#Fan analysis

[volchitsa-of-winterfell]

the way patrick zweig is so clearly a creature of desire; so fundamentally hungry. always devouring, uncaring of how desperate he might appear for it—taking a bite of the line judge's bagel sandwich before he even sits down; scarfing down his hotdog before grabbing a bite of art's, and then later treating their churros exactly the same way; picking the cigarette that tashi slapped out of his mouth up off the literal alleyway street so he can finish smoking it. acting on his hungers without asking permission first.

the way art donaldson is comfortable expressing desire without acting on it; content to yearn. mr. i-do-what-she-says-and-then-i-win obediently drinks his green juices, his electrolyte mixes; he lays his heart on the table for tashi, twice, and lets her decide when to take it; he tells her he wants to kiss her, but then lets her come to him to actually do it. a lapdog, just like patrick says: he'll turn his pleading eyes to you, desire writ across every line of him, but he is too well-bred to ever snap and just take.

....except, of course, with patrick; but even then, only when he can sublimate his desire for patrick into the appearance of desire for another woman. snapping at the churro when patrick calls him out over sowing doubt in his relationship with tashi is the obvious one, but also the fact that art is the one to come first in their mutual-masturbation experience when talking about kat zimmerman (how much of it was because of miss zimmerman and how much of it was art letting himself imagine patrick with her?). patrick, in the churro scene, describes it as seeing art "lit up about something," and while he's not wrong i think it's more specific than that. art feels deeply, keenly, but he guards the flames of his desire so carefully; banks them down and keeps the embers glowing for years. tashi is content to meet art halfway, to take the quiet longing invitations he extends. patrick is not. his desire, his hunger, is bigger than that. he wants to see sparks fly. how perfect, then, that he is the only one who can bring that out of art. he does exactly that with the racket-neck signal, and art (once he's over his shock) is once again lit up; ready to take the win, not to have it handed to him.

the way tashi duncan understands them both, perfectly, from their very first night in that hotel room that was so formative for all three of them. she kisses art first, because she already knows that if she kissed patrick first, art would take that as a rejection and retreat; put his desire away. she kisses art first because she knows patrick will not give up on his own desires that easily. she understands how to stoke art's desires and how to temper patrick's and teach him patience. and because of that, she gets them both: she doesn't have to choose.

[harmleikurdraws]

leopards and tigers

Ghost’s flat would probably resemble an empty dupster in Heywood, but Soap looks like a man that could appreciate retro leopards and tigers.

[comicaurora]

submission from squirrelwriter:

Following up on others’ ideas: if void is inexorably linked to hunger, and the material of hunger is desire, then is light inexorably linked to will and thus also fundamentally a form of desire? Both times Falst accidentally tapped into light powers (at least, sure seems like it), he was tremendously determined to accomplish something: first to save Dainix, then to break free of the diadem. In other words, he had a tremendous will.

Will has several definitions in my dictionary, including firmness of purpose, drive, and desire. It’s also tied to decision-making. Willpower is the determination and control to see a purpose through. In other words, will is conscious or decided-upon desire, while hunger is instinctive or viscerally felt desire… and will cannot exist without want.

If light and void are will and hunger, and will and hunger are both facets of desire, then that would explain why those elements transmute into each other so readily, wouldn’t it? And it strengthens the connection between the Light Dragon and the Void Dragon thematically, which lines up with how they seem to be paired in the narrative so far. This would make them two sides of the same coin.I also thought it was interesting that Tahraim didn’t specifically say “Light Dragon” or “Void Dragon,” just “Dragon.” Kinda made me uncertain of which one he was talking about or if he was talking about both as one entity… Hm.

Anyway, I hadn’t thought so hard about will and hunger and desire before reading today’s page, and now I feel like I have a deeper understanding of all of them, so that’s very cool. Have a nice day!

[galaxymagitech]

Tim is an excellent fighter…but he’s not the best.

He’s great with computers…but Oracle could outhack him.

He’s an amazing detective…but Batman is still the best.

No. What Tim brings to the table is that he’s absolutely, incredibly unhinged. Like—all Batfamily members are, but Tim has a unique brand of crazy. His brain goes problem —> solution, without any filter of “is this a logical, sensible plan?”

Tim will take so many insane things in stride. Did he set out to become Robin? Nope, but he’s Robin now! Oh, he met Lady Shiva? Well, she’s terrifying, but he does need to learn fighting while trying to defeat this powerful villain who appeared and is way out of his league. And then there’s the entirety of Young Justice. Tim sees one (1) portrait, concludes that Bruce must be lost in time, and then spends a year of his life on this hunch—and he’s correct. Oh, Ra’s al Ghul wants to talk to him? Well, that’s fine, he’ll just chat with the immortal cult leader while becoming an international art thief. He acknowledges that his life is crazy, but he doesn’t let that stop him!

