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quidfree · 4 years

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sirius being "The best-looking, most rebellious, most dangerous of the four marauders"? I'm not as attached to sirius as some of the other characters i think bcuz we didnt know him as well but i definitely think he's one of the most intriguing characters 2 of 2

yeah that’s totally fair! sirius is such an iconic hp character even to the gp (i think mainly bc we’re introduced to him in such a wild way and then his death comes as a massive shock) but he’s not actually featured in the books all that much- poa is “his” book but we only meet him in like the very last moments of it and we spent most of it thinking he was a crazy murderous death eater, and then we mostly see him again in ootp, wherein he’s depressed and frustrated and then dies pointlessly.

what we see of him is so intriguing to me precisely because every glimpse of sirius we get is of a ghost of a man, in a sense- everything about him relates to death and decay. he matters to the plot and to harry because of his connection to harry’s parents, who are dead; he’s spent a decade rotting in prison amongst the dying and the dead inside because of their deaths; he’s our proper introduction to the crumbling institution of pureblood wizards, trapped in an old empty house full of portraits of dead people with outdated views; his death is the first time harry loses someone who matters to him (and a parent figure at that). sirius, more than any other character, is trapped in the past- between james and lily’s murders and azkaban, he’s always written so the audience knows a massive part of him has died a long time ago. and yet at least imo he’s so different from a lot of characters like that- ofc he’s bitter and jaded and traumatised, but instead of being sad and apathetic and tragic, jkr makes sirius, well, cool- to harry and to us. he’s obviously very smart, and brave, and kind of an all round badass (he broke out of azkaban! he has a motorbike!) who talks to harry like an adult, knows a lot (and is willing to divulge a lot) about the order and death eaters, and has a sharp tongue & no fucks left to give. he’s also obviously a very flawed character- he makes little attempt to hide this, and narratively some of his “cool” traits are in fact his flaws- his recklessness, for one, and his stubborn pride, for another. sirius butts heads with an impressive roster of characters for someone with so little screen-time. to me all of this always begged the question: if this is sirius now, what was sirius like in his prime?

we kind of get some answers in the flashback scenes, obv (i will never forgive the movies for cutting those in DH)- sirius is, well, pretty much old sirius amplified by a thousand; low on angst and high on life. i love that the first things harry tells us about him are that 1/ he’s very hot and 2/ he could not be less interested in the people fawning over him because 3/ he only has eyes for james. in a sense what flashbacks give back to sirius is just james- what we have is sirius without james, hence the haunting. and suddenly all of sirius makes sense, i think- we know what he’s missing, and why he’s missing it. ofc we see all of the flashbacks from snape’s POV, which makes it all more negative and antagonistic, but it makes sense for young sirius to have been a cocky, permanently bored semi-asshole too charming to get in anyone’s bad books for long, clever and quick with his words and crueller than he needs to be. we see hints of that in him later, and we know the context.

so, to get back to the quote: the most rebellious, the most handsome and the most dangerous of the marauders? canon says yes. (he’s probably up there for most rebellious/most handsom/most generous chara in general, actually, with the disclaimer of some of the big bads in terms of danger, ofc.) sirius is a rebel both in attitude (leather jackets, motorbikes, sticking muggle posters all over his room to make a point) and in conviction (unlearning his family’s bigotry, spending his whole life fighting an oppressive movement); he’s also one of the characters jkr-via-harry spends the most time telling us is attractive, and as for dangerousness, well. sirius is dangerous, and he’s an interesting dangerous, because he teeters between acceptable canon dangerous (he’s a highly skilled duelist, he violently hates death eaters, and if he puts his mind to something he will accomplish it no matter the obstacle) and a more uncomfortable dangerousness, which both adults like molly or dumbledore and students like hermione take issue with (he feels little pity for anyone he considers in the wrong, cruelty comes easily to him, and if you cross him his vengeance borders on unhinged).

i think the quote kind of sums up why my nine-year old self was so drawn to sirius- he was a character that harry loved and looked up to tremendously, and he was so different from the kind of hero adult figures i’d seen before, always with a darkness to him, and cool in a way the other adults weren’t. since then, though, it’s the other things that have kept sirius near and dear to my heart- all the complex contradictions of his character, all the important things he teaches harry, the duality between the familial roots and traits he can’t shake off and his innate drive to do good and to make right. i’ve said so before, but the fact he’s the character that tells harry things like "we’ve all got both light and dark inside us. what matters is the part we choose to act on. that’s who we really are”, or “if you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals” is incredible to me. not only are they some of the core messages of the books, but they display such a worldly widsom, on behalf of a character you wouldn’t initially expect to have any such deep dumbledore-esque statements to make, which adds so much depth and nuance to sirius. the striking thing is that sirius is the one to tell harry (and us) these things, but they are battles he himself struggles with tremendously- he lives his life in black and white while thinking in grey, so to speak. it’s that kind of thing that has kept me coming back to sirius and will keep him close to my heart so long as i live- he feels so very human, both a walking greek tragedy and a cool uncle. not to mention he has the best roast of all seven books.

i could go on about sirius endlessly, especially sirius and james, because their relationship is such an interesting study of both their personalities while feeding into their personalities at the same time, but i think i’ve covered your question, so i’ll leave it at that for now, haha.

#qui repond #qui ecrit #sirius black #character study #harry potter #reply

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stvlti · 4 years

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10 female characters tag

@timothydraike tagged me to post 10 favourite female characters from 10 different fandoms and then tag 10 people, but honestly this list isn't gonna be too different from my 10 fave characters list cause most of them are women anyway 😂 😂 but here you go:

Nausicäa // Nausicäa of the Valley of the Wind, Studio Ghibli

I didn't explain it last time, but I feel like she is the prototype for all the Ghibli girl heroines, free and autonomous, except she's a young woman who knows exactly what she believes in and wants to do. She's a warrior princess who believes in peace and kindness rather than war; she listens to mother nature and tends to her garden as deftly as she handles her glider jet; she's a born leader who puts her subjects' wellbeing before her own immediate safety. This gif here shows the moment she took of her own gas mask to boost morale while they're crashing into a toxic wasteland. I don't think I've seen many representations of female leadership as compelling and utterly human as hers was before or after this film debuted in popular media.

Harley Quinn // DCU

She's a bundle of contradictions but it's in that I find a female antivillain/antihero that feels real. Her stocky build and bit of chub in the tummy area? Real. Her slobbish habits and love for nasty junk food? Real. Her all encompassing empathy for animal welfare? Real. Disregarding the artists that draw her with too big boobs, she's so ordinary in her appearance and habits that it actually feels like she's the kind of girl that media often overlooks. She's like the manic pixie dream girl but rounded out with relatable human traits.

Tsunemori Akane // Psycho-Pass

I related to her when I was 20 (exactly her age at the start of the series) because I was at a crossroads in life, just as she was. I was searching for my calling, just as she was trying to understand her purpose and place in society. And at that point in my life, I could appreciate the duality between abiding by the system (legal reformation) and questioning the system (dipping into revolutionary ideas). I can't see myself relating to a cop anymore now obviously, but she's a rather unique figure that I still think about.

Ava // Ex Machina (2014), filmblr

She brings out all my post-humanist sympathies. And I think she captures a sort of queer android and Other perspective, one that the male characters feel threatened by, that women can understand well.

Maeve Millay // Westworld

She's my murder mom. Something something about "I've died a thousand times, I'm not afraid of death" (I'm paraphrasing majorly), she's so badass. The fact that she was one of the first androids to awaken and actually challenge the humans, there's so much power in her taking her trauma in stride and moving forward nonetheless. And I think you can see a recurring theme here lolol

Lois Lane (Gotham City Garage) // DCU Elseworlds

Perhaps this is just preserving a core attribute of her main continuity counterpart, but I absolutely adore the spirit she embodies of journalists who stay defiantly committed to truth and justice in the face of insurmountable odds. Fighting against a fascist terror regime - which hits very close to home - and keeping the broadcast going even out in the wasteland. In this last aspect she carries similarities to Dr. Death Defying's character from Gerard Way's Killjoys series, except she's a woman and she was actually fleshed out as a character with a heart and soul and a lot of gravitas. How can you not love her?

(and I forgot this was supposed to be 10 characters from 10 different fandoms until I finished this list but let's say her being an Elseworlds character counts as a different fandom ��🤡)

Ripley // Alien (even tho Sigourney Weaver's personal politics is a bit yikes)

The proto-final girl and original warrior mother in sci-fi wrapped into one. (Ok, the crown for modern scifi warrior mother might have to go to Sarah Connor actually, but that's also another Cameron invention so they can share that title.) Even tho I can't relate to most of her character arc, I'm still very impressed by her character. They even touch on her PTSD a little which is unheard of in the contemporary movies at the time.

Honorary mention: Sarah Connor // Terminator

Marceline the Vampire Queen // Adventure Time

Not the original goth gf, but she is a goth gf. Gay and aesthetics aside, I really liked that the show let her be a bit weird and gross (which she should be considering she's kind of undead) and her tragic backstory gets me every time. The best thing is she's still a big softie, who takes good care of Ice King / Simon when he's around; you don't see that kind of (grand)daughter character in media much.

Beverly Marsh // It (2017)

I haven't read the book but tbh I liked the agency the first movie awarded her enough that I'm afraid of jeopardising it; I don't like how the book portrays / handles her sexuality. She is a survivor of csa, but she's a fighter regardless. I like that about her.

Darlene Alderson // Mr. Robot

I honestly debated putting her on this list again since I haven't seen a single Mr. Robot episode in so long, but I do remember her character being given her own arc in S2 (and onwards I suppose) and she's a little fucked up in her own way. People look at Rami's character and get sucked in sorting through his alters but Darlene is no less complex - damaged, dangerous, and compelling.

Other honorary mentions:

Riko Sheridan // DCU (an Asian girl who isn't infantilised or reduced to the model minority? shocker!)

Missy // Colette (2018), filmblr (she's actually a real historical figure so I'm not sure if she counts. But she's so radical and ahead of her time - in fact the film seems to suggest she prefers he/him pronouns. I have never seen such intriguing butch representation and I just fell in love with her character. Worth a watch.)

