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#just i understand and it makes narrative sense
sxnshxnxxnddxxsxxs · 6 hours
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why do people always have damian refer to talia as mother or talia?
now i’m gonna preface this by saying i don’t speak arabic nor am i arab but arab people feel beyond free to just tell me to stay in my lane.
that being said it makes zero sense to me that damian refers to talia as mother or her first name. this goes for both canon and fanon.
mother makes no sense to me because he wouldn’t have grown up saying mother, like you expect me to believe that in nanda parbat damian was referring to his mother in english absolutely not. and while i understand the idea that once he moves to gotham he tries to assimilate i don’t think he would do that my addressing talia as mother. like he might say my mother when referring to her in general. but when actually speaking to her or about her to her family that just feels very unnatural to me.
talia also makes no sense to me. like is to showcase their tumultuous relationship sure okay but i have never in my life seen or heard of a brown person or a poc in general directly refer to their parents as their first name. like when they’re not around sure but as a direct address never. i say this as a poc myself. like you expect me to just believe that talia would allow that. absolutely not. like no matter your stance on respectability politics i feel like addressing your elders with the appropriate respect is a pretty universal thing especially among poc. and you can still portray a tumultuous relationship between parents and children without having an element that’s so aberrative.
i think it especially pisses me off in fanon because people love to have damian refer to bruce or dick as baba as like evidence of their improving relationship but then have talia be called talia or mother. and if the reasoning is that damian and talia’s relationship is so bad that he’s doing this purposefully to put this space between them then that should be demonstrated in the narrative. that this is a recent change, an unnatural one, it isn’t instinctual, but it is purposeful. i mean there are also other issues with talia and damian having a horrible relationship but i find that most of that comes down to talias post 2001 characterisation so i wont go into it but i defo think writers should keep in mind. no media is ever created in a vacuum.
anyway from a little bit of research i’ve done i’ve found that yumma, ommah and omm are all very common ways to say mother. there are loads of different ways to say mother because arabic has so many different dialects. i’ve also found out that ommi el-habiba means my beloved mother which i could totally see damian saying really bitingly if he is fighting with talia.
once again arab people feel free to correct me or tell me to mind my business. but also i think about this a lot like even mama makes far more sense to me than mother or talia
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An Analysis of Alhaitham’s Story Quest In Its Relation To Kaveh & Queercoding In Pride and Prejudice
An inherently romantic connotation can be found in Alhaitham’s Story Quest, as the last quest of The Illusions of the Mob is entitled ‘Pride and Prejudice’. Firstly, the content of Alhaitham’s Story Quest and how it can be related to Kaveh will be explored in order to further identify the romantic connotations present here.
Within ‘The Illusions of The Mob’ similarities exist between Ilyas and Kaveh, not only in their views on conformity, but also in overcoming prejudices formed around Alhaitham’s character. As The Illusions of The Mob story quest deals with Alhaitham’s views on the individual as compared to the collective, just as expounded upon in his character stories. Considering this, it makes sense that Kaveh be of relevance within this story quest, since, as previously discussed, Kaveh and Alhaitham’s character stories are written in response to one another, particularly on their respective ideas on individual talent and the collective. Therefore, whilst these parallels between Alhaitham’s story quest and Kaveh are speculatory – lacking conclusive textual evidence that these links are deliberate – it is still relevant to discuss Ilyas’s character development within this quest, as it can be seen to closely align with that of the narrative push for Kaveh’s progression.
Ilyas is part of Siraj’s Hive Mind, in which he functions as an extension of Siraj and is therefore subject to Siraj’s thoughts and emotions. Ilyas consented to becoming part of the Hive Mind due to his longing to conform to a mass collective after reporting the fraud of a revered researcher, was labelled as a ‘hero’, and therefore was shunned by other scholars, ultimately misunderstood by those around him.
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In an attempt to avoid being singled out as ‘other’, he sought the collective as a means of comfort, and thus rejected his own merits and individualism. This mirrors that of Kaveh’s longing to fit in which stems from his prioritisation of others above himself, and with this, his rejection of the title as a ‘genius’, due to this ostracising himself from others.
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After the dismantlement of the Hive Mind, Ilyas reveals that where he initially wanted to conform in order to fit into the collective, he could not perpetually commit himself to do so, as his own differing opinions still set him apart. He realises that the collective is not “powerful” like he had previously thought, and this understanding encourages him to aspire to not care about conforming, “just like Alhaitham."
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In this sense, it is of note that Alhaitham asserts that the Hive Mind’s downfall was ultimately down to people’s differing thoughts and opinions, and that they were reminded of their own individuality due to Alhaitham’s promptings: “A few words were enough. Believe in the power of words...”
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Ilyas opting to reject the collective in favour of considering himself more mirrors that of Alhaitham’s desire for Kaveh to better prioritise himself in order to be free of expectations and obligations forced upon him by others (this is discussed more in detail here). It is how Ilyas is able to realise this which is of particular interest, as it is ultimately through Alhaitham’s words to him commenting on his own merits which led to downfall of the Hive Mind:  “… What I said to Ilyas was the trigger for all of this."
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Through Alhaitham, and through Alhaitham’s words, does Ilyas choose to prioritise himself. By drawing this parallel between Kaveh and Ilyas, a possibility can be surmised of what Kaveh could benefit from adopting this particular aspect of Alhaitham’s philosophy in the potential betterment of himself. However, this appears to only be possible through mutual understanding in expression (this is further explored here), as Alhaitham’s words and how he conveys his meaning can serve as the catalyst for Kaveh’s potential betterment, just as they serve Ilyas.
In terms of prejudices, there exists a link between the pride and prejudice propagated within Siraj’s Hive Mind and that of the relationship between Kaveh and Alhaitham. In this, Ilyas can be viewed as a narrative foil for Kaveh. Whereas Ilyas’ prejudices and his innate “loathing” of Alhaitham stemmed from the leader of the Hive Mind, Siraj, he recognises that these prejudices he holds against Alhaitham are, actually, unfounded, as he finds Alhaitham to not be someone he would dislike to such an extent.