This sort of reminds me of that old Batman movie where Batman and Robin come up with the most ridiculous answers to the Riddler’s riddles (a ballpoint banana, anyone?) and they’re right. Tim is just tapped into the DC universe’s insanity.

[skyrislunaflower]

Siciria Analyzes The Most Complex Stick Figures Known To Man (part 1)

SPOILERS FOR AVA / AVM / INFLUENCER ARC SERIES

READ AT UR OWN RISK

Also here's part 2

I was rewatching Influencer Arc Ep 1 because the music slays, and the fight choreography is just awesome.

*cut to Siciria chilling*

But then I noticed this;

So, to those of you that don't know what I'm talking about, I noticed that Blue just kind of waits there for a moment before going in to help Red. I wondered why, because throughout the series, these stick figures are shown to have really quick reaction times in these kinds of moments.

But then it hit me; it's about personality.

So then I decided to do a deep analysis of Blue's character, which is probably going to be the first of five parts (maybe even more) where I deep dive into everyone's traits and flaws and whatnot.

-

Here goes...

So, we've seen Blue as more of the pacifist assistant. He likes plants, netherwart, potions, and cooking. You don't really see him being the first to instigate something, or the star of a fight. Heck, even in the Raid episode, it's more focused on Yellow and the command block staff than him.

But we do see more of an aggressive trait as well, in that sometimes, he acts without thinking.

LIKE THE LAVA. HE DIDN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT AND JUMPED INTO STICKING LAVA. WOW. WOWOWOW. WOWOWOW.

But, what startles me, is that even though he'll self-sacrificially jump to save someone, and follow someone without thinking, and needs someone to ground him (usually Yellow), there are also times where he just freezes. Like in the Influencer Arc. He freezes when Red is getting beat up by the clones, before shooting at them. His brain takes a second (hehe) to catch up.

And here, too. Yellow is making a plan, where Blue's emotions are overriding any sort of thought.

...BUT AT THE SAME TIME, we also see those two things coalesce together for the better. We see him take action instead of freezing, and actually think about what he's doing as well. And this moment in the battle against the King goes kind of unnoticed, in my opinion, since there were so many hard fighting sequences and emotional stakes.

LIKE WHAT THE STICK. HE LED AN ENTIRE VILLAGE INTO WAR, AND THEY WERE ACTUALLY ABLE TO HOLD THEIR OWN AND CAUSE THE PILLAGERS TO RUN AWAY WITH ABSOLUTELY NO CONTEXT OR PRIOR TRAINING (albeit before they came back with the evoker and illusioner)

But we also don't talk about how much he assists everyone else. Like here. Green would have gone flying twice if Blue didn't have the presence of mind to brace him.

I saw a comment under the video calling Blue the MVP of the fight against Greenscreen. And while I do harbor the opinion that everyone contributed a lot to the win (and don't really agree with the comment, as Green, Yellow, Red, and Second contributed so much too), you can't deny that he assisted everyone frequently during the fight, and was a key part of success.

Blue's character arc is something we don't really talk about much as a fandom, but there are truly some moments which are, like, really cool.

And the most important one of all, of course.

Bluecifer "Elsa" Blonde. (my fanmade name, tell me if u like it!)

#slayqueen

EDIT AS OF 9/24/24:

There's also something else I noticed. Blue is shown to be able to keep track of a lot of things at the same time as well, like the positioning of his friends in a battle, and enhance them properly. He knows exactly what they need and can deliver it to them.

In the Witch, when he arms himself with potions and starts fighting, he has the presence of mind to turn his friends into animals that can stop the witch. For example, when Red is about to strike, he turns him into a golem for it to pack more punch. It's truly amazing, because he was able to pinpoint that that was about to happen before it did.

And even with himself, when the witch started shapeshifting, he did too. He knew exactly which mob would combat which, and he might have won if he hadn't run out.

[sipho-pearl]

analysis of the soul contract

(if you haven't seen the translation for that yet, look it up or look at my original translation post here)

Major spoilers for the entirety of Gravity Falls and also MAJOR Book of Bill spoilers for like the whole thing so go look at that first, ok? (Seriously, this post makes more sense the more you know about the content of the book...and the series)

**if i make any mistakes within this analysis in terms of existing lore or there's something i should add, send me a dm/reply to the post!! or just rb it with the information lol

Under the cut because it's really long (but contains information that I believe to be very important to the overall lore!!)

There are three really interesting things hidden in the translation for the soul contract that I actually NEED to talk about because I haven't really seen them discussed anywhere else?? (yes it's divided up into sections, don't worry)

The Soulmate Passage

The soul contract passage starts off with Bill's lawyer talking about all of the things that they can legally do with your soul, but then they go into the idea of soulmates, and something about this passage feels eerily familiar.

