#but thats a different tangent for a different post!

[plan-3-tmars]

okay i don't really know how to title this so im just gonna call it how Half tells the story of Kazui's marriage with Stages.

Half opens up with a green apple in the center of a stage, the spotlight illuminating it. The green apple in Kazui's MVs is tied to Kazui's sin. The apple being in the center of the stage before the 'performance' even begins could represent that this is Kazui's main motive for acting and lying, this is the reason for the show.

The Kazui of the present is in the audience of the play. Throughout the entirety of Half he is there watching the events leading up to Hinako's death with us. We are the audience watching the video but also the literal audience of this performance. I think this could represent Kazui reflecting on his actions and what he did throughout his marriage while in Milgram, or right before Milgram (which I'll get into at the end.)

It then cuts back to the stage, where we see the Kazui of the past walk onto the stage wearing a mask - the performance is about to begin. This is, I'm assuming, when he is freshly married. Sure he would've had to lie while they were engaged or simply partners but there's not so much at stake at that stage in a relationship rather then when he's married. Kazui is wearing a mask to cover up his sins with lies and now he is also acting, putting up the performance of a happy marriage for others so they wouldn't question his true motives for getting married or see the real him.

When we see flashbacks of Kazui during his marriage, we can see either stagelights or the background never filling up the entire screen. This also ties to the fact that, even when Kazui isn't wearing his mask, he is still acting and putting up the performance of being content in his marriage with Hinako. I've chosen this scene to showcase this because it shows both at the same time but this happens in the bar scene too.

In this scene Kazui is singing the chorus of Half while acting on stage. However, he is wearing his mask and doesn't show alot of emotain in his movements or expressions. This could be interpretated as the effects of hiding his true self that Kazui experiences, which can really be seen considering the fact that the lyrics and way his VA sings them is very intense and rich with emotain, compared to how Kazui's expression and movements are animated

In this same scene, there is a shot of an empty chair on stage alongside Kazui. This most likely referances Hinako's involvement in Kazui's 'performance', or lack thereof, as empty chairs usually represent the empty space of a person in art. This could be interpreted in different ways: Hinako isn't shown in the performance anymore because she's dead, Hinako isn't shown in the performance because she wasn't aware of it happening so her presence is replaced by a chair - etc.

This scene in Half is one of my favourites for a multitude of reasons, so let's point out the things that stand out first and then we'll delve into my understanding of their meaning. Firstly: Kazui isn't wearing a mask in this scene but he also isn't on the stage, which has more meaning considering the other times we saw Kazui without his mask, he was still on stage - still acting. Here his performance has fallen. Secondly: the green apple is atop the stage in between Kazui and Hinako. I've already established my previous interpretation of the apple on the stage at the very start, but I think its appearance here is in a different context. This is the scene where Kazui tells Hinako the truth, so his mask and performance has stopped because these are both tied to him hiding his true self and his lies. The apple being on the stage in the middle of the two of them could mean that this is the topic of conversation. It is illuminated because they are litteraly bringing to light the elephant in the room that has been putting a wedge in their relationship. The reason why it's still on the stage might be because Kazui is still hiding what his sin is from us, so in a way his sin is putting on its own performance - disguising itself as an apple.

After Kazui tells the truth, his performance is alot more emotional. His movements are more dramatic, and so are his expressions. He's not trying to hide his real feelings anymore, and after years of doing so, they come bursting out all at once. He is still acting and putting on a performance, so we can assume at this point in time Hinako is still alive and they are still married, but he's unmasked. He's no longer lying to her.

In this scene, Kazui takes what looks to be a final bow infront of the chair before walking off the stage. I think this scene shows Kazui's intentions when it came to telling the truth. He told Hinako the truth and expected them too get a divorce afterwards, so he walks off the stage - ending the performance (their marriage.) The bow to the chair could be interpreted in different ways: a goodbye, an apology etc.

However, despite what Kazui's actual intentions where when it came to telling Hinako the truth, they didn't happen. Kazui sees the apple shattered on the ground (Hinako's death) and goes back onto the stage. He starts his performance again, this time as a mourning widow, and starts lying again too. He puts back on the mask, scared of what might happen if he were to reveal the truth about himself to someone again.

Remember what I said at the start of this painfully long post about how this might be pre-Milgram Kazui watching his performance? Yeah, this is where that comes into play. There are things I had to leave out because of tumblr's 10 photo limit, but the main point is that this Kazui on stage at the end of Half and the Kazui in the audience are wearing the same outfit. I think this might be a case of Kazui reflecting on what happened in his marriage right after Hinako's death and pinpointing where he went 'wrong' (in this case, he deciphers that telling the truth was his mistake) and decides to start his performance all over again, careful to not repeat his mistake - vowing to never reveal his sin to anyone else.

#in case it isnt obvious i think the mask represents Kazui's lies to hide his true self #and the performance/acting imagery represents him upkeeping the appearance of a happy marriage #him not having the mask on around Hinako could imply that she was aware of his sin which i think definitely could be a possibilty tbh. #but thats a different tangent for a different post! #sorry this post is so long. now you know what my notes app looks like lmao #also is there a masc version of the word widow? because i have no idea and have only ever heard it in relation to women with dead partners #milgram #kazui mukuhara #milgram project #everyone thank my vkei playlist for helping me write this monster of a post #also daily reminder to vote kazui innocent!!!!

[kideternity]

[Image ID: Inked digital drawing of Digimon character Justimon. Justimon is a humanoid with a heavily Tokusatsu superhero inspired design- wearing a bodysuit with multiple different armoured parts particularly around their left shoulder, elbow and wrist, ankles, knees and chest and abdomen area as well as rivets dotted around their body. They have a belt with a large circular belt buckle spiked at four corners in the middle, as well as a very long scarf. They have a metal helmet on with no facial features, and four metal antenna- two longer ones that are sticking up and two shorter ones sticking down at each ear area respectively. Their right arm- a redesign of the accel arm- is much longer and bigger, with sharp claws at the end of it. It is very mechanical looking, with tubing and more rivet and gear motifs, their right shoulderpad having a blunt spike coming up from the middle. They are in a mid action pose, as if they were jumping or running, looking to the side with their head slightly lowered, their left arm bent closer towards their body whilst the right arm is fully outstretched. There are dark patches of shadow around certain parts of their body and scarf as well as small action lines. /End Image ID]

His strange fighting pose

#digimon #justimon #digital monsters #digimon fanart #dinu yells into the void #dinu yells in the void #dinu's sketchy art #digimon tamers #if literally any one person understands the like band reference im making with the like post caption ill. #idk ill get you lunch or something #WITHOUT LOOKING IT UP BEFOREHAND ill know #anyways i like justimon a lot. #hate ryo more then literally anything godbless but i LOVE justimon generally #its one of my top 5 digimon of all time tbh #rabbit coded ass digimon with those big ol metal antenna #i will say though. i like the different arm concept. but i dont like the execution #so that is yeah an attempt to redesign the accel arm #i LIKE the blitz arm the blitz arm is cool #but the accel + critical arm like. clash too much if you look at it as a whole. #like i dont think they match thematically with both the blitz arm and just justimons overall design #too like. i suppose mechanical and ‘crust punk’ y instead of very sleek and streamlined #thats a giant tangent i think only i care about this that much 😭 lol #but yeah. justimon. i liek them #technically this counts for digi ocs too but. god knows if ill ever talk abt them in depth here

