#cannot take what he says to himself how he justifies his actions etc etc in private at face value. unless he is making it EXPLICITLY CLEAR

[zeb-z]

Bad has so many reasons to be cautious, even paranoid, as anyone else on the island. From Federation nonsense to Dapper being kidnapped to the whole purgatory nonsense to whatever fuckass suit of armor “old friend” was setting up cameras in his house. But it compounds on his regular overly aware paranoid self to this state of hyper-paranoia. And as a demon who can and usually will lie, cheat, steal, and use sneaky underhanded tactics, he expects the craziest extent because he thinks of it, realizes it’s possible, and would use it himself. We saw this very obviously in purgatory - when he thought greens desperate last ditch effort to balance the scale was a super planned out tactic to tip the scale, so he did it first, all the hardcore base hunting, the spawn killing, there’s a reason every other tactic he used usually followed a main channel qsmp post with updated rules - all usually things he was surprised no one else thought of. But then this also piles onto the fact that he has to have things go his way, all the time, and that he’s argumentative as all get out, which led to the debate between him and Bagi yknow. Especially because he’s not just doing it for the sake of being right, he doesn’t think he’s paranoid, but that he’s exercising the right amount of caution.

So like. Listen dude. Yeah he’s got reasons to be paranoid. But his thought process around building vaults for separate cookie caches like they locked up the risus pills, only to scrap it because it’s not perfectly impenetrable, is extreme. His character has hardly been a leading example in someone who has reasonable reactions to things. And even when there isn’t his own children’s livelihoods potentially on the line, he has a need for control, and the most control he has is if he keeps the cookies in his inventory at all times. If he makes himself the sole point in which the others can get ones in a case of emergency, then he can control the variables. The problem is he’s unreliable about himself when he’s at his most rational and healthiest, and he’s far worse with the current memory and health issues he’s been mostly unaware of.

I dunno it’s like. There is never going to be a purely impenetrable base. And it’s not just a case of “Bagi just hasn’t lived through __ yet!”. Bad’s own logic about keeping the cookies on him at all times is flawed under his own logic, because Bagi is right - if someone has enough drive to break into separate secured cookie caches purely for the downfall of eggs, they more than certainly have enough drive to find a way to kill Bad and just take them from his inventory, or to just kill the eggs themselves. All it truly does is give Bad a sense of control, and soothe his paranoia.

#everyone let’s remember rurus’ tweet about bad NOT being in the blunt rotation. he would try to pluck cameras out of your eyes. and he will #make it seem like it’s the most reasonable thing to do in that moment #now this is more me complaining about shit I’ve been seeing on Twitter in the tags <3 love and peace but I’ve got beef #side note - to say the people who are commenting on qBad’s paranoia or this and that are all newcomers who just ‘weren’t there to experienc #-the dark times’ or ‘weren’t there for the egg deaths/nightmares’ like you are not immune to the way bbh can make something seem so #reasonable #he’s got his own reasons to be paranoid. and most everyone agreed that the base idea of a ‘cookie jar’ would need rethinking with security #but to say qBagi (or Jorge’s/other viewers) is shortsighted or naive. when qBad is THE definition of paranoia. of overreacting. like #qBad’s reaction extends from a mixture of care hyper paranoia and trauma response (which is half that hyper paranoia) #and he will pick and pick and pick until there’s nothing left to pick at #sometimes this is helpful. a lot of the time it’s not #and on the flip side it’s like y’all bad cares about the eggs to a ridiculous degree don’t be silly here okay. he does this because he care #even without a memory in his brain he calls them ‘little one’ and is gentle like. he cares #but at the same time this doesn’t always justify his nonsense. his thought processes. he’s Uber hyper paranoid and not easy to reason with #he’s selfish he can and will jump to extremes he’s overly controlling. and he’s the worlds most unreliable narrator #I’ve been saying this I’ll keep saying this he’s an unreliable narrator! this doesn’t make everything he says or thinks bullshit but you #cannot take what he says to himself how he justifies his actions etc etc in private at face value. unless he is making it EXPLICITLY CLEAR #he’s talking from a meta perspective as the creator of his character #you have to take his perspective with a grain of salt. because he will ‘I’m just a little guy and the world is out to get me’ his way outta #everything #there is a difference between reasonable caution from learned past experiences and overly anxious paranoid responses #idk I’m running out of steam sorry this is like a second post with the tags #and again I say this as a huge qBbh enjoyer lmao #mcyt #qsmp #q!bbh #q!bagi #z speaks

[allthegothihopgirls]

Hc that Jason really resonated with Frankenstein’s monster after he came back from the dead and his terrorization of Bruce is, in part, inspired by the monsters terrorization of Victor

ok i'm gonna preface this by saying what the fuck anon (/pos). i've been talking about this concept since it popped into my inbox i'm actually OBSESSED.

clawing at the insides of my enclosure foaming at the mouth etc etc

anyways, 1000% YES. the whole thing of jason being put back together not only at the hands of another, but also in a way which is so so unfamiliar to the him he knew before death, soooo extremely frankenstein's monster-coded.

both brought to life by impossible circumstances, and neither feel as though they own their autonomy. searching for some kind of redemption, needing to feel complete or avenged.

both having a sense of justice, shunned by society, one which doesn't earn them praise but instead punishment and disgust. both resenting the decisions of their creators/mentors. torn between worlds, neither of which they feel accepted in. oh my GOD.

i'm a huge fan of the whole idea of jason coming back and feeling displaced and in an entirely foreign body, and that's just oh so frankenstein's monster..

like IMAGINE that being his frame of reference for his feelings. put together what feels like piece by piece, messily, with only second-hand scraps. all with no regard for the person he was before, only with the intentions of being 'repurposed'.. AHHHHH

(as well as the fact that it's ALL mental for jason, he comes back 'perfect', unscathed and replenished. he has no physical justification for feeling the way he does, second-hand and hand-sewn. his feeling of 'monstrosity' stems from elsewhere; the feeling he gets walking around in this body which is simply not his, or the look in bruce's eyes when he sees him again for the first time, seeing a monster not a son.)

also the conscious knowing that his make-up is no longer his own, he's composed of parts which are unrecognisable to his old body, the one he owned and hand-carved through age. having to walk through days, feeling his actions as his own, but having a body which warps the intent behind them to all onlookers.

god imagine, blaming your creator for your fate, and needing the answers of your inadequacy to come from him himself.. and no other source can explain your imperfection in a way you can accept, it has to be him. jason NEEDS bruce's validation, to confirm or deny that he is irredeemable and a lost cause.

as much as i don't think jason would take pride in relating so much to frankenstein's monster, it's definitely a lingering thought in the back of his mind, something that determines his own story and outcomes.

he thinks of him when he loses control, and knows that he can't use it to justify the way he acted. he cannot tell the monster that his actions were okay, and that the people just did not understand, although as much as he wants to.. because he knows that isn't the case. he knows the monster was always a monster, and grows to feel the same way about himself.

he resents the way he acts, because all he sees is the monster. the one who acts according to his moral compass, but is always wrong. always clouded by his monstrosity. he decides he really should never trust himself or his intuition, because it's always disgusting and ugly, and even he'll be able to look back in retrospect and be repulsed by the way he carried himself, and not hate the way everyone punished him for it.

he wants so desperately to get himself back, morph back into the boy who knew his rights and wrongs and was never looked at funnily for acting how any normal person would. but the only part of his past self that still exists is in his mind, he wants to rip it out and show people that it's still him inside of there, but he simply can't do that.

his body changed without his permission, he never asked to be an abomination, a scientifical anomaly. he wants to scream about how it's not his fault, how he's not what the world paints him to be. how he can just be normal. but he's never really going to feel that way, as long as his mind and body remain two separate entities at war.

i feel like he clings onto the humanity of frankenstein's monster, and uses him as an anchor, something that shows him it's possible to remain acceptable and human.

i also think he analyses the character oh so deeply, to try and latch onto all the relatability he can find, the things he doesn't get from real people.

maybe he has a copy of the book, annotated in such a personal way. perhaps someone else stumbles upon it, and is just so distraught by the conclusions drawn from the scribbles and highlights, the way jason seems to view himself.

the way that although jason's always seen himself like the monster, unloveable and unacceptable, everyone else was always ready to accept him.

that maybe the real downfall of jason and frankenstein's monster is that the way they viewed themselves was too focused on the displacement they felt, assuming automatically that everyone else must feel the same way about them, if not worse. not taking the moment to let people learn to love them all over again.

anyways, unreliable narrators post resurrection!jason todd and frankenstein's monster, who were always seen with at least an ounce of humanity, but were both overridden by self-hatred and the disgust of their form, which led them to total exile and isolation.

#anon you have a brilliant mind #im gonna be honest not sure how much sense im talking in this one #i didn't really touch on the inspo for terrorization of bruce thing explicitly. but i think that's implied??? #like he acts with frankenstein in mind. he succumbs somewhat to the actions of his and feels them set in stone #just because he feels doomed the same way the monster was #asks #anon #!!!!!!!!!! #jason todd #red hood #under the red hood #robin #character analysis #? #batboys #dc batman #dc comics #headcanon #dcu #dc #frankenstein #gothihop speaks

[thyandrawrites]

You know, in the hug between Dabi and Shoto, although I know Dabi was teasing Shoto about burning him alive, etc. But after watching the newest episode and looking back on that scene, would Shoto be in pain if Dabi was hurting him in that moment? Or was he implying he was going to hurt him? I know Shoto has a high pain tolerance, but killing Shoto was never Dabi’s priority and you can see in future chapter he’s willing to tell his story. Sorry, this comment doesn’t really make sense, but what did you think of the hug scene I guess?

you're not going to like my answer, anon.

Now, preface: I don't think Dabi is a callous person or a ruthless monster, and I don't think he's too far gone and insane. Please don't take what follows as an attempt to demonize him because it's really not. But I think it's important to discuss the wrongs in his actions instead of brushing them off as something he didn't mean.

I don't think Dabi was just teasing him about burning him alive. He actually hurt Shouto significantly enough; in the aftermath of the war we see him with his head and throat covered in bandages, and he can’t speak properly because of his injuries. Shouto does have more resistance to fire than his brother, but Dabi’s fire is much hotter than his, and even a fairly short exposure to it didn’t leave him unharmed. I believe Dabi would've gone with a killing blow if Enji hadn’t passed out after hitting Machia; or in the most recent arc, if his body had held up long enough to propel him to Enji afterward. to quote what I said to a friend in dms: 

Right now Dabi is using murder as a way to “leave a mark on this world”

that is, he’s killing to fill the emptiness in his life, to give himself a purpose for why he’s still alive even after outliving his usefulness. Just like how Hawks justifies killing Twice over and over to give himself a purpose as a hero who protects the country, even after Dabi burned his wings and pushed him past his physical prime (which was instrumental to doing his job as a hero). 

But murdering Shouto obviously cannot give Dabi the recognition he aims for, in much the same way murdering Jin didn’t give Hawks the the public acclaim he hoped for: 

simply because those things aren’t solutions; they’re just fucked up mentalities and moralities born out of trauma that each of them adopts to deal with the hand they were dealt in life. So imho brushing off that Dabi actually wanted Shouto dead makes us ignore a significant portion of his issue that needs addressing in the story. His grudge was never with Shouto, and it is entirely fucked up to take it out on his little brother, especially since Dabi knows Shouto is as much of a victim as he is. Again, just like how it’s fucked up of Hawks to take out his daddy issues on Jin for refusing a hero’s help, just because he sees his parents' “brokenness” reflected in that mentality that is stubbornly against “doing the right thing”.

At the same time, though, I want to point out that Dabi only “wants Shouto dead” on the condition that Enji is there to see it. If his grudge had been against the kid per se, he could’ve targeted him at any point in time. Particularly during the attack at summer camp. But Shouto barely enters his radar, and any harm he wants to cause to him is always instrumental to breaking his father’s spirit, to devastating Endvr by taking the source of his pride and crushing it. 

