#not quite intentionally but there are hella parallels

[crumbleclub]

What if Michael met ghost Mike?

I feel your confusion, but hear me out.

There's no time travel involved. A part of Michael died with his brother, and that concept is taken literally.

A result of trauma? Penance? A supernatural fluke? You decide.

Michael Afton's life continues. He gets older, he starts trying to figure out his father's crimes, he gets involved with trying to save the souls that are trapped.

He never questions the crying he sometimes hears, never questions the cold hand he's felt on his wrist when his life was in danger. It could have been anyone. One of the kids didn't quite leave, maybe, or his brother or sister came around from time to time. He grew accustomed to it.

Once, though, in the mirror, he sees another version of himself standing nearby. That sort of thing is hard to write off.

[ruby-whistler]

hi, here's a short (long) analysis of this song which you should at least give a watch in my opinion! you might not like it, but you also might, so i say give it a shot.

anyways, here's my personal interpretation of the lyrics i (co)wrote. ani might have a completely different one, but you know.

beforehand, i need to point out that the first half of this was written before c!wilbur's revival and the second one was written after.

so, starting with the title

my motivation for it was c!wilbur's general role in shaping the narrative of the server, as well as cc!wilbur often joking around about scripts and other plot elements.

another thing was a clip of him talking with philza about how he thought the server's storyline was becoming very scattered, and i got the idea that maybe when c!wilbur comes back, he might try to rewrite the plot to his benefit as he has done time and time again.

hence, the idea for the song was born in my mind as i was falling asleep one night, because that is the only time i get good ideas.

the first half

"history, history, s'told by the winners, made by the sinners"

this was a reference to wilbur quoting the famous line "history is told by the victors". the reason i chose to use this set of words is because although the winners (wilbur) are the ones telling the story, the people who actually make the impact are often flawed, and genuinely invested in the cause (rest of l'manberg).

while c!wilbur knew the cause of l'manberg was false, he let the "sinners", or people he considered lower than him, since he was the one "telling" the story, win the war for him and make history as he altered the finished "story" in his own favor.

"so lie that you'll free them, s'long as you lead 'em"

this one is pretty self-explanatory. wilbur promised the revolution freedom in return for total loyalty to him, his power, and his country.

i'd also like to point out the use of "you" in this song - this was written, once again, before the revival; it was however expected that dream was going to bring wilbur back at some point. and i'm pretty sure ani doesn't know this, but writing this, i intentionally made the "you" wilbur is singing to be dream.

in essence, wil's telling his newfound ally about how powerful he is due to his abilities to "rewrite the script" - picture this being your usual villain monologue song after a dramatic return, since wil's always had a knack for the theatrics. keep this in mind for the rest of the explanation of these lyrics.

"the ink doesn't dry 'till time blows by spin a silver web and they're comply"

i absolutely loved this lyric, i couldn't stop gushing about it. ani came up with this one completely, so i don't know whether or not it has any deeper meaning, but i wanted to point it out because it sounds hella cool. the second part is about c!wilbur spinning lies until people would listen to him and do what he wants.

"smiles in the mirrors, reality's a game"

this line was meant to give an idea of just how screwed wilbur's perception of the world and people around him is, in that he treats everyone's lives as a narrative, as a symphony, as something that belongs to him and is free for him to play with.

smiles in the mirrors can be taken in a lot of ways, but one interpretation i like is that wilbur and dream as characters are parallels in their actions, but no one realizes it because the narrative paints them in different lights and the tragic hero and puppeteer respectively, when it's moreso the other way around.

"with help from the spinners we can shift all the blame"

spinners are the people wilbur uses to "spin" the tales for him. and, well, he's always been very good at shifting the blame and making himself out to be a victim.

seeing as he's talking to dream, in this line he is also reassuring him that he has people on the outside that can help them "rewrite" the current narrative and shift the blame away from dream and wilbur, in order to change the public's perception of them, which is at the time overwhelmingly negative.

"and if the world hunts you down out your mind and around we'll set their precious world adrift, adrift"

this is the most obvious pointer that wilbur is singing to dream. he is directly telling him that since the people of the smp have "hunted" him (or would, if he were to escape), and have hurt him mentally and physically in the prison, wilbur would work with him to destroy their lives and their world as they know it for their mutual gain.

it also brings forth his views of possession and power; in essence, he sees himself as in charge of the lives of everyone in his story, hence finding their realities fragile and fully his own to mess with. he finds it amusing that he has full control over something so "precious" to them, and mocks this sentiment in the last line.

"and if you don't like what's shown and you feel like no one's grown just, rewrite the script!"

this was the first lyrics for the song, which ani wrote, after i proposed the idea. this begins a trend in the song where wilbur will alternate between talking to dream and the viewers themselves.

here he is directly addressing those who don't like the way the smp has been since wilbur has stopped writing, and who call out the lack of character development in certain people's stories. he is reassuring them that now that he's back, he will rewrite it to be more entertaining - for him, that is.

the second half

alright, now we're going over what i myself wrote the day wilbur was revived after getting a surge of inspiration.

