#(i mention both these scenes because of the foreshadowing)

[hell0mega]

okay wait re: ur tags on foreshadowing ur talking abt john dies at the end right????? cuz if so i know EXACTLY what u mean ti was SO GOOD ive read that book a dozen times!!! (side note if u have never read the sequel you absolutely should, its an INCREDIBLE follow up!!!)

YES!!!!!!! i'm so glad someone caught it and knows what i'm talking about!! it's GREAT and tbfh so is Spiders! i haven't read the third one yet though cuz i'm the worst at reading lol but i've read jdate several times since 2011 and it's great every time

[bekolxeram]

The sheer number of times Eddie is mentioned when Buck comes out to Maddie has been pointed out time and time again. Some take it as a sign that Buck is subconsciously in love with Eddie, some see it as foreshadowing for these two to be romantically involved in the future, while others simply think it's an Easter egg left in by writers as a nod to shippers.

The way I see it, there is a reason why Eddie keeps being brought up in this scene, but it's not what you think.

If you've rewatched this scene as much as I have, you'd remember that Buck actually isn't coming out to Maddie on purpose in this scene. He originally goes there to talk and ask for her advice, because he feels bad about the hot chicks incident when Eddie walked in on him and Tommy at the restaurant.

In fact, he fully intends to keep the identity of his date hidden. He can't even risk Chimney getting wind of it, in case he or Eddie puts two and two together and figures the whole thing out.

Maddie is always there to talk things out with her brother, but she would never turn down a chance to gossip.

He completely dodges Maddie's question and quickly changes the subject. He needs to tell Maddie the full story of his disastrous date, but he can only refer to Tommy as his date, or "this person". The more he does this, the higher the risk of slipping up, Maddie would likely ask more questions about this mysterious person as well, so Buck frames the whole narrative around the only person he can safely refer to: Eddie (and Marisol, but she isn't important in this story).

Maddie picks up on Buck's secrecy, now she really wants to know who this person is and why Buck refuses to reveal their identity. Buck again immediately shuts it down, and brings the topic back to Eddie.

While I'm sure Buck feels bad for lying to his best friend, especially when there's no reason to expect Eddie reacting with anything less than acceptance, when Buck starts actually talking about his behavior and what upsets him the most, it isn't really about Eddie. He's ashamed of himself for lying right in front of Tommy. In fact, he's so upset over Tommy cutting the date short and leaving him on the curb that he accidentally uses a gendered pronoun.

Maddie "I am 9-1-1" Han makes a career out of being a good and thorough listener, so of course she notices the pronoun. From this point on, the subject of the conversation shifts from Eddie to Buck's newly discovered sexuality, and later, Tommy.

Buck knows he goes to Maddie because he feels bad, but he still hasn't fully processed the fact that he's into men too and what it means to him. He's still calling himself an ally, a supporter of queer people, but he's confused as to why it doesn't seem to apply when it comes to himself. Maddie correctly points out that he's no longer just an ally, and the recency of his discovery might have been the cause of his strange and panicked behavior during the date.

This is the prime example of acting turning the same line into different meanings. The first "wow" seems to me like Maddie is finally connecting the dots. She practically raised her brother, it's not unlikely that she has previously witnessed Buck having boy problems. I feel like it's a "wow, everything makes so much sense now" wow. It looks like Buck takes a little offence at it and asks Maddie to clarify what she means by "wow". Maddie tells him it's more like a "wow, this is a nice surprise" wow.

Oh, boy is completely clueless. Maddie is just trying her best to keep up with Buck's increasingly oblivious statements.

Buck suddenly brings up Tommy, probably because he hasn't been able to stop thinking about him since the kiss. Apparently, he's so attracted to Tommy both physically and as a person, it makes him realize his interest in men, something no other has achieved thus far. Maddie recognizes the name her brother has been harping on for the past few weeks.

Poor Maddie must be so confused. First her brother and husband-to-be keep talking about how cool this pilot who saved everyone is, then he becomes Eddie's friend and Buck gets all jealous about it. Most recently, Maddie is horrified by Buck's action on the basketball court, because he only has a history of hurting himself to get someone's attention, not the target of his attention seeking. And now Buck has gone on a date with Tommy? So Maddie decides, one step at a time, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Buck initially tells Maddie about lying to his best friend and how he feels like a fraud, so she tackles (no pun intended) this part first.

If you come into this scene with preconceived notions, the word "feelings" being in proximity to the name Eddie may seem like to you that Maddie is pointing to "Buck's misplaced romantic feelings towards Eddie". But if you put these lines into context, Buck simply isn't sure of how he feels about his bisexuality in general. In fact, the only thing he's certain of in this entire conversation is his attraction to Tommy. Maddie also isn't bringing up Eddie out of the blue because she thinks her brother is secretly in love with his best friend. Again, Buck originally does want advice about lying to Eddie, albeit partly using his name to avoid revealing his date's identity, so Maddie gives it to him now, no need to read too much in between the lines, especially after the "wow" exchange.

Now that the Eddie stuff is out of the way, Maddie can comfortably gossip about Buck's new hot pilot crush. And Buck looks absolutely smitten at the mere mention of Tommy.

Eddie is undoubtedly a very important person in Buck's life, and it must be killing Buck inside for lying about something so important to his best friend. Though in this scene, Buck seems to be mostly using Eddie's name to circumvent the necessity of mentioning Tommy's name and to deflect any probing question about his identity. Once he accidently lets it slip that he was on a date with a guy, he pretty much drops the whole Eddie act entirely.

[inchandescence]

How Minho is hinted to be endgame since XO Kitty S1?

(And they didn't randomly change the direction of S2 or suddenly made Minho important in S2)

Because since the very beginning, it is emphasized that Kitty has 3 main love interests, Dae, Yuri, and Minho, she will end up with one of them. XO Kitty is not very very obvious from the start like TATBILB and not back to back between brothers like TSITP.

Disclaimer: I have a job, I'm writing this on the weekend, please

1. S1 episode 1 Kitty-Minho-Yuri-Dae Relay

Series, or at least kdramas, always introduce the characters that will be the focus of the season in the beginning of the 1st ep of S1.

In 1x01 first 15 minutes (half the ep duration)

-Kitty is re-introduced: her current situation, her background aka family, her next goal, how to get to her goal, her first step to reach the goal which is arriving in Korea and then KISS

-Yuri is introduced: her current situation, daughter of a rich family, influencer, famous, potential to be a close person to Kitty cus she drove Kitty to KISS

-Dae is introduced (properly for the first time): his current situation, smart student, scholarship, not from a rich family, still in love with Kitty

Then the 2nd half of the first episodes, minute 15 until 28, Kitty and Minho and Q introduce themselves to each other, then Kitty meet Dae and Yuri again.

But the ODD ONE out of this formula, the first character Kitty met was not Dae nor Yuri, but Minho. He bumped into her at the airport and then she bumped into Minho again at the party. The full introductions that we got were Kitty, then Yuri, then Dae, no Minho and yet Minho is the first person Kitty met and they bumped to eo TWICE, at the airport and then at the party. So in this case, Minho's presence is also very important to the story, foreshadowing that with the focus being these 3 characters: Kitty, Yuri, Dae first, Minho will eventually "bump" his way in to the story, he is not just Dae's friend or side character bcs he had the FIRST INTERACTION WITH KITTY.

and this whole relay in S1E1 parallels the airport relay in S1E10.

2. S1 episode 10 Kitty-Dae-Yuri-Minho Relay

In the last episode of season, we know:

1. Kitty is over Dae, but Dae still has feelings for her

2. Kitty likes Yuri who is in a relationship with Juliana

3. Minho likes Kitty

So this brings us to the obvious airport relay, first Dae runs to the airport to confess to Kitty that he still has feelings for her but when Kitty meets him, she turned him down without him confessing and they officially break up. But they both said they are eo's first love, so they still care for eo.

Then Kitty turns back and meets Yuri, she wants to confess to Yuri but they get interrupted bcs Yuri is waiting for Juliana. Yuri and Juliana reunite and Kitty walk in to the boarding gate. Yuri called her mom to convince her not to expel Kitty, showing that Yuri cares a lot about Kitty (but she ofc loves Juliana very much yes).

Then Kitty arrives at her seat, sitting down while reading her mom letters and seeing the name "Simon" but then suddenly someone beside her nudged and it's Minho. Unexpected for both Kitty and the audience. They both talk and laugh showing their good relationship, a development from their 1st meeting at the airport. This scene is pretty long and has the longest duration compared to Kitty-Dae and Kitty-Yuri at the airport earlier. Then Minho confessed his love to Kitty. Kitty was shocked and the season ends.

This last ep relay scene is actually enough as proof that Minho will be endgame and how XO Kitty will do their love triangle/hexagon/rhombus or whatever.

XO Kitty is not the usual balanced love triangle but instead, the main character (Kitty) will experience a "relay" in her love life with the 3 main love interests, to simplify it they basically gonna take turns. First love is Dae, second love is Yuri, third love is Minho.

And this concept was actually mentioned in one of the episodes in season 1 by well.. Minho himself.

3. S1 Ep 9 a reason, a season, or a lifetime

Second to last episode. Before we have that episode 10 airport relay. Opening scene.

Minho:

"A reason, a season, or a lifetime. Every relationship fits into one of those categories. I read this in a magazine. The point is, Madison and I are over. And looking back, I believe I was with her for a reason. No, she showed me I was ready for something real."

This is one of the biggest foreshadowing ever in new TV era like... ok when people watched this scene the first time they prob didn't think too deep about it, including me, because the convo is random and not that necessary? Minho can just talk about him and Madison being over without throwing a relationship quote. BUT THAT IS THE POINT. The point is that quote is random yet it was the opening scene for Ep 9. If we compare it to other opening scenes in the 1st season, the opening scenes always indicate something important for the characters' story. And most opening scenes in Season 1 are about Kitty, Yuri, and Dae then in 2nd half Minho start to show up in opening scenes.

