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night-market-if · 11 months

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Hi there !

I just came here to say that I read the entirety of the Night Market yesterday. Before my final exam. Instead of studying. A wonderful decision, really.

More seriously, I need to say this : this. This is a work of art. This shook me to my core. The way you describe everything is wonderful. And the story. The characters. Oh my god the world you created is so full and complex and you can see so much of your love for it through the writing, and it's not a perfect world, nowhere near it, but the characters in this world care and it's enough. The main cast, no, everyone really, is so human. So likable (except some obvious villains, whom are still incredibly interesting in their motivations, and also their madness the Lord of Dolls is an incredible example of this), so full of mistakes, with backstories so complex and unique, and I want to hug them because they need it but also slap some of them because they're so dumb *cough* Milo *cough*, which, I think, shows a lot about how well written a character is.

Now, onto the spoilers and the last chapters. I'm screaming. So so so not okay right now. I swear I ended the last chapter, read the last word, and went "how the fuck am I supposed to go to my exam tomorrow and be normal about this ???". Like. The way each plot twist was for me unexpected but shed light on so much stuff. Like, wow. Every bit that I was like "oh wait that's genius". One thing, even. In one chapter, when MC says to Milo "I hate them. The one who brought me there." and Milo had a strange reaction I said "oh imagine if he's the one who brought us there haha that would be fun". Let me tell you I wasn't laughing later on in chapter 11 after discovering that this funny thought, fastly forgotten because hey, I was never great at theories, this funny thought WAS THE GOOD ONE.

You are so so so so so so talented and I love your universe and everything and I'm destroyed in the best way possible and you gave me so much motivation about working on my own book and I will buy it I will buy the full game I will buy every one of your games just take my money. This is incredible. You are incredible.

Thank you so much for Night Market. I will read it again (because I don't have anymore exam ha). And sorry for the long rant, but I really needed to share how much I loved your if, and your writing ! Also sorry if any of this sounds strange, english isn't my first language !

With that, I hope you have a nice day/evening/night ! Take care of yourself !

I hope your exams went amazing!!! I do not miss those years. LOL

First off, thank you thank you thank you! The gushing was what I needed to sign on to. I always get so excited when readers get what I've been trying to convey. These flawed characters, all of which have lives and a past, are so very important to me. I know the typical way to do things is to write a story revolving around the MC but I would much rather write a story where MC goes and just experiences the world and the people in it.

As for being fooled by Milo, someone on discord put it great. You are blind to the ones you love. The truth of Milo has been laid out for some time. From chapter one, really. But, it was hard to see because of the kind of person he is. I am so excited to explore that in book 2.

Thank you for spending the time to write all this out. It has filled me with all the warm love. :)

And as for the Dollmaker? He will be a "villain" we will be seeing more of.

#the night market #answering your asks #interactive fiction #twine fic #the ro's #world building

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pynkhues · 3 months

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Do you have post-Emmy predictions or thoughts for Snook's career?

Oooo, I'm actually not too sure? She's such an incredible actress, and I'd really love her to hit the A-list, but her choices even since Succession started and her star rose have been kind of odd ones? Like Pieces of a Woman was such a bit part for her, albeit one in an interesting art house movie, Run Rabbit Run saw her as the lead in a pretty terrible psychological thriller, and The Beanie Bubble? Just - - yeah.

Really odd choices.

I do suspect her career has likely been impacted a bit by the fact that she moved back to Australia, married another actor who has a steady, ongoing gig (Dave Lawson's a part of the core ensemble in Utopia which is a very good and very funny sitcom here!) and has had a baby, to say nothing of the pandemic, and I think she's perhaps still feeling out herself what she'd like her career to look like.

That said, I thought it was really smart that both Sarah and Jeremy have gone back to theatre for their first major roles post-Succession, and Sarah's move I think is particularly smart strategically given it's a Sydney Theatre Company production being performed on London's West End, which kind of relaunches her in theatre in two different spaces.

Sydney Theatre Company is a huge deal in Australia and a world class company - Cate Blanchett and her husband, Andrew Upton were co-artistic directors there for a number of years, and it's a home for many of Australia's best actors like Rose Byrne, Toni Collette, Hugo Weaving, Heather Mitchell (my beloved!!). Sarah already had a relationship with STC prior to Succession - having played Joan of Arc in the STC production of Saint Joan in 2018 - so for one of her first major roles after the series to be back at the Company does really feel like both a homecoming and an opportunity to ascend within the theatrical elite in Australia. The production though that she's in being in the UK's West End I feel offers that two-fold as well.

Getting back into STC though I think opens her doors again to local connections, particularly with the Cate Blanchett set and given Blanchett's been moving steadily into producing in Australia, I could see Sarah being cast in one of her productions? Hopefully a film, given The New Boy and Shayda were infinitely better than Stateless, haha.

In my experience with actors in Australia, the ones with young children tend to lean towards theatre residencies and TV because it's (generally speaking) better / more flexible hours and steadier work, and in many ways, Australian TV is having a bit of a renaissance right now with shows like The Newsreader, Deadloch and Boy Swallows Universe, so I could absolutely see her headlining a mini-series? Perhaps a literary adaptation?

I'd love to see her in something from Jane Campion, Jennifer Kent or Goran Stolevski, and I think all three are a possibility - Goran probably least at this stage just because he's such a new voice.

I think she'll probably pop back up in some US films and TV, and I think she'll probably land a few really meaty ones, but I do kind of think she might be more likely to work between Australia and the UK in the future? I couldn't quite tell you why, and I could be wrong, but yeah. I guess my prediction is that she'll have an incredible career, but I don't necessarily think it'll be US-centric post-Succession, or tremendously high profile.

#i mean #i would love her to be tracking for an a-list career but i actually don't even really think she wants that?#it's an interesting thing to think about #i just want her to be in good stuff #and the stc production is definitely good #i didn't get to see the original run in 2021 and i regret it soooo much #i've heard nothing but extremely excellent things about the one-woman dorian gray show #and i know she'll kill it #sarah snook #succession cast #welcome to my ama

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deoidesign · 11 months

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Hi! I just wanna say thanks. I love your comic. And that I was wondering how the idea for the comic came about. sorry if you answered it before and my english is not very good 😅

Thank so much 💙

haha, this one is gonna take a little to explain so you'll have to forgive me...

So, first I saw a lot of people posting old photos saying "this person looks exactly like this actor, he's immortal!!!" and I remember thinking "what if they're not immortal and they're just time traveling?" and that was the foundation of eventually coming up with time traveling vampires conceptually, which is the major basis for the whole plot.

Then, I watched Jaws for the first time. I loved the dynamic between the shark hunter and the marine biologist SO MUCH that I wanted to steal it. I'd never written that kind of dynamic before, and I thought it was incredibly interesting conceptually; the man who knows everything by the book but has very little practical experience versus the man who knows nothing in the books but has been living this life long enough that he knows what he's talking about, and all the interesting ways these types would clash (and learn to respect eachother)

So I just went ahead and combined those two things and conceptualized Adam and Steve. I did my first sketch of them in church, and I showed my sister and said "what should I name them?" and she said "Adam and Steve lol" and then it just stuck!

I used the characters for a school assignment and further developed them there, where I had to draw characters and a book cover. After that I was like, wow, I really want to make this a comic now!

The coloring I did originally was actually inspired by this specific illustration, I obviously don't draw like this but it's gorgeous and was really inspirational for me at the time!

(by Yves Eyang)

But I didn't have any plot planned, just the characters and an idea for how I wanted the mechanics of the story to function, so I decided to make it a choose your own adventure story so that I didnt have to actually think up a plot. I wanted it to be somewhat meandery, and the core concept being Steve traveling somewhere new every month let me sort of "rein things in" in a way that would keep things from getting too out of hand too fast while still giving the readers control, and also giving readers many new places they could jump in if they wanted.

So then I just kinda went for it!

When I moved to making it full time I made a lot of decisions to make the whole thing a lot more cohesive, planned a lot more, and did my best to keep as much of the original spirit as I could.

I hope that all makes sense! I'm sure there's more but those are the major things (that I'm aware of)

#I of course was influenced by a lot more than just this but yeah!#also never worry about your english being bad #its hard to communicate what you mean in general #let along in a language that isnt your own. youre doing great #asks #writing rambles

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ahundredtimesover · 3 months

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I was going through this video and don’t know why I felt like sharing it with you. I am not someone who feels super comfortable by reading hard core smut. But when I read smut from your series it gave me butterflies. It was like I want those characters to have those time together because it felt meaningful. You never made it felt vulgar to me. And again don’t want to judge people who like other stuff I get everyone r different and r into something different. But after watching the below mentioned video I learned more about sex. I am super scared for the force and banging and here I learned that it need not be that. I am sharing it with, pls whenever u get time go through it. May it help you to write future smut or in your personal life. Also I want to make sure that I don’t want to make u feel uncomfortable. If u don’t want pls don’t reply to this message. It can be between we 2. Hope u r have a good weekend

https://youtu.be/6Z1JKF0elYc?si=glTmEiQcPR9c2VL8

Hi, anon. I hope you get to read this. Before anything, I just wanna say that this message was very sweet and a joy to read. I always say that you guys are free to come in and talk/ask about things, and so for you to say that you felt like sharing this video that seems to have helped you is pretty special.

Now, this is my kind of sex talk. It was so informative and insightful. It’s so interesting to learn the context of the Kamasutra as a piece of literature and get an overview of the sections - like, different beds for different acts? The purpose of jewelry? That it’s not even about the act of sex but all about pleasure? I especially loved the part when she explains that positions and movements are about making sure that the bodies of both individuals are in sync so they could experience that pleasure.

All that to say that her point reflects what I feel towards sex and my approach to writing it in my stories. Same with you - I understand that people are different in terms of beliefs and kinks and ways of being pleasured. But ultimately, we get to decide what sex means to us. For me personally, it’s a journey. I learn a lot even just by writing, and through the process, I become more comfortable about it as well.

