#i was going to do like a proper thoughtful analysis but heres whatever this is instead

[gofancyninjaworld]

Blast is a mediocre hero

Talk about a controversial opinion! Well, I intend to defend it! With thanks to Eldrich_Void, who heard my rantings out.

This is not an opinion I rushed to. However, it has bothered me a lot that Blast seems to have a real track record for fucking things up. Almost all his endeavours seem to end up cursed in some way.

His evil partner, the ninja village horror he set up, and the way he seems intent on protecting the guy. His estranged son. The two heroes he saved both having serious complexes as a result. The monster he couldn't subdue.

Now that we get to see how he saw the situation on the ground, I think that Flashy Flash's accusing him of being unconscionably hesitant is right.

Under the circumstances, if I were Flash, I'd not trust that pressing that button would summon Blast in a manner timely enough to matter to me.

So, shall we see below the cut?

Before...

So, let's wind back all the way to chapter 165, back when Cosmic Garou landed. Remember then? He had time to pose for the benefit of the heroes gathered...

…then to look at himself, look at the heavens, and thank God for this gift of power.

Then Bang crawled up to Garou to try calling him back to his senses.

It took a while for the situation to ripen.

It's only in the next chapter, with Bang continuing to plead futilely with Garou, that Blast showed up.

Looks like he showed up as soon as he could.

So far, so good. It seemed that Blast came as soon as he could, given whatever else he was busy with. In the current timeline, Saitama came back from the future and punched Garou right when the latter looked up to thank God, so we thought, reasonably, that Blast never had a chance to appear. Case closed.

And looks like he didn't have an opportunity to show up.

But now we see more...

Several chapters have come and gone, and now we have a fuller picture of the event. And now we know that Blast was aware and on scene when Garou unleashed his gamma-ray burst:

Oh, so you were here.

We know too that Blast was on scene when Saitama appeared to punch out Cosmic Garou, before Bang even had a chance to crawl to Garou.

And there!

So Blast had had an opportunity to intervene earlier but did not take any action until after everyone was dropping dead and Bang was using the last of his energy to plead with Garou to come to his senses.

Okay, there's a place for observing the scene before you wade in so as not to make matters worse. As Drive Knight points out, rushing into things without proper analysis is a foolish thing. However, there's one thing I can't overlook. Even if Blast did not want to carelessly jump into a fight, the fact that he was able to reroute Garou's cosmic rays away from the heroes on the ground -- but had not done so originally... that is borderline unforgiveable.

Damn, if you could always do that, you should have done it earlier!

Let me be extremely clear. I don't hold Blast wholly responsible for restoring Empty Void. Yes, his rerouting the now free-floating 'God' powers as well as the cosmic rays to another dimension accidentally fed Void. That was careless, but not incomprehensible: thinking that one's evil ex-partner whom you left more dead than alive 15 years ago might be camping his nasty half-starved body on the other side of the dimensional hole you opened up in order to receive God's powers is not at the top of anyone's mind. What I am holding him responsible for is failing in the first duty of a hero: HELP PEOPLE!!

Now, let's go back to the original timeline. Even before he stepped up to support Bang, he could have rerouted those cosmic rays and saved most of the heroes. But he did not. I don't think he thought of it. Not a good hero instinct. But it gets worse.

Once it was clear that Garou had no intention of leaving the planet or ceasing to kill with his very presence, Genos stepped up, risking his life to buy Blast an opening.

Being a hero to the core. When people are in need, he is there.

However, when he was in danger and it was clear that Garou was fixing to kill him, did Blast step up? No. He just stood there, opened his mouth and bleated 'No.' [1]

And it gets worse still. It's not like Garou ripped Genos's head off to kill him instantly. Garou punched Genos through his center of mass. That was really bad: his upper torso is heavily protected for a reason, but that is not what killed him. We find out afterwards that Genos remembers seeing Garou pull his core out. Even that did not kill him: we've seen from back with the Giant Meteor that while losing his core's functionality will stop him being able to move his body, Genos's life support systems run independently of it. No, what killed him was Garou smashing him down so hard that his head and armor shattered and his blood splattered and ran into the ground, some of it being washed into long runnels by the fallout rain. So Blast stood there and watched while Garou not only struck Genos critically, but mutilated and maimed him to death. It was as if Garou was taunting him to try something heroic. And when Saitama finally arrived on the scene, Blast was just standing there. Uselessly.

Blast does not have the instincts of a hero.

Saitama rightly criticised himself for losing sight of what a hero's true duty was. I remember back when Sonic asked him who he was, he defined himself as the person who helps people when they are in trouble. [2] And he knows he fell short.

Blast appears to have totally lost sight of this fact. That's why his work is cursed.

A Hero Is More Than Mere Works

Without any doubt, Blast is strong. He is righteous but he's not looking at situations the way a hero should. He looks at things more as a warrior -- and it's not really helpful. He's forgotten the need to actually *be* a hero.

If I think about it a bit more, Blast was concerned for the health of the heroes on the field. Yet he did not protect them, even though he could have. He did not move them out of the way, even though he could have. He did not call on the rest of his compatriots to help him accomplish these goals, even though he could have and they would have helped.

I don't think that Blast is in danger of being deposed as the number 1 hero any time soon but man, it's as Flashy Flash says, his conduct is disappointing.

It's an insult to the heroes we've seen. I can't begin to imagine how bitterly Tatsumaki would be if she could have seen him. As the narrator said, she puts him on too high a pedestal. When I think of how hard she fought while never forgetting the helpless child, the civilians at risk, the rest of the strike team, and taking care of them even as it reduced her fighting efficiency, it's everything Blast ought to be. We saw so many heroes risk their lives to help others, even when they weren't of any strategic value.

Tatsumaki's determination to throw nobody under the bus, no matter how expedient, is the soul of heroism.

A hero is not merely their works. A hero is also what they symbolise. Amai Mask gets it: that's why he goes on and on about a hero being a beautiful symbol of peace. Saitama gets it: that's a big part of why he refused to out King because he symbolised being a hero so well. Mumen Rider lives it: even though he's not strong (by hero standards), he's greatly respected and people are inspired by him to do better in their lives.

What a hero is: someone who saves from danger, someone who reassures, someone who inspires.

Blast doesn't get it. When he had an opportunity to mitigate Garou's cosmic radiation and save lives, it did not occur to him. When he could have swallowed his pride and called back up to help him subdue Garou and save hero lives, it did not even cross his mind: he only saw a fight.

Since when was justice a matter of who can hit who harder?

And when he didn't prevail, he just stood there. When it was time for him to step up as a hero and actually take on some risk to try saving a life, he stood there, as hapless as any civilian. Even when it was hopeless, we didn't see the likes of Tank Top Master giving up. We didn't see Genos giving up on Tatsumaki, even when they were swarmed by Black Sperm. You don't give up on people.

No wonder his works are cursed.

How might the curse be lifted?

Some thoughts.

Never mind Tatsumaki: it's a rare hero who wouldn't be appalled. They all look up to Blast as the ultimate hero.

Fortunately, the only person who knows is Genos: it takes knowing how else things would have played out if Saitama hadn't arrived in the nick of time. Genos has no interest in trying to run down Blast: what little credibility he's got, he's used to tell Sicchi to ensure that Saitama got called up if Blast came up with anything.

Unfortunately, Sicchi hasn't passed on that message to Blast and Saitama's been allowed to go dawdling away. Even more unfortunately, what Sicchi has told Blast about Genos is that he's a terror who impedes access to Saitama. This may have terrible consequences down the line.

Talk about leaving out the important part. That 'is that so?' gives me chills.

You know how some readers are disappointed that the MA arc did not end with Saitama lecturing Garou about the importance of not compromising one's goals? It seems to me that Blast needs that lecture a lot more badly than Garou ever needed it in any version. He's forgotten that the point of heroism is the people you help *first* before it is about glorious fights. Important as it is to fight, losing sight of the human need in front of you is a hiding to nothing.

Or, if you want to put it differently: Saitama is likely to have a reason to confront Blast in the future.

Someone needs to hear this message and it's not the truculent teenage tearaways.

I am going to be there for it with a giant tub of ice cream!

Asides

[1] What was it that Awakened Garou said back in the WC: 'When facing an imminent threat against a monster, all you do is open your mouth and start babbling. It's an easy kind of job.'? (ch 85). It has applied very brutally to Blast here.

[2] In case you need a reminder:

That's the right thing to be. Saitama's been struggling since he forgot the brief a bit.

#OPM #meta #long #Blast #heroism #Blast may be the number one hero but he's got a lot of work to do to be a top class hero #I hope Saitama sets him straight #preferably before he makes needless trouble for Genos -- or anyone else #His help isn't very helpful

[tatasoom]

"I'm still turning the pages"

Promised proper analysis of what happened in ep 12 and what creators wanted to tell us. Many quotes and pics and very real stories included. Enjoy!

The more I was thinking about the ending and how much disappointment and even hatred it brought, the more I was doubting the decision to make this analysis. However I believe there're people who open enough to look deeper, so you may like what the writers gave us.

It's three years after breaking up. Mhok and Day are hard-working people (as they used to be actually). Mhok is exploring his potential in cooking. Day is diving into his obsession with books.

There's a little hint for understanding how little these years mean for the brightest picture you'll never forget. It's Aon asking Day about writing his own book:

Should we get someone back here to assist you write?

Day's face has changed signaling that feelings are still there. Even after three years.

And then the meeting. And feelings from the perspective of Mhok.

And when it's almost the saddest scene in the whole world we're back to romantic comedy with P'Aof's one second cameo and pranks from Mhok. It feels like Mhok is silent in this scene only to laugh at Day, but it's a scene where Day is given a moment to think about his own feelings. And to get a little verbal slap at the end.

Then Mhok has a meeting with Phojai and Night. And if you look at their faces, you'll notice that nobody believes MhokDay story has ended. Some viewers have a question for Mhok acting like there hasn't been three years without the love of his life... Don't you think that all three years he has being told about Day by Phojai? I'm sure she did her best to be in contact!

And for Day blocking Mhok's number I have a personal experience reference. I unblocked my ex only when I was sure I feel nothing for him. I needed to be sure that whatever we'll say to each other my heart wouldn't feel the same way as when we were dating. It took around two or three years to learn this. Now do you understand Day better? After three years Mhok's number is still blocked.

So Mhok came to the Day's bookshop. They're playing this game second time. First it was Mhok's voice, and now it's Mhok's scent.

Day almost did it. He almost saved his face neutral. The book he chose as an editor betrayed him.

"Many books encourage us to put the past behind us and move forward. But this book raises the question: if the past was so beautiful, can we simply hold onto that beauty?"

Was their story beautiful enough to begin again with the same person?

Then they're again in the house they used to spent so much time together. And if it seems like Mhok again acts like caretaker, he's not. He is a guest now, he can make jokes, he can freely sit with others and he doesn't say another sorry to Mrs. Mhon. He's enjoying cooking for friends and teasing Day.

Later in another scene (that for sure is a homage to their fitting room scene from the third episode) Mhok said:

You don't have to put up such high walls with me. You know how happy I am when I get to take care of you.

For Day these words raise a question: what taking care of Day means for Mhok now?

And what we need to mention is Day's response to all this flirting:

You're going back in a few days.

That's also a question. For himself. For Mhok. What if going back won't happen? What then?

They continued this walk down memory line with another dining scene. When cake is served Day says something worth quotation.

"Everybody is created for development"

That's when Mhok is saying thank you for breaking up with him. And says something that truly correlates with them having adult's conversation:

I thought you couldn't live without me.

THIS is what tells us that Mhok has grown up due to their separation. When you're young you think that love is about someone you can't live without, but the truth is you can. You have yourself no matter what. And the mature love is about choosing to live this life with someone you can live without, but just don't want to. "Pity" is just a word, but Mhok is apologizing for more complicated thing, for treating Day as someone who can't understand mature things.

Btw, do you have any ideas about this close up of glass? For me it's the representation of something cold starting to warm up. Day?..

Then the wedding is happening and that's where I started crying for this big family becoming happy again. I think this whole ceremony deserves an award for melting hearts. The way Mrs.Mhon welcomed Phojai. The way Night gave a chance to speak up to his father. The way Day assured Night once again that the accident and the blindness have no effect on a strong bonding between them.

"... everyone should get a second chance. Especially a second chance to make themselves happy"

And then they're dancing. Even without flashbacks we can remember that day when they were dancing for the first time.

You were tense. Your palms were all sweaty.

And another try from Mhok:

If you could see, you would know that from then to now, my feelings for you remain.

And another question-not-question from Day:

... no matter what, you will need to fly back to work anyway.

I didn't see anyone mention this, but for me Day's repeating answers almost scream "tell me you have no reason to go back". Day is trying his best to be mature and he doesn't feel he has any rights to tell Mhok to stay. But he wants it, he wants it so damn much and he's afraid of it.

What you felt then should just stay in that moment.

Are these words for Mhok or Day is actually talking to himself?..

It's not like I wasn't happy with him. But how do I know if I give him a second chance, he won't repeat what he did? I can't live with this feeling for the rest of my life.

Some of you may say: "Won't repeat what? Won't go to Hawaii because of you?". Well, three years later things are different. Back then Mhok wanted to take that chance to start a career, we saw his face when rejecting an offer. Now he's experienced enough to find job anywhere. What Mhok shouldn't repeat is to stay just because he's afraid to leave Day alone. And all that words about repeating Day is also addressing to himself: is he now independent and confident enough to be with Mhok without feeling guilty?

This is love that normal people have. We don't know if it's head or tale but we choose to take a risk in order to step forward.

Some of us find love from the first try. Some of us have to try many times. For some of us it's always different people and sometimes it's the same person. As you growing older you realize that your heart is bigger than you could ever imagine and stronger than you could ever feel.

All of this leads to the one of the most hilarious scene in BL history. That whole airport scene also deserves an award for bringing back that 2000s romantic comedy vibes! Pure art, bravo!

Even though this airport scene didn't result in finding Mhok, they meet each other anyway. And dance. And Day says words that must tell us that he wants to see this world again! And he ask Mhok to be his boyfriend again. Not Mhok is apologizing and pleading as some viewers keep mentioning, but Day is asking for a second chance.

Then we have a glance at Day three years later. He can see again and he's helping a person who can't see.

At first I didn't get what the writers want to tell us with such a short scene. But later I remembered my cousin's story and now everything makes sense.

A couple years ago my cousin was diagnosed with a cancer. She was living in a small town where there's no doctor even to take all needed tests. She moved to the capital city, she found a doctor. Her family helped with money, and I know that the price for that medical treatment was extremely high for them. She had a surgery... at it didn't work. A cancer was still there, after months of suffering, after all money spent.

She didn't give up. She tried another treatment. She made a doctor to do more check ups. Finally she had another surgery. And it worked. Months later she's in remission, she's clear. She's struggling with having to take pills for the rest of her life. She also gained 20 kg and also started dieting and lost most of that weight.

My uncle, her father, told me all of this and mentioned the most impressive detail. Now she keeps in touch with different people who have cancer via chats to provide psychological support and to give practical recommendations. This story wasn't written by some novelist and wasn't directed by anybody, but could you believe it if I didn't tell you it's about my cousin?

"I have read Last Twilight countless times. I always wondered how Me would live if she had a normal life. I couldn't think of the answer then. Life amidst the dilemma caused me to forget what it was like to live a normal life or how happy I could be. When I finished Last Twilight for the first time, it was like my heart was shattered to pieces. I had always imagined myself as Me. If she disappeared, I must also disappear. But eventually, I realized that everyone had their unique tale to tell. We were made to discover our own preferred version of the novel's final. I consider myself lucky to have gone past the worst page in my novel. But I don't believe that this is the end. I'm still turning the pages"

As you could realize through these quotations, the story of Last Twilight is mostly about Day. And at the same time it belongs to every person around him, like in his favorite The little prince there're many characters that surround the main one.

In the end we see Mhok visiting his parents and Rung with Day. We see close up of Rung's car and there's no band aid on it, but the little scar is still there. What does it mean? I think it means that Mhok also is not covering his scars anymore. Somewhere behind the story we were shown he can finally talk about everything.

- You completely changed my life,Day.

- You completely changed my life too.

- I love you, Day.

- I love you, Phi Mhok.