Ep 5 opening: Kitty Dae start officially become friends and roommates

Ep 6 opening: Minho Kitty (Minho's dream)

Ep 7 opening: Kitty Yuri (Kitty's dream)

Ep 8 opening: Kitty Dae start dating

Ep 9 opening: Minho's quote

Ep 10 opening: Dae cornering Minho about Kitty

Minho said being with Madison made him realize he was ready to commit into a relationship not just hook ups or one night stand, he was serious with Stella despite her being a rebound, but sadly his first committed relationship was "fake".

While with Dae and Yuri, Kitty fell in love with Dae first and dated for more than 4 years, a season, then she liked Yuri and discovered more about her being bi, a reason.

Minho's a reason is Madison, season is Stella, lifetime is Kitty

While Kitty's season is Dae, Yuri is reason, lifetime is Minho

All left is a lifetime for both Minho and Kitty.

So Minho's quote is definitely an important foreshadowing. And Ep 9 really shows how Minho is over with Madison, but actually he went through a failed rebound, and still cares so much for Kitty.

4. The whole episode 9 of Season 1: Kitty Dae, Kitty Yuri, Kitty Minho altogether

-This ep is meant to emphasized how these 3 are Kitty's main love interests like Kitty keep having moments with them in this ep but there is this specific scene:

Foreshadowing can be through many things, characters' lines or actions are two of them, but then it's better if cinematography supports it like in this scene where Minho is standing up alone facing Kitty sitting with Yuri and Dae while calling out Yuri and Dae & defending Kitty.

It's in 1x09 where Kitty already likes Yuri while still forcing herself to date Dae and Dae still loves Kitty, means these 3 are in a love triangle rn and Yuri sitting on the floor in between Kitty and Dae, makes their sitting formation like a triangle. In 1x09 Minho alr broke up with Madison and still very much in love with Kitty, meaning we now know he IS one of Kitty's 3 main love interests.

And he is standing up while Kitty is sitting down with Yuri and Dae as a foreshadowing that Minho will have the "upper hand" after S1. And ofc he will get the "upper hand" by treating Kitty better (he defended her in this scene which is right).

"I wouldn't do that to a friend or someone I care about."

And in S2 Minho still cares so much for Kitty and also 2 of them become closer as friends.

5. More about Dae Yuri Minho as the 3 main love interests and their "relay" with Kitty or "switch up"

First half of season 1 Ep 1-5: Kitty loves Dae but Dae is fake dating Yuri and

Second half of season 1:

Ep 6 (the middle ep of S1, the first switch up)

1. Minho dreams about Kitty

2. Minho realized he fell in love with Kitty at the party (Minho switch up from not liking Kitty to loving her)

3. Kitty fell in love with Yuri at the party (Kitty switch up from Dae)

And that's why in S2 Ep 5 (the middle ep of the season) there's another switch up from Yuri-Minho to just Minho

Part 1 (Dae):

S1 Ep 1-5: Kitty liking Dae

S1 Ep 6-9: She still dated Dae while being denial about Yuri

S1 Ep 10: Kitty tells Dae the truth about her feelings for Yuri

Part 2 (Yuri):

S1 Ep 6-10: (switch up) Kitty start liking Yuri

S2 Ep 1-4: Kitty still likes Yuri

S2 Ep 5-6: Kitty and Yuri trying to fix their friendship

Part 3 (Minho):

S2 Ep 5-6: (switch up) Everyone ignoring Kitty and she spends time with Minho only, rain scene

S2 Ep 7-8: Kitty realized her feelings for Minho

6. The Families of the 3 Main Love Interests

Many people complained 💀 "why S2 is about minho's family and everyone else's families suddenly don't have problems"

Let me break it down for you sweetheart... the keyword is "family home"

Season 1:

Focus: Kitty, Yuri, Dae families + Minho's mom cameo

-Kitty: We saw her parents, Dan and Trina, opening scene of Ep 1 is at TATBILB house

-Yuri: We saw Yuri's mom right away on Ep 1 (Jina), then her dad (Sungjin Han) in Ep 2 and then her house, and throughout season 1 there are scenes at her house

-Dae: We saw Dae's father (Mr. Kim) on Ep 1 bcs well he is Yuri's driver and he works for Yuri's father, later on we saw Dae's little sister (Bora) and just like Yuri, there are scenes at his house too

-Minho: There are 2 scenes of him face timing his mother (Dami) and we saw Minho's mom face, and there is a scene where Minho telling specifically about her mother being an actress, there are scenes of Minho telling details about his family not just "my parents are divorced"

Juliana: mention of her parents, no faces

Q: told about his conservative family background, no faces of his fam, no names

Florian: told about his family problem which is the divorce of his parents, no faces of his fam, no names

Season 2:

Focus: Kitty, Minho families + a few scenes of Dae's father, mentions of Jina

Kitty: Jiwon, her great aunt Soonja, Margot, and Peter appearances throughout the season

Minho: Minho's dad (Young Moon) appearance from S2 Ep 1, one episode of the characters at Minho's dad ski cabin, one episode of the characters at Minho's dad house, Minho's step brother (Joonho), mention of his step sisters (Bianca, Soojin)

Dae: a few scenes with Mr. Kim as Yuri's driver then the accident/hospital scene, Bora cameo

Yuri: mention of Jina (i feel like Jina actress was planned to make a cameo but maybe scheduling problem)

Juliana: mention of her parents

Q: mention of his family being doctors who are strict, no names, no face

Jin: mention of his dad being athlete too, he got pressured from his dad in being athlete, no face, no names

Stella: mention of her parents wanting her to come back to Ohio, no face, no names

Praveena: mention of her parents and their job

Then in S2 last ep we know that Han family is going through lawsuit and Mr. Kim is affected positively by the lawsuit. Then Kitty is joining Minho's family summer tour.

So... Kitty, Yuri, Dae families are the focus of Season 1 and Kitty and Minho's families are the focus of Season 2. With Kitty's 3 main love interests: Dae, Yuri, Minho families are being introduced in details with their names and faces and background and specific jobs since SEASON 1. And of course in S1 we got Kitty, Yuri, and Dae houses and S2 Minho house and Kitty's family's house in Korea :)

7. The Family Plot

Season 1:

Fake dating between Yuri and Dae are related to their families, Yuri's Dad saving his face by using Dae and Dae is trying to help his family by paying tuition on his own (and his job is fake dating Yuri) and also so he wants to be a good son and brother.

Season 2:

Minho's father Young Moon is helping the school by being the new donor and opening art classes for the students, hold a kpop competition at the end of the season.

Kitty helping Dae, Yuri, and Minho with their families:

Dae, Minho, and Yuri all 3 have their family stuffs they can relate with Kitty's....

-Dae lost her mother like Kitty, Kitty gave him her mom's necklace permanently

-Yuri knew nothing about her mother like Kitty, together they found out about their mothers' friendship and Kitty helped Yuri reconcile with her mother and find her step brother

-Minho felt rejected by his family like Kitty feels rejected by her great aunt and Jiwon at first but then Minho helps Kitty and Kitty also helps Minho reconnect with his family

All 4 characters' (Kitty, Minho, Yuri, Dae) families are important to the story

8. Fate vs Minho-Kitty natural development

Kitty always talk about love as this big grand thing, sparks, MEANT TO BE, FATE.

With Dae and Yuri "fate" keep being mentioned, how she met Dae during her first Seoul trip and turns out he goes to her mom's school, how Yuri's mom is Kitty's mom best friends.

They made Minho and his family don't have any direct connection to Kitty's family. Minho and Kitty can relate to each other without having direct past connection. In Season 2, Minho understands Kitty's feeling of being rejected by her family because he felt that throughout his life. That's also one of the reasons why he keeps helping Kitty especially in the market scene. And at the end Kitty also help Minho reconcile with his dad and brother.

When Kitty met Minho, no fate no sparks. No direct family relation. They don’t have a crazy connection that forces them together because it happened naturally just based on their time together and their own values. And they both can relate to each other's family issues which bring them closer.

Minho and Kitty happen naturally and that is the whole point. He's the only one who doesn't have a specific perception of her. They met, they misjudged each other, they disliked each other, they got closer and knew more about each other through daily lives, they became friends, they finally understand each other, they fell in love.

No strings of fate, just their choices leading them to where they are now.

Minho and Kitty are breaking the kdrama's past connection trope 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

9. Minho for Kitty Moments

Minho is already written as a character who helps, saves, and do sacrifices for Kitty since season 1.

See this list I made:

-He also once again kept defending Kitty when he found out how Dae and Yuri fake dated and lied the whole time in S1.

-Minho will always be in love with Kitty. He had two rebounds (Madison and Stella) and at the end, he realized he will never be over Kitty.

-Minho's long plane confession scene with the iconic line "a little bit or a lot" which Kitty used as her line when she realized her feelings for Minho.

-Minho always hosting events in both seasons, 1st season is his party and 2nd season is the ski trip so he has always been an impactful character since S1. And both times Kitty kinda "ruined" his events and yet he still cares so much about her.

10. Mooncovey Direct Parallels with TATBILB in SEASON 1

-With Covinsky

Minho calling Kitty "Covey" like Peter calling LJ "Covey"

The Kitchen Scene

The Preference

-With Eve & Dan

The first ever parallel was in fact in S1, Kitty-Minho Chuseok and Eve Song-Daniel Covey March Thanksgiving.

Minho fell in love on Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving, emphasized by Kitty too on 1x05) just like Dr. Covey fell in love with Kitty's Mom on Thanksgiving.

1x05 XO Kitty is lit the episode that changed everything about mooncovey and it's a whole parallel to Kitty's parents love story, Minho made the homemade food and Kitty brought the odd one, mashed potato, her canned green beans.

