I got Death Note HTR13 recently and reading it made me realize how there's barely any thematic meaning put into this story intentionally. Same with political commentary. Even (most of) the discussion around morality. Everything remotely intellectual ppl discuss about this series isn't a conscious decision, to a point that both Ohba (creator/writer) and Obata (artist), admit they were surprised by how much ppl had to say and analyze abt it.

Example of what I mean:

Also during the interview sections, there's so many instances of Obata asking Ohba what his creative vision was for this and that and Ohba just nonchalantly admitting he barely put any thought into the story beyond "oh this would be cool" or "oh this kinda fits the vibe".

There's a whole page of the interview where Obata is befuddled how the apples didn't have any intended symbolism behind them after Ohba tells him they were purely an aesthetic choice. Obata is so shocked by this (bc he knows apples are a common religious motif in art) he actually keeps asking Ohba if he's joking, while Ohba keeps stressing he's being serious. (Context: they never interacted while working on Death Note, they only spoke through their editor who'd rely production notes)

Obata for like three pages during his interview with Ohba in HTR13, after Ohba told him apples had no symbolic or thematic meaning in Death Note:

Shipping is fun and all but I swear every single time someone makes a comment, whether as a joke or in a legitimate analysis, about there being "no other explanation" for a pair's interactions, I lose just a bit more of my sanity

Like, no, you guys don't get it. Romance is not about the Amount of devotion, it's about the COLOR. the FLAVOR of it all. a character can be just as devoted to their platonic friend as they are to their romantic partner, and they don't love either of them more, just differently.

But because the majority of people still have it stuck in their minds that romance exists on the highest tier of love, I'm stuck seeing endless takes that boil down to "these two care about each other too much for it to NOT be romantic" as if that's the core determining factor to how literally any of this works

In conclusion: stop telling me that I don't understand the story if I don't interpret the leads as romantic, I am TIRED

actual scene as it happened in the show

I love this gay ass show with its literally life ending injuries that heal immediately, but only when convenient to the plot, and its ridiculous use of modern phrases, and its laughing in the face of historical accuracy, and its kissing the face of the fans instead of trying to outwit them, and the way everyone involved in the show seem to go 'I KNOW RIGHT! I'M EXCITED TOO!' instead of mocking the fans

perhaps gojo’s impossibly indestructible tight black t-shirt is another metaphor for the walls he put up after being abandoned in shinjuku, much like his infinity; to keep people out when on the contrary, he yearns for human connection. perhaps the only person capable of taking that shirt off is geto—*security pulls me off stage*

good omens fanartists, i love u most ardently. good omens fic writers, i would commit arson for you. good omens shitposters, i cherish and adore u. good omens angst meta-analyzers,,,my therapist knows your names

nbc hannibal is packed with ambiguous symbolism and confusing dialogue and at least three layers of subtext but if you ever get lost just remember that hannibal is a malewife pretending to be a girlboss and will is a girlboss pretending to be a malewife and exposing that in each other is what the show is about at its core

@sassasafreeaction i saw your tags on this post and just had the sudden, violent need to talk about them

As someone with a bad case of CPTSD that comes with insane hypervigilance, Crowley's behaviour is not only incredibly familiar but also makes a lot of sense.

He is used to having to watch his back, not just in hell (where it's a matter of life and death/torture) but also on earth, while Aziraphale has a general sense of unease and the urge to be careful only when he thinks he is doing something potentially incriminating. So slipping into the role of protector was easy for Crowley, in his mind Aziraphale needs him to do it because he won't/isn't doing it.

Scenes like the ending of the Edinburgh flashback show us that Crowley is not being paranoid, it is based on actual traumatic experiences.

I imagine it is also the only way he can feel some relief when they're in public. Having the wall in your back, the person you care about in front of you, and the door and windows in your line of sight is calming and soothes that little anxious scratching inside your ribs, but even then it never fully disappears.

He has all his little quirks, like the twirls he does while walking, constantly craning his neck, even the sunglasses, which yes, they hide his eyes, but they also hide his gaze; people cannot see what he is looking at. I doubt he is aware of it, I certainly wasn't until someone pointed out that no matter where I am, I periodically check the entire room, physically moving my body and head to do a 360°, for example. Even when I pay attention to my behaviour, it's instinct, I do it because that's just what my brain thinks it needs to do to be safe (and it was truly needed at some point).

Hopefully, once they actually are safe, Crowley will be able to properly relax (and probably be super exhausted for months if not years), but some habits and a part of the hypervigilance will never go away.

This is an analysis of Kaveh and Alhaitham’s argument posted on the Port Ormos bulletin board!! Because it is crazy actually!!

