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ninjakk · 2 years

Note

At the beginning of mdzs, there is this scene which is not said much in my opinion. The way Wei WuXian got so worried about Lan WangJi when he asked one of the Lans where is Han GuangJun. I would like to know your thoughts on this as you have read mdzs without knowing the love interests in this.

Wei WuXian is really protective of Lan WangJi if we look closer to all of his dialogue. At the second siege in burial mounds, Wei WuXian take close care even to the cut on Lan WangJi's finger. Wei WuXian love Lan WangJi so much. Just as one of your meta said, they love each other equally.

Hi Anon ☺️

Do you know what - I actually love that scene and the entirety of chapter 19. I think it sets up the rest of the novel quite nicely. It shows the reader just how well the pair work together so naturally and it helps establish the interesting mystery that they are about to embark on.

I have to say, although I originally read the novel unaware it included any romance - by the point you are referencing above, I was pretty much convinced there was going to be! Personally, I think I deserve a medal for resisting the urge to find out if the novel had undertones of romance in it! But I held myself back, because I was enjoying the idea of being somewhat in the dark about it all. So it was still just my assumptions, but I was certainly looking for any signs of romance by this point 😍

So let's take a look at the scene in question.

It was extremely scary for an accident to happen during the spirit summoning ritual, since nobody would know what being it would summon or what would happen if someone broke in. And, ever since the mingshi was built, there were almost no cases where the summoning failed. This made everyone more worried. Seeing that Lan WangJi didn’t appear, Wei WuXian had a foreboding feeling. If Lan WangJi was still in the Cloud Recesses, he would have hurried over immediately, as he heard the alarming chimes of the bell, unless…

Chapter 19 ExR translations

So first things first, WWX is more than aware LWJ is capable of looking after himself, but that doesn't stop him worrying or making a fuss about him at times! Even on a first read, we can tell from the Cloud Recesses flashbacks and the way everyone seems to be somewhat in awe of LWJ's skills, he must be quite formidable.

This is the first time we see WWX (in his second life) essentially running towards LWJ, rather than running away and 'trying to escape'. In fact the whole scenario was a perfect opportunity for WWX to grab a jade token and leave the Cloud Recesses, while everyone was distracted. But instead of taking advantage of the commotion, he is more concerned about LWJ. WWX instantly comes to the conclusion that LWJ must be inside the mingshi, where something has gone wrong, making him rather anxious. Which again, on my first read, added to my ever growing assumption that WWX had the hots for LWJ since they were teenagers.

Wei WuXian grabbed his hand at once, speaking in a low voice, “Which being’s spirit are you summoning? Who else is inside? Where’s HanGuang-Jun?!” It seemed as if the disciple had trouble breathing, “HanGuang-Jun told me to run away…” Before he finished his sentence, dark-red blood gushed out of his nose and mouth. Wei WuXian pushed him into Lan SiZhui’s arms. With the hastily created bamboo flute still by his waist, he went up the stairs in just a few strides. He kicked the mingshi’s door and commanded, “Open!”

WWX quickly approaches the person who escaped the mingshi, trying to gather as much information as he can and determine if LWJ is inside. It's quite telling that the only thing WWX manages to find out from the injured disciple is that LWJ is inside, yet he rushes towards the mingshi's door the minute he hears he might be in trouble. WWX dashes towards the door, unperturbed by the fact he might be attracting a lot of attention in doing so. Considering he managed to gain access to the mingshi so effortlessly and he is meant to be playing the part of a crazy subpar cultivator, he's not doing the best job of keeping in character! But I suppose we can let him off, because he's obviously worried about LWJ.

WWX has always cared about LWJ, more than he ever realised in his first life. Even during the Xuanwu of Slaughter chapters we can see WWX moves almost instinctively whenever he is worried about LWJ. Although WWX was most likely about to step in and help MianMian anyway, it's his concern for LWJs safety that causes him to do so in the end. Prior to that, he was being held back by JC. Seeing that LWJ was about to be attacked, without any means to defend himself, was the catalyst that finally encouraged him to go against JCs wishes and become embroiled in the situation. Later in this arc, LWJ is bitten by the Xuanwu of Slaughter, after pushing WWX out of the way to save him and WWX reacts reflexively once again.

If it dragged Lan WangJi inside, then he’d most likely never come out again! Wei WuXian broke into a sprint. Just as the head was about to shrink inside, he threw himself over, clinging to one of the teeth on its upper jaw. His strength could never have been able to compete with such a monster’s. Yet, under the life-or-death situation, superhuman strength had exploded within him.

Chapter 53

WWX himself even admits that his strength was no match for the beast, but he still rushed to help LWJ. He reacted so fast, even LWJ was shocked WWX managed to catch up before the beast disappeared into its shell. WWX manages to overcome the beasts ferocious jaws with sheer determination and his utter refusal to let LWJ die.

At times, WWXs rationale is even momentarily overridden by concern when LWJ is involved. We see this more in his second life.

Having heard a few clashes of the blades, Wei WuXian’s heart suddenly tightened. He blurted out, “Lan Zhan? Are you hurt?!” From afar, there came a muffled grunt, as if someone had received a critical injury. It clearly wasn’t Lan WangJi’s voice, though. Lan WangJi, “Of course not.” Wei WuXian grinned, “So it seems!”

Chapter 34

During the Yi City arc, we can see WWX react in a similar way to the scene at the mingshi. WWX can't see LWJ and he starts to worry about his safety once again. Granted it was quite a dire situation and LWJ was certainly at a disadvantage in the fog with a glowing sword, while up against someone who was not only familiar with his moves, but also had their sword glare masked. But as we later see, once WWX has calmed his emotions and his logic returns, he has total faith in LWJs abilities.

Lan JingYi approved, “Well, obviously. Of course HanGuang-Jun is good. He just never likes to show it off. He is very low-key, right?” The “right?” was directed at Wei WuXian, who replied in confusion, “Are you asking me? Why are you asking me?” Lan JingYi was on the verge of being angered, “So you think that HanGuang-Jun is not good?!” Wei WuXian touched his chin, “Hmm. He’s good. Of course. He’s really good. He’s the best.” As he talked, he couldn’t help but break into a smile.

Chapter 38

WWX is well aware of LWJ's impressive skills, but he can't help his feelings bubble up to the surface at times, whenever LWJ is in a situation that might get him hurt. Thus his rationale momentarily disappears on occasion!

As much as LWJ loves to take care of WWX, he in turn loves to take care of LWJ and make a fuss over him as well. We see this time and time again throughout the novel. As you said, the small but sweet scene where WWX cleans and covers LWJs wound using his own robes, during the second siege at the Burial Mounds, is one example of this.

There are numerous other examples of WWX making a fuss of LWJ, both in WWXs first and second life. We have WWX seeing to LWJs wounds in the cave, intending to use all of the medicinal herbs on him and ignoring his own injuries. Depending on if you believe the theory WWX obtained the perfume pouch for LWJ in the first place - there is also that. WWX even gives LWJ his cleaner inner robes, keeping his dirty outer robe for himself. It's all very sweet!

In his second life, we see WWX tenderly wash a drunk LWJ's face, worry about him not eating enough and fuss over his clothes when he accidentally gets blood on them. I think my favourite example of WWX looking after LWJ in his second life is from a scene at Guanyin Temple. WWX lovingly covering LWJs ears, to protect him from JCs painfully noisy attempt at distributing JGYs dark melody on his guqin - is just the cutest thing!