Jo March // Little Women (2019), filmblr (since we're talking about historical women... well, she's a period film character but not a real one, but she's highly evocative of certain female experiences in much the same way)

Blue // The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (so I didn't wanna crowd this list with too many android ladies but she's the first queer android girl character I came across and I loved her instantly. Too bad they buried her gay but her entire concept is my aesthetic)

Rem // Death Note (I feel like I'm obligated to mention DN, too bad it has shitty writing wrt female characters, that's why I have no choice but to stan the lesbian monster gf friend who is so in love with her gal pal she would die for her. Ugh, poetic cinema)

Ok now I am gonna tag @lawliyeeeet @sweetgloss @dressed-to-keehl @3dnygma @hikenacedabi and anyone else who wants to I guess

#tag meme #long post

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linkspooky · 5 years

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Ougi and Araragi

Hi! I was wondering if you could write a meta about Ougi from the Monogatari series.

It’s impossible to talk about one of them without talking about the other, so let’s discuss the unique relationship between Ougi and Araragi underneath the cut, the special relationship between a boy and his shadow.

1. Character Concept: The Jungian Shadow

There’s a lot that can be discerned about Ougi just from the type of character they are. Their relationship with Araragi defines them entirely, without Araragi there is no Ougi.

Ougi’s design is intentionally meant to parallel Araragi’s. Araragi has a very bland light novel protagonist kind of look to him (hence why he never gets any cover art) his only distinguishing feature is that his hair is styled to cover one eye at almost all times. This is because Araragi’s primary character trait is obfuscation looking at things through only one eye you are never going to get the entire picture.

If Araragi’s character design is plain and normal, because that is what the primary protagonist type of these kind of series are an ordinary high school boy, then Ougi’s is the opposite, their design is attention grabbing and unique. If Araragi is normal, Ougi is visibly abnormal, you can already tell there is something subtly off by looking at them. What Araragi hides underneath the surface, Ougi is.

The primary feature of Ougi’s face and the one you notice immediately is their eyes, large, dull eyes, which are the focus of their entire face. Ougi is always shown staring forward with those eyes, unblinking, directly at you. It’s symbolic, eyes are symbols of insight, if Araragi obfuscates then Ougi sees everything. Ougi also wears the Naoetsu high girls uniform. They take the appearance of what Araragi cares about the most, a girl that he can save. Their skin is pale, and their hair dark, which could mean two things, either black and white, light and shadow kind of thinking that Ougi represents or, it’s just supposed to make them look like the kind of ghost that is common in Japanese horror.

Finally, Ougi’s sleeves are so long that their hands are almost never shown. This indicates two things, one human hands are signs of intimacy. What are your hands for? is a pretty famous quote from Evangelion, by never showing their hands Ougi cuts off intimacy because they exist as a symbol of isolation. The next is that Araragi is characterized as someone who always reaches out a helping hand, whereas Ougi is the opposite they stress individual agency and often leave others like Nadeko to their own fate. They may orchestrate things from the shadows, but ultimately Ougi never directly acts, and let’s the characters decide to step off the cliff all by themselves.

The fact that Araragi a boy, makes Ougi appear as a girl is also a play on binary gender. Ougi is technically genderless, but they appear as a girl initially because themes of binary opposition, and black and white thinking are at play in their character. Araragi is someone who tends to see the world in a binary way. Light and dark, black and white, male and female, they assume there is some kind of proper order to the world that needs to be followed. When Araragi begins to let go of these ideas Ougi is freer to express their gender any way they like.

A binary opposition (also binary system) is a pair of related terms or concepts that are opposite in meaning. Binary opposition is the system of language and/or thought by which two theoretical opposites are strictly defined and set off against one another.

Ougi is based primarily on two ideas. One of them is a pretty obvious reference to the King of Distortion from Boogiepop, which is the series which started what we now call ‘Light Novels’ in Japan by popularizing urban stories with heavy sci-fi or fantasy elements. Araragi even directly references the king of Distortion.

“Tell me, what are you thinking about now...?” “Don’t suddenly become the king of Distortion.” Out with the cool quotes, scolded my sister. I deeply reflected on it. (Nekomonogatari White).’

The king of Distortion is a character who’s physical appearance and personality changes with every character they interact with, and who is able to enter the dreams of other people and see the desires in their heart after which point he makes an attempt to correct them.

While the King's personality changes with whatever person's form he is taking, in general, he seems to share a soft-spoken, calm and collected attitude each time, always seeming confident, most likely because of his knowledge of distortions in the hearts of each person's subconcious he enters. He claims his goal to be to 'turn the people's suffering into gold', which involves having people deal with their inner turmoils and coming to terms with them, which is why Boogiepop does not consider the King an enemy of the world, as he doesn't truly do anything particularly villainous.

King of Distortion like Ougi is also born from a single character’s regrets. The King of Distortion was born the moment Shirou Tanaka arrived at the Moon Temple. The main cause for the King's creation was the pent-up regret Shirou felt after entering a relationship with Naoko Kamishiro even though he didn't love her, figuring that he would just develop feelings for her later. After the girl's death, Shirou's self-hatred grew as he realized he wasn't particularly affected by her death in any real way. These feelings were also amplified by the fact that he knew about Akio Kimura, someone who truly loved Naoko, and deserved her way more than himself. These complex feelings of his manifested as the King of Distortion, a being born from Shirou's MPLS evolution.

King of Distortion is an entity born from repressed regrets and self hatred, what a character refuses to acknowledge about themselves or confront. Therefore, both King and Ougi are Jungian shadow archetypes.

Both as one, one as both.

One is both, both are one.

The Niounomiya siblings with their slaughtering magic.

He and she pass their time in the same body.

Passing their shuttered time.

Passing their shuttered space.

She is Jekyll, and he is Hyde.

One as both, both as one.

Both are one, one is both. Hitokui Magical - [x].

Robert Louis Stevenson wrote the now famous tale, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a story famous for its astute psychological insight that “Man is not truly one, but truly two.”

In Stevenson’s novel, Dr. Jekyll is a well respected doctor who cares deeply about the admiration of others and strives to be a good human being. In his laboratory he concocts a potion that when ingested transforms him into Mr. Hyde a primitive, unruly and destructive man. Reflecting on the nature of his transformation, he discovers a truth about the nature of a human being.

“I learned to recognize the thorough and primitive duality of man; I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I could be rightly said to be the either, it was only because I was radically both.” [Source.]

The shadow exists in a dual relationship with the persona, developing in turn with it. In Jung’s terms the self, is the sum total of the psyche. Both is one, and one is both.

The persona comes from the latin word for “mask”, it’s the elements of personality which arises “for reasons of adaptation or personal convenience.” [Source.] It’s a simple idea, the way you talk around your friends is different from the way you talk in front of your grandmother. People are constantly choosing consciously which parts of their personality to show in front of others, especially in relation to how they would like to be perceived. It is a performance, but that does not mean it is not real. Every part of the identity matters.

It leans heavily on embodying only one’s best qualities, leaivng all those negative traits which contradict the Persona to form the “Shadow.” Jung called the shadow the part of the psyche the unconscoius aspect of the personality. Because one tends to reject or remain ignorant of the least desirable aspeccts of one’s personality, the shadow is largely negative. It consists of everything which exists outside of the light of consciousness, but it can be both positive and negative. “Everyone carries a shadow”, Jung wrote, “And the less it is embodied in a person’s life, the blacker and denser it is.” The shadow is unscious, things which our mind experiences but we cannot control, dreams, desires, instincts.

Without a well developed shadow, a person can easily become shallow and extremely preoccupied with the opinions of others, much like how we see Araragi act in Monogatari. Jung believed that, not wanting to look at their shadows directly, many people project those flaws onto other people.

In terms of literary theory then, the Jungian Shadow archetype is a character who is made up of all the flaws that the protagonist refuses to confront. They challenge the protagonist merely by existing, because the protagonist wants to look away and leave those qualities unacknowledged. Often, they are an antagonist merely because the protagonist projects all of the flaws they cannot see into themselves, onto that other person.

2. Araragi Koyomi - He Obfuscates

It is impossible to see the shadow without the light. It is impossible to describe Ougi without first talking about Araragi Koyomi. Just like Ougi, let’s start with the origins of his character. While this is just my own personal speculation I’m not NisioIsin, Araragi has always read as written in response to two things to me: First Ii-chan, the protagonist of his first series Zaregoto, and second harem protagonists in general.

II-chan and Araragi are both very flawed and non-confrontational human beings, but whereas Zaregoto is a story about how II-chan really does not want to change himself and instead just kind of wants to stay treading water, wants to never cause any more ripples, wants to hold onto the fragile sense of self he has Araragi’s is a story of a bad and hypocritical, shallow kind of person striving to grow up and become a good person, acquire depth.

The stereotypical harem protagonist is this, a plain guy with no personality who somehow gets girls to fall all over him, often for showing them the bare minimum of kindness. Monogatari is partially a deconstruction of harem series because it shows the kind of circumstances that would cause all these girls to fall all over one guy, literally they are all so deprive of affection that the smallest show of kindness does actually make them fixate on Araragi.

The thing is Araragi does have a clear personality. He is very cynical, he’s judgemental of other people, he really likes to snark. Part of the reason he likes talking to Senjyogahara so much is he can be meaner, and sharper tongued than he normally presents himself as around people. He has traditional black and white views of justice. He tends to meddle. He is observant, but his style of thinking is flawed because he tends to jump to conclusions quickly rather than thinking out the details slowly and methodically. He’s almost constantly anxious, but usually responds to the anxiety with avoidance. However, a lot of his more distinct personality traits sound more negative rather than positive, so Araragi has a version of himself he presents to others who he is less close to. This ‘self’ is much more vague, and wishy-washy, very go with the flow. Despite the fact that Senjyo and Hanekawa both comment that Araragi is well known among the students as a delinquent, Araragi himself says that he’s a typical high school student with a completely normal personality. He defines himself as vague on purpose, that sole purpose being to appear as more acceptable to others, because like an ego that refuses to acknowledge his shadow Araragi is very shallow and defines himself entirely on the opinions of the other people around him.

He is lacking a sense of self, or rather that sense of self eventually escapes from him when his shadow runs away Peter Pan style and becomes Ougi.

Araragi has three primary character flaws that manifest in the form of Ougi, Araragi is a hypocritical altruist who only cares about weak girls that need to be saved, Araragi obfuscates, and Araragi only thinks in black and white.

Araragi is not someone who helps people because it is the right thing to do. He does not do good deeds because they are good. He only helps others because there is something he gains out of it. One thing that’s important about Araragi is that he has a cripplingly low self esteem, to the point of self harm, self flagellation, and even suicide attempts.

