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dusty-daydreams · 1 year

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Beyond the setting of elite school and working class town in Young Royals, education is also a great setting to examine the implications of class.

On the surface, Simon and Sara have this great opportunity to study at this Elite school, it should in theory set them up for life. Except class is not as a simple as getting into the right classes (if you'll excuse the pun).

Sara is clearly talented with horses and attending Hillerska gives her opportunities to develop this talent - BUT horses are an expensive hobby/field. Sara cannot get as far in horse related fields, as say Felice, despite Felice having zero talent with horses, because where Felice can afford to buy and upkeep a horse, Sara can't. Sara's family can't even afford to keep her in long-lasting jodhpurs.

Simon is extremely talented with music and singing, and attending Hillerska gives him opportunities to develop this talent - BUT he has not had formal music lessons, and can't read music, or fully play piano, beyond what he has been able to figure out himself (or potentially with his dad's help). Wille, with no interest in music (beyond getting starry eyed at his boyfriend's voice) can play piano and read music as a result of a royal upbringing.

The working-class kids with the passion and talent, are starting behind the upper-class kids with the resources (but no genuine interest in the areas)

The resource gap is even more overt in the straight academic classes. It is implied that math at least, but possibly all the academic classes are subjects that Simon and Sara excelled at, but Simon's math mark drops, not because his work ethic has but because he does not the resources to pay for the corrupt bribery marking system at Hillerska. He also doesn't have the same time resources as the other students who board and have weekend access to the teachers. Attending an elitist school serves no purpose if you 'fail' at the school.

Which brings back the drug issue in season 1 - Simon is caught in a catch 22. He sells drugs to afford to bribe the teachers. BUT his position is precarious - if he as a working-class second generation immigrant is caught selling drugs he risks prison and criminal charges. Whereas the upper class kids he is selling too (via August!) get caught, they depending on their degree of privilege will be expelled and sent to a different elite school (lower-upper class), be suspended and need to make a 'donation to return' (middle-upper class like Alexander, or potentially be on the receiving end of in-school punishment (upper-upper class). The consequences for Wille at the pinnacle of the hierarchy depends on who finds out - if it is kept under wraps, he is unlikely to receive any direct punishment - as that would expose the secret (which isn't to say that he would be mistreated by his emotionally abusive family), if the public finds out, he is likely to quietly withdrawn and put into a rehab to 'correct his ways'.

Being poor is expensive.

The consequences for what happens to Simon and Sara, may not be worse than the consequences for their upper-class counterparts, but they are more expensive.

Let's take the example of the sex tape -

There are three people involved: Wille, Simon and August

The consequences for August for perpetrating a sexual crime, recording and publishing revenge child porn: the crime is covered up in order to protect him, and the royal family by his association with them. Ultimately he is prepared to promoted to the ready-made job of 'working royal' a career that we know he desires.

The consequences for Wille: He is potentially outed, this poses a threat to the royal family's stability, he denies the video and immediately frees himself from the public consequences of the video, loses his relationship with his lover as a result. This is all very sad, and the undeniable tragedy of season 1 but it is not expensive.

The consequences for Simon (notably the only one that cannot deny any connection to the video): Simon is outed to the entire public, interested world. His undeniable visage is publicly blasted, attached to his name. We are shown that 'Sweden Crown Prince Boyfriend' is a top search. Any potential employer that does a cursory google of Simon (if they didn't already know who he was) would stumble across his scandalous underage sex tape (that most people think was with the Crown Prince, but pre-season 2 finale would be politely pretending it wasn't). Revenge Porn, is in part 'revenge' because it demonstrably limits it's victims ability to be employed.

If Simon were to take August to court, August would have the support of lawyers from the royal court (as we are told in Season 2). Simon with fewer resources, would possibly end up in a long, expensive war of attrition that August would win, and that would even more publicly tie Simon, his name, his face to the video.

I also think that it is significant that Simon and his mother consider withdrawing him from Hillerska in the immediate aftermath of the tape. Something that Wille and August don't need to think about. August's actions could have cost Simon's education as well as his future employment prospects.

TLDR: Class is about more than money, it's about the resources that give people opportunities that others don't have and disproportionately punishes people at the bottom of the hierarchy. It's a system that holds Simon and Sara back even when they get into class with their "class betters". It's a system that makes any mistake made by or against the working class, expensive as well as traumatic.

#young royals #young royals meta #the show is about the class system #i am back with extremely wordy takes on the class system in young royals #being poor is expensive #simon eriksson #sara eriksson #felice ehrencrona #wilhelm #august

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quinn-pop · 7 months

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mtdd week day 5 - sweets

bonus

treat yourself!! or something

#mtddweek2023 #i know i do a lot of meta/dededad stuff but yeah no they don’t really know what they’e doing maybe we’ll get into that another day #it’s complicated #kirbyposting #my art or something #meta knight #kirby #king dedede #metadede #i will excuse the wordiness on the last one because it’s a bonus anyway #metadededads #quinn does comics #i thought of sugar sugar yummy yummy parfait a million times making this #yeah it makes me think of meta every time i have a doodle of this somewhere lol #i cannot keep trying to name these lol it’s so hard

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midnightfox450 · 4 months

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Is this a safe space. Can I just say that I think Fig's "I think that this is the creature Aguefort made for me" line immediately upon meeting Ayda isn't romantic at all, but actually super dehumanizing?

This is not meant to condemn Emily, Fig, or Figayda AT ALL. Ayda is genuinely my favorite fictional character of all time, and Figayda is my favorite ship of all time. But like. We have to admit that that initial meeting scene is rough. Kristen was by far the worst in that moment, but Fig wasn't exactly helping either.

When Fig says "I think that this is the creature Aguefort made for me", it's not in an 'we were made for each other you're my soulmate' kind of way. She's specifically referencing her request for an exotic animal (!!!) whose intended purpose is just to be used by people. It's not cute.

Literally the next line after Fig's "creature" comment is Adaine telling her flat out "No. This is a full person." And in the finale when Fig echoes this sentiment to Arthur, you can practically hear Emily's brain working to rephrase it in a way that doesn't sound as bad (I actually like it when she says it that time, it's clearly with respectful and romantic intent).

It's not entirely the players' fault and I certainly don't think they were intentionally being dehumanizing because she is black or autistic. They're improvisors who don't always say the wisest thing in the moment. They couldn't have predicted that this fetch quest NPC would gain deep significance and nuance over time. And part of it is just a reaction to the extreme and somewhat dehumanized way Brennan characterizes Ayda in that scene ("I require seed"), something he notably stops doing as she becomes more of a recurring character.

It's just not a good line y'all. I wish we would all stop referencing it.

#this is not meant to target anyone in particular #ive literally had this thought for three years i just chose to not make a big deal over it #but with a new season on its way i think its time for the fandom to move on from this take yknow #also sorry for the essay. its not that big of a deal im just really wordy #dimension 20 #fantasy high #ayda aguefort #figayda #ayda aguefort meta #d20 #fh #fhsy #fantasy high sophmore year

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100ofswords · 23 days

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you know, while that scene in "nanamis egg" was played for a joke, i do still think it's an interesting detail that nanami would prefer to have a daughter rather than a son

#nanami kiryuu #rgu #revolutionary girl utena #sku #shoujo kakumei utena #nanami #meta #someone more wordy than me is gonna have to finish this thought #bc i think in vibes only #smth smth boy moms misogynistic society etc

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yazzydream · 8 months

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Just had a funny thought.

So we know Toji's appearance and murder of Riko was unexpected for everyone. (2006, 12 years ago)

Besides the TVA and Q, it didn't look like anyone else was going for Amanai. So, Kenjaku was probably going to wait another 500 years before their plan was going to start.