One of the best compliments I’ve been given is from you, that the smut I’ve written gives you butterflies. Like, YES 😭😭 I feel accomplished haha. Srsly when I first started, I researched how to write smut (lol) and I remember reading that it’s about the build up and the emotion. So when I think of these characters engage in such acts, I imagine it with so much meaning. And my favorite parts to imagine and write are the soft touches and giggles and cuddles and moments of awe and comfort where words aren’t enough to capture what they’re feeling that’s beyond lust. Rough is cool but gentle makes me giddy. Like what Seema said in the video, sex is supposed to be fabulous! There are many ways that could happen but for me - and as reflected in my stories - it’s the emotion, so I spend a lot of time building those up so that the sex feels like a culmination of those emotions and feelings.

Sex is pretty amazing. Sure, it gets overblown sometimes when we write about it but I’m glad the scenes I at least write don’t feel vulgar to you, that you get to see the meaning in them. It’s not the only way but it’s my way, so for you to share this with me rly makes me think that my message comes across. So thank you for dropping by. I’m glad the video got to help you, and I hope that my stories give you that warmth as well, smut included hehe

Sending you love, anon, and I wish you’re well 🫶🏼🫶🏼

#mimianswers #mimi rambles #💌#watch the video guysss it’s pretty cool

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phoenix-is-the-hottest-thing · 4 months

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At first I thought Vita would be Elias because she also has some similarities with Elias.

Like Elias, he is fascinated by people and their emotions which he cannot experience himself so he uses his own method of adopting a gentleman's manners to study people.

Vita I can also see a similarity there, when she was attracted to Seele's group, she also approached them according to her method and researched them (sorry if I'm giving an example sucks but that's the best way I can present it 🥲)

Besides, Elias once said he did not lie but kept his intentions secret by leaving out some information. This point is also quite similar to Vita, there are many times when you clearly think Vita is lying but no she is not, she just leaves out some details and information that makes us confused.

In addition, both of them dislike children. Yup

But if I had to choose without discussing personality or commonalities but just choosing according to my preferences, I would prefer Seele as Elias.

I simply want to see Seele in human form (of course in a black/white/ robe paired with a black or blue vest) but always wearing the skull mask of a deer or a wolf with a goat horn on her head and Vita who always tries to see Seele's real face but can't see her face no matter what. It will be very interesting :>

About what could’ve happen to destroy their mental health? Hm I need time to think 👀

Ohhhh very interesting

I think Seele as Elias can def work well under the angle that she has more connections to nature/magical things than Vita does (Vita has a modern vibe what's with her business outfit...) plus the kinda symbolism she's associated with

Also Vita's mental health is already kind of precarious so if you just change their motivations/goals to be more their own characterizations than mahoyome's, it works as her ending up in a relationship where she learns to let go of her frustrations... Perhaps it's that she's selfish more as a defensive mechanism than a sincere core personality trait, and Seele could let her learn to relax and do good as a mage. After all, that is kind of what mages do, help others.

Also Vita Literally has an abusive mother situation where mom threatened her life before. I mean, Chise's mom was kinder than Sa, but still, there's a connection you can make.

There's the question of what way Vita would be Seele's teacher though. In canon, by the time they meet Seele doesn't really need help beyond "stop giving to others so much to the point of overworking" (really she IS kinda similar to Chise haha). Seele doesn't exactly struggle with alienation, so you'd have to find something else or change her character a bit...

#asks #honkai impact #hi3 #the ancient magus bride #vita #seele vollerei #vitaseele

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the-furies · 11 months

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crashes in here. dusts myself off. anyway.

🍄 Do you headcanon any characters as plural? Who and why?

im pretty sure ik the answer. i want details anyway. [grabby hands]

🌾 Do you have an inner world? What's it like?

im always so interested what other peoples plural experience. our headspace is basically its own universe. whats your guyses if you have one???

🍄 u fucking already know what's up our main hc is that Harry is plural and it's practically canon actually Let's be real. WITH THAT BEING SAID LET ME GET INTO. SOEM DETAILS . [aka i am infodumping. i am infoodumpingna Lots.]

b4 i start off the lines blur on whether shit is hc or shit i/the others remember from Our Canon LMFAO so anyways:

Mixed origins. *Points at Shivers* that bitch just showed up one day! Also Limbic + ARC were born with him. So if we wanna add labels then those would be primarily traumagenic w a couple protogenic sysmates & at Least one walk-in. oh also his tie is a headmate too ofc. Hallucination at first but also his ass got introjected later.

We r actually working on a timeline of who formed when and everything is v much up in the air fr a lot of us but Anyways aside from ARC & Limbic, Composure & Half Light formed first. That much we r Certain abt. this also counts as a hradcanon btw bc we r the kind of bitch that shoehorns our canon into shit . "this is my headcanon on things haha" is how we get our shit across 2 non-systems HWJAJSJDFJFJDJSJ

tho besides those 2 a quick rundown of everyone else we know of so farrrr uhhh. From oldest to most recent: Inland & Empathy in his childhood, Encyclo, Volition, & Rhetoric in his teens, Pain Threshold coulda formed anywhere in between childhood and teens tbh we are Not Sure. And then we're Certain Physical Instrument formed when he got a job as a gym teacher. Or while he was in highschool??? one of those. Idk. Same w Endurance. And then when he was in his like 20s-30s I formed and everything went downnnnhilllll HWHSJDJDJFFJ. Once he joined the RCM Esprit formed & then ????????? and after The Incident, Shivers showed up. Anyone not listed here we have zero clue on when exactly they formed 👍

HOWEVER ASIDE FROM HARRY WE ALSO HC EVERYONE IN DE AS PLURAL IN SOME WAU IM SURE I BROUGHT THIS UP WHEN WE ANSWERED THIS SAME QUESTION LAST IDR. but yeah anyways. Everyone's Skillsets would manifest differently [Kim's fr example manifest as him writing in his journal] & everyone has different Skills. except fr maybe a couple? Like multiple people would have Empathy Skills probs but some like Shivers would be specific to Harry.,,, Kinda. I mean. Ok so how we see Shivers specifically using plural community language is that She's a walk-in and a factive (?) of the entire city. But also supra-natural shit is involved there too It's A Lot. ANYWAYS WHAT IM SAYING IS MULTIPLE PEOPLE CAN DEFINITELY FEEL THE CITY SPEAK TO THEM IT'S JUST SHIVERS AS WE KNOW HER IN-GAME IS SPECIFIC TO HARRY, FJJSJSDJDJFJ BUT YEAH NO EVERYONE HAS DIFFERENT SKILLSETS & THEY MANIFEST DIFFERENTLY FOR EVERYONE TOO one day when we have more spoons 4 thinking. we will come bacj 2 this. HFJDJDJFJF

🌾 WE DO!! It changes often though! rn since it's like,,, JUST us Skills in the fronting roster [MOMENTARILY!!! ROsie and Allan aren't dormant they're just majorly afk!! fhsjdjfjf] the main headspace view is HARRY'S headspace and *THAT* is just. longgggg winding black voidy rooms that have little to no start and end. We're forming shit though! And stuff is sticking!

We have a main area that's just a dining table & one of the rooms we've found is like. a buncha sleeping bags & a campfire? We call that room Composure's room cuz it's where it usually is.

Uhhh mine, Encyclo's, and Volition's room is similar to the master bedroom in the house our core grew up in. Which sidenote is fucky as hell cuz that's ALSO the room where our nightmares take place in! Thanks brain what the fuck! HFHDJDJDJFFJ

And then Reaction Speed kinda has xir own room too it manifests as the inside of a tent? It's tiny. but cozy? Idont think anyone else has their own rooms in Harry's headspace [and neither does Harry btw. His ass can barely manifest here unless someone yoinks him in here or it happens by accident jadjfjfj]

OUTSIDE OF THAT THOUGH WE HAVE A TONNNNN OF LAYERS & ALL FHJSJF the main layer is currently an open field w some trees & flowers on a hill. A lil ways in front of the tree is The Cave™ that holds The Fog™ [partial mix of The Pale?? but also The Fog is our own brain-made TMA-adjacent Entity. It's the embodiment of our brainfog & all. We have 2 Fog avatars one is Trant and the other FUCKING DIED I THINK BC THE FOG GOT HIS ASS???!! ithink he's still in the cave actually? Idk he existed for less than a week before disappearing!!!! Rip Mr Whitely you wil be missed maybe. Idk. cuz ur ass was a serial killer or smth in ur source so like, [lh]]

UHHHH A BIT FARTHER from the Cave is a lil cabin that belongs to Harry & Kim. And a small walk down the hill the cabin is on is The Manor™ and the Septic Household™. Both groups that those houses belong to are currently dormant rn but The Manor is still Very Much Alive Apparently so we uh. Try to. Upkeep her. So she doesn't try. to kill us <3. [I Jest i don't think she can do anything. Idk. But Dark said to not leave her alone Lest Shit Happens and i DON'T know if they were fucking with us. dhajsjfjfjfjf]

Anddddddd. Above our main layer we have,,,, uhhh. The Outskirts? Which is the layer one of our overseers, Mischief, lives in. It's like.,,, a buncha pink & purple clouds u can walk on it's pretty. above that is The Outer Nothing which is where Infīnītus & our other Hierarchy members live. The Outer Nothing is uhhh. Nothingness? Space? Void? something like that?? Idk nobody can visit it unless they're apsrt of the Hierarchy and those fucks don't front unless it's ab emergency and nooobodyyyyyy in the roster rn is anywhere NEARRRR being eligible to Join The Hierarchy I think???? so. ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯! JFJSJXKCKCKDJD

we have other layers I think but they're inaccessible rn. We can access The Outskirts if need be via The Cave and from The Outskirts we can TECHNICALLY GET TO THE OUTER NOTHING but the entrance to it is blocked off a la invisible wall </3

-Electrochemistry

#ask #SORRY THISNIS SO LONG SJZJAKSKDXKCJCJDJCC #if anyone's Possibly eligible to joinn the Hierarchy it'd be either Shivers or Concept #and Shivers would immediately say No and Kindly Fuck Off #and Concept would be like....... no.......... if i join that means I'd have to be serious about my job :[#I can't send people to The Woods if I have to take my role seriously :[ HWJSJDJDJCJCFJSJ #y'know 2hat Inland migjt could also join but nobody would want that. HDJDJXJCCN

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a-mellowtea · 2 years

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You know? Now that I think about it Ironwood's a terrified but good-hearted and empathetic man trying desperately to defend his kingdom and the world. RWBY are good-hearted and empathetic kids trying to defend kingdoms and the world. It's exactly as valid to like Ironwood and his efforts as it is to like team RWBY lol, he's trying to do the same thing under the same fear. xD I think it's more a question of 'if you like team RWBY why wouldn't you love Ironwood for the same reasons?'