[guckies]

while i do agree that the new egg tasks rarely take in consideration single parents or external forces (travelling, events, meetups), i don't think the eggs are going to die from neglect.

the admins have shown that if the parents / primary caretakers is seriously unavailable they will try and get another member to take care of them (foolish counting as pepito's caretaker, roier being asked to do leo's tasks)

and we know that admins can and will play other eggs if their main admin is unavailable, i don't think egg neglect is an actual possibility anymore since neither party (streamer and admins) want that to happen

but i think they need to drop the whole non-parent penalty, or revamp it o_o since it makes everything much more complicated

Yeah it is very true that it is unlikely for the eggs to die from neglect now but there is always a possibility of miscommunication. Especially when the parent is travelling or busy and doesn’t reach out to the others in time or the egg doesn’t log on as much, which I think is why I’m having so much problem with it at the moment. Since a majority of the players are away and the system is really new, they others are not really going to be taking into account other eggs as much.

Really it’s just why now? We’ve know the dates for Eslands and the Streamer Awards for what feels like months now so it super strange in my opinion at least to be starting them now when barely anyone is able to log on. Plus again when so many people have expressed how they greatly dislike the tasks and cookies. Why are we still doing them if we don’t like them? Just to name a few: Fit said he thought it made sense that the tasks would go away naturally after purgatory due to the eggs surviving for months on their own; Phil even though he doesn’t really seem to care that much is never greatly excited to do them; Tubbo basically was speed running them mostly for money and typically procrastinated them before the reset; Foolish and Leo basically throw tantrums anytime the tasks are brought up and I’ve seen a bunch of viewers literally manifesting and praying the tasks were gone before learning they were back.

I think the admins are good when it does come around to it being a genuine moment of “maybe this egg might die” but I think they really lack in the hypothetical doom testing area before they put it into practice. The admins need someone with heavy anxiety and overthinking problems(like me lol) who would be able to think of every possible fault there might be. Like single parents who can’t log on as often aren’t always given support by others, parents/guardians to multiple eggs often experience the “how am I meant to feed multiple if I’m just barely getting one fed” every time it’s introduced and the “this task is impossible without another player & I’m the only one online” moments.

It’s just there are so many things that keeping slipping through the checks that we are already so aware of. So I think the best way to go about the tasks at the moment would be phasing it out or just plain making it optional. Especially since the tasks aren’t really liked at all.

By optional I mean, they just wouldn’t have to do it to keep the egg alive and it would be somewhat like the bounties. So the parents could do the egg quests for extra money and have the tickets be equal to something related to the eggs, like cosmetics or perks(hearts, armour, weapons) for the eggs.

But I heavily agree on the non parent thing, I think that really punishes single parents for no reason and kinda dampens the fun in hanging out with other eggs. Like Willy and Dapper, they aren’t parent and kid but if Dapper wanted to do the tasks with him that day then he should. Plus it could really strengthen their bond and make Willy want to play more as having an egg around kinda helps make the experience of qsmp more enjoyable especially when no one else is online.

Also I think the non parent thing and the tasks being the reason the eggs live another week does put a whole lot of outside stress on the ccs which I heavily disagree with. I think that this is a mc server to make connections and speak to people you never would have before. The eggs have proved to be great at helping with that so the stress of them dying because you weren’t able to log in that week kinda brings the whole experience down and negatively affects the chances of those situations happening. But if I had it my way the eggs would only be able to die the same way hunters of Artemis do, in combat (or possibly in natural situations).

#sorry i went on a bit of a tangent there lol #im not disagreeing with anon here btw im just very passionate about this topic and would like to speak to a qsmp admin lol #i just think i got very analytical in this post but anon is right #also the only problem with other admins playing different eggs is that sometimes it does mess a little with their character or rp - #like leo who genuinely wakes up for Foolish and if she has to/is madated too lol #like best example of it is leo on last day of prison was mad at foolish for him leaving her but typically she would just be happy - #to have found him again as thats whet she typically does #qsmp eggs #qsmp #qsmp neg #?? idk if its neg but ill put discussion tag too #qsmp discussion #asks

[crypt1dcorv1dae]

Metalheads who don't like/respect Babymetal bc their "look" isn't, what? Traditionally metal? are so cringe. Like bro it's an alternative music scene we're supposed to say FUCK tradition????? What's wrong w y'all... Embarrassing

And also they are missing out bc Babymetal fucking rules

#its like pol who are like punk is only if you look like *this* and im like. you are asking me to conform to a societal expectation? in PUNK? #like what. the fuck are you talking about. NON CONFORMITY CAN LOOK LIKE ANYTHING. THATS THE WHOLE FUCKING POINT OF NOT CONFORMING #yeah i dont always dress like a typical punk but thats bc the clothes tend to he fucking uncomfortable or a lot of work and i dont care #like why would i put so much effort into looking a certain way... in... a nonconforming alternative group... why would i conform... what #like the way you look doesnt fucking mean shit. a real punk is someone who actually fucking thinks and acts like a punk. #thats all that matters #punk ain't about how you look or causing random mayhem its a fucking. lifestyle. its a culture snd belief system about the world. #its about saying fuck you to the way things are if the way things are isnt fucking fair. its about community and taking care of your fellows #its about safety in numbers against a ruling power that wants people who are different to stop existing. #the mayhem is for a reason. its to say you cant fucking keep us down and if you try we WILL fight back. you cannot keep us down. #thats the POINT. #idk how my post about people being snobs about metal and missing out on good music bc of it turned into a rant about punk ideology but. #well. here we are. i have a tendency of going off on tangents in the tags..... #point is. trying to enforce a 'norm' in a non traditional alternative genre is fucking stupid and against the whole POINT of the thing #and i think it fucking DUMB that ppls get so caught up in appearances when its never been about that

[note-boom]

Say what you will about Bungo Stray Dogs but the fact is that it has inspired a good number of an entire generation to pick up 1800s to 1900s great literature from Japan, North America, and Europe and i think that's very cool of it really

#and if not to actually read to books then to make them aware of their existence #and if you're like me to spiral on a tangent to see what other cool books not as well-teached countries have #honestly you guys the little ive managed to read among the bsd authors has been fascinating #the postwar mentality and the struggles of those who didnt have religion to fall back on as a center of morality and meaning #thats some GOOD stuff to dig into #of course you'll find that anywhere but each literary period has its own vibe #usually that vibe is oversimplified tbh...esp considering each period even questioned their own themes and moods and the liie #*like #im hoping asagiri also delves into south american and African literature as well as other parts of asia/middle east... #as they have pretty cool things as well...and also a really different postwar perspective to look at it from #mainly we're sort of seeing lit from what we could consider winners? of war (oversimplification i know) #which is amazing and all because of the schools of thought that pop up... #but it would be neat to see the schools of thought that pop up from the literary greats of the countries that were victimized in the war #esp because the victim/victor distinction is never as clear cut as it looks #but im rambling again oops.... #this is actually a literature appreciation post disguised as a bsd appreciation post heh... #bsd #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd musings #i havent mentioned australian lit....forgive me...i actually dont know if ive read any classic authors from there #though the modern authors from australia ive read are very good #spitting nonsense #rambling in the tags sorry #edit: or maybe dont go into other country lits cause....well it depends on how its handled really... #it would be cool but at the same time.....