He literally says so when he finds Kiss-Shot’s body, his first response is not to call for help but rather to try to let Kiss-Shot kill him, apologizing for living such a worthless life until this point. It’s not just that Kiss-Shot was in trouble, Araragi also made it about his own self loathing.

Araragi seems selfless to a fault, but he’s actually very self obsessed. While it’s true that Araragi desires to be a good person, and improve as a person, his methods for self improvement are faulty. He’s obsessed with appearances, and it’s more like he wants the appearance of a good person rather than actually having to put in the work at first. He wants to feel like he’s saved others. He wants to feel like he is someone worth something. He saves others because it increases his self worth, and also once again he gets something out of it. Araragi saving women that are weaker than him makes him feel special, like somebodyy needs him.

He wears the persona of a hero, rather than actually trying to be one. It happens again and again in the series. Despite the fact that Araragi actively does heroic things literally all the time, he also denies any role of being a hero because he does not want the responsibility of being one. Araragi wants the world to be burger king, he wants to have it his way. He wants the best of both worlds, Hannah Montana style. He wants to save girls, but he doesn’t want to be their hero and be entirely responsible for them.

“Araragi-kun, even if you can become a star, you can’t become a hero.” “I can’t become a star.” I shook my head. “I can only become a vampire.” And I even failed at that. “I see.” So you’re not going to be - my hero.

Nekomonogatari: White (Hanekawa and Araragi)

Take his actions in Nekomonogatari. Araragi claims it’s impossible to be a hero, he says that Hanekawa cannot be saved and calls for her to take personal responsibility and face everything that is wrong with her life. However, rather than trying to just support her with that difficult task Araragi immediately jumps to self harm.

It’s impossible for Araragi to become a hero, but he can swallow a katana and then trick Hanekawa into killing him because that is somehow easier than facing his feelings for Hanekawa head on. Araragi prefers bloody, painful self harm to the terrifying ordeal of being known. Araragi knows that Hanekawa is in need of help, but the fact that she is such a messy person different from the person he originally saw her as, makes him afraid of her.

The thing is human beings are really sloppy. They are a messy gray, and Araragi wants to save them, but he really is just a kid out of his depth with a lot of things. He sees the abuse of Hanekawa’s household, and because he’s literally never even encountered an abusive life he gets so terrified that he runs away screaming. He does care about Hanekawa, but she’s far too complicated for him. He does not even want to touch that mess. It’s much easier for him to see Hanekawa as a hero, all black, or all white, then try to attempt something he does not know how to do and could screw up Hanekawa even worse.

Once again while it is not Araragi’s responsibility to fix an abused girl, and it makes sense a normal high school kid does not understand coping with abuse at all, Araragi at the same time wants to help her. Instead of just admitting that he can’t do anything for Hanekawa, he play-acts at being a hero.

Here’s the thing about Araragi, have you ever once seen him try to save a boy? He only cares about helpless girls because those are the kind of people that heroes save. He does not care about people that are stronger than him, because then he is depending on them rather than the other way around. Araragi only interacts with about three male characters in the story significantly.

Oshino, who is an adult figure that Araragi aspires to be like, and then Kaiki and Seishirou who he both views as rivals for the two most important girls to him Senjyogahara, and Seishirou. Do you notice there is a far different tone in Araragi’s interactions with Seishirou and Kaiki? Araragi absolutely refuses to see Kaiki as anything other than a villain, and while Seishirou is clearly a victim, Araragi cares very little about actually saving him and instead prioritizes competing with him over Kiss-Shot.

Once again this is dude psychology that is present in Harem series. Did you notice if male characters do show up in harem series they are oftentimes, either comic relief, they are terrible people for the main character to look good in comparison, or they are old men mentor types. That is because any other man who would exist in a harem series is automatically competition for the girls. Araragi does not want to compete, he does not want to feel inferior to anyone else, because he always feels inferior all the time therefore he never has any male friends.

Therefore it’s hypocritical altruism, while Araragi is willing to help and that’s a good thing, he also never once helps unless there is something he gains from it. Even if it’s a chance to exercise his self loathing. Once again Araragi’s self loathing is incredibly harmful, he literally gets bones broken, limbs severed, and organs torn out almost every time he helps someone. Not only that but it’s always the first solution he jumps to. This is not the behavior of a healthy person, this is the behavior of someone attempting to punish themselves. Helping these girls by martyring himself is an act of attrition for Araragi, because he believes he deserves pain for all of his hypocrisies, but once again it’s still self obsession. Just hating yourself, just beating yourself up, is different from having to do the actual work of facing yourself and picking yourself up. Araragi will always choose dishonesty over honesty, obfuscation over seeing things clearly.

Araragi’s primary strategy of dealing with these many hypocrisies and contradictions in himself, and keeping his ‘ego’ in balance has always been obfuscation. Araragi is observant, but he presents himself as ignorant. He always goes on claiming how stupid he is, and how he’s nothing more than a worthless washout.

This is because Araragi was raised with an overpowering sense of responsibility. While his parents are not necessarily bad parents, they are police officers. He was raised made to feel responsible for things like justice, saving others, and especially made to feel responsible for his own flaws. Police officers are also symbols of justice, who as human beings often fall far short of the law and authority they are supposed to represent, because symbols are symbols and humans are humans.

Therefore, what Araragi wants to avoid at all costs is feeling responsible. He wants to be important, but he never wants to take the responsibility of actually being important. This is his immaturity, the part of him that refuses to grow. For Araragi, if situations are too complicated for him to handle, or he fears his meddling will only make things worse and therefore he will be indicated as responsible his response is to just avoid it entirely rather than struggle or try.

This is shown in the case of Sodachi Oikura, once again someone that Araragi knew about and sympathized with but at the same time could not comprehend. Sodachi lived in horribly abusive circumstances, and both times Araragi encountered her he was a child. Araragi at the same time takes far too much responsibility, and far too little. It’s completely understandable that Araragi a middle schooler had no idea what to do to deal with what was obviously an abusive household, most adults are pretty useless when it comes to handling abused children. Yet, at the same time Araragi avoids any responsiblity whatsoever, he just forgets about Oikura claiming he has a bad memory depsite encountering her at three different significant parts of his life. Rather than struggle and fail, it’s better for Araragi to just not know anything at all therefore it can’t be his fault.

When Ougi drags Araragi through Sodachi’s case, Ougi ‘deduces’ everything, but Ougi’s catchphrase is I only know what you know. Ougi cannot have come to a conclusion that Araragi did not already know or was not capable of figuring out on his own, Araragi just did not think of those things because it was too painful to think.

This is also present in his dealing with other characters. There are several characters who have heavy romantic crushes on Araragi while Araragi is already in a relationship, Nadeko, Hanekawa, etc... Rather than ever just going through the awkward interaction of rejecting them it’s much easier to just pretend he never even notices their affections. Therefore we see him hypocritically, have a girlfriend, at yet at the same time constantly hang out with other girls who have a clear attraction to him and romantic feelings for him and never do anything about it.

Nadeko turns into a god because of obfuscation, both on Araragi’s part and on Nadeko’s. Nadeko is called out for what a hypocritical person she is never wanting to face anything directly, but that behavior is only a reflection, a foil to Araragi’s own, hence why Araragi was never able to save her.

Once again, Nadeko clearly has several problems with her personality, and she also blatantly hits on Araragi several times despite one being a middle schooler, and two Araragi having a girlfriend. Rather than just reject her outright, or acknowledge these parts of her personality, Araragi chooses to ignore everything and reduce her to being a cute girl. Nadeko puts on the act, and Araragi perceives. He then ignores all of her feelings, until they repress more and more and then bubble out into a jungian shadow expression that is Snake God Nadeko who just indulges on all of her instincts and desires and gives up conscious thought and her persona completely.

Ougi always mocks Araragi has a helpless fool, because that is what Araragi wants to be, helpless, foolish, and therefore not at fault when there are unintended consequences of his actions.

Finally, Araragi only thinks in black and white. This is also part of his obfuscation, he never wants to acknowledge how complicated people are. When he’s forced to confront the ugly side of people he almost always looks away.

Black cats, white cats, hmmm, I wonder what that means. Araragi was only disappointed with the idea of justice, because he wanted to believe in it in the first place. He wants to believe that things like heroes can exist, and that his black and white perceptions of the wolrd are real. Araragi craves that order more than anyone else, perhaps even more than his younger sisters who just play at being heroes of justice. The reason he becomes so disillusioned is because he expects there to be an order of things, for their to be roles just like in a story, for their to be a sequence of events with meaning.

Araragi expects narrative rules to apply to real life. For life to have meaning. That is why he is a story teller. There are monsters and oddities, and humans with a clear line between them, despite the fact that Araragi himself is someone who blurs these lines by existing as a quasi vampire. Araragi’s life is a story that he tells himself, and that’s why it’s so important that his perceptions are so off. In Tsuki he even gets called on this twice, he calls his increasing vampirism punishment instead of just consequences for his actions and he’s told not to think he’s so special that god would go out of his way to punish him. Tadatsuru asks why they are facing off like this, why Araragi is protagonist and he is antagonist.

Araragi does not like acknowledging how sloppy the world is, because that makes him feel insignificant and weak. It would make anybody feel that way, because it means acknowledging that we are not as in control of things as we would like to be.

3. Oshino Ougi - They Reveal

Ougi Oshino is Ougo Oshino.

They are a vague existence, Araragi refuses to define them because defining Ougi means defining themselves and that kind of confrontation is the last thing Araragi wants.

Ougi Oshino is born out of a desire for Araragi to punish himself, the same way he always seeks external punishment by allowing people to beat him up and rip out his intenstines. Rather than confront what is inside of him, Araragi externalizes it and confronts it as an external force which he projects upon.

Ougi is a shadow born from the light of Araragi’s ego. It was not the darkness that created them, but rather Araragi himself and the shadow he cast. Therefore while Ougi can be seen as a corrective force, they actually embody all of those flaws that Araragi has, and their own character traits are always in response to those flaws.

Wheraes Araragi is a hypocritical altruist, Ougi is someone who exists to fix people’s mistakes, or punish them for their mistakes rather. Despite manipulating them, Ougi also ultimately leaves them up to their own fate. He leads them up to the cliff but does not push.

