#THAT'S THE TRAGEDY. THAT'S THE FUCK OF IT ALL

[tofixtheshadows]

You guys really need to stop and consider the ways you're talking about Kabru I am dead fucking serious. Like I know that flattening characters is just what fandom does to a certain extent, but Kabru's actual personality is getting lost to the fandom hivemind insisting that he's aggressive/cruel/sociopathic/hateful, and these are particularly concerning takes to see leveled at the only brown character in the main cast day after day. "My poor sweet golden child Laios needs to be protected from this scary brown man" is not a good look! Like, it's very telling that the bulk of the hate and bad faith readings are reserved for Toshiro and Kabru. Everyone else's flaws get to be discussed and validated and forgiven (or erased), meanwhile people are straight making up things to be mad about with Toshiro and Kabru but patting themselves on the back for being smart.

The worst part is how undeserved it all is. I'm trying to lay off anime-onlys because we're still kind of in the red herring stage of getting to know Kabru, but I would still like to gently suggest that even if you think Kabru is up to something, you don't gave to get in the tags of every fan creator's post and bring up how you hate him or You Can Tell he's totally evil. Sometimes I think Kabru's blue eyes give people license to say things about his appearance that they know would sound completely racist otherwise, but referring to his blue eyes acts as a get-out-of-racism free card. The jokes about the dog with brown contacts are getting old, by the way.

For people who have read the manga, it's disappointing. Kabru is one of the most complex and important characters in the story, and if you base your interpretation of him and all your fandom interactions on shallow first impressions you are completely missing out.

I know part of this is because Dungeon Meshi is a comedy, but the story also wants to be taken seriously. For example, it's admittedly really funny when Chilchuck calls Laios "sick in the head", but that doesn't change the fact that the way Chilchuck casually belittles Laios caused him to hide the fact that he was "hallucinating" from his friends for weeks. Those feelings matter.

Like, this

is funny.

But this?

Is not. This is just a very clear example of a brown boy with PTSD. As someone else with PTSD, just looking at this fucking sucks, man.

The only reason why Kabru thinks about killing Laios is because he is in the middle of a flashback. He's struggling through a panic attack. If he truly wanted to kill Laios because he's violent or because he finds Laios inherently annoying, he wouldn't otherwise talk with Laios normally. Notice how he doesn't act this way at any other point in the story- it's just because he's triggered by monsters. Even when he's thinking about his plans to "deal with" Laios later, he's reluctant to actually kill him and only considers it to prevent another tragedy. Despite his deadly skills, Kabru relies far more on "soft" power- insight, persuasion, diplomacy. He's a rare example of a character who absolutely is, or at least can be, manipulative, but seems to use his abilities for good. He's not a pathological liar, he isn't looking down on everyone behind a smile. He's someone who is extremely emotionally intelligent, and he's willing to put aside all his own basic wants and needs to stop the cycle of dungeons devouring humans.

I'm going to cut a potential thesis on his character short and just give some examples of things that fandom should consider about his personality more:

Racism in fandom isn't just about whitewashing in fan art, or using racial slurs. The insidiousness of bad faith readings, reductions to racist tropes, lack of fan content for characters of color, and dismissal of a character's complexity are far more common. You can believe yourself to be completely neutral or even positive about a character and still churn out low-grade bile about them into fandom's collective unconscious. Fandom reflects real life.

And I have been around fandom long enough to see how these behaviors (mostly from my fellow white fans) affect fans of color, how it makes a fandom feel hostile and unwelcome to them. It's fun to make jokes and memes, I'm absolutely not saying that everything needs to be a deeply nuanced take, but we need to be careful that it doesn't veer into toxicity. Please think about how our contributions to fandom come across, and what sort of vibes they cultivate in this communal space.

[emiko-matsui]

Okay, I just need to get something out of the way when it comes to the Kipperlilly conversation nobody's brought up yet, which I think is insane. Almost all of The Bad Kids would be more powerful if they didn't have their tragedy porn tragic backstories.

First of all, this doesn't apply to Fig and Gorgug because if Fig wasn't Gorthalax's child she would be a lot like Kipperlilly and not the ruler of hell. I wouldn't say Gorgug has a tragic backstory, he's got a pretty normal growing up experience with ups and downs.

Let's start with her #1 nemesis, Riz Gukgak. She's so jealous that his dad was murdered and that gives him an advantage in the adventuring life. To be crude, no, it doesn't. What would give Riz an advantage in the adventuring life would be living with someone who has a direct contact to all the government's inner workings and conspiracies. Now that would be an advantage. That gives you connections and clues that no one else can get. This is not what happened. What happened was eating cereal with water for breakfast, what happened was not getting an opportunity at college, what happened was a 9 year old who stopped sleeping, what happened was not your secret agent dad giving you an advantage in the school conspiracy because he's dead. Otherwise he fucking would've.

