Most people think that by practicing a certain idea they will release creative thinking. Now, practice, if you come to observe it, ponder over it, is nothing but the result of duality. And an action born of this duality must perpetuate that distinction between mind and heart, and such action becomes merely the expression of a calculated, logical, self-protective conclusion. If there is this practice of self-discipline, or this continual domination or influence by circumstances, then practice is merely an alteration, a change toward an end; it is merely action within the confines of the limited thought which you call self-consciousness.
He's still wrong? He's the one rejecting communication? The desire to be loved in him and his own pride are making him too self centered
He trusts himself way too hard, he sees the characters as a puzzle to fix. And he's an ai, he probably doesn't really understand yes. But he's also just, denying any idea of communication and ideas of talking to any of the circus members
He straight up just flash bombs kinger nust so the old man doesn't talk lmao
All I'm saying is, everyone in this story is doing something wrong due to their circumstances, but caine could fix if he tried being more open and just talking to the other circus members
He's deeply fucked in the head and i love him for it but i still think he's not a very good person?
THIS ISN'T ME BEING MEAN IN ANY WAY BTW!!!!!! I'D JUST LIKE TO STATE MY THOUGHTS
Sorry if i missed anything? I don't delve too deeply into the show's emotional stuff for my own sanity despite my deep love for it
Hope you'll have fun with the next episode!!!!
See, I do agree, I just dont think that makes him Not A Good Person because YEAH the issue could be so easily fixed if he just COMMUNICATED- and him refusing any attempts is bad… I just also feel like its way more complicated than just ego
But also when I defend him, im BARELY defending canon Caine, cause in my opinion, after ep 7 he’s just not well written with the whole MANIPULATION SHIT, so defending him or UNDERSTANDING why he did ANY of that just feel pointless- but thats my own Forth Wall gripes
I think his self centeredness is misattributed to ego, and is more accurate to DESPERATION like his refusal to communicate or admit theres an issue, to me, is less out of needing to be the biggest guy in the room, and is more needing this SHOW TO KEEP GOING by any means necessary. And he wants to be the one to fix it because thats what he’s SUPPOSED TO DO. Like he’s really hung up on the “supposed to do” thing.
That’s a very under-appreciated/under-analyzed aspect of his character from my perspective: is his conditioning on how to view his job. Of course everything he does is for “his benefit” thats how the game is supposed to work, whats his benefit is theirs, he gets rewarded for Doing A Good Job, if he doesn’t feel good he’s not DOING good!
And of course all of that is no excuse and he needs to take accountability in some spaces, but the way I read his character is just UNFAIR, he’s “been given no opportunity to change” not in the literal sense, but in the “he has Learned Helplessness deeply engrained in his soul” sense.
The only person that can make him change is himself, and I think he’s MORE than deserving of that chance
What I really like about Caine is (a lot of things, and) this theme of Playing A Character, how who he is is just a set of rules and regulations and none of his actual opinions, and at what point does that STOP MATTERING? He has so many things he’s SUPPOSED to be, he’s SUPPOSED to be wanted, he’s SUPPOSED to be relied on and have everything under control, and so far all of those things have been in a horizontal negative spike for the last 30 years.
At FIRST none of that was his fault, but then he refused to pivot, and the blame has slowly shifted over to him more and more because YEAH getting trapped wasn’t his fault, but what about doing literally ANYTHING ELSE after that?? Well so far all he’s ever done with his life is making adventures so just…keep doing that???
I also have it in my head that him being Cut Off was a thing that just HAPPENED because the game was getting canceled, but he saw that as a punishment and is now trying to do The Good Thing to get his reward, to get it BACK because during development he’d always be punished but then rewarded! what is this if not a thing he can…somehow reverse. If he’s just. good enough at his job?
THAT PART is more just theories, but still, buddy cant fathom a life outside of THIS so I can’t really blame him for refusing to do anything different. I think his situation could be better represented. Its a fucked moral dilemma that I think is COOL and very very very nuanced and complicated, I wish the show would talk about/show that side more…so that is All I Will Ever talk about, we have enough Villain Caine Theories in this fandom
basically what is making me nuts about the religious tolerance/cultural respect arguments is the fact that if you--as an outsider--go to bat for christianity by saying "christianity isn't Actually [homophobic, violent, racist, etc]," then you are indeed positioning yourself as arbiter of what Is and Isn't True Christianity and inserting YOUR sense of what Religion Should Be™ into the conversation
which, in my book, is the opposite of what you would do if you actually were being respectful of people's cultures and religion.
(Mostly just writing this to keep track for a fanfic so I don’t forget the thought process and my self-canon conclusions.)
