As a fellow Jershu lover, I’ve always wondered why so many readers are adamant about Jeremy seeing Shuri as a parental or motherly figure. They’re only two years apart—there’s no way he could ever see her that way. People seem stuck on the idea that Shuri’s story must end with her as a mother, instead of recognizing that she was a child who was groomed into adulthood far too early. It honestly blows my mind when people talk about Jeremy and Shuri’s dynamic like that.
What are your thoughts on this?
So long post incoming (<— i fear i have many thoughts)
BUT in some ways, I think it’s because of the emphasis being placed on the idea of a ‘nuclear family model’, which seems like a prevalent theme with other media — “found family” gets sorted into mother, father, children, and with the von Neuschwansteins especially, trying to fit them in the traditional family roles is, at best, an imposition (to me, which I’ll get to later).
Shuli becomes the mother, Jeremy and his siblings (as already filling the role of children) become the children, and when Nora becomes the male lead, he becomes the father, even though he’s the same age as Jeremy. Even if they are legally a mother and child on paper, the readers should know that Shuli doesn’t consider Jeremy her child, and that Jeremy doesn’t consider her his mother. The narrative implies this. The narrative stated this on multiple occasions.
But, the two inevitably get shoehorned by the narrative in these roles precisely because they move the narrative forward, because they are mother-son in the story. We go over arcs that specifically emphasize why it’s important for the two of them to stay mother-son. However, and I’d argue this is partly due to the removed jershu content from the novel that didn’t get shown in the manhwa, Jeremy and Shuli also get shoehorned in those roles by the readers, which is a vastly different problem.
Going back to why I called trying to fit the Neuschwanstein family in a traditional family model an imposition, I agree that being being adamant that Jeremy sees Shuli as purely his mother 1) reduces both Jeremy and Shuli as a character and (more importantly) 2) minimizes the absolute horror of what Johannes did to Shuli.
In the first place, the odd circumstances of the von Neuschwanstein family makes it so that the reader has to recognize they don’t fit the traditional model of a family. Shuli is 2 years older than the eldest son, married to Johannes at such a young age and a placeholder to be a shield for the von Neuschwansteins until Jeremy comes of age. She was not a wife nor mother, she was a tool. To impose motherhood on Shuli at this point (as the mother of Jeremy at least) is to lessen the gravity of Shuli’s weaponization in the narrative and to not acknowledge the circumstances in which Shuli acts the way that she does and lives a life that she (at this point in the manhwa) currently leads.
Even Jeremy admitted it — being the Neuschwansteins ‘mother’ locked her in this role, and the sooner she can be rid of that title the sooner she can have her freedom. That's why he wanted to marry in the first timeline, to remove her shackle to the family. In saying this, Jeremy sees the imposition that society places on Shuli. He acknowledges the imposition of motherhood as something forced on her, and therefore as something she didn't want. Of course Jeremy doesn’t see her as his mother. Like I mentioned earlier, even as the narrative places them in a deadlock position of mother and son, it has Shuli stating that she doesn’t want to be considered his mother. Those are her own feelings. To deny even that from Shuli heightens her tragedy.
The tragedy of Shuli, which again is acknowledged by Jeremy, is that she did not need to be a mother. She is a child. In any other life, she would have been free to publicly see Jeremy as her friend and equal. In any other life, she would not be labeled a seductress by high society for simply existing.
Honestly, in my mind, its pretty heavy-handed in the story that their dynamic can't be summed with a simple "She's his mother, he's her son". It doesn't even matter if you consider their relationship as platonic or romantic. It's important in understanding Shuli's character to recognize that she was someone who had the role of mother be imposed on her. And then it's important in understanding Jeremy's character to recognize that he was someone who doesn't see her as his mother precisely because he can see it was an imposition on her. That's why they act the way that they do. Disregarding that is a major disservice to their characters.
or alternatively: No weight is heavier than regret.
+ Spring follows the harshness of Winter. Though seen as a 'soft' season, it is associated with rebirth—bloody flesh transforming into itself, skin rupturing at the seams. A renewal of sorts. Soft it may seem, Spring is simply as kind as the winter allows it to be. ... In this life, how many ghosts haunt these halls? How many will you allow? Maybe it's time for an upheaval. Such is the role of Spring.