Ougi is a hypocritical fixer, because while he seems to be punishing others for their mistakes he really only exists to punish himself in the form of Araragi. All of the ‘mistakes’ he corrects are just Araragi’s own mistakes foiled in other people.

Nadeko is a foil to Araragi, she represents his own feigning of innocent and being unknowing. Kaiki is a foil to Araragi, he represents how much of a fake Araragi is by pretending to cling to ideals of justice and saving others but also denying them as well. Sodachi is also like Araragi, they both prefer to wallow in misery than try to work towards their own happiness. Araragi even says his famous line with his relationship with Shinobu, an ending where everyone is miserable, where nobody gets what they want. There are serious problems with his current relationship with Shinobu, a power imbalance, and both know they cannot last this way forever but rather than attempting to fix their relationship they both cling to the way thing’s are.

Repression and obfuscation is always favored over directly addressing the issues, especially the things which Araragi probably cannot control, or fix, like the complicated nature of abuse. Ougi claims they operate out of some imaginary set of rules that totally exist, but once again Ougi is the hypocrisies of Araragi laid bare. They are every bit the hypocrite that Araragi is.

They are just punishing other people who reflect Araragi’s negative traits. Those who do not acknowledge their shadow, will project their flaws onto other people and see themselves in other people in order to cope.

Ougi is made up of Araragi’s repressed desires. They are a girl he wants to save, which is the only type of person Araragi interacts with. At the same time, they are also connected to Oshino, who is Araragi’s model in the series for adulthood and maturity. Oshino who is always able to figure things out, and very self-collected often making fun of Araragi for his youthful excitement and his naivete for not knowing much about the world.

While Araragi presents himself as an idiot, Ougi is intelligent an capable of figuring things out from scraps of information. Araragi jumps to conclusions, Ougi is deductive and a good thinker. Ougi Oshino already knows Araragi better than himself, therefore Araragi does not have to carry any of the burden of self reflecting, or making himself known to other people around him.

During Ougi and Arraagi’s first meeting in the anime, he hallucinates that the classroom that he is locked inside of floods with water. The depths of the water, the shadow, dreams, these are all the realm of Jung. If the conscious mind is the water’s surface, then the subconscious is its depths.

Araragi obfuscates, whereas Ougi reveals the uncomfortable truth. Ougi always positions themselves as a detective. In the realm of stories, it is the detective who makes the big reveal at the end. After all Ougi even says when they are locked in the room together, because there is no famous detective that Ougi themselves will play the role and announce the culprit.

However, Ougi’s reveals are just as hypocritical as Araragi’s obfuscations. Ougi takes the shadow to be representative of the whole self, because they themselves are a living breathing Jungian shadow, but just like Jekyll and Hyde man is both. He is not one or the other, he is both at the same time. Ougi always act with the assumption that there is some kind of truth to be revealed, that this is just like a detective novel where there is a reveal waiting at the end.

Ougi takes the repressed desires to count as the “truth” of the whole mind, and ignores the conscious mind entirely. Therefore, in their view Nadeko is only capable of being a selfish cute girl who sees herself as a victim, Hanekawa is only something scary which Araragi must avoid. They at the same time as Araragi both read the same black and white narrative of the world. They do not care at all for the persona, or how people choose to present themselves. Desipte what Kaiki said to Nadeko that people can choose to be whoever they want to be, and they can try as many times as they like.

Ougi also views themselves as inhuman, and therefore incapable of doing anything, or defining themselves as anything outside of their role. Ougi is in a way, just as repressing of themself as Araragi is. They even lament this in front of Tsukihi, that once the detective reveals the mystery the novel is over. That if anybody would know the truth of them, they would come to hate them because they are abhorrent.

Ougi by repressing concious thought, silences other people and what they have to say about themselves. The only thing that matters is the repressed, what Ougi dictates as the truth must then become the truth. It’s just as much a limited way of saying the world as Araragi’s is. Hence Ougi’s famous catchphrase, I don’t know anything, you’re the one who knows. Ougi sees themselves as a person fundamentally incapable of knowing anything other than outside the bounds of what Araragi already knows.

Which is finally where the black and white thinking comes in. While the two of them seem like polar opposites, their views of the world are actually the same. Ougi wants what Araragi wants, for the world to exist like this is a story. For there to be roles, and order and most importantly meaning. The same way that Araragi just ignores things that fall out of step with their roles, when people contradict the way Araragi sees them he just pretends to be oblivious rather than see them as complex human beings. Ougi actively goes out of their way to punish people, for not playing the role in the story they were supposed to play. He acts like a corrective force, pushing people back into their roles. His wrongful assumption is not that people improve by “correcting mistakes” but rather there was a proper path in the first place. That there was a hero’s journey they were supposed to be going on. There is no path, there is no meaning, it’s all senseless but Ougi exists out of a desire for things to be sensible.

Ougi exists as Araragi’s opposite, because Araragi assumes that things like binary opposites exist in the first place. Heroes and villains, crime and punishment. They both believes these things exist in a fundamental order in the world, and they are not just made up values that humans invented and give meaning to.

“Let’s not joke. Virtue is the antonym of vice, not of crime.” “Are vice and crime different?” “They are, I think. Virtue and vice are concepts invented by human beings, words for a morality which human beings arbitrarily devised.” (No Longer Human, Osamu Dazai)

For both of them clinging to these hypocritical beliefs are better than the alternative, admitting to their own helplessness in the face of a world that is mostly indifferent to them.

That’s why, when they are separate both of them choose to stick to their ultimately restricting and punishing roles, as protagonist and atagonist, persona and shadow, hero and villain, rather than just trying to acknowledge themselves and live as people.

Both is one, and one is both. Araragi Koyomi and Oshino Ougi have a relationship that ultimately results in not antagonism, but rather union and acceptance. Just like the King of Distortion is not an enemy of mankind in the enemy, Ougi was never an enemy to Araragi in the first place. Araragi never needed to hate himself or punish himself. The true path forward lies in union and acceptance.

You can never be anything more than yourself, nothing more and nothing left.

#monogatari #monogatari meta #mg meta #araragi koyomi #oshino ougi #meta #nisio meta

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decadentrpg-blog · 5 years

Photo

WELCOME BECKY, YOU’VE BEEN ACCEPTED FOR THE ROLE OF PROSERPINA BLACK

Admins Note: The Queen of master manipulation has arrived and I couldn’t be more excited! I absolutely adored the power and ambition that your Proserpina exudes. But as high and mighty as she is, every queen has their weakness too. She speaks sharply, glistens like a diamond and commands attention as any Black could. I can’t wait to see the schemes she creates and the strings she threads across all who fall for her ploys. Your faceclaim request for Vittoria Ceretti has been approved. Congratulations on your acceptance again, please make sure to head your way to the checklist and submit your account within the next 24 hours!

OUT OF CHARACTER.

Name / Alias: Becky

Pronouns: she/her

Age: 21

Timezone: PST

IN CHARACTER APPLICATION.

Full Name:

PROSERPINA. In actuality, is there a more suitable moniker for her than Proserpina? A woman in two parts: sweet Spring, the perfume of roses blooming from the heart of her, wildflower honey tone, and cruel Winter, the carmine of her lips turning morbid with fanged smile, poison steeped words cocked and primed. An ode to a goddess who is all cycles and rebirth, manipulating herself to be everyone’s dream of spring, only to reveal a heart of desolate winter; she wears both flowers and sin equally well.

EVE. God’s beloved creation, the world’s first woman, crafted from flesh and bone of man — by man’s account, a woman who had it all: paradise, the love of a God, the adoration of a husband — and the first to gamble it all for knowledge. By any and all means, Proserpina can relate: what good is having it all without the fear of losing it all? Sugar tastes all the sweeter after acid, as victory is to loss. She embraces the implications of her middle name with pride — if it were her in Eve’s place, she’d have eaten the apple whole. And so, she is what she is called: temptation’s mistress, creation divine, agony’s sweet kiss.

BLACK. The most noble and ancient House of Black. Toujours Pur. Always pure. It’s a mantra that’s been repeated over and over, all but branded into every recess of her brain. She is very much the pinnacle of her house’s ideal — dark hair and romantic features, sharp in all the wrong ways and beautiful in all the right ones. Beautiful, empty beasts, does the House of Black raise, and she is no exception.

Sexuality: “Bisexual” — She hardly likes to define such things as pleasure, which to her, is without boundaries: and as Oscar Wilde once wrote: “To define is to limit.” She doesn’t mind men, both in that she won’t begrudge them their presence, and that she barely heeds them past a certain point, all at once — but she does enjoy toying with everyone and anyone. Simply put, she enjoys cutting her teeth on the fractured egos of men, and enjoys lavishing her attention and affection on the lovelier things in life, namely, women.

Gender/Pronouns: cis, she/her

Hogwarts House: Slytherin ( expounded upon in headcanons. )

Head canons:

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. A firm believer in the idea that if you have the information, you hold the cards, she was a little bit of a dilemma for the hat during her sorting. Despite the very firm and sure Slytherin she eventually got, the hat debated the merits of sorting her into Ravenclaw — purely for the half-starved approach she takes to all things learnable, gorging herself on knowledge, insatiably learning. She was always near top if not top of her classes in Hogwarts, but her quest for knowledge hardly stopped at classroom limits; any tidbit about anyone was considered useful and interesting, and stored away for further examination. After all, you can’t be a mastermind if you’ve no mind of your own.

POWER IS POWER. And yet, ultimately, she was sorted into Slytherin. Knowledge is nothing if you don’t know how to convert it, how to wield it, weaponize it. She may share traits with Ravenclaw in her pursuit of knowledge, but rarely, if ever, is she satisfied with leaving her knowledge in theory, in abstract — no, knowledge in practice is what delights her most. A well uttered spell, or a difficult non-verbal cast, or even the right whisper in the right ear — knowledge is nothing but a whimsical theory if not put to use.

It’s this inborn cunning and ambition that surely sees her into Slytherin.

HEIR UNAPPARENT. The elder sister to a single brother, she hardly is slated to inherit much more than the Black name, although she is privy to the deep wallets it comes with, until, at least, she’s married off into some other pure-blooded family. And yet, it was soon apparent to her as it was to her parents that her brother could barely hold a candle to her own mantle of manipulation and conquest. And so the deal was struck after her graduation, perhaps to both her father’s dismay and begrudging pride: he would turn a blind eye to how she conducted affairs and who she consorted with, and she would manage the Black empire from the shadow of her younger brother, ever watchful, and ever-present to insure that their fortune never diminished, even as he ruled in name. It barely bothered her; the shadows were where she best operated — far less scrutiny. After all, what was one more puppet to her collection? Aelius would appreciate the company, she was sure.