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Upon returning to the Hive, Ilyas’ personal perception of Alhaitham is introduced to the collective consciousness and thus contradicts the prejudices against Alhaitham that Siraj has propagated. This gives rise to “new conflict” as these two differing perceptions of Alhaitham struggle to co-exist. These juxtaposing impressions of Alhaitham act as the catalyst for the collapse of the Hive Mind.
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This contradiction of perceptions is interesting in considering Kaveh’s dual versions of Alhaitham, in which he appears to recognise that there is a mutual regard between him and Alhaitham in that they are ultimately known only, through and through, by the other, all the while believing that Alhaitham holds “disdain” for him and his ideologies.
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Ilyas’ prejudice against Alhaitham is founded on Siraj’s hatred of Alhaitham due to Alhaitham having once rejected Siraj’s research proposal. This caused Siraj to believe that Alhaitham saw himself as superior due to his perceived arrogance that comes from the title of being a ‘genius’.
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However, Alhaitham states that, contrarily, he never looked down upon Siraj and instead exercised objectivity, which Siraj misinterpreted to his particular way of thinking, and ultimately his own arrogance due to his need to be correct, and therefore his dependence on other people’s opinions of him.
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There are similarities present between the conception of Siraj’s prejudice against Alhaitham and that of Kaveh’s, both being formed from an assertion of their own ideals to be correct; that Alhaitham distancing himself from others is due to a perceived arrogance; and that Alhaitham’s rejection of their ideals is an assertion of this arrogance, and therefore a personal attack. Ilyas, then, harbouring Siraj’s hatred for Alhaitham is a prejudice, which Ilyas himself debunks once understanding why Alhaitham behaves in the way that he does, being that of objectivity rather than arrogance, and thus, this contradicts with Siraj’s impression of Alhaitham.
In this, Ilyas can be viewed as a narrative foil for Kaveh. Upon discovering that Siraj’s hatred of Alhaitham is unfounded, and that his prejudice is incorrect, Ilyas reinterprets Alhaitham through his own perspective, and decides, that he does not dislike Alhaitham, and ultimately, he admires that Alhaitham has no fear in not conforming to the collective in order to stay true to his ideologies.
With Kaveh holding dual versions of Alhaitham, his prejudices borne from a belief of Alhaitham’s arrogance must be surmounted in order to reinterpret Alhaitham, and with this, the meaning behind Alhaitham’s behaviour. Just as with Ilyas, as established, this has the potential to be achieved through communication, as with Alhaitham’s words does Ilyas understand why Alhaitham behaves the way he does. If communicated properly, it is possible that Kaveh can interpret Alhaitham’s comments on his detrimental philosophies as concern, rather than arrogance, and therefore forego the belief that Alhaitham holds “disdain” for him.
The parallels between Ilyas and Kaveh can further be drawn when the Traveler and Paimon are invited back to Alhaitham’s house, and Kaveh is introduced as Alhaitham’s roommate. Kaveh shows embarrassment over being discovered living with Alhaitham, due to his fronting as a successful architect, and begs the Traveler and Paimon not to disclose this information to others.
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Alhaitham follows this by stating that he has books on “collectives” at home, referring to them being the reason he invited the Traveller and Paimon over. Kaveh’s desperation in avoiding his financial situation to be discovered by others, the collective that he seeks to conform to, is directly tied in with the nature of Alhaitham’s story quest, being that of focussing on the individual rather than the collective.
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Returning to queercoding, romantic connotation can be located within a less speculatory aspect of The Illusions of The Mob and stems from its final quest title. The inherent nature of Alhaitham’s Story Quest pertaining to Kaveh and their miscommunication holds an explicit romantic connotation when considering the origin of the quest title ‘Pride and Prejudice’. This title serves as a reference to the novel of the same title by Jane Austen published in 1813.
To reference Pride and Prejudice within Alhaitham’s Story Quest is to make direct parallels between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy to Kaveh and Alhaitham, which are irrevocably romantic parallels. Elizabeth Bennet can be identified as the ‘Pride’ in the title, whereas Mr. Darcy is identified as ‘Prejudice’. Kaveh, then, can easily be assigned as ‘pride’ due to it being labelled as his shortcoming by Alhaitham in A Parade of Providence.
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The role of Mr. Darcy can then be assigned to Alhaitham, who, although may not be blinded by prejudice, shares common attributes of Mr. Darcy’s character, in being socially adverse and blunt in his manner of speaking, despite having great awareness of social etiquette, thus allowing for others to easily form misconceptions of him.
Relating this to the analysis of The Illusions of the Mob, then, the parallels between Ilyas and Kaveh can be used to ascertain a potential future for Alhaitham and Kaveh. Kaveh overcoming his pride borne from the “correctness” of his ideals, in comparison to those that Alhaitham perceivably once asserted over him, goes hand in hand with the overturning of the prejudices formed against Alhaitham – just as Elizabeth Bennet must overcome the misconceptions formed of Mr. Darcy’s character in order to better to both understand herself and Mr. Darcy.
The romantic connotation here is conceived from the alignment of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett’s opposing viewpoints ultimately leading to matrimony. This future romantic attachment as a potentiality is generated upon the quest title of ‘Pride and Prejudice’, with Alhaitham and Kaveh being narratively assigned the roles of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. Considering this, the purpose of identifying this queercoding is not to allude to a potential canonical confirmation of a romantic relationship between the two, but instead highlight the romantic speculation that can be garnered by the game's referencing this novel.
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starlight-bread-blog · 11 hours
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"Katara Just Needed To Heal Zuko's Scar"
I understand why this argument is being made. After all, she offered to heal Zuko, and so she does. So why are the shippers trying to paint it as some romantic moment? It's a reasonable question. But I'm gonna try to answer it.
Zuko and Katara weren't in love in this scene for two reasons: Firstly, it's their first conversation, making any romantic development feel rushed and unnatural. Secondly, as fictional characters, they don't possess hidden feelings, unless the writers have confirmed otherwise.
So what argument is being made? The argument is that this moment is an example of ship baiting and could have served as romantic build up if the writers decided to go down that route, and I'll explain why.
1# Just because an action was necessary, doesn't mean it can't be seen as romantic
I know how this sounds, but hear me out. Let us take a look at another show, where you'd least expect to see a romantic connection, and the action was completely necessary. I want to discuss Rick and Morty's Beth x Beth.
