#possibly two because I have a compulsion to resolve literally everything possible | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

shihalyfie · 3 years

Text

The relationship between the Yagami siblings

The above line is possibly one of the most vital lines in contextualizing the relationship between the Yagami siblings, but is all too often omitted, and so it can lead to a lot of other questions about whether Hikari has dependency problems or whether Taichi has a natural tendency to be overprotective (also not helped by the fact that Hikari’s own voice actress, Araki Kae, was very fond of joking about Hikari having a brother complex). Once the proper context is applied, however, the relationship between the two ends up saying a lot about both individually!

That's the kind of girl she is! She's always thinking about other people before herself, and she'll never tell anyone that she's in pain or having a hard time, even if it kills her! The thing is, she might not have even wanted to come to this stupid world at all...But when people tell her that the fate of the world is in her hands or something, she could never refuse!... ...That's why...That's why I'm supposed to look after her and protect her...

The summary of everything going on between the two siblings at the time of Adventure has to do with the following:

Hikari is “always thinking of other people before herself” (i.e. she “doesn’t want to be a burden”, a very common sentiment among these very selfless kids in Adventure and 02), and therefore will accept massive burdens or pain on herself because she doesn’t want to trouble others. Because of that, she also will not speak out about her pain, simply suppressing it and pretending that everything is fine, while working for others’ sake.

Even Taichi has no idea what she’s thinking, because she’s so bad at vocalizing what she wants or is actually feeling that he has to guess. While he’s obviously emotionally compromised and thinking the worst of everything at the time of the above incident in Adventure episode 48, he also states that “that’s the kind of girl she is,” which implies that the above incident where Hikari got pneumonia was not an isolated incident, and therefore that Hikari has a repeated pattern of behaving like this. Hence, why Taichi has to keep stepping in -- he has to constantly assume the worst and go overboard, because Hikari will not do anything for herself if left to her own devices.

Both siblings are characterized as “dangerously self-sacrificial”; Taichi will recklessly risk his own welfare if it’s for the sake of others not getting hurt, whereas, as just indicated here, Hikari will refuse to burden other people even if it leads to her own personal destruction. This is not the only time Adventure has portrayed the negative aspects of being too selfless (it’s also a huge theme of Sora’s character arc), and it’s also why Hikari so easily offers herself up at the end of Adventure episode 36; it’s not just about Taichi! Hikari just puts others before herself by default to the extent that, while doing something for herself is hard to do, doing things for others is a no-brainer.

This is also why Hikari’s actions of “clinging” to Taichi in Adventure episode 21 shouldn’t be contextualized as her being clingy to him and wanting him there for her own sake -- remember, the point that was made is that Hikari thinks so little about what she wants that she doesn’t even consider her own wishes as an object, so the reason she bids for them to “stay” in this episode is because she knows he’s been in another world, a potentially dangerous one, and is about to go back and risk his own welfare for it. Since her attitude revolves around “other people’s sake”, it’s natural that she’s not going to be very enthusiastic about her brother and their new friend heading back to the unknown like that. (Remember, she seemed to be fine with him being out at camp and being away from her for prolonged periods of time in general.)

Which is especially enhanced when we see the context of why Taichi has his massive freakout in Adventure episode 48, and the way Hikari behaves in both the episode and the flashback:

The conflict in the episode was kicked off by, once again, Taichi being unable to tell what Hikari was thinking or feeling, and underestimating how much pain she was in, while Hikari had been suppressing it because of her selflessness. As Taichi says, he can’t tell if Hikari had wanted to come, or if she had simply come out of “obligation” regardless of how she’d felt.

And, in the flashback depicted, again: Taichi hadn’t insensitively dragged Hikari out, he had legitimately thought she was fine and misjudged her condition, and Hikari had agreed to go out without protest, only for that to be very much not the case. And when Hikari returned, she had no blame for him and only continued to blame herself for ruining his fun. So, again: Hikari doesn’t even think of herself, and only thinks about how much of a burden she’s being on others, and the incident (and presumably others) had brought Taichi into the understanding that he cannot use what Hikari says about herself as an accurate bar for how she’s doing.

The Character Complete File gives us a bit of an interesting tidbit about Taichi and Hikari’s home lives, in that, if you pay attention, you’ll notice that the Yagami siblings don’t share a room anymore by the time of 02. According to both Taichi and Hikari’s testimonies, Hikari had “constructively” kicked him out by hint-hinting that she was actually not very fond of sharing a room with him and was embarrassed by it! She does eventually admit that it’s a bit lonely without the second person around, but she’s very happy to claim her room as “my own little castle”, and, moreover, with the above context, you can imagine that she, once again, might have been self-conscious about being a “burden” on him due to both of their spaces intersecting too much.

So when we do get to 02...

The line from the second screenshot is the most commonly cited line about Hikari’s attitude regarding her brother in 02, but recall that this is from Hikari basically doing her own version of rambling incoherently. The actual context clue required to decipher this comes from earlier in the episode, when, drowning in the negative atmosphere and impact the Dark Ocean is having on her, Hikari has a vision/flashback of saying “I’m sorry” to her brother. Remembering that the Dark Ocean is heavily associated with “negative emotions”: what does “I’m sorry” mean? “I’m sorry” -- or, in other words, “I caused you more trouble again.” So when Hikari says that “my brother always protected me”, she’s basically saying “I’ve been burdening my brother by making him protect me all of the time,” and the fact that she pairs this with a statement “the next time they call me, I may end up there” is one about inevitability -- she does not like the idea of continuing to burden him, and is letting horrible things happen to her because she would rather not keep doing this to him.

This is what threads the apparent “contradiction” between Hikari supposedly being so “quiet” about certain things yet so assertive about others -- Hikari has never shown any hesitation about putting her foot down assertively when it’s about other people’s sake, but it’s always about her own sake and her own feelings when she suddenly clams up. Tailmon even alludes to it herself in the episode:

Hikari is “strong”, and she’s shown it many times -- she’s assertive, brave, and heck, in this very same episode, the moment she realizes the “Hangyomon” need help, she doesn’t even hesitate to do her best to help them even at the risk of pain to herself! But she’s not going to make it until she can accept the help of others instead of denying everything out of worry for being a burden, which is why the issue starts to resolve a little when Hikari finally breaks down and admits that she wants others to help her, including Takeru, whom she had spurned earlier during the episode.

Hence, this is why the “follow-up” to this episode, 02 episode 31, doesn’t involve Taichi at all -- but it does involve a continuation of the same thing about Hikari’s problem, and she even confirms what Taichi had said about her back in Adventure episode 48, that she won’t vocalize her own problems. On top of that, she adds another layer to it: Hikari compulsively suppresses her own problems to the point she’s outright jealous of Miyako for being able to vocalize them. Hikari’s “selflessness” problem is so bad and self-destructive that even she realizes it’s a problem and wants to do something about it, but literally cannot. This is how bad her problem is, and why none of her actions to this point can really accurately be read as her being clingy or wanting to do anything for truly selfish reasons; this problem of “self-destructive selflessness” was so bad that even she didn’t like this about herself. And, hence, why she felt like she was “burdening” her own brother while she was at it -- it was a problem she did with everyone, but since he was one of the people she knew and trusted the most (having literally grown up with him, and all), it had been the worst with him.

Therefore, Miyako is able to address this issue even without Taichi being involved at all, because the problem wasn’t really about Taichi -- but 02 is a series about the importance of relationships and accepting a need to grow with the help of other people, and therefore, Miyako addressing Hikari’s issue of being so closed-in, and encouraging her to seek help and stop accepting her own destruction just to not “burden” others, is likely to help her have a better relationship with her brother in the future.

...although, by this point in 02, this really was more of Hikari’s own issue than it was Taichi’s by this point, because Taichi treats his sister pretty “neutrally” over the course of the series -- when Hikari’s stranded in the Digital World in 02 episode 7, Iori’s the one more panicked than he is, and he’s mostly just concentrated on having an alibi for her to come back with. And he has zero problem with her flinging herself into dangerous situations over the course of the year, including the stakeout trip started in 02 episode 18 (and for what it’s worth, Hikari herself clearly had no issue flinging herself into such a situation). And when he discusses the issue of the new kids in the 02 group having to accept that killing an enemy will soon become an inevitability in 02 episode 43, it’s a pretty serious conversation with him advising her the way he would have advised any of his other juniors.

This is why context is so important! Taichi had said, back in Adventure episode 48, that he’d hovered over her because he’d had no clue what she was thinking, and would have to take extra precautions because she could easily get herself killed like that. But in 02, it’s not like she was constantly suffering a cold, and it’s a lot more obvious that her actions throughout the series were because it was what she wanted to do, regardless of the risks, so it’s her right to do whatever she wants, and therefore he leaves her to it; she’s clearly doing a much better job taking care of herself, so there’s no reason for him to step in.

Hikari also takes his advice at face value and doesn’t have any particular weirdness about it; she’d never put him on a pedestal or anything, she just still happened to have very self-destructive tendencies that were ultimately resolved with the help of the rest of the 02 group. Often submitted as Hikari having proof of putting him on some kind of weird pedestal is her reaction in 02 episode 4, when she gets angry at Daisuke for being disrespectful about an older sibling, but this omits the fact that Yamato (being a very offended older sibling) got in on it too; the point was more about the disparity between Daisuke and Jun’s more vitriolic relationship compared to the more mutual-esteem relationships between the Ishida-Takaishi and Yagami siblings, plus the fact that, even if the perspective was different, Daisuke was being pretty harsh about his wording (he outright says he hates his sister...).

