#because all of those themes/concepts are going to come up in her narrative and i cannot understate that trigger content.

[eclipsecrowned]

sees the 'dead dove do not eat' discourse return. raises my glass to those brave souls arguing for its proper use.

[invinciblerodent]

This is going to be very ranty and disjointed, probably borderline incomprehensible post, but with the "return" of Dragon Age Discourse (and really, did it ever go anywhere?) and me repeatedly seeing the complaints and dismissals of DA:I as a "chosen one"-type of a narrative, I just.... I keep finding myself thinking about the relationship of truth and lies within the game.

Throughout the course of DA:I, the idea of a malleable, flexible personal identity, and a painful confrontation with an uncomfortable truth replacing a soothing falsehood, follows pretty much every character throughout their respective arcs.

There are some more obvious ones, Solas, Blackwall, The Iron Bull, their identities and deceptions (of both those around them and themselves) are clearly front and center in the stories told about them, but this theme of deception (both of the self- and the outside world) is clearly present in the stories of the others as well.

Like, for example, ones that come immediately to mind are stories like that of Cullen, who presents an image of a composed and disciplined military man, a commander- all to hide the desperate and traumatized addict that he sees himself as.

Dorian grappled with the expectations of presenting the image of the perfect heir to his father's legacy, the prideful scion of his house, his entire life (he even introduces himself as the result of "careful breeding", like one might speak about a prized horse)- all while knowing that his family would rather see him lobotomized and obedient, than anything even just resembling his vibrant and passionate self.

Cassandra calls herself a Seeker of Truth, and takes pride in that identity- only to learn that in reality, she has been made a liar, a keeper of secrets, without her knowledge or consent, and it is up to her to either uproot the entire organization and painfully cut out the abscess it is to build it back from the ground up into something respectable, or let the information she had revealed sit, and continue to fester.

And this theme continues and reframes itself in, among others, things like Sera's own inner conflict between her elven heritage and her human upbringing, or in Cole being caught in this unconscionable space in-between human and spirit, between person and concept, etc.

The Inquisitor isn't exempt from this either.

I feel like this is where the core of the many misunderstandings of this plot come from, why so many people continue to believe that Inquisition is a "chosen one" or "divinely appointed" type of story, because I think many might just... not realize, that the protagonist's identity is also malleable, and what they are told in the setup/first act of the game is not necessarily the truth.

The tale of the Inquisitor is the exact opposite of that of a "chosen one" story: it's an examination and reflection of the trope, in that it is the story of an assumption that all wrongly believe to be the truth, and thrust upon you, even if you protest. The very point is that no matter who you choose to say that you are, you will be known as the Herald of a prophet you don't even necessarily believe in, and then that belief will be proven wrong, leaving you to cope with either a devastating disappointment if you believed it, or a bitter kind of vindication if you didn't.

There's a moment just after Here Lies the Abyss (when you learn of the lie you've been fed your entire journey in the game) that I don't often see mentioned, but I think it's one of the most emotionally impactful character moments, if you are playing an Andrastian Inquisitor who had actually believed themselves chosen (which I realize is a rather unpopular pick, lol): it's when Ser Ruth, a Grey Warden, realizes what she had done and is horrified by her own deeds, and turns herself in asking to be tried for the murder of another of her order. As far as she is concerned, she had spilled blood for power, and regardless of whether she was acting of her own volition at the time, whether she had agency in the moment, is irrelevant to her: she seeks no absolution, but willingly submits to any punishment you see fit.

And only if you play as an Inquisitor who, through prior dialogue choices, had established themselves as a devout Andrastian, can you offer her forgiveness, for a deed that was objectively not her fault- not really.

You can, in Andraste's name, forgive her- even though you, at that point, know that you have no real right to do so. That you're not Andraste's Herald, that Andraste may or may not even exist, and that you can't grant anyone "divine forgiveness", because you, yourself, don't have a drop of divinity within you. You know that you were no more than an unlucky idiot who stumbled their way into meddling with forces beyond their ken.

You know you're a fraud. You know. The game forces you to realize, as it slowly drip-drip-drips the memories knocked loose by the blast back into your head, that what all have been telling you that you are up to this point, is false. And yet, you can still choose to keep up the lie, and tell this woman who stands in front of you with blood on her hands and tears in her eyes, that you, with authority you don't have, grant her forgiveness for a crime that wasn't hers to commit.

Because it's the right thing to do. Because to lie to Ser Ruth is far kinder than anything else you could possibly do to her, short of refusing to make a decision altogether.

There are any number of criticisms of this game that I can accept (I may or may not agree depending on what it is, but I'm from the school of thought that any interpretation can be equally valid as long as there's text that supports it, and no text that contradicts it), but I will always continue to uphold that the Inquisitor is absolutely not- and never was a "chosen one".

They're just as small, and sad, and lost, as all the other protagonists- the only difference is that they didn't need to fight for their mantle, because instead of a symbol of honor, it acted as a straitjacket.

[lucabyte]

obligatory ramble about postcanon loop ask

also your art is amazing

Hiiiiiiiii :D thank you :)!!

and thank you for the excuse to post the. just absolute wall of text that i truncated down to form the tags of that post. (i did,,, hit the tag limit. i forgot tumblr had one of those...) so let me just paste that and tidy it up a bit...

I am putting this under a readmore because it's a bit long. but:

This is like. The General Context for all* of my postcanon doodles? (Except AUs obviously) Like this is the base idea I've been drawing them all in. So, feel free to backread with this in mind. I've basically had this 'postcanon' timeline set in my brain since finishing the game...

My general thoughts are that I like the idea of Loop (even if through dubiously ethical means) being able to slowly reintegrate with the party as a whole new person, because they are, in fact, their own person.

It's a muddle of thematic threads im pulling on and "wouldn't it be fucked up if", but. (at its core, it's powered by the fact that like, while narratively isat's theme of 'the only person who can truly take the first step to help you is yourself'. (wrt: loop helping the party help siffrin in act 5) which i LOVE AND IS GREAT NARRATIVELY…. would be super fucked up irl to learn that your friend 'learned as a lesson' while you stood by kinda uselessly. I know i'd be upset about it. but thats mostly background here. doesn't really come up. at least not until loop has to explain who they are and the party realises they had to fall back on literally themselves again for help, but i digress,)

The real core concept is: Occam's razor. It is like, inherently, a buckwild thing to accuse a person of being somehow a clone or copy of your friend. Even if they start vaguely alluding to a backstory it's far more likely they were some other person before all that. (I still think Odile has that theory in the back pocket but she's rational enough to know it's a really long shot without a solid explanation. and i think Loop deep down knows this, and would, if cornered into confessing, turn the situation around to go J'ACCUSE and make HER explain it instead. Ever longer dodging being direct with their emotions...)

And the party are nice! And if someone has changed and wants to keep stuff secret it's kind of not their business? (Though it's hard not to speculate… see: the main joke of the doodles) And they seem important to Siffrin so they just try to accept them abrasive quirks and all. And eventually the question of their prior identity just fades away since, well, they're Loop. Their friend Loop.

but yeah. personal headcanon is that a few months/weeks after picking up and getting aquainted with Nille** (since that was presumably the IMMEDIATE TASK postgame), Loop reappears (either after a literal period of nonexistance, or just spending a few months wandering the french countryside alone being attacked by wild dogs). Since Siffrin has had a while to be therapised by the party they're doing mostly okay, but Loop showing up and still being agitated/aggressive pulls them both into a bit of a backslide behaviourally and puts the party on the back foot again.

Hooowever, I do think that due to no longer being literally stewing in the worst pressure cooker of all time together, the two do mostly actually sort themselves out with productive conversation. (Via a cycle of: genuinely distressing argument -> weeeird lovebombing -> ok we're good -> repeat, that gets less intense over time)

Thus, allowing the party to just. Integrate loop as a new person. They and Siffrin shuffle into different ecological niches (Loop taking over stuff Siffrin is now too squeamish for, etc (see: hunting, mostly)), and while it's not exactly what Loop wanted they generally get that beggars can't be choosers and it's a pretty good deal. And the rest of the party does straight up just like them as a friend, especially when Loop quits trying to actively antagonise them after a few weeks of being around them, since they just can't keep up being mean to people they like forever.

As for how I think the truth eventually drags itself out. This is where I invoke The Isabeau Torment Nexus™. So its gonna get shippy here for a bit hold on.

