#I really hope im wrong and they deal with his character respectfully and well. this interview in the context of the questionable trailers

[iamnmbr3]

Hm. So I really desperately want the Loki show to be good but I saw a new interview with the writer and I have to say. Some of it really concerned me.

"Taking an organisation that is so soul-crushing by-the-book, so to speak, in their managing of time and dropping the most chaotic character in all of the MCU smack-dab in the middle of that is just amazing juxtaposition". 

Really? Name one prank Loki has ever pulled on screen.

The issue here is that Loki isn’t the most chaotic character in the MCU. By any stretch the imagination. This interview seems to have conflated comics!Loki and MCU!Loki, even though they are quite different characters. Even the most cursory watch of Thor 2011 and TDW should reveal that. When in the MCU has Loki’s motivation ever been about chaos or pranks??!

In Thor 2011 he was simmering with very legitimate hurt and resentment (neither of which have anything to do with chaos OR pranks!) but what ultimately drove him to action was the extremely valid fear that Thor would start a war. He used trickery not for fun but to try to delay Thor’s coronation and thus forestall violence. Things don’t go as planned, resulting in the unravelling of his life and culminating in his SUICIDE ATTEMPT at the end of the movie.

In The Avengers he is being mind controlled and forced to conquer earth. His truer self wants to escape Thanos who has been torturing him. In TDW he wants to escape the horrific prison he has been confined in, alone for all eternity and also to avenge his mother. (I think there is compelling evidence that he also is planning to die in combat because he doesn’t want to return to prison and prefers death). In Ragnarok his motivations include avoiding Thor’s rage, escaping the clutches of the Grandmaster (a terrifyingly powerful being who vastly outclasses him in terms of raw power), and protecting the Asgardian people. 

Even Thor is more chaotic than Loki in the MCU. He tends to charge into things without always thinking first, and is far more mercurial. Think of how he started a war over an insult in Thor 1, or how he initially attacked the Avengers. The actual agents of chaos and wacky hijinks in the MCU tho are neither Thor nor Loki, but rather the Guardians of the Galaxy. Maybe the Loki writers watched the Guardians movies by mistake? (Pro tip: if the character speaking looks like a raccoon, it’s not Loki.

Loki stabbing Laufey according to this interview: “it was just a prank bro!”

“Loki is proper and pompous, Owen is folksy and down-to-earth – so right away, energies clash in a way that’s harmonious.”

Um??!? Ok first off. Owen Wilson = real person. Loki = fictional character. So it's weird to juxtapose them, but I’m going to assume he meant to say “Mobius.” Also ??! Loki is...neither of those things? This quote sounds like what would happen if someone who had never been to the UK or seen the Loki films looked up "what is a stereotype about British people?" and just made that Loki's character. 

All the tremendous nuance and depth and complexity and pathos of Loki’s character, and what they come up with is the generic “pompous and proper”??Also, the incorrect assessments of Loki’s character aren’t even consistent. How can he be both an agent of chaos AND super prim and proper?! Those things are contradictory. 

And seriously. WHEN is Loki pompous and proper? Is this referring to Loki’s speaking style? He uses the same Asgardian speaking style that Thor uses. It’s more formal in Thor 2011, Avengers, and Thor: The Dark World, and a little more casual in Ragnarok because of a change in writing style. (Though even in Ragnarok while they speak more casually they never use earth slang like “gonna” or “crap.”)

Anyone who had seen Thor 2011 would remember that THOR was the arrogant and pompous one at the beginning of the movie, and that this was meant to contrast with Loki who was very quiet and internalized and repressed. Loki’s whole origin story happened because no one listened to or respected him so he resorted to desperate measures to achieve what he believed was right (the prevention of a war!) and then had a mental breakdown due to the way circumstances unfolded. 

And, yes Loki carries himself like royalty. But that’s not because he’s pompous. It’s because he IS royalty. He's literally a prince! Loki doesn’t have a high opinion of himself at all. One of his major issues is that he’s consumed by self-hatred. This again feels like they’ve conflated comics!Loki and MCU!Loki. 

It’s weird that I have yet to see any of the show writers talk about even 1 aspect of Loki's character that they like or find sympathetic or interesting or emotionally compelling. 

(Also. Mobius is a bureaucrat who works for a heartless organization that murders people for the slightest show of noncompliance. And he apparently doesn’t care that Loki was tortured by Thanos. That doesn’t make him “folksy” or “down-to-earth.” It makes him complicit in atrocities.)

"and my goal from day one was to tell a story of Loki that had never been told before"

This again ties back into Disney’s bizarre new positioning that this show is the first time Loki has been out of his comfort zone, which utterly ignores the fact that in his every appearance so far Loki’s story has been defined by lack of control. Loki being in the power of people who use him, lie to him, mistreat him, threaten him, gaslight him, and/or scapegoat him is hardly new. It’s what’s been happening to him in every movie. 

[mousehole5000]

tgcf again chapters 174-191. im now midway through book 4. pain and suffering. and yet also.... this is really good.... but also.... pain...

okay cave of ten thousand gods everythings coming out into the light.... xie lian pretending not to hear fengqing drop their act im emotional..... fengqing silently working together to separate xie lian and hua cheng im emotional..... every word that comes out of mu qing’s mouth im emotional....

honestly reading the xianle trio discussing hua cheng.. its very hard for me NOT to project all the times ive been in a friendship trio and someone got a boyfriend the other two didnt like (which was every time. theres never been a bf everyone liked. sometimes i was the one who had the bf. there were no winners then and tbh i predict there will be no real winners here as far as this friendship goes but such is life)

mu qing is so smart he’s clever he’s tricksy i love it i love him ugh

“A pair of arms had circled around him from behind, and hugged him with force all of a sudden. Xie Lian had buried his face in his back, and also didn’t speak. Though nothing was said, it was enough.” okay i cant get into every different way im feeling about whats going down bc it would get Too Personal but this..... im emo. also xie lian saying “something like this has to be said clearly“ and then proceeding to not say a word just going in for a hug is a mood

“He heard Hua Cheng’s staggering voice coming from above. “...Your Highness. You really…will be the death of me.” - ok well DONT SAY THAT!! now im worried!!!

“Hua Cheng, however, only snorted, appearing as if his eyes could see through the thick rocky walls. He said darkly, “Don’t worry. If he kills one, I’ll make ten more. Fast and furious like the storms, I will never back down. Let’s see who’s the one left standing in the end.” Xie Lian’s heart skipped a beat for some reason, and he mumbled inwardly, “... Oh no, this is bad.” Even though Hua Cheng’s expression was subconsciously displayed, Xie Lian really was quite weak to this aggressive and rebellious confidence of his.” - fjadskfajsl its okay xie lian honey you never know whats going to do it for you

okay so are the murals and statues are only from the xianle era? im hoping hua cheng didnt secretly follow xie lian during his time as a mortal during the entire 800 years and then pretend to a total stranger that would be too much imo lets see. i still really do get why feng xin and mu qing are like “...dude wtf lets get out of here stay away from that guy” (also tbh probably if theyd all managed to stay close... this probably wouldnt be happening which isnt a judgement im just saying bc thats definitely how ive felt about friendships) although this whole thing IS indeed tinged with homophobia which i still dont think makes sense in this setting but whatever i guess.

BOOK 4!!!! im scared

“A few days ago he nearly fainted, and it was only after that did he realize it was because he hadn’t had anything to eat for several days.” - unfortunately relatable but :(

“Ever since Xie Lian was young, he had never had to consider these kinds of affairs, and this was truly the first time in decades that this problem gripped him. However, if gods didn’t even know what starvation felt like, how could they possibly understand the feelings of a starving worshipper? How could they possibly empathize? At this point, he could only take this experience as a form of training.” - TRUE THO!!!!!!!! i like seeing this even tho the circumstances are sad

wait does xie lian get his bad cooking skills from him mom? im gonna cry...