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Beth is the last person who'd have tension with Beth, clearly it's disgusting. And she really did have to install that chip. But the thought did cross your mind, they did get together, and this scene was romantic build up, despite not being romantic in-universe.
Now that we've looked at the most extreme example ever, it's time to look at a classic: Aladdin. One of the most iconic moments in the movie is when Aladdin simply offers his hand to Jasmine so she'd get on the flying carpet, asking "Do you trust me"?
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Aladdin isn't asking if Jasmine trusts him because they're deeply bonded, he asks that because she's scared to get on the flying carpet. And he isn't reaching for her hand because he wants to hold her hand, he reaches because she'd needhelp getting on it. And yet, it's universally recognized as an incredibly romantic moment.
Very often writers use the mundane necessities like casual touch to set up romantic tension. This narrative approach allows for the gradual planting of the idea in the audience's mind, even in situations where intimacy may not be overtly present, adding nuance and depth to romantic storylines. And in fiction, it's everywhere.
2# The set up wasn't just necessity, it was an intimate moment
In this section I won't try to prove the gesture was romantic, I simply think it's crucial to understand the scene before analyzing it. Katara offering to heal Zuko's scar wasn't a necessity, the touch was the necessity after she already made the offer. This leaves us with a scene that begins with Katara thinking of Zuko as "the face of the enemy", and ends with Katara attempting to heal Zuko's scar.
The moment became intimate the second Katara brought up her mother, and Zuko, who doesn't normally share his emotions, make and effort to connect. Thus, they began to view the other differently, as someone similar to them.
Still, this is their first conversation. And Katara is under no obligation to be even somewhat nice to him. But she decides to use her spirit water on him, and if she had, Aang would have died. That's how important the spirit water is. Saying she "just needed to heal is scar" is quite reductant in my opinion. Choosing to heal him in and of itself is a radical and intimate decision.
Still, non of what I said so far is indicative of romantic build up. Nor is giving other examples from fiction of necessities being romantic indicative of this one being too. So, it's time to finally talk about the touch.
3# The action wasn't actually necessary, to the point where it makes very little sense
Let's remember how Katara did heal using the spirit water:
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She bends the water straight on Aang's back and starts bending it. I repeat: She bends the water straight on the injury.
So writers, please do tell me, if Katara wanted to heal Zuko's scar, where is the water?
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No water and no healing, becsuse it wouldn't look as intimate/shippy with water. Instead, what we got is two shots highlighting the pysical touch between them with soft violin sounds in the background.
In literature, what isn't in text isn't important and should be disregarded. Here, on paper Katara is healing Zuko's scar, but in practice there is no water and all of the focus is on the touching. Therefore, it's signaling the viewers that even though she just needs to cure him, it isn't important. With Katara's thumb on Zuko's lips, with a close up shot on the contact, the only thing that matters is, apparently, their pysical touch.
Additonally, they were interrupted before Katara could do actually anything anyway. In a universe where this scene wasn't ship teasing, Katara would take out the water, almost lay them on Zuko's scar, and then Aang and Iroh would break them out of the cave. Logically, Katara's hand shouldn't have gone anywhere near Zuko, and if it did, it should have looked incredibly unappealing.
But it didn't. In this already very intimate moment, the show puts all the focus on the pysicality of the healing, rather than the healing, and breaking its own logic to do so. Thus, they made it look a lot less like a simple necessity, but rather an act of pure intimacy, as often done in fiction when portraying romantic tension. And that's why this scene was ship baiting.
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Thank you for your post on Izzy being a father figure to Ed that isn’t sexual/romantic, at least on Ed's part. I understand some people may still interpret it in that way and that's fine, but I honestly don't see any evidence of the show trying to suggest there was any sexual/romantic feeling's from Ed's side.
Coincidentally, I just saw a post where someone literally said DJ was WRONG for saying Izzy is a father figure. And I'm like ??? So you're saying that the fucking writer of the show, is wrong for interpreting HIS OWN SHOW in that way, because your reading of the relationship is that it was all highly sexual, romantic etc? If that's what you wanna believe then fine, but how can you just refuse to accept the creator's interpretations of his own narrative?
Sorry if this doesn't make any sense, that post just made my brain shut down for a sec and I just needed to reach out to a like-minded person.
I struggle to interpret it as a sexual/romantic love based on what we see on the screen. A fanfiction idea that people want to play with? OK, very much not my thing, but fanfiction is fanfiction. Within canon, Ed does not express romantic or sexual feelings towards Izzy, and I do personally think that the other interpretation—that Izzy feels one way and Ed another—is way more interesting and complicated.
I'd also say that Izzy doesn't really feel that way for Ed. He feels that way for Blackbeard, who is a persona of Ed's that has increasingly trapped him. There's so much there about masculinity and sexuality and it's really interesting to unpack.
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highball66 · 2 days
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So after I was working on my concept for a script of a cry game and three journal articles later, I somehow found myself working on what seems to be an essay on what makes Leon a tragic character. Granted I haven't pulled out any of the books on tragedy I have, but for me it seems that Leon's tragic flaw, if looking from the perspective of a Greek Tragedy, would being to empathic and kind. If the details about his childhood remain the same, a lot of his actions even going back to why he decided to be a cop is rooted in being understanding. Looking at the story in Vendetta, a lot of his internal conflict comes from how much he cares about people, ie his guilt. I can't remember if it was just something that I imagined but Leon being more in touch with his emotions contrasts Chris, who seems to be the more traditionally masculine character, especially in the first two games, which would make sense for contrasting sequel main characters. So I was wondering on your thoughts on the tragedy of character's in RE. Lol I just hope my random spill of thoughts make sense.
