#(which doesn't negate him viewing himself as a man too!)

[esther-dot]

Idk how to explain it in better terms but the fact that Jaime focuses more on wanting to be perceived as good than actually doing good is a huge turn off for me and the reason why I don't believe grrm is writing a redemption arc for him.

So, here's a definition of redemption arc,

What exactly is a Redemption Arc? It's a type of character development in which your protagonist starts bad and becomes good in the end, often culminating in a heroic act that atones for their past

And I agree with you. His story won't fit the above. Jaime is bitter that doing the right thing is viewed the way it is by Westeros, and we can understand why he's angry, but I haven't seen any genuine regret about trying to kill Bran, for example, and kid killing is a big no-no, so imo, the flow of the story hasn't been to move Jaime from morally bad to morally good the way that expression implies.

In fact, in AFFC, he's talking about how he would have killed Arya and threatens to trebuchet a baby. When we have Ned's horror over Elia and her kids' deaths, over how the Hound murdered Mycah, his refusal to participate in the assassination of Dany, and his decision to risk his life/jeopardize his family by committing treason to protect Jon, I think we know Martin hasn't moved Jaime over into his "good" column. Our perception of his infamous act evolves, but that's not the same thing as Jaime changing.

What I think is so often perceived as a redemption arc is merely that Martin engaged our sympathy for Jaime later in the series and fans equate understanding/caring for a character with moving them into the "good" category rather than accepting that Martin routinely does this. The Hound, Tyrion, Theon...he calls them all villains, but at one point or another, we get tragedy and suffering in their lives That leads fans to conclude that the Hound and Tyrion are actually decent people, when by any objective standards, they aren't. The point isn't to move them from villain to hero, it's to offer believable explanations for why they are who they are, do what they do, and make them dynamic characters. Embracing the idea that good and bad impulses can exist in the same person, that the same person can be brave and kind as well as murderous and cruel, that's not too big of an ask. And imo, it's a shame fans want to use one to negate the other.

Even Jaime killing Aerys which kinda seems heroic is shaded by not only his greater loyalty to his family, but his own feelings about Aerys, and part of his memory is how he stood by while Aerys committed other cruel acts. In killing Aerys, he saved countless people, familial loyalty or no, it was the right thing to do, but we have all the rest of the series showing us, doing what is right really isn't of the utmost concern to Jaime. His loyalty is to his family of origin, he has an obsession with Cersei, and doesn't even seem to care much for his own children which again, I think indicates that as layered as he becomes with each new book, it's a misread to settle on the idea of redemption/good guy.

Fans think he's gonna kill Cersei as that final redemptive act, but to me that feels like looking at things from a Cersei hater perspective, not Jaime's. The man has been written as rather, disinterested in acting on a right/wrong spectrum, and is generally more concerned with family, it seems a little unreasonable to think a suitable ending for him is to reject that because how would such a man continue? He needs peace with his decisions, what he does has to flow from the essence of who he is, so it seems more likely to me that his end is dying with Cersei. That isn't redemption in the eyes of the fandom, but I think it could very well be redemption for himself. He has that nightmare about Rhaegar blaming him for Elia and the children's deaths, his own children may all die, there is nothing he can do about that, but going to their mother, the person he was faithful to his entire life, who is essentially his life partner/wife, it allows him to be truly loyal when all others think him faithless, and as annoying as some will find it, I think it gives him his own form of honor.

I wrote once about thinking he would die with Cersei:

I'm ok with Jaime deciding his fate is to be with Cersei, in birth, in life, even in death. As I thought it worked in the show, returning to Cersei in the books will likewise mean he is able to have some self-respect. I don't think you can read his, I mean, I would say Cersei obsession and believe he'd ever have any peace of mind if she died alone while he had to go on living. (link)

In that post I linked to meta about that and a great write-up on Jaime that I think you'll enjoy!

