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evakuality · 5 years

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Since I looked at Isak and Matteo (which can be found starting over here), I figured hey let’s be equitable here and look at Even and David as well. The interesting thing with these two is that they are even more divergent as characters than Isak and Matteo and yet we can trace David’s origins in Even quite effectively. Filling similar story spaces, and in many ways sharing similar characteristics, they are still very different characters. So this should be a fascinating task. Because these two don’t have the same screen time that Isak and Matteo did, this will be a smaller set of comparisons. There probably won’t be one for every episode on its own, partly because there are some episodes where neither character appears much at all, and partly because even when they do appear they are on screen for much less time.

Both Even and David are introduced in the third clips of the episodes (to Isak and Matteo; I know David was introduced to the audience earlier) but their introductions are very different (which makes sense because by now Isak and Matteo were already established as very different characters too, with very different needs in a romance). Even catches Isak’s attention from afar, but his focus is on Vilde and Sana and so Isak is able to stare, along with the camera, until Even finally looks up and spots Isak too. This is distanced, a twist of fate making them notice each other across a crowded space, though it should be noted here that we know from later on that Even was already crushing and so it was fairly inevitable that Isak would catch his eye one day; Even was forever going to be checking to see if he’d been seen yet. It does mean it has that sort of fairytale ‘eyes meeting across a room and everything fades away’ feeling to it. Isak looks away, however, when Even looks at him, unwilling to so openly check out a guy I guess. Because this is a crowded place and they aren’t alone and he’s still very insecure in his sexuality. Even seems keen to keep that mysterious facade up (what a dork, though; directing this ‘getting to meet Isak’ thing like it’s his job! Step one, make him notice me: accomplished. Step two, look cool and mysterious: check.), and so Isak doesn’t notice if Even stares back. This means he remains a little mysterious to us here as well because we only see what Isak sees.

David’s, on the other hand, is a close up meeting with Matteo and it’s only the two of them nearby. This means they can both look openly and turn back to watch the other. While everything does slow down when they catch sight of each other, it doesn’t have that same fairytale feeling to it. That’s partly because I do think Even is manufacturing his image at this point. He wants to be seen and noticed and he needs to look cool and mysterious to do it. David’s intentions seem to have always been to keep his head down and make it through the school year without having to be noticed by anyone. He’s just as hit by a truck here as Matteo is. There’s no artistry, no intention to make a move. Just a random meeting of two boys in a hallway which tilts both of them off their axis and pushes them out of their comfort zones. While it hasn’t been explicitly said, I don’t think David saw Matteo before this moment unlike Even. I think this is as much of a shock to David’s system as it is to Matteo’s.

Already we see differences between these two. Even comes on strong here, I think, because he desperately wants this boy. He intentionally makes a move on Isak (and I think he’s already starting on that at this stage) but he backs off when things get too intense because he realises he does have to make himself known (and of course, as we see later, Isak’s thoughtless comments don’t help). David doesn’t want to be seen or known, and he is well aware that getting close to someone else will involve being known, and so he has no plans to see and be with Matteo but when they meet it hits him hard. He says it himself later (‘I didn’t want to tell anyone at school, but then I got to know you’), and obviously both these tendencies come to the fore at the kosegruppa and abistreich meetings. Even goes there with the express purpose and intent of meeting Isak. He wants to get to know this boy who has charmed him from afar. A chance glance in a cafeteria isn’t enough anymore. What we need now is an actual meeting, a conversation. So he orchestrates, again, a way to make Isak interact. He places himself behind Isak in the seats, and probably plans to get into some sort of group with him which is thwarted when he leaves. He presumably follows him to the bathroom, waits til he comes out of the cubicle and then starts his ridiculous paper towel stunt and the overly exaggerated ‘oh? You’re here? Do you also need paper?’ thing. He wants to be noticed and seen, he wants to be cool, and yet this is what he thinks will help with that? Luckily for him, Isak is entranced by the mystique of the whole thing and doesn’t notice how dumb it is. I don’t think Even’s anywhere near as confident as he appears in these scenes because his efforts are pretty bizarre and they really only work because they knock Isak off centre and so he never questions any of it.

