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#spontaneous analysis
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In "Too Young" when Princess Bubblegum talked about how she "never get to act like a kid" and how she wishes she "could stay like this with you, but..." I started crying. This poor girl grew up in the harsh world of early Ooo, she spawned from a living wad of gum and built a house for her brother, she tried to have a family but they betrayed her and she internalized that as "ignorance is bliss." Because shes intelligent, and she's sure not happy, and they were intelligent, and they weren't happy either, atleast Neddy is happy when he's just sucking on those roots and blissfully unaware of his surrondings. Homegirl didn't have any childhood at all, even Marceline had a more carefree childhood when she was with Simon, and she grew up in the literal apocalypse with three parental abandonments. Simon kept her entertained and cared for her, but PB was protecting Neddy and scavenging for resources, on her own, just to stay alive, her entire childhood. God. People dont talk enough about how tragic her childhood was, I feel freaking awful.
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You know, as much as Simbar is spicy while also so cute, I just thought how funny their dynamic can be too.
Here we have Ámbar. Little miss perfect. Straight A student, rich af, always needing to put up an act, literal girlboss (like, literal, she becomes a BOSS at age 19), always have been raised to be as proper as possible. Probably grew up faster than most kids, because she was always expected to act more mature than what she was.
Then we have Simón. Silly guy. Wears beanies. Wears shorts that a surfer would wear. Says corny lines. He’s never been rich in his whole life. Shares an apartment with his bros. He always looks and dresses a bit messy. He likes to joke around and loves to make his friends laugh. He's not immature, but he's also not the kind of mature that Ámbar is - he just has... you know, normal dudebro maturity.
We see the clear difference with them kind of shortly after they kiss for the first time. Ámbar tries to keep it cool, yk, act like she usually does.
While Simón... well Simón is like this.
He's blabbering, he's awkward, he wants to kiss her again, HE CRACKS A CORNY JOKE ABOUT THE "SIMÓN MOBILE" AND THEN JUST LIFTS HER UP AND RUNS WHILE CARRYING HER.
But most of all, he's being himself with her. He doesn't care that she's the high class rich girl Ámbar, who's so proper and elegant. He's his messy, awkward, corny, yet charming self around her.
What gets funny is that in season 2, while Ámbar still puts an act around Simón even while they're dating, when alone she becomes a silly girl in love. She talks to her mirror, going "Simón is all yours now 🥰" with a bright smile, before immediately catching herself. She goes to choose clothes for the date and loudly speaks to herself "I'm gonna find the perfect outfit for mine and Simón's date 😍". She becomes what she considers "immature". She can't be in love? She can't be like that? She has to be in control! Behave herself!
Things then get complicated in season 3 - as Ámbar is going through stuff, she creates essentially this imaginary version of Simón. Simón keeps being the silly dude, but in Ámbar's head he's cool, tough, very masculine... she even, and I don't think I'm exaggerating, thinks he's rather sexy.
The best example is when she has the Solos daydream.
When looking at Simón play, she imagines him like this
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When in reality... he looks like this
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And idk, there's something so inherently funny to think that Simón's just looking like every guitar guy ever and Ámbar's over here imagining him in leather jackets grinding at her. It's extra funny if you can picture her doing that every time she sees him too.
To add to this, Simón during S3 also has a version of Ámbar in his head that isn't how she actually is at the moment. Only that his version of her is the version that she was in the past - the version of her that he fell in love with. From his side, he just wants to help her get back to "being herself" again, because he knows she isn't right now. Ámbar doesn't wanna go back, because while she did have genuine feelings for Simón in S2, it was also a version of herself she wants to forget about. Cause even if what she felt for him was true, she was still putting up an act at all times, since she still was under the influence and watch of her godmother. And she just wants to break free from everything, both the bad and the good.
But throughout the season she's also still a bit awkward and acts like a "silly girl with a crush" about Simón, especially when Emilia questions her about him. "Whaaatt??? Pfft, I don't like Simón, he likes me, come on I'm just teasing him it's not my fault it's him who's obsessed with me hahahaha-" She doesn't want to, she wants to keep in control and hide it, but she can't.
