i love unrequited love, i love blind devotion, i love guard dogs. i love being desperately obsessed with the object of your affections. i love when devotion rots into cruelty, i love when love doesn't know any better, i love when love is ugly. i love defanging and declawing yourself just to be loved. i love when a character will wait for the next time they will be loved like a bird or a dog at their belovedâs door. i love when love is insanity and by the LORD do i love betting on losing dogs
the fact that Israel can precisely target ONE apartment in an entire residential block in BEIRUT to kill two hamas leaders, proves once again that they CHOSE to carpet-bomb Gaza and murder 31.000 Palestinians to "defend themselves" against Hamas. Israel CHOSE to kill civilians, they CHOSE to bomb every hospital, every school, every refugee camp, every residential block. israel does NOTHING to spare the lives of palestinians, they want to thin out the population of gaza so they'd be able to settle their citizens there.
this is a genocide it's an ethnical cleansing PLEASE WAKE UP don't stop talking about Palestine it is not a trend, people are still dying, Israel has no plan to stop if WE don't force it to, through public pressure and protesting and boycotting. it's the least we can do.
vyn richter and why itâs important to understand his motivations (a character analysis) đ
-> thatâs a fancy title LMAO but i just wanted to collect all my thoughts about this character in one place!! itâs not anyoneâs obligation to like him or otherwise, but i do feel bad seeing people base their perceptions of him off of a few scenes/thoughts in particular. itâs okay for his personality to put you off a bit, and honestly, it should â but thatâs what iâm here to talk about :D if youâre not in love with vyn by the end of this post then iâve done my job wrong
-> this might be added to in the future, but it should generally hit all points at the time iâm posting this. if you have any extra thoughts, please donât hesitate to say so!
!! this post contains major spoilers from vynâs personal story chapters! (3&4)
1. vynâs chapter two call to artem
-> our first impression of vyn as players is that heâs scheming, and possibly dangerous to be around based off of artem's reaction to us being with vyn for so long. this isnât denied in any way at first, and in-game, we barely acknowledge artem's concern after the fact. but, in reality, this introduces a very large part of vynâs character (albeit in a slightly misleading way). over the phone, he tells artem,
âshe is like a rare rose, and if kept in a petri dish in your laboratory, under good conditions, she may bloom brightly and beautifully. but without the baptism of wind and rain, she would never have a fresh and tough soul, and would be closer to an artificial flower made of silk. donât forget, you are lawyers."
letâs pick this apart real quick đ° he reveals his tendency for control point blank, and references âkeepingâ the mc so that she blooms âbrightly and beautifullyâ. but this is less about manipulation and keeping her to himself and rather more about a want to help her succeed. he directs her through her meeting with the PUA member in his personal story, and during chapter two of the main story, lets her do everything she can handle on her own that relates to the case. he will constantly involve the mc in dangerous and/or difficult parts of the investigations as to help her grow, hence the âdonât forget, you are lawyers.â part of his statement. though, it does also go to show that he will have her back closely in these situations as well. this happenstance also seems like it holds a certain significance, as during the scene, it mentions that he tends to the roses on his windowsill as he talks, and coincidentally also tends to call the mc âmy roseâ.
but this raises the question, if he likes to be in control, will he ever manipulate you?
2. vynâs SR thought, âfake tears"
-> iâve actually never read this date personally, but i skimmed through it when i was farming s-chips so i think that counts for something LMAO. iâve seen this as the main reason people say that vyn is creepy and/or manipulative, but i get this one, honestly. during the date, vyn supposedly admits something traumatic, and leans to the mc for comfort, saying something similar to âall i need right now is you.â. now, the final evolved version of this card also features him in the mcâs arms, slightly smiling as he looks at the âcameraâ through half-lidded eyes. from a basic understanding, the thought is titled this way because he didnât actually need comfort, he just wanted to be close to the mc in a way that seemed genuine. but, with outside knowledge, this is less of the case â vyn is completely capable of initiating intimacy, as seen throughout his story and in just the way he teases the mc in general. but, this is largely viewable as a form of trauma response. itâs hinted in his personal story that he was part of a dysfunctional family as a child, and received less attention than he should've, hence his tendency to plan his way into big displays of affection from her. but, no matter how you look at it, this is still manipulation, as heâs taking the mcâs concern and essentially monopolising on it without realising how genuine she actually feels. so, totally valid to feel weird abt this one <3 the one thing i can give him though, is that he will never force the mc to comply to his wishes, whether in this scenario or in the future. if something heâs âplannedâ doesnât work out, he may express his displeasure later, but will not subject the mc to it.
3. chapter three of vynâs personal story (3-12)
-> if iâm remembering correctly, the global server only has two chapters up atm, so iâll try my best to be as vague as possible to avoid spoilers! so, when the two are confronting the culprit of the PUA case (separate point but i actually feel so bad for the culprit, omg), itâs revealed that this person is a longtime colleague of vynâs âmaking their argument a bit more personal:
"heh⊠then you, vyn. the lawyer may not understand, but to you and i, in our eyes, we are obviously looking at the same landscape. we are the same kind of person⊠donât you believe it? donât you believe that the human heart can be manipulated?"
