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scintillyyy · 2 months

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the way that the steph story in showcase '95 #5 is a steph story written by not dixon in the 90s & has some of the best character work that *includes* a lot of the negative traits she was given by dixon && ends up having some absolutely excellent parallels with bruce in gotham knights #1 and yet the only thing people want to use out of it is that she was on the gymnastics team.

okay. seriously, though. the story is that steph is on her school gymnastics team & her mom comes to a meet (much to steph's chagrin) & her mom immediately clocks that her coach is a junkie & steph refuses to believe her at first because to her her coach is a responsible adult (and the safest one she knows) who wouldn't do that & then does some investigating after a kid dies from a car accident after meeting with the coach due to driving under the influence & finds out that not only was he dealing drugs, he didn't think he was doing anything wrong with his double life & steph has to grapple with the idea of how anyone could lead such a double life *while* keeping her own double life a secret. like it has the all the highlights of peak steph characterization to me:

inability to fully divest herself from her biases meaning she refuses to acknowledge at first what's clear to others (see also: unintentional but fantastic parallels to bruce in gotham knights #1)

her shame over her own life circumstances--having an addict mother & criminal father--that she wants to divest herself from completely and pretend they don't exist so she is made completely uncomfortable when people see them because reminders of their existence goes against the narrative of 'being able to fit in with her peers and that she'e not like 'those' people' that steph is desperately trying to hold onto (see also: her immediate backing down on her suspicions when her friends tell her she's overreacting)

steph being a child of an addict while probably logically knowing that addiction is complicated thing, but being a child affected by a parent with addition has a lot of trouble seeing addiction as anything but a poor choice her mother makes and that people she deems good wouldn't be so weak as to make those same choices. steph being a character who is biased and thinks that people can choose their circumstances because she is someone who's just going to choose to be a better person and raise herself above her circumstances unlike her parents who hurt her is chefskiss. to me.

steph's motivations trending towards selfish--she goes after her coach because a kid died, but the crux of her conflict with her coach is about the personal betrayal she felt after her suspicions are confirmed and he was involved, it's more about her versus the death of someone. which is why her double life is juxtaposed against that of her coach/the villain. because steph's decision to be the spoiler isn't about the victims or a duty to them, it's about her. the tendency in her stories to compare and contrast her choice to be a vigilante vs. a criminal choosing to do crime (usually her father) is often used in interesting ways--hidden beneath her steadfast refusal to be anything like them is an uneasy similarity in that she's doing this for her own self-satisfaction more than anything else, much like her father. and her lies being shown in comparison to her coach's lies & steph's lack of internal conflict over her lies in comparison to her coach thinking he did no wrong...it's soo intriguing.

#genuinely this is one of THE steph stories for me.#and you see these traits through so much of her story. it's good.#i could expand more abt the steph/villains motivation juxtapositions tbh it's sooo interesting #but it's like. the comparison/contrast of her motivations to theirs due to her origins #and her interesting relationship to lying & her lack of. hm. remorse? lack of conflict? over lying bc it's so easy for her #to lead this double life

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tequiilasunriise · 1 year

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The thing that really kills me about that fight against the walkers is the Bees get this incredible fight sequence of being perfectly in sync partners and easily covering each other’s bases but then it suddenly cuts to Weiss stumbling during her fight because Ruby, her partner, isn’t there. Jaune was good at helping her recover, sure, but nevertheless the parallels between functional partners and partners that are split apart were very, very prevalent.

During the Ace Ops fight Weiss was holding her own well against Marrow, yet Ruby still rushed to deflect his weapon when it was coming towards Weiss. Harriet had thrown her into the room, Ruby- still dazed on the floor- looked up, saw a weapon coming towards Weiss (who was poised with her rapier ready, mind you), and didn’t hesitate to come in and smack it back with Crescent Rose. The parallels between Marrow and Harriet arguing vs Whiterose silently nodding at each other making sure the other was alright, like! Ruby didn’t have to check up on Weiss but she did so anyways because they’re partners, because they’re there fer each other rather than individual units strung together on the same team.

After making sure Weiss was alright, Ruby continues to draw Harriet away from the rest of the fray. Then when Ruby is fighting Harriet, Weiss comes back to check up on her and summon an ice wall to defend her partner from Harriet charging at her. There’s something to be said about how Marrow and Harriet were so disjointed in comparison to Whiterose being there fer each other. Love versus a lack thereof, so to speak (and yes, I may be a Whiterose shipper, but this love I’m referring to is that deeper special platonic bond between people who fight fer their lives and trust and care fer each other wholeheartedly).

So now parallel that fight with the one against the walkers, where Weiss is stumbling in a 1v1 and Ruby gets overpowered by a walker because she’s having an extremely justified panic attack. They’re apart, and now both are struggling because neither has their partner there to support em. The Bees are doing all of these sickass combo moves and combining their different fighting styles perfectly while Whiterose is just having a plain ol Bad Time™️ right now. Love versus a lack thereof, so speak. That being said I do wanna point out that when Ruby was down on the ground, it was Weiss who called out to her and made the first blow against the walker who had her pinned. Shit man even when they’re falling apart Weiss is still the first one to reach fer her partner. The love isn’t fully gone, it’s hurting yes, but o h how the love is still there through it all. There is something to be said on love and the lack thereof and love that’s struggling to breathe but still persists.

What I’m saying is, there’s shit to be said about partners, about people tied together in trust and loyalty, about people who know the other so well they can almost effortlessly cover each other bases. There’s shit to be said about found family, about choosing people, about doing the very brave thing that is loving them. In V8, Yang talked to Ruby about risks and sacrifices and heroes. Later on, Blake had her gentle heart to heart about admiring Ruby as a leader, but what Ruby really needs right now? She doesn’t need a pep talk revolving around duties and respect, what she needs right now is someone to speak to her as an equal. As a best friend. As a partner.

Weiss, please fer the love of god, talk to your partner. She needs someone to lean on right now, and my clown makeup fer Bees Kiss is OFF but goddamnit am I polishing my shoes as I hope fer a Weiss and Ruby heart to heart.

#i adore how bumbleby fight together as an absolute UNIT but I also love the tragic undertones it has fer Whitwrose completely lacking that #like it doesnt have to be in a wr way- tho im so delusional i’d still countnit as a wr moment in the smallest- but CMON WEISS PLEASE #YOURE SO COMPASSIONATE AND BIG HEARTED AND RLLY GOOD WITH COMFORTING PEOPLE #like ur talk with Yang in v5? living rent FUCKEN free in my head please pull through fer Ruby im begging #rwby #ruby rose #weiss schnee #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #bumbleby #whiterose #rwby v9 #rwby spoilers

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accio-victuuri · 6 months

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Sugar Rush : November CPNs

What started out as a relatively quiet month after a chaotic October, turned into something else because of a few candies. Especially the whole 11/19 fiasco that surprised us all. LOL. As usual, this is for cpn-loving turtles only. Keep an open mind but still clown responsibly. I can’t believe we only have one month left for this year!

If you wanna recap other years I have archived : 2021 ( one | two ) 2022 ( one | two ) 2023 ( one, july, august, september, october ) 2020 candies and some other sweets before I was doing round up posts may be found on my masterlist.

Let’s review the past month…

• Some side by side / parallel photos of GG ( Tod’s Milan ) and WYB ( Chanel Shenzhen ). They are both photographed with the very beautiful Liu ShiShi. Also the way they are the center of attention. KINGS! 👑

• hoping they play tennis together 🎾 ; there is also a cpn out there about yibo being fully prepared for the game cause he had lacoste shoes and bag then a jacket that he used in wuzhen. people are speculating that XZ bought stuff for him to use cause he is the one who knows more and thought of this brand. this may seem like a stretch but you never know with this fandom when a seemingly insignificant observation becomes a big candy along the way.

