#How many people has he betrayed

[ruporas]

invisible scars (referenced previous talk here)

[ID: A colourless, digital Trigun comic of Vash and Wolfwood talking about Wolfwood's scars. They're both laying in bed and topless. Vash lays on top of Wolfwood, playing with the rosary around his neck. Then, Vash kisses a spot on Wolfwood's chest. Wolfwood asks, "What are you doing?" Vash smiles sadly, "You got shot here. In the last town we visited. You didn't even bother moving."

Vash props himself up over Wolfwood, who frowns slightly. Wolfwood is quiet for a moment before he says, "You remember that, huh?" Vash grabs Wolfwood's left wrist and brings it to his face. "And here." He kisses another spot there. "When you helped free the hostages from that robber..." Wolfwood dismissively says, looking away, "Was a lucky shot." Vash huffs, “Don’t brag. Jeez.”

Half of Wolfwood's expression is shown, eyes returning to Vash who is now sitting up, continuing to say, "And..." Vash goes on and kiss Wolfwood's right palm. "You got cut here, even though that girl was aiming at me." A moment from the past flashes, of Wolfwood grabbing a knife aimed at Vash, his hand bleeding.

At present, Vash moves down and puts another kiss on Wolfwood's right shoulder. "And here, from watching my back." Another memory flashes of Wolfwood and Vash back to back. Vash looks back as Wolfwood grins while holding Punisher, bleeding from multiple gunshots in his shoulder.

"And," Vash combs up Wolfwood's hair to reveal his forehead, "Here." A final memory shows Wolfwood with a regeneration vial in his mouth while getting shot on his temple. The next panel is framed in blood with Vash at the center, eyes wide and stunned in horror. The next panel is a closed up shot of Wolfwood's eye, locked on Vash's face.

Back to present, Vash’s head is bowed down as Wolfwood raises a hand to his nape and says, “Spikey.”

Wolfwood looks serious and frowns as he says, "We talked about this. Those were my decisions. They're not there anymore. Forget about them." Vash looks very sad before he smiles ruefully and says, "I still see them. All the time." He leans down so they touch foreheads. Wolfwood’s sorrowful expression can be seen as Vash says, "You protect so much. I could never forget what you've done to me. And many others..."

In the last image, they're drawn more cartoonishly. Wolfwood sweats and asks, "You don't actually remember every wound, right?" Vash points at a spot on his chest. "Kuroneko left a scratch here 7 times." Wolfwood, startled, says, "Why the hell are you keeping count—" End ID]

Credits for ID here and here

#vashwood #vash the stampede #nicholas d wolfwood #trigun #trigun maximum #another scars comic for one of the vw week days!!!! frankly i think about their scars WAY too often . most notably wolfwood's because #it really symbolizes a lot for him imo bc for vash it's a history of all the people that's ever harmed him betrayed him and the trust he has #given to humanity despite it all. its a beautiful reflection of his character and then u look at ww and presumably #since we dont really see him half naked Ever (shame) and i mean. i guess technically its a hc -- i assume he wouldn't have any scars bc #of the regen potions (which is why he doesnt have his t scars btw the regen pot took them away :pensive:) #in a way its like washing his hands of blood. giving him the body of someone who might never been involved in a fight never held a gun #but he knows thats not true yet he cant really do anything about it anyway bc he's still just human. if he stops taking the regen pots #he can't press forward. so its just a rinse and repeat and growing accustomed to whats inflicted on him because he knows it'll go away at #the end of the day. he's human but he's also not he's far beyond what could be considered a normal human but he still just is. #mortal but also not immortal. idk. i overthink about it a lot GMSKGMDK frankly i dont think it matters THAT much in the context of trimax #but it means a lot to me somehow. also thinking about how no matter how many times ww kills he's never numb to the sensation of it. maybe #the adrenaline gets to him for the beginning half but ive been rereading like.. vol 3? and that entire fight for ww #u can slowly see him spiral as he keeps on going on. anyway anyway. i love ww #ruporas art

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

+3 friendship with Jin Ling: He actively tries to dissuade you from further embroiling yourself in the homosexual allegations.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

#poorly drawn mdzs #mdzs #wei wuxian #lan wangji #jin ling #jiang cheng #nie huaisang #For real though it's so sweet how desperate he sounds when trying to save mxy's face. #Jin Ling genuinely likes this uncle! He's let him into his heart! #Why his uncle is so desperate to make his reputation worse is beyond him!!! #The same uncle who has time and time again proven to be genuine in his intentions and has been there for JL in so many ways! #JL wants to return the favour! Alas it is like holding a dog back from eating the onion chips on the ground. #I sure hope nothing betrays jin ling's trust in this new bond! #(and yes I am keeping NHS and JC's sleep wear in the next scenes. For the whimsy) #In other news - LWJ finally gets a little hand hold. Most likely it was a highfive that lasted a little too long. #But it counts okay? To him it counts. #Speaking of: I went sooooo long in life not realizing the 'hee hee let's compare hand sizes' was a flirt move. #I thought people were just genuinely curious about fingers and hands. But no. It's not that. It's a hand hold move. #I'm here for the science and research. You are here to flirt. We are not the same.