âi do not deny this statement, but (culprit), this does not mean that what you did is correct. whether the human heart can be manipulated by psychology is a subject that has to be studied intensely, but it is definitely not a subject for people like you."
he directly says that manipulation of the heart isnât right, and essentially is beneath him. but, if youâd like to look at it in a certain way, vyn even suggests that manipulation of the heart isn't for him either, as he didn't deny that they are similar.
4. chapter three of vynâs personal story (3-12)
-> in a jab towards vyn, the culprit deliberately reveals something to the mc that ends up explaining vynâs tendencies perfectly:
v: âyou are just a kid who keeps asking, 'why canât i get the recognition and care from others?â because of your childhood experiences. you are afraid of being ignored, afraid of being betrayed, afraid.. of being lonely."
(culprit) sneers and suddenly turns towards me.
c: âlawyer, did you know? in fact, vyn also has things to fear."
c: donât you know? come on, let me tell you, he hates everything that is imperfect--
the culprit was only halfway through his words before vyn instructed the police to rush in and block his mouth.
-> vyn is afraid of his flaws being revealed to her, this is seen in his face, and especially in the way he handles it. so, while what the culprit says makes sense, thatâs not the only instance where he is insecure about the way he goes about things. in a later episode (3-15), he and the mc have this conversation:
v: "if one day, the person you love most reveals the most unbearable and ugly side of his life, will you be like (victim)?"
mc: âum, maybe a little similar, but not exactly the same?"
v: âwhat?"
mc:âi think i will do my best to try to save him, but instead of sacrificing my own life, i am more than wiling to face it with him. i will be with him until the day the storm passes."
v: â..your answer is always so unexpected.â
-> these two instances compiled show just exactly what he thinks of himself and his tendency to want control. it shows that he knows itâs not right, and how he is uncomfortable subjecting the mc to these parts of him that could potentially hurt her.
5. chapter four of vynâs personal story (3-15 + 4-15) (also, just a warning, pure romantic plot spoilers ahead to prove this point LMAO)
-> vyn my beloved!! a common theme throughout the fourth chapter is how both of our main characters define love. in the last episode of chapter three, vyn is asked by a student what his version of love is, and he says this:
âit is a unique miracle. it makes you want to explore, touch and find out everything uncontrollably. even at one point, i canât distinguish between rational and irrational for a short while because the boundaries are blurred. there are too many people in this world who have lost their lives, but there will always be such a person. she makes you better, makes you believe that everything is good; and makes you look forward to it.. the future.â
-> this is even more sad when you realise that this entire response is a patchwork statement of previous words theyâve both said. he uses her to define his standard of love, and he complies his own conclusions of what sheâs said to him. itâs as if she is the one whoâs taught him what the meaning of love really is, and goes to show just how important the mc has become to him.
now, the most important part of this section: vyn, in the beginning of chapter four, made it clear that he would somehow get her to confess to him by the end of a trip they took. because the mc was either in self-denial or otherwise, she didnât understand what her feelings for him meant. but as a psychologist, vyn could see the signs loud and clear. yet, heâs still shocked to see her care so much about him.
mc: "just now, if we hadnât got here in timeâŠ"
i gradually become incoherent. the sight of him even cast a layer of water on my vision. i couldnât help but cry.
mc: "vyn, iâm so scared.â (most context is redacted for plot spoilers)
v: âyou⊠are you crying? are you crying for me?â
his voice trembles with a rare tone. a few seconds, he rushes to hug me, not sparing a moment.
v: âdonât be afraid, iâm fine, iâm still here."
-> he sees all of these signs so clearly, but does not force her or manipulate her to reciprocate the love he feels for her even now. as he helps her to realise her feelings, he is gentle.
v: âin truth.. i am very happy."
mc: âwhy?"
v: âwell, because you were crying for me just now. you were worried, werenât you?"
mc: ââŠof course, it was dangerous just now."
v: âbut donât you think that your emotions just got out of control? what is it about me being in danger that makes you lose control so easily?"
mc: â!!!â
mc: ââŠ"
why, why is my behaviour so abnormal? am i scared? scared of what? losing vyn? but why should i be afraid of losing vyn? is there something i havenât noticed yet?
v: âwhy are you at this point and you still donât understand⊠but, i have no patience to wait any longer."
he approached me gently, and brushed my cheek with his right hand.
mc: âv-vyn-"
v: âi asked you before, would you ever fall in love with someone? but, you say you donât know, because youâve never considered this issue. later, you asked me again, how do you know youâve fallen for someone?"
v: âdo you remember my answer at the time?"
mc: âyou⊠you said that when you fall in love with someone, your sensibility beats your reason. you will miss him all the time, be happy because of his joy, and sad because of his sorrow."
v: âso, is there such a person in your heart?"
mc: âwha-"
v: âdonât avoid my question. ask your heart if thereâs an answer, i donât want anything but that."
in short, vyn is a very complicated character but heâs so so worth understanding. i do believe that in upcoming chapters, the mc will understand his need to have control and stand with him âuntil the storm endsâ. happy tot playing, everyone ~
Reminder that Thomas never got to properly come out to Christopher, and tell him about his love for Alastair, and I think about it everyday. Christopher, who of all of them, probably would have been the most accepting and encouraging, who was closest to Thomas. Thomas lost that opportunity, to share all the love he held.
One of my favourite post formats is when someone with a similar URL to op torments them like they are failed clones of each other and it completely changes the tone of the original post.
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