• 2021 vs 2023 beach photos similarities + xiamen coincidence and it’s connection to ZZ’s ideal life painting

• LHK ( Liu Haikuan ) giving clues about BJYX? + Part 2 of comments

11/7, GG was announced as Boucheron’s global brand ambassador, then people remembered that one time WYB wore stuff from the brand. So now we have an unintentional couple jewelry incidence😂😂

• the sound of an eagle 🦅

• some similarities in forwarding 119 message, yeah i know celebrities like them are sort of required to bring attention to stuff like this. however, WYB is known to support this cause and even made a VCR specifically for it. if you look at the actual post, theirs is the top 2 in terms of likes and the rest of the celebrities are not the usual ones similar to the boys’ caliber. Another clue that this is WYB’s advocacy of sorts, most, if not all top comments are from his fans. so ZZ joining in on spreading the message seems ( to me and some cpfs ) like influenced by WYB.

Next is they both filmed VCRs for "People in My Heart" - "Classic Characters" series. We just love seeing them support the same projects ^^

• NARS live drawing

• Candies from WYB’s 11/12 douyin post. Mainly the parallel about the same walls and floor.

• XZ fell asleep on WYB during the golden core scene

• Interpreting YBO’s 11/16 weibo caption

• 11/19/23 double update candies

• similar necklace??? ( cough in vain )

• the full story ( so far ) behind 11/19 📝

• Talking about this a bit late considering when the whole CPN started about this GG mural for GG. There are side by side comparisons of the eyes on the mural and Yibo’s. The CPN being they used WYB’s eyes for that mural.

I usually let people have free reign on clowning but this one isn’t for me personally. just because it’s obviously a mural commissioned by GUCCI which a big brand that couldn’t care less about the CP. Maybe it’s a coincidence how similar it is? Because there is a reference photo that should be followed. Also, this is GG’s time to shine. This mural is his & him. I think this is an example for cpfs to learn to separate the boys as individuals, especially for things that are work related and most especially their achievements. While I do believe they influence each other greatly, it’s important to not make every single thing a romantic relation.

• the mystery driver is seen again 👀

• 11/22 Yibo scenery post 🍬

• One night in Beijing Song + 11/23 XZS post

• I don’t really wanna clown with Redmi but the black and white theme from XZS and then the next day it’s Redmi. I was surprised with this cause all the promos were supposed to be related to the scifi themed ad blockbuster!

A coincidence 👀👀👀👀

• small candies form IQIYI scream night 😱

• wyb acknowledging light signs and calls us wangba

• XZ’s 11/27 Airport and Selfie Clues

• there is some talk with BXGs regarding WYB’s redmi appearance, it looks like he was bitten by the mosquito again. lol. I usually just find cpn like this funny cause there is always deniability. also hello to the mosquito who loves to bite the center of his neck.

I’m separating these next entries cause it’s not new. I just found myself revisiting bts content and clowning about it. old candy still tastes good! 💯

WYB signs 520 to GG

WYB’s small steps to GG but robe gets caught

Something is funny and XZ has to tell WYB

Flirting and Fighting? “WYB’s love you”

XZ got hurt and WYB said he is gonna kiss it better?

-END.

#yizhan #bjyx #there is no science here i’m just clowning like i always do #sugar rush #i have to say that i was meh with cpns at the start of the month cause how can you top october? lol #but as soon as 11/19 hit i was back LOL

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drdemonprince · 3 months

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Just chiming in to agree that that person is not a selfish bitch. I'm also really put off by moralistic performances of emotion, and I know in my case it's because it was part of a pattern of abusive behaviour that my mother did.

Anytime you expressed to her that there was a problem with her behaviour, she seemed to genuinely believe that if she put enough effort into weeping and crying on her children's shoulders, and verbally denigrating herself for being an inherently bad an immoral person, and stressing so much that she developed physical illnesses from it, then she could follow that up by asking for forgiveness - as if it would be cruel for us to continue her suffering by denying her that forgiveness. Except that to her, "forgiveness" meant "it's all swept under the rug, I have Atoned By Suffering Guilt, so now it doesn't matter and I can keep doing it again." (I really wonder how much the religious background of her parents' generation came into the formation of this worldview.) And at the same time, she refuses to read news that's "too upsetting" and never engages with literature or media about dark themes "because there's enough of that in real life."

It might be cynical of me to read this pattern into the way people talk online about genocide. But I keep seeing parallels. My perspective is that a) if you're not regulating your emotions well enough to function, then you have less capacity to offer practical help; and b) people who are actually trying to survive genocide want unnecessary human suffering to END, so you're not aligning yourself with that hope by engaging in rumination etc that compounds suffering with not practical benefit to anyone.

But also, watching my mother's behaviour has led me to add perspective c) that a lot of people (in Christian cultures?) haven't developed enough understanding of the complexity of the world and how to relate to it, and genuinely believe that an overblown emotionally affected reaction, followed by helplessness and thereby inaction, is the only possible way for them to respond when they're confronted with upsetting information that demands action from them. Being raised to think in a black-and-white "good vs evil" dichotomy, and thinking about people as "either morally good or morally bad" rather than thinking about people as neutral and behaviours as either ethically helpful or harmful... it doesn't give them a conceptual framework to integrate upsetting information and then carry on getting things done, it's like their moral anxiety gets them stuck and that keeps the emotions escalating.

I see people discussing this pattern in the context of religious trauma, and in the context of the cultural construct of "whiteness" - the discovery of something morally bad has to be followed by an extreme emotional reaction that basically amounts to protesting your own innocence and helplessness to deny responsibility for your direct behaviours (in my mother's case) or complicity in a corrupt system (in the case of overwhelmed average people learning about genocide).

Maybe I'm rambling more than I'm analysing here, but the comparison stands out a lot to me and it's troubling to watch.

yo anon no this is gold, thank you for sharing. This is remarkably astute.

I will add the quick caveat that hyperempathic people who are debilitated by their sensitivity exist, of course, and have very real struggles and none of this is intended to denigrate them. In practice, their behavior can have the impact of silencing criticism or distracting from the issue at hand but being wired that way certainly does not doom a person to behaving in a counterproductive, manipulative manner.

This critique is more about performative over the top empathy as a tactic (conscious or not) of offloading responsibility, and as a pseudo-religious ideology that makes predominately white western cultures particularly ill-equipped to deal with the consequences of their global plundering. almost certainly by design. Most moral teachings that we encounter in the west promote this tactic and ideology, and it gets very deeply ingrained in most us if we don't devote a ton of attention to uprooting it.

thanks for this great response.

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okkos-ferrum · 5 months

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some alien stage design parallels

I am always captivated by alien stage's designs so here's me likely over thinking small design details between character parallels

Sua vs. Luka

These two are directly paralleled due to both their similar personalities (on the surface level) but opposing relationships with mizi. sua is mizi's universe, but luka manipulates mizi by imitiating a confession by sua during round 5

anyway here are some fun details in their official artwork designs

Both have white their dominant color, with black as a compliment, compared to ivan's all black, hyuna's various colors, ivan's grey and red, and mizi's multi-color hair. however while white/light colors are predominantly in luka's top half, masking the black underneath, sua's black hair frames her face at the top, while she is dressed in all white underneath

Sua's bow is at the front of her chest, meanwhile Luka has a ribbon tied to his back. They aren't the same thing, so it might be a stretch, but to me shows sua's more honest intentions with her affection to mizi, while luka is more duplicitous in his "kindness" to mizi

though contradictory but maybe a connection, sua has her hands gloved, meanwhile luka does not cover his hands at all.

Sua's sleeves are puffed out -- im no fashion person so idk if there is a name to them -- making her top heavy design-wise, while luka's sleeves have the extra frill for a more bottom heavy design.

speaking of which, the one-sided trail follows luka around, giving asymmetry to his design. It's pointed and dynamic, giving a sense of instability, and in luka's case, distrust. It's like a snake in how it follows him around. meanhwile, sua has perfect symmetry to her design, displaying how she was a relaible support for mizi.

