#...he says having posted like One new piece this whole year 🥴

[thewhumperinwhite]

i genuinely love posting attd stuff to this blog in particular bc there's like. a *very* complicated (perhaps too complicated, working on the same project for 14 years will do that) story going on, with lots of Politics and Magic and Political Magic going on, but for the purposes of this blog i'm always just like "...anyway who wants to see this white boy get the shit kicked out of him again"

[todayisafridaynight]

Prior to sending the ask I was just guessing what matrophobia meant based on the root words but I looked it up after and went ohhhh and then you confirmed that extra dimension to it and I went OHHHHH

I think that gets to the heart of what I've been thinking about, that bittersweetness, because despite his best efforts... of course he could never end up anything like Yoko, but he still ended up with an abusive "household." Because in addition to Masato ending up how he did, he has to see those same situations play out, feel that same tension in the air between Jo and Ichi, over and over for almost a decade straight.

Like, in a way, he's forced to put himself in Toshio's shoes when that happens. He can't really get through to Jo, in the same way Toshio can't get through to Yoko, but he can try to step in before lasting damage is done, and he can try to make it bearable for his son. You know. Have a nice talk. Treat him to Peking duck. I'm SO normal about the (drawn-out) parallels of those scenes

So then with Jo... he kind of does become his father, even if he never wanted to (no one wants to), both through his ruinous neglect of Masato at birth and through how he comes to look at discipline and corporal punishment. I'm sure it's not lost on him in Masato's case (owww), but with Ichi, it's not like he has any reason to see him as his son... But How Far Can That Take You.

Because it's like, at the start, he was openly beating Ichi in front of Arakawa and not letting up much when Arakawa intervened. But then you have The Yubitsume Scene and Arakawa walking in on All That and... he looks sorry. Sorry for being caught, probably, but sorry nonetheless. Like... what changed between then and now... have you two had a Heartfelt Conversation... do you know where Arakawa got that scar... are you unable to change your "nature" even then...

Side note bro your SHOE is the size of his TORSO I promise you do not need to kick him with all the strength you've got like what the hell is this 😭😭😭

BUT ALL THAT ASIDE thank you so much for delving into the symbolism! Wonderful read. I don't really have an eye for symbolism, so that makes it all the more enjoyable to revisit the comic and everything with what you've gone into. I think a lot of your experiences resonate with mine, so conversely I'm not sure what others would take away from it, BUT I think there's enough there that's so insightful and evocative that it's effective without personal experience. I don't think there's anything I could add, so. Yeah. For once I am happy to sit back and take it all in... On that note, definitely looking forward to your next comic!

AUUUGH YEAAAH YEAHEYA HYEAH THAT EXACTLY OUUUGH OWIEE OWW.....

that's literally it though. like no extra notes. except The Obligatory Few i dont think it was an accident that arakawa is set up as the beginning of the game's 'protagonist' and planting that 'troubled family' taste first thing in our mind. i remember how i felt when i first saw arakawa walk in on jo and ichi and then arakawa taking ichi out for dinner i was just like🧍‍♂️Girl No The Cycle.... It's Continuing...... //screams// LIKE UGH IT WAS SO GOOD BUT ALSO OWWW STOPPP and then on the REPLAY it just hurts more cause with the added context to jo's character its like Oh No...... You're Your Father's Son....

and youre right: jo doesn't have an implicit reason to see how he treats ichi is wrong, hence he similarly doesnt have any reason to stop- not unless arakawa intervenes of course (and i will stand outside my window thinking of the possibility arakawa ever did try to have A Conversation with jo... arms folded behind my back and all like Man™️....)

oh but yeah, absolutely no problem ! im lowkey of an egotist so i do like to talk bout the stuff i make. More In Depth (though thats obvious considering the fuckin essays in the tags i always leave ☠️☠️) gerjlgaELKjg. so i was happy to explain ♪(´▽｀) !! what i like about symbolism is that it can be intentional or not, and the fun is always finding it just by chance. i cant explain it properly, but i just think its a neat 'seasoning' of sorts to drawings (❁´◡`❁)

[koschei-the-ginger]

my conscience simply can't leave a list unfinished so I had to watch all of Cary Elwes' tv appearances as well... Turns out I've already seen much more than the John Paul II movie I had originally known him from.

Seinfield (1996) - Have I ever watched Seinfeld? No. Have I ever seen this episode? Yes. How is that possible? I don't know.

The Pentagon Wars (1998) - not something I'd normally enjoy but it wasn't bad (?

From Earth to the Moon (1998) - don't care, sorry

The Outer Limits (1999) - I recognized the fiancee and the alien immediately so 1) I must have seen this when I was a kid 2) I never recognized him bc I'd have remembered that. This show looks so good I need to watch more

Race against time (2000) - another "I'm sure this was on tv in like 2005 when I was down with the flu" movie

Night Visions (2001) - I don't remember his episode but I definitely have seen A View through the Window before 😭 just like the outer limits I want to watch the whole thing tbh. And that transphobe had it coming??

The Uprising (2001) - another show I've watched before but I was probably too distracted by David Schwimmer to recognize anyone else. The fake Polish accents were a surprise, god, just why? They all spoke English anyway. Also, did they cast him bc he also has a Jewish great-grandmother?

The X-Files (2001) - I jumped from season 2 to season 9 for this post and... he's really good at playing characters you'll just hate immediately. Saved this for the last and watched it on Christmas eve.

The Riverman (2004) - ok so I watched this one in Italian bc it was on youtube and again, why do I feel like I've come across this movie before? The plot boils down to "Ted Bundy wants attention 😟" so it's terrible also the wig he wears at some point is so hilariously bad

Pope John Paul II (2005) - this movie is on tv literally every Holy Saturday, I just wish I could find it in English bc I'm sure their polish is ridiculous. Also maybe don't have a 43-year-old play a character between ages 18 and 58 🥴

Haskett's Chance (2006) - i didn't find this one

Law & Order: SVU (2007) - genuinely surprised he didn't end up being the murderer for once.

Psych (2009-2014) - I had my doubts but this was amazing, Pierre is such a legend

Leverage (2012) - the premise of this show sounds so good on paper but something about the execution just doesn't work

Perception (2012) - don't know what much to say about this one, another late afternoon crime show my sister would be obsessed with

Anna Nicole (2013) - surprisingly decent

Granite flats (2014) - I don't really care about the plot so I only watched 2 episodes

The Art of More (2015) - this show is sooo boring

Life in Pieces (2016) - it wasn't funny enough for a sitcom but he was doing his best

Workaholics (2017) - I take it back, I at least chuckled at Life in Pieces, this one was simply not funny at all

Youth & Consequence (2018) - I'm too old to care about Instagram drama

Andre the Giant (2018) - so I know nothing about wrestling but Andre's life was so fascinating and tragic 😞

Stranger Things (2019) - I will watch anything but stranger things, sorry

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2019) - Jane Lynch was shining, you'd barely notice he was there

Katy Keene (2020) - this pic is terrifying but I'm not going back to take a new one, also I'm ok with not knowing anything about Riverdale