This is also presumably why, when everyone is presented with illusions regarding their personal worries in 02 episode 49, Hikari’s is the only one that has no relation to her family or home life whatsoever. She has nothing to really worry about with her home life, and Taichi seems to be fine and she has no particular interest in what he does as long as she’s not burdening him further. Rather, again, her character was largely about “doing more for other people than doing anything for herself,” so of course, her “dream” ends up being about everyone else in the world being happy.

In the end, it was more about her larger issues of her relationship to “other people” versus her relationship to “herself” than anything else -- it was just impacting the siblings the most since they were, well, siblings.

#digimon #digimon adventure #digimon adventure 02 #yagami hikari #yagami taichi #hikari yagami #taichi yagami #shihameta

138 notes · View notes

telaraneas · 3 years

Text

(i change my mind, copypasting this to its own post cause it really got away from me. long post warning)

i guess what im thinkin is like, that light is the domain of “things that MUST happen, for Reasons”; mind is the domain of “things must/will happen, for REASONS”; void is the domain of, like, “things happen or don’t happen for no discernible reason, necessarily”.

thats not really a great description of it i guess but, for instance, a good example is that one time Rosesprite happened…. For No Reason. and for no reason, really i mean no narrative reason- it ended up setting off a chain of events that resolved the subplots of many minor characters, so it’s not like it’s USELESS, but there was kind of no way to predict that whole thing from a “narratively this is something that we are leading up to” standpoint, which is why roxy’s actions brought it about on accident, and why rose was so thoroughly perplexed by it the whole way through. void is probably closer to the way things happen in real life, but it is sort of the anthitesis to the way things happen in stories, where everything is deliberate and happens for A Narrative Reason… but homestuck was always largely written on the fly at least in the smaller scale things, so this sort of thing just Happens lol

incidentally im pretty sure a mind player like terezi could have technically predicted that, if she had for any reason at all been previously informed of all the moving parts of that whole thing and TRYING to predict what the fuck jaspersprite was gonna do, because it IS perfectly logical in hindsight, but like… that’s the whole thing, why the fuck WOULD you be trying to look into that or predict it????? there was seemingly no narrative reason for any of that to be relevant! and that’s kind of what void is about i think!

on a similar note i thing breath is more along the lines of just…. Things Happen. similarly to void, it’s not about trying to discern WHAT will happen or WHY, but unlike void, the things that DO happen under the influence of breath ARE kind of things that the narrative called for. breath seems to be kind of the aspect dominating narrative contrivance

people often confuse contrivance with plot holes, but from what i understand they’re very different. a plot hole is when something happens, and it makes no sense for it to happen to the degree it breaks with previously established known facts, and it’s just never explained.

a plot contrivance doesn’t really contradict anything, necessarily, it’s just… like… there’s no reason for it to NOT happen the way it does, but there’s also no reason for it TO happen the way it does, and overall the reason it’s considered bad writing is because it tends to come across as lazy. oh, the heroes JUST SO HAPPENED to find the one magic sword that can defeat the bad guy, just laying on the side of the road. how convenient!

…incidentally, john’s entire story arc seems to be built entirely around moments like these skfnkenfke

i think it was smart writing to codify this as 1. the influence of an actual cosmic force that DOES operate on those principles, and 2. make john have to figure out how to get a handle on things by himself, even if the tools and circumstances just happened to be aligned in his favor by everything else in the story. john still has to be the one to turn HIMSELF into a deus ex machina, on-screen, to fix everything. it gives the story a good narrative and emotionally resonant reason to just contrive the hell out of everything john does and goes through, while STILL delivering on his arc as a hero’s journey

(i also think it’s really funny that the ring, which gets LITERALLY deus ex machina’d into the story via the author himself, is CONVENIENTLY found by tavros, and john CONVENIENTLY ends up with it in the story itself sjfnskdn true breath shenanigans, and incredibly fitting that vriska rejected it and played no part in it because there was no previously known indication that the ring would be important in any way until the two breath players started playing hot potato with it)

i’m still not sure if i have a good grasp on what exactly time does, because we have seen very different attitudes taken towards it by various different players AND the official description, and it’s hard to tell what, in each regard, comes from time as an aspect, from the classes of the characters, or from the characters themselves/both things; but for now i think my best guess is that time is kind of “things already happened, this is inmutable, let’s just cut to the chase”, more or less. like, the way this differs from light is that light still thinks of things more or less linearly, even when they UNDERSTAND this is not the case, whereas time tends to just not even concieve of things has “something that is happening”

like, example, vriska vs aradia; they both kind of enabled Big Bad Things that they already knew would happen via timeline shenanigans- but from what i recall, i don’t think aradia ever PERSONALLY set any of those events in motion, she simply didn’t correct any misunderstandings and thus allowed the wheels of time to turn smoothly; whereas vriska went “bec noir Will Happen = someone will make it happen anyways = i’m gonna make it happen myself, cause someone has to, and it might as well be me!!!” because of her compulsion to be the master of her own fate

aradia didnt so much see her actions as her *doing* anything, evil or good; she was pretty much just making sure things ended up where they were already going to end up/had already ended up, devoid of motivation or reason. similar to dave in the first five acts, just opening and closing loops Because He’s Gotta until he eventually runs out of steam and loops to close, because he really never had any motivations for doing what he was doing other than Well, I Already Did Them, So Obviously I Have To Do Them So I Can Have Already Done Them. no intent or motivation inherent to the actions themselves for half the story

a more childish example is caliborn getting fed up with the story and the Interpersonal Problems of the players and being like “fuck this, just skip to the good parts, they’re Going to happen so why do we have to sit through all of this shit!”. obv contrast to calliope, who seems to illustrate the kind of reader who would rather explore the status quo forever and imagine all the character interactions possible, playing in the *space* of the work in between the big status quo shifts and dreading said shifts, where caliborn wants to skip right past the status quo and have a story composed of nothing BUT the big shifts, the start and end of things

(neither of these are a sustainable way to tell a story, which is why you need at least a space and a time player)

#homestuck #classpect #homestuck meta #is that what people call it???#long post #sushi original

69 notes · View notes

fae-fucker · 3 years

Text

Review: Death Wind by Tara Grayce

Essie should be planning her happily ever after, not planning a war. Although they once were enemies, the humans of Escarland and the elves of Tarenhiel have allied to fight the trolls from the far north. But alliances are tricky things even in the best of times, and with Farrendel, the elves’ foremost warrior and Essie’s husband, captured by the trolls, the circumstances appear dire indeed. But Essie won’t give up, and she will make her two peoples work together to fight this war if it’s the last thing she does. One way or another, she will get Farrendel back, no matter what it takes.

Gonna be honest, didn't expect much given my lukewarm reaction to the previous two books, but this one? This one actually held my attention for genuine reasons rather than just being a light read. Because the plot involves a lot of conflict (arguably the biggest conflict possible, war), the pacing is steady, and two of the three POV characters are mostly suffering and/or being tortured, there's actually tension for once. It's a welcome change, and proves that the author is very much capable of writing it but just chooses not to in favor of boring and conflict-free family interactions.

With Melantha introduced as a POV character, we're offered a pretty buckwild concept for this series: a character that makes mistakes and has to live with the consequences. I actually found myself liking Melantha, not because I thought she was a compelling character (she wasn't) or because I felt bad for her (I didn't), but because she had what Essie didn't: flaws. There's even a point in the book where Melantha thinks about how much she dislikes Essie because Essie is so sugary perfect and everything Melantha wishes she could be, and I think it's supposed to show us how bitter and insecure Melantha is? Except she's 100% correct, Essie is literally too perfect to be a real person and I just sat there going "yeah, you're right, and don't feel bad for being shitty because literally nobody can actually be like Essie."

However, Melantha suffers from Stupid Bitch Syndrome, which doesn't exactly make for a good protagonist/POV character. She's not intended to be dumb, the book expects us to think she was simply misguided and bitter and not, like, a complete idiot who should've known better. But her instant remorse feels less like character development and more like her suddenly realizing she’s actually a huge idiot who fell for the enemy’s nonsense, which she is. She's supposed to be an older elf, a grown woman, yet she makes such an obvious mistake and immediately regrets it and folds like a wet blanket the moment shit hits the fan. It's honestly a bit pathetic. The only reason I preferred her over Essie was because she introduced some much-needed depth to the character roster, but that depth was still about the size of a teacup, compared to Farrendel's thimble and Essie's singular water molecule. Her relationship with the troll prince was actually ... interesting? It was all mostly unspoken, which I think made it stronger than the overly telegraphed thing Essie and Farrendel have going on, and I’m sure it’ll be flattened out and become boring in the next book, so enjoy this potential before it’s wasted.

Farrendel spends the entire book being tortured and thinking about how he's being tortured. I can't blame him, but it doesn't make for good reading. I honestly think his POV could've been left out altogether and it wouldn't have changed much. Melantha is already there with him letting the reader know he’s suffering, we don’t need two POVs telling us the same thing. Oh uh, except for the part where he ... puts his magic in a soul-bond pocket. I'd mark this as spoilers but it's literally on the cover. I guess if his POV was removed then we'd never know how Essie learned to blast his power in battle at that one convenient moment, but it barely affects the plot afterward so um, yeah. I'm having a hard time justifying his POV at all. I'm still not over that part btw, how Farrendel just ... makes a "mental fist" (no, really), grabs his magic in one and his soul bond with Essie in the other and just puts them together like he's connecting two cables to an adapter. And he knew to do this ... how? It's not like we've seen him experiment with his magic before, in fact he's been shown to hate it and only use it when necessary, but apparently this tortured and exhausted man has the presence of mind to try something as vague and theoretical as ... putting his magic in a soul pocket. He spends a few pages going “I wonder if I can do this” and then it works on the first try. He does consider whether it’ll hurt Essie and decides not to try it, but as I said, he does it soon after anyway so like ... I don’t think it’s supposed to be funny or show how little of a shit he gives about Essie, but that’s sort of the implication and I thought it was funny as hell.