Sua & Mizi

Obviously these two are built as strong contrasts. but while the subtler differences between sua and luka's similar designs are to depict their clear distinctions, mizi and sua's strong contrast is to instead show how they perfectly fit together ahhh i love them sm

from the get go, there are numerous differences, both to establish the contrast in their personality. Similar to luka, there is asymmetry in mizi's design through the gloves as well as the multi-color hair, while sua has a sharp bob and symmetrical clothing to show how sua is the calm to mizi's excitement

There's the obvious black to sua's pure white, another show of mizi's spirited nature in comparison. mizi's puffed skirt is a contrast to sua's puffed sleeves, sua's boots contrast to mizi's thigh highs, and mizi has a covered shoulder while sua's dress is an off shoulder dress. Hell, even their eye colors are complimentary colors on the color wheel (just realized luka also has yellow eyes haha). in every respect, these two characters share zero similar features which can tie them together. But it instead shows how they compliment each other as polar opposites!

in terms of the only connection i can pull, the gem mizi often is featured with is shown here at the center of her chest, the exact placement to sua's both. perhaps representing their love for each other being their centers???

Till vs. Ivan

The other major relationship ... the more tumultuous of the two -- also have the heavy contrast to link them together. but both share an intrstic desire of wishing to be with another they can never have, so there is a strong parallel there. in a lot of ways, it is similar to how contrast is played up between mizi and sua, with one being the refined, calmer one while the other is far more hot-headed

To get over the obvious, ivan's fitted trenchcoat is in all black while till is seen with a oversized white t-shirt. till's rebelliousness is seen through his lack of shoes or sleeves, showing both how open he is regarding his emotions as well as his lack of care for himself. meanwhile, ivan is knee high boots and gloves over his long sleeved coat, representing his closed off intentions/desires

ivan's collar (seen also in the flashbacks when they were kids) is symmetrical and close to his neck while till is always choosing an off shoulder look, the real collar (not a shirt collar, like ivan's) always a seperate piece on his neck. again, showing ivan's supposed submission to the system while till is blatant in his hositility against alien stage, only controlled through force.

however, while it can be pointed out till is primarily in white, he isn't and thats what is the contrast between the two. while ivan wears only one color, showing his undying devotion to till (whether that may be love or trying to let him go when going into round 6), till has his red underneath, which shows his split in motives.

till similarly wants to escape from alien stage, seen through round 3's flashback in him accepting ivan's escape. but due to it meaning leaving mizi, till has to reject ivan to return to the system he hates so much, all for mizi. from basic color psychology, red is the color of passion and temper, which is clear in how till makes decisions. he makes his hatred for alien stage known, but he is fueled by his desire for mizi to keep him from leaving.

Hyuna vs. Luka

last one just cuz these two now have a confirmation over what their relationship was (my guess: hyuna showed a very isolated luka some affection, luka grew obsessive and plotted to kill hyuna's brother to have her attention on him) with luka being alien stage's biggest success and complacent with the system, hyuna stands on the opposing side by taking hold of her own freedom, even if that comes at the cost of her safety

(side tangent: i really dont like hyuna's design here. like its the color placement between the top and bottom and the weird gradient of blue to muddy green to cool yellow. dont even get me started on those shoes ... hell she doesnt even her outspoken nature. ear them in her own music video. but im including it just since its official artwork and hypothetically what she preformed with)

honestly hyuna sticks out so much more compared to everyone just due to the abundance of colors in her design. She only has some black, but there are various hues used throughout her design. Just about all the official art work for the other character depicts them in outfits with some black or white, with luka the most apparent by the balance of both colors.

luka looks almost artficial in how he wears only whites and blacks. its only furthered by his blonde lashes -- the only character with such a trait -- and especially the blues at his fingertips. hyuna in contrast is the only brunette of the series, and colors like brown are often associated with more earthly tones, making her seem more human than luka.

hyuna, like till, has no sleeves, showing some part of her outspoken nature. but to me, what hyuna and luka both share is their strong asymmetry. Hyuna through her sleeveless (???) tank top and luka aforementioned trail thing. they are at such polar opposite ends taht it could almost fall into instability

anyway off to manifest round 6 ending with hyuna and mizi rescuing till and ivan and then luka randomly exploding on the spot :3 (its probably gonna kill off till or ivan)

apologies for any bad grammer im too lazy to revise this

#alien stage #vivinos #alien stage sua #alien stage luka #alien stage mizi #alien stage till #alien stage ivan #alnst #character rambles

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toastandjamie · 7 months

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You know how in a previous post I talked briefly about how Mat is subversion of masculinity? Yeah that but now I’m also going to talk about how all of that and the contradicting nature of his character can all be traced back to him being Odin. Bare with me lmao.

So let’s start with the fact that Odin as a god covers a LOT of domains, and a lot of them contradict eachother. He’s a god of war and death but he’s also a god of healing and poetry. He’s a god of wisdom and knowledge but also frenzy and bloodlust. A god of royalty favored by princes and also a good of thieves and tricksters. The Allfather indeed! Odin is a god but very importantly he’s Mortal, he’s a god of wisdom because he seeks it out, he is a surprising Human god, with complex and often selfish motivations. Which is very perfect for a character like Mat. But this post isn’t just going to be me pointing out every single thing about Odin that parallels Mat because we’d be here all day and even though I can because everytime a mythological reference appears in those books and twirl my hair and kick my feet I will refrain lol

The main focus of this post is talk about one really interesting facet of Odin’s domains and myths. And that is his connection to magic, specifically the distinctly feminine magic tradition of Seihdr(and that in of itself is a whole thing that’s makes me scream and blather in reference to wheel of time). Odin stands out as a male practitioner of Seihdr, which is traditionally considered a ‘feminine’ craft. Seidhr is a type of magic related to telling and shaping the future(so no shock Odin as the ever curious god of knowledge practiced it) but according to Snorri in the Ynglinga saga the practice of Seidhr leaves the practitioner weak and helpless thus male practitioners were considered ‘ergi’ a designation for men in Norse society who were unmanly and feminine. Odin was no exception being called ‘ergi’ by Loki in Lokasenna.

This is really interesting when we view Mat’s characterization through this lens. Specifically he’s described in relation to other more traditionally masculine characters and his relationship to the one power specifically Saidar. Long before I did any research involving Seidhr and Odin I had noted to myself that Mat would’ve had an easier time channeling Saidar vs Saidine. I’ve always felt that Mat was better at embracing and submitting to power and change than he ever was at forcing it, which of course is mostly because of his adaptability and flexibility which make him such a great general in the first place. There’s a reason Mat never got a handle of the flame and the void despite both Rand and Lan trying to teach him in books 1 and 2. Mat also acts the most like the women in the series in comparison to say Rand or Perrin. jokingly I’ve mentioned how in Shadow Rising a big plot point in Rand and Elayne’s relationship is a miscommunication because Elayne was upset Rand didn’t ask her to stay when she left for Tanchico, and Mat practically has the same exact fight with Rand over Rand not asking HIM to stay when he said he was going to leave before the battle at Cairihan. I also want to point out that in the Wheel of Time, daggers and throwing knives are mainly used by women(see, Min, Faile, Berelain, Tuon) with Mat and Thom being the only men we see using throwing knives(something something the idea that subterfuge and caution are feminine traits) while swords and axes are mainly used by men or women specifically breaking gender convention such as Cha Faile and Elayne’s Queen’s Guard. interestingly spears(Mat’s other weapon of choice) is an androgynous weapon used by both men and women(this is solely because the entire Aiel culture uses spears and will fight with them), bows are also a relatively androgynous weapon in the context of WoT used pretty universally. There’s also something to be said about how the entire subplot with Tylin puts Mat in the role of the ‘pursued’ or as Mat himself puts it ‘the woman’ where Tylin takes the commanding and dominant role in their dynamic. There’s a whole different essay to be written about Mat’s romantic relationships and the vast power dynamic disparity in them and how the relationships with Tylin and Melindra primed him for the way his dynamic with Tuon works but once again that’s a different essay.

Mat’s relationship with the one power is also really interesting, because for a non-channeler he’s pretty heavily linked with magic. He’s effected by the magic inherent in the world despite for all intensive purposes being perfectly normal to start with. The Aelfinn and the Eelfin, the fact that he’s hunted by the Gholam who was created solely to assassinate channelers. Both of his sisters being born with the spark and him marrying a woman who was trained as a sul’dam(and in a prophetic vision said woman literally collaring him after we had just been introduced to the concept of a’dams). His medallion that negates channeling, the cursed dagger and him getting the first powerwrought weapon of the series in his Ashandarei. Mat’s practically rolling in magic nonsense despite wanting nothing to do with it. Not all of this was created by the one power, but he’s still very associated with it whether he wants to be or not. It’s also probably safe to say that between his sisters and being Ta’veren it’s likely he could probably learn to channel if he wanted to, of course he never would want to learn and as I established earlier I think he’d have a hard time channeling Saidine in the first place. Trying to wrestle a force of nature using brute force isn’t exactly his forte.

