybe stopping the battle was also an attempt at regaining some kind of agency with them- I DID THIS, I pulled a switch and it had a direct effect on the Prophets, so there!! (Whatever that effect entails). She does care about Bajor. Of course she does. But her ideal configuration of Bajor involves her being a major player in its salvation, which she was just never meant to be. And this is why she's so tragically susceptible to Dukat's manipulation- he was the first person ever to tell her everything she always wanted to hear.

And the intriguing thing about Dukat's deception is, it doesn't all fall apart at one go. It falls apart in layers. And this makes for some excellent, excellent Winn characterisation imo.

First, she thinks the pah wraiths are the Prophets- and they tell her, hey, The Sisko has faltered, Bajor needs you, and only you can fix this. Good lord, imagine finally getting to hear those words after a lifetime of silence! And it's very telling that her first reaction isn't to gloat like she would've in the earlier seasons, but instead to humbly- even anxiously- pray. Bajor needs her, the "Prophets" have asked her to do something, this is her moment! Then, this random lovely Bajoran farmer comes in and tells her even more things she has always wanted to hear- that her activism during the Occupation (ignored by Kira and Sisko alike) saved lives, that he always wondered why the Prophets would choose an alien as their Emissary, that surely Sisko and his followers were mistaken- and finally, "our world will be reborn- with YOU as its leader". Sounds good, right? But THEN she finds out she's been speaking to the pah wraiths and the lovely farmer is a devil worshipper actually. And she tries the "wash away my sins" approach- she wants some kind of quick fix ritual that will "purify" her, so she can continue to be Kai the right way. She even admits to Kira that she's always been power hungry and she wants to change- and I believe her! Unfortunately, Kira then tells her something she doesn't want to hear- that she has to step down as Kai. And surely that can't be, right? She's the saviour of Bajor! She's so complex... it's not simply her love of power that this scene reveals imo, but more significantly, her inability to see herself as not a vital part of Bajor's history; of this whole larger narrative. Like-

WINN: I'm a patient woman. But I have run out of patience. I will no longer serve gods who give me nothing in return. "GIVE ME"!! ADAMI MY BESTIE MY GIRL MY BUDDY THEREIN LIES THE PROBLEM!!!

So, okay, fine, now she's swayed over to the side that maybe the Prophets aren't that great, and maybe the pah wraiths are the true gods of Bajor (because they were willing to talk to her), and maybe she's okay working with the devil worshipper. But then it turns out he's DUKAT- and at this point, she's literally murdered someone, she's ready to stop this, to go back to Sisko and set things right- but then the book of the Kosst Amojan lights up because of the blood she spilled. She did that. It happened as a direct result of her actions. She's just so desperate to be acknowledged... to have a role to play in all this, no matter who offers it to her. So the pah wraiths actually giving her a reaction isn't something she can resist. And here's where things get even more tragic.

WINN: But the prophecies! They warn that the release of the Pah wraiths will mean the end of Bajor. DUKAT: The old Bajor, perhaps. But from its ashes a new Bajor will arise and the Restoration will begin. WINN: Who will be left to see it? DUKAT: Those the gods find worthy. It will be the dawn of paradise. And you, Adami, are destined to rule it. WINN: You're sure of that? DUKAT: It is meant to be.

Again with the ease at which she's swayed by fascist rhetoric! Let's be clear, she was (and is) absolutely against the Cardassian Occupation. But her worldview is built on the pursuit of being "worthier" than everyone else, of being "closer to god" than everyone else- her expectation of faith is that it's some sort of determiner of who's doing it The Most Effectively, rather than it being a practice- and she just completely misses that any sort of plan that executes masses and spares whoever is deemed "worthy" is... literally exactly what people like Dukat did to her planet. Something something faith as competition, faith as determiner of inherent superiority, faith as a way to gain power via proximity to god… never faith as submission. And the worst part is she’s self-aware. It’s heartbreaking.

And it's about to get even more heartbreaking, because she truly believes she has arrived at her girlboss moment in the finale (I think the tragedy of her being a rape victim and knowing this and having to hide the body of the one (1) person who was looking out for her while being stuck with her rapist speaks for itself.) After kicking Dukat out on the street (lol), she studies the eeevil texts and realises that to set the pah wraiths free, you need to make a sacrifice. So now she gets to deceive him in return. And she does! The look of shock on his face when he discovers she poisoned him is priceless imo, and her triumph as she taunts his dead body, the sheer joy on her face as she casts off her Kai robes, when she recites those incantations and something actually happens- and that too such a large pyrotechnic spectacle- is so sad knowing what's coming. Because ultimately, the pah wraiths want to destroy Bajor, right? And Winn just doesn't. Of course they don't choose her. Of course they choose Dukat over her! She really thought that by tricking and murdering him, she'd made him the unimportant piece of the puzzle, that she was stealing back his thunder- but tragically, it turns out even the pah wraiths see her as disposable. Of course they resurrect Dukat (a man who's proved time and time again that he wants to see Bajor & Bajorans destroyed) and turn her into the sacrifice. The way she screams "NO!" here breaks my heart- she's betrayed her planet, and it was all for nothing. (Dukat's "are you still here?" is particularly devastating.) I think it's very significant that her final words are "Emissary, the book!"- it shows that in her last moments, she's owning her mistakes- she's stepping away from power and putting Bajor first, and leaving her own fate in the hands of the Prophets. Who, of course, once again ignore her, and choose to save Sisko instead. God.

The utter tragedy that even in the pah wraiths' plan, she was just a pawn. That she died at the hands of the gods she thought chose her, but used her, all while the gods she'd coveted her whole life stood by and did nothing. The Prophets chose Sisko because they believed he would put Bajor's interests over even his own- and now they ensure he will be back one day to see the new Bajor. She never will.

Yes, it was her pride that got her here. Her mean streak. Her inability to cope with nuance. Her inability to see herself as ultimately insignificant. Her inability to surrender to a higher power in any way that didn't involve becoming more powerful herself; more relevant, more "close to god". But it was also her love of Bajor. Because if she'd cared about Bajor less, then maybe the pah wraiths might have chosen her- or at least spared her, or taken her to their realm after she burned, the way they did with Dukat. Now, she ends up being the one thing she never wanted to be: insignificant.

Honestly if I had to summarise the tragedy of her arc in one sentence, it would probably be Kai Winn: Too Evil For The Prophets, Not Evil Enough For The Pah Wraiths. She and Dukat are not the same! She is a perfectly pathetic, sad and wet blorbo and I am holding her gently in my hands while apologising for her crimes <3

#cw rape mention #ds9 #just to be clear: I did write this post after seeing the take #'the prophets never spoke to winn because even they found her insufferable & knew she didn't even care about bajor'#which I happened to disagree with (as I do w/ every take that claims she didn't care about Bajor or that she and dukat were 'equally evil')#BUT! this is absolutely not meant to be a callout post or anything #there is a lot of general misogyny in discussions about her and I have my issues with the way people make light of her trauma #but if you just don't happen to love her as a character that's totally fine! honestly the very last thing I want #is to make anyone reading this post feel bad (or for it to be used to hate on people who just like other fictional characters more)#so I kindly request that people not reblog this post with that sort of energy thank you <3 #(also I might turn off reblogs if I suddenly get shy lol)

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edenmemes · 2 years

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house of the dragon starters

ep1 - 10 .

