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zaenaris · 7 months

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Thinking about how Inupi and Koko were introduced in an ambiguous way to make us think they were the bad guys and how their queerness was introduced ~after~ revealing they were positive characters and not to emphasize there was something wrong with them

I binge read the story from vol.9/ bloody Halloween to Senju’s introduction but ig that it must have been quite a journey to read chapters weekly and to see, step by step, how 🐶🈁,that were introduced as secondary characters, ended up with a quite surprisingly evolution, considering they’re not even main characters and that (beside’s Inupi’s connection with BD) their own tragic past isn’t related to the main plot.

Before their backstory, we see in both the presents TL (besides the final one) that when they’re together, they’re criminals...

and even Takemichi’s enemies in Manila TL.

Before the kidnapping, if we pay attention, the info we have about 🈁🐶 are that

they’re introduced as executives in the 1st Bad Toman TL-Inupi being protective ok Koko

they’re executives in Taiju’s BD

there’s a promise involved, but it’s unclear what it’s about

🐶 asks twice to 🈁 what he wants to do and Koko confirms he will stick with Inupi (fruity)

turns out it was 🐶 that wanted to recreate the BD (but we still don’t know why) and that 🈁 helped him introducing him Taiju

🐶🈁 join Takemichi’s division after the Christmas battle

once again are Toman’s dirigents in Manila TL, Taijusays somethin about Inupi's past with BD and Izana and Koko's being the gang wallet

bonus point, the homoerotic af inner cover of volume 14, where it seems like they're gonna kiss (and for a reason!)

At that point, readers/watchers have no reason to trust them and, beside the “promise/sticking with you” scene that implies something more, we knew nothing really “personal” about them.

So when they’re ambushed and for a moment the narration makes you think they’re the traitors, trying to blame Michi;the reader, just like Takemichi, has doubts, (love how Wakui drawn Inupi in such an ambiguous way lol) only to be immediately contradicted.

🈁🐶 genuinely have no bad intentions, they’re just trying to live without being used by others.

🐶 wanted to recreate the BD because (we learn later) Shin was his hero and the founder of BD (we already knew that from 2017!Taiju), but Taiju wanted 🈁 money making ability--->🈁 only listens to🐶(ch.141) and things finally makes sense,

🈁 sacrifices himself to save 🐶 and 🍀. In their hideout,🐶confirms he didn’t want BD to degenerate like that but it happened anyway, he himself got used to Izana's violent methods. He confirms he would die for 🈁 that has always been by his side even if he considers himself useless and 🍀 (and he readers) understand that 🈁🐶 are good kids at heart. Now it’s established they’re with “the good guys”, Takemichi even compare his and Hina relationship to 🐶🈁, we get they care very much for the other. The queer aspect starts being prominent from here.

And then ofc, the kiss.

But before that, just a reminder that, for a long time, queer coded villains had been a thing, especially when it wasn’t suitable to have explicit queer characters but you had to show they were evil, so you make them queer coded because it was not the norm (see many Disn&y villains); ofc in the story of literature/media there aren’t only examples of evil queer coded characters, there are positive characters too, it’s just an example and it happens also in Asian medias obviously.

It could have been “easy” for another writer or in different historical period to show the queerness of their relationship immediately, in one way or another to show, according old narrative styles, that we couldn’t trust them, only to subvert it later. But I really appreciate it was decided to give just a very small hint (promise/stick with you) and then later, once we are sure that’s they are good guys, another layer was added to their story, making us understand how traumatic, visceral and complicated their relationship is. Regardless of anyone’s personal interpretation, the queer factor in their subplot cannot be denied. There are 2 couple that kiss on screen, one is the male protagonist and his female love interest (granted, no one is surprised) and the other is kokonui.

🈁 was well aware of what he was doing and WHO was kissing. We see all of his torments, we understand why 🐶🈁 relationship is so complicated, why 🐶fears Koko doesn’t see him as Seishu but as Akane and why 🈁fears that Inupi is using him for money and his personal interest like everyone else.

Their kiss is treated by the narration with utmost respect and it essential to understand these characters (their official characters songs emphasize the importance of this moment as well). And it’s important to humanize them, to add a layer, to give them complexity, not to vilify them. They realize that, even if they’re ready to do anything for the other, it’s getting impossible to be together, too many traumas and misunderstandings piled up Turing the years. They part still wishing the best to the other, which, considering they’re 16 and their traumatic past, is still more emotionally mature then many breakups between adults.

Do we want to talk about how the “characters having a moment in the rain” is literally a romantic trope? Besides Bonten, where it’s implied they never saw each other again, in the last/Kanto Manji arc, it’s enough to see each other once (because in the end, 🈁 needed help and the person he trusts the most is still 🐶even after 2+ years they had no contacts) for 🐶 to understand that 🈁 is not okay.

For how rushed the final arc is (on a human level, I get that Wakui was burn out and had to finish asap), I really appreciate that he still found time to give a conclusion to 🐶🈁 sub plot that, more than any other secondary characters, was given the chance to evolve during the years and to reach a conclusion that was also a new beginning, because these traumas aren’t solved in a day, but now we know the elephant in the room has been faced, 🈁admitted his problems and decides to stay with 🐶 because that’s what he really wants. They have all the time to mend their relationship, this time with no fears nor misunderstandings

#tokyo revengers #kokonoi hajime #inui seishu #kokonui #inukoko #inui x koko #koko x inupi #tokyorev anime spoilers #zaenaris #zae talks about tr #tokyorev meta

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blu3cl0v3rs · 7 months

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Summary: Morro does a little magic trick for Lloyd!

Warnings: None

Prompt: Wands | Illusions

Extra: An AU where Morro doesn't die, but rather gets extremely injured so he returns to the monastery. Also he meets Wu like 5-10 years before Wu recruits any of the ninja. Set in season 1 after Lloyd joins the ninja, but before Lloyd's revealed as the Green Ninja. I'm making Morro give everyone nicknames, so Lloyd is sometimes referred to as "Lulu".

"Be safe, Ninja," Wu said as the four ninja leaped from the flying ship with some 'whoops', their weapons transforming into vehicles as they fell. The other four on board, Nya, Wu, Lloyd, and Morro, watched until the color-coded ninja were out of sight.

"Are you sure you don't want me tailing them? You know they aren't the most careful, Sensei," Nya asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. I believe Jay has been… skimping out on his work on the Bounty, and you are the only other knowledgeable person on this ship on the inner workings of it," he replied. "Now then, I must meditate."

Morro watched as his sensei went inside. Nya sighed in disappointment as she stomped over to the control center to fix whatever Jay had left haphazardly unfinished. Lloyd groaned and slumped onto the railing of the airborne ship.

"Careful, a fall from this height could be a doozy," the elder cousin joked as he walked over, forearm crutches clicking on the old wooden deck.

He ruffled the blonde locks cut into a crude bowl cut, much to Lloyd's dismay, as the young blonde swatted away his cousin's scarred, calloused hand playfully.

"So what's got ya down, Lulu?" The wind master gazed at his usually hyper counterpart with concern.

"I jus- this is all my fault!" he yelled, frustratedly slamming his fist onto the railing. "I was the one who freed the Serpentine, I was the one who caused all this! An- and now the Ninja have to clean up after me, and I… I can't do anything to make up for it!" Droplets stung the corners of the blonde's eyes, throat seizing as he shoved his face further into the sleeves of his black hoodie.

Oh, Morro thought. In hindsight, he should've seen this coming. "No, Lloyd, this isn't all your fault. Well, yes it's mostly your fault-" Lloyd's wince did not reassure him that what he was saying was right. Well, sue him, he's shit at comforting people. "But you're not the only one to blame. You were sent to a school that idolized bad behavior and 'evil' acts, so when you were cast out you'd obviously want to prove yourself to them."

Morro locked eyes with his cousin, stormy grays of violent winds and gentle breezes to bloody reds. "But, you are making up for it. You obviously regret it, and jump on every opportunity to help right your wrongs."

Lloyd broke contact, mulling over his cousin's words.

"Besides, every great hero needs a tragic backstory and motive to be good," the gray eyed man joked.

Alright, Morro thought while looking at the blonde still sulking over his mistakes, that didn't work.

An idea sprung into his head, and the wind rustled in response, which peaked Lloyd's curiosity. As he peered over his sleeves, some sheets of origami paper glided over to the pair, then started intricately folding themselves into shapes. The younger watched, awestruck as the patterned papers formed into butterflies and birds and dragons. One even rolled up tightly into a wand-like stick, then handed itself to Morro. Once the papers finished folding themselves, a few instruments arrived as well; an acoustic bass guitar, a flute, and a viola levitated patiently, as if waiting to be conducted.

Morro slowly raised the paper wand, Lloyd watching the tip like a cat watching a laser pointer, then swung it down, then left, then right, then back up and repeated the pattern. The origami creatures swayed in dance slowly as the instruments began to play themselves. The bass strummed steadily, the viola bowed itself with a melancholy sound, and the flute hummed in harmony with the viola. The butterflies fluttered carelessly, the birds soared in simple patterns, and the dragons pranced along the railing.

Then, the bass froze, and the viola's sound became tense and angry as the dragons lunged after the birds and the flute quietly trilled high notes, adding to the new panicked sound. The butterflies flitter and dodge out of the way of the speeding chase between the birds and dragons. The bass struck back in harshly with firm chords, and the birds were cornered. The viola and bass softened and quieted down as the flute played a sorrowful, legato melody with the butterflies spinning above the dragons and beleaguered birds.

The butterflies dove, whacking the dragons away from the avian origami, in sync with the viola bowing out a high note. The bass struck chords as the dragons fought back, the flute and viola playing in harmony with each other as they struck together to beat the dragons.

The bass played an apologetic solo as the dragons lowered their heads in submission to the other creatures. The birds and butterflies accepted the dragons with a sweet trill and a few harsh notes from the flute and viola, respectively. The three types of origami beings then whirled together as the instruments played happily. Morro ended it with flair as the viola played a complicated lick, the bass belted one last chord, and the flute whistled with intense vibrato.

The elder dramatically threw the wand into the air as the paper origami settled to the deck, and the instruments returned from whence they came. Lloyd marveled over the display as he clapped.

"That was so cool! How did the instruments play by themselves? Did you use string to make the paper things move? Could I do that?! That was awesome!" He exclaimed, motioning his hands to accentuate his point.

Morro chuckled at his cousin's perkier mood. "It was all a little wind, Lulu. Nothing more."

Lloyd's eyes sparkled, an even deeper amount of respect growing for his black and green haired cousin. "That was just your powers! But… how? All those moving parts, I could never keep track of all of them! And you can play instruments without touching them? How long did that take? Isn't it suuuper hard to learn?"

"It's just years of practice. Wu taught me how to play the flute so I would be able to play the Sacred Flute, and I picked the bass and viola up because string instruments sound cool."

"I thought it was called a violin?"

"That's a different instrument. A viola sounds lower than a violin."

"Ohhhhhh. Cool!"

"Yes, very cool.

#morrotober 2023 #ninjago #morro #morro master of wind #morro ninjago #lloyd garmadon #lloyd ninjago #ninjago morro #just in time #the ninja are briefly mentioned #nya and wu are there for like 2 seconds #I FORGOT TO TAG THIS AS #green cousins #greencousins #i'm so disappointed #in myself

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11queensupreme11 · 5 months

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all the posts about the parallels between Percy and Luke made me sad, I'm actually crying because the sadness is injustice is so raw

they were just kids, they ARE just CHILDREN fighting to survive in a world that is fighting to kill them, they are both right in their perspectives

HOW could anyone blame Luke for his disillusionment with the gods? he was just a child who only knew pain and betrayal from the gods, those same gods who were supposed to love and protect their children, as he must have felt when he realized that he and all those he loved were nothing more than pawns in your parents' twisted games? what it must have been like to know the truth that they are just disposable objects that can be replaced more than often? Knowing that their own parents wouldn't even be moved if they died?