Simón always keeps being himself. He can be serious with Ámbar, he is incredibly patient with her and while he tries to help her, he also tells her off when she goes too far. But when he wants to, he's still the silly and corny guy with her.
My final example is the rose scene. The rose scene is beautiful. It's magical. It's very romantic and their tension is off the charts.
But also, only Simón would do a thing like throwing a bunch of petals on the floor to make a "romantic road" down the hallway. Also...
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I counted and it's about 6-7 seconds from when he knocks and when Ámbar opens the door (side note that is a very short sleeping gown for a kids show lmao...)
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The amount of planning for this romantic gesture must have taken so much. He had to...
Go and spread out all the flower petals. He needed to do this while knowing no one else was around, because someone else def would question what he was up to.
He'd need to make sure Ámbar didn't hear him walk around outside her bedroom door.
He had to knock
He needed to get back downstairs VERY quickly, and if he did not run then I guess he just slid down the railing? He was very good on doing it so smoothly, because he could have easily been tripping or being overheard with loud running steps.
He's gonna have to clean up all of this later
Nonetheless, this scene is still so heartwarming and beautiful. But, also, it's such a chaotic thing that only Simón would properly pull off.
Also, it's the way Ámbar just genuinely brightens up.
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How she first goes "oh gosh, this is so cheesy, but adorable". But then she smells the rose and just goes in a little "yes!!" moment. Because that's her cheesy but adorable man! And he did this for her!
Side note, I need to comment on the difference between their outfits. Ámbar is here in a beautiful white nightgown, all barefoot.
And Simón is dressed like this.
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It's a contrast.
But it's so pretty at the same time too.
They were from different worlds, and seeing them separate on their own, you wouldn't think it would work. But then they get together and it just... does.
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Ok, so this was just gonna be a "lmao I love how Ámbar is just the perfect upper class girl and then Simón is just this silly beanie boy" but then I just decided to dive deeper.
There's much to analyse with Simbar, and it's really hard to keep it short.
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rawliverandgoronspice · 2 months
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genuinely bewildered at how it's just g@merg@te again. like it's just exactly the same strategy, except now it's a cabal of dark and sinister narrative designers instead of "there are women near my games" but it's like the same fucking thing and I'm so tired honestly
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cheers-mdears · 6 months
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May I go on the record yet again to say that I love that Crowley isn't angry about Falling.
Sad? Frustrated? Sometimes. Remorseful? It's complicated. Yearns to understand? Abso-fucking-lutely. Angry? Resentful? Bitter? ...nah.
He's just *clenches fist* so fuckin' Jewish, I love him so much.
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fellhellion · 9 months
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I have a rich inner world abt both iterations of Miguel and the relationship to fatherhood <- literally just hc
#90s miguel would explode on the spot if he spontaneously became a father shdjdjfjfjf he’s barely grappling through the emotional arc of#trying to become a better man AND he has the most hang ups ever regarding parents in general.#BUT. but. his biggest issue w being a dad would honestly be his own tendency towards self sabotage AND the fact Miguel is like. desperately#scared he’s bound to his own blood. he’d honestly probably fuck up being a dad not because he lacks the capability to be a kind man (all of#2099 demonstrates he DOES have the ability and desire to change) but because#he’d be scared he’d intrinsically fuck it up and in that fear. actually fuck it up. and then see those mistakes as further proof he just#isn’t capable of this.#not to mention like. given just how complicated his relationship with his family is I don’t think fatherhood would EVER have been something#90s miguel would’ve even THOUGHT of. he’s too busy been terrified he’ll turn into his OWN father(s)#atsv miguel on the other hand. difficult to draw too many concrete strands of analysis from because we don’t know how his past will be#conceptualised. BUT I personally like to think he’s very similar to the 90s counterpart except he sees a version of himself as a father.#and he sees that version of himself be HAPPY as a father. be a *good* father. someone who raised a sweet daughter. who lives with definitive#proof that you aren’t bound to enact pain upon your children. that you CAN be a better parent than the ones you had.#I think THAT would shake Miguel. and I like to think atsv Miguel didn’t know he wanted to be a dad - didn’t even THINK of it - until he saw#a reflection of himself that said this was possible. that you can go on and have a family of your own and you can choose to make it a good#and loving thing.#ANYWAYS. ✌️ she came. she posted a huge Miguel rant. she left ✌️#tunes talks spiderverse#tunes talks 2099
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spirngakawening · 1 year
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hanschen talking about skimming off the cream
musical ernst:
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play ernst:
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@insertpoetryhere
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madhushala · 20 days
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me and the girlies watched black swan today the girlhood girlhooded
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aldoesthings · 2 years
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“i let you know me, see me. i gave you a rare gift, but you didn't want it.” is such a raw quote you’d think it was from the gay cannibal show and it is
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thankstothe · 11 months
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House driving a car into a house is a metaphor to represent his self-destructive tendencies. How easily walls broke speak to the fragility of his mental state. And the fact thats its a living room shows us what he thinks about that concept.
