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tarjapearce · 8 months

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soccer family Miguel meeting wife’s family for the first time and vice versa?

Oh dear. What a bumpy ride. 🙃

Bit of angst in the end. (Will do her meeting his family later, don't worry ~)

Pt 2 here

Teeth pulled at the inner soft skin on your lips, chewing and biting away the waves of raw anxiety that washed over you.

"Stop that. You'll hurt yourself."

Miguel mumbled as he drove to your family's home. It was an unsettling surprise for you to know that your family wanted to meet him. But what truly surprised you was the fact that they knew.

Ever since you moved out from your family's home at 18, many things stopped happening. Fights, verbal and emotional abuse that went both ways, the constant comparison to your other same age family members and you, and of course, you being pushed around and invalidated.

College was a different kind of freedom for you. And the start of a new life without them. You barely visited them, even skipped the most important holidays to be away from them. In a way, it was thanks to that that you met Jessica. She had been a wonderful support on your life.

"I know... just-"

His large hand covered yours to then give a kiss on the back of your palm

"You'll be fine. And if you don't feel comfortable enough, we can go."

"I'm uncomfortable already and we haven't even arrived yet."

"They can't be that bad"

You deadpanned and sighed.

"Corazón, look. I know family's difficult. I really do, but a couple of hours won't kill you. It's a good chance to prove them wrong."

"I've got nothing to prove them, Miguel."

"Right. Still, won't be a bad idea for them to see you doing fine. Talvez asi se callan el hocico y te dejan en paz" (Maybe that way they'll shut the fuck up and leave you alone)

You giggled at his words.

In truth was that you told him everything, it was sort of sad yet amusing that you bonded over trauma sharing. It was a mutual catharsis that somehow ended up strengthening your relationship. He didn't know them, but for the things you had shared with him, he knew he'd be curt and polite.

You'd warn him about their modus operandi. They'd present themselves as kind and welcoming, but bit by bit the snide and passive aggressive remarks and comments would show up. You had hope that after years of barely visiting they'd change.

Something you were about to find out as he parked outside the colonial looking home.

"No matter what, stay away from the Horchata. My auntie thinks she is good at it but... it's yuck."

He chuckled and soon, you'd get out the car. Miguel rubbed your shoulders soothingly in an attempt to ease your restless nerves.

----

"Buenas gente" (Hey, People)

One of your elder aunts, the only one you truly liked and always supported you back in college came to greet you with a loving hug, "Mija!"

"Hola tía" (Hey auntie)

You hugged her back and mumbled a quick 'I missed you' before letting Miguel come into view.

"Tía, This is Miguel. My boyfriend."

Auntie gasped at the sheer size of him but gave him a gentle smile.

"Nice to meet you, mijo."

"El gusto es mío, madrecita" (The pleasure is mine)

"Oh! He speaks Spanish!"

The two shared a brief laugh as auntie invited you further. With a hand Miguel held a small present, a bottle of your dad's favorite rum and bunch of roses for your mother. and the other one he held your hand.

It seemed like a regular carneada for him, except that this time there wasn't meats to roast, but soup. Your mom's special seafood soup that was only done in special occasions. You could tell it would be difficult to leave emotionally unscathed when your mom and dad, three aunties, two cousins, and your brother were there.

Upon you making an appearance before all of them, the world stopped for a second, your breath was caught in your throat as you mentally prepared for the game of pretense.

"Mi niña! Come here!"

Your dad followed by your brother made the first ones in making an approach. The size difference sure was shocking for them all. Your father and brother had to crane his head up to see Miguel.

"¿Qué tal? Un gusto conocerte." (How's it going? Nice to meet you)

Miguel shook his hand with him firmly, something your dad approved. And then Miguel handed the packaged rum to him.

He had explained how you'd told him about his favorite drink. Your dad invited you and introduced Miguel to the whole family.

Some of your cousins oggled him shamelessly. Earning a frown from you.

However the biggest challenge laid ahead. Your mother had been watching both from afar, tending to the food with some of your aunties.

And when it was her time to be greeted, you held tighter on his hand. His thumb rubbing on your skin, reassuring.

You'll be fine.

"Mamá" You mumbled and her so ever deep stare settled on Miguel. Not even in you first, but Miguel.

"Fo you, Ma'am" Miguel gave her the roses which she took with a strained smile.

"Thank you very much. Miguel was it, right?"

"Así es." (Correct)

"Are you hungry? Made your favorite soup."

Her stalking gaze shifted between Miguel and you.

"Thanks. A bit would be nice."

"Hm. Go sit, Miguel. We'll tend to this."

Her gaze returned to the food and you nodded at him. He wasn't comfortable with the idea to just sit and watch. But by the things you had told him, it was better to not create unnecessary drama for you.

-----

Everyone seemed at the expectance of something happening between you and your mother. Your brother was trying to make casual conversation with Miguel, but his curt and simple answers made him desist. Plus, it didn't help his mahogany eyes seemed lighter.

If they were nervous about him looking so big with deep red eyes, they'd surely freak out by his fangs. It instantly made your stomach churn, you knew Miguel didn't appreciate people pointing at his insecurities so brazenly, even worse without knowing him.

Everyone sat down, a little blessing before anything and soon the feast begun.

Of course, eyes were settled on both of you and your interactions. Miguel followed your instructions to then help you break the crab.

One of your aunties smiled at it.

"So, Miguel, where do you work?"

Here we go

"Lab Manager at Alchemax."

Your brother whistled and nodded approvingly, just like your father.

Your relationships with him sure was strained, but at least he seemed to have a bit more self criterion than the rest when it came to pick sides. You'd rather him neutral. Just like your dad.

"Wow, you surely outdid yourself this time, cariño."

That cariño sat sickly fake in your stomach. She was the one that always instigated the fights further when you thought everything would calm down. You didn't smile, just ate.

Miguel was given a beer, a round of collective gasps as he tried to open the beer with his fangs. Your other auntie made a cross sign on herself and your mother's eyes widened.

A custom you still couldn't get out of him.

"Do they hurt?"

"How does one get those? They look so cool!"

"Are they comfortable?"

Your eyes caught the glimpse of him tightening his grip on the spoon.

"Ya pues!" (Knock it off!)

"There is no need to yell"

Silence immediately came to the table as your gaze and your mother's clashed.

"Disculpa eso, Miguel." (Im sorry for that, Miguel)

your dad shook his head at your cousins.

"Do you plan on having kids?"

You couldn't help but hide your face in your palm.

"Mamá, stop."

"What? I just wanna know! You're getting old enough to have kids. And Emanuel is always asking about you."

"We haven't discussed it yet." Miguel cleaned his hands with lemon, rinsing away the fishy smell out of his fingers. The coldness in his voice only matched your mom's icy stare.

"Oh."

"But do you want to have kids, Miguel?"

"Dios mío, ma! Ya basta." (My god, Mom! Enough.)

"Why are you so mad over a question?"

Miguel's jaw clenched. It made sense for him why you didn't visit. The way you rolled your eyes, made the ones that had finished already to stand up and leave. Their cue to leave things unfold.

Your elder auntie seized your mom with a glare. Your dad only recoiled to himself and your brother sighed.

"Ma, eso no se pregunta." The only attempt of him to calm the boiling tension between the two. (Mom, you don't ask such things)

Miguel gave you a 'do you wanna go now' stare. And you shook your head. Leaving would only make things worse. But you found the perfect excuse to leave the table.

"Need help, mi amor?"

"Sure."

He was perceptive to pick up your cues, the both cleared up the table and took the dishes to the sink.

---

"I'm so sorry you had to put up with it." You mumbled as you washed and he dried. The kitchen felt tiny for him.

"S'fine."

"Are you mad?"

"A bit uncomfortable. But no, not mad."

"We're leaving after we're done here." a deep sigh escaped your lips, "This is exactly why I don't come here."

"Whose Emanuel?" You groaned and shook your head.

"A man mom thought it was fun to pair me with a long time ago. I never indulged him but he never got the memo ever since I left this place"

"Sounds like he never got over you."

"Yeah, cause mom kept feeding his hopes of me getting with him together."

"Is that why you moved out?"

"One of the reasons, yeah."

You finished the dishes and Miguel excused himself to the bathroom.

He could hear the voices from the other side. One of your aunts surely and your mom.

"I give them a year."

"Did you see his... fangs? I've never seen something like that! And his eyes too!"

"Esta niña... Me va a sacar canas verdes. From all The guys she could pick, she gets one that is twice her size. Why she can't pick up normal guys?" (This girl, will get me green hairs)

Miguel's eyes turned apprehensive as his mouth settled in a straight line.

He had to hunch over the sink to take a look of himself in the mirror. He looked pretty normal, by any standards, until of course, he smiled. Pointy canines bigger than the average people stood out the most. His eyes were a different shade of brown. That was all.

He was fine.

He was normal.

He knew things like this would happen, he expected a bit of trouble. Not this.

His head felt heavy. Sudden spiral thoughts plagued his mind, corrupting the good things he held dear in his mind.

"As long as he's rich, don't care."

"Emanuel's surely richer than him"

That was the final straw. He knew you weren't that type of woman. Hell, you had invited him multiple times, knowing that you'd get broke for a couple of weeks. And still did it anyways. You loved to pamper him.

Why?

His steps guided him back to you. You were stressed and surely would cry at night. But so far you were keeping it together.

Your heart sunk a bit when looking at him. Neither of the both could stand being a second longer in the house. He followed you as you said your goodbyes. You didn't hug none but your elder aunt, and your dad, though the latter got an awkward hug.

You went back home. Neither of you said much during the trip back.

#miguel o'hara #miguel o'hara x reader #miguel o'hara x you #atsv miguel #soccer family ⚽🕷️#t writes✨#Pre Soccer Family ⚽🕷️

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zeenimf · 2 months

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Phei of the Wind | Draft 3 Complete

Hiya all~ It's been a while, but today I've finished the third draft of my fantasy novel Phei of the Wind. As many of you know I've been working on this novel for more than twelve years now, and this is the most definitive version I've ever made. It's still going to be revised and worked upon, of course, but most story beats have now been completed. It's composed of 29 chapters with a hefty 109000 words. I'm writing my thesis this semester, and I realised that I was so close to finishing that I couldn't think about anything else. So I went burn-out mode and wrote some 20000 words these two weeks, and now while I'm sitting in my eco-literature class (which is very interesting but my brain is too obsessed to stop writing), I've typed up the last few words.

So for those who have somehow missed me talking about this, it's a story about Phei, a halfling-harpy who lives in a world above the clouds. She is a priestess of sorts, and she notices that the world is slowly growing pale and empty. When she learns of a possible cause she runs away to the world below the clouds, the world where her people exiled themselves from. There she travels across the lands, figuring out not just what's happening to the world, but what happened to her people as well while meeting a cast of eccentric characters.

As in regards to the third draft, the biggest change is the endpoint. The previous draft ended at a point that made sense for a single novel, but would require another novel to tell the whole story. This new draft doesn't stop there. I shuffled around a lot of things and added some 40k words after that point. I wanted Phei's story to be composed of one big book. It doesn't mean that don't want to tell other stories in this world, but Phei's story is done when this book is done.

So what's next? I'm going to go through the entire book once, since I have a pile of notes that I thought of when writing this draft. And then I want to send the book out to a handful of beta readers. I'll send a post out for that tonight or tomorrow, so keep your eyes peeled if you're interested in that!

And lastly I'd like to thank you all for your nice comments and support! Every time someone commented something nice about the story it kept me going, so I think it may have taken a lot longer without all of you. <3

I'll leave you with a snippet (picking something that has no spoilers was haaaard), and hope you will all have a wonderful day!