Which is, I think giving them time before Loop reappears long enough that Siffrin and Iseabeau actually manage to become established, Isabeau has to be the one to nudge the pair of them and go. "Hey. You know we're in Vaugarde right. I'm okay with polyamory if we all communicate." Before Loop and Siffrin actually even acknowledge that whatever the fuck they have going on kinda looks a lot like a relationship of some kind. (or have already been agonising about that via fighting and arguing, depending) (Obviously this comes after Isa "Emotionally intelligent enough to keep a lid on the jealousy" Beau has managed to use that big brain of his to Not just go Scream somewhere on the daily because oh godddd they keep talking like theyre suicide-baiting each other jesus chriiist. is it overstepping his boundaries to bring that up?? god)

This, taking a bunch of the tension out of Loop and Isabeau's relationship (Since I imagine Loop is a. being weird for the obvious reasons and b. feeling kinda guilty about 'getting in the way of' Siffrin and Iseabeau), allows them to actually get close in a normal friend way. (I think an interesting turning point could be Isabeau actually taking Loop's side in an argument vs Siffrin, which would absolutely break Loop's brain. Especially if it's an argument that matters. Like what do you mean he isn't just going to play favourites. What?)

Then Isabeau, just actually open minded and charmed by Loop (and maybe even somewhat at Siffrin's suggestion?) tries to close the final open side on the polyamory triangle here and that's the final straw for Loop on "This lie by omission is too unethical to keep up, this is just actually sick and wrong. I can't do this while he doesn't know who I am." Though. Obviously it probably goes. Very poorly with emotions high like that. And the added element of several months of deceit. Getting dark here for a second but that dagger is going MISSING and so are THEY for a hot minute.

Then yaaay everything works out in the end 👍 yippieee!! all it took was maybe a lot of harrowed recontextualisation of all the weird shit your new friend said and did when it turns out they're your old friend. It's fine.

But yeah. this is basically the context all of my postcanon doodles have existed within? And those exist to give other people something to chew on. So this does too.

I suppose TL;DR: Imagine if sloopis almost fucking happens before isabeau knows who loop is. can you fucking imagine. can you imagine having to navigate that. nightmare.

*Yes this includes the implied cannibalism comic. Uhh. Comes part and parcel with headcanoning that Loop went way off the deep end similar to A5 Sif But Maybe Worse before giving in. Add weepy half-asleep confessions to murder wherever you see fit in your mind palace. 👍👍👍

**Re: Nille footnote. I don't have anywhere to put this besides here! I have some thoughts on Loop and Nille having an odd dynamic. I don't imagine Nille to be super gung-ho on trusting a bunch of adults (even if they are majority around her age) given their implied backstory. It's probably a big shock to the system, especially since Bambouche is a good couple hundred Kilometers up north from Dormont and these guys don't seem to have trains. She would've been unfrozen and without Bonnie for some time....

Which is to say: I think she's suspicious of them. I think she may be looking for excuses to distance herself, keep Bonnie safe. SO.... A new guy showing up? And antagonising the party? What do they know that I don't...? I should find out.

And since... Loop didn't ever know Nille, they have no ammunition or real reason to be cruel. Plus, if they're trying to stay on Bonnie's good side (SINCE... if Bonnie thought Loop was cringe they may as well kill themselves. In their mind.) they SUPER have no reason to antagonise Nille.

Mostly, they might be able to open up to each other easier than they can the rest of the party?

I feel like this resolves with Loop feeling compelled to apologise for what they and Siffrin let happen to Bonnie, though... Hmm... Depends on how you interpret Nille that they'd be glad nobody else had been told about that yet, or furious it had been secret this long. I lean toward the former.

[fushiglow]

glo! if you had to keep only one stsg fic for the apocalypse which one would it be?

Well, anon, the fic I would have chosen has unfortunately been removed by the author. I'm devastated, but an author's agency over their own work always comes first and foremost for me (I have controversial opinions about this, I think!). Since I can't share one fic, why not share a bunch of SatoSugu fic recs instead?

—

idolatry - pellucids

This is a fic I will keep screaming about until more people show it the love it deserves. If I could only read one E-rated SatoSugu fic for the rest of my life, I'd probably choose this one! Not only is the writing absolutely beautiful — poetic and evocative and right up my street — but the author's grasp on these characters is perfect to me.

For me, this fic is evidence that it's possible to explore depictions of gender and sexuality in nuanced and thoughtful ways while keeping characters recognisable to their canon counterparts, which is something I really value in a fanfic. I think the highest praise I can give this fic is that it feels like gender euphoria to me.

—

Born to Die - @detta-pica

I could talk at length about this fic, and I have in the comment section! Big, fat, long comments under each chapter — which speaks volumes all by itself.

You can see my thoughts in detail there, but in short, something I really enjoy about hermit's writing is that it's abundantly obvious that she has a strong grasp on the original material. Even in this really unique take on a vampire AU where there's always going to be a degree of give and take when it comes to characterisation and themes, hermit not only dissects those canon themes in a deeply satisfying way that feels true to the essence of the original work, but also sprinkles nods to the canon material into the text in simply delightful ways. As a writer, she's economical with her words in a way that's enviable to me, quite frankly!

If nothing else, read it because the fic is tagged "BAMF Geto Suguru". Suguru is unbearably cool in this, actually.

—

Crack My Ribs Open, I'll Show You My Heart - @alpha-hydra

You'll see the word "evocative" come up again and again in my descriptions of the fics I love. Perhaps this makes sense if you notice the things I focus on in my own writing, but it's something I look for in the fiction I read, too — immersive, descriptive writing that spirits you away to another world.

Alffy absolutely nails that here. They really engage all of the senses in this piece to paint a beautiful picture of the setting and the scenery. Plus, it's always delicious when a fic employs a non-linear narrative to great effect. I was dropped right into the middle of this story and instantly compelled. Ugh, I love this fic.

—

frostbitten - @neyasochi

This fic is still a work in progress, but it's already one of my favourites. Being familiar with sochi's writing already, I highly doubt the ending is going to change that. Once again, extremely evocative writing which means that, with the story taking place during a bitter winter, this one transports you away to a winter wonderland and feels magically cold to read.

I also think sochi's characterisation is just wonderful. Gojo is such a charming shit, and the name calling in this fic is delightful — "fussy little ingrate" and "bossy little peasant" are some of my favourites! Yes, it's light-hearted and fun, but there's a sizeable emotional kick to this story, with some really intense and intimate moments which sochi handles so well.

Lastly, the seasonal imagery and puppy Gojo vibes are all over this fic, so it'll come as no surprise to some of you that I'm enjoying it!

—

G.O.J.O. - yours_grubby

If you enjoyed Ex Machina, you'll enjoy this fic. It features all my favourite Gojo themes neatly bundled up into a unique AI concept that intrigued me immediately. The reason sci-fi settings are my favourite is because sci-fi is the perfect canvas for interrogating our humanity. I think many people are distracted by the technology and the sweeping world-building, but at their heart, sci-fi stories are almost always asking the question "what does it mean to be human?" in some form or another.

We make weapons out of humans, but what about when we make humans out of weapons? What does it say when our technological creations demonstrate more humanity than the humans that built them? Is it even possible for the human brain to construct a sentient artificial intelligence that won't ultimately be subject to the same unique pitfalls of the species that created it? To our unique strengths, too?

This fic had me asking all of these questions and thinking about humanity on a bigger scale. Stories that make me feel things, stories that make me question things, stories that appeal to my humanity — that's the good stuff.

—

That's all for now! The truth is, I don't read fanfic nearly as much as I used to, for a few different reasons. I am not ascribing any moral value to this statement (I can't believe I feel the need to make disclaimers like this these days), but the more time we spend in a world where Gege Akutami isn't actively developing the world and characters of Jujutsu Kaisen, the more I see fandom depictions departing from faithfulness to the original material in ways I don't personally enjoy. Related to that, I think I've also become much fussier as my preferences become more refined over time.

Plus, as many fanfic authors have said before me, reading time is writing time! For someone who published more words than are contained in the whole of The Fellowship of the Ring last year while working full time for an extremely under-resourced charity, that really doesn't leave much reading time unfortunately!

However, it means that the fics that do grab my attention tend to be absolute gems. I hope you and everyone else reading find something you enjoy in this post ♥

[zalrb]

Excited to hear your thoughts on when life gives you tangerines

Honestly, it's overwhelming to try and talk about it. I kind of wish I watched it in real time because it would've been easier to articulate my thoughts episode by episode. It is such a beautiful, meticulous drama, it's the type of drama that got me into kdramas, it's the type of show that inspires me to write.

There are so many themes in this drama to choose from: patriarchy, classism, intergenerational cycles, romantic love, familial love, parental relationships, politics, karma, community, education, coming-of-age and the fact that you're in a constant state of coming-of-age, but I think what I'll start with is the exploration of grief.

I found the difference between how Ae-sun mourns her mother and mourns her son to be done so well and I think it's because I initially didn't trust the drama and the drama consistently proved me wrong by including details and dialogue that address the loss of Dong-myeong. Every time I thought that the writing would move on from that death, the way that a lesser show would've, where there would maybe be a casual mention near the end, the drama would bring Dong-myeong back, whether it would be Gwan-sik thinking of his son while he looks at boys who are the age he would've been

or Ae-sun leaving a note for him when they sell their house so he'll know where to go.

