#i just thought the visual parallels between these moments were so...Much
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Have you ever been engaged, Mister Spock? YES, IT’S ROGER.
SHE IS T’PRING. My wife.
#spock#nurse chapel#christine chapel#spock x chapel#tosedit#star trek#star trek tos#trekedit#startrekedit#startrekdaily#i just thought the visual parallels between these moments were so...Much#ofc in theory christine is happy to find her fiance BUT she's already in love with spock#also korby sucks#boldly go#i am a nurse first and a member of the crew of the enterprise second#being split in two halves is no theory with me
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On Visual Novels and Catharsis
I never had a high opinion of Visual Novels. In my mind, they always seemed to boil down to the most basic wish fulfillment tripe that we'd collectively assign to the isekai genre these days, I'd wager. To me it was a waste of time or energy trying to interact with them (as an aside, I'm well aware that the Phoenix Wright series is arguably a visual novel, but I missed that boat by not having DS-era device). Even today, with a glance over most of games tagged 'visual novel' on Steam, you'll see what could be generously described as fetish pornography. So, seeing all this, I reinforced my belief that visual novels were for people who wanted some plot with their porn, and never thought much of it.
To my surprise, Steam insisted on recommending visual novels to me. I usually just tossed them aside from the recommendation queue, until I got two recommended almost back-to-back: Mice Tea and Changeling Tale.
Mice Tea had generally positive reviews, and many of them cited that the game's writing and characterization were generally humorous and appealing. So, given that it was on sale during the Steam Winter Sale, I figured it was worth a shot. Then, after basically binging on the game for 20 hours, I walked away thinking that I might have misjudged the genre on some levels.
I wouldn't say I was entirely surprised by Mice Tea - the reviews did it justice in terms of you, as the reader, wanting to root for the main cast to succeed. Most of the conflict didn't necessarily arise from an outside force, but rather internalized conflicts and the struggle to essentially be honest with yourself and those around you, risking vulnerability, essentially. At its core, I still felt like it was wish fulfillment to a significant degree, but the implausibilities were generally smoothed over enough to allow for suspension of disbelief to ride along with the story. And yeah, there... was a fair amount of catering to various fetishes and such worked in, but all in a fairly world-consistent sort-of perspective? At its core, the story was light, cheerful with moments of self-reflection and introspection, and wrapped up in a generally nice bow all in the end.
But what Mice Tea ended up doing for me, personally, was allowing me to lower my defenses during a particularly stressful point in my life, staying present in my mind when I then read over the reviews and such for Changeling Tale. I brushed off the emotion reviews, thinking that they were likely being dramatic.
I could not have been more wrong.
While set in a backdrop of old Scottish fantasy, I continually found myself impressed at how grounded Changeling Tale managed to make itself felt. I believe this is because the main character / player character of Changeling Tale (hereafter referred to as "Malcolm") is primarily reacting to the supernatural events occurring around him, rather than necessarily driving them by his own volition. Malcolm is thrust into a world that he already feels disconnected from due to his service in the military, and it cracks further open as fae magic begins seeping into the world around him.
That said, no one in the backwater town in which Malcolm has returned to handles the public appearance of fae magic particularly well, much less the three parallel storylines available to the reader between Jessie, Marion, and Grace. If anything, the most unreasonable reactions come from the player themselves, in how flippant or otherwise easygoing they handle changes happening to the people around them. That said, many decisions have a snowballing / weighted effect that can change plot directions far later on than one might expect, leading to fallings-out with friends and family, or worse.
But then something strange happened to me, as a reader, while working my way through these split storylines. Core messages seemed to stick out to me, interwoven among the stories. But they cut me straight to the core as a person; after finishing all 3 major storylines I was left shaking and bleary-eyed, wishing events could have turned out differently, desperately trying to reject the messages that had been suggested despite knowing deep-down that they were right.
"Be the best you that you can be."
"Encourage people to chase their dreams, but make sure you're pursuing your dream too."
"Sometimes peoples' dreams are irreconcilable with one another. That doesn't mean the love is gone, it just means that it isn't fair to either person."
"The size of the dream does not diminish its value; the holder of the dream determines its value."
(I intentionally omitted the storyline associations I would make)
When I held all of these thoughts together, an emotional dam burst in my heart. For years I never considered myself as having dreams or goals. For years I felt kind of confused and wondering if what I was doing mattered, or had worth. But somehow, a visual novel about fae shenanigans that dances alongside a transformation kink broadsides me with the realization that I AM where I want to be, doing what I am doing. I have a family who l love and loves me back. I am not pursuing a dream; rather, I am cultivating and maintaining a dream I have already attained. I am doing what is important to me and my family, and even if I'm not changing the world around me and leaving a name in the history books, I know that I am here and directly affecting the lives of those around me, and I'm not sure what more I could want for at this very moment.
And for the first time in quite a while, I feel content and satisfied.
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These two pages from Dark Victory have stayed with me ever since I first read it because they're visually hella interesting, I enjoy Tim Sale's art for how stylish it is, but also because every time I see it, I hear the click of a spotlight being turned on, almost like this is a play being acted out.
It highlights the connection between the characters, but that it also is shutting everything else out. That makes sense in the moment, Dick just watched his parents die, there's nothing else in the world for him. Bruce is reliving his own trauma of having watched his parents die, as well as watching another child go through the same thing--but, in a way I can't shake, it almost feels like Bruce is intruding on this moment, too.
That Dick's loss gets interpreted as a mirror of Bruce's loss--Dark Victory goes to great lengths to hammer home that parallel, it is not at all subtle about it:
But what strikes me about the moment of the Graysons' deaths is that it feels almost like a play being acted out, that Bruce becomes part of it because they mirror each other so strongly, that for all they grow as individuals and come to love each other as uniquely different people, they will always be rooted in this mirroring of each other.
Bruce isn't just a bystander to Dick's loss and grief, it fundamentally connects them and defines them--that in many ways Dick understands Bruce the best because, as Dick says about himself, when he was Robin, he was smaller than everyone else, so he had to learn to read people better, to know what they were going to do, because Dick was with Bruce the longest, because Dick and Bruce often are the most similar.
But it's also that Dick understands Bruce best because Bruce allowed him in because of this mirror, that sometimes it feels like Bruce only understands people through the lens of his own grief, that's why Dick's the closest to him, because Dick shares that same loss.
This isn't to undercut that Dick was a bright, lively child who brought laughter and joy because that is also absolutely true and I will fight tooth and nail anyone who says otherwise. Bruce loves that kid because Dick refused to not be loved, because he's not the same as Bruce, he's brighter, he's better, he's more in so many ways.
Bruce and Dick's relationship isn't just one thing or another, there are times when it borders on almost being kind of healthy and then there are times when it's toxic as hell, yet it's always underscored by how much they genuinely love each other, how Bruce keeps thoughts of Dick in his mind to turn to for solace just like he turns to thoughts of his own father, how Dick demands to be worth just as much to Bruce's parents even when they've traveled into the future to be directly in front of him, and Dick gets that worth from Bruce.
But sometimes I think about that panel, I hear a spotlight clicking on in my head, I think about Bruce unintentionally inserting himself into this moment of Dick's loss and how Bruce sometimes holds him closer to his heart because Dick's hurt mirrors his own so much. How sometimes Bruce sees the world through that lens of trauma and only how much people can understand it, that the rest of the world drops away and is nothing but black, empty space, except him and the person who understands his hurt.
That I can look at that panel and see it as its meant to be--a moment of pure connection, "I understand what you're going through, I can't take it away, but I can be here with you." and how that saved Dick Grayson's life, how it allowed him to heal and grow and thrive. I can see Bruce's heart breaking because he would have done anything to save this kid from that pain.
And sometimes I can look at it and see Bruce watching a horrific play unfold before him and relating to it through his own issues, rather than true empathy.
Ultimately, it's really more that they're kindred spirits, that's what the follow-up pages show, that Dick goes through the same process that Bruce went through, he does the same things Bruce did, all while Bruce isn't there to influence him into that at all. Dick is his own person, Bruce couldn't make him be a copy of Bruce if he'd wanted to, he couldn't even win an argument with a nine-year-old about putting on a costume and fighting crime with him and absolutely not staying out of the line of fire. Dick Grayson did what he was going to do, Bruce had nothing to do with making him into that person.
But part of the reason they're such an interesting dynamic is because they're not just purely one thing or another, that for all that at the end of the day, Dick and Bruce are naturally like each other in a lot of core ways, it's also possible to read them as unhealthy co-dependent on each other, that them being everything to each other comes with some sharper edges, especially when Bruce sometimes resents Dick for growing beyond him and leaving him, even while desperately proud of him at the same time.
It's a thing Bruce struggles with a lot when it comes to Dick and I think of this tangled web of emotions every time I see that second splash page above. That Bruce came to love this kid as a son, but also as someone who understood what it was like to live with that kind of devastating loss, and how hard Bruce connected with that--and then how hard it was to let him go, when Bruce can't let go of his parents.