So I do think that if Dabi had found a better way to get back at his dad, he would’ve left Shouto alone. But it’s important to acknowledge the ‘if’. So far, Dabi didn’t make the conscious choice to spare his brother, much less out of any regard for Shouto’s personhood. If anything, I’d say that he has yet to acknowledge that Shouto is a person in his own right. So far, he’s still thinking of him as an addendum of his revenge, an extension of his grudge against Enji, and a puppet completely under his father’s thumb. And that’s precisely why he’s able to detach himself from the idea of killing his brother, blood of his blood, victim of the same shitty parenting.  

#ali replies #bnha #bnha spoilers #bnha meta #my post #meta:dabi

[horizon-verizon]

I want to shoot myself in the head every time I see someone say: The Blacks / Rhaenyra have as much responsibility in the birth of the conflict / the war, as the Greens. Or that: Rhaenyra has also done bad things to have power. This is all fundamentally wrong.

The Greens began to foment treachery as soon as Aegon II was born, when Rhaenyra was to be 10 years old. What had she done "wrong" in that time to merit being plotted against her? Or what had the other members of his family done to make the Greens want to usurp the designated heiress? The answer is nothing. The only reasons were greed for power = putting their blood on the throne, and misogyny against Rhaenyra.

Even in the series, it is very clear. Otto literally says in episode 3 that Aegon II must be king, that Rhaenyra could be the reincarnation of Jaehaerys himself, that all that matters is that she is a WOMAN. He's already hatching a coup, while Rhaenyra has literally done nothing "wrong". Truth be told, she still doesn't do anything "wrong" in the rest of the series. Because, no, the fact that she has children out of wedlock is not a valid reason for her usurpation. We know that Rhaenyra could have had legitimate children but that wouldn't have stopped the Greens from acting. It's just another excuse for them, as simple as that. Because misogyny.

Also, Rhaenyra (to get back to the book) basically did nothing but defend her birthright when the Greens usurped it. What's wrong? On the contrary, it is completely legitimate. Yes, she became a tyrant later on, but it's forgotten that it was the war and the resulting trauma that made her that way. Also, Rhaenyra ruled Dragonstone for about 16 years and no one compared her to a tyrant at the time, which suggests she could have been a perfectly proper queen without the Greens getting involved. Literally, Rhaenyra had done nothing wrong before this goddamn war that completely tore her apart as a person.

A war that has once again been started / provoked by the Greens, because they have fomented a usurpation and usurped the rightful heiress. From the moment the Greens began a plot, war was all but inevitable if they achieved their goal, as it was inevitable that the Blacks would retaliate. They are responsible for this war, it is a fact.

Yes, Viserys didn't help, but he's not to blame for the Greens' power greed in the first place.

The fact is, the Greens attacked the FIRST, then fought hard, until it led to the fucking war in question. In this scenario, how does Rhaenyra have a real share of responsibility in the birth of the conflict / war? Or even Blacks more generally?

I cannot stress enough that the word of the sovereign IS THE LAW. Putting a son on the throne is a precedent NOT A LAW. Viserys decreed that Rhaenyra was his heiress, her word is law and going against it, especially after taking an oath is simply committing high treason, which the Greens did without issue.

Literally, as soon as Viserys had a son, they started to foment betrayal, for no other reason than greed for power and misogyny. It's easy to understand, yet it looks like it's too complicated for some, who seek excuse after excuse to justify the Greens, especially with the bullshit I quoted at the beginning of the message.

Supporting the Greens is simply supporting the camp of misogynists, blood purists, traitors, oath breakers, rapists, murderers (Daemon didn't kill Rhea Royce in the book and there's no evidence neither did he kill Laenor or Harwin in the latter. His biggest crime remains Blood and Cheese, again, a response to Aemond's murder of Lucerys, which is no accident in the book. Although Daemon killed Rhea Royce in the series, it has nothing to do with the usurpation committed by the Greens), rapists, mass murderers, (at least if Aemond's actions are respected in the rest of the series...) etc.

Also, why would Rhaenyra have to be a "revolutionary feminist" according to some, to deserve this fucking throne exactly? Seriously, when I argue that the Greens attacked first, with power greed and misogyny as their primary motives, and are therefore by extensions the antagonists/villains of the story, this bullshit of "but Rhaenyra n 'isn't a feminist who will revolutionize Westeros' is almost systematically released as a response, as if it were a real argument? We do not care ? That's just not the point of what they're saying. Again, there's this completely dumb notion that since Rhaenyra is a woman, then she must earn her inheritance. She has to prove that she will be better than the others, and not just be a ruler who will keep the kingdom possibly stable, etc. This argument is simply another mani manifestation of the misogyny of some fans. The problem being that we have no idea how Rhaenyra's reign would have actually been, simply because she wasn't herself when she got the throne, and she was getting worse and worse because of of all that she had taken in the face and what she continued to take. We don't have the means to know if she could have improved certain things for women, if she would have simply kept the kingdom stable and prosperous, or if she would have been a bad queen anyway. Although I seriously doubt it for the last point, because Rhaenyra was still educated for her future role as sovereign, and she once again took good care of Dragonstone for about 16 years. Rhaenyra would therefore surely have been (I repeat myself) a correct queen if the Greens had not gotten involved. But this delusion of being a "revolutionary feminist" has nothing to do with it.

I'm sick of people who think they're smarter than everyone else by decreeing that both sides are on the same level of horror committed (especially when the Greens have done worse than the Blacks, even during the war), or responsibility for what happened.

Sorry for the long message, and Happy New Year, belated!

Do not apologize for delivering facts, anon. This is now one of my favorite posts. You have encapsulated the ideas and counterarguments necessary. Thank you. And Happy New Year to, you too!

The "neutral" arguers are really people who don't know how GRRM provides critical of misogyny and bastardy (even though we have Jon Snow...illiteracy caused by misogyny, oh my god) and don't care, only here to get thrills and chills OR people who are just misogynist looking for validation.

As anon states, Book!Alicent protested against Rhaenyra keeping her position as heir as soon as she gave birth to Aegon, which was when Rhaenyra was 10. A mere year after she married Viserys and allowed Rhaenyra to call her "mother".

Some noblewomen of the medieval era in Europe, though definitely interested in the rights of women or the ideology that makes women pseudo-subalterns were still not out there in the trenches, being modern day activists, for lords to make way for female leaders. Examples: Eleanor of Acquitane, Heloise d'Argenteuil, Catherine of Siena, Christine de Pizan. They were in a minority, though. Because feudalism and Islamic/Church doctrine.

Women resisted against patriarchal pressures and some won and took power for themselves: Catherine the Great, Elizabeth the I are just a few. Is this action/event/story not feminist in of itself since it makes a woman rest on supreme seats of power? Even though these women were not what we’d call feminist activists, trying to make other own leaders? 

Their actions set precedents, created examples, showed how it was possible for a woman to lead and lead well or not horribly. That means something.

This idea that Rhaenyra must make herself worthy in the other lords' eyes because they do not trust her gender is due to their misogyny, not her gender. Unlike what happened with Jaehaerys I, who had to prove he wasn't weak or hesitant like Aenys I--allowing the space for Maegor I to come in and take power--Jaehaerys I wasn't doubted for his gender but for how he will act. The same is not true for Rhaenyra.

Also, it mimics how PoCs must "prove" themselves trustworthy in other aspects of modern life because their race or ethnicity or even nationality is questioned by the dominant power. In professional spaces, etc.

More about Jaehaerys, and this maybe controversial, but I find that people praise him too much for being a smarter politician and manipulating the populace into buying the Doctrine of Exceptionalism because he improved--or attempting to improve--some infrastructures in King's Landing. People forget or ignore that he was very inspired to do all of this to strengthen his own validity as king after Maegor and Aenys.

People also conveniently forget that:

he had to be convinced to abolish the right of first night

was very reluctant in naming his firstborn daughter as heir (Daenerys)

encouraged or didn’t try to bring up the possibility of not having any more kids with Alysanne, who kept getting pregnant several times and had her troubles despite the fact that his own mother died laboring for a child

didn't give the throne to Rhaenys and allowed more doubt to be made on a female ruler by allowing all these reasons to not have her ascend (uncertainty of gender of the child she carried, her own age, etc.)

and allowing a council where subjects are allowed to decide who should rule as if this weren't an absolute monarchy in the first place

So now the lords may have felt that they had more right to protest a king just because they may not like him, and Viserys' pseudo-people pleasing certainly didn't help things.

Jaehaerys was not altruistic nor good to those close to him or to women, even his own wife. He, like most rulers, wished to consolidate his own power and adapted his tactics to a time when he had to differentiate himself from the past ruler's and thus he inadvertently set up more problems than he intended.

Finally, I must remind people that medieval and later royal and noble women had affairs and sometimes illegitimate kids just as men did, and sometimes it was known to the court and others but allowed or kept hush-hush. Often it was when a political rival had something to gain that a women would be accused (Sex With The Queen by Eleanor Herman), provided by @the-king-andthe-lionheart. I talk more about why Viserys defends Rhaenyra HERE, and the post goes into bastards and aristocracy further down.

*EDIT* (8/21/23):

THIS is a great post by @mononijikayu about medieval queens, female rulers, the history of how women in leadership positions were made and seen as threats to the very structure of social "order", and contextualizing Rhaenyra thru Empress Matilda. I didn't even know about Matilda's husband being comparable to Rhaneyra's Daemon! PLZ READ!!!!

Excerpt:

just as much, along with these fictitious portrayals, more lies are depicted. these women are considered vixens that cause havoc to men by shifting them into desires and danger. through the written word, we see how women are cast in roles of villains in men’s lives. it is because by their conclusive thoughts, women are the only creatures that are able to turn ‘good honorable men’ into despicable creatures who do shameful, deplorable acts for the sake of women’s pleasures.  it is within this narrative that ancient chroniclers declare that women were in fact the doom of men. if they were not able to control the dangers posed by the wiles of women, then the foundations of the mighty society they had built would be up in flames.  [...] as i mentioned, these factors of community are written down and preserved. and with that, the example of the ancients were the foundations by which medieval society built itself. the same concepts continued to cause the same issue within society and that was the exclusion of women from participating in the bigger picture of community and state, much so with governing states in their own right—without judgment or disapproval. 

#asoiaf asks to me #rhaenyra and feminism #fire and blood comment #westeros succession #succession in westeros #fandom misogyny #westerosi queens #jaehaerys i #jaehaerys i's characterization #characterization #hotd neutrals #fire and blood characters #asoiaf fav posts #asoiaf #Fire and Blood

[dimiclaudeblaigan]

(Part 1) (Part 3)

In my previous post about how the writing failed Edelgard and the confusion of shifting her between protagonist and villain, I mentioned possibly doing a continuation relating her to Ashnard.

I've done this many times before, be it in posts or tags of posts, but I've never done it in a full blown analysis post. I decided to go through with it and detail exactly what the issues I find are, because as a villain, Ashnard succeeded with zero hiccups. Edelgard is literally identical to him in beliefs and motivations (right down to wanting Adrestia, his Daein, to rule the continent). However, the fandom ended up split on "is she really a villain or a misunderstood antagonist".

The idea of this pair of posts is to go over exactly how that happened, and why two characters who are exactly identical in their major motivations ended up not being seen by the fandom in the same way. That is to say, Ashnard is collectively understood to be the villain, so why isn't Edelgard?

This post also goes over their similarities and exactly what they are with context from Ashnard's lines, as well as others who interacted with Ashnard.

I also go further into other problems with Edelgard's writing and why it failed to truly decide on a path for her, muddying her writing and story and how some of it serves no purpose to her story or route (ex. her backstory). I also brought up contrasts between her route and those issues with all the other routes, as examples of how the other routes had clear goals/stories in mind that weren't shifted one way or another.