Apologies for having to leave this sitting until morning, 'nonny. I am not built for staying up late after an 8-4 work day haha.

This is a curious question, and I think it lies in the difference in narrative framing around these characters. Because you are correct -- at their core, from Volumes 2-7, they have the same overarching motivations and ultimately altruistic intention (which is what makes Ironwood being the one to openly praise Ruby in Volume 2 work so well, but I digress).

As I mentioned in my response to silver-halos, I don't like to make generalizations, especially not in fandom spaces. Everyone has their reasons for liking certain characters and not liking others, even if they're similar and, by all means, it seems as though liking one ought to entail liking the other. People come to stories with their own experiences, biases, and inclinations towards interpretation. Narratively speaking, we as an audience are, in my opinion, given equal reason to be distrusting of Ironwood from his introduction as we are to grow to like him over the course of his tenure as a character in the show. How I see it, some folks decided his kindness and empathy were defining traits over his obvious military archetype, and some, vice versa. For the latter, his flaws and missteps became more pronounced and less forgivable regardless of intention which is, as much as I will gripe about some of the louder and more dramatic takes, an entirely fair and valid way of seeing the character.

It's an interesting question that depends entirely on who you ask.

#rwby #james ironwood #ask answer

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erintoknow · 2 years

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what other media, if any (literally anything; interactive fiction, Bioware- or Bethesda-esque RPGs, etc) do you think Ari would be a good fit for?

what other media? hmmm

well i guess in a way i've already decided the answer to this because i picked out ari and a few other character concepts and are reworking them to fit into an original fiction narrative.

it's been incredibly invigorating to get back into a writing project again after spending the last two years tossing around different ideas and concepts - this one seems to be the one that's sticking so far.

oh dear, i've ended up writing quite a bit more then i originally intended for this, but here we go:

i can't really imagine ari as a character being that good a fit for a video game or even like a tv show or something like (despite having spent a non-small amount of time imagining different such scenarios haha) at the same time though, fiction is fiction - what you consider a good fit is going to depend on what specifically you consider essential to the character, so let's see...

fiction, or i suppose potentially interactive fiction as well, is kind of the one medium that allows the closeness to a character's interior narrative that feels core to making ari stand out in my mind.

i don't think she could support being a lead character without that close lens. dropped into a video game or movie or some other medium, i think you'd get wildly different impressions of her depending on if she was part of the central cast and afforded space (at least in a narrative sense) to drop her guard, or if she was limited to specific section or like 'side quest.' It'd be the difference between seeing a stoic 'action hero' esque figure, a fragile emotional mess underneath that, or a character desperate for love yet utterly afraid of it underneath that.

of course, this is true for all characters in fiction isn't it? the amount of space the narrative affords them determines how well they can be examined or well, characterized, within the core text. different character concepts are better suited for different roles, and which roles those may be can also be dependent on the medium at hand

so then, i'd say - if you want to lean into ariadne's interior psyche drama you want the close perspective only really possible in written fiction imo; if you want more emphasis on action, on ari's outside world relationship, a more visual-based medium like a tv show might be suitable.

hmm actually, a graphic novel in particular would be very hit or miss i think, a traditional approach i think would be pretty boring, but if you had someone willing to get really experimental with page layout and visuals to convey experience through nonverbal means... that could be interesting?

jumping back to video games for a second because now i'm in full on 8am ramble mode and i am going to make 0 effort to edit or clean this up – video games are pretty unique in our forms of media in their ability to use audience interaction to further draw them into the fantasy of the story being told - i mean, really this the whole appeal that otherwise extremely weak narrative series like bioware rpgs right? they manage to have such a profound emotional effect on us as player/audience because we allow ourselves to be drawn into the fantasy that we aren't just watching or reading events unfold but are actively participating in them ourselves. there's absolutely ways you could work with that for ariadne's character concept, i think? i still think she'd be better utilized as not a main character in such a conceit, but a character you have to choose to work to get to know, maybe? probably in some way that ideally comes back later in the game to have repercussions either in revealed information or character actions to represent / respect the work that was or wasn't put into befriending the character.

so uh, to summarize, i think you could take this character and jam her into just about anything with a bit of work and she'd still be mostly recognizable - but it's really only with the close pov of written narrative that she stands out (with the visual element of graphic fiction making it a potential runner up here if you got someone willing to go nuts with it)

an interactive fiction story feels a little too close to her origin as a FHR fanfic character for me to feel comfortable going that route - but objectively i suppose that could work pretty well too? it's just not an angle i'm interested in exploring with the character - if i were to write an interactive fiction story, i already know which concept i'd want to roll with for that. the Grey Painter by William Loman (which is a fantastic piece of horror fiction imo and deserves more love) is a great example of the kind of direction i was already thinking of going with: a character with several preset characteristics in a preexisting relationship with another character, navigating a situation --- i'm digressing now though

considering i am a writer and prefer written narrative (books are so good!!! please check out Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White or The Girls I've Been by Tessa Sharpe), am actively writing one rn, and developed the original version of the character as part of a written narrative fan fiction, i can't say i'm surprised at my own conclusion haha

#asks #ariadne #writing #why did i write so much wow #i hope u find this interesting anon #thank you for asking #even though this is probably not the kind of answer you expected haha #pretending to know what i'm talking about #seriously though #check out the Grey Painter by William Loman #and Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White #and The Girls I've Been by Tessa Sharpe

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chibinekochan · 3 years

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i heard you were taking luke request so i came at the speed mammon running from luci! 🏃🏽‍♀️💨

so here’s my proposition! you know how luke kinda dislikes being treated as a child even though he’s thousands of years old. so what if after one day of everyone babying him he completely gets fed up and starts his rebellion phase. dad!simeon doesn’t know what to do. so it’s MC to the rescue!

Haha, somehow I can see that happening. Such a teen thing to do.

One day Simeon calls you in distress.

He seems pretty upset. "I have a huge issue. Please come over right away."

You have never heard him like this before. "Did something happen? Should I bring support?" You wonder what kind of emergency happened to make Simeon sound so out of it.

"It's easier to explain in person, just please come." Simeon is in honest distress.

"I'm coming right away." You don't know what is up, but Simeon needs support so you brace yourself for whatever might happened.

You practically run over to his room.

It looks like a bomb exploded, a lot of stuff is scattered everywhere on the ground. It's a big mess.

"What happened? Was there a burglary?" You are very surprised by the sight.

Simeon looks like he is close to tears. "No, it's even worse." He seems to be barely able to speak.

"Okay, you sit down and I make a cup of tea and you can tell me what happened." You feel like it's best to have Simeon calm down first.

"That sounds lovely but we have no time for that. You see Luke did this and just stormed out. It's honestly my fault." Simeon sighs. "I think I have been too hard on him lately or maybe I baby him too much… I don't know but lately Luke has been very difficult to handle. I just don't know what to do anymore." Simeon is very distraught by what Luke did.

"He just threw everything around? That doesn't sound like him." You can't even imagine Luke being this upset.

Simeon sighs deeply again. "I know he is usually such a sweet boy but I guess he grew up faster than I realized and now he entered into a new phase and I'm frankly lost." He looks at you with pleading eyes.

"So you want me to go to him and talk to him?" You can only imagine this is why he called you over.

"Yes, please. I'm so lost I just want everything to be normal again and you have lots of experience with difficult people so you are the only person I can count on." He looks at you with puppy eyes.

"I will talk to him and see what is up, but I won't make any promises." You can understandSimeon’ss struggle and want to at least try to make everything better.

"Thank you very much. I will start cleaning this mess." Simeon smiles lightly at you.

"Luke should clean this mess. Not you. That will only teach him the wrong lesson." You think Luke should fix his own mistakes.

Simeon nods. "You are right. I just want to make it better between us."

"You should have a long conversation with him after cleaning up and having dinner." You know having difficult conversations is best after all basic needs are met.

"I will take that suggestion, thank you." Simeon still looks a bit lost, but at least he has a plan.

You go and look for Luke, who is in the living room.

He is still on the edge, it seems. Even his clothing style has changed.

Luke clearly tries to look more adult.

"Hey, Luke. A nice shirt you have there." You try to start with a neutral topic.

He slightly glares at you. "Thanks."

"Where did you buy it? I'd love to get something similar." You sit down across from him.

"I got it from akuzon, but it sold out." Luke seems to open up a little bit.

"Aww, that's a bummer. It looks great though." You sigh and take a glass and fill it with some water.

"Simeon didn't like it at all." Luke pouts.

"Really? I think it suits you well." You seem to get closer to the issue at the core.

"He just doesn't get me at all." Luke sighs.

"That's normal. He is not used to you growing up. Many things change now for you. I have been there myself. I was a big goth in my teen years." You giggle slightly.

"Really? That's unexpected. I thought you were always like you are now." Luke seems surprised.

"I bet Simeon changed a lot too. Maybe Lucifer can share some stories about his youth with you sometime. I bet Simeon did a ton of embarrassing things." You giggle at the thought.

"He is just seeing me as a small kid. I never get to do what I want." Luke grimaces.

"Simeon is like a parent to you so I get it. Parents only want your best but they don't always do the best. Simeon isn't perfect either, he makes mistakes, but he is also a good guy. You can talk to him." You try to encourage Luke.

Luke casts his eyes down. "Have you ever done anything bad that made them angry at you?"

You laugh. "Of course. You wouldn't believe the arguments we had. I was stubborn and they just didn't get me."