That it's hard for Bruce to see Dick grow beyond being the son who understood him best, who mirrored his tragedy best, and he'll do it, he loves his kid enough to keep climbing back up out of that desire to hold onto him as his reflection even if he falls back into it sometimes, that some part of him will always see Dick as the one who had that connection that blocked the rest of the world out and understood him in a way no one else could.
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Mentioning some events that I liked in the midst of beefing with LWs' writers. It's mostly due to very specific things that occur in the events rather than the events themselves to be completely honest with you.
-Casual and fun beach event. Can't go wrong there. Good moments envolving most of the characters. Nomad, Azazel, Kengo, and Oniwaka in particular for me. They deprived me of Azazel content, so this is my only morsel to latch onto. Plus we got SQ Galore, including ones for Mononobe and Lil Salomon.
-The softcore discussion of gender dysphoria was a pleasant surprise and I liked the parallels drawn between MC and Astarte as "trophies". In particular, I liked how this event revealed how much the other guys actually love MC. They were completely indifferent towards Astarte while she was the beloved, which was super weird to her, and when MC switched places with her, they immediately clocked that something was off, but not because they could visually tell MC was obviously not Astarte. They just thought Astarte was more radiant than usual. They were all over MC and giving away their shells because they're MC, not because they were the beloved.
-That scene where Heracles falls into Narcissus' Pond and he comes to the realization that his narcissism and cowardness was what led to Hylas' fate. He thought that a hero of his caliber was too precious to even risk being lost to the naiads, especially not for a guy who was practically beneath him. Heracles put himself before the life of his friend who was willing follow him to hell and back, abandoning him, and he regrets it. The parallels to Hylas' abduction with Heracles' fall as well as dialouge and narration as MC dives after him are an absolute banger. "I knew. I knew you'd come. Not by another's comand but your own free will. Your radiance makes me want to weep. Before you, the thought of the man who failed to follow Hylas makes me want to cry." MC took the leap Heracles never did for Hylas, making them a better person than himself. Such a great moment. Absolutely adored it.
-First of all, exile reveal. Second of all, the reveal that Shiro's crush is more of an all-consuming OBSESSION. Always thinking of them. Always following them whatever path they decide to take. Knowing that they relied on him was his greatest source of happiness. He wanted to help them, to shoulder any and all of their burdens in the hopes that they would eventually feel the same way as him. Shiro was desperately striving for an insane, unhealthy co-dependent relationship where MC validates him by constantly needing him to help them and it's just ?!?!? This came way out of left field.
-Algernon. Algernon. Algernon. I absolutely loved it when he randomly got jealous and tried to change the topic when MC called Yamasachihiko hot. I love that he found someone who could keep up with him, an equal, in MC. I loved that they did a little tapdance routine together while killing the slimes. Oh. And Hombre Tigre. I'm not really a big fan of him. I just really like how interesting his dynamic with Quetzalcoatl is compared to everyone else. Hombre adoring Tezcatlipoca so much that he couldn't even begin to grasp why Quetzalcoatl would leave him behind and envying him for being the one who could consume Tezcatlipoca's thoughts and breaking him in such a manner.
-Sherlock Nomad and Assistant MC, the event we had all been waiting on. Anyways, y'all should know why I liked this event. It's that one scene where they beat Hermes' and he's just sitting on the floor like a pouty little kid when MC grabs his hand and he continues his little tantrum by telling them to let go while doing nothing to stop them. Hermes finally found a friend who could look past all of his lies and accept him with MC and I'm very happy for the bastard.
-That whole chase scene where Balor reveals that he's actually been a twat this entire time and he goes after MC, trying to capture them, is mwah. Love it. Also when Boogeyman triggered that ratfuck, Balor's, PTSD with his sacred artifact just the reveal that Lugh never had a choice in the matter and that Balor caused this fate to be forced upon him, something that he feared for himself in the first place. And the reveal that Balor didn't exactly regret killing his grandson. It was just the fact that Lugh didn't choose to fight him himself.
-The way Vapula was completely indifferent to his golemns until the very end where they're all silently gazing out into the sea after Sand Dragon self-deleted while following orders and are clearly fucked up about what they just witnessed, truly understanding how morbid Sand Dragon's existence was and the inevitability of his death, when MC turns to Vapula and says "Vapula.... We never got to name him" and Vapula just starts BAWLING.
-Oh look. A well executed plot twist. Loved the way that they conveyed Horus and Seth's true bond through how compatible and fluidly their memories were able to work together to fight against the group. Then there's the use of Seth's old memories to reveal that Horus had been on his side the entire time and that he was even the one who let him flee Duat. Also, an expansion on what seemed to be such a simple rule. Being able to control the sand being way more powerful than expected through a technicality.
-This one might actually be my favorite event. No. Not because it's a Fuxi or bird event. Shut your slut mouth. Banger music, great story, great picks for the characters and the dynamics, an exile reveal. Fuxi being so unhinged that he tries to fight literal children and Simurgh playing the straight man to his funny man will always be funny. Also, there was just that one moment where MC went "pull the trigger pussy" while Simurgh held a gun to their head and that's so based of them. Mostly dissapointed we didn't get more Nüwa lore.
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This is pt. 2 to my previous meta about the title sequence magic acts- I've written so many versions of this but they all get too much and all over the place so bear with me its been awhile since I've had to put such a chaotic thought process into coherent writing
but before I get started I just want to say I will be pulling ideas from these metas by @drconstellation here and @newfangledfancy here so I recommend go reading them - seriously pls go read all these for any of this to make sense
In those post they talk about how the Tadfield Manor paintball scene was meant to parallel the Great War - they come to this conclusion because of the parallels it has to the bullet catch scene - but before we leave this I want to get into the roles the current season one Crowley and Aziraphale have in the paintball scene -because in that scene we see both of them get hit with a paintball maybe like they both were at risk of falling but other than Crowley changing the guns they kind of just walk through it - almost like they are just remembering the Great War not actively reliving/reacting their own actions in the war
Now how this relates to my post and specifically why I chose the season one scene - really I’m just trying to explain my thought process because yknow no one actually gets sawd in half - first we have to start with the only actual magic act we see from the title sequence the bullet catch scene and what it is visually showing us - it is just the two of them standing opposite of each other with a weapon posed between them that ultimately gets diverted - this is the magic act - this is what i was looking for to parallel with the season one magic act - a personal moment between the two of them that is not necessarily the end of season “act” they pull off in front of people - now with all that in mind plus the visuals I talked about in the last post that is where I got the "come up with something” moment of the airbase scene - but it is also just a moment of a very much increased risk of death (yknow with Satan coming and all and no real plan in place to win) and an intense level of trust that Crowley will come up with something - it’s not the most one for one parallel i know but it’s what i came up with
But to bring it back around to the other metas and some speculation for season 3 - if these are the moments that are meant to parallel the Great War - with the Tadfield Manor War as a greater/wider look into it as a whole whereas these magic acts are meant to be more personal look into what happened between Aziraphale and Crowley - how does the wheel of death play into this? - well it has been speculated that we are going to get an actual Great War scene so maybe it will be the two of them facing off against each other not really wanting to fight, to hurt each other but a third factor comes in that makes them and Crowley takes the Fall/death and this would be somehow paralleled it our present times with perhaps some roles switched around
and maybe they have to keep reliving these echos of time till they get it right
#i feel like this is where i go off the rails#this is from like just the title sequence#good omens#good omens 2#good omens season 3#good ineffable omens#good omens speculation#good omens meta#good omens theory#aziraphale#crowley#aziracrow#ineffable husbands#ineffable spouses#the brainrot is real#good omens brainrot#good omens title sequence
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The Greens as the found family trope
Hi all I’m back on my “found family” bullshit so here are my thoughts on Ser Criston Cole as the Green siblings’ father figure :)
First, I’ve posted before about how devastated Criston is when Rhaenyra rejects him, and why I think that is. Long story short, they have an extreme power difference as a result the differences in their races, wealth, social stations, and political influences. Criston jeopardizes his career and his life in order to be intimate with her, and when rejected feels as if he was led on to believe she wanted a formal relationship with him, when she really wanted some stress relief. Rhaenyra is obviously not obligated to love him because they had sex, but she was definitely ignorant of her privilege when she pressured him into doing so.
So a post-Rhaenyra Criston is a man who believes he has forever jeapordized everything he has had to fight for, everything that all of the other characters on the show were born into. At any moment, Rhaenyra could tell people about what they did, and take away his career, his standing, and his life itself. He feels as if he has compromised himself, and his honor, all for naught, and as if there will forever be a sword of Damocles hanging over his head.
This is why he bashes Joffrey’s face in at Rhaenyra and Laenor’s wedding; it’s years of pent up terror of what would happen were his secret to get out (still insane of him tho). And, most importantly, this is why he immediately attempts suicide afterwards. He feels completely hopeless and does not see a way out of the situation that Rhaenyra has put him in.