David, again, is a chance meeting. We don’t know why he’s there at the Abistreich meeting but I guess while he said he didn’t want anyone to know that he’s trans, he did want to make friends and so we see him interacting with people as much as he can. It’s not just Matteo. There’s this meeting he’s intending to go to and there are Sara and Leonie as well. But, by chance, he’s heading in as Matteo is coming out and Matteo speaks. Where with Even, he was the one directing the plays with this encounter with Isak, here it’s Matteo. He’s decided ‘hey I want to get to know this cool guy more’ and he invites him to come smoke. David, while clearly interested in Matteo, is still wary. So he follows but he’s prickly and aloof. While Even in this conversation is flirty, teasing, even a little possessive when Emma comes along, David is reserved, almost to the point of standoffishness, at least at first. Of course, this can be read as him wanting to appear cool and mysterious like Even. But I don’t think that’s it. I think he’s trying to protect himself and if Matteo hadn’t been the one to push forward in the way that he does (over and over again), I don’t think David would have pursued this. It’s too threatening to his plans to keep things low key and get through school without incident and without having to tell anyone. But he’s drawn to Matteo and he can’t help but go along with him when the opportunity arises. He relaxes as the conversation goes on and they talk about things that are important to each of them. It’s not much, but it’s already a deeper conversation than Isak and Even have. David and Matteo get more time to develop to this point before they’re interrupted, and I think that’s at least in part because Even still has his plans. He’s not giving up after initiating one interaction. David, on the other hand, would have backed away more quickly, and been harder for Matteo to connect with in the coming days, if they didn’t establish a firmer bond more up front.

The way they each act when the interloping girl comes along is interesting too. Even pushes back, makes it clear he wants Isak in a group with him, lays his claim to Isak’s time. He has his plan, dammit, and Emma is not going to ruin it, and he is gratified when Isak goes along with it without hesitation. They’re left sitting awkwardly together, all three of them on the bench, because Even is not willing to give up Isak’s company if he doesn’t have to. David, by contrast, gives up immediately and leaves. Obviously part of this is because Isak is clearly unwilling to spend time with Emma, whereas Matteo kisses Sara, however lacklustre that kiss is. Despite wanting to make friends, David is still obviously trying hard to keep everything compartmentalised. Sara and Leonie are class friends, Matteo is … something else. And having them integrated together makes it harder to slip away from any or all of them when and if the ‘natural catastrophe’ occurs and he has to run. Even’s ‘hot and cold’ behaviour comes later, but David is already conflicted between wanting to make these connections and wanting to be free enough to flee if necessary. So David is already both drawn to Matteo and spending time with him, and needing to escape when things get too intense. He starts his disappearing act very early on.

The clothes they choose to wear and the way they choose to present themselves is also fairly indicative of their intentions. Even is slicked back hair and cool jacket, carefully studied pose and deliberate actions. David is black clothes, shapeless and formless in an attempt presumably to try to hide both who he is and to go under the radar and remain unseen. Even’s works for him, of course. Isak is enchanted and thrilled by the hot, mysterious, cool guy. David manages to make himself more mysterious and alluring by wearing this stuff and acting this way. Not only Matteo has noticed him. Leonie, too, thinks he’s something special. So his attempt to go as invisibly as he can through the school hasn’t worked. He’s new, he’s got this look and he’s a bit standoffish. Of course people are noticing.

So, even in this first episode we can see that while the events are similar and they happen at the same points in the stories, these two characters are already quite different. Part of this is that Even has a more forceful personality and he has a firm idea of what he wants and a plan for how to get it. I joke a little that he’s ‘directing’ this, but while I don’t think it’s quite the elaborately planned event that I suggested earlier, there is deliberation in what he does. He operates with intent and purpose and in doing so he sweeps Isak along with him. David, while we learn later that he can be a joker and a fun loving and fairly exuberant person, starts out here as a very closed off and reserved person. He’s had some very bad experiences at his old school, he’s wary that his secret could come out at any time and he’s fearful that it will overwhelm him again. Hence how we find out later that he has a plan to run and hide if anything comes at him. Even’s experiences have made him willing to pursue what he wants because he knows life is fleeting and he has to grab it with both hands. David isn’t at this point, at least not yet. He wants to protect himself and so he’s as much swept up in this thing as Matteo is rather than doing the sweeping. He needs to be pushed to make this connection, unlike Even who is stampeding towards his as fast and as eagerly as he can.

