#i don't see that; i think the interpretation is valid and i 100% see where it's coming from but i think i see joe differently

[airbenderedacted]

IF I WERE WOY CREW I WOULD ALSO FIGHT FOR THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING THE LESBIAN FLAG SOMEWHERE ON OR NEAR DOMINATOR IN JUST ONE WHOLE SCENE IN THE SHOW  SEND TWEET

[mymarifae]

i think that you would be an amazing teacher and i wish i could be in your class

aw thank you so much!! i'm glad you think so.. hopefully i can make at least one student's high school career a little easier, and hopefully i can remind them why they should never stop loving learning, no matter how hard the school system tries to beat it out of them :')

[scare-ard--sleigh]

no children still makes me think of hojo & lu nine million years later but um it's kinda uhhhhhhh idk how to say this, uh, cyril-coded 😬🫥🫣

[sneezypeasy]

The Lightning Scene, How Azula Targeted Katara (of All People), and the Doylist Reason Why That Matters

Mention Zuko's sacrifice for Katara in Sozin's Comet Part 3 as part of a pro-Zutara talking point, and invariably you'll get a Pavlovian response of:

"But Zuko would have taken the lightning for anyone."

(Not to be confused with the similar-sounding Pavlovan response, which is "Zuko's sacrifice ain't shit compared to a mouth-watering, strawberry-topped meringue dessert"*, which is actually the only valid counter-argument to how the lightning scene is a bona fide Zutara treasure, but I digress.)

Now, I've talked in depth about how the lightning scene is framed far more romantically than it had any right to be, regardless of how you might interpret the subject on paper; this is an argument which I still stand by 100%. That Zuko would have gotten barbecued for anyone, and that he was at the stage of his arc where his royal kebab-ness represented his final act of redemption, doesn't change the fact that the animators/soundtrack artists decided to pull out all the stops with making this scene hit romantic film tropes bingo by the time it played out on screen.

(I mean, we stan.)

There's also a deeper level to this conundrum, a layer which creeps up on you when you're standing in your kitchen at night, the fridge door open in front of you, your hungry, sleep-deprived brain trying to decide on what to grab for a midnight snack, and quite inexcusably you're struck with the question: Okay, Zuko may indeed have taken the lightning for just anyone, but would Azula have shot the lightning at just anyone?

But there's yet a deeper layer to this question, that I don't recall ever seeing anyone discuss (though if somebody has, mea culpa). And that is: would you have written Zuko taking the lightning for anyone else?

Or in other words, who Zuko would have taken the lightning for is the wrong question to be asking; the question we ought to be asking is who Zuko should have taken the lightning for, instead.

Get your pens out, your Doylist hats on, and turn to page 394. It's time to think like an author for a hot minute.

(If you don't know what I mean by Watsonian vs. Doylist analyses, and/or if you need a refresher course, go have a skim of the first section of this 'ere post and then scoot your ass back to this one.)

So. You're the author. You've written almost the entirety of an animated series (look at you!!) and now you're at the climax, which you've decided is going to be an epic, hero-villain showdown. Classic. Unlike previous battles between these two characters, your hero is going to have a significant advantage in this fight - partly due to his own development as a hero at the height of his strength and moral conviction, and partly because your villain has gone through a bit of a Britney Spears 2007 fiasco, and isn't quite at the top of her game here. If things keep going at this pace, your hero is going to win the fight fairly easily - actually, maybe even too easily. That's okay though, you're a talented writer and you know just what will raise the stakes and give the audience a well-timed "oh shit" moment: you're going to have the villain suddenly switch targets and aim for somebody else. The hero will be thrown off his groove, the villain will gain the upper hand, the turns will have indubitably tabled. Villains playing dirty is the number 1 rule in every villain handbook after all, and each of the last two times your hero's braved this sort of fight he's faced an opponent who ended up fighting dishonourably, so you've got a lovely Rule of Three perfectly lined up for the taking. Impeccable. The warm glow of triumph shines upon you, cherubs sing, your English teachers clap and shed tears of pride. (Except for that one teacher you had in year 8 who hated everybody, but she's a right bitch and we're not talking about her today.)

Now here's the thing: your hero is a hero. Maybe he wasn't always a hero, but he certainly is one now. If the villain goes after an innocent third party, there's basically no-one your hero wouldn't sacrifice himself for. He's a hero! Heroes do be like that, it's kind of their thing. The villain could shoot a bolt of lightning at Bildad the Shuhite, and the only thing that'd stop our boy Redeemed Paladin Bravesoul McGee from shielding his foxy ass is the fact that Bildad the Shuhite has the audacity to exist in a totally different show (disgusten.)

But. You're holding the writer's pen. Minus crossover shenanigans you don't have the licensing or time-travel technology to achieve, you have full control over how this scene plays out. You get to decide which character to target to deliver the greatest emotional impact, the juiciest angst, the most powerful cinematic suspense. You get to decide whose life you'll put at risk, to make this scene the most intense spine-chilling heart-stopper it can possibly be.

This is the climax we're talking about, after all - now is not the time to go easy on the drama.

So.

Do you make the villain target just anyone?

Or do you make the villain target someone the hero cares about?

Perhaps, someone he cares about... a lot?

Maybe even, someone he cares about... more than anybody else?

You are the author. You are the God of this universe. You get to choose.

What would deliver the strongest punch?

If you happen to make the inadvisable decision of browsing through these tropes on TV tropes, aside from wasting the rest of your afternoon (you're welcome), you'll find that the examples listed are littered with threatened and dead love interests, and, well, there's a reason for that. For better or worse, romantic love is often portrayed by authors, and perceived by audiences, as a "true" form of love (often even, "the" true form of love). Which is responsible for the other is a chicken/egg situation, one I'm not going to go into for this post - and while I'm certainly not here to defend this perspective as objectively good, I do think it's worth acknowledging that it not only exists but is culturally rather ubiquitous. (If you're playing the love interest in a story with a hero v. a villain, you might wanna watch your back, is what I'm saying.)

Regardless of whether the vibe you're aiming for is romantic or platonic however, one thing is for certain: if you want maximum oomph, the way to achieve that is by making the villain go after the player whose death would hit the hero the hardest.

And like I said, this doesn't have to be played romantically (although it so often is). There are platonic examples in those trope pages, though it's also important to note that many of the platonic ones do show up in stories where a love interest isn't depicted/available/there's a strong "bromance" element/the hero is low-key ace - and keep in mind too that going that route sometimes runs a related risk of falling into queer-bait territory *coughJohnLockcough*

That said, if there is a canon love-interest available, one who's confessed her love for the hero, one who has since been imprisoned by the villain, one who can easily be written as being at the villain's disposal, and who could quite conveniently be whipped out for a mid-battle surprise round - you might find you have some explaining to do if you choose to wield your authorly powers to have the villain go after... idk, some other sheila instead.

(The fact that this ends up taking the hero out of the fight, and the person he sacrifices himself for subsequently throws herself into the arena risking life and limb to defeat the villain and rescue her saviour, also means the most satisfying way this plays out, narratively speaking, is if both of these characters happen to be the most important person in each other's lives - at least, as of that moment, anyway - but I think this post has gone on long enough, lol)

This is, by and large, a rebuttal post more than anything else, but the tl;dr here is - regardless of whether you want to read the scene as shippy or not, to downplay Zuko's sacrifice for Katara specifically as "not that deep™" because "Zuko would have taken the lightning for anyone anyway", suggests either that a) nobody should be reading into the implications of Katara being chosen as the person nearest and dearest to Zuko, so that putting her life in jeopardy can deliver the most powerful impact possible for an audience you'd bloody well hope are on the edge of their seats during the climax of your story or b) the writers made the inexplicable decision of having the villain threaten the life of... literally who the fuck ever, and ultimately landed on someone who's actually not all that important to the hero in the grand scheme of things - which is a cardinal writing sin if I ever saw one (even disregarding the Choice to then season it with mood lighting and sad violin music, on top of it all), and altogether something I'd be legitimately pissed about if my Zuko-OTP ship paired him with Mai, Sokka, or just about anybody else 😂

Most importantly c) I'm hungry, and I want snacks.

*The Aussies in the fandom will get this one. Everyone else can suffer in united confusion.

[it-lives-within-the-dark]

I really do love SBCL and I really feel like when you read the manga it SO blatantly in your face…but when I read Yana’s old blog it seems like she’s so dead set against Sebastian and Ciel caring for each other at all…that it’s like does she even see what she writers or and I just delulu… or are antis just cherry picking what they translate 😭😭

Hey Nonny!

Short answer:

I'm not familiar enough with Yana's old blog to make any judgements on what her intentions/feelings are for her story and characters based on her posts (not to mention, it's old - people can change their minds).

Long answer:

I go back and forth when it comes to authorial intent and death of the author. I've literally been on both sides of the issue. As a fan, it's easy to say that what the author intended doesn't matter and that my interpretation of their work is 100% valid, even if it's the complete opposite of what the author intended. On the other hand, I've been in the author's shoes. I took a creative writing class in college where one of our assignments was to write a short story and then the class would discuss it. Simple, right? Easy. Except I wasn't allowed to speak the entire time my work was being discussed. I had to bite my tongue for forty minutes while my classmates completely butchered my story, listen to them miss the main theme completely, focus on a random detail that meant nothing, and walk away at the end of class not understanding anything I tried to convey in my work. I never got to explain what it actually meant; all the little clues and details that they missed - nothing. And it sucked. A lot. But at the end of the day there was nothing I could do about it.

All that to say, I think it's up to you to determine what holds more importance: what Yana says in her old posts (keeping in mind the context in which those remarks were made - what year did she make those comments, and where does that line up in the publishing of the manga? - are you taking into consideration that she is a public figure and that she might need to watch her words so that she doesn't jeopardize her job? etc.), or how you personally interpret the work.

I also think it's important to keep in mind that there can be (and is) a difference in what you, the fan, want to see happen, and what you want to actually happen in canon. There's a tumblr post floating around that discusses this topic but I don't have it handy.

Sorry this was all a bit rambly!

[sapphic-agent]

"Stop using Yangchen for your shitty argument."

So, I was browsing the anti Aang tag around a week ago I think and I came upon a post that displayed frustration for people who condemn Aang not wanting to kill Ozai. I'm not 100% sure that this was targeted at my post specifically, but as I did use Yangchen, I do want to clarify how I interpret her words as well as the other past lives' advice and Aang's reaction.

(Here's my first post if you haven't read it: https://www.tumblr.com/sapphic-agent/745211292168732672/lets-talk-about-how-book-3-ruined-aang?source=share)

This person's main argument centered around how the previous Avatars never actually told Aang to kill Ozai. That their words were for him to interpret. And I actually agree. One of my central arguments was that this was a choice Aang had to make.

The thing is though, Aang himself absolutely interpreted their messages as him having to kill Ozai. That's why he gets so frustrated ("I knew I shouldn't have asked Kyoshi") and keeps cycling through them until he gets the answer he wants. Let's go through exactly what they all said to him.

Roku: If I had been more decisive and acted sooner, I could have stopped Sozin and stopped the war before it started. I offer you this wisdom, Aang, you must be decisive.

Roku tells Aang to be decisive. Which means he's urging Aang to make a decision. And this is perfectly in-line with what I said previously. He has to be able to make a choice between his morals/beliefs and his responsibility as the Avatar, as Roku failed to choose between his attachment to Sozin and his responsibility as the Avatar. That's what Roku's saying and that's exactly how Aang understands it.

Kyoshi: Personally, I don't really see the difference, but I assure you, I would have done whatever it took to stop Chin. I offer you this wisdom, Aang, only justice will bring peace.