YOUR SOULMATE WILL NOT RECOGNIZE YOU AND WILL WALK RIGHT PAST YOU ON A COLD AUTUMN DAY, NEVER MAKING EYE CONTACT, NOT EVEN PROCESSING THAT YOU GAVE EYES AT ALL. NO AMOUNT OF INTERACTION WILL MOVE THEM TO A PLACE WHERE THEY CAN REMEMBER, IN FEELING, THE THOUSANDS OF LIFETIMES YOU HAVE ALREADY SPENT TOGETHER, EACH TIME CHOOSING WHATEVER FORM WOULD KEEP YOU CLOSEST LIKE OTTERS HOLDING HANDS IN A TUMULTUOUS RIVER. YOU WERE BIRDS, YOU WERE TREES WITH ROOTS ENTANGLED, DRINKING IN THE SUNLIGHT TOGETHER. WHEREVER WE GO NEXT, WHATEVER YOU CHOOSE, I WILL ALWAYS BE RIGHT WITH YOU.

(sorry for the long quote but it's kind of important here)

He gets way too specific here, even going into the first person to begin talking about how he will always be there for you. In the Book of Bill, the main concept is that Bill is attempting to win over the reader in order to convince them to make a deal with him and, therefore, release him from the Theraprism, and he seems to be doing the same thing here with the reader.

However, in my opinion, because for the majority of this he talks about you using third person pronouns, it can be somewhat inferred that he is talking about himself and his soulmate. Not specified who that is (totally not the canonically divorced couple), but it can definitely be interpreted as him doing some introspection.

The references to loss of memory could also be a reference to how Stanley defeated Bill by wiping his memory, and how up until the last minute, Bill believed that he was back in Stanford's mind.

"THOUSANDS OF LIFETIMES" could be a reference to the trillions of years that Bill has lived and all of his exes, as well as how in every single one, he was the one getting broken up with. And, also, the many other muses that he (unconfirmed) may have had.

THAT'S DONE, BUDDY, CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE CHOSEN BILL INSTEAD.

Moving on!!

2. Bill's control over souls

**As far as I am aware, this is the first time in the canon that we see what control Bill has over the souls that he collects.

GOOD GOD! THE THINGS S I’VE SEEN. ME_ WHO AM I_ OH_ I_M BILL_S PREVIOUS LAWYER_ HE PUT MY SOUL INTO A QUILL PEN SO I CAN WRITE HIS LEGAL DOCUMENTS UNTIL THE SUN SNUFFS OUT LIKE A CANDLE IN THIS SICK UNIVERSE_ SPEAKING OF WHICH_ BILL RESERVES THE RIGHT TO PUT YOUR SOUL INTO AN INANIMANT OBJECT_ A STRANGE CREATURE_ A CONCEPT_ A SENTENCE_ A TASTEFUL BUT RUSTIC MASON JAR WITH WILDFLOWERS IN IT_ IF AT ANY POINT YOU WISH TO HAVE VISITATION RIGHTS WITH YOUR SOUL_ YOU WILL BE SWIFTLY DENIED_

According to this, Bill's control over souls when signed over gives him the ability to, (as first shown in Sock Opera, but in a more limited way) put souls into other objects, take them out of your body. While put in a more simplistic way in this passage, it is clear that he has a lot of control over souls, and, when signed away, may have the ability to do anything with one that he wants.

However, going back to the mischaracterisation present in the first quote where it sounds as if Bill is talking, now that we know it was his pen, it is clear that he also has the ability to control the souls to do what he wants.

The time limit on how long these soul contracts last for is indefinite, as Bill's soul lawyer himself says.

*Side note: it is revealed, in relation to souls, that the human soul is 21 grams.

3. The afterlives of the universe of Gravity Falls

So, later in this passage, all of the places that you can go to after you die are revealed. This is mainly important because you can see more of the in-universe lore, but also because we can see more of what Bill Cipher was hoping to happen when he invoked the Axolotl at the end of the series.

YOUR SOUL MAY BECOME FRACTURED AND PLACED INTO DIFFERENT OBJECTS_ THIS HAS NO  PURPOSE AND WILL NOT RESURRECT YOU IF YOU DIE_ SIGNEE HAS FORFEITED ALL RIGHTS TO ANY AFTERLIFE_ INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO HEAVEN_ HELL_ PURGUTORY_ BIG CORNER_ FLOW STATE_ THE DREAM HOUSE_ THE REINCARNATION PROCESSING CENTER_ AXOLOTL_ S TANK AND CONSEQUENCES HOLD_

A definitive list of all of the afterlives present within universe:

Heaven, Hell and Purgatory

"Big Corner"

"Flow State"

"The Dream House" <- The Dream House could possibly be a reference to either Bill's Dream Realm or Bill's Nightmare realm.