❝ try not to look too relieved. ❞ ❝ did you sleep? how long? ❞ ❝ no king has ever lived that hasn't had to forfeit the lives of a few to protect the many. ❞ ❝ i don’t need mothering. ❞ ❝ it is our fate, i think, to crave always what is given to another. ❞ ❝ you’re safe with me, i swear it. ❞ ❝ to elude a storm, you can either sail into it or around it. but you must never await its coming. ❞ ❝ i have only ever defended you. ❞ ❝ i've always thought of you and i as having been made from the same cloth. ❞ ❝ you will address me as "your grace" or i will have my guard cut out your tongue. ❞ ❝ i’d rather serve as a knight and ride to battle and glory. ❞ ❝ you’re always like this when you’re worried. disagreeable. ❞ ❝ i like this position. it’s quite comfortable. ❞ ❝ how sweetly the fox speaks when it’s been cornered by hounds. ❞ ❝ we haven’t spoke much...since... ❞ ❝ i do not wish to rule over a kingdom of ash and bone. ❞ ❝ i was never much of a dancer. ❞ ❝ do you want me to kill him? ❞ ❝ i’m asking with you to come with me...away from all of this. ❞ ❝ come, eat. fortify yourself for the journey. ❞ ❝ you swore to protect me. ❞ ❝ what will they say of me when the histories are written? ❞ ❝ it’s the only thing i have to my fucking name! ❞ ❝ look what my life became without you. a droll tragedy. ❞ ❝ strive to restore whatever scrap of honor you have left. ❞ ❝ our worth is not given. it must be made. ❞ ❝ it pleases me to hear you say this. that i am not alone in my grief. ❞ ❝ if you mean to elicit some anger from me, you should know that you're failing. ❞ ❝ it bothers you, does it not? ❞ ❝ the realm owes you a great debt. ❞ ❝ all i wanted was for someone to say that they were sorry for what happened to me. ❞ ❝ we must all mourn in our own way. ❞ ❝ do you have a specific course of action to propose? ❞ ❝ we're both people who have had to cut our own way through the world. ❞ ❝ were that to happen, losses would be incalculable. ❞ ❝ it was not my intent to make offense. ❞ ❝ when steel is drawn, a fair match isn’t something anyone should expect. ❞ ❝ i find i have...few friends lately. ❞ ❝ we don’t belong here. ❞ ❝ i only want to help you. ❞ ❝ you cannot believe such gossip. ❞ ❝ just get out. leave me at once. ❞ ❝ to have every young knight and lord fawning over you...what a misery. ❞ ❝ you’ve been much alone these past few years. alone and angry. ❞ ❝ the road ahead is uncertain, but the end is clear. ❞ ❝ you’re young. you will learn. ❞ ❝ this is just what i need...a little adventure. ❞ ❝ care for some company? ❞ ❝ what is this brief mortal life...if not the pursuit of legacy? ❞ ❝ the wise sailor flees the storm as it gathers. ❞ ❝ you are a plague...sent to destroy me. ❞ ❝ for one night, i wish to be free of the burdens of my inheritance. ❞ ❝ do you wish to hear my opinion on the matter? ❞ ❝ i’ve been alone. you abandoned me. ❞ ❝ i’ve decided to remain here and read instead. ❞ ❝ if there were another path...one that led to freedom...would you take it? ❞ ❝ we should be free to speak our minds to one another. ❞ ❝ everything i’ve given you, you’ve thrown back in my face. ❞ ❝ answer me. it’s important. ❞ ❝ do you never long for home? ❞ ❝ i know you’ve never seen true battle. ❞ ❝ your heart is even darker than i thought. ❞ ❝ you think yourself a cunning person. your plans are obvious. ❞ ❝ you never were one to stay idle. ❞ ❝ do not speak of this again. ❞ ❝ they whisper about me in the corridors. ❞ ❝ am i your prisoner? ❞ ❝ have the decency to look grateful. do you know what has been done to give you this day? ❞ ❝ love...is a downfall. ❞ ❝ we’re free to do as we please. ❞ ❝ you will make a fearsome knight. ❞ ❝ just take my arm, at the least. ❞ ❝ it seems the gods have been especially cruel to you. ❞ ❝ i will be a stranger when we meet again. ❞ ❝ you dare put hands on me? ❞ ❝ you look so much like your mother in certain lights. ❞ ❝ i have no shortage of allies. ❞ ❝ who gives a fuck what some lord thinks? ❞ ❝ take your fucking hands off me. ❞ ❝ a certain insolence runs in the family. ❞ ❝ meat without wine is a sin. ❞ ❝ i gave up the idea of wearing a crown generations ago. ❞ ❝ are you...are you hurt? ❞ ❝ reluctance to murder is not a weakness. ❞ ❝ exhausting, isn’t it? hiding beneath the cloak of your own righteousness. ❞ ❝ we have nothing in common. ❞ ❝ you deserve better than what i have been. ❞ ❝ you are an honorable man with a good heart. it’s a rare thing. ❞ ❝ i promise you, in time, you and i together will prevail. ❞ ❝ life has, i know, disappointed you. ❞ ❝ if a king isn’t feared, he is powerless. ❞ ❝ i’d rather ride alone. ❞ ❝ be careful. one could take your words for treason. ❞ ❝ i’ve never seen that side of you...i even doubted its existence. ❞ ❝ i will have the truth of what happened. now. ❞ ❝ do you wish to know your death? ❞ ❝ if we don’t mind our own histories, it will do the same to us. ❞ ❝ i believe you were made to wear the crown. ❞ ❝ we are turning back, all right? ❞ ❝ everyone’s staring at us. ❞ ❝ i would say it’s nice to be home, but i scarcely recognize it. ❞ ❝ most of my years have been spent living in terror. ❞ ❝ all that i have, i owe to you. ❞ ❝ i’ve wondered many an hour what your purpose was in coming here. ❞ ❝ what can either of us know of ruling a kingdom? ❞ ❝ does the promise of war excite you? ❞ ❝ none of this is a game. and yet you treat it like one. ❞ ❝ a matter has arisen that requires your attention. ❞ ❝ night time, you might not be so lucky. ❞ ❝ i have no wish to rule! no taste for duty! i am not suited. ❞ ❝ you flee what other men die seeking. ❞ ❝ i endured it for as long as i could. ❞ ❝ we don’t choose our destiny. it chooses us. ❞ ❝ it is ill luck to look upon the face of death. ❞ ❝ you’ve already found enough trouble today. ❞ ❝ who might you be running from, now? ❞ ❝ i am yours and you are mine. ❞ ❝ i will not have blood shed beneath my roof. ❞ ❝ we are closer to gods than to men. ❞ ❝ you shouldn’t do this alone. let us help you. ❞ ❝ that war is not mine to begin. ❞ ❝ it has been so long since we were granted the joy of your presence. ❞ ❝ how could you allow such a thing to happen? ❞ ❝ do not allow your temper to guide your judgement. ❞ ❝ now they see you as you are. ❞ ❝ do you want to know the truth of it? i was frightened. ❞ ❝ you desire not to be free, but to make a window in the wall of your prison. ❞ ❝ you are wiser than i believed you to be. ❞ ❝ i speak the truth. and you know it. ❞ ❝ hope is the fool’s ally. ❞ ❝ while i like your support, i do not need it. ❞ ❝ go to your chambers. you have said enough. ❞ ❝ i thought i wanted it, but the burden is a heavy one. ❞ ❝ i understand you’ve found yourself in some trouble. ❞

#rp meme #roleplay meme #roleplay starters

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the-golden-vanity · 7 days

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💚 for the Terror. 💖🧡 and 📖 (but chapter(s) instead of entire book(s)) for Moby Dick

💚: What does everyone else get wrong about your favorite character?

Ooh, it's time to make some enemies.

I really, really dislike the popular fanon characterizations of James Fitzjames. Depending on what particular flavor of queer a fanwork is depicting him as, the kind of... shallow femininity that gets forced on him makes me MASSIVELY uncomfortable. It often comes across as somewhere between homophobic and misogynistic caricature, personality stripped away and replaced with a pretty dress.

I can see where this started, though—the pre-Carnivale dress scene is something that's very important to a lot of Terror fans, and perhaps something that endeared them to a character whose Empire-loving, glory-hounding, "the atrocities I've committed are fun table conversation"-believing ways are (hopefully) unsympathetic to a modern audience. Still, I'd like to see more fanworks engage with that side of James Fitzjames—the tool of an empire that can never love him back.

This isn't to say I don't love queer or trans readings of Fitzjames! I just want to see the character still be a glory-hounding veteran of an imperialist war, and someone I can still believe would shoot rockets at bears.

💖: Already answered here!

🧡: What is a popular (serious) theory you disagree with?

I had to think about this one for a bit. I'd say it's the take that I see floating around on the Internet a lot that Moby-Dick is cosmic horror. If we're taking cosmic horror to mean the horror of the incomprehensible, the impossibly alien, the Things Man Was Not Meant To Know, then there is exactly one chapter that fits the bill—"The Castaway", which includes maybe my favorite passage of the whole book.

However, almost the entire rest of the book is our narrator-protagonist making sense of the whale, as if knowing everything he can about it is his way of coping with the devastating trauma of losing everyone he spent two years of his life living with.

It's almost reverse cosmic horror—rather than a sane man going mad from coming face to face with an incomprehensible monstrosity, our mentally ill (traumatized/depressed/bipolar/open to interpretation) protagonist makes meaning for himself by learning to comprehend the monstrosity.

📖: If you had to remove one chapter from the book, which would you choose?

Ooh, that's a good question. And a hard one.

Moby-Dick is, rather famously, full of chapters upon chapters of whale facts, some of which are even true. I will not be getting rid of any of those. Those are load-bearing whale facts. You pull them out, and the book collapses into a respectable revenge tragedy, rather than the earth-shattering psychological epic that it is. The whale facts represent both the fact that for long stretches of a sea voyage, nothing particularly exciting is going on, and you have time to contemplate things like the immense scarred brow of the whale, and also that this story is being told by a traumatized man who's going off on tangents because he really doesn't want to get around to the part of the story where he loses everything and all of his friends die.

If I had to get rid of one chapter, it would probably be "The Town Ho's Story". Of all the ill omens and tales of woe that the Pequod's crew encounter on their fateful final voyage, this one drags out longest and (to me) was one of the less memorable. However, I'm sure it's probably someone's favorite chapter. Many of them are.

Thank you so much, @georges-chambers/@alienmythologist! You gave me much to think about.

Ask me for my unpopular opinions about boat stories!

