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raayllum · 3 months

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Knowledge as a Burden / Subjective & Objective Truth :: A S5 Meta

Now, the concept of Knowledge being a burden is nothing new. It's quite literally baked into cultural consciousness (at least in the West; I don't know enough to speak for East cultural mythos) through both the story of Adam and Eve within the three Abrahamic religions, and its close sister story of Pandora's pithos (more commonly known as a box). We also see it in stories such as Bluebeard, in which a new wife is forbidden to inspect her husband's private chambers and deeply regrets her choice to do so, as well as phrases such as "the grass is always greener on the other side," "ignorance is a bliss," and "what you don't know can't hurt you" (all of which are debatable as phrases, of course).

However, it is one of the rare themes in TDP, I think, that wasn't really present in arc 1 and is introduced as an arc 2 (as compared to most that were already in arc 1, and have just been strengthened/matured) particularly as of S5, hence why I wanted to talk about it.

So let's talk about it (specifically Kpp'Ar, Akiyu, Viren, Rayla, Callum Ezran, Soren, and the Jailer, not at all in that order).

Thematic Origins

Like most things in terms of season four thematically, "Knowledge as a Burden" actually starts in Through The Moon, in a lot of ways. There's the other side of it as well - not knowing what happened to her family or Viren is causing Rayla to be increasingly irate and worried - but TTM closes out on Rayla at least being able to face the fact her family is gone. If that was the only big piece of information she'd learned by going through the portal, she probably wouldn't have left.

R: Right before you found me, he opened his eyes, and I knew... He may be caught between life and death somehow, but Viren is on this side of things. He's alive, Callum! C: I don't know, Rayla. I didn't understand half of what I saw in there. [...] I let you jump into the Nexus alone and I knew right away I'd made the biggest mistake of my life. I could have lost you.

However, she Knew - in her bones - that Viren was alive, and so she had to go after him. Even if it wasn't what she wanted (to leave or to hurt Callum) the knowledge itself felt like it was pressing down on her, that this was what she had to do. That she had no other choice.

That being said, TTM is at its core supplementary material. While it initiates the theme in this way (as does Callum's devotion), it may be worth turning to how S4 originates the theme and pursuit of Knowledge, which is not through Rayla directly, but is through Callum, instead.

(If you're interested in Amaya and Callum's parallels in 4x01 concerning partners and knowledge, you'll want to check out this meta here.)

In the beginning of S4, Callum is where Rayla used to be, left in limbo about the well-being and what's happened to his loved ones. And there is, of course, his frustration and quest to properly decipher the mirror, and anger at Soren, when he believes the man is keeping something from him.

This anchoring in Callum's plot line and curiosity indeed informs the true thematic basis of knowledge in Arc 2 in comparison in Arc 1. In the first three seasons, we always knew where we were going — to the Dragon Queen to notify her of Zym's safety/existence, with Viren's initial Aaravos plotline in S2 being a divergence from this level of certainty — but in arc 2, we're purposefully floundering a bit more. Because in a lot of ways

Arc 2 is About the Pursuit of Knowledge

This isn't particularly a surprise, given the seasons have the official title of "The Mystery of Aaravos," and mysteries involve clues that are in the inherent pursuit of trying to gain answers (i.e. knowledge), but it does mark a structural departure from Arc 1, as mentioned earlier, and informs S4-S5 (and most likely S6) more than we might've initially realized.

A perfect example is that, from 4x05 onwards, the main characters (including Claudia and co. until the of 4x09) up until approximately the end of 5x05 (a full 10 episodes) are simply travelling around trying to find the pieces to Aaravos' prison. To decipher its location, its material, and its very nature. But put a pin in it for later, cause I want to draw attention to another quest for knowledge that runs concurrently in season 5 in particular, AKA:

Knowledge as Power

I've talked before about Finnegrin's parallels to Aaravos, but thus far haven't touched too much on Callum's parallels to Finnegrin, even though they're uh

There, for sure. And of course, both Finnegrin and Callum (and Rayla, with her "We're going to need to know one thing: how do we kill a Startouch elf" + Finnegrin's "I just want one thing") have their own similar reasonings, ultimately, for wanting to kill their chosen targets: to maintain their own control and freedom.

(This isn't to say this is Callum's exclusive motivation regarding Aaravos — it isn't — but I do think we're meant to see the blatant parallels as well.)

Control, freedom, and power are all undeniably, understandably linked, then. But knowledge is the undercurrent (pun intended) of all of it. Finnegrin's awareness of his confines is what's driving him mad; Callum knowing that Aaravos can possess him and what the mirror entailed, things he lived in ignorant bliss of for 2+ years, are what worries him in S4. Knowledge and power are inextricably linked, as Viren's character makes particular apparent, which in the case of Kpp'Ar demonstrates a strong Knowledge of his student (with caveats) as well as Aaravos' assessment of Viren. If you have knowledge, you have power — and if you have power, you have agency and/or worth.

Which I think is the subtextual cue to Viren only having clarity ("This is nonsense!") once he casts down his crown (power) in the dream sequences, as well as his end of season "I finally see the truth" epiphany that also comes with relinquishing power and agency over his own life, while ironically exerting it more than ever. But more on Viren and all that later, so pin in it for now.

We also see this element of Knowledge as power come into play with other characters, most notably Claudia in her utilization of dark magic and the creativity she expresses with it, Callum's knowledge of spells, and even Ezran in S5:

However, knowledge in the 'traditional' sense in show isn't solely about magic or spells or prisons, or even overtly negative. There are far more positive sides as well (even if, like most things, it's a double edged sword). So let's talk about

Knowledge as Self Actualization

Have talked about self actualization in regards to Callum and Rayla's individual development in Arc 1 a few times in overlapping ways, so not going to repeat too much here (each of them examining themselves but also one another's worldview - of the cycle and magic/the war - in order to reach the people they were meant to be in many ways, etc), although I am going to touch on them later as per S4 and S5 again.

For a fresher example, I want to talk about Soren.

Dictionaries define self actualization as the process of becoming your fullest self — often times conflated with the best version of yourself — where you become more You than you ever were before. This is especially true for both Soren and Rayla in arc 1, where although they have dips and bends, they are both ultimately selfless protectors secure in the duties they've finally been able to fully choose (and to make up, to themselves, for prior failures). For Callum and Ezran, their self actualization is more transformative into someone entirely new — more confident, more assertive, more compassionate and with the power to express it — than restorative, but again: put a pin in Callum's arc for a bit, cause we're getting to it.

For now, let's talk about self actualization through recognition of yourself through the other (aka in this case, how Callum and Rayla view themselves through the other's eyes in S4 and S5) as well as love being both a subjective and objective truth (with some moon arcanum stuff for spice).

So objective truth is things that are undeniably real — magic exists in Xadia, Aaravos has been imprisoned. Subjective truth is whether Aaravos was imprisoned for a good reason, or that humans can't access primal magic; these can change depending on viewpoint or access to new/old information. For example, while Aaravos likely isn't lying about what he believes will happen ("The sun will rise and you will not") that doesn't make it objective reality; just because someone is telling their truth and perception of events does not make it unilaterally The truth.

But for a more interpersonal view...

In season four, just like Callum doesn't know if Rayla is alive, he doesn't know how to feel about her coming back. Rayla hopes that they can reconcile, but she also knows that her leaving hurt him — even if Callum won't admit it. She had her reasons for leaving and he has his reasons for being hurt, and although somewhat opposed, they can both exist. This follows what Lujanne and Ezran cite, i.e.:

Lujanne: Sometimes real trust is accepting even the dark parts we will never know. [..] Was it wrong? Or was it just differently true?

with notions of subjective truth, and Ezran's assertion of his truth that

But I think I left something out. I ignored something that was true. I denied something that is undeniable. We are angry! I am angry. I have been hurt. [...] But… It’s not that easy or simple. Because people are still hurting and they are still angry. We can’t ignore that, or pretend it will go away. Somehow, we have to hold it all in our hearts at the same time. We have to acknowledge the weight of the pain and loss, but open up our eyes and allow ourselves to hope and maybe forgive and love again.

Whether one has hope or not that the world can be different often times indicates whether they will be breaking the cycle or perpetuating it. We see these conflicting realities once again with Soren and his inability to get through to Claudia ("You're on the wrong side. I know because... I was too")

versus being able to successfully get through to Elmer:

When you can empathize and relate to others — which is a cornerstone of Amaya's growth as well across season three through to season five — you can lend understanding and self-actualization not only to yourself, but also to them: "You know who you sound like?" "Who?" "Me" much in the same way Soren is able to offer it to Elmer, and Elmer reasserts his own identity — his understanding and knowledge of himself, down to his name — accordingly in addition to becoming an ally.

Knowledge is also the foundation of consistency; how well we know someone is predicated on how well we can predict their behaviour and subsequently rely on them, not only in action but also in reaction and responses. There's few things more disconcerting than someone reacting poorly to something you thought they would take rather well. Moreover, if knowledge of ourselves can lead to self-actualization, then our knowledge of each other can also lead to mutual self-actualization. We see this first hand in Rayla and Callum's Arc 2 dynamic thus far, so let's talk about it:

Mutual Love as Self Actualization: Part 1 — Uncertainty to Certainty (S4)

As previously noted, Callum starts out S4 at both a loss with the mirror, and still coping with the uncertainty and stagnation of his loss of Rayla. When Ezran reaffirms that Callum still loves her, all Callum can helplessly rely that he doesn't "even know if she's alive." Things don't really improve once Rayla shows up, either, even if we see the persistent thread of not knowing vs knowing being knit throughout their arc with one another.

We see this knit through, lightly, in Janai's arc regarding her people and place as queen ("Elves and humans [moving too fast]? ... I don't know" "At least Karim would lead with some kind of certainty") as though uncertainty is nothing but doubt, rather than a journey involving doubt as well as the opportunity for growth just as much as any venture (as Callum and Rayla will soon find out).

After all, Callum soon finds a shred of comfort in said uncertainty, and offers it to Rayla accordingly in an attempt to comfort her:

Rayla: This is all my fault [that Soren is dead/missing]. I left him alone! I shouldn't have— Callum: Rayla. Don't. We can't know what happened for sure. I mean, this is the path to Rex Igneous, right? So maybe he couldn’t climb out of the pit, so he had to keep going. You know him. He’s brave. He’s gotta be down there looking for Rex.

And this is also built upon a foundation Ezran has set earlier with his friends. When he is trying to get Callum and Rayla to work together, he doesn't tell them to set everything aside, or even harkens back to their good old days. He asserts their identities and says, "Don't you remember who you are?" because to him — and evidently to Callum and Rayla, because it works — working together and helping each other has become a fundamental, core part of who they are as individuals. They are that interwoven with each other, and Rayla reflects that in 4x07 with, "Callum, you're the 'destiny is a book you write yourself' guy. No one can control you or make your choices for you" as well as what Callum offers up to her in 4x09 where we see the turning point in their prior uncertainty. Although they've both changed, they are fundamentally still the same people they were when they fell in love, and there is both comfort, sadness, and acceptance in that realization, where Callum says:

Which is the tipping point into season 5, and where they stay for the bulk of season five, so let's talk about that next stage.

Mutual Love as Self Actualization: Part 2 — Certainty and Discovery (S5)

Upon reconciling once Callum has said what we knew all along — "I'm so glad you come back" — Callum and Rayla return to the castle, and their searches for knowledge become arguably more explicitly stated by the text. Their first scene together in 5x01 establishes that Callum wants to know the Ocean arcanum ("I thought it would be about controlling the tides or fighting the currents" thereby exerting control, which he desperately wants over himself post-S4) as well as Aaravos, whereas Rayla is seeking answers about her family: "If I can figure out how he put you into the cursed coins, maybe I can find a way to get you out."

This is, of course, something we know she doesn't trust Callum with yet, not wanting to burden him with her problems especially before she's reached her own conclusion of what to do about it (to delay it for the good of the world) and we see that the certainty and forgiveness Callum found in 4x09 has more than carried over.

Opeli: Don't you want to know what she was up to? Why she did all this? Callum: If she didn't tell me, she has a good reason. I know this: the tides are true as the ocean is deep. [...] It means I trust her. Unconditionally. Let her go. Now.