#dot chat #anti jaime lannister #(just to be safe) #anti asoiaf fandom #asoiaf speculation

[horse-girl-anthy]

Penguindrum centers on the love between the Takakura siblings. while they have many secrets and avoid sensitive topics, the family bond between them is not forced; there is plenty of evidence that they care about each other. both Shoma and Kanba let their sister down at times, but neither of them harbor any ill intentions towards her. in contrast, the dynamic between Shoma and Kanba is marked by real disdain and even hatred on Kanba's side. while the conflict between them is present from the beginning of the show, the extent of Kanba's negative feelings for Shoma is revealed in the final arc, culminating in a murder attempt. why exactly does Kanba hate Shoma so much?

one possiblity is jealousy. the tension in their relationship started when the Takakura parents chose Kanba to be the elder brother, which implies special responsibilities and privileges. from Shoma's point of view, this choice was hard to understand, but he doesn't seem to have done too badly as the younger brother of the family. we don't get much insight into Kanba's feelings on this front, but it's possible that he felt jealous of Shoma for being a biological child of the Takakuras; at the very least, Shoma didn't experience as much early childhood trauma as his siblings. another reason for Kanba's jealousy could be Shoma's relationship with Himari, as he gets along with her more smoothly. finally, there is the most likely cause of Kanba's hatred: he may be resentful that Shoma is more carefree than he is, or at least, that's how he perceives the situation.

Kanba doesn't take Shoma seriously. when Shoma raises moral objections to his plans to obtain the Penguindrum, Kanba dismisses him like he's a child. as far as he's concerned, Shoma is just an errand boy, to be trusted only with the simplest of tasks, while Kanba holds the family together.

interestingly, the very same traits that Kanba prizes in Himari cause him to disdain Shoma: innocence, purity, and kindness. of course, Kanba does also care about Shoma, so there's a push-pull between love and hate in their relationship, but why does he resent one sibling and not the other?

Kanba has worshipped Himari since the day he met her. he may rely on Shoma at times, but Himari doesn't factor into his designs at all, beyond being an princess to be saved. the most clear explanation for this is the difference in age and gender. as his younger sister, it's only natural for Himari to be innocent and dependent. on the other hand, while he is not blood related to Shoma, they are called twins for a reason. they are both male and were born on the same day. thus, they serve as mirrors to one another.

on a character level, Shoma represents everything Kanba wishes to distance himself from. it is important to him to be a provider, taking over from the father who has left them. Shoma is too soft and nurturing to understand the difficult decisions facing a real man. Kanba feels he must do anything possible to achieve his goals, but Shoma always interferes with weak-willed moral concerns. there is also the difference in their attitude towards their parents. Kanba still wants their approval and love, denying their crimes, while Shoma disowns them.

taking things full circle, I imagine that Kanba's hatred grew slowly over time. he suddenly became the brother of this other boy, taken in by a loving family after losing his old one. his new brother doesn't even know how good he has it and gets to live out his childhood unstained by misery. then when they find out the truth about the Takakura parents, Shoma has the gall to reject them--an ungrateful act which negates the family. after all, the Takakura parents were the ones who brought Kanba in. not wanting to blame them, it may have been easier to blame Shoma.

while Kanba kept his resentment for Shoma hidden, he equally kept his affection for his brother close to his chest. the embrace in episode 23 is an expression of both love and hate, another example of Kanba's self-destructive inner conflict. the final episode emphasizes the bond between them, moving the story away from being about brothers fighting over their sister to one about all three siblings coming together. the love was there before the hate, and once the hate is dissolved, the brothers are free to journey among the stars.

#finally circled around to this. i said i would write about Shoma and Kanba like. over a year ago lol #penguindrum #commentary #i think more could be elaborated on all the characters' dynamics but im feeling p satisfied w my penguin writing #just rewatched the show

[faggyangel]

Agree Isaac will be key to Colin's story. I feel Colin's acceptance is strongly tied to his performance and I'm curious how that will develop. He's benched now S3. GOAT Zava may be an issue, in thematic contrast? His cult undid some of Ted's good work. Bet Colin will play again after it's out. (We've yet to see a red?) But it's so touchy, even indirect talk on their chances could have Colin feel liable for losses or feel shame after this shake-up. I want the opposite to show too end of S3. (1/2)

(2/2) At the end of this storyline, I want for Colin to be embraced and free, yes, by his team, and overall at least in a way that is enough and more, if not the world. But I NEED him to be a gosh darn STAR on the field when he's finally free, supported, on solid ground. Being one with the team and self-confident is everything that improved Ted's players that he hasn't gotten to have. He's a strong and capable man! (Jan Maas: In a squad of 20-or-so men it is highly improbable only Colin is gay.)