As for the main question for the last episode, the mood of it... P'Aof and the writers wanted to show what the storm feels like. If you experienced the hardest part of your life and managed to survive the thought of losing any hope, you will not be the same. You will be funny, you will be ridiculous, you will be spontaneous, you will live your life like it's a damn hard to believe movie.

Btw, we were told a story of a boy who likes sunflowers - the flowers that refuse to stay in the dark🌻

And that's it. That's all, dear readers. If you're here, you should know that it means a lot to me. As much as Mhok and Day I guess. As much as Last Twilight. The story of hope. While writing this analysis I had to omit some details, so I think I will make small posts with different favorite moments. It was a nice journey and I already miss all metas and gifs and memes about Last Twilight every Friday and not only Friday. Let's stay here for other beautiful stories and of course for new stories from Jimmy and Sea and P'Aof!

#last twilight the series #last twilight #jimmy jitaraphol #sea tawinan #jimmysea #mhokday #morkday #aof noppharnach #gmmtv #p'aof #gmmtv series

[lu-is-not-ok]

Have You noticed that Gregors E.G.O.s (With possible exceptions of AEDD) are more his semi-sentient arms E.G.O.s. They all either require sloth, or are sloth EGO, representing him letting the arm do whatever it wants. It also ties in with how both Lantern and Legerdemain corrosions are arm overtaking the body. And here we also have exception of AEDD which doesnt involve sloth, and in which corrosion its clearly gregor who's in control while corroded instead of his arm.

Alright, so, I'm going to take this opportunity to ramble about Gregor's bug arm in general. Not just how it related to his E.G.Os, but also in his other Identities and the main plot as well.

Strap in, cause this is likely going to be a more of a ramble than a proper guided analysis. Though, I will try to split these into sections somewhat.

Gregor's arm in the main story

Let's start by exploring what we know about Gregor's arm from the main story content. I'll be mostly focusing on Canto I, since that's where we get most of our info about Gregor, but I'll also dip into other Cantos and base Gregor ID's voicelines as I see fit.

So, Canto I. The Outcast. We learn a lot about Gregor's past here, about his trauma from the war, the way he and the other soldiers were treated after the war ended, and the way other veterans see him as a deserter and traitor due to him (arguably) being able to reintegrate into society better than the other soldiers.

We also learn where exactly his arm came from - a procedure performed on all G Corp employees and soldiers, some of which were actual children at the time. From the flashback we see of Gregor after the procedure, we see that he let himself cut the apple on the day of his fifteenth birthday, meaning he had the procedure when he was fourteen. A procedure that his mother performed on him, no less.

The Canto 1 dungeon itself takes on a rather interesting form. The first few encounters directly tie back to Gregor's past, with him being faced with other veterans who recognise him, and a Head Manager that Gregor himself recognises.

A Head Manager who is still stuck in that military mindset, still believing he's in the middle of a war because he's still struggling to survive just as much as he did during it. It's only when Gregor reveals that he was struggling just as much when he tried to become part of society does the Head Manager realize that Gregor wasn't the utter traitor he thought he was.

Things get interesting when we go further into Floor 2 of the Dungeon, where instead of a direct callback to Gregor's past, we get to learn about Yuri's story, having it directly parallel Gregor, as the two are both people who had to run and abandon their peers to survive a horrible event. It's an experience Gregor greatly sympathizes with, and I believe is one of the reasons why Yuri's death hits him as hard as it does.

However, the part I really want to focus on is the final floor of the Dungeon, the fathoms of Gregor's ego. We see one scene play out over and over again, each time details becoming skewed and more exagerrated. The aging bomb changes from aiming for a soldier's outpost to aiming for a Nest, going from only targetting the enemy to also hitting innocent civilians. Tomah goes from acting professional if a little energetic, to outright manic and obsessive over Gregor's status as G Corp's hero.

This, I believe, is extremely important to Gregor's character. The whole bottom floor of his dungeon is a symbolic representation of his PTSD. How he's constantly reliving his trauma over and over again, with his memories of the actual events being unreliable and more so driven by his recollection of how he felt during them, rather than objectively remembering what happened.

And this is where I go back to his arm, as I believe it too is a representation of Gregor's PTSD. The way Gregor describes his arm as a seperate entity, as something that acts on its own without his control or input, reminds me of how some people describe their experience with PTSD and trauma as the feeling of always being afraid of a monster that could creep up on you at any moment.

We see that Gregor is somewhat capable of hiding his arm, as shown in the flashback CG of him on the subway, where he hides that arm under a sleeve and behind his back. Most of the time, he can hide his trauma and live as normal of a life as he can, joking about the propaganda posters his face is still on.

But all it takes is one small thing. One small trigger. And just like that trauma comes crashing back to him, his arm goes out of control, attacking whatever or whoever triggered it as if it were still on a battlefield, fighting for Gregor's life. Just like Dante's words throw Gregor into a traumatic flashback, the seemingly kind act of a stranger at the wrong time threw his arm into a frenzy.

An important part of that is revealed in a Canto II cutscene, where Gregor admits he doesn't know what exactly could trigger his arm to "rage out of control", as he puts it. For all he knows, the stimulation caused by dancing could be enough to do it. It also might not. The fact that something as seemingly innocent and neutral as dancing could be a trigger, and the fact that Gregor himself doesn't know all of his triggers, both further point to this metaphor being intentional.

Plus, there is the motif of Gregor's arm regrowing no matter how many times it's cut off. Just like one can't just get rid of one's trauma and PTSD, Gregor can't get rid of his arm. It's something he has to learn to live with. Like he says in one of his Chatter lines, he had to accept he's stuck with it, like it or hate it.

Gregor's arm in other Identities

So... an interesting thing happens to Gregor's bug arm in his alternate Identities. Other than G Corp Gregor, who'd still have gone through the procedure as he did in the main world, all other Gregors all lack that arm, having a prosthetic in its place. And likewise, the arm means something different to each different Gregor.

We already discussed how LCB Gregor's arm is a metaphor for his PTSD, a symbolic, physical manifestation of his trauma.

G Corp Gregor's arm is actually quite interesting in this regard. It comes from the same source as LCB Gregor's, and has a similar role of serving as a physical reminder of sorts, but it's the details of what it reminds Gregor of that is different here. For G Corp Gregor, his arm is a reminder of why he's fighting in the war in the first place - because he didn't want to helplessly watch from afar. While he's aware it and the other side-effects of the augmentation won't let him return to civilian life, he claims he doesn't regret it.

It's a twist that makes sense considering his situation. Whereas LCB Gregor is a Gregor who left the war with the arm being a grim reminder of what he had to do during it, G Corp Gregor is a Gregor still in the middle of it who uses his arm as a way to remind himself why he's in this situation in the first place.

Now, we got to our first prosthetic arm Gregor - Liu Gregor. Here, Gregor has an almost utilitarian view of his arm, seeing it as a source of fire for his cigarettes and as something that helps him in combat. He specifically points out how his prosthetic arm can't feel pain, calling it outright invincible because of that fact.

It's a fascinating subversion to how LCB Gregor and even G Corp Gregor view their arms. Whereas for them their bug arms have an almost sentimental value in a way, being reminders of their trauma and the reason they're fighting respectively, Liu Gregor's prosthetic arm is almost like an afterthought to him. Just something to light a fire and fight with.

Though, I do think the way Liu Gregor seems to focus on the fact his prosthetic arm feels no pain specifically is important. Considering his Core Sin of Sloth and how much Liu Gregor seems to try to shirk his work, claiming that straining himself is a good enough excuse for a whole week of rest... There's something to it, I think, though I can't quite put my finger on it just now.

Chef Gregor is an interesting Identity when talking about Gregor's arm, because it has the least importance out of all the Gregor IDs. All we learn about Chef Gregor's arm is that his mechanical one can get sore (implying it's of high-enough quality to feel pain, interesting when you contrast it with Liu Gregor's prosthetic), and that his old arm is implied to have ended up as an ingredient (though how much of that is the truth and how much is Gregor fucking around with Dante is unclear).

If Liu Gregor's arm is an afterthought in his eyes, then Chef Gregor's arm is a joke to him. There's a level of casualness and levity to the way Chef Gregor talks about his arm, to the point it just feels like just another ordinary part of his life... as ordinary of a life as being a cannibal chef can be.

Honestly, it's kind of refreshing to see his arm be treated as just another part of him and nothing more than that. As much as I love digging into every single dialogue line and design choice for deeper meaning (and I appreciate just how much this kind of reading is facilitated by the way Limbus Company is written), sometimes a prosthetic arm is just a prosthetic arm, no strings attached, and I think that's great.

Rosespanner Gregor is up next, and here we get to see another interesting take on Gregor's arm. For this Gregor, his prosthetic arm is actually of his own creation. His invention, his to-be workshop product, a machine he created to facilitate his dream of leaving Rosespanner and starting his own workshop.

It's probably the most unique interpretation of his arm that we see thus far. It's not a reminder of the past like it is for LCB and G corp Gregor, and it's not just part of his everyday life like Liu and Chef Gregor. No, for Rosespanner Gregor his arm is an accomplishment, a path towards a more successful life. I don't know about you, but I personally find that very interesting.

Finally, we got the most recent Gregor - Zwei Gregor. Similarly to Liu Gregor, Zwei Gregor sees his arm as an asset, a trump card he hides under a glove to reveal when his client is in danger. In fact, his prosthetic arm is shown to be strong enough to not only wield a zweihander without the help of his other hand, but also to stop a strike that could have bisected a person.

Zwei Gregor never actually talks about his prosthetic arm directly, only alluding to it due to him hiding it as a sort of surprise tool that will help him later. However, I believe it does show that this Gregor views his arm in a purely utilitarian manner, similarly to Liu Gregor. An interesting connection, and I suppose it fits with them both being Association members.

Gregor's arm in E.G.Os

That's right, we're finally talking about the thing the ask was Actually about. I'm so good at answering questions in a clear and concise manner. /s

Starting off with Suddenly, One Day, something about it immediately caught my eye. For all the other base E.G.Os, the striped "prisoner" garb is worn by the Sinner in question (Faust included, while she doesn't wear it in the illustration, she does have it on in the attack animation), however in Gregor's case, the striped cloth is wrapped exclusively around his arm.

Notably, it doesn't look like it's some actual piece of clothing that Gregor could have worn but just didn't, no those are actual wrappings specifically for the arm. It's a fascinating visual when you think about Gregor's arm as a representation of his trauma and PTSD. It's not the Gregor everyone sees that's a prisoner, it's not the person he acts as while living in a society, it's his traumatized self he keeps hidden that's the actual prisoner to the trauma he's endured.

As for the Library floor symbols on those wrappings... Yeah, I have no clue. The only connection I can make is that Gregor is Jewish and the symbols also represent the different Sephirot from the Tree of Life, so it could be a reference to that.

The attack itself involves the arm bursting out of the prisoner wrappings and attacking against Gregor's will. While this could represent how his arm can go into a frenzy out of Gregor's control, there's another interesting interpretation I just thought of.

Each finger of Gregor's frenzied arm in this E.G.O takes on a different form. I don't know what the common theory is on those, but I believe these are meant to represent the factions that Gregor fought on the side of during the war. The bug-like finger represents the old G Corp, and the smoking red finger could represent the old L Corp, the source of the smoke during the Smoke War. In Outis's Uptie story we're told E Corp and F Corp also fought on that side of the war and could potentially be represented by two of the fingers, but since we don't know how canon that is to the main world, I'm not going to try and guess which of the fingers represent them.

With all that said, I believe in this way Suddenly, One Day's arm could also represent the war itself, specifically the side of it Gregor has found himself on, how he was effectively made the leader figure of that side against his will, and how despite being the face of the war he himself never had any real control over how it went.

...Okay that was a lot, I'm going to hopefully speed through the other E.G.Os because I'm not gonna fully analyze those (and I already analyzed AEDD anyway), so.

Legerdemain has Gregor's arm take on the form of an apple on a stem, the roots of which are spreading all over Gregor. Gregor seems to have some control over his arm here, but he does seem to somewhat struggle with it, having to hold onto it with his other arm and hesitating before attacking.

Like you mentioned in the ask, the corrosion here involves the branches (and now also maggots) completely taking over Gregor, with the maggots within the apple being the ones controlling his actions here.

I think Gregor's arm here is interesting to interpret, as it seems to generally represent himself, or rather how he's viewed by others. During his Awakening, it's shown as a golden apple, representing the golden poster boy that Gregor was seen as during the war. However, in the corrosion it becomes rotten and overtaken with maggots, showing that despite his seeming priviledge and higher status he was seen as just as much of a rotten pest as the rest of the soldiers.

Next up, Lantern. Here, Gregor's arm takes on the form of a branch and a fairy, the only visible part of the Abnormality Faelantern. In the Corrosion, Gregor becomes overtaken by the plant, specifically becoming caught by the underground portion of it, the true core of Faelantern that uses the branch and fairy as a lure.

In this case, I believe Gregor's arm is meant to represent the propaganda he was involved in creating. The "tales" his fairy is reading are the tales of old G Corp's victories and the honorable soldiers fighting in the war, trying to bring more people willing to fight on old G Corp's side. However, his Corrosion shows that he was just as caught up by the source of that branch as anyone else captivated by the propaganda, he was suffering during the war just as much as everyone else.

Now, onto AEDD. I already made an analysis on that E.G.O right here, but to summarize: AEDD represents the abuse Gregor went through at the hands of Hermann, and it shows him acting out because of that abuse in a way that mimics her, with him fully putting himself in her role when he Corrodes.

In this way, I think Gregor's arm while using AEDD represents something similar to the one in Legerdemain - it represents Gregor himself, though in this case it represents how Hermann sees him.

Just like you also pointed out, Gregor is fully in control if his arm in this E.G.O, and yet it's the one E.G.O where his arm is most clearly a seperate entity - taking on the form of a full shock centipede. I think to understand exactly what it means, one should interpret that arm centipede as Gregor, while the Gregor using AEDD should be interpreted as a representation of Hermann.

This, I think, makes the AEDD arm make a lot more sense. The reason why the arm appears to be a fully seperate entity, yet is completely under Gregor's control? Because it represents how Hermann had full control over Gregor, seeing him as another bug in her army of pests, yet special enough to dedicate more of her attention to.

Perhaps that's why the AEDD Corrosion involves both of Gregor's arms turning into centipedes, with one of them glowing with electricity. Hermann's bug soldiers are her weapons, her arms in the war, but Gregor is a special one. A pest that got to glow a little bit brighter than the rest.

To summarize...

Man, Gregor's arm tells us a lot about his character and themes, huh? From being a symbolic physical manifestation of trauma, to a reflection of how other people view him, to just being your everyday prosthetic arm. And I think it's Really Fucking Cool, so I hope you all do too.

#ask #anon #lu speaketh #limbus company #lcb analysis #gregor #gregor lcb #g corp gregor #liu gregor #chef gregor #rosespanner gregor #zwei gregor #legerdemain gregor #lantern gregor #aedd gregor #aedd ego #that's right i tagged all the gregors because i mention all of them in the post

[magicpotatoobsession]

I was so happy to see you grace my tl again - if only for a few posts. I miss your given metas and would LOVE to hear your take on syh's Straight and Parade and any predictions you might have for Umi e!

Thanks for the ask! It has been a while! I was going to do a proper analysis of the songs once I've seen the mix movie but I thought I might share some initial observations for Straight!

EASTER EGGS in SYH's STRAIGHT

Mafuyu's key in C minor, the relative minor key. The song is in Eb major, the relative major key. It's also what I call the sunshine key (Uenoyama's key) ☀️ which is the same key as all the songs on the Given mini-album release.

Chorus 0:22 has the same chord progression as the first part of Fuyunohanashi, which can indicate that Hiiragi and Shizu are also trying their best to heal from Yuki. Seriously, try singing the chorus of Fuyunohanashi on top of Straight's first chorus, they literally layer perfectly on top of each other!!!

CHORDS ARE SO INTERESTING HERE

Chord progression diverges from Fuyunohanashi in the second part of the chorus 0:41 to go from VI -> VII -> I, which is the same tiers di picardie chordal progression as Kizuato's (Given OP) ending as well as Yorugaakeru!!! This chord progression finishes in major to show that the boys are healing from Yuki and trauma.