Part I |
authors below:
Illustrations from A Stepmother’s Märchen | Unknown | Spring Equinox, Jeanette Winterson | The Years, Virginia Woolf | We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Shirley Jackson | South London Forever, Florence & The Machine | a letter, Germaine de Staël (translated by Kathleen Jameson-Cemper) | West Wind, Mary Oliver | Letters From Medea, Salma Deera | tumblr post, @/inelegancies | Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Becky Albertalli | Japanese Breakfast | The Letters Of Sylvia Plath, Sylvia Plath | Vincenzo Bellini | I, Carrion (Icarian), Hozier | I Don’t Smoke, Mitski | The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller | When the Sun Loves the Moon, Reinaeiry | Soul Mates, Lang Leav | a letter, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry | This Is How You Lose The Time War, Amal El-Mohtar | Circe, Madeline Miller | a letter, Friedrich Nietzsche | Daily Haiku on Love, Tyler Knott Gregson | Ivy, Frank Ocean | The Vow | Annabel Lee, Edgar Allan Poe | Mind Over Matter, Young the Giant | Great Expectations, Charles Dickens | I, Carrion (Icarian), Hozier | The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller | This Side of Paradise, F. Scott Fitzgerald | Light, Sleeping at Last | Thought Catalog, Kim Quindlen | Jay Vespertine | Unknown | Light, Sleeping at Last | City of Bones, Cassandra Clare | James Joyce | Night Walk, Franz Wright | Unknown
Part I. The Fire of Winter, the Engulfing Snowfall
or alternatively: No fuel is worse than grief.
authors below (and a surprise jeremy):
Illustrations from A Stepmother's Marchen | Triumph of Achilles, Louise Glück | War of the Foxes, Richard Siken | Nothing's New, Rio Romero | House of the Dragon | I Know the End, Phoebe Bridgers | Vincent Van Gogh | Never Love An Anchor, The Crane Wives | twitter/x post, lostaffections | F. Scott Fitzgerald | #6, AroarA | My Friend, Hayley Williams | yuki, age thirteen by m.h.w | David Levithan | Unknown | Unknown | The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald | Your Best American Girl, Mitski | Requiem [from Dear Evan Hansen, with modified lyrics fit to Pronoun Showdown, where this version was sung] | Foreigner's God, Hozier | Jennifer S. Cheng | Mirror Traps, Hera Lindsay Bird | The Next Time We Talk on Facebook, Clementine von Radics | The Hours, Michael Cunningham | The Burning, Venetta Octavia | Letters to Felice, Franz Kafka | 29 Days (The Morning You Marry Your True Love), Trista Mateer | Unknown | Habits, Genevieve Stokes | Salt, Nayyirah Waheed | Mabel: Matryoshka, Becca De La Rosa and Mabel Martin | tumblr post, hallow-bird | twitter/x post, lostaffections | Until I started choking on our memories, Tina Tran | 100 Love Sonnets, Pablo Neruda | Cynthia Go | Little Lion Man, Mumford & Sons | twitter/x post, sainticide | Two Minutes, The Amazing Devil
The way Jeremy is IMMEDIATELY willing to consider the possibility his father, who he loved dearly, hit Shuri because she was afraid of the necklace situation is just UGH.
The way he immediately bats aside her deflection and refuses to let her minimize her fear! The way he drops it when he sees she will not willingly tell him and he will NEVER FORCE HER.
This boy has such a good moral compass!? He loves her so unselfishly!?!? I wish Shuri could see herself as something other than his protector and share the weight of the memories she keeps locked away ;_;
wanted to ask about asm physical volumes covers they have a lot of signs and Symbolism especially Richelieu's cover , any thoughts abt them ? i love your analysis + btw i noticed an Eagle flag behind leon in the Vol.5 cover , is that the streife flag ? and who do you think will be in the next cover ? personally i think it would be ali
sure! let's get into it! but first, for my vol. 8 cover prediction! i'm also pretty inclined to think that ali will be the next cover. he's the last one on the roster for our main cast, so it's preeeetttty likely. unless Orka throws us a fastball and gives us a Letran cover for whatever reason... (i'm nervous for the day we'll get a johannes/ludovika cover)
Annnyways! So far we've got the korean/english physical releases of ASM vol. 1-6 (7, if you include Orka's teaser for vol. 7 featuring Ohara). for the sake of the length of this post, i won't be covering the japanese edition covers (they're mostly all the same, just simpler)
i'll be deep diving below the cut! Spoiler warning! be warned! it's a lot of text! (at the least, check out my vol. 6 richelieu analysis!)
Vol. 1 features our protagonist Shuri in all of her beautiful glory! This cover is so beautifully... generic (as it was meant to be) so we don't get a lot of info but.... here's what we got
The golden lions crest: I'd like to think that the family crest is symbolic of how her newfound family will come to back her up in the first volume.
Jeremy, his siblings, and Nora: The framing of the Neuschwansteins on the left and Nora on the right is both foreshadowing to their early conflict and a way to show that they're all watching over her shoulders. Whether in judgement or in protection is what new readers will come to find out.
The peridot brooch: We all know the implications of the brooch and it's connections to Shuri's death in the 1st timeline. It's a looming warning above Shuri's head, but also behind her, just like how Shuri's death is a memory that she can't seem to shake.