And so I was like, yes, Dong-myeong and Gwang-rye both haunt the narrative in mirrored ways; it's not just that Ae-sun grieves her mother verbally

and grieves her son silently, it's how the narrative reflects that in things like how there are flashbacks of her time with her mom

but we hardly ever see flashbacks of her time (or Gwan-sik's time) with her son while both events inform who she is (and they are) on a fundamental level but it would be too painful to have Dong-myeong consciously ever-present, when it was, this was how they were

so she and Gwan-sik move on and so the show moves on except they don't, because how could they really? Their silence about their shared grief is as loud as Ae-sun's bittersweet musings and dreams about her mother.

There is also so much to say about how Ae-sun and Gwan-swik raised Geum-myeong and it's all well-done and interesting, but for me personally, what was the most interesting about their relationship to their daughter was more so how through Ae-sun not being able to bear teaching her daughter how to do house work, how Gwan-sik helped instill in her a sense of self-love and self-respect, how through all of that, there was an examination of gender roles and breaking archaic traditions,

and doing your best to ensure your children don't have to suffer what you have suffered, so like, the larger, existential themes.

When it comes to the interpersonal, Guen-myeong's feelings as a daughter were more intriguing for me, maybe because while I'm not the eldest child, I'm the only child who was raised by a single teenage mother and so I really resonated with how the show explored the concept of guilt and affection and appreciation and resentment and feeling pressure and feeling gratitude and feeling/being at times ungrateful while also feeling/being appreciative, and hating the thoughts in your head while also being aware enough to know, especially the older you get, what they've done to sacrifice for you, which at times, can lead back to feelings of guilt etc.

and how all of those dualities can be wrapped up together in this complex feeling that is ultimately love to your parents.

For me, Ae-Sun and Gwan-sik's relationship to Eun-myeong was a more interesting exploration of who they were as parents than their relationship Guen-myeong and I was so glad we got those episodes to really showcase this because the drama does such a good job in making us fall in love with these characters, especially Ae-sun and Gwan-sik and their love for each other and their love for their children, and they're just wonderful, selfless people and they still get it wrong sometimes. Seeing how they unintentionally dismiss Eun-myeong and also how they directly compare him to Ae-sun

and how every time we kind of see him interact with them, he's getting negative attention. Ae-sun admits to the aunties that he embarrasses her,

but ultimately, we see how as parents, they love their children the same,

how they sacrifice for the two of them the same,

how they worry about the two of them the same -- I could barely breathe when Ae-sun runs to the fishing boat in a full breakdown because she's sick with worry that he'll die at sea

and I think I was interested in seeing their interpersonal dynamic as parents with him more because it was an examination of when you make unintentional mistakes with very profound consequences despite trying your best not to do the very thing you did but your mistakes not taking away from sincerity. Guen-myeong is like an illustration in intentionality and Eun-myeong is an illustration in unintentionality.

I also really enjoyed how they handled Guen-myeong's first love; not necessarily the flash forward where we see him with his mother regretting his choice and not necessarily when we see him see her in a wedding dress but their breakup I think was beautifully done. Like, this broke me

The drama doesn't go out of its way to villainize Yeong-bum

while also unapologetically and objectively showing us why the two of them would never work and how spineless he can be and how he passively contributes to what can be oppressive norms and traditions by having no back bone

and yet it doesn't diminish that they had a genuine love for each other while also not shackling Guen-myeong to the concept of a first love and allowing her to move on and have a fulfilling life with a husband who gets her and understands her and prioritizes her because I loved their relationship and we don't get much screentime with them but they're perfect for each other

So, those are my thoughts off the top of my head! Happy to discuss further.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

(I'm allegory anon) thank you for your response. I will say, I'm kinda confused by what the writers mean by the kwamis being "industrialized" because I'm not sure if that's the right word for it? Like Gabriel wasn't really trying to turn the kwamis into some manufactured product, right?

(Allegory post for the curious)

I'm assuming you're referring to this statement about the season five final:

In the next scene, we can see Marinette taking the miraculous that have been standardized and industrialized by Gabriel and putting them back in shape. The writers specify that this is a parable about craftsmanship vs industrial production. The miraculous will now be adapted to every person, but we can’t see what they look like just yet! In this new world, the powers are all shared, among people who they trust and know will work for the common good. They joke that the "Avengers" shot at the end with all the heroes is something they’d been dreaming of.

The general idea here is that they redesigned the miraculous for season six to better suit each character to show the difference between Marinette and Gabriel. Marinette personalizes things while Gabriel went for sterile mass production with the rings.

This is an incredibly surface level idea that doesn't really work the way they want it to because the shape a miraculous takes doesn't matter to the story. The truly unique thing about each miraculous is the power it gives and the Kwami you get to be friends with. Those things never changed and will never change no matter what form a miraculous takes. They could have all stayed rings and been fine which completely undermines the idea of this being a parable because parables are all about teaching simple moral lessons. It's hard to see how a magical accessory being a little more personalized is teaching some kind of lesson when it's just an ascetic thing.

This is extra true because, as far as I'm aware, the show hasn't made a big deal about the redesigns. From the few stills I've seen, it doesn't even sound like the designs were changed all that much from what they were pre-rings. Because of all these issues, this statement from the writers just comes across as pretentious. They're trying to claim depth for the narrative without actually putting that depth in the narrative.

For this idea to work, the Kwamis being rings would have needed to have some sort of negative repercussion. At the very least, they could have shown various akumas struggling to use the powers they'd been granted, implying that the powers had to be given to people who are uniquely suited to them. But we didn't get that. The powers feel incredibly generic and - outside of Adrien - no one has ever struggled to use the ability they've been given. We don't even see Marinette asking each member of the team what item they want which is not how personalization works.

I keep thinking of that My Little Pony episode where all the ponies cutie marks got messed up (that's the thing that tells a pony what their special talent is). The ponies had to fix their cutie marks by doing what they were actually good at to show how their talents were so integral to who they were, cutie mark or no. That's a similar concept to this and shows how this kind of thing is supposed to work. Correcting the marks was mainly done in a 3 minute long song, so here you go in case you're curious and haven't seen this before:

This is how you quickly show why each character is unique and why their seemingly surface level thing (cutie mark) matters on a deeper level. My Little Pony actually sets up and resolves this conflict in a single episode, playing off of themes established in the series, but keeping the specific conflict contained to 20 minutes. Gold star to those writers. It was very well done.

Of course, Miraculous could never do this level of depth because Marinette had to redesign sixteen miraculous which would eat up a lot of time, but they could have at least make a token effort to show her and Alya talking about it or something. Maybe the first episode of season six will do this and I'm being too harsh, but I really doubt it.

[thowawayuntilfurthernotice]

CW: Racism and slavery.

Alright, let’s open up this can of worms.

Let’s talk about race and how it pertains to Viv’s shows.

No, I don’t think Viv and Adam are inherently racist, they just don’t know how to write for a BIPOC audience.

Viv’s shows (Like most western shows) are written with a white audience in mind. Because let’s face it, white folks don’t like to talk about race. That’s why a lot of shows that do tackle the issue of race and racism do it in a way that’s very surface level, as they don’t want to make white folks uncomfortable.

Even shows that are written by BIPOC writers have to dumb everything down when it comes to race because that’s sadly one of the only ways to get white folks to listen.

For example the Brooklyn Nine Nine episode Moo Moo (Which was written by a black writer) does tackle the issue of racial profiling, but it does so in that after school special way. Where it’s so basic and surface level that it almost feels insulting? And the fact that the episode completely ignores all the systemic racism that’s prevalent in the NYPD somehow makes it even worse.

Seriously, the episode ends with Terry’s application for a liaison job getting denied because he filed a complaint against a racist cop. And Holt’s all like “At least you did the right thing.”

Now, I haven’t really talked about any of the Hazbin/Helluva lore in great detail because it’s a hot gigantic mess of titanian proportions. And trying to make any sense of it from a narrative perspective is headache inducing, but for the sake of this analysis I decided to make an exception.

It’s pretty obvious that the Imps are supposed to represent the lower class, the majority of Imps we see in the series are stuck with low level jobs, involved in shady activities or are willing to kill to survive.

A good writer would have used the concept to highlight the many injustices that are caused by systems that are hell bent on keeping systemic racism alive to ensure that white elites stay in power.

But Viv and Adam don’t give a shit about that, as they know that tackling those sorts of issues is bound to upset their white audience. So they just don’t bother.

The lore feels like set dressing, i.e something that’s only there to make the audience think that there is much more to Viv’s shows than meets the eye, but there really isn’t.

Helluva Boss’ racist class system is introduced, but it isn’t really all that fleshed out. Because Viv doesn’t really care about exploring themes that mirror real world issues, all she cares about is watching her characters fornicate or make out with each other.