Since this unfortunately got insane levels of massive yet again, I'm cutting the entire thing up into a part one (the previous post), part two (this post) and part three (the next post that will cover a continuation of this post to make it more digestible because it would be too massive otherwise).

To start, I break down the similarities nearly worded exactly the same between both characters:

Question the way in which society was designed

Birth station determines your life

Uses people of low birth to justify atrocious actions. That is, claiming people of low birth are suffering and should be able to rise by their own merits. In Edelgard's case, she uses this as a propoganda tool but never follows through with it (as per CF's ending cards and the many underlying implications, such as censorship, spying on her own people, keeping only her friends/allies in power, etc). In Ashnard's case, he just wants to watch strong people fight each other and take strong people into his service. However, he has two strong people fight to the death to determine who is stronger and takes the winner into his service.

Believes people should benefit from their strength (regardless of what that strength is/brings/leads to, such as TWS and the Death Knight being a mass murderer (this is not about Jeritza directly, we know what his problems are and why he does these things, but she allows for it and feeds into those things by giving him the reign of the battlefield that she does when Jeritza himself does not approve of all the killing he's done) and the Black Knight being used to eliminate all of Ashnard's obstacles that he personally does not want to waste time on or at the time cannot).

Uses strength to "remake" society. In Edelgard's case, she's using force and strength of arms to force Fodlan under one banner (something her immediate family has been doing since Faerghus first split from Adrestia). She uses her strength to rule with an iron fist and obliterate any and all opposition (which she openly admits to). In Ashnard's case, he explicitly states he believes the strong should rule the weak and wants the strong in his service, so he allows people of all status to step up to prove themselves.

Class and rank won't matter (in Edelgard's case this is a lie used to subdue doubt and not something she follows through with. Again, the ending cards. In Ashnard's case he does mean what he says).

The strong are the ones in power. A G A I N, CF's ending cards.

The weak are stuck weak because they are weak. They get no help from Ashnard/Edelgard because they are weak. In Edelgard's case, she wholeheartedly believes the weak are weak by fault of their own and that it is their own fault if they are dependent on others. In Ashnard's case, he believes the weak are weak and deserved to be ruled over because that is the natural order of the world (bitch rly said natural selection lmao).

Ashnard explicitly states he believes the weak cling to the strong, which is exactly what Edelgard believes and she expresses this to Dimitri in AM.

Similarly to how Edelgard and Dimitri end their conversation with the understanding that they will never agree on their subject, Ashnard promptly ends his conversation with Reyson because he understands that they will never agree.

Similarly to how people will not bend to Edelgard's vision because it would negatively affect their life, Reyson refuses to accept Ashnard's vision because he, as a physically weak and frail person, does not have the strength to thrive in Ashnard's ideal world. Reyson is an example of someone who would suffer in Edelgard's ideal world, because he is physically weak and has to rely on Tibarn and previously Naesala to survive. In Edelgard's world, the herons would be useless strength-wise and thus never deserve to rise to the top. They would be bottom of the barrel and by ruled over by people stronger than them.

Since Reyson refuses to accept Ashnard's ideal world, Ashnard's response is that he plans to kill him - exactly what Edelgard does to anyone who stands against her or doesn't want to live in her ideal world.

The only MAJOR difference is that Ashnard doesn't care if beorc or laguz are involved in this world of his. Edelgard wants to eliminate all Nabateans (and she admits as much herself).

This is what I mean when I say... Edelgard is literally the same character as Ashnard. The reason she's not deemed "the villain" by many is because of her affiliation with Byleth, the protagonist. Even on her own route, she is fulfilling the villain role... but because of Byleth's presence, the game gears toward forcing a romance for her, and people generally don't like to see a romantic interest for the protagonist as the villain.

Yes, villains can still have human emotions and fall in love. However yes, due to people not wanting to see romance in a villainous character, people don't perceive her as a villain. Without Byleth, CF is still the villain route.

Interestingly, in Hopes, Edelgard is much more open about her actions and her iron rule mindset. She is also much more open to accepting the truth of her actions and how bad they actually are. She doesn't care though, because those actions will lead to her vision of Fodlan.

I don't hate Byleth at all, but Byleth's existence in CF is a detraction to the writing in the sense of Edelgard as the story's central villain (with the background villains being TWS and assorted others earlier in the game). It's the use of romance and trying to make Edelgard woobified, thus making players feel bad for her and many people never expressing that her trauma does not excuse her from inflicting all this suffering on innocent people, or that invading other countries that did nothing to you or yours is not okay.

Ashnard is ridiculed and despised for doing exactly these same things (invasion, etc), but he doesn't have a player romance to help him save face in the fandom from being what he is - a villain.

No responsibility is ever taken for her actions (any indication that she has done so is lip service from her, as we are never shown that she has done so and we never hear from a single other person that she has done so). This is because she fully believes in her actions, thus sees no reason to be held responsible for "mistakes" when she does not view them as such.

By contrast:

Dimitri doesn't use his trauma as an excuse for his actions... even though his trauma is the direct source and reason for his actions. Again though, he doesn't use that as an excuse to justify it or say it's okay.

Claude doesn't use his trauma as an excuse to say it's okay that he sometimes hurts people emotionally because he pushes them too far with trying to learn about Fodlan so he can bring it emotionally closer to his birthland. Both of them take responsibility for their faults even though they do have trauma as a reason for it and could reasonably use that as an excuse with an apology.

Rhea on the other hand does do some sketchy things and acknowledges that, but she takes responsibility for it in all routes bar CF where she is in the middle of war (i.e. in fight mode, versus all other routes not being directly in the war and thus having time to talk with people and discuss things). In AM, she does step down and go into isolation, no longer involving herself with humanity. SS and VW are more direct with her taking responsibility.

These characters have that in difference with Edelgard, the dev proclaimed villain, because they do not forgive their actions as "it had to be done for the greater good" because they know when they were wrong. Rhea blurs the line there with the whole greater good situation, but she ultimately does it in response to her trauma from her kin being victims of genocide - something Edelgard is notably resuming but which is swept under the rug to make her less horrendous - which is, again, a failure in writing of her character because romancing her is prioritized over her having independence from Byleth/romance and being able to pursue her path freely with her own beliefs. Instead, she makes excuse after excuse for why she's in the right instead of just, like Ashnard, acknowledging that that is just what she wants because it's what she believes in).

I direct you to the Lonato chapter and the fact that Dimitri will literally snap at Byleth and literally call them insane for suggesting that it (killing) had to be done, desperately insisting there must have been another way that did not involve taking those people's lives (mirrored when he has the option, as king, to take a life for being involved in the Tragedy of Duscur, but chooses not to do so and instead reflects on that man's meaning of justice instead of deciding that because they don't see things the same way that the man must die.

However, the thing is, her trauma is only there in the story to further woobify her to make her more appealing as a romance option. Her trauma plays no part in the grand scheme of her goals, and she in fact is working closely with the people who inflicted that trauma on her. It isn't like, for example, AM where Dimitri's trauma is the central cause of his personal growth as a character.

Byleth is also not the central driving force for Dimitri recovering as part of his character arc; it was Rodrigue - the only singular person Dimitri would listen to and take a scolding from and eventually give in and even refer to as "friend", something he does not do to any other singular person before his recovery begins (he in fact pushes Byleth and everyone else away, with his only semblance of sanity left coming to the surface thanks to Rodrigue's presence). Byleth helps in his recovery, but Byleth could not have ever done that without Rodrigue's words to Dimitri. Byleth was sort of an extension to the situation, but it was never Byleth who initiated the events that led to Dimitri's growth. Byleth was heavily ridiculed and ignored by Dimitri prior, so before anyone tries to say Dimitri is woobified for romancing, no, he's not. That's part of his character arc, and it was also not Byleth who initiated that phase of his arc. Byleth was part of it and helped in it, but another major character in Dimitri's life was used to enter that arc phase.

Contrast to CF Edelgard being dependent on Byleth and unable to properly wage war without their presence for five entire years - something that is not the case for Edelgard in any other route, thus making her that much more inconsistent between her own route and the others to make her own romanceable on her own route.

Now, why is this a problem? Because on all other routes, the main characters have motivations and goals that Byleth's existence will not deter.

Claude isn't going to stop trying to make friends between Almyra and Fodlan whether Byleth is there or not.

Seteth is not going to stop looking for Rhea and fighting against the Empire whether Byleth is there or not (and they were in fact actively doing that even before they knew Byleth was still alive, just searching for Byleth on the side in case they were actually still alive).

Dimitri would have fought Edelgard whether Byleth was there or not (which he does in all other routes, but Rodrigue isn't able to properly help him in non-AM routes because the other routes needed to get Dimitri out of the picture to shift focus to the route's main character and the current villain (I say current because TWS gets involved after her death in VW/SS). If Dimitri survived those routes, he would have to be more involved in the story or players would be asking where he is/why he isn't involved. In AM, Claude is excused from the story and we understand he returned to Almyra. In CF, Claude is excused from the story after either dying to Edelgard's army or returning to Almyra. In SS, he's excused from the story as having "disappeared", but the general fandom consensus is that he returned to Almyra (so he in other words, he had somewhere to go outside of the setting of the central conflict, thus could survive all routes). Dimitri didn't have that, so he had to be removed from the story somehow. Still though, he does target Edelgard in all routes.

So again, why is this a problem? Well... all the other lead characters have agency without Byleth on all routes, including outside of their own. Their goals are not halted by anything except death and will continue seeking their goals on routes that are not their own. Byleth does not need to be there for their story to be the same story, even if it ends differently (Byleth is the player proxy to experience each route's story, thus if not present in a specific character's life, will not change their motivations. The end result will of course change, but their attitude toward their goals does not change).

However, Edelgard is very specifically still the villain and viewed as such in all routes except CF. You might think, well of course, since that's her own route... but why couldn't they commit to making the villain still the villain on her route? Why did they go out of their way to lessen the impact of her actions/motivations/beliefs? Why didn't they, in writing, make it very clear that you sided with the villain and thus are also a villain in CF? Why is it that Ashnard has almost identical lines about his motivations to hers, but she isn't viewed as the villain in her route but instead as the hero?

Again - it's the romance option. It's the very unfortunate idea that they wanted to woobify the only female lead to make her more paletteable for the player. Dimitri, again, has a backstory and central arc revolving around his suffering and is the focus of his route, but Edelgard is given a sad backstory that... the story doesn't come back to. That the story doesn't utilize to make her have a redemption arc. That the story only uses... to make you feel bad for her.

It's unfortunate because the only female lead couldn't be solid on her own in her own route. She becomes so sad and lonely without Byleth, and the characters even tease her about it during the timeskip reunion (mind you, in no other route is this an issue and she continues fighting her war very well. She's actually wnning without Byleth in all other routes and is evidently (supposedly?) in love with Byleth on all routes, but still manages to do just fine without them on all routes... except her own).

Edelgard has random cutesy aspects like painting Byleth and being embarrassed about it. She likes to drown herself in sweets and be a girl. These are tactics used by the writers to make her cuter and whatnot... but then, why are those aspects not used in the other routes? Why do the other characters manage their stories and arcs just fine without needing extra cute fluff? They can be married by the player character, but they don't utilize unnecessary and random fluff that doesn't fit in with the vibe of the route.

Then you look back and see, well, they toned down the female only on the route you can marry her. They didn't let her be the character she was amped up to be. They had to tone her down and make her more appealing to players... but they... didn't do this with any of the guys.

Regardless on your stance regarding potential sexism in the writing thusly, it just is fact that this is what happened and this is how the stories were handled. They could have made her a full blown villain of all the main characters, and if you joined them you were now also the villain. But... no, because they wanted a cute girl.

