#// like he clearly doesn't just switch over to a new perspective 100%

[system-contact]

How are you color coded?

Black Coded

black, a study in secrets, the soul, and a love of the unknown. you love to tell people that you're dark - something along the lines of 'i like it as dark as my soul'? or maybe you're the sort of person to believe that the only thing you can trust is the darkness, and the things that lurk within it. maybe you're the sort of person who thinks that the light obscures more than it reveals, casting more into shadow than it illuminates, trusting only the shade as a friend. you don't think anyone understands you, and maybe to an extent no one knows the depths of your soul the way that you do. but that doesn't mean you should shut the entire world out. some people love the dark just as much as you, and that vantablack inside your soul isn't frightening to them. reach out.

tagged by ;; @laughing-hellblazer tagging ;; Anyone who wants to! Tag me back!

[kinetic-elaboration]

March 28: My So-Called Life 1x07

This episode was just so good, and really both inspired me toward wanting to Write the Fic and scared me away from Writing the Fic because I don't think I'll ever be able to capture these characters or relationships. Aaaah!

Anyway, I felt like this ep was more of a plot/character installment, like the pilot, as opposed to a themed ep like Father Figures or The Zit. I like both types, but after a couple themed episodes and then last week's comparatively meh ep (comparatively!!) this one felt...like a gear I was ready to switch into. Every single character was so interesting and compelling to me, and every single scene felt like such a classic, I kinda don't know where to start in talking about it.

When I was younger, I assumed Jordan was just this hot guy Angela liked who probably wasn't actually good for her, but now every time I rewatch I feel like...they are compelling together as a couple. Jordan could have been written as just this sort of vague, mysterious figure, but instead he was developed into a really, genuinely sweet kid, well-meaning and kind and truly interested in Angela, perhaps for reasons he doesn't fully understand. I'm obsessed with trying to see Angela from Jordan's perspective, perhaps after so long of not bothering with that. I think he sees her as mysterious, slightly unapproachable even, smart, challenging--and intense. His attempts to get her to pay attention to him in the museum struck me as adorable, and you could see how their kiss could have been, to him, like a second chance. I get why he couldn't bring himself to meet her parents. Angela went from 0 to 100 after that kiss, in a way that was understandable from her POV but also wild, she over-represented their situation to her parents, and then she tried to subtly maneuver Jordan into that situation without really seeing if he was ready. I don't blame her for that because I see her POV too--she has no experience to compare this to her--but it would have been OOC for Jordan to show up at the Chases in this episode. But I believe he did struggle with it. This kid doesn't have any structure in his life at all. He appears to have no family. His housing situation is obviously precarious at best. No one has noticed he can barely read in over 10 years of public school education. He just floats around from place to place without any expectations ever placed on him. It's not that expectations are bad or that he doesn't like or want them but he just simply doesn't know what to do with them. Angela comes from a place of stability and she has rule and expectations, even going back to their first kiss, and he's seeking them out, but he needs to take smaller steps than she is trying to force on him--not maliciously force, but that she expects based on her own experiences.

This is also the episode where I thought Rayanne might be a lesbian. I mean she definitely likes girls but the way she talks to Sharon about sex, about having "tried every type of person" and still feeling numb--I mean I know probably the intended reading is that she has unemotional sexual encounters with men she barely knows and who aren't good for her--but there's a part of me that's like... maybe you're not into men? She's clearly jealous of Sharon's relationship and this connection they seem to have; both Sharon and Angela are experiencing things that she can't. Again, another interpretation is that Sharon isn't ready for the adult type of relationships she's faking; like Jordan, she lacks security and structure, and her reaction to it is a sort of stunted emotional growth, making her often seem even younger than 15. But I don't think these things are mutually exclusive. Another character who is shut out from relationships is Rickie--not because he isn't ready, necessarily, but because there are no partners available to him.

I don't have anything new to say about Rickie's crush on Jordan other than, oh, Rickie's crush on Jordan... affects me emotionally every time.

I am so intrigued at the image of Angela and Brian watching The Bicycle Thief and Brian explaining it to her. It's interesting that she accuses him of over-analyzing everything. I guess he does--but so does she. Jordan's the opposite of both of them.

I had this thought when Rayanne and Angela were talking about the letter, and the way Rayanne was so invested in what Angela was saying, that later Rayanne will be Angela's best audience for her writing. I'm doubting that a little but... I still think it's true. Rayanne is not as mature as Angela at this point and she doesn't have her attention span, lbr. I think when she grows into it and also maybe gets over the crush some, she'll be super invested in Angela's creative endeavors.

Ugh, there's just so much to think about and imagine! But it's getting late and I don't want to be TOO tired tomorrow.

[turboacek-blog]

Mike is not the “Heart” he's the “Leader”

Spoilers for Stranger things 4

In vol 2

Will calls Mike the heart of the group

I now think that was Will’s way of viewing Mike concerning himself not necessarily the group or even El

As to Will Mike is the heart because of how he would care for him and the rest of his friends

Screencrush went over this already and it wasn't a bad video so watch it if you want

But since I wanted to go into depth differently, I'm going to break down the five-man band trope for the kids

Five man band trope is a trope where there are five characters that fill five archetypes

Since no one will fit each role 100% as there will be overlap, I'll try to match each kid to each role

Also to point out that the show Dnd roles have some backing to this

Mike: The Leader

In season 1 Mike was clearly the leader of the four kids

In seasons 2 & 3 he didn't lead as explicitly but among the kids, he did take charge a lot

In season 4 the group was divided but in Mike’s group even with Jonathan being the older one Mike could be seen as the leader of that group as he wanted to find El, had the Suzie idea, etc