Haha it's definitely not something you imagined-- Chris and Leon were created to be narrative foils. I'd argue Chris is very in-tune with his emotions, they just manifest in a different way that Leon's. But Leon is a very tragic character. He's excited for his first day, coming in even after they told him to stay away only to be confronted with a literal apocalypse. Along the way, he finds out that the systems he believed in were extremely corrupt (even apart from the RPD being more or less owned by Umbrella and the gov helping Umbrella, the chief was also a massive piece of shit and the RPD was very corrupt), so his "dream job" would never have worked out the way he wanted to anyway. And then he escaped, finally free... until he gets kidnapped by the government and forced into serving them in order to protect Sherry. Then he relives his trauma over and over again. He'll never get justice for what happened to him, and he'll likely never escape from the government. Bioterrorism won't stop, so he spends his life fighting the root cause of his trauma over and over again while continuously re-traumatizing himself and doing it all... unwillingly.
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coffeeandsadbooks · 17 hours
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In replies to my post a couple of people have expressed the opinion that Erik didn't care about Wille going through rough initiation/saw it as a necessary experience for his brother.
@raincitygirl76: "Erik wasn’t worried about Wilhelm’s upcoming initiation in 1.01 because Erik got initiated as a first year himself, and it was probably nearly as or just as brutal as the initiation he subjected August, Nils, Vincent etc to. It’s Wilhelm’s turn to suffer. In a few years it’ll be his turn to inflict the suffering. So Erik isn’t worried about Wilhelm.
That’s how hazing perpetuates itself. Most people who went through it and survived convince themselves it wasn’t as bad as they remember. So they pack their own kids (or in this case their kid brother) off to the place where they got hazed, and they don’t see it as a problem.
Erik would be considered a lousy Forest Ridge graduate if he gave his little brother a heads up beforehand that it would be brutal. Or if Erik asked August to go easy on Wilhelm. Erik doing so would imply to the current third years that Erik thinks Wilhelm is weak. If he cant get through the typical initiation unlike all the other boys, is Wilhelm even worthy of belonging to Forest Ridge?
So no, Erik would neither warn Wilhelm nor intervene with August."
I see how it could work in real life but it doesn't work for a piece of media. Because it is the opposite of good storytelling. Good storytelling means introducing important themes in the beginning, not two episodes before a series finale. Good storytelling means including hints and clues that start to make sense only after the reveals are made.
SA plotline turned out to be crucial for how conflicts in the show had been resolved. It was an important if not the main factor behind Wille's intention to renounce his title in the future. Therefore, SA plotline should have been treated as such since the very first episode.
If it was conceived as pivotal at the very beginning, we would see the signs of it.
For example:
Erik wouldn't look like a happy idiot while in Hillerska. Maybe he wouldn't have a talk with August or warn Wille, but we would see something was bothering him;
during the parents' weekend some of them could express their concern over initiation rituals back in their days;
the initiation August, Nils and Vincent went through should have been discussed — by them or by other senior students;
the warnings Hillerska supposedly got in the last decade would have been mentioned;
when Henry was talking about Hillerska's problem with applications or when the headmistress was insisting on August paying tuition, Hillerska's financial situation could have been connected to its toxic culture;
Sara's initiation was a great moment to give the audience a hint: yes, rituals of The Manor House are crazy, but they are nothing in comparison to the Forest Ridge ones.
None of that was done. A crucial plotline has been consistently treated as backdrop to the main plot. Why?
I don't follow interviews of the cast and creators, but my understanding is that Lisa Ambjörn has been actively participating in shaping a certain narrative around her writing. She specifically insists that the plot of the whole show had been established even before S1 started shooting.
SA plotline and the glaring absence of foreshadowing around it is just one example that makes me question this narrative.
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joelletwo · 2 days
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gintama time loop reading that i had while watching
(laid out for my own reference. this doesnt have to interest u guys.)
okay so like. watching gintama and getting to kintoki arc. what i knew was 1. i was getting into the anime art style changes i had varying feelings about which signaled 2. i was getting into the back half of gintama 3. what i knew about the back half of gintama is that utsuro exists, gintoki did something fucked up on that cliff that ppl cant stop talking about and drawing parallels to with every arc of gintama, and ppl (i sensed) think the writing of the ending is stupid
kintoki arc has yorozuya and tae promise:
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before breaking Gintama The Series into a distorted au where the chars are WILDLY different but still play out their roles to their arc-concluding purposes. birthing in me the image of a gintama that can fill any shaped-hole you put it in and still have the same basic inherent form it moves towards (whatever happened on that cliff, which i sensed was being gestured at in kintoki arc w the beheadment seppuku but had no idea the fucking. extent of lol)
gintama making formal changes (ugly or lovely art style shifts, at some point a radical change in thrust of story with the introduction of utsuro as a final and plot-twisty villain) but (hoping that it's) remaining the same at heart... or being railroaded into being the same. somehow the yorozuya promise became about. being cognizant of being in the narrative timeloop** and being subjected to Circumstances. being cognizant that something was being taken from u (catharsis of ending--) and also inflicted on u (--replaced with episodic and genre-typical* endless storylines)
(*not a slam. just that gintama's storylines are all about like. accepting the horrors. which is a journey of experiencing the horrors in order to come to terms with them that is harrowing to be subjected to over and over and over again. [cest la vie]
**and timeloop was also being flavored by me understanding yoo joonghyuk orv's regressions as about the endless iterative failures of making progress on a journey of recovery from trauma. all timeloops are about that to me now.)
thought shelved until obi-one's arc where, although i understood him as an oboro figure, he was performing a shouyoutsuro role of being a dearly missed mentor figure who comes back for happy family times yayyyyy but oh no he came back Wrong (a disabled cyborg programmed to betray against his own will). and Evil (needs to be taken down, and the shimuras-through-gintoki have to be the ones to dismantle their own happiness that it turns out was always retroactively tinted by this grief).
the presentation of nostalgia as longing for a return to the past that cant actually be achieved. or rather, you can achieve it, but Time changes things, and the past you get back won't actually be the same.
this helps me shift what i know about utsuro (shouyou but Wrong) into being about. what actually isnt that textually present in the series? but has to be assumed, i think? bc like? of course? the desire to have shouyou back (tho now i ask: whose? gintoki's? again, not really... in the text?). you can have shouyou (idealized gintama timeperiod where everyone is happy and innocent) back! you can have all the shouyou (early days swagful gintama anime that i am constantly missing as i move into the future material) back that you want! and its gonna fucking suck (for the chars and for the audience)!
and that basically ends up being the framing thought i take with me into utsuro's introduction................... it gets lost the more i actually see him and late-game gintama for myself and gain the context i never had for everyones blogging i was seeing. but. still. the theme i understood to be what gintama was telling me. you cant get back what you lost. and if (when) you try, you only come face to face with what was damaged in the losing.
however...................................
