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vinland saga isn't the first piece of media ever to be like Violence Is Bad, I get that, and of course it's not THE most philosophically complex work ever written. but also like...

I feel like it takes that relatively simple theme and gets really deep into it, takes it really seriously, never stops having a conversation about it, never presents an easy answer. it lets all the characters have their own answers to the problem. I think it's a great story to get people thinking about the inherent violence of the systems they live under, the violence those systems expect of them and what alternatives there might be, how they might use the privilege they have within those systems, etc.

[random-radiant-reader]

Other stories: this person went to war young, so they're jaded by battle and More Mature than other characters their age because of it

Vinland Saga S2: Thorfinn went to war young, so he doesn't know anything about anything. He's like an overgrown child. He doesn't know anything about relationships or life philosophies. He doesn't know where his food comes from or how to make an honest living. He's never thought about the problems faced by ordinary people and how they creatively solve them. He's never done anything he can be proud of. He doesn't know how to appreciate anything worth appreciating in life. And he screams in his sleep. Because war doesn't make you cool, it leaves you broken.

[random-radiant-reader]

I just finished watching "Vinland Saga" with my partner and I have to say I was wildly impressed with the writing. It made so many bold choices and even when the on-screen stakes and setting were at their lowest: low power levels, low resource levels, low political importance, etc., the pacing and tension of each episode remained incredibly high, which as a writer is so, so hard to do.

A few other things that impressed me about Vinland Sage:

I was wildly impressed by the boldness of a story that's ostensibly about the Viking Age taking such a firm stance against "fun" and "excitement" of violence. It never wavers. It never says violence is ok. Quite the opposite, it is a story about those who feel haunted and trapped by the constant turmoil and violence of the Viking Age, and how they imagine a better world free of these societal curses that seem so inescapable in their time.

For a shounen or even seinen style anime, to me it's wildly impressive to basically look at an entire genre that is so couched in the excitement of adventure and violence and say, "No. This is not laudable, this is not good, this is not something to strive for. Hurting people is not good, violence is never justified, you have no enemies." Especially when so much of escapist action/adventure fantasies are based in the imagined thrill of using violence to strike down your enemies, this story wholly rejects the notion that there's anything noble or admirable in such a life.

The strong moral stance of the story was reminiscent to me of Terry Pratchett's Discworld. Though Vinland Saga doesn't have Pratchett's humor, there is a sense in both of a creator who has an absolutely rock-solid, well-thought out sense of morality that never wavers and permeates the entire story. There's something soothing about being in the hands of a storyteller who knows 100% where their moral stance lies, what points they are making, and what message they want to convey, and then does so in an expert manner. I hesitate to say it was never "preachy" but I think it conveyed its message so strongly that the moments where it reiterated its message never felt like being spoken down to or preached to. Quite the contrary, the moments when the story indulged in its message, when it all but looked directly at the camera and said, "Violence is wrong. Look at the suffering it causes. Look at how much better the world could be if we all showed one another mercy and care," were some of the most powerful and moving.

Finally, I was incredibly impressed by the realism and sense of knowledge it had about the history it indulged in. Not only did Vinland Saga show a knowledge of the historic Viking Age, but, it wasn't slavishly devoted to realism. When it stepped away from exact realism to instead show incredible people doing incredible things, it did so in a way that was in line with the Viking Sagas of the day. Men who are twice as tall as any other man! Men who can hear across miles of distance! A man who moves so fast you can barely see him! Even when it indulged in these sort of Shounen tropes of borderline-magical fighters, it still felt like we were in the story of a Saga, because the departure from realism were so in line with what stories from those years were like.

Yet, even when we were indulging in the incredible fighters of the story, there's a sense of horror to it. Sure, it's great to be a warrior if you're 8' feet tall, wealthy, privileged, gifted, and well-trained, but you will still lose limbs and body parts in battle. One fight can leave you permanently maimed. And this is not a society that does a good job taking care of its most vulnerable. Your fortunes can turn from lord to slave in the blink of an eye. You can be on the top of the world one minute and discarded the next if you're not strong enough, and there's a horror to that. It takes exceptional people to look out for those most in need, indeed, those who are anything less than possessing peak power and privilege, and those people are more remarkable than the privileged warriors who stomp on others without a care in the world, until they too are laid low and realize how horrifically unfair their world can be. There's such a strong moral sensibility to these moments, I was really in awe of how unwavering it was, this dedication to highlighting the dignity of people, how they deserve to be treated with dignity, oftentimes by showing how horrific, how wrong, how unfair it is when that dignity is stripped away.