"The Reincarnation Processing Center" <- This is where I believe Bill was hoping to go once he invoked the Axolotl. Going by what he said in the last few moments of Weirdmageddon 3, "A-X-O-L-O-T-L! My time has come to burn! I invoke the ancient power that I may return!" It is clear that he thought he was going to be able to reincarnate by invoking the Axolotl, and by doing this, he would be able to escape going to hell.

"AXOLOTL" <- This is a reference to summoning the Axolotl when about to die, such as what Bill did. Axolotls are known for being able to regenerate, so going back to what I said before, Bill probably believed that invoking the Axolotl would give him the ability to reincarnate or regenerate.

"S TANK AND CONSEQUENCES HOLD" I'm pretty sure that this is a longform name for the Theraprism.

More Notes:

The passage is written entirely in the cipher for the journals rather than any of the codes that Bill often uses (alchemic, theraprism, combined, bill's symbols) which I believe ties back to my theory in 1.

While dogs can sense when a soul is missing, cats don't care. Not important, I just thought that was interesting.

anyway, again: if i got anything wrong in this please rb this and add more stuff!! :3

[candy-red-river]

Luther is beauty, style, and grace (an analysis again)

ok ive wanted to talk about this guy for a while after finishing the comics lately and oh my god his deal is the most obvious of all the characters compared to others when you think about it.

Starting off, his most obvious feature is his manners. He is very polite and "reasonable" but often forces it onto others and seems somewhat superficial. Like he's trying to hide something about himself. One of my mutuals earlier called him "repressed which I find very interesting as I never saw him that way before.

But after reading the comic I said to myself, "Yeah he's definitely repressed".

Specifically in the camping arc he has HUGE BEEF with the hitchhiker calling them a narcissist for seemingly being themselves, albeit a bit morbid and tries to poke through his skin like he does with others (whether to sedate them or not) but restrains himself when randal comes around, later attempting to call his doctor about it, implying that he doesn't want or like doing that to begin with.

There was also the scene with the pancakes where he just unhinges his jaw but implies that he doesn't do that often in front of guests for the sake of their comfort.

Other than that, Luther absolutely INSISTS that he's human and the weird "family" dynamic that he's made for the ivory household (which consists mostly of brainwashed people forced to play a pet role and randal who I'm pretty sure isn't even related to luther) and generally tries to put down anything he does not like in a sort of fancy royal manner.

From all this and the speech he made about choosing his own destiny and being so assertive about manners to others I think it's safe to say that luther is an absolute monster, but is very self aware and almost insecure about being non human, which he also enforces on others in order to "fix" them or to make himself seem perfect with the "ideal" family.

I think he's aware of how messed up everything is but is either in denial or trying to tone it down.

Other things to note:

Captain howdie said they had a crush for luther from an ask which I think is funny and unexpected. (Also true)

He has canonically dated women (epic)

The eyes on top of his eyes aren't just eyelids since they have been shown to come out before. He literally has two sets of eyes.

I also think it's funny that nyon and nana have an implied crush on him (I'll get to them later)

He's scared of mice apparently

he has a LOT of pets, none of them are normal animals

He seems to have sympathy of some kind but it's definitely half baked.

(Unrelated note: the current most mysterious characters are Sebastian, Nana, and the hitchiker)

[crimsoncowboyy]

Are John and Arthur “Good” People? (An RDR Analysis)

A common comment I see on a lot of RDR posts is that, at the end of the day, John and Arthur are simply bad people. Usually, these comments can be seen in game clips where the player controlling Arthur has him do something drastically evil, such as mass murdering an entire town, just for fun. However, these also exist under posts that are meant to praise the characters of the game, showcasing their redemption arcs and appreciating how far both John and Arthur grow from the beginning of the game series. First, I think it is important to note that for the sake of the game being interactive, players must be able to have autonomy over what either John or Arthur do. Player autonomy within RDR is meant to serve as a world-building mechanism that unites the player with the intricate environmental designs, side-character interactions, and atypical lifestyles of John and Arthur. The more one explores, the more immersed they become with the characters they play as, and this makes the eventual deaths of both protagonists even more impactful. Yet, some players instead utilize open-world freedom to harass and harm numerous NPCs for seemingly no reason. Sure, Arthur and John can be made to rob random houses and beat up women in saloons, but this is not representative of the canonical story Rockstar is portraying. This leads to the other point I brought up, which is that many people argue that John and Arthur do not technically redeem themselves, and I want to dissect this by explaining what RDR teaches players about what it means to be a good person.