#ask game #ask #georges chambers #alienmythologist #moby dick #whale weekly #the terror #the terror amc #james fitzjames

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onehundredandeleventropicalfish · 1 year

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and further on that last post actually - tragedies by their nature pull everyone in, not just the central character

and desire in brief lives fascinates me because the creature who is made up of wants, never satisfied, has to have everything, is faced with losing all of it

like, dream i've talked about before. desire pushes dream around and laughs at his misfortune but they've never actually tried to kill him. they know their plans won't ever be good enough to legitimately overpower him, desire does what they do so dream will respect them, and also (according to an interview with mason i very much agree with) so dream has something to occupy himself with - if he's chasing them and getting angry over their challenges he's not getting stuck in his own depression again, and if they genuinely manage to get through to him and change him maybe he'll be okay

(not to say desire is genuinely helpful, usually they're not, but there's only like one difference between the doll's house confrontation in the show and in the comics, and that's in the comics when dream gives the whole spiel about how the endless aren't better than humanity desire goes "i don't understand". and that's a pretty common thing with them, most of their actually evil/terrible/unforgiveable acts come from not really getting that humans are people, so they don't care about the hurt they're causing. the family problems arise because the other endless do. but at least in desire's head, they're helping)

and this time they see that dream's on a genuinely dark path and they don't want to lose him (or cause any other consequences, will get to that in a minute), so they do their absolute best to stop him

but because desire is so rarely actually helpful, because desire thinks dream's romantic problems are funny, because they're casually cruel and dream doesn't believe desire could ever care about anyone, desire's kinda dug their own grave here. dream doesn't listen.

and that dark path (here's our aforementioned consequences)? finding destruction.

now i go back to the end of doll's house a lot with desire meta, but it really is so informative as to who they are. they're so scared that everything in their life is going to fall apart, but they're really good at pushing things out of their mind and not thinking about it

and destruction is one of those things they don't think about. his leaving broke the rules and broke the family and so desire locked every feeling they had towards their brother away and decided he didn't exist anymore

dream and delirium looking for destruction is dangerous because the endless are both literal and metaphorical like that, you can't seek destruction and return unscathed. but it's also dangerous because it threatens to open that box that's been locked shut and hidden for centuries. and desire no longer knows what's inside. so they panic when delirium starts investigating, and even more so when she tries to recruit others, because delirium's already broken once, she can handle breaking again. but the elder three? break any one of them and you upset the order of everything

maybe desire's warnings would have worked if delirium asked death or destiny. but she asked dream. so desire's poisoned relationship with dream coming back to bite them isn't just hurting dream anymore. it's possibly hurting the whole family. and it's their fault.

and then there's despair

now, despair has an interesting arc in brief lives too. it's subtle, but this is the one time where she stops following desire around, because she and desire disagree on this one. desire wants to forget that destruction ever left, return to 'normal' where things are fine and they don't have to think about anything they don't want to, but despair never wanted destruction to leave. despair misses destruction greatly. so when delirium says she's going to find him, even if despair ultimately says no to coming with, she wants to see her brother again, and later wishes she'd said yes instead

and that's a schism in the twins' relationship, the only one we've ever seen

which means this line is no longer true

and desire, whose safety net is that they have a twin, who feels secure in the fact that no matter what happens, despair will be on their side, suddenly realises that they don't have that either.

in my opinion, desire's primary redeeming quality, the only thing that stops them from qualifying as absolute villain, is that they care so much about their family. their methods are extremely questionable at times, i'm not saying i approve, but as far as desire is concerned, everything they do is for the benefit of the family. (also confirmed by mason in that interview)

except that destiny doesn't talk to them. death disapproves of them. dream, who they thought would always be there to challenge them, is headed down a terrifying path and desire isn't enough to stop him. destruction is gone and desire burned that bridge long ago. they tried to reason with delirium and failed. and now despair is ignoring them

for the first time in potentially ever, desire is entirely alone.

(and desire has so rarely considered mortals worth their time. but this is the next time we see them. and i do wonder if that isn't directly related)

#that said i do also think about how when we first see the threshold it's described as far too big for one person but only one lives there #further similarities between dream and desire: constant self isolation #desire just never consciously registered it as a problem until they have no one left to talk to #the sandman #desire of the endless #despair of the endless #dream of the endless #mine #meta #sandman comic spoilers

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emiliosandozsequence · 22 days

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what scifi media do you like?

OH ANON I HAVE SO MANY. i'm so glad you asked 💕💕💕 (tagging @gorydean too so she sees 💕💕💕)

gotta start first and foremost with the sparrow series by mary doria russell as my blog is basically just a shrine to it at this point. amazing book and definitely recommend it if you love found family, first contact, trauma, tragedy, and the abandonment of the faithful by g-d. huge massive trigger warning tho. everyone says the second book isn't as good as the first, but i completely disagree. i think they're bitg equally as good as each other; the second book just takes awhile to get to the most insanity inducing parts whereas the first one starts out strong with that and keeps going until the end of the story.

i would have more books to recommend, but i've only just started REALLY getting back into reading after several years of not reading as much due to a variety of reasons (mostly trauma and chronic and mental illness). that being said, i have an insane amount of films to give you to watch instead of books.

gotta recommend my all time fav film (or one of the two anyway), the fountain. most people...don't like this movie because they think it's hard to understand and doesn't make sense towards the end (i had to watch it several times to get it), but please please please watch it. it's a beautiful film both visually and plotwise as long as you give it a chance 💕

sound of my voice is softer in terms of scifi, but still definitely scifi. it's another film that lets you decide what to believe. it's also another film people tend not to like for whatever reason, but i think it's extremely well done and the ending is so 💕💕💕💕💕💕

cloud atlas. very much a story in the same vein as the fountain taking place over different timelines. another beautifully done story about how everything and everyone is connected throughout space and time. ofc my fav timelines are the ones with robert frobisher and sonmi-451. i do also recommend the book, but i liked the film better because of a few of the changes they made.

sunshine is one of my fav films ever and i've loved it since i was in high school and first saw it. it reminds me a lot of three body problem in the sense that antagonist (idk if i would exactly call him a villain even tbh) is using g-d as a reason for the things he's doing. there's a few deleted scenes i wish they'd kept in because it really emphasizes this, but even so, this film is gorgeous in so many ways.

i origins. if u can't tell already i'm a huge brit marling fan and i think this is one of her best stories. again: you get to choose what to believe and you really have to watch the whole film for the pay off, but it is so very much worth it. i think i've actually only ever watched this film once, tho idk why bc it's genuinely one of my favs.

looper is another film that idk why more people weren't into it. the setting is dystopian. i was trying to think of a way to explain it in a few short sentences like i have the rest of the films here, but it's one of those films also that i think going into it knowing nothing is better. the kid who plays the rainmaker is so fucking good too. he's not even 10, but he played that role perfectly.

elysium. EVERYONE KNOWS DISTRICT 9 BUT NO ONE KNOWS ELYSIUM. i stand by my opinion that this film would be infinitely better if diego luna were the main character instead of matt damon, but even so i really love this film. the score is gorgeous. also lmao we for real might be living in this universe soon if elon fixes up that space hotel he wants to do fucking rip

ender's game. the author is a homophobic and transphobic dickwad who actively gives his money to anti-lgbt organizations, so watch this for free if you can (and buy the books second hand), but i actually really enjoyed what they did with this film. a lot of people thought it was too rushed, but also like....ender's game is a very Dense book, so i understand why they did it the way they did it. also the score is amazing.

signs. another film involving g-d and religion seen through the lens of scifi and first contact. this film gets shit on a ton for reasons i do not know, but it's actually really well done. it scared the ever living shit out of me the first few times i saw it tho bc i did Not grow up watching horror.

knowing. another film involving g-d and religion seen through the lens of scifi and first contact (can you tell i have a type of film/media i like???). this film also scared the ever living shit out of me when i first saw it to the point i had to sleep with the lights on, but in all actuality it isn't scary at all (i was just 14 and had never seen a thriller before lol). i really love disaster films tbh, but this is one of my all time favs (next to greenland).

another earth i did not like when i first saw it. i thought the whole thing was kind of pointless and didn't make very much sense, but the more i've thought about it since then, the more i've understood it. funnily enough, i never watched it a second time, but it's brit marling, so i probably will eventually. again: definitely recommend.

lucy. listen i know this has scarlett johansson in it and none of us like her, but this film is good despite her. i thought it was going to be dumb as hell when i first saw it, but i actually ended up liking it so much that it's heavily inspired the next novel i'm planning on writing (a scifi space opera about a girl becoming g-d).

origami. okay this one is difficult to find and you WILL have to buy it if you want to watch it (trust me: i have searched FAR and wide for this film in any other place and vimeo is the ONLY place i found it; it's only $5 to rent on there tho), but it's so worth it. it's worth it. it's one of my fav films and i watched it purely because of francois arnaud and i'm glad i did. this literally is his best work imo.

ink is my all time hands down favorite film. idk if you would even call it scifi, but i love it so much i just wanted to talk about it. it very obviously had zero budget, but they used what little money they had VERY wisely and the result was this beautiful film. the story makes me sob every single time. actually it's quite similar to origami, so if you like one, you'll probably like the other.

tron: legacy is another film that people shit on and idk why. it has The Best religious imagery. like how are you going to top one of the programs falling to their knees in prayer as flynn passes by????? the whole thing seems to be a jesus/judas metaphor anyway and i'm crazy for that shit. gotta mention the score as always because daft punk knocked it out of the park (people shit on the score too and i really don't get why).

thelma. i watched this one a whim with a friend and i cannot recommend it enough. i feel like it was kind of popular on here when it first came out bc it's a sapphic film, but it's also just very good in general. i've seen people get super upset about it also bc their interpretation makes it lesbophobic (which is crazy to me but whatever.

melancholia. i did Not like this movie for the longest time, but then i watched it recently and finally Got it. i guess you really do have to be a certain level of depressed to understand this film, so if you're insanely suicidal and can barely function like me, then i recommend it. you will probably get some catharsis out of it like i did. it is a very Strange film tho.

the creator came out at the end of last year and it was so good. definitely my fav film to come out in the last few years and involves g-d, religion, and AI. the score also in this is great (everybody say thank you hans zimmer. again.). the ending makes me sob so much.

more that i love a lot, but not as much (apparently there's a character limit, so i can't explain why these are my favs too, but it's for similar reasons as above).

the matrix trilogy

the fifth element

snowpiercer

blade runner 2049

as for tv shows, i don't have as many, but i do have a few that i would highly recommend if you like any of the films above:

halo. again: everyone shits on this show, but the absolute TRAGEDY of it is the fanboys hate it bc they suck and are bigots and everyone else who would like it (LIKE MY MUTUALS) refuses to give it a chance because of its overall reputation, so i'm BEGGING YOU GUYS TO GIVE IT A CHANCE.

