#I just think those analysis videos are very helpful

[douwatahima]

sorry to invoke james somerton again but i just watched his "apology" video and the way he addresses the criticism to his utena video has been scratching at my brain. for this who don't want to watch (which is so so fair), here's what he says:

"we ended up making a lot of videos we didn't want to make because people were asking for them and so there were a lot of videos we made that we didn't want to make and i think those videos are very clear on which ones those were. one of them never got officially released, it was released to patrons. some patrons have shared it to other people before all the videos went private and a lot of people hate the analysis nick and i did on it and so maybe it's good that that never got properly released because maybe it would have hurt people and i don't want that."

so, not directly saying he's talking about the utena video…but he's talking about the utena video lol. the thing that really gets me is like…look. full disclosure. i used to be subscribed to james somerton long before this whole thing blew up. i wasn't necessarily a big fan of his video style, but he talked about a lot of media i enjoy and i liked his analysis (that wasn't really his, but i didn't know that at the time) so i followed him.

the thing about him was he was always asking his followers for shows he should do videos on, especially anime, and then not long after making those posts he would post videos of "things to come" including like…every anime people suggested. not all of these shows ended getting videos made, but the point is james really set himself up as the queer anime video essayist; constantly promising videos about every show people told him they wanted.

and a lot of people loved that about him! a lot of the big names talking about anime on youtube are people doing season by season breakdowns or people talking about big shonen titles, and here was someone consistently pushing out long form analyses on less talked about shows! great! but to find out that not only was a lot of what he said plagiarized, but also that a lot videos were just shat out to appeal to his audience without any care or passion? just to get more views and more money on patreon? that's literally crazy when you're talking about something usually as involved as video essays.

on top of that i'm about 95% certain him doing an utena essay was a patreon tier goal (hence why that video was released there first). he literally heard queer anime fans asking him en masse for a video about one of the best queer anime of all time, decided to set it as a patreon goal, and then literally boxed himself into doing a video on an anime he didn't care about because he promised it to the people who payed him to be the "queer anime guy".

and the thing is he 100% didn't need to do that. he didn't need to "make a lot of videos he didn't want to make because people were asking for them". i follow a ton of video essayists who get requests for videos all the time! that doesn't mean they have to, or even should, make them if they're not passionate about the topic! video essays, when actually done well and with integrity, are hard work. that's why most good video essayists take a lot of time between videos! to think that this guy just took every possible suggestion, dangled them like carrots in front of his audience, that made a bunch of passionless, mediocre videos to solidify his station as the queer video essayist to watch is just…upsetting and disheartening tbh.

anyway if you want some actually good analysis of revolutionary girl utena, my favourites are "is revolutionary girl utena still relevant?" and "why revolutionary girl utena still slaps" by stushi, and "the shadow play gays" podcast (note: this podcast is run on the same feed as another podcast called "bitter jurors". you may have to scroll back a bit to find "shadow play gays", it started in 2021 if that helps, but i promise you it's worth it).

#anime: utena #james somerton #there's obviously more important things in the apology video than this #like him straight up not using the word plagiarism or him throwing his supposed best friend under the bus continually #but this just irked me in a particular way you know?

[milk-ducts]

[Brief] Thoughts on Film Theory's Analysis

I was gonna post this on my priv twt.. but moots convinced me to post it here so here we are.. beware of spoilers, gore, bla bla bla ..

FIRST OFF I'm gonna start by saying, I AM ESL. I may or may not have misinterpreted some of his words, but this is mainly how I thought of his analysis. This is not meant to be ill-guided or rude ! so sorry if it comes off as this way. I will be very repetitive.

Another thing, most if not all of the information matpat gave out i alr discussed with a few mutuals on discord about a few months back so this is not new territory to me 😭😭 I thought most folks would already knew the concept of how the brain deteriorates overtime But honestly, that indisposition shouldn’t even apply to omni man??? matpat tried to compare an immortal Viltrumite's psychology to that of an aging human's, which can be misguided.

Let's start by how he compares Nolan's brain to the average aging human's brain so the audience could understand his psyche more and how empathy declines overtime. First and foremost, Nolan is not a human, second; Nolan wasn't raised with empathy or around an empathetic environment - it was an alien concept to his race. Something frowned upon. He was raised from birth to conquer and destroy without remorse. His brain never developed those neural pathways for empathy in the first place. It's not that they deteriorated over time, they were never even formed.

By the time he came to Earth, all this familial stuff was new to him. Sure, he knew he was gonna outlive them, but He didn't think he'd get attached. HE didn't process that he'd grieve over them when the time came.

Interacting with humanity for the first time ignited unfamiliar emotions in Nolan that he didn’t know how to process.

His time living amongst humans caused conflicting feelings he’d never experienced in his centuries of systematic slaughter. Loving Debbie and Mark went against everything he was taught, but he couldn't help it. For once, the lives he was manipulating to further Viltrum’s goals meant something to him. He developed a [what he presumed, NOT what he felt about them in reality, his love for them is far more profound than he assumed it to be which we later on see in the last ep of s1 and the second season] petty facsimile of love for his ersatz family.

So no, his capacity for empathy didn't decline with age as MatPat claims. His empathy was stunted from the start. An underdeveloped skill, not a deteriorated one. We had characters like Debbie to help him understand those notions, help him grow it. With Mark in the mix? it only amplified that development.

Viltrumites are societally and culturally predisposed to violence and domination. Nolan was never accustomed to forming emotional connections or grieving loss. Those were entirely new experiences for him after arriving on Earth. He was not jaded. he was grown into jamais vu in viltrum.

This is why the whole conflict in s1 happened, he was treading between double lives he wasn't sure of. He was conflicted because his past values were refuting with his new experiences. He found love on Earth, he found himself unable to accept how he'd lose Debbie. Of How jaded Mark might become. Everything he said to Mark till that point was his own self-projections, his own fears, doubts.

While the video did provide some interesting facts about neuroscience and aging, the application of those facts to Nolan's character was inaccurate. IT is educational for those who don't know, but it isn't recent news that the brain begins to deteriorate overtime so this video wasn't that informative which kinda disappointed me. Their analysis lacked alot of information about the Viltrumite race and Nolan's character. Comparing him to humans with normal life experiences just doesn't work. His immortal nature combined with a lack of empathy from birth created a psychology unlike anything seen on Earth.

SORRY FOR RANTING ALOT AND OR IF IT SEEMS LIKE I'M GIVING MATPAT SHIT ... i really liked their analysis on immortal so i'll give them that. Immortal, unlike Nolan, was born human. He has lived among humanity for over 3000 years, inhabiting different identities of public and devoted historians. Because of this, his psyche developed quite differently. Immortal knows how to form connections, experience loss, and adapt to social changes. His perpetual existence didn't harden his heart like Viltrum's brutal culture did to Nolan. Instead, Immortal's immortality allowed his empathy and compassion to blossom.

Humans are social creatures. Our brains have evolved to seek out interpersonal relationships, crave affection, and find meaning in community. For an immortal like Immortal, social interaction is vital to staving off boredom, depression and detachment from humanity.

By inhabiting mortal lives, he stays tethered to the human experience. He continues learning, growing, and developing empathy.

This is why he's devastated when the guardians die.

This is also why he goes fucking mental and tries to kill Omni-man.

If Immortal had lived in isolation all this time, unable to connect with people, his psyche would likely resemble Nolan's more closely. Without social interaction, Immortal's brain would atrophy in ways that preclude complex emotions and moral reasoning. His sense of purpose would fade, achievements would lose meaning, and life itself might feel pointless. By engaging with humanity, Immortal gives his endless existence purpose and direction. He finds value in each temporary life, so loss still impacts him deeply. Socializing keeps his emotions and cognition flexible, which prevents the apathy and hardness of heart seen in Nolan. Nolan never had these opportunities in his early years, this is why it's more difficult for him to stray away from his indoctrination. It's that he's unused to it, underdeveloped.

60 years to Nolan would've been a year and a half, so what's 20 measly years on Earth for him? Yes, he found profound connections in that little speck of time, but Immortal's emotional capacity is far more extensive.

In summary, Comparing Nolan to a human, whether mortal or immortal, is kinda inaccurate. His Viltrumite psyche rules out him from possessing JADED human qualities. You could say he's desensitized to violence sure, but no.. unfortunately.. he does not have [boomer] brain. He has [indoctrinated alien-fascist brain]

Leave your own thoughts down below or through reblogs, I'm really interested on what others may think of this! (URGHHHNN... my hcs r slipping away from my fingers cuz now people r gonna accept what matpat says as truth.. someone gun me down from the hills..)

#ALSO my moots and I had all analyzed this vid and ironically enuff Matpat's analysis makes a hell of a lot more sense when applied to my OC #Aconite !! rather than her father nolan but i will discuss that in a separate post because ykno.. #this may or may not have been the worst take in existence.. i am prepared to be called a dumbass.. (i am not. i am sensitive..) #it is so jover for me.. i will need to change identities.. #invincible #omni man #mark grayson #omni man invincible #milky.txt #milkyrants #milkyrambles #invincible spoilers #nolan grayson #immortal invincible #ur honor omni man is cluster b coded and has ASD.. #IDGAFFFFF !!!!! *i scream aloud in my padded white room rocking back and forth in a straitjacket* #i think alot of people tend to forget nolan is an alien . so let me quickly remind you .! HE IS AN ALIEN.

[trashpandato]

The sun in your eyes made some of the lies worth believing

When Lex slips out of her grip hundreds of feet above Shelley Island and plummets, Kara knows better than to just assume that this is it. This is Lex Luthor. She’s not sure what trick he might have up his sleeve, but she is sure that he has a plan for his escape, so she dives to follow. She can see the moment something impacts with the ground, but still, she’s convinced that he’s managed to disappear before that happened, so she continues her search.

“Alex! I lost him. We need to find him.”

The comms system crackles a little but Alex comes through loud and clear:

“He’s gotta be dead. There was a mini explosion when he hit the ground.”

“I don’t think he is, but if you’re right, I want to see the body.”

Alex tries to argue, but Kara won’t have it. They’ve been on the back foot for so long while fighting Lex, she knows this would have been too easy.

They search the impact site. There’s a small crater, there are pieces of Lex’s warsuit, but it’s impossible to know if Lex is dead until they’ve done a thorough analysis of the debris. Kara is about to call for Brainy’s help to speed up the process when she hears it:

Lena’s heartbeat.

It’s skyrocketing. Kara freezes for a second to listen more closely, to locate Lena, and then she’s off, briefly yelling into the comms device that she needs to find Lena.

When she lands, she’s at a cabin of sorts. It blends in with the environment and Kara thinks she might be in the wrong place. Nothing here looks suspicious. But then she hears voices and Lena’s short, shallow breaths. She wants to rush towards the sounds, to make sure Lena is safe, but she’s frozen in her spot when she hears Lex say it.

“Kara Danvers is Supergirl.”

He sounds weak, the words are gasps more than anything else but to Kara, they are the sounds of a dying world. She stops breathing, her limbs suddenly feel leaden. She wants to burst into the cabin, but she can’t move. She needs to see Lena. She needs to explain. Suddenly, she feels sick to her stomach. Kara knows she should have told Lena long ago, but the fact that it’s Lex in the end who shares her secret is too much. Images of Lena’s face flash through her mind as she imagines the shock and pain Lena must be feeling in that very moment.

But then Lena’s voice comes through, steady and calm.

“I know.”

It’s followed by the sound of one solitary gunshot, and then silence. 

Kara takes a steadying breath and then rushes into the cabin. Inside, she finds Lena, gun in hand, staring down at Lex’s slumped body. A quick x-ray confirms no vital signs. He’s dead. Kara looks up and takes in the room around her. There are several monitors showing a video, a collection of images of Kara using her powers: the day Mercy Graves attacked, then in Kaznia. It’s dizzying to watch and Kara wonders how Lex got this footage in the first place, but then she remembers Lena’s words. Lena knows.

“Lena.”

Her back is still turned to Kara and she flinches a little at the sound of her voice but she doesn’t turn around, not right away. Lena’s hands are shaking, her heartbeat is almost violently loud in the small room.

Kara isn’t sure what to say. She wants to comfort Lena, hug her, make sure she’s okay, but she’s not sure what Lena needs right now. So she waits.

“You all really think I’m stupid,” Lena scoffs, her gaze still fixed on her brother, “that I didn’t see through the world’s worst disguise with ease.”

Kara winces. She knows others have pointed out that glasses and a ponytail aren’t enough to hide who she really is. Alex makes fun of her for it regularly. But hearing Lena say it, hearing the disdain in her voice as she spits out those words, makes Kara’s stomach clench.

“How long have you known?” Kara’s not even sure she wants to hear the answer.

The question finally makes Lena turn around, and it’s better than only seeing her back but Kara swallows hard when Lena locks eyes with her.

“Definitively? Since that day you saved me when I was pushed off the balcony. Your story about Supergril and Kara Danvers having coffee when I called was a little too convenient. But I had my suspicions since you flew to my office, on a bus.”

Kara grimaces. She’s never been particularly good at coming up with excuses around Lena.

“Lena. I’m so sorry.”

Kara wants to apologize, to explain, but Lena cuts her off.

“I understand why you didn’t tell me.”

And that, Kara isn’t sure what to do with that.

“You…you do?”

“I can’t say that I understand entirely why you felt the need to keep up the charades for as long as you have. But I get that you couldn’t trust me. Not really.”

“No! Lena, that’s not why,” Kara starts, her voice taking on a frantic note. She needs Lena to know that this was never about trust.

Lena lets out a harsh huff, half-turns her body towards where Lex is still slumped over in his chair and waves her hands around at the room.

“Kara, come on. I’m a Luthor. Both my mother and my brother have hurt you, multiple times, have tried to kill you and your family. I don’t blame you. I get it. Hell, I doubt myself several times a day, so of course you would, too.”

Kara shakes her head. She takes a step towards Lena and Lena stiffens but doesn’t retreat.

“That’s not why. I mean, maybe at the very beginning that was a consideration, but you’ve shown me over and over again that I can trust you. And I do!”

Lena frowns. Her head tilts slightly like it often does when she is trying to solve a problem, a puzzle, but where Kara usually finds an open, curious expression, Lena looks guarded. 

“Then why?”

Kara wants to tell her that she did it to protect Lena. Images of Alex trapped in a tank rapidly filling with water flash through her mind and she shudders. There have been too many moments when people close to Kara have been in danger because of her secret.

But this is Lena, who fends off several assassination attempts a year, who is in danger so much already but somehow manages to keep going, to protect herself and others over and over again. Not wanting to add yet another target on her back might have been one motivation for Kara, but it has never been the main driver for keeping Lena in the dark.

Kara’s real reason has always been more selfish.

“Because I liked being Kara with you. Just Kara. Not a Superhero who is expected to save the day, every day, not an alien refugee who watched her world die in front of her eyes. Just Kara, who loves watching silly rom coms with you, who refuses to try your kale salads…who is your friend.”

A thought pops into Kara’s head then, a question that she’s almost too terrified to ask.

“Are we still friends?”

Lena shifts her weight a little, straightens her posture and raises an eyebrow. Kara has seen Lena do this many times, usually at work, when she’s trying to gain the upper hand in an uncomfortable conversation. 

“I don’t know. Are we?”

The question hits Kara right in her chest, and she almost feels winded. She knows she deserves it, deserves whatever anger Lena might feel towards her for lying for so long, but it still hurts to hear that Lena is questioning the very foundation of their connection.

“Of course,” the words rush out of Kara’s mouth in a panic, “I mean, I hope we still are? I would understand if you, um, if you need some time to, to decide if you still want to be. Friends, I mean.”