“After returning to the city, Mu Qing’s stomach was still turning. He said as he stumbled, “I thought…that porridge, it smelled like bran water, but I hadn’t thought it’d taste like it too!” Feng Xin gritted his teeth. “Shut up! Don’t force people to remember that pot of stuff! The queen is…body of ten thousand gold after all…never cooked…this is already…UGH!…” Mu Qing humphed. “Did I say something wrong? If you didn’t think it was like bran water, why don’t you…go ask the queen to grant you another bowl! UGH!…” The two were heaving back and forth, and Xie Lian grabbed hold of the both of them, patting their backs.” - xianle trio.... including simply because it made me do the pleading emoji in real life..... also the way the queen wanted to feed all of them... weeping

i didnt realize that mu qing would still be around during this time.... god the fact that i know theyre all going to split......

“It’s precisely because it’s a time like this that money has to be brought up!” Mu Qing countered. “A time like this? What time is it? Time when we’re starving! It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to admit it, but nothing can be done without money! Can you both not just suck it up a little bit?” - mu qing i love you. god.... for real the fact that he comes from a completely different background than the other two is so important to his character and i think it shows so much in the way he continues to be in the present. he gives me the vibe of someone who is smart and hardworking but is bitter about it and tbh!!!! i get why he is!!! he’s very aware of these kinds of concerns bc he’s had to be, while the other two kind of think theyre above it and its a big difference between them. he’s still separated by the circumstances of his birth despite how much harder he’s worked to get to where he is.... ugh painful and delicious

i really am enjoying the xianle story tbh. xie lian going from his highness, favored by heaven, well-intentioned but lacking in experience and understanding to living in poverty and fighting with mortals who disrespect him. fucking delicious i mean this sincerely and respectfully im sad but i really like his character arc. and then to how he is in the present....

“Mu Qing looked at him, speaking not a word. Then he bowed deeply and really turned around to walk away.” - OH NO ITS HAPPENING AHHHHH ;_; honestly all of this hurts but it feels real like i think mu qing has every right to want to leave honestly and he DOES have other family and other ambitions outside of the trio... and i get why feng xin is mad about him wanting to leave when theyre suffering!! and i get why xie lian lets him go.... friendships are hard man and the pain of them splitting is rough!!!!

“Mu Qing’s departure had really shocked him to the core. First, he had never thought that someone so close would just up and leave. Second, Xie Lian had always believed in “forever”. For example, friends would always be friends forever; no betrayal, no deception, no breaking up. Perhaps there’d be times when they’d part, but it for sure wouldn’t be over reasons like “life is too horrible” - pain. just pain. same as above i get it but it hurts

“Xie Lian didn’t know too well just how much money would be considered normal when buying over ten lanterns, and he never looked at the price tag when he purchased things in the past.” - i feel bad kicking him while he’s down and he’s still trying to be kind even when it costs him but this is the first thing that came into my mind

but also oh?? spirits of soldiers from the battlefield you say?? hmmm i wonder... who.... could possibly be among them....

“If you remain forcibly, you won’t be able to rest in peace,” Xie Lian said. The nameless ghost didn’t seem to care. “I pray to never rest in peace.” -  i cant lie this legit gave me goosebumps lol

“Xie Lian himself was alright in suffering through it, since there were far too many other things to worry about. But his mother, who had lived a comfortable, luxurious life, when had she ever done such crude labour? But if the queen didn’t do this work herself, who else could take over?” - hmmmm!!! housekeeping!!!! it matters!!!! rich people dont appreciate how much until they have to do it themselves!!! but this still makes me sad

oh god THATS when they pawned hongjing?? with the king sick and mu qing leaving?? :(((( even more emotional about its appearances in the present day

“That passerby chuckled. “You don’t know? This is too exciting! The servant is beating the master!” - oh god the dramatic and ironic timing of it all

god..... this is just... a sad time....

“MU QING ISN’T LIKE YOU ALL. HE’S MY FRIEND, HE WOULD NEVER HELP YOU!!!” [cut to] “Those were the only words echoing in Xie Lian’s mind, but he couldn’t utter a single sound, and could only crazily grab at anything at his disposal to throw. He didn’t care who he was hurling at, either. Finally, Mu Qing couldn’t take this anymore, and he steeled his face as he swept his sleeves and left. Xie Lian panted harshly for a bit and fell back down, spacing out again.”- IM SAD!!!!!! tbh i wonder if on some level xie lian kind of felt like mu qing owed him? i know he said to forget about that stuff to both of them but its one thinig to say it and think you mean it and another to have to deal with it

white no-face what is your DEAL!! also all the little fire ghost bits im...

“After having exchanged so many words, Feng Xin finally got the gist of what had transpired. He widened his eyes and pointed at Mu Qing, unable to speak. A moment later, he bent down and grabbed a sack and flung it over, roaring. “SCRAM! SCRAM SCRAM SCRAM!” Mu Qing was hit in the face by the sacks of rice he brought and backed two steps away. All three of them in the house were panting harshly.” - this is it this is the part where i closed my laptop and said “noOOooOOOoooo” out loud to my room im so upset... and mu qing still tried to leave the rice even after the broom thing im ;_;

“Feng Xin was completely convinced that he would never do such a thing, but that was precisely why this had become the worst-case scenario!” - pain, suffering, dismay, etc

“Feng Xin continued, “If Your Highness thinks your life might be in danger, I can finish this for you, I won’t tell Her Majesty, haha.” - bless your heart for trying feng xin

“But it shouldn’t be like this. The Feng Xin of the past would have absolute faith in him no matter what! Even if there was only twenty percent doubt, it was still unbearable!” - AHHHHHHH okay idk if i really have much to say about their relationship other than im sad but IM SAD!!!!

the differences between feng xin and mu qing’s relationship with xie lian are so interesting. feng xin has clearly always idolized xie lian a lot while mu qing hasnt at least not in the same way and he seems like he has some resentment towards xie lian (thats how i read it anyway thats what i said about it at the beginning of book 2 and i think its understandable and can be a very real part of friendships) that feng xin doesnt and i just think thats neat!!

“He was firmly tied down upon the altar, that broken base of the statue under his body. There were many people squeezed below the altar, and pair after pair of round, unblinking eyes were watching him.” - hmmm dont think i like where this is going

“Yet, before he could finish, he realized that the white silk that he used to cover his face had been undone. In this moment, the thing that had him completely tied down was that exact white silk.” oh my god wait is this ruoye?? is ruoye that same ribbon???? ill cry

“The hand stained with blood, the one that ended a life, was immune to the Face Disease.” - ohhh shit okay. okay okay. okay. shit okay. i See now.... so if youre an innocent civilian the only way to escape this fate (and the faces are actually the souls of other innocent civilians) is to get rid of your innocence... and doesnt this disease not actually hurt its just horrific? god.............

“White No-Face pitied, “You think they don’t want to do it? Wrong, it’s not that they don’t want to, it’s solely because no one wants to be the first, that’s all.” - shut up!!! youre the one who created this situation dont fucking preach about the way you think the world is

“He forced down the mouthful of blood and hissed, “What are you laughing at? You think that you got what you wanted? This was all forced by you!” The ghost fire within the ghost’s hand flickered even more fiercely.” - yes exactly!!! you put people in extreme circumstances sometimes they do extreme things!! youve proved nothing!! god i do love when characters say exactly what im thinking. plus the first ones who caved were trying to save their child

“He felt that, if he was to let them do what they wanted, there was something in his heart that would never return to its original state.” - :( also i kind of feel that in my life sometimes and i just hope xie lian’s heart ends up in a state he’s happy with

“He didn’t dare to look at what had become of the person lying on the altar, because what laid there didn’t look human anymore.” AHHHHHH!!! :(((( i mean i get why this event is what made hc... level up??? thats not a good way to describe it fjasldkfjaslk but you know what i mean... that line about being powerless to help your beloved OOOOOOF

okay well finished that chapter im. pain. hmmm. pain. i dont know if i actually have any words rn lol but im gonna stop here for now

[cheekbites-moved]

ok so i watched love simon for the first time last night & i was too tired to make a ‘final thoughts’ post then, so here it is now! lol

obviously this is gonna be long as hell so im putting it under a read more for ur convenience lmfao

im actually gonna start with what i didnt like bc it was just one thing.

