#I've seen so much meta about it but

[tavina-writes]

briefly going hnnnnnnnng at people misrepresenting genre norms and tropes re: wuxia, but this is tumblr so I am merely going hnnnng and getting on with my day.

But god it does make me tired to behold these misconceptions with my eyeballs sometimes.

#a tragedy named leaf #honestly sometimes I think that missing the context for a bunch of stuff makes the MDZS morality debate weirder #I've seen so much meta about it but #MDZS is a wuxia with some light high fantasy sprinkles #it is genre bending but #things interact with the genre that they're bucking traditions with #and missing that context really does a number on some of the analyses i've seen

[stainedglassthreads]

One thing I think I just realized is, in addition to being dissatisfied with how stories deal with Toriel’s grief compared to Asgore’s and Asriel’s, and how I don’t see many instances of Toriel and Asgore’s quarrel being addressed in a way that satisfied me... I don’t think I see that many AUs that quite get the responsibility Asgore feels... right.

Yes, I’ve seen several that portray his grief, depression, and how badly he doesn’t want to be in this position well, even if it’s disappointing how not everyone seems to be aware of what you learn about him in a Neutral run where you’ve previously killed Flowey. A lot of people can get aspects of his characterization very well, the broken man, the goofy dad, the intimidating monarch. But I think the reason I don’t see people capture the weight of his responsibility quite as well in fanfics and comics is... well. Oddly enough it’s in the way the monsters treat him.

It’s not just the fandom that has issues with idolizing or demonizing characters. It’s also the Kingdom of Monsters themselves--and they all idolize Asgore. Yes, he’s a very grounded and compassionate individual who invites his subjects to share all their problems with him, and who Papyrus insists will just let you pass through the Barrier. But he’s also a bit of the subject of a cult of personality for his subjects. When they say he’ll absorb seven souls and become a GOD, it’s not an expression of his arrogance, but rather their own adoration. While out-of-universe the Angel is generally agreed to be either Asriel or Chara(or us), in-universe I wouldn’t be surprised if Asgore was considered the Angel.

It’s not long now. King Asgore will let us go. King Asgore will give us hope. King Asgore will save us all.

Yes, individual monsters may want to collect a human soul for their own individual wants and desires. But it’s only the capture of a human soul, or using a single soul for their own benefit, that they really aspire to. (With the exception of Toriel, who wants no souls, and Flowey, who is Flowey.) Of those area bosses who earnestly try to take just one soul, Papyrus and Undyne both want to hand you over to Asgore, and Mettaton wants to protect humanity FROM Asgore. Literally everyone in the Underground seems to fully believe that Asgore will be the one taking all the Souls and fulfilling his promises, and all are content. (Again, barring Toriel, MTT, Flowey.) No one seems to ever doubt he’ll do as he says, even his ex-wife, and no one’s greedy to take the power for themselves or take the burden of being a savior for themself, except his kid who has both a God Complex and a Savior Complex.

With Chara, and with Asgore. They take a person and turn them into a representation of something More than any singular person could ever be. And then in the worst route Chara does it again, to themself. Asgore is freedom and salvation and retribution itself, and everyone including the woman who was once married to him agrees and reinforces the role. Chara is the feeling of a number going up, and the fandom agrees and reinforces the role.

And I dunno. There are fics and AUs where Asgore never lost his kids and always remained an affable, friendly guy. There are AUs where Asgore is the main antagonist and an awful villain with few redeeming qualities. There are fics and AUs where Asgore gets to recover in a post-pacifist setting. But I’m not sure any fics or AUs have ever quite captured how everyone else just talks about the guy, for me. Toriel is simply ‘intimidating’. But Asgore is a GOD.

#undertale #undertale analysis #undertale meta #asgore #asgore dreemurr #this is why i think in post-pacifist asgore should live far away from all his subjects for a few years #be a normal guy. no responsibilities. let them calm down about the unwanted god-king stuff #like i've seen many stories successfully make asriel or chara feel othered and idolized by the underground but #somehow not asgore as much despite how everyone in-game treats him as a personification of his declaration of war #and lets that be the FIRST thing that influences how they treat him #even undyne to some extent. she's so psyched to free monsterkind. to get him to free monsterkind

[thethiefandtheairbender]

my most underrated Kataang take is, I think, the inclusion of Katara's epiphany in The Fortune Teller at all. We've talked ourselves hoarse about how it's the clear turning point in how she consciously thinks of Aang (I will always mandate that she was just unknowingly down bad since the pilot because Look at her behaviour dear god) and how it's important that she has this epiphany even after knowing Aunt Wu's predictions 'aren't real' or necessarily set in stone.