And then you have Alicent. She saves his life, and gives him a purpose going forward as her protector-- and we have seen how much Criston cares about having an honorable purpose. Not only that, Alicent fully accepts him as he is: as a Dornishman, as a lowborn, and as an oathbreaker. As I’ve mentioned previously, we have seen other characters make classist and racist remarks to Criston; yet Alicent welcomes him as not just her protector.
We are shown, on the night that Aemond loses his eye, just how achingly alone she is; how literally no one at court will stand up for her and her children, including her own husband. Though Criston does not agree to take Lucerys's eye for her, we see him running to her, and having to be held back, when she lunges for Rhaenyra. And, of course, there is the visual parallel between Rhaenyra, Daemon, and her children, presented as one family unit:
And Alicent, Criston, and Aemond, juxtaposed against them: another family.
Later on in the show, Alicent also relies on Criston as a confidant, and as a problem-solver. It is him she goes to, when Viserys dies; him alone that she trusts to be loyal to her, rather than to Otto. Him alone that she trusts with her son.
Aegon is not the only son she trusts Criston with; we clearly see that Criston has taken Aemond on as a protégé in the scene of them training. There is a closeness there; they have trained together for years, and there is a familiarity that results. Aemond even confides in Criston, sharing some incredibly personal and potentially damning secrets. First, he admits to his frustration that his brother will be king when he is so ill-suited for it; it’s evident in the scene that this is the first time he has said such a thing aloud. And second, he tells Criston about the time his brother brought him to a brothel as a child; a traumatizing event he clearly does not remember fondly. These are not things you would tell your mother’s guard, or even your sparring partner; these are things you would tell someone you trusted and looked up to. Someone like a father.
So there is something about Criston and Alicent that seems very special to me. It doesn’t need to be romantic, even; but these are two people who met each other at their lowest points. Who feel as if they have no one in their respective corners, as if their lives are hopeless. Who come together, and raise children together, and protect their own.
#criston#ser criston#criston cole#ser criston cole#alicent#alicent hightower#aemond#aemond targaryen#aegon#aegon ii targaryen#aegon targaryen#aegon ii#stormbreak#fic: stormbreak#fic#brainrot#hc#spoiler free#fic: stormbreak: spoiler free#hotd meta#meta
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Dabi, and His Parallels to Early Izuku
Weird start. These are two characters who really don’t seem like they’d be foils of each other. (Dabi has a lot of foils, Shoto being the most obvious, but also Izuku, Keigo, Katsuki, Geten and Toga. If anyone wants me to talk about any of the others, I will. I have a lot of thoughts. But back to Izuku.)
The obvious thing is the disability coding - both are disabled. Dabi has a quirk that is incompatible with hid body, Izuku doesn’t have a quirk at all. Their disabilities both result in them being outcasted. For Touya, this is within his family structure, and for Izuku, it’s at middle school.
When Izuku first gets One For All, their situations become even more similar, as they both have quirks that their bodies cannot handle. Also, when Izuku breaks his bones, it’s shown visually by his skin going purple, just like Dabi’s scars. And both of them are similarly self-destructive.
Take this line from Recovery Girl to All Might in the sports festival arc:
“You lit a fire under this child and pushed him too far. Look at what he’s done to make you proud.”
And compare to these Touya quotes:
“You lit this fire under me, dad!”
“After all these years, you’ll be proud to have me as your son!”
Both of those are from the dub, I don’t know if the sub lines are different but its worth pointing out regardless.
Their physical states aren’t the end-all-be-all of their similarities, though. Perhaps more interesting is the similar determination both middle school Izuku and young Touya have to become heroes, despite everyone around them believing those dreams to be futile.
As far as I can tell it’s a pretty common belief among the fanbase that, if not for Enji, Touya wouldn’t have wanted to be a hero in the first place. Rei says something along these lines herself, about thinking he’s looking to impress his father rather than saving people. There’s obviously no denying that this is a big factor in Touya’s ambition, however, he was clearly enthusiastic about heroism before his disability was diagnosed and before he knew that Enji’s love for him was conditional. He was asking to learn ultimate moves at the age of five, he clearly loved training.
(I may also do an analysis on how Touya’s attitude toward his training affected Enji’s treatment of Shoto, if anyone wants that, because once again, I have thoughts)
I don’t think I need to go into Izuku’s ambitions. We all know being a hero is important to him. But the point is that both of them were surrounded by people who were very adamant they wouldn’t achieve these goals - Katsuki and Enji, respectively (the parallels between those two are even more interesting) - and neither of them let those expectations of failure get in their way.
The difference between Izuku and Touya, the thing that makes them foils, is the vastly different lives they had growing up. Izuku says himself to Shoto in the sports festival that their lives are so different. While he grew up idolising heroes, Touya grew up quickly learning how corrupt they were. That’s the thing that changed Touya’s path in life, just as much as wanting Enji’s attention.
He decided that he’d rather tear down the system that hurt him rather than work for it, but the realisation of hero society’s dark side came much later for Izuku, and he still believes in the good that it can do.
We know from things like his fight with Shinso at the sports festival, or with Gentle Criminal and La Brava, that Izuku is incredibly empathetic. I’d love for him to have a moment of understanding Dabi, but from the few manga spoilers I haven’t been able to avoid, I doubt it’ll happen.
#touya todoroki#dabi#izuku midoriya#deku#my hero academia#boku no hero acedamia#mha#bnha#mha analysis
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Vader and the Ghost Prison: thoughts and random analyses
Okay this is an itch I’ve been meaning to scratch for a WHILE now so thank you @random-user753 for giving me the final push to do it. I know this will have the tiniest of audiences but I don’t care because I love this series too much.
Anyway, here’s some of the stuff I loved about Ghost Prison in no particular order (spoilers ahead, beware):
Parallels! Boy does this book know how to do parallels. And foils. Starting with the most obvious one which is Vader and Tohm, you’d think a Vader comic would have more Vader in it but Ghost Prison does a great job of exploring Vader through other characters, especially Tohm and Trachta.
It’s rare to see Vader take someone under his wing (at least in the media I’ve seen) and it’s safe to say that Vader sees a part of himself in Tohm, if not in the more obvious scarring then in the way both of them were ‘betrayed’ by their respective communities.
The hologram scene gave us a lot in terms of narrative: it was a great peek into Anakin’s character and his crumbling relationship with the order (as well as putting into perspective just how efficient Anakin was during the Clone Wars, damn), it gave us an interesting perspective on the jedi in the form of Tohm’s pov but most importantly it set a thematic throughline that connected Tohm and Vader and gave us a better understanding of why Vader keeps this kid around.
Which makes it all the more satisfying when you realize that Tohm’s end is a forewarning for where Vader’s blind loyalty to Palpatine is leading him.
Aside from the parallels between these two, it was nice to see lingering parts of Anakin in Vader, knowing how early on he is in his transition. Part of him is still the jedi who yearns for an apprentice (which makes Tohm an odd choice but the comic was pretty adamant that this is the direction it was going, according to the blurb of part 5) but it’s clear that Palpatine’s teachings have twisted his idea of what it means to be a mentor beyond recognition.
And speaking of mentorship and foils this is a great place to talk about Trachta.
This book did a great job of fleshing out Trachta’s character, compared to his pretty flat first appearance in Empire. He’s portrayed as the better leader, starting with his attempts to connect with Tohm and ending with his galvanizing speech and advocating for the freed prisoners, to the point of coming into direct conflict with Vader. All of it neatly wrapped up by the fact that he replaces Gentis as Headmaster of the Academies.
Despite his more brutal scenes, Trachta is portrayed as a more honorable and ideological type, he knows the importance of loyalty and making allies. And the series manages to add a poetic irony to his story in Empire by supplying it with that context, making the point that guys like Trachta simply can't survive in Palpatine’s Empire.
Add to that the little winks the dialogue peppers throughout the story and it makes Trachta an all the more interesting character to follow.
(Also what was my man really doing alone with the Emperor? Do you have something to tell us sir? About a failed assassination attempt mayhaps?)
To finish off the section about parallels, we also get some cool visual ones like the dual pages of Trachta and Tohm’s backstories and little subtler moments like where Tohm stares at Gentis’ ruined face after Palpatine electrocutes him.
And now it's time I talk more about Tohm because I adore him. Making him the pov character of the story, and in particular making his report to Palpatine the story’s narration, was a masterstroke imo. Thanks to that you get all kinds of cool narrative layering when you compare his report with what’s actually happening.
Sometimes he words things in a way that would make him look good in front of Palpatine and sometimes his narrative sounds suspiciously like a lie or an excuse but the cool thing about Tohm is that you never know for sure.