There’s also another essay about Mat and Elayne’s dynamic and how I think Elayne is a Freya parallel, and how that relates to Odin and Freya being the two patron gods of Seidhr- but I digress.

#wheel of time #mat cauthon #wheel of time spoilers #major wot book spoilers #minor wot book spoilers #wot meta #long post

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naffeclipse · 5 months

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*Arrives at Internet Explorer Speed*

Hey guys! Those new chapter of Lack of Light, am I right??!

FDKHKFGH Sorry I needed to make a silly entrance back in your inbox Naff XD

But aaaaaa I finally came back to read these and I'm here with a brand new comment!! For the two chapters I was missing no less! :D

So let's get to it!

Ok so first off I don't know if I'm just looking too much into it but I read this line: "You rely on your eyes to adjust to the darkness" from th first paragraph and it just felt significant to the rest of the chapter, you know? Very literal but metaphorical at the same time!

And oooh something I definitely have to praise in this is the amazing description of the anguish through all the physical sensations that the reader is going through. I think I've mentioned before that when I read reader inserts I don't truly put my real self in the story but rather try to imagine it through the main characters eyes, but wow did I feel this one. The way you detail all those physical effects that anxiety has on the body, beautifully described through images and comparisons, just made it seem so very real. I basically could almost feel them myself, just remembering times when I had definitely experienced something similar, even if the causes were different! I will always applaud your descriptions, Naff! Makes me want to take notes!

And AAAAAAA I gotta say that I absolutely love how just, hrrrr, I'm struggling to find the words to describe it, but I would say how there's a clear parallel between what both Reader and Eclipse are going through?

Because ok, first of all, is the matter of hiding right? Reader seems to be trying to hide (kind of like Eclipse does his true self), but through a mask instead of blindness. Even through previous encounters they have tried to present themselves a very specific way. The unshakable one. Unaffected by everything, at least in a way that goes beyond mild funny venting. And it feels like something they force themselves to do in their daily life, beyond the forest. It's just they're so used to doing it, that it became a part of how they perceive themselves and failing to do so feels to them like they're showing a part of themselves that is intolerable. And aaaaa then Eclipse also because clearly he must have enough experience having met other humans to know that even those that dared stay after learning of his presence ran away after seeing him. So both hide and hide while they wish for more and hate themselves for it, and might even think they don't deserve it.

(Sidenote: I love this description: "The mysterious being who exists in pure darkness, cast by the sun and the moon." Obviously because it references his name (be it a solar or lunar eclipse), but also because it reminds of his strange nature. Because an Eclipse is an event! A phenomenon that is not exactly a natural object, but something that can only be seen under the right conditions!)

And oooh speaking about Eclipse and hiding, I just love the contrast between Eclipse's darkness coming from being unseen vs the darkness born from emptiness. Because Reader so far hasn't been daring at all in pushing to see him, because they fear the latter. Eclipse's nature is intimidating, and it's often said that we fear not the darkness itself, but what we might find in it. But here it's the contrary! Both Reader and Eclipse fear that potential emptiness. They have found company in each other thanks to the darkness, but should something go wrong (pushing too much or scaring the other one away), they would find themselves staring into the void and nothing else.)

And that exactly leads into the doubts about what the other thinks once they've revealed themselves! And it's so interesting how they fear so intensely that the "flaw" they see in themselves, which are kinda opposite, is what will make the other regret meeting them. Like for Reader is that vulnerability, that inability to be perfect about everything that hits them in their daily life and dealing easily with it. They fear their "weakness" will disgust a great being as Eclipse. And for Eclipse is fearing that his form, great, strange, intimidating, monstrous, is what will leave him without his dear one. His very nature enough to drive them away. When in reality, it's likely those very things that made them initially appealing to the other! The Reader a precious little creature, that despite not having horns or sharp teeth lives their daily life bravely (enough to befriend a shadowy being). And Eclipse, a fascinating and fearsome creature, that despite it all demonstrates he's gentle and kind and capable of becoming that friend that provides the most comfort in Reader's life!

Ooooh I just adore how two very different beings, with way more differences than similarities, still have this experience in common. That fear and uncertainty about letting themselves be known, because past experience has thought them it's unwise, and yet they find relief from that terrible all-consuming anxiety when they let themselves trust that this time it will be different and that it is worth it, even if it is raw, to open up and let the right person in.

Now for Mothman Moon!

Just starting and the Reader is already turning the headlights on and off repeatedly jfhdsgkh Prime conditions for Mothman sightings! XD

Oooh I love how you build up the paranoia! Different situations, but it makes me think when it's late at night and for whatever reason you need to go out in a hallway of your home and you gotta reassure yourself that no, there's nothing lurking in the shadows of your home, be an adult and walk calmly jghdkfsj The feeling of being exposed and on edge is so very well achieved! But also all the little hints, like the raven falling quiet. And that instinctual feeling of being watched! Related to all this, I adore this line: "Your optimism slips in the slightest before you yank it back up by the throat and continue marching along." I felt that in my soul fkijhdfgkñjh

Aaaa I love how everything falls quiet at the flapping of wings! Everything knows to be quiet and freeze. And I love Reader is part of that everything. Like they are connected to the forest around them by virtue of not wanting to draw attention to themselves, something they share with all the creatures around.

And oooooo such a spooky sight when we finally get a glimpse of him!! Kinda gave me the urge to hold my breath as well as I read! Just the sight of the glowing red eyes coming from a shadow within the fog would paralyze anyone for sure! And then gjhfdkg poor Reader just shifts horror flavor from Creature-in-the-forest-that-could-kill-me to Stranger-Danger. Pick your poison and all that XD But man that instinct does seriously kick in when a stranger gives us bad vibes huh?

(As a sidenote, I love how you've given the different readers between chapters different responses to fear! Like the first chapter with Sun had Fight if I remember correctly, then the second chapter had Fawn, which I think it's trying to please to prevent from being harmed, even if the fear wasn't so much of Eclipse but of abandonment, and in this one we have Freeze! Which we see twice when Moon first appears and then when the car races towards them!)

Oh. My gosh??? The fact that Moon is just able to take on a car that's going full speed though?? Damn! And oooh he was not happy. He does not appreciate assholes/downright murderers in this area. (Btw I can't help but think that he did in fact break that second light slower on purpose to seem more menacing fjkhdaskjh)

Aaaa it's fascinating how he seems so perplexed by the Reader's response to everything that just happened! Like he doesn't quite understand the freeze response. It's something animals do as well, but I'm guessing if it doesn't work then most would ultimately run from the danger. It's probably the first instance of this he has encountered! And poor reader seems to just be very badly affected by it, physically as well as mentally judging by the lightheadedness.

(sidenote: "He looms, his wings flaring out beside him in magnificent flares of warnings and death." Me, helpless DCA simp, vivid image of the majestic view in my head: Um yes, hi, hello? 👉👈 GFÑLKDJHGÑLJ)

And aaaaa I loved the flight scene! I myself am pretty scared of heights so I likely would have screamed gkjhfdksj but! I love that we continue the theme of braving a bit of the fear to discover something wonderful! Despite my fear of heights I've always imagined how wonderful it would be to have wings and this scene just striked me as something terrifying yet beautiful because it really is an experience that Reader wouldn't get anywhere else! And despite the polarizing feelings of fear and safety just warring inside of them, the wonder was just so tangible as Moon carried them through the air!

And ooo I find it so interesting how he refers to multiple things as the "lights", which from his perspective must be the most notable characteristic of the stuff that emanates it! It's clear he's familiar with cars, and likely has witnessed what happens when one hits a living thing. And the light of the gas station tells him that it's a place humans go to. So he knows it's not just lights, but he still seems to perceive it as their most important characteristic. Aaaa I'm so curious about what the world looks like to him because of this!