Luke looks at you wide-eyed. "You too?"

"I'd say that's pretty normal." You shrug.

"What about now? Are you guys okay?" Luke looks at you worried.

"Of course, better than ever. We all grew together and now we have a good relationship. There were many talks and they still don't get all of my interests but that's alright. I don't get all of their interest either. But we all have stuff we enjoy doing together." You smile at Luke.

"So umm what did you do when you messed up?" Luke shifts around.

"When I felt bad I apologized and if I could I tried to fix it." You think back on the many times that happened.

"Did they hate you for it?" Luke looks at you with curious eyes.

"No, they were mad, and sometimes I got punished, but we always talked about it after we all cooled down. Sometimes I learned my lesson and sometimes I didn't, at least not the first time. But still in the end we forgave each other." You chuckle thinking of how hard-headed you could be.

Luke still doesn't seem to be able to see your teenage self." You really did some growing up, didn't you? "

"Yeah, it's hard to believe I know. Seeing how awesome I'm now." You giggle.

Luke rolls his eyes. "Come on. You aren't that awesome."

"Aww but I deal with demons on a daily basis." You play along with the light banter.

"That's true. I think I gotta go now." Luke seems to be ready to go and clean up.

"Alright then, just know I'm ready to talk whenever. If you get to your emo phase, come right to me. I still got some clothes and music." You give him a slight smile.

"I don't think that will be necessary." Luke seems slightly annoyed by my comment.

You shrug. "Your loss. I have to go and listen to some of that stuff now." You giggle a bit.

Luke sighs. "I got some cleaning to do. See you later."

You return to your room and in the evening you get a text from Simeon thanking you.

Apparently, they both apologized. Luke cleaned everything and made dinner. They both talked about everything for a long time.

It seems like things are better again.

My Obey me! Masterlist

#obey me luke #omswd #obey me one master to rule them all #obey me #luke birthday request #obey me minific

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onelinemanytimes · 3 years

Text

To all people who enjoy content:

There is a HUGE issue that needs to be addressed in how people react to things online and how they decide to deal with perceived issues. Specifically, in regards to content creators online, and the content they create.

I want to clarify, this post is talking for the most part about creators who did something multiple years ago that they currently don’t agree with. I’m not talking about people who are CURRENTLY horrible people, but if you want to know please do ask.

Basic synopsis: Purity culture is being used to shame people for their interests and to actively control and manipulate what people are “allowed” to like, which is often harmful and toxic; it is also being used to condemn people for the entire rest of their lives over doing something in their past, with no regards to if an apology was offered- which is harmful to people trying to unlearn toxic mindsets and be better people in the present day.

So, let’s talk about Purity Culture. I don’t know what else to call it, so if someone has a better name for it go ahead and say it- but, essentially, “The idea that every piece of media you consume must itself be good, AND has to have been made by a “good person”,” with no exceptions. This belief means that if a creator is seen as a bad person, or the media itself has a troubling aspect, you are NOT allowed to like it, DO NOT INTERACT, YOU’RE PROBLEMATIC AS HELL TOO IF YOU LIKE IT!!!!

That may sound like an exaggeration, but it’s only mildly so. There is, however, a much more harmful part to this mentality: Judging people for things they did years ago, and not allowing them to apologize and be forgiven, and USING this purity culture ideal against THEM as well. The idea that people can’t be forgiven, can’t change, and have to have been perfect always to be valid is extremely, extremely toxic and harmful, full stop. There are so many underlying issues that can both lead to someone being “problematic,” but that is so much less the issue than the fact doing this discourages real change.

People DO change over time. And if you find out someone did something in their past, you ARE allowed to not forgive them! However; That does NOT mean you should condemn them and everything they do as problematic horrible and unforgivable, and ATTACK other people and make WARNING posts in the tone of them STILL being “””Problematic”””! That is in some cases, BLATANT MISINFORMATION, and in most cases, encouraging the mentality that people don’t change.

Now, who is this a problem for? Because someone saying horrible things about minorities of any kind is legitimately harmful in its own right, and can hurt people who find it, which deserves to be addressed. (Again, YOU are not required to forgive them, and you have the freedom to not engage.) Purity Culture hurts People with RSD (Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria), and people who cannot control what they hyperfixate on. It can ALSO harm people who are struggling to get past toxic mentalities for any reason, and people who are trying to improve themselves and be better., and people who HAVE improved themselves and gotten better after being a person with (arguably) horrible views.

For people who experience RSD, seeing people denounce a piece of media for “””Something problematic””” (creator or otherwise), and in some cases seeing people ATTACK those who enjoy that media, can be physically painful and extremely, extremely stressful. Especially with the prevalence of this mentality right now, it makes engaging with anything a VERY stressful experience, because if what you enjoy isn’t perfect in every way you will be shamed for it, and rejected for it, and actively hated for it, and there is NO compromise on that point.

This is twice as volatile an issue when you ALSO cannot wholly control what your brain hyperfixates on. Hyperfixation (the word) has two main uses; in regards to a single task/activity (in which you’re unable to pull yourself out of said task and cannot switch focus to anything else), and in regards to media consumption (having an intense, very focused interest in media or a character, that can feel very consuming and intense in some cases. This extends even MORE so to special interests).

Hyperfixations in those who are neurodivergent (don’t think the same as the wider population- such as people with ADHD and Autism, amongst other things) are NOT typically something they can control. Not without exceptional effort and potential detriment- one of the fairly unfortunate coping mechanisms I have for this (speaking, yes, as someone with ADHD) is to Completely ignore new media, wholesale, to avoid gaining a hyperfixation in relation to that media. Even still, I obviously still SEE things because I exist in the world and things are everywhere- and while I can enjoy content normally, it is MUCH different when I see something and feel unable to focus on ANYTHING else for WEEKS on end.

You can hyperfixate on something before learning about “X problematic thing,” and then when you’ve already gotten very attached and deep into the media people will start attacking you with it! And saying “Oh, you like THAT??? That was made by a super problematic person, you can’t like that!!!” It’s EXTREMELY difficult to explain how harmful that is when I A: Can’t control it, B: Didn’t know, and C: Suffer from RSD in the first place. It DOES NOT stop you from engaging with the content, because you are hyperfixated on it and you literally can’t avoid it, but it DOES overwhelm you with guilt and make you withdraw from the people around you because now YOU must be problematic and horrible and you’re a horrible person for liking this media and everyone must HATE you.

The above was not an exaggeration. That is legitimately how it feels.

People are talking about how “Cringe Culture is dead,” but it being replaced by a MUCH more insidious “Purity Culture” that is MUCH MORE toxic, MUCH MORE manipulative, and also inherently flawed to begin with!!! You CAN’T and SHOULDN’T be a perfect person, that is why you CHANGE AND GROW. You should ALSO be judging a piece of media on its OWN merits, NOT on the merits of what’s behind it (not wholesale like people are intent on doing).

Now, all things in moderation. If a piece of media was created with malicious or biased opinions in its core: It IS important to address that, and to acknowledge that this aspect is not something you should support, and something to be mindful of when thinking about the content. It’s also good to be aware of how people currently are when participating in media spaces- you don’t have to be perfect at this, but if you don’t want to engage with things made by people who have horrible current views that is absolutely your choice.

However, this doesn’t excuse constantly shaming and attacking people, ESPECIALLY people who are aware of a media’s flaws and able to both recognize that and amend that in a respectful, understanding way. You can enjoy a story about a murderer without also being a murderer and knowing that murder is wrong. This extends to other actions as well by the way (and the desensitization of people to murder in modern day media is also a wild topic for another day because wow some people really be out here like “yeah literally ending someone’s life in fiction is fine but x is absolutely abhorrent and unforgivable,” like what??).

The real thing here is, this: If you don’t like content, or you cannot in good conscience enjoy that content knowing about something that happened relating to it: Don’t interact! If you are for some reason, stuck participating in and interacting with something you personally feel is horrible, don’t shame and hurt other people for more honestly enjoying it, especially the good parts. What you CAN do is inform people, respectfully!

And with ALL the details please. Because I see a lot of times, especially with creators: Someone will dig up something the creator said years ago and say, “THIS CREATOR IS (X) YOU CAN’T SUPPORT THEM OR ENJOY WHAT THEY MAKE BECAUSE IT’S PROBLEMATIC!!!” And, actually: They have since apologized for what they said, and actively made efforts to change. “But they did it in the past” Is NOT a valid argument, and honestly?? If you’re the same person you were even two years ago, that’s wild, and I hope you’ll understand that some people can change drastically in that time after being properly informed about issues.

Again: If you don’t want to interact with a piece of media, okie dokie! It’s up to us to respect that, and to tag our stuff and not shove it down your throat, y’know? But maybe, if you don’t like something, you shouldn’t decide to hurt the people who do like it, because I think that’s pretty harmful, and man imagine someone digging into your life 3 years ago and finding one sentence you said to judge your entire life on and force people to hate you with. Haha that’d suck, right?

If you read all this wow thanks, and also I’m well aware most my fellows with ADHD probably skimmed it because yeah it is a lot man whoops- I’ve just been thinking about it for a while because yeah. Yeah. “I do not control the hyperfixation” is not just a funny meme y’all it’s a thing and it’s legitimately exhausting and painful to see everything you enjoy be hated and be told you’re wrong for liking it in any way, shape, or form.

#fnf #Friday Night Funkin #Yes this is about friday night funkin #long post #ADHD #important #if you have a problem with this #I give you permission to send asks and slide into my dms #I would be absolutely willing to have an open respectful conversation w ya #This post is a bit meanly worded sometimes #Sorry about that!

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incorrect-ikevamp-quotes · 3 years

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Hi! Just wanted to know what you think Charles' route will be alll about, and how would the Ikevamp lore continue from there? Do you think we'll get an Act 3 or more suitors? I absolutely love reading your interesting insights and hearty theories! They're food for my simping soul ♡(> ਊ <)♡ please forgive my fangirling..