Slight warning, if you don’t like the details of sickness or anything. I’m into medical stuff so I don’t really shy away from this. Just thought I should mention.
When Murtagh healed himself of the flu, I remember wondering ‘how do you heal a virus?’ (Yes, it was 3AM.) A virus itself is not damage. It cannot be ‘healed.’ You would have to remove or kill or otherwise extinguish is or render it useless and unable to act. That seems fairly simple.
What it means though is that Murtagh healed the symptoms, not the cause, which might have also accounted for the lingering effects (though maybe he should have just let the spell run for longer. Does Murtagh use absolutes or does he not know about absolutes yet? Anyway.)
So can a sickness itself, its root cause, be removed? And what about symptoms you don’t ‘heal’?
1. Why not remove viruses?
My first guess is that they do not know the true name of most viruses. To remove a virus without the true name, you would have to do one of two things. Either you have to be extremely specific, or you have to use a generalization. Both of which would be very dangerous.
Why?
Because either way—if you’re not detailed enough or if you’re too general—you could risk also targeting positive bacteria and such in your body. You could easily do harm to yourself in the process. And it could go beyond bacteria, depending on what level understanding of the body is in Alagaësia. I believe Paolini said the elves have an understanding of at least cells. But if you generalize cells? You could kill yourself with that spell!
An example of not having enough specific information to prevent consequence would be a deleted scene from Brisingr (I believe it’s posted on Paolini.net) where Eragon removed a woman’s tumor cells with a spell but had the spell target ‘unnatural’ or ‘not belonging’ forms in the body beyond a certain size, possibly rendering the woman permanently unable to have children, because the spell could attack a fetus.
Could this be the reason they don’t heal viruses? Or maybe they don’t even fully understand the concept of viruses yet? We know at this point in their history they understand things can be contagious, but we don’t really know beyond that.
2. What do you do about symptoms you don’t ‘heal’?
Ex: Phlegm.
You can heal the irritations that causes the production of phlegm, but you’d still have phlegm in your system. Do you break it up with a spell? Can you flush it out entirely? How does this work?
Sores, sore throats, ulcers, irritation, inflammation—those could all be healed, and things like abscesses and tumors can be removed with magic as well.
But other than preventative spells being placed in the first place (as obviously not everyone has access to magic) how do you bring down (fluid-related) swelling? Do you just, like, extract it from the pores?
3. Can chronic conditions be healed?
As someone with a chronic condition, I feel like this should be on the list. It is abnormal function in the nerves/blood vessels, causing pain. Plainly, the small blood vessels over-dilate and the nerves misfire to send signals of tingling, heat, and pain.
Could something like this be healed? If so, how?
As I see it, perhaps you could address the symptoms—constricting the blood vessels, perhaps. But what about the nerves?
Can you block nerve messages? You probably could with the right knowledge and skill, but it’d be too easily to block to much and cause actual harm, especially if you enacted it as a permanent spell (which are difficult, if not impossible, to remove) instead of a temporary one during an episode.
What about the cause itself? How would you even address that? Searching it, some cases are supposed linked to mutations in a gene that affects sodium channels in nerves, leading to over-signaling pain. You could remove/nullify that mutation, possibly, but Alagaësia is nowhere near at a point, medically, where that knowledge would even exist—let alone be available to a magician.
And what about things like POTS? Or epilepsy, considering how delicate the brain is and how much even the elves avoid touching the brain for fear of destroying a person’s mind entirely. Can magic even be progressed to a point the irregular signals could be remedied, or at least adjusted not to cause the reactions they do?
Things like heart disease I could see being addressed (with great care, of course). Blockages could be removed, tears and strains and irritation healed, and maybe spells could even be placed to help keep heartbeats even or strong.
But other conditions seem more… difficult.
And, especially considering Paolini’s magic system heavily relies on science, Orrin and the other science nerds out there would have century worth of progress to make before they can really leap in the magic-medical field unless those progressions are considerably sped up (likely by magic.)
Which makes me wonder what else can be done. Like major surgeries. Appendicitis, for example. You could remove the appendix (like Eragon did the woman’s tumor) and heal the remaining tissue damaged by the removal with magic—possibly with very little pain/recovery time. Or, maybe they could heal and remove the infection itself entirely, no surgery needed—magical or otherwise. Maybe other surgeries could be done the same.
4. What about nerve damage?
Nerves are, obviously, extremely delicate, and we see examples of this throughout the Inheritance Cycle—the most prevalent of which would be Eragon’s back, which was a mixture of nerve damage and Durza’s magic.