I can understand his anger, why should they fight for minimal recognition? Why should they be abandoned? Why did their own parents let them DIE?

demigods are objectified, they are marginalized, they are cast aside as if they were forgotten toys that are only remembered when they are useful and forgotten again until they are broken quando são úteis e novamente esquecidos até serem quebrados

tudo é tão trágico, tão injusto e eu sei que se eu estivesse nessa situação tudo que eu faria seria gritar "PAI, AH PAI, POR QUE ME ABANDONOU" enquanto no meu peito uma tempestade de ódio e tristeza tomava meu coração e alma como um refém

Sejamos honestos, qualquer pessoa nesta situação se rebelaria, o único imune a isso seria o protagonista, mas e aqueles que não têm tanta sorte? aqueles que nunca foram reivindicados? aqueles sem rede de apoio? those who are just cannon fodder destined to help those most favored by destiny? those who are not destined for great things? aqueles que MORRERAM e foram tão rapidamente esquecidos? Existe alguém que não enlouqueceria vendo e vivendo num sistema tão abusivo?

there are SO many parallels between these two, a hero and a villain, Percy and Luke

every villain is a hero in his own perspective but we can really consider him a villain, it's so good to see that the fandom agrees that Luke before being a villain he was a victim, a victim of an abusive system, a victim of the gods , victim of the world

I can't stop crying for all those children, those who were forgotten, those who were tortured by the world, I'm crying for those women who were wronged by the gods, who suffered just for loving

and most importantly I'm crying because all of these books are ABSOLUTELY AMAZING

i love the random switch to portuguese in the middle cuz it really shows how passionate you are about this lol 😂😂

BUT ANYWAYS YES YES YES!!!

i remember an old tumblr post that defended luke from the luke haters and they said something along the lines of how if the books were written in pov of luke, we would TOTALLY see him as the hero and percy as the villain.

why? because luke's revolution MADE SENSE. he was trying to change an abusive system by taking down the gods who CLEARLY suck. and we would see percy as the villain because he's the one trying to protect that abusive system (or at least, that's what it would look like to us)

honestly, luke could've been the perfect hero, but his biggest mistake was being so desperate to fix everything that he trusted kronos to help him. the whole thing about gods vs titans in the books was very "lesser evils" coded and the gods were definitely the lesser evil. they were bad, but the titans were worse. because of this mistake, luke became the tragic hero instead

the real villains here were the gods and the titans. the demigods, regardless of whose side they were on, were, as always, just the tragic victims of this whole mess

#👸🏻| asks #👸🏻| arsenic blues

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marsarliya · 4 months

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Carry On stat revealed as World War Two hero who helped plan Great Escape

Recently the news has come on the internet that Carry On star Peter Butterworth was a secret World War Two Hero, the National Archives disclosed. He was an actor and comedian who assisted in planning the Great Escape from Stalag Luft III camp in Poland, where 76 airmen escaped on 24 March 1944. Since his name came on the internet it has gone viral on the social media platforms. Now several social media have been searching for the news as they are super curious to know about the whole information about it. Here we have more information about the news and we will share it with you in this article.

Carry On Star Great Escape

Late actor Butterworth took benefit of prisoners being permitted to write letters home to loved ones and managed to pass vital coded messages to British intelligence. Comedian Peter passed away on 17 January 1979 when he was 63 years old. Dr Will Butler, of the National Archies, stated “He was a very amazing artist who has been noted in the camp records as a highly-skilled forger of documents.” The Great Escape was perpetuated in the 1963 movie starring Steve McQueen. Swipe up to the next page for more information about the news.

How did Michael Gibbons die and what was his cause of death? Guitarist dies, Leeway Band Member Mourns

Reportedly, as an airman with the Fleet Air Arm, the actor was shot down at the start of the battle and ended up spending the remainder of it as a convict of war. In scenes reminiscent of Hollywood movies, the actor directed elaborate thought tunnels and managed to get out for three days before being sprinkled by a member of the Hitler Youth. The actor was a very amazing person who achieved a huge success due to his best. You are on the right page for more information about the news, so please read the complete article.

Fact check: Is Drug Testing Disney World? Fans panic over rumored policy change

As far as we know, his son Tyler Butterworth previously stated ” He always joked he’d never work with children after that.” Tragically like many of his friends on screen, Butterworth lost his life while persisting to perform for crowds in January 1979, while starring as Window Twankey in Aladdin at the Coventry Theatre, Peter was discovered dead in his hotel room. Now many people must be keen to know about the cause of death. Reportedly, he had suffered a suspected heart attack. Here we have shared all the information that we had if we get any information then we will update you soon. Stay connected with us for more updates.

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whenyouhearthedoorcreak · 3 years

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Fuck it, I wrote the goddamn essay

I'm far too invested in this series so heres my far overthought essay on Merlin as a Shakespearean Tragedy

Okay this is just a rough outline of what I want to talk about, but the basic premise is that merlinBBC lines up to be a perfect Shakespearean tragedy (ST)

The nine points of a ST ~

The Tragic Hero ~ Arthur is The tragic hero but Merlin also fits into it on a more personal level. Arthur is a man of great presence and station he fights all the monsters and dies in the end, He has this great destiny that lays heavy on his shoulders and he unknowingly drives the plot for most of the show (I just realised how much of this show Arthur just doesn’t know about? Like the entire plot is happening behind him and he’s just having a sword fight (sub thought, that is exactly how I would frame this if I directed a play of Merlin))

Good Vs Evil ~ Morgana sort of handles this all on her own? She is presented as the moral compass of the show and is then slowly manipulated into a position of villain although there is a more complex look at this being represented by merlin gwen and morgause but that would take an awfully long time to explain

Fatal Flaw ~ typically this is given to the Tragic Hero™ but because Merlin and Arthur sort of split the spotlight this is applied mainly to Merlin. Merlin is deeply and unshakingly loyal to Arthur and while this is initially and somewhat veiled as loyalty to his destiny and the future he’s fighting for, it’s easily evident from his actions in “the sins of a father” that he is quickly becoming more loyal to Arthur than magic and chooses Arthurs well being over the fate of magic kind.

Tragic Waste ~ this is the idea that the hero will die before completing all he could do, and if that doesn’t sound like Arthur then we didn’ watch the same show.

Conflict ~ the corruption of merlins and morgana from morgause and Killgarah is the real core conflict of this show, if those two characters had never been there none of this would ever have happened. While i would agree that they could have done it better the main theme of this shows conflicts in manipulation,

Dichotomy of villainy ~ we are left by the end of this show unable to really take a side because everything felt preventable, for this reason morgana’s death and Merlins victory still feels mostly hollow

Supernatural element ~ I feel like this is fairly self evident

Ambiguity of poetic justice ~ “good will always triumph and evil will always suffer” is the simple moral code that most writing goes by, however a ST subverts this, often having its good characters commit acts of moral ambiguity and the hero inevitably fails or dies in the process. This is doen in MerlinBBC with Merlin never fulfilling his destiny and Arthur never repealing the ban on magic. We can suppose given Gwen's scene during the battle of camlann that she will most likely repeal the ban on magic and raise merlin to the title of Court Sorcerer as is vaguely hinted towards given his position in her coronation scene.

Comic relief ~ STs aren’t all sorrow and hannes acts, they have their fair share of jokes and funny moments. We can see that in some of the more joky episodes, but also in things like That tavern scene.

The last piece of this tragic puzzle is the most obvious, the five seasons of Merlin are the five acts of a Shakespeare play. I've made a handy chart to understand what I mean. Because it's a t because its a tv show and therefore worried about viewers returning the act structures isn’t broken up perfectly, but it still fits fairly well. The thing that leaves people bitter about the end of this show, I think, is because they expected the show to settle, to find a rest in its ending, what we got instead was a camelot that (while still having a trusted monarch) was still in turmoil, and a shot of merli alone and sad 1500 years in the future still waiting for arthur.

What happened with merlin is that we never got the finally, “everything will be okay” moment and so we are left wanting

The themes of Merlin are a dichotomy of Peace and Equality Vs corruption and manipulation, this is displayed through the main characters of Merlin, Arthur, and Morgana, with each being manipulated and corrupted by Killgarrah, Uther, and Morgause respectively. This is shown best through the use of Forked Path. (which I weirdly can’t find any articles or anything for? Which is odd given how popular it is but anyway) the Forked Path happens anytime the characters are presented with two strict choices without much wiggle room, both of which could end badly in the long run but must nonetheless be chosen between. This is very clear with season two's story arc between merlin and morgana, in which merlin must either kill his friend to prevent a possible future, or let her win and risk the demise of albion. Merlin attempts to avoid this, temporarily disabling Morgana from enacting her plans and the like, but in the end he is forced to choose. Arthur is continuously presented with the problem of whether to trust and show mercy to magic. Morgana is presented with either killing Uther and freeing magic, or running from camelot and lending to the further persecution of the druids. The thing you might notice is that these are all linching on Merlin and whether or not he tells the truth, his silence provides false dichotomies for the other characters. This is the manipulation I mentioned earlier. Merlin is led to believe again and again that he Must commit acts against his morals to save Arthur and therefore Albion. But as no fan will hesitate to point out, he never really had to. This is a show of the trope of Self Fulfilling Destiny that's found in all tragedies since ancient greece. Merlin’s attempts to stop morgana directly lead to their conflict, his keeping his magic a secret to protect arthur ultimately leads to arthur's death (having only met “evil” sorcerers arthur never repealed the ban and so mordred sides with morgana). If Merlin had followed his own heart then all would have worked out well, but instead we see Killgarrahs manipulation stop merlin from acting in camelots best interest.

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elonaackerman · 3 years

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In a few hour's the spoiler leaks are going to be released for the final chapter of Attack on titan manga and the official translation on April 9th so before all that happens what are you're thoughts and predictions between the character's and the end of the storyline?

https://ww7.readsnk.com/chapter/shingeki-no-kyojin-spoilers-raw-chapter-139/.

Hello Kian ! I see several of your questions about the ending and I must say I was lost myself with everything happening. However, I think I elaborated a good theory now !

Theory number 1: Eren is alive

This is the theory I acknowledge the most. Many people say that Eren not dying would be too strange after he already survived so much times to his expected deaths, but I don’t think so. Isayama loves to take some clichés and to twist them:

Here is a brief list:

- The MC not dying in the first episodes

- The power of will and friendship (which is shown to be useless in the Trost arc)

- The guy protecting the girl (Mikasa is Eren’s bodyguard, not the contrary)

- The main trio sticking together until the end

- The MC being « special »/being the « chosen one » (Eren is an usurpator)

Something very used in films/books is to use the absence of body as a way to cancel the absolute truth of a death. By showing us a body, Isayama can fool us by transgressing this common rule of « body=dead ».

Also Eren’s death in chapter 138 was just serving Mikasa’s development arc climax. It didn’t solve any matter of their world.

You know I feel like Eren was very relaxed when he saw Mikasa approaching to kill him. He probably already knew what she was going to do and even closed his eyes when she did it (you can see it since on the last panel, Eren has his eyes closed). I feel like if Eren acted this way, it’s because he transferred his consciousness to his body (all this time his head was controlling the titan so he may have regenerated a head on his body). It would explain why this concept was introduced to us with Reiner in season 3 and then never used again.