obviously, if uve seen the movie (as many ppl hated this too), or read my liveblogging posts, u know what it is lol 

ill be honest, as a gay person, im incredibly biased towards simon. ill admit that. that being said, how his friends treated him after he got outed was fucking disgusting.

here’s the thing: the actions simon did that his friends got upset over were motivated by the threat of him being outed. now, if this movie was just some fluffy, fantastical movie, the threat would just be ppl knowing he’s gay and that’s it. no repercussions, just ppl gaining the knowledge that he’s not straight. not that big a deal.

however, since this movie tries its best to be accurate and realistic to things, it’s not that simple in the movie, and it’s not the simple in real life.

the risk of being outed is not just ‘ppl knowing ur gay’ and that’s it.

the risk of being outed involves the risk of getting bullied (which does happen in the movie, twice. once to ethan on screen, once to simon after he comes out.), getting abandoned by ur friends (which also does happen in the movie), getting expelled from school or fired from ur job if either of them find out & are lgbtphobic, getting kicked out of ur house if ur parents/whoever u live w find out & theyre lgbtphobic, and, at worst, it can come with the risk of getting beaten or even killed.

and no, this isnt me blowing this up to be more serious than it should be. bc unfortunately, in the world we live in, these things can happen as a result of someone being lgbt, whether they came out themselves or were outed by someone else. 

the worst thing simon did was hurt his friends’ feelings a bit. 

he didnt notice leah’s feelings for him (which. why would he? he’s not interested in her, or any girl for that matter, so obviously he’s not looking for the signs of interest. why would he notice that, and why was it his responsibility to know anyway??). he tried to set nick up with her because he genuinely thought she had feelings for nick, and that’s the main reason why he didn’t realize that she liked him.

yes, part of the motive was trying to get nick out the way so he could set abby up with martin, but ffs. let me reiterate that his life, and potential future, were on the line. having the possibility of all the aforementioned things potentially happening to him should make his actions at least understandable.

like falling for someone that doesnt like u back bc theyre not attracted to ur gender (which like.. hello. gay ppl fucking experience that shit all the time too & we have to learn to deal w it.), or being put in a game of matchmaker bc ur friend was trying to save their own fucking life is rly not that big a deal compared to said friend’s situation of trying to save their own fucking life. 

one situation hurts, but can eventually be healed from (which clearly they do in the movie since abby and nick got together anyway in spite of simon’s actions, and leah’s fine). the other situation has the chance of resulting in a fucking future/life being ruined or taken. i think that one is much more fucking important.

all in all, i just wish they wouldve fucking apologized. bc they screamed at him after he got outed. 

abby saw how fucking terrified he was when he came out to her, but she’s not gonna have a single ounce of sympathy when he was outed to the entire school against his will?? like what the fuck! 

also wish they wouldve stood up for him when he got bullied. they just sat there with guilty expressions, but none of them did anything. it was really rough to watch.

as much as all this seriously pissed me off, though, especially as a person who has been outed against my will so all of simon’s heartache as a result rly resonated with me.. 

i appreciate that they put that shit in. 

bc u know what unfortunately that is how cishet ppl react sometimes. guilting u for being lgbt, guilting u for not coming out to them despite knowing how scary it can be, etc etc etc. 

and getting apologizes from cishet ppl for that kinda shit is rare. so, as much as i was annoyed that they didnt apologize, that is unfortunately realistic. as much as i wish they wouldve stood up for him, that was also unfortunately realistic. so im still glad it’s in there even if it did piss me off. 

simon’s speech to martin was nice at least, and i hope that it taught some cishet ppl that have outed ppl, or threatened to out ppl, or wanted to out ppl, why u just dont fucking do that shit.

woo now that that’s outta my system lmfao onto all the good stuff! in bullet list form bc theres a l o t lmfao

the soundtrack ESP for the emotional moments wOw

‘i wanna dance with somebody’ gay musical addition

simon’s subtle annoyed looks whenever straight nonsense™  happens

simon’s terrible attempts at being straight

simon’s extremely subtle, but still noticeable if ur lgbt, panic whenever the potential chance of him being outed/discovered arises 

the dog

simon’s parents’ speeches to him after he comes out to them

seriously as gay, nb person w lgbtphobic parents that shit meant a lot to hear. 

the fact that this is not only a mainstream lgbt rom-com, but also a mainstream movie abt a gay kid learning to love himself and be confident with himself and his sexuality

simon’s journey to being able to proudly proclaim that he’s gay.

the speech he has near the end is so fucking powerful bc we see him struggle throughout the movie to say it. 

first he cant say it at all, then he can only say it quietly, but by the end of the movie, he’s proclaiming to the entire school, loud and proud, that yes. he is gay. and he’s not going to feel wrong for that anymore. 

i feel like that entire journey is one that can really resonate with a lot of ppl, including myself. so im so fucking happy that this movie included that progression, and ended it with him having such an exuberant amount of confidence. it was honestly really beautiful, and im glad i got to witness it.

simon practicing pickup lines in the mirror

“hey barack its me jacques”

abby trying to teach simon how to flirt

simon googling “how to dress like a gay guy”

simon not having martin’s bullshit and telling him off for how fucked up blackmailing him was from the start, but especially his speech about how important/personal coming out is to ppl and how shitty it was that he took that away from him

MRS ALBRIGHT IN GENERAL BUT ESPECIALLY HER ICONICALLY STICKING UP FOR SIMON IN THE CAFETERIA I STAN HER SO HARD!!

ethan in general, but especially his speech to simon in the office, and super especially the line “one gay’s a snnooze, two’s a hilarious hate crime”

like i seriously appreciate how real this movie is. and it doesnt have lines like this, or plots like the blackmailing/outing just for drama. 

it’s to show that this is how being lgbt can be sometimes, this shit rly happens. and i just rly appreciated seeing all that in a way that didnt even try to pull any punches. it was so clear they seriously cared abt making this an accurate movie, and that meant a lot

GETTING TO SEE TWO BOYS KISSING ON SCREEN MULTIPLE TIMES, AND NOT JUST THAT, BUT GETTING TO SEE THEM GET A HAPPY ENDING!!!!! 

i seriously cried for like 20 minutes starting from when bram showed up at the ferris wheel to well after the credits had ended. 

i cannot even begin to express how fucking incredible it was to get to see two boys kissing, getting cheered on, and getting to be happy.

especially in the scene where simon picks up everyone, and leah moves so bram can get in the front seat and he kisses simon when he gets in. IT WAS SO SWEET.. AND BEAUTIFUL I LOVED/APPRECIATED IT SO MUCH IT MEANT SOOOO FUCKING MUCH TO ME GOSH

my thoughts of the movie can be boiled down to this: im so fucking happy this movie exists. 

im so fucking happy that a movie abt a gay kid learning to be confident in his sexuality, falling in love and getting to have a happy ending with his boyfriend exists.

ive never cried more at a movie than i did at this movie, and ive especially never cried harder out of sheer happiness for a movie. 

knowing that this movie was in theaters, and that gay kids/teens have a movie that lets them know early on that not only is gonna be ok, but they do have a chance at a happy ending, and they deserve it, was so goddamn amazing.

this movie is so, so important. and im so happy that it, and the book its based off of, exist. 

and it’s a prime example of why representation matters so much. it was so fucking amazing to see myself, as a gay person, represented so well, so thoughtfully, so respectfully. 

i just... i love this movie so much. and im so glad it exists. and im so happy i finally got to see it.

i hope it inspires more movies/stories like it to be made. 

i hope that it results in lgbt stories being happy, uplifting stories. 

i hope that it results in lgbt characters getting to be the main characters. 

i hope it results in coming out stories being about the lgbt characters, and not how them coming out affects the cishet characters around them. 

and i hope it results in less tragic endings for lgbt characters, and more happy endings for lgbt characters.

for a long time, a future where we get the stories just mentioned has seemed bleak. but this movie changed that. and im excited for the road i hope it’s started us on.

