Well, Eren is most definitely not on any kind of redemption arc at the moment! Instead he’s taking the fast train to SpiralTown. But with Sasha’s death, he was indeed very grieved. So I do think he very much does not want his loved ones to get hurt, but he’s making absolutely terrible choices.
As for whether or not you have to show remorse to be redeemed… that’s a larger discussion! Let’s ditch real life and discuss how redemption arcs work in fiction. As I was saying in my original post, it would look differently for everyone considering this is such, such, such a gray story. Reiner will never be able to make anything up to the people of Paradis. Annie might be able to. Eren’s probably wouldn’t look like being able to do much at all but be instead an internal shift.
Like, most people consider Darth Vader in Star Wars the classic redeemed villain. He never once showed remorse for a single one of his actions. He just ended the empire to save his son, and expressed his love for his son. In Tokyo Ghoul, characters like Tsukiyama are considered redeemed, when Tsukiyama never expressed any kind of regret for his hunting tactics. Most characters who are redeemed in TG, actually, don’t show remorse.
All that to say, what counts as redemption in a story is often more catered to how the audience sees the end of the character’s arc. Do they see it purely as a tragedy (Bertolt in SnK, Furuta, Rize in Tokyo Ghoul:re) or do they see the end of the character’s arc as something hopeful, a different choice from the destruction they were heading down? Like Darth Vader doesn’t survive. If he had, would he have expressed remorse? Could he even have? We really don’t know. All he expressed was love for his son that outweighed his devotion to the Empire, when he had previously put the Empire before any semblance of human decency and personal relationships.
Eren expressing care or love, or an understanding of how much he’s hurt his loved ones, would count from the perspective of shifting the audience, and that’s something I do expect. I don’t expect him to think a whole lot of “what have I done” or anything like that, though, or to earn his redemption in the eyes of the world within the story. 😦
Okay haha. Yes, I am at the point where I feel happy talking about TG again.
1) Chapter 29 of :re. It contains the birth of my OTP and the most beautiful compassion in all of TG in my opinion, badass Hinami, and Juuzou seeing his parent again.
2) Chapter 57 of :re, which is heartbreaking. Karren’s arc is beautiful, peak writing.
3) 120 of TG Touka at her best. She’s flawed here, and obviously so, but her pain and call out of Kaneki are powerful writing. I get chills. This is why I love Touken. This chapter.
4) 113 of :re. Ayato calls out Kaneki and Kurona and Seidou prepare to face off with Amon. Again, I get chills.
5) 159 of :re. I really, really wish this chapter had more impact, because it’s beautiful, and it’s still on this list despite me trying to dismiss it but I can’t. It’s a good chapter. It’s a good realization, it’s relatable as hell, and it’s painful and beautiful and reminds me of why I loved Kaneki and why he saved my life. It just would have been more powerful with more follow up.
Bonus shout outs to 125 and to 176, because Furuta’s losing with the realization that he is human and wanted a family was heartbreaking. But again I kind of have to view those chapters in a bit of a vacuum.
You can never know for certain! But foreshadowing is a pretty good hint, and there are techniques writers across the globe use to foreshadow it. For example, I wrote this about Mutsuki’s redemption in TGre, pointing to the use of “save the cat” which is a technique taught in screenwriting courses (but also broadly used in other types of fictional narratives).
“Save the cat” is
moment a writer give a character towards the start of their arc that involves
them saving someone/something that doesn’t benefit them in any
way–generally it’s something a writer does to ensure the readers like
the character. Characters who are protagonists like Kaneki and Touka
have these moments (for her, saving Kaneki from eating Hide). So do
characters who have been painted as antagonists and go on to receive
redemption arcs like Takizawa (going to help Amon during the Owl
operation), Tsukiyama (helping save Kaneki from Yamori) and Nishiki
(Kimi)… and so does Mutsuki (Urie in the auction arc–which I’d argue
is actually the least selfish of any of these). Basically, if a
character has a save-the-cat moment, they’re unlikely to turn into an
irredeemable villain because the author probably wants you to like them.
In BNHA, “save the cat” was also used for Dabi, etc. I’m going to talk about Dabi a lot here, and also address other stories besides animes, if that’s okay?