Hihi!!! You’re much too sweet, thank you!!! 💛💛💛 you’re always free to simp and fangirl here, haha~

I'm happy to answer as best I can, though honestly I'm not 100% sure given the main story routes all range--both in terms of topic and larger narrative impact. My guess is that it will likely be about Charles' history as somebody who took part in the French revolution, namely his role as an executioner. In line with that, I would address two lines; one from Mozart, one from Dazai.

Mozart in relation to Charles says "I remember that name..." and Dazai says that "He is a young man with many secrets." I think they both speak to a larger consideration with Charles, which is that he is both a famous historical figure but also one that trails so much blood behind him? This is a man who killed people for a living (and in droves), despite being a medical doctor. There is going to be an inevitable mental dissonance that comes with that dichotomy. His life aspiration was to help and heal people, and instead he was called to murder them indiscriminately (and often for reasons that were openly unjust). Much of his energy and disposition feels like a kind of mask; it's intended to disguise what's truly lurking beneath the surface. When people are convinced they're unsightly or monstrous, they can very often overcompensate with buoyant behavior and positivity. Dazai’s main story really felt like it was hammering this concept home, considering Charles’ insistent cheer directed at MC (yet showing Dazai and Faust a great deal of darkness.)

Interesting too, now that I think about it, because there is a kind of foil mechanism that comes with making Charles the antagonist of Dazai’s route. I didn’t realize it until now, but they both hide their secrets--and the true nature of some of their uglier feelings--with a kind of forcible levity. The difference here lies in the state of their baseline energy, the form by which it is expressed. Dazai is one to joke around and make light of (often serious) things, but he does it to a point of absurdity and mild outrage. He has a kind of desire to be chased out the way I understand him (because being chased out means he can leave and avoid the pressure of being real). If he’s not seeking to be chased out, he wants the person to smile/laugh at his blunders. He’s a mood-maker just as his description entails, and as such his goal is always the regulate/influence the emotional tone of a group in a positive way.

Charles, by contrast, avoids transparency by bouncing around and pretending like nothing really gets to him. He’s forthright and bold, but his desire to have fun belies the reality of who he is and who his master is. The impatience, the burning envy that dwells within remains to be seen--and only makes an appearance in flashes. It begs the question as to what it is he’s trying to avoid moving at that speed, as his increasing velocity means a lowered scrutiny and self-awareness (one that limits him just as much as it enables him to keep going). Furthermore, he has some notion of regulating the mood of the group in that he’s often the one who lowers tension between Vlad and Faust with his upbeat attitude. However, I would argue that it isn’t nearly as powerful as Dazai’s fixation with it; when Charles is upset or wants something, he will not hesitate to put his personal needs first (or demand them, even). Dazai does not seem to have this same audacity generally.

There's also the question of what Charles is hiding, other than the obvious historical information we have. I get the feeling something is lurking behind his desperation to believe in the future Vlad wants to create. Maybe it's some desperate wish to atone for what he's done. Maybe he raised that guillotine under some kind of misguided belief that he was restoring the world to order. We believe outlandish things to survive sometimes, and I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case for Charles. I’d like to see just what it is that makes him tick.

That being said, that doesn't always free us from the truth of what we've done. Sooner or later we're forced to confront and come to terms with it. Dazai's main story (for a short time) forced him to face that gaping maw of trauma, and it was very clear he was not in the slightest bit prepared or able to cope. So there is the question of--if MC confronts him with that--what he will do in response.

I also wouldn't be surprised if he's among the bolder suitors, seeking her affection and body with more insistence than the boys of the mansion. It remains to be seen, but given the impression I've received from him and the rest of the trio...(a note of caution to people uncomfy with that).

I'm interested to see where Charles will go, in that I'm not really sure if he'll skew to the yandere side or the lowkey wants to help people side. He has every potential to become increasingly demanding of MC’s time and attention, trying to monopolize her as much as possible. Burying himself further in denial, never questioning his master. But he also has a kind of hearty maturity at his core that might result from his life experiences, where he acknowledges what he's done and just tries to do the best he can moving forward.

If the latter happens, there is the very real question of what happens with his relationship with Vlad--which is part of the reason I have my doubts about this possibility. In the infamous (and paraphrased) words of Mulaney(? I think it was) "if this is gonna happen Vlad is gonna need to become suddenly cool with a lot of things very fast" LMAO. I don't really see Vlad ceding his control over Charles' mind easily, and I don't see him satisfied with a future of Charles' autonomy. But then, who knows? I may very well be proven wrong

I'm also curious about Charles’ pronounced interest in Comte, this kind of hope for reconciliation. There's a very real chance that could be a focal point, in that Charles wants there to be mingling between the two houses. There are also a lot of problems with this sort of theory in that it would likely require A LOT of development/time to bridge that gap if it was ever bridged, and I don't think Comte would accept anything less than Vlad agreeing to cease and desist his assault on humanity. This potentiality might be more probable for an Act 3 story progression, now that I think about it.

As for Act 3, I'm really not sure who will or won't get one. The only storyline that has been left openly/grossly unfinished is Comte's to my knowledge, largely because of the agreement they made? In all the other routes, there isn't much of a whisper about her turning into a vampire. (Vlad turns her at the end of his route I’ve heard, and as for Faust I don’t know--but I haven’t seen any signs that he would demand it of her so far.) Comte hesitates--but he has every intention of doing it when they feel the time is right. So there's the question of when or how that will happen. In a bday story? In an event story? Act 3? Dunno

I also wonder about how pureblood society and vampire hunters might come into play, but given they exist on the periphery of the game I don’t know if it’s as safe a bet as Comte vs. Vlad continuing their ideological battle.

As for the suitors in general, there is always the potential of antagonist intervention in Act 3? Maybe they heckle their happy ending or throw the relationship into some kind of turmoil, though I'm not sure exactly how that will work since most of the routes end on a pretty resolved note? There's also the reality of all the rivals being murdered in cold blood after their duels. So like ???? Really depends on the direction Cybird wants to take. Expand on the relationship, create new issues/threats--or make Act 3 a more large scale story progression.

There’s also the possibility that the story is expanded by hinging on the timespace complications. If Vlad saw a desolate future, what does that mean for everyone? Will that come to pass--and if so, when? Will he be supported or stopped? What will that entail? Maybe Vlad sees that the desolate future was the product of his own megalomania. Maybe Vlad turns out to be right and drastic action needs to be taken before it gets that far. Whatever the case, I’m interested to see what narrative avenue Cybird will choose.

As for more suitors, I really have no idea given I haven’t seen so much as a whisper of what comes after Charles. I think my best bet would be potential pureblood suitors (maybe the product of Comte/Vlad story continuations), or more roulette famous figures in line with Vlad’s machinations to thwart the suitors. If Michelangelo comes back and throws hands with Leonardo, I will veritably lose my entire mind

#ikevamp #ikemen vampire #ikevamp meta #ikevamp charles #ikevamp dazai #ikevamp vlad #ikevamp comte #i hope this helps!#there are a lot of story threads cybird actively follows and many they abandon so #it can be pretty hard to tell what they'll choose #i will say that comte's events have been an interesting build-up #and i'm surprised because he's not really the title character of the game? I find usually napoleon/arthur/vlad tend to get more attention #but honestly comte seems to be the only act 2 character who gets a sizable amt of content alongside vlad (as compared to dazai/shakes/seb)#comte is the outlier in terms of steady narrative progression and consistent development #it makes me wonder if they intend to expand on it because of his conflict with vlad and his promise to mc--which allows for room to write #vlad is an obvious contender in that so much of his stance/presence in the game is about the future and how it will play out #his obsession brings with it the question of what it all really means and how it will be resolved in the end #they're probably the most likely contenders for act 3 given the larger tone of their events and room for development at the moment #man if it turns out some pureblood rando was messing with timespace and vlad and comte have to team up #i will literally laugh myself to death #anywho those are my thoughts! hope it was engaging <333 #and sorry if my simping got in the way (I try not to be biased HAHA)#💛💛💛💛💛💛#rambles #not incorrect quotes

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cosmicjoke · 3 years

Text

Alright, just got through with chapter 57 and 58 of Attack on Titan, and as usual, I have something to say, haha.

I wanted to focus here on a few specific moments that stood out to me. Other than Levi being a total bad-ass!

I think what struck me most here was Levi’s reaction to his team getting killed, and the brilliant way Isyama framed that in relation to what the 104th were saying about him just moments before.

I think in a way this sequence highlights one of the most heartbreaking, tragic aspects of Levi’s character, which is that he’s terribly misunderstood by most people, and very few people understand or can relate to the kind of life he’s had. The sense of alienation and the gap between Levi and the rest of his squad stands out starkly in these two chapters, and I want to go into why.

Near the end of chapter 57, we see the 104th discussing their situation, and talking about Levi. Jean says that even if Levi orders him to kill, he doesn’t think he’ll be able to do it, to which Connie agrees for himself, and accuses Levi of thinking he can make people do whatever he wants by using violence. Sasha then jumps in, claiming that’s what he was doing with Historia, likely, she thinks, so he can more easily control her when she becomes Queen, and implying that Levi’s humility with the Reeves company was some sort of act. Mikasa then chimes in that she’s always thought there was something “off” about Levi, but that she thinks their best course is to continue to follow him for now. There’s real anger, even disgust among all of them towards Levi.

What strikes me about their continued anger toward Levi is that, none of what Levi tried to explain to them after the confrontation with Historia got through to them at all. They weren’t really listening, and weren’t really hearing him. They just saw him roughing up a young girl, and that was it. They didn’t try to understand where he was coming from, or why he might have been so upset in that moment. Sasha makes the absurd and wholly inaccurate accusation that Levi must be power hungry and that he uses violence to gain power. Of course, Levi is the character in SnK least interested in any kind of power, or control over other people. He just wants to rid the world of the terror of Titans, and the oppression their presence forces onto humanity. He couldn’t care less about power for himself. He wants HUMANITY to have power. So Sasha’s accusation here is particularly hurtful, I think. Thank goodness she didn’t actually say something like that to Levi’s face, who’s sacrificed so much for so many.