Plus, Grisha said everything would go along to Eren’s plan, but if Eren didn’t succeed, the Rumbling is stopped and hell awaits eldians: they will be killed after what happened, considered too dangerous, more than they already were. And even if the titan power is removed, there will still be a large part of hate and of revenge in the Rumbling survivors’ hearts. I don’t believe the « Code Geass theory » which says that Eren did the rumbling so the world could see Eldians defending it, and stand united with Mahrs against him (in the role of the bad guy), especially since some Eldians sided with Eren and that he exposed them in Revelio or even in Paradise with his devoted Yeagerists. It’s not realistic at all and it doesn’t fit nor Eren’s character, nor SNK spirit.

Eren had defined goals: « exterminate them all », and that’s what he did, he doesn’t seem to want to stop the rumbling on this panel:

Isayama said he didn’t like characters who weren’t true to their goals, that let the story change their plans and motivations too easily. He wouldn’t give to his MC the traits of a writing he despise.

Another reason why I believe the guy is alive is because his POV was hidden all this time. What’s the point of not giving to us Eren’s perspective while his final battle, when it would have been more powerful, if you did not have a big secret/plot twist generator to hide ? I think Eren and Ymir, who smiles like a creep in 138, manipulated everyone: the way Armin came with all the titan shifters in 137 with the help of Ymir was already really suspicious. Kruger, for example, had no reason to stand against Eren.

Chapter 137 was Armin, 138 was Mikasa so we will surely get Eren perspective for 139. And it will be weird if we have it while the guy is dead. Of course we’ll see what happened in chapter 130 between Eren and Historia (I can’t wait for their POVs) and Historia’s baby. The final panel makes me even more sure that Eren is still alive otherwise who on earth would say « You are free » to a new born child ? Eren x Freedom is canon.

• The Attack Titan

We know the path is a place out of time. It’s in this place that titans are sculpted by Ymir, and that’s why I think it makes sense for Eren to be the first owner of that titan: the attack titan is the only one who ascends in the past instead of descending in the future. If physically it seems to be passed down following the classical timeline, all of it is actually playing in the paths. The Attack Titan was only possessed by rebels, directly influenced by Eren’s mindset. It disappeared at a time, and it was also a part of Ymir’s titan: it’s her rebellious part designed to « attack » the world 2000 years later. I think Isayama might add depth again to the title of the story in 139.

• Major deaths

I can’t help but think: why did Eren let Mikasa cut his head and even indicated his location with titan marks ? I think that it’s possible he wants his last friends to fly away from the battle, thinking they have won when they didn’t, so that he can restart the Rumbling without killing them. The survivors would be Levi, Mikasa, Armin and probably Annie. I think Reiner will die to let Gaby eat him, so that Falco and Gaby, representing the future, can be saved.

It makes sense for Reiner to sacrifice himself for his little cousin: he lived for the ones he loved even if he didn’t wish to live himself, and since Gaby represents the new generation, hope, and that she was the potential inheritor of the Armored Titan, I am convinced she is the one who will eat him.

After that the most probable thing is that Levi and Mikasa, who grew incredibly closer, will live together, same for Annie and Armin. Eren will achieve the Rumbling then go back to Historia and we will have that Akatsuki no Requiem ending.

However, a darker possibility is that everyone except Falco and Gaby might die. I am in denial 😄✌🏻

But, I ask myself how Eren will make titans disappear. I think he might have plotted something with Ymir, after all isn’t she free from King Fritz now ? Or maybe Falco will eradicate the worm (bird vs worm is kinda obvious). However I do not think the people transformed into titans will turn back to normal, it’s not Isayama’s style to « bring back » dead characters, it would make Jean’s and Connie’s deaths less tragic. I think that only shifters will loose their ability and the 13 years thing.

Theory 2: if Eren is dead

• Ymir’s manipulation

I don’t wanna believe it but what if all of this was Ymir’s plan ? If he IS dead, it’s Ymir who is the mastermind and manipulated him so that the parasite would die and that she could get out off the paths. « I took the world’s freedom to gain mine » what if it’s YMIR TALKING in 133 ? She could even had sent the dream to Mikasa in 138 so that she would know WHERE Eren was and kill him, all of this after Ymir took revenge on the world. Remember, the titan who protected Zeke came from earth, and Ymir entered in contact with « the source of all organic life », which means she could be the one behind the birds we keep seeing, including the one on Mikasa dream. She could be smiling because her plan WORKED.

Also remember in the paths where Eren was talking to the Alliance ? He was in his kid Eren form, like Ymir, we didn’t see his eyes, showing his slavery and a strange alike-look. Ymir was standing right next to him, in the exact same position, mirroring him as if he was a sort of reflection/puppet of hers. Everybody thought the contrary until now, that Ymir followed Eren. While she was here, Eren was saying that the only way to end all of this was to take his life: what if Ymir made him say that ?

It makes even more sense when Ymir helped Armin with summoning shifters and that they also had their mouths don’t moving.

• Eldian Society ?

The only way to resolve everything if Eren is dead is to create an Eldian empire domination with the rest of the world being weak and wiped out. Everybody would live on Paradise and would be teached about the cycle of hate and the heroes who stopped the Rumbling as new Helos, giving us an explanation of that picture in the opening (it could also be Eren’s society as well meant to not repeat the same mistakes as well)

I hope you liked it ! Let’s not suffer too much during the waiting and organize cottagecore RM and EH weddings with the beach Aruannie one instead of crying 💁🏻‍♀️

#rivamika #snk #aot #ackerman clan #erehisu #levi #levi ackerman #ackerman #mikasa #eren #snk 139

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ask-ikeprichevalier · 2 years

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As expected of you, thinking of liquor as a strategic tool prior to anything else! For a kingdom to have such a dedicated prince truly is a blessing, but if one forgets to make time for leisure the full days of work would be slowly nullified by a mind suffocating in relentless pressure...so don't overwork yourself.

For your people, of course.

Speaking of which, might I ask why, with so little endeavour at courtesy, would you refer to me as simpleton? Does the lack of fortune or title play the major role in defining a commoner? Or are there any redeeming qualities that can fill the social gap? Fortune is not something you decide to be born with, after all.

That's a good question, although I believe the true answer lays in the context. Will the rest of my life as a wanderer give meaning to the beliefs I hold? Would I be able to reach the ears of those willing to listen? Is there something or someone waiting for me in life worth it enough to cast away my thoughts, to give up on the place I've grown up into? It is not to be forgotten the possibility of my scholars disproving of the act mistaking it for cowardice, leading the ideals I've always fervently spoke about to depart along with me.

Or perhaps choosing to die in such picturesque sorrow would gift me the title of tragic hero unwavering in their values even in front of Death herself, thus as unwavering those who were fond of my doctrine might keep it alive with renewed fervor. Would I accomplish more by sacrificing myself for that ideal than I could ever do by existing? I'd have to admit though despite me never giving much thought to Socrates' decision nor its repercussions on the present day, said act proved somehow efficient in letting us take delight in such a lovely conversation, don't you think?

Would you take the hemlock, Prince?

(Yes!! He definitely has the debate class vibes mixed with edgy emo boy AND something like a quarter of Mr. Darcy?? Anyway I feel like if I keep telling you how good I think you're representing him we're never gonna stop so I'll just take the anon off bcs you deserve to know how much your work is appreciated!!)

In response to your questions I have written a scholarly text depicting the intricacies of daily decisions as King. I make it no secret that this has been tedious to write and I expect full gratitude in return. A King and Prince don’t have the time to go around answering long questions, though I found it in my schedule to give you such time in the hopes that you and others will understand the significance of the decisions of a King. Do not make me regret this decision.

Chevalier Michel

January 9th, 2022

Prof: N/A

TA: N/A

Course code: N/A

The Weight of the Image of Being King

In the act of ruling a Kingdom many things must be considered when making any decision. Simple tasks such as: which foods to eat, what clothes to wear, what liquor to drink at what given time, what diction to use, and what literature and histories occupies one’s mind all play a role in the perception of a King by it’s people. In the case of Beastly King, rest is not as important as results, and can be delayed multiple times for the sake of the Kingdom. A beast can run on little to no sleep as assassins are a common frustration amongst Royal Beasts.

The choices of Food reflect on the King’s health, preferences, and taste and must be chosen carefully to further the image of a balanced and reasonable King. Examples of Kings that overeat are often presented as glutinous and therefore, sinful in their ways leading the public to believe that King is unfit to rule. A King that undereats is seen as weak and unmanly in their image; their public image is often perceived by neighboring Kingdoms as weak and a target for war and conquest. It is in the best interest of the King to act reasonably and eat a balanced diet three times a day so show their serving staff, and in turn their people, that they are in good health and good mind in order to govern and defend properly.

The choice of clothing is often depicting the King’s personality and gauge of high class fashion in many different situations. In times of leisure, in times of banquets, balls, war, public addresses, and public outings, a King must be the example o show sophistry and poise in their attire to properly define their Royal status and remain an icon in fashion for the public. A King must be careful with his personal style to show just enough intimidation to keep those needed in line and to show openness in color to depict a democratic air. Suggestion is always necessary and important, though in the end it is the King’s decision and it is the King’s public image that will reflect this to his people.

A King’s choice of liquor must be incredibly well chosen to pair with the food, the atmosphere of the room, the décor, and personality traits of everyone involved. It must be of the finest quality and vintage to depict financial superiority, so the nobles understand that the financial situation of the Kingdom is stable and prospering. It must be shown that the King has impeccable taste as he is the example to his people and must show the behaviors and tastes of the upper class. It is evident that a King must not drink without reason, as it impairs the consumer in various ways. A King must refrain from advertising harmful habits to his people for his people are the most important resource of the Kingdom and must be maintained accordingly.

A King’s choice of vocabulary in regard to one’s brith has nothing to do with insulting them, but rather reflecting the level of education of the receiver. A commoner cannot get the same level of education as a noble and in turn Royal as it is impossible financially, physically due to lack of proper dress, and socially due to lack of proper manners. Redeeming qualities in commoners may sway the diction of the King should they prove their quality of education and a witness to attest to their knowledge. Fortune plays no role in addressing commoners, as it cannot be the defining quality of a person. The drive of a commoner to learn is highly valuable to a King as a resource, and should a commoner show ambition and potential a King will oblige with diction befitting the commoner.

In a question of life or death pertaining to the aforementioned choice of Socrates; it is imperative that a King must chose it’s people before anything thus the answer would be neither to drink the metaphorical hemlock, nor to flee the kingdom. It would be to use the remaining time to bring together the people to perform a revolt against the tyrant sentencing the future King to death. It would not be beneficial for a King to chose anything that does not benefit it’s Kingdom thus in their lives they must make their own options to a situation. In the case of Socrates his actions were poetic and heroic for his beliefs; and in it’s own right beneficial to the image of his ideals. If I were but a philosopher, I would have acted the same as Socrates, and leave my will to my successors to further my ideals and causes and let my death be a beacon of hope and a down of a new age.

All in all, The image of a King is vital in everything he does. It gives his people hope and a role model to how a person should strive to act. It is the decisions of a King that affects everyone thus he must remain impartial and poised at all times and put his people first. A King must take care to eat the proper foods, wear the most appropriate and fashionable clothes, select the finest liquor, take care in their diction, and ponder questions putting in a fashion that puts their Kingdom and it’s people first. A King in the end must sacrifice frivolous activity, childish behavior, and whims of no solid necessity as their mind should be occupied first and foremost with their Kingdom and it’s people; their leisure must be filled with activities equal parts restful and productive in order to keep their mind and body sharp throughout all age.

