#who certainly has no motivation to reveal the truth

[vashtijoy]

1/2: sojiro doesn't recognise akechi

YES. GOOD. THE BOY IS PRESENT WE BEGIN er

But let's have a look at slightly older Boy #2 here (Joker, of course, ties for Boy #1, while Morgana is a cat). Sojiro is being a bit weird in general here, and if you're like me, you might have missed it. Sojiro reacts to Akechi like a stranger: "oh, someone's ignored the closed sign and walked in..."

But Sojiro knows Akechi. He knows exactly what he did on 11/20, and before. He knows he worked for Shido. He knows he murdered Wakaba—Wakaba who, of course, is right there in Leblanc with them on 1/2.

I don't think Sojiro ever expresses an in-game opinion on Akechi after 11/20 (he certainly allows him back into Leblanc in January, so he may be deferring to Futaba like everyone else) but before the big November reveal, he likes him. He approves of him. If you talk to him when Akechi is at Leblanc for confidant 6, he'll tell you so:

(translator's note—学費 gakuhi, "tuition fees". If Akechi told Sojiro this, the chances that it is the whole truth are remote IMO—though I am attracted to the image of pre-evil Akechi working from a young-ish age to put himself through private school.)

Now, Akechi does not exactly endear himself to Sojiro on 8/28, when they first meet. But a week on, it seems as if Sojiro is at least trying to give Akechi a fair crack of the whip, and has maybe decided he's not so bad after all.

Later, on 10/22 when Akechi is on TV, Sojiro will ask if you ever heard from him again. You have, of course, likely not seen him since around 9/3 itself.

meanwhile in maruki's reality

Even within Maruki's reality, Sojiro is present for the explanation of how Akechi survived and turned himself in, on 12/25:

I can believe Sojiro missed most of the conversation, behind the counter like that, but no way did he miss Futaba's freakout here. He presumably knows who Akechi is at this point.

But by 1/2? He's forgotten. Wakaba is back, Morgana is human, everyone is happy, and nobody remembers that things were ever any other way, sure.

Akechi, though? He was never there. They never had that talk about school fees at the counter. Akechi never popped up on TV. If he was friends with Joker, Joker never brought him to Leblanc—or, in the original reality, Akechi never visited without an ulterior motive, meaning that when his crimes were erased from history, he never showed up at all. Not even for one of those shitty summer hangouts that waste a day.

So. Maruki ending Pleasant Boy is:

not a celebrity;

not familiar to Sojiro, because he never visited Leblanc;

not close enough to Joker yet to have spent time at Leblanc;

not a criminal and not dead, obvs.

I wonder how many other people he'd expect to know him simply have no memory of him at all.

#persona 5 #p5 meta #goro akechi #sojiro sakura #takuto maruki #i hate the marukiverse

[writergirl2011]

Regarding Hyle Hunt

There's been a little discourse regarding the role one Ser Hyle Hunt will play in Lady Brienne of Tarth's storyline going forward. Some people seem to think that he is her perfect match because they hate the idea that Brienne deserves to have a romance with the man she wants--aka one Ser Jaime Lannister--because that messes with the narrative they want to push, whatever that narrative may be.

Some people think that Ser Hyle Hunt is a more interesting and more remarkable man than he truly is, when nothing he's said or done to this point has shown him to be anything of the sort. Personally, I'm not impressed with a man who set up a bet with his buddies over a young noblewoman's virginity--which was essentially the kiss of death to said young woman, who didn't have much going for her on the marriage mart in the first place. (Don't give me the "men will be men" explanation. That makes you no better than Randyll Tarly.) And his proposal of marriage boils down to: "Hey, baby, you've got an island and a lot of money, I've got a functional dick that's already proven to be fertile. I can close my eyes and blow out the candle. Let's do it." How romantic.

There has been absolutely no indication that Brienne will ever love this man, or even care the slightest for him. Threatening to turn someone into a eunuch isn't playful banter, especially not when said man once bet on her virginity and the last time she confronted someone(s) in that bet, she beat the living shit out of them. She hasn't forgotten, and she really hasn't forgiven. And when it comes to Hyle, she never really will, because in her eyes, what he did was the worst of all of them. He came the closest to winning by doing the one thing none of the others did--he made her feel included, like she might be earning a little bit of respect in that camp. Then she found out it was all a lie.

"But she hated Jaime at first!" Yeah, but that was before Jaime: told a lie about Tarth's wealth to save her from rape; shouted "sapphires" and risked a beating to save her from rape again; risked his own life to save hers by jumping unarmed into a bear pit (with only one hand to boot), and revealed the truth about why he killed Aerys, thus revealing that rather than it being a callous act, he'd saved an entire city of innocents--a noble act. THEN he put his trust in her to find Sansa, gifting her with a horse, armor, and a priceless sword. He gave her the respect Hyle only pretended to give her, expecting nothing in return.

What has Hyle done on their road trip? When Brienne kills the three former Bloody Mummers, I'm curious: how long was Hyle there? At least long enough to see her and Pod burying Nimble Dick, but the way he's described sitting there casually makes me think he'd been there longer. Watching. Sitting back doing nothing while she might've been killed. And we don't know what his true motives are in following her. If she finds Sansa, is he going to help her get Sansa to safety--or is he going to betray her and try to turn Sansa in to the Crown for the reward?

If you want any further proof that she doesn't care about Hyle, think about who she tried to bargain for when Lady Stoneheart was about to hang them all. Not herself, and certainly not Hyle. Podrick, the boy. And when they were hanging, as she was dying. the only person she had eyes for was Pod.

And who did she presumably agree to kill Jaime for? Podrick.

Yeah. She's really going to come around on Hyle.

#Brienne of Tarth #Hyle Hunt #Jaime Lannister #ASOIAF meta #give me a break people #reading comprehension #it's a thing

[luckykittysshowerthoughts]

I wonder why micheal keeps getting portrayed as abusive (specifically in simeon, lucifer and mammon based fics) especially when you consider that his canon self isn't that?? I know it's probably something of a scapegoat since it's easy to pin the character we know the least about as the most villainous but I'm curious about your thoughts

Personally, I think there's a few things at play. One of them is recognizing the shades of gray. Humans by nature have a tendency to sort things into black and white when they really shouldn't be, and I think this is an example of that.

Because, there is some truth to what they say. Michael can be downright creepy at times- from sneaking into Lucifer's room without permission being a clear sign of an unhealthy obsession, to the flat-out psychologically damaging stunt he pulled in Nightbringer. And don't even get me started on the angel event from the OG; I was pissed about that for a long time. He also clearly has a very prejudiced, derogatory view of demons, and is likely where Luke got it from. He's certainly not innocent.

BUT, I think people carry it too far. Yes, he's creepy, and yes he can be a colossal asshole. But he also displays clear, genuine care&compassion for others, especially his brothers, and seems to be trying his best to do good.

Such as with Simeon and Luke- he clearly genuinely cares about their wellbeing. As revealed in one of the Hard Mode chapters of Nightbringer, he was worried sick about sending them down to the Devildom, showering them with care packages and wanting constant reports to make sure they were alright. In the OG game, when he cast Simeon out, he didn't just leave him out to dry; he coordinated with the Devildom- which he's always hated- to ensure Simeon's safety, and sent his right-hand man down to protect him. He's implied to have angsted over the very idea too, having told MC in S3, "and of course, I have Simeon to think about." Both of these points will probably be their own posts eventually, because I have a lot to say about them.

And, for all his harassment of Lucifer, he seems to genuinely care about his wellbeing too. For example- saving MC's life in Nightbringer just because he recognized that they were important to Lucifer. This wasn't even because it got him closer to seeing Lucifer again; Lucifer had no way of knowing about this little favor. He did it just to make his brother happy.

There's also him cooperating with the exchange program in the first place. There was no reason Michael had to do that. In fact, considering the Celestial Realm's very traditional and conservative views, it would've been very likely for them to just say no. They didn't have to send anyone down. And yet Michael did. Not only that, but he hand-picked who to send. He clearly cares about and has stakes in this program. It seems that he's trying to change; he at the very least cooperates with those who believe there should be change.

Ultimately, he's a very flawed individual, trying to do his best by others through a lens warped by celestial propaganda and unhealthy coping mechanisms. He's a very morally gray character, and I think sometimes the internet has a hard time reconciling with that.

Especially since we don't have a face to put to Michael. That's the other issue. People are a lot less likely to sympathize with a faceless persona than they would be with their favorite hot demon boy. The brothers and even the side characters can get away with a lot more because we see and regularly interact with them. Because of Michael's secretive nature, often times you have to read between the lines to really understand the nuance of his character- it isn't spoon-fed to you through direct interaction like with many of the other characters. Because he obscures himself so much, it's a lot harder to humanize him, and to get a grasp on his motivations.