Then the parallels continue until S2

11. CHUSEOK EPISODE

Other than the crazy parallels in 1x05 chuseok episode. Audience who often watch kdrama must have known how impactful is Chuseok as a Korean holiday. And they gave this whole important event episode, 85% of it to mooncovey. Like..... I don't even have to explain. They literally gave the whole Chuseok to mooncovey??? And people watched this ep thinking oh they prob just gonna be closer as friends at the end??? Mind you there is no episode special whether in S1 or S2 where 85% is Kitty-Yuri or 85% Kitty-Dae like they will always be mixes with other Kitty pairings. But this Chuseok ep is lit here you go Minho with Kitty and Yuri with Dae, done. And even in this ep Dae said Kitty hasn't contacted him at all during Chuseok, like damn girl enjoying time with Minho much??

12. Lastly, Kitty-Minho having their own theme, or The Mooncovey Leitmotif

All these songs have the same leitmotif in it and they have been played for mooncovey scenes since S1 until S2

(Kitty-Dae's leitmotif only in S1 is sad/bittersweet, Kitty-Yuri don't have any)

[lullabyes22-blog]

Hi lullabyes, would u mind sharing your take on the flashback with young Silco, Vander, and Felicia? :O

It's adorable. It's touching. It's sweet. It's a serene moment of intimacy and family (or polycule) bonding in an otherwise deeply frenetic season.

It's also so surreal it may as well be a fever dream.

I should note, at this stage I've shut off my cognitive reasoning about Arcane and begun approaching this as if it's a series of exquisitely crafted, animated short films that are all about to collide into a beautiful disaster.

Because that's what it is.

S2 has thrown a lot of the intelligent plotting out the window to embrace the chaos.  Whether due to time constraints, intellectual fatigue, or creative indulgence, I feel like we have a show that's now just hurtling breakneck towards the finish line. Previous story threads that once held weight and were the driving force behind character arcs and subplots, have since been abandoned. Nuanced motivations and character growth are being tossed to the wayside for the sake of action, montages, music videos, and a cavalier, anything-goes approach to world-building.

And yet, it's still such an incredible spectacle to behold.

@ravenkinnie delightfully noted that she is now watching this show with her pussy.

I agree 100%. S2 is a full-body experience, and one I find myself wholly consumed by. It's like a one-night stand you weren't expecting to be so fucking good. And when the sun comes up, you know it's going to hurt to say goodbye, and there'll be no follow-up call.

But damn, you enjoyed the shit out of that experience.

So yeah, the flashback was fucking adorable. I love the genuine emotion and closeness between the three characters. I adore the idea of Felicia, Silco and Vander being childhood friends (or, again, a very messy polycule) and both men sort of falling apart without her Manic Pixie Dream Girl presence in their lives. It's a nice little character arc.

However.

I cannot reconcile this scene with the rest of S1. It feels completely disconnected from the reality of the show and the world around them. The flashback has absolutely no impact on the current events, nor does it have any foreshadowing. The flashback exists solely to provide us with a glimpse into the past, with sweet little parallels to serve as bonbons that make us coo and sigh. It completely glosses over Silco's deeply, blackly visceral hatred of Vi in S1, reduces the class struggle culminating in the Day of Ash to "Oh, Silco. If only you've protested for your basic civil rights in a peaceful manner instead of tossing a molotov cocktail, you'd still have your family, a place in the community, not to mention your eye," does not really explain why Benzo reacted to Silco's appearance by calling him an animal, and, most importantly, gives the lie to the entire dynamic between Silco and Jinx.

We were led to believe that Felicia's death was the catalyst for Silco and Vander's falling out.  That if Silco had found Vander's letter in their little Brokeback bunk, they would've worked out their differences and found peace together. That they'd have raised Felicia's anklebiters side-by-side as the Zaundads of the revolution.

Except Silco is also the man selling Evil Anime PCP (Shimmer) as an economic cheat-code to earn respect for his people, and Vander is basically Captain Centrist and traumatized by war, and there is NO WAY they would've seen eye-to-eye on their respective methods. There's no way they would've come to any sort of accord. And there's no way Silco would've forgiven the man who mutilated and left him possibly sheared of half his lifespan, any more than Felicia's children would forgive the man who killed their mother.

It's such an incongruous narrative beat.

Which brings me to the other point:

Silco and Jinx.

imo, while I love the idea of Silco carrying either a secret torch for Felicia, or seeing her as a sister he'll always love, and while I absolutely treasure the idea of Jinx being a daily reminder of what he's fighting for - "I'm doing this for us, Jinx." - it sort of cheapens the key connection between them. In S1, Silco and Jinx's arc is, in my eyes, one of the best things about the series, and so incredibly well-written and executed. Silco is a monster, yes, but his monstrosity is the product of systemic and individual trauma, and the inextricable bleedthrough between the two. Finding this little girl and bringing her up under his wing, he has the chance to be the steadying hand and safe harbor he lost after Vander's betrayal. His monstrousness is not something he inflicts on her; it is something that, rather, grows on JInx like a kudzu vine, as the terrain of her damaged mind is already fertile for his worldview and methods to take root and thrive.

He is, perhaps, the best example of nurture triumphing over nature, even if his nurturing is rather, uh, extreme.

But if their bond is predicated on Felicia, rather than two strangers finding each other in the wilderness of heartbreak and learning to let their black hearts beat, messily entwined, as one family unit, and if Silco's obsession with Jinx is merely a projection of his guilt for killing her mother, and, by extension, a projection of his love for Felicia onto her daughter...

It's just.

Do y'all remember those uncomfortable frames that the showrunners admitted were deliberate, despite the evidence in the written text suggesting a familial bond? The subtext that, all the way into S2, carries the implication of a romantic relationship between a father and his daughter?

Well.

The implications now threaten to melt into explicit text, and the uncomfortable frames have turned into Unfortunate Implications, and I am not sure how I feel about this.

 It's not giving Lily and Snape; it's giving Sansa and Baelish.

It's giving the showrunners a big, fat "YEESH" rating from CPS.

And it's giving us the same, old, tired trope of a monstrous man unable to form an attachment unless it's through the lens of prior attachments, that whole 'You remind me so much of her' and the like.

 (I also admit I am the world's biggest hypocrite as the entire premise of Forward but Never Forget/XOXO is that the core foursome of Vander, Silco, Lika and Sevika knew each other, and that those ghosts haunt the machinery of the present day. But I try my damnedest to make plain there's politics buffeting all these relationships, and despite all their efforts to claw at self-sovereignty, reinvention and a new order, the past is a stubborn bitch that refuses to let go.)

(Also in FnF, Silco is triggered by Lika rather than into her in any affectionate or romantic way, because they're so similar: pragmatic survivors who aren't above rule-bending to get their way, and at their core just want a smoke break, a stiff drink, and a nap. It's a mutual respect rather than an affection, which is why she bestows on him the dubious honor of mercy killing her if she's too wounded on the Day of Ash to continue on.)

(He's the one person who could, and would, do her the service. It's kinship, and Jinx is the bright torch of their shared ambitions and ingenuity given both wing and voice.)

But anyway.

The flashback is a fever-dream. The kind you have when you're high on cold meds and can't think straight, and the world is a blur of sensations and memories that seem vivid in the moment but melt away into madness when you're better. It's a scene meant to be savored rather than interrogated. And I think if the showrunners had the time and inclination, we would've gotten a second episode solely dedicated to the flashback, rather than shoehorning it in. But since they're clearly trying to tie everything up with a neat bow before the finale, I don't blame them for having to skim past it and focus on the vibes/emotional resonance rather than the substance of a meaningfully written scene.

But hey.

Fanfic writers will have a field day with the open-ended dynamic and the fandom will never fucking stop, so that's nice.

Also we got loads of fantastic gifs of Young Silco. Bless.

<3

tl;dr: I've switched my critical brain off and decided to just enjoy the ride. It's so fucking epic. 

Also, Felicia was delightful and I hope her brotherhood/polycule/whatever with Silco and Vander gets its own spinoff, a la Road to El Dorado (or Zaun.)

[ven0moir]

With the news about Willelmike leading S5 ...

It really makes me feel that much more confident on what we saw during S4 tbh. For example, I'm rewatching S4EP3 and this scene really caught my eye. And it sent my brain into overdrive making certain connections. So let's begin.

We see Mike and Will in two separate circles denoting suspicion imo. And then we add this to the mix ...

After the painting reveal, El associates them as one. A team. Friends ... best friends. And so, my gut feeling tells me that in S5, El will confront Mike about there being someone else that he likes. She knows who, but won't mention it.

And the GA now, will notice the pattern we've been pointing out all along: They have been trapped in a cycle since S3.

They start off seemingly all lovey dovey, which we know from S4 is just an act, then something triggers a falling out related to Mike lying:

S3 trigger: Mike lying about being unable to see her S4 trigger: Mike lying about being scared of her ( + avoiding the 'ily' subject, which will likely carry over into s5 ) S5 trigger: Mike lying about there being someone else

This will parallel their S4EP3 bedroom scene ...

"There's someone else that you like, isn't it?" "What? ... Who ... Who said there's someone else?"

... and denote the lack of growth in their relationship--Mike's supposed love confession didn't really do anything to fix their relationship. And it in fact only made things worse. The thing is, though, S5 is all about breaking free and breaking cycles.

Here's a little more food for thought that might support this idea:

During Hopper's letter, we see the camera pan to Mike when he says "Lately I've been feeling distant from you." And I think this foreshadows the start of his S4 arc.

We know Mike's been trying to call/reach Will, to no avail. Then he learns via Eleven that he's been painting for someone that he liked.

To further denote this idea, we have Nancy say that she isn't sure if Jonathan is pulling away because of the distance between them, or because there is someone else that he likes.