Unfortunately, it really shows when Ashnard is a man and is able to be his own character freely with no obstacles in his writing.

Whether you feel it's sexist or not, the fact is, the romance aspect was a lot more pushed in the player's face in CF. AM looks like it's doing something similar at first, but that illusion is gone when seeing Dimitri in the timeskip and he no longer gushes over Byleth and is no longer polite and friendly. When he does regain his gentleness, a lot (if not all?) of his seemingly flirty and funny aspects aren't used. He's a lot more formal and rational, and he's not reduced to a player's marriage object. They toyed with it, essentially, before the Remire chapter, when Dimtiri's mental health was degrading. Once we got to see the real depths of his character arc in part one, all of that fun, cute, silly stuff was gone, and it didn't return.

Edelgard though? Wasn't written that way, literally having romance be a plot device for her only in her own route where you can marry her. She was changed specifically for her route. The other lead characters (Dimitri, Claude, Seteth and technically Rhea)? All the same across all routes.

Even Rhea's switch flip in CF is still Rhea. It's her when she's pushed to the brink, being fought by the person who has Sothis within them and who possibly was even involved in killing the last of her kin. It's her when she's backed into a corner, but it's still her.

If Dedue survives/isn't transformed in CF, Dimitri's death shows that he's still the same person/has the same motivations and feelings that he has in all other routes when he's not at his lowest point (and when he is at his lowest point in each route, he's written consistently in that state in each one).

Claude will still defend Leicester at all cost in every route, even if it kills him (he can die in AM, but you get game over. But the fact remains that he will stay and fight instead of escaping to safety when he's about to die - something he tells Hilda to do. The only time he leaves is when he's spared in CF after being defeated. In that situation, he still risked death and didn't back down from the battle).

Next part will be in the next post because this is already long and the two posts as one was just... too long lol.

#DCB Comments #All the parts will be linked together! I didn't expect it to get this long when I thought about writing it #I decided since I regular compare Ashnard and Edelgard that I'd make a more lengthy about it with some comparisons #I didn't expect it to get this long though LOL. I didn't use as many examples as I wanted either #I mean really I could go through all of PoR to get examples but I just picked the ones that stood out the most #Edelgard Critical #DCB Three Houses Stuff

[alwida10]

Ok, I know i shouldn’t let myself be baited into arguments. Hrrnng.

After cooling down for two years searching for exchange and considering alternative points of views, I see how Sylvie can be a compelling character. And even from the beginning I agreed that she would have probably been much more compelling to me if she had gotten more screen time, highlighting her past.

All good.

But sometimes I come across posts that say basically Loki would be better seen as a jealous, petty, dude who just don’t consider anyone but himself, gives a shit for victims of his actions etc. One time someone even gave me a list of his crimes, including genocide, slavery, human trafficking, espionage, torture, betrayal of everyone he ever knew (the guy’s time management skills must be amazing) and some other points I don’t remember anymore, partly because of redundancy.

And I mean, I get how villains can be compelling characters, I do. And yeah, knowing their past can sometimes put things into context, yet it will never justify their actions. (I just watched the dungeons and dragons movie and the red magician is such a cool character! She is beyond redemption and doesn’t have a good hair on her, but yeah, good character design!)

So, if you like Sylvie or Mobius, why (WHY!!) would you want them to be together with such a dick? And a clown, talking from Sylvie’s perspective (and she’s right). Like, don’t you want your fav to be with someone who is nice? Who’s redeemable at the very least? Because someone who attempted to murder their own family without caring the tiniest bit and succeeded killing his mother doesn’t really seem to be a good match for a partner?Such an abusive man who cared only for himself for 1.5 millennia might show a bit of care in the beginning of a relationship, as long the victim isn’t attached properly. But when the victim is emotionally attached? The abuser will simply go back to torturing them. (I recommend the book “why does he do that?” It’s educational and will help you to realize how an healthy relationship looks like. Which seems like an easy thing, but trust me - it isn’t when emotional manipulation takes part). Like, if you really think interpreting Loki like that, I cannot imagine how you think your fav could be happy around them. People can change, but especially narcissism is so hard to overcome it certainly won’t disappear within days. Not after 1.5 millennia of using everyone and everything to their own benefit. That guy is a monster and even if (and that’s a big IF) he should change his behavior his past crimes are unforgivable and the best he could achieve is a heroic sacrifice for the real heroes.

Man, i really prefer giving him the benefit of the doubt, keeping in mind he was abducted as a child, raised by a racist and imperialist and made decisions in emotional turmoil without considering or seeing all the consequences. Do I consider him jealous? Sure. I’m jealous of people who are rich without having done anything for it. Do I consider him petty? No. Because I keep in mind how Goffrey (GoT) would have acted in a similar situation. Do I consider his pain being justified? Yes. Do I think he loved his family? Yeah, because why else would he have spared odin’s life twice and rescued Jane? Do I think he supported Thanos willingly? Just as willingly as gamora and nebula did. Do I think he never did anything wrong? No, attempted genocide is horrible, murdering a ruler of a nation at war is -while not criminal- not a good thing when you want piece without people dying. But sabotaging the coronation (if he really tried to voice his concerns before and wasn’t listened to) was a desperate act of loyalty. And that’s what matters.

#fandom discourse #will probably delete tomorrow #Loki series negativity #Loki series criticism

[multifandomrandomgirl]

Loving You Was The Biggest Mistake I Ever Made - Mike Nesmith x female!reader

Masterlist:

A/N: Trigger warnings of verbal abuse, cheating, sex, etc etc

Debating writing a part two for this.

-----------

“Mike, please. This can’t keep going on!” Y/N sobbed as her husband paced up and down their living room angrily. This had been the fifth time this week that he’d come home late, he smelled of sex, and women’s perfume and often had lipstick stains on his cheek, collar or neck. This had been going on for months, and Y/N was getting sick and tired of his shit. Michael wouldn’t even be truthful about it, he’d try and lie and say stupid things such as ‘Oh yeah, we were filming this episode where Davy’s a woman and he had to kiss me’ and it was those lies that drove her mad. She wanted him to tell the truth but the Texan refused to.

“What can’t keep going on? I’ve not done anything, I have no idea what you’re on about.” Michael pulled a sour face, he knew he’d been found out, he knew he was in trouble but he refused to take any responsibility for anything. Why should he? He thought that if Y/N had been a better wife, he wouldn’t need to sleep with other women to satisfy his needs. In his eyes, he believed that it was her fault, not his. He shouldn’t be held accountable for his actions when they were justifiable.

“I think you know exactly what you’ve done Michael, and don’t you even dare think about putting the blame on me. I don’t want to take the blame for your awful actions. You’re the one cheating and making the decision to cheat, not me. This is all on you Michael.” Y/N spat.

“Is it really? I think otherwise.” Michael rolled his eyes as Y/N started to cry harder, he thought she was absolutely ridiculous, there was no need for the waterworks. “Oh Y/N enough with the fucking tears already. It’s ridiculous, come on. You’re an adult, you don’t need to sob at every minor inconvenience.”

“You know, both Davy and Peter told me that they’d seen you getting blowjobs behind the scenes from random other women before going home with them. It’s getting harder and harder to believe you when every night you come home dishevelled, covered in lipstick and smelling of sex and other women’s perfume. I’m not sure what to believe anymore.” Y/N scowled at her husband.

“Them fucking little snitches.” Michael grumbled without thinking before speaking, taking himself aback.

“Oh, so you have been cheating on me then, hmm? Now that I’ve brought your bandmates into this you admit to having cheated on me? How long has this been going on for Michael? Really? I want the truth this time. I think I deserve the truth, Michael. Please.” Y/N pleaded with the man.

“My bandmates had no right in interfering with my marriage and my actions, it’s none of their business what I do or who I sleep with. But yes, I am fucking cheating on you, I have been for the last three and a half months. I needed satisfying and you haven’t been in the mood to have sex, I needed it Y/N, don’t you understand? Do you see why I’ve been cheating now? Does it make fucking sense in your stupid little brain? You’re useless to me, Y/N.” Mike spat at her, Y/N pulled a face.

“Firstly, I think your bandmates had every right in telling me, I was bound to find out sooner or later and I am very grateful that Peter and Davy told me rather than hiding it from me. Secondly, fuck you. I cannot believe that that’s the main thing on your mind. Fucking hell Mike, I’m disgusted, I can’t fucking believe you. You know, there is a reason as to why I haven’t been up to having sex these past few months but I’ve not had a chance to tell you why because you’ve been out every night with a new woman ‘satisfying your needs’” Y/N mocked him at the end of her sentence.

“You have a reason? Fucksake woman, surely you can’t have a reason for not fulfilling your husband’s sexual needs, one of your main duties as a wife. You really shouldn’t have a reason for causing me such a problem.”

“I’m carrying your fucking child, Michael. That’s why I haven’t wanted to have sex! I’m not up for it because although I’m only three months along, I’m exhausted from all the work I do around the house to ensure that you have a clean house and food to come back to after you’ve been sleeping around. I’m fucking pregnant. How’s that, huh?” Y/N yelled and then she made a start for the stairs.

“Don’t you walk away from this. You’re only telling me this now? You’re three months along, why the fuck are you only now telling me? God, you are useless.” Michael snapped.

“I’m only telling you now because you’re either always out cheating, or you’re fighting me because I won’t sleep with you. God Mike, can’t you fucking see how stupid this is? How much of a dick you’ve been? I can’t continue with this anymore.” Y/N stormed up the stairs, ignoring the shouts of her now very angry husband and slammed their bedroom door.

“Where the fuck are you going?” Mike screamed at her as she reappeared down the stairs with a suitcase in hand, she looked up at him as calmly as she could, tears threatening to fall all over again.

“I don’t know Mike, I need to get away from you. All I know is that I’m leaving.”

“You can’t leave, you’re carrying my child. Baby, please let’s try and figure this out.”

“No! I’m sick of this, you can’t cheat, scream, and accuse me of being a bad wife and expect me to stay. Loving you was the biggest mistake I have ever made, I’m done.” Y/N slid on her shoes and ran out of the house with her suitcase and a waterfall of tears.

She had no idea where she was going or what she was doing, but soon she found herself on the doorstep of Peter and Davy’s shared house, she rang the doorbell and Peter opened the door, his face fell when he saw her tear-stained face.

“Y/N?” Peter asked, pulling her into a hug.

“I hate the fact I ever fell for that cheating bastard, I regret ever being with him.” She sobbed into the arms of the blond man.

“You left him?”

“I had no choice.”