--

Yes yes yes, I agree like the way that Colin plays and the way he feels about himself are definitely connected. I think it's really interesting the way that Nate describes him as not moving or inspiring people because "he's just there" which, on Colin's part, is definitely on purpose, if possibly subconscious. The chameleon metaphor works in a couple different ways: Colin being a closeted gay man in a room full of straight men and Colin being a gay footballer in the public eye. Colin doesn't want to be noticed, he doesn't want to be seen. If he's seen, people might start to ask questions about his life that he isn't ready to answer yet. So he keeps to the back, he blends in; he's already in the public eye being on the team, he doesn't need to take any more risks. I think that Colin keeping that part of himself locked away and under wraps weighs him down when he plays in a way he doesn't even notice. Colin has probably come to terms with the fact that he has to remain closeted for the sake of not only his career but also his life however that doesn't negate the effects of being closeted and keeping an entire part of his life a secret. With this secret, Colin can't stand out as a player because of the fear of being noticed and analyzed past what he's comfortable with.

Being a gay footballer could also put Colin in a position where he feels like if he fucks up, he'll be scrutinized not only for the way he plays but for his sexuality. We've seen that Colin puts a lot of pressure on himself to perform well and now we can connect that being related to the way people will view his sexuality. Obviously, there's an idea in the sports world that if you're gay, you're not strong or tough enough to be on this team which is where his "I am a strong and capable man" mantra comes in. I remember one sports center scene where they said that it was Colin's fault for giving away possession and letting the other team get a goal. Moments like that where Colin fucks up are going to be attributed to the fact that he's gay. It won't be "Colin gave away possession" it'll be "the gay one lost them the game." I think this perception will also mess with Colin a lot, when he comes out, eyes will be on him, watching for any mistake he makes. (This is just theorizing now but when they know that he's gay and Colin makes a mistake, a fan might his gayness as an insult, making Isaac want to defend him by going up into the stands to punch him?)

When the team finally knows (even if he's outed, I would like to see Colin tell the team himself), I do hope Colin has a moment where he feels that love and support from his teammates and is able to play without the weight of fear and isolation. I hope that after Colin comes out, he has a moment where he feels free and confident enough in himself to let himself play to his fullest potential.

#wanted to get to this last night but fell asleep before i could #i was kind of just babbling and this is probably way more than what you wanted but i think there are so many different things that could be #done here #colin hughes #ted lasso #colin tag

[sneezemonster15]

i can totally understand why young girls would ship SS in the early-mid 2000’s. it was so easy to self-insert. take me for example, i was a young child with an unrequited crush on a popular boy and a total loser. i projected hard. she started getting on my nerves really quick tho. by the time i figured out how to watch shippuden (it was only available online in my country) i could no longer stand her. i know many people grew out of that ship as they matured themselves and realized just how bad it was, but i seriously don’t understand how so many of the og fans are still around, reveling in scraps given to them only in the form of non-canon material. it’s so embarrassing. and knowing that so many grown ass women cling to that nasty ship as if their lives depend on it makes me squirm in discomfort.

Wait I am confused. This person was a boy or a girl?

I think I understand. I know for a fact that there are many SNS fans who once were SS shippers. But they grew up and took responsibility for how they consumed media, which happens when a certain amount of self awareness sinks in..with time and experience..internally processing data received from the external world, which as a result, sharpens your intuition. Which then directly affects how you view and then process further external data. Data gathered from real life and media.