I think this exchange of theirs out of the three posted throughout Sumeru is particularly interesting, and this is due Alhaitham openly expressing that Kaveh does not understand what Alhaitham is really trying to say to him: “I have never denied what you meant, but you don’t understand what I am saying to you at all.”

This exchange is relevant in various ways in exploring the motif of communication. As according to their usual rapport, the two disagree over their differing philosophies, as in sensibility versus rationality, however, Alhaitham’s particular concerns in Kaveh spending his money on “nonsense” highlights the underlying reason for this exchange. From this comment, the argument is recontextualised through Alhaitham’s intention for getting involved, as Kaveh prompts the workmen to take his money in order to help them out.

When Alhaitham states that this is a meaningless action due to the inevitability of people rising or falling on their own accord, rather than solely critiquing Kaveh’s “impulsiv[e]” altruism, as Kaveh interprets, Alhaitham is directly contradicting his own comment – as he is interfering on Kaveh’s decisions.

As concern is evidently the intention behind his interference, Kaveh cannot perceive this, and instead attempts to critique Alhaitham’s perspective in return, although Alhaitham states: “Make no mistake. I have never denied what you meant…” This response asserts that Alhaitham does not deny, but rather agrees with, Kaveh’s statement of “mutual assistance, fairness, and righteous anger” driving the world.

In lieu of this, rather than continuing the argument, Alhaitham claims that there is no point to it, as Kaveh does not understand what he is saying, as in, Kaveh does not understand that his intentions in interfering are out of concern. He follows this up, regardless, by criticising Kaveh’s handling of his budget, as, evidently, Kaveh has offered to give his own money to these workmen, and refuses to pay for Kaveh’s drinks for that month.

For Alhaitham, Kaveh’s lack of self-prioritisation leads him to impulsive altruistic acts which serve to jeopardise his own position, particularly regarding money. If Kaveh can afford to give away money, he can afford to pay his own tabs, is the takeaway from this exchange. Although, similarly to the exchange between them posted in Puspa’s Café, this applies to one particular month, insinuating that Alhaitham will continue to pay for next month’s tabs of his own accord.

The main argument, as well as the disagreement over the speaker of Kaveh’s quote, serves as a humorous exchange, but as a motif for communication it acquires a new meaning. The two hold perspectives which contrast the other which puts them on unequal footing, demonstrated within the argument over the speaker of Kaveh’s quote. Although it is not disclosed who is actually in the right, both are convinced of their respective viewpoint. There is an element missing here, a potential solution to this problem, and it lies within the idea of “correctness” established within A Parade of Providence.

The omission of there being an objective, correct answer to this particular debate serves as a parallel to their conflicting viewpoints, with the basis of their exchange being to “prove” to the other their “correctness” – here, it is in regard to Kaveh.

However, “correctness” being the basis of their exchange, and thus, relationship, is challenged with Alhaitham shutting down the initial debate due to Kaveh’s misunderstanding of his meaning. Correctness, then, and its importance, is called into question within this exchange, with Kaveh being the one to chase it; his last message being that he would “prove” himself to be right.

At the core of this bulletin board exchange is the idea that Alhaitham harbours an alternative ‘meaning’ than the one that Kaveh assigns to him: “… you don’t understand what I’m saying to you at all.” This is a meaning which Kaveh cannot perceive due to his current understanding of Alhaitham. This represents the standing of their current relationship, where Kaveh believes Alhaitham holds him in disdain, although this belief is incongruous with Alhaitham’s actions which show his care for Kaveh.

In these instances of communication through the Bulletin Boards, it is interesting to note that Kaveh is revealed to have been drunk and “scribbling” on these notice boards, and hopes that Alhaitham does not know.

Although this is a humorous detail, it adds another layer to the unreliability of their method of communication, as Kaveh has no recollection of these exchanges with Alhaitham, and therefore could not have properly interpreted Alhaitham due to an altered state of mind. It is uncertain whether Alhaitham is aware of Kaveh’s being drunk whilst responding to him, or whether he is believed to have been lucid, which creates another element of unreliability in their exchanges.

Alhaitham understands Kaveh’s thinking and the reasons for why he acts as he does, but he cannot articulate his concern in a way that Kaveh will understand, both out of Kaveh’s incapability of receiving goodwill, but also due to his logical manner of expression. Kaveh perceives Alhaitham’s concealed expressions of concern as personal gripes and criticisms of his beliefs, and therefore believes that their relationship is based on the scholarly principle of proving the validity of one’s philosophies.