At this point they'd already gotten Kaori Itadori's Antigravity System and given birth to Yuji, though, which is interesting. (2003, 15 years ago) So, maybe Yuuji really wasn't initially meant to serve a greater purpose. Housing of Sukuna or otherwise... Or maybe Yuji was a happy coincidental prototype? An experimental run through? Or maybe Yuuji is just singularly unique.

Anyway, what I thought was funny is that after Toji killed Amanai, Kenjaku was probably sweating and rushing to find the Prison Realm. (2012, 6 years ago) Like, "Holy shit I've gotta take advantage of this opportunity! 💦"

But yeah, it probably moved up their plans by A LOT.

And then you got Geto with his Cursed Manipulation. He has a falling out with Gojo, then Gojo kills him and leaves his body ripe for the picking. (2017, 1 year ago) And since the merger didn't happen, Tengen is more Curse than human, it's like, everything perfectly fell into place.

Actually, sure Toji fucked up a lot of shit for everyone in the current timeline, but you can also see it as a good thing. This specific group of individuals (Satoru Gojo, Yuji Itadori) wouldn't be around in 500 years to disrupt Kenjaku's plans otherwise.

The Star Plasma Vessel, Six Eyes, and Tengen are fated. Fate is a tangible concept that exists in JJK. Which throws Toji's role in an interesting light...

Kenjaku says Toji's presence destroyed their destinies. But if there is a higher power in JJK... the one who bestows "Heavenly Restriction"... I'd say it's actually the opposite. Toji's actions may've saved the greater human race.

TL;DR Toji Fushiguro's murder of Riko Amanai is part of Heaven's greater plan to counteract Kenjaku's plan.

#jjk meta #jjk spoilers #let's try to be more bloggy shall we #jujutsu Kaisen #jjk manga #kenjaku #riko amanai #toji fushiguro #my jjk #here i was just thinking it was funny that kenny was running around looking for the pr #and my wordy ass brain ended it on toji being a crucial wheel in fate's tapestry #why #in fact all those with Heavenly Restriction may be pieces with a greater role in destiny #wow that's so terrible lmao

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ccatgiri · 28 days

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Not to mix together two hyperfixations of mine that have literally nothing to do with one another but to me Sparrow is a very good character to analyze through the "without love, the truth cannot be seen" framework that Umineko presents. Your understanding of his actions and words is framed entirely by whether you feel love for his character or not, which might sound obvious but what I mean is that to understand his relationship with his children, especially Normal, it is necessary to keep the circumstances of Sparrow's own childhood in mind - only then can you see the full picture. This, however, implies a level of care and nuance that is probably only granted by those who already have an attachment to the character, and that's why some listeners have fallen into the belief that Sparrow didn't love Normal (at least, not as unconditionally as he could've) despite canon evidence pointing to the contrary. Without >taking the time to analyze Sparrow in-depth< (Love), >his real feelings for his children< (The Truth) cannot be seen.

And, ultimately, I think this is why Sparrow and Normal's relationship is unfixable from an in-universe perspective. Still (validly) stuck with the image of his father telling him he's not proud of him, Normal sees Sparrow's support of him as limited and conditional, which biases his perspective against him - in other words, Normal does not truly feel loved by him. In turn, and whether it's subconscious or not, this makes Normal perpetuate the vicious cycle by being unable to view his father through a lens of Love due to his resentment. He interprets Sparrow's words and actions in unfavorable manners because he, himself, is depriving them of nuance and context. Because of this, he will never be able to reach The Truth.

Umineko also proposes the idea that if someone believes in a lie too fervently, it stops being a lie and becomes The Truth. Sparrow and Normal cannot find connection because they now fundamentally exist in two different realities, each one with a different Truth. And The Truth for Normal now is, unfortunately, that it took risking his life multiple times and losing people important to him for his father to be proud.

#is this anything #meta #character analysis #dndads #normal oak #sparrow oak-garcia #sparrow oak #this is genuinely less of a dndads analysis and more me just admiring the framework umineko provided me to understand human relationships #as a neurodivergent who is very very bad at it #i feel like i kinda worded this as a pity party for sparrow but know i believe normal is 100% valid in feeling how he feels #posts that are made for me only bc the intersection between dndads fans and umi fans is literally Just Me probably #post so wordy you have to bring out the Proper Grammar as to not confuse the mooties

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bellysoupset · 10 days

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Hi Soup! Hoping you can spill your secrets about how you write your characters fighting with each other and making it both realistic and still loving? I'm always so scared about writing arguments even though I know they are a natural and healthy part of a relationship. For some reason I hate admitting my characters have flaws, but I know it makes them less interesting to always be so nice to each other. You have such a knack for balancing their personalities and the reasons they get upset with each other and then their apologies later.

Hi Lis!! Its so nice answering your asks off anon 😝

Alright so I've been thinking on how to better answer this, since I was literally writing a conflict when you sent it.

I think my tips to writing arguments/conflict are these:

Start small: anything can be a source of conflict, if you're inflexible enough. You don't need to give your characters these huge flaws, you can literally write fights out of one character thinking taking the main avenue is the best way to avoid traffic, while the other think they should do a shortcut and then when they get stuck they're both frustrated. None of these things make them evil or bad, it just gives them different perspectives and that's more than enough to start a conflict.

Everyone has flaws and everyone has bad behavior. Even your most precious OC. Being very harsh: Luke is too much, Jonah is selfish, Wendy is vain, Bella is proud, Leo is possessive, Vince is spineless, Max is judgmental. These don't make them terrible people, in fact, most of these traits have their own happy flip side.

Luke is too much, so he loves with his whole heart and with absolute no sense of consequence. Luke is the type of guy who brings everyone together and that people want to impress and be liked by, but this also the type of person who's highly susceptible to criticism (in his case, his father's), who takes reckless decisions, who is scared of being alone and who clings to people too tightly.

I often think a character's flaw and biggest quality can be quite similar. Vince avoids conflicts and that's what makes him this huge, likable teddy bear, but also why he's the type of person who omits information (cough, the whole deal with moving to Doveport), who'll avoid making up his mind for as long as possible and hurt those around him because of it.

So I do recommend looking into your OCs and thinking what makes them tick. Is Rory stubborn? Proud? He did go fishing into the deep sea and didn't want to own up to it to his friends, what does that say to you about him? Which situations would cause his worst side to jump out? And how would those around him react to that?

It's okay if not all characters are understanding to your character's flaws.

Jonah gets tired of Luke's intense personality easily. He's too secure in himself to want to be liked by Luke, like most people tend to, and he's too sullen of a person to tolerate his high energy. This doesn't mean he hates Luke, but it does mean that if Lucas' starts to lean into the worst of his personality, the first to lash out at him will always be Jonah.

Noa and Rory have been together for years, but how long did it take for them to get used to each other? Did they learn to avoid fights or did they compromise in certain aspects and keep fighting in others?

Another thing to keep in mind is to keep your fights clean. Unless you want to have a huge argument that will take you time to navigate and have your OCs changing their behaviors and personality, avoid fighting below the belt. If Nora brought up Rory's dead sibling in a fight, this would be below the belt. It's the type of hit you can't come back from, that requires not only an apology, but a change in behavior.

When Leo tells Jonah to not use his mental health against him, it's the type of fight that's drawing an invisible line and one that if I had Jonah repeatedly crossing, I'd be making his character toxic. That would be totally OKAY, by the way, if I meant to do that! Writing toxic characters is fun! But its not the story I'm telling, so I don't have Jon doing that, I have his character changing.

Uhhhh this is already so so long, so I'll quit the rambling. But I just wanted to say, don't be scared to make certain parts of your characters ugly and annoying and gross, we all are these things, and having someone who loves us despite our flaws and maybe even because of our flaws is much deeper than pretending to be perfect.