Lena sighs then. She sounds tired.

“I don’t think I’m the one who needs to decide that, Kara. Look around,” Lena pauses and looks over her shoulder at Lex. “I’ve made it pretty clear where my loyalties lie, don’t you think?” 

Kara’s thoughts are racing. She tries to find the right words to say, to explain that she trusts Lena, she really does, but all she can see is that Lena is trying to blink back a few tears and she wants to sweep her into a hug but she feels frozen in place.

After a moment of silence between them, Lena clears her throat.

“Right. Well. You should probably call Alex and tell her about this,” she waves around the room again. “I’m sure you’ll both want to get rid of the video and any other evidence Lex might have kept here about your identity before you call the authorities about him.”

“Lena,” Kara tries to walk towards her but this time Lena does step back.

“I’m going to go. When you’re done here, if Alex thinks I should turn myself in or give an official statement or something, you know where to find me.”

“What?” Kara’s brows are furrowed. She’s not sure why Lena would turn herself in. 

“I shot him. With intent to kill. Pretty sure that no matter what he’s done, that’s still illegal, so…”

Kara nods. She can barely breathe. Lex is dead, and Lena is the one who shot him, willing to face whatever consequences that might follow, and she did it for Kara. The full extent of it all makes Kara feel dizzy.

Lena turns towards the door and takes several steps before she stops.

“And Kara?”

“Yeah?”

“What happens now, moving forward, it’s up to you. It’s always been up to you. The only thing I ask is that you’ll be honest when you tell me what you’ve decided. Don’t,” Lena warns, “don’t insult my intelligence again.”

“Okay,” Kara nods again, “I promise.”

Dealing with the cabin ends up taking the better part of two days. Brainy scans the computers and finds a couple of encrypted backup servers that hold copies of the video Lex showed Lena, along with the source materials. Once found, he erases any trace of it and any trace that anyone accessed or modified content on the servers. They dismantle the tech itself and strip the cabin to its bare bones to ensure that no other evidence of Lex’s machinations remains.

As for Lex himself, Alex is shocked when she arrives and hears from Kara what happened.

“Lena killed him? Just like that?”

“I’m sure it wasn’t just like that, Alex. He showed his cards, that he knew my identity and was willing to expose it for personal gain.”

“So she did it for you?”

Kara pauses, replaying her conversation with Lena in her mind.

“She’s always done everything she could for me. She’s saved my life so many times. She’s saved yours, too. She’s always been there for us, for our friends, for the city.”

Alex huffs. “You’ve both been there for each other many times.”

“I don’t think so, Alex. I mean, sure, I’ve saved her life a couple of times, but don’t you see? She’s always done all these things for us, for me. And all this time, I was lying to her.”

“You had to, Kara.”

Kara shakes her head vigorously. “I didn’t. Maybe for the first month or two, sure. But after that? She’s proven so many times that we can trust her, that when push comes to shove, she’ll put our safety above her own interests. And I lied. I pretended. And all this time she knew. Rao, I don’t even know how she listened to my stupid excuses for when I had to run off to deal with the next emergency and just…rolled with it.”

Kara sinks down onto a large box that’s filled with all kinds of Lex’s tech from the cabin and buries her face in her hands.

“Alex, I messed up. You should have seen the way she looked at me. She wasn’t angry, not really. But she doubts our friendship, and I have given her every reason to think that I haven’t been fully committed to it.”

Kara feels Alex’s arms wrap around her in an awkward side hug.

“Hey. You did what you felt you had to do. You had your reasons, and I’m sure it hasn’t been fun for her to be kept at arm’s length, but you can change that now. You get to show her you’re all in.”

“How?” Kara asks, her tone almost desperate.

“You’ll think of something. You know Lena better than anyone.”

Kara sighs. “Yeah, okay.”

Kara ends up keeping her distance from Lena for the better part of two weeks. At first, it’s just a couple of days, and Kara can justify it with all the work they have to do to dismantle Lex’s various hiding places, to make sure he doesn’t have any more information on Kara that can fall into the wrong hands. But then, days turn into a week, one week turns into two and Kara no longer has any real excuse for not going to see Lena. It’s just that she doesn’t know what to say, not yet.

Nia finds her hanging around at the Tower one evening. She throws herself on the couch next to Kara so forcefully that Kara is sure she hears the frame crack slightly. But before she can chastise Nia for jeopardizing the structural integrity of the furniture in their place of work, the other woman claps a hand against Kara’s thigh.

“You really have to stop moping. It’s messing up the vibes in this place.”

“What? What vibes?”

“You know, the ones where we all work together as a team of Superfriends? Who have each other’s backs even when the world is about to end?”

Kara lets out a frustrated huff but doesn’t respond.

“Just talk to her,” Nia says. “Because honestly, this is killing me. I want Lena back. And so does Brainy. And I’m sure Alex does, too, in her own way.”

“I’m not keeping you from reaching out to her,” Kara snaps. She’s pretty sure that Nia is perfectly capable of sending Lena a text.

“Dude. You know the only reason Lena pulled away from all of us is because you lied to her, and by extension we all did, too. But she’s waiting for you to make a move here, to show her how you want to proceed. And until you do that, the rest of us are sort of, well, background noise.”

Kara disagrees. “No, you’re not. You have your own relationship with Lena, you all do. You can go and tell her that you’re sorry for lying, that you did it for me. I’m sure she’ll be more than happy to accept that.”

“Sure. And then what do I do when Lena inevitably asks me about you and why you haven’t called her yet? Do I lie again by not telling her that you’re sitting here like a lovesick puppy because you can’t admit that you have feelings for her?”

Kara’s head snaps up and for a brief moment she has to focus on controlling her heat vision when she glares at Nia.

“What?”

“Oh come on, Kara. I’m not blind.”

“I don’t know what you’re referring to. We’re friends. Or, well, at least I hope we still are.”

Nia sighs and shifts her body so she can look at Kara more directly.

“You and I are friends, right?”

“Um, of course. Why do you even ask?”

“Because you sure as hell don’t look at me the way you look at Lena.”

Kara squirms in her spot. She wants to end this conversation. In fact, she wants to go back to a time where they never have this conversation in the first place.

“Nia,” she sighs, hoping her tone lets her know to drop it.

But Nia is undeterred.

“Kara. As your friend, I’m going to say this once and only once: tell her how you feel. Sure, things right now are…tricky between the two of you. She knows you lied, and she’s wondering whether you were ever really friends at all. But that means the door is open to redefine what you two are. Show her you trust her, that you care about her, as more than a friend.”

Kara wants to deflect, to tell Nia she’s on the wrong track, but something about the way Nia pins her in place with a heavy look makes Kara deflate.

“But what if that’s not what she wants? I can’t lose her, Nia. It’s safer if I just go and apologize to her profusely and try to mend our friendship and that’s that.”

“She’s not stupid, Kara. In fact, you said she explicitly told you not to insult her intelligence again. If you pretend that all you want to be is friends but you keep making heart eyes at her every opportunity you get, she’ll know that you’re still lying to her. Just not about secretly being a superhero this time.”

Kara rubs her hand across her face and lets out a frustrated sigh. She knows Nia is right about Kara owing Lena the truth, all of it. She’s just not sure if she is strong enough to risk it.

“You’re right,” she says after a moment, sounding defeated. “I just…I’m terrified.”

At that, Nia slips one of her long arms around Kara and pulls her against herself.

“I know. But hey, you’re Supergirl. You do scary stuff all the time. You can do this, too. You owe it to her, and to yourself.”

Kara sags against her on the couch. Nia is right. She can do this. But right now, she simply lets herself be held for a moment.

It takes another day full of frantic pacing, stress-eating three dozen donuts and a box of chocolates that Alex informs her “were for Kelly, thank you very much” before Kara plucks up the courage to send off a text that has set in her app as a draft for way too long now.

KD: Can we talk?

Lena’s reply isn’t immediate, and Kara can’t tell if that’s deliberate or if Lena is simply too busy dealing with the aftermath of Lex’s death. Alex didn’t think Lena should take public responsibility for it, so they had created a cover story to explain that he had died in a shootout with federal agents who were trying to apprehend him. The story allowed Lena to officially take over Luthor Corp and Kara has seen through media reports just how much work this has been for Lena.

When Lena’s text comes in later that afternoon, it’s both a relief and a source of worry.

LL: You know where to find me

Kara reads and re-reads the text more times than she can count. She knows it’s hard to pick up on tone over text, especially one so short, but Lena sounds guarded, defensive, which is not a great place to start for the conversation Kara knows they need to have. On the other hand, Lena is still talking to her, inviting her to find her, so at least that means she’s open to hearing Kara out. 

She spends the next three hours obsessing over Lena’s text and over what she wants to say to her. Kara knows she has to apologize for lying, for keeping Lena at arm’s length for so long. But she also wants to know why Lena never told her that she knew, that she has been playing along for years. With her stomach in knots and her thoughts pinging around in circles, she decides to talk to Alex first. She needs some outside perspective before she can have this conversation with Lena.

But when she makes her way over to her sister’s place, Alex isn’t home.

“Kara, hi,” Kelly says with a warm smile as she steps aside to let Kara in. “Come on in.”

“Um, hi. Is, um, I need to talk to Alex.”

Kara follows Kelly as she leads them both into the kitchen.

“She’s not here. She took Esme out for ice cream. A little bonding time after they had a bit of a stand-off this morning over what counts as appropriate breakfast food.”

“Oh. Okay. I’m, that’s good. I’m glad they’re doing that.” 

Kara stumbles over her words and looks down at her feet. She really needs to talk to her sister, but she also doesn’t want to intrude on their family moments. She knows how much being a mom means to Alex, and how hard it is with their jobs to spend quality time with loved ones. Kara scuffs her toe against the tile floor a little as she contemplates her options.

Kelly’s voice pulls Kara out of her thoughts.

“How about I make us some tea and you tell me what’s bothering you. Maybe I can help?”

Kara hesitates. 

“Oh. Um. I don’t want to keep you from anything important.”

Kelly just smiles and fills the kettle with water.

“You’re important, Kara. You know that, right?”

Kelly’s soft voice is soothing, and for the first time since receiving Lena’s text, Kara feels her shoulders relax a little.

“Is this about Lena?” Kelly probes, and before Kara even thinks about whether or not she wants to have this conversation with her, she nods.

“Yeah. I, um, I want to talk to her. Need to talk to her. But I’m terrified and I don’t know where to start.”

Kelly hums and plops two tea bags into their mugs as she waits for the water to boil.

“What is it you’re most worried about?”

Kara thinks it’s deliberate that Kelly isn’t looking at her in that moment, that she appears focussed on the task of making them tea. She wonders if this is a tactic she uses with Alex as well.

“Honestly, I’m not even sure. I mean, I spent years worrying about what would happen if she ever found out who I am. I was so sure there’d be a, um, a big confrontation. A fight. That I would lose her. It’s part of why I kept it from her for so long.”

Kelly hums but doesn’t say anything, so Kara continues.

“But now I know that she knows. That she’s known all along, and she’s still, I mean, she’s here, she never left. So my fear about telling her was unfounded all this time, only I didn’t know. And I don’t know what to do with that.”

“It sounds like you feel caught off guard. And that’s understandable. You only just found out that something that was foundational in your relationship with Lena wasn’t the same for her at all. That would be pretty disorienting.”

“Yes!” Kara bursts out, but then she softens her next words. “I mean, it feels weird. I’m the one who lied to her, so it’s not like I can complain about her not telling me that she knew.”

Now Kelly does turn to look at Kara.

“You could. Look, I think the most important thing for both of you moving forward is that you find a way to be on the same page. And honesty is going to be a key piece of that. Not just telling her who you are, officially, but I think you should tell her that it’s confusing for you that she’s known all along and never said anything. I’m sure she’s had her reasons, just like you had yours. Hear her out, don’t hide what you feel just because you feel guilty about keeping her in the dark.”

Kelly hands Kara her mug and the immediate heat she feels through her hands is comforting.

“But what if she pulls away now? What if telling her how I feel, um, about everything, is the thing that makes her leave?”

“You can’t control what other people do. All you can do is show her what you want things to look like going forward. But Kara,” Kelly pauses and waits for Kara to look up from her mug, “I think Lena has shown you for years what she wants. That she’s willing to work with whatever you’re willing to give her. It can’t have been easy, knowing but watching you keep her at a distance, but her commitment to you has never waivered.”

“I know,” Kara sighs. “I know.”

Kara’s gaze drifts down to her mug again. Kelly is right. Lena has been there for Kara all along, so maybe it doesn’t matter that they weren’t able to be completely honest with each other in the past. Maybe all that matters is that they’ve been here for each other despite it all.

Kara’s head snaps up when she feels a warm hand on her elbow.

“Just talk to her. Be honest with her and with yourself and tell her what you want from her moving forward.”

Kara nods. “I will. Thank you, Kelly.”

Kara leaves but still doesn’t go to Lena immediately. Kelly’s words echo in her ears. Tell her what you want from her. And then there’s what Nia said, and Kara can’t deny it. She does want things to change between her and Lena. She wants more, has for a long time.

It’s late when Kara finally finds herself in front of a familiar door. She decided against the balcony, not wanting Lena to feel ambushed. Being here now, her hands poised to knock, makes Kara feel jittery and unsure. She takes a few deep breaths and knocks.

It doesn’t take long for Lena to open the door, and she doesn’t look surprised to see Kara either, even though it’s been hours since Kara texted her and weeks since they last saw each other. Lena greets her with a quick nod and turns around to walk back into her penthouse, leaving Kara to trail after her. And after a second of stunned silence, Kara does. When she makes it fully inside, she watches Lena set a kettle on the stove and turn it on.

“Tea,” Lena says, her voice about as neutral as Kara has ever heard it. But then she finally turns around, flicks her gaze up to meet Kara’s and asks: “Would you like some?”

“Uh. Sure. That. Yes, that would be nice.”

Lena nods and continues prepping the tea. It’s clear that she’s looking for something to do, to fill the space between them, and Kara can relate. 

“How have you been?” Kara says, and she knows this is a weird thing to ask as soon as the words leave her mouth, but she needs to break this tension between them somehow.

“Oh, you know. Kind of busy dealing with the fact that I murdered my own brother and then took over his company.”

Kara grimaces. “Right. I can imagine that’s been…a lot. How are you, how are you holding up?”

Lena stops fiddling with the tea mugs then and leans back against her kitchen counter, arms crossed in front of her chest.

“Is that what you’re here to talk about? My stress level?”

“Um, not really. I mean, I do want to know how you are doing, but, um,” Kara starts but cuts herself off.

She’s in the middle of trying to shove her hands into her pockets when she realizes that the pants she is wearing tonight don’t have any pockets, so her arms fall down awkwardly at her side and she lets out a frustrated huff. 

Not a great start.

But then there’s a twitch of a smile tugging at Lena’s lips and in that moment, Kara’s frustration shifts into pure adoration for the woman in front of her.

“You know, I had this whole speech prepared, in my head,” she begins again. “It was a good one, too. But now that I’m here, all I want is to, um, can I hug you?”

And Lena’s eyebrows flick up at that but she nods and Kara doesn’t hesitate. She’s around the kitchen island in a flash and then carefully but firmly pulls Lena against her, loops her arms around her back and holds tight. 

Kara has missed this. She’s always been touchy with Lena, has always tried to express her admiration and love with little touches and big hugs. These last few weeks without her have felt cold and confusing, but being here now, having Lena in her arms again, reaffirms Kara’s conviction to make things right.

She keeps her voice low for her next words.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Lena. I never should have lied to you for so long.”