foundation. genuinely fucking good. so much of what the creators of this show have done to change the story has been for the better. i read the books and they were okay, but the show is so so good. idk when season 3 will be coming out, but hopefully soon (same for halo, which i actually like better than this show).

the oa. i will forever mourn what we could've had with this show. i can't even talk about it without getting choked up. this getting canceled really truly fucked me up.

castle rock season 1. technically a horror series, but this season is more scifi than horror, i think. everything really comes to a head in episode 9 iirc and that episode still makes me crazy when i think about it. i definitely need to do a rewatch.

firefly/serenity. you've probably heard this one recommended before, but there's a reason for that. it's really so good, but g-d and jesus hate me because it too was canceled before it could even finish ONE SEASON. thankfully there's a film that kind of ties everything together, but WE COULD'VE HAD SO MUCH MORE.

i tried to put in some movies that aren't talked about as much on here!! i also have several letterboxd lists dedicated purely to scifi, which you can find below.

holy holy holy (scifi (and other films) involving religious imagery or straight up just about theology

the sparrow cinematic universe (films that are either discussed in the sparrow or remind me of it or that i could see the main characters watching)

but it was my body. it was my blood. and it was my love. (films that i either genuinely believe could be based off of the sparrow or just remind me of it in some way)

per aspera ad astra (scifi films i have seen or heard of. this literally is every single scifi film i remember ever in existence so it's quite long)

also mainstream scifi that i recommend/am obsessed with

interstellar

dune series (wer'e talking about the books here; not whatever the fuck denis villenueve pulled with the films lmao)

district 9

annihilation/southern reach trilogy

ex machina

prometheus

pacific rim

arrival

event horizon

mad max: fury road

nope

mobile suit gundam series (mostly hathaway and g-witch tho)

star wars (mostly the prequel and sequel trilogies)

nausicaa of the valley of the wind

castle in the sky

inception

tenet

high life

aldnoah zero

hanna

real steel

86: eighty-six

this is so much longer than i meant it to be omg. anyway people do not call me the scifi queen for no reason.

#ask #anonymous #long post cw

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dazais-guardian-angel · 3 days

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🧡💛💖💕 for the Ask meme! (Tales of the Abyss ;))

🧡: What is a popular (serious) theory you disagree with?

Lmao well..... I think you saw my previous ask 😂😭 Any theory that says Asch or Lorelei or some weird Luke-Asch personality hybrid or anyone else people come up with that isn't just Luke who comes back at the end. It's gotta be Luke; the narrative just falls apart if it isn't. The other day when I was answering the previous ask looking for your "theory" post again I saw the take (put very simply here) that Abyss is a tragedy, Luke's character is a tragic one, so it makes sense that he ultimately dies and stays dead, and I'm just like.... how?? Genuinely I don't understand how his character arc can possibly be read as that his entire struggle to change and for life was just completely futile in the end and that there was no meaning to any of it all, that's such a downer ending for what is ultimately, despite how much sad shit happens in it, a hopeful story 😭😭😭 (one of the main themes is LITERALLY CALLED MEANING OF BIRTH).

Even putting that aside though, I just feel like it makes even less sense for Asch to come back?? Like, his character arc finished when he died. The whole point is that he remained stagnant the whole game and his tragedy is that he dies that way, while Luke was willing and able to change!! What purpose would it serve narratively to bring him back after his very sad yet satisfying conclusion?? Again, by all means, it makes for juicy AUs, but as canon.... there's no way.

💛: What is a popular ship you just can’t get behind, and why?

....I feel like I'm putting myself in danger answering this when it's coming from you 😂😭 But, well, I'm really not that interested in Luke/Tear lol. By no means do I hate it though, I just don't have any strong feelings towards it either way, and honestly part of that is just because I'm not really a shipper in general lol and nothing to do with them specifically. A lot of people who don't ship it say it's because they see Tear as more of a sister figure to Luke because that's how the game initially presents her as (and with the "big sister" title or whatever it's called), but idk... I honestly can't decide what I see her as to him. They just feel like very close friends to me by the end of the game, I guess, and although I like some of their touching scenes, I never really felt the chemistry between them. I guess it's just hard for me to imagine Luke in a relationship with everything he's going through during the game, and also Tear is pretty bland to me herself so that doesn't help. 😭 I know her Japanese voice is very different from her English one and her English one gets some flak, so maybe that's to blame ugh; maybe if I listened to her in Japanese sometime I would become more endeared to her.

💖: What is your biggest unpopular opinion about the series?

...If I had to pick another one that isn't just the first answer again lol, though this isn't exactly super unpopular, but Abyss is the best game in the Tales series, by a wide, wide margin. Not only do I believe it to be the best Tales game, but one of the best games of all time period, and one of the best stories of all time. Yes, I said what I said, fight me. And it has absolutely nothing to do with nostalgia; I played Abyss on my 3DS around 2014-2015, probably? in my early 20s, so I don't have any special childhood memories of it, nor was it even my first Tales game (Graces holds a special place in my heart for that). I just... played it, and it left such an incredible impact on me that has yet to be beaten by nearly any other media I've ever experienced. I don't know what it is about it that makes it so powerful, but it's true. Don't get me wrong, plenty of other stories have come very close to making me feel the same way..... but none of them have ever quite reached Abyss level.

So yeah, a lot of people agree Abyss is good.... but I still believe that most don't recognize it for the masterpiece it truly is.

💕: What is an unpopular ship that you like?

Like I said, I'm really not a shipper lol, but I'm really fond of Guy/Natalia? I just love their scenes together, how respectful and gentlemanly he is towards her, and how her growth is most strongly shown in plenty of her interactions with him; it's so lovely to see. 🥹 and I think about their time spent together post-Eldrant and before the epilogue, them helping each other grieve.... it destroys me so good :' ) they're very sweet together.

Thank youuu sista! 🩷

Ask game

#ask game #replies #tales of the abyss spoilers #i am very confident in my understanding of Abyss' story and themes....... but sometimes i wonder #maybe i am just talking out of my ass idk #i intend to play persona 3 soon which has been compared to abyss a lot (totallyyyy not one major reason why i want to play it ahem-)#and knowing as much as i know about that game...... hm #maybe it will give me new perspectives on abyss #i really look forward to it

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avelera · 1 year

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Hello love!! ♥️ Any thoughts on We Are Going Down together by Dove Cameron and Khalid as anti-dreamling song??? It‘s a beautiful ballad and I keep imagining Hob and Dream singing it together and believing that it’s what they could do/ be for each other!?? That they could give up everything to be together because they love each other so deeply, but we as the reader know that no matter how far they’re willing to go for the other one they ultimately could never give up who they are at heart (which.. v healthy tbh, although co-depended feral lovers has always been my fav trope). Imo Hob would die to protect dream in a fight but he would never give up his immortality to love him and Dream would equally do everything to ensure Hobs safety and comfort, but could never abandon his responsibilities to the dreamers and his function to love him. The song just screams I WOULD DO EVERYTHING FOR YOU, but the tragedy is that they truly couldn’t??? Agree? Disagree? I chose to scream at you specifically because you have an understanding of these characters and wrote different versions of them in totally different emotional states and general vastly different situations and yet they’re the same at the core?

No strong opinion on the song, honestly, I'm not familiar with it ^^;;

As for the idea though, of Dream and Hob having limits to their love even if they wish they didn't... I'd simply consider that mature, adult human behavior? Even as I'm sure Dream for all his romanticism would love to devote himself 100% to a lover, I don't think he'd ever include "sacrifice the Dreaming" in that bargain, just as Hob would never include "sacrifice my immortality" in that bargain, just as I don't think most people would/could/should include "sacrifice my life's work" or "literally die for you" in any relationship??

But I don't think that's a bad thing? Honestly, I wouldn't ship them if I thought they would? I actually find it quite important that Hob would never die for Dream, because the last thing Dream needs in his life is someone who gives even a whisper of an inch of justification to suicide ideation. I think what Dream needs to hear, far more than "I'd die for you" is "I'd never die for you, are you crazy? That's nuts. I will live for you and do my damndest to make sure you live as well but people aren't stories and dying for someone should never, ever have to happen??"

I think Dream seeing himself as a story (I know we get very meta with that since obviously he IS a story but let's accept the premise of being in-universe for a second, Hob doesn't live his life like he's a story) is how he martyred himself to his role as the Dream Lord and never managed any sort of healthy existence. IMO it's why he wishes so badly for a lover to give him something else to care about that much, because as a romantic he thinks only love can be worthy of being the singular focus of his life outside his task, but of course, no one single relationship can do that, nor should it. But I think someone like Hob, who wouldn't martyr himself for anything but can understand having a purpose in life and a life's work would maybe begin to help disentangle Dream from this like... deeply unhealthy martyrdom to his function and complete inability to like... admit he's a person with needs?

Just as a final note on the song, or at least that sort of message from a song, I could see them listening to it and Hob being like, "Well that's ridiculous nonsense, I'd never ask someone to die for me, that's crazy, isn't that right, Dream?" and Dream being all... distracted like "Gosh I wish that were me," about it until Hob slaps him upside the head like "No. Bad. If I died and I found out you died for me I would PHYSICALLY HAUNT YOU or better yet, reincarnate until we're in the same life again so I could shake the drama king out of you. We do not DO THAT in this house, Dream!" And maybe, someday, Dream would come around enough to realize that's Hob's love language but also just, y'know, sanity, and you can love someone, indeed love them more effectively, when you focus on living for someone instead of relying on self-destructive grand gestures like dying for them?

Christ, Dream needs therapy so badly...

