#at analysing

[allo-frouto]

Well maybe if you say pretty pls I will write that essay after all. Just because you love reading, love to read too so I get your feeling. 🌻😊

I will even keep notes!

[descendant-of-truth]

Shipping is fun and all but I swear every single time someone makes a comment, whether as a joke or in a legitimate analysis, about there being "no other explanation" for a pair's interactions, I lose just a bit more of my sanity

Like, no, you guys don't get it. Romance is not about the Amount of devotion, it's about the COLOR. the FLAVOR of it all. a character can be just as devoted to their platonic friend as they are to their romantic partner, and they don't love either of them more, just differently.

But because the majority of people still have it stuck in their minds that romance exists on the highest tier of love, I'm stuck seeing endless takes that boil down to "these two care about each other too much for it to NOT be romantic" as if that's the core determining factor to how literally any of this works

In conclusion: stop telling me that I don't understand the story if I don't interpret the leads as romantic, I am TIRED

[vadlings]

Represention of Autistic Frustration in Laios Dungeon Meshi

Like many other autistic people, I related strongly to Laios Touden while reading Dungeon Meshi. This post isn't going to spend time disputing whether he displays autistic traits or not—while I could do that, I want to focus on why specifically his portrayal struck a chord with me in a way the writing of most other autistic-coded characters has not.

Disclaimer: as the above suggests, this post is strongly informed by my own experiences as an autistic person, as well as the experiences of my neurodivergent friends with whom I have spoken about this subject. I want to clarify that in no way am I asserting my personal experience to be some Universal Autistic Experience. This post is about why Laios' character feels distinct and significant to me in regard to autistic representation, and while I'm at it, I do feel that I have interesting things to say about autistic representation in media generally. This also got a bit long, so I'm sticking it under a read more. Spoilers for up to the end of chapter 88 below.

The thing that stands out most to me in regard to Laios' characterisation is the open anger he displays when someone points out his inability to read other people. This comes up prominently in his interactions with "Shuro" (Toshiro Nakamoto):

The frustration pictured above (Laios continuing to physically tussle with Toshiro, using crude language toward him) becomes even more notable when you remember that this is Laios, who, outside of these interactions, is not easily fazed and often exists as a lighthearted contrast to the rest of the cast. Then we get to Laios' nightmare.

In Falin's words: "Nightmares love emotional wounds. Wounds you hold in your heart. Things that give you stress, or things that were traumatic for you. They aggravate memories like that and cause the dreamer to have terrible dreams." (chapter 42, page 10.) (damn. i'm properly citing for this post and everything.)

Thus, Laios' nightmare establishes an important fact: even if he is unable to recognise social blunders while he's making them, he's at least subconsciously aware that other people operate on a different wavelength to him, and that he's an outsider in many of his social circles (both past and present). His dream-father's disparaging words stress the impact this has had upon his ability to live up to the expectations set out for him, and we also get a panel of kids who smirk at him (presumably former bullies to some degree). Toshiro's appearance only hammers home how much Laios is still both humiliated and angered by his misunderstanding of their relationship.

I've thought a lot about anger as concomitant to the autistic experience. When autistic representation portrays ostracization, it's generally from an angle of the autistic character being upset at how conforming to neurotypical norms doesn't come easily to them; as a result, they express a desire to 'get better' at meeting neurotypical standards, a desire to become more 'normal' (whether the writing implies this is a good thing or not). In contrast, not once does Laios go, "I need to perform better in my social interactions, and try to care less about monsters, because that's what other people find weird." His frustration is directed outward rather than inward, and as a result, it's the people around him who are framed as nonsensical.

The Winged Lion starts delineating Laios' anger, and Laios' reaction is to think to himself, "It can sense all my thoughts, huh?" (chapter 88, page 16.) This is the scene that really resonated with me. I'm not saying I have never felt the desire to conform to neurotypical norms that is borne from insecurity, but primarily, I know that I don't want to work toward becoming 'normal'—I don't want to change myself for people who follow rules I find nonsensical. It's the difference between, "Oh god, why can't I get it," and, "WHY CAN'T YOU GET IT?" (phrasing here courtesy of my friend Miles @dogwoodbite). And for me personally, Dungeon Meshi is the first time I've seen this frustration and the resultant voluntary isolation from other people portrayed in media so candidly. Laios' anger is not downplayed or written to be easily palatable, either.

The culmination of Laios' frustrations in this scene wherein we learn that Laios has fantasised about "a pack of monsters attacking a village" drives home just how alienated he really feels. I need not go into his wish to become a monster himself, redolent of how many autistic people identify/have identified with non-humans to some degree as a result of a percieved disconnect from society (when I was younger, I wanted to be a robot. I still kind of do.)