I suspect that many SS/NH shippers who are insanely delusional about their ship are simply operating on emotions. Think about the kind of arguments they give others. They know what constitutes canon, what doesn't. They know SNS is legit, it's all fucking there. They know SS is bullshit, they know Kishi mocks Sakura and SS like no one's business (like honestly, who's asking him to do it? Really what obligation is he under? This otherwise humble, quietly intelligent, kinda goofy, a bit childlike and deeply introspective at the same time, and frankly kinda mousy man, says such blatantly snarky and downright insulting shit about his own characters as if he ain't the author who is freaking writing them that way in the first place. Lol, no really, Kishi is a bundle of contradictions himself.) Lol.

But coming back, I really do struggle sometimes to find the right tone to talk about SS stans or address them. I suspect internet and anonymity gives them a free rein to exercise fulfilment of desires indiscriminately. They can behave however they want, believe whatever makes them happy and no one gets to destroy that as long as they are fulfilled. Numbers help. Stans give and receive validation from their peers. Whatever external validation they need to keep believing in SS ship, despite everything that negates it in canon, they get from others in their ship and they give validation to them in return. A sense of community builds. There's strength in numbers. And so dogmas and headcanons acquire a semblance of truth for them, through this very effective echo chamber, it fortifies their wacky theories and headcanons and they sheath themselves deliberately from reason, or anything that threatens to question their beliefs/belief systems that serve the object of their self comfort, desire, fulfilment. Their beliefs are really emotional in nature, you can't fight emotions, and internet gives them a platform to experience those emotions. Age doesn't matter if one isn't self aware. Lots of old people are shitty. Of course, I don't support enabling it but I guess I understand it a bit. Because I also get emotional here. I feel much more free to experience my raw emotions without trying to camouflage it too much. I reasoned with myself soon after joining this fandom, my first fandom, that here, I was a fan first, so I shouldn't judge myself too harshly for my opinions and understanding. A lot of which is way more emphatic compared to how much I would let it show it IRL. Media, stories and art have that effect on people.

And I feel conflicted sometimes. But well, the same reason exculpates me as well. I can be emotional and talk about them freely because this is a fandom and we are all here because of the same story that affected all of us. The only difference is we are insecure about different things. Lol.

Which is why I make it a point to not interact with them, because I know I would lose my patience with them much sooner than I with other people I don't generally agree with.

I understand why women do it. Even if I cannot relate with Sakura. So I vent on this platform while not actively engaging them.

But at the end of day, I feel everyone should expect so much more from themselves because more than anything else, Sakura's and Hinata's characters by design are so limited. Like I know it's all tied up with their self esteem, or its lack thereof, but at least don't glorify something that makes you this limited and miserable. Don't tell me it's better than everything else and is the best thing in the world because it is not. It is so small, So cheap. Such a piddling thing, so reductive and limiting and humiliating. Why project on those two? You should expect so much better from yourself. Like why can't you dream bigger at least in your imagination? Where you can have everything or anything you want, and nothing gives you a better opportunity to do that than media, but you choose the most limiting of all things and characters? Isn't it suffocating and painful? Well, in any case, just don't glorify it, turning a blind eye to facts and then gaslight me for my stuff. That's not acceptable. Even if I know where you are coming from, don't justify it. It gives the wrong impression to others, especially other women, who have enough odds stacked against them already for you to jump in on the bandwagon too, and being women yourselves no less, it's humiliating for both of us.

They use their emotions as a free ticket to say and do things indiscriminately, without thought and honesty. Cultivating emotions (and sharing them) should enrich you and help you grow, not make you regress even more.

#well that went on..... #lol #no but i have thought about it and it bothers me #i dont want to be uncharitable but credit where credit is due i guess #naruto #anti ss #anti sakura #anti hinata #ask

[septembersghost]

I feel sorry for everything Priscilla has been through especially recently but my thing with her is she mostly trashed Elvis in her book, but now she constantly praises him and refers to him as the love of her life..