Lyrics in that chord progression are super meaningful here

Kizuato "Whatever you left behind has now become my life".

Also Yoorugaakeru lyrics are "Look this Dawn is about to break that's why it'll be ok"

Straight: "I will keep singing until it reaches you"

Doesn't that sound like Hiiragi/Yuki/Uenoyama talking directly to Mafuyu???!! 🥹😭❤️🙏

Guitar Solo by Uenoyama has a delicious easter egg

1:01 same as the lyrics "Time and Time again" in Given's mini album track stagekara kiminisasagu. Meaning that time and time again he'll be here for Mafuyu ❤️😭

I am almost 100% certain that every other part of that solo is a reference to lyrics in Given songs because all the other bits are so I'll have to have another proper listen.

That's it! Hope this made sense coming from a music nerd's ramblings! ____

My Given Metas

#mporeplies #given manga #given #given mix the movie #mafuyu sato #mafuyu satou #mafuyu given #uenoyama x mafuyu #mafuyu #hiiragi given #given hiiragi #ritsuka uenoyama #uenoyama #uenoyama ritsuka #mafuyama #ritsumafu #musical analysis #syh #metapotato

[queenoffishingandcookies]

Umineko AU Ramblings - Genderbent Ushiromiya Family

If You Do Not Like Genderbending, Please Look Away. I'll Try My Best To Avoid Spoilers, But Please Read At Your Own Risk.

Sometimes I think about genderbending Umineko and how fucked up the dynamics would be. For the sake of simplicity and avoiding spoilers for anything during/post Alliance, I'm just looking at the Ushiromiya Family, here.

This is just me rambling here, not a true deep analysis of the characters. There'll probably be lines of thought that go nowhere.

For reasons, Kinzo would remain the same sex. However, everyone from the main family down, wouldn’t be. (Gender, on the other hand, is potentially a different story and an AU of a genderbent AU).

Krauss, Eva, Rudolf, and Rosa would be the opposite sex they are in canon. As would George, Battler, Jessica, Maria, and Ange.

This alone would massively change the family’s dynamics. Considering Kinzo’s misogynistic outlook and the fact that Japan is a primarily patriarchal society - the upbringing of the adult generation as kids, their adolescence and young adulthood, to their marriages and the birth of the cousin’s generation is all made different.

Krauss, as a girl, wouldn’t have the same sense of superiority over the rest of Kinzo’s children as he does in canon. As eldest, sure she’d have some power - but as a girl, in Kinzo’s eyes - and depending on the circumstances, even the family elders who named Kinzo as a puppet head - what use was she as an heiress?

She’d marry out of the family - or in normal cases, should have - to supply the Ushiromiya family with further connection in the upper class’s world of riches and politics.

You know who would actually, in their youth, have the most ‘power’?

Eva.

As a boy, even if Kinzo didn’t care much or pay much attention to his kids, again depending on how involved the elders were - influencing or alternatively abusing their mother with high expectations, because Kinzo had to have learned some prejudices and bias from somewhere, in turn leading to the mother’s strict expectations - Eva would have been raised as heir, not Krauss.

Whereas both Fem! Krauss and Fem! Rudolf would be expected to learn domestic skills and the basics of academics, focus on thought of child rearing and homemaking household management, becoming deft hostesses able to keep keen eyes on connections and silent lips for others but their husbands when requested -

Out of them all, it would be Eva who was expected to carry on the illustrious name of the Ushiromiya’s after Kinzo, have it soar to heights which surpassed that of its former wealth lost to the quakes. For some time, he’d be the only son in a household of three children, a single boy between two daughters.

If not by Kinzo, Eva would have been raised by his mothers - by the elders, potentially - that he was going to be the heir over his sisters, that he would continue the family name and was expected to bring them greatness through his intelligence, something that his sisters could only do in marrying well to wealthy, well-connected men.

While his sisters would be allowed to attend high school, it was Eva who would be afforded a higher education - a proper gentleman’s education. The girls wouldn’t be, had no need to be given such a thing.

Krauss, as a girl, would marry out of the family. So would Rudolf. Eva was going to be the heir, as his mother and the elders said - in this way, they would make the family - make their father - proud.

He was going to the heir.

(Which would really burn when he wasn’t, when Krauss didn’t marry out of the register, when Kinzo, for whatever damned reason, had her spouse marry into the Ushiromiya family rather than his eldest daughter out of it).

(By all means, legally he never even declared a direct heir. It’s assumed at first that it goes to Eva, and then, after Krauss’ marriage and remaining on the register, to the oldest child - strange, but not unheard of).

(I haven’t though much on it, except, perhaps, to say that Kinzo’s reason would be pure spite towards the elders - and then, simply, a lack of caring. What did it matter to him, any of it? The family, the wealth, the prestige…it was his only in name, his body forced to sow the crops the elders got to reap for their own profit).

Like their canon counterparts, though:

It’s not just Eva who is extremely prideful. Both Krauss and Rudolf are prideful, stubborn, as well.

All of the haughty superiority that Krauss throws into being the eldest, being the heir? This gets burned down into a need to prove herself as the perfect young lady, the most desirable, proper bachelorette of the upper echelons of society. The inner economy of running a household, rearing children, being a hostess - that is what she would strive for. But, similar to Eva in canon, I don't think Fem! Krauss would settle for, on several accounts, being deemed lesser than her younger brother.

She'd fight in becoming the most perfect, lovely lady - so that Kinzo and the elders could hold nothing against her, if she wished to achieve further education. What she would look into learning, I'm not sure - but it's still something to at the very least consider, whether she would strive for higher education or not.

(lowkey thinking of Eva and Krauss attending the same university or college, just to potentially get on the other's nerves and show how they are 'that much more' superior to the other).

It wouldn't give much leverage over Eva, no - why would he even deign to give the thought of a girl's know-how time out of his day? an attitude that later bites him in the ass because his only child is a girl - but leverage over Rudolf? Potentially. There, there we have things to look at.

Rudolf, as a lady, is still an incorrigible flirt. Still able to charm the pants off of literally most people - a lady by her sex, and a cougar, a carnivore, otherwise. A smoky mafia lady vibe. Flirtatious and brusque, almost. Her etiquette and the snubbing of it (examples being smoking, a bit rough and lackadaisical in regards to housekeeping and being a hostess).

Different from Krauss and Eva, Rudolf would just barely toe the line of societal propriety of an upper class lady - quite the modern woman. She'd know it all, embroidery and all that - but she'd utilize it like a spider building a web, snakes coiling around prey and paralyzing them with venom. Charming, skilled if a bit lazy at it - and deceptively clever, but deadly.

Something Krauss had reason to chide her on, at least.

A cunning flirt, to make up for Krauss' cutting etiquette and Eva's blindingly superior holier-than-thou everything. Lusting to make up for a lack of love, or affection - which, while I can't say it wasn't there, there likely wasn't much of it in the Ushiromiya Household. Just, pride and expectations and cold limitations put down as law.

That behavior they grew into is comprised of their upbringing, and attempts to - at least in part - fill voids left in them by fair lack of warmth from certain people (elders, parents, you know), and filled only with harsh and high expectations and strict limitations. Which isn't to say that at least their mother didn't care, but I still have to think on that since we get zero information of the Ushiromiya Matriarch.

Rosa would get the short end of the stick, born with a pretty decent age difference between Rudolf, who is the 'baby' of the older siblings - and all of his siblings would have their own issues by this point, learned to weaponize haughtiness and a sharp tongue and intellect and charm and lust as shields and tools.

This poor kid would be so soft, so defenseless, compared to them. Up until the circumstances involving a stuffed animal, the forest, and Maria's mom (in this case). This is me trying to avoid spoilers, because I've been there and it sucked.

I can't really say much about Rosa, here, because I just don't have a good grasp on her character. Like I said, I was spoiled for Umineko just after finishing watching Banquet - and that was some time ago, it's only recently I've begun rewatching a no-commentary playthrough (and it's primarily through the fanfiction on A03. That, more than anything else, it what inspired me to pick Umineko up again).

The siblings alone, the ways they were raised along with the expectations for them, how they coped with it - all of it is very complex in canon, and it changes with their sex, in some ways minutely and in other ways, majorly.

Then we get to look at their marriages. Which occurs after Kinzo's miraculous revival of the Ushiromiya Family's wealth - after slowly loosening and severing the puppet strings of the elders (those alive, at least?) wrapped around his limbs - and the dynamics of the family change.

Kinzo remains silent, as to the matter of naming the heir - and while Eva holds tight to the belief, and even taunts his elder sister for not yet having married...there's a sort of unstability in the air, only furthered by worsening tensions between Kinzo and his wife - and Kinzo, often, disappearing on business trips from their home.

Then comes the acquisition of Rokkenjima by Kinzo, the construction of the mansion....for reference, the Ushiromiya Mansion is built in the 1950's - '52?

The Ushiromiya family is elite, having a personal island and the head of them all is a man infamous for his sheer luck in investing and gaining great wealth in a fairly short amount of time post-war. Still, Kinzo is silent about a heir - silent about his eldest marrying outside the family....

Usually, usually, woman in japan marry outside of the family register. So first and foremost, looking at a genderbent AU, why wouldn't Krauss and Rudolf marry into the spouses' family register?

Starting with Krauss:

Canonically, Krauss marries Natsuhi because he needs a wife to have a child. Natsuhi is essentially forced into this marriage, because her family is in dire financial straits. The marriage is an arranged one, essentially meant to solve two issues. The money issue for Natsuhi's family, and the heir issue for the Ushiromiya's.

In a genderbent AU, things would work...considerably differently.

Natsuhi's family would, quite likely, be in a similar situation - but this is a demerit on their end, because it holds no benefit to Kinzo or the Ushiromiya family. By marrying Krauss off to a member of Natsu's family, a line of shinto priests (and, if I'm not wrong, once-nobles?), there's no connections in other circles of society, no wealth awaiting his daughter or a boon to the family. From a utilitarian viewpoint, it would be a worthless match...

Considering Kinzo had already thrown off the elders by now, unless he was still in the process of trying to do so, it wouldn't be even enough to spite them (unless he was going down the whole 'spite their memory' route).

So, why Krauss and Natsuhi in this au? Why would they still be Ushiromiya's? Unless, even branch family's who no longer carry the name would be there - as in Eva = heir - but I'm aiming for somewhat close to canon here, working off the assumption that Krauss + Natsuhi are still the main household - not Eva + Hideyoshi.

Then again, it could be that Kinzo compares both Natsuhi and Eva. Eva having been groomed by the elders, but Natsuhi...Natsuhi, possibly, untouched by them. Perhaps throwing a bone to an old business partner, or even just lack of really caring...that bares a lot of thinking on, trying to get more insight as to Kinzo's point of view.

That would imply a projection of disdain, of hate or anger, upon his kids though. I'm...pretty sure Kinzo just, didn't care about them much, canonically? I'm aware he was physically abusive, and the effects that had on the siblings lasted their whole lifetimes - but for Kinzo, the abuser himself? Would you remember stepping on an ant, if it was just another pest to deal with, a minor worry in a sea of major ones?

Other then stating in the episodes that they failed to live up to expectations, being vultures...not mentioning Everything Else regarding the episodes that I know the bare minimum of, so I can't give a more in-depth look into the matter.

Anyway, Krauss would be the first to marry. Krauss should have left the family register -

and it's a blow to the system, to Eva personally, when she does not. When a man comes to the mansion as his sister's husband, unable to bear the family crest, and yet it's him who will be the next family head, for all that it is Krauss who is the actual heiress.

(Really wonder what Natsuhi would find work as, though...has more common sense than Krauss though, so the disatrous application of the Ushiromiya Money by Krauss in canon wouldn't come up...)

Oh, feeling particularly evil. Eva, going to Kinzo and wondering why Kristine is still there, bring up that it was him who was the heir - and Kinzo just musing if he, himself, had ever called Eva the heir.

It was always the elders, always mother -

But never father.

Goddamn, that's crushing.

That would also possibly be a major power trip on Krauss' end, one massive 'who is superior to whom now?' type situation. And poor Natsu would get caught in the brunt of the fallout.

Two extremely prideful, extremely intelligent men. The family crest worn by one, forbidden to the other - and it was the other, and the sister, who had been chosen by the father.

...I'm picturing some pretty achillean showdowns between Natsuhi and Eva, not going to lie. Eva being angry and wondering what made Kinzo deem him worthy over his own blood son (not even factoring in his sister here), this man he didn't permit to wear the one-winged eagle. Imagine the (toxic) kabedon to be had here...

Imagine the tension, possibly causing Eva to leave the mansion - or Kinzo or his wife to arrange a marriage for him because of the growing aggression and antagonistic attitude he began to take - worse than the past. If he was fixated on being a good 'heir', why didn't he take a wife and sire a child himself, too?

Which, then leads to the consideration of Hideyoshi's character. Canonically, I believe he started making money by rolling cigars and selling them - even if his business later was a restaurant chain. This post goes into the implications that he started this around the second world war, and was an orphan or old enough to be on his own at that time. Though I think I have slightly different headcanons pertaining to age, that doesn't have much bearing on the likelihood that, canonically, he was older than Eva and decently well-off at the time of their marriage.

Eva would likely already be running his own business, in a genderbent au. I can potentially see Hideyoshi still running a business here, but...man, oh man, wouldn't a pairing like that be a smack to Eva's sensibilities and belief system. His father, pairing him up with a woman just a bit older than him - a woman who works like a businessman, too? Imagine the sheer amount of times he'd put his foot in his mouth.

Assuming, of course, Kinzo would deem a woman 'like that' who was staunchly different from how he expected women to behave, as a good match. Another possibility was that, although not officially a big part of some company or other's success, Hideyoshi was the brains behind the operation - and that's what made her a fitting wife. We don't get much of Hideyoshi's backstory, in canon. We don't get much of any spouse's backstory, really - except in specific circumstances.

...Eva and Hideyoshi, I need more time to think about.

But, in a turn of events, it's ultimately not Krauss who leaves Rokkenjima. It's Eva.

and then there's Rudolf and Rosa.

Rudolf is complicated because there are two marriages. Asumu, and Kyrie. Mentioned in the post I linked above, it's likely that they all met around college and are close in age - Kyrie knew Rudolf first, I believe. Rudolf ended up marrying Asumu though, after he unintentionally got her pregnant - though he carried on an affair with her, and likely other woman throughout it all.

In a genderbent au, Rudolf's flirtatious nature and infidelity bites back on the ass. hard. namely in the form of a pregnancy. Considering she'd be sleeping with (at least) two men, Asumu and Kyrie, either one could be the baby daddy - meaning her father would either force her to marry one of them, or Rudolf could abort the child and cover it up so no one has to know it happened at all.

Rudolf is a selfish person, who thrives off gambling to fill endless vices - namely, lust in place of love and affection, though she gets that too. A child would get in the way of that, her bed frolicking when put bluntly - not to mention Krauss and her mother scoldings and haughty attitude and Rudolf's blatant snubbery of ladylike things - no one, least of all herself, believed her fit to be a mother. abortion would come to mind, no doubt.

shit like this could get her disowned. Unlike rosa in canon, she wasn't tricked or abandoned - doesn't really have a good excuse. Rudolf literally fucked around, and found out.

In canon, this led to a blitz wedding binding him and Asumu. In a Genderbent verse, assuming an abortion couldn't be done - either because the pregnancy wasn't noticed until it was too late or for some other reason, a similar event could occur.

If Kinzo got wind of it, it would be a matter of Kyrie's family vs Asumu's - and we know more about Kyrie than Asumu's. Guess who'd possibly win out, in Kinzo's eyes? A low-middle class family, or an upperclass household with shady potential yakuza connections? I say this, because I'm pretty sure Kyrie's summary screen mentions that she and Rudolf have shady dealings or connections or something and that's how they make bank.

And she doesn't know who the baby's daddy is, had to make a choice between men she was pulling along on a string. She works with one on a regular basis, and possibly the other. Hell of a proposal, that she was pregnant.

Considering even Rudolf in canon thought that Asumu knew about the affair, there's probably always the wonder of 'is this my child?' Which is fucked up all around, because not even Rudolf would know, unless she had a little black book where she wrote down when she slept with who - but especially for Kyrie and Asumu.

If Rudolf hid it, no doubt Kinzo would suspect the truth behind the sudden wedding - if he didn't find out, during preparations or just after.