And now Kipperlilly's new #1 nemesis, Kristen Applebees. She was ostracised from her religion for her sexuality, she achieved sainthood, and raised a dead god back to life. None of this would've happened if she hadn't been raised in The Harvestmen. No, it wouldn't, but what would have happened if Kristen had been straight? Disgusting thought, yes, I know, but let's talk about it. A Kristen who never left Helio behind would have so many more fucking advantages than the one with Cassandra has. If she had followed her birthright she would be the only chosen one of one of the world's most powerful gods. Sol is the biggest god in Spyre and Helio is his son. Helio does not have a chosen one anymore because Kristen left. It's not a title that's just given out, it could only have been Kristen. You know what's an advantage? Being the chosen one of one of the world's most powerful gods, being a god's spoken favourite, and deified by all of that god's followers. Now that would be an unfair advantage. You know what's not an advantage? Being homeless at 14 and being at the mercy of your ex-girlfriend's uncle for housing, dying and having absolutely no one there for you so you're only option to survive is to trust your own abilities enough to raise yourself from the dead, and failing school because of biased teachers.

And what of Adaine Abernant? The Elven Oracle? Her tragedy porn tragic backstory is surviving an abusive home. Now I just have to imagine that Adaine would have it a lot easier than most students, an incredible amount of unfair advantages, if her old money parents paid for every wizard whim she wanted, kept her diplomatic immunity so she could do literally anything she wanted without consequences, and gave her a direct contact into the heart of the Fallinell government. Now that is what I would call an insane amount of unfair advantage. I would be furious at this rich kid who's never had to work for anything myself. This is not even close to the case. She's barely passing classes because she can't afford the material you're required, she goes to the guidance counsellor for panic attacks, and she's being hunted by her home government. I'd say that's about every single thing in her life working against her having it easy.

Fabian Aramais Seacaster. He's complicated since he is very privileged already. He gets 5000 gold a month just for existing. He's the captain of the Owlbears because he killed the previous one. He lives alone in a mansion. Yeah, that's pretty privileged. His parents are also so severely fucked up that if they hadn't been filthy rich they would've been absolutely horrible for him. If he had parents who unconditionally supported him and stayed with him through everything, then we could talk about perhaps the most powerful person in Elmville. In Solace possibly. The most feared pirate in history who single-handedly dismantled a monarchy and fights against armies on his own is at your beck and call, does whatever you ask him to, and loves you more than anything. The greatest swordswoman in the world, that bested the most feared pirate in the world, the daughter of one of the most influential elven families and immortal will do anything you ask her, loves you to bits, and would cheat any rules for you. To have that would just be insane. You can argue that Fabian already has unfair advantages because of his social status and inheritance. This is true, but this is also true within his own adventuring party. Now his parents aren't helping him with anything and are determined that he reach his legendary status on his own. Otherwise talk about a fucking advantage.

All this to say is that if Kipperlilly got all of The Bad Kids tragedy porn like she wanted she wouldn't have been better, but she would've made them better. There is an adventuring party out there in the multiverse that has a secret agent at their disposal, the only chosen one of a Sol religion, Bill Seacaster and Hallariel Lomenelda unprompted in their corner, and a seer with unending resources and diplomatic immunity. These would've been people you start a platform about adventuring not being fair for everyone because of. The people you went against was a homeless kid, a kid with an anxiety disorder, a trust fund kid, and someone with PTSD.

I've seen your posts about Kipperlilly being wrong for her validation, but right in the fact that The Bad Kids have been given larger plots and mysteries because of their families and circumstances and I don’t want to fucking see another one. When you make that I want you to think about the adventuring party they would've been without their backstories. The insanely powerful and privileged adventuring party that almost happened. Their life got made worse, not easier because their life could have been so fucking easy. Kipperlilly can take all the tragedy porn she wants and then maybe realise that that's not what makes the adventurer. That the reason she's mad at The Bad Kids is the only reason she can even tangentially compete with them.

[dondeeee911]

How would your person feel if they lost you?

I'm lost without youuu😮‍💨

1> white heart 2>green heart 3>Gold heart

Pile 1

   I’m hearing “You hold the keys to my heart 🥺”. Your person would be feening for every ounce of you, you are their drug! Temper tantrums, vandalism, cursing their peers because you are out of their reach. A whole mental breakdown! You name it, possible lack of sleep, no appetite, a snotty nose, consistent calls! Erratic behavior is prominent in this pile, Wheeew someone’s got themselves a hothead!🤭🥵 “I need you and only you, I’m sorry baby please!” I see your person hyperventilating. WOAH, your person needs a dose of your intoxicating love.😳 

Pile 2

  Dang🙁, your person knows there is no coming back from this tragedy. Standing there, still, frozen, in a state of shock. “It’s over, she got away”🥺 only because they know they don’t deserve you. Seeing no way around their truth and not having many words to say to win you over is making your person go insane. I see your person sitting with themselves in a dark room or in their car accounting for every possible fuck up they dished out to you.  Guilt and uncertainty conquer their mind. “Did I ever make you feel loved?”  They know they took advantage of the unconditional person they know you are, trust me THEY KNOW.😒

Pile 3

    Your person could be a mature, composed individual, willing to have an effective conversation with you to resolve this breakup. 💪🏽They would want to take you out for breakfast, or lunch, or meet up outdoors to converse. Face to face, they want to see and feel all the pain they’ve caused you. A need to focus on the now and not the past is what they are driven to commit themselves to for the sake of having you back. OKAAY! your person wants to accommodate you in every way needed, even better than you last experienced them. “Baby let me upgrade you!” Vibes. 💍🤑

Copyright © 2024 dondeeee911. All rights reserved.

