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linkspooky · 2 months ago

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Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Analysis: Ryo vs Yubel

Time for more Duel analysis, a series where I overanalyze two characters standing around playing a children's card game. This is the first of a three part series where I cover what I refer to as the "Yubel Gauntlet", the four successive duels against Yubel at the end of season three. We're going to start with Ryo vs Yubel, while this duel may not be as revealing to Yubel's character as the later duels there are a lot of interesting parallels at play between these two characters if you dig a little deeper - MORE UNDER THE CUT.

In Yu-Gi-Oh duels are meant to be a clash of the two participants ideals. In the best duels we learn more about the characters participating from lots of factors, deck composition, play strategies and the dialogue in between turns. Duels in general are a pretty major focus of Yu-Gi-Oh! taking up a lot of screentime so of course writers have to use them as a vehicles for character and theme. There's a lot more thought put into duel-writing then meets the eye.

Ryo vs. Yubel is meant to be the ending to Hell Kaiser's tragic character arc, so there is a lot more focus on Ryo then Yubel. The most revealing duel about Yubel's character comes in the duel right after against Amon which I'm going to cover in the next post. That being said, there is a lot of interesting foiling going on in the duel itself. Foiling is drawing a comparison between characters to highlight aspects of a certain character, a subtle method of characterization to inform us of a character without directly telling the audience.

We're going to cover the foiling first before we get into the duel itself. Starting with a major foiling point between Ryo and Yubel, neither of them are really focused on their opponent. They're both instead focused on Judai, Yubel wants to execute Ryo to send a message to Judai and Ryo wants to duel the person in Johan's body because Johan reminds him of Judai the person he had his last significant duel before his mental breakdown.

RYO VS. JUDAI: THE KAISER AND SUPREME KING

There are a lot of immediate connections to be drawn between Judai and Ryo. Ryo gives Judai his first defeat, Sho puts both of them on a pedestal, and Ryo is probably Judai's second most important rival (the fandom has been arguing for 20 years whether Manjoume or Ryo counts as Judai's main rival so I'm not going to touch this). The most significant common factor between these two characters in season three however, is that Ryo's season two mental breakdown is an explicit parallel and foreshadowing for Judai's breakdown in season 3.

Judai and Ryo both go through what the fandom commonly refers to as "gifted kid arcs" (which is appropriate because GX is set at a boarding school and one of the biggest themes is the challenges faced when growing up). During season one Ryo is what is considered to be the top dog at Duel Academy. He's well respected by the student body, was told from a young age at the cyber dojo that he was going places, and widely considers himself and his dueling style to be "perfect".

Besides a tense relationship with his brother, he doesn't really have any flaws. The first hint that there's something deeper going on under the surface comes in the graduation duel against Judai. First in Ryo's irritation that Judai is imitating him and trying to duel a perfect duel instead of dueling by instinct like he usually does, and then in his speech to Judai at the end of the duel.

Judai: You really are great, Kaiser! You're perfect. Ryo: But at the same time this happens to be my limit. In a way, perfection keeps you from chasing your limits. Ryo: Yuki Judai, within you lies infinite potential.

This introduces Kaiser's main character flaw, his own obsession with perfectionism. While Kaiser laments the fact that chasing perfectionism is limiting in the end because once you achieve perfection there's nowhere else to go - he still genuinely considers himself to be perfect.

It is true that part of the cause of his breakdown is the intense pressure from around him including the adults puts Ryo under by putting him on this pedestal and expecting perfection from him had a really negative effect on Ryo's mental health. However, it is also true that Ryo let everyone's praise go to his head and developed quite the ego. This shows in his relationship with Sho which we're going to go into more in depth later. A conversation on my Yu-Gi-Oh discord was particularly revealing of one aspect of their relationship. Ryo has a hard time understanding Sho, because he has ridiculously high standards for Sho. Instead of accepting Sho for the person that he is, he tries to mold Sho into being more like him.

This is shown in one of the early flashbacks in regards to their relationship, Ryo gives Sho power bond his signature card, and then insists that Sho is not worthy of using it. Which is an incident that sabotaged Sho's confidence for a long time and made him feel unworthy of using the card (even Judai who is very happy-go-lucky and forgiving in season one got angry for Sho's sake over this). It seems like a lot of Ryo's actions in season one are done with the motivation of toughening him up, in essence making Sho more like him. He doesn't really recognize Sho's strength, that even though Sho has low self-esteem and loses a lot he also picks himself right back up and keeps trying.

This key difference is the cause of Ryo's tragic downfall in season two. Ryo is a prodigy for whom dueling has always come easy, he's never had to struggle the way Sho has, so he doesn't know how to handle losing. In a very relatable arc Ryo goes from being a big fish in a small pond and genuinely believing because he was succesful in high school he's going to be succesful in the real world, to shattering in his first real loss in the pro-leagues and realizing that in the adult world he's no one special.

The fatal flaw that leads to his downfall being that unlike Sho, Ryo's not used to losing, so he doesn't have the ability to pick himself back up again. To use a metaphor from real life, it's like when people who are gifted students in high school never learn how to study because the material comes easy to them who then crash and burn in their first year of college. They're not used to struggling with the material, and they don't know what to do when something doesn't automatically come natural to them. One of the greatest piece of advice I've ever received is that when learning a new skill like writing or drawing, you've got to start out by making bad art. Ryo can't make bad art, he doesn't know how to struggle.

He crashes and burns after losing once, and his losing streak and complete loss of confidence drives him to be desperate enough to duel in an underground arena.

Manager: The truth comes out - these dire situations fuel your losses. Manager: Tell me, you've get to consider that you might win I take it? Manager: Without seizing victory you cannot win, isn't that what dueling is about at it's core? Manager: If so, you have to win at any cost. Ryo: I have to duel my way. Manager: Then, you're welcome to lose.

Ryo then decides to double down on his own obsession with winning when his back is against the wall.

Ryo: I'm fed up. Ryo: I...I don't want to lose. Ryo: I don't care how... but I want to win and defeat you. Ryo: I've lied since that duel with Edo. Ryo: I duel by respecting my opponent, I thought winning or losing wouldn't matter if I did that. Ryo: But I was wrong. Ryo: I do crave it - I thirst for victory and I have to to steal victory from your hands - I will.

This is a direct parallel to the source of Judai's downfall which leads him to the Supreme king in Season 3. Judai becomes obsessed with winning no matter what the circumstances, only to win in his duel against Brron and still fail to rescue a single one of his friends. In the face of his loss Judai doesn't learn from his mistake. Even after receiving a lecture from both Sho and Austin he still refuses to admit what he did wrong.

Judai: I did what I should've done. Judai: And yet, just about everyone was taken away from me! Judai: Damn it! Damn it! What is it that I did wrong! Judai: The super fusion card. Haou: Yuki Judai. In order to defeat evil, one must become evil. In the world with the law of the jungle at work one must rule with power.

Judai and Ryo both develop an obsession with power so they'll never lose again. Judai develops the supreme king persona, while Kaiser develops the Hell Kaiser persona. Both have two duels against friends who just want to return them to their normal selves. Both are also fully in control when they fall into darkness, Judai is the supreme king and the supreme king is Judai, Ryo tells Fubuki that he wasn't possessed by a dark power he chose to pursue victory above all else.

They both become self-destructive in the aftermath of their mental breakdowns, in season three Ryo is looking for a final duel to die, and Judai becomes suicidal until the possibility of saving Johan is dangled in front of his face. Most importantly of all the cause of their downfall is the same in both cases, their own fragile ego. Neither of them can admit when they are wrong. Judai receives constant criticism before the duel with Brron and refuses to change his ways.

Judai: All this time, I've run on instinct, never second guessing myself. Judai: If I just tsand still now, I'm sure I won't be able to start running again. And I won't be able to get to Johan.

What worked for Judai in his first two years of school stops working in his third year, when his friends grow up a little bit but he's stayed the same person and he's introduced to more complicated situations.

The same can be said for Ryo, glorifying his high school days instead of growing up which is why he finds himself unable to survive in the adult world. Even going into the duel against Yubel, Ryo is just trying to recreate his final duel against Judai believing that he peaked in that moment instead of realizing that there's still room for him to grow and change.

RYO vs. YUBEL

While the parallels between Ryo and Yubel aren't as strong as his parallels to Judai, they're still there if you take a deeper look. As I said in the beginning, instead of facing each other both Ryo and Yubel are looking at Judai this duel. Both of them have an obsession with Judai, Ryo considers his duel against Judai to be his last great duel and is desperate to feel the same way he did in the graduation duel while Yubel's obsession with Judai has spanned two lifetimes and their ultimate goal is to reunite with Judai and to return their relationship to what it was before they were shot into space.

They're both also using this duel to teach a lesson to Judai, Ryo wants Judai to regain his confidence and not be afraid to duel anymore, and Yubel wants to make another one of Judai's friends suffer right in front of him to inflict pain on him.

Ryo: The blinding excitement I had back then... Ryo: I've only gotten that from Judai and Johan. The duel we had is far from over Johan. It doesn't matter who you are right now. If you have Johan's face and Johan's strength you're going to battle me. Yubel: All right... allow me to give you my love as well. I'll show you to Judai as you squirm and agony. Yubel: Sadness... anguish.. pain. Those are the expressions of love I've been taught by Judai.

Yubel and Ryo are both living in the past. Yubel wants to return to their past relationship with Judai, and Ryo is obsessed with his glory days when he was top dog at the academy thinking he peaked in high school (which is ridiculous because he's like nineteen at this point.)

Ryo: Even without a future, I have to live this moment for everything that it's worth. Isn't that right, professor? Cronos: I-it is, but...without a future?

The reason that both of them are stuck in the past is the painful trauma they've both endured. Ryo is put in an underground cage match where he is forced to wear electrodes and receives painful shocks every time he loses lifepoints, and told that he won't be let out of the cage unless he wins. Yubel is shot into space and endures years of torture from the light of destruction.

They were also both alone and without a support network when they were traumatized, Ryo was abandoned by all of his sponsors and far away from his friends at duel academy, in a dark cage where no one could help him. Yubel was in space and Judai eventually stopped hearing their cries for help because of the psychiatric treatments his parents put him through.

After their trauma Ryo and Yubel also develop highly masochistic tendecies. Ryo keeps dueling in the underground arenas and wearing the electrodes even after his first cage match. Yubel repeatedly insists they enjoy the pain that Judai inflicts on them, derives borderline sexual enjoyment from it, and their entire duel strategy involves negating damage done to their monsters and inflicting it on their opponents.