Kyoshi's advice actually makes it less about Aang and more about Ozai. He needs to face justice so that the world can know peace. She, like Roku, does not say kill Ozai, she says bring him to justice. Aang's later actions are actually very much in-line with that. He does bring Ozai to justice through his own means. But again, that's not how Aang interpreted her advice. He takes it to mean do what she did, which is why he's salty about it after she disappears.

Kuruk: If I had been more attentive and more active, I could've saved her. Aang, you must actively shape your own destiny and the destiny of the world.

Again, Kuruk's words imply murder even less than Kyoshi's. He tells Aang to be active, to embrace his responsibility to the world and its fate as the Avatar. This is something Aang has struggled with since the beginning of the show so it makes sense that Kuruk would say this. But again, Aang takes it as something he doesn't want to hear. He either thinks that Kuruk is implying that he has to kill Ozai or that he thinks Kuruk is saying to be more active as the Avatar (if it's the latter, that makes Aang look worse because it's advice he's still unhappy with).

(I'd also like to add that Aang isn't looking for alternatives from his past lives. Or at least, he isn't just looking for alternatives. He's looking for one of them to validate him not wanting to kill Ozai and offer advice based on that. Which is why he says, "Maybe an Air Nomad Avatar will understand where I'm coming from." So them not giving him alternatives is not why he's upset)

Yangchen: Many great and wise Air Nomads have detached themselves and achieved spiritual enlightenment, but the Avatar can never do it. Because your sole duty is to the world. Here is my wisdom for you. Selfless duty calls you to sacrifice your own spiritual needs, and do whatever it takes to protect the world.

Out of everyone, Yangchen is probably the closest one to telling Aang he has to kill Ozai. She directly tells him that he has to sacrifice his spiritual needs, which heavily implies that she means go against what the monks taught him and end Ozai for the sake of the world. And that's absolutely how Aang understands it. He even says out loud, "I guess I don't have a choice, Momo. I have to kill the Fire Lord."

So yes, I 100% agree that their advice was up to Aang's interpretation. But what this person- and Aang stans in general- seemed to miss is that Aang himself interpreted their advice as him having to kill Ozai.

Now, does he have to follow their advice? Absolutely not. In Yangchen's words from the Kyoshi novels, "You could spend a thousand years talking to us and you still wouldn't know how best to guide the world." Their advice is just that, advice. Their words aren't law and shouldn't be regarded as such (especially not Roku's, he's consistently given terrible advice/direction).

Hell, in my original post I said I didn't think he had to kill Ozai. Just that he should have had to make the choice between his beliefs and responsibility and face the consequences of that choice. The only reason I brought up the past Avatars at all is because I was pointing out that he refused to accept answers (not just from them, but also from the Gaang) he didn't want to hear. And when he finally did accept it, he was immediately spared from having to make the choice by the Lion Turtle

[stil-lindigo]

okay so, not entirely sure what the last anon was on about (and it very well could be a troll just trying to bait. they really should have at least brought up what they meant if they wanted to appear in good faith), but it may be in relation to "drink up" and how it attracted terf attention on twitter? (which I know you addressed btw, so I hope this doesn't come across as an attack or anything)

personally, I think the phrase "our only natural predator" might have appealed to terf rhetoric just a little (but that's my opinion - I very well could be 100% wrong). I have my own personal feelings on the use of "natural" in the phrase (men don't naturally prey on women like animal predators do their prey - if anything, it's unnatural, deliberately chosen behavior - and it reminds me of the excuse that "it's just naturally how men are," like "boys will be boys." HOWEVER, I see how that phrasing ties into the "lioness/women turning it around and preying on the predator" theme, so honestly it works well there), but aside from all that, I can also see why it might've attracted terfs: bc they very often view and frame trans women as male predators to cis women. I know that's definitely not how you intended it though!!

and this also isn't meant as a nitpick to your work, so my apologies if that's how it comes across. I really like your art and your writing (and "drink up" has a very cool theme)! it's just that I can see how terfs might've interpreted it a certain way. it's not your fault that they viewed it like that though, and you've made it very clear you're NOT down with trans exclusionary BS. so that's literally the only thing I could see anon complaining about tbh, assuming they're not just being a troll. also I'm sorry for the super long message (I have an issue w/ typing too much smh). I just thought I'd share my thoughts on it in case it's at all helpful, but also this might just be annoying to read instead, so honestly feel free to just discard it if you prefer!

It’s not annoying at all anon, and I appreciate you taking the time to send this in. The comic you’re talking about is one I think back on with a lot of regret. It was made in a furious haze after a big time female streamer revealed that she was being mentally abused for years by her husband, where he would waste her hard earned money, threaten her dogs and her livelihood and overall be a monster to the woman who was their primary breadwinner. The reaction online to this information by her largely male audience was so genuinely vile and violently misogynistic that I made the comic, without thinking broadly about the implications you’ve already pointed out. In reality, the comic was meant to talk about how all women (cis and trans) suffer under the patriarchy and how the label of womanhood can often be an open call for baseless derision, dehumanisation and entitlement at many levels.

TERFS quickly co-opted the comic, and I’ll always regret ever giving them an opportunity to feel empowered and validated by my art, but I’ve learned from the experience overall to do better by my trans siblings. Thank you for engaging in good faith - I hope my behaviour now and in the future can make up for past mis-steps.

[kouyou-arc-when]

Hey, this is a great ask and I am so sorry for not replying earlier. I am responding like this because I actually broke the character limit since I'm dumb -_- I've written a lot of posts about this on reddit, and many people came up to me and asked me something similar. Your line of thinking is good. Regarding Dazai:

So, the thing is - to properly diagnose any personality disorder, you need to talk to that very person to understand their inner mechanisms. There are certain behavioral traits we can observe from the outside and make some guesses based on that: for example, Dazai's broadly dented empathy and why that's often found in people with ASPD.

However, for many other personality disorders it is very difficult to conclude much without the person saying ~I feel x because of y. I do c because of b.

Why? Personality disorders are internal structures that cause a person's behavior to be challenging to either them or others. To understand these mental processes is much more demanding than seeing a person just feels sad or anxious, to explain it simplistic terms.

The key behind many disorders is to know WHY a person is doing what they're doing. This one thing changes whether a person has x,z,y,t,n or whatever condition.

An example: BPD and CPTSD are often mistaken for one another. Same as with BPD, CPTSD, Autism and ADD in women, but BPD and CPTSD tend to have the largest "overgap", you can even have both at the same time. That's because many of the outside observable symptoms are the same.

An example: unstable relationships are a symptom of ALL of the above, but BPD is sort of...an outdated PD according to many specialists due to the fact that it was used as an "everything" disorder, where people with socially unconventional emotions were dumped. That's why you'll find two people with BPD that are almost nothing alike.

However, even if we hold to classic diagnostic criteria, let me show how the same symptom can be a product of entirely different circumstances.

For example: Someone with BPD will have unstable relationships due to an extreme fear of abandonment. Someone with Autism may have unstable relationships due to differences in communication styles Someone with ADHD will have unstable relationships due to various circumstances: emotional regulation, executive functioning etc.

So really, the outward result may be the same, but the cause is different.

However, now, typically the main reason someone could have BPD is either due to extreme splitting, favorite person behavior, numbness and/or abandonment issues.

Dazai 100% has "favorite person" syndrome going on with Oda - the way he idealized Odasaku and then devalues everyone around him in comparison is pretty clinical - doesn't mean their relationship isn't lovely, but it's certainly something a therapist would take note of.

It's no shocker Dazai has unstable relationships, but we don't 100% know why he does what he does.

That's the whole thing Asagiri said - the character is meant to be like a donnut, where you don't really know what's in the middle - so it's extremely difficult to say which PD fits him for sure, probably even more difficult than the average neurodivergent character. In my opinion, several interpretations of Dazai are simultaneously valid due to the fact that you could assume multiple personal struggles within him, and come to a reasonable conclusion.

Does Dazai have abandonment issues? He says he always loses everything he wants, is EXTREMELY bitter over Ango, and definitely shows some levels of "splitting", especially in how he treats Oda vs Ango, Akutagawa vs Atsushi etc etc.

I'm pretty confident he has PTSD, and everything that comes with that. He certainly has a personality disorder too, due to the fact that a lot of his difficulties stem from his personality, and not just brain chemistry.

Kunikida says that most of his emotions "seem" like an act, which raises a lot of questions to what is even happening on the inside. Asagiri said Dazai is really only himself in front of people like Oda and Fyodor. That version of Dazai is...much less cheerful than with everyone else.

I don't personally think Dazai is autistic since he has a good hang on social cues and overall communication. Mamoru Miyano said PM Dazai was still learning to communicate with others back in his Dark Era days, but it wasn't that he couldn't do it - he was just not interested in learning it.

I feel like Asagiri gave Dazai this "unrealistic" trait of being primarily isolated because he's extraordinarily intelligent (which is not how geniuses tend to feel irl, most of the time) but I always feel like there is something more to it.

There is definitely some /disconnect/ between Dazai and "normal" people, where he doesn't fully seem to understand certain things, he falls short there. As someone who has CPTSD diagnosed, I get the impression he maybe has a similar thing going on as many of us: A extremely traumatic experience disrupted a lot of normal emotional and cognitive processes, and now he's both extremely hypervigilant and unable to snap out of that "shellshocked" state. He needs to "perform" conventionality, and being a normal person.

In one wan chapter, he "made a joke" that you start doing one bad thing after another, and suddenly you feel nothing at all. That's the trademark numbness in both CPTSD and BPD.

There was this TDIPUD moment where he talks about how a personality is just a bunch of unstable premises that survive to uphold the basic instincts of the human mind - but how it's easily destroyed for that reason. This is a scene where he tortures the guy, and I was like "wow, I really get it". Severe trauma can just destroy the very structure of your personality, because extreme pain just numbs everything within you. "You" as a person can't survive.

BPD is also related to an unstable sense of self - which could be connected to the former paragraph. Sometimes lowered empathy is also a byproduct of BPD, in fact, the thing is that both BPD and CPTSD come from trauma 99% of the time. They're shockingly similar disorders.

So, does Dazai have BPD? No idea. He could also be schizoid to some extent, which is funny, because Franz Kafka had this disorder, the author that inspired Asagiri's nickname.

For now, I'd just leave at he has CPTSD for sure

Most of these disorders are very broad descriptors, and it's difficult to label most humans in a way that will genuinely encompass what their experiences are. Most of the time, these diagnostics are used to match a person with the best treatment available, or to explain what they're going through - so I don't think there is a perfect diagnosis for Dazai aside from PTSD, but he's definitely extremely neurodivergent. Thanks for reading <3

[nicoleanell]

By POPULAR DEMAND (a couple of people said "hey Nicole I care about your Renfield 2023 meta")

Ever since I made this gif set of something that's grown to be one of my favorite moments in the movie, I was a little wary of responses to it? Not just whether the source or my highlighting of it would be interpreted as victim-blamey, but that some might actually use it as a jumping-off point to say something more insensitive and victim-blamey themselves in the comments/tags. (Which thankfully hasn't happened! But the first thing is a take I've seen from a couple of people.)

Now, I feel pretty strongly like "victim-blaming" or being anything but 100% on the side of the abused is the LAST thing Renfield (2023) is trying to do, considering [GESTURES AT THE ENTIRE MOVIE]. But I do think it needs to be unpacked a little bit.

This idea of having partially gotten yourself into a situation and that means you can get out and get better… that's not going to relate to EVERYONE'S experience. (Certainly not, for example, a person whose abuse started in childhood.) It's not a universal truth and I don't think it's meant to be. See that tumblr post going around about how fiction that's harmful (or just lightly off-putting) for some people can be healing for others, and vice versa.