The wind causes Phei to lose her grip on time. Hours blow past as Phei glides, effortless. She knows of birds being able to sleep in the sky, and wonders if her people used to glide in their sleep too. Her dream quickly fades when she dashes to the right again, a sliver of upwards current catching her attention. Agile, yet absent-minded, she crosses past the forests until she can see the sands of Iekin edge towards the mountains, there where the narrow peaks and pillars of Sunde come into view. Without the stormy clouds Phei is able to take in the mountain in its entirety. It is a lonely mountain, imprisoned by the hundreds of spikes surrounding it. The evening sun shines over it, making the golden chains draping down all around the mountain glitter in sinful light. Glistering like that, Phei imagines the mountain as almost peaceful. It shows no sign of the great horrors that have been committed at its feet. It is like a passive observer, nothing more, nothing less.

Taglist, let me know if you want to be added / removed!

#gust #writelbr #fantasy #wip #spilled ink

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fernacular · 4 months

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pls talk more abt the stupid art trend of only drawing neutral faced white women no matter what its something that has been eating away at me as i see the community of artists growing ever more. it frustrates me so much cause like??? is that really the extent of your creativity? some... nameless attractive woman?

I'm really not an art historian or even an extremely analytical person, so take all I'm about to say with a grain of salt, it truly is just my off-the-cuff assumptions.

First of all I wanna clarify I don't think painting a pretty girl for the sake of painting a pretty girl is inherently creatively bankrupt, I'd be a hypocrite if I said that. Plus there are many many examples of artists having a POINT when choosing that subject matter and I don't wanna be throwing them under the bus. If you know a Pretty Girl(tm) piece of art that you think actually has a message that is enhanced by the usage of that sort of face, assume I'm not talking about them.

What really bugs me is the sheer prevalence of it EVERYWHERE and how incredibly unexamined it often gets from both the artists themselves and the audience observing.

because here's the thing, I'm pretty sure I know why they're choosing a perfume-ad-type woman as their subject. Over a very very long time that specific type of face has become the Neutral Beautiful Subject in art. A: it's a human face, which our monkey brains immediately respond to. Humans see a human face, we instinctual pay attention, that's just kinda how we work. B: it's a young unblemished face with no indications of personality or personal agency or identity that could impact the viewer's attraction, and it is assumed the viewer finds the face attractive. C: It's a white feminine face/form that has an extremely long and complicated history that I won't be able to adequately layout here (again, not a historian) but is firmly entrenched in western society as being, of all the bodies, the most synonymous with beauty and art.

So from the artist's perspective, this is a very very useful subject matter because we, as an audience, have been trained not to read into it as the Neutral Beautiful Subject Matter. The assumption is that we will like looking at it, but it won't distract too much from what else the artist is doing, the technical skill they're putting in or the unusual medium or whatEVER it is they wanna flex. That specific face is visual shorthand for beauty, and we're not intended to read into it beyond that.

But that's, like.... bullshit?

It's BULLshit that we are supposed to just accept that face as the neutral symbol of beauty. It's not neutral!!!! It's EXTREMELY political!!!!!! When you make that face the subject matter of your art with NO indication that we are supposed to take ANYthing else away from it, then you, as an artist, are in fact making a statement that you are seemingly completely unaware that you are making.

All SORTS of very very heavy social things go into that seemingly passive face. The dehumanization, sexualization, and commodification of women. The deification of white femininity. The fear of age, of disability, of injury, of sexuality outside man-attracted-to-woman. The very idea that all of this could in any way, in any universe, be considered neutral.

And I don't think all the artists who create using this kind of face are rubbing their hands together going "nyehehehe, today I will support a lot of heinous cultural bullshit for profit nyehehehehe" Most of them just aren't looking at it past face value. Again, it's a useful device. It's largely popular, it will get you views and attention and as an artist myself I fucking GET IT man. I want money too. I have rent too.

But i'm just... tired. I'm tired of it.

I'm tired of how unquestioned it gets. Of how much it's rewarded.

I don't have anything else to add, I don't know how to fix any of it, just, augh.

#ramblings #long post #apologies #I had more to say than I anticipated

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adarkrainbow · 4 months

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Hello there. First of all thank you for all the analysis and in depth look into fairy tales.

I stumbled upon a take that was utterly surprising to me about how fairy tales validate women through submissive beauty while the men are portrayed as active and violent and how fairy tales are tools to reinforce gender roles and patriarchy.

And I wonder how did we end up here? I seem to remember you talking about how a lot of fairy tales authors were women, but even in the Grimm brothers fairy tales the women are active, it's not only the men who go through trials.

Anyway I was wondering if you had any thoughts on this?

A most interesting, complex and yet simple question!

Do not be surprised by this take: it has been THE dominating take on fairytales until very recently. It was the big 20th century idea about fairytales - and in fact, it was one of the ideas heralded and massively shared by Jack Zipes in his famous book. This is also partially thanks to him that most Americans share this exact same view. Now we know, thanks to today's research, that this is not as true as people like to think and that this only applies to some fairytales - but the idea that fairytales can actually be subversive, can actually challenge an established society's codes, structure or hierarchy, is in truth fairly recent - or rather has only been accepted fairly recently.

A part of this is definitively Disney. There is no denying that the "Disney fairytale" marked forever popular culture's view of fairytales AND that as a result it inclined a lot of people to look at traditional fairytales under a certain angle. Remember - to make a Disney princess an active character, with the likes or their Rapunzel or Tiana, was seen during the movies' releases as a MASSIVE breakthrough for Disney.

That being said, to well answer this, I think a look at the French literary fairytales can be interesting. (Especially since... it is much more of my domain than the Grimm fairytales for example Xp)

Now Jack Zipes expressed this very theory by talking of Charles Perrault fairytales. In his book he clearly said that, through his stories, Perrault taught girls to be passive damsels waiting to be saved ; and boys to be active heroes. The typical "prince saving the damsel in distress ; knight rescuing the princess in the tower". And on a first, superficial, quick glance... Zipes is right - and many, MANY people read Perrault's fairytales as such.

Indeed, female protagonists of Perrault share a distinct passiveness and earn their happy ending through patience, pleasing people and looking good. Cinderella endures abuse without talking back, only has to look pretty for a prince thanks to an outside interference, and her marriage is what saves her - before she even forgives her wicked stepsisters! Sleeping Beauty spends half of her story sleeping before being saved by the arrival of a prince ; and then the second half she is the helpess victim of the ogress and only is helped by either the butler or the prince. The wife of Bluebeard cannot save herself, it is her brothers that save the day, while in Diamond and Toads the good girl is rewarded for just being nice and helping a poor woman, and it is again through a wedding she gains happiness. Many people also like to invoke the semi-fairytale Griselidis which is... a whole another topic to go into.

Meanwhile the male protagonists are "active", industrious heroes and vanquishers of evil. Puss in Boots is a trickster who hunts animals, actively runs around, and devours an ogre. Little Thumbling also puts together all sorts of plans, actively changes the crowns and nightcaps, steals away the ogre's boots, and once again runs around... The brothers of Bluebeard's protagonists are the big heroes that come in the end to murder the persecutor.

So far, it all seems right... And somewhat, yes, it is true. Because of the context, because of the society, culture and time these stories were written into. In 17th century upper-class France, women were only valuable if they were pretty, if they didn't cause trouble, if they could be good wives or good mothers ; men on the contrary were expected to be sportsmen, warriors, active members of their community or of the government... But as usual with Perrault, nothing is as simple as it is, since there is joke and satire hidden in his texts that many fail to see, and when we look a bit closer at all this, we see hidden behind the apparent dichotomy the traces of a more nuanced take.

Yes, Puss in Boots is an active male character... But the marquis de Carabas is just as passive as another Cinderella or Donkeyskin, as he literaly does NOTHING but look good, obey the cat and follow everybody around. "Puss in Boots" is Cinderella told through the eyes of the supernatural helper - the talking cat is the fairy godmother, who is the one that brings beautiful clothes and meeting with the royals and the seeds of a romance to his passive, useless master. In fact, the "morals" of both stories are eerily similar: Perrault jokes at the end of Cinderella that anything is possible as long as you have a powerful or well-placed godparent ; and Puss in Boots moral is also about how "If you can find the way, you can trick the system, and become a prince when you shouldn't AT ALL". Both stories aren't in the end about someone being rewarded for being pretty or enduring suffering - but simply about having enough hidden resources and trickery to use the very flaws of the system used upon you.

Again, let us take Cinderella. She endures her suffering, according to people, she does nothing for herself, the fairy godmother does everything, and her salvation comes from a prince marrying her... She is pointed out to be so naive she chats with her stepsisters as if everything was normal when she is at the ball. She proves to be the ultimate goody-two-shoes when she forgives her persecutors at the end... And yet, what does the moral point out? That openly forgiving your enemies is the best way to put them in your pocket... because as such they'll be indebted to you, and you forced them into depending on your kindness. The idea of a sly and more cunning Cinderella is also highlighted by the ambiguity of when Cinderella loses her shoe. Perrault writes it so that it is unclear if she loses the shoe by accident... or if she deliberatly drops it. Same cunning with Donkeyskin - she does have on her own the idea of dropping a ring into the cake for the prince, ensuring her marriage with him...

So while the female protagonists of Perrault are definitively NOT active, it does not mean they are dumb or just pretty faces or that they are just rewarded for being "nice". They are intelligent, they know how to go around, there is a certain celebration of the "feminine cunning" if you will. Diamonds and Toads' moral isn't about actually being nice ; it is about learning when to be polite and when to do flattery when needed. Perrault's fairytales truly are about glorifying inventivity, intelligence and tricks. And the "passive character only good at being beautiful and married" does not exclusively apply to women. The marquis de Carabas is a good example, but what about the prince of Sleeping Beauty? All he does is literally... come in. Arrive. And that's it. How does he save Sleeping Beauty from her sleep? He just enters the castle, and suddenly she wakes up, not even a kiss. How does he save his wife from the ogress? He comes in and asks what's going, and everything is solved immediately. The actual heroic force of the tale is the butler, who is the one that saves the day - but again, not by using power, but by using tricks, deceiving the ogress that he cannot possibly fight (ogres embodying brutality and violence). In fact you have no monster-killer or dragon-slayers in Perrault's fairytales - the closest of a monster killer is Puss in Boots, but only because he tricks the ogre into turning into a mouse. Little Thumbling does not defeat the ogre by strength or violence - again it is all tricks and deception... and theft.

Because this is the other side of the "active male character". Yes, male heroes in Perrault's tale are more active than their female counterpart. But are they moral or "deserving" because of it? Certainly not. Puss in Boots lies to a king, threatens poor peasants so they say lies, usurps the castle of its legitimate lord and deceives the king into marrying the princess well under her rank. Similarly, Little Thumbling tricks an ogre into committing an infanticide, steals his boots from him (but so far it is all excused because the victims are the worst kind of ogres) - and then he scams a grieving mother into giving away all her fortune, before becoming a personal messenger for adulterers... And the narrator himself points out the immorality of those actions. Once again, it isn't because the male characters are more active that they are supposed to be praised for it... Perrault's tales are ultimately, deep down, hidden under a fake veneer of politeness and romance and galant things, trickster tales.

But to get that, you need to read carefully the stories and place them back into their proper context, and many people failed to do it in the 19th century, wrote a lot of misinformed texts that influence the people of the 20th century, and Disney was yet another relay of this misconception, and from generation to generation it all piled up... Claiming that Perrault was SUBVERSIVE in the second half of the 20th century was something seen as a genius and fresh take - when in fact it is just... just a truth people had failed to see.