I find it quite funny as WWX is very much "HanGuang-Jun is just amazing! He can beat anyone!" and at the same time "Lan Zhan! Are you okay?! You have a tiny cut, let me see to that for you." Of course LWJ is exactly the same. He is also aware WWX is more than capable of looking after himself, but his reflexes are to protect him nevertheless. It's just so natural for them both! It's so sweet how instinctive it has always been for WWX to think this way about LWJ, even in his first life 💕

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #wangxian #wei wuxian #lan wangji #mdzs novel #anon ask #answered ask

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tangledbea · 2 months

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I remember way back, when the back half of S2 was airing and everyone was speculating over whether Adria or Cassandra would be the traitor. I genuinely thought it would be Adira because Cass seemed too obvious, with the door and nightmare sequence in rapunzeltopia, and the dark prince Eugene prophecy twist with him turning against her really threw me for a loop. But nope, it was Cassandra all along. But it does bring to mind the question, what was the point of the bit at the end of Rapunzel and the Great Tree where possessed!Hector tells everyone that if they follow Adira to the Dark Kingdom they’ll meet their doom? From a meta perspective it was probably meant to be a red herring, but why would possessed!Hector say that? I heard somewhere that possessed!Hector was supposed to be possessed by Zhan Tiri, and that Zhan Tiri!Hector was trying to mislead the group, but I always thought that possessed!Hector was supposed to be possessed by the tree itself, not Zhan Tiri.

Likely actual answer: Yeah, probably a red herring. Alternatively, they wanted to have him say something that sounded cool and foreboding, but didn't have a specific reason for him to have said it. I've mentioned before that they didn't really know what to do with Adira (and the rest of the Brotherhood, for that matter). It's entirely possible that, at the point that the episode was written, they were kicking around the idea of her not being trustworthy in the end. (This is entirely speculation, by the way. I don't know that they were ever kicking around that idea at all.)

But also, Hector already had issue with the way Adira did things. He thought she was chasing a myth by looking for the Sundrop, and that the letter of King Edmund's order was to keep people out of the Dark Kingdom, not to go looking for a solution. He was convinced, all on his own, that following Adira back to the Dark Kingdom was folly, because even if Edmund himself didn't kill them, them Moonstone would. It wasn't the tree or even Zhan Tiri warning them through Hector, it was Hector himself.

As for who exactly was possessing Hector, going with the lore provided in the episode, the tree was once sentient and good, but Zhan Tiri corrupted it and made it her stronghold. She was invincible, so long as she was inside it, because the tree would attack anyone who came near. Demanitus' spear -- the one that Hector pulled from the tree's heart -- put a stop to the corrupted magic.

Now, as Hector takes the spear, he says, "Forgive me for releasing the evil that sleeps within [the tree]." Nowhere does it textually say that Hector was possessed by Zhan Tiri herself, however the Great Tree can be thought of as an unwilling disciple of Zhan Tiri (like Rapunzel, Lance, Feldspar, Ulf and Friedeborg were in "Painter's Block"), and spread Zhan Tiri's corrupting influence from itself to Hector. So while it was not Zhan Tiri directly, it was her will.

#Tangled #Tangled the Series #Hector #Zhan Tiri #TTS #The Great Tree #Rapunzel and the Great Tree #Speculation #Answered

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deydenier · 2 years

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REIGEN. prepare for another can of worms so bad i had to censor some bc it was too personal!

TRANSCRIPT kinda:

ok. reigen. ive said a LOT about him, already wrote a pretty good summary to WHY i like him and why he's a stand up guy who is frustratingly and compellingly human in all the mistakes and fuck ups he made. I like him a lot. of course. i like him in a way that he is my dark mirror. my cautionary tale. as i succinctly put in These Tweets:

"Thinking about reigen again (saying this as if looking at him and thinking about him is peering into the dark mirror of my psyche and how his downfall would be mine lest i change my ways and ideals on becoming a person and what it means to be someone of worth)"

"He is so me (the tone of my voice is that less of admiration and awe and more reluctance and unending doubt on oneself)"

Since this is less meta and more My Opinion on them, let me paint you a picture. because god knows im Not Normal About Him

i am 15. this is the first time ive read and watched mp100. i see reigen, a stand up guy who has good intentions and is a good mentor to his disciple. I go "wow! hes so cool!" unaware of the Nuances of his character, his blatant and obvious flaws of being selfish and self serving, who has made a home in this obviously flawed and bound to fall apart Normalcy he has with mob. I have bought into his lies.

i am 19. i am now a certified Adult (i was very much still immature then) with all the cards to prove it and i still dont get him. he frustrates me. He fucks up in a way that is arguably avoidable, even without the gift of foresight. He's childish at times, immature even, but somehow he always know when to flip the switch. to be more serious. to read the room. i dont get why he keeps his business going when he's completely capable in doing something more lucrative. why couldnt he just do something that makes more sense?

I am 21. I get it now

#if you think the ritsu one was personal. oh boy #asks #kinda #mp100 #mob psycho 100 #reigen arakata #arataka reigen #my art #good lord. im gonna stop for now ill answer the others later. the two i answered was a lot LOL

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quinobiweek · 8 months

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Two Weeks Until QuinObi Week 2023!

Get ready y'all! There are two weeks left until QuinObi Week, which will run from October 16th-20th.

What is QuinObi Week?

Glad you asked! QuinObi week is a time to celebrate the relationship between Quinlan Vos and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The week is for any kind of relationship between these two: romantic and/or sexual, platonic best friends, friends with benefits, Queer Platonic, or anything in-between! There’s not enough content for these two, and I’d like to change that (because however you see them, they are not normal about each other).

I do have themes for the week, but they are totally optional, and you can participate by making one thing or many! Those things include fic, art, gifs, meta, graphics, or whatever you like!

Themes

Day 1: Padawan years

Day 2: Knighthood/Raising Padawans

Day 3: Clone Wars

Day 4: Post Order 66

Day 5: AU

If you're working on things for the week and want to share your progress, feel free to tag this blog or my main @kcrabb88, and I will share! I’ll be tracking the tag #QuinObi Week when the time comes as well, so please tag all your work with that when you post, as well as tagging the blog. Rules and FAQ can be found here.

(Art by the lovely stealingpotatoes, quotes in the graphic from Dark Disciple)

#I commissioned this art for a fic on mine a bit ago and it is now my phone background #QuinObi Week #Quinlan Vos #Obi-Wan Kenobi #ObiQuin #Obi-Wan Kenobi x Quinlan Vos

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phoenixcatch7 · 9 months

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I'm making a persona 5 au of svsss (au in that it was the modern world that was the au, and sy brought something along with him), and I'm having a lot of fun with it!

Sy dies the same way as in canon, but this time as the leader/a member of the Chinese branch of phantom thieves (when and how a Chinese branch was made can be handwaved). He's a fellow wild card, a fool arcana, he's got third eye and a fully realised but unawakened persona.

When he awakes in sqq's body, he starts on as canon, but starts to notice strange fluctuations on qj that indicate the presence of the meta verse - and not only that, but a palace. The system notices the mysterious appearance of a new program it can't delete - the meta nav.

Without the key words, however, Sqq can't get in. He can't find who it belongs to, nor what it might be. One thing is for certain though: lbh cannot find out. The blackened protagonist with free reign of the meta verse? An undoubtedly powerful persona of his own?? It'd be the breakdown incidents all over again! He wouldn't stand a chance!

It takes a lot of arguing with the system about narrative directions and plot holes for it to not direct him to the nearest ripple in reality. In dreams, igor agrees (he has a lot to say about his new situation, but Sqq kinda ignores it).

Then, one day, he finds a fluctuation strong enough to fit a human, and slips right through, his scifi fantasy ninja outfit appears in flames, and he is faced with the distortion of qing jing peak - roiling dark clouds, bamboo towering impossibly far over his head, brown leaves thick on the ground and a thunderous gong ringing from somewhere down the path.

A coliseum.

Screams ring out, metal clashes, beasts roar.

And standing in front of the metal grill gate, tall and bedazzled in riches and more unmarked than shen yuan has ever seen him, is shen qingqiu.

What is persona if not themes of the inner self and fighting literal inner demons and learning to love, both yourself and others, and overcoming tragedy?

There are some things I'm still unsure of, but I really want to explore the idea of the ghost of sj lingering on, still haunting the narrative and how that affects everyone. Normally, when a palace ruler is killed, their palace crumbles as well, but with Sqq still walking around and the systems intervention with his soul (having not died then in canon) the original goods wouldn't be fully gone.