The next panels are particularly heartbreaking, then, coming on the heels of this conversation between the 104th, when we find Levi sitting on the rooftop with Nifa, and he starts talking about Kenny with her. We know what happens then, with Kenny dropping in from behind them, and shooting poor Nifa in the face, killing her, and nearly killing Levi too. The two other members of Levi’s team are killed shortly thereafter in similar fashion. Levi’s reaction to this is just simply heart-wrenching. The look on his face as he realizes what’s just happened is one of pure horror and anguish. He looks seriously devastated. Especially when he ducks away from Kenny’s second attack, and he gets a direct line of sight on Nifa, and sees how her face has been blown clean off. He has to look away from her, his eyes clamping shut and his teeth gritted in obvious despair and pain, before he’s forced to flee and leave her body behind. We see so much EMOTION on Levi’s face in these panels, the true depth of the pain he feels whenever any of his comrades are killed. It affects him to his very core.

These panels of Levi, juxtaposed against the panels of the 104th talking about Levi like he’s some sort of heartless monster, like he’s unfeeling and uncaring and only wants power, are particularly affecting. Because it exposes the unkind, even almost cruel things the 104th are saying about him as patently false. They think Levi is cold and uncaring, but we see from his reactions to Nifa and the other two soldiers under his command being killed by Kenny and his crew that he actually cares more than any of them. Every death hurts Levi more than anyone.

That lack of understanding from his own squad is really painful to see, and really heartbreaking, almost tragic, I think. That they so entirely misunderstand him. We see that too with Mikasa still holding so much of a grudge against Levi, barely at times able to contain her disdainful glares towards him, still holding him beating up Eren against him like he did it for nothing more than a good time. She doesn’t consider or care about the real reason behind it, which was that it was necessary in order to save Eren’s life.

That leads into my next point I want to discuss, about the disconnect between Levi and his squad, and their inability to understand him.

After being chased and shot at repeatedly by Kenny’s squad, being himself nearly killed more than once, Levi finally makes it back to Armin and the others. We see panels of all of them watching Levi fighting back against Kenny’s crew, who are all shooting at and trying to kill him, and they all have looks of shock and horror on their faces when Levi kills one of the men by cleaving him nearly in half. Levi then makes contact with them and informs them that their plans are shot and they have to simply escape. Levi tries to explain to them the situation, and impress upon them the danger they’re all in, that there are more of Kenny’s squad up ahead waiting to ambush them, and that they might not even make it out of their situation alive. He tells them that if they have the chance to kill their enemy, then they have to take it. This leads into the big, dramatic moment with Armin and Jean in the wagon, with Jean hesitating to pull the trigger and nearly getting himself killed because of his hesitation, leading to Armin having to kill the MP for him.

I think the shock with which the 104th look at Levi when he kills these MPs, and their initial critical judgment towards him for his violence, is really important to note, because it shows that none of them truly have any concept of what it means to fight for your life against other people. They’ve been in battles with Titans, and watched their fellow soldiers get killed by Titans. But none of them have ever had to fight against or kill another human being just to survive. In that way, none of them have any true concept or grasp of the darker side of human nature, or the kind of desperation that comes from a life of extreme deprivation and struggle. Other than the last five years of their lives, in which their world was turned upside down by the Titan invasion, they’ve all, before then, had relatively comfortable, contented lives, with homes and families, in which they were very much provided for.

Levi, of course, had none of that growing up. He spent the first 25 years of his life living in total uncertainty and struggle, where there was never enough of anything, where every scrap of food had to be fought for, where there was never enough money, and where you never knew who was going to stab you in the back just to get for themselves what you had. In a world where he had to fight every day of his life just to survive, and where if he hesitated in any way to defend himself, he would be killed for that hesitation. A world that truly operated by the rule “kill or be killed”.

Jean’s hesitation to kill the MP, and the results of that hesitation, throws the disconnect from their experiences in life with Levi’s into stark relief. They don’t understand that kind of desperate struggle to survive, the way Levi does. They’ve never had to kill other people in order to keep living, or to keep their friends safe, and so they can’t begin to understand why Levi is the way he is. Their judgmentalism towards Levi at the end of chapter 57, and their shocked reactions to his killing of the MPs in chapter 58, highlight their own ignorance as to what Levi’s been through in his life in a really powerful, and heartrending way, and it reminds us as readers, too, of the remarkableness of Levi’s own compassion and understanding for everyone else. Levi’s had a harder life than anyone else in the SC, and yet he’s constantly able to show understanding and compassion towards everyone around him. The LACK of compassion that the members of his own squad show towards him, then, their lack of understanding or attempts to understand where he’s coming from , is a particularly bitter pill to swallow. It’s sad. Of course, through these experiences, I think they come to better understand Levi, and their respect for him continues and grows. But it felt incredibly jarring and was really painful, to see how before that they were so ready to judge him and make such false and hurtful accusations against him, while Levi had, and continued to show them incredible kindness and consideration. It shows, in an incredibly moving way, how someone who comes from nothing can often have more compassion and kindness and humanity than those who come from a world of comfort and privilege.

#attack on titan #shinkgeki no kyojin #Levi Ackerman #meta #thoughts #chapter 57 #chapter 58

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akajulester · 3 years

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further thoughts on Higurashi Gou/Sotsu (spoilers for Higurashi and Umineko ep3)

warning: long rant incoming haha

I think my two biggest problems with these seasons is how they focused way more on the supernatural/magic elements of the When They Cry franchise and less on the original Higurashi’s emphasis on natural explanations, and how the characters were completely devoid of the life they had in the original.

I’ve only just started getting into Umineko and I understand it also leaves a lot of room for a non-magical explanation, but you can’t deny it focuses way more on magic than Higurashi ever did.

The thing I found most interesting when I first watched Higurashi was how the mystery had a very human and realistic explanation. While a mystical divine curse is cool, the whole plot being the result of a human character taking advantage of a fictional parasite and medicine to essentially create the mystical divine curse is far more compelling - the audience is allowed to piece together the mystery along with the characters and isn’t shut down by “a wizard did it.”

And that isn’t to say Higurashi is completely devoid of magic or the divine. Hanyuu is some kind of mystical deity who gave Rika a supernatural power (looping) and is able to manifest in the real world and directly affect the course of events (such as making Takano miss her shot). Higurashi is just a perfect blend of supernatural and more realistic storytelling.

Gou and Sotsu, on the other hand, went much harder on the supernatural/magic aspect seen in Umineko. Not only is it a worse magic vs human mystery than Umineko, it’s just completely different from what Higurashi is at its core. The complex, interweaving mystery that at first seems unsolvable but later makes sense was replaced with a much simpler “whodunnit” where the answers were obvious, especially after Satoko was revealed to be the second looper. The introduction of straight-up magic and powerful witch entities dumbs down the story, in a sense.

To be fair, Gou and Sotsu do have a human explanation as well, specifically in the vein of the human explanations seen in Umineko. Just as Eva-Beatrice in Episode 3 can be interpreted as a personification of Eva going crazy and murdering her family, Rika and Satoko’s big magical-girl fight could be interpreted as a metaphor for their fight. However, this rings a little hollow when the last episode essentially says “nah, they definitely turned into Bernkastel and Lambdadelta.” It feels like there’s almost no room for a true human explanation.

The other thing I found most compelling about Higurashi is the characters, more specifically how they interacted with each other and felt like very real people. I want to read the sound novels at some point mainly because I’ve heard the anime didn’t fully do the characters justice by cutting out small but important moments. Mion and Shion especially were amazing, their dynamic as twins was probably one of the best I’ve ever seen in storytelling. Also, the main message of Higurashi is literally about the power of friendship, and it portrays it in such an amazing way you forget the sentiment is a bit cheesy.

And yet, Gou/Sotsu ignored every single character who wasn’t Rika or Satoko (except maybe Hanyuu and Eua). While I can understand the decision to focus on them since the only point of the show was apparently to set up Bernkastel and Lambdadelta, it actually makes them feel more hollow and lifeless, to me at least.

Keiichi’s lack of presence was especially baffling in this regard. He was arguably the main reason Rika was able to break out of the loops at all, as he helped inspire her with the idea a miracle could happen if their entire group of friends worked together. And with Satoko, he became her big brother figure! The fact that Gou/Sotsu not only push their relationship off to the wayside but also have Satoko get Keiichi murdered in horrifically brutal ways AND purposely inject him with Hinamizawa Syndrome without any shred of remorse or guilt is disgusting. Are you seriously telling me Satoko had a massive internal struggle over taking advantage of Teppei (y’know, the guy who abused her and her brother and severely traumatized them), but felt absolutely nothing over torturing Keiichi, the boy who she knows has fought to save her from said abusive uncle in multiple worlds and would literally kill for her??? Wtf???

The same thing goes for the almost non-existence of Shion in Gou/Sotsu. Shion also has a very strong relationship with Satoko (except for the worlds where she goes crazy and brutally murders her lmao) and has ALSO threatened to kill that abusive uncle for hurting Satoko, something Satoko would know full well after watching all of Rika’s loops. It’s reasonable Satoko would have more ambiguous feelings about Shion (since, again, Shion has killed her in Watanagashi arcs), but I find it bizarre she would be this willing to brutally murder, torture, and directly cause events leading others to murder/torture her surrogate big sister and surrogate big brother.

The whole story in general is baffling when you consider Satoko’s character. Are we seriously supposed to believe her drifting apart from a close friend is somehow more traumatic to her than the isolation and exclusion she experienced from her entire town and the literal abuse she went through from her aunt and uncle? You can’t even really use the “oh the town didn’t actually want to persecute her family tho” argument because that doesn’t negate Satoko’s experience of living through it. It’s especially dumb when you consider Gou/Sotsu somehow make Satoko’s argument “I don’t wanna study waaahhhhh” as if it makes any sense when you know these characters.

Don’t even get me started on how nobody even reacts to Satoko’s bullshit. The original Higurashi had characters sometimes remember past arcs/worlds, and Gou explicitly stated Satoko’s loops meant characters would remember even more. And yet, all that happens is Takano and Teppei reforming. What??? I expected the ending to involve Keiichi, Rena, Mion, and Shion realizing what Satoko had done to them and getting rightfully angry with Rika over what Satoko did to all of them. The show should’ve ended with the group cutting her off for being so fucking awful to them. Jfc...