[waterlinkedgirl]

Musical Touken Ranbu: Tsuwamonodomo ga Yume no Ato english sub

A passion project if there's ever been one, it's been a longstanding want of mine to finally do this! Needless to say, Tsuwamono and everything it meant is still my favourite plot from Toumyu! I love its character-driven and intricate writing, its heartrending acting choices, as well as the way it invites one to think about what characters think and why, and why they do or don't (dare to) do the things they do.

However, another important reason that I'm letting myself indulge in this, is that recent Toumyu has taken a turn away from this plot, changing the way how Mikazuki is framed, tying different characters to themes that were tied to Kogitsunemaru, and put those characters into roles that would originally have been most natural for Kogitsunemaru to follow.

In that light, then, I hope that these subtitles will allow you to see, even if it's just the smallest sliver, what I loved in Toumyu's take of Kogi and Mika up to and including Kotobuki. To see that it was beautiful. Because I think it was. 💙💛🌙🦊

Keep in mind that the files in the folder below are only the subtitle files, timed and tled to the blu-ray and DMM senshuuraku distribution. The folder also includes a pdf with translation notes, some background information where I felt it would add, and just a little bit of eager gushing about the references made.

You can find the folder with all the aforementioned files here!

Please enjoy, even if it's just with me in your thoughts.

#touken ranbu #tsuwamonodomo ga yume no ato #toumyu #Water's translations #tsuwamono #Kogitsunemaru #Mikazuki Munechika #we're joining with sute's timeline in which Kogi (may as well have) never existed hahahaha (pain) #but let's put that aside and enjoy Tsuwamono for the beauty it is #I love tsuwamono and translating it has only made me love it more #the references to Kokaji in the starting song were much more intricate than I expected #and I believe the way Basho's haikus are incorporated is smart! #the many things Tsuwamono slyly implies about its worldbuilding are so so so so nice #and also the question of what it means to exist and to be remembered! #that things are never black and white and that even the people you fear may be hurt or will not understand may be different from how you se #and that (I think this is very nice about tsuwa) people make mistakes and make *choices* and that that's what makes them human #I very gently gesture at Mikazuki #I love how he's characterised and how Kuroba conveys that characterisation #He envies shadows and betrays his own advice and cannot lay the finishing blow #he forces smiles. His kindness sways his heart again and again to stab himself with it. He fights a futile battle. He tries anyway. #He lies- He fears- He doesn't speak-- in understandable fear of the devastation he may cause if his words reached the ears of those he love #He would rather risk breaking. #Mikazuki is such a complex and deafeningly HUMAN character and I love that painfully kind and undeniably human portrayal of him so much #and though a certain contrast with Mikazuki is a vital part of the way Kogitsunemaru enters the paintwork here it is ultimately the fact #that he was never black and white- that he ever sees the bigger picture ironically just as Mika said- that allows him to understand #even if with his own personal feelings and his discipline he can't follow the same road #this in deep contrast to Hizamaru- who would not even have hesitated or felt reluctant or even had to battle his feelings had he found out #and I think the relief of having someone dear to confide in- that's emphasized twice with Iwa in the myu- in the form of Kogi #is something that (up to TKO) would and should have meant the world to Mikazuki #that his unwillingness to follow the same path could much too naturally still have meant he could have supported Mikazuki in other ways

[hecksupremechips]

God every day I think about Akane’s breakdown in door 3 because there really is no correct way to interpret that and every possibility makes me crazy. Like she sees this fucked up corpse whom Junpei (and the player, depending on how they play) believes is their friend Snake, but she knows that it’s Guy X. It’s a man she very intentionally put in the game for this very purpose, so that he could die horrifically and be displayed for everyone to see. And she has a full mental breakdown over being trapped in this room with the corpse, being trapped by Junpei, to the point where she rips out her hair and starts bleeding from how much she bangs on the door screaming to get out. And fuck, there’s so many possibilities like

Akane could be feeling genuine terror over the sight of the body, and with that remorse. She made this happen, she wanted this to happen, and now she’s forced to quite literally watch the damage she’s caused unfold. She can detach herself from his murder easily in other timelines where she doesn’t have to look at it, and she can sleep easy knowing that her hands are technically clean because she didn’t do the literal killing. But she can’t do that here, and she has to face the fact that not only did she happily cause this death, she failed her mission. She isn’t going to survive, and now this man is dead for nothing and everything is her fault