And ough it's so sweet he keeps watch over them as they go trying to get the help they need. It seems to me he finds them really intriguing and the fact that he gave them his name could mean he hopes it will not be their last meeting!

And that's that!

Aaaaaa everytime I come back to your writing I keep being taken by surprise by how well you manage to make the reader immerse themselves in the story! Your descriptions are so vivid and your use of the language so *chef kiss*! Everytime I'm just dying to know what's the word that follows the previous one, what will happen, and when that tasty tension you build so well will reach it's snapping point! This little series was a delight to read and a very nice journey into what fear and darkness means to different people. And of course, meeting some very strange and fascinating creatures that make the unknown not as bad as it seemed <3

Thanks for this delicious chapters Naff! It's always a delight reading what you make!

(Sorry if something is phrased weirdly btw, it’s kinda late as I’m writing this fgkjhdsk)

AHHH CHAOTIK! HI, HELLO! WELCOME BACK!!! I'm so glad to see you in my inbox again!!

Oh, I am rattling you so hard right now! I live for your analysis and I especially love that you caught how much Eclipse and Y/N complement and contrast each other—the same fears but different reasons. They are dear ones, your honor!!!

And Moon! My Mothman!Moon! He's so much fun to write! I'm really glad you enjoy his spooky entrance and his descriptions!

Also, with the readers, that's so funny that it changes from Fight, Fawn, and Freeze! I meant for Mothman's Y/N to freeze but I also think it's neat to explore different responses to fear, so I'm happy that stood out!

(He did break the second car light slowly—he's so dramatic lol)

He does have a different view of the world due to lights—humans have lights. Humans drive with them, live with them, and are afraid without them. Lights are just as foreign as those humans! But he does have a particular interest in Y/N—they were almost hit by the lights themselves. It's now every time he sees that, but he was curious from how they froze to how they were terrified yet in awe of flying. He even finds them cute but doesn't expect to see them again! But Y/N has plans of venturing back to the words with the mothman hehe

Gah, thank you so much, Chaotik! I love how in-depth you go and reading your thoughts makes my day, babe! <3

#chaotikanvas #lack of light #compliments

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stranger-theory · 3 months

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Song & Scene Analysis: Lumax vs Byler

I've also posted this on the Byler Subreddit so if you see it there, hi, that's me!

I’m sure you’re aware of song importance in Stranger Things with the Duffer Brothers saying sometimes it takes weeks to pick a song that conveys the exact message they’re trying to portray. I’ve seen quite a bit of theories around what songs mean what, but there’s one specific song that caught my attention.

There’s a scene in season two, episode six where Lucas and Max speak on top of a bus in the junkyard. It’s a lovely scene in which Max explains her behavior to Lucas, and apologizes for some stuff she wasn’t proud of. She says she’s sorry for acting like a jerk, and doesn’t ever want to be like that, but she feels overwhelmed with her home life and takes it out on people she doesn’t mean to. She then expresses that she likes California, and sometimes wants to go home, but having Lucas there with her for comfort makes her feel better. Max makes a call back to their “Stalker” joke, with a shared laugh. This emotional scene is then cut off by the sighting of a demodog, and a tense scene plays.

Now you know the base of the conversation, let me tell you about a similar scene I see as a parallel. Season four, episode four bedroom talk. This scene is between Mike and Will, where Mike apologizes to Will. In his apology he says he’s sorry for acting like a jerk, but everything with El was just really overwhelming and he doesn’t want Will to feel like their argument was personal. Mike explains to Will that he really appreciates Hawkins, but, since Will moved to California, it feels different. He misses Will. They share a “Cool” with each other and sit in silence while smiling, but are cut off by the doorbell as Jack’s men come searching for El.

These scenes may not feel as similar as I'm insisting with just this information, but there’s a very key portion to this parallel: Music.

I’m going to go through these scenes at the same time to help you understand where I’m coming from. At the current moments in time for these scenes, Lucas/Will have a like Max/Mike, but don’t know how to confront them about it. Max/Mike both apologize to Lucas/Will for hurting them when they didn’t mean to. Max/Mike say the reason they acted like this was because they felt overwhelmed with their lives at the moment. Max/Mike say that they like California/Hawkins but without Lucas/Will, it wouldn’t be/isn't the same. Max/Mike make a callback to “Stalker/Cool”. Almost directly after these heartfelt talks, they’re interrupted with the intense Demodog/Goverment scenes. The same song plays in these scenes to further imply that we’re supposed to view them the same way. The camera slowly zooms closer on their reactions to help the audience grasp these scenes better, and help it feel more intimate.

These are things you basically can’t deny, as I’m just stating the facts of these scenes. From all of these similarities and comparisons, we can also further suspect other aspects of these scenes. Something we’re allowed to assume is that, like Max, Mike also has feelings for Will. If the original scene including this song is meant to be interpreted as romantic, then why would the second be any different? If the original scene is meant to be read as a “romantic” and “intimate” apology, then why would the second scene suddenly be a purely platonic interaction? If they’d wanted us as an audience to think otherwise, then they would have chosen a different way to portray this scene.

I thank you greatly for listening to me rant about why this scene drove me crazy. I’ve been looking forward to posting this for a while, but with my very on fire Spongebob looking brain, I never remembered. I’d love love looooove to hear your thoughts and add ons to this, ESPECIALLY corrections if i’ve somehow misinterpreted something. I wouldn't want to spread misinformation. Have a good morning, afternoon, or night, folks.

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dqzaiie · 6 months

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analysis of the day i picked up dazai official art

i'd like to preface this with some of these observations are made with prior knowledge of the light novel, as i have read @popopretty’s translation (side a & side b), so please keep that in mind! this may contain spoilers.

picture frames:

beginning with the foreground, the framed pictures have dark splotches on them, resemblant of debris (presumably for the same reason that other objects in the artwork are burning). there is a stark contrast between these memories and the rest of the artwork, with them being far brighter and having a higher level of exposure than most other objects.

pictures seem to be a recurring theme when discussing beast, with the beast light novel including very similar panels. this polaroid of oda as beastzai is enacting the final stage of his plan, for example.

this is important to make note of, as the pictures in the frames are beast-related artworks. (i thought this was a very neat detail to include!)

while i am not entirely sure of this, i found it to be a prominent detail: the inclusion of one circular frame amongst the square ones, with it being the only frame that contains an unobstructed view of beastzai’s face. to me, this is reminiscent of a mirror. given the fact that it is facing the fourth wall, could this be a reference to dazai’s self-awareness?

odasaku:

this idea is expanded upon in oda’s pose, with his hand extending toward the viewer.

the light is illuminating his outreached palm, which is representative of him changing dazai’s dark perspective of the world, or “bringing him into the light”.

odasaku is the focal point of the artwork, being the narrator for this light novel. this conveys his significance to both the storyline and dazai himself. oda has a solemn look on his face, which isn’t unusual for his character, as he is typically portrayed with a stoic expression, however, he seems rather upset in comparison to his usual depictions.

in beast, it’s as though oda has assumed dazai’s role, so this may be representative of that parallel between the two of them, with oda bearing the responsibility of mentoring sskk in dazai’s absence. considering it is his right hand being extended, which corresponds with the beast side of the artwork, whereas his left hand is concealed by the picture frames, this demonstrates his ongoing role in beast, while he is no longer able to play an active role in canon.