However we can't reduce everything to Perrault. I mean the 19th and 20th centuries did reduce everything to Perrault, but let's see at the mother of the French fairytale, madame d'Aulnoy. Each of the female authors of fairytales had their own take and twist on gender norms and gender stereotypes, but given the scope and influence of madame d'Aulnoy (still felt in the 19th century), we will focus on her.

Madame d'Aulnoy's fairytales ARE the ones from which the idea that a fairytale is a "knight saving a damsel in a tower from a dragon" comes from. And, again, from a quick glance, madame d'Aulnoy seems to perfectly embody the dichotomy of "A heroine has to be patient and pretty and saved and pleasant and passive ; a hero has to be an active, vigorous, strong savior and monster-slayer". Graceful and Percinet? (Also known as Graciosa and Percinet). It is Psyche's myth told all over again. The Yellow Dwarf? A king keeps searching for his missing fiancee trapped away, and confronts all sorts of obstacles in-between. The Benevolent Frog? A prince kills the dragon that wants to eat his future wife, who literaly does nothing throughout the tale. The Doe in the Woods? The princess spends her time locked away, turned into an animal or fleeing, while the prince is a warrior and hunter who actively keeps going around.

And yet, once again, this just a watered-down, simplified, 19th century-glasses on vision of madame d'Aulnoy's fairytales. She had a wild, WILD life that led her to understand being an obedient good girl and passive meant NOTHING (in fact I do plan on making a series of posts about the craziness of these female French fairytale authors) - she conspired to have her abusive husband killed, she had to flee the country to escape authorities, she knew more than anyone that women had to be active to save their skin in life. And all throughout her stories, she kept having strong, active, female characters that broke the "passive mold", and on the contrary men that failed to be the "active ideal". All of it wrapped into the craziness, madness and exhuberant firework of animalistic fairies, enormous giants, multi-headed dragons and other clownish looking wizards, so that it looked less obvious at first glance. The princess of the Yellow Dwarf spends her time attacked by the titular dwarf and locked within his domain waiting for a rescue, but the story begins when she decides on her own to undergo a dangerous and perillous travel to find out what her mother suffers from, while the prince is shown to be quite helpless against the magic of the Fairy of the Desert and needs the magic of the mermaid to escape. In the Benevolent Frog, the prince kills the dragon... But at the very end, after being given all sorts of magical artefacts and an impossible horse, and they do the trick instead of him (similar to the prince's so-called "victory" against Maleficent in Disey's Sleeping Beauty, where it was truly the fairies that did the work) ; meanwhile the princess' father, the king, also proved utterly useless at saving his wife and daughter spending several years just... sitting by the side of a lake ; all the while his wife and daughter had to become amazonian huntresses, and the fairy-frog is shown doing all the behind-the-scenes work of saving everybody, using a lot of resources, and performing hard feats such as going at the top of a long staricase made for giants WITH THE BODY OF A TINY FROG, which is why she spends years doing so.

And many more are the tales breaking the mold! Cunning Cinders? The girl literaly CHOPS OFF an ogress' head with an axe, right after pushing an ogre into the oven - and it was no small feat given the ogre was also a giant. In the Pigeon and the Dove, the first time the giant imprisons the princess, putting her in his bag, she gets out by herself, without anybody's help. The Orange-Tree and the Bee? The princess does all the work - saves the prince, hides him, feeds him, nurse him, takes him away ; while also doing all the heroic and clever feats, tricking the ogres, stealing their magic wand, performing magical transformations. No wonder the final transformation is passive for the prince (the orange-tree) and active for the princess (the bee that stings anybody getting too close to the tree). In fact, the fairytale "La princesse Printanière", (Princess Mayblossom in English), seems to be an explicit and literal deconstruction of the passive-active model: the titular princess acts like a typical "good princess" (following her heart's impulses without thinking about it too much ; giving kindly all her food to her lover on a deserted island), only to be met by the harshest of realities (following an unknown pretty boy around is not good, and her lover is a selfish and brutal jerk). She only can escape the bad situation she created for herself by STABBING HER EVIL LOVER IN THE EYE, and then she is greeted by the positive sight of her fairy godmother in a war attire, beating the crap out of the wicked fairy of the story in a celestial duel. In fact, this tale contains a double message about women being active to change their life, because before her "passive episode" on the Island of Squirrels that gives her all sorts of misery, she is active, oh yes. She forces the random boy she just met to follow him, and she plans a whole escape at night - because, like an active character, she wants to determine her life, she wants to just do as she pleases, she show who's in charge... But this is proven bad because as it turns out acting impulsively and harshly without prudence or thought - taking away the hand of the first pretty boy that passes, fleeing rashly at night on a whim without preparing any substantial thing - only leads to disaster and misery (being stuck on a deserted island with an abusive companion). And this is opposed to the good "activity" in the end, one thought about and that is a just reaction to the situation, or well-equiped for handling its problem - the princess killing her would-be-murderer ; the good fairy getting a chariot, weapons and an armor to destroy the old, wicked, rusty Carabosse.

This all comes very clearly and strongly in d'Aulnoy's fairytales - if Perrault wasn't so much about gender as he was about tricks, cunning and cheating the system with well-placed connections ; madame d'Aulnoy clearly had some ideas of how women should learn to be active queens, great warriors, trained travellers, well-equiped survivors and, if need there is, monster slayers. Is it then a wonder that when the authorities and minds of the 19th century took a good look at fairytales, they decided that madame d'Aulnoy should be erased in favor of Perrault, where the ideal female models are a girl sleeping a thousand year, another girl that gets hit without answering back, a princess that becomes a cleaning-girl and a cook good ; or even a nice girl with big diamonds?

What happened? In the case of French fairytales: this. First all the openly subversive authors were pushed aside and buried in oblivion ; then the more subtle ones had their tales oversimplified or read the wrong way until it entered a mold they were not supposed to fit. Madame d'Aulnoy was forgotten, and people took Perrault's jokes seriously.

#fairytales #fairy tales #french fairytales #charles perrault #madame d'aulnoy #perrault fairytales #d'aulnoy fairytales #gender in fairytales #women in fairytales #men in fairytales

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sarasade · 1 month

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Claudia, Viren & The Very Real Parent-Child Dynamics of The Dragon Prince

Sometimes I wonder if I come across like I try to defend Claudia too much. That's not my intent at all. I just think she deserves more and better critique.

The Point I guess

Personally, I really connect with Claudia's brand of messy, unflattering and even pathetic rage and grief much more than the dignified and mature ways Callum and Ezran handle things (More on that later). Maybe this sounds unflattering but Claudia being also kind of an asshole really speaks to me. Like that's the kind of teenage girl I'm the most familiar with and we don't have enough media that has nuanced takes on this sort of troubled character. Exploring negative or even anti-social traits and impulses in fiction, especially in women, is kind of undervalued in my opinion. Those are part of humanity and therefore part of us and this impulse to completely reject them doesn't benefit anyone really.

Finally, some wholesome father-daughter relationship rep in media!

My way to view fantasy media is about how it can artistically portray something true to real life. That's why I'm the most invested in this kind of reading of the text. Fantasy media is often dismissed as mere escapism even by the fantasy fans themselves (*side eyes the dude bro Witcher fandom*) which ignores the emotional depths it can reach by approaching difficult subject matter more metaphorically.

Inject Viren & Claudia's Father-Daughter Dynamic Straight into My Veins

There is something viscerally real about Claudia and Viren's relationship. I've seen this kind of father-daughter dynamic play out in real life many times where the child gives and gives and gives yet the parent takes it all for granted until it's too late and the parent-child relationship is just a mangled corpse of its former self, way too damaged to ever be truly repaired.

Like if you've had a difficult relationship with your parents it can feel similar to how s4-5 Claudia struggles to keep Viren alive while Viren hesitates. The child is the one who tries to fix things in the relationship while the parent is in denial or completely oblivious. Viren doesn't really try to connect with Claudia further in s4-5. It almost seems like he's completely emotionally unprepared to have that conversation and oh boy if you know any boomer parents that's pretty damn realistic. He just sort of gives up and acts completely passive because he's so out of touch with his emotions.

There is also this aspect of your parent aging and then one day you realise that you, the child, are the one who has more power in the relationship. It's a universal experience. These are just some of the ways I can see Viren and Claudia's relationship in seasons 4 and 5 metaphorically portray real life parent-child dynamics. There is a lot of emotional truth to how TDP approaches these relationships even when the story itself is an over the top fantasy romp.

How much Viren relies on Claudia is revealed little by little: She got the unicorn horn for the spell that killed Avizandum, she got the dragon horn that helped them cross the lava to Xadia in s3. It's set up really subtly how there is almost this parentification of Claudia like she's the one who took her mother's place as the emotional center and caregiver of the family after Viren and Lissa divorced. It's a lot of pressure to put one a child to say the least. This extends to Soren and how he is treated as the scapegoat of the family when Claudia is the Golden Child. This sort of treatment of Claudia and Soren by Viren is probably the most common analysis of their family dynamic as far as I can tell.

You ever heard of the thing called "eldest daughter syndrome"?

Eventually Claudia's most admirable and positive traits get corrupted (insert here an analysis of the corruptive nature of the dark magic as a plot device). It's like this perversion of feminine nurturing instinct society values and enforces in girls. Claudia's love is not domesticated but something that's so all consuming it destroys everything in its way. In s 4 she insists Viren has to live. She does everything in her power to keep her family together even against the wishes of her loved ones; first it was healing Soren in and then it was bringing Viren back to life in s3. Claudia has fully internalised her role as the caregiver to the point of self-imposed victimhood.

All The Characters Have a Part to Play

Since TDP is meant for an all-age audience (And later for teens and up since they hiked up the age rating) all the younger characters Callum, Ezran, Rayla, Claudia and Soren collectively represent the kind of different and difficult feelings parental abandonment and neglect can cause. A real person most likely feels all of these emotions at some point of their life but in fiction they need to be spread out among different characters or the story wouldn't work as, well, a story.

"she was a mage girl committing warcrimes, he was an elf boy vibing in the woods, can I make it anymore obvious"

I'd gladly read some more critical takes on Claudia's character. There is something very interesting there about Claudia and Terry's relationship for example. Terry is clearly very enamored with Claudia whom he perceives as someone very vulnerable and in need of help. Terry isn't wrong exactly but it does get problematic when he goes to great lengths to protect Claudia to the detriment of his own wellbeing. While TDP itself doesn't draw attention to it there are also the racial and gendered elements, both implicit and explicit, because of Claudia's fantasy racism and because of Terry being a non-white trans boy character as well. Claudia is the most powerful dark mage in Xadia when Terry is just a normal guy. Given the context of the show there is a power imbalance there.

tHÖ END

Why I'm laying this all out is that I think the Internet would be a better place if people didn't try to constantly find an objective "right" way to view a piece of media but instead were somewhat transparent about what they personally got out of it. I think this Viravos meta is the most popular thing I've written so far and I tried to explain my approach in detail because I don't want people to go "look this person says Viravos is canon!". Jokes are fine of course but taking it too objectively ignores the fact that analysing subtext is valuable on its own.

Idk how to end this. Here, have this meme.

#help! I've gotten stuck in the hermeneutic circle and can't get out!#Viren & Claudia have the most interesting relationship in this show and it just keeps getting better and better #I think this is literally all that I've got to say about Claudia so far #the dragon prince meta #tdp meta #sarasade text

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krchar · 1 month

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Some thoughts on Himerish and Trial of the Oracle

Ok so it's weird that I hardly post anything and now I go with this, but these thoughts are for some reason so pressing to me these days! And this feels like the right space.

tldr: i love 4th arc, I like Himerish's development, but after rereading last week I have some surprising ambivalence about how his warrior identity goes with his previously implied nature - or at least to my view of the character - happy to know anyone's thoughts on that!