On the other hand, her entire breakdown could be completely fabricated in order to keep playing the role of the damsel in distress who is so innocent that the very sight of blood drives her to insanity. The interesting part about this is that if she could fake such a horrific breakdown, just how much of her personality a facade? We know she wants revenge, for everyone from Cradle to feel even an ounce of the pain she and so many others went through, but we don’t get to see the extent of how much she feels this way. We never hear directly from Akane about her feelings on any of the original organizers, just her note about her desire to punish them. She hates them, but does she see their deaths as a necessary evil, or does she feel joy and satisfaction at watching them go? It’s absolutely horrifying not knowing, not being able to see her true feelings, not knowing just how real or fake she is, the extent of her madness. Perhaps she doesn’t even know that herself

IN OTHER WORDS, it’s fucked

#zero escape #akane kurashiki #the truth lies somewhere in the middle im sure #but god both possibilities are so tasty #personally i think her reaction is fake to an extent like i think she does feel at least some joy over the murders #shes doing a good deed and ridding the world of evil #but i think that this is a rare moment where she actually thinks for a minute about what shes done and how its fucked #like shes never truly present in the moment she can never fully grasp the severity of the trauma #and i kinda want to believe that this route is a bit unexpected for her #like she had to have known it was a possibility but its entire existence relies on junpei betraying the others #and i think that she was ready to write it off as a rare possibility so she didnt worry about it too much #because the only thing holding junpei back from choosing door 3 is aoi saying that picking it would require leaving people to die #and akane has nothing but her trust that junpei is good and wouldnt do something so horrible to rely on #but then it happens and she cant handle the uncertainty she wasnt ready for ANY of this to happen #not only did junpei betray the others he betrayed HER in so many ways he doesnt realize #he did what he thought was good for june but its exactly the opposite hes not only damned her #but he trapped her in a room with the disgusting corpse that she put there and everything throws her off #and she has to confront that even junpei is unpredictable and is capable of evil and that she herself has fucked up so much #she cant escape this without literally STEPPING INTO the entrails of someone she killed #and its all just too much and she completely loses it #so yeah for me its less a mental breakdown cuz she feels bad for murder #but more a breakdown because shes been betrayed and caught off guard and has a brief realization of how terrifying her actions are #those may sound the same but they arent please guys please :( #as you can see im very normal about this and good god 999 is so fucking good

[tending-the-hearth]

thinking abt tlt, som, and ttc era percy

percy who's still struggling to find his footing at camp, and every single time during those first three prophecies, he's seen as the outcast, and never once brought into the fold until he comes back after finishing the prophecy.

there's always something that pushes him to the outskirts, something that gives the other campers fodder to make fun of him or completely ignore him.

he thinks he's found his place after the minotaur? nope, turns out everyone sees him as a bad omen and he doesn't make any friends because the entire camp refuses to be around him.

he thinks he's found his place after lighting thief? restoring zeus' bolt? NOPE he finds out tyson is a cyclopes and his brother and now one of his closest friends + the campers are icing him out and grover's not around.

he thinks he's found his place after sea of monsters? restored thalia's tree and hey, now he's got a cousin? NOPE he's pushed aside in favor of her by the campers and chiron and is seen as incompetent and his best friend has been kidnapped and he's being blamed.

rereading those first three books now is so painful, because the way percy gets treated by the camp hurts so much, because literally all he wants is to be accepted by this group of people he should have so much in common with, but every single turn meets him with more people pushing him away.

and it isn't until battle of the labyrinth, until he's named as the child of the prophecy, that people actually start to treat him as one of them.

#the amount of stuff that is kept from percy makes my blood boil #sometimes i think abt how thalia treated him/talked down to him in ttc and i get upset #also ofc this is not excusing percy's own behavior towards tyson in som #AND THE FACT THAT CHIRON PROMISED TO TEACH AND TELL HIM SO MANY THINGS #THEN TURNED AROUND AND TAUGHT THOSE THINGS TO THALIA AND COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT PERCY #thinking abt a percy who absolutely has trust issues #and his circle of real trustworthy people is SO small #literally it's only annabeth grover hazel frank and rachel #sometimes i reread the 'percy gets betrayed' fics and i'm like he's so valid for all of this #percy jackson and the olympians #percy jackson #annabeth chase #grover underwood #thalia grace #chiron

[cloudsmovingcastle]

I don’t think I’ll ever be over the fact that Hunter so desperately wanted to find a cure for his Uncle’s curse. He spent who knows how many nights staying up to ungodly hours of the morning, doing research on different kinds of magic, even wild magic, in order to find something to help. Without Belos even ordering him to do so. Hell, he literally begged his Uncle to let him help.

Only to find out that his Uncle had never been cursed at all. That his Uncle had done this to himself, in his mad quest for power. That his Uncle didn’t even want a cure.