I also think a lot of people are looking for a "villain" in a story where there was never meant to be one. People seem to get this idea where every story needs to have a villain, and if they can't find one they make one. Obey Me was never about good guys and bad guys, heroes and villains. It's always been about highly flawed and dysfunctional individuals just doing their best. Plenty of drama and meaningful plot can be made from that alone. We don't need a clear villain, and it doesn't need to be Michael. I think a lot of people don't get that.

#obey me analysis #obey me michael #obey me angels #obey me character analysis

[bestworstcase]

like as much as folks talk about how V9 turned the life/death theme on its head to "reveal" that the brothers' "delicate balance" was artificial—it didn't. the lost fable SHOWED US that balance was arbitrary and mutable, the god of darkness resurrects ozma with a snap of his fingers, salem dies and rises deathless, humanity is wiped out and then returns, the god of light imposes a torturous form of reincarnation into ozma to mold him into a weapon. V9 read the subtext out loud and provided explanatory notes, is all.

and you do sort of have to read the narrative themes about death and loss and grief in context with how death works mechanically in the story, otherwise you wind up in a weird place where the point you are making in essence boils down to "being religious is arrogant and immature" by way of reading salem's petitions to the brothers for ozma's life as fundamentally contrary to the story's themes. no! she's the orpheus to a god whose desiccated heart cannot be moved by the music of grief because he cares only for rules, for order, not people!

destruction is change. death is change, as is life, because one cannot exist without the other after the brothers strip death from her, salem exists in abject misery for decades until one day she looks out her window and sees that a new city has risen there; life goes on. even the smallest spark of hope is enough to ignite change—salem knows this better than anyone. she sought death until she saw life and understood. perhaps the gods were not as powerful as they seemed; they were fallible.

she sees this:

and she hurls the sword away from herself because she has, abruptly, almost violently discovered that out there is something worth living for. something worth fighting for.

the lost fable is not objective truth—jinn tells this story through ozpin's eyes, all his mistakes and presumptions intact—and on the matter of salem's emotional interiority and motivations the telling is especially suspect. salem might have become mired forever in grief, stagnating and unable to change—but she didn't. she saw the world changing without her and wrenched herself free to take part in it. to act. to live. destruction incarnate.

notice what she did not do: try to bring ozma back to life.

she spent decades in that house, desperate to join him in death. and then she accepted that she couldn't, that wallowing in anguish miserably stabbing herself for the rest of time was pointless, so she pressed on. found something new to live for and committed herself to that cause with the same absolute devotion she gave to him. oh, she kept a faint hope alive that she might find a way to make herself mortal again, but her driving motivation was to overthrow the gods who had shown her such breathtaking cruelty and pettiness. when the gods slaughtered the world she vowed to come back, to keep trying, to keep going.

it doesn't take a lot of power to bring someone back from the dead. pietro figured out how to do it by carving out bits of his own soul, and the ambrosius experiment suggests that a soul without a body will simply manifest a new body. all you really need to do is reach across the void and pull the soul you want back to remnant—and salem has lived long enough, and certainly has enough power to have figured that out and done it if she chose to. she didn't choose to. even after she witnessed humankind rise from the ashes, she chose to let ozma remain dead until he chose to return. she understood and accepted that this was not her choice to make.

& that's what accepting death means in a world where death isn't necessarily permanent. life is for the living and it's for the dead to choose.

[nanomooselet]

Episode Eleven: To a New World

Deep breaths. Uh, pre-emptive apologies; I keep the tightest grip I can over my tone, but this ep sliced me off at the knees. There's a lot of anger in it.

I like Wolfwood. Lots of people do. And I like Knives. Besides Vash himself they pop up on my dash more frequently than any other character. Maybe I like Knives more than Wolfwood because I enjoy poking his horrible trash brain with a stick, but Nick's certainly got his charms.

But I can't get around it. This is the episode where Knives... violates Vash. And this is the episode where Wolfwood turns his back as Vash is screaming in pain and despair, reliving all the worst moments of his life. For reasons (I'M WORKING ON IT and they're not that Meryl is The Girl), Wolfwood was never going to be the one to save Vash from his agony. Back in the initial watch, before I knew anything else, I knew it just wasn't going to happen.

So, sorry, Nick - you’ve had a rough time, but I still giggled when Meryl kicked you in the shin as you tried to pretend you didn't give a shit. I needed the levity. Off you go, brood over your sins and the whatnot. I'm sure Vash is gonna be just fine.

And you, Millions Knives. Today it's the tire iron.

This is the first time we finally see him fully revealed - full face, cloak discarded, even his thoughts themselves laid bare. (By the way, he's not actually naked; that's just a very, very tight bodysuit. I think he wears it so he looks like his idea of what a Masculine Plant is, like an Italian Renaissance sculpture. Also pretty sure he made it himself. Without it, he'd look just as human as Vash does.) Knives spends a lot of time talking, often very passionately... but you still cannot trust anything he says to be the truth; not about himself, not about Vash. At best, there might be a tiny sprinkle of truth prettying up a great big lie. Or he genuinely believes what he's saying; it's just that he's confidently wrong. I don't doubt, for instance, that Vash really is motivated by a lot of guilt over the Fall, not least because Knives was the one who put that guilt on Vash and left it to slowly consume him. Nonetheless I always think back to the line, "Does their praise cure it? The loneliness?" because, well, no? It doesn't? Because that’s not the point. Vash doesn't do what he does for praise or to avoid loneliness. If you try and tell him he's good at something he brushes you off - "just lucky!" and then he's vanished through the backdoor before you can thank him.

Similarly, we see a moment where Knives just straight up changes reality to suit his narrative - when poor Rollo called for Vash, he said that he wanted to live. In Knives's world, he begs Vash for death.

When Knives says these things, it's not accurate criticism of Vash, or of his philosophy, or even anything to do with the Plants. It's not the truth. It's not an argument. It's a probe.

Especially in this episode. Knives is trying to rip Vash open. He’s searching for the points where he can apply pressure - the most efficient means to break him down. How true his words are is not relevant. Only whether or not they hurt Vash, weaken his resolve, undermine his ego and confidence - which he already barely has anyway because of Knives.

Why the hell would he do this? I mean, as much as I can be sure of anything with this guy, I’m sure that Knives loves Vash very much. His brother might well be all that he loves - all that he has left. We can argue about what kind of love (though it's really not a debate I want to get into, so I’ll capitalise the words Very Normal and leave it at that). But it is love. Forget about the higher plane and the dependent Plants (which is to say I'll try and find a way to get down my thoughts on them, but not at this time). Knives is doing what he’s doing because he loves Vash.

Specifically, he’s doing it so that Vash won't leave him.

Imagine how the moments before the crash must have felt for Rem. Every second counts in an emergency, and yet she took the time, perhaps selfishly, to ensure her children escaped before anyone else. I think she'd already decided to go back for the sleepers, but the longer she went without doing so the less possible it became and the harder it got to keep her resolve. Still she took those precious moments, the last they ever had together, for the love of her boys. A chance was all she had to give them, but her work was done too soon.

And Nai. With the knowledge of the rest of the series he was acting so calm because he planned this, and it went just the way he expected it would – until the moment he reached out his hand, and Rem said no. We don't see his face, but we do see Vash, pleading desperately, thrown hard back into his seat, and it was Nai who did that when Rem refused him.

Remember? Nai offered Rem a choice.

So to Knives, that left Vash to be only thing in the world that matters as much completing his crusade. I suspect he views the two as the same goal – having Vash back means killing the humans, and killing the humans means Vash is his. His and Vash's safety, togetherness, and freedom means there must be absolutely nothing left of humanity.

Even if it's the intrinsic humanity of his brother. (And of him. But he's not going to acknowledge that. Nope.)

So Knives didn't simply want Vash without his memories. Knives is a perfectionist - he hates to even admit to the possibility that he might have made a mistake, to the point where he assigns all blame for his actions to Vash. Vash's emotional development under his total control would be too unpredictable, too likely to fail. If given a choice, Vash could make the same choice that Rem did (again), and that risk is simply unacceptable.

So what Knives wants is for Vash to be without autonomy, devoid of independence - a shadow that he casts, empty of agency save that which Knives enacts through him. A graven image. Depending only upon him. Needing only him. If it means he'll finally be first before humanity, rather than alongside or behind them, he won't be all alone. It's only together that they can be perfect, because it's obviously what Vash is for.

After all, they're twins. Vash was born to be with Knives.

I'm sure he's just happy to be useful.

#trigun stampede #tristampparty #meta: tristampparty episodes #trigun meta #yet no matter how comfortable chains are still chains #so many layers to his hypocrisy!! #he says rem built a silly fantasy #as he is creating a fantasy to stick vash in to keep him pacified #i never yell at the screen but i did when That happened to the other plants #already in tears over vash begging for rem #but by the end i saw the shape of rem and knew #knives DID make vash a better plant and it was the second biggest mistake of his entire life #tesla also looks like vash! i don't have time to unpack that but hooooo boy #tw incest #just to be safe #this man is incredibly normal about his brother #also feel like the english dub leaned into the evangelion vibes? #“i need you” says vash #these are too many tags #let me off kenji muto's wild ride #mother is the name of god

[nobodyfamousposts]

After reading your “Why Lila Fails” essay, I want to ask what would you do to make her a better character/antagonist? Because as much the writers did succeed on making Lila unlikable, I do think her writing feels a bit clumsy.