Yubel: I cannot be destroyed by battle. Yubel: After all, to me, attacks only show love. Yubel: Go on, attack me, Yubel: My suffering is your suffering, Judai! Yubel: Share it with me... Nightmare pain. Right now, we feel the same pain wrapped in a blanket of love.

These mascohistic tendencies and self-harming behavior were developed as unhealthy coping mechanisms. Self-harm can be a way of reclaiming your agency. If you're hurting yourself then you're in control of it, especially if you were victimized in a situation where you had no control or agency. Yubel insists the pain causes them pleasure, Ryo insists they enjoy the shocks the electrodes give them.

Ryo: This shock, piercing the skin and flesh... Ryo: It taught me that a duel is a duel in every sense of the word with one winner and loser. Ryo: Will you still be able to prattle on about your respectful duel until the end.

Unsurprisingly inflicting pain on themselves over and over again does little to improve their mental health and only makes them spiral worse. Yet they cling to their delusions that they're the ones in control, that they want this actually.

Ryo: Fubuki I am not lost in darkness. I am not it's prisoner. Fubuki: You mean... you haven't lost yourself in darkness. Ryo: The darkness that the light cannot reach. The things it's power can bring you. I merely wanted to learn what they are. Fubuki: Why would you want that. Ryo: To attain victory. EPISODE 89 Judai: If you hated my treatment of you so much, you could have focused your revenge on me. Yubel: Hatred? Revenge? What are you talking about. Yubel: I told you this is something I have worked very hard for, in the hopes it would make you happy. Judai: Make me happy? But all my friends were hurt, suffered and disappeared. Yubel: But is that not the nature of love? I wanted to hurt you demonstrate the depths of my love. Judai: Yubel is there nothing I can say to make you understand? EPISODE 153

Ryo and Yubel are both what you would consider bad victims who go on to repeat the cycle of abuse, and inflict the same pain they endured on others.

Enduring torture leads them to snap and pull a total 180 on their personality. Big surprise, torture is not good for your mental health. Notably they both flip from being a protector to their loved one, to harming the person they once protected.

While Sho and Ryo's relationship is complicated, Ryo in season one was willing to sacrifice his life to Camula in order to protect Sho. While in season two, he forces Sho to wear his electrodes and endure painful shock after painful shock until he passes out. Yubel once sacrificed their entire body to be Judai's protector, but in season three Yubel does everything they can to inflict pain on Judai, and engineers Judai's downfall to bring Judai down to their level.

Ryo mocks and belittles Sho who is only trying to save him the entire duel, and again shocks him half to death, then when Sho is passed out from the pain walks off and doesn't even bother to check if he's alright.

Ryo: I am the winner here. Let the loser depart! Sho: I respect you... Brother, back then... And even now.

Yubel is well... Yubel.

Yet, even though they're both bad victims who refuse to admit they're in a self-destructive spiral and all they're accomplishing is hurting themselves and others, the narrative is sympathetic and shows there is hope for both of them.

CYBER ART VERSUS CRYSTAL BEASTS

Oh right, we're supposed to be talking about the duel. Let's start with deck analysis, because the cards a duelist chooses and their battle strategy is always telling of their character.

To begin with, Ryo and Yubel employ the same basic strategy in their primary decks: get their boss monster on the field and then do anything they can to keep it on the field.

Aside from that the two of them could not be any more different. Ryo has one strategy, get Cyberdragon on the field with power bond, go for the one turn kill, and if that doesn't work play a card to negate damage or negate the damage of power bond. If Cyberdark gets taken off the field they have multiple strategies to get the components out of the graveyard and fuse it again - and if that still doesn't work fusion summon chimeratech fortress dragon in attack mode by fusing all of the cyber dragons in their graveyard.

Yubel's dueling strategy is the complete opposite. Ryo always goes for the one turn kill, Yubel summons zero attack monsters, negates any damage done to them, and then drags out the duel while chipping away at their opponents lifepoints. Ryo's strategy is offense is the defense, Yubel on the other hand believes defense is the best defense.

Once again when it comes to deck composition Ryo's deck has one strategy, get beat stick on the field, and swing for the one turn kill. Yubel on the other hand runs four decks in total, Exodia, Advanced Crystal Beasts, Sacred Beasts and Yubel. Ryo switches to Cyberdarks in season two but fails to master them resulting in the deck shocking him until his heart fails, and then just switches back to Cyber Dragon. Ryo's dueling style is symbolic of his greatest weakness: his belief in his own perfection leading to his own inflexibility and belief he can't grow. While Yubel's dueling style plays into their greatest strength, their endurance and determination.

Yubel burns up on re-entry to the atmosphere? Manipulate Cobra and Martin to harvest duel energy until they can reconstitute their body. Have their body destroyed a second time by Johan's sacrifice? Take over Johan's body, lure Judai into the dark world to rescue Johan. The duel with Ryo makes them suffer severe damage? Yubel already planned for that and manipulated Amon to appear at the ideal time so they could feast on the darkness of his heart. Take advanced darkness and dark rainbow dragon off the field? Yubel was planning for that and plays last trick and a card that ends the duel in a draw and accomplish their goal of yoinking super polymerization. Destroy Yubel's boss monster - Yubel has an effect that if it's destroyed by anything other than their own effect it just summons an even more powerful Yubel.

Yubel is also highly adaptable. In the duel with Amon they eliminate his path to exodia twice, and find a way to recover when their boss monster armityle is knocked off the field.

It is this adaptability that gives Yubel the edge over Ryo the entire duel. Ryo has one strategy and that is beef up their beatstick and go for the one turn kill, and Yubel's damage negation is the perfect counter to that.

Ryo immediately falls for Yubel's trap, underestimating Yubel due to their low attack point monsters and then swinging right into the damage negation.

Ryo: You mock me by putting out such a small monster. Yubel: As the duel proceeds you'll understand. Ryo: What? Crystal beasts are special monsters that are hard to remove from the field, but they have one weakness. The low attack points of the individual monsters. THe advanced dark combo to compensate. But.... a man with no future knows no feature.

Ryo employs the same strategy over and over again, summoning a strong monster, attacking into Yubel in spite of the damage negation. All he accomplishes is making it easier for Yubel to get rainbow darkness dragon on the field.

After which Ryo switches strategies to try to remove Yubel's methods of damage negation one by one and getting good old Chimeratech onto the field, and then blindly swinging for game while Yubel still has backrow.

At which point Ryo is only left with one strategy, doubling Cyber End Dragon's attack with power bond to beat over Rainbow darkness dragon. While this moment is considered an iconic moment, it's also symbolic of Ryo's complete lack of growth - he ends the duel the exact same way as his duel with Judai, quardupling his Cyber dragon's attack - except this time all he accomplishes is blowing himself up.

His duel with Yubel is perfect example of his hubris. Ryo focused on same strategies as he did in season 1, which caused Cyberdarks to lash out on him and give him heart attacks, each one more violent than the last. That epic moment where Cyber End Dragon is standing with 16000 ATK should be seen in a negative light. Two years apart and Ryo still ends up with the very same monster in the field with the nearly identical attack points, (SOURCE).

Ryo was never going to win that duel with Yubel however, because before Ryo even entered the duel they were resigned to lose - either by sacrificing themselves to purge Yubel from Johan or losing after dueling their best duel to inspire Judai. Either way he had zero expectation of getting out of their alive.

Which is the ultimate difference between Yubel and Ryo, Yubel wants to be saved, and Ryo turns away everyone's efforts to help him. Even though the two of them are in opposite circumstances, Ryo is surrounded by a support network who reach out to help him again and again and he chooses not to take their hands. While the person responsible for Yubel's trauma makes half-hearted pleas for them to stop, and ultimately in their final duel decides to put them down like a mad dog until the last possible minute.

Which leads to Judai's funniest quote ever.

Judai: Yubel, while you were enveloped in the breath of light becoming stained by evil, and alone burning with your need for revenge I was forging many allies. Judai: And they all taught me that real love is something so big and deep it contains the whole universe. The love in which you believe is just a self-satisfied assumption. Yubel: Assumption? Yubel: What's wrong with the assumption I made? Had I not convinced myself I was loved, then there would have been no way to bear all that hardship. And yet, they all stole your love away from me. Yubel: Hahaha, I see sob stories do not work on Supreme king Judai.

Damn Judai, why didn't you make friends while you were trapped in a satellite in space for ten years straight? Sounds like a skill issue to me.

Ryo has three consecutive duels where Samejima, Fubuki and Sho all plead with him to go back to his usual self. Sho again, agrees to wear the electrodes just to try to understand the pain his brother went through and bring him back from the edge.

Sho: I don't understand you anymore, brother. The way you are now, there's no way I can respect you. Ryo: I feel the same way. In a match there's no room for feelings like respect. All I want is victory. Yes, all I respect anything it's victory. Ryo: if I can win, I'll become ugly, even tainted. I don't care what anyone says about me! Sho: All I wanted was to bring you back to the way you were...

Even in season three, Cronos tells Ryo there's still hope for him to keep on living, and Sho begs his brother in tears not to kill himself in the duel against Yubel. Tellingly, the only one who cheers him on during that duel is Judai, who is similarly suicidal.

Which is why Yubel wins the duel, Ryo refuses any help and while Yubel clings to their idea that love is pain, ultimately what they want from Judai is empathy and understanding.

Yubel: When you forgot me I suffered. It's hot, it hurts, I'm in pain. Why? You know how much I love you. Why did you do this to me? Yubel: In that moment I realzied. That was how you showed love. Because you loved me, you hurt me and made me suffer. Because you see, the entire time I suffered I never once forgot about you. Yubel: I was so happy when you solved the mystery I laid out for you. That's why I decided I would fill all twelve dimensions with my love for you. Then, surely you would understand my love. Yubel: That was why I tried to fill all those around you, and the world with anguish and sorrow. And it appears I did the right thing. After all, you are here with me right now.

Ultimately, there is nothing Sho could have done for Ryo, short of knocking him unconscious and dragging him away from the duel with Yubel.

Judai gives advice to Sho who's struggling with the changes in his brother, that even if you don't approve of what someone you love is doing, you can still stay by their side and watch over them.