What I want to talk about is why I think it's important that THIS is the moment she sees Aang in a new light amid his previous attempts to have her think of him 'differently' than she did at the beginning of the episode.

When Aang is being sweet to her (making her a woven accidental-betrothal necklace that she happily accepts), Katara is appreciative and responsive, but still says "he's just a good friend, a sweet little guy, just like Momo".

When Aang tries to flirt with her under Sokka's aloof guise, it falls flat. When he tries to get her attention in general (and when having parallels with Meng), it likewise doesn't work.

Finally, he tries the flower but it falls into the lava (symoblism, anyone?) and they have bigger things to deal with, like making sure the town isn't completely wiped out by the volcano. It's also worth noting that after Aang's conversation with Meng:

He never actively tries pursuing or wooing Katara in the same way. He's still kind towards and supportive toward her, of course. He, at some point (probably after the 2nd cheek or third cheek kiss) eventually starts to think (understandably) that Katara has feelings for him. But as of The Fortune Teller, he's stopped trying to have her see him in a new light or do a big romantic gesture.

And that's exactly when she does, consciously, fall for him.

Not when he's trying to woo her in failed, false personas, not when he's being his sweet romantic self, but when he's being the most himself all episode: Aang, "the bravest person [she] knows, who's done nothing but help people and save lives" since she met him (1x12).

He's not paying attention, he's not trying to impress her. He's just being a good, determined Avatar. A good, helpful person. A powerful bender, completely in control of himself and his element. Being himself.

Her Aang.

#atla #kataang #aanglove #pro kataang #like she always would've fallen for him just by proxy of aang being himself. it was Inevitable #otp: penguin sledding #been thinking about how much shipping revolves around ideas of 'understanding' and a desire for authenticity between characters #doesn't get much more authentic than them #atla meta #analysis series #analysis #every so often i get dragged away from my 24/7 rayllum brainrot to think about another ship #cause i was thinking about how much they have the kataang vibe of #'i've seen the best and worst in you and i believe and love you so much' + #reaffirmation of how that person sees you as your likewise best most self actualized self and. yeah

[jahiera]

Please,,,, please more rambles about astarion and him healing and his slowly changing relationship with (-tav-) Sex and intimacy and choice and-

LISTEN BUDDY...

Okay gonna talk about the Grave Scene. this scene truly lives in my head rent free. I've been rewatching it a few times and every way it plays out is so touching. Especially the way he.. hmm... expresses himself here? There's such earnestness to him that frankly is unimaginable to the person we met in act 1. He really went from being both so sly & yet obviously lying ("[you trusted me...] an objectively stupid thing to do.") to someone who admits and lists the way Tav makes him... feel.... SAFE? and held? and I understand why it's not something a lot of people focus on but I actually am so heart-touched by how complex and intricate his journey to reclaiming sex and desire is at the end of this conversation. None of it is gratuitous. None of it is for show. The blending of the nonsexual intimacy, and openness (the grabbing of the hands, the showing of the grave, the raw admittance of so much vulnerable material he gives to Tav; all things he would never have even CONCEIVED of offering up in even act 2.)

("I've been dead in the ground for long enough. It's time to try living again." ... "With everything that life has to offer.")

It's an extremely nuanced and thoughtful approach to an SA survivor rediscovering & reclaiming what they want to make of their desires, their sexuality, in the aftermath of what was done to their bodies without their consent. It's so thoughtful & beautiful imo. Finally here at his grave, he tells Tav that they're someone he feels safe & accepted with, & he can experience intimacy on both sides with someone who has put forth the effort, the time, the willingness to learn and wait and watch and care for his own desires in a manner no one else EVER has.

("I feel safe with you. Seen. And whatever the future holds for me, I don't want to lose that.")

It REALLY... gets me in the heart here. It doesn't avoid the difficulties of sexuality in the aftermath of abuse, and it ultimately shows one individual's journey toward reclamation and reconciliation with autonomy on their own terms. That's so vital here, that he reaches out, chooses to make the step forward, HIS choice. There's no lingering gratuitously on the trauma, if that makes sense? the descriptions and vulnerability are raw; Tav is grounding person here, Tav gives him room to speak. The true balance of intimacy in verbalizing his feelings, intimacy in being close physically with Tav, intimacy in discerning for himself what he desires, intimacy in accepting touch, contact, affection, togetherness. It's all so... [BITES INTO FIST SCREAMING]. And the ending. Where he and Tav get to set off on another adventure. Get to explore who they are truly now, with each other, without any higher powers looming over and putting a yoke around their necks. I'm personally partial to the "finding a way for you to be in the sun," ending myself but all of them are just ... so delightful. He really SHINES in a way that exceeded my expectations so completely in act 3. he went from totally closed off and locked away and unaware of how to navigate his own personal relationships, no idea what a "relationship," even was, no idea how to express boundary or unravel his complicated ideas and feelings around his body, what it was forced to do for Cazador, to:

("For nearly two centuries I stalked the streets like a ghost while the person I was lay here, dead and buried. Now I need to figure out who I am. What I want.")

also laying a flower on his grave and all he says is "cute." but there's such a minor moment of tenderness there. I weep I wept I will weep.

#I do get why I've seen the interpretation that he's totally sexless after it all & far be it for me to stop people from #interpreting it that way; interpretation and all that; but I personally really love & appreciate the narrative's conclusion here #in which sex is treated as thoughtfully as it can be; real and tangible and /yes/ an avenue of true togetherness beyond #like. getting off. that's not what it's about at all. (and the way this contrasts his post-ritual ending with all the SHOW...) #there's so much genuine intimacy & beauty here both nonsexually & at the end when it's reclaimed like whaahhaahahhahhhhh #it's hardly nonexistent in media for sexuality and SA to be something explored thoughtfully but I admittedly HAVE NOT #seen it explored this thoughtfully in a major RPG video game before. not to this level and not in this way. #SA survivors re-finding bodily autonomy ohhh boy I have. feelings. #sa tw #sa mention #abuse tw #bg3 meta #bg3 spoilers

[goodoldfashionednerd]

Elias Mannix is such a tragic character, when you think about it. He was doomed from the start. Either he accepts to go with the time loop and

a) has a shitty childhood (shitty to the point of not thinking anyone ever loved him and to the point of accepting to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of lives to feel that love he was promised)

b) has to go through with the killing of hundreds of thousands of people! And I know future!Elias doesn't really show any remorse about it, but it has to fuck up a person. Especially when his decision was made pretty spontaneously in the moment, without really thinking about the consequences (I personally think that he wouldn't have done it if he had taken the time to breath, calm down and think about it). And especially knowing most of these people didn't just die at the time of the explosion, but had to suffer a slow and painful death, that Elias probably heard about/saw pictures of on TV. We don't see him as a young adult, but those years must have been tough.

c) has to make sure his childhood is shitty so that he can keep existing, and become his own abuser!!

His only other option is to not do any of that, choose to not make the bomb explode, to do the right thing, and what does he get for that? Nothing! He stops existing!! And it's not just as if he dies, he will never have existed, no one will know he ever existed, no one will remember him! Can you imagine that??

His own life is dependant on a cycle of abuse and death he created himself and it's SO. SAD.

#i've seen a lot of posts pointing out how awful and how much of a hypocrite he is #and those posts are right #but i think people mostly think of adult!elias when they talk about him #and i just can't get the 15 year old who didn't ask for any of this out of my head #his life is so fucking sad #bodies #bodies 2023 #bodies netflix #bodies meta #? i guess? #please watch this show it's SO GOOD

[itachanta]

While having in mind everything I've analyzed and read about Vash loving and wanting humans to have faith in him, despite being distant to them at the same time, this scene came to my mind. And I couldn't stop thinking about Vash's scared and ashamed face when Nai talks about the chance of Meryl and Roberto finding out about his guilt, and implicitly leaving him.

THAT. FACE. THE MOMENT OF REALIZATION. I JUST-

That Knives, who is deep in Vash's mind, trying to erase and modify all of his most important memories, pulls out specifically those two while saying that, and while psychologically torturing him, is only further proof to me that Vash really cares about them deeply, Meryl specially, being his embodiment of all his hopes in humanity, of Rem's dreams, the one who followed him and was there after waking up from one of his worst moments.

And I will never fucking shut up about that.

#trigun #trigun stampede #trigun stampede spoilers #trigun meta #meryl stryfe #vash the stampede #roberto de niro #I WILL NEVER SHUT UP #i've seen some people talking shit about meryl on tw and tktk #i want to protect and defend her with all my might #she is so very important #i can't fathom how there are people who can't see it #I LOVE HER so much AAAA #this is also a lesson to myself #who because of the misogynistic society brain washing #judged harshly a lot of female characters #while forgiving male characters for the same things #when i was a teen #my new mission is loving all the female characters in the world #i dont care if they dont go kickin ass #meryl may not be a fighter #but she is still strong as hell #the relationships in trigun are my whole personality these days #my gifs: itachanta

[hellofeternity]

ORV transcends language | how ORV is kind to readers (1.1k words)

the difficulties in analyzing text are already numerous without a language barrier, the way one word can mean 5 things and when you put it in a sentence suddenly it can mean 50 things and put that sentence in a paragraph? go further and put that paragraph in a page? construct a whole world around it, weave it into the fabric, and suddenly you are painting with words.