Anyway, the magic pocket is about as much worldbuilding/lore as we get from this series entry, aside from the trolls having their own political intricacies and tensions, which I’m assuming the next book will expand upon. The writing itself in this book was pretty bad at times. The repetition of certain words and names was really glaring in some parts and felt amateurish. Take a shot every time the word “magic” appears and you’ll be in the grave before the book ends. Prince Rharreth and King Charvod are almost always referred to with their full titles and names for some reason? A few editing rounds would’ve helped this a lot, methinks.

The plot is mostly moved along in Essie’s POV, which is slightly less insufferable than usual because she’s the one observing the movement of the two armies and there are actually action scenes in there that, while don’t exactly made me worried about her (there’s no way this perfect idiot will ever die), still provided some tension. But it’s honestly not much, the “war” lasted two entire weeks (and that’s including the strategy, logistics, and mobilizing) and with how fast the armies travel and how little resistance they face (and how Deus Ex Farrendel-d the final battle was, the guy is apparently full of godlike destructive power despite being starved and tortured, go off king), it all felt very unrealistic and easy. Like, we have two armies marching in the middle of a mountain chain during magical snow storms, all while being regularly assaulted by the defending army, and they still get there no problem, without a single mention of soldiers struggling not to die of exposure. Aight. I guess these elves and humans are just very resistant to the cold, for some reason.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the reason it goes over so fast in-universe is because the author wanted Farrendel to be horribly tortured throughout his captivity, but also knew that if that lasts too long, the damage will be too severe to easily resolve in the next book. But instead of easing off the hardcore torture, because then we’d lose out on that drama and those High Stakes, she decided to speed up the whole war thing, because hey, who cares about that, anyway? We just want Farrendel back, right? Riiiight? Better hurry up guys! Don’t want Farrendel to be too tortured to fix with some strawberry-flavored medicine and vague counseling in the next book!

So yeah, the plot moves on speedily, but at what cost? Mainly depth. Again. And once again, Essie suffers the most from being a bland caricature of a person and dragging the whole thing down. The author’s GR bio says she writes “spunky and tough” leading ladies, and I guess having no other things in your brain except sparkly kitten gifs is a certain kind of toughness in an “immovable object” sort of way, but “spunk” implies a of counter-culture edge that sweet widdle Essie simply does not have.

There was one small section where Essie felt bad over how the human and elven warriors were going to die, how many mothers and sisters and daughters would suffer just so she didn’t have to, but then we don’t find out the death count, the casualties are never even mentioned, and Essie moves on from this without even a single thought questioning the morality of a monarchy or her own position of power. Now, I get that that’s not the focus of this series, but it just adds to how Essie’s worries are always surface-level and never justified by the plot, how she never has to do any introspection and is never allowed to not always be annoyingly positive. Whenever she even begins to think something negative, she instantly, almost compulsively changes trajectory and just decides not to worry about it, and then it never comes up again anyway. This would’ve been like, an interesting take on toxic positivity and how Essie represses her own emotions, but no, the book never goes there, she’s just that perfect and wee and optimistic, even during a war and when her husband’s being tortured to near-death. It’s kind of insulting to read, honestly.

Oh yeah, that’s another thing that annoyed me. Even when she loses Farrendel, she takes it surprisingly well and focuses mostly on keeping a positive attitude for his sake, so he doesn’t feel her sadness through their “heart bond.” I never really felt her loss, her love for him, when she so easily could just decide not to feel bad “for his sake.” I want her to feel bad, I want her to miss him and to ache at his absence and to fear for what they’re doing to him. But no. That would just upset him more and hurt him more. So Essie doesn’t get to experience any negative feelings because it might upset her husband. Essie doesn’t get angry and determined to fight, she just keeps being her cheery little Stepford Wife self because being nice will keep everyone’s spirits up and make them hope and fight harder to preserve that hope!! :)

It just comes off as really flat and moralistic yet dishonest at the same time, because nobody would fucking react like this IRL. Essie might be a good person in-universe, but she drags the entire series down just by being perfect, cheery, and never, ever challenged or even allowed to challenge anything herself. Essie isn’t allowed to have any negative feelings because it might affect her husband, and yet we’re supposed to find this empowering somehow? We’re supposed to believe she’s spunky and confident and a sweet little firecracker of a redhead?

Eugh.

At least Melantha is an idiot, I guess. One whole female character gets to have a flaw, and she’s the almost-villain who needs to be fixed with love.

Idk man. The sexism in this series is like a constant undercurrent that grows stronger with each installment as our “understanding” of this world expands. All of Essie’s brothers, including the king, are at the front lines because they are manly men “have to” be there, while the women who aren’t Essie or Jalissa stay behind to be mothers and caretakers. It’s never expanded upon and just sort of accepted as part of both human and elven society and the narrative treats it like this obvious thing that even Essie doesn’t really bother noting how unfair and/or weird it is. There’s not even a single comment on it. Essie is in the war not because she can fight but because Farrendel needs her, and Jalissa is there because ... Um. Because ... she. Uh. She needs to be there when they confront Melantha? She’s Farrendel’s sister? Idk. Jalissa’s main point in this series so far seems to be the ship tease between her and Edmund that feels awkward and one-sided as fuck.

So yeah. The pacing and plot flowed along really well, but the characters and the writing and worldbuilding are all just really undercooked, which, at three books into the series, feels more glaring than ever.

But hey, at least it was a quick read!

#book review #elven alliance #death wind

1 note · View note

toonpunk-game · 3 years

Text

GMs only 1: Some Basic Characters

Psst! Hey, this post is for GMs only: specifically, it’s a bunch of advice on how to use the characters outlined in my previous post about characters. We’ll be posting these separately, so as not to ruin the surprise for our readers--who definitely exist, there are definitely more than 2 of, and are not at all figments of my imagination brought on by my desperate desire for acknowledgement by someone, literally anyone, who is not one of my parents.

BEING PAPA MALORN

Papa Malorn never wanted to be a mob boss. In fact, he wanted to be a police officer when he was younger. The bombing changed him forever: he spent his youth on a quest for revenge, and when it was over he was a hard man with an empire at his command. He started down the road to infamy on the day his parents’ killer was sentenced: his name was Bartosz Juspeczyk, and he was innocent.

Thomas knew William Hackerschmidt killed his parents: while in the hospital, Hackerschmidt visited him and revealed his affiliation with the Zamboni crime family—who, he claimed, had masterminded the Malorns’ deaths for refusing to enable the Zambonis’ black market shipping. While Hackerschmidt extended an offer of employment, Thomas rebuffed him harshly. Three days later, Juspeczyk was falsely sentenced to death; and Thomas was livid when the District attorney categorically refused to re-examine the case. That was when Thomas resolved to take justice into his own hands—and though it took him decades, he eventually earned it.

The specifics of his career need not be dwelt upon. What must be understood is that to him, crime was only ever a means of revenge: everything he did, he did to hurt the Zamboni family. He attacked their members and burned their businesses; he founded a gang of his own, and steadily grew it into an empire; and he even funded Ariel Levitt’s mayoral campaign.

Now, two years after destroying the family, he looks at his empire as more of a business than anything else. He does not really consider himself a mafioso, even though that is what he is. If asked, he will describe himself as an anarcho-capitalist: he provides services that the government cannot be relied upon for, and does well by doing good. His hatred and distrust of the established system is so great that he truthfully believes this: in his eyes, his augmentation smuggling is a perfectly reasonable alternative to expensive legitimate channels; and his protection rackets ensure safety that the police and fire departments can’t or won’t provide.

AS AN ALLY OF THE PLAYERS

Papa Malorn is a simple man with simple rules: “if you don’t interfere with my business, I don’t kill you.” Players will find him to be amicable and open-minded. While he fiercely defends his employees and those he is paid to protect, he is unusually moralistic for a mob boss—to the point that he has made several non-competitive decisions regarding other criminal organizations in Saskatoon for the sake of keeping his employees out of harm’s way. That being said, he is also a man of ambition—and he fully intends to run the city one day.

He is an ideal source of employment for players who are embroiled in the underworld, but not necessarily wicked people. Malorn might hire them to do something as morally grey as foil an arson attempt by a rival gang, or bust up a drug dealer who has been dealing to children. Perhaps he might even be called upon to provide manpower for the players’ heist, or discretely leverage his connection to Ariel Levitt to make key evidence against the players disappear.

AS AN ENEMY OF THE PLAYERS

As simple as he is to have as an ally, Malorn is even simpler to have as an enemy. There are several behaviors he considers worthy of enmity: specifically stealing from or bringing harm to his friends, employees, or protectorates. If someone interferes with his business then he will, quite simply, try to destroy them. He will not beat around the bush, and he will not take his time: as soon as he learns who has wronged him, and where they can be found, he’ll send a few lads over with pistols and pipes to stove their head in.

If the players should prove better than average at resisting his henchmen, Malorn has several other tricks up his sleeve: he will hire mercenaries or other toonpunks to dispatch them, and if all else fails he’ll show up and do some ass kicking himself.

BEING WALKER STONE

Being Walker Stone is a very simple thing: be hardnosed, be unyielding, and be singularly devoted to the greater good. Despite his past as a villain, he means what he says about his motivations and his intentions: he opposes crime and wrongdoing. Do not mistake him for a Javert, however: his only goal is to ensure the health and well-being of as many people as possible, and he sees the law as the most efficient way to do it. It is nothing but a tool to him, and if it stops being the best way to ensure safety in Saskatoon, he will bend or even break it.