Sho: Bro what would you do? f the person you cared about the most was tainted by evil. And you couldn't bring him back. Judai: You just have to watch him. No matter how much he's changed, you still care about him right. So you'll have to watch him forever and ever. Sho: But then. Judai: Yeah, you might not help them at all... But, you can't just do nothing. That's why, if it were me, I'd watch him until the very end even if he didn't like it. That's the proof that I care about him.

This is the advice the convinces Sho to never give up on Judai even after he becomes the Supreme King, and Judai following his own advice is what leads him to ultimately save Yubel by fusing their souls together to watch over them for the rest of their lives. Even Sho sticks with his brother and forgives him over and over again, which leads to Ryo's salvation as well and eventually repairs their relationship.

Anyway, that's the end of this duel look forward to my next post where Yubel delivers one of the most iconic roasts of all time to Amon.

#ygo meta #yu gi oh #yu gi oh gx #yu gi oh meta #ryo marufuji #sho marufuji #yubel #judai yuki

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etherealsworldvision · 6 months ago

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Who is Your Next Friend & A Step to Connect.

Before I begin the reading I’d like to take a moment to talk about: GLAAD. They’re a non-profit organization advancing LGBTQ acceptance through fair, accurate, and inclusive representation through global, national, and local programs. If you’re interested do check them out and if you’d like to further support them click donate.

Divider Credits: @plutism & @kgymz

1. 2. 3.

🚨 P.S.A 🚨 : I do not give personal readings! Disclaimer: this is for entertainment only!

Added Description: all my readings are timeless and meant to reach those who resonate to the messages.

[ General Message: “In the clurb we all fam” - Broad City; 888; August; July; 55; royalty (aesthetic); Renaissance (fair); Windsor; Money; Materialism; Balance; Soon or Quick results; Receive Good News; Creative idea gaining recognition; Planting seeds with creativity; Understanding yourself; Acceptance of yourself; I Saw The TV Glow ]

Pile 1

[ Confirmation Messages: It takes time (to heal); Vulnerabilities; Speak; Soft-Spoken; Wanting to Hide Away; Taper - Maria BC; Strong-will; Loneliness; “Obscure”(?); Not wanting to be found; Running away as a coping mechanism; Sweet songs; Singing; Distance; Solitude; Spending time with animals; Lucky Star; Lucky Duck from Sixteen Wishes]

Cards: Justice; 10 of Swords; 10 of Cups ®; Strength; Star ®; 4 of Swords; 6 of Swords; 7 of wands ®; Queen of Swords

Your next friend

So this energy is kind of hard to pin down. Maybe this is yours or your next friend’s energy. They may be a past friend that drifted off? Either way this person is currently withdrawn and may want to be invisible. They may feel tired mentally and emotionally. This person might’ve lost some ambition or faith in what they’re working on? This grievance especially applies to their dreams towards a financial/material circumstance. They may have worked very hard on their goals only to find it “didn’t” pay off like they thought it would. Despite their situation they’re strong willed — they’ll find a way to get the ball rolling in their court. Yes they may have been hopeless but they still always find a way to balance it out. This may not be for everyone but they could be a coworker. They’re also very fair and balanced when it comes to their energy. They may also like the finer things in life but right now they may feel lost. This person may speak a lot. They may have a Gemini mercury/Jupiter-Mercury.

A step to connect

I get the feeling that constant and clear communication is a huge aspect in this friendship. When a problem arises it’s not you vs your friend but you and your friend vs the problem. Perhaps you two may have experienced the scarier side of confrontation/anger. I’m also getting the sense that you or this person dealt with some sort of resentment that shook your/this person's world. Overall you two may feel like things cannot be left unsaid and misunderstood. By having this clear communication everything balances and you two can get through stormy waters together. I’m also getting – even if there is a heated argument you two will feel safe because of communication and understanding both of your needs.

Friendship dynamic

Funny enough I thought of your dynamic as two captains on a pirate ship. You two work very well together, especially when it comes to goals and projects. I’m getting that one is especially good with strategy and the other executing the plans. You two may be opposites but for good reason — where one lacks the other can fill. It’s like guiding one another. Yes you two may be each other’s anchor when times get tough, but one of you can be the chain to pull them out of treacherous waters. It’s a very balanced dynamic.

Pile 2

[ Confirmation message: Pens; Specific/Particular; Stubborn; Wellness; Sun decor; “worry-wart”; Overachiever; Moon-Sun dynamic; Dark Colors; Moody; Brazil; Tropical weather; Roadtrip; Dirt road with colorful wooden signs; LGBT community; Summer Camp; Decoy-Paramore ]

Cards: 10 of Swords; Queen of Wands; 5 of Pentacles; Knight of Cups ® ; High Priestess ®; Queen of Swords; Ace of Wands; Ace of Cups; 3 of Cups; 6 of Pentacles

Your next friend

You may be meeting your next friend when they’re coming out of their shell. They might’ve hidden who they were or limited their self-expression in order to conform to their surroundings. However they somehow had a breakthrough? Or maybe they got tired of restrictions. Either way they’re embracing who they are and going on a self discovery moment. This is for a few of you, you may know this person already and noticed a difference which intrigued you. Overall I feel like this person left their true self behind only to reunite and make that bond with themselves even more stronger and brighter. Also they may be the life of the party even if they’re on the quieter side.

A step to connect

The very first thing I’m getting is: “let them come to you”. For some reason it just feels more “magical”? Besides that you may meet them through an online or in real life community. I also feel like this is a place where a lot of interactions take place. You may even be the one hosting the event and they take interest. Either way they will like the way you think and speak, how you conduct yourself when you communicate. There’s also this spark — like you just get along and your conversations bounce back to one another. This may sound a little annoying but this friend is gonna come “unannounced” like you won’t expect it cause you’re so busy with other things; hence they’ll be the one coming to you.

Friendship dynamic

Omg pile 2 this is so cute! Your friendship will be emotionally fulfilling and very balanced. Theirs an equal give and take. This also gives off a found family vibe. Like I get the feeling that (mainly) you or (maybe) this person will introduce each other to more people. There’s this feeling of expanding the friendship. This also feels like a summer (the season) dynamic. Like this friendship is so warming, eventful, fun and just overall wholesome.

Pile 3

[ Confirmation message: Cars; Wrist watch; Flaunt; High-strung; Crowd; Music Festival; Desert; Coachella; Disco; 24; Conversations about Reaching; Sleeve Tattoos; “Turnt”; 7 lives of Lea; Drinking; Party Invites; Secluded parties; Band; Secrets; Desires ]

Cards: 2 of wands ®, The Emperor ®, Strength, Page of Swords, Ace of Sword ®, King of Swords; Ace of Cups; 8 of Pentacles; Hierophant

Your next friend

Your next friend has dreams that they want to pursue but have trouble taking initiative or they aren’t in a place to take them. They give off Ismael from The Seven Lives of Lea vibe. They’re restricted by the outside world and they yearn so deeply to achieve their dreams as well as the love they deserve. This friend is very passionate and very “family/friend” oriented. They are someone who puts their all into their connection and dreams. And when they dream they include their friends as well. They give off the; if I eat we ALL eat vibe — this person has a generous heart but is not naive.

A step to connect

You may have connections or some knowledge connected to their goals. I get the feeling that you two have a bit of a different approach when it comes to goals but it’ll also help yours and their growth. You two may feed each other ideas as well as encourage them. These things may come in as a shock; let’s say you’re talking about coffee then the idea hits the two of you. It’s like an aha! Moment. Besides that you two kind of become a mentor to each other. Helping each other attain your goals by discussion. Think of things one of you didn’t ever think about and think outside of the box.

Friendship dynamic

Your friendship dynamic is very disciplined and encouraging. You both encourage each other to keep on going, to keep attaining that goal even if it’s for just a second. This dynamic is very inspiring and because you two are motivating each other it opens up an emotional bond that’s kind of new to you. It’s almost like you never experienced this type of platonic love. It’s like through being each other's motivators you became best friends? It’s like watching a sports movie and seeing the mc and coach hugging each other when they win.

#pick a card #pick a card reading #tarot #tarot pick a card #tarotblr #pick a picture #tarot readers of tumblr #tarotreading #Spotify

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contemplatingoutlander · 8 months ago

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JOURNALISTIC CHOICES: Telling the Truth vs. "Bothsidesism"

Ben Raderstorf does a great job in this article discussing the dilemma modern journalism has in covering a lying, dangerous authoritarian like Donald Trump, without "appearing partisan." Raderstorf argues against bothsidesism, and in favor of good journalists just simply telling the truth.

[T]he best way for independent, fact-based media to win back the audiences they’re losing to polarization is to not chase them.... But rather, to double-down on independence, objectivity, and honesty. To report reality as it is and to let the chips fall where they may. To draw a hard distinction between the normal political jockeying of healthy democracy and actions that threaten our system of government. Back in 2022, in response to questions from reporters about how to discern between those two things, we wrote a report on how experts understand threats to democracy: The Authoritarian Playbook: How reporters can contextualize and cover authoritarian threats as distinct from politics-as-usual.

"Modern autocrats don't crush journalism — they corrupt it."

Raderstorf also talks about how 21st century autocrats like Viktor Orbán (who is a role model for Trump) apply pressure in subtle ways to eventually "corrupt" journalism.

These days, many autocrats don’t just smash printing presses, throw reporters in jail, and be done with it. Often they pursue a more nuanced, and more insidious, strategy. With a combination of intimidation, coercion, and financial manipulation, they slowly corrode the independence and autonomy of the press until it ceases to be a meaningful check on power. The media still exists; it’s just an empty shell, a useful facade. Put differently, modern autocrats don’t crush journalism — they corrupt it.

[See more below the cut about the role of "anticipatory obedience" and the changes in leadership at CNN and The Washington Post.]

[edited]

"ANTICIPATORY OBEDIENCE": An Explanation for Why CNN and The Washington Post Changed Their Leadership

Raderstorf mentions how the two journalistic outlets that Trump targeted most vehemently as president are the two that eventually replaced their leadership--and as a result, weakened their journalistic integrity.

