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patchwork-crow-writes · 8 months

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Thoughts on Kris x Ralsei

This is so long I had to split it up into parts - this is Part 1, which looks into how the roles that Kris and Ralsei are given contributes to the idea of their romance. As more parts are written, they'll be linked below in this handy-dandy TOC!

Part 1: And They Lived Happily Ever After <- (You Are Here!) Part 1.5: I Believe Your Choices DO Matter Part 2: A Pair of Star-Cross'd Lovers Part 2.5: In Another World, We Could Have Been (Just) Friends

Okay, so.

Wanted to elaborate a bit on my viewpoint of this ship, because I don't think it's something I've ever really discussed before and I think it's actually a very interesting dynamic (or at least has the potential to be, depending on where the rest of Deltarune goes).

So, Kralsei is cute, isn't it? It's fun to hug the fluffy boy and watch him melt into incomprehensible stuttering and blushing. All the little signs he's really, really into Kris, all the cute little snippets of dialogue you can initiate with him, all the alone time they spend together, in both chapters... honestly, the game makes it hard not to root for this pairing.

And yeah, it's cute... in a very surface-level, don't-think-about-it-too-hard kind of way. But once you start thinking about it... hoo boy. There is. A LOT to unpack here. So much more is going on just under the surface, and once you see it, it's difficult to un-see it. And in my opinion, it makes the Kralsei dynamic so much more nuanced, more compelling, and potentially quite tragic.

Now, a disclaimer: it's fine to like this ship on a surface level. No real harm is being done, these are fictional characters and it doesn't matter what reason you enjoy it for - if it provides comfort to you and gets you through, then more power to you! This is more me sorting through my thoughts on the subject and is not a judgment on how others approach it. With that said, and in the spirit of full disclosure, this will go into slightly uncomfortable territory - picking apart the idea of destined love, the deconstruction of common romance tropes, how outside manipulation might play a part, and even the potentially incest-adjacent nature of the relationship. If you don't want to deal with any of that, you can stop reading right now, and that's okay. Please continue to enjoy Deltarune in the manner that is best for you, and thank you for your attention thus far :)

If you're still with me, then please click the read more and we'll get started.

Part 1: And They Lived Happily Ever After

The first thing you have to understand is that Deltarune is utterly determined to cram the notion of Kralsei down the player's throat. The game is not subtle about this in any way, shape or form. Everything from the narration, to the dialogue, to major game events, to item interactions, and even the roles that Kris and Ralsei play both in the story and the party, serves to reinforce the notion that these two are very likely to end up romantically involved with each other in some way.

Let's look at the characters first. Kris is portrayed as the noble knight - stoic, unwavering, courageous, a natural leader - clad in medieval-inspired plate armour and wielding a sword and shield. And Ralsei is the archetypal princess - demure, dainty, kindhearted, nurturing - who uses magic to heal his allies and pacify enemies.

I did not mistype there - Ralsei is a prince, but the characteristics associated with him are more commonly found amongst female healers in JRPGs. Think Fina from Skies of Arcadia, or Marle from Chrono Trigger (minus the temperment), and you might have an idea of what I'm on about.

Think of knights and princesses for a moment. Imagine St. George slaying the dragon to save a helpless damsel. Imagine Lancelot and Gwenevere. Robin Hood and Maid Marion. Link and Zelda. Squall and Rinoa. Every single fairy tale involving an imperilled princess and a knightly rescuer. For a more modern take, imagine The Bodyguard. Ness and Paula. I could go on, but then we'd be here all day.

Suffice it to say that there is a pretty entrenched tradition surrounding these archetypes - a male-coded, phsyically-adept, courageous, stoic, action-oriented figure, is paired with a female-coded, magically-adept (depending on the medium of course), less-physically-capable by comparison, emotional, and more passive foil. The (male-coded) knight protects and rescues, the (female-coded) princess nurtures and soothes.

It is a very, VERY emotionally-charged dynamic, by its very nature. Through their acts of service to their protectee, the Knight displays their devotion and care for the Princess, and is in turn emotionally-enriched and cared-for. There is a great deal of physical and emotional vulnerability between them, and it is therefore ideal for romance stories.

Look at Kris and Ralsei again, through this lens. Kris is immediately put into the role of Knight, and Ralsei quickly establishes himself as a classic Princess. Almost instantly, before you've even become aware of it, you've made the connection - they're going to fall in love, because that's what ALWAYS happens in these stories. Ralsei supports and encourages Kris, both in dialogue and in battle, and Kris...

...Kris, uh...

...they...

...hug Ralsei sometimes...?

...they... they give him a ribbon...?

...no, that can't be right.

But it is right, for two reasons. One, Kris doesn't have to do anything. The roles are already established, and Ralsei is playing his part like a pro. And two, Kris doesn't do any of those things in the first place - you do. It's the player who hugs Ralsei, who gives him the ribbon, who picks the dialogue options, who makes the connections. You're the Knight in this scenario, not Kris.

Because Kris doesn't get to make that choice. Kris has to do what you tell them to do. And many of us have already jumped to the conlusion that this romance is happening, becuase that's what always happens. The Knight and the Princess fall in love. They get married. They live happily ever after.

So we ship them, because hey, it's cute, and it's easy. I can't stress enough how easy the game makes this. I'm fairly convinced that Ralsei was designed by comittee, like the Funzo toy in that one episode of the Simpsons. Like he was created with the sole purpose of being the most disgustingly adorable, lovable, awkward little cinnamon bun that ever existed. Like he was created to generate the maximum emotional response in players. It's the cuteness response dialled up to 11, and we are almost hard-wired to want to protect this little bundle of fluff from any and all danger, because lookit how sweet and adorable he is! The glasses make his eyes look all big, his fluffiness is reminscent of that of baby animals, he stutters and fumbles his way through dialogue, and you just want to scoop him up and put him in your pocket or something.