It is this fact that has placed several skeletons deep in his closet for the enterprising player to find. He has broken several major regulations during his time as commissioner, and he keeps these secrets buried deep—though perhaps not deep enough to evade keen-eyed investigators. First and foremost, he has cheated his continuity test: by recording the answers he gives on the test and leaving them as a coded note to himself in his journal, he has been able to successfully create the illusion of being identical between incarnations, regardless of how each one changes over time—an illusion that has allowed him to maintain his office even between deaths.

His second great secret—though this one is far less actionable—is that he has a very low opinion of Mayor Levitt, and considers him a mere pawn in his plans for the city: a smiling face and trustworthy image to which he can affix himself, and nothing more. Unbeknownst to him, Levitt thinks much the same—and is in fact a secret criminal kingpin, who cleverly uses Walker to further his own nefarious designs. A clever GM can leverage this dynamic numerous ways.

As a character, Walker is quiet and thoughtful—he likes to have as much information as possible before committing to any action, no matter how minor. When he speaks, he will be to-the-point and blunt, perhaps even standoffish; he does not like to repeat himself, because he is secretly ashamed of his lilting Southern drawl. Bear this in mind when writing dialogue for the character.

AS A FRIEND OF THE PLAYERS

Walker Stone, even though he is a stubborn police officer, is more likely to be a friend of the players than the Mayor. Despite running on the same anti-crime platform, he is not above cutting corners in the name of justice: he will tolerate vigilantes, spies, or thieves working in the common interest (but never admit so, obviously). If the players are particularly outspoken against organized crime, or even a particularly immoral corporation, Stone might even contract them for work the police cannot legally handle—though he will no doubt insist that the operation remain bloodless, and that the player characters minimize collateral damage.

He might be a valuable asset to player characters who work for justice, even if they use slightly illegal methods. As a GM, you might have him deprioritize ongoing investigations into the players’ capers, or deliberately slow police response times to their crime scenes. However, it is easy to lose his loyalty, and difficult to maintain it: if the players begin killing police officers, Stone will turn on them in a heartbeat; and it is entirely possible that a nefarious enemy might uncover his connection to the players and take measures to have Stone ousted from his position.

AS AN ENEMY OF THE PLAYERS

For murderous or chaotic players, Walker Stone is a dangerous foe. He does not abide killers, anarchists, or rabble-rousers. He does not despise their crimes per se, but rather what they represent: criminals like these are a threat to his vision of a safer Saskatoon. He does not take his work personally, but nevertheless pursues it with the compulsive obsession of a perfectionist. If the players earn his ire, they will find him to be ruthless, and utterly implacable: they can expect the police to shoot on sight, and shoot to kill. No matter how many times they kill him he will keep returning to command, more determined than before. Killing him will prove borderline impossible—removing him from power will be much easier for your players to attempt, in that it will merely be very difficult.

1 note · View note

ninety6tears · 4 years

Text

king-of-exchanges letter

Wooo kingofexchanges is happening again!

I’m a big fan of SK but only somewhere in the middle of my consumption/obsession; with King being heavy on self-referencing and crossover-friendly treatments, I’d be happy for you to mix and match any of my requests, as long as you can see from my goodreads page that I’ve read the relevant stuff.

Basic preferences: I read everything from G-rated to explicit PWP. I love pastiche for lit fandoms but something that feels more off the beaten path of the original style can also be fun.

I love: Angst, pining, subtle UST, first times, or established relationships with some level of conflict to be resolved. Intense friendship stories. Protectiveness in close relationships as well as in those that wouldn’t obviously appear to be protective at first. A character or characters experiencing a type of attraction that isn’t the status quo for them. Relationships that had a falling-out and neither of them ever really got over it. Characterization that focuses on the nature & nurture of who people have grown to be and the unique ways they take care of or need other characters. Insecurity/hangups over worthiness. AUs of all varieties.

I can handle: underage, dubcon, noncon, torture and incest. Character death. Love triangles. Infidelity.

Do Not Want: Fix-its without sacrifice/troubles. Soulbonding/magical soulmate tropes. Disputes centered around marriage as a show of commitment ("If you were really serious you'd have proposed by now rather than just wanting to live together" and all that). A/B/O, mpreg, or any body fluid kinks. More than a mention of Alzheimer’s/dementia.

Christine ‘83 (FIC):

Arnie/Dennis

Arnie/Christine/Dennis

---NOTE - The movie is more fresh in my mind for prompting purposes but I have read the book, so feel free to run with this request for either version. I do like the dark humor Carpenter brings to adolescence without mocking the angst of being a teenager, not that King isn’t morbidly funny in his own right.

We get very little of them together before Arnie starts to go all possessed but we can tell their friendship has lasted a lot of changes over the years. That hospital visit over the holiday (which I remember was more bittersweet, less tense in the book?) feels like the last time Arnie remembered that he's supposed to be a big part of Dennis’ life. But even before all that, there’s a nice dynamic where Dennis is protective of Arnie and really thinks highly of him (and huh, maybe sees something in his looks other people don’t) when it’s not socially advantageous for him to retain that loyalty, and I’d like to get more of that. Maybe they’ve fooled around once or twice? Maybe Arnie was the one who got weird about it, afraid of the eventual rejection, or they’re both just too repressed? I like the triangle with Leigh too, if you wanted to get into the confused jealousy/conduit attraction thing, just nothing that completely dismisses any meaning of her relationship with Dennis if it’s referenced at all.

If Dennis was the one Christine got dangerously jealous of (either because something happens between them or she just knows) how would that go down differently? Or what if the car decides she wants to be shared by them, and maybe likes to watch them do things to each other (take that however you want it to mean) and either their closeness makes the two of them eventually snap out of it, or they all just become a weird evil threesome? I'm also into the idea of some other fantasy/sci-fi AU in which Christine is something or someone else entirely but is still threatening in some paranormal/inhuman way.

Crossover Tags (FIC):

Peter McVries & Ray Garraty & The Stand

Peter McVries/Ray Garraty & The Stand

---I’m interested in how these two would fit into a story with such an elemental moral war. Both are reckless but McVries more prone to hopelessness and nihilism; would he be tempted to join Flagg without outside influence? Would he just kind of wander around with no sense of purpose until Ray found him? It could also turn the existential misery of The Long Walk on its head, with them losing their families and possibly realizing too late the preciousness of life that way. You don’t have to get into much philosophy or plot either; I’m kind of into the everyday pain-in-the-ass minutiae of the post-apocalypse and people finding ways to laugh about their circumstances and reach for each other in their grief. Feel free to write it as full-on crossover with some of the canon Stand characters appearing.

Larry Underwood & Richie Tozier

---If you have some other idea of where to put these two together, go for it, but I had this idea of Richie hosting an occasional interview special for up-and-coming musicians and Larry being invited on when the single’s just out and being so nervous to meet this famous personality, and maybe they get drunk or high together before or after the interview (bonus points if Larry can hardly get in an answer cause Richie gives him the giggles). They’re kinda both assholes so they get along? They’re both assholes so they kinda hate each other? I didn’t nominate it as a shippy treatment but if you’re really sad I didn’t, hey, stuff happens when people party.

The Dark Half (FIC):

Alan Pangborn/Thad Beaumont

Alan Pangborn/Elizabeth Beaumont/Thad Beaumont

George Stark/Alan Pangborn

---I thought the surprising friendship and trust that takes hold between Thad and the officer who initially believes him to be a cold killer was one of the better aspects of this novel, and the way that connection is so soon polluted by Stark's insurmountable connection to a part of Thad’s psyche is chilling and more than a little sad. I would love to get a shippy treatment of their immediate companionship and/or the inevitable disturbance of it. If you wanted to make it a poly thing with Elizabeth, with all three of them not really pausing in the midst of all these maddening things happening to question opening their marriage to someone they find comforting, I would be interested in how that might underscore the events.

And when it comes to George/Alan...yeah, I want darkfic, potentially outlining Stark’s role in putting Alan off Thad in a more sinister way, whether it’s poisoning the well of Alan’s (sublimated? not yet acted on?) desire and affection for Thad by being sleazily flirtatious in pointing it out, or going to a darker noncon place with all the mingled disgust and misplaced attraction that might provoke. (In the context of this prompt, I’m not super into the gross-out factor of Stark being at the stage where his skin is falling off, but if you can’t somehow set it at an earlier stage it would be better to just not mention it.)

Also, I realize Alan has a family, but you can deal with that however you want; his wife can just not exist for the purposes of the story, but even infidelity wouldn’t put me off if you’re taking the character that far out of a healthy mindset.

The Long Walk (FIC):

Peter McVries/Ray Garraty

---Since we’re never in Pete’s head, it would be great to get anything detailing how his initial distance from Ray quickly erodes into the protectiveness he obviously can’t help over him, if there’s a spark of empathy there even before the first time Ray saves him, or what he’s really thinking or trying to say at some of his more cynical and cryptic moments. I wonder what it was that Parker said to him to imply he thought he and Ray were “queer for each other” and how this apparently was covered without McVries feeling the need to deny it?

If you wanted to write them both somehow surviving, I would love to see how their relationship remains in the aftermath; maybe they don’t exactly end up together because they associate each other with this traumatizing thing, and they have an essential but troubled friendship because of it (and maybe they end up fucking a couple times but don’t really talk about it).

In the realm of more absolute alternate universes...a bigoted boarding school atmosphere, an aggressive correctional camp, anything where a compulsive make-out might happen in the bunks or the showers and then be stiffly denied later on sounds like a backdrop I’d love for these boys if you want to do something bleak-but-not-as-mortally-bleak.

I prefer to think of McVries as having complicated depression that doesn’t just stem from girlfriend problems; I’d prefer you mention the incident with Priscilla as little as possible, but any focus on Pete’s scar is totally fine.