People who are likely to get redemption are characters who are also coded as victims. See: Mutsuki, Dabi, Zuko from Avatar, Nora in Noragami, Kylo Ren in Star Wars, etc. Characters who are not coded as victims are more likely to have the audience resist their redemption if they get it anyways (Endeavor in BNHA). Whether this should be the case or not is not what I’m addressing; I’m simply observing how things tend to go.
I think looking at the specific themes present in the story being told, as well as the story’s genre, is also massively important. Like, for example, BNHA is an optimistic story about kids working hard to overcome obstacles. In contrast, SnK is a really harsh, brutal story about people who often do not get redemption (Bertolt) that encourages you to examine yourself and the world around you. Dabi being killed as someone who went bad after abuse (victim–this presumes he is Touya) when we’ve been encouraged to sympathize with him (save the cat–the Aoyama scene in the forest and also Dabi expressing pain for his victim’s families) while his abuser gets redemption (Endeavor) seems like it’d be hard to get to work in the story, whereas such a plot development could work in SnK. Again, Dabi’s redemption isn’t written yet, so who knows what could happen, but him not getting some measure of one doesn’t seem to be where the story is headed imo.
I also think “redemption” is a bit iffy once you leave more black and white stories like BNHA or Star Wars or ATLA. Like, it’s defined differently when the story isn’t about blatant evil vs saving the world.
In Banana Fish, for example, does Ash get redemption, just because we’re encouraged to sympathize with him? Is connecting with other people akin to redemption in that story? (I’d argue it is.)
In HxH, did Pitou get redemption, because we sympathize with Pitou in the end, even though they didn’t do anything to address the wrongs they’d done in the past and still wanted to kill Gon? Is redemption in a deconstructive story like HxH more akin to the audience seeing their worth as a being/what they offer the world and letting them do some good in the world (saving Komugi)? Does Pakunoda get redemption? It’s complicated, and a lot of it relies on changing your audience’s opinion on them from “villain you fear” to “character you empathize with.”
For more reading, I suggest this well-written analysis of how redemption tends to work in fiction by @ohtze. It was written a few years ago, primarily about Zuko, Sasuke, and Kylo Ren. It’s not saying redemption arcs have to work that way, but rather that this is a way they often go.
I’m really not sure why you sent me this, because if you were looking for validation about your salt for Ishida, you won’t find it here, and that’s coming as someone who also hasn’t been shy on my thoughts on the ending.
Ishida is being vulnerable, opening himself up by sharing details of his life that he has never shared before, confessing that he suffered to make this manga for us. This manga that saved my life. My opinion on the ending (which hasn’t changed) can never change the fact that Tokyo Ghoul saved my life, and for that, Ishida forever has my gratitude and my love, my respect and my support.
All throughout writing TG, I do believe Ishida gave it his all. The man legitimately lost his sense of taste for the manga. His all just happened to be less because he was exhausted by the end. Given the grueling demands of the industry, demands that are frankly heartbreaking, I fault him not at all. Of course, I critique the work. But as a person, Ishida went above and beyond for his fans in trying so, so hard for the story. And he saved my life, and brought joy to so many people, in the process. A story does not have to be perfect for it to reach someone. Yes, the ending has affected how I view TG as a story because endings matter to me, but that doesn’t mean the journey is in any way truncated, and it doesn’t mean it didn’t save me.
Ishida tried so hard. He is a good writer with so much talent it’s terrifying. Like, for real, his talent is better than perhaps any writer I’ve seen. His story has flaws and it’s fine to completely write it off if you want, but I can’t do that, and even if you do, don’t extend that resentment to Ishida. He’s a person.
Mangakas are people first and foremost. People for whom other things might be priority beyond delivering a good story. Like losing your sense of taste? Never having a break in seven years? Goddammit. I worked myself on a grueling schedule for one year (the year I taught). I loved it. It was also agonizing and not sustainable. To have kept up that kind of work for seven years? That man has some admirable dedication.
Also, burning out with something you love is especially painful. To have something that was your hope, your refuge, disintegrate into something that is a burden, that brings you grief continually instead of joy–that is something that is truly agonizing. I feel nothing but heartbroken for Ishida that this happened to him; he deserves better.
As a person, Ishida is flawed, and like I said, it’s fine to be displeased with the ending. But any salty comments about Ishida as a person are not welcome here.