(he is still very important to the story, mind you, but, that is a result of his memory, rather than his continued actions. this differs from beast, because he’s actively changing the narrative through his actions since he’s alive to make those decisions.)

while both dazai and beastzai have darker backgrounds, the space behind oda is white. there is a significant amount of light reflecting on him as well, mostly from the page hovering above his hand. this could be another picture that isn’t visible to the audience, but i believe it to a manuscript.

the page is singed and torn, much like other aspects of this artwork. dazai in particular is affected by this, with the ends of his coat scorched on either side of the illustration.

canon (side a) vs beast (side b):

there is the obvious color symbolism of the background: beastzai’s side is black, while dazai’s side is grey, illustrating their differences in lifestyle, with dazai working for the armed detective agency on the side of good, and beastzai operating as the port mafia boss. similarly, beastzai is colored with cool tones, whereas dazai is colored with warmer tones. there are prominent cracks in beastzai’s background, while dazai’s has lighter, multicolored scuffs. these multicolored markings extend onto beastzai’s side before fading out into colorless ones. apart from those lighter markings, there are deeper cracks on the left side, extending into beastzai’s face and hair, from which dazai is unaffected. to me, these are reminiscent of a cracked picture frame, coinciding with the ones at the bottom of the illustration.

beastzai’s expression is blank, with most of it being obscured by bandages. his bangs hang down in front of his eye, effectively covering it. there appears to be marks of injury on his face, most of which are covered by the bandages. the bandages on beastzai’s face are attached to dazai’s own bandages, establishing a connection between the two of them. dazai wears a smile on his face, and his bandages are mostly torn, falling away from him. his bangs are mostly swept away from his eye, allowing him to see clearly. with a visible eye and torn bandages, this is indicative of the clearer perspective oda provided dazai with, allowing him to “see the world” through a different lens. (this was one of my favorite aspects of the anime adaptation for dark era—oda tearing the bandages from dazai’s face means so much to me.)

card symbolism:

the cards may be in reference to the gambling scenes between oda and dazai, which take place in side a of the light novel. much like chess, card games are often used in bsd to symbolize a battle of strategy, but also luck. for example, the cover for vol. 22

beginning with dazai, the card closest to his head is the joker, which references his intelligence, unpredictably, and “clownish” nature. there is another card nearby, but its face is obscured to the viewer. the card closest to his chest is the two of hearts, which represents quality time spent with loved ones, as well as spiritual connections, such as a twin flame, soulmate, or someone who is very important to someone’s life. this is indicative of oda and dazai’s relationship, as odasaku played arguably the most important role in dazai’s life—giving him a reason to live.

there are two other cards visible on the right side, descending together in the background: the jack of clubs, and a card which has an obscured face. the jack of clubs is representative of action, warning against recklessness decisions. it may resonate with someone who is strong-willed and determined, yet impulsive and quick tempered. simply put, to many it means “yes”. this card is representative of oda’s morals, and his sense of justice. his strong will, his determination—both of which lead to reckless, impulsive decisions made in an effort to maintain his promise to never take another life. this is exemplified by his death scene, in which he broke his promise to himself by killing gide and his subordinates, resulting in his senseless death. he had no regrets, dying satisfied by his actions, as though he believed it needed to happen—revenge for the deaths of the orphaned children he looked after.

(side note: the parallel of his death scene in osamu dazai and the dark era and his appearance in the untold origins of the detective agency in which he claims “there is no forgiveness in this world…only retaliation—revenge against those who betray you.” is so, so perfect to me. the basis of his promise was ‘killing is unjust and revenge isn’t worth it’, and he broke it by obtaining revenge through the act of killing. i’m crying now.)

the card with its back facing the viewer is resemblant of dazai’s reasoning remaining a mystery to all but himself, hence why the card is visibly next to oda’s, yet unidentifiable, even to those closest with him.

there is another card on the far left of the artwork, but its front isn’t visible to the viewer. it mirrors the pair of cards on the right, the only visible difference being that it is alone. this card likely represents beastzai, under the assumption that the other two represent dazai and oda, as beastzai didn’t have an odasaku to turn to—he was alone.

as for beastzai, the card closest to his head is the three of spades, which represents heartbreak—a relationship which ends on bad terms, and a change of plans which cause emotional pain. in addition to this, it demonstrates commitment. i’d be hard pressed to find a card more fitting to describe the relationship between oda and dazai in beast. beastzai’s commitment to preserving that world, despite having to suffer for the duration of his lifetime, knowing that he would have to devote his life and death to protect it. this truly summarizes how painful the ending is, and how significant of an impact they leave in each other’s lives.

beastzai has two cards closest to his chest: one which has its back facing the viewer, and the other being ten of diamonds. the obscured card likely represents his enigmatic actions, the ten of diamonds represents accomplishment, and what is most meaningful in life. it is a good omen for success after hardship.

there are two cards falling toward oda, both of which are visible to the viewer: on the beast side, there is the ace of spades, and on canon side, there is the four of spades. when researching the symbolism of the cards, i found conflicting meanings for the ace of spades, which provided me with two vastly different interpretations. the first being: the ace of spades represents strength and authority, as well as new beginnings. this this illustrates oda’s role in beast—a new path, a new novel, a new subordinate, a new journey. conversely, the ace of spades represents misfortune and death, which closely aligns with dazai’s arc in beast. tragic as it is, i believe this meaning to truly represent how saddening the storyline is. with dazai so openly accepting death to ensure the safety of his closest friend.

i believe both interpretations to an extent, as they coexist within the beast novel, hence why i decided to include both.

on a slightly lighter note, the four of spades said to represent struggle, daily life, and interpersonal relationships. after a deeper look into its meaning, i found it to describe a period of introspection, which is precisely what dazai experiences after meeting odasaku, having his expectations subverted time and time again, which causes him to reassess certain aspects of his beliefs. also, the idea of interpersonal relationships is related to this, as dazai and oda’s friendship is the focus of the light novel.

if you stuck around, thank you for reading all of that.

apologies if any of my thoughts were worded or expressed improperly, or if any of the provided information is incorrect. if this is the case, please feel free to correct me!

this is my favorite light novel, and i simply CANNOT wait until its official release!!! i am weak with anticipation LOL. i would love to hear your thoughts on this official artwork!

#dazai osamu #sakunosuke oda #bsd #bungou stray dogs #the day i picked up dazai #bsd beast #osamu dazai #dazai #oda sakunosuke #odasaku #bungou stray dogs beast #analysis #character analysis

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thesmurfchick · 2 months

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Comparing the Adventure Kids with the Survive Kids (Part 1)

(Aka, yet another shmuck making comparisons to Adventure because I’m unoriginal)

Everyone pretty much knows what the parallels are by now, so I’m making this post just to jot down similarities and differences that I find interesting between them. This isn’t to say these characters are all the same or that the Survive cast are supposed to be seen as reflections or copies of the Adventure cast -- this is just for fun :)

I’ve read some beautiful and in-depth analyses of Aoi, Shuuji, Saki, and their Adventure counterparts, as well as how Ryo might factor into the group. I don’t think I can do it any better, so their sections will mostly just consist of regurgitating info that’s already been written by people who already did all the work. Please read those posts by @shihalyfie and @digisurvive (as well as their other posts) if you haven’t already! They’re linked above!!

Before we start, let’s talk about the main contrast overarching all the characters:

Adventure kids were chosen for their heroism to save the world Vs. Survive kids are normal kids chosen to be sacrifices

Before we go into the character pairs themselves, I wanted to talk about this contrast first bc I love it

I LOVEEE seeing all the posts that theorize which Survive kid would have which crest, but I also notice that, with the exception of maybe 1-2 characters, not everyone agrees on who should get each crest

I’m sure the Adventure kids also have moments that embody the crests other than their own (can’t remember any off the top off my head), but I actually like this ambiguity(?) because it shows the difference between why/how the Adventure kids were chosen vs. why/how the Survive kids were chosen

Basically, the Adventure kids were chosen specifically because they had traits that would help them cooperate and fight for good (to save the world even!)

You can see this through their general selflessness and bravery even from Episode 1!

Despite being stranded in a strange world, and then attacked and backed against a cliff by a giant beetle monster, ALL of them are against their new diggle babies risking their lives to protect them and even try to hold them back

Takuma had a similar moment when he first meets Koromon, but none of the other Survive kids do

And that’s because the Survive kids are just normal kids; they're not meant to be heroes, they weren’t “chosen” for a grand purpose -- they were chosen randomly to be sacrificed by a crazy godlike being out of anger and hatred

Because of this, the characters can end up losing their sanity and becoming the worst they can be, or they can somehow fight through all that and come out as incredible people

Love that :)

Check out all the other character pairings here:

Aoi and Sora (Team Mom)

Minoru and Koushiro (The Lancer)

Saki and Mimi (The “Chick”/The Heart)

Shuuji and Jou (Team Dad)

Ryo and No one (Sixth Ranger)

Kaito and Yamato (The Rival)

Miu and Takeru (The Baby of the Bunch)

Takuma and Taichi (The Leader)

One of the first things that stood out to me when trying to find The Trope for each of the pairs is how most of them don’t really embody the trope I chose that much. Some of them might not even embody them at all (such as Kaito not being a “rival” in the traditional sense, if any; or Shuuji not being much of a “team dad,” at least not at first) and some might not really be the first trope people think of when they see that character (Koushiro as “the smart guy” vs. “the lancer”).