In the end, I think Gou was fine and Tatariakashi-hen in Sotsu was cool, but this show just felt so empty compared to the original Higurashi and Umineko. Both stories are focused on the CHARACTERS, and while there are main characters in both who get more focus than the rest of the cast, every single character’s interactions with each other are vital to what makes their stories compelling. Dropping all of that to hone in on 2 specific characters actually robs even those characters of their depth and vividness.

#higurashi #higurashi sotsu #sotsu #higurashi no naku koro ni #umineko #umineko no naku koro ni #anime #Julie being a weeb #rant #higurashi spoilers #umineko spoilers #spoilers #warning: long post #ugh

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skrivarmelodi · 3 years

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Now AOT is over...

So, I read the final chapter of Attack On Titan and there are a lot of thoughts and feelings. But overall I'm pleased with the whole story and the ending. I trusted Isayama and he didn't disappoint me.

There are certain things I'd like to go into detail about Levi, Ymir, Mikasa, Eren etc and certain moments during the story.

So if anyone cares here we go. (warning, this got long and contains spoilers for chapter 139 and obviouisly the whole story!)

First, Ymir Fritz, Eren, and Mikasa.

The more we got to know Ymir, the more we knew about her circumstances and how it all started, the more I asked myself, why she doesn’t simply stop all of the misery, if she can and, obviously, has the power to do so (chapter 122).

I thought, perhaps, because she loves King Fritz so much, after all, she sacrificed herself in order to protect him (which I didn’t like at all, because he was a shitty person). But then I wasn't sure if Isayama would use 'love' in such a way. He did and it's nothing new but it's something we can all understand. Love is good, but it can also be something bad, something toxic, and Ymir was most likely a slave of her own feelings because she didn't know better. Her life was miserable until she got the power to become a Titan and gave birth to the daughters of the king. But as you can see, at the beginning of chapter 122 she watches a couple getting married and that was what she wanted too. To be loved. This was the love she knew and the love she protected and believed that was true love (most likely) because she didn't know a different kind of love.

When Eren told her, that she can decide and asked her to give him the power he needs, it didn’t sit well with me. I guess because I never connected Eren to have any romantic feelings (though I guessed so much when it comes to Mikasa and he simply wanted to be cool or something). But AOT in itself doesn’t display love in the way we usually see, that became very clear to me with each new chapter. And love is not the first thing that comes to my mind when I think about AOT.

Now about Eren.

Oh boy, look at that. When Eren slowly became the villain I liked the idea but at the same time I was questioning it. It simply made no sense to me why he would want to kill everyone and yet care so deeply about his friends. Also, Isayama is not that sort of person to let his characters act out of character. Whatever the characters I agreed with it because that was how Isayama created them. That's why, when it came out that Eren was able to see the past, present, and future, I thought he probably saw a way to stop all of this and protect his friends. Isayama played us good, when Eren was rude towards Mikasa and Armin and then the rumbling came, but I constantly thought 'No, there must be more to it'. And yeah, Eren saw a possible future because everything was unclear to him and he grabbed that chance and took it.

Remember in the first season, when Eren, Levi, and Levi's squad were fighting against the female titan and that Eren has to decide what he should do and what not? That he has to accept the consequences? Yeah, Eren did that and he knew it was bad but it was the way he believed in and saw, even if it meant to kill 80% of humanity (what the...) and sacrifice his own life. I don't see Eren as a hero nor as a villain. But he definitely acted on his own free will and accepted the consequences.

Now about Mikasa.

Well, I'll be honest, I was never a fan of Mikasa. I didn't like how she was solely focused on Eren and didn't seem to have her own goals that were not connected to Eren. I simply didn't like that and Eren wasn't my favourite either, but I love their development. The moment I started to feel sorry for her was when Eren said he hated her. You see, I get it, I understand why Mikasa is the way she is and I'm simply no fan of this 'I do everything for you, fuck everyone else' especially not in a world like AOT, I also understand the Ackermann Bond (I ship Eruri after all). So I was really pissed at Eren to stomp on her feelings like that because, no matter how much I like or dislike a person, you don't treat them the way Eren did (also toward Armin). From that moment on, I enjoyed her development and when she cut off Eren's head I was sad and happy for her.

So, in many ways, Mikasa is like Ymir, or rather, Ymir is like Mikasa, but on a whole different level. Mikasa, who devoted herself to Eren, just like Ymir did to King Fritz, saw that what he was doing was wrong and she decided to stop him. She loves him still, of course, but she was able to do what Ymir couldn't and she did it for the greater good. Because there is more than Eren, there are more people who deserve to live. I did like that and also that her action was the eye-opener for Ymir. It doesn't change the way Mikasa feels about Eren, and that's okay, but she was willing to kill the person she loves more than anything because it was the right thing to do. Ymir simply couldn't do what Mikasa did because she didn't know better.

About Levi, Erwin's death, Armin saving humanity, Berthold wasn't supposed to die, and just some thoughts about AOT in general.

Now, I do ship Levi and Erwin together and I was sure Levi would die and meet Erwin in the afterlife and then Isayama would out them (haha). But I'm just happy that Levi survived and is now the adopted uncle of Gabi and Falco. He's my favorite character and a lot of things would have ended badly without him. For me, he and Erwin and their squad represented not only a strong force and saviours but also how you probably have to be in order to survive/handle a world like AOT.

So I was shocked, at first, when Levi saw Erwin and the others because I thought he would die, but when the tear ran down his cheek, I could feel how everything fell of his shoulders. Levi never cried, never had time to mourn his comrades because he understood the world they were living in and that he needed to keep on moving. I never considered him as someone cold because he clearly wasn't. But he also never cried and seeing that... finally. And I'm sure he cried some more after everything. I thought he would cry (he was close to though and perhaps did when he was alone) when Erwin died because that fucking broke him.

Their relationship fascinated me even before I started to ship them but it broke my fucking heart when Erwin died too.

And here we come to the part about Armin and Bertholg.

I was so pissed that Armin survived and even more when things just became worse. I thought, in AOT, you can't solve everything through talking. It worked during certain critical moments, yes, but it simply isn't the main key for everything when it comes to the world of AOT.

So, I never understood why Armin had to survive and not Erwin and it became more and more confusing for me as the story continued because Armin, clearly, is not Erwin and he doesn't have what Erwin has. I don't know if things would have been better with Erwin being in charge, but he would have definitely done something while Armin didn't know what to do. Sure, he is younger than Erwin, doesn't have the experience as Erwin does and in his core he is very different, and that's totally fine. Armin is fine the way he is, but during the story. I constantly found myself thinking: 'With Erwin and his mind, we wouldn't be in such a situation'. I once read somewhere that Levi and Erwin are too smart to be fooled by, for example, Yelena. I can't help but agree.

And today, when I read the final chapter and Eren said 'Berthold wasn't supposed to die on that day' and also, that he couldn't see the past and future as separated paths but everything at once I thought, that this is Isayama giving us his version but there are also many many other ways this story could go. Which is, for me, such a sweet and grateful message. We are free to choose our path (fanfiction/fanart etc) and to create a different story, but this AOT version is his version and how he imagined it, or rather, how Eren saw one possible happy end.

I'm still certain with Erwin around things would have been different, better even, but I understand Eren too. I guess, he didn't only choose Armin because he knew things would have a happy ending for his friends. He also choose Armin because of personal feelings. I wonder what would have happened if Berthold survived, was there also a happy end but without Armin? And perhaps without the rumbling? I think it's nice that Isayama did this and that he, basically, points at a different way but it's up to us.

Now, the rumbling is over and so is the power of the titans and in such a world, someone like Armin is the right person to be in. Now it's all about talking, having a proper conversation, creating relationships through words. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure Erwin would have been able to do that as well, but Armin is much more diplomatic than Erwin because he doesn't want to fight or kill, it's really the last option for him. Erwin on the other hand wouldn't hesitate, and someone like him was important for the world before the rumbling was over.

Now some general thoughts about AOT now that it's over.

Okay, so, I watched tons of Anime when I was a teenager and the best thing for me was Death Note. But after Death Note I found nothing that really interested me and a lot of weird stuff. I don't know, it simply wasn't for me. However, I continued reading my yaoi Mangas and even studied Japanese for a year. Then, I did hear about Attack on Titan but I was so used to shitty Anime that I thought it would be shitty too (the next best thing I found was Yuri on Ice). However, a friend of mine gave me the first season and I thought, well, why not. I was so wrong and through AOT I found my way back to Anime.

It's not just the story, not just the art-style I like, it's Isayama and his brain I enjoy so much. I'm a very logical person and I like it when stories and things make sense and are connected from the beginning till the end and when it never feels forced but natural, true, loyal to the characters and the world they created. I don't know how he does it but I'm so grateful for AOT and that he decided to share this amazing story with us (even though it was fucking painful and my poor Levi). It's really been a while for me to find a story that caught me like Death Note did many years ago.

So, ありがとう、Isayama-San!

But I'd love to know more about the Ackermans and Levi and perhaps we'll get a book like Answers etc later. That would be great.

#attack on titan #snk #shingeki no kyojin #eruri #Levi ackerman #Erwin Smith #ch139 spoilers #mikasa ackerman #eren jaeger

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dioptre-hertz · 4 years

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Pathologic 2 ending thoughts

i don’t really use tumblr much anymore, but i recently finished Pathologic 2 and i have thoughts on the ending, which i felt was somewhat incongruous with the rest of the game’s themes and ideas. and tumblr felt like the right place to put a long-form post about it. so, here i am, haha!