In an article this week in the Columbia Journalism Review, my colleagues Ian Bassin... and Maximillian Potter ... dive into several case studies. They connect troubling dots suggesting that Donald Trump deployed the Orbán strategy in his first term to greater effect than many realize. [...] In their piece, Ian and Max explore the two major instances in Trump’s first term when he attempted to wield the powers of the presidency against journalists for coverage he didn’t like. First, by threatening to block a proposed merger between CNN’s parent company, Time Warner, and AT&T. Second, by looking to raise shipping rates on Amazon, whose owner, Jeff Bezos, also owns the Washington Post. In both cases, Trump mostly failed to carry out his threats. But… it’s also true that both CNN and the Post subsequently went through high-profile leadership shakeups at least partly in response to Trump. For CNN, this was Chris Licht’s short-lived tenure and disastrous efforts to make the network “more neutral.” For the Post, it was Bezos installing a new publisher: “Will Lewis, a former Rupert Murdoch executive who has spent most of his career in right-wing media.” [...] Timothy Snyder writes in On Tyranny that autocratic leaders often succeed simply because the media, business leaders, and civil society look ahead to possible repression and move preemptively towards self-preservation. What he calls “anticipatory obedience."

#journalism #authoritarianism #trump #viktor orban #bothsidesism #telling the truth #anticipatory obedience #cnn #the washington post #ben raderstorf #if you can keep it

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hayatheauthor · 2 years ago

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How To Create And Execute Unreliable Narrators

Unreliable narrators are a powerful literary device that adds complexity and intrigue to a narrative. You've likely encountered them in classic novels like "Lolita" or contemporary hits like "Gone Girl." These narrators keep readers guessing, challenge perceptions, and add layers of depth to the story.

Throughout this blog, we'll explore the ins and outs of unreliable narrators, from what they are to how to effectively craft and utilize them in your writing.

Understanding Unreliable Narration

Unreliable narrators come in various forms, each with its unique charm. To effectively create and execute them, it's essential to understand the different types. Here are the primary categories:

Intentionally Deceptive Narrators: These narrators consciously lie, mislead, or omit vital information to manipulate the reader's perception. They have a hidden agenda, and their unreliability is deliberate. Think of Amy Dunne from "Gone Girl."

Psychologically Unstable Narrators: These characters suffer from mental or emotional issues that affect their judgment and perception of reality. Their unreliability stems from their mental state, like the protagonist in "The Catcher in the Rye."

Naively Mistaken Narrators: These narrators are innocent and well-intentioned but misinterpret events or are too young to fully grasp what's happening. Scout Finch from "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a classic example.

The impact of an unreliable narrator is profound. It challenges readers to question, analyze, and engage more actively with the text. It adds complexity to the storytelling and often leads to a more profound understanding of character motivations and the narrative's depth.

Creating Unreliable Narrators

Now that we've laid the groundwork for understanding unreliable narrators, let's dive into the process of crafting them. To create an unreliable narrator, you'll need to focus on character development and the careful use of narrative techniques.

Character Development:

Establish Background: Begin by creating a detailed background for your narrator. Understand their history, experiences, and personal motivations. Knowing your character inside and out will help you determine what might lead them to unreliability.

Motivation for Unreliability: Consider what drives your narrator to be unreliable. It could be a desire to hide a dark secret, protect someone, or gain an advantage. Their motivation will shape the way they deceive or misconstrue events.

Techniques for Revealing Unreliability:

Inconsistent Narration: Use shifts in perspective, varying accounts of events, or contradictory statements to signal unreliability. Readers should sense that something isn't quite right.

Unreliable Dialogue: Craft dialogues in which other characters react to or question the narrator's claims. This can help reveal the narrator's unreliability indirectly.

Internal Monologue: Offer glimpses into the narrator's thoughts and emotions, revealing their true intentions or doubts about their version of events.

Creating an unreliable narrator is a balance of providing subtle clues to the reader without giving away the full truth too soon. It's like constructing an intricate puzzle with pieces that fit together in unexpected ways.

Executing Unreliable Narration

Crafting an unreliable narrator is just the beginning; executing their character effectively is where the magic happens. Let's dive into strategies for maintaining suspense and intrigue surrounding your narrator's unreliability:

Strategies for Execution:

Gradual Revelation: Don't reveal the extent of your narrator's unreliability too early. Gradually introduce inconsistencies, contradictions, or hints that make readers question the narrator's perspective.

Conflicting Perspectives: Present events from other characters' viewpoints to show the disparity between what the narrator believes and what's happening in reality.

Trust vs. Doubt: Create a delicate balance between moments where readers may believe the narrator and moments that cast doubt. This ebb and flow keeps the suspense alive.

Unreliable Perception: Use the narrator's own perceptions and biases to create an alternative version of reality. Their interpretation of events can be vastly different from the objective truth.

Examples from Literature:

To gain insights into executing unreliable narration effectively, let's turn to literature for inspiration:

"The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins: This psychological thriller employs multiple unreliable narrators to keep readers guessing about the true events of the story.

"Fight Club" by Chuck Palahniuk: The protagonist's unreliability is brilliantly executed as his split personality blurs the line between reality and delusion.

By carefully implementing these strategies and drawing inspiration from well-executed examples, you can keep your readers engaged and invested in deciphering the truth behind your narrator's unreliability.

The Reader's Experience

The beauty of unreliable narration lies in the reader's role in uncovering the truth. Readers become detectives, piecing together the puzzle of the narrative, challenging their assumptions, and engaging in critical thinking. Here's how the reader's experience plays a vital role:

Critical Interpretation: Unreliable narrators encourage readers to question everything they're told. It invites them to look for subtle clues, contradictions, and alternative explanations.

Reader Engagement: Readers actively engage with the story, forming their theories and interpretations. This interactive element can lead to lively discussions and debates among readers.

Psychological Connection: An unreliable narrator often reveals truths about human nature, memory, and perspective. Readers connect with the character's psychological journey on a deeper level.

Personal Discovery: The "aha" moment when the reader unravels the narrator's unreliability is a unique and rewarding experience.

The reader's experience is a fundamental part of crafting an unreliable narrator. It adds depth to your storytelling and encourages readers to become active participants in the narrative.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Crafting an unreliable narrator can be a thrilling creative endeavour, but it's not without its challenges. Here are some common pitfalls to be aware of:

Overuse of Unreliable Narrators: Using unreliable narrators in every story can become predictable. It's essential to employ them when the story genuinely benefits from the unreliable perspective.

Inconsistent Characterization: Be consistent with the narrator's unreliability. Avoid having them switch between deception and clarity without reason. Readers should sense a pattern to their unreliability.

Frustrating Readers: While keeping readers engaged is good, frustrating them to the point of losing interest is not. Balance the revelation of truth and deception effectively.

Overly Complex Narration: Unreliable narration can make the story more intricate, but don't make it overly complex to the point where it becomes confusing.

Revealing Unreliability Too Late: Waiting too long to reveal the narrator's unreliability can lead to reader disengagement. Provide enough hints to maintain their curiosity.

To avoid these pitfalls, remember that the key to successful unreliable narration is balance. Give your readers the right amount of information, trust, and doubt to keep them engaged without overwhelming them.

Now that we've explored the nuances of creating and executing unreliable narrators and learned how to avoid common pitfalls, you're well-equipped to embark on your own literary journey using this fascinating narrative technique.

I hope this blog on How To Create And Execute Unreliable Narrators will help you in your writing journey. Be sure to comment any tips of your own to help your fellow authors prosper, and follow my blog for new blog updates every Monday and Thursday.

Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks?

Are you an author looking for writing tips and tricks to better your manuscript? Or do you want to learn about how to get a literary agent, get published and properly market your book? Consider checking out the rest of Haya’s book blog where I post writing and publishing tips for authors every Monday and Thursday! And don’t forget to head over to my TikTok and Instagram profiles @hayatheauthor to learn more about my WIP and writing journey!

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fttwts · 9 months ago

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im so curious but if youre willing...what are you thoughts on sting's character? :>

You’ve just opened Pandora’s box by asking me this.

Thanks anon, you’ve just given me an excuse to rant.

I think at this point everyone’s aware of how amazing Sting’s character is. At least I hope so.

My issue is that this great and full of potential character is belittled and poorly developed by his own author.

Everything started going downhill after the Natsu VS Sting & Rogue fight during the GMG, honestly. I hope everyone can agree that fight was one of the worst, if not the worst fight of the whole series.

Sting is a complex character with emotional and psychological depth but no one seems to give a fuck about that and the fandom (and Mashima himself, honestly) just keeps portraying him as the over-friendly idiot Guild Master who cannot say anything without dickriding Natsu every two sentences.

But the point is, Sting literally is the better version of Natsu. He cares deeply for his guild mates and friends, he’s fun and sure of himself but not in the obnoxious way Natsu is, he expresses his insecurities and doubts about not being good enough as Master despite him being very confident in his abilities, and that just shows you how much more psychologically developed he is.

And all of that goes to waste, because every time Mashima writes a good character he doesn’t know what the fuck to do with them.

Sting’s magic is holy, divine, centered around light and purity, yet it gets downplayed as “oh yeah he can eat white things lol” ???

“White Dragon Slayer” does not make any fucking sense bro. Why not just make him the Holy Dragon Slayer? Was that so hard?

I hate how he’s thought of as ‘dumb’ by the majority of the fandom. He’s not fucking dumb. He’s smart and capable. His strategy on the last day of the GMG was solid and he could’ve easily won the games but of course Fairy Tail has to always get everything.

And apparently everyone keeps forgetting that he fucking killed a man?? He literally murdered Jiemma. Something that has rarely happened in this manga. He took his place as Guild Master by executing him and putting an end to his tyranny. Something as deep and impactful as that gets completely shadowed in order to make Fairy Tail look good. It’s not fair.

And the fact that he seemed so chill about Future Rogue murdering him? I think that should’ve at least created some tension between him and Rogue because it’s just normal. Instead, Sting’s thoughts about that whole situation aren’t even addressed. Which is infuriating, considering that he’s a major part of it.

Sometimes I wish I could just rewrite this whole fucking manga myself.

My point is, I love Sting. I love his depth, his magic, his complexity. But I fucking hate how he gets downplayed over and over again by Mashima and the fandom in order to make more boring and shallow characters shine.

#sting eucliffe #i still have things to say but this should summarize it #anti mashima

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sinlillith · 10 months ago

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paradox of human self ; demon.

a short analysis of sebastian and ciels relationship and how it will forever remain tragic

❛ ━━━━━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━━━━━ ❜

the dichotomy of master vs servant.

upon the surface, the relationship between sebastian michaelis and ciel phantomhive is anchored by the seemingly simple terms of their contract: ciel , the imperious master, and sebastian, the demonic butler bound by an infernal pact, destined to serve until the moment he claims ciel's soul. yet, beneath this veneer of straightforward servitude lies a labyrinth of complexity, where the roles of master and servant are ceaselessly redefined by their actions and perceptions. though ciel appears to wield absolute authority, commanding sebastian with the regal air of a noble, the true balance of power is an enigma. sebastian, with his preternatural abilities and centuries of wisdom, often emerges as the invisible puppeteer, subtly guiding ciels decisions, orchestrating events from the shadows with a deftness that belies his role as a mere servant.