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unrestrained summer fun

[random-radiant-reader]

it is so important that you are a little bit ugly. please get comfortable with having unplucked eyebrows and nonexistent jawlines and wrinkles. let your blue hair grow out into an uneven pale green and your clothes be old and mend them and modify them until they’re unique to you. wear lipstick which doesnt compliment your skintone and mismatched outfits which went out of fashion 5 years ago. be a little bit too loud and a little bit too passionate and as weird as you can be because oh my god there is nothing more disturbing to me than perfection. beauty is manufactured and sold to us and you need to realise that you are a fucking animal to live a joyful life I am so serious. you cant obsess over aesthetics forever please just live messily and make your body your home however you please.

if you dont do it for you, do it for all the teenagers who will see u in the street and know that they are not obligated to be attractive

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I know you wanted me away But I am called to be the first Pope from the USA I heard that there's a special place where God talks directly to me every time I pray

I'm having holy dreams, of ruling the Holy See Hear Santa Monica, her son is calling me Won't make the bishops proud, the USCCB Will see their bro in Christ, I know they're gonna scream

"God, what will you do? You once were our boy, then you went to Peru," oh Fathers I'm on the balcony In my vestments, they elected me as the

[random-radiant-reader]

WARNING!!!!

People, please be careful. There are also people tracking children and people and putting bids on them based on their profile pictures on whatsapp, tracking and kidnapping them. Especially young children, so please be cautious, especially parents who have their children as their profile pictures.

Please pass this on to everyone so that they are aware of the danger. I don’t how it is all around the world but I know it can’t just be here so please please spread the word. Thank you.

[random-radiant-reader]

the apothecary diaries does such a great job of portraying how traumatizing it can be to be a victim of pedophilia and grooming, instead of romanticizing it like a lot of anime series do. it is disturbing, it makes audience uncomfortable and disgusted — which is how we must feel about pedophilia. you're not supposed to feel comfortable because it's 'normalized' or 'just fiction'; you're supposed to feel disgusted.

the creator didn't make anshi 'fall in love' with the previous emperor or develop a stockholm syndrome — instead, she took her revenge in the same way he hurt her and other girls, which he deserved. her anger, hatred and disgust towards him are rightly justified and realistic for a victim of pedophilia.

the older palace lady (who might or might not be a ghost) told the girls abt her story as a victim of the previous emperor at the ghost story gathering:

whether or not she was a ghost, she wanted her story to be heard, of how much the victims suffered at the hands of the previous emperor. they were imprisoned for the rest of their lives in the same place that ruined their lives. telling her story might be the only way for her to find peace within herself.

an abuser may die but the trauma he leaves on his victims will last forever. it does not go away.

it's even presented as a horror story because there's nothing more terrifying than SA.

(i may have missed a few points but im keeping this brief. thank you for reading my essay!)

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truly one of the most upsetting things to hear in pretty much any context is "i'm used to it"

[random-radiant-reader]

you don't even have to ask. i'll beg.

Brennan Lee Mulligan / Anne Carson / Emily Wilson / Jaelyn Dennis / Anne Carson / Mitski / inanotherunivrse / Alicia Ostriker / Clarice Lispector / Source Unknown / souldistracted / @kermit-coded / Source Unknown / @professor-pants / souldistracted / Ricardo Martinez / Anne Carson / Phoebe Bridgers / @thegirlhoodtheory / Silas Denver Melvin / Mary Oliver / Bombay Bicycle Club / @autopsytableromance / Margaret Atwood

[random-radiant-reader]

lock the fuck in?? no way dude. I am TUCKED the fuck in :) good night

[random-radiant-reader]

in celebration of april 13, i present all four known photos of neil, who banged out the tunes 19 years ago today

source: theagilerat.com (click right to see all four photos!)

[random-radiant-reader]

The opposite, when your parents don't really care I you're in activities and only mention them off-handly. So when you're old enough, you join every activity you think you might enjoy.

*glancing back at my childhood in the rearview mirror* and what the FUCK was up with my mom always signing me up for Activities

[random-radiant-reader]

happy neil banging out the tunes day!

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