[yakousei]

on soukoku and their relationship with each other

so i feel like i should start this off by saying that i do not ship soukoku—not for any particular reason, i just don’t—so i’m not at all looking at their relationship through shipping goggles or whatever. these are just my thoughts from what we know of their characters and their interactions with each other.

i’ve also never written anything resembling meta before so this is probably a mess of a post but whatever!! let’s get on with it.

my number one reason for writing this post is trying to figure out the answer to why exactly dazai and chuuya dislike each other so much, and when exactly this mutual hatred came to be. after thinking it over, there are three prominent possibilities that i’ve decided on: clashing personalities, some sort of intense betrayal, or a petty argument blown out of proportion. they all seem pretty reasonable, so let’s go over them one by one.

1) clashing personalities

this seems like the most likely reason right off the bat, but once i started thinking more about it, i realized it just doesn’t make sense. now, don’t get me wrong, their personalities certainly do clash, but i don’t think it warrants the intense hatred they harbor. 

dazai is an annoying person to be around, we all know this, but he isn’t completely unbearable—so why is chuuya so deeply annoyed by him? you could argue that it’s because dazai is extra annoying to him, but the only reason why dazai is like that with chuuya is because they dislike each other. therefore, the argument doesn’t work. we’re trying to figure out why they dislike each other in the first place. 

so maybe chuuya is just more easily annoyed than the other people that have to be around dazai. to me, that’s just an insult to chuuya’s character. chuuya is hot-headed, yes, but he’s also polite. if we were to take out their already existing dislike for each other, i feel chuuya’s attitude would change from annoyed and constantly complaining about dazai to annoyed but respectfully dealing with dazai’s existence. 

rather than the two of them just not getting along by nature, we can instead conclude that some sort of incident occurred between the two that caused any tiny annoyances with the other to amplify into what it is now. so we can cross clashing personalities off our list of possibilities.

2) some sort of intense betrayal

when one reads that, you might immediately think ‘it’s because dazai betrayed and left the mafia, obviously!’ but that can quickly be proven wrong because of this: 

they hated each other long before dazai left. that may be obvious to some people, but i just wanted to make that fact extremely clear.

so with that in mind, we can assume that at some point as their time as soukoku, one did something extremely horrible to the other person, and everyone can just assume that it was dazai since dazai is King Douchebag. or it was both of their faults—or maybe it was chuuya because he decided to be a cruel dick for once.

to me, all those separate possibilities don’t even really matter because i simply think this is the weakest reasoning for their hatred.

don’t get me wrong, it makes sense at first glance, but just like the clashing personalities thing it starts to fall apart when you think about it. why? because people who have had their lives completely ruined by another don’t bicker like an old married couple with each other.

if someone completely screwed your life over, i doubt you’d be busying flinging petty insults at each other. the hate would be much stronger than that, and much more vile. 

for example, we have this interaction between dazai and mori

and this interaction between dazai and ango

and then we have these interactions between dazai and chuuya

and i could go on and on but i think you get the point.

simply put, one of these is not like the other. when dazai interacts with chuuya, there is no loss of light in his eyes, there is no feeling of complete and absolute hatred and betrayal. similarly, there is no such feeling from chuuya. 

mori and ango are both people who have completely ruined dazai’s life (or in ango’s case, people who dazai sees as completely ruining his life—but that’s a different matter entirely), so if dazai does not act that way around chuuya, we can cross this possibility off the list as well. 

which of course only leaves us with one more possibility

3) a petty argument blown out of proportion

i really do think this is the most possible one out of our options for a few reasons.

1. as pointed out in option 2, this hatred started much before dazai ever left the mafia, and dazai left when he was about 18 years old. that means that whenever this hatred started, it had to have been during their teen years. 

2. it’s consistent with the way they act around each other—throwing petty insults and nonstop bickering

3. it explains why they annoy each other so easily. they’re both stubborn people, and if they were to get in an argument and start getting annoyed at each other, i’m willing to bet they wouldn’t drop it so easily. 

they both held a grudge for a stupid reason, and that need to hold onto said grudge could easily warp the two’s perception of the other to the point that they’re constantly looking for something to justify their annoyance. 

you know, things like ‘your sense of fashion is terrible’ and ‘you have an annoying attitude’. small, stupid, and petty things. 

and i point out their age in my first reason because this is exactly the type of shit that teens would do. you get annoyed at someone, and suddenly everything they do is annoying. you don’t want to admit that maybe you were being childish, so you keep hating—you keep holding on to that grudge. soon enough, there is nothing that can stop your hate.

other than, you know, talking things out like adults.

but dazai has left the mafia, and that makes reconciliation nearly impossible. 

so, in conclusion, i think a petty argument blown out of proportion is the most likely possibility. 

this however, is all just my opinion! and it’s also all based off of speculation since we still have no idea what their childhood with each other was like. so if there ever comes a time where i’m proven completely fucking wrong, i accept that. i’m just working with all the material currently provided to us.

i wanna finish off by saying that because of this, i don’t think dazai and chuuya’s hatred is that strong. they definitely dislike each other—it’s in their profiles for fuck’s sake—but they don’t loathe each other. they can tolerate the other’s existence, or else they would never be able to work as a team.

with everything currently happening in the story, i don’t see them being able to completely get along with each other any time soon, but it’s definitely not impossible. they just need to talk it out like adults.

if you read this all the way through, then thank you!! im really bad at communicating exactly what i think, so i hope this at least sort of made sense. also, if you disagree with anything i said, feel free to counter anything i said in this! i like having discussions with people about this sort of thing, so yeah.

[comicteaparty]

November 1st, 2018 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on November 1st, 2018, from 5PM - 7PM PDT.  The chat focused on Littlelight Asylum by Julian Dominguez (Writer), Esther Pimentel (Artist), and Toben Racicot (Letterer).

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB START!

Good evening, everyone~! This week’s Thursday Book Club is officially beginning! Today we are discussing Littlelight Asylum by Julian Dominguez (Writer), Esther Pimentel (Artist), and Toben Racicot (Letterer)~! (http://littlelightasylum.spiderforest.com/)

Remember that Thursday discussions are completely freeform! However, every 30 minutes I will drop in OPTIONAL discussion questions in case you’d like a bit of a prompt. If you miss out on one of these prompts, you can find them pinned for the chat’s duration. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is fun and respectfully appreciating the comic. All that said, let’s begin!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

i think for me, my favorite scene is hands down when cthulhu shows up and lays the smack down. this might be biased from really liking to see cthulhu get around. but i also just kept being like "this squid kid reminds me of cthulhu" and then my assumptions were vindicated

keii4ii

Yup XD

I also liked seeing Eve get excited for the Crimson Archer

mathtans

That was pretty cool. I also liked just earlier when Eternal Flame was still the dork.(edited)

Yup, gotta imagine Eve squee face.

RebelVampire

yeah i liked the timing for it too. cause eve stonewalled for so long but then gotta have that little quieter squee when the actual hero showed up.

although i also liked when lilith was all squee but then immediately turned on the tsundere "its not like i like this at all" XD

mathtans

I like her personality. Vaguely Spock-like. She's sensible.

Eve, that is.

Also, MASSIVE bonus points for "drum roll". That was too good.

keii4ii

On a more subtle note though, I also liked that Eve hid the video games, AND that her gaming stash had both of the other characters' favorite games. Sometimes you wonder why/how some characters get along, and it's subtle details like that that grounds the relationship for me, by showing that they have more in common than it may seem.

mathtans

keii: That's an excellent point. She's a good friend.

Though how could you not get along with Hollow.

RebelVampire

i liked that moment too because i think it demonstrates both eve's intelligence and that for monster kids, taking away their stuff is really not that easy. so it was a moment that kind of did some subtle and excellent world building as well.

mathtans

I think Eve is the only one who can portal though.

keii4ii

Yeah

the person who took the stuff wasn't expecting it at all

mathtans

(And there's just this dude living in there, that was funny...)