Not saying that every adult show has to have a deeper meaning or challenge people’s worldviews, but having a toxic relationship between a slave and his slave master in a dumb demon cartoon is pretty fucked up, not going to lie.

[twilightofthesandwiches]

So when discussing the ending of ‘Over the Garden Wall’ and the nature of the Unknown in general, I think it is important to remember that it’s left deliberately up for interpretation. You know, it’s not a Quiz with one concrete answer we must uncover, but it’s more about our interpretations and personal feelings. Each and every one of us experiences that journey with Wirt and Greg into the Unknown in a slightly different way. 

So what I want to do here is not present a Correct Interpretation that will dispute all the others and prove them all wrong and prove myself right, I just want to share my own outlook on the nature of the Unknown. In the hopes that others will like it and it’ll inspire more cool readings and interpretations

So on some level I do agree with the popular theory that the Unknown is some sort of Afterlife - but I don’t see it as a regular Afterlife for human souls, I think it is an afterlife for Stories. This place is where fictional characters and stories end up once they’ve been totally forgotten by the living, ‘lost in the clouded annals of history’. and become.... unknown It is quite literally a place where ‘long forgotten stories are revealed to those who travel through the wood’.

That’s why the Unknown is a mishmash of different time periods and primarily visually and narratively influenced by stuff like fairy tales, ghost stories, children’s books and old cartoons - these stories have a high-tendency to be forgotten and thus get lost in the Unknown (whatever it’s because they rely on oral traditions or because they suffered from very poor preservation historically). 

And that is what the theme song, ‘Into the Unknown’ is talking about…

Where can we pretend that dreams do come true? In Stories.

And what are ‘the loveliest lies of all’? Now that would be Fiction. 

The entire concept of stories is a huge theme of this song, I think.

Beatrice and her family, Adelaide of the Pasture, Auntie Whispers and Lorna were all originally fairy tales. Maybe the same fairy tale, or maybe they were originally separated before being ‘melded’ together. (If, for example, the last child to Remember them before they were forgotten just assumed the Bad Witch in both the Auntie Whispers and Beatrice stories was Adelaide)

Pottsfield was an old urban legend about a haunted ghost town, Wirt and Greg basically played through its ‘plot’ directly. 

Miss Langtree, the schoolhouse and the other associated characters come from a long-forgotten and out-of-print children’s book. That’s why those characters tend to talk in comically-stilted expository dialogue. 

The Tavern was the setting for a series of 20’s animated cartoons.  (Although obviously set long before that era). The Tavern Keeper was created as a Betty Boop clone and was the main character. The Tavern setting was probably a mere framing device for all sort of musical animations. The reason why none of them can comprehend the idea of not having some sort of Title or Label is because that’s how they were written - all given job-related titles but not named.

Fred the Talking Horse was a main character from a forgotten tradition of humorous oral stories where he was sometimes a trickstery anti-hero and sometimes a straight-up comedic villain protagonist.

Quincy Endicott and Margueritte Grey were characters from a satiric limerick about the greedy rich and their wacky habits. (Quincy was at least inspired by a real-life person since his name appears on a tombstone in the real world)

Possibly the same limerick where the punchline was the status-quo at the beginning of their OTGW ep, that both rivals’ mansions have become connected and they assume the other is a ghost haunting their house. Or maybe they were each from different regional variations of the same limerick about a greedy rich weirdo being lost in their own house and going mad. 

Frogland and their little boat might be from a children’s book as well, but I also think that maybe… from the vignettes shown at the opening of the series…

That one might take place outside the Unknown, and shows the real inception of Frogland. Two brothers making up stories with their toy boat by the river. Since they never shared these stories with anyone else, when these two brothers died or maybe just grew up and forgot their boyhood misadventures by the stream - these stories also ended up in the Unknown. 

The Fishing Fish we see briefly in ‘Babes in the Woods’ might be a small comedic illustration from a children’s book, or another piece of limerick, or just someone’s random notebook doodle that gained a life of its own first in the creator’s mind and then in the Unknown. 

Cloud City, the North Wind and the Queen of the Clouds were also, much like the Tavern, from a very old cartoon.

The Beast was once just a mere Boogie Man to keep young children from wandering off into the woods. Ending up forgotten in the Unknown just ended up giving him a whole world of lost souls to harvest. 

Maybe the Woodsman and his daughter were always a part of the story of the Beast. But since it seems that the Woodsman being a lantern-bearer is a fairly recent development - they might have had their own separate story. Some sort of pastoral novel about a family moving near the woods? But their narrative has been ‘hijacked’ by the Beast. 

Wirt and Greg ended up lost within the Unknown cause had they actually died in the lake that night - they would have become a Story in their town. I mean we have a moody lonely teenager and his adorable little brother disappearing/dying - on the night of Halloween - after last being seen in a graveyard - with the older brother’s last act on this earth being to hand his crush a cassette of his love poetry. Can you imagine what sort of Urban Legenda you can grow from those seeds?

But as they were not yet dead, and not a Story yet… so they were technically an Unknown story. Between the borders of life and death from a human perspective because they were about to die, and from a Story perspective because they were just about to be born.

And the ending sequence, with the little vignettes showing where all the characters from all the episodes ended up. I think that’s almost like Wirt and Greg back in the world of the living and the real - being able to create happy endings for all of those stories they've met. That’s how the Woodsman’s daughter ended up being alive all along - it was less that the Woodsman's whole tragedy was a wacky misunderstanding all along. But it became so as a gift of thanks by their new storytellers - Wirt and Greg.

Because if dreams can't come true, than why not pretend?

[sirsagrell]

While I'm usually critical about Veilguard, and will probably continue to be critical, I want to switch gears for a bit and engage in some positivity. Because there are things in it I liked and I don't want to lose sight of them.

So this is a collection of random Veilguard positivity rambles about some things I genuinely liked:

The entire character of Davrin: Davrin and his confusion about sacrificing himself as was expected of him but surviving, Davrin and his complicated but constructive relationship with his heritage that informs everything about him. Davrin knowing what is and isn't a monster, and giving Isseya her name back. Davrin is just very Dragon Age to me. Also holy shit, hot.

Generally, most of the stuff that surrounds the Wardens - the Hossberg Wetlands, the siege of Weisshaupt, the wardens Ivo, those records about the first qunari Warden, the First Warden trying to take the sacrifice of killing Razikale upon himself, the fucked up fortress for hiding fucked up stuff, the surviving wardens saying fuck it post-Weisshaupt and turning the joining into a blight vaccine.

The flowers in Hossberg quest (or was it a hidden quest?). Loved that. Flowers starting to bloom on previously blighted land was a plot point in that DA fic I outlined in my head 10 years ago and never wrote.

While I'm on the subject of plants, Harding's greenhouse was just stunning. Went to just stare at it multiple times regardless of Harding having anything to say to me. And it's thematically resonant too.

Neve as a concept seems like a character designed specifically to appeal to me personally in every way possible. If I was a Dragon Age character I would want to marry Neve. In my actual playthrough Neve never quite stuck, but I wasn't playing myself, I was trying to play a character who fucking hates Tevinter. So I am actually considering doing a separate Neve appreciation playthrough, and I have never replayed a game just to get more of one particular character before. You are too alluring, Neve.

Taash is interestingly and realistically flawed. People like to critique their coming-out scene because Shathann wasn't even really rejecting them, rather trying to understand them through concepts familiar to her, but I like it as written. You get so used to your mother being relentlessly critical of you, you work up the courage to have this important conversation because you know that is the right thing to do, you come prepared to stand your ground, you've been imagining everything she will say and rehearsing what to say back, and when she's honestly trying to understand and reach out, you don't even really notice it and lash out anyway, because you expected this conversation to go badly. This is very human.

Also, I vibe with Taash a lot. I too am socially challenged, sometimes unintentionally rude, surrounded by things that are certifiably messed up, struggle with cultural shit, and think dragons are the best.

I honestly liked the hair. Especially those luscious curls on Teia. This might be the first game I played where hair wasn't some kind of a distracting eyesore. I kid you not it improved my immersion.

I don't actually remember if it was like this in previous games, but I am very glad they labeled the flirt/romance dialogue options in the most unambiguous way possible. I played Baldur's Gate 3 recently and the most seemingly innocuous dialogue options led to flirting all the time. I realize this may be a me problem (see above, socially challenged), but having the options labeled and never having to reload because I'm not trying to flirt with you dammit is very relaxing. Which reminds me.

I think, that despite all its flaws, and weird narrative decisions, and wild shifts in theme and tone, Veilguard still made a better attempt at saying meaningful things than everyone's game of the year 2023 Baldur's Gate 3 did (runs away and hides under a rock).

[mixelation]

Hi ✋ love all your stories. Just wanna ask if you have any opinion about Boruto series?

Hello! Thank you!! As for Boruto: ooooh man.....