She’s been sent to New York to scope out the possibility of expanding business over to the Americas, and it’s a rush, gambling with the family name and fortune. After winning for so long, she imagines failure must taste sweet — the only flavor she’s never quite sampled, only knowledge she’s not quite accrued — and that subsequent victories would be even more so.

GRACE OF BIRTH. Proserpina was born on May 22nd, making her a Gemini. Gemini’s are witty, charming and resourceful, but commonly reviled for being two-faced. Known for fun wordplay, Proserpina takes that trait to another level, subtle barbs laced across the flat of her tongue, sharp enough to flay the flesh off any unsuspecting person who gets too close. She incites and thus is insightful; she wields words as one might a sword or a wand.

The twins Castor and Pollux rule over Gemini, and so represents the inherent duality of her — both serpent and flower, both spring and winter. Intelligent and adaptable, Proserpina can read the room and anybody in her line of sight like no other. Listen closely, and people will tell you how to conquer them.

STYLE, NOT FASHION. Proserpina rarely cleaves to society’s fashion standards; this is to say she is not fashionable, no, never one to be influenced when she can be the one influencing, but also to say she is never out of style. Expensive cuts of jewelry are commonly found tastefully adorning her figure, as are luxurious cuts of mink and ermine, and dark swathes of silk and velvet cling lovingly to her like a second shadow.

WANDLORE. Yew wood, dragon heartstring, 12 ½ inches, pliable — an unusual wand by all means: deceptively dainty, elegant, light in coloration, but a powerhouse when it comes to spellwork.

Yew — a rare wood, with a rumored predilection for the dark, and a notorious dislike for mediocrity and timid owners, hewn from a tree that is all at once long-lived and life-sapping with its toxins. It’s a contradiction wrapped in shadows, perfect for her, by any stretch of the imagination. That said, Proserpina tries to minimize usage of her poisonous wand, powerful though it may be.

Dragon Heartstring — known for being a particularly strong and flamboyant core, it’s quick to learn, much like its owner. And much like her, the wand derives its power from the core, able to master spells quickly and executing them without hesitance.

Pliable — wands are known to be extensions of their owners, and whilst stubborn and inflexible in her ideals, Proserpina is undoubtedly adaptable, always landing on her feet, no matter the situation. Such is the life of the eternal victor.

HIGHEST HEIGHTS, DEEPEST DEPTHS. Proserpina’s patronus is a fox: naturally cunning and brilliantly charismatic. People with foxes as their patronus are known to be observant, ambitious, and manipulative. Silver tongued, and willing to use other such skills to their own benefit, the fox often gets their way. It’s fitting for her, is it not? People watch as the fleet footed vixen erupts from the tip of her wand, wiling around the crowd, curling around her heels.

Her boggart happens to be herself — her, but different in several subtle ways, almost imperceptible to any but herself. She sees the wear and tear on her clothes, the hollow of her cheeks, the fear in her own eyes. Her boggart is herself, but ruined. A foolish woman fears nothing, a cowardly woman everything, and a wise woman, herself — secure in the knowledge that nothing will ruin her more than herself.

CONNECTIONS.

FOND // FAWNED. She remembers her first impression of the girl: a little fawn, wide-eyed and on tenuous legs, walking as if she was haunting the halls, quiet as a mouse. It was something endearing, to watch as she grew into the loveliness bequeathed to her. Back then, she was wildly off limits — purely something to keep a keen eye over, a budding flower in the greenhouse that needed the pests swatted away, needed space to grow — but recently, her little doe’s found a voice and a blooming bit of courage, and has come to play. And who is she to deny pretty girls that which they desire?

KINGMAKER. Some people are socially adept, good at reading any room they walk into, good at reading people — and others, not so much. Those who don’t know how to rule shouldn’t, in her honest opinion, but if he wants so badly to play king, then she’ll let him — so long as he never forgets who’s granted him the throne. She plays by chess’ rules: kings are the weakest pieces on the board, mere figureheads. Everyone knows queens are much more valuable — but if he wants to take the flak for the decisions she makes, who is she to turn away a blank check?

HEARTBREAKER. Every connection that Proserpina has ever made serves a purpose, be it for social advancement, business connections, or even simply for pleasure, there is always an underlying motive that serves in her best interest. Her relationship with Genevieve was no different — another bridge to cross or burn, and she thought she was prepared. Not only prepared, but scared to proceed without burning: the closer the relationship got to not purely serving her best interest, the more control seemed to flee from her grasps. So she broke it off, expecting never to look back, and yet as Orpheus could not tear his eyes from Eurydice, a backwards glance was all it took to doom her once more: confirmation that she wouldn’t be able to help herself should the opportunity present itself.

In Character Paragraph:

She sighs when she lands in the fireplace, brushing nonexistent floo powder off her coat, stepping out into the familiar sitting room, looking for any signs of movement, searching for wards. There is neither scurry nor spell to be found, so she continues out on her way, heels clicking ostensibly loud against the marble tiling of the floor; usually, that’s the way she likes it — to be heralded before her arrival — but she so enjoys catching people off guard, at their truest, if one will, when she has business to attend to, so she slips the heels off and makes her way down the halls of the manor to the study on silent feet. The floor is shockingly cold against the pads of her feet, but it bothers her not — not when she’s single-minded in following the dark hallways of the house to the only point of illumination.

The study door is cracked open slightly, and she pushes in, meticulously careless, letting the door swing out and ricochet off the adjacent wall, eyes on the figure pacing the study. The crashing of the door startles him, and he whips around, blue hex warming the tip of his wand and then slamming into the doorframe next to her head; she turns to see the miniature crater blasted into the expensive wooden frame, and it sends her heart flying with adrenaline, even as she turns back to the man. She could easily repair the damage done with a wave of her fingers, so simple is the spell, but she hardly wants to afford the man any measure of convenience.

“You missed,” she notes instead, stalking closer to him, hips swaying, smile cocked; she, the predator, he, her unwitting prey.

“Merlin, Proserpina,” he swears crossly. “You can’t come sneaking into my house in the dead of night— this isn’t a joke. If a hex hits you, it will hurt.”

“Do you promise it will?” she asks archly, craning forward as he leans back.

He doesn’t dignify her with a response, just turns from her.

“Fine,” she dismisses with a sigh, waving a hand vaguely, moving once more to perch on top of his desk, errantly pushing stacks of scrolls and tomes to clear a spot for herself, uncaring of the mess she makes. “I’m here for business anyway, not pleasure.”

“Then you should have owled,” he says coldly, his back insistently to her, as if in hopes of dissuading her stay. He peers at the spines of all the books lining the shelves, eyes flicking over each worn title with a nervous celerity that tells her he’s not actually looking at them.

She takes advantage of this lapse in attention, shuffles through the papers on his desk; this prompts his concern, and he turns around. He starts with long strides over to her, a warning on his lips, a frown brewing in the purse of his lips — but not before she finds what she’s looking for. She holds the envelope between her index and middle finger, displaying the wax seal of her family, tilting her head to the right, unimpressed. “I did,” she drawls, impressing her point further most unnecessarily. “I don’t take well to being ignored.”

He moves to grab the letter, and she jerks it away from his grasp, raising her eyebrows in reproach.

“No, no, darling,” she coos, all sucrose condescension. “This letter was a limited time sort of offer, and I’m afraid my patience has quite expired since.”

Silence swells, stifling, between them, as she holds his gaze, and he hers. He doesn’t want to back down, that much is evident — and yet, it becomes increasingly apparent who has the upper hand, and it’s with a sigh that he relents. “So now…?” He asks, swallowing concealed distress.

“Now,” she purrs, contented. “You take what comes. If I say jump, you ask—“

“—I ask how high,” he finishes, disgusted.

“Don’t interrupt me,” she snaps, a voice of poison, honey, and ice, before amending herself with a smile.

“And if I say no?” He hedges, cautious, watching her measuredly.

“Oh!” She exclaims, before dissolving into delighted laughter. “Did I say this letter was an offer?” She asks, revlon red lips bursting with faux-incredulity. “How absentminded of me. I should have said this letter prompted an offer from you, if you’d read and responded in timely fashion, of course — but then at least you could’ve had the reins on making the offer, no? Well, tell you what: why don’t you take a look for yourself, my dear?”

He takes the envelope slowly, gingerly, watching her like he thinks she’ll jerk it away again — she lets it slip from her fingers easily. He reads the first line in alarm, eyes flashing to her face, and she winks. He reads the rest voraciously, before peering at the included photos, a subtle sneer on his lips as his own movements taunt him from the frame; she waits, humming lightly, slipping her heels back on — she can tell he won’t last much longer.

“Still want to say no? I can assure you, I’ve been very instrumental in keeping this from the police and the press.”

“I wouldn’t dare dream of it,” he answers, a forced smile put upon his lips. “What do you need from me?”

“Oh, I don’t need anything from you,” she says in turn, tapping a finger against her smile contemplatively. “Yet. No, today’s little drop in is just to make sure that when I do call, you’ll be ready to respond. You will be, won’t you?”

“As if I had a choice,” he says through his teeth — half grimace, half smile.

“Honey,” she says in mock sympathy, hand wrapping around his bicep, bottom lip jutting out in a pout, before it melts into patronization, baring her teeth in a half-hearted approximation of a grin. “We always have a choice.”

She slides off his desk, landing with a neat click of her heels on marble, already sauntering away, already uninterested in the defeated man left in ruins behind her. “No need to see me out,” she calls over the clicking of her heels, not even bothering to turn to address him, conquest grin on her lips for no one but the dark in front of her to see. “I know my way.”

Extras: I didn’t have the time for any extras, my apologies!

#lsrpg #lsrp #hprp #hprpg #harry potter rp #accepted

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unpickingthetangles · 6 years

Note

All the questions in personality for Douglas and Hadrien (I have a feeling the "how others view them" questions will be especially fun for Hadrien lol)

Thank you so much for the ask!! Let me get right to it!

P: Personality

1. what is their best personality trait?