Not 100% sure tho, still working this theory, need something more substantial to confirm
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When I talk about the Star, I don't usually tag "marceline the vampire queen" because she's not the vampire queen in this universe. She's the princess, she's under the VK's thumb and she's honestly quite childish and she looks good in those dresses sure but she gives the impression VK chose the and is dressing her up like a doll because she's given up her freedom and morality in exchange for security and evil in this universe. She's not a queen. She lost the potential for that title long ago.
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The power dynamics between Walter and Tuco is crazy. It's a tense, constant, ongoing battle for who has the upper hand. I could make a whole analysis about just the dynamic between the two of them if it weren't for the fact that I'm 14 years late to the fandom and it's 3am.
Like. Tuco is such a live wire, he goes from laughing and joking around to screaming and spitting at people, you never know when he's gonna turn around and bite you, nobody is safe around him.
Then enter Walter White who realizes that he does have an upper hand in some situations. He had the upper hand when he was holding his explosive mercury, and even when he was short on product he knew he was selling them something they didn't wanna lose and managed to get more money than he had drugs for.
And he was unpredictable the whole time!! He gave them less than what they wanted, then suddenly asked for 70k, but then decided to compromise, but then offered them even more than he originally did for the next week. Like you suddenly never know what to expect from him!
But the whole time he's calm. He's not pretending to be larger than life, he's not going out of his way to intimidate, but he's not going out of his way to show emotion either; compassion, anger, etc. There's inherent weakness in letting your emotions get the better of you. Tuco uses his anger to intimidate people, but Walter being calm the whole time makes Tuco look like he's throwing a tantrum at times in comparison.
Maybe this henchman guy was right to try and intimidate Walter... I have a feeling that Tuco's not gonna be holding all this power over Walter's head for much longer...
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ochibrochi · 2 months
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spontaneous magic manifestation was NOT mentioned in the parenting handbook 😬
I know this isn’t how magic in dc works, but the fact that Damian’s ancestry includes some pretty powerful magic users is… INTERESTING 🤔? Drabble under the cut!
I wanna preface that I'M NOT SAYIN' that Damian should/does have magic powers, but there’s still so much unexplored potential with Damian's character, and the thought that he has a dormant adeptness in magic is somewhat compelling to me. Most importantly it would FREAK! BRUCE! OUT!!!!! What is this, magic puberty 😭??
By DC laws, anyone has the ability to learn magic, but it is also possible to be an innate ability. The Al Ghuls are no strangers to the occult-- Ra's has had increasingly been portrayed as a magic user, and the recent establishment of his mother being a sorceress/witch?? Even Talia dabbled in a bit of magic, I think. There is a catch that their power is suggested to be due to Lazarus exposure, but for arguments sake let's say the Al Ghul lineage is inherently proficient in magic (and Lazarus exposure simply enhances it).
I can't recall "magic" being a part of Damian's training/upbringing (I'm still slowly catching-up on Damian comics so apologies if I miss any canon examples of magic use). Not sure why Talia wouldn't want her little "heir to an ancient assassin empire baby" to learn magic, but it would at least give reason to Damian not knowing about his magic potential, or lack of interest in it.
Through the power of pseudo storytelling, what if Damian's encounter with Mother Soul could have triggered a manifestation of magic that was once dormant; like a pressure cooker waiting to explode with energy when it hasn't been given a safe outlet.
