casismeiamcas

[casismeiamcas]

wolfie too relatable

Aro/Demi

This comic talks about our experience, mine and Wolfy’s, in a long distance relationship. I love my partner. She adores me. That doesn’t mean her “love” is any less than mine. Different doesn’t mean wrong. Because there isn’t such a thing like “one way to love”, Wolfy had the brilliant idea to name this series of comics: “Love for All”

First Part: Unexpected Third Part: Enough

[casismeiamcas]

Unexpected

So… I draw a comic, of my personal experience in a long distance relationship and in a queerplatonic relationship. This is my experience, with the woman that made my 2020, and with hope, the rest of my life. Fluffy and Woofy will tell this story, because I’m not an artist and I love to doodle :3. Fluffy is a demiromantic labradoodle and Woofy is an aromantic Wolf/Bear 😊💜

This is the first part of the “Love for All” series.

Second part: Aro/Demi

Third part: Enough

Fourth part: Confession

[casismeiamcas]

Yut Lung Lee: Character Analysis

*There was a character analysis of Yut Lung that I read literally almost 2 years ago that I’m probably going to be grabbing inspiration and ideologies from. Unfortunately I don’t remember the user but if I ever come upon them, I will put the post here :)*

I made a post last night talking about Ash and Eiji. (Which you can read here if you like.) And I thought it fitting to make a post about my favorite character from this series, Yut Lung.

A common thought among members of the Banana Fish fandom was one of hating Yut Lung. (I don’t know if it’s still popular.)  And I’m not saying I don’t think that’s completely justifiable, just that I don’t necessarily agree that Yut Lung is a character to hate. 

But after all who could blame them for hating Yut Lung? He was the bad guy no? He teamed up with Golzine just to see Ash fall. Everything he did was to see Ash suffer.

I’m making this post mainly, to ramble. But to also just talk about Yut Lung. And why morally gray characters like him are so interesting.

This post will be done in two parts. The first part will be looking at Yut Lungs character and further explaining and analyzing his hatred of Ash (and Eiji.) The second part will be looking at his relationship with Sing and how he helped him.

Part 1:

Yut Lung. 

We know pretty early on (as early as volume 5 and episode 9ish,) that he is nothing more than a pawn to his brothers. And when they don’t need him they toss him to the side until they do. 

Over the series we continue to discover more about Yut Lungs hatred toward his brothers and just how deep that hatred is. And when the series is nearly over, we find out that his mom, the only person who taught him true kindness and love, was taken from him at such a young age by his brothers.  

What I’m trying to get at here is that hate is taught. When his mom was taken from him and he was forced to watch as his brothers teared her apart was the start of the hate. Which continues to grow and grow with the help of their constant mistreatment of him. 

(So is it really a surprise when Eiji comes along and Yut Lung feels a growing hatred for him as well? After all Eiji is the perfect image of a childhood and life that Yut Lung could have ever wanted. He is pure in every aspect where Yut Lung is grossly informed.) 

At first, you can see how Yut Lung feels a sort of kinship to Ash. They both were taken into chains by people they couldn’t have despised more and forced to do things they never wanted to. And there was no way for them to ever be separated from that life. Not without destroying it all. 

So when Yut Lung sees Ash who again, was someone very similar to him, find someone like Eiji, he used the only emotion he knew to deal with it: anger/hate.

This is where Yut Lung and Ash differ. Ash who was so dark was able to find Eiji who is the sun. Ash escapes Authur, escapes Golzines grasp, and lives the “easy” life with Eiji for a little bit. And while this is happening, Yut Lung continues to fuel his hatred and destroys his family. And when that isn’t enough, when he still feels the same towards Ash, he comes to Golzine and proposes a way they can destroy Ash together. 

Does this make Yut Lungs acts justifiable? No. But I think that when you think about it at a similar angle you can understand why Yut Lung did what he did. You can see the way he was taught to think and how he continued to do what he was good at: hate, plot, execute, destroy. Rinse and repeat.

Part 2:

(Uhh, it’s kind of obvious after reading this part but I ship yuesing and use a lot of that influence in this part. Of course you can view it as a friendship while you read this part if you like!)