[thelostboys87]

a new lesbian character has entered the dallon literary universe/lover boy sphere

#the lover boy lesbian and gay solidarity is very important to me #i need to read more on lesbian + butch history in sf just generally but i can see beau finding a lot of connection with his lesbian besties #esp w his own identity as a leather gay man + bonding over shared experiences and same feelings experienced differently #i love solidarity i love community etc! #also not to briefly and vaguely comment on tumblr queer discourse but it annoys me how some posts i see take the whole idea of #'blending' within queer identities and how the lines are actually really blurred if ur not chronically online!!! #when its like...when you look at the history you see a lot of really beautiful instances of solidarity and community and sharing culture #that still do that with an understanding of boundaries and differences #but like to me its about how the ways different groups can come together! and the ways they don't! #especially as like. a transmasc who still feels closely connected to their time as a lesbian but doesnt want to be seen AS one anymore #and believes i can have that connection without needing to stay in a space that i no longer see myself a part of. which is okay! #that was a tangent but its been on my mind both w RR/lover boy and my own personal experiences LOL #anyway i think their name is ximena! love when i think about how lovely a name is and then a whole person materialises in my head #thats how half of my character creations go....

[icewindandboringhorror]

For the 5 of you who are actually invested in the worldbuilding/fantasy world stuff that I post here from time to time, I’ve finally completed the first of the previously mentioned series of videos where I just go over all of the details of my world in kind of a casual slideshow format - you can see it here (link), if incherested :0c 

#it's unlisted for now until I finish the series and then I'll make them all public so you SHOULD be able to see it with a link #but let me know if there are issues viewing it or the settings are off #ALSO YEAH ALMOST 7 HOURS AAAAgHHGGGGHH #It's all separated into chapters though and organized by topic so should be easy to kind of pick through if desired #like if you're someone who's seen my worldbuilding posts and is kind of interested but also hates reading the long strings of #text that accompany them/cant sit through a novel about elves.. Now.. you can.. listen to a novel about elves instead lol #assuming you can bear my voice for that long and my constant fidgeting and speech quirks and etc. hghb .. that is possibly #another barrier lol #also please note the use of the term CASUAL slideshow format. I am not reading neatly or presenterly and sometimes #go off on tangents or etc. Kind of like livestream style I guess where it's not a Super Professional Extremely Clean presentation #more just someone talking and kind of trying to go over outlined information for 7hrs while sometimes stopping to pick up a cat #or something ghgh.. There are some audio issues at first too like on and off the first two hours little moments here and there where #the mic echos a bit but I didnt realize there was a problem to fix until the 3rd day of recording :V #it's better after though #ANYWAY ... #evil evil evil terrible project takes SO long #This 7 hours I think was actually like... maybe 15+ hours of footage. It seemed like everytime I edited a video it'd cut nearly #in half (so like an hour long vid would end up being about 30 minutes after editing). #And thats not even the longest one.. the SPECIES slideshow on all the different cultures and groups and stuff? #Legitimately fearing if I put it all in one video (how I want to.. for organization purposes) it will be like 9 hours long #BUT that's all for the future hopefully. right now I'm taking a small break from working on it to do other things lol #I at least got the first video out of the way.. it's a start ... ToT #also obligatory i hATE fireworks so much I am trying to be productive tonight but aaaaAAAA *** #ALSO i reccomend watching on at least 1.25 or 1.50 speed. I seem to sound better that way like I naturally have a weird slow #pausy way of talking I think it seems with pausing a lot. I always rewatch my videos on like 1.50x or 1.75x speed lol

[zan0tix]

Hi tumblr user Zan0tix, I have to say that I love that you draw Jake as big and hairy AND fem. It's such a rare combination outside of mean-spirited caricatures, every time I see your Jake I get a big smile on my face. :)

Hi tumblr user HermitCyclop ^u^ here is a jake drawing for you 🫶

The transmisogynistic demonisation of these features is so maddening!!! I agree! Im glad that the intent (appreciating these features) of my jake design reaches you c:

GOING TO PUT IT UNDER THE CUT BECAUSE I HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY. But jake english gender meta because i think about it Too Much and am taking this as an excuse to infodump abt it. 😁

The alpha kids and their specific defiance of both homestucks gendered narrative AND real life societal expectations are so fun to think about to me!! but since we are talking about jake, his specific defiance of both homestucks models of masculinity and femininity in the context of his queerness is like the reason he is my fav character.

He props himself up that he wants to be the adventure "hero" in the homestuck sense (the hardheaded blue femme fatale) and the western media sense (the hardheaded action man) yet whenever pressed to actually act on what he says he always refuses or obfuscates. Because really what he wants is to just be himself! I really love the alpha kids because they all just want to be Themselves, not be restricted and defined by what is expected of them, (all the characters have this but the alphas particularly really hammer this home for me)

The heavy emphasis on their beta selves, the heteronormative archetypes they embodied and what went wrong in their lives that manifest as fears in their alpha selves... im always thinking about it. How differently society affects queer ppls choices in life and then the fact that they all get a second chance and getting to watch them live out that second chance and realize their queerness and them all caring so much abt eachother and wanting to aspire to be better FOR the ones they love!!!!!! it always tugs at my heart strings to ponder😢😢

IM SO GOOD AT GOING ON TANGENTS MY BAD but basically. The alpha kids explicit queerness and how despite the comic itself protesting, they are all shown to be deserving of love (of all kinds) And as a person who super heavily relates to jake, his experience with his own identity (and dirks unending adoration and love for him and likewise jakes belief and admiration of dirk) serves to me as a reminder that yknow! We are all worthy of love!! Even if we dont think ourselves to be (this is just the message of shrek.) and there is always hope to be found in things improving!!!!

But in a text thats explicitly queer and not shy about letting its queer characters do wrong in realistic ways i think this message is incredibly powerful and certainly one of the best things about the comic in my eyes. And i love embracing that in my art of the characters! Drawing queer (but here specifically trans) characters all getting to be proud of themselves and their appearances makes me feel proud of myself alongside them and I think its wonderful to be able appreciate other trans peoples experiences and looks through it too!!