Now Priscilla is allowed to have mixed feelings and has a right to speak her truth and I’m not arguing Elvis was perfect, far from it. Being married to him couldn’t have been easy, but her book (which she’s backtracked a few things she’s written about him in it) is a large reason people still trash him to this day 🤷🏻‍♀️

i don't know if she intended it to come across that way, and i feel like people warp it to draw the worst possible conclusions when that was never what she meant. i also wonder a bit if she wrote it...in the wrong frame of my mind, or maybe too soon, or under some outside pressures. because, as you noted, there are things she's circled back around on and reframed. she had a co-author and she was still navigating how to publicly share with people. as a small example, i read this recently: https://www.elvispresley.com.au/priscilla/elvis-and-me-memorializing-elvis-presley.shtml "I feel much more comfortable with crowds, with people and with talking. I just want to clear up so many things that have been altered or perceived differently. I want to put the record straight from my side." this was 2017, but the book was written 32 years sooner. someone and their perspective can vastly change in three decades.

i feel like there were some fundamental differences between them - despite how dearly they loved each other - that they were so unable to breach, that she had trouble understanding for a long time. people make their relationship into this thing that it wasn't, which i imagine was also hard to deal with.

that page says, Priscilla exposes a man of exceptional vastness. he was such an expansive person, and just. the way he was trying so hard to be all things to all people, the way he put that caregiver responsibility on himself (and he definitely did this with priscilla), the way he held this almost idealistic vision of what their life could be, the way he strove to guide and get the best for people even when he did that mistakenly, it all paints this portrait of this vast and unique/unusual soul who kept giving and trying. i can see where she had mixed feelings (regarding the mm or other women or fame and lack of privacy or feeling like he wasn't present for her often enough because he was giving so much to his audiences or the struggle of his addictions and not being able to assuage that and so on). speaking for myself, it feels so easy to empathize with him, but i'd imagine being up close and personal with it, giving your life to it, would make it more difficult to wholly view until later.

people who are looking to trash him aren't going to explore that vastness, they strip him for parts, so they can never possibly understand or lend sympathy to it. i'm not excusing any of the slander that's thrown around at him or how cruelly off-base it is, nor saying either of them were blameless, but i can't fathom that she ever wanted people to weaponize her words or her life with him, and that's probably an additional reason why she's tried to be stalwart in the years since about his impact and furthering his legacy, why she does praise him as a musician and a man, and why she does call him the love of her life (which i don't doubt is true). he had his serious missteps and he had his flaws, and so did/does she, but it doesn't negate that their love was real, nor their fondness for each other even after the divorce, nor how remarkable and often wonderful he was.

i grant her a bit of grace for the fact that she had this whirlwind of a life with such tumultous emotions and then to lose him so suddenly, when they were still dear to one another, when their daughter was still so young, and then to be interrogated over and over again about him, about her lived experience. and of course my heart breaks for her in losing lisa marie, and the current situation happening regarding graceland which would all...just shatter el tbh.

idk i just had a conversation about this a few hours ago with chelsea (and am borrowing thoughts from her!), and so many elements play into what happened between them.

these excerpts are where the quote from earlier came from:

i'll quote what chelsea, who has been a good sounding board for this!, said because it was insightful:

"you have to apply an innocent, nurturing gloss to his relationships and understand that if his significant others felt claustrophobic or smothered, it had mostly to do with the lack of privacy and him seeing himself as the best judge of what was best for them, sometimes wrongly but i think always sincerely trying to be helpful...there's a lot of evidence that he saw her as a little sister at times and treated her very preciously and carefully, even while trying to share his interests and life with her. they tried awfully hard to be what each other wanted and expected and that's the main thing that made them grow apart, i think...also think he was thinking about what kind of person gladys would want him to be with. priscilla reminded him of gladys, reminded him of his promises to her, and made him want to try to settle down and share his heart. he had a fairytale view of changing for someone else, and he learned very late that that wasn't possible and that it was a mistake to impose an ideal of perfect domesticity on him and priscilla, which they both did. because i think it would have been too heavy for him to acknowledge at that time that he might never "have" a normal life, so he felt like he had to kind of force it on himself...elvis wanted to be everything for his friends, but he was so weird and big that he needed more than one person to approximate what he needed back. cilla not really being very spiritual is a big thing where they were just going to have to grow in different directions and find other people."

