#the fact that this show even exists seems extremely unlikely

[mooremars]

Random Camelot facts I learned from Alan Jay Lerner's book:

Frederick Loewe's reaction to the idea of this musical: "That king was a cuckold. Who the hell cares about a cuckold?"

Loewe couldn't even get through The Once and Future King and that is so valid.

Lerner's determination for whether an audience was into Camelot was whether they laughed at "You wonder what the king is wishing tonight/he's wishing he were in Scotland fishing tonight" and I do think he was right.

The first reading was over three hours. The first show in Toronto lasted four and a half hours, ending at 12:40 AM. The second performance ended at 12. For reasons that will become clear soon, this did not really improve until they went to Boston and even then, they didn't get the show down to length until Broadway.

There was a twelve minute sequence of Lancelot's quests that lasted a single performance before getting cut.

There was also a forest animal ballet.

Alan Jay Lerner's wife (number 4 of 8) took their two year old on a "vacation" to Europe during the writing. She called two days in and said she and the son were never coming back. He had a breakdown.

He went to a psychiatrist but said he didn't have time to do any therapy because he needed to write the second act so he just asked to get prescribed something. The doctor apparently went for this, telling him to start with four of whatever these pills were and then build up to twelve a day.

This is how he wrote If Ever I Would Leave You because of course that would be the song.

During rehearsals, he was getting weaned off the meds. In the two days leading up to opening, he just forgot to take the remaining pills or eat anything reasonable. His wife and son also showed back up.

After the second performance it was discovered he had an ulcer and was bleeding internally. He was hospitalized for almost two weeks.

As he was leaving the hospital, the director was wheeled in after suffering a heart attack.

Anyway, this combination of events led to them not fixing the many many problems in the show.

Also at this point Lerner and Loewe were seemingly barely speaking to each other even though they were rewriting the show and looking for a new director.

Lerner functionally took over directing even though he'd never directed anything. Loewe hated this.

Two weeks before they opened in New York they had an almost entirely new second act.

I think this is pretty common knowledge but Before I Gaze at You Again only got lyrics two days before Broadway previews.

When the director finally got out of the hospital, they started making changes again three months after it opened on Broadway.

Loewe quit musicals after this one and I cannot blame him.

He barely touches on the movie, clearly something is going on there, but the one thing he did mention is that apparently Richard Harris was kind of a nightmare.

[youremyheaven]

Jupiter's Boundlessness: The Union of Good & Evil

Something I have noticed for a long time is how Jupiter natives often play multiple roles within a single project. Be it movies or music videos, I often see them channelling the boundlessness of Jupiter by literally embodying several characters. As Claire Nakti explored in her Jupiter makeover video, duality and transformation are huge themes in the lives of Jupiter natives. This duality is not just a light vs dark one but also a masculine versus feminine one. Jupiter women especially being internally masculine often channel this in different ways. But beyond the "duality" is the "multiplicity", because of their vast, internal spaciousness they feel as though they are many many different people with many different interests and abilities. This is why Jupiter natives are kind and generous because their vastness allows them to literally put themselves in the shoes of others but it can also feel very confusing and tiring. You stretch yourself that wide, you might snap, feel empty and burnt out because you feel so chained by being a very limited narrow definition of "you".

Mariah Carey, Punarvasu Moon

She plays both herself and her obsessive stalker (based on Eminem) in her MV for Obsessed

She fights the evil brunette version of herself in her MV for Heartbreaker

She also has an alter ego named Bianca who is the opposite of her and even speaks with a British accent lmao

Here is a clip of Mariah being interviewed by her alter ego Bianca

In fact, I'd say that having an alter ego is in itself kind of a Jupiterean experience since these natives embody duality or feel like they contain so many contradictory energies or that they're "opposites".

Miley Cyrus, Vishaka Moon plays Miley and Hannah on Hannah Montana, a whole show that revolves around a girl trying to manage her alter ego.

Dua Lipa, Punarvasu Moon battles with her other self in her MV for IDGAF

Troye Sivan, Punarvasu Rising plays a female version of himself in the MV for his song One of Your Girls

Ruby Rose, Punarvasu Moon, Swati Rising captures her transformation from a traditional feminine woman to her more butch androgynous self in Break Free

Destiny's Child's mv for Lose My Breath features the trio battling their alter egos. Beyonce- Vishaka Moon, Michelle- Punarvasu Moon and Kelly- Swati Rising

I'm including Swati placements as well because I think Swati also closely embodies this Jupiterean boundlessness or multiplicity

Beyonce, Vishaka Moon also has an alter ego named Sasha Fierce and like many Jupiter women who talk about wanting to be a man/embrace their masculinity/channel this in some way, she has a song called "If I Were A Boy"

Avril Lavigne, Swati Moon played multiple versions of herself in the MV for her song Girlfriend

Halsey, Punarvasu Moon and Swati stellium has such a wide ranging style, all their looks are completely unlike each other. I associate it with the chaos of Rahu more than Punarvasu but I do think the Jupiter influence also adds to it. They've also talked a lot about not identifying with gender/struggling with it and even has a song titled "I'm not a woman, I'm a god".

The Weeknd, Vishaka Moon, Punarvasu Rising

"The Weeknd" is the alter ego of Abel Tesfaye and he has talked about "killing his alter ego" many times

In this MV we see him battling his alter ego.

I think it's important to note that Jupiter natives are always battling their other half/shadow in all these examples. One is good and the other is bad. It points to the nature of Jupiter where all contradictions exist. Being that vast and expansive can mean being generous, compassionate etc but it can also mean feeling empty and vacuous. The extremes of anything is a meeting point for its opposite. Jupiter is abundance but its also the storehouse of karma. Do you notice how some people just have lives that are full of sooo many crazy experiences, both good and bad? Some people just don't have much going on and others always seem to be handled the short end of the stick. The bigger the planet, the bigger the shadow. The bigger the blessings, the bigger the burdens.

Suga's (Purvabhadrapada Sun) MV for Daechwita sees him play both king and peasant and both of them battle each other.

He also has multiple alter egos (SUGA & Agust D)

Here is a translation of some of the lyrics from the song:

"I got everything I wanted.  What else can I have to be satisfied?

The things I wanted were clothes clothes, then money money, then goal goal, what’s after this?

What’s after this?  Feeling a strong feeling of reality check, a situation where there’s nothing higher. 

I had only looked up, now I just wanna look down and gently land."

Finding success meaningless is a VERY Jupiter experience. Abel sings about it a lot as well. Others work on accumulating things and its hard for them to imagine the kind of boundlessness of Jupiter, both in terms of latent potential but also in terms of the scale and expanse of what these natives achieve. If you had it all, would you find it empty and meaningless? I think a lot of Jupiter natives hold themselves back because of this, because they know the journey is more fun than the destination, that actually achieving your goals can be hella scary.

P!nk, Mars in Punarvasu atmakaraka battles herself in the MV for Don't Let Me Get Me

The lyrics go like:

"I'm a hazard to myself

Don't let me get me

I'm my own worst enemy

It's bad when you annoy yourself

So irritating

Don't wanna be my friend no more

I wanna be somebody else

I wanna be somebody else, yeah"

"So doctor, doctor, won't you please prescribe me something?

A day in the life of someone else"

The Jupiterean urge to be many people/somebody else is so revealing of their nature. They're always at odds with each other. Masculine & Feminine. Light & Shadow. Plus the boundlessness and abundance of Jupiter making you feel like you've transcended humanity and are akin to God (sooo many Jupitereans, esp men have a God complex its not even funny lol)

Its no wonder that so many Jupiter women often suffer from bipolar disorder. Bipolarity meaning swinging between extremes. This is literally the nature of Jupiter. Its a hard energy to balance.

(Mariah Carey & Halsey- Punarvasu Moon both have bipolar disorder, Kanye West- Purvabhadrapada Moon also has bipolar disorder Chyler Leigh- Vishaka Moon, Mel Gibson- Punarvasu Rising are all celebs who have admitted to suffering from bipolar disorder)

I am not a medical professional and neither am I going to assign mental disorders to different nakshatras BUT when I say imbalanced Jupiter energy manifests as bipolarity, I am pointing to the nature of Jupiter which makes its natives swing between extremes. Its a struggle to manage this and navigate this, no doubt.

Lisa Kudrow, Punarvasu Rising who played Phoebe and her evil twin Ursula

What's Your Rashee? is a 2009 Bollywood movie starring Priyanka Chopra, Punarvasu Sun who plays 12 different characters each representing a different rashi or zodiac sign

Kamal Hassan, Purvabhadrapada Moon played 10 different characters in the movie Dhashavataram (referencing the ten different avatars of Vishnu). He played the bad guy, the good guy and all the other guys.

This again points to not just the duality but also the multiplicity of Jupiter and literally being many different people.

Katy Perry, Vishaka Moon plays many different characters in her MV for Birthday

Vikram, Purvabhadrapada Moon plays 4+ different characters in the movie "I"

David Bowie, Jupiter in Vishaka atmakaraka, Shatabhisha Rising

Bowie had sooo many alter egos/personas, morphing from the flame-haired Aladdin Sane — a spin on “A Lad Insane” — to the clean-cut Thin White Duke with the greatest of ease. But his most famous alter ego was the androgynous alien rock star Ziggy Stardust who transported us to a glam galaxy far, far away in 1972 and 1973.

Lady Gaga, Swati Moon

"Lady Gaga" is in itself an alter ego as is being Mother Monster but she also has a male alter ego named Jo Calderone. She became Jo Calderone for her “You and I” video in 2011. The singer even went to the MTV VMAs that same year as Jo, walking the red carpet, opening the show, performing and sitting in the audience as the character.

The 1991 movie Dead Again stars Emma Thompson, Punarvasu Moon and Kenneth Branagh, Mars in Punarvasu 1h as two people who have double lives/past lives, the plot in itself is super Punarvasu coded with the same people playing multiple characters across multiple timelines (Punarvasu's deity is the personification of space and time)

Lily Tomlin, Punarvasu Rising plays 3 different characters in the movie The Incredible Shrinking Woman

Tatiana Maslany, Punarvasu Rising played many many different characters on the show Orphan Black.

The series focuses on Sarah Manning, one of several genetically identical human clones, and later on some of the other clones. The series raises issues about the moral and ethical implications of human cloning and its effect on identity. I had previously observed in an old post about how Punarvasu & Swati are connected to cloning and this is yet another example of the boundlessness of these energies.

