#narrative foils

[hastyprovocateur]

My Roman empire is how if Mizu hadn't doomed Akemi to her arranged marriage with the Shogun's son, Akemi would have never set out on the path of greatness.

Had Mizu not ruined her engagement, Akemi would've never run away from home, braved the world or met Kaji and learnt how to survive within her means.

Likewise, if not for Akemi, Ringo would've been stabbed and Mizu strangled to death. Had Akemi not attacked Mizu with her knife, Mizu's sword would be incomplete.

Without having betrayed Akemi, Mizu wouldn't have grasped the value Ringo, Taigen and Eiji have in her life. She wouldn't have understood the importance of love, friendship and weakness.

[solariaswitch]

Remember by post about Stella and Darcy supposedly being foils? Well, I just remembered some canonical details I forgot to include in my original post that supports my theory.

In S2E2 there's this scene where Wizgiz talks about how all magic has its dark counterpart.

Wizgiz: I know what you're thinking. Wouldn't it be nice if all the things in the universe were good? Well, that's not the case. Furthermore, that's not possible. Because in the universe, there is no light without darkness. When a form of energy is created, it produces an opposite force. Equally strong. Observe. What do you see? What I did was, I captured some of the light that was in the room. But it only shows its power in the darkness, its polar opposite. As I mentioned at the beginning of this introductory class, the existence of good energy results in the creation of an equal amount of evil energy. Normally, these forces are balanced. But sometimes, balancing needs a little bit of help. A dynamic energy between the dominant force and the recessive one.

This is the background to why the shadow phoenix was created as an opposite force to the dragon flame. But Wizgiz's statement still stands true for all other forces of magic, meaning there are some really interesting implications to it. This leads me to S2E12, where Faragonda explains that all Magic powers have a defining core, such as the dragon flame is the flame of life. And Stella's powers are....

Faragonda: Light is part of your expression of your power of inner vision, sight, clarity. Stella: Uh, what? Faragonda: Your power bursts forth to energize and illuminate so others can understand.

light, vision, sight, clarity, understanding, revelation. And what would the opposite of that be? Darkness, blindness, confusion, deception... Now, doesn't that sound familiar?

This establishes that Stella and Darcy are, whether it's intended or not, quite literally each others yin and yang, each others direct counterparts.

[thefiresofpompeii]

does anybody else think about how the two-dimensional aliens in flatline…

are ‘experimenting. dissecting. testing. and trying to understand us’. just like somebody else is throughout the entire episode! she’s asking questions at first, uncertain (the 2D phase) — “that’s how you would do it, isn’t it”? — seeking reassurance from the earpiece, probing, trying the mask on for size.

in the warehouse getting more comfortable, settling into the role, taking on a leadership position and even succeeding at sounding intimidating in an all-too-doctorish way (“i’m your one chance of getting out of here alive, that’s what i am”) — as the TARDIS shrinks smaller and smaller, eventually falling out of view onto the tracks. powerless, energy drained, resorting to siege mode… while clara looms larger and larger, in lockstep with the creatures as they master the third dimension and emerge from the shadows wearing other people’s skin. that’s her, wearing the skin of the doctor.

as the threat starts to get tangible she gets more creative, stops defaulting to “what would he do if he was here”… what would she do? she’s all they’ve got! and comes up with an ingenious plan to rival any of his. “rule one of being the doctor: use the enemy’s power against them”. makes up her own “rule one” because the real rule one out in full force in flatline doesn’t need saying. rule one: clara lies and she does it exceptionally. goodness has nothing to do with it.

in a predominant number of previous episodes featuring clara, the doctor was faced with a narrative foil in the shape of that episode’s enemy, a gothic double of sorts, a funhouse mirror: the t-rex; the half-faced man; the “good dalek”; robin hood; the teller. in s7, albeit in a quite different manner, mr clever.

the crowning glory of flatline, then, is that instead of being another foil for some flaw of twelve’s, this monster-of-the-week is clara’s foil. a parallel for doctor oswald, doctor of lies: that other dimension, growing as the TARDIS shrinks.

p.s. yes, “we” are “still doing” doctor who meta in 2024 because i’m watching it for the first time. deal with it

[thepariahcontinuum]

Sophia/Shadow Stalker's Trigger Event definitely involved her running for her life.

Having little Miss "You're either a predator or you're prey" have gotten her superpowers whilst being the prey and keeping that as a dirty little secret that she would rather die than admit to anyone just feels absolutely perfect.

