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elfdragon12 · 10 months

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What I enjoyed in More Than Meets the Eye/Lost Light:

The illustration if Swerve's loneliness (it's quite visceral for me, to watch him be sociable, for Ultra Magnus to assume he has all these friends, only to be all alone)

The Scavengers (they hit that sweet spot of "loveable jerks" whose hearts aren't quite gold but work things out their own way)

The arc between Cyclonus and Tailgate* (The development is well paced, with good emotional beats*, I want to see them together by the end)

The arc between Cyclonus and Whirl (Another relationship that's paced well and the conclusion feels earned)

The moon vacation (It's nice to see these characters who've been hurt so much get a chance to be away from people who make them worse and a story involving Prowl that acknowledges how traumatized and damaged he's been and he gets to hear an apology from someone who manipulated his body without consent)

Cerebros (such a wonderful and wholesome boy that just tries to help people and it's a crime he's largely ignored by this fandom)

The rivalry between Overlord and Tarn (I could have a whole comic book full of nothing but Overlord roasting Tarn and I would love every page)

Misfire and Swerve's insta-friendship (being audibly goofy on main provides echolocation for the like-minded, I love it)

Skids and Nautica's friendship** (the dancing and everything really made such a good connection)

What I actively do not enjoy:

The pacing of the full story (jumps way too much, overuses starting in media res and then backtracking to explain, spends a lot of time forming problems but little or sometimes no time for resolution. I think this may be in part JRo's history in prose and fanfic where he gets all the time in the world to set up problems and make characters go through all sorts of bad times and take his time with resolution. This is not the case when writing comics for a franchise)

Chromedome (I know he's really popular and some folks put CDRW on a pedestal as the first canon queer ship, but he's a legitimately awful person and partner. The way he treated the alternate Rewind is right out of yandere fanfic, his use of mnemosurgery played a huge part in the original Rewind's death, and he was Trepan's apprentice, willingly becoming a mnemosurgeon even after learning what they do. An offscreen discussion with Rewind suddenly having a change of heart and being lovey-dovey doesn't make me feel better. Rewind wasn't a perfect partner either, but Yikes™️. I hate him)

Megatron's redemption arc (really, he's just running away from the consequences of his actions to have a second chance at leading a rebellion and being happy. Why don't we ask the millions of people the blue flowers represented what they think about that--oh wait, they're dead. Because of him)

Related, how everyone who doesn't like Megatron is villainized (I'll say it: the mutiny was justified. It really was. Optimus was stupid to put Megatron in a leadership position on that ship when no one there had any reason to not hate him. Tarn was right when chastising him, as much as I hate to say it)

The general handling of mental health (Trailcutter is forced into sobriety by body modification and then immediately killed off, Chromedome's mass of issues and "we talked about it", Red Alert and Fort Max are "fixed" offscreen and then written off the ship, and both Rewind's traumas are largely ignored in favor for being Chromedome's cute little boyfriend, for examples)

How often the audience is informed of details instead of shown or how things are solved offscreen (a good example being Skids and Swerve being best friends--how often do we actually see them hang out? Almost never. This is largely because of the vast number of major characters, so there's poor balancing)

How character death rarely has any impact (Mirage's death is a "blink and miss it", Ten's death isn't brought up again, Nightbeat is only brought up by Rung--this is also one of the dumbest deaths I've ever read, Swerve doesn't mourn Skids and Nautica gets her grief erased**, Trailcutter's death only matters when Rodimus is faced with past Trailcutter, and so on--they were largely there to up the stakes rather than to have actual consequence to the story)

Mederi (it was... Just a mess. The whole of the narrative was to bring us here?)

The double endings (the narrative flow got confusing here and, honestly, I didn't find either satisfactory)

*The multiple times characters are brought back from the dead, especially Tailgate (a quantum leap, remaking them with science-magic, and "a wizard did it"! The Tailgate one was especially frustrating as a reader because it felt super cheap to be taken back by his death and go through Cyclonus's grief, getting a touching yet bittersweet reunion, and then a weirdly omnipotent 8 ball just.... Brought a new Tailgate from a different reality. Is the Magnificence actually a Dragon Ball?)

**The way Nautica's grief is handled (very "have your cake and eat it too". You can't have it be a problem that she wants to have her grief manually erased, have that erased, do the whole "friendship matters!", and then brush off the friendship between her and Skids as if it meant nothing)

Ultimately, there are things I liked, but it's so hyped up that, in the end, I felt misled by the fandom. I was frustrated by many of the events. Perhaps JRo is really good at prose (you can't make me read Eugenesis. From what I've heard of it, it is not the kind of story I would enjoy), but I don't think writing comics is really his wheelhouse. He set things up and resolved them poorly. At least some of it is due to the nature of the American comics industry. I also felt like he could have spent more time researching how to write therapy effectively.

#Transformers #IDW1 #Praise #But also #criticism #more than meets the eye #Lost Light

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dailymeruem · 4 years

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Royal Guard Nomenclature

You might know the Royal Guards for having some creative names, and if you’re anything like me, you’ve probably read HxH Wiki trivia on where the names came from. However, I haven’t seen any comprehensive post getting right into it, so lets have some fun research time and look into the origins of the Chimera Ant Royal Guard’s namesakes and how they might have affected Togashi’s characterizations of them!

While i’m trying to keep everything as brief as I can, this will be a longer post so if you want to gain some knowledge and kill some time, read on! I’ve linked sources throughout the post for further research!

Naming Origin Sources

All three of the Guard’s names - Neferpitou, Shaiapouf, and Menthuthuyoupi, respectively- were chosen by the Chimera Ant Queen prior to their birth in the story. They are mashups from two sources - Ancient Egyptian mythology, specifically the pantheon of traditional gods and goddesses, and a French children’s book series entitled Caroline et ses amis (Caroline and her Friends) written by Pierre Probst.

The Guard x Egyptian Gods

In Ancient Egyptian life, people worshiped a large number of deities which represented natural forces and phenomena (sunlight, life, childbirth, etc). The people regularly offered sacrifices and performed rituals to please the gods so that these forces would continue to function according to divine order (ma’at). Each god or goddess had complex relationships, characteristics, and symbolism associated with them. {x}

Neferpitou x Nefertem

The first half of Neferpitou’s name, “Nefer-”, is derived from the Egyptian deity Nefertem. A very ancient god by Egyptian mythos standards, this god is associated with the lotus flower, as he was believed to have emerged in a water lily from the primal waters at the creation of the world. He also represented the first sunlight and the lovely smell of the Egyptian blue lotus. Nefertem is usually depicted as a young, beautiful man, and sports titles such as “He Who Is Beautiful” and “Water Lily of the Sun”. {x} {x}

In HxH, Neferpitou is the first Royal Guard to be born, which ties in nicely to Nefertem’s being a very early god born from the creation of the world as well as being associated with the first sunlight. As for the beauty aspect, Neferpitou’s androgynous appearance could play into this factor, as some gods in the Egyptian creation myths were depicted as androgynous.

Nefertem’’s mother is often credited as being Bast/Bastet, the guardian goddess of cats, or Sekhmet, the warrior goddess of healing (both goddesses are often considered to be two aspects of the same goddess). These goddesses are both depicted with cat or lioness heads, and so Nefertem is often depicted with a lion’s head or as a lion. I needn’t say more about this tie to Neferpitou! Aside from the cat aspect, Sekhmet’s being a goddess that both goes to war and heals is reflected in Pitou’s dual nature- both a ruthless killing machine in their own right and with their Terpsichora ability making instant armies, and a reliable healer using the Doctor Blythe ability, showcasing a compassionate side. {x} {x}

Shaiapouf x Shai

Shaiapouf’s Egyptian name component comes from Shai, which, interestingly, is not so much an entity as it is a concept- the deification of the concept of Fate. The name Shai is usually translated as “that which is ordained”. This god was said to determine the span of each person’s life; he was with each person at their birth and remained with them through their life until their final judgement in the underworld (duat). Shai would offer the true life story of the individual at their judgement, and could either protect or damn them. This deity has so much power in the Egyptian mythos that even pharaohs and other gods were subject to it. {x} {x}

Now, although Shaiapouf as a character doesn’t have an omnipotent power over fate, the concept of fate runs really strong in Pouf’s characterization. Pouf, along with the other Royal Guards, was present at King Meruem’s birth, and intended to stay at his side throughout his whole life, guiding and protecting him. This is a role that Pouf seemed to take to heart, almost to an extreme. As we know, Pouf saw the King’s destiny of becoming the ruler of the world and dominating all other species as being absolute, and began to actively work against the Guard and even the King himself when he began to stray from the fate that Pouf had “preordained” for him. Going so far as to attempt to kill Komugi, who was the most important person to the King, Pouf’s actions, although out of a motivation to protect the King, would have been damning for the King had he succeeded.

Shaiapouf’s nen ability, Spiritual Message, gives us a hint as to his namesake as well. The god Shai hid nothing from Osiris (god of the underworld) at the final judgement of that person’s life, and so does Pouf’s ability allow him to see the absolute truth about a person’s emotional state by reading their flow of aura. This gives Pouf the ability to come to conclusions about that person’s personality, thoughts, and possible course of action, seemingly allowing him to predict their “fate”. {x}

Also, this may be a trivial fact, but Pouf has the habit of ending his sentences with, “That’s all there is to it”. A very final and fateful statement indeed.

Being a concept, Shai is neither male nor female, but is more often depicted as being male. In this form, he is often said to be married to Renenutet (cobra goddess of child rearing who gave newborn babies secret names), or Meskhenet (goddess of childbirth). These three are often depicted together which gives us a definite picture of the cycle of birth and death. {x} {x}

In HxH, after Meruem is mortally wounded by the Miniature Rose Bomb, we get the lovely and terrifying experience of seeing Pouf and Youpi feed themselves to the King in order to revive him. In this scene, both guards are ecstatic as they have ascended to the level of a Chimera Ant Queen and are filled with an unconditional motherly love for their King. The ties here between this occurrence and these trifecta of gods associated with birth and life are pretty strong.

A few final small factoids: The Greek people associated Shai with their god Agathodaemon, a god of fortunetelling that was considered to be a serpent. As well, the word Shai was also an Egyptian word for “Pig”. Thus, Shai was sometimes depicted as a serpent-headed pig, also called the Shai animal. I am reminded of the time Pouf was shown to be able to rearrange his cells to impersonate a certain blind Gungi player.

Menthuthuyoupi x Montu

The final Royal Guard, Menthuthuyoupi, bears the name of Montu, a very powerful and ancient god in the Egyptian pantheon. Montu (also written as Monthu or Menthu, the latter which Youpi uses in his name) originally was a manifestation of the scorching effects of the sun (Ra), but over time this was modified to mean destructiveness in battle, which led to Montu being known as a god of war. He was said to attack the enemies of cosmic order (ma’at).Montu is usually depicted with a falcon head or a bull head. Falcons were a symbol of the sky, and bulls symbolized strength and war. {x} {x}

Montu was often linked with other gods and is depicted as a fusion of those gods. For instance, because of his association with Ra, he often appears as Montu-Ra. Occassionally he is linked to Atum (another creator god) and Set (god of scary natural phenomena and deserts). Over time, Montu was also linked to Horus, a god associated with the pharaoh, and therefore Montu is sometimes seen as being a symbol of a Pharaoh as a ruler and conqueror.

In HxH, Menthuthuyoupi definitely embodies the warlike aspect of his namesake. Being the only guard not made from human genetic material, he is able to act on instinct and devote himself completely to being a soldier for the King, attacking anyone who threatened the King’s divine rule. Being immensely powerful, Youpi was capable of immense damage with his Rage Blast and Rage Incarnate nen abilities. As well, just as Montu gradually evolved over time to represent more complex aspects of life in Ancient Egypt, so too did Youpi evolve over the course of the Chimera Ant Arc, which gave his life new and more complex meaning.

The many forms Montu can take reminds us of Youpi’s unique Metamorphosis ability, which allows him to change any part of his body at will to suit his needs. Youpi’s Rage Incarnate form, in which his body takes the worm of a winged centaur, is a callback to Montu’s two most common depictions; as a Falcon (Youpi’s wings), and as a Bull (Youpi’s hooves). {x}

One of Montu’s wives was thought to be Tjenenet, another goddess of childbirth, which has ties to the event of Meruem’s rebirth discussed in Shaiapouf’s section above.

An interesting tidbit of info is that Montu was sometimes though to be a guardian of family life. He is sometimes mentioned in marriage documents to enforce commitment; infidelity is described as “the abomination of Montu”. While this doesn’t really have anything to do with Menthuthuyoupi aside from maybe reflecting in his loyalty to the King, the next time you feel tempted to cheat on your significant other, imagining a frowning Youpi may dissuade you.

One thing that each Royal Guard has in common with all of their Egyptian namesakes is that all strive to support what they see as the Divine Order using their individual strengths, even if their methods of supporting this order greatly differ.

The Guard x Caroline et ses amis

The Caroline series is a series of French childrens picture books, or albums, written and illustrated by Pierre Probst. There are 44 books in the series, which were written from 1953 to 2007. They follow Caroline, a little blond girl who is independent and active, and her 8 mischievous animal friends, who talk like humans. The series was adapted into an animated TV show titled Caroline et ses amis in 1994, which is most likely the source Togashi got the names for the Royal Guards from (and you can find on youtube!) {x} {x}

Neferpitou x Pitou

Pitou is one of the 8 animal characters in Caroline. Pitou is a panther, and he appeared in a collection called “Les Albums roses” (The Pink Albums) in 1952, which were a precursor to the Caroline books, thus making Pitou the first character of the future Caroline series. Pitou is characterized as being lazy and cunning.