But for this character it IS really important that he's not a perfect innocent victim but not an irredeemably bad person either. And it's also important that any Redemption he's capable of is not through shame and punishment, something he's had quite enough of already, but being alive and happy as the person he wants to be.

They have him acknowledge before the end of the movie - in a way that is framed as correct and honest - that he bears responsibility for where he ended up, on a very literal in-canon level. Although Dracula is manipulative and he's implied to have some degree of hypnotic power to influence/charm people, what did not happen (contrary to some versions of the story) was Renfield having his sanity and/or free will magicked away entirely. He made CHOICES. He continued making them!

But… there's something about the fact that he gets to own that without hating himself. He has to own it without hating himself. A not insignificant thing for him is to be able to say that he made mistakes and bad choices, and he takes responsibility for that, but that doesn't mean he deserves to suffer for those choices forever. He's allowed to move forward and be happy.

It's such a huge and weirdly nuanced take for this movie's version of Renfield to be fully accountable for his actions AND extremely sympathetic AND go basically unpunished.

Relatedly, I love the fact they acknowledge shame as a motivating influence on him, which is so fucking dark and sad and complicated coming from this movie?!?!?! A lot of people took that line to be specifically a queerness/attraction thing, and I think that's there and valid. But I also just took it to be like over time the primary way Drac manipulated him was through his shame over what he'd done & become.

Which is such a heartbreaking thing to throw in there, because everything else on that list (dreams etc) is a positive reinforcement -- the devil on your shoulder appealing to the things you want -- but then it crashes into this understanding that he didn't want to want some of those things, and that was also a button to push. There is something equally powerful to Dracula knowing what shames him and the exact ways he hates himself, maybe to take it away, maybe to just keep pressing it until he agrees he's worthless and deserves to suffer. That is MOST of the dynamic we actually see between them in the timeline of the movie, regardless of what their earlier relationship was like.

So the answer to that is not to say he's totally good and has done nothing shame-worthy, but it's also not to say he should be more ashamed actually, it's just… knowing all this and still believing he deserves to be alive and free.

IRL it's not uncommon for there to be a self-blaming factor within abusive relationships and some guilt and shame that goes along with that. It's not always incorrect to realize like: some of this was in my control, I gave a lot of power to this person willingly. I emotionally relied on them, I let my identity get wrapped up in them, I should've known better or stood up for myself or put up stronger boundaries earlier, and the fact I didn't just reinforced how hopeless I felt. It hits the same way for anybody struggling with addictive or self-destructive behavior. The flip side of all that can be understanding and forgiving that version of yourself and reclaiming that power rather than feeling ashamed and trapped by it.

And again! That's not necessarily the story or mindset that resonates with everyone, and it could be perceived badly if one feels it's speaking for all survivors. But if it resonates, it really does.

Last note: The movie also says very firmly that it is NOT as easy for everyone as simply "loving yourself, standing up for yourself, accepting responsibility etc." Like, I actualy think they made a pretty loud point that when your abuser is violent and vengeful and threatning to hurt you and others, you actually fucking CAN'T get out so easily and the self-help affirmations are kinda bullshit. HE NEEDED ALLIES AND SUPPORT IN A VERY REAL AND TANGIBLE WAY. Without Rebecca and also Tumblr he would've been fucked several times over. :) But the bullshit affirmations were still something that mattered to him emotionally, and something he drew strength from, to even get the belief it could get better into his own head.

[doggirlbuffysummers]

Trying to work on getting back to being more comfortable sharing my thoughts so going to jump right in the deep end. I do feel like there is a very good argument for faith lehane as an aromantic allosexual. I feel like faith in season three is specifically obsessed with Buffy in a way that is definitely tied at least in part to some degree of sexual attraction. I would like to note, however, that this attraction can exist absent romantic intentions entirely.

I definitely do feel like there are a lot of indications that faith is potentially romantically interested in Buffy, especially some amount of jealousy of Angel/desire to be in Angel's position. This is, of course, a very valid interpretation of Faith's character. I also very much hold that Faith does not have any real emotional attachment to any of the guys she hooks up with/has sex with, but does have something going on between Buffy and herself.

I do find, as an aromantic, getting into a pattern of obsession with others. It's kinda like this non-romantic non-platonic desire for emotional closeness. I don't think it's exclusive to aromantics but absent romantic inclinations it stands out more. I have definitely had bad times where I do feel resentful when friends prioritize their significant others over me. It can be tough feeling like you will never be able to be the most important person in someone's life. At this point I have been able to move past these feelings, but it takes time and introspection.

A lot of aro people talk about this idea that there isn't anything that is exclusively romantic except for intent. The idea that friendships look one way and romantic relationships look another way is not an accurate one, as the actions generally deemed to be romantic change based on cultural context.

So back to faith. She spends most of season three isolated. The only people she really knows are the people in Buffy's friend group. She wants this close emotional connection with Buffy. She also very obviously wants sex with Buffy. It is easy to see why she would see Angel as an obstacle to that connection when Buffy not only does not confide in Faith about Angel's existence, but also Faith is not necessarily clear on if what she wants from Buffy is actually friendship or not.

I do think that the argument for Faith as alloallo lesbian is 100% a valid interpretation, but I think that as someone who has repeatedly interpreted her (my) platonic feelings as romantic due to the perceived intensity of her (my) desire for emotional connection, I believe this interpretation is a valid one.

[boba-tea-addict-1004]

🔥🔥Rengoku Head cannon's 🔥🔥

Red = Angst related

Pink = Romantic based

Black = Normal non-relationship based

He 100% would lose his marbles if/when he found out sweet potato pie is a thing. like he would stop smiling, do a slow turn to the nearest person and say "we are buying this."

Though he'd never admit to it (unless you keep pushing him) he actually hold very conflicting feelings towards his dad. yes he loves him and cares for him but at the same time he abused him a treated him like shit for so LONG. even when he became a Hashira he didn't change. his feelings about family are a little conflicting at times... a lot. it's dew to this he has a slight internal fear he'll end up like his father. to you or anyone else he deeply cares about.

on the other hand, the only reason he puts up with it is one word. Senjuro. senjuro is a sensitive soul and he need someone to be there for him. he 100% will snap if someone says something like "it builds character" or "it'll toughen him up"

if you say something and he doesn't hear you "So Sorry, you'll have raised your voice a little" (since he's half deaf he can't hear you all that well

He is a cuddle person. like if you had a hard day at work he will hold you till your brain is back to functioning normally

Along with Physical touch, his other love language would be word's of affirmation and endearment. he can be a bit corny and poetic at times but it's honestly always coming from a place of genuine expression

I don't really see him having one specific sexuality, he'd probably identified as unlabeled and be one hell of an Ally 🏳‍🌈✨ (and the 'to many wives' comment still is true but i interpret that as just him and uzui being bro's

he screams bi-wife energy. like the last comment i don't see him as being one particular sexuality but i like the idea of him being that way when he's in a hetero relationship and letting you know your valid if you swing both ways

in the kimetsu academy universe where he is a teacher i think he's the type of teacher to go above and beyond with his students. i know it's pretty much cannon but let me elaborate. he seems like the kind of person to show up to school half an hour early for support classes and tutoring. he also goes all out on school festivals and holidays. he also probably uses his personal funds for items in school and to make sure everyone has what they need. he also is there for mental support. 1000/10 teacher and gold stars all around 🎖🎖 (he also probably gets the most gifts on teacher appreciation day)

[a-reader-and-a-writer]

Yes to that comic version of Bruce! 👏 (what did you think of the bale batman and battinson?) Jensen is a bloody good actor but I just can't process him as the bat I look at him and my brain just says 💗soft💗 I liked the bale batman- although I can't see him as batdad but I can somehow see battinson trying to parent lol Jon Bernthal would make a killer batman for sure. I find it soo hard to fancast and I always end up changing my mind

Who is your Alfred? I love Michael Caine Alfred and I quite liked the Alfred from the Gotham TV series

I can't unsee Brenton Thwaites as Nightwing like in my mind the way Hugh Jackman shall forever be Wolverine and Ian McKellen is forever Gandalf, Brenton Thwaites is now my forever Nightwing. I really really want a Nightwing movie so bad. Have you seen the YouTube Nightwing series?

I've never heard of Tanner Buchanan before, but yo the green eyes sealed the deal there 💚 I find Jason the hardest to cast tbh

Griffin Gluck!! Have you seen locke and key? that's the only thing I've seen him in, Felix Mallard was in it too, I can sometimes envision Felix as Jason sometimes not, I've not seen a fancast before that has made me be like yes that is 100% Jason, I liked the hbo titans version of Jason but only as the hbo titans Jason if that even makes sense, little dude did so good in that role 👏 but anyways sorry for the Jason tangent lol !Griffin Gluck Tim Drake hell yeah! This is partly crack partly not but mostly crack but I can somewhat see Rebal D as Tim Drake the energy in his YouTube videos is at times very Tim to me

I wish dc would even just make a short mini movie, like 15 mins long, about Bruce trying to be a responsible father and damian just being damian 🤣

I know the ages for this arent right but oh well lol, I think I'd fancast Chance Perdomo as Duke, Emma Stone as Steph and Violet Orlandi as Cass, for the life of me I can't come up with anyone for Babara? (I love Violet as Cass, she's not even an actress but she could sooo do it)

Thanks for giving your fancast!! And 10 000% yes to the Wayne Family Adventures it's so perfect, I need to start reading that again. But yeah if you have anymore casting ideas for the batfam or villians etc I'd looovee to hear!

Hi anon!!! This is an AMAZING ask!!! Thank you so incredibly much for taking the time to send it! 🥰

This answer is going to be a bit lengthy so I'm going to put it under the break. And I am planning on doing another post of fancasting like this one for the extended Batfam members so I might not address all your points here, but they will be coming very soon! 😘

First of all, I am a big fan of both Bale and Pattinson's portrayals. I have a hard time picking a favorite because their approaches to the character are so different and yet both valid. I am VERY interested to see what they do with Battinson moving forward since this first movie is still early in his time wearing the cowl where he is still figuring out what Batman should be. And I would LOVE to see him get a Robin in the sequel (preferably sticking with Dick like the canon) but we shall see!

I'm not sure if you've seen The Boys, but Jensen's portrayal of Soldier Boy is all the proof to me that he could nail portraying Batman. And his range in Supernatural (from being a gruff and heartless hunter one minute to breaking down in a softer, protective emotional side the next) solidifies for me that he could switch between Batman to Batdad when needed. And he's charming as hell so Bruce wouldn't be a problem 😂

I'll have my new fancast of Alfred on my next post, but from previous ones, Michael Caine is always my Alfred. I think Andy Serkis is a great version of Alfred for Battinson and is what that Bruce needs (and his performance is great as always) and I enjoyed Sean Pertwee in Gotham (once again, a great interpretation for what *that* Bruce needed). However, Michael Caine was my first live-action Alfred and he was SO PERFECT, I don't think he will ever be topped as my favorite.

To be fair, I think Brenton Thwaites had the look for Dick and I think he could have been a good choice if the show was different, but for me, I can't get over how much Titans tone and interpretation of the characters/stories rubbed me the wrong way. None of the characters felt accurate to me based on their comic counterparts and the studio just tried to be too edgy and dark. The perfect example is the "Fuck Batman" moment. It was all over the trailers and just seemed like something they wanted to push to be like "this ain't your parent's Robin" but they pushed things so far it didn't even feel grounded in the characters I love. (don't even get me started on the Red Hood plot line).