"screams, broken voices poor writing choices"

this starts off with revived wilbur's opinions on the new storyline he has come into. the first line refers to the torture dream is going through in prison, and the second is him simply commenting on how he finds the plotline inadequate after his return.

"dreams of redemption caught my attention"

the interesting thing about this is that wilbur, as has been shown before with eret, doesn't believe in people's redemption.

this line insinuates that even if there was any chance of the circumstances changing and dream getting better, now that wilbur was back, he wan't planning to let that happen, as he finds it one of the aforementioned "poor writing choices".

it caught his attention as something he finds interesting - since he's always had a twisted fascination with people's hopes and goals, finding ways to use them to his advantage - but in the end, naive, since his outlook on the world has always been quite cynical.

"train wheels screech on the rails in the end, my world prevails"

this was an attempt to shove a reference to the stream i had just watched into the song. the train stopped in limbo, and it came to get him back out to the world of the living.

the second line is him boasting that he knew all along that his efforts to gain people's loyalty would would pay off in the end, and hence his "word" prevailed even over death.

"i've got tales in store, of loss and of war it's a shattered world for me to restore"

see, this entire sequence is quite the oxymoron, and it's meant to be confusing, showcasing once again just how twisted wilbur's outlook on the world is.

he finds the story "shattered", which is a reference to cc!wilbur saying he prefers more centred stories than what the dsmp is right now. he is promising to fix this, finding it another game for him to play, another puzzle for him to solve, however, his definition of "restore" is proven by the previous line to be a contradiction at its core.

he has plans from his time in limbo, and just like all of his stories so far, they're tragic and traumatizing to the people playing in them. he plans to perpetuate war and conflict in order to make the story more lively and dynamic, while using loss as a tragic element to push the "characters" in their lives further towards development.

in the end, the way he's planning to "restore" the world is by rewriting the narrative in such a way that it wouldn't stagnate, or work itself out naturally, but continue endlessly for him to write and control.

"villains and heroes, traitors and moles when push comes to shove they'll burn the world for their goals"

the second part of the first line was meant to be "interchangeable roles" instead, but we switched it out so it would be easier to sing.

it's talking about how after all, it doesn't really matter to wilbur who the villain or hero is, as long as they are part of the narrative that he has power over.

"and if i harness the flame their hope will blaze all the same no time for interests to conflict"

this is confirmation of the previous point that he can use people's feelings against them and in order to perpetuate his own "interests". as long as he can make people think he's helping them, even if their goals are different, there won't be room for them to truly conflict.

the people on the dream smp all burn with hope and passion and human emotions he can exploit and use in favour of himself and his story, and even then they won't get any weaker. he sees them as an endless fuel source he can take from, essentially.

"so when you're blue and betrayed by all the choices you've made just, rewrite the script."

the last lines of the song, and here he is speaking specifically to the characters in the story. all of them have made mistakes and been "betrayed" by their choices to trust others, which left them or others grieving or hurt.

wilbur is in essence mocking this, by pointing out, once again, how simple it is for him to "just rewrite the script", and take all of their "blue" away - while also making it clear that he only plans to use this power to take further control by driving those he sees fit further down their path of revenge and villainy.

epilogue

thank you all for reading, whoever did! this song was truly a passion project for me to work on, and i loved coming up with deeper meanings to the lyrics, by using my own personal interpretation of the character. i get that this is not everyone's interpretation, but i like it. i also really can't wait for what wilbur's up to now that he's back. either way, have a nice day!

[oofjaemin]

⌠ NAM JOO-HYUK, 25, CISMALE, HE/HIM ⌡ welcome back to gallagher academy, JAEMIN ‘ JAE ’ WOO! according to their records, they’re a SECOND year, specializing in DRIVER’S ED + COVERT OPS; and they DID go to a spy prep high school. when i see them walking around in the halls, i usually see a flash of ( lipstick stains on shirt collars, sweaty sprints at dawn to start the day, being shirtless for no apparent reason, soft smirks when he’s up to no good ). when it’s the ( cancer )’s birthday on 7/17/1995, they always request their HAEJANGGUK from the school’s chefs. looks like they’re well on their way to graduation.

i’ll do a proper graphic / maybe add to this when it’s not 7am buuuut.... here’s jae — i just wanna say i now have four muses on the torres floor so that’s automatically the best floor x

some of his character parallels: 

stirling archer | archer - 96 %

samantha jones | sex and the city - 96 %

lucifer morningstar | lucifer - 95 %

barney stinson | how i met your mother - 95 %

maeby funke | arrested development - 93 %

chuck bass | gossip girl - 92 %

EL PINTERESTO

anyways. he a massive Hoe. i feel it had to be done after 3 of my muses coupled up 

his fam are part of The Spy Life, actually used to be very good friends with a certain mr steven park’s family until jae kinda... was jae and they split the bond, rip xx

he didn’t do anything major but the parks really didn’t want him around their sons, but jae doesn’t listen to rules or authority and said fuck that, i do what i want ?? plus he was hella close to both steve n andrew so he legit didn’t care what their parent’s wishes were and that kinda forced their hand to put a stop to it