That Ishida cares enough to put something so beautiful as being open with his fans about the sacrifices he’s made to do the best he damned well could in the last volume means a lot to me. Ishida is a talented, intelligent, good man. That’s my conclusion on him, and I hope he finds rest and happiness, whether or not he ever picks up a pen again.
This might be the last thing I say on TG for awhile. It feels fitting.
I’m not sure what perspective this ask is coming from, whether it’s from someone lamenting that they can’t be a part of it or from someone asking me to get out. I hope it’s the former, so I’ll answer it.
I have been withdrawing from the fandom. The story is over so there is less content, and while I personally hated the ending, I don’t feel the need to repeat my points ad nauseum. It’s fine if people want to, but unless I have something new to say I probably won’t be saying it. But if people do have asks, I am happy to answer them because it’s cool to examine the story more.
Because the story still saved my life. It’s ending badly cannot change that fact. I have absolutely no regrets about any of the time, love, energy, and money I put into loving TG. It had a beautiful impact on my life, and while I don’t like the ending, that doesn’t change that. The past can’t be changed, after all. So I appreciate the wonderful things TG has brought me. Because of TG, I met many wonderful friends. I have a blog that really is a great outlet for me. I am so grateful. I’m still here because of TG, after all. So I would love to contribute what I can to the fandom.
That being said, as I’ve said before, I found the environment terribly toxic, full of hypocrisy and cruelty, in the past few months but spiking the last month, particularly stemming from people who loved the ending. I’m still hurting over literally losing friendships over not liking the ending, because prioritizing a story over a person is something I cannot understand.
So because of that I’m not like… actively courting new TG thoughts or participation in the fandom. But should an idea strike me, I will happily write it, and seeing posts from people who are still musing over it makes me happy, because TG made me very happy for a long time.
How. DARE. You. You are rude, and sending this was a really not a kind thing to do. What part of you thought it was a good idea to be like “I hope Ishida Sensei isn’t ever criticized, guess I better send a passive aggressive (aka a way to bully while still looking good) post to someone else telling them they’re awful for something they DIDN’T EVEN DO?”
I have expressed absolutely nothing but GRATITUDE towards Ishida for his amazing work.
I never will express anything but gratitude towards him. TG saved my life. I think the last arc was terribly written, but I separate the work from the person. I think Ishida one of the most talented writers I have ever had the privilege of reading, and I have nothing but complete love for the man. But I don’t have to blindly accept everything he puts out just because. I doubt he wants that since a major theme of TG was empathy and allowing for different opinions.
I am so SICK of this fandom equating things that should not be equated. I certainly have not nor would ever attack Ishida for my l=not liking the ending, call him a bad writer (good writers can produce less than quality work sometimes; it’s called being a human being). I love his work and want to see more of it, and will gladly purchase all the TG volumes.
But since I’ve wanted to say this for months now let’s fucking go.
I’ve been really frustrated with the way the TG fandom has been acting lately, in particular equating all critical analysis/meta with hate and saying anyone who did not like the TG ending or anyone who says it feels like Ishida rushed it is hating on him. That simply is not true, and people who say that betray an immature understanding of the words used and also a lack of understanding of literature and how the field of literature functions. Which I studied. I have a degree in it.
Critique and critical analysis are parts of fandom though they don’t have to be your part of fandom. You don’t like most metas? Don’t read! That’s totally fine! It’s fine to engage in fandom via memes or meta, shipping or fanart, fanfic or stanning or roleplay or whatever, and to not engage with the types of engagement you don’t like. It’s. All. Good. Take care of your mental health first. It’s also totally fine to unfollow if it’s really not good for you right now. Nothing wrong with that.
That being said, it hurts to read vague posts lumping you in with antis and misogynists and haters just because you interpret things differently and don’t think a story is perfect. Critical analysis is not hate: it’s a legitimate way to analyze what a series means to you personally, and for every meta writer I know it’s a way for them to express their love for the series.
For some of us, character flaws mean a lot, so maybe we write about that and how the characters might overcome it, because that’s genuinely what we find the most meaningful part of a story to us. Like, do people really think meta writers devote hours and hours and hours of our time to rereading the text, pouring over panels to identify patterns, writing 10K word essays on how a character can overcome their flaws because we hate the story and want to shit on the character? Even when I wrote about how I think TG has bungled its themes, I wrote it because I love those themes (which are GOOD) and I love this story.