The Stand (ART):

Larry Underwood/Lucy Swann

Lucy Swann/Larry Underwood/Nadine Cross/Randall Flagg

Nadine Cross

---My attempts to prompt for art for these tags may be unhelpful but I’m really into Nadine’s scary paranormal bond with Flagg, the imagery of her hair and Flagg’s tainted handsomeness and everything haunted about her and her life, and how the love triangle with her and Larry and Lucy is really a quadrangle of temptations and baggage beyond the usual moral pressure of romantic entanglements. They’re all figuratively in bed together whether they like it or not, but I could see that presented more literally in art. I also would like anything associated with the individual permutations (Larry/Nadine, Larry/Lucy, Larry/Nadine/Randall?). Desperate/melancholy embraces, or moments of almost touching. That ghost leering over Nadine’s shoulder in her moments of getting too close to tenderness.

#stephen king #christine #the dark half #the long walk #the stand #it

1 note · View note

littlehollyleaf · 5 years

Text

why did Ed kill Penn?

I’ve been thinking about this A LOT since 508, as well as the fantastic way Penn and Eddie and their respective relationships with Oswald, and the identity issues caused by their relationship with Oswald, were mirrored in the episode

and I absolutely concur with the general fandom reading of JEALOUSY on Ed’s part (something similar to his former rivalry with Butch resurfacing maybe, but also possibly a match to Ozzie’s killing of Isabella)

I also think there’s something to be said for the idea that Ed honestly was acting out of a sense of self preservation (or Oswald preservation :p) - recognising, from personal experience of a fractured personality, that destroying the puppet/dummy had NOT made Penn safe and that he was likely to continue to be a threat to himself and Oswald in the future if left alive

but I feel like you can argue for something DEEPER at play as well relating to Penn and Eddie’s mirroring/similarities and Eddie’s compulsions

because it seems to me like Penn’s confrontation with Oswald was a bit of a replay of Ed and Ozzie’s infamous first Dock’s Scene -

we have Ozzie telling them both to ‘listen’ and going on to express concern over the mental/emotional influence on them killing him will have -

“you need to listen to me when I tell you by doing this it will change you”

“Arthur, I want you to listen to what I’m saying - you accuse me of manipulating you by what about him? I never asked you to kill anybody”

then we have Ozzie appealing to the emotional connection between him and the others (as he perceives it) and literally reaching out -

“this will be the cold-blooded murder of someone you love”

“think of everything that we went through together - Sofia Falcone, getting cut off from the mainland, starving!”

both assertions that Ed and Penn/Scarface are quick to shoot down as inaccurate -

“I don’t love you”

“You mean Penn was starving!”

this is followed by Ed and Penn both raging for a bit, I’ll just paraphrase - you killed Isabella so I wanted you to suffer and now you need to die, you gave your dog steak while I ate scraps!!

there’s a little addition at the docks where Oswald interrupts Ed to say they need each other and ‘you can’t have one without the other’

but the next comparable part as I see it is how after being raged at Ozzie responds in kind by getting angry himself -

“When I met you, you were a nervous, jittery loser! You were nothing! I created Edward Nygma”

“I welcomed you into my home!”

and in 508 it’s at this point we get a quick reaction shot of Ed (the first since this exchange between Ozzie and Penn started) and that interests me -

he turns to glance first at Oswald and then at Penn, and I know plot-wise he’s looking for an opening to set off the sonar machine as a distraction (or whatever he did to make that high pitched noise), but...

after all the above similarities, I wonder if this shot is doubling up as a indicator that Ed is clocking just how similar Penn’s situation is to his own past with Oswald (esp. since it’s the line ‘I welcomed you into my home’ that makes him look - since that is exactly what Oswald did for him prior to Isabella ofc)

if so, I think Ed may also be noting (with, perhaps, a touch of exasperation/disapproval) that Ozzie is reacting to Penn’s legitimate anger and pain in the same dismissive way Ed felt HIS anger and pain over Isabella was treated... meaning that quick glance at Penn could, just maybe, be one of understanding... (maybe, possibly, also sympathy?)...

and in understanding Penn’s current situation as a match to his past Ed could feasibly have been calculating the most likely direction the exchange was about to take ie. Ozzie’s angry words and dismissive attitude pushing Penn into going through with shooting him, as happened with Ed at the docks

EXCEPT THIS TIME, instead of being dismissive and belittling, OZZIE GOES COMPLETELY OFF SCRIPT -

“And yes, I was not a good friend”

no insults

no insisting on his superiority

instead he offers the opposite - he shows Penn RESPECT by acknowledging that he treated him badly and that the anger and pain Penn feels is therefore valid

and he doesn’t stop there but goes on to include Ed in this moment of humility -

“To you, or anyone”

and he really REALLY DIDN’T HAVE TO DO THAT - Ed was already on side and in the middle of a plan to save them both, so it’s not like Ozzie needed to butter him up or anything

no, this was presented as a genuine moment of growth I think

this was Ozzie given a ‘do over’ of sorts (oooh maybe kinda like Selina got with Jeremiah’s attempt to recreate the Wayne murder?)

with Penn he is faced with a similar situation as he had once been in with Ed and THIS TIME he shows he has grown enough to be able to acknowledge his faults and treat the other person with respect

AND is able to retrospectively do this with Ed himself at the same time - finally giving Ed what he’d been lacking back at the docks ie. acknowledgement that his behaviour (killing Isabella) had hurt Ed, showing he accepted that hurt as valid and thus accepted Ed, as a person, as valid

which is part of why Ed just LOSES IT at that point I think -

it’s everything he didn’t know he needed! <3

the comparisons continue with Ozzie talking about how he ‘sees’ Ed and Penn -

“I am the only one in the world who truly sees you as you are. Who you could still become”

“I saw you for what you are and I valued that”

and this makes both Ed and Penn falter a moment -

but ultimately stick to their resolve -

“I loved her Oswald. And you killed her” [bang!]

“You’re a liar and a thief. All you do is take, take, take! And you never give anything. You worked me to the bone. Forced me to be your puppet. Well no more. You hear me? No more.”

as Penn advances on Oswald, clearly ready to shoot him now, we get one last reaction shot from Ed -

and, idk... I think you can read bit of AFFINITY in Ed here? He’s absolutely locked on to Penn and I can imagine him thinking ‘god yes, I remember how that felt’ - quickly followed up by ‘shit, I know what happens next!’ as he recognises that Penn has reached a point where his compulsion to shoot Oswald can no longer be reasoned with

but maybe there’s also a little bit of - ‘no don’t do it!’ in Ed’s expression? or perhaps - ‘what are you doing? he admitted his fault, you don’t have to go through with this, not like I did!’

then ofc Ed DASHES over to activate his machine, saving Oswald’s life

Penn is subdued

but Ed shoots him anyway, cold and calculated

which brings us back to - why?

well, I put forward that it’s partly because of the way the whole confrontation became a repetition, or return to, or ‘do-over’ of that first docks scene

see, throughout the show we’ve seen various ways in which Ed finds significance in repetition eg. taking Oz back to the docks to kill him a second time, repeating the same 3 riddles with different academics in order to get a satisfactory answer, even hooking up with Isabella was a ‘second chance’ at what he had with Kristen and so on (we even see it in small things like leaving Oswald a second origami penguin at Arkham)

if we assume Ed came to feel like he WAS reliving/repeating the past here, then I feel that because Ozzie did something different Ed would have therefore considered himself ‘free’ to do the same

and that difference was him FORGIVING Oswald for his betrayal in killing Isabella, or at least MOVING ON from it

so, basically, I’m thinking that in Ed’s mind the whole scenario with Penn became an opportunity to ‘reset’ his and Oswald’s relationship back to the point before it fell apart and have it play out better - ie. with Ozzie showing remorse for the pain he’d caused (if not outright apologising) and with him forgiving Ozzie and the two of them remaining friends and moving on together

BUT

for Ed, I think that meant the experience and it’s revelations and conclusion became no longer about or anything to do with Penn at all, it became SOLELY ABOUT HIM AND OSWALD

because it was about replaying THEIR past and reshaping THEIR relationship

meaning that from the moment Ozzie ‘flipped the script’ and gave Ed that chance to restore their relationship, Penn became superfluous

or worse, an impediment - because if Penn went on to forgive Oswald, as he seemed to after the puppet was destroyed, and Oswald went on to welcome him back into his life, then I imagine to Ed that risked the whole thing becoming just about Oswald and Penn after all, and the important shift in Ed and Oswald’s relationship, the ‘reset’ of it back to them being proper friends again, might no longer have applied

ergo, removing Penn was simply the necessary/logical thing to do, because he didn’t belong in the picture/narrative Ed had crafted - he’d been a means to an end and with the end reached his purpose was over

y/n/m?

I mean... I guess this is just a fancy way of reinforcing the ‘jealousy’ reading :p because it’s Ed muscling Penn out and being all - yeah, sorry, but no, this is actually about Oswald and ME, not you

but I just liked the idea of Ed’s compulsive side being ‘activated’ by all the parallels/mirrors!

#gotham: nothing's shocking #a few thinky thoughts I had buzzing around and needed to jot down to shut them up #(I've got a bit too into this screenshot thing :p)#this might be nonsense it's v. late/early now so it's hard to tell!#character study: edward

95 notes · View notes

kiapet2 · 3 years

Text

Aperture Sides Facility, Chapter 11: Are You Dead Yet? How About Now?

Masterpost

Chapter Summary: In which Thomas has his second intense boss fight in the past, like, day. Help him.

Chapter Warnings: Death Mention, Attempted Murder, Neurotoxin

“Took you long enough!” Remus crows as you once again walk through the doors of the Control Chamber. “So which one of you dorks is going to be shoved in here next, hmm?”