I specifically in homestuck fandom dont really see anybody but twinks (usually dirk or eridan LMFAO) portrayed to be fem in any manner 😢 when jake is the most explicitly feminine man in the comic. (I think the transmisogyny thats kind of rampant in this fandom means people dont want to consider those outside conventional attractiveness being feminine or transfem identities outside binary transwomen if even that😭😭) I am being the change i wana see in the world 🙏 The amount of transfem fat gay bear jake in the world increases by one every time i post

#hermitcyclop #daniel talks #my art #jake english #DONT LET ME TALK ABOUT JAKE ENGLISH I WILL NOT STOP. I COULD KPEP GOING BUT ITS MIDNIGHT AND I NEED SLEEP. #But thank you for the ask hermitcyclop you are the most dedicated dirkjaker mad respect 🫶 years in the game and still around.. you are cray

[illumalux]

Life Series Victors as Tarot Cards

A presentation on why we’ve got it all wrong when it comes to grouping life series victors.

This post will continue on with the implication that ZombieCleo is a Victor, simply because she is. She won real life, therefore she's a victor. Argue with the wall.

Now, I see your celestial trio of the first three winners. This should never change. This feels the most apt, it centers perfectly, and each of the things it represents are present in multiple different categories. Obviously in space, as everyone has adapted to, but also in a Minecraft world, and what I see as more important: in a tarot deck.

Think about it this way.

The Watchers, in whatever form you think they (or we) take, are collecting these Victors. Each one means a different thing, survived a different landscape. While I understand the celestial motif of the first three Victors, and how it fits into their characters, I would argue that many others are far too grounded for that.

It’s a collection, remember? What is better for assembling a set than a deck of cards? Especially ones that meddle in Fate, something the Watchers seem to adore.

So here are the cards each Victor represents, with card meaning and my defense as well. This will go in chronological order of the seasons.

Before I continue, I just want to give a disclaimer. Every tarot deck has a slightly different explanation for what each card means. The definitions I use are a mix of three of my decks and the official Rider-Waite-Smith deck's explanation, so if there are inconsistencies with what your deck says or what you know, please don't come for me.

Grian, Third Life:

XIX. The Sun

Beyond the obvious desert motifs (a whole extra post in and of itself), the Sun is representative of not only Grian's gameplay, but also how the Watchers (those collecting this deck) feel about him. Grian is one of them, so he naturally starts out in their good graces, with a greater level of respect.

Rider-Waite-Smith defines the card as one of success. Of course the Watchers will gloat when their baby wins. Even if he wasn't meant to, it did inevitably mean that throughout his game, Grian was inarguably one of the largest sources of negative emotions, second only to the Red Army. Again. Extra post on its own. When he won, it saved anyone the satisfaction that might negate their negativity, alongside the delicious outpouring of grief that was the final duel of Third Life.

Reversed, the Sun is a card of depression. As I just touched on, one of the most defining moments of Grian's game was his final victory. When the ending came down to himself or his greatest ally, he went about it in the way that caused probably the most pain to both parties involved. It pushed him to the very brink, ending in him defining his own ending just moments after winning.

Scott, Last Life:

XVII. The Star

Even ignoring the starborne origins and headcanons, as well as the crown of stars included in his skin (Void below, these posts write themselves) this one looks like a super simple explanation, but actually requires me pointing out something that may not be obvious to some Watchers: Scott, in every game and Iteration has made it a point to rebel against the rules in whatever way he can. I could go into full detail, but thats a lot of words and I don't need anyoen to get bored. (Void, this series and side tangents that require other posts)

In third life, a game about death and destruction, and the originator of factions, Scott took a very different route: he got married and built a house in a flower field. When grief finally found him, he refused to give the Watchers any satisfaction, literally crystalizing his grief into a part of his character design (and one that would remain for two to three more seasons, depending on your thoughts on the coral pieces). In Last Life, he is the singular person in all five seasons (technically two, but shhh this is more dramatic) to withstand the Boogeyman curse, something the Watchers installed purposefully to make people kill allies. Double Life, obviously, as Scott rejecting the soulmate the Watchers gave him. Limited life, in which kills gave more time, Scott did not die a single time without giving life freely, either to an ally or a temporary ally.

That got long. Anyways. Scott's game has always been one of hope, spreading positivity and refusing to be pushed around by the Watchers. And that's exactly what the Star means. Upright, this is a card about hope and perseverence, pushing through challenges, which is exactly what Scott does. He refuses to let the Watchers' actions upset him and continues to play the game for his friends and for the future and nothing else.

Even reversed it still fits. Reversed, the Star means loss or abandonment. I've already used up too much time on Scott here, so I'll let you pick your favorite instance of that.

Pearl, Double Life:

XVIII. The Moon

This one is far and away the easiest. Like the previous two Victors, Pearl's story connected her with her symbol even before she won. But blood moons and wolf packs aside (as that's a whole different post for a whole different day) when you take a look at the definitions provided, it becomes even clearer.

The Moon is a card of transformation and change, as well as revealing one's inner self. Rider-Waite-Smith attributes hidden enemies, darkness, and terror with The Moon. While I'll happily analyze every single one of Pearl's actions as the Scarlet Pearl, I think this one is plenty self explanatory. After her rejection early on in the game, she immediately isolates herself and latches onto the night motifs, leaning in to what everyone expects her to be.

The reversed meanings also explain Pearl's arc in Double Life perfectly: confusion, mixed messages, and disbelief. This perfectly encapsulates Pearl's feelings at the very beginning of the game via her rejection by Scott and subsequent abandonment by Martyn in an attempt to get back into Cleo's good graces. Her instinctual reaction is one of shock, not understanding why Scott would choose to pick a soulmate when she was right in front of him.

Martyn, Limited Life:

XVI. The Tower

One of my favorite cards, the Tower is instantly recognizable. While most of my analyses aren't about how the card looks, I feel like it's important to share this time around. The most common image consists of a tower and one or both of two elements: lightning, and people falling. As a card, it represents sudden change, destruction, and chaos.

If anyone here is not yet convinced that I'm correct, please go rewatch Martyn's last LimLife episode, then come back and argue.

You're back? Great. We agree? No? Fine, I'll explain.

This fixates mainly on his winning game, but I'll touch on the rest of his games as well. LimLife ended with a huge betrayal on Martyn's part, one characterized by being so insanely sudden. (Of course it's the Watchers meddling. But the Tower isn't always about your own choices being your downfall.) He quite literally snapped as if hit by lightning (see description of the card), and this spells the beginning of the end for him.

Similarly, in all of his other games, Martyn finds himself with one pivotal moment that spells his downfall. The Red King, Betrayal at the Southlands (and honestly his worst move in DL was abandoning Pearl to try and beg for Cleo's forgiveness).

Funny enough, the reversed meaning of this card is almost a perfect match. I don't think this needs too much more explaining.