Put simply, it's a total clusterfuck of drama.

Rosa - she didn't even have the chance to get married in canon. Her boyfriend got her pregnant, and then fucking left her with debt after she took out a loan for him.

In a GB AU, this gives me several ideas. Rosa gets a girlfriend pregnant, and she leaves him with the baby. Rosa does get married, or they're forced to, but they have a divorce somewhere along the line. Darkest of all, Rosa's girlfriend/wife dies.

The lives of the Ushiromiya siblings are like a soap opera.

It's one in morning, so I'll give just a quick rundown of the cousins. Going in order of age: George, Battler, Jessica, Maria, Ange.

George is Eva's only child, and a daughter. In his younger years, what he'd deem useless as a heir - useful only in marriages. His daughter is also the most precious thing he'd ever seen or held, while also being a nail in his coffin. He might have had a child before Krauss, but it wasn't a boy - useless to Kinzo, useless to securing Eva as heir.

George is raised strictly. Very strictly, to be the perfect lady - while also educated far beyond the standards of what he'd once thought a young lady should be held to. Eva, in a genderbent world, would be a bit like Natsuhi...he'd want his daughter to be capable of standing as a powerful heiress in her own right, even if it would have been better for them both if she'd been born a boy. She'd also be held accountable for achieving impossible standards - appearances, grades... not a material want in the world, but a deep need for space to breathe.

Battler, or in this case Valor, is Rudolf and Asumu's daughter. Quite a ways down the line of succession, isn't quite raised like Eva raises George. She gets raised a bit closer to a normal child, behave in school, try to get at least a B in classes...she is cosseted by her father. Kyrie would be a little less cool to her, I think, a little warmer - namely because she could very probably be his daughter and they just didn't know - DNA testing emerged in the 80's and Valor was born in '68 or '69 I think. Heightened tensions in the Rudolf Love Triangle, though.

Would still be raised with higher expectations, though. Good etiquette, good handwriting, maybe dancing...? (these are, admittedly, more stereotypes than what I actually know of a member of the upper crust's education and extracurriculars).

I can't tell if Rudolf would be fiercely protective of Valor, a bit uncomfortable with her, or something else entirely. Fiercely protective because - possibly - Kinzo wanted her to get an abortion, uncomfortable because she had planned to get an abortion herself - and also, what Valor meant between Asumu and Kyrie and herself.

But at the same time, I feel like she'd be done to commit fraud to ruin the father of a kid who teased her daughter on the playground. Maybe because I have a broken sense of humor.

Rudolf is a selfish man, would be a selfish woman - but cares for their kids. They might not be willing to be their neck on the line for them, maybe, but also have the potential to go ballistic for them.

Jessica would be raised strictly - not as intense as 'the world will end' schooling like with George, but pretty damn close. As the next head of the family, one allowed to wear the one-winged-eagle, he has to be above and beyond reproach. Natsuhi is the strict one of his parents, more often than not dealing with the worst of Eva being Eva, but...both of them are prone to wanting to spoil him.

It took so long to conceive Jessica, for Krauss. So, so, so very long. Considering a woman's worth in the family amounted to the connections she could bring and her womb's ability to carry a child - preferably a son - it was...hard for her, especially with Eva.

Though, he did shut up for a bit after George was born.

Maria...there's a lot for Maria, and I don't actually I could analyze his upbringing and how it changes in a GB verse right now. A big aspect is Rosa's abuse and neglect, and I think a large bit of it would remain the same but....I want to read more Umineko, especially turn and banquet, to get a better grasp on it.

It's about 1:20 in the morning, and the way she's raised touches kind of close to home. Not in terms of physical abuse, or the fact that it's very very very heavily implied that Maria is neurodivergent - just some parts of it.

anyway, yeah, this is my rambling on how genderbending stuff would change a lot of things in umineko - not getting heavily into the cousin's upbringing and mental state because my laptop is about to die and I'm not well-rested enough fpr this, nor are my ideas quite as fleshed out.

Please don’t flame me if you don’t agree with this or don’t like it, but if anyone has ideas they’d like to add, I’m all ears.

#umineko no naku koro ni #umineko #umineko au ramblings #rule 63 #genderbend #their names would be different but I kept them the same here for my own sanity #seriously though #everyone needs therapy

[ogsherlockholmes]

Benoit Blanc

I know I’m not the first person to say this (my current feed proves my point) but Benoit Blanc from Knives Out is clearly a Holmes adaptation, and, surprisingly, a lot closer to the canon than some of the more popular ones, since it was more like the book version and not the agreed societal misinterpretation. Here are some of the comparisons I found (I’m going to use Knives Out: Glass Onion for this because I watched it yesterday so it’s still fresh in my memory, but the first movie would work too).  

This is probably obvious, but major spoilers for the movie. If you haven’t watched it, please do, it is so good.

In probably one of the most surprising scenes in cinema, James Bond- Benoit Blanc (also know as Daniel Craig) is lying in a bath with a rubber duck, smoking a cigar, surrounded by books and drinks, wearing what I think is a fez (correct me if I’m wrong, and I apologise if I am), playing Among Us. This has got nothing to do with the post but Daniel Craig’s transition from smooth, suave, James Bond to whatever the fuck Benoit Blanc is is inspiring. 

Not only is Blanc playing the game, he’s also terrible at it and doesn’t understand it. He’s playing with his friends online, and they mention that Phillip told them he hasn’t left the bath in a week (exaggeration, because I can imagine if that was true he’d literally look like a raisin). Blanc also said that was a hyperbole. There’s a knock on the door, and he shouts for Phillip to open it, then tells his friends that he ‘lose[s] it between cases anyway’ and he ‘might be going insane’. He also says ‘My mind is a fueled-up racing car, and I got nowhere to drive it.’ and ‘I don’t need puzzles or games. The last thing I need is a vacation.I need danger, a hunt, a challenge. I need a great case.’ Phillip shouts out that someone is there with a box, (the puzzle box from before), and Blanc smiles.

There’s too much, there is honestly too much, and it’s his first scene in the movie. 

Starting off with the bath thing, that’s already a very Sherlock thing to do. And the fact he was reading and smoking in there as well. I couldn’t get a clear picture of what exactly he was reading, but I could see some Penguin Classics in there, and, going off A Study in Scarlet, Sherlock had vast knowledge of ‘sensational literature’, like horrors, which would be published in those editions. 

Because I see Sherlock as being autistic coded, any adaptation of him would be the same. So, him struggling to cope with lockdown, like a lot of autistic people, and calling out someone’s hyperbole adds to this.

There’s the part about him not understanding Among Us, but I’ll get to that. 

Then there are the quotes. I don’t think it gets any more obvious than this. In The Sign of the Four, Sherlock says, ‘My mind...rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere. I can dispense then with artificial stimulants. But I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation. That is why I have chosen my own particular profession, or rather created it, for I am the only one in the world.’. Blanc’s quotes are very similar to this. Sherlock also states that he gives up stimulants when he has work, and it’s not exactly the same, but Blanc was heavily smoking and drinking since he didn’t have a case (not saying he stops when he does, but neither does Sherlock). 

I haven’t spoken about Phillip yet, but he is a clear Watson figure. He’s also Blanc’s partner, which isn’t confirmed in the movie but heavily implied. Also, it’s Hugh Grant. Nothing to do with Watson but... Hugh Grant. Not only that, but this is one of the only adaptations which Sherlock and John are together. I never thought it would be an American adaptation with Daniel Craig and Hugh Grant as the couple, but sure.

When Blanc meets the rest of the friend groups, he’s awkward and a bit uncomfortable (autistic coding, again). The friends recognise him and ask him about the cases he was involved in, but we’re only told the names, not the content, similar to the books where Watson mentions past cases but doesn’t elaborate.

Also, the outfit. It’s a stretch but it has to be Holmes inspired. If it was a modern day summer, Sherlock would definitely wear it. 

Then, Birdie tries to flirt with him, and he’s clearly very uncomfortable. From what we’ve seen, he’s gay, and I’m not saying that straight men can’t be uncomfortable if they’re being flirted with, but if we compare it to other Holmes adaptations, there’s a similar reaction. He gently tries to reject them and clearly doesn’t enjoy it. When she tries again, he doesn’t know what to do. Birdie only backs off when he says he wears her brand of sweatpants and she realises he’s gay.

There’s also more autistic coding in this, because when Birdie asks what material his shirt is, he answers honestly, and she turns away because she’s uninterested, since she didn’t actually want to know. She’s taken this as a rejection and the end of the conversation. As an autistic person, I have this interaction far too many times.

When Blanc arrives on the island, he is overjoyed at the opportunity and continuously thanks Miles for inviting him. Again, he’s very awkward, specifically about the bags. 

Blanc always seems to be confused with the technology on the island, but never afraid. This could sort of be a way of bring Sherlock into the modern age, but him still not being modern, if that makes any sense. Meaning, he lives in the 21st century, but he isn’t from it. So, the way Blanc reacts to technology is similar to how Sherlock Holmes from the books would act if something time travelled him over a century forward. For example, in a scene like the one with the weird stick insect luggage porter thing (?), Blanc is confused but amazed, and isn’t scared, like how Sherlock admirers modern technology but isn’t used to it. 

Throughout the next few scenes, Blanc is shown gathering intel about the other guests. Later on, we find out Helen was with him, so he wasn’t alone, but I’m just focusing on the first impressions of it. In the books, Sherlock would usually do stuff like this. 

Skipping to the dinner scene, the most obvious evidence is Blanc deducing the entire crime, then being confused when everyone got upset. This is another bit of autism coding, since he misunderstood the situation, thinking he was supposed to solve the case as quickly as possible (which, seems more reasonable) but instead allow the other guests to talk in. When he was asking if there was a prize involved, it was similar to the time Sherlock was requesting a cheque if he solved the case, and the client was confused but agreed, then Sherlock explained it for him (I can’t remember what book this was or the exact details however). 

Then, of course, Miles himself mentions Sherlock, saying “As Watson said to Holmes”, then being interrupted by Blanc solving the case. I have no idea what Miles was going to say, because Watson said a lot of things to Sherlock, but again, another reference. 

I’m looking back at this and I went into a lot more detail then I expected to, so I’m just going to skip through the other parts. I don’t know, I might add to this later. 

Blanc appears as an almost fatherly figure to Helen, and, as seen a surprising amount in the books, Sherlock liked to adopt a lot of his clients (basically all the Violets, etc). In the first movie, Blanc’s relationship with Marta could be interpreted the same way. 

He mentions Cluedo at one point, claiming he doesn’t understand it, which wasn’t in the books but (unfortunately) immediately brought BBCSherlock to mind. Also, the Among Us thing, another game you would expect a detective to be good at.

Blanc’s use of metaphors (’It’s like putting a loaded gun on the table and turning off the lights’), his vocabulary and just his general manner is all reflective of Sherlock Holmes. 

So, it’s not an exact adaptation, since it has it’s own plot and Sherlock... doesn’t sound like a cowboy. But, it still has the same Sherlockian essence to the Benoit Blanc character.

#wow i rambled #good luck when reading this #its amazing if you got this far #knives out #benoit blanc #daniel craig #Sherlock Holmes #sherlockholmes #Sherlock #ACD

[mudefrau]

very long text of me talking about tooticky idk if this is an "analysis" or whatever. just rambling about trying to grasp her truest canon self vs 1990/2019 adaptations vs my daydreams + i used a filter for proper capitalization and punctuation so it's more readable. i am sleep deprived and in love with her so i don't know if it makes sense

Ok, first of all, it feels weird to analyze this as 'I wish that' or 'I would like' because the basis of it all is a woman's children's books in the fifties, where a lot of the inspiration was personal stuff (and she went on for the first two books despite almost no success). It's not like modern-day media that clearly caters to online fandoms—so I don't know how to word stuff like 'I wish Tooticky had more protagonism' in the sense of where do I exactly wish she did? If I'm talking about a remake, it's important to stay true to the author's legacy. I don't feel entitled to make such statements. I think Tooticky and Ninny are so interesting they could take the role of Snufkin and Moomin respectively, but they did not show up that much in the books, so an adaptation like that would be unfaithful and pandering (to me specifically).

I could choose to word it instead like 'I wish I saw more Tooticky in fandom,' but here, I also think it's wrong to tell people what to do when it comes to free art and fics they post on the internet. People should have fun with whatever they like, even if it's already popular or out-of-character (OOC-ness can be subjective when it comes to nebulous characters anyway).

So, I mostly just make my stuff quietly and leave it there. But I finally watched S1 of MV2019—and I can tell people might get more 'demanding' with this show because they're obviously already taking some freedoms despite the clear intent of staying faithful to (mainly) the books, but adapted to the episodic nature of 20 minutes each. I would say they openly choose to give Snufkin more protagonism than he actually has in the book and deliberate choices. So, this makes me look at Tooticky, and I sniff audibly like 'Damn, this could've been you.'

They also gave him more feelings, tbf I see why because he wails when the sea is gone in 'Comet in Moominland' (first example that comes to mind), and I think the '90s is a bit on the other extreme like he's TOO chill in 'Tanoshii Mūmin Ikka.' I would say the books are a middle point between 1990 and 2019. And I can also see the basis of why this character could be gay. Like, let's be serious for a moment, we need to admit this is a fandom conception, but it has some basis given the author's life—HOWEVER, I think Tooticky is more blatantly gay than he is. Not just the butch part, but mainly based on who she's openly modeled after. I don't think it matters she doesn't have a girlfriend or anyone she's very close to in canon. She's still an icon.

Now let's move to her personality. I think Tooticky's character is a bit nebulous like Snufkin (who I keep bringing up because it's the non-winter counterpart); like we don't really truly know what they do when they travel, that contradiction between being social and warm but a loner and distant, and that (at least, sticking to books) we don't know how deep their emotions can go. And I can't make this up as a fan, at best I can label it as a 'headcanon.' Seeing how Tooticky has been adapted in 1990 and 2019, I realize they make her very sweet. Tooticky is normally described as uncompromising and deadpan so if they tried they kind of failed. The mysterious and weird vibe is a bit gone. Snufkin is allowed coolness in 1990 and emotional depth in 2019. I wonder why this choice for Tooticky then; because she's an older woman, she must be mother-figure-like? Tove was not going for this at all. Fandom interpretations add her more 'coolness,' though I think this coolness is inspired by the comic strips.

I WILL FORGIVE HER SWEETNESS AND WARMTH BECAUSE THIS IS SO FREAKING CUTE, though my thoughts in ep13 were "Moomin does not deserve her", Ninny deserves her more, but that is beyond the point of whether it's IC of Tooticky to act like this or not

Despite what I said about her not being overly sweet or motherly, I think her presence is comforting by itself. In 'Moominland Midwinter,' I think Moomin is really 'going through it'. The whole book felt like, to me, a metaphor about growing up (I say this as the characters are no longer referred as children it appears), or Tove's losses she was going through by the time she wrote it, or what causes depression. Which is reflected in that desolate landscape, no one familiar like Moomin's parents or Snorkmaiden being awake, nor his friends Sniff or Snufkin being present. Just edgy Little My, and Tooticky.

I can understand why Moomin doesn't show any kind of appreciation or affection to Tooticky; he has a very heavy heart at that moment. However, it makes me a bit sad no one truly seems in-canon appreciative of Tooticky despite how... epic she is. I guess because she's only there when everyone is sleeping, but still. Snufkin has Moomin and even has in-universe 'fans' like Teety-Woo. Tooticky has her invisible creatures who love her, I guess?

[I have an incredibly cute screenshot of her in 2019 petting invisible shrew but IDK how many screenshots I can get away with without being taken down, I know how the company is like with this stuff. ]

Edit: NVM

This leads me to why I wish Ninny was permanent in MV (again, for reasons I explained above, wish = headcanon). I can see why they didn't do that choice (adding Alicia instead or whatever; I love Alicia, but I'm making a point pls :joy:): post-invisibility Ninny would perhaps be too much of a Little My clone. But when I say MV2019 took some liberties, well, Ninny's final place to stay is not stated in the books. The 1990 anime in the original Japanese dub says she returns to her aunt, who ends up 'missing her' (and wow, I can see why they changed that to leave it ambiguous again in the English dub). 2019 randomly makes up that Tooticky has a sister to argue where they left Ninny at. And here's where I say... why not say Ninny stayed with Mymble? This would solve three things:

Ninny being permanent in MV

Adds a link between Mymble (Jr)* and Tooticky. Come on, people want them to have a connection after that one arm-clinging illustration.