(Note from mun, I didn’t expect such a passionate ask and I can’t begin to describe how much this meant to me. I tried to answer will equal conviction to the best of my ability to show my gratitude for your effort in this ask and I took great pleasure in responding to it! I means so much that you and other appreciate my interpretation of Chevalier’s character and it is my hope that I can continue to be as convincing as possible! Cheers and have a great day/night!)

#ikepri #ask ikepri chevalier #ikeprichevalier #babadooksgaycousin

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thecabaggewoman · 3 years

Text

Fic rec!

Star Wars :

Thrawn fic :

Here!

Betrayal

What if Luke made some very different decisions during the Original Trilogy and throughout the "Legends" Expanded Universe. This is an AU story with all my favorite characters. The story veers off being canon after A New Hope.

Atla :

Here!

Mha :

Mastermind : strategist for hire (Tododeku)

Izuku Midoriya never got the chance to save Bakugo from the sludge villain and impress All Might. With his dream crushed, Izuku becomes bitter and angry. It also doesn't help that he faces discrimination at every turn.

All he ever wanted was to be appreciated, so when the villains are the ones to recognize his talents rather than the heroes, well, Izuku just can't resist. He might as well help those who actually want him around.

Mistakes were made, and now society must face a villain of their own making: Mastermind

Deku? I think he's some pro Izuoka

Yagi Toshinori watched the green haired boy walk away after saving his friend and shook his head. While the boy's actions were heroic, he was just too reckless. He walked in the opposite direction, thinking about a time he could meet the candidate Sir Nighteye put forward.

Izuku Midoriya goes home and decides that, even if he can't be hero himself, he can still help them with his analysis. Cue Izuku catching the attention of multiple heroes who are a little more open-minded and willing to see the potential in a quirkless kid.

Cheat code : support strategist (Mei/Deku)

After All Might gives Izuku a much needed reality check, he has to find a new dream. When he learns that the support course at UA offers an emphasis in Intelligence and Analytics, it sounds like the perfect new passion for him to throw himself into.

Who knew? Maybe Hero Analysis for the Future was never meant for his future as a hero, but for his future helping heroes...

Viridian : the green guide (Kamideku)

After his dream is finally crushed, Izuku isn’t quite sure there’s anything left for him to live for, but...he can’t exactly kill himself either, not without hurting the people he cares the most about. So, when he realizes that the quirkless can’t technically be vigilantes, it seems like the best of both worlds. He’ll be able to save people even without being a hero and, if he happens to die while he’s at it...well, like Kacchan said, maybe he’d be born with a quirk in the next life.

Apex Predator (Tododeku, Dabihawks)

Every single school had one: someone at the top of the food chain. An acme. Someone who could do things under a teacher's nose, escape consequences, and terrify other people. Someone who looked down on everyone else like they were prey. An apex predator. And Izuku couldn't count on teachers and adults to protect anyone. Even a hero school wasn't safe from the phenomena. When Izuku gets to Yuuei, he's determined to find out who it is and ensure they can't hurt him or his new friends.

...and accidentally, in the process, becomes the apex predator (though he is mostly unaware of this, and uses it for good. But still, people are terrified of him.)

(Or, a snowball chain of events wherein Izuku's paranoia leads to 1A becoming a family, everyone in school being in debt to him, Aizawa adopting everyone in his sight and slowly growing closer to committing acts of arson, the League gaining redemption and working with the resident Apex Predator to combat the Hero Commission whilst gaining technically legal identities, and Hawks finding a family. Hurt people help other hurt people, and they're all doing their best. Some laws may or may not be broken in the process.)

How the league of villain adopt a Hawk (Dabihawks)

When Dabi accidentally uses a gesture that Hawks associates with the Commission's brutal punishments, the league discovers exactly what the hero's life is like.

They're not happy about it.

area cryptid upset no one bothered to inform him of his tragic backstory (Dabihawks)

“My life is a nightmare,” Dabi muttered blankly.

“Nah, this is hilarious,” Hawks said, and while he wasn’t explicitly laughing, Dabi knew that those weird little chirps he was letting out were pointed at him. “Imagine if we go through all this effort and you don’t even have some sort of dramatic background or tragic backstory to justify you being this emo, you’re just a hot topic junkie or something.”

“That’s fucking worse.”

Or,

Dabi has amnesia and keeps reading conspiracy theories about himself in an attempt to figure out who he is, gets the League in on it, and they dismantle organized crime, revolutionize society, and ravage the hero system in the process. Hawks suffers.

Why are we here again?

The brighter the light, the darker the shadows. And in a super-powered society, those shadows are dark indeed. But whilst the world desperately trained more and more heroes, making that light brighter and brighter, the prestigious hero school, UA, had another idea. Why not tackle the problem at its source?

And so was born the infamous class 1-A. Would-be criminals from all over the country were selected, and a group of twenty roam now the halls of the school, alongside the heroes of the next generation.

Last year, the entirety of Mr Aizawa’s class A graduated. But this year was different. No, he didn’t believe they would all graduate back into society like the classes before them. He believed they could become something bigger. That was why, with gritted teeth and a manic smile, Eraser Head turned to his new class of students and said:

"You aren't villains - you never were, and you never will be. But you can take that fire inside of you and put it to good use. We're in a hero school, aren't we? Well then...

"Let's be heroes."

Japan vs Shigaraki

Summary here

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ms-interpretation · 3 years

Photo

Going through the screenshots I’ve taken I realized that Lee Gon literally meets a different version of each of his parents in episode 14 & 15. When he travels back to the Night of Treason there’s this moment of him kneeling down taking in the sight of his dead father, even closing the former King’s eyes. This takes place right after he has saved his younger self and ambushed Lee Lim and the other traitors (which ensured that they didn’t get hold of the piece of the Manpasikjeok his young self was hiding). The ensuing emotional beat of Lee Gon’s grief is something the drama quietly let’s play out. There’s no big dramatic scene of the dying King talking to him while dying in his arms or a meaningful inner monologue of Lee Gon reflecting on this moment (while spelling out what he feels). No, there’s only the still emptiness of loss as the snow keeps falling over them. Not to be all poetic about it but that calm emptiness is fitting, since Lee Gon was left an orphan by this event and his life has therefore been marred by absence. It becomes more and more clear to me the more I think about it why young Lee Gon would naturally start to obsess about the ID-card left by his mysterious savior. He has since grown up as an orphan and thus seeing his father like this now must be akin to seeing a ghost (insert Hamlet reference here). We already know from the flashback in episode four that his father’s death left an emotional scar, as the room had been left empty and untouched until that moment when Lee Gon decided to return to retrieve the Four Tiger Sword to embrace his destiny (while clearly still grieving, remembering his father, as he did so). After traveling through time and managing to return to the present and being reunited with Jeong Tae-eul he then meets his doppelganger’s (Lee Ji-hun’s) mother.

Their encounter is strangely moving. They are both incredibly affected by simply only seeing each other, which is not that strange given that they are each in essence looking at the ghost of a loved one. Lee Gon is seeing whom his mother could have been had she not passed away due to illness and Song Jeong-hye is seeing what her son would have looked like had he been allowed to grow up. Ghosts in literature have been metaphors and/or symbols for different things throughout the years. Sometimes they are regrets, at other times memories, or they might even be the physical manifestation of trauma (this occurs in ‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’, the ghost of the protagonist’s ex-boyfriend who died in such a way to traumatize her literally ‘haunts’ her for the first few episodes). In this scene and in TKEM the doppelgangers are essentially and paradoxically living ‘ghosts’. Jeong Tae-eul even went looking for her mother’s counterpart in episode six, hoping that things were different enough in the Kingdom so as to mean that she was alive and well. Doppelgangers become ghosts for the ‘world-crossers’ since they are nearly quite literally the physical manifestation of ‘what could have been’ if the world-crosser’s loved one was still there.

I’m no expert on grief nor loss but I know that a defining aspect of losing someone is of course the experience of the fact that they - to be literal - are not there anymore. The living are left with only the memories and this horrible heartbreaking emptiness i.e. the experience of the lack of that person. I would actually also argue (and contradict myself) and say that the living may also be left with the love of that person. We see this in how Lee Gon remembers and embraces his destiny by remembering his father in episode four. There is of course still that emptiness of loss left behind. Lee Gon and Song Jeong-hye are however suddenly each in turn confronted by a ‘living ghost’, by the living doppelganger of whom they’ve lost. It is regret and the horrible sight of what could have been, what should have been, for Jeong-hye and a physical reminder for Lee Gon of the absence he has grown up with (as he is confronted with the parental grief of someone who deeply loves their child, who is a different version of him). At this point Lee Gon has not only lost his parents but also his uncle Prince Buyeong, whom Lee Lim killed precisely because he wanted to break his orphaned nephew’s spirit. Both these characters, Lee Gon and Song Jeong-hye, have in common how Lee Lim almost completely wrecked their lives one fateful night. They have both suffered terribly due to his greed and have both had to live with that trauma for the last 25 years. Lee Gon, being the hero of this narrative, being currently in the process of confronting and stopping him, once and for all. They also have in common how they are haunted by the fact that there was that one person they couldn’t save. For Lee Gon it is his parent(s) and for Song Jeong-hye it is her son. And it is strange that in a way, the people they’ve lost is suddenly right there, in front of them. They are confronted with a living, breathing, thinking person who in some ways actually is the person they have lost. We don’t know much about Lee Gon’s mother, but we do know that he takes after her by being scientifically inclined and being someone with faith (episode 12). We do know from seeing Song Jeong-hye that she is also someone with faith (being Catholic) and we can determine from watching her that she is open-minded and curious as she takes the time to listen to FateKid, exhibiting the traits which probably made her counterpart become a scientist. Lee Gon thus have in common with Song Jeong-hye the traits he inherited from his mother, which are his only remaining link to her.

The doppelgangers of the TKEM universe are intimately connected, they are not simply random people with the same faces. We see this (as previously stated) in how Song Jeong-hye is, as Lee Gon’s mother was, a Catholic and in how several of Jeong Tae-eul’s work colleagues are police officers in both universes (beliefs, values and certain choices remaining the same between the two worlds). After Lee Gon resets the universes we meet a grown-up Lee Ji-hun who is in the military. Like Lee Gon he chooses to be someone who puts himself forward to protect people/the nation and very likely certain ideals. We see this brave impulse in them both early on when they are each in turn confronted by Lee Lim. Perhaps in the case of Lee Ji-hun it is also a consequence of growing up in an abusive household. Of course there’s Luna who is seemingly very different from Jeong Tae-eul, but similarly to our heroine she does actually have a good grasp on right and wrong. She is shown believing in the concept, not being amoral and she keeps herself to a sort of moral code. She knows that what’s she’s doing is wrong. Talking to Fate/FluteKid she expects to be punished for what she’s about to do (infiltrating Tae-eul’s life and possibly killing Lee Gon) and while she feels like she has been dealt an unfair hand she doesn’t (I think) ever claim that what’s she’s doing is right. Does that make her a good person? No, no it doesn’t, since she still chooses to do horrific things to innocent people. But it reveals that she is more similar to Tae-eul then what the hardened criminal/righteous police detective contrast might at first suggest. This makes the meeting of Lee Gon and Song Jeong-hye more tragic in a way, because they are almost family. The “details” of life however do, in the end, make all the difference. Our circumstances, choices and relationships play a huge part in who we become. Neither Lee Gon nor Song Jeong-hye however did tragically get to spend much time with their loved one, and therefore the people they miss do actually come closer to being each other than what one might at first think. They both miss a person, who in a sense, never existed (a Lee Ji-hun and doppelganger of Song Jeong-hye who survived). Not to become too philosophical but an identity defining difference between Lee Gon and Lee Ji-hun is the fact that the latter didn’t grow up while the former did. Similarly a defining difference between Song Jeong-hye and Lee Gon’s mother is that the latter died due to illness. There are other incredibly important differences as well, they are importantly of course separate people with different relationships and histories, which is why Lee Gon and Jeong-hye end up being closer but not close enough to what the other person is missing. I do however believe that it is good to when confronted with characters and scenes like these to truly reflect and question what it is that makes us who we are - which is what the very concept of doppelgangers invites us to do.