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the further i got into silver soul and through to the ending the more it was............ interesting but confusing that, as i put it, the chars were "fighting the representation of the dangers of Nostalgia with More Nostalgia"?
and still i dont know what to do with the ultimate last-pages ending of gintama being a return to the status quo (with cosmetic changes). yay we defeated the evil specter of our past that haunted us and kept us in the desire timeloop. now we can get back to the episodic timeloop that we spent the fight with the specter... desiring to get back. hm. well!
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cemeterything · 7 months
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regardless of its other successes or failures one thing i feel that the magnus archives did really well was create a narrative and worldbuilding that refuses to allow you to categorize its characters by the dichotomy of 'abuser' and 'victim' without ignoring major themes that define the shape and course of the entire story. despite one of its most central themes being that "we all get a choice, even if it doesn't feel like one" many of the characters we encounter are faced with genuinely horrifying ethical dilemmas that emphasize just how difficult that choice actually is to make, and allow the audience to sympathize with their plight even if not with their actions and decisions. many of the avatars are arguably just as much victims of the entities they serve as they are perpetrators of the violence they cause, and those who fight them in many cases choose to descend to monstrosity themselves in order to be able to keep pushing back - a choice some of them try to rationalize to themselves by arguing that the magnitude of the threat they face necessitates that the ends justify the means, but which is nevertheless a choice that they make, and one with a devastatingly high cost that is repeatedly, unflinchingly presented to both them and the audience. the human capacity to exercize our free will for better or for worse whilst taking into account the various internal and external influences that may affect the decisions we make is thoroughly explored with a great deal of care and nuance that i appreciate.
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oh-wow-im-still-here · 6 months
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Im so sorry but I just cannot understand people that read the entirety of scum villain and then say they don't like binghe. He's awful, toxic, overbearing, ect. Like?? Yes, but also no??? Did you not read the book? Or even looked past the unreliable narration?
Like, I get it, you're reading it in the moment and sqq is a super fun and imaginative narrator, he easily traps you in the same mindset that he has. Trapping you in the world of genres, tropes, character archetypes, what makes a story a story. So it's easy to get clouded like sqq and just scratch your head and try to figure out what type of character archtype luo binghe will turn out to be. If he's not the stallion protagonist harem master anymore, than what is he? So you read book 2 and the start of book 3 and you think, "oh! If he's not gonna be the toxic male power fantasy anymore, than he's gonna be the toxic male love interest fantasy you see in BL!"
You know the ones. They're incredibly sexy, incredibly tall, needs an incredibly in depth course on the meaning of consent and boundaries, and the narrative never punishes them for doing weird and out of line shit, but actively romanticize it. Which fits binghe in some respects, but not all of them, same as the stallion protag box. So I can understand you and sqq's apprehension throughout the story. Waiting for the hat to drop already. Is binghe a cute wholesome wife or a possessive bloodthirsty demon lord?
But then you and shen qingqiu are supposed to learn the lesson near the end that binghe is a person!! With thoughts and feelings and grievances he wants addressed!!! That ultimately he is in the exact middle of the harem master protag to toxic yaoi male lead scale, but also not on the scale at all!!!
Because, ultimately, he is just a guy that desperately wants to be loved! To be wanted! That's it! And shen qingqiu realizes this and takes this complicated emotional wreck of a man and promises him that love and companionship. Shedding the notions of following some sort of thought out narrative and live out their happy ending. Because scum villain's story does end up happy. Messy, but happy. Shen Qingqiu is not suffering. He does not regret choosing Luo Binghe. They are both happy and in love and they both deserve each other. So like, what more do you want?
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dollypopup · 3 months
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thinking about the 'I would never court Penelope Featherington' scene again and how angry our fandom has been at Colin for it for the last two years and wondering. . .what exactly was he meant to say?
Lord Fife and his friends are *slimy*. They are gross. They have 0 respect for women. Fife isn't *Colin's* friend. Fife is *Anthony's* friend. Fife runs in Anthony's circles. Misogynistic circles with misogynistic language. Fife and Co. are out here saying the debutantes are only good for being 'wed, bed, and bred'. Fife is the one out here, well into his 30s and with an established title, fucking an 18 year woman raw on her first year out in the marriage mart with 0 intention to marry her. That is 10000% an act of violence in this society. And you *know* he's bragging about it. Hell, he was probably bragging about it right before he asked Colin about Penelope.
Colin's not in those circles. Colin has female friends. Colin respects his mother. Colin cares for his sisters. The worst thing Colin has EVER said about a woman was to call her 'cruel'.
So. . .what is Colin meant to say? "No, we're just friends" isn't going to fly for people like Fife. As IF he wouldn't reply with 'Yeah, suuuuuure, wink wink nudge nudge'. Thus ruining Penelope and fucking over her future completely. A lesser man than Colin would have let them think what they wanted, and that would have still ruined Penelope in their eyes. Silence? Incriminating.
And he doesn't want FIFE of all people to know about his close friendship with Penelope. Fife who has never once been seen respecting a woman. Fife who has never once viewed a woman as a person and not a sexual conquest. Penelope is a safe place for Colin. Is precious to him. He KNOWS that conversation could have destroyed her reputation.
People talk about how he 'ruined her prospects', but in actuality, Colin responding the way he did. . .likely SAVED her prospects. There was NOTHING he could have said except for a vehement refusal, completely shutting down the conversation, that would have spared her from their judgement and cruelty. Sure, they laughed, and maybe it was at Pen. Maybe it was at Colin. (frankly, how good of a twist would it be if they WERE laughing at Colin? Colin the 'green' boy back from his travels after being oh so gullible and getting lied to by his ex fiance? Anthony made fun of Colin for being a virgin, we think these men, all 10+ years older than him, wouldn't do the same?) But at least they didn't go 'yeah, I guess she's a ruined woman' about it, because that *would* have destroyed her reputation
We talk about how Colin could have worded it differently, but honestly?