To tackle this complicated question, it is essential to recognize that the world Arthur and John come from is not a world that RDR players have ever lived in. The Wild West as a whole is essentially its micro-society that died about over one hundred years ago, and rather than going to war with other countries, Wild West “gangs” go to war with rival groups that hold ideologies the other finds to be immoral or corrupt. This world has its own traditions, power dynamics, borders, and way of life that can be defined by two main concepts: anarchy and poverty. Yet, like all political ideologies and lifestyles, some issues and hypocrisies arise from these values. Despite being anarchists who view the rich and the government as the world’s true enemies, micro-governments form within the “gangs” of the Wild West that develop into an almost cult-like reality that all people knowingly or unknowingly accept. Dutch Van Der Linde is a prime example of this. He rescues children, veterans, people of color, and outlaws who often themselves are victims of capitalism, racism, and American corruption and takes them in as his “children.” Dutch can be analyzed as the gang’s leader, and he ultimately sets up a society where he has loyal advisors, such as Hosea Matthews, but at the end of the day, only his word is to be followed, despite any doubts or opposition. Additionally, despite giving those living in poverty food, shelter, “education,” and a sense of community, Van Der Linde isolates members of his gang from the outside world through unique manipulation that eventually has the gang turn against one another.

Even though Dutch claims he opposes the structure of the United States government and the way it is often a form of evil, he does little to fight against the system. Instead, he uses it as an excuse to gain power in his way and steal from those he feels as a whole wronged him, but he sends loyal gang members to do the dirty work for him. This leads to a vicious cycle of poverty perpetrated by both Wild West gang leaders and the government itself; to put it simply, the government does little to help those born into unfortunate circumstances, poverty, families of color, and more. It then deems these people to be “inhuman,” causing those same people to flee to whoever will accept and guide them. Then, when the government gets wind of what those “inhuman” people are now up to, they demand that these lifestyles get abandoned and destroyed, but still fail to provide an alternate lifestyle of help to get people on the right track. This isolation and lack of empathy from those of governmental power both cause these Wild West outlaws to exist in a balance of stark independence and cultish loyalty to those who offer a sense of belonging. Thus, a vicious cycle continues.

Yet, even with menial knowledge of the Wild West lifestyle, it does not take long for players to get a sense that John and Arthur are two strong examples of what morality within this dubiously structured world can be analyzed to look like. The only times we see John and Arthur be “cruel” (outside of TikTok gameplay clips from teenage boys…) is when they want to say or do something mean to somebody. For example, Arthur demeans Sadie by calling her “woman,” but this is because he feels she is claiming to be better than other people in the camp because she does not want to cook. At other times, he uses the term “woman” or similar derogatory terms when trying to assert dominance or intimidate others. Arthur does this because of the loyalty he has to Dutch; he believes he is acting how he must act to provide for the gang, thus making Arthur’s motivations clear: loyalty. No matter what, Arthur is loyal to the people he perceives to be his family and saviors, especially Dutch. When Arthur is not working and encounters people he has genuine conversations with, we see the kindness, empathy, and creativity that Arthur possesses, even if Arthur himself downplays his own beautiful characteristics. Even if you always choose to antagonize gang members, you will not lose honor as a result of it, implying the gang understands that Arthur has and always will mean well. He openly expresses that he believes in equality, and we see through his interactions with women, people of color, and even those with alternative lifestyles, such as Charles Chatenay, that he respects people if they follow their hearts and lack impure intentions. This is why Arthur resonates so heavily with Eagle Flies, who wants to start a war against the United States Army because of their treatment of his tribe, while Arthur despises Micah who only serves himself.

John and Arthur are similar to one another. One thing to make note of is that they symbolize a sibling duo that grew up in chaos and processed it differently. Arthur, who is older than John, takes a much more “loyal dog” approach to his upbringing. Since Dutch and Hosea took Arthur in and provided him with the paternal comfort he always sought even before the “Van Der Linde gang” was fully established, Arthur dedicates his entire life to the two. He is scarily dedicated to serving them, both because he adores the gang as a whole and because he has not formed an identity outside of Dutch’s hold. Dutch does this on purpose, essentially grooming Arthur to be an unbeatable bodyguard, and takes advantage of Arthur’s desperate-for-praise nature and gradually exposes Arthur to more and more violence until it is just a factor of his life. However, John juxtaposes Arthur’s fervently faithful nature, as he is younger and joined the gang after it was a bit more developed. John shows a much more defiant and anti-authority streak than Arthur does. While Arthur does value alone time as a means of reflection, John shows a tendency to make choices for himself, even if this is at the expense of other people. Yet, there is something almost childish about John, even when he’s robbing someone or being threatened by the government. In the face of danger, he will make snide remarks, and while being stubborn, he will display an almost silly sense of opposition to whatever he dislikes or does not want to do (think about how he was acting while being driven in the car in RDR1). Yet, deep down, John has a similar sense of loyalty to Arthur, and this is where their two arcs truly divide; Arthur is causing him because of his unconditional loyalty to a decaying cause, while John wants to be better for his wife, Abigail, and son, Jack, but does not know how to be. It is very evident that John loves Abigail more than anything. Around her, his defiant, angry nature will subdue or disappear entirely. Abigail, who also grew up in unfortunate circumstances and turned to prostitution as a result, understands who John is at the core, and he understands her. She is the one person John, in his own strange way, is vulnerable with. He lets Abigail slap him if he says something rude, performs gestures of love as a means of apologizing to her, and goes to Mexico while it is in the midst of a bloody civil war to take down Bill, Javier, and Dutch after the gang disbanded all to secure her freedom from government captivity. John’s love for Abigail is so important because he is somebody we see resent how he gets frequently used like a pawn by people in power, but with Abigail, he accepts that sense of authority and respects her because of it.