Tom Cavanagh, Swati Sun, Venus in Vishaka atmakaraka played 15 different versions of his character in The Flash

Rachel Weisz, Purvabhadrapada Moon played both Evelyn and Princess Nefertiti in The Mummy Returns

Hugo Weaving, Punarvasu Moon, Purvabhadrapada Stellium (mercury, venus and ketu) played 6 different characters in Cloud Atlas

In Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, Alex Winter, Punarvasu Sun & Keanu Reeves, Punarvasu Moon play their evil versions.

The plot itself is very Punarvasu coded with Bill & Ted, two metalhead slacker friends who travel through time and beyond while trying to fulfil their destiny to establish a utopian society in the universe with their music.

Deepika Padukone, Swati Moon and Shahrukh Khan, Swati Sun played double roles as lovers who are reincarnated in a different time.

Jupiter is the guru or teacher. To be many things is what Jupiter teaches. It is kind of like being God and if one were to raise philosophical questions, you'd have to ask why did God create both good and evil? Why did he create joy and misery? There is no other answer except that one cannot exist without the other. Jupiter embodies this.

I hope this post shed some light on one manifestation of the boundlessness of Jupiter<33

xx

[david-talks-sw]

I was watching the Clone Wars featurette about the Holocron arc and Dave talks about the scene where Bane threatens to kill Ahsoka. He says "we're seeing a dark side of Anakin, and in a very clear illustration of why Jedi should not have attachments, we see that attachment get exploited." So clearly at what point in time he understood the whole attachment thing. What happened?

Unlike Karen Traviss, I think Dave Filoni actually understands what "attachment" means, in Star Wars. Apparently, it's the Star Wars theme that he and George spoke the most about.

"The biggest area of the Force and the Jedi [that] George and I have gotten into discussing the whole deal with attachments. And, arguably, that's what Anakin whole life is hinged on, is this - like you've mentioned - he has a lot of attachments to Artoo and how how right or wrong is that? Is it that the Jedi have made themselves dispassionate, that they are actually deceived by the Sith and they fall apart?" - Dave Filoni, Rebel Force Radio, 2012

What I've noticed is that, while understanding the meaning of attachment... Filoni doesn't seem to agree that the Jedi embody the concept of compassion.

He has acknowledged sometimes that "attachment is bad" is the theme of Anakin's story (but question if it's really so bad, unlike Lucas who says it's understandable but bad) but disagrees that the Prequel Jedi represent the obvious counter-theme, "compassion is good."

If you read what Filoni says, he argues that:

The Jedi have lost their way, taken the "rid yourself of attachment" rule and pushed it to an extreme where they've rid themselves of any empathy and thus compassion. They've focused so much on being selfless that they've forgotten how to love.

All except for Qui-Gon, who is the only one that truly knows how to love without getting attached, to love selflessly.

And personally, that strikes me as a coping headcanon, a way of reconciling the theme and feeling the Jedi like Mace, Ki-Adi, even Yoda and Obi-Wan are stoic, unlikable and too different from Luke.

Sure, they're not perfect, but nowhere in the films is the Jedi's stance on love framed as "bad" by the narrative. The narrative agrees with their philosophy, and George echoes it.

In fact, among 772 collected George Lucas quotes, I've never seen him state that theme while adding the asterisk that "of course, the Jedi of the Prequels have forgotten how to be compassionate, except for Qui-Gon who was the true Jedi."

And of course he doesn't do that. Because doesn't that muddy the waters so much?

Supposing Qui-Gon truly is the only character that embodies the concept of "compassion"... doesn't killing him off in the first film confuse a targeted audience of children?

Bearing in mind that the Prequels are about how greed makes people and institutions become the very thing they swear to destroy, and Star Wars as a whole is about being selfless instead of selfish:

In one corner, we have Anakin and the Senate showing what you're not supposed to do.

In the other, you got Padmé, Shmi and the Jedi, showing you what you should do instead.

Simple. I can see a kid getting this (and I did). But according to Filoni, that second point is incorrect. Instead, it's:

In the other, we have... Qui-Gon, who is one of the first film's four protagonists that dies at the end, without openly stating anything about the trilogy's theme. Theoretically, there's the Jedi who state and address the theme, but they don't themselves embody it so they don't count. So really... in this corner we have nobody (?)

That seems overly complex, a whole lotta hoops to jump through. Doesn't make sense. But hey, good luck learning the lesson, kids.

So yeah, Dave Filoni gets what attachment means. He just doesn't think it's as bad as Lucas' films frame it as, and disagrees on the Jedi narratively embodying the concept of compassion.

And I think it's coping. It's connecting non-existent dots, Always Sunny-style, to justify not liking characters that weren't meant to be developed much, due to their calm, collected nature and secondary/tertiary role in the story.

Coping and coming up with headcanons are what any irritated Star Wars fan does when they're confronted with something they're unable to make sense of.

“I care because I passionately believe that important stories ought to make sense.” As well you should—and when a story does not, you apply that passion to finding a way to make it make sense. [...] When a rational and inquisitive mind is confronted by the engaging yet irrational, it often responds in this manner. This process is not usually appreciated by those undergoing it; the most common reaction is a deep irritation. But isn’t that always how pearls are formed?” - Don DeBrandt, Star Wars on Trial, 2006

Unless they choose to make documentaries and click-baity YouTube video where they decide to spew hate and get angry pointlessly. Which I'd argue is still worse.

[animeyanderelover]

Good afternoon this is my second time request here so can I request a yandere muzan and all upper moons x tsunade reader

I did not include all Upper Moons since I'm not comfortable with writing for some of them. I left out Hantengu and instead used some of his other forms and I completely left out Gyokko. Also a little fun fact, Tsunade was my first Anime crush.

@leveyani @kanaosprotector

Tw: Yandere themes, toxic relationship, possessive behavior, obsession, delusional behavior, controlling behavior, stalking, clinginess, paranoia, manipulation, gaslighting, blackmailing, isolation, violence, abduction, death

S/o has abilities like Tsunade

Kibutsuji Muzan

🩸​As someone who has a god complex and sees himself as the nearly perfect being if it wouldn't be for his one single flaw, your mere existence is a punch in the guts for Muzan. He has always belittled your kind for being weak and powerless so your existence and inhumane strength is an experience he refuses to acknowledge. You are so unlike anyone he has ever met with your strength, your speed and even your healing abilities that should be something only a demon possesses. You are frighteningly close to being the pinnacle of your kind and the only consolation Muzan latches on is the fact that despite all of your feats you are still only a human. You are a fading and ultimately wasted potential. He builds his confidence up by focusing on the aspect of your mortality as the demon starts terrorizing you whilst flaunting his own superiority due to his immortal in front of you. Nevertheless, his interest in science is one of many things that earn you his obsession.

🩸​Muzan wants to know how your body works and how you are able to use such strength and regeneration that should be a feat only used by demons. Despite his utter fascination he also feels a much more intense need to have control over such a darling as such abilities will only lead to a rebellious attitude from your side. Your strength outmatches even a demon and your regeneration abilities, although not as quick nor as consistent as those of a demon make you a fearsome enemy. So fearsome in fact that even Muzan tends to shy away from confronting you directly out of an underlying fear to be beaten and to be forever humiliated by you. He starts making excessive use of poison, drugs or abilities from his demons that influence your senses to keep you tame and harmless. He feels much more compelled to turn you quickly into a demon as the lack of a gap in power between you and him triggers him and he hopes to make you more obedient by turning you with his blood.

Kokushibo

🌙​Kokushibo who would normally show more lenience to his human darling despite being very adamant about them following his instructions and rules is forced into a rather unique position due to your own potential which makes him unable to show any restriction. A part of him seems to even take delight upon discovering your potential and he goes as far as praising your abilities and your strength and despite his own attempts to show a bit of mercy, sometimes he goes out whenever you act up and try to break free from the control he tries to submit you to. Such attempted outbursts of yours are seen as less pathetic from his side as he acknowledges that you have actual bite behind your bark and aren't only putting up a mere facade. Kokushibo is very interested in your true potential so it happens that he doesn't go easy on you at all whenever a violent fight between the two of you should happen only to gauge your own abilities in return.

🌙​Yet he stops damaging your body too severely when he comes to know that in extreme situations you shorten your own lifespan to instantly heal all of your wounds. He starts suggesting to you that turning into a demon would be very beneficial for you as your own strength might be amplified and you wouldn't have to shorten your own life even if you would be inflicted with severe wounds. Despite his firm belief that becoming a demon would do good for you there is an underlying fear he holds inside of him. He fears that you may even surpass him in strength when you turn into one of his kind and that he would ultimately lose the control he has somewhat over you completely then. Because his admiration for your strength only holds as long as he can confidently believe that he still outclasses you. If this belief of his should start wavering the insecurities he has buried would reappear and would remove all restraint he has shown to you so far.

Douma

❄️​Douma will give you an headache and not the other way around. He is mirthful and has a damaging delusional streak going on that make it pretty much impossible for you to anger him in most cases. Instead he finds the little quarrels you two have going on very cute and adorable. His little flower has such a short temper and he finds it unbelievably sweet. Only god knows how he can interpret you bashing his skull into pieces with your fists as romantic but he does it either way, commenting on how strong you are as soon as he regenerates. It is never seen as a fight for your own freedom whenever both of you get violent but as nothing but a lovers quarrel where he allows you to vent out some of your angry temper to enable you to cool off again, even if that includes some visible destruction to your surroundings. It is instead much more common for him to be highly displeased whenever one of his followers suggests you to be an unworthy partner for him and you have witnessed him murdering such people gleefully soon after their insults have been spoken.

❄️​Douma allows you to go all out whenever you feel the need to blow off some steam but he also very rarely holds back in such scenarios. Especially your ability to heal your own wounds seems to make him disturbingly giddy and increases his sadistic nature as he loves hurting you only to watch you heal the injury he has given you. He knows that it isn't as efficient as his own regeneration abilities but at times he forgets it and injures you seriously in a rush of sadistic joy. Much to his dismay there are times where he can't spare you and your anger too much time in which case he uses his Blood Demon Art to immobilize you and to render you unable to fight anymore. He expresses genuine unhappiness though when he eventually finds out how you shorten your own lifespan when you have suffered from risky wounds as he would actually like to preserve your humanity for as long as he can in order to enjoy your adorable and fierce personality. Don't shorten such precious time.