Scar, Secret Life:

X. The Wheel of Fortune

I adore Scar in these games. Every single season seems absolutely plagued by chaos. The worst season, obviously, was the one in which he gained his crown. Poor guy was just trying to make friends, and it seemed like every new secret was the exact opposite of what he wanted.

The Wheel is just what it sounds like: it's the card of luck, destiny, and fate. I won't add a new paragraph for the reversed meaning here either, as it means the exact same thing as upright, but with negative connotations in the form of bad luck and misfortune.

Scar is plagued by the whims of luck left and right. It seems like, more than any other player, Scar is unable (whether by others, fate, Watchers, what have you) to take full control of his own story and take actions that he wants to take, instead limited to where the current takes him.

But in the end, that chaos is what gives him his win. The lack of alliances and freedom that the game forced on him was what eventually lead him to be unmoored and able to volley his pain wherever he wanted, leading to a mostly painless win.

Cleo, Real Life:

XIII. Death

A little on the nose, I know, but which of these choices aren't? For a series entirely based on improv, there are a stupid amount of coincidences present.

Now, I know this is far and away the shortest series, so I'm going to analyse Cleo as a player across all of her seasons, not just her winning game. Sorry Real Life. You should have been longer.

While the meaning of the Death card may seem obvious, it's twofold in actuality. In some historical decks, even, the card is instead named Rebirth. I know how ironic that is that the zombie is the one who stands for death and rebirth, but again. Blame the stupid narrative, not the poor me trying to make sense of it.

In what my lovely mutual Honor called "phoenix behavior", I'm going to focus specifically on her deaths and rebirths, specifically BigB's betrayal in LastLife. Cleo takes her death hard, as anyone might. But her rebirth comes with change. The minute she respawns, it's with a different understanding of the world around her. She immediately embraces the change that has been given to her, burning down the Fairy Fort and ditching her alliance for a new one.

The reverse captures Cleo as a character over her seasons better than anyone on this list. While the upright meaning of the card is change, reversed it signifies stagnancy, obsession, and immobility. This can be seen almost perfectly with her thoughts on alliances. Scott remains forever in her good books, even over the course fo multiple seasons, simply because he has never wronged her. Even when they aren't direct allies,she still cooperates with him whenever, simply because she retains her previous feelings about him. The same can be said for BigB, but in the opposite direction. From the moment of the betrayal onwards, she refuses to trust him, going so far as to warn Pearl away from allying with him in LimLife.

Bonus: Jimmy Solidarity, the Canary

XII. The Hanged Man

But Moon! you shout, throwing your complimentary bucket of popcorn at me. Jimmy isn't a Victor! He's the exact opposite!

Yep.

That's why he's so soggy and why he goes on this list. You wanna argue that he doesn't have the same lore impact as a Victor? Too bad. Can't hear you. Jimmy gets his own card.

Initially, I was kinda sad that I already used the Tower, because that's the portent of doom and gloom or whatever, perfect for a canary. But then I spied an even better, even more Jimmy card.

The Hanged Man is the card of sacrifice. While I could go on a whole rant about the Fool's journey and how it is represented in the Life Series, that is Extra Tumblr Post Number IDK Anymore. Instead, today I'm going to stick to the basics. To specify sacrifice, the card doesn't just mean giving up. It signifies self sacrifice specifically. And what is Jimmy if not a semi-willing first sacrifice to get the chaos rolling?

How many times has he gone out to stop his friends from being the one who has to herald the change? The canary knows that he will sing the final notes, but so long as he can ensure the miners don't have to, he will descend once more.

Conclusion:

Now. Did I spend more time on this post than I ever did on an English Lit essay? Maybe. But as much as I love the space motifs this fandom has, I fundamentally disagree when we get to the latter winners. Come on, guys. Tarot decks are right here.

If I missed anything, or I misrepresented a player's game, please tell me. I can't be everywhere at once, and I'm always happy to learn more about some of the players I don't watch as regularly.

Anyways, this was way more fun to write than I expected. If anyone wants to see me give cards to the rest of the players who have yet to win, or an analysis of anything a mentioned in my tangents, please let me know.

Special thanks to @honorsongs who kept me company through this whole process and gave me many a suggestion when I lost my train of thought.

#moon rambles into the void #life smp winners #life series #traffic smp #trafficblr #scott smajor #zombiecleo #grian #inthelittlewood #goodtimeswithscar #jimmy solidarity #tarot card organization supremacy #why wouldn't the watchers want to collect them to keep in a box lets be real #what else are we doing by organizing them? #pearlescentmoon

[genderkoolaid]

Kind of related to the 't makes you a mansplainer' thing I'm always amazed by thr difference in the way people perceive my music now. Pre t people thought it was cool that I played guitar but the second my voice started dropping and my beard started coming in people started getting annoyed by it. I started getting "no one wants to hear wonderwall" (I've never played that song) and "we don't need another man with an acoustic guitar". I don't even pass yet. That shift was instantaneous. And it's from the exact same people who thought it was cool before at a queer drop in center i go to, they used to turn down the music playing in the center because people were listening to me, going through my songbook and making requests. Now I'm lucky if I can play 1 song before someone tells me to stop because "no one wants to hear another man with an acoustic guitar"

It really hurts makes me want to quit playing.

Like I know t ruined my singing voice but damn, I just want to play my guitar I worked hard to teach myself to play.

Its so aggravating to me how cis, binary feminism has people treating trans men like we aren't an oppressed group. Erasing all of our unique experiences and struggles and perspectives to make us seem like Cis Men But Short And Weird. Your experience reminds me of people talking about how they went from being praised for being a woman in a male-dominated field to being ashamed of transitioning because they "failed" to "be a role model". In both cases, there's this assumption that trans men don't need support, that our accomplishments aren't hard-won, that we never struggle to make a place for ourselves in society. I mentioned in the notes of a post how we need a good word to describe being unfairly cast as an oppressor to cover up/ignore oppression (not just for transandrophobia but also antisemitism) because its so fucking concerning!! Its like people are specifically blinding themselves to trans men's transness and doing everything in their power to act like we're cis men. And its because thats basically what cis feminism does- there are only two roles, Woman (oppressed) and Man (oppressor), and by and large it only has two ways of reacting to trans men: either we're oppressed (by misogyny and nothing else) Women, or we're oppressors and Men. There isn't any way for us to place ourselves in this binary without harming ourselves. And so much of the time, this ideology ends up with us being punching bags for other people to take out their anger and trauma from cis men at an target they can have power over, while justifying it by saying that we're privileged men who need to suck it up and stop being so sensitive.

I'm going on a tangent but the point is: I'm mad as fuck that you are getting treated like this. I absolutely do want to hear more trans men playing acoustic guitar, because I never get to see trans men doing fucking anything! Being recognized as men and as equally male as cis men should not have to come at the cost of being recognized and supported like other marginalized genders. I'm so sorry you've had to go through that and I hope you are able to find people & a community that celebrates you and your talents like you deserve.