[obsessedwithceleste]

Mattheo Riddle Headcannons

©️ obsessedwithceleste. all works posted here belong to me and should not be reposted or copied in any way or form.

Being the son of the Dark Lord is no easy task. Obviously.

Growing up, Mattheo had very limited contact with other people, which stunts his social skills a lot, especially with his peers

Once he breaks out and has the ability to meet other people, he's 100% an extrovert because he feels like he has to make up for everything that he missed out on

Growing up alone though made him very independent and self sufficient

Lots of trust issues, lots of abandonment issues

But he's also very bad at picking up on social cues, and reading other people's emotions

He grew up being outwardly judged by everyone around him, which caused him to develop a sort of apathetic attitude as a buffer

This gives him a sense of freedom because if he doesn't care about other's opinions, he can do whatever he wants, they'll judge him either way, so why not do what makes him happy

Mattheo also has a deep internal rage

Like, level 11 out of 10 on the scale of anger issues

He bottles up all his emotions and frustration with the world, often lashing out and exploding at the smallest triggers

His frustration mostly stems from the fact that it's not fair that he's suffering for the actions of his father. Because at the end of the day, he's still innocent in all of it

This is also why he's particularly spiteful and disdainful of authoritarian figures

He simply doesn't owe them anything

At Hogwarts it's hard for him at first. It's pretty clear that he didn't have much of a childhood and that he was forced to grow up much too fast

And once again, he finds himself being judged by everyone, so nothing new

His biggest pet peeve is when someone complains about a minor "tragedy" from their childhood, because he's absolutely certain that he had it worse

Lowkey victim complex™️

He's able to eventually bond closely with Theodore Nott, sharing a lot of similar childhood trauma (we <3 trauma bonding) and surprisingly Lorenzo Berkshire who shares his fuck-all mentality

Many assume that he's a malicious bully, based solely on his last name, but he's really more of a chaos instigator

He rebels against authority and stands up for what he might find to be an injustice, but he'd never go after someone without cause

Hogwarts is one of the first places he's able to truly act his age

He joins the Slytherin quidditch team,

He's a beater (which is kind of therapeutic as it allows him to let out a lot of his anger)

Often skives off of class,

He's not book smart like Theo, but makes up for it with street smarts

And likes to pull Theo into the fray simply because he can

This is also how he gets his reputation for frequently sleeping around to put it nicely

Mattheo grew up with a distinct lack of affection from those around him which causes him to search out any hint of it that he can find

He doesn't really use girls per se, he just doesn't quite understand the concept of love

But when Mattheo falls, he falls hard

The first time he catches feelings, he's absolutely terrified that he's under the influence of a love potion

Very confused, very upset, and denies it to the ends of the Earth

But once he comes around, he's all in

He doesn't like to think of himself as jealous, just territorial.

Jealousy is when something isn't yours and you want it. But you belong to him, and he'll be damned if he doesn't defend his territory

He also isn't shy at all when it comes to PDA, simply because he wants everyone to know what's his

Definitely love bombs, but he doesn't know what that means

Won't bat an eye before hexing someone for looking at you too long (will act innocent and pretend it wasn't him)

Honestly probably would not be the best partner initially because he's so used to being independent

And would likely try to hide a lot of his anger and emotions from you because his biggest fear would be being judged by someone he loves

It would take a lot of time and effort to work through, but Mattheo would be willing to put in the work because he's determined to have the one thing his father never could

[sadokasochism]

So I have a running interpretation of Mizi as having been quite sheltered as a result of her relatively comfortable life as a pet, hence her being a bit delusional in her and Sua's interview before Round 1 and her shock at Sua's death, despite the humans all knowing that the loser dies in Alien Stage.

Now I'm onto the implications that this has for the whole conga line of longing between Ivan, Till, and Mizi:

The fucking tragedy of Till falling in love with the one person who didn't have a reason to escape or intervene.

Mizi had a good life and was never exposed to the same pain and suffering the others had known.

Sua is implied to have had a pretty empty life as a pet, being treated as an object by her owners, and being very emotionally withdrawn as a result. However, she also didn't have the drive to leave, as the one person she cared about seemed so happy here, and Mizi's dreams were all about singing together and fulfilling the wishes of their owners.

Ivan had known suffering before being taken in by his owner, and even though his life was relatively good as a pet, he still knew how precarious that position was, and besides he had to watch Till be horribly mistreated by his owner. He had enough reason to want to get out of there.

But Till loved and wouldn't leave Mizi, THE ONE PERSON WHO WOULD NEVER LEAVE. So he didn't go with Ivan when they had a chance to escape, he stayed. And Ivan stayed too, because he wouldn't leave Till.

And by extension: the tragedy of SUA falling in love with someone who had no reason to leave, and Mizi falling in love with someone who couldn't see past the world they were trapped in.