I've yet to read a satisfying arc where Damian truly gets to contemplate his Al Ghul roots outside of "dad is good guy, mum is bad guy". Damian's initial character growth stems from him running away from, and renouncing his association with the League (i.e. "I'm nothing like you, mother and grandfather!").
The most recent thing I've read was Robin (2021), and whilst Damian is much more cordial with his mother, there's still an emotional distance and sense of distrust/resentment (for good reason, even if the context was some cartoonishly evil writing). But there is a silver-lining that they still appear to be fond of each other, in a melancholy kind of way.
Realizing he's "genetically" primed for magic would be especially confronting to Damian. There's no denying his Al Ghul blood, forcing him to confront a facet of himself he can no longer ignore or reject. A family that he likely has to approach for help/guidance.
Damian is put in a position of acknowledging this power could be used for good, to be stronger, to fight crime, balancing it with the implication that what he possesses could be rooted in dark magic (Lazarus enchantment).
If he decides to embrace it, would that be too much of an endorsement of the Al Ghul's dark occultism? Can he separate the two ideas? What if he can't control it? What if he accidentally hurts someone? What if has the ability to save someone where his other skills fall short?
Ideally, I'd love for this hypothetical story to lead into Damian exploring his Al Ghul heritage more intimately, historically, and spiritually (à la RSoB: Year of Redemption adventures). Another little coming-of-age self discovery journey.
I have my own little personal thoughts on what Damian decides to do with his magic powers, but I'd like to leave that open to interpretation... By the end of it I hope that he will at least find some forgiveness over resentment, and a balance between accepting that side of his family a little easier. It is finally a sense of inner peace :)
Any thoughts? Did I get any characterisation wrong? Let's talk over on my DC blog @arkhamochi! I'm currently trying to read all Damian-centric comics until I catch up with the current run. I'm hungry for discussion and analysis!!!!!!
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destiel-wings · 8 months
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Dean Winchester & hug dynamic analysis
I was thinking about how whenever Dean hugs someone he's almost always the one hugging the other and how this links to his psychological trauma of always being the caretaker of people, making himself bigger to protect them.
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Because that's how Dean sees himself, as a shield for others, and then I thought about how Cas actually is the shield, and he's HIS SHIELD, specifically, the only one who's really there to protect HIM, which is why it hits so much when we see this:
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The way Cas wraps his arms around him, trying to protect him with his whole body--that he'd use as a shield and give up in a second if he could spare him from any pain and save him.
(for context: Dean was about to go use the soul bomb on Amara there, it was a suicide mission)
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Bobby is another one that hits, he hugs him as the big hugger because he's his father, he loves him and he's actually here to protect him (and Dean LETS him -barely, but he lets him *and Cas* - in a way that he doesn't let Sam)
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I watched a compilation of Sam & Dean hugs to check if i was right about it, but it's almost always Dean the big hugger with Sam, except when he's about to die or Sam sees him alive again after losing him.
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Even then, Dean mostly tries to hug Sam as the big hugger anyway, with at least one arm, like a way to comfort him, making him feel protected, like his body language is saying "I'm here, I'm okay, I'm still strong, i can still protect you" (because their real father failed and Dean thinks it's his job).
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He rarely lets himself be the little one hugged with Sam, unless he's barely conscious. Which is why it kills me so much more now that in this moment (s14, when Dean was going to lock himself in the Ma'lak box cause he was possessed by Michael) and Sam has a desperate breakdown and punches him (to stop him) he forcefully hugs him as the little hugger, the way Dean always kept him, like a way of saying "I still need you to protect me, please don't do this to yourself".
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In the scene below he gives Sam his blessing to do a dangerous (possibly suicidal) mission, and one of his arms is down, but the other one tries to stay up--he's forcing himself to do it and he struggles because he still wants to protect him, but (as the seasons progress) he slowly becomes more prone to let go.
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So in this view the hug dynamic becomes an indicator of how Dean sees Sam (and himself) and his protector role, how adult and self sufficient he considers Sam, and how much he lets people around him take care of him, lowering his walls and letting himself be hugged.
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This is also why i think hugs from characters like Garth or Charlie are so special, because they're just like us: they see Dean and they just know that he needs to be hugged a lot, and that he's not used to it, so they just go for it-- and it's so normal and kind and spontaneous that Dean's just not used to it-- he doesn't know how to respond (especially with Garth, at the beginning, but as the seasons progress, he learns to, and he even initiates the hug eventually).