Firstly I want to state that I love the stories, and mostly the first 4 arcs! This is just a thought on one character development...

So I belong among the fans of 4th arc, definitely, and I think that most people who have some soft spot for Himerish/Oracle, started to feel so throughout this arc (although I know some did before it was cool!). I always loved that story, that he was confronted with such a downfall, the dramatic almost mythical story of regaining his identity is so awesome, i liked that he cooperated with the guardians as a person, that he realized he was too removed from the world after all the time...

Last week I got this sudden fanfic inspiration (it's cringe, but I struggle to be creative for years, so my 7 pages are a huge cheery win!) and so I reread the story... and it's so great, but I have some odd feelings about some parts..

I think it is mostly about him being a warrior.

So. The first notion that felt off was in the issues from his coming to earth to the fight of Phobos + Cedric, when I suddenly felt like what is his almost never leaving resting bitchface? There are some really nice mentor moments, but most of the time he seems strangely annoyed without specific reason. Now in the previous arcs, he was not very popular, for he was indeed a terrible pr*ck, intentionally in arc 3, possibly intentionally in the previous ones ( but i don't know that, his behaviour always seemed to be somehow explained or something, even if the reader didnt have to buy it..) but what i did like was his serenity and at times his appearance of a lightness of heart that calmed everyone.. (that is, in moments when he wasn't a pr*ck) suddenly here Himerish is a dynamic warrior, always angry fighting etc etc - like he was serene and wise only because he was an oracle and it was his function, and not that he was chosen to be an oracle, because he was such in his nature in the first place, which i would like much better.

But! In the flashback with Endarno, that is, to my mind, exactly what Endarno implies! H. is a fighter in a war here and E. saves his life saying he senses a great power in H. and that he should act on it - then in the following flashbacks it's like H. went and became a cool martial arts master... and it just feels sort of... why...

(note: i presume that the flashbacks went in this order, bc E. calls Himerish "young asha (tribe name)")

my problem may be that I am not as much into warrior trope, as Im into powerful spiritual being trope... and also im probably too much of a hippie

But the first flashback actually looks like there would be more beyond! Endarno literally goes against his own commander, as H. is from the enemy tribe and is a captive to be executed. And it is said that E. already had doubts, even though he was a great warrior, bc his boss was very cruel, but it is meeting Himerish that gives him the final motivation to stand against the meaningless bloodshed! Implying that H. has definitely a hippie vibe... and H. also gives this impression, bc he's so serene and passive when they aim to kill him (although that may be some basiliadian feature dunno..) but.. then he goes to be just a better fighter.. like don't they have any other kind of spiritual power in Basiliade than becoming a cool warrior??

I mean, I liked Orube-Luba flashbacks very much, where Luba was the wise warrior mentor and it was cool. But we don't get anything like that with Himerish, right? He's just shown to have been really cool at fighting. Yarr is just really crazy about him as his former master, as if he was truly a different kind of being, but there is no word then about him being also a spiritual mentor.. maybe it is just not shown, but then - why not?

when i saw the first flashback, i sort of thought it would have been better, if H. was actually a hippie in his heart - maybe even against the custom of Basiliade. He said E. helped him a lot - so couldn't it be that this young guy who fights like everyone else does, then realizes he could just stop doing that and work out his inner spirit and power that has the nature of peace and connection, instead of fighting? I really really doubt that the Kandrakar council would have gone like - this guy is cool with sword, let's make him oracle. He must have had some other power before and I'm kind of sorry that they didn't work with it somehow... I'm also not so much into his warrior attire hehe

Now to go a full circle, I associate this type of wisdom actually with his nice and light-hearted mode and not so much with angry fighter mode.. he was angry before when something bad happened to Kandrakar, but that was different, then when he couldnt admit his mistakes, that was foreshadowing of his downfall, but his fighting mode was just so strange to me.. what's with the sword, do some magic and restore the peace of Kandrakar after your return, bc the peace and stability and light powers are your nature and not just your politcal function..

then again i admit that while i didn't like much what they did to his character in the following arcs, i could understand his departure.. so the described reason seemed like all his change was to nothing, for he again just didnt listen to anyone despite his former promises, but i could see another reason in line with arc 4, and that is actually his change, he became too human (or whatever species he is) and maybe it was even difficult for him to return to the position - bc this is literally shown at the end of arc 4 when he's contemplating before being reinstated.. and i like that.. cause im kinda very much into spiritual beings becoming human tropes.. or like generally emotionally repressed people rediscovering life..

Well, I get that some people really like warrior trope, so no hate, fandom is a free space yeah! Anyway, these were my thoughts, Im impressed you scrolled this deep, thank you! Tell me your thoughts on this pls Im happy to find more people to discuss witch to an unhealthy level! As a bonus, my two favourite memes/fanarts about H.'s earthly clothes:

(source: https://tuherrus.tumblr.com/post/189587505767/oookay-heres-a-witch-art-dump-im-gonna)

(source: https://www.deviantart.com/rukietta89/art/Shopping-with-Orube-97101177)

EDIT: ok i posted this like half an hour ago, but i got a sudden feeling that i was not entirely fair, so i want to say that i also feel that his conective and calming spirit shows up in those really nice mentor moments towards the guardians, although that doesn't go really against my original interpretation/headcanon - he was a confused young boy with a talent, now he's a mature, more steady guy with a talent, regaining understanding of life in 4th arc, which, ideally, would make him even more sensitive and calming, and that would be cool

#W.I.T.C.H.#himerish #The Oracle #Trial of the Oracle #character study #character analysis #w.i.t.c.h. headcanons #headcanons #w.i.t.c.h. comics #w.i.t.c.h. himerish #Endarno

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letmereadinpeace4 · 5 months

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My Dear Gangster Oppa Commentary Ep 3

*crawls out a hole* Hello everyone. I apologize for how much the commentaries for episodes 3 and 4 were delayed. We recently had a tragedy in my family and this caused a lot of chaos time wise, which in turn lead to a lot of stress for me. The commentary for episode 3 is here, and the commentary for episode 4 should be released tomorrow.

So we have a repeat of the end of episode 2 with Wahl meeting a drunk Guy being escorted by Tew. Wahl reacts badly by dragging Guy to himself and accusing Tew of getting him drunk, which is both a ridiculous accusation to make to someone you do not even know and an overreaction.

Wahl is having a typical overreaction. I will comment on his face off with Tew and Guy’s intervention in a minute, but what draws my attention is that Wahl does not react as an overprotective best friend would, or even as a friend who has a crush on Guy would. He reacts as an overprotective and over controlling parent or elder sibling would. He draws the worst conclusions possible from a string of events, downplays Guy’s ability to judge people, take care of himself by accusing him of being naive and immediately sees Tew as an aggressor despite having very few, if no, reason to do so and despite knowing that the meeting was actually arranged mutually. He is extremely overbearing in a way that implies that he sees Guy as someone he has some sort of responsibility and power over. I wonder of this position came to be because while Guy can be a bit of a pushover when it comes to Wahl, he does not strike me as someone who would appreciate or accept this level of control. This also implies that Wahl’s behavior is something new, which explains why Guy is having some trouble drawing boundaries. This means that either something changed in Wahl’s perspective and/or view of Guy, or that he was always like this but never had a reason to show it since there was no threat to his power over Guy.

Guy tries to take control over the situation and Wahl’s reaction by explaining what is happening. While I understand his reaction and would likely do the same thing, this actually feeds into Wahl’s power complex by accepting his position as someone who has to answer to him and justify his actions to him. He is also at a loss for words when Wahl asks him what he knows about Tew. The thing is, Wahl is being a controlling asshole here, but he looks like he makes some good points in the middle of his ranting. Guy does not know anything about Tew. The obvious objection however is that if you refuse to meet or talk to anyone because you do not know who they are or where they come from, you are not going to talk to anyone ever. Approaching someone and creating a relationship is always going to involve some degree of risk, something that Wahl, as someone who is more social, should know. Again, the at-first-glance good points that Wahl makes easily fall when under scrutiny, and reveal his actual objective: to have Guy stop talking to Tew because Wahl decided he was untrustworthy, despite the fact that he knows him even less that Guy does.

Tew’s reaction is also interesting. At first, he talks very little and lets Wahl rant, only objecting when Wahl accuses him of being an asshole (I also appreciate the fact that Wahl does not even have the guts to stand behind his own statement). This can make him appear passive but in reality it is the most mature reaction. Tew does not justify himself because he does not see Wahl as someone he needs to answer to. He refuses to engage in the argument and in the accusations. He only starts to actually engage when Wahl decided to take Guy home. They both lose some points by constantly dragging Guy to them, which probably worsens his drunk state, as they argue who will take Guy home. However, Tew regains those points by actually asking Guy what he wants to do. Rather than Wahl, who wants to take control of Guy’s actions, Tew actually places the control in Guy’s hands.

And we go back to the rest of the guild! They are all lovely and funny and I love them! They cut the tension by involving themselves in the situation and Muffin immediately starting to flirt with Wahl. I wonder if she is actually this, let’s say innocent and oblivious, or if she did it deliberately to cut the tension. Any way it actually works as Wahl is forced to go back in prince charming mode. Their involvement also make it more difficult for Wahl to continue accusing Tew of being a predator. It is one thing to accuse one isolated man of being an asshole, it is another completely to say that an entire group that involves two women are deliberately trying to hurt your friend (not that women cannot be predators, but men like Wahl will rarely consider them as so, let alone admit it).

I really like that Muffin immediately takes action, Tom/Doctor Strange makes his presence known but stands back, and P’Insomnia doesn’t enter the conflict at all but clearly watches what is happening. It really tells you a lot of each character.

As his girlfriend call him, Wahl immediately prioritizes her and leaves, which makes him look at an asshole and a massive hypocrite for some many reasons. Let’s review! He makes a racket about Tew being a danger for Guy, only to immediately leave him in the situation as soon as his girlfriend calls him. Now, I have fortunately never been put in a situation where I had to extract a friend from a dangerous situation, but if I was, I would certainly hope that I would prioritize their safety over any previous commitment. This only makes Wahl’s friendship and anger seem more shallow. He makes a big deal about Guy being his priority and being worried about him, only to not follow through as soon as something else comes up and he has to make an effort that will actually cost him something. Furthermore, he is called because he forgot he had a previous obligation in class, probably one that involves other students. Which means that he decided to stalk Guy at a park without thinking about previous commitments and arranging something so that his classmates would not suffer from his selfish actions.

Tew takes the victory and offers to drive Guy home, which Guy objects to because he would be accused of favoring him and would have to drive the rest of the group. I do not know whether this is a serious objection or if Guy let Wahl’s nonsense get to his head. Anyway, the rest of the group all make it clear that nope, they can get home just fine thank you, please keep flirting we enjoy the ship tease. What lovely shippers they make. However Tew takes the rejection and leaves, letting Guy make the cutest “But whyyyyyy” expression. Dude you are the one who refused.

I love the group interactions! P’Insomnia telling Muffin to not drink anymore! Muffin being cute! P’Tom giving Guy good advice without pressuring him! They really feel like friends, which is refreshing to see after Wahl’s whole nonsense. In fact, they seem to echo some of Wahl’s intentions but in a more healthy way.

Okay was the message meant for Wahl or for Tew? The actual content would indicate Wahl but the message has “Idealize” and the in-game icon which might mean Tew. Anyway Guy must put his romantic drama on hold because he is chased by stereotypical thugs who want to attack him and steal his phone.