The red ribbon: It's the red string of fate that links eeeeeverything together. And it's also the symbol of the Empire. The red petals are a symbol of romance and violence, something that sums up ASM quite well.
Vol. 2 features a young Nora holding his sword. This is where the fun starts and Orka sneaks in more narrative symbols. The cover is bathed in blue, Nora's key color and his family's color symbol.
Broken peridot brooch: On the leftmost frame, we see Shuri's peridot brooch shattering in a pool of blood. It's a violent red flag on an overwhelmingly blue cover. It's a direct reference to Nora's investigation of Shuri's death in the 1st timeline
Knight's armor: On the right, we have a suit of armor, stoically framed in glowing blue light. Becoming a knight for the Imperial Family is the fate for Nuremberg nobles.
Shuri's portrait: In the back is a frame of Shuri as the Spider Widow. Her head is cut off ominously, another reference to her death. There's a small spotlit corner of the portrait flickering behind Nora, like he's always thinking of her.
Blue roses: Blue roses are a mysterious symbol. Shuri also happens to meet Nora under mysterious circumstances and doesn't even learn his name until their fateful second encounter.
Vines: The wrapping vines in the background are a fairytale symbol for danger and fate.
Overall, my take here is that Nora must choose between the three framing elements, aka Streife (the Brooch), Love (Shuri), or Family (Nuremberg Knights). Shuri was never a choice for him in the 1st timeline, but her ending isn't over just yet! So maybe Nora will finally get to explore his 3rd choice.
Vol. 3 features Jeremy in a much simpler setting. This volume is almost completely centric around Jeremy's trial and the cover reflects that. His pose centers focus on his right hand (the hand he almost lost) as he unsheathes his sword.
Chains: Jeremy's imprisonment. that's it
Golden Lions and the Peridot: We've gone over this. If you see a peridot, it means Shuri. She's what is holding together the Neuschwanstein estate.
Shuri and Johannes: There are two silhouetted busts of the current and former head of the Estate. Johannes, in white, has passed on his burdens while Shuri, in black, inherited the burdens of the estate. The Neuschwanstein manor is overlayed on top of the two, as the real subject at stake during the trial.
Lilies: White lilies symbolize purity and rebirth. Jeremy believed he would lose his hand that day, and knowing that Shuri was going to sacrifice herself for him was Jeremy's rebirth. The trial was reshaped the trajectory of Jeremy's entire life, which had been written from birth.
Vol. 4 features Elias and the twins. From this point forward, I don't own any of the physical volume copies, so I can't be 100% certain about it's contents... but it's a bright cover for a new season and kicks off new arcs and new characters, but i'm not sure if it includes the epilogues.
Golden lions crest: of course we can't be without the crest again. I don't think it needs any more explaining.
Streife: The eagle on the left is the Streife symbol, the Empire's secret police force. It may be in reference to Streife reporting Shuri's death but i'm honestly not sure of the relevance here, especially when i don't know which chapters are in this volume.
Golden amulet and Safavid: On the right we have a golden amulet hovering over a bird's eye view of Safavid. It's a little teaser for when we finally get Ali's first appearance
Devil's trumpet and bellflowers: The white devils trumpet flower symbolizes danger and power while the bellflower symbolizes calm. You could say that it's the calm before the storm. Season 2 introduces itself with Leon returning from boarding school. Everything seems happy and cool until Shuri reminds us that political strife has risen over the 3 year timeskip.
Vol. 5 features Theo in a sinister red, gold, and purple palette. I should note that the Japanese releases are behind from the Korean/English releases. Specifically, Vol. 5 includes the missing epilogue episodes that were not included in Vol. 4. However, the Guardian arc and the Family Trip arc (included in Vol. 3 of the english release) are included in the Japanese version of Vol. 5. TLDR, I'm not sure which arcs are included in the official Korean/English Vol. 5 volume.
Violet roses: The violet roses are a symbol of Theo's mother, Ludovika. In the Japanese version, Theo's childhood flashback appears in this volume and we get some insight on Ludovika.
Mirrors and Richelieu: There's a strangeness in the way Richelieu, who appears a surprising 6 times, faces away from the audience. Mirrors should mean self-reflection, but Richelieu faces away from the mirrors. He's so focused on enforcing his beliefs on others and in the process, becomes the greatest sinner. He's aware of this, but he doesn't seem to care.
Cherubs: Two twin cherubs frame Theo, as they seem ready to stab him with their arrows.By season 2, Theo has already fallen for Shuri, in a toxic obsessive love.
Upside down crown: A flipped crown can mean a lack of authority or a change in power. Richelieu manipulating Theo strips away Theo's power as a royal. It also foreshadows Theo's depleting support pillars (Nuremberg and Neuschwanstein)
Vol. 6 features a young Richelieu. Like Vol. 5, the Japanese volume contains the flashbacks of Richelieu's past, which is the only main moment we see a young Richelieu. Anyway, there's a lot here.