This scene harkens back not only to the love poetry he quoted and then paraphrases ("To love is simply to know this") where loving and knowing someone is deemed synonyms, but also by his reassertion of Rayla's identity in the wake of her transgressions and her silence: "She's not the elf. She's Rayla" because Callum's love for (and trust in) her has always been rooted in the essence of who she is: "That's what makes her a hero. That's what makes her Rayla."

And we see Rayla's own knowledge of certainty challenged and reformed by Amaya in 5x04:

When I was growing up, my big sister Sarai was the smartest, strongest, bravest person I knew. When she died, I felt lost and weak without her. I hated feeling that way, so I learned to be strong alone. Stoic, strong, and lonely. [That does sound like me sometimes.] But the last two years have changed everything. Meeting Janai, falling in love, I am stronger than I ever was — because we are stronger together. And I realized that was the real truth of me and Sarai too. Love and trust grow a kind of strength that is much bigger than we each possess. To have that kind of strength, it is not enough to love someone. You have to trust them to share the burdens you carry.

And although very uncertain about opening up, Rayla still expresses certainty that she knows Callum could and can be there for her, if he wants to be — if he's ready to be.

Rayla: But I think — I know that I trust you to help me carry this. If you're okay with that?

This is, after all, with both Amaya's encouragement and Callum's reassurance that 1) "You can tell me when you're ready" and that 2) he does want to know from 5x01. Then, we see both their arcs in this way largely — or at least they would, in a perfect world — be resolved in many ways by their interaction later in 5x04:

But that's not where their season 5 arc ends, because 5x08 happens. To talk about that, though, we have to talk about a few other things, namely

Oedipus Rex

Bear with me, because I promise this relates. "Oedipus Rex" is a 5th century BCE Greek tragedy written by Sophocles, detailing the life of a man who's name is mostly (ironically) known for lending itself to Sigmund Freud's Oedipus complex theory. The play and myth itself, however, indicate very much the opposite. Prophesied to murder his father and marry his mother, both Oedipus and his parents are accordingly horrified by his apparent fate, and do everything they can to remove it as a possibility, including abandoning their baby to die on a mountainside, as well as Oedipus leaving the home of the family who saved and subsequently raised him, never realizing he was adopted.

He then goes on to discover the truth of the prophesy when a plague wracks his city that the seers say will not leave until the murderer of their king is found, and Oedipus unknowingly pushes until the point of revelation that it was himself, and that his wife for many years is actually his mother. Even when other characters, such as his mother turned wife, Jocasta, begin to suspect the truth and urge him to stop chasing down the mystery so they can have plausible deniability, Oedipus remains oblivious until the horrifying truth is staring him in the face. Jocasta hangs herself, and he gouges his eyes out and runs off into the woods to die.

The reason I bring this all up is because, in the Western literary canon at least, "Oedipus Rex" is considered the "ur-text," otherwise known as the text that all others are modelled after. Not necessarily in the incest or the tragedy, but the fact that most if not many Western stories (TDP included) are continually propelled towards the point of Revelation or epiphany, and that this revelation is inevitable, whether it is positive or negative.

While Viren and Harrow give an excellent display of a relationship that breaks down due to a lack of understanding and compassion, as well as self-doubt on both sides...

Harrow: Call it what it is. Dark magic [...] I've spent years going along with these creative solutions, and where has it gotten me? Viren: I don't understand. Harrow: I know you don't. Leave me. Viren: They will find you and they will kill you. Harrow: I know this. Viren: But know this: anyone of these men and women would gladly trade their lives to save yours.

Likewise, we see Viren through his dreams seek the form of acceptance ("I hope you know--" "I know") that Rayla has offered Callum, except from Harrow, as well as going further into what Viren has deeply wanted for most of his life and from Harrow in particular; to be listened to, to be valued. (How pure that is in practice is debatable given their dynamic outside of Viren's dreams, i.e. Harrow listening to you does not always mean agreeing with you, but I digress.)

Harrow: You are a brother. You're my family. Viren: I've always thought of you as my family, and you know, I would do anything for my family. However dangerous. However vile. Harrow: [Still hugging him] I know. Viren: It is everything to me, to know that I mean something to you, to know that I matter. It's all I ever wanted.

But what should be a scene of comfort and reassurance turns into a literal nightmare. Into entrapment. Into imprisonment.

Knowledge as a Burden / How Knowledge Can Imprison You

I've said before that Arc 2 is about the pursuit of knowledge, specifically because more than the mystery of Aaravos himself, the bulk of the main characters are trying to unravel the mystery of his prison. Season five, by virtue of offering more clues (the nature of the prison, its appearance, and its location) also reveals more of the layers in both the construction of the prison and the dispersion of the clues. Even the mighty Domina Profundis states, "I do not know where it is," but that "I do know what it is."

Previously, we've mostly talked about knowledge, especially within the text of the show, as a positive thing. It is the foundational rock of a strong relationship, it can lead to positive self actualization, and it helps the heroes keep Aaravos from being unleashed. When you do not have enough knowledge or perceived understanding of someone (Claudia assumes Soren could never understand her, and Viren and Harrow's relationship breakdown), your relationship accordingly deteriorates. When you share knowledge, and share experiences (Rayla to Callum about the coins, Soren to Elmer about abusive cycles), you can become stronger together.

But knowledge is not exclusively a good thing. It can also be harmful, or unwanted, or unwanted precisely because it's harmful. It can bind you to deals or bonds you don't really want, and once you know something, you cannot un-know it, whether about yourself or about others. And we see this most plainly in the story Archmage Akiyu shares about the prison.

Because Aaravos was a master manipulator, the Jailer knew all knowledge of the prison had to be protected... its location, its material, its very nature. She carefully divided information about the prison so that not even the Archdragons had the complete picture. Each knew only a piece. "The puzzle is the real prison," she told me with a proud smile. But I made a fatal mistake.

Akiyu didn't mean to look. She didn't mean to discover, to know. What should've been a noteworthy accomplishment of being trusted to keep the world safe, so it would be a better place for her and others to live in, nearly spelled her doom.

I begged her to let me live. I swore to keep the secret safe, but she said it was too important. "The archdragons will have to kill you," she told me, "to protect the puzzle, to secure the prison."

There's a few interesting things here. We can see, from the severity that Akiyu holds regarding her oath, that the Jailer was genuinely concerned about making sure the prison would hold Aaravos, in addition to the fact that Jailer would be condemning Akiyu to death without having to bloody her hands herself. But the intensity here does make sense; as she just said, "the prison is the real puzzle," and now that's been potentially compromised.

We even get a bit of bonus foreshadowing, as Callum turns to look at Rayla, indicating he hasn't forgotten what he asked her to do in 4x07, and that him gaining more knowledge about Aaravos (or the key?) may not necessarily be a Good thing.

Rayla: [About the cube] It's a toy. A piece from a children's game. I hope it was worth it to you, putting everyone's lives in danger (1x04).

If you have knowledge, you have the capacity to share knowledge, either for a common good with people you trust, or to potentially have it twisted out of you under duress, both of which could've posed a danger if Akiyu had trusted the wrong person...

or if someone (much the same way Ezran put it together) went after her to get information but with less favourable intentions...

And we see that Akiyu was likely aware of this as well:

So I proposed a pact. I made a solemn promise I would die before revealing the location of the prison to anyone. And she spared me.

She ends her history lesson by reaffirming a sentiment she already expressed earlier, citing, "I didn't want to kill you, but you left me no choice. I swore an oath, and I intend to keep it" and reaffirming it here with, "So you see, when you came looking for information about Aaravos, I had no choice. If I didn't deter you, I had to kill you." At best, Akiyu's acquisition of knowledge made her prepared to put blood on her hands (if it isn't there already from previous knowledge seekers) and provides her justification in doing so.

If she could just un-know something, her life and the information would've been much safer for everyone involved, and yet that wasn't really possible. Once you know something, you cannot un-know it. (What is done cannot be undone.) Although what happened was a genuine accident, and Akiyu wanted to live, she still understood the importance of what was transpiring and why the Jailer reluctantly wanted to remove her from the equation ("The archdragons will have to kill you" / "You have to kill me. I need you to promise") to be safe rather than sorry.

And then on the flipside we have Finnegrin, who is punished for 'genuine' crimes (we can assume based on his actions that his prior ones weren't much better, but we also don't totally know for sure), spared without begging for it, and is deeply resentful of the restrictions placed upon him.

So while to get out of her predicament, Akiyu is an Tidebound elf who holds onto knowledge, Finnegrin is a Tidebound elf who wants to get out of his predicament by gaining knowledge — by any means necessary. Because knowledge is power, knowledge is agency, and knowledge is imprisonment. Which means it's finally time to talk about:

Knowledge and the Ocean Arcanum

So if S4 is about beginning to navigate both in spite of and within uncertainty, S5 is about having the safety of that uncertainty stripped away, both in creating more of it, and in removing some of it. Namely, the Ocean arcanum:

Finnegrin: What did you think you could do, boy? I control everyone on this ship. Everyone.

Callum: [Internally] Do not ask how the ocean's blue... or why their time the tides do keep. To love is simply to know this. The tides are true as the Ocean is deep.

Now I've talked more about the specific symbolism embedded in the scene where Callum internally unlocks the Ocean arcanum — the closing of his hand mimicking what he must've done to crush the slug (as well as the importance of hands and consistent gestures throughout the episode), the sea and storm and darkness receding because the arcanum is, ultimately, enlightenment, etc.

And in some ways, Callum unlocking the Ocean arcanum should be outright enlightenment with all the positive connotations that comes with. It's him achieving the goal he wanted from his first scene this season ("I'm trying to get into a place where I can connect with the Ocean arcanum"), it has all the positive light and lack of storm associations, and it allows Callum to triumphantly break free from Finnegrin's blood ice grip, for lack of a better term.

Callum: But then, you already knew that, didn't you? Because it's the secret of the Ocean itself. The arcanum. Finnegrin: Impossible. Callum: You helped me figure it out. I thought it would be about controlling the tides, or fighting the currents. But it's the opposite. The Ocean arcanum is about accepting there are depths you can't see, parts of yourself you can't understand, and things you can't control. You know what I'm saying is true because you were born knowing it. No matter how much you try, you'll never control everything. And that terrifies you.

I'm afraid, Rayla. What if I'm on a path of darkness?

Callum does not frame him unlocking the Ocean arcanum, nor the arcana itself, as a victory. Not to say that either of those things are bad, but that they have layers, and complications, that largely were not present (at least at the time) with the Sky arcanum. While Callum learned in S4 the dark side of potential and how consequences can catch up to you, in many ways, S5 is about deepening that understanding to the fact that no matter how much power you have, you can still not control everything. There will always be moments you feel powerless. There will always be moments you are found desperate.

He chased the Ocean arcanum because he thought, if Sky granted him potential and freedom, then Ocean would grant him control, but the truth was more complicated than that. While it did grant him control (the ability to break free from Finnegrin's spell), it also granted him a rather hard truth he'd rather not know.

The first time he cites his poem about true tides and untold deaths, he is talking about his faith and trust in Rayla — the way he views her: "If she didn't tell me, she has a good reason. [...] I trust her. Unconditionally."

The second time he recites the poem, it is about himself. The untold depths are within himself, are parts he is still trying to understand in full because they are uncomfortable truths. In many ways, Callum unlocking the Ocean arcanum is his version of Ezran's 4x03 speech (see how we looped all the way back? 'Totally' intentional I swear), that multiple things can be, and sort of have to be, true in order to gain new ground, even if there's a part of you that wishes it could be simple.

I had a speech planned for today. It was about peace and love and hope. But I think I left something out. I ignored something that was true. I denied something that is undeniable. [I'm not a dark mage. I will never help you. -> That's the dark magic you want. Just... just let her go.]

And just like his brother, Callum can no longer deny the truth.

Callum had to accept parts of himself that he was previously denying — where they could lead and what they could do, and how he could be manipulated/coerced/controlled — in order to access the Ocean arcanum. Love both makes him stronger, by his own assessment, and weaker, per Finnegrin's. Losing control made him realize what he'll do in order to have control again, even if it's temporary, even if it might not work, even if it might have disastrous consequences, because what he gains in the process — in this case, Rayla's life and safety - is worth it to him, even if all that knowledge is also scary to him and something he's going to continue to learn how to cope with.