The problem is that they didn't make Lila unlikeable so much as they made her unenjoyable. And yes, there is a difference between the two. It's part of the reason the old school Disney villains remain widely popular and memorable. They do nothing to make the villains likable, but they certainly do everything to make them fun to watch. And interestingly enough, sometimes THAT'S gets people to like them more.

Look, sometimes we just want a good villain. Not one with a sad backstory thrown in retroactively to try to make them seem like the victims after the fact. Not one that is suddenly said to have a HeelFaceTurn despite them doing nothing to be redeemable. Not one with retconned sympathetic motives to try and make them relatable while ignoring the unarguably horrible actions they take. Just a villain who is a villain and who is GOOD at being a villain.

But part of what makes the villain enjoyable is how they scheme and how we get to see their plans working out. They have their vices and selfish reasons for messing with the heroes as well as their evil plans, and It's also what makes their eventual comeuppance so satisfying. But for that to work, they need to be unlikeable based on their actions rather than a setup. There needs to be a reason for what they do and a reason for why they're able to succeed in what they want to do.

Lila doesn't have any of that. Which is sad, because there are so MANY ways that Lila could have been awesome as an antagonistic character.

So that being said, I would do one of a few things.

One, go with the Miraculous Rogues concept. Have the appearance of Lila also introduce that there are other Miraculous out there besides those of the heroes and Hawk Moth and be the starting point that expands on the magic and lore. This immediately gives Lila more purpose in the story and was honestly what most fans were originally hoping for from her in the first place. In addition, have Lila have a Miraculous that she has either knowingly or unknowingly been using which bolsters her lies. This would open Lila up to becoming a villain in her own right and gain more power with her Miraculous, and in turn boosts Lila as a threat.

Two, make Lila someone else's rival. Marinette already has Chloe as her main bully antagonist and Kagami works better as a viable non-antagonist romance option for Adrien. Adding Lila to either/both is just excessive unless Chloe is actually going to get a redemption arc and stop being an antagonist.

It has already been pointed out that there is a perfect setup for Alya and Lila to be rivals with both being Fox-based. Add to this in that Alya is known for seeking and revealing truth while Lila is a manipulative liar. Plus Lila claiming to be Ladybug's best friend and Alya actually BEING Ladybug's best friend? Come on, we could have had them be foils for each other as both seek acclaim and popularity albeit in different ways. We could have had Lila create an Anti-Ladyblog where she and Alya keep competing as Lila tries to make up lies about the heroes while Alya tries to make the truth known. After all, Lila apparently spent months hiding away at home after Volpina, it'd make sense if she was actually doing SOMETHING with that time than just sulking.

Alternatively, if Chloe redemption was really going to be in the cards, Lila could be HER rival. Imagine how easy it would be for Lila to paint herself as a victim if she targeted Chloe instead of Marinette? The classmates wouldn't look nearly as bad for believing her over Chloe because of Chloe's history, so their distrust of her would seem reasonable. Furthermore, this would be so much simpler for Lila to do than constantly making outrageous claims that she can't keep straight. In turn, this would make Lila appear intelligent as she would be using information she could easily gain to promote herself in the eyes of her classmates by setting up Chloe and making herself out to be a victim—the sort of lie that all of them, even Marinette, would be inclined to believe. Instead of getting their sympathy for various ailments she reasonably shouldn't be able to fake for any extended period of time, she would gain their support and protection from an actual perceived threat. This could also be Chloe's test of character as she's trying not to backslide after the false accusations. It would also serve as a comparison for two different types of bullying, with Chloe being must more openly aggressive and straightforward so people she deals with KNOW she's a bully while Lila is being underhanded and manipulative in such a way that those around her don't realize it.

Or hell, have her be ADRIEN'S rival. Heaven knows he needs one. How would he be able to manage with a liar trying to make him look bad to his friends and family? Suddenly trying to compete with him as a model? Spending more time with his father than even HE is? It'd give Adrien an actual conflict he'd need to address and possibly some development.

Three, change the dynamics. Instead of Lila being an antagonist for both Marinette and Ladybug, maybe have her like Marinette well enough while hating Ladybug. Other fans and creators have made content along these lines and it's immediately more interesting than what's happening in the show. It would also do more to expand on Lila's character.

Four, reveal her motivations or at least plot out her plans more. SHOW, don't tell! Ultimately, it needs to boil down to answering "What is Lila doing and WHY?" In canon, we can certainly guess at a few things, but we have very little reason or understanding of Lila's motivations or thought process. She shows up and is lying to everyone out the gate. She takes high risk/low reward actions and seems to genuinely expect them to just work out in her favor with no real planning or effort on her part. The biggest problem is that it isn't really clear in canon just what she's trying to accomplish. What is she wanting to have happen in any of the setups she's involved in and how are her specific lies supposed to help with that in the long term? How would she even know her plans would work? What even is her end goal? We can guess, but canon doesn't really make it clear.

Five, set up a better stage. Given that Marinette was apparently out of school when Lila first arrived, take advantage of that and show that Lila's already started setting up a groundwork instead of a kingdom. She should have had a few days to interact with Adrien by the time the Volpina episode started so maybe already show her and Adrien interacting like acquaintances. Then instead of having her immediately jump to lying about Ladybug when she should have no way of knowing that Adrien likes her specifically, just have her trying to interact with Adrien at first and trying to get close by sharing in his interest...and then SHOW her be frustrated when Adrien gushes on and on about Ladybug. At length. At least if it's clear to her that Adrien is THAT crazy about Ladybug, then Lila would have a reason to target Ladybug specifically in her lies.

Six, have consequences. So much about Lila would be more bearable and less grating if she at least had to deal with some fallout of her own lies. Either because people realize she's lying or because they take her lies seriously and act accordingly. Have something backfire on Lila so she doesn't always win. This has the double effect of giving some satisfaction in resolution of her storyline/plot of the episode while also building up Lila's own frustrations and reasons to want to succeed.

Of course, those are just what come to mind when I'm half-asleep, so take it as you will. I may have others in the future.

#ml analysis #ml salt #lila salt #lila sucks

[shikai-the-storyteller]

Actually no, let’s expand on the theme of memory in Karmaland and how it plays into the series’ overarching story as a whole.

In Karmaland, heroes are reincarnated (or pulled from other dimensions, however you may see it) time and time again. Their memories are wiped, and they’re a complete blank slate with no recollection of any of their previous lives at the beginning of each season.

...Or at least, that’s how it’s supposed to go. But some things outlast lifetimes, and two of the biggest examples of that in this series are love and trauma.

Let’s look at Luzu — betrayed, hurt, and left heartbroken in K4 — who cannot shake his fear of betrayal even in a new lifetime. In this current world, he operates with automatic wariness and distrust of everyone (with the exception of Quackity, to some degree), and although he still retains some of his old kindness and compassion, the grief from his past life is so strong it almost erased that part of him entirely.

In Karmaland, the strong emotions and meaningful experiences you have in your lifetime, whether good or bad, leave behind invisible marks on your soul that cannot be erased. And nobody exhibits that better than Rubius and Vegetta, especially after today’s revelations.

An undeniable truth that almost feels written into the very fabric of Karmaland’s universe itself is that Rubius and Vegetta love each other. The problem is: that love has very different ripple effects on the two of them, and each subsequent life they live.

This season, there’s clearly love between both characters, but a lack of commitment to that love, and a emotional imbalance to their relationship as a whole. When trying to explain it to a third party, Vegetta said, “Rubius doesn’t love me the way I love him,” and jokingly likened it to him making Rubius a hamburger, but Rubius refusing to eat it. Vegetta is, of course, always willing to play along with Rubius and reciprocate the affection he’s given, but he’s not expecting anything more from Rubius. The way I see it, it’s almost as if Vegetta’s default response to Rubius’ lack of commitment is resignation. He expects nothing more than what’s given, as though he’s preemptively saving himself from heartbreak.

Except that heartbreak has already happened.

In Karmaland 4, Vegetta gave Rubius his love, his heart, his everything, and the moment they were married, Rubius revealed it was all a con. Regardless of anything that came afterward, in that life or this one, the effects of that moment left behind deep scars on Vegetta’s heart.

Rubius, on the other hand, never seemed to be troubled by any events in his previous lives until today. All at once, he’s forced to remember the life he once lived, but during that confusing revelation, his gut reaction is to ask an old loved one: “What was my relationship with Vegetta?” Rubius is a powerful man with questionable morals at the best of times, but this seemingly instinctual reaction says a lot about him as a character, and his priorities as a whole.