#meta #myocs #thank you for the opportunity to ramble on this Lis!!#and I hope I'm not too wordy and this actually helped

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rubywolf0201 · 16 days

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How I would fix the Gang War Arc in BUCCHIGIRI?! (Part 2)

Click here for Part 1

So I made a lot of changes that happened in Episode 3-4 but I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned how I would change Episode 1-2. Now, I don’t think it would experience much change compared to the last one but I’ll definetely try to change some things here and there. Also it is very long too so bear with me:

[Read More for details on the rewrite]

- So first off, I’ll change Arajin’s whole motivation from the get go. Instead of making his goal of losing his virginity, he would instead wish to be a cool guy. As in he would revolve around being the cool new kid at school. This of course means donning a pair of glasses and a bass to show off. (Which of course would make everything ironic and also play more into the Aladdin parallel)

- The two guys that appear in the temple back in the first episode and frequent visitors of the Tomoshibi family restaurant would still appear but I’ll also have them be like commentators regarding the ongoing events that happens in the episode. (I’m assuming that they’re attending the same school as the rest of the cast or different ones)

- Matakara’s intro wouldn’t change and the same goes for the Teacher as well explaining to Arajin the small basics of what he is going to experience in Ichizu High.

- Instead of Arajin going after Mahoro, it is Mahoro who goes to Arajin after the latter made his first introduction. He would still have it bad for Mahoro but I’ll change his reaction to ‘Huh, wow I can’t believe she would be into me but I’ll play it cool.”

- The scene where Zabu and Komao meets Arajin wouldn’t change but I would have them be a tad forceful towards the poor boy in that they want him to join their club. (In fact, I headcanon that the gang members, be it from Minato Kai or Siguma Squad, tends to happen with any new kid on their first day of school with some exceptions)

- Chase scene and the whole reunion between Arajin and Matakara would still happen while Zabu and Komao are bewildered and Arajin being uncomfortable with Matakara claiming him to be the coolest and strongest person he knows. (Which makes his cool kid motivation all the more ironic because Arajin wasn’t honest to the one person he knew since childhood, Matakara)

- Marito’s establishment scene along with the Siguma Squad base first being seen is still the same.

- In fact, I’ll have the rest of my rewrite of the first episode play out the same way as canon for the most part tbh but there would be some notable differences.

- Arajin wouldn’t go to the stone shop to make a soapstone for Mahoro, since in my rewrite I toned down his relationship with Mahoro in that he doesn’t desperately simp for her to the point he’s ignorant of everything happening in the plot, but that he has a shift at the family restaurant again. (Emphasizing more of his helpful side and that despite being rude to his mum, he still helps her and such, especially since he’s helping her take over the family business at some point).

- Arajin’s second meeting with Zabu and Komao can still happen. But instead of them meeting Arajin just so that they can lure him to the NG Boys and humiliate him, I’ll have them meet Arajin by coincidence where they’re heading over to a minimart to help run errands for Matakara.

- Of course, Arajin is exasperated at seeing them because of their association with Matakara and that they have ulterior motives (they do), but not wanting to put up with the hassle, he decided to just put up with these two and help them with their errands all the while hoping that once they’re done, they can leave him alone.

- While they’re walking to the minimart, Arajin came across an unknown group of boys (NG Boys) beating up some scrawny guy with a red hat and yellow hoodie (Hagure). Arajin was shocked and appalled at this scene and asked his two classmates if this is a common occurrence. Both Zabu and Komao stayed silent and looked away from it.

- This would of course establish that they, or rather some of Minato Kai, hold prejudice on their rival gang, Siguma Squad, seeing them as bloodthirsty babarians and such.

- Arajin would still have gut problems but he wouldn’t leave to go to toilet instead I’ll have it represent the unconscious guilt at what transpired between him and Matakara since childhood.

- This frustrates Arajin because of their indifference to what’s happening in front of them, so he decided to help out the poor pink hair boy that was being harassed by the men in white uniform. He first threw a pebble to get their attention and once the NG Boys grunts saw him, decided to give chase to Arajin.

- Zabu in particular was pissed at the fact that this new kid they met yesterday threw himself into the fray at those guys but the moment he and Komao, saw Hagure getting up from his injuries, decided to duck out from the scene. (Because he’s a Siguma Squad member) But unfortunately for them, this would spark a bitter rivalry between them and another person who just came out from the minimart.

- Basically, I establish Hagure and Jabashiri a little earlier in the above scene. Speaking of, Jabashiri came out of the minimart with shopping bags containing snacks for the Siguma guys to enjoy but he was shocked at seeing Hagure injured. Hagure brushes it off that he is fine before wincing from pain. Jabashiri scanned the area to see who caused it and the moment he caught a glimpse of Zabu and Komao running away, he immediately assumed that it was them who hurted Hagure.

- Zabu and Komao on the other hand, instead of relaxing back at the bathhouse Matakara is staying at, they would come back panting from all the running they did but were disappointed they turned up empty-handed.

- Matakara on the other hand, was still busy working out (yes I kept the workout scene for our puppy boi) but the moment he saw his two friends panting for breath, asked his two best friends what has happened.

- Zabu and Komao looked at each other and both kinda lied that they tried to get the stuff Matakara needed but they ran into Arajin and how he treated them to his family restaurant’s cooking instead (I like to think it was Komao who said most of it and that he interrupted what Zabu was about to say lol).

- This of course backfired hilariously because now Matakara has his attention on Arajin and this fueled Zabu’s jealousy. (I still kept the scene where Matakara put Arajin on a pedestal but the scene is now played out differently)

- NNL Segment still happens of course since they’re the Greek Chorus of BUCCHIGIRI?! and I think it’s personally entertaining in some parts.

- Back with Arajin, he tried to run away from the NG Boys harassing him until he, unknowingly, reached Honki Temple. He tried to lock the door from the NG Boys but to no avail, they bust through the door and Arajin was left cornered until he saw a box containing a flintlock gun right behind him. (The scene would still be the same but Arajin has his clothes intact on him albeit dirtied)

- The scene of Arajin trying to attack the NG Boys grunt is still the same as his is meeting with Senya so I’ll leave it alone.

- Back in his room, Arajin tried to do an Internet search regarding Senya and what he is but the search results weren’t reliable (Which is the same scene after Arajin acquired Senya ofc but I’ll have Arajin be more curious towards Senya and his origins)

- While Arajin is sleeping, he started to experience nightmares of him as a child witnessing child Matakara beaten up by the thugs targeting them and how he ran away. And when Arajin yelled out, Senya in his chibi fairy form, came out and asked Arajin why he screamed.

- Sweating from fear, Arajin took a quick look at the outside view from his window and then his alarm clock before he realized that he is late for school but then he realized ‘oh it’s the weekend!’ but he had another freak out because he has to help his mum with some important client elsewhere in the early afternoon. (I expanded the Tomoshibi family restaurant a bit in that they also offer catering services to important events 👍🏻)

- Of course, while getting dressed (which is basically the outfit he wore in his and Mahoro’s ‘date’ btw), Arajin checked out the metal dot that is in his temple, curious regarding why it’s here. Mrs Tomoshibi, who is still in her pyjamas, asked Arajin if he can go to the client’s meeting place by himself, since she has yet to be dressed. This of course pissed Arajin off and he yelled at his Mum to get changed quickly.

- And so, he walked to the park to cool off and also because the event is nearby as well. Of course, there’s Senya and he asked why he couldn’t go there by himself to which Arajin answered in an exasperated manner that he doesn’t want to be there early.

- The ‘date’ scene with Mahoro would be different in that instead of a ‘date’, Mahoro was passing by to meet up with her big brother (Marito) and his friends. Arajin was surprised by this coicidential meeting and so, the two of them chatted for a bit.

- Because I changed the scene where Arajin doesn’t make the soapstone for Mahoro and doesn’t confess to her, I would have him try to be friends with her but just as they’re walking, suddenly a horde of NG Boys would then come by.

