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avelera · 6 months ago

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hi, I hope you don't mind me coming to kind of vent in your inbox (please toss this out if you do) but I was reading your post on the contrasting way Viktor and Jayce view their first meeting and it got me thinking about how some people just sorta brush aside Jayce's suicide attempt here as being somehow pathetic or an overreaction to what they consider a slap on the wrist and I kinda get really mad about that perspective because I don't think people really follow through on what the trial actually meant for Jayce and what the consequences reasonably could have been. people seem to think he was just embarrassed by the trial without understanding that that kind of reputational hit can be, and clearly was, ruinous.

setting aside entirely the emotional/psychological repercussions of having the thing he'd dedicated roughly 2/3's of his life to taken away, his very public trial ended with his own mother making an insanity plea on his behalf and his extremely wealthy and influential sponsor dropping him like he was radioactive and the actual ruling body of the city declaring him dangerously incompetent. do any of those people who deride him for the suicide attempt actually take the time to think about what that outcome means for him in a social and professional context? he jokes to Caitlyn about working in his family factory but honestly, it is entirely within the realm of possibility that the fallout of the trial has made him a social and professional pariah and his reputation is in such dire straits that he may be entirely unemployable within Piltover, perhaps even to the point of being toxic to his own family business if they take the reputation hit by association with him.

it's not actually hyperbole or an overreaction for him to stand in the wreckage of his life and think his life is over, to be at a complete loss as to how to move forward or come to the belief that moving forward is impossible and despair, especially if he doesn't have a support network which he pretty clearly doesn't. his only connections appear to be his mother and Caitlyn and, for obvious reasons, they're not viable at this time.

he was drowning and Viktor threw him a lifeline and he spends the literal rest of the story trying to return the favor.

Sorry for the delay in responding, there's a lot here I want to address.

First of all, I absolutely agree. I think people underestimate just how much that trial left his life in wreckage. That said, there's a few points I'd like to add some nuance to from my perspective, along the lines of YEAH THIS WAS REALLY BAD and people underestimate how much Viktor did for Jayce with his vote of confidence.

(This is gonna be a long post y'all but I have a LOT of thoughts and feelings about Jayce here so buckle up if you do proceed.)

1 ) The Kirammans dropping him as his patrons is absolutely devastating. It's actually the moment I think I hated Cassandra Kiramman for the most, which was turning Jayce away from her door at his lowest point, and cutting him off from Caitlyn, who seems to be his only friend before Viktor. I think it also demonstrates just how severe the crime was that she did so, by the way, I don't think she was just being cruel for the sake of it. But the fact that in 1.04 she's then showing off Jayce as an accomplishment of her house is particularly infuriating as a result. It's also no exaggeration to say that the Kiramman rejection was the final straw for him. After that, he decided to take his own life, so Cassandra would have been, in my opinion, directly responsible for his death (ironically saving her own life down the line, but then Arcane S1 is a series of hinging butterfly effect moments) if not for Viktor.

2 ) One layer of nuance I wanted to add to the Kiramman rejection in particular that you mentioned is the idea of him working at the Talis hammer factory because I think about this a LOT.

I do want to push back a little on the idea that he wouldn't be able to make a living for himself at the Talis hammer factory. To me (as someone whose family has a family business, though I don't work for it), it was never in doubt Jayce would have been able to work there the rest of his life. It might have been the only place he could get a job in Piltover, in fact, at least one with any sort of prestige or intellectual pursuit attached (basically, with anyone attached or graduated from the Academy).

However, I think Jayce would have had to work in a non-scientific part of the factory, either out on the floor or in the back office. And this is what I've been wanting to address in meta for a while now.

Caitlyn asks him what he's going to do next and Jayce says, "Work for the Talis hammer factory, I guess?" and she exclaims, "You can't do that!"

I think the nuance missing from your point that I'd like to add my view of that scene to is that Caitlyn is essentially saying, "That would kill you."

I get the very strong impression that Caitlyn and Jayce bonded over being members of their family who wanted bigger things than what their parents wanted for them. It's basically there on the page in this exchange.

We explore directly that Caitlyn wants to be a detective instead of working in politics like her mother, and pursues her dream despite adversity and her mother's disapproval.

But I think from this exchange and the one Jayce also has with his mother Ximena, we can glean that the Talis's also wanted Jayce to work for the factory, the family business, instead of going to the Academy to pursue his dream of magic.

(Also as a person whose family has a family business, that I don't work for, that has their own career and faced a lot of consternation from my family in my desire to be a writer, I feel this one very keenly.)

Jayce to me reads as someone who had to fight his family all his life to avoid going into the family business, in his pursuit of something greater.

With the Hextech dream taken away, all that's left to him is his family business, the thing I'd argue we have evidence that he's been fighting to avoid his whole life. It doesn't inspire him. It's not what he wants.

Joining the Talis factory would kill him. And that's what Caitlyn points out, and that's when he realizes she's right and goes to finish the job by his own hand instead. Further evidence I would say that working for his family business would represent a death of the soul to him, such that a physical death is preferable. But since his family built the business, and his mother clearly has reservations about his pursuit of magic, I think we can safely say he's been feeling similar pressures to Caitlyn to conform and join the business instead.

3 ) Now to go back to Viktor, I think this is another reason that Viktor literally and spiritually saved Jayce's life. Jayce outright says to his mother that if his own family won't believe in him, he'll find someone who will. Whether you read Viktor/Jayce as platonic or romantic (spouses are family, after all, which is how I read it), Viktor is Jayce's family from that point forward.

But Viktor doesn't bring Jayce back from the brink just by believing in him at his lowest moment (which is so powerful it can't be underestimated, btw) he also gives Jayce a bit of tough love too just when Jayce needs it.

Like many children of privilege (I'd firmly put Mel in this category, since she too is "trapped in the family business" I'd argue), Jayce saw himself at rock bottom after he lost his patron, the benefits of his House name, his family's support, his research, his equipment, access to his one friend, his access to the Academy, and his reputation.

Viktor points out that he never had any of those things growing up.

I think this is a welcome slap in the face for Jayce. Viktor rose to be the Dean's assistant on ability alone, without any of the scaffolding of privilege, and it humbles Jayce just when he needs it. Viktor is telling him that Jayce already has everything he needs to succeed and that others like Viktor have gotten further with less.

So not only does Viktor give his vote of confidence, he materially shows Jayce there is a way to achieving his dreams without all of the things he just lost.

Not only that, he's won the respect and assistance of someone who has done it before, someone who admires him for what he's done, someone who will help him make this dream a reality when no one else would.

Of course Jayce dedicated his life to Viktor after that. Of course he saw Hextech as their shared dream after that. I'd argue that of course he saw his life as belonging to Viktor after that point, because Viktor saved it.

#jayvik #arcane meta #arcane #jayce talis #caitlyn kiramman #viktor arcane #ximena talis

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pseudophan · 2 months ago

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Unpopular opinion: i do not fully like the rebranding of dnpg and i think the gaming should be kept here while a brand new couple channel should be done on the side for nongaming

see i get the thought process and i think dan and phil sort of agree with it and that's part of the reason why it's taken them this long. the thing is though, if you've got a channel dedicated specifically to one type of content, you kind of have to be somewhat consistent with said content for the channel to not get completely fucked by the algorithm. if they had one joint channel for non-gaming and another one for gaming then they would either have to double their video output or just accept that their videos would get a much smaller reach than they would otherwise. i know the majority of dnp's views come from people who are already subscribed to them, but that doesn't mean the % that doesn't wouldn't be a significant loss. adding onto that, while a lot of us are feral there would definitely also be a lot of casuals who just wouldn't ever move onto the new channel if they made one, which could not be an issue at all because there's always a chance the new channel would draw in a lot of new people instead, but it's still a risk

dan and phil come from the era of youtube where you were supposed to have a separate channel for everything because that's how you keep subscribers coming back, by giving them the exact content they signed up for, but as youtube and the algorithm have evolved that's just not really the way to do things anymore. now the best approach is generally to put most things on the same channel because the more frequent your uploads are the more the videos get pushed out to the masses, and even if dnp aren't primarily aiming for mainstream success they do still rely on their videos getting pushed out at least to an extent

ofc some content benefits from being kept separate, posting HUGELY different kinds of things on the same channel doesn't really work either (like if philip defranco started posting minecraft letsplays on main that would only hurt him, ykwim) but when it comes to dan and phil gaming vs dan and phil doing random other things, the target audience there overlaps so heavily that separate channels don't really makes sense just from a business perspective

edit: i forgot to say this initially but because of this it would also put a lot more pressure on them to do gaming videos when it sounds like they want to kind of sideline that content. they'll still do the gaming, but i think they like the idea that that if they don't want to game at all for a month they don't have to, they can just film something else

#they've definitely debated making a new channel for it though #because i think they would kind of prefer that lmao #hell if they suddenly DID launch a new channel for the non-gaming i wouldn't even be too shocked #but i feel like they've accepted that it's just easier to stick to an already established channel #even though new channels CAN be beneficial! you can get an initial boost from the algorithm because it's new #but you can't like rely on that happening either yknow #answered

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bratbarzal · 11 days ago

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https://kawhh.tumblr.com/post/784202736767057920/im-sorry-to-any-anons-on-here-who-will-only-feel

I know you're most likely sick of talking about this by now but this rubs me the wrong way.

Its like she's trying to downplay it all as 'drama' all the time and its getting so tiring. I'm pretty sure i've been blocked as anon even though i was never mean and she won't actually say what is going on or let anyone try and discuss it even though she says she doesn't mind asking for her side on things?

I think it's really hard for me to speak on this element of the situation and not come across as a bitch, or that I'm unnecessarily targeting someone and deflecting blame from the person who is at fault - but I've skipped out on answering a lot of anons who have either sent me links to things (I've said before, this person has me blocked and I can't view them, so I haven't responded) or had something to say about how it's being handled on this end, but ultimately I do think this user is a part of the overall conversation - and I can't really ignore the impact their actions have had on everything that has happened since this all started last month

a point I really want to make by speaking on this is that it's important for everybody that these things are spoken about publicly, and spoken about honestly, regardless of personal bias, because Brynn's actions genuinely hurt people and caused genuine harm to the writing and reading community on here. ignoring it or sugarcoating it does not take away from the pain caused or the damage done, and it's important to look at multiple perspectives to form an opinion

** I never have and I never will condone hateful messages sent to anyone - that is not the purpose of me speaking on this - and I urge people who want to have any conversation with anybody about this to be respectful, constructive, and not to shout over what is a serious point to be made, because it gets us all nowhere **

under a read more because it's long:

will preface by saying, this is not me trying to stand here on my soap box and point fingers and say that anyone is to blame for brynn's blatant and persistent content theft but herself. that isn't why I'm responding to this. and like I said above, this user has me blocked, I have her blocked, there's no other way for me to speak on it but to do so publicly (as much as she might hold the opinion I have no need to do so) and I sort of just want to show how all of this has had a wider impact on others in this space

I'll also preface by saying kawhh has said throughout that she doesn't agree with Brynn's actions, but as I'll explain below - actions speak louder than words, and the words she's said just aren't enough.

for anyone blocked, this is the post in question:

*most screenshots throughout this post are going to look different bc some of them come from others that have sent these to me - oftentimes by people trying to make me aware as it’s assumed they are about me, I don't know if that's the case, and nor do I actually care, this isn’t me trying to insert myself - the general consensus seems to be that anyone who speaks on this situation is a mean girl, a bully, or a bitch, and I think whoever she's trying to apply that to, it's a problematic take to have. I’m including pictures for context because I can’t link to posts.