My conclusion? Mike doesn't know if Will is being distant/pulling away from him/pushing him away because of the distance or because of there being someone else that he likes.

And do you know what this whole thing reminded me of? Something that's been introduced to us before specifically related to Mike and Eleven.

This feeling of disconnect--the scene is cold and honestly, sad. Mike was trying to reach her, and once she reached back, he pulled away from her ... and imo this, plus the falling out with Hopper, made her both rebellious and suspicious enough to escape Hopper's cabin and go to the school, where she saw the interaction between Mike and Max that immediately confirmed her suspicion that there was someone new. She was being replaced. Forgotten. Of course, we know she was jumping to conclusions but the idea is there. And it is in-character. This set up would be so glaringly obvious to a member of the GA on a rewatch.

Honestly, El had far less evidence of Mike and Max being a thing in S2, do we really think she doesn't at the very least suspect?

Eleven is not stupid.

She could feel the electricity.

[drdtblingsceo]

WHIT TIME LOOP THEORY – EXPLAINED

Veronikas rambling about the book is during her intro and the text on white background is a hidden text on DRDT tumblr page..

1. FOREVER DEAD

The hidden text and Forever Dead are really similar, I highlighted the parts that re connected / similar

Frist, the protagonist of Forever Dead is a boy, so saying this could also be about Veronika ( there are mentions about " boredom " and Veronika is the one telling Teruko and Xander about the book in the frist place ) doesnt make sense;

Whits secret quote is " We tend to idolize dead ", and both the book and Wsq is related to death. ( Its obv possible that the quote is about his mother but its not directly stated, and ofc even if it is, it doesnt have to be ONLY abt his mom )

2. WHITS INTUITION

Its highlighted so far 3 times in DRDT ( and definitely will be more ), and yea thats suspicious. What if Whits intuiton is infact not that amazing that he can even predict things ( one example: the " Do you really think shed be HANGING out in a playground rn ? ", and yea it could be just a joke put there by DRDTdev BUT !!! or when he said that his intuiton is telling him that him and Charles will become good friends someday ), but he just knows what will happen and how the situations will play out because hes been throught them before for MANY times

3. 4TH WALL

Whit broke the 4th wall few times, directly talking to US - the viewers, or doing things benefiting us, even if it doesnt make sense in his place. For example: when SHOWING the characters special weapons list and then talking directly to the audience, or when in early-mid (chapter 2 episode 10) trial asked what is Edens secret because "he forgot" and Ace said that he didnt had to ask because he can just simply look up at the monitor where are all the secret displayed, its like Whit did it so WE can get reminded which secret are already revealed and belong to who.

4. FORESHADOWING

Also Whit foreshadowed things too, for example AGAIN the Arei hanging out at playground scene

( small theory, that can later on be evidence for this theory too: in prologue, during Charles intro, he joked about Charles being " pronounced dead at 3 ", so if Charles will die in 3rd chapter or in any chapter during 3 AM / PM, it will be a HUGE evidence for this theory )

5. " BACK ON THE RIGHT TRACK "

There were situations where Whit brought DRDT " back on the right track " or made the kg more interesting, like when he protected / revealed Charles hemophobia during trial 1, because he knew that if everyone voted Charles as the culprit the kg would end ( and cmon TV show ending so quickly would be no fun !!!.. Also why would he start the time loop again so early on ??? )

Or when he didnt helped during the chapter 2 episode 4 fight, or when he didnt revealed Davids secret until he was literally forced too

6. POSSIBILITIES

1. He is the mastermind and wants to entertain the audience as much as he can, and since he knows what will happen anyways, he can direct what situations he will let play out and what not, so it wont he boring for us

2. Hes not the mastermind but he is stuck in the time loop so he wants to entertain himself as much as he can, in the hidden text on tumblr page there is mention of constant boredom, so naturally he wants to entertain himself as much as he possibly can to not feel it

He, of course, can be the mm and want to entertain himself too, or not be the mm but he will atleast make it that way so we wont be as bored as he is now - he will make the TV show entertaining

7. WHITS PERSONALITY

If Whit was put throught so many loops or stuck in this kg for " eternity " wouldnt he act cold or emotionless, or atleast not how he acts now ??? Yea maybe, but think about it, if he was a bitch, distant, cold or mean to everyone – no one would like him, or if he took it to extreme people would avoid him even ( MAYBE minus Veronika but im sure he would get pretty fed up with her after a while ), and the consequences of people ignoring / avoiding him ??? More boredom... which he already is REALLY bored so why would he make it even worse for himself ??

8. " KILL TERUKO TAWAKI "

I think its pretty clear ( or atleast very possible ) that the one who wrote the " kill Teruko Tawaki " note is the mastermind

The note looks like its written in a specific type of blue pen which we didnt see in the series yet, and you know who special pen/s which no one in the cast would find / have ( minus Min ) ??? – Whit !!! His special weapon is stationary, which is known as writing and other office materials ( including pens duh ). But Charles would call Whit out since he knows Whits handwriting and saw the ktt note ??? Yea no.. Charles canonicaly doesnt remember much from frist trial, so I rlly doubt that he remembers how ( handwriting ) the note looked like. It couldnt be Whit who wrote the note cuz he canonicaly dots his i / js with hearts !! But is it that hard to not do that while writing something you dont want anyone to know that you wrote it.. and honestly i think anyone in his position and who wantes to push the kg further, they would atleast slightly change their handwriting.. Whit really isnt dumb

9. WHITS REACTION TO DEATHS/ EXTREME SITUATIONS

After Mins execution, everyone was disturbed or shocked, even VERONIKA, but Whits reaction was " jeez, thats terrible ",, he didnt had disturbed or shocked sprite either, he even joked about her execution later on in the series

Or his reaction to Areis death, it was another emotionless " oops, thats not good :P ", and as far as we know Whit and Arei were atleast kinda friends

Plus his reaction to Terukos soon execution, and Levi bleeding out on the floor from several shot wounds

His ass did NOT cared, he only wanted to make sure Charles is alright, thats suspicious. Wouldnt he be atleast little worried for Teruko ( which he considers a friend ) and then Levi ????

Unless he knows that they will survive this, because he saw it happen before or hes just desensitized from having to watch his classmates / friends die over and over and over and over

10. DAVIDS MV

During Davids MV, during the part where we saw youtube comments, there were comments about antagonist and mastermind, the oldest being from 10 years ago and newest from 1 second ago. That could suggest that noting really changes, like in a time loop, unless SOMEONE aware does something diffrently

11. COLORS..?

This is a strech but id still like to mention it, Whits least fav color is gray because its " boring "

Also MonoTV said that its favorite colors are blue ( Whits eyes ) and yellow ( Whits hair, theyre blonde but blonde is still a shade of yellow )

12. THE WHIT SPRITE

During the frist not sane Whit sprite scene in chapter 2 episode 16, Whit REALLY looks like hes hiding something behind his back

I think if hes the mastermind he has his own remote to activate traps etc. and hes the one who locked the elevator or he tried to open it with his remote and for some reason he couldnt so thats why we got this sprite

And if hes not the mastermind i think he took something out of broken MonoTV / something that fell out of MonoTV when Ace punched it, when cast was distracted with Levi and was just stressed that someone saw him do it or allat didnt happened in previous loops so it took him off guard

[even-in-arcadia]

I am watching Fellowship of the Ring and I noticed this small moment in the battle in Balin's tomb. Yes this is going to be about Boromir again.

It occurred to me that "They have a cave troll" is a great little pre-battle quip but if you take in the larger context of Boromir's arc I think it's important that he specifically says it while he and Aragorn are boarding the doors together. Aragorn has of course seen a lot out in the wilds and I'm sure this is nothing new to him. But it's Boromir who gets to toss off that line because he's spent his whole life besieged, fighting overwhelming odds to defend a walled sanctuary. This is just another Tuesday for him.

But the real moment I'm here to mention is after the cave troll smashes him against the wall. He's thrown across the room and clearly stunned - a blow that could easily have killed. Aragorn sees this and watches him. He watches Boromir slowly raise himself and shake it off, like he's already had to so many times both physically and emotionally. They see each other, give the smallest of nods, and and immediately launch back not just into battle but into defending the hobbits specifically together.

This is the moment when they see each other. Aragorn sees that when it comes down to brass tacks and cave trolls, Boromir will put everything on the line including his own life to defend Frodo and the hobbits. He is stalwart and relentless. Perhaps more importantly, Boromir sees Aragorn in action not just as a man who has been wandering the wilderness but as a fellow warrior, someone worthy of respect and who has his back. I really think this moment which is so small is a turning point in their relationship and its placement is key because it's right before they lose Gandalf and Aragorn truly steps into the role of leadership. This also sets the scene for Boromir's willingness to follow Aragorn into Lothlorien, a place which he fears.

To cap it off, this also foreshadows terribly the final scene. In this, Boromir is nearly shot by two arrows; later he is struck by three. He and Aragorn are in both cases both fighting to protect the hobbits. Finally, while in this scene Aragorn watches and Boromir is able to get back up and into the fray, in the last of course Aragorn can only watch as he dies. In the first, we have a nod, a small acknowledge. But that small moment is the direct foundation of the "Our people" - of "My brother, my captain, my king."

[ariays]

The Significance of Kitty & Minho Bookending Both Season 1 and Season 2 in XO Kitty

Yes, I'm here again with another analysis because why not?

So previously, I mentioned the term bookending. & I just thought that it would be nice to elaborate on that.

So firstly, what is bookending?

It is a storytelling technique where a narrative begins and ends with the same event, character interaction, setting, or theme. It is a method that is often used to create symmetry, reinforce themes, highlight character growth, or foreshadow key relationships.