She feels Lena stiffen a little but she continues: 

“I can’t even really explain why I kept the lie going for so long. Like I said, at first it was because I didn’t really know you, but then, I don’t know, it just, it got away from me. There were so many moments when I wanted to tell you, but I always chickened out. I didn’t want to lose you.”

Slowly, she eases the hold she has on Lena and leans back but keeps her hands on Lena’s arms, unwilling to break contact.

“I know it wasn’t fair to you. And you have every right to be angry.”

“I’m not angry,” Lena interrupts, but her tone isn’t cutting or sharp like Kara would have expected. Instead, her voice is quiet. “I, maybe I was, at first. It wasn’t fun to be kept at a distance, to watch you come up with really bad excuses to cover up your rapid exits from our lunches.”

Kara grimaces at that. She’s always felt bad about those, always worried about Lena thinking that Kara didn’t want to spend time with her.

“But I understand why you kept this part of yourself hidden, Kara. I told you. I know who I am, who my family is. I get it. I’m not angry.”

“But I made you doubt our friendship,” Kara adds, and it’s not a question.

It’s then that Lena extricates herself a little and steps back towards the kettle. She pulls it off the stove and pours hot water into two mugs sitting next to it on the counter. With her back to Kara, she responds.

“I don’t know what to think anymore. It’s been, it’s been so confusing for so long. One minute, you’re there, and so kind and gentle and more supportive than anyone has ever been in my life. And maybe it’s because I spent so long without that, without genuine…without anyone who would defend me and check on me and bring me lunch knowing how bad I am at remembering to eat. For a long time I thought we had…something. But then you would rush out the door for some emergency and it always felt like a bucket of cold water. Knowing that you didn’t trust me enough to tell me. So I don’t know. I don’t know if this,” Lena turns around then and waves a hand between them, “if this is something or if I’ve simply been so starved for affection that I imagined it and it was never there in the first place.”

The confession breaks something in Kara. She can see now how Lena has spent years teetering back and forth, torn between the mixed signals she was getting from Kara. Thinking about how confusing that must have been, especially for someone like Lena, who’s had to fight tooth and nail for every scrap of love in her life, makes Kara’s eyes sting.

“Lena,” she whispers and takes a careful step towards her again, “you didn’t imagine anything. There was always something there.” She loops her hands around Lena’s wrists, trying to ground them both. “There still is.”

Lena’s eyes are locked with Kara’s and for a moment she doesn’t say anything at all. It’s like she’s trying to read Kara’s thoughts, to make sure that the words are true this time. When it’s clear that Lena isn’t going to say anything for now, Kara presses on.

“Why didn’t you tell me? That you knew?”

Lena’s expression is still a little guarded. Kara can feel her pulse race where her fingers are still circled around her wrists, can hear her heartbeat hammer in her chest. She knows they’re on the precipice, and they both have a choice to make.

“You had your reasons for not telling me. And you seemed very invested in keeping it that way, so I thought it would be best to just…play along.”

“Why? Why not call me out, get things out into the open?”

When Lena looks up at her then, her eyes are focussed, clear. Like she’s just made a decision for herself.

“Is it so hard to believe that I wanted to keep you happy?”

And that, that’s the answer that pops the lingering worry in Kara’s chest like a balloon. It’s like the puzzle pieces finally fit together and Kara can’t help the crooked grin that overtakes her face.

“Listen, I know I’ve, um, I know that by not telling you, by keeping you in the dark for so long, I made decisions for the both of us. About, um, about us. And I want that to change. If you want friendship, I’m here. I’m all in, and I promise, no more secrets. But if you want, um, if you want something else, that’s fine, too. Anything. Lena. I’ll give you anything.”

For a long moment, Lena is silent. She stares at Kara, her eyes roaming along every inch of Kara’s face, and Kara briefly thinks that this is it. This is the moment when Lena will pull away and tell her to get out, that too much has happened for her to ever fully trust Kara.

But what Lena says instead is small, almost pleading.

“I need you to say it, Kara. I need to hear what you mean by something else. No more secrets. I can’t…I need clarity.”

Kara lets her hands fall on Lena’s hips and pulls her closer.

“I mean something more. More than friendship. You, you mean everything to me, Lena. You have, for a long time. I’m sorry that it has taken me so long to work up the courage to tell you. About who I am, and about how much I love you.”

Lena is so close to her now that Kara can feel the sharp intake of breath as soon as those last three words are out. She squeezes Lena’s hips gently and repeats them again. No more secrets. No more vague innuendos that leave a door open for backing out. Lena has been there for Kara all this time, unwavering in her support, despite Kara’s lies. The least Kara can do now is be honest. Finally.

“I love you, and I think we could be…more.If that’s, if that’s what you want.”

A long sigh works its way out of Lena’s chest before she says: “I want it all with you”

Kara knows there’s a dopey smile on her face now. “Yeah?”

In lieu of an answer, Lena crashes her lips against Kara’s in a kiss that’s both fierce and desperate. Kara can feel years of longing and uncertainty in the way Lena presses herself as close as possible, in the little gasps that escape her mouth as they deepen the kiss.

It’s not the soft, hesitant kiss that Kara had imagined their first kiss to be. But then again, nothing about Lena has ever been what Kara imagined. She knows they need to talk, still. To sort out what they both want from each other. And she knows she still has to make amends, that it will take a while to re-establish their connection, this time without the lies, without secret identities that hold them back. She indulges in the kiss for a while longer before she gently pulls back, giving them both a moment to gather themselves.

“How about that tea now?”

#supercorp #kara x lena #supercorp fic #supergirl

[heliza24]

Hey, hope you’re doing well. I loved reading your analysis on Simon and Marcus. Speaking of those two, I’d like to read your take on their final confrontation in the last episode.

There’s a lot of mixed opinions on what Marcus said to Simon. Some would say that Marcus was absolutely correct in saying that Simon always plays the victim and loves the drama and that Simon needed to hear that. Others would say that Simon is a victim and that Marcus was out of line.

That line, “you see yourself as some victim among those rich brats” really rubbed me the wrong way. I’m not sure how Simon ending things with Marcus correlates to Marcus thinking Simon plays the victim at Hillerska. Plus it makes no sense too. What does Marcus even know about Simon? That he can sing, had an intimate video released, the prince screwed him over and he had an alcoholic father. He knows absolutely nothing about Simon’s social life at Hillerska. He never knew about the drug situation or the music room fight in season 2 episode 5. So where did that line come from? And if anyone was playing the victim here it’s Marcus. Simon warned him, he didn’t listen and then he got hurt. How are YOU not gonna listen then entirely blame someone for your decisions when you got hurt. Marcus can only blame himself.

Then the whole, “you say don’t want drama but that’s what turns you on”. Saying that to someone who just had their tape released is cruel. Like tf.

And honestly, was their relationship something to get upset over? They hung out 4 times, kissed 3 times (2 of which were initiated by Marcus), a bunch of ghosting and they never got to the talking phase. They know next to nothing about each other. And when they hung out, Simon looked uncomfortable and uninterested most of the time. I know some people can’t take the hint but Marcus was on another level of blind. And it doesn’t help that Simon already told him that he was not ready for anything serious. This “relationship” was doomed from the start.

What are your thoughts and analysis on Simon and Marcus’ final conversation? Thanks in advance for taking your time to answer.

Hey there anon! Thanks for sending me your thoughts about Simon and Marcus. I have to say I agree with you! I am in full sympathy with Simon through all of his and Marcus’s arguments, and I do agree that some of the things Marcus says are pretty cruel.  I dated someone a very long time ago, when I was not that much older than Simon, who treated me in the same way that Marcus treats Simon, so I find him pretty infuriating. And I think it means I have some insight into the dynamic of their relationship and how it breaks down.

In order to understand their final breakup scene, I actually think we need to backtrack to 2.3 when Simon first tries to end the relationship. To me this is the most enraging Marcus moment, and I think it illuminates the fundamental problem going on here. While Simon is trying to break up with Marcus, Marcus focuses on everything except Simon’s actual feelings in an effort to convince him not to leave. First it’s Wilhelm. Marcus thinks that Simon must be worried that he will hurt Simon in the same way Wilhelm did. Marcus claims to never have seen the tape (an assertion @bluedalahorse and I think might be a lie, but that’s headcanon), and assures Simon that he would never do something like that. Then it’s Simon’s family; he assumes that because Simon’s parents didn’t have a healthy relationship, Simon must not know how to appreciate a healthy partnership. This is the thing that Marcus says that grinds my gears the most. For him just to assume that he knows the extent and effect of Micke’s addiction, possible abuse, and abandonment of Simon is so presumptuous.

To be generous to Marcus here, I think this is a perfect example of a theory of mind issue. Theory of mind “refers to the capacity to understand other people by ascribing mental states to them” (that’s from the wiki definition). Instead of seeing who Simon is, and trying to understand Simon’s emotions as he describes them, Marcus has created an image of Simon in his head. He has decided how the abuse (both familial and the video) that Simon has endured has affected him, and has also decided what Simon needs in order to heal those wounds. Crucially, Marcus has decided that Simon needs Marcus’s help to heal. Marcus is doing this out of generosity; wanting to heal Simon is a nice thought. But the violation here is in the assumption. Marcus never finds out how Simon really feels because he never listens to him. And you could maybe go as far to say that assuming that Simon needs to be “fixed” because of those experiences is a violation too. Those experiences are what makes Simon who he is.

To be less generous, I once had a very similar argument with my then partner, where I was trying to break up and he was trying to get me to stay. I was left feeling defeated, and like he had made such a good argument that I had to stay. His approach was similar to Marcus’s. He poked at all of my emotional bruises (and claimed to understand them better than me) until I felt too confused to assert my boundaries. So I really feel for Simon in that scene.

Another thing I want to mention is that Marcus is in some ways Simon’s antagonist, and his insistence that he knows and understands Simon better than Simon knows himself is the catalyst that prompts Simon’s season 2 arc, which is about him getting in touch with, accepting, and then acting on his true emotions. I wrote about that more in depth here. 

There’s another element to Marcus that I don’t see discussed much, which is the unique spot he occupies in the class system of the show. We’re used to seeing the upper, noble class that dominates Hillerska, and the working class represented by Sara and Simon (and also Rosh and Ayub). But Marcus is a representative of a kind of in between, and at first glance appears to be middle class. He goes to public school, and does manual labor at the stables. His little backyard apartment feels like something an upper middle class family might create for their teenage son. But his parents are actually land owners. They own the stables and the shooting range that they rent out to Hillerska. We never find out if Marcus’s family is actually noble and inherited that land, or if they’re new money and bought it on their own. But I think some of Marcus’s superiority complex comes from the fact that even though he has money, he isn’t, in his mind, spoiled or snobby like the kids at Hillerska. He surely could have gotten a place at Hillerska, for instance, because of the way his family supports the school. He surely doesn’t have to work to survive (I am basing this on the fact that his family has enough money to build him his own apartment.) But he stays humble and grounded by going to public school and working at the stables.  He’s so humble and good, in fact, that he is going to treat working class Simon right, unlike that stuck up prince who threw him to the royal wolves.  And some of the way that he turns on Simon in their break up scene, especially in the line you quoted– “you see yourself as some victim among those rich brats”-- feels like he has taken off his mask, and is exposing the classist way he actually sees Simon. If Simon, poor boy that he is, isn’t willing to let the benevolent Marcus rescue him, then he deserves everything those rich bastards can dish out.  There’s also a shade of bootstrap mentality here. Marcus works hard, even if his family has money. He’s earned his driver’s license, and he knows exactly the kind of relationship that he wants with Simon. Why can’t Simon do the same?

Obviously the answer is because Simon is a different person from a different set of circumstances. And then we’re back to Marcus’s inability to see Simon as a complete independent person.

So I completely agree with you when you say that Marcus is cruel in this scene, and misinterpreted Simon’s level of interest, and is making a big deal out of a relationship that never really existed in the first place. But I also think we as viewers are reacting to some of the subtle themes that Marcus represents.  The way he fits into the class structure of the show and the way that he connects to Simon’s arc is really significant. 

I know Lisa and Tommy were very positive about Marcus in some of the season 2 promo, in a way that irritated some fans. But I think I understand where they’re coming from. Marcus does have good intentions, even if those intentions are only skin deep, and it’s ok to acknowledge them. Tommy especially has to exist in Marcus’s mindset in order to play him, and it’s fundamental to Marcus’s character that he sees himself as a good guy. And for Lisa, Marcus is a great character because he challenges Simon and adds complexity to the way class is explored in the show. It’s hard to summarize all of that in an interview, especially in a way that isn’t going to result in fan backlash. So I don’t have a problem with how they portrayed him in promo.

Thanks for asking anon, and thank you for reading what turned out to be quite a long post! I think we all have some unresolved Marcus trauma that we need to work through. I know I did at least.

#young royals #my meta #ask box #marcus young royals #simon eriksson

[1moreff-creator]

An Analysis and Theories of The Purge March…

(By someone who knows very little about Milgram)

Hello Milgram people! First time posting an analysis about it, mainly because I only started getting into it like two days ago. I kept seeing it get mentioned in my dash and I thought "yeah these characters look mentally ill enough to be interesting I'll check this out." And wow, this thing is awesome!

Even though I'm missing massive amounts of critical information (I haven’t even watched all the MVs for the other characters yet), I still want to talk about my thoughts on the newest MV, Amane's "The Purge March". I'm sorry if a lot of what I say has been said before, I tried my best to research other opionions before defining my own, but I still know very little compared to others. Hope you can take something away from here anyways!

CW: Cults and indoctrination, child abuse, torture, waterboarding, electrocution, violence and murder, animal death.

Basic Rundown & Lyrics

Introduction

The video takes place in three main settings: the titular march, the place with the cat, and Amane's apartment/home.

Hold on, you may say. Can we be sure that's Amane's home and not some other place? Well, I believe so, based on this little sign here.

This translation was taken from Napkin's analysis on the MV, which was massively helpful and I recommend you check out yourself!

In case you forgot, Amane's full name is Amane Momose; that's her father on that picture. When combined with the context that Amane walked into the apartment on her own and with a small smile, it really makes it look like that is her home. Adittionally, a leaked storyboard from Milgram Premium apparently says the hand holding the taser belongs to Amane's mother, and I believe this is the case. Not because of the storyboard, as I don't usually trust that type of meta evidence, but because of some stuff I'll get to later.

Anyways, back to the video. We open with the march, alongside this lyrics:

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen! It’s the beginning of a most wonderful day However, there are blasphemers and silent by-standers, who would have it otherwise We must not give into them, they are the ones that should be judged With pure, unsullied body and soul, let us preach all that is true and right

This sets up the main theme of the song: it's about how the cult Amane is in sees the concept of punishment and justice. Those who go against the cult, must be judged, they must be punished. I think it's worth noting that this part not only calls out "blasphemers", but also "silent by-standers". Amane's cult not only condemns """harmful""" actions, but also inaction. There is one part of the MV which I think manifests this, I'll get to it.

Flags and Ordainments

Then, we see four flags corresponding to each of the cult's... uh...

Okay, so, as a refresher. There's this four characters, right? From left to right, Yuri, Gozake, Riyone, and Gachata.

Certain theories claim these are cult leaders, and certain others claim they are just mascots or even deities and not real people. I believe the latter, but of course all theories are valid. I'll explain my reasoning later (take a shot), but for now, I need to establish what I believe.

Anyways, we see flags representing each of them attached to lyrics which are connected to them, indicating some of the cult’s ordainments.