Callum's knowledge of himself then becomes a burden, both a metaphorical and literal chain (undoing his chains so that he can free Rayla, while knowing he's chaining himself further to Aaravos in the process).

With this in mind, the ocean arcanum thereby embodies all the facets of Knowledge we've largely been looking at across S4 and S5 in particular. It is Love ("To love is simply to know this") and self actualization/discovery ("parts of yourself you can't understand"). It is power ("The secret of the Ocean itself - the arcanum" "Impossible!") and it is a burden ("there are depths you can't see" with his hands clasped like chains not for the first or last time this episode). It is freedom, yes, but the Knowledge Callum now holds is also imprisonment.

Conclusion

If you made it all this way, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. While there were other elements this season (Viren's atonement and self actualization arc which begins and ends with him becoming aware of the Truth, or knowledge, of his actions, for example) I felt they were better suited to other core themes or motifs — a general theme of self actualization or the way TDP discusses truth and sight, for example, than being tethered directly to Knowledge in this way.

I expect we'll see this be continued further as the cast chases more knowledge about Aaravos and his past / power in future seasons, in addition to the potential knowledge he and other Startouch elves such as Leola passed down to humanity that had a variety of consequences.

For now, I will see you in the next meta.

—Dragons out

#tdp meta #tdp #tdp soren #tdp callum #the dragon prince #rayllum #varrow #s5 #arc 2 #s4 #analysis series #analysis #listen i got to talk about oedipus rex so i'm happy as a clam

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misstycloud · 1 year

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Omg plz more Yandere Slasher

Slasher yandere

The static noise of a television travelled through the large room, on the couch placed in front of a TV sat you and watched the news.

Concerning incidents had begun taking place and you were worried. Much more worried than your housemates or anyone else on campus seemed to be. It was weird, it was like they didn't care at all or as if they believed it was some sort of joke.

The woman in a green blazer was interviewing the parents of the recent victim. She held the microphone to the somber pair and let them speak to the camera.

"W-we just can't believe our little g-girl is really. the Mrs cried and clutched her husbands arm.

"It's so hard to think that anyone would do such a thing."

They were obviously devastated at their daughter's murder and you felt so bad for them.

It's awful how this happens and you couldn't imagine how the victims loved ones must handle it. Their children, sibling or friend has been brutally murdered by an unknown killer.

Thinking about the gruesome details of the murder you just heard minutes earlier by the reporters, you shuddered. You couldn't envision being stabbed more than ten times and then tied up in the living room.

These crimes took place around town, always young people; exactly like you. But lately they've come closer to your collage and you've began getting worried about it. What if something happens to your friend or if you're next in line to be slashed? While you thought about these things a lot recently your loved ones hasn't appeared to share your thoughts.

Mia and Sole had laughed when you expressed your concerns regarding them continuing attending parties and getting black-out drunk, there was just no convincing them to stop. Your sweet boyfriend of five years didn't directly laugh at you but he didn't support you either, he simply told you to stop watching the news if they scared you. Also that you needed to put down the horror movies too.

Pulling the blanket over you, you rubbed your arms to rid yourself of the cold. It didn't work very well. Sitting all alone in your dorm house when all the others are out partying at someone else's house, you were feeling a bit queasy.

Now well aware of the stiffening silence save the television that had actually had its volume turned down, maybe you should have gone to the party as well. At least you wouldn't be alone. This was one of those moments were the more you thought, the more you'd scare yourself. It was stupid but that's how it was. A sudden slam of the door made you shriek in alarm.

"Woah!" a familiar voice sounded behind you.

"What is it? Did something happen?"

You sighed out in relief, "Gosh, Matthew! You scared the shit out of me!" you scolded your boyfriend who rushed inside as soon as he heard your scream, thinking something might've gone wrong.

"Sorry, love." he said and approached where you were laying on the sofa and plopped down beside you. Grabbing you by the jaw he leaned in to give you a passionate kiss, which you reciprocated with heat of your own.

"Why hello there, handsome." you teased him as you two separated and he smiled before one last kiss on your forehead.

"Hey.

Matthew and you had talked earlier that day and agreed that he would show up later that evening when everyone else was away, you hadn't wanted to be alone and it was the perfect opportunity for you two to get some alone time together. Though being immersed in your own world you forgot about your plans and got scared when he arrived. Silly you, you thought.

Although when you glanced at the clock, you realised he was somewhat late compared to the time you two had settled on.

"You're late you know."

"What, really?" Matthew looked at the clock on the wall above the TV. "Sorry, I didn't notice." He sheepishly scratched his head apologetically.

You pretended to think for a moment, crossing your arms in thoughtfulness. Then a smile sparked up and you said, "I forgive you.”

"You goddamn-"

You shrieked as Matthew slapped you with a pillow he grabbed to 'brutally' beat you with it.

Laughter travelled through the large room and didn't stop anytime soon. His playful nature was one of the things you really loved about him, he always made you laugh no matter what mood you were in before. You wrestled him and wanted to pin him down in a winning manner but he won quickly over you.

Of course he came out victorious, your boyfriend was a bigger guy after all; towering over the other students and having it easy with physical activity. A couple years ago you had asked why he didn't join any sports team when he could clearly bring accomplishments to the group. Matthew had snorted and chuckled at your suggestion.

"What, you wanna date a jock?" He teasingly asked.

You slapped his arm and flushed. “No, I’m just saying. You could really contribute, our team now isn't exactly...that good."

"True. But I still won't join."

"Huh, why?"

Matthew stilled and a frown played on his lips. “Because I wouldn’t have time or energy to play it seriously.”

"But it's not like you have any after-school activities." You stated.

Chuckling, he ruffled your hair, "Not that you know of. Besides I never cared for those things."

"I guess-wait. 'That I know of?"

Before you could inquire any further, he interrupted you by pulling your body closer to his and kissed your forehead. Startled by his sudden display of affection, you pawed at his chest to let you go. As per usual, he didn't take it seriously and continued to wrap around you.

In his mind he sighed in relief, he had managed to divert your attention to something else. It was a close call. He really needed to be more careful and not let things slip, or it would turn sour quickly.

Trying to catch your breath, you glance up at Matthew and get lost in his familiar eyes. They drew you in with their expressive passion and wouldn't let you out of their grasp for even a second. With great love in his heart he leaned in and gently pressed his lips against yours. Your hands went around his neck and brought him closer.

You kiss deeply and both of you let out small gasps at the feeling. While the two of you were befining to intensely make-out on the couch.

the loud slam of a door stopped you in your tracks. Breaking off your kiss you hastily push Matthew away and turn your attention to the entrance. There stood one of your housemates looking absolutely horrified. At first you though it was because she'd accidentally walked in on you, but after her expression didn't break you started suspecting something else was at play.

"What is it?" You urgently ask and run up to her.

"W-we were just going to have some fun, that's all. It wasn't s-supposed to go like this." She shook.

Wanting to know what was wrong and help your friend, you try to press an answer from. Her.

She was actually starting to make you worried nOW.

"Things were fine at first-but then everything went wrong.."

Again you urged her to reply.

"Sarah is..-she.."

"What? Sarah is What?"

"Dead."

"The night of (date) an emergency call was made by one of the young adults attending a party hosted by an associate. The body of 20 year-old Sarah Summers was found in the bathroom on the second floor of the house.

The victim had multiple wounds covering her body and is showing great signs of struggle.The police now suspects it is the work of the same murderer that has been at large for the past five weeks."

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sokkastyles · 10 months

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I know you've responded to this post before, but I also saw this reblog of it and I thought you might like to take a crack at it.

I've already addressed a lot of those arguments about the Southern Raiders and the claim the episode was "really" about how Katara and Zuko needed Aang's guidance and how they're so insensitive towards Aang's feelings about Katara's feelings (because Katara's feelings need to be about Aang for some reason?) So I'm not gonna rehash all that, but I do want to address this:

"That's cute, but this isn't air temple pre-school." / "Okay, guru goody-goody..."

"You're weak, just like the rest of your people! ... They don't deserve to live in this world! In my world!"

Do sound kind of similar

Because they only sound similar if you are reading Zuko's lines in the most uncharitable light. And yes, there is a difference between Zuko being a redeemed villain and Ozai being the main big bad AND Zuko's abuser who his narrative is about rejecting in every way, especially since this wasn't something Zuko said as a villain, and neither Aang nor Katara act like it was wrong of him to say or think. We already know that Zuko does not believe that the Air Nomads are weak and don't deserve to live in the world. Only a few episodes previously, he told Ozai directly that that was wrong!

It's extremely reductive to compare Zuko disagreeing about whether Katara should forgive her mother's murderer to Ozai advocating for genocide. Like, that's so far from what the argument is about. This is like Christians going around telling victims of abuse that if they don't turn the other cheek they will go to hell, and when someone disagrees with them they act like they were told to go die. Aang is not being victimized by Zuko disagreeing about what he thinks Katara should do about her mom's murder. But Zuko IS an abuse victim who has been told by his abusers that he needs to seek their forgiveness for imagined crimes that were used to hurt him. That's why Zuko disagrees with Aang's take on forgiveness, not because he thinks the Air Nomads are weak.

Also, I and other people have pointed this out already, but rather than what Ozai says about how the Air Nomads did not deserve to live, Zuko says that Aang's statements on forgiveness are more applicable to "Air Temple Preschool" than to the real world. This isn't some nihilistic statement about how the world is cold and hard or advocating for Ozai's darwinist take on "weakness," Zuko is saying that Air Nomad teachings that don't come from lived experience don't have a place in Aang telling Katara what to do about her mother's murder. Aang has experienced immense suffering, but his lines about how the monks say that revenge is a two headed snake don't come from his experiences of suffering - and Aang is never put in the place of having to forgive an unrepentant person, he does not forgive Ozai, and only forgives Zuko because Zuko sought his forgiveness and genuinely changed - they are merely words he was taught that he uses to tell Katara what do about a situatuon he has never been in and will never be put in. The words don't mean anything for Katara's situation, which is about her specific experiences and the man who murdered her mother. That's what Zuko meant when he was talking about the difference between aphorisms one might be taught in school and the real world.

Additionally, although Zuko says to Aang that he was right about violence not being the answer, we already know that Zuko is capable of finding that out on his own, because we saw him reject being goaded into violence by Ozai in Day of Black Sun. We saw him accept Katara sparing Yon Rha without a word. And we saw him in the final agni kai, the actual parallel to Aang's fight with Ozai, defeat his sister without killing her. When Zuko asks Aang how he is going to defeat Ozai, it is not about Zuko thinking violence is the only answer, it is about the fact that currently, they HAVE no answer to the question about what to do about Ozai. Neither Aang nor Zuko know about the lion turtle, and Zuko not knowing about it is not a flaw in his morals. The AUDIENCE doesn't even know about it until the last minute, and the question of what Aang will do about Ozai is answered not by Aang sticking to his morals and proving himself morally superior, but narrative contrivance.

That's why the lion turtle feels like such a cheap win, especially in the context of this argument. The argument seems to be that Zuko should have somehow predicted that pacifism would win the day through an unlikely set of circumstance that conspire to make it happen. If only Zuko, as a thirteen year old, had been able to pull something similar out of his ass to avoid not being burned by Ozai. But alas, clearly the reason he couldn't is because he just didn't believe enough in the power of pacifism, and had to learn it from Aang, who the narrative bends over backwards to accommodate. The real difference here is that Zuko and Katara didn't have the moral luck of the narrative on their side and Aang did. Imagine if Katara's quandary about what do about Yon Rha was solved by her revealing at the last second right before she shoves an ice dagger through Yon Rha's eye that she actually learned how to neutralize him nonviolently in a flashback from a flying hog monkey and then lecturing Zuko for five minutes on the evils of violence.

Even without the deus ex machina, Katara and Zuko still manage to defeat Azula nonviolently in the literal parallel to Aang's fight with Ozai, so like, I don't even know what the point of this comparison is except annoying virtue signaling.

#zuko #katara #the southern raiders #the final agni kai #the lion turtle #atla criticism

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meraki-yao · 1 month

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I know we shouldn't compare them because it's not fair but when I think about how much criticism rwrb received as a film and how it was never enough for the audience but the first reviews of the idea of you call it "film of the decade" (I really doubt it, please people watch more movies) or say that people were screaming in the theater during the sex scenes... As a queer person it makes me suffer that the projects made for us are never good enough for the public but for straight films literally is enough the bare minimum to make them scream masterpiece. Again, this isn't a comparison or hate for tioy but it makes me sad.

