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venus-is-thinking · 7 months

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DRDT Handwriting Analysis

Hello everyone! I decided to take a look at the canonical handwriting of the various characters in DRDT. We've actually seen a good number of handwritings and it definitely seems like they are specifically written differently, so it's a fun new dimension of the characters we can look at. I've done my best to compile all of them in this post, but please let me know if I've missed any!

I'll be going in order of when we first see them, starting with:

Arei Nageishi!

Arei is our first handwriting reveal, which we know because she wrote the arm wrestling contest board in Chapter 1, Episode 2! She seems to write in all caps and has a slightly curvy style.

Min Jeung!

Whoops, murder time. Min's handwriting is seen on the "OUT OF ORDER" sign. We don't know it's hers when we first see it, but in the trial, it's revealed that she must have written it.

As far as I remember, we don't have another sample of her handwriting, which is unfortunate, given that I believe this is probably not what her real handwriting looks like. She's clearly printing in very straight lines; it's probably meant to look official. If it looked handwritten, it would lower the credibility of the out of order sign.

I also tried to see if you could tell what any handwriting looked like from the papers on the table in the Bonus Episode she's in, but I didn't manage to pick anything out that was actually legible. So, I guess we don't really know what Min's handwriting would normally look like.

Xander Matthews!

Xander wrote "Charles Cuevas' Motive" on this DVD, but a lot of it got smudged off when he planted it in the CD reader (god I hope I got it right I'm sorry Charles I'm trying to remember which is which).

He seems to use all caps. It's also not the neatest, given that the two Cs run into each other despite being on different lines.

Notably, there is a more filled-out version.

However, the red text isn't written by Xander himself, because he's dead at the time. As best I can figure, this is Teruko writing in an impression of Xander's handwriting. The image of the CD appears as Teruko says, "Hm, are you talking about this?" implying she's the one carrying it, and the rest of the writing is filled in when she says so. It might seem like it would be Rose, given that she's the one who figures out what it's supposed to say, but Rose instructs someone else to rotate it, so it can be assumed Rose isn't holding it. Teruko is the one to take the DVD out of the player at the end of investigation, so I'd really assume it's her.

...HOWEVER!

We actually have a specific example of Teruko replicating Xander's handwriting! She smudges it during investigation and re-writes it on. It seems to me like the creator went back to the original version of the CD in the trial (the little ink blot at the left of the O matches better with the first of the two images here, imo). I doubt there was much internal consistency given to how Teruko writes Xander's handwriting when trying to replicate it on this CD, but...

Teruko Tawaki!

Teruko's handwriting is bad-bad. It's very shaky and she struggles with letters. The O and C (as she thinks she's writing) that she replicates back on the CD have some more of the shakiness that this handwriting has, which implies to me that the creator knew at the point of the Chapter 1 murder that Teruko's handwriting wasn't smooth. The replication of Xander's handwriting in red back in Xander's section looks smoother than I think Teruko's would, which might be points towards someone else having written it. No clue who, though.

Notably for Teruko, I honestly wonder if she's meant to have dysgraphia? I don't know a ton about it, but it's a learning disability that makes it much harder for people with the condition to handwrite clearly. Just an interesting sidenote, if anyone with dysgraphia knows more/if this is wrong to say in some way, please let me know!

Charles Cuevas!

Back on track, I skipped ahead with Teruko to put hers next to Xander's. We don't technically have confirmation that this is Charles' handwriting, but it's very very heavily implied. It's written in cursive, which Whit says Charles writes in in the Chapter 2 trial.

This also implies that Whit has seen Charles' handwriting, which could add more to imply that this is his, but considering Charles has evidently seen Whit's (more in a sec), I don't think that means much.

Plus, as a fun note, Charles' custom weapon is the only one that isn't listed on the above handwriting sample. This is the biggest factor in me believing that it's Charles'. (Plus, I think Whit says something about getting it from a friend? I'm not reopening the episode sorry gang)

Whit Young?

Wait, where's the handwriting?