Following this interpretation, this is one angle to Ivan's judgement of Sua that I'm stuck on.

Ivan TRIED to break Till out so the person he loved wouldn't have to suffer anymore.

Meanwhile, the best Sua could come up with was following the path laid out by their alien owners, and then dying instead of Mizi.

Sua only aimed as high as the best outcome that their society could allow them, while Ivan was willing to deviate entirely. The only thing that stopped him was Till running back to Mizi.

He could be thinking "the person you love would have followed you anywhere, and the best you could do is die? You couldn't imagine a future with both of you alive and happy? You had everything I ever wanted, and you threw it away."

[im-probably-crying-rn-ngl]

in another universe big city lawyer george has finally made it. he has it all; a job at the best firm in london, an expensive condo, a membership to the most elite run club in the city and most recently a huge diamond ring. courtesy of one well spoken and wealthy art gallery owner charles leclerc who seems to be the perfect life partner. sure, they may not be madly in love or anything but george got the rock. martial bliss, babies and white picket fences should follow. uh just one small issue, george already has all that. well maybe not the martial bliss part but the kids, the fences and...the husband.

farm owner alex albon never thought he would see george again. but here he is, the love of his life standing just outside the barn with his fashionable chinos, shiny loafers and file of divorce papers. in all his hurry to ditch alex and their small town george clearly forgot to discard him in the eyes of the law, how ironic. they had gotten married straight out of high school and were planning on moving to the city where george could study to become a big shot lawyer and alex would do...something. they were so in love but...tragedy struck and alex had more responsibilities to fulfil than just his new spouse's dreams. he had a deteriorating farm to rebuild, younger siblings to raise, loans to pay off etc. so he may have neglected his husband but george didn't have to run off, all he had to do was wait and alex would have fixed it. alex would have always fixed it for george.

now when george is asking him to sign the papers and fix this once and for all, alex says no. because its funny seeing george's professional exterior crumble and he's feeling pretty fucking petty. george is back in town and he's not leaving till he gets that sign. btw in the end, george ends up not leaving...not without alex.

[hanzajesthanza]

i tend to talk a lot about the realistic nature of the witcher, its "realistic fantasy," "brutal realism," its references to political realities and inspirations taken from history, and that is all very important to it.

but... i also want to take a moment to say that the witcher, as a tragedy, also fills me with a hope... that such love, such beautiful families and friendships can exist, even if they differ too much to survive in the end. the idea that the beauty and purity of that love even exists at all, in such a fucked up world, despite it and sometimes existing in the very middle of it, is also what makes it realistic. hope is realistic. love is realistic.

[danisbrainrot]

yellowjackets as taylor swift albums (I'm bored). this became deeper than I meant for it to go OMG. whoops, anyways, enjoy:

1. tai: reputation. oh my god this girl is soooo in love with van, and at the end of the day, that's what reputation is. a love album. yeah it's got a little revenge in it, but overall, it's about being in love with someone who was there for you at your most vulnerable. and who's always been there for tai, adult AND teen timeline? VAN!

2. van: 1989! it's nostalgic, fun, iconic but still has the emotional rawness that flows throughout all of taylor's albums. everyone thinks 1989 is just heaps of fun, but it has this emotional intensity to it that once you look closer to it, you realise how much of a masterpiece it is. also, it just gives me van vibes tbh.

3. jackie: lover. she's so insecure about being in a relationship with who she thinks is the love of her life (shauna) in case she fucks it up (spoiler alert, she does). taylor also wrote this album as a last hurrah, to prove she had more stories to tell, and I think that ties in nicely to jackie's character. her insecurity forces her to try and prove herself to shauna, and show her best friend how much she loves her.

4. shauna: she's a red girlie. taylor's most emotionally raw album (besides ttpd) and she just gives the vibes. this is taylor's first heartbreak album (like how jackie's death was shauna's first heartbreak), and it's so intense that it takes a few listens to understand, but once you do, you realise it's an album about a girl with big heart learning how to recover from the devastation of losing someone she loves deeply.

5. lottie: folklore!! I love my little baby. this album was written in isolation, and you can definitely hear it in some of taylor's lyrics, and I just feel like that's lottie's character. the isolated girl who's held up to a higher standard than everyone else.

6. nat: ttpd. okay, i was tossing up between giving this to nat or travis, but then I remembered the adult timeline and went with nat. when I first heard this album, it reminded me of her purposeless speech. it's also an album where taylor was going through a manic phase, and if that isn't nat, I don't know what is. she's just lost the love of her life, and then she's kidnapped by lottie's cult and promised so many wonderful things, that she believes it—only for it to end in tragedy.

7. misty: she gives off such speak now vibes. she has so much she wants to prove, and she's reeling from being in love with a man much older than her.

8. travis: evermore. he's such a tragic little guy, that the album suits him. I really just think of happiness, marjorie and right where you left me because he's stuck in the past. he literally kills himself (accidentally I know, I know) because he's so trapped in the wilderness despite being free from it. this album has always given me: depressed sad, compared to its sister albume: folklore, which gives me angry sad. and while he's definitely more angry then lottie, he's got this deep sadness in him that echoes evermore.