Yeah! Tew to the rescue! Also I am dying at the thug going from “What the hell asshole!” to “Please don’t kill me!” in a space of a second.

On the positive side, it means that Tew can escort Guy home. Guy puts things together quickly (kudos to him, I like characters who can make basic deductions in less than three episodes of drama) and asks Tew what he does for a living. Tew hedges for a bit before he saying he has a restaurant, which Guy is skeptical about as Tew tries to quickly find a restaurant to buy. The reactions from the driver are absolutely hilarious and almost distract from the cuteness of the scene. More seriously, this shows that Tew is not yet ready to admit the truth to Guy, probably because he does not want to scare him off and wants to keep what they have. This is understandable of Tew, especially if his position in the mafia has stopped him to make connections with other people, but no matter what Tew does sooner or later Guy will know the truth, something that Tew must know. I think it speaks to his desperation to have Guy in his life but also to have normal connections with other people. He desperately clings to the happiness of the moment even if he has to know it cannot last.

Tul is an amazing assistant/right hand man and immediately finds a place for his boss and his romantic mess, as well as a potential employee who seems desperate for a job (can relate). Fun fact, the first drama I saw Meen (Tew’s actor) in was Chance by Love, where he plays a character who is named Tul. This is not particularly important but I find it amusing.

We meet Wish John Lennon again and he is having some fun with a woman that is hopefully unconscious and not dead, and who is way too pretty to deal with this shit. We also find out that his name is actually Kenji and that he is stalking Tew. I am dying because they are interpreting it as a calculated act to gain more power where in reality, it is just Tew being a socially awkward romantic mess! Seriously though from his name we can guess that Kenji is Japanese, which could imply an interesting backstory about a double heritage and its consequence in the mafia world or it could be just a random thing.

What the hell! So Wahl did not have a project with other student but was invited to watch his girlfriend presentation for their one-month anniversary! So he did not even have to be there and he still left because he prioritized his girlfriend. What a colossal douchebag! And he has the nerve to ask Guy how he went home as if he had any right to the answer.

On another note, Guy is lying to Wahl about Tew. Again, I get it, he does not want conflict with Wahl especially that he has already gone full on asshole once. However, by avoiding conflict and even by answering the question, Guy is validating Wahl’s position as someone who has the right to know about these things. Meanwhile, P’Tom is arranging another gaming session and Guy immediately confirms his presence as soon as he sees that Yuri/Tew has said they would be there. Guy my sweet your crush is obvious. However while he is on his phone he has tuned Wahl out, who tries to get his attention. I am having mixed feelings on the situation. On the one hand it is rude for Guy to ignore his friend in favor of the chat group, and I get why Wahl would be upset. On the other hand, Wahl has consistently prioritized other people and the most minor of things over Guy. I am noting this because I am pretty certain that when they have an open conflict, Wahl will bring it up. I will reserve further judgment once/if we get there but for now, let’s say that I will not accept Guy being made to feel bad or remorseful about it.

We jump to Tew being all sexy mafia man as Tul is beating up a henchman, who attacks Tew once his back is turned. This is a good scene to remind us of how dangerous Tew can be, especially as he seems to lose control when punching the henchman. So far, we have seen a lot of Tew being kind of socially awkward but also romantic and caring, so it is good to see that he is still a morally ambiguous character who lives in a world where you must do pretty dark things if you want to survive. This is probably going to be a conflict with Guy, who is living in a more normal world.

I also appreciate Tew mentioning his shirt being dirty because of the blood. It is a mix of petty and low-key sweet.

And Tew goes to visit Guy to play with him by wearing a really...interesting T-Shirt. It is not as bad as Wish John Lennon’s outfits it is just not how he usually dresses. Guy does not care though because he is so happy to see him. The mood is at risk of being spoiled because of the blood on Tew’s cheek but Tew manages to avoid the topic. Guy is rather smart though so I doubt the hedging can and will last long. Also I love the really cute soundtrack when he gives him the cake.

The gaming scene is all kinds of sweet and lovely and cute. They act a lot more natural with each other which is great and speaks to how close they got in relatively little time. Perfectly understandable for people who did not have a lot of social connections before. They are going all in because it is so new to them. The whole scene is a succession of really cute moments: Tew encouraging Guy to eat the cake, Guy feeding it to him, them working really well together, the banter between the members of the guild, the cheering when they win, the almost kiss. All absolutely perfect!

I really like the conversation about why they like playing video games. They have different perspectives but you can see how it helped them. It is remarkably refreshing to see a positive portrayal of video games in media.

The conversation goes south when Tew confronts Guy about Wahl. Tew is technically telling the truth. Despite Guy’s insistence that Wahl is a nice person who is looking out for him, he has left Guy feeling lonely and insecure, and Guy does like him. The problem is that Guy is not ready to hear it. He is in an unbalanced, toxic relationship with Wahl and is not yet in a state of mind where he can really accept criticism, even or perhaps especially when it is on point. Tew apologizes for bringing it up and leaves.

This is the second time in the episode where there is some form of conflict and Tew immediately leaves the situation. I have mixed feelings about it. He is respecting Guy’s decision, but leaving can be interpreted as guilt-tripping. However the scene does tell us how they both manage conflict. Tew is assertive and perceptive, throwing truths at Guy without accepting his denials and he can come across as insensitive and pushy. Meanwhile Guy is avoiding conflict at all costs and denies any truths that makes him uncomfortable. It will be interesting to see how it will develop from there.

The argument is soon resolved when Guy follows Tew and admits the truth. The scene is really heartbreaking for Guy, as he explains his perspective in this one-sided love. You can really see the toll it is taking on him. It is also probably the first time that Guy can actually talk about his feelings to anyone. Having his whole social map centered around Wahl means that he has no support system if there is a conflict involving Wahl, which is disastrous in their already unbalanced relationship.

Tew is about to throw a lot of money in his restaurant to maintain his lie. I find it absolutely hilarious. We follow up with a hilarious scene between Tul and the new employee, Boss, who takes the first occasion to talk about his dramatic backstory™ to a remarkably unimpressed Tul. Dude has probably heard it all by now. We also learn that Boss seems to have a crush on Tul who is again, unimpressed.

Hold on! When he heard about the restaurant, Wish John Lennon mentioned a spy (or an infiltrator). Could it be Boss? I mean, he comes out of nowhere and is immediately interested in the guy who manages the restaurant. That is a pretty red flag narrative wise. On the other hand, he did not know who Tew was.

Tew is offering to drive Guy home and his justification for it is heartbreaking. He wants to spend as much time as possible with Guy due to the possibility of losing him one day. It is understandable but Guy does not have the context so from his perspective it is just “What the hell this is over-dramatic!”.

Wahl has seen Tew so Guy is in for a pretty uncomfortable ride home. I like how Guy is starting to stand up to Wahl about his paranoia about Tew.

Tew is down bad and is undergoing the familiar experience of one’s first crush when you are constantly waiting from a message from the person you like. The moment when he freaked out when Guy did not answer immediately and asked if he had upset him spoke to my soul in an uncanny way. Don’t worry Tew it gets better with time.

Oh good he is taking love advice from Tul. Tew is definitely smitten. Tul knows him pretty well and it is really cute to see. I love his relationship with his employees. It is understated but really cute.

Tew’s anxiety also brings in mind how young and inexperienced he is, which is funny but also a bit sad to see.

I have a lot of trouble with Boss’ character. He comes out of nowhere and is suddenly all over Tul for very little reason. He seems suspicious to me.

And Guy knows and is understandably hurt! I like that they did not drag this out too long. Guy’s sudden aggressiveness is probably triggering some fight reflex in Tew though. Also Tew suddenly going serious, pushing Guy back until he trips on the armchair and falls back with his legs spread and Tew looming over him makes for a really good scene.

And this is it for today. Hopefully I will write the next commentary tomorrow.

#my dear gangster oppa #thai bl #letmerantinpeace

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ae-azile · 1 month

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3. 8. and 22.

(for ask game)

3. Screenshot or description of the worst take you have seen on Tumblr:

There have been many bad takes on Tumblr (and on social media in general). But I suppose when it comes to this show, it's any time I see someone express their views on a character in a manner that obviously puts other fans�� analyses down. Like, it isn’t the fact they view a character differently. It's the fact that they feel the need to belittle a different interpretation to make their point. If you need that, is it a great take?

I won't get into specifics, because the few I have seen this from do actually have interesting takes. It's just the way they feel the need to write them passive aggressively. This seems to mainly happen with Kim meta, but I occasionally see it with Vegas meta too.

8. Common fandom opinion everyone is wrong about:

Bahaha, I wrote myself into a corner with the response to question 3! 😂 I guess I am going to go with Korn and Gun. Both are viewed with a lot of hate, and rightfully so. But I also think they are products of their environment and have a lot of layers to them. And overall - at least from what we have witnessed solely in the show - I feel like Gun is more redeemable than Korn, despite Korn being a better father. Can't forgive him for what he did to Namphueng, Pat, Porsche, and Chay. He literally destroyed a family. I think Gun being under the impression they were all dead, losing the mother of his children, and likely being abused himself was what made him abusive. While I have no doubts Korn also carries a lot of trauma that plays into who he became, I also feel like his worst actions can't be viewed with any compassion like Gun's potentially could. Don't get me wrong, perpetuating the abuse cycle is NOT okay or excusable. But unfortunately, it can potentially be a reality that abuse victims who don't have help, resources, or healthy outlets end up re-enacting. There is an explanation for his worst crimes. There is no explanation for Korn's, nor will he ever offer a truthful one.

22. My favorite part of canon everyone else ignores:

I don't know if everyone ignores it, but I love that Arm is working multiple guard positions? Boy does surveillance, builds and distributes weapons, designs high tech spy gear, and goes on missions with Kinn (which is sort of dumb in hindsight because he is one of the main people holding that compound together). On top of that, he was the first one to tend to Big when he was shot, implying he has some medic or strong first aid knowledge, led the clean up crew after Tawan set off the bomb, and then built bombs of his own for the attack on the compound later on.

He does all of this, and still manages to be a guard to Tankhun, who is likely the safest yet most emotionally demanding family member. And he seems committed to that position. I am sure Arm could easily be removed from Tankhun's team. He has plenty of other work demands, and he better be the highest paid guard other than Chan. Yet he chooses to stay with Khun along with all of those duties. Hm. Love that for him though.

#ask game #asks #kinnporsche asks

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olderthannetfic · 1 year

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I’m probably more forgiving than I should be, but I would say most people understand there are perfectly reasonable and compassionate people who have their personal reasons for continuing to enjoy mainstream or other media with massive issues. We all have our own opinions and baggage and that doesn’t make us enemies. But “its just too hard to find indie stuff!” isn’t that. If someone has enough internet access to send a defensive anon ask they can use Google or just ask for recs.

It's more than that.

Fandom is a subculture, or a set of subcultures, even with how mainstream fic is now. Supernatural was on for years, so yes, it clearly had a lot of people viewing compared to some novel. However, SPN had garbage viewership compared to lots of hit shows, and most randos at one's job likely did not watch it. It was an inescapable pillar of fandom culture for a while.

Film Bros have such distinct taste someone made that hilarious fanvid to Pretty Fly for a White Guy that used all of those movies they love. Sure, everyone's heard of most of them, but have we seen them?

Film noir nerds have festivals where they go watch increasingly obscure films noir, and there are "classics" all of them have seen that other people haven't.

I know no one who cares about The Secret History... aside from literally every dark academia social media account ever.

Everyone is the protagonist of their own story if they'd just act like it.

People come to my tumblr as a sort of central location, so when I'm melting down about Beyond Evil or even some indie novel, a certain number of people will go consume it too. I'm always picking up tastes from costubers or whatever internet micro-celebrity I like this month.