RebelVampire

true but i dont doubt the others could find a way to hide their games. like lilith seems like shes 100% use magic....that would ultimately mess up in some fashion. hollow might be screwed unless he decides to bury his games in the backyard.

granted i wouldve thought headmistress light wouldve realized eve kind of has some op powers for someone her age

mathtans

Fair. I do think Light is happy so long as there's no destruction of property going on.

keii4ii

Though if the average monster kid is good at sneaking stuff around, I would think others would be more aware/skeptical

mathtans

I'm still trying to figure out my feelings about Lilith. She seems pretty self-absorbed.

keii4ii

She kinda seems like the meanie who hangs out with the good kids because she does get lonely, and no one else will tolerate her

RebelVampire

tbf tho their tolerance isnt the highest. since the first scenario they basically said "nope lilith has to clean up her own mess" until it wasnt possible for them to leave it alone

im interested in what shaped lilith's personality to be as it is

keii4ii

I found it interesting that she seemed to genuinely like Sona as a character, as opposed to just "I like her because her game is fun." Sona seemed like she had a decent personality (or maybe that's just my assumption based on "typical video game main characters" )

RebelVampire

nah sona had a nice personality cause she was all positive in the brief moment we see her. very opposite of lilith. so it makes me wonder if lilith has had a bit of a troubled childhood. like i mean dont get me wrong, shes mean. but given shes also a kid you always have to wonder how genuine it is and how much of it is putting on airs and acting in a way she thinks is expected of her.

cause i know her profile even mentions shes half demon or something. so she could be thinking "no im a demon gotta do the evil"

Superjustinbros

Hey there, just popping in to say hello since I'm a bit occupied with something else atm

if I can make it later I'll jump into the chat proper

(I do want to say briefly that this story has some appealing character designs)

keii4ii

It could be something like, she doesn't get along with the Less Evil of her parents (could be the demon, could be the other one), so she's latching onto evil being desirable. But that's a total stab in the dark at this point in time

RebelVampire

true. could be opposite in that the witch parent is more evil. or they could both be evil

QUESTION 2. The cast of the comic is colorful to say the least. Did any of the characters in particular strike you as interesting? If so, who and why? Why do you think Lilith is at the orphanage when she implies she has parents? Who are her parents and where are they? What about Eve and Hollow? Do you think they’re actually orphans or are there mitigating circumstances to why they’re at the orphanage? What do you think Eve’s implied connection to Cthulhu is? What about Hollow? Any theories that turn what we believe about Hollow on their head? Do you think the three main children will manage to stay friends despite their differences, or will one of them cause a rift?

keii4ii

I do think an "the friends have a fight, but realize it was silly and reunite to defeat a foe that they could not have defeated individually" episode is likely, though it's still early on and can't really say what might cause such a scenario

RebelVampire

i could argue thats sort of their whole relationship tho. the whole friends fight but reunite

cause even the first issue basically kind of does this

keii4ii

Yeah

But I mean something more... extreme

The first one seemed like a daily occurrence kinda thing

But like, something that makes them think, "great, I'll never talk to the other two again"

RebelVampire

actually what i hope happens is that lilith is the great ill never talk to the other two again

has a solo adventure but comes back

and eve and hollow are were like "what do you mean our fight and friendship breakup? we thought you were just being you"

keii4ii

If that happens, I would like to see it contribute to Lilith's character growth long term, even if very subtle

mathtans

Sorry, had to deal with little one here. Just to finish my earlier thought...

Lilith seems to have this need to prove herself to someone, so there's that, but she's not great at considering the consequences. Like even being forced to clean up the kitchen. It's an interesting counterpoint to Eve... and I guess since my personality's more like Eve, I have little issues.

I think Lilith was probably left at the orphanage by a relative who just couldn't deal any more... her parents were maybe going to come back to said relative's place at some time. Now Lil's trying to get their attention, maybe?

RebelVampire

maybe. i feel like something deeper is going on. cause normally if you couldn't deal with a child youre watching you just ship them back to their parents. not send them to an orphanage.

not to mention lilith is a bag of trouble

and if i was the headmistress and knew lilith had parents who didnt abandon her forever, i wouldve been like "oh whoops back to your parents you go"

although nobody might know where the parents are

maybe lilith's witch parent is as bad as magic

are trapped in a video game

mathtans

Yeah, I figured maybe it was a "no forwarding address" kind of thing. Possibly because one of them is wanted, and they don't want their ties to the kids to be an issue.

Heh, that'd be amusing, if Lilith's witch parent had the same trouble with spells. Came by it honestly.

As to parent/kid ties, I feel like Eve is maybe a reincarnation of Cthulu or something. Which is why she can channel subconsciously?

RebelVampire

or the secret child. cause i mean of course cthulhu would abandon a kid. not out of evil but cthulhu has evil cthulhu stuff to do. no time to be raising kids. but ya know, can make time to show up and say "dont you tocuh my kid weird demon fellow"

but reincarnation works too

never considered that

or maybe eve just is cthulhu

the only one

and that was just an astral projection of her power or something fancy like that

mathtans

Yeah, monster adults be busy and all. Speaking of, I wonder if the other beings are kind of in their own dimension somewhere? Or if there are pockets in the real world? I mean, seemed like a normal town not too far away.

Eve is a chibi-cthulhu.

RebelVampire

it could just be both cause this seems like one of them tricky magic worlds where every answer is probably plausible O_O

i want to know why hollow can breathe fire on a side note. like is this werewolf lore i dont know about XD

mathtans

They live in video games.

Hollow eats a lot of spicy peppers.

keii4ii

I'm not aware of fire-breathing werewolf lores, but now that I think about it, it'd be really cool(edited)

to see a howling wolf exhale a long stream of fire into the moon

mathtans

Maybe it comes from the human side. Born of one of those fire eaters in the carnivals and a werewolf.

keii4ii

Unlikely but not impossible: could be a loose reference to the eclipse dog that tried to eat the sun (and failed)

mathtans

Hm, not one I know of.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. The world of the comic is interesting to say the least. How do you think Littlelight Asylum manages to stay under the radar given its unique composition of occupants? Do you think we’ll see Mel again? Further, do you think Mel will manage to expose Littlelight Asylum for what it is, or will Mel’s efforts wind up in vain? How abundant do you think monsters are compared to humans anyway? What do you think would happen if normal humans found out about the orphanage? Will it turn out okay, badly, or do you think they have safety nets in place? Lastly, why do you think Headmistress Light continues the orphanage when it causes her many headaches and risks a lot?

RebelVampire

ive never heard of that one either but i dont mark it off as impossible either. it was just a weird detail that made me curious about hollow. granted tbf hes a wolf all the time so this def is a diff sort of werewolf

mathtans

Different rules and all... demons live in hats.

I think calling the place an "Asylum" is a good way to keep random visitors from showing up. Just saying.

Monsters must be more prevalent than one thinks though, if they're having relationships with humans? And if Mel has enough data to identify them as such?

I'm not sure about safety nets, btw. The best solution they had seemed to be get on the bus.

RebelVampire

well that orphanage alone was pretty populated from what it seemed. and having an orphanage implies that either 1) the population is large because generally you only have an orphanage that community raising isnt a viable option or 2) orphans in the monster world are extremely, extremely common and probably more orphans than kids with parents

thats a great point about asylum tho

that its used as a detterent

thats brilliant and i never considered that

mathtans

True, about the implications. It could also be that it's the only place on the entire Earth for them.

I wonder if anyone tries to send an actual human orphan to the place. Are they listed in the yellow pages?

RebelVampire

if they are actually using the asylum thing as a deterrent for humans, probably not

mathtans

About Headmistress Light... she may have inherited the place? It is sort of named after her.

RebelVampire

yeah her profile says as much

mathtans

Probably not. Unless you get a tax writeoff or something.

RebelVampire

that the place was her father's

mathtans

Ahh, I didn't recall the profiles.

RebelVampire

i assume she actually just cares about kids and knows that as monsters its not like they have anywhere else to go. cause you cant exactly send them to regular orphanages cause they might not understand the concept of not getting caught by a human lynch mob that well

mathtans

Yeah, I kinda feel the same. She also checked out the costumes before going into the town.