The soul is! It's not sjs ghost, but rather his shadow. Real souls cannot live in the meta verse. But with the real deal gone, sy would be unable to affect him in order to make his way through the palace to the treasure the way a normal heist would go. Instead, he'd have to learn about sj himself, uncovering secrets and dispelling rumours. As the new Sqq, he would have to change his perspective and uncover the story behind the scum villain in order to progress. Remove the distorted perspective from himself.

Mini bosses would be a bad faith interpretation of yqy from sjs perspective, qiu haitang as she was at the manor. Enemies would be the coliseum guards and jailers, the shadow populace qj disciples in general misery, often forced to fight each other or monsters as sj watches on from the top seat. Nyy would sit with him. Poor shadow lbh would be a prime gladiator slave, suffering constant defeat. Sin: envy. I really want to focus on the fact he is both abuser and survivor, and his 'I suffered, thus so should you' thing. A bit like p5 strikers in that.

The plot would be basically Sqq handling both the canon events of svsss and also his investigation into sj, tracing paper trails of slave documents, hunting for potential secrets in the bamboo house, learning about the ghost backstab incident from lqg (which leads him to airplane), building up the courage to go down and talk to the brothel ladies, carefully teasing bits of history out of yqy. Also beating up shadows with a jojo stand and a .7 calibre sniper rifle he can fire like an automatic in his spare time. (if you don't know, persona lets you hold shadows at gunpoint for cash and items, but also flirt, threaten and bribe. Also you can ambush them and sometimes collect them like pokemon it's fun.)

The final battle would have the palace ruler sj transform into his final form (I'm thinking something with chains) but there absolutely has to be a human duel for the first phase, xiu ya to xiu ya. The surrendering of the crown would end in a hug, and sj performing a sincere but bastardised version of the peak lord crowning ceremony before he dissipates, and the coliseum starting to crumble and burn. As for the treasure... In the distorted world, an elaborate peak lord ceremonial crown, in the real world, an old, worn hair ribbon.

If I wrote it, I'd probably keep it shorter. Just the one palace, maybe sqh awakens his persona by virtue of being squirrelly and getting on his last nerve™. I'm thinking of the 'what don't I dare when it comes to you?!' because if that isn't a persona awakening scene I don't know what is. Conquering the bamboo palace would free qj from some 'unnamable' dark cloud and just in time to push lbh in the abyss (the palace time limit bring that sjs spirit would cruelly push lbh into the abyss rather than sy doing it (and being kinder about it)).

If it was longer, more persona users would awaken, despite sqq's best attempts. Liu qingge, ning yingying, shang qinghua obviously, gongyi xiao, zhuzhi lang maybe (they'd both live). A real motley crew. There'd be more palaces along the journey, each with it's own deadline - old palace master, lbh (though his palace would have the gimmick of being actually xin mo's), tianlang Jun, qiu haitang. Sj would still be the overarching palace, this time being the only one without a deadline maybe, and the story would end with a 'not sj' reveal for the new phantom thieves (with a side order of 'we already know and care for you anyway').

A sequel would be shorter: sy visits qiong ding for the first time since its all calmed down and realises that the distortions of a palace are still there, that they weren't a product of the bamboo palace. Yqy has a palace (because you can't tell me that man is mentally well). For a side of angst maybe the sy reveal was more open secret for the need to knows rather than strictly 'whoever witnessed two identical versions of Sqq trying to kill each other' and Yqy develops the palace as a result of not taking that well.

In comparison to the others, Yqy is the strongest cultivator alive, has been sitting on a soul deep distortion and trauma for decades since childhood, recently went through a heartbreaking reveal pointed directly at every single one of those issues, and oh yeah, has his soul directly bound to xuan su.

His palace's difficulty level is nightmarish. The corrupt version of the lingxi caves is a terrifying subterranean crawl through blood soaked caverns and bottomless pits. The gimmick is that near everything wants to suck your soul out. The only saving grace is that distortions are not inherently malicious, and they manage to lever that to their advantage. Unlike the others, yqys palace does not focus on him abusing his power over others - quite the opposite, in fact.

Through murals, echoing voices, and what sy and sqh remember, they piece together his own heart demons. It's scary - outwardly, the sect leader is fine, clear headed, going about his days just fine. The bloodied caverns he sees the world through tell a different story. To gain access it's a long process of easing out stories, working through his deeply ingrained self reliance, helping him work up to confessing the truth of xuan su. Not only to xiao jius shrine, but to his closest martial siblings as well, allowing him to be vulnerable and protected as he never has been.

But Yqy follows them into the palace, curious as to why they visit his peak every day. It's unstable, very dangerous for a person to meet their shadow, but it's too late. Yqy meets his shadow self, small and furious and stuck through with a thousand swords he uses to his advantage, and does the impossible.

A palace ruler awakens a persona.

Even as a trained group, the life force powered xuan su boosted shadow is too strong - they've already failed to defeat it once. Yue qingyuan, breathing grief like air but finally ready to heal, stands for himself. Rips off the smiling mask he's been hiding behind since he was five years old and freshly a big brother. His persona is magnificent.

And just in time, too, because, uh, turns out the meta verse is the systems doing, this time. And it's evil. I'm thinking a giant brainwashing vr-esque super computer. And they defeat it with the power of friendship and also lucifer.

#But if I made it as big as I wanted it'd be 100s k easy #Idk idk it's been swimming in my mind for ages #LONG POST #I've already got some personas and designs thought out but that'll have to be a separate post LMAO #I want to write it so bad ToT #Feel the prequel/sequel is unbalanced but it'd be during/post canon. They don't have to be the same length.#I mean maybe I could make it a palace per fic and have a proper series?#Themes: acceptance/false assumptions/self discovery/love and trust. All those good things.#See this always happens I go to write a funny haha self indulgence thing and it SPIRALS #I don't want 400k of plot I want to see Sqq in a scifi fantasy ninja outfit with a giant sniper gun mowing through 4d demons #While svsss characters watch on in shock and awe #Is that too much to ask??#svsss #shen qingqiu #scum villain's self saving system #scum villain #the scum villain's self saving system #persona series #persona 5 #persona au #persona 5 au #fic ideas #fanfiction #fanfic #crossover #crossover fic #Bamboo palace au

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clonewarsarchives · 2 years

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Clone Wars Features in Star Wars Insider

[see chronological list below cut]

Cast interview

#108 Double Trouble (Matt Lanter and Ashley Eckstein)

#110 Voice of the Force (Tom Kane)

#111 More than a Hobbie! (Corey Burton)

#112 The Voice Will Be With You, Always (James Arnold Taylor)

#115 The Journey of Barriss Offee (Meredith Salenger)

#116 Attack of the Clone (Dee Bradley Baker)

#116 The Perils of Padmé (Catherine Taber)

#117 The Duches and The Jedi (Anna Graves)

#117 Boba Fett is Back (Daniel Logan)

#122 The Sultry Sith (General + Nika Futterman)

#122 Master of Villaninous Voices (Corey Burton)

#123 Matt Lanter and the Rigors of Mortis!

#123 Coming of Age (Ashley Eckstein)

#123 It’s CAT versus JAT!

#125 Talking Tarkin (Stephen Stanton)

#129 Taylor Made (James Arnold Taylor)

#130 Super Trooper (Dee Bradley Baker)

#132 Back from the Depths! (Sam Witwer)

#199 Sam Witwer Unleashed!