he’s just very very impulsive, chooses fun and pleasure above all else and isn’t the most mature, a chaotic neutral.... jeez wonder why the parks wanted better for their kids JHSBJHBS

anywhoooo he actually gets on well with his own family !! has a sister who is very obedient, hard working and polite ( maybe i’ll do a wc ?? ) and while his parents do want him to succeed and focus in life.... they’ve known jae all his life and frankly they’re tired of repeating themselves and have found it’s better to just let him be as he’s much worse when he rebels

you’d think a twenty five year old would be less childish but ???? fuck age norms

he is actually very intelligent ?? sometimes 

his family have a tradition of attending university before a spy academy, to sort of prove your worth, intelligence, hard work, determination etc and it’s a bit of security to fall back on if anything were to happen to the family, their ties in the spy world, or themselves as individuals — plus it can be used as a something of a cover too ! plus... if you don’t do this step, the family consider you inadequate and you won’t get any money !!! 

it was a big incentive for jae who likes expensive cars and jetting round the world without a care so he studied law at cambridge and part of him thinks about ditching the spy world all together and becoming a lawyer but he’s dissuaded by the difference in potential money jhbjshbjs

his dad wanted him in weapons training but he said ‘ no x ’ and chose driver’s ed instead bc he likes to skrr skrrrrrr but don’t let him in ur car bc he might wreck it... not bc he can’t drive but he’s just a bloody idiot and will try and see if he can flip it or something

he’s a massive dick to his hook ups, tho not so much intentionally, but defo the type to be less than interested in you as soon as he’s finished jsbjhbjhbthe classic ‘ you’re still here ? ’ if he’s woken up and you’re beside him — but he can be quite a gentleman beforehand to ensure he sleeps with you, so i’ll apologise now for him xxx

has a lot of ‘ friends ’ but probs only a small few of people he’d actually put before himself ( imma say steve exclusively ) 

he’s just a bit of a mess about, likes to play and doesn’t really care who’s expense it comes at as long as it’s not his but he’s not like a full on dick or outwardly mean for the sake of it, he just does what he wants and what he wants can change quite quickly so he’s not one to be sentimental or put the effort in to ensure you’re not offended or hurt

drinks a lot, smokes a bit, other drugs occasionally 

pansexual but defo Het Energy bc he’s probs only slept w girls im p sure

was in the chess club at cambridge like a loser

he 6′2 : ) 

brain kinda empty but i think i covered everything ??? 

some connections i’d love 

defo hook ups plssssssssss, even if it’s ex ones or a one night stand kind of thing, i feel if he continuously hooks up w someone they defo know he’s not keeping up the act of being polite n courteous so ??? can either be mutual or a thing they clash on — i’d say he probs has a preference for feminine peeps but only bc he’s never explored the other side of things but he’d be down to, for sure, i just do not think he’s a bottom so JHBHSJHB

some fitness friends, he really loves going for runs and jogs and wouldn’t mind a buddy to do it alongside him, same with just general gym buds or sparring partners !! 

family friends / enemies / neutral ? the woos are fairly known in korea, obvs they’ve cut ties w the parks so it could have some collateral w other families !!

someone he annoys the hell out of, bickering 24/7 ???? sign me tf up !! maybe they’re just as immature as he is or literally can’t stand him at all !! 

ok i think thats it but may add to when i wake up : ) pls either like dis, react when i post it in discord, or simply message me for plots n ideas !!! i will probs post an open tho if u wud rather see the vibe n chemistry !!! 

@gallagherintro

[beyondthetemples-ooc]

Man, I wish I could write stories with foreshadowing as brilliant as Steven Universe.

tl;dr I like foreshadowing. The payoff in Steven Universe was absolutely fucking INCREDIBLE and I really envy their masterful storycrafting, but I’m not sure how to foreshadow so subtly at all actually. Or drop Big Hints without Backstory and Directly Revealing It. I’m comparing my very lore-heavy stories with SU’s Background Presence of worldbuilding, considering how that impacts my ability to Ease It In There Naturally, adn focus on character developement.... Basically, I want to do more to tie all my stories together. Continuity is sacred to me, it always has been, but I want some mystery with it-- “So THAT’S what that was about” is a feeling I really delight in, and would like to learn how to build more artfully.

The times I’ve tried, intentionally, come off as either way too silly, or, let’s be real, a little heavy-handed. Imean, my stories certainly don’t lack Plot Twists and Shocking Reveals. But a lot of the moments in my stories come as complete surprises to the CHARACTERS. So, the way I narrate, the only way I’m COMFORTABLE narrating, it feels like it’s gotta be Surprise via Narration Too. (I don’t narrate through events. I narrate through the characters.)

Unforeseen and Unforesaken has: ~ Everyone noticing Dove wearing a cloak that’s kinda like Raven’s, with some other vague resemblances. ~ Raven side-eying Dove’s powers being unleashed by emotion. And Dove knowing her name. ~ Starfire commenting on Dove being From Azarath, Like Raven.