But I think Takuma and Taichi both embody “The Leader” pretty well, albeit in very different ways. Shihalyfie talks about it best regarding Taichi here and here. Here are some of the similarities and differences I found interesting:

Both are decisive/make good decisions under stress

As the designated “gogglehead protagonist” this is pretty much a given lol

Taichi has always been good at leading the group forward and making (mostly) good decisions while the rest of the group might be too scared, tired, or shocked about their current circumstances to think about moving on

By contrast, Takuma is good at remaining calm under pressure (biggest example is when the school is targeted by Dokugumon, and everyone’s freaking out except for him)

This is especially notable given how early on in the game it is

But his decision-making mainly lies in hearing out what the group believes (as the Survive kids are noticeably more assertive and decisive about how to handle their situation than the Adventure kids) and choosing to best among those options

Basically, Taichi tends to make decisions on his own accord, whereas Takuma (at least at first) usually waits until he’s called upon/becomes the deciding voice before he chooses

That probably has more to do with the group dynamic (Adventure kids were more passive/cooperative vs. Survive kids were more decisive and emotional)

Both help keep the group together

One of the most important aspects of being a leader is being able to keep the group together

It’s part of why Shuuji kept failing; he often disagreed with the group’s majority decisions, and his hostile behavior would push them away

Taichi keeps the group together in a literal sense -- look how quickly they fall apart when he goes back to the real world

The only exception to this is Yamato in the Pinocchimon arc, but that’s mainly because of Yamato’s own issues that he’s been dealing with from the start

By contrast, Takuma is very aware of everyone’s emotional states and keeps the group cooperative and on the same page, but the group doesn’t automatically separate after he’s gone

It’s mostly because they can’t go anywhere because of the fog, but I still feel like they would’ve stayed together if given the choice

I think another interesting contrast is that Taichi considers everyone’s skills and knows how to delegate tasks, whereas Takuma considers everyone’s thoughts and hears out every opinion before making a decision himself

Both have Agumon as their partner

This is kind of hard to explore deeply (at least for me), because the main reason behind Takuma getting Agumon was because Agumon was the most popular choice

More specifically, Habu says that he was the digimon “a wide range of fans will easily accept”

You could say Takuma was meant to be similar -- he’s the type of person who can get along with a wide range of people, both accepting and being accepted by them

Taichi’s Agumon is similarly hard to talk about because he doesn’t really have much of a personality on his own outside of Taichi (but maybe I’m just not getting the cues)

I’ve found a couple of posts about Taichi and Agumon’s partnership here and here, but they don’t say much about Agumon himself other than the fact that he’s often on the same wavelength as Taichi

The best I can glean from this is that Agumon is just a very straightforward digimon; simple, genuine, and not having to be read too deeply to be understood

I suppose you could say it’s the same for Takuma and Taichi, both of whom are fairly straightforward people who don’t really hide how they’re actually feeling

Both are introspective and will reflect when they’ve done something wrong

Takuma’s introspection is very clear (he considers multiple different options before responding to people or making a choice; he’s slow to action early in the game because he’s thinking so much; if someone disagrees with him, he considers their perspective and wonders if he's in the wrong)

Taichi’s is not as prominent in comparison, but he thinks and considers a lot throughout the series

The most notable (to me) is how after every major argument with Yamato, he’ll stop and question whether he’s the one being wrong or if he really is being insensitive vs. practical

When he’s out of his element, he’ll also acquiesce to anyone who knows more (usually Koushiro)

Taichi’s introspection actually surprised me when I watched Adventure for the first time in Japanese (I watched the dub as a kid, but barely remember anything about it)

Taichi tries to power forward on his own without consulting other options Vs. Takuma will hear everyone out and tries to respect everyone’s feelings before deciding

Taichi’s insistence to keep moving has to do with his abundant energy (aka his physical ability to keep going for a long time) as well as a practical need to do what they need to before the enemies can win

Although he can be impulsive and brash, his main focus when barreling forward is practicality -- if they don’t hurry, the enemies might win and they’ll destroy the world

If people are feeling hurt or sad in the process, that’s unfortunate, but the enemies won’t stop just to let them grieve, so they have to keep going

By contrast, Takuma, as stated multiple times above, always respects and considers other people’s emotions (well… unless you choose the dialogue options that don’t)

Takuma himself is a sensitive and emotional person, so he’s also shared the group’s emotional states when things got especially bad (ex. Ryo’s death), but he’s pushing himself because the group needs him

Even when he advises the kids to put their feelings on the back burner, it’s always with empathy, rather than just sheer practicality

Aoi and Sora will be next!

#digimon survive #takuma momozuka #digimon adventure #taichi yagami #lmk if y'all think of anything else I've missed!#these comparisons will def not be comprehensive or that in-depth really #just the few things that pop out at me immediately

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sciderman · 3 months

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If anyone is a PeanutButter type it's Wade, you're telling me he doesn't ask "woah, is this a crossover episode?" To the forth wall? , Wade is the type of person to get really mad when someone says he isn't Mr PeanutButter. Anyway to my actual ask, I think Peter would be Diane, he's just.. Her. It feels like Diane's drive to write so her damage isn't good damage, it's just damage is very similar to Peters drive to protect others and use his powers responsibly because for Pete, if he doesn't follow responsibility then all the things he's been through, and especially uncle Ben's death, if he's responsible it means something good came out of it.

I think I could talk forever about the parallels between Peter and Diane. Even the parallels between Peter and Wade's relationship and Mr PeanutButter and Diane's relationship.

i really do think there's a huge - huge parallel to be drawn between mr peanutbutter and wade, yeah. i was actually thinking about the way wade "copes" as i was writing this stupid little deadpool analysis in my head this morning.

like - okay. bojack and mr peanutbutter are kind of the same beast, but their outlooks are different. both bojack and mr peanutbutter are kind of tirelessly looking for validation and attention. but bojack fails at it because of his rancid, self-pitying negative vibes - whereas mr peanutbutter tirelessly tries to be a crowd-pleaser, all the time. like he's trying to please an audience, all the time.

and that's wade wilson.

wade doesn't want to be a downer. he feels empty inside, sure, and tirelessly seeks to fill that void, but he doesn't want to bring down the vibes. he wants the audience to love him. he wants love from anywhere. he doesn't care. he knows that nobody loves a killjoy. so he's going to be the fan-favourite, no matter how fake it all is.

very mr peanutbutter core, yes.

and so am i. i try to be a mr peanutbutter. a crowd-pleaser. i want all of you to think i am really really funny and attractive and loveable and the best ever so you should love me. but actually, i am sad and kind of a jerk inside. but i don't want to be a downer. i want to be a fan-favourite. so i try my darndest to make you all laugh so you'll like me.

i think i need to rewatch bojack to get into the parallels between diane and peter - but i do see where you're coming from. but i think diane is a more difficult character to reduce into a single thing - she's - well, she's complex. i think that's good, that you know, no two characters are entirely alike. peter and diane are both really very complex beasts with their own thing going on.

even in the vein of mr peanutbutter and diane's relationship vs wade and peters - i don't immediately think that wade is the mr peanutbutter in that equation. i think wade and peter both have their mr peanutbutter moments. i don't think it's a 1-1 comparison at all. but that's because every relationship has their own thing going on, and i'd really hope peter and wade's relationship doesn't have any sort of parallel - i think it's kind of one-of-a-kind, and so is diane's and mr peanutbutter's.

i can't believe i can be talking so seriously about a character named mr peanutbutter.