Honestly, I'm in the exact same place as you are. I was thinking about it a lot this morning.

I don't know how fair my judgement is because I am inherently biased towards RWRB but I also feel upset about how much TIOY is getting compared to RWRB. Granted TIOY has the advantage of star power, with Nick being more well-known after RWRB and M&G and Anne freaking Hatheway, and to a certain degree One Direction/ Harry Styles, but just from the premise... It's doesn't sound as groundbreaking or new as what RWRB or even M&G did. I can expect it to be a fun romantic movie, but I can't see it being something as... fresh and impactful/ meaningful to an audience as RWRB and M&G are.

I don't know how much right I have to say this as someone who currently identifies as cis-straight, but the double standards between queer media like RWRB and heterosexual media like TIOY is very frustrating, It's like there's so many more steps for queer media to climb to "catch up" with a straight media of a similar genre/premise. Even with the ratings, RWRB did not deserve R at all. But I do think we're gradually making steps towards improving this phenomenon. Slow steps, but steps nonetheless. So please don't loose hope.

As for "film of the decade"... I'm sorry but that's gotta be an exaggeration. Stuff like Barbie, Oppenheimer, Avenger Endgame, Spider-Verse being called "film of the decade", I can understand, but this is not it. Hell, as much as it's straight up part of my soul now, I don't think RWRB fits "film of the decade". If we're taking that title seriously, then that's gotta be something really creative and new, something that hits hard. So yeah, you're right. People need to watch more movies, or have better media literacy.

I don't think there's been a single day since the movie was released that I didn't agonize and grieve over what we could have had. RWRB had so many disadvantages: As upsetting as it is, queer media, especially rom-com is still inherently seen as something lesser, which is fucked up, but unfortunately it's where we're at right now. On top of that, the timing of the strike directly coincides with the promo period of RWRB. The strike was for a good cause and achieved great things for actors, it was necessary, but that doesn't stop the lost of what we could have from hurting. So compared to other movies and projects (and not even necessarily just the boys' projects, recent streaming media in general) RWRB had so many disadvantages. If this was a race, then our starting line was pulled back a couple of miles.

But on the bright side, you gotta think: even with nearly zero promo, even with so many disadvantages and setbacks, RWRB still managed to achieve a lot: Most streamed movie on the platform globally for (I think?) three weeks, top most-streamed three romcoms on the platform all time, PGA and Glaad award nomination (and hopefully more to come down the line) and look at us! We're still going strong, and a sequel is in talks. There's never a fair comparison when it comes to things like this, but I said we're pretty amazing, and that's something that can't be taken away.

#anon ask #answered #rwrb #red white and royal blue #rwrb movie #rwrb thoughts #meraki essay

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elancholia · 7 months

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(via) This paper (preprint) essentially argues that the Indo-European expansion into Europe was accompanied by zoonotic plagues which arose in the Steppe, to which the IEs were adjusted (gently, via "long-term continuous exposure") and the Early European Farmers (the neolithic inhabitants of Europe) were not. They analogize this to the plagues which afflicted the Americas after the arrival of Europeans, correlating it with "increased genetic turnover" (population replacement) in Europe.

(So, two instances of Indo-Europeans conquering a continent in the wake of apocalyptic plagues. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.)

Their method is to check for microbial DNA in samples of human remains. What they demonstrate, afaict, is:

a) Zoonotic diseases first appeared around the time of the IE migrations, being first detected in samples from 6,500 BP and peaking around 5,000 BP.

b) IEs are consistently more likely to be infected with zoonotic diseases than non-IEs. (This greater incidence of infection seems to persist throughout the period.) This "suggests that the cultural practices and living conditions of the former might have been more conducive to the emergence of novel zoonotic pathogens." (14)

So they don't directly demonstrate that EEFs were ultimately hit harder by these illnesses, they just say that it would make sense for IEs to have adapted to them. As far as I can tell, this is fair; they cite a paper which claims that increased disease pressure may have resulted in adaptations to multiple sclerosis in the Steppe and another which suggests a similar trend among Amerindians after the Columbian Exchange.

Things I don't know:

In a population being ravaged by epidemics, would you would expect the infection rate to remain lower than that of a (more) immune population, or would you expect the infection rates to equalize? Would you expect to see spikes in one population and a more consistent line in the other, or some other indicator of differential impact? I suppose you'd just need comparative evidence, presumably from the Americas.

As lifestyles equalized (until you're comparing an 80% IE and a 40% IE guy who live in adjacent villages in Italy 500 BC), why would the IE effect persist? Wouldn't you expect the correlation to fall over time?

Do pastoralists we can directly observe have higher rates of zoonotic disease than animal-having agriculturalists or animal-eating hunter-gatherers? That seems to have pretty direct bearing on their lifestyle hypothesis.

Is there a similar effect in other places where IEs migrated during the Bronze Age (say, India or Iran), or other places within Eurasia where agriculturalists came into contact with Steppe peoples? They have a couple of data points in Iran and Anatolia and a bunch in SE Asia (for some reason), but everything else is in Europe and central Asia/Siberia.

There's also an odd effect where the two major genetic contributors to the IE population have different effects, Caucasus hunter-gatherer descent being associated with all the zoonotic diseases and Eastern HG being associated mostly with black plague, which is sort of odd, if these are one population with similarly disease-fostering lifestyles.

#history #early history #bronze age

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todayisafridaynight · 2 months

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I'm not a fan of Ebina at all but I kind of don't think getting wrapped up in the Aoki parallel is conducive to forming an understanding of him or the story either. I imagine the anons talking about how the epilogue went aren't exactly doing it just to recap the scene, but trying to point out that focusing so much on the things that make you mad may lead you to make bad faith assumptions about the storytelling and miss bigger picture of what it's trying to accomplish.

Because like, that bit in the epilogue isn't really about Ebina's motives. Upfront, it's confirmation that Jo didn't die offscreen after everything; after that, sure, it's potential insight on Ebina, but it's potential insight on Ebina as filtered through insight on Zhao.

Of course it's there in anticipation of the audience wanting an explanation or a follow-up, but it ultimately is just Zhao's two cents on the matter; he's projecting his experiences (conveying insight on Zhao), and it's disputed multiple times through Seonhee saying Jo might be tougher than expected (conveying what Seonhee thinks of Jo), Zhao agreeing that this is the more obvious conclusion (conveying what Zhao thinks of Jo and his own explanation), and Adachi saying only Ebina really knows why. You can say that makes it pointless with regard to clearing anything up but that's dismissing everything else it's trying to do. Also TBH both Ebina's monologue and Zhao's explanation are localized atrociously and lose the nuances of what Ebina was saying while making Zhao sound way more sure of himself than he is (on top of some lines just being completely wrong), but it's not on you for taking it at face value, so...

To get back to what I was talking about, I honestly wouldn't even say this part is asking you to sympathize with Ebina, just explaining what was going on in Ebina's head after he went silent, which is reasonable to want to explain given how quickly things get moving once Kiryu collapses. Zhao briefly touched on Ebina pointing out the futility of his own plans as part of his reasoning, but he was mostly talking about how Ebina was visibly moved by Kiryu's words, even though the sentiments conveyed basically were as simple as "Yeah, I get that you're angry" and "Hey, it's gonna be all right." Ebina could perhaps have been reached through words if someone had tried to sooner, a theme commonly explored in RGG; Zhao isn't really making that much of a leap in thinking Ebina would rather have heard it from the person he's closest to that we know of, Jo, than someone he just met like Kiryu.

If we're to take what Zhao says as fact, I think you're missing the mark when comparing the concept of Ebina wanting to be stopped to Ichiban and Aoki, too. It's more of a parallel to Jo wanting to be stopped before he had to kill Hoshino (which he does bring up earlier in IW), which I could see adding to Ebina's frustrations if Zhao's right since he almost definitely would know Jo has been in the same position of wanting to be confronted directly and yet he won't do it himself. That also would reflect on Jo, being unable to emotionally connect with any of Arakawa's sons even though that's what they want to varying degrees.

Rewinding, although I obviously would have liked to see another Eye Scene, I don't think it's that pivotal it doesn't happen on-screen, nor do I think it would add much to the existing scenes. IMO there's nowhere to add one in without breaking the flow of how the meeting transitions into the next scene.

Like, Jo being conspicuously missing from the meeting not only sets up tension as to where he is, you soon learn it means Ebina had already caught and begun torturing Jo before it began and get a sense of how premeditated killing Narasaki, holding Jo hostage, and burning down Tojo HQ was. Jo being in the wheelchair is not only ironic, but shows Ebina had already made it so Jo couldn't walk and that he was prepared to wheel him out of the burning building, which directly contradicts the idea he'd have killed him anyway or left him to burn to do death; he clearly wasn't planning to, at least not yet.

All of that already speaks to Ebina's ideology, convictions, and characterization as much or more than another Eye Scene would; that he doesn't have one differentiates this scene from others, if anything. As far as explaining his actions in that scene goes, there would be no point in telling Jo because Jo certainly remembers his past actions and would already know. Kiryu doesn't know, so it makes more sense he'd explain it to him later on. And since he does explain it to Kiryu, I can't really think of any questions left unanswered with regard to why he did all that.

With regard to why Ebina kept him alive, dismissing Zhao's speculation, Jo is the reason Kiryu and Ichiban are involved at all and makes for effective bait as a result. As for why he didn't kill him before Kiryu got there, as you mentioned, Ebina says himself he wanted Jo to see the downfall of the yakuza. It's made clear throughout that Kiryu and Jo are the only remaining figureheads of the yakuza Ebina is concerned with, so I expect he would've killed them in one go. It's the same idea behind the Second Great Dissolution as a whole; gather them up in one place and deal with them at your convenience. Arakawa may also have something to do with it, but this much is pretty easy to pick up from the game.

Outside of that, the simplest answer is that for the past several games RGGS has tried to keep their options open with regard to future games. If they want to do anything with Jo in future, noting he lived means they won't have to contrive a reason for why he's alive in the way they had to for why he's out of jail. I get you'd rather they discontinue the series here because you're worried it's going downhill, or at least that's how it sounded, but that doesn't mean the series is actually being discontinued and therefore there's no point in planning ahead.

I don't want to stray from the Jo topic so I'll leave it there. Much Love and With All Due I think you'd benefit greatly from playing the game off-stream with an open mind and at your own pace. I think if you're at the point you're asking why the party members are reflecting and speculating on what's happened so far end of their journey you're past the point of engaging with the story in good faith and it's kind of. Hm. Not Good

It’s unfortunate my irritation with the story has come across as being purely influenced by my personal feelings, and I do understand I can come across as explosive and reactionary at times. However, I do not imagine my agitation is totally unfounded. You’ve provided a substantial amount of points to cover, so pardon the length of this response as I take the time to go through them.

Full response under the cut for compression's sake.

Before I go in-depth with the character/s aspect of your ask, you make note of supposed translation issues, and I do not doubt they exist; you- alongside many others- have expressed your frustrations with the translation team in the past, and I have no reasons to distrust you on this as I’m aware translation teams in general make differences both minor and major when translating. However, as you are aware, not only do I not fluently speak Japanese and therefore cannot hear the dub/sub differences, but I certainly did not attempt to play the game with Japanese subtitles and could not even begin to attempt to read the dialogue changes. I cannot explore a point I have no knowledge in, and with these factors in mind I wish you had provided some examples of dialogue changes if they were necessary to better understand Ebina’s character, as you’ve usually been generous to provide evidence in the past. I can only provide my opinion in that the translation differences cannot be so drastic as to significantly weaken my stance, especially when no specific quotes have been supplied for me to reconsider.