#the monkees #michael nesmith #peter tork #davy jones #micky dolenz

[thiswontbeforever]

I can’t judge if people relate to Wille more and just adore him as a character (I like him too). But it’s truly interesting how just like in the show, in real life people are way more willing to forgive and justify his actions than they would do to Simon. I don’t think that Simon doesn’t understand willhem’s struggles, the whole issue with Simon this season is that he has been hurt and needs space to heal himself and when he’s with Wille (season 1) he always has to be “grown up”, the one who has to be there for him and get what he’s going through. I think that’s the beauty of the series, all the characters go through stuff that makes them act way older than they actually are, but in this season we could see Simon and Wille show that they also are just teenagers who don’t know how to properly express their feelings, get jealous, change their minds, act recklessly.. I loved this season, for me it was very coherent how the building tension between the characters was done. Simme is my favorite and I think people forget his just a teenager who’s been criminally exposed for the whole world (I have soooo many thoughts on how unfair the treatment to Simon is but I don’t want to annoy you😂❤️)

!!! you said this very well. i think it’s one of the biggest beauties of the show and the actors have expressed this as well is how true it is so how complex humans are. edvin himself has explained how he views wille and his decisions this season and yet certain fans are still defending wille to the bone even though disliking some of a characters actions and decisions doesn’t mean you can’t like or support them anymore.

there’s a lot of wille i relate to just as there is a lot of simon i do as well and i very much agree with you! simon did what he NEEDED to, what he thought was best for him to heal, like you’ve said, because wille betrayed him, not because he didn’t understand wille’s situation or where he came from. there’s also the clashing of simon has always taken care of everyone and still tries to, but who really takes care of him? wille hasn’t ever really had anyone to take care of or to take care of him (saying he’s always been lonely even when erik was alive but at least he was THERE) & so neither of them are being looked after or comforted correctly after all of this has gone down & truly only they can understand each other but (as edvin said) wille backtracks and is selfish for a while before he begins to try and understand simon’s situation and emotions and reactions. them being complete teenagers because when emotions run high, as mature as one is/has had to be at a young age (both of them for very different reasons in their respective lives), you resort to not being able to keep things in check and impulsiveness (that wille already heavily struggles with) and it’s so understanding for how they go through the emotions, repression, fights, jealousy, etc. that you mentioned! i agree that i cannot believe people are so willing to defend wille and judge simon (well, that’s a lie, i’m sure we all have a few ideas as to why) and while i love wille’s story line and character arc (even tho i hated his actions and choices at times/things he did or DIDNT do but that’s a whole other plot/writing discussion) i love how edvin portrayed a sixteen year old just absolutely going through it. same for omar. his portrayal of simon was raw and real and is exactly how a sixteen year old, exposed and left on his own, who was falling in love and then slammed into solid ground, would react. anyways simon defender to my grace bby boy did nothing wrong and omar is an incredible actor and anyone who says else is wrong 🥰 as frustrating as it is the season was to show wilmon are never gonna be how they used to, and they both still have a lot of problems with communication, and there was a lot that didn’t happen that i’m still upset about (conversations, softer in between moments, a few more pieces of dialogue in the scenes they did have as they started to be honest with each other, wille standing up for simon) but there was growth to a certain extent and simon was right in asking for honesty and more from wilhelm and people need to realize he’s not the same simon anymore. who would be after all that?? i could keep going to it’s hard to really write it all down but i’m sure you’ll get me! also you’re not annoying at all!! love talking about it <33

#young royals #ask

[ulircursed]

amaryllis, anemone

BOTANICAL HEADCANONS (accepting!)

(it’s long, so have a cut!)

amaryllis :   what is something or someone that your muse takes pride in ?   how do they express that pride ?  

His pride in Yngvi and (major) Ullr blood, which he expresses in the absolute worst way. And I think this is what tears his mentality apart so much — he is not just proud of, but idolizes the power that major Ullr blood symbolizes for his family and the entirety of Grannvale (note that House Yngvi, under Ring, was in good standing on par with Chalphy, which is why they got co-targeted for the conspiracy in the first place) — but at the same time he lacks any pride in himself due to his status as a minor blood. Thus, he continuously rationalizes increasingly extremist actions, all for ‘the good of Yngvi’, while allowing his self-disgust to fester and do nothing to stop his actions because in his own mind, he was never even part of this pride equation in the first place.

This will be mentioned in a later headcanon post, but I think he’s buried a lot of horror and revulsion at himself for his patricide, in part because he killed his dad yes, but also in a larger part because he’s taken out a major blood of their family as part of the plan, even though he’d already convinced himself that there was no other way to deal with the conspiracy problem.

On another level still, Brigid was a similar expression of this pride in a different way — he viewed her as willingly turning her back on this house that she should be proud of, in favor of a lawless pirate lifestyle, and he tried to justify to himself that death was the acceptable punishment for such a betrayal. But in the end, when his assassination plans have failed and they actually meet on the battlefield with Brigid carrying Yewfelle (which Ring, crucially, did not; Yewfelle wasn’t even in Isaach, iirc Edain had it the whole time, and even discounting that, he basically took Ring by utter surprise so there wasn’t a fight at all) — the physical symbol of major Ullr blood — seeing the symbol of all that he took pride in (and what he considered the highest form of being that he himself had no hope to reach) actually poised to kill him... I think, psychologically, he’d already lost the fight the exact moment Brigid raised Yewfelle against him.

And even after that, even now, he’s still proud of that symbol over himself. It won’t change no matter who wields it (i.e. Febail or any future generation), he’ll always think of Ullr blood as something greater than he could ever amount to.

anemone :   how does your muse view the world ;   as a cruel   &   unforgiving place ,   a land full of wonders ,   or something in - between ? where does that world view come from   (   what experiences ,   life lessons ,   etc .   ) ?  

To Andrei, the world is... hmm, yeah, I’d say ‘unforgiving’ is a good word. Not necessarily ‘cruel’, per se, in that he doesn’t believe the universe is out to get anyone or anything, but to him the world is a place where everything has its cost, especially failure, and there are things that simply cannot be overcome, no matter how hard you try or how idealistic you are.

The ‘consequence of failure’ thing, I think, stemmed mostly from the incident where Brigid disappeared, because according to the Treasure Special Column note about the Yngvi’s trip on the sea, Andrei was part of the reason why Ring couldn’t search more thoroughly for Brigid when their ship was sinking, and I believe he’s always carried that moment with him, and it’s why he tries to force a calm facade when in the presence of danger — because he knows how costly losing his composure can be.

As for the second point... it’s all from the minor blood thing as seen above, haha. Partially because of what Ring said to him growing up (the whole ‘no matter how good Andrei gets with a bow he’ll never be the true heir bc he doesn’t have the Mark’ thing), which I the mun firmly maintain does not mean Ring was a bad father or anything. Sure, he cared too much about Holy Blood, but just look at FE4. No one’s actually wrong for caring about Holy Blood, it’s just that the political and personal consequences for that can be (and often are) tragic.

#➵ brave bow (headcanon) #thank you!! #ahhh there is nothing mentally healthy about this boy......

[bookwyrminspiration]

it is a staring off into space eating hot cheetos kind of day but also hey woah what the FUCK is this demon guy. i've gotten to uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. they JUST survived the old man in the maw (HELLO??? sitting here like OHHH A CHORUS OF DRAGONS. also the old vané hag is extremely cool and interesting and possibly a dragon and?????????) and kihrin just talked to taja (which btw SO cool--reminds me of a friend's design of the. face of luck in their oc universe? i canNOT find it rn but it was like it had two faces and it was abt the lack of dichotomy, lack of two things one bad and one good--it is just Both) but i am still thinking abt when he came across the demon w the long name starting with x that i cannot spell?? bc holy SHIT the way that scene was written. OUGH the fear. ough the helplessness. how shaken he was afterwards and yet how he had to carry on, too, but it staying with him. i love when things pick up in books w the timeline thing but i was N O T T expecting this one!!!! that scene was so well written it definitely is sticking in my brain. also i love ola as a character she is just so interesting and the way that she & kihrin interact is so fun to envision lmao... her and kihrin's dad forever trying to figure out how to parent.... ola thinking she's the cooler authoritative figure vs kihrin disobeying both of them With Ease hahaha???

also the discussion of morality in here is v interesting and i would look at it more if i could. maybe upon reread eventually bc if i try to analyze EVERYTHING we're staying in the first fifth of the book forever

!!! I am clapping with excitement irl rn. I don't even know what to comment on first because there's so much I cannot say, just imagine I'm staring at you excitedly over the counter or something rn. Like a cat who wants attention but won't ask for it so is trying to make you initiate

You put together the "a chorus of dragons" -> there are dragons that are important thing much faster than I did. I think I was like 3 books in before I went...wait a minute...maybe the several dragons who keep showing up...for which the series is named...are important...

And the old vané hag!! if you find her interesting let me just tell you. she only gets more interesting from here she's SO fascinating--especially in terms of right and wrong and what's moral and at what point can you no longer justify your actions for the greater good. Book 3 was a TIME for her. And Xaltorath! GOD its such a character. Which is pretty much all I can say except I'm very much looking forward to rereading that scene with the knowledge I have now. Keep an eye out for that demon it's real fucking important and also FULL of foreshadowing. I love how Kihrin's haunted by it, the tangibility of the encounter--it's not a trauma immediately overcome that he forces himself through, it takes genuine time and I love when stories do that.

Oh my god yeah, good luck to any and all parental figures in Kihrin's life </3. That kid is a menace and has the skills to actually implement his dumbassery. The threat of his impulsive reckless ideas can actually be realized. But my god do I love him to pieces <33

And yes!! Morality would be a great topic to analyze in a reread! I intend to look at a lot of things a lot closer the second time around because you're right, the first time is just such a wild ride you literally can't understand and analyze it the same.

You're making it very difficult to keep to my current TBR layout (finish hamlet, then magic of the unicorn, then sinf, then finish toa +tsats, etc) because I want to abandon it to join you <33

#a chorus of dragons #quil's queries #soryasongsaa #long post #i have them dead center in my bookshelf easily accessible...I could just...grab them... #i cannot articulate how much fun this is to me btw #seeing your thoughts #and when you've read them all (if you do) you will look back at this and understand just how much I am holding back #SO many things I want to say

[fr0gleggs]

omg hiiii 🗡 and 💜 and also 🛸 smile

🗡 - are the eggpire responsible for their actions under the egg’s control? No?????????? Is this a genuine thing people think????? Like. Okay so the people that they hurt are allowed to be angry at them, that's the first thing that I want to address. Them not being responsible for their actions does not mean that they cannot be despised for what they did under the egg's influence. However, and this is a BIG however! When we put the obvious victims aside, the members of the eggpire were still very much victims as well!!!! Like, it's unknown how much of their actions were mind control, but even on the extremely conservative scale they were still being heavily manipulated if not downright controlled. And so while people like Foolish and Puffy are justified if they want to hold a grudge, it does not mean that people like Ponk and Hannah weren't also hurt. 💜 - is c!purpled inherently bad, or just a product of his environment? GGGGG OKAY I COULD GO ON ABOUT THIS FOR DAYS ON END BUT! So the question obviously is referring to the environment of the dream smp, which I don't think I feel like is responsible for purpled being how he is? He very much was Like That from the first day he arrived on the server. HOWEVER, if you know anything about me you will know that I take Count the People as my holy gospel - it's incredible, if you haven't read it you NEED to go do that, etc. But, so, in the way that this question is intending to ask? No, Purpled is NOT the product of his environment if we say that environment is the Dream SMP. However if we expand that environment to include Hypixel? Then he is just a product of his environment. Also standard disclaimer that I'm aware that headcanons don't equal canon, it's just that if it wasn't hypixel I highly believe that Some kind of big traumatizing event happened to make Purpled Like That because he's not an inherently harsh person, we see that with dogchamp and we see that with his (admittedly brief) friendships with other people on the SMP. 🛸 - should c!purpled have kept things between himself and c!quackity, and not involved c!slime? So if you read my previous answer, it's obvious that I love cpurpled. However, murder is uh. Not justified. Granted neither was blowing up the UFO peace and love. But yeah no Purpled was definitely in the wrong for killing an innocent third party.

#discourse #discourse ask game

[dontbipanicjonsa]

Can't believe they Pol!Jon-baited us (I finished the show, unfortunately)

Like queer-baiting, yes.

Lucky for me I'm used to being baited.

No but really. I cannot believe how they utterly ruined Jon's character by the end.

Sure, I can still say Pol!Jon was happening. I can say that Jon told Varys his, "she is my Queen" because he didn't trust that Varys wouldn't betray him to Dany. Kind of like how Sansa would call Joffrey her King and renounce her family while she was stuck in KL.

I can say that Jon was clearly trying to talk down/calm Dany when he said "I love you" and then immediately followed it with "you are my Queen" (again) because he knew that was what really mattered to Dany.

I can say plenty of his actions were driven by fear.

I can say that his "love is the death of duty" can be interpreted as his love for his family and his need to protect them which led him down the Pol!Jon path that proceeded to grow utterly out of his control (death of his duty to the realm of men etc)

But that still doesn't cut it.