And that’s all just in, like, the first chapter. (I mean, I wanted to Kick the Mystery of Dove’s Heritage off strong.)

But the Entire Subject of “why is Dove like this, Who Is She” kinda gets... left at the door through the rest of the story, UNTIL the Actual Reveal of “she’s Trigon’s daughter! She’s Raven’s SISTER!”

In the rewrite, I’m going to explore the fallout of that revelation a LOT more intimately.

So I have the cooldown well placed.

But I’m struggling to give it more Warm Up beforehand.

(I’m thinking, the parts where Raven is able to sympathize with her, kind of illustrates that mystery a little? Draws a connection between them?)

But then again, maybe exploring who Dove is as an INDIVIDUAL is more important than her relationship to Raven, too...

Mmmmaybe in the Grand Tour scene, Starfire comments on Dove’s cloak looking like something Raven might wear, if it wasn’t so bright? (Because it’s Hella Canon, Starfire tries to connect with her and open her up so she can relax and find comfort in her new home.) But Dove kind of hesitantly dismisses it as being “just Azarath”, they like hoods and cloaks, she guesses?

So there’s another Parallel, but Dove actively avoids making it into a “””parallel”””... (Because, I mean, she hardcore doesn’t WANT anyone to know who her father is.)

There WAS the (definitely comic-book cheesy [but i love it that way]) chapter-end of DDD that went something like:

She finally felt like everything was going right again.

The only problem being: she was wrong.

To that effect, anyways. I like it~ (Especially since everything starts going wrong for her in that story.... ;; )

But, like. Foreshadowing in Soul Sickness (pre-revamp title: Mystery Sickness) would be really neat? If I could pull it off. Like, I know there’s a scene I need to add to the Very, Very Beginning where the team takes on Mumbo again, because they’re convinced his magic is the reason that Raven fell ill. (Which is never supposed to happen; she absolutely cannot get sick from pathogenic infections. That’s hardcore, blatantly-stated comic canon!)

Anyways, point is, I don’t know if that’s the kind of foreshadowing I’m looking for? Because it’s magical malady for sure. And it’s not until the end that they figure it out, and only because they’re investigating the phenomenon where Raven gets worse when Dove’s near for a few hours, and without explanation, seems to heal quite well when Dove vanishes into the night.

And then, after ruling out anything they can think of, they uncover the CAUSE of it being Alerina’s spells, not Mumbo’s.

I mean, it’s definitely a plot twist of sorts. Nobody expected Dove’s mother’s magic to have that kind of effect on her.

But I wish I knew how to foreshadow that more... 

~ There’s the Mysterious Force that Raven feels when she first empathically connects to Dove, and subsequently feels again any time after. That’s in Dove’s debut, and the prequel to Soul Sickness...

~ I mean, the title itself is going to be “Soul” Sickness, which basically already reveals that it’s not a physical sickness.

I like that. Little tiny tidbits like Those.

But, like...

...I kinda want to foreshadow something brilliantly, the way they’ve done in Steven Universe. Even just one or two times, I’d really like to give someone that moment of, “!! Ohhey, that makes SENSE now!” Or “I can’t believe that was actually what THAT meant, 47 pages ago.”

And Srentha’s survival. That deserves foreshadowing. (During Nothing Good Lasts Forever, when Raven takes Dove to Azarath to reconcile what happened in her vision, and to get closure and finally be able to find peace with it: I want to add a blurb about “On the other side of the monolith, someone notices the flickers of energy, and thinks he hears voices, but after the stir of magics [of Raven's teleportation] was raised, trying to follow them led him to nothing but ash swirling in the fading wind.”

Something like that.

(There are like 5 years of stories between “Nothing” and Srentha’s debut, though. {lD I wonder how many readers will remember? Or even, care enough about The Mysterious Person Mentioned Once on Azarath. Let alone, theorize...)

Well, my stories certainly aren’t as cute, blatantly emotional, or quickly-formatted as Steven Universe. Not as immediately interest-catching. (There’s enough passion, heart, and soul in them. Definitely as much angst and comfort.)

But I can’t help wondering if anyone will care half so much as I do about my characters, and their stories, when I start using little tricks like that? I wonder if anyone else will be left wondering? Caring? 

...Ultimately, I really don’t care. I’m going to try my best, and write my stories anyways. Probably never publish them, until I get rich enough to self-publish. Too much else in my life for that.

But it would be nice.

Point is, it would be a really cool trick of story-crafting to learn how to use, wouldn’t it?

The breadcrumb trails and build-up and Mystery Developements was my favorite part of Steven Universe. That build-up, theorizing, and finally REVELATION catapulted it to tie with Teen Titans for me. The incredible PAYOFF. I know what THEY did. I just... don’t, really really DON’T, know how to use such brilliant, subtle gestures to foreshadow and hint at my own stories....

...but, coming to think of it, another huge gap (besides Storytelling Format) exists between mine and theirs: Steven Universe focuses on a magical family viewing mundane emotional humanity through the lens of fantasy. Their lore-dropping is few and far between, because that’s not the focus.