So, I will say that I really liked the mini sequel manga with Sarada. There are some aspects of it I don't really like (I'm in denial that Uchiha Shin exists, for example), but I really liked Sarada as a main character and the emotional through-line of it. I liked the potential of Dadsuke, I liked Naruto taking the time to mentor random young shinobi that followed him out of the village, I liked her friendship with Chouchou, I liked the narrative choice of her awakening her sharingan "through love" as a follow-up to the themes of the main series. I read some of the Boruto manga and watched the first arc of the anime because I wanted to learn more about Sarada. I do occasionally look up content about her because I think there's a lot of potential there.

Boruto (the series) has......... strong "filler arc" vibes. A lot of the new world building feels out of nowhere, weak, and kind of stupid. Like many people, I don't like the direction Naruto as a character was taken, and on top of that the SasuSaku interactions often feel like one of those fanfics that just hates Sakura. Instead of coming up with challenges the adult cast couldn't just solve in a second with their ninja skills* in order to give the new generation room to grow, the plot often takes the route of "all your OG series faves are just kind of bad at being a ninja now" and it's frustrating and feels kind of dumb. I don't mind Boruto (the character), but I don't really think he's as compelling a lead as Sarada, especially when a lot of his character depends on Naruto's character assassination, and I wasn't super impressed with the way Sarada was handled.

*This could be like, figuring out a way to isolate the kids from their parents somehow, or better choreographing or moving plot pieces so we see cool, god-level Team 7 fights while the kids have to deal with their own challenges.

For positives, I liked Mitsuki and Orochimaru's evil soccer mom glow up. Some of Boruto's classmates are fun (although rarely are they interesting). For example, I liked how that one girl summoned a giant demon creature during her villain era, and then she got to keep a cute mini version of it as a summons post talk-no-jutsu. I like the concept of Karin with an undercut.

Every once in a while someone tells me about what happens after I stopped watching, and it largely sounds deeply cursed and/or completely off the wall. Sometimes so cursed that I kind of feel like watching it (like Sasuke has a tree clone????). However at no point have I thought, "That sounds awesome, I definitely have to go look that up!"

[rollercoasterwords]

i rember seeing you update your tags with memory loss and my heart dropped lol it’s always been one of my biggest fears and you mercilessly explored it (and specifically how it affected relationships) and it was terrifying and beautiful and wonderful

the way you write memory loss haunts

me i love your writing so much im in awe and uh have a wondrous day 😭

hiiiii thank u yeah i have. many thoughts about memory loss clearly lol

i think in general part of what compels me is that i feel as though there is a very prevalent message that we should think of life as a linear journey through time, moving from past to future, and also that the meaning of life is evaluated in ways tied to that linear concept of time--i.e., the idea that death is a fundamentally more important experience than most (if not all) other moments of life, because it is temporally at the "end" of a linear life cycle. & this is something i explored in thtf bc i wanted to push back on & question the presumption that death is necessarily any more important of a moment simply because it's the last moment we might have, & i wanted to explore a concept of life in which moments happening at different points of time are not necessarily ever "over"--those moments have always happened & are always happening somewhere in the fabric of the universe...basically thtf was me exploring how things might change if we break away slightly from life measured by linear timelines.

ANYWAY lily's story arc in worm moon is kind of a similar exploration. i think one thing that people find really frightening about this kind of memory loss--which was based around early-onset dementia--is the idea that you are losing these moments when you can't remember them, and also becoming unmoored from your linear temporality. your life is no longer a straight & predictable line from past to present to future; now the past interjects on the present, times get tangled up, etc. & again i wanted to explore the ways in which that can be painful but also the idea that a life unmoored from memory and time does not necessarily preclude joy & love & everything that people generally find makes life worth living; yes, lily losing her memory of her son is painful, but that doesn't mean the moments and the times she lived with him go away. they aren't lost or eroded because they didn't exist only inside her memory or her mind, y'know? the past is always happening and the future is always happening and the present is always happening all at once, etc...or maybe it's not! who knows! but just because we tend to perceive reality one way doesn't mean other perceptions of reality are necessarily less real.

& with sirius's experience of memory loss--there are some overlapping themes, but also different stuff i wanted to unpack & explore. i wanted to write a character going through the trauma & frustration & loss of feeling as though an important piece of past & memory had been stolen from him, and how that blank space can leave a hole inside you, and you can spend so much time trying to fill it--but at the end of the day, sometimes memory is just gone. sometimes it was never made correctly in the first place, and you end up with a hole in your life. and so often in stories about that kind of traumatic memory loss what i've seen is a narrative where there's an eventual restoration of memory that fills in the hole and allows the character to finally move on. but i wanted a character who has to come to terms with the fact that this specific, acute kind of memory loss is permanent--there is no healing of the hole, there is no patching over it, you just have to learn how to be a new person around it because you can't go back to the person you were before it, because that person is no longer you. and you have to learn to live with a trauma that you can't even name. i think that's a stumbling point for me with a lot of narratives i've encountered about trauma: oftentimes, they rely very heavily on finding ways to name & explain that trauma as a means of healing from it and coming to terms with it and moving past it. and if you have a traumatic experience tied to memory loss, or if the memory loss is the traumatic experience, then it's not really something you can "come to terms with." you just have to accept that something happened to you or your body or however you think of that person you can't remember and you'll never fully know what it is; you'll never get to sit down and watch a movie of the memory that says "this is the Truth and this is What Happened and this is why there's a hole inside you and you have nightmares about things you can't remember." anyway i think i'm just rambling now & not explaining this very well lol it's easier to just write what i want to say through these characters yayyyy fanfiction let's all clap & cheer etc

[waitmyturtles]

As I did last week, I have more constructive criticism for Jack & Joker, so, trigger warning again, please fly away if you can't deal with objective criticism of your faves.

What frustrates me about the construction of this show is that it's tripping on its own feet. And I shouldn't use the indefinite article; I should call out director Tee Bundit directly, because we saw him do this in spades in Step By Step. Tee did everything he could to avoid building a real narrative romance between the SBS leads, and the emotional beats that succeeded their late-series intimate breakthrough were not syncopated properly to match the development of a convincing relationship.

The incomplete beats at hand here are not as bad as they were in SBS. What's keeping me going on in Jack & Joker is that, at least, we are getting separate emotional development trajectories for Jack and Joke -- and a nice, hearty head-smack from Ah Mah at the end of the episode, towards Jack and his inclination to shut down and keep his shit internal. Ah Mah is trying to get Jack to know how to act as family, and she did the same with Joke's father earlier in the episode.

Like I said last week, I think this show has some really wonderful family-related thematic gems like the ones I just mentioned for this week's episode. Yin and War are acting these themes out with heart. Jack's in a really tough spot. The robber clowns will get together again next week to try to get him out of his tough spot.

And I know many of us are upset with Joke's dad, as I am, too, he's a real piece of shit, but his scenes with Joke struck me as very real to the experience of an insanely strict Asian dad. I've written about this too many times to count, but the ability of an Asian parent to cut their kids off like that is a concept that majority Western culture hasn't contemplated, except in instances of religion, sexism, bigotry, etc., but anyway -- that kind of cut-off doesn't exist as part of the everyday Western mentality about parenting, whereas in Asian parenting styles, to reject the patriarchal hierarchy could mean permanent separation, as Joke's dad has enacted to Joke. The fact that the motherfucker reconsidered AFTER EATING JOKE'S FOOD struck me as deeply sexist ("the way to a man's" blah blah, UGH), so I'm glad Ah Mah told that bitch off, but I did think those scenes were done well and realistically.

Anyway, where this series is absolutely lagging is in the EDITING. All these rich people games. I think there are many more concise narrative ways that we can be told that the rich play with the lives of the poor, than to give us bloated scene after bloated scene of literal gaming. Forget metaphors! Just give us some well-written, snappy dialogue about how these rich people are total assholes! We'll believe it!

And at the same time, I'm feeling bad for Rose, honestly. She likes Jack! She has no idea her crush on him is caught up in this Boss bullshit. She's gonna be hurt! And they're gonna rob her house now? I mean, I think what Tee is saying (I think?!?!?!) is that what comes to her, she deserves, because she's as scummy as the rest of the other scummy rich people (Ajahn Pichai, was that you?!). But like, this is her dad's shit?! So she gets automatically blamed because she's a nepo baby? I mean, I guess, if you're a reader of New York Magazine, that's reasonable thinking, but like, some of us are moral thinkers here!

This shit is complicated, and for an episode that was ONE HOUR. AND. 21. MINUTES. LONG., we could have a shorter AND clearer episode that could have scrubbed at the grout of these otherwise very interesting moral quandaries. But instead, we got video games from some dusty-ass rich boy who needs a goddamn bath.