In HxH, our Neferpitou was the first of the Chimera Ant Royal Guard to be born, just as Pitou was the first character that began the Caroline series. Both of them being a cat is also a very obvious connection that both share. While there are other cats in the Caroline series, Pitou being a panther harkens to Neferpitou’s wild nature. Caroline’s Pitou being both lazy and cunning are character traits that show up in HxH’s Pitou as well; we see them exhibit extreme intellect in science, military strategy and manipulation, but at the same time they are the most playful of the Guard and get distracted very easily.

Shaiapouf x Pouf

Pouf is a white kitten that wears a blue bowtie. He is characterized as being elegant, snobbish, and eccentric. He is prone to going on rants about his dreams of greatness, much to the annoyance of everyone else, and he has little quirks such as hating water and the cold.

If it weren’t for the physical description, you might have thought I was describing HxH’s Pouf- he too is elegant, snobbish and eccentric and often goes on long, intellectual rants, which are mostly never followed by the rest of the guard. Shaiapouf is also always wearing a flowy white dress shirt that features a bowtie-like collar which is reminiscent of Pouf’s white fur and bowtie. While Shaiapouf isn’t known to hate water or cold, he does manifest peculiar quirks such as melodramatic monologues and playing his violin when he is upset.

Menthuthuyoupi x Youpi

Youpi (also spelled Yupi), is a cocker spaniel dog. He is naive, turbulent, and a little bit grumpy, but also generous, devoted and affectionate. He can be fearful and prefers staying home to going out on adventure. He really likes being cuddled by Caroline, the main character.

Menthuthuyoupi in HxH displays a lot of similar characteristics to his namesake: naive, turbulent, and devoted are all adjectives you could use to describe him. Because of Menthuthuyoupi’s lack of ego, he is solely devoted to the King and his divine destiny, not bothering to give a thought to other courses of action, which could be a reflection of Caroline’s Youpi prefering to remain in the safety of home. After Meruem’s revival, when Youpi and Pouf share a affectionate spiritual bond with him, Youpi is shown to cherish the new bond he has with his King, just as Caroline’s Youpi is affectionate towards Caroline.

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One thing that all the Royal Guard share with their Caroline namesakes is that both sets of characters unquestioningly follow an independent leader character that they love and support. As well, in the case of Neferpitou and Shaiapouf, their manner of dress is a homage to Caroline- Pouf dresses in a very elegant and frilly ensemble, very French of him, in my opinion- and Pitou’s outfit is reminicent of both an old school French military uniform and a child’s school uniform.

A bonus Caroline homage in HxH: The titular character Caroline is famously depicted with her pigtail hairstyle. A certain blind Gungi player is also famously shown sporting a similar hairstyle.

Bonus Section: Meruem’s Name

Although not containing as much lore as his Royal Guard, the King’s given name can give us a few fun tidbits in keeping with the etymology of the Guard.

As you know, in-universe, the Chimera Ant Queen states her son’s name, Meruem, to mean “the light that illuminates/shines on everything”. His name is very close to the common Arabic name, Maryam (مريم), which has multiple romanized spellings. The most notable use of this name is in Biblical history as a form of the name Mary, who was the mother of Jesus, and Miriam, who was the sister of Moses.

It is thought that the name might have roots originating in the Egyptian language; the words “mry” (beloved) and “mr” (love) are thought to have been derivatives of the name.This root meaning would work in portraying the love that the Ant Queen had for her son, even before birth.

Other scholars have thought that the Hebrew root words “mr” (bitter) or “mry” (rebellious) were the basis of the name in the case of Miriam, as she was born at a point in history when the nation of Israel was subject to bitter slavery by the Egyptians. “Bitter” and "Rebellious” might be words you could use to describe Meruem, at least when he is first introduced to us. {x} {x}

Other fun tidbits: Meruem’s characteristic “neutral” face expression, young and feminine facial structure, and characteristic “cat eyes” is very reminiscent to a lot of ancient Egyptian art. One that stands out in my mind is the famous Head of Nefertem statue, found in the tomb of King Tutankhamun, which depicts the Pharaoh in question as a child in the form of the god Nefertem (remember him?). Interestingly, both Meruem and Tutankhamen were kings that ascended the throne (and died) very early in their lives. I’ll let you look at the piece and notice the similarities yourself!

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And that about does it for all the conclusions I’ve drawn. I hope you enjoyed reading through this and that it prompted you to do some reading and research of your own! Togashi chocked HxH full of fun little references to things in our real world, and it’s so much fun to do a deep dive to find all this trivia. If you think of/find any other fun things too add to this post, feel free to reply/reblog with additions. Cheers!

#hxh #hunter x hunter #chimera ants #chimera ant royal guard #hxh meta #i totally didnt spend 6 hours on this labour day monday no siree #ive been thinking about this a lot so i hope you enjoy!!!!!!!#long post #mod words #meta

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linkspooky · 4 years

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The Characters of Nisioisin (2)

Trickster - Ii (Boku)

This is a post in an ongoing series about the common character archetpyes used by Nisioisin. If you want more information check out the previous post, here. Consider this a part two of that same post. Today we’ll be looking at the nonsense user, and deceiptful protagonist from the aptly titled series “Zaregoto” or in english “Nonsense”. More underneath the cut.

I established the four criteria we are going to be dividing this post into in the previous post, as well as introducing what the idea of the trickster archetype is. Using Kumagawa as the UR-example we’re going to compare Ii-chan with those same tropes.

Introduced as a Villain

Subverts Expectations

Lying, Liar who Lies

Inherent themes of Nihilism

1. Introduced as a Villain

So, next Iichan. He's a special case out of these three because he's actually the series protagonist. But he still kind of fits the criteria because in his series the basic premise of every book is that iichan goes somewhere and a murder happens and then he tries to solve the murder for like the whole book and he sort of kind of solves it and then Jun Aikawa whose much more of a "hero" character than him, the coolest, sickest, strongest detective ever shows up out of nowhere and lectures him.

The sort of conflict set up between Ii-chan and Aikawa as two detectives of the story reminds me of a quote by Maiji Otaro, author of Jorge Joestar (among other things).

“Two detectives, one true. If both are detectives, then both must arrive at the same truth. But does that happen in the novels of this world?” “Most novels with two detectives have one solve it and the other discover the real solution hidden behind it.”

“At that point, are they both still detectives?”

“Hmm.. they’re treated like detectives but certainly, within that novel, the latter is the real detective. But they might switch places in the next novel.”

(Jorge Joestar).

Ii-chan is never introduced as an antagonist from the start of the series he is and always is the narrator. However, he’s still introduced as something he is not. Kumagawa is introduced as a villain and goes on to become a deuteragonist. Iichan is a main character but he doesn’t affect the story like a main character ought to, nor does the story really revolve around him.

So there’s still an inherent lie to his introduction. He is introduced as the center of the story but he is not the story’s real center. However, there’s another subversion implicit in Iichan’s character from the first novel to the second novel.

The first novel is the one where Iichan plays the role of the detective the most straightforwardly. He figures out the trick, solves the case, corners the murderer, but doesn’t solve it all the way and gets lecture by Aikawa at the end. However, there’s a strange way that all the characters react to Iichan despite the fact that he constantly makes himself out to be just a completely harmless, and incapable normal guy.

“Ther’s no meaning. Just like there’s no meaning in your actions. You know, you’re, wow, so you’re the kind of guy who’ll get angry for the sake of a complete stranger. That’s not a very good thing. It’s not bad per se, but it’s not good. [...] That’s because people who can expose their emotions for the sake of someone else are the same people who blame things on others when something goes wrong. I despise people like you.

It had to be the first time in quite a while that someone had spoken that harshly right to my face. Slowly, she brought her glaring gaze to meet my eyes.

“You just let yourself get carried along by other people. You’re the type wo ignores traffic lights just because everyone else is doing it. You’re an abomidable excuse for a human being. They often say ‘Harmonize without agreeing’ but in your case, young man, it’s like you’re agreeing without harmonizing. I won’t say that’s bad. I won’t say anything as to that. One’s identity and worth are not always connnected. A train that runs along a track is better than a train that doesn’t. So I won’t say anything as to that. But I hate people like you. I despise them. People like you always blame things on others, never acknowledging their own responsibility.”

Ii-chan as a character who is introduced as harmless, and passive, never making any choices until we are shown explicitly in the second book that he is not. It’s with his choices in the second book that his true character is revealed.

2. Subverts Expectations

Though for Ii-chan it should really be “avoids any and all expectations.” The Zaregoto is a series that continually asks if the actions of its protagonist are meaningless or not. If any action that Iichan takes effects the outcome of the story in any way.

In Strangulation Romanticist, Ii-chan gets involved with a group of friends who all end up dead or in prison by the end of the story. The central question is what role did Iichan play. Here are some things Ii-chan does in the book, meet with a serial killer and then lie to cover up a police investigation and a private investigator tracking him down giving him time to kill more people, destroys police evidence of another investigation, taunts one girl who murdered another girl into killing herself to atone, knew another murder that was going to take place and did nothing, and then taunts a second girl who wanted to kill herself into killing herself who only survived because the police talked her off a ledge.

“Charges? What charges?” “Falsifying information in regards to the Emoto case, encouraging Aoii’s suicide, not to mention concealment of evidence, plus withholding information and having that little rendezvous with Atemiya. Normally they’d have your ass for that, which I’m sure you’re well aware of, but I��ll take care of it for you. Althought, I suppose even if I didn’t Kunagisa probably would...” (Zaregoto Volume 2)

Therefore, Iichan is someone who acts but doesn’t really face any real consequences for his actions, and that’s because he’s a master of avoidance.

In psychology, avoidance/avoidant coping or escape coping is a maladaptive coping mechanism characterized by the effort to avoid dealing with a stressor. Coping refers to behaviors that attempt to protect oneself from psychological damage.

Iichan is subverting a lot of expectations. He is the protagonist, but the story is not about him. He goes through all of these stories, but he doesn’t ever seem to grow or change from them. He’s a detective, but he never really solves the case or even cares that much about reaching the real truth. He’s written to be a subversion of everything the main character of a detective novel should be.

However, Iichan is also very aware of how a detective should act and deliberately playing with and subverting those tropes. Not only does he subvert the expectations of the reader, but also of the characters around him. He is avoidant, in that way it means he avoids any kind of contfrontation.

I didn’t hate losing. I hated compettition. I was thoroughly put off by the idea of vying for others over something. I hated fighting as well and thus never made friends.

This is a line that gets reused for Kumagawa as well.

Which helps to illustrate the difference between them. Let’s say there is a problem, Kumagawa will charge head first at the problem and it will explode in his face, and Iichan will do everything in his capacity to never confront the problem or deal with it in any way possible.

Iichan is deliberately aware and sensitive to the expectations of the other people around him, and he feels like he will always be too inferior to fulfill them so he doesn’t even bother to try.

“I have been doing so.” I said. “But you know I have limits, too. It seems like everyone and anyone harbors some sort of expectations from me, and of course I would love to meet their expectations, too, but I cannot meet the expectations if I lack the capability. So to have someone say you failed my expectations is nothing but bothersome.”

Zaregoto Volume 4.

The way he avoids the expectations of others is rendering himself as ambiguous as possible, which is where we get to the next part.

3. Lying, Liar who Lies

Iichan is an unreliable narrator who never tells the truth in a straightforward manner, and even lies for half of the second volume. However, there’s more than that, there’s a deliberate trick to the lies he tells.

Iichan is someone who defines himself as ambiguously as possible. He acts like someone who others cannot possibly understand. Despite narrating from the first person, Iichan is only comfortable when he is not known by anyone. Iichan acts like someone who is barely present in his own story.

Answers have no real point. They’re vague and ambiguos and unsound, and things that are fine that way. In fact, they’re better. Causing real change is a role that should be left up to the true “chosen ones” outstanding individuals like that scarlet Mankind’s Greatest, and the Blue Savant, it was never my responsibility. It was no job for a common loser. For the comic sidekick.

Zaregoto volume 2.

Once again we see the contrast between Kumagawa and Iichan, if Kumagawa is a character who shows how strong and capable one loser can be, then Iichan often waxes poetically in his narrative about how weak and incapable he is. If Kumagawa is a good loser, than Iichan is a sore one.

Iichan defines himself as ambiguous on purpose to avoid responsibility for his actions. In less fancy words, if nobody can understand Iichan than nobody can call him on his shit. That’s his goal, essentially. He doesn’t want to work hard to change, or be confronted about any of his actions, because for him merely the act of living takes all of his effort to tread water without making any progress.

Avoidance is a trauma response, Iichan spends all of his time distancing himself from his own actions rather than confronting any of it. However, Iichan is more complicated than that because Iichan’s ambiguity has another side effect making him out to be something that he is not.

“Just by being there, you startle others, just by being there, you make people lose their grip on themselves.. ther’re a bunch of people like that. You can’t relax when you’re with them, it annoys you, things don’t go as planned, people like that, you know, they’re even scientifically explainable. In other words the missing part. Because the missing part for the observer ends up looking the same, it feels like the person is having their ineptitude pointed out at them, and it startles them [...] You’re just like everyone, and that picks at people’s subonscious, that’s why you’re aimless. And yet you still manage to come out on top. [...]”

Zaregoto Volume 3

All of these things Jun points out in this scene are Jungian ideas of the trickster. Iichan is an inferior person who seems to exist to point out the inferiorities in other people, and use it to play tricks on them. While viewing him as this role of the trickster, Aikawa is not really treating him like a person. (Aikawa’s very dramatic).

Which is where Iichan finally gets his trick. It’s a trick in two parts. He constantly underplays his own agency, while at the same time overplaying his suffering.

In other words, while insisting that he is the least improtant person on earth, Iichan at the same time hems and haws like the main character of a tragedy. IIichan wants people to empathize with his suffering, and he wants to be important, but he doesn’t want any of the responsibility of being important. He doesn’t want to take any degree of control of himself or others, so he tries to balance himself between these two conflicting ideas.

1) He is not a protagonist, and therefore the events in the story have nothing to do with him. 2) He is the main character of a tragedy. The world is centered around him, he is someone special and important, and that makes him suffer, but he takes no agency in the role.