I think one of the most telling moments from today’s event is that, while Rubius remembers the wedding, he doesn’t remember his betrayal. He associates that memory, and his relationship with Vegetta, with joy, and sees it in a positive light.

The difference is: Vegetta associates that hazy memory, and Rubius, with abandonment. And as we’re rapidly approaching Lolito’s and Vegetta’s wedding day, it seems like history is doomed to repeat itself.

With pressure from Rubius and Alexby, and influenced by his own questionable motives and thirst for power, it’s looking like Lolito won’t marry Vegetta after all (and if he does, the marriage certainly won’t be a happy one). Even as Vegetta tries to distance himself from Rubius, he still winds up getting hurt because of his direct and indirect actions. It’s almost as if in every new lifetime, Rubius is coming closer and closer to fully embracing his love for Vegetta, but at the same time, each new timeline is driving Vegetta further and further away from him because Vegetta is subconsciously starting to associate Rubius with negative things.

Broken promises. Lack of commitment. Betrayal. Abandonment.

Rubius and Vegetta are permanently bound together by fate, but that “red string of fate” is slowly killing one of them. Or, to quote a meme shared by another Spanish fan; “You don’t want me to be with you, and you don’t want me to be with someone else. How miserable do I have to be for you to be happy?”

Karma is defined as the sum of a person’s actions in this, and previous states of existence, determining their fate and future existences. So what did Vegetta do to deserve this kind of suffering?

When does love become torment, and when does fate become a curse?

#Rubegetta #Karmaland #Vegetta777 #Rubius #karmaland talk #i talk #obligatory disclaimer that my Spanish is Terrible so if any more knowledgeable Karmaland fans wanna jump in and correct and/or add on to thi #please feel free to do so #I'm always hungry for more information about this series #Karmaland analysis #MANNNN ITS BEEN YEARS SINCE IVE BEEN ABLE TO DO META LIKE THIS #feels good

[morlock-holmes]

So, a narrative that has gotten hold in left-wing circles is that of "dangerous misinformation".

The sort of underlying assumption is that is that there is a problem with too much credulity in this country. The paranoid style of politics is based on being too credulous, and getting information from sources that aren't reliable, and then acting on that unreliable information.

The solution, then, is to put out more reliable information, and teach skepticism so that people might begin to better suss out which sources of information are reliable and which are not.

I don't think that's a bad goal, obviously such skills are useful and necessary, but it does feel like it misses a dynamic which seems to me to characterize paranoid politics.

I've been listening to the Knowledge Fight podcast about Alex Jones, and particular their breakdowns of the depositions that members of his company gave during the Sandy Hook defamation cases.

And what I heard from them, in justifying their actions, was something that, yes from a certain standpoint you could call it credulity, but it seems to me more like a radical skepticism.

When asked whether or not something like "Sandy Hook Elementary was not an operating school at a given date" was a fact which is either true, or false, there was a LOT of hemming and hawing, and the answer basically boiled down to,

"No."

The reasoning is essentially this. The media is so corrupt, and so heavily captured by special interests and hostile interests, that using it to find out any facts at all is essentially impossible.

We live in a world so thoroughly saturated with misinformation that the usual standards you'd think of to determine what is true and what is false are completely impossible to put into practice.

Sure, you might find a piece of evidence saying that Sandy Hook was operating at such and such a date, but how could you ever possibly be sure that evidence wasn't planted or manufactured?

I believe it was Paul Joseph Watson who pretty much said that out loud.

Instead, we have to rely on a different heuristic.

If a news story implies a result that we wouldn't like, then it is likely to be false, and more specifically, it was probably planted to generate that result.

The InfoWars people were very open that their first reaction to the Sandy Hook story was that the Democrats were going to use it as an excuse to enact gun legislation, and that this was the reason that they really started to try to push the story that it hadn't happened.

In terms of real world facts it's crazy to think that Sandy Hook happened because of the Democrats, but it's not completely insane to start looking for evidence against something you dislike.

What makes for crazy is that these are people who fundamentally don't believe that it's possible to find evidence.

You don't look for evidence (At least, not in the sense you or I would understand), you look for "anomalies" to use their word.

Here I'm extrapolating, but essentially this mindset seems to involve a thinking like this.

"Because there is no way to actually acquire evidence of truth or falsity, anybody who insists too much on the truth of their beliefs is suspicious. Why would they be so insistent when we all know that all beliefs are essentially impossible to objectively verify? It certainly can't be because they have evidence, that can't exist anymore in the modern world.

"So they must have some other reason. And the best way to figure out that other reason is to figure out what they would gain if their story happened to be accepted as true by the public.

"Once you understand what motivates their story, you need to go searching for anomalies which would reveal the truth of the matter, which is that they have no objective or factual reason to be so insistent"

The InfoWars position is, in some sense, credulous because they absolutely cannot differentiate between a good source and a bad source, but the more I listen to them talk the more convinced I am that they have embraced such a radical skepticism that they don't actually believe that it's possible to differentiate between sources.

#paranoia #alex jones #infowars #misinformation

[specterthief]

so i just finished utena and it rewired my brain, as it does, and as i was watching i noticed some things:

i tweeted about this, but like. i already knew enough to have the impression before watching the series that there was probably a comparison to be drawn between maruki and akio but i can't get over the fact that the exterior shot of his palace looks like they just combined the staircase around the elevator to the dueling arena and akio's planetarium (which are really one and the same already) into one thing

and the whole nature of the planetarium, and what that reveals—that akio was always being dishonest about his work, that the planetarium wasn't about the stars as he claimed to endear himself to utena (and as it holds meaning to anthy, who says she wants to stay in the planetarium rather than see the stars outside in the real world) but about projecting the "fairy-tale illusions" to control the people within his walled garden—the same could be said about maruki's laboratory, and what's revealed about him. using cognitive psience to treat trauma was always a minor part of his goal. for a very long time—back to before he even first awakened his powers and used them on rumi—he wanted more than that, to preemptively control people deemed likely to commit crimes. controlling the cognition of all humanity was his expressed goal—a mission he thought he was chosen for by a god—before he had any idea that the phantom thieves would inadvertently grant him that much power. he can't even deny it when akechi accuses him of brainwashing sumire for his own self-satisfcation, merely argues that the ends justify the means if his reality is better for everyone. the "treatment" of sumi's specific trauma by destroying her real identity (and her being driven to such desperation that she'd attack the person she loves to stay in the false reality rather than face the truth) is just a byproduct, an experiment toward a greater end that places him in a position of godhood, of ultimate power to change the world in his image. to create his own garden of eden.

like, fuck, this certainly sounds familiar:

even on a more surface level—a member of the school faculty who's in the position with an ulterior motive, who the female students find extremely attractive (seriously, it's wild how often NPCs comment on maruki's looks or having feelings for him throughout his entire tenure at shujin—one even remarks on how good he looks in white.) a seemingly benevolent character who has a pre-established relationship with a young girl who's both the greatest victim of his schemes and violently devoted to protecting the fantasy he's created, who singles out the protagonist and bonds with them over time far more closely than would be appropriate for their positions, who uses that bond to try and achieve the power to change the world, only for the protagonist to refuse every temptation and take that power back...

and even looking at other symbols—in utena's duel with kanae, akio's fiancée (and the reason for him being in his position at ohtori,) she's surrounded by bouquets of white lilies that are identical to the one ella carries:

while in kanae's final appearance, she's shown catatonic as akio and anthy feed her apples—

—and apples are something that come up in relation to maruki constantly, whether the obvious presence of them as the fruit of eden in his palace (up yet another spiral staircase that resembles the path to the dueling arena):

or more prominently in the final boss fight:

or in his character art:

or references in various scenes, like in this bit of foreshadowing about making ryuji's "wish" come true:

or at more length with sumire:

and as the apples in utena can be compared both to the forbidden fruit of eden and the poison apple eaten by snow white, sumire, like kanae, is seen rendered unconscious (in a throne befitting a princess) in maruki's palace:

and despite her more obvious connection to cinderella via her persona, she has a weapon referencing snow white:

akio's obviously a much more overtly sinister character, as well an openly predatory one (which, to be clear, i definitely do not think is a supported read of maruki's actions in canon—manipulative, dishonest and terrible with setting appropriate boundaries with his teenage patients yes, acting with any legitimately predatory designs on anyone no) but the similarities are still striking to the point that they seem like they could be intentional, and i just wanted to try and get the coherent thoughts i had on all of this down in one place

and it is known both from statements from the guidebook interviews and from early content left in the final build of the game that significant amounts of maruki's story and palace were changed very late into development with the intention of making him more sympathetic and his deal more tempting, so i do wonder if this connection might have been even more clear in an earlier iteration of royal's story (though given they did have concerns about making him sympathetic from the outset, i don't think it's likely he was ever intended to be as clearly villainous as akio)

#mine #long post #persona 5 royal #revolutionary girl utena #meta #but not really #just a lot of rambling about similarities that might be coincidence and also might not #third semester brainrot #there are so many other random details just connecting to utena stuff in general that i could have gone on about #but i think this mess is long enough #utena brainrot

[sukunasbabygirl]

How does the body swap episode go in the Uncle Philip AU? Can't imagine that he'd be too happy with that.