Sing is scarily similar to Eiji. There are of course differences but they are both kind, careful, caring, ambitious (althouh Sing is more than Eiji,) and they are both like the sun. *This was another idea I’m sure was inspired from the post I was talking about*

Sing is introduced in Yut Lungs life by force. He does not want to work with the Lees and he doesn’t even want to work with Yut Lung. And Yut Lung is really only using Sing for his own personal gain.

But you can tell how over time, they grow fond of each other.

When Eiji is bailed from jail by Yut Lung and forced to stay in his house Eiji escapes using force. Sing sees this and immediately goes after them. Although his intentions aren’t clear if it was to help Yut Lung or Eiji, I feel it was to help Yut Lung. 

In Sings eyes Yut Lung was nothing more than a frail kid with guards and money. And he sees Yut Lung being taken away by Eiji, who is holding a gun, while his guards watch. And instead of obeying what Yut Lung wanted which was for everyone to stay, he followed anyway.

When he gets there he sees Eiji pointing the gun at Yut Lung. He sees Eiji lower the gun and walk off. And instead of going to Eiji, he goes to Yut Lung. 

He questions Yut Lung about why he did not do anything to protect himself. Why he did not try to take the gun. He gets upset even by how much it’s clear Yut Lung doesn’t care for his own being.

And when Yut Lung tells Sing to leave him alone, Sing watches Yut Lung walk away for a few seconds before following after him anyway. Going to him again when it seems Yut Lung was in danger, the first time because of Eiji, the second time because of his mind. He continues to follow him.

And their relationship grows more fond. Sing visits Yut Lung and Yut Lung protects Sing. But when Sing discovers the bad things Yut Lung is doing to Lao and Ash, he cuts himself off.

You can see how hurt Yut Lung is by this, because it’s Ash Sing is joining. Ash who is getting more and more connections. More and more people backing him up and standing with him when it seems like no one will do that for Yut Lung. 

In fact it’s even Blanca who reaches Sing and tells him he hopes he will forgive Yut Lung. And Sing listens.

And Sing listens. He goes to Yut Lung after everything is over and he offers him something. Together, they will reclaim china town. He will give Yut Lung something else to live for that isn’t anger and destroying, but instead nourishing and rebuilding. 

And he tells Yut Lung he really doesn’t even hate him. That just like Ash, Yut Lung is lost. And similar to how Eiji was there for Ash (although this was not spoken,) Sing will be there for Yut Lung. 

And you see in Garden of Light how much good this did for Yut Lung. Because he calls Sing, and he is now the one reassuring Sing. Telling him it is also time for Sing to let go of Ash. That he too can not run from what happened just like Eiji is. 

And where we can really see how Yut Lung changed is when he admits that he holds some blame for how Eiji is now. That he holds some blame for Ash’s not being here. 

And (Yasha spoilers. In case you don’t know, Yasha is another series by Akimi Yoshida existing in the same universe but with different main characters.) we know that they both continued to work together and have that mutual care and respect. Because when Yut Lung is assassinated, it is Sings first priority to destroy the people who had anything to do with it in 24 hours. 

So we know, that Yut Lung grew. That he overtime could seperate the old pain from himself and become somebody better. 

-

I just wrote this in the hopes that if anyone reading this didn’t like Yut Lung they could understand him, maybe, a bit more. But really I just wrote this to ramble. 

[casismeiamcas]

We talk a lot about what traits Isak has but one that I don’t see quite enough is how innocent and pure he appears sometimes (especially when it comes to Even). I mean, the whole chat with Eskild, how he tells Isak that he should play hard to get and him answering ‘…but- but he gave me a drawing?’ and then Jonas and the guys telling him to make Even work for it over the text and he’s just ‘but should I add a smiley? So he would know I don’t hate him- I couldn’t hate him, like, ever?” and just overall, how he stares at Even in such wonder? Wow.

[casismeiamcas]

There are a lot of theories surrounding FKBU and it’s last three eps. Here are some additional and random questions I have:

EP: 1

Does Daisuke still have his AC Cobra? How did the prince drive after that?

How did Haru confront Daisuke on the roof? Another collar grab shout?

Has Yoko found a better partner?

EP: 2

How was Daisuke so keen on identifying the smell of drugs?

Did Haru take a bath?