It’s like there’s always an extra layer of ‘taking advantage of his situation’ that’s genuinely the case for him. Often times he will reevaluate and recontextualize the situation he’s in and maybe in some cases it’s to make him look better or cover up how he really felt but often times it’s just an example of the way he melds personal motives with some kind of tactical thinking.
And there’s of course the occasional comedic effect lol.
Moving on, another interesting subplot is seeing Tohm’s ruthlessness develop in real time. Starting with him finishing off Shens and the riot survivors and bringing the story full circle with Caul’s killing and his callousness when ordering the cadets’ executions.
It’s an ongoing process with glimpses of the person he’s leaving behind (defining the riot as just ‘violence’, his visceral reaction to carrying out Vader’s orders) and I feel like Cal’s murder was the perfect way to round it off.
Poetic in the sense that Tohm, who probably saw Gentis as a replacement father figure, was the only ‘son’ who wasn’t involved in Gentis’ plans so he took his revenge by killing the only biological son Gentis had left.
But the best part by far has to be watching him process and suffer through the betrayal that pushes him over the edge. We get that sweet sweet narrative layering effect where he twists the real reason he was left out of Gentis’ plans in his report. And it all hits harder upon a second reading when you notice the hints of a separation and inherent alienation between him and his friends, made worse by the line that confirms his loyalty to Gentis would have remained true if they had just ‘asked him yesterday’. Because all Tohm wanted was to be part of Gentis’ moffs.
It all culminates in a character who feels like he’s been led on and left out all the time. Having been disrespected and underestimated, he turns to a side that promises ‘fear and respect’ that will eventually end up killing him. It’s a great little gut punch of an arc that you can’t help but sympathize with.
And finally I’m really a sucker for this series’ attention to detail. Little things like Tohm’s loose sleeve being neatly clipped up by the end of the story. His comment about bombs being a coward’s weapon which makes sense when you learn of his backstory. The way he ‘grips’ his missing arm when he’s insecure about it. Huge kudos to Alessio and Blackman for adding those finishing touches.
As for the art, there’s really no words to describe how much I love Alessio’s work. I still want to cry because this is the only SW comic he’s illustrated fully besides a few odd covers. And that’s just damn tragic. The colors and atmosphere in this series are fantastic, full of pretty gradients with tiny pops of color and sprawling cinematic panels. Alessio’s realism is the best part of it, with familiar characters looking great and very much like their live action selves.
As one reviewer put it, it’s ‘dark without being tryhard edgy’ and I absolutely agree. Some of the environments and characters look downright gothic (with an occasional pinch of punk) and it’s the perfect touch of Star Wars weirdness that I crave in my media.
All in all, I strongly recommend this series. It's got a bit of everything: great character work, superb art and dialogue, a bit of politics, a well paced engaging plot and an interesting glimpse into the Empire's early days.
There's also the fact that all three of the main cast are characters with disabilities and it's all addressed in an an unobtrusive and realistic way and I'm here for it.
#star wars comics#darth vader#vader comics#laurita tohm#grand moff trachta#vader and the ghost prison#phew I finally did a thing
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y’all are never gonna hear me shut the fuck up about this…but this is screaming 1989 is it NOT?!
I might be delusional but I am delusional for a REASON! this is clearly 1989 coded in some odd yet very obvious way…just bear with me here
1989 is the next re-record that might come before this year ends or possible early next year! in the karma music video there are multiple Easter eggs that hint to 1989tv but specifically the last scene….
she brings coffee to her supposed “partner” and the coffee has a design in which the clock strikes 12.
Since the announcement of Midnights, the clock has been a symbol throughout Taylor’s career — the variants of Midnights, the different editions (3am, till dawn, ect.), even the opening visual to the eras tour.
could this possibly be another tease for the clock to be used to announce 1989tv and the possible music video we could be getting??!
in the song “you are in love” she sings “coffee at midnight” and this is obviously the scene at the end of the karma music video!
while the song is loosely based off Jack Antonoff and his then partner Lena Dunham — the song is basically about two people who fall in love and it gushes about the simple and mundane life between the lovers while also acknowledging the moment they fall in love.
now I’m not saying Joe and Taylor are together or dating, but I am saying there is a possibility he could be staring in the “You Are In Love” (Taylor’s Version) Music Video!
1989 is an iconic era in itself and we were gifted with some of the most amazing, memorable, dramatic, and fun music videos (bad blood, ootw, wildest dreams, style, shake it off, blank space, and new romantics)
but what makes “You Are In Love” different is the domesticity of love and how it seems to not be so chaotic. in the song she expresses literally the different moments in which she and her partner fall in love through just living in each others lives in day to day scenarios.
EXAMPLES:
One look, dark room. Meant just for you. Time moved too fast. You play it back
Small talk, he drives. Coffee at midnight
Morning, his place. Burnt toast, Sunday. You keep his shirt. He keeps his word
You two are dancing in a snow globe, 'round and 'round
in the final scene of the karma music video we see that everything fades into the cup of coffee and ends up being served to her lover. this is symbolism in which I think means that her past with other partners seems to just fade away now that’s she’s with him because… SHES IN LOVE! HES IN LOVE! THEY ARE IN LOVE!
to receive a music video for this song specifically would mean so much to the 1989 era considering the fact that during this time Taylor was under scrutiny for her love life. we saw that depicted in blank space, a satire song she wrote based off what tabloids thought of her and her love life.
“You Are In Love” clearly talks about the softness in which her and her partner have in private. That while they may fight and argue, they talk it out nonetheless and make it work for them.
“He keeps his word
And for once, you let go
Of your fears and your ghosts
One step, not much
But it said enough
You kiss on sidewalks
You fight and you talk”
the whole point of “you are in love” is to express the highs and lows of a relationship outside of the opinions of everyone else, specifically the media.
“You can hear it in the silence
You can feel it on the way home
You can see it with the lights out”
in the lines above, it clearly has parallels to other Taylor songs in which she talks about fame and how it constantly follows her wherever she goes — an issue she has wanted to avoid when it comes to her love life. but in these lines it talks about when her and her partner are alone — just them by themselves together. they are in love and they can feel it even when no one is watching.
and where is no one watching?
in this scene where she brings him the coffee!!!! this is the dark room meant just for them! their shoulder brush as she sits down beside him! this is either his place or hers — THEIRS!
This was just a GLIMPSE of domesticity when it come to romantic love — but I’m assuming when we ✨hopefully ✨ get the mv we will see more of it! see the two of them just spending time together in a home, like in Lover mv!!!!
Now you’re probably thinking where does Joe Keery fit in all of this?! I HAVE ADHD AND I GOT OFF TOPIC IM SORRY!
we all know Taylor worked with Sadie for the atw 10 min version short film! in her actors on actors interview she discusses writing past Taylor in the film with Sadie in mind Bcs she saw her in stranger things and realized she wasn’t a romantic lead and would be perfect for the role! (Time stamp: 6:12)
knowing this information and that Taylor has definitely watching stranger things, could she possible be writing the “You Are In Love” music video with Joe Keery in mind?
Joe Keery hasn’t stared as a romantic lead in any movies / tv shows. in stranger things he only played Nancy’s love interest for 1 season before becoming the beloved babysitter we all know today. In Free Guy, while his character does crush on Jodie Comer, he isn’t necessarily the “romantic lead,” that part belongs to Ryan Reynolds. Then in Spree he plays a fucking murderer so yeah….
I’m thinking that Taylor really loved Joe’s performance in ST and possibly saw his other projects and wanted to see him in a larger role (romance wise). I personally think he would be perfect as a character in the “you are in love” music video or possibly short film!
Steve Harrington had a redemption arc but I don’t think we’ll be seeing him GRT back together w/ nance in s5 + the ending of Free Guy is left open so we really don’t know if his character and Jodie Comer’s stay together.
I know I’m probably sounding crazy or delusional but this is just a loosely based theory on what I see and know from the pics and Easter eggs! Taylor street style as of late has been giving 1989 and we all know how she also drop hints with clothing and what not so this is just a fun little thing I put together
this is just a theory so please don’t come at my neck….LOL! I know I sound delulu, but this is just all in fun and good nature as a fan of Taylor and Joe!
Let me know your thoughts and possible other Taylor and Joe collab theories! 🙈🫶🏽✨
#joe keery#steve harrington#taylor swift#taylor swift x stranger things#Taylor and Joe K collab?#I’m DELULU#please be nice 😭#I’m just a Fangirl with theories here ok!#I love the both of them!#if my two worlds collide I swear
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ep 7 stray thoughts:
- thing i’ve noticed is that the opening sequences always give me chills
- ok so zoueyteena was mutualism, nuthphop was protocooperation, captainkeen is commensalism, first/porsche/soong/jump with parasitism, aob and puen with competition, nant and prom? for predation… i’ll keep this in mind
- now why captain looking down the camera lens do NOT perceive me sir… “it’s like im sleeping in the mushroom breeding center” damn …. also first having no courtesy for other ppls space my baby boy
- nont lowkey wishing his brother chose literally any other roommates in the world lmao- oh there he goes setting things on fire again
- once again the 5 baddie bunch are all in the same area but porsche is specifically cut out of each frame… why is he always on the outside????