Hunter loved his Uncle with every single fiber of his being. But Belos never even saw him as a person, much less loved him. He only ever saw Hunter as a mindless puppet, wearing the face of a ghost.

#g speaks #toh #toh spoilers #toh hunter #IM FUCKED UP YALL #god. you know i really had hoped that somewhere in that fucked up brain of his #belos had loved hunter. even just a little bit. #i had thought that maybe he held at least a small scrap of affection for him. but no #the only sentimentality that belos held for hunter was never actually for hunter- it was for the brother that belos had loved and betrayed #the way that this man has been constructing actual literal people to use as pawns- for DECADES #people that look exactly like his dead brother whom he MURDERED #only to discard them when they inevitably figure out what fucked up shit he's up to- #and then he just! makes another one! #makes another fucking. clone of his dead brother. who he murdered. #to raise and manipulate and pretend to love #and then murder. #fucking DERANGED #because here's the thing yall. hunter is a person. #grimwalkers are PEOPLE. living breathing autonomous people. #how many people has belos murdered over the years. how many CHILDREN hunter's age has he murdered? #for the crime of being people. of wanting love. #for the crime of thinking for themselves. #god. hollow mind fucked me all the way up #this shit lives rent free in my mind and will continue to do so for the rest of forever

[crowskullls]

THE NEW PENTAR VIDEO WAS SO GOOD. HOOOLY SHIT. HE COOKED. NEED everyone to watch it please please ple

​He orchestrates his own demise and then gets surprised when he has to actually deal with the consequences!!! it’s really good!!! He’s so bad at being evil!

The story telling is just WONDERFUL. He’s so pathetic the entire time. He relies so much on Yungwill and just Gives Up when he’s gone. Soooo insane.

ALSO THE CINEMATICS… THE REPLAY SHOTS… WOW. I’m gonna have to rewatch just to see all of the beautiful shots again.

#PENTAR NATION WHERE ARE YOU!!!! #RISE!!’ #TALK ABOUT THIS FREAK #kicks him around like he’s a ball #Pentar #Auauahgahhhh gotta ramble about him more his character is so intriguing to me #he’s SO strange #Every smp civilization video has been SO SO SO good #I think I need to rewatch all of them again anyways #they make me experience every emotion ever #Yungwill save me… #Twirp’s death made me tear up a bit I won’t lie #I’ve deemed Pentar Jumper and Wemmbu traitor trio btw. #if anyone cares about them like I do #generic ass name but just THINK about it #they’re all so untrustworthy at this point and keep Betraying people #Calm down PLEASE I can’t even track how many times those 3 have lied and betrayed their teams #Solariized certified post

[lunarrampage]

I'm a big advocate of just blocking and moving on when seeing bad takes about your interests but that's mostly because I rarely travel outside the small circle of artists and mutuals I follow and ohhhh boy after having seen the worst take about a beloved blorbo I suddenly understand everything, it was like a redditer overtook my body and I almost went into a rage as I resisted the urge to "um actually" and type up an entire essay in ops comment section but I persevered. Are you all proud of me.

#im mostly being hyperbolic but gosh #it's still eating me up inside so i will continue to complain about it here in the tags lol #so just scroll away if you don't wanna see me complain about things that don't matter<3 #anyway i just saw someone say how karlach worked dorna slaver and would still be working for him if he hadn't betrayed her #implying she was only against gortash because his actions directly affected her #when FIRST IF ALL SHE WAS AN ORPHANED CHILD WHO WAS MANIPULATED BY HIM #AND SHE EVEN SAID IN HER OWN WORDS THAT SHE NEVER WOULD HAVE WORKED FOR GORTASG IS SHE HAD KNOWN WHO HE TRULY WAS #SHE WAS A KID AND WORKED FOR AN AWFUL MAN AND MOST LIKELY DID SOME PRETTY MESSED UP THINGS FOR HIM THIS IS TRUE #BUT SHE WAS A CHILD AND SHE LOOKED UP TO HIM WHILE HE MANIPULATED HER SO SHE WOULD ALWAYS PROTECT HIM AND DO WHAT HE SAID WITHOUT QUESTION #then he sold her to zariel and it wasn't until it was too late did she realize how evil gortash was #im unsure if she new he was a slaver when working for him but since she was a kid with nothing it's not like she's going to fully commit to #being a morally upstanding citizen when she literally couldn't afford it #saying karlach was only against gortash because his action affected her is BLATANTLY WRONG #she has flaws and is a deeply written characters and she cares so much about other people thats on of the reasons she worked with gortash #she cared about him and he used that to his advantage #okay rant over i love u karlach im sorry people refuse to look into your charcter beyond surface level assumptions </3 #babbles #dear god there are so many typos. i aint retyping all that shit tho good luck deciphering that #i say as if anyone is gonna read it sjkdkf

[majimassqueaktoy]

Honestly the further I've gotten into this series the more certain I am that the writers just didn't quite know what to do with Majima after the second game...