- Arajin was shocked because he thought that he scared them off until he realized that there’s are the same exact guys who chased him but the only notable differences is that he bought backup.

- The NG Boy grunt (who is basically a higher up to Akutaro) wanted payback for what Arajin has did to him and his friends and for interrupting their beat up.

- Of course, Arajin is scared and his gut is growling because of the paralyzing fear he is experiencing. And of course, the NG Boys would then jump on Arajin while the other would take Mahoro hostage.

- However, Mahoro wouldn’t let it happen and decided to fight the random touching her. (Yes I gave Mahoro some fighting skills that she picked up from Marito but in a unrefined fashion)

- Zabu and Matakara can still have a scene together where both guys are watching the scene of Arajin being brutalized and Matakara is the one who took action while Zabu is ignorant of it.

- Senya lamenting at his host being weak and trying to leave not before Arajin says his wish and merging with Senya prior to Arajin being knocked out from th last attack would still be the same.

- Arajin’s wish invocation would be different as I stated in the first point in that instead of losing his virginity, he wishes to be cool instead. (It’s still ridiculous from Senya’s POV lol)

- Arajin would then beat up the NG Boys harrassing him and Mahoro with sending some of them flying.

- Matakara managing to arrive at the scene to see Arajin’s powerup and being in awe Utsumi-style would remain the same lol.

- In fact, I have most of the earlier scenes of Episode 2 play out the same except that Siguma Squad arrived a little later, probably because Mahoro called her brother over to deal with the NG Boys but instead of helping her out, Marito turned his attention to Arajin instead who is still powered up by Senya, this of course catches Marito’s interest.

- Mahoro on the other hand is not amused by this lol and the Siguma members even wonder what does their leader even see in this plain guy.

- Arajin had no idea what just happened and why there are a lot of NG Boy goons lying on the ground before Senya chided him for the ridiculous wish invocation he made and Arajin retorted back that he had no idea why that came to his mind.

- Unfortunately, one of the NG Boys got up, albeit still injured and proceed to send both Arajin and Senya flying into the pond, like what happened in canon.

- Matakara rushed in to help Arajin out of the river but he bumped into Jabashiri like in canon and Jaba having an intense hatred for Matakara.

And that’s my basic outline of rewriting Episode 1 and the first half of Episode 2. I would tackle the later parts of Episode 2 and the expansion of Episode 3-4 in another post. I know I made Marito a tad bit bland in my rewrite but I rather have a slight buildup to his character. Though you are free to add in anything.

#rubi’s post #bucchigiri?!#arajin tomoshibi #senya #matakara asamine #komao sakigake #zabu kakeru #marito jin #mahoro jin #outa tahide #jabashiri nagare #hagure tatsuto #meta #rewrite #canon vs rewrite #it got wordy I’m sorry #but those are my main pointers for rewriting episode 1

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azalawa-scroggs · 6 months

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OKAY I guess I'm doing this. While working on my fic Ananke, which is an exploration of Manfred von Karma's perspective from DL-6 all the way to Turnabout Goodbyes, I've been having so, so many thoughts about him that I realised they didn't actually all hold into my fic. So I thought that maybe I should make them a tumblr piece. This thought has kinda just hovered at the back of my mind flaring from time to time, but eventually I decided to jump the gun. (No pun intended.) (That's a lie.)

So, um. Manfred von Karma character analysis time, I guess?

(Warning: this turned out to be LONG.)

The question I see pop up a whole lot when it comes to this guy is: Is he a good father? I'll be honest from the beginning: I'm not going to give an answer to that question here. What this is going to be is a somewhat larger examination of his character, which naturally does involve, in great part, his influence on Miles and Franziska. But I don't want to lock myself in the false binary of a yes/no question when there's so much else to talk about.

So I want to, sure, talk about him as a father a little, but mostly as a piece of the narrative, as a mentor, as a legacy-holder, and as a bringer of destiny - because he is not called Karma for nothing.

We first hear about him from Edgeworth in Turnabout Goodbyes, right as his trial is about to begin. Edgeworth seems utterly terrified of him prosecuting his case. "He is a god of prosecution, Wright, a god," he tells us. "He taught me what it means to prosecute. Imagine a prosecutor as ruthless as me, times twenty." Considering Edgeworth has been giving us a bit of trouble himself, between witness coaching and updated autopsy reports, that's quite the introduction.

And the man lives up to his reputation. He barely lets us align two words before interrupting us and scoffing at us, he's the first one to make the judge give us a penalty for pressing a testimony in the wrong place, when pressing testimonies had been such an important way of getting information up until then, he's dismissive and memeishly funny and a piece of shit and an absolutely great final boss... and then he also happens to be the culprit of DL-6. The case that has been underlying the whole game, and whose repercussions are going to be felt for the next two ones. Discovering him and taking him down is one of the best pay-offs ever after a masterful, game-long build-up.

Tumblr user trlsvn wrote a very thoughtful post in answer to an ask, making the point that von Karma is a story element before being a person. His primary purpose is to drive the plot to its conclusion, more than being psychologically developed as a character. Our antagonist up until now has been Edgeworth, but Edgeworth is being given a redemption arc, and so von Karma stands as the evil behind him.

The writers make the decision to humanize [Edgeworth], make him not just a character that represents a wrong idea but a person who has a backstory and some good in his heart [...]. This is where we start to question what exactly made him like this - this is why Miles gets a tragic backstory. He is meant to be explained, he is meant to be human, he is meant to be more. So Manfred von Karma becomes the answer. He is the reason, he is the influence, the part of Miles's life that made him like this and the part that he starts to oppose.

I recommend reading the post for more thoughts about his narrative role as a mirror to Edgeworth and a symbol of what he could have become. Von Karma is, like Redd White and later Damon Gant, the personification of the corruption of the courts that we've been fighting. He represents everything that Phoenix stands against, he is a willing and willful cog in the system that convicts people for crimes they did not commit. His metaphorical crimes, the innocents he sends to death row or to life in prison, all culminate and cristallise into an actual, legally defined crime: the murder of defence attorney Gregory Edgeworth, who represents - quite literally, in court - all those innocents.

Turnabout Goodbyes is possibly my favourite case in the entire series, because on top of having incredible pacing and wrapping up the first game wonderfully, it is so very dramatic. There is theatre in there; I may be getting ahead of myself in this but I find it Shakespearean. There is an atmosphere of supernatural mystery on the misty lake, with those two gunshots resounding in the silence and the ominous shape of "Robert Hammond" disappearing in the water without a trace. The slowly unveiled connection to DL-6, Edgeworth's recurring nightmare, the wound of the unsolved crime fifteen years festering, the guilt of patricide.

And, at the centre of it all, von Karma. The prosecutor who was Edgeworth's mentor and who has been making our job difficult every step of the way - it turns out he is behind everything. His overly complicated revenge scheme makes him something of an Iago. The murder, the blood on his hands, something of a Macbeth. The place he then took in Edgeworth's life, something of a Claudius.

The localisation also did something that I find very interesting with him: they made him German nobility. His Japanese name is Karuma Gou; "Karuma" is basically "Karma," and "Gou" according to the wiki could mean "great" or "excellent," or "fires of hell" or "the effect of karma." The localisation took back Karma, added the particle "von" to it and made the rest of his name basically a reference to Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron. Von Richthofen was a German pilot during WWI; he is famous for being basically undefeated for years, having a nearly unmatched victory record, and being brought down by a single bullet. Sounds familiar?

There's probably something to be said about Mei, Franziska in the original version, being a Japanese immigrant practising law in the USA burdened by her father's legacy into expecting impossible perfection of herself, but I am nowhere near qualified to make that point, so I am going to stick with the localisation from here on. Making the von Karmas nobility is interesting to me because the nobility as a social class is one of declining power. They once had power, and they still hold a certain social prestige, but their political power is in fact gone as the system that supported them is no longer in action, and most of them are losing their money or already ruined. As a reaction, many nobles (not all of them, but this is again about archetypes) stay among themselves, hold conservative values and sometimes somewhat of a superiority complex due to their education. Nobility's core value, by its very structure, is that of family, so although this was more the case at the time where they were the ruling class, there can be an emphasis on upholding one's legacy and being worthy of the family name. All of those elements suit the von Karmas extremely well.