The second episode can be found right over here

#skam #druck #my meta stuff #my even and david comparison stuff

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sincerelytruly · 5 years

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Reasons for Why I Believe Obiyuki could be the “Romance that Cuts through Fate” referenced in the Manga:

In college, I took two amazing courses--scratch that I took one amazing course and one semi-disappointing sub-par course--Fairytales and Graphic Narratives, respectively. And until right this very minute, I believed them to be an utterly, though fascinating, waste of my time and tuition though they made me smile. Okay, it was college so they didn’t always make me smile because finals are the worst but I digress the point I am trying to make is this:

I HAVE AN EPIPHANY CONCERNING MY BELOVED SHIP OBIYUKI DUE TO MY TEACHINGS!!

So, first and foremost the birth of my epiphany came from thinking back to my class on Fairytales when we studied Snow White! (Graphic Narratives didn’t really teach me much other than how to think more critically about...Graphic Narratives, so I guess it really doesn’t deserve any cred for this post TBH, lol.)

But like I said we studied Snow White.

Not this one:

Or whatever this one was supposed to be (sorry not sorry):

But, the original one. There are two versions (maybe there are more but I forgot them if there are) of the Grimm’s version of Snow White. In the very most original version, everything pretty much happens as we all remember it minus the singing: Snow White makes Queen step-trash jealous by her beauty, Queen step-trash tries to have her killed, due to her amazing beauty Hunstman is a wuss and lets her live because he’s weak to a beautiful damsel, Snow White plays Goldilocks and breaks into a dwarven settlement, the dwarves also wuss out and take pity on her because she is pretty and can cook/clean for them, then step-trash gets angry realizing she is, in fact, alive and goes out to kill her herself. Now, this is where everything diverges from what we know. In the original version step-trash has to try several times to kill her. Once with a bodice/corset torture device that basically suffocates her until the dwarves get home and cut her out of it, twice with an evil hair comb that kills her until the dwarves pull it out of her hair, and then thrice with the age-old apple trick. The poisoned magic apple gets lodged in her throat and she becomes a stone statue for all intents and purposes, so what do the dwarves do? What any logical group of men would do with a beautiful woman who isn’t decaying but still dead in their eyes, lock her in a gorgeous crystal casket so that they can still gaze upon her beauty on the daily! From here on there are two different endings to the Snow White saga. The very, very, first one published states that the Prince comes along says, “ooooooooh pretty, let me take her home with me and put her on display” and sits around gazing at her all the time until someone in the castle gets pissed off and hits Snow White’s corpse which dislodges the apple finally and wakes her up. What an awkward way to wake up yeah? And then the poor girl gets married to the Prince--ta-da! The second version makes it a lot better ending for poor Snow White. Someone trips while hauling the casket to the palace and dislodges the apple and then the Prince sweeps Snow White off her feet and yay happy ending they get married and now the Prince doesn’t seem as creepy just staring at a dead person all day long pissing off his staff.

(Whooo that was a lot of background info, sorry, and also I know that I could also do a huge comparison post on the tales of Snow White versus our Shirayuki tale, but that is for another day!!!)

Depending on what you want to go with there are so many ways you can analyze the story of Snow White--all of them, old, less old, new, even our beloved Shirayuki’s story--but one of the things that stick out in my mind is how in every single version of Snow White she is always a trophy of some sort. The Prince is always going to get his trophy wife in the end. Even in Shirayuki’s case, if she does end up with Zen (which I’ll die if she does) she will be nothing but a trophy wife. Even though Zen is precious and certainly not a bad guy by any means, he is a Prince, therefore their relationship will not be the same as normal couples have. She won’t be allowed to be an Herbalist and tend to the sick who may infect her and kill her before she can provide an heir. And poor Zen will still be stuck behind a pile of paperwork and responsibility to his Kingdom that he dearly loves.

But, hey who knows, maybe Sorata will go against the entire universe she has built in her storytelling and let Shirayuki be wild and free and a Prince’s wife...

I think this is where “A Romance that Cuts through Fate” comes in to play. Hopefully, if you’ve made it this far in my post (bless you if you have) you’re thinking what I’m thinking. Or maybe you’re thinking I’m a lunatic.

ANYWHO, IF EVERY SINGLE SNOW WHITE ENDS UP WITH THE PRINCE THEN REALLY HOW IS ZENYUKI A ROMANCE THAT CUTS THROUGH FATE?