Song Jeong-hye’s grief is almost palpable in this scene and Lee Gon, the survivor confronted with his dead counterpart’s grieving mother, is also unsurprisingly deeply affected. He is clearly broken up about her fate, but is stopped when he tries to apologise. It is absolutely heartbreaking when Jeong-hye unfairly blames him for Ji-hun’s death. I do however believe that her parting words “I’m not your mother” and emphasis that he should not die for her reveals that parental love, as in the case of the romantic love between Lee Gon and Jeong Tae-eul, can also extend across universes. She could have been apathetic to his fate and she clearly isn’t. Lee Gon is later also quietly devastated by her death. This being a modern fairytale the story will end with Lee Gon doing what seems impossible, saving Lee Ji-hun and Song Jeong-hye. He rights the wrongs his uncle’s greed have caused and is partially able to do so thanks to Song Jeong-hye’s love for her son, which extends just enough as to move her to help Lee Gon. Love ends up conquering greed by extending beyond the latter’s reach through one mother who lost her son choosing to help a ‘stranger’. This after Lee Lim has been using doppelgangers’ love (or lack thereof in the case of Luna) for their families against them.

The fact that this meeting takes place now, so soon after Lee Gon has re-lived his father’s murder is absolutely soul-crushing. It also creates a dark and tragic context for what comes next. Lee Gon comes to believe that the only way to end it all is to travel back in time, once again but this time risk his past self dying to make sure that Lee Lim is finally stopped. That is a very drastic and dark plan, but because we have these scenes of Lee Gon with Song Jeong-hye and him literally revisiting his trauma (taking in the sight of his dead father) we can easily believe why Lee Gon is so sure that this is how it has to play out. That and the fact that he has grown up as a King in a monarchy where the monarch’s chief responsibility is to ensure the safety of their people. We can tell that he suffers badly from survivor’s guilt as he sneaks away to travel back on his own, only bringing Jo Yeong when the latter intercepts him and insists, as Lee Gon hesitates, that he will accompany him. Then when they are back in time Lee Gon’s new plan consists of Yeong being back-up, making sure that Lee Lim is stopped if he himself would fail to do so. Even then, he chooses to rather risk himself than putting his friend in danger. Unsurprisingly however Jo Yeong pales when he understands Lee Gon’s plan and simply refuses to abide by his King’s request, choosing instead to prioritize saving the young Lee Gon.

At some point I need to make a post about how all the protagonists’ heroism takes form in the choices they make and in how they are either/both saved and/or moved by the love of others’. I do hope people don’t mistake my emphasis on Lee Gon as an orphan as me invalidating his familial relationships with Prince Buyeong and Lady Noh. Lee Gon is an orphan in that he lost both of his loving parents who cared for him, not because he lost his parents-by-blood. There is also this guilt of Lee Gon’s towards Prince Buyeong because the latter had to choose between taking care of young Lee Gon or being with his immediate family. It doesn’t strain their relationship but it does in the case of Lee Gon make his remaining familial relationship heavier. In the case of Lady Noh he also feels indebted to her, as she is someone who remained in the Kingdom to look after him rather than trying to get back to her world (or simply choosing to leave the palace) after his father’s violent death. It is important to point out that of course these characters’ all freely choose to do what they do, it is part of what makes them feel truly human and heroic. Lee Gon is not to blame but of course he is still thankful and understandably, given his trauma, he still experiences some guilt. Love makes us do things for each other and as the fragile human beings that we are we might at times not feel deserving of it. Lee Gon, on his way to quite possibly sacrificing his life for everyone else, describes himself as selfish when taking leave of Lady Noh. This because he didn’t immediately return her to the Republic when he found out that that is where she’s from, being scared that she would leave. Lady Noh, unsurprisingly is not at all bothered by this revelation (and given that Lee Gon earlier asked her to ask him where he went definitely knows that he would eventually tell her) and is only concerned that he won’t be able to come back. The scene reminds me of when Lee Gon said that he won’t let Jeong Tae-eul leave, which they both knew he didn’t actually mean even for a moment. It was simply him admitting to and expressing his loneliness and fear. The consequences of Lee Gon’s trauma, being afraid to be abandoned and experiencing survivor’s guilt, is thus shown through these kinds of emotional beats and helps inform us of as to why he acts like he does. Thankfully Lee Gon is in the end able to save the two worlds, is saved himself and can even save young Lee Ji-hun and Song Jeong-hye. This due to the courage and love which moves him, Jeong Tae-eul, Jo Yeong, Kang Shin-jae and Song Jeong-hye, and which in the end causes them to prevail against the darkness Lee Lim unleashed in their worlds and in their lives.

#the king eternal monarch #lee gon #the king: eternal monarch #the acting in this scene is heartbreakingly good #ghosts and doppelgangers #tkem meta

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zamgoods · 3 years

Video

youtube

Hidden Clues to Real Life Easter Eggs in 1988 Die Hard

Wednesday November 3rd 11.3 3.11 307th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 58 days remain Waning Crescent Illumination: 3%

It’s not hard. It’s easy to see. Released on July 15, 1988, Die Hard drops major clues and Easter Eggs for our real lives. Number 1 is the fact that THE ROCK, as Dwayne Johnson will be a big Die Hardish action hero especially in his 2018 film Skyscraper. In fact he is one of the highest grossing action heroes ever.

Just take a look at the movie Posters. Twins. Both looking to the left at towers in flames. Just a wrinkle in time and place. One in LA and the other is Hong Kong. Both have references to Pearl Harbor. LA one, Nakatomi, Corporation the Japanese executive makes a joke about the ambush of Pearl Harbor as well as the pass code being Akagi (Red Castle) being an aircraft carrier present and the HK one is named “The Pearl.” Other WWII references pervade in the LA one, with the “terrorists” being mainly German. The reference to the Rock, there was a similar Die Hardish type movie called “THE ROCK” in 1996.

In Die Hard, the LAPD in charge at the scene was Dwayne T. Robinson, the LAPD Deputy Chief and the FBI agents who took over his authority were both called Johnson. They claimed no kinship, but they both die at the same time (Death Twins) in the helicopter scene at the roof of the LA tower. DJ was only 14 when this movie released but it was only a matter of time.

Which brings us to their next current Covid Era relevance. Johnson & Johnson vaccine has a bad reputation for causing deaths soon after being shot. Only one. Compared to 2 shots of venom from Pfizer and Moderna.

The twin references pervade, with Arnold Schwarzenegger refusing being cast for Die Hard so he can be in TWINS movie. But the big huge Akbar elephant in the room is the Twin Towers, set to be disintegrated in 14 years. And knowing that Joe Silvers produced this movie, Die Hard, along with Romeo Must Die, we can see a pattern of people falling from high places. Looking just like the victims falling from the buildings on 911. Remember that the action hero spends a lot of energy trying to call 911 to report the hostage situation at the LA Tower

At the start of 1988 Die Hard, when John McClane is conversing with his plane buddy who has the window seat, they compare work tips. Window seat guy says he has 9 years experience and John trumps his with 11 years experience as a New York cop...

Producer Joel Silvers makes a similar reference in Romeo Must Die with Aaliyah’s character Trish O’Day giving a tragic story about a planned joke that her and her brother had to trick their mom. She mentions how she was aged 9 and her brother was age 11. This 9-11 being a Joke. Public Enemy song released in April 1990.

Another 9112001 reference in Die Hard is the police car that Officer Al Powel is driving as seen from above was 01.

The Joke is on us. Soldiers die for the tricks and theater games performed by hidden parties. In this case during a Christmas party, a thief poses as a terrorist just to get his hands on $600 million worth of untraceable bonds in the highly secured vault. Should have been a Halloween party for the tricks played on the law enforcement who play by certain rule books and protocols depending on the situation. J&J tried to trick the Hans Gruber, but he had the last laugh.

The twin towers were known to have held FED gold bars in its vaults, which were ordered to be recovered even before the people were.

Joel Silvers RMD also had a Han and future Easter eggs for real life events. This party and left eye kind of hints to Leftist party, Liberal agenda, Democrat ties. Literally look at the ties of Johnson on the left wearing blue and Johnson on the right wearing red. One black and the other white. A Masonic image was seen during the movie when McClane was in the construction area. Someone spray painted Merry Christmas. The M had an extra v shape imposed over it.

#Easter Eggs #Real life #911 #Covid #johnson and johnson #Dwayne Johnson #Rock #Die Hard #Romeo Must Die #Aaliyah #Pearl Harbor

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cynthiaandsamus · 3 years

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Custom Toonami Block Week 66 Rundown

Code Geass: Lelouch has to stop the execution of all his side characters while dealing with his Fake Za Warudo little brother. Eventually he hacks his way into Rolo’s tragic backstory and plans out a cheesy sitcom character arc for him where found family wins out even though they’re enemies which someone as lovestarved as Rolo can’t help but eat up. It’s almost like sending someone who does exclusively assassinations and has never been in social situations long enough to form a personality and stops time to murder people at the drop of a hat to do a deep cover year long infiltration mission where he has to get emotionally close to the target was a terrible idea. Anyway Lelouch has Rolo on his side now and I’m sure that won’t backfire in any way.

Inuyasha: Muso continues to try and capture Kagome before getting Wind Scar’d into an existential crisis and going back to Onigumo’s cave to remember his shit. Kaede immediately puts together who Muso is and leads Kagome there but Inuyasha and co. are too stupid to figure it out so Naraku straight up takes Kagura out of gay baby jail for betraying him to send her to go tell them the answer. Naraku goes to brag about being able to go kill Kikyo like Voldermort touching Harry in Goblet of Fire but it backfires since apparently simping for Kikyo is engraved in his soul and he still can’t hurt her which makes his attempt at bragging really awkward and he has to go get Muso back. Meanwhile Muso’s turned into a demon scorpion, and stabs Inuyasha through the gut, as you do.

Yu Yu Hakusho: Kuwabara starts up his fight with Byakko, the beast that chases Botan and Keiko in the opening even though they’re barely in this arc. Weirdly enough he shows off his new powers BEFORE the fight so there’s no suspense to getting his new move when he finally pulls it out. Not sure if this is cool or not, on the one hand it means that Kuwabara has to do more than just show a new technique to be cool enough to finish on, on the other hand the fight is still basically using that technique and slightly altering it, and knowing that his sword can get long now takes some of the punch out of it, kinda mixed on this one.

Fate Zero: Okay so this first episode is long so I’mma try to cliffnotes this shit. Basically the Grail War starts up ad we have our combatants, a high schooler because every anime needs one of those, male Homura Akemi, Priest Alucard who’s acting more like Father Anderson in this role, Rin’s dad Miles Edgeworth, the current host of the Aburame Clan’s secret bug jutsu who’s just trying to save a child and must be punished for it, and that one racist teacher you had in high school that everyone has to pretend to respect. Last person’s still unaccounted for but this seems fun so far, the fucking lore is still dense as stone but the premise is ‘bunch of assholes want fight for big wish’ so I can get around that part.