I have seen the Nightwing youtube series and they do a really good job with it! My hope for this new direction of the DC movies and the fact The Brave and the Bold will focus on Bruce and Damian's relationship is that it means they'll include Nightwing and maybe mention Tim now working with the Titans (you don't want to include too many characters in the first movie which is the problem a lot of superhero movies have made lately). And I also want a mention of Jason but not have him returned as Red Hood yet which would be its own movie later.

Speaking of Jason.... While Dick is my first Robin and will always have a very special place in my heart because of that, Jason is my favorite. I just love how complex and rich his character development and story is. I also find casting him really difficult because of that. However, I do think Tanner Buchanan has a good potential. I've seen him in a few smaller roles, but I know he is a main character in Cobra Kai so he does have experience with fighting he could bring to the role (I haven't seen the show but I did watch clips on youtube). And as you pointed out, those green eyes are a big plus!

I think Curran Walters does a good job in Titans for what the show wants of him, but once again, it's just not my Jason and I rage quit season 3 😂 (though I watched clips of key Red Hood moments from later in the season)

Tim is always the hardest member of the main Batfam for me to write or cast just because he is the one I have the least knowledge or experience with outside of fanfics. However, I still really like him as a character and think he has a lot of potential in a movie or show. And I haven't seen Locke and Key (though it is on my list because I LOVE Aaron Ashmore)

I am excited with the prospect of having Bruce and Damian together in The Brave and the Bold, but I am also very nervous about how they will characterize them. All the Batman projects since Batman Begins have skewed very dark and I don't think that works well if you bring in the whole Batfam (if they just want to add Dick with Battinson, I think that could work but not expanding it to the whole gang). But James Gunn's comments about making the new Superman movie more about kindness feels like it will be a brighter, lighter version (more like the Christopher Reeve movies than the Henry Cavill ones) which I feel is more accurate to most comics, so I am cautiously optimistic for the Batfam in these movies. However, the canon and fanon versions of the Batfam don't always match (neither does the canon version between comic writers), but I am still hopeful for the more loving version we want, and is portrayed fairly well in the DC Animated movies.

As for Duke, Cass, Steph, and Barbara, I'm going to include them in my next post so you will have to wait a little to get my thoughts on them as well as a few others😉

Though because you brought up ages I will mention that all of my castings are based on if I were making a movie or show today. There are a lot of different people I would have loved to have in these roles in the past that are unfortunately just too old at this point.

And just another shout-out to Wayne Family Adventures because it is everything I ever wanted from a Batfam comic/story!!! Plus, the art is so perfect! Yes, the comic is a lot of fan service, but it is really funny while also being deep and emotional at times. It never loses the heart of the characters and you can tell there is so much love in the project and for these characters. If we could get a show or even a web series of this version of the Batfam, it would be a dream come true!

[katyspersonal]

thank u for pointing out the unfair finlenia stances in the fandom..a lot of people dont get that not liking a ship is sometimes a taste thing and not bigotry. i personally hc malenia as demi and i like to imagine she kept a professional relationship with her soldiers but finlay was a big admirer. i dont want to get hate for this take though

Aww anon come here;

I'd love to say that disliking a ship is always a taste, not "sometimes", but... well, some people who are invested in shipping will prefer only straight ships and consider gay ones "sin"/degeneracy/whatever led them to it. I haven't run into this sort of fans in a VERY long while but I doubt they went 100% extinct.

Nonetheless, it IS important to not instantly assume the worst about the person just because they don't share the vision of the ship that the 'cool kids' of the fandom decided is canon! Even if initial concern comes from a 'reasonable' place (like not wanting those conservative bigots to shame people in the fandom), this sort of fear and alertness ALWAYS ends up hurting waaaaaay more innocent people than it punishes the guilty ones! This principle applies not just to fandomry discourse of course but everywhere; being hyper-alerted and always set on detecting the enemy just inevitably turns you into THESE guys:

(In case if you don't know of Bloodborne, these guys are pretty much the mentality and reflection of what happens when you become so paranoid you'll rather have many innocents executed than "risk to let a beast slide", super smart and striking portrayal of our clown world ssdhfhds All this to say is that I do not DEhumanise these haters, I know where it came from but I still disapprove of this culture of reactive paranoia)

Okay enough with my ENTP bullshit and back on the subject; aro/ace spectrum Malenia headcanons are valid! As well as your suggestion about her keeping professional distance with her knights. For example, it is reasonable to assume that she felt guilt since all her Knights inflicted inevitable decay on themselves to stand by her side:

What if Malenia had emotional barrier, if not deep guilt for existing, that no amount of Finlay's convincing that she wanted this fate could break? What if the issues Malenia developed through life of both idealisation and demonisation (both are dehumanising) made her push someone, especially a subordinate, away upon assuming they "don't know what they want"? What if she is afraid of relationship because, since Scarlet Rot can sprout stronger in reaction to emotional pain (as we seen from Millicent blooming if she was betrayed), Malenia is scared shitless to harm another person or herself should relationship ever cause deep pain? Or what if Malenia forsaken considering relationship altogether because she identifies as 'blade of Miquella' and is not willing for any bond to become more important than that (and someone can expect romantic love to eclipse familial one, it depends on the perspective).

There are many directions to take in either why Malenia might not love Finlay, love but not want to date Finlay, or not love/date anyone. Why she either can't or doesn't want to! I have a couple of two other mutuals who are scared to tell anyone they don't 'see' Finlenia because even a deep analysis of the character will be received as attempt to "invalidate a representation"! One of them also thinks Malenia ships don't work period because it's hard to let romantic feelings bloom under so much physical and mental illness, speaking from perspective of a person with physical disabilities and severe depression themselves! Also a very valid perspective! Again, do we then want to argue about whose projected experiences "deserve" validation and whose don't? The hell we do :/

In the end of the day 1) fandom is not a majority rule and thus they can't just "collectively decide" how to interpret canon that IS left open to different interpretations, especially using problems like bigotry as an excuse or even weaponizing their identities. What will happen if a lesbian saying the heretics that don't ship Finlenia are all homophobic meets a lesbian that also doesn't ship it? I don't wanna know. 2) culture of reactive paranoia is bad, let's NOT become Yharnam Huntsmen

[douglysium]

Episode 19 TMP Quick Thoughts

Housekeeping and Prologue

Hello, this is Douglysium and you might not know me as that guy who wrote over 100 pages of analysis on the Eye (which can be read on Tumblr here (https://douglysium.tumblr.com/post/735599414228484097/the-relationships-between-the-dread-powers-the) or Google Docs here (The Relationships Between the Dread Powers: The Eye- Knowledge is Fear and Ignorance is Bliss)) or as that guy who wrote an article on the Extinction (which can be read on Tumblr here(https://douglysium.tumblr.com/post/717929126195003392/what-would-avatars-of-the-extinction-be-like-a) and Google Docs here(​What would Avatars of the Extinction be like?: A TMA Speculation)). Suffice to say I might be a bit of a TMA fan. Also, spoilers for TMP up until episode 10. You can read my ramblings on the last episode here (Episode 18 TMP Quick Thoughts).

However, Protocol offers a very unique opportunity and experience for me because I didn’t actually get into TMA until after it was over and I binged all of it. So this is my first time experiencing something even remotely similar to what the original TMA fans probably experienced when waiting for each episode week by week and slowly having to put everything together with the limited information they had. So I decided to throw my hat into the ring since this might be my only chance to do something similar. However, I’m working on some longer form TMA content so I can’t spend as much time on these articles giving a bunch of super detailed thoughts. I will try to keep these short and that inevitably might mean some could have questions about why I think or predict certain things and in those cases I would probably recommend you read at least some of the two articles I mentioned above to get a better idea of where I’m coming from. This also means I won’t be giving you a play-by-play of every single thing that happens in the episode so I encourage you to listen to or read them yourselves and feel free to comment if you feel something is important.

These reviews are probably going to end up focusing mostly on the Entities and their manifestations as they are what I have thought about the most and spent the most time interpreting and there’s been a lot of… interesting theories floating around about how the Entities are manifesting that I want to go over.

Finally, I’m just going to say it right now, spoiler warning for all of The Magnus Archives. I know that Jon and co said one could start with Protocol and be fine, and while that’s probably true, media like this tends to be made in conversation with or take into consideration what came before it in the irl chronology in order to connect them. While I’m sure you could skip The Magnus Archives, I don't really see the point of skipping over it when we are already getting characters from TMA showing up in TMP in Protocol. So to me it’s pretty clear that if we want to understand the full picture of TMP and all the things it is trying to say then we can’t just try to pretend TMA doesn’t exist or scrub it away. Just because you could understand what’s happening without the context in broad strokes doesn’t mean you're getting all the nuances.

These articles are meant to be quick and short so sorry if there’s typos and if I don’t address every possible question or possibility. I don’t want to repeat myself too much in this series outside of the prologue so be sure to skim some of my other articles.

Episode 19 “Hard Reset”

I’m actually SUPER excited to dive into analyzing this episode because I feel like it validates some of the major themes and points I made in my essay about The Eye (The Relationships Between the Dread Powers: The Eye- Knowledge is Fear and Ignorance is Bliss). So I’m just going to cut the preamble and dive into the episode.

We start off in the OIAR break room as something / someone observes Sam pouring himself a coffee. He walks over to Celia as she looks at some papers and comments “Looks like you raided every photocopier in the building this time.” Implying that Celia has an absurd amount of papers at the moment. Sam comments “The papers? There seems to be more of them every time I come in here. You’re lucky Lena hasn’t noticed, she’s pretty uptight about how much stuff we print.” which is an interesting note about Lena’s personality or priorities even if it isn’t much. It goes without much saying that Lena seems to care a lot about the company and the employees to some extent. Although, I think Lena’s attachment to the staff is completely business related and not some kind of personal attachment.

Sam notices the papers Celia is looking through and says something that so many fans, such as myself, have been waiting for since the second we saw the Protocol logo.

“Is that… alchemy?” 

Celia asks if Sam recognizes the alchemy stuff to which Sam says “Some of it.” and explains that he ran into some alchemy related stuff when looking into the Magnus Institute and even says “Turns out they were pretty deep into all this stuff.” He also comments on one of the papers: “This one’s something to do with transference and this one… yeah, it’s all about spiritual substitution of elements although looks like its incomplete.” I wonder if this is some kind of hint to what the Institute was trying to achieve in Protocol. I could see transference somehow being related to Darien’s case or the transfer of people from other universes but I’m not sure.

The Institute being mentioned causes Celia to ask Sam how his research into the organization is going. Sam answers with “I dunno. I think I’m going to drop it.” and explains “Yeah, Alice keeps saying I’m getting obsessed and- don’t tell her I said this- but I think she might have a point. I’ve never been good with loose ends.” The conversation then continues with-

CELIA 

“If you’re sure. Seemed like you were handling it ok to me…’ 

SAM 

“You think? Well either way, I’ve got enough cases piling up I doubt I’d have the time anyway.” 

CELIA 

“Tell me about it.’ 

SAM 

“(standing) Speaking of, I should probably get back to it. Enjoy… whatever this is.” 

CELIA 

“Will do. And if I find anything to do with the Institute, I just keep it to myself yeah?”

SAM 

“Oh, well, I mean… I wouldn’t go that far…” 

This interaction has me wondering a bit more about Celia’s motives. I’m not sure if Celia is good or evil yet and if she plans to stop the Entities / Institute or enable them but I get the feeling that the reason she is helping Sam isn’t completely altruistic or just out of love for the guy, and she has something to gain from him looking into the Institute. Celia is looking into multiversal travel and we know that at the very least the Institute was aware of and seemingly present when Darien jumped universes Episode 17 (Saved Copy), so it’s possible that the Institute had looked into what Celia is searching for previously or the two subjects overlap greatly. So I do think Celia is using Sam but that doesn’t necessarily mean she doesn’t care about him at all (so that’s still up in the air).