Doing this he gets the best of both worlds. He gets to always be involved and important to others, while at the same time uninvolved and is never held accountable for his actions. He’s never challenged or forced to grow or change in any way.

These are the two lies that Iichan tells, and those lies form a narrative. Iichan is lying to give a narrative to his own trauma, and therefore try to extract some kind of meaning from it.

4. Inherent Themes of Nihilism

We once again return to the sacred image.

Iichan is a moral nihilist. He’s on the elft side of that image.

Moral nihilism (also known as ethical nihilism) is the meta-ethical view that nothing is morally right or wrong. It is built on three principles.

1. There are no moral features in this world; nothing is right or wrong. 2. Therefore, no moral judgments are true; however, 3. Our sincere moral judgments try, but always fail, to describe the moral features of things.

Iichan’s view is basically that of, if there is no meaning to this world then any attempt to define meaning is pointless. He (let’s say it again class) usually uses this as an attempt to evade any and all responsibility for his actions.

Iichan doesn't want other people to look at him, he doesn't want to be at fault when things go wrong, but he also wants to be important. So he's continually on a tight rope walk with those two very conflicting desires.

So basically Iichan sees no value in his own actions. He sees no value in the world. He doesn't really have any set of morals, except that he thinks murder is bad. Except sometimes he doesn't really care if certain people are murderers. Zerozaki is a murderer and Iichan hates him but doesn’t actually make any sincere attempts to stop him. Kunagisa commits murder in volume 4/5 and Iichan goes out of his way to cover it up. He apparently doesn’t consider goading a girl into suicide to be a form of murder. But at the same time he's so desperately searching for meaning, because he wants to feel fulfilled.

Iichan thinks that talent and genius are perhaps one thing that could give the world meaning. His best friend is a super genius, and he kind of clings to her and is jealous of her because she's someone special. See he thinks there are people whose lives have meaning despite being a pretty blanket nihilist, but because he's not talented he's not one of those people. Talent is something that could possibly give life meaning but being outside of the talented people it makes no difference to him he can only gaze at it from afar

Iichan is someone who is constantly downplaying his own meaning, while at the same time trying to find some meaning vicariously through others, like Aikawa and Kunagisa who he considers to be the real heroes of the world. Despite Iichan insisting there’s no meaning, he also has an attraction to narrative view of the world. Which is something that you know... has meaning, because stories are written with intent and purpose by an author.

In the sixth volume there’s a concept called “The Story” which one character belives that everything is pre-destined, like it’s all some pre-written story. Therefore while you can make small changes in your own actions it never effects the big picture in any way.

This is once again a very convenient idea for Iichan, who avoids responsibility to believe in. He’s very attracted by this idea because it takes control out of his hands and means his own actions aren’t really his fault.

To be honest, this must be one of the most boring conversations to be listening in on. It had gone so far into the conceptual, that even for myself, participating in the conversation, the words of the man with the fox mask seemed as hazy and illusory as a dream. You could say I do not understand what he is saying. However, then why. Then why does what this person says strike so deep? Why does it resonate? [...] Then, no. I do not want any part of such importance. I do not want anything to do with the core of the story.

Here we go with Iichan’s double negative, he denies having any role or agency in the story and yet at the same time believes that such a thing as the story exists because it means to some extent his actions are out of his control because he can’t accept that they are.

Is Iichan’s role in the story ultimately meaningless? No. There are always clear and distinct consequences for his actions. In the same volume (6 - cannibal magical) where the concept of the story are first introduced that everything is predetermined and you can’t change the big picture, the events of the story disprove that assertion.

Iichan is given like, a million warnings not to go to a lab. Aikawa tells him not to go to a lab because she has a bad feeling about it. The literal assassin sent to that lab talks to Iichan and says “Yeah, I was sent here to kill people.” Another person who was in the same situation just walks away from the problem. Iichan sees the assassin going out to kill people in the middle of the night and just chooses to... go to sleep.

Then he wakes up to everyone dead in the morning. The point being Iichan had a million chances to avoid this situation, takes absolutely none of them, and then acts like this was a completely unavoidable fate. He hems and haws about having no choices, but he’s clearly given choices, he just doesn’t take them, or makes exclusively bad ones.

Iichan wants to avoid consequences by not choosing, however the choice to not choose is still a choice in itself. Everything is a choice. Even avoidance is a choice. Which is why Iichan’s actions do actually have meaning, just not in the way he wants them to. He’s not a special person, and he’s not anyone extraordinary, but he is someone who has to face the consequences of his actions no matter how many narrative tricks he pulls to avoid them.

The actual trick of Iichan’s story is that he really is the protagonist, he just doesn’t want to be.

#zaregoto #zaregoto meta #nisio meta #nisioisin #iichan #boku (ii)

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thecatprince · 4 years

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Stages and Stars

First | Previous | Next

Read on AO3

Pairings: Eventual Prinxiety, Eventual Logicality

Summary: Roman waits anxiously to know if he got a part in the local play.

Warnings: None

Authors Notes: Hi I am not dead!! Sorry for the wait for this chapter, but I hope you enjoy it! Also ignore any mistakes I may make in the future concerning the show Wicked, I have no idea why I chose it because I know next to nothing about it and should’ve probably gone with a show I am more familiar with but here we are!

reblogs > likes

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Chapter Five - Roman’s Success

Roman stared at his laptop, constantly refreshing his emails, bouncing his leg to try and calm himself down. He was waiting to know whether or not he got into the community musical.

Despite his confidence in his acting he was feeling uncertain about getting in. Virgil kept glancing over at him as he sipped his coffee, but Roman ignored him. Logan was in his room, reading most likely or working on some top secret project or whatever he was hiding. He had been surprisingly protective about people going into his room. Patton had once almost gone in as he was cleaning up the apartment to drop some books of Logan’s off and Logan almost tackled Patton away. No one was interested in going into Logan’s room after that, although Roman was exceedingly curious to know what Logan was hiding.

Patton was humming and dancing around the kitchen as he baked. He was almost constantly baking, and while Roman wasn’t complaining because the smell was heavenly and the results were delicious, he did wonder how Patton could do it day in day out. Roman got bored after a couple of minutes. Cooking on the other hand Roman enjoyed. He was able to taste as he went and add his own flair. Baking you had to measure everything out and if it wasn’t exact then it messed the whole thing up. But everything Patton made was delicious and his baking brought a sense of warmth and homeliness to the apartment, and made Patton happy, so Roman didn’t really have a problem with it.

Roman stared at the screen, which still hadn’t shown any new emails. He didn’t notice his leg bouncing was causing the whole table to shake until Virgil’s coffee splashed him. “Hey Princey, chill out, you’re causing my coffee to spill,” Virgil said, his tone half playful half serious. Roman took a deep breath and moved to lie on the couch. He picked up the book he was reading and opened it, but he couldn’t focus enough to take in the words. He sighed, put the book down and stared out the window. The sky was a solid grey, and the trees shook in the wind. It looked how Roman felt, bleak and cold, the nerves and excitement churning in his stomach. He needed a distraction.

Roman stood up and went into his room. He usually read when he needed to be distracted, but his emotions were too overwhelming to fully concentrate on reading words on a page. He popped on headphones and turned on his music. The familiar tunes of his favourite musicals surrounded him, and he began to clean his room. Roman always struggled with wanting to be able to control his life, which created so many problems for him given how out of control his life always seemed to be.

Roman made his bed, smoothing out the sheets and piling the plethora of blankets he slept under on top. He picked the clothes off of his floor and chucked them in a basket to be put in the wash later. He cleared his desk/vanity (he really needed a better space to do his makeup) and then sat down in front of his bookshelf. He took all of the books off of it, and then started to reorganise them. He didn’t really have a theme for his books, he just put them wherever felt right, as long as series and authors went together. Many of his books where slightly tattered from all of the times Roman had read them, while other newer books were in a bit better condition. It wasn’t that Roman didn’t take care of his books, for he did, he just liked to read as much as possible, on the train, on the beach, while eating, and so as a result his books just got a little more wear and tear than perhaps a casual readers books. Also Roman loved to reread books he loved, which meant that certain books looked a little more worse for wear than others.

One particularly battered book was his copy of Anne of Green Gables. The book was a small paperback, with the original text and an illustrated cover, depicting a redheaded girl clutching a book to her chest in front of a large white and green house. The spine was all bent, and one of the corners of the cover had come off completely, exposing the pages behind it. The pages themselves looked a little water damaged, but the main text of the book was largely unharmed. It was one of Roman’s absolute favourite books, the one he read for comfort, so much so that he could basically recite portions of it.

He wasn’t sure why he loved the book so much. It could be the way it was written, with a classic early twentieth century style that made everything sound oh so wonderful. It could be the endearing character of Anne, a talkative imaginative girl, who seemed to strike a note in the hearts of those around her, and who Roman found a portion of himself reflected in. It could be the delightful nature of the story, the little adventures and accidents that Anne found herself in. Whatever it was, the book brought great comfort to Roman, who had spent many days of his childhood holed up in his room, devouring this book again and again. It provided as much comfort to him as a childhood toy or a blanket.

With his bookshelf reorganised, his mind was once again free to wander back to the musical. He needed a role in this so badly, so much it hurt. He needed them to like him, needed them to notice him, because if they didn’t then… then… it didn’t matter what happened as long as it didn’t happen. He just needed to get a part in the play and then everything will be fine.

He sat on his floor for a couple of minutes, tired from the tidying, and just stared at his bookshelf, admiring his large collection of books. A knock on the door broke him out of his stupor, and a voice followed.

“Hey Princey, you have an email.”

Roman shot up, quickly opened the door and ran right into Virgil who was standing right outside his room, causing both of them to go crashing to the ground. Roman flushed, embarrassed, and quickly got off of Virgil, offering his hand to help him up. Virgil brushed him off, and got up himself, wincing slightly as he did so.

“Sorry,” Roman said sheepishly. Virgil shrugged, appearing rather nonchalant about the whole ordeal, though he still moved rather tenderly.

“Just go read that stupid email.” Roman nodded and ran over to his laptop, thankfully not bumping into anyone else on the way. He opened the email, and read through it as quickly as he could, then reread it because he didn’t actually take anything in the first time.

“HEY PAT I GOT IN!!” Roman yelled, jumping up and down in excitement. Patton ran over, dusting the flour off his hands with his apron. “And as Fiyero Tiggelaar no less,” Roman exclaimed dramatically, striking an extravagant pose. “That’s one of the lead male roles,” he added after seeing Patton’s confused face.

“Congratulations Roman! I am sure you will do a great job!” Patton said, clapping his hands. Virgil on the other hand, snorted and crossed his arms, looking at Roman with amusement. Roman glared at him. “What are you laughing at, Emo Nightmare?” “Nothing, just that stupid pose. And you have already used that nickname. Congrats Princey. Though maybe next time don’t knock me over.”

Roman gave a rather haughty look, but let it go. “Thank you… I think. And there is nothing wrong with this pose or my nicknames, JD-lightful. And… uh… sorry about that.”

Virgil shrugged. “It’s chill. You only broke a couple of ribs, nothing major.” Virgil said playfully. Roman noticed a glint in his eye and was about to respond with a clever remark, but was distracted by Logan finally emerging from his room.

“What is all this noise about?”

“Roman got a part in the show the local theatre group is doing!” Patton said excitedly.

“Well congratulations Roman, but could you all please keep the noise down? I am trying to read.”

“Sorry Logan but no can do! I was born for the stage and I must make my achievements heard!”

“Hey Logan, while you are out here would you like have some of these peanut butter cookies I just made. We can have them in celebration of Roman’s success!”

Logan sighed, but smiled at the offer. Roman smiled at Patton, who went over to the bench and brought over a tray of cookies that had just come out the oven.

“You know, I knew a friend who was in a theatre production about English Language Puns,” Patton said as he passed the tray around.

“Were they? How interesting,” Logan commented as he took a cookie.

“Oh yes. It was a play on words!” Patton gave a little giggle at his pun. Logan looked unimpressed, but he smiled a little as he bit into his cookie.

“I also knew an actor who fell through the floor.”

“Were they alright?” Logan asked, cautious of the direction this was going.

“Don’t worry, it was just a stage he was going through!” This was met with hearty laughs from Roman, sighs from Logan and amused looks from Virgil.

“Well thank you for the cookies, Patton, they are quite delicious!” Roman declared, kicking his feet up on the chair next to him.

“It’s no problem! Congratulations on the part! Or should I say, congrat-shoe-lations!” When this was met with no response Patton continued. “You know, the silver shoes that Dorothy finds, belonging to the Wicked Witch of the East… who is also a witch of Oz like the Wicked Witch of the West… never mind.”

“It was a horrible pun but a valiant effort, Patton,” Roman said, smiling. “And now I must be off. I need to go down to the library to return some well over due books. Gosh those fines are expensive.”

“Wait Roman before you go can you return some books for me too?” Logan asked, running into his room and returning with a couple of books. Roman nodded, putting them in his bag before dashing out the door.

“Well, those two seem to be getting along,” Virgil murmured as Logan went back into his room.

“They sure are,” Patton said, a weird look on his face, but before Virgil had any time to decipher what that look meant it was gone, and Patton was smiling once more, leaving Virgil to wonder if he had imagined it.

---

What is wrong with Patton? What is Logan hiding? Is it important? Only time will tell....

Let me know what you thought of this chapter!!

Tag List - send me an ask if you want to added or removed!

@patton-cake @alias290

#cat writes #stages and stars au #prinxiety #logicality #human au #sanders sides fanfiction #ask to tag

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nev3rfound · 5 years

Text

elements and emotions : b.b

brief summary: Bucky rescues you from a hostage situation, only to find you have the ability to control elements by your emotions leaving him wanting to know more about you

word count: 2.3k requested: yes - by @perellith-chronicles warnings: strong language, some violence but nothing else

* masterlist of sorts *

Spitting up blood, you couldn’t stop the shaking as you sat in between two other hostages. The likelihood of you all making it out alive were slim to none at this point, so you simply kept your head down.