So part of critical analysis involves, well, critique. It’s why movie critics are a thing, TV show critics, book critics. Ishida is an amazing writer whom I respect immensely, but he is human and not a god, and it is not disrespectful to say that the story has flaws, nor to discuss those perceived flaws and how they affect one’s view of the text. What isn’t okay is ad hominem attacks on a writer just as it is not okay to ad hominem attack a blogger. The notion that one should be quiet and not critique work because it’s being written by someone else is baffling because that’s legitimately what literary/journalistic criticism is: critique of another person’s story. You don’t critique your own work; that’s called revising. It’s disrespectful to imply an author doesn’t expect critique; all writers expect it. Name calling on the other hand is wholly wrong, and anyone trashing Ishida or insulting him should stop immediately. But I’ve seen so many in the fandom conflating these two things (attacks and critique) and it’s really unfair and creates a strawman argument and rather than addressing the issue of hate simply addresses nothing at all.
A lot of the vaguing and occasionally actual bullying I’ve seen is coming from people who claim to have experienced the fandom being made an uncomfortable place for them before with hate and antis (this, for the record, is not singling out a particular subset of the fandom as I’ve seen it on multiple sides). And it probably has been, and antis for any ship or character are honestly horrible. But the way the same people treat meta writers makes me feel like it’s not about creating a more comfortable fandom, but rather creating a fandom where everyone agrees with them. Like, after the release of 177, people who have previously complained about dealing with antis posted literal hate directed at real people (people w/ a perspective I happen to share) over a fictional story/character. Just focus on what you like to do, be it meta and critique or fanfic or writing about how a character has impacted you and how much you love him, and let other people do what they want to do. That’s all fine. But actual attacks were a thing.
What else am I supposed to conclude besides that the TG fandom doesn’t actually have a problem with bullying or with hate, but only has a problem when it’s directed at your particular likes?
Like legit one time I wrote a 1000 essay on how meaningful and beautiful I find Kaneki’s character with like, one mention of “selfish” in the context of “I can relate” and do you have any idea how much pushback I got from that, how people vagued for months about how I was ableist for one word used in a context of “I love him?” I’m a real person, not a fictional character. I cried. What do people want anyways? A 500 word disclaimer before every post that me saying x is selfish sometimes doesn’t mean I’m reducing a character to just being selfish? I don’t have time for that. No one does. I don’t know what else I can do.
If you relate to a character to the point where you cannot handle someone not loving every attribute of said fictional character and you start lashing out at realpeople over it because you feel personally attacked, you might need to take a step back. There’s also a difference between “I think this character is acting selfishly and needs to overcome it” or “I personally find this character unlikeable,” and “I want this character to die painfully.” The latter one is definitely hate and by all means complain about it being tagged or whatnot, but the former two are not–they are merely different opinions.
I’ve seen so many people saying for months now that popular meta writers discourage disagreement when there are no receipts to back that claim up. It is true that occasionally every single one of us gets passionate about something and requests that a certain topic (usually with real world triggers, like the death of kids, abuse in the case of the ongoing BNHA arc, etc.) not be debated on our blog, but like, every meta writer I know, whether I agree with them or not, knows that meta writing is literally founded in disagreement. Like for real. That’s how the field of literature and literary criticism (which is what meta is) works. Someone disagrees, or a thought is provoked by reading someone else’s essay (professional meta) and then they write their own. Ishida definitely knows literature, so I am sure he gets this. Every. Writer. Gets. This.
So if you don’t like the meta content out there, create your own. That’s legit why I started writing TG meta: no one was making the points I thought of when it came to Mutsuki so I decided to post them. If you disagree with certain metas, instead of vaguing about the writers or speculating about how they treat their families over an opinion on a fictional character (yes, popular bloggers have done that), respond with a meta of your own outlining the textual evidence why your opinion is strong. I’d love to read it. Metas have really helped me enjoy the story more and find new perspectives from which to appreciate TG–even if I don’t agree! Literally one of my favorite metas theorized Mutsuki would die. Clearly I strongly disagreed with that but like, it was still a meta I really loved.