Akaza

👊​Akaza usually loves himself a strong opponent and a good fight but there are two factors that majorly hamper any enjoyment he could potentially feel in this scenario. One is the mere fact that you just happen to be his darling which automatically makes him much more mellow and protective over you even despite your ridiculous strength. Another factor will be if you are also female which only increases his uncomfortableness as he doesn't kill any women. It is this lack of euphoria and his own obsession that make your situation easier as he never really attacks you when you fight against him. He only defends himself but you never sense any murderous intent from him as he takes your hits with a conflicted and unhappy look on his face before dodging and trying to restrain you without hurting you. Even your ability to heal yourself faster and better than any human doesn't take away from his resolve to to not injure you and to not fight against you with his full power.

👊​Akaza could be even pressured into a compromise as he usually lets his anger and frustration out on his surroundings or an unfortunate man he comes across and never directly on you. The worst reaction you have ever forced out of him included him smashing something nearby with his brutal face all whilst veins of frustration popped up on his temples as he gave you a sharp and heavy glare but he never has gotten physical with you. There are limits to how willing he is to compromise with you and if you should truly test his patience until he is at his limit he will find other ways to ground you. Whilst he will keep his hands away from you, if you should have male family members or friends he will resort to blackmail you by threatening their lives just to have something that will help him to keep you under some control. Even if those methods should grearly upset you, he hopes that you will comply with this ultimatum for the sake of your family and friends.

Sekido

😡​Sekido as the manifestation of Hantengu's anger will be probably the worst match you could have. He is constantly in a bad mood as it is but the mere fact that he is as obsessed with you as he is will be only fuel to his flaring emotions and only increase his emotions to the point where even he feels overwhelmed. On the one hand he hates you and wants to see you suffer for his obsession which you didn't even intend to happen but at the same time he is far too possessive to let you leave, even in death. This is already complicated enough as it is yet your own strength and your abilities only make everything so much more worse than it is already. He has a very dominant personality so he expects you to submit to his control and will even use violence to force you into obedience. He wants to enjoy the fear and the power he holds over you with sadistic glee so your own strange abilities only make everything so much worse. How dare you go against him like this?

😡​He is absolutely ruthless as restraint is something he has never shown and Sekido won't start with it now just because you are his darling. He will fight for the control and your submission and he will willingly use methods such as violence and fear if it brings him his desired result. He won't hold back with his electricity, especially when he realizes that you have abilities that allow you to heal and regenerate as it only triggers him to be even more vicious and violent when he battles against you. The injuries and wounds you sustain whilst fighting him are the worst as he constantly loses himself in his anger and only really stops when you are already half dead, trembling and shaking in anger as he barks at you if you have finally learned not to oppose him and to listen to him instead. You will have to use the Creation Rebirth a lot if you want to speed up recovery and escape from the worst damage and true to the emotion he is meant to represent, Sekido will be furious when he finds out that you shorten your own lifespan and insult your incompetence.

Karaku

🤪​Similar to a scenario with Douma, Karaku will be the one who manges to infuriate you constantly as he never seems to get serious even in rather dire situations. Karaku is the manifestation of pleasure and he seems to take everything as just a game. It is pretty much the same when it comes to the morbid obsession he develops for you. It is something he perceives as new, as exciting, as thrilling and that leads him down a path where you find yourself unable to get some time for yourself as Karaku has to constantly monopolize your time and gauge all of your reactions for the sake of satiating his own curiosity. So in the strangest turn of events he even encourages you to showcase all of your abilities to him to feed his own curiosity and to amuse him even further. Be aware that everything you do will only fuel the obsession he has with you though, especially your angry outbursts manage to only enrapture him more even if you should punch a fist through his stomach.

🤪​Everything you do only fascinates and amuses him even more so you can do whatever you want to try to scare him away but nothing will really work. Truly fascinating is perhaps that Karaku actually has a lower probability of kidnapping you as he actually prefers it much more to just to intrude in your own private life. That is the furthest thing from being safe though as he might kill and eat some of your family or friends if he should feel like it only to amuse himself by watching your reaction to it. The only time he will ever actually take you by force would be if you try to escape the terror with green eyes that constantly torments you. Only then will he feel motivated to abduct you but that comes with the terrible situation where you are forced to spend every waking hour with him all whilst he asks you to show him more of your skills. If you try to switch strategies by ignoring him and avoiding him, you will certainly manage to actually annoy him after a while as he despises if you try to keep anything from him, even your daily activities.

Aizetsu

😔​Aizetsu could be almost bearable, but only almost as he is still a demon who has an obsession with you. Yet it is probably the easiest to deal with him as he is calm and collected and won't attack on sight nor will he show any sadistic tendencies. In a way he almost wants to lament about you to you as he knows that the feelings he has gained for you are troublesome yet at the same cruel time he feels even sadder and depressed when he has to distance himself from you. You truly are the greatest pain and remedy at the same time. He is weirdly poetic and eloquent when he talks to you as he expresses his sorrow over his confusing emotions you make him feel and he even expresses sympathy and pity for you as he seems to be somewhat aware that you probably aren't too happy to have him just abducting you like this. He has to protect his own frail emotions though as he seems to be prone to feel insecure whenever he had to watch you expressing affection to someone else.

😔​Despite his abduction, Aizetsu is never really happy when he has to fight you but that is just how his character works. His overall calmness and his preference to analyze your attacks and only attack from a distance give you at the same time quite a bit of trouble as he slowly learns how he can use your weaknesses against you and just like Akaza he isn't above threatening your own family if it should serve his goal of keeping you under control. He will consciously hold back enough to ensure that you don't have to use your Creation Rebirth though as soon as he obtains the information that you always cut your own lifespan shorter by using this particular technique. It would be an unforgivable and eternal regret in his life after all if he would shorten your already limited lifespan even more. You are only a mortal after all, your time on earth is already so fleeting for a being like him. This very sorrowful and dejecting behavior he presents all the time makes it quite interesting to be around him.

Daki

🌺​Daki is a certified diva so any sign of rebellious attitude from your side will only end in a temper tantrum from her side. Just consider that Daki is used to always getting what she wants ever since her life as a demon has begun because not only is she extremely beautiful but she also has her older brother who actively spoils and enables her bratty and arrogant behavior. Honestly, it wouldn't even be that big of a problem for you to have all those special powers under the circumstances that she would like the most. If you would be obedient and sweet, Daki would actually be quite proud to have a darling as special as you. Despite the fact in her mind she will always be above others, which also includes her own darling, she likes to put you on a higher level than all the other humans precisely because you are her lover. You will never be as beautiful and strong as her but you are still better than all the other humans because she took an interest in you and your abilities would wonderfully feed this belief of hers.

🌺​If you should dare to think that you can use those skills of yours to try to escape from her or even fight her, you will very quickly get to know the not so pretty side of Daki. Not only will her outbursts of rage and anger drain you as she verbally insults you but she will also show little restraint when it comes to fighting you. Her Blood Demon Art might just be very useful though as her obi slashes can restrain your movements and tie you up. If you would be able to break free from those though you will damage her core belief that she is stronger than you because Daki has to feel like she is better in order to be kept in a good mood. If you manage to overpower her, she will end up begging Gyutaro for help who won't be happy that you made his younger sister so unhappy. Daki is simply too entitled to realize that perhaps you want more in your life than being her well-behaved doll who simply lets her do as she wants. How can you be so foolish, even throwing away precious years of your life that should belong to her?

Gyutaro

🟢​Gyutaro may not be as childish as his younger sister is but his darling will have to be quite careful with him no matter in which scenario. You have to be careful how you navigate around his sensitive feelings as Gyutaro is very easily angered or mad with everything. He shares the sentience of needing control over his obsession and once again this can lead to quite the violent fights because Gyutaro is not someone who will go easy on you. He is quite aware of how ugly he looks to many and has a naturally bitter and mean personality and he is especially sensitive about your preception of him as he has never been romantically invested in someone before. Any little sign of disdain or even attempts to break free from him with your strength will instantly sour his mood exponentially as he will instantly draw the conclusion that it is only related to his body and his appearance instead of considering that it may just be the fact that he just abducted you like this.

🟢​Gyutaro's overwhelming bitterness and his prone mindset to interpret every negative reaction as something relating to his ugly looks make him quite violent if he should really get into an actual fight with you. He would be even quite rough if you would be a normal human but knowing that you can heal yourself makes him even less hesitant to break your bones and his poison is especially deadly. You probably think that you are better than him because you have such skills despite being a human and think you deserve someone who looks much more handsome than he ever could, don't you? Such thoughts constantly fill his head and the more talented and/or pretty you are, the harder it will be to get rid of such negative thoughts. As soon as he finds out that you shorten your own life when healing all of your injuries in an instant, he is comforted with the uncomfortable feeling of guilt as well as paranoia as he instantly starts getting the wrong ideas again. Is an early death really more preferable than living with him? Is he that repulsive?