Well, as far as I remember, we haven't actually seen Whit's handwriting. We know from Charles that he dots his Is with hearts, but that's all we got. Sorry gang.

Eden Tobisa!

Eden literally gave us a handwriting sample. Thanks!

It's pretty cute! She has a curvier handwriting style with some irregular spacing, which I think gives it nice charm and character.

The Chapter 2 Killer??? (or accomplice)

Idk man! It seems like it has to relate to someone who's at least somewhat guilty in this whole thing, right?

I've written briefly about why I believe this is Levi's handwriting on @1moreff-creator's Levi accomplice theory post, but that would totally work for the popular theory that he's the killer, too. Either way, it's a handwriting sample.

Bonus!

NO WIFI! WHY LIVE :(

I have no idea who wrote this. From what I can tell, it might've been here when the cast got there...? The weird thing is that it changes.

Shoutout to @accirax for remembering that the white board changed, because I did NOT notice/remember. However, that begs the question...

WHO THE HELL WROTE THIS???

It's very possibly Veronika, as she's the one who's noted to, like, know and remember what Monokuma looks like. If so, that means we have a Veronika handwriting sample, yay! I really don't know who else would be drawing Monokumas. Maybe the mastermind...?

And that's all! Clearly there's no point to this post and I can wrap this-

Haha. You didn't think I actually made a post that doesn't have a theory to it, did you?

This has all been building up to me trying to figure out who the hell wrote this note. Because, I originally believed it made the most sense if it was a note that Xander wrote to himself, but accirax pointed out that we've seen Xander's handwriting, and it looks different. Then, I started noticing that we've been receiving various handwritings. Like, a LOT of handwritings.

I think that it's plenty likely that we're going to receive EVERYONE'S handwriting at some point throughout this series. Notably, all characters who have died thus far (Xander, Min, Arei, Chapter 2 Killer Even Though We Don't Know Who They Are) have already shown us their handwriting. This is probably because we're going to figure out who wrote this note at some point.

Does that mean everyone whose handwriting we've already seen thus far is safe? Maybe! I've gone through and talked about Xander, Arei, Eden, Charles and Teruko's with confidence. From what we know of Min's and Whit's, it doesn't seem like it's theirs, but I'd believe for either of them that it could be theirs if the devs wanted to pull a fast one on us (Whit could just... not write with hearts on the Is for this one. Min was replicating printed text).

I guess that means I'm saying that the most likely authors of the "Kill Teruko Tawaki" note are Mai Akasaki Ace, Rose, Hu, Arturo, Veronika, J or Nico, with Min, Whit and Levi also being possibilities that I just don't believe as strongly. I do want to note that, if Rose IS the one who wrote it, she could also easily be replicating someone else's handwriting. Ultimate Art Forger moment.

Conclusion

I compiled this image of all the handwriting I talked about with the purple being known handwriting and the gray being unknown.

I think it's really cool that the dev put time into giving each of the characters unique handwriting, and I think it's definitely a piece of evidence to keep in mind when theorizing about masterminds and killers and such.

Hopefully this was a fun read! I look forward to possibly figuring out the handwritings of literally every other character someday.

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hanzajesthanza · 2 years

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Does Geralt ever acknowledge Dandelion’s misogynistic comments or are they just Sapkowski’s “humor”? When I read the books I usually just tried to ignore them so I don’t remember.

short answer: dandelion is misogynistic, AND the misogyny is treated as humor. dandelion is a comic relief character+ sapkowski treats objectifying misogynistic behavior* as humor = dandelion is misogynistic.