Listen, I think Tooticky being lonely and comfortable with it is very much a part of her character; I think making up a relative for her is not a good move that contributes anything and more like decontributes.

The Mymble house indoors is never shown AFAIK so it wouldn't matter if they decided not to show Ninny again, just say she's there.

((*)BTW, I think I heard Mymble Jr. has not shown up in S1 to S3, but I've only watched S1, so I'm not sure. I have fears Tooticky will not show up again after S1 either. I'm going to cry.)

Like I think Tooticky would be aware she would not be the best caretaker (again, I don't view her as motherly; 'auntily' maybe, if anything lmao) and wouldn't want to keep her isolated anyways. I think Mymble Jr. also would enjoy having a calmer girl around she can read books with and braid her hair and whatnot. Little My's reaction to this would be interesting also.

Coming back to my point of being lonely, I think this could also be part of why Ninny could admire her, in part because she sees herself in Tooticky. So, I prefer Tooticky relative-less because, unlike other characters (Moomin, Mymbles, Sniff), Ninny has no relatives except an abusive one (actually not even blood-related in her original story). This is why I said 'Ninny and Tooticky could be the Moomin and Snufkin of Moomin.' If you keep Tooticky's original 'impassible, panders to no one' attitude most of the time but make her soft for Ninny, and add Ninny's past-influenced possible emotional attachment to her despite Tooticky keeping her distances (which here feels even more justified than Snufkin and Moomin having the feelings they do for each other; not saying all feelings have to be grounded in rationality, but yeah), it really hits. I'm not going into why Ninny might, could, probably be a lesbian as well because I'm kind of tired at this point and this is about Tooticky, but I don't mean this in a ship way it's more like a mentor relationship and I'm drawing parallels to Snufkin and Moomin dynamics for other reasons so people can understand me because I do see the appeal in snufmin.

Overall, I like to write about Tooticky, but she's mostly taking a counselor role in my stories, not just with Ninny but with the Groke as well (in the end, it's an equally lonely and sad character, the difference being she inevitably harms others while Ninny's invisibility just reflects pain on herself). I think, 'I never write about Tooticky's own problems, poor her, she deserves to be sent a whiskey crate,' but I literally don't know what kind of problems would be in-character for her to have. And when it comes to her life and past, I also make her intentionally vague, like she enjoys obscuring it to in-world characters and to the reader. Because anything else feels like going too far and writing an oc. In the end, I understand this is a highly personal character for Tove that was only created later in the series, so I would feel bad for desecrating it.

But regardless, talk to me about Tooticky and feel free to contribute because I tend to miss a lot of stuff. I realized I skipped the opportunity to send people I follow Tooticky questions for that character ask game everyone was reblogging, and I'm so mad at myself for thinking slow lmao.

#cherine text #i don't know if to tag this or not. #too-ticky #tooticky #too ticky

[mdhwrites]

Question: How do I make a character analysis?

And how hard would it be to make one for the owls house characters? Can I ask which characters I want to make one for?

*stares into the void for a good, solid minute* I... You... I mean... You have asked me to cover what could easily be an entire college textbook's thesis statement with a second part on top of it. Like how to properly analyze characters and the complexity of character analysis could cover hundreds of thousands of words. Characters are the complex part of any story and analyzing them demands similar complexity because there's so many angles at which to tackle it from. I mean, I can think of three very easy to define schools of thought for how good a character is that have WILDLY different opinions on Amity ranging from being potentially the best character in the series to being the absolute worst. Full stop. Before I get to that though, the easy part of your question: Make your analysis about the topic that makes you most excited. If you want to try to game the fandom to make whatever video you want to make popular, A: you're going to want to make your analysis positive because this fandom is against negativity and B: Luz, Amity, Hunter and Eda in that order. They're the most popular characters and the TOH fandom in general follows the school of thought that character arcs are the end all be all for character analysis and they are the ones that people at least believe have the most interesting and complex arcs even though I've talked about how at least two of them don't and Luz questionably has an arc of becoming a worse person that I don't think the show intended and then the finale double downed on the fact that she doesn't have an arc. And a reminder to part of how complex character analysis is: Luz not having an arc does not make her a bad main character. Also, thank you for all the people who have followed me recently since I never actually expect these blogs to do well. ^^; So, with that out of the way, here are just three schools of thought for character analysis.

Character agency, depth and complexity is king. How much potential for stories does the character themselves have? This is actually a school of thought that is the most divorced from the source material. It's the one most likely to be fucked up because they judge a side character negatively for not having as much emphasis or time spent on them despite, you know... Being a side character.

Character Consistency. This one says that if you cannot track how a character behaves, they the character themselves is against their core without proper reasons for it, that character is bad. This is probably the one that cares the most about arcs because a shift in character needs to be justified to it as otherwise the change can incredibly inconsistent to what we've seen before.

The Character's Place in the Narrative. Do they contribute to the themes of the piece? How about its plot? How easily could they be removed and little to nothing change about the overall story? How much are they a waste of time? This is very utilitarian but also still important because in theory your characters should serve your story.

So, by those three schools of though, here is how, and not even being anywhere close to being comprehensive on each because each angle is incredibly complicated in and of itself and debating which one is the most important in general, how they bleed together, which one is most important to TOH's goals, etc. like that is a whole mess of things in and of itself. After all, place in the narrative doesn't matter as much for an off the wall, wild comedy as it would an adventure series so judging a character by that is questionable. ANYWAYS:

This is easily the one that is kindest to Amity because what S2 and 3 do to her aren't as much of a problem. Her becoming mostly Luz's girlfriend has interesting elements to do with her lack of love from her family, her dependency on approval, her dedication to her goals, etc. like that. Her angst, complicated family and personal goals in S1 make for a compelling character who feels like they could have been the main character of their own story and to this school of thought, that is DEEPLY important. If there's a way that Amity fails for this school, it's that her depth is never explored or made more than just in large statements. Most of her character isn't given more depth or complexity to these personal elements that she has so you have a character with a lot of potential and a lot of interesting ideas but they're shallow. They don't have much depth from the narrative itself.

This one HATES Season 2. It is the one that considers Amity to be mostly functional but not impressive. Even S1 has bumpiness to it because her first appearance kind of matches her second but then never again. The base we're shown at first isn't the one we actually get, even if the character we see in Covention is more consistent with who we'll get for S2. This one cares about Amity's base as a smart character who is extremely driven by personal goals, has little care for those who get in the way of those goals. It cares about her lack of love meaning that finding a crush is going to have a very large impact on her and actually is okay with the shift to focusing more and more on Luz because she obviously wants approval and puts a lot into her goals. The problem this school has with Amity is that the arc is so abrupt with so many core elements of Amity's character. Her parents, who were made out to be a big deal, and even bigger post her breaking off from them, are dealt with too quickly and flatly. Her friends who she's known for so long and was pressured by society to care about are discarded like lumps of trash. Her magic and grades, the FIRST thing about her that we find out she cares about are even discarded for the sake of Luz with Luz not even asking for her to abandon those things. Amity just... does and it's not supported enough even for a side character to justify the entire 180 that is her character's priorities, interests and pressures that is Escaping Expulsion.

This school thinks Amity is the worst character in the series. That's not an exaggeration or hyperbole. The show is, ostensibly, an action comedy that has a focus on found family and Luz's relationship between reality and fantasy. There's also an overarching theme of following your dreams/passions regardless of what anyone tells you. Amity just fails this entirely, especially for how much is dedicated to her. There are gestures towards these themes. Amity is the one that Luz quotes Azura the most about so if the show is about Luz learning that reality and fantasy are different, she should fail in those fantasy tropes with Amity. But she doesn't. Luz copying her books lead directly to the opportunities for her to become Amity's friend and eventually have a cotton candy haired goddess as a girlfriend. Hell, explicitly, Luz in "The First Day" talks about tempting a vulnerable, hot upperclassmen into being with her and if we take Amity's knowledge of magic instead of her grades to make her an upperclassmen of Luz's, then this fantasy explicitly happens. Amity might function for the following your dreams aspect but only in that Luz becomes Amity's dream. Her goals and interests are entirely discarded by her interest in Luz which is at best neutral towards this theme. Found Family doesn't work with her because her plotline with her family is explicitly about choosing which members of her biological family she cares about. It's not about escaping her family entirely. And there was a fandom meme for a long time that nothing bad could happen in an episode with Amity because she is just not allowed to be a part of the plot. When she is, her contribution is minimal and could easily have been done by another character. This is the big reason why this school of thought hates Amity WAY more than Hunter because Hunter at least is explicitly connected with the plot. Worse yet: She takes up seven+ episodes of S1 alone and arguably another 7 in the second season. And in both cases, even if Eda and King have a chance to interact with Luz in those episodes, they're minimal to give more time between Amity and Luz. King NEVER gets to even be partially there for episodes between Amity and Luz and arguably Luz and King's relationship is literally the most important in the series with how things ended. And King only gets 8 episodes, if you're generous, where a plotline revolves around him and Luz versus Amity's fourteen. So from this perspective, Amity wasn't just against the Found Family theme in her own plot but was actively against it as a whole by taking up so much of Luz's time away from Eda and King. And that's part of why she is the worst character by this school of thought.

And again, these aren't even all the angles you can look at a character from. How entertaining are they individually? How much of an impact do they have on other characters? It goes on and on because analyzing a character is much like writing a character: Context, priorities and just EVERYTHING in your story is going to matter in their creation if you want them to serve the function they need to. It's madness. And just real quick: I'm by no means perfect. I've made bad characters. I've made bland as shit characters. My one off characters are usually shells just to serve a purpose because I'm focused on my main characters. Just because I critique doesn't mean my writing is going to be perfect, especially when my critiques aren't perfect. So I hope this was illuminating but I'm sorry that it's also probably not helpful to whatever plans you had. There's a reason why I appreciate the asks giving me focus on what part of a character to talk about and even then, I definitely trend towards specific takes on what's important for a character when I discuss them. I try to be reasonable but personal bias of what draws you to media is going to happen and that's okay. That's honestly part of criticism because nothing can be objective, but it is good to be aware of it. As a note: I definitely towards how likable a character is, how entertaining they are, how well they function in the narrative and how consistent they are. Depth does matter to me but I'll take a fun but well executed, blunt character over a deep one any day. Oh, but, as a bit of positivity to end this with, I do want to shout out one of the best characters I've seen in general recently: Chai from Hi-Fi Rush. Not only is that game the epitomy of doing a simple concept EXTREMELY well (there's very little original about that game and that is 1000% okay because it is so charming with the story it tells) and Chai going from a selfish, more self absorbed, but mostly well meaning, idiot to proper himbo and friend is an incredibly compelling arc that really helps elevate the story to something genuinely sweet. Is he deep? Nah. But I think internet analysis has poisoned what people think is necessary for a good character and that's where we get a show like The Owl House thinking it needs to redeem an antagonist every season because that's good character writing... Right? Wrong. It's so much more complex than that.

#Writing analysis #The Owl House Criticism #TOH Critical #Amity Blight

[ponds-of-ink]

And now, a spoiler-covered analysis of a mystery character from the Ruin trailer

Obvious spoilers for the trailer here, but I have thoughts. I know I mentioned a couple on different posts, but here’s my main post about him.

So.. This guy.

We have no idea what exactly his deal or what he even completely looks like. All we know is he is one very menacing looking bunny with darkness and glitching not helping in the slightest.

The thing is, though, I have a theory or two (and some extra thoughts).

Notice the purple and green lines/chromatic abrasion-looking stuff?

Those are the exact same colors used for Steel Wool’s logo in the updated SB TV website.

And the green one in particular is upside down and having the sheep face the opposite way, like a reflection in a.. Well, I was going to say a strangely-positioned mirror, but a pool might be a better visual metaphor, I dunno.

My point is that looks like William and Glitch-Trap weren’t the same thing after all and this rabbit thing is going to give off proper Jekyll and Hyde vibes by switching back and forth on the fly (with Glitch being William’s Hyde?). It doesn’t help that Sun and Moon’s AIs were also combined and are now running at the same time. The duality theme from the main game is starting to look like it is settling into a theme of... things... merging in a possibly unstable manner? Uh oh.

Anyway, personality-wise, it feels that this guy is gonna be absolutely terrifying regardless of whether or not he’s actually trying to hurt you. He’s just going to be that unpredictable until we fix the others.. Or whatever we have to do to stop this madness.

(Alternatively, since there is the idea that Glitch could be controlling Gregory at one point, this bunny boy might have a very disgruntled Afton trying to help you until Glitch takes over. I have no idea how, though, unless... he pulls a Princess Quest 2 and merges with you through that Vanny mask you get later? Huh.)

Onto the more physical side of things, I don’t think this is Glamrock Bonnie. Or, at least, not completely. He looks that way, sure, but he doesn’t have the Glamrock casing style or anything. He actually gives me this impression of a lanky jester bunny, if I’m seeing his legs correctly.

However, as his arms line up with Burntrap’s pretty well, I’m going to take another speculative guess and say that this is Burntrap post-Blob. No idea how he got all those repairs, but maybe Will and Glitch got inventive during all that time before whatever happens in this DLC.

(Side note again: this guy has the most square-shaped pupils I have ever seen. Gonna file that under “potentially more proof of it not being Glamrock Bonnie”.)

One more thing: He’s actually reaching out his hand towards the viewer/Cassie in this shot. Almost as if he’s... offering a hand? offering a false promise?... Again, until we get more info on this guy, I have no idea what’s going on with him.

A shame that we don’t have a name for him yet. Almost want to keep calling him “Mystery Rabbit”, honestly.

Oh and uh.. He looks cool and I’m kinda sad that he’s not getting that much fan-art on here. Bummer.

#fnaf ruin #fnaf security breach #security breach spoilers #mystery rabbit #fnaf theory #character analysis #if it turns out that one of my oldest fnaf Sb theories was right all along #I have no idea how I’m going to feel

[aspoonofsugar]

Hi! Hope you're having an alright leftover months of this year. Do you still do RWBY analysis? If you still do, can you do an analysis that focuses mainly on Ozpin, both the headmaster and Oz incarnation? All the posts I find about him merely mentions his relations to the subject instead of the man itself, so I am intrigued by what you would say about him, his relationships with himself and others, his thematic importance to the show included. I'd also take any speculations you may have about him, his past, his possible Semblance, and his future at RWBY's finale.

But even if you don't, I'd like you to know that I am a huge fan of your works. Drink lots of water, sleep and eat regularly, and move around a lot!

Hi!

Thank you for the nice words and sorry for the long wait!

So, I may not be the best person to ask about Ozpin because I have yet to fully analyze/develop proper thoughts on him. However, I will do my best!

Before starting, 2 things.

I have talked a little bit about him here and here.

I am not sure if you differentiate between Ozma and Ozpin... personally I don't and I don't think we are meant to, so this post is about the character as a whole

When it comes to Ozpin, I think the best way to analyze him so far is to go through his 2 key relationships: Salem and Oscar.

OZMA AND SALEM: LOSING HUMANITY

Ozma's story starts with his death:

Jinn: Ozma, the infallible hero of legend, fell ill. And where all the beasts and blades of the world had fallen short, a single sickness prevailed.

Ozma's death is important on multiple levels.

Plot-wise it kicks off Salem's conflict with the Gods

Thematic-wise it is there to convey a key theme: death is part of humanity.

Ozma dies out of illness. His demise isn't a violent one. It isn't a Grimm or another human killing him. Hell, it is not even the Gods deciding his time has come. He dies of illness because no matter he is such a great hero. Deep down, he is human like everyone else.

Humans are by definition a mix of Creation (The God of Light) and Destruction (The God of Darkness). This makes them creations with a limited lifespan. Their beauty is who they can become with this time at their disposal.

This is what Ozma's death means, but Salem refuses the idea and sets up the conditions for both Ozma and hers immortality, which isn't framed as something positive, but as a curse:

God of Light: You must learn the importance of life and death. Only then may you rest.

So, Ozma's resurrection starts his personal arc, which is built on a pretty neat contradiction. On the one hand he slowly loses his humanity (1). On the other hand this happens precisely because of his very human flaws (2).