#I have a lot of thoughts ™️ #Not even in a deeply negative way or anything #i love majima and y0 and kiwami and kiwami 2 spoiled me for that #I wish he was more present ofc but I am quite happy having haruka and aki and saejima as protags #its just becoming a lot clearer that they were expected to keep Majima in the plot but evidently struggled with the why and the how #Honestly I think the same happened with Daigo? he was in a coma for 3. then hes betraying people and doing weird shit in 4. #5 hes straight up missing #this series has so many good characters but it def doesnt always know what to do with them #if ryuji or nishiki had survived they likely would have met the same fate

[textualviolence]

well. i DO know how joan of arc felt.

#read souriau's the work to be done and the portion where he talks about how when an individual realises he has been called upon by a work #which he must realise in the time he spends with it he is not alone #and the work is not alone either they are in intimate whispering union with one another #& i have had this many times but this week has been the experience of trying to get the work its proper due realization while someone #(assigned classmate for group project) is actively insulting me & thwarting me at every turn #he doesn't get what im trying to do or why i must do it and as a result thinks i am an insane idiot and hates my guts #insults everything i do and tries to get me to drop the insistence on what i know is the right way to proceed #& it is objectively awful but also the whole time the work itself is there saying i am the one who matters and if you do anything except #ignore him and get on with my realization you are betraying me #and people don't get it they're like why don't you just drop it & let this guy have his way. or alternatively why don't you tell him #to fuck off & drop the project. it's clearly taking a lot out of you you're letting this guy ruin your life etc #and its not the guy its the work. the work demands #and im so oddly at peace with it. he sent me like 9 messages nitpicking every portion of my section & it was so strange #bc i was like yes this hurts my feelings at the same time the work itself is by my side like the angels speaking to joan when she was #being tortured. you say i am of the devil i have none to defend me #but the angels are there by my side and i know i belong to them as they belong to me

[menaceborn]

brutus by the buttress is so ayru-core

#i just. i feel like so much of maul's life is marked by having completely conflicting or contradictory feelings towards people or things #like. he's expected to worship sidious and follow his every command but he's also expected and encouraged to hate him #he's supposed to stay in line and be a servant but as per sith tradition he's also supposed to one day betray and murder his master #and no matter how much he hates sidious or how much self awareness he has about what was done to him he can never truly let go of the pride #he has regarding being sith and sidious is the one who opened that door for him. who (in ayru's mind) elevated him #and in some ways a lot of this carries over to anakin/vader too tbh #ayru sees him as his brother (and in many ways they are brothers) and feels an immense amount of guilt that he didn't intervene when sheev #was grooming anakin BUT AT THE SAME TIME he's jealous of anakin both because of the position he rises to within the empire but also because #of the attention he's given by sheev (which is not a thing you Should envy but it's an unfortunate result of the abuse ayru suffered) #i don't think ayru could ever have a healthy (brotherly) relationship with anakin/vader because he couldn't balance the line between #wanting to set him free from palpatine and wanting to murder him to retake his seat next to their father‚ teacher‚ abuser and master. #(not saying he Could murder anakin‚ just speaking to his wants and ambitions etc.) #ayru wants a quiet life. he wants to sit in his corner of the galaxy with his band of brothers but he also wants glory and for the empire #to chant his name #he needs therapy lol

[longagoitwastuesday]

I keep thinking of that reply in my Odysseus/Agamemnon post about how I regard differently Odysseus' and Agamemnon's actions, while acknowledging that at times Agamemnon is written as a sweet man and Odysseus is always straight up shitty, and how it was taken as some sort of defense for Agamemnon and as a form of pointing out the double standard; and that wasn't at all what the post was about for me, even though I can see where they were coming from. To be honest, given I didn't imagine it would spread anywhere other than my own blog, I didn't explain myself very well (or at all).

The fact is that when I talked about Odysseus not caring about hurting someone else's child to start and end a war I was indeed comparing his actions to Agamemnon's, but my words about supporting Odysseus' wrongs and cheering him in his terrible actions, while in a joking tone, weren't entirely a joke. I do think that Odysseus does some very shitty acts, and some quite terrible ones depending on the sources. That's a fact, that he does is at the core of his characterisation and it's what makes him so much fun; but not even when he is at his most cruel does he harm his family, his own son. Agamemnon, while sweet and loving at times in some texts, at his worst is willing to sacrifice Iphigenia. When readers regard with more sympathy Odysseus over Agamemnon despite both being responsible for children dying, I don't think there's a double standard in this aspect at all considering it's never his own kid Odysseus harms. And that's the key, I think.