Konosuba: Kazuma is run over by a car and… BECOMES A SPIRIT DECTIVE, FIGHTING GHOSTS AND DEMONS WITH HIS FINGERTIP LASERS! Wait, wrong anime, still kinda makes me laugh though out of all the weird isekai premises that kill off the main character, Konosuba ups the anty on the whole “Oh no, the person you saved would’ve been better off if you left them alone” thing from Yu Yu Hakusho. Anyway I’m pretty sure you guys all know the story of Konosuba by now, useless goddesses, RPG worlds, isekai shenanigans. I kind of really like how even though it’s cynical and sarcastic, it’s not a dour hopeless affair, there’s this odd upbeat charm that even though nothing’s going our heroes’ way that they’ll still be okay and find happiness where they can. This very easily could’ve become an Everybody Hates Chris thing where the world’s just shitting on them all the time and the story becomes predictable because you know nothing will every work out for them but this does a good job of making them underdogs while still throwing them bones every now and them, underbones for underdogs.

Sailor Moon Crystal: Usagi is an average kid, that no one understands… actually she’s quite a bit below average, she kinda gives Aqua a run for her money in uselessness, she’s essentially High School Dropout Barbie in this episode which is weird but I also know it’s to give her room to grow and also that she’s not meant to carry the whole show by herself. It’s just kinda amusing how the whole episode paints Usagi as not particularly good at anything or even all that nice, even after she gets her powers they essentially run on autopilot and beat the monster for her. Still it is a good spot that she wants to help her friend and I like how they keep Tuxedo Mask’s involvement to a minimum, like he doesn’t actually do anything (memes) and is just like “you got this” which is not necessarily the reaction you’d have to someone who literally beat a crowd into submission by crying at them but it’s nice to have him in an emotionally supportive role for this first outing. I’m not quite sure how this series will sit with me overall but I feel like I’ll get a better feel for it once we have the ensemble gathered and hit our stride here.

Durarara!!: The Human traffickers from Episode 1 screw up and take a totally legit Japanese man who’s definitely not an Italian illegal immigrant for Seiji’s sister’s fucked up pharmaceuticals experiments. Unfortunately said totally legit Japanese man is a tertiary friend of Dotachin’s group and they hunt their asses down. Celty’s also on the case but by the time she gets there they’ve already found them and given them manga-based torture sessions to find out their secrets so everything’s cool. Man these guys ride or die like nobody’s business, they freaking love this Italian dude for getting their friend tickets to an Idol show and giving language-based malapropisms, what bros they are.

Overall the three new shows worked out pretty well this week, Sailor Moon’s a bit of a rocky start but I knew that getting into it. I like the setup for Fate Zero a lot better than the start of Unlimited Blade Works so I’m excited for where that’ll go. And Konosuba did put a big dumb smile on my face with its hard luck lighthearted antics so I’m looking forward to the future of the block for the next few weeks.

#ooc #Toonami #Custom Toonami Block #Code Geass #Inuyasha #Yu Yu Hakusho #Fate Zero #Konosuba #Sailor Moon Crystal #Durarara!!

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ariainstars · 4 years

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Star Wars or Why Rebellions Are Necessary

There was a lot that irritated me with the ending of the Star Wars sequels, among other things considering that they were supposed to be a wrap-up of the saga. But you know what… Looking back now, one of the things most I miss is the rebellion.

In many ways, the saga is a coming-of-age story through three generations; but it seems that in the case of the third generation, the journey to adulthood was aborted. (Is it a coincidence that the erstwhile Rebellion, under Leia Organa’s leadership, is called not Rebellion but Resistance?)

Every generation - this also applies to our own world - has and needs dynamics of some kind. The world keeps changing, and we need to change accordingly. Many people unfortunately adopt some mindset or other (of their own, or instilled into them by people they trust) and stick with it for the rest of their lives. This is one of the main reasons why children and their new, fresh points of view are so extremely important.

“I believe that you are redeemed by your children.” George Lucas

Prequels

Anakin Skywalker is often accused of being a whiny, perpetually dissatisfied brat both by the Jedi Council and by the audience.

But on watching the prequels again, after some years and distance, the Old Republic gave me the distinct impression of a stagnant society on the verge of its breakdown, very far removed from the peaceful world Obi-Wan Kenobi had described to Luke when they first talked on Tatooine. And Anakin rebels against it right from the start.

Anakin repeatedly chafes against the restrictions of the world around him. He wants to be free and also to free his mother; the Jedi’s strict code of non-attachment paired with their conviction of being always right drives him downright mad. This reaches a painful peak on the terrible night he has to watch his mother die a cruel, senseless death.

The unpopular truth is that Anakin is right when he accuses Obi-Wan of holding him back. This may be jealousy the way he claims (and indeed Anakin repeatedly proves to be stronger than his master); in any case, Obi-Wan is clearly not much inclined to compassion. He is a dutiful man and he knows that the Jedi’s eyes are on him as the master of the boy they didn’t want in the first place. He and the other Jedi know almost nothing besides their Code, having grown up in the Order from infancy. So, they struggle to keep things under control and to preserve the world they know the way it is.

But this world also contains a lot of injustice: the Separatists do not want to leave the Republic without reason. The Jedi use the Force for their own purposes, instead of teaching the populations of the galaxy faith in it. Anakin is deliberately held back, kept down and even humiliated by the Jedi, the cunning Palpatine being the only one who shows him some respect. In the end, he is even denied the title of “master”, although he more than earned it (apart from everything else: risking his life over and over on the missions they sent him to). It is not hard to see that “he is too young” is only a lame excuse contrived by the Jedi to hide what Anakin suspected all along: that they don’t trust him. Anakin has an uncanny talent for seeing through the Jedi’s hypocrisy, and being both honest and bold, he often says what they don’t want to hear.

Created by the Force to bring Balance, Anakin derives his enormous power from both the Light and the Dark Side. The Jedi, who have made it their task to dedicate themselves to the Light Side only (completely ignoring the Dark Side), fear and shun him and never seem to ask themselves what is actually meant with the “Balance” of the old prophecy and why this must be “brought” from the outside. Obi-Wan’s last words to Anakin clearly say that according to him, the Dark Side has no right to exist.

“You were supposed to destroy the Sith, not join them!” Obi-Wan in Revenge of the Sith

The Jedi seem to have forgotten that the Force actually does not belong to them but the other way around; meaning that the Jedi are not automatically the Light Side and the Sith the Dark Side. They derive their power from these, but they do not embody the Force at any moment.

The only act of rebellion Anakin manages to perform is his secret marriage to the woman he loved ever since he was a little boy. It is an insubordination that would cost him his status of a Jedi if it was known. Anakin, having lost his compassionate mother who taught him always to help others, and being is repeatedly told that he must do what the Jedi order him no questions asked (mostly actions designed to make them preserve their status and their political power) instead of helping who is actually in need, chooses to marry a woman who is compassionate herself.

This leads at least to some years of balance for him, and the children he generates are the future hopes of the galaxy; so Anakin’s rebellion to the Jedi Code, though secret, causes a lot of good.

The trouble is not Anakin’s rebellious nature; it is, like with most teenagers, not that he sees what is going on but that he doesn’t quite understand why ongoing things are never to be questioned, and that he doesn’t find the right words or actions to articulate his anger and disappointment. Nor does he know what needs to be done to make things better. In the end, the only tragic solution he comes up with is literally burning the house down.

At the other end of the scale, there is Padmé: the daughter of an influential and obviously affluent family of Naboo, she is not a rebel because she sees no need for rebelling. She does want to make things better, though not in such a harsh way as her husband: and this is where they ultimately clash. While Anakin sees through the evils of the Republic and the Jedi and decides to put a radical end to them, Padmé begins to doubt the justice of her mission just shortly before the world she knew is destroyed by the hand of the very person whom she loves most.

“What if the democracy we thought we were serving no longer exists, and the Republic has become the very evil we have been fighting to destroy?” - Padmé in Revenge of the Sith

Anakin, though, had his own ideas about rebellion: he executes Order 66 as per Palpatine’s order, but when his wife comes to find him on Mustafar he tells her what he actually wanted all along, which was not, ultimately, to be the Chancellor’s minion.

Anakin: “I am more powerful than the Chancellor, I can overthrow him. And together you and I can rule the galaxy. Make things the way we want them to be!“

Padmé: “I can’t believe what I’m hearing!” Revenge of the Sith

The most powerful couple of the galaxy breaks apart over their different ideologies. Anakin is misusing his newfound powers, and his appalled wife must learn that he expects her to be on his side. He believes his care for her is leading him, when in truth it’s his fear; if he truly cared for her so much, he would not do things which he ought to know she would utterly disdain and be horrified by.

It is interesting that despite the chasm in their attitudes, their emotional bond still stays strong. Padmé manages to reach through to her husband’s heart one last time, almost succeeding to make him leave Mustafar with her. Then unfortunately Obi-Wan interferes, pushing Anakin into his head again: he realizes that Padmé loves him despite his choices, not because of them, and that Obi-Wan wants to take him to account. Seeing his rebellious acts coming apart, Anakin lashes out setting the final seal on his destiny.

And this is where Palpatine, the future Emperor, steps in. He neither openly rebelled nor tried to improve the galaxy’s order while preserving it, but planned his putsch on the long run for decades. His usurpation at last puts an end to the clone wars, which is why the former Republic, tired of the fighting, destruction and deaths, welcomes him as a peacemaker before realizing that it exchanged one evil for another, much worse one.

Classics

The original trilogy is the story of a rebellion at its very core. By the time Luke and Leia are grown the Empire has become so powerful and ruthless that the populations of the galaxy feel oppressed and welcomes Luke and Leia’s, and their allies’, struggles to overthrow it.

Leia speaks up against Tarkin, Emperor Palpatine’s deputy, and Darth Vader right from the start, without even knowing that Vader is her biological father. She does not need this knowledge to be aware of his wrongdoings. Leia’s rebellion is justified and her own adoptive parents, a queen and a senator, actively assist her with it.

At first, Luke rebels against staying on his desert planet without any prospects for the future; then he is sucked into the vortex of politics (Rebellion) and religion (Jedi) and dedicates himself to both.

Luke rebels against his father to the last: even trapped, maimed, isolated and traumatized he chooses rather to jump into an abyss, narrowly escaping death, than accepting to be his ally.

His ultimate act of rebellion takes place before the Emperor: again, Luke faces almost certain death rather than the corruption of his ideals.

“You lost, your highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me.” Return of the Jedi

Though Darth Vader does have plans of his own (corrupting his son and overthrowing the Emperor), he always obeys his master. Only at the very last moment he rebels, saving his son at the cost of his life.

Whatever they do, Luke and Leia never give up on rebelling. Before Tarkin, Vader, Palpatine or Hutt, they always speak their minds and if they are afraid, they do not show it in their least. Their faith in their ideals makes them bold.

Rebellion wins. A family is formed, peace ensues and stays in the galaxy for many years.

Rogue One, Solo, The Mandalorian

“Rebellions are built on hope.” Rogue One

The heroes of Rogue One rebel because, each in his own way, they have nothing left to lose; contrarily to Anakin who had everything to lose. But that is not entirely true: we see glimpses of friendship and love in the members of the Rogue One mission, and they all still have their lives. But instead of making something of what they have, they all decide to risk (and indeed lose) what little they have for a greater good.