ORV is a daunting text, it calls and references so many mythos world wide, greek, roman, indian, chinese, japanese, it plays with meaning and intent and uses gaps in our knowledge like weapons, making us extrapolate our own meaning between the sentences, it is a tome of knowledge when it comes to histories and philosophies it feels at times like I will never understand all these things inside it.

One of the difficulties of reading a translated text is that when we analyze a text the authorial intent weighs very heavily in our minds, sure we can immerse ourselves in the world but once we start picking apart at the threads we hit a wall pretty soon when we start asking ourselves "what did the author mean by this?" however in a translated text there is an obvious gap, a game of telephone, did the translator actually capture the authors intent? or are we just reading the translators perception? sadly I don't know korean, and I cant say I have the drive to learn it, as such I know there will forever be a side of ORV that I will never be privy to - however I am bilingual and had the pleasure of reading two translated versions of ORV, an English translation and an Arabic translation, I didn't finish reading the said Arabic translation but a couple things stood out to me when I briefly did ORV is very kind to readers, following along in other stories can seem confusing at times, the pacing might be too fast and you might miss some details in a characters actions, the wording might be too vague and ah damn 20 pages later you realize you don't actually know why the characters are doing what they are doing. A big writing adage that you will see a lot is "show dont tell" and it holds merit, but ORV doesn't subscribe to it, because ORV shows AND tells. ORV built a world around readers and reading, and it makes sure that there is clarity every step of the way on what is happening, first by starting out as a homage to the isekai genre, and not deviating too much at the start, making the readers feel at home in a worldview they are familiar with, systems, leveling, videos games etc, and when it starts deviating it explains things with clarity that no matter how bad the translation is you understand the general intent, and secondly by being VERY blatant about the names of things and having a built in "story" system that is built on common story tropes and names the themes for you! take for example "unbroken faith" and "Blade of faith" both of these are two translated versions of dokja's sword. I will never know which one is closer to the original authorial intent, but I can tell you something, dokja's sword is symbolism to the faith he is wielding. (CH386 vague spoilers) or the entirety of "the great war of saints and demons" being about the concept of good and evil fighting and how kimcom aren't just above being good and evil, they are both. By using story tropes that we are familiar with to explain the complexity of situations in a simple forms you no longer have to worry about losing you readers understandings through language barriers. Every story in the world in every language knows what good vs evil is, every language has the words to explain them. and therein lies the beauty of ORV. But of course this isn't to say translations don't matter, it does speak to the strength of an original texts clarity when it accounts for the big things by making them simplified, but when we get down to the nitty gritty it starts to lose form take for example

"Tell me, you fool. If I continue to regress, will I ever get to meet you again?"

this person here has a great write up explaining the translators thoughts behind this specific line

but it has spawned a lot of debate in the English speaking fandom, as to the strength of its translation, I remember when I first saw someone claiming that its a mistranslation and "you fool" isn't part of the original, my first thought was "and so?" I do not mean to be dismissive to the original text, but I do not exist in a space where I can appreciate it in the original korean, I do not exist in a worldview where I can understand the historical implications of a lot of the characters, and even when I try to research it in English sadly the resources do not exist yet and its even more laughable to think of finding these things in Arabic. (Goryeos first sword doesn't have an English wikipedia page as a clear example) a lot of people have issues with the most popular English fantranslation of ORV - and I can understand why, being bilingual I have a lot of opinions on how a lot of things SHOULD be translated most of the time, and have done my own translation work but as I sit and think about this popular translation I cant help but just feel love for it, it might be lacking to some, it might be inaccurate at times to others, but its just enough for me to paint the gaps in the text with my perceptions, the words used are tied to my affections the Arabic translation of ORV is clunky, it is messy, it doesn't have as much grace as the English translation of ORV does, the words barely string together cohesively, but it has enough clarity, enough intent, and enough love for its readers, to catch their hearts, their attention and their energy

and so I want this to be the first post on this blog because, the author is dead here, not because I buried them, but because the tower of babel fell down a long time ago, and all we have is rubble and each other. a lot of the analysis on this blog will try to be respectful to the korean original wherever it can, however my words will be coming from an anglosphere perspective, and build on other English reader's perceptions of a text translation that a decent amount of people don't think is adequate, but just like ORV is kind to us, we can be kind back, I will quote the most popular version because its what connects us together, and while the authors intent might be lost, we can share our own meanings with each other, and build our own intent from the rubble.