Odysseus and Agamemnon have very different priorities, a very different view on loyalty and duty. It could be said that Agamemnon acts out of selfishness, but it could also be read in a kinder light, saying that Agamemnon is ruled by the gods first, and by his role as head of the achaeans; Agamemnon is not entirely himself. In opposition we see Odysseus acting perhaps mainly for himself and his own family and men; yes, he is a king, but he has not the role Agamemnon has. As a consequence, Agamemnon submits his family's wellbeing to the war, to the gods, while Odysseus stops the plow before hurting Telemachus but is (depending on the source) the cause of Iphigenia's sacrifice and Astyanax's death.

Both Odysseus and Agamemnon have reasons to support their actions, and both can be sympathised with; it's fiction after all. When it comes to fiction, at the end of the day which character a reader is drawn to or sympathises with is mainly an issue of personal taste, but I suppose it also implies a certain level of one's own views or preferences on morals, what makes us find certain actions more justifiable, or tasteful (perhaps that's a more accurate word), than others. Agamemnon sacrificing his daughter, no matter how sympathetic or understandable the reason, generally sits worse on people than Odysseus doing the same with someone else's kids, because they're someone else's. This different emotional reaction they provoke has place not just metanarratively, but also inside the very story; it is narratively significant, given it determines how their arrival home plays out, how their wives react to them, and thus their futures. Ultimately it determines whether they live or die.

I think both terrible acts go in line wonderfully with each characterisation, showcasing the role they hold in their world, what they value, what they care for, what they're willing to sacrifice for themselves and the others, how much of their own they're willing to give and bend. While looking at the wider picture it could perhaps be drawn that Agamemnon is the better person out of the two, but Odysseus' selfish actions are perhaps easier to empathise with, especially from a modern viewpoint. Odysseus is treacherous and prone to betrayal, but not against his own; Agamemnon follows the rules of the gods. How fitting in that context that Odysseus doesn't die at the end of his story, that he cheats the death heroes so often are fated to, almost as if cheating the narrative itself, bending the rules of the world he is ascribed to; how fitting in the context of those texts that point towards Sisyphus being his father. But that's another topic, and I've already talked a lot.

#Don't get me wrong. Odysseus is super shitty and this is a 'pick your poison' kind of situation #But I don't really think there's a double standard when it comes to the kids situation given that Odysseus doesn't sacrifice his own kid #I really think that's what lies at the core of this. Does that make him shittier and more selfish and a worse person? Actually yeah perhaps #But we are no kings with thousands of people depending on our decision yet cringe at the idea of hurting people close to us #It feels like betrayal. And this is where the moral preference takes the role. Which do you prefer? The one that would betray their family #for the greater good or the one who'd sell the world for their family and themselves? It's interesting because #while in fiction the first option is often the most frown upon while selfish actions for the beloved are easy to sympathise with‚ #in reality these are usually worse regarded. I didn't want to go there because I already wrote so much it didn't fit in the tags #but I actually think the same thing happens with Galahad/Lancelot. Heathcliff/Edgar I'd say has a somewhat similar situation going on #There are many many examples but mainly I was thinking of Galahad and Lancelot #So this is not an 'Odysseus did nothing wrong'. This is an 'Odysseus did many things very wrong but he didn't kill his son #so while both him and Agamemnon were the cause of death of kids‚ their action are not the same so there's no double standard regarding #the particular action of sacrificing Iphigenia. In fiction that kind of betrayal makes characters often unlikeable' #I guess that action 'stains' the view under which Agamemnon's actions are seen and so his character is often seen under a darker light #He is presented a bit as an antagonistic presence opposed to Achilles who is very popular so I guess that also influences this? #Anyway I've been elated by the musical causing Odysseus art and posts but I do have noticed that he is very goodified in it and that #it has influenced how he is being regarded around here (the way it happened with The Song of Achilles as well I suppose) #And I must say I like that less. He is shitty in a fun way but not in a light way. He is very shitty #Definitely not better than Agamemnon depending on the perspective you take. I can't believe I'm 'defending' Agamemnon #He is not my thing at all I'm all for selfish actions for oneself and the loved ones through manipulation‚ #lies and scams and letting the world drown if needed. In fiction Lancelot's‚ Odysseus' and Heathcliff's actions are a lot more preferible #to me than Galahad's‚ Agamemnon's and Edgar's. But yeah #I ALSO didn't want to go there because again it would have take me forever and I would run out of tags (yet here I am) #but there's also a Priam/Hector/Paris comparison in how they act and how they're regarded to be drawn here #Agamemnon/Iphigenia‚ Priam/Hector/Paris‚ Odysseus/Telemachus. And that is not even including everything with Elektra/Clytemnestra/Orestes #or Oedipus and his own family for that matter #But yes. I'll better shut up already. I'm talking a lot more than I intended #I just found that discussion super enthralling and I couldn't stop thinking about it. I still can't #I talk too much #I should probably delete this later