The Port Ormos Bulletin Board reinforces the core essence of their relationship: Alhaitham is invested in a personal regard, whereas Kaveh cannot see this due to his perception of Alhaitham and Alhaitham’s inability to communicate in a way Kaveh would understand.

(Update: For more analyses like this, the essay this is taken from is now uploaded! It can be accessed here and here as as a pdf <3)

thinking about how important rose asking roxy if she liked wizards was, and how important her answer was. by roxy saying she actually does love wizards it kinda forces rose to recontextualise every action mom took with the new lens that she actually DID like wizards and it wasn't nearly the passive aggressive gesture rose thought. it's 100% clear that interests were transferred between each kid's alpha and beta counterpart, that much is obvious, so with rose now knowing that roxy actually did like wizards, its possible for her and us to assume that for the most part, everything mom lalonde did was out of genuine care for rose, but saddled with the pressure of the end of the world and a susceptibility to alcoholism, she just had no idea how to show it, and still wanted to give rose what she saw as a normal, feminine childhood (one that she never had if u want to get transgender.) and shit like this makes me LOVE homestuck to DEATH because you can glean and interpret literally so much about rose, roxy, and mom lalonde from these lines

and sure rose does explicitly say that it puts a lot of things into perspective about roxy and mom but the same thing applies here. rose says that its her fault pretty lightly, but there's so much more to it. rose has gone from holding so much bitter contempt for her mother to idolising roxy (and obviously mom posthumously) as her perfect mother who little rose just couldn't understand. this journey of blaming herself started with her drinking on the meteor and meeting roxy is the next milestone in it. it's just the perfect encapsulation of roses own loathing, either she projects her hatred onto her surroundings, or inward. she projects her hatred for being caged and her need to be seen by blowing up sburb gates and aggressively rejecting sburbs quests. she then projects it outward against kanaya and jade in small amounts, and then onto jack resulting in her death. (obviously there was other motivations for how rose acted with kanaya and jack - a crush and jack murdering her mother - but rose chronically needs to be seen and needs attention, which she got from kanaya meddling into her problems like a concerned mother would #mommyissues and jack killing mom was a highly extreme tipping point in her turn towards the horrorterrors.) the same pattern happens with mom. rose sees mom as a passive aggressive hag who simply didn't understand rose and sought to make her life difficult, but now she's a loving mother who rose just couldn't appreciate as a child. both of her viewpoints are based around something that a singular party couldn't do, rather than a more holistic approach. again she projects outwards and then inwards, and it's so important how she does this. and there is some truth to her view of mom post-meeting roxy! we can interpret that mom lalonde was a kind hearted, well intentioned mother who really loved rose and played roses games to feel closer to her daughter, but she was 100% an unfit mother, and rose is unable to accept the nuanced outlook - mom lalonde was by all means a caring person who really did love rose and care about her interests, but rose was still absolutely neglected/abused by mom lalonde. and personally, i think it is SO important that rose thinks this. the fact that the characters in homestuck are kids is obviously imperative, and I think roses evolution in thinking about her mother is such a raw microcosm in a child not being able to accept that they genuinely were abused, even with evidence to the contrary. it's also a testament to just how thematically rich and rife with content to analyse homestuck is, and just how amazingly subtle it can be. hussie absolutely glosses over serious subjects like this in a kind of slapdash way sometimes, roses alcoholism is a pretty big example, but forgetting the author entirely, it's an incredibly compelling way to show a scared, traumatised child trying desperately to understand her upbringing and her parent. i think rose would still be pretty stubborn about it into earth c days, but I feel like she would definitely accept it in time. she'd probably have a similar arc to jade honestly, because she too has so much to accept in regards to her childhood being Bad, Actually. dave would also provide insight on this and living with kanaya, the person she projected her desperate, gnawing need for motherly care on when she was 13, would definitely give her an environment and perspective to reconcile with her having a bad childhood. with a decent support network and Actually facing her internal hatred and biases, probably kicking and screaming because that's just how rose is, rose would be able to accept that mom lalonde neglected her

When discussing or analyzing Dazai, one thing I hope you will keep in mind when reading anything I write about him is that from my perspective, he is always, always both.

What do I mean by this? Well, I find there tends to be a general split among people who hold the opinion that "he's a manipulator and will always be manipulative" and "he's doing his best to be good and helpful and live up to Oda's last wishes for him", of which, neither is completely right - because he is both. But even among the people who hold to this dual-nature interpretation, I find that his individual actions and motivations still tend to be thought of in a dichotomous manner - is it manipulative, or genuine?

Again, I think it's always both.