The world needs rebels because it needs hope. Without hope, there is only the stagnancy which we can so clearly see in the Old Republic before its fall. Yet Rebellion does not only need a cause, it also needs an aim.

Han, whose story mirrors Rogue One’s, knew he wanted to escape from slavery and later he found out what he wanted to do with his new freedom: help Luke and Leia, to whom he had become attached. It is not coincidental that he’s the most mature of the bunch.

This is what we can see in The Mandalorian: he belongs to the guild of bounty hunters and then he also rebels - though he ought not to take interest in a bounty and not to ask any questions, he stands up against leaving the unprotected Child behind.

Sequels

The first person we see rebelling in the sequels is Finn. Appalled by the ruthlessness of the First Order, he decides to leave. His choice at first is a selfish one though, he only thinks of escape, not of any greater good. He has to meet Rose and DJ and to make his experiences at Canto Bight to understand that it is important to rebel for a cause.

Phasma: “You always were scum.” Finn: “Rebel scum.” The Last Jedi

Though commonly seen as modeled upon Luke’s character, Rey lacks one major trait that he had: instead of actively looking for her fate, she remains passive, merely surviving, her attitude and looks the same she had when she was a little girl.

Rey is not willing and impatient to leave her home world and embrace her destiny. On the contrary, she waits and waits for a family which, as we later learn, she unconsciously knew would never come back to her.

Ironically it is Kylo Ren, the alleged bad guy, who is the main rebel of the sequel trilogy. We learn that he is our hero’s son and nephew and that he turned his back on them for unknown reasons; and he always has his own agenda. His temper tantrums are not there for a good joke: they show that he is interiorly conflicted and not really committed to the First Order. All of his acts are rebellious in one way or another.

Kylo searches for the map leading to Luke because he wants to confront him by himself: Snoke’s intentions only happen to have the same aim. (He indeed kills Snoke when he no longer needs him, the way Vader had wanted to do with Palpatine.)

Kylo unexpectedly kidnaps Rey on Takodana, and at first, instead of reading the map in her mind he tries to get to know her.

Kylo kills Han, coerced by Snoke, and we see him unhinged and deeply upset right afterwards, showing how he hated what he did.

On seeing him first in The Force Awakens, I remember thinking repeatedly: “What’s the matter with this guy?”

Kylo (Ben) only has one chance to open up to Rey and tell her at least a part of his story from his own point of view, i.e. the fatal night at Luke’s temple, during one of their Force connections. And that is not nearly enough. One of the sequel’s biggest mistake was, in my opinion, telling us next to nothing about what had happened to the Skywalker-Organa-Solo family after the rebellion had ended in victory.

The other big mistake was not to show the road for a better future for the galaxy. Ben Solo comes back “home” in death, which is not a satisfying conclusion for his story. He is practically regressing to childhood, and his rebellious acts led to nothing except pain and death and ultimately, the rise of the girl of Palpatine blood.

Now this would still be acceptable if Rey had proven to be a deserving heir to the Skywalker family’s legacy. But she isn’t.

Why?

Because whatever Rey may be, she’s not a rebel. She was introduced to us as a scavenger, and she remained one to the very last - searching for old artifacts and legends and cherishing them never knowing their actual meaning and history.

For me, this is one of the many reasons why she ends alone on a desert planet. Rey did not grow up. She did not experience the painful but necessary process of coming of age that the heroes of the classic trilogy went through. If anything, it’s still ahead of her.

Rey wanted a family, though obviously not one of her own with a partner and children. The only person we ever see her feeling anything intimate for is Kylo / Ben; but with few exceptions, she adamantly pushes him away. He obviously terrifies and angers her, although since she is a child of Darkness herself, she ought to have no reason for that. Also, she quickly realizes that she is not powerless before him; that he both wants to keep her near and that he acknowledges her power and listens to her. But he always brings out her true self apart from the “good little girl” she wants to be; the good sides together with the bad sides.

“You need a teacher - I could show you the ways of the Force!” The Force Awakens

And Rey’s own authenticity frightens her. She seems afraid not so much of Kylo but of her own burgeoning adulthood and femaleness. Having been sold into slavery, she did not get the chance to have a normal, protected childhood and adolescence; her personality did not grow into womanhood, and she is aware of this lack, searching in all places for parental figures who will “show her her place in all this”.

Rey briefly glimpsed a different kind of life sometimes, like on Takodana, or Pasaana (an odd symphony with the planet’s names, too) where she realized she wanted to live on a green planet, and to have children of her own. Also, Kylo saw her dreaming of an ocean. However, those remained vague dreams.

Unpopular opinion: maybe Rey did not want her dreams to come true. Hers is the story of a girl who first and foremost has needs, not dreams. When we first met her she was alone, enslaved, abandoned, overworked and hungry. As the audience, we expect as a matter of course to see a protagonist following his dreams and reaching them, and she didn’t. Rey’s needs were fulfilled during the course of this story, the way she wanted; nothing more.

Sacrifice Is Necessary, Too

So the question is, why does the saga end like this? It doesn’t feel like a fitting ending to a story that was always about rebellion. As I already said, rebelling itself is not enough: one must also know to what end, and the sacrifices one is ready to make.

The Jedi, as well as Padmé and Anakin, wanted to keep their cake and eat it, making a better world without having to give up anything that was dear to them.

The middle generation of Skywalkers did rebel but did not follow rebellion through: they longed for the seemingly beatific Republic before the rise of the Empire. Yet watching the prequels, as the audience we clearly see that it wasn’t quite that good. So our heroes fought, unknowingly, with the aim of restoring something that would have needed to be improved in their first place, and their “happy ending” did not last very long.

Luke read the ancient Jedi texts and wanted to rebuild the Jedi Order the way it was. Leia, the princess, probably learned about the Old Republic from her adoptive father, Senator Bail Organa, and wanted to restore it. But when we see them again, both twins are disillusioned and tired. Their own son and nephew destroyed whatever they had achieved with their efforts - and at least Luke is aware that he was partially responsible for it.

So the question arises, what are rebellions good for if they lead to no better future? What good is fighting for without asking how things could come so far in the first place, and without wondering about how to make things better? Ben Solo is repeatedly depicted as someone who has doubts, but it is also obvious that his doubts were not taken seriously and that he was just expected, both by his family and Snoke, to meet expectations. And like his grandfather, he had other things in mind: something new. Ever since their first Force vision (when Rey touched Luke’s light sabre in Maz’ castle) he knew that Rey was his other side in the Force. The moment he learned she was on Takodana he relentlessly pursued her, and no matter what happened, and despite everything she did to him, he was adamant to keep her by his side.

“We can rule together and bring a new order to the galaxy!” Kylo Ren in The Last Jedi

Rey rejects his offer, disappointed that he will not turn the way she expected him to. Maybe she was afraid that he was trying to lure her to the Dark Side; but given the wording, he wasn’t. Ben knew that with Rey he could find Balance, and he wanted to do so and to offer this Balance to the galaxy. At no time did he speak to her about the “power of the Dark Side” the way Vader had with his son; Ben obviously appreciated Rey’s strengths and did not want her to turn for him but to stay by his side, to create something new. Rey, ever the scavenger, does not want anything new; she longs for the past, so she unknowingly turns her back on Balance.

The sequel trilogy ends without leaving anyone with a feeling of hope exactly because the coming of age of both protagonists failed: Ben’s rebellion came to no satisfying conclusion, and Rey’s rebellion didn’t even get started. Though many fans interpreted her as such, she is not and never was a new interpretation of Luke Skywalker but his inversion: first she did not want to leave her desert planet and now she is on another.

By the time The Rise of Skywalker comes to a closure, Kylo / Ben, the last of the Skywalker blood, has not brought Balance to the Force; Ben’s journey ends because he has learned to let go. Anakin learned this important lesson only when he had already been Vader for many years; Luke learned letting go much earlier - losing his home on Tatooine, his mentor Obi-Wan, giving up his crush on Leia realizing that she had fallen in love with Han. But Rey did not; we never see her give up anything or anyone dear to her. Her journey feels unfinished and even more - it feels like it didn’t begin yet.

“Ben is someone who has hope. ... For the first time, someone who has never had the answer, now finally knows his purpose or destiny. He has to let her (Rey) know that they’re together. But I don’t know that he entirely is sure of what’s going to happen from there, nor do I think he cares. I think, it’s so long as he is with her, he is on the right path.” (Adam Driver)

Ben, who was named after Obi-Wan Kenobi, princess Leia’s “only hope”, the rightful heir of the Chosen One, is supposed to be dead and gone for good right after having found his way? Sorry, I can’t believe it.

Also, given the parallels between Padmé and Rey, it is to be hoped that maybe Rey will go her way - that she will want to make a better world without using violencev.

And I for my part wholeheartedly rebel to believe that this is supposed to be the ultimate ending. 😊

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blueuchan · 3 years

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About the supernatural ending

So I had been thinking about the Supernatural ending and how it was terrible, because Im hasn’t finished the series yet and in paper the idea of Sam leaving the hunting and get married with a son called Dean and dying for old age, while Dean dying and going to new heaven to pass the rest of the eterniny in peace and happiness doesn’t sound terrible. Like I even can understand why kill Cas before the big finale, he is basically a deux machina, you need him to be death for the brothers to shine. And at the ending he would be fine, he would be in heaven, been an angel and hanging out with Dean. BUT. But the delivery of the ending is just so bad, they make the happy ending sappy and terrible. Why? and How? I think over this like the dicotomy of the happy ending and blame the toxic masculinity.

Why blame toxic masculinity? because is easy, shure. But also because this terrible writting is not a problem when its a female power fantasy. Take Frozen 2 as an example. Its is also a fantasy story about two sisters with a strong bond between them. One of them want romance and normal life and the other had a hell out of actitud and is heavely queer coded. The ending of Frozen 2 works because the movie understand that this is a fantasy, it has to be conforting not realistic. Anna did nothing in the movie to ending married, if something she kind of ignore her boyfriend, but BECAUSE is a female power fantasy the boyfriend is perfect and he live to solve all Anna’s nesecities without doub. In contrast with Sam married life when we know nothing about his wife or his life, also, Anna´s happinest is not just the husband, at the end she is the Queen and had a snow man/son that she had been loving all the movie. At the ending Sam gets nothing. If at the ending Sam would married the girlfriend that we had know for some seasons, she would be the last perfect wife and would take care of all his worries A.K.A. get a day job to provide and let Sam to became a important figure between the Hunters, not as a field Hunter but dedicating his life to the organization of the lore and helping others allowing him to became the lider that he could be. It would be perfect. BUT, but because toxic masculinity Supernatural doesn’t aloow himself to think about married life as other than tragic and sappy.

Dean is even more tragic, as Elsa he is the character than must suffer. During all the story Dean and Elsa must struggle with everything, they are our relatable dramatic character. But at the end they must be the most happy for this to work. Realisticle no one can do that, recovery is a slow, hard pat. But again Frozen 2 understand that the audience need release, Elsa by the power of magic understand herself in a three minute song and became a god ice fairy of the forest and past the rest of her life running on her magic horse in the sunset. We, queer women know this is not real, but we love it. Dean is not going to had a steady life, he is just to damage. But again this is a supernatural show he deserved a supernatural ending that allow him to be happy. The toxic masculinity allow him to die. Witch is all the stages of bad writting because you are saying that the reward of our poor suicidal hero is death. WTF! Dean winchester could had been a god magical ice fairy or something like that, in my opinion his son who is god could had made him an Angel of the lord and he would had dedicated the rest of the eternity to look over hunters... with Castiel. Living low key adventures and flying in sunsets.