9. mari: midnights. okay I don't know how to explain it better than this is how I interpret mari. she's the first to throw herself into believing lottie because she's scared and when I think of midnights, I think of how scared taylor was at losing her relationship and joe that she ignores her feelings. and mari ignores her feelings because if she really thinks about it, I don't think she'd be able to handle herself, i.e. being trapped in the woods, eating jackie.

10. javi: taylor swift (debut). just the innocence and naïvety of the album. it's her first album, she wrote and released at 15/16 so there's a lot of childish beliefs and hopes, which I think javi has—but there's still an underlying feeling of heartbreak. he tries to be a kid, but is still traumatised.

11. laura lee: fearless!! this is purely based on the album title. I mean, learning to fly a plane just to save her friends? this album is probably my least favourite, so you're not going to get a lot of analysis, but the few times I've listened to it, I understand it's about having faith things will work out (this might be wrong, but that's what I'm choosing to believe about it). and her faith makes her believe she can do anything, including save her friends. omg I love her so much <333

[teatitty]

Look listen Yugi has always been goth even as a child and he grew up with an egyptologist grandfather that had quiiiiiite a few sleazy connections [seriously Sugoroku has such a "two steps away from becoming the villain" backstory it's incredibly funny] who probably joked a lot about cursed objects and the like there's No Fucking Way he didn't consider the possibility that the Ancient Egyptian Puzzle he was solving might be cursed - if anything I think that just fueled him more. You think this kid hasn't read dark gothic romances that end in tragedy and/or deal with romancing ghosts? As if

The only reason YGO is a shounen adventure and not a shoujo romance is because of all the outside forces blocking him from achieving his final goth form: Guy Who Is Dating A Ghost

[66sharkteeth]

Weekly thoughts!

Hooboy, the big episode! First off, I think everyone knows by now that you probably shouldn't read these if you haven't read the latest episode, but I ESPECIALLY mean that this week! Talking about some way bigger than usual spoilers.

Phew, this was a big one, both from a writing and drawing perspective. I actually spent a full day on that last panel alone, but writing it took way longer than usual too. Going back and forth between Bell's speech and Jericho's backstory played perfectly like a movie in my head, but it was really hard to portray it as a comic and it was one of the few times I was struggling with the limitations of the format. I think I pulled it off though, since everyone seemed to follow along fine! So while it was probably just a neat scene to everyone else, I'm rather proud of that haha.

As for the actual contents of the episode, I'm also glad everything hit w/ the majority of the audience for the most part. I know a handful were confused about if that was Bell or Jericho who did that, but to those people, I remind you it's been loooong established Jericho can control his extensions (Bell, Charlie, and Claude. Remember, they all took injections of Jericho's blank space?). Also on that note, Bell does not have her own scion... Only Rex and Jericho do. Bell, Charlie and Claude all took injections of Jericho's blank space, thus get to borrow some of his power. I recommend re-reading ep 80 if you need a refresher.

I do consider this ep kind of a big reveal of Jericho's true colors. I mean, you guys have known he's the main villain for ages now, but this is the ep that reveals his "better world for blanks" act is kind of a façade and what he's really seeking is a worse world for humans. The fall of humans benefitting blanks is just kind of a bonus. I'm glad a few people caught onto this with the fact that one of the worst horrors he experienced was having his autonomy taken away from him, then he proceeds to do just that to Bell.

And speaking of Jericho's horrors- Before this season launched, I dropped a bunch of hints about upcoming things. One of them was that the most disturbing scene (in my opinion) was coming up. I was actually referring to what happened to Kallie. I'm not sure if it was as disturbing to everyone else (I totally get like if Claude's leg thing fucked people up more), but being evaporated into nothingness but not dying was an existential dread that really fucks me up haha. If it fucked even a couple of other people up, then I did my job.

I don't have too much else to say about the contents of the episode. It was so hard to bite my tongue for weeks as everyone predicted pretty much every character but Desmond was gonna get it. I'm sorry I don't have too much else to say about him right now given what happened, but I definitely will in the upcoming weeks.

I guess the only other note I have is I might as well address something that bugs me slightly- It's definitely a minority but there's a handful of people who seem done with the series because "too many things go wrong." To which... I'm not sure what to tell ya. I'm fine with critique and criticism to be clear, but honestly, this is one thing I'm actually really confident I'm good at balancing. I'm not sure where people are coming from with "nothing good ever happens in this series" when this season alone has had probably the cutest and fluffiest scenes. Rex has a canon girlfriend, he had his first kiss with her, Desmond was reunited with his sister and learned to accept himself, Lyss learned to move past her trauma and accept blanks, Rex was reunited with Shnee, Rex's scion turns out to be a puppy dog w/ a crush. I'm aware a lot of these got kind of crushed with this latest ep...but that's.. kind of. the. point??? That's how you write tragedy and impactful scenes??

I dunno, maybe this is personal to me because it's ALWAYS bugged me when someone tells me they think a show is bad because it's "too dark." Like no... It's not *bad* because it's too dark, you just don't like dark themes, and that's okay. I TOTALLY get if CoB has gotten too dark for some people- it's definitely hit some hard themes and subjects, but I don't like to accept that as a critique. It just means it's not for you and that's okay. There's a ton of other great comics that are more light-hearted! I think the TLDR of this is it will always annoy me when people say something is bad just because it's not their taste.