So, if John loves Abigail so deeply, why did he run away after the birth of Jack? Does this not make him a deadbeat father and a bad man? At first glance, John’s relationship with Jack does appear to have a level of unhealthiness to it. Not only did he miss a year of Jack’s life, but as he gets older, John tends to put down Jack’s less “masculine” interests. While this is wrong to do to Jack, it is difficult to claim that John’s actions were meant to be purposely cruel. This is somebody who knows very little about love, family, and fatherhood. Sure, John gets glimpses of these realities through the gang, but the gang is still made up of lots of people who are coping with traumatic pasts. The gang, who are now all adults, understand the reality of their situation and the people who are in the same circumstances as them, but John knows that Jack deserves better than the dwindling life of a Wild West outlaw. Yet, John does not know how to obtain this life for his son. The only fatherly figures he has had raised him to be but another player in this violent world, and otherwise, John has lacked positive and authoritative male role models in his life. So, John panics and disappears not just on Abigail and Jack, but on the gang as a whole. Upon his return months later, almost everybody welcomes him back with open arms; even Abigail. She understands that John fled not because he is unloving, but because he is too loving and fears he will raise a son that will turn on as hardened and unfortunate as him, and that is the last thing John wants. Even though they fight and sometimes fail to communicate efficiently, John and Abigail know that deep down, they mean everything to one another, and no matter how idiotic John acts, it is out of fear, not pure cruelty.

Both RDR games end with the protagonist’s death which symbolizes a cycle of violence being broken, even if it is a more gradual process. John and Arthur have spent their lives essentially in exile. Their biological families and home country have abandoned them in numerous ways, and this resulted in an outlaw lifestyle that is now being forcefully put to an end by the very same government that catalyzed its creation. They have mastered how to fight for what little they have and how to steal from upper-class Americans as an act of retaliation, but all this does is trap Arthur and John in their angry pasts. Rather than Dutch helping the two get back on their feet, he instead encourages John and Arthur to fight and take from the same society that displaced them. Yet, this brutality does nothing but make the two groups hate each other more and more, especially as Dutch’s plans began to change from simply robbing the rich to becoming the very force that enables poverty patterns to continue. John and Arthur begin to recognize and oppose this because of the empathy both possess, and they start to resent Dutch’s changing ways. Once again, we do not see either man kill in cold blood, seek to harm the innocent, take enjoyment in murder, or act in self-serving manners. From the angle of the Wild West being its own society, John and Arthur have the roles of being military men who finally see the extent of the damage their world has caused, even though they tried to convince themselves that their world was different. Thus, the cycle breaking begins. After being diagnosed with tuberculosis, Arthur decides to spend the time he has left helping strangers with an array of problems and assisting those whose lives he feels he has negatively impacted. One of Arthur’s final moments is him either going back to get the money that will symbolize Arthur reclaiming a sense of personal power in the world that is crumbling around him or him helping John with one final major escape from the life of violence he was born into. This is after Arthur already made numerous decisions to save John from danger, whether it be a wolf pack or a prison island, because despite Arthur’s criticism of John’s actions, Arthur knows that deep down, John is not somebody who acts with the intention to be bad. Seeing this goodness and selflessness from a man who grew up in the same life as himself, John continues to try and be a different person for the sake of protecting his family. John tries hard for this, and he eventually builds a ranch for him, Abigail, and Jack to live on together and search for a sense of normalcy, which Abigail appreciates more than anything.