* i didn't say that sapkowski treats all misogyny as humorous, because overall, ... excepting bounds of reason, violent misogyny is treated as tragedy and horror (think, bonhart with yennefer in lady of the lake chapter 2, or angouleme's backstory in tower of the swallow chapter 3, or vilgefortz in baptism of fire chapter 7 or lady of the lake chapter 9...) but he does treat objectifying, sleazy, pervy misogynistic comments and ideations as humorous, which dandelion is probably the best example of bar none in the series. the only other example coming to mind right now is, for some reason, the marchioness de nementh-uyvar in tower of the swallow chapter 4, who is way worse than dandelion could ever dream of being)

long answer: it varies. at the end of this answer i'll list all of dandelion's misogynistic moments which i remember off the top of my head and how other characters reacted to them, but i also want to tackle this through analysing how sapkowski sets geralt and dandelion up as characters. also for reference, this post is speaking strictly canonically and about what i feel like sapkowski "intended", and not the versions of the characters which i really like (though my headcanons do stick close to canon, i tone this kind of stuff down and make it less of a glaring focus lmaooo)

tl;dr: overall, i think dandelion is intended to be both a contrast to geralt and a comic relief.

as opposed to geralt, dandelion has no shame and receives no social shame surrounding sex and is a characteristic womanizer and philanderer (see eternal flame, a little sacrifice, and blood of elves chapter 1 for references for this). unlike geralt, he does not end up feeling deeply about any women he sleeps with, and does not ever want to deeply commit to them (including anna henrietta. words (claiming that they will marry) are different than actions (sleeping with baroness nique in anna henrietta's walk-in closet)).

geralt, on the other hand, feels intense shame and is shamed by society surrounding any interaction with other people he has - not just sex, but just existing in public. (see a shard of ice and something more belletyn scene for references for this). he can't even tell yennefer, the woman he has been so deeply devoted to for years, that he loves her in a shard of ice, and takes until time of contempt to do so. meanwhile, dandelion proclaims love for any woman he sees, and will probably never see them again.

and of course, geralt is a whiner, embroiled in political drama he wants no part of, and is long, long-suffering. and of course, dandelion (outside of his deep ties to geralt) has nothing to worry about besides composing a good rhyme and tune. with geralt, everything is serious. with dandelion, nothing is serious.

geralt and dandelion are kind of like the archetypical male hero split into two characters: geralt has the violence and badassery, but none of the confidence and sexuality. dandelion has the sexuality, but nothing else. geralt got the sword, but dandelion got the cock. so their opposites are constantly coming into contact with one another.

overall, i'd say that when geralt does acknowledge and visibly disapprove of dandelion's misogyny, he doesn't 100% do it in a "that's disrespectful to women" way, more like a "that's disrespectful to this specific woman i care about" way, (see bounds of reason and baptism of fire chapter 2 on this list, which are probably the most egregious offenders) or that he does not want to incur personal loss from dandelion's stupidity (see tower of the swallow chapter 3 on this list). i just wonder if he'd have the same reaction if the woman was a stranger, y'know, who he doesn't know and has no stake in defending. geralt can be pretty objectifying of women too, i mean... it was his main mistake in the last wish (story, not book). and also something that bothers me is that geralt has mild reactions to things that are not mild, like, he isn't ever really horrified with dandelion, ... he's more like, "ugh, come on man, that's distasteful, stop" instead of "what the fuck is wrong with you" (except i guess in bounds of reason, where he's more of the latter here but still should have been more outraged)

ok here's the list:

short stories

in multiple stories, whenever dandelion flirts with a [younger - maybe late teens or early 20s] girl, such as in voice of reason (a priestess, mentioned and discussed), eternal flame (detchka), and a little sacrifice (the girls sitting on the benches, conversations not in detail). geralt doesn't seem bothered, maybe a little "oh brother, here we go again" rolling his eyes at how dandelion is perpetually flirty and horny. though in a little sacrifice, geralt complains to dandelion that he is always chasing girls, it's in annoyance with the fact that he cannot do the same because he's a witcher, not out of any protective feelings for the girls. geralt even recounts dandelion's behavior to regis in amusement in the tower of the swallow chapter 7, that only the girls who climbed to the tops of very tall trees were free of dandelion when he was younger.

in edge of the world, both dandelion and geralt have a right to be angry with toruviel, but dandelion calls her "slut" which is kind of a directed comment at her being a woman... it was enough to make me uncomfortable, anyways