Now. That said... everyone is completely valid in their hate of Jericho. I, however, still love him.

[chubphoe-linkclick]

Hey so S2E9 'Three Stroires' was fucking bonkers

LETS TALK ABOUT IT

The episode is DENSE AS ALL HELL with things to talk about, the three main things being

The titles

The art style and style of storytelling

The dialogue (or lack thereof)

Lets speedrun some analysis notes of our three favourite members of the worst found family ever!!

Storytelling Styles

All three stories are emotionally driven and told in dramatic styles without realism, though all for differing reasons.

QJ mimics the over-the-top Shakespearean reminiscent of his wife, believing himself to be the main character of a tragedy. Though this style of story telling is obviously campy and corny, it's also presented in a way where it's not immediately clear to the viewers that this isn't actually real -- it's a fabrication of the canon within the canon as a reflection of QJ's delusions.

LTC mimics QJ, however, his disposition leads to him seeing everything as a Greek Comedy as opposed to perma-victim QJ's Greek Tragedy. It also reflects LTC ultimately leaning into and revelling in killing other people as part of his hunter ethos and evolution. LTC's style does not need to be realistic because LTC isn't looking for meaning in his story, but for an experience that's enjoyable and satisfying.

QJ and LTC's style complement each other with both being able to come together to tell a more cohesive narrative overall, although each does so by focusing on themselves more than anyone else.

LTX is a silent cartoon telling of her life story, quite literally the story that's gone untold, bar the words of the gossiping crows (people with frivolous and passing interest in her life writing their own stories about the events she goes through). Her story telling style is a reflection of her mindset and being trapped cognitively as a child for all time, and is further indication that her personhood wasn't allowed to independently grow since becoming an orphan.

LTX's story is outside of QJ and LTC's narrative because she cannot speak, and thus her story does not matter. No dramatisation of reality to paint a certain picture is needed, nor is her story seen or understood in either of theirs. Her story is insular and disconnected from theirs because her personhood is disconnected from theirs.

LTX's story is told through the lens of LTC and LX's worldview: that the world is made up of beasts and hunters. There is only ever one human character (likely LX himself rather than QJ, based on how visually loyal everyone else's designs are) while LTX watches LTC straddle the line between animal (his nature) and human (his will).

Story Titles

QJ's part being called the "Inevitable Tragedy" is a reference to how he is the creator of his own misfortune as it was never based in reality but his own unchecked paranoia.

LTC's part is called the Fortuitous Comedy is because it was fortuitous for QJ to find out about the twins' powers before anyone else via Tianchen's confession and subsequent laughter. It could also be due to LTC reaching his perceived hunter-status by the fortuitous case of Deng being Liu Min's first requested kill (for the same reason LTC hates Deng, no less).

LTX's title being the "Sibling's Fairy Tale" is rather self explanatory, much like the character herself if you took the damn time to talk to her. It's childish, stuck in the past (trauma), focused on her brother and the other light of her life: their late-mother. Another piece of insight that I remembered hearing is that fairy tales don't always have happy endings, but they always have a moral to learn from. In this sense, Xixi's story is thematically the most important because no character has put that moral into practice (confronting the worst aspects of those you love, refusing to look away from the secrets they hide while you stay in a peaceful dream with their softness).

Additional Notes

QJ caring for the twins in Part II is a reflection of LTC being gaslit about reality (reinforced by QJ's fatherly love being absent in LTX's story), as well as a reflection of his sense of self and human autonomy only beginning and flourishing due to the circumstances QJ provided

LTX's story suggests that most of the time she spends with LTC involves her napping in some form, or that most of her time in general was slept away as if she was trapped in some strange dream.

The only betrayal even hinted at is LTC's betrayal of LTX's morality, a twist that literally shatters LTX's childlike world and forces her hurdling into reality. This is the only betrayal because the twins are the only two who have trust in one another among the three.

Someone else made a point about how even when the foxboy picks up the bow and arrow, he remains a fox. In LTX's eyes, her brother can act as a hunter but he's still a beast and that's not a bad thing.

The fact that most people are 'beasts' and there's only one human in all of LTX's worldview really is some solid symbolism and messaging, especially considering LTX is socially classified as an undesirable a la her disabilities. It's peak reclamation and pride in Oneself.

[vent-stink]

inspired by @bunnliix's "The Point of No Return"

Things were a blur after they found his girlfriend's body. He had to make a statement, attend her funeral, and perform the next weekend of Coachella, all in such a short amount of time. His members tried to convince him not to do the next set, but he had to. There was no other safe way to release his anger than through his fierce on-stage personality.

People could tell that his demeanor was a lot more... well, less easy going. Every look, now, instead of the ease and happiness with which he performed before, was replaced with seriousness. He never smiled.

Fans were quick to notice this, and considering the events of the previous week, they praised him for not bringing on a stellar performance despite his clear shift in mood.