It makes her just another traumatized teenager using her powers to take back some semblance of control over her life in a world that is objectively nuts. It also fits with her relationships with a few different characters.

Emma: Sophia has no friends outside of Emma, even Madison is more "Emma's other friend who's around sometimes" and they meet during what would have been Emma's Trigger event if she was a Cape....Sophia is, in a messed up way trying to be the person she never had in her own life; revealing that there's something more to her under all of that anger and cruelty.

Brian: Shadow Stalker wants Grue to be her nemesis so hard it hurts and honestly, if Brian "I'm going to lie about my Trigger Event" Laborn is going to have a nemesis then making it a Sophia who is similarly hiding her own insecurities and refusing to show weakness or vulnerability in front of anyone is just perfect, it makes them narrative foils.

Taylor: Remember the line where Sophia sees that Taylor took up running and loses her shit about it "You wanted to be strong so you copied me by running" or something to that effect....Gives it new context doesn't it?

Imagine:

You're on the track team in junior high.

The fact that all you can do is run is what saves your life.

You get superpowers designed to help you escape and still you refuse to ever be the victim or run away again.

You're forced to stay on the track team in high school just to keep up appearances.

The girl you've been bullying finally gets a bit of a spine, she's finally getting stronger.

She did it by taking inspiration from you..... By running

[aucris]

We're not so different, little mouse. You were raised in sunlight, loved by all, and I was raised by beasts in the dark, but our hearts know the same rhythm, and our blood is of the same colour. In another life, you could have been my mirror - showing me what I could have been - but I was taught to use shards as a weapon.

[myrmeraki]

“In the mirror reflection, everything becomes transparent and hyper-visible, stripped of any illusion” - Basia Sliwinska

mirror - sylvia plath // black sails II and XIX gif from @brotherconstant // palindrome poetry shadowpoetry.com // black sails transcript xii // black sails xvx // palindrome poetry ethicalela.com // black sails viii gif from @saws2004

[persephonelikespomegranates]

CORIOLANUS AND LUCY GRAY ARE THE REVERSED BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

I know this sounds crazy but hear me out.

In the original tale, the Beast keeps his roses hidden, and wants no one to touch them. The tale starts with the Beauty asking her father for the purest rose he can find as a gift from his travels. She could have asked for anything, trasures, money, jewelry, but she only asks for a single rose.

In this story, roses simbolize the human side of the Beast, that wants to remain isolated and never be close to someone again after being cursed. The Beast shows only the monster, hides the human. Similarly, the Beauty asked for something kind and sweet as a gift, for the simplest act of love and humanness.

Now, let's get back to the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

The first thing Coriolanus does when he meets Lucy Gray is gifting her a rose, and the first thing she does is EATING it.

Coriolanus doesn't hide his human side for selfish motivations (gain her trust), using the rose to cover his monstrous and wicked one. Lucy Gray didn't ask for a rose, she didn't want or expext it, and when it's offered to her she eats it, consuming it like an animal would. He acts like a human and she acts like a monster, but the truth is the opposite.

They both act like this because they're performers. All the story is just a long performance that breaks in this two points. Coriolanus shows the human because he's the Beast. Lucy shows the monster because she's the Beauty.

[petes-5yr-cocoa]

went on a tear the other day,,, think i mighta been onto something

[dizzy-izzy-in-a-tizzy]

As a fandom, we've generally accepted that Izzy fixated on the "Blackbeard" half of Edward Teach. But Stede only really saw the "Ed" half of Edward Teach.

Sure, he acknowledges that Blackbeard has a laundry list of crimes, but he repeatedly brushes those crimes off until they happen to people he cares about. Oluwande tried to warn him, and he claimed Ed was blowing off steam.

He accurately guesses that Blackbeard was on a rampage, but Izzy—who has known Edward as Blackbeard for decades, and was the direct target of his ire—sets him straight, leading to his conflicted conversation with Zheng Yi Sao. He's having trouble resolving this new information with his image of Edward.

Izzy and Stede are narrative foils in their misshapen love for Edward, and their love for him is love for an ideal, not the actual person. They both have to learn to see Edward as a whole person before Edward will be able to accept their love.

[the-grand-gemini]

Big obsessed with all of the BG3 villains. The themes of the cycle of abuse/trauma in all of the main cast makes me feral over how the villains unfortunately do not/did not get the opportunity to be "saved" by Tav (if doing a good playthrough) and by experiencing the heros journey.