Figuring out this episode in particular has always been a pain, but I think this finally motivated me to try and get it down so

Badly sketched visual diagram of who swaps with who!

The first three - Luz, Eda, and King are mostly the same, with King swapping with Hunter instead of Luz but the storyline for that is mostly the same.

Adding Hunter and Philip to the mix though… well, things get pretty interesting there.

Philip only really agrees because Eda jokingly threatens that if he doesn’t she’ll make sure he’s stuck with Hooty all day, and that isn’t a choice he’s willing to make. So, body swap it is! He knows it’s risky, but he’s taken care of the palismen for the most part, and besides if someone else’s mind is in his body, then surely they won’t even be able to act up.

So he thinks.

This, I’ve decided, works best as the storyline that reveals the true extent of Philip’s condition to the others, and Hunter gets to experience that first hand woo!

As I said, the plotlines with Luz, Eda and King stay the same, but I’ll talk about the stuff that would change, mainly Hunter and Philip, as well as a bit on the aftermath.

Hunter

Hunter’s reason for being the one to swap with Philip was due to his own argument which he made for both himself and for Luz. Philip had been incredibly overprotective and overbearing lately, acting as if they couldn’t look after themselves, despite having already learned a spell and Philip having trained Hunter how to fight from a young age. He claims how hard it is to constantly be underestimated, and how Philip has it easy because all he has to do is wave a hand and he can order them about however he pleases, even if it has nothing to do with whatever mischief they got up to.

By swapping place with his uncle for the day, Hunter has to take the place of parental guardian, and while bodyswapping certainly doesn’t change personalities, Philip’s inner little brother starts to show, much to Hunter’s dismay. Eda instructs that they have to stay together as that is, in the end, what their problem is about, and if they don’t do that they’re disqualified and automatically lose the bet. Obviously, neither of them want to be on House/Hooty Cleaning Duty, so they begrudgingly go along with it. Hunter is also mildly concerned for his reputation, what with King in his body and all. At least his uncle doesn’t have to worry about that.

Philip

Ah, the bitch himself. As mentioned previously, he’s been growing more and more protective of the kids, and ever more frustrated with their lack of concern for the situation they’re in. He frequently prevents them from doing anything that might get them in any more danger than they’ve already been in, and is also attempting to conceal his history with the place, so there’s that too. They’re too curious, too wild, constantly getting themselves into trouble and giving him more grey hairs in the process.

He doesn’t really see how this ‘bodyswap’ will help. Besides, his nephew being in his body and him being in his neice’s body just feels too weird and too extreme for a problem that could easily be solved through communication. As if he isn’t the same man that has on multiple times decided communication and telling the truth is overrated and stabbed his brother over it. But, you know. Philip.

The weirdest things about it, besides being short now, is how energetic he feels without the curse. He’s so distracted by that it doesn’t even click what that means for Hunter, too busy running about without care, completely forgetting the situation entirely. Like I said, inner little brother, and he’s on his way to give Hunter grey hairs.

What wacky shenanigans occur?

Gee, I’m glad you asked strange green text!

Everything goes wonderfully, until it doesn’t.

But let’s start with the stuff that doesn’t. And that’s Philip realising the position he’s in with his dumb kids, is the same position Caleb was in all those years ago. It’s not something he ever likes to think about, but it’s a comparison he can’t ignore. While Caleb was always the most adventurous of the two, he tended to be safe about it, whether as Philip charged in head first without thinking, and he did a lot of stupid things that could have gotten him killed if it weren’t for his brother. It almost feels like he’s in that position again, really. And god is he embarrassed to realise how childish he started acting.

Hunter, meanwhile, is stressed as all hell. He doesn’t know if it’s just him, or if his uncle really is this tired and weak all of the time. It doesn’t help when said Uncle is running about like a kid, and eventually almost gets himself hurt, to which Hunter finally realises ‘Oh. So this is how he feels.’

They both sort of yell at each other at the same time “You’re going to get yourself hurt!” “I’m not a child, Hunter, I can look after myself!”

That sort of thing. It clicks for both of them then, the realisation, how Hunter, despite priding himself on being the more responsible sibling, has been acting out just to prove a point to his uncle. And how Philip, despite his overprotective nature, would do just the same in their position, and has done so before.

The realisation that maybe both don’t have easy lives is both a win for communication potential and a loss for the fact they won’t be getting out of cleaning duty… unless Philip cooks up a lie with that silver tongue of his, which he does suggest, but Hunter’s good morals say no.

Now, as to where everything goes horribly wrong? Philip’s condition! Woo! Hunter starts feeling sharp pains on their way back to the town. He brushes it off immediately but Philip already knows exactly what’s happening. It’s an awful experience for Hunter, with pain, body shifting, skin feeling tight and itchy, insides burning, something else fighting for control etc. He starts stumbling about and falls to his knees, making it very difficult for Philip to be able to grab his bag which has palismen’s magic stored in bottles for safe keeping.

My thought chain is losing momentum so I’m gonna have to skip by a lot of what happens in the moment, but I’m sure you can imagine the absolute panic as Philip rushes to get a bottle. Hunter fortunately doesn’t actually turn into the full monster and just experiences the pre-stuff to that shift. Hunter ends up asking why he wasn’t cursed to this extent, why it was just his appearance, and Philip goes quiet. For the first time, he can’t bring himself to lie. He’s a bit too stressed out and high on adrenaline for that.

I know this episode is supposed to be more a comedy one but… come on, I love myself some good emotional development.

After they all swap back, Hunter suggests they all just do the cleaning together for some family bonding and, though it isn’t the most enjoyable of activities, everyone does eventually agree on the way home. It’s after that, when King is fast asleep, that the kids talk to Eda and Philip. Well, Hunter goes to talk to Philip, meanwhile Luz goes to talk to Eda.

Just some heartfelt discussions really, especially on Hunter and Philip’s end. Hunter admits he had no idea his uncle’s condition was anything like that, to which Philip laughs. They both come up with a compromise, that Philip will only step in when he has to, and Hunter will try to make sure he and Luz stay safe in all their hijinks. Philip also sprinkles a little bit of information about his brother here, just the fact he can’t blame Luz and Hunter for how they act, and no he knows how his brother must have felt.

Woah, soft Philip and Hunter moment? In this AU? More likely than you think!

And also a small bonus interaction that would happen after they all swap back:

“Sooo, how was being a teenager again?”

“Uneventful. It didn’t change much.”

“Pfff. He tried to climb a tree.”

“Hunter.”

“You did!”

#the owl house #toh #the owl house au #toh au #philip wittebane #emperor belos #hunter toh #hunter wittebane #asks #uncle philip au

[stainedglassthreads]

I think a story’s themes sometimes get downplayed in theorycrafting. And that can occasionally lead to theories that clash with the source material, whether the theory supporters realize it or not.

For a very ridiculous example that few people probably take seriously, let’s begin with the Coma Theory from the Pokemon anime. The theory is an old one, and basically states that Ash is a boy from our world, who after being electrocuted fell into a coma where he dreamed the entirety of his Pokemon adventure. The presence of real-world animals from our world appearing in early seasons, but slowly being phased out for a world inhabited solely by Pokemon, is attributed to the deterioration of his brain, as is the fact he never appears to age.

I don’t believe anyone takes this theory completely seriously or claims it to be definitive canon, though some may appreciate its creepypasta style. For one, it reduces a story to an ‘all just a dream’ narrative, which is hard to do well and easy to make feel cheap and cliched. But I’ll also point out that it’s very at-odds with the themes of the Pokemon anime. Pokemon has always had strong themes of friendship, empathy, and compassion from episode one, and claiming that all the friends who Ash meets on his journey are mere figments of his imagination feels like the exact opposite to that. As such, even though the world of Pokemon is no stranger to dark subjects such as child death, this specific theory doesn’t feel like it belongs.

For a slightly more recent, but still not especially popular, theory, there is the theory that Gaster is responsible for the Determination experiments, amalgamates, and Flowey. While there is some theory Gaster may have dabbled in dt himself a little (the two strongest pieces of evidence being the DT Extractor’s design and the mention of vague ‘blueprints’, as well as some people noticing that Mystery Man looks melted.), in-game evidence in this video by Dorked proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Alphys was the one responsible for the Amalgamates and Flowey. Even before I saw this video, though, I thought the theory was full of crap. Why?