1- When I say Ozma loses his humanity, I don't mean he becomes a monster, but that with time he starts feeling detached from life and necessarily different from others. It isn't something he does consciously or so openly as Salem. After all, differently from her own immortality, Ozma's gives him the chance to truly live with others:

God of Light: Until your task is complete, you will reincarnate, but in a manner that ensures you are never alone.

And he learns to live with humans rather than above them:

Jinn: And as the centuries went on, Ozma began to learn the importance of living with the souls with which he had been paired.

Still, the tendency to think of himself as different and somehow above others is there and it starts with Salem:

Salem: We could become the gods of this world. Our powers surpass all others. Our souls transcend death. We can mold these lands into whatever we want, what you want, create the paradise that the old Gods could not.

Salem: Don't you see? None of that matters anymore. Why spend our lives trying to redeem these Humans when we can replace them with what they could never be?

These 2 ideas might seem opposite, but they have the same root. It is about making Ozma and Salem stand abover everyone else. Be them as Gods or as a New Human Race. The difference is only in form because the result is the same: Ozma and Salem are more powerful than others and can twist and mold the world as they want.

When Ozma breaks up with Salem he refuses this belief, but unconsciously it keeps rearing its ugly head here and there throughout the centuries. This is shown in 2 ways:

a) From a symbolical point of view Ozma and Salem's battle mirrors the Gods' conflict. Ozma steps into the role of Light, while Salem into the role of Darkness. Light and Darkness are meant to represent complementary, so they are built on dychotomies...

Light is day, life, creation, order and rationality. Still, it can degenerate in control.

Dark is night, death, destruction and emotions. Still, it can degenerate in chaos.

Similarly, Ozpin thinks about the bigger picture and puts the world's destiny above his personal wishes. He even accepts Light's mission and becomes the de facto Champion of Light. Salem is instead driven by her emotions. Her love dies? She is gonna fight Gods to have him back. He leaves her, though? Then, she will go in his way and hurt him in any way possible. She is the Champion of Darkness not because Darkness has invested her, but simply because she is close to his ideals and mentality. Her affinity is conveyed also by Salem controlling and creating Grimms, like the Brother used to.

So, the Gods' conflict is reproduced in Ozma and Salem's dynamic. An example of this mirroring is given by the couple's 4 daughters. Light and Darkness create Humanity and give them 4 Gifts. Ozma and Salem build a Family and give birth to 4 Daughters. The Gods end up destroying their own creations, just like Ozma and Salem's fight kills their children. Still, Light recreates the Gifts through 4 relics and Ozma gives birth to 4 Daughters again through the Maidens.

In short, both the Gods and Ozma/Salem are beings more powerful than humans that have a conflict going on. This conflict is both thematic and personal and it ends up becoming a problem for the whole world.

b) From a practical point of view, Ozpin has built a system that runs on secrecy and is organized around his person. He may not want to, but ends up being quite manipulative of his comrades.

For example, he asks Pyrrha to be a Maiden without even telling her about Salem (like, you wanna know about that if you are to become one of her main targets). Similarly, he hides Salem's immortality with the excuse it would demoralize people. In this way, he decides what is better for others in their stead and takes away the chance to make informed choices.

2- Ozpin's flaw is his inability to trust. This tendency of his comes out in the Lost Fable, as well:

Jinn: As Salem and Ozma recounted the events which had brought them back together, each withheld parts of their story. Salem, fearing Ozma would reject her, blamed the end of the world on the Gods. Ozma, still unsure of where the truth lay, kept his task and the Relics a secret.

Ozma doesn't trust Salem, which is one of the many factors that contribute to the end of their relationship. Ozma knows trust and faith are good in theory, but because of his many struggles he forgets "trusting is a risk" and "risks are necessary". He sees trust as only a dangerous bet, rather than as an opportunity. So, he stops trusting and adopts some controlling and manipulative tendences.

Both his belief to be above others and his lack of faith come out in volume 6, when the protagonists strongly confront him.

In Ruby's words:

Ruby: So all those times you talked about having faith in humanity, that was just for everyone else?

Humans have to believe in him, but he doesn't have to believe in humans. This is what a God asks of others. Not a person.

OZPIN AND OSCAR: FINDING FAITH

Ozpin's confrontation with the rest of the group is a huge setback for him, which ends with his "break" from the mission. This choice is a pivotal moment, which kickstarts his development and changes his balance with Oscar.

Ozpin and Oscar's stories and allusions are intertwined. Ozpin alludes to the Wizard of Oz, while Oscar alludes to Ozma. Both are characters from the Oz series, but their stories are different.

The Wizard of Oz is a normal human, who plays the part of a Wizard

Princess Ozma is the rightful ruler of Oz and a magical being

Basically (and oversimplifying) the Wizard is a fraud, while Ozma is the real deal. Still, Ozpin and Oscar's foiling is slightly more complex. As a matter of fact Ozpin's real name is Ozma, while Oscar's name is that of the Wizard of Oz. Basically, Ozpin and Oscar have mismatched names.

What does it mean? It means that Ozpin is magical like Ozma, but not as infallible as others think. In a sense, he is "below expectations", like the Wizard. Oscar is instead a normal boy like the Wizard, but he is growing to become able to succeed where Ozpin fails. So, by the end he would be the "rightful ruler" of himself.

In short, Ozpin presents himself as Oscar's mentor, but in the end he is the one who learns from Oscar. In this way, he is able to grow and to work through his flaw:

Ozpin: But, Oscar-- Oscar: You want him to trust us? Then trust me.

Oscar: He trusted my judgment and it saved us. I want to reciprocate that trust. There's a lot to sort out, but… Oz really wants to help.

He starts to slowly trust again. This means he is learning to truly live with others again and to depend on them again. This is the essence of being humans, after all.

So, Ozpin and Oscar's shared story is one where they discover who they are:

Man: Thank you. Please, tell me your name. Who are you? Suddenly, Ozma's newest reincarnate has trouble speaking. Oscar: He didn't know…

Specifically, Ozpin must rediscover his personhood, while Oscar must reach self-actualization.

SEMBLANCE

All of this brings me to your question about his semblance. Basically, I don't think Ozpin's semblance is important at all, while I think Oscar's is.

After all, it has been mentioned twice now:

Oscar: Semblance? Nora: You know! Like your very own superpower! Everybody's got one. It's just a matter of finding it and mastering it.

Oscar: You guys are evolving and I still don't have my Semblance. Ruby: Well, I bet we'll all be jealous when you do.

Which means it is going to be an important moment. This makes sense because semblances are symbolic of self-actualization. So, Oscar should activate a semblance that defines him as his own person, different from even Ozpin.

As for Ozpin himself, he has shown us no semblance and I wonder if he even has one. As far as we have seen, both Ozma and Salem have kept their magical abilities. I wonder, then, if they are unable to use semblances/do not need them. Wouldn't it be interesting if none of Ozpin's reincarnations has ever activated a semblance because Ozpin's presence made it both unnecessary and impossible? After all, how can you become yout own person if an intruder enters your mind and fuses with your soul?

If so, Oscar activating his would be an exception, which marks something new happening in Ozpin's story.

FROM SALEM TO OSCAR

Ozpin's arc so far has been one where he has progressively moved from Salem's POV to Oscar's. From distrust to faith. From immortality to humanity.

Now, it is too soon to say how his story will turn out. However, I think that he should solve things with both his major relationships. Specifically:

He must overcome his relationship with Salem, which means letting go of her, but also seeing her humanity. Personally, I don't think they should go back together (I think the abusive framing is too on the nose and would be distasteful if they magically fix things). Still, I think Ozpin should empathize with her.

He must make sure Oscar survives and becomes his own person and not one of his lives. So far, Ozpin has ended up absorbing others' life, while this time, I think he should be the one absorbed. This should not be seen as something negative, but as him finding his humanity again. As stated in the beginning, humans live and die. Ozpin should do the same. He should probably choose Oscar (a personal connection) over his mission. In this way he can go back to be an individual rather than an idol. He can be free rather than burdened by an impossible duty.

In short, I think Ozpin is going to empathize with Salem and to die either at the very end or a little bit before in order to save Oscar.

Personally, I think Ozpin leaving the narrative before the final battle works best for his character. It means:

1 He is leaving the mission behind. He can be himself and not a hero

2 He is breaking the endless game he and Salem are playing with humans as pawns. This can be a sign of him also breaking their toxic bond and moving forward

3 He would be entrusting the kids with the future. He leaves the fight in their hands, which means he has restored his complete faith in others. He believes they can save the world and help/stop Salem better than he can

Obviously other possibilities are still on the table. However, as for now, I am pretty sure the reincarnation cycle has to stop before the end of the story.

Thank you for your ask and sorry for the wait! I hope your beginning of the year has been wonderful and that it keeps going on well :D

#rwby #ozpin #ozma #oscar pine #salem #asksfullofsugar #angstandhappiness

[jaeheewillalwaysbemyfav]

How Obey Me Shot Itself In the Foot: Michael, Part 1

MASSIVE WARNING FOR DISCUSSION OF RELIGION. Specifically of Abrahamic religions (Islam, Christianity, and Judaism) and their shared God. I am doing this in a media analysis context, not to shame any particular religion or anyone’s particular beliefs. If that makes you uncomfortable, feel free to not read this post, stop reading at any point, and/or unfollow/block me. DO NOT try to start religious discourse on this post or in my askbox/DMs, I will clown on and block you.

Also spoiler warnings for a ton of different Obey Me lessons.

Intro (X), Michael (you're here)(X)(X)(X), Conclusion (X)(X)

Part 2 of my way-too-long-essay about why Raphael should definitely try to kill MC. We are still not at the part where I discuss why he should. But we'll get there.

The next rung down from Sky Daddy Himself is Michael. At least, it tends to be him in Abrahamic mythologies. Considering that Michael Obey Me is acting as Diavolo’s foil in many ways, that seems to be maintained in the game. But he’s also foiled against Lucifer: in Abrahamic mythology as the one who defeats him, and in Obey Me as a brother, even a “twin”. And Lucifer is both a leader (as both leader of one side of the Celestial War, and as patriarch of his family) and a right hand man (to Diavolo, and likely formerly to God in a shared position with Michael).

We know a few scattered facts about Michael:

He is physically the complete opposite of Lucifer (according to Satan)

He can drink like a champ, keeping up with Raphael and Lucifer (this just amuses me to think about)

He likes sweets (mentioned several times throughout the game, most often by Luke and Simeon)

On that note he can be kinda childish and whiny (he once, to quote the wiki, “moped dramatically” when Raphael and Lucifer didn’t bring him any human world food from their trip there)

Lucifer has described him as “too upfront about his desires” and others have also called him very strict and demanding, putting a lot of responsibility onto those under him.

He’s Luke’s mentor/supervisor, as he sees a lot of potential in him. It’s Simeon who says Luke was chosen for the exchange program so he could learn more about the three realms.

He likes astronomy (apparently he taught Mammon and Luke about human world constellations, and Lucifer annoyed him by visiting the first Celestial Realm planetarium when it opened before him — a planetarium that Michael himself asked Raphael to make)

He’s the current leader of the angels (mentioned by Barbatos)

He used to be Mammon’s mentor, but later pushed him onto Lucifer because he didn’t know how to handle him

On that note, Mammon says that whatever punishment Michael would subject him to back in the day still gives him shivers to think about — and this is coming from a guy who gets strung up to the ceiling by Lucifer nigh constantly (still-a-morosexual-help has an excellent post about this!)

He was the one originally sent to the Devildom as a liaison, but made Lucifer go in his stead

He often wanders the great hall in the Celestial Realm palace, staring at the place where the brothers’ portraits used to be, lost in thought (Luke attributes this to missing them)

He keeps a collection of Lucifer’s things, including the ring of light, which he quickly notices is missing after Simeon steals it for MC

It’s a pretty safe bet to say that he’s responsible for Simeon’s loss of his angelic abilities (which turned him human?! God i need to make a separate post breaking that shit down), possibly even his first demotion from seraph to archangel

With Simeon’s help, he once sent the brothers mind-controlling bangles that made them act like “proper angels” for a party (angelic demons event — not letting go of that shit btw, that was fucked up)

He’s broadly respected by those who work for/with him, even if he’s not always easy to work with based on the other shit we know

He seems generally on board with the exchange program, but has some kind of tension with Diavolo: he once used Simeon to threaten him, saying that he didn’t like Diavolo’s habit of keeping secrets and that if anything were to be found out that impacts the Celestial Realm, there would be Consequences

I cannot find a source for this bc the ring of light is mentioned like, Once on the wiki, but I’m pretty sure when that all came up, Solomon mentions having a ring of wisdom he got from Michael, which is another tidbit from Abrahamic mythology.

There’s a lot happening there, and some of these traits seem difficult to reconcile into one cohesive character.

So fuck that! Let’s look at Michael’s character through three lenses: as a surrogate for God/Father, as Diavolo’s equal and opposite, and as Lucifer’s foil. (These categorizations, you’ll see, won’t be mutually exclusive, but that’s kind of the point.)

#obey me #obey me michael #obey me shall we date #mine #How Obey Me Shot Itself In The Foot

[rubydoowhereru]

Idk why the Nerissa x Grandmamah (whatever the heck her proper name is XD) brainworm won't leave, but I thought of this when reading some of your character analysis of Nerissa, namely how she's kind of a disaster and her search for power is her own worst enemy;

At some point between proposing and having second thoughts about her plans, she loses the trident. And she's trying not to crack, but she's had a taste of that power and can't let it go. On top of that, now she's constantly around the giant krakens who have been the picture of envy in her mind for years and all its doing is making her more unhinged.

Cue Grandmamah seeing Nerissa falling apart, and after finally coaxing an answer out of her that she feels so insignificant compared to the other queen, Grandmamah does something she's NEVER desired to do unless it was life or death, and even then,

Shrinks down to human size so she's less intimidating and can actually comfort her wife on a more personal level. Lordess of the Seven Seas, becoming her most vulnerable form, just to make her happy. Now Nerissa has to deal with THAT implication.

(Sidenote, Grandmamah is clearly still super uncomfortable with this arrangement but dang it she's not gonna try)

Oops. Guess we started something new here lololol.

Oooooh, I love that! It could absolutely serve as the turning point for Nerissa where she fully throws her plan away. She was already kind of starting to have second thoughts as she learns and understands Grandmamah, eventually regarding her as an equal in both status and power, but seeing the giant kraken willing attempt to make her feel better about this AND getting small in the process? That fully pushes Nerissa over into abandoning her plan in favor of genuine rulership together.

I feel like if/when Grandmamah finds out about Nerissa's original plan there's hardly any crying or being sad because Grandmamah figured she would attempt this at some point. What really shocked her was the fact that Nerissa did fall in love.....and Grandmamah is willing to reciprocate it. That's the truly shocking bit for both of them. Heh heh.

#roguecommand #ruby gillman teenage kraken #Nermamah AU #That's what I'm gonna call it

[king-paimon]

Houseki no Kuni Thoughts: The character I can’t hate

Hi everyone. It’s been a while and after learning that Houseki no Kuni is coming back in just a matter of days, I figured now was the time to finally post this. I’ve wanted to write this for a long time and certain events in my life has compelled me to add more but not want to post at the same time, if that makes sense.

This post is sort of an analysis on a certain character from the series that I surprisingly have a lot in common with. Though I think that goes without saying that many people in the fandom, including myself, can find themselves within the different characters, especially Phos. I think that’s one of the reasons why we care so much about them and want the best for them.

But like I said, for me there’s another character that I found myself connecting with more. A character who changed so drastically that it felt like whiplash for readers and the characters in the story. A character who was put in a difficult role by those around them to later gain a new one by someone who claims to care about them more. A character who became a favorite for many, but quickly became the one they detested the most. I’m sure you know who I’m talking about, yes?

Yeah, I’m talking about Cairngorm. 

I’ll do my best to explain myself. This is a long hot take and I’m sorry if anything I say doesn’t make sense; I was literally going through the manga again when rewriting this because I know I didn’t remember everything correctly. Please feel free to say your thoughts about what I write. If this post is too long, I can cut it up if that’s easier for everyone. Or if you believe I need to add some sort of trigger warning, please let me know!