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I love the hugs where they're 50/50 (one arm up, one arm down both), feels like they're equals, both taking care of each other. I feel like with Sam and Dean, this indicates a healthier dynamic, because Dean lets go a little of the role that was imposed to him and manages to see Sam as the strong individual that he is. But the same applies to 50/50 hugs with other characters, like with Cas, where I feel like it testifies how equals they feel in terms of being fighters, there's a show of respect of each other's strength that transpires by the gesture (which is even more astounding considering that Cas is literally a powerful angel).
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And just to end on a destiel note, I'd like to note the possessiveness and protectiveness of Dean (rightfully so) whenever he finds Cas after he thought he had lost him, and how that translates into his body/hug language:
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cerastes · 1 year
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I think some people need to hear this, so I want to say it.
The moment you start taking something seriously, that moment you decide “I’m going to improve at this, I’m going to become better at this”, you become slightly worse at it. This applies to everything: Art, games, sports, analysis, research, anything. You become slightly worse at it because you are actually thinking about it.
For most things, most people tend to run on autopilot, not particularly thinking too much and getting it over with or just enjoying it in the moment. When you really want to improve at something, though, you become slower and a bit worse at it, because now you are thinking about it, you are noticing things, you are making conscious decisions that are not as fast or as spontaneous or as natural as you just simply doing it. Now you’re performing, or attempting to.
This isn’t a bad thing.
It’s because of this period of temporary perceived weakness that we improve. That which we analyze, mull over, think hard about it, we start internalizing it, and the more we internalize something, the better we become, because that now becomes a part of our autopiloting, if that makes sense to you. Slowly but surely, that thing you really needed to focus on to do properly now just comes naturally, and now you have a much better skillset without thinking about it.
And what happens after? Since you became better, you also understand more, and can notice more things, more things that those really good at the thing do, more things that you were doing wrong all along, and can now identify it was bad and that you have to correct it, and now you have more things to think about and internalize. The cycle repeats. You become better through periods of being worse. 
It’s a cruel balance.
Ask any illustrator or writer: First comes the honeymoon period where they are improving by leaps and bounds with experimentation, thought, and exercise. Then comes the downs. “Oh I am so god damn bad at drawing”. “I can’t write to save my life”. Why? Because the artist learns, and they can see things they couldn’t before, and now they see their improvement, but they also see their flaws. It is at these crossroads where the artist will ask themselves, “do I dare go through this period of self-admonishment, or do I go back to the comfy laurels?” The comfy laurels are stagnant, they never stop blooming, but they only bloom once. The self-admonishment is a harsh self-imposed winter, but the flowers that grow after it passes bloom several times, and as the snow clears, yet another crossroad stands before you, and we go back to the same question once more.
It’s a beautiful balance.
Where I am going with this is, if you find your commitment to something has instead made it harder, has made you sluggish, has made you see perhaps too much for your own comfort: Hang in there. These are growing pains. You need these, and they aren’t wonderful to go through and good lord do they weigh heavily on you... Why? Because you care. That’s why you’ll improve. Hang in there.
It’s a necessary balance.
Hang in there. You’ll improve so much. You’ll be incredible, and then go on to agonize hundreds of times more and improve thousands of times more. Hang in there. If it was easy to improve, then there wouldn’t be merit to it. It’s hard because it matters, it’s difficult because you care. If you didn’t care, you’d be blind to hardship, but to so many beautiful things you can only experience after you’ve sought adversity. In the end, the rest follows, but only if you follow through.
Hang in there. You are getting better.
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wafflesex · 8 months
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Because I'm a massive nerd: have some character analysis involving gem language and the gems the Leech twins are named after.
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Fluorite is a precious stone named after the Latin word “flux” which means “continuous change.” It is associated with growth: removing negative energy, promoting positivity, and increasing self-confidence.
When cleansing the body from stress, fluorite primarily protects the intellect. It promotes concentration, memory retention, and can be used as a learning aid or for making big decisions. Green fluorite is especially good for this.