What they didn't expect was for him to never smile again.

He had a lot to think about after the second set at Coachella. He finally took his break before their next comeback, but he was debating on whether he could continue being an idol at all. He felt betrayed by the so-called Atinys who had done this and feared that he could never look at any Atiny the same way again.

He decided that this was his dream, and he wasn't going to let a few criminals have power by changing the course of his entire life more than they already had. He also knew his girlfriend wouldn't have wanted that for him.

And despite internally not being able to separate real Atinys from the murderers who took his love from him, he still knew that it wasn't their fault as a whole. They didn't deserve to be punished for what someone else did.

So, he continued his career with some limits. Fan interactions, especially one-on-one, were completely stopped. This meant no fan calls or meetings and even if an Atiny happened to see him at an airport or in a restaurant, he would not acknowledge them. He didn't do this consciously, but he couldn't bear to look at them.

On stage, he couldn't bring himself to perform with ease since the last time he had, a tragedy had occured. He could never smile in front of Atinys again. Thankfully that didn't stop them from loving him and supporting him, and even when there were a few netizens who criticized him for it, they were quickly squashed.

Hongjoong's trauma ran deep, and he could never forget his girlfriend's lifeless body and the cruel way in which she'd been taken from him. Continuing his career despite his grief was his "fuck you" to the people who had done this. Now they'd never get to meet him (before or after their jailtime) since he'd stopped all interactions with his fans.

In future contents, he often refer to his passed girlfriend as his wife since she would have been had she not been taken from him. In other members' lives, some Atinys complained about Hongjoong, to which they all told Atinys to be patient with him because he was grieving.

Hongjoong's demeanor with his loved ones didn't change as drastically as with Atinys. He was a lot more melancholy, but with his family and his members, he felt safe.

His members' hearts broke seeing their captain as a shell of the man he used to be, but they try their best to fill the gaps, hoping that Hongjoong would be able to find happiness again one day.

[theriverbeyond]

ianthe for the character meme :-)

favorite thing about them

the way she wields shame and humiliation like a weapon, how she very intentionally takes on positions that make people ignore her/pity her/humiliate her/etc and uses that to her advantage. whatever the fuck she is doing with gender. the way (IMO) her arm situation maps onto very specific disability narratives.

least favorite thing about them

can't think of one bc every single detestable thing she has done is very integral to why i like her as a character </3

favorite line

can't beat a classic!!!

brOTP

her and John. the way she changes her affect trying to be his Augustine and Mercymorn, the way she is manipulating him while also being manipulated by him, the way she attempts to wield power over him while definitely still being subject to his whims, the way she chooses him over Augustine at the bottom of the River. I could go on

OTP

UNREQUITED harrianthe‼️‼️‼️ that girl is head over heels In Love with Harrow and I love to see it. she fancies herself as someone who would take advantage of Harrow but when the mkment comes to act on that, cannot bear to see her truly vulnerable. Harrow makes her feel soft. Harrow makes her do stupid things. and Harrow doesn't want to give her the time of day!!!!

nOTP

all respect to the shippers but I don't find appeal in Cytherea/Ianthe. Ianthe is just enjoying it way too much and she also simply isn't butch enough for Cytherea's tastes. to ME

random headcanon

so we know that she was almost strangled in the womb by Corona's umbilical cord. my headcanon is she usually wakes up having unconsciously wound her sheets around her neck. Before she was separated from Corona, it was dubious if it was Ianthe doing it or Corona, in her sleep, but Ianthe does it herself after she becomes a Lyctor

unpopular opinion

she and kiriona did NOT fuck. she tried but was soundly rejected and VERY sulky about it

song i associate with them

greek tragedy by the wombats, shivers by ed sheeran, both harrianthe (ianthe POV) bangers #toME

favorite picture of them

is it cheating if i link fan art that I drew. anyway shoutout to the bone arm's fat pad. tho looking at that ab 2 years on i think I could do better. i should redraw...

also I really adore all the comics drawn by @/naomistares but in particular this one, which makes me feel things that are best left unmentioned!!

character ask game

[666writingcafe]

An Interview With Belphie

Part One of A New Series

Question One: If you were the last person on Earth, how would you spend your time?

After catching up on sleep, I'd probably just walk around and see what I could find.

Question Two: If there was one day you could repeatedly re-experience, which day would you choose?

The day that MC kissed me for the first time.

Question Three: Can you describe yourself in three words?

Tired, angsty emo.

Question Four: If you wake up tomorrow and forgot your name and/or identity, what would you do?

Go back to sleep, honestly.

Question Five: Who are you, really?

Ask Beel and MC.

Question Six: If you could live in a different time period or era in the human world, which one would you choose and why?

None, because they all suck. Unless I could take MC with me, which in that case, I'd go wherever they'd want to.

Question Seven: Which is better: having superficial knowledge about a wide range of things or thorough knowledge about a few things?

The latter, but make sure it's about things no one would expect you of knowing so that you have the element of surprise.

Question Eight: If you were able to download your memories into a searchable spreadsheet, would you do it?

There are some things that are best left buried deep in the recesses of the mind, so no.