- hold on how old are they supposed to be??
- i’m excited to get into porsches story, all of his scenes have a sense of like danger to them…
- are there any meta posts floating around out there about the use of older tech, like the boxy tvs and the older video recorder??
- nuthphop continues to have the most breathtaking shots for me idk what it is about their moments but they make so much sense visually and audioly(?? is this the word??) idk what im saying at this point
- gonna try to pay closer attention to the music for zoueyteena scenes, they stick in my memory as bright/les complex not/barely digital instrumentations but that could just be my memory playing with me
- not captain selling out keen…also soemthing i noticed is that while captain and keen were talking earlier the music was bright and jumpy and when their teammate walks in it turns to like *ominous bass* and then eventually sad piano and the scene with keen walking in on captain and the others mirrors that (though the piano the first time is scared and sad and the second time more idk deep and thoughtful [this is how i’ve always had pieces described to me by instructors idk if the emotions match perfectly] so it can lead into zouey and teena’s scene)
- worlds collide…. also phop and nuth and their gender shirts good for them good for them. i know nuth looks like the most likely suspect but they really are so sweet
- i think the reason i like nuth and phop scenes the most is that they are easiest for me to understand, like the whole scene is sending me a clear message and no element is wasted kind of thing (not that the other scenes have unnecessary elements my brain is just better at understanding certain cues over others. just a preference thing)
- yasss dramatic cinematography moment (also i feel like it fits into the vintage tech category) keen blowing the whistle you will always be famous to me
- thinking about captain and keen and the “one person benefits the other gets nothing” bit from the beginning…
- nont: i don’t just want him arrested i want him dead
prom: girl ok…. sorry i asked...
- ok so there’s a boxy tv behind nont that’s just static and this isn’t the first i’ve seen one, what do they mean????
-A GUN?!?!?!
- “i will leave quietly like how i arrived” nont be fr…
- is it just me or does nont always leave his bangs down when he’s alone with prom
- ooo the parallel between soong and porsches lines (i’m assuming i was distracted by the dubbing of first and soongs convo)
- oh… puen and aob… oh… also aob kinda looking a bit wet and pathetic now…
- keen better than me if captain showed his face again it’d be on sight
- wait wasn’t captain not interested in playing whatever sport they’re playing before now… ya know what whatever makes him happy ig if his dream is to be an athlete than good for him
- they’re reprising the captain keen song from earlier- i assume this means that they’ve overcome this issue/ have gone back to like it was before [actually they were included in the revenge sequence but i will interpret this as keen already got his revenge now things can be sweet]
- first throwing the money at soong, ooo he really hurt that boy
- CAPTAIN I KNOW THAT IS NOT A VIDEO RECORDER CAPTAIN PUT DOWN THE CAMERA CAPTAAAAAIIIIN
- ok i caught: nant? holding a sign with his name is neon green lighting, nuth holding a camera in that same lighting, nuth recording nant standing over him in red lighting, swinging feet and a kicked over chair (im assuming it’s someone being hung) in orangey red lighting
- to be perfectly honest the only lighting that i remember that resembles this is in the playboy lounge and proms room (re lighting that is)
- hold on are they framing nuth in a cage?!?
- “ the picture of you i see and remember is better than who you are”… “you’re not perfect like a dream. and i like you anyway” i need a minute
- i think the thought that you will exist in someone’s eyes as better than you are is comforting actually…
- zoueyteena scenes continue to have top tier music let’s gooo
- nuths smiling face when he answers the door for phop im gonna go eat cement what the fuck why would they do that to me i’m genuinely gonna lose my mind oh my good?????
- NOOOOOOOOOO NOOOOOO NOOOO
- ok nonts hair is down again- does he let his hair down when he’s not performing as nant, like hear me out in all the nant flashbacks his hair is parted and when nont is with nants friends he adopts the same hairstyle so are the scenes where his hair is down he isn’t keeping up a performance or he can have his own preference ???
- WHATTTTTTTTT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT DID HE KUST WHAT DID HE SHOOT MY BOY PHOP WHAT BITHC WHAT WHAT WHAT I- how could they do this to me?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?,!,!,
#like why did i decide to end on ep 7 i feel insane now oh my god#a.b.e. watches#playboyy the series#fukkkkkkkk#playboyy spoilers#abe watches
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Undead Girl Murder Farce Episode 1: Oni Slayer
What do you get when you cross an incredibly weird manga with the director/creative visionary behind the Love Is War anime adaptation? Well, if the answer wasn't obvious, you get something incredibly creative, weird, and cool. Lapin Track might not be a studio people really know the name of, but between the creator of this story, and the director of this anime, they certainly want to leave a lasting impression on anybody that takes a chance with this story. And they've absolutely left me with a mountain of stuff to talk about.
The short of it though? Watch this show, right now if you haven't already.
Where to even begin? I think the introduction of the setting for the world is a little low effort, but I do really like the direction of the actual pieces between it. There's an incredible amount of creative and incredibly unique cuts right from the start that lets viewers know they're in for a ride. Just take a look at this blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment.
But yeah, Undead Girl Murder Farce takes very little time to live up to its name, both in terms of visuals and story, as we follow around our hybrid Oni lead character Tsugaru. Right away, his character grabs you with his over the top but equally lax nature that's all about showing off and having some fun.
Of course, his character isn't purely fun and lazy, there's a deeper past to him as well, and they showcase that very early on through his vice of drinking. Very effective and simple, it doesn't try to claw anything out of viewers, but rather add just a bit of an explanation to his character. And of course, it does it in style, mirroring the focus on each limb in the present vs his past before bringing him back to reality.
If I were to choose a single theme for this episode, it would be parallel. A monster in a cage, a human on the streets, past and present blurring, harmless creature vs foul beast. An act, or a farce? The entirety of it is mimicry and dichotomies, like Tsugaru mimicking this cat that he protects from a random crowd. And it's incredibly well done.
Alright, I've got to speed this along or I'm going to be here all day. It's good, it's great, it's bold, so on and so forth. What's next? Well, this cool ass fight, of course. Yeah, Lapin Track providing not only good animation, but impressive, creative, and in character direction for a fight scene? I was really just sitting watching this episode with my jaw hanging loose (though this is now my third time through the episode).
There's really not much else to say. The fighting styles and approaches are perfectly in tune with the characters and their thoughts in the moment. They make full use of their surroundings and the tools at their disposal, and you can absolutely tell that Tsugaru is trying to show off while diffusing tension and peaceful disabling his assailant.
God, I wish I could share the whole episode. It's Just. That. Good.
Okay okay, last piece! This parallel during the fight that's meant to depict/explain the combat going on. I swear, this is the last bit from this fight (it's just so good I can't stop myself I'm sorry).
Sadly, I can't, so I have to try to continue trimming my thoughts down, further and further until I can reasonably leave them in a Tumblr post that doesn't go over each and every frame of the episode.
Okay, where to next? We get the reveal that the lady Tsugaru is fighting is just the maid of the only immortal person in the world, and that at this point they're only a head. We also see that this person wants Tsugaru to kill them, which sparks just more incredible scenery that I want to share every second of.
And then of course we start our wandering into town with Tsugaru and our bodiless Immortal Aya, and Lapin Track just refuses to pump the brakes and delivers the best scene from the episode.
Who is man, and who is monster? Who that exists within the confines of the cage is free to leave it with their own will? An absolutely incredible monologue from Tsugaru that exposes his character, morals, and motive, as the neither-man-nor-oni that he exists as. His desire to bring wrath upon the people that watch on and view him as a monster, that indulge in the depravity of his violence, to strike startling fear into their very beings and provide a worthy stage for him to exit on.
It's really incredible how well they weave this story into something that seems so disjointed. How they bring the idea of cages and confines in with things like Aya's birdcage or the chain link fence Tsugaru finds, how his pose and gesturing to the stage that he's created is mimicked atop the bodies that litter the ground as if he were crucified, or how the very notion of looking down on Tsugaru is made visible through this pose.
Anyways, Billy Mays here cause we're not done yet! This episode is the gift that keeps on giving, though this time it's in the form of environment art. So busy and color, but also empty and very selective, it varies wildly within the span of only a minute or two as our characters chatter on about the concept of death and dying, and their desire to live that hangs in the balance.
By some miracle I've made it towards the end of the episode in reasonable time. It's here that Aya finally accepts Tsugaru's proposal of going after Aya's body to return her to normal, and the pair seal this partnership with.... a kiss. Just puts the icing on the cake for how much of a borderline insane episode this is.