 Anyways, here we go...

Cairngorm: Reluctant Obligations and Purpose

I think many can agree that Phos got the short end of the stick when it comes to their life. Unlike the other gems, they weren’t the strongest and count stick to any of the given tasks that everyone else could do out of disinterest. No wonder most of the other gems pitied or were annoyed or just barely paid any attention to them. It got so bad that Phos was given a relatively meaningless task to do so they can do something instead of laying about. Why do I bring this up? Well, despite the clear negatives that Phos experienced because of this in the first chapters, I’d argue that Phos had it easier than certain gems. Though I don’t think it was truly confirmed, it seems that most if not all of the gems are given specific roles after their inception and were given proper knowledge by Adamant. These are roles that the gems stuck with, even when if they expressed forms of dissatisfaction (ex. Dia or Jade.)  Phos, on the other hand, was allowed to explore. Yes, they got teased or reprimanded for being lazy/causing problems, Phos is still allowed to try different things a lot, something that I don’t believe many of the gems were allowed to do.

And on top of that, because most of the gems didn’t pay too close attention to Phos, this essentially gave Phos free range to do whatever. And if Phos wanted to do certain things, like work with Antarcticite, Adamant just sort of allowed it. In some ways, older Phos had more freedom than most of the gems because of their status among the others. And maybe I’m crazy but it feels like Phos gets forgiven often by Adamant, especially as the series progressed.

Again, why did I bring this up? Cairn. Unlike Phos, it seemed that Cairn didn’t really have much a choice on what they could do after they came to be. When they were forced into existence after Ghost was taken, Cairn was essentially put into the role of being Antarcticite’s replacement for Phos as their partner and “keeper.” Cairn may have acted tough with Phos and was angry about the circumstances, they still took up that role. Whether they did it because wanted to or because they were expected is another thing. To me, Cairn took up this role because they were expected to.

Yes, it has been shown in the manga that Cairn made the choice to take over the winter duties and follow Phos to the moon, even though they didn’t want to. But that’s just it. These decisions Cairn made weren’t compelled by inner desire but because they knew it was for Phos’s sake. To me, these were instances where Cairn actively put their feeling on the side to do what is expected of them. It didn’t matter what they desired or how they felt, they had a role to fulfill no matter what, and it was to be by Phos’s side. It’s all because it was put in their head that they are expected and obligated to do these things by the others, especially Ghost. 

Hell, they were ready to decapitate themselves for Phos after they lost their head because of what Ghost told them. Even though Cairn was stopped, this just shows how far they would go to fulfill this role that they were put into because they were taught/conditioned to do so. I’m now wondering if Adamant would have still stopped Cairn if Lapis’s head wasn’t there.

This is a miserable sense of duty and obligation to others, especially individuals one can see as family. Sadly, this is something that I’m all too familiar with.

Parentification: Do it for your family

(I’m about to get a personal. Read at your own discretion!)

I’ll tell you all just a little bit about myself and I promise this will circle back to what I was talk about. (Though I don’t know if this is triggering but I’ll still add a warning here for people who are sensitive to depressing topics) I come from a relatively big family and I’m the oldest. Ever since I was a child, I was taught that I must fulfill my duties as the oldest child for the sake of my whole family and this was a reality that I accepted. I know not all families are like this with older siblings being expected to take up endless family/community duties, but that’s the case for me. I needed to be the “strong one” for everyone’s sake, even if it meant I needed to sacrifice my happiness and wellbeing, because that was my role. And if I didn’t fulfill my duties because I didn’t want to, according to my father, then I’d be an selfish person who would hurt the family and “god dislikes selfish people.” If I couldn’t fulfill that role well, I’d be a bad role model since according to my father, “all my actions impact on my siblings since they look up to me” and “it’s my responsibility to be the good example for their sake.” Because I didn’t want to be a “bad child” and hurt my family because of my actions, I remember sucking up my grievances and just did what was expected of me and more. Be the pillar and role model that my family can rely on because if I can’t be that for whatever reason... who was I?

That’s why I connected to the character Luisa from Encanto.  Her song “Surface Pressure” made me cry so much the first time I heard it and it’s my favorite Disney song to date. Everything she said in the song perfected how I felt when I was young and now when I’m an adult. I’m happy to say that even before the movie came out, I recognized that some of the things from my childhood weren’t healthy. Things have gotten better for the most part and I thankfully don’t have to fulfill all of the same duties that I had when young but sadly… now new duties are expected to be done and the effects from my childhood still linger. I still have this sense of duty and obligation to my family and their wellbeing, even though I’m told that I don’t need to do it anymore. I’d gotten so used to being the one who does everything and even though my family is older now, I’m sometimes still expected to fulfill old and new responsibilities because of my role in my family. It never seems to end.

Like I said though, things have gotten better and I’m learning to say no. But I won’t lie, there were times where I just wanted to disappear, kind of like how Cairn felt. Not die, don’t worry. Just walk away from my family, community, and anyone who knew me in life and start everything from scratch. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t hate my family, especially my siblings. I love them, even though they frustrate me sometimes.  I really want the best for them and I want to see them do well on their own. Still, there were times when I was tired and… I just wanted space from everyone and everything for… maybe a few years? I had a small taste of this when I first left home for college. I was away from home and was finally allowed to do what I wanted to do for myself. It felt good but wrong at the same time. Even though I finished school, life has brought me back home and sadly, those darn obligations are back on me. But now that I’m older and understand the world a little better, if I play my cards right, I’ll soon be truly free from these chains of familial duties and obligations. Thankfully some of my siblings and close friends understand my feelings and support me. Speaking of freeing themselves, let’s finish this rambling post by going back to Cairn.

True or False sense of freedom...?

As shown in some of the manga pages I added, I hope I was able to show why Cairn’s position is sadder than one would assume. So, when Cairn went to the moon and even though their sudden character change initially came out of nowhere, the more I thought about it, it sort of makes sense. On the moon, Cairn was allowed to actually make choices, from the clothes they wore to the name they go by. Cairn was no longer expected to look after someone else like they did back on earth, especially someone who had the tendency to attract trouble.

Cairn no longer had any obligations to fill. They didn’t have to put others first before themselves. They are allowed to be who they truly are. On the moon, Cairn had freedom… or rather the illusion of freedom. At least, it seems that way to me. This is up for debate after the last chapter but I remember during chapter 75 and beyond, this sense of freedom that Aechmea made for Cairn feels...false. But whether it’s false or true, this offered freedom is what made Cairn latch onto Aechmea so quickly. It’s gross how Aechmea clearly took advantage of their naivety but at the same time, it’s clear that Cairn still accepted this with sound mind... and it’s pitiful to see.

I understand people hating Cairn and I don’t blame them; I just personally don’t. Yes, I’m disappointed with their choices and actions but at the same time, I totally get it. They crave freedom and though they can make choices and are no longer expected to be Phos’s partner or keeper anymore, Cairn isn’t truly free; they just have a new master, and Cairn knows this. But at this point, they don’t care anymore. What they have on the moon was better than what they had on earth. I admit, if you ignore the manipulation stuff that Aechmea is clearly doing, Cairn kind of has it good. So…yeah, good for you Cairn. I’m even a little envious but not by much.

I don’t know where this series is headed for Cairn and the other characters. I still think we’re headed for a bittersweet ending and how that will play out is anyone’s guess. But you know what, because of how much I see myself in Cairn and other characters like them, a part of me is happy to see them feel free for the first time, even if it’s not true freedom.

So yeah, this was my post. I’d been working on and delaying it for way too long. Please feel free to share what you think.

#houseki no kuni #land of the lustrous #HNK #LOTL #hnk thoughts #personal thoughts #personal opinion #hnk cairngorm #hnk spoilers #hnk phosphophyllite #hnk phos #character analysis #long reads #long post #tw: mental health #encanto #luisa #luisa encanto #family

[syceusfig]

Sex Education S4.

Hi friends, its been a while. Shit has been pouring down and I've been here with no umbrella, just hoping for it to end and it hasn't but you know what? Acceptance is a gift. So here I am, accepting things and writing a rant about the forth season of Sex Education because I might actually be going insane. If I feel like it, I might do a proper analysis of the show as a whole because it is absolutely fantastic. I highly recommend watching it if you haven't yet. That being said, spoilers for Sex Education season 4 (and potentially other seasons) ahead.

I'm honestly not entirely sure how I feel about this season. I think I prefer it to the third season but not to the first and second. To begin, I think it might be nice to cover why that might be.

So the first, probably most striking factor, is how crowded Sex Education got in the third season. There were (from what I found) 18 characters considered part of the main cast in the third season, which made it very difficult for the show to put any focus on specific characters and shortened the amount of time we got with the main three. Now, the forth season cut out quite a few characters and managed to do it somewhat naturally with Otis and Eric's shift from Moordale to Cavendish, as well as Jean finding out Jakob was not Joy's father. Most of the characters that were cut out had completed storylines (in my opinion) so I wasn't too bothered by it however I felt that Ola and Jakob's complete removal from the show was too sudden as there was no consolidation from Jean finding out Jakob wasn't Joy's father to him completely leaving. I also thought that Ola not being in Adam's life made no sense as I was really hoping they'd get more screentime this season after they got so little of it last season.

I want to note that I do know Patricia Allison (the actress who plays Ola) had said she would not be returning for the forth season and things like that do happen, however it is still very unfortunate and I wish Ola would've at least still have been mentioned by Adam, acknowledging her absence in his life because her complete erasure felt unnatural to me and didn't make much sense overall.

In spite of this, cutting some characters out was generally a good thing. It allowed the show to focus and develop more on characters, giving them more complete, well-developed storylines (or it should have, but we'll get to that) and removing the struggle for screentime I felt there was in Season 3.

One of the downfalls of this season, however, was the failure to fully take advantage of the newfound lack of crowing. There was a certain choppiness to the third season and all the storylines felt disjointed. Which can be okay, as characters do need to develop by themselves, but too much individuality can take away from the whole. The first two seasons of Sex Education had that wholeness, characters had storylines but they were connected in a way; there was a bigger picture that formed as each character developed their smaller, individual pictures. Unfortunately, the choppiness from the third season remained in the forth. Though less, there was a disjointedness. The characters were very strongly "grouped" this season and their storylines hugely revolved around those groups and those groups only. There was no bigger picture, there was no "ultimate" which left a sense of unfinished.

Speaking of unfinished, I'm going to move into individual things that worked and didn't work this season, starting with Jackson and Cal. Quite simply, there was no resolution. Their relationship went nowhere this season, it was just something that sort of lingered over the audience's head but never went anywhere. I found it increasingly frustrating and thought there were multiple moments that could've been worked to create a resolution between them, whatever that may have been. Like when Cal went missing, if Jackson had found them rather than Eric, something could have been done there, a talk, a moment, anything. I just didn't like how they were sort of glossed over. Ultimately, I felt their storyline was unfinished and, as a whole, discarded.

Before moving on I want to talk a little bit more about Cal. I thought they had a lot of potential when they were introduced in Season 3 them being non-binary was practically their only defining trait. I had hope that more would be done with them this season because it's great to have NB representation in shows but I don't feel more has been done. There were some pros, like us getting a bit of a view into Cal's home life, but aside from that it didn't feel like much had changed and the only moment Cal was at all crucial to the story was right at the end.

I also felt that Otis and Eric's "rift" didn't work. One of my favourite things about Sex Education has been Otis and Eric's relationship because they have an incredible bond despite their differences and are always there for each other when needed. The lack of this relationship this season was very much missed. While I understand Eric's inclination to befriend people he felt were more similar to him, I feel the show navigated this badly and it was sort of an afterthought. Otis and Eric's fight was furthermore incredibly redundant as it was similar to fights Otis and Eric previously had made up and moved on from, making it seem like a fight for the sake of a fight.

There was quite a bit of fighting for the sake of fighting this season. Which brings me to my next point, Maeve and Otis. I was firstly glad the show had them keep in contact while Maeve was in America so they didn't start in that sort of strange, vague place they did in the third season. However, their on and off this season was very unnecessary. With the death of Maeve's mum and her having just come back from America, their relationship would have already faced enough challenges and obstacles. Getting to watch them navigate that in a relationship would have worked a lot better than the same "will they, won't they" the show has been doing for three seasons already. It's gotten old. We ended up not getting much time with them as a couple which I was really hoping for.

Maeve and Otis' ending in and off itself was understandable but I am very upset regardless. I loved the bit with the note, I thought it wrapped everything up very well. I liked that she kept the shirt, I liked that she chose herself and her future, I like how he closed his eyes when she left so, to be fair, I liked quite a lot. But, as I've said, I wish we had gotten more time with them in the season because I think it would've made it more impactful.

Something that wasn't major but I quickly want to talk about was Eric's relationship with religion this season. While I liked that the show presented how difficult it can be being a queer person who is still religious and finds community in church or worship in general, I found Eric's religion journey confusing. The abstract aspects of it (like the signs, the woman who I suppose was God, etc.) were kind of like when Villanelle started seeing Jesus in "Killing Eve". I didn't think the abstract aspects really fit with the rest of the show so it all just felt out of place. However, I liked that it brought about a lovely family moment with Eric and his mum.

I've been talking mostly about what didn't work so I'm switching to something that has. Family moments were something this season absolutely nailed. The scene between Maeve and Jean was absolutely beautiful and so tender. I loved everything about it and I think the show did wonderfully, especially because Jean and Maeve properly meeting was something I have been waiting for since the start of the show. This and the simple, lovely moment were Cal and their mum were lying together.

Also worth mentioning Adam and his dad's slowly growing and healing relationship. Mr. Groff's development throughout the show has been done astonishingly well, I was genuinely rooting for him this season and I loved seeing him trying with Adam. I also thought Adam was great. I liked that he found something he loved, accepting school wasn't for him because it really isn't for everyone and it's very nice to see that acknowledged.

So, there were nice things about this season and I did enjoy it (I mean, I finished it the day after it came out) despite it definitely not being my favourite. Now, I have a multitude of different issues with the end probably because so much pressure and anticipation goes into an ending that when it doesn't reach the expectations we set for it, it can be very detrimental to our overall enjoyment. For Sex Education, I think there are a lot of little things that could have been changed to make the ending more satisfying, more final. But, if I keep going I will never, ever stop (and it is mainly minor things that could've been done) so I think I'll just end this post here on a semi-positive note.

Sex Education is a great show. Yes, it was better at the start and yes I think it could've been wrapped up earlier hopefully leaving us with a more satisfying ending. But it's still very much worth the watch, there's a lot to love, and I still recommend watching it regardless. I want to be clear in saying I don't think this season or the ending was horrible by any means I just expected and hoped for more. Anyway, if you have any thoughts do share them whether or not you agree with me; I'm always happy to discuss.

#sex education #sex ed s4 #sex ed spoilers #netflix #show review #more like show rant #i cannot shut up #shows #netflix series #netflix shows

[putaindeplagieur]

Danganronpa: Killing Games, a Chain of Reactions.

Heyo. Its time for me to strike again with a reaction. This time, from good old @pyropsychiccollector who answered an ask:

https://at.tumblr.com/pyropsychiccollector/what-is-by-far-the-dumbest-plot-point-in-hopes/o2dnjussy0xn

So, as you can see in the article, pyro has three culprits to point his fingers at. Three points which makes me have three different reactions. And I thought 'why not pester everyone with my thoughts again ?'

Only my opinions, lets be civil, prepare the popcorn for some long ass rant... I think you know the jazz.

1: The Future Arc

Lets cut to the chase here. I ENTIRELY agree on this point. Why ?

Simply put, because this 'game' has no proper structure to maintain it. The only reason this exist is to push Ryouta to use his brainwashing video. Thats it.

Of course there is bound to have dead bodies dropping, but not only Kazuo sent all of the Heads of his organisation to the guillotine, but they werent even developped as opposed to the two others. Everything moved so fast we barely got to know them let alone feel attached to, when its even possible.

'It would be too painful to put Makoto in another killing game', the devs said... well whatever this was, it was painful for him AND us.

Honestly, it would have been much better to have the killing game either be scrapped entirely, or have it happen after we see them bound. Make us see how the outside world is recovering by this point. We already saw a glimpse of that happen in Killer Killer, now we wanted to see how things changed by then ! What about the population that struggles and needs help, what about the Despairs themselves ?