And Manfred, the patriarch, holds a particular place in that family. He is defined by his power. He is the establishment, the system you're fighting against. He is the nepotism and the corruption, and he holds all the prestige that makes taking him down extremely difficult.

So von Karma holds a strategic place in the narrative as the literal and symbolic obstacle you must take down, but... when it comes to his motivations, we get nothing. We know, for a fact, that perfection is the most important thing to him. We know he was so shocked at receiving a penalty that he dissociated for at least five hours afterwards, and that plus the pain of a bullet in his shoulder was enough to drive him to kill a man. We know that he mentored Edgeworth, his enemy and murder victim's son. We know that fifteen years later, he framed Edgeworth for murder with the intention of falsely revealing Edgeworth as his father's killer, in a plot that was a significant risk to himself, and which ended up uncovering him as the true culprit the very day before he would have been free forever. Later on, we learn that he not only taught Edgeworth his work, but took him in and raised him, so that his daughter saw Edgeworth as a brother.

Put together, those aren't actions that are logical or make any sense. The whole thing is actually completely insane. And the game doesn't offer us the slightest explanation as to why he did them.

Most of the fandom runs on the idea that framing Edgeworth, presumably having him convicted for Hammond's murder, and compelling him into confessing to his father's murder afterwards was his plan from the very moment he decided to take Edgeworth in. That's not a groundless idea but it isn't actually canon. It's a theory that was formulated by Marvin Grossberg:

Maya: B-but how could von Karma know about Mr. Edgeworth's past like that? Even Mr. Edgeworth thought it was just a nightmare! Grossberg: Hmm... That, I do not know. Yet I do know that von Karma is both persistent... and a perfectionist. He may be seeking to satisfy a grudge against Gregory Edgeworth by hurting his son.

But von Karma himself gives us nothing.

Phoenix: Why did you take his son under your wing afterwards? The son of your most bitter rival? Karma: ... That, my dear attorney, is none of your business.

So it could be Grossberg was right and this really was a fifteen-year-old revenge plot in the making. It could also be that von Karma, a father himself, felt enough guilt at the thought that his impulsive crime had orphaned this kid that he decided he should take him in. Equally, there is the possibility he realised the third person in the elevator that day was a potential witness of his crime, and that he took Miles in to surveil and control him. Or it could be yet another thing - the point is, we do not know. The game gives us nothing.

(The theory I chose to explore in Ananke is a mix of several things: that it started with good intentions, then as he realised Miles was a potential witness, hatred and paranoia grew in him until they spiralled into framing him for murder as a desperate attempt to erase him from his life. But there are many possibilities.)

In fact, except for Edgeworth and Franziska's clear admiration of their mentor and father, the main games also don't give us anything about their dynamic with him. Edgeworth and he never interact directly in Turnabout Goodbyes, unless you count von Karma's breakdown, and after that he is in prison. Franziska first appears in the story after he's been locked up. To see them interact, we need to turn towards other media. There are little bits and pieces in interviews and official manga but the main media featuring them are two: Ace Attorney Investigations, the spin-off game starring Miles Edgeworth, and one episode of the Ace Attorney anime, Sound the Turnabout Melody.

And what's interesting is that von Karma's characterisation in those two pieces of media is at first glance completely different. It is my theory that this is the reason for this insane controversy around the character's parenting skills. They're not contradictory, as such, but it definitely takes some brain power in order to reconcile the two - and as such it opens wider possibilities of interpretation.

(Spoilers ahead for both cases.)

In Turnabout Reminiscence, the fourth case of Ace Attorney Investigations and a flashback case from Edgeworth's early career, von Karma acts as the main source of exposition. Edgeworth has just been assigned the very first case of his career by way of hasty reassignment after the previous prosecutor was compromised, and von Karma quizzes him to make sure he knows the facts of the case perfectly. Then of course, shenanigans happen, and by shenanigans I mean murder because this is Ace Attorney. Edgeworth investigates, he is joined by Franziska, and the case progresses.

Mostly, von Karma acts in a rather neutral way. He prompts Edgeworth into giving information, praises him when the information is correct, completes his information with some of his own, all peppered with various "Hmph!"s and "Bah!"s and other expressions of contempt, with a few quips full of dramatic irony here and there ("Criminals have a way of incriminating themselves, don't they?") and many, many demands for perfection - as well as internal oaths from Edgeworth to uphold it, bless him. He dismisses Franziska when she asks him if he will come to see her court debut ("... I'll consider it") and calls Edgeworth worthless when Edgeworth asks to do something Manfred isn't keen on seeing him do. In fact the whole exchange is pretty interesting in terms of the dynamic between the three of them:

Edgeworth: ...Sir, if I may, please allow me to continue with my investigation. Manfred: Whatever for? Edgeworth: I know that there is already a suspect in the murder of Mr. Faraday and Mr. Rell... ...however, there is not enough evidence to prove that it was he who committed the crime. I'd like to continue investigating in order to find the perfect proof of his guilt. Manfred: The perfect proof? Don't make me laugh! A worthless person like you has no right to claim such a thing as perfection! Edgeworth: .................. Franziska: .........Umm, Papa? Who do you think is the real culprit behind these murders? Manfred: .................. Franziska: Miles and I, we're competing to see who can find the real killer first. Plus, being able to investigate a real crime scene is a really rare opportunity. It would give us some real-life experience, wouldn't you agree? Manfred: ...Hmph! If you want to investigate this case that much, then do as you wish. Edgeworth: Then, you're allowing us to continue...? Manfred: In court, your top priority is to win, and a solid investigation is one of the keys to winning. We have to make sure you become recognized as a first-rate prosecutor, don't we? .........It wouldn't be very interesting otherwise.

To be noted that on that last line, Manfred is smirking.

While there are several reasons why he could be saying that, the smirk specifically, to me, establishes it firmly as a reference to his plan to frame Edgeworth for the murder of Robert Hammond in Turnabout Goodbyes.

All in all, his characterisation here is pretty much in line from what we saw of him in Turnabout Goodbyes and what we could infer from Franziska's words in Justice for All - in all his Sunday cartoon villain glory. But since this is a completely different case, his motivations for either taking Edgeworth in or framing him for murder are still a complete mystery.

Now let's turn to the anime. Surprisingly, it is an entirely different beast.

The sixth episode of the second season, Sound the Turnabout Melody, is a flashback case from when Miles was twelve years old. The anime is the first media that actually establishes that Edgeworth grew up in the von Karma household, as opposed to being merely von Karma's student and Franziska's (somewhat one-sided) rival. Miles is still struggling with the grief and trauma of his father's death, waking up from his nightmare alone and crying in a huge bed under a high ceiling. Franziska is desperate to cheer him up and make him smile. She convinces her father to take them to see one of their trials, then they go to the mall to have pancakes. During the outing, Miles's dog gets lost. There are shenanigans (murder-free this time) involving another lost dog, reward money and a radio message from Phoenix, after which Edgeworth corners a woman trying to steal the other lost dog for the reward money while von Karma is watching his budding prosecutorial skills from the corner. At the end of the episode von Karma cancels the orphanage application he'd been filing for Miles, ties a cravat around his neck, and Miles gives a bright and wide smile for the first time in the episode at the sign of acceptance, which makes Franziska quietly happy in the corner in turn.