Now to begin, it’s undeniable Ebina is supposed to parallel Aoki, whether as a whole or in parts. Particularly being a son of Arakawa who harbors ire towards him, his attempts to dismantle the yakuza so blatantly shouldn’t be overlooked (especially when Ebina has- quite literally- taken up Aoki’s mantle with taking Bleach Japan’s name and their mission to ‘clean up Japan.’ Of course their definition of ‘clean’ is varied, but they both maintained the objective to dismantle the yakuza and both harbor a disdain for the yakuza). Their shared goal of diminishing the yakuza, their grudge against Arakawa, and adopting the Bleach Japan organization are fair enough grounds as is to compare the two, and as a result I do not find disconnecting the two to be efficient when discussing Ebina. To add on, there exists contradicting notions to separate Ebina from Aoki yet simultaneously acknowledge their similarities complicates the point attempting to be presented, particularly when citing Ebina putting Sawashiro in a wheelchair and punctuating that as an Aoki parallel. Had Ebina had any unique qualities to him or had been given a chance to breathe as a character on his own to see these supposed qualities, then suggesting to do so would be fair. Yet the screen time Ebina was warranted and what they did with it does not validate this criticism of my observation of him.

To continue exploring Ebina’s parallels and relationships to the Arakawa’s, the supposed integral relationship between Sawashiro and Ebina is questionable. Throughout Infinite Wealth, Sawashiro and Ebina- from my perspective- did not read as anything beyond a superior and his inferior, not unlike Aoki and Sawashiro. However, where Ebina/Sawashiro and Aoki/Sawashiro differentiate, Aoki and Sawashiro had an established relationship that the game provided evidence for. In regards to Ebina and Sawashiro, it remains to be seen how the two are connected beyond banausic purposes and Ebina utilizing Sawashiro for his personal benefit simply because he was a notable yakuza.

A lack of clear connection between Sawashiro and Ebina aside from Sawashiro working for him could have been rectified with the demonstration of The Eye Scene. RGG has never shied from showing gruesome scenes (lest we need a reminder of the initial Eye Scene), so in doing so this time not only did they evade the opportunity for cinematic irony in relation to Sawashiro losing his eye, but they also neglected the chance to truly explore Sawashiro and Ebina’s dynamic when they were alone. Even more so, it tends to be these gruesome scenes where the most telling bits of drama and characterization are pulled from: the insinuation that including a scene such as this would drag or halt the story goes against what RGG has been able demonstrate in their storytelling prior in carefully combining gore with meaningful storytelling. If believing including an explicit Eye Scene would hinder the story, then that is a critique on Infinite Wealth’s overall capabilities to tell its tale, not as a suggestion that another scene would be excessive.

Elaborating on Sawashiro’s injuries and the details behind them, It goes without noting that removing an eye so violently- among the collection of other bruises on Sawashiro- is an incredibly personal and aggressive action (See: Sawashiro’s Eye Scene). Was Ebina truly that enraged with Sawashiro for helping Kiryu and his crew, and was it just because Sawashiro was hindering his plans? Or was it because Ebina trusted Sawashiro on a personal level and felt betrayed by this? Was Ebina so brutal because of his personal feelings, or because he is sadistic in nature? We can assume this is not the case since he seems to detest ‘dirty tactics’ of yakuza, yet showing this hypothetical new Eye Scene would have done an exceptional job on elaborating on not only Ebina’s mentality, but his relationship with Sawashiro as well.

Continuing this examination of the two, the comparison between Sawashiro wanting to be stopped after murdering Hoshino is- to put it bluntly- a reach. Beyond the semantic fact it was revealed Sawashiro didn’t actually murder Hoshino and- with this next context in mind- his warning to Ichiban and his party could be interpreted as wanting an out from Aoki’s side as a means to stop Aoki, I neglect to see the purpose of drawing these comparisons together when in relation to Ebina. When it came to Sawashiro’s surrender, this was due to him realizing once and for all he was only a puppet for Aoki and that his attempts to pursue being in his good will would be foolish. Yakuza: Like a Dragon had showcased throughout its entry that Sawashiro was already conflicted about serving under Aoki before his final scene (See: his one-on-one cutscenes with Aoki where he’s both shown to be verbally abused by him and demonstrates hesitance to obey/respond to him). It is much more believable to come to the conclusion Sawashiro’s surrender was a cry for help because of these instances provided by the game. Ebina’s hypothetical cry for help is not only completely executed differently, but it is also unfounded. There had been no indications Ebina was remorseful or had any reservations about what he was doing, nor that he wanted to be stopped. It was only Kiryu’s speech to him at the very end that it would be fair to come to this conclusion.

Rounding off the Sawashiro segment of this response, there’s no reason Sawashiro shouldn’t have died just as there is not apparent point presently in keeping him alive; whether he was meant to be ‘bait’ for Kiryu and his party matters little when his death would have made no difference to the end sequence whatsoever. RGG has made it clear they’re fickle when it comes to committing to the death of a character- at the very least, it can be praiseworthy that they didn’t pretend as though Sawashiro was dead only to bring him back X games down the line like nothing happened. To be sincere, it makes no sense from what was shown in-game for Ebina to keep Sawashiro alive: Sawashiro no longer served a utilitarian purpose to him, and he did not have any personal connections to him. All in all, supposing the alleged connection between Sawashiro and Ebina do exist, RGG had done an insufficient job of connecting them together, and at best only left small hints to hypothetically elaborate on. Pardon their alleged cries for help and putting Sawashiro in a wheelchair (which, truthfully, reads more as irony than anything personal), there had been no other way to connect the characters in any meaningful way to indicate they are meant to be connected in a deeper manner.

Moving on, it is necessary to remember that these characters are objects and if not serving in-universe purposes, can act as mouth pieces for creators. With that in mind, Zhao’s observation of Ebina can be summarized as just that: RGG’s attempt to explore the potential depths behind Ebina’s character without efficiently exploring it throughout the game before the finale. Zhao in his entirety had little to insignificant impact on the overall plot of Infinite Wealth: it’s unlikely RGG had true intentions to elaborate on Zhao’s personal feelings for characterization purposes when he hardly had any meaningful commentary beforehand. Postulating Zhao to be a spokesman for RGG is not baseless when RGG has in the past done similar with other characters (See: Akiyama speculating the true nature of the relationship between Majima and Mirei in Yakuza 5. He comes to conclusions without any evidence- neither from peers or from the game- besides his personal experience knowing Mirei, just as Zhao came to his own conclusions based predominantly on his upbringing).

Moreover, supposing that RGG did intend to explore Zhao’s character in this way, it does not excuse the lack of building up Ebina’s character beforehand. If RGG had done so, then corroborating these two would have been justified and would have had a more credible foundation: we are allowed to verify what Zhao is speculating (or we can disprove his feelings) due to evidence we’ve seen from the game about Ebina. As it stands now- considering RGG’s past of using characters to speak for them- it is justified to observe Zhao’s commentary as merely RGG’s last-ditch effort to add extra depth to Ebina.

It isn’t that Ebina’s backstory is void of potential, but with how RGG executed it, they expect the players to fill in the blanks themselves and then praise them for work they didn’t do when in the past they have done an excellent job of building up their characters, especially in recent entries to the franchise. One of the most basic forms of storytelling is to show and not exclusively tell your audience key, important events, yet Infinite Wealth seems keen on doing just that; therein lies a difference between drawing conclusions from the text, and having to actively hunt for points to build off of. The glaring gripe here is that much of Ebina’s intriguing points either happen off-screen, are treated haphazardly (See: Ebina’s initial backstory reveal being from a lackluster in-game cutscene considering the gravity of the information), they must be hypothesized from minimal evidence, or it is a hope on RGG to do something excellent in the future- which should not be the norm. There shouldn’t be a dependence on sequels and add-ons after the final product to improve or justify previous entries if there’s no proper groundwork laid in said entries, especially in a title like Infinite Wealth where it has a solid conclusion that leaves little for meaningful wonder. Should you want to make a case that there are points worth covering, there are absolutely none left by Ebina: the case that he has more to offer to the franchise cannot be confidently made without excessive theoreticals. As I’ve said before, I already intend to run through Infinite Wealth a second time. Of course, I will be sure to do my best to approach the story with a more open mind with retrospect, yet I fail to see my opinions on Ebina swaying anytime soon.

Pivoting to the personal ending of this response, suggesting my woes only come from a personal standpoint and not from an objective view of the story as a whole is insulting. I won’t act as though my personal feelings don’t factor into things, however these feelings should not be regarded as a hindrance but should be an example of how much I’ve paid attention to and thought of Infinite Wealth’s story since my initial playthrough and that my dissatisfaction comes from a place of passion for this franchise, not ‘bad faith’. Ergo, attempting to justify Infinite Wealth’s shortcomings by stating it’s simply RGG’s signature style is not only minimizing the growth RGG’s writing team has exhibited in the most recent entries of the franchise, but it is also an insult to players by telling them to overlook insufficient writing just because that was the standard of the past when we’ve been shown greater. Perhaps not perfect stories, but stories with vast improvements compared to their predecessors.

Finally, and looking to the future, my concerns on RGG’s next steps shouldn’t be treated as pessimistic conjecture and instead as sincere curiosity. Infinite Wealth had done a good job on rounding up loose ends from the franchise (tying up those ends well is another topic to touch on another day), so forgive me wondering how RGG will go forward with its stories when there’s little to build on from the previous sagas without repeating itself. The future of RGG is an entirely different discussion- a discussion I’m not concerned with having at this moment, so I thank you both for supplying your own perspective- which I always respect both your time and efforts to do so- and for reading my own.

#long post #iw spoilers #spoilers #snap chats #ive been trying to respond to this in between classes so forgive me if i missed anything BUT i think i got. the main things

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v-arbellanaris · 1 year

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irt the sera discussion from yesterday I would like to add that she's also dismissive of city elven culture—it just doesn't come up as much bc inquisition does its very best to ignore city elves' existence. the most memorable example for me is a quote from her WOT entry—"stupid tree. didn't go, didn't stay" or something like that. You're definitely right, her whole deal is just internalized racism, it's not strictly prejudice against the dalish like some people claim lol. (I believe anneapocalypse has a meta on this exact subject actually) very frustrating that there's barely a hint of growing out of it though—if it were some other flaw, maybe id be fine with it (I do love when characters get worse.), but given that it's a white writer writing internalized racism. well. but that's a subject that's been meta'd to death by better writers than I.

yeah, i love @anneapocalypse's sera meta, it was very compelling to think about!!! and idk! unfortunately, i DO know people irl who are like this (and don't seem to be getting any better about it). again, on its own, i think there's a lot of value to sera's story, even if it's not my story - the problem comes when we look at specific details in sera's writing and how her writing fits into the overall portrayal of elves - and dalish cultures, as well as city elves which as you've pointed out are almost entirely erased in dai which is truly horrific when you are directly dealing with the aftermath of the slaughter of thousands of elves in WEWH.

from that perspective, coupled with how minimal sera's growth is (especially if you're a lavellan that didn't romance her but had to deal with her internalised racism with no way to call it out as the PC without resorting to ableist insults) (and i use minimal here not to discount that her growth exists but how tiny it is compared to what we have to face in-game in terms of her internalised racism, and how most of her growth is shoved into codex entries or into trespasser and even then it's a couple of throwaway lines, at best)... it starts to feel a lot less like a well-intentioned portrayal of internalised racism, with some hits and misses, with the intention of resolution and self-love being the outcome.

and again, what IS IT with bioware and having their white characters dealing with fantasy racism??? like, i'm sorry, but sera is literally white. there's a black woman IN GAME and no one even ACKNOWLEDGES that racism/colourism towards her exists except for one tiny banter with cole for a SPLIT SECOND... and vivienne, a black woman growing up in a heavily andrastian-influenced circle of magi with chantry values... literally has no character arc... even though she's a black woman supporting incarceration of her own people... but the white elf's got an entire arc about internalised racism???????????????? what is the narrative reasoning behind this???

AND ANOTHER THING! the issues with sera are also an issue present with a lot of the other characters in dai - you discuss slavery once with dorian, where he gets defensive of it, and even as a lavellan romancing him, it never gets brought up again until bloody tevinter nights, which isn't even in-game material. you can't argue with cassandra to disseminate the cure for tranquility or get to change her mind on ANYTHING; you can't argue with cullen about mages; you can't argue with vivienne about the circles (not with actual logical arguments with any kind of nuance, which is a limitation OF THE GAME when they can give vivienne lines of nuance for her arguments for why the circle should exist); you can't argue with varric's centricism, etc, etc. even if you do get to confront them, it's one or two lines that are then mysteriously never touched on again in game. in da:o and da2, they didn't do this well either, but at least they had leliana come up to an elven warden after they correct her to apologise - there's clearly an acknowledgement of where she went wrong, and an intention to be better, etc, which is SUCH a fascinating writing direction. you don't have that in... any of the other games. none of the characters are allowed to be wrong, unless they're pushing for justice or equality or freedom in which case they will do something evil (like slavery or mass murder) to make you doubt the validity of their argument. instead they're representations of a specific stance and you're expected to just accept what they say as fact - which is incredibly ironic for a game that hides most of it's deep lore via conflicting codex entries for a sense of realism when it comes to reporting real life events.

it's incredibly exhausting.