Richelieu: This exact depiction of young Richelieu never actually appears in the manhwa (his forehead is bandaged, not his eyes). But there is significance in him being "half blind." Not to mention, there's a huge glowing iris on fire behind him.
There's a saying "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king." It's about a seeing man who comes across a town of blind men. He attempts to preach his seeing knowledge to the town, knowing that he is a tier above the people. However, the town cannot understand the meaning of sight and peck out his eyes, because after all, "the king must be of his people." Richelieu's seeing eye (in the background) is going up in flames in the same way.
Richelieu literally calls himself a "king" in his youth, fully aware that he is cut from a different cloth. On the cover, he sits on a throne with a divine halo behind his head. Exemplary of how he feels "chosen" by God to strike punishment onto sinners.
There's even meaning in the way he is holding his book. In art history, hands on a book in this specific manner is an allegory for great power in knowledge (think Aristotle).
Wolffe: I'll be honest, I'm not entirely sure of Wolffe's significance in the cover, but wherever Richelieu is, Wolffe follows.
Apple: Another symbol of knowledge. Adam's first sin was eating the fruit (apple) of knowledge.
Raven: Ravens are a symbol of transformation, prophecy, and intelligence. I've gone further into Richelieu and his connections with ravens here!
Windows: The windows in the background reference Richelieu's divine awakening. To the moment he woke up from his coma after drowning and the window light shone onto the church pendant on the wall.
Bubbles: The bubbles reference his drowning and eventual "rebirth."
Dogwood Leaves and Thorns: The red leaves can be likened to blood, sure. But did you know it's believed that the Cross of Jesus Christ was made of Dogwood? Richelieu believes his self-flagellation is a form of early repentance for his future sins.
The Vol. 7 teaser features Ohara, but it's highly filtered (for good reason) but we can soooorta only make out some things. There's a jewel? and what looks like Jeremy? I can't say much yet, but let me know what you think?
Jeremy Von Neuschwanstein and Shuli Von Neuschwanstein || On the quiet, all-consuming loves that toe between companionship and romance, grief and simple happiness, looming tragedy and guilty pleasures, and thus shouldn't be acted upon.
Illustrations from A Stepmother's Marchen / Hedgehog's Dilemma, Wikipedia / Waiting Room by Phoebie Bridgers / A Poem From The Adult Daughter To The Narcissistic Mother by Katherine Fabrizio / People Will Say We're In Love, Oklahoma! / Twilight by Stephanie Meyer / tumblr post by starpeace / The Cart by Mary Reufle / Haiku [for you] by Sonia Sanchez / Close to You by niki / Spend Some Time by Eminem / Every Day by David Levithan / Unknown / In a Dream You Saw a Way to Survive by Clementine Von Radics / Anchorite (Love You Very Much) by Car Seat Headrest / Unknown / Biotherm (for Bill Berkson) by Frank O' Hara / New and Selected Poems Volume 1 by Mary Oliver / tumblr post by chateauofmymind / Unknown / Kate McGahan / Waiting by Caitlyn Siehl / P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han / Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs / tumblr post by poetrylovesongs, / The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks / song for a lover (of long ago) by Bon Iver / please don't forget me and all the things that we did by Isaac Love / The Sea, the Sea by Iris Murdoch / The Winner's Kiss, Marie Rutkoski / In another universe by Dana Lee / The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts by Arthur Miller / Two Slow Dancers by Mitski / Maybe In Another Universe, I Deserve You by Gaby Dunn / Next Time by Team StarKid / Jonathan Carroll / The Moon Will Sing by The Crane Wives / Pyrrhic Victory, Wikipedia / Raushan Ranjan / All My Pretty Ones by Anne Sexton / Your Best American Girl by Mitski / twitter post by fran (galacticidiots) / War of the Foxes by Richard Siken / Crush by Richard Siken / The Garden of Eden by Ernest Hemingway / twitter post by mountain. (sainticide) / The Unabridged Journals Of Sylvia Plath by Sylvia Plath / Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick / SANDARAFREEDOMPARK / Unknown / Unsent Project / twitter post by aiman (dumbsoftheart) / there is no absolution for the fallen, only the dying by p.d / Unknown / Someone New by Hozier / Cassandra: A Novel and Four Essays by Christa Wolf / A Self-Portrait in Letters by Anne Sexton / Unknown / “I get so jealous of euthanized dogs” by June Gehringer / Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
Do you notice that angels rope was loosened and huskers was tight maybe that just shows how much power Alastor has compared to Valentino or it could represent that Angel is slipping through valentinos control.
baratheonpilled
germansingergirl
kaledo-art
origamiaround
turnnoffyourmind
pixelskylines
gummygunk
stormborns