And so, we're more than happy to fulfil the role of the Knight to Ralsei's Princess. Whether Kris actually wants to or not. Because it does become increasingly obvious that outside of our influence, Kris is still their own person, with their own goals and desires, but no real agency with which to pursue them. Would that we could know what they truly want, but we are never presented with an opportunity to find out.

The thing is, Kris is not particularly... knightly. They play pranks on their friends, they swipe sweet treats from their mother, they seem to enjoy getting a rise out of people, and particularly from Asriel, if the story about "dropping the lizard into the pit to jump higher" is any indication. They sleep through class, yet by Berdly's grudging admission they are the "third smartest in the class". The only reason they go to church is so they can drink the "sick fruit juice". They don't seem to have any issue with prank-calling their mom, while she's taking about them with their tutor, while they're standing just out of sight, while they're balancing a trash orb on their head.

Nothing about this behaviour screams "Knight." If anything, it would make more sense for Kris to have become a Rogue-type character upon entering the dark world. So the question remains - why is Kris forced into that role? And to what extent is the seemingly "fated" romance between Kris and Ralsei part of that role?

Folks, we have barely scratched the surface here. If I keep writing here this will become a novel, so I have to stop for everyone's sanity. But I will follow up soon, looking into the ideas of Purpose and Destiny and how they relate to Kralsei in-game. If you've stuck with me up to this point, let me just say thanks, because wow I wrote a lot here, and it's probably a bit rambly and says the same things two or three times, but I just. Had to get this onto the page in some way or another, so... here it is.

Thanks for reading, and see you in the next one :)

#essay #thoughts #rambling #deltarune #kris dreemurr #Ralsei #Kralsei #Krisei #shipping #romance #character archetypes #Knights and Princesses #long post #Part one of several #oh my god there's so much ground to go over here I didn't even know #and we're only TWO CHAPTERS in #no wonder I'm obsessed #theory

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look-how-they-massacred-them · 9 months

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Preliminary Poll

Steve Palchuk

Submission reason:

Steve was created as a narrative foil to Trollhunters main character Jim Lake and was a GENUINELY good character for the majority of the franchise, where he grew from a one dimensional bully archetype to a fleshed out ally to the main characters!! It all starts to go downhill in the sequel series Wizards where Steve's personality seems slightly regressed, the writers use him as the butt of a lot of jokes ect. but it's tolerable because the cast is slightly different to previous seasons and someone needs to fill the comedic relief role. At his core Steve was still the same character! I think it would be morally correct of me to give content warnings now: mpreg, general mentions of pregnancy and childbirth. Then the franchise swapped out nearly all of their original writers for the finale movie Rise of the Titans and every character got absolutely fucked over by it. Steve ended up entirely gutted of character motivation that had been built up in previous seasons (he wanted to become a knight and help in the fight to stop the Arcane Order) and became the victim of an mpreg "comedy" side plot. The writers made it so this teenage boy was pregnant with alien babies neither he or his partner consented to. He gives birth slightly off screen and it's a JOKE? Lots of throwaway gags about weird food cravings and stretch marks over the course of this few day long alien pregnancy. I genuinely cannot fathom what went on in the writers room for them to think this would he a funny B-plot to contrast against major character deaths and a race against the bad guys who want to explode the world. Feels disrespectful to any person who goes through the stress of carrying a child, and is just fucking weird to end Steve's character arc with. He doesn't even get to raise his kids after all this because the timeline gets reset - probably because the writers didn't want to deal with the REALITY of after someone has given birth. Worst possible character massacre I've ever witnessed.

ok so in Trollhunters, the first installment of Tales of Arcadia, he has a great character arc of going from an absolute asshat to someone who deeply and genuinely cares about his friends and who actively tries to unlearn his ideals of toxic masculinity. In the two following series, he devolves more and more into a joke character to be made fun of, and it all culminates in the final movie, Rise of the Titans, where he gets pregnant (not a joke. not an exaggeration. he is completely cis btw) and his entire character does nothing except play the butt of the joke over and over and over again. pretty much every character was fucked over in that movie, but like. him especially.

Propaganda:

I think I expressed most of my thoughts in the how he got massacred section. He did not deserve that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wfQmMxP_oE

#look how they massacred them poll #look how they massacred my boy #trollhunters #tales of arcadia #steve palchuk #trollhunters steve #toa steve #rise of the titans #tw mpreg #tw pregnancy

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lunamond · 6 months

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In light of my recent post about Acotar, I wanted to gush some about my favourite Beauty and Beast and Ballad of Tam Lin (and a sprinkle of Bluebeard) YA retelling.

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge ❤️

This is mostly going to be a gush fest and recommendation for anyone who was also excited by the idea of meshing Beauty and the Beast with Tam Lin and ended up utterly disappointed with Acotar.

Some very mild spoilers (mostly Worldbuilding)

Cruel Beauty is a fun and easy read: YA Fantasy Romance with plenty of popular tropes and archetypes, like the arranged marriage, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, etc

This book still manages to engage in such interesting ways with the original tales it's based on.

Instead of stealing the aesthetic of the Og fairytales and other folklore and mythology like in Acotar.

Any defining fae feature of Sjm's characters is immediately removed in the very beginning of Acotar (the lieing, the iron, etc), turning the characters in what amounts to hot magic people. Even their supposed long lifespans barely impact their behaviour or culture.

Cruel Beauty continuously builts on its roots, making them an intrinsic part of its narrative.

In Acotar outside of the very shallow narrative skeleton of the Beauty and the Beast tale, you could strip away the faerie and folklore elements, and you're left with the same story. The only changes you might need to make are to find a new name for Tamlin (while not that serious, I considered it quite offensive when I first read this series as a teenager that Sjm would take that name and then turn that character into an abuser).

In Cruel Beauty, however, both the defining elements of the Beauty and the Beast story and the Tam Lin story are crucial to the development and resolution of its plot.