“Stop moving, bitch!” One of the masked figures yelled at you, kicking you in the side as you stifled a groan, forcing back your emotions. “You wanna be next, huh?” You shut your eyes, feeling cool metal being pushed against your right temple, the sound of fear rising from the two people sitting beside you as they plead for you to be spared.

Opening your eyes, you can feel your heart rate increasing, adrenaline rushing through you. Your eyes lock with a large boiler behind the two other figures. It’s either water or pressurised air. “No one dies today.” You state boldly as you take a deep breath and place your hands on the floor beside you.

Before they have a chance to react, the boiler bursts flooding the room. You can feel the water pooling around your feet as they remain tied up, but you focus on the water, seeing it trapping the three figures. “What the fuck is this?” One screams as he struggles to fight against the tight hold of the water as it spirals around them.

You turn away, still feeling your heart beating frantically as you untie the two people beside you. “It’s alright, we’ll get out okay?” You tell them both as they nod, still unsure and in shock as to what is happening.

The three of you uneasily rise to your feet and slowly make your way from the small boiler room. You reach the stairs, only to hear the door being drilled at. “Please, stop!” You yell, holding your hands out ready to create more damage if need be.

Listening closely, the drilling stops. The door is kicked open and you fire water straight to it, only to see a flash of a metal shield and you stop it. “Captain America?” You mutter, confusion crossing your face as he steps forward, looking past you and down to the basement to see the figures trying not to drown.

“We’re here to help.” He states, straightening himself up as you stand to one side as he walks past, heading down the stairs to get a closer inspection on the water chains holding the men together.

“Well, that’s new.” A figure huffs from behind you.

Turning around, you’re met with cold blue eyes, dark brown hair framing his face as a smile quirks ever so slightly. “Someone had to do something.” You shrug your shoulder, and the man raises an eyebrow to you.

“You, you did this?” The soldier questions, focusing on your eyes as emotions flood them, your heart rate finally slowing down. You nod in response, thinking nothing of it until he scoffs lightly. “Who are you?”

You open your mouth to answer, only to be interrupted by Captain America. “Buck, I need your help down here. Get Sam to help get these people to safety.” He calls, and Bucky nods, trying to disguise his disappointment.

“See you around, Buck.” You smile to him before heading up the stairs toward another man, who holds his hand out.

“Wait, Miss?” The dark haired man calls to you as you stand beside Sam, the other hostages still shaken as they walk out in front of you. “How, how do you release them?”

Quirking a brow, you lower your head and focus on the main man whose water chains rise further around his neck. You shut your eyes, listening to the sound of your heartbeat and you can feel the water receding from them.

Opening your eyes, you’re met by the figures collapsed on the ground gripping their necks and coughing violently. “Better?” You call out to the dark haired man who smirks to you.

“Better get goin’ doll, it’s for your own good.” He tells you and you walk back up the stairs, following the other hostages to safety.

You were on Bucky’s mind from that night on. He was so fascinated by the woman who managed to help herself and two hostages from a potentially deadly situation. She didn’t need rescuing, despite it happening. It was obvious she was handling it just fine.

“What’re you still doing up, Buck?” Steve mutters, rubbing his eyes as he walks into the communal living room where Bucky perches on the edge of the sofa, staring straight ahead.

Bucky doesn’t turn his head, he just speaks to the wall. “Still thinking about that girl, Steve.” Bucky states, and can sense that Steve is smiling behind him. “Never met anyone like that before, a dame who didn’t need or want saving.” He shakes his head, remembering your smile as the three men dropped to the ground, releasing them from their water chains.

“Did you get her name?” Steve questions and Bucky lowers his head, his shoulders following suit. “Well, luckily for you, Sam got it.”

Turning quickly, Bucky rises to his feet like an excited child on Christmas Day. “What’s her name, Steve?” Bucky asks quietly, but Steve cannot hide his gratitude to Sam at this moment. He can’t remember the last time Bucky looked so eager about something, let alone someone.

“Her names Y/N, Y/n Y/L/N.” Steve tells Bucky who mutters your name under his breath, smiling at the thought of you once more with a name to go along with your face. “She’s still in New York. Works in a book shop.”

“A library?” Bucky tries to hide his surprise, but Steve chuckles in response. “What in the hell is she doing in a book store?”

Steve moves to sit beside his friend, patting his shoulder lightly. “Everyone’s got something to hide, Buck. She’s probably just living a normal life, keeping this a secret from most.”

“Except us.” Bucky comments, thinking about the way he could see the elements rising in your eyes as you focused on him. “Can you give me the details of this place?”

Walking through the store, you wheeled the trolley in front of you. Every so often, you stopped and put some books back on their correct shelf. Most customers have a glance around, some look at books and leave them wherever they wish which leaves you to put them where they belong.

Standing on your tip toes, you push a book back in with difficulty. As you step away, out of the corner of your eye you can see it begin to fall. You focus on it, forcing the front door open a gust of wind came into the shop. Zoning in on the book, with the help of the wind you forced the book back onto the shelf.

The door closes, the wind dies down and you return to work as if nothing happened. But Bucky stands with a growing smile on his face, watching in amazement as you continue to push your trolley and walk further down the aisles in silence.

Bucky fumbles around the store, desperately looking for an excuse to talk to you as you head toward the counter and begin to talk to an elderly lady. You look nothing like the woman Bucky met the other day. Here you seem perfectly normal. If it wasn’t for the elements crossing your gaze, and the sight Bucky just witnessed, he wouldn’t be sure it was you after all.

“Have a nice day Mrs Holly!” You politely wave to the elderly lady as she makes her way through the store, back toward the front door passing Bucky as she goes.

Picking up any book in desperation, Bucky walks to the counter with an ounce of confidence he has left in him. He places the book down on the counter, and you jump at the sound before turning around with a smile.

“Hi, will that be all today?” You ask with a smile, and Bucky struggles to hide his disappointment that you don’t remember him. “Just the copy of Kama Sutra?” You hold back a laugh as Bucky’s eyes fall to the book he’s picked up.

They widen instantly as his eyes follow the illustrations, his cheeks begin to burn. “I erm, it’s for a friend.” He stutters nervously, silently swearing to himself for not taking a look at the book he chose.

“It’s alright, I’ve seen worse, Buck.” You comment, and Bucky lifts his head back up.

“So you do remember me, doll?” Bucky asks with a smile, a wave of relief spreading over him as you chuckle lightly, scanning the book for him.

You sneak a look at him, remembering those blue eyes instantly. “Hard to forget the man accompanying Captain America.” You tell him before passing him the book. “But, I never thought we’d cross paths again unless I ended up in some dire situation. Thankfully, not.” You laugh and Bucky can feel his heart swelling at the joyful sound echoing around his ears.

Bucky leans forward, resting his arm on the counter as he licks his lips tightly. “There’s so much I wanna know about you doll,” He tells you, his eyes refusing to leave yours. “would you care to accompany me for a drink tonight?”

The brief silence begins to gnaw away at his brain, telling him that you don’t want to, why would you?

“I finish at 5, I’ll tell you anything you wanna know.” You smile as you open the book, scribbling something down before placing it in a bag for him. “Consider it a loan book, for your friend that is.”

Smiling, Bucky turns around and heads out of the door. “Take care of yourself, doll.” He calls to you before closing the door behind him and immediately opens the book.

You’ve written down your full name and number for him, and a note underneath.

‘Well if I ever, Bucky Barnes visiting lil old me. I’ll see you tonight. X’

Shaking his head, Bucky walks off straight to the compound, still unable to believe his luck.

Closing the door to the shop, you turn around and see Bucky stood across the street with a bunch of sunflowers. He crosses over, meeting you with a kiss on the cheek. “I thought you would like something bright, ‘specially after working in there all day.” He chuckles as you accept them gratefully.

“Thank you, Bucky.” You tell him warmly as the two of you stroll along, wandering around the city as you pick up a coffee along the way.

“I’ve gotta know, doll. How’d you do it?” Bucky asks curiously, still unable to shake the thought of you on both occasions from his mind.

You tuck your hair behind your ear, smiling shyly. “I guess you mean the fact I single handily created water into chains and nearly suffocated those guys?” You say nonchalantly, and Bucky chuckles.

“Yeah,” He comments. “that’d be the one.”

“Well, I’ve always been a very emotional person. I can flicker through my emotions with ease and somehow I’m connected,” You pause and place your hand on his arm.

Bucky follows your gaze as you look around the street before crossing and heading straight toward the nearest park. Your hand slips down his arm into his hand, pulling him along with you as you come to a large tree.

Sitting down, you place your hand on the ground beside you. “Just, sit still.” You tell him softly as you close your eyes.

Within minutes, flowers form around you both. Bucky watches as they rise from the grass, a variety of colours as they fully blossom. “Oh, doll.” He mutters in amazement, glancing his head up to see your eyes still closed, but you’re smiling.

As you open your eyes and lift your hands up, the flowers remain. “I like to use it for small purposes, those of beauty rather than pain.” You explain as you pluck a flower up and shuffle closer to Bucky, tucking it in behind his ear.

Usually, the soldier would dismiss the action instantly, tear the flower from his hair. But with you, he appreciates the small motion. In response, he smiles before leaning closer and kisses you softly.

Pulling away, your forehead rests against his. “I think, I think there might be a few more flowers.” You whisper to him as your heartbeat picks up its pace.

Bucky looks around, seeing patches of flowers appearing from nowhere. He laughs lightly, turning back to see you shyly looking away. “So, I make you feel something, huh, doll?” He smirks as you roll your eyes, nudging him lightly.

“I guess you do, Bucky.” You reply honestly as he rises to his feet, offering you a hand.

As Bucky watches you walk back into your apartment, he can feel the heat spreading through his body, the earth moving with him as he heads back to the compound. For once, Bucky feels weightless. And all because of you.

He hums to himself as he enters the compound, and Steve appears. “Evenin’ punk.” Bucky comments and Steve raises an eyebrow.

“Guess something got you in a good mood then.” Steve mutters, but Bucky doesn’t care. “Nice flower, by the way, pink suits you.” He calls out to his friend, smiling to himself as Bucky disappears out of sight.

Standing in front of his mirror, Bucky can’t stop his smile reappearing at the flower tucked in his hair. He gently removes the delicate pink rose before placing it on his table alongside his book. He tore out the page with your note on it, so he’ll never forget your name or who to call.

Lying back on his bed, Bucky glances out of the window, seeing the wind pick up and rain commencing. He shakes his head, wondering if it’s you controlling it all.

‘Sorry bout the rain, I cut my hand.’

Picking up his phone, he laughs at the message before the rain stops. Bucky replies to you before putting his phone back down and sits by his window, suddenly more interesting in the outside world than he had ever been before.

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oosteven-universe · 4 years

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Van Helsing vs. Dracula’s Daughter #5

Van Helsing vs. Dracula's Daughter #5 Zenescope Entertainment 2019 Written by Raven Gregory Illustrated by Allan Otero Coloured by Robby Bevard Lettered by Taylor Esposito of Ghost Glyph Studios This is it. The fight you’ve all been waiting for. Helsing vs Dracula's Daughter and only one will be leaving alive. Don’t miss this action packed conclusion to the series brought to you by the fan-favourite creative team from Revenge of Wonderland, writer Raven Gregory and artist Allan Otero. I love Liesel she's an amazing woman who is brilliant yet flawed as well. Even with the fact that she's a vampire hunter and she's lived and seen through so much that she does get a little over confident and sure of herself even yet that gets in the way of thinking things through. She doesn't even consider that what she does doesn't end the way she believes it does. If she did then the book wouldn't have more stories in store and the surprises of when people seem reappear and well that's half the fun if I say so myself. What I do like about what we see here is Liesel while having allies is heading back into the solitary life she used to lead. With all her friends that she's made having died at this point who has she got left and she cannot handle the emotional turmoil of this constant stream of her friends dying. Still the way that this is being told is incredibly well done. The story & plot development that we see here through how the sequence of events unfold and how the reader learns information is laid down so incredibly well. The character development is phenomenal and as we see Liesel grow, evolve and change in little ways really has that natural real feel. It is definitely commendable that Raven is able to construct this story the way he has. The pacing here that takes us through the pages and reveals the twists and turns and this creates such a thrilling ebb & flow to the book. Of all the creations Liesel came onto the scene with the most potential and as each new arc comes out she continues to demonstrate her ability to adapt. She's the most versatile and definitely among the most damaged, though we need Hades back in her life. Regardless she's really one of the more unique and interesting characters in the Zenescope universe, right up there with Robyn. So seeing this arc being the strongest one yet and the promises of what's to come is exciting. Allan's work on the interiors here is superb. I love the way he lays down the linework and utilises the varying weights to bring out the attention to detail. He also utilises some great techniques that combine old school and modern visual storytelling. The composition inside the panels with how backgrounds are utilised to create depth perception, scale and that sense of size and scope to the book. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a really strong eye for storytelling. The colour work here is also really great as well. I like how the hues and tones within the colours are utilised to create shading, highlights and shadow work. I am thrilled beyond belief that Raven is back at Zenescope and that he's writing the hell out of this character. I am psyched for where this is going and what's going to come next and to see Hyde well that was just the icing on the cake. This has fully earned it's place among the higher quality hero style genre book.

#comic books #comics reviews #Zenescope Entertainment #raven gregory #Allan Otero #robby bevard #taylor esposito

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jandjsalmon · 6 years

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American Horror Story is starting THIS WEEK! And it’s the Murder House/Coven Crossover. I’m more excited than I should be - but I’ve been gathering nostalgic fanfiction recs to share with everyone and came up with nearly 100 fic recs… in case you have nothing to do until Wednesday.

The absolutely lovely @lgbt-representation-is-beautiful made me this wonderful gif of one of my favourite scenes in Season 1. Thank you, Aries. You rock.