[tenacquity]

give me your morally corrupt muses give me the muses who forgot how to trust anyone else—or never allowed themselves the privilege at all give me the damaged souls out there who don't think they're deserving of support or love

give me all the muses who gave up on humanity a long time ago

let ryuu try with them, okay?

he's not naive enough to believe every single person in the world is willing to change—and his notion of there being "good" in everyone isn't a case of optimism, but more of a case of "I believe everyone has the capacity to be good; it's just that everyone isn't willing to be."

he won't look at someone who commits atrocities and let them off the hook, no, but the thing is—? he's inclined to try to understand where they come from before anything else. because the way he sees it? everyone has a reason: an explanation—not an excuse—for how they behave

and if he can convince someone to see the error of their ways, pry into that trace of humanity still left in them, he won't hesitate—especially when it's clear to him that said person is the result of the world tearing them down one too many times...

maybe they just need one person on their side for a change: one person believing in them when no one else will

#« headcanon » #listen i love nothing more than this dynamic #where the “good” person isn't so much... oblivious to the darkness that exists in the world #but has faced it and continues to keep his chin up while seeing the way it's utterly destroyed someone else #seeing someone give up on everyone because they've been betrayed too many times-- #seeing folks who don't let any love into their heart bc the walls they've built to PROTECT themselves are too high-- #ryuu isn't quick to brush off the crimes or bad things these people have done but ??? #if he sees even a HINT of a chink in that person's armor #he is here eyezooming immediately #idgaf how abrasive your muse is; rYUU WILL WEAR THEM DOWN 3:< (threatening) #but also like u-u pls-- #ryuu has so much love and support to offer and i am more than happy to let him go off and do that for all the lovelies who need it T~T

[couldnt-think-of-a-funny-name]

I think if indiana jones' adoring students ever went on an Adventure(tm) with him it would be really funny if that was the turn off. like, a routine dig he was leading for the school goes awry and he has to get all cocky gunslinger ladies man hero mode and the students are like. hey what the fuck. his shirt gets ripped up revealing he's jacked and that one girl is immediately wiping the 'I love you' make up off her eyes. an entire room filled with artifacts gets destroyed while they make an escape and the kids are all horrified. "professor jones. how many people have you killed" "well, do you count the damn nazis as people-" "UNFORTUNATELY YES. LEGALLY YES. ARE ALL ARCHEOLOGISTS MURDERERS." he's flirting with some random woman on the dig and all the students are like what the hell. you can't talk like that. where did the droning and stutter go. why are you not flustered. she inevitably swoons into his arms or something and they're like "oh my God eww he's so sweaty. ma'am literally what's wrong with you. blink twice if you need help". they're so betrayed to find out he never even NEEDED glasses, he was wearing nonprescription lenses in class. Indy's lowkey hurt he's like I thought you guys thought I was cool :( and they're like 'yeah when you're in a bowtie and telling us about sumarian gardening techniques. WHY do you have a whip right now you freak'

#indiana jones #henry jones jr #harrison ford #molly mumbles #lol

[fromevertonow]

Suzanne Collins is one of the few contemporary writers who realizes the importance of names in her stories and the significance they bear. They add so many layers to the story, additional meanings that otherwise would not have existed.

The original trilogy:

Katniss: named after a plant of which you can eat the roots. Her father taught her where to find it and told her that “as long as you can find yourself, you’ll survive” (quote may be a little bit off, but it’s from one of the early chapters in THG). Additionally, the leaves are in the shape of an arrowhead, referencing her skills with the bow which her father also taught her how to use.

Peeta: literally bread lmao. But bread is one of the basic nutritions humans need, a little bit goes a long way to keep you alive. Peeta’s presence in Katniss’s life also kept her alive, literally and figuratively—the burned bread he threw her in the flashback and their complicated relationship.

Primrose: a plant with medicinal purposes, even more significant in light of her work as a medic in Mockingjay.

Gale: literally means “strong wind” and considering that in every encounter with Katniss he’s caused some reaction, he pulls her into directions she maybe initially doesn’t want to go in. Additionally, his name also represents his determination and steadfastness in his beliefs.

TBOSAS

Lucy Gray: named after William Wordsworth’s poem “Lucy Gray” which is about the titular character of the poem who got lost during a blizzard. She literally got lost in snow. Rachel Zegler sang this poem in two parts on the original soundtrack of the movie. When Snow asked who the girl in the song is, Lucy answers that she’s a mystery, just like her.

Snow: aside from the obvious snow references, I think his name is most significant in relation to Lucy and the poem. The only one who knows what caused her disappearance is Snow. He is the reason that Lucy is gone. But her traces in the snow are still visible. He will always remember her because the memory of Lucy has manifested itself in every part of his life.