Just saying, men deserved happy and unrealistic endings, too.

#spn #supernatural #supernatural ending

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hamliet · 4 years

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Who are your top 10 female villains? And your top ten male villains? Thank you!

Oooooh. Well, in this list I am including antagonists (people I see as conflicted/not committed to like, the bad side, if there even is a bad side, but basically oppose the protagonist at some point). Also, they are in no particular order:

Female Villains:

Cersei Lannister (A Song of Ice and Fire)

She's sympathetic enough so that we understand how she came to be the way she is, yet terrifying and depraved enough that we fear for the characters around her. I don't think that's an easy balance to strike for a character: if you make them likable it's hard to keep audiences from rooting for them, but the balance is struck perfectly with Cersei.

Azula (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

As @aspoonofsugar wrote recently on Azula, I think she is a fantastic female villain. I think she is sympathetic despite her actions, and I wish the story had explored her redemption, which was clearly hinted.

Claudia (The Dragon Prince)

The first three seasons have kind of been Claudia's fall. While as a whole I don't think TDP is very well-written, I do think that Claudia, Viren, and Soren's family dynamic is a polished gem of writing that literally carries the story. I fully expect to see redemption for Claudia down the line, but not until she spirals further and further. At the end of season 3, Claudia resorts to killing someone to save her father's life when she has nothing and no one else left, and she makes this choice after her brother Soren (now redeemed himself) chooses to kill their father in front of Claudia, devastating her. Their choices are clear parallels and both are somewhat negative, somewhat sympathetic. Soren can't kill his past: he has to live with it, and Claudia can't cling to the past: she has to let it go.

Delores Umbridge (Harry Potter)

She is awful and I hate her, but you're also supposed to hate her. Her comeuppance is hilarious ad perfect, and just--I think she's a fantastic villain because she reminds every single one of us of an albeit exaggerated version of a teacher we all know.

Karren von Rosewald (Tokyo Ghoul:re)

Karren is TG:re's best written character in my opinion. Her tragic arc takes place throughout the first three arcs, which imo is also the highest point in the series. Karren just wanted to be loved, and if she had to die, at least she got to die as herself.

Nora (Noragami)

Nora! The reason I read Noragami is pretty much for Nora and her redemption arc. The fandom hates her for... reasons, but she's always been primed for redemption. Her name is in the title (which yes also refers to Yato, etc.) She's important. I wrote a few metas on Nora, notably here.

Enoshima Junko (Danganronpa)

Despair. It's fun to find a character who is, well, just plain fun, but who is also bored, despairing, cruel, and terrifying. She's unique and a brillaint character.

Toga Himiko (Boku no Hero Academia)

I'm not the first one to say that Toga is BNHA's best written female character, but I do agree that she is. She, like Junko, is fun and interesting, and she has an arc that is compelling. Her actions directly move the plot; she’s bloodthirsty and yet uniquely empathetic and compassionate.

Yoshimura Eto (Tokyo Ghoul)

Eto's backstory and her motivations were fascinating. She was one of the most complex characters in the entire story, and despite the fact that you understood why her father gave her up, you also understood her pain and justified anger at his doing so. She perfectly illustrated the divide between human and ghoul.

Male Villains:

Shigaraki Tomura (Boku no Hero Academia)

BNHA's best-written male character, imo. His backstory and the current chapters that focus on him are extremely well-done, thematic and full of character development, and detailed artistically. He gets so much focus that I can tell he's important to Horikoshi, and I'm excited to see where he goes.

Dabi (Boku no Hero Academia)

I'll admit there's a lot missing here. Namely, we don't know his identity for certain, but it seems basically certain that he's Todoroki Touya; however, we still don't have his backstory. Still, his fury at the presumed father who destroyed his family and yet has the audacity to be a "symbol of hope" is fascinating to me, and I'm excited to see how he develops as well. (Both Shigaraki and Dabi seem primed for some kind of redemption).

Adult Trio: Illumi Zoldyck, Hisoka Morow, Chrollo Lucilfer (Hunter x Hunter)

Am I counting these three as one so that I can get extra characters? Of course I am. In all honesty I really think all three of these antagonists are really well done, sympathetic and/or likable. They're the shadows of the three MCs they foil: for Illumi, Killua, for Hisoka, Gon, and for Chrollo, Kurapika. They represent the traits the three protagonists (sorry Leorio) don't want to acknowledge in themselves, and therefore their encounters with their shadows are particularly thematic and powerful. Also, one doesn't usually kill their shadow, but instead integrates with it, so I highly doubt the three of them will be killed by their respective protagonist.

Meruem (Hunter x Hunter)

Yes, again, HxH. It has great antagonists. But Meruem's development is literally one of the most powerful I've ever read about. I don't know anyone who starts his story not loathing him, hoping he dies, and then by the end of it, ebfore you've even realized it's happening, you're crying for him and Komugi. His arc explores human nature at its finest, most horrific, and ultimately most beautiful.

Furuta Nimura (Tokyo Ghoul:re)

Furuta's a fantastic villain whom I wish got a better ending (not even redeemed really, but just... something more). He was so damaged by the system of an unfair world that he made it his life goal to become the villain and burn the system down, destroy it no matter what it took--and also hoped to destroy himself in the process, as he was born knowing he would die young and longed for it. I wish he had been forced to live.

Mori Ougai (Bungo Stray Dogs)

Mori's utilitarianism is chilling. He's not exactly unlikable, despite being absolutely morally repugnant, and the Beast AU from Asagiri himself shows us that Mori is certainly capable of a positive life and positive change; however, within the canonical story, I don't see that for him. He's been set up IMO as the final boss of the series, and his habit of targeting the most vulnerable (especially children) to control people is almost certainly going to bite Dazai in the ass eventually.

Eren Jaeger (Shingeki no Kyojin)

I can't believe I'm writing this. I don't know what to call Eren: he's the protagonist, and he's sunk to becoming the final boss. While it's possible he, like Furuta and like Lelouch of Code Geass, is playing the villain, I really hope not, as I think the themes are much more powerful if Eren sincerely believes what he proclaims to believe. He's a kid who has always wanted to fight for freedom and for the people around him, and now we're seeing the dark side of those traits, wherein he's destroying the world via genocide to save the people close to him. He's driven by fear and by anger at the cruelty and unfairness of the world, and he's forgotten the beauty of it. I hope Mikasa can remind him before the end.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Bungo Stray Dogs)

MY BOY. Look if a character is named after my very favorite real-life author, I must stan. But actually I do think Fyodor is well written and a master manipulator. He's modeled after my favorite character in all of fiction, Dostoyesvky's Demons' Alexei Kirillov. He really seems to want human connection, to live, and has forgotten that empathy is an important and necessary part of both of those. I hope--and think it is likely given BSD's prolific redemption arcs--that he will remember eventually.

Lee Yut-Lung (Banana Fish)

Again,, he's less a villain than an antagonist. Like Ash, the main character, he is a teenage boy betrayed by the people who were supposed to protect him and abused his whole entire life. He's driven by a desperate need to be loved and jealousy that Ash is loved while he is not. His ending, when Sing finally tells him he will in fact be staying by Yut-Lung's side and will help Yut-Lung redeem himself, "because you're in pain... your soul's bleeding, even now" is literally the perfect ending for him.

Jin Guangyao (Mo Dao Zu Shi)

I've written a lot on Jin Guangyao, but he's a walking tragedy. He ties with Wei Wuxian, the protagonist, as my favorite, and the reason is because they are two sides of the same coin--in fact, they're the same side of the same coin. They're not very different, and the fact that he finally at least got empathy in the end and was able to push the person he loved most to safety because of that--well. Brb time to cry.

#ask hamliet #long post #villains #lists #faves #Anonymous

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darkskyatnight · 4 years

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All of the avengers were either seriously suicidal or casually suicidal throughout the series. Tony wasn’t afraid to get himself into dangerous situations, knowing there was a high probability he could die, but he did it because, if I’m gonna die, I’m gonna at least die a hero.

Nat was casually suicidal in that she just wanted to erase the red in her ledger any which way, and if that was death then so be it, she’d die erasing every bad thing she did, making herself a martyr in the process. She was afraid of the Hulk, but in a sense that if he wasn’t stopped, he’d hurt others, so she had to tame him.

Bruce, poor Bruce. In Avengers Assemble, he literally says that he put a bullet in his mouth attempting to kill himself, but the thing he saw as an abomination spit it our instead. He thinks of himself as a monster, and puts every bit of guilt on himself whenever a Code Green happened. When the Witch violated his bodily autonomy in Johannesburg, he was terrified he’d do it again, and so the Hulk was forced out without Bruce’s consent after Nat pushed him down the hole.

Steve was quite literally casually suicidal in that he would die letting his friend kill him because this is his brother, the person that stuck with him through everything, where he had to try and drown himself in alcohol when he thought Bucky died, where he sacrificed himself, probably thinking in that moment ‘at least I’ll be with Bucky.’ Throughout his films, you see his slow bitterness at the world, and just wanting to cling to the past, so much so that he was willing to go against the law for it. He grew up in the Great Depression as a tiny, anorexic, probably TB-ridden Irish immigrant who probably begged to die on cold nights.

Thor shows signs of being suicidal in Infinity War through Endgame. His alcoholism leads to his weight gain, the PTSD overcoming him as he can’t even think of his parents being dead, and how he probably wishes he’d gone with the Snapped, wished he’d just gone for the head, and it could’ve all been prevented. When Loki dies, he pleads for just one more moment, hoping beyond hope that he’s not dead, clinging to the last tie of his family.

Loki practically oozes being suicidal through the course of the films, and this is as much his journey as the Avengers. From childhood, he knew there was something off with him. The rest of Asgard demonised him for an unknown reason, and he was seen as weaker for learning magic and wanting to just be with his brother (not in that sense you sick bastards), ruling as brothers, and then in the end of Thor, he goes to Thanos’ rule. In Avengers, whereas his eyes are normally green, they’re tinted blue. From this you can assume that he was mind-controlled, and from there, it spirals. He was probably tortured, mind-bent to be so afraid of Thanos that he just knew. Then the Dark world, he hides how disheveled and weak he’s getting by using his illusions. He has blisters on his feet and dirt in between his nails, his face is grimy and dusty, his hair is a mess. Then during the Dark Elf invasion, he tells the monster guy where to go to get to the Throne Room, being inadvertently responsible for the woman he considered his mom’s death. Do you know how much guilt there must be in knowing you were partially responsible for your parent’s death?

Wanda (and Pietro for a bit) I admit, I don’t like Wanda that much. I always felt Pietro was the better of them. These two had lived their lives after their parents died from Stark (quick tangent here though, what fucking logic is that? He didn’t make the weapon, much less fire it! He was like fifteen at the time, meaning Stane was in control, and the R&D department would have made the bombs. Also, it went unexploded, and in Iron Man one the military literally states that Stark tech never fails!) And so they’re thrown into the middle of the Sokovian Civil War, choosing an extremist side through anger, being twisted into a vulnerable mindset in which Hydra grabs them. Wanda and Pietro probably didn’t care if they died with the experiments, and (another side note, why did they erase the twins being Jewish? Erik was Jewish! Hydra would have hated them!) I find that incredibly tragic.

#marvel #iron man #captain america #steve rogers #tony stark #natasha romanoff #black widow #hawkeye #clint barton #wanda maximoff #pietro maximoff #loki #thor #pretty much most of the avengers were suicidal.

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