I know, I know we haven't gotten the intimacy payoffs for any of the implied couples yet, and maybe this is part of YinWar's intention in having so much control over their script. But I did wonder if I was watching a Series Y/BL, or if I was watching a dramedy instead. I don't really care what genre it's in. But what I would like is for the themes to be crystal-clearly focused so that us, the viewers, can lean into what the cast and showmakers WANT us to care about -- which, thematically, I'm unclear on at this moment.

[richea]

I've been thinking a lot lately about the concept of "paths" in Symphonia and how it impacts each of the characters, so I wanted to talk about this a little bit. It's such a big theme of the game and it's pretty interesting just how much the narrative hinges on it, with Mithos' final line talking about how he would never sway from his.

Leaving this under the cut because it's long.

Lloyd: His path is something that he carves with his heart and resolve. It is resolute but not to the point where he would make sacrifices to reach his destination. Essentially, he sets a destination but is willing to take detours if the situation calls for it. When there's a split in the road and when he must make a choice, he will forge a new path if he doesn't like either option. The path he paves can be a form of salvation to those who are lost and cannot find their own.

Colette: Colette's path was set in stone from the minute she was born. It is something unavoidable. Even should she lose herself, she must take each and every painful step down it. While it's a beacon of hope to others, it is one many would turn around and run away from at any cost, should they know what lies at the end of it. It is stained in the blood of those passed but at the end of it, Colette hopes to find peace.

Genis: There are many branching paths on his road. Some lead to Mithos and some lead to Lloyd. Perhaps in a different world, he would have his own, drowned in tears and loneliness, spiraling in various uncontrolled directions, but thankfully, the beacon known as Lloyd's helps prove he's going in the right direction.

Raine: Of everyone in the game I would argue Raine has the most agency in her own path. Of course her mother placed her on the road she walks, but from there, Raine paved her own way. She takes guidance when necessary, but ultimately she trusts herself enough to do what she believes is right with the things that she has learned. Rather, she has to be the one to carve her own path. Not only is she doing so for herself, but for her brother too. For all of the people who trust her. She is a role model, but not without her own struggles.

Sheena: This path has many branching points but there are pressures that set her down in certain directions. It's one not unlike Lloyd's, though the expectations placed on her decisions are far greater. When it comes down to it, no matter how resolute she may feel, she never fears running down a different path if the situation calls for it. If her emotions are screaming to her that "this isn't right". Perhaps some may call her a coward, but is there any such thing as a wrong walk of life?

Zelos: What Zelos wants is change. He is being pulled in different directions. He cannot decide whether to go with his gut, or to listen to his friends, or to follow his fate. That is not an easy choice to make. All he knows is he wants change. He wants to break the status quo no matter what, and if that means going down the dark path, so be it. But, like Sheena, is there any such thing as a wrong path to take. No matter which road he goes down, there are people who are going to resent him. That is the price he must pay for being alive. Or so he believes.

Presea: This path started with many, many branches, but tapered into one, stagnant, incredibly dull route. There were no other options for her but to keep pressing down it in hopes that eventually, maybe, there would be something at the end. It was not due to her resolve, but rather a lack of direction. A lack of agency. If you don't like the path life hands you, why not find a new one? This was an ability that had been robbed from her. Cold, steel gates were put up around the path, after all. However, perhaps at some point, she would―with her excellent strength and crafting skills―forge a new one for herself after coming to her own conclusion of where it should lead to next.

Regal: Like Presea, this path had many options at the start, but Regal himself put up a wall to block it off. Why would he do this? Surely there is no need to? It was because he wanted to trap himself within the path he had already taken. Should he press forward would mean presenting himself with new options, and new opportunities to forget. He wanted the blood behind him to seep into his very skin. He wanted it to always be in sight. He did not feel he deserved to press down the path further out of risk of losing sight of it.

Kratos: Kratos has no path. He lives in an aimless existence, only looking to tread down the paths others have long paved. Like Genis, he looks to Mithos and Lloyd's as beacons. However, unlike Genis there was a time where the only path he knew of was Mithos', despite the horrors that he could see strung along it. There was a brief period of time where he discovered Anna's, but it unfortunately reached a dead end. Where else could he go, but of the place he had known prior? Where could a man with no path of his own belong if not to the one he knew of horrors?

Yuan: It feels as if he's reached a point in his life where he rejects the idea of having a path at all. He's almost going through the motions. Rather, he's trying to roadblock off other paths. His own does not lead to anything that personally benefits him but he does not care. He believes he's lived for too long. If anything, he wishes he could go back and take a different path than the one he did. To start over. To not abandon Mithos in his time of need. However those are merely pointless thought exercises at this state. The road he is on is firm and there is no deviating from it. He will get his hands dirty in whatever means necessary to reach the end of it.

Mithos: His path is resolute. It is blood stained. If you look back, you may squint and see some flowers budding around it, but looking forward all you can see is a heap of bodies. Despite this, he stomps down the path, fist clenched in his hand. If there are any branching points, he kicks over them with dirt. While it is adjacent to Lloyd's the two will never touch. There is a fork that extends in its direction, but nothing will make him waver enough to tread it.

[tokiro07]

Ichi the Witch ch.4 thoughts

[Eight-Foot Vertical Leap?!]

(Contents: narrative structure - worldbuilding, character analysis - Ichi/Desscaras/Kumugi, thematic analysis - Joy/Friendship)

Maybe it's because this is the fourth series I've written weekly reviews for, but I'm really seeing the legwork going into these early chapters

I don't really want to get to the point where I'm beating a dead horse, but I feel like keeping track of this will somehow be beneficial to me in the long run

Chapter 1 - establishes the premise (high concept, basic setting, core cast and themes)

Establishes the cast's personalities and dynamics

Establishes the flow of the series

Begins actual worldbuilding

I don't know if it's just because I haven't paid a ton of attention previously, but the fact that I'm able to so clearly see the functional layout of the storytelling so far makes me feel like this series in particular might end up being a masterclass in basic story structure. I suppose we'll have to see how it continues to develop in the coming weeks, but I wouldn't be surprised if next week and the week after introduce the primary goal and primary antagonist, though maybe that would be too structured?

Of course, it's entirely possible that next week will just be more worldbuilding for a bit, since we're most likely going to get a closer look at the Witches Association, but I have to figure we're going to need to establish a goal soon on account of Ichi being some kind of aberration that captured the ostensible most power Magik in all the land. I'm envisioning something like Gojo offering Yuji a stay of execution in JJK, though I don't know if Ichi is going to be considered a criminal

For now, though, let's focus on the glimpse into the worldbuilding we did get

Worldbuilding

First and foremost, the disparity in magic availability is pretty stark. As Desscaras points out, you aren't likely to see a lot of magic users out in the sticks, and those that you do see seem to get whisked away to the capital for training (as we saw in ch.1). Meanwhlie, magic is extremely common in the capital, to the point that basically every shopkeeper on the street seems to be using or selling magic

I don't know if that's going to become a major recurring theme, but I think that kind of inequity is something we should keep an eye out for. Series like Black Clover touch on it with the literal tiered structure of the Clover Kingdom, but as far as I recall it was never a major point of contention in their society, so I'd definitely like it if Nishi gives it a bit of attention

The fact that there's a clear divide between genders suggests that social inequity is already on Nishi's mind, so economics would probably be a good way to expand on the concept from a different angle. I do believe she's considered it, since the literal first thing she brings up in this worldbuilding expo is the tourism market, a concept I definitely didn't expect to see in a fantasy series like this

While I don't really know enough about the history of tourism to dispute how old the practice is, Nishi definitely seems to be going out of her way to establish that this world is a little more advanced than ch.1 would make you think with the inclusion of a flying motor scooter. It kind of feels like how Naruto inexplicably had TVs or HxH suddenly revealed it had the internet, but this at least happened quickly enough that it's not too jarring

There's also the fact that it's all magic anyway, so nothing really feels too far outside of the realm of possibility; Desscaras had apparently received a ton of messages on her magic mirror in ch.2, so obviously that was meant to be a stand-in for a phone

Magic System

Speaking of magic, this chapter does seem to confirm a suspicion that I've had since ch.2: not all magic comes from the Magiks

In ch.2, Desscaras was able to create and dispel a cage without seeming to use a chant; at the time I figured the dispelling didn't require it and the casting happened off-screen, so I didn't pay it much mind. Then in ch.3, she not only cast a silencing spell on Ichi without a chant, she also mentioned putting magical power into the ropes they used on Raiko

Now in this chapter, the saleswoman mentions charging the magic boots with magic power; in other words, the basis of this magic system isn't just the Magiks, but magic power, an energy source that women seem to either possess or have access to. This would explain why it's so special that Ichi was able to use Uroro even though logically any man should have been to pass his trial - men literally aren't supposed to be able to access magic power at all, even to use basic, non-Magik spells

Brief aside, I really hope that any visually impaired readers are able to hear the difference between magic and Magik in their text-to-speech readers, cus otherwise this series is going to be kind of annoying