I could talk about Ketheric and Orin, but after reading @bearhugsandshrugs fic it got me deep diving into Gortash's character. It's amazing and everyone should read it especially if you're weak for Tav/Gortash like I am 👀💦

Trigger warning for abuse mentions below the cut.

Let me start with stating this is NOT an Enver Gortash apologist post, he's evil and he's done terrible things. This is just me yelling into the void about character foils.

Childhood abuse:

In game we really only get to know his history through background information that we can scrape together if you search through the city and the House of Hope.

We don't get any details on what exactly Enver went through as a child. We can assume neglect/possible violence from his parents given his mother's words and the fact they sold him. We get to know that he was beaten when living in the House of Hope, but not what other possible horrors he could have experienced there (not including just the trauma of witnessing the other debtors and Hope), what age he was, or for how long (if anyone knows more timeline wise I'd love to know) he lived there before he escaped. We don't know how he escaped either, if he had help or did so on his own.

I'm no child psychologist, but abuse has lasting effects as we can see through all of the main party. Victims of abuse tend to have difficulty moving past certain emotional stages in their life. Aka a person abused in their childhood may have issues maturing emotionally without therapy, etc (again I'm not a psychologist). There is a strong possibility that "Child" Enver is still probably holding the reins emotionally while adult Enver isn't even aware of how his past affects every action and reaction he has at all times.

I can't imagine how living with Raphael during ones formative years being healthy in anyway, but we can definitely see some of the learned behaviours he's picked up from the Cambion. A focus on possing/presentation, a suave persona, torturing/using people for his own gain, a general lack of empathy, deal making, similar attire with devil motifs...

Unhealthy coping mechanisms:

Speaking of attire, Enver's coat not allowing Fear to be cast on him speaks volumes to me. Imagine the absolute horror of moving from one situation of abuse to another much worse one in the hells as a child/teen and probably being in a state of fear/anxiety at all times. Enver wearing a coat that doesn't allow him to feel fear gives me three main thoughts:

1. He is doing everything in his power to avoid that specific emotion and therefore prevents himself from thinking about that period of his life. Meaning he is not confronting his trauma the same way the main party is forced to throughout the game.

2. Narratively does the coat prevent him from feeling any fear at all? Or do we just go with the game mechanic that ensures he cannot be made afraid by the fear spell? If it prevents him from feeling fear at all (which I think is narratively more interesting and you can take this headcanon out of my cold dead hands) how does this effect his every day decisions? Fear prevents risky decisions all the time, it's one of the emotions that actively keeps people alive. Psychopaths usually don't experience fear the same way an average person would. Given his many horrific actions (the Iron Throne being a key example) I wonder how much his forceful removal of fear has done to his perception of rational thought. If you aren't afraid of consequences what's to stop you from doing anything at all? Selling a loyal body guard to the hells, torturing an entire faction of people in order to manufacturer your own personal army, stealing from an immensely powerful devil aka mother fucking MEPHISTOPHELES??? He presents himself as calm and collected in conversation. He appears as if he's the most rational of all three villains when he's really just as awful when we look into what he's actually been up to vs seeing Orin and Ketheric kill people on screen.

3. Where did he get the coat? Did he make it himself or was it a boon from Bane? A promise to a devout worshiper that he would never be made to feel afraid or beneath anyone again?

Another abuser - Bane:

Speaking of Bane... Another user (please tag if anyone can find the original post!) mentioned a line Astarion says where he states that he prayed to all the gods, but none answered. OP wondered if Enver, trapped in the hells and desperate for salvation, called out the same way... only for Bane to be the only god to answer. I'd die to know specifically when he was introduced to Bane and made to be his chosen.

We know Bane is considered an evil god and we even find that if we kill Enver and then use speak with dead that Bane is torturing him in the afterlife for failing him.

Given this abusive relationship is Enver a foil for Gale, a man groomed from a young age by a goddess and left with the consequences when his actions did not meet her expectations?

Is he like Shadowheart, someone who was given no alternative and made to believe they willingly chose their god only to learn they were deceived and never had any other options?

Like Wyll he's cast out by his father (or in his case both parents).

Like Lae'zel he's worshipping a deity with false promises, how can he believe he'll rule the entire world like a god himself when Bane the god of TYRANNY would see no other at the top but himself (Was he secretly planning to use the crown like Gale to usurp Bane or just pandering to us)?

We know he and Karlach are absolutely foils for each other given that he is her abuser and like himself Karlach was forged by her times in the hells only to survive on her own merits.