•·················•·················•

sebastians servitude is cloaked in the flawless guise of obedience, yet it is infused with a sardonic undertone, a quiet mockery that lingers just beneath the surface. his deference is executed with such impeccable precision that it becomes almost theatrical, as if he is not merely serving, but performing a role in an elaborate play—one where the lines between hunter and prey, master and servant, are perpetually shifting in a sophisticated game of power and manipulation.

trauma as the binding force

as we know, ciels tragic past, a tale steeped in horror and loss, left him emotionally shattered, forging in him a profound distrust of the world and a deep-seated need for control. the brutal and grotesque murder of his parents and the unspeakable rituals he endured have scarred him beyond repair, and it is in this fragile state that sebastian appears— a dark savior, both a symbol of ciel's newfound power and a dark, grim reminder of his vulnerability.

sebastian represents a paradox, serving as both ciels protector and his doom, a guardian whose ultimate goal is the consumption of the very soul he is sworn to safeguard.

the duality weaves a rich and intricate tapestry of emotion within ciel. the dependence ciel clings onto with sebastian is undeniable, though he would never openly admit it. sebastian himself is not only a shield against the physical dangers that beset him but also a psychological anchor in a world that has betrayed him at every turn. and yet, this reliance is poisoned by the knowledge that sebastians loyalty is a mere transaction, his aid motivated by the dark promise of a future feast. ciel's cold, often ruthless demeanor becomes a fortress, a way to assert control over the one being he knows he can never truly trust—a defensive mechanism against the ever-present reality that his protector is also his predator.

affection or manipulation of one's vulnerable state?

to put so simply, the relationship between Sebastian and ciel is further complicated by the ambiguous line between genuine affection and calculated manipulation. as we know, sebastian's actions—his meticulous care of ciel, his subtle guidance, and his seemingly tender moments of concern—could be seen as evidence of a deeper, almost paternal affection. but don't be fooled, as these gestures are equally suggestive of a carefully constructed strategy, ensuring that ciel remains not just alive, but thriving, until the time is right for sebastian to claim his prize.

in my opinion, ciel may harbor a twisted form of affection for sebastian, even though it is an affection born of necessity and steeped in dependency. he is acutely aware that sebastian is not human, that his motivations are guided by a morality that is utterly alien to him. despite this, there are moments when ciel's interactions with sebastian slip into a more personal, less guarded space—moments that hint at a longing for sebastian to be something more than just a demon bound by contract, perhaps even something akin to a companion or a confidant, albeit one he can never truly trust.

hallucinations of control

to view their relationship through the lens of illusion is to grasp at the very heart of its complexity—specifically, the illusion of control. both sebastian and ciel operate under the belief that they are the ones holding the reins of their destiny. ciel, with his aristocratic authority and unyielding will, sees himself as the master, the one who commands and dictates. meanwhile, sebastian, with his boundless power and infinite patience, views ciel as a mere amusement, a transient diversion in the vastness of his eternal existence.

yet neither is entirely correct.

sebastians strict adherence to the contract grants ciel a superficial sense of control, but every action the demon takes is calculated, part of a grander design that serves his own ends. conversely, sebastian's perceived dominion over ciel's fate is not as absolute as it appears; the longer he serves, the more he becomes enmeshed in the intricate web of ciel's world—a world governed by the capriciousness of human emotion, attachment, and complexity, elements that even a demon of sebastian's caliber cannot easily navigate.

the conclusion : a relationship beyond definition.

in the end, the relationship between sebastian michaelis and ciel phantomhive defies simple categorization, existing in a realm beyond the conventional definitions of master and servant. it is a constant interplay of dominance and submission, where both characters are simultaneously in control and at the mercy of the other. their bond is one of mutual exploitation, yet beneath the surface, there lies the suggestion of something deeper, a connection that transcends the contractual and ventures into the realm of the ineffable.

though sebastian is destined to claim ciel's soul, until that fateful moment arrives, they are locked in an intricate dance of power, affection, and manipulation—a dance that blurs the boundaries between master and servant, predator and prey. their relationship thrives in the shadows of ambiguity, where the threads of power and dependence intertwine, the complex and intimate tapestry that challenges the very essence of their bond, making it something far richer and more profound than either of them could have anticipated.

because that's all it is, and ever will be.

let me know ur thoughts on this :)

#black butler #sebastian michaelis #ciel phantomhive #analysis #first post #lol

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neurodivergency-meme-hub · 1 month ago

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ADHD ASK MEME — EXTENDED VERSION

For muses with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. This meme welcomes all ADHD types: inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive, or combined.

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INTERNAL EXPERIENCE

1. How does your character experience a typical day inside their mind?

2. What’s their relationship with silence or stillness?

3. Do they get "thought traffic jams" or racing thoughts?

4. What makes them zone out, and how do they feel when they “come back”?

5. How do they describe their focus style—scattershot, tunnel-vision, rhythmic?

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HYPERFOCUS & MOTIVATION

6. What topics or tasks send them into hyperfocus?

7. What does hyperfocus look like to others vs. how it feels to your muse?

8. What motivates them: urgency, interest, novelty, or external pressure?

9. What task do they always procrastinate, no matter how many strategies they try?

10. How do they reward themselves for finishing something?

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EXECUTIVE FUNCTION & TIME

11. How do they handle planning and prioritizing tasks?

12. Do they experience time blindness? If so, how does it impact them socially or emotionally?

13. What’s one strategy or tool they rely on to stay on track (e.g., planner, app, post-its)?

14. What does executive dysfunction look like for them on a bad day?

15. Do they work better under structure or flexibility?

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EMOTIONS & IMPULSIVITY

16. How do they process emotions—slow burn, sudden burst, or somewhere in between?

17. What situations tend to trigger impulsive decisions?

18. Have they ever said something impulsively and regretted it later?

19. How do they handle rejection, criticism, or failure?

20. What helps them self-regulate in high-emotion moments?

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SOCIAL & RELATIONAL DYNAMICS

21. How do they handle interrupting others—do they catch themselves or not notice?

22. What’s their communication style: enthusiastic, scattered, intense, all of the above?

23. Do they mask their symptoms in social or professional situations?

24. How do they feel about being perceived as “too much”?

25. What kind of friend or partner are they when fully accepted?

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IDENTITY, STIGMA & SELF-UNDERSTANDING

26. When did they first suspect or learn they had ADHD?

27. How do they feel about the term “neurodivergent”?

28. Have they ever been punished or shamed for traits they now know are part of ADHD?

29. What’s something they excel at because of their ADHD wiring?

30. How do they reclaim or celebrate their ADHD identity now?

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spaceorphan18 · 1 year ago

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More thoughts on XM97 - because of course I have more thoughts...

Doing some more reflection, because this is what I do during hyperfixation, apparently.

It helps to write things down and get them out of my head, I suppose. Honestly, it'll be nice to get past the last episode, because then I can compartmentalize and just push the thing away until season 2 (if the finale gives me any reason to want to come back).

DeMayo went on another tweeting spree (I just keep an eye on these things because I get curious) and during this particular bout, I feel like I've got somethings clarified. And I think my own personal frustrations come down to - the ideas of writing and creating vs fan expectations.

Overall, I do think that XM97 is a solidly good (or at least entertaining) show. The animation is good. The voice cast is good. And the ideas they are using, in theory, are more adult and mature and nuanced than the original kids' show ever was (which, I'll give TAS some credit - dug deeper a lot of times when most kids' cartoons of the time didn't).

One of the biggest issues for me has been execution. First of all, the show is way too short for the amount they're trying to pack in here. It almost feels like they wanted to do everything on their wishlist because if they didn't, they wouldn't get the chance to do it. And it feels, muddied... They really needed a full season to unpack a lot of this.

The thing about Rogue and Gambit's story.... I get the 'kill your darlings' strategy of writing. In fact, I agree that good stories are messy and have conflict and you should always put your heroes through the worst. I feel like there was a better way to do the story (I believe) they're telling.

I don't think Magneto needed to be a part of it at all, and the triangle just feels... forced in a lot of ways. I understand that they went there to give Remy some heartbreak along the way, but I truly believe the two of them, with their own issues, and the two of them being in an undefined relationship with complicated issues over touch -- still could have resulted in compelling TV, and still would kept the devastation of Gambit's death.

Episode 5 is still my favorite, and despite my distaste for the whole Magneto side of it, I think the writing there was top notch, and still the best this show has been. I get, though, that they wanted to have Rogue and Gambit "break up" for the impact to hit harder, for Rogue to feel much more guilt once he died, for that last line to be even more heartbreaking.

So, the easiest route was to add the Magneto of it all. Episode 5 is brilliant in a vacuum. But in greater context there are other ways you can get there. And, no, Magneto wasn't ultimately needed. Rogue still could have had regrets, there still could have been heartbreak, there are always things you just don't say before a tragedy.

The thing about it, had they set this up correctly, and in a way that was more satisfying and didn't involve third parties? You may have gotten way more of the Rogue and Gambit fans on board. (And I'll get to the fan side of this in a second.)

See, TAS flirted with Rogue and Gambit's romance but never pushed it too far. Not only was it a kids' show, but Rogue probably would have never had her powers under control and it just was never going to go that far. Meanwhile, the comics have moved way beyond where TAS was. Rogue and Gambit's relationship has evolved a lot in thirty years - way past the tragedy, past the will-they/won't-they, past the break ups and reunions, and in the comics, Rogue and Gambit are a relatively healthy (for a comic book couple) couple of best friends and old marrieds. They're story is so far beyond what they once were that going back to TAS feels... odd.

So, the show starting in this place where TAS left off feels awkward in a lot of ways. There's a lot of expectations layered onto this show, but the show -- being limited by external factors, can't really handle all of it.

I don't think the first few episodes of the show did enough to show the sheer strength of Rogue and Gambit's connection and relationship. And part of that was time and part of that is because it's a sequel to a show set thirty years ago and part of it is time compression and part of it is the writing wanting to leave some vague open-endedness to the relationship so that Episode 5 could work.