#orv meta #orv #orv analysis #r1864 #a big wall of text for me to go lol orv is queer and yjh is trans coded #but this is tumblr so everyone knows that already #also I still don't actually know what naming convention is correct I've seen many discussions about this #I just go with what is most popular for ease of understanding and ease of reading #also i find the naming thing very funny in english and latin letters because there isnt nearly this much drama about it in the arabic scrip #I just assume its like any other language that doesnt use latin and we are just trying to break english to sound out letters they dont have #i do like how dokjas name sounds like its splitting in the middle in the correct pronunciation 'dok-ja' adds to his duality #and i am sad that gets lost in the latin script sounding

[karmaphone]

people really be like 'death note is a metaphor for addiction' before they'll be like 'the police are not to be trusted with life and death'

#like y'all. it is very explicitly about how the police & goverments and other people in power Should Not Have That Power #why do you have to make it about something it's not #I've seen so much good meta and then I scroll down for another post and it hits me with 'death note is a metaphor for addiction!!!' like. #not that there's nothing in there to support that reading. but like. where's the cool robot arrow over their head image

[purble-gaymer]

compilation of gsa headcanons i’ve been slow cooking over the past few months

#kirby right back at ya #meta knight #galaxy soldier army #sir arthur #sir nonsurat #sir falspar #sir dragato #has anybody seen origin of the meta knight. i need to know because i love it so much #admittedly i changed a few things from ootmk when i put halberd in my personal canon #ootmk and my interpretation of pre-dreamland are very different #but i love him i need more halberd content #also vlei is here <3 hi vlei #i've never talked about him before but they've been in the back of my mind for a while #if anyone wants me to talk more i will #i still have a lot to say that didn't make it onto here #i just needed to get some ideas down #misc knights #headcanon pile #rhyn's art

[babacontainsmultitudes]

[just venting a bit into the void you understand you understand 😌] Lately I've been feeling very caught between "I have a lot of thoughts on Sparrow and Normal and all that with the ending and teen talk and feel like I need to get them out and voice them for my own piece of mind and resolution" and "I am lacking the strength and energy to actually sit down and write it all out and kind of really just want to fully move on to other things (AUs, fics, anything else)" but my brain can't seem to commit to either and that's quite frustrating cause it's just left me very restless. *Sigh*. Idk! Just needed to complain about that a bit ig, it's silly but this is what has been ailing me as of late.

#Then there's also a part of me that's like “does anyone even care at this point? haven't I already talked about them too much?” #but I have seen many a take that irk me... #and perhaps at the center of it all nagging at me is that persistent conflation of love and pride #Less about that in Normal's mind so much as in Will's and the fandom's 🤔 #Also that reoccurring issue of the fandom going ''Normal thinks this therefore it is The Truth'' though I believe I've discussed this befor #And... Hooks Will could have grabbed onto but didn't... Quite a few of those... #And the double standard/negativity bias in fandom of ignoring that Sparrow says both that he loves and likes Normal while doodlerized #But not treating those with the same legitimacy we do the pride thing. And ignoring Sparrow's demonstrations of love and change... #And what the love wolf scene actually implies about Sparrow (as I see it) with his own explanation of the pride thing in mind #But also!!! Also on Norm's epilogue and how despite everything taken at face value (i.e. no teen talk influence) I don't actually hate it #and I think it's plenty salvageable #And gah also that like *regardless* of how things turn out with Normal and his dad- #Well I haven't listened to much of the teen talk just the directly Sparrow-relevant clips #so I don't know quite how cynical Will is or isn't about Normal's future #But like. UGH. What I'm trying to say is even if things didn't find resolution vis-a-vis his dad #(which tbh I could go either way on- it's the meta misinterpretations of Sparrow that Bother me not so much Normal's) #(Well that's complicated. Again it comes back to the love vs. pride thing gosh this is so vague of me lol) #With all the positive influences in his life (and just the fact that life is long? and therapy is a thing?) I just don't see Normal- #being Miserable for the rest of his life. Like. I mean I won't elaborate here really but damn it no he can absolutely turn out alright stil #blugh #BUT YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN THAT'S A LOT OF STUFF AND THAT'S ONLY VAGUE RAMBLINGS ABOUT *SOME* OF IT #Like I'm proud of a lot of my essay posts (which I'm hoping to eventually compile in a masterpost eventually actually) but they take a whil #And if my heart wants to do other things... Ah idk... #ANYWAYS a vent to vent a vent to vent