#dreamling #sandman meta #idk this got away from me sorry I don't have any connection to the song I guess?#tw suicide ideation

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blimbo-buddy · 5 months

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What do you think about the Bonefall take regarding Firestar and Scourge being related, if you don't mind my asking? https://www.tumblr.com/bonefall/699503716811898880

I can understand what BoneFall is saying but also I have to respectfully disagree with them. I'm just too attached to these two being brothers to even consider removing their relation. I think they made another post talking about how the retcon didn't add anything "significant" and I disagree with that entirely because I believe that not everything needs to be acknowledged to have some kind of big impact.

Does nobody ever mention FireStar and Scourge being brothers? Nope. Would it make it even more tragic if the two knew each other? Also nope. The fact that these two not only came from similar backgrounds, but are also related, and never knew who the other was, I think adds a layer of tragedy. FireStar killed the brother he never knew, the brother he never even knew he was related to, and yet they were so similar in their upbringings. I can't properly explain what I mean by this but, I dunno. The tragedy is in the unknown, the lack of knowledge, the bloodshed of a brother who you never knew and never will know

#blimbo rambles #ask #wc

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kandidaturia · 6 months

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There's a depth to Gojo's loneliness that only some people can understand; not those who claim to be burned out gifted kids, not those who claim to be unbothered and then cry their eyes out at the slightest inconvenience, no, not those.

To be lonely in greatness you never asked for is to be surrounded by people who *don't* want to know who you really are. You're strong and you're resilient and that's all you're allowed to be. People somehow equate strength with assuming everything comes easy for you; like your ability to push through was created in a vacuum. Your achievements eventually carry less and less meaning, and your struggles don't matter because you'll handle them anyway, right? 'Cause it's you, and you always handle everything. You got that promotion? Wow, you're really lucky. You can't get out of bed? Aw, come on, if not you, then who?

I often see people say that Gojo's a tragic character because he's only perceived through the lenses of his ability. I don't like that word in this context; they usually mean talents, all the things he got just because he was born Satoru Gojo: his Six Eyes and his Limitless. Though the curse of fate does play into his tragedy, it isn't its core. Gojo's actual abilities are, in fact, overlooked. The skills and the resilience he built only thanks to his character, to the person he chose to be out of his own volition.

His kindness. I'd argue he's far kinder than Geto, however strongly the fandom may disagree. Geto's, of course, an incredibly heartbreaking story as well, but in the end he chose to be selfish. Gojo chose kindness. He does it in a way that's not obvious, by not asking Shoko to dispose of her friend's body, by bringing Yuuji to a fight just to show him a few things, by taking in a child whose father almost killed him. Gojo thinks about other people constantly and everything he does is for others, even if they're unable to see it clearly.

His optimism. Man, the stories this man could tell, the sad, horrible, hell-sent stories. The hope he could've lost with everything he went through, but no. He actively decides that things will get better. Someone with so much power to change whatever he wishes understands best that in the eyes of the universe you are but a small flower. You can either become overwhelmed by that, fight it, try to live on the offensive rather than in harmony, and die, crushed by things you were never meant to tackle, blown away by the wind you could've hidden from; or, you can accept your own immateriality, that even when you see everything, it's still within some boundaries and rules that you're yet to uncover. Gojo believes in the world, he knows painfully that even if he were God, he still couldn't force people or nature or anything else that exists to abide by, well, anything. And nonetheless, he chooses both to be and to look on the bright side.

There's many more examples but they all boil down to one conclusion: there's a part of Satoru Gojo that he was cursed with, and there's a part of Satoru Gojo that he decided to have. And although in his heart he craves connection, he knows he'll only be judged by what he was forced to be: invincible, resilient, but above everything: alone.

#jujutsu gojo #jujutsu satoru #gojo satoru #character analysis

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corneliushickey · 1 year

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so I am going through your HOTD tag because you have the best Hot Takes Tm and I am Rhaenyra/Alicent trash and this is fucking transcendent: "alicent holds duty above all out of a resigned sense of obligation. for her, seeing rhaenyra free herself from a duty she has always seen as obligate to the both of them is an unforgivable betrayal. she has given up the whole of her life to her obligations and to see rhaenyra refuse to do so is a knife in her back. she has always thought that rhaenyra would come to accept her duty but now she feels that she is alone in it. and she is furious." Like.

Also. Rhaenyra is probably the only person who's wanted things for Alicent that she believes Alicent would also love and enjoy that's not related to duty or being a woman.

"I want to fly with you on dragon back see the great wonders across the Narrow Sea And eat only cake." Like, how pure is that. That's what Young Rhaenyra's ideal future is. Being with Alicent, adventure, and indulgence. Meanwhile Alicent has a more realistic idea of what their future will be and perhaps its only bearable because they'll be suffering together. Alicent's perhaps ideal future is them with Good Husbands, having babies, and their primary emotional bond still being each other. A future in which Alicent gets everything she "wants" and sacrifices nothing, especially not the idea of her own moral purity. And then Rhaenyra goes off and forms other emotional bonds and doesn't do her duty and it's like, double betrayal. One of their great tragedies in my reading of this is that they cannot conceive of a future without each other but have such radically different ideas of what their future looks like.

hey! thank you for enjoying my posts :)

i interpreted that specific exchange very differently, though. i think baby rhaenyra was deflecting and being facetious. i think she's far too old at that point to be naive enough to have this as an actual fantasy (in episode 1 the girls are 14, so they are children but they are not playing pretend with barbies dolls and believing in santa claus children)

i think alicent was trying to ask her a serious and difficult question and rhaenyra didn't want to get into it. alicent has been stuffy and formal since birth and rhaenyra doesn't want to put serious thought into what she's asking her. the full exchange is:

Alicent: You're worried your father is about to overshadow you with a son.

Rhaenyra: I only worry for my mother. I hope for my father that he gets a son. As long as I can recall, it's all he's wanted.

Alicent: You want him to have a son?

Rhaenyra: I want to fly with you on dragonback, see the great wonders across the Narrow Sea, and eat only cake.

Alicent: I'm being serious.

Rhaenyra: I never jest about cake.

Alicent: You aren't worried about your position?

Rhaenyra: I like this position. It's quite comfortable.

i also disagree that rhaenyra wants good things for alicent. i think rhaenyra wants good things for herself and she wants alicent to be there. i think rhaenyra wants alicent to want the same things she does. and it disappoints her that alicent doesn't.

the very first scene we see with them, she coyly suggests that alicent come dragon riding with her, and alicent stamps her pretty foot and refuses. dragon riding is unbecoming of a young lady. plus it's scary. syrax listens to you i don't want to put myself in danger on her back, i'm not a dragonrider.

and rhaenyra is disappointed because her cute cheerleader crush doesn't want to come on her motorcycle with her and weave through traffic. because that would be fun! don't you want to have fun? i want us to do this fun thing together. uncle daemon would love to get on a motorcycle and weave through traffic together. he gets me.

and in a way, alicent feels the same way about rhaenyra. she wants them both locked wrist and neck in the same stocks. but i think it's actually more complicated because alicent doesn't really want that. no one could possibly want the kind of life that alicent is living. she just can't conceive of another option. there is no other life. there are no choices besides this one. why can't rhaenyra see that?

i also disagree that rhaenyra cannot conceive of a future without alicent because she actually drops her quite easily when alicent turns on her? like i do think that it breaks rhaenyra's heart the way that alicent starts acting like her queen, and how she finds her tryst with daemon unacceptable, and how she doesn't indulge her anymore because now she's married to her father and she has the power to stop her. i think this is heart breaking to rhaenyra.

but i also think that she is the specialist bestest punk princess in all of westeros and i don't think she mourns it too deeply because she does, in fact, go on to do what she wants with who she wants and birth three obvious bastards with her clearly gay husband supporting her all the way

i do agree with you about alicent's conceived ideal future because it is extremely realistic repressed gay catholic energy to think "my best friend and i will be married and have husbands and we will have babies but our husbands need to be okay with us being special girl best friends who care more about one another than they do about them" and i say this from personal and anecdotal experience. like that is just something that closeted and/or repressed gay women think to themselves. so i think that's right on the money.

rhaenyra is very self actualized in her own sexuality though so i think when she thinks "i'm going to marry daemon and we can still do whatever we want with our boy/girl best friends" that's just like. a reasonable plan for the future for her.

anyway my point i think was that rhaenyra wants to be happy and carefree and she wants alicent to be there with her, and alicent wants them both to be hopelessly miserable but together

#hotd blogging #paisleypi #alicent x rhaenyra #rhaenicent

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emilykaldwen · 7 months

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@alexandria-millie sent three asks for this so I'm putting them all into one!

I've seen a theory that Jaehaerys' murder was planned to cause suffering and discord among the Greens. Play Aegon against Aemond. If Healena had been furious instead of sinking into depression, the dance would have had a different ending. Daemon's marriage to Rhaenyra was a huge political mistake on Rhaenyra's part. Daemon can't be controlled, it was a matter of time before he did something horrible and unlike Viserys it wouldn't be easy for Rhaenyra to punish him.

Why you gotta bring me into the lion's den lmao. Okay. I'm gonna try tread respectfully and carefully here because these are all really nuanced, especially your final question: re daemyra (and I'm not their hype girl so take with that what you will).

Before I dive into everything else, I think what it has to come down to is how you view the Targaryens. They are a MESS. Capitals. Are they a fun problematic dynasty with dragons and incest and chaos? Yes, that's why we like playing with them, but they have been shown time and again to not be oh so great for the realm. They truly, genuinely believe they are above the common man (See: Doctrine of Exceptionalism), and as George has said: Dragons don't grow trees. The nobility as a whole for Westeros is a bad thing, Fuedelism ain't great! So it's really important to remember when it comes to talking about Targaryens is that you absolutely have that Valyrian Supremacy at play and while some may be better than others, you are supposed to be in the twilight of the Golden Age of Dragonriders, so remember that.