Coriolanus: named after the Roman general (and also the titular character of Shakespeare’s play), Coriolanus wanted to attack Rome and become its ruler. He was scorned and celebrated by the people, only to be later exiled from the city by them. In TBOSAS, Coriolanus is the star pupil at the Capitol’s academy but sent into exile to the districts after he won the Games with Lucy through cheating.

Volumnia: Coriolanus mother who played a part in his ascent to power. In TBOSAS, she almost serves like a mentor to Coriolanus, teaching him how to think in terms of power.

(Edit) Sejanus: a roman soldier who was betrayed by the roman emperor Tiberius, just like the future president betrayed him.

(Edit) Plinth: got this info from here, but it was too good not to include here. A plinth is a base for a statue or vase to stand on. After Sejanus’s death, all of the Plinth fortune was given to Snow for being such a good to friend him. It was this money that skyrocketed the Snow family from poverty to filthy rich. The Plinth money was the foundation upon which Snow built his power.

There are so many other names that have historical (mostly Roman and Greek) connotations—Plutarch, Seneca, Cinna—but also regular names like Trinket and Beetee bear meanings that represent the character beautifully.

Names are important. For any lover of literature or (aspiring) writers, please look closely at them. They can shape your story into something unique.

Feel free to correct me if I’ve said something wrong. I know there are many names missing, but I can only add so many examples ✊🏻😔

#tbosas #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #the hunger games #thg #katniss everdeen #peeta mellark #gale hawthorne #lucy gray baird #coriolanus snow #suzanne collins #literature

[fursasaida]

This article is from 2022, but it came up in the context of Palestine:

Here are some striking passages, relevant to all colonial aftermaths but certainly also to the forms we see Zionist reaction taking at the moment:

Over the decade I lived in South Africa, I became fascinated by this white minority [i.e. the whole white population post-apartheid as a minority in the country], particularly its members who considered themselves progressive. They reminded me of my liberal peers in America, who had an apparently self-assured enthusiasm about the coming of a so-called majority-minority nation. As with white South Africans who had celebrated the end of apartheid, their enthusiasm often belied, just beneath the surface, a striking degree of fear, bewilderment, disillusionment, and dread.

[...]

Yet these progressives’ response to the end of apartheid was ambivalent. Contemplating South Africa after apartheid, an Economist correspondent observed that “the lives of many whites exude sadness.” The phenomenon perplexed him. In so many ways, white life remained more or less untouched, or had even improved. Despite apartheid’s horrors—and the regime’s violence against those who worked to dismantle it—the ANC encouraged an attitude of forgiveness. It left statues of Afrikaner heroes standing and helped institute the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which granted amnesty to some perpetrators of apartheid-era political crimes.

But as time wore on, even wealthy white South Africans began to radiate a degree of fear and frustration that did not match any simple economic analysis of their situation. A startling number of formerly anti-apartheid white people began to voice bitter criticisms of post-apartheid society. An Afrikaner poet who did prison time under apartheid for aiding the Black-liberation cause wrote an essay denouncing the new Black-led country as “a sewer of betrayed expectations and thievery, fear and unbridled greed.”

What accounted for this disillusionment? Many white South Africans told me that Black forgiveness felt like a slap on the face. By not acting toward you as you acted toward us, we’re showing you up, white South Africans seemed to hear. You’ll owe us a debt of gratitude forever.

The article goes on to discuss:

"Mau Mau anxiety," or the fear among whites of violent repercussions, and how this shows up in reported vs confirmed crime stats - possibly to the point of false memories of home invasion

A sense of irrelevance and alienation among this white population, leading to another anxiety: "do we still belong here?"

The sublimation of this anxiety into self-identification as a marginalized minority group, featuring such incredible statements as "I wanted to fight for Afrikaners, but I came to think of myself as a ‘liberal internationalist,’ not a white racist...I found such inspiration from the struggles of the Catalonians and the Basques. Even Tibet" and "[Martin Luther] King [Jr.] also fought for a people without much political representation … That’s why I consider him one of my most important forebears and heroes,” from a self-declared liberal environmentalist who also thinks Afrikaaners should take back government control because they are "naturally good" at governance

Some discussion of the dynamics underlying these reactions, particularly the fact that "admitting past sins seem[ed] to become harder even as they receded into history," and US parallels

And finally, in closing:

The Afrikaner journalist Rian Malan, who opposed apartheid, has written that, by most measures, its aftermath went better than almost any white person could have imagined. But, as with most white progressives, his experience of post-1994 South Africa has been complicated. [...]

He just couldn’t forgive Black people for forgiving him. Paradoxically, being left undisturbed served as an ever-present reminder of his guilt, of how wrongly he had treated his maid and other Black people under apartheid. “The Bible was right about a thing or two,” he wrote. “It is infinitely worse to receive than to give, especially if … the gift is mercy.”

#south africa #apartheid #colonialism #palestine