my first point from this, is that she does have a responsibility to speak on this situation, and the reason I'm so insistent on responsibility and accountability, is because this user has a documented pattern of choosing to ignore and sensor the facts in favour of platforming, enabling and excusing her friend, despite her repeated abhorrent actions

when announcing brynn's return to the platform in a post that was encouraging forgiveness and giving second chances (no mention of all the other chances given for her to do the right thing), there was also no mention of the specific things she did that caused her to delete in the first place. there were several mentions of "brynn's actions" with no specific detail of what those were, and when she was explicitly asked, she then linked to a post which was an apology from brynn (again, not detailing the full extent of these actions, with repeated references to "what she did" or "her actions" and not a single one explaining in clear, direct terms what that was) and an ask she answered that said "she was taking other people's work from other websites and posting it here, at least some of it" - it's a watered down version of the truth used as a manipulation tactic to people who aren't getting the full story to be able to make an informed decision. she keeps adding that "nobody is saying that stops the hurt" but her repeated disregard of the severity of everything does take away from it

the point I'm making here, is that in situations like this - where she was encouraging people to forgive and forget - there needs to be a clear, unbiased reference for what they are supposed to be forgiving and forgetting, and the repeated cover up, in my opinion, was deceptive and manipulative

there were several available, unbiased posts that she never reblogged to her audience - one including a statement from brynn herself, made with the utmost respect on that user's part, and including screenshotted proof and a clear intention for transparency - that she could have linked to, but she repeatedly disregarded these, and even belittled, shamed and blocked the people who posted them on multiple occasions - stating that people were "stirring the pot for drama", "cashing in on drama and poking around" "being rude or bullying" and engaging in "drama book clubs"

several points then stem from things being handled this way

one being the repeated disregard for how many times people did address this privately - there were screenshots in the aforementioned posts circulating at the time that showed this was addressed privately to brynn dating back to 2023, with her continuing to steal and lie - handling it privately was no longer an option

and the second being the way these statements then trickled down into vicious messages spread across to the people who had the integrity to speak on it, and were shamed and ~virtually spat on for doing so

*these are asks that were posted publicly, and I have no doubt don't reflect the extent of how many people this sort of stuff was sent to, I haven't said who they were sent to but if you read this and want me to, I'll happily do so - not including the vitriol that has been sent to me over the last month, because like I said above, I'm trying to make a point of how far and wide this stuff spreads when handled poorly, however (obviously as someone who had to witness some of the things sent my way, it is clear where the source of the hatred came from, and that is not me saying she herself sent any hate, but that her posts inspired such a reaction - including specific verbiage used within her posts/responses)

tying into the above, and going back to my point about responsibility, throughout the time brynn was then gone, this user was encouraging people to send anons to forward to brynn, actively engaging her in a toxic environment that she, herself, said was the cause of her stealing in the first place, didn't give her a chance to distance herself from it or reflect on why she, for so long and without regard for anybody's feelings, let herself be consumed by engagement on this site, and played a big part in her returning to the platform when a lot of her other friends (who have made public posts that I won't link, because this isn't about them) were actively encouraging her to stay away, grow and learn - friends who then faced the same level of backlash and anon hate when brynn returned despite them trying to help in private

*I am basing this off of the excuses that brynn herself gave for her actions, not any assumption or opinion.

*I'll follow on from this by saying, I understand wanting to try and lighten the load of what was happening for her friend, and wanting her to know that there were people that were worried or cared, but if you're putting out statements saying this whole thing was brought on by an obsession with attention, you should not then be weaponising said attention when the girl clearly needed to remove herself entirely for a chunk of time and reflect on her actions - and all of that while continuing to cover up the actual thing she did

**an anon has since pointed out to me that you cannot send an ask, even on anon, if you don't already have an account, meaning brynn was active when she claimed to be offline, had full access to any content kawhh was forwarding to her without the need to encourage anons to get involved, and in my opinion, anon messages were being utilised to garner sympathy and again, manipulate kawhh's audience - this is my opinion, you can make your own mind up on whether or not you believe in those intentions, I don't want to force it on you but I think it's important to include she had a presence when she claimed not to, and at a time when a lot of other people were dealing with the aftermath of her actions unfairly, and I can't speak on whether kawhh would have been aware of this, but regardless, the whole anon thing should never have been encouraged

and encouraging these sorts of asks obviously then led to a premature return (which again, from public posts and private conversations, I know others were actively encouraging brynn not to do), to an audience kawhh had built of people who did not know what brynn did entirely, and were led to believe others being "bitches" was the problem - there is a public response to one of kawhh's posts that I won't sc, bc the user who commented was doing so based off of a lack of information, but this post was basically saying "SHAME ON EVERYONE TALKING ABOUT BRYNN AND BEING MEAN ABOUT BRYNN, YOU WOULDN'T LIKE THE SAME THINGS BEING SAID ABOUT YOU", proving that there was a false narrative that had been created around the whole situation

obviously it caused another wave of hurt and upset when brynn did come back, at which point kawhh repeatedly platformed her, again, never mentioning the specifics or the extent of her previous actions, despite several "explanation posts" from both of them, trying to enforce her own bias on her audience, and reblogging posts from brynn to her audience who she thus far has withheld the complete truth from (which are still on her page at this moment in time, with, again, no acknowledgement of anything that came to light yesterday)

and this is the point I'm trying to make - and why I have a problem with "it's between me, brynn and her friends" - kawhh herself utilised her own following to create a platform for brynn to come back, and to do the exact same thing over again, therefore perpetuating the same hurt to more people than will ever come forward - people came to her for updates on brynn, with messages to send to brynn, and for an explanation of what she did because they trusted her

and while she has said in vague and non-committal phrases, that she doesn't agree with what brynn did, she has never once publicly held her to account to the following she then manipulated into engaging once more

labelling this entire thing as "drama" and acting like she is above it belittles what brynn did, which includes but is not limited to

stealing multiple fics from other platforms

stealing multiple fics from this platform

stealing multiple fics from her FRIENDS

stealing multiple IDEAS from her friends, posted in private forums, and claiming them as her own

using conversations with her friends or posts by her friends to suit her own content, and pretending like they were her own

*also important to use the correct wording - she didn't "copy writing for some of her posts" - she STOLE writing, oftentimes full fic, changing names only, and at this point with all the evidence shown and everyone who has come forward, it was not some of her posts. It spanned asks, blurbs, fics, mood boards etc, and is presumably most of what she posted, including even random things said in a text post and down to random meme reaction pictures used. Her entire presence and most of her interactions with others were based on plagiarism and theft.

all across multiple years, having been confronted multiple times, and all while refusing to actually, explicitly, say what she did whenever she apologised, and who she did it to - and I'll assume (having spoken to double digits at this point worth of people) it's because the depths at which this whole situation spreads would absolutely disgust people. she blocked people who called her out - people who ended up being bullied back into deleting any post calling her out after receiving anon hate and nasty comments - and she played innocent to anyone who approached her (there are multiple screenshots of messages calling her out, and she gives the same watered down excuses in each one)

assuming 2023 is as far as it does go back, people have been bullied into silence, and the point I'm making here, and the pattern I'm trying to show - is that you can see how something as seemingly innocent as not wanting to condemn a friend's actions to others, contributes to them continuing to purposely hurt others for their own gain

too many people have tried to handle this privately, and have ~unintentionally enabled her over time

all of the things said above have directly contributed to a toxic environment for others on this app, where anyone who speaks on it is sent hate, people who were privately trying to support their friend were sent hate, and someone who repeatedly hurt and stole from others was given a platform to do so

like I said in the beginning, I have no delusions that I can say all this without seeming like a bitch, or like I'm deflecting blame from who is truly responsible - and I have no expectations that kawhh will respond well to this, but something needs to be said when she's constantly undermining the situation while lying to her audience, making endless indirects, and all in the name of "staying out of drama land" and pointing the finger at "mean girls"

she is the one who consistently makes an effort to cover up what brynn did, and so when she continues to do it, she should own up to the fact she can't shirk responsibility for her part in it happening again

AGAIN, I don't condone hate sent to anyone - I'm trying to bring awareness to the multitude of ways in which dealing with this situation with such little regard for anyone but brynn, has caused a ripple effect throughout the community, and I'm hoping it opens some eyes who might have been convinced by the deceptive posts made by kawhh throughout this mess that there's more than one side to a story

I also understand this seems like a vast overreaction to this particular ask, but I had a lot of asks yesterday that I didn't respond to until I could gather my thoughts, and am using this as one singular response

#maggie talks shit #I also think for all the times I've referenced brynn's friends #it's only fair to clarify and avoid causing further stress to the people who did try

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zerocoded · 5 months ago

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summary: headcannons about what is like do date zayne.

authors note: yay i love headcannons and i hope you guys enjoy this one! this is all written upon my perspective of zayne and his character, things that i think would suit him bla bla bla, pls don't take everything too seriously. i found this beautiful drawing on pinterest, credits to the beautiful owner.

warnings: husband material zayne i guess? • suggestive but nothing nsfw

word count: 0.8k

☆ zayne who actually laughed when you told him your favorite song was snowman by sia.

☆ i get a feeling that zayne is actually ambidextrous which means he has the ability to use both hands equally well, which brings me to the topic that zayne is the king of multitasking.

☆ like you are having trouble with some buttons on your shirt? this man is helping you without even blinking while scrolling through his cell phone with the other hand.

☆ he been through an exceptionally tough day at the hospital? imagine him getting home and discarding his tie with one hand while already unbuttoning his shirt with the other, all of this while making eye contact with you.

☆ speaking of eye contact, i feel that zayne is another level of control freak with everything in his life. do you see how this man built his whole career around wanting to save mc from her disease? man NEEDS to have everything within his reach and on HIS conditions.

☆ that translates to the bedroom when you both are fooling around. like do you think you are closing your eyes anytime here? no, zayne is making sure you are looking at what he is doing to you or his eyes so he could turn your mind into puddy.

☆ are you embarrassed of your sounds or think you both are in a place too public to let yourself go? zayne is not having it. this man is pinning your hands wherever he feels like it and makes it particularly hard for you to shut up.

☆ well, maybe i should go back to the sfw first, i'll make another post about what i think zayne is like in bed hehehe

☆ BRO IS THE MOST GENTLEMAN A GENTLEMAN CAN BE. like in every sense and that is canon.

☆ you will not be opening any doors from now on and will never have to worry about paying in a date. or in anything.

☆ you know what else he does? he is not only a gentleman in his mannerisms but also in his attitude. you would never catch my man zayne raising his voice at you or anyone ever.

☆ he takes his time to listen to you speak. and i mean listen. be it two minutes or three hours about your new favorite tv program, this man will be devoted to each word you say.

☆ zayne is usually a silent type of guy, being the listener of the relationship instead of the speaker. even if you also don't talk that much, he is happy to enjoy a few minutes of silence with you at home. he really likes the fact that you love him and don't judge his more reserved persona.

☆ i see zayne as more of an insecure man at the beginning of your relationship. i mean, he doesn't let it show but later confesses to you how much he was scared you would go away after a few weeks with him.

☆ on the other hand, doctor zayne knows exactly what he wants. he has his opinions and preferences and he doesn't let anyone change that. i mean that in a sense that you guys would probably have arguments over everyday things like the way he thinks grocery shopping should go or how to dry clean twice a week the kitchen because he is certain that that is the dirtiest place at his house when you come over.

☆ zayne is a hard headed man and you are probably the only one who can convince him to change a little of his demanding habits.

☆ regarding his health, you guys argue over that a lot. somehow this man tends to overprotect you so much that it pisses you off when you see him not sleeping at all. how dare he demand something from you and not pay attention to himself daily?

☆ he always says sorry when you guys fight by building little snowmen throughout the house and leaving a corny note on the fridge promising he will pay more attention to his sleep schedule for now on.

☆ also i think that zayne is a big words of affirmation partner, he LOVES to praise you while making eye contact - again, control freak - and waiting to see your flushed cheeks because that is his favorite look on you.

☆ miss here have a late-night craving? zayne is running to the closest store at the darkest crack of dawn to buy you your wish, even if you try to stop him he is like "don't worry, love, i'll be quick" and proceeds to kiss your forehead while putting a jacket on and rushing outside.