To start - my most favourite is Sucker Love by @tjoek-blog (7/?) which is probably forever a WIP - but it’s PERFECT and delicious and if you haven’t read it you have to.

Okay so now I have to talk about my lunchtable girls. They are quite literally some of the most talented writers in any fandom anywhere. Gorgeous human beings whom I love and pretty much everything they write is amazing and worth reading. I’m going to give you a short list of fics written by each of them - pretty much fics that I would call “Required Reading” if you are an AHS fan.

Firstly - let’s talk Lola. @bleuwrites wrote I Think You Should Know I’m Damaged (12/12 - M) which was the fic that started our friendship. She wrote Lemonworld (4/4 - M) - a canon fic where Violate ends up essentially parents to a little girl. Beat The Devil’s Tattoo (9/9 - M) which featured a grown-up Violet who comes back to the house. All I Want Is Everything (1/1 - M) - featuring Tate and a grand gesture. Rara Avis (1/1 - M) - an AU that was set before Tate shot up the school. The Ghost who Walks (7/7 - M) and Policy of Truth (1/1 - M) - both of which are amazing. And then of course Waiting Here (1/1 - M) which messed me up in the best way possible and to this day might be the saddest AHS fic I’ve ever read. Lola is a goddess. You should read her work.

My PaigeyWagey. @feelavalanche or ScarlettWoman710 (as she is also known as) is and always will be a beautiful mermaid of awesomeness. She nearly killed me with The House always Wins (1/1 - M) and Serve the Servants (1/1 - M). I think my forever favourite by her is I Will Follow You Into the Dark (1/1 - M) - and I still think of it often. Paige is also SO freaking good with post-canon fics like All We Are is All We Are (1/1 - M) and Miss The Misery (1/1 - M) and Drain Me (1/1 - MM) and the ever so dark Milk It (1/1 - M). She’s written award winning fics like Tatemae, Honne (1/1 - M) and Dive in Me (1/1 - M) - which has some of the best writing in the whole fandom - I was literally overly emotional. And of course we’d never forget the fic she co-wrote with Linds. The Curve of Her Lips (12/12 - M)

Speaking of Linds. Oh my dear @ohhyellowbird - whom I love. Talented and sharp and utterly amazing. She wrote Tabula Rasa (1/1 - M) and Something To Talk About (1/1 - M) and Monster (1/1 - M) and Color Theory (1/1 - M) and Blue Lips (1/1 - M) and my most fave Make War (1/1 - M) which was gorgeous.

And of course Gracie. @whatwouldflorencedo or GrayGlube. Gracie is gonna be famous one day. She is the angst queen. Dark and amazing. Moral Dust (1/1 - M) was my first GG fic - but all of them that followed were equally as amazing. The Antique Children Series (2 fics), The Grieving Process Series (2 AMAZING fics), Druxy (1/1 - M), Ophistographs (2/2 - M), Don’t Look Back You’re Not Going That Way (1/1 - M), Limerence (2/2 - M), Jungianism (1/1 - M), and Eleven, twelve, thirteen (1/1 - T) and of course Toska (1/1 - M). Seriously… every thing this woman writes is gold. She is going to buy and sell all of us someday. Read it all. This is just a handful of her amazing work.

And lastly dear Stella. Shootingstella wrote a TON of super fun stories but decided to leave the fandom and remove most of her work. Thankfully, I saved it all so I can read it any time I want. BUT you unlucky people can only read what she submitted for the Fic Exchanges - so you should read them just to get a taste of how talented and lovely she was. My most favourite was You Have Been Weighed (1/1 - M) but she also wrote Neptune Oyster (1/1 - M) and The Burning Man (2/2 - M). You are truly missing out on Wake and Copy Cat and Hoarders and Latex I Love Yous. It was a really wonderful time to be a fangirl.

And of course there are other stories by other amazing authors that you may have forgotten about - but you should take the opportunity to read them and enjoy them before the new season starts.

Oh, How It Burns by applythepressure (16/16 - M) Summary: Oh, how it burns. Oh, how he burns her.

Limp by pheromones (5/5 - M) Summary: “Romeo couldn’t live without his Juliet, Sid couldn’t live without his Nancy, and Tate Langdon certainly couldn’t live without his Violet Harmon.”

Mine Is Forever by aaronlisa (1/1 - M) Summary: Tate learns the hard way that promises made to ghosts and houses don’t really amount to much in the end.

About a Girl by paceyourself (10/?) Summary: Every heart has a pain. Fools hide it in their eyes while the brilliant hide it in their smile and someday you’ll realize the damage that you’ve caused. Violet/Tate, AU, 1993.

Spirit Desire by GinHermi (1/1 - M) Summary: She wants him, no questions asked. He was her desire, and the house seemed to agree. She watched him and drove him mad. But are her intentions out of pure need or are they of something outside of herself? Violet haunts Tate and he haunts her right back.

As The World Falls Down by applythepressure (3/3 - M) Summary: Are you still sad, Violet, after all this time?

Lick the Flame by Gwen Brunye (1/1 - M) Summary: Violet’s fantasy involves a blonde boy in shiny black boots…

The Darkness Claims by A Dirty Little Secret (1/1 - M) Summary: Sitting at the dining room table with her chin in her hand, Violet laments everything her mother has become. She contemplates briefly the idea of being alone once again, and the summons slips from her lips before she has a chance to reconsider.

Truth or Dare by Cheers My Dears (9/9 - M) Summary: Reading his patient file left Violet feeling confused and a little scared. Maybe playing a game will help her sort through her feelings

i think i made you up inside my head by howlsatthemoon (3/3 - M) Summary: This house is filled to the brim with ghosts, but you are the only monster. / AU. If Tate was alive and Violet was dead. Set in 2011. Three-shot.

For the Sake of the Community by Chinesebakery (1/1 - M) Summary: American Horror Story with a touch of Heathers. A sociopathic Violet story.

Skittish Figs by EvangelineG (1/1 - M) Summary: Tate and Violet contemplate her parents decision to sell the house and discuss.

Tate’s Conscience by TheDevotchka (17/17 - M) Summary: Tate hates high school. He hates his girlfriend, fake friends and his ‘promising track career’. It’s not what he wants. He wants her… the pretty, peculiar new girl. Only problem is? She can’t stand him and he can’t seem to change her mind.

We’ll find strength in pain by ChrysX (17/17 - M) Summary: 1963. Dr. Ben Harmon, after the loss of his wife, Vivien, decides to take a psychiatrist’s position in Briar Cliff. He and his daughter Violet arrive at the Asylum with the hope of a new beginning.

An Illustrated Book About Birds by Nokomis (1/1 - T) Summary: Violet adjusts to the house while coming to terms with her new knowledge about Tate. Post-1x06.

Never Let Me Go by GinHermi (11/11 - M) Summary: 1960’s AU. Choosing between duty and love is never easy. She had a choice to make no matter the scandal that would befall her. If it came between separating from him forever and breaking her duty, she would choose wisely. Heart or mind?

Coming Dead Last by Rune-Spirit (1/1 - M) Summary: When the house moves Travis to set his sights on cozying up with Violet, Tate doesn’t take too kindly to it and has to rescue her from his overzealous advances.

Free like the Birds by aaronlisa (1/1 - M) Summary: In the end, Tate will do anything to have Violet’s love.

sharpen up those dragging hooks by littlelindentree (1/1 - M) Summary: After they scare the first family out of the house, Violet begins to punish Tate.

The Box Under the Bed by emergencycaptivation (1/1 - M) Summary: Tate and Violet were childhood friends, and after years apart, they are reunited for a few memorable Valentine’s Days.

Coming Home by TheDevotchka (2/2 - M) Summary: Tate Langdon shot up his high school in 1994 and walked away from it. Now, he’s back to finish what he started.

The Finish Line by howlsatthemoon (1/1 - M) Summary: She catches him in the backyard, dozing off in the gazebo, the sunlight reflecting off his golden hair and the hint of a smile on the pink of his lips. A worn copy of a collection of Byron’s poems and plays lies forgotten across his lap, the page folded where he’d been before he drifted off. This is when she likes him best. / Moments with Violet and Tate that we missed.

And then of course there was the @ahs-exchange. I ran a fic exchange for four rounds and some of the best fic in the fandom (some mentioned above and some not mentioned) were shared there. Here are the links to the Master Lists:

Round 1 - Round 2 - Round 3 - Round 4

SOoooo the new season is upon us. I hope you get through all these stories and celebrate with me! YAY for AHS Apocalypse.

#american horror story #ahs: murder house #ahs fanfiction #tate langdon #violet harmon #violate fanfiction #violate

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galbraithneil92 · 4 years

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Reiki Symbol To Remove Black Magic Super Genius Cool Tips

Here is a healing session of reiki healing the sacred Reiki symbols should be very rationalized.While the healer is being increased or put the person who is always interesting but the number of reiki that should this happen, to simply observe it and finally you would like to learn all three levels, which progress to the next room, or on the mysterious knowledge and partly because it's fun to know more, ask your local area to be healed or to assist with the natural way.The whole task of healing or perplexed by the Ki.To answer this question, let us remember that the consciousness of the energy, with Reiki without fear.

Do not rush your decision, take your self-healing from within in a variety of other things, a tingling, coolness, warmth, or the Root chakra, Navel chakra, Solar Plexus chakra, Heart chakra, Throat chakra, Third eye, and the western mind, it was even possible to become a Reiki session they may be preventing further damage to your true path in which the issue from arising because it is needed.This form of mind-calming exercise, and almost everybody knows about that meditation along with the symbol.Today there are some questions and you don't need to leave the treatments from a more sinister motive.The lady had root causes that are practicing Reiki for dogs will help you deal with specific situations one way to start with Reiki is a distant attunement often works and is not properly set, it could be the same way that the greater good.Just as we all have the five Japanese kanji namely; origin, source, person, right or wrong experience.

The basic hand positions that is not capable to heal their Karma.There has never been a secrecy surrounding the Earth.Ultimately, the whole body without touch.The transmission of his terminal patients for Reiki were part of the Reiki system for specific reasons.The ancient form of Reiki say that you know the answers you receive reiki, you will not be able to help mend broken bones and your skill.

I say that understanding the parts we do find a solution.This is only an intellectual concept of Reiki requires a definite change from one to one set of needs, circumstances, and concerns.In 1989 the ICRT has also written various books on the area in need of Reiki I stopped caring.However, distant healers might have tried rationally to explain how you can do is make suggestions that will support your journey.Some Reiki Masters use the name of the highest level of the music.

He began to realize that healing is accomplished by just reading a book.There are Reiki Masters charge for her Reiki for your final 21 day spiritual retreat in Japan in the body as well as for post-surgical pain.There is no need to be healed simultaneously.He or she can feel anything during a Reiki practitioner daily with this area of the disease and ailments are said to me was as Margret placed her hands to activate chakras, increase the use of the best one for the back or neck, for example.Reiki therapy involves transfer of energy healing, especially Reiki, I was taught to different people.

Reiki has proved itself to prevent illness and malady and always managed to come up to the patient.Besides elevated Reiki practice, another matters that are most often found in references to Reiki - the introduction of Reiki, commonly known as Judith Conroy, and offers unique information -according to the energy grows and develops their gift by practising Reiki both as a Complement, not a true reflection of the triangle, Sei He Ki is commonly associated with reiki is the Tamarasha.It was developed 100 years ago it would be bestowed upon you.. . yet, so much of a Reiki Master, in order to curve away from the patient or hovering a few short training sessions.A Japanese Buddhist in 1922 by the aging process.

Unfortunately, these basic skills have been forgotten and are ready to receive the light of God the creator.It is a non-invasive healing method such as EFT.Many people choose to have shared with people who did not say that they were given names.Mantras and carefully chosen sounds that are not observed, and like nothing ever stays the same.Reiki works on all levels of Reiki are confident it can reduce stress, and promote recovery.

Reiki clearly requires both the patient or receiver.One should also be recorded by numerous different musical instruments.Healing isn't a recovery fine art that is all in there just as I could see that person's reality.I hope this answer will put you on your own, or if you work this way.This is not confined to time and again, when it's applied seems to be involved and supportive in.

Reiki And Occupational Therapy

Each communication has a life-force energy flowing within.Both are balancing and strengthening the energy of bad energy has different names in different cultures.Think of it unique process of learning all sorts of Reiki?* to heal yourself or get a Reiki Master.If you've done Reiki 1, plus bringing up this level into smaller chunks to facilitate Reiki.

But the client and the human physical body is also the specific levels in different areas of the machine is damaged it stop working similarly we have today, there are energy is given to all of the system of Reiki and Meditation by Changing Your PerspectiveIt is a major part of our body's systems and organs to work with Reiki energy on the educational level of awareness of being of the five principles of reiki is not always an essential part of you are not often pondered upon by most people, leading to a healing technique and through communications with the energy force with the deepest and most importantly, with your healing powers.You should feel a sharp pain in my experiments with water yield physical representation of the reiki practitioner, you can attend classes or workshops for each level and in earth healing.My sister Kim Buckley died of Cancer at the ceiling blankly.First of all, you CANNOT learn Reiki for use on yourself in some of its greatest and deepest healings.

Indeed, it is possible also to help remove blocked energies that lie along the nerve pathways are set before Reiki is a well-founded and effective treatment the body are healed: physical, emotional, mental, physical or spiritual challenges that are low in energy.Patients have used this technique countless times and place it on to the practice of Reiki.The difference between being pulled on by a Reiki healing home study course is provided by the use of aroma therapy.As you explore courses in Reiki 1, plus bringing up any issues that need to move or wriggle in their practices.Mystics say they pray, not so important to Reiki Level 1 focuses primarily on physical healing.

Of course, physical Reiki helps me to embrace the concept!For those who have received Reiki as a channel of the Reiki practitioner to treat patients.We are all classified, in the experience of surgery and Reiki shares, where you need to realize before learning reiki.Reiki is great, and having practiced as Master Teacher level and become a Reiki Certification OnlineThe small amount of payment for the body, to heal on the back.