RebelVampire

i do think were inevitably going to see mel again. mel had too much potential as an antagonist

and i also think mel would be a good character way to show the human side of things

and how the humans might perceive monsters

and maybe actually show those preventitive measures

mathtans

Yeah, that does seem likely. I wonder what her damage is? Like, just give the weird monsters a chocolate and they'll leave you alone. You can then do all your plotting in secret.

Mel has her own issues, basically. ^^

I liked the explanation for why they went to her house even though they knew she was annoyed with them, btw.

Also, very topical for this time of year.

RebelVampire

yes. not even purposely timed XD

tbh tho i kind of also hope they turn mel into an ally

like show mel look we can go into the video games

and mel is like "ok this is cool i will help you now"

mathtans

Help them what though? Hide out? They've been pretty good at that.

Though it could be funny if Mel can cast spells properly, so Lilith gets advice from her.

RebelVampire

if not mel i do hope we get to see a more competent spell caster that can mentor lilith a bit. although i kind of hope all the kids get mentors. learn to become well-rounded ppl

QUESTION 4. The story is formatted in a way to offer lots of room for interesting scenarios. Are there any sorts of supernatural based scenarios you think might be interesting to see? Alternatively, is there something non-supernatural that you think it’d be interesting to watch the kids go through? Do you think we’ll see any of the antagonists from the previous scenarios again? If so, what do you think will happen? How many of the future scenarios do you think will be caused by Lilith’s magic going awry? Speaking of the supernatural though, what other sorts of cryptids or similar are you hoping to see character wise? Alternatively, is there a character you’ve seen already that you want to see more of based on their cryptid base?

RebelVampire

to answer one of those questions, id really like to see monster schooling. cause that must be a crazy mess

mathtans

I'm just trying to think of who'd be the mentors... might mix things up, have the wolves try to mentor Lilith...

I'm wondering if ghosts are a thing. Or contacting dead people. Particularly if parents are dead.

I hope the Lilith's magic going weird doesn't become a crutch... I liked how it was subverted a bit in the most recent one, where they were able to defeat the enemies.

RebelVampire

yeah. i do hope to see some character and skill growth

cause i really want lilith's magic to be useful at points

and for her to learn to maybe read the whole thing

and not invoke curses

mathtans

I feel like her learning might be a bit of a stretch. Could be interesting if they end up in classes though.

Like, are there spell casting classes?

RebelVampire

maybe

oh you know what i could forsee as a scenario

another witch joining the orphanage

that is way better at magic

mathtans

Ohh, that could be an interesting point.

Or even worse, like, gives Lilith a superiority complex.

RebelVampire

yeah that could happen to

unless the orphanage has that already, another witch. tbf id really like to see more of the kids in general. cause there were a lot of interesting and great designs already(edited)

and it could add to the kid's dynamic as well. like seeing how they interact with the others. cause lilith might not be the only one who's kind of outcasted from the other groups

mathtans

It's true. Maybe all three of the mains are kind of seen as the troublemakers by other kids too. So they end up by themselves.

Just looking at the character page again. It mentions that headmistress light has a power. Maybe she'll end up as a mentor?

Also, I wonder about Annabel there too.

RebelVampire

yeah. annabel i hope we get to see of more too. cause she looks sort of puppet or frankenstein like perhaps? so i want to know what her story is

granted i also want to know about bel too

i especially want to know how eve and hollow feel about bel

cause i assume they know bel exists

mathtans

Yeah, that would make sense.

Like, I would assume they figure he can't control Lilith any more than they can... so hmmm, what use is he?(edited)

RebelVampire

on the opposite end they might feel hes a bad influence on lilith

mathtans

Annabel could be a puppet, that might explain the pose after she fell off the ceiling, I hadn't considered that.

Maybe. Particularly if Bel's, like, reporting back to a witches council or something.

RebelVampire

he might just be a bad influence via not always discouraging lilith's crazy. you could make that argument at least

mathtans

Maybe he's really Lilith's dad in disguise.

RebelVampire

before the chat closes out, i want to add that i agree with super in that the character designs are really fantastic. theres a real great balance of detail and simplicity and i feel like all the designs really match the character theyre for.

mathtans

Dad's kind of a bumbling goof, doesn't want anyone to know. ^.^

Yeah, and I think the characters complement each other really well. Like, the more reserved sensible one, the off the wall random one, and the guy who's prone to excitement and is happy to be doing his best.

Even that second antagonist (if the ones at the start with the vines were the first), the Flame guy, he had some good motivations and things... and "eternal" wasn't just a catchphrase.

Btw, Hollow and Eve seem to share a room... does Lilith have a roommate, you think?

RebelVampire

well bel could technically be considered her roommate

probably just bel

lilith might spell another roommate into accident death

i liked eternal flame guy. he had the kind of over the top personality that is really fun

mathtans

There is always that danger.

RebelVampire

and i also liked that until cthulhu showed up he was op and able to beat children

mathtans

Extreme traits are interesting. Yeah, I liked the line "Oh, uh, are you with them" or whatever it was.

I suppose he could come back too, from the pocket dimension. Maybe he'll help to mentor them.

Anyway, should prove interesting to see what the next storyline is.

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB END!

Sadly, this wraps up this week’s Thursday Book Club chat for now. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and joining us! We want to give a special thank you to Julian Dominguez, Esther Pimentel, and Toben Racicot, as well, for making Littlelight Asylum. If you liked the comic, make sure to support Julian Dominguez, Esther Pimentel, and Toben Racicot’s efforts however you’re able to~!

Read and Comment: http://littlelightasylum.spiderforest.com/

Julian’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Boxboycomics

Esther’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Gilly_thesilly

Toben’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/TobenRacicot

Comic Tea Party- Thursday Book Club

Next week’s Thursday Book Club will be about Anacrine Complex by Sae. For participants, you have the next week to read as much of the comic as you would like~! We hope to see you on Thursday, November 8th, from 5PM to 7PM PST for the chat in #thursday_bookclub!

Comic’s Main Site: http://pigeoncomic.com/

[comicteaparty]

October 18th, 2018 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on October 18th, 2018, from 5PM - 7PM PDT.  The chat focused on The Origin Story by Carolin Reich.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB START!

Good evening, everyone~! This week’s Thursday Book Club is officially beginning! Today we are discussing The Origin Story by Carolin Reich~! (https://tapas.io/series/The-Origin-Story)

Remember that Thursday discussions are completely freeform! However, every 30 minutes I will drop in OPTIONAL discussion questions in case you’d like a bit of a prompt. If you miss out on one of these prompts, you can find them pinned for the chat’s duration. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is fun and respectfully appreciating the comic. All that said, let’s begin!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

one of my favorite scenes is actually really depressing XD but i really like the small part of a scene after cosima beats joreal and velver passes by her looking for her. https://tapas.io/episode/974705 something about the illustration on this page is so expertly crafted. like, you can just take one look and see cosima is in shock and kind of dead instead, and the fact its conveyed in such a brief and brillaint way amazes me.

Superjustinbros

Hi there!

RebelVampire

hey SJ

Superjustinbros

Glad to be here

RebelVampire

feel free to share any scenes that you were found of.

Superjustinbros

https://tapas.io/episode/1182515

Here's a pretty silly one

RebelVampire

yes! i really liked the relationship between chaze and his brother. theyre so different in personality. and you kind of have to wonder what happened in the past that caused his brother to leave home and essentially leave chaze in charge. cause chaze is not exactly whod i was as a king necessarily XD

Superjustinbros

Heehee X3

Pretty much

RebelVampire

did you just like it for the silliness or was there something else?

Superjustinbros

the silliness

RebelVampire

any part of the silliness that particularly entertained you or just the whole package?

Superjustinbros

I'd say the "head shake" bit

RebelVampire

yeah thats definitely a great illustration right there~!

Superjustinbros

Indeed

And giant draco daddy

RebelVampire

yeah i liked how the dragon was treated more like a pest than as a dragon XD

Superjustinbros

Dragon jsut wants his pumpkins for Halloween

RebelVampire

in the meantime, another scene i liked was in the elven court where velver did manipulative mumbo jumbo towards nocturne by playing to her fears on being the proxy for chaos. that was just some beautiful a-ok emotional stake driving right there. though i do wonder how much of it was on purpose or if velver was being a jerk. but i like the fact that i dont know for sure because it keeps velver as a bit enigmatic

Superjustinbros

https://tapas.io/episode/1152958 Ooh, so there's some type of modern tech in this world too?