MAJOR spoilers for Pathologic 2 below, obviously. this post will probably only be interesting to you if you’ve already played the game, so if you haven’t, be warned! hehehe!

okay, so. i have a lot of thoughts about the ending stuff, but basically it boils down to: i think the ending as presented would have been a good ending for a different game.

quick summary: towards the end of the game, Artemy learns that the Polyhedron, a physics-defying tower and architectural wonder, is rooted into the ground with a long metal spike that pierces the Living Earth. destroying the Polyhedron would therefore open a gaping wound in the Earth, spilling rivers of blood that could be used to mass-produce a cure for the plague. however, doing so would not only destroy the Polyhedron, but also kill the Living Earth, and by extension the Kin. alternately, Artemy can choose to preserve the Polyhedron, which would prevent the Living Earth from bleeding out and dying; but it would come at the cost of the lives of everyone in the town, since the plague would then be unstoppable.

so, the ending choice is principally about this: you have to choose between preserving the magical wonders of the world, the Kin and the Polyhedron and the Living Earth, but at the expense of the actual living humans of the town; or, you save the town and all its mundanities and its ordinary people you've worked so hard to protect, but at the expense of your cultural heritage and all the magical, impossible things of the Steppe. do you choose a world that is dreamlike, enchanted and strange, even if there is no place for regular humans in that world; or do you choose an ordinary, realistic world, one in which there is life for common folk but not for magic and fairy tales?

here’s what irks me though: this dichotomy is not at all what the game is about. or, to be more precise, it never felt to me personally like this was what the narrative was setting up. the choice as presented is fine in a vacuum! there’s nothing wrong with telling a story that creates this kind of clash between magic and realism, and asks you to choose between them. but it doesn’t feel congruous with the rest of the game’s story. let me elaborate.

so, part of what’s going on here is that the game is asking you to make a sacrifice. as the game itself repeatedly tells you: “you can’t save everyone”. either the Kin, the magical steppe creatures, and the Polyhedron are destroyed; or, the ordinary humans of the town are destroyed. you can’t protect both. Pathologic 2 goes to great lengths to show you that you are not a magical fantasy RPG hero who can complete every quest, rescue every NPC, overcome any obstacle and get the Perfect Ending. that’s the whole point of the overly punishing hunger and exhaustion mechanics; that’s why you die so easily in combat, why you’re always running out of time, and why the game is perfectly willing to punish you for every single mistake you make. it’s not a game about being the chosen one, who has magic powers and is uniquely capable of saving the day. right?

except... it kind of is precisely that, if you think about it. Artemy’s story is very clearly a traditional “chosen one” narrative! he is the sole inheritor of his father’s legacy, he is the town’s only menkhu, and so much of the story revolves around his spiritual journey. over the course of the game, Artemy undergoes a coming-of-age of sorts, reconnecting with his heritage, unlocking the secrets of being a menkhu, brewing magical tinctures that slow down and ultimately cure the plague. multiple characters make it explicit that Artemy is important - Foreman Oyun, Aspity, Isidor, and various minor characters of the Kin (like Nara) all talk at length about how Artemy is special, and his role (should he embrace it) is to lead the Kin once he is ready. and the entire conflict with Rubin revolves around the fact that Rubin isn’t the “chosen one” the way Artemy is!

this whole plot thread reaches its climax when Artemy ventures into the Abattoir to seek answers. there, he undergoes a series of harrowing spiritual experiences. several really important things happen here, and i want to focus on two of them.

firstly: upon reaching the central chamber of the Abattoir, Artemy is tasked with performing “surgery” on three seemingly random objects: a candlestick, a fingernail coin, and a spindle of thread. he has a metaphysical conversation with the odongh he meets there and then “connects” these objects into a living, beating heart, and the heart speaks to him. this scene is either hallucinatory or supernatural (or both), but it doesn’t matter which; the point of the scene is that Artemy has finally learned to read the Lines, learned to see how seemingly disparate objects can be spiritually connected into a singular whole. he takes three items that appear to have nothing in common, and he forges a beating heart out of them, a living thing. as Artemy himself learns:

This system isn't symmetrical. It's not just "Nerves, Bones, Skin." Or "Nerves, Bones, Flesh." Or "Spirit, Hair, Blood." Any triad is correct.

Truth is not a set point, but an intersection and confluence of many small truths. Knowing this, I can match and connect anything.

furthermore, shortly after leaving the Abattoir, Artemy has a dream in which he returns there and speaks to the ghost of Isidor, his father. here, he learns a difficult truth: that Isidor intentionally brought the plague back to the town, believing - essentially - that it was necessary for the town’s growth. the decision seems monstrous. Isidor justifies it thus:

This town was… connected wrong. Its parts were tied with artificial seams—so different, so awkward. One could say that Simon, the Mistresses, and I held it all together by force.

So I tore it apart, so you can sew it all back, better than before. Because you're better, and smarter, than I am.

so here we have the high point of Artemy’s spiritual journey, the part of the story where he finally understands why things are the way they are, and what it is he must do.

and this is where things start going wrong, in my opinion.

because all of this, all of what we’ve seen, seems to point in one very clear direction: Artemy will find a way to connect the Kin, the Town, and the Polyhedron into a single coherent whole. it fits so perfectly! Artemy learns that there is a way to mass-produce a cure, but doing so would require him to destroy the Polyhedron and the Living Earth. it appears as though the Polyhedron, the Living Earth, and the Town cannot all coexist; something must be sacrificed. but this choice is presented right after we’re told that Artemy’s destiny is to “sew it all back, better than before”. it is presented once we’ve seen that Artemy can connect a coin, a candlestick, and a spindle of thread into a living, beating heart, no matter how impossible that may sound. knowing this, he can match and connect anything.

and yet, he... doesn’t. the game does not end with a solution that connects the Kin, the Polyhedron and the Town. ultimately, Artemy fails to sew it all back together - and it’s not just that he fails, it’s that the game itself seems utterly unconcerned with that possibility once it heads into its final act. the mere idea that there could be a solution that “connects things right“ goes unexplored. even if the game wanted to be pessimistic and suggest that it can’t be done after all, it should at least acknowledge the thought! the game does admittedly have a focus on the idea that “you can’t save everyone”; this is one of its core motifs. so, fair enough! but since it fails to address that cynicism, it feels less like a statement on the game’s part and more like a lack of awareness.

but that’s not all! there’s a second thing that really bugs me. see, there’s another major event that takes place in the Abattoir: Artemy finally has his fateful encounter with Nara, the Herb Bride who has haunted him throughout the game, insisting that their destinies are intertwined and that he will one day kill her. here, Artemy finally comes to understand what it all means. in the depths of the Abattoir, Nara is waiting for him; the other Herb Brides give Artemy a menkhu’s knife, and they task him with cutting open Nara’s body without killing her:

We know how to open things up. Our way. You know how to open things up. Your way. Do you want to know why the sand pest passes us by? Show yourself.

Cut a living sister in such a way that she stays living. You can do it, if you know the Lines.

Artemy follows through, and he converses with Nara even as he cuts into her flesh; they talk to each other right until the end, when Artemy retrieves a spindle of thread from her body, and she dies.

now, this scene is somewhat tricky to interpret; Artemy must show that he can “cut a living sister in such a way that she stays living”, but in the end, Nara does die. so was he successful or not? well, i would argue that he is; even though Nara dies, he proves that he is able to read the Lines with such precision that she can speak calmly with him until the very end.

more importantly, this scene is the high point of a recurring theme in the game: Artemy’s skill as surgeon.

on Day 1, the very first part of the game, Artemy is sent by his old friend Bad Grief to perform surgery on Piecework, one of the thugs in Bad Grief’s gang. Piecework has gotten in a fight and been stabbed in the gut with a lockpick; without Artemy’s intervention, he will die. you can choose to save him, flub the surgery and kill him, or ignore the sidequest altogether; in any case, this early quest introduces the player to the surgery mechanic and serves to establish Artemy’s unique skills as a surgeon.

on Day 11, the last day of proper gameplay, you have a repeat of this encounter. while pursuing the main quest for the day, you wind up in a pub, where a gang of local bandits have set up shop. they threaten you and order you to rescue one of their pals, who has been shot in the stomach and is about to die. here you again perform surgery to save a man’s life, but this time you don’t do it through the usual surgery minigame - it happens entirely through dialogue choices, and i’m actually not even sure if it’s possible to fail this interaction. in any case, you retrieve the bullet from the man’s stomach and inform his friends that he’ll live.

so what’s the point of all that then? well, the way i see it, the point of all this is to foreshadow a climactic conclusion: Artemy will remove the Polyhedron without killing the Living Earth.

the game spends a lot of time setting this up! on Day 1, Artemy saves a man by removing a long metal spike from his gut non-lethally; in the Abattoir, Artemy proves his spiritual growth by demonstrating that he can “cut a living sister in such a way that she stays living”; and on Day 11, the game throws yet another surgery vignette at you in a scene that frankly feels a bit out of place otherwise.

all of this feels, to me, like it's foreshadowing and setting up one very obvious result: Artemy, having mastered not only practical surgery but also the art of reading the Lines, of being a menkhu, is the one person who can remove the Polyhedron without killing the Living Earth! the game spends all this time explaining that in the Steppe culture, cutting open flesh, or the earth itself, is taboo: only a menkhu is allowed to do so, because a menkhu is someone who knows how to read the Lines, who knows how to cut in a way that will not harm the Living Earth. the culmination of the story, therefore, needs to be that Artemy puts this exact skill to use. that was the point of his character arc, right?

except... no, it isn’t. in the end, there is no way to surgically extract the metal spike from the Living Earth. the only two choices we are presented with are: botch the surgery, or leave it be.

...

in the end, i feel that the ending(s) of Pathologic 2 aren’t appropriate conclusions to the ideas, motifs, and overall narrative progression we’re shown throughout the earlier parts of the game. Pathologic 2 is in many ways brilliant, and i do not hesitate to call it a masterpiece, aforementioned criticisms notwithstanding - but that’s precisely why i cared enough to write all this down! it’s a story that gets into your head, really stays with you, and maybe that’s the reason why i have such strong feelings about the direction the story takes in its final act.

if you reached the end of this post: thank you so much for reading it! i hope you enjoyed my thoughts, and i hope you have a great day!

#pathologic #pathologic 2 #artemy burakh

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