The Beast of the story is cursed, as are the inhabitants of his castle. Nyx, our Beauty character, is offered in exchange for a mistake her father made. As she is unknowingly about to break the curse, the Beast lets her go back, but when she returns, it's too late to break the curse.

This is when the story morphes into the Ballad of Tam Lin, and Nyx has to win her lover back from the Faerie Queen in much the same manner as Janet did in the ballad, even saving him from a very similar fate.

The Bluebeard elements, which to me always seemed more like references than an actual retelling, are still really apparent and well integrated.

The representation of the fae is also great in this book. This is especially remarkable due to the fact that the actual words fae or faerie are never used once.

Instead, they are referred to as the Kindly Ones.

However, they are clearly trickster folk who make bargains with unwitting humans that always end up going wrong in cruel ways. They are fair, never directly lie, and always keep their end of the agreement. They place a lot of importance on names, are otherworldly, eerie, etc.

Basically, they actually seem Other, instead of talking and acting like frat bros from the 21st century.

This book differs from a lot of other Fae Fantasy, however, in the way it mixes Greco-Roman Myths with more Celtic Germanic Folklore. It creates a really fun interplay between these cultures, both in-world as well as on a meta level.

First of all, there are some other (in my opinion, more mediocre books) that do throw a lot of mythologies together. CB sets itself apart with the fact that it does so with a lot more purpose than others do.

In many people's minds, different cultures and mythos tend to be viewed as very separate. However, just looking at the Greek and Roman myths, it's already pretty clear that every time cultures clashed, so would their myths and stories.

This is a well studied phenomenon. The romans especially were well known to basically mash up their deities and myths with those of every new culture they interacted with.

And CB uses this brilliantly. The story is set in an alternate timeline, in which, after the fall of Rome, a kingdom known as Arcadia was created by former Roman generals/nobility. This mirrors actual history, during which many early medieval kingdoms would seek their legitimacy in their connections to the Roman Empire (see the Holy Roman Empire aka Germany).

But in CB, the fantastical elements are meshed up in this as well. This allows Rosamund Hodge to create an interesting interplay between the Greco-Roman Mythology imported by the elite in Arcadia and the more Celtic/Germanic Folklore elements native to the land and its population.

So, yeah. Go read Cruel Beauty, please.

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homomenhommes · 5 months

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THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more … November 21

1694 – Voltaire, French philosopher, born (d.1778); born François-Marie Arouet, better known by the nom de plume Voltaire, was a French Enlightenment writer, essayist, deist and philosopher known for his wit, philosophical sport, and defense of civil liberties, including freedom of religion and the right to a fair trial. He was an outspoken supporter of social reform despite strict censorship laws and harsh penalties for those who broke them. A satirical polemicist, he frequently made use of his works to criticize Christian dogma and the French institutions of his day.

The name "Voltaire," which he adopted in 1718 not only as a pen name but also in daily use, is an anagram of the Latinized spelling of his surname "Arouet" and the initial letters of the sobriquet "le jeune" ("the younger"): AROVET Le ieune. The name also echoes in reversed order the syllables of a familial château in the Poitou region: "Airvault".

In terms of religious texts, Voltaire was largely of the opinion that the Bible was: 1) an outdated legal and/or moral reference, 2) by and large a metaphor, but one that perhaps taught some good lessons, and 3) a work of Man, not a divine gift. These beliefs did not hinder his religious practice (It is a line from one of his poems that translates "If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him.") though it did gain him somewhat of a bad reputation in the Catholic Church. He is best known today for his novel, Candide.

Voltaire blew hot and cold on the subject of homosexuality. Although he is known to have sampled the delights of same-sex love on one occasion, he nonetheless admonished a friend who wanted to try it a second time, "Once, a philosopher," he proclaimed, "twice, a sodomite!"

He was locked in a love-hate relationship with Frederick the Great, with whom he spent agonizing, ecstatic years. In her biography of Voltaire, Nancy Mitford writes that "nobody who studies the life of Voltaire can doubt that he had homosexual tendencies, and one wonders whether his feelings for the king were not exacerbated by unrequited passion."

Whatever his personal reservations about homosexuality, the famous French writer was forthright in declaring that sodomy, "when not accompanied by violence, should not fall under the sway of criminal law, for it does not violate the rights of any man." We will never know why Voltaire once signed a letter to a male friend, "E vi baccio il catzo," which, politely translated means, "I kiss your rod."

1915 – James Gleeson (d.2008) was one of Australia's foremost artists. He was also a poet, critic, writer and curator. He played a significant role in the Australian art scene, including serving on the board of the National Gallery of Australia.

Gleeson's themes generally delved into the subconscious using literary, mythological or religious subject matter. He was particularly interested in Jung's archetypes of the collective unconscious.

During the 1950s and '60s he moved to a more symbolic perspective, notions of human perfectibility. At this time he increasingly fashioned small psychedelic compositions made using the surrealist technique of decalcomania in the background, to suggest a landscape, and finished by adding a fastidiously painted male nude in the foreground.

"Totems in Arcadia"

Many of his paintings had homoerotic undertones, something which reflected on Gleeson's own homosexuality. The ideas for these compositions also saw Gleeson move into collage with his Locus Solus series, where he produced a substantial body of work by placing dismembered photographs, magazine illustrations, diagrams and lines of visionary poetry against abstract pools of ink.

Since the 1970s Gleeson generally made large scale paintings in keeping with the surrealist Inscape genre. The works outwardly resemble rocky seascapes, although in detail the coastline's geological features are found to be made of giant molluscs and threatening crustaceans. In keeping with the Freudian principles of surrealism these grotesque, nightmarish compositions symbolise the inner workings of the human mind. Called 'Psychoscapes' by the artist. Gleeson's later works incorporate the human form less and less in its entirety, represented in his landscapes by suggestions, an arm, a hand or merely an eye.

Gleeson died in Sydney on 20 October 2008, aged 92, one year after his life partner Frank O'Keefe.