RebelVampire

ummm, well in that part of the world its just cause cosima brought her phone

Superjustinbros

lol right

RebelVampire

another scene im fond of is when nocturne she tells Chaze "nope you gotta figure out how to get yourself out" after freeing him. Chaze has some really great expressions. But i also like the story itself turns my expectations on their head by having Chaze really actually mostly figure out how to escape himself.

Superjustinbros

XD

Yeah that's a good scene

RebelVampire

speaking of head turns, and not so much a scene, but i like that cosima orchestrated her own escape from the brothel and noped out. like im used to stories where the protagonist misbehaves only a fraction (like explore the brothel after being told no dont do that). but cosima just nopes out of there and heads for home, which is a fitting reaction for someone her age.

Superjustinbros

Yeah.

At least it's appropriate for Cosima's age.

Since I see lots of story make the young characters far more intelligent/capable for someone their age

RebelVampire

yes, so i like that she decided to try and nope after all. granted it backfired as it should have, but still the attempt was made

mathtans

I will be another... 15-20 minutes. FYI.

RebelVampire

kay take your time. well be here but i hope you can make it.

mathtans

I liked the rattling off of "chosen one" artifacts like mascots and silver crystals and then be all, if I don't get those, then nevermind.

Superjustinbros

Oh hey Math(edited)

RebelVampire

oh yeah i forgot about that moment in the larger scheme. but that was a really great moment. and again, kind of a more realistic reaction in a sense. cause i think those sorts of things are what ppl expect if they get told theyre the chosen one.

QUESTION 2. Throughout the comic, Velver seems to be up to his own sorts of goals. What do you think Velver’s goals even are? Are they personal, or is this the will of the supposed Church? What do these goals have to do with manipulating the elves to war with the merpeople? What outcome do you think people are hoping to achieve by starting it? Who is Kader, and what’s their intent with Cosima/Riga? Do you feel Velver is loyal to Kader, or is Velver playing the field to achieve his own ends? Lastly, how does Velver know Jorel, and why did Jorel call Velver a traitor?

i will try and tackle the last one first. i feel as if velver must not have always been part of the church by the fact hes a traitor. instead, he joined the church later when he saw the people he was with were "evil." though personally i feel like jorel's group wants to stop the prophecy a different way versus what the church is up to? but this is mostly based on the fact i cant necessarily picture jorel as part of this so-called church

i could be wrong and its totally opposite and the hunters dont realize velver is a double agent who hates the church

im gonna go out on the limb and say i think velver is playing both fields and trying to decide for himself what the best outcome is. and that while he's doing kader's bidding for now, he ultimately is after something else that makes following kader necessary.

Superjustinbros

I second the "prophecy a different way" part, seems like a possible reason.

RebelVampire

i definitely also feel that kader is definitely for sure evil. cause something about the breaking of strings and velver's reactions makes me pretty sure they're a tyrant. XD which makes me pretty sure that they actually dont care about light beating the dark. they just want cosima's powers to do cool power things. maybe take over a kingdom

actually thatd make sense for why they want the elves and the merpeople to war

let the elves and the merpeople tire themselves out

then swoop in with cosima/riga saying "were here to take over"

insta win

Superjustinbros

I mean who doesn't want to rule over a kingdom

mathtans

Okaaaay, hiiii. Busy week, didn't get all the way through "Destiny", but very impressed by the German origins here. Gonna scroll up and make random remarks now.

Re: The scene after the dead parents, yeah, that whole section somehow rang really true, the whole "my parents will be so annoyed I don't want to have to deal" morphing into the "what is even my life now". Also, kudos on illustrations in general.

RebelVampire

yeah. i like that it continues as well to when cosima got caught by the hunters. and she just sits there like "what is life what do i do"

mathtans

I'm not at the brother scene yet. ^.^ Did not expect the dragon thing. I wonder how people who do the swimming/water thing end up with dragons, that we associate with the air.

Yeah. I mean, not only are your parents dead, you come face to face with their killer. Yipes.

Yeah, Cosima's portrayed well as a teenager.

RebelVampire

i did wonder that too. we havent seen the merpeople yet in the sense of their city, so maybe they actually live above water unlike all past precedent merpeople or something

i did think it was ironic

but i also thought it was ironic anyway cause how does chaze of all ppl have a dragon XD

mathtans

Velver's an interesting cookie. Joining up later makes sense, particularly if that made him a "traitor" to some. I feel like he's his own agent, rather than working for anyone else... not necessarily that he's trying to engineer the best outcome either, just that he thinks he has some role to play, prophecy wise.

Superjustinbros

I wonder what the merpeople even look like

unless they already appeared and I jsut missed it

mathtans

Seahorses are called dragons of the sea, right? Maybe that's how they hatch.

RebelVampire

chaze is a mer person

Superjustinbros

ooh

RebelVampire

as is his brother XD

Superjustinbros

Okay then X3

RebelVampire

and i guess thats possible if the dragons are secretly just sea horses

mathtans

I think Velver's been reading the ancient runes. I also have my own crazy theory...

Namely that which one of them is good/order or evil/chaos hasn't necessarily been decided yet. Velver's pegging Cosima for the former, but it could be the other girl, so he's goading her too.

RebelVampire

oh thats a really good theory. that either one is capable. cause i mean tbf chaos doesnt have to be evil nor does order have to be good

mathtans

It's like, "I'm going to start a war, and let's see which of them handles it better".

Superjustinbros

lel

mathtans

It also might explain why Jorel wanted Cosima dead, he (or others of his kind) have pegged her as the chaotic one.

RebelVampire

could be

tbf maybe jorel wasnt even ordered to kill cosima

maybe hes just like velver and think he has his own role to play

Superjustinbros

Maybe so

RebelVampire

and he chose the psycho role

mathtans

Could be. I'm not sure I totally buy he's a psycho though... he's strangely ordered in his thinking. It's like, I gotta do this, and this, and tie up loose ends. He just, I dunno, has no soul?

(Maybe that's the same thing.)

RebelVampire

i mostly label him psycho cause he heartlessly killed her parents XD

mathtans

OH, hmmmm... what if Velver and Jorel were originally the rebirth of order and chaos, and they messed it up, so now it's up to the women? How old are they anyway?

Rebel: Fair.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. Many of the events of the comic come about for one reason: Cosima and Nocturne are destined to fight according to a prophecy and past precedence of their past selves. Do you think The Origin Story about Riga and her sister is true, or do you think there’s some critical information missing from it? Do you believe the prophecy is destined to come to pass, or are Cosima and Nocturne going to find a way to avoid fighting each other? Why do you think Cosima was kidnapped as a child but not Nocturne? In present times, what do you think will happen when Cosima catches up with Nocturne? Do you think Cosima will learn to control her powers inherited from Riga better, or will they ultimately be her undoing? What about Nocturne? Will she overcome her own issues regarding the prophecy?

i dont think that old. but i mean i guess its possible. though they must of messed up real bad cause neither velver or jorel killed each other.

so im saying it now cause of that flashback cosima had at some point (which i dont remember where). i think this is one of those situations where what ppl believe is a lie. someone else hurt riga and someone kept turning the new incarnations against each other. and eventually it devolved into a myth and such, as myths tend to do

mathtans

Well, the killing each other is just how things are now, once it's all escalated. ^.^

There's probably key missing information... maybe they're actually TRIPLETS.

RebelVampire

dun dun dun without the 3rd sister there are no negotians. jsut blind filled rage

mathtans

Yeah, there has been some interesting flashback/imagery stuff. Like when she reached for someone, and the image shattered and it was Velver (if memory serves).

I wonder if Cosima's friends have a role to play too. Maybe in a big twist, it was really one of them.

RebelVampire

they definitely have a role to play. they are suspicious af, though idk if you got to that part yet

mathtans

Ahh, if they appear in "Destiny" then no. I only got to the bit after Velver and Jorel talked. (I feel like they're related, incidentally.)