i think cilla had to spend a significant time untangling her identity from him, and processing everything he was, and i'm sure that she has regrets that anything came across in a darker or more negative way than she meant. loving someone that much and always being a part of them, and they a part of you, and yet growing apart and knowing you cannot make it work no matter how hard you try to create that perfect picture must be so hard and demoralizing in a sense. that heavy heartache of loss and failure. then couple it with grief. i think about what (iirc) kathy westmoreland said about him, which is that the grief is never-ending in a specific way, because he's so much in the world. most of us grieve privately, and of course it never "ends," it changes, but with someone like elvis he's always there and always absent all at once. everyone who loves him - directly as a loved one or indirectly as a fan - pairs that with grief, so we're all experiencing this continual pang of sorrow. i don't necessarily want to hold her difficulty coming to terms with all of that against her (unlike, say, people who really have been out to belittle and besmirch him over the years), when i do believe the true heart of it is love. she said, "Elvis was absolutely the love of my life, and there's no sadness about it because I have my memories, and they're delicious and they're all mine," but you know there's a grief existent in it regardless.

she also said, and i think most importantly: “It’s hurtful, for a man who has given so much, to have others pick him apart. I’ll die defending him and his legacy. Because he deserves it.” i think that's her clearest truth, and the people not willing to hear it are doing her a disservice, and also an incomprehensible one to him. i do worry a lot that eventually this is going to be lost even further, which is where it's like...it falls to us to carry and defend it when we can. because he deserves it.

#sorry this is so long #seemingly i cannot write short posts about him #anonymous #letterbox #elvis presley #priscilla presley #sorry about the tags they're for me ;___; #i was a dreamer #long post #also i can't imagine what it was like to have that horrible book written about her in the late 90s #they've both been treated in such gross and exploitative ways by people with their own motives and not interested in the truth #and people online treating her like a money hungry harpy unsettle me for sure

[finelinegynandromorph]

a gentle reminder that using woman-coded terms for h (like girlfriend, woman, mommy, she/her, etc.) does *not* erase his queerness! a soft reminder that gay non-binary people exist! a friendly reminder that queer people can use all sorts of terms and labels and ways of referring to their own unique experiences! a further reminder that affirming harry’s consistent expression of his affinity/connection/alignment with womanhood and femininity does not take away from his queerness in any way!!

i’m literally non-binary and i didn’t grow up with access to a lot of queer terminology or representation of different ways of being queer so this is genuinely not coming from a place of malice at all but rather an earnest suggestion that you listen to varied trans perspectives and not outright dismiss something because it doesn’t align with your personal experience of queerness. as h said himself: “what’s feminine and what’s masculine...it’s like there are no lines anymore.” [and an obligatory reminder that no one is in good faith suggesting harry is non-binary solely bc of the way he dresses but rather his overall consistent messaging about his experience of fluidity and identity && this is obviously not me defending ppl who take alignment w femininity or aspects of personality to mean that a queer person needs to occupy a certain rigid sexual role or vice versa]

#less specific to h but many binary trans ppl identify as straight after coming out but may have spent years in gay communities and maintain #a powerful connection to those communities #everyone's free to interpret music and art in their own way #just please be kind to others and reflect on why you might such a visceral reaction to the idea that h could see himself as a woman #(which doesn't negate him viewing himself as a man too!) #also a reminder that h is viewed by the world largely as a man and as such using woman-coded terms for him can be an affirming move to show #respect and appreciation for a part of himself that isn't largely acknowledged at all #pls know that trans person referring to h and l as gf and bf does not erase their queerness but rather is a playful recognition of h's #consistent self-alignment with woman bc these are all just terms #there's no one right way to be queer and i think it's in bad faith to shit on largely trans fans for expressing affirmation and connection w #h and his feminine-coded qualities that don't often get the recognition they deserve compared to his manhood and relation to masculinity #(which have been played up for marketing since he was 16) #and the ways that that dynamic is inherently intertwined w sociocultural misogyny #not targeted at anyone specific just a friendly reminder at the end of the day h is a worldfamous popstar who quite likely wont see your #comments but gay nb friends who might be struggling to figure out their identities could and they could be really damaging #strict labels and boxes are like the antithesis of being queer #like even if you personally don't feel fluid remember to leave space for expansive fluidity in others!! #reminders

[mevekagvain]

Chapter 121 - I hope none of the birds affected by the sleeping gas died from falling from a height, especially if they fell on concrete. I don't think the gas itself would affect the birds but it also very well might since they can't handle as much due to being much smaller animals or from not being able to handle the chemicals used.