1940 – Keith Prentice (d.1992) was a Dayton, Ohio-born American TV, film and stage actor, whose most famous role was the part of Larry in both the original stage and film versions of The Boys in the Band. Prentice also appeared on the classic TV soap Dark Shadows during the series' final months in 1971. Until just several years ago, his picture was displayed on the Tasters Choice coffee label.

Prentice studied in New York City at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. His stage musical credits include Sail Away, The Sound of Music, Paint Your Wagon, and The King and I. In 1968, he appeared off-Broadway in the non-musical The Boys in the Band, a then controversial play featuring gay characters at a dramatic birthday party - the Summer before the Stonewall gay civil rights riots. He also appeared in the movie version of the play. In 1971 Keith joined the cast of Dark Shadows playing Morgan Collins. Prentice also appeared as Nils Fowler in the 1972 film The Legend of Nigger Charley and had a small role in the 1980 film Cruising which, like Boys in the Band, was directed by William Friedkin.

In 1982 Keith Prentice co-founded Kettering Theatre Under The Stars, and directed summer shows there until the year of his death. He died of AIDS-related cancer on September 27, 1992 in Kettering, Ohio

1963 – The playwright, director and founder of Tectonic Theater Project, Moisés Kaufman, was born on this date. He is the author of Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, 33 Variations and is perhaps best known for writing The Laramie Project with other members of Tectonic Theater Project. He was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela and moved to New York City in 1987. He made his Broadway directing debut in the 2004 production of I Am My Own Wife by Doug Wright, for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Direction of a Play. Mr. Kaufman is a Guggenheim Fellow.

Kaufman is of Romanian and Ukrainian Jewish descent. He described himself in an interview as "I am Venezuelan, I am Jewish, I am gay, I live in New York. I am the sum of all my cultures. I couldn't write anything that didn't incorporate all that I am."

1967 – Amanda Lepore is a transgender American model, singer, and performance artist. A former Club Kid, she has appeared in advertising for numerous companies. Lepore is noted as a regular subject in photographer David LaChapelle's work, serving as his muse, as well as many other photographers, such as Terry Richardson and Ruben van Schalm. She participated in LaChapelle's Artists and Prostitutes 1985–2005 exhibit in New York City, where she "lived" in a voyeuristic life-sized set.

Lepore has released several singles, many written by and/or recorded with Cazwell. In 2011, she released her debut studio album, I...Amanda Lepore, on Peace Bisquit.

Amanda grew up in the Essex County community of Cedar Grove, New Jersey, with one sibling, an older brother. Her father was an Italian-American chemical engineer, and her mother was a German-American housewife. Her mother had schizophrenia and spent much time in mental institutions.

Lepore later wrote that "Ever since I can first remember, I knew I was a girl. I couldn't understand why my parents were dressing me up in boys' clothing. I thought they were insane."

In her early teens, Lepore began making costumes for a transgender friend in exchange for female hormones. Having already grown isolated from her peers and schooling, her parents withdrew her from public school and hired a private tutor. They also took her to a psychologist, who helped her obtain a prescription to begin hormone therapy.

At the age of 17, and through a legal loophole, Lepore married a male bookstore owner. She was granted permission for gender affirmation surgery, which she had at age 19 in Yonkers, New York. Lepore later left her husband. In 1989, she relocated to New York City.

In the early 1990s, Lepore tried to establish herself as a nightlife figure (including being a member of the Club Kids). She supported herself by working in a nail salon, as a dominatrix, and later as a cosmetics salesgirl for Patricia Field. After meeting photographer David LaChapelle one evening while hosting at Bowery Bar, she began collaborating with him.

1981 – Sergeant Charles Cochrane, a 14 year veteran of the NYPD, created shock waves by testifying before a New York City Council hearing in favor of a gay rights bill. Following on the testimony of a Patrolmen's Benevolent Association Vice President who denounced the bill, and declared he didn't know of any homosexual police officers, Cochrane stunned those present by announcing, "I am very proud of being a New York City Police Officer, and I am equally proud of being gay."

Cochrane's public testimony lent significantly toward the official formation of the Gay Officers Action League, Inc., aka G.O.A.L. - NY, which became the first official police fraternal society in the world to represent LGBT professionals within the criminal justice system. Since that time, similar organizations for LGBT Law Enforcement Officers, Criminal Justice professionals as well as Firefighters and EMS personnel have been established around the world.

1983 – Blake McGrath is a Canadian professional dancer, pop singer and choreographer. He was known for being on the first season of So You Think You Can Dance in 2005, and on the MTV reality dance show, DanceLife. He has also developed a solo singing career with a debut album Time to Move in 2010.

McGrath was born in Mississauga, Ontario.

His early television appearances include: Choices of the Heart: The Margaret Sanger Story (1997) playing Stuart Sanger, and the TV show recreation of Goosebumps book "Stay Out of the Basement". He played the brother Casey.

In 2015, McGrath was chosen to perform on Michael Jackson's thirtieth anniversary special. In 2006, he performed alongside Paulina Rubio at the 2004 Latin Grammy Awards. Also in 2006 he had an appearance in the documentary Freestyle (with Brian Friedman). He has appeared in Gap campaigns (with Sarah Jessica Parker), and in advertisements for iPod, Jc Penny (which he also choreographed), and Hummer.

He has danced with stars such as Madonna, Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue, Janet Jackson, Adam Lambert, Ashanti, Destiny's Child, Katy Perry, Craig David, Jewel.

In addition to his appearances on television shows, McGrath has also appeared in the films Butterbox Babies, Life With Mikey, Chicago, and Rent. He was also featured as a dancer in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody in the episode Commercial Breaks. He was a waiter. He studied at both Tiffany Dance Academy in Hamilton Ontario and Joanne Chapman School of Dance in Brampton, Ontario.

He is owner of VIP Dance Events which tours major cities throughout Canada. He also appeared on the magazine cover of Hotshoes and appeared in Dance Spirit Magazine December 2006 issue. Lastly, he appeared on the 9/10/13 episode of Dance Moms as a guest choreographer. He is the lead choreographer for the audition cities and alternating third judge on So You Think You Can Dance Canada.