’Tis ordained, thou shall follow thine destiny [Riyone] ’Tis ordained, thou shall discard vulgarity [Gozake] ’Tis ordained, thou shall deliver unto those thou believest in [Yuri] ’Tis ordained, thou shall stay thine course, then perish [Gachata]

Here's what I think they mean:

>Riyone, who has bandaids for ears, represents the cult's belief in medicine. Essentially, they denounce it, and their accepted MO is to only pray for the injured instead of healing them medically. So when Riyone 'says' "thou shall follow thine destiny", it's saying "accept your fate/situation, don't try to change your destiny". This is why we don't see Riyone doing anything other than punishing Amane in the first trial MV; the only thing you're meant to do in relation to Riyone and medicine is pray.

>Gozake has possibly the vaguest ordainment, that being “thou shall discard vulgarity.” Since it’s described as a monk in “Magic”, I believe this means to discard unnecessary, vulgar things, and only accept the things the cult accepts. There is indication that the cult denounces these type of trivial things, from some of Amane’s interrogation questions from trial one.

Q1: Do you have any special skills?

A: Nothing that I can call a talent. Perhaps studying. I do well in my Japanese class.

Q5: When you go to an amusement park, what do you like to ride?

A: That is a place I should not go to.

Q11: What kind of meat do you like?

A: I don’t eat meat.

Q14: Do you listen to music?

A: Not really, to songs that are highly entertaining.

Amusement parks are somewhere she shouldn’t go to, presumably because it’s considered vulgar. Perhaps she says she doesn’t have a talent because she’s not allowed to engage in a lot of activities. It’s certainly possible she doesn’t eat meat out of preference, but it could also be due to religious beliefs. And she only listens to songs which are “highly entertaining”, provided I’m reading that right because it’s worded a bit weird. The reason I bring that up is that we see Gozake teaching her to sing in “Magic”, which relates it to music. While that’s likely metaphorical, it’s possible the cult’s “songs” are the highly entertaining ones, and the rest are vulgar.

Worth noting for "The Purge March" though, Gozake’s flag is on the floor before being waved. It's pretty clear Amane holds some contempt against Gozake and/or his punishments.

I believe it’s because it is Gozake’s ordainment, “thou shall discard vulgarity”, that Amane most disagrees with internally and the one she’s most likely to break. I mean, obviously, she’s a child, she’s going to want to do all sorts of trivial, “vulgar” things for fun, that’s just what kids do. We even see a version her fumble with this flag later, implying she has broken this ordainment before.

This fits a lot of the lines in “Magic”.

Dear wise one, Am I worthy? Is it ok to spoil myself?

Spoiling herself here likely means doing things she wants to do, but which are considered “vulgar” by the cult. Her interrogation questions also imply it.

Q3: If you were allowed to do anything, what would you want to do?

A: Nothing really. I am not lacking anything.

Q17: What would you do if the world ends tomorrow?

A: If everything ends? Then, I might do all sorts of things I have never done before.

Notice how there are things she wants to do if the world ends, but she doesn’t want to do them now. That is because now, she’s still under the threat of consequence, the “vulgar” things she does can be punished. But if the world ends, then she can just do whatever.

>Yuri is meant to represent solidarity and generosity within the cult, as a sort of tactic to make all its members willing to help and lend resources to the cult. We see him collecting money in "Magic", as the animals "deliver unto those they believe in". That's why his clothes are all patchwork, as if to imply the cult is in need of money.

>Gachata represents order and obedience, that's what "thou shall stay thine course, then perish" means. I don't think I need to explain how that's connected to cults. It's styled after an alarm clock, as they represent a regularity of action, a "schedule". An alarm clock tells you when it's time to wake up and work, just like Gachata.

The Purpose of Punishment

We then see a version of Amane fumble with Gozake's flag as this lyric plays:

The “It can’t be helped”, from the scum who can’t be helped

There's something extremely important in this line. "The scum who can't be helped" are those who say "it can't be helped". In other words, acceptance of mistakes, blasphemy, etc, is the most unforgivable crime in the eyes of the cult. That's why "Leader Amane" slams her baton on the ground, causing this "helpless Amane" to sink, with this line.

That makes them doubtlessly, clearly, absolutely, unequivocally, beyond any doubt, GUILTY

The thing that makes them guilty is the sentiment that "it can't be helped".

What does that mean? It means that something is only forgivable if one acknowledges that it can be fixed. Giving up on improvement, claiming "it can't be helped", is unacceptable. And this is why punishment is so important. If someone doesn't accept punishment, they're claiming their faults cannot be helped by it, which makes them guilty.

(Also yes guilty is in caps because Amane was voted guilty in the first trial I think)

What's important, though, is that because of this scene, Amane is not "scum who can't be helped" in her eyes. Because she's both the one judging and the one being judged, that means she understands the value of her own punishment-

IN THE CULT'S EYES. I gotta clarify that sometimes I will speak from the perspective of the cult to make things clearer, but I do not agree with anything they do or believe, obviously.

So Amane believes she should be punished if she does something wrong, though obviously usually she isn't the one punishing herself. The punishment we see happen then is Amane being drowned, which is the punishment related to Gozake as we see in "Magic". Electrocution is connected to Riyone, physical blows to Yuri and verbal abuse to Gachata, please don't question it too much. Rain starts falling as she sinks, but clears after she's fully under and drowning, revealing a rainbow.

This rainbow shows up later a few times, and... frankly, it's hard to know exactly what the hell it means? But I think it represents the twisted and frankly horrifying view the cult has on punishment: even in the rain, which would be the pain of punishment, there is the bright light of improvement shining through it, being the rainbow. Even though Amane is suffering from drowning, she'll grow and improve from it. That is honestly disgusting to write but well here we are.

The lyrics here are:

I disavow you, eyes corrupted must be crushed So nary a sound can be uttered a second time, I’ll crush your throat too

Essentially, those who go against the cult must be silenced, their views disavowed (eyes crushed).

Then, we see Gozake's flag fading into the background as Amane sinks further. After that, we cut to real life, to Amane being waterboarded.

(Btw, I'm using "waterboarding" because it's faster than "controlled drowning", even though I'm not entirely clear if waterboarding is the right term for what she suffers through)

The lyrics are:

After you cry, repent, and kneel, it’s now your turn to say that hopeless “I’m sorry” x2

Amane claims it will soon be "your" turn to apologize and be punished, the "you" likely being her murder victim. How is Gozake related? Well, I believe that's alluding to an aspect of Amane's murder. In fact, this scene might be just a few minutes before her kill, as I believe she killed her victim after suffering from "Gozake's" punishment. I'll get there.

The Cat Incident

(Not the Kazui MV drop, the other one)

We then see what happened for Amane to be punished: she healed a cat. And the cult hates medicine. She gets spotted by a man and a small girl.

See the rainbow? That's because getting caught will lead to punishment, which will lead to improvement. I want you to know I actually feel disgusting writing that, but those are the beliefs of the cult.

Note the girl is holding a balloon with a symbol which is very similar to the symbol on multi-Amane's flags later, so these two likely belong to the cult as well. And since she's wearing the same uniform as Amane, they likely go to the same school, which may be ran by the cult.

I’ll talk about the balloon a bit more later, but for now, who are these two? I said I don’t believe the mascots are cult leaders, so it can’t be them. See, I actually believe they’re simply other average cult members, with nothing special at all about them. This is because the girl, and thus presumably the man with her, never enter Amane’s apartment.

See how that sign with 403 is above the door to the apartment? The balloon stops in front of it, but then goes away. (It's hard to show this with just images but trust me). By the way the string is positioned, it’s clear the girl is still pulling it. Thus we can conclude the girl never went in, and because of that (and the fact the girl has slightly different hair than Amane so she does exist), I believe the man merely told Amane’s mother what he saw, but left before Amane went home. Thus, I find it unlikely this man holds any more importance.

Why is he snitching, though? Well, it goes back to the cult’s beliefs of punishment. If something is wrong, it must be corrected. Remember, “silent by-standers” are just as bad as blasphemers in their eyes. So he wants Amane’s mom to do something about it.

(Btw, I don’t think the cat was a test necessarily, but the fact it’s collared and then gets killed could be an argument for that interpretation)

Oh, and for the uninitiated, I’m saying Amane’s mom because of one of her trial one interrogation questions:

Q: Is there anyone you hold in high esteem?

A: My father. My father has been on a journey for a while, but that is something very honorable.

So, only her mother is in the house.

The lyrics of the scene are relatively straightforward.

If you become a bad girl, monsters will come out. This is the magic that stops that from happening

Then the four “‘tis ordained” things again. Amane broke one of the rules by healing the cat, so she has to be punished, because her actions could cause bad things (monsters to come out). Again, in the cult’s eyes.

After this, we see Amane arrive at her home, where someone, perhaps her mother, is waiting with a taser. Electrocution is Ryone’s punishment, remember. Which makes me think it’s possible the cult specifically assigns each punishment to the ordainment of the mascot. So, because Amane broke Riyone’s ordainment about destiny, she gets electrocuted. That’s a bit half-baked as a possibility, but I think it’s worth mentioning.

The whole thing happens alongside the same “unequivocally GUILTY” line from before, again alluding to Amane receiving punishment.

(Btw, does anyone know what the note behind Amane’s head in that scene says? It fires off alarm bells for me, but my Japanese is null, so)

Amane’s Magical Girl Transformation

Then, we see Amane return to the place of the cat, except its collar is broken and the napkin Amane had used to heal it bloodied next to it, implying the cat died. Amane is obviously heartbroken, and looks up at her umbrella, before we cut to the march again.

There’s quite a few things to note. For one, notice the real Amane has a bruise on her forehead, implying she was hit, and thus received Yuri’s punishment. Assumedly she was also verbally assaulted during the ordeal, Gachata’s punishment so as to complete the set, but it’s sorta impossible to tell.

However, the lyrics are important. It’s stuff we’ve heard before:

I disavow you, eyes corrupted must be crushed So nary a sound can be uttered a second time, I’ll crush your throat too

With “I’ll crush your throat too” notably playing as the transition to the march completes.

But what is she disavowing? Well, think about it. The cult members are not meant to interfere with destiny, with life and death, as per Riyone’s ordainment. That means that while they’re not allowed to heal things, they’re also presumably forbidden from killing them. Though maybe I’m expecting too much logical consistency from a cult but you know. In any case, than means Amane disavows this act, and decides whoever killed the cat, must be punished.

The baton has already been connected to punishment when March Leader Amane slammed it down and caused the other Amane to sink. Which, with this context, we can presume the Drowned Amane to represent Amane before she was punished for healing the cat or some other “offense”.

But the baton is also representative of Amane’s murder weapon, as we’ll see later. And yet, it is also being related in this scene to an umbrella. Why?

Well, it’s simple. Umbrella’s represent protection, in particular protection from the rain which has been related with punishment through this MV. So, to protect herself, Amane punishes others. She does this because, since the cult idolizes punishment, their poster-child (as Amane has been implied to maybe be) should also deal out punishment.

In summary, when Amane sees a wrong, she wishes to correct it because it’s what the cult would want from her, and if she does what the cult would want from her, then she won’t be punished herself.

Q7: Do you like yourself?

A: I have never considered it from the perspective of love and hate, but I do think I am a good child.

…This kid worries me. Severely.

The idea that Amane will punish whoever killed the cat is reinstated in the following lines. As a swarm of Amane’s rushes forward with big grins, proudly holding the flag of the cult and its beliefs, the one with the baton walks forward with conviction. Look at the lyrics.

I don’t need it any more, if you’re going to break your vow Here and now, it’s my turn to tear you apart So there is no second time, I’ll give back the judgment that you gave to me

You wanna know why the swarm of Amanes are so happy? Because now she’s the one who get to punish, instead of being the punished. This is… an unfortunately common reaction to abuse.

It’s important to keep in mind what I said before; the Amanes are still holding the cult’s flag. They’re still acting on the cult’s beliefs. Notice how she specifically says the purpose of returning the punishment is “so there is no second time”, which fits what I’ve been talking about regarding punishment in the cult being to discourage repeat offenses.

Well, she’s following the cults beliefs… in theory. It was pointed out by iris-drawing-stuff in this post that Amane’s eyes have a shade of purple which is not associated with the cult, possibly implying she’s also acting on her own desires, but still rationalizes them through her cult’s twisted logic. The punishment she gave out is death, which sorta goes against the whole “follow thine destiny” logic I said earlier, and more pressingly, doesn’t really fit any of the four established punishment methods of the mascots. Well, I guess Yuri if you squint, but it still isn’t supposed to kill presumably. So she’s not actually entirely going by what the cult says when she kills her victim.

… This kid really worries me.

But hold on. Didn’t I say the symbol of the flags is actually different from the balloon? Is that significant? Well, I think it could be. It could represent how Amane’s views on her cult were changed by the punishment she received after healing the cat.

Think about it. The balloon’s symbol is more simplistic, and is on, well, a balloon. Something childish, something which offers simple bliss without anything wrong about it, and something fragile. I believe this represents how Amane viewed her cult before the cat incident. It was just a nice little thing that brought joy and didn’t require any more thought; it’s a more simplistic viewing, that’s why the symbol is more simplistic. Any small punishments, like Gachata’s finger-flick at the start of “Magic”, aren’t anything to write home about. Obviously I think she’s downplaying the extent of the abuse, but in her mind it wasn’t a big deal.

(That and I imagine the cult doesn’t feel like spending much money on more detailed balloons of all things)

However, this simplistic view “stays at the door” the day of the cat incident, as the other girl never enters the house. This is because after this, Amane’s view on the cult becomes more complex.

And that’s why we then see the symbol on the following flags. Flags are certainly something more mature, and the design is more complex. It is no longer simply colors on a balloon, it represents a fully formed ideology. After the incident with the cat, Amane began understanding the “””value”””” of punishment her cult pushes, and so wishes to begins to act accordingly.

Have I gone insane? Buddy, I was already insane before this, this is nothing new.

Amane’s Justice

Anyways, keeping in theme with the idea that she’s acting on the ideals of her cult, we see her twirling her baton of punishment in front of the four mascots, the rainbow of change after punishment firmly in the background.

It’s important to note, she is firmly planted on the mascots’ side, fighting in their behalf, which is part of what makes me believe she didn’t kill a cult leader as some theories state, but obvs that’s an opinion. The lyrics here are more of the same, Amane is the one punishing now.

After you cry, repent, and kneel, it’s now your turn to say that hopeless “I’m sorry” x2

However, something interesting happens right after. The lyric:

You’re sorry? I don’t care! Please, go ahead and die already

-plays as the baton she’s holding becomes stained with blood, indicating her intent to kill.

This is what separates Amane’s desires from the cult’s. The cult would want her to keep the victim alive as long as they can learn from their punishment and fix what’s wrong, but Amane killed her victim, which sorta goes against that. She’s a child, traumatized and hurt and at her limit, obviously her mind is trying to justify anything that would get her suffering to definitively stop. She explains the reasoning right after.

Remember MY cries, MY repents, MY words of “I’m sorry” that I said to you?

She said sorry, she wanted to repent and change, but her abuser(s) never stopped, so why should she? She should be allowed to go all the way, ignore her abuser(s) pleas of sorry and deal out whatever punishment she thinks fits their crime, right?!

At this time, the video transitions from the march to reality, the baton turning back into the umbrella for protection.

However, two things remain the same: the rainbow of punishment, and the look on Amane’s eyes, showing her excitement. This is to show that her wish to punish her abuser(s) isn’t merely a fantasy, but extends to reality as well.

And that gets us to the final (or, second to last I guess,) shot.

Let’s talk about this.

A Theory on a Murder

Let’s start at the beginning.

The Victim’s Identity

So, I’ll kill the suspense. I think Amane killed her mom. The most direct evidence I have for this is a combination of two of her trial one interrogation questions.

Q13: Who do you want to meet right now? A: My father. I want him to praise me for working hard.