Oh, my stories very much ARE focused on the lore. You can’t really be subtle about The Actual Point And Theme And Setting And Entirely-Relevant-to-Character-Developement Lore. At least not when it’s Literally The Cause, Journey, Hinderance, Help, and Solution in my characters’ lives.

I think I’ve gotten quite good at working the lore into the natural flow of the story~ Perhaps not as lengthily paced, but I like to think it’s as In-World-Naturally as SU typically managed. Casual fact-drops. Settings. Background info that’s not the main focus of the scene. Integrating the lore-drop in with the innate mindset, history, and relationships of the characters.

I mean, frick guys, if it wasn’t for Azarath and Trigon and Azar’s Crystals and the Fauni separation and Dove having great power inside her, and Raven having mastered such power, and mindscapes manifested, and metahuman shennigans... I wouldn’t have any stories to write, guys. These things are SO integral and important to my stories! (Mundane drama human stuff? It’s cute in SU, but I, personally, do not enjoy dedicating hours to capturing that in a story. I don’t, personally, want to explore people and leave out the Wild Fun Mind-Bending and Stimulating Soulful Magic Stuff. The stuff I’m passionate about exploring! The stuff that’s not just rewarding in the end, but ALSO fun and exciting to GET through, UNTIL the personal developement is proven!)

The perspective of my stories is an unwilling mage going through things both fantastical and mundane to learn about herself, learn about the world, and most importantly, learn to have a PLACE in the world. Learning to accept her heritage. Learning to accept her limits with magic her mother treasured, so she treasured too. Learning how to control her own mind and heart and navigating a new reality, and a new morality, amidst it all.

The person is absolutely a Top Tier Important element in my storytelling. Dove’s growth and developement is the reason I love her as my protagonist. But I can’t write her story without the magic stuff.

My stories are narrated with far more focus on the wild stuff than SU’s crew chose for their story.

But I like my humans meta and their problems magical honestly, I think it’s just a lot more fun. ;P (Definitely written with equal doses of Heart. But magic is a lot more insistent in Dove’s life, and a lot less of The Internal Struggle, really... mostly just a side-effect.)

...gosh, this got rambly.

But I guess my point is, because it’ll be fun to figure out how to Artfully Foreshadow Shit, I’m definitely going to try.

[anti-hinata]

Didn't I tell you they live on fillers and headcanons.

well, when pretty much everything in canon is a slap in the face to them, i’m not really surprised. ☕️

kishi: i killed neji for them to get together; he “died as cupid”.

kishi: the boruto movie is the first screenplay i’ve written – the last was “an idea from the anime producers”.

kishi: i “pitied” hinata because she watched naruto from the beginning, so felt i needed to “reward” her for doing so.

kishi: i’m too “embarrassed” to write anything to do with their romance, so i let studio pierrot and, idk, some randomly affiliated authors write their fanfiction as fillers for those gaps that i couldn’t be arsed to fill myself… but hold up, i’ll personally take the time and effort to write my final work for the series, which focuses on s/s, sarada (seemingly my true next generation main character) and team 7.

kishi: i literally just straight up “forgot” about hinata’s main trait when creating the kids… but i’ll retcon a byakugan ‘awakening’ joke later or something, no worries.

kishi: oh yeah, i intentionally made n/s parallel mina/kushi because it was, like, a “red-herring” or whatever the hell they’re telling me to say now…

kishi: also, my wife is just like sakura and she shipped naru/saku. she was the one who helped me write mina/kushi too! but she got hella angry at me over naru/hina; she was “very upset that naruto didn’t get together with sakura” and “complained quite vehemently to me” about it. oh, and my only contribution to ‘the last’ was our scarf gifting memory, since i tried to “defuse the situation by assuring her that she was actually the model for hinata” but she knew that wasn’t true; my wife is a “strong character”.

kishi: however, i assure you that n/h wasn’t the asspull that it seems – i apparently just couldn’t be bothered depicting them on more than 40 pages out of, like, 12,500+ in my 15 years of writing the story. i actually decided on s/s “early” on, but naru/hina wasn’t planned until “the middle”, somehow… idk, i liked s/s, so the other two basically happened by default later on, i guess.

kishi: naruto doesn’t have time for his family – the exact thing that he craved the most throughout his lonely life – during an era of peace.

kishi: naruto sleeps on the couch.

kishi: naruto’s son hates him. he hurls abuse at his father, makes his mother cry and ruins his little sister’s birthday party with a tantrum.

kishi: he’s the son of, like, the strongest ninja and a main-branch member of a prestigious clan, but he has to cheat to be a decent shinobi.

kishi: naruto’s daughter also gut-punched him unconscious and made him miss the day that he’d been dreaming about his entire life. you know, the one that was a theme of the series, which i consistently built up to showcasing the moment of for my invested readers to finally see come to fruition… psych.

kishi: naruto knows the significance of bento and still runs; leaving his son stuck with his mother’s unappreciated meal, still hateful of his father, feeling sorry for his mother and pissed at his dad’s lack of care for his marriage.