[nellasbookplanet]

The thing about nuanced characters is that you can’t really have their 'nice' parts without also having their less palettable parts, not only because the two are more interesting as a whole but also because they fundamentally depend on each other narratively. Imogen is a good and kind-hearted character who has suffered greatly from loneliness, abandonment, ostracization, and a fear of her own abilities. She wants to save the world and is prepared to risk her own life and powers doing so. But she is also by her own words greatly tempted by said powers. Her self-sacrifice in being prepared to give them up means nothing if it isn't paired with her self-centerdness in wanting to keep them, because without it there would be no sacrifice, only a relief from something she didn’t want anyway.

Her mother in a way is a manifestation of Imogen's good and bad traits: it is kind of her to want to save Liliana, but it is also self-centered of her to consider risking the entire world in doing so (as she is when considering the Ruby Vanguard may be right). In this scenario, there is no way for Imogen to be just the one thing, kind or unkind, she has to be both. If she wanted her mother dead to save the world, she would be kind to the world but unkind to her mother; if she wants her alive she’s kind to her mother and unkind to the world. Similarly, you can’t have the goodness of imodna's absolute, unflinching trust without also having the potential of them going dark because of it, because if one of them goes down that road the other will follow seeing as nothing, not even the world, is more important to them than each other. You can’t have the strength of absolute loyalty without the flaw of absolute loyalty.

And people love to bring this up in quippy gotchas, like "Imogen and Laudna would break the world for each other just like the Briarwoods!" or "Imogen is an inversion of the critrole villains in that she wants the same power but chooses kindness!" but the moment someone extrapolates what traits in their characters make statements like these possible the very same people lose their minds and acts like it’s character assassination rather than character analysis.

Imogen wants power. Imogen and Laudna would maybe be prepared to break the world for each other. Without this truth, them choosing kindness anyway would have little meaning. There's nothing wrong with a character having a little darkness in her. It doesn’t mean she’s actually dark, or that she will turn dark, it just means she’s a well-balanced character with realistically human motivations and flaws as well as strengthts.

#critical role #cr3 spoilers #cr3 #imogen temult #there's been another uptick of 'why's there so much imgoen hate!' in the critrole tag and i must role my eyes #bc just like last time this happened all the 'hate' i come across is just acknowledgement of flaws and character meta #the closest thing I've ever seen imogen hate is people whining about her supposed 'main character' status #and even that has died down in the last few months #and i assure the same complaints were present about fjord and caleb in c2. this is not an imogen special #though it’s equally annoying and invalid no matter which character it’s about i'll give you that #nella talks cr

[seasaltmemories]

Having known the general plot of Penguindrum long before I watched it I would see pics of Ikuhara's heroines together and I was always quietly a hater about it bc how could "generic sick girl who barely does anything in the plot" have the same impact as genuine protagonists

And now just cut to me just rotating Himari in my head 90% of the time, LMAO amazing how wrong I was. Turns out plot summaries are no substitute for actually watching the thing! What a twist!

I do wonder how would read to ppl with chronic illness but her depiction feels so much richer than most sad sick girls in that she is painfully aware of her role as tragic symbol of innocence that must be struck down by the narrative, like if ppl only wanted a full character study on someone in her situation they'd be disappointed, but we're given just enough to know that this on some level a performance

she isn't not a sweet kind girl who loves her family but she's never really had the chance to be anything else, and she doesn't just sit there simmering in resentment or anything, she regards the whole Double H situation with remarkable maturity, but it just all comes back to the chasing love monologue, so much of her character comes down to having to make do with a shitty hand you've been dealt, and so even if she doesn't drive the 'action' it still feels like her story too, bc having that level of agency and freedom was never an option, every choice and option she makes has to be fought with by tooth and nail, making it all the more meaningful

#seasalt talks #penguindrum #himari takakura #meta #nobody brings this up bc most of Ikuhara's work are dominated by interesting women #but the women in penguindrum are so good y'all #like in the hands of a different team this could very much be a narrative about the man pain of Kanba and Shouma #with the female cast only being their to facilitate more problems for them #but from Himari to Ringo to Masako to Yuri when it is their time to shine it always feels like their story #like they could carry the narrative alone as the protag #part of that comes down to Penguindrum really being an ensemble show but like I've seen male creatives not really know how to write women #outside of these very stereotypical stories about the 'female experience' so it says something that Ikuhara's girls are just as complex #even when we aren't bemoaning the horrors of patriarchy #also Momoka of course rocks even if she is more a mythical figure rather than a character in of herself #like even the personality of the PotC suggests more to her than like untouchable savior child

[ct-hardcase]

.