☆ you’re so his passenger princess. this man will be moving mountains to do what you want and he’s so good at it.

☆ you can disagree with me but i will say it: zayne matches SO MUCH with a little age difference. like he is "too sweet by hozier" and you are a little "messy by lola young".

☆ but my favorite trope is zayne with a badass partner that is also a genius like him and they both make the perfect power couple at akso hospital.

☆ i'll stop here but i have so many of these that i could make 😣 let me know if you guys would like to see more.

author's note: pls, i would love to hear what you think of this work! sorry for any misspelling. send me a request • my masterpost

#lads zayne #dr zayne #zayne love and deepspace #l&ds zayne #love and deepspace #zayne

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theheartmold · 3 months ago

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The Wigmaker Job (Final)

Notes and Thoughts - Part 7

pt1 | pt2 | pt3 | pt4 | pt5 |pt6 | pt7

This is my final installment in my attempt to organize my thoughts nearly line-by-line as I go through and analyze the relationship between Lucanis and Illario. These are my personal opinions and I'm open to discussion about any points I present here. DISCLAIMER: These posts I'm doing are my own analyses and are done with the intentional eye to examine the relationship between Lucanis and Illario. I try to source all my assertions from what the text is giving me. This is not Lucanis critical nor should it be taken as such.

this is going to be a longer post because I'm going to try to cover the last of everything at once. also as my disclaimer says I'm really in this for the relationship analysis which means I'm going to be breezing over a lot of this final fight with Ambrose. okay all of my caveats out of the way lets dive in

Lucanis felt no sympathy. They were, all of them, Venatori supporters, who either knew what Ambrose was doing or chose to turn a blind eye to indulge their own vanity. Ignorance is bliss, not innocence.

hm. okay hang on this is a doozy right off the bat in terms of Lucanis's subjective experience and opinions re: the Venatori when we remember that he is an assassin. a professional who kills people for money. Does Lucanis remember that? or does he think himself better because he's walking into this eyes wide open? so fucking chewy love this.

we can discuss it a little more when we skip down into the scene to where Lucanis and Ambrose are actually exchanging dialogue. wheeeee

"Normally, there's no judgment—only a contract. But for you, Ambrose, I made an exception." The Wigmaker raised a brow. "Oh? What makes me so special?" "You upset my delicate sensibilities." It was Ambrose's turn to laugh. "I thought a Crow could stomach anything—for the right price." Lucanis leveled the Wigmaker with a pointed look. "Not red lyrium." "Morality is not static. Right and wrong are a matter of perspective."

This interaction, to me, is the thesis of Lucanis's character. We can go line by line and pick apart what each one means to get everyone thinking. Come on guys come with meeeeee!

Line 1: Illario has been referring to the contract throughout this entire short story and it's been a point I've hammered in at pretty much every turn: Lucanis is not thinking like an assassin. He's letting his emotions, his morality, take precedence over the job.

Line 2: well. i actually don't have so much to say about what Ambrose says here but it is a good question. what DOES raise Lucanis's hackles so much as to cause a CROW to change their modus operandi?

Line 3: Lucanis is deflecting with a bit of humor here. He's not above the same dry wit that Illario is prone to, though his is usually more internal throughout the story expressed through his narration.

Line 4: Ambrose brings up the same point—they are PAID, HIRED KILLERS. paid money to kill. What about a trained killer implies that they'd blanch at anything? They certainly have a reputation to uphold.

Line 5: I had to go back to look at the red lyrium mention earlier in the story. Quick refresher—Ambrose was using red lyrium to keep his victims drugged and subdued and demon fodder pretty much lol. But Lucanis wasn't necessarily appalled at the use of red lyrium—not like he's been consistently appalled and horrified on behalf of the victims and slaves that fall under Ambrose's shadow. It also makes the previous lack of sympathy to those being killed by the demons interesting—guilty and not worthy of Lucanis's sympathy + vengeance by association, even though Ambrose tramples right over his guests and kills them, too.

Line 6: THIS. It's an excellent point to make to Lucanis specifically; morality is not static. Right and wrong are a matter of perspective. Sure, it means nothing to most people coming from the guy summoning demons and drugging people with red lyrium and killing them. But… let's just compare Lucanis and Illario? The "right" thing to do was different for them—the "right" thing in Illario's eyes was to finish the contract and leave. But the "right" thing to Lucanis—well, it was to get vengeance, pass judgment. Is it not so subjective? Lucanis says that the party guests deserve to die. Someone else might not.

Nothing irritated him more than self-righteous excuses. If you're going to do something terrible, just own it.

I'm really so obsessed with Lucanis and his mentality. Right here I just circled and scribbled the words "you're an assassin" but I suppose the point I wanted to make was that self-righteous excuses could be applied to him too? was that not what he was doing when he was changing up his plans on Illario to get vengeance and free the slaves? If you're going to do something noble, just own it.

You could argue that he did own it, but he just couched it behind the red lyrium excuse.

Hopelessness flooded the mage's eyes. "One day, someone will turn your work against you. Only then will you have some semblance of the emptiness you've made me feel."

I think this is the one good point I gave to Veilguard re: the Lucanis and Illario story-line because I did feel like this was interesting foreshadowing.

Fight ensues. Nothing really more interesting there that I want to dig into? Honorable mention to him talking to the abominations at the end, I guess; "you have your vengeance". Interesting. I don't think all of these abominations are victims, some of them are the high-blood mages that were there at the party, because he mentioned it earlier? Hmm. Thoughts to consider!

Immediately skipping past looking for Illario on their ship to check the CLEANEST TAVERN on the docks. And he's right. really fucking funny that did get me lmfao.

"get that man to stop yelling at me" ← see Illario's skills are useful!!! ok now we're about to get into the meat of the Lucanis&Illario dynamic that everyone loves to reference (even me)

"Yes, yes. I did my good deed for the year." ← Illario does keep his word! Just like Lucanis said.

The back and forth about the wine and bribery does something to me. "I think it makes it taste all the sweeter" from Illario versus Lucanis drinking it and saying that bribery hadn't spoiled the bottle. Obviously it's just saying that it isn't bribed? Or at least that Lucanis doesn't think— it means nothing I think I'm reading into this passage too much

Camille didn't make it and Illario is unfazed; "ah, well, frees me from promises I didn't intend to keep". sorry he's so fucking funny. Interesting that Lucanis chooses to tell him this? Does he think Illario was serious about the flirting? Does he feel bad about her death? Lucanis knew her NAME. Illario had to be reminded by referring to her as the guard-captain.

Illario offers to get a healer for the blood and Lucanis stubbornly refuses. Here we go everyone.

"All right," Illario said, topping off his glass. "We'll just pretend that's wine you're dripping all over the table." "What do you want me to say?" Illario's gaze grew hard. "How long are you going to keep doing this?" "Doing what?" "Caterina's bidding."

Obviously I don't think that Lucanis is thinking—or really wants to think—about how this ends, while Illario understands the game, the politics, the fact that Lucanis is passively letting this happen, and that Lucanis is continiously justifying Caterina's controll.

The wine turned in Lucanis's mouth. "Illario. Stop." "If I was in charge, you wouldn't have to do this anymore," he cajoled. "You could quit."

The main reason why I didn't write this out as an essay was because the very unsatisfying thesis is that you have to decide for yourself whether you think the writing from WMJ is consistent across The Wake & Veilguard. There's no indication from the narrator or from Lucanis whether Illario is being genuine here or not.

But I'm operating on the good faith that he is. Lucanis could quit! He's making an offer. Lucanis wants him to stop bringing Caterina into it, stop thinking ahead, stop making HIM think about where this road leads.

Lucanis stared at his cousin. "I don't want to quit." Illario sat back. The distance between them suddenly felt much wider than a table. "Even if it kills you," Illario whispered.

I actually don't think this was an indictment on Lucanis but an observation that Illario was making. He's not going to quit—even if it's going to kill him. I'm not sure those words were necessarily intended for Lucanis even if he heard them. My opinion though.

"Death is my calling," Lucanis stated, matter-of-fact. "Just as yours is to become First Talon."

I can go either way on this one. Lucanis is either saying that he wants to remain as a mere assasin who doles out death—or truly wants to die trying to avoid Caterina's placement of him as First Talon.

He clearly sees Illario as the one more suited for the task, but he won't tell Caterina that. His refusal to tell her 'no' is justified by how she raised them but it is crazy, man…

He smiled, hoping to ease the tension, but Illario's posture remained taut. "And if Caterina disagrees? If she thinks you're the better man for the job—" "I don't want it, Illario," Lucanis insisted. "But you wouldn't refuse."

Illario already knows that Caterina prefers Lucanis; they discussed this at the beginning. Everyone knows. Even Lucanis.

Lucanis finally answers Illario's question from that early scene! He doesn't want the job! But, no. He won't tell Caterina no, which is the real money question here. He's stuck and can't actually offer a solution to satisfy Illario—in fact, he offers no real solution at all.

"It's impossible to refuse Caterina," Lucanis admitted reluctantly. "Only prolong her, until she sees reason." He knew it wasn't the answer Illario wanted, but it was the truth. And in their line of work, honesty was hard to come by. Illario exhaled and lifted his wineglass in salute. "To reason, then." "To reason," Lucanis echoed."

To reason. [OUGH] I don't have a lot to add to this specific passage that I haven't already covered i just wrote "augh AUGH AUAUUUGHGHGH" all over my paper at this point. To reason! I'd argue Illario's crashout was justified but perhaps not reason. I see his reasoning.

Caterina was never going to see their reasoning. Only her reason matters. Why should she see reason? She has the way of it.

One last thing I want to cover before we part ways, lovelies. Although I will be making my Wake analysis later but that'll just be one long post lol.

Zara paused to marvel at herself. Every feature and proportion were in perfect symmetry. And yet, when she smiled, there was something ugly behind it.

Echoes Illario's description at the start of this story.

Quotes are either paraphrased or taken directly from The Wigmaker Job, written by Courtney Woods.

#dragon age #dragon age analysis #dragon age meta #tevinter nights #the wigmaker job #my analysis #long post #illario dellamorte #lucanis dellamorte #caterina dellamorte #house dellamorte (meta)

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scoobydoodean · 5 months ago

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how much do you think chuck was actually affecting the movement of the plot throughout the series?

personally, i think he was just observing them from season 6 to season 10, but then he actually had to get involved upon amara’s return. and i do like the theory that he was responsible for the “vision” that cas thought he saw from jack, and that he kinda let mary get killed after cas’s prayer in 14x17, before again becoming fully involved throughout season 15. but for the other seasons 1-5, most of 12-14, and really for the overall universe, idk how much can, or should, be ascribed to chuck’s machinations. like i can never decide which route would be most satisfying for me as a viewer, and so i’m just curious as to what your opinion might be :)

Jack visions theory

Probably helps just to say starting off for anyone who might be coming from a different perspective, that my own understanding of Chuck's machinations in Supernatural (at least when it comes to Sam, Dean, and Cas) do not involve directly violating their free will. Chuck's machinations involve shaping the experiences around our characters to convince them to make the choices Chuck wants them to make. For example, when Dean tosses the gun aside in 14.20 and refuses to kill Jack, Chuck shouts "Do it!" instead of putting some kind of mind whammy on Dean that makes him kill Jack because Chuck either can't do that or won't do it because it wouldn't get him off. Chuck needs Dean to do what Chuck wants him to do (kill Jack) because Dean was brought to a point psychologically where he chose it. The same thing is true of Sam in season 4. The demons or the angels or Chuck don't operate Sam like a robot—they slowly convince him to take one turn after another based on the psychological state he's in, the things happening around him, and the things being whispered in his ears until he's killing Lilith and Lucifer's cage is opening, and Ruby says,

No. It wasn't the blood. It was you... and your choices. I just gave you the options, and you chose the right path every time. You didn't need the feather to fly, you had it in you the whole time, Dumbo! I know it's hard to see it now... but this is a miracle. So long coming. Everything Azazel did, and Lilith did. Just to get you here. And you were the only one who could do it.