Chapter 122 - Shark's expressions are so hideous 🤢

- At least Raizel knows how to be nice by sharing food lmao. Frankenstein beaming like a proud father of a 2-year-old who's doing that is definitely not praxis though.

Chapter 124 - Shark being astounded that nobles care about innocents is amusing. I suppose that aside from the Elders, the Union members think nobles consider other species to be inferior or like cockroaches or toys.

- Although I do find Frankenstein plotting to teach Seira cooking so she can cook for Raizel when he can't extremely funny, I do also find it somewhat disturbing. He's essentially making a teen girl do child labour. Yes she and Regis are imposing on him and I do think they should be doing some manner of chores, but making her cook lavish meals? I also know she's doing it willingly but it still makes me cringe since something being one's choice doesn't negate it being bad. And yes technically she's 'of age' since she's 217, whatever that means since she's still obviously a teen compared to Raizel who actually is an adult going to school with children (which is a whole other can of worms), but aside from her position as clan leader she's very obviously not viewed as an adult by most.

Chapter 125 - On one hand I'd love to get a front row seat to the internal drama within the DA-5 lile M-21 but otoh I don't want to die a painful death or get beaten up.

- So like obviously Seira knows that Raizel and Frankenstein aren't ordinary humans unlike Regis but it is hilarious to think she just told the truth to two men she thinks are frail innocent humans.

Chapter 127 - You'd really think that the Union would be investing more into memory altering drugs but nah. The only ones they have will also fuck your brain up. Really not a good idea when most of your agents/experiments obviously have been administered aforementioned drugs. If it was only used sparingly on civilians I'd get it but it's quite widespread so...

Chapter 128 - As much as Frankenstein complains about the mess the kids make, he enjoys having them over as much as Raizel does. Soft hearted bastard.

Chapter 130 - The girls bandaging M-21 up even as Regis fights has them being smarter than like 90% of other characters in media. They're the real reason he didn't hit the dust immediately smh.

Chapter 132 - I still think the coming of age ceremony has a 50% chance of actually being them ingesting drugs that are the equivalent of stat boosting items in games but also ya know, real world drugs that fuck you up. The other 50% is just them getting much stronger after they turn 200 because their bodies are just like that and it truly is purely ceremonial and a fun tradition like children's day or girl's day or birthdays rather than something that actually affects them.

- Lol Kranz, Regis won't be leaving a corpse if he dies. Purebloods are just special like that. Can you imagine if they did see a pureblood dying? They'd regret killing them so bad.

Chapter 133 - Raizel commanding Frankenstein to stop his experiments is definitely something, like bro maybe he was figuring out electrolysis, not like you know what he was doing. Plus it's not like Frankenstein listened completely. Man has a lab under his house and it wasn't built after Raizel woke. I guess he only stopped modification experiements on others and only did checkups on himself but didn't stop experimenting for other stuff like idk, better fertiliser.

- Kinda amazing Takeo didn't get stabbed in the heart.

Chapter 137 - I know it's just because Gejutel likely explained the lord's powers to him but the idea that Regis knows what a blood field is because Raskreia does demonstrations to entertain little kids is making me giggle.

Chapter 140 - So the Union only came upon Frankenstein's research 540 years ago... that's only 40 years before Raskreia became lord. Interesting.

- Ah yes... the classic joke of Tao not teaching Takeo korean properly. It's also very amusing envisioning Tao teaching the DA-5 members korean.

- ARIS ARIS ARIS. God she looks adorbs. Also I love her referring to DA-5 as 'my children' and 'my babies'. Aris >>> all other scientists. Amd hi Yuri :)

Chapter 141 - Yuri listening to Aris insulting Crombel repeatedly,,, he probably enjoys every aspect of it from knowing she's not aware he's his underling to being able to hear someone insult Crombel.