#asks #bioware critical #sera critical #dai critical #dao critical #da2 critical #dorian critical #vivienne critical #cullen critical #cassandra critical #varric critical #fuckin hell we're going all out on this one. this is touching a LOT of different things and meandered off the main topic slightly but #[shakes bioware writing] HIRE MORE PEOPLE OF COLOUR. HIRE SENSITIVITY READERS. HIRE LITERALLY ANYONE OTHER THAN THE SAME 3 WHITE CENTRISTS.

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lifewithchronicpain · 1 year

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I'm so sick of hearing criticism of Harry and Meghan along the lines of "why are they airing this family drama in public?" "If you want privacy so much, why make a docuseries?"

Meghan sustained years of lies about her in the press of which many were to cover up other stories about other royals. If I had endured that I would want a chance to tell my story and after watching the series I can see why the Oprah interview didn't do the problem justice.

All this criticism just reminds me how everyday mental illness is treated. Don't be public about it, and then when you do so people insist you're fine because you just learned to fucking hide it. The fucking ableism. I'm not a princess but I can relate entirely to what she went through, I have dealt with suicidal thoughts myself and 2 attempts. This isn't a joke to me and for people to belittle Meghan trying to talk about mental health like this, it just shows we have learned nothing. People can pay lip service to listening to mentally ill people, but when reality of mental illness shows it's face in a loved one, so many just want to look the other way.

Also I don't think Meghan thinks she's Diana. What happened to them was largely caused by the media storm around them. I think the son of Diana has the right to make the case that the problem they're facing was just like his mother's without trying to directly compare Meghan with Diana. That's just a ridiculous take to me on the whole issue.

Essentially, why I get mad at criticism of Harry and Meghan is because it's just bad faith takes from royal worshippers that belittle mental health issues. I respect that they want to speak out on mental health because that's how we challenge stigma.

#harry and meghan #depression #suicide #ableism #mental health #stigma

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cinnatwo · 9 months

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Cheese watched as Maple popped yet another Jaboca berry into her mouth. They were her favorite, and she had somehow gotten a whole pile of them that was quickly disappearing. She probably stole them from a human market.

"You're eating a lot more than usual," Cheese said.

Maple glared at him, which was the only way she ever looked at him. "That's because I'm more hungry than usual, obviously. Don't you have something better to do?" She popped another berry into her mouth, then picked up the rest using psychic and flew away.

Cheese laughed softly once she was gone. That had been a fairly tame response compared to usual. Maybe he was starting to grow on her. Probably not.

"Cheese, get the sleep powder, now!"

Cheese jumped at the sudden intrusion of Limburger in his head. "Golly, you're gonna kill me with a heart attack someday old man."

"Now!"

There was a loud clatter in the living room, followed by a terrible growling noise. Oh boy. Cheese got to his feet with a groan and started towards the supply closet, but then Maple sped past him with the jar of sleep powder in tow. There was a thud of something falling to the floor and the growling stopped. Cheese started floating towards the living room instead.

"What are you guys trying to do, burn the house down? Why'd you teleport that thing in here?"

Cheese froze. Tenmaitwo had recently picked up in Rocket transmissions about a pokemon being experimented on, and they and Limburger went off to rescue it. Cheese wasn't well enough to join, as usual. It was also clear from the way Maple said "thing" exactly what this pokemon was.

Another mewtwo? No way...

Cheese came into the living room to find Maple angrily throwing a myriad of water moves at some flames and an Arcanine asleep on the floor. Cheese relaxed, but also felt strangely disappointed. Not a mewtwo.

Wait...

As Cheese got closer they started noticing more details about the beast. Bipedal, a collar of fur in the shape of a breastplate, ears angled towards the back of the head. He looked up at Limburger, who was slumped on an adequately damp couch in exhaustion.

"Yeah," Limburger said, "Don't worry, she isn't competition for you at all with that personality."

Mr. Fuji ran in "what in arc- oh dear." He stared at the pokemon on the floor.

Tenmaitwo flew towards Mr. Fuji. "I managed to access the facility's computer during the rescue, as always. This was an experiment to try to find a way to complete Maple's fossil DNA using pokemon DNA instead of human's. Obviously it worked."

"No way..." Mr Fuji muttered. "We made thousands of attempts to do that, including with growlithe and Arcanine samples."

"I'm still processing the document explaining how they made the breakthrough. Its ridiculously long. And boring. But the growlithe line genes dont have anything to do with it. Theoretically this could be replicated with any pokemon."

Mr. Fuji sighed. "That is... very bad news. Any particular reason they chose growlithe line genes as opposed to any other?"

"Yes. The second goal was to fix the problem discovered when Cheese rebelled. Arcanine are known for their loyalty. Let's just say she wasn't happy to be taken from her creators."

Cheese's heart sank. A mewtwo bred specifically to be loyal... he wondered if they had treated her as poorly as they had him. Probably not. She looked flawless.

Maple huffed. "A friendly mewtwo is bad enough. This amalgamation is going to kill you all." She flew away.

"You ok Cheese?" Limbergur asked directly to him.

"Yeah," Cheese replied back. "I'll be fine." He noticed Mr Fuji was staring at him like he was considering asking the same thing.

Limbergur switched to addressing everyone. "Maple isn't exactly wrong. The second she wakes up she's going to be mad and ready to return to team rocket."

"Well, we can't let her leave." Mr Fuji rubbed his chin in thought. "Both for her sake and other's. I hate the idea, and it won't make her any happier, but we'll have to confine her."

Tenmaitwo tipped forward, which was their version of a nod. "I'll get started immediately. By the way, I destroyed rocket's copies of all of their research documents and killed the scientists. It will be a while before someone rediscovers the breakthrough again. You're welcome."

"Thank you," Mr. Fuji muttered. Tenmaitwo flew off.

Cheese stared at the sleeping Arcatwo. Would they ever be able to break down her blind loyalty to team rocket, or would she spend her entire life in a cage? He couldn't imagine going through that, which was saying a lot. The only cage he had ever experienced was Rocket Headquarters, which was a pretty big cage. That had been terrible enough. His thoughts turned to the eevee. She may never leave incubation either, let alone wake up. This mewtwo was almost definitely a fire type, which meant if she ever escaped and went on a rampage through the shelter, the eevee would die.

Three mewtwos... when were they going to stop?

Maple sat in the attic with her snacks, hating everything. The new mewtwo should be killed, but she knew Mr. Fuji wouldn't allow that, and she didnt want to be kicked out. "Five mewtwos... when are they going to stop?" She thought bitterly.

#cheesetwo #mewple #limburgurzam #mr. fuji #tenmaitwo #arcatwo #writing

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necromanceyourgays · 9 months

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Why Darkhearts made itself my least favourite YA book within the first half of it: a summary, review, and rant.

this is 2k words, please be advised before continuing lol.

Before we get into the book itself, let's talk about the author, James L. Sutter. Sutter is more known for being the co-creator of Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, acclaimed as the second most popular TTRPG, right next to D&D. Which is an amazing accomplishment in itself. According to the acknowledgements at the end of DarkHearts, and his Wikipedia page, this is his first ever YA novel, not to mention first ever queer romance novel. But I still have a vendetta against this book, so let's get into why.

You're introduced to the characters at their mutual friend, Elijiah's, funeral. The main character, David Holcum (17), refers to Eli as his enemy in the first line. Then, the romantic interest Chance Ng (18) (stage name Chance Kain) is introduced as Eli's best friend, and, quote, "America's favourite asshole". It becomes clear that Chance and Eli were famous, the book states that celebrities showed up to Eli's funeral, and this is when you get the mention of the band, Darkhearts.

This is where I get sick of explaining it by when the facts are introduced, but you get the shtick now, right? Spoilers beyond this point.

On page 5 (I'll be telling you which pages so you have an idea of the pacing) Chance is upset over Eli and says "How could you just leave us?" then leaves the basement he and David are talking in. Of course, David spins this whole thing on him, thinking 'The same way you both left me’.

Might not seem too bad, I mean, it could've been worse than I'm making it seem, so let's summarize.

On page 7, it's revealed David left the band on his own. He left the band by himself, on his own accord. So. he's comparing his best friend's suicide due to alcoholism caused by the pressures of childhood fame to his leaving a band at the age of 14. This is when I started to hate David Holcum.

They introduced Ridley McNeill, David's best friend, who is a black girl (her race is brought up a lot, actually) who is obsessed with Chance and Darkhearts. And I mean obsessed. When she's not talking about Chance she's making film references. It made no sense as to why David would be friends with someone obsessed with his supposed enemy but to each their own.

Skipping to page 59. Ridley and David are given VIP tickets to Eli's tribute concert, which David agrees to go to. It's not that important, but it is a sign that David is hating Chance a little less. Three days later, David asks Chance to go golfing at a pop-up punk mini golf place (a mouthful), to which Chance is afraid to be recognised. David immediately starts being a dick about it, saying he's "not THAT famous", and he ends up telling him to forget it, but Chqance agrees to go.

Does David sound a bit narcissistic to anyone else?

Also, this is the first time I fully realized Sutter doesn't know how kids talk over text. In comparison to Alice Oseman (bless her entire soul), it's horrible. In 'Loveless', one of my favourite Oseman books, the conversations over text between all the characters, especially Rooney and Georgia, felt directly out of my Instagram DMs. David and Chance's texts felt like I was reading my 50-year-old mom's Messanger conversations. I'll talk more about this later.

Page 90, Chance invites David over to work out together (do cis guys do that? Is that a bro thing I'm not familiar with?), and while doing sit-ups, David has the thought "You could kiss him right now". Okay. I liked this part. A bit fast, not a lot of buildup, but it was a good line. David soon leaves because Chance is busy, and is left with the fact he has feelings for Chance.

I guess it makes sense it'd move this fast, childhood friends and all, but I still feel like there could've been more build-up surrounding it. A little bit more spice.

Page 99, leading into chapter 10, Chance texts David while Ridley and he are hanging out and asks if he can come to pick him up. Ridley convinces him to say yes and he goes. Chance asks him to "just drive", and David ends up going far enough to where they don't have cell reception.

Here, Chance reveals the record company is pushing him to make an album, even though Eli hasn't even been gone for a month. Chance vents about being scared to lose his fame, and everything he and Eli built, and obviously David doesn't like this. Especially his use of the phrase "a has-been at eighteen".

David goes off on Chance, saying he doesn't see Chance as a friend and all this is just "reliving [his] middle-school highlights reel". Chance says he was trying to rebuild bridges and that David can't go five minutes without being jealous. True. Go off, Chance, you deserve it my little blorbo.

Chance reveals he would've let David back in the band afterwards, and that he wanted him back. They fight more. Physically. A little vaguely homoerotic, but whatever. They call a truce, and Chance bursts into tears.

He says he killed Eli, and David freaks out internally. David ends up comforting him, etc etc, they're sitting in the dirt hugging. Then they kiss circa page 114. Whoo?

After reading this, it seems everything went a bit fast. I wish we could've seen an excerpt of Chance's point of view on this because all of it seems to go by really fast once you look back on the actual pacing of it all.

They go back, and David's dad is pissed because he stayed out until 3 am, he's grounded.

Page 134, he gets ungrounded and goes swimming with Chance in a secluded pond. They come to the consensus it's a date, then there's, uh, how do I explain this? Smut. Sort of. Just the build-up, and then they decide not to go farther, but damn it caught me off guard.

Halfway through the book now, and I regret making this so long.

Page 141, Chance's manager, Ben, sees them kissing and immediately says Chance has to hide it because of his audience. Bullshit, first of all! MCR probably got more popular because of the Frerard shipping, not to mention the shipping in P!ATD and FOB. Being openly queer generates a whole different audience, a kinder one. But this cishet man can't see that and tells Chance to keep it quiet.

David decides to not tell Ridley they're dating. Valid.