It's not. It absolutely is not a story of a romance that cuts through fate. In fact, there are far too many stories out there where a beautiful, nice, happy, girl gets with a Prince way beyond her social status for this to be something un-fateful. Or unheard of or whatever. Every fairytale and most romantic comedies out in the world follow the same old rhyme.

Which is why I am proposing that Obiyuki is the endgame for real.

***WARNING IF YOU’RE NOT CAUGHT UP WITH THE MANGA AND DON’T WANT SPOILED THEN YOU PROBS DON’T WANT TO READ ANY FURTHER!!!***

I feel as though since the moment Obi and Shirayuki were separated by the Bergat house situation, Shirayuki has been more aware of what Obi means to her.

Look at her reaction and even Obi says later on:

That she seemed to be concerned even for him. Now don’t get me wrong I am completely aware that Shirayuki has been plenty concerned for Obi in a platonic sort of way! I’m not a completely foolish fangirl here.

But then that happens. That is something new with Shirayuki. Never is she shown to react that way about what anyone says. Sure she blushes over her lovey-dovey stuff with Zen all the time, but that is something else.

And then that is too. She sees Obi’s reaction--possibly the first time she’s seen him this way (or at least I can’t remember another time) and there’s a look on her face that says, was he being serious maybe? YES SHIRAYUKI HE WAS DAMMIT IN HIS PLAYFUL STUPID BOY WAY YES.

And then this happens--look at that face--I don’t need to say a damn thing on that one. I mean I know she doesn’t love-love him yet (or maybe she does but doesn’t know it) but this is definitely progress, right?

And then the boys get in a tie showing off their masculinity--which I feel really does foreshadow their inevitable head-to-head. I mean ever since the festival with the play of the Knight fighting the Prince for the Princess, I’ve felt that way, but then there is their slight competition for her attention all the time and this arm wrestling and even the fight they had when Obi wanted to be her bodyguard!

These faces, well, I feel as though she is kind of realizing Obi’s worth. I don’t know how else to put it. She is obviously affected by Obi’s marriage meeting and later on when Obi is saying how he is rejecting people even though he knows he attracts people, her face is so loving! Of course that may just be because her friends are there and she is about to pledge her loyalty to everyone or whatever, but I’d like to think it still has a bit to do with what Obi is saying as his statement that he was with her during the dinner party, therefore not flirting with other girls, is in the same panel as the face she is making. Hopefully, that makes sense.

This was a big moment because again I feel as though this is foreshadowing, why else would the author do this?

Then I noticed that Shirayuki starts noticing Obi! Above she notices how his eyes have rounded recently, which to my understanding is an idea that a person is happier. (Idk my Dad has a book on Oriental health practices and whatnot and it talks about eye shape in it and basically how its a window to the state of your being/soul/chi, etc. so this is why I believe this I may be completely off base but the context seems to suggest I’m right!) However, on a side note on Obi’s part I think he is going through the motions of accepting that his fate when it comes to Shirayuki when he says, “I’m seeing more clearly.”

This looks like some flirtation to me on Shirayuki’s part, but also I find it an interesting conversation especially since in the next chapter (below panels) she talks about how she needs to be able to speak about how she wants to live in the future. And also, I feel as though the author loves giving us these panels where they’re reaching for each other but not quite willing or able to touch one another yet, its sweet torture isn’t it?

The panels above show again how she has finally taken notice of Obi and thanked him for all he has done for her. I know it’s not a declaration of love, and she probably plans on talking to Izana about living her future with Zen, but I think this is a step in the right direction because in what world is this conversation with Izana going to go well? I mean, Izana, though I believe he likes Shirayuki, is not going to change the rules for her as it comes to the Royal family. So, I think we may soon see some development in Shirayuki’s relationships with both Zen and Obi. I tend to think that she has really put some thought into how she wants to live her life now, and I also think that she is strong enough of a person now to reject anything other than what she deserves.

I also find it interesting how Obi keeps his cool when Shirayuki compliments him on his looks and then awkwardly says:

What does interesting mean, Obi?!

But anyway, that brings us up to date with the manga and my reasons for believing that the “Romance that Cuts through Fate” applies to Obiyuki NOT Zenyuki. I hope I was able to coherently share my thoughts and feelings on this and not completely bore whoever may have been strong enough to make it to the end of my rambles.

#obiyuki #obi and shirayuki #obi x shirayuki #shirayuki and obi #shirayukixobi #my OTP

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