If only you knew. “I don’t want to fight you, Remus,” you call up to the Core. “Just let us get you out of there, and we’ll call it good.”

“Hmm... how about, nah,” Remus says flippantly. “I’ve got a better idea.”

Panels of what look like clear plastic slide out of the ceiling, surrounding Remus’ body, while even more grabby hands pop out of the ground and wave about him like giant tentacles.

“I’ve been watching replays of your fight with old Snakes and Bad-ers, and found his performance to be just a bit lacking. Well played, didn’t quite stick the landing. So I’ve modified a few things. No portal surfaces for you, bombs and bomb-proof shields for me. Oh! And more neurotoxin, because why mess with a classic, right? I’ll be interested to see if you die in a fiery explosion or twitching on the ground!”

There’s a hissing of air as vents around you open. Even knowing what you did before coming here, you find yourself bracing for the sickly sweet smell of the neurotoxin. But it doesn’t come.

“Well that’s no fun,” Remus says petulantly. “Well, at least I still have these!”

You dodge out of the way as several small spheres are lobbed out of Remus’ mainframe. That instinct turned out to be the correct one as each sphere explodes on impact with the floor, metal shrapnel spraying and stinging your legs through your thick pants. You try to shoot a portal behind yourself in preparation for the next volley, but the portal light skids off the dark surface below you. Remus really has rigged things in his favor, this time.

“Over here!” Roman calls, and you turn to see him hanging next to a large, clear plastic tube.

A clear plastic tube with a suspiciously white substance flowing through it.

You run over to the tube, standing in front of it and watching as Remus launches the next volley of bombs, then once more dodging out of the way. The bombs hit the tube behind you, and white gel sprays out as the tube ruptures.

You shoot a portal at the puddle of white forming on the floor, and feel your face split into a grin as the portal forms. Within seconds, the room is liberally spattered in Conversion Gel and in a series of familiar maneuvers you’re using portals to send Remus’ bombs right back at him.

“Oh dear,” Remus says as he raises his shields to deflect another volley of redirected bombs. “This isn’t working out very well for me, now is it? No neurotoxin, my own bombs sent back at me. How ever will I kill you now?”

His eye narrows deviously. “Let’s try this.

Quicker than you can react, several turrets are lowered from the ceiling, forming a ring around you.

You feel the blood drain from your face. Janus warned you that, without new broken turrets being created, Remus would just use the old, working ones. Apparently he was right, and now you’re going to die because of it.

A series of red beams extend towards you as a chorus of small voices call, “Searching,” and other similar phrases.

“Target acquired.”

With nowhere to run, you close your eyes and brace for the bullets to hit.

“STOP!” a voice screams just above you. Startled, you open your eyes and look up to see Patton hanging just above you, handles flung out as if in warding.

You expect the turrets to shoot anyways, and possibly to hit Patton as well, but instead their red beams come up to examine him, their gun parts extended but not actively shooting.

“Now kiddos,” Patton says, voice chiding, “It’s not very nice to shoot people, now is it?”

You let out an incredulous bark of laughter.

“Now I know you all are just doing your jobs,” Patton continues, “but how about you take a little breather and let your dear old dad take care of things here, alright?”

There’s a tense moment where all of you remain frozen in place, then one by one the turrets retract into neutral positions, with calls of “Resting” and “Goodbye”.

Your stare at them and then at Patton, gaping. “What- how-”

“The Morality Core,” Virgil says softly. “I didn’t realize it went that far.”

“Aw, they’re some good kiddos,” Patton says. “Just needed a little nudge.”

“Oh come on!” Remus shouts. “They were supposed to riddle you full of holes! Is everything useless around here?”

As if in response, a familiar automated voice says, Warning, Central Core is 85% corrupt. To initiate a core transfer, please deposit substitute core in receptacle.

You once again thank your lucky stars for the amazing Core that is Logan. And then actually look at the receptacle rising out of the ground- the receptacle with a very prominent slot for placing Cores into- and feel your stomach drop.

There’s no getting around it, no more putting it off. One way or the other, someone new is being put in charge of this facility- and it’s up to you to decide who.

It’s a terrible decision, a decision you wish with all your heart you didn’t have to make. To choose between two of your friends, between two people who have helped you get here, who have put their trust in you and asked you to do the same. No matter who you choose, people you care about are going to get hurt, and that sucks.

And yet, if you distance yourself from the torrent of emotions about this and instead think about it in terms of who can resist whatever the facility does to its AI’s? Then there’s one answer that keeps popping into your head.

The Core who has unfalteringly trusted and supported you the entire time you’ve been awake. The Core who just defeated an entire group of turrets with kindness- the same turrets Janus had insisted were kill-or-be-killed. The Core who, even now, is frightened at the prospect of what you’re about to ask of him, but is willing to do it anyways to protect his friends.

“Patton,” you call, “Ready to go?”

Patton gives a sharp little intake of breath, then looks at you and gives you a firm nod. “Let’s do it.”

Janus’ light flashes to life for the first time since the start of the battle. “Thomas, what’s going on? What are you-”

But your hands have already closed around Patton’s handles, are already in the motion of placing Patton into the Core-shaped receptacle in the ground.

This time, after you put Patton in the receptacle you remain standing over him protectively. You don’t care if you have to slap away any grabby-arms by hand, you’re not letting him get taken away again.

Substitute Core accepted. Substitute Core, are you ready to start the procedure?

“I am,” Patton says, voice even.

Corrupted Core, are you ready to start the procedure?

Remus brandishes his grabby arms menacingly, like the tentacles of a deep-sea squid. “Not a chance.”

You remain standing over Patton as the Stalemate Resolution Button once again rises out of the floor, and when the flurry of grabby-arms come towards you you redirect the latest volley of bombs into them, sending them flying in separate directions.

“You can’t do that forever!” Remus sing-songs.

“He doesn’t need to.”

Remus whirls around, and Virgil gives him a narrow-eyed smirk as his metallic hand comes down on the red button.

Stalemate resolved. Please stand clear of the transfer bay.

Once again, both the Core at the end of the large robotic body and the receptacle lower into the floor, and once again the air is filled with screams.

“Thomas,” Janus says, quiet, horrified, “Thomas, what did you do?” You don’t have the courage to answer.

Finally, the long body of the AI mainframe rises out of the ground, a familiar blue-eyed core at its head- literally.

“Whoa!” Patton says, whirling around on his new body. “That’s a head rush!”

“Pat?” you call out worriedly. “How are you feeling? Anything abnormal? Compulsions, rushes of power?”

Patton stretches, and along the length of his body a series of colorful lights spark to life. The effect is beautiful, and you find yourself staring.

“I gotta be honest, kiddo, I don’t feel completely honky-dory,” Patton says. “There’s definitely some weird feelings in here. But I think they’re under control. I’m not going to make you do any more testing, that’s for sure!”

You laugh at that, heady with relief and adrenaline. You move forward and reach a hand up, patting the side of Patton’s Core where it hangs down. “Just let us know if it starts to get too much, okay? I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

“Aw, you’re so sweet!” Patton coos.

You start as something metallic wraps around you, realizing after a moment that it’s a grabby hand.

“Sorry kiddo,” Patton says. “I just realized I can give hugs now!”

That makes you laugh again, and you lean into Patton’s touch, relishing the comfort.

“It’s over,” you say, heady with the thought, “it’s over. We finally won.”

#aperture sides facility #my writing #ts storytime

1 note · View note

dailykhaleej · 4 years

Text

Coronavirus: The trials and triumphs of UAE residents

Trials and triumphs of the COVID-19 fight Picture Credit score: DailyKhaleej

Dubai: The first case of coronavirus within the UAE was introduced on January 29, 2020. That’s round three-and-a-half months in the past. Time flies, you’d ordinarily be inclined to assume. However these are extraordinary instances.

Ever for the reason that beastly virus unfold its ugly tentacles, every little thing we’ve been pondering, saying or doing has revolved round COVID-19. However past the final fatigue that we’re all starting to really feel, there isn’t a denying that life as we all know it – why, even dying – has modified eternally.

Prayers being carried out for Jeuel G. Jomay in Kerala. The ceremony was watched by his household right here within the UAE on Fb.

Gasping sufferers gone with no goodbye; relations watching funerals of family members on Fb; contaminated {couples} having to depart younger kids within the care of others; tables turning on docs and nurses … COVID’s attempting tales are heart-wrenching.

However the unimaginable trauma however, there are those that are counting their blessings too, whether or not it’s a brand new mum beating the virus together with her just-born; a affected person coming off the ventilator after 20 days; or the UAE’s well being care group clocking file testing charges and its researchers reaching a remedy breakthrough.

A have a look at the trials, tribulations and triumphs of UAE residents for the reason that COVID-19 fight started:

The final trial

It’s dangerous sufficient to lose a cherished one, however not with the ability to bid goodbye takes away even the sense of closure.

THE WAY IT IS

World protocols on heath security, hygiene and social distancing stipulate that coronavirus sufferers should get handled in isolation, and even depart alone.

World protocols on heath security, hygiene and social distancing stipulate that coronavirus sufferers should get handled in isolation, and even depart alone, so one has no selection however to let go.

When Bangladeshi expat Tofail Alam, 51, handed away in Abu Dhabi final week, his spouse Nausheen advised DailyKhaleej her husband went to see a physician at a hospital in March as a result of he had a foul chilly.

Tofail Alam

“But he was admitted the same day and transferred to a public hospital for treatment. We lost the pillar of our family to the coronavirus pandemic. It is so devastating that I simply have no words.”

A pal who tried to contact Alam in hospital stated, “The calls never went through. So all I could do was ask the nurses about his condition.” Someplace alongside the road, he learnt that the daddy of two was no extra.