#199 Ahsoka Lives! (Ashley Eckstein)

#201 The Animated Anakin (Matt Lanter)

Crew interview

Dave Filoni

#95 Fighting the Clone Wars (with Catherine Winder, producer)

#102 Directing the Troops & The Creator Strikes Back (George Lucas)

#104 Send in the Clones

#114 Bringing Back the Bounty

#115 Ready for Battle

#116 The Art of Mandalore

#117 The Unusual Suspects

#120 Third Wave

#121 Mythmakers (with George Lucas)

#125 Clone Ranger

#134 Behind and Beyond the Battle Lines

#140 Unexpected Journeys

Guest director/Animation director

#107 Creating Clones (Rob Coleman, director for 1.06-7)

#130 Animated Discussion (Keith Kellog, animation director)

#132 Notes from the Frontline (Walter Murch, director for 4.08)

#133 In Pursuit of Perfection (Duwayne Dunham, director for 3.11 & 4.01)

Sound/Music

#107 Sounding Out the Troops (David Acord, sound designer)

#117 Sound Affects (David Acord)

#116 Tales of a Sound Droid (Matthew Wood)

#111 Score de Force (Kevin Kiner, composer)

#126 Score Wars (Kevin Kiner)

Writer

#103 Cloak of Darkness (Henry Gilroy, Season 1)

#125 A Writer’s Tale (Katie Lucas, Nightsisters arc)

#126 The Write Stuff (Christian Taylor, Mortis arc)

Others

#108 Final Cut (Jason Tucker, editor)

#113 Second Strike (Cary Silver, producer)

#129 Producing Magic (Cary Silver)

#120 Back with a Bang (Joel Aron, CG Lighting and Effects Supervisor)

#124 Making Maquettes (Darren Marshall, concept artist)

#134 Darth Maul Death Sentence comics interview

#137 Cast & Crew Q&A

Short Story

#136 Reputation (Cad Bane)

#139 Speaking SIlently (Captain Rex)

#144 Hondo Ohnaka’s Not-So-Big Score

#159 Kindred Spirits (Asajj Ventress, prequel to Dark Disciple)

General/Meta articles

#118 Rise of the Bounty Hunters (Season 2 trivia)

#132 Rogues Gallery - Bounty Hunters from 4.17 The Box

#139 Rogues Gallery - Ahsoka’s younglings

#142 The Show that Changed Star Wars

#159 Asajj Ventress: A-typical Anti-Hero

#160 Ahsoka Tano: A Hero of Our Time

#179 Mortis: Planet of the Force

#195 The Comeback Clones (character profiles)

Episode Guide

#106 Cover + S1.01-10 Episode Guide

#125 50 Great Reasons to Rewatch Season Three

#134 10 Amazing Moments from Season Four

#136 S4 DVD highlights

#139 100 and Counting!

#200 Season 7 episode guide

in Chronological order

#95 Fighting the Clone Wars (Dave Filoni and Catherine Winder)

#102 The Creator Strikes Back (George Lucas) & Directing the Troops (Dave Filoni)

#103 Cloak of Darkness (Henry Gilroy, series writer)

#104 Send in the Clones (Dave Filoni)

#106 Cover + S1.01-10 Episode Guide

#107 Creating Clones (Rob Coleman, animation director)

#107 Sounding Out the Troops (David Acord, sound designer)

#108 Double Trouble (Matt Lanter and Ashley Eckstein)

#108 Final Cut (Jason Tucker, editor)

#110 Voice of the Force (Tom Kane)

#111 More than a Hobbie! (Corey Burton)

#111 Score de Force (Kevin Kiner, composer)

#112 The Force Will Be With You, Always (James Arnold Taylor)

#113 Second Strike (Cary Silver, producer)

#114 Bringing Back the Bounty (Dave Filoni)

#115 Ready for Battle (Dave Filoni)

#115 The Journey of Barriss Offee (Meredith Salenger)

#116 Attack of the Clone (Dee Bradley Baker)

#116 The Perils of Padmé (Catherine Taber)

#116 Tales of a Sound Droid (Matthew Wood)

#116 The Art of Mandalore (Dave Filoni)

#117 Sound Affects (David Acord, sound designer)

#117 The Duches and The Jedi (Anna Graves)

#117 Boba Fett is Back (Daniel Logan)

#117 The Unusual Suspects (bounty hunter lineup)

#118 Rise of the Bounty Hunters (Season 2 trivia)

#120 Third Wave (Dave Filoni)

#120 Back with a Bang (Joel Aron)

#121 Mythmakers (Dave Filoni and George Lucas)

#122 The Sultry Sith (General + Nika Futterman)

#122 Master of Villaninous Voices (Corey Burton)

#123 Matt Lanter and the Rigors of Mortis

#123 Coming of Age (Ashley Eckstein)

#123 It’s CAT versus JAT (Catherine Taber and James Arnold Taylor)

#124 Making Maquettes (Darren Marshall)

#125 Clone Ranger (Dave Filoni)

#125 A Writer’s Tale (Katie Lucas, screenwriter)

#125 Talking Tarkin (Stephen Stanton)

#125 50 Great Reasons to Rewatch Season Three (EPG)

#126 The Write Stuff (Christian Taylor, screenwriter)

#126 Score Wars (Kevin Kiner)

#129 Taylor Made (James Arnold Taylor)

#129 Producing Magic (Cary Silver)

#130 Super Trooper (Dee Bradley Baker)

#130 Animated Discussion (Keith Kellog, animation director)

#132 Back from the Depths! (Sam Witwer)

#132 Notes from the Frontline (Walter Murch, director for 4.08)

#132 Rogues Gallery - Bounty Hunters from 4.17 The Box

#133 In Pursuit of Perfection (Duwayne Dunham, director for 3.11 & 4.01)

#134 Behind and Beyond the Battle Lines (Dave Filoni)

#134 Darth Maul Death Sentence comics interview

#134 10 Amazing Moments from Season Four (EPG)

#136 S4 DVD highlights (EPG)

#136 Reputation (Cad Bane, short story)

#137 Cast & Crew Q&A

#139 Rogues Gallery - Ahsoka’s younglings

#139 100 and Counting! (EPG)

#139 Speaking SIlently (Captain Rex, short story)

#140 Unexpected Journeys (Dave Filoni)

#142 The Show that Changed Star Wars (General)

#144 Hondo Ohnaka’s Not-So-Big Score (short story)

#159 Asajj Ventress: A-typical Anti-Hero (General)

#159 Kindred Spirits (Asajj Ventress, short story prequel to Dark Disciple)

#160 Ahsoka Tano: A Hero of Our Time (General)

#179 Mortis: Planet of the Force (General)

#195 The Comeback Clones (General character profiles)

#199 Sam Witwer Unleashed!

#199 Ahsoka Lives! (Ashley Eckstein)

#200 Season 7 summary (EPG)

#201 The Animated Anakin (Matt Lanter)

#insider #masterpost

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gffa · 4 months

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About a quarter of the way through Dark Disciple and it's absolutely murdering my feelings just how much Asajj desperately wants to love and be loved, how much she aches for it, how angry she is at how it was ripped away from her time and again, with her Jedi Master, with Talzin and her Sisters, how Dooku's betrayal wasn't just that he tried to kill her, but that he didn't love her. And it makes me think about Dooku who I think wanted to love her, but turned away from that love, because he was too deep into the dark side, because you couldn't love anyone or anything while working for Sidious, so he denied both her and himself that love, and how much it bitterly aches for both of them.

#lumi.txt #star wars #asajj ventress #count dooku #meta #novels #novels: dark disciple

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the-nysh · 2 years

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Could you link some of your threads discussing and analyzing Garou’s character as a whole or analyzing strong scenes that emphasize his character?

Many of them nowadays are either chapter-specific observations and commentaries, or anon-prompted meta discussions, but let's see if I can list some of the major/overarching ones I’ve written over the years (some might be pretty old too):

Why does Garou have no confidence?