Page 152, David invites Chance over to his house and shows him the woodshop. Realising now that I haven't said anything about David's dad being a construction worker. Oops. It's mentioned David wants to do a fellowship instead of college somewhere. Keep that in mind.

They homoerotically cut wood. That's all I'm saying about this part. Chance awkwardly sits on David's bed to watch a movie and spoiler alert: they have sex. If it counts as that? It's just (putting this awkwardly) hand stuff. And fade to black. Sort of. I officially hate smut. Goodnight.

A few pages later, they're on a date again. They talk about them and their sexualities, and it wasn't that cringe. Actually liked this bit. David then takes Chance to a church he and his father's crew are doing renovations on and takes him up to the bell tower.

David mentions rejoining Darkhearts. Woah. Chance is on the fence about it. Nervous it'll make them hate each other again. David gets mad. David reminds me of my mother at this point. Chance agrees to the idea after some yelling. Whoo?

Page 192, David gets an email from a magazine called Pop Lock, which gives me BTS Dispatch vibes. David responds 'no comment', Chance's manager is pissed about it. To dispel the rumours of Chance and David dating, Ridley and Chance go on a fake date. David gets jealous.

A few pages afterwards, David and Chance come up with a re-debut song. They fight a bit. They really can't go one convo without an argument, what the fuck?

Page 219, Chance goes on vacation with his family and he's not allowed to have a phone on him. For five days, they don't talk. Chance gets back, they meet up, and they kiss. Etc. Normal bf stuff. David surprises Chance by teaching him how to drive, and it's an important moment for both of them. Very sweet, can appreciate this part. David invites Chance to Ridley's "cliche high school party" (with costumes!), to which Chance is worried about going but caves in anyways.

Page 250, Party Time! Everything going well but Chance is getting flirted with and asked to sing. Obviously, he's not happy about this. Chance ends up going outside to smoke, David finds him and says Chance should be flattered by the attention he's getting. They fight. Again. JFC.

Ridley sees them making out, and he and her get into a fight about not telling her. She calls Chance scared to come out for real, which is incredibly insensitive. Everyone should have time to come out on their own schedule, Ridley should know that. This line made me hate her.

Chance leaves on a trip, they stop talking as much. David tells his Dad they're dating.

Chapter 26 and page 283 roll around, and David auditions for Darkhearts to convince the label to let him rejoin.

It goes to shit. Fights all around. Chance changed the prewritten lyrics from a lovesong to a breakup song without saying shit to David, which was a bit of a dick move, but David deserved it. #davidholcumhateclub. They break up.

David then tells Ridley everything about him and Chance's relationship without Chane's prior knowledge or consent. They're friends again. Whoo.

Let's just breeze past this. Chance and he make up and make out. The usual. Then, it flashes to David backstage at a Darkhearts concert, and Chance calls him up front to play the song they wrote. No context as to how he got there, by the way. Then, Chance kisses David in front of the audience. The End. Curtains closed.

1,703 words. I regret everything.

So, my thoughts? David Holcum is a horrible character and so is Ridley McNeill. Chance was the only reason I kept reading this godforsaken book. He actually was a good person and felt like maybe he could've been an actual teenager, but David was cringe and so was every. Single. Other. Character.

Obviously, out of the extensive list of people credited with working on this book, none of them were queer teenagers. The vague fatphobic remarks made towards David throughout the book weren't covered further, and this just felt like another plot point abandoned. You can only have a few plot points that you barely go into before it becomes all over the place, and this book is teetering on that line.

I know this is his first-ever queer YA novel, but it was so bad. David isn't a loveable character, and I would've preferred Chance as the MC. David is annoying and selfish throughout the entire book, and it's clear he gets that from his parents (who are divorced).

If there is ever a second book to this, (which I honestly hope there is, I'd love to see this expanded) I hope Sutter consults actual queer teens like David and Chance. They didn't really feel like teenagers throughout the book, and it felt less "coming of age" than I wanted it to be.

If James Sutter reads this, I'm sorry. The baseline is, your book is okay. The plot is good, the base idea is good, but the characters are shit. David is shit. I hate him. Sorry, that'll be the last of my hatred.

Thanks for reading this monster-incduced mess I wrote in one sitting. Much appreciated.

#darkhearts #bookposting #book review #???#idk how to tag anymore #so tired

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jakeperalta · 3 months

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I actually love the song and I thought it was my favorite when I first heard the vault songs. I agree that maybe it doesn't fit 1989 and the first verse is sometimes weird. But how is it about a cheater? I thought it was about a person that you thought is out of your league..your what if person...and I connect it to songs like Midnight Rain, Cardigan and Dorothea. I will admit I took the second verse very literally I guess which is something I can relate to and assumed it was about her old high school love and imagining what her life would have been like as a normal person in the suburbs. Then people said she is just using high school or that as a metaphor to be relatable or something which sometimes give me mixed feelings. But basically I broke my own heart when you were polite to do it reminds me a lot of I broke his heart cuz he was nice from midnight rain and parts of the first verse of you're on your own kid. My sister also said that part of the song reminds her of Timeless. So I definitely see it as a what could have been situation versus something the person actually did. Like the I always knew it..that my life would be ruined is more like she knew the effect the person would have on her forever compared to any cheating and I love these kind of songs. A fun parallel is that Truth is by Maisie has similar lyrics..something like I always knew it, and in that song I think it is more directly something the person did but this song feels different than that. Anyway I always like these kind of songs and I was weirdly expecting is it over now to be the pining song cuz someone said the coffees lyric and smiles on waiters line could be similar to chasing shadows in the grocery line before we heard the song but Is It Over Now was a big disappointment for me lol and still my least favorite! Basically I'm glad Suburban Legends exists and I thought this was the obvious interpretation but I guess I see how others find it confusing too.

Yeah I agree it's not about a cheater, although to me it's still the same relationship that we get in most of the 1989 songs (with the hint at other women potentially being involved through the opening lines, but more in the on and off/seeing other people sense we get in other songs) where she's super into this guy and envisions that they're going to stay together for years and be the envy of everyone else but ultimately it doesn't work and that messes her up, with the whole high school/suburbia setting just being a way to reimagine it (particularly given how much of the album focuses on the attention they get from the media/public, I think the idea of being suburban legends is a way of romanticising that). The connection to those other songs is interesting because I don't think I've seen them mentioned but I can see where you're coming from. To me Is It Over Now actually is the most pining and emotionally hard hitting (maybe alongside Say Don't Go) — I guess it goes to show that every vault song is worth having because everyone enjoys different ones and takes different things from them! I'm still glad we got Suburban Legends, even just for "when you hold me it holds me together and you kiss me in a way that's gonna screw me up forever" being such a banger of a line

#answered #anonymous #taylor swift

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thenonbinarydetective · 2 years

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I literally do not care if this is long. Read it.

@neds-nickerson

Alright so hey we're going to talk about fatphobia because I'm not gonna pretend that issues such as this do not exist in the fandom. Because they do, and not being vocally against it contributes to it.

So Bess Marvin.

She's plus size, she's chubby, she's a big girl, she's fat. We know that and we shouldn't deny that

She's also beautiful, charismatic, compassionate, and a "fraidy cat'

We all know that the books have a history of fat-shaming. Mostly coming from George, who constantly ridiculed her cousin for simply existing. The main target is her weight. I've always said that the rewrites could use another round of rewrites to get rid of the fat-shaming, the rest of the racism, and honestly fix the mysteries a bit. But, you know, the first two are more important.

Something that does stand out about Bess is the way that she really isn't treated like a lot of other plus-size characters. If you compare her directly to Chet Morton, who was fat-shamed way worse and purely existed for comedic relief. Bess is different. How many fat characters can you name that are like Bess? How many are seen as attractive? How many don't exist purely to make fun of their weight? How many constantly stuff their face with food as if it's the only action they're capable of? Compare that with skinny characters.

Bess was allowed to be more complex. She was allowed to be seen as attractive. I remember when y'all practically bullied that person who pointed out that it's actually iconic for Bess to be the one with a more active love life while not exactly fitting the beauty standard. Y'all called them sexist for "putting a women's worth on how men find them attractive" that's not what they meant. You know sometimes when you point out that someone is attractive, you talk about the people that find them attractive.

Which reminds me, the Originals and the Rewrites weren't the only ones that were guilty.

Girl Detective

"She definitely isn't fat. In fact, Bess is totally gorgeous"

Because the two can't exist at the same time?

Bess is the pretty one and she has always been the pretty one, so even with the fat-shaming the originals and rewrites still were able to acknowledge that you can be plus-size and pretty.

But yeah other things go along the "fat can't also mean pretty" line. Files is the literary candidate who made Bess' "weight problem" basically something that she is exaggerating. That she was constantly "ten pounds from being perfect." She was never described as being chubby or plus-size. She actually was canonically thin here. According to them, she just didn't realize it.

Obviously this “making Bess skinny” thing isn't stuck to Files. In fact, there is no live-action Bess Marvin played by a plus-size actress. That is fatphobic. That is just pure fat-phobia and I don't care if you like any of the actresses or not. It is still just fatphobia

It's fatphobic for casting to consider them. It's fatphobic for the creators of any live-action to portray Bess as thin. It's honestly also fatphobic for the thin actress to go for this role. I'm not excluding them because you can fucking research a character from a property that already exists. Especially in modern times with the internet. There is no fucking excuse to not know anything about a character that's existed for 90 FUCKING YEARS.

Even with the swearing, I'm not saying this to be mean towards anyone in particular. I'm being harsh. And there's a difference. All you guys preach positivity and yet you contribute to fatphobia. Think of your fellow fans. You are not only being harmful towards a fictional character, you're harming real people.

Real people are like Bess Marvin or even Chet Morton.

You should be angry at fatphobia.

You should be done with it

You should acknowledge that a character with a far more complex personality than some tropey chubby one-dimensional fuck exists. And you shouldn't take that away.

Acknowledge Bess' weight when you write fanfiction. Acknowledge when you draw fanart. Acknowledge it when you fancast.

Bess Marvin is plus-size. That's it.

#bess marvin #ned nickerson #nancy drew #nancy drew games #clue crew #her interactive #nancy drew books #george fayne

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batri-jopa · 2 years

Text

I've been asked (hi there, @notasapleasure) to say what I think about the movie Wet Sand / სველი ქვიშა (2021, dir. Elene Naveriani) once I see it. I watched it recently and actually like to share my feelings with someone so...

My impressions follows:

Inspiration by the greatest ancient classics such as Antigone by Sophocles in modern popular culture is rare and always welcomed

Even more praise for showing love among elderly people - which somehow needs even more courage than showing young queers

I believe if the movie was more mainstream this jacket would go viral

Making the same actor saying similar text as in And Then We Danced seemed somewhat cheap to me at first, but then I thought it was kind of winking to ATWD fans: "Hello, we know you're there!" - so okey, that was kind of nice...

...and besides obvious similarity - the line still sounded different due to its intentions and conditions. So might it be condidered some kind of polemic with ATWD line even?

I really liked the way the title never was explained directly "in your face" - yet somewhere in the end you are shown a wave coming and going over the sand: leaving it wet, then slowly drying, then wet again, and again, repeatedly... And suddenly you realise how much it fitted the character's life

I wonder if the girl's comment on the photo (that was not itself shown to the audience) was a hint of that person being trans? (it was something like "beautiful as his mother" but I don't remember exactly)

The scene with the letter and the wine bottle has the potential to make me cry my eyes out everytime I think about it... (because yeah I definitely needed to elongate my "sob-on-demand" list, thank you movie makers...)

Yes of course I am going to compare Wet Sand and And Then We Danced even though such comparison can ONLY be justified by the fact that those are only two georgian movies I know and both happen to be queer

Best thing is that those are two very different and independent stories😋

I've seen some reviews complaining that in ATWD there were too many social issues at once, suggesting like it was forced or something... But it is Wet Sand that is literally overfilled with those, not only homophoby but also domestic violence and generally intolerance and prejudice toward everyone and everyone a bit different than the rest of the conservative community.