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While fluorite’s namesake refers to spontaneity, geologists consider it a stable, predictable gem used to measure the hardness of other gems and minerals on the Mohs scale. Its strength is a reliable factor in determining how resistant other minerals are. In other words: fluorite helps you discover your true limits and potentials.
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Besides aiding the mind, fluorite energizes as well as grounds the heart in "the now," especially during moments of high anxiety. Not to say it disregards the past and the future; it just prefers to work on who you are at present, recognizing you as an ever-changing, inevitable, unstoppable force in the universe. It promotes compassion towards oneself and encourages one to be the best they can be by opening their heart to fun and love instead of embracing past trauma.
In this sense, fluorite is wonderful for conducting work on your inner child, and is especially responsive to younger people (or those young-at-heart).
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A softer mineral, true fluorite tends to bear many natural imperfections on its surface. Some may attribute this to recklessness, hyperactivity, or immaturity. But beneath its scuffs and rough edges, fluorite is a colorful, hearty stone overflowing with positivity… that even glows under ultraviolet light! What a funky little guy.
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Jadeite is a highly prized gem that promises safety and balance in one’s life. Like fluorite, it is also a cleansing stone which relies on a more mature approach to turning negative energy into self-sufficient thoughts and behaviors. However, though beautiful and reliable, jade is cold-to-the-touch, and when stowed away or left unused, can grow incredibly brittle. Therefore, it insists upon being used frequently, if not all the time.
Many believe jade jewelry should be worn for one's entire lifetime, as removing it may invite eternal bad luck.
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Only diamond can be used to carve jadeite, the strongest natural stone in the world. Measuring in at around 7 on the Mohs scale, it doesn’t blemish, bend, or break easily. With such reliable strength, it can be carved and manipulated into intricate shapes without fear of shattering.
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As jade naturally resists breakage, it is a protective gem that forms a special bond with its owner and is commonly used as a tool for breaking other gems. On the rare occasion it does break, however, jade produces glass-like, razor-sharp edges.
In other words: once broken, handle with caution.
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Still, there is a nurturing facet to jade: it promotes vitality, youthfulness, and longevity in people while also extending that power to the earth itself. It was often used in old Chinese rituals to manifest strong crop growth. Today, having a sculpture of a jade bok choy in one’s home is considered a symbol of long life and good health.
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Make no mistake: jade would rather be out and about having fun with you and others. Doing so means it can make the most out of the life you have together. Utilizing its gorgeous exterior, it invites long lasting friendships and even romance to those who wear it. People may naturally trust and be drawn to jade wearers as the gem helps create a charmingly positive and tranquil personality.
If you're included, it feels included in turn.
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A Chinese saying states “you can put a price on gold, but jade is priceless.” Tied to handling matters of the heart, it is a highly perceptive gem and an invaluable treasure meant to be cherished. Generous, elegant, and fierce, it will serve you well… but only if you do the same for it.
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Ok I'm done thank you for coming to my rock talk
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ossifer-bones · 8 months
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Liminal Physics 101 - What's wrong with the River?
I want to preface this theory/analysis by giving credit to the excellent, thought-provoking response left on my theory on the mechanism behind lyctoral thanergy generation by @greyhairedgeekgirl, because it inspired me to finally finish typing up this post.
There is a lot of conjecture contained within this theory but I've attempted to firmly root it in the terminology used by the characters in relation to the River, as well as how the River itself is described. My avenue of thought is closely related to that of @greyhairedgeekgirl, but I think my conclusion likely differs due to how I have chosen to interpret the definition of the River as a liminal space.
Anyway, onto the question I'm seeking to answer here: I feel that the answer to it lies in Harrow the Ninth, during the explanation we get in response to a question asked by John Gaius himself, and the veritably horrific implications of it.
“Harrowhark, what happens when somebody dies?”
“Thalergetic decay causes cellular death,” you said carefully, pressing the nail in harder, “which emits thanergy. The massive cell death that follows apopneumatism causes a thanergetic cascade, though the first bloom fades and the thanergy stabilises within thirty to sixty seconds.” “What happens to the soul?” “In the case of gradual death—senescence, illness … certain other forms—transition is automatic and straightforward. The soul is pulled into the River by liminal osmosis. In cases of apopneumatic shock, where death is sudden and violent, the energy burst can be sufficient to countermand osmotic pressure and leave the soul temporarily isolated. Whence we gain the ghost, and the revenant.”