[shigayokagayama]

The Beach Omake And Authorial Intent

initially i was going to save this for a big teru analysis i had cooking however i eventually ended up deciding that it would feel like a really long tangent in its original context and probably deserves a separate post.

when it comes to the whole "teru's parents" thing i generally see two competing ideas on it

a. terus absent parents are the real villains of mob psycho and are the direct cause of everything wrong with his life and any and all teru analysis must center around this fact

b. terus parents being absent in the first place is only revealed in an omake and only exists for plot convenience and is not something that should be focused on at all when writing him

and whenever i see either of these my mind always drifts to the question of authorial intent. i know how people are reading this information, but how are we supposed to? i know death of the author is becoming more of a common thing in fandom spaces (albeit usually misused) but i feel like a better understanding of why this omake exists and how we're supposed to read it might help to better synthesize two takes that seems to be completely at odds with each other.

okay first i want to go over the actual placement of the beach omake in the update schedule of the manga because, unlike most other omakes, i feel like this ones placement in the schedule of page releases is actually super relevant

the vast majority of omakes come at the end of weekly updates. you finish reading the usually 15-20 pages ONE put out and then you get a little bonus comic at the end, usually something funny or a slice of life but but occasionally more serious. multi part omakes are usually spread out over multiple updates, making you wait a couple weeks for a punchline.

beach omake is not that. between chapters 99 (mob gets hit by a car) and 100 (the whole rest of the omake) there was a 6 week hiatus from normal pages and in this hiatus is where we get beach omake. reading it all together immediately cuts away the sort of "slice of life sunday paper comic" tone other multi part omakes have and make you read it as a part of the actual main story, since that's how you're used to reading these weekly updates.

now the actual tone. generally the multi part omakes exist to be long punchlines and the rare emotional ones are a single page for maximum impact. beach omake has a very different structure compared to, say, the haunted doll omake or the pot of happiness.

off the bat from the first two pages there's not really a joke. the tone mostly seems kind of melancholic. mobs expression for the middle section of the second page (maybe purposely) is obscured by the panel breaking off, it's hard to tell his reaction, all our attention is directed at teru. with all of the panels taken up by dialogue (primarily his own), we're being asked to focus on what he's saying:

-teru lives alone

-he lives alone because his parents live overseas

-he hasnt seen them in a while

-he doesnt like having nothing to do

-he doesnt like being alone

all of this information is delivered with an extremely casual expression from him, implying that it's not something that seems ll the out of the ordinary for him. mob, on the other hand...

the hesitation before he says anything and the way his expression is obscured seems to imply something is... off... about this information to him. this isn't a handwaved "oh mob is walking home from school after passing out because he needs to for plot reasons", we're reacting to this information like it's weird.

the next two pages are, mostly, a lot more of what we expect out of a mob psycho omake. the first one works as a standalone joke page, teru is bad at identifying animals which leads to him showing reigen a roach, something reigen is terrified of, instead of a beetle.

the second page starts similarly, we get a dumbass joke about reigen trying to pick up women at the beach (note: i think this is the singular time we get an indication reigen is even into women) but then the next two panels take on a more melancholic tone again. we get a small panel of mob and ritsu playing on the beach and a much, much larger panel of teru sitting on the beach, watching them. the dialogue bubble forces us to pay attention to the fact that he is silent.

the ending of this omake is where we bring it home. generally the last panel centers the punchline of the page, or of the whole omake, but the final panel of this isn't really what was being built to in this case.

we start our second page on teru. his expression is obscured, reigens speech bubble is shoved to the side so we can see that teru's hat is being held in his hands.

when we see his face in full view he looks... confused. he looks like he doesn't know how to react to someone going through all this trouble for him. teru is a character who, up to this moment, we have seen as extremely independent. he always rushes into things alone, he always has to be the hero, he always has to be the one to save the day. hell, this omake is immediately followed by the confession arc. where... you know.

so what are we supposed to get out of this omake?

teru's been doing everything on his own up to this point

but he doesn't have to anymore

[xjulixred45x]

Since I'm in the Helluva Boss Mood, I'm going to talk about something that I hope doesn't get me crucified.

I.ABSOLUTELY. HATE. THE .STOLYTZ.

Although I only realized this year.

If we go for the bases, we go with the bases.

✨NEITHER OF THE TWO KNOWS THE BASICS OF A STABLE RELATIONSHIP✨

Stolas was put in an arranged marriage as a child, having an EXTREMELY absent father and living in a turbulent relationship (which became abusive at times, with quiet moments but well, I don't think it would last long) with Stella. We are not told that Stolas has tried to be unfaithful in the past, so Stolas has no REAL EXPERIENCE in HEALTHY relationships to enter into one.

Blitz is much worse in this regard. He had an alcoholic father who left him in the background ALL the time above his best friend, and having to take care of his mother. He accidentally causes an accident that ends up killing his mother, leaves his best friend disabled, his sister hates him, etc.

Blitz, unlike Stolas, did have more relationships before him, but we know that they all ended BAD, especially VEROSIKA (there are even hints that she wanted to help him with his bad situation but he pushed her away) and as such it only did more harm than good .

all this without counting episode 1/season 2

Stolas clung TOO much to the good memory he had of Blitz, but to him it didn't mean HALF of what it meant to Stolas (since he already had positive things in his life like his sister, his mother and Fizz) so what? What does an adult with zero knowledge of healthy affection and ZERO experience in real relationships do? HE MANIPULATES TO GET WHAT HE WANTS.

Which brings me to my second point.

✨THE IMBALANCE OF POWER✨

If we ignore the fact that Imps are considered the lowest race in hell (because like all forms of racism, it is STUPID reasoning) even so the biggest red flag is the huge imbalance of decision-making power that exists in the relationship.

Blitz only wanted Stolas' book, HE REALIZED and what did he do? HE MADE A SEXUAL "ARRANGEMENT"(ABUSE, BC THE SEX CAN'T NEVER EVER BE A COIN TO TREAT WITH)WITH BLITZ TO GIVE HIM HIS BOOK (which HE KNEW HE NEEDED) ALL IN ORDER TO GET CLOSE TO HIM.

This is a monumental ABUSE OF POWER by Stolas! because at the end of the day he is the one who decides whether he gets the book or not (he knows it is VITAL for his work, WHAT HE LIVES ON) AND he tries to excuse it with the fact that it is a "way to spend time with him" EXCUSE ME !?!?

First of all, how the hell was Blitz supposed to realize that Stolas "loved" him if in episode one they literally had to censor everything that Stolas wanted to do in bed with Blitz? (and it's like that until chapter 6-7 where he begins to act more affectionately)

THERE ARE A THOUSAND WAYS TO INVITE SOMEONE OUT AND YOU HAD TO CHOOSE THE MOST ASSHOLE AND TOXIC ONE OF ALL. Abuse of power, control, poor communication, THERE'S EVERYTHING HERE, I'M IN CHERNOBYL!

AND IT'S NOT EVEN THE WORST.

Just because! There are toxic relationships that are fine to show on screen, especially in this case, gay/lesbian couples are rarely put under a toxic air, so there was A LOT to take away.

but the WORST thing is how ROMANTICIZED IT IS and as if BY FORCE they want you to 1) feel sorry for Stolas/get angry with Blitz or 2) that you SHIP THEM...

WHAT

Look, I like both characters, their stories are interesting and I like their personalities. the episodes focusing on JUST ONE of them are very good, but that's the point.

✨THE QUALITY DECLINES EVERY TIME THEY ARE TOGETHER ✨

Stolas is much more likable when he's being the prince of hell who's going through a turbulent divorce, dealing with his teenage daughter who he adores, singing songs to said daughter, helping other Demon Lords (I'm looking at you Asmodeus), etc.

Blitz seems much happier being with Millie and Moxxie killing people, talking about Loona, doing his job, getting into trouble with humans and being a complete bloodthirsty.

BOTH SHINE BRIGHTER BEING SEPARATED, NOT TOGETHER.

If you ignore the whole romance thing, they are good characters, but they forcefully want to introduce this drama...

ahg....it's late, I have school tomorrow, don't kill me for my honest opinion. If I think of anything else I'll edit it.

love ya❤️❤️❤️❤️

[slipping-is-doing-things]

After some much needed time here are my Sampo Koski headcanons! There are a few people in the community I take heavy inspiration from like Feroluce and Sorrin so please go check them out. You'll definitely see where their work gave me much needed inspiration.

Word count: 1,102

Trigger warnings: weapons, murder and implied death

Fandom: Honkai star rail

Primary headcanons

Sampo is an emulator, but not currently active in his role. He started as an actor that became director with his innate skills to work a crowd and more, it only was natural for him to step into the role as director while still partaking in the performance as a background character or side to keep the story moving flawlessly.

It's physically impossible to unmask Koski, Sparkle might be in possession of his original mask but he still has one. The mask Sparkle has is the one seen in her light cone ‘it's showtime’ mixed with the predominant mask in Aha’s artwork in the simulated universe with the gem. The mask he uses while she has his original is a half face mask that hides his eyes.

One of the odder effects from being an emulator, his eyes work oppositely. His eyes naturally have the appearance of being dilated while when they actually do they become more snake/cat like. A very long time ago this wasn't the case and his eyes worked how they should but this isn't isn't the case anymore with how long he's been an emulator.

The name Sampo Koski isn't his original name. The name was chosen for his performance on Jarilo-IV, his whole character at that. Though, one could say Sampo Koski is as much him as it isn't. Such facts are heavily true when the script for this performance was heavy up to him to build an believable character for.

The type of elation Sampo follows is more close to the original Aha used to be. elation comes in many forms, sometimes even extreme emotions that drive people to overjoyed almost manic laughter or overwhelming sorrow. Elation that's paraded by the tavern and the followers disgust Sampo to a degree. To him the Mourning Actors follow a more truthful yet sorrow filled path of Elation compared to Sparkle and the others.

The one oddity the Mourning Actors and Sampo share are extremes. While the Mourning Actors live in sorrow and anguish, Sampo in some situations feels extreme emotions that don't always outwardly show properly. True sorrow is shown by sobs broken by laughter he can't fully control while euphoric happiness can leave him laughing in such a way fitting of the Aeon he is an emulator of.

Having people willingly be friends with him outside of business or the work he does is something Sampo isn't used to. He's the background character, the comedic relief or one off side character. The idea of someone genuinely wanting to be friends with him, not including children, doesn't seem real to him. He isn't the likable character after all, none of his roles ever have been.

Aha is aware that Sampo follows both them and IX. The paths are similar in nature with both holding disregard to existence as a whole. If Aha didn't approve or find it entertaining Sampo would have exploded out of existence in a burst of confetti and the soft sound of bells ringing in the distance.

Koski has multiple safehouses across Jarilo-IV, from the underground, over world and outside the walls. His favorite and safest is deep into the blizzard outside the walls, far enough were determined Silvermane’s wouldn't go and away from the more aggressive fragmentum. At one point he had an apartment in the administrative district until it was burned down. It was the only place he actually paid legally while using his persona Brughel Poisson.

Interchangeable headcanons

Route ≜ - Sampo is a creation of Aha’s. He appeared one day on an forgettable planet around the age of Thirteen to stir up trouble for shits and giggles at Aha’s direction. Overall his creation by Aha was for shits and giggles just to see what would happen.

Route ≗ - (While unlikely, this idea scratches my brain delightfully!) Sampo was a part of the Mourning Actors and broke away once they were looked upon by Aha to embrace the path while starting to follow IX. He was the director before becoming an actor in the tavern, he doesn't believe in the Elation the Tavern does due to its naturally harmful nature he can't bring himself to follow.

Weapons

The smoke bombs Sampo uses hold very little effect on himself. He would have to inhale more than what it takes to knock out ten people to pass out. The smoke bombs he uses are harmless in that regard, unless one has asthma the only danger is being knocked unconscious.