We could have had Makotos visions truly evolve, as we see him trying to adapt himself in the dangerous world outside as he get out of the school, trying to give back some humanity in this broken world as he tries to compromise with Kyousuke so they can finally work together in the Killing Game ! Not to mention, the Forbidden Actions were interesting as it put another limitation to avoid !

...

I feel like I could go on and on about what DR3 should have been... but it deserves its own post. I have two other points to go over.

2: Celestia Ludenberg

Aaaaand thats pretty much where I feel like I must say my piece, even if the reasonning

Yes, Celestia, as the Ultimate Gambler, should have known better than involving two victims was too big of a risk. Double murders are pretty notorious to be.... not great in general. And yes, her plan ended up having too much holes to be credible. Honestly, I get people when they say her talent was shamed because of her rash decisions which doesnt fit her persona.

To which I answer... is it really that surprising ?

In a classic gambling match, surely the outcome would have been her victory. Because in my mind, in any official tournament which opposes expert in the field of analysis, strategy and treachery, the result of winning might be worth the risks.

But this isnt a tournament. This is a torture porn game made a psychopath who uses a human emotion as an excuse to make people suffer. Because it made her feel alive.

And we all know the lenghts she took. Aside from brainwashing people, she took years of people who were close to her, making them strangers... and the motives. Their families, their secrets, their greed, their sense of security... she played with everything she had.

Because she knew how they worked. And she knew how to counter their quirks. And that included our best gothica manipulative girl.

Because lets face it guys, even with the most objective look on things, that doesnt excuse her actions. I do think that had she survived the game, some accountability would have been much needed, especially in an organisation as skin tighted as the Future Fundation. Not to mention the Captives.

BUT ! Notice that I wrote SOME accountability. Not ALL of it. Why ?

Simple : who is the one who was manipulating things to turn out this way ? Celestia played her cards, that is undeniable... but who gave her those cards ? Who awoke her greed with the motive ?

Because yes. Junko knew Celestia's dream. She knew how she got there and how far she would go, and she pushed her victim over the edge. I say victim because even though Celes was a bitch compared to the other culprits, and even though she killed for selfish reasons, at the end of the day, she was as manipulated as the rest of her class, a class full of people with weaknesses and insecurities that she took advantage of.

In Celestia's case ? It was her pride.

Celestia Ludenberg was born because Taeko Yasuhiro was, according to her, a boring girl with nothing special... when she thought she deserved better. All the while denying her past that she wants nothing to do with.

The moment Junko put a possibility for her to make her dream, her LIE, a REALITY ? The outcome was inevitable.

Personally, I do think its a shame Celes didnt survive. The death of the mask to let reality sink in. But realistically speaking ? Celestia would have NEVER allowed that to happen. The Queen of Lies can lie to all, even herself. But not to one who knows the truth. That was a match she could never win no matter what.

Because lets say that she got away with her plan... then what ? She can construct her castle in a destroyed France ? And for all we know, what tells me the cash Monokuma showed wasnt fake, rendering all of her machinations for NOTHING ? Uh ? Ever though of that ? She has hidden the Class Trial aspect and the Tragedy until the good time, this is something she would do !

This is something any good mastermind would do : tell their captives enough information to advance... but let the context out of their grasps. The reason is simple : to make them panic and let their emotions do the rest. And as Junko is not directly involved like the participants... she can deflect all the blame on those who cracks under the pressure.

Thats the strategy the bad guys in Squid Games used, thats the strategy Junko uses on those she wants to suffer for her enjoyment.

PLAYING DIRTY.

Thats the base of anyvkilling game. Using the quirks of the participants to make them go unrational. So Celes acting the way she did is upsetting... but surprisingly, I think not only it was intended, but in character. And to those who thinks it doesnt fit her talent...

Damon Maitsu from Eden's Garden.

Spoilers, the talent of debating about multiple subjects doesn’t mean you can communicate with others well. And your ego who belittles the talents of others, as well as using an (although optional) road involving feelings rather than logic ... doesn't help.

Emotions... can get the best of you in stressful situations.

Someone would attest to that.

3: Sayaka Maizono

Everything I said about Celes... also applies to Sayaka. Even more so, in fact, considering her status.

I’m not going to write much more, I’ll just say this.

Sayaka using Makoto in Chapter 1? Unfortunately, that’s... not as stupid as you guys would think.

Again, Junko hiding the Class Trial section of killing someone is on purpose, and the instructions were too vague for everyone to have a good grasp of the implications.

And Junko knows about what Sayaka had to do to get the title. That doesn’t excuse what Sayaka did and tried to pull, but that video? The way she panicked? It was intended to be as such.

Compare her video to Makoto’s. His home was destroyed, his family nowhere to be seen, and he freaks out for a moment, wanting to get out. Pretty intense all things considered.

Sayaka’s though? Seeing your friends on the ground, unconscious? Or are they even alive at all? There’s no way to tell at all, for all she knew... No wonder why she snapped, seeing her closest friend, and NOT KNOWING IF THEY’RE ALIVE... not knowing for sure is a torture.

So when she hears her friend telling her he would get her out of here no matter what... is it really surprising to have her think in dark places?

Bringing the worst in ourselves, all away from logic and rationality...

That is the power of the Killing Game.

Conclusion

Contrary to what Kyosuke says, having rules doesn’t make things safer. Not when they’re stacked against you. Hell in a broken world with attacks which can comes at every directions, and hell in a secluded place without any idea of what those around you might be thinking, with a mastermind that can pull any stunts it can to make people break. Stupid decisions are bound to happen in those settings.

...then again, when the game isn’t structured properly, and when the anime is rushed...

Anyways, thank you for bearing with me.

Now I gotta prepare my shield. See ya!

#danganronpa #dr3 future arc #junko enoshima #celestia ludenberg #sayaka maizono #killing game #project eden's garden #mod talks

[callioope]

I told myself I was going to post something for May the Fourth, and I may not have started it until this evening but gosh darn it, here it is, with over an hour to spare: the Mighty Nein Rogue One crossover AU I’ve been putting off writing since August.

Am I still on my Critical Role bullshit? Did I mash up my two favorite franchises? Did writing this make my heart ache to watch Rogue One again? Is this super niche? Is this super self indulgent? All of the above. Sure hope there’s enough overlap for someone to enjoy this. 

Anyways: Everybody lives. Set sometime before Return of the Jedi. Something something, C2 campaign grafted onto the Star Wars universe and this takes place after whatever that would be. 

---

This time, when the interrogation ends, Major Andor opens the door on the left. 

Groggy from a week long test of fidelity, Essek doesn’t move and simply stares at the shadowed hallway beyond.

“Welcome to the Alliance to Restore the Republic, Essek of no den,” Andor says, stepping aside. His voice sounds just as weary as Essek feels. Weary, and almost neutral, but the tiniest upticks in the corner of his mouth. “Your crew is waiting for you.”

He gestures towards the door. At the mention of the Mighty Nein, Essek finally rises. It could be a trick, his delirious brain warns him. But while Andor has put him through the proper paces that any competent intelligence officer would, he’s never used underhanded tactics. Not torture. 

A better spymaster than myself, he thinks. His brain is not kind. He doesn’t deserve kindness. And beyond that door, if Andor speaks true, and he likely does, kindness waits for him. Essek swallows, but his mouth is dry. 

“Go on,” Andor says. “We’re done here.”

Essek walks through door as if in a daze. On the other side, someone new waits for him: not the hulking, reprogrammed KX-series droid, nor the sullen, suspicious rebel lieutenant that both took turns escorting him to his makeshift cell. 

The man looks at him with soft, dark eyes. The messy hair falling out of the ponytail, the facial hair, and something about his posture reminds him of Caleb, the way he folds in on himself. Caleb is waiting, he thinks, and his stomach churns at that thought, whether that’s excitement or anxiety, he doesn’t want to look to deep to find out. Besides, he’s truly gone through enough soul searching thai week.

“Hello,” the man says, holding out his hand. “Bodhi Rook. I’m the pilot.”

“Essek They—” his voice catches on the name, both from scratchiness but also from the reminder that he no longer bears that name. He shakes head. “Habit. Essek of no den.”

“Oh, sorry, here.” Rook holds out a canteen. Only decades of experience allow Essek to maintain his dignity as he slowly accepts the container and sips water. He knows he must not gulp, that would make his stomach sick, although his body is parched. 

“He hates having to do this, you know,” Rook says, as he starts leading him through an unfamiliar tunnel. “But I do — I get it. I had to go through the same thing — the same ‘orientation,’ if you will. I defected, too.”

Essek sighs, a long exhale that whistles through his nose. “I’ve been in his position. I’ve done worse. You don’t need to apologize.”

Rook cocks his head and looks at him. “I don’t need to apologize. But I am. It’s not pleasant regardless of what you think you deserve. And as I said, I know. I defected, too.”

After taking another sip of water, Essek takes the obvious bait. “Where were you stationed?”

“Eadu,” he says. “Eadu Energy Conversion Laboratory.” 

Essek stops. “Eadu,” he repeats. He recognizes the name, but his groggy brain can’t place it. 

“Where Galen Erso worked,” Rook clarifies. 

The canteen clutched tightly in his fingers, Essek looks back down the hall towards where Andor had spent most of the week extracting every ounce of intelligence in Essek’s brain. Right. Eadu. He’d never been officially told the name of that planet, but had uncovered through his own espionage and analysis after Ludinus had failed to provide extensive details of Erso’s research. 

His eyes slide back to Rook, who watches him calmly, expression relaxed and open. No judgment or scorn. “Did you know him?” Essek asks carefully.

“I still do,” he says, with a gentle smile.

Nodding, Essek starts moving again and Rook falls in step next to him. This makes sense. Of course it makes sense. They’d chosen Andor to interview him specifically because of his background knowledge. All of his crew must know Erso. Perhaps they’d even been the team to extract him from Eadu several years ago. 

“Is—is he here?” Essek dares to ask. He doubts he’ll receive an answer.

Bodhi shakes his head. “No, but I think your friend—Caleb? Has been in contact with him. You know, he is another defector. Well, I’m sure you know. You worked with him, didn’t you?”

“Not—as such. Not exactly.”

“He’s very nice. Not like Jyn. I mean, Jyn is nice, but also tough, Galen is not like that. Don’t tell her I said that — that’s she’s not nice and that she is nice. She doesn’t like compliments much.”

“Jyn?” 

“Oh, right. Don’t think you got names before. She was your, uh, cell guard.”

“She’s Erso’s daughter?”

“Yep.”

“What is it that they say? It’s a small galaxy.”

Rook chuckles. “You have no idea. Not only could you and start our own defectors club, but — well, are the rumors true? Are you and Widogast…?”

“Are we what?” Essek asks, taken off-guard by this new line of questioning. 

“You know. Together?”

Essek would choke on his own saliva if he had any. To cover, he takes a long sip of he canteen; it’s nearly finished. “I…”

“I’m sorry, that’s personal. I shouldn’t have asked. It’s just, well, Luke is really eager to meet him, and somehow it always works out that they’re never in the same system at the same time. You know how it is. But I was wondering if you could arrange a meeting. There’s not that many Jedi around and—”

“You are talking about Luke Skywalker?” Essek asks. 

Rook nods.

“You are — am I to understand, you are telling me that you are — that you and Luke Skywalker are together?” One week of exhausting interrogations and Essek is unable to string a proper question together. 

“Yes. Why is everyone so surprised by that?” He rolls his eyes. “I mean, I get it, I carried the plans to the Death Star, which Luke used to destroy it, there is sort of a — sort of a nice, narrative to it, I guess. But still.”

Essek raises his eyebrows and takes a closer look at Rook. Not quite the same, but also not too different a story about a couple who met when one person returned the very item the other had stolen. He drains the canteen.

“Luke helped me, after i defected. He helped me… find the light.”

The image of Caleb, warm and blinding like the sun, comes to mind again. Maybe it’s something about Jedi. Even with all the darkness of Caleb’s past, his literal experience with the Dark Side, his hope and persistence to improve still shine brighter than any star Essek has ever studied. 

“I’m sorry.” Rook shakes his head. “I’m babbling. The point is. Some rebels are going to be assholes because you defected. But if you ever want to vent, I’m here. I’ve gone through it. And,” he leans a little closer, “same thing, about the Jedi boyfriend thing. Force users, you know?”

Essek realizes Rook must not have been fully briefed on Essek’s own background. He levitates the canteen back to Rook’s hands and raises an eyebrow.

Rook actually laughs. “Okay. Guess I didn’t read the brief closely enough. You a Jedi, too?”

“No,” Essek says, snorting. “We use the Force differently on Xhorhas. I am told it is closer to how the Dathomirians interact with it.”

“I see. Interesting. Well. Here we are.”

They turn the corner and the tunnel opens up to a vestibule, which then opens up to a hangar where the Nein Heroez sits next to another ship.

Speaking of Caleb — just meters away, he sits crosslegged in the shadow of the ship. He’s talking to a hologram that Essek cannot see. Truly exhausted, Essek feels his heart race at the sight of him. 

Past him, the rest of the Nein mingle with Andor and Rook’s crew. Beau spars with his former guard, the apparent daughter of Galen Erso, while Fjord watches. Yasha silently polishes her blade beside a large man as he repairs a repeating cannon. Veth appears to be pestering the KX droid. Caduceus sips tea with a Guardian of the Whills. 

Frowning, his eyes search the vast hangar for Jester, but before he can spot her, blue eyes catch his own. Caleb ends his call, rises, and moves to close the remaining distance between them. The moment stretches out before Essek, as time has stretched and pulled all week, until suddenly Caleb stands before him.

No one else has spotted him yet. Caleb steps even closer, one hand drifting over his arm, the other cupping his neck. He drops his forehead to Essek’s, closes his eyes, and breathes. Essek follows. Where Caleb goes, he follows. 

When they finally pull away, Rook has moved away. 

“You good?” Caleb asks. His voice is almost as hoarse as Essek’s. 

“I will be,” he says. 

Just at that moment, he hears a loud voice echo across the chamber. “Guys, there really is like no good food here. As soon as they release Essek, we’re finding the closest bakery. I’m sure he’s hungry and he needs—” 

Jester cuts off suddenly, not unlike her intergalactic messages, and squeaks. “Essek!” 

Next he knows, the Nein surround him with their special brand of loving chaos. Tired though he is, he smiles. If he leans a little against Caleb, no one says anything. Eventually, they usher him towards their ship, Fjord in particular taking effort to herd them towards the ramp. 

Truly, the strange passage time vexes him — something he proclaims to be the master of slips through his fingers in fits and starts, merely due to overtiredness. He longs to trance. Caleb sits him down on a crate near the ramp as the rest of the crew prepares to leave. The Rogue One crew, as he learns they are called, keep a distance, although Jyn Erso keeps eyeing him from across the way. 

Caleb stays at his side, telling him about what they’ve been up to in the past week. He honestly only absorbs about half of it — specifically making note to ask follow up questions about this project with Galen Erso and whether he really will be allowed to work with him.

When the ship is finally ready, Rook approaches him once more. 

“Here’s how you can reach me,” he says. “It’s not always reliable but I hear — I hear your friend jester is good with finagling communications across systems. And well, I hear you’re not too bad at that yourself. Anyways. I meant — what I told you.” His eyes dart to Caleb and back.

Caleb snorts. “Ja, I will try to find time to meet with Skywalker.”

Rook grins sheepishly. “Good, good. Well.” He steps back and gives a little nod. “Might Nein. May the Force be with you.”

#critical role #mighty nein #essek thelyss #bodhi rook #shadowgast #mighty nein rogue one au #critrole c2 #star wars au #may the fourth be with you #roguejedi is mentioned but luke is not present #everybody lives EVEN GALEN ERSO #imagine galen caleb and essek in a room together #don't mind if i just put my two favorite characters from different franchises in a conversation together #i stumbled onto a lot of Thoughts with this that i didn't expect #anywayyys #really hope someone out there enjoys this very niche mash up #what's my tag for my niche star wars critical role posts #my writing #fic writing #no beta no editing we LIVE like Mollymauk #star wars critical role mash up #I LOVE NICHE STAR WARS AND CRITROLE REFERENCES LOL #apparently that's the tag for my niche star wars critical role posts #i gotta ... get a better tag #anyways #sw cr