The Shed Scene in-depth: on his semblance of choice and on whose version of ‘justice’ prevails + bonus anime commentary + bonus vs Darkshine callback

More in-depth thoughts about Wolf Boy - a binding mindset stemming from his childhood

To Stand and Be Strong - on his grueling personal mantra that compels him to keep fighting

The Will to Power - heavy theory centric; where Garou’s arc shows us the way (of what not to do)

Garou’s compassionate side & empathetic capacity as a telling mark of his humanity

The WCScene™ - on the ending mistranslation and Tareo’s importance

All his direct arc parallels he shares with other heroic characters, including The Dual Disciples’ Lament (with Genos) + bonus comedic irony with King

How gracefully he carries himself - aka Murata’s art appreciation

My personal favorite positive aspects and manga moments

Other specific character traits: he’s no coward, he’s a tsundere, he’s an introvert (bonus mbti analysis), he’s ‘pure of heart,’ he also likes misunderstood ‘cool’ animals

On more of the negatives/controversial traits:

Critiquing his character flaws

On ‘non-heroic’ behaviors that Garou doesn’t like - bonus: on Mumen, on Blue Fire, on Metal Bat

When he encounters real monsters he finds them disgusting

On his internalized self-worth issues dehumanizing himself

His habit to throw his opponents’ own words back at them

On whether he’s a ‘hypocrite’ vs his struggles in cognitive dissonance

On his common fanon + bad faith mischaracterizations (1, 2, 3)

His tv tropes and classification as an Anti-Hero (by ONE himself)

More Garou vs Saitama relevant food for thought discussions: their introspective identity parallels on learning what they lack, my warning on Saitama’s approach, their opposing light & dark symbolism, webcomic Garou’s post-arc speculation

For fun: commentary on Ova4 Games & Rivals (Garou vs Suiryu, set before their wc meeting), the manga’s character introduction pages reflecting Garou’s growing story prominence, and his photoset compilations (because why not~)

#opm #garou #meta #skweebydeeby #replies #ref #ok i think that's a good starting list #aka me: LET ME SHOW YOU MY GAROU WARES 8'D #i've got like 40+ links here i'm glad desktop can go beyond the limit of 10

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argentnoelle · 2 years

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Death Note — Interpreting the Foot Scene

So, since I’ve never actually seen an in-depth meta on the foot scene, I thought this needs to happen. :) [read on ao3]

The Foot Scene

[Watch here] L and Light come inside from the rain, and Light sits on the stairs, his shoes sitting next to him on the ground. L stands to the side, with a towel on his head.

L: (walking over) Well, that was certainly an unpleasant outing. Light: (drying off his hair) It’s your own fault. I mean, what did you expect? L: (offscreen) You’re right. I’m sorry. (L takes the towel off of his head and walks closer. Light is still drying his hair and face, but then startles. You then see that L has crouched by Light’s feet and is holding one of Light’s feet in his hand.) Light: What are you doing? L: (looking up at him) I thought I might help you out. You were busy wiping yourself off anyway. Light: Look, it—it’s fine, you don’t have to do that. L: I can give you a massage as well. (Light looks startled) L: (offscreen, continued) It’s the least I can do to atone for my sins. I’m actually pretty good at this. (Light glances away, looking resigned) Light: Fine, do what you want. L: (offscreen, in tones of someone getting down to business) All right. (Now you see L, looking pensive. He brings his hand, holding the towel, up to Light’s foot. Light makes a pained noise and the scene cuts to a wide shot.) Light: Hey! L: You’ll get used to it. (Light, in a close-up, looks utterly thrown, but makes a small noise of assent. The shot changes to L, where all you can see, with his head down, is the mess of his hair. A drop of water drips from the end of his hair, the sound clearly distinct in the otherwise silent scene [there’s been no music or anything]. The shot then changes to Light’s foot, and you hear as well as see the droplets from L’s hair landing on Light’s foot. The shot changes to Light, watching L who is now offscreen. He reaches over to grab his own towel and brings it over to L’s face. The shot is now on L in profile.) Light: (drying L’s hair) Here. You’re still soaked. (As Light’s hand retreats, L looks up, and then back down.) L: (quietly) I’m sorry. (soft piano music now begins. L starts drying off Light’s foot again. When the shot goes back to Light, he looks pensive too. There’s silence for some time, barring the music, as the shot changes back to L in profile, looking somewhat distressed. Then back to a wide shot in profile that rises toward the ceiling and the windows letting in natural light. After that, the view changes to the ceiling and its cross-shaped walkways with blue lighting above it, and then back to a wide shot of L and Light, this time facing the stairs.) L: (thoughtful, quiet) It’ll be lonely, won’t it. Light: Hm? (L looks up at Light pointedly and determined. With the shot head on, he says) L: You and I will be parting ways soon. (Light seems thoughtfully startled by this point, and looks perhaps like he’s considering something or is struck by the situation and stuck in the moment. The phone then rings, pulling them out of it, L stands up and answers the phone.) L: Yes? (Now the shot shows L in the foreground, with Light giving him a dark look in the background). L: I understand. I’m on my way. Light: (still glaring at L, baffled) Huh? (Now the shot is a wide shot again, and both their bodies are cut off since the shot is from behind them on the stairs). L: Come on. Let’s go, Light. (Closer in on L, with his back to the viewer) It seems like it’s all worked out. (He walks away.) (The shot changes back to Light’s baffled and angry face as he too stands up). Light: huh?

Basically, L is thoughtful, sad, and a bit smug, while Light is just: ?????

The Biblical Interpretation

The standard biblical interpretation of the foot scene is that it’s a reference to John 13, when Jesus washes the feet of all his disciples, soon before he’ll be betrayed by Judas. The moment goes like this (NIV version, abridged for length)...

It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. [...] The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. [Jesus] got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. [He said] “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. [After that, Jesus said] “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”

It’s clear why this is the accepted biblical interpretation of the scene. After all, L’s about to die, Light’s about to betray him, and L cleans and dries off Light’s feet. It seems pretty cut-and-dry.

Interestingly enough, however, this is not the only foot scene in the bible! Just one chapter earlier, in John 12, we have the anointing at Bethany, another scene that takes place soon before Jesus’s death, which goes like this:

Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

Already, this has more direct parallels to what’s actually going on in the Death Note foot scene. You’ve got the reference to hair, which is another visually weighty aspect of the scene, and you’ve got a reference to the fact that Jesus isn’t going to stick around for much longer; “You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me,” vs “You and I will be parting ways soon.”

Furthermore, L never makes a thing of Light betraying him in this scene. You could argue that in the previous rain scene he kind of implies that with the do you ever tell the truth line, but I think it’s a bit of a stretch.

So even though a L=Jesus, Light=Judas parallel is easy to make, I think it just doesn’t really jive very well on the details. Actually, L even makes this textual, as he actually says to Light, “It’s the least I can do to atone for my sins.” On the top level of the conversation, this refers to the “sin” of L going out in the rain and then making Light go out in the rain too, which he’s now atoning for. But of course that’s not the whole point.

If L is atoning for his sins, that would make him a human. If anyone is the god here, it’s Light; you could read this as a jab toward the fact that L knows Light is Kira, and that he’s making that known through this somewhat humorous remark.

L is obviously aware of the biblical reading; he’s purposefully making a reference to this fact. But it’s probably not for Light’s benefit. There’s no reason why L would expect Light to have read the whole bible; he probably knows enough about Light’s family background to know that not only are they not particularly religious, but the religion they are more connected with is Shintoism (the Yagami family is shown to have a shrine on New Years).

Instead, L is making a self-reflexive statement or an inside joke. He obviously has some kind of Christian background. In the anime, you have his reference to church bells and his visions of stained glass, that appear even as he’s dying; in the manga, Wammy’s House is shown to have a cross over it.

If reading the scene through the lens of the anointing at Bethany, it fits far better with L’s motivations in this scene as well—he’s already contacted Watari about getting the 13-day rule tested by an inmate, and the call at the end is L learning that he’s gotten approval for this plan. The person that L expects to die here is Light, not L. If anything, L is Mary, preparing Jesus for burial.

BUT!

This is still not the only foot scene in the Bible, and personally, I think a very interesting one that never gets brought up is Luke 7, Jesus anointed by a sinful woman. It goes like this...

When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

“Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Now personally I think this lines up even better with what’s actually going on in the Death Note scene. For one thing, this entire story is about sins being forgiven. The “woman who lived a sinful life” would, in this case, be L, who not only wipes off Light’s feet but (symbolically) “cries” on them through the droplets that fall from his hair onto Light’s feet. This is somewhat like the fact that the woman “began to wet [Jesus’s] feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair.”