Note how this explanation is structured in a sequential way that is likely deliberate:
We establish that thanergy is emitted by thalergetic decay: thalergy is characterised as life energy, produced by cell growth and reproduction. Thanergy is also said to be produced by cell death in the glossary of GtN, which to me indicates that the thalergy produced by a cell is in some way tied to it, beginning to decay into thanergy when the cell dies.
Massive cell death follows apopneumatism: the soul leaving the body results in mass cell death, resulting in the body's thalergy 'flipping' and rapidly decaying into thanergy.
Gradual death results in the soul being pulled into the River by liminal osmosis. Sudden and violent death results in a thanergetic energy burst sufficient to countermand (lit. revoke or cancel an order) osmotic pressure, leaving the soul temporarily isolated outside the River.
The soul leaves the body, the cellular thalergy begins to decay into thanergy in the absence of the soul, and the amount of thanergy produced results in the soul either being pulled into the River or being temporarily stranded.
River Terminology
liminal - occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold; relating to a transitional or initial stage of a process. This word is used in reference to the River a lot.
apopneumatism - apo meaning 'from, away from' and pneumatism referring to the pneuma, or soul; this is the process of the soul coming away from the body. put simply, this is death.
liminal osmosis - osmosis is 'the spontaneous net movement or diffusion of solvent molecules through a selectively-permeable membrane from a region of high water potential (region of lower solute concentration) to a region of low water potential (region of higher solute concentration)'; a solution is a solute dissolved in a solvent, meaning that osmosis is the process whereby a solution resolves the discrepancy in solute : solvent ratio between itself and another solution that are divided by a selectively-permeable membrane. imagine you have two bodies of water, of unequal volume, one with more solute in it than the other: osmosis will result in the body with more solute gaining water from the body with less solute until the ratio of water : solute is equivalent in each body. it equalises their concentration of solute.
osmotic pressure - 'the minimum pressure which needs to be applied to a solution to prevent the inward flow of its pure solvent across a semipermeable membrane', but it is also defined as 'the measure of the tendency of a solution to take in its pure solvent by osmosis'. this is to say that osmotic pressure can serve as the current that pulls a soul into the river, if you assume that the river is a solution and the soul is a solvent. Alternatively, one could also consider the River as the selectively-permeable membrane dividing two solutions.
What does this mean?
Assume the following:
The world is a solution, solute dissolved in a solvent, and the soul is the solvent in that solution.
The River is a selectively-permeable membrane.
The River beyond that Abigail Pent speaks of is another solution.
The soul (solvent) is pulled through the River (selectively-permeable membrane) by osmotic pressure into the solution with less solvent in (the River beyond), except it can't, because that semi-permeable membrane has been rendered impermeable: why?
Solute concentration.
What is the solute?
You collected bits of dried wood—dried wood?—and empty-coloured stones—stones?—from the banks of the River beyond death, and you collected armfuls of the sharply unkind osiers and tall, feathery plants, the ones with long fibrous stems as tall as you were and thin, tangled leaves. Filthy salt wind whipped your faces as you formed wards from the flotsam that grew, apparently, on the bank.
She stood before the coffin of the Sleeper, and gathered those white, soft, solid rips in her hands, and she popped the bubble, and the River came rushing in. It came down around her in shreds, as light and insubstantial as drifts of spiderweb. The water sprayed through white holes, rushing in with a pounding roar: that brackish, bloodied water that only existed within the River. She was buoyed up by a spray of ice water and filth.
The River is described as brackish, it is associated with salt wind. Brackish means water with higher than average salinity, saltwater concentration, so let's assume our solute is salt.
What did John do when he became God? He introduced a copious amount of thanergy into the system, because murders generate more thanergy, enough to make souls unable to pass into the river, and used it to fuel himself.
He murdered Alecto. The salt-water creature: the first thalergetic planet he flipped. The water is the solvent, the solvent is the soul, salt is our solute, salt-water is our solution.