How is the Kambe noodle brand doing?

What happened in Hong Kong?

EP. 3

What was wrong with Hatori’s clothing style?

Why did Haru show a surprised expression when he mentions his sister? The light shifted and camera focused on his face so it seemed important.

How has Haru been dealing with the trauma? Is he okay? :(

Also, can Daisuke answer peoples worries with words? Haru was telling him how he knew the kid was good and how he wanted to save him and Daisukes out there like - ok here’s a grappling hook and some smoke bombs let’s cut into the train and stop the kid

Does Daisuke have another outlet for his emotions besides speed acceleration?

Does Daisuke dislike Hoshino?

EP. 4

What did natto do to Daisuke?

What did dogs do to Daisuke?

Has Daisuke never been left alone before?

Why was everyone worried for this almost 30 year old man?

How long has Daisuke had HEUSC? It seems like it’s muscle memory and like he’s always been with his AI butler.

Why doesn’t Haru have bandaids.?

Is fancy ham good?

What’s Suzue’s favorite cat breed?

Does Daisuke realize he is short?

Does Haru’s family work in a culinary field?

Does Haru have any friends outside of his job? The time he woke up alone was really depressing.

Why was Daisuke asleep in the bathtub?

Did the boy realize that Shiro, was really Shiro 2.0?

Was the time when HEUSC made a joke the start of his character change? :(

EP.5

Was it necessary to kill the chef? I think this may have been a misunderstanding on my part but, I’m pretty sure all he did was make soup.

Daisuke’s reason for not wanting to accept the position as heir?

Does Sakei ever not have snacks?

Has Suzue’s opinion on cats changed after her accident?

If Haru didn’t open the door, what was Daisuke expecting? :((

EP.6

Is Imura’s son still relevant?

Who was the person Cho-san helped get a job for?

Daisuke does dislike Hoshino, but why? Of all the people you could’ve chosen in your holograms you go with plum boy look alike.

How did Suzue’s arm heal so fast?

Why are roof top confrontations so popular?

EP.7

Hoshino does not dislike Daisuke, will they be friends? Probably only in an au

How are any of them allowed to drive?

Does watermelon+ chocolate taste good?

How advanced is their VR?

EP.8

Ah, well this whole episode is a question itself.

Was the day of the incident the day everything changed for him as he mentioned in the ep. 1 narration? :(

How big is the Kambe mansion?

Did Suzue realize that they are earning twins? And also that if you can’t speak you can write.

Also why are they still using the computers and gadgets from their house if they are worried abou HEUSC spying on them?

How much can one person do with a knife? A lot apparently:(

How did Suzue get out alive?

Will Haru no longer trust in Daisuke?

What sign did Cho and Takei leave?

How will everyone respond to what occured?

OP & ED:

Suzue + knife? Defense or betrayal?

Haru + gun and Daisuke of the roof??

What’s the significance if the # 5? Used both in th ed and cho’s dice.

Whose the character that was running from the car and shoot a gun in the ed? Seems like they have yet to appear?

(if I have time later I’ll add some screencaps for more context)

[casismeiamcas]

holy fucking shit this episode did not hold back

I'm still not sure what Suzue's role in all this is, because she's been nothinh but seemingly cooperative and genuinely concerned in Daisuke's wellbeing.

Daisuke is separating himself from the police, which to me seems like a mix of him not trusting them but also to protect his team. This is evident when he tells Haru that it's his own family's business so he'll deal with it himself, as well as later when he is actually shocked that Haru is on the ship.

Shigemaru said he wanted Daisuke alive, so he's needed for something. Daisuke said in an earlier episode that he won't be the heir, but maybe they're gonna try and force him to be? The Kanbe family has shown to have the resources to manipulate a mind.

The grandmother... I'm unsure about. It's confirmed she knew Shigemaru was alive the whole time, and even went as far as to say she kinda supported him in what he did. So I don't trust her but she also seemed genuinely upset about what was happening?

Haru and Ryo had a nice moment. For a good second it seemed like Ryo was trying to implicate Haru to the crime, but that was quickly brushed aside when it came to light how close Haru and Takei actually were.

In other news, Daisuke was a complete badass this episode and was cool seeing him fight properly. A badass.