Storytelling is rarely accidental—especially in romance-driven narratives like XO Kitty. One of the most deliberate yet overlooked narrative choices in both Season 1 and Season 2 is how Kitty and Minho’s relationship is bookended—they are the first and last people she interacts with in both seasons. This framing technique is often used to subtly highlight a relationship’s significance, and in this case, it strongly suggests that Kitty and Minho’s story was always meant to be a slow-burn romance.

When two characters are both the first and last interaction in a season, it’s rarely coincidental. It is to:

Signify that the relationship is central to the protagonist’s journey.

Showcase how much their dynamic has evolved over time.

Foreshadow their long-term importance to each other.

For Kitty and Minho, the fact that this happens in both seasons is a strong indication that their connection is not just a subplot—it’s one of the core emotional arc of the story.

So let us break it down:

Season 1: The Beginning & End with Minho

First Interaction: The first person Kitty physically bumps into at the airport on her way to Korea (signifying the beginning of her journey) is Minho. This is their very first meeting, setting the tone for their playful, sometimes antagonistic, but always high-energy dynamic.

Last Interaction: The season ends with Minho’s confession—a moment that completely shifts their relationship. And instead of rejecting him outright, Kitty smiles. It’s a small but telling reaction—if she truly felt nothing, there would be no hesitation.

& before people come up to say that the smile was only shown in Season 2 when they re-shot the scene...

This is a screenshot from Season 1 where you can see her slight contemplating smile (with About Love by MARINA playing in the background, mind you).

Why It Matters: The fact that Kitty’s first and last interactions in Season 1 are with Minho shows that he was always meant to be a significant part of her story. The show could have ended the season with anyone—Dae, Yuri, or even a solo moment of self-reflection. But instead, they chose to end with Minho’s confession. That’s not an accident—it’s intentional storytelling, subtly planting the seeds for future development.

Season 2: The Pattern Repeats—Minho Comes First & Last Again

First Love Interest She Sees: In Season 2, the first love interest Kitty locks eyes with is Minho. While Dae is technically present (standing right beside Minho), the camera deliberately focuses on Kitty looking at Minho. This is a classic storytelling technique used to subtly emphasize a character’s importance to the protagonist.

Last Interaction: Once again, the season ends with Minho and Kitty. But this time, things are even more emotionally complicated.

Kitty realizes her feelings for Minho, but she’s too scared to confess. She convinces herself that he has moved on, and the fear of rejection holds her back. Meanwhile, Minho is actively repressing his feelings. After his failed relationship with Stella and seeing Kitty’s complicated emotions regarding Yuri, he convinces himself that moving on is the only option. He even goes so far as to swear off relationships entirely.

Why It Matters: The fact that, once again, the season ends with Minho and Kitty means their story is still unfinished. No matter what happens in the middle, the narrative keeps circling back to them.

The Parallel to K-Drama Romance Structure

In K-dramas, the first person the protagonist meets in a new place often represents fate or destiny—and Kitty’s first physical interaction in Korea was with Minho at the airport.

The “first and last” interaction trope is often used to signal who the true endgame is—the person the protagonist starts and ends their journey with is usually their true match.

By structuring both seasons the same way, the show is subtly preparing the audience for their eventual romance.

The Parallels Between Season 1 & Season 2 (Between Minho & Kitty)

While XO Kitty explores multiple love interests, Minho and Kitty have scenes that directly parallel each other from Season 1 to Season 2. These mirroring moments serve as a way to track their emotional development and reinforce their importance to the story.

Season 1: Minho watches Kitty and Dae at the party → Season 2: Kitty watches Minho and Stella dancing at the ball.

In Season 1, Minho was unknowingly affected by seeing Kitty with Dae. In Season 2, Kitty experiences the exact same thing—showing that now she’s the one realizing her feelings.

Season 1: Minho sees Kitty in slow motion, feels attracted to her, then panics when he realizes it's Kitty and screams "NO!" in denial. → Season 2: Kitty sees Minho in slow motion—not once, but twice.

Minho’s slow-motion moment in Season 1 was a comedic way to show his growing attraction, but in Season 2, Kitty has two slow-mo moments of her own—this time, with much more emotional weight, showing her realization.

Season 1: Minho saves Kitty from the fire on her skirt. → Season 2: Kitty saves Minho from his family's reputation being tarnished by Stella's plans.

In Season 1, Minho literally puts out a fire for Kitty, protecting her. In Season 2, Kitty does the same thing metaphorically—protecting Minho from a social firestorm that could have hurt his family. Can I also add that both scenarios happened in similar settings? One is on stage while the other is back stage.

Season 1: Minho confesses, "I think I fell in love with you… a little bit… or a lot." → Season 2: Kitty has an inner monologue, "I have fallen for Minho… a little bit… or a lot."

This is the most important parallel. Minho was the first to confess his feelings in Season 1, but by Season 2, Kitty finally acknowledges her own feelings—mirroring his words exactly. The fact that her confession was internal rather than spoken aloud adds tension for the upcoming Season 3, setting up a major moment where she will have to verbalize it.

The Emotional Progression Between Bookends

Season 1 starts with Minho being dismissive of Kitty → Ends with him realizing his feelings and confessing.

Season 2 starts with Kitty locking eyes with Minho first → Ends with her realizing her own feelings, but being too scared to confess.

Each season follows a clear pattern, showing that their relationship is evolving step by step. The reason it hasn’t happened yet is because both of them have been in denial, not because the connection isn’t there.

Foreshadowing for Season 3

If Season 1 was about Minho realizing his feelings, and Season 2 was about Kitty realizing hers, then Season 3 will likely be about them finally acknowledging their love for each other and acting on it. Their bookended interactions and season-long parallels have been leading toward something bigger, and Season 3 will be the moment they finally break past their fears and come together. I think we can expect a major confession scene from Kitty—one where she has to face her feelings out loud, just like Minho did in Season 1.

In Conclusion

The bookending of their interactions in both seasons, paired with their direct scene parallels, is not a coincidence—it’s a deliberate narrative choice that:

Establishes Minho as a consistent presence in Kitty’s life.

Marks their relationship as a key focus of the series.

Shows their emotional and relational growth.

Foreshadows their eventual romance.

By structuring both seasons the same way—starting and ending with Kitty and Minho—and including multiple mirrored moments between them, the show is subtly telling us that their story isn’t just important, it’s inevitable.

This isn’t a random ship gaining popularity—it was always part of the plan.

[theboredhooman]

okay but kame and asa are literally 100% in love i don’t make the rules ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

long post overanalysing and yapping about these two lesbians + spoilers for the ‘mononoke: phantom in the rain’ movie! go watch it right now if you can 👹👹

kame is literally asa’s most precious thing. you can NOT tell me it’s not. even if you don’t ship them it is very obviously canon.

asa was soo flustered and didn’t want to tell kame about this, even blushing?? like understandable though it’s basically a confession

one of asa’s first reactions was always to check if kame was okay whenever the mononoke appeared

sure, it could’ve just been a friend thing, but asa was constantly looking out for kame in the ooku

defending her and taking the blame for all her mistakes and trying to protect her from harm, standing up to awashima and mugitani

asa i know what you are i saw that blush when kame smiled after you told her she could work with you instead of mugitani (I get you she was so cute tho)

”Such neat handwriting” asa’s eyes were so soft it actually broke my heart when i saw awashima cutting kame’s hair

the well scene….just…

asa trying to pull up kame, and kame doing the same for her

also asa being sort of lifeless while she hangs there until kame tells her that ‘it’ll be alright!/I’ve got you!’ and suddenly she snaps out of her shock, gaining emotions again

also it was so cute when they were talking next to each other at night

speaking of which, kame making asa promise to not let go while they sleep and asa adjusting to a more comfortable grip while holding hand was just; auGHHH 😩

ALSO ALSO “Kitagawa made me realise what was important, what I should never throw away,” and then KAME TURNING TO SMILE AT ASA AND ASA SMILING BACK WITH THAT ADORING LOOK IN HER EYES?? (note: there was also minor foreshadowing here with the empty doll cupboard but i think that had more to do with kitagawa)

and the cut off after saying she needed to say something important was really suspicious like what did she say??

idk how this related but afterwards she became more focused and hardworking on her job(but also more rigid and firm in her beliefs) and kame tipped out her water instead of drinking it (because she became the opposite? more rebellious/defiant maybe? idk)

speaking to the medicine seller, she said she understood kitagawa’s feelings, which makes me think kitagawa also had a thing for her friend lol like there was absolutely something going on there if she(kitagawa) fell apart after her friend left

only mildly related but i believe karakasa’s next target was probably going to be kame and she was used as bait for it (as something a redditor* mentioned was asa may have sent kame away to protect her rather than the reason kitagawa did, OR lure out karakasa) edit: nvm i remembered wrong it was utayama i believe (due to perhaps resentment within the doll’s umbrella*) or asa (following the logic that awashima and mugitani were both the head housemaids(?) favoured by utayama before asa, although again the end goal was probably to attack utayama)

also when asa was addressing the other maids of the ooku before the birth celebratory ceremony and bowed, kame bowed but nobody else did (which means they didn’t respect asa)

then kame got mad and showed her support for her girl like hell yeah 👏 and asa gained more confidence which i think was sweet

oh and asa was also like “the thing that kept me grounded was lady kame” 🥹🥹

she also said (acc. to netflix subs) “And yet, I yearned for nothing more than to share meals with Kame. And spend countless nights just staying up late, giggling and talking to her.” SHE SOUNDED SO LOVESICK 💔

btw love how the medicine seller instantly knew asa was looking for her boo lmao

anyways i think it mayyy not have been requited on kame’s side, at least canonically, but I have literally zero doubt asa was in love with her. then again homophobes and censorship. uh. it’s alright i ship them very hard either way i need more lesbians in my life hehe.

in conclusion. Harold they’re lesbians. thanks for coming to my ted talk. yeah o7

*redditors talked about the choice of karakasa as the yokai.(i reccomend reading it, it’s very interesting imo)

[vidavalor]

That night in 1941... is the night that Crowley (temporarily) died?