And thus Episode 5 feels a bit jarring. It's way more a mature script. There's much more going on in those relationships that we haven't seen set up. Not really. And it's almost relying too much on - things that were mildly set up in the original and the heavy history of the comics.

Which leads me to what has happened afterwards. I think that in a world sans the Magneto of it all, you still get a Rogue who is absolutely heartbroken over the loss of her love. She would still go dark. She would still seek vengeance. She would still wrap herself up in that trench coat and wreck havoc on everyone until she ultimately succumbed to her own grief and eventually dealt with it in one way or the other.

(The part that I just don't agree with -- besides giving up the trench coat, which I know is symbolic in gesture -- is her running off to play Colossus in Fatal Attractions. Which, again, is why they did add the Magneto of it all, but I'm digressing.)

Anyway, this leads me to the fan expectations, and why it does feel so raw for a lot of us. Rogue and Gambit have never really had their time to shine. The films are full of mischaracterizations and limited (very limited) appearances. The other TV shows never let the relationship shine. And even in the comics it felt like forever for the X-Office to take them seriously.

This TV show felt like an opportunity to start fresh. To be excited about something. To get behind the characters we love and celebrate them. We can still break their hearts. We can still even kill them off. But give us a reason to care!

But instead of building that relationship with us fans, it went a different route. And now we feel heartbroken and angry, instead of just heartbroken. Gambit fans - who get shit on so often - get one bright of moment of glory before a death that feels somewhat hollow when you start to realize it was in purpose of someone else's story. Rogue fans - have the internet hating her with a passion. It feels like once again - being set up only to fail.

It feels hurtful, even when, I truly believe, that was not the writers' intentions. Make your characters go through hell - yes, but you have to have your audience on your side to make it impactful.

I don't really know where the show goes from here. There's either going to be closure or a cliffhanger. What I'd really like, though, is some sort of hope.

Because I get real life sucks. And I get that we often reflect in our fiction that it does. But we're talking about a cartoon about superheroes. We're talking about escapism at its finest. I love complicated and messy and nuanced and sometimes even heartbreaking stories -- but I also want something that makes it all worth while.

There is still one episode left, and I'm curious as to where it's going to go. Because at the end of the day, X-Men has always been about hope, too.

#xmen #x men 97 #rogue #gambit #roguegambit #romy #good lord look a this diatribe #I'm so sorry #okay i'll shut up now #I just needed to say all the things to get them out of my head #this is just a stream of conscious - don't expect anyone to read it all #I'll be so glad when this is done and this summer I can focus on the comics

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valeriefauxnom · 2 months ago

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Is there anything more quintessentially Euden...

...Than readily inviting a person into his castle as usual, and when the (attempted) assassin goes to kill him, instead just calmly sits down at a desk, laces his fingers together (or so I imagine), and then just busts out one of the most classic 'welcome to therapy' stereotypical phrases?

This aside, I do think that this segment is a small but nice encapsulation of Euden's particular skills as a leader that often go under-noticed. Get ready for a deep dive, because I've got a few thoughts about his leadership skills!

The preceding events to these lines lay out that Euden has already acquired intel that Dan is out to get him and why. Furthermore, he's similarly anticipated Dan wanting a 'meeting' with him to assassinate him, and brought guards.

Throughout the entire exchange, Euden maintained a calm demeanor and directed the exchange the entire way:

Aside from the obvious power it demonstrated of his leagues of allies by being able to source this information, it's also a fine showcase on what he can do whenever his buttons aren't being pushed (as they so often are in the main campaign).

We don't often see any details about Euden's reign over his territory, since most would likely find that rather boring, but what hints we do get to how he exercises authority are interesting.

Take Gauld's story. A notable underlying current to it is that Euden has dispatched Hawk to break up a gang, especially by acquiring intel from its former leader in Gauld, and, need be, killing him (though this may less be Euden's explicit orders and more the power vested in Hawk to break up the gang as he sees fit, trusting in him).

While I'm certain it pales to Chelle's, Euden seems to have amassed quite the information network in his own right. Even as far back in canon lore as Renelle, he's at least vaguely still keeping tabs of bandit clans in addition to having the details about the biggest one knocking at his door politely:

Euden also seems to be fairly active in solidifying authority and diplomacy through other means, like his bringing to heel of lands described as 'beyond the reach of the authority of the Alberian royal family', and does so like this:

Even if it is not described that Euden snatched that territory into his own in doing this, I'd imagine the local lords and nobles are much more likely to have to play nice even if they desire to start fights again with the reminder that there is a prince/king in the vague area that has his eye on them and is more than willing to personally intervene in a conflict. It's a classic strategy against the typical downfalls of the scheming nobles vs. royalty, like how Louis XIV forced nobility to come to Versailles so that he might keep them in line and under observation better.

This is one example, but with his constant intervention in all sorts of towns and villages throughout Dragalia, it actually can serve a more effective tactic than the vibes it initially gives, that Euden is just doing this purely because he hates paperwork standing by and letting others do work. All of his running about both serves to better his image of an attentive ruler, as well as keep any uppity nobles in line simply by showing the extent of territory he is maintaining a presence+eye on. Alberia seems to be explicitly feudal, in which local lords have a lot of power, including the power to order executions (assuming local laws don't normally outline simple breaking and entering, much less without theft -> death):

If you'll note, I don't really recall there being any noble coalitions trying to form to oust him or otherwise usurp his authority in a region. Sure, there's an individual few that try to kill or imprison him, but he avoids having to deal with a group of them making demands or stage elaborate coups, etc.

In a similar vein, Euden seems active in finding and reaching out to dragons in the area. While it is... finicky in trying to figure out how many dragons Euden has officially pacted with, since while many were added as a 'here's a cool named dragon, have fun' and obviously not lore-compliant (siblings' dragons like Mars, Thor, Cat Sìth, the angels, whom I wonder if they even can pact atop of their own Sigils, Bahamut, others like Elysium, Chronos, weird lore cases like Chthonius and so on...), Euden definitely didn't settle with just the Greatwyrms. We know that Leviathan was one of them that actually did make a pact, as seemingly did Stribog and Prometheus, so on and so forth.

And since dragons in Dragalia were essentially the top of the food chain in the natural world, and expressions of nature's will to begin with, this is not a bad move. On the contrary, I would stress!

In an international sense, he's also fast to make alliances. The first thing he does after formally declaring New Alberia is try to establish alliances with Saint Lotier, Valkaheim, and Chanzelia as regional powers, though only two of those are ultimately successful. The act of making alliances is its own way of trying to gain legitimacy, since if other areas are willing to entertain you on your own terms instead of just nervously looking to other nation(s) that claim that land, it encourages recognition in addition to serving to build power that Euden desperately needed when trying to get a new nation up and running.

In essence, Euden seems to have moved rapidly in trying to assert and reassert authority over regions, and does so passively by simply maintaining a presence in the regions. This allows him to gain steam quickly, building up to a more legitimate nation so fast, also helped by the alliances he moves to forge. Funnily enough, this is reflected in his own base unit as one of those 'gaining steam' characters, where he gets stronger as he shapeshifts more.

Ironically, despite not being of the trio of the 'most cunning/intelligent' siblings, Valyx has the correct idea in properly putting Euden down when this was getting started.

As Leonidas and Chelle were content to sit back and watch, not registering him as a threat (or, in Chelle's case, weighing what she would do next), and Phares also content to watch, wait, and maybe poke at him with a stick once in a while to see what he does, Valyx correctly identifies this trend. If Morsayati had heeded Valyx at this point, it would have been game over for Euden. No matter the insane defenses of the Halidom that I've covered here, there would be only so much they could take if Morsayati went all-out when they still are so new and so weak.

With that in mind, it is fortunate indeed that Morsayati was invested in letting Euden cultivate himself as a host-to-be, even if it ultimately meant Morsayati had been preparing for months on end for how exactly to get Euden to fold and allow himself to be possessed.

Back more to the main topic even if this still is a sidequest, this is probably part of the reason why the commoners are so concerned Euden is possessed after ch.14.

Under his leadership, Euden has moved to assume/establish authority quickly and decisively when and where needed. But after supposedly conquering Sol Alberia, the throne has been left empty. They were likely expecting he'd take it up immediately even if he ultimately considered the Halidom as a capital, just to show who was the new boss around there, because that was what he'd done before.

...But he didn't. To the citizens, his movements were more likely to be perceived as Morsayati's, moving to take control of his new possessee's lands as he did for King Aurelius/Zethia. On top of the other fears they had at that time, it was a clean recipe for why they feared Euden possessed.

That being said, we still don't know a whole lot of the more logistical side of Euden's country. It seems to have something of a specialty product in its honey mentioned later on (in reference to the honey feature they added to the Halidom), but we don't exactly have a comprehensive picture of their economy. We can joke about the seemingly booming tourism despite the war in the comics (which may be a way for peasants to 'scope out' the lands before moving there) or have other hints like the fact that the Halidom was seemingly a very good place for growing herbs, including weird rare ones, but not exactly accounting ledgers.

Other miscellaneous facts include that Xander ascends to be a general in Euden's army. Ranzal's a vague 'commander'...But I'm getting off track again.

Anyways, Euden and leadership. We also can see an instance of how he runs things in Civilian Leif's story, wherein he summons Leif, and, without preamble, goes 'bomb report, stat' (yes Dragalia had bombs!)

When combined with Gauld's story above, as well as an Audric tidbit in the castle story here:

...We see a suggestion/pattern that Euden's use of the Halidom's forces, aside from just the general expectation of 'defend the place and help clean up', involve small missions to subtly tip scales and influence things across the nation and beyond. Hawk gets sent to bust a gang, Audric to stabilize a region, and Leif to handle bomb threats, etc etc. He isn't even the sole decider of what individual/small group tasks get sent out into the field, as he also permits Aoi here to set her own target:

Honestly, it's not a bad idea, since the Halidom is probably outnumbered and outgunned for much of its history. Avoiding big combat is a plus for them even discounting Euden's personal desires to do no harm, and with this sort of meddling across the land, it helps accomplish his goals even in the absence of conflict.

Enough of his grand strategy, though, I'd like to highlight another aspect for why the others generally turn to Euden as the 'leader' despite his overall lack of commanding presence or personality: he's the picture of a good 'tactical' commander instead of a 'strategical' one.