He is bisexual. "I've been attracted to men and attracted to women," he told Canada's gay mag Fab. "My feelings change all the time. One day I can feel like I'm gay, another day like I'm straight. But I'm not just one or the other, I'm Blake McGrath and I'm attracted to somebody on the inside.

2006 – Israel's Supreme Count recognizes international same-sex marriages.

Today's Gay Wisdom:

Quotes from Voltaire:

A witty saying proves nothing.

All murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.

Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices.

Anything that is too stupid to be spoken is sung.

Behind every successful man stands a surprised mother-in-law.

Better is the enemy of good.

Common sense is not so common.

Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her: but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game.

Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do.

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typekiku · 4 months

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TSUKIHIME FASHION REVIEW!

Ok y’all i may be new here but im glad to introduce my _fashion review_!!!

Yes you read that right your beloved arcadia shall break down the single greatest visual novel known to mankind and review the drip contained within its sacred uhh program ig

Lets get right to it with our very own lunar legend ARCUEID

Arcueid Brunestud

The icon, the goddess, the brain of the planet, and my very own wife (don’t correct me please) Arcueid Brunestud has a umm unique fashion taste…

Her OG version is certainly a drip of all times.. im not the biggest fan but hey who am i to argue with my wife (again dont correct me here)? the granny skirt is well… its a skirt!! and she has a white shirt too!!! What is this; the 50s?

On the other hand, i love her hair and will fight anyone who says different. In fact, her hair here is better then it is in the remake and thats a fact because i said so and my opinion is objectively correct.

I kneel before her. I can see why roa fell in love with her here. Her long hair… beautiful blue dress that simply demands your love and devotion to the princess of the true ancestors.

In other words, Peak. Kino. Fire. Gorgeous. Other words.

Archetype earth moves me on a different level. Her design is the best in the game! Well i mean she didnt actually appear in tsukihime itself afaik (or can remember actually) she did appear in Kagetsu Tohya and that was nice.

This is Arcueid at her best looking and i wont accept any different opinion because again only MY opinion matters here!!

On a side note, damn you altrouge for cutting arcueids hair. Damn you a million times i hope nasu NEVER puts you in the story (im lying pls type moon put her in the story)

This is the airhead that we know and love. This design suits that image of her more then og. While im not a complete fan i find this arc to be terribly cute and my wife (dont correct me on this matter)

The boots and leggings are perfection itself and while i dont like the mini skirt much it still works.

I do wonder tho what is that necklace supposed to mean. DAMN IT NASU TELL US… sorry i know itll be explained in red garden coming out in 2024 in the true arc route.

Overall i give arcueid an arcueid /10 (not biased) and recognize her as peak fiction and the love of my life

Ok this is it for me soon ill post a shiki drip review. If you see this feel free to suggest… stuff idk im new to tumblr. Like or blaze or whatever it is. Honestly, how does this even work anyways?

#tsukihime #type moon #arcueid brunestud #inlovewitharcueid #seriouslyiam #kagetsu tohya #melty blood #nasuverse

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raayllum · 1 year

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I’m not sure if you’ve seen anyone comment about how “similar” tdp is to ATLA or even people going far as to claim that tdp is a “ripoff” esp with the Soren, Claudia, Viren arcs in comparison to Zuko, Azula, Ozai. I personally find Soren more similar in characterization (though not entirely the same) to Steve Palchuck from the Trollhunters/Tales of Arcadia series (not sure if you watched or not) and if any character comes to mind about being similar to Zuko, it’s definitely Hunter from the Owl House in terms of characterization and arcs. Idk if you’ve done a meta about this before but I love reading your thoughts (if you’re interested ofc).

So I have done a couple of metas on ATLA x TDP, mostly noting the thematic similarities between them (bloodbending and dark magic, pre-S4's puppeteering too lol!) and between Rayllum and Kataang as developing relationships. Meta comparing "Thunderfall" and "The Southern Raiders" here, meta talking about Kataang and Rayllum (s1-s2 as it was written pre-s3) here.

Also a more opinion based piece on why I could get behind Rayllum but have never really been a romantic Zutara fan (I see them far more as narrative siblings, which is still one of my favourite metas I have ever done)

I am a big Trollhunters fan (reblog more about it on main @thethiefandtheairbender and various other cartoons like SU, HTTYD, OTGW, Infinity Train, etc) and I adore Steve, but I don't think I'd really compare Soren to him, simply because while I love Steve and his development, Soren's development is undeniably deeper and more pyschological, I think.

That said the ATLA character that reminds me the most of Soren is Sokka. Goofy, prone to joking regardless of if the situation calls for it ( "Mind if I watch you two jerks do your jerk bending?") just to get a rise out of people, lmao, sometimes overly confident or reliant on their battle prowess, and desperate to prove themselves to their fathers. Sokka's attitude particularly in early book 1 reminds me of Soren's in s1, as well as their more skeptic attitude and relationships with their more magically inclined younger sisters

For Callum, he reminds me the most of Katara and Mai (again, true before S4, but interesting to see how much he shut down the way Mai largely did due to her family relationship, so again, kinda fun that worked out). Caring sibling, fast and harsh temper, strong in magic but untrained, artistic and precise (hi Mai), ride or die for their loved ones above all else, even above morals. For Rayla, she's basically running parallel arcs to Zuko and Aang in a lot of ways: grumpy, banished, immediately protects the sibling duo she encounters, facial markings, guilt complex galore (hi Aang). Rayllum is a good blend of all their personalities tbh

For Claudia, she reminds the most of Azula, and Katara, and Zuko, due to her loyalty to her father, willingness to do anything for her family, and being marked by the same sort of dual visual storytelling that Zuko's scar had.