The Pharisee points out that “she is a sinner” and thinks Jesus isn’t a prophet by not realizing who he’s allowing to touch him. But Jesus points out that 1) yes, he knows, 2) the whole point of forgiving sins is that the people who have more to forgive feel most grateful when their debt is forgiven, and 3) the woman showed Jesus more hospitality and love than his actual host. It turns out that the woman’s faith and love have saved her, that’s the reason she’s been forgiven.

Now the complexity of this is really interesting. Not only does this add a layer to L’s jab, with L’s words now meaning that Light, if he were a real god, would forgive sins, especially among those who sinned the most [i.e. he wouldn’t kill criminals]; L is also saying in a roundabout way that he does care about Light.

Here’s a little background on the cultural aspects of the biblical anointing scenes:

Hospitality is a very strong value in the Near East, with much fuss made over guests. For example, a basin would typically be provided so guests could wash the dust of the road from their feet. Scented olive oil was sometimes offered to anoint a guest's hair (Psalm 23:5b; 45:7; 92:10; Amos 6:6). And beloved guests would be kissed as they were greeted (2 Samuel 15:5; 19:39; Matthew 26:49). We see that Simon offered none of these marks of a gracious host. Such overflowing hospitality wasn't required; Simon wasn't being discourteous. The way he welcomed his guests this day seems pro forma, but not especially warm or cordial. (x)

As for the woman’s part in the story:

We're not told what her sin is, but she is probably a prostitute rather than an adulteress. [...] William Barclay says, “It was the custom that when a Rabbi was at a meal in such a house, all kinds of people came in — they were quite free to do so— to listen to the pearls of wisdom which fell from his lips.” Even though I can't find much to substantiate this practice, I think it must be the case. Simon doesn't seem so alarmed that such a woman is in his house, than that Jesus doesn't perceive what kind of woman she is. On another occasion, Jesus is invited to eat at a prominent Pharisee's home and finds a man “in front of him” suffering from dropsy (14:1-2). [...] To go about in public with her hair down was considered a shameful thing to do, yet she is not deterred. [...] Next, she begins to kiss his feet. [...] kissing the feet might be considered a common mark of deep reverence, especially to leading rabbis. (x)

In Chapter 109, or the C-Kira story, Near talks about a time when the kids a Wammy’s House were allowed a Q&A with L over video call. This took place, in Near’s words, “a little while before [L] started the Kira investigation.” Near continues, “everyone peppered him with questions, and L answered every one of them.” The next panel shows L replying to an unheard question, probably something along the lines of, why do you do what you do/why do you try to catch the bad guys?/or, where do you get your sense of justice? L replies:

“It’s not a sense of justice. Solving complicated cases is my hobby. If you wish to measure good and evil by the law, then I’m also a criminal who has committed various evil acts. It’s just like how all you guys want to solve puzzles or video games as quickly as possible. It’s a game, a hobby. That’s why I only take up cases that interest me. It’s not about justice. And in order to solve a case, I will do anything. I am a cheater who hates to lose.”

Relight shows L’s answer to a different question from the same scene, where L’s answering a Q&A at Wammy’s House. The question is, “can you tell me if there’s something that you’re not good at, or maybe something that you’re scared of?” which leads into L’s monster speech:

“There are many types of monsters in this world. Monsters who will not show themselves and who cause trouble, monsters who abduct children, monsters who devour dreams, monsters who suck blood, and monsters who always tell lies.

Lying monsters are a real nuisance. They are much more cunning than other monsters. They pose as humans, even though they have no understanding of the human heart. They eat even though they’ve never experienced hunger. They study, even though they have no interest in academics. They seek friendship, even though they do not know how to love.

If I were to encounter such a monster, I would likely be eaten by it; because in truth, I am that monster.”

I think that both of these quotes show an interesting insight into L’s thought process. L describes himself as “a criminal who has committed various evil acts” [if measured by the law]. While this does show that L has a more nuanced conception of good and evil than what the law says is ok and not ok, he also chooses to use the word evil to describe some of his actions for a reason. That’s not a word carelessly chosen, especially with his Christian background. In other words, L admits that he’s a sinner. He doesn’t seem to have a huge problem with that, but he admits it. In the second answer, he goes so far as to describe himself as a “lying monster.”

From very early on in the manga, L realizes that because of the way Kira can kill from a distance, he’s going to be incredibly hard to catch, admitting to himself in chapter 10, “even if I find you, I can’t prove you’re a murderer unless I catch you in the act, or nail down hard evidence.” This is an interesting aspect of the similarities between L and Light. In chapter 16, when L wants to put surveillance on the Kitamura and Yagami families, Matsuda points out, “in Japan, that’s an illegal violation of human rights!” and Aizawa says “if this gets out, they’ll dismantle the task force!” L’s answer is “I promise you, nobody will ever find out.” In the same way, during the last arc of the manga, Light later describes how it’s the winners that get called justice.

In Chapter 18, L thinks about his beliefs regarding Kira, from which you can get a bit of insight into his religious beliefs as well. He thinks,

“If one of [the people in the Yagami or Kitamuri families] is Kira, that means Kira’s psychological state has already reached the divine level. He’s judging sinners without batting an eye. I almost want to think that Kira no longer exists—that this really is divine judgement. But while Lind L. Tailor really was a criminal, the F.B.I. agents did nothing to deserve being killed. Or was it sacrilege on their part to question divine will? Well, I have no time for those who say the gods are capricious and beyond human understanding. For a god to need someone’s name and face to kill them is ridiculous. This isn’t divine judgement. It’s the work of some childish killer who’s playing at divine retribution. That’s all.”

L goes so far as to make implicit jabs about Light wanting to be god as early as Chapter 26, where the fake name he picks for Light is “Light Asahi.” This is a real Japanese name, a reference to a beer and soft drinks company, and it literally translates to “morning sunlight.” (Light morning star—L’s making a joke that Light is the devil. This one, Light probably did get.)

But even though L feels some disdain for Kira’s god-complex, L has some respect for Kira’s cleverness and, I’ll go so far as to say, even his ideals, warped as they are in practice. When the Second Kira shows up, L says, “I don’t want to die, either. It would be bad enough to be killed by Kira, but to die at the hands of an opportunist pretending to be Kira would really grate.” Later in the conversation, when describing the Second Kira, L says, “I don’t like his style... it’s not like Kira at all...” and in describing the First Kira, L says, “so far, aside from people who were after him, Kira avoided attacking innocent people. His method was to make his views gradually penetrate and change society. Kira’s aim is not a dictatorship based on fear.”

Here’s where we get into far more speculative territory. This leads to...

The Queer Interpretation

Pretty much everyone who ever saw the foot scene thinks its gay. It’s not trying to be subtle. But, besides fanservice, what is it actually doing, and is there a way of connecting it to the overt biblical interpretation? I think that there is.

In Chapter 18, right after L rejects the theory that Kira really is a god, he concludes, “the mass-murderer we’re calling Kira definitely exists. And I’m definitely going to catch him.” He thinks about the problems of trying to catch someone who can kill even under surveillance, and comes up with a seemingly far-fetched plan. “The best thing would be to get him to tell me himself that he’s Kira, and carry out a murder in front of me. But there’s no way I could do that... or could I?” Right after this, L decides to show himself to his prime suspect, Light; and we never get any indication that L’s plans have changed, until the Second Kira shows up and he decides to go after Misa as the weak link.

L wants hard evidence, but if he can’t get that, he’ll take a confession that happens because Kira felt close enough to him on a personal level to slip up and actually trust him. This is almost the exact same plan that Light comes up with after meeting L. Light’s plan (spoken hypothetically to L) is, “if you want to be friends with me, I’ll gladly hang out with you. I’ll make you trust me. And when you’ve told me everything I need to know, I’ll kill you.” In Chapter 30, Light explains to Misa, “right now I am investigating with [L] in order to gain his trust.”