People also can’t post about how people who use one word once are ruining the fandom for them when they post similar things about characters whom they don’t like, or story choices they don’t like. People are allowed to do that to post salt about characters and story choices they dislike, by the way, but they can’t pretend they hate any version of salt and only want positivity when they clearly do not: they just hate salt that stems from a different opinion. Maybe some of us just wanted to enjoy the anime while knowing it wasn’t going to be great. All the salt about it wasn’t what I wanted to see as I just wanted to enjoy it, but again, I’m an adult who can read their opinion and not have it affect my own.
Responding to ideas is again, fine to do. What isn’t fine is making it personal with vague, yet still ad hominem, attacks. For months I’ve put up with people complaining on both twitter and tumblr about how meta writers are ruining their fandom experience and in those posts they’ve been making it personal, attacking my or my friends’ ability to read (I like… have a degree in literature), attacking my empathy, attacking my family relationships which they know nothing about, and saying I’m selfishly hurting people by saying X Character can be selfish. Do people have any idea how it felt to see people reblogging posts that actually called people who didn’t like certain recent chapters names? To see some of those posts get occasionally hundreds of reblogs?
There’s not a better way to say to me, “you aren’t welcome.” It makes it seem like the people accusing meta writers of just being bitter are simply focused on erasing any kind of disagreement even when it is polite. If the fandom wanted an echo chamber, this is how you create one.
Generally people like things that are well written! XD Not always of course though. Alas, I can’t comment on why other people like it most but that would be my guess.
I like Rushima/Cochlea. It has pacing issues but they are less prominent when read as a whole. You can see mild cracks starting to appear in the story, though: namely, a lot of time is spent on fights with no emotional nor story nor thematic nor character resonance. See: Kurona and Nishiki in Kanou’s lab, Miza vs Ui, Shuu vs Ui since nothing came of these fights, (like, Roma’s escape was never even shown), etc. That’s definitely a place I see editorial interference coming in because fights sell. Additionally, the OEK thing had wonky framing, as the framing kinda implied it as a good thing when it was pretty clearly going to lead to a disaster (and it did in Dragon). I think the framing may have been deliberate as part of the Moon Arc hell, but I think the story never really recovered its framing.
I certainly can’t speak to other people, but I can give a little of my analysis (my fave is Auction Arc though! Though I do think Rose was best written).
Essentially TG sets itself up as a story with consequences. Consequences are not necessarily a good thing nor are they a bad thing (I think people associate it with punishment in terms of its real world connotations, but the term when used in narratives does not carry those connotations and I think it can be confusing). For example, Kaneki telling Touka in Part 1 “I would be sad if you died” had an affect. That is a narrative consequence–and it’s a damn good one.
Consequences in a narrative should provoke character growth, be it a spiral or a positive step forward. In the Rose Arc, we see Tsukiyama’s obsessive behavior towards Kaneki result in endangering his family and having him lose people who were close to him, but also him growing as a character and deciding that there were some things he would not give to Kaneki (his freedom). We see the CCG’s refusal to give Sasaki his memories and Kaneki’s own delaying of the process, however understandable it was, result in him getting them back at the worst possible time. We see Urie, who prioritized promotions above all, lose a comrade and therefore make positive growth as a result–deciding to put his family first thereafter (like Mutsuki on Rushima) and directly challenging Sasaki on putting people first. He doesn’t do this perfectly as seen in how he treats Aura, but he makes steps, and that’s the point. Ui prioritizes his own job as well over everyone and loses Hairu. Hairu prioritizes killing as a way to love and winds up killed.
It’s very tragic, but basically it sets up the expectation that things that happen in a story matter and that there is a direct cause and effect way to read the story. That makes readers feel engaged and excited, because things that happen will matter later on.
The Dragon Arc tossed this out the window. Suddenly Touka, the girl who always challenged Kaneki and helped him grow even if in Part 1 not through the best means (but in Cochlea through good means!) stops challenging him and simply supports him (guys, there is a way to do both. I see people being like “what did you want, her to scream at him, leave him?” and the answer is hell no I wanted her to do what she did in Cochlea: challenge him but with kindness). Tsukiyama, who throughout the 24th ward raid kept expressing disapproval over Kaneki’s poor decisions that resulted in Dragon, forgets he ever had any build up towards wanting to tell him to make better decisions. The Qs, who were hurting and spiraling after what the CCG had done to them which was clearly shown as exploitative and abusive (Saiko didn’t even sign her experimentation papers) receive the message of “just get in line with the CCG” and this is framed positively. Buildup for things like people becoming ghouls is completely dropped (do we even know what happened with that?) Buildup with Suzuya is resolved in Marude just telling him what to do. Buildup for zombies is Irimi and Koma and Eto and that’s it.