Those are my thoughts! Would love to know anyone else's on the walking red flag that is Lord Enver Gortash.

If Enver lost his memories like the Dark Urge would he be given a chance to redeem himself through his actions? Could he with his knowledge of infernal engines fix Karlach's heart

Would Enver have ever become Lord Gortash if not for Bane...?

Anyways if anyone wants to yell at me about Enver, Orin, or Ketheric please feel free to do so! I love characters who fell through the cracks because they had no one there to help them only to crawl out themselves and burn the world.

[goodwomanbadlady]

I feel like Aziraphale and Miss Julia Springer would be very good friends as long as they never discussed tea.

I bet he giggles when he reads those books. Or if they should happen to exist in the same universe, he'd absolutely be amused or boggled by her idea of religion.

[that-weird-kid-from-your-school]

This is just a dump post cause I think too much about a dog guy

So I made an OC called Dogman (he's a superhero, because obviously.), basically being a dog in human form but my goodness do I make things...

He is every dog motif in one person. He refuses to give up on anyone, even those who are far beyond saving. He will go through great pain and hurt to protect everyone from anything. He doesn't understand when someone doesn't like him or doesn't want to be his friend. He tries and tries to gain positivity in everyone's eyes. He has a boiling point. He barks, snarls, bites. He is good, he hopes.

Protecting his small town, he's adored by everyone. No one wants him to leave. Not even his nemesis, Sterling Shaw.

They make me want to scream.

Sterling "I can control people simply by touching them" Shaw & Connor "I've never been afraid to touch you" Cairn.

Sterling "everyone leaves me so I'll kick them even harder" Shaw & Connor "I'll never leave, no matter how hard they kick" Cairn.

Sterling "I'll destroy Connor, I'll ruin him" Shaw & Connor "I'll save Sterling, I'll protect him" Cairn.

DO. YOU. FUCKING. SEE.

Sterling has never had a friendship unbound. He doesn't understand giving. Only taking and taking. He has never had a connection not built on chains and demands. He latches onto his slaves' need to obey. They need his orders like they need air. He is bad, he knows.

They're sick. I love them.

Also I made a playlist for them, if you're interested!! It's mostly Mitski, cause I have a problem.

I came up with this idea and these characters YESTERDAY and they've rotted my brain.

I need someone else to understand my vision. Please.

[gleamingtempest]

Xander Matthews & Min Jeung - Narrative Foil Trait Compilation #1

How does this series work?

This is my narrative foil disection series for Danganronpa Despair Time based on my post Danganronpa: Depsair Time foils theory. The presented theory is that the CH1 recap shows off all narrative foils in DR:DT based on how the pairings in said recap video are paired. This series will go through all 8(?) of these foil pairings and disect the dichotomy present in them in a more in depth manner. I will do this primarily by comparing and contrasting Backstory, Motive, Flaws & Character Arc. (Credit to Barbieronpa for that compliation of concepts.) All of these posts will contain heavy spoilers and will be updated as the series goes on and more information on the characters is presented. If you are interested in the those updates please return to each of these posts after the end of an episode batch. This will only look at presented content within the series;outside of the foil theory itself it will not take into account theories & speculation.

Backstory

Xander: -> Born in the States. Went overseas for some type of private schooling in the UK. -> Had a family of at least 3 members left behind in the states. Presumed/Implied heavy poverty. -> Family died of a waterborne illness while he was away at private schooling. This incident had something to do with Duke Spurling. -> Their deaths were particularly gruesome. -> This incident resulted in Xander becoming the Ultimate Rebel -> At some point during the timeskip of around 2 years before the prologue Xander lost an eyes. It is not clear how he lost his eye. Min: -> Born into a family with at least two parents and no known siblings. -> When she was young her family had some financial struggles. The depths of this were not explored but it was severe enough to encourage drastic action. -> Min was visited by a member of X-Tech Future when she was young who offered the potential for Min to join a competition for the title of Ultimate Student. He funded her family so long as she continued this pursuit. -> This resulted in Min dedicating her whole life to becoming the Ultimate Student and never being able to accept anything less than perfection. -> Min eventually took the test for becoming the Ultimate Student. She's sure she didn't score perfectly on this test, but, instead won because she exhibited the qualities the Academy most desired in an 'Ultimate Student'. Compare/Contrast: -> Both born into families which struggled financially. -> Both suffered because of the whims of some bigger corporation. -> Min dealt with X-Future Tech while Xander dealt with the Spurling Foundation. (More accurately, a politician who was heavily funded by the Spurling foundation.) -> Rebel V. Student Dynamic