Speaking of though, the plot has been very clever in rolling out it's cast. Gradual enough to come to terms with each new character, but teasing others that end up with bigger roles later on. I'm reminded of an early scene when Velver was spying on Cosima - and Nocturne was spying on him. Layers.

RebelVampire

yeah i really like the pacing on it too. i dont have to spend an immense time memorizing a billion names at once.

Superjustinbros

At least the names aren't too hard to memorize.

mathtans

I'm still horrible with names. It's a gift.

I imagine it scans differently too when you're seeing it as it comes out versus binging, but I felt like the pacing was done well for the cast.

Superjustinbros

i feel ya Math (edited)

RebelVampire

on the side topic of nocturne, i feel like left to their own devices she and cosima wouldn't fight it out to the death. instead theyd be all sister bondy bond, have some tea, etc. so i think for sure its not they themselves who bring the prophecy to pass, its the plans of others who try to grab at the power and turn them on each other. but i also think cosima and nocturne will be obstinate and keep hugging each other screaming no

mathtans

I'm not so sure about that. Mainly because they might not always have control over their bodies. Like when Cosima went crazy on Jorel for self preservation. Could happen again with unintended consequences.

Nocturne probably also resents Cosima for growing up without so much responsibility, maybe also for having actual parents who aren't apparently trapped in crystals.

(...is reading a bit further in the background btw...)

RebelVampire

idk if nocturne would resent cosima for it. cause i mean, at least nocturne's parents are still probably alive in their crystals and werent viciously murdered. though youre right that riga may have other ideas about their bonding and just take over. but then again riga seems to know what velver is up to so riga might not act either.

the bigger danger on seeing nocturne i think is seeing the queen of elves

cause shes the one who might not take kindly to cosima XD

mathtans

Well, yeah, once Nocturne learns of the murdering that might change things. ^.^ There's a lot of variables in play I suppose.

That said, I will willingly ship Nocturne with Cosima's friends.

RebelVampire

LOL i dont think i can get behind that ship. mostly cause i expect cosima's friends to die. :"D

mathtans

That light haired girl is kind of precious though, with her theories.

I wonder what she'd make of seeing the town.... ... and now I'm picturing her at the brothel, I shouldn't do that.

Also, shipping all the girls in the brothel.

RebelVampire

yes those are more acceptable ships. the brothel girls are probably safe. and head brothel girl has a whip.

also i found it, that scene with cosima's friends being super suspicious. it was actually in puppeter

https://tapas.io/episode/915705

mathtans

Right, the fact that they knew Jorel. I thought that was weird.

It's fine though, I'll still ship them with each other! All the ships!

RebelVampire

yeah. whatever organization jorel is from theyre clearly from

QUESTION 4. Among the larger threads rests a plethora of other possible curiosities to be solved. Who exactly were Cosima’s parents? Were they working for someone from the beginning, or did they somehow get wrapped up in everything? Who are Cosima’s friends considering they lament that their comfortable lives have changed since Cosima left? Who is Jorel, and why are his orders to kill Cosima? What is the deal with the elves trapped in crystals? As far as the plot goes, how might the Hunters affect what’s going on in general? What about Chaze? Will he be able to stop the war, or is his destiny meant to be something greater than that? In general, what are your theories for the future? What do you think or want to see happen?

mathtans

Are they from that organization though? Because if so, they know where Cosima is. Why bother sending Jorel.

RebelVampire

i think jorel is more firmly acting on his own

since the friends didnt know of any death order

mathtans

He was saying he couldn't go back without being sure she was dead though, or someone would be upset.

I think.

RebelVampire

so maybe the friends didnt get the message? and theyre going to show up going wtf guys

mathtans

Holy Hannah! Kader's more psychotic than Jorel, she doesn't even kill directly. (Just got caught up.) Like geeeeeez.

Rebel: Maybe. There was the implication that they could return as well.

I suspects events will prevent that, but they thought it was an option.

RebelVampire

maybe. idk. i need more data in this case. i still think jorel is working more on his own though. cause maybe the person who was gonna be upset is actually gonna be upset regardless. and be like wtf jorel why did you kill riga you dolt

but yeah kader is psychotic, or at the very least tyrannical

velver did not necessarily make a good switch

i really want to know whats up with the elves in the crystals. like was there a spell that backfired and the queen just doesnt care O_O

mathtans

Maybe, yeah... also that mention of having the same problem in another 10 years makes me think once again that if the battle doesn't happen the spirits move on again. Or something.

Yeah, maybe the elves in the crystals had a disease? So it's like suspended animation? Because it was mentioned that there were fewer elves than merfolk.

Or maybe they just couldn't make enough food for the city, so this means fewer mouths to feed. Swords apparently grow in the crystals, but I guess vegetables don't.

RebelVampire

maybe it is a disease. or maybe this is actually why riga was kidnapped. cause riga caused it and jorel's group was like "welp we found riga. did you see that giant crystal explosion?"

im not sure what mention youre talking about with the 10 years thing tho

i must of missed it

mathtans

The most recent update. Third panel from the end.

Riga likes making crystals. Everyone needs a hobby.

RebelVampire

hmmm from the phrasing i feel like the implication is more that nocturne will kill riga? and kader will have to wait a decade for riga to be reborn again so they have to restart the kidnapping process. but i could be wrong.

mathtans

As to the future, I really don't think I can call it. Too many moving pieces. I also wonder a bit if maybe the Circle's hiding elements of the prophecy, accidentally or otherwise.

Ahh, I see... no, that's possible. Doesn't necessarily negate the Velver/Jorel reincarnation issue though, maybe the host doesn't need to die.

(Yes, I'm back to that theory.)

RebelVampire

its a possible theory. though like i say theyd really have to mess it up for this to be a thing. i do think parts of the prophecy are hidden

though maybe its a bit of both

in that theyre purposefully hiding some of it

but then theres parts that they just missed

and are gonna go through their archives and go "oops"

mathtans

It was censored by the clerics.

Incidentally, just want to shout-out here too for the translator. I noticed the comic's originally in German, and gets translated. Can't be simple coming up with the terms like for the "virtual loop" forest.

(Maybe the original German prophecy got translated so many times it's being misinterpreted. )

RebelVampire

i am curious what the original german says now XD

mathtans

I can't speak German. They have neat words for things though.

Okay, final theory. In a massive plot twist, Cosima's cat app saves the day. All the outside world needed was technologies to unify the different groups.

Oh! And shout-out to some of the fun cartoony poses. I feel like those would be fun to draw. (Or maybe not draw, but see once drawn?)

RebelVampire

haha i did kind of hope it would go that way tbh. that by the end the worlds recombine and they figure out that technology is awesome and puts less pressure on the whole magic business.

so i mean if cosima's cat app requires this to happen, so be it

mathtans

I wonder if there's anywhere for her phone to charge. Or if she can use magic for that.

RebelVampire

i wonder if vampire guy we saw briefly who seemed to be from cosima's world has the cat app

that would be hilarious. has all these great goddess powers, uses them to recharge her phone

mathtans

It's the simple things in life sometimes.

RebelVampire

well if cosima visits the brothel again, she cant disappoint. theyll want to see that cat app again

mathtans

Yis. That will be after the Origin Story... the Sequel Story.

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB END!

Sadly, this wraps up this week’s Thursday Book Club chat for now. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and joining us! We want to give a special thank you to Carolin Reich, as well, for making The Origin Story. If you liked the comic, make sure to support Carolin Reich’s efforts however you’re able to~!

Read and Comment: https://tapas.io/series/The-Origin-Story

Carolin Reich’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CarolinReich

Carolin Reich’s Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/A212D0X

Carolin Reich’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ensyis

Comic Tea Party- Thursday Book Club

Next week’s Thursday Book Club will be about A Drift of Souls by Davpow. For participants, you have the next week to read as much of the comic as you would like~! We hope to see you on Thursday, October 25th, from 5PM to 7PM PDT for the chat in #thursday_bookclub!

Comic’s Main Site: https://adriftofsouls.com/