And there it is, the first episode of Undead Girl Murder Farce. Finally, an end to the insanity appears in the form of it's ending song. What a wild ride, the idea of two beings that hover between life and death, exist in a world separate of everyone else's, that find each other and embark on a journey of revenge and retribution. There's really a world to this story, and if I were forced to make a comparison? It plays a lot like an action oriented Nisioisin story might. Not quite the same oddities and idiosyncrasies, but through the many layers that characters communicate through with one another, and how they dance around ideas and ideals. Regardless of my poor attempts to explain the episode or to entice people with it though, I really hope you'll find the time to give it a change to grab you.
#undead girl murder farce#アンデッドガール・マーダーファルス#mystery anime#supernatural anime#anime recommendation#anime review#anime and manga#anime
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Do you think Deku Is gonna see Tomura’s memories? I mean there is an actual possibility for this to happen? I love reading all your analysis <3
Thank you <3
And yes, I think it's possible!
Given what we've seen in the Void in chapter 270, where Tomura saw the memories/visuals of his family before he woke up and decayed the hospital, plus what Izuku saw in the Void in the 305 flashback, I think it's possible for Izuku to be able to see his memories at some point
If Izuku were to actually look deeper into Tomura and see more of what happened, or if Tomura were to somehow project everything that happened to him in the Void, Izuku would then be able to see just how much he has been hurting and for how long
Not only would this help Izuku see the full extent of how much Tomura has suffered, but it would also become a full circle moment between them surrounding how incapable Izuku was of understanding him
One of the things about the Mall Scene is the honest opinion Izuku gave to him when asked what he thought the difference between Tomura and Stain was, and Izuku says this to him
Izuku simply couldn't understand anything Tomura did at all. This is referenced again with Kouta
Even now, in the manga currently, Izuku can't really understand the exact reason why he does what he does
Post-war arc, he discovered Tomura was hurting inside. He knew, at that point, that he was suffering and that maybe everything Tomura did wasn't just "for fun". Izuku then knew he needed to save Tomura from All For One
But it's not just All For One. Even when the League was all alone and taking over the Liberation Army, Tomura was still plagued by hatred and that was because of what happened with his family
AFO is a big part of why Tomura does the things he does now, but everything that happened with the Shimura's is also a factor into why Tomura just doesn't stop hating the world
I mean, Tenko can't stop bringing up the past. He can't stop thinking about what happened and how everyone ignored him, brushed aside his feelings, and the people he killed. He can't stop having visions of them, remembering their faces and his feelings when those events happened, and recently, we keep being shown how, as Tenko surfaces again and again, how much the Shimura incident still matters to Tomura and thus the story
So he doesn't just have to be saved from AFO
He also has to be saved from his own raging heart
He has to be saved from the very thing that Tenko keeps reminding us of - the guilt surrounding his families deaths
And I feel like, in order to do that, Izuku has to find out what really happened in Tomura's past at some point
He can separate Tomura from AFO all he likes, he could destroy the vestige inside of Tomura, he could kill AFO himself and it still wouldn't be able to stop Tomura's destruction
What Izuku needs to save him from isn't just external but internal. Hence the crying child Tenko (in his house's garden hugging Mon-chan = a sign that this hurt is stemming from the past as well as the present) that Izuku saw in the 305 flashback
Quick side-note, but you know how Eri and Tomura parallel a lot? Taken in by abusers, bodies used as weapons, both unable to walk away from their abusers because they (Eri and Tomura) believe they are the ones at fault?
Well, I think it's the same, but with how Chisaki's shadow was still haunting Eri. Even after she was saved, she still wasn't really saved, because the external was gone (Chisaki) but the internal was still present
Then the Cultural Festival happened, Eri had fun, she smiled, and Chisaki's shadow stopped haunting her. She was finally saved
So I don't doubt that it's going to be the exact same for Tomura. Even if Izuku were to get rid of the external threat (AFO), internally, there is still the shadow of the Shimura's deaths still haunting Tomura
And I can't really see any other way Izuku would be able to find out about Tomura's past without actually seeing what happened
Unless Tomura were to actually sit down and talk about it...
... But I don't think that's going to happen right now lol
Or maybe if AFO were to spill everything that happened? Which, I mean, I think that could happen. But if it did, he might only talk about the part where he was involved (The hat man at the Shimura door being the same man that took Touya and likely being AFO himself), and not the whole history of the murders
Even if AFO were to prattle on about Tenko killing his family, I also think Izuku needs to hear how Tomura felt about it or see what actually happened with his own eyes in order to fully understand
So, yes, I think there's a great chance of Izuku seeing his memories
#thank you for the ask!😊#asks with metty#bnha asks#bnha manga spoilers#shigaraki and midoriya analysis#shigaraki and midoriya#izuku midoriya#tomura shigaraki#anon asks
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So this is bit random, a bit serendipitous but, I was very captivated by the charged moments in yesterday's Spirit of the West Daily, and the parallels between the huge forceful storm and the growing, overwhelming (and yet unidentified—at least by Dean) feelings between Dean and Cas. The recurring lighting strikes seeming to highlight the electricity between them, the way the storm itself moves them closer together, nature pushing them into a intimate space, giving them the opportunity to literally peel back layers and see more of each other than they have before, heightening those charged feelings and unknown desires.
And then this morning I was on the Poetry Foundation site looking for something else and saw an article on the home page with a header image of a horse and, with SOTW still on the brain, I was like Oh! Horse! What is this? So I read the article, which is about the poet Henri Cole's collection of sonnets (whose cover features the horse, and the horse recurs throughout many of the poems). The article explored Cole's use of the sonnet form and how the sonnet creates a space to explore unresolved questions and ideas.
Cole's central theme / question in many of his sonnets is between the push and pull of the self and the natural world and the self + desire.
Which just got my brain making all sorts of associations and linking back to SOTW, especially that line: "framing the natural world as a portal to speak toward longing or yearning."
The storm is that portal. The storm is the visual representation of those charged and churning feelings.
I was already feeling queer feelings just reading some of the excerpts of Cole's poems in this article, like the one from the sonnet collection's titular poem, "Gravity and Center":
(this poem also begins "I'm sorry I cannot say I love you when you say / you love me" which just. Destiel goggles on!)
Anyway, I wasn't familiar with Henri Cole before this and figured I'm just reading too much into some of these lines / had Destiel on the brain / + my own queer feelings.
but then,
same-sex desires<3 I love when our hearts just match, when words just resonate, even before Knowing.
also these lines, definitely evoke images of John Winchester
Lastly, I really loved this closing line from Cole about the writing process. Sometimes it is like that, indeed!
Anyway, I am SO sorry for putting on my English Major hat here and writing a mini essay😅 but I thought the connections to nature and desire were interesting and maybe you (or anyone else reading this) might enjoy Cole's poetry if you aren't already familiar with it @urne-buriall
#my adhd brain will just connect things and then i have to write mini essays abt it lol#vic.txt#sotw
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GUYS GUYS I CAN'T KSODKLSOSL!!!1!!1LKDKJ;;S !!!l1JK!::kKD;P SOSKSLSPSODS A;SDOKDLAD I CAN'T EVEN FORM WORDS
spoilers for ep 12 (and a bit for trigun in general) and my overexited ramblings under the cut
you know an episode will be good when where's no opening
so, the twins are meant to be characterized straightforward in every anime adaptation, ig. it's not bad, but the manga twists their personalities 180° and it adds SO MUCH nuance (I'll talk about this at length some day)
tbh I had to pause for laughter when knives was YEETED outta the gate (I have sense of humor of a five year old)
everybody already said everything, but still. OG HAIR COMEBACK OMG AHRAHAAKFJDlahjddjha!!!!!!!! ;!!! ;! and not only hair, but the whole characterization this episode was much closer to trimax vash, and not just sadboy depressive bbg
MERYL/REM PARALLELS LETS GOOOO!!! like, I guessed this would happen, but the visuals, the tension and pure GRATITUDE in vash's voice when he was able to break free from his mental prison... we're eating good
speaking of eating, I CAN'T get over that moment when vash deadass BIT KNIVES. that's peak sibling behavior, he's literally fighting tooth and nail over there
also mashwood is so real tonight!! love love love meryl&nico interactions in stampede, they barely spoke to each other in other versions! and the look of relief on vash's face when he sees nico skedaddling away with meryl!!! he's so glad that they're gonna be okay and that nico made the right choice and came back to help, if briefly. interstingly, he was able to remember everyone, but after the explosion at the end he still lost his memory.
and THE WINGS, DUDE!!!! it gives the finale of trimax, when they both had only one wing left..... still missing feathers, but I love the diversity with knives's, eh... knives, and vash's energy/void or whatever that is, I support it
he's so pathetic even when he looks cool, homeboy had NO control when he used his wing for the first time... cudos for learning new powers on the spot tho
ow ow ow that scene with the military hurt... and he couldn't even save them!