So as far as Amane is aware, her father is alive. However:

Q9: Tell me what your family consists of. A: It was my father, my mother, and I.

Past tense. Peculiar.

That’s obviously a pretty big one, but there’s a bit more. As the lyrics imply, the person Amane killed was someone who had previously “punished” her. But as I also pointed out, it seems unlikely that it was a cult leader, as she is facing away from the mascots when she declares her murderous intent.

Cult Leader Theory runs into a contradiction under this interpretation (and it’s important to clarify, other interpretations are obviously valid, I’m just talking about how I see the MV). If the only people abusing Amane are the cult leaders, then she shouldn’t be facing away from them when she begins her crusade of punishment, and if someone other than the cult leaders is punishing her, then why are the punishment methods each related to one leader?

This is what leads me to believe the alternative: that the mascots are merely fictional characters who represent some of the cult’s ideals. Under that theory, it is Amane’s mother who punishes her, using a combination of all the methods associated to each mascot. And thus, it is her who dies.

There’s another thing that solidifies this belief in my eyes, but for that, we have to explain:

Murder Method

(Now this is more my comfort zone <- Top ten things to never say about murder IRL)

I’m not entirely clear how important exact method is usually, but I swear, this is interesting. If nothing else out of curiosity.

Based on that scene we have of the murder, we can observe the following things.

>There is only one door with the light still on.

>Going from this door to the corpse, there is a trail of water puddles. Since the bigger puddles are closer to the door with the light, it can be assumed it’s the door to the bathroom.

>The corpse lays on a room at the end of the hall, presumably opposite to the entrance (note the shoes at the bottom of our perspective). I will call this room, quite aptly, the murder room.

Now, some of you may take issue with that. Based on the card Amane holds up in her ‘inmate segment’ of “Undercover”, it looks as if her victim died in the bathroom.

(Apologies for the quality)

Those images are meant to represent the room or general area where the murder (or “murder” depending on who you’re talking about) took place.

Here's the issue, though. The corpse doesn’t appear to have been dragged, as there are no bloodstains outside the murder room. So the room on the card is most likely the murder room, which brings up issues for the bathroom idea. Like how several elements near the door to the bathroom don’t match what we see around the murder room (no, the floor wiper-looking thing alone doesn’t count, nothing else comes close to matching), how the floor would be nonsensical because why are we putting a wooden floor on a bathroom, there apparently being a door behind the curtains, among other stuff.

I don’t know what the murder room is, necessarily, but it doesn’t seem to be the bathroom. Probably not a kitchen either since there’s cooking utensils on a sink in the hallway. My bet’s on a dining/living room of some kind, which… has a sink for some reason, but it’s practically impossible to tell.

>The time is around 5:00, based on the clock we see (though admittedly I find it weirdly hard to tell). This isn’t important, but pointing it out makes me feel smart, and attentive! It almost looks like I know what I’m doing!

>We have a kill-shot from “Undercover”, meaning we know something like this happened.

As you can see, Amane’s victim was beaten with some kind of… stick? Pole? Cylinder? It doesn’t matter too much what exactly it is, so you can say anything from a metal pipe, an actual baton, an Inconvenient Cylinder of Unknown Purpose (ICUP)… I’m just gonna go with umbrella, because even though I question its efficacy as a murder weapon, it fits thematically and is at worst a fun headcanon.

So, uh, what do we do with this?

Prelude; Water Puddles and Gozake

Gozake is likely connected to the murder in some way. That’s because the “Old Amane”, the one concerned with “vulgar” things who hasn’t started punishing others’ wrongs, dies underwater and reaching for his flag. This is her transformation into perfection in the cult’s eyes, which involves punishing others and thus the murder of her mother. Thus, it can be concluded Gozake has some connection to the murder. I’ve already established why I don’t think he’s the victim or even a real person, so we have to find some other way to connect him.

And I think the water puddles make the possible connection quite clear. I think those puddles come from Amane herself, and she was likely waterboarded right before she killed her mother. As waterboarding is the method connected to Gazoke, this explains the connection.

Amane in the Bathroom

(Amane flying solo~ /ref)

Of course, I still think it was Amane’s mother dealing out the punishment. But if you think about it, why would Amane’s mother let her walk out from the bathroom when she was still soaking wet, especially onto a wooden floor? Well, that’s where the next part comes in. I believe there was a moment where Amane was left alone in the bathroom after being waterboarded.

Apart from that line of reasoning, which is my strongest piece of evidence for this, I want to draw attention to the fact someone came out of the bathroom, but left the light on. Since that’s not the case with any of the other rooms, it makes me think Amane herself was the last to leave that room, as her mother may not like leaving unneeded lights on.

But that’s sorta weak. In truth, I like this possibility because I think it can explain one thing in particular: Amane’s silhouette scene in “Undercover.”

It’s important to note these scenes always include the prisoners in some way or another, so it’s be weird for Amane to break the trend. Thus, this is likely Amane.

But what are we looking at? The water sorta looks like rain more than a simple shower head, and it certainly doesn’t look like waterboarding. However, the floor sorta looks like bathroom tiles, so we can’t rule out the possibility.

In fact, I actually do think this is in/near the shower. But as I said, it doesn’t look intense enough for waterboarding, and Amane is face-up on her back instead of the kneeling position we see her in during the other shower scene.

That’s why I think this is directly after a waterboarding session, not during. In particular, it would be the moment Amane’s mother leaves her alone in the bathroom. While the girl usually kneels during her torture, she may afterwards collapse on the floor and roll over from pain and exhaustion. Or something. And her mother… left the shower head on… for some reason? Maybe she went to look for a towel to dry up Amane? Maybe she needed something else and this is actually mid-session? Or maybe the rain’s metaphorical. Point is, I think this makes the most sense.

But if you’re not convinced by that, there is actually something else about the murder which makes me think Amane being left alone in the bathroom is what most likely happened.

A Matter of Position

Here's the thing. You can see the victim's hand peeking out from the door. Now, it looks like the hand is palm-down, which doesn't quite seem to fit the "Undercover" kill-shot, but that's actually simple to explain.

The "Undercover" kill-shot is likely taken moments before the victim's death, as Amane is holding the weapon in the air. But what if we extend "moments" to "seconds"? Well, I think it's possible Amane's mom managed to push her off briefly, getting a moment to turn around to turn and try to crawl away. Obviously Amane recovered quickly and managed to kill her anyways, but this little scuffle would explain how the hell her hand ended up palm down. It's the simplest explanation in my mind.

Amane's position isn't weird either. No matter what happened, she could have just stepped away from the body before taking a moment to look at it.

The weird thing, though, is the fact that we can see the victim's hand at all.

See, based on the "Undercover" shot, it seems like the victim must have had their back to the door before they fell to the floor. If you think about it, it would be really hard for them to end up with their hand there otherwise. However, if they had their back to the door, then Amane must have been facing the door as per the kill-shot.

This would be easier to explain if I had...

If I had visuals...

You know, like a- like a diagram.

(You thought you could escape my murder diagrams?! You fool!)

Why is this important? Well, because this means that, unless there was some crazy scuffle in that room (unlikely, as any actual fight would be near impossible for Amane to win), Amane was in the room before her mother entered. Obviously, this sort of only makes sense if Amane was left alone in the bathroom for a moment. Here's sort of the series of events I'm envisioning.

Does this make sense? How crazy am I going here?

Well, I think it follows. This is sorta what the evidence seems to be pointing at.

But it raises one big question. Why is Amane going to the murder room, then? If her mom is on the other side of the apartment, and she wants to kill her, what is she doing?

Well, I believe she's looking for a weapon. The blunt object seems like a possibility, but something like that could probably be improvised with almost anything, it wouldn't require going to that room in particular. No, I think Amane's actually looking for something more specific.

The Second Murder Weapon, and the "Magic" Kill-shot

Have you ever pondered how weird it is that “Magic” seems to have no allusion to Amane’s murder, at all? All the other trial one MVs have at least a reference to it, even if it’s as short as Mahiru’s look of horror in the final frame of her MV. But “Magic” doesn’t seem to have anything like that at first glance.

Well, here’s the thing. Now that we know a bit more, it’s easier to tell what time the kill-shot would have to happen. And it goes back to the wand Amane receives at the end of “Magic”.

As you know, when Amane receives this wand, she becomes the “perfect poster-child” of the cult, at least in her head. This is represented by an entire magical girl transformation sequence.

But when does that happen? If you’ve been paying attention, the transformation from “the regular Amane” to “perfect poster-child” Amane happens when she begins to understand and carry out the cult’s doctrine of punishment; when she kills her mother. In fact, you can even see in the frame we have of the murder, Amane is shown not in her real uniform, but in the March Leader clothes, showing her transformation is no longer a fantasy, but has become reality. Not literally, obviously, but metaphorically. She has become what she considers the ideal cult member.

So it’s fair to say then, that when Amane undergoes the same transformation in “Magic”, what we’re seeing is the time Amane killed her mother. And this transformation happens when she picks up the wand.

If this interpretation is right, then the wand is directly linked to the murder. And there is a very, very interesting detail about this wand.

Judges, jurors, and executioners. That’s a lightning bolt.

It’s not a wand. It’s the taser.

I mean, they could have chosen literally any other symbol to put there, right? A star, a heart, the clouds of the cult’s logo, even a rainbow. But no, it’s a thunderbolt. And it’s not even limited to just the wand, either. Notice how lightning strikes behind her right after she picks up the wand, and how her socks are styled in a lightning pattern.

(Don’t mind the blue in the background: that may look like a water puddle, but it’s always there, so I don’t think it means anything)

Now, to be clear, her socks are always like that in “Magic”, but the point stands. It’s a motif that repeats quite a few times, and yet, it’s nowhere to be seen in “The Purge March”.

Well, aside from the electricity of the taser.

I believe this is because “The Purge March” places more emphasis on the baton as the weapon, but there’s the thing. The baton and the wand aren’t the same thing. Not only is the baton longer, it has absolutely no allusions to thunder or electricity whatsoever. But since they’re both connected to the murder, I believe they’re both different murder weapons. The baton is the blunt object which actually killed the victim, and the wand is the taser.

That would explain how Amane was able to overpower an adult. She first incapacitated her mother with the taser, then started beating her with the "baton". It would also explain why she went into the murder room on her own. She was looking for the taser.

This is "Magic"'s kill-shot, I think. She points the wand at the screen, in a way which sorta looks vaguely like holding a taser, while these lyrics play.

I take an oath! I can only become a better girl!

And we've established what being a good girl is in the eyes of the cult, someone who punishes evil.

Q4: Do you think that your family is proud of you? A: Of course. No daughter is as exemplary as I.

Isn't that a concerning sentence.

Add this to the list of reasons I don't think she killed a cult leader. At the end of "Magic", after this shot, we see her among the four mascots with no indication any of them are hurt.

"Magic" underplays violence a lot, but I think for the murder, that takes the form of hiding the mother from view entirely, behind the camera.

So, a summary of how I think the murder went down.

Closing Argument wait wrong series

-After seeing the cat has died, Amane decided her mother should be punished as per the cult's beliefs. But she isn't looking to get forgiveness out of her mother; Amane was never forgiven, so her mother wouldn't be either.

-However, she wasn't able to get to the plan right away. Her mother was angry at her some nonsensical reason and waterboarded her before she could do anything.

-At one point, her mother left the bathroom, leaving the water running. Amane rolls over on the floor in pain and exhaustion, which is what we see in the silhouette scene in "Undercover".

-After catching her breath, Amane stands and leaves. She needs to look for the taser her mother usually used to punish her. She goes the other way her mother went, into the dininig/living room/bedroom/whatever it is, and picks it up.

-Her mother noticed the water puddles leading to the murder room, and followed Amane in. When she did, she saw her rummaging around somewhere she shouldn't have been, so she rushed further into the room to stop her.

-Too late. Amane had picked up the taser, and now turned to shock her. Her mother was incapacitated instantly, falling to the floor and writhing in pain.

-Amane grabbed an umbrella/baton/convenient cylinder and started beating her mother with it. This is the "Undercover" kill-shot. Even though her mother plead for forgiveness, Amane wouldn't listen, the same way her mother hadn’t listened to her pleas of forgiveness.

-The mother managed to briefly push Amane off, and tried to crawl away. But Amane quickly recovered and kept going until her mother was fully dead.

-Amane stepped off her mother's corpse, stepping over her and turning to look at it. By dealing out punishment, she has become the perfect follower for the cult. The March Leader.

What did we learn?

Well, uh, not much. Apart from morbid curiosity, there isn't much to gain from murder method usually. But there's still a few observations we can gleam.

For one, the whole thing with Gozake and its connection to the murder because of the waterboard thing, and possibly the "Undercover" silhouette scene. But if I'm right about the taser thing, then that means Amane's murder was more well-thought out than we had believed. Something like going to pick up the taser isn't exactly something that comes from a heat of the moment decision. She went in not just with an intent to kill, but an actual plan. Combined with an evidently high pain tolerance, seeing as she did all this right after being tortured, this poses her as quite a dangerous character.

Basically, I think it’s silly to say Shidou wouldn’t be killed by this kid. Y'all we might be fucked.

Verdict

(Oh yeah this is a thing we have to do)

First, I want to clarify: I do not have all the information here, so you probably shouldn't listen to me. Again, I've been here two days. But still, I think voting innocent is the... uh, better answer.

I'm gonna be real, I don't think either of the options are good here. A guilty verdict would make her significantly more volatile, because as we've seen, Amane reacts violently to being hurt. She's also not going to listen to us, since she's claimed she won't listen to the voices. I don't think she's telling the complete truth there, but the sentiment is likely true, she will not be swayed by just us. But an innocent verdict would validate the cult's beliefs of idolizing punishment, which would encourage her to attack Shidou.

But here's the thing. If she doesn't listen to us on guilty verdicts, it's possible she won't care too much about us validating the cult's beliefs. I think the act of forgiving her and showing we're not trying to hurt her is probably the best way we have right now of trying to reach her.

The only argument for guilty would be trying to get the physical restraints on her so she doesn't kill anyone, but I'm not sure we should trust that aspect of the first trial guilty verdicts to apply very well to this situation. If I'm right about her murder method, it would actually probably be pretty difficult to stop her I think, and as far as I'm aware there's not even confirmation the same rules from the first trial will apply again (I might be wrong about that). Frankly, I think as long as we can secure an inno on Kazui, we'll be safe from actual murder so long as we're able to keep Amane as predictable as possible. A guilty verdict would make her more unpredictable, I think, so an inno verdict would be better?

Frankly, I don't know. I think we're fucked either way. All the verdicts of the first trial, not just hers, have led us to quite the mess, but it was never going to go any different way. Shit was always going to get wild.

So here's my final conclusion: since I don't think the verdict can be trusted to properly help the group one way or another, we should vote to help Amane, the only one we know we can reach with this vote. And right now, she needs an innocent verdict.

Also I am insanely biased this kid needs help I'm not guiltying her. Call that part of the Milgram experiment ig.

Conclusion

The Purge March gives us better insight into the actual beliefs of the cult, mainly in relation to their views of punishment and reform. We also got a more detailed look at Amane’s murder, and the motivations behind what she did. Overall, while neither voting option seems great at the moment, that’s because they are unlikely to help with the tensions in the group. That means we’re going to have to vote for Amane, and the only way we’re going to make progress with her is by voting innocent. At least, that’s my view.

This was fun! I look forward to diving into the other MVs and going insane over them too, but for now I wanted to start with this one since it’s the most recent one and the one which actually piqued my interest enough to check out Milgram. If you made it this far into my insane ramblings, then… may kami-sama have mercy on your soul. Take care!