What Even is The Eye?

Okay, as excited as I am to dive into the case I think it’s important to do a bit of explaining about my research and understanding of The Eye in TMA, as I feel this case shares a lot of themes that I mentioned in a previous essay. If you want to read the full essay you can do so here (The Relationships Between the Dread Powers: The Eye- Knowledge is Fear and Ignorance is Bliss) but for now I’m just going to copy and paste a snippet of the essay… look these “quick” thoughts end up averaging like 15 pages each week and I can only keep typing the same 2 points over and over, corners are going to be cut (also I put a LOT of work into my research on The Eye).

“Before we can dive into some of the comparisons and contrasts between the Eye and the other Entities, we must first define the Eye by understanding the fear it embodies and some of the imagery associated with it.

The Eye is an entity that is stated to have been born from, and feed off of, the fear of being watched, exposed, followed, of having secrets known, but also the drive to know and understand, even if your discoveries might destroy you. Getrude also mentions it feeds off the fear of being judged in MAG 161(Dwelling). With entities such as this, some of the fears may seem random or not quite connected to each other so I thought it would help to try to find not only what connects all these together but boil them down to their core essence. This is surprisingly easy since the fears of most Entities can usually be connected by very basic words or phrases. 

Basically, it appears that the Eye revolves around fears that have to do with knowledge. Whether that be the fear of someone knowing about you, someone attempting to understand something about you, or the fear of coming across a piece of knowledge you would rather not know. One way this can manifest is by something trying to reveal or gather knowledge about you. Which can be done in ways such as watching someone, exposing their secrets, listening to private conversations, etc. This is also where I think the whole following aspect of the Eye comes from. It’s the idea that someone is observing you, which is a form of gathering information, for any sort of purposes. When we think of why someone would be following someone / something else it is usually connected to information. Maybe they are trying to follow you to your house, maybe they are trying to see if you go to a place where they KNOW you’re alone, or maybe they are just trying to spy on you. Typically, when someone is following you they are either gathering information or waiting for the right moment to strike (which also involves getting information. 

The Eye’s theme of being exposed also connects to what Gertrude said in regards to it and the fear of being judged. If you are being judged then something is not only watching and / or paying attention to you but they are also trying to understand you or expose who / what you are. A lot of the time, when we are being judged, people are looking for faults and shortcomings or something they can exploit. Which is something that many find scary. There is also the fact that if someone is judging you then they could come across some fact about you that you don’t want them to know about (Imagine if someone went through your house to appraise how clean it was just to point out how dirty it is or if they found something you hid). Someone judging you may also be looking for something bad to do to you. Maybe they noticed how valuable your jewelry is and are thinking about stealing it now.

Something that I feel many miss is that the Eye not only focuses on the fear of someone / something gaining / exposing knowledge and secrets about you but also the idea of forbidden or cursed knowledge. In essence, there are some things that people don’t want to know about, something that the TMA wiki lists as “horrible knowledge.” This kind of fear also feeds the Eye, it's the reason why Jonah Magnus can shove information into people’s minds. Has anyone ever told you some weird disgusting fun fact that you didn’t need or want to know? Have you ever heard the phrase “ignorance is bliss,” “out of sight out of mind,” or “what you don’t know can’t hurt you?” Have you ever seen something that you wish you didn’t and just want to forget about, or maybe you just walked in on your naked grandma? https://www.youtube.com/shorts/752Tb059OH8 

There is also the stereotypical setup where someone witnesses a murder and immediately realizes that they weren’t supposed to see that and by merely knowing what they just saw a target has been put on their head. There are people who really don’t want you to know stuff and if they realize you know it you might be in trouble. These are all things that connect to aspects of the Eye. 

What I’m trying to get across with all these examples is that knowledge in and of itself can be scary and a burden. Something that in turn feeds the Eye. This is also why we have weird Eye related statements like the one in MAG 23 where one by the name of Albrecht von Closen sees a man with missing eyes. To some of the more astute viewers this seems pretty weird. Usually, the lack of eyes or missing eyes is associated with the Dark because it has to do with blindness and being unable to see. However, while it is stated that the man in question could seemingly still see clearly (which is what made it weird), I believe that when the Eye takes away someone’s eyes it has to do with the idea that the person in question saw something that they weren’t supposed to or didn’t want to know. That whatever they saw and knew led to them getting put in danger either physically or mentally. Either that or the idea that someone would rather go blind and remain in ignorance than see / know something. 

Imagine witnessing something so terrible it makes you want to claw your own eyes out. I think many can also relate to the idea of wanting to ignore a problem or not even think about it instead of addressing it. There’s also the idea of some sort of forbidden knowledge that can drive you mad as a common trope in horror. 

Connected to this point is the drive to know and understand, even if your discoveries might destroy you. What this basically refers to is sometimes we want to know something even if we know it might hurt us. Think of wanting to know what happened to a loved one or friend even if you know what you are about to hear is going to be terrible, or being unable to look away from a horrific accident or brutal violence uploaded onto the internet even though it traumatizes you. The Eye has a big “curiosity killed the cat” and “ignorance is bliss” theme that I think a lot of people overlook. Something that is also reflected in what we learn in regards to the Eye’s creation in MAG 200(Last Words). When we learn in what order the Fears were born and the fears that led to their creation we get this: “and struggle at learning, so too did they learn to fear that their eyes might deceive them, or show them too much.” Here the “fear that their eyes might deceive them” is the Spiral while the fear of being shown too much is the Eye since none of the other fears mentioned in that statement match up with the Eye and clearly correspond with the other Entities.”

Here’s another part of the essay I want to show- “If you still don’t get what I mean in regards to the parallels between knowledge and fear the best example I can think of is the story of Adam and Eve from the Bible. For those who don’t know, the story of Adam and Eve revolves around the first humans in the Garden of Eden. In the story Adam and Eve basically lived perfect peaceful lives in the Garden of Eden. In this garden there was a tree and God told them to not eat of its fruit as the fruit was one of knowledge but it would give them knowledge of both good and evil and he warned them that should they eat it they will die. A serpent tricks them into eating the fruit by promising that the knowledge they would obtain would make them sort of like God in the sense that they would have his knowledge of good and evil. Upon eating it they gained the knowledge of both good and evil but immediately became ashamed as they realized they were naked and without clothes. Something that I feel hammers in my point, and the fear of exposure ironically relates to the Eye. Adam and Eve would not have felt afraid or embarrassed about being naked if they hadn’t obtained the knowledge because they would have had no concept of clothes. Also, by eating the fruit they no longer knew only goodness but also knew evil which meant that they were no longer innocent in a sense. Since they now had evil knowledge and could comprehend evil actions they could also perform them to themselves or others and comprehend more ways in which someone could perform those actions on them. I would say that in a weird way some of the themes of Adam and Eve can tie into the Eye and one could argue that at a certain point suffering comes with knowledge. It’s basically the whole idea that “ignorance is bliss.””

The most important thing to take away here is that The Eye isn’t just the fear of being watched or being known but also the fear of being the watcher or knowing too much. There are some things that you don’t want to know. We also get some interesting comments in MAG 111 (Family Business) when Jon asks “R-r-right. I know The Eye. Fear of being watched, right?” Gerard adds “Being watched, being followed, having your deepest secrets exposed. Needing to know, even if your discoveries might destroy you. The feeling that something, somewhere, is letting you suffer, just so it can watch.” So The Eye has some sort of connection to a desire to know and all the terrible things people can do in their search for knowledge. There seems to be a connection to the fear that someone might hurt you in an attempt to learn something, someone is sadistically watching your pain, or that you might hurt yourself in order to learn something. The Eye also loves to prey on or amp up existing curiosity in the same way that The Slaughter likes to feed anger or The Hunt likes to feed the excitement that comes with chasing something.

I’m going to be coming back to a lot of these points as I go through this case so try to keep them in mind. The Eye can easily relate to things like dangerous / forbidden / blasphemous knowledge, or the fear of someone who has gotten too curious.

Case

The case is immediately off to an interesting start with “To my esteemed Colleague and 

friend, the honorable Fellow of the Royal Society Robert Boyle, from the bureau of Robert Hooke, Curator of Experiments of the same, regarding enactment of that most regrettable protocol in the service of God, King and Country against the Fellow Isaac Newton, penned in the year of our lord 1684” TMA has had real life historical figures appear in the past and they tend to be pretty important whenever they do (such as Robert Smirke). Also a fun fact about Isaac Newton was that, among other things, he was an alchemist. So what we see him doing in this case might be some attempt at alchemy and Isaac probably was not randomly picked for this plot point. Especially when you consider the earlier conversation Sam had with Celia and we can assume that what the computers decide to show Sam isn’t always random.

Robert’s letter (I assume Robert Hooke is writing this because the letter ends with Robert’s name being penned and the writer references a book they worked on called Microphagia. A book that Hooke actually wrote) is some sort of plea for an intervention in regards to Isaac Newton’s latest experiments. Robert says “I write to you now with intelligence of the gravest nature and a proposal most severe. I pray that my words do not further estrange you from me and that you believe me when I assure you that the suggested action is profoundly necessary for the continuation and preservation of Good Science.” and “We have much discussed the great divide between Isaac’s experimentations and your own essential works and so I have oft found myself at odds with you for, though much of his work is dubious in its moral principle, his studies have always proven most illuminative and have many times assisted my own researches. I fear however, his most recent works have disturbed this precarious equilibrium, turning instead to most improper, perhaps blasphemous, ends and I find myself left with no recourse other than to make it known to you in the hope that I might reawaken our previously close concord, which has lain dormant these long years, in service of a wholesale rejection of his creation which, I am of the firm opinion has finally erred towards the abominable and must be halted.” So Isaac’s experiments have taken some sort of weird turn.

Based on my sparse research, Robert Boyle is another irl figure. One who is a famous scientist that was also an alchemist (kind of like Isaac Newton in that way) that lived around the same time period. Newton’s wikipedia page states “Newton and Robert Boyle's approach to the mechanical philosophy was promoted by rationalist pamphleteers as a viable alternative to the pantheists and enthusiasts, and was accepted hesitantly by orthodox preachers as well as dissident preachers like the latitudinarians. The clarity and simplicity of science was seen as a way to combat the emotional and metaphysical superlatives of both superstitious enthusiasm and the threat of atheism, and at the same time, the second wave of English deists used Newton's discoveries to demonstrate the possibility of a "Natural Religion". The attacks made against pre-Enlightenment "magical thinking", and the mystical elements of Christianity, were given their foundation with Boyle's mechanical conception of the universe. Newton gave Boyle's ideas their completion through mathematical proofs and, perhaps more importantly, was very successful in popularising them.” So there is a prominent historical connection between the two.

Newton himself also had a massive interest in alchemy as the wiki states “Of an estimated ten million words of writing in Newton's papers, about one million deal with alchemy. Many of Newton's writings on alchemy are copies of other manuscripts, with his own annotations. Alchemical texts mix artisanal knowledge with philosophical speculation, often hidden behind layers of wordplay, allegory, and imagery to protect craft secrets. Some of the content contained in Newton's papers could have been considered heretical by the church.” That last sentence is probably what’s inspiring some of the conflict in this case, especially since Boyle seemed super religious.

As Robert Hooke keeps going he mentions a protocol when saying “I recall with much shame that it was myself who pressed you so vociferously for restraint the last time this Protocol was enacted. It was I who begged patience, certain as I was that my work on Micrographia might have rendered a remedy for that most awful plague. It was I who warned that to enact a Protocol against the great city of London itself was a step beyond the rights of our position, but you were, as is so oft the case, correct in your steadfastness and I confess purgation of all that most dangerous and unfit knowledge was both necessary and good. It was only through the Protocol that we were spared from that Dread emission and I fear that such an act is once again required, though it is my fervent hope that on this occasion there is still sufficient time to limit the breadth of the poisonous act.” This could be the fabled Magnus Protocol or what ended up giving birth to the Magnus Institute within the Protocol universe in some way.