"why are you like that, vash?" "I'm vash the stampede" "IT'S BEEN OVER A CENTURY AND THIS IS THE BEST YOU COULD CAME UP WITH" same here, knives, he's hopeless. I anticipated that moment, but it probably hits even hard for stampede onlys
angel arm!!! tho it's not that angelic now... how are we gonna call it? I take suggestions. rip arm and coat, I feel like we'll actually get a more trimax leaning design next season!
to all the ppl (myself included) who wanted to see vash cry properly... are you happy? ARE YOU FUCKING HAPPY??? after the last episode, after all the mental torture knives put him through, vash still doesn't want to hurt him and, just like knives, can't handle the distance between them.......... I am inconsolable. and as much as knives wanted to break vash, it hurts him so much to see those tears irl....... but he just can't stop, because they're both SO FUCKING STUBBORN and it already took to much to get there and he just can't. stop. now.
"nai is dead, you killed him" first of all, *sounds of screaming crying throwing up*. second of all, his name is million knives, vash, stop deadnaming your brother/j
the death scene itself.... oh it's soo good and yummy. I know this mf isn't fully dead and conrad will fix him, but still. he can have a second death of self as a treat
btw, gotta adress my earlier theory about "happy birthday" being metaphorical. no, it is in fact July 21st, and tristamp lasted about two months in universe. still pretty hard for me to believe, it felt five times shorter due to the pacing. but it is what it is: I'm esht and I was wrong, I'm singing the esht wrong song
and just as I thought this would be the end of it, WE GOT A FLASH FORWARD THAT HAD BASICALLY EVERYTHING WE WERE HOPING FOR AND MORE
RAISED BOUNTY! MERYL GIRLBOSSIFICATION!! a hint at insurance society (tho that was more of a threat and she's still a journalist). MILLY CONFIRMATION!!! ERIKS' LACK OF ARM AND AMNESIA!!!! EARTH FLEET AND CHRONICA!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!
IT'S GONNA BE GOOD SEASON 2 IS GONNA BE EVEN BETTER I CAN FEEL IT IN MY BONE MARROW
#this episode destroyed me#but when it also gave me life and hope in the future of stampede#cause it's not great. it's definitely good but has problems. I'll wait for the entire dub to come out so I can binge it and analyse properl#but the ending is great and I honestly think that the 2nd season could fix things and become better#let 'em cook is what I'm saying#I need to process all of this. might draw something#trigun stampede#trigun#vash the stampede#vash#trigun stampede spoilers#millions knives#trigun spoilers#meryl stryfe#milly thompson#wolfwood
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Having finished Dusk Maiden I’m really doubling down on the hanako-kun parallels I’m really curious when you get around to watching whether the main trio will remind you as much of Teiichi, Yuuko and Kirie only genderbent as they did to me.
I just tore through Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun's first season this week and am starting in on the After-school Hanako-kun shorts now. And I can definitely see what you mean about the three main leads sharing similar types!
But first, Full Disclosure: I actually thought Hanako-kun was going to be about KIDS. Like... pre-teen kids. The classic "Hanako-san" story is usually portrayed as involving a girl between 10-13 years old, and the characters in Hanako-kun just look so much like children at first glance, y'know? So I was definitely surprised to watch the show and learn they're in high school! Turns out it's just a cutesy design choice. :P
Nene here is 15 years old. But if you told me you thought she was 8? I'd believe you.
ANYWAY. I want to take a moment to talk about where I see the similarities and differences.
Similarities:
To start with: Both stories focus on a group of teeenage characters investigating and/or combatting ghostly school mysteries that're usually framed as the "Seven Wonders of the School." (Every Japanese school has to have its Seven Wonders, y'know. :P I've lost track of how many times the "Seven Wonders of the School" trope has appeared in manga/anime/visual novels/etc that I've consumed... ) There's also the fact that, tonally, both stories also bounce between comedic group interactions and the creepy horror aspects of what the characters are facing.
But you were particularly honing in on the character similarities! And I agree that that's the area that makes them most reminiscient of each other. It's worth noting that Dusk Maiden of Amnesia has a quartet of primary players, whereas Hanako-kun only has three. However, if we exclude DMoA's Momoe (who I'd argue is the least important of the Dusk Maiden quartet), then both stories contain the following three chararacter "types" among their main characters:
Dim-Bulb "Every(wo)man" Lead Protagonist (many in-universe members of the opposite sex will crush on this character over the course of the series... for whatever reason)
Mischievious Ghost with a Secret Past (a.k.a. the actual reason we're watching/reading this thing, CLEARLY)
Exorcist from a Spiritual Family Line (they show recurring skepticism about the ghost's seemingly benign nature, repeatedly threatening to exorcise him/her even as they gradually come to befriend him/her)
It's that last one that's particularly interesting to me. If you're going to do a story about a ghost lurking in a school and his/her connection to a living student attending that schoool, it's easy to imagine those first two types/tropes coming to mind quite quickly and naturally. The third one is a little more of a stretch, though. It's not impossible for it to be a case of "independent invention," but... it does make me wonder if the authorial team called "AidaIro" was directly influenced by the work of team "Maybe" on DMoA.
Differences:
Ultimately, though, I think both stories are different enough from one another to make them stand uniquely in my mind.
— The most obvious distinction is that Dusk Maiden is very much focused on the love story between a ghost and a human — I'd argue that's one of its primary appeals! Meanwhile, Hanako-kun is sometimes billed a "romantic comedy," but I don't know where the romance is supposed to be. :P Honestly, the first episode of the anime made me think (with horror), "Oh god, they're now CURSED to fall in love! Free will is dead!" but uh... I do know that by the first 75 chapters of the manga, they still haven't shown any signs of being into each other? So 1) If anything is happening between Nene and Hanako, it is a SLOW-ass burn and 2) If they ever DO get together, I hope they manage to sever this whole forced-bond thing first so it can feel more legit :P
— That's another thing: Dusk Maiden is a complete story right now in both its versions/formats! Meanwhile, Hanako-kun is still DEEPLY ongoing. The manga has no end in sight, and although the anime JUST got a second season announcement, it didn't even come with a vague release window.
— Out of the three shared "character types" I mentioned above, the "Dim-Bulb Protagonist" is probably the most distinct character between the two stories. DMoA's Teiichi is more of an innocent — the open-minded and pure-hearted type who just wears his heart on his sleeve. He's pretty chill but kind of unmemorable, yet somehow attracts his own mini-harem? Luckily, he's 100% committed to his ghost waifu. TBHK's Nene Yashiro is, by contrast, a borderline genki girl who is super boy-crazy and regularly on the verge of a mental spiral. (Actually, I think Nene acts more like Momoe than she does Teiichi... ?) But when our story starts, Nene is already bolder/braver and more ready to take action than either Teiichi OR Momoe are for the majority of DMoA. She... ALSO attracts her own mini-harem, but she's too self-conscious about her legs to even notice.
— Also: Whereas Dusk Maiden goes MUCH darker with its horror aspects than Hanako-kun ever would, Hanako-kun also features far more of your typical shōnen action elements than you'll ever find in Dusk Maiden.
.............you get the idea.
I do enjoy Hanako-kun! I especially grew to appreciate its cuter character designs; they make it imposible for us to wind up with those borderline-ecchi moments that DMoA sometimes has, and I consider that a good thing. :P However, I ultimately still prefer DMoA because of that central relationship... naturally.
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I was wondering what if anything you thought of B-mask's P2 analysis on youtube! he brings up points of thematic dissonance about the way the maliks were handed (as well as wishing the interns/the P1 gang were better included which I think we all concur on)
ooh, LOVE a good video essay! i hadn't seen this one before but it was great to have on while i was sculpting this morning. i'm gonna link it here for anyone who hasn't seen it, if you've got the time it's a good watch:
youtube
i'd say i broadly agree with it, although i think the analysis loses me at the end. imo he tries to read in much too literally to the parallels between the Maliks and the real-life case of Tsar Nicholas II/the Romanov family. to me that's always been a much more allegorical reference, and i'd actually specifically point to '60s-era Cold War tensions between the USA and the USSR as a much closer thematic parallel to the whole Maligula thing, which is mentioned but not really dug into properly in the video. (in fact, i think that comparison makes the themes of propaganda in the game much clearer, especially given how the Psychonauts are so clearly American in all but name.) it's a shame, because i think everything else is pretty good stuff, but the last 20-or-so minutes feel pretty weak to me.
the video kind of pulls double-duty as an analysis of PN2's themes, and also a comparison and in some ways a critique of it versus the first game. that's something that i've been chewing over since... basically the moment it came out, haha, because i'm in the exact same boat of someone who's absolutely in love with the first game and doesn't quite feel like the sequel was as good (although it's a fantastic game in its own right and i love it a whole lot). so i'm gonna take this as an opportunity to dump my own thoughts on it! this is gonna get long so i'm putting it under a cut: tl;dr, the conclusion that i've basically come to on the game is that while it's not perfect, Psychonauts 2 is, in my opinion, probably the best possible version of what it is, given the circumstances around it and the nature of it as a crowdfunded sequel to a 2000s cult classic and a clear passion project by everyone involved.