- Once again union members don't know jack shit. They think werewolves are extinct while Maduke and Lunark are literally Elders 😭🤡😭

- Werewolves having a small population never made sense to me even with the whole thing about them not having mind control and thus keeping away from humans secretly since even civilians are stronger than humans on average but like why tf would wolves have such a low reproduction rate? And that's why I hc that 90% of them are just homosexual.

Chapter 142 - D doesn't consume your lifeforce bro. That's just the drugs causing heavy strain on the body, etc etc. The rest of your explanation was fine but talking about lifeforce or vitality makes no sense.

- We all know Yuri's smart but the fact that he tries to get Frankenstein as a subject by scouting him first is very clever. It's believable too since Frankenstein is supposed to be quite handsome.

Chapter 144 - Well we don't know of Crombel microchips his Assassination Squad but Aris canonically microchips her experiments 🤣

Chapter 147 - Okay but this panel... she's hot. I'd let her dissect me <3

- If this was some other media I'd talk about the symbolism of the attack looking like a rapier and go on for a paragraph but this is Noblesse so it's obviously just a coincidence lmao.

- "A living robot" so like... a cyborg.

Chapter 148 - Yuri getting pissed at being attacked and retaliating but pretending it was him being loyal to Aris... Love it. Also he must be really confused as to who tf Frankenstein is since as one of Crombel's most important lackeys he'd definitely know about such a powerful experiment under him if they existed and thus unlike Aris knows that he's not been sent by Crombel.

Chapter 149 - Yup def confused, especially when he realises Frankenstein's power is like Crombel's.

Chapter 150 - Girlboss,,, also it's been years and I'm still wondering... why is her outfit like that? Neon genesis evangelion girlboss does have a ring to it though.

- Ah yes, Taivra time.

Chapter 151 - Okay yeah I feel so bad for Takeo but also Aris is so good at manipulating him and and and iwi. The fact that she can cry on command though... impressive.

- "From the beginning you were an only child. That's why I got you to experiment on." Okay cool time to ignore that again for my own amusement of having all of noblesse's named modified human women be related to Takeo.

- Okay I'm obsessed with strawberry milk myself but strawberries do not taste anywhere near that good. Not even the sweet ones.

Chapter 153 - Yeah no I don't agree that Takeo losing his will to live is an insult to your comrades M-21. You could have said all that in a gentler way. Just because Takeo was luckier than you experiment wise doesn't mean you get to be so rude.

Chapter 154 - M-21 misleading Tao and Takeo to thinking he's being experimented on and then turning around to laugh at them when they find out it's just ramyeon... mood.

- I really do wonder what 12th Elder's military medals are for.

Sidenotes - Hammer being smart <3 I honestly didn't remember that part of him and I'm glad he's not given purely negative traits. He's the only reason Shark lived past 2 chapters tbh.

- Truly, D is one of the worst letters of the alphabet to have named the drugs DA-5 uses. The other bad choice would be P. On the opposite end of the spectrum, T would have been a great choice for the irony. Not that it matters since the inspiration for the drug from name to physical transformation is obviously 🍆

- Nobles being so nonchalant about murder is kinda fucked up like yeah they suck but you can't just kill them??? Lukedonia my beloved your justice system sucks. I do hc they can't just do this in Lukedonia though or to other nobles even if outside of Lukedonia, it's just that the jurisdiction of nobles doesn't apply outside of Lukedonia and they do on some level think of themselves as a superior species so they're fine with just... killing people.

- Aris obsessing over handsome men as experiments and treating them like toys but ignoring women altogether? Not experimenting on women? Gaslight gatekeep girlboss,,, a feministe of our own,,, perhaps even a... lesbienne. But yeah I just love how she acts and I love her and how she interacts with Yuri. And yeah he's cool too.

- Tbh aside from how short the skirts are and the white blazers, the Ye Ran uniform really reminds me of my own school's uniform. The colours are exactly the same. We just didn't have blazers since it was a forever summer tropical country, only jumpers for if it got too cold in the air conditioned rooms. And for some people who grow up in tropical countries... 25°C can be too cold.

#noblesse #raining while reading #volume 2 done