#cloudward ho bert

[poppy5991]

Get you a man like Bert

[wild-fleurs]

I’m going to ramble for a minute because I’ve seen a few posts loving on Bert & Van & curse I love it but I haven’t seen anything about this angle of Van’s curse & it may mean for her relationship with Bert

Also this is all just stream of consciousness so sorry but I’m at work not meant to be on my phone haha

I’ll try & be more eloquent later or rather more to the point later

I’ve been mentally harping on how Van’s family die young for generations it seems

Not just the being amazing sailors part or Van escape to sail the sky or even what’s going on with her arm eg what it keeps “in” which implies there is something already in her physically that’s trying to get out rather than the arm keeping it out/protecting her against an external a curse coming for her

What would be the impact in knowing or at least believing & then confirmation biasing evidence towards the idea that generations that your family will die young

Surely Van’s not the first to leave the sea/escape the curse - there’s probably some that escape, maybe going to landlocked places, don’t teach their kids to swim even in pools in case the curse comes for them too (but for real learn to swim/teach your kids to swim it’s such an important life skill)

Clearly some Chapmans live long enough to have kids but even then I assume not most/all & of the ones who do then what? The marry/have kids young idea wouldn’t generate the best matches especially not to a family who at least outwardly show recklessness & dangerous behaviour which would be very common with a fatalist ‘we’re all going to die anyway’ attitude

& you wouldn’t have the literal time to wait for someone better in some cases

Do the married in Chapmans also die young/before their time?

Or are there a few step parents/second families or widows/widowers cursed with heartbreak & grief for marrying a Chapman?

It’s fascinating to me & its kind of just a throwaway concept

Not throwaway exactly but a concept as a vehicle to get to the important parts of Van’s story not something we’re going to be unravelling & getting into the intricacies of because that’s not the purpose of it but it could spiral into so many things

The childrearing philosophy the Chapmans would have from that is interesting to think about too

They’re not teaching their kids to sail/wanting them to be the best because it offers the best chance of protection from the curse it’s not like the best ones survive the longest

It’s a skill to them possibly innate possibly passed down/drilled into them

Or would there be parents teaching them the basics of sailing but hoping if they’re not the best sailors of that Chapman generation maybe they’ll have more of a chance to be safe from the curse?

The group as a whole mindset would be focus on now/live for the moment/enjoy what you can/a literal embodiment of here for a good time not a long time

What that must do to people, to family/generations & how that shapes their mindset is wild to think about?

There’s no looking forward

No dreams for the future

Then there’s Van who not just escapes to the sky & still gets to dial & use her Chapman skills (best of both worlds right?) but she also finds Bert & falls in love with someone who truly loves her, she didn’t settle for Bert, he’s not just the best she can do since the end is coming soon so why not?

Her wanting to keep him safe/always viewing herself/her curse as danger to the people she loves

Vs

Him knowing about her curse clearly & knowing she believes (assuming he doesn’t himself) she could die on this adventure wants to spend every second he can with her, not every single second, he doesn’t try & follow them into the jungle because he doesn’t want to make himself a liability, also he knows the best he can do is auxiliary support & offer food & taking the running the ship burden from her & he can wait for her to come back

I love it

I love it

I love it