And if GRRM comes out and confirms: Yes, Daemon ordered B&C and all that, yes that's how I intended it, then there we go, word of god and all that.

1. Jaehaerys' murder motivation

I disagree. I can see why one would think it would sow discord, but truthfully I think that's a wobbly outcome to bank on because child murder does nothing but hurt Team Black. When I first read F&B and this situation, oh yeah 100% anti-Daemon cause that motherfucker killed babies! what the fuck! and while I'm still not Daemon's biggest fangirl, further reading of the situation and the story really highlights that Jaehaerys' murder was a fucking tragedy that shouldn't have happened, but there's no way anyone would believe Daemon Targaryen for being like 'yeah no I didn't order for Jae to be killed'. Because Daemon's spent his time not really fighting the sort of rumors and allegations thrown at him. He's just living it up in the myth people want to create of him. Make me your villain, I'm just doing my thing. Jaehaerys' murder gains sympathy for the Greens, it martyrs him in a way that Luke isn't. Luke was an emissary to a potential ally and was killed and it's tragic and sad. We sympathize for the loss of Rhaenyra's children.

Aemond's a 16/17/18 whatever year old riding a war machine with no experience in that way. It shows how utterly unprepared all these children fucking are for this.

Killing Jaehaerys only further villifies Daemon and now spreads that to Rhaenyra. It doesn't hold water, because it only really hurts Rhaenyra in the end.

[cavaet: This is the kind of set up thing where I could see 'well let's kill his son!' and then realizing 'shit no bad idea, okay lets kill aegon and/or aemond', but hey! for all I fucking know, George really was like 'yeah no they lost their shit and did something incredibly stupid because this whole book is filled with dumb shit that doesn't make sense like why is no one patrolling the gullet for enemy ships???]

2. Helaena's Grief and Rage

Sooooo seeing your child fucking decapitated in front of you after being forced to choose? Is gonna fuck you up. Her immobilizing grief makes sense to me. However if she had become a dragonrider in battle, yeah, that would change things. Dreamfyre is older than Vermithor, and Helaena's bond with her dragon is stronger than Hugh's with Vermithor IMO. The Blacks have Daemon and Rhaenys both experienced in battle on dragonback, but not with other dragons and Vermithor is being ridden by a dude who just learned how to ride a dragon. Dreamfyre puts the playing field strongly in Team Green favor from a battle standpoint, which is why she's taken out early.

3. Daemon and Rhaenyra

(no one @ me please)

the tina belcher sounds I just made. Okay, where do I start. Going up to my whole preamble about Targaryen Supremacy: No Targaryen marriage is politically advantageous. Their practice of dynastic incest continues to separate them from the realm that they rule because that's what they want. They are above men, they are closer to gods, and they don't want to dilute their blood (if you buy into the blood magic needed for dragon riding). Marrying out of the family would let other houses hold potential claim to dragons. We see this in Rhaenys Targaryen whose half Baratheon being able to claim a dragon.

The smartest marriage to happen at this point in time for the Targaryens was Viserys' marriage to Alicent Hightower. The Hightowers are tied with the Maesters (something something maester conspiracy), they are one of the most powerful families in the realm. THAT is a politically advantageous marriage (and a reason why they were not made Lords Paramount of the Reach). But politically advantageous or not, Viserys treatment of Alicent and her children further fractures the dynasty. His half-hightower children are not pureblooded Targaryen children (or even Aemma's children, which is a whole other can of worms), and I could very well see that as a reason why Viserys didn't name Aegon as heir (because he sure as shit held that threat over Rhaenyra's head in her youth because let's not forget he was a shitty dad to her too in different ways). Daemon, politically, doesn't help Rhaenyra's cause. Marrying her to Jason Lannister would have been a smart move. Laenor Velaryon still was a smart move. FUCK EVEN HARWIN WOULD HAVE BEEN A GOOD MOVE!

So you can look at the Daemyra marriage in three ways: For love, for dragon, or both.

Daemon's unpredictable, and he pokes buttons, and he takes things too far (re: the gold cloaks for example). He's also very loyal: in the books, he's loyal and in love with Laena, he loves his children, and he's been in love with Rhaenyra as well for years (and probably having threesomes I guess? they were all way closer in the book than in the show) these two sides of a person are allowed to coexist if we allow the same for characters like Aegon and Aemond. And we are led to believe that him and Rhaenyra did in fact love each other. I mean, me personally, I'm the Rhaewin OTP girl because I love me Rhaenyra and Harwin and I think they were very good for each other/could have been very good, I mean they had three kids together, Rhaenyra didn't go find herself a Lyseni dude to fuck, so the kind of risk she was putting herself in with that means there was something more there. Not only that, but Daemons' loyalty was absolute: he would have done anything for Rhaenyra and I don't think he would have risked hurting her position and claim just to have a 6 year old killed.

I think it also puts her oldest three sons in further danger in terms of a future succession conflict based on the rumors of Jace's legitimacy vs Aegon the Younger, who is undoubtedly fully Targaryen, and had the Dance not happened, that would 100% be the grounds for a future succession crisis of children half-targaryen vs full targaryen blood including the TargTower children. The dynasty was primed for a civil war regardless of when that happened because Viserys failed utterly to secure the futures of his family and just hoped there were enough nepo baby jobs to go around I guess.

Case in Point: The Blackfyre Rebellion.

Basically: the Targaryens make huge political mistakes all the time. @gwenllian-in-the-abbey pointed out their theory in a comment on the last chapter of Maiden how Viserys being the one to have Aegon and Helaena get married would hopefully neutralize Aegon's power, because otherwise, you're marrying him to someone like Cassandra Baratheon, and Borros would 100% want his daughter to be queen!

Anyway, I hope that answers some of your questions!

#hotd tag #I'm not answering anything else on this omg #please let me keep hiding

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bellatrixobsessed1 · 1 year

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I don't like the redemption scenario of Azula the hermit who goes off and does her own thing. There is some truth in the idea that redemption doesn't necessarily mean forgiveness from the ones you've hurt, but I don't see Azula being happy alone. One of Azula's main flaws is thinking that she's better than everyone else, and her tragedy is that she ends up alone. Her redemption, therefore, has to come through living for others. Isn't that what redeems all of us in the end?

Sort of long so under the cut.

That one is not one of my favorites either. To me it seems more bittersweet. Speaking as someone who enjoys being more alone and often romanticizes moving into a cabin located deep in a forest away from people, I don’t feel like Azula would enjoy that lifestyle.

I think that she is someone who is very lonely deep down and craves love. Like actual unconditional love. I can see her maybe going of the radar and doing her own thing for a window of time but I don’t think that it would help her to be alone for a long time.

I can see her being semi-isolated like she has two or three people that keep her company while she does her own thing, but I don’t feel like it would be a satisfying arc for her to just be alone.

My idea scenario involves her venturing off and eventually finding a group of people (brand new characters or characters she has never interacted with) and finding a home there. I also like the idea that she eventually makes amends with the gaang but I could be satisfied with her just sticking to her new group.

I do sort of disagree with the “her redemption, therefore, has to come through living for others.” Bit though. And apologies if I misinterpreted what you were saying. But this kind of dances a bit too close to the ‘Azula has to live to be the perfect sister to Zuko’ stance for me. While I do agree that it is important to help others and cherish others, I have always (fictionally and IRL) believed that a person should live for themselves. Not that they should live selfishly but that it’s important to find ones worth in oneself rather than finding worth and validation from other people. I think that there needs to be a balance between living for other people and living for yourself. I don’t think that any one person should live to please others. I think that individuals should strive to do right by themselves while taking others into consideration and putting others first when appropriate if that makes sense.

So in the case of Azula I don’t think that she should live her life entirely through other people. She would need to find what’s good for herself, learn to love herself, and learn to find validation from with in (rather than from sources like Ozai and Fire Nation propaganda) and then from there she can learn to live for others.

The other reason that I partially disagree with that statement is because I feel like her living for others is part of the problem. I always thought that she was motivated by two things; her need for her dad’s approval (she is living for him) and her need for perfection. She’s a people pleaser who has been trying to please the wrong people. I feel like she would probably blur the lines between living for others in a healthy way and seeking validation/approval. Hence why I think that before anything else she would have to learn to live for herself and get validation from herself first because she has never really done that before.

So basically; I agree but I don’t. I think that she should live for other people but she also has to live for herself too. And she has to live for herself first. She needs a self discovery journey before all else.

Thanks for the ask and I hope that I explained everything well!

#Avatar The Last Airbender #Azula #Azula Meta #Azula Analysis

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darklinaforever · 1 year

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I need to share this so much of the conversation I had with this person was hallucinating.

Here are some of the best (lol) parts I've heard from this person on youtube :

"Another thing: you say that in the book the antagonist is the Greens, but I don't believe that's the real point of the story. It's not a war between good guys and bad guys, both sides commit a lot atrocities throughout the story. Much like the Trojan War, it is a conflict that does not oppose good guys and bad guys but in which two sides will tear each other apart, with heroes and monsters on both sides (and an element of good and evil in most of the characters. And above all, this civil war is a monstrous catastrophe for both sides and for House Targaryen as a whole. We must listen again to what Shireen Baratheon says to her father in GOT. Neither side is virtuous in this conflict but war is a calamity for thousands of innocent people. The escalation of the conflict plunges the protagonists into a cycle of violence and revenge that leads them to sacrifice their humanity, which is at the heart of the tragedy.