However, progress is not linear. Despite John working hard to outgrow the only lifestyle he ever really knew, he cannot fully escape the trauma and chaos that trails him. This is partially due to him occasionally slipping back into his old ways, especially in the face of danger, where he continues to fight rather than aim for peaceful means of mediation, and partially due to the American government doing what it does best: fail at true justice. Even though John has started to create a new life for himself, the government ignores their role in the development of the Van Der Linde gang, instead kidnapping John’s family years later and only agreeing to release them if John can take down Dutch, Bill, and Javier. They send him into the war-ridden Mexico region with minimal resources, assistance, or guidance, causing John to have to do what he used to do with Dutch, which is kill, meddle in other people’s battles, and get taken advantage of by more powerful forces. Once again, John only kills because he sees it as fighting for the greater good; a reality where he and his family can be free and his past can be eradicated. He does not take joy in fighting for or against the Mexican government, he is simply working with what little he has to save his family. Even then, we still see John’s heart through his care for Luisa, Bonnie, and even strangers that he assists on the road. Despite this and performing what the American government asked of him, they still gun him down at the game’s conclusion, which John accepts rather than evades because he wants his family to settle down and live to become something better, even if he is not there to see it.

Even though RDR1’s epilogue shows Jack to now be angry and hurt as well, there is still something inherently different about his life compared to that of John and Arthur. Jack’s dad was present in his life, even if imperfectly, he had a mother who loved him dearly, even though we know she passed away a few years after John did, and Jack has an understanding of the foundation of a life built around love and family. It is possible that Jack may have the same streaks of violence as John did, but for the first time, the Marston lineage is seeing a glimmer of hope that has seldom been seen before, all because one man dared to stop fighting against the past and instead fight for a brighter future, even if not for himself. Now, does all of this backstory and explanation pardon everything Arthur and John have done? Absolutely not. No human being is capable of getting through life without hurting people, involving themselves in situations they should not have a part in, only trusting perfect people, or making bad choices in the face of unfamiliarity or turmoil. However, it proves something greater than simply stating if John and Arthur are “good” men because oftentimes, people grow up in worlds where goodness is not an apparent reality. Yet, what can be said is that Arthur and John tried to better and fight for a greater, purer good, even at their own expense. Sure, their pasts cannot be eradicated, and they cannot change what is already done, but what they do have power over is how they shape the rest of the time they have left. So, they do what others have rarely done for them and take a gamble on embracing love to both change for the people they cherish and to be changed by those who love them.

All countries and communities are united through collective acts of violence, war, pride, and enabling of cruelty. The United States government and the Van Der Linde gang are both guilty in that regard. Yet, if the absence of all imperfections and the capability for one to escape the harsh circumstances they exist in is what makes somebody good, then nobody would ever be able to respect themselves, because, in one way or another, everybody hurts and gets hurt in return. What makes a true difference, however, is the ability to acknowledge one’s shortcomings, whether or not these are intentional, circumstantial, or implicit, and utilize that realization to push not to become perfect or guiltless, but better than before. At the end of the day, that urge to push for a gentler way of living for the sake of bringing peace to both yourself and who or what you love the most is what makes Arthur and John good people. Deeply complex, flawed, regretful, and troubled, but good. If everybody valued goodness as the desire to do better rather than fight against an unchangeable past, maybe the world as a whole would strive for decency and ultimately unite us all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for reading! This is my first time posting on Tumblr, and I am looking forward to posting and engaging with more commentary of RDR. My essay is not proofread, so I apologize for any mistakes. :)

[laindtt]

I was lately thinking of @lulu2992 's post about the members of the Project not being the uniform "hive mind" we could think they are (I can't find the post, but I'm quite sure it was another of your enthralling pieces of analysis? sorry if I'm wrong)

One of the best examples illustrating this is M. O'Hara: he can be spotted at the window of his barn when the player activates the lever in the attic of his house and restore power. You can pretty well recognize a red Eden's Gate cross tattoed upon his face, meaning he's a VIP (he has the same skin as Eden's Gate butchers btw) :

Yet, we know that O'Hara used real bodies to create his haunted house decorations, including dead bodies of members of the Project.

The letter in the barn explains that O'Hara is a serial killer and used his show to lure new victims: we have here a high ranking member of the Project willingly (and happily) murdering his brothers and sisters, even Priestesses and other VIPs. Did he join Eden's Gate on purpose to have an easier access to victims, aka civilians captured during the Reaping? Have his murdering tendencies been brought up by the outbreak of violence? For how long has he been killing civilians and members of the Project without anyone noticing these disappearances? Most of all, has someone turned a blind eye on his "hobby", letting him murder few soldiers as a bitter price to pay to use his talents as a VIP?

In any event, O'Hara is openly breaking most of the Project rules, to an unparalleled degree. Or... or Ubisoft has simply been lazy enough to use a VIP skin for him, not wanting to imply anything. Who knows!

[chronicallyrabid]

I am so fucked up right now. I noticed he had rings on his right hand and I got curious cause I wondered the meaning of them…this was a devastating development.