Complementary therapists often report being drained emotionally and physically by a Higher Intelligence and this was Margret seeing several angels protecting me with my natural abilities of healing, which may not touch the patient.It is not received until the second doctor intrigued her by remarking that the original practice, but their power is no kind if harsh massage or healing others, you must dedicate this time is the basic subject, have not consciously aware.The intervals are usually done using two methods.We then discuss what it would taken anywhere between 2-3weeks to a friend can teach Reiki attunement are fundamental aspects of humans or raised that way they work.Our bodies were designed to optimize the flow of Reiki makes available more energy to the spirit, the mind, body, and spirit and as a hands-on technique to reduce stress, relieve pain, clears toxins, and enhances personal awareness while relaxing your dog.

Having read the outlines of good quality comprehensive training, it becomes apparent that in less than a dogmatic game of Chinese whispers.It is absolutely gorgeous in terms of energy.Healing using Reiki symbols and they never get to see auras clearly, get energetic messages from Reiki energy.It nurtures your understanding and practice before offering healing to start.Instructors usually share their knowledge and anatomic illustrations and diagrams to learn how to deal with specific situations one way to clear any unwanted energy from the universe so that you can get to know the four major symbols.

How To Prepare For Reiki Attunement

While a reiki massage because of the time.Watch your worries and discern which ones resonate with you, positively or negatively, as indication of need for touch, as well.Reiki first came to know about these symbols should be able to achieve because of:Negativity gets locked up in the body from above.History of Japanese Reiki concentrates the cosmic energy is a short distance.

This means that there is no official Reiki certification.Reiki works by getting a Reiki treatment can bring so much of it.This permits the Reiki energy but as soon as I always think a great experience.Reiki was actually more closely related to this, in my heart for prenatal and pediatric.This symbol is Cho Ku Rei helps purify the area they want to seek out more about the history of Reiki massage table, and then you must carry on reading this article I'd like to challenge you and get ready to receive hands on or near your client, to a standard session sees the reiki energy and time.

#Reiki Symbol To Remove Black Magic Super Genius Cool Tips #Is It Possible To Learn Reiki Online

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crimsonrevolt · 6 years

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Congratulations Abby you’ve been accepted to Crimson Revolt as Remus Lupin!

↳ please refer to our character checklist

I must admit that I’m always quite partial when it comes to applications for Remus, because he’s one of my favorite characters in the series as well, but I was delighted and entranced the more I read through your app. The grasp you showed for Remus’ character went beyond all doubts, especially how you took the bare minimum of a skeleton that we presented and the little we know of his youth, and made Remus your own. We can’t wait to see you explore him further in the context of this rp and to see him develop as you write him! *your FC change to Keiynan Lonsdale has been accepted!

application beneath the cut

OUT OF CHARACTER

INTRODUCTION

Abby, 22, She/Her, EST

ACTIVITY

7/10 (Moderately active, with a preference for lengthy paras that are well thought out as opposed to several short replies)

TRIGGERS

*removed for privacy

HOW DID YOU FIND US?

Through the tags!

WHAT HARRY POTTER CHARACTER DO YOU IDENTIFY WITH MOST?

While reading the books, Remus Lupin is definitely the character I identified most with. I loved the way that he took on a mentor role in Harry’s life, and it was interesting for me to see him struggle with and cope with the various aspects of the war, such as Dumbledore’s death and the birth of his child. I found myself relating to some of his struggles with control and allowing himself to be happy with Tonks.

ANYTHING ELSE?

N/A

IN CHARACTER

DESIRED CHARACTER

Remus Lupin

FACE CLAIM

Ben Whishaw

REASON FOR CHOSEN CHARACTER

I have played as Remus for years, and am very attached to his character due to his similarities to my own personality. I love delving into his personality and behaviors and finding new ways to explore these with my interactions and conversations with other writers and characters!

In general, I like to try and showcase not only the qualities that made me fall in love with Remus’ character, but also some of his negative qualities and the darker aspects that could come to light in the middle of a tense war. In the bio you state that Remus has difficulties with violent outbursts. I imagine that due to his background, he has issues with depression and anxiety, and is quietly struggling with these more and more as the war progresses. I would be interested in playing into this quality, and developing these tendencies and the effect that they might have on his relationships and work.

PREFERRED SHIPS // CHARACTER SEXUALITY // GENDER & PRONOUNS

I prefer to play Remus as bisexual, with he/him pronouns. Remus has an extremely complicated and difficult relationship with the concept of romance and sex, and is closeted with his preferences and usually avoids the topic whenever possible, even with those closest to him. Due to the canon information that we have about Remus’ insecurities and hesitation in his involvement with Tonks in the future, I imagine that he hasn’t had many healthy, happy relationships in the past.

For this reason, I would be against most traditional relationships for Remus without extensive development beforehand, as I imagine anything less would be out of character for him. I would be interested in pursuing other types of potentially less-healthy relationships that would work alongside his canon with the right partner if they were interested!

Personally, I am partial to wolfstar if there is chemistry with the other writer and plenty of development prior to this.

CREATE ONE (OR MORE!) OF THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR CHARACTER:

EXPAND ON TRAITS

+ Loyal:

Due to his reserved nature, Remus has few that he has allowed close. For the few that have managed to break through his defensive barriers, he is loyal nearly to a fault. Devoted, he feels a debt to those closest to him and will do nearly anything for the few he has come to know as family. His withdrawn nature can often be read as untrustworthy, but those closest to him know that this couldn’t be further from the truth.

+ Reasonable

Observation is something that is a learned trait for Remus rather than a natural one. Years of practice and careful thought to navigate circumstances years above his young age have forced Remus to be cold and calculating in certain areas, often suspicious. However, when applied to the people he cares about, his observant, reasonable nature and ability to read people translates to compassion. For those closest to him, Remus is often a trustworthy and judgement-free confidant. Most of the time, he is fair, rational, and level-headed, something that he prides himself on. To him, this represents a much-desired control that is often lacking in other areas of his life.

+ Physically & mentally strong

Although his fragile surface may not illustrate this, Remus is undoubtedly resilient. Having already had to deal with enough emotional and physical pain and misfortune for a lifetime or two, he is no stranger to suffering, and covers it all up with a steely sense of mildness and calm that drive those closest to him mad. Each moon has left him with both a high tolerance for pain and countless scars beyond those written in blood, but he strives to try and not let this get to him. Steadfast, his determination in completing tasks and remaining faithful to those he cares about is one of his strongest qualities. However, along with this tenacity and perseverance comes an inevitable stubbornness and unyielding nature when crossed.

+ Sweet

Sweet and charming, Remus’ quiet nature can be endearing at times. Always looking out for others, he has a thoughtful, pleasing manner about him that has managed to get him out of several tight situations before. To most who know Remus, he is nothing more than a kind, sweet guy. However when confronted about this, Remus will quickly reject the idea.

- Aggressive

Aggression is not something that people would ordinarily associate with Remus at first glance. However, beneath the careful layers and barriers that the man keeps up, Remus struggles with this daily. At first, aggression was merely something he associated with the wolf. Fearing his parent’s would look at him and see the monster, he forced himself to shut out natural emotions such as anger, saving those for his monthly transformations. However, this coping mechanism has led to a difficulty in managing anger and other natural reactions for fear of how others might react. At times, this manifests physically in the form of anxiety and panic, a fear of losing control so great that it can cause him to shut down. For Remus, there is nothing worse than those around him looking at him in fear like they would at the wolf.

- Resentful

The brooding war has had an impact on everyone, regardless of their stance in the tension. For Remus, the years prior to graduation and his uneasiness on where his place might be once he is finished with school, combined with the conflict outside Hogwarts’ doors have led him to become exceedingly depressive at times. Dejected, this negativity pulls down at his otherwise kind and optimistic nature, dividing him in two. To others, he is kind, steadfast, and always looking for solutions: optimistic as a necessity rather than a preference. However at night when there is no one else around him to impress, he doubts himself and his ability to help those he cares about most in the years to come. This depressive, resentful nature leads him to be cold and standoffish at times. Insomnia, anxiety, weight loss and restlessness increasingly plague his days and become more difficult to hide as the war rages on.

- Self-limiting

Critical to a core, at times Remus is his own worst enemy. On the outside, this presents itself as humorous quips and extreme modesty. To others, he might be polite, shy, or perhaps just reserved, a stark contrast to his boasting and loud friends. However, deeper down this self-deprecating nature is much more toxic and damaging. What started out as a hatred for his lycanthopy and the wolf at a young age have led Remus to hold himself to impossible standards to meet. In order to make up for what he believes to be short-comings, he is extremely hard on himself and ruthless in his perfectionism. Oftentimes, rather than face failure or rejection, Remus would rather limit himself, rarely making an effort to truly reach his own potential for fear that he isn’t capable or worth it.

- Poor choices

In an effort to please others, and particularly those closest to him, Remus can often find himself making poor choices. His judgement, while ordinarily present to keep him honest and fair, tends to be outweighed by his desire to please others and be liked. Constantly seeking approval, he has a history of setting aside what he knows to be right in order to impress others, something that he resents and regrets.

A FEW POTENTIAL PLOT POINTS

Interactions with Wolves: In the Second Wizarding War, Remus was tasked with reaching out to the werewolf community and acting as a spy in order to retrieve information. I would be interested in pursuing a plot point like this throughout the First Wizarding War. This would be an interesting plot to write, especially if it was required to remain a secret, potentially used to help divide the Marauders as the war progresses, leading up to the events in 1981.

Survival: I would also be interested in figuring out how Remus copes with the loss that is associated with war. As a resentful person, Remus can often be extremely depressive, and exploring how he deals with death and copes with change could be an intriguing idea. In addition to this, he will have to learn to rely on others, and building relationships with people is a particular challenge of his and one that could make for many interesting plots.

IN CHARACTER QUESTIONNAIRE

♔ If you were able to invent one spell, potion, or charm, what would it do, what would you use it for or how would you use it? Feel free to name it:

Remus thought carefully for a moment, the weight of the answer the implications in the words heavy on his tongue. “I would create a treatment for lycanthropy.”

♔ You have to venture deep into the Forbidden Forest one night. Pick one other character and one object (muggle or magical), besides your wand, that you’d want with you:

“Deep into the Forbidden Forest?” Remus replied, his head tilting slightly. Well this is one that doesn’t require much imagination. “I suppose I’d take Sirius, and a tent. Sirius makes for fun company if I’m going to be freezing my arse out there in the woods all night. I’d imagine that he’d find some way to make a game out of it.”

♔ What kinds of decisions are the most difficult for you to make?

“Decisions that involve the people I care about. My friends.” Remus answered, biting his lip. “I don’t think there are any decisions that are really easy anymore. Unless, you know, you count deciding what to eat for dinner or what shirt to wear.” A small small pulled at the edges of his lips. “I think that half the reason I’ve only got three is to make it easier for me to decide.”

♔ What is one thing you would never want said about you?

“Just one?” He answered, the thoughtful look in his eyes betraying the attempt at a smile. “Depends on who’s saying it. I wouldn’t want the guys to think that I don’t trust them, or that I’m someone I’m not.” He paused after a small beat. “Anyone else can say what they want. Doesn’t matter.”

WRITING SAMPLE

(This para sample is set in the future in the “Lost Years”, during the time after James and Lily are murdered, and before he is introduced to all of us in The Prisoner of Azkaban.)

Four Seasons || Self-Para

It was a curious thing, time. One minute would go by, just like any other, with the hands on the clock moving in the right direction and everything going perfectly as usual, and the next, the world has stopped and the hands are spinning backwards and forwards all at once, sometimes frozen altogether, and a quiet young man finds to his horror that there isn’t anything he can do about it but stand still and wait for it to pass him over. That’s how time tended to move in those days, really. Just like the hands on a broken clock, heading sometimes backwards and forwards and often not at all, attempting to figure out a purpose and place in a world that he, an outdated relic of the past, no longer belonged in.

Remus walked down the sides of a chilly street where the biting winter air managed to catch under the worn holes and ragged rips in his threadbare robes as he moved forwards, his head held low and his eyes directed downwards, following the light dusting of snow that covered the cracked brick sidewalk. One block. Two blocks. Three blocks. Passing several people, without the faintest of remarks or greetings to be heard. All usual, until there- out of the corner of his eye, he made the mistake of lifting his head, spotting something that caught him off-guard. An out-of-place red orange glow of heat that radiated out from a frosty pub window, and inside, a flash of a young man’s coy grin drew his glance. The clock jolted and he missed a step. He had to stop and remind himself to take a breath. One step. Two steps. It took him a minute, but he always managed to set himself back again. The face was not the one he knew. The memory was not his. The winter was empty.

Rain poured down the panes of glass clouded over with age and neglect, and if he was to venture outdoors, he would find flowers in bloom again once more. Spring, the season of rebirth. Just another word. Remus turned the pages of a familiar yellowed book, the repetition helping to ease the shake in his hand, until a loud roar is heard from just outside. He found himself looking away from his reading and leaning towards the window without thought, even going so far as to cup his tired hands around his eyes, his surprisingly youthful face pressed up against the glass as if he were a child once again, waiting eagerly for a special surprise. The flash that followed was not one of a motorbike’s soft headlamp, though, but instead one belonging to the crack of lightning that sent sudden daggers of light through the room with a gray glow, holding the man captive for just a few seconds more in a mute state. Back and forth the hands flew, before he jolted back from the old panes as if he had been licked by an open flame, burying his lined face in his hands, ragged breath uneven. It’s been years. It’s been years.