In short, what I'm saying here is that Euden's good at deciding what to do in the moment, how to win a battle, how to adapt to xyz, whereas he starts to struggle more in grand chess moves (literally, as he's not skilled in Alberian chess, and figuratively, when pit against his 'bigger brained' siblings with more of a head for the broader workings of armies and countries!).

This sounds like a small thing to quibble over or note, but the deeper you dig, the more you find examples.

He's usually the one to start directing his friends to assume different roles or goals.

Here's a few little examples I dredged up of the trend, just these quick orders to give the group direction for how to approach a situation.

We also see it apply to more than just combat in things like Gala Sarisse's story:

Ironically, Sarisse tries to call this the 'big picture', but it's... actually not really. Euden's not thinking of the grand strategy in staying behind to tend to the destroyed town, he's just trying to help people in the heat of the moment and is directing his own people to do that best. Of course, it has 'big picture' implications, like the sowing of allegiance to him in the future by building trust/amicable attitudes, but that's the definition of tactics: he's more focused on accomplishing the 'small things' here and there than coming up with broader strategy.

Now, Euden's certainly not perfect, as his nature can make him prone to trying to do too much at once or reluctant to 'go dirty' in fighting, but he's also not a dummy.

Take Lapis' story, where, when facing a robotic enemy that can just outright turn invisible, he's the one to come up with a tactic to allow them to combat it:

All in all, it's a likely crucial part for why the Halidom forces can keep stringing together rough win after win, because Euden has a good enough head for 'thinking on his feet' when pressed against the wall to allow them to skirt by.

It's why he can give Valyx's forces (elite, undefeated, loyal forces, mind you) an actual fight even before he officially was rustling up an army, and force him to pull out the nuke button in Thor.

It's also why he struggles against the likes of Leonidas and Chelle, who just prepare so thoroughly beforehand for what they want to accomplish (strategy), but also aren't tactical slouches. Even with Leonidas being reckless, Euden's group was in an inescapable bind in several ways even beyond their outnumbered nature before a combination of 'Euden's signature finding the exact right thing to say or do' and 'reinforcements ex machina' help give him momentum again.

Even then, it took him throwing Chelle such a mental curveball as to make her 'retreat' (not actually defeated in the slightest, mind you) and two new forces to start surmounting the sheer overwhelming force he was up against.

In summary: Euden's skill in commanding the second-to-second of battlefields or 'field' things in general gives others confidence in trusting his command or instinct, even if he can't come up with convoluted plans to get what he wants in the long run. See his attack of Sol Alberia - there's far more reasons than just strategic incapacity that led to its mixed results, like the rushed nature of it,- but while Euden laid out some groundwork for attack (defectors), he had no huge strategy in the works for a task as complicated as seizing a fortress-city and its castle.

As a final note to make this full circle, I'd like to draw attention to his attitude to his people. We all joke (and so do others in game, see Ranzal's remarks on Euden vs a vampire) that Euden has no danger radar, but it's more complicated than that. In truth, Euden actually is very insightful to people's overall state of mind and intuitive.

The caveat is just that he needs to actually interact with the person to get a handle on them. This leads to the dynamic of him occasionally struggling to ascertain if a stranger is a threat, but him being very able to make deep cuts about what's driving his friends and allies.

This has helped him turn the Halidom into 'Euden's Therapy Land' for all the weirdos that he finds. Whether it's social anxiety and a phobia of blood (Ricardt) to PTSD (well, take your pick? I'll just say Aldred!), Euden's ability to make these connections through his personality, get people to open up, and intuit when something is wrong culminates in a tremendous ability to build a small army of very loyal followers.

In a short humorous example for what I mean, like this:

(This technically isn't all that good an example, as Elisanne isn't hiding this very well, but it still is a nice little encapsulation of what I'm talking about).

His policy in the Halidom, which is, uh, much looser in rules than most castles/armies, also helps form a weird sort of ruleset that ultimately amounts to 'don't make Euden or Cleo too too mad at you'.

See this:

This helps draw in loyalty from people who don't like their superiors breathing down their necks and otherwise assuage people that he's not power-mad or otherwise a jerk. It's just a relatively calm place to chill out and maybe run errands for your cool boss and get therapy in a land that doesn't seem to have any!

Sooo... yeah. I've gone on long enough!

Euden, despite not being particularly intimidating or demanding, manages to make himself a surprisingly great leader through tactical skill, a good mind under pressure, and his personality that lets him build devotion and goodwill!

#dragalia lost #dragalia #dragalia analysis #Euden #Even the comics picked up on 'Euden's Therapy Home For the Thoroughly Strange' with ones like 264 where it just outright says re Euden...#'Lifelong mental-health guarantee'! Too bad his skills in that regard do not apply to himself. Ah well. We all have our problems!

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lewisinho · 1 year ago

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✨lewis hamilton’s most underrated mclaren drives ✨

(with special dedication to: @l8tof1 & @sirlew44)

did a lil’ rewatch over the break and wanted to do a post about some of lewis’ most underrated wins/drives in f1 over the years; i realise that there are a lot of them and so i decided to split and do a post for his mclaren days and another one for his mercedes years.

a few words of introduction:

the thing about watching mclaren lewis and why it’s just such a privilege, is that this boy is special; babyfaced rookie picked from the crèche by ron dennis and who was told he’d be half a second off nando’s pace and that he shouldn’t worry, wasn’t just hungry he had something to prove, he will nawt be a second driver even if it’s to the reigning 2x world champion who has just come from beating THE michael schumacher, basically babes wasn’t having it and he put the fear of god into these drivers…and ron dennis (say what you want about that that man, but you can’t deny, he really girlbossed that one thing; giving lewis a car that was capable of winning, was a choice™️, but a very good one and we thank him for that); mclaren lewis is special because he’s hungry, he’s raw and fast, very fast, sometimes too fast and too reckless, but he’s learning, and when you watch these races and these seasons you see him learn and grow and change; all these seasons are different, but those mclaren years are just as important for the lore and who he is now and to witness the evolution of both the driver and the man is truly special; so this small collection of drives is a bit of a crème-de-la-crème if you will of those races that i think aren’t as mentioned in the pantheon of great lewis drives as much as i think they should, so let us begin:

fuji 2007 🇯🇵 aka the first rain dance of og bald baby mclazza rookie lewis, stunting on hoes since ‘07

people keep talking about silvo 2008 (and rightly so) but this one is a bit of a forgotten wet-weather masterpiece; talk about artistic sublimity, this is the racing sublimity of one 22-year-old rookie lewis hamilton; baby lewis was holding off his reigning world champion of a teammate absolutely majestically in torrential conditions, and executing the race and the restarts to perfection (race is also chaos personified so brilliant to rewatch). baby lew became a bit of a headache for the establishment™️ and one fernando alonso and it’s fun to watch.

germany 2008 🇩🇪aka mclaren pitwall terrorising baby lewis (the horrors started way before merc)

a race overshadowed by his brilliance in silverstone two weeks earlier (suffering from success and having consecutive masterclasses amirite), but it’s nearly as brilliant; this is lewis vs massa + the mclaren pitwall deciding to gamble with some fuckass strategy and leaving lewis out for a safety car restart, lewis having to pull massive gaps, driving the wheels of that mp4-23 and then overtake from p5 to take the lead; some brilliant overtakes and lewis displaying incredible race pace; this drive is the lewis hamilton special that massa had no answer for

singapore 2009 🇸🇬 aka lewis decided to serve cunt

to truly appreciate the sheer extent of said cunt serving, you have to watch both quali and the race; mind you, the 2009 mclaren was nawt it, the post-updates mp4-24 was still dogshit compared to lil’ sister mp4-23 and very much an underperforming and unreliable shitbox; the updates also came too late for lewis to put up a proper championship fight; however this did not stop from lewis from putting 2 whole ass seconds on his teammate, take pole ahead of the red bulls and the brawns and then dominate the race, with brilliant tyre management and race pace (40 secs ahead of kova, nearly 10 secs ahead of timo glock in p2 in a truly fuckass mclaren)

brazil 2009 🇧🇷 aka the road to legend is long and twisted and the brazilian racing gods clearly have a plan

p17 to p3; and no you may think this is one of those checo-esque recovery drives where you qualify terribly but have a rocketship so you overtake cars easily and finish the race in a position you should have started the race in; well, the mp4-24 actually qualified terribly in the wet (even post-upgrades, it was also set up for the dry) and was still very much mid on a sunday; lewis however babes was on yet another mission, overtaking cars *mwah* like please watch it; the brazilian racing gods truly picked a chosen one and his name is lewis hamilton i do not make the rules; his lil’ fist punching the air when he crossed the line says everything you need to know about what that drive meant to lewis (also like that boy was starving for a win around interlagos and to think the first one came only in 2016 jeez) the racing gods really wanted to make that man suffer biblically in true chosen one fashion before offering any type of redemption; you see interlagos and lewis is a special narrative, it’s about a boy achieving immortality in his hero’s homeland, and it goes all the way from 2007 to 2021 and beyond, and there are chapters in between, like 2009, that are worth mentioning, because the man is desperate for a win here and he’s getting so so close, hungry mclaren lewis you mean so much to me, he would eat anything and anyone and well,,,interlagos is lewis’ yearning personified

china 2011 🇨🇳 aka he WILL have his win and he will bite and claw his way towards it

hungry lewis starving for a win with a car that is half-decent is dangerous; this race is *chefs kiss* oh my god, please watch it, baby mclaren lewis on a mission, babes after the race said he doesn’t remember when he last won a race, like wdym it’s only been like 8 months my guy (we’re on two years now); drama starts before the race even begins, because he’s got a fuel problem and is literally mere seconds away from a pit-lane start but no that team and that man were on a mission: three-stopper, overtaking both seb and jb, terrifying race pace! he also gets a bit emotional in the cool down room and hugs seb 🥹

germany 2011 🇩🇪 aka vintage lewis special

another one where you have to watch both quali and the race, because baby goat was pulling quali laps out of his ass (imo probably one of his best non pole laps): he split the bulls and was only half a tenth from pole (also 1.2 secs ahead of his teammate); bear in mind we’re in the domination era of kinky kylie (rb-7) which took 12/19 victories and all but one pole position, which interestingly albeit unsurprisingly went to lewis in korea): that man was putting his entire lewpussy into those quali laps; now the race, ladies and gents (gn) this is where it gets tasty and spicy and if you want a three-car fight for the win this delivers on all fronts and provides lewis at his very best this is it;

a small (but important) tangent: i do find it slightly disappointing when people overlook lewis’ 2011 season entirely because of his getting outscored by jb; yes, it wasn’t a clean season from him, he made a lot of errors in the races and it’s quite a frustrating watch in general as a lewis fan, but he also had some absolutely brilliant races (i also can’t help but point out a similar trend that has happened with his 2022 season);

but anyway, this is lewis vs webber vs fernando, mclaren vs red bull vs ferrari for the entire race; overcut and undercut strategies happening simultaneously, lewis’ racecraft and defence on webber!!!!, and featuring a great overtake on nando!