(Oh also tagging @sunlit-haru because he asked nicely)

#milgram #milgram project #amane momose #the purge march #milgram theory #hello milgramers i seek to go insane #is this how i do it? #this things wild i love it #i am so incredibly lost #it’s great

[emillyverse]

This is not an update to the Comic, but it still has something to do with it !!!

(call it a little gift for the Wish Rewrite and KoW fandom)

Hello my little stars! How are you?

I mentioned in the last post in the series that I would be traveling for a week or two and that's why I wouldn't be working. Well I'm still traveling Lmao.

It's been a lot of fun, I'm visiting my Prince Charming and family, both of whom I haven't been to in a long time. Still, I couldn't stop thinking about KoW and Wish's Concept Arts. Disney sealed the fate of its fan artists by discarding so much good material, now they are embedded in our minds and we will not be able to rest until we see them realized. This is crazy but it's beautiful to see how much these discarded concepts generated creative potential in the fandom.

Because of all this I couldn't help but make some small sketches! And well, I came to show them here. They are not sketches of Comic panels, but they have something to do with it and I will show the photos and explain how.

This first one, very faded, are Magnificent and Amable's clothes (designed by @uva124, for the characters in @annymation's rewrite of Wish "The Kingdom of Wishes"). The drawings that Aled did are very complex, I don't judge her for that, in fact I thank her, she gave beautiful clothes to the centuries-old Disney villains and they are perfect. I really wish I could draw them with all the details, but I will do everything by hand, alone and seeking a minimally professional quality (I want to be a comic artist/book illustrator one day. This comic is my first step Lmao, and I want to do something that conveys the best I can give at the moment), so I need to make some things easier for myself. The costumes are one of those things.

" Better something simple and well done than complex and poorly done." — This is my motto for this Comic and for my life.

The next sketches are related to aesthetics. I've been watching a lot of "Analyzing the Art" videos of some Disney films and I was inspired to adopt some "Disney Style" features in my arts for this comic (not everything obviously, because I don't want to be sued by Disney lmao).

What you'll see next is me trying to mix this influence with my own style in some KoW character sketches.

(this last art specifically references a meme in which @rascalentertainments tagged me, Thanks for that, by the way! <3 )

(credits to the artist, I don't know who it is because I was just tagged in this meme and I was busy So I didn't look for more information, but I'll leave the post link and you can check the official credits)

Speaking of aesthetics. Anny received Chiara's aesthetic from someone — the north star, "daughter of Aster", created by his magic at the very end of Anny's fanfic. This Aesthetic inspired me to create an aesthetic for Asha and Aster too and these were the results:

What's your favorite?

Lmao, It took a lot of work to make Aster's. There are almost no things for "starboys" on Pinterest.

I'm leaving this up to you to share as you wish, consider it a gift to the fandom!

Lastly, I want to say that the artistic analysis videos They also inspired me to put together a moodboard for KoW and I'll be leaving it here. Not even Anny and Aled know about this and I can't wait to see their reactions! I wish I could print this painting and leave it on the wall, but unfortunately I don't have a printer T-T.

This moodboard is helping me with the artistic direction of colors, style and is a visual motivation to stay active at work.

I hope you like it too!

That's it for today, it's already midnight in Brazil and I should be sleeping instead of posting crazy things on the internet. I'm going to tag my friends and go to sleep, Lmao.

Kisses full of light and stars!

~ Emy

@wings-of-sapphire @flicklikesstuff @frogcoven88 @chillwildwave @gracebethartacc @gracebethartacc @kstarsarts @oh-shtars Come and get your therapies after the anguish caused by certain publications by Anny!

#kingdom of wishes #wish reimagined #wish rewrite #wish 2023 #disney wish #artists on tumblr #asha wish #starboy #starsha #the kingdom of wishes desings #the kingdom of wishes au comic #the kingdom of wishes au #behind the papers? #behind the scenes #aesthetic #scketchbook #scketchs #please write tags for me when reblogging #I am feeling lazy

[olderthannetfic]

https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/729708592592306176/how-about-a-different-discourse-death-of-the

What this ask is missing, a bit, is that Death of the Author *does* mean that the author’s take on things is no more or less valid than anyone else’s. It’s about decentering authorial intent in analyses of media. Barthes is pretty clear and quite pointed about it in the original essay.

What bothers me about misuses of it and what I think this anon means to say is when people start decentering the actual *text*. The idea behind Death of the Author is also that the text stands alone. You don’t need to look at any extra shit to understand it. As you said, it was a response to a mode of analysis that obsessed over plumbing through author biographies.

The issue with what people do in fandom is they ignore the text. “I don’t like this element of canon, so it doesn’t exist.” (Which is different from arguing that it’s there but it sucks because of XYZ reasons, so I’m going to consciously ignore it in my fan works. This is when people just act like it isn’t there in the text in the first place.) “You have to take my bizarro world out-of-nowhere headcanon that is based on nothing except that I want it to be true, that I love this character and I wish they were XYZ therefore they are” and take it just as seriously as headcanons that actually engage with what’s in the show/video game/book/movie/whatever and use that as their basis (like building off something that is subtextual in the original work).

Granted we all do this to some degree, we all come to a text with our own biases and you can’t *always* easily separate those out, and that can affect, for instance, your interpretation of what the subtext is, but I think the irritating fandom behavior is when this kind of ignoring-the-text-to-substitute-your-own-reality is this very deliberate sort of laziness. The annoying thing in my current fandom is people who are fans of this one ship that they insist is the most progressive and other people just don’t see the scintillating “subtext” of because we are bigots or whatever, between two characters who don’t interact that much for two MCs and when they do it’s not at all shippy (but these characters both have very shippy subtext with different characters), but where these people think the ship *should* exist because of their identities. And their “evidence” for the ship is always gifsets taken way out of context and not including the dialogue that makes the non-shippy context for that scene very clear (including that it might actually be shippy for conflicting pairings). It’s like this bizarre version of “close reading” that strips out the largely context *deliberately* in order to make a particular conclusion seem more compelling than it actually is.

Anyway, all that ignoring-the-text stuff is STILL bad analysis per DOTA. Since the point of DOTA is to go based on the text, if you’re obscuring the text you’re kind of just installing yourself as a new author.

This is why DOTA doesn’t mean “anything goes.” It just means “authorial intent is just one interpretation that doesn’t have to matter.” It doesn’t mean other stuff we use in analysis doesn’t matter, and if anything the point is to make it even more text-centric than the older author-centric analyses were. People can still disagree about what the text says, of course, but they should both be going back to it in how they construct those arguments, and not, like those shippers, deliberately ignoring chunks of the text that weaken their arguments.

--

I don't think all of them are consciously throwing out actual canon, but they are often throwing out all context that would help evaluate subtext.

Like... if you're analyzing a Marvel movie, you might ignore what the director said in an interview, but you probably shouldn't entirely ignore the fact that it is a Marvel movie and apply assumptions that make sense for some arthouse film.

And, yes, if you're arguing for shippy subtext, even unintentional on the part of creators, "I like this ship because..." needs very little, but "This ship has more support than this other ship" requires going back to the actual text and looking at it in its totality.

There's a lot of faux-intellectualism around garbage like TJLC where people try to make themselves feel smart by using the language of close reading while having the media literacy of a bucket of rotting fish.

[mecachrome]

for an incredibly new f1 follower, what would you recommend for getting up to date with teams and racers and performances and history? apart from dts lol

oh that is a good question!!! i don't think i'm even the best person to answer this but honestly i think it all comes naturally if you pick a specific thing/team/person you're interested in and set out to learn more about that topic, because everything is so connected and with time you can fill in those knowledge gaps pretty quickly :') more under the cut:

dts is imo perfectly acceptable for learning names and faces for the first time and basically creating a vague outline of a given subject (i've said it's like using duolingo for learning a new language lol), so if you watch it and are like oh—i'm interested in charles or mercedes or learning more about technical regulations or whatever, then you can just dive deeper into that via wiki / youtube / podcasts + published media + old race archives and build up from there!

otherwise i think the main thing is just to start watching the actual races when the season gets underway, and in order to properly appreciate them then also read up on + watch videos about the technical/strategy side of the sport as well. back in the day i used to really like chain bear and i still always recommend it to anyone who asks! after that i would just seek out like... a community/server/place where other people are discussing news real-time; this could be meeting people on tumblr and twitter, but personally i'm subscribed to r/formula1 because it's the most active composite source of f1 news and Discourse. if you're reddit-averse i also just keep a big list on twitter with a bunch of random data accounts, official driver/team accounts, journalists, etc. that helps me keep up with the season in a tidy fashion—though honestly f1 journalism is so unserious that you don't really need to do that because most journos regurgitate the same three quotes in slightly different formats, so if you want to follow One Guy who won't disseminate bs info i'd recommend chris medland. or just general sport publications like autosport, motosport.com, the athletic if you're already subscribed to it (pretty lacking for f1 though since it's american lol), etc... some sites like the-race are very contentious though so i'd say just tread with caution!!! on the data side i personally enjoy fdatanalysis and f1telemetrydata (i've also used f1-tempo to do my own telemetry analysis but idk if that's useful). but again i'd highly recommend the subreddit since it keeps everything i just mentioned in one place anyway 😭

other media recs:

f1tv, if it's available in your area, has pretty much everything you need to follow f1 in its entirety. i hate to shill for paid media but i genuinely think it's good; you can watch every f1, f2, f3 session real-time, as well as go to the archives and revisit old races for each series from most seasons. it also has technical shows and a whole host of minidocs with bite-sized info that are probably less sensationalized than dts. if you don't have f1tv though then a lot of decent content is cross-posted to the f1 youtube so honestly the official channels are all pretty good for keeping up with the sport.

podcasts: if you're an auditory person then podcasts are a great way to deepdive into f1 history. personally i believe that 80% of men running f1 podcasts should be legally barred from ever having an opinion on motorsport, so i don't listen to that many, but i do enjoy the official f1 podcast beyond the grid (i listen to it on spotify but you can also find full transcripts on the f1 site) since, you know, they get official personnel on and i appreciate the wide range of personalities interviewed—from drivers to tps to various types of engineers. i've also heard good things about shift+f1, the race, and engine braking, but i haven't checked them out so i'd recommend just looking podcasts up yourself and seeing what vibes with you! though some podcasts are just like... I'll eat this because you're interviewing my guy but i would never watch/listen to you otherwise. (cough pit stop...)

books & autobiographies: again if you want to dive more into old f1, then you can always read a book!! i read jenson's autobiography life to the limit earlier and was very endeared, it's a super breezy but charming read ❤️ adrian newey's memoir is also a decent overview of a clearly brilliant and accomplished mind, i enjoyed the technical details and found his early career path especially interesting.

docus, movies, tv: there's also plenty of f1 media outside of f1tv, so you can always check those out; f1 movies aren't necessarily that accurate or frankly good but sometimes it's fun just for the Vibes and the love of the sport. for ex rush (2013) covers james hunt & niki lauda's rivalry, netflix has a schumacher (2021) doc, the brawn gp miniseries ft. jense came out last november, just things like that... some current individual drivers also have their own random miniseries so you can always seek those out, for ex i watched maxv's anatomy of a champion the other day just for the fun of it LOL.

i don't know whether any of this is helpful... but maybe other people can reply with their own recommendations!!!

also if you're interested in f2, f3, etc. then honestly just follow feeder series on whatever platform since they cover everything pretty well; feeder_series on twitter, r/f1feederseries, plus they do interview podcasts on youtube/spotify so i like watching those to keep up with young drivers. you can also watch chasing the dream for succinct f2 narratives; it used to only be on f1tv but it gets uploaded on youtube now so it's fairly accessible. lmk if you have any other questions or something specific you'd like more info about!!!

#ask

[noeggets]

Noeggets has a lot of deep thoughts about Shadow's characterization

it's so sad that Shadow was only a project to gerald, like we all joke /think that Shadow was "part of the family" but he was only a cure to Maria, that man was not as good a person as we think he was IM NOt SAYING HE WAS BAD but i usually see him depicted as super super kind to Shadow but i was reading the lore of SA2 and watching an analysis video and if the president never asked him to make whatever he asked him to make Shadow very well would not have been created.

It's so dark and so sad, like he manipulated Shadow when he went insane how do you think it feels to Shadow to know the person who made him didn't truly love him? like neither of the things that created/help create Shadow really truly loved him, he's only a cure, he's just a thing to reach immortality, he very well could be immortal himself, Shadow i don't think he can die cause he was created to not be able to catch any disease and be immortality it's self.

How do you think that feels? to just be a thing? Biolizard is just a failed attempt at making Shadow based on Chaos, those Chaos things in the ARK are failed attempts at Shadow also based on Chaos, i never knew this until i read the wiki 2 days ago SA2 has such a dark story i feel so bad for Shadow

re-thinking what i used to think about IDW Shadow lemme explain

And now that i know all this about Shadow the way he acts in IDW makes a little more sense to me, we all thought he was stupid when Sonic said "don't touch those zobot guys you'll turn into one" and Shadow was all "yeah, i dont care this wont effect me" HE WAS LIKE THIS FOR TWO REASONS

he was mad at Sonic cause his whole thing i want to achieve world peace i already talked about how IDW Shadow doesn't have as much compassion as the Shadow we all know from any other game but this is Eggman we're talking about, with everything Eggman's done up to this point do you think Shadow believes there is any good in him when he rarely does anything good Shadow has seen? Time eater, Sonic unleashed, Shadow is not ignorant to Eggman waking up a monster inside the planet everybody whether we seen them or not knows sonic unleashed happen, Sonic brings up sonic unleashed in IDW so it canonly happened. i remember reading that Knuckles and Shadow were gonna be in Sonic unleashed and if that's true SHADOW IS AWARE OF THIS

Eggman is a threat to the world to Shadow but he allowed the doctor to be cause Sonic keeps him check, Sonic is starting to be "unable" to keep him in check from Shadow's view, Shadow was there in forces, he witness what Eggman did to greenhill, he fought infinite who is a merc hired by Eggman mercs off people, Shadow is trying to save people that's his whole thing. After what happen to Shadow in Episode Shadow in forces do you think Shadow would hold any sympathy for Eggman the next time he physically see's him? After what he did to the world, after what he did to Omega? right in front of his eyes? Using Infinite to corrupt Omega and scare him Shadow cares about Omega that's his friend i had a point but i forgot it dang it anyway Shadow was in the war,

i remembered it a little bit i think i think i was gonna say something about when GUN sent Shadow to rescue Omega idk i haven't touched forces in sometime, and Shadow didn't come back as well as Omega. Eggman immobilized Shadow Shadow does not think the world is safe with Eggman around i think that was my point i don't remember...

ANYWAY that's why when Shadow came to see mr tinker he was pissed that Sonic allowed Eggman to be, this is dangerous to Shadow. when Shadow was getting mad at Sonic cause Sonic was preaching let Mr. Tinker live Shadow was thinking about the bigger picture: This man is terrorizing people and the only way to keep everyone safe is getting rid of him, this may be the only chance we get, but he let him live because Sonic explained that Shadow did bad things in the past as well so does that mean Shadow gets to go down with Eggman?

Shadow was mad at Sonic and the mess he made, Shadow was being compassionate i just didn't see it or understand it until now, it shocked him greatly when he was consumed by metal virus because he truly believed he could not catch a disease, this is a disease, so he wasn't being stupid i will admit he should have been more cautious not to put it to the test if it would work on him but Shadow was so sure he couldn't catch it, cause he believed he can't catch any KNOWN diseases this was a new disease his body wasn't created to understand therefore it works on him.