Personality

Xander: -> Energetic -> Loud -> Active -> Emotion Based -> Extraverted Min: -> Lethargic -> Quiet -> Passive -> Logic Based -> Intraverted

Motive

Xander: -> Xander was motivated by the death of his family to oppose the big corporations which caused his suffering to begin with. -> Xander's personal convictions were strengthened as a result of the suffering he experienced. Min: -> The suffering Min experienced as a result of the corporation largely benefited her family. -> Min's personal convictions were weakened as a result of the suffering she experienced. Compare/Contrast: -> Both are largely motivated by the corporation which harmed them. -> Xander takes a proactive role as a result of this while Min takes a reactive, passive role as a result of this.

Flaws

Xander: -> Xander is impulsive and his emotions are easily toyed with / influenced by others. Especially those he already respects. -> Xander is willing to justify bad behavior if it aids him in succeeding at his goals;he is 'self righteous'. Min: -> Min is slow to act and open up to others. She passively accepts the world as it is and doesn't act until absolutley forced to. -> Min is emotionally closed off and represses her desires for something different. She has too many regrets to accept simply dying. Compare/Contrast: -> Both were willing to justify the deaths of others if it meant achieving their own goals;this was largely for two very different reasons. -> Xander was too willing to risk it all while Min waited too long to do anything at all.

Character Arc

Xander: -> Xander tries to get another student who is closed off to open up and trust others -> Xander chooses to betray this person and attempt to murder her because some unknown party instructed him to do so -> Xander fails because he rushes ahead without thinking of the consequences Min: -> Min wants to open up to others because she's spent most of her life focusing on nothing but her talent -> Min is very passive in this pursuit and ultimately it results in her accidentally killing another. -> Min 'saves' somebody and then uses this to justify her pursuit of self preservation in the trial. -> Min fails because it took her literally facing death to make a strong decision - and this decision costed another's and her own life. Compare/Contrast: -> Min and Xander both tried to 'save' another person who they ultimately betrayed in the pursuit of their own goals. -> Min and Xander both died on an impulse decision without thinking of the consequences.

[thosepeoplefromfrance]

Hey everyone I'm still thinking about the Haywood siblings from nope (2022).

I'm thinking about Jean jacket always being meant to be the first beast Em was going to tame, and how her dad got in the way the first time, but her brother saw she was capable of doing it on her own the second time. I'm thinking about OJ seeing a key being logded into a representation of his home (ghost when he lost his dad, the porch when he got back to Em). I'm thinking about how after their dad got killed by the coin, OJ stared at it without taking it out of the evidence bag, another spectacle, meant to be seen but not touched, meanwhile Em's most important scene has her reaching for fallen coins in hope of making something new. I'm thinking about how OJ's survival was dependant on him standing on the same ground he stood in all his life, unmoving force, while Emerald only lived because she ran as far away as she could towards the cameras and flashes she always wanted. I'm mostly thinking about how much we see Em rely on the idea of fame and being "on top of the mountain" as Ant puts it, but in the final scene, she doesn't look at the press and cameras, she doesn't even look at the picture she took, she's completely focused on OJ.

[puissantveil]

Tanya and Kitana might be literary foils.

Tanya:

Older, starting to show signs of aging

Not all that sexualized despite belonging to the Royal Big Tiddy Sisterhood

Raspy voice and austere aesthetic

Gruff, abrasive personality, Does Not Fuck Around

Devout follower of Delia and Argus (who are hopefully not awful in this timeline)

In a relationship with another woman and unimpressed by Earthrealm men completely

Kitana:

Youthful, definitely the baby sister

The Hot One of this timeline, despite more modest endowments

Rich, smooth voice and glam aesthetic

Sweet puppy dog personality, but also playful, kind of a jobber tbh

Confronts Liu Kang with the problem of evil like a disillusioned Christian

Has risque intros with Johnny Cage and one or two where she teases Kenshi

Yet despite being so different, there's one thing that ties them together: they both love Mileena immensely and would help her hide a body.

[aucris]

I had dreams too, you know? Dreams of a lost future and our shadows dancing in the narrow paths of what-if's. Dreams of all the burned bridges, air filled with toxic smoke of a fire we didn't start, but never tried to extinguish. I wish you could have saved me, little mouse, I wish I would have allowed it. We were always meant to collide, but we were doomed from the start.