#also so much of the recent discourse I've seen both in terms of how the fandom thinks of clone fans + how they're viewed in larger canon #is making me feel a touch defensive about my being in the clone fandom even if it's largely dormant (thanks tbb) #but like. idk I feel like on one hand people are so stuck in the pre-tcw or traviss version of them that tcw-based clone fandom is looked #down upon even if tcw's been around for over 10 years at this point #or alternatively people think that because the clones all look the same that finding the individuality in them is sort of silly #be it either through meta or finding them hot #idk like I said. not been active in the fandom for a good while but it does make me feel off #and I'm not saying the clone fandom hasn't had its weird moments or issues bc god knows we've talked about that internally #but almost none of the outside discourse I've seen is about what clone fans actually critique each other for from the inside #idk tag rant over #star dorks #temp clone tag #sw negativity #okay I lied but seriously when people think the clones getting their characterization was a downgrade. blood boiling tbh.

[cosmos-dot-semicolon]

Just played Pony Island 1 and it was fine. It's very well designed and gets straight to the point of its narrative. I can see why the meta plot grabbed the audience back in a pre-Undertale, pre-Doki Doki Literature Club, creepypasta-enjoying time. I'm sure if there was an ARG or bonus lore surrounding it, that crowd would've enjoyed it. I appreciate there not being any sarcastic meta-commentary aside from on a couple of the puzzles.

It gives me a bit more insight on why Daniel Mullins makes games (at least his steam ones) the way he does. I still don't think that sort of template fits well onto Inscryption, which already had a solid character-driven story in the Scrybes in act 2. I'd like to see him use meta elements for more than just ARGs and plots that all end in 'the devil made this game, actually.'

But who knows. I still haven't finished the Hex. He did also mention on Twitter he consulted an academic in Mongolian history as part of research for Panda Circus. If nothing else, it'll be really interesting to see where his work goes. You can do so much with meta elements in video games, moreso than any other medium, and it's nice to have a creator who uses them to do more than just make you go 'omg so random' all the time.

#also as somebody from east asia. at least him sharing that publically gives me hope that the game won't be like #well. it won't represent asian culture like ninjago did. it's not something you can rely on anyone white to do usually #also ddlc has not aged well for me. if you couldn't tell #undertale i've forgotten too much about to judge #but it is the only game i've seen use meta mechanics to actually make a narrative point so far #dots dots dots

[junonureyev]

Season 1 thoughts, initially: (partially/a lot of anaylsis and partially just... rambling. I talk a lot.)

When I started this relisten I listened to the murderous mask and then thought "this'll be easy, I remember how the murderous mask functions I was 16 and I was amazing at understanding this podcast, evidenced by how well I rped at Juno at the time" and I did rp Juno well. I have no evidence of this but... take my word for it.

I think where I personally struggle the most is the individual plot story lines, because it's true. I do understand the characters boarder functions more than I do individual plotlines. I think (especially because of how Juno is written) it's incredibly well conveyed how Juno as a character (and also Nureyev) functions, in season one our protagonist is more of a mystery in the sense we don't know why he functions the way he does whereas with Nureyev we eventually do find out. The character writing is so stellar, and unique, and colourful, and immediately vibrant that it makes sense the thing that drives the story is obviously the character. The plot takes a minor backseat to that.

I fucking love Nureyev as much as I did when I was 16 and it was 2019 and he's completely earned the title of "my favourite fictional character of all time" when he got it without a doubt and remains at that level even now. I love the angel of brahma as an arc, I think it's my favourite season one pair of episodes. It's the perfect cocktail of Juno and Nureyev getting tortured, Nureyev comforting Juno (holy shitt) and character development for the both of them. I feel it's a arc fully-hellbent on conveying their romance to the audience and it makes me feel like what I imagine people who really love romance in stories feel like all the damn time. I also love the conclusion, that the people of brahma rely on Nureyev as a robin hood boogeyman because being a comfort to people who need it and scaring people who suck, it makes me think that Peter Nureyev would really love the role he's played in real peoples lives outside of his fiction. (And the role he's played in my life.) And that weird parallel brings me a lot of joy.