Douglas: Dougie is a naturally compassionate man. It is sometimes to his determent, as he will act without thinking it through, (like buying Hadrian a house. That was not well received.) Although he is unaware of it in himself, he is also far more forward-thinking and open minded than his peers because of that compassion. He was the one that championed Navid’s career in the Fleet. If he was ever called to it, he would put in his support to desegregate the hospitals in the city of Albrunda. Douglas’ thesis paper for his final year of undergraduate study at the Fleet Academy was the fallacy of banning hundreds and hundreds of books under Loyalist Law. He failed that paper, and it is only because of his mother’s influence that he was able to get that decision reversed. He knew he was going to fail that paper and did it anyway because he knew it was an issue that needed to be addressed. Compassion with conviction, that would be Douglas.

Hadrian: His acceptance of other’s lifestyles and their choices. Hadrian is in no position to judge other’s for mistakes. He is also very well traveled (by the time he is 35), so he has been exposed to every culture in Everlied from the poorest person to the heights of Princess Sabine of Unger. He also grew up in the Oar District, which was a well peppered soup of different cultures and disenfranchised citizens. He isn’t perfect, there many things other people do that he does not understand, but he does know that not understanding does not equate to a right to disrespect them. Lotti for example. She stayed with an emotionally abusive man for decades and Hadrian does not judge her for doing so, he is only proud that she is ready to leave.

2. what is their worst personality trait?

Douglas: He will sometimes become that stubborn, foot-stomping, spoiled brat that family heirs are all expected to be. There is nothing in the world that Douglas could ask for and by that afternoon, it would be handed to him on a silver platter. This applies to physical things like new clothes or an entire house in the oldest and one of the most expensive districts in the city. It also applies to more intangible things, like wanting Hadrian to come on vacation with his family at a moment’s notice and pitching a fit when Hadrian can’t leave work for a week without starving. For example, Douglas lies to Hadrian and says he is having a little family trip to the capital for the New Year holiday. He knew if he told Hadrian that it would actually just be the two of them enjoying that stay, Hadrian would get cold feet and come up with an excuse. The lie was justified in Douglas’ mind because it was something he wanted and he knew best. (My boy might be a compassionate saint sometimes, but he has his faults.)

Hadrian: There is a duality in Hadrian’s personality. He is both extremely selfless and endlessly selfish. The line is drawn in how close he is with the other person. If, say, a stranger needed a place to stay because they got sick, couldn’t work ,and got evicted, Hadrian would offer up his apartment for as long as it took to for this stranger to get back on their feet (which he does several times while living in the city). Then there are his friends like Redblum and Robina, two people who genuinely loved Hadrian at some point (like family and in a romantic sense, respectfully.) And yet Hadrian’s low self esteem allowed him to believe that leaving him behind as he moved on would not hurt them. Why would they care if he left? People are always better off without him (he believes this in a more abstract sense, but you get the picture.) This destroys Redblum, who takes all that anger and abandonment and becomes one of the most notorious sky pirates in Everlied’s history. His main goal? Killing off Douglas Blue. He even succeeded in killing George Blue in his attempts to get at Douglas. Hadrian responsible for that, because he was too selfish to stay.

3. what of their personality do others love?

Douglas: There is a serenity that surrounds Douglas, despite his own anxiety and shyness. One could sit with Douglas in a private library, reading all day and drinking tea, and not feel at all pressured to speak. Sharing a dinner with Douglas wouldn’t require any need for small talk, or any conversation at all if one wanted. He is more soft-spoken that other men his age, more gentle in the way he approaches people. It is what attracts Hadrian the most to Douglas. He doesn’t have a bad word for anyone, wouldn’t want to speak ill of even the worst people. He inspires others to be better, softer in heart, and more understanding.

Hadrian: This was answer partially above, but there is a minutiae to his engaging personality. Hadrian always listens to people when they speak. Hadrian will come off as deeply empathetic to another’s problems, no matter how small and no matter how emotionally removed he is from the issue. Douglas phrases this as, “You spend time with Hadrian and walk away feeling like everything wrong in the world can be undone.” Hadrian is also a very forgiving person-- too much so, sometimes. Gretchen is an excellent example. Navid hires her because she doesn’t believe Douglas is capable of capturing Hadrian by himself, so Navid goes out and hires an assassin to do the job for them, then Navid can swoop in and claim the glory herself. So Gretchen shows up and beats the ever-living shit out of Hadrian. The only reason she doesn’t do away with him right then and there is because Hadrian gets a stupid moment of luck. But afterwards, after Gretchen loses her arm and can’t return home, Hadrian forgives her and treats her like nothing happened. ‘You were just doing your job, I understand it wasn’t anything personal’, that kind of deal. Of course Gretchen is all “??????”.

4. what of their personality do others envy?

Douglas: His resolve. (To be specific: he does not know he has this trait, and it is more obvious in his 30′s.) Take his spoiled stubbornness, compassion, and how deeply broken he is in his later years, and you get a man of 35 who has long ago stopped taking shit laying down. Despite the fact that they sometimes antagonize each other, it is his camaraderie with Commander Navid Mosse that brings out this sense of ‘actually, you know what, fuck you’ in Douglas. In example, how she came to join the Fleet: Commodore Douglas Blue stood up in a courtroom filled with hundreds of people ready to hang Navid for treason and told off seven of the highest judges in the land. This might seem like he contradicts his shy nature and inability to speak ill of other, but it doesn’t necessarily. It is the sense of compassion with conviction cutting through Douglas’ other inhibitions. He stood up in court to defend her because it was the right thing to do. To others around him, Douglas Blue is a walking monolith of ideals and principles. While Douglas believes he is a marshmallow man trying his best to do what is right.

Hadrian: Hehas an innate ability to put others at ease very quickly. He’s got the kind ofnatural, rolling, unabated sense of humor that knocks walls down. Hadrian’s laugh and ease with others hits a unsuspecting person like five shots of whiskey. Itdoesn’t work with everyone, naturally. Douglas’ father hates him from the firstmoment and that doesn’t change over ten years. But Hadrian is phenomenal withthe the lonely and alienated. The way he carries himself, the way he speaks, itis as if he is one’s oldest friend. Within an hour of knowing Hadrian, mostpeople think they just made a true friend. Douglas is especially envious of this ability because he is so shy.

5. do they hate anything about their personality/about other’s personalities?

Douglas: He wishes he could manage his emotions better. While others will look at him and see a perfectly calm individual, on the inside Douglas’ emotions are in riot. The Gillidianens are proud of their military forces, and the Loyalists specifically use military-glorifying parties to boost support. That means Douglas has to attend several parties a year with his peers and he hates every minute of it. When he was younger, it was easier to stay to the wall and watch others have a frolicking good time. Now that he is a celebrated Commodore, he can’t keep to himself. If he could change one thing about himself, it would be the ability to feel comfortable in a crowd of people.

Hadrian: Hadrian is not the most introspective person. If he lingers on a negative thought for too long he will collapse in on himself out of guilt. So to answer this I will have to focus on what he doesn’t like in others. He will not stand for people who have to dominate another person to feel powerful themselves. Bullies, essentially, in all their forms piss Hadrian right off. It may take him a while to tell that person off (see: coward), but when he does it will be a wave of righteousness unabated. Thank you so much for the ask! You’re the best!

#Hadrian the Scholar #Hadrian and Douglas #ask #ask meme #reply #answer #fatal-blow

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vieuxnoyesrp · 7 years

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Taylor. As one of our most complicated characters, tying together two shows and many characters, you managed to capture Marin’s mysteriousness, while still making her human (metaphorically speaking). Marin is torn by contradictions, drawn in by a family she deserted, and running from a coven that had forsaken her. There are many forks in the road ahead of Marin, and you captured her conflicted spirit to the letter in your application. Both Emily Bennett and Marin Morrell are often neglected when it comes to fan works, and we’re excited and honored to have her in our midst, and to see how you bring her into the world of VN!

Taylor, thank you very much for applying. As for Marin…

⚜ ~ WELCOME TO VIEUX NOYÉS!!! ~ ⚜

Wondering what to do next? Click here and let the good times roll!

⤜ Name/alias: taylor

⤜ Pronouns: she/her

⤜ Age: 28

⤜ Timezone: cst

⤜ Activity: 7/10 I am usually on daily in the afternoons and evening time. I will be a bit mia on Tuesdays & Thursdays because of other commitments.

⤜ Best form of contact: tumblr is the best

⤜ Any Triggers? nope

⤜ How did you find Vieux Noyés? From my lovely friends

⤜ What drew you to the RP? I enjoy the plot as well as the characters. It seems like a very interesting place to come rp.

⤜ What is one subplot/element from the Plot page that you are particularly looking forward to seeing in this roleplay? I’m interested in seeing what comes of the differing views of the wolves. I’m curious to see what path they choose, which Alpha they align to and such. With that, I am also very curious about the Salem witches being in town. Because they aren’t bound to the ancestors (and I think that is who Marin attached herself to). It will be exciting to see what that means for the NOLA witches.

⚜ Desired Character: Amélie-Marin Bennett Morrell

⤜ Why do you want this character?

Her bio was one of the first to really kind of call to me. She seems like she could be a very dynamic character to play. I find it really intriguing that she is kind of two sides of one coin. She has lived the life of a witch bound to the ancestors. As she was brought up but has also lived as one that doesn’t need them calling the shots. This duality can lend itself to a very interesting bit of turmoil when it comes to being back in New Orleans. I really feel like there is so much more to her than most people would instantly see on the surface. That is what I enjoy about her. She presents this persona, but really there is so much more swirling inside of her. Just waiting to be let loose.

⤜ What are your future plans for this character? I really want to develop the Bennett family ties. I don’t really have a preference for them to be good or bad. I just want them to develop honestly. I think that could add a lot to Marin’s life. Just having this thread that ties her down. I feel like she is floating in existence not really fixed to the ground. She spent the last five years learning and traveling. But at the end of the day when she stops moving, she really doesn’t have anything to go home to. If that makes sense. I also plan on having her work through some of her inner demons. I feel like she uses control as a way to push all of it down. She understands that she’s done dark things but I don’t think she really lets herself feel the effects they have on her.She is willing to own up to them and the consequences. Which is a good trait to have? But I don’t know if she allows herself to really feel them. I want to explore that. Honestly, I want to explore all the things she keeps buried beneath her controlled nature.

⤜ Put yourself in your character’s shoes. Give us a few lines to describe a day in the life of your character… Where do they live? Where and how do they spend their time?