HOTD decided to make Rhaenyra and Alice two protagonists who, at the end of the season, are both trying to avoid war and that for me is an awesome way to tell this story. They're partly acting on behalf of their old friendship, which is another addition I love to the show, by the way. Obviously, the war which finally breaks out and which will oppose them is all the more tragic as a result."

"But there are two sides that commit atrocities, it's true in the book and it will be even more so in the series in my opinion! You say "the Targaryens did nothing wrong" (I specify that I was talking about the book when I said that to that person on youtube) and you're probably talking about black people but Daemon killed his wife and he and Rhaenyra are complicit in the murder of an innocent man so they can get married. Anyway, no protagonist of this story is innocent. It is a bad reading of the story to see the Greens as the "bad guys". Otto has a huge responsibility in the outbreak of the conflict, it is true, but Viserys too, despite his good intentions, he has almost as much responsibility. Rhaenyra and Alicent are also partly responsible, by the mistakes they make. And also Aemond, of course, who puts an end to any possibility of negotiation.

In the end, both sides share some responsibility for the conflict and lose almost everything in this story. But the first victims are the innocents, the children and the little people who did not ask for anything and who will count their victims in the thousands, because the family that controls the dragons cannot get along. And I maintain that the real antagonist of the story is the war itself, which could have been avoided and which is a tragedy for the kingdom and the Targaryen dynasty.

Martin did not write this story in a Manichean way, he wrote it as a tragedy in which House Targaryen is swept away, by ambition and lust for power, by a cycle of vengeances that leads to its self -destruction. He never wanted to make it a fight of good against evil. His version of Rhaenyra is also mainly driven by ambition and willing to do anything for power.

But anyway, I think the story that HOTD tells is superior to the original. The characters are better developed and more interesting. In particular Alicent and Viserys, but also Rhaenyra in particular, from my point of view. And to have Alice as a real protagonist is awesome.

"You can have your reading of the book's history as one of a struggle between the 'good' blacks and the 'bad' greens, but I disagree. But either way it's much less the proper reading in HOTD's version of the story. Again, I invite you to re-cut what Shireen Baratheon says to her father in GOT. It's not a conflict where one has to side with one side or the other (although many find it amusing to do so.) It is the war itself that is the tragedy of the story.

And even if Otto and Viserys are primarily responsible for the conflict, Rhaenyra and Alicent bear some responsibility for its outbreak. Rhaenyra's lie causes the broken trust that drives Alicent into her father's manipulations. If the two friends had remained allies, Otto could never have manipulated Alicent or become Main again and provoke the conflict."

"It's very clear that Daemon and possibly Rhaenyra are behind Laenor's murder in the book. In the show, they softened it up by having them kill an innocent man instead (and I really liked that twist) but they still have the blood of an innocent on their hands."

"Fire & Blood is not a novel that tells the story of heroes fighting against villains but a historical chronicle that tells the story of this civil war and in the face of which readers are free to develop their point of view. If you can find black people more sympathetic, Rhaenyra is not at all a revolutionary feminist any more than was Mathilde the Empress who serves as inspiration for her character.In the book, she is one character among others , mainly motivated by the desire for the throne and who commits her share of atrocities (I should point out that I never called Rhaenyra a feminist in my conversation with this person…)

HOTD has adapted this story into a much more interesting and non-Manichean narrative, in which the two main protagonists are those childhood friends whom the tragedy of the story leads to become enemies. The breakdown of their friendship is a tragedy, especially since they still have affection for each other. It is a great tragedy that has nothing to do with a struggle between "good guys" and "bad guys". And by the way, remember that Martin himself involved in this adaptation and does not consider it at all a betrayal of his work.

Besides, Alicent and Rhaenyra are not "weaker" than in the original story. They simply have other motivations than the thirst for power and ambition. They are both stronger and more interesting than in the book, especially because they oppose Otto and Daemon and because they understand the higher interests of the kingdom (which is not to cause a civil war) . In the book, Alicent remains her father's pawn from beginning to end, I don't understand how that would make her any stronger. It is her rise to power in King's Landing and her opposition to her father at the end of her story arc that makes her strong, as does her heroic courage in the face of the dragon in the Dragonpit, where she presumably saves the lives of her children. And Rhaenyra shows great strength by imposing her policy against Daemon and the lords who only want to plunge the kingdom into war as quickly as possible. For me Alicent and Rhaenyra are the two real heroines of this story (and my two favorite HOTD characters)."

"Finally, Fire & Blood discusses the different hypotheses and the responsibility of Daemon and Rhaenyra really seems the most probable… Let's admit that the death of Laenor falls awfully well for them. In any case, HOTD does not contradict the book by making d them actors in his disappearance."

"Rhaenyra is partly responsible for the breakup with Alicent not her lie in the Sacred Wood, which leads the latter to believe what her father says about the fact that her friend could become a threat. I understand Rhaenyra for having wanted to hide her story with Cole but it turns out to be a mistake and the break between the two friends is a great tragedy.

I'm not saying that both sides are equal, obviously Rhaenyra would make a better ruler than Aegon (even Alicent eventually realizes this), but Rhaenyra is also right to ask the question of what is better for her and for the kingdom, between peace or war for the throne at any cost. It is the mark of a responsible sovereign to ask herself this kind of question, which is at the heart of the story.

And HOTD's Alicent is essentially driven by good intentions, which makes her character (and story) all the more interesting. Finally, it is not true that there is a lot of inconsistency provided you pay attention to its narrative arc and make the effort to understand its evolution. But obviously, if you only want to see her as a villain, you'll be disappointed."

Do I need to explain how dumb this person is? Worse I think is Laenor's death shot, or saying HOTD is better than Fire and Blood, or even no actually it's outright saying George portrays Rhaenyra as primarily driven by desire for the throne and who commits his share of atrocities as a result. As if she wasn't just fighting for her right in this story?

You may be telling the truth, that the war was simply caused by Green power greed and misogyny, and as I said before, Viserys' negligence. I mean, they literally swore allegiance to the heiress to try to clear her later because of her gender. It is treason for and simple.

But no, it's apparently a misreading of the narrative to see the Greens as the "bad guys". I hallucinate…

Does this person know that a character can be gray and still be a protagonist or an antagonist in the story? Just because both sides contain gray characters, doesn't mean there isn't an antagonist or protagonist. The characters have roles to play and the Greens simply hold those of antagonist! It's pretty crazy to see such a lack of lucidity.

By the way, I loved repeating several times that Alicent as queen, one of the 5 most powerful people in the kingdom, the most powerful after the king himself, selling her feet so that Larys Strong, a man of lower rank than his obeys him, was consummately ridiculous. All this so that this person always ignores this point, never addressing it in his answers and of course emphasizing that no, Alicent is a strong character. She just isn't consumed by ambition and power unlike her counterpart in the book. I also had the right to the fact that apparently Alicent could do or say anything in relation to the decision to let Lucerys inherit or not from Lamarck against Vaemond and Otto. Um… IT'S THE FUCKING QUEEN! SHE IS SUPERIOR TO THEM IN EVERY WAY! She can completely impose her opinion, but she never does. Alicent is passive and a victim as possible. She is not complex. Also apparently the Alicent of the book has no nuance and is just the archetypal wicked stepmother… But that she's also apparently under Otto's influence all along, obeying him all the way… So she's the fucking boss in the book?! Where is she perpetually influenced by Otto?! She's the bump! I mean… Anyway. I really want to hug the real Alicent to console her for the massacre that her character was in this adaptation.

#house of the dragon #daemon x rhaenyra #daemyra #rhaenyra targaryen #daemon targaryen #rhaenyra x daemon #daemon and rhaenyra #rhaenyra and daemon #house targaryen #house of targaryen #anti alicent hightower #laenor velaryon #alicent hightower book

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haleigh-sloth · 1 year

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How do you think Horikoshi will go about giving both the heroes and villains what they want? How does Midoriya become the hero who saves everyone if Shigaraki wants to destroy everything? How does does Shouto become a hero at all when Dabi wants to kill him and have Endeavour's attention to himself? How does Uraraka become a hero who saves heroes when Toga wants to kill all of them to live the life that only makes her happy? Unless this isn't what the villains want at all.

How indeed! You're asking the same questions the story is asking, and trying to answer currently. How? Well, it's a narrative challenge for the hero kids to overcome, so it makes sense that we wonder HOW.

**There is one statement in your ask here I disagree with but I'll get to that.

You listed out all the villains wants, and then raised the idea at the end that this isn't what they want at all. Nice job! Because you basically explained:

What the hero kids were led to believe at first, and are only now questioning those beliefs----->The conclusion/end point that the hero kids NEED to reach, and are currently heading toward.

Let's look at what the villains seem to want:

Shigaraki: Currently Midoriya isn't sure what is really going on inside Shigaraki's head, but the end goal is to learn that. But the only solid, outward impression he got of Shigaraki was of someone who wants to destroy/get rid of things he doesn't like. But the question is, is that actually what Shigaraki wants? I mean, Shigaraki tells us yes, but literally everything else in the story tells us no. First, Shigaraki wanted to make a world without All Might. Well, during Kamino he got exactly what he wanted (or thought he wanted). But instead of being elated about it, he further sunk into the idea that he's just bound to be miserable forever. So was that really what he wanted?

Touya: Shouto knows more, but he doesn't understand it. He sees Touya wanting revenge for the abuse Endeavor inflicted. Which on the surface is actually true. But if only that was the case, then why would Touya not be satisfied with completely wrecking his dad's name and playing a part in wrecking the society that worships him? Or actually, why not be satisfied with just killing him? Why die WITH him? Does he actually want revenge?