I refer to Chuck's influence on the narrative as causality rather than fate. I have a tag for this called #spn and causality. 4.18 goes to great lengths to show how difficult it can be to subvert causality. For example, Dean tries to defy the writing by moving himself and Sam to a different hotel than Chuck wrote them to be in, but the motel's neon sign goes out, causing the name of their motel to "change" to "The Red Motel"—the motel Chuck wrote. ("No matter what details you alter, we will always end up here" etc etc). However, this episode goes on to show that it is possible to leap out of causality's flow. Chuck's control of the narrative ultimately works via anticipation. If he can anticipate his creations choices, his writing realigns everything with the narrative. If they do something he is unable to anticipate? They can leap out of his narrative just long enough to make a difference.

How do they leap out of causality's flow? Two things together: Dean and Cas. Quoting myself here in this post:

Leaping out of causality is something Dean and Cas do together in 4.18, 4.22, and 5.22. In 4.18, Dean pleads with Cas to help him save Sam, even though Cas thinks what’s going to happen is fate and can’t be subverted. Cas doesn’t personally act, but he gives Dean the idea that Dean then executes, leading Chuck to say “What are you doing here? I didn’t write this.” In 4.22, Dean pleads with Cas again. They again fight about the inescapability of destiny. This time, it’s Dean’s pleading but Cas’s actions—flying Dean out of the green room (somewhere Dean is incapable of escaping from on his own). Chuck says when they pop into his house, “Wait. T-t-this isn’t supposed to happen” and then “Yeah, but you guys aren’t supposed to be there. You’re not in this story”. In 5.22, after Lucifer takes Sam over (something that was foretold to happen in Detroit), Cas and Bobby despair, but Dean refuses to give up and calls Chuck, who says, “Oh, uh, Dean. Uh, wow. I, uh, I didn’t know that you’d call.” Then Dean goes to Stull Cemetery alone. However, the moment that Michael begins to walk up on Dean and says, “You little maggot. You are no longer a part of this story!” Guess who suddenly appears with a holy oil Molotov cocktail?

Dean and Cas are something Chuck seems to have a lot of trouble anticipating. I think this is true both individually and as a unit. Individually, Dean is the narrative heart, to an extent that his capacity for love is always exceeding the bounds that Chuck anticipates, leading to confounding leaps like showing up at Stull in "Swan Song" and dropping the gun in "Moriah" and saving the world with the power of love in 11.23. Dean in turn pleads with Cas with that heart, and Cas is angel with a crack in his chassis straight of the line. Naomi/Chuck cannot get Cas to do what he's "supposed" to do no matter how many times he's reprogrammed. He has Loving Dean Winchester/Humanity (same thing) Disease and it's incurable no matter how many lobotomies are attempted.

In the season 1-5 setting, Chuck is actually fairly hands off despite all of this being his prophecy foretold. He told the archangels that everything would end with Sam and Dean as the vessels for Lucifer and Michael (5.08) and Lucifer passed these stories on to his princes, and the angels and demons brought that prophecy to fruition—including with deliberate meddling in the Winchester/Campbell bloodline (5.13, 5.14). Heaven and hell act as Chuck's hands and feet, carrying out his plan out of desire and (in some cases) religious fanaticism. Because Chuck's so painstakingly worked on this narrative and everything is set up in advance, he can just watch it play out. When he interferes directly, it's actually to give Team Free Will a better shot at subverting him. Chuck only directly interferes in

4.22/5.01 to transport Sam and Dean to the plane, un-demon blood Sam, and resurrect Cas

5.22 to resurrect Cas again

All that said, I think season 1-5 is the original Chuck canon, which is subverted by Team Free Will working together, and most specifically, by Dean and Cas interfering in ways Chuck did not anticipate. And Chuck was fine with this. His narration at the end of "Swan Song" reveals that he's pleased, even if the story turned in a direction he didn't anticipate (maybe the Michael and Lucifer story started to bore him—they bore me, and him wanting Sam and Dean to mirror them so rigidly was rather uninspired).

I get the sense that Cas is probably a good litmus test for whether Chuck's entertained or not by the story subverting his expectations, because Cas is not "supposed" to be a part of the original story, but Chuck keeps bringing him back anyway. And yet, somewhere down the road, Cas falls wildly out of favor with Chuck, and Chuck is hurling rage at him for never doing as told—the very thing he seemed to like about Cas at first.

Maybe I'll see things that will make me change my mind as I work through seasons 7-10, but so far, I agree with you that season 6-10 seems to be a mostly "hands off" period, with Chuck only arguably interfering once, to bring Cas back a third time in season 7, depending on how seriously/literally you take Daphne's recollection of events in 7.17:

EMMANUEL/CASTIEL A few months ago, she was hiking by the river, and I wandered into her path, drenched and confused, and... unclothed. I had no memory. She said... God wanted her to find me.

It's not necessarily clear exactly where Chuck loses interest (or if for example, Cas might fall out of favor with Chuck before Sam and Dean do). Chuck shows up in season 10's "Fan Fiction" to see a play of his work, so he was clearly feeling fond enough to celebrate his handiwork in an very non-prestigious but intimate setting. But when Chuck shows up in season 11's "Don't Call Me Shurley", he talks to Metatron about traveling (to his other universes, perhaps?). Chuck's writing his memoir, and Metatron claims it's full of self-doubt and nebbishness. Chuck's apathy jumps out to Metraton quick too. Metatron criticizes Chuck for writing only two paragraphs on the archangels in his memoir, lending to the notion that Chuck had come to a point where they bored him. Metraton tries to remind him that Lucifer was his favorite because he rebelled, but Chuck then denies that Lucifer was ever even his favorite! He doesn't like this rebellion thing so much anymore... which might also tip his hand as far as how he's beginning to feel about Team Free Will. I think it's likely that Amara is the catalyst for his change of heart, but I'll have to wait until I circle back to season 11 to have a fully formed conclusion on this.

Then we get seasons 12-15 where—at least arguably—Chuck begins planting the seeds for a new final ending, trying to force Dean into the role of Michael—the son so loyal to him that he killed his own brother. The problem is that Dean's never really been like Michael, and that's the whole reason season 5 never worked. It's also the reason "Moriah" doesn't work. Lilith claims in season 15 that Chuck has a creepy obsession with Dean—Dean specifically. Dean whose loyal love fills Lucifer with such seething jealousy in "Swan Song" that he loses control of Sam's body just as Dean's pleading brings Sam's consciousness to the surface to fight. That same loving heart thaws Amara toward Chuck in 11.23, and I think Chuck... decides that he does not like this. It is something beyond his capacity to express or to anticipate and write around. It is transformative, causality-defying love, that ruined his original ending (and he's BORED and TIRED). And has given Cas Winchester Derangement Syndrome so he can't be controlled. He decides that he hates Dean Winchester's heart, and he tries to obliterate it out of existence and force Dean into the Michael role once and for all.

#mail #spn and causality #chuck #11.20 #5.22 #11.23 #14.20 #10.05 #7.17 #4.22 #5.01 #4.18 #multiseason #dean the narrative heart

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blueteller · 9 months ago

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Greetings oh wise one! I come asking for advice/analysis.

How would you describe the type of chaos Cale starts? Like, is there a play by play of Cale’s usual migraine inducing shenanigans?

"Oh wise one" - that's a new one haha! I'll try my best for you~! 💖

In the past, I made short joke posts on Cale's typical step-by-step MO, like: "scam, loot, destroy", or "fight with overwhelming advantage, run, smack them in the back". And while those steps are hilarious and quite accurate – since you've asked for an analysis, let's dive a little deeper into the subject.

First of all, why is Cale's personal brand of chaos so enjoyable? Simple; it's because it's always targeted at people who 100% deserve it. Civilian casualties? Not an option with Cale in charge. This man takes his 10+ years zero casualties record completely seriously.

And no, there are no exceptions to this. While at first it might seem impossible – for example there were times when Cale and his group attacked buildings with servants in them or destroyed whole ships with crew on board – and it can make you wonder, weren't any innocent workers there? But no. If you look closely, any time there were any civilians involved (any people who weren't onto the whole murder and torture thing the bad guys were doing), Cale made sure to either capture, evacuate, or leave them alone. From the first heist with Choi Han when they freed Raon, to the Unranked Monster battle at Puzzle City, or heck even robbing the Sekka estate, they always made sure to not kill the civilians. Even with the battle ship, I'm 100% certain there were only armed people on board, prepared to be the ones who would murder civilians without hesitation. Cale left no chances of innocent people getting hurt.

That's what makes his MO so wonderful. Because Cale only screws over those who deserve it. Of course, Cale doesn't see it like that. From his perspective, what he's doing is "vicious", so he must be the bad guy. And while his MO is definitely ruthless… It only matches the weight of the crime of his opponents. Cale only gets involved and makes a s***show when he is really pissed off. And by pissed off, I specifically mean innocent people getting hurt. Because that's what it all comes down to, really. He can delude himself and claim he's doing it for profit, but there's nothing wrong with profiting off well done work. He never cheats his allies off their right rewards, either. Despite him being so chaotic with his actions, he... never actually does anything that crosses the line.

(Yeah you could try and argue that torture crosses the line, but uh… At least Cale never ordered torture for personal pleasure? The first time it was to help a child heal from their trauma, and every other times since it was to extract information from particularly nasty and stubborn murder cultists. It might be morally grey of me, but I don't believe it was wrong of him. That's a matter of personal opinion of course.)

So, the starting point is always Cale facing people who pissed him off through messing with innocents in some way.

It can't be some petty political squabble either, Cale doesn't mess with those – remember how he reacted when the King of Whipper Kingdom wanted to agree and give up 100,000 citizens of his country to Adin, just to save his own skin? Raon offered to loot the king's safe… and Cale totally could have done that out of pettiness? But Cale left it alone, because it never came to that. So yeah, Cale only messes with those who already hurt people on a large scale, not just crooks or cowards. Even the bandits who messed with the Super Rock Villa entrance, he just had the leader beat up and made them work for him – he even had them formally employed and educated. Which honestly, probably improved their living conditions drastically, now that I think about it. …Cale is such a freaking softie, I swear.

But we're going off track – Cale and his specific brand of "migraine inducing chaos", that's the main topic here.

First, Cale always gets information. Who are his opponents? What have they done? What kind of powers they have? What dirt does he have on them? Where is their money located? Stuff like that.

Next, there's the planning & preparation phase. However, we rarely see that part because of the "no repetition rule" of storytelling. The only time we ever see characters make plans and explain them to their allies is when things are about to go south. In case of TCF, we only ever find out what kind of plan Cale has is when either 1) it's already ongoing 2) something went wrong and Cale wonders how it happened, for example when Cale set up the trap for the White Star in the Dark Elf city.

Then, with a solid plan and allies all prepared, Cale infiltrates the combat zone. Be it Real Arm uniform, priest get-up, pretending to work for some unnamed scary higher-up; you get the idea. Even during open-field battles like the Maple Castle, Cale made sure to have multiple hidden assets and key players disguised. It's a very important part of his MO; making sure he and his allies are as safe as they can possibly be.

Once everybody deals with their designated obstacles, be it simple head smashing or straight up scamming his opponents, Cale loots stuff. Sometimes the looting comes before the combat for the element of surprise, but usually combat happens as a distraction for looting anyway. Naturally, this is the part Cale enjoys the most, because according to Cale's logic, nothing feels as good as pissing off the people who pissed you off first. Not to mention how money is extremely useful, and Cale whole deal is that he always makes sure to take full advantage of anything and everything he finds useful – be it people or treasures. Classic Cale behavior, really.