This entire remark is also interesting because Robert mentions a strange plague and his work on Micrographia. The wiki states “Micrographia: or Some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies Made by Magnifying Glasses. With Observations and Inquiries Thereupon is a historically significant book by Robert Hooke about his observations through various lenses. It was the first book to include illustrations of insects and plants as seen through microscopes. Published in January 1665, the first major publication of the Royal Society, it became the first scientific best-seller, inspiring a wide public interest in the new science of microscopy. The book originated the biological term cell.” Robert also mentions a plague which could have been the influence of something like The Corruption but it could have also just been a normal plague. If this is just a normal plague then it’s probably the Bubonic Plague as Wikipedia states “like many who could afford to, Robert Hooke left London for six months during the worst of the bubonic plague.” In TMA the Entities had strong ties to books and something like Micrographia would make a pretty perfect leitner but I don’t think Microphagia is a leitner or cause of the disease here..

Robert also says “It was I who warned that to enact a Protocol against the great city of London itself was a step beyond the rights of our position, but you were, as is so oft the case, correct in your steadfastness and I confess purgation of all that most dangerous and unfit knowledge was both necessary and good.” This tells us that the Protocol can be enacted on specific areas / targets since it is specifically being used against London in this example. We know the Institute within TMA was located in London so it’s possible the corresponding location has some significance but it could just be that London is an important and big city generally. Robert talks of purging “that most dangerous and unfit knowledge” but what does that mean exactly? I could see it as some sort of book burning or confiscation but we still don’t know if leitners are really a major thing like they were in the TMA universe. It’s possible that what Hooke is implying is the enactment of this Protocol was somehow related to the Great Fire of London in 1666 (shout out to bonzos-number-1-fan for pointing this out in their own (much shorter) analysis: https://www.tumblr.com/bonzos-number-1-fan/752553210414235648/tmagp-19-thoughts-witty-subtitle?source=share). www.historic-uk.com (https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/The-Great-Plague/#:~:text=In%201666%20the%20Great%20Fire,It%20was%20a%20ghastly%20disease.) says “In 1666 the Great Fire of London destroyed much of the centre of London, but also helped to kill off some of the black rats and fleas that carried the plague bacillus..” We know that in the Protocol universe the Institute was burned down at some point so this could mean that the Protocol in question has some sort of connection to fire. There’s this Great Fire of London, the Institute, and stories of Newton losing 20 years worth of research due to some kind of fire in one of his labs (although a lot of those stories seem dubious in real life). This could also mean that the strange fire seen in Episode 7’s (Give and Take) case could be an example of this Protocol being enacted.

Robert also mentions “It was only through the Protocol that we were spared from that Dread emission and I fear that such an act is once again required.” The transcripts actually have “Dread” capitalized which could just be another error or typo but if you want to take it seriously it could be interpreted as some kind of proper noun or something specific. The Entities themselves went by many names, both individually and collectively, and one such name was the “Dread Powers” which sounds vaguely similar. So, it’s entirely possible that the “Dread emission” is being used to refer to one or more entities or some specific manifestations. Emissions itself isn’t capitalized so perhaps Dread is what they are being referred to as and the emissions refers to some type of manifestation. It’s also possible that in TMAGP some sort of alchemy led to the plague spiraling out of control.

Usually I save talking about potential Entities a case shares similarities with till the end of the case. But there’s kind of a lot to talk about here so I’m going to start now. Hopefully you read my bit on The Eye because I noticed something Robert says: “I confess purgation of all that most dangerous and unfit knowledge was both necessary and good”. As I went over, The Eye is the Entity connected to the fear of knowledge in general. So if someone was afraid of some sort of dangerous knowledge / secret getting out or others learning about it then The Eye would usually be all over that shit. So from the get go we already have some themes that could potentially relate to The Eye here. This isn’t much right now but it becomes increasingly clear as the case goes on.

Robert talks about how “despite Isaac’s standing as a Fellow within the estimable Society, his experiments persist in prying into such knowledge as we both know to be anathema to Good Science. His work on the vegetative propagation of metals has proceeded unabated these recent years and I am now most certain that the fruits of his labor will lead to tragedy, death and damnation if they are left to mature unchecked.” Once again there’s an emphasis on Robert’s fear of knowledge and information. The transcripts have “Fellow” and “Society” capitalized in reference to Isaac which could imply that he is also a part of the “Fellow of the Royal Society” mentioned earlier.

Robert explains that lately they have been visiting Isaac more often. Even more than the person they are writing the letter to may have suspected “and I fear that of the many sins I have committed in my time upon this earth, this may be one of those I come most to regret. I had, of course, no knowledge of the perilous extent of his experiments and had I known such I would never have deigned to further associate myself with him, but his most recent letters promised work of a quite astonishing nature and, may god forgive me, my curiosity could not be assuaged without witness.” If you’ve read even a handful of my articles you’ll know that curiosity is a major theme with The Eye, especially in regards to how curiosity can lead to you or others getting hurt physically or mentally. We also know that The Eye and some of its followers love taking advantage of the curiosity of others or dangling the promise of answers in front of them. Here Robert admits that his curiosity might have gone too far and gotten him in trouble as it led him into sin. At some point Isaac asks Robert to visit “his laboratory in Trinity in a sanguine mood, though this was immediately disturbed by the damnable presence of that stunted dog he keeps, worrying my coat tails as I approached the threshold.” Sanguine can mean blood red or relating to blood but in relation to mood it can mean “marked by eager hopefulness : confidently optimistic” So Isaac is excitedly asking Robert to come over to his lab. I wonder if the lab being in Trinity is some sort of foreshadowing since alchemy draws a connection between salt, mercury, and sulfur with the body, mind, and soul respectively. Note how this symbolism comes in a set of three and is thus a trinity. Isaac fails to notice Robert approaching due to how focused he was on his work “and it was only by declaring myself most forcefully that he could be sufficiently distracted to acknowledge my presence.” This is another episode where I'm going to need to do a lot of copy and pasting because of how many important details there are. Isaac’s intense focus could just be from normal causes but The Eye often has effects that can make it harder for someone to stop looking at or listening something. This is most obvious with the statements in TMA as Jon had a hard time stopping once he started a statement and sometimes he would go into a trance like state (making it harder to get his attention).

Robert sees Isaac carrying a flask and describes it “Forgoing the customary pleasantries, he instead proceeded straight to his laboratory wherein I saw he had a glass flask of great proportions, at least thirty gallons or thereabouts, within which there was an element of such overwhelming radiance that to look upon it directly was to dazzle the eyes and throw the mind into confusion. Composing myself, I queried Isaac on the nature of this creation, whereupon he explained with customary disinterest that he had finally perfected the work of Wilhelm Homberg to produce what he termed the Arbor Philosophorum Perfecta. I was naturally most intrigued but despite my questioning he refused to elaborate, instead passing me a smoked glass that I might gaze upon his creation with greater clarity and when I did so I came to understand that what I was looking at was a small tree ensconced in a clear solution. At first I presumed it to be merely another work of dendritic silver as we have seen before, albeit one of surpassing quality and finesse. However, I soon came to realize this was something altogether grander and profoundly abhorrent.” I’ve never heard the term “Arbor Philosophorum Perfecta” but I recognize some of the root words and by plugging the phrase into google translate we can get “The Complete Tree of Philosophers”. 

Wilhelm Homberg is another famous figure who also happened to have an interest in alchemy. His wikipedia page states “Homberg practiced natural philosophy at a time of transition between alchemy and chemistry. Before 1700, most of his work focused on pneumatics and the vacuum, using an improved air pump of his own design. He did attempt chrysopoeia but also he made what are still regarded as solid contributions to chemical and physical knowledge, recording observations on the preparation of Kunkel's phosphorus, on the green colour produced in flames by copper, on the crystallization of common salt, on the salts of plants, on the saturation of bases by acids, on the freezing of water and its evaporation in vacuo, etc. Much of his work was published in the Recueil de l'Académie des Sciences from 1692 to 1714. He is also supposed to be the first one who proposed distillation at reduced pressure to prevent thermal decomposition. The "Sal Sedativum Hombergi" is boracic acid, which he discovered in 1702, and "Homberg's phosphorus" is prepared by fusing sal-ammoniac with quick lime.”

Upon seeing the strange tree Isaac had made Robert first assumes that it’s “another work of dendritic silver as we have seen before, albeit one of surpassing quality and finesse.” but “I soon came to realize this was something altogether grander and profoundly abhorrent. It's branches were exquisite and delicate, swaying slightly from small eddies in the liquid and they shone with every spectra. I must confess that to look upon it, one was filled with profound wonder at its exquisite elegance. I professed as much to Isaac and he replied quite solemnly “as are all of the Lord’s living works.”” The response Isaac just gave gives Robert pause as he believed “though impressive, the tree was quite clearly mineral in nature and as such must be lacking in that essential vitality that only the Lord God can bestow.”

Robert assumes Isaac’s words to be a joke. This would mean Robert is afraid that Isaac is calling himself a god or is comparing the creations of a mere mortal human to that of the perfect God himself, and such comparisons would be very blasphemous. Robert also doesn’t think the tree is on the level of God’s creations even if it’s impressive and the tree doesn’t seem to be alive anyway. However, Robert’s assumption about the supposed “jest” is thrown into question when Isaac asks “...if I would taste of its fruit. I refused, of course, assuming the offer another of his odd japes but his face was grave. He then opened the flask and reached inside muttering as he did so: “de ligno autem scientiae boni et mali ne comedas in quocumque enim die comederis ex eo morte morieris”. Even I, steeped in worldly matters as I am, recognized The Lord’s words to Adam and was much dismayed at the implication. Isaac then plucked the delicate fruit with ungloved hands and held it before me. I began to not only doubt Isaac in that moment but even fear him, for I knew he had finally transgressed the limits of anything within the bounds of mortal philosophy.” According to Google Translate, the words Isaac speaks could mean “But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on whatever day you eat from it you will die” if translated from Latin. So Robert Hooke fears that Isaac is playing God by quoting him in such a manner.

Okay, elephant in the room, I think this is yet another possible reference to the influence of an Entity such as The Eye. As I have said, The Eye feeds upon fear associated with knowledge. Based on Robert’s belief system and the phrase Isaac says, we can find some parallels between the tree Isaac has and the forbidden fruit Adam and Eve ate in the Bible. For those who don’t know how the story goes, God makes the first humans Adam and Eve before basically telling them they can do whatever except eat of the forbidden fruit of a special tree. At some point a serpent walks up to Eve and is like “if you eat of the fruit you’ll gain incredible knowledge and be more like god or something” and Eve is duped into eating the fruit before sharing it with Adam despite God’s rule. The snake is technically right in the sense that Adam and Eve gain more knowledge as upon eating the fruit they gain the knowledge of both good and evil. However, this causes original sin to come into being because they are now capable of evil acts and know how to perform them. Additionally, they realize that they are naked and try to cover themselves up and hide from God. God eventually finds them, knows what they did, and punishes them by making humans mortal (hence God’s quote about how eating of the fruit causes death) and making women give birth (among other things). God also punishes the serpent by forcing it to slither upon its stomach.