And no matter the kind of "happy ending" that was in Wet Sand and not so much in ATWD (more "open ending" it was than a "happy" one) - still to me ATWD felt a tiny bit more hopeful. Alright, the film concentrating on death and funeral obviously had no chances of being overall optimistic. Especially when ATWD was showing the point of view of joyful freeminded young people who still have hopes and chances for the better life before them. And we were not shown any really terrible scenes there, only hearing about poor Zaza, like it was just gossip and not a person of flesh and bones. Also I think when living in the capital city one may count on more support from community of people alike - simply because the community is larger and stronger than a tiny group of "outcasts" in the province can ever be.

There's a short description of Wet Sand on IMDB using a phrase "friendly people" and now after watching the movie it makes me feel sick to see it...🤢

...especially as some of the most terrifying acts of those "friendly people" so much reminded me of Aftermath / Pokłosie (2012) dir. Władysław Pasikowski...

...but still one of their most horrible actions - accidentaly turned out to be the right thing to do - so that was kind of a spark (nomen omen) of hope

So generally it was a good movie. Maybe not a great one. But definitely GOOD.

And, when I think about it, it reminds me of so many other good and great movies I know and would gladly recommend to anyone interested (most of them also being on my "sob-on-demand" list BTW)

Organising funeral of a lonely man a bit like in Still life (2013, dir. Uberto Pasolini)

A story about relationship and loss seems like a reversed version of the one shown in A Single man (2009, dir. Tom Ford) (my very favorite queer-themed movie before watching ATWD, now my second favorite)

Of course a bit of similarity to Brokeback Mountain (2005) dir. Ang Lee as well

And The Bridges of Madison County (1995) dir. Clint Eastwood too...

Departures / Okuribito (2008) dir. Yôjirô Takita is a similar not only because of the burial theme but also the atmosphere. No kidding, when watching Wet Sand I felt like watching a japanese movie, only with strangly not-japanese looking actors in it.

And that will be it for now.

#cinemaniac off the leash #sob-on-demand list #wet sand #სველი ქვიშა #georgian cinema #ATWD #queer movies #and then we danced #lgbt movie #gay movies #lesbian movies #LGBTQ #lgbtqia #lgbtqplus

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cloudninetonine · 2 years

Note

Courage and Wisdom angst! I like to be long-winded in my writing so I had to edit it down a lot, but it still ended up quite long and the scenes beforehand are very important to the scene - so apologies. Also can we all just agree that Courage's voice is just gorgeous, especially with his whole 'kiss me, princess' line? Or is that just me?

(Btw I hope you're doing okay!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another red plume rose from yet one more corpse of a cursed beast of evil. Wisdom could barely keep up. She had to resort to spare arrows Courage had to be reminded to bring with him in place of her now depleted magic ones. She didn't know where her Link was, but his grunts from not too far off signalled his mortality.

An arrow flew through the skull of another Gibdo, making the monster crumble to dust in its wrappings before it joined the smoky hues. The princess found it harder and harder to see with the crimson fog blocking her vision.

'Oh, if only Ganon didn't get his hands on that blasted Triforce again!' Wisdom internally screamed, 'Then Sprite wouldn't be teetering between unconsciousness and death, and Link and I wouldn't be stuck fighting hordes of monsters in the Underworld!'

Just that morning, Sprite had been tricked by a deceitful Gibdo disguising itself as another fairy. Through an almost comically laughable chain of events that seemed like a comedy act in hindsight, the Gibdo had managed to find the Triforce of Wisdom in Link's room, put a slumbering spell on Sprite, and make off with the relic. Courage had been so distraught believing his closest friend to be dead, he almost didn't retaliate at all, immediately starting to mourn. It was when Wisdom attempted to run off to give chase (and upon hearing Sprite ridiculously loud snores) that he finally snapped out of his daze and came along with her. It wasn't to say he wasn't still affected greatly by the incident - he was thoroughly shaken actually!

Their original plan was to ambush the Gibdo before it could retreat back to the Underworld, but the two were too late and had to resort to Plan B; stealth. Unfortunately, the hero and princess's banter was usually so loud, it always managed to garner someone's attention in the end.

A mighty crash was heard behind Wisdom, along with the familiar whimpers of her love interest. Momentarily distracted, she thrust the tip of her crossbow into the skull of the nearest enemy and made a mad dash for the noise - only to discover a certain pig-faced wizard picking up the boy from pillar debris and throwing Courage's limp body over his shoulder to trap in one of his dungeons.

Knowing better than to monologue, Wisdom hastily ran forward to pick up Courage's sword from the rubble. She attempted to thrust it into Ganon, though was almost immediately thrown away by a magical bolt of lightning. Her chest screamed in pain as she coughed up a lung, splayed across the charred stone wall behind her. A group of monsters began to surround her. With her acrobatic prowess, Wisdom leaped over the horde, though not without consequence.

She fell to the floor, messing up her landing. The pain in her ribs only got worse, tearing her muscles and organs apart with every shaking breath. The sword was still in her hands, but the horde quickly approached and Ganon only marched further away. She had to think fast or her foggy mind would be her downfall.

Wisdom observed her surroundings. The wall she hit was a large pillar in actuality that teetered mercilessly on its cracked base, ready to topple over with a single touch. And it just so happened that if it did fall, it would land directly in Ganon's direction.

The princess sprang up, newly acquired adrenaline pouring through her veins and making her forget her past pains. Holding the sword in both hands, she shot at Ganon's right arm, which held Courage captive in an almost leisurely grip. In a split second, she turned and shot a beam at the pillar behind her. The wizard cried out in pain, dropping the comparatively tiny boy in reaction. Wisdom bolted, scooping him up, before running to the right. Ganon barely had time to turn around before the pillar came crumbling down.

Wisdom shielded her damsel from the debris, causing her jacket and sleeves to tear and her toughened skin to break. She looked down at Courage. Despite how downwards his head was angled into her arms, she could still see his deep green eyes through his thick brunette fringe and eyelashes. He was semi-conscious and definitely needed to be looked over for broken bones and a concussion.

She smiled down at him, "Are you okay, Link?"

He nuzzled closer to her shoulder, "Looks like I saved you from Ganon again, Princess," he slurred, "C'mon, gimme a-"

"Link, you're bleeding from your head and half-delirious. If you think I'm kissing you, you've got another thing coming."

"Is that a no, then?"

Wisdom rolled her eyes, playing along with their usual charade. She looked back to Ganon, crushed under the weight of the pillar. It was large but Ganon was a magical being - so much stronger than any magician or wizard in Hyrule. It would only incapacitate him for so long. Besides, small bits of crumbling debris still fell from above. It wouldn't be long before Wisdom and Courage would gain more injuries.

Hoisting Courage up semi-bridal style, Wisdom limped her way over to the Jar of Evil, where the two triangular relics hovered tethered to their pillars beside it, darkened in the unnatural glow of torch light.

"Link, the two Triforce pieces! If we take both, we can finally stop Ganon for good! We have our chance!" Wisdom beamed, reaching out for the Triforce of her namesake with her free hand and wrapping the chain around her wrist. "Grab the Triforce of Power, okay?"

The boy went to reach for it, grabbing the iron chain meekly. Even just by touching the chain, a surge of energy washed over him. His consciousness returned almost brand-new. He felt powerful, ready to take on the world!

"I got this, Zelda," he affirmed as he stood a little more on his own. His cheeky grin seemed to illuminate the room. "Leave this to me-"

An earth-shattering rumble threw the dungeon into chaos. Courage and Wisdom fumbled to find their footing, monsters crumbled under the force of the earthquake. Ganon was still motionless under the pillar. The two almost thought he had caused this as revenge or he came back to his senses earlier than expected - but no, it was the entire structure of the room caving in from the lack of support!

A roaring whistle sounded above the young heroes' heads. A large stone slab, surely several metres wide and long, fell atop them.

"Zelda!"

And she was shoved to the floor. Wisdom braved herself for the impact, but the ground only shook beneath her. She could barely see under all of the dust and rubble, though a metallic glint caught her eye. Courage's shield! She hid under it, almost cowering, kicking herself for her cowardice and selfishness. But if she couldn't see, she couldn't run, and she didn't have the slightest clue were Courage was in this mess. She yelled for him through the shaking, but between her ringing ears and the monstrous roar the Underworld gave, she couldn't hear a single response - if there was any at all.

The dust eventually settled. Wisdom's back was bruised and ached from the impacts against the metal shield, but she knew that she wasn't majorly damaged thanks to it. She sat up, the falling debris coating her blonde hair an ashy grey. Wisdom had to rub her eyes from the muck that had built up.

"Link?" she called. "Link?!" she shouted a little louder upon a lack of response. Looking around through her blurry, watery vision, she could see no trace of the boy. But as the dust finally settled and she walked around a large piece of stone on a sprained ankle, she spotted something; a torn piece of green cloth hanging from a jagged piece of metal.

She gasped, calling for her hero once more. The cry resonated through the room, echoing off the cluttered interior. A barely audible whimper was heard a few metres away. Wisdom ran towards the pained noise.

The same stone ceiling, several metres wide and long, was decorated with a crimson mural. Several small chunks of pillar, metal, and glass had rested awkwardly on top of a barely moving mass, struggling, twitching, crying out in pain.

The heroine shoved the debris off of him, uncaring for how it cut into her flesh. Familiar soft brown hair seemed almost black in the dust and grime that settled in it. Through the ash-smeared stains, his skin was pale and bruised. His long, green hat was gone and the clothing on his lower half had considerably darkened from the pooling blood around his crushed legs.

Wisdom cried out in horror. With barely enough strength, she lifted the edge of the slab up just enough for Courage to thrust his injured legs out from under. Her fingers remained a glowing white for several seconds after. She couldn't waste any more time before another avalanche of stone would come falling, so she picked up the poor boy and bolted from the Underworld.

As the two emerged from the exit, Courage's broken legs bled heavily across the warm grass. The forest was welcoming and bright, and Hyrule seemed beautiful in the sunset. Why? Why would such a beautiful scene welcome such a tragedy?

Courage slipped in Wisdom's grip due to the blood staining almost the entirety of her upper body. She couldn't hold onto him any longer and placed him upon the soft ground.

"Link?" she shakily asked.

He coughed, blood running from the corner of his mouth. "Y-yeah?"

"You're okay. You're going to be okay." It seemed more like a reassurance for herself than him. She burst into tears, resting her forehead against his for comfort. Courage raised his least bloody hand and began to run it through Wisdom's thick blonde tresses.

"It's fine. 'S what I get for being an idiot..." His voice was weak and trembled. It was unnatural for it not to take on his usual peppy, comedic tone.

Her tremors began to match his, "Shut it!" she burst out. "Don't say things like that! This isn't how these stories are meant to go!" She whimpered, "It's not how it's meant to go..."

Courage could only muster the strength to shush her. He could barely keep his eyes open.

Wisdom raised her head from Courage's, wiping away tear tracks and snot with her sleeve. Truly unbecoming of a princess. She looked at him pitifully. "Link... I..." She was on the verge of sobbing, but prevented herself and pressed a gentle, chaste kiss to the boy's lips. "I'm so sorry..."

Courage's eyes seemed to sparkle. "Wow... Finally... Uninterrupted..."

"Don't joke around at a time like this!"

Courage moved his hand to rest on the girl's shoulder, his thumb caressing the crook of her neck. She melted into his touch. "Well excuse me, Princess," he whispered, lacking his usual exaggeration and tapering off into a loving voice, "Was hoping to stop you crying."

She sniffled, "I don't know whether to laugh or sob."

"Laughing would be preferable."

A quiet moment held in the air when Wisdom moved to rake her hands through Courage's fluffy fringe. He closed his eyes, though panic struck through Wisdom at a moment's notice.

"Link?!"

"No need t' yell..." he mumbled.

A frown struck her face, her lip quivering, "You're scaring me."

"Will another kiss make you fell better?" Courage chuckled. His breathing was beginning to slow, yet somehow hasten at the same time. A cold sweat took hold of Courage.

Wisdom could almost laugh at his idea of comedic timing if it weren't for his current state. Nonetheless, she smiled a wiped her eyes, "Yes... Yes, it would."

She wiped Courage's lips of red, laughing to herself as she noticed a small, hopeful grin rise to Courage's features. She pressed her lips against his, as tender and soft as humanly possible.

Courage's hand fell into the crook of Wisdom's arm, limp.

I know I asked for this but what the fuck, Russ.

JENXNWNSNS THAT SHIT HURTED BUT THIS IS ALSO AMAZING, MY POOR BABIES.

#cloud answers

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