Overall fkbu has gone from 0 to 100 real quick over the last few eps. I have nothing else to say besides that I'm gripping the edge of my seat in anticipation.

[casismeiamcas]

julie andem’s decision to conceal isak’s crying face at the end of the bros’ clip is not analyzed nor praised enough, yet another credit we owe to this woman… let’s keep in mind that this director’s decision goes hand in hand with isak’s psychology/development and his pov (skam is a show about POINT OF VIEWS) so this particular scene, like every other scene in the show, is presented through the main’s perception -in this season is isak, which means the things we see and how see them go through the filter of isak’s pov. and isak is a character that puts on a tough facade to the world while closeted and struggling with internalized homophobia so he wrongly associates homosexuality with femininity and femininity with emotions. so the initial isak premise, as in the one before he undergoes a major character development, is that he would not normally cry in public but if he ever did… he would not let it show.

think about the first time we see him cry: in the comfortable solitude of his room. our room is our sacred place, where we get to be ourselves without the stress of judgement. so isak, alone and cozy, allows himself to shed a few tears -not just that, but while watching the fave movie of his very male crush no less. in this sweet bubble, he allows himself to treasure this crush and get sentimental which (read above) outside of his room is unlikely. this is the isak that is feeling safe enough to invite us, the audience, into his real self. we have his approval. this is why we can see him crying openly, in all the glory of a close up no less. it’s secure for him, it’s his comfort zone, so the eyes of the camera/our eyes are allowed to make him company -i’m soft sometimes i cry too and i might like a boy but ssshh pls dont tell anyone.

and then let’s jump a few weeks into the future and think about the next time we see him cry after the bros clip: he’s already out of the closet to pretty much everyone, an evolution that goes hand in hand with the slow-but-sure destruction of his wrong conception of homosexuality (read above), so isak being emotional in public is no longer a big deal to him -and most importantly, letting it show. that’s the difference that skam establishes: he’s crying in public again but, unlike the previous time, now we can be witnesses because the character finally surpassed that barrier. i’m out now i’ve nothing left to hide so i don’t care who sees anymore.

now let’s go back to the famous “bitch im outta my coma” bit and… oh. isak is crying, in fact he lets out a pained sob, but we don’t see him. how come we can’t see him and empathize with him? because we’re not ALLOWED to do so -which, if you think about it, makes the situation more heartbreaking. beyond aesthetic reasons (the scene is wonderfully photographed and edited) julie andem gives us a back shot of isak as he drops to the floor and bursts into tears 1) because his mind is too clouded with dark pessimistic thoughts to share that moment with anybody, and 2) he just walked away from his friends, who still don’t know he’s gay, so he’s still actively hiding this side of him -the boy with feelings, feelings for a boy no less. so no, isak does not want people to see. not his friends, not the audience, nobody. stay the fuck away from me, don’t look at me, leave me alone. and the camera obeys, filming from behind, keeping a respectful distance -we leave him alone, and we don’t look.

[casismeiamcas]

Evak Pillow Talk

Can we take this moment to appreciate how every little detail on Skam is so well thought out, so well put together, including the pillows in Isak’s room. Isak & Even constantly sharing clothes is cute af, but in this absolutely unnecessary tumblr essay I would like to argue that even Isak’s pillows can tell a story. You did not ask for this but here it is, my in-depth analysis of Isak’s pillows. Come and walk this journey with me.

We are first introduced to Isak’s pillows in episode 1 when he wakes up hungover in his room. We can see that he has two pillows he sleeps with, one with a grey and another one with a blue pillow case, and he seems to prefer the blue one over the grey one.

His preference for the blue pillow is further confirmed in episodes 2 and 3 as we can see below.

In episode 5 Even spends the weekend at Isak’s place. In the first clip of the episode, we can see a brief, small glimpse of the now familiar blue pillow case in the upper left corner of the frame. Even can also be seen laying on the left side of the bed. Has he been using this pillow? 

Our suspicions are confirmed in the next clip when Isak wakes up alone the next day. There is a note on the blue pillow, so Even has clearly been using it, while Isak wakes up on the grey pillow, which looks quite flat and sad in comparison. 