Sampo does have two different kinds of bombs, he very rarely brings out his truly dangerous ones that rather than showing a happy expression have a sorrow filled one. He would never use those against people, he much rather smooth talk his way out of things or disappear in a burst of smoke.

Backstory mixed with open ended ideas

Sampo had found out about Aha’s origins through Aha themself. During his time as an active Emulator regardless of path he spoke with Aha on multiple occasions, primarily about scripts and similar subjects before it naturally came up in conversation. He was put at ease knowing the path he walks is true even with the push back and slight distrust from other followers of Aha.

In all of Sampo’s acts he won't kill. He's only done so once and was sick with himself afterwards even though it had been in self defense. He has no issue killing Fragmentium and similar things but another human isn't up for discussion, he rather take a beating if he can't escape in his usual methods. At worst he can use his power as emulator to push the act in his favor to avoid such things.

It takes a lot to make Sampo break character, very few have been able to genuinely upset Sampo enough to get a truly raw response. If one somehow does, Sampo has his ways to make the memory feel fake.

While most wouldn't know it, Sampo is genuinely a good cook be it sweets or savory meals he's good at cooking and enjoys getting to do it! He makes the Silvermane guards breakfast for a reason even if the guards don't know it's him.

Depending on the performance Sampo is taking part in the character he is acting as usually ends with them passing away. It's a peculiar way that helps him abandon his previous persona and personality. If he knows the persona will be useful later on he tends to simply vanish without any reason or make up an elaborate lie to make his disappearance believable until he steps back into the role.

[aspd-culture]

I think the House pfp makes me like you a lot more, lol. /srs

We love our very problematic but extremely, sometimes painfully, unflinchingly honest and mostly accurate portrayal of (SPOILERSSSSSS) canon ASPD. Tbh, one of the few accurate portrayals I've seen and the only one that doesn't cover it up with "but he's a good person" or "but they learn to love and change their ways and no longer are like that yay they're cured" or pair the representation with a side of demonization. Special interest infodump below:

We know House does bad things, but in light of that, the show forces you to stare in the face the questions: What does it mean to be a bad person? If it's your intentions, do your bad actions not matter? If it's your actions, do your intentions not matter? Does the effort not to hurt people in spite of your pain and trauma and maladaptive worldview not matter, no matter how hard you try, if you fail? How many failures is considered "being human" and how many makes it "being a bad human"? Does a good or bad person even exist with how fluid and nuanced life and human nature is? Can you, as a fellow flawed human, define a good or bad person and if so what gives you the right? The show demands you look at this man with low empathy and learn to feel for him whether you like it or not. And so many prosocials completely misunderstand the show and paint him as the antagonist when the entire point of the show is (imo) to humanize the people you shove into the "bad" box. Also hhhh I hate the people who say "House is autistic that's why he acts like this!" Nope nope nope he is literally diagnosed with ASPD. Do I think he's got autism too? Possibly, but I think he may understand social cues, body language, subtext, etc too well for it to be that. I would personally guess ASPD+ADHD+MDD. One of his major specialties is dissecting the social boundaries not because the doesn't understand them, but to show the blind spots they leave, the disservice they do us. He knows what he does is against the norm, he knows he doesn't speak like the people around him and he knows how to do it right. He just *doesn't* because he finds value in removing that and finds no value in others' opinions on him. He knows he is seen as terrible and does not care to change it, not because (imo) he was not accepted as a person but because he was traumatized against people as a whole. See also, MIA and unknown father, questionable mother, shitty stepfather, and all the things he hints at but does not tell us outright. House is a lot of things, but socially unaware is not one of them, and whilst there are autistic people like that who are prosocial, I think the show addressed this clearly in the early episode of the autistic (they used the n*zi term but I will not) child who gives him the PSP or gameboy or whichever it was. House sees some of himself in that child, but it is clearly addressed that it's not quite right - that House relates but does not seem to click properly with being autistic. However, in the "soci*path" patient episode, House heavily struggles to separate himself from her, and finds himself repeatedly coming up empty on reasons they aren't the same. In fact, when he finds out it is reversible, it seems to me like he is simultaneously glad to have figured out the puzzle - and maybe to save her from his suffering - and distressed and jealous that she gets to get out of this. She will get to meet people who did not know her that way and be like them and feel like them and feel like one of them. Unlike in the autism episode, the characters around him seem to believe he has it as well. If he is autistic, he has ASPD as well - diagnosed in fact.

It's such a damn good show.

You did not ask for my (as restrained as possible) infodump about House, MD but you activated my special interest trap card.

[linkspooky]

Same anon for the Gojo post - loved your reply and mostly agree. However, although I see his motivations similarly + think it will come to bite him v soon, I kinda sympathise with him as I feel it's the role his strength has pushed him into. Like yes, he has people that care for him but the power difference is so extreme that he has to stand alone even when he's literally melting his brain to keep up. imo Gege might want to show that that much power in one person is inherently not a good thing

Continuing the discussion from [this post] and [this response], I agree anon Gojo is in the end a product of the system that he hates so much. Perhaps that's why Gojo's attempt at rebellion against sorcerer society is so flawed, because in the end he is still the Golden Child of that same society. In traditional Golden Child fashion there's basically no thought paid to the hardships in Gojo's life and he's not really seen as a person outside of his ability as a sorcerer.

Gojo's entire character is a meditation on having unlimited strength, and the limitations that come with it. He even realizes pretty early that all the strength in the world doesn't mean he's always capable of doing whatever he wants, and that he'll be able to save everyone he wants to save. My friend justapanda made a meta on how Gojo's actually one of the most limited characters in the series because of the nature of his strengths. I can list off the similiarities between Sukuna and Gojo all day, but unlike Sukuna, Gojo for the most part uses his strength for the masses and sorcerer society as a whole.

It seems only natural that not only would having the strength to fight a small nation's army single handedly alienate you from your much weaker peers, but also carrying sorcerer society on your back and working alone would only further serve to distance you from others.

Not only does Gojo continually work alone, none of his fellow teachers or sorcerers have any idea who he is - like as a person. There's an extra in volume ten where a lot of the main cast is interviewed about Gojo and they all just say some variation of "he's the strongest".

None of them say anything personal. On top of that we know for a fact several of the people who work with Gojo, including Nanami say that they can't stand him as a person but respect him as a sorcerer.

There's a pretty simliar character in Tokyo Ghoul who occupies the same spot that Gojo does as "The Strongest". An unnatural talent that puts all the other investigators / fighters in the CCG to shame and someone so unshakably strong he has no compettitors and seems untouchable in battle.

On top of that he seems to have no life / role / friends outside of his job. There's even a similiar scene wher eone character tries to interview everyone else to learn more about him.

In a twist it's revealed that despite Arima being the strongest character in the story, with a genius and talent that many people envied was someone with little to no agency over their own life. They're a natural born fighter yes, but in this case that's literal. He's a born and bred child soldier and that's the only thing he was ever allowed to be.

He's a character born to fight and kill ghouls, and nothing else. Even though he's perfect at what he does, he hates his life, he hates that he was born only to kill and he wants out of it. To the point where he turns against the society that made him just like Gojo did, even if he's one of the most respected members of that same society.

However, even if Arima wants to destroy the society he's a part of he's too big of a cog in that machine that he can't really see himself living in the new world. As one of the old guard when he destroys the old society he plans on dying along with it, and that's exactly what he does. He's too much of a product of the society he came from to exist without it, or eevn imagine anything better, the most he can do is destroy the old and hope someone else will make something new.

Arima and Gojo are characters who are similiarly people with talent that would supposedly allow them to do anything in life, but are actually rather limited in their agency. They're both stuck in the role that they were born in.

I'd say the difference is that Arima is much more self aware than Gojo will ever be. Gojo knows that he's lonely, he knows that there's something wrong with the society around him and he wants to fix it, but I think despite the fact that he did come to the realization that strength won't save everyone he still uses strength as his go-to problem solver.

His solution to the child soldiers that Jujutsu Society makes and sacrifices is to just... make stronger child soldiers. He says his goal is to destroy things and shake them up but he's not really out for destruction he's just making a regime change and putting his people in charge instead. Gojo knows Jujutsu Society is wrong, but he can't quite decode the "might makes right" that's been programmed into his head.

Having put that much power and responsibility on Gojo's shoulders may have just permanently rewired his brain to where he can't see himself existing outside of his role or any life outside of one as the strongest sorcerer like Arima's own tragic existence. Arima at least is self-aware enough to know that he doesn't want this life though, whereas Gojo is still charging ahead being Gojo.

You mention Gojo is literally melting his brain fighting alone, and just this latest chapter Kashimo even says something along the lines of even if it saves Gojo's life or beats Sukuna don't inrevene in the fight because this is Gojo's fight. Gojo's pride at being the strongest, is apparently more important than his life or the grand scheme of things.

You know priorities, but it does make sense this is tragically the only thing Gojo has really to base his identity around. Arima can't imagine a life in the better world he wants to create, whereas Gojo only know sorcerer society values of strength.

It makes me wonder if we're going to get a similiar ending to Gojo as we are to Arima. The tragic nature of being the strongest and his role as the golden boy of sorcerery society has just made it so that he can't really imagine a better world than the one we have right now, even if he wants to change or shake up sorcer society he's just too entrneched in it.

Arima ends his life by committing suicide to help bring down the CCG, whereas I don't see Gojo committing suicide but it's possible that the same way Arima died to bring down the old society with him Gojo might similiarly die alongside Sukuna. As a way to show that the old way of being a sorcerer and prioritizing strength over everything else is dying as an ideal and Gojo's students are going to rise up and replace him with a new way of doing things.

Which would make Gojo's character tragic in the same way Arima's is. Someone who genuinely wants better for the world but is unable to grow and adapt in time and therefore can't survive in the new world they want to create.

[cantsomeoneelsedoit]

Ch 58: Eyes of the Dragon

This chapter starts with three lead pages before the title page, which I think is a new record for UU. Tozuka's like HERE TAKE THIS FLASHBACK, TOO! WE CAN MAKE IT FIT!

He really makes the best appetizers, too, bc Shen's origin story is guaranteed to be interesting. Unlike some of the other Negators, his life was already rough even before his ability awakened; maybe that's why he relies on his physical strength more than his ability since it's just second nature to him.