Obviously, wishing death upon other people is a weighty thing, but the unfiltered nature of this page is what deeply resonated with me. The Winged Lion is laying Laios' deepest and most transgressive desires bare, and they are desires that are a product of lifelong ostracization by others (whether intentional or unintentional). This is the brand of anger I'm familiar with, and that my neurodivergent friends express being familiar with, but that I haven't seen portrayed in writing so explicitly before—in fact, it surprised me because most well-meaning autistic representation I've experienced veers toward infantilisation in trying make the autistic character's struggles easy for neurotypicals to sympathise with.

Let's also not neglect the symbolism inherent to Laios' daydream. "A pack of monsters attacking a village". Functionally, monsters are Laios' special interest—he percieves everything first and foremost through his passion for monsters. His daydream of monsters attacking—killing—humans, is fundamentally a daydream of the world he understands (monsters) overthrowing the world that is so illogical to him, that has repeatedly shunned him (other people). I joked to my friends that it's an autistic power fantasy, and it actually sort of is. And in it, his identity is aligned with that of the monsters, while his anger manifests in a palpable dissociation from the rest of humanity. This is one manga page. It's brief. It's also very, very raw to me. I think about it often.

To conclude, I love Laios Dungeon Meshi. This portrayal of open frustration in an autistic character meant a lot to me, and I hope I've sufficiently outlined why. Also, feel free to recommend media with autistic representation in the notes if you've read this far—I would really like to see if there is more of this nature. Thank you for reading. I'm very tired and should probably sleep now.

[vtkuu]

Alex Hirsch on writing Bill's unreliable narrator perspective:

"I sort of leave it to the reader to try to pick through what is a lie what is true, and more interestingly, what is something that Bill says that's a lie literally, but is a truth metaphorically?

I think sociopaths, cult leaders— they're such narcissists that they often tell on themselves, even when they're trying to pull the wool over your eyes, they can't help it. They'll kind of admit to something they've done, because they sort of want the credit, then they'll create plausible deniability and act like it never happened.

You know, Robert Durst, the rich serial killer lunatic […] he got away with three murders, and he would have gone to his grave with those three murders. But they made a documentary and they said, "can we interview you?" And he's like, "of course you can, you need to hear my side of the story!" Because he's so convinced that he's a genius, he can't help himself. They say that murderers often return to the scene of the crime, well, that's a crazy thing to do. But there's this ego involved. So, a character like Bill is going to deny a hundred things while kind of hiding a confession inside those denials. And that seemed interesting to me to explore."

~ Full interview with the Syosset Public Library here.

[empanadazul]

In the first picture Zagreus is shorter than Persephone because he is standing one step below, he is still the youngest member of the family and barely stepping into his role on the house as Prince. He is supperposed with the image of his parents gazing lovingly into each other, he is integrated with his figures but still feels like slightly distanced from them, like a teenager trying to find the way they present themselves. After seeing him the whole game with other clothes it feels weird to see him wearing that tunic and his lance is comically big.

In the second picture he is taller than his mom and almost at the same level as his father, he is being embraced by him but his head points out from Hades's shoulder, he is fully integrated into the family but is also respected and acknowledged by all the gods as the one who reunited them. He mimics the posture of both his mother and father, leaning over Melinoë (bathing in her light) and embracing her with his hand (ready to protect her). His elegant clothes fit him and resemble the style of the Palace, even without his crown you recognise him as a Prince of Hades.

He grew up so much between this games. Probably embraced his role as a protector of the underworld population. Seems comfortable wearing his father clothes, he holds himself with authority, he earned respect in his realm. He became an adult. He loved his little sister, look at how his gazed is fixed on her, his smile might be even bigger than the one on his mother.

Hades looks peaceful and calm, he is probably smiling too. Persephone is wearing a light dress, similar to the ones she wore on the surface, without obligations. She wrapped her daughter with a shawl like the ones she used to wear. They are all dressed without their "royal" outfits. Before being the underworld rulers, they are a family welcoming a baby. They loved Melinoë so much. They would have devoted their lives to her until she was old enough to stand on her own. They would have given her all of the time of the day. They were ready to do things right this time.

.

Death to Cronos.

[moonsun2010]

16 May - The weird sisters are here!

these are part of an animatic summarising Dracula, which you can watch here (new readers beware; it has spoilers for the entire book!)