If you are excited about the stuff you like, other people will consume it so they can talk to you about it. You do not have to passively jump on every bandwagon. Even the supposed normies don't all watch the same shows. (And the idea of normies is a mirage anyway.)

There are whole facebook groups and social circles around indie original m/m novels these days. There are tastemaker super fans who seem to mostly engage in that sphere, and people who hang out in those spaces have all read the big names... big names absolutely nobody outside of the m/m world has heard of.

Go look up the website for GRL, the industry conference, and see how many of the attending authors you've heard of. Probably five of sixty or something unless you follow m/m very closely.

Last time I bothered with After Ellen, they were breathlessly following that Spanish historical soap's f/f subplot. Who else outside of Spain even heard of that show?

I get not wanting to be 100% alone forever, but there is no such thing as universally popular media. We make little pods of taste, some of which amount to full on subcultures.

Those taste groups form when we take a stand for our particular Thing, whatever it is. It requires a tiny bit of proactiveness, but honestly, not that much. People who are already un-normie enough to spend their time on AO3 and Tumblr instead of Instagram or whatever are already making choices about what kinds of tastes to prioritize and what circles to join.

We could make a minimal effort for our favorite types of content and build indie versions into small but viable industries.

Or we could be lazy, spineless cowards.

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egg-emperor · 7 months

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Your analysis has been really interesting to read through, but ngl the whole mess around text interpretation has led me to ruminate on the fandom's doings a little. This probably will turn into disjointed ramblings, so please bear with me.

What I think is causing this cognitive dissonance is exactly that cutesy framing of some of Eggman and Sage's moments. Like, I don't believe that Sage was intentionally made to soften Eggman up or something, I believe that he can play the "family" act to keep her loyal to him. However, I won't deny that during my watch of a friend playing it, this specific framing left a slightly weird aftertaste, which I now see is what can easily cause so many misinterpretations of the scenes. Like, for example, the memo with Sage's pronouns. After seeing a lot of talk around the memos in general, what seems to throw people off from thinking that Eggman could be just using this as yet another play into her view of him as her father to keep her loyal is "why does he suddenly care about endearing himself to his own creation when he freely disregarded his previous creations". It can be interpreted in character, but there's just a smidge of off-ness that can be hard to wash out for some.

Not gonna lie, I kinda envy the ability of people like to at least mostly ignore the majority of the fandom's shenanigans and drama, cause I think that also plays a part imo, specifically this weird need to somehow ingratiate Sonic as a series to the mainstream, generally non-fan crowd. Like, the onus obviously should be on the people who misinterpret the text and see what's not there, yet these people also tend to be the loudest. And most non-fans seeing it just assume that's what the fandom as a whole thinks, and that's what the text actually is about. After all, nowadays Sonic is all but advertised as "its a kids game for babies so don't think about the story too much, it doesnt make sense in the end anyway", even by fans trying to genuinely recommend the series sometimes. And you'd think that there'd be pushback against this sort of mentality, but somehow, a majority of the Sonic fandom remains almost... defeatist? Like, either they can't argue to save their lives or just passively accept the misinformation. The people actually doing the analysis and all get disregarded as no-life nerds and are told that "no amount of analysis can make a product worth the money".

It's just... I dunno how or why or when it all started going like this, but at some point, the way people talked about media in general just caused immensely screwed. Discussions only seem to happen when someone wants to further validate their pre-established biases about a thing and it all just feels wrong.

Thank you, I appreciate you taking the time to read and consider my analysis.

We seem to feel quite similarly. I'm not a fan of the cutesy framing of certain moments because it's not my thing and definitely makes it easier for fans to misinterpret. The casual fan, especially if they don't catch all context in the memos and apply them to the scenes to notice the undertones and understand Eggman's side of the dynamic, or if they're the kind who that stuff can appeal to and affect emotionally/they'd rather ignore the more unsettling aspects in discomfort, they're going to get it wrong.

I think the cutscenes mostly have the issue of focusing too much on Sage's side of the dynamic over Eggman's. A bunch of most important details of Eggman's side comes from the memos, which is great from the standpoint of being right from his personal perspective and words, so we get to know exactly how he thinks and feels- but not so great for those who won't listen or piece together what they learned from them with the scenes for needed context.

But Sage wasn't supposed to soften Eggman up. In the story he's still a bad guy wanting to do bad, wishing he could get out of Cyber Space to, and Sage appeals because of what she can do for him, how she's crucial to his survival, supports his desire for world domination and shows undying loyalty. The way some moments are framed as cute doesn't take away from it, a unhealthy dynamic can appear as cute and wholesome with unsettling undertones.

Ian Flynn pretty much describes it that way by saying you're supposed to feel happy for Sage but Eggman is a bad person and warming up to it for all the wrong reasons. It's intentionally more complex than what the loudest people who love and hate it are saying. I can see what Flynn means because all the pieces are there in the actual game for me to point out and analyze. They just could've been emphasized a bit more.

All you need is the memo where he talks about liking how Sage is loyal and efficient and accepting the father role because it can emphasize his genius and the pride he can take as her creator, then apply it to every interaction and you can see it. Eggman can play the act to appeal to Sage's desire for that dynamic and praise her actions as a way to further encourage her for her loyalty and efficiency, all for those selfish benefits.

It's how manipulation works and Eggman absolutely can and will play up the part with these conditions for the benefits, he's done similarly in the past. It's intentionally not done in the common verbal and physical abns!ve way like he does most commonly with his other creations, it's more emotionally manipulative. It makes the most sense for how he wants to further encourage her good work and loyalty, not lose it.

I can get why you felt that way. It's part of why I had the wrong idea of Frontiers Eggman's at first and it ruined my first experience playing it. The cute framing of certain moments, combined with fans taking these scenes and latching onto the misinterpretations from the moment it dropped and drilling into your head how they think we should think and feel while ignoring key details that disprove it, made me believe it for too long.

But had I not seen the misinterpretation and paid attention and did my usual analysis, which I closed my mind to in my first playthrough in ignorance, I would've caught on a lot faster. Just like how knowing what I know now after properly analyzing it then going into Final Horizon and avoiding what fandom was saying, made my experience more pleasant and let me think and interpret for myself. The fandom is still mostly to blame.

Yeah, the cute moments can give the wrong idea when you don't have all the context. But the context is in the game to piece together and understand why it's happening in a way that works for Eggman's character. I also think while he is of course playing the act, it's also framed cute as it is because we're seeing it more from Sage's side in the scenes, as it's a very different vibe in the memos where it's actually Eggman's side.

Maybe always being able to see the worst in Eggman (positively and affectionately lol 🥰💜) helps but I only see the memos as unsettling now. His creation starts to appear as more of a person to him so he thinks about how he can use it to his benefit by taking pride in his impressive scientific ability to create something so life-like as an artificial creation over the unimpressive traditional organic way he scoffs at and expresses aversion to.

He says if he created life it'd be "loyal and perfectly effective", which is fucked up thing to look for in your child, and says it's specifically because he's the genius creator/father, giving himself all credit and taking pride in her accomplishments as a reflection of his genius. It's selfish, egotistical, creepy, everything a parent shouldn't do. I can see what makes it unsettling in all his words. So many things are wrong with him I love it 😋💘

I really don't have much of an issue with that memo. It's one of the most misinterpreted but it's simply where he starts to realize that almost the whole time he's been calling her a "she" instead of an "it" like the program she was created to be. He actually starts just five after first mentioning her, in memo 13. He subconsciously sees her as a person and refers to her like such that fast due to how human and life-like she is.

Three memos after he's like wait why am I calling it a she? And wonders whether to call her an it like the program she was created to be or a she like he's seeing her as instead. Then another three after comes the disturbing memo about him creating life, so him establishing whether he's going to call her "she" or not leads to him thinking about how he can take pride and credit in her by establishing himself as her genius creator/father.

It's another of those cases where if context is removed it's more likely for people to get the wrong idea, especially if they're the type to be blinded by the cuteness factor but when you have the context of before and after and considering the important terms of why he values her at all with the she's an impressive life-like loyal and efficient creation and her dad is a genius memo, again it makes sense and is in character.

The "she's the best" line is one of the only parts I'd change, he's far too egotistical to say that about anyone else. It doesn't make sense because the whole reason he values her is what she does for him and the pride he can take in her, literally because he sees himself as the best person ever lol. Just specifying what she's the best of, like of his creations or something would've worked, not making it sound like he's saying in general.

But guess what? Apparently it was changed in Japanese in the translation I saw, to say she was just doing great or something lol. It's a case where I can make sense of it in English as her being the best in a specific area can again give himself credit as the creator as he's intentionally supposed to but the word choice was poor. But every time I felt a line should've been changed a bit, the Japanese version had me covered. XD

Back to the point- it's also important to consider that he's praising her in this memo with the important preface of saying that Sage has been crucial to his survival in Cyber Space and listing the ways she has served him well. It's on the condition of him getting something out of it every time. And in memo 19 we know he wants to take pride in her skill and accomplishments and take credit as her creator, so any praise is self praise.

So I can't be mad at the game, I think even in moments that had some level of cuteness factor to appeal to those into that which certainly worked on them, there was established context that made it work and in character, enough to piece it together and understand it. But some people's minds go blank with the "aww so cute" reaction and desire for it to be simply pure and wholesome so they don't think about it any more to do so.

I've been learning to avoid it just by stepping back from fandom because I'm less interested the more I see the drama and bad takes. Now I only see things if I'm forcibly subjected through someone else putting it on my dash/it's recommended/etc. A large majority of fandom is anti canon and literally admit it so I feel like I don't belong in it as a huge fan of it that enjoys celebrating it in my fan creations and discussions.

It suffers from the simplification and sanitization that modern fandom tends to do now, so they can fit all characters and stories into certain boxes and use them as bases to project fan character traits and concepts onto instead of celebrating canon. It makes it more appealing and mainstream and easier to consume by the crowd that stuff succeeds in appealing to. It's to the point it replaces people's memory/idea of it.

So of course from the outside looking in especially, non fans are going to believe that's what the text actually contains, especially since they get exposure to the fandom's twisting of canon and it's drilled into their heads how to think and feel about it by them, before they've even seen the games themselves. Then they find it hard to shut that out and look at the games alone for what they are. That happened to me with Frontiers.

Then of course you have people acting like the series "is just for babies and inconsistent and not good anyway you shouldn't think too hard about it", as if Sega JP especially haven't shown themselves to be incredibly passionate about the stories and characters they write. It is supposed to be that deep lol. And thinking that deeply is a good thing, as if it's better than just shutting our minds off and consume product.

That's why I've allowed myself to think as deeply as I want about Frontiers. I love analyzing every moment and line down to the last word and detail. Regardless of opinion on the concepts and how they were executed, it was intended to be thought about. I don't think it should be considered micro analyzing and thinking too hard about something ever. I'm looking at it in ways official writers have described it to be anyway.

The mentality is popular so there isn't much pushback. Plus I'm starting to see it in both people who say they don't like the games and those who say they're fans so I feel alienated for wanting to think deeper and seeing there can be more than meets the eye with characters and scenes. While clarification can be important so things aren't misinterpreted quite as easily, it's nice for there to be stuff to think about.

Nobody really wants to debate and discuss now. A majority intentionally oppose learning more about the media or hearing out other people. They take the challenging of one's perspective or a disagreement as an argument and act like it's intended as hate from the other person when that's not the case. They're like "I don't want to change my opinion, nobody can convince me, let me enjoy things how I want", etc.