And Hunter from the Owl House was definitely one of my faves! I think he falls into a category a lot of more modern day redemptions do, though, in terms of not letting their character actually be messy enough for long enough that it feels like maybe redemption isn't in the cards (hi Claudia my beloved, you excellent subversion sweetie). Or they go too far and don't give enough reason for a character to effectively redeem themselves (eyes SPOP with a long sigh). And just to clarify, I do think Claudia will have a redemption arc, but I appreciate how we're going about it thus far.

It's funny bc in some ways while Zuko has never been my favourite archetype (particularly for male characters), my protagonist in my og work is a bit like him: lost, angry, easily resentful, and she's my baby.

I think I'm just kinda over arcs of "Oh my father figure is Bad / imperialism is bad"? Because 1) Zuko did it so well and 2) I wanna see stories that go beyond those things or do new things with those concepts (please no more "rich white lesbian girl with a mean family" arcs I am. so tired). I think that's why I like TDP so much, because dark magic thematically and its explorations of self destructive behaviour add a lot of layers and interesting aspects to all the dynamics that I don't see most other media for this age demographic kinda taking advantage of, tbh

#thanks for asking #arcadianmoonshadowjedi #atla #child me saw aang went 'ok cool role model for life' and have never regretted it since #like he is My Boy. for 14+ years now. chugging that respect aang juice all day

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inkblackorchid · 9 months

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10, 17, 22, 23 and 30 for the Yugioh ask meme!! Sorry if that’s a lot of questions 😅

Don’t worry about asking more than one thing, haha, glad you’re curious!

10. Favourite Duel Monster

Ohhh, this one’s a bit tough. I like the signer dragons in general a lot (especially Stardust and Black Rose) but I also have a monster from a completely different archetype I like a lot… I think Black Rose Dragon wins that race, though. Great design, great effect, great anime appearances. What’s not to love?

17. Have you ever cried over YGO and why?

I cry literally every time I watch the 5Ds ending. It’s a good ending but it also kind of hurts me in a way, so yeah, guaranteed tears. (I’m already scared of reaching that point in my current rewatch.) Aki’s backstory (especially the scene where her dad fails to show up for her birthday) also nearly makes me cry every time.

22. Least favourite character

Divine/Sayer, no competition. (Pretend to be surprised.) When this guy walks on screen, I get an urge to punch something.

23. NOTP

There are two that are tied for this position, for wildly different reasons. First one might be obvious: Divine/Aki (it’s called Psychicshipping, I think?) Firstly, I headcanon him as way too old for her (and the whole thing would seem predatory to me even if he were only in his twenties) and secondly, he’s a manipulative slimeball and the idea of there being anything romantic between them icks me out. The second one, and I know some people might not vibe with that, is Starshipping. Not because I have a visceral hatred for it (or for people who ship it, for that matter), I just… can’t see it. I know a lot of cute art for the ship (and don’t have the tag blocked for that reason), but every time I see it, you can imagine a bunch of question marks appearing above my head like in a cartoon. I know these two interact in canon and get along, I know there’s the runner thing (and hell, I’ve personally shipped people based on less in other media, so I get it) but somehow this just doesn’t click for me at all. *shrugs*

30. Favorite episode

Hmm. Another toughie. I have a lot of episodes (especially in 5Ds) that I adore. I think my favourite might either be the episode where dark signer!Carly and Misty trash the Arcadia building (the way I cheer every time Divine gets his ass handed back to him….) or the episode where Aki learns to turbo duel.

#yugioh 5ds #ask the orchid #as expected this turned out to be all 5Ds lmao #thanks for the ask!#I realise I’m risking stepping on shippers’ toes here #but tbf that is the honest answer #ask memes

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satoshi-mochida · 6 months

Text

Archetype Arcadia releases today for the PS4, PS5, Switch and Steam.

#Archetype Arcadia #Kemco #PQube #visual novel #PS4 #PS5 #Nintendo Switch #Steam

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arcadiargh · 1 year

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Why did everyone look exactly the same, just dressed different? Just finished Zero, struggling with Arcadia I Barely Know Thee or whatever. Sorry I can't remember the exact name RN😒

because matsumoto-sensei knew what he was about: make 3 to 4 archetypical character designs you like to draw and keep on using them forever.........and make everyone else a kidney bean

he didn't work harder, he worked smarter

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leecherish · 8 months

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1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 for the revstar ask <3333333333

kissing u kissing u kissing u kissing you kissing you k /p

1. what character do you relate to most / least?

most relatable: mahiru & junna & tamao (most accurate to my overall personality), koharu & maya (perfectionist & crushed by expectations bracket)

least relatable (doesn't mean i don't like them): kaoruko, mei fan, ichie, suzu, hikari

2. what is your favorite quote from any part of revue starlight (anime, game, stageplays, movie, 4koma, credit card, etc.)?

i answered this before but here is another one, this time from arcana arcadia:

"This world is a stage. Even the king is a player. Our lives could very well just be another play written by someone. How our lives will end has already been decided. Nothing unexpected ever happens."

4. what is your favorite revue starlight-related headcanon?

i'm not really a headcanon guy, i just perceive characters and understand them. but i do have the headcanon that mahiru saw revolutionary girl utena as a child and it changed her brain chemistry

5. what is your favorite revue song?

HOH-

anime: starlight (the most violins you will ever hear in your life)

movie: we are already on the stage

starira: eternity is dying and living

character song: koi wa taiyou circus

stage play: saikai aizu (even if you don't care abt revstar and you're just seeing this on your dash in passing you NEED to watch this. im serious. in this scene the 9 main characters are fighting their dark sides so that means they had do choreograph the stage fight of 18 actresses at once and holy fuck watch how they can sing while doing all that dancing and fighting at the same time. im serious the revstar stageplays are insane)

youtube

i just realized this might mean revue as in the songs that play DURING revues but idc you get all of this.