Marin has a pattern she walks every morning. She finds it soothing to keep things pretty much the same every day. There is less room for her to get lost in thought. Or ponder things that are best left in the past. Coming back to New Orleans has been both a blessing and a curse. She loves being home, starting her day with a cup of tea at her favorite little cafe. Which is happily followed with a stroll through the French Quarter. There isn’t much need for a proper schedule when you don’t really have anything tying you down. She likes it that way, likes having her freedom to do as she pleases. After she has her fill of people watching and soaking in the aura that is the Quarter. She can usually be found watching over her niece. She tries not to be too obvious about it all, just checks in on her here and there. She isn’t ready for a face to face yet. Honestly, she has no idea at all what she would say to the younger Bennett. So staying in the background is probably for the best. Other minor details of her day involve sitting in her tiny flat reading, or meeting with someone that needs her help. By someone it usually means Damon but she chooses to not really dwell on the who most days. Makes for a less cluttered brain.

⤜ Give us three headcanons regarding your character of choice.

1) Marin wonders what she would actually say to Bonnie if they were face to face. It’s something she often runs through her mind. It has been many years since she has been anything to the girl outside of blood. Which makes her nervous about ever approaching her. Though deep down Marin wants to have a good relationship with her niece. She is the only family she has left. After five years of wandering with no real connection to anyone. She feels like it would be nice to have that in Bonnie.

2) Since her last coven, during her travels, she has learned more about magic than she realized was out there. Once Marin had her eyes opened it was if there was nothing she couldn’t see or finally have within her reach. It was a bit of a distraction in a way. Gave her a direction when there was no point she was headed to. Learning all she could was always more viable than wallowing on what was lost.

3) Beneath her cool exterior, she has a bit of a wicked sense of humor. It isn’t something that she will present instantly when meeting someone. It takes time for it to slowly begin to show itself. Many would consider it dark or macabre but Marin simply considers it fitting.

⤜ What are some plots you’d like to explore with your character?

I definitely want to explore her relationship with Bonnie or lack of relationship in this case. I feel like it could be interesting for Marin to be tied back to her old life in some way. Bonnie is essentially a glimpse of the life and family she left behind so many years ago. I think a part of her longs for that portion of her. When she walked away it been something she did entirely on her own accord. The risk, however, in the end, did not outweigh the reward. Yes, she was given a new branch of magic, a new way to see things in the world but that was taken away from her just as quickly. Of course, she accepts the blame for it. She did what she did.

I am also very set on working more with the whole Salvatore brother’s aspect of her bio. Just exploring more into her agreeing to help Damon and her ‘friendship’ with Stefan. When it comes to Damon, I feel like he is just a means to an end but with Stefan, I think there is something she actually enjoys about him. Maybe it is the depth of his feelings for the people he cares for or maybe it is how he wears his care on his sleeve. There is just something she enjoys and I want to take it apart. To find out what’s really going on in her head when it comes to Stefan. It isn’t every day she willingly puts herself around people if there was no purpose for them.

The fact that Jennifer is in the quarter is something else I am dying to play with. It’s something that Marin really can’t ignore. It’s easy for her to tell herself that she won’t allow it to affect her. Actually standing her ground and remaining unfazed by the women is another thing altogether. Or at least appear to be unfazed. If anyone can it would be Marin but I want to see that struggle. As a recovering Jennifer addict, i can see it being difficult and her falling on the coping mechanisms she developed while away for 5 years.

Honestly, I have to say the thing I am most interested in diving into is how she is going to fair being back in New Orleans. With the ancestors and the witches, she was disowned by. I mean there is a good deal of mystical forces that are pretty pissed off at her. I want to see how she deals with that, and how she gets her deserved dues interests me a lot.

⤜ Para sample:

(redacted for privacy)

⤜ Would you like to be considered for another character if not accepted as your primary choice? Isaac Lahey

⤜ Have you read the rules?: yup I have

⤜ Anything else? Thank you for looking over both of my apps :)

#bianca lawson #bianca lawson fc #emily bennett rp #marin morrell rp #crossover rp #accepted

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unillustratedadventures · 7 years

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How Covert Narcissism is Everywhere and Nowhere at Once

One of the many frustrating things about covert narcissism, by all accounts, is the following duality. The narcissism of a covert narcissist is somehow contained in every single exchange you’ve ever had with him, and yet it is still subtle enough to escape notice if you’re not on the look out for it. Perhaps most importantly, it is subtle enough that doubt is always possible, whenever you look back at any single exchange with the covert narcissist, even after you’ve educated yourself about narcissism. This duality is just one of the many contradictions or paradoxes that parasitise your mind, after you’ve been discarded by a covert narcissist. You keep going back and dwelling on all of these individual exchanges and interactions—each of them a maddeningly unsolvable puzzle. It is important, of course, to think about all of the interactions as a whole, because it is only from this perspective that the patterns reveal themselves. Nevertheless, it is difficult to stop yourself from returning to those individual exchanges, because that’s where the real, felt interpersonal significance lies. And in each of these exchanges, the narcissism is somehow both everywhere and nowhere at once.

E.g., the following kind of exchange is common:

1. The target is hurt by something that the narcissist has said or done. In trying to deal with this in the only way that is constructive and pro-social, she starts by reporting how she feels to the narcissist, and explaining how she came to feel that way.

2. But the covert narcissist seems to interpret this pro-social effort as a personal attack. He responds ‘in kind’, either by fleeing (i.e., by stonewalling and ignoring the target, without warning or explanation, for an indefinite period of time), or by going on the offensive. From the target’s perspective, the narcissist has simply attacked her, or has otherwise become vicious or hostile for no good reason. In other words, since the target was only trying to deal with how the narcissist had originally hurt her, it feels to her as though the narcissist is being needlessly cruel and callous, by adding insult to injury.

3. If the target’s lucky, she might be able to figure out what the narcissist has interpreted as a personal attack—namely, her reporting of her feelings, and her effort to resolve the relevant issue. Accordingly, the target might be able to figure out that the narcissist’s vicious or hostile response is, to him, a justified countermeasure. E.g., perhaps the narcissist has accused the target outright, by making the (implausible) claim that she has reported her feelings expressly to attack him or criticise him, or that her intention was to cause him harm or make him feel bad. In reality, of course, the target’s only intention was to prevent *herself* from feeling bad, and to preserve the health of her relationship with the narcissist by dealing with issues in a constructive way. But the narcissist cannot see this; he is unable to properly consider the feelings, motives, and intentions of others. Everything is about him, and about how *he* has been made to feel. So he projects how the target’s self-report has made him feel onto the target herself: it must have been her intention to make him feel bad, simply because this is the effect that she has had on him.

4. Assuming that the target has figured out that it was her self-report that was interpreted as an attack, she might point out that, by the narcissist’s logic, his own words or actions—the ones that had originally hurt her—must have been intended to cause her harm. This whole exchange began with her attempt to report that the narcissist had made her feel bad. Thus, by the narcissist’s logic, he must have intended to make her feel bad, simply because he’d had this effect. If the narcissist then denies that this was his intention, the target can point out that the same is true of her. Just because she has hurt the narcissist by reporting how he has hurt her, it doesn’t follow that it was her intention to hurt him. As mentioned, her intention was in fact to deal with the hurt that the narcissist had originally caused her, in a constructive way. In contrast, the narcissist is not dealing with his own hurt constructively; in fact, he is derailing the only possible way in which interpersonal issues can be resolved constructively rather than destructively. Unfortunately, the narcissist is unlikely to be able to grasp the parity here. He is typically unable to think of other people’s perspectives and motives as being similar to his own (or at least similar to the ones that he claims to have). Consequently, the double standard and the hypocrisy are likely to persist, despite how obvious they might seem to the target.

Of course, in the process of an exchange such as the above, the target’s own feelings and issues are never addressed. Instead, the conversation (such as it is) is diverted to the feelings or preferences of the narcissist. Only the narcissist’s reactions to the target’s attempts to deal with her own issues are ever dealt with. Not being a narcissist, the target does her best to deal with the narcissist’s reactions constructively. However, she always does so at the expense of her own feelings and issues. The narcissist always escalates conflict, burdening those around him with the responsibility of resolving any conflicts or issues completely on their own, without his constructive input.

Nevertheless, no single exchange of this sort is indicative of narcissism. At least at first, the target is likely to assume that there has simply been an odd miscommunication; that the narcissist has now gotten the point, and has spotted the asymmetry. She is unlikely to realise, at first, that a given exchange reflects a pervasive disorder, in the way the narcissist thinks about himself and others. In this sense, no individual exchange of the above sort contains narcissism. However, when such an exchange is considered in the light of similar exchanges, the narcissism can be seen everywhere. No corner of the exchange is untouched by it. E.g., when it is considered in the light of similar exchanges, the above exchange signals all of the definitive traits of narcissism. It signals the sense of entitlement, the self-centredness, and especially the lack of empathy. In the worst case scenario, the narcissist will be malignant; he will have psychopathic traits as well as extremely narcissistic ones. In such a case, the narcissist might be deliberately deflecting and shifting the blame onto the target. I.e., the above exchange might not just be the result of the narcissist’s disordered cognitions and motivations. Instead, it might constitute a deliberate attempt at manipulating and deceiving the target. If so, then the above exchange also reflects the malignant narcissist’s tendency towards interpersonal exploitation (i.e., his tendency towards lying, gaslighting, emotionally manipulating, smearing, feigning emotions, and so on).

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linkspooky · 5 years

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Tokyo Ghoul Group Reading #6-10

A part of the group reading on reddit! Check out the thread for it here if you want to join along. Going to try to keep these as spoiler free as possible, so there will be a lot of ‘pay attention to this it will be important later.’

006 Homing

Homing an instinct that enables an animal to return home after travelling great distances.

So, here we have a curious case of projection. In an instant despite not knowing him very well, Touka is very clearly able to reach into what Kaneki fears and hurt him the most with those words. What she says is very deeply cutting, but if you look at what we know of Touka’s character so far.

She works for the peaceful Anteiku who are referred to as pacifist ghouls and for the human customers like Hide she puts on a much quieter, shy persona. She has a human friend who she was walking home with. She’s specifically set off by Kaneki telling her that she’s a monster, and in response look at what she accuses him of doing.

Being unable to decide between being a human or a ghoul, therefore being a ghoul pretending to be human, and also a ghoul starving himself so that he can pass for human.