So here we have a potential thematic overlap between this Biblical story and The Eye. Adam and Eve’s lives become much worse upon coming across forbidden knowledge and they even become more scared since they start fearing things like being perceived naked (which would relate to The Eye). Adam and Eve gain the ability to perceive how they can hurt others and how others might hurt them and this is all because they weren’t content with what they had and the serpent managed to convince them to succumb to their curiosity in an attempt to know more. So we can see an overlap relating to the fear knowledge can bring between TMA and the Bible. This is all a fancy way of saying that it looks like Isaac is recreating the forbidden fruit that Adam and Eve consumed within the Garden of Eden. The one that granted them knowledge of both good and evil, and the one that led to god punishing them. This point is reinforced when we get “Mayhap Isaac had made a legitimate discovery and was merely indulging in some grand performance before providing some less grotesque explanation. But such was not to be, for no sooner had I seen the fruit upon his palm before he tipped it into the waiting mouth of that cursed dog I had failed to see skulking at my feet.” 

The case continues- “Isaac’s eyes never left mine but I could not help but watch as the wretched canine swallowed it. There was a moment’s stillness within which Isaac watched me closely, for my reaction was seemingly of more interest to him at that moment than the fate of the animal. And my reaction was terror. The dog remained motionless, at first seemingly unaffected by its unnatural feast but as the moments passed I espied a growing torpor in its manner, with slowed breathing, sagging posture and drooping jowls. It lay down as if to sleep whereupon it grew ever more peaceful and still. I almost believed it dead, poisoned by my companion, but then I saw something far more distressing. The creature was taking root. Strands of its mottled brown hair were extruding downwards between the floor, seeking the dark earth below. Then, too, its back began to sprout, radiant branches unfurling and thickening before me, reaching upwards towards the sunlight with a seemingly insatiable desire. The dog then opened one eye and stared at me and this was the most disturbing thing of all, for that orb was also shimmering with that unnatural light, but more than that, it looked upon me and it knew me not as a beast knows its master but as one man knows another and though such a creature must by all natural law lack that essential and ephemeral anima that is required for such awful knowledge I tell you here Robert, it saw me and it knew me. I felt myself grow insensible at that violation and before I could restrain myself I had grasped a heavy instrument with which I might dash its skull upon the floor! Isaac however, intervened and for the first time since feeding the animal that accursed fruit he spoke and bade me to remain calm. He then reached back to the flask with a smaller cup and decanted a portion of the solution into it. Then, seemingly without concern, he poured it upon the rapidly growing monstrosity. There was a brief hiss and a release of steam which occluded my vision entirely, quickly followed by a slight tugging at my trouser legs from which I recoiled in horror, fearing the creature had reached out to claim me in its insidious grip, but when the vapor cleared I found myself cowering from nothing more than that mange-ridden dog, no longer sprouting and burdened with knowledge, it was reduced to a mere beast once again. Isaac laughed at this ignominious display and suggested I step away to recover so that I might “better appreciate that which had been revealed to me” I instead took my leave and hurried out of not just his chambers but the entire college as fast as I was able.”

While some may struggle to attribute what we are seeing to an Entity I would argue that thematically this has an extremely strong connection to The Eye. It’s clear that the narrator’s fear is in relation to the dog being granted knowledge or human level intellect of some sort. They also state “The dog then opened one eye and stared at me and this was the most disturbing thing of all, for that orb was also shimmering with that unnatural light, but more than that, it looked upon me and it knew me not as a beast knows its master but as one man knows another and though such a creature must by all natural law lack that essential and ephemeral anima that is required for such awful knowledge I tell you here Robert, it saw me and it knew me.” This comment matches plenty of encounters with The Eye and one of The Beholding’s names is in fact “It Knows You.” Not to mention that The Eye is connected to the fear of being judged, known, and / or perceived. So the dog being able to actually judge what it’s seeing on the level of a human could relate to The Eye. Not to mention that if this fruit is indeed analogous to the forbidden fruit from the Bible it would mean that Isaac might have just granted the dog knowledge of both good and evil before taking it away. Also there’s the obvious eyeball imagery in relation to being watched with the dog’s strange glowing eye.

Additionally there’s emphasis placed on Isaac watching Hooke’s reactions as we are told “Isaac’s eyes never left mine but I could not help but watch as the wretched canine swallowed it. There was a moment’s stillness within which Isaac watched me closely, for my reaction was seemingly of more interest to him at that moment than the fate of the animal. And my reaction was terror.” Which matches up in what Gerry has said about The Eye with- “The feeling that something, somewhere, is letting you suffer, just so it can watch.” Hooke does also mention the burden of knowledge when he says “I found myself cowering from nothing more than that mange-ridden dog, no longer sprouting and burdened with knowledge, it was reduced to a mere beast once again.”

After escaping Ronertbegins writing the letter and says “No doubt you agree with me that I have witnessed something which is far outside that which we could, in good conscience and understanding, describe as Good Science, for if such a transmutation can be elicited from a lower creature devoid of soul or reason I tremble to consider how it might affect the children of Adam, blessed as we are with greater faculty and insight for both good and evil.” For the sake of clarity, what Hooke is saying is that if such a transmutation can bring a lowly beast like a dog to have a mind like that of a man then he fears what would happen if someone who is already human ate Isaac's fruit. The case finishes with:

Though it pains me to speak so poorly of one so well regarded as Isaac I fear this latest excess is beyond what can be called conscionable. His work must be curtailed for the safety of all. I remain opposed however, to any notion of violence against his person. He is a prominent figure and his work, though misguided, is not wantonly evil.

I propose that we enact the Protocol but limit it only to his laboratory, destroying his research and correspondence for, if we can end this digression from Good Science and divert him with more virtuous work, we might yet take possession of a newly ardent ally in our vigils. This is of course on condition that he never discovers our intervention nor is left to work in such solitude again.

Robert, my dear compatriot, I implore you to consider my plea despite our recent disagreements, for if you fail to act I will instead be forced to intervene alone and by god’s grace I know not if I hold the fortitude to do what would need to be done.

Pray reply with all celerity for I fear that time is short in this matter. Yours with the utmost respect and gratitude, for the sake of London, England, and for all of Christendom,

Robert

There’s another reference to the Protocol and like I previously touched on it looks like the Protocol can be used to target very specific things. The writer asks for the Protocol to specifically be used on Isaac’s laboratory. The writer also talks of making Isaac an ally which makes me wonder what that entails or if anyone else will try making use of Isaac’s research for this Protocol.

As far as Entities this case parallels The Eye is the most obvious to me. There is also some overlap with The Extinction here. A lot of fans seem to be under the impression that The Extinction is only the fear of things going extinct but that’s about as accurate as saying The Beholding only relates to the fear of eyeballs. There’s a correlation but that’s an overly simplistic way of looking at it. In MAG 134, (Time of Revelation) Adelard Dekker says this in regards to his theory about the power “But now the fear is not of a rapture or a revelation. It is of catastrophic change. Mankind will warp the world so much it kills us all, and leaves only a thousand years of plastic behind. Technology will strip us of what it means to be human, and leave us something alien and cold. We will press a button that in a moment will destroy everything we have ever been. Animals are witnessing the end of their entire species within a single generation.” So The Extinction is more broadly the fear of catastrophic change. Whether that change comes from a species wiped off the face of the planet, evolving technology, new mutations, or apocalyptic events. Hooke states “No doubt you agree with me that I have witnessed something which is far outside that which we could, in good conscience and understanding, describe as Good Science, for if such a transmutation can be elicited from a lower creature devoid of soul or reason I tremble to consider how it might affect the children of Adam, blessed as we are with greater faculty and insight for both good and evil.” which could very easily connect to an Entity like The Extinction with the fear of animals and humans being changed.

Some other possible Entities include ones like The Flesh, and The Corruption. The Flesh simply loves body horror, which applies pretty easily to the dog’s transformation, and you could maybe argue that the writer finds Isaac’s research and experiments disgusting but that’s more of a stretch.

CHESTER

This case doesn’t give us anything that could recontextualize when CHESTER (Jonathon’s voice) shows up. Considering Sam’s comment about the Institute’s connection to alchemy you could use this as evidence for CHESTER covering cases that somehow involve the Institute. If you want to go with the angle that CHESTER covers cases having to do with extreme curiosity or looking for something the writer of the case does admit that his curiosity got the better of him and he went to see what Isaac was working on.

Rest of the Episode

Sam seems to have started noticing a correlation between whatever he talks about or is looking for and the cases the computers decide to play. I've said in previous articles, the computers are extremely suspicious with their timings. They seem to conveniently feed Sam cases relating to the Institute a lot and in a previous episode Celia thanked one of the computers for giving her a case that might have been related to something she was wondering about. Sam asks Alice “Are the computers listening to us?” and “As in, are they monitoring our conversations or something? ” This is actually a bit of a complex question because without a doubt something / someone is listening to Sam and company through various electronic devices. We the audience are hearing whatever said force is hearing as it spies on people (like how both us and The Web listened through the tapes in TMA). However, right now it’s unclear if whatever is listening through all the electronics also has any bearing on what cases the computers are picking. It’s possible that the computers are their own thing that is at least somewhat distinct from whatever is listening through the electronics but they also might all be coming from the same source trying to pull some strings or feed information.

ALICE

“Freddie can barely boot up without throwing an error, so I seriously doubt it’s monitoring your loo breaks. Typical Colin to have a complete breakdown just to get out of fixing the damn thing.”

SAM

“Alice.”

ALICE

“I know, I’m just frustrated. Look, what’s brought this on all of a sudden Sam?”

SAM

“I- I know it sounds crazy but well, it’s starting to feel like I’m deliberately being given cases that point to The Magnus Institute.”

ALICE

“You’re right.”

SAM

“I am?”

ALICE

“Yeah, that does sound crazy.”

SAM

“I’m not making this up! These days it’s like every other case links back to it in some way.”

ALICE

“Sam enough! Can you even hear yourself? Look… This place can really get to you if you’re not careful. And I really don’t want you to go the same way as Colin.” 

SAM

“Have you heard anything from him?”

ALICE

“No.”

ALICE (cont.) 

“Was that all? Because like I said, I’m up to my eyes over here.”

SAM

“Yeah. Forget I said anything.”

ALICE

“Great.” 

Once again, Alice tries to ignore the problem, which is even shown in the fact that she hasn’t checked on Colin until Sam brings it up in this episode. Alice is clearly worried about Sam going down the same path as Colin. It’s interesting that Alice’s approach to Sam’s questions almost completely opposes Celia. Celia tells Sam that he seems like he’s handling it well and encourages him to keep looking for info while Alice says he sounds crazy and tries to get him to drop it. I wonder if Alice saying “I’m up to my eyes over here” is some cheeky reference or foreshadowing.

Of course, Sam’s point about the computers giving him Institute related cases could tie into what I’ve said about Entities like The Eye in relation to curiosity.

The next scene takes place in the manager's office and the transcripts say “GWEN is in the middle of a heated argument with Lena. Or she would be, if Lena wasn’t so ice cold.” Never change Lena. Gwen is angry that she is being sent out to deal with dangerous Externals without any security but Lena explains that extra security personnel is not an option right now. Gwen responds “This is ridiculous! You’re the one who was laying into me for bringing Lady Mowbray here! What happened to “unacceptable risks to personnel”!?” before Lena (very correctly) points out that the only reason Gwen is in this dangerous situation right now is because she blackmailed her way into it. In fact, Lena didn’t even think Gwen was ready for the position if I recall correctly.

“I have completed such assignments myself on many occasions, and this is an essential part of the role. If, however, on reflection, you have come to realize you are unfit for the job, you are, as always, welcome to resign. I’m sure your family will be able to find you an easier position elsewhere.” Lena’s comment about the assignments is interesting. I can’t 100% tell if she means she performed them in place of an Externals Liaison before Gwen’s promotion or if it's something people need to do in order to get to her position. Lena’s comment about Gwen’s family is another one that implies the Bouchard family is rich in the Protocol universe, or at least Gwen’s side of the family.