Anyway, it's not just a lack of compatibility between men and Magik, it's basically like men lack an organ that would allow them to channel magic power. While it does make a bit more sense, I am sad that it suggests that the line "in this world, magic is alive" isn't entirely accurate. If there are spells that can be cast without passing a Magiks trial, then that kind of cuts into the uniqueness of the power system a bit, though again we'll need to wait and see how it develops

Along with dropping more hints about the magic system, this chapter also drops more hints about what kind of person Ichi is and how he fits into this world

Boy Meets World

It was lightly touched on in ch.1 with Ichi hunting the Flower Field Guardian for the villagers, but Ichi seems to like helping people. I kind of thought he did the hunt for the sake of it and the gratitude of the people was just a nice bonus, but seeing him go out of his way to help a complete stranger even at the risk of exposing his secret drives home that he enjoys being kind just as much as going on a good hunt

The little detail of him leaving his knife as collateral for the magic boots also solidifies that he has a pretty strict moral code; he won't murder, he won't steal, he won't abandon someone in need, and he won't make up excuses either. He could have swiped the boots and said "it was an emergency, I was planning to return them afterwards," but instead he took the time to write a note and leave behind something of value to prove his intent rather than leaving without explanation expecting the end to justify the means

Of course, he's still pretty naive; it's silly for him to assume that the shopkeepers place the same value on his ordinary hunting knife as he does and that it would be equivalent to specially crafted magical boots, and his logic that he didn't use magic since he didn't cast any spells is patently incorrect. Any dolt who sees a man using a magic item is going to piece together that he's the Manwitch that people are talking about, because even something as basic as that is still a fundamental impossibility in this setting

But that naivete is an important bit of development for us to understand and become endeared to Ichi's character. He was a little goofy in ch.1, and we got hints in both chs.1 and 3 that he's a bit crazy, but this chapter expands on what I believe is the most important element of not only his character, but any good protagonist: his ability to enjoy himself

Joy to the World

Previously, hunting was the only thing that we knew Ichi cared about, and his newfound ability to use magic simply allowed him to hunt new prey that he wouldn't be able to otherwise. However, the presence of magic was no more than a facilitator, an excuse to bring him into this world of monsters and witches, but he himself had no clear interest in it

With this chapter, though, Ichi's opinion on magic is firmly established: it's fun. I don't know how it compares to hunting, and obviously those two passions are just going to overlap, but an explicit interest in the subject matter will make the inevitable training arcs to come something Ichi will actively want to participate in rather than a chore

More importantly, though, because we're looking at this world through Ichi's eyes, his fascination with magic is our fascination with magic. Ichi and I now care equally about the potential of this magic system, and I can now trust that he will go out of his way to explore it in a way that I want him to. If Ichi couldn't be bothered to care about the magic, then why should I be expected to?

This approach of synchronizing the interests of the cast with the interests of the audience is something that I've definitely noticed in a lot of other manga as well: Luffy's thirst for adventure, Fuuko's genuine love for all of the other Negators, Iroha's knack for puzzle-solving, Asumi's immersion in MMA techniques, all of these are great examples of the author showing the audience what joys their world has to offer to the audience

A long time ago, I once posited that along with Jump's values of Friendship, Effort and Victory there was a fourth, unspoken value. At the time, I thought it was Dreams, but I've since realized that the attainment of a Dream is Victory. Nowadays, with the unbridled mirth I've seen from Jump's protagonists across the last several years, I've realized that that fourth value can be nothing other than Joy. Victory without Joy is hollow. Effort without Joy is suffering. Friendship without Joy is transactional. None of the others stand without Joy, and yet Joy itself stands alone just fine - Joy can be found anywhere, as it can be created from within those who need it wherever they may be

Media naturally has plenty of room for morose, pessimistic and overall nasty protagonists, so of course not every Jump manga is going to prioritize Joy, but not every Jump manga prioritizes Friendship, Effort or Victory either. This early in the game, I don't even think I can say which one Nishi intends to focus on just yet, but I can say for sure that she wants Joy to be a major element going forward, and that honestly makes me more excited than any promise of cool monster designs or an intricate power system ever could

That said, if I had to guess, of the three main values, I'd say that Ichi the Witch is most likely to prove itself to be a Friendship series based on what we've seen already

You've Got a Friend In Me

Not only is it extremely likely that Uroro's arc is going to see him actually form a bond with Ichi, but Ichi's moment of sparkly-eyed delight with magic even seems to be endearing him to Desscaras as well. It was brief, quickly replaced with her usual sneer and penchant to evade responsibility, but something definitely stirred within her in that moment. A memory? A long-lost emotion? Hope? Whatever it was, Desscaras' opinion of Ichi is slowly but surely changing, and by the end she's definitely going to cherish this crude little monkey boy she found in the middle of the woods

Along with the subtle developments of our established cast, though, we also finally got our first new addition since ch.1! Kumugi's introduction was much too detailed for a throw-away character, and her presence for Ichi and Desscaras' crash landing in front of Monegold puts her in the perfect position to be dragged along for the ride (perfectly in accordance with her established fail-girl status)

I've already suggested that Desscaras won't be a consistently present party member since she's the mentor archetype, so Kumugi offers to fill the void she'll leave by going in the near opposite direction. While Desscaras is the strongest and most skilled Witch in the land, Kumugi is a Cadet who seems to have nothing going for her; no luck, no respect, and likely no notable capability. Both serve as excellent foils to Ichi, a bright-eyed, one-in-a-million talent without an ounce of experience in this world who as of yet hasn't uttered a single word of complaint about anything. Hell, the guy literally got crapped on in ch.1 and he just laughed it off, whereas Desscaras' would no doubt blow a gasket and Kumugi would likely faint in shock

I don't know how big this cast is going to get or if the core cast will be consistent or on rotation, but the three friends we've already gotten for Ichi all already provide such clear paths for how their relationships can and likely will develop that I can't help but feel like those relationships will be Nishi's main priority. Not that I don't see how she could pivot to Effort (the hunt) or Victory (the trophy), but the mere fact that the actual hunt for Raiko actually happened off-screen and was only expanded upon after it was complete suggests that the process and result are less important than the people present

I don't envision Kumugi as a romantic interest just yet, but I do anticipate her anxieties and negativity being strongly impacted by Ichi's spontaneity and optimism. His personality sets him up to drag her into big and unexpected trouble, and those experiences will likely help her come to grips with her own internal struggles. If I'm right, then Ichi is likely to have a flat character arc, wherein he's the one teaching everyone else the right way to be rather than learning from people who have already found their answers

This is more or less what I predicted in ch.2 when I suggested that Ichi would fundamentally change the way that Witches approach Magiks, but now focused on a more interpersonal level than a strictly narrative one

What's particularly interesting about Ichi though is that it doesn't seem likely that he'll have a completely flat arc, since he seems so open to new experiences and ways of thinking. He's strong-willed, but the new experiences he gains will certainly begin to change his perspective and values. Like I said, his personality is likely to get him and Kumugi into trouble, but on the flip side, Kumugi's apprehension is likely to help her get herself and Ichi out of trouble at some point or another, allowing the two to meet in the middle rather than just dragging each other kicking and screaming into their way of life

As usual, I may be getting ahead of myself, but if things go the way I expect them to, I want to be able to look back and see at what points the puzzle pieces clicked into place for me. And if I'm wrong, I'd like to have a record of how I came to those conclusions so I can compare and contrast my expectations with reality more effectively

Until next time, let's enjoy life!

[mdhwrites]

What do you think about the four most popular ships in Amphibia (Sashanne, Sasharcy, Marcanne, and Sashannarcy)? Even if shipping and romance aren’t that important and only used to teach a lesson or for a comedy episode, it’s pretty obvious that the relationship between the girls can be seen either as platonic or romantic.

So I'm going to first give my one sentence thoughts on each by concept and then canon before going in deep on this:

Sashanne: A unique dynamic that is actually very context specific so hard to actually recreate and I'd argue most people don't even try or get close in fan works (myself included)/I do like them but I 100% think they needed a couple years to figure out their lives away from each other or else post Amphibia they would have likely become toxic in a new way.

Sasharcy: Classic nerd and popular pairing/FUCKING NONEXISTENT.

Marcanne: A bit more nuanced since it's much more the slacker and the passionate one as far as a dynamic goes but not in the way you expect./Held back by a lot more tell don't show, especially in the first couple episodes that Marcy is introduced but it's cute and you can EASILY see how this whole trip will have made Anne be able to appreciate her oldest friend more.

Sashannarcy: In concept these are actually a GREAT polyamory trio and I love that it has such mainstream appeal with a fandom/I don't think it works from the show's perspective because of how well defined Sasha and Anne's relationship is while Marcy struggles to have a presence.