Funeral on Fb

Even in non-coronavirus instances, flight suspensions in latest instances have meant that some residents haven’t been in a position to attend funerals of family members in different nations.

Amongst them: A Keralite household within the UAE who watched the funeral of their cancer-stricken son Jeuel G. Jomay, a Grade 10 pupil at a Sharjah college, on Fb on April 16. They might not accompany his physique when it was flown to native Kerala beneath lockdown.

One from the album: A household image with Jeuel Picture Credit score: Provided

Jeuel’s funeral ceremony again dwelling started at 4am within the UAE. His cousin advised DailyKhaleej her household and Jeuel’s household watched the five-hour ceremony on Fb whereas the St Mary’s Church in Sharjah supplied a hyperlink to the YouTube livestreaming on its web site for members right here to look at the service.

“None of the flights was getting sanctioned soon. Jeuel’s father wanted to fly with him. But that was not possible,” the cousin advised DailyKhaleej on the time.

Equally, on April 17, Dubai-based Pakistani expat Ghulam Mustafa Awan watched the funeral of his father Malik Nazir Ahmad on video. Ahmad had died of a coronary heart and lung situation.

“I tried everything, but I couldn’t go and see the face of my father one last time,” stated Awan.

I attempted every little thing, however I couldn’t go and see the face of my father one final time.

– Ghulam Mustafa Awan

In each instances, COVID-19-related restrictions prevented their journey.

Double whammy

Telling a younger COVID-19 mom of three that her husband, additionally a coronavirus affected person, has handed on can on no account be simple.

However that’s exactly what Dr Samara Khatib, Marketing consultant Household Drugs and workforce lead on the COVID-19 ward at Mediclinic Parkview Hospital in Dubai, was tasked to do lately.

“We had to take the help of mental health professionals to break the tragic news to the patient, who is in her 30s,” stated the American physician of Syrian origin. “It shook us as healthcare workers.”

We needed to take the assistance of psychological well being professionals to interrupt the tragic information (that her husband had died) to the affected person, who’s in her 30s.

– Dr Samara Khatib

Coronavirus has struck different {couples} too within the UAE, which has meant they’ve needed to depart their kids within the care of others.

Dubai-based Suman Manning, who examined optimistic alongside together with her triathlete husband Shane Manning, stated her sister took care of her triplets throughout the ordeal. Though she confirmed no signs, she needed to isolate herself and inform her children and sister to avoid her, whereas her husband was recovering in hospital.

Suman and Shane Manning Picture Credit score: Provided

“It was a particularly trying time as the kids had just started the first week of remote learning and needed some kind of support,” she advised DailyKhaleej earlier.

‘We’re not invincible’

Engaged on the frontlines within the face of an invisible and yet-to-be-conquered virus, docs and nurses are in all probability on the highest danger of contracting COVID-19. Ask Reem Yousef, who works as an emergency nurse supervisor on the Emirates Specialty Hospital in Dubai.

It’s actually arduous. I’m actually carrying my coronary heart on my sleeve for my baby, Relle.

– Reem Yousef

“The Lebanese mum, who is still breastfeeding her nine-month-old baby, told DailyKhaleej: “It is really hard. I am literally wearing my heart on my sleeve for my little one, Relle. Yes, there is fear of contracting COVID-19 as we work 12-15 hours a day for five days. We try our best to manage. When I go back home, I take utmost care to completely sterilise myself before I hold my baby in my arms again.”

Reem Yousef with nine-month-old Relle Picture Credit score: Provided

Dr Khatib stated she checks herself for the virus not less than as soon as a month. “I am also very particular about hygiene. It’s almost as if I suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). There is no respite on the front line and when we see our own colleagues falling prey to the virus, we feel emotionally distraught. It makes us realise we are not invincible. But we have a responsibility to stay safe and healthy as we can pass on the virus to other patients or our families back home.”

Regardless of the very best efforts although, the tables do get turned typically. And when that occurs, the resolve to fight coronavirus solely will get stronger.

As a physician duo at Zulekha Hospital Dubai, Dr Nishath Ahmed Liyakat and Dr Unni Nair, who’ve recovered from COVID-19 testify, there was no manner the virus would have held them again from doing their responsibility as soon as that they had obtained the remedy and accomplished their quarantine.

Dr Nishath Ahmed Liyakat, left, and Dr Unni Nair Picture Credit score: Provided

Victor and the virus

Sure, the dismal well being disaster surrounding us does have its share of excellent news. Because the official tracker posts new instances day-after-day, there are appreciable recoveries too, with every corona warrior, irrespective of whether or not they’re a light or essential case, rising as an emphatic victor in opposition to the virus.

Communicate to sufferers who’ve turned the blind nook, and their phrases encourage you. Whereas some will let you know coronavirus isn’t a “death sentence”, others will say they don’t want their “hellish experience” even on their worst enemies.

I prayed arduous to God and positioned my belief within the medical workforce. Now, I’m getting higher day-after-day and can solely bear in mind these weeks on the ventilator prefer it was yesterday.

– Wilfredo

Both manner, there isn’t a bitterness and no taking away from the large sense of aid and gratitude on the highway to restoration.

“I hardly had any symptoms and it never felt like a death sentence. But now that I have completed my quarantine, I thank God it’s over,” stated one younger Indian lady who didn’t need to be named.

Wilfredo Picture Credit score: Virendra Saklani/DailyKhaleej

Wilfredo, a Filipino expat, who got here out of the ventilator after 20 days at Al Zahra Hospital, Sharjah, stated, “I prayed hard to God and placed my trust in the medical team. Now, I’m getting better every day and can only remember those weeks on the ventilator like it was yesterday.”

In Abu Dhabi, Raneen Abu Zaher, a Palestinian homemaker, and her new child son, Jad, who additionally beat coronavirus, encourage hope.

Child Jad Picture Credit score: Provided

The duo had been identified with the an infection when Jad was only a day previous. However two weeks later, once they bought the all-clear, the mom of three advised DailyKhaleej, “I tried to hold on to my faith, and prayed for my entire family.”

‘UAE will not let you down’

If there’s one factor any affected person within the UAE will vouch for, it’s the truth that they may not have been in higher arms. Whether or not it’s Liu Yujia, a 73-year-old customer from Wuhan, China, who was the primary affected person to have totally recovered within the UAE or Aubrey Escano, 27, a Filipina from Abu Dhabi who’s at present beneath quarantine, there was solely reward and gratefulness for the UAE for the style wherein coronavirus instances are dealt with.

One of the primary coronavirus sufferers to get well within the UAE Picture Credit score: Provided

Escano in her message stated, “I would like to tell COVID-19 patients not to lose hope, not to worry and continue the fight because the UAE will not let them down.”

The exemplary affected person care aside, the UAE has additionally hit worldwide headlines for finishing up a file quantity of laboratory checks for coronavirus. Based on the Ministry of Well being and Prevention, the UAE leads international coronavirus testing with 1.5 million checks performed for the reason that starting of the outbreak. The UAE each day testing common equals a four-month common of COVID-19 testing in different nations.

I wish to inform COVID-19 sufferers to not lose hope, to not fear and proceed the combat as a result of the UAE is not going to allow them to down.

– Aubrey Escano

Addressing a UAE Authorities distant assembly right now, Minister of Well being and Prevention Abdul Rahman Bin Mohammed Al Owais stated, “The UAE’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic is unique and different from other countries. The UAE has shown exceptional management of the crisis, whilst leveraging other countries’ experiences. However, the level of response was different, given the demographic composition in the country, which is home to more than 200 nationalities, and its distinct resources, readiness and experiences in many sectors.”

On Might 1, docs and researchers on the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre additionally achieved a significant breakthrough with a promising stem cell remedy for COVID-19 sufferers.

The analysis workforce on the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre Picture Credit score: WAM

The Ministry of Economic system even granted a patent for the event of the revolutionary methodology, which was administered to 73 COVID-19 sufferers, all of whom had been cured of the virus utilizing stem cells.

Researchers, who’ve accomplished the preliminary section of scientific trials, at the moment are engaged on demonstrating the efficacy of the remedy.

Now that’s no imply achievement, by any measure.

from WordPress https://ift.tt/3dJ1mJY via IFTTT

0 notes

owl-eyed-woman · 7 years

Text

Attack on Titan Season 2 Episode Analysis - Episode 7 (Episode 32)

After last week’s thrilling cliff-hanger, it’s finally time for some ‘close combat’. Yes, this episode knows what it’s about, and that is action, action, action. To be honest, when I realised that this was going to be an action-heavy episode, I feared that there wouldn’t be much for me to analyse here – I mean, it’s thrilling action done well, what more is there to say? On rewatch though, it’s clear that there’s a lot going on beneath the surface, particularly in regards to who Eren is and how his style of fighting reflects his psychology. It’s been a while since we’ve had an Eren-focused episode, hasn’t it?

The episode starts with a brief flashback all the way back to episode 3 – those were the days! Usually, I wouldn’t deign to comment on an episode recap, but this recap isn’t just reminding us of a previous event. Instead, the audience is forced to re-contextualise this moment and actively reframe it within the context of Reiner and Bertholdt’s betrayal. This was once a beautiful scene about the formation of an unexpected bond and growing mutual respect between four people who had experienced the horrors of the titans firsthand. Tragically, this once genuine moment is now tainted by deceit and betrayal. Still, we absolutely can’t forget that Eren is fighting one of his closest comrades, someone he trusted with his life for 5 long years! And, to put it bluntly, Eren is pissed.

In the last episode, we experienced the immediate emotional fallout from Reiner’s duplicity, as Eren shifted from paralysed shock to grief. Now, as he begins comprehend the depth of Reiner’s betrayal, Eren is consumed by bitterness and rage. Everything he thought Reiner was - strong, loyal, steadfast, reliable - has been comprehensively and cruelly demolished.