Dazai has a very pragmatic view on a lot of things - he is always looking for the usefulness of things and people so that the situation turns out in his favour. He's incredibly adept at this, and his prediction and placement and careful reveals are all manipulation tactics to get his allies and enemies doing exactly what he needs them to. I don't think anyone can contest this since we see it over and over in the series.

But that's not all there is to it. He's not solely manipulative and he does, to some extent, sympathize with others - I think there are several instances of this in the series, but I want to stress that this has been apparent since Chapter 1!

For context, Dazai is recalling what Atsushi said to him a few minutes earlier, but it's very interesting that it should be this specific part of the conversation. He could've flashed back to the part where Atsushi said he had nowhere to go; no money, no food - he is about to trick him into joining, after all, and this is the key piece he uses to basically force Atsushi into the Agency. But instead it's Atsushi's self-deprecation that catches his attention, and it really does, because even during the conversation, he turns to look at him after he says this with an odd expression.

You could say that this makes Atsushi easier to manipulate, if that's your angle, but that can't be solely it, because in the later conversation with Hirotsu, we know Dazai was planning to bring Atsushi into the Agency and set him up as one half of the new Double Black the moment he met him. The panel shown there is the riverbank, set much earlier in the day than this scene. He was already planning to pair him with Akutagawa since he figured out he was the tiger, so what's with this reaction?

Well. Sometimes the simplest explanation is the best.

He manipulated Atsushi into joining with the intention of utilizing him in his future plans. He also helped him and gave him a place to belong, and importantly, he likes this kid! It's both.

I think much of it might be that his brain just kinda works way too fast - he's such a natural at crafting these elaborate plots and seeing how things connect and gathering useful people like resources that it's practically automatic - though this is not a great means when you're trying to be a kinder person. There's an omake, I believe, that has him saying "I like using my head for justice", i.e. using these underhanded means to act for the better. Not great, but those are the kind of gifts he has. He's way more suited to exploitation, but is choosing to use these tactics to save people now, which is quite reminiscent of what he tells Kyouka. Kyouka's talents lie in killing people - when what you're good at isn't who you want to be, what do you do? Well, I expect you use what you have, even if it's not ideal.

Now, about the current situation with Sigma - I think he definitely likes him, and is intrigued by him and his situation. We did get a little thought bubble where the guy amusedly compares him to Atsushi, and you can't tell me he doesn't care about Atsushi (listen to the onsen drama cd, or read 55 Minutes if you somehow don't believe me). But also, it's undeniable that Sigma is in a very vulnerable position of being homeless and having had no one be genuinely kind to him before. His trust is very easy to earn, and with the latest chapter, Dazai has now saved his life multiple times. There is, as always, a practical purpose he needs him for. And I have to be somewhat amused because Dazai is quite literally telling Sigma everything he ever wanted and needed to hear. It's a brilliant means of quickly endearing himself to Sigma - but I don't think that's all it is.

Look. The most honest moments we get in this series from Dazai are, interestingly for an expert manipulator, when people are at their most vulnerable. In spite of every pointlessly cruel act he inflicted on Akutagawa, his first meeting with him was open and transparent; much like the orphanage director, it seems he thought this treatment would make him strong and adaptable (he's wrong but that's not the point of this). He cuts Kyouka off in irritation and says "don't give me that" when she implies that she would fail the entrance exam. He tells Atsushi it's normal to cry after losing a father figure and to feel however you feel, even if that person caused you nothing but incredible pain and cannot be forgiven. He refuses to entertain Sigma's assumptions that Dazai sees himself as a superior being to him.

Selective honesty can also be utilized to great effect; Mori does this, and undoubtedly it serves this purpose for Dazai too. But I want to stress that I do sincerely believe this is all still honesty from him. Manipulation, or genuine?

Both. It's both.

I wish some ppl understood that when I say stuff like "L and Near are autistic" or "Light Yagami is not straight", I'm not saying these things because I believe the creator of Death Note intended them to be read this way, in fact I think he'd be against this interpretation completely, but ultimately those are the characters he wrote, intentionally or not.

A detached random example so you'd get what I mean: If you write a female character, who for example, can grow facial hair, it would be correct to say said character is either transfem or has PCOS, even if the creator never intended or realized that the aformentioned groups of women exist when writing the character.

I wish people understood that this applies to queer/neurodivergent/etc. readings of characters in general.

Like yes, I know Ohba wrote Light completely disinterested in women because he wanted to showcase Light's god complex, that Light is so detached from an average man that he wouldn't even indulge in romantic love or sexual desires, as it's below him. I know this is the intent, but when you write a man who repeatedly shows a clear lack of attraction to women throughout the entire story, you wrote a queer man (ace or gay, but definitely not straight).