Well, because it would render Alphys’ arc in the game entirely moot. Her arc was about the lies she had told covering up her own mistakes, and gaining the courage to tell the truth and fix things for the amalgamates. If it were abruptly revealed that, whoopsy doopsy, it wasn’t her mistake and had instead been the mistake of some mysterious figure who everyone just so happened to forget, conveniently lifting responsibility for the initial mistakes from her shoulders and removing the origin of the guilt that prompted her lies... it would abruptly become a much, much, much weaker arc. For both Alphys and Gaster. Alphys loses much of the power behind her eventually coming forwards, while Gaster’s arc, presently left largely in the background, is dragged into the forefront to be blasted with a glaring spotlight, highlighting the lack of closure and unsatisfaction. What lessons does Gaster learn? ‘Maybe if you blow yourself into non-existence, someone else will come along, be tortured by your mistakes to the point of suicidal depression, and then eventually fix your fuck-ups’?

This isn’t exactly a widely-popular theory, though, so let’s go for a more recent and more popular one. Such as, Chara being ‘pure evil’ and responsible for the No Mercy route. A major theme in Undertale is the effects of your choices on others, how any has the choice to be a good or bad person, and how all the monsters you encounter have much deeper and more complex lives than you initially anticipate. Chara is almost certainly not a saint, but to declare that they’re pure evil with no depth, no motivation, no trauma, and no chance of redemption, who also allows the player a convenient escape from blame, is to refute basically every moral that Undertale tries to convey. Chara’s depth and complexity may not be as explicit as, say, Flowey/Asriel. But by paying attention to themes and parallels, (such as how MK’s admitting that Undyne isn’t the best person, followed by them immediately shifting idolization to Papyrus, is paralleled by Asriel, Chara, and Frisk, or Asgore remarking that Frisk reminds him of Chara only in a True Pacifist run but not mentioning humans or Chara at all in No Mercy.), one can assume that Chara was, at the very least, neither pure evil nor exclusively motivated by power when they began their plan.

I do admit, sometimes a theme can be introduced early on, only for the story to viciously tear it apart and show how it’s a deeply flawed belief. Undertale initially introduces ‘kill or be killed’, only to show two different ways that it’s a very flawed belief: in No Mercy, it shows that this belief can only end in self-destruction, while in True Pacifist the saying’s most ardent supporter is forced to acknowledge it was a flawed ideology fueled by his trauma and hurt. But the point remains.

#brought to you by my gradual realization that no #not everyone read 20000 books as a kid developing a near-clairvoyant ability to predict plot twists #based on themes character importance and understanding of story structure alone #also ship wars are stupid because 90% of the time the author is broadcasting the endgame love interest from the second they appear #salt

[emtmercy]

I do think it’s insulting to the clear narrative they are trying to give this gay black man to decide he is simply being victimized by a white man and needs to Escape and Be Rescued

Louis’ agency is purposefully being hidden by Louis as acknowledged all throughout the season and especially the finale but the audience isn’t supposed to buy it just like Daniel doesn’t (Louis pretending he didn’t know Lestat could fly etc)

Rolin said “this is the interview [the first book] and this is the show [the VC series]” for a reason

Iwtv AMC’s playing with narrative and truth/lies and memory is all based on Anne rices choice to change canon to redeem (to a certain extent lol, he’s a vampire) Lestat decades after writing IWTV. The show is clearly trying to recreate and also expand upon that experience and those themes for the viewer

That reversal of Louis’ moral conviction of Lestat is what they’ve based the whole show around. That is the part of the books that is the inspiration for every piece of that memory and pov shit and it only follows that they are using it in a similar but expanded way

This means we will surely see Lestats version of things and certainly of episode five. And I have no illusion that they aren’t a toxic couple (they are murderers, Louis literally murders Lestat they are toxic lol) but it will reveal the situation to be more complex and not what Armand wants Louis to define it as not what it would be easier for Louis to define it as

deconstructing Louis’ role as Victim Who Things Happen To and Lestat’s role as Villain Who Does Things is a pillar of the series and something Rolin is explicit about wanting to do here. It’s his admitted inspiration for doing the show in the first place. It’s the whole point (aside from the expansion of explicit queer themes)

Rolin has explicitly defined this interview as a story Armand has told to Louis and Louis has told to himself because they both need Lestat to be an irredeemable villain in their relationship to get what they want (Armand wants to hold Louis with him, Louis wants a respite from guilt and a simple narrative he can tell himself to be happy with Armand and without his family)

I also find it really grating as a black fan that people need to slot Louis into this role of powerless person who is acted upon. It’s understandable tjag this happens in fandom because a huge part of VC is that Louis wants people to think this. But it’s such a thematic pillar of the books and the show that this is not the case. Louis deserves to be a character who is as complex and self directed as any other. Simplifying him into a damsel in distress under the thumb of this white man is not progressive. The show is trying to allow for a great deal more complexity than that

And thats not saying you couldn’t tell stories with abused characters and allow them agency but that’s not the story here. They would need to tell it very differently to do that respectfully. If this were actually supposed to be a domestic violence narrative it would be extremely offensive. But that’s not what they’re building (as they’ve told us explicitly)

Obviously an aspect we are running up against here is tjag fictional characters can act in ways that do not imply their real world origins and results. Like statistically con men tend to be psychopaths and sexual predators but jimmy McGill is a shithead but not a predator because it’s fiction and humans want certain things from even morally defunct protagonists

Like obviously in real life if a partner ever punches you there is no excuse no reason no alternate explanation other than abuse (unless it’s self defense). But we are not evil murderer vampires written by a group of theater gays at a table as inspired by the beautifully insane works of Anne rice

Also tbc when discussing abuse we need to first establish that there’s no such thing as “mutual abuse.” Abuse is power motivated violence exerted over someone to maintain coercive control of them. Hence beating one’s children is abuse and a bar fight is not abuse. So ppl who are like “well it’s mutually abusive” also need to stop doing that we see how that cultural belief plays out

Loustat are extremely toxic and I’m sure even the true events of ep 5 we’re pretty fucked up but that’s not the same as being in a cycle of abusive violence. They are evil fucked up vampires doing evil fucked up shit and then lying about it to excuse themselves to middle aged closeted reporters. I’m sure they really did go toe to toe in that ep and that Lestat did really get the upper hand in the end but there’s a reason Claudia hits her head in that scene and stares into warped mirrors and Louis and Lestat keep leaving our view screen and saying things that don’t make sense with what Louis wants Daniel to think happened

And also why Claudia supposedly is aware of events in her journal that she wasn’t there for

And why the season ended on Daniel saying “this is just like [the first interview in] San Francisco” ie a lie told to Daniel to cover deeper emotional truths

And why Rolin jones based the entires shows narrative around the Lestat switcheroo Anne rice did to us as gay teens

Obviously I understand objection to this aspect of the plot because playing the POV and memory game is something that’s used against abuse survivors in real life and in real life this wouldn’t be the case but it is fiction. And that doesn’t excuse it of responsibility but it does give it different rules and boundaries in the narrative itself. Whether we like it or not the writers (like Anne rice) are telling us a toxic gothic romance not a story about a man escaping his abuser

If Lestat was Louis’ abuser the whole point of the show that Rolin jones has defined himself would be pointless

If Louis was telling a true story to Daniel we wouldn’t need a season two

And this is not like a Lestat defense post (I was sad he didn’t get burned up and thrown in the swamp lol) nor am I trying to claim that loustat is or should be portrayed as healthy (I thought Louis murdering him was extremely romantic I can hang with toxic fictional romance)

it’s rly a post defending the shows over arching themes and narratives because it’s sooo good (even if flawed) and I’m weary of people not engaging with the full text of the show and of what the show runner has already told us out loud in interviews especially because I think fans would engage more with Louis’ inner complexities motivations and deceits with much more attention were he some white twink

TLDR they based the whole show by their own admittance on the pov and canon reversal Anne rice did to deconstruct the concept of Lestat as monster and Louis as victim and I’d like us to acknowledge that regardless of it we believe it to be appropriate or effective

#iwtv

[mesillusionssousecstasy]

THE IDOL 1x02

First of all, again the performance of Lily-Rose is beyond what I could have expected. She is just amazing in this role. 

The show could have been so much better without this nonsense and free sex scenes. If Mr Sam Levinson is so interested by sex (and not the good kind), he should be able to create a real series based on the porn industry at this point. 

I will do this review chronologically.

I don’t see any point to show Jocelyn masturbating with a glass of ice while remembering her night with Tedros. Beside again the focus on her hands. 