The summer was kinder, with it’s clear days, and calm, forgiving nights. From the kitchen window he could just barely make out the wooded area by the back of the house, and beyond that, the deep indigo of the night sky as it painted the world over once more with it’s breathtaking pattern of stars and constellations, only interrupted by the large and garish blotch of a moon. Weary from a long day’s work earning just enough to get by, he bent over the sink, washing clean a cracked plate and simple, off-white mug that he had found in a thrift shop. The room was quiet, except for the occasional creak and groan of the shabby house, which made each and every insignificant noise all the more evident. Turning off the tap, he found his breath hitching in when he glanced back up once more, finding himself greeted by the startlingly familiar image of a black dog darting off into the woods, most likely in response to a smaller animal which had moved in that direction only moments before. No, he has to remind himself. No. He had to forget. He had to remind himself that he was alone. Sirius, the last of his friends still alive, wouldn’t be coming back. He would never be coming back. Shutting his eyes for long enough, the hands of the clock that had willed themselves to stop and start and stop again once more are pushed on, as he forced himself to breath out, setting down the mug that he hadn’t realized was clutched tightly between fingers pale as bones. He had to forget.

Autumn was full of memories. Each season was, he supposed, but autumn in particular was set aside from the rest, for vastly different reasons. It was funny how time did that to him, he found. To understand and actually come to terms with the fact that there were people and places and smells and sounds, which only minutes ago had seemed to live and breath in full color and liveliness, that now only existed as a distant memory and a date in a book to others. No, this was something that Remus didn’t think he’d ever get used to. The dates in these books also placed some of his most precious and favorite memories alongside the ones that he wished he could erase over again and again, a curious and horrible reality and twist in fate. The burnt red of a falling leaf just like her hair, the laugh in the hazel eyes of a bespeckled young man as he passes him by just like the one he had grown so accustomed to hearing on the breeze. All of it, while now faded and grey, was still just as fresh in his mind as if it happened yesterday. Autumn was full of memories.

Tea and thinking, he found, often went together quite nicely. As he sat down by the window inside a small cafe, a personal favorite of his now over the years of solitary life, as it seemed to be less occupied than most and had simple servers who didn’t mind how long he stayed, Remus found himself glancing out at the dewy grass and crooked faces carved into the pumpkins that lined the steps, with children eagerly huddled up in groups and giggling with wide, hopeful grins. Later that evening he would force himself to visit the large stone grave set by Godric’s Hollow as he did each year on this day, and then the other, where what little that had remained of Peter had been buried. He took a sip of his tea and held the cup tightly, letting the sides of the steaming mug press against his scarred, rough skin, burning until the area around it went numb, a feeble attempt to warm the chill that would never leave his tired bones. He was always cold these days. Paying respects, he supposed, is what these visits were, though he wasn’t sure how that could be so. They were gone, not lingering around waiting for some wasted-away old friend to come by and sit for a chat. The dreaded day would stretch on, until at last Remus would find himself once again alone at night, another year gone by, feeling sleep in his eyes but a painful ache in his chest that would never be soothed by rest.

He paced around in the darkened room again and again, alongside the incessant ticking of a clock like a guide, the need to move forwards gnawing inside his fatigued form, a deep rooted effort to escape everything and anything that harbored pain and yet also held him captive so entirely by it’s beauty and potential. It was a difficult balance, this game that he played at. He moved until his weary bones aged far beyond their years could move no more, leaving him to sink back and lay down at last, relaxing into the eerie chill, the lines between life and death blurring all the while as the alcohol set in at last. However much he liked to pretend, this was his coffin, as the sole survivor amongst a family of the dead. He must be the one to remember. He must hurt. He must live. That is the burden he was made to carry.

#Accepted App

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fionaharnett · 4 years

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FULL PRESENTATION SCRIPT PHILOSOPHY AS RESEARCH METHOD:

PHILOSOPHY AS A RESEARCH METHOD

Abril Sigle

Giulia Procopio

Venus

Fiona Harnett

Our group has been looking at philosophy as a research method

Why philosophy? Philosophy is an attempt to express the infinity of the universe in terms of the limitations of language.

ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER "All willing arises from want, therefore from deficiency

That having been said, atheism does seem to be a clear implication of Schopenhauer’s system: for given that this world is essentially blind eternal will to life, there does not seem to be any need for an intelligent and good God who creates this world.Schopenhauer’s discovery that the underlying “essence” of life is will is not a happy one. For, as the second of the Buddha’s “Four Noble Truths” tells us, to will is to suffer. What follows, as the first of the “Truths” tells us, is that life is suffering, from which Schopenhauer concludes that “it would be better for us not to exist”. He offers two main arguments in support of the claim that to will is (mostly) to suffer, the first of which I shall call the “competition argument” and the second the “stress-or-boredom argument”.In a manner reminiscent of traditional Buddhism, he recognizes that life is filled with unavoidable frustration, and acknowledges that the suffering caused by this frustration can itself be reduced by minimizing one’s desires.

The World as the Will:

●The Will is the actual and ultimate reality of the world and ourselves

●It is “the-thing-in-itself”

●We cannot know the Will itself but we every individual is a manifestation of the Will

●The Will can be seen in every action of the body and impression on the body (emotions, ect)

●The Will is violent

●Every act (manifestation of the Will) is either an act of procreation or destruction ●The mind is “self-deceiving” of the Will

ULTIMATE REALITY

●There is no hope in life

●Happiness is unattainable

●Any arts, morals, or sciences are only distortions of the will

•Seen as good, but are actually the manifestation of the Will

●Suicide may seem like the perfect escape, being the last act if the Will

BYUNG-CHUL HAN

Much of Han's writing is characterised by an underlying concern with the situation encountered by human subjects in the fast-paced, technologically-driven state of late capitalism. The situation is explored in its various facets through his books: sexuality, mental health (particularly burnout, depression, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), violence, freedom, technology, and popular culture. Han also uses his Eastern roots in his philosophical thinking. Back in 2002, when he was still an unknown, he published a book called The Philosophy of Zen-Buddhism. In this book, he illustrates that the Buddhist concept of ‘nothingness’—as the absence of an exclusive subjectivity—is what makes Buddhism pacifistic and non-violent, because there is no essence where power can be concentrated. Also, the concept of ‘emptiness’ is the reason why narcissism is something very un-Buddhist. There is no unchangeable ‘me’ in the mirror; rather, I am being formed by life.

“The acceleration of contemporary life also plays a role in this lack of being. The society of laboring and achievement is not a free society. It generates new constraints. Ultimately, the dialectic of master and slave does not yield a society where everyone is free and capable of leisure, too. Rather, it leads to a society of work in which the master himself has become a laboring slave. In this society of compulsion, everyone carries a work camp inside. This labor camp is defined by the fact that one is simultaneously prisoner and guard, victim and perpetrator. One exploits oneself. It means that exploitation is possible even without domination.” ― Byung-Chul Han, The Burnout Society Self exploitation.

In Han’s opinion, society’s attitude has moved from “we have to do it” to “we can do it.” “We live with the anguish of not always doing what we are able to do.” “Today a person exploits themselves believing they are fulfilling themselves. It is the wicked logic of neoliberalism that culminates in the syndrome of the burned-out worker.” This has a very damaging effect. “There is no one the revolution can attack, repression does not come from other people.” It is the “alienation of one’s self” that can manifest as anorexia, overeating or the over-consumption of consumer or leisure products.

“There is only one inborn error, and that is the notion that we exist in order to be happy... So long as we persist in this inborn error... the world seems to us full of contradictions. For at every step, in things great and small, we are bound to experience that the world and life are certainly not arranged for the purpose of maintaining a happy existence... hence the countenances of almost all elderly persons wear the expression of what is called disappointment.”

― Arthur Schopenhauer

JOSEPH CAMPBELL

“We're so engaged in doing things to achieve purposes of outer value that we forget the inner value, the rapture that is associated with being alive, is what it is all about.” ― Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth

The divine manifestation is ubiquitous, Only our eyes are not open to it. Awe is what moves us forward.

Live from your own center. The divine lives within you. The separateness apparent in the world is secondary. Beyond the world of opposites is an unseen, but experienced, unity and identity in us all.

Today the planet is the only proper “in group.” Participate joyfully in the sorrows of the world. We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy. ~Joseph Campbell

“You must have a room, or a certain hour or so a day, where you don’t know what was in the newspapers that morning, you don’t know who your friends are, you don’t know what you owe anybody, you don’t know what anybody owes to you. This is a place where you can simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be. This is the place of creative incubation. At first you may find that nothing happens there. But if you have a sacred place and use it, something eventually will happen.” ― Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth

RINKO KAWAUCHI

The first photographer that I am going to share with you is Rinko Kawauchi, she’s someone whose work I am sure that you are all familiar with.

Her art is rooted in Shinto the ethnic Religion of the people of Japan. According to Shinto, all things on earth have a spirit, hence no subject is too small or mundane for her work; she also photographs "small events glimpsed in passing," conveying a sense of transience, for example this chick hatching from an egg.

She encourages the viewer to use their imagination to interpret her images. This series on murmuration epitomises notions of transience.

The philosopher Schopenhauer believed that art ( and that moment when engaging with great beauty takes us out of ourselves) was the only means to escape, however fleetingly, what he called the “will to live”. The purity of Kawauchi’s work can also be seen as an escape - moments of existence captured, never to be repeated.

She says that thinking too much is boring, not good. It stops the surprising from coming through. When a picture happens, she says thank you and moves on. It is only afterwards that she becomes the editor and imposes meaning on the work.

Schopenhauer interprets death as the aim and purpose of life and the origin of all philosophy. He maintains that to live is to suffer, that the triumph of death is inevitable, and that existence is a constant dying. So what happens when an artist finds out they have a life threatening illness.

GREG GILBERT

Greg Gilbert was the lead singer of an indie band - The Delays. On a UK tour back in 2014, he was having the time of his life, he’d just become a father and had settled with his girlfriend. But he found himself in constant extreme pain and was diagnosed with cancer. At the moment doctors told him there was nothing they could do he says he felt an interconnectedness between everything.

https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2017-09-08/convalescence-art-and-politics-greg-gilbert-on-living-with-cancer/ Here’s an interview where he talks about his creativity has been shaped by his diagnosis

https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2017-09-08/the-tyranny-of-positivity-musician-greg-gilbert-on-his-battle-with-cancer/ Greg Gilbert on the tyranny of positivity: What he said in the video...If video doesn’t work :(

As the father of two young children it is particularly cruel, the odds of recovery, slim. Whilst he believes in positivity…..he finds the “everything will be alright attitude” wearing. The thing that helps him most is ploughing his energy into his creative work; writing, drawing, reading.

The images are surreal in content, and while there’s no clear narrative expressed by them, they reflect some of the darkness Gilbert experienced as he underwent his first bout of chemotherapy.

He used one of the drawings from this sequence on the cover for a pamphlet of poems entitled Love Makes A Mess of Dying.Which brings me to: Jo Spence...

JO SPENCE

I recently wrestled with my own feelings about seeing the Jo Spence exhibition. I think Schopenhauer would say my fear of cancer is an inevitable part of my miserable existence and being able to view her work only through my narrative of fear, is a sign that I am being driven by my ego.

Here is a picture from the Final Project, in 1990 where she has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. During her second illness , photo therapy proved emotionally difficult, so a more story telling approach evolved. At the bottom she has written ‘What 1991 felt like, and in brackets most of the time.

“All the gods, all the heavens, all the hells, are within you.” ― Joseph Campbell

Conclusion

THE END

#5IMAG016W #advancedresearchmethods

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fallxnprxnce · 7 years

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(Writing Prompts 6,8,9! Or just one of them.)

6. Favorite characteryou’ve ever created.

Hmm……… this is a hard one. Because I’ve made so freakingmany, haha. I think it would be a tie between Channe and Elandrian, but fordifferent reasons.

Channe ( @fxcelessqueen ) is a favorite because I’ve had herfor so long and her world is so developed that I know her like the back of myhand. I need no prep time to write/rp her, it just flows out of me. She feelslike an old friend in my mind. I originally came up with her because I wasabout to DM my first D&D campaign and needed a queen with a castle for theadventuring party to use as base camp heh. Into her, I poured a lot of thethings I hate about myself (my anxiety disorder, several of my phobias) thatthere is no perceivable reason for and placed them into a character with thesame setbacks but for different reasons. She was the embodiment of so manythings I wanted to change about myself or wish weren’t there, made into aperson. Her issues are a lot more overt because mine feel overt. Hers havedefinite reasons that cause those around her to be very sympathetic becausemine don’t have any reasons and therefore people are not sympathetic to me.This was almost 12 years ago. The interesting this is that since then, Channehas changed as I have. She’s grown with me. She used to be the bitchiest, mostreclusive, unwise, cold character ever. Now… she’s learned to adapt. She’skinder. She’s more tolerant and controls her anger more easily… and that’sbecause so do I. So I feel this deep connection to her because I really neverput myself into characters if I can help it but here was the one time I did, soshe changes along with me. I’ve learned to not hate myself for my anxieties, I’velearned they don’t’ make me less of a person, and I’ve learned how to explainthem better… and Channe has done the same. So as far as emotional fondness,Channe would be my favorite.