Later on in the episode we can see Isak smelling and hugging the pillow Even used earlier. This is all v cute and sweet, I mean who hasn’t smelled their crush’s pillow or jumper or dirty gym socks or whatever else you can get your hands on, but it’s even more meaningful if you consider that this clip is from Thursday and Even left on Sunday. It’s been four days, yet the blue pillow is still on the wrong side of the bed because, as you may have noticed, Isak always sleeps on the right side next to his nightstand. In the beginning of the clip we can see him laying in bed with his head on the grey pillow. Has Isak been using the inferior grey pillow for four days because he doesn’t want Even’s smell to rub off?

In episode 6 Isak is sad, heartbroken, can’t sleep, and has gone back to using the blue pillow.

At the end of episode 7 Even comes over and spends the night. In the opening scene of episode 8 we see Isak waking up. All of a sudden he is again using the grey pillow, while the blue pillow is on the left side of the bed, the side Even slept on. Isak has again given Even his best pillow.

Fast forward to episode 10. Even is now staying with Isak. There are no more secrets, no more hiding, just this intense need and will to take care of the person you love. In the first clip of the week we see Isak take care of sleeping Even, watching over him, making sure he stays warm and safe. Even has the blue pillow again.

In the next bedroom clip you can see a glimpse of the grey pillow in the upper right corner of the bed, the same side Isak always sleeps on. There is a textbook on the nightstand, so I think it’s safe to assume that Isak has been sleeping on this side, maybe doing some homework when Even is asleep. The blue pillow is nowhere to be seen, which means it’s most likely out of the frame, on the left side of the bed, the side Even sleeps on. Even has been staying in Isak’s room all week. He’s been using Isak’s favourite pillow all week. They don’t switch back and forth.

What can we conclude from this pillow saga then? Since the beginning, we’ve seen Even do ridiculously romantic things for Isak. We’ve seen him put Isak before himself, trying to protect him from his mental illness. But in his own little way, Isak has also been trying to take care of Even, trying to make him comfortable, since the beginning. He gave Even his pillow. The pillow we’ve seen him use every night when he sleeps alone.

There you have it. Isak may have been awkward and insecure at first, and he certainly did say the completely wrong thing in the locker room, but according to my very professional research, he has still been putting Even’s comfort before his own since day one. And it just makes me so happy to see how good they are to each other. And it makes me so happy how we can actually see it, in all these little details, without the show having to spell it out for us.

[casismeiamcas]

this is the most useless skam meta you’ll ever see but i just wanted to exemplify the usage of the kuleshov effect in o helga natt which is arguably the skam clip closest to perfection. the kuleshov effect is pretty much the basis of the language of editing in film -it’s how putting 3 shots (shot 1 cut to shot 2 cut to shot 3) together delivers one specific message, which it’s a tool for the director to control the audience’s perception. it’s old, it’s simple, it’s been done for decades, but it’s a pleasure to watch when it’s done properly.

in o helga natt, julie andem executes this masterfully. this is why we feel like we are in isak’s shoes, and isak’s mind, up until the very last second before he reunites with even -bc the most important thing in this clip, is to be immersed in isak’s perspective (and our belief that we’re paralleling romeo and juliet ergo a tragic ending is on the way) so we don’t see the plot twist coming.

(i’m dumb so idk how to add text in between a photo set of this type but it’s just 3 rows, so we’ll call them row 1 row 2 and row 3) (also apparently i reached photo limit so that’s why i couldn’t add moree examples)

row 1: shot of isak focusing on the blue cross/ cut to shot of the blue cross/ cut to isak coming to the Realization that he may have misinterpreted even’s letter as a romantic letter and not what it actually was… a s*icide note. we understand all of this just by seeing those 3 shots put together, one next to the other, in that specific order: focus + the object + the realization. boom. isak understands that even was saying goodbye in a very literal sense.

row 2: shot of isak not happy with what he sees in the bench/ cut to flashback of evak in the bench when they first met/ cut to present time with the bench empty.  even is nowhere in sight even though isak expected him to be there, so this… this is horrible news, our anxiety is going through the roof, our tragic prediction is getting more likely by the second. 3 shots to get this message across, no words, no dialogue: isak’s concern + isak’s expection + what isak actually found which explains his concern.

row 3: shot of isak thinking twice/cut to shot of flashback of even in the toilet/cut to isak turning in that direction. boom, one last chance of hope. the place where they’d met was not the bench, it was the toilets. our soul returns to our bodies, at least partially, as we’re lowkey hopeful to find him again. go for him isak. he’s in the toilets -and then, the rest is history. no explanation in text form, nothing but the music and tarjei’s performance… and the montage: isak reconsidering + the reminder of the toilets + isak moving in that direction. 

that’s all, bye.