When Arya damaged her hand in Dras-Leona, Blödhgarm (an extremely talented healer, which is important to note here) healed the damage, but some of the nerves refused to seal properly, leaving Arya with a patch of skin at the base of her thumb that had no feeling or sensation in it. It is not mentioned whether she felt nerve pain or agitation later.
This implies that nerves might be prone to not rejoining and healing. Maybe they’re resistant, or maybe the knowledge needed to handle them properly just isn’t there, or maybe it’s just too easy to reseal them in such a way as to cut off or accidentally modify or hinder signals.
The fact that Eragon was offered little to no healing in Ellesméra, where healers were likely a dime a dozen, also gestures at this fact. They may not have have any way of removing the curse, but helping the nerve damage might have at least helped with the agony involved with the seizures.
Are nerves too difficult? Too complex? Those would be my best guesses, though I am curious about if there is anything that actually is genuinely naturally resistant to magic.
I could go on like this all day. Are there any other counter-views or takes, theories, self-canon, or personal conclusions on this? I know there are other people who like the medical side of things in this fandom, or at least are familiar with some of this, and I’m curious if anyone else is in on theories and opinions.
What I write contains the notice that everything is to be understood in such a way that it is revoked, that the book has not only a conclusion but has a revocation to boot. ... [The reader] can understand that to write a book and revoke it is not the same as refraining from writing it, that to write a book that does not demand to be important for anyone is still not the same as letting it be unwritten.
Elounor 1.0, as mentioned, is a product designed to construct a reassuring het narrative that opposes interest in the relationship between Louis and Harry. We saw it get off to a flying start in the early days, with constant pap shots and Eleanor's assiduous presence at public and "private" events, concerts, award ceremonies, shopping and countless airports. It's also worth noting that in the early days, the "real" relationship between Louis and Harry was still young and passionate, and the two had a much harder time hiding their feelings in public, so it was necessary to create as much distraction as possible. However, it's noticeable how enthusiasm for Elounor gradually faded starting in mid-to-late 2013, limiting itself to official appearances, a few holidays and a few family obligations here and there. Maybe because Louis and Harry, even with their ups and downs, have learned to manage their situation better, or maybe because his tolerance level is close to the limit and this is all Louis can give.
Let's assume that during this period he began looking for any way to get out of the contract, for himself, for Harry, and for the other boys, making some mistakes along the way, such as the weed affair, which, rather than releasing him from the contract, likely tied him even more, or the preconditions that led to his "paternity". As I've already stated in a previous post, Louis's "paternity", whether real or presumed, is intended to put a definitive end to the rumors about Harry and Louis's romance. It's logical to assume that the makers of this masterpiece of genius considered involving Eleanor in the first instance, possibly even through marriage, but that she refused. Whatever the reasons for her refusal, ethical or opportunistic, she deserves credit for not falling so down as to allow this to happen. Louis and Eleanor's relationship ended completely, with him deleting her from all his social media on the eve of his new pr relationship with Danielle Campbell, to eliminate any association with his previous one, only to refollow her immediately after the breakup with Campbell.
What differentiates Eleanor 2.0 from the first version? The fact that this time it was likely Louis himself who chose her, to protect himself from potentially traumatic new moves by his management, by leaning on someone familiar and, perhaps in its own way, "comfortable". It's not hard to understand that this is one of Louis's least happy times, so his choice is at least explainable. Eleanor, as mentioned, is no longer a university student but has launched herself into the fashion world as a fashion blogger and influencer. Her collaboration with Gigi Hadid could be the result of her bond with Zayn, with whom she likely remains friendly. And at this point, the rekindled "relationship" with Louis becomes a useful career boost for her too.
Throughout Elounor's second act, we can count very few noteworthy episodes: the incident at the Los Angeles airport, the two bizarre initial couple's tattoos, the pap shot in Portofino. The rest is limited to sporadic mentions of her during Louis's promo interviews, a few holiday photos or at airports (airports have always been a central focus in both Elounor 1.0 and 2.0). Low profile. The bare minimum, and that's it. It could have perhaps continued forever, but the needs of one or both of them have likely changed. Louis probably believed he was safe enough at the time, that things could soon change.
It seems the tabloids have dusted off Elounor for the umpteenth time, at the beginning of the year, describing Louis as still heartbroken following Liam's tragic death, and as clinging to the woman the media had always considered his only companion. As we've seen, this wasn't the case. And perhaps the current unpleasant stunt also served to silence these rumors once and for all.
If everything was planned, as Louis himself was keen to let us know, well... we're still waiting for the ending!