kishi: hinata is “frumpy”, “crumpy”; she “has a bland appearance” and “reduces the amount of skin she shows”. oh, and here are the numerous characters who have commented on sakura’s beauty, including naruto!

kishi: hinata – who has the byakugan, btw (like, 360º vision and has been trained to walk upside down & on the water surface) – tripped on a rock and gave up on personally trying to help naruto, whilst sakura performed medical ninjutsu, manually pumped his heart with her hand & administered CPR with practically no chakra.

kishi: naruto had feelings for sakura for 699 chapters – he develops feelings for hinata in the movie that i didn’t think was important enough to mention at all in my work. apparently it’s the result of a genjutsu and feeling sorry for her or something?

kishi: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[blessedyuki]

Noragami Chapter 72 Analysis

No matter how much pain the last arc brought us, at least we could all agree on our interpretation of the events: the situation was bad. Things are different now. Chapter 72 (temporarily?) resolves the conflict, but it also raises some flags for other things that might come as a result of this. Of course we can just focus on the positive and ignore these things for now. In my case, I can’t.

I think it’s quite funny that the most shared panel of this chapter is also the one that encapsulates the current division in the fandom:

Some are happy to see Yato finally smile, and some say he looks dead inside. To me, it’s a mixture of both. At this point, and after what he’s been through, I’ll take any smile from him. It’s not necessarily a fake smile either, but it’s a forced one. It’s a smile of relief, but it’s also one that Yato doesn’t quite seem to believe himself. I think it’s also quite telling that it happens right after Hiyori and Yukine make an attempt to cheer him up. Even though he tries to keep it together for most of the chapter for everyone else’s sake, it’s quite obvious that he’s not OK. 

Meaning, he believes it’s his fault Yukine ended up in the box, and it’s eating away at him. Hiyori says what we're all thinking: he did help. In fact, if it wasn’t for the type of person he’s become for this past year, he wouldn’t have gotten help from Tenjin, Ebisu and Daikoku. However, that’s not enough to him as Yato insists on how powerless he felt during those moments. And even when Yukine is the one trying to convince him otherwise, Yato just brushes it off, and apologizes for his rant. Yeah, totally sincere. 

How will Heaven take this defeat?

Putting aside the fact that Yato’s side won and everyone survived, the whole thing was resolved fairly quickly. Perhaps too quickly. In fact, there were many things that happened off screen in this chapter. Granted, some of those are understandable as they would be redundant or wouldn’t add a lot of value. Kazuma’s ablution happening off-screen is not that strange either, as every ablution except for Yukine’s has had the same treatment. Furthermore, I think Adachitoka are intentionally leaving us in the dark when it comes to Bishamon and Kazuma. However, one thing that needed to be shown (and I’m sure it will) is the repercussions of Heaven being found in the wrong. The series has usually been very secretive when it comes to the higher ups of Heaven, but that’s one thing that could change after this arc. I also expect to see some scenes with Father and Mizuchi. I’m really interested in what his thoughts are regarding Yato’s actions and everything that went down. Will he change his approach? Will he try to convince Yaboku again?

These are all reasons why I’m not making any assumptions yet. I believe we have to wait for a couple more chapters to fully grasp the implications of the events that took place in this past arc. And then there’s the things that did happen in this chapter, but that we had to really pay attention to see. As Nana pointed out, the chapter had many “realization moments". There’s a very clear context between the text (everyone being alive and happy, Heaven being wrong...) and the subtext (ominous foreshadowing, whatever’s going on inside Yato’s head...). Before delving into these uncertainties, let’s take a look at the things that were confirmed, and what they could mean for the future:

The Three Sacred Regalia cannot die. Like many of us assumed, Heaven’s Three Sacred Regalia can reincarnate. In a different way than Gods do, Tenjin adds. I also concur with what nanielavnz said on this topic, so I recommend reading that post for more insight on this.

Arahabaki is Nana's previous master. The mystery is finally solved. Arahabaki’s the one Nana referred to as “Aya-sama”, and he’s also on Yato’s side (they even have nicknames for each other and that’s hella cute). As an Emishi god, Arahabaki can provide tons of exposition that, so far, we only got from characters like Tenjin, Iwami or Father. We can also expect the Emishi war to continue being relevant, even more so now that there’s probably discord in the Heavens. I’m just really excited about Arahabaki and Takemikazuchi joining Yato’s team, and the new dynamics this is going to bring. If Yato’s going to go to war anytime soon, he’ll certainly need all the allies he can get. Arahabaki refers to Nana as his “daughter”, and like many others, I believe he means that in an adoptive sense (you could also see this is as yet another parallel to Yato an Yukine and how they’re like father and son). Finally, Nana being upset and conflicted is understandable, but then again so are Arahabaki’s actions. I’m still not sure on what to think of Nana’s future either. While Yato and Bishamon might have been pardoned, Nana should still be locked away. If that’s the case, then I’m guessing Arahabaki will have to take Nana and leave somewhere else, even if he cannot be her master anymore. Which brings me to the next point