7. what is one thing you wish could have been handled differently storywise?

i talked a lot about this in previous answers so i'll just say that i wish seiran was more involved with the big events in starira recently. i know they are stageplay characters first and everything else second but they are so dear to me and the only way to learn more about them is basically watching the stage plays and it saddens me bc not many people do that

11. what character or scene would you want to see animated?

the entirety of arcana arcadia

no but i'm serious. arcana arcadia (the play). like just the play itself. it would be so so so so so cool... act 6 especially...

12. what character(s) do you wish you knew more about/had a better read on?

Frontier :( but also i need to catch up with siegfeld junior high but in my defense a lot of what is standing in my way is the language barrier

13. how did you get into revue starlight? how long did it take you to get into the game after watching revue starlight (if you did)?

answered!

14. if you had to pitch revue starlight to someone, how would you do it?

answered but let's try a less vague one:

i think you could recommend revstar to anyone who likes magical girl shows and idol anime, since it has some things in common with both while being its own unique, never-done-before thing and that's what makes it so thrilling to experience. revstar's director, tomohiro furukawa has worked under kunihiko ikuhara (director of revolutionary girl utena) on titles such as yuri kuma arashi and mawaru penguindrum and you can definitely see the effects of that, but at the same time, toppy-san's surrealism has its own flavor that is distinct of ikuni's.

revstar loves taking character archetypes and dynamics you are used to seeing in other anime and then it kicks them around for fun. the main pair seems like a common sun/moon dynamic but the more you learn about them the more you realize that could not be further from the truth. it's so so fun to dig deeper into all those characters by rewatching the anime and seeing all the details you missed the first time around, understanding character motivations you didn't. all the insert songs in the anime are incredibly well-composed with a lot of love behind them (case and point - revue starlight unlimited movie music budget), and they expand on the character singing it flawlessly.

the tv anime was on a really tight budget to the point that for the few last episodes they literally had to hire people from overseas to help them finish it but the end result is truly a labor of love that comforts me every time i watch it. it also wouldn't be an overexagerration to say it fundamentally changed my life. it's just good. oh and its also yuri. okay i'm done rambling

15. what do you like about revue starlight?

basically everything i just rambled about sdsgdsgh but uhh yeah. EVERYTHING. the story, the messages, the music, the animation of the stage fights, the characters, the visuals and symbolism, how much it contributed to my overall knowledge about theater and theater history, how it made me interested in other "classics" (totally did not watch rose of versailles after starira did the collab), how it made me appreciate my own creative expressions, how it made me appreciate hard work and effort and striving for more, but also how it comforts me when i fall and tells me to stand back up. i love how varied the franchise is with its anime, manga (which i'm still yet to read *sweats*), video game, stage plays, reader's theaters and so on. there is clearly so much love poured into it from both the creators and the actresses themselves and it just makes me glow every time i engage with anything revstar-related.

except relive gameplay <3 i hope i can get myself to uninstall soon. but the story IS amazing and should be experienced by everyone and you can do that without actually downloading relive onto your mobile devices!!! yay!!!

#revstar #AAAAAAAAA thank you for enabling me. sorry it got this long. i love u #answered

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fantasyforbeginners · 2 years

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Just wondering, you don't have to answer if you don't want to <333

What are your favorite character dynamics in books and movies? Or character tropes, either limited to one character or affecting character interactions?

Oh I have been waiting my whole life for this question, thank you so much! As always tropes depend equally upon execution (we've all seen them poorly done or read/watched something we Should like, by all means, that just didn't click with us) but here are some of my favourite dynamics / character archetypes w/ recommendations

Dynamics

Platonic Power of Love / Platonic soulmates. Please see: How to Train Your Dragon, Crazy Ex Girlfriend, Loveless by Alice Oseman

Ties into found family, that is my #1. Bio siblings who also choose each other, unconventional extended family dynamics, workplace families, misfit families, just all the found families. Give it to me, every time. Please see: every recommendation on this list, Ducktales (2017), Six of Crows duology, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Grump X Sunshine but like in the specific "Grump has abandonment issues, Sunshine is like a golden retriever or paragon that helps them believe in life again, and the Grump's eventual opening up helps reaffirm / reward Sunshine's belief in people" way. Please see: The Dragon Prince, Inside Job

Mid-20s something who is too young to be a parental figure to the scrappy pre-teen kid they just found but someone's gotta parent the child, they Guess. Please see: vaguely Crazy Ex Girlfriend

Opposite but related trope of Adult trying to protect and raise their Chosen One child, trying to cope with the reality that they can't protect their child and that the kid ultimately belongs to the world. See: Aang and Monk Gyatso from Avatar: The Last Airbender, Christianity (hi Jesus and Mary)

Friends to Lovers. Even if they're enemies, there's gotta be a strong friendship stage / component, or I'm rarely gonna be entirely convinced. (But I'm also on the aromantic spectrum, so that defs influences me). Please see: Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Dragon Prince, Heartstopper

Villains / antagonists who are competing against one another or are reluctantly working together. I love the instability, the way it can make one villain work with the heroes, the snideness and differing goals. It's so good. Please see: Trollhunters (Tales of Arcadia on Netflix), Spider Riders (2006)

Platonic or Romantic "I was just going through the motions of my life until you woke me up and changed Everything," I love that transformative shit. Please see: The Dragon Prince, Infinity Train (s2)

Basically just "There are people you haven't met yet who will love you" every time. Please see: The Good Place

Foil sibling relationships, and if it's also intergenerational? Chef's kiss. Please see: Gravity Falls, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Dragon

Slightly more serious older girl and more carefree younger boy. He helps her to lighten up and let loose, she helps him mature. Also angry girl and soft boy. See: every ship I have almost loved, Infinity Train, The Dragon Prince, Peter Pan 2: Return to Neverland (aka where my ideals for love came from when I was five, feminist girlboss movie of my childhood)

Love of any kind transcending death and time, Please see: How To Train Your Dragon franchise, Titanic (1997), Julie and the Phantoms

Loyal dutiful Knight / Lady or royal dynamic. Please see: The Legend of Zelda games

On that note, co-leader character dynamics. They have the same goal and uniquely mirror each other's devotion and drive, they're willing to put duty and share that maturity with each other? Eat that shit up every time. Please see: Shiro and Allura from Voltron if the show hadn't ended up being terrible, The Dragon Prince, Julie and the Phantoms, Roy and Riza from FMA (which I still need to watch)

If there is a big possibly scary creature and they have a tiny human and they love each other, I will fall for that friendship every time. Please see: How To Train Your Dragon, Transformers: Prime

Basically please watch The Dragon Prince if you haven't already, it's everything I've ever wanted or needed in a show.

