A question / ramble / are my filters broken? / why am I reading so much into card game anime

[darkness8mysock]

Uh, first of all - if posting using a sock is a problem, that's cool. I'm just too chickenshit to post this using my personal journal and I couldn't think of anywhere else (active) to ask and it's really been bugging me and - so yes, sock, if that's a problem do whatever you do with problematic socks and I won't fuss.

Anyway.

Comments

[saiou]

you know, I need to rewatch that episode now. Been so long since I've seen it. now you have me intensely curious... must fix this after work tomorrow

[dingus]

In a way, Fujiwara did commit suicide, far more than most people can - he eliminated the record of his entire existence on earth with Darkness's powers.

I always thought that, in an AU where there wasn't crazy card game magic, he probably would've just done it the old fashioned way. :(

[darkness8mysock]

I've always thought that too. (I'm actually writing a post-series AU where he does try that, which is why I asked this.)

...and he's such a smart and driven and hurt individual that he'd probably succeed, too. Almost makes you glad he chose the way of Darkness, because at least that was, in the end, possible to undo.

[okroginator]

No, I don't think you're looking at it the wrong way at all. I thought the same thing, myself. It certainly seemed framed that way: brilliant kid who seemed to have everything going for him secretly hiding very dark feelings from his loved ones that culminate in him leaving this world? Yeah, I'd say that was meant, at least subtly, to resemble a form of suicide.

[aphotic]

When you think about what Darkness does, which is basically "stop people from existing and possibly having ever existed previously", with the essence of nihility and all... it is a form of death, isn't it? It really could be viewed that way, I think.

I don't think it's wrong to think that way, either. It's a reasonable conclusion to draw, IMO, considering the nature of the power Fujiwara was tapping, and his own serious mental/emotional problems. Whatever you want to call his slew of issues, anyway; I've heard paranoia and depression mainly used, among other things from time to time.

But I'm no psychologist, so idk. Still, I think Fujiwara was at the point of some form of suicide, he was just so disturbed at the time -- even if not the conventional means of suicide anyone who wasn't too smart for their own good would think to use. Poor kid needs therapy, damn.

[darkness8mysock]

I try to keep from "diagnosing" characters, even ones I care about and want to write about, for... various reasons. But yeah, even if you don't want to go the route of putting names to everything, Fujiwara is really, really... unwell, I guess, is the best word. And very sad. Parts of season 4 actually hurt me to watch.

...it's always bugged me how that's all wrapped up with "it's okay, Fujiwara, this is our school to make mistakes in! :D :D :D" as if that makes everything better. To portray the lead-up to that kind of desperation so well, and then completely fuck up the aftermath... /sigh

[aphotic]

Yeah, I can definitely understand that. I guess it could be interpreted either way, though. Fujiwara, however you want to describe his problems, is messed up. I actually can only think of one other YGO character off the top of my head who really comes remotely close to having that same level of... being unhinged on their own. That being Kiryu Kyosuke from 5D's.

The entire ending of GX was rushed, tbh. D: I actually wouldn't doubt if the kid was prone to relapsing back into "OH GOD EVERYONE'S GOING TO FORGET ME AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH" mode post-canon, or needed some pretty heavy therapy after the fact because it didn't just go away on its own. The big loose ends were tied together as hastily and sloppily as possible, and the rest were left hanging, sadly. :|

[darkness8mysock]

Part of the reason I asked this is that I'm working on "fix-it" fic - where Fujiwara does relapse back into that, and no amount of friendship and card games and Fubuki is enough to make him okay again. I'm not nearly a good enough writer to tie up all the loose ends and make pretty bows out of the sloppy knots, but if I can fix even one thing...

...and you know, I'm not even sure therapy would help, in this case, because my thoughts have always been that no one in the YGO-verse (certainly not in DM or GX) is going to be able to get therapy because who the hell would believe them. GX plays a bit more loosely with the laws of reality and I know 5D's and ZeXal stray even further, but there's still this group of people to whom Strange Things happen, and then Everyone Else, and the isolation probably makes everything a million times worse.

(hope I'm not being too tl;dr! :P )

[xxxfearlessxxx]

You know, I've never thought of it like that.

I always just thought of it as 'Ohoho Darkness is just a dick and controlling this kid' or something, but now that I think of it, your theory makes a lot more sense.

Of course, I didn't understand like half of season 4, so there you go.

[darkness8mysock]

Of course, I didn't understand like half of season 4

ahhahhahah join the club XD;;; Only season I can really truly say I get is 2. Yay Tarot!

[xxxfearlessxxx]

Personally, I liked 3 the best. <3