What is the dramatic thing that happens to Crowley on that night in 1941 that causes Aziraphale to still feel guilt and regret over it into the present?

Could it be that one of the reasons why 1941 is so significant to them is because it was as Furfur foreshadowed in Part 2-- their last night on Earth-- because it was, for a time, the last night of Crowley's life?

So, I think we all agree that something very, very major has to happen in the inevitable 1941, Part 3. I don't just mean only the inevitable canoodling. There's something more that these flashbacks are building towards because this is the big flashback that we're watching across all the seasons. It parallels and underlines the story in the present. Crowley and Aziraphale have had over 6,000 years on Earth but it's this night in 1941 that runs through the story so there has to be a big reason for that.

While there's plenty of suggestion that these two are going to bed in Part 3, there's another scene in the present of S2 that indicates that that's not at all what The Big Thing about this night actually is.

It might be a pretty big thing to some of the audience but it's not going to be any sort of romantic first for Crowley and Aziraphale and it's not the only thing that 1941 is building towards. What makes me think this?

The context of the scene in S2 wherein one of them-- Aziraphale-- actually directly mentions 1941 and Aziraphale's tone when he does.

While we have watched two very, very romantic parts of this night of 1941 so far-- and while we know it was that to them, too-- look at how Aziraphale refers to it in the present of S2...

There's a regret to this, a sense that he was the one in the wrong about something in 1941, even if Crowley might not agree with that.

I think that it's suggestive of Part 3 involving something related to Crowley about which Aziraphale is still regretful into the present of S2-- something he feels he was wrong about. This would be something we still haven't seen yet because, so far, Crowley and Aziraphale are winning at 1941. We've just watched two parts of them helping one another and emerging victorious from trouble, right?

We last left them in Part 2 flirting and drinking Chateauneuf-de-Pape... yet, also, we also still have the Zombie Nazis, an embarrassed Furfur, and a Chekhov's gun Derringer still in play ahead of Part 3. It doesn't bode well, then, when Aziraphale mentions the 1941 night aloud in the present of S2 with the tone that he used when he did. So, what might have happened that night in 1941, based on what other times Aziraphale mentioned during that same scene?

While we don't know what happened in 1650 right now and, depending upon what's in The Finale, it might always be speculative, we do know what happened in 1793. We know why Aziraphale would feel the need to apologize and see himself as having made a mistake. It's evident that Aziraphale regrets miscalculating the scenario in The Bastille in such a way that he wound up unintentionally triggering Crowley with Jean-Claude the Executioner.

While he and Crowley were ultimately alright and had a nice, crepes-laden time in Paris to a point that "Paris, 1793" was memorable enough to be shorthand in the 2008 story in the first episode, it's also an example in Aziraphale's mind where he feels he made a mistake in his care of Crowley and so was the one apologizing-- doing a metaphorical apology dance.

So, this might be telling us that something happened to Crowley in 1941... something pretty bad, as Aziraphale's tone when he mentions it indicates that he considers it worse than 1793. Given what we've seen so far, this something bad is part of what's coming in 1941, Part 3 in The Finale. Something big enough that it's really to where our watching of this night during both scenes has been leading.

There are a few, other scenes that I think might be providing us with some Clues as to what that thing is.

One Clue is Furfur saying: "Enjoy your last night on Earth."

At present, we think that Crowley and Aziraphale have evaded this threat because Aziraphale got the evidence photo away from Furfur... but there's still a Part 3.

This would be a big twist because we're not expecting this right now. We last left them drinking wine in the bookshop. Most of our theories (including a couple of my own) have been centered around more romantic aspects of Part 3-- and those could all still well hold up. But while it might be the first time we are shown that more directly, it's not the first time any of it's happened. Anything romantic in a new way wouldn't really explain Aziraphale's regret over this night in the present of S2.

What if the reason why, of all the very romantic nights that Crowley and Aziraphale have had over the years, we're watching this one in 1941 is because this was, for a time, until Aziraphale brought him back, their last night on Earth together because it was the last day of Crowley's life?

Still shuffling out there are The Nazi Zombie Flesheaters and we've got two different guns-- The Bullet Catch and Aziraphale's Chekhov's gun of a Derringer-- in play in the bookshop. Greta can get into the bookshop because Aziraphale let her in when she recruited him. If some kind of conflict happens and a gun goes off, what if Crowley got shot and, worse, died for a little while?

Aziraphale will blame himself for that forever, no matter how much Crowley will tell him not to. To Aziraphale, Crowley will have only been there with him that night and in danger because he showed up in the church to rescue Aziraphale from the Nazis. It would explain how Aziraphale feels about 1941 in the present.

There's also the dramatic irony of them doing The Bullet Catch successfully... only for Crowley to then get shot later that night...

...as well as the way the photograph Furfur took of the two of them on stage would change if it was this one picture of the two of them living life together that ended up being taken just hours before Crowley died.

We also had the stakes raised for us in Part 2 by Furfur explaining that Aziraphale being shot could have real, deadly consequences. It's something that we think right now that we just needed to know to understand the stakes of them doing The Bullet Catch in Part 2 but it might also have been set up to make us understand the severity of the situation if Crowley were to get shot, say, right near the heart, in Part 3.

And speaking of getting shot near the heart... the show has a bunch of other scenes that seem like they might look different in retrospect if we see a 1941, Part 3 wherein Crowley was temporarily killed during a probable confrontation with some, ah... *checks thematic notes* well, with some other dead people who also came back to life on this night in 1941...

There's the foreshadowing of Crowley getting shot in the chest with the paint in Tadfield and the way he instinctively clutches his heart...

...there's Crowley getting shot in the chest in the bookshop with the fire hose's water...

...there's maybe even a tie to it in Aziraphale petting Crowley's chest over his heart in The Dirty Donkey.

So, let's say Crowley does get shot somehow during all of this. Maybe there's a miracle block that Furfur put on the bookshop so the zombies could get inside or something so Aziraphale can't just fix it with a miracle. We could then get this whole, angsty and perfect scene of Aziraphale trying to save Crowley the human way because they're stuck there with no miracles and Crowley's too wounded to move. Crowley dies, Aziraphale's a mess, and somehow eventually brings him back... maybe like how Aziraphale's parallel, Beez, brought back Shax on Crowley's couch in 2.06? Not sure if that's connected but it has the feeling like it might be.

Finally, there's the sex-and-death of it all, which is something I looked at in this meta. If there is ever a time in Good Omens where one of them is going to die, it's so going to be the same night as when we first go into Aziraphale's bedroom, and the end of 1941, Part 2 has dialogue that pretty heavily suggests they're going to be upstairs, ah, retiring the act in Part 3. Having some metaphorical "little death" and then getting some literal death would be the most Good Omens thing to ever Good Omens. 😂

Why do I get the feeling that the above might not be the first time that Aziraphale's said that in the bookshop about a feared dead Crowley?

[lacunafiction]

Thank you for your kind words! 💚 Not only that, but your heartwarming recommendation along with how you conveyed the creep factor setting in is more than I could ever hope for as an author. It's clear to me that you connected with TFS, especially its unique take on horror and that creeping dread, which means so much to me.

There's a lot in store for Fernweh; I'm honored to have you here! 🥰

i played through @lacunafiction's the fernweh saga book 1 last night and was totally blown away. as someone who's usually very romance-focused the plot was so gripping and i was dying to solve the mystery. i always say i don't like horror, but i like being creeped out, and this delivered so brilliantly on well-written creep factor and a sense of growing unease. the author describes it as slow-burn horror, and i enjoyed it so much because of how genuinely spooky and smart all the symbolism was.

even if you don't play if i would 100% recommend this if you like the sound of a supernatural small-town psychological horror murder mystery. i can't overstate how compelling i found the creepy elements. also i'm in love with both j and r.

[emilyyyts]

Chapter 17 foreshadowing/why I think Fushiguro Megumi might be in love with Itadori Yuuji

I've never understood the reason why Gege will add that line of Todo (i mean the special mention of the "it can be a guy")

The idea could've been perfectly understood even if the line wasn't added, but Gege purposefully sat on their desk and decided to draw this panel and add that specific line.

This means opening the possibility of Megumi liking guys, right?

I might be overthinking this, but text and dialogs are super important in mangas. Practically everything that it's said has (or should have) a purpose .

Dialogue scenes move the story forward, for instance, by giving important information about the characters, their relationships, the milieu, and the evolving events; they can also build suspense and reorientate the narrative.

So why then adding this?

We've seen several times that Fushiguro often thought of Itadori as a kind person—even since the beginning.

(It's literally Itadori being described)

If we go back some chapters, we can easily notice this is how Itadori is first introduced in the Manga: as a compassionate person, a good person with the intent of helping others.

In fact, Compassion its a highlighted feature Itadori has always showed through the entire series.

Even at Sukuna's final moment, he shows himself compassionate offering help to him.

Many had thought Itadori fits that description of Megumi, and now I'll explain why I think this is a possibility.

We know the relationship between them its centric in the story —it practically started because Megumi decided he wanted to save Yuuji.

We've see them caring for each other over and over again, many decisions they take are influenced by the thought of benefiting/trying to help the other.

And then we got Itadori really trying hard for an entire arc to save Fushiguro, and when the opportunity comes, he tells him it's okay if he doesn't want to live anymore, but at the same time addmiting he will miss him if he goes.

This scales to the point its practically the love they hold for each other that helps to completely defeat Sukuna

I would also like to add this panel and why I think Fushiguro was projecting himself with the desire of his sister being with someone like Itadori.

The line is Fushiguro stating he wanted his sister —a person we know he LOVES and thinks very highly of— to be with someone as good as Itadori.

He thinks very highly of the two of them.