I myself was a bit ignorant at first on the topic of Frontiers. I was convinced I didn't like Eggman's portrayal but it was all based on what fandom was telling me it was and how to feel when the actual game was actually way different. When I finally took suggestions of new perspectives, then shut fandom out and focused solely on canon with my mind open and willing to analyze it again, I saw it in a new light and enjoyed it.

Now some certainly think I'm a low life nerd, as I've been told "it's nice to be a fan until it "becomes serious" and by people saying they don't care what I have to say as if I have to do exactly what they want- because it's bad to be passionate and wanting to think deeply about something I guess. :P I'd rather be doing that than shutting it down. Canon is cool, analysis is good, being passionate and thinking about stuff is fun.

You really hit the nail on the head with that. I've always enjoyed being open minded, analyzing media carefully, hearing out different perspectives, and having discussions. But I made the mistake myself at one point with Frontiers and I regret it because as soon as I realized I almost became what I was against and changed it for the better, it became a lot more enjoyable again. It's always good to stay open minded!

#dr eggman #eggman #dr robotnik #dr. eggman #asks #my post #sonic frontiers

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crisps-craft · 2 years

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thoughts on pisces / neptune / 12th house energy

having pisces / 12th house / neptune energy is so exhausting because its simultaneously so sensitive yet so detached at the same time. the water element of pisces allows it this access to emotional knowledge (knowing how to read themselves and others emotionally and intuitively and feel comfortable/competent talking about it). but then on the other hand, the escapist element within every pisces tries everything in its power to numb this sensitivity (whether through health or unhealthy ways. healthy = self care, taking care of themselves, balance. unhealthy = partaking in drugs, engaging in passive activities / disassociating, having some sort of addiction, needing to escape) because of how overwhelming it can be.

pisces can struggle with reality so much that it builds a utopia of daydreams and ideals within its mind for its soul to express itself in privately. ive noticed a lot of people with these placements being very daydreamy, spiritual, artistic - like they are from another realm. yet these placements usually tend to isolate themselves and they feel like this creativity and expression within them can never see the light of day - even as they are sensitive, kind, and accepting to others (which people love and adore this quality of pisces- its very special and doesnt go unnoticed), looks happy, and like they have a ton of friends. these people have a secret inner reality that they like to escape to when they deny and detach themselves from the 'real' reality out of fear and self-undoing. its such a strange neptunian operation of a flickering mirage that you can never quite see clearly. their energies are sensitive yet detached, conscious yet subconscious, present in the moment and then not there at all, stuck in the past and then stuck in the future. they exist everywhere and nowhere all at once. its confusing.

pisces also struggle with viewing reality clearly and making decisions. good decision making requires conviction and self assertion - but the neptunian energy is so foggy to grasp - pisces is a master of reflecting and matching the energy of other people- so much so that it can get lost in it. so these people can struggle to put boundaries, to face / assert the truth and themselves, to know who they are and what they actually want. sometimes people are left baffled at pisces - one moment they are in love, the next moment they are detached and want to be completely independent. one moment they are sensitive, the next moment they are completely unfeeling and harsh (esp with saturn and uranus aspects) pisces can run away from reality when it most calls for it. its important for pisces to think through situations and face an ugly reality instead of trying to gloss over it in romanticism.

i could talk about this sign for hours. it is so magical, fascinating, and otherworldly but just requires a lot of self care and self healing. these souls are learning who they are and how to advocate themselves. they are learning that there is strength in sensitivity and an ability to be kind. they are learning balance and how to apply boundaries into their lives. they are learning their self-worth and are learning how to make better decisions and judgements. and pisces realizes this- for its souls lesson is very based within spirit. all of what i said are matters of self-introspection and psychology - a lot of the other signs/houses are based in reality and the external world and how we apply ourselves. meanwhile, this house is entirely of spirit, thoughts, dreams, emotions - the nonphysical dimension that is housed within all of us. pisces has access to the 3D as well as the realm of spirit and energy.

#this is how i read pisces energy #just sum thoughts #neptune #pisces #pisces placements #pisces moon #pisces rising #12th house #12th house placements #sun in the 12th house #moon in the 12th house #venus in the 12th house #mars in the 12th house #astrology #astrology thoughts

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brighteyedbushybrowed · 9 months

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Hi!!!! I saw your Headcannon on Secondo with an affectionate reader and I though the idea of him raining down hellfire on someone was pretty cool! Can we maybe have some head cannons for an angry Secondo? Thanks and no pressure if not

We can absolutely have some angry Secondo headcanons! I will preface this with a content warning for anger, violence, struggles with dealing with emotions, Nihil being a shit father. If any of this is a trigger or makes you uncomfortable please don't read beyond the read more line!

Out of all his brothers, Secondo is the most well-known for his temper

Growing up with Nihil as his dad and an absent mother, Secondo felt a shit ton of pressure to be the perfect backup for Primo and to prove himself to be just as useful as his older brother and just as charismatic as his younger brother

And all of that pressure partnered with Nihil raising him with archaic, toxic beliefs surrounding emotions and masculinity means that Secondo isn't good at dealing with his own emotions

He was a particularly angry teen when compared to his brothers and Copia

Where Primo would seek to diffuse all tense situations before arguments could occur and Terzo was always able to charm his way out of arguments with his charm, Secondo was always getting into fights and arguments

His words could cut hit just as hard as his punches, always knowing just the right thing to say to get the reactions he wanted out of them

Of course, the nannies and caregivers in the Ministry did their best to steer him away from these sorts of behaviours

But Secondo never listened. Despite being the child always trying to impress and always obeying his father and exceeding his expectations, he didn't have that same need to obey nannies or caregivers

It takes Secondo getting hit so hard that he falls and suffers from a concussion during a drunken fight with another Cardinal at a Ministry party for him to finally listen and go to therapy

Years of therapy and working through his toxic views around emotions and masculinity have done him wonders

His anger is still something ugly and incredibly hurtful when someone is on the receiving end of it, but he doesn't get into physical fights anymore

He's not the violent man he was as a teen and young adult

Whereas before he would yell and deliver words that cut deep without hesitation in his temper, now he's far more sinister

It starts with passive aggression. Malicious compliance. Hinting that you should probably stop doing whatever is encouraging his wrath

If someone continues to make him angry however and they're not a loved one or someone he cares for deeply, that's when he'll unleash his temper

There's no violence, but personal space is thrown out of the window

Instead of the yelling and violence of his early years, instead there is an eerie, intimidating quiet as he closes the gap with an emotionless, terrifying glare

He never forget how to sense what would hurt someone the most, and he uses that to his advantage if someone has hurt a loved one of his particularly badly

Secondo also has his own secluded room in the abbey that gets refilled with breakable items for him to throw and smash when he needs to let his anger and emotions out without effecting you or anyone else around him

He uses it much more after he meets you because while he isn't the man he used to be that doesn't mean he didn't need to continue working on himself

If someone hurts or upsets you, they hurt and upset him and that simply will not do

An 'accident' may befall someone if they cause you physical harm and trauma

There are rumours whispered around the abbey that he had someone maimed for hurting you (these rumours are exaggerations, but he does nothing to deny them)

Everyone knows at this point to avoid angering him and getting him to those points, so thankfully it doesn't happen often

He's still a work in progress, and his overprotective streak is the one thing he hasn't managed to tame or overcome yet. But perhaps in time he will

Until then, the number one rule in the Ministry?

Don't piss of Secondo Emeritus. Just don't

#tw: violence #tw: anger #secondo #papa emeritus ii #the band ghost #headcanons #headcanon requests

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horse-girl-anthy · 1 year

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The Rose Bride: Power from Passivity

when I was first seriously trying to understand RGU, I struggled the most with how to understand Anthy. I was seeing a lot of people frame her as the mastermind behind all the manipulations in the show, yet somehow, this didn't feel right to me. on the other end, I would see people who defended Anthy's innocence in the events of the story, either by selective reading or blaming Akio as the cause of everything. I also couldn't quite accept this view, though I did feel it was important that Anthy not be condemned. through a lot of time and thinking, I have come to my own conclusions about Anthy, her powers, and her role in the narrative.

in an interview, lead writer Enokido describes Anthy as a personification of when reality enters a drama. going further, he states that because he and the other writers do not know everything about reality, they cannot know everything about Anthy, either:

Enokido: Because even us creators can’t understand Anthy’s inner thoughts (*note: naimen = inner feelings, interiority, true self). We created her while in search of that.

–. You can’t understand anything?

Enokido: That’s right. After all, there are things about “reality” that neither I nor Ikuhara can understand. Like you know how in this world we live in, there are things we think are absurd or things we can’t confirm.

from these statements, it's clear that Anthy was designed as a character it is impossible to fully grasp.

Ikuhara echoed Enokido's description of Anthy as reality in this interview, going on to call her "a rare sort of character." there are many reasons why she could be considered unique, but I want to focus here on other things Ikuhara said about Anthy in this interview:

Ikuhara: As for whether Anthy's character herself is venemous, I don't know the answer, and while I depict her in ways that make you suspect she is, I plan to never show you whether that's out of ill will or not.

the ambiguity of Anthy's character is very important. she always has plausible deniablity; her worst deeds are implied from a clinical distance. further, Ikuhara brings up the question of intentions. even when it's unambiguous that Anthy is doing something (for instance, helping Akio to poison Kanae in episode 32), there's usually not much indication of what Anthy is feeling or thinking. it's like she's not even there.

I've always been struck by this little scene from the beginning of episode 23, when Anthy is employed at being Mamiya. she's totally alone here. if Anthy is doing Akio's bidding with full consciousness, then why do we get this scene? but on the other hand, can I say that Anthy doesn't know what's going on? of all the characters in the show, she has the best idea of what's really going on in the social system. again, contradiction and cognitive dissonance.

Anthy is magic, not of this world. can I, as a normal human being, imagine what it would be like to one second be there, and then the next to vanish out of my clothes? it's impossible.

then the question becomes, what is the nature of Anthy's magic? she is called a witch for her crime of taking the prince away from the world. that was her last free act: I would argue that Anthy's magic as a witch is not actually something that she uses as a free agent. this was first put into words for me by Alice on the Imagine Me & Utena podcast (I believe it was their focus episode on Anthy)--after listening to others debate on if Anthy truly has bad intentions or not, Alice asked, does Anthy use magic, or does magic work through her?

similarly, in his episode commentary for episode 23, Ikuhara wrote:

People’s happiness or unhappiness shouldn’t be determined by struggles over the device called “the Rose Bride.”

I find the term "device" to be an interesting one. from a meta perspective, Anthy is a device for the writers: she is used within the narrative to acheive the story's aims. she is a device for Akio: a thing to be used. in a parodoxical way, Anthy's disempowerment is her power, and her passivity allows the world to take shape around her.

Anthy became the Rose Bride through the trauma of the Swords of Hate. they left her empty. in episode 38, she says, "I thought I was just the Rose Bride, just a doll with no heart." the emotional core of the story is the search for her true self, Utena's desire to reach the heart that Anthy had forgotten she once had. however, Anthy plays her role as the Rose Bride to the end, even after she has shown her true face to Utena.

how exactly do Anthy's powers as the Rose Bride work? as a device, a mechanism, I believe that the Rose Bride simply responds to the social environment of Ohtori, with the final aim of bringing about the "End of the World." this is getting kind of esoteric, so I will use an example from the show to illustrate: a reading of Miki's early interactions with Anthy.

did Anthy go and play piano at the end of episode four in order to manipulate Miki to duel in the next episode? or is she simply manifesting what is in his heart? watching how Anthy interacts with others carefully, she operates as a projector screen, becoming whatever someone is fixated on. further, the way that they view her can radically affect the way she is portrayed from episode to episode. while Anthy becomes a demure angel for Miki, she is a two-faced schemer in Juri episodes.

the process doesn't stop here. next, the Rose Bride brings reality crashing down on characters' heads.

during Miki's first duel with Utena, Anthy suddenly cries out in support of Utena. this action seems wildly out of character for her supposed role in the duels. again, I believe Anthy does this because of a truth buried within Miki himself. the falsity of his pursuit of the shining thing is what Anthy exposes, revealing that the object of his affections might not be what it seems. as the Rose Bride, Anthy repeatedly destroys other characters' self-images, their worlds.

of course, Akio does appear to be pulling the strings behind Anthy's machinations throughout the narrative. perhaps this is because Akio is the End of the World, a harbringer of the death of the self. however, Akio seems incapable of riding out the process himself, staying stuck within the system, its enforcer and slave. and although he subjugates Anthy, he is tormented by the fact that she is beyond his grasp no matter what he does.