Gwen says that she knows the OIAR has used Starkwall to provide security in the past and tries to use that as evidence to show that she deserves some basic support. But Lena explains “Starkwall, as with any security force, have an unfortunate habit of escalating situations they become involved in. It’s my professional opinion that you will be safer without their presence.” It’s hard to tell if Lena is a good guy or bad guy but she does seem to care about the OIAR and its employees on a business level. It seems she does what she can to keep them safe since Lena warns Gwen that she is not ready to be a Liaison and only puts her in the position when her hand is forced. Lena is also very upset when Gwen brings Mowbray to the OIAR since it could endanger other employees. So I have no reason to assume Lena is completely lying here and I think she’s probably right even if we don’t have a lot of information on Starkwall yet. The only concrete thing we know about it is that they were somehow related to the “The San Pedro Square Massacre” brought up in Episode 4 and Alice mentioned “The private military contractors yeah.” So they don’t sound like a peaceful bunch who talks things down. I wouldn’t be surprised if their appearance threw certain Externals into a frenzy or made them lash out at a perceived attack. I also have to wonder if Starkwall is somehow connected to their own Entity(s) like something akin to The Hunt or Slaughter.

Gwen does not get the back up she wanted and we see Alice going to check up on Colin. It’s clear that his mental state hasn’t exactly improved. Colin probably isn’t in the best shape right now since the transcripts say- 

COLIN opens the door. ALICE reacts to his appearance. 

ALICE (cont.) 

“Hey mate. You’re looking… here.”

Much to Alice’s confusion, Colin demands that if Alice wants to come inside she needs to give him her phone. Alice correctly deduces “You’re going to throw it in the fishtank aren’t you?” and Colin responds “I have to. It’s the only way to be sure. We can’t let him know how much we know.” Did Alice assume that because it’s a trope or because Colin’s fish tank has a bunch of phones thrown into it or something. I also don’t know why Colin would need to destroy the phone and couldn’t just tell Alice to leave it somewhere far away. It could be that Colin is just paranoid (even if he is right that something is listening through electronic devices) or it could be that Colin knows something about the observer that we don’t yet.

Alice says that everyone is worried about Colin and Colin says “You should be worried for yourselves.” This matches up with the warning Colin gave Sam in Episode 7 (Give and Take): “Listen mate. If you’re going to get this worked up over a weird email you’re going to freak when you see the real stuff.” Sam questions this and Colin only says “Oh you’ll see” and Sam asks Colin if that’s why he taped over his webcam. Alice asks Colin if he’s been seeing professional help and Colin responds “No, what I need is to not be seen. He sees too much already. Doing mummy and daddy Stasi proud, I’m sure. Not that anyone cares as long as it all balances, right? Not too much mercury or the world ends, not too much sulfur or we all go mad… ”

Okay, there’s some obvious similarities to The Eye here with the fear of being perceived or seen and I have pointed out that the OIAR could be connected to an Entity like The Eye. Colin’s comment of “Doing mummy and daddy Stasi proud, I’m sure. Not that anyone cares as long as it all balances, right? Not too much mercury or the world ends, not too much sulfur or we all go mad…” is extremely intriguing. When I searched up Stasi I got “The Ministry for State Security , commonly known as the Stasi (German: [ˈʃtaːziː] ⓘ), an abbreviation of Staatssicherheit, was the state security service of East Germany (the GDR) from 1950 to 1990. The Stasi's function in East Germany resembled that of the KGB in the Soviet Union⁠ —it served as a means of maintaining state authority, i.e., as the "Shield and Sword of the Party" (German: Schild und Schwert der Partei). This was accomplished primarily through the use of a network of civilian informants. This organization contributed to the arrest of approximately 250,000 people in East Germany.” Colin could be speaking metaphorically or saying that there is a literal connection there. 

I think it’s very interesting that Colin actually uses pronouns when referring to this mysterious observer. Colin specifically says “him.” This could be an assumption on Colin’s part but it could also be a clue. Considering this episode’s case I wonder if a human did end up drinking Isaac’s potion or there is some sort of “enlightened” person watching over the OIAR.

There’s also “Not that anyone cares as long as it all balances, right? Not too much mercury or the world ends, not too much sulfur or we all go mad…” Once again, is he speaking literally or metaphorically? It’s possible that what the OIAR does is literally trying to prevent some apocalypse or Change from occurring but it’s important to remember that this doesn’t mean the OIAR is right. Smirke learned he was wrong about how to balance out and harness the Powers and it's possible that while the OIAR thinks they are doing something similar or saving the world they are somehow mistaken. The mercury and sulfur Colin speaks of relates to alchemy. As mentioned earlier, in alchemy salt corresponds to the body, mercury the mind, and sulfur the soul. Maybe something to do with the corruption of mind and soul? The most direct interpretation here would be that too much sulfur messes with the soul and causes madness while mercury somehow leads to the world as we know it being destroyed. I wonder if this trinity also somehow relates to the way certain groups might categorize the Entities in this universe?

Alice leaves saying “Idiots. Idiots all the way down. ”

Conclusion

Very weird episode but also very intriguing. I hope we get to see more of Colin. If you want the case categories from the transcripts they are-

CAT13RBC1137-21031684-11042024

Transformation (canine) -/- growth (Crystalline)

Incident Elements:

- Animal Peril/Threat

- Metallophobia

- Body Horror

- Mentions of: Therapy, Implied Mental Breakdown

If you want to read my other Quick Thoughts you can do so here (TMAGP Quick Thoughts Archive).

[user-needs-new-hyperfixation]

For the ask game; Alcroft/Myal!!

They are literally all I think about at the moment-

Ship It - Mycal

Ship it ship it ship it so much!

What made you ship it?

I think I kind of shipped it backwards from the introduction of Charles Dickens. Like I was vaguely aware of it as kind of a sexy side ship before that, but that was the point where I was like, "Oh there are more emotions going on there than I realized." And then on rereads, I noticed more things. It's definitely nowhere near Sherliam levels of They Just Literally Got Married What?! but it's definitely got some fun things going for it. Right from the start, much like their brothers, they have this easy game of "I know you're manipulating me but I'm allowing it for my own reasons" that is always very enjoyable to watch. I like that those dynamics allow for tension and elements of enemies-to-lovers but avoid the drama of "You lied to me how dare you?!" because both parties know the whole time that neither is being entirely honest. It's fun!

What are your favorite things about the ship?

Honestly it's just sexy. Or at least the way I interpret it is sexy. There's something about their energy as a pair that's so strangely Classic: I can't explain it fully, but whereas Sherliam are refreshingly trope-defying with their absolute equality and Switchy Vibes, Mycal feels like…like a noir movie about a powerful man playing dangerous games with a femme fatale, all black-and-white with smooth jazz. And I love the similarities and the contrasts.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

I don't know about unpopular, because my headcanons for these two seem to be fairly in line with the majority of the fandom, but I do think this is one ship where I'm relying largely on the Magic of Imagination. So all my opinions about them are kind of pulled from thin air, and it would be totally valid for anyone very attached to canon-based interpretations to side-eye me into oblivion lol.

Also not really unpopular, but I'm just not bothered in the slightest by Mycroft being Albert's boss. Personally I tend to like my ships sort of...idk, more unproblematic than not? I like exploring dark things in fic etc, but usually as something characters go through to get to the wholesome on the other side. But in this case I just 100% don't see them as having a power imbalance, despite their technical roles, and I really don't think it's somehow concerning for them to be doing unspeakable things on Mycroft's desk in fic or whatever even set pre-TFP. Albert is definitely not somehow at Mycroft's mercy (unless he wants to be lmao). 😅

[therealvinelle]

i've seen you answer a few questions about tvd so i thought i might ask, what are your thoughts on the main love triangle? and klaus/stefan?

As a caveat: I did not watch much further than the first few episodes of season 4, in fact I ragequit when one of the writers revealed we wouldn't be seeing Elijah on screen again until 4x20 at which point I thought, "Well I simply won't watch until 4x20 then".

And then 4x20 was a backdoor pilot to the spinoff The Originals and I simply watched that show instead.

All this to say, I was 100% a gung ho Vampire Diaries fan and you can tell by how closely I was following it, sadly the only TVD I know of would be the first three seasons. Same actually goes for The Originals, as I for reasons I don't remember wasn't able to access episodes post-season 3 so I wound up not knowing what happens after Hayley drives off with the entire family hibernating in her truck either.

Another disclaimer: it's been more than ten years since I watched this show and my memory may fail me at times.

With that:

The main love triangle

Having only seen the first three seasons, I think that Damon wishes quite badly he was a different man, and he is unable to take responsibility for his life and relationships being what they are. He would rather blame his failings on Stefan, and, whenever Stefan fails or falls short in some ways, it's immensely validating to Damon because who's the bad brother now?

His love for Katherine is not only about Katherine, but about being chosen by someone over Stefan. Because, as Damon will try to tell himself, just because she was sleeping with both of them and decided to turn them both, doesn't mean she didn't prefer Damon (after all, she had to compell Stefan, while Damon slept with her willingly. Victory for Damon!), and also- look, don't question Damon on this. It's fine and he's a well adjusted man, and once he has rescued his lady love from her tomb she'll tell him how much better he is than Stefan.

Enter Elena, who looks exactly like Katherine, is living in Mystic Falls just the same as Katherine, and who has drawn Stefan's interest.

Damon, eternally pulling Stefan's pigtails and being a goddamn creep, starts creeping on Elena, this does not work. Instead, however, he learns that Katherine faked her entombment, and has in fact been living her best life for the past 150 years. Worse, Damon and Stefan were never more than boytoys to her.

Cut to Elena, who is just as beautiful (in a very literal sense of the term), only she is kind, genuinely loves Stefan, the polar opposite of Katherine in every way.

Damon transfers his emotions from Doppelganger B to Doppelganger C.

Stefan, meanwhile, seems to... fall in with Elena, for lack of a better way to put it. They meet, he is confused about the resemblance to Katherine for long enough to get to know her, by which time he's into it, and Elena sees a very handsome and pleasant man who is easy to fall for.

The trouble with Stefan is I don't really have a grip on his character, he is... there, for three seasons, and he has his character moments and his speeches, I can tell you things about his personality except I can't.

He is one of those people you can know for years but never actually know who, having killed his father and become the Ripper for so many years, seems to be that he is running away from himself. That is the only way I can interpret his strange nothingness, as well as bizarre decisions like coming to live with his nephew Zach and attend high school.

I think Stefan wants to surround himself with people, form relationships with them, and through that find a sense of identity that he can enjoy. Which is where loving Elena comes in, as she is kind, generous, mature, vulnerable, and fun- the type of person you can lose yourself in, and have those simple moments of happiness Florence Welch sings about.

In other words, while my real ship here is Elejah, Stelena trumps Delena any day.

Klaus and Stefan

Klaus is a deeply sad person who is only interested in dating two people, and they are his sister Rebekah and his brother Elijah. At the time he met Stefan Elijah wasn't around, so Stefan became replacement Elijah.

(The proof of the Elijah projection lies in the fact that Klaus was fine with Stefan sleeping with Rebekah. He is historically not fine with outsiders doing this, you have to be family for Klaus to accept these things.)

"Look, Elijah," Klaus would imagine himself saying to Elijah, "I have a new brother now and he is hotter, cooler, and not a total bore like you! Stefan loves me more anyway," and then Elijah would sit and cry and give Klaus so much attention and it would be great.

As for Stefan, I think he just liked partying.

They probably did fuck, but Klaus is too embarrassing for Stefan to ever admit as much.