Character Archetypes

So much of this just comes down to "Selfless leader burdened by duty and responsiblity" just with variations so keep that in mind

Older character haunted by memory / knowledge, knowing they are an unfitting protector to the new younger generation who needs them, re: The Giver by Lois Lowry

Team leader who feels like it's their responsibility to take care of everyone else whether or not that's actually plausible / the case, re: Rayla in The Dragon Prince

Paragons in general, re: Optimus Prime, Aang, Ezran

Strategist leader who is smart as all helll, if a little (or a lot) ruthless, re: Kaz Brekker from Six of Crows

Moses archetype who returns to liberate people from physical or emotional servitude / abuse, re: The Prince of Egypt, what Finn from Star Wars could've been

Character who's a little egotistical and a tad dim, but they really care about / will protect their family and comes through when it matters, re: Alvin from Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman, it was foundational for me; also Louie and/or Dewey from Ducktales (2017)

Driven angry girl with goals who will do anything to achieve them so long as it doesn't mean diminishing herself, re: Jane from Peter Pan 2 was my blueprint, Reagan from Inside Job, MT from Infinity Train

Just any woman with goals (and a man who supports those goals), re: Grace and Simon from Infinity Train until it got fucked up in the best way

Female tough girls and bullies with a softer side, a la Clarisse La Rue from Percy Jackson (not Amity from Owl House)

Exiled / outcast character with a massive guilt complex, re: Aang from ATLA, Rayla from The Dragon Prince

Nurturing characters with fierce tempers, re: Callum from the Dragon Prince

Chosen ones. I know it's cliche and I do not care, that shit can be compelling as hell. Honourable mention to: main character is trying to protect the chosen one (a sibling or friend), or there are multiple chosen ones running around

If they're a really good older sibling I'm probably sold, re: The Dragon Prince, Over the Garden Wall

Soft spot for gentle giants and lancers who can call the protag out on their shit while also knowing when to support them, re: Cyborg from Teen Titans

Grandmothers who have no time for anyone's shit

Women getting to have more 'masculine' roles unquestionably, men being satisfied in more 'feminine' child caring roles, re: The Dragon Prince

Revolutionaries, misfits, anyone rebelling against a system or two with a splash of solidarity as a bonus, again, most of the things on this list. (Milton's Paradise Lost is so fun)

Heroes and Villains who have actual similar personalities and flaws and it's not a superficial "we're not so different," re: Luke and Percy from Percy Jackson

Also that thing fantasy does where like, all the different groups and peoples will pitch in and come together for a common cause, it's so good and I will go for that shit every time. Truly one of my favourite tropes for all time

This might be more general than like, specifics (i.e. characters tending to each other's wounds) and I could honestly do a list like this all about like, Themes I love the shit out of, since I write from Theme first in a lot of ways and character second, but I hope you enjoyed my very specific list!

#thanks for asking #dragons rambles #tropes #archetypes #dynamics #annarts05 #recommendations

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look-how-they-massacred-them · 11 months

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Are there any big rants about characters you know little to nothing about that interested you?

Steve Palchuks from Trollhunters/Tales of Arcadia, I'd say. Two people submitted him.

This is a show primarily for younger audiences, right? Why does it have mpreg??

"ok so in Trollhunters, the first installment of Tales of Arcadia, he has a great character arc of going from an absolute asshat to someone who deeply and genuinely cares about his friends and who actively tries to unlearn his ideals of toxic masculinity. In the two following series, he devolves more and more into a joke character to be made fun of, and it all culminates in the final movie, Rise of the Titans, where he gets pregnant (not a joke. not an exaggeration. he is completely cis btw) and his entire character does nothing except play the butt of the joke over and over and over again. pretty much every character was fucked over in that movie, but like. him especially."

"Steve was created as a narrative foil to Trollhunters main character Jim Lake and was a GENUINELY good character for the majority of the franchise, where he grew from a one dimensional bully archetype to a fleshed out ally to the main characters!! It all starts to go downhill in the sequel series Wizards where Steve's personality seems slightly regressed, the writers use him as the butt of a lot of jokes ect. but it's tolerable because the cast is slightly different to previous seasons and someone needs to fill the comedic relief role. At his core Steve was still the same character!

I think it would be morally correct of me to give content warnings now: mpreg, general mentions of pregnancy and childbirth.

Then the franchise swapped out nearly all of their original writers for the finale movie Rise of the Titans and every character got absolutely fucked over by it. Steve ended up entirely gutted of character motivation that had been built up in previous seasons (he wanted to become a knight and help in the fight to stop the Arcane Order) and became the victim of an mpreg "comedy" side plot. The writers made it so this teenage boy was pregnant with alien babies neither he or his partner consented to. He gives birth slightly off screen and it's a JOKE? Lots of throwaway gags about weird food cravings and stretch marks over the course of this few day long alien pregnancy. I genuinely cannot fathom what went on in the writers room for them to think this would he a funny B-plot to contrast against major character deaths and a race against the bad guys who want to explode the world. Feels disrespectful to any person who goes through the stress of carrying a child, and is just fucking weird to end Steve's character arc with. He doesn't even get to raise his kids after all this because the timeline gets reset - probably because the writers didn't want to deal with the REALITY of after someone has given birth. Worst possible character massacre I've ever witnessed."

#tw mpreg #trollhunters #steve palchuk

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