After the looting stage, here comes the destruction! This part gotta be Raon's favorite, as he's usually in charge of it. Considering how his first destruction spree happened without Cale's input – the cave he was trapped in – I think it's a natural draconic trait lol. Everything that cannot be looted and can be still useful to the enemies must be demolished, that's the rule. After all, the revenge can only be complete when the enemies are left totally furious and powerless.

As for clean-up… pfff, what clean-up? Cale doesn't do clean up! That's the job for the janitor- I mean his dear Hyung-nim 🤣 I bet it's Cale second favorite part about making a huge mess; that he doesn't have to clean it up himself thanks to Alberu hahaha

So, a general play-by-play of Cale's chaotic shenanigans goes something like this:

Cale finds out there are troublemakers "messing up his slacker life", aka. people are getting hurt and his soft, squishy heart cannot ignore it

he gathers his team, info and gets down to planning

cue in hilarious scamming and Mission Impossible flavored undercover shenanigans

looting for fun and profit

destruction mostly for fun but also profit

when things go awry, Cale gets to overuse his Ancient Powers and spill blood like chocolate fountain spills chocolate at fancy events, it's just the same never-ending cycle really 🤣

retreat if necessary, but that rarely happens (I think couple of times throughout the whole series, really)

the enemies are left furious and/or utterly defeated

Cale's fam is left generally more worried over Cale being reckless again, than whatever epic chaos is going on around them, causing lots of delightful misunderstandings and comedic moments as a result

Alberu Crossman gets a headache once again

…aaaand that about sums it up! 💖

#tcf #trash of the count's family #lcf #lout of count's family #cale henituse #cale #tcf cale #tcf humor #q&a #replies #analysis #tcf analysis #tcf meta

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thirdwheelravi · 3 months ago

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hi sibyl! a friend of mine sent me your post earlier and if you don’t mind — i kind of want to pick your brain about one particular thing bc it’s a perspective that i hadn’t considered.

i swear i do Not mean this from a buck woobie pov, but personally i didn’t read that last scene as buck understanding how much he matters to eddie, i read it as him understanding that their relationship (understandably) isn’t the priority right now, and realizing that he wants to do everything he can to help him get back to chris even if it means accepting that eddie needs to leave and that things will change between them from now on. sort of an ‘i love you, so i’m letting you go’ kind of thing a la s7 eddie, except he doesn’t think eddie is coming back and he feels like he needs to make peace with that. so i’m curious — what made you interpret buck’s sense of security differently?

tbh if this was seasons 5-6 i think i definitely would’ve seen it same way as you, bc i was under the impression that the will scene really did make buck realize how important he is to the diazes, but the writing for them has been a little different since tim came back and my opinion has changed a bit.

(if i read your post wrong, please let me know! i’m not discoursing at all here — i’m just interested in your perspective bc i enjoy reading your takes!)

— rae wellcollapse :)

i think I largely agree that the scene is mostly about Buck setting aside his abandonment issues and realizing what really matters to him is Eddie & Chris's happiness (even if that means they are Away from him).

I guess my perspective is that Buck, when he's actually thinking rationally, doesn't need to realize or understand that he matters to Eddie at this point. While I'm sure it would be welcome, he doesn't need Eddie's reassurance. They've been BEST friends for seven years and Eddie has told/shown him through words and actions and just being there for Buck numerous times. I guess I just struggle with the idea that after all this time Buck doesn't know or understand that he's important to Eddie when we haven't REALLY seen evidence of that--we've only seen evidence of his existing abandonment issues getting triggered and then Buck ultimately getting over that. We've also seen evidence that Buck considers Eddie a safe place (s6 and s8a), considers himself not a guest in his house (s3 and s8a again), knows that he's the FIRST PERSON Eddie calls in times of crisis (s5 and s7), knows that he's the person Eddie would want to raise Chris in the event of his death, knows that Eddie opens up to him and relies on him and goes along with his schemes and consistently reassures him and generally treats him like someone that matters to him very much.

I don't think that, at this point, Buck has a fundamental insecurity about their relationship as it stands. And while I guess this is just me reading into the situation a little, I feel like when he hears Eddie say "everything that matters is in Texas" while his triggered self takes that to mean I don't matter to him, the rational Buck already knows that Eddie doesn't really mean it given the seven years of their relationship that disproves it. And what was really impressive to me from a character growth standpoint was to see Buck recognize that he was simply feeling triggered and did not ACTUALLY believe that he doesn't matter to Eddie.

That said!!! I DO think that it's a separate question of whether Buck knows/believes that he means as much to Eddie as Eddie means him. And that's really the question that remains in part because Buck still needs to grapple with what Eddie means to him! So it's not a question that can even be asked until Buck actually understands the true depth of his feelings for Eddie (and, you know, if we're right, that those feelings are fundamentally NOT platonic). And at that point, yeah, I do think it's possible that he comes to the conclusion that no, he DOESN'T mean as much to Eddie as Eddie means to him. Which is the exact tension that needs to be laid on their relationship for the payoff of Eddie finally telling him that OF COURSE Buck means as much to him as Eddie means to Buck. and then they kiss or whatever!!!

And, you know, possibly I am wrong and Buck DOES still need that reassurance from Eddie...which I sense he will get in their actual goodbye scene. I hope that makes sense and genuinely thank you for the ask!!!! You know I deeply value your perspective and opinions 🫡

#sibyl answers #wellcollapse

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csolarstorm · 8 months ago

Text

Yeah, I don't know what to post about the Pokemon Teraleak yet. There's just so much, I haven't sorted it out in my mind yet.

And to tell the truth, some of the big revelations about Gen 3 and 4 are just confirming things the Pokemon theorists already thought. Theorists already mapped the three trios in Gen 1-4 to the Arceus circle - it's just really neat to confirm that GameFreak intended it this way. And that there are Pokemon in the circle that we didn't know about, some that haven't been translated yet. And apparently the circle confirms the idea of psuedo-legendaries though, which is cool.

I think one thing it proves is that GameFreak developers can be a lot more hardcore and weird than the easily predictable, pattern-based company we've browbeaten each other into accepting for decades. The...um...furry fics...? Canalave "extended lore"?...proves that. And then there are the more monstrous Gen 3 concepts that I wouldn't even connect to Pokemon if not for the Unown rock monster (the first Regi?) and the Cacturne. I kinda hope this is the origin or Cacturne and Metagross, and they were just refined down to versions that fit the other art style.

That's what I'd like to think of each generation being: a collection of very different designs from different perspectives that they came together to brainstorm before refining them into one coherent artstyle.

I'd also like to think of the Unown rock monster as the first inspiration for the Regis, with the Unown evolving into the Braille used with the Regis in the final build.

I'm seeing a kind of synchronicity phenomenon here, where the vibe of the beta Pokemon is still communicated in the final build somehow. Not only do the betas reflect the style of their era, but because the fans are inspired by the games, their fakemon somehow synchronize with the vibes of the betas through the final build. I'm not sure how to explain it better than that? The fakemon that my friends and I worked on during Gen 3 and 4 resemble some of these Gen 3 betas. I think there was a style of the time, and I think that a lot of GameFreak's intentions for the design elements of the game are successfully implied through the experience, so fans tend to reconstitute that as their own headcanons. Does that make sense?

It's a miracle I got to sleep last night, after fiendishly tracking every leak I could from the afternoon to the early hours of the morning. I think I might be finally be ready to take a break from the leaks (besides sleeping). I mean, I thought I'd be one of those people to immediately post the leaks and my opinions about them as they came out, but for whatever reason I didn't feel like it, maybe because they haven't stopped coming out. So I'll get to sharing my opinions at some point.

Have fun with the leaks!

#Teraleak #Pokemon leaks #Pokemon

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maxleyrosebud · 1 month ago

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Max and Bradley Comparison - Part 5 : Bradley’s father and the Gamma’s.

Bradley and his Father in AEGM

When it comes to Bradley’s father we don’t actually know much about him nor do we get to see him In AEGM.

The only scene in AEGM where we get a slight hint about him is during the scene where Bradley is trying to convince Goofy to be a Gamma.

On my side blog @Bradleyblog I did a speculation post series on Bradley’s dad where in Part one I talked about this scene in good detail, but for the sake of this post I'll be giving a shorter summary of it here.

When Goofy rejects Bradley’s offer to be a Gamma due to him only being interested in staying close to Max , Bradley remarks with- “Uh… I’m not sure you understand this once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Goofy however doesn't budge. He mimics Bradley’s body language and responds to Bradley’s comment by saying - “Well , ah-yuck, I’m not sure you understand the bond between a father and his son.”

Now , If Goofy was only referring to his bond with him and Max then he should have said something like “I’m not sure you understand the bond I have with my son” or “I’m not sure you understand the fatherly son bond between me and Max”.

Instead , Goofy’s remark refers to a bond between a father and son in general. Goofy gets this impression because Bradley thinks Goofy is wasting a once in a life opportunity not picking personal gain over spending time with his son.

But to someone like Goofy, this should be common knowledge and understandable that a father would pick their son above anything.

But what’s interesting about this moment between Goofy and Bradley is how Bradley reacts to Goofy’s statement.

At first he is smiling while waiting for Goofy to respond but once Goofy says “I’m not sure you understand-” Bradley’s smile drops into a neutral expression to see what Goofy thinks he doesn't understand.

The camera then cuts to a wider shot of Goofy and the Gamma’s so the audience can focus on Max.

But if you zoom in real close on Bradley’s expression , you can see that his expression has become more vulnerable looking when Goofy says the line - “the bond between a father and his son”.

To me, Bradley looks rather sad by Goofy’s assessment/accusation, even if it is very brief.

But instead of retorting back to Goofy’s statement , he folds his arms across his chest in a defensive manner and changes the direction of the conversation into a Exit strategy by giving Goofy a business card if Goofy changes his mind and decides to leave.

It’s like Bradley is deflecting from the subject and isn't comfortable discussing it any further.

So to me and many others , Goofy’s statement and Bradley’s reaction would imply that Bradley doesn't have a close emotional bond with his own dad. It also implies that Bradley’s own father would probably choose personal gain over Bradley.

But is Bradley and his dad not having a good bond actually canon? In my opinion , I would say so based on this scene as I think it at least implies that this is indeed the case.

So with this in mind , what I’m going to suggest going forward about Bradley’s father is based on the idea that they don't have a good bond.

But I’m also going to base my assumptions on the values that the upper class have in their universe and the concept that Max and Bradley are foils to one another. But It's really up to you from this point on whether or not you agree on this interpretation or not as it’s not seen in the movie.

Bradley’s father son relationship contrasting with Max and Goofy.

As rivals , Max and Bradley are foils to one another. So from a writing perspective it would make sense that Goofy and Bradley’s dad would also be foils to one another and would contrast differently as father’s.

If this is the case then Bradley’s father would probably be the opposite to Goofy in personality and how he treats his son. It would certainly be one explanation as to why Bradley and his father don't have a good bond.

Goofy and Bradley’s father also come from different social classes and economic backgrounds , so their world views would probably contradict each others.

In terms of personality, Goofy can be clumsy , slow-witted , childish , absent minded but humble , emotional , forgiving , accepting of others and very loving/affectionate. He is also overly empathic to the point that Pete often tricks Goofy into believing his lies and schemes.

Bradley’s father on the other hand would probably be stoic, business-like, judgemental , a man of Etiquette and protocol, a complete perfectionist , narcissistic , snobbish , competitive , resentful , not overly affectionate or loving and career and status focused. May also be very apathetic if Goofy is too empathic.

Goofy also tries to teach Max to do the right thing and has faith in him to be a good person.

Bradley’s father on the other hand has probably encouraged Bradley to have status oriented values and a business like mentality, essentially teaching Bradley the wrong lessons on what is most important.

I would then imagine that if Goofy’s relationship with Max is unconditional love, then Bradley’s father could have a conditional relationship with his son instead.