#m. #ask box #experiences with transandrophobia

[hazshit-hotel-hater]

Angel Dust Redesign! (7/7)

FINALLY I AM DONE WITH THE MAIN 7 FREAKS.

Depending how I feel I might throw in some bonuses but these guys are your only guarantees! Going to be posting the full lineup separately because I don’t want to clutter this post!!

God okay where to start. I was talking about them in Husk’s post so let’s go with that. Angel’s clothing restrictions are his necklace and shoes. I might go on a bit of a tangent with this so forgive me 💔

For the necklace let me get this out of the way: yes it is a BDSM thing! I’m terrified people are going to take this as me being a weirdo but please as an adult content creator give me some space to explain before anyone jumps on me and hits me with a metal pipe. The intentions behind symbolism matter HEAVILY. I am against Vivzie’s portrayal of Angel’s abuse and the chain/collar imagery because it is blatantly either her being incredibly uncreative or her inserting her kinks into her shows. I think it is completely fine to use suggestive items in this way as long as the intentions are clear and not just there for no reason.

I would’ve probably done something else like a corset as a restriction, but I’d like to stop being so shy about Angel’s actual job. He is a pornstar and removing that outward aspect of him is taking a big chunk of his character away. I need more people to acknowledge that Angel enjoys sex and actively wanted to explore this side of himself. With the slip chain however, I would also like to portray how things Angel enjoys in his job have been used against him and made him come to resent what he does when he is forced into it. I think thats a pretty understandable thing to show.

This is harder to explain but the gist of it is just don’t be afraid to acknowledge Angel’s job. It’s okay to use sexual things as metaphors. Have you heard any christian song ever/hj

Alright with that out of the way, with the shoes. Angel’s feet are a large insecurity and discomfort of his which already makes his shoes some sort of restriction on their own, however if controlled, they can be made to stumble forward, fall over, etc. I wanted to show how Angel has freedom to go mostly wherever he pleases, though once again, that free will can be taken away very quickly.

I hated his suit so all suiting is gone entirely. He’s supposed to look attractive or eye catching at the very least. I’ve also added back the outer fangs he had in my first redesign!

I am much happier with the new one in comparison to this old guy. I know it’s only a few months old but you can really see how differently I draw him and the details I pay attention to more like the shape of his hair. Aside from the old one! I wanted Angel himself to still keep the reddish pink to show wrath and destain being masked as lust, except now his clothing is actually the pinkish-purple lust colour and it covers more eye grabbing parts of his body like the chest, hands, hips, and so on.

I don’t think I’ve ever outwardly mentioned Angel having polycoria but he does and it’s probably my favourite feature to draw aside from his hair. About the hair and fur: Angel used to have spots and basic stripes before his contract with Valentino, where afterwards they began to curl into their cordiform shapes. Most physical overlord changes with hair and skin tend to not go away, so depending on who you make a contract with it’s either a fun perk or a sort of scar.

Once again, not sure if I will be continuing with anymore in this specific lineup, but if I do end up posting more of these I really hope you like those too! 💣

#hazbin hotel #hazbin critical #hazbin hotel criticism #hazbin hotel critical #angel dust #hazbin angel dust #hazbin angel #angel dust hazbin #angel dust hazbin hotel #my art #hazbin rewrite #hazbin redesign #hazbin rework #hazbin hotel rework #hazbin hotel rewrite #hazbin hotel redesign #anti vivziepop #tw valentino #cw valentino #tw sa implied #cw sa implied

[oleever-does-stuff]

TADC Yapfest Timeee

As a certified yapper, the need to shove my random assortment of ideas down your throat has been tearing me apart. Therefore, I deem it yapfest time. Also, media literacy is apparently at an all-time low and I am nothing but a product of the environment I am molded in and I require you to understand that.

~♡~

Do you guys know that face Caine made when talking about mixing up NPCs and humans? What do you guys think that implied? Was it a red herring or hinting at something else? Because I so happen to have two things going on in my head.

Firstly and most obviously, I believe that some of the cast are NPCs in disguise. This first came to me with the realization that Jax, Pomni, and Ragatha all sound like real names (Jack or just...Jax, Penny, and Agatha) while Gangle and Zooble didn't (unless there are names similar in other countries I'm unaware of). Then I remembered that Kinger exists, and if Kinger is an NPC I won't recover. The idea that Zooble might be an NPC does seem likely to me for a multitude of reasons.

The first reason: Zooble's refusal to go on Caine's adventures. I doubt an NPC would like to go anywhere in a fake world after discovering what you were. Secondly, Zooble (to me) looks vastly different from the rest of the cast. She looks like she doesn't belong with the other circus members. I can't really find the description of what the rest of the cast looks like other than neat, while Zooble is just a jumble of objects and assortments. It looks like she belonged to a different world and ended up there. That might just be cool character design though and I'm an idiot. Overall Zooble just seems out of place but that might just be because it's episode ONE.

My second idea, one thats been lingering in my mind that Caine himself is human and just forgot after being there for so long. While maybe not as coherent or has as much supportive evidence as the previous it's still there. Perhaps Caine worked for the company that created the Circus, was put in there to run the first run-through, but never made it out. If he was the first trapee, maybe he would have been given host commands, and that would explain why he was the control of the circus (like a party leader).

~♡~

Within my no-sleep-filled fever dream of a mind, this led me to another conclusion. If people had been around this long, why was the game so unfinished? Why were people from the outside not helping. Now this is where my incompetency comes in because due to the Caine actually being human thing I had the idea, maybe the Circus project was abandoned, and that's why the game itself is so unfinished with people abstracting, no exit, things glitching in and out of the world so easily. After Caine they were just like "Oh shit, yeah let's not work on this no more", but people still end up finding their way in. (I also had the idea, as my boyfriend keeps trying to put random numbers in this paragraph, perhaps they queued too many testees. Every time someone abstracts, the next person in line joins but has no memory of that wait.) There's that one thing about Pomni working for the company that created TADC, +8and like I'm not well-versed in TADC theory and canon things I watched like maybe 2 episodes, saw a couple funny posts but...

The place looks run down, abandoned. What self-respecting office space would allow papers to litter the floor. Or a dusty, moldy-looking computer.

It looks like the company abandoned the workplace, this project, everything. Maybe Pomni got put in a queue of sorts, waited until there was an open space available to play. (Kaufmo. R.I.P)

~♡~

A different tangent. I saw something that mentioned TADC was inspired by "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream". Although I'm unaware how true that is, it does lead me to wonder what the end for Pomni will be like. Will she end up saving the others from the digital hell, but be stuck there forever in return? Would she end up as Caine or be stuck with him to live out eternity?

also this is 100% going to be a problem, look at all of them just chilling.

I wrote this tangent at almost midnight, please forgive me I will edit in the morning (Afternoon).