(this is probably the worst offender on this list; and also most complex because it has both extreme vile misogyny and largely "intended humor", so i'll take some time to talk about it) in bounds of reason, yennefer is groped and exposed (if you recall, she and the rest of the protagonists are all tied up and about to be killed), and dandelion looks on and makes jokes about it, and further objectifies her by making comments about her skin and her age. yennefer, in an effort to get him to stop looking at her and making jokes, spits at him, misses, and the spit hits geralt in the ear. this is likely intended to be comedic as you can tell by the spitting - it is revealed solely through dialogue, which is something sapkowski tends to do when he wants something to be comedic (such as in blood of elves during training at kaer morhen, when ciri is on the pendulum, the end of the passage reveals ciri was blindfolded the entire time, which heightens the comedic amazement that she could do these feats). also, spitting is gross, and "gross is funny," and it hits geralt, who didn't do anything wrong and is now mildly suffering even more for no reason, which is another attempt at humor. TL;DR: this is a terrible scene, but a good example of how it's BOTH dandelion being misogynistic AND a sorry, shitty attempt at humor.

in eternal flame, dandelion comments about how he aspires to have sex with "a half-elf, or even a pure-blooded elf" at the passiflora, geralt doesn't even cringe (but i did. so hard. jfc)

in a little sacrifice, geralt is annoyed when dandelion makes jokes about yennefer's age, but he's more annoyed because he's picking on yennefer, not because it's misogynistic to constantly question and put down a woman for being older than an 18 year old

to turn the tables for a second - in a little sacrifice, dandelion calls geralt out for being misogynistic towards essi daven, assuming that she would want to sleep with him and making an unwanted move on her for that reason. he's correct, of course.

novels

in blood of elves chapter 1, he is "trying to decide which girl to pick" at a brothel (sitting between two topless women) when interrupted by rience. rience seems more inconvenienced by this rather than disapproving. (also, just a point of clarification - frequenting brothels isn't misogynistic, but it's the way in which dandelion speaks of the women there, it's objectifying, etc.)

in baptism of fire chapter 2, dandelion talks to geralt in which the topic of the conversation is objectifying milva. geralt doesn't shut him down, but seems displeased with him - but the interpretation i got from reading this was that he is displeased because dandelion suggests that "geralt wasn't lonely that month in brokilon" which is distasteful because geralt and milva never had a romantic or sexual interest in one another, and because geralt's time in brokilon was filled with agony and pain and he hasn't had any sex since with yennefer on the island of thanedd right before the coup

in baptism of fire chapter 3, dandelion sings some sexual, objectifying couplets while drunk. milva reacts to this by calling him an idiot. no one else reacts to this, though in keeping with the general drunk mood of the scene, zoltan tells regis not to give dandelion any more booze

in baptism of fire chapter 7, dandelion makes his "war is like a fire raging through a whorehouse" comment, geralt seems more annoyed by the fact that he's repeating himself rather than offended by the horrific imagery. this isn't really a strictly misogynistic moment but i just don't think dandelion thinks about anything other than geralt and houses of prostitution

in the tower of the swallow chapter 3, dandelion keeps flirting with the daughter of the beekeeper (who's probably in her teens or early 20s), and since her parents tell him to stop, geralt also gets annoyed and tells him to stop.

in lady of the lake chapter 11, geralt and ciri don't seem offended by dandelion sleeping with baroness nique (a woman quite younger than him, probably in her 20s whereas he is around 38-39 - reminder that nique along with her sister flirted with cahir, and they are the daughters of baron amadis de trastamara, who dated milva), rather they shake their heads and call him stupid

it's also worth mentioning that dandelion does cultivate friendships with female characters in the books such as essi daven and milva (and in something ends, something begins, he does have an entourage of female friends), and it's also worth nothing that he is, like a regular person, repulsed and horrified by rape (baptism of fire, chapter 2) so it's not like these scenes above are the complete whole of how dandelion ever interacts with women. but they are a large part of his character.

#sorry if i missed any #c: dandelion #the witcher books #analysis #ask #anon

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