King of the household

At college Bradley is in a position of authority for being the leader of the Gamma’s and is referred to as the King by Tank because of his College X game King nickname. But back home , Bradley wouldn’t be in a position of authority nor would he be seen as the King. His father would.

This is because Bradley’s father would be the head of the family household and the one with the most influence and control. So Bradley’s father would be the one in a position of authority and be the one to hold all the money and power in their relationship.

This would mean that his father could have great influence in a lot of Bradley’s life choices such as schools , who he associates himself with , a choice of career and who he may choose to have as a future partner.

Bradley would also be financially dependent on his father until he has a stable career , so being obedient to his father would be in Bradley’s best interest until then.

In Part 4 I mentioned how Bradley would be raised to act a certain way to gain acceptance and approval in his upper class social circle , so Bradley’s father would most likely tell him what to do and how to act.

It Makes you wonder if Bradley’s father has ever clicked his fingers at Bradley to do what is expected of him. It also makes you wonder what tactics Bradley’s father would use to make sure Bradley conformed to the status quo.

So like Max , I believe that Bradley too would have liked the idea of going to College to get away from his dad. Not only would he get away from his dad’s constant authority but like Max , Bradley can have more independence and freedom, even if he still has to meet expectations.

Bradley can also have more of the spotlight on him than on his dad compared to when he is at home , as his father would be the one to gain the most attention from his status.

The theme of Father like son.

Max tries to not to be seen like his dad as being like Goofy is seen as a negative thing.

For Bradley though , being like his dad would be deemed as a positive from everyone else as his father would be thought of in a high regard and his father would be rather successful and popular.

So for Bradley, being like his father would mean he would be thought highly of as well and gain the same recognition.

Bradley may also try to be like his dad to gain his father’s approval and to meet certain expectations. Maybe Bradley even mimics some of his father’s behaviour when taking on a leadership role as that’s how he sees his father act in a position of authority too.

But Bradley may also feel like he is in his father’s shadow , as his father would also be someone who has built a reputation for himself based on status. Compared to Bradley , his father may have a lot of trophies for his own past winnings and items reflecting achievement that he has received over his own life span. So his father would be very well accomplished and so Bradley might feel like he has to measure up to him.

So compared to Max , instead of being unconventional, Bradley instead conforms to what is expected of him and may try to be like his dad.

Family legacy

As I mentioned in Part 4 , Status and High achievement is important within the Upperclass. So growing up Bradley would have had high expectations put on him to succeed and to be accepted.

But Bradley may have also had to excel for his family’s reputation , as in their family legacy.

He comes from royalty , the top of high society and the best of the best. So the Uppercrusts need possessions and achievements to reflect their high status.

Failure probably wouldn’t be tolerated then as it would make their family look bad.

So Bradley having to continue the family legacy is possible. Even the concept of upholding the family legacy has been shown in the Goof troop show within PJ’s relationship with his own dad Pete.

Axed by Addition

Pete wants PJ to pass his Math test so PJ doesn't make him look bad.

“But what if , this is just if , I Flunk?”-PJ

“FLUNK!? AND MAKE MY BRAINS LOOK BAD!? It’s a simple equation. You’re gonna pass that test, if you have to study all night, see? FLUNK AND YOU’RE GROUNDED FOREVER!” -Pete

Later in the episode when Pete thinks PJ is trying to purposely get out of doing the math test, Pete tells PJ to uphold the family IQ. - “I DON'T CARE IF YOU’VE GOT BLISTERS ON THE BRAIN OR WATER ON THE KNEE! YOU’RE NOT MISSING THAT TEST! NOW GO OUT THERE AND UNHOLD THE FAMILY IQ!

Tub Be or Not tub be

Pete has always won in the Tub race competition. PJ however later finds out that Pete is going to cheat to win the prize money in the Tub race and that his been cheating all along. Pete then makes the argument to PJ that he should uphold the family name and that they should cheat if PJ doesn't want to lose.

“Booby trapping the race course , huh? Dad , this is low down , dishonest cheating!”-PJ

“Dishonest cheating? Me? Why , I don't have a dishonest bone in my body. This here’s honest cheating. You’ve got to uphold your good name. You don’t want to lose , do you?”-Pete

From Air to Eternity

Pete shows PJ three generations of their families accomplishments over heights where they have received trophies and medals for their tremendous acts of overcoming heights.

It’s Unknown to PJ at the time that Pete and his ancestors are all frauds but because of their family legacy, PJ feels like he is a stain on the family name as he hasn’t achieved what his family has.

“Three generations of Pete’s , climbing to the very heights of greatness!” - Pete to PJ

“Oh, ill tell you Max , my dad’s got more hero trophies than my dad’s got fleas. I mean , I’m just a stain on the good name of Pete.” - PJ to Max

Unlike Bradley , PJ comes from a Middle class family. Yes , Pete is shown to be able to afford very expensive things and isn’t in a financial situation like Goofy and Max are but Pete and PJ are not Upper Class like Bradley.

So imagine being raised as an Uppercrust , the best of the best in an upper class society where status and achievement is more demanded from you.

You would probably feel a lot of pressure to meet expectations and to make sure your family looked good.

So the concept of Bradley upholding the family legacy to some degree is plausible. But that’s all we're going to discuss about Bradley’s father in Part 5.

Vacations

Unlike Max , Bradley’s family would be able to afford very expensive vaccinations every single year due to their status and wealth. They may even have their own holiday homes or a private resort.

Bradley would then of course be able to go to many countries growing up and may have met many famous figures in those countries for being an Uppercrust. Perhaps Bradley knows a few different languages because of this?

It’s also shown in the original ducktales series that the rich usually have their own boats.

Materialistic things

When it comes to Bradley getting materialistic things , I would say he got the best of everything.

Money would be of no expense for the Uppercrust family and because of their royal status , it is probably expected that their family would get the best of everything.

We’ve also seen with character’s like Charles UpStart the Third in the original Ducktales series that he has the best of everything too.

When Charles was trying to make a trade against Scrooge McDuck for the mask of , he had big status symbols to trade with such as a Stylish Diamond-Studded watch , A Solid Gold Cadillac and A Paris original dress for your wife.

So unlike Max , Bradley probably did get the newest and most expensive things as a sign of the family's high status.

However , Bradley may have had to obtain some things from his father through hard work , success , negotiation and meeting certain conditions.

This could be possible to make sure Bradley is motivated to meet high expectations. But this could also be possible due to how in AEGM , Bradley usually tries to get what he wants through persuasion and treats getting what he wants as a business deal where both parties get something out of the arrangement. He's not like Veruca Salt from Charlie and the Chocolate factory if you get what I mean.

In terms of sentimental things, it's hard to say as their society is shown to be pretty shallow and don’t value something unless it has status.

However , Bradley is shown to have a Gold foundation mirror which is something that is usually owned by women and because the film is based in the early 2000’s, I doubt his father gave his own son something associated with being a woman.

So it’s more likely that his mother gave it to him or Bradley took it from his mother as a memento.

But again, it’s hard to say as Bradley would be expected to look his best and have a good appearance so I suppose the Gold foundation mirror is up to interpretation on how and why he has it.

Being an Uppercrust

Max grew up unpopular for being born a Goof, whereas Bradley grew up being popular for being born as an Uppercrust ( A Royal ) .

This would mean Bradley would get a lot of positive attention and people wanting to be his friend. But this also makes him a target for other people’s personal gain and in a position where he may doubt if his friendships are sincere due to people liking him for his status.

As we've discussed before , Status means a lot in the upper class society in the Goof universe. So it’s likely that Kids growing up in this high society would probably want to be his friend to be associated with him or would be heavily encouraged by their parents to be friends with Bradley so their families can have a closer connection with the Uppercrust family for personal gain.

But even ordinary People from normal working backgrounds might just want to be friends with Bradley because of his status as well. Some may even use Bradley to gain popularity, perks or obtain luxuries from just being his friend?

So on the surface Bradley’s popularity seems great for being born as an Uppercurst. But when people admire you and want to be friends with you for your royal status , his popularity has more to do with his status than who Bradley is as a person.

It would then be hard for Bradley to know who’s feelings for him are genuine, especially if Bradley is aware that people benefit from being his friend.

So in Bradley’s mind , he may feel that if people are going to use him for his benefit then why can’t he do the same.

Will be talking more about this in Part 6.

Gamma’s

Bradley’s relationship with the Gamma’s is quite a formal and a professional one. He addresses them as Gamma Brother’s and gentlemen and due to him being their Gamma leader , their relationship is more like a business one where Bradley is their boss and their his loyal employers. (With Tank , Bradley does refer to Tank as his right hand man but he does call Tank by just his name compared to the other Gamma’s.)

When it comes to the Gamma’s themselves , the Gamma’s are loyal and obedient to Bradley but compared to Max’s friendship group , they are not good friends to Bradley in the traditional sense.

The main reason they listen to Bradley is because his the head of the Gamma’s and because they benefit from him. The Gamma’s want to win and Bradley always pulls through with his plans to obtain victory at the X games. And so they choose to be willing participants in these schemes so they can win , regardless of who they injure.

By winning , the Gamma’s can be seen as top dogs , be admired and reap all the benefits that come from being seen as the best on campus.

They could easily say no to Bradley's cheating or authority as they outnumber Bradley and are all physically stronger than him but they don't, as they receive personal gain from his leadership.

But in doing so they are pretty much enablers and validate Bradley’s behaviour by giving him their approval.

Additionally , when Goofy leaves the Gamma’s they overlook or ignore the fact that Bradley is clearly spiralling as their only focus is winning.

When Bradley says “We’ll win how we always win. And how’s that Gamma’s” it’s easy to assume that one of the Gamma’s must have asked Bradley how they were going to win without Goofy or that Bradley noticed that the Gamma’s were worried about Goofy's absence in the team.

Goofy has just decided to leave the Gamma’s on the LAST day before the competition , which isn’t the best timing and whatever plans Bradley had for Goofy are now being thrown out the window.

Bradley was clearly very frustrated and annoyed by Goofy’s decision and they know how much Bradley wants to win and beat Max , but no one is reassuring Bradley that it will all be okay. ( At least not on screen )

Instead , Bradley is the one reassuring all of them that Goofy’s departure is fine as they will win how they always win by cheating.

This makes the Gamma’s happily chant the word “Cheat!” over and over again and Tank states fondly that they will cheat just like last year.

We then cut to Bradley who is looking into the fire , probably since Goofy left , where he is trying to quickly think of another plan to win.

Bradley then turns around and comments that last year’s cheat was a great cheat but menacingly reveals that he now has a better plan to win.

But just by looking at how Bradley is acting and the expressions he is making , you can tell that his plan is going to go too far and that he is clearly spiralling. But his mental state is being ignored.

Bradley and Goofy

When Goofy joins the Gamma’s , Goofy isn’t aware of why Bradley really wants him on the team. As far as Goofy is aware , Bradley asked him on the team because he thought Goofy was a good skateboarder and was later asked to participate in the Qualifying rounds as an act of good comradery for being on the team.

“Crazy idea , you do the honours Brother Goof.” - Bradley

“Me! Gwarsh , uh well , sure.”- Goofy

But because Goofy see’s how hurt Max is for beating him at the Qualifying rounds and realizes that he has lost his focus on getting his degree , he chooses to quit the Gamma’s and not compete at the X games.

So when Goofy does go the Gamma's to tell them the news , Goofy probably is conscious of the fact that the Gamma’s won't like him quitting as when Goofy is saying he has to quit the team to Bradley’s face , he looks guilty or nervous. I think he knows this is a bad look but he has to do what’s best for Max so he goes through with it.

However , to Bradley this is a betrayal or a sign of disloyalty.

In terms of a betrayal , Bradley believes that the reason Goofy has chosen to quit is to join Max’s team. Which ultimately means that Goofy is joining Max to help him beat Bradley.