In case you didn't notice a running theme, these ships have essentially the same problem as my greatest problem with the show: Marcy. Her weaker writing compared to the rest of the cast and the fact that she serves a narrative role more than she acts as her own character makes it hard for me to be compelled by her canon self in ships. It's akin to why Willow and Hunter don't appeal to me from a shipping perspective. I like characters, not plot devices. Yes, Marcy is better than both of those characters as she actually has a firmer character than either but that doesn't fix that her narrative utility comes before who she is most of the time.

The other big element that maybe has always held me back from shipping them in canon once I watched the show is actually the fact that I agree with the show: As teenagers, they were AWFUL for each other. Marcy needs her own, personal strength that she found some of in Amphibia but needs to actually put to use in the real world. Sasha brutally changed so much of herself and was clearly struggling with that, over correcting or still wanting to run even to the end. She asks if it's okay for her to abandon Marcy after all, even after she's gone so far to make up to Anne as to give up ALL power in her life which isn't healthy either. Anne is the closest to being ready for a relationship after Amphibia but Sprig's Birthday/Give a Frog a Cookie showed that her self sacrificing tendency for her friends and her desperation for approval still. She may do it for better people than for Sasha but she is still struggling.

They all just need time to figure themselves out as people because your relationships SHOULD NOT DEFINE YOU. That's kind of part of the point of the ending. Take the good and grow as a person, whether you lose someone by choice or by circumstance. That includes for the trio as friends or romantically.

Okay, but I did mention something potentially quite controversial which is my Sashanne take. See... Their dynamic in most fandom works is the overzealous, brash one versus the patient, more responsible one with Sasha and Anne respectively. That is accurate post Amphibia but it also carries NONE of their baggage and usually leans a lot more on Sasha's tomboy nature instead of the fact that Sasha is a girl who can both kick your ass and then worry about having chipped a nail. The complexities of Sashanne that make it so compelling in the show just don't show up as much except as an obstacle to get over to get together. That works for shipping but it's not why their friendship is as complicated and interesting as it is in the show. It doesn't have the punch it should and it's damn near impossible to replicate because that level of history is hard to depict. It only functions in the show as being well depicted because of how much time is spent essentially breaking Anne out of Sasha's control, which is part of it. Anne is someone who pretty much left a cult and Sashanne is her having to decide to now be with her cult leader but not slip back into the mentality the cult taught her. That's... not easy to put it mildly.

But then again, a lot of people just take Sasha and Anne working together for a greater cause to mean they have literally no issues anymore despite Sasha's Angels existing. I guess that happens when somehow the entire fandom doesn't give a fuck about Amphibia but only the trio. sigh

Let's end this on a positive note though which is that if I am so rough on essentially all the Sasha relationships for needing time for Sasha to genuinely internalize her lessons, Marcy is the opposite. While I complained about her above, the strength to the fact that she's a pretty well defined, nice character who can be used mostly to support others arcs is that she more neatly fits into a position for shipping. Her awkwardness and nerdiness is PRIME romance fodder (there's a reason a shocking amount of romantic protagonists are clumsy but that's for a different blog) and her passion makes it easy to understand why someone would want to be with her.

And I do want to say some thoughts on Marcanne. Even if they start on a rough place with more tell instead of show, it actually does kind of work in this context. A complaint I've had about other relationships is not actually knowing what the other is interested in their partner for besides "That's the hot one." There is ZERO ambiguity here. Marcy likes Anne because of her compassion, something she probably has worried about wearing out herself. Anne has always appreciated Marcy's intelligence but Amphibia has made her understand Marcy's passion far better than she did before and Anne clearly actually is into that now that she better cares about others properly. This also clearly shows their chemistry as we know the strengths and weaknesses each of them cover for the other, though not perfectly as they're both still human and the same things they admire in the other can cause anxiety and worry in themselves from comparing themselves to their partner. Marcy in Wartwood and Scavenger Hunt are all it takes for all of this to come out and it leads to more romantic chemistry, and a genuinely dynamic look at what they could be, than a lot of romance movies manage in their entire runtime.

In conclusion, I like all of them in general. In practice, I find most of them deeply compelling within the show. It's just... It doesn't drive me to want to write them during the show romantically because I agree with the show. They're complicated, both as a trio and as themselves, and they probably could use a more solid ground for themselves before they really start working on each other.

And that is honestly even better to me because it just makes them all the more interesting.

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For anyone curious why I didn't talk about Sashannarcy at all despite literally being a polyamory writer, it's because I kind of wanted to keep it to the ships that I think are properly represented in the show and Marcy and Sasha get essentially zero time together to try and form a relationship beyond "Marcy thinks Sasha is really fucking cool while Sasha barely gives Marcy the time of day if she's not also giving attention to Anne." The theoretical would be fun to talk about but it's pretty much only the theoretical and I decided to keep the blog more focused on the practical.

Also had a moment after this of going "Huh. I wonder how much of me being demiromantic is playing a part in how I see these.?

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[nin-deer]

okay here we go spoilers abt recent onk chaps, specifically onk 162

OH MY GOD i never expected it to go this direction,,,,, i think this revealed to me that this was never a story about aqua and ruby figuring out life after their mom was killed, but rather the second chance of gorou and sarina, more specifically for sarina.

like- ai was SARINA's favorite idol, SARINA was the one that lost her life too soon, and gorou was SARINA's favorite person

everything was circling around sarina, and now she had a new life as ruby to do as she pleases!!

during this moment with hikaru, i think aqua is finally coming to the realization of the purpose of his reincarnation, much like what he narrated in the chapters leading up to this. but like- it didn't really hit him until this confrontation. he was here to protect a life he didn't have a chance to before. like i mentioned in my previous post, the line where aqua was glad he was the one to die first this time really portrays his motivations during this story. he wasn't trying to find ai's killer to get revenge; rather, he wanted to make sure that they didn't go after his precious sister. when he was starting to separate from gorou, he still put his sister before his own desires. even making the documentary was to protect ruby.

a common theme in this story is the concept of lies. lies were used, throughout the narrative, as a way to manipulate one's emotions. ai and her audience, hikaru and his victims, aqua and his suspects. as the more logical of the two, aqua must have known how hikaru's lies could affect ruby. we saw in his little "redemption" arc that hikaru had no problem lying about anything to get people on his side, but aqua was able to see through that, gorou's influence or otherwise.

now here's were i think it gets interesting. the color of the star eyes. the symbol of lying. especially in this end game, ruby and ai have white, while aqua and hikaru have black. i think aqua put it best in ch160. sure. the whole hoshino family is lying, but their motivations are different. ai and ruby were selfless; they wanted to spread love into the world and be the light for those who needed one. meanwhile, aqua and hikaru selfishly lied to achieve their goals, noble or not. aqua knows this; he accepted it long ago when he sought out to kill hikaru. he wasn't doing this to rid the world of a serial killer. instead, he's doing it solely for the sake of his dear sister that he puts before anything else. it's the same with hikaru; he wanted to appease his own desires through his manipulations at the cost of everyone around him.

after everything hikaru has said, ch160-162 covers his motives best. hikaru acts for ai. it's similar in a way to aqua and ruby, but it's more twisted. self-centered. to appease his own mind and what he thinks is right, hikaru uses the pretense of his love for ai as an excuse for the way he behaves. but is this what ai wants? to me, the answer is no. let's take their kids, for example. hikaru would go so far as to kill his own daughter just because she had the potential of outshining ai. Ai, on the other hand, would do anything for her kids. They were the first people she learned to love, even if it came at the cost of her career. all her life, Ai just wanted to know what it meant to love. Hikaru didn't. He didn't care at all about love, but obsession. His actions have been fueled by his obsession of the one source of light that he's clung onto for years, blinding him from other potential sources of light he could use instead.

at the end of ch161, aqua's stars become white. white, because he was about to act selflessly for the better of those he loved. white stars like his mom and sister, because he chose to lie for others instead of clinging to his own selfish desires. he knew, in this moment, that he was given this new life for the sole purpose of protecting sarina. this is a decision he must have thought long and hard about, trying to see if there was any other avenue to watch his sister grow up to be the top idol.

there wasn't. instead, he used hikaru's tactics of scandals and the media to keep ruby's persona innocent in the eyes of the masses. like hikaru mentioned, if aqua were to kill him, ruby would bear the brunt of it as the more publicized one. aqua knew this, and knew the only way to make this work was if he was the victim.

i don't know where aka is going to take this story. personally, i think keeping aqua dead is the best narrative choice based on the direction they took this. but, i know that sometimes authors prefer pleasing the fans, so he might reincarnate as someone else as a reward, or maybe even get saved last minute from his current fate. it's really up in the air for what happens next. all i know is that aqua made the choice he felt like was the most optimal, and i'm curious to see where this goes as we start wrapping up the story. (hopefully,,,)

as;dfhas;ldkfj i've been rambling and its getting kinda long so i'll leave it here..... thx for reading if you made it all the way down here <333