At some point his actions cross from Pol!Jon to nonsensical. Is he really the kind of guy who would follow an obvious tyrant because he "loves" her? Does he love her??? HOW

Is he so deeply in love that his vocabulary has been cut down to only "you are my Queen" and "I don't want it"? Very romantic.

Basically, I can't believe that he loved her, I also can't believe he would hesitate to try to stop her unless he did love her. So basically......idk. It doesn't make sense. Why did he need to be convinced that Dany has to be removed from power??

On a lighter note- wtf are we all still debating about???? Last episode made it clear that Jon and Sansa love each other.

I mean....

When Danaerys and Jon talk about the "others" that Dany says "won't get to choose", who are they really talking about? Who is "they"?

Let's see, Edmure from the Riverlands ? Nah, dude has too strong self preservation skills.

Who's at Highgarden? Sam? Some rando? The Unsullied? They're not gonna wage war on Dany alone. So no.

The Westerlands? Well, the Lannisters just died, besides Tyrion who's imprisoned. Dany would have probably elected somebody to take over that place.

The Vale? Right. Sweetrobin would utterly destroy Dany with his smirky face, but it's unlikely he'd try.

The Pyke? Last we checked, Yara took it back in Dany's name.

The Stormlands? Why would Gendry do that ? To avenge KL? Unlikely.

Dorne? We don't even know the freaking name of that supposed Prince.

The wildlings? Why??

That's right. Neither Jon nor Dany have reason to believe that anybody else will rebel in Westeros....except the North. Except Sansa.

"They" is Sansa. Jon killed Dany for Sansa.

Not to mention, Sansa is repeatedly brought up in the scenes leading up to Jon killing Dany, because she is the point of conflict between them. Besides his parentage, of course.

And Sansa. My girl brought a whole ass army to the capital just for Jon. Straight up said she'd declare war if anyone hurt him. Honestly, she can declare war on me anytime she wants.

Actually it's pretty hilarious-

Sansa to Bran: you ain't my king

Sansa to Jon: but you're my king :/

And also-

Sansa to Jon: can you forgive me

Jon to Sansa: dammit let me stay angry for a moment :(

Dorks.

I will say, if the show had actually been consistent till the end, I would believe that Sansa being seemingly not angry at Jon is a sign that Pol!Jon was a thing. Because otherwise he would have given away the North to a foreign queen simply because he was in love with her, and put his entire Kingdom and family at a huge risk of being burnt alive, as KL was. Not sure if Sansa would still say things like "but we lost our king" then.

But the show ISN'T consistent so what's the point anymore?

Another thing-

Dany is a tragic figure ultimately. She needs the love of her subjects, but fails to realise that conquering a continent with fire breathing dragons and the "love of the people"....do not go hand in hand.

Jon's "I love you" was calculated, but he failed to follow through on it the way she wanted.

Now, I'm going to list three ways in which Jonerys stagnated the story and generally sucked, because I'm petty like that.

1) Sansa says- you have to be smarter than Father.

Say Jon did fall in love with Dany, and he really was honorable the entire time....even at the Dragon Pit where he refused to lie to Cersei. A true Northern Fool. What was the point of that line then? He didn't learn shit. No, he got worse. Because we know Jon has lied in the previous seasons.

Actually, this lends more to making me believe Pol!Jon was real. Jon mentions his Father quite a bit in S7, and it is always about how honorable his father was. Seriously, we know Ned was honorable. You don't have to keep telling us. Unless.....?

Arya and Sansa talk about Ned too, but their conversation is not about honor.

So seriously Jon, don't you have anything else to say about your dad? Or are you trying to convince everyone of your own supposed honor by connecting yourself so strongly to your Father's honorable-ness.

We really didn't need that many reminders. It's sus.

2) Sansa says- you have to be smarter than Robb.

And then what did Jon do? Went South, fell for a foreigner, lost his crown, lost some of his standing in the North, and eventually the story ended tragically and a whole lot of people died.

Once again, what was the point? Why have Sansa specifically tell Jon not to make the same mistakes as his father and brother only to have him go and make those same mistakes? That's not how stories move forward.

If Jon really pulled a Robb, then Sansa and the North are perfectly justified in their anger.

3) Jon and Ygritte.

So....Jon goes to place where he's essentially a prisoner, meets woman who's into him, falls into Stockholm Syndrome with her, puts his duty and honor on hold to enter an abusive relationship with her, wilfully blinds himself to her flaws to cope, and then eventually (directly or indirectly) leads to her death.

Ygritte and Dany are....the same. Dany is Ygritte with dragons. Once again, what was the point?

Did Jon's story really just repeat itself, beat for beat? Is this like some loop he's cursed to live in?

Pol!Jon is the only way we can respect Jon's character growth from the time he was with Ygritte till the end of S6. Jon from S6 would not fall in love with Dany.

Side note- how do you put that "read more" cut in these posts? I feel like this one got too long.

#jonsa meta #jonsa #all roads lead to jonsa #dark dany #political jon #pol!jon

[bunchofstraydogs]

Dazai Osamu character breakdown as I understand him

Meaning that this might be inaccurate and your opinion and visage of him might differ from mine, which is just fine. We perceive the world and the people around us through our experiences and expectations. I'm curious to know how you guys see a complex character like Dazai, just please respect everyone's opinions.

Warning: Manga plot mentions, s2 spoilers, BEAST light novel spoilers, Dazai Osamu

Dazai Osamu was introduced into the scene of Bungou Stray Dogs at 14 when Mori found him.

Even at that young age, Dazai had suicidal tendencies and had been wrapped in bandages similarly as he is in the present. Already dealing with too much trauma for a child his age, the fire is fuelled as he was forced to bear witness to the death of the Port Mafia boss at the hands of Mori, the person that took him under his wing. To use him; which was becoming very apparent to Osamu if he hadn't been aware since the start. Now, I'm not saying that death of the previous boss left a particular scar on Samu, he even agrees with it and is something he himself would have done. But that that is the scene that bore fruit of the following quotes:

"Or could it be that you're afraid, Mori-san? That one day i will slit your throat and take over as the boss?"

followed by

"Everyone seems suspicious to those who have an axe to grind."

This tells us right away that he can tell what type of person you are just from the way you perceive your surroundings, which is logical, but not something many think too deep into.

Even less who have their evaluations of others on point like he does. And he has to, since Dazai's plan is always to understand his allies, his enemies, possible allies and possible enemies. He also takes into account important neutral parties that can still, in one way or another, affect the outcome of his plans or decide to align with one side out of common interest. After comes realising the main goals, along with side achievements (just in case some of those maim his allies or ruin the future plans he made) of every party. Taking in their morals and motivation, and being familiar with the ground the confrontation will happen on, he now has the view of the whole chess board and it's pieces in his head. He moves his allies in the right places, knowing how they'll react in the situation to come, and awaits the enemies with open fire arms. He was tought to think like that. At all times. Mori made sure of it. You know how specialists never really stop thinking in their areas of expertise, like doctors, for example, will naturally notice people's posture and look for scoliosis or whatever? How your foot hits the floor, if you're walking straight, your knees and shoulders, etc. Same for Dazai. His brain maps out person's expressions, reactions, choices, personality, etc. in great detail. I'm pretty sure he has eidetic memory, if his conversations in manga with Fyodor are anything to go by.

Another thing his brain does is think of worst possible outcomes.

Not in a fear of what if things go wrong, but as a possible route. He uses it to determine how big of a threat the opposing force is and what steps they'll have to take to achieve that. Knowing that, he'll know how to intercept them. Also, like everything else, it's not something he can control since we're talking about thought process here and that's just how his brain works. Can't magically turn that off. It's especially annoying to him when he's genuinely enjoying himself with, let's say, ADA members and then his brain goes brrr.

•"A lot happened recently and we're a torn in many people's eyes." *Tanizaki and Atsushi drinking punch* "There's a possibility, while a small one, about 8% at this very moment, but as time goes on will increase, that an organisation outside of Yokohama decided we're an unavoidable threat and poisoned the drinks. Don't drink that. Nothing will happen, they'll wake up tomorrow in pristine condition don't drink th-"

Yeah, i feel bad for him too.

He has PTSD and insomnia, besides the hectic brain,

so he's not getting proper amount of rest. Actually, he drinks almost every night by himself at home. Pretty sure it's canon as well, because if you search for a picture of him in his room, you'll see him surrounded by multiple bottles. Two of the PTSD symptoms are hallucinations and night terrors (no, that is not the same as a nightmare). What people usually do is use opium to cause hallucinations in a safe environment so that there's little chance of them happening uncontrolled. He's probably using alcohol to numb himself while he's reminiscing, since if he does still have hallucinations after years having passed by (which isn't impossible), they're probably few and far between. Not saying there's no chance he isn't using opium. He would know where to get what he needs, after all.

Osamu's haunted by his own actions as well, not just by trauma caused to him.

At an uncountable amount of occasions, he found himself looking into a mirror and not really comprehending his image. It was like dissociation. Looking through a fog at what's supposed to be your carbon copy, but not knowing all of your features perfectly, so whatever you're seeing could only be an impostor, yet you're not sure because that would take comprehending physical proof of your life to the fullest and how it works and he just... can't. He can but he doesn't want to. He already knows he's despicable and broken, doesn't really feel the need to see just how much. He can't, for all his perfect memory, remember the faces of the people he has killed. He hadn't even seen all of them, but he was responsible for their demise. Causing havoc and misfortune in general through other crimes besides murder as well. We've seen his expression when he listened in on Atsushi talking to Kyouka over the earpiece how the 35 deaths don't matter anymore. He knows they do and he knows that the change of heart won't justify what he's they've done. Ango thought him to value each life. But he also knows that even murderers can change and become good. Oda did that. It's also what's keeping him in the agency.

When Oda died, his last words mentioned that Dazai doesn't care about good or bad and that was correct for Dazai Osamu back then. I genuinely think that his present self does mind the difference.

He believes in necessary evil and will do dark shit to get the good outcome he's envisioned.

He doesn't separate outlaws and lawful people, however.

He knows that generally speaking, the line is thin and easy to cross and that many were born or forced into the situations they are. Those that fight the life thrown at them are an exception, not a rule. That's also why he likes Atsushi, probably the main reason. The boy has every right to hate the world and yet. Dazai is envious, he doesn't really have the same capacity.

I want now to talk about why does Dazai Osamu do what Dazai Osamu does.

The reason he attempts suicide, joined the mafia, made friends at all, is because for all his intelligence and observations, ability to understand others, he doesn't really understand himself.

He doesn't understand his worth. He doesn't understand his purpose. In all of that confusion, he finds no reason to live. He laughs but can't get the high, he bruises but can't fully heal. In all of the things people find happiness in he can't feel joy from. He is emotionally stunted. He thinks too logically. He doesn't understand actions out of emotions because to him, it doesn't make sense. Emotions cloud your mind and when you're not thinking straight, you make mistakes. Plain and simple. He just accepts it, that most people simply cannot control themselves and prefer lashing out instead of methodical approach. All the better for him, he has leverage. Even when he does act on impulse, which is incredibly rare and not as explosive and dramatic, his brain rationalises it as to why his actions were a good way to go. And if his reaction was one that bore fruit, than it was a tactical one.

"If you place yourself somewhere close to raw emotions, where you're exposed to raw violence and death, instinct and desire, you can brush against man's true nature. I though that way i could find a reason to live somehow."

From this, i can tell that he was hoping that, in a situation where he's pushed far enough, he'd realise what's important to him, what he wants to protect or destroy, what's one thing he wouldn't want to leave unsettled before dying. What is that one thing he'd regret dying before achieving? What should he fight death for. What is worth living on for? To him, it doesn't matter if that something is good or evil as long as he gets to keep it in his life.