I think he said the exact right thing in those circumstances
#polin#penelope featherington#colin bridgerton#bridgerton#lord fife#lord cho#fife and company are so gross to me i do NOT understand the narrative of fife just wanting pen for himself#she's a little too old for him at this point considering he's looking for his girlfriend on a playground don't you think?#sorry not sorry i will forever be a colin apologist#no but really what should he have said????#'oh yeah we're fucking six ways to sunday?'#'no she's just my friend'? - Fife doesn't believe for a MOMENT that a man can value a woman as a friend#colin is the best man in that entire bunch but somehow he's the one we've demonized?#make it make sense#and sure he should apologize for talking about her behind her back- but Penelope should also then apologize for the same#we talk a lot about him being 'knocked off the pedestal' but in reality we've put him on the highest pedestal possible#colin is a GOOD man#he is arguably the best man in the entire series#at least he's the man with the best intentions and the least harm#and so when he fucks up we feel it ten fold because he was already so good#but when gross dudes fuck up we just expect it of them and give them a pass#we expect colin to not only be better- but to be perfect#and he isn't he can't be#he didn't say it perfectly#but OBVIOUSLY his intentions in that scene aren't malicious#and it's not locker room talk either?#look at the optics: Colin is 22 being asked by these 30+ year old dudes 'sooooo are you boinking the girl'?#one season after his engagement blew up publicly#in the season where no one listens to his travel stories#the season after he was virgin shamed
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thranduel · 2 years
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the big difference between these two relationships
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*these are my own personal opinions based on what i’ve observed in the show!! obviously all of these characters love each other so much but i just don't think mike and el work together romantically, while mike and will do (and there are so many reasons why!)
as we all know, mike and will completely understand each other and relate to each other, they feel like equals, they're honest with each other, they have many deep and meaningful heart-to-heart conversations and they can actually be themselves when they’re together. mike and el don't fully understand each other or relate to each other, they feel completely different from one another (mike admitted he feels inferior to el and el admitted she feels like she doesn't belong anywhere), they lie to each other, they don't have any deep and meaningful heart-to-heart conversations and they can’t even be themselves when they’re together (they literally prove this in the show).
el believes that mike has been scared of her several times and sees her as a monster (obviously we know he doesn’t actually think she is one), but the point is that she still feels like a monster, and there are several scenes where mike unintentionally triggers traumatic memories of brenner right after he gets angry at el when she does something that scares him (like when she accidentally hurt lucas and and when she hit angela with the rollerskate). obviously mike and brenner are NOT the same at all, they are completely different people, but there are some parallels between them when it comes to how they view el as a superhero and how they put pressure on her to always save the day (“you’re MY superhero!”, “you can fly!”) and how they praise her for her powers more than who she actually is as a person. they’ve both called her “incredible” several times but it’s always about her abilities. but with will on the other hand, mike has always made him feel safe and comfortable for who he is and he doesn’t feel like a mistake at all because of mike. he has always been extremely protective, observant and caring towards will and he knows how to make him feel loved and accepted. the only time mike upsets will is when he excludes him, but the only reason he excludes him is because he forces himself to pay attention to el and then he pretends to be someone he’s not when he’s with her… see, it just shows how it’s not healthy or fair to anyone and mike can only be himself when he’s with will.
mike and el
season 4 episode 3: during their fight scene, el tells mike that she’s different from everyone else. he tries explaining that he understands what she’s going through because he’s been bullied his whole life but she says he never will. this already shows us that they don’t feel equal to each other in the relationship and they’re never on the same page, because unfortunately, they are very different and have experienced different things in their life, and no matter how long they date, they always will be different. obviously relationships can work like this in some cases, but the thing is with mike and el, they don’t have any sort of character growth or development at all. they don’t become stronger as a couple. in fact, i think they’ve only gotten worse. they can’t even communicate honestly or be themselves around each other. they’ve never had a meaningful heart-to-heart conversation or resolved their conflicts properly. they constantly lie and pretend to be people they’re not (el literally lied to mike the entire time they were sending letters and acted like her life was good when it wasn’t) and mike acts so different around el and forces himself to focus on her which results in him excluding all his friends. this isn’t healthy or fair to anyone, and continuing to force two teenagers in a relationship where they don’t understand each other and can’t even be themselves with each other is really weird. anyways, el says “you think i’m a monster too” and mike doesn’t really try hard to deny it, he just lies and makes her feel like she’s being ridiculous like he’s done to her this entire scene. we know that mike obviously doesn’t think el is a bad person at all, but there have been several times where he has been scared of her and she knows that too.
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in season 1 when they find will’s body, mike slaps el’s hand away and yells at her because he feels betrayed. he realises that el is just a stranger that he’s been trusting and following around even though he barely knows her, and when he sees the body and believes it’s will, it absolutely breaks him and he thinks she’s been lying to him. a few episodes later, el freaks out and sends lucas flying across the junkyard with her powers, and it knocks him unconscious. mike is understandably terrified and angry because his friend got hurt. he yells at her again and this triggers a traumatic memory from the lab. this shows that mike’s reaction reminded her of brenner (there are actually many parallels between mike and brenner, and even in mike’s monologue to el in season 4 episode 9, he says the same things brenner said to el. they both go on about how she’s a superhero that can fly and she obviously doesn’t want to hear that all the time since she’s her own person as well, but they never seem to mention her actual personality or what she does outside of being a superhero). in season 4 episode 2, el hits angela in the face with a rollerskate. mike looks terrified and it parallels to brenner again because mike's words triggered a traumatic memory. even at the dinner table, mike is still annoyed and makes a sarcastic comment which upsets el. in episode 9 during his monologue, he lies and says he’s never been scared of her which we know isn’t true. that entire monologue was pretty much filled with lies that contradict things we’ve already seen and it just felt like an insult to el. i also didn’t like how mike said “you’re my superhero” and listed what she can do with her powers but he couldn’t even mention anything about her personality, because he doesn’t even truly know her since they can’t even be themselves with each other. they don’t even share any similar interests and hobbies. the only thing mike knows about her outside of being a superhero is that she likes eggos and that’s about it.