[lestappenislife]

OLLIE GETTING CALLED BABY/BABYDOLL BY THE FERRARI MECHANICS??!!??!?

HELLO?? THIS NEEDS TO BE TALKED ABOUT BECAUSE WHAT

[seiwas]

thinking about katsuki finding out about that little crush you had on shouto since seeing close-ups of him during the televised sports festival—you were in high school then, too.

he shouldn’t care about it because it doesn’t matter, it was so long ago and shouto’s always been marketed as the pro-hero pretty boy—consistently top 3 most handsome, the front cover of magazines, all that.

this is to be expected, it’s what everyone’s been tempted to react like.

but since finding out, he’s been stewing in… in whatever this bubbling, throbbing feeling in his head means. he’s snappier than normal, face scrunched up more than usual.

and every time he sees shouto he wants to strangle the hell out of him.

[buttercupshands]

can you even call it a warm up if I'm going to bed without drawing anything big

and a sketch I made while sitting in the park today

[ranseur]

actual scene as it happened in the show

[sadanduncertain]

If what we are reading on Astarion's grave is correct, and he was only 39 years old when he died, that adds an entire new level of tragedy to his character. Not only was he extremely young and emotionally immature by elven standards, but he had barely even lived before he died. It's no wonder that he doesn't remember anything about his past when we ask him about it — 39 years is a small drop of water in comparison to 200 years of abuse. There is simply nothing to remember.

[buggachat]

honestly just in general it's very exhausting to try to analyze media that is literally meant to be analyzed, only for the replies to be filled with people arguing not against your analysis, but against the premise that the media can be analyzed at all.

i don't even know what to say about it without starting to really betray my frustration, so i'll just settle with— just don't engage with analysis posts? I'm serious. if you're typing a response to a media analysis post, reread what you've written and ask yourself "is this comment/response against the very concept of analyzing the media at all?" and if the answer is yes then delete it all and go sit in the shame corner. throw your curtains away if you want to so bad and stop telling me that I'm not allowed to hum and haw at the fact mine are blue

[eternal-moss]

Kabru the glossy, approachable exterior vs Kabru who nobody knows, not even himself.

Kabru that lives to save humanity vs Kabru who wants a reason to live outside of revenge.

Kabru who will smooth out the bedsheets and gently lay Mithrun down vs Kabru who barely takes care of himself.

Kabru who knows everyone’s personalities and motivations down to the finest level vs Kabru who is fearful of making any permanent attachments.

Kabru who doesn’t hesitate and will strike someone down with fearful efficiency if it means saving others vs Kabru ‘Oh. This is bad. My legs have gone weak.’

Kabru who wants to shoulder the responsibility of humanity’s future. Kabru. ‘And today the world is ending and it’s entirely my fault. Somebody.. please just kill me right now.’

Kabru aged 22, ultor, warrior of humanity. Kabru, a child in the rubble.

[adragonprinceswhore]

Perhaps my biggest beef with HotD is that it actually fails to depict misogyny. The story is not exploring patriarchal structures, it’s continuously reinforcing a dated, essentialist view of gender politics where women are essentially good.

You know what actually explores patriarchal structures? Alicent scheming to put her son on the throne because she knows that his mere existence is a threat to Rhaenyra’s claim since he is a son. The Dance is a direct consequence of how patriarchal societies disregard women and always put men first, that’s why Rhaenyra has to fight so hard for the throne, and that’s why Alicent fears for her sons (and grandsons) lives.

The issue with Westeros is not that “men are in charge and they’re essentially bad”. That’s a shallow understanding of how a patriarchal system works. The issue is that misogyny is ingrained in the foundation of the society.

If Rhaenyra ruled, the realm could never know peace because her reign would constantly be questioned, no matter what daddy said. And as long as Aegon lives, people would call for him to be king, making him enemy no. 1 whether he wants the crown or not.

The writers of HotD seem to think that misogyny is a choice in Westeros. It is not.

[weaponizedducks]

you know what i think kids/teen books do 'fantasy romance/fantasy books' way better than any of the adult fantasy books booktok raves about. i try and read some of them and 90 percent of the time its just smut and abusive relationships disguised as 'dark romance'. then i read books like Keeper Of The Lost Cities, The School for Good and Evil, Percy Jackson, Land of Stories, the Nevermoor series, that kind of thing, and they are all actually so amazing because they have fleshed out characters with flaws and an engaging plotline instead of just badly written romance. and when they do have romance it's well written and about the people rather than the tropes.

[maskerat]

yes, I've watched the video. now this man is my new hyperfixation. expect more art of him soon I suppose.