Other qualities that help make him the leader are that he’s pretty outspoken and confident to a certain degree and does have a way of having people support his ideas

Dustin: Smart Guy

In season 1 Dustin had the most knowledge of the kids, especially considering Will was MIA and Eleven doesn't know much, from the compass to just calling their science teacher for more knowledge

This carries on through all the seasons as no one is as nerdy or geeky as the kids and Dustin is arguably the smartest of them

Plus he used a lot of tech, as he's the one primarily with the walkie-talkie, compasses and DND knowledge, etc

The smart guy is usually not the most physically capable but is the one with plans or figures out problems which fits Dustin

Lucas: Lancer

Lucas was tricky as he's the one where this role can be swapped with someone else depending on the situation

I picked him as the Lancer

as the lancers' main thing is how they foil the Leader

Foil as in they highlight certain qualities of their counterpart which in Lucas's case is Mike

In season 1 Lucas was the skeptic to Mike’s accepting/optimism as he was the one doubting and not liking El and wanting to find Will whereas Mike was super focused on El

His skepticism carries through the series even in season 4 where he was last to believe more crazy upside-down stuff was happening again as he didn't believe Eddie, etc at first

In season 2 his and Mike's roles kind of swapped as now Lucas was the one excited and accepting of the new girl Max and Mike was skeptical, etc

So even then they contrast each other even when they flip perspectives

Lucas doesn't necessarily become the leader when Mike’s not there as other characters like Steve Nancy and Hopper take that role,

But he's often one to be on the front lines, contrasting Mike as he’s not the one to be confronting and more protecting, as from the slingshot to the fireworks to fighting Jason he steps up, even with a small example like the both wanting to be the same ghost buster in season 2 he and Mike have the similarities that make then foil each other

And he’s also the one who’s most likely to go off on his own which is another lancer trait, as season 1 he went off after he and mike fought, season 2 he was more with Max and Dustin, season 4 he had the basketball team etc

Well Lucas and another character have this trait

Eleven: Tough guy/Powerhouse

Another tough one could be another one that could fill Lancer because of her relation to Mike and how she has her side adventures a lot of the time. So very much can be switched with Lucas

But Eleven is undoubtedly the most powerful member on our side

She also has the “dumb” but tough trope but altered as hers is just a lack of knowledge and a normal upbringing as she could barely speak or understand things in season 1 and even now she's still working on her English

The tricky part is Eleven is arguably the main character so you would think her role would be different, which in the show it is she's a big focal point and arguably the leader, heart, etc of the whole show

But in the group of 5/6, I think this is her role as power dynamics, etc aren't a big factor as they're all friends and Mike being the leader and Dustin being the smart guy doesn’t diminish her

As even though Eleven is this super powerful character she's still a teenager that listens to her “parents” and friends

Will: The Heart

Will is in a lot of ways the emotional core of the group

In season 1 everything was because of Will and the group was falling apart without him

In season 2 can be seen as the group being more healthy with Wills presence despite the plot and only real issues was unrelated to Will because of Max and Eleven

He's the most sensitive one too, literally and emotionally, he's the one that can sense when the group is being fractured and also when the upside-down stuff is happening with his neck tingle

And also the boys do kind of “big brother” him as despite being the same age they do protect him and encourage him a lot as he's more shy and quiet and smaller

And El is basically his sister now and they look out for each other

The group in a lot of ways doesn't work without Will as we can see in season 4 as the Hawkins kids group were divided, Eleven was struggling and etc

Will even if he doesn't realize it is the emotional support of the group

Max: The sixth ranger

Just the term for when the group gets a later sixth member

She came “late” as she's a season 2 character and everyone else is a season 1 character

She changes the dynamic of the group from Lucas (and Dustin) crush on her, Mike's dislike of the feeling of replacing El, El's jealousy, Will losing friends, etc

She is in a lot of ways the outsider that is only really apart because of Lucas, Dustin and in season 3 El

She also foils a lot of the groups characters causing some friction but growth as well

Max kind of fills in whatever role she needs to be in seasons 2 & 3, she can lead, she can foil, she can be the smart guy, the tough guy, or support

For Mike she's a foil, to El she supports, to Dustin she's tough to his smart, etc

Bonus

Erica Sinclair: The tagalong kid

The younger character that tags along

Usually later or temporary member and is usually the “7th” member

She’s the youngest, usually, a younger sibling to a member in this case Lucas, and in a lot of ways is more innocent than the rest but can also fill in a role when someone’s not there like she did for Lucas for Hellfire DND and she fills in for another one of the kids since Mike will and el are elsewhere for season 4 and in season 3 she fills out Dustin’s group dynamic more as Steve and Robin had there dynamic and now Dustin had someone to bounce off with

All in all

It's not perfect like I said Lucas and Eleven can flip roles or can even both be Lancers, Max can be plugged into any role

And since rarely all six are together there's usually someone else like a Steve that would fill the role someone else usually does

And in other groups, people like Mike and Lucas fill different roles

As like in season 1 Mike was the leader Lucas the lancer and Dustin was most likely the Heart which makes the power trio for example and this happens a lot as you can separate a lot into trios or duos like the Dustin Lucas max trio or the El Will Mike trio, the El Max duo, etc

But when it's the five/six/seven of them Mike is the leader with strong feelings for his friends, Dustin is the smart guy with a plan, Lucas is skeptical but loyal, Eleven is the powerful sweetheart that's still learning and naive, and Will is the sensitive one that can detect danger and problem, Max the wild card with really a heart of gold