Gods cannot rename a Shinki they have previously released. Not even with a different incarnation. This information does not only give more meaning to previous events (mainly, Bishamon hesitating to revoke Kazuma’s name, and refusing to release Tsuguha), but it also raises some flags for Yukine and Yato’s relationship. That does not mean Adachitoka will act on them (it would be a very drastic change in the series), but it’s certainly going to influence Yato’s actions in regards to what he does with Yukine. Don’t forget we come from an arc that has pretty much confirmed Yato’s fears that he cannot change his nature as a God of Depravity and that he only brings disaster to those around him. If he truly believes he’s to blame for Yukine’s state, chances are he might consider stepping away and revoking Yukine’s name to save him. On the other hand, if Yato refuses to release him (or even worse - if Yukine begs him not to), then the only option left would be going to the person who seems to know more about Karma: Father. Why would Father help them? Because he could blackmail Yato into saving Yukine in exchange for making him his Shinki. Don’t forget it’s always been one of Father’s goals to make Yukine his. And what’s one of the things Yukine would hate the most? To become a nora. Whatever ends up happening, I’m sure it’s no coincidence Adachitoka decided to reveal this information the same chapter that Yukine goes through the same thing Tsuguha did. I can only hope Nana being mad at Arahabaki for abandoning her does not become yet anoher parallel for Yato and Yukine.

Hafuri: Always on the losing end

Did you notice? In an arc that’s focused so much on the whole blessed/burial vessel debate, the biggest losers are Yukine, Kazuma, and Nana.

Once again, we got no information whatsoever on what the exact consequences are for Bishamon and Kazuma. We only know they’re bad. Bishamon survived, but she’s borderline comatose. Kazuma has left, but we don’t know where, if he has a goal/destination in mind, or if he’s even planning to return at all. On top of that, everyone’s currently too worried about their own problems to go look for him. The thing is, him coming back at some point, apologizing, and being accepted back by Bishamon has already been done. They had an entire arc dedicated to them and their communication problems. And while I understand bringing their relationship back in an arc that focuses so much on Hafuri, what negative consequences could there be this time if it’s not death for either of them? I don’t think Kazuma is on a suicide mission because then he could have simply offered his head during the covenant. Kuraha speculates that the reason he blighted Bishamon was because he “knowingly did something wrong”. It’s possible that the “wrong thing” he did was to decide to abandon Bishamon. His next act after getting corrupted was to go up to Bishamon one last time to try to save her, only for her to push him off. Now that the whole thing has been resolved and that Bishamon should be fine, he’s decided to walk away for good because he believes he’s failed as Bishamon’s guidepost. Once again, the theme of “walking away to protect someone”.

There’s little I can say about Yukine that hasn’t been said already. He’s currently suffering from PTSD both from the box, and from his past. This is a very unstable situation: the moment one of those flashbacks includes his human name, he’s done for.

There’s also something that I have been wondering for a while: where will Yato take Yukine in the meantime? They currently live at Kofuku’s, and Yato can disguise Yukine’s state as post-battle exhaustion + the trauma of being locked away. However, it’s only a matter of time before Daikoku realizes something else is wrong with him. Yato can tell Kofuku what’s going on, but there’s another Shinki in that house. And we have just recently seen that, no matter how much Kofuku loves Yato and Yukine, she won’t risk Daikoku. Is it finally time to temporarily go to that tiny land Yato got in Takamagahara? Of course, this is only assuming that he doesn’t go straight to Fujisaki like I mentioned before (he knows where he lives, after all).

New year, new arc

Kinda. Noragami keeps expanding and escalating the story arc after arc. Even though we didn’t have any major losses out of this arc as we were promised, we didn’t leave empty-handed either plot-wise. There’s new characters, character development for Takemikazuchi/Kiun, Amaterasu, reforging of friendships... and, what’s most important, a huge crisis in Heaven that might as well start a cold war.

Chapter 72 brings a happy resolution, yes, but it’s only because we’re looking at it from the perspective of what happened in chapters 70-71. The thing is, even though Yato’s side won the covenant, they got nothing good out of this. All this mess started because Bishamon wanted to defeat the sorcerer. She didn’t achieve that. And, in return, she got badly injured, Kazuma left her, and Yukine’s in a very bad state. It’s a “won the battle, lost the war” kind of situation. 

Judging by that “but how many scars have been left behind…!?” part from the short preview of chapter 73 , it appears that we haven’t gotten the full picture yet. I have said many times that this arc is a turning point for the series (if you’re into One Piece, I like to refer to it as ”the Marineford of Noragami” lol). Even though Yato might still not have many followers, he’s no longer an unknown God (Amagiri-no-Mikoto, huh?), and that’s bound to change things. And Yato might have allies and friends with him, but he’s feeling more hopeless than ever. It reminds me of how hopeless he felt after Ebisu died in the Yomi arc. Coincidentally, that arc also involved Heaven (and Amaterasu), and brought a lot of change for the series. So I say expect lots of change. This it not really a resolution - just a short break. 