It turns out that Shen was once a fighting street urchin with a heart of gold! Notice how Mei is telling him in this scene and the scene from the previous chapter that she already has enough and Shen doesn't have to fight. But Shen isn't easily satisfied!

Little Shen was a streetwise orphan who wasn't content to just exist. Something was always driving him to try to create a better version of himself and the lives of those around him.

Unfortunately, Shen wasn't able to win the tournament. Still, his showing as the untrained-but-incredibly-gifted-kid was enough to gather the attention of someone.

Shen has a Xianxia origin story: A plucky orphan who has some kind of unquenchable drive for strength, plus a dependent sibling and "eyes of the dragon," is recruited by an old master whose current #1 student is poised to become an unwilling rival, and so he joins his mysterious martial arts school to train to become the very best. We're still missing some Chinese magicians, alchemy, and immortal hermits to complete the genre lmao. Tozuka may yet surprise us!

His teacher's ability to sense strong chi/ki/talent will be important to the story later.

But first, the title page:

Poor Shen! He really would've enjoyed training that way! He just can't sleep at night knowing that there might be strong opponents out there.

"Hey, Shen, I heard you're pretty strong!"

Shen's like a little brother trying to get all the JUICY DETAILS about Andy's EXCITING ADVENTURES and TALES OF COMBAT while Andy's like "Actually it was extremely traumatizing. So anyway, about the firework monsters..."

A mysterious staff appears! And is that Summer's core?

The Summer arc has so many gorgeous panels. I really like the white space in the next one.

It's Feng! And he's put the core into one of the Juniors before setting them loose to cause destruction.

The UMAs take off and shoot vertically up the skyscraper. Andy tells Shen to stay back and fight Feng, but Shen's already gone!

Fuuko and Mui both get caught in the crossfire of the guys yelling at each other.

Feng scoffs at Shen because he eagerly chased after the Juniors instead of recognizing that Feng was the greater threat. It seems that Shen hasn't yet mastered the ability to sense a person's strength.

Another zombie fight! Feng's prayer beads produce four jiangshi who take fighting stances. Shen hits that subscribe button right away.

This is finally Shen's chance to fight the great fighters of the past, just like he wanted!! Just look how happy he is!

The jiangshi attack at the same time with a variety of styles, kind of like the enemies Bruce Lee faces as he fights his way up the tower in the movie Game of Death. He also fights Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which is totally worth watching.

Interestingly, Game of Death is an unfinished movie. I believe that fact gives us a clue about the Artifact of the same name in UU, but I'll have to come back to that later.

Shen uses his ability in a fabulous double spread. He's literally punching their faces in! That's our boy!

But something interrupts his smile...

Even though he beat all four easily, both Shen and Mui are unsettled. He has a dark shadow on his face instead of his usual grin, and she's worried what this means for Shen's future.

Holy shit! It's that guy who beat Shen at the tournament in the flashback! And Feng killed him at some point?! If Feng has already killed off Shen's old rivals, then Mui is right to be worried.

This spread is so cool. Feng was testing the waters with Shen, asking if his emotions would affect his fighting. Shen reassured Feng that he was just here to test his own strength and find satisfaction in the battle itself, and Feng grinned right back at him. These two seem like a perfect match!

Masterpost

[clk-deserves-better]

Woo Ragi Character Analysis

Honestly, Ragi isn't even close to my favourite member in the cast. I prefer CLK, Ollim or Garam. However, the dude's arc is interesting as hell (entire novel spoilers). This post turned into a Ragikyung ship analysis half way through and is very long so.. be prepared for some rambling.

So, what do we know about Woo Ragi? We know that he is a homophobe who doesn't fully think things through considering how he treats CLK. He looks down on others for being weaker/ less attractive than he is. He's outright cruel and people let him have his way.

Ragi, when CLK first enters his mind, puts him on pending causing damage to CLK's body. Kim Ollim is harsh to CLK and despises him yet doesn't land him in the hospital, most likely knowing that her hatred was not worth sacrificing their goal, unlike Ragi. In fact, no other Red Lotus member calls into contention CLK's purpose when visiting them which makes Ragi look a lot worse. Ragi is the odd one out here, lacking the smarts to realise the rarity of necromancers or the forethought to understand hurting the contractor might risk the future of his guild (especially since he would be able to feel Ollim, Dawon, and Garam's souls attached to CLK). How does he fit in with the rest of the members?

We answer this question when CLK gets stuck with him in that weird pocket dimension. He's not smart, he's not thoughtful but he is obedient to Seo Dawon. Just like readers complaining about CLK, this man is simply being puppeted by Seo Dawon within the guild.

He is uniquely the only member who spent time with Dawon at school. Seo Dawon never explained anything to him and that was just "how he was". He then describes how he and Ollim were the only survivors of a dungeon due to Dawon's advice confirming his already existing attitude.  This begs the question, if Ragi has never questioned Dawon due to him not being curious, what was his relationship with Dawon?

 He always seems completely overpowered by Dawon: like a declawed cat. He watched on as Dawon dated his crush, he watched on as Dawon's girlfriends harassed him/his colleagues and he watched on as Dawon prioritised CLK over him in all instances. He continues to trust Dawon even though Dawon is an extremely shitty friend to him. Considering Ragi being a horrible person to CLK and all the other members talking about how Ragi always got his way, Dawon is a very strange case. Dawon doesn't even attempt to 'fight back' with Ragi, he just shows his anger and Ragi usually backs down. We have no reasons as to why this relationship exists between them so it is most likely not necessary for understanding Ragi. The two sharing this relationship is the more important point.

The first time we see Ragi seem different from his original impression is the pocket dimension. Ragi carries CLK on his back for hours and simultaneously fights off monsters. CLK is at his weakest in these moments while sleeping on Ragi's back, he's a physical burden who is powerless in all ways. Ragi doesn't try and force him to walk mid-way through or allow CLK to fall off his back. He also physically embraces CLK against his contract when CLK stares down at a dead-looking Lackey although the action is unnecessary to CLK's survival. If CLK is in genuine distress, Ragi does stop being an asshole it seems.

All this doesn't mean he is a loving being while in the dimension. He leaves CLK on the floor crying and begging for him, he attempts to check for injuries on a recently blinded man with no warning causing CLK to feel violated and does still enjoy CLK being in pain throughout. As a little consolation, he does let CLK punch him three times but that doesn't really cover the damage. Ragi isn't suddenly a good person but we do learn that there is a threshold to his sadism.

In the hospital, while he enjoys teasing CLK by moving the fruit away from him and enjoys CLK's expression when consuming Kyungsik's concoction, he still cuts the fruit. By stacking all the fruit for CLK to eat, we see that Ragi is starting to soften up somewhat. The way Ragi breaks his sneering demeanor to tell CLK to continue eating shows that he prioritises CLK's health over his own habitual insulting/ uncaring persona.If Ragi were truly hateful of CLK, he would insult him and continue to eat the fruit in front of him.

For a large amount of time in the book, Ragi stays in this state. Ragi is no longer angry at CLK, simply insulting him without despising him. He no longer seethes in anger at Dawon and CLK. They become more and more of a thing but Ragi doesn't seem to hate the two, only asking them to be affectionate elsewhere. Considering Ragi's feelings towards other partners of Dawon, him accepting CLK is a step out of what he usually feels.

Ragi seems hostile in the beginning but they soon fall into quips and barbs at each other, CLK describes it as a "stand-up comedy routine". The other servants insult CLK and CLK does not fight it yet he feels comfortable doing so around Ragi. Ragi no longer gets what he wants here. He doesn't try to get what he wants either and just allows a rhythm for their interactions to form. There is something different about CLK than most people in Ragi's mind. While this may be mostly down to the system, I'd like to partially believe that Ragi does care for CLK more than he'd admit.

CLK and Ragi's relationship is intriguing. It's the first time we see that CLK isn't overwhelmed by one of his servants. He doesn't get scared of his breathing or crack like with Ollim who was similarly hostile. He teases Ragi as soon as he gets out of the hospital. CLK doesn't let Ragi's demands get to him and the servants seem genuinely delighted by how CLK manages to control Ragi.

You see that their relationship has grown from initial hatred when travelling in the van to Geum Miyoung's slush funds. He has some sort of affection here towards CLK, prodding at his symbol on CLK's ear. The symbol creates a "satisfied" feeling in the servant and so, Ragi pressing the symbol here comes off as affectionate. He doesn't even attempt to insult CLK harshly and says he has a "discerning eye" for liking his face. This is ironic coming from Ragi who taunted CLK for being a "homo" for many chapters. Ragi is changing, whether it be down to the system or his feelings, this isn't the Ragi Dawon wants around.

I believe Ragi becomes aware of his affections for CLK in chapter 304. CLK talks about all the servants looking worried for him: this must include Ragi. Ragi can no longer claim hatred or indifference toward CLK anymore. After CLK tells his servants he is starting, Ragi goes upstairs. Ragi has always been a loner but never to the point of actively leaving his guild's side which means something must have happened. Ragi is trying to hide something from the guild/CLK.

CLK hypothesises this is due to him not wanting a reaction with the blood which is understandable as he is the only servant who has no skinship with CLK and must feel the full effects of the system. This understanding allows CLK to accept his actions and allow what is "more comfortable" for Ragi. In this moment, Ragi's persona is breaking down and he is truly aware of his role as a servant. Ragi cannot insult his way out of the truth or get his way by hurting someone, he can only deny it by hiding what he feels. CLK's words emphasise CLK knows this with Ragi's "glance" back proving that Ragi was caught off guard by his words. CLK understands, Ragi denies it but knows all the same.

As a quick note, let's stick a pin in Kyungsik and CLK's conversation too. Ragi comes up as a person to be wary of due to his lack of affection towards CLK to the point Kyungsik gives him a love potion. The love potion is poignant as it symbolises the belief that CLK doesn't think Ragi cares for him. It is not used until later on so keep this in mind.

For an entire cast development, we watch as the servants give up on resurrection altogether. All of them. All at once. They are all angry at CLK for his self-sacrificial BS and refuse the goal that had previously kept CLK from thinking they prioritised him. It is no longer "we're using you for this goal", it has become clear that they want the best for him in that moment. Ragi is included like the rest of the servants here so I thought it should be mentioned.