Question Nine: Would you rather float alone in space or at sea?

Whichever ensures the quickest death.

Question Ten: Would you swap places with an alternate version of yourself from another timeline?

No, because chances are, that alternate version of me is more active and hence has more responsibilities, and I am a lazy individual.

Question Eleven: If you could communicate with animals, which one would you talk to first?

Spiders.

Question Twelve: If you had the power to grant a wish to someone, who would you choose and why?

Honestly, I'd choose Simeon. He makes me look mentally stable, and I just want him to be able to relax for a little bit.

Question Thirteen: If you were lost and had just enough battery on your D.D.D. to make a single phone call, who would you call?

MC. They're the most level-headed out of everyone.

Question Fourteen: Does your life need more love, romance, friendship, or intimacy?

Intimacy.

Question Fifteen: If you could do anything you desire with MC for a day, what would it entail?

A hotel room with a charmed door and soundproof walls.

Question Sixteen: If you were on a dating game, what question(s) would you ask?

Honestly, the first question in this interview.

Question Seventeen: Would you rather spend a fancy night on a mountain or camp on the seashore?

Seashore all the way. The view's better there.

Question Eighteen: Is your life a drama, tragedy, or comedy?

It's a fucking soap opera that's gone on for far too many seasons, and I don't mean that in a depressed way, but in the way that the drama in my life is becoming more and more absurd as I get older.

Question Nineteen: Would you date an alien if you thought they were hot?

Depends.

Question Twenty: If you were a vegetable, what would you be and how would you avoid getting eaten?

I'd be horseradish, because it's one of the few foods Beel will not eat, and thus I'd ensure my survival.

Question Twenty-One: Would you rather have looks, brains, or riches?

Brains. Looks fade, and money disappears.

Question Twenty-Two: If you had to wear your emotions on your clothing, how would your outfit look today?

Like I'd rather be in bed.

[angstyhikka]

Hey, if Nightmare ate 999 apples and that you told me that he don’t want to corrupt the world who is already fucked up When HE ATE 999 BLACK APPLES that sounds weird! I mean- he’s the guardian of the negativity and you say that he want to create a place where lost peoples can live PEACEFULLY and huuuh well this is weird.You said that he felt responsible of the others like Dust etc.

The most important part: Don’t get me wrong cuz I’m fan of Brother roots AU 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌻🌻🌻🌻🌹🌹🌹🌹💐💐💐🌷🌷🌷🪷🪷👑

Sheesh the 999 count thing on apples really doesn't makes sense to me. Why can't we say "he ate all the apples except one" I really don't like to imagine there was exactly a thousand of apples its not how nature (even magical) worksXD

Anyway. On the topic. I made the event to happen differently than it was in the original Dreamtale. The Tree fell and all the apples started to rot and turn into something different seeking to the nearest of trees children to survive. The nearest happened to be little Nightmare, who accidentally, on emotions, started this mess that turned into tragedy. His mind wasn't clear from all the Negative energy he consumed and he also was full of anger at people of the village. Because of sudden twist of energy's Dream started turning into stone when the all event started so he didn't saw what happened. When he "woke up" there was only white void left around him no one left to be seen.

[notedchampagne]

I think I agree that fandom super girlbosses Ianthe's fuckery and infantilizes Harrow, I just question if those depictions are meant to make Harrow less/ degrade her, or make her more relatable to the given creator. Fandom has a nasty problem of really leaning into tragedy and trauma as a way to relate to characters more. I think I just see this emphasis on Harrow's suffering, and by extension the riffing on it, as the fandoms take on affection. "I like you, I relate to you, and this darkness inspires me to draw/ write/ etc." Which is still fucked but I'm just not sure if its entirely racial. Like, respectfully look at your depictions thus far, Harrow is a bit of a lovable mess and Ianthe is barely there but still a girlboss (we all know she's a mess too but it takes up a lot less space). Couldn't anyone say you too are focusing in on Harrows flaws? Isn't this part of the pull, to watch Harrow grow we have to start somewhere? And we love your Harrow, and some kids (especially people just picking up fandom lingo) turn to really shitty "feral rat freak child" compliments because that may just be the way they feel comfortable with engaging (and maybe how they feel complimenting the things they see themselves in, but I'm speculating). Again its shitty fandom is so anti earnest compliments but if race does play a part I just think its significantly less then we may initially believe.

yeah i see your point! i make it a challenge for myself to capture harrows complexities and sorrows to invite nuance into the discussion - and a lot of people have said that she is relatable, and im glad the connection goes through. its why im not actively mad at everyone that calls her a wet cat here and there simply because its easier to say than "she looks so sad and i want to wrap her in a blanket and put her in a warm place about it". but you dont really see people calling the sixth or judith, who are also tragic and relatable, as "goblins" or "feral things". race might play less of a part in it like you said but i still think its significant when it comes to general perception: if someone recommended tlt to me and described harrowhark as "the wettest most feral batshit skrunkly [more adjectives that sound like she straight up cannot take care of herself]", then if i read it and saw that she was a mentally ill maori girl, i would be upset that shes associated with those traits. again this is just a personal thing and it does vary case by case but your input is good