We thought SEGA didn't know what they were doing when they were writing IDW Shadow BUT THEY KNEW WHAT THEY WERE DOING people probably don't even care or remember about when that issue came out and everyone got so mad that Shadow was written "wrong" and being "stupid" but now that i have a understanding i think understand what he was doing and his thought process.

Shadow is moving up on my favorite list for this i feel so bad for Shadow F in the chat for Shadow his story is so sad like really. also heres an old thing i did that's really valid now

#shadow the hedgehog #sonic idw #Sonic #sth #character analysis

[fairymascot]

i imagine quite a few followers of mine, over the last few days, have been looking at my blog and wondering to themselves, 'what is milgram, and why won't she shut up about it?'

well, lads, this post is for you.

WHAT IS MILGRAM, AND WHY I WON'T SHUT UP ABOUT IT: a masterpost

milgram is a bit difficult to explain. here's the short version: imagine the popular reality show 'survivor', only instead of real people, it's anime characters. instead of a desert island, it's a magical jail that makes you sing. and instead of an assortment of swimsuit-clad hotties, it's ten highly unstable individuals who have all been, to some degree, involved in a murder. does that clear things up? no?

well, here’s the long version:

a teenager called es wakes up in an eerie, mystical prison, in a guard's uniform, with no memory of who they are or why they're here. the helpful mascot character, a talking rabbit named jackalope, explains that this prison is called milgram, and es is its sole guard and jury. the prison contains ten prisoners, all of whom had committed some sort of murder, although the prison's definition of 'murder' can be a bit loose. none of the prisoners are quite sure how they got there, either, but it's clearly detached from the outside world, and they have no means of contacting anyone from home.

es' job is fairly straightforward. they have to get to know each prisoner, and then decide whether to 'forgive' or 'condemn' them. (this is often translated as voting 'innocent' or 'guilty', but rest assured, everyone is actually guilty. the question is not whether they've committed the murder -- it's whether they're considered justified in doing so.) there will be three trials: for each one, each prisoner will offer their testimony, and receive their verdict. their future in the prison will be affected accordingly.

the prison has a nifty schtick: the prisoners don't testify, exactly. instead, they're connected to a special machine that takes their innermost thoughts, feelings, and memories... and turns them into absolute bangers, paired with epic anime music videos. yes. their fate is decided based on the music video produced by their brain. what happens to those forgiven, and those condemned? well... that will be revealed in time.

that's that for the in-universe setup. in reality, milgram is an interactive multimedia franchise that delivers its story primarily through a series of youtube music videos. the songs are composed by renowned vocaloid producer deco-27 and the videos produced by otoiro. if you're into vocaloid at all, that's probably all you need to know it looks and sounds awesome. (if you're not: i'm telling you that right now.) each character's video has a distinct visual and musical style tailored to their personality, which makes for a very unique and diverse experience. and seriously, all those songs slap.

but the key gimmick is this: es is you. after each character's music video is released, a poll goes up where the viewers can vote to decide whether to forgive or condemn. the majority vote is then canonized, and future story developments will be affected by it.

milgram also explicitly urges you not to vote based strictly on morality. you can vote for whatever reason you'd like. maybe you just find this character cool, and want them to have a good time. maybe they annoy you, so you want them to suffer. maybe you just think this particular verdict would make for some really neat story developments! there's no right or wrong, which makes for some really fun and varied fandom discussions.

another aspect that makes it really engaging to me, is that the music videos -- meant to be the fruit of each character's subconscious -- are rarely straightforward. most of them require some degree of analysis on the viewers' end, and there's no concrete canon explanation provided for most of them. this creates really rich and interesting community discussion! nothing like watching a video for the first time, having no idea what to make of it, and scrolling down to read some passionate fan's frame-by-frame, 5000 word breakdown. it's awesome!

with ten prisoners (plus es, who is not nearly as much of a blank slate as the story would initially have you believe), every fan is guaranteed to find their own little blorbo. each character is incredibly fucked up in their own special way! they're all professionally voice acted and, in addition to their songs, have accompanying voice dramas where you can get to know more about them.

with the first two trials (=seasons) out of three complete, now’s a good time as any to jump in!

OKAY, SO HOW DO I GET INTO THIS THING?

first, a warning: in case that wasn't clear from all the murder, this is not a feel-good series. your favorite blorbo will inevitably turn out to be a horrible person who does horrible things, and will have horrible things happen to them. the videos include, in addition to the obvious violence and murder, themes of abusive relationships, bullying, suicide ideation and child abuse. and that's just off the top of my head.

TRIAL ONE

T1 MUSIC VIDEOS:  you can find every video from the first trial, in order, HERE.

they're all in japanese, and have CC in (just slightly broken) english. this is the main meat of the canon! if you've watched it all and still want more, here's some extra content:

T1 VOICE DRAMAS the character voice dramas can be found in the single release of each song, on spotify, youtube music, or apple music. here are translations gathered from various fans across the web. (i’m linking both youtube uploads and text-only translations, in case any of the links get taken down due to copyright stuff.)

00. es (video / text) | 01. haruka (video / text)| 02. yuno  (video / text) | 03. fuuta  (video / text) 04. mu  (video / text) | 05. shidou  (video / text) | 06. mahiru (video / text) | 07. kazui  (video / text)  08. amane (video / text)  | 09. mikoto (video / text) | 10. kotoko (video / text)

TRIAL TWO

T2 MUSIC VIDEOS: you can find every video from the second trial, in order, HERE.

T2 VOICE DRAMAS 01. haruka (video / text)| 02. yuno  (video / text) | 03. fuuta  (video / text) 04. mu  (video / text) | 05. shidou  (video / text) | 06. mahiru (video / text) 07. kazui (video / text) | 08. amane (video / text) | 09. mikoto (video / text) | 10. kotoko (video / text)

additional resources

milgram official site & twitter - news & updates (japanese)

milgram en on twitter - additional translations (website updates, character blurbs, comics)

rochisama on wordpress - translations of background text in the videos & character interactions from the official app

@milgrammer - sadly no longer active, but has lots of translations, including character bios, cd dramas, and voice actor interviews

@onigiriico​ - currently active translator who’s been doing awesome work on the cd dramas

have fun, and happy judgement!

#milgram #text #long post #PLS WATCH MILGRAM I NEED MORE FANDOM FRIENDS

[pinkvaquita]

So, Royal Mike already uploaded the videos of the new update. Aka, I can see what is going on because I don't have the game. And now that he uploaded all about the update, I want to make my opinion and analysis about Smoke Cheese cookie behaivor and actions before I start spilling all my crazy ideas of shipping him with Mozzarella.

All the screenshots from the game are from Royal Mike Chanel, and obviously spoilers under the cut

So, like. As we all see, Smoked Cheese escalated very quickly from "This is needed for the safety of the kingdom" to "GIVE ME ALL THE FUCKING POWER, NOW". And yeah, it could defenetly be seemed as terrible character writing from Devsis. But maybe my over-analysis make me encounter with something. Or a least gave a me a theory and personal headcanon.

I'm not a psychologist so maybe I'm wrong, but I have really strong suspicious about Smoked Cheese having narcisistic personality disorder and everyone in the kingdom interpreting it as him just being him.

His first intentions and ideas about the danger of not making a more direct move and almost not care enough about the return of Dark Enchantresss were not wrong. Golden Cheese was being reckless with those decisions.

And also, there is a moment were Golden Cheese scold him because she catched him treathening the protagonic gang. And he excuses himself saying that "anxiety got the best of him". And... Maybe it wasn't a total lie?

It could be that the errors becoming more prominent and, especially, the sudden news of Dark Enchantresss could have triggered a impulsive reaction of panic on him. Since the last time he heard from her, was when they all died. I said specially the last one because when Golden Cheese rejected his idea of torturing the protagonist, he got upset but aceppt it. But when she did the same thing about not taking a direct aproach to the possible attack, he finally showed his ideas of making a revolt.

He probably got scared that maybe story was gonna repet itself. And his fear showed more the more the idea got in his head and the more he watched Golden Cheese still was ignoring him.

And i think the probe to this is how he treated the errors, before finding about them being usefull in his plan to take the power, he rejected it and wanted to get ride of anything related to that. But when he realized that it could be a strong weapon, he was more than happy to keep many of them. Because the errors was something more easy to deal than Dark Enchantresss.

By the moment he finally got his plan on practice, he probably got in a mind state of: "Is now or never, this HAS to work. Or we are doomed", since in his mind it was that or waiting for getting killed again by an attack of any origin. Explaining why he got in this moment, well...

A bit too dramatic. And he even got more raw and impulsive when the plan wasn't working after stealling Golden Cheese soul jam. He was screaming and growling like a beast, and probably didn't curse because in the game is impossible.

So, adding to that. I also notice he does something really interesting.

He refletcs himself in others. For example, he said to Mozzarella that the her new tower was making her get things into her head, and also called not trustworthy even after her helping him.

And also, he described Golden Cheese as an arrogant and a brat. And he defenetly acted like that when he was defeated.

And well, all of this fits very well in the symptoms of a narcisistic person.

(this screenshots were taken by me)

Smoked Cheese showed many of this traits in his actions and words. The anger at his failed plans, the lack of ability to sympathize with our protagonic group, the fact that his plan of doing this was not something that got totally (just partially) rushed, the constant bickering with Mozzarella (untill she become his ally) and Burnt Cheese, the way he shows a lack of emotional inteligence, his manipulative way to twist things with his words, the way he enjoyed so much controlling something powerfull as the monsters, the desire of power and recognition. And how at the lack of this, he decided to get it himself.

He probably normaly is able to control himself a little, to care about others and not get carried on. Explaining why he said that alo of this was for the greater good. But then the despair of needing to feel his and his kingdom safe (and the lack of having a healthy coping mechanism) make him take desperate decisions. Leading predictebly to failure.

And that honestly sucks because yeah, his actions are not excusable, but that doesn't change that he had an actual good intention. But being mentally ill got him out of track.

#cookie run #cookie run kingdom #golden cheese cookie #crk #cr kingdom #character analysis #smoked cheese cookie

[epickiya722]

I do not know if it was you, or another blogger that made a character analysis of Gojo that made me like the character and discover more about him through the manga.

While I never read the manga before or watched the anime, I had been exposed to it by my friends and some BNHA bloggers. Back then, I found Gojo to be overhyped (discount Kakashi) while liking the animation(?) style, bit still no interest.

BNHA and its Endeavour Redemption arc in the doing was tiring me to the point that I stopped reading it and manga altogether. For mayne six months or so, until now, at least. I randomly found your blog last week , and it got me a new hyper fixation 😃. You got me to start reading JJK (Megan cos playing also helps).

I bought Number 0 and Number 1 of the mangas. Only to remember midway in Number 0 that Walmart Kakashi will be snapped in two like a Kit Kat🥲. I saw that leak in one of the BNHA blogs, and I didn't mind it back then since I wasn't in the fandom, but Lord, now it sucks.

Anyways, all this long rant to say that I like reading your posts.

Gojo, rest in pain, I guess?

Probably was someone else, I don't write much analysis posts about Gojo. I think once or twice I did, I can't recall. Probably reblogged one though you saw!

I don't know, they're really just two different characters to me. Also... I was never really an active reader or watcher of Naruto like that (just very familiar) so when I first saw Gojo, Kakashi didn't register to me at all.

Like, I did not get similar vibes at all. And it actually annoys me that people will be like "He copied Kakashi's flow"! Kakashi ain't the only white haired, face covering character out there with magical eyes, y'all stop. 😆

Even funnier when, by this point, Gojo has probably been unmasked more than he has been wearing something on his face and switches up what he puts on his face. Kakashi been wearing the same mask for...? Also, didn't it take years for Kakashi's whole face to be shown or something? Took like seven episodes for Gojo to show that face.

**

I always been a fan of Megan's music and then when I found out she was into anime I was like "YYYYYEEEEEAAAAH". She cosplayed as Miruko one Halloween and it made my year. I am a former believer that Miruko would vibe to her music.

Just seeing other Black women being unapologetic fans of anime (or anything) does wonders for me and I hate it when people act as if it's such a foreign idea to understand. Honey, we can have interests, too, like everyone else. It's normal.

**

I always try to be careful about spoilers for anything I'm into. Like, I can talk about a chapter that happened two years ago, but I'll still mark as a spoiler because I know some people don't read Mangas or even if they do haven't caught up to that specific part.

That actually what set me off when Usher cosplayed as Gojo because he literally put "rest in peace, Gojo" or something along those lines and the amount of people who weren't even aware of 236... like bro, come on.

I knew it just had to be a marketing tactic because I know damn well Usher ain't seen JJK a day in his life and how convenient it is he comes out with that cosplay around the time when "Daddy's Home" becomes a fairly popular song used in Gojo's edits. I can't go watching one video on YouTube without hearing that song play when Gojo pops up. And even if he has... WHY WOULD YOU TAG IT LIKE THAT?!

Oh, but Megan definitely doesn't know any of the characters she be cosplaying, alright... okay... 🙄

I'm just going off on a whole tangent here, I apologize for that. I've been sick for like three days and just woke up from a nap. 😅

**

Also, thank you! Glad you enjoy my posts!! Anytime anyone says they like reading my posts, I still get shocked. They're really are just random thoughts I been having and really I'm still learning grasping the characters and story myself. And this is just for any. I don't even for them to get read, let alone for anyone to actually agree with me. I guess because, at the end of the day, I really just needed to throw a thought out there before I lose it or keep rethinking about it over and over.

#kiya answers #jjk #jujutsu kaisen #jjk spoilers #jjk manga spoilers #gojo satoru #satoru gojo #megan thee stallion

[somethingblu3]

Richard Headcannon's (Later)

I have a few headcannons now because I rewatched later, and now I'm obsessed with it, and I came up with some following @astarions-bride post.

I'm sure I have a bunch more, but these are all the ones my tired brain can think of. I'll add some more smutty ones at a later date, maybe for Febuwhump?

Masterlist

You two always go shopping together. It's always a fun date night. Richard always knows what fits your body best and what suits your figure. Of course, he would be really into the color analysis. - He would also be involved in the actual 'dressing up' not just for going out but for work, especially because he wants you to make a good first impression. Helping apply make-up, choosing different heels/perfumes for you to wear for different occasions.

He loves taking videos/photos of you, especially when you aren't looking. He has entire folders saved of the same photos but in different poses. Maybe he enjoys scrapbooking. Of course, he loves dirty photos/videos as well. Lights up when you're bored at work and escape to the bathroom to send him a quick selfie, teasing him about what's to come later. He almost wants to share it and show you off, but he holds himself back.

When you get back from work, he always attacks you with kisses. Sometimes, you don't even make it to the bedroom and end up on the couch, which means you have to get creative with positions. He loves it when you arrive home all sweaty and tired because that means you can have showers and head straight to bed.

He loves showers and baths. There's so much closeness between your bodies. He loves cleaning your hair while you tell him about work woes and gossip. Trivial things. You debate on dinner but end up settling on takeout. Of course, make-out a sesh when waiting for delivery.

Then he feels jealous when the delivery guy comes to the door. He can feel them watching your body either in a towel or see-through pjs, usually a night dress one he picked for you. And then, when cuddling on the couch, he's really possessive and doesn't give you any room to breathe. He has to mark you - with anything he possibly can anywhere with bite marks and scratches. The neck is the most obvious place, but then the shoulders and your waist, anything that can show through clothes even though you mostly wear suits at work.

Of course, he takes your clothes from the day and saves them in a pile like he's nesting. It's a comfort thing - from his last relationship (we all know how that ended), he craves constant touch, so when you're away, your clothes are the closest thing to him. Sometimes, he likes to lie and spread your clothes on his chest, especially dresses, and feel them like you are there, sometimes not even in a sexual way.