Toga: The belief Ochacko has is that she just wants to kill and be allowed to do so. But we see from Toga's actions that she keeps chasing after people who continue to reject her. Why do that? It's because she wants to. So is all she really wants, just to kill people?

Now let's look at what the villains really want:

Shigaraki: No, his deep down desire isn't to destroy everything. That's the result of being manipulated and gaslit into believing that that's all he is capable of doing. That's the result of believing that the only purpose he serves as a human being is to destroy and bring mourning unto others. That's the result of believing that there is literally no other option for him. What does he actually want? He's said it and shown us a bunch of times. Someone to show up for him, be there for him. He suffered a tragedy (that he currently believes he caused purposefully/believes it was inevitable) and nobody gave a shit at all. He wants someone to give a shit. What he NEEDS is another issue altogether. He NEEDS someone to help break free from that belief he has of himself so he can be set free, and also start to actually grieve, move forward, and heal--rather than marinate in a bunch of terrible feelings constantly. How does Horikoshi please both sides? It's easy--Midoriya helps him break that mindset (I can only destroy) and from there, Shigaraki acknowledges that what happened to his family was an accident. And as a result he stops hating himself so much, stops believing he's only useful to destroy, and starts seeing some sort of value in himself as a living person--all of which is necessary to break free from AFO. The answer is easy as to HOW both sides get what they want. Shigaraki never had anyone save him, but he wants that. Midoriya is the hero who shows up when nobody else will (a la chapter 1), and is the hero who wants to save everyone within his reach. Both get what they want, because it's like filling in a missing piece of a puzzle.

Touya: Yeah sure he wants revenge, but we also learned that he currently thinks his family just moved on from him no problem. We learned that once Touya was convinced his family was content without him, he became suicidal. So, is revenge all he really wants? Or does he actually want what he never got as a kid--a family who wants him and showed him that? This includes Endeavor. He doesn't just want to kill Endeavor out of vengence. He wants a moment where Endeavor is fully acknowledging their relationship--father and son. Touya can't die until he gets that. So...this tells me that no, Touya doesn't just want to simply kill Endeavor. But Shouto views Touya's ambitions as vengeful, rather than seeking something he wants and never got. He points out to Touya that he himself acknowledges Endeavor was abusive to the family, and Touya still wasn't phased by that acknowledgement. Because....yeah, Touya is Endeavor's victim, and Touya sees himself in that light. But Touya isn't looking for someone to acknowledge that Endeavor was abusive, he's looking for Endeavor to acknowledge him. And Shouto just doesn't understand that. His life was different from Touya's. He wanted his dad's attention OFF of him, Touya wants literally the opposite. Shouto doesn't get that about his brother, and therefore his first attempt missed the mark. But the next step for Shouto is seeing what Touya's real pain is. Touya wants that acknowledgement, and Shouto wants his family restored. Both get what they want.

**The statement I disagree with though....idk, saying that Touya wants Endeavor's attention "all to himself" is just incorrect. He wanted his dad to pay any sort of attention to him at all. His backstory showed us that his dad basically cut him off. In Endeavor's mind, spending time with Touya was pointless because he wasn't going to be able to excel in training, so he stopped. He also avoided all of the early stages of Touya's mental deterioration--widening the gap even further, damaging Touya even further. I think it's just putting way too much of a selfish, self-centered light on what Touya was actually struggling with to say that. Sorry, I just am not a fan of that phrasing.

Toga: We saw from her past that literally just because of the quirk she was born with, she was outcasted from her family--while she still lived there. We saw in chapter 341 something pretty much a metaphor for self-harm, showing Toga's negative view of herself. Which also results in her just wanting to BE other people she loves. Her feelings toward people have escalated to her wanting to disappear into their identity, rather than maintain her own. Her interest in blood started out as genuine curiosity, but over time began getting combined with her emotions. And when her negative emotions from constantly being talked down to and rejected by her family boiled over, that's when she snapped. So does she actually want to just kill people, or does she want people to accept her for who she is? She keeps fixating on Ochacko, Izuku, and Tsuyu. She relates Izuku to her first crush, the boy she stabbed--the beginning of when her life REALLY went downhill and fast. It's like she keeps trying to seek some sort of validation from that moment of weakness in her life where she snapped and couldn't help herself. She sees how Ochacko and Tsuyu were trusting friends of each other, and she sees how Ochacko and Izuku trust each other, a lot. She wants those things, and she wants those things from the part of society that keeps turning her away. Because she wants acceptance from--you guessed it--the part of society that most people are a part of, the part she was outcasted from, the part her family still exists in, the part she used to exist in. How is this resolved? Ochacko learning what really hurts Toga is a good start. Toga already tried explaining why her life sucks, but Ochacko just heard a bunch of excuses for why Toga hurts others. Ocha now has a more open mind, and based on the last time we saw her, it seems like she's ready to truly listen this time, to why Toga hurts. Reaching that understanding is a good way to lead into them working together, and giving both sides what they want.

Assuming the League end up helping the heroes fight against AFO and whoever chooses to remain on his side (which is what I think will happen), then indirectly--Midoriya did save everyone. Saved Shigaraki from AFO's control, and by proxy everyone Shigaraki helps save can be considered something Midoriya contributed to.

To me, the trajectory is easy to see happen. The details of how I obviously don't know, and can only make guesses at. But the necessary events that are needed for both sides to get what they want are pretty clearly laid out for us.

#bnha #bnha asks #anonymous #boku no hero academia #shigaraki tomura #todoroki touya #dabi #toga himiko #league of villains #it ended up being long #but yeah

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glassvines · 4 months

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Thoughts On 2023 Favorites

TV Shows 1. Good Omens season 2: Oops, I'm obsessed again. You can make the argument that a second (and PHEW eventual third) season was unnecessary, but I disagree. It was nice to get a season that wasn't so breakneck in it's pacing. Everything slowed down a bit and focused in on Aziraphale and Crowley's shenanigans. Which, let's be honest, is what the audience wants. That being said, I liked everything else about it too. A cute/silly plot, fun new characters, and a devastatingly sad finale that left me distraught. I could not have asked for more really. (Except more kissing. Please tell me there will be more kissing.) 2. Lockwood and Co: A spooky premise that probably took a lot of effort to appear even semi-believable [as a tv show]. Yet, it was pulled off with flying colors. It was also perfectly atmospheric and charming, so of course netflix canceled it. I plan on reading the books.

Animation (TV & Films) 1. Murder Drones: 2023 was a good year for indie animation overall, and out of all of them Murder Drones was the show to win my entire heart. Perfect setup for horror and YA spoofing, but also well written enough that I enjoyed the character focus and progression as well. I'm psyched for the final two episodes set to release in the spring. 2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: If any movie of recent memory deserved a decent sequel it was this one, so I'm very happy it turned out as great as it did. One of the few comic-book films I bothered with in 2023. 3. Hilda season 3: Easily one of my all-time favorites from Netflix, so I'm beyond happy it has a great ending now. Gorgeous animation, a lovable main and support cast, and perfect chill vibes. Deserves a bluray release. 4. Elemental: Listen. Pixar's still got it this was so cute. You're forgiven for The Good Dinosaur Peter Sohn. 5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem: So much fun tho. Love the current creative trend in cg films happening thanks to Into the Spider-verse. Also, the No Diggity scene was incredible. The movie has an A+ soundtrack. Anime (TV & Films) 1. Trigun Stampede: So relieved this turned out to be great, considering the original is a favorite of mine. Not a easy feat in the age awful, cash-grab reboots. 2. The Boy And The Heron: Honestly? My favorite Miyazaki film since Howl's Moving Castle. Genuinely moving and left me misty-eyed. 3. Demon Slayer: Swordsmith Village Arc: This show is so pretty. Still surprised how well the series portrays it’s simple, compelling cast. Like it’s an effortless sort of thing (it’s not). 4. Suzume: Makoto Shinkai's last three movies just make me happy okay. Happy and hopeful. The best comfort movies ever. Video Games I have a steam deck now so you'd think I played a bunch of video games last year but, no. I didn't get heavily into much last year. Played some Hades though? Live Films || Note: I watched so many great classic horror movies this year that I had never given a proper watch. I would like to continue that this year!! 1. Talk to Me: Please make more horror movies Danny and Michael Philippou. This one was wild. 2. Dark City: The fact that The Matrix got four movies and this didn't get any sequels is a fucking tragedy. 3. Coherence: Love me a simple, creepy sci-fi movie with an interesting premise. Apparently, quite a lot of the film is improvised as well? That blew my mind. 4. Greener Grass: More films that just feel like one big Adult Swim skit please. This style of script is hysterical to me. 5. Caveat: This goes on my fave list simply for scaring the shit out of me lmao. Movies walk a fine line, when the intention is to make you uncomfortable for long periods of time. They risk being irritating instead of entertaining. Caveat had me shrieking at my tv (in a delighted sort of way).

Honorable Mentions 1. Lore Olympus 2. Nier Automata anime 3. Asteroid City + Wes Anderson's new short films 4. OPLA

Things I'm Looking Forward to in 2024 1. Dune 2 2. Second season of Severance hopefully! 3. Madoka Magica Movie 4: Walpurgisnacht: Rising?? Is it finally happening or what? 4. New Magnus Archives

Some Creative & General Goals for 2024 I feel like I was drawing a lot more in 2023! Still nothing worth posting online, but I'm making some progress I think (slowly but surely). Goals: make more art for my siblings when they request it, finish some digital art that I started, and finish the diorama piece I planned out. On the general goals I'd like to travel more! Particularly, I'd like to visit some national parks.

#new year #new year's #some comments #glassvines gets irl

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