you can argue that he tried making her feel good about who she is in his monologue but he was lying during so much of it that it doesn’t feel genuine at all. people also need to realise that it’s unhealthy that mike has an inferiority complex. he literally admitted that he feels inferior to el because she’s a superhero with powers. he said it wasn't fate or destiny but dumb luck that superman landed on his doorstep. he saw that el was vulnerable and needed help and he just happened to be there. he also probably feels better about himself for being able to get a girl with powers because no girls have ever shown any interest in him before (and it doesn't seem like he had any interest in girls either). but the entire time he was talking in the car, he was talking about himself and how he wants to be "needed" by el because it boosts his confidence but he never mentioned what el actually needs, especially at that time in her life when he met her. she just got out of a lab and needed to grow rather than being pushed into romance before knowing what romance was. mike had a crush on her but she didn’t have a crush on him. she thought he would be like her brother and she only saw him as a friend that cared for her. obviously mike didn’t have any bad intentions when he kissed her, he was just a kid and it was supposed to be cute and wholesome, but the point is that he did what he wanted when she didn’t even understand the concept of romance and crushes. she didn’t really have a say and she didn't have any time to learn about this stuff. mike is the one that decided what their relationship was going to be without giving her a chance to discover herself first. it was also harder for el because she couldn’t communicate the same way mike could, so everything happened so quickly for her and it just doesn’t feel right that she couldn’t decide on her own. their relationship would've been so much better if it developed slowly and el had time to decide if she liked mike romantically HERSELF, without mike being the one to put things in her head. i think it's also important to mention that there was a literally an entire plot in season 3 that focused on how mike has prevented el from discovering herself and what she likes. max literally encouraged her to break up with him, and when she did, she looked the happiest she had ever been. max actually allowed her to find her own style and think for herself instead of letting the men in her life tell her what to do.
mike and will
season 4 episode 8: during the car scene, will confesses his love to mike using eleven’s name. he mentions how he feels like a mistake sometimes because he’s different but mike is the only person that doesn’t make him feel like a mistake. they were each other’s first friend, they’ve known each other for most of their lives, they have always felt like equals in the relationship, they’ve experienced the same struggles as they’ve been outcasts their whole lives and got bullied at school, they both understand each other better than anyone else and they can be themselves with each other. neither feels superior or inferior to the other (unlike mike and el, where mike literally admitted he feels inferior to el because she’s a superhero with powers and he wants to be “needed” by her… the whole thing isn’t healthy or fair to anyone at all). mike and will have only had two fights and both times it was because will felt excluded by mike because he was too busy with el. in season 3 episode 3, will felt called out when mike said “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls”. he was obviously already hurt for many reasons here, but hearing this would’ve made it even harder for him. but we know that mike didn’t mean it that way and he immediately regretted it because he just said it without thinking (it also sounded like he was actually projecting because of internalised homophobia). the other time they argued was at the roller rink and it sounds like mike is projecting here too when he says “we’re friends” twice and gets defensive about it. after both of these fights, mike immediately goes to apologise to will because he can’t stand seeing him upset and he had to make sure he was okay and knew that he was genuinely sorry for hurting him. it’s important to note that mike is stubborn when it comes to apologising but he always apologises to will without question. in season 4 episode 4, he doesn't let will try to blame himself either. mike takes full responsibility for the way he treated will and admits that things have felt weird because hawkins wasn't the same without him and he was afraid of losing him. this is a parallel to the scene in season 4 episode 8 where will also admits that if he was mean to mike or seemed like he was pushing him away, it's because he was scared to lose him too.
“if [i] was mean to you or [i] seemed like [i] was pushing you away, it’s probably because [i'm] scared of losing you just like you’re scared of losing [me]”
even though he used el to disguise his feelings, i think mike will eventually realise will was talking about himself here because it's the only thing that makes sense. el never pushed mike away and they stayed in contact by sending each other letters, but mike and will lost contact and pushed each other away because they love each other and they're scared of losing each other. that's why this line during the car monologue can only be applied to mike and will. also, when mike said his monologue to el, he copied a lot of what will said and he was basically responding to will's love confession for him without even realising it.
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anyways, the scene where will told mike he doesn’t feel like a mistake because of him also reminded me of the one in season 2 where will and jonathan are talking and will gets upset. he says “mom, dustin, lucas, everyone. they all treat me like i’m gonna break, like i’m a baby, like i can’t handle things on my own”. notice how he doesn’t mention mike? that’s because mike has never made him feel that way. mike stayed by will’s side throughout all of season 2 to take care of him but he never treated him like he was a baby or made him feel bad about anything. he was just there by his side and provided support when he needed it. when will was explaining what he saw on halloween night, mike listened so carefully. he didn't make him feel like there was something wrong with him and he told him that they'll both go crazy together. in season 2 episode 5 when will is talking about the mindflayer spying on them, mike tries making the situation positive by saying how it would be cool for will to be like a super-spy. will almost let out a little laugh because of it even though he was terrified in the moment. it just shows that mike always makes him feel better. and when will was anxious and shaking, mike noticed and put his hand on top of his to calm him down. mike is also the only person that will opens up to when he's struggling which shows how comfortable he feels around him. in season 2 he told him about everything going on with the mindflayer, and in season 4 he's the first person that he spoke to when they arrived back in hawkins. mike also helped will snap out of his upside down trances in season 2 and he would always make sure he was okay and stayed by his side. even after will becomes "the spy", mike never takes his anger out on will or yells at him because he knows it's not his fault, and he stays by his side even though he knows it's risky to be around him. in the shed scene, he was so calm and gentle while telling will the story of how they first met. they were both crying during this scene and it was extremely emotional. it's also probably my favourite scene in the entire show.