It seems he hadn't found it exactly, but is satisfied with what he has for now, in the agency, to just keep going. But he still tries to commit suicide, hoping that one day, when the clear picture of the world around him is fading away, when he's becoming light headed from the lack of oxygen, when he's loosing control over his body and thoughts don't seem to flow well, there will be one thing, anyone, screaming at him to fight it. New day new chances. It didn't happen today, better luck tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow and tomo-.

Now, like Mori, Dazai feels the need to, at all times, be in control of the situation. Including people.

That means no one, but perhaps Ranpo due to his own abnormal intellect, is aware of their own role. They know their mission, but they're not expecting to be given that particular one because they'll come across an obstacle they would react to in a way that would satisfy Osamu's plans.

Dazai Osamu is more of a chemist, than a chess player, if you ask me.

Throwing different people into the mix, under different conditions at different times and is noting down their reactions in safe surrounding if possible, so that when the time calls for it, he'll be able to make a perfect concoction for the predicament. A chemist and his substances; A chess player and his pawns; A puppeteer and his puppets. Now, Dazai is meticulous and never rash, but like everyone else (except effin Lovecraft what is he even) he's only human and he bleeds when he falls down and humans aren't perfect. He isn't always right. That means he makes mistakes. The issue with big shot players that control the board is that, when they fall down, everyone on their side crashes and burns as well. So the day Dazai fucks up everyone else will follow because of lack of insight on their part that's completely out of their control. All it takes is for him to underestimate or overestimate one person and chaos ensues. There is no such thing as happy little accidents small mistakes for someone like him. I have crippling anxiety and a sole thought that one hiccup could blow up in everyone's face... damn. I would try committing suicide myself. But it's his fault, he brought upon himself an obligation and pressure like that. To be fair, it was Mori that drilled that type of thinking where no one should know what you plan because they can't ruin what they don't know If they turn against you, they can't stop you.

For his own sake, and everyone else's, Dazai needs to learn how to show his cards and share the burden.

Again, going back to the emotionally stunted guy that has commitment issues (where he either can't commit or can't let go) trope.

He never outright does something good for someone where people would acknowledge it, he uses his underhanded tactics here as well.

He casually makes himself look like a bad guy, an asshole, to conveniently move attention from the inner turmoil a person is struggling with to a present problem at hand that they can fix and let their frustrations out on. But he hopes that, one day, someone just might notice his intentions for what they are and do the unspeakable- see through him.

"I'm a very private person. You don't ask, i don't tell."

Yes, and your whole existence is just a huge cry for help. He wants to be asked. He's begging for attention. A specific type of attention. One that will see him without making him feel imposed on. One that will understand his sins without making a big deal out of it. Accept him as a person he is, makes him feel like one as well. Makes him feel alive. Makes him feel... period.

The day he finds that thing is the day he completely turns his life around and fully dedicates to it. It's where the part of not being able to let go commitment issue ensues.

Since Oda's death he's been secretly keeping an eye out on possible ways to bring him back. If you've read Beast AU you know that when Dazai gets his hands on the book, he'll create a universe where Oda doesn't die. Should he find an ability user that can bring back the dead, just tell him what it will take, he's ready to destroy his own soul for it and if that isn't enough, well, he'll have no hesitation ruining theirs. After all, BEAST!Dazai Osamu never actually met Odasaku, he just had the memories he'd gotten from his canon self and that was enough for him to do everything he did.

He's incredibly selfish and has a weird come in but the door is a wall dynamic he rolls with in his self imposed solitude.

It's like the walls of the space in my brain are ugly and terrifying, so i closed off the entrance to keep myself in. I'm doing you a favour but please break the wall down and tell me it's okay to come out i don't want to be here-

Happy little thoughts woah woah yeah~

That's what i got from what I've seen of him. I may have missed some things, some things might prove to be wrong as the series progress further, but yeah.

There is, however, one more thing i want to put out here. Since Dazai was already like this before Mori found him, that begs to question as to why? What happened to him?

Now, since the characters are based on real people, is it crazy to say that Dazai Osamu has had a horrible childhood because of his father? Real life Dazai was terrified of his dad and was very intimidated by him. He always tried to stay in his good graces out of fear of punishment. Neither of his parents felt like a parent to him, actually. His father didn't care and his mother was often ill, but did care for him when she could. Both of them died eventually.

This could be the plot Kafka based Dazai's background on, but we'll have to wait and see.

#dazai osamu #bungou stray dogs #bsd #meta #dazai osamu headcanon #dazai osamu headcanons #hc #hcs #psychoanalysis

[newdougsblog]

The Tragic Hero Full of Fear

Hello everyone! Before I get into this, I’d like to thank @jasontoddiefor​ for both the name and being the main enabler of this fun piece of writing. I also want to thank all my wonderful friends over on Discord for letting me bounce ideas off of them and helping me. You are all amazing!!

Ok, so let’s get into it!

The first six Star Wars movies (the Original and Prequel trilogies) are commonly referred to as “the Tragedy of Darth Vader.”  But what makes these movies a tragedy? How is Anakin Skywalker himself, the main character of said tragedy, a tragic hero? In this meta/essay, I will discuss how Anakin himself is definitionally a tragic hero and outline his story as it relates to the structure of a classic Greek tragedy.  

This essay will focus solely on Anakin’s character as he is canonically portrayed.

The Hero

Let’s go through the main traits of a tragic hero (as per early literature) and discuss them in the context of Anakin Skywalker.

Possesses immense courage and strength and is usually favored by the gods

Anakin’s courage is evident throughout his entire life, such as when he participates in the pod race in TPM or on the front lines during the Clone Wars. 

While we cannot definitively ascribe Anakin’s abilities to any deity, we can associate them with the Force. The Force is able to somewhat influence the happenings of the universe in certain ways and takes the place of any sort of deity.

Whether Anakin is the “Chosen One” or not, his connection to the Force is stronger than that of any other Force-sensitive being, so he is consequently closer to it than most, if not all, other Force-sensitive beings. 

Extreme loyalty to family and country 

Anakin is consistent in his demonstrations of loyalty to those he has strong feelings for (whether those feelings be romantic or platonic).

His devotion to Padmé surpasses his loyalty to the Jedi, and he is always willing to go to great lengths to ensure their safety and well-being.

Anakin also exhibits a strong sense of devotion to his mother, Shmi. His devotion to her, and by extension her wellbeing, surpasses his duties as Jedi. 

In ROTS, Anakin says, “I will not betray the Republic… my loyalties lie with the Chancellor and with the Senate… and with you” (you, in this case, referring to Padmé). In this quotation, Anakin’s loyalties are made quite clear. At this point, he is not faithful to the Jedi, but to his government, its leaders, and, of course, his wife.

Representative of society’s current values

During the Clone Wars, Anakin is known by the moniker, “the Hero with No Fear,” and is one of the Republic’s “poster boys.” He is charismatic, kind, seemingly fearless (obviously) and a strong fighter, thus representing the values that were important to the Republic at the time. The last characteristic is especially important because of the assurance it instills in times of war. As a representation of the Republic, Anakin’s prowess on the battlefield creates hope for its citizens that victory is possible. 

Anakin also empathizes with the opinion that the seemingly outdated Jedi Code holds them back. In the Citadel Arc, Tarkin remarks that “the Jedi Code prevents [the Jedi] from going far enough to achieve victory.” Anakin actually agrees with this statement, replying that “[he’s] also found that [the Jedi] sometimes fall short of victory because of [their] methods” (Season 3, Episode 19). He shows a sense of allegiance not to the ancient ways of the Jedi, but to the newer, more modern ideals regarding military action. 

Anakin claims to have brought “peace, justice, freedom, and security” to his “new Empire.” While the Empire's interpretations of the aforementioned values are skewed, Anakin continues to represent them as Darth Vader. 

Anakin’s statement to Obi-Wan also mirrors Palpatine’s declaration to the Senate: “In order to ensure our security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire, for a safe and secure society which I assure you will last for ten thousand years.” The people applaud this statement, demonstrating a general sense of exhaustion in regards to the war and a yearning for what this new Empire is promising them.

Lead astray/challenged by strong feelings

Though there are many, many examples of Anakin’s emotions getting the better of him, we’re simply going to list two:

Anakin’s fury and anguish after the death of his mom leads to his slaughter of the Tuskens

Anakin’s overwhelming fear of losing Padmé is ultimately what leads to his Fall.

Every tragic hero possesses what is called a hamartia, or a fatal flaw. This trait largely contributes to the hero’s catastrophic downfall. Anakin’s hamartia is his need for control, which partially manifests through his fear of loss. 

Let’s explore this idea in more detail. 

Though Anakin grows up as a slave, the movies neglect to explicitly cover the trauma left from his time in slavery. However, it is worth noting that slaves did not have the ability to make many choices for themselves; they didn’t even own their bodies. After being freed, Anakin is whisked away to become a Jedi. He does not possess much control over his life as Jedi, for he is simply told what path he is going to take. While Anakin does make this decision on his own, becoming a Jedi is a disciplined and somewhat-strict way of life and not one that allows for an abundance of reckless autonomy as he is wont to engage in. 

(Side note: I’m not here to argue about Qui-Gon’s decision-making abilities, nor do I wish to engage in discourse regarding the Jedi’s way of life. I am simply presenting and objectively stating these facts in relation to Anakin because they are pertinent to my point.) 

During AOTC, Anakin is unable to save his mother from death. As Shmi dies in his arms, Anakin is absolutely helpless. The situation is completely out of his control, and he is forced to contend with the reality that despite all of his power, he cannot control everything that happens. 

He also feels that he has a larger potential for power and is being held back by Obi-Wan: “although I'm a Padawan learner, in some ways... a lot of ways... I'm ahead of him. I'm ready for the trials. I know I am! He knows it too. He believes I'm too unpredictable… I know I started my training late... but he won't let me move on.” Anakin believes Obi-Wan, his teacher and mentor, is holding him back. He expresses a self-held conviction of his status and skills and does not trust the word of his superior. 

In ROTS, Anakin starts dreaming of Padmé’s death. Considering what occurred the last time he dreamt of a loved one’s demise, Anakin is justifiably (or at least justifiably from his point of view) worried. He consequently wants to stop these dreams from coming true in any way possible. His fear of death, especially that of his loved ones, represents his need for control over everything, even things that are uncontrollable. This overwhelming desire leads to Anakin’s drastic actions.

As Darth Vader, he no longer possesses such fears, for everyone that he loved is either dead or has betrayed him. He is the epitome of order and control, eliminating any who disturb this perceived equilibrium. 

However, this changes because of one person: Luke Skywalker. 

Luke reintroduces something that was (arguably) long-absent in Vader’s life, which is interpersonal attachment. Vader yearns for his son to join him by his side. When Luke refuses, Vader continues to attempt to seek him out. In ROTJ, Vader is forced to choose between the Emperor, a man he has long trusted and followed, and Luke, the son he never knew he had. Out of a desire to protect and keep what little family he has left (and likely a sense of “I couldn’t save Padmé but at least I can save her legacy by keeping her child(ren) alive and safe”), Vader defeats the Emperor and saves his son. Though his actions are definitionally heroic, Anakin never truly overcomes his hamartia. 

The Structure of a Tragedy

Classic Greek tragedies follow a specific story structure, which, according to the German playwright Gustav Freytag, is as follows:

We’re going to focus on the three aspects that best represent Anakin’s story as a tragedy: The peripeteia, the anagnorisis, and the catastrophe/denouement. These occur during and/or after the climax. 

The peripeteia is the climax/the turning point in the plot. Said change usually involves the protagonist's good luck and prosperity taking a turn for the worse. 

Within the tragedy we are discussing, the peripeteia occurs when Anakin chooses Sidious over Mace Windu and solidifies his allegiance to the Dark side, becoming the very thing he swore to destroy. It is at this point that things really start to go downhill. He kills children, chokes his wife, fights his best friend, gets his remaining limbs cut off, etc. 