Theyre both good persons so they deserve each other?

Therefore, he projects himself that way:

He might think it's Tsumiki who deserves to be with Yuuji because she was good, and Yuuji is good too, so logically they deserve each other, right?

He loves Yuuji, but he might not be worth his love because it was him who introduced Yuuji into the jujutsu world (a painful life full of lost and worries).

But maybe someone else might be worth, maybe his sister.

This is how he imagine a perfect peaceful life, he's trasmitng and projecting his desires.

It's not her who wants to be with Yuuji. It's you.

So gathering all the pieces together gives us the big picture, and Megumi's words might feel more like a foreshadowing of their relationship rather than simple words for introducing Todo in the Manga (tho it works in both ways). The response Megumi gives open the possibility for such feelings between the two of them.

So basically, everything we saw to this point that involves the two of them has been development and profundization in their relationship for this last punchline we got of Megumi realizing that he wants to keep trying because its worth living out of love

After all, love IS a centric theme in the story. It's mentioned several times along the series. Gojo describes it as the worst curse, Itadori thinks Sukuna acts that way because of the lack of it. And if we add this new layer, Megumi thinks its woth living out of it.

Ultimately, what's going on between them is inherently love— aside if it's or not romantic

I can't fully explain my ideas cause i can't put them in orden, sorry :/

This is just my opinion btw 🤷‍♀️ also there's only 3 chapters left so I might end up as a big fucking clown 🤡 literally anything could happen but we'll see

Anyway, tell me your thoughts on this 👇

[elainsgirl]

I started reading ACOTAR in December last year so I’m very new. I noticed quite a few signs of elriel while reading the series but stupidly, I was waiting for Gwyn’s introduction because I saw so many people shipping her with Azriel and saying they’re endgame. I thought that at some point somehow elriel will end up like moriel where it doesn’t pan out and Gwyn becomes the main girl for Azriel. Thus I tried to not become invested in any of Elain and Azriel’s moments for fear of my heart breaking because they don’t work out. But that was hard as I really enjoyed anything that involved both of them. I especially loved Feyre shipping them because I internally wholeheartedly agreed with her lmao.

I also lost interest in elucien real fast as there was absolutely nothing there lol. Besides Elain’s obvious disinterest in him, I also believe even Lucien isn’t that crazy about Elain. I feel like he feels obligated to take interest in her because of the mating bond and that’s it. He’s not interested in Elain, he’s interested in a mate.

Fast forward to ACOSF (looooong after ACOMAF where already I felt like I sensed something between them after their first meeting, eg. Elain wearing a cobalt blue dress like Azriel’s siphons when they met, her looking to him to see if the dinner discussion is going well, enjoying chatting with him during the dinner despite being scared of fae and getting him to open up a bit more, SJM focusing separately on Feysand, Nessian, and Elriel respectively during the dinner scene. I could go on) and I was wondering how SJM is going to build up gwynriel in (1) book into something worth being invested in and have me letting go of (3) books of elriel build up.

Meanwhile Gwyn only gets introduced a ways into the book and Azriel barely has any notable interactions with her that indicate a future romance. Afterwards, I remember being like “why on earth is this fandom so sure they are/will be canon?” I got a hold of the BC and it literally just confirmed the obvious. Elriel is the next couple.

Imagine my shock when I see all the gwynriel blogs lecturing elriels on this and that (with the most ridiculous misinformation I’ve ever seen) and how elriels are delusional, etc.

It just bothers me that they essentially trick (whether knowingly or unknowingly) new readers into believing gwynriel is endgame, and then the new ones don’t always realize it’s nonsense so the fandom just keeps being flooded with new gwynriel shippers. While I support it as a crack ship, I’m entirely against someone trying to tell me they will be canon. Especially when these people are usually anti IC and Elain haters. I’m not taking them seriously.

Anyway my gut was always telling me I shouldn’t ignore elriel. I went back and reread every single mention/foreshadowing of elriel in the books and allowed myself to just absolutely fall in love with them. And I don’t regret it one bit

Hey anon 🫶

I read the acotar series before acosf came out and it was so obvious just by that series alone, Nessian and elriel were going to be a thing - so I went into acosf unsuprised when elriel started having an attraction towards each other and we got more of their buildup for their story. Gwynriel didnt even occur to me? I liked Gwyn but there was 0 memories interactions she had with Az that made me stop and think “ooh there is something there” I finished acosf and left the book thinking elriel was next. Got onto tiktok and kept seeing gwynriel everywhere in the comments of acotar videos so at first - I thought they were some type of inside joke or acota4 cult…I was shocked to find out people were shipping Gwyn and Az. Nothing in acosf ever alluded to them and I didnt believe an author like Mass would introduce Azriels LI so late into the series, that too a spinoff. I kept seeing gwynriels mention the Azriel bonus which I had 0 idea existed/ out of pure pettiness I didnt read the bonus. My stance was, I shouldn’t need a bonus to understand gwynriel or need it to know they’re the next couple. I should have gotten that from acosf alone and let me tell you - so many Gwynriels struggled with justifying their ship and proving its endgame when they can’t use the bonus which tells you enough.

Elriel was just naturally developed. Everything about them is complimentary and they just make sense together/ I loved Feyre for clocking onto elriel straight away and I loved reading every single one of their scenes and how much significance Mass places around it. It’s like she just can’t help herself from writing about elriel poetically, lmfao. Yet when Elucien were revealed to be mates, I was taken back but intrigued and already digging the idea of them. The roguish male paired w the polite lady? Sign me up for that dynamic any day yet when it came to actually reading about them / they felt so stale and awkward. Like mixing two different people together and its just not working. Every elucien scene was hard to read yet every elriel scene was flawless. They just matched each other and reading about them together just made sense. I wS so happy when Feyre questioned why elriel weren’t mates bcs it meant Sjm was planning on doing something w that storyline which kept me even more engaged w elriel. Come to acosf - and all thats changed is elrield attraction is confirmed and Az is basically spending the whole book pining after Elain. At no point does Mass break elriel apart.

Gwynriels know there is nothing romantic or even significant about any Gwyn x Az scenes hence why they have to downplay every elriel scene (which they use for their HCs/fics) and exaggerate what little Gwyn and Az scenes there are. Most of their ship is 55% talking badly about elriel to any poor sucker who would listen, 12% fanfics and HCs which is basically copy past of canon elriel scenes, 5% theories that are basically elriel theories that they’ve copied and 28% of gwynriel fanarts to entice people on Gwynriel.

It’s hilarious how they call Elriels delusional meanwhile they’re thinking Sjm would have Az ready to beg on his knees for Elain then get w Gwyn. Thank God thats not her type of love stories. It cracks me up at how disappointed newcomers who have heard about gwynriel are when they realise what little scenes gwyn and az have especially compared to elriel scenes. I think most jumped onto the bandwagon of gwynriel bcs they hated Elain and this way, their precious Az can be with someone they deem “better” then meek, boring Elain.

There is a reason Sjm had Feyre question why elriel aren’t mates. Had Az know what was amiss w elain instead of her mate who stood there uselessly. A reason why she had Elain call Azriels scars beautiful and had Elain be the first to hold TT aside from Az. A reason why Az went to risk his life for Elain whilst her mate was gallivanting trying to help another woman, I can go on but you get the gist. These moments weren’t used as filler scenes. They’re important to Az and Elain as characters separately and together as a couple. No author would spend that many books & important scenes to build a couple only to have them breakup and end w others.

I also dont regret falling in love with elriel 🌸🦇

[elrielbaby]

I don’t understand what isn’t clear about elriels set up.

1. We have clear foreshadowing for elriel in the form of the dinner scene with the bat boys & the Archerons, and the comment from Feyre about Elain & Azriel as she removes arrows from Rhys.

2. In ACOWAR, we have Azriel carrying Elain from the house of wind, carrying her over the threshold of the town house and being so gentle with her, her calling his scars beautiful & them sitting outside together, where Azriel, the person we are told almost never relaxes, is observed essentially relaxing.

3. We have Feyre questioning mate bonds and the cauldron over them.

4. We have Madjas comment about a mate sensing what is amiss, and then having Azriel, not L*cien, being the one to figure it out.

5. On a smaller note, we have both males (Cassian & Azriel) go still at the sight of both Elain & Nesta, plus Azriel continues to take Elain out in to the garden and sit with her.

6. We have an approximately, 2-3 chapter rescue scene. All insanely romantically coded. From the Elain devouring the sight of Azriel to ‘you came for me’. From Azriel setting Briar down but continuing to hold Elain until he is taken from him by someone he trusts. To Elain kissing his cheek in thanks. I’m probably forgetting some stuff there it’s packed full.

7. We have Azriel offering Elain his most prized possession - a knife he has never let anyone else so much as touch, including the female he’s supposedly been in love with for centuries.

8. Literally all of ACOFAS. There are an incredible amount of scenes in that book, it’s really a whole post just on its own.

9. We have Azriel, in ACOSF, get visibly upset at the mere suggestion that Elain may be hurt in some way.

10. We have confirmation from Cassian that Azriel seems to have moved on from Mor.

11. We have Azriels shadows poised to strike in her defence.

12. We have a charged glance between the two of them, we have Azriel standing by the doorway because the smell of E*uciens bond is so upsetting to him that he needs to be able to leave if it gets too much.

All of that - without mentioning the events of the bonus chapters (the feysand one is very Elain heavy, and the Azriel POV let’s us know in no uncertain terms that they both have romantic feelings for one another and want to act upon them). I feel like I make a post like this periodically when I see someone say Elriel haven’t been set up to be a couple or that they see them as something other than a romantic pairing and honestly it feels like throwing my head against a brick wall at this point - these people will not see it until their book is announced and they get their happy ending.