Edited: more well written

#:3 #the amazing digital circus #tadc #fan theories #stupid talks #tangent #yapfest #i have no mouth and i must scream #tadc pomni #tadc zooble #tadc caine #tadc theory

[mazzystar24]

While I’ve seen a lot of criticism of the date scene/daddy kink joke (admittedly I also didn’t care for it), most of what I’ve seen are people criticizing the writing itself and not necessarily Tommy.

For me (and I think a lot of others), it’s frustrating to see what could be a very interesting and important relationship for Buck fall flat in a lot of areas. The writers had every opportunity to make it a very vulnerable and open scene but they didn’t take it. And I do very much understand joking about trauma; I do it all the time. I think that’s what Buck did when he mentioned the daddy issues, though I saw that as deflection through humor and not flirting. Daddy issues don’t automatically mean kink (though they can! I just didn’t think that was for sure the goal here). I just think that Tommy could have either made some light joke in return, instead of saying no I don’t have daddy issues (this I thought was odd since he mentions earlier in the scene issues with his own father), OR he could have said something sweet about being glad Bobby is okay or showing support for Buck.

It wasn’t the kink joke itself that was off putting but more the tonal shift of the scene and the missed opportunity. We have seen so little of their relationship and it’s development, so that kind of a scene is weird to see between a couple as assume doesn’t know each other very well. We really haven’t seen them be sweet and supportive together, and it’s infuriating that there have been so many opportunities to create scenes for them to do so but the writers haven’t.

Long story short: begging the writers to develop LIs better, especially if they’re sticking around for over a season.

THISSSS

like imma go point by point real quick:

• YES THEY COULDVE MADE THE BUCKTOMMY THING A MILLION TIMES BETTER AND MORE INETERESTING AND DEVELOPED BY SIMPLY MAKING VERY EASY AND OBVIOUS WRITING CHOICES

•same with the trauma jokes like I do it to myself and specific friends of mine do it to me too (and vice versa) - yeah honestly like I do see it was more humorous deflection but I guess that CAN be interpreted as flirting with the “both” which is why I call it that in the other post

• YESSS THATS WHAT I WAS TRYING TO SAY LIKE A JOKE ABOUT DADDY ISSUES IS DIFFERENT THAN A JOKE ABOUT DADDY KINK THEY CAN GO HAND IN HAND BUT THEY ARE DIFFERENT (but media does often make it synonymous -and ofc there is a real correlation but anyways that’s a whole tangent- so I get the confusion)

• but yeah that’s what I keep saying like the joke isn’t what’s bothering people it’s the execution of the joke and the tone of the rest of the scene and episode catches people off guard in a jarring way

• yes like what the writers have used the very little bucktommy screentime for has been A CHOICE so please writers redeem yourself in s8 and give me Hannah from bones energy I beg😭😭

#911 #evan buckley #911 abc #911 fox #911onfox #evan buck buckley #anti tommy kinard #anti bucktommy #not overtly but I’m being safe #911 discourse #fandom discourse #asks open #send asks #my asks #send me asks #asks #answered asks

[thewickerking]

hey. what?

well. For context everyone im assuming this ask is referring to this post and my tags below

im assuming because of the. The.

Many. Prev tags on it lmao but anyways here's more context. ill try to keep specific elements vague cause i don't want to doxx my grandma and by extension myself. But yeah let's go

my grandma (maternal) ran away from home in her teens (not sure the exact year/age but 70s ish) to join the circus and worked there for an amount of time doing ticket sales and miscellaneous jobs that aren't performance based

she met a guy also working there and they dated. this guy joined a satanic cult after joining the circus (? I think. Mightve been the other way around) and performed ritualistic sacrifice within the cult/with his murder victims. he was not in charge of the cult but was an active member and serial killer across around 4 states, maybe more (evidence was found for about 4 states iirc)

anyways he got caught for evidence of multiple murders but confessed to upwards of 20 (they couldn't find evidence of this so its unclear if he was exaggerating or if there simply wasn't enough irrefutable evidence) and went to prison while my grandma was pregnant and she was also arrested as an accomplice and had her kid in prison. She was 18 at the time. Idk how long she spent in prison but it was long enough to have her son taken away

her son (first of her four children, was my oldest uncle on my moms side) has adopted parents who changed his first and last name and didn't let him know about his biological parents (and were also extremely abusive) and so my mother and her siblings and her mom did unsuccessful research to find him over the years and he found our family a few years before he turned 30 (my moms ten years younger than him btw) and we've been in contact since and he was my personal favorite of my moms siblings

Oh also the serial killer got sentenced to life without parole and is currently on death row. My uncle died last year from unrelated circumstance (I posted about it some last year if anyone remembers) and my mom adopted 2 of 3 of his kids (3rd was a legal adult already) and then they got kidnapped and their kidnappers won the custody battle against my mom so. Yeah

Oh also worth noting my mom is the youngest of the four. my grandma had four kids with different men so im not related to the serial killer but he is in my family tree? Anyways yeah different fathers. My grandma remembers the serial killer and my moms father (my abuelito ♡ love him) but doesn't remember the fathers of the middle children (my aunt and uncle). So they're my moms half siblings technically and nobody knows if the middle children have other half siblings on their dads' sides 🤷‍♂️ but my mom has a half sister on her dad's side! She's 2 years younger than me bc my abuelito got married to his ex wife later in life but they're not together anymore (?) Not sure. They broke up idk if they legally divorced but they live in different countries and don't talk to each other. So.

Id love to meet her someday! But I don't know if thats feasible. She lives in Mexico and only speaks spanish so it would certainly be difficult. But I want to.... she almost immigrated to the United States like. 6 years ago?? My mom paid for documents to be legally translated and stuff but stuff happened and it didn't go through.she also tried to kill her mom once. But she's doing better. That's all a long story. We have a picture of her in our house from when she was little!

Ok thats very tangent-y. I have a lot of family stories. But also if anyone was curious this post below was also about my maternal grandmother

shes a white woman who likes to weaponise having "friends" in nepal when people are mean to her. She's a character. if ppl are curious abt any of this i will answer btw i love talking abt my family they're deranged

#id in alt text #asks #anonymous #cult mention #death mention #<- ask to tag further im not sure whats best for this

[stromuprisahat]

the darkling doesn't really do anything about the nobility having all the luxury. but in terms of the small bit of wealth the darkling has, he doesn't use it to help ravka. he builds a palace. like yeah its smaller then the grand palace but its still a literal palace

......ummm what?

throwing grisha under the bus- is definitely not the best way to fix the problem of the precarious position of the minority. like letting your people get hurt, not great. the darkling kinda uses the 'one girl for all of ravka' argument (which is basically utilitarianism but thats a philosophy student tangent which if you want hit me up and i can gladly go on) except its not one girl its genya and alina and zoya and every single other girl.

WHAT DOES THIS EVEN MEAN LMAO

Hey nonny, I'm as baffled as you are and I've just woken up.