I was so close to cracking this third thing, the soul. I’d realised there was the energy you produced from being alive and the energy you produced when you died, but the fact that energy was produced when you died meant there was another phase. I could get a corpse’s heart beating and get all the neurons firing in the brain, but it wasn’t producing the alive stuff anymore. It wasn’t an on-off switch.
“The body needs thalergy and a soul to keep the lights on. Anastasia’s tripod principle. Body plus thalergy, but no soul, is basically a very weird vegetable … after a while it gives up and shuts down.”
Nona the Ninth shows exactly what the soul is: the third thing, the on-off switch, the leg of the tripod. A body full of thalergy without a soul shuts down after a while because the thalergy isn't stable in the absence of a soul, and decays in its absence. Thalergy decay emits thanergy.
Thalergy is salt, water is the solvent, water is the soul, salt-water is the solution of a living creature: thalergy stabilised by a soul.
How does salt affect water?
A river is freshwater: it doesn't have high salinity. It is not salt-water.
What does salt do to water? It adds to its mass, makes it more buoyant. Buoyancy, or upthrust, is an upward force exerted by a fluid that opposes the weight of a partially or fully immersed object.
The Riverbed is studded with mouths that open at proximity of Resurrection Beasts, and no ghosts venture deeper than the bathyrhoic layer. Anyone who has entered a stoma has never returned. It is a portal to the place I cannot touch—somewhere I don’t fully comprehend, where my power and my authority are utterly meaningless. You’ll find very few ghosts sink as far as the barathron.
Ghosts don't venture near the Riverbed. The Riverbed is studded with stoma. The stoma are mouths that open when Resurrection Beasts near them, and the Resurrection Beasts are the souls of murdered planets, the only souls that can sink that low; the stoma lead to a place John can't touch.
[...]“And that was a titanic effort on the part of Cassiopeia the First, who was brilliant and sensible and careful—she thought she could bait physical portions of the Resurrection Beast into the current. She was right. It followed her.”
They were writhing together, wild and excited—the current swirled in an agitated pandemonium—there was a massive sickening jolt, and the Mithraeum started to slide again, forward … tilting … sliding. “We’re in the current now,” said Pyrrha calmly. “We’ll be pulled in, if the mouth doesn’t close.”
The current of the River leads to the stoma. The River is a semi-permeable membrane that leads to the River beyond, and the stoma are mouths in the Riverbed that lead to a place beyond the power of John. Osmosis pulls solvent, souls, through the membrane into the neighbouring solution.
Conclusion
You went en masse into the River, leaving your bodies behind to slump into C-curves—or at least, yours did, the rest of them stood—and crunched the silvery sand of the bank beneath your feet as the three saints led you both to assemble wards. No blood or flesh or bone here: the first two might be scavenged, the last swept away by the capricious tide. You collected bits of dried wood—dried wood?—and empty-coloured stones—stones?—from the banks of the River beyond death, and you collected armfuls of the sharply unkind osiers and tall, feathery plants, the ones with long fibrous stems as tall as you were and thin, tangled leaves.
The River holds no blood, flesh, or bone. But its waters are made brackish by a kind of salt: the thanergy of murdered billions. How can one make a ward from something unthanergetic, from dried wood and stones? It's impossible, unless they are suffused with thanergy, made pliable to a lyctoral touch.
When John murdered the planets and humanity in one fell stroke, he flooded with the River with enough thanergy that its buoyancy countermanded the osmotic process that draws souls into the River beyond. The River is full of ghosts gone mad: souls that should have moved beyond, but can't, because the current cannot carry them through the stoma, the thanergy working against its pull.
“A powerful necromancer at the peak of their game could last ten seconds in the River,” said God, pushing himself up to stand. “Soul magic is the great leveller. In the first few seconds their thanergy would all be stripped away … then their thalergy, and then their soul.”
The River strips away thanergy and thalergy, but it can only do so much: when its waters are already so permeated with thanergy, souls float, fail to sink to the depths and pass through it, carried by its current. They cannot reach the stoma because their souls are too light compared to that of the Resurrection Beasts, the thanergetic buoyancy pushing them back up.
What lies beyond the stoma isn't Hell, or rather, it is Hell: it is a place where John Gaius can't touch. It is where souls are meant to go. It is the River Beyond.
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