Anthy must have gotten some satisfaction out of Akio's torment, but she is more tormented than he could ever imagine. in a way, I feel as though Anthy is somewhat prideful of her position as Rose Bride; she feels that it is unchangable, a fact of life, and her adjustment to it is what allows her to keep surviving. thus, accepting things without complaint is wise. Utena is the one who challenges that, threatening Anthy with change, which can be terrifying even when what you know is endless suffering.

Anthy stabbing Utena is one of the only times that she acts out of her true feelings and her role as the Rose Bride in unison. here, I don't want to parse out all of the complex interpersonal reasons Anthy the person had to stab Utena, but instead point out that it continues to fit with the Rose Bride's purpose: she brings reality to Utena. this was always going to be the ending to her desire to be a prince, cemented when Utena takes the swords for Anthy.

the true sickness of Anthy's passivity is on display with her acceptance of the Swords of Hate. although the Rose Bride is the greatest instrument of power in Ohtori, it does nothing for Anthy herself; it comes at the cost of her sacrifice. that it is why it is difficult to frame Anthy as a mastermind. it was never going to be as easy as Anthy just making different choices, since sacrifice is demanded by the swords. she was only getting out of her position by someone taking her place, so she resigned herself. that resignation made her the subaltern base of Ohtori, able to take any form within it but her own. she must exit to be a real person.

#rgu #commentary #sigh. writing about Anthy is too hard. but i'll probably do it again bc i never run out of thoughts

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cosmicjoke · 5 months

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Ooookay, chapter 207 of "Vinland Saga"!

Ohh man, another amazing chapter. All of Thorfinn's worst fears realized.

But I think what stands out to me most here, and what I appreciate most, is the realism of how this situation with the Lnu is unfolding. Thorfinn's pacifism is an ideal worth striving for, always, but it's an ideal nonetheless, and we see once again how reality has an ugly way of intruding on that ideal. That pacifist ideal can't always, and often doesn't, account for other people and their warring nature.

We finally see Thorfinn forced to fight, for the first time in I don't even know how many chapters. Since well before the current arc, since before leaving for Vinland, since before returning to Iceland, even.

What I like about this is that the story once again isn't hiding from the complicated reality of war, and violence, and how sometimes, no matter how much we might wish it, or strive for it, peace and passivity isn't always an option. Sometimes we really are backed into a corner and violence is the only way out, and it isn't really a failing on our part, but just a reality of the world we live in.

Still, given Thorfinn's recent vow's never to resort to violence again, seeing how easily that vow was put to an impassable test, I wonder how that will affect his philosophy and world view from here on out. He selflessly sacrifices himself by jumping in front of Einar and Bug-Eyes to take the arrow the Lnu shot at them, and it's interesting to see how quickly his own instincts kicked in afterward, the way he so quickly took down the three pursuers with Hild's assistance. He hasn't had to kill anyone, yet, but I wonder if he'll really be able to hold to that pledge, given what's going on back at Arnheid's village.

Before I get to that though, I want to talk a little about what's happening to Thorfinn's relationship with Einar.

It seems like there's serious and potentially permanent erosion being done to their once unbreakable bond, and the tragedy of that erosion being instigated by war and violence isn't lost on me. There's the possibility that their friendship will be forever altered, and maybe even destroyed, depending on how things play out here, which is a devastating thought, given Einar is Thorfinn's first and truly best friend.

But we see something like resentment starting to bleed into Einar's regard for Thorfinn. Where before, he had understandable and reasonable disagreements with Thorfinn's approach, it being logical why he wouldn't want to just give up the land they'd cultivated and go back to Iceland, giving up on their dream on Throfinn's say-so, here, we see him start to accuse Thorfinn of acting as their master, with everyone else being his underlings. He's beginning to mistake Thorfinn's desire to protect everyone for Throfinn acting as some kind of dictator. When Thorfinn calls out to Einar, just before he and Bug-Eyes finally leave the scene, trying one last time to explain that he only wants to withdraw from Vinland to avoid war, we see Einar look back at him with what I can only describe as real anger and, yes, again, resentment. I can see this suddenly and rapidly widening rift between them spinning out of control, and it may lead somewhere truly ugly. I think that's especially a possibility when Einar and Bug-Eyes make it back to the village, and see what's going on there, that the Natives are already attacking the villagers. I wouldn't be surprised if some sort of scenario unfolds in which Einar takes up sides with the men like Ivar that want to go to war with the Natives to fight for the land, etc... If that happens, then it could mean an end to his and Thorfinn's friendship.

Again, this is really brilliantly executed, for the ways in which it demonstrates the tragedy of war and the things lost to war. Throfinn's and Einar's friendship would be a heavy loss, if it were to dissolve because of what's happening now.

So, back to what's going on in the village. This is bad. Really, REALLY bad.

First of all, poor Cordelia. I feel so bad for her. She tried to take up arms against the attacking Natives, and I'm sure some people wanted to see her open up a can of whoop-ass on them. But what actually happens is much more realistic. Cordelia might have Thorkill's size and strength, but she doesn't have any of his fighting skill. To expect her to actually put up a real fight against a bunch of experienced warriors wasn't fair. But it was absolutely horrifying to see Cordelia get shot full of arrows, and to see her start crying out for Thorfinn to save her.

I wonder if Cordelia is going to be the first real casualty of this war, meaning if she's the first character we've grown attached to who's going to actually die. And if that does happen, I wonder further still what that's going to do to Throfinn, and how he'll react.

He's determined right now not to kill anybody, still grasping to the hope that he can get away with simply injuring their attackers. But if he makes it back to the village and sees his own people have been slaughtered, will he be able to maintain that stance? Especially if anyone he's close to ends up dying?

It would only be natural for Thorfinn to relinquish his vow to not kill in that scenario. But no doubt it would come at a great, personal cost to him too.

"Vinland Saga" has definitely found its mojo again, and I think this entire arc has been the best since probably before Thorfinn and co. returned to Iceland the second time. I'm both extremely excited and extremely nervous about how things are going to go from here. Things aren't good. War's already broken out, so there's no avoiding the violence and loss that comes with it, only stemming the tide of it, if possible.

Bravo all around. I just adore this series.

#Vinland Saga #thorfinn karlsefni #einar vinland saga #Chapter 207 #spoilers

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sirnavergi · 1 month

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talk about lenore THIS INSTANT (please)

LENORE!!!! everyone say thank you red … again…

Lenore Caester is the general branch manager of the Verus Technologies Corp, the company behind the Safe Haven Project🙏 She commonly speaks in the royal we. She appears and disappears at the blink of an eye if you’re not actively looking at her. She’s got the kind of voice and diction you’d find in advertisements. (If u wanna get super specific her current voice claim is the fax machine in dhmis s2 ep1.)

In classic VTCO fashion she denies time (the concept).

In one of my first artworks of Lenore ever (the old ones….) she’s holding a pen with a butterfly charm! In my last reference sheet of Lenore it only has one wing. The full butterfly is usually used to symbolize the actual CEO, while the single wing is for SUGAR (the CEO).

Lenore “adopts” Axl after the finale of genesis part 2. Axl runs into Lenore in the elevator and shes like “Hey You wanna go to school?” n hes like. omg yay. school⁉️⁉️⁉️

Lenore is like an android of sorts! She’s either a dead woman put back together or simply based on a woman previously alive. She either doesn’t remember or simply no longer feels attached to anything regarding her “past life” or “identity”. To stay true to her detachment from her past I likely won’t write her origins/mention it.

She’s shown to possess a lot of admiration for the actual CEO and speaks very highly of her.

Lenore isn’t super fond of most of the characters around her relevance level in the story. Main one being Edgar Reynaud! Obv. She doesn’t like him much. She also has a negative relationship with Azimuth! Azimuth has more of an upper hand there as their source of tension is Az’s unwillingness to cooperate. This leads to her getting dragged to mundane activities and hangouts with Az that she has to sit through in the hopes that he comes around eventually. Neither Lenore or Az are open about it when they dislike someone! So while they r both aware that the other person doesn’t like them either, from a 3rd person view they have a fun dynamic i think ^_^ Lenore is generally passive aggressive in a very artificially warm corporate way, while Az likes to fashion his distaste as something more flattering… so hes VERY nice. Hes very nice about it ^_^

Lenore’s dynamic with Morgaine is also interesting to me! It’s quite common for Morgaine to be the person getting the short end of the stick. I feel like she’s always the character who simply doesn’t know background information characters around her know. I feel like it’s a very cruel way to put it but she does end up being the laughingstock very frequently… n it’s not really her fault that this happens. This kind of continues with Lenore. Lenore is her boss. But also not really, because she never actually signs a contract to work with the company. There’s stuff Morgaine confines in Lenore, simply because she has to talk to SOMEBODY and theres not a lot of options. Ok apologies for the morgaine rant i love morgaine can u tell shes one of my favorite characters lmao . She’s still an outsider in the new world that’s been established. For many reasons. It’s kind of when you learn how a magic trick works and it just ruins the magic for you. She was there when a good chunk of the new world was being built, and she knows enough of it is false to be able to ignore it and live a “normal” life. Her normalcy isn’t whatever this is. Therefore she has to confine in people who are also outside this “normalcy”. Lenore is a good candidate for this very reason. For Morgaine, Lenore is the closest thing she can get to talking with a real person who’s also not going to invalidate every second thing she says. Lenore is semi-aware of this. She’s also aware of how horrified Morgaine was to learn the guy she thought she murdered was actually a robot. N there’s a little humor in it for Lenore. Because she’s also a robot.

On a less lore related note, I initially designed Lenore based on a random oc generator prompt thing i got from a website bc I was bored 🤧

Lenore also briefly shows up in a prequel story titled UO! She accompanies Una Hearthelow (creator of The quantum computer / edgar) to a vcto owned skyscraper.

If you remember The Umbrella ™ cycle, Lenore holds an umbrella over Morgaine at the finale of World’s End.

More character design details wise… She’s blue! Obviously because she’s a textbook #BC (aspect type). But she also has some pinks. Who are the pinks associated with? The CEO!!!!! Yippeee!!!! She also has very organic shapes throughout her design, with her dress somewhat resembling waves or water. These are also stuff associated with the actual CEO. She does have my statement square/rectangle shaped irises I give most of my robot-ai-any sorta techy characters! (It’s mostly a stylistic choice, her eyes likely just look. “normal” to everyone else) Her pupils are the 2 triangle hourglass-like shape that’s the vtco logo! Her eyes are a more purple color, i think mainly bc i just like it that way. But u could read into it with knowledge of what purple is associated with in my character designs/worldbuilding.

I’ll call it a day for now…. Feel free to ask me more specific details like dynamics with other characters yada yada.. either here or on discord 🫡

#oc lore #v teatime #key answering questions :3 #lenore caester

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