To that end, they play tennis with each other, hang out in cafes, etc. L invites Light onto the task force to more closely observe him, and in Chapter 31, L makes the proclamation, “I don’t want Light-kun to be Kira. Because... Light-kun is my first ever friend,” to which Light replies, “yeah... you’re a good friend to me too, Ryuzaki.” Both L and Light are lying here, so you could call them lying monsters, who “seek friendship, even though they do not know how to love.” (More about the details of their mutually-enjoyed rivalry.)

Light is also incapable of falling in love with a woman.

This isn’t unacknowledged subtext, either. In Chapter 37, when L and Light put the handcuffs on, Misa says bluntly, “this is what you meant by being together 42 hours a day? Two guys chained together is gross... this is what you’re into? You were with Light at school, too... but Light belongs to me... and if you’re always together, then when am I supposed to go on dates with Light?”

After this, Light tries to get Misa to back off, but Misa doubles down on the fact that she’s Light’s girlfriend. Once Aizawa pushes her out of the room, L and Light have this exchange:

L: Are you serious about Amane? Light: No... as I said, it’s all one-sided. L: Then could you act like you’re serious about her? We know she’s involved with the Second Kira from the videotape evidence... and also that she loves you... Light: You want me to get close to her and make her reveal things about the Second Kira? L: Yes, I think you are capable of doing it, Light-kun. This is one of the reasons that I released the two of you.

Of course, then Light denies that he would ever do such a thing, and that “taking advantage of a person’s feelings like that is the most despicable thing a person can do.” L is understandably surprised by the vehemence of this statement, considering that that’s literally what Light has been trying to do to him for months with their stated friendship. After all, this is Light “if you want to be friends with me, I’ll gladly hang out with you. I’ll make you trust me. And when you’ve told me everything I need to know, I’ll kill you” Yagami. Or... is it?

Considering that this exchange (about Light potentially getting close to Misa—romantically and possibly sexually—for the investigation) is later on in the same scene where Misa brought up the sexual reading of L and Light’s relationship, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say the comparison here is warranted.

And this isn’t even the end of L’s bit of queercoding. The 6 most feminine foods in Japan are “cake, fruit, salad, pudding, ice cream parfaits, and pasta” and “An anime character's eating habits are clearly used to say something about that character's position on the axes of masculinity <—> femininity, immaturity <—> maturity, and even normality <—> weirdness.” (Japan, Food, and Gender)

After Misa realizes she and Light would have to kiss in front of L, and L admits, “I will be watching” [if you do anything with him], she says, “huh? What the hell? I knew it! You are a pervert!” Misa accuses L of being sexually weird and, in her words, perverted. This encompasses everything from L tying her up while interrogating her, to L putting handcuffs on Light, to L (as far as Misa is concerned) wanting to watch her and Light kiss. By accusing L of perverse sexuality, she’s absolutely accusing L of being gay (as well as kinky). I mean. If that wasn’t already obvious from her whole speech. Alex Benkhart writes:

The current understanding of “homosexuality” was born around the turn of the 20th century, and is intertwined with the birth of another, maybe for fundamental concept, “sexuality.” Believe it or not, the idea of “sexuality” as we understand it is pretty new, and only became popular about a hundred years ago, which admittedly can be kind of difficult to conceptualize. In my last post I talked a bit about Makoto Furukawa’s “Three Codes Framing Homosexuality in Modern Japan,” and hentai seiyoku or “perverse sexuality,” is the third and final of these codes.

(More on a queer reading of the manga and anime).

Anyway, this has gotten pretty far from the foot scene, but getting back to that... in Luke 7, when Jesus is anointed by a sinful woman, the woman is probably either a prostitute or an adulteress. In other words, she’s been using her sexuality in ways she “shouldn’t be.” L, who is visually tied in with the woman through the scene’s focus on his hair and the rain “tears” that fall onto Light’s skin, and is textually tied in with her through his spoken line, “it’s the least I can do to atone for my sins” has also been trying to get close to Light under false pretenses, the way he wants Light to get close to Misa for the purpose of the investigation.

The sexual reading of L in the rain and the foot scene goes even further, though. “Taking a bath right before having sex is considered common in Japan and having wet hair can thus be associated with sexual situations.” (No Romantic Feelings—Asexuality in Japan, thesis by Kaisa Lehtonen, University of Tampere) Of course, this isn’t the only symbolic meaning that water serves in that scene. In Shintoism, water is a purifying substance, which fits well with the emotional tone of the rain scene, where L is pensively reflecting on his life and hearing church bells. L feels that he needs purification and atonement.

I don’t think there’s much to say about the exchange from the foot scene that goes:

Light: (startled, thrown) Hey! L: You’ll get used to it.

other than that it... really reads sexually. It just does.

So... where does that leave this?

TL;DR

I think there’s a valid textual reading of the foot scene as L feeling guilty that he’s about to get Light killed.

L is conflicted between being understanding of Light’s ideals and scathing about the idea that Light considers himself a god. And so, he creates an ironic self-aware reference to himself as a sinner who’s used his sexuality wrongly, as a “lying monster,” in order to manipulate Light into trusting him, and who needs to atone through an honest and genuine act of service while he still can.

Meanwhile Light is still: ?????

[on ao3]

#Death Note #meta #my stuff #my meta

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serena-hart-09 · 2 years

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Meet My OC!

Link to the Picrew

A/N: I HAVE SURVIVED YET ANOTHER EXAM-

So yeah...... this month has been hard...... (┬┬﹏┬┬) (my neck is paining for some reason) So, anyways, I had been meaning to post this for a long time- (But never got a chance-)

(Also there are gonna be many in the future-)

[Anyways, after this, I would be editing my old posts for now (like spelling and other stuff)]

Also, if you do have any questions regarding my OCs feel free to ask me! 😊😊😊😊

Have a great day ahead! 💖💖💖💖💖

Itogami

[In Verklig (While Work)]

(In the Hall of Books)

[Verklig (In Human World)]

Bio:

Name: Itogami

Race: Meta (“God”)

Age: ???

Date of Birth: 01/04/????

Hair: Dark Brown.

Eyes: Cyan.

Others: A wound on neck.

Alias/Other Names: “First Guardian” (??????) ; “Mr. Problems come running to me” (Anya) ; “Author of Book of Observations” ; Zero (Former Identity)

Personal Life:

“Family”: Meera Yukikaze (Pseudo Child, Protégé) ; Sharantoku Tohei (Creation, Child) ; Izumi Hayato (Student, Pseudo Child) ; Lamia Itzel (“Parent”) ; “Pragma” (Sibling)

Others: Solomon (Acquaintance, Close Friend) ; Erena Von Degres (Former Friend, Enemy) ; Vivlia Isten (Enemy) ; Sayaka Anazawa (?????)

Life:

Mostly taught his students about the art of “writing”. In the past, he did the job of a “Guardian” for the other “books”. Had at least 100 MCs/Mcs under his care. He was the first Guardian before “Pragma” and was created by Lamia. After gaining “awareness” he retired from his former job and lived in Verklig for the rest of his time. Before departing he created a place-holder named Tohei and sent them in the “Book of Observations”. In Verklig, he met Meera and was her master for most of her childhood. (Became an accidental parent.) Is responsible for the creation of “Eros”.

Favourite Colour: Green or Blue. (“Depends on mood.”)

Personality: Not much is known about Itogami’s personality. Many perceive him in different a light. Though, he has been compared to Lucifer and was once called the fusion of Lucifer and Diavolo. One thing is for sure that he is one bloodthirsty man and can (and will) go crazy if given a chance. Most of the time Itogami has 2 moods, either he is concerned (violently) about the people around him or is absolutely a child of chaos. There is no between.

Likes: Books ; Sushi ; Anything sweet ; supernatural animals (specifically hellhounds) ; coffee ; meat.

Dislikes: Spicy foods ; tea ; conversation without meaning.