Peter Nureyev is an incredibly good person regardless of whether he likes to acknowledge it or not. He has a very interesting relationship to the concept of being a saviour, because Juno fully has a saviour complex, but Nureyev doesn't seem to realize that he does default to being a good person with an incredible amount of patience and a saviour figure. (Which is something he at least subconsciously wants to be) He just doesn't let people in, and so maybe his lack of self awareness in regards to his not-saviour-complex-in-the-way-juno-has-it, comes from his lack of experience with intimacy. He wants to be with Juno and has decided that Juno is a good person and will do anything to compensate for that, but Juno is way more complicated than both he and Nureyev would like him to be at the moment, and so it fucks up and Juno takes advantage of his kindness. Peter Nureyev deliberately presents himself as the guy of your dreams to take advantage of people, yeah, but for Juno it's all genuine. So inexperience. (He doesn't even realize what he's doing when Juno points it out. He is not self aware about it at this period of time)

I think this is what makes the ending interesting is that Juno is absolutely being selfish and terrible to Peter, (taking advantage of him and ghosting him) because Juno anticipates that someday this will all go wrong and is too afraid of that so cuts it off before it happens (BPD behaviour. Do not get me started) but narratively it makes sense because Juno absolutely is not ready for a relationship at that point and had been genuinely way too mean and non-communicative towards Nureyev to ever even remotely start a healthy relationship. Nureyev couldn't compensate for Juno's behaviour forever so, it was a good decision to cut it off. Not for those reasons or in that way, it was a total fuck up indicative of Junos most intense neuroses, but still. Juno at that point did not deserve that man. In my opinion. Although I can see an argument for otherwise, I think Juno leans too heavily on the explaination that they're on other sides of the law for his distrust even though it's mildly unclear how much he actually cares about being on the right side of the law. Considering. I personally don't think he cares that much and this is a case of him justifying his distrust by going for a more surface level explanation than what is truthful (deep seeded mental health issues and trust issues)

I personally find this last scene truthful to the core of their characters and the relationship they've built, and I think it does a wonderful job portraying the types of mental health issues Juno has.

I think he's insane for leaving Peter Nureyev in a hotel room after he just said "I'm in love with you" but I get it. (If I was in that situation I don't even know what I'd do, but the likelihood that'd it'd be something similar is... a lot, I'll admit) The writing is so good and that scene goes so smoothly it doesn't feel unjustified at all and I think we can attribute that to how well written Juno is. Nureyev also presumably had some inkling that Juno was going to pull this, since he can read Juno and also confirmed twice in-ear that Juno was okay with this. But he believed, because Juno was communicating otherwise, which is what makes it such a bad decision on Junos part? and why I specify specifically that Juno took advantage of him. It's not like he didn't have an out to communicate like a normal-ass person. He was given at least 1 onscreen and we all know how comforting and needy Nureyev is.

It's why I'm so compelled by them, and why they're my favourite fictional romance, is the entire latter half of season 1. I stopped in 2019 (so the beginning of season 3) and I hope they resolve what happened late season 1 well, as I never got to that.

My urge now to listen near constantly is going to be at an all time high even though season 1 took so little time because you think "oh I have so much podcast left" when in reality you have like 5 days of podcast left and I'm not going to survive the next 5 days because stopping feels like letting Juno rot in that grave he dug on purpose 'cause he's a fucking idiot. I love him and I can't leave him in there for long. I need to get him out.

#meta #txt #I didn't mean to ramble so much but I shouldve seen this coming #tpp #the penumbra podcast #I love jupeter! i am insane! about them! They make me forget any issues I have ever had with fictional romance #I need peter nureyev so fucking carnally you have no idea #I cried at the end of this not actually at the end but because of how peter sounded when comforting Juno #I've never had anything like that in my life for a very long time. #and he's my autism comfort character for that reason. #I love him so fucking much #Juno steel why do you get to be so similar to me and live my dream? For my wish fulfillment? #long post #Nothing makes me want to create like this series does completely out of passion for these two #I rped jupeter for fucking years and I still have so much in me to create for these two #Hopefully eventually I dont have to talk about rping jupeter in the past. A lady can dream

[katmaatui]

when I finally get this arisia fic done...

#godddddd I love her I'm fleshing out her past some and going into what it means that her mother father and uncle were all gls of her sector #before her and I'm talking about glc I have several flashbacks dedicated to glc 211 alone god I'm so excited for y'all to see #there's no fics or metas or anything I've seen talking about this and I'm just so excited to have something out there focused on her and he #trauma #god arisia I love you so much #Personal Stuff I Guess