[casismeiamcas]

when sonja apologized to isak for her previous outburst (which was understandable as her ex bf left her for isak, let’s look at the situation from sonja’s pov and you’ll see beyond your sexist eyes for once) and helped him take care of even when she didn’t have to providing him the most iconic advice of the series: the minute by minute bit.

also, when skam did this in the least corny, predictable way, respecting the quiet atmosphere of the scene and staying consistent with isak’s pov -it was not necessary to see her, a simple phone call was enough to do the magic.

[casismeiamcas]

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SERBIA?

TL;DR: we’re living under a dictatorship. people are currently protesting the deaths caused by decisions the government made while prioritising the election over human lives. mainstream news are making it seem like the protesters are hooligans who are protesting new safety measures and not the dictatorship they refuse to even acknowledge.

THE LEAD-UP

here’s a brief list of things that caused the people to protest:

the elections have been rigged since the moment aleksandar vučić became president. not even in a relatively subtle way like in the usa (gerrymandering), but by literally replacing sacks of voting papers with ones that are voting for sns (srpska narodna stranka, the president’s party)

we were lied to about when the first covid-19 case appeared in serbia. the government withheld information from us because it benefited them.

also, about a week before the lockdown, the president made fun of the virus, encouraging people to “go shop in milano if they want”. when the situation got serious, he shifted the blame to the people.

hospitals all around the country were and still are severely underfunded. they’re reusing masks, don’t have enough space for all the patients, and the tests we’re still given aren’t accurate.

the lockdown was lifted prematurely because of the parliamentary elections. if you look up “serbia covid19 cases” on google, you’ll see that the second wave started around june 21st, which is when the election was.

right after the election was over, the government set extreme safety measures, including: police enforced lockdown fri-sun, an attempt to force all belgrade students out of their dorms during exam season, etc.

THE PROTESTS

last night (july 7th), there was a huge unorganized protest outside of the belgrade parliament building.

as expected, the police turned it into a violent protest. they used tear gas 26 times, attacked people who weren’t even protesting, and used unnecessary force against those who were. a man was choked the same way george floyd was.

only n1 (cnn’s channel) actually informed people that this was happening, and their website was down all night last night. every other network was airing their usual program, since they’re controlled by the government.

the people got into the parliament building a few times, but were ultimately forced out violently by the police.

there were protests in other cities too, but they weren’t as large.

rts (the most watched channel in the country) is putting all the blame on the protesters and making it seem as if they’re protesting the new safety measures, and not the dictatorship of aleksandar vučić.

every other international news source is pretty much doing the same.

WHAT NOW?

the protests will continue. in case they’re successful, there will be another election, one that won’t put only sns members in the parliament (they make up more than 70% as of right now).

in case they’re not successful, we’ll be expecting a change of the constitution that will state that there’s no limit to how many terms a president can have. we’ll live under complete dictatorship.

the most you, outside of serbia, can do is share correct information and spread awareness about what’s happening.

reblog and share this post, share other posts (on instagram especially) made by serbian people, call out false information when you see it.

[casismeiamcas]

[casismeiamcas]

HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY, ISAK VALTERSEN!

[casismeiamcas]

Happy 21st birthday, Isak Valtersen!!!

[casismeiamcas]

skam ⯈ isak valtersen; i want my life to be real. and even though sometimes it’s totally fucked up, it’s better than it being completely fake and boring. it’s a bit cliche to say, but you never know who’s dead tomorrow. and whether you believe in allah, or jesus, or the theory of evolution, or Parallel universes, there’s- there’s only one thing we all know for sure. that life is now.

[casismeiamcas]

Happy 21st birthday, Isak Valtersen!!!

[casismeiamcas]

Isak Valtersen + facial expression {part I - part II}