Regarding the shoot of the video clip: I loved the way they portrayed the singer and dancers’ exhaustion; the performance, the break down. The genuine truth behind the scene of a video clip. But it was really psychologically challenging. Again Lily was fabulous in the role. It becomes crystal clear that the record label sees Jocelyn as a product and commodity, rather than an artist with autonomy and PTSD. At the end of the day, Jocelyn’s erratic behaviour is costing them millions of dollars that they want a return on, so there can’t be any mistakes in her comeback.   Even before the shoot has started, there is already a problem. Jocelyn arrives three hours late to her music video shoot due to the make-up artists having to cover up self-inflicted wounds on her inner thighs. This gives us insight into Jocelyn’s psychological and emotional state, which highlight her turning towards self-destructive coping mechanisms as a way to deal with her anxiety and unprocessed trauma. It’s terrible to notice that once the word begins to travel on set, we see a desperate struggle between Jocelyn’s declining mental state and quest for perfection, versus the record label’s disappointment with their product not performing as intended. We finally get the perfect take, when Jocelyn performs an inspired take of her dance number, but inevitably the camera loses focus mid-way through when she did this take, and you could tell that she finally reached the level of perfection she was desperate to achieve. However, none of the footage is usable, and my heart fell to my stomach the moment they delivered the news to her. It becomes even more painful to watch when Jocelyn experiences a break from reality and calls for her mother, who was always there on set with Jocelyn before she passed. I don’t even want to speak about her bleeding feet and thighs. During all this time, Nikki is the worse of the team’s member, she is just looking for her money and nothing else, certainly not for Jocelyn at all.

Why Tania, the journalist at “Vanity Fair” is still there, on the set of the video shoot? At least, we learned that Xander used to be a singer himself. 

This leaves us with an important question to consider: what happens to a pop idol that can’t perform as needed? You may think this was a human and empathetic move from the record label executive, but remember, Nikki has already been working behind the scenes to create a new Jocelyn with Dyanne.

Surprise, a few days after, it’s revealed that Dyanne has been working with Tedros to lure Jocelyn into his cult, but what are her true motives? And what about Chloe, who is listening to each important conversation and is watching each important scene unfolding before her. 

Tedros is definitively more than a club owner. He is a crazy bastard plotting to get revenge on something (his music career’s failure?), when we get an ominous statement from him, saying that he may finally get what’s he’s owed from Dyanne once she is signed with Jocelyn’s record label.

The song “double fantasy” created by The Weeknd was perfectly played. It suited the moment, even better when the door unfolds and the car appears. 

Come on! Izaak is totally guy! His relation/seduction toward Leia is just unbelievable and beyond stupid. It’s amateurish at this point.

Nevertheless, the “orgy party” (with sex, alcohol and drugs) is definitively true, and I’m wondering if they didn’t based the scene with what was happening in the living room of the heir of “La Maison du Caviar” in Paris, avenue Foch. Because there too, there was a naked girl playing the piano and asking for cocaïne. 

Again, the reference to Prince and Donna Summer (at the end of the episode). 

Not much is known about Tedros’ past, as no one can seem to get an answer after a background check, but we do learn a bit about his past through Isaac, when Leia inquires about him throughout the night. He seems to find people who are looking to change their life, and takes advantage of their desperation. In the same episode, we learned more about Jocelyn and how she started to sing.

Abel’s interior is very dark, even in the pool area. 

Let’s talk about this terrible and unnecessary sex scene. First, Abel as a sex dominator is beyond laughable. He is not convincing at all (example: “I want to grab you by the ass while I suffocate you with my cock. I want you to choke on it.”)! Then, he was watching like a pervert and nothing else, while Jocelyn was having sex with the air surrounding her? And I didn’t understand the correlation between Tedros and Jocelyn’s intimate moment and, then suddenly pass to Izaak and Leia’s fucking. Was it necessary? Come on!  What about Chloe, watching secretly Jocelyn and Tedros’s “make out session”? She seems very important for the story, as she is an important witness of everything that’s happening around her. She looks also a bit like Jocelyn, so will she take her place too? First, her cloths, then her life? That’s in interesting character to follow, something will unfold. 

Regarding the end, Leia’s white face is still haunts me and the refrain of the song which goes like this: “That’s my family/We don’t like each other much,”

Conclusion: 1. This leads to an even bigger point of interest: Dyanne represents how the music industry is constantly looking to fill the shoes of anyone who isn’t able to perform well. They don’t care about the human behind the brand. There is always going to be someone younger, more talented and willing to do the work another person isn’t willing to do, and it was made evidently clear that Nikki doesn’t see Jocelyn as anything more than a product of the industry.

2. It seems to be as though the music industry is portrayed in the series as not caring about the artistic craft, and that the public will listen to anything and everything that is promoted as popular or important by the record label. 

3. We will have a new song from The Weeknd in the next episode, as you may hear in the promo for episode 3.

4. Tedros is as bas the music industry surrounding Jocelyn.

ps: I have even read an review mentioning, “Britney Spear’s Blackout album: that era of Britney’s career is marked by darker subject matter that plays into her real-life controversies and status as a sex symbol, which sounds remarkably similar to where we meet Jocelyn in the series.”

#the idol #the idol 1x02 #the idol thoughts #hbo the idol #the idol hbo #jocelyn x tedros #jocelyn #music industry #the weeknd #the idol review #the idol 1x02 review

[lasnevadaslaborunion]

so do u regret spreading misinfo about an inocent man n defending that fcking bitch now

Regret? Not at all.

For the last eight months, I have spoken and acted in accordance with my principles regarding these matters and I feel no shame for having done so. Frustration, certainly, for having potentially been lied to. And deep sorrow that someone else was potentially hurt. But not shame for something I did not do or support and could not possibly have known about.

I gave my sympathies to somebody I sincerely believed to have been exploited, with the awareness that I might withdraw that sympathy if enough contradictory information came to light - which increasingly looks like it may be the case. This is, in my mind, vastly preferable to the reverse - knowing that I participated in the silencing and harassment of someone who was later revealed to have been telling the truth about their abuse.

Changing your opinion of a person or situation based on the facts you have is exactly what one is supposed to do with cases like this. And I still feel just as much contempt for the people who immediately branded Amanda a liar back in October and are now crowing about having been "right all along" as I do for those who are now attempting to discredit Mascara before she has even had a chance to share her full testimony.

If there's one thing I want to make abundantly clear, it's that if there is even a chance that someone has been a victim of serious abuse, anything less than compassion and a listening ear is an unacceptable response.

As for Dream's supposed innocence:

We do not yet know for sure whether Amanda faked anything. If Mascara is telling the truth about everything else - which, again, I do believe to be the case - it certainly makes this claim more credible.

However, this doesn't change that at least two other people have corroborated the stories about what he was doing with his Snapchat account. Nor does it change the other patterns of behavior that pushed many of his former fans, myself included, away.

Again, though, this isn't about Dream anymore. And I can't help but question people's motives in repeatedly dragging him into all of this, making a little girl's harrowing story into a weapon to wield for or against a celebrity third party.

To what extent are you supporting a potential victim because you are trying to help and uplift someone who is in desperate need of kindness and protection, and to what extent are you seizing the first opportunity to tear down someone you hate for ruining your fun and making you feel like a fool?

But that's something everybody, regardless of what they think of Dream, Amanda, or Mascara has to look inside and ask themself.

That's on you and your conscience alone.

#asks #tw grooming #tw abuse #i'm not going to say anything else about this situation until there's more concrete information #it sickens me that people are treating this as just another petty fandom fight #any way you slice it a child was hurt

[childofchrist1983]

We all need correction, and in this Bible verse, the prophet Jeremiah prayed that God would correct him, but not in His anger. God is the Almighty. His power is so great that if His anger were ever against you…Well, you might be turned to nothing. Thankfully, though God's jealousy and wrath and might is unmatched, so is His grace and mercy and love.

As our Creator and Heavenly Father, He is merciful and He is forgiving to all who humbly repent and seek Him for forgiveness and salvation. And as His beloved creation, we should certainly be willing and ready to listen to Him and be corrected by Him. And for all true and spiritually reborn Christians, who are His adopted children, He makes sure to help us to keep growing and maturing spiritually in our relationship with Him. For this, and His gentle correction and grace, we are eternally grateful. May He continue guide and correct us, so that we continue to grow in Him and not weaken and stray. May we all remain faithful to Him and to this duty and purpose He has called us to. Seek and put your faith and trust in Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ and let Him do the rest. May He humble our hearts and help us focus on following and serving Him daily and helping others with joy and happiness. We lift our voices in praise to Him for His love, mercy, peace, faithfulness and grace. - For EVERYTHING!

It is vital that we remain rooted in Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ through prayer and His Holy Word and Spirit and that we live and walk as a beacon of His light and love and share and spread the Gospel Truth daily, so that the lost souls in this world can come to know Him and be saved. The more we focus on Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ, growing spiritually by building our relationship with Him, leaning on Him and His Holy Word and Spirit, the better off we will be. Thanks to this and our faith in Him, we know that everything will be alright. And we will forever be grateful to Him. As true and born-again Christians, we believe in Him and His Holy Word and we strive daily to walk in His Holy Spirit. We know though our mortal bodies should die, He will raise us up and into new and glorious bodies (The Rapture). We who are truly His and alive at His second coming will never die, and our bodies will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and so shall we ever be with Him in His Kingdom of Heaven forevermore (1 Corinthians 15:51-52, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). This is one of many promises given to us by God Himself. Thank God for His strength and guidance when we are faced with sin and temptation. Thank Him for His mercy and grace. Through Bible study and prayer, God reveals His wisdom and guides us to see opportunities to grow closer to Him and grow spiritually. He gives us direction to live our lives daily according to His will.

Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to Heaven (John 3:5, 14:6), the ONLY way to salvation (Acts 4:12, Ephesians 2:8-9) and He is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25-26). Jesus Christ the LORD of lords, KING of kings, the GOD of gods (Deuteronomy 10:17, 1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14, Revelation 19:16) - He is the Living, Almighty and Everlasting God (Isaiah 9:6, Revelation 1:8, John 3:16, John 3:36, Jeremiah 10:10). There is no other God besides Him (Isaiah 45:5). We MUST humble ourselves before Him, turning our backs on false teachers, false gods and idols and our sinful ways. We MUST repent and turn back to God and recognize who He is and love Him in return for His great love for us. We MUST make God top priority everyday! May we be motivated to spread God's Holy Word and Gospel Truth to all the Earth, knowing that it is the only hope of all those lost in their sins. Let us not hold out a false hope for men to be saved without the Gospel, but instead, strive to do our part to get the Gospel out to a lost and dying world.

Leaning on Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ through prayer and His Holy Word and Spirit strengthens us and our knowledge and wisdom about God and His Gospel Truth, exposing these imposters. May God help us to seek and lean on Him daily to gain the strength, wisdom and spiritual discernment needed to expose Satan and his imposters who seek to destroy us and God's ultimate Truth. Everyday, we must remember to share Jesus Christ's Gospel Truth with the world and to thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for the grace that He poured out for us on the cross at Calvary. He has freed us from the burdens of sin and from the eternal damnation of Hell. In all we say and do, may all praise, honor and glory always be given to Him and His Kingdom of Heaven.

With renewed minds, hearts and wills, let us serve Him humbly and faithfully out of pure love and grateful rejoicing. May He remind us of His presence and to remain at peace, fully knowing that all will be well because He is always with us. Let us seek Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ today and everyday with all our heart and being, looking for His love, light and will for our lives with each step we take. Let us seek to please Him with our thoughts, words, and deeds and seek to advance His Kingdom of Heaven and His glory with our lives. Let us seek Him from a pure and humble heart, and when we so seek, we believe Him and His promise that we will find. May He help us all to be more sensitive to the teaching ministry of His Holy Word and Spirit, relying on Him and allowing Him to speak to us and guide us every step of our Christian journey.

God gave us the Holy Bible - His living and Holy Word - to let us know of Him and His abiding love and care as well as guide and prepare us for all our lives. May He help us encourage one another as we continue our walk with Him and our duty to Him daily. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for being present for all our new beginnings and all our lives. May He redirect any anxiety we feel as He provides countless opportunities for growth and change. May we humble ourselves before God always, asking Him to forgive our sins and make our hearts and lives anew through His Holy Word and Spirit. May He help us make Him and His Holy Word top priority, so we can grow spiritually and grow in our relationship with Him as we apply it to our daily lives. Thank God that we can focus on Him and everything about Him, for that is what keeps us sane and at peace. May our words and actions always be a reflection of Him and His Holy Word and Spirit and will.

May He help us to always walk in His grace and Holy Spirit, not by our own measure. May He give us the humble humility to know that our freedom and eternal salvation is found only in Him, so that His grace may sustain us, and we may never lose sight of His love and light and mercy. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for calling us to Him and to serve Him. May He equip us to do all that He has called us to do so that as He works through us, He may use us to produce fruit, to reach others, and to encourage all brothers and sisters in Christ. May He work all of these things in us and through us for His Kingdom and His glory. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for all His creation, for His miraculous ways and for everything He does and has done for us! Keep the faith and keep moving forward in your walk with Jesus! He loves us and He knows what is best for us. Seek, follow and trust in Him - Always!

Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His Holy Word and for sending His Holy Spirit so that we might have His grace, not only to awaken us and transform our hearts in our spiritual rebirth and guarantee our eternity with Him, but to also call upon Him whenever we are in need. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for all the reminders of His love and mercy and faithfulness within His Holy Word. He is bigger than any challenge or circumstance in our lives. Knowing this within our minds and our hearts, nothing can deter our faith in Him and His Truth. May we all accept Him and His eternal gift of salvation and ask that He would transform our hearts and lives according to His will and ways. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His Holy Spirit who saves, seals and leads us. May we always thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His almighty power and saving grace. For He is our strength, and He alone is able to save us, forgive our sins and gift us eternal salvation and entry into His Kingdom of Heaven.

May we make sure that we give our hearts and lives to God and take time to seek and praise Him and share His Truth with the world daily. May the LORD our God and Father in Heaven help us to stay diligent and obedient and help us to guard our hearts in Him and His Holy Word daily. May He help us to remain faithful and full of excitement to do our duty to Him and for His glorious return and our reunion in Heaven as well as all that awaits us there. May we never forget to thank the LORD our God and our Creator and Father in Heaven for all this and everything He does and has done for us! May we never forget who He is, nor forget who we are in Christ and that God is always with us! What a mighty God we serve! What a Savior this is! What a wonderful LORD, God, Savior and King we have in Jesus Christ! What a loving Father we have found in Almighty God! What a wonderful God we serve! His will be done!

Thanks and glory be to God! Blessed be the name of the LORD! Hallelujah and Amen!

[eleccy]

Let’s talk about... this.

<Enigmar> Well, how do you feel about the trial today?

<Phoenix> We'll get through it. Somehow.

Incidentally... the prosecutor today is a new guy, I hear.

<Enigmar> Ah... An easy win, then, yes?

<Phoenix> They're calling him a "true thoroughbred in the history of the prosecutor's office".

...Of course, there's one of those every year.

What does “thoroughbred” mean? It’s a reference to racing horses. It’s the definition of a racing horse that has good genes.

So, for example. Secretariat was basically the best-performing racing horse in history. When Secretariat was bred, his offspring sold at auction for thousands, and some millions - even before they were born! (Many of them turned out to be duds, go figure...) Even though the horse’s ability was completely unproven, the simple fact that they were a foal of Secretariat made them famous and valuable as racehorses by simple genetic association. They were like nepo (nepotism) babies (children of famous actors and directors who get into the film business through their connections to their parents and staked on their reputations).

The prosecutor that Zak and Phoenix are discussing here is Klavier. Which indicates... that the good genes that make him a “thoroughbred” lawyer are none other than Kristoph Gavin’s. This is even before the 7 year gap and Kristoph is already the Secretariat of the lawyering world (unless their parents or other relatives are in the law business too, but that’s unconfirmed). Since this is Klavier’s first trial, no one has any idea of how he’ll perform (other than his good standing from Themis preceding him) and already he’s being lauded as a prodigy prosecutor.

Why is this interesting? I mean, yeah, it’s funny, but...

I’ve been thinking about Kristoph’s black psychelocks lately. Why he took such extreme action to hide what he had done with the falsified evidence, with blaming Phoenix, the diary page and all. The explanation of black psychelocks given in AA5 by Pearls indicates that one who has these locks is not themselves aware of the secrets that they hold. Even they themselves may not, or in fact cannot, truly understand or acknowledge their own subconscious motivations for their actions.

“I killed Smith with a bottle because I am an evil human being“ (or somesuch nonsense). Kristoph says this with a sneer when Phoenix asks him why he killed Zak Gramarye. He constantly denies that he knew Smith was Zak. Certainly, Kristoph knows what he’s done, but he won’t explain why he’s done it, or connect it with those events. It’s all one big coincidence, eh?

Kristoph ended up pulling Klavier into his game in the Enigmar trial. As soon as Klavier called Drew Misham as a witness, he became an accomplice in Kristoph’s fraud. Were this truth to be revealed, it wouldn’t just be Kristoph’s reputation that would be dashed to pieces. Klavier’s law career would be over as well. His thoroughbred reputation would be ruined, and he would be seen as a corrupt lawyer - in an eerily similar way to what happened to Phoenix, too.

Basically, Kristoph was risking taking his brother’s reputation down with Phoenix’s, were the truth ever to be revealed.

I still think Kristoph defended his own reputation out of arrogance and no small amount of selfishness. But could it be, hidden away from himself, there was an altruistic and protective reason that would drive him so far as to kill to keep his secret? Could there be another, deeper reason behind his paranoia that all of this would become public knowledge?

He warns Klavier at the final Turnabout Succession testimony. Don’t do this, don’t ruin your reputation. Those were manipulative words, but... it’s hard to believe there’s not a grain of don’t ruin your dreams just because of me, I did what I had to do to protect you and I wish it hadn’t turned out this way.

I think that’s possible.

#gavin brothers #kristoph gavin #klavier gavin #thinkin thoughts about stuff...