This is so devastating for Eren not just because he loved Reiner dearly, but because Eren wanted to be Reiner. For Eren, Reiner was the perfect model of a soldier and everything Eren aspired to. In this way, Reiner’s betrayal, unlike Bertholdt’s, is a personal affront to Eren; he hasn’t just lost a friend, he’s lost his ideal. Poor Eren just can’t catch a break.

Reiner as the Armoured Titan is a striking, intimidating opponent, to say the least. It’s strange to think that even though we’re over 30 episodes in, this is only the third ‘Titan Eren vs Titan’ battle we’ve seen (and only the second ‘Titan Eren vs. Titan-shifter’ battle). So though the novelty definitely hasn’t worn off, AOT still makes sure that each iteration is compelling and fresh by introducing new challenges to overcome and seemingly unbeatable abilities. AOT knows that you don’t need to reinvent the proverbial wheel every time, but you do need to tweak it just a bit to keep the audience invested.

Thus, a pattern of escalation and complication is evident in every titan battle we’ve encountered so far. We can basically view Eren’s first transformation in Trost as a kind of tutorial level in titan shifting. Tasks like defeating normal titans or successfully moving the boulder all function to demonstrate Eren getting a handle on his powers and establishing the basic rules of this ability. So in the scheme of things, the challenges here are comparatively simple (OK, it wasn’t simple at the time).

With Annie as the Female Titan, the show started to add new obstacles to complicate this formula. Against the Female Titan, Eren had to contend with mental and emotional challenges in addition to a physical one. Annie was a formidable opponent combat-wise, but she was also highly intelligent and, even more importantly, a friend. Thus, the main conflict for Eren against Annie was learning how to overcome the emotionally devastating challenge of fighting someone you’ve trusted for years and psychologically move past this.

Now with Reiner, we see AOT continue to evolve Eren’s titan-shifter battles by further centring the main conflict in Eren’s psychology and emotional perspective (we’ll get to that in a bit).

But on a more basic level, he is quite simply the most intimidating enemy physically that Eren has ever encountered– I mean, he’s a Titan with armour for god’s sake! Reiner’s ridiculous strength is made abundantly clear from the beginning with our first establishing shot of the fight showing Reiner’s punch literally sending Eren flying through the air. It’s practically comical! In addition to this, it’s quickly established that Reiner’s armour is impervious to Mikasa’s blades. For both titans and humans, Reiner is set up as a nigh invincible enemy and the greatest challenge combat-wise that Eren has ever encountered.

So with Eren as the clear underdog in this fight, the fun is in seeing how he can possibly even the odds. One thing is clear: this isn’t a fight Eren can punch his way through. He’s going to have to use more than brute strength to possibly stand a chance.

Facing this seemingly insurmountable challenge, something starts to shift within Eren. Fuelled by the memory of the destruction of Wall Maria and the death of his mother along with countless innocents, any regret, sadness, or confusion dissipates and is replaced by white hot rage. Only one things remains startlingly clear; Reiner is a monster and he must be destroyed. As Eren rises up from the ground, the camera sweeps over his weird, bumpy abs before showing Eren standing proudly, ready to fight. This shot communicates one idea; Eren is powerful enough to defeat Reiner.

And then he gets punched again, twirling through the air! It’s important to note that Eren’s impotence is purposefully comedic, with the sudden cut to the eyecatch heightening the absurdity of this moment. This entire scene then, with its powerful angles, empowering music and inspiring sentiments, functions as purposeful misdirection.

But we still need to ask, why doesn’t Eren succeed in this moment? Why isn’t his willpower, resolve and rage, which were so essential to defeating Annie, effective against Reiner?

On a basic level, we could say it’s just because Reiner is physically stronger than Annie. But I believe the reason for Eren’s failure goes much deeper than this. Ultimately, Eren’s success or failure in this fights comes down to his morality, his psychology and how he perceives his opponents. This came up in my analysis for last week’s episode, but essentially, this conflict with Reiner relates to Eren’s strict adherence to an extremely black and white view of morality and his almost compulsive need to clearly place people into this stark dichotomy of good or evil.

Eren’s done this exact thing several times throughout the show. It happened with Annie and, even more notably, when he first met Mikasa. It’s (surprisingly) easy to overlook, but Eren basically murdered two men when he was just a child. I’m not saying his actions weren’t justified, but realistically, any other child would have been traumatised by this experience, or simply unable to commit such an act in the first place. Eren, however, was able to remain completely unfazed precisely because, in his mind, they weren’t truly human. They were animals and thus he faced no ethical dilemma when killing them. It’s almost disturbing how easily Eren is able to compartmentalise complex moral situations and even people by reducing them to completely inhuman or monstrous forms.

As Eren prepares to fight, he starts to fall into this familiar pattern. He calls them ‘pests’, and declares that he’s going to ‘exterminate’ them, already starting to conceive of Reiner and Bertholdt in inhuman terms, as insects, animals or monsters. By doing this, Eren forces himself to repress his emotional turmoil and erase any feelings of friendship by reducing them to mindless monsters to be destroyed.

In the past, Eren’s ability to apply this dehumanising morality to the situation at hand has been essential for his survival and success. Quite simply, he wouldn’t have been able to defeat Annie if he hadn’t been able to conceive of her as a monster, not a human being who was once his friend.

Crucially though, the fact that Eren dehumanises his enemies so frequently and comprehensively has serious ramifications for his mental wellbeing. You see, in order to effectively utilise this ability, Eren has to rely on the worst parts of himself (his rage and his hate) and repress the best parts of himself (his compassion, his idealism and his loyalty). In the process of harnessing this monstrous side of himself, Eren literally loses his own humanity that he treasures so, so much. Ultimately, by dehumanising others so thoroughly, Eren essentially participates in his own dehumanisation as well.

So when he starts to dehumanise Reiner, Eren is essentially reverting to an emotionally unhealthy and psychologically damaging pattern. Fundamentally, on an emotional level, Eren can’t keep this up without self-destructing. But on a simple tactical level, the benefits of this method, specifically the monstrous determination and strength boost, aren’t enough to defeat the pure might of Reiner.

Faced with this conundrum, Eren suddenly recalls his cadet combat training with Annie. It’s an innocent, tranquil time, even though Annie is absolutely destroying Eren. Eren’s impulsive and angry fighting style is simply no match for the cold calculation and skilful timing of Annie. But more importantly, during this training match, Annie teaches Eren how to use opponent’s force against them, along with specific wrestling holds to incapacitate and defeat a much stronger opponent.

Then, Mikasa comes over and requests Annie try her technique out on her. Crucially, Annie admits that she is unsure if it will work, as her combat style was made to be used on humans, not beasts like Mikasa. Though Annie’s intention was to insult Mikasa, this point is absolutely crucial and will ultimately enable Eren to gain the upper hand against Reiner.

This flashback gives Eren a genuine breakthrough. Tactically, Eren learns to harness a new technique that is tailor-made for defeating brutish fighters like Reiner. But more importantly, this style is specifically intended to be used against ‘humans’, not ‘beasts’. Until now, Eren has been fighting ‘beasts’ like a beast himself. But he can’t do this with Reiner. This time, he has to fight Reiner on equal footing as a human. Basically, in order to use this technique effectively, he has to acknowledge Reiner’s inherent humanity.

This shift in perspective is immediately apparent as Eren battles Reiner. He no longer conceives of Reiner as a pest or vows to destroy or exterminate him. Instead, he gloats over the fact that because he fought with him as a cadet, he knows their weaknesses and how he can defeat them.

Before this moment, Eren has always needed to dehumanise his enemies, reducing them to inhuman monsters and repressing any emotional connection. But in this one episode, his friendship with Reiner and understanding of him as a human being is no longer an emotional hindrance for Eren. In fact, if he can remain conscious of Reiner as a human, he can use this knowledge to his advantage. Now, by no longer relying on dehumanisation and rage to win his battles, Eren must instead utilise planning, strategy and composure – essentially, he must retain his own humanity and rational control over the situation. This a huge breakthrough for Eren, both emotionally and mentally.

It’s also a huge step forward for Eren morally and ethically. What Reiner and Bertholdt did was despicable, monstrous even! But this is not necessarily at odds with their humanity. If there is one truth in AOT it’s this: humans have the potential to do monstrous, despicable things, but we still need to acknowledge this as a part of our humanity, rather than consigning this to the realm of monsters and beasts. Only then can we truly grow as people.

By acknowledging Reiner as a human during this battle, Eren is slowly incorporating moral nuance and understanding into his worldview. No, he’s probably not ready to see the virtues of his enemies or the vices of his friends. But still, it’s an important step towards recognising the monstrosity in humans and the humanity in monsters.

So with all this in mind, Eren is finally able to gain the upper hand against Reiner, incapacitating Reiner completely before TEARING ONE OF HIS ARMS OFF! I’ve rambled on far too long about the character implications, so let me just say that action-wise, it’s awesome seeing the addition of martial arts and dynamic strategies in a titan battle!

Additionally, while Armin, Mikasa and Hanji worry that Eren has lost control, Eren remains entirely lucid and rational throughout this entire episode. So here is yet another benefit to viewing one’s enemies as humans rather than monsters – Eren can retain his own humanity and control.

In this one episode, Eren has made so much progress with his titan powers, as well as substantial progress as a character! So, of course it’s disheartening when he is so soundly defeated at the hands of Reiner and Bertholdt.

I guess everything was going a bit too well for Eren, as everyone seems to forget their initial plan to escape in their desperation for just one success. Basically, they got cocky.

So while in the end, Eren failed abysmally, we mustn’t forget the significant breakthrough he’s had morally, emotionally and mentally. Let’s just hope it sticks!

8 notes · View notes