These are things that Touka also does. She’s lashing out in a very specific and personal way, and because Touka and Kaneki are actually much more similiar than they appear to be on the surface due to their contrasting personalities, a passive shy boy, an aggressive bold girl, you might not pick up the specific personal notes her speech hits on quite yet but Ishida is laying the groundwork for it.

See, Kaneki’s deepest fear however also at this exact moment we see that he acts in contradiction to his fear. The moment that Kaneki starts to break down and fear he’s going to be alone for the rest of his life, Hide texts him with the words ‘Dying Alone’ to let us know that Kaneki whose so afraid of being alone has been neglecting Hide and cutting him off all this time.

If you haven’t gotten it from the times it’s been mentioned so far, this chapter is specifically about Kaneki’s fear of being alone, and that also plays a role in his relationship with Hide as Hide mentions the myth of rabbits dying alone.

This chapter also does a good job of setting up Kaneki’s two primary character traits, which we might not have noticed so far as we were too wrapped up in his reaction to the sudden and traumatic change to his life. Hide being aware of these traits establishes that Kaneki was like this even before Rize.

Kaneki’s afraid of confrontation, and at the same time is anxious around social interactions. His two primary methods of dealing with others is to be anxious and avoidant. That is to say, the idea of any kind of unpleasant interaction makes hi so anxious he tends to instead of confronting the issue avoid it entirely, see how he tries to simply say no to something he doesn’t want to do but can’t quite get the words out because that would be a confrontation, so Hide has to explain all these things for him. And this is something as simple as joining a club. This minor situation thought serves as a set up for the conflict that’s being established this chapter. Kaneki has been avoidant of Hide so far, he knows that he has a secret that he’s keeping from Hide and that the secret could drive them apart, but contradicting his wishes his way of keeping that secret has just been cutting Hide off and avoiding him rather than trying to work through any kind of confrontation.

He doesn’t want to lose his place of belonging in Hide, but at the same time he cuts Hide off and distances him out of fear that if Hide will get too close he’ll lose that place of belonging. It’s a contradictory behavior, a paradox, Kaneki actively working against himself.

What amazing foreshadowing and payoff.

If a character repeats a phrase more than once in a row then it’s probably important to them in some way, even an important character trait. Also, Nishiki suddenly appearing matches the theme that ghouls are all just people with their own every day lives as well, trying to blend in with others, in addition to having to eat human meat.

007 Deception

In case you haven’t notice, Kaneki doesn’t really see ghouls as human yet, and he also has a tendency to play passive in these situations, and view the entire world as his enemy. This will come to play much later.

Once again, Kaneki doesn’t seem to grasp yet that ghouls can be violent one moment, and then go back to acting like normal people in their every day lives. He’s confused by the fact that Nishiki didn’t immediately attack them and is instead just doing normal college things. He doesn’t really yet perceive the complexity in them, which is what these early encounters are all about.

Thematically it’s interesting that Kaneki only sees Nishiki’s every day personality as just a mask, and as entirely false. That the violent ghoul side of him has to be the absolute truth, not the performance he puts on while pretending to be human. And also that his act as a human is entirely predatory in nature to lure others in. That’s going to be important later when we see how other humans who have no experience with ghouls view them.

This is a character tick of Kaneki’s that is going to be important later, but what’s also interesting is that Hide immediately knows that Kaneki’s lying to him, but doesn’t really say anything about it. Look at the emphasis drawn to his eyes as he notices and then thinks it over.

Yep, that’s the premise of the story. What I like most about the early parts of Tokyo Ghoul is you see Kaneki at his most empathic, because he’s trying to learn the things around him and continually confused he’s always questioning his environment and wondering what it’s like for other people to live.

Even if he doesn’t quite understand it there’s an active effort to try to understand the things around him, and try to see how Nishiki lives his life.

Give em the ole razzle dazzle Nishiki.

Nishiki voice: I like to remind everybody that I’m the only straight ghoul.

Symbolically though this has a lot of interesting connotations, because Kaneki despite being a male main character is coded with a lot of feminine traits. He’s passive, quiet, demure, he is incredibly humble, he’s obsessed with home and family, most of the people who shaped the beginning stages of his life were female. There’s a lot of duality symbolism going on with Kaneki and not only between human and ghoul but between ideas of masculinity and femininity as well.

So, once again projection.

Nishiki is talking about something oddly personal here, but it’s hard to pick up on because he’s laughing like an evil maniac. However, it’s been shown several times that Nishiki has issues of trust and betrayal.

Psychological projection is a defense mechanism people subconsciously employ in order to cope with difficult feelings or emotions. Psychological projection involves projecting undesirable feelings or emotions onto someone else, rather than admitting to or dealing with the unwanted feelings.

Touka pretends to be human so she lashes out at Kaneki for clinging to his humanity now that he’s a ghoul. Nishiki has trust issues, so he lshes out at Kaneki for being so easy to trust a human like Hide, and letting his guard down around him.

008 Kagune

This is the first chapter Kaneki uses his kagune so it’s not hard to guess wat the chapter title is.

Here we have Nishiki continue to talkl about territory, boundaries, and also now he’s violating Kaneki’s precious friend before Nishiki’s own precious friend can be violated because as we’ve already been shown quite obviously Nishiki has a lover.

Gender dualism again, also Nishiki reminding everybody that he’s the only straight ghoul.

We haven’t been introduced to Yomo yet, but this is a good way for the author to signal that this character is going to be important later.

Remember projection, closely consider why Nishiki takes issue with these actions of Kaneki’s in particular. It’s almost like he’s doing the exact same thing with his girlfriend, but is completely in denial of it at the moment and is instead lashing out at Kaneki who he perceives as carrying his flaws.

It’s interesting how other people are more aware of his best friend than Kaneki tends to be. Also Hide is about to be killed and his first priority is Kaneki. Another thing to notice is that Hide might have suspected this from Nishiki all along, and even tried to get Kaneki not to come with him when they were originally going to walk to his house together, only for Kaneki to insist on coming along. Hide’s role is pretty firmly established as somebody who speaks for Kaneki, notices things for him, and also somebody who protects him.

This is also a good indicator of how much early Kaneki dislikes violence. We’ll learn later that there’s a reason for that.

A reference to Revolutionary Girl Utena.

No I’m just kidding it’s Demian. Once again a really good resource if you don’t want to read the entire book because you’re not as obsessive as literary references as I am, is to go to the spark notes page. These chapters in particular are about further establishing Hide and Kaneki’s relationship, and the quote is meant to draw a parallel between them and Emil and Sinclair.

009

Chapter title is a reference to the egg quote from beginning.

Second mention of Yomo in case you forgot he was going to be important. Also, “You like high places, don’t you?”

So, here’s the start of another pattern in Kaneki’s behavior that’s going to be deconstructed later. Essentially he endures a lot of violence from others, let’s NIshiki beat him up with only a lttle bit of retalliation because he’s never actually been in a fight in his life, and then suddenly he snaps and deals all that violence back and then worse. He endures until he can’t anymore, and then he lashes out. It’s a pattern.

Here we have it, the funniest panel in Tokyo Ghoul. In the anime, and in the stage play they both adapt this scene to have it be Rize’s voice talking when Kaneki starts to view Hide as delicious, which I think was a good adaptation change because as we’ll find out later Kaneki never acknowledges that these terrible thoughts come from any part of him and he attends to attribute them to symbolic representations of someone else. It’s not some part of Kaneki that’s urging him towards violence, it’s Rize inside of him that tells him to be violent. That’s another thing that’s going to be important later.

Supehero landing.

Touka’s voice emphasizes that sharing their pain and understanding it is going to lead to Kaneki understanding ghouls better. It’s almost like empathy is a theme or something.

Oh, this is going to get a callback later

It’s almost like it’s a theme or something. This panel is also important, as we see the first use of butterfly symbolism, and also Yoshimura emphasizing that if Knaeki wants to find a place of belonging he also has to see ghouls as more than just ravenous beasts. The important theme of the manga that ghousl really are just humans, with the same psychology of humans, albeit ones with funky powers. Even with powers of regeneration, Touka was beat up severely from the fight with Kaneki, and she withstood those injuries for Kaneki’s sake in order to basically help what was a stranger who did not even see her as human to stop him from eating his friend.

010 Antique

This one is pretty obvious, Anteiku sounds like Antique. Antiques are also old, things of preservation, which is what Anteiku functions as and it’s run by an old manager.

In case you didn’t get it yet, this is a nature vs nurture manga. There’s going to be a callback to this scene later too.

Two things, one more on the theme that ghouls are essentially people, psychologically, they just have super powers, and are kept out of society mostly because of being born different.

The second is that Kaneki can’t perceive why a ghoul like Yoshimura would like people, he’s still having trouble coming to terms with perceiving them as human, and also establishing that Yoshimura has a tendency to keep important and necessary information hidden from Kaneki instead of just telling him outright why these people could be dangerous.

There’s that conflict about keeping secrets. Remember at this point too, Kaneki doesn’t quite realize how delicate the balance is for ghouls when trying to be human and blending into society. They can be killed if they’re exposed as ghouls even if they’re doing everything right and not even hurting other people. Being born a ghoul itself is a death sentence, which Kaneki does not yet grasp but will in future arcs.

Also notice a character trait of Touka’s, she puts on an image of being violent the same way Nishiki was, of being ruthless, yet at the same time as you observer her behavior she somehow finds every excuse not to act out on the violence she threatens Kaneki with. Her softness is what she’s concealing by putting on such a mask of violence.

Theme. Theme. Theme. Theme. Theme. Theme.

He’s such a literature student. He’s got to write in purple prose about how bad things taste.

Once again, Kaneki confused by the fact that ghouls can resemble people so much.

He also doesn’t perceive that there are ghouls that would live in peace, and wouldn’t want to hurt others, even though Touka blatantly says that they’re like him, and they’re trying to live without killing. Also, an interesting bit of storytelling here. It’s mentioned a ghoul might hunt Hide.

Later on, we see that ghoul having lost track of Hide because Hide sensed he was going to hunt him.

And then, Hide led that ghoul directly to a ghoul investigator. Hide was clever enough to avoid a ghoul and lead them into a death trap. Not to mention that but we also get the reason why Touka is so cautious with her secret as a ghoul. Ghouls will be killed on sight by ghoul investigators merely by existing.

In other words in the eyes of the law. Ghouls aren’t valid.

Okay, that’s enough for this week see you next week.

#tokyo ghoul #tokyo ghoul reread

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