As for the Alliance, well, again, it’s just not realistic. I know TG is a fantasy manga but this isn’t realistic to human emotions or psychology and the entirety of TG is founded on being relatable. Kaneki, whose poor choices have always resulted in consequences, has everyone coming together to save him–why exactly? They didn’t all come together to save Rio, as we know, or Rize. He didn’t treat them well. It just doesn’t make sense and is not believable nor hopeful, because let’s be real: if most of us fucked up like Kaneki did, the entire world would not come to save us. That made Kaneki completely unrelatable to me. Instead of the story being about him clawing his way to life through depression, it became about “uhhh just find people who will love you unconditionally no matter what and you’re good!” Well… their love isn’t just unconditional it’s idealistic so. I don’t relate.
Also, the CCG legitimately just hacked apart Goat, and Touka would not go to the CCG to save Yoriko but… goes to save Kaneki which is fine except is it realistic for an organization where everyone has just had loved ones brutally murdered to be like “okay let’s go for a king we’ve been serving for about… two months maybe less?” Why mention Kaneki’s people were starving if it led to now growth? Sigh.
I’m sure you don’t mean it this way, but it’s kind of irritating to me when people are like “Isn’t your personal subjective opinion wrong?” Because that’s not fair. I have no problem with you giving it a 6-7/10 or with people giving it a 10/10. For me, though, it is indeed a 2/10. That does not mean I have any regrets about any of the time or effort I spent stanning the series (I don’t) or that I have any ill will towards Ishida Sui (I still plan to thank him on Thursday) but merely that I come to the story from a certain perspective bringing baggage like we all do like personal tastes, past life experiences that will cause me to relate to certain aspects, etc. that other people do not have. Every single reader brings a unique background that alters their perspectives, and that is not wrong.
But since you asked, here are my top 5 major reasons:
1) The Qs were my favorites. The “found family” means a lot to me. They got shafted and I wrote about it here. They had no thematic relevance in the end, Urie’s arc’s significant moments were erased (the fuck is Iwao alive for?), and Mutsuki was shafted. Saiko and the 2nd Gen Qs were ultimately useless as characters.
2) My favorite scene in the entire series is in chapter 29, where Mutsuki hugs Urie and tells him it’s all okay, that it’s agonizing being alone. To have that character–Mutsuki–who has also previously expressed such a longing for a family wind up isolated and alone, distant when that’s led to disaster for him before–well, it makes it seem like he had no arc at all. From a writing standpoint, that’s just bad, and from a personal standpoint, that hurts.
3) Kaneki saved my life. What saved my life though were not his strengths but his flaws, and while I’m sure the fandom will love to leap on me for saying this one last time I will say it anyways. His flaws stopped having consequences post Clown Raid really, and for that reason I could no longer relate to him. Suzuya was my other favorite character, and he got everything he wanted–why? How did his perspective change from the 24th Ward Raid to the end? How can I take hope from that if his change was just someone (Marude) telling him what to do? What if someone told him something else? Where was the empathy?
4) One of my favorite themes was the wrongs done to children. That got completely dropped, along with many of the earlier themes, the Qs’ arcs, the set up for Shirazombie, etc. I’m sorry but does anyone think the resolution to Shirazu’s body plotline was remotely satisfying? The thing is, since the Qs are my favorites, that was a plotline, along with the Oggai, the Sunlit Garden which barely got a shoutout, etc., that I was heavily invested in.
5) TG focused on building things up. Like I said, the themes, arcs, ships, etc were built up but then not delivered on. There is anticlimax as a literary device, and then there’s just dropping or rushing things, and this was the latter. Unfortunately, a lot of what drew me to TG was the hype built up over these elements, so it makes sense for me, as someone who already is very drawn to endings, to have it color my view of TG as a whole.
SAME. It’s one of my favorite stories and I love it. Sensei deserves a nice vacation and rest and honestly, he’s too good to us with all the extra art and never taking a break besides a brief one between TG and TGre.
When the chapter officially drops on Thursday, I’m going to tweet him about how much his work has meant to me. I also want to write a post about just how it saved my life this week, because it did.
hamliet 