If, while reading this, you were imagining a charming "slice of life" story, a feel-good little piece that establishes dynamics and in which nothing truly bad happens... you would be right. The episode is centred on Miles, showing him as he adapts to his new life and starts to think about his path in life. DL-6 is, of course, alluded to, but only in passing: Miles has the nightmare, he is shown questioning whether he really wants to follow in Gregory's footsteps, von Karma mentions to him after his trial that "if only your father were my opponent, I would have enjoyed myself a little." A rather baffling statement, considering the entire reason Gregory can't be von Karma's opponent is that von Karma ensured that himself, but I digress. In fact von Karma is only there in the background, although he too undergoes an arc of sorts, from being in the process of sending Miles to an orphanage to deciding to let him stay with them. We do, however, get a glimpse of his thoughts for the first time:

Von Karma: I didn't know myself why I decided to adopt that boy three years ago. But I think I caught a glimpse of the reason why today. It wasn't out of guilt. I simply wanted to see what path the pain I had taken on would take. That is my karma.

This is the translation of the subtitles, but the dubbed version is a little different:

I wanted to see where the path of pain would lead us, and how it would eventually develop. Karma has a strange way of showing itself...

What this actually means is quite mysterious, but fascinating. What does he mean by "the path of pain/the path the pain I had taken on would take?" Why is that his karma, if guilt didn't spur him to act? The words ask more questions than they answer.

All in all, factually it doesn't contradict anything previously established. Von Karma lies to the journalists about the fact that his win record doesn't matter to him, only bringing criminals to justice, because again if that had been the truth he would never have killed Gregory Edgeworth, but for the rest, it is all pretty consistent with the games.

But the gentle tone of the episode, especially if you're coming fresh off of "you and your father are my curse," is jarring. There are different ways to reconcile that. First of all, neither the anime nor Ace Attorney: Investigations are the mainline game series, and as far as I know the writing team of the main game series worked on neither of those two things, which probably explains the discrepancies. The canon status of the anime especially is arguable. Secondly, both of those pieces of media have their ambiguities. When it comes to the anime, a friend over Discord told me that to them it read like "the honeymoon phase in an abusive cycle," with as evidence the pointed comments about Miles's father which can be read as derisive and willfully undermining, Miles's overall downcast attitude around the von Karmas, and some "noose imagery" in the scene where von Karma ties the cravat around his neck.

That interpretation, of course, is only that; it is in no way canon. In fact, you could absolutely make the opposite case of taking the cute, heartwarming tone of the anime at face value, and arguing that it is in the Investigations case that the tonal dissonance resides. I don't have a source for this except the hearsay of Japanese-speaking friends, but the Japanese word which was translated into "worthless" in AAI would apparently be less harsh in the original version, being closer to meaning "amateur," or “a person without experience.” (It is to be reminded that in Turnabout Goodbyes, von Karma called Edgeworth “an amateur and a romanticist” when talking about him with Phoenix, so that could absolutely be a reference to his characterisation in that case.) And aside from that line, von Karma's behaviour towards Miles is overall neutral.

Those are the two most extreme interpretations, but naturally there are many ways in-between to read those two pieces of media. My point is that the range of the characterisation is actually very wide. Various manga, interviews, promotional material travel in that gap: between victory family karaoke sessions on the tune of My Way, joke strips where Phoenix manages to make von Karma burst into tears by mentioning his daughter leaving the nest, and Edgeworth being roped by his mentor into being a chauffeur for an impromptu shopping trip on his day off, the different insights into the creators' imagined dynamics of the family do not help paint a more cohesive image.

And we still have no answer regarding his motivations.

What we do have is the perspective of his wards on how he shaped them into who they are today. His influence on them is felt even years after his downfall, something they aren't shy about; but they aren't exactly open about their feelings about him, either.

It's obvious for Franziska, of course, whose mentions of the von Karma name in Justice for All might as well be a drinking game. Interestingly, though, when it comes to her feelings for her father himself, she is remarkably guarded.

Maya: Why do you keep giving Nick the evil eye!? It doesn't matter if you prove the defendant guilty tomorrow... Nothing will be able to bring your dad back! von Karma: ... My... Dad? You must mean the esteemed Manfred von Karma. Maya: Of course! Your dad! I know you miss him... von Karma: Enough out of you... One more word and you'll get a mouthful of whip. Now. When did I ever bring up my papa's name in this, or any other conversation...?

It's only to Edgeworth that she confesses about how much her family legacy weighs on her in the post-credits scene of the same case.

von Karma: Shut up! You don't understand a thing! You can't possibly understand what it means to be "Manfred von Karma's daughter"! Edgeworth: Franziska... von Karma: So many expectations from everyone around me... Expectations I must fulfill! I'm expected to win no matter what. And failure? Such a thing is not an option for me! My father was a genius. There's no doubt about that! But... But me... I'm no genius. I've always known that. Edgeworth: ... von Karma: But I... I had to be one. I had to.

(Franziska beloved. You became a criminal prosecutor at 13 years old. Kindly shut up about not being a genius <3)

In contrast, this is what she has to say about being the daughter of Manfred von Karma in Bridge to the Turnabout:

Judge: V-Von Karma, you say…? Perchance, you wouldn't be of any relation to the legendary prosecutor Manfred von Karma? von Karma: … Legends are a thing of the past. I am a Von Karma. That is all.

And then she also has a few lines about it in Ace Attorney Investigations 2. The lines are ostensibly about another character's struggle, but you know they refer to her own.

From The Forgotten Turnabout:

Franziska: However... one must be able to accept the mistakes of their father... ...no matter how much they may look up to him...

And from The Grand Turnabout:

Franziska: "Going up against your own father..." It won't be easy.

Regarding Edgeworth, he is about as quiet about it. He briefly says this upon his return in Farewell, My Turnabout:

Edgeworth: A lot of things may have happened, however Manfred von Karma was still my mentor. And a "perfect win record" is proof of a Von Karma.

He also has this conversation with Ernest Amano in The Kidnapped Turnabout:

Ernest: Ah... Seeing that badge reminds me of Manfred. Now HE was one fine prosecutor, the best of the best. Edgeworth: ...Yes, I can't disagree with you there. Ernest: Hmm... I sense that you don't really want to talk about him. Edgeworth: How I feel about him... It's hard for me to be truthful about that with another person. Ernest: Your hard countenance... I don't know what you're thinking or feeling... ...but mark my words, I think you are Manfred's true successor. I really do. Edgeworth: ..................

When it comes to Edgeworth and his complicated double legacy especially, I really really recommend this post by lorillee, a long meta piece on that specific topic in Ace Attorney: Investigations 2 which gave me a lot of food for thought.

What we see here in this whole load of quotes is that Miles and Franziska have slightly different, yet still very similar ways to talk about about Manfred. Both of them readily admit to his skill as a prosecutor and don't shy away from the way he influenced them. However they also do not open up at all when it comes to their actual feelings about him. Edgeworth puts that reluctance into words in his own thoughts; we unfortunately aren't privy to Franziska's, but the way she outright refuses to talk about her experience, unless it is a snide reference made about another's struggle, makes it clear she is in the same situation.

I don't really have any clever observation to wrap up this already much too long post. But it is really interesting to me how deep an influence on the narrative this character has, despite a limited amount of appearances in the series and practically non-existent insight into his own motivations. Miles's and Franziska's perspectives on him are a fascinating exploration of the themes of family, of legacy, of how even the worst betrayal by the most awful criminal doesn't cut their influence away from you; how even gods of prosecution remain, in the end, human, and keep a very human place in the life of the people close to them.