Fears: As he quotes, “I am fear itself.” (ButterFlies) ("THOSE THINGS ARE ABOMINATIONS")

Relationships:

In Devildom:

{The Brothers}:

(Doesn't meets them until the 2nd Part of the Story)

{The Royals}:

(Doesn't meets them until the 2nd Part of the Story)

{The Purgatory Hall Members}:

Solomon:

Not much is known of their acquaintance, except for the fact that Itogami was beside Solomon when he became immortal and that at some point Itogami had helped Solomon. Solomon had met his disciples when they were children. (and caused problems for Itogami on purpose with them)

(He is a side character. He would interact rarely with any of them [only exception is Solomon] as he is mostly in the Human World or in occasionally in “The Hall of Books”)

Other Relationships: (With the OCs)

Anya:

As a man of many secrets, he refused to talk about Anya to anyone. The only thing that is known is that, Anya was important to him. Many theorise about their relation but none come close to the truth. As the years went by, the name became nothing but a small and silent whisper in a closed room.

Meera:

Itogami had met his disciple when she was only a small crybaby. Raised her and Izumi as his own daughters. Proud Dad TM face always activated whenever they accomplish anything, from killing their opponents to learning and perfecting a new spell. Meera always hits him on the head when he sits down to tell Lucifer about one the embarrassing stories of her childhood. He is happy for Meera that she found someone to rely on and that she cares deeply about.

Izumi:

Izumi was a very, very, very quiet child. (Sarcasm is the word of the day) Itogami’s schedule included picking up Izumi…. While she flew away from him. Then teaching her was, let’s just say…….. a mission impossible task. Itogami sometimes called her a ball of chaos. (it’s that bad) While he did have problems while taking care and teaching her, he is still proud of her.

Sharantoku Tohei:

Itogami had known Tohei for a long time. After all they-

[!!!!Interference Detected!!!!]

[Return Back?]

[Yes.] [No.]

‘……..No.’

[……..]

[……]

[Delete Information on ‘Tohei’; ‘Lamia’; ‘Pragma’; ‘Vivlia Isten’?]

[Yes.] [No.]

‘…..*sigh*’

[Deletion Successful]

[….]

[Continue?]

[Yes.] [No.]

‘….. Yes.’

.....

Other Preferences:

Cats or Dogs?: Dogs

Horror Movies?: Yes, with a lot of blood please.

Scared of Ghosts?: No.

Who is your crush?: That is a secret. :)

End Notes: Do not Repost without permission! (Reblogs are Ok)

I hope you like this! 💖💖

#shall we date obey me #obey me #omswd #om #obey me mc #obey me oc #omswd oc #om oc #obey me datables #obey me solomon #09 #piece

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violethowler · 3 years

Text

Narrative Foils: Ventress’ Story Arc in Star Wars: The Clone Wars

When Dark Disciple first published in July of 2015, I saw quite a lot of outrage from multiple corners of the fanbase in reaction to both the love story between Ventress and Vos as well as the decision to end Ventress’ story in The Clone Wars with her death.

While there was a notable segment of fans who shipped her with Obi-Wan, most of the fans I knew at the time were opposed to the idea of her being in any kind of romance whatsoever. And although Ventress not surviving into the Dark Times had been acknowledged as a possibility, few people I saw were happy with her actually dying in canon.

Part of this might have been due to the demographics of the Star Wars forum I was active in at the time. But I’ll see similar negative sentiments on Tumblr every once in a while, and after my latest rewatch of Clone Wars Season 7, I was reflecting back on the series as a whole and thinking about the novel’s place in the narrative of the series. As I looked back and thought about the novel in regards to Ventress’ story, I realized something about the trajectory of her overall character arc that put the decisions behind the novel’s story into perspective:

Ventress' backstory and the journey she goes through over the course of The Clone Wars serves as a mirror to the one that Anakin goes through over the course of both the prequel and original trilogy. This serves to make her a literary foil to Anakin.

If you’re behind on your literary terminology (or none of the English classes you’ve taken ever covered it), a Foil is a character who serves as a contrast to another character (usually the protagonist) by highlighting the traits of the other character through their similarities in order to serve as a point of contrast, depicting how differently the other character’s life could have turned out under better or worse circumstances, and sometimes serving to foreshadow major points in a character’s story arc.

So let’s take a look at how we see this play out across The Clone Wars and the Prequel era as a whole:

Anakin Skywalker grew up in slavery on Tatooine before being found by Qui Gon Jin, who decided to train him as a Jedi even when the Jedi Council disapproved but died before Anakin could finish his training[01]. Anakin’s fear of losing Padme drove him to turn to the Dark Side in order to save her, resulting in her death[02]. He became the apprentice of a Sith Lord, but began plotting against him when he discovered that Darth Sidious had lied to him about the death of his child. He later sacrificed his life to protect his son Luke from Palpatine’s force lightning, returning to the light as he died[03].

Asajj Ventress grew up in slavery on Ratatak before being found by Ky Narec after the death of her master[04]. Narec chose to train her as a Jedi despite being unable to get the Council’s approval on account of being stranded on Ratatak[05]. Narec died before Ventress’ training could be completed, and her grief over his death drove her down the path to the Dark Side. She became the unofficial apprentice of a Sith Lord, but turned against him when he attempted to kill her on Sidious’ orders. She later sacrificed her life to protect her lover from Dooku’s force lightning, returning to the light as she died.

When you lay both characters’ stories out like this, it becomes clear that Ventress is Anakin’s narrative foil. Her presence in the narrative provides a contrast that highlights Anakin’s character traits that lead him toward the dark side over the course of the prequel trilogy, and ultimately back to the light at the end of the original.

While they did not interact as much in canon, their connection stands out even more when Legends material is taken into account. Especially when you consider that the scripts Dark Disciple was adapted from were written before Disney bought out the franchise and declared the old Expanded Universe non canon.

Their duel on Yavin IV in the 2003 Clone Wars microseries serves as the narrative climax for the show’s second season, and is specifically used by Obi-Wan to argue for Anakin’s promotion to Knighthood[06]. The encounter is referred to as the meeting of the “Heirs of the Sith” by the official Star Wars magazine Star Wars Insider, whose July 2005 issue listed it as one of the 20 Most Memorable Moments of the Expanded Universe[07].

One of many things I have learned through analyzing stories in fandom is that when a specific character or relationship is the thematic core of the narrative, all other characters function as plot devices to mirror how differently things could have gone for that character or relationship if circumstances had been different.

The main Star Wars films are known as the Skywalker Saga for a reason. We may get media focused on other characters like Rebels or Resistance or The High Republic, but the Original, Prequel, and Sequel trilogy eras are centered around the story of the Skywalker family. The major events of all the film eras have at least one Skywalker at the heart of them. And for the prequel trilogy era in which The Clone Wars takes place, the central focus of the story is Anakin’s fall. The empire rises as Anakin turns to the dark side, just as his return to the light in the original trilogy heralds the death of the emperor and the subsequent fall of the empire[08].

The major antagonists of each film in the prequel trilogy represented different aspects of what Anakin would become. The cyborg with breathing problems. The fallen Jedi. Palpatine’s attack dog. With the focus their duel received in the old expanded universe, it makes perfect sense that Ventress’s role in the saga would be treated similarly. Especially taking into account how Ahsoka also serves as a foil to Anakin and embodies the positive qualities that lie buried deep down for Luke to bring to the surface in Return of the Jedi[09].

So while your mileage may vary on the execution of it, the direction of Ventress’s character and story in Dark Disciple fits perfectly within the overall context of Anakin’s fall to the darkside being the driving narrative force of the entire Prequel Era.

Sources:

[01] Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace; 1999

[02] Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith; 2005

[03] Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi; 1983

[04] Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 3 Episode 12 Nightsisters; 2011

[05] Star Wars: Dark Disciple by Christie Golden; 2015.

[06] Star Wars: Clone Wars; Chapter 21; 2005.

[07] Star Wars Insider #83; July 2005.

[08] STAR WARS: The Creation of a Modern Myth: Cultural Influence, Fan Response and the Impact of Literary Archetypes on Saga Perception; January 25, 2017 https://archiveofourown.org/works/9457613

[09] Anakin, Ahsoka, and Hope; April 01, 2020. https://archiveofourown.org/works/23422474

#star wars the clone wars #dark disciple meta #star wars dark disciple #asajj ventress #clone wars meta

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