+ honourable mention: australia 2009 🇦🇺 aka icarus flew too close to the sun

you’re prolly wondering why i’m including australia 2009, which is rather infamously known for ‘liegate’; but lewis’ (and mclaren’s) post-race shenanigans overshadow an actually brilliant drive from p18 to 4th (momentarily 3rd bc trulli got DSQ’d which was then reversed lmao; it’s a bit all over the place) in an actually dogshit mclaren that had no right fighting even for top 5; this is pre-upgrades wheelbarrow mp4-24, this is the stuff that makes the w13 look like a prima ballerina, well guess what lewis was the prima ballerina and was putting that mclaren in positions it really did not deserve to even bear witness to; and then there was a bit of a kerfuffle at the fia office (please read up on liegate it’s acc really funny, mclaren spectacularly shooting themselves in the foot 🙄), someone got fired, lewis disqualified, but oh well, shits and giggles innit (hindsight's a wonderful thing)

hope you enjoyed and i also hope this provided some inspiration for a rewatch :) 💜🏎️

#lewis hamilton #this rewatch was honestly a pleasure to do because i genuinely haven’t seen some of these races in years #there will be a part 2 with some merc drives #f1 #lewis mclaren rewatch

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cinderella-ish · 2 months ago

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The Apothecary Diaries Personality Types: Maomao

Y'all knew this was coming. Maomao is the only character I feel comfortable analyzing from this show so far, but I'm looking forward to getting to know the other characters better!

Maomao is probably the clearest example of her Enneagram that I can think of. Her MBTI is a little less obvious, but I still think it's quite clear. Here goes!

Maomao's Enneagram

Wound: Maomao's birth mother was mentally unwell and abused her, including by cutting off Maomao's finger. Maomao was then raised at the brothel that had employed her birth mother, though she was aware that her birth had damaged the brothel's reputation and irreparably destroyed her mother's value as a courtesan.

Wounding message: You are a burden. You must earn your right to exist.

Core desire: To avoid notice so she can focus on survival & her work as an apothecary.

Core fear: attracting too much notice and becoming a target

Defense mechanism: Maomao maintains a pragmatic, aloof approach to life. She avoids romanticizing things, and even avoids daring to hope things could be better for her.

Strengths: Maomao is curious, intelligent, helpful, cautious, calm, perceptive, dependable, objective, matter-of-fact, and independent.

Challenges: Maomao is reserved, secretive, obsessive, detached, cynical, nihilistic

When healthy: Maomao will stand up for what she knows is right.

When unhealthy: I'm not sure I know what she's like when unhealthy...

Looking at all of this, here's what connects when I go back to the Enneagram post:

Wound: 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9

Wounding message: 2, 5, or 7

Core desire: 5

Core fear: 5, 6, or 8

Defense mechanism: 5

Strengths: 1, 5, or 6

Challenges: 5

When healthy: 4, 5, or 9

When unhealthy: unsure, though I think 3 and 8 sound most likely

Maomao is an Enneagram 5.

Fives live in the Head center, and tend to underexpress fear. From Personality Path:

Fear is underexpressed in Type 5s by limiting engagement with the outside world. Concerns about being overwhelmed motivate Type 5s to withdraw from others. Anger can be triggered when personal boundaries are breached because this threatens the withdrawal strategy used to avoid anxiety. Shame or Sadness presents itself when Type 5s struggle with typical human interactions, which can be difficult because of their disconnection from the emotional world and their tendencies to isolate themselves from others. Concerns about being overwhelmed by their environment and the demands of others are often at the bottom of the three core emotions for Type 5s.

Shigure Sohma from Fruits Basket and Haruhi Fujioka from Ouran High School Host Club are both Fives.

Wing

The Enneagram Institute calls 5w4 "The Iconoclast" and 5w6 "The Problem Solver". Maomao, famous for solving problems, is pretty clearly a 5w6. From Truity:

5w6s are practical, helpful, and organized. While still fiercely independent, 5w6s tend to be more cooperative and loyal than other Fives. They excel in troubleshooting and solving complex problems.

Haruhi Fujioka is also a 5w6.

Subtype

I think Maomao is almost certainly not a SX 5, but I could see a case for either SP or SO.

Maomao at times seems to show a lack of regard for her own safety, from testing poisons on herself to casually discussing her potential execution with Jinshi. She is keenly aware of her position within the imperial hierarchy, or the hierarchy of Verdigris House. She is also very aware of which information could be dangerous vs. which information is crucial to share (and whether it's safe for her to share it openly). Where SP 5s are very focused on privacy and boundaries, SO 5s are more focused on knowledge and tend to almost hoard knowledge for use as protection.

For these reasons, I think Maomao is a SO 5w6. She is the first Social 5 I've analyzed. Description from EnneaApp:

Search for totems (symbols of the social group) which are sources of knowledge

Seek knowledge in totemic symbols such as scientific formulas/esoteric paradigms

Have preoccupation with mind as a source of power, attracted to realm of academia

Concerned with titles, degrees, credentials; relates socially through defined roles

Attracted to systems of study that yield big-picture accounts of social forces

Knowledge is power and forewarned is forearmed; insider information is protective

Belongs to some kind of "in-group" connected through specialized information

Likes to refine thinking with "people who know" in a setting that is free of small talk

May live in high society, knows the "right" people, belongs to the best clubs

Doesn't like to compete; will not jockey for rank; wants to be "called"/recognized

May enjoy speaking a professional language that only a few people understand

May appear haughty/condescending; may tell others how to do things quicker/better

More social than other fives; torn between group connection and wish for privacy

Tritype

With 5 as her Head type, I think Maomao's Gut type is most likely 9 (though I wouldn't rule out 8 or 1 just yet), and her heart type could be 3 or 2 (but probably not 4).

Maomao is fascinating because she wants to stay out of other people's business, but it's almost like she can't help herself. I don't think she really craves admiration, as a 3 would, nor do I think she wants to be central in other people's lives, as a 2, but I do think her desire to be helpful is slightly stronger than her desire to be successful.

With 2 in the mix, I think 9 would need to be her Gut type. 2s can be so intrusive and pushy; having a mix of 5 and 9 in her tritype really balance out that aspect of 2, whereas 8 would exaggerate it.

After reading the descriptions, I think 2-5-9 ("The Problem Solver"), 3-5-8 ("The Solution Master"), and 3-5-9 ("The Thinker") are all decent matches, but 2-5-9 seems like the best fit.

From Katherine Fauvre's website:

If you are a 259, you are caring, knowledgeable, and accepting. You want to be helpful, wise, and peaceful. You are naturally very quiet, soft-spoken, and shy, but observe and track everything going on around you. You focus on problems and enjoy tinkering and fixing things. You need companionship and avoid feelings of loneliness by focusing on the needs and concerns of others. You are the smart, reserved, and sympathetic, ‘people’ person. You can see how to fix things but struggle with inaction when overwhelmed.

Maomao is actually the first 259 I've analyzed in this series!

Maomao's MBTI

Sticking with my more recent format, here's how I see Maomao's mental processes:

Information-Gathering:

Everyone uses both iNtuition and Sensing, but one will be more natural to rely on. Everyone will also introvert one of these processes, and extrovert the other.

Someone who introverts iNtuition and extroverts Sensing will be able to cut to the core of understanding something in a state of deep, solitary focus. They will gather sensory information through their experience in the present, preferably with others.

Someone who extroverts iNtuition and introverts Sensing will tend to brainstorm aloud, connecting many possibilities at once, and will rely on comparisons to past sense-memories in order to understand the present.

Maomao seems to use Ni quite strongly, and Se less so, making her an -N-J type.

Decision-Making:

Just like with the two information-gathering processes, everyone uses both Thinking and Feeling to some degree, but will use one more naturally. And again, they will introvert one, and extrovert the other.

Someone who introverts Thinking and extroverts Feeling will use their own internal logical framework to come to decisions, and will base their decisions on outcomes for the people around them.

On the other hand, someone who extroverts Thinking and introverts Feeling will use external logic in decision-making, such as rules, laws, procedures, checklists, etc... and will base their decisions on the kind of person they want to be, or the kind of person they see themselves to be.

Maomao seems to use Te quite strongly, and Fi to a lesser degree.

This would make her an -NTJ type.

I think it's more likely that Ni is her Dominant process than Te, making her an INTJ, also called "The Mastermind".

Let's look at what Dominant Ni looks like:

Can appear visionary. Connects unconscious images, themes, and connections to see things in new ways. Brainstorm internally with themselves. Trusts and relies on inner insights, which may be hard for others to understand. Keyword: Visioning.

When exaggerated:

unrealistic visions, only accept data that supports their theories, make things overcomplicated

Inferior Se:

obsess over external, small, unimportant details, overindulge in sensual pleasures (overeat, over drink, etc.), see environment as hostile and dangerous

And the description of INTJ:

Have original minds and great drive for implementing their ideas and achieving their goals. Quickly see patterns in external events and develop long-range explanatory perspectives. When committed, organize a job and carry it through. Skeptical and independent, have high standards of competence and performance—for themselves and others.

This is a great description of Maomao! She shares this type with Prince Zuko of Avatar: the Last Airbender, and Kento Nanami from JuJutsu Kaisen.

Maomao's Personality Summary

Enneagram: SO 5w6 (The Investigator/The Problem Solver)

Tritype: 2-5-9 (The Problem Solver)

MBTI: INTJ (The Mastermind)

Maomao is perceptive, rational, and detached yet kindhearted. She connects discrete, seemingly disparate bits of information to solve medical and criminal mysteries and help others. She is extremely cautious as she remains hyper-aware of her rank in hierarchical systems, and the tenuousness of her safety, although she can forget her caution when she becomes lost in thought or obsessed with another mystery.

What do you think? Do you agree with my analysis? Why or why not?

Character Personalities Masterpost

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