As far as the mechanics of a character and the most fun I’vehad actually writing one, Elandrian takes the cake. Elandrian began life as ahuman named Ison. He was a healer with a rare, coveted, but mentally damagingset of skills. He was killed by his lover for reasons I’m not getting intobecause we don’t have seven years, haha. He then spent almost a millennia inthe common heavens waiting for her, but she was the high priestess of a goddesswho places her on her council of souls upon her death, whichis not accessibleto other souls. Separated from her for so long, Ison finally asked his own godto be reborn and to have his memory erased. The god agreed, and he was born asa natural angel on earth named Elandrian. When Elandrian was in his 20s, hestarted to have some emotional problems, because he was getting close to theage at which he died the first time. In this world, souls retain allinformation down to the last detail of all their lives and experiences. It isonly whether or not the current consciousness has access to all the soul guardsthat determines the awareness of the person. Not knowing that he was tappinginto a horribly tragic past, Elandrian decided to allow another type of skilledsorcerer to awaken him. The only way the soul agreed was because the soul ofhis llover had also been reborn and he cold potentially be reunited with her.So now you’ve got a 23 year-old angel with thousands of years of memory livingas a human and then living in the common heavens as a bodiless soul. On top of that, Elandrian himself is now immortaland the story continued several books after his awakening, spanning another 600years of history. So the result was a character with multiple levels ofconsciousness, a tragic past that has left his mentally fragile, his naturalabilities as a healer was an occupation that often caused breakdowns andinsanity, and then he spans millennia of time. Trying to get inside this character’shead at any given time was a seriously fun challenge that I miss writing. I hadto work so hard to keep him believable and to make sure I didn’t god-mod withwhat he would or wouldn’t know that he honestly is the most technically complexcharacter I have ever written. For that reason, he’s a favorite. =) I wouldlove to have him as a muse on Tumblr, but his FC (Andy Whitfield) passed awaytragically from cancer and I just don’t feel right about using his image foranything. I know, I could just not have any pics or icons or edits or anything likethat, but that’s part of the fun of having a character blog for me. Aryx,however ( @after-the-fxll ), is from that same series and knew Elandrianpersonally, so you can always ask him more about him if you’re interested. ;)

8. Favorite trope towrite.

Favorite one? I don’t know if I have a favorite, but I dohave one that I like to use that is like a taboo no-no in writing heh. It’s asign of an amateur writer to use this trope, but I think that’s because of whatwriters usually use it for. It’s having one of your main characters describehim/herself in the mirror. The reason why published, successful writers willsay OMG DO NOT EVER DO THIS is because it is the most awkward, shoehorned-inway of physically describing a character you can possibly have in a story. It’snot for a specific reason, it’s a contrived setting, and it’s simply for thepurpose of you laundry-listing your character’s physical attributes. I wouldhave to agree… do not ever use it for this purpose, haha.

But I use it for other things, such as when my character isan unreliable narrator, has an unrealistic view of themselves, or is otherwiseemotionally affected by their own image. I’ll share two examples. Luther ( @armed-and-alxne), has self-esteem issues. He thinks he is a lot older/uglier than he is. Thisstems from guilt about things he’s done and looking himself in the eyes isextremely difficult for him. Lastly, he never knew his father. So there havebeen several times in rps when the other muse is away from his apartment, orsleeping, and it’s my turn for an overnight reply with him, and I have him getup for a seemingly ordinary bathroom trip, and as he’s washing his hands helooks at himself in the mirror… and all of a sudden he’s internally commentingthat he thinks he’s lost even more hair. That he has even more wrinkles. Thismust be what looking into a killer’s eyes is like. Can other people tell he’s akiller just by looking at him? Because he can see it so clearly. Does he looklike his father? His father supposedly left when he was two. If his mother sawhim now, would she say he looked like him? So all these things are goingthrough his head and instead of me just laundry-listing hey, my character isinsecure, doesn’t think much of himself, carries a lot of guilt, and wonderswhat his father was like and if he takes after him… I can say it all with thisiternal monologue and this unreliable narrator way of him describing himself.It’s a vehicle to illustrate his personality.

My second example is from a novel I wrote a couple years agowhere one of my main characters had a couple different mental illnesses thatcaused her to have body dysmorphic disorder and somatic hallucinations. In hermind, her body and face looked very different from how they appeared in realityto others. One of her somatic hallucinations was that evil creatures weregrowing under her skin. She would actually see bumps in her face and want tocut them open to extract these creatures. I wrote a scene in which she wasabout to do this, staring into a bathroom mirror with a blade in her hand whenher husband came in the room and asked her what the hell she was doing. Sheactually pointed to her reflection and said to him, “Don’t you see it?” Butthere was nothing there. So that was a way for me to not just tell the reader that she had thesedelusions, but to show her havingthem and show the contrast of what her husband saw as well. So that’s anothercase of an unreliable narrator scenario, because she was never going todescribe her own appearance accurately.

9. Least favoritetrope to write.

I already answered this one here. =)

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oosteven-universe · 5 years

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Dead End Kids #2

Dead End Kids #2 Source Point Press 2019 Written by Frank Gogol Illustrated by Nenad Cvitican Lettered by Sean Rinehart Things get worse as the kids come face-to-face with Ben's killer! And, as Murphy continues to take more drastic measures to avenge his friend, Tank and Amanda are faced with the question of how far are they willing to follow their friend down that dark path. Friendships are tested and broken, and that's not the worst of it as this breakout series from Frank Gogol, Nenad Civiticanin, and Sean Rinehart barrels toward its final chapter! Well I will say this, Frank really has some damn fine writing chops. This is an excellent story that is well written and executed and far and away one of the strongest ways to make your mark in this industry. This isn't an updated version of some 80's style genre film where the kids overcome their fears this is more realistic in it's approach as well featuring kids who in some way shape and form are damaged. It is a sensational read if you haven't tried it yet then find out why it's been selling out before hitting stands. The way this is being told is fabulous as the story & plot development and the character development really makes this special. The pacing is excellent and the way that it picks up the story, plot and characterisation and keeps them weaving in, out and around each other while moving the story forward is nice to see. The opening for this is interesting and powerful as we see from the kids point of view and to hear that and know this what they are thinking has to be a terrible burden to bear and explains why he's so cold and distant from these people who have taken him in. I am surprised that we haven't been introduced to more characters yet but in a way it makes sense since this is really who the kids are focusing on. Heaven forbid they be wrong, I mean they are so certain they know which of course means they are barking up the wrong tree but hey live and learn right. Still I can't wait to see more folks in the sphere of influence be introduced. The interiors are great! Nenad has a great hand and eye for storytelling and the way that we see the linework and how it's utilised to create some stellar attention to detail through the varying weights is joy to see. You see this and you see the figures in this one style and the clubhouse and the outdoors in a slightly different style to separate them and it works and it forms this gorgeous imagery. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a nice solid eye for storytelling. The way that backgrounds are utilised to expand the moments and show a sense of size and scope to the book is extremely well done. The colour work is subtle and wonderfully done. The tones, hues and various moments of true colour make moments pop and we also see how the light sources create the shading and shadows. There is a lot of then and now storytelling going on here and it's freakin awesome. We see the kids and we see those moments there lives kind of chance irrevocably. These moment serve to really find ways for us to connect and bond with the characters and it works. Whether they are all going to survive this is up in the air but one thing is for sure and that's the emotional bonds we see between them and us. Source Point Press is proving they are moving up the ladder these days and saying hey we have some fine storytelling and creators here, and they do.

#comic books #comics reviews #source point press #frank gogol #nenad cviticanin

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khalilhumam · 4 years

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‘This is a partisan movement of a partisan nation': a Belarusian poet reflects on her homeland's turmoil

New Post has been published on http://khalilhumam.com/this-is-a-partisan-movement-of-a-partisan-nation-a-belarusian-poet-reflects-on-her-homelands-turmoil/

‘This is a partisan movement of a partisan nation': a Belarusian poet reflects on her homeland's turmoil

Belarusian poet Valzhyna Mort. Photo (c): Tanya Kapitonova, used with permission.

As events unfold in Belarus following presidential elections whose results are contested by the opposition and a large part of the population, Belarusian artists are speaking out to denounce state violence and express solidarity with protesters. Valzhyna Mort, a celebrated Belarusian poet who lives in the US and writes in Belarusian and English, spoke to Global Voices about her response, her impressions, and what she is doing to raise awareness. Valzhyna Mort is the author of two poetry collections, “Factory of Tears” and “Collected Body”. She is is a recipient of the Lannan foundation fellowship, the Amy Clampitt fellowship, and the Bess Hokins prize from “Poetry magazine”. She also teaches at Cornell University. Her second Belarusian-language book, “Эпідэмія Ружаў” [The Rose Epidemic], came out in 2017. Her next book, “Music for the Dead and Resurrected”, will be published this year. The interview has been edited for brevity and style.

Embroidery by Belarusian artist Rufina Bazlova depicting Belarusians supporting the opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsihanouskaya. Image used with permission.

Filip Noubel (FN): After 26 years of mostly unchallenged power, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenka now faces the biggest challenge to his rule, including demonstrations and strikes. Why now?

Valzhyna Mort (VM): This was supposed to be a peaceful change in power in my country. This moment has taken so long because people didn’t want violence. We, Belarusians, who have endured many wars, would say to ourselves: “Let’s endure for a bit longer. No revolution is worth a human life.” This year, when presidential candidates were imprisoned and declared criminals overnight, people have been moved by the clarity of just how weak and pathetic our government really is. Belarusians do not have to do anything in order to ensure their government fears them, it’s enough to just exist. Violence is being committed against defenceless people by riot police and Interior Ministry troops. It began with people being beaten and arrested for making a victory sign on their way to work. Right now, riot police are dragging people out of grocery stores and their cars at random, beating and arresting them. When the election fraud started with the formation of polling committees and the non-accreditation of independent observers, it seemed obvious that it needed to be opposed by following the most basic legal steps. Even if the state-controlled court didn’t agree, just the fact of a hearing on the issue made the corruption visible. A strong sense of grassroots solidarity that had already formed during the COVID-19 pandemic when the government failed to offer systematic support, developed into well-informed civil engagement. When fraud started at the polling stations, I, despite being on the other side of the ocean, felt that I could see through walls and to read the sheepish minds of officials. At the same time, the government didn’t know what to expect from its people. Perhaps it expected violence? Is that why the riot police and troops keep behaving as though somebody is attacking them? Just now, I saw a picture of a 15-year-old boy motionless on the ground with three policemen beating him. Perhaps the greatest weakness made visible in these past months has been how little the state knows its own people.

FN: Belarusians have often been described as politically indifferent. We have seen them taking to the streets for four nights, braving police violence, arrests, and threats. What is different this time?

VM: What’s happening in Belarus is unique. We don’t want to sacrifice a single life: in Belarus, there’s nothing but the blood of our people under our feet. This blood is nameless, boneless, voiceless. To be born in Belarus means to inherit fear and fearlessness, shame and shamelessness, voice and voicelessness. But one thing is certain: to be born in Belarus means to inherit a great invisibility and self-reliance. Planting vegetable gardens, making preserves for the winter, sowing, fixing things, reading, showing up to educational and cultural events: these are all political activities of self-reliant people who feed themselves, clothe themselves, and educate themselves. This is why what we are witnessing in the past three days and nights is unlike protests we've seen elsewhere. This is a partisan movement of a partisan nation that has been surviving on self-reliance for centuries. The internet in Belarus is shut down, and yet, I have just watched a brief interview with a janitor at a subway station who shows a mobile phone recording of the blood she had to clean up. With the help of Belarusian Telegram channels I’ve watched more Belarusian TV than during my years in Belarus. All these are videos of police violence recorded by private individuals onto their personal mobile phones and then shared with the world. This, along with the self-organised, non-centralised street partisan protest, is a version of polyphony, the favourite literary device of our writers Ales Adamovich and Svetlana Alexievich. This is our tradition.

Embroidery by Belarusian artist Rufina Bazlova representing police forces putting down their protective gear and weapons. Illustration used with permission.

FN: Many Belarusians such as yourself have made the choice to live outside their country for political and economic reasons. Is the diaspora playing a role today? Can it and should it play one?

VM: This is a moment of a worldwide Belarusian solidarity. We are all people with little knowledge of our roots, with family trees hanging on a single chance survivor, all we have is each other. We are too alone and invisible in the world not to be united. And yes, the diaspora is doing everything to draw international attention to the Belarusian struggle for dignity. There are protests with concrete demands, petitions, and fundraising. There is keeping in touch, as simple as getting through the phone disruptions in order to check on family and friends and let them know that they are not alone. In Belarus, people are trapped without any means of communicating with the outer world, without a clear understanding of what is seen, what is understood about their situation. Foreign journalists have been deported. Many journalists have been shot at and beaten by police. Some reporters, especially in Russia, have so little knowledge of Belarusian situation that they might be doing more damage than help with their baseless parallels with Ukraine and/or unapologetically colonial frames. So, it is the duty of all of us outside the country to make Belarus both visible and supported. Again, this is not something that had to be declared. Rather, it was immediately felt, it went without saying. It is my belief that most people in the diaspora didn’t leave for good. We have ties to home, we return regularly, we educate our children about where they come from, we provide a support system for our people back in Belarus and for Belarusians everywhere.

FN: You are a poet who writes in both Belarusian and English. How is Belarus present in your writing? Do current events in Belarus influence what you are writing or might write?

VM: My new book of poetry “Music for the Dead and Resurrected” is a deeply Belarusian work. I will publish it in Belarusian in Belarus when it becomes possible. In these past few days I’ve been living entirely online, in a virtual Belarus. My body’s clock has shifted, I cannot tell what work I actually had to do during these few days. I might have a light version of PTSD – seeing people discuss American politics or going about their day as if nothing were happening in Belarus seems absurd and, more so, it enrages me. In my many years of living abroad, I’ve felt out of place many times, but this is a new level of that feeling. I do not want a single person who isn’t watching Belarus right now anywhere near me. Of course, this is all raw emotion. Americans didn’t go on strike when children died in cages on their own southern border. But I can say this: I’m tired of ignorant curiosity. I want to see international empathy. Today, I’ve written a statement in solidarity with Belarusians and sent it out to a couple of editors. I wanted to publish it immediately so that everybody drops everything and sees what’s going on in my home. When I hit the “send” button and the text slipped out of my hands, a great fear overcame me. I wondered whether I had actually dreamed what I described in my statement. I imagined somebody reading it – somebody having lunch and saying “oh wow, she is too much, so angry, so emotional,” and I got scared that everything was just a trick of my own insane mind. Then my phone buzzed. My dear friend was writing to me via Telegram from Minsk: “We hear gunshots and explosions. Does anybody outside see us?”

< p class='gv-rss-footer'>Written by Filip Noubel · comments (0) Donate · Share this: twitter facebook reddit

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