the video brings up three main points of comparison/critique: the visuals, the structure/novelty of the gameplay, and the depth of the ensemble cast. i'm gonna borrow that structure, and then go into a little more of why i think certain decisions and compromises were made. overall, i think there were a lot of difficult decisions that had to be made during the development of PN2, and the more i dig into each one the more it seems like a lot of these decisions were made the only way they could be.
in terms of visuals: i can't disagree that the new game looks absolutely great, although i personally wish they'd gone just a little weirder with it. the stylized ugliness of the first game is one of my favourite things about it, and i know that part of that was due to the low poly count... but i dunno, i think there was still the opportunity to make the designs in PN2 a little less cute and a little more grotesque. it feels like the edge has been filed off, pun intended, and a little of the gloomy gothic feel of the first game is gone. i do love the look of the second game, but i can't help but feel that a little something was lost from moving from the deliberate asymmetry and exaggeration of the first game to something a little more... i guess i'd say 'clean' and palatable.
i can't lie, i think that's kind of a shame! but i also definitely get it, especially from a marketing standpoint. the style of PN1 is deeply mid-2000s, calling to mind properties like The Nightmare Before Christmas (which was cited by Tim as a direct inspiration for the game's artstyle) or Invader Zim (iirc, Jhonen Vasquez is a friend of the studio). there's definitely an argument to be made that that kind of angularity would feel dated in a modern game, and certainly similar games that have recently gotten refreshes (take Spyro, or Ratchet and Clank) have also moved towards a cleaner, cuter, more doe-eyed look. maybe that's just the aesthetic upgrade needed to make the game more appealing to a modern audience. (similarly, i think a lot of the tone shift between the games also has to do with being a product of their time. the first game feels a lot meaner, and the second more sincere, in a way that i think is in service to the shifting conversation around mental health. i think it's appropriate, but i do also miss some of the zingers from PN1, hahaha.)
gameplay: yeah, the lack of innovation in the structure of the mental levels is something i absolutely agree with. PN1 did a fantastic job of making every level feel deeply unique, and tying that into the themes of each level as well (ludonarrative!). even when these levels were a little frustrating to actually play, it always felt in service to what the game was trying to do. take how the Milkman Conspiracy is confusing and convoluted and even a little nauseating to navigate, all deliberately designed to create that uneasy atmosphere; or how Black Velvetopia literally traps players in a loop, constantly being forced backwards and only able to make forward progress in little steps before it all comes crashing back down again, as a reflection of Edgar's anger issues. in comparison, other than the noteworthy exception of Compton's Cookoff, most of the PN2 levels are just 'big platforming area that branches off from a hub'.
but i think the video stops short of diving into what i feel is the reason why some of these levels are less innovative. imo it comes down to the shifting market. 3D collect-a-thon platformers aren't really a thing any more, not like they used to be. the genre feels like it's stagnated in a lot of ways; it's not being innovated upon or moved forward, and it's also not something players are really used to any more. again, i think there's an argument to be made that designing a level that's unique but a little obtuse and clunky (take Gloria's Theater - which is great, but by god does it seriously suck to play the first time round) would be a huge turn-off to a lot of players. i sympathise with the devs feeling like they needed to prioritise a smoother platforming gameplay experience, rather than getting a little weirder with it.
story and ensemble cast - yeah, it probably won't surprise anyone to hear that i really wish the interns had gotten more screentime and depth hahaha. i know not everyone loved them, but also, anyone who didn't love them is wrong. they're the best. give me one million new intern voice lines please now
anyway, i think my biggest critique of PN2 (esp. storywise) has always been that it feels like it has one more cast of characters than it knows what to do with. it introduces the interns and the Aquato family and the psychic 6, and between everything it feels like no individual group is given quite enough focus and screentime and room to breathe to really make them shine. so the obvious answer becomes, hey, why not just cut some of the characters?
but on the other hand, like... think about what this game is. this is a sequel from a studio that really doesn't do sequels (and afaik is never planning on doing another one, certainly not a PN3). this is a passion project 16 years in the making. it's a follow-up to a beloved cult classic, and it's something Tim and the others were only going to get the chance to do once, and from that perspective i absolutely can't blame them for wanting to put everything in it. it's clear the team were bursting with ideas and themes they wanted to touch on and plot threads to resolve and cool new characters to introduce, and this was their only opportunity to do so. in their position? i would've done the exact same thing every single time.
a related point that i see brought up a lot, and that i also agree with, is depth - something that's there in spades in PN1, but feels a little lacking in PN2. i think comparing the interns to the campers from PN1 is a pretty obvious way to compare the two games, and yeah, i'll wholly admit that they're one of my favourite things about the first game. they just make the whole summer camp setting feel so alive. there's a huge amount of depth and care given to them; each one has their own little drama that plays out, and while i think there are a few obvious standouts each of them is still interesting and compelling in their own way. that's the kind of depth that has fans coming back a decade after the came first came out. Tim famously got super sidetracked making MySpace pages for all the campers over the space of a few days so that he could really get into their heads and understand their characters. it's great.
most people who play the first game casually will never see any of that. heck, i barely saw anything from the campers on my first playthrough. it was only on subsequent plays, when i went digging and started diving into the fandom and the discussions, that i realised how much there was. i still find new cutscenes and bits of dialogue and interactions every time i play. hell, the fandom is still digging up cutting-room-floor stuff that suggests there was going to be even more interaction with them. i love that depth, i really do. but is it worth putting that much dev time into something that most players will never see? especially in a game when something as fundamental as the boss fights was nearly cut for lack of time and budget?
actually, cut content is something that's pretty interesting to talk about in itself. there's a ton of stuff that's been discovered through datamining: sidequests (like finding Nona in the forest), stuff from early story beats (like the whole Mentathlon - an early version of Hollis' mind?), a whole Gruloky minigame (which presumably would have helped flesh out the Aquato family), and new mechanics (like Otto's bottled emotions - the lines related to which give what is, to me, vitally important insight into some of the characters. i'm not kidding when i say that Norma's bottled sadness line is load-bearing for like 80% of the way i characterise her, it drives me nuts i swear.) in this cutting-room floor content are glimpses of a game that was even more ambitious - dare i say overambitious - than the final product ended up being. we'll never know how much of it actually had a chance of ending up in the game, and how much was cut early due to various reasons, but...
games are made differently now than they were in the 2000s. an AA title like Psychonauts 2 takes more hours, more manpower, and a lot more money than the original. (this isn't adjusted for inflation, but PN1's budget ended up being $11.5mil; in 2012 a projected Psychonauts sequel was ball-parked at $18mil, and i can only imagine that number's gone up.) like i said, i deeply love the depth of interactivity in PN1. but is something like that really feasible, or worthwhile, in the current climate? PN1 was made on some pretty serious crunch. it was a passion project from a small, dedicated team who worked themselves to the bone on it, and due to a number of factors it ended up being a commercial flop that almost ruined them. for PN2, the team were committed to eliminating crunch, which i think is really laudable, especially given the wider state of the industry. in terms of the scope and the cast, PN2 is broader in just about every way than its predecessor. if that was the decision made in favour of added depth to character interactions that only a small number of players would see, was that the right decision to make?
when i look at PN2, what i see, above everything else, is a series of compromises that were made in order to bring a game that a lot of people really cared about to life as best they could. in a lot of ways, it's nothing short of a marvel that the game exists at all. seriously, before the whole campaign dropped if you'd asked me whether i thought Psychonauts could ever get a sequel, i'd have thought you were playing a practical joke. it was a one-in-a-million shot, and they made it, and i kind of think that given everything Psychonauts 2 is actually a hell of a lot better than it has any right to be. there's a lot of factors to the story of its development - it's a sequel, it's a collect-a-thon platformer that released in 2021, it was crowdfunded, it's a passion project through and through, oh yeah and there was a global pandemic midway through development - and i don't think any of those things necessarily hold it back, but they definitely shape it in ways that i don't think can be ignored if you're talking about the game as a whole.
i don't think it's a perfect game. i don't think there is such a thing as a perfect game. but the more time passes and the more i think about it, i think this is... maybe the only version of Psychonauts 2 we could have gotten? i dunno if it's the best game it could have been, but i do think it's the best Psychonauts 2 it could have been, if that makes sense. and the game that it is is, in my opinion, really damn good.
#psychonauts#psychonauts 2#we had a power cut while i was trying to post this but it's back now#so everybody gets to see my essay on my favourite video game and its sequel! unsurprisingly i have Thoughts#but yeah the video essay's definitely good. i might make a separate post that goes into more of what i see as the Themes of PN2#because i agree w a lot of the video's points but i also think it misses the mark a few times#also would love to hear other peoples' thoughts on this!
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