He loves having photoshoots with you. Something you do in your rare down days. Outfits don't even have to be sexy, but often they're short. - And speaking of shorts, he loves those too. Just the expose of your leg/thigh drives him wild; he can't hold himself back. He always grabs your ass, especially when you pull him in for a kiss.

He always tells you that you should be a model, but you never take him seriously. He loves watching you while you sleep, especially post-orgasm. It always starts with innocence. At first, he traces your face - your cheeks and then, of course, he goes lower, and before you know it, he's fucking you mid-sleep, and he can't help himself. Sometimes, he slides a condom on, but of course, he's too tired and doesn't want to wake you. When you miss your period, he's a worried mess. He's never told you about what he does, although you always go into detail about your 'weird sex dreams' - you're both very open to each other about sexual stuff.

It doesn't take you long to realize he's a panty thief, so you end up giving Richard his favorite items, the ones you know he loves. You both love trying new things. At first, he was ashamed of using toys with you, but then it didn't really matter to him. All he cares about is your pleasure. He loves researching new positions and getting into kinky stuff; he's very nerdy about it. Aftercare is a hit or miss with him only when he's in the mood, but no matter what, there's always cuddling in the end because of how much he craves your touch.

#neil newbon universe #later #richard #headcannons #neil newbon headcannons #fanfiction #fanfic #yandere #yandere headcannons #could be much more smutty if i wasn't so tired lol

[kylelover]

SOUTH PARK SOCIAL MEDIA HEADCANONS

Hello, hi!! I am bored... so, let's write some headcanons hehe

Also thx for the support 🥺 I love you guys

STAN MARSH

This man hates tiktok and refuses to install it (it's canon ,,, I know) he would instead use some knock off version like YouTube shorts or Instagram reels 🤠

He would send Kyle tiktoks that were funny like 7 months ago which he JUST got to see on ig reels.

He probably has likes 4 posts on Instagram. Most of them are just pictures of his dog, his girlfriend and random ass pinterest pictures he liked

This man would have a pinterest board of goth music he liked back in his emo era

Also, when he was emo... he made a whole new instagram where posed as an e-boy

Just wanted you guys to let you know that.

He also watches call of duty and markiplier on youtube

his user is one that he made when he was 13 and he never changed it

It's stanfnaff

He deffo had a fnaf phase

KYLE BROFLOVSKI

We've all seen Cupid Ye by now...

He would totally have a tiktok account where he posts famous dances (renegade for example)

He expected them to go viral since his dance moves were pretty "smooth"

They never did

He uses Twitter just to comment on his friend's posts

Also to annoy Cartman by hacking his account

He doesn't actually hack him. His password is just CartmanBrahhh

This man never uses instagram

He never posted neither

His pfp is a selfie of him with ike

Since Ike isn't allowed to use Instagram, he uses his brother's account to watch updates of his favourite youtubers

Which explains why Kyle follows pewdipie lmao

His user is just his name with random numbers

Fucking kyleb8392

KENNY MCCORMICK

Let's be honest

He wouldn't even use social media

He has a phone but it's like all cracked and dirty and

It looks like a skinned iphone

He just found it on the street and surprisingly it worked

He has only instagram, youtube and pou installed

On Instagram his name is KensbigD and the only photo he ever posted is a very low quality picture of him

On youtube he watches sometimes commentary youtubers

His deepest darkest secret? Oh yeah, Kenny watches play doh egg videos

Overall he never uses his phone since he doesn't have wifi at all

He also has 18 pictures on his phone and it's memes that he finds funny and some others that already came with the phone which he never deleted.

ERIC CARTMAN

Cartman has every social media istg

He uses discord and Twitter to troll random people by making them think he's dreamsexual or some shit

His username on Instagram is Cartm.an9

He never posts anything

If he does it's probably just a really cringy photo with some filter he took of butters

On youtube he has a gaming channel ofc but has literally left it abandoned

I feel like he'd watch those videos of people eating really spicy stuff then saying NO REACTION

He tried to do it once

He went to the hospital for 4 days

CRAIG TUCKER

Craig would watch those 1 hour analysis video about a random movie

Or those summaries of weird kdramas

He watches cute guinea pig videos but never admits to it

His history is filled with minecraft videos that tweek watches every once in a while

On tiktok he would probably post those sarcastic memes like "Oh yeah galaxy is really big then theres you, a waste of space"

He used to have a secret account where he posted those cute partner videos with tweek

They went viral

Everyone saw them

Never again

His user on ig is probably just his name

Craig_Tucker

He posts pictures of things he finds cool

TWEEK TWEAK

Tweek watches those asmr videos on youtube

Also minecraft building and lego tutorials

Hes probably addicted to tiktok

His fyp is filled with those clickbait videos of "A METEOR IS HITTING THE EARTH SOON WE ARE ALL GONNA DIE!!"

Craig tried helping him by creating new accounts and blocking certain words

They keep coming back somehow

He never posts anything on instagram

He has both of his cameras covered with black tape

He's scared of them watching him

On tiktok he posted only once and it's a video of him in class drawing on the table

His user is just TTWEKE29

I'm tired and I don't want to keep writing... but Wendy would totally watch daily vlog diaries of fit girls

#south park memes #south park #south park headcanon #sp #south park headcanons #kyleloverhcs

[adamworu]

Have you seen Codex Entry's video titled "The End of Evangelion Is (Not) A Happy Ending - An Analysis & Critique"? She makes a lot of interesting points in that.

First things first, it keeps hitting me how numerous the death threats were that GAINAX got. The contempt of man, followed by a disgusting lack of consequence has always been a central theme in Evangelion. Seeing just how painful the imitation of art to life is feels like opening old wounds. They were instrumental in EoE's conception among other things (Anno putting his feelings into film being another). The quick flashes of ire in written form really helps give EoE that unshakable bitter, pessimistic feel.

(warning for strong personal talks of suicide under the cut)

Anno's mental health worsened at the main series' end. People weren't satisfied with how it ended. They drove him to the point of contemplating suicide. If Anno's reflection of himself manifest through some of the characters, this makes Shinji's state before the infamous sequence even more haunting.

The interviewer asked 'What stopped you?' to which Anno replies 'The prospect of pain. I didn't mind dying I didn't want it to hurt.'

I didn't want it to hurt.

As someone with fluctuating highs and lows of mental health, this struck me more than I'd like to admit. During my periods of contemplating ending it all, one of my greatest fears was the pain. That death isn't the peaceful embrace from it all. That your lasting regrets die with you as your loved ones would eventually find you and become horrified at the fleshy shell that once had a name. You hear their faint screams, your strength is all but gone, and that flickering light within you is snuffed forever.

'Faced with the reality, I stopped.'

I think there's something even more painful about the end. There is no pain, but was lies on the other side...if anything?

EoE asks what if self-loathing becomes our being? Who you are affects your very being. And Shinji's self-hatred seeps into the cast, then the whole world. Considering Shinji's status as an audience surrogate, this sort of thing is very much aimed at the audience, especially those targeting Anno and GAINAX.

I personally don't think, however that EoE is an inverse to EoTV (series end). I do agree with her (Codex Entry), however that EoE is the horrifying reality of if the wrong person turns their back on humanity. EoE is more the explicit version on how humanity came to be in Instrumentality. I still wouldn't call it pessimistic even after all these years. EoTV sees the characters with more self-fulfilled arcs in the very end. There's a sense of catharsis from cast and viewer alike from having climbed a mountain of epiphany and acceptance. EoTV feels more convenient, albeit not unnaturally so.

EoE is more explicit with Shinji's flaws. They stare him in the face with no hesitation. These fears are far uglier and portray him less favorably. Less sympathetically. He views the girls and women around him as how they'd be of benefit. His ire isn't just about the realization that they're people with feelings and complexities deserving of empathy. It's also that those girls and women can as well as do hold the right to exist without him. He sentences the whole world to metaphorical death by way of relinquishment of the AT Field due to his own insecurities. His locus of control is viewed externally. His deterministic point of view harms everyone around him. The train scene is shown here and it parallels his talk with Leliel in episode 16. He blames his reality rather than hold himself accountable.

This is the importance of 'What is your hand for?' It's a gentle nudge into the prospect of free will. It's not just a doctrine of freedom, but one that argues that you are culpable.

My one and only pet peeve with the essay is the confusion of happiness and positivity multiple times throughout. EoE isn't happy, but it is positive. If we were to look at EoE as its own universe rather than a metatext, it is intensely depressing. It tells you that with your hands you can better the world around you. With the fact that it's self-aware considered, it acts as a cautionary tale, that intense self-loathing and disdain serves not just to poison you, but others. We don't all have the ability to damn the human race to metaphorical death until to bring them back because we don't exist. Shinji is understood in Codex' video to be an audience surrogate to great detail. EoE is the existence that did not want to be. Rather than being nihilistic and ireful, it grabs the audience with trembling fingers, saying 'For the love of God, be empathetic. It won't kill you! You are ruining everyone around you with your contempt for outside agency and your arrogance. Please...!'

End of Evangelion is Nyquil. It tastes strong and it tastes bad. Everyone needs bad tasting medicine if they want to get well. So drink the damn medicine.

#neon genesis evangelion #end of evangelion #nge #eva #correct me if i'm wrong #suicide mention

[sophietv]

The Great War and the "second" war

Ok, now that I opened Pandora's box of writing my thoughts down, I don’t seem to be able to stop… 

That being said, I keep seeing antis, especially on Twitter, claiming how The Great War does not mean anything about LSK since it was the first world war, but there was a second after.

So the argument here is that they might have survived that first war (weirdly no one seems to know which events it might be about) but they did not survive the second one (this one is supposed to be 2019 and the failed coming out).

This is gonna be a long post, so if you just want to have my input on what those two wars are about, it's at the end.

At first, I just thought this argument was funny, especially since no one is able to explain what fight (war) this song refers to if it’s not the events of 2019.

But then it got me thinking that if people are seeing this connection about two wars, it was probably not accidental.

So, if there are two World Wars, what is The Great War talking about?

I do believe that The Great War is talking about the events of 2019. There’s many things that point to this.

The Great War is sampled on Only The Young. It’s the same drum beat, especially in the intro.

I think it is meant to set the time the song took place (2019) and the reason behind this great war : The political climate, the results of the elections. As many suspect might have played a role on her not being able to come out.

But the lyrics also points toward 2019: 

The most telling is : “Somewhere in the haze, got a sense I’d been betrayed”

This clearly points to the betrayal accusation that is looming over Karlie since 2019 and that Swifties use to hate on her.

There’s an amazing post about this. I encourage you to go read it as it will help you understand where I am coming from for the rest of the analysis.

Perez Hilton posted a Youtube Video saying how Taylor and Karlie are no longer close because of Scooter Braun, based on absolutly nothing. Ashley Avignone and Claire Winter liked the Taylor Swift Updates post about it.

Therefore lauching every Swifties and their mothers on Karlie.

This tweet and the video are still up, but the original post shared by Taylor Swift Updates and liked by Taylor's friend no longer exists.

(I highly suggest you read the post about debunking all of this!)

Perez Hilton liked a bunch of tweets this very year about how his claim that Karlie had betrayed Taylor was unfounded and basically not true.

This is just one exemple, there's MANY (and he confirmed in the comments of some that he does not just like them automatically because his name is in the post).

He even liked one of mine saying he was in his redemption era, liking post debunking his rumor about Karlie...

All of this plays in those lyrics:

“And maybe it’s the past that’s talkin’, screamin’ from the crypt. Telling me to punish you for things you never did. So I justified it.” 

Perez posting those rumors and having her friends “confirm” it by liking the post.

“Spineless in my tomb of silence, tore your banner down took the battle underground”

Her not doing anything at the time (at least at first) to stop those rumors.

“Looked up at me with honor and truth, broken and blue, so I called off the troops.”

The Taylor Swift Updates post being deleted. Her friends are still showing support to Karlie on SM (again, if you have not read the debunk post, it’s really good!).

Frozen ground pointing at 2019:

In The Great War, there’s also the lyric: “Soldier down on that icy ground, looked up at me with honor and truth, broken and blue”. 

Taylor has used the frozen imagery to talk about the Master Heist in Folklore and Evermore.

Hoax: “My win less fight, this has frozen my ground”. 

In the Long Pond Studio Session, when she talks about Hoax she says that it’s about multiple things: A relationship and the true meaning of love for her (staying when the other person is having a difficult time), a person that betrayed her and that she saw like family (Scott Borchetta) and a work thing that really hurt (The Master Heist).

The Win Less Fight is the attempt to come out that has frozen her ground (her past work).

It’s Time To Go: “He’s got my past frozen behind glass, but I got me”

Again, referencing having her past work stolen from her as being frozen.

Right Where You Left Me: “Did you ever hear about the girl who got frozen, time went on for everybody else she won’t know it”.

Once again, she is talking about her and how she got frozen in time by the master heist.

The Lakes: "A red rose grew up, out of ice frozen ground. With no one around to tweet it”.

The lakes talks about her not belonging and wanting to escape with her muse. A red rose, means love and passion.

Meaning that in all of this, love grew up out of the public eye...

In Evermore she also alludes to the cold and the winter while looking back on the events of 2019 (this would take a whole other post to go through all of this) : “And I was catching my breath. Barefoot in the wildest winter catching my death”.

Even in Only The Young: "It keeps me awake, the look on your face, the moment you heard the news. Screaming inside and FROZEN in time, you did all that you could do"

She might be talking about more than just the elections right there...

Another thing that for me screams of 2019 : “Your finger on my hairpin trigger”.

To me this sounds like her relationship with Karlie was one big reason for her wanting to come out in 2019. 

How since the start of her relationship with Karlie she has been more loud about her queerness and how Karlie was the catalyst of her wanting to come out.

This relationship makes her want to drop “hairpins” as she references too in Right Where You Left Me : “I swear you could hear a hairpin drop, right when I felt the moment stopped.”

This checks out when you look back on her discography, social media posts, interviews and everything. Taylor has started being louder and dropping hairpins in conjunction with her relationship with Karlie.

What does it mean for Kaylor?

The song clearly depicts how they made it through those events:

“I vowed, I would always be yours, ‘cause we survived the great war”. 

Which was even more solidified by Taylor singing “I WILL always be yours” when she played it as a surprise song.

But there’s also other interesting detail about that song:

“My hand was the one you reached for all throughout the great war”

Meaning Karlie was there all this time. 

Also: “That was the night I nearly lost you. I really thought I lost you.”

Meaning Taylor did not lose Karlie. She thought she did, thought she might. But as she is saying in the song, it was not the case. 

But why is it about World War 1 AKA The Great War when we know there’s a World War 2?

Here’s what I think it means.

The Great War is about the events of 2019 : her wanting to come out and not being able to because of the Master Heist.

In her song The Archer, which is about the fear of coming out and how she is ready for it (pun not intended).

She starts the song with “Combat, I’m ready for combat”. (singular). 

The combat here is her coming out and the possible backlash it can have.

She sadly was not able to come out in 2019.

But since August 2019 and her BBC1 performance, Taylor has changed the lyrics a bit.

In her live performance of BBC1 (Septembre 2019)

Live in Paris (Septembre 2019)

You can clearly hear “Combats, I’m ready for combats”.

Even during the Eras Tour you can hear her using plural in the song.

The singular combat of coming out in 2019 has transformed into multiple ones, her having to re-record her first six albums for one plus whatever other challenges arose in 2019 that we don’t know about.

So World War 2 might be in that case her future coming out.

Whenever that might be.

And the song saying: “We will never go back”

Meaning that whatever happens, they’ll face it together this time.

#The Great War #Kaylor #Gaylor #LSK #The Archer #Coming Out #2019 #Youtube