In terms of disloyalty , it’s because he has potentially felt used by Goofy.

From Bradley’s perspective he let Goofy become a Gamma which is a once in a lifetime opportunity that he doesn't just give to anyone and it was something Goofy willingly chose to become.

He gave Goofy a Gamma Mu Mu pledge pin as a sign that Goofy is pledging his loyalty to the Gamma’s and to him. Gave him a proper Gamma inauguration. Let Goofy participate in the Qualifying rounds and in return Goofy became super popular around campus because of it.

Yes , Bradley is using Goofy against Max for personal gain but Goofy isn’t aware of this intention and to Bradley , Goofy has gained so much from being a Gamma. Goofy has also chosen the worst day to quit ,which is the last day of the competition. So if Bradley felt used by goofy , it is karma to a degree but you can see why Bradley would be so mad.

Bradley also forms a lot of his relationships on a transactional basis , where both people get something from the other to obtain personal gain. So goofy not following through on his end of the bargain and Bradley being someone who is probably aware that people benefit from his status, only adds to his frustration in this scene.

Bradley and Tank

Out of all the Gamma’s, Tank is the closest thing Bradley has to an actual friend.

Unlike the other Gamma’s , Tank is the only one who sticks up for Bradley at the bean scene after he see’s how angry Bradley got from Max calling him Brad. He was also the only one who pointed Max out to Bradley after Beret Girl's poetry performance.

And when Bradley’s booty gets lit on fire at Goofy’s inauguration , Tank and Goofy are the only ones to help Bradley despite the room being filled with Gamma’s.

Granted Tank did stand there looking confused at Bradley’s frantic panicking , but he did still help him.

Tank also offered to put some sense into Goofy through physical force when Bradley was clearly mad at Goofy for quitting on the last day of the competition. Bradley turned this offer down as that would be going too far but it shows that Tank does at least try to do things he thinks will make Bradley happy.

So compared to the other Gamma’s, Tank does have moments of being a good friend to Bradley and he is of course , a very loyal right hand man to him. So to me at least , Tank probably does have a genuine friendship towards Bradley.

With Bradley it stays rather professional and he refers to Tank as his right hand man but there are times where Bradley does show comradery with Tank.

At the Bean scene Bradley didn’t like that Tank interrupted his conversation with Max but he is seen smiling with approval at Tank, after Tank gives Max a compliment as Bradley wants Max on their team.

When Goofy enters the classroom , it’s Tank that Bradley turns to talk to about what a goon Goofy is. - ( chuckle ) “Who is this goon?”

At the qualifying rounds , Bradley bonds with Tank over cheating , "Just like we always do" and gives him a smile when Tank calls it insurance with no deductible. - "It's a little insurance baby. With no Deductible."

In the snooker room , Bradley once again bonds with Tank over cheating when he agrees that last year's cheat was a great one.

Trusts Tank enough to throw him during the race to get ahead of Max and Bobby.

However , like I've mentioned before , Bradley knows the Gamma’s listen to him as he can make them winner’s in the X games.

"Be a winner , join us."- Bradley to Goofy

"Witness Gentlemen. Victory is ours."-Bradley to Tank and Slouch

“We’ll win how we always win. And how’s that Gamma’s?”-Bradley to all the Gamma's

And while growing up , Bradley has been brought up in a competitive environment where people in upper class society only care about personal gain and status.

So while Tank has proved himself again and again that he is a very loyal right hand man, to someone like Bradley it would be hard for him to understand that Tank is actually loyal to him for more personal reasons rather than being loyal to him for his own personal gain.

So what I’m going to say next might surprise some as this perspective from Bradley isn’t really talked about much but I'm going to address it and talk about it as best as I can.

When Bradley is knocked off his skateboard by Goofy , Bradley shakes his head after the fall and looks up. He then gasps when he sees Tank and Max ahead , skateboarding away in the distance.

Despite having the remote control , Bradley’s first instinct isn’t to use the remote but to call out to Tank to take Max out of the race, as he depends on Tank to help him the most - “TANK! TAKE HIM OUT!”

But Tank continues to race ahead.

Bradley then quickly comes to the conclusion that Tank must have ignored him on purpose as Tank isn’t doing what he asked of him and then states that Nobody gets to finish this race but him. - “I will not be ignored. Nobody gets to finish this race but me!

At that moment , Bradley isn’t being rational and is making a very impulsive decision from anger and his own ambition to win. His basically letting his emotions and his focus on winning affect his better judgment.

Tank of course probably didn't hear Bradley or misunderstood what Bradley meant. From Tank’s perspective he thinks winning first for the team is actually helping Bradley.

But from Bradley’s perspective , his right hand man , the person who’s supposed to help him the most , has left him behind instead of helping him get back in the race when he got knocked off his skateboard by Goofy and feels like Tank has ignored his order’s on purpose for his own personal gain so Tank can win the X games for himself.

Bradley ofcourse is wrong in his assessment of the situation and if Goofy had knocked Tank off his skateboard , Bradley would have still kept on going like Tank had done. Bradley’s main focus in the X games is to win after all.

But due to people benefiting from Bradley’s status , a lack of genuine friendships in his life, seeing everyone as competition and always promising the Gamma’s that they can be winner’s , I can see why Bradley would jump to this wrong conclusion about Tank ignoring him on purpose when that wasn’t the case. I can also see why it’s possible that he chose to skate past the fire if he felt like Tank had abandoned and ignored him first.

So while Max has actual friendships with proper human connection, Bradley struggles with his own friendships, not just because Bradley can be self absorbed but due to his friendships usually being ones where each person benefits from the other for personal gain.

In Part 6 will be discussing Bradley’s sense of worth and it will be the final part for Bradley's section. See you next time.

#maxley #maxley post #bradley uppercrust the third #bradley uppercrust iii #max and bradley comparison

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fairuzfan · 1 year ago

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shalom sister. i love your blog and your writing. reading your posts always fills me with fire, i can tell you have a good heart. donating to your campaign makes me feel so good because i trust you and truly you are doing gds work. anyway i wanted to ask you a question!

when i hear new things from gaza, stories of hamas doing X and IOF doing Y, i ask around and i’m not sure what parts of that story is true, if any. anyway idk what to believe all i know is that israel is committing acts of genocide and while the rest of the world is allowing this greatest evil, israel pretends that to be jewish is to be a colonizer. anyway some of my family are zionists, but i cannot sway them because they only know farsi persian and hebrew, aka only trust extremely biased sources.

anyway i am fluent in english farsi and hebrew but my arabic is trash ): so i feel like i can’t get the full picture from palestinians. all i can read are bonkers iranian papers and the disgusting zionist articles, it’s horrible because i know they’re both lying, just about different things. a palestinian opinion is the only opinion i care about right now! anyway it got me thinking. i just wanted to know if you have tips for verifying online research? or go-to non arabic websites? or even a translation app haha. i just want my family to see the truth!

shalom<3

shalom! thank you so much for reaching out, i really appreciate it.

personally, i use different sources for different material. i use middle east eye (specifically maha hussaini) and also mahmoud abusalama for videos of what it's like in the north. i use the electronic intifada interview podcasts to learn about specific things happening (i just finished watching this one about the collapse of healthcare in gaza). i would check out @northgazaupdates on here too. there's euromedmonitor as well.

and really, there are a lot of diaspora palestinians who are relaying what their family tells them, and they post on twitter a lot. someone i know does this is samah fadil. there's also @el-shab-hussein who translates things from Mona. here's mohammad smiry who is in gaza and tweets primarily in english. dr. mustafa elmasri also tweets in english too.

i would use al-jazeera, i have a fact checking guide here about any news source really. i don't use it as much but there's also the palestine chronicle. sometimes i use quds news network.

i really don't know much about hebrew media so i can't really tell you about sources i recommend there. i don't know if @bringmemyrocks or @rodeodeparis can perhaps provide some input?

i will say, if you're looking for hebrew palestinian media, i dont think there's too much because there's a ridiculous amount of censorship in '48 right now (honestly it's been going on for years atp) but what a lot of palestinians are doing is relying on internal networks. if you want, there are some israeli historians like Ilan Pappe and Avi Shlaim but I'm not sure if they write in hebrew. but they for sure write in english and provide a historical perspective from within israeli society itself.

this is what comes to mind rn honestly, but i haven't even touched on instagram because i haven't been on it in a while. i might add on later if i remember any really vital ones that i recommend.

#palestine

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not-too-many-eyes · 4 months ago

Text

Regarding Bella's Existence

(Also Known as: Nott is really tired of people repeating a very big misconception regarding their relationship that gets denied in the text itself, and decided to make a post about it in the hopes people stop repeating it)

I've been planning to write about Semmelweis for a while now. She's one of my personal favorite characters, and I have a lot of thoughts regarding her, her background, and her beliefs. However I was waiting for a future Series of Dusks update to happen before writing that post so that I could write something comprehensive and resolved.

However, I've been routinely annoyed in seeing the same misconception be repeated again and again about Semmelweis and Bella's relationship whenever I look into here, YouTube comments, or having the misfortune of deciding to look at the Discord for some reason.

That misconception being the idea that Bella is just a very sentient hallucination.

The Report Now, let's get the easy part of this explanation out of the way as to why Bella Isn't a Hallucination. That being this is something that gets directly addressed, and denied in text, multiple times in fact! The first is in A Series of Dusks Part 2 "Second-Class Citizen:"

Semmelweis: Whoever you are. I have a poor opinion of things that try to interfere with my mind. Bella: Ah, so you think I'm a result of the Beyond Disease? Just another hallucination, a nightmare Bella: But you've read the reports. So you know what this really is, you know that Miss Klara's Arcane Skill lets you glimpse at your inner self Bella: Your not a fool, my dear. Do you still want to deny the truth right before your eyes? Semmelweis: ... Bella: It is an extraordinary ability, wouldn't you agree? Bella: And for one so accustomed to deceiving everyone, even yourself. It proves dangerously effective.

This is a direct denial of the idea Bella is a hallucination. Kakania's Arcane Skill lets one look into their inner world in great detail. As it so so happens, Semmelweis' inner world has her and Bella as the main tenants of it. Bella might have even been there since she was a child. We don't know, we just know she didn't come into existence because of the Beyond Syndrome.

However, Semmelweis is In Denial that Bella is real, and has been inside of her for god knows how long at this point, which leads to me to the second time that the text denies that Bella is a hallucination. Which is in Part 6 of A Series of Dusks, Fate in the Mirror:

Bella: The Storm Syndrome this time is so much more fun that the previous ones, wouldn't you agree? Bella appears at Semmelweis' side, she seems so much more real than ever before. Semmelweis: I wish I could share your perspective. However, uninvited hallucinations are not included in the symptoms of the Storm Syndrome this time. Bella: If only it were that, no, you can see me precisely because the Beyond's bloodline is already altering your mind. Bella: It's a change that brings tearing and reorganization. And it seems like I am one such part that is being torn out. Bella: And as a part of you. I believe I have the right to object to your behavior.

Semmelweis calls her a hallucination again after this, because both her and Bella have a really bad case of Internalized Ableism, but again, Bella denies that she's here because of the Beyond Disease. Actually quite the opposite, she says she's here because the Beyond Disease Wants Her Gone. She's a part of Semmelweis that is being deemed "unwanted" by the disease.

Which leads me to Part 7, Waves and Notes. While it initially seems like Lorelei's words here about how Semmelweis is "talking to herself" would destroy the idea Bella isn't a hallucination and it's actually Bella who's in denial of her own existence. It doesn't really.

There's two possible explanations to it actually, the worse, boring one that I don't like as much which is "The Bella here is a hallucination" which tracks if you take Semmelweis meeting Bella in the therapist room as the actual Bella based on her going "I didn't expect we would meet again under these circumstances," and tracks with Semmelweis Actually Hallucinating Bella in her Ancedote and using her as a soundboard for her fears (we will get to this later.) However, this goes against both how that is Visually showcased in her Ancedote, how Semmelweis' hallucinations Usually go, and causes more internal hiccups with what happens before that scene, and Lorelei says Afterwards, than the second, more fun explanation does, which is that it acts as a resolution to Semmelweis' own denial of Bella's existence, and Bella's own internalized ableism.