#sci speaks #meta

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etrosgate · 7 days

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a death note chapter 1 vs episode 1 comparison

I think people tend to be under the assumption that the death note manga and anime are basically the same besides their endings and the foot washing scene, and thus generally interchangeable. Personally, i don’t believe this is the case. Though many of the changes are small things a casual viewer might not notice, to me these small changes add up to such a degree that despite being so similar, reading the manga and watching the anime are two very different experiences (not even getting into how the anime butchers the second half lmao)

For the record, im not against significant changes in adaptations. On the contrary, i find the oft-hated 2015 tv drama to be a compelling alternate take on the narrative (even if it often struggles in the execution of its concepts). Rather, this whole Thing is more of a documentation of the big and small changes made in adaptation, through the lens of my own extremely subjective interpretation of both versions.

the anime naturally makes many structural changes to the narrative so for the sake of consistency, i will generally be going through things according to the anime’s chronology. If i believe one of these changes has a notable effect on how the narrative comes across, i’ll mention it. I’ll try not to repeat things that are identical between versions, so naturally some existing familiarity with either version would be preferable

Let's Begin

Light: this world… Ryuk: …is rotten

The anime takes the opening lines of the manga (which are spoken separately by light and ryuk, respectively) and gives light ryuk’s line, while light’s is then shared between both of them.

Though they are very obviously visually drawing parallels between the two characters in the manga, i think the actual sentiment expressed in their respective lines isn’t meant to be quite as connected as the anime portrays it. the role “boredom” and “morality” play in their respective motivations is pretty important later on in the chapter, so just keep this in the back of your mind for now.

After light picks up the note for the first time, he puts it back down and starts to leave, dismissing it as a stupid chain letter. But once he thinks about the fact that it’ll supposedly kill people, he turns back (and goes back for it). This choice to go back is not present in the manga, he simply picks it up, laughs, and puts it in his bag without a second thought.

Though light laughs at it in both, in the manga the sequence in general feels lighter in tone compared to the anime (where light only takes interest in it Because it claims to kill).

In general, light comes across as more mature in the anime, in his facial features and behavior. Tragically, there is no “fwaah” 🥺

It’s minor but Anime light entirely skips manga light’s rationalization of finding someone it’s “okay to kill”, though he does immediately rebuke himself for taking this so seriously

This may just be up to translation differences but anime light seems almost eager for the death note to be real, while manga light seems to just want confirmation, and is much more distressed over the circumstances. Again, the anime leaves out light determining who to kill specifically in terms of who it would be “okay to kill”. And here he then doubles down to someone who “ought to die”, as the situation has gotten more serious

It’s a small thing, but the anime completely removes this scene (the teacher is knocking him out of his thoughts of killing one of his classmates). It’s only notable to me in how it connects with the wider tonal differences between the versions of the story, and of how much less willing the anime is to portray light’s more mundane immature/human aspects

I'm not including pics but this sequence where light comes across a woman being harassed by a group of bikers is a lot more graphic, showing the preamble to sexual assault where the manga just implied it to be a possibility.

This one is probably more subjective, but when light pulls out the note to stare at it and laugh a little eagerly, the anime’s delivery is really like. Obvious overt Supervillain laugh (even if it is fairly quiet). The manga comes across a little more….. Idc, childish? Immature? Not to mention the sweat on his face

A small change, but in the anime there’s no disbelieving “a…[bold text] shinigami?”

Anime light sweats at his initial meeting of ryuk, but it’s gone as he resolves himself. Manga light sweats and sweats and keeps on sweating through most of the rest of the conversation, the closed eye expression being one of frustration before he opens his eyes and resolves himself.

In the manga, light’s hand trembles as he grabs the chair while getting up.

With the context of the rest of this chapter/episode, these lines come off very differently to me. Anime light feels like he was only surprised by the sight of ryuk+jumpscare, and is wayyy more confident in this situation. That he has been waiting for ryuk feels like a true statement. But in the manga, it really comes off like he is pissing himself scared right now and is desperately pretending to be cool and lies about it to try and have some control over the situation

The anime omits this hilariously awkward line, which really adds to the “light’s absolutely freaking out” of the manga

Ugh, for such a little thing im genuinely kinda devastated that the anime just doesn’t have that look between ryuk and light. It makes the “most people would be too scared” feel so much less pointed. Light later says that there’s “some power that makes you want to use the death note” and i think this bit really drives in how truly abnormal light’s behavior is, even for people who willingly use the death note.

Off topic but I Hate those “the death note has supernatural powers that makes you evil” theories i really do, it gets rid of everything interesting about the narrative, i’ll fight you. anyways.

Again, the difference in composure. Anime light is still sweating over this, but overall way more “cool” than manga light’s heavily shadowed, serious expression and hunched shoulders

Im so sad at how they’ve removed so much of this lowkey humor in the anime. Light’s awkward laughter is so funny and characterful to me, he is sooo internally freaking out…

i think the juxtaposition of dark shit with humor to be one of the big appeals of the manga, and one of the main reasons i find the anime pretty boring tonally.

They need to stop getting rid of light’s awkward bits, it really humanizes him

Light has resolved himself to his mission, he proclaims it with a smile on his face, in both versions. (Manga light finally doesn’t have sweat on his face anymore)

But why is he doing all this? Ryuk even asks flat out in the anime. And what does light say?

Well this is where it gets really interesting… It is here where what i believe to be the single most significant adaptation change occurs.

Light has two RADICALLY different answers.

A childish, wide eyed smiling proclamation that “nobody will commit crimes anymore. the world will start to become a better place,” versus a serious “i was bored…too.”

once you strip away the cat and mouse games to reach the thematic and emotional bones of death note (the manga), i find it to be a story that is fundamentally a character study of our beloved beloathed protagonist light yagami. As such, i find Altering something so critical to who he is like this irrevocably changes the entire narrative.

And the thing is, both sentiments are expressed in both versions, but come across very differently due to their contexts.

←- right to left

This first chapter has had some fairly major structural changes done in the process of adaptation. While the anime goes from light seeing the death note fall from his classroom window to meeting ryuk for the first time in chronological order, the manga has a timeskip in the middle of it. What did they skip? Light’s first time actually using the death note. So when ryuk later tells light that he dropped the death note for a human to pick up out of boredom, light responds that he was bored too… leading directly into a flashback of when he first used the note.

In the manga, the juxtaposition of events leads us to read “i was bored too” as:

“Light used the death note for the first time because he was bored”

In the anime, the same line is instead a direct answer to ryuk asking his motivation for becoming kira. Reinforced by following it up with a flashback to the immediate aftermath of light discovering that the death note truly works (+ his decision to become kira).

Though not significantly different, i do find it interesting how the anime has omitted light considering getting rid of the death note and thinking that the second victim didn’t deserve death (then talking himself into accepting it). As a result, anime light’s rationalization of his behavior feels less personal, and has much less doubt.

Again, the manga goes way harder into light’s emotional state, and doubts about this whole thing. “Just two, and look at me…” Also, no guilt blanket burrito in the anime ☹️

Now back to the conversation with ryuk, the anime is very notably missing this line from light. Ryuk has never seen someone write as many names in the notebook in 5 days as light has, and light is not dealing with it well. He’s being flippant about it, but this little line is some of the most damning evidence that the guilt of killing people is actively eating away at him, and to a pretty severe degree.

Though anime light does bring up the same/similar lines about making the world a better place and having doubts about his mission, their place in his motivations has been significantly de-emphasized. The general change in light’s characterization seems to make him look much colder, cooler and more capable, at the expense of removing most of his humanity and a lot of the dimension to his character, particularly regarding his personal feelings re: being kira.

This wouldn’t be so much of an issue to me if (ironically) the anime had changed More in order to support its new direction (the shift in light’s characterization+increased emphasis on L as well as L and Light’s dynamic), but i don’t think it executed it very well. I honestly think the musical actually delivers on these specific goals much more successfully, but we’re leaving that for another post.

can you believe i wrote all that for one chapter/episode. Christ.

Anyways look at this loser who deep down knows he’s doing the wrong thing but chooses to just keep doing it.

#my post #death note #light yagami #im actually putting a character tag on this cause i spent way too long making this and then way too long formatting it for tumblr #because i originally just make it in a google doc for me myself and i in a burst of death note obsession #that just happens to me sometimes #im posting it here because oomfs on twitter enjoyed it. might as well #anyways *puts light yagami under my microscope*

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