After the gang escapes to KHS's mansion from Issac, Ragi teaches CLK the "deadly kiss" move which causes the servant to gain more power if kissed by CLK. Dawon is officially CLK's boyfriend at this point and has made all physical affection towards CLK feel like "sinning" in the words of Kyungsik. He tells CLK to only use the move on him which is.. stereotypically Dawon of him. Despite this, after Ragi gets summoned to fight Issac, he does kiss CLK. This is the first ever time we've seen Ragi make a move that goes directly against what Dawon has told him to do.

Considering how he never has questioned Dawon and has watched Dawon be an appalling human being in general, we know Ragi has transformed here. He is no longer a pawn under Dawon's thumb as he was more focused on giving CLK the potion (his health) than his old position as Dawon's puppet. Dawon seems to recognise Ragi's affection too "Didn't I tell you to maintain a distance from Choi Leekyung " is what Dawon taunts him with. He bites Ragi's lip for daring to go against his orders. Ragi doesn't care now. Ragi may not directly call out Dawon but when push comes to shove, he protects and cares for CLK more than his inclinations to his guildmaster.

The tragic attempt at fighting Jaemin results in CLK essentially resetting the world with only the guild members remembering what had occurred before the reset. Dawon has locked up a confused CLK who lacks all memories except a few about their relationship. Kyungsik and Ragi help CLK get out of the mansion. CLK believes the potion is what helps keep Ragi in line but that is simply untrue. Ragi is resistant to the love potion Kyungsik made and is only helping out of his own affection towards CLK.

Ragi is physically affectionate towards the CLK who no longer remembers yet still gets annoyed with Kyungsik’s insinuation of Ragi’s affection though. He tells Kyungsik that he’s not putting on a “gay show” for him. Ragi is beginning to accept his own affection for CLK but hasn’t yet fully accepted his own queerness. This is all without the contract. Ragi has no system or potion that has influenced his love for CLK here. His love is genuine (so is Kyungsik's but Kyungsik has much more reluctance) unlike Garam, Ollim, Eunji, and Chan Young who all obey their guild master's unethical treatment of CLK.

Ragi has shown he is truly the most reliable. It was revealed that he fought Dawon on this issue and is rightfully annoyed at Dawon pushing the guild out of issues involving CLK. Kyungsik is shocked by this due to Ragi never fighting with Dawon. He has gone against the man who can no longer truly give him what he needs. Dawon used to be trustworthy, even at his worst but Ragi no longer is inclined to believe Dawon still is.  The questioning of Dawon's decisions brings him his own independence and the potential to no longer look down on others. CLK has shown Ragi that he can care for people who are weaker than him.

CLK returns to the Jaemin fight via time travel, getting the happy ending this time. CLK kisses Ragi on the earlobe (probably a reward for being one of the only non-cowardly guild members). The book concludes with Ragi confessing his love for CLK on the wedding day.  CLK weds Dawon and the two go on a honeymoon. A pretty depressing arc end, right? CLK is happy though so Ragi can only hope to move on.

Overall, Ragi is a character who develops from a crass homophobe who couldn't think for himself to a guy who stood up for what he believes and is able to care for those weaker than him. He finally accepted himself as bisexual and despite all the tragedy of his love, he can move on to find a partner of his own.

[warrioreowynofrohan]

One thing that gets me about the First Kinslaying is that it really all hinges on Fingon’s involvement:

Thrice the people of Fëanor were driven back, and many were slain upon either side; but the vanguard of the Noldor were succoured by Fingon with the foremost of the host of Fingolfin…Thus at last the Teleri were overcome, and a great part of their mariners that dwelt in Alqualondë were wickedly slain.

The Teleri, through force of determination and sheer numbers, are actually holding their own against Fëanor’s forces! It’s only when Fingon and his forces show up and get involved that they’re overwhelmed.

And this seems to be almost never acknowledged in fandom or in fic. It’s acknowledged that Fingon was there (but oh, he misunderstood, he didn’t mean it, etc…), not that him and his forces joining the fight was the pivotal moment that changed it from a battle into a massacre. (You can interpret it as Fingon and others in the forefront of the Fingolfinian army all just getting involved at once, not as Fingon specifically leading them…but in general, armies’ decisions have a lot to do with their commanders.)

(I am not particularly convinced by the “they didn’t know what was going on and thought the Teleri started it” case made in the Silm. Fingon knows Olwë well - the Fingolfinians and Finarfinians are practically one family, more like siblings than cousins. He also knows Fëanor well. To anyone who knows both people and especially who has been paying any attention to Fëanor’s actions post-Darkening, it should be extremely obvious which one is the more likely to initiate violence, and it’s not Olwë.)

What would have happened if Fingon hadn’t joined the fight? It’s entirely possible the Fëanoreans would have lost! That the swan-ships wouldn’t have been stolen or destroyed! What then? Would the Fëanoreans have given up? Extremely unlikely. Would they have decided to try the Helcaraxë after all, with all the Noldor going in a group? More likely. Would the Doom not have existed, or have been limited to the Fëanoreans (since the rest of the Noldor wouldn’t have participated in the Kinslaying, and wouldn’t have gained anything; wouldn’t have become accessories-after-the-fact by willingness to benefit from the stolen boats)? Would we see even more of a split in the Noldor, since the people following Fingolfin (not being complicit in the Kinslaying) would have seen it more clearly as Fëanor going off the rails?

Any number of things could have gone differently, but the one certainty is that a whole lot more Teleri would be alive.

[ecoamerica]

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[saneijeijei]

[Careful! Strange theory]

In chapter 105-106, Penelope sees the very bird that Derrick wanted to give her.

When the bird sees Penelope, she perks up and starts spinning in the cage and yelling.

"So far, the bird has behaved extremely calmly. But as soon as I saw you, I perked up. Apparently, she recognized her mistress," Derrick said.

Don't you find it strange that a bird suddenly recognizes an outsider, whom it sees for the first time, as its owner? Also, pay attention to what Derrick said before:"This bird is not dangerous, it's just that now it's in a slight perplexity due to the fact that you are the same color with it (meaning the color of Penelope's hair)."

So… A bird that is similar in character (for me), color and interconnected with jewelry, suddenly begins to show interest in Penelope… Just like that? Sorry, I won't believe it.

And so, *drink all the coffee from the glass in one gulp* I have a theory.

If our main character is the real Penelope, even if she is a fragment of her soul, then it turns out that she had to repeat the chronological history of her life, right?

Both characters somehow repeat each other's fate. When were you born, in which family, when and why. In South Korea, she was the daughter of an influential businessman and a simple woman who did not have a well-paid job or social status (well, that is, she was an ordinary middle-class worker, let's say). But in the empire, being Penelope, we don't know who her father was.

By logic and comparing the appearance of Siyeon and Eckart brothers, we can say - oh, so Reynold and Derrick are her brothers. But I will tell you, alas, no. Yes, they are similar - but when reading the novel we see differences between them in motivation. But Siyeon's second brother call her a rat, just as Reynold mocked Penelope because of her background. Yes, but their motivation for this was different, as was their relationship. Reynold and Penelope, even after a quarrel, reconciled, unlike Siyeon with her brother.

That is why I think Penelope is not the duke's illegitimate daughter - I will not believe that the duke could cheat on his wife, even after death. All his actions and motivation, as well as arguments about Penelope's marriage, suggest the opposite. He wasn't looking for or trying to start a fleeting relationship. Therefore, Penelope is adopted, but not the blood or illegitimate daughter of the Eckart family.

She is the illegitimate daughter of another family.

Siyeon's father took her away because he knew that he was her father (corny, her mother could write him down on the birth certificate as the father of the child, and when she died, the guardianship authorities called him). But Penelope's father might not have known about her existence-remember those centuries. Or to know of she his illegitimate daughter, but not to know where to look for her, as it was with the Duke and Yvonne.

So, what I'm getting at. In chapter 106-105, a bird appears and quite interesting words slip between the lines, which may hint (consider that I'm looking for something that is not, this is just a theory) at the origin of Penelope. Namely, the words about Republic of Yehta. It is a small state that was defeated during Callisto's military campaign.

During the hunting competitions, we are told the meaning and significance of this event for the empire. Namely: The humiliation of defeated countries by destroying rare animals provided by these countries.

That is, this small country was defeated, and it handed over to the empire a special bird for hunting - Pelapopinyu.

"In the Republic of Yehta, Pelapopinyu is considered a messenger of God," Derrick said.

The bird is a national treasure, which means that a rich family (for example, aristocrats, barons, viscounts) could not keep such a bird at home, without the knowledge of the ruling family. It is likely that she could be a symbol of this country? And how interesting, this bird looks like Penelope.

"Why does she seem so familiar even though it's the first time I've seen her?" Penelope thought.

But what is most interesting is the method of reproduction of these birds and what remains after them. These birds can give offspring only once (does it mean that after that they die?), and unfertilized eggs turn into an eye-shaped shape and harden, turning into a hard stone.

And the most interesting thing… It was this stone that the original Penelope begged to give. Don't you find it too strange? Aren't there too many coincidences?

Is it possible that Penelope is from there? Wizards could live in different places (what if Penelope was excavating near those places?), is it possible that the father could be a member of the ruling family? Even if her father was looking for her, alas, he hardly already knows about Penelope's existence, since, most likely, after the defeat, he hardly remained alive.

[fated-normal-767]

@teamfortresstwo ok you get facts about Purple and Orange 👍 I don’t have names for them yet so that’s what they’re called for the duration of this post :]

the ^

- They’re both shopkeeper style characters, the player cannot control either of them. When you enter either room for them, they talk to you as the player directly, even if you are controlling a character at the time. Characters do acknowledge that they exist and can interact with them but mainly talk about them as “that guy is Strange af. Anyways,”

- Purple sells you items that would normally be linked to a character, but become inaccessible for a variety of reasons. For example, no character can take shimmer’s coat, so if shimmer died the coat would become inaccessible to the player. Purple can then sell you that coat. It’s never explained how he can do this. He also sells you his inventions, though these range from “odd and not hugely useful” to “instantly kill you upon interacting with them”. He’s not malicious, just really bad at inventing things. Nothing he invents or sells can kill him, but can cause cartoon style injuries. Just think of it as like, roadrunner style physics.

- Orange I haven’t fully decided, but probably sells weapons that; Killed a character and then were lost, A character died with, or That can change the course of the storyline. She’s much less likely to be seen by the player anywhere. She can’t be killed by any weapon she can access (so only by weapons linked to a specific character permanently can hurt her). She can take objects from any characters inventory if she decides to, but isn’t likely to do so.