It's not something that's drawn much attention to, but Bella Really Hates the idea of seeming "insane" and trusting anyone who seems "insane."

Bella: You don't believe these two lunatics, do you? Bella: You think you're taking back control. But all your doing is handing over your fate from the Foundation to these two crazed Arcanists.

It's a fear Bella expresses in Fate in the Mirror. That ultimately Sememlweis is losing the safety provided by the Foundation for something that won't help her at all in the end.

This might seem contradictory with how she acted with Semmelweis in Second-Class Citizen but it's actually internally consistent with Bella's two main goals. Which is that she wants Semmelweis to be Honest with Herself about what she actually wants, and she wants Semmelweis to be Safe. To Bella, the Foundation is safer than the two "insane" arcanists. So she roots for Semmelweis to go back to the Foundation.

Due to this mistrust in the mentally ill, and possibly other reasons such as Semmelweis repressing and not acknowledging her existence, and calling her a hallucination at every turn even though Bella Knows she isn't, lack of proper medical care and literature (we know Very Well Semmelweis has had bad experiences with Doctors,) etc. Bella has checked the two of them out of the "insane mentally ill people" box.

Despite Semmelweis actually experincing hallucinations, despite being able to recognize that people usually can't see or hear her, calling her and Semmelweis "the same person" like- 30 minutes ago in the game's time, and despite knowing that her existence resembles that of a hallucination. Bella is acting as if her existence is just a normal part of life and not- I dunno- the most well known symptom of a dissociative disorder.

So when Lorelei outright says that Semmelweis has been talking to herself. It disturbs that perception. It's a logic error in her perspective of herself and Semmelweis that she's only noticed due to it being called out and it freaks her out.

Notice, Lorelei never says that Bella is a hallucination. And actually she acknowledges Bella as a Person, or at the very least "A Part" of Semmelweis.

Lorelei: You must learn to accept all parts of yourself, rational and emotional. Both... Lorelei: Semmelweis and Bella. (...) Lorelei: How else could I know your names, my dears? Semmelweis & Bella: No, that can't be! Lorelei: Why do you refuse to accept what you are, my little musical note? Lorelei: You are a beautiful composition. Why should you tear yourself apart?

She wants Semmelweis to reconcile the divide between herself, her mental state, and her and Bella. Which finally resolves at the end of this part where Semmelweis goes:

Bella: I see. Then no one can change your mind. You're always like this. Semmelweis: We're always like this.

Semmelweis uses Plural Pronouns here because she has Acknowledged Bella as an Actual Person and Not a Hallucination. Thus showcasing her coming to some terms with her mental illneses- so can I call Bella an alter already? Have I convinced people enough that Bella is not a Hallucination? ...Okay not yet, because there is still the elephant in the room.

The Third Circumstance

In the The Third Circumstance we get to see Semmelweis actually hallucinate Bella! And also Valentina! They are here trying to goad her into drinking the blood of innocents, and to do murders.

Now, this seems kinda bad for my arguments on two levels, that being Bella is here as a hallucination, and the second being that if I Say this is Bella and not a hallucination then it feeds into the idea of Bella being an "evil alter." But I actually have a very simple argument that cuts through that.

They don't use Bella's sprite to represent here here.

This is a really weird detail. They have Bella's sprite, they've been using it for every single one of her appearances, and Valentina's sprite is being used.

So why not use Bella's sprite?

Well it's simple, that is actually hallucination Bella, and her sprite is deliberately not being not being used to showcase that Semmelweis’ fears still haven’t been fully quelled.

Because Semmelweis, despite choosing to become a vampire, is still afraid of what that could Mean. The Ancedote is showing her denying her actual dietary needs out of fear of what that blood drinking could represent.

We know she gets over this fear, after all, she jokes about it with Vertin in the Suitcase.

Semmelweis, Bond-Morning: I admit, I am glad to find you seldom invite others to share breakfast here. Personally, I find myself more comfortable drinking blood when you and I are alone… Oh, do relax, I prepared a salad today, no blood bags involved.

And her uh- entire fighting style is centered around blood. She's grown accustomed to herself, and has learned how to manage and take care of herself.

Similarly, Semmelweis is at the point where she’s resolved to accept her “madness” but is afriad what that could mean. Her hallucinations are written to reflect that fear, beforehand they were mostly persecutory hallucinations involving her in danger or being treated badly in some way. Now she’s afraid of what she might do to others, her poor diatery habits making the problem worse.

The point we see Semmelweis in at her anecdote is her at a regression. She's made the choice but the implications of that choice are now weighing on her. We even see Semmelweis repersent herself as "The Field Agent" as the first hallucination ends.

Plus, the portrayal of Bella is just- internally inconsistent.

Again, Bella's most important goals is for Semmelweis to be Honest and Safe, and she was actively against Semmelweis becoming a vampire. Bella has been shown to Not Like Valentina much, and is not exactly someone who would:

Valentina & Bella: You need blood, just a little taste. Then we won't bother you anymore, we'll lie at your feet like faithful hounds.

When Bella is acknowledged to be as stubborn as Semmelweis is.

At the very least, I distinctly doubt she'd encourage Semmelweis shooting a child, and drink his blood in the middle of the day where people can see her. She'd tell her to do it in secret where the Foundation wouldn't notice-

Though, to just put another nail into the coffin into that idea. We actually Meet Bella in the suitcase.

When you play the audio for Semmelweis' Insight 2 Voiceline she has two different animations depending on whether it's her or Bella.

Indicating that it's a different person talking.

The first part of the voice line is actually a reference to the base ending of A Series of Dusks "A Wish Granted." And in that first part Bella says that she's finally back, and is glad to see her wish (Semmelweis being honest and safe.) Having come true. Implying that she hasn't been talking to Semmelweis much since A Series of Dusks.

Really it's implied that usually Bella and Semmelweis don't communicate much with each other, which is part of why Semmelweis hasn't acknowledged her 'till now. But that goes into some stuff that hasn't been revealed in Global yet so I won't discuss it in detail.

So...yeah! Stop calling Bella a Hallucination when the game has stated and shown Multiple Times that she isn't! Semmelweis has Hallucinations but Bella is Not One Of Them!

#reverse 1999 #semmelweis #reverse 1999 semmelweis #metaposting #GOD #THERE #IM DONE #this has Not been proofread but I hope it reads well anyway

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artisticxlly · 6 months ago

Text

Some (actually a lot) of my thoughts on Kagehina; the theme of soulmates

Disclaimer: I am still somewhat new to posting in this fandom. Someone might've posted these same exact takes already (I'm not well-versed in Kagehina analyses). This is just my pure brainrot (also unfiltered, so this doesn't have a ton of structure, just a collection of thoughts)!

As I'm getting more into this ship, there are a lot of things that make me emotional about them.

A thing some people point out when it comes to these two is that Kageyama's backstory is shown extremely late in the manga as a 'protagonist' (or at the least a very essential character). You can argue whether or not it's done well, but for me this is perfect to demonstrate a full-circle moment, as not only did Kageyama find this person that Kazuyo promised would find him, you as the reader only get to realise that now as well.

And adding onto that, in my opinion it also contrasts nicely with Hinata, as his backstory is shown from day one, it is one of the first things explored in the manga. It starts and ends with them, so to say.

About their backstories: As someone who is very much invested in Kageyama's whole arc of 'king of the court', here is a speculation of how he actually got to that point.

Maybe this is a bit obvious, but losing someone like Kazuyo is devastating. And at the time, Kageyama would struggle with making new friends. He always stands out in those flashback panels as someone who carries a passion for volleyball like no one else (at least for his childhood) e.g., he gets made fun of for not owning any video games.

At its core, that intense interest in volleyball is what connected him and his grandfather so deeply.

It makes sense for Kageyama to desperately dig his nails into that remainder of Kazuyo, to train more and more, chasing that feeling of connection to someone he was actively grieving.

And another point would be this famous panel:

"If you get really good". And Kageyama takes his word for it, because really, his grandfather would be one of the people he trusts more than anything. And he practices until exhaustion, until he can't, because he wants to have a relationship (no matter the nature) like that again, wants a deep connection that he gains through his passion for the sport. He wants someome to find him.

I think Kageyama would reach a point where the amount of time he invests into training would be both physically and mentally unhealthy.

And perhaps, that's what also leads to him having no compassion for the people who don't share the same fire as him on the court (which is honestly a bit of a common theme for Haikyuu and its characters). He'd probably doubt a person who is like what Kazuyo described exists.

And then Kageyama and Hinata meet for the first time one the court.

The first time you read the chapter, without knowing Kageyama's backstory, it's moreso framed that he is insensitive, a bit of a jerk too. You could even go as far as to interpret the line as "what have you been doing until now?!" as Kageyama thinking that Hinata should've just practised harder, especially when he later goes on to say that Hinata should get "better" if he truly wants to stay on the court for as long as possible.

When you reread the chapter after going through the whole manga though, these lines make a lot more sense, and - depending on your perspective - are a peek into just how taken Kageyama is when faced with someone who has an equal drive as him on the court.

"what have you been doing until now?!" turns into "why havent I met you sooner?" and "get better" turns into "get better (than me), so we can find each other again" (As Kazuyo promised Kageyama).

And actually, Kazuyo's promise doesn't become fully realised until they're both on the court again, now in different teams.

That's why the flashback to that line is used then, not when Hinata and Kageyama first bond together in Karasuno. Not when they make it to nationals. No, when they're in different teams, after you see Hinata go through a whole lot of development away from Kageyama, then the promise is finally fullfilled. You could argue back and forth which one of them ended up being "someone better" but the point is that they found each other again because of it. Doesn't even really matter that they're on different sides of the court.

That's their arc, at least if you focus on Kageyama's backstory.

In general though, they are characters that continue to parallel each other, over and over. The amount of which is honestly almost absurd.

One of the biggest ones is just how much time they invest into practicing. The manga makes it a point with both of them that the people around them don't have the same energy as them and get tired out while those two continue (like maniacs /hj).

I mean, they even like the gym for the same reason, they're fond of the smell (which makes me mushy I won't lie, these goddamn weirdos /aff).

Another one is that they both want to play as long as possible. During the first chapter of the manga, this whole theme drags through the whole chapter, as they both talk about competing to get to stay on the court longer than anyone else.

A last one, that I just find funny, is that their numbers are ALWAYS one apart and sometimes even the same as in previous teams, EXCEPT for their third year in high school.

Junior high 3rd year: 2 and 1

High school 1st year: 9 and 10

High school 3rd year: 2 and 5

Adlers/Msby: 20 and 21

National team (2021): 9 and 10

Ali Roma/Asas São Paulo: 20 and 21

Like it's not funny, how much these two share even before knowing each other. And yet, despite all the similarities, they don't immediately get along in the way you'd think. There is this weird tension where they meet, they immediately get into an argument, too. But there is nuance to it. Izumi points it out actually, that Kageyama took Hinata seriously. The rest of the people there didn't think much of Hinata and his team, and yet Kageyama seemed to have this 'innate' sense that Hinata wasn't someone you should underestimate.

And they fight again, when trying to get into Karasuno, when they're in Karasuno, etc. etc. But it's never them genuinely disliking each other, it's just bickering at most. And as you read along you grow very fond of that aspect of them.

Maybe it is an overused word, but I don't think you could make it any clearer that those two are written to be soulmates.

Anyways, those are my thoughts! I'm obviously not normal about them, but I hope someone else can agree with these takes ^^

#they make me INSANE #im sure im not alone #soulmates.#kagehina #shobio #haikyuu #haikyuu headcanons #arts hcs #hq!!

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