#Ace Attorney #Manfred von Karma #Miles Edgeworth #Franziska von Karma #meta #perfection is the norm #phew that stayed in the draftbox a loooong time #ugh. I give up on the formatting #Aza talks too much #(seriously this is so wordy)

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gogtopia · 2 years

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Sorry I know that your post is more about like lore in dsmp and I’m not up to date on past stuff but as a Tina viewer whenever she’s in kinoko she’s decorating her house or the B and B and karl and foolish inevitably log on to hang out it feels alive when she’s there when she was prepping for mcc they sparred in the dojo so to me it feels like kinoko is alive and not at all empty recently to me las nevadas feels much more like a facade and a ghost town we only ever see people there during quackitys lore streams and most of residents beside quackity don’t live there in canon and we rarely even see quackity actually living there

i am a fellow tina viewer that’s why i put the line about tina being the livelihood of it. i think c!tina is the only person who treats kinoko as a proper home and i largely attribute that to it being the only home that she knows here. since she’s new, she’s oblivious to its secrets. she didn’t know karl before he started time travelling or george before he got lost in sleep and apathy or sapnap before he was consumed with trying to hold everything together. this is her normal. i didn’t get into it in the other post that much but i also think that, in some ways, kinoko, las nevadas, and snowchester all were to some extent created with the vision of l’manburg but none of them could achieve it and i think that’s probably discouraging to their founders. tina is reviving kinoko because she still has the privilege of positivity (and hopefully will be able to remain that way but you know) but that doesn’t change how sapnap and karl are keeping secrets and george wakes up halfway across the server more often than not. most of kinoko is drawing further and further apart and tina is thriving in the eye of the storm. i think kinoko is poised to fall apart at some point, whether it be during quackity’s stream, with the new map, or just the idea of the place somewhere down the line, and i seriously hope that it doesn’t tear down tina with it

#or if it does change her and we get more content out of it. tbh i wouldnt mind LOL #ik i got wordy but well i love all of these characters #dsmp #tinakitten #tina #my meta #answered #anonymous

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something-about-sunflowers · 2 years

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I just KEEP seeing the take that Stede happily burned down a ship while being upset to hear Ed did the same and. Yall. Besties.

Thats not what happened.

We'll start at the beginning I guess?

Stede has no actual problem with killing. He doesn't. He has a trauma response to the crew's excessive violence because it calls back to his father insisting he was weak for not wanting to watch (or participate in?) him butchering small animals. (More on Stede’s views on violence in a minute!)

When he kills Badminton (And he does. It's unintentional but his intentional actions directly result in Nigel's death. That's manslaughter at least and Stede is still at fault) his freak out is directly linked to the trauma he received as a child watching his father kill/butcher small animals. They juxtapose these scenes for a reason. And his being 'haunted' isn't even over the guilt of killing Nigel either! They say this! Explicitly! Textually! ('Do you feel badly that this man is dead?' 'No, I don't.') Stede is aware that he is responsible for the man's death and he doesn't feel bad about it. His guilt is over his abandoning his family, which Nigel brought up. Nigel brought up Stede’s past and his family and that is why Nigel is haunting Stede.

Now, as far as Stede’s views on violence? He doesn't actually mind it! It initially reminded him of his trauma from his father but we see later that this isn't the case as the show progresses. When they're learning how to raid his only comments are to 'Note the gusto!' and to point out how clever it is that they don't waste any potential riches (by way of pulling out a dead man's gold teeth). The next time we see him show any kind of reaction beyond 'fascinated glee' is when Ed is threatening someone (or ordering to have them skinned with a snail fork).

Now, there's A Lot to unpack with this. I certainly won't say my interpretation of this is going to be the 'right' one but this is how I see it:

1. His initial impression of Ed is that he's friendly, gentle even, and clever. These are the first instances of violence he's seeing from him and honestly? I think he's turned on by it and he's trying to come to terms with that since it's not something he's experienced before. He's not horrified at Ed, he's horrified at himself. Again, he did not have these reactions to any of the rest of Ed's crew committing acts of violence, just Ed. Who he is attracted to.

2. This could potentially be read as me contradicting myself wrt my first point but I don't necessarily think they're mutually exclusive points: He is shocked that the man who told him he was 'thinking of packing it all in' and that this way of life was 'a bit of a grind' can still be capable of this much violent enthusiasm. He's trying to reconcile 'You ever feel trapped? Like you're just treading water, waiting to drown?' With 'Next one goes through your fuckin eyeball!' And 'Lash him to something very heavy and throw him overboard (. . .) skin him first, use the snail fork.' Especially when his own response to that same feeling was to shut down and to run away.

So. Stede doesn't actually have a problem with physical violence. He enjoys it, even. Especially when used in response to the kind of violence he'd see in his old world: passive aggression. He wanted to hurt Badminton. He enjoyed that moment right up until the sword went through his eye and he was reminded, again, of his trauma. He happily watches a ship full of people burn down because they hurt Ed with their violence. (And here we see Ed with a very similar expression to Stede’s when he was trying to reconcile with Ed's violence. It's not the act, it's who's doing it and why.) Stede isn't stupid, he knows he killed those people but he doesn't care because he enjoys violence and they deserved it.

(Sidenote, re: the snake: Both Stede and Lucius were disturbed by that because it was an incredible overreaction brought on by his growing frustration. It's kind of an outlier in all this.)

Now. Stede’s reaction to everything re: Calico Jack is, first and foremost, fueled by jealousy and an intense dislike of Jack as a person. His first introduction to the man is he and Ed carelessly destroying Stede’s things and, of the two, only Ed shows genuine remorse. Stede knows what fake remorse looks like and Calico Jack is not a subtle man by any means. Jack then continues to insult him, passive aggressively, 'real pirates, not like these store bought types' while looking directly at Stede, again, not a subtle man. Stede responds in kind because he is picking up what Jack is laying down, his own brand of violence.

They then go on to enjoy violence directed at small animals. Stede doesn't have a trauma response to this but he's obviously uncomfortable because they are small animals. (He does take issue with violence where he views it as 'undeserved', small animals, children, etc) He doesn't freak out though, he removes himself from the situation and when prompted gives an explanation it's 'just mean'. When he tells Ed 'I don't like who you are around this guy' it's because Ed isn't mean but when he's with Jack he enables and engages in Jack being mean.

So. Stede doesn't like Jack, doesn't like his brand of violence because it's mean.

Stede still has no problem with his or Ed’s brand of violence. His reaction to Jack's story of Ed burning down a ship is because he thinks one of them is lying. His tone when he says 'I thought you'd given up the killing' isn't shock at a violent act it's 'did you lie to me?' He doesn't like or trust Jack and so he is asking Ed to explain or refute it. And Ed does explain. And Stede drops it.

Ed gives an explanation that tells Stede he didn't lie to him (He told him he hasn't killed 'directly' since the first time, and again, Stede isn't stupid, he'd understand that Ed would have a looser definition of 'directly than he does) and Stede accepts it. He also sees Ed is uncomfortable with the conversation and instead of pressing the issue he let's it go when he gets the explanation he needs.

Stede is indeed a bizarre little man but he's really not as much of a contradiction as people would like to think.

#the dork is being a dork #ofmd #our flag means death #stede bonnet #meta #i guess lmao #i think ive made a similar post to this before but i honestly cant be assed to check lmao #and i KNOW i wasnt as formal? thorough? wordy? as i was here so 🤷 lol #anyway stede has the eyes of a mad man because he IS one #he 'kind of liked' threatening izzy lmao

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zeravmeta · 1 year

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the fact that the reason why the remaining colossus had extremely advanced ai and sentience was not because of any ancient technological breakthrough but because the last caelestites who rebelled against their race had hid themselves underground with orders to await the day they could once again fly and among them was a little girl who for years did nothing but speak to them as everyone else around her died of old age up until those machines of war gained hearts and names of their own and learned to create art and gained the ability to dream as a way to remember their navigators who slowly died inside them and that for an unfathomably long time laid dormant underground but still carried the hopes and wishes of their navigators for the day that they could fly not as machines of war but as freely and beautifully as they wished

and that soroz an impossibly long time later in the future despite having long forgotten those memories of everything but his name continued the tradition and dreamed of flying freely in the sky and much in the same way as he was raised by a child and taught to love the world also inspired a love of the world in navi and named him as his own because even if soroz had no hope for his own survival his one wish was for navi to one day see the sky and its beauty

#ALCHEMY STARS....GOOD #alchemy stars #zerav meta #ONCE AGAIN. AS MAY NOT BE AS WORDY OR WELL ORGANIZED AS OTHER STORY GACHAS BUT HOT FUCKING DAMN CAN IT HAVE HANDS

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rekishi-aka · 1 year

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Between a rock and a hard place: Adam had no choice, because Leo didn't leave him any

Probably not exactly a hot take, and actually a copy from my DW post the other day. Also, the original post has pictures, but because tumblr doesn't support any proper HTML, I had to skip the majority of them. Which is annoying me.