[edibleflowerseu]

TEXTURES

Anselm Kiefer

(1945 - present)

Anselm Kiefer was born in 1945 in Germany. He was the son of an art teacher and knew from childhood that he wanted to be an artist. There’s no real turmoil it seems in his life but that doesn’t mean you can’t make good or moving art slash what do I know, eh?

Almost all of his work interrogates Germany’s dark past. Born right at the end of WWII, Kiefer thrust forth into a country that was eager to reinvent itself, rebirth itself, distance itself from its horrific past. However, Kiefer was not content to live in that world. Idk much about post-war Germany, but he was part of an intellectual tradition known as “Vergangenheitsbewaltigung” (“coming to terms with the past”). The central tenet of this view was that rather than distance itself from its role in the Holocaust, modern Germany must interrogate and accept its past lest it never truly heal. Hiding from Nazi symbolism was not the way to move forward. Thus, Kiefer was especially interested in playing with taboo symbols associated with the Nazis.

Key themes in his work include Germany myth, history, culture, and topography; he evokes, uses and misuses an idealized German culture in ways that explores and parallels Nazi propaganda. Aside from his early work (see his early photography series “Occupations”), there is no overt Nazi symbolism (which is outlawed in Germany) but more a sense of a warped pastoral, folk images made unsettling. The Nazis invoked German culture and leaders of the past as part of their propaganda, and anything similar to that imagery is often met with shock and disgust. Other themes include memory (public, private, personal, political), myth, poetry, as well as the connection between macro and micro (universal and individual, nature, time, life, the cosmos, etc.). Historical layers meeting historical layers. Sigils pop up a bunch.

He is very inspired by the poetry of Paul Celan; his work will often include signatures and names of real and fictional characters.

He is also quite into forest imagery, as “our stories begin in the forest” (a lot of German art is concerned with the country’s forests; Wolfgang Voigt’s GAS project comes to mind).

Kiefer is very into mixed media, and the use of unorthodox material is extremely crucial to his work and process. He loves using straw, dried plants and flowers, clay, broken glass, shellac, and – most importantly – lead. The use of lead evokes many things in Kiefer’s work – creation and destruction, its use in buildings, in machines for constructing nations and in machines for controlling people, in hospitals and in death camps. Kiefer feels that by using the materials themselves rather than a substitute it captures the fragile nature of those things, a sense of fragility that permeates the work. It’s linked with some other art traditions I think but idk anything bout that shit.

In the 70 and early 80s Kiefer was most concerned with German history, but in the mid-80s and beyond he expanded his palette. He traveled extensively in the Middle East and Asia and developed a taste for the occult and the mystic (especially the work of Velimir Khlebnikov). Ancient and Middle Eastern imagery snuck into his work, and he began exploring the inevitability of life and death in society, the Ozymandias principle, all great societies must fall into dust.

Kiefer is part of an influential generation of German post-war artists and art patrons, a generation that includes Sigmar Polke, Gerhard Richter, Joseph Beuys, Georg Baselitz, and I’m sure plenty of other people I know even less about than those guys.

Perhaps Kiefer’s most interesting work is his studio itself. His original studio was a brick building in  Hernback, Germany. But he left there to move to his most notable studio in Barjac, France. Here he worked and resided for many years, filling the premises with installations, miles of corridors, earthy columns and mounds, labyrinths. However, he moved again to Paris later in life and left that studio intentionally abandoned, the site of a once great structure overgrown with grass and weeds. It’s a fitting symbol for what his work aims to probe and also the subject of a documentary called Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow.

The dude now lives in Paris and is also hella fucking rich. Like in the top one thousand richest Germans rich. Art is hella lucrative. He also left his first wife and family behind when he moved to Barjac, deciding to live with his probably younger and prettier new wife. Sounds like a dick move, but typical of artists who think they’re hot shit. No idea if he is hot shit or not probably not very fun to be around didn’t look up any interviews and too lazy to so jury’s out I guess. One of his pieces broke the record for most expensive art sold on this lil website called Christie ($3.6 million).

Kiefer also writes books or like makes visual mixed media types books and are those actually books? It’s up for debate but I think they’re books. Maybe one day I’ll peep one. Get hella rich and leave a million dollar book outside on the patio and it will rust in the rain and Kiefer will pop a boner cause it would be soooo appropriate. I’m also assuming the book is made of metal for some reason.

The dude is still alive and is hella prolific. Which is good, man, love to see people hard at work at what they love.

Here’s a good summation statement about the man I found on Wikipedia. It is from some lifetime achievement award shindig or dinner or whatever:

“A complex critical engagement with history runs through Anselm Kiefer’s work. [He] worked with the conviction that art could heal a traumatized nation and a vexed, divided world. He created epic paintings on giant canvases that called up the history of German culture with the help of depictions of figures such as Richard Wagner or Goethe, thus continuing the historical tradition of painting as a medium of addressing the world. Only a few contemporary artists have such a pronounced sense of art’s duty to engage the past and the ethical questions of the present, and are in the position to express the possibility of the absolution of guilt through human effort.”

Autumn

The Fertile Crescent

Margarethe

Parsifal I