With Near and L, I know Ohba wanted to write two eccentric genius type characters, but he gave them so many traits that are common with people on the high-functioning end of the autistic spectrum- that he accidentally wrote two neurodivergent characters.

Intent doesn't matter, it matters what you wrote in the text.

And ultimately, no matter what the author says, when you create art meant to be consumed by an audience, that work becomes shared with every single person impacted by it. Your word is final when it comes to the intended vision, but it is not the only reading that matters. As long as someone is able to make a concrete argument for their interpretation of a work, even if it's completely different than the authorial intent, it still holds meaning and value, although it's a different type of media analysis. (Especially in cases such as this when the text itself supports this reading, even though it's unintentional)

Anyhow sorry for the rant, I was on Death Note Reddit and saw people being dumb about ppl making a queer reading of Light's character or an autistic reading of L and Near and wanted to ramble about how they fundementally misunderstand why ppl say these things. Like we know Ohba didn't intend it, we just don't care!

the purposeful framing of this panel (and this entire scene of showing all the people who vash has met throughout the story) implies that wolfwood was AS important to vash as rem was. they both have had the greatest impact on him, so much so that their existence changes vash’s entire sense of morality. and rem and wolfwood, besides knives, are the only two people who vash really allows himself to love? people he wants to be with for as long as possible—when he’s so used to running away, used to going out of his way to avoid getting close to anyone. and it's just like idk *throws up violently*

Taigen x Mizu mentioned in the The Making of Netflix’s “Blue Eye Samurai”

Taken from the livestream organised by Gnomon

Jane Wu:

Next slide, Taigen...

Brian Kesinger:

Everyone's favourite samurai, uh, Taigen. Uh, so, he was designed a bit over the top. The, the, peak of male samurai, even down to the quite prodigious hair bun, which he doesn't have on screen for much. Uh, but, um, he is the visual opposite of Mizu, right, so it was fun to kinda let her design dictate what his design should be, and, you know, I think that, you know, especially for all you Taigen x Mizu fans out there, I think that might be one of the reasons why he's attracted to her. Um, or in my brain, he's attracted to her, uh, is because she is who she wants to be, and doesn't have to put on airs. Uh, and that's a lesson that he has to learn and he literally, I mean, it's on the nose but, he lets his hair down. And that's the start of his journey of discovery, um, which he needs to go. He's, he's got a lot of growing still left to do. Um—

Jane Wu:

I also think he has a, has a talent—he has like a... sword crush on her right, he has like a martial arts crush on her, yeah. Talent crush, yeah.

Brian Kesinger:

Right, yeah. Talent crush. Yes. Yes, for sure.

---

For context, Jane Wu is Blue Eye Samurai's supervising director and Producer, while Brian Kesinger is the lead character designer. Others presenting for this livestream were production designer Toby Wilson and art director Emil Mitev.

not to be overdramatic but i’m going insane over the framing of this shot. how thirteen is completely shaded by the trees (completely overwhelmed with her grief and and guilt and fear). her posture, how her body is angled away from house and she has her arms over her chest, shoulders slightly curling in— she feels vulnerable and afraid and is trying to protect herself. she looks like she wants to turn and run, yet she’s letting herself linger instead of fully turning away. letting herself stay so she can look specifically to house, who stands tall and straight and strong despite being nearly consumed by the trees’ shadows (his own pain, emotional and physical). house, who picked her up from jail, and who continuously refuses to be pushed away or leave her alone (“shut up, i’m not leaving.”) whose face is the only thing in the frame bathed in sunlight. she’s up looking at him from absolute rock bottom, and she’s facing him instead of running. when she shows him her tears, when she meets his eyes… she’s letting herself open up the tiniest bit. she’s risking emotional safety and comfort to reach out to him… her speck of light among all the shadows.

Thinking about that obihoe's post, I love how Obito was sadistic as hell

Like, not even Madara would do half of what he did. No one can convince me Madara would take a newborn, put paper bombs and throw it mid air just for funsies and revenge. he didn't even tried to kill Tobirama, but Obito? "Kirigakure made my only friend crush die, so I'm gonna control their new Mizukage and make this village hell on Earth"

Hell, Madara was disappointed Obito created a fucking war for two Bijuus (one of them would've already been in his possession had he, y'know, didn't use the Kyuubi to destroy Konoha), like damn his plan was to avoid pain and suffering... and you decided creating a war as the right decision?, although he tried to understand Obito when he said "I suppose you had your reasons"

Stop being stoic/understanding, Madara! Obito would never XD

anyway that's I love Obito, he was so unhinged istg

@lalalover33-blog