Almost a year later:

Now I suspect, what you're quoting, but I don't want to poke that pile of shit at the moment, so I'll only react to those parts you're pointing out.

the darkling doesn't really do anything about the nobility having all the luxury.

Strange, a fancy-clothed serf doesn't force the ruling class to relinquish their riches, even though he has no support of wider population...

but in terms of the small bit of wealth the darkling has, he doesn't use it to help ravka. he builds a palace. like yeah its smaller then the grand palace but its still a literal palace

There's no indication the Darkling HAS anything- quite contrary. He is a serf- therefore even his body doesn't belong to himself.

But when Yevgeni had offered Aleksander his reward, he had refused the king’s gold. “There are others like me, Grisha, living in hiding. Give me leave to offer them sanctuary here and I will build you an army the likes of which the world has never seen.” ... Only King Yevgeni’s Apparat continued to campaign against the Grisha. He railed that the Saints would forsake Ravka if the king continued to harbor witches beneath his roof. Each day he would stand before the throne and rant until he was short of breath and red in the face. One day, he simply keeled over. If he’d been helped to his death by a Corporalnik posted by a shaded window, no one was the wiser. But the next Apparat was more circumspect in his objections. He preached the tale of Yaromir and Sankt Feliks at the First Altar, a story of extraordinary soldiers who had helped a king unify a country, and two years later, Aleksander began work on the Little Palace.

Rule of Wolves- Chapter 33

Now where did the Darkling get the funds for building a Palace two years after refusing payment? I'm sure Grisha, who had to beg for "sanctuary" has coffers and coffers of gold stashed somewhere...

As for Little Palace being called "Palace"... it's a huge building, what else should people call it in this setting? "Big house"? "Barn for two-legged livestock"?! Sure, it's beautiful, but from its descriptions it's all Grisha work. Carvings and craftsmanship, not precious stones or metal.

throwing grisha under the bus- is definitely not the best way to fix the problem of the precarious position of the minority. like letting your people get hurt, not great.

You're right- after the most of Grisha fled, or were killed during the Civil war for siding with the Darkling (or being born Grisha to begin with), Grisha keep on being exploited and worse- kidnapped from Ravka itself. It would seem the Heroes failed once again.

the darkling kinda uses the 'one girl for all of ravka' argument (which is basically utilitarianism but thats a philosophy student tangent which if you want hit me up and i can gladly go on) except its not one girl its genya and alina and zoya and every single other girl.

It's fascinating that picking three "girls" with a thing in common- being somehow "wronged" by the Darkling, although their circumstances were significantly different- as the only representatives of all of Ravka doesn't rise any eyebrows. Or that they miraculously tranformed into "every single other girl".

Hell, Darkles' schedule must be pretty busy, if he finds a way to ruin everyone's life in so many ways- getting them to desert, join his opponent or straight up disobey his order?

Or are we supposed to ignore how common rules don't apply to them? How we're to overlook chain of order, social status and heroes' attitudes of 21st century pampered, entitled brats?

#reply #Grishaverse #grishanalyticritical #The Darkling #RoW Chapter 33 #Second Army #Ravka #Little Palace #The Righteous Gang™

[iintervallum]

some tma and tmagp meta and thoughts, disclaimer that this does contain some more negative critique

i think i realized why i still think about tma despite not actually fully loving the podcast. i like a lot of the lore and the workings of the avatars and the meta narrative around power structures,and many of the themes it discusses and disects through the subtext are intriguing, it has a very interesting tapestry of the inner workings of it's universe

but the actual way the podcast tells it was, at some points, repetitive and a little bit boring, i would have to relisten sometimes to episodes just to remember what was happening even though i was listening to a lot of it in the same time span and should have remembered, i havent felt as much of a need to revist the story as i have with other audio dramas ive listened to. I do want to say that i genuinely enjoy tma its just not something that ive latched onto as i have with other shows.

side tangent -> and seeing how volatile the fandom was in its peak i don't want to be involved further lol. I'm someone who has a bad habit of looking at discourse and critical tags because i like fandom history and I'm nosy, and seeing posts about jmart being "too fluffy" and the ending of tma having "no impact" and how they were "pandering" right next to posts about how "traumatically tragic" the ending was and how jmart was "extremely toxic" and they made them "do terrible things how dare they" was really funny. there were legitimate critiques of things there as well but the divisive nature of s5 is amusing to me as an outsider that came in late additionally some stuff with how fandom centers whiteness and white narratives, as nice as it that there is a widely adopted fanon of Jon as a person of colour, specially a brown asian man, i think the fandom still didn't really decenter whiteness at all, like sure you're solving the sexy man problem by making them non white but have you done...any thinking into the deeper implications of it? i have, being south asian myself makes it impossible not to. tangent over

I guess some aspects did not feel as tight as they could have been, with some themes the show deals with being hits and misses. i think the structure and the statement format as iconic as it is, restricted the way the story could be told, if i'm making sense? (and the decision to go with more realisitc and more grounded horror that intersected with real world issues are a part of said hits and misses from my perspective, some things i feel didnt fully work from a narrative standpoint but thats a subjective thing that i wont get into)

thats why i'm enjoying tmagp a little more, i think they took what worked well with tma and expanded on it with a fuller cast from the offset,the inclusion of the non statement parts that tma had (the interpersonal relationships and conflicts) and intergrated it without fully losing what makes tma intriguing to listen to. tmagp so far seems to balance the cases and the character interactions well. it doesnt feel like we're just going with the same format and its not too unfamilar either.

like one thing i'm looking forward to is the guest writers, specifically a few of them since ive listened to their work and loved them, and it will be really interesting to see how their writing would work within the tma universe.

and an aspect which makes tmagp intresting as well is if you have proior knowledge of the tma universe, we know much more than the characters, and have our own perceptions of what is going to happen to them based on our previous understanding of the series and the events that transpired. we're just waiting for the characters to catch onto what we know, and all the foreboding tragedy and devastation that will come with it.

some part of me wonders, if this season will be about how tragedies like the universe ending in the way it did in s5 are unavoidable, how even in an alternate universe where the circumstances are different the same things are bound to happen again. no matter what its inevitable, the mark of what transpired cannot ever be reversed,

like there are parallels to be had with how jon was ultimately pulled into everything against his will and had not that much agency in what happened to him, even if he did make the decision to use the power he had(for both good and bad reasons), it was forced onto him in the first place. meanwhile we have sam who is desperate for a connection to something greater, as a part of his self worth is tied to being chosen, even if we know that being chosen is not what it seems, hes willing to endanger himself if it means finding out more with his curiousity overpowering the risk factor. i wonder if the outcome of it all will be the same because that would be very very interesting.

either way the tighter nature of tmagp seems to work well for it and i hope that the momentum continues till it's conclusion, and even if not I had a decent time with it so it still would have been worth it

#aster.txt #the magnus archives #tma #the magnus protocol #tma spoilers #tmagp spoilers #meta #fandom meta #critical #tmagp theory