[jonsnowunemploymentera]

I’d honestly rather not talk about this topic because of the fandom toxicity that always surrounds it, but I think one of the more…should I say….interesting things to witness post HOTD has been the way fandom treats Jon Snow’s relationship with House Targaryen, and the effect that has on how they perceive his role in the larger (unfinished) narrative. Jon’s association with the Targs is more implied in the books because his parentage has not been revealed yet. But when you read the many companion stories released over the years like the Dunk and Egg novellas, The Rogue Prince, and Fire and Blood, you realize how much of House Targaryen is built around having Jon Snow as a foundation. I’m talking entire characters being Jon Snow clones or being created as a tiny hint-hint, nudge-nudge for ‘Jon the hidden Targaryen prince’. Sometimes, multiple characters within a certain period have elements of Jon; e.g., Jace, Addam, and Alyn Velaryon all being Jon Snow clones to varying degrees.

Jon was one of the very first characters ever created in this story many, many years ago. The first scene GRRM envisioned, of a family finding direwolf pups in the snow, gave birth to two characters who would be central to the entire series’ resolution: Jon and Bran. Then you read GRRM’s leaked outline and though he has since denounced it, it still says something important: Jon was always meant to be a secret royal prince. We can comfortably assume that he was created before most of the world’s history was set in stone. So when GRRM is building upon House Targaryen, which has thus far occupied the vast majority of the supplementary material, he injects elements of Jon into those characters. For example, Egg from D&E is very similar to Jon Snow personality wise. Bloodraven, who is from the same era and even has a role as Bran’s mentor in the main narrative, is created as foreshadowing for Jon Snow. Baelor Breakspear, also in these novellas, is how GRRM shows that Targaryen princes don’t always have the typical Valyrian look. Baelor favored his mother, as does Jon. Beyond just those novellas, he exists to inform on Jon, not just in look but in character too. Sometimes, Targaryen history is written to inform more tangentially on Jon’s own origins. Case in point, Prince Duncan and Jenny of Oldstones as parallels for Rhaegar and Lyanna.

Then we get to Fire and Blood which focuses so wholly on House Targaryen. And what I find interesting, and then frustrating at times, is how HOTD has morphed how we discuss this book. Because outside of HOTD, it’s easy to see how GRRM builds on Targaryen history with Jon in mind. And then we have the Dance of the Dragons. And this is where HOTD fucks up beyond measure. A lot of characters who existed during the Dance inform on Jon and his potential future. I’ve already mentioned the two Velaryon brothers, but I want to zero in on Jace because as one of the key players during this conflict, he is one of the most important ways in which GRRM links these historical characters to the (currently ongoing) main narrative. Jace is pretty much “Jon Snow if his Targaryen parent was actually the woman and he was raised as a prince”. He is so very similar to Jon in character, almost to the point of being an outright clone. And this important because one of his greatest accomplishments during the Dance was his alliance with Winterfell’s lord, Cregan Stark. This birthed the Pact of Ice and Fire, a union between the two most powerful and important families in the meta-narrative. This union went unfulfilled in Jace’s and Cregan’s lifetimes…..but Rhaegar and Lyanna flipped it over its head. Originally meant to be a union between a Stark lord and Targaryen princess whose children would have direct claim to Winterfell, the actual fulfillment of this Pact was that a Targaryen prince sired a son by a Stark lady. The result of this union, Jon, now has claim to both families’ legacies: Winterfell and the Iron Throne. Through the Pact of Ice and Fire, Jon Snow becomes one of the most important and most direct cases of narrative continuity between the current era and Targaryen history. The Dance of the Dragons unknowingly gives birth to Jon Snow.

What HOTD does is to entirely erase one of the most direct consequences of the Dance from its narrative. The show makes no meaningful reference to Jon, or the Pact, even though the author of the source material was careful in laying out just how important Jon is to the central narrative. What’s frustrating is how then they spend a lot of time talking about the prince that was promised whose song is the song of ice and fire. But then they erase Jon, the result of the pact of ice and fire, from the narrative. The worst thing about this is that HOTD has taken such a large space in fandom discussion, such that people use events from the show to inform how they engage with the written text. For all intents and purposes these have been two different narratives, but now I have to read the worst blood-supremacist takes about Jon; which is incredibly ironic given the subject matter.

I often see people celebrate that HOTD doesn’t talk about Jon, which has been a pretty big clue on either one of two things:

Many people who engage in fandom discussion post HOTD don’t actually engage with the text in its entirety. They’ve either never read the books and have only consumed them based on their online fandom bubbles, or what they have read is severely limited in scope.

Some of those who have read these books don’t like ASOIAF for what it is. They like it for what it should be for their headcannons and character-limited perceptions. Thats why they like it when certain sections of the text are outright ignored, because it’s better for their headcannons that way.

Beyond wanting new material, one of the worst consequences of these books going unfinished for me is that large sections of this fandom will be primed to ignoring one of the central characters, because all the material that’s been released outside of the published material has greatly mischaracterized the text itself. We’re now relegated to unhelpful (sometimes idiotic) arguments such as “HOTD says so, so it must be true in the books”. HOTD is taking creative liberties, and we should respect that. And we should also acknowledge that some part of HOTD is continued from Game of Thrones, which didn’t do a very good job of adapting ASOIAF or its characters in the first place. Cutting out the Pact of Ice and Fire (as far as we know) is one of the worst narrative changes made by the HOTD show runners in terms of establishing common context with the story many viewers are already aware of. And it sucks that with that show’s massive popularity, future ASOIAF adaptations will follow suit in completely disregarding important elements of the overall narrative. But hey, at least dragons look good.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

The Art of a Slowburn

Besides the commonality of Jon Bernthal playing a partner/brother, there's also the art of the slow burn happening in Twd and the Bear- and yes, I know, different writers can't quite compare. But the art of foreshadowing is always the same. If you didn't see the show spoilers ahead I'll provide a recap if you don't care to watch Twd.

Here's the gist of the show: Rick wakes up from a coma and finds his wife and son. He is fighting off the end of the world and zombies and reunites with his family along the way- his wife dies during childbirth, and literally 3 episodes later, amid Rick's grieving, Michonne arrives.

The matching! They're showing and hinting at the audience early on; these two are a great match.

More matching:

Was it the stares, I wondered? It's something richonners loved to analyze while the burn was slow. Particulary, Rick stares at Michonne like Carmy. They focus on this so you can get a feel of the main character's reaction to their love interest. For me, it's the preceding scenes that hinted at Richonne, and I'll compare them with Sydcarmy in a second:

But check out his flirting- there was much gaslighting on the ship. People said we were overthinking; they were just friends, and she was like a brother to Rick and a partner he lost in Shane. But Michonne fulfilled both for RIck- she was a partner and wife. Just as Sydney is a partner to Carmy.

Now let's talk about the dialogue and preceding scenes. In season 4, the prison is calm- domesticated. Rick is taking a break from the violence and is almost making peace with his wife's death. At this point, we don't know about Michonne's history, but Hershel- Rick's advisor- says this before Michonne arrives from being on the road.

(Things break, but they can still grow- a new plant, a new family tree. They hint at the Grimes 2.0 family after Lori's death. Right after Hershel says this- Michonne arrives.)

Plants? Family tree? Things growing you say?

Sydcarmy's preceding scenes hint at a ship:

Also, can I mention the tension? Here’s the thing: Rick treated Michonne differently than the rest of his found family. Just like Carmy. He listened to Michonne's advice early on—what Michonne wants goes. Sound familiar?

Even amid Michonne Challenging him as Sydney challenges Carmy- you can feel the closeness- the partnership and trust growing between them.

Jessie/ Claire, a blast from the past.

In TWD, Jessie represents Lori (Rick's dead wife) before Richonne happens. We got the Jessie storyline- a big session of major gaslighting here; some WD fans figured Jessie would replace Andrea, Rick's love/partner in the comics. But it didn't make any sense to us- they built all this tension and closeness between Rick and Michonne, and suddenly, Jessie happens?

Then they point to the signs visually- such as Jessie wearing a plaid shirt, the same style his wife Lori wore when he last saw her alive.

Lori's ghost:

Jessie & Claire, and nothing thereafter.

Rick doesn't sleep with Jessie, but after their kiss the night before, Jessie touches Rick's face, and he feels nothing for her- even after he stares at his wedding ring. When Richonne becomes Cannon in the very next episode, the first shot we see is Rick's wedding ring on the dresser- showing us he's past his grief and is in a new place to be with Michonne, his soulmate.

Comparing to Carmy and Claire. After he declares Claire his girlfriend they sleep together he feels nothing because dating her was all about getting past his grief with Mikey.

In this same episode, they do more proceeding scenes hinting at Richonne happening. When Deanna, the town leader, asks Michonne to look into what she wants after they get through the herd. They cut to scenes of Michonne caring for Carl- Rick's son.

But all this foreshadowing- I should get into the cinematography parallels that honored Lori's role and show Michonne fulfilling the matriarch of the family just as Sydney honors Mikey. But this is enough for now. Maybe a part 2 I got plenty more comparisons.

The same will happen with Carmy and Sydney- the show gives us clear obstacles that stop Sydney and Carmy from slowing down, taking a look, and realizing their feelings for each other. For carmy to get to that place, he has to get past his grief.

I think, if anything, if this is the last season and they don't end with a kiss, Storer is hinting at it. Like the bear, the pairing was planned from the beginning and you. Tell by the foreshadowing and if people really watched, they could see the signs.

One last thing, this was a comment once richonne became cannon and it's so similar to sydcarmy. Tells you all about how misdirection in slow burns work with most audience. When a ship becomes cannon some say wow! I didn't see that comingʻ where there's been hints from the start..when it's planned.

I saw their relationship develop in a platonic kind of way, and it was a complete surprise for me when they got together. Now, looking back, I'm so embarrassed because it was so obvious all along.

Be safe, and Happy Holidays, Folks!