- There’s a chance these characters will refuse to sell you items. Orange will refuse if more than roughly half of your choices have seemed to be to purposefully cause harm with no gain, and Purple will do the same if more than 90% of your choices are. You can fight these characters (more likely orange than purple) after this, but will be randomly assigned one object from the last 5 characters you controlled to try and fight with. You would fight as the player with no characters to control. It’s supposed to be extremely unlikely to win.

- Orange is the older sibling, shown by having more eyes (apparently).

- The tails only show off the feathers if trying to show off to or threaten someone. I drew both with feathers fully visible to demonstrate but they function like peacock tails and will fold down. Purple is normally showing off and orange normally is not.

- My favourite “theory” per se is that they’re basically baby biblically accurate angels. The eyes develop as they get older until they’re completely covered in eyes and don’t even seem humanoid. Neither of these two would count as children but are comparatively quite young. This is not necessarily true, it’s a theory, but that’s because nothing about them is technically true due to being ambiguous characters. Similar to Alias.

[decepti-thots]

so I'm turning over a lot of thoughts atm about a thing I want to write regarding the way MTMTE is viewed in fandom through the lens of 'ascended fanon' and its perceived proximity to a nebulous idea of 'fanfiction', and where that comes from. how it impacts fandom reception. all that stuff. I've talked about this in scattershot ways before and I'm trying to nail down some coherent thoughts about it.

anyway, one thing I've mentioned before in passing is how the development of the CDRW relationship in the early comic highlights extremely well the limitations of understanding MTMTE through that lens. in the sense that the way official media is produced- the nitty gritty of it behind the scenes- inherently shapes how storytelling occurs in franchises like Transformers, even in situations that are superficially closer to a conventional 'auteur' model. you know, a single author who has relatively broad control over the content of a story. how CDRW is developed the way it is in part- in very large part- because of the tension between what is being written and what is permitted by the entities that have veto power over it. (hasbro, IDW, even individual editors acting as mediators working from their constructed ideas of what those entities 'want'.) to make blatant the subtext here: because it is influenced by The Gay Question, and ideas of 'permissable' content in a franchise like TF.

this dovetailed into thinking about how Shadowplay was an editorial demand. and I realised that one very obvious possibility to think of in terms of 'how does this bring canon alter the shape of the narrative' is that I don’t think an unrestrained MTMTE would have made prowl and chromedome exes.

obviously there's the fact Shadowplay would just not be in there, but even beyond that, the question of why that otherwise mostly unexplored interjection is present has confused some people over the years. in fact, it's literally been pointed to as an example of proximity to modes of storytelling associated with fanfic; the arbitrary inclusion of interpersonal (specifically romantic) relationships that do not seem to shoulder any broader narrative responsibilities.

but in the very specific context of MTMTE at the point in its publication Shadowplay sits at, it does carry a possible narrative responsibility. it facilitates CDRW pulling double duty as both canon and ambiguous. the scene that implies (but never states) chromedome and prowl were involved exists so rewind can act in a way that only makes sense if he is married to chromedome. (jealous, upset chromedome is seemingly talking fondly of a relationship with his ex.) but it never requires any actual statement that the relationships involved are monogamous romantic ones. it is a way to incorporate the dynamic in a way that is functionally undeniable if read in good faith but still unlikely to be shot down if The Gay Question receives a negative answer.

this is both interesting in how it shows that narrative elements can be influenced in unexpected ways by the nature of the comic as a pre-existing intellectual property, and also very funny because it means prowl's divorced energy really DOES just exist to reinforce rewind being married by comparison.

[house-of-slayterr]

I know they aren’t exactly “good” representation, but can we talk about Jame Gumb for a second? Please indulge me, Silence of the Lambs has been a special interests of mine since I was 7.

Like I just their they’re really interesting. Their aesthetic is fucking beautiful. They have great taste in music. And as a villain over all I think they’re just really interesting. Of course they aren’t as fleshed out as they should be, but Gumb isn’t supposed to be the main antagonist. That role of course belongs to one Hannibal Lecter.

There are many things they could have done better of course. Many people claim they shouldn’t have made this character at all. But I’m a firm believer of bad representation is better than no representation. Because at least it gets people talking, and we have a chance to explain what our community is actually like. And we can point to this film to show all the inaccuracies in detail.

I don’t think we should never make marginalised people the villain. Of course, it is bad when that’s all they ever do, because that sends a terrible messaged. But the oppressed are still capable of oppressing others. We aren’t immune to immorality. And Buffalo Bill is a great example of this. It’s fairly obvious that we aren’t supposed to side with them in the movie. And the people that leave this movie thinking “he’s evil because he’s a transvestite” are both brain dead, and incredibly dense. They have to know their being facetious right?

Because clearly they didn’t actual watch the film if that’s all they got out of it. Jame isn’t bad because they’re queer, they’re bad because they’re he villain. It’s their job to be hated. The people that hate on our community and use Jame as an example, we’re already hating on us before they knew the character existed. They’re just using them as their scapegoat. And they’re not arguing with logic and facts with those people, because their minds are made up.

But to the people willing to learn, I think this is a very interesting film to study. I’m much more a fan of the book, then the movie (although it’s is one of my top movies of all time) because the movie skips over some key character points. But all movies do that, they rush the story, and some characters suffer for that.

I think Ted Levine does a really good job with this character. Normally I’m more on the side of “cast someone from the actual group you’re trying to represent” crew, but in this case I don’t mind it as much. Like I think autistic actors should play autistic people. Wheelchair bound characters should be given to wheelchair bound actors. It’s not like theirs a lack of minorities to cast in films. But Gumb isn’t technically trans, even some of the characters in the story state this several times. So to cast a trans person, to play a caricature of a trans person would seem a little odd.

Gumb is a extremely disturb individual who happens to experience gender dysphoria. If any thing, this character is also offensive to the mentally ill. There’s more to them going on then just the fact that they are dishappy with their flesh. I honestly wish we could get a sit down with Jame, a conversation between them and Dr Lecter. I would like to hear Hannibal’s full psychoanalysis of Jame and how they function.

Jame never really gives us an explicit reason why they do the things that they do. And unlike other villains, they seem to not even realise that what they’re doing is wrong. They don’t act the way someone who would skin someone alive would. I should know, I’ve seen enough killers where that is their specialty. And they all have something that Gumb doesn’t, a conscience. Because they seem to actively ignore theirs. When these killers are caught and questioned, they don’t deny it. They know that what they’re doing is wrong, and they’re proud. But Gumb just seems misguided and confused at best.

They have compassion for animals, which is rare in most killers. I’m fact a common stereotype is that animal killing is the first sign someone is going to become a killer. Jame truly loves and cares for, and even spoils their pet. Most “women killers” are bitter incels with mommy issues. But Gumb, Gumb admires the women they kill. They’re think they’re beautiful, and immortalise them in their craft. They’re envious of these women.

Jame unfortunately falls victim to the time in which they were created too. The book was written in 1988 and the film was made in 1991. It’s 2022, the amount of research we’ve done since then is astonishing. Of course trans women have always existed, but they weren’t aloud be be a loud about it as we are now. They couldn’t talk about it, and nobody cared to research. So although true character is still slightly transphobic, for the information they had to go on at the time it’s not that bad.

Hannibal himself says that Jame isn’t a transsexual. He states Gamb is a “guilt stricken homosexual man” which I’m not sure if that makes this better, or worse. Unless they’re trying to claim that trans women are just homosexual men. But I don’t think that’s what they’re were trying to convey. I think Jame is an example of someone who experience trans euphoria instead of dysphoria. Which I think is where the disconnect happens.

Transmedicalist beleive you have to hate yourself and want to change everything about yourself in order to be a “real” trans person. But this mindset is extremely harmful. Because being trans isn’t a surgery, it’s an experience. One that can’t be governed or voted upon from the outside. Being trans has nothing to do with anyone outside of yourself. Transmedicalism is also extremely binary centric. It suggests there only one way to me trans, and that’s just simply not true.

So I personally do think Jame is a trans individual. This story takes place in 1983, so although Buffalo bill wouldn’t seem trans but the criteria of that time, today I believe they would belong to the nonbinary community. All lot of the things they express in the film are all lot of things, I, a nonbinary person also feel. I think they’re a nonbinary individual who likes men. Platonically and aesthetically they enjoy women, and they lean more on the trans femme side of things. But sexuality and romantically they are intended in men.

Something about this scene is mesmerising and I can’t seem to look away. Their joy and exultation in this scene are contagious. There’s a reason why this is their most talked about scene, and it’s so often quoted. Everything about it is iconic! I smile everytime I watch it. Now you all know I’m a slasher lover, so this fictional killer doesn’t bother me.

But if you set aside the fact that there a killer, and you just watch this in the context of them experiencing trans euphoria, it’s a beautiful sight. The line “would you fuck me? I’d fuck me, hard.” Is the most amazing thing I’ve ever heard in my entire life. Like yaaasss queen, get into you. You fuck, and you fuck hard. Like I want what you’re having bestie, because the confidence is amazing.

A line that breaks my heart is when Jame is passing. They look at Clarice and ask “what’s it like to be beautiful?” And god do I cry every time. Like that shits hurts man. Jame just wanted men to look at them and think they were pretty. Of course they went about it in possible the worst way they could have. But at the end of the day, they were just a person in pain, trying to fix themselves when the people who had the power to wouldn’t help.

If they were given proper access to therapy, and hormones and sex change surgeries, I don’t think they would have resorted to their nasty little habit. They wouldn’t have started kidnapping women and stealing their skin. If fucking Hannibal (listen I’m allowed to give this man shit, He deserves it, I still love him though) didn’t get his fucking medical training from like the 1800s, I think he would have had a better analysis of the infamous Buffalo Bill. He’s just a “guilty homosexual” my fucking ass boy, you’re dumb! Stop projecting you queer ass top!

But anyways, long story short, I love Jame Gumb. Those creator did them dirty, so I’m choosing to ignore cannon. Because as far as nonbinary rep goes with slashers we don’t have much. We do have Bubba Sawyer because they’re gender fluid, but other than that, we’re a barren wasteland. I’m curious, what other characters do you guys think are nonbinary? Am I missing anyone I should know about?

[ecoamerica]

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