The anagnorisis is the point in the tragedy when the protagonist recognizes their error, seeing the true nature of that which they were previously ignorant of, usually regarding their circumstances or a specific relationship (such as Oedipus’ realization that his wife was actually his mother). In most tragedies, the anagnorisis is in close proximity to the peripeteia. In Anakin’s story, the anagnorisis occurs during ROTJ. After being wounded in his fight against Luke, Vader watches as his son is brutally electrocuted by Sidious. It is at this moment that Darth Vader realizes that Luke was right—there is good in him, and he still has the chance to redeem himself. 

The catastrophe/denouement (since this is a tragedy, we’re going to go with “catastrophe”) is the end of the tragedy. Events and conflicts are resolved and brought to a close, and a new sort of “normality” is established. The catastrophe often provides a sense of catharsis (release of tension) for the viewer. The protagonist is worse off than they were at the beginning of the tragedy. 

The catastrophe within “The Tragedy of Darth Vader” transpires soon after the anagnorisis at the end of ROTJ. Though the realization of his capacity for good is the anagnorisis, the follow-through (via his actions), as well as what consequently occurs, is the catastrophe. As previously discussed, Vader saves Luke by killing the Emperor but does so at the cost of his own life. This serves as the resolution of the tragedy, for the hero’s fate has been confirmed—Darth Vader fulfills his destined role as the Chosen One and, in doing so, brings about his own redemption and dies as Anakin Skywalker.

In conclusion, the categorization of Star Wars as a tragedy is a choice that heavily influences Anakin, the protagonist and hero, of the story. He is without a doubt a tragic hero whose fatal flaw leads to his downfall. In accordance with Aristotle’s theory of tragedy, Anakin’s tragedy is constructed not by personal agency, but by the narrative itself.

Works Cited

“Darth Vader.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Mar. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darth_Vader.

“Dramatic Structure.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Feb. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dramatic_structure.

“Hero.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 19 Oct. 2016, www.britannica.com/art/hero-literary-and-cultural-figure.

Lucas, George, director. Star Wars: Episode III— Revenge of the Sith. Lucasfilm Ltd., 2005.

Lucas, George, director. Star Wars: Episode II— Attack of the Clones. Lucasfilm Ltd. , 2002.

Michnovetz, Matt. “Star Wars: The Clone Wars, ‘Counterattack.’” Season 3, episode 19, 4 Mar. 2011.

“Sophocles: the Purest Artist.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/art/tragedy-literature/Sophocles-the-purest-artist.

“Theory of Tragedy.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/art/tragedy-literature/Theory-of-tragedy.

“Tragic Hero.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/tragic-hero. 

#star wars #Anakin Skywalker #greek tragedy #anakin the tragic hero #meta #so many meta ideas not enough time #wow thanks tumblr formatting for being terrible

[theopolis]

Extremely long, extremely salty Kindred criticism post

Yk the thing about the Kindred storyline is that it failed at being everything it was trying to be.

It wanted to be like DeMatteis' Goblin Junior arc while simultaneously inverting every concept from that arc. Harry is a gentle soul going down a dark path and hurting not only others but himself in the process? No, he's the comically evil mastermind who would throw his friends - Gwen and MJ, who even by his own standards have done him no wrong - under the bus to get revenge! Norman is the looming influence that follows Harry and motivates him to bend himself into who his father wanted him to be? No, he's the repentant, permanently dewey eyed reformed Norman who we're supposed to feel bad for when he gets dismissed and punched around by evil Harry/his demonic clone vessels/whatever the fuck. Peter is the best friend who, despite of course feeling angry and betrayed, believes in Harry's softness and their love and wants the best for him? No, he's immediately and with zero explanation ready to believe Harry is a literal demon all of a sudden and, I quote, "through with helping him". And I don't even think this (later clumsily backpedaled on) change of mind in Peter isn't justified in-universe - Kindred did uh, dig up the skeletons of Peter's loved ones and put party city wigs on them and also smash him with a big rock a couple of times, so there's that. But that's exactly the problem - Spencer set the stage for a story that doesn't actually involve Peter, or Harry, or Norman. He created mostly completely different dynamics between mostly completely different characters, and decided to project that on the the three of them. While also periodically inserting hamfisted callbacks to the DeMatteis stories, as if he didn't just take a giant dump on everything they established.

And here's the thing, even if I did enjoy the idea of Harry forgiving Norman, or the idea of Harry returning to villainy, or the idea of Norman becoming a character we're supposed to root for - which I cannot stress enough how much I don't - the execution of all these ideas was perhaps the worst it could have possibly been. Rushed, convoluted, and hollow.

Norman's sudden goodness is the result of a supernatural, vague process that apparently "freed him of his sin", whatever that means. Like, how do you quantify sin? How can you take it out of a person when it's their moral ideology and conscious choices that make them sinful/bad/evil? What happened to Norman simply reads like brainwashing to me. He is aware he's done something really bad, but he hasn't actually learned anything, and that impression is only backed by the way he talks about his past actions. It's always "oh it's my fault you're like this Harry" and "oh I can never make it up to you" etc etc but does he ever actually recognize his mistakes for what they were? Recognize where the errors of his past convictions lie? Of course not, because Spencer has zero reading comprehension and therefore no clue about the intricacies of Norman's character, his abuse of Harry, or what motivated it, or what he demanded of his son. It's funny how these four panels from a recent What If issue managed to paint a more compelling, if brief, picture of Norman as an apologetic father than Spencer has in a year worth of comics:

Harry's sudden villainy and the way it evolved throughout this story is just a train wreck. He has not had a substantial role in the comics for a long time now, but suddenly he's back AND he's evil! Who cares about complexity? Who cares about how Harry's feeling? Why he's doing what he does other than some extremely vague idea of revenge on apparently both Peter and Norman? Even though he was neck deep in denial about Norman being a horrible father and person at the time he supposedly launched the whole (checks notes) "create clones from Norman's and Gwen's DNA to stick it to his old man AND Peter in the future" plan, which he concocted because he somehow (????) knew his father wasn't gonna stay dead, which begs the question why he was so torn up about it in the first place, and- Look I could sit here all day trying to decipher the whole Gabriel and Sarah Stacy twist. It's impressive what an inconsistent, incomprehensible mess it is considering it was only introduced two issues ago. ASM 74 sort of hinted that Harry was being piloted by Mephisto when he created the clones so they could later become his hellish lackeys? I uhm, think? It's impossible to tell because no part of that retcon makes any sense to begin with. It doesn’t want to make sense because it was written - most likely on a whim - with the sole intent to garner good will for undoing Sins Past. Harry, for this entire arc, was not a character but merely a tool to bait us with an OMD reversal and ultimately do a Sins Past one. And of course, there's the fact that post OMD Harry - one of the only good things to come out of OMD in the first place - was just a clone all along, putting into question how valid all the amazing and inspiring development he went through since his revival was. Thanks a lot.

Lastly, I don't think I have to say how insulting it is to not just use Harry's character as a cheap plot device, but eventually force him to sacrifice his life for the very man who ruined it in every way. The man who abused him since birth, betrayed him on every level, attacked and murdered so many people Harry loves, including almost getting Harry's son killed. Why? Because he’s had a suspicious sudden onset of goodness that Harry has no context for? Norman and clone!Harry have not even interacted for this entire arc, but the sole act of Norman offering himself up to the rabid Kindred twins makes Harry instantly forgive everything he’s ever done. There was no build up to this whatsoever. It’s bad writing. And I don't think the abuse apologism implications of all this are intentional, I think Spencer just thought up the groundbreakingly subversive concept of "what if Norman good and Harry bad" and ran with that. But those implications are there nonetheless, because Harry and Norman's relationship has pretty much always been about abuse, about being mistreated by your parents, about not feeling good enough for them and eventually realizing that you were wronged and you don't owe them anything.

Spencer had Harry, a man who fought for years to rise to his best, most authentic self and fully turn his back on Norman and his legacy, die to save the father who never valued him for that self. And to add insult to injury, paralleled that with Harry dying after saving his best friend who loved him unconditionally. The latter mentioned death being a direct consequence of the actions Harry took to fit the expectations said abusive father had drilled into his head. I feel like that ending explains everything about this plotline.

#Harry Osborn #theopolispost #I'm tired #long post

[dorminchu]

a VERY rough cut/re-write of snk’s conclusion focused mostly on Eren

There’s something I just love about the idea of Eren setting up the Rumbling incident, but before he can destroy the entire world (come on that’s a little excessive!) the Marley/Paradisian government,military leaders convene with each other and say, we don’t want war on this scale, Eren and his band have gone far enough. If Eren doesn’t stop they’ll have no choice to destroy the island by having someone go in and cut him down (Mikasa volunteers, not because she hates Eren but what he’s becoming, and that she could not protect him from himself like she promised Aunt Karla, she feels personally responsible to put him down, etc). If it comes down to it, Marley and the rest of the world would just eradicate Paradis in kind.

So, the Titans in the Walls start walking and certainly cause a fair amount of death and destruction, but not on a global scale. It will take time for many of them to cross the ocean and initiate total genocide. Knowing this, and knowing that Eren is in a state controlling all of this, the Paradisians and Marley Warriors come up with a plan. Mikasa along with the help of a few Warrior/Paradisian soldiers (pick your poison, action is admittedly not my strong suit) help to get Mikasa in close enough to find Eren melting into the Attack Titan (kinda like how he was dying in Trost).

Eren, sensing dimly that Mikasa is trying to stay his hand, hesitates (he’s supposed to love her dearly, yes? so, we’ll factor that in), and at that crucial moment, he’s cut out of the Attack Titan. This severs his link with the Founder, and the Colossi stop in their tracks and start to disintegrate.

Interestingly, the Curse of Ymir dissapates with the Founder’s “death”, not just for him but all the surviving Warriors. They lose their ability to turn into their respective Titans, but their lifespans are bolstered, depending on how much they’ve relied on Titan transformations. Eren might live into his thirties, for example. 

That would be swell, but Eren wakes up a social paraiah, disowned by most of his friends for attempting genocide. It doesn’t matter if it was all the Founder or Attack Titan, they think he’s a monster. He’s also crippled permanently due to the recent strain on his body by way of the Attack Titan.

And of course, he’s also pushing everyone away because he’s just... tired of all of this. He wanted to die and bring down the enemy with him. Instead, the war is over and everyone he loved wants nothing to do with him. Sorta contrasting his previous exploits, such as in Trost or retaking Shiganshina, or even his collection by the Scouts, in the zeppelin in Marley).

Historia won’t let him suffer and die alone, she’s a good Queen, so after he is pardoned for war crimes (they go for the war-hero angle, which Eren absolutely detests) Eren is given a job teaching the same kind of Marley-esque propoganda to the new, impressionable cadets who cannot really comprehend the horror beyond Paradis outside of the initial attack on the island. Many of them think Eren is a hero and did what needed to be done. And now, arguably, he’s in exactly the same predicament as someone like Erwin’s father. Surely, it’s gonna eat him up alive.

Armin, conversely, becomes a very popular guy and takes the glory/political posturing in much the same way Erwin would have done, only Armin is determined to justify what Paradis, not just Eren did, for the sake of bolstering their country as a passive, but unmistakeable threat to the rest of the world. Not to be trifled with but willing to extend a hand and help rebuild--not for free, of course! He’s a real diplomat.

The side characters I’d leave pretty much as they are in 139 with respect to the more somber tone. Essentially, you’re left to wonder who is right or wrong. Sort of an Ozymandius/Rorschach dichotomy going on with Armin/Eren.

#snk #musings #aot #meta #I left out the paths and ymir fritz because... I'm not going near that #I like aspects of it but it's just too convoluted #trying to be mature but also a shonen action #there were ways to do it and this was not it