I think the whole mess is not Adam's fault alone, I actually think Leo has a significant part in it as well. I can't actually blame him, because he's so obviously in love and thought he was so close to getting what he wanted that he probably steamrolled Adam a bit. But Leo, for all that I get him and love him, is very much not blameless here.

Adam has one major raison d'être: Protect Leo. This is his one "this, you protect" thing ever. That was true in the school yard and this is also now true in adulthood with the whole money disaster. Adam wants to keep Leo out of the business with Boris and the money, because this is the best way to protect Leo. That's not exactly a news, this has been true since "Das fleißige Lieschen".

When Leo says, "I sleep better when I know nothing will happen to you", then Adam could have simply said that the same was true for him. He didn't, because Adam represses with the best of them (as you do).

(Rest under the cut, warning it's long an convoluted)

Anyway, between DfL and HdW, Leo didn't really have opportunity to catch some air. There was always something, first Adam comes back out of the blue with exactly no warning that he's still alive or about to become Leo's new partner (which he must have known), then he learns Adam's father has woken up again and the whole angst spiral starts over again. My guess is also that Adam wasn't exactly a happy guy in those two months between the episodes, because he was keeping secrets and had to deal with the emotional fallout of Roland being awake again.

I'm mostly willing to cut Adam slack about that, because he is protective of Leo and had the misguided notion of wanting to fix it himself, but Leo must have been confused. First Adam comes back and downright smoulders at him…and then he probably ran cold, suddenly. Leo is willing to forgive that for the most part because he has Adam back and looking that gift horse in the mouth will probably end with tears. So he doesn't. He should but he doesn't.

After HdW, however, that secret is very well out of the way and they obviously have some time to get used to each other again. The team gels better - probably because with Adam there, who will always have his back, Leo finally has some time to think about what he wants and how he wants to do it and Pia is willing to give the whole thing a go, so Esther is as well. They're so happy and relaxed at the beginning of HdS, flirting like they're about to go home with each other (they might have, had things not happened), it's a joy to see! It's a very bitter moment of what was and what could have been.

After HdS, Adam has more secrets, but all of Leo's secrets and guilt and tragedy has been aired out and gotten out of the way. Yes, he did put Roland in a coma, but he also did that to protect Adam. Really tragic is, I always thought that they could have just said what happened…but after KdE we also know that no one would have believed them. Leo should probably have paid more attention at uni when that topic was on the table, but he probably never thought that was about him - because that's the kind of guy Leo is.

But Leo has no more secrets. And he doesn't want any more secrets. Since DfL, he's always been in some kind of bind and all of that is just gone. And Leo can finally allow himself to actually love Adam the way he wants to.

And I think Leo just said fuck it and doesn't stop to think what that does to Adam. I don't think there was an actual love confession that used the words "I love you" or a variation thereof, but I that whole "I would go to the end of the world with you" wasn't new to Adam. Leo has said that before, in that way or in similar guise and sure, and he's very clearly loved on Adam. Maybe a bit awkwardly, because I don't think Leo is the super expert in relationships either, but I don't think he's been hiding his feelings anymore. He's way too expressive in KdE, he opens the door for Adam way too often, he wants he wants he wants.

Adam, on the other hand, doesn't do emotions - not in the Robert Karow school of thought though; Adam is very aware that they exist and that he has them but he hates it. At best he's rusty at them, at worst he's scared of feeling more than shallowly - scratching a sexual itch isn't the same as feeling something for anyone - because it makes him vulnerable. I don't believe Adam has any kind of relationship experience despite picking up strays and his experience with being loved by anyone (except Leo) is to be hurt. So he panics. And shuts down.

And Leo, who knows enough about Boris and the money and Roland to draw conclusions but not enough to see the whole picture, thinks if he just shows it enough, if he just keeps going and shows Adam how much he loves him, Adam will see it and accept it. Steter Tropfen höhlt den Stein. But he gets restless the more Adam fudges and lies and won't open his mouth, because Leo thinks if he can just fix this problem, he can fix Adam and then they will be happy. Unfortunately, that's not how life works and the whole things leads to the mess at the hospital. Because Leo goes after him again and again and is being shut down until finally, he leaves.

Adam, who knows everything and also knows that Leo loves him, finally has the opportunity to protect Leo from himself and from Adam's whole mess. Because the cut-off finger's of his attacker scared him shitless. So did the realization that, apparently, he's the heir to a crime family, but the fingers really showed him how this ripples out. He knows he's too deep into this mess, and finally when Leo steps up to him and says, "I would go to the end of the world with you but not this way", he knows the way to make Leo go away for good and protect him is to walk that path alone (single-plank bridge, anyone?). Because better Leo emotionally hurt than Leo dead for his association with Adam. Because Adam is a self-sacrificing idiot, but he also wants to save Leo from his own choices; he inserted himself way too deeply into the shitshow that is Adam's life (the couch crashing, going to see Boris, trying to get it out of Adam, etc). He doesn't want to, it hurts him a lot, but he needs to get Leo off this track. He knows Leo well and he very deliberately pushes him over the edge; he sticks in the knife and twists it, basically.

Look at it (static pics at the DW post):

And with Leo also physically shoving him (big, big no go with Adam, srsly Leo have you learned nothing), he finally has the momentum to shoot back.

He isn't enjoying hurting Leo, but he finally manages, because this is Leo after Adam leaves:

(It's lucky Vladimir is a good actor, they both are, or this could have ended up being ridiculous)

This is Adam's last ditch effort. After he pushes Leo so far away that he can't even be sure they'll even still be able to work together, he makes a last ditch effort to get rid of the money by threatening Manuela with 'finding' it at the Heimatschänke. But that goes sideways and Adam learns too much about a past he never wanted and…well.

And still Leo isn't really done with him, because we have this image from the last scene:

This is not a man who is done with his friend. And well, neither is Adam, really (because all things being equal, he will forgive Leo most things which...is a whole different can of warm I don't want to go into here).

Leo, meanwhile, knew Adam had the money. He also knew it was in the gym bag, because he tries to get into Adam's locked desk for confirmation. If Leo had gotten that then or at any other point, this would have been salvageable. But the confirmation after the fight with Alina was just too much for him to take.

And the thing is, this was more or less inevitable. Both of them assume too much about the other and talk too little about their own shit. carmenta and I discussed back in summer or early fall already that the only way they could make it work was if they learned to talk. However, that was unlikely enough that the only way it might work was if they got together, crashed and burned the relationship, and then there was some sort of tearful kissing in the rain in the middle of the night. (With a boom box preferably, but I'm old fashioned.)

I'm actually more surprised that they managed to do that before they even have a relationship, that has to be some sort of record. But ideally they'll get this out of the way and then can start again. Dramaturgically, this is really well done, I approve even if it hurts me in my feels.

Bottom line: Adam (thought he) had no choice, because Leo didn't leave him any. This doesn't make anyone the villain in this scenario, but it also doesn't mean anyone is blameless here.

Also, they both need a hug.

#tatort saarbrücken #leo hölzer #adam schürk #wordy #it's basically a thesis #die kälte der erde #meta

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