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there’s such a big difference between both of these relationships and i think it’s really important to discuss. it's obvious that all of them love each other so much, but the difference is that mike and el don't work together romantically at all, while mike and will could be one of the most well-written and genuine relationships because they understand each other better than anyone and they fit together so well. i think mike and el could have one of the strongest and most beautiful friendships too, but they just don't work together as a couple and we've seen why so many times. anyone that pays attention to the show would see that mike and el can’t even be themselves around each other and mike's character got worse the moment he started dating el. he was just reduced to her boyfriend, had no individual character growth and development AND it's just simply not healthy because he feels inferior to her and pretends to be someone he’s not when she's around. he sees her as an awesome superhero with powers but he can’t even name anything about who she is as a person or anything about her personality. el also hasn’t had the chance to grow on her own and make her own decisions. even when she’s starting to finally have her own character development, she always ends up back with mike, and the fact that he needed to say a monologue (that was literally filled with lies!) to “give her strength” while her best friend was suffering in front of her just feels really weird and the entire thing was cheesy. it’s just not healthy or fair to either of them. mike and will on the other hand have the closest relationship in the show and understand each other better than anyone else. it's also just been fully confirmed that will has been in love with mike from the very beginning and they have the most history and build up, even if we don't see all of it on screen. mike can only be himself when he’s with will and that says SO much too. they see each other as equals, they’re always on the same page and they love each other for exactly who they are. obviously mike and el love each other too, i just don't think they belong together romantically because their relationship just simply isn't healthy. i think they rushed into it way too quickly and mike got carried away because she's a superhero, as he's said over and over again. he couldn't even tell her he loved her when she was crying in front of him without her powers, but the moment she gets her powers back and will confesses his OWN feelings for mike and convinces him that el "needs" him, he can suddenly tell her he loves her? i don't know, the whole thing is just messy lol.
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jfkisonthemoon · 5 months
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they honestly couldve done so much with junpei beheaded/dismembered and im disappointed that it ended up just being mira. so much of his character and his relationship with akane is characterized by his lack of bodily autonomy, and him being openly beheaded during the nonary games would be the ultimate example of this. its perhaps the most brutal death in the game, and it never really gets explained or developed beyond the one puzzle that we get with it. junpei has been shown repeatedly to be subject to akane's plans or follow her blindly and i just think that would have been a really interesting angle to approach his beheading from. junpei has willingly signed up for nonary games in two different timelines just because he knew he would see her. he was infected with a deadly virus trying to find her. he grew desensitized to death as he took underground jobs to try and find her. his safety always comes second when shes in the picture, and his beheading wouldve been a prime opportunity to 1. exploit his willingness to let himself die/be injured for her and 2. make akane confront the fact that her confidence that junpei will always follow after her is not necessarily a positive thing.
#zero escape#additionally wasnt mira supposed to be asleep?? like i know she didnt get the forget juice but didnt she still get knocked out?#but also!! none of her other kills were like that! none of them were dismembered and she didnt touch junpeis chest#so even that reasoning doesnt make sense#kinda feels like a copout to keep the shock of junpei being disrespected in such a way - to have his very body turned into a puzzle#a puzzle that akane is forced to solve!!! without knowing that what shes looking for is his head - him!#theres so much potential there and they just didnt do anything#im not even saying that akane should have somehow been responsible for that death - only that not having her really grapple with it is such#a missed opportunity#i still fucking LOVE the imagery of it though. i really think its the epitome of the representations of his lack of autonomy#he loses all of vlr. quark. 45 years of his life. because akane decides this is best for him. he dies repeatedly trying to find her.#because she believes that she knows what will keep him safe#and turning junpeis body into a puzzle posthumously is a fantastic example of his lack of control over his body#its like hes literally become a doll. hes jumpydoll - not junpei. hes subject to these games even after he has died.#he gets no peace. no respect in his death. not when hes in these games. not when hes in the shadow of akanes whims and games.#i still love the imagery. i think it was one of my favorite parts of ztd and is honestly now a core tenet of my Junpei Understanding#but i was disappointed in the lack of narrative weight that specific death had. for him to be one of the first dead? for it to be in such a#brutal manner? like come ON. the character analysis for junpei and akane and their relationship is RIGHT THERE. all you had to do was put i#in the game#but nope.#they just handwave it as something mira did.#and dont bring up the details ever again because. plot point solved?#anyway. ive been thinking about junpei imagery and bodily autonomy a lot. obviously.#zero escape spoilers#mak no peeking#marydontlookatthis
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novelconcepts · 10 months
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Van as storyteller. Van, with a miserable home life, a place where she has to raise herself. Van, who’s probably been telling herself stories to ward off the loneliness for years. Van, who sees stories as escape.
Van, who lands in the woods and starts telling stories aloud. Van, who has all these movies living inside her head, who lets them out to make everyone else feel less alone. Van, who takes a campfire dynamic and turns the dial to eleven, because stories are comfort, stories are safety, stories are home.
Van, who understands more than anyone expects expressly because of stories. Van, who sees the situation through the lens of a narrative arc. Beginning. Middle. End. Van, who watches the plot unfold, watches the twists and turns, and can’t stop telling the story aloud. Van, who knows all too well what kind of story they’ve landed in.
Van, who can’t stop telling the story now. Van, who sees the truth behind the tale. Van, who is finally done regurgitating the narratives that bring her comfort, who turns instead to the ones that will keep them alive. Van, who understands stories are sometimes the only way out, the only way to escape.
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hareofhrair · 5 months
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I just got 100% of the achievements in Slay The Princess and I still don’t feel like I understand it.
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izzehands · 5 months
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further-than-forever · 6 months
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the thing is, from a purely personal perspective, i love that hamlet’s age is so vague. there’s a timelessness to him as a character which i think makes him and his story persistently relatable.
i’ve read stories of so many characters in my life and there are so many that i used to feel like i understood at their core that, as i’ve got older, i just don’t feel the same about anymore. those characters were similar ages to me when i first met them but, they stayed that age as i grew up. they meant something to me then but now, they’re just nostalgic.
but hamlet. i first read the play as a young (completely and utterly out of my mind) teen, i saw him as one too, something about him resonated with me. but the same happened when i read it again as an older (still not Well) teenager. then again in my (chaotic at best) early 20s, and even now in my (settled but uncomfortable) mid 20s. as i age and grow, in my mind, so does he. i expect it will be the same throughout my life.
and i don’t know if i also find something comforting in the fact that, even though he is older in my mind every time i read it, the story never changes. because, at the end of everything, our stories all end the same way too. if it be now, 'tis not to come: if it be not to come, it will be now… n all that…
hamlet is both young and old. hamlet is both a character and a feeling. something eternal and painfully human all at once. i just love that.
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