Also it’s not said in the article I nabbed this from but Japan is one of the countries …Daisuke is a Japanese name…. Oh ohhhhhgughhh have mercy Devs why did you hide so many things to make me start crying all over again.

[slamdunktheories]

What sort of injury did Sakuragi have? An orthopaedic surgeon weighs in

Hey, gang! I stumbled upon this interesting article sometime back and have been meaning to share it. It's basically an orthopaedic surgeon (and fellow SD fan) analysing what sort of back injury Sakuragi had gotten during the Sannoh match. See article here (in Japanese). Google-translated English version is here.

In short, the surgeon thinks it was either a vertebral body fracture or a lumbar transverse process fracture, and goes on to talk about the recovery period one could expect from such an injury, how the team reacted to it in the story, etc.

His response when asked how Anzai-sensei and Ayako had handled things was pretty funny. “From the POV of an orthopaedic surgeon, it was of course a total fail.” LMAO!

But then he goes on to say something that would probably resonate with every SD fan (that if they had done the right thing and benched Sakuragi... there’d be no story).

As a fan, I'm relieved to hear that the injury seems perfectly realistic and also perfectly recoverable. Thank you Inoue-sensei for sticking to realism even in key/dramatic moments.

Have a gander at the article - it's quite interesting and much more in-depth than what I've shared here! Again, links here:

Original article here (in Japanese). Google-translated English version is here.

[sumn-somethin]

stuff im expecting from season 2

olezha and anton flashback (PLEASEEE)

olya appearing more

diplomator's official appearance

dima's family especially his sisters (at least ONE of them has to be a diplomator supporter i just know it)

murderer revealed or at least more hints about olezha's murder

zhenya 👀

more psychic battle

conflict between olya and dima

conflict between anton and dima

more actor AU (for trailers and teasers and stuff)

anton's family

[hereforthe911buds]

the more I've learned about the cut bachelor party scenes, the more I realize they had to be cut, not just for the time limitations but the writer's narrative as well. Having all of those scenes in would have turned vague tension into an obvious love triangle. Especially with What I Like About You being the karaoke song, it couldn't have been subtle. a lowkey slowburn would come off as a direct competition. the will they won't they and Eddie vs Tommy for Buck would have been harder to deny.

Also the kiss between Buck & Tommy at the hospital would have been less impactful (for the audience. it still matters a lot to the narrative of Buck coming out). it may have even caused some confusion for the audience because Buck was just having the time of his life with Eddie & singing about how much they love each other, to then making out with Tommy.

in my opinion, the writers crafted an extremely gay interpretation of events and then pulled back because it would have been too direct when I believe they want something more subtle with their storytelling.

[manytoonepoet13]

Fragaria Memories - Your Melody Song Analysis Essay.

"It is at his most vulnerable, where the knight shall be at his strongest."

Collab with @chamalam0726

Read for more insights: Fragaria Memories - Ever Red Visual Analysis Essay. Poem inspired by this analysis: Your Melody – "Tell Me, My Dearest."

(Duration of analysis: February 2024 to May 2024.)

1.) Visuals. a.) Cover - album.

Hallritt - Notice how he has his hand curled up in a fist. Usually, this means that he's tense, having to use his strength to clench his fist. He's tense from all the harsh memories, from the harsh truth, it made him hard, cold, concealed, in comparison to the usual Hallritt. He's serious, not as bright and fun fun like usual - now have lost the purity he once possessed.

Merold - Notice the ribbon in between his middle and index, it's as if he's mimicking a pair of scissors, releasing himself from the bondage of fragmented memories and the vague, incomplete truth. And with that, he, too, has released Hallritt, now having someone to share this with, someone who will stand by his side. Like I said, releasing themselves from the bondage of the past and acknowledging their scars to acknowledge the truth and what's righteous.

"Hallritt's bouquet is the only bouquet that does not contain a ribbon. This could signify that the flowers in the bouquet are memories and that the ribbons represent what's restraining the characters from remembering the memories. Knowing Hallritt is the only one that remembers, it makes sense for his bouquet to not have a ribbon." - @ c h a m a l a m.

"So you see how Merold is holding the ribbon with his hands shaped like scissors and remembers how you told me that Merold was the first person Hallritt told him. To me, it seems as if he's now cutting the ties of what's restraining him from remembering - or the ribbons." - @ c h a m a l a m.

Rimicha - Notice how his hand is slightly hidden under the flower's petals, yet still open, holding the bouquet so delicately, as if relishing in the joy (what sunflowers usually mean) in being blind and innocent as a child. I believe that with this song, it made him more open to the truth, more willing to let go of the momentarily happiness for the sake of a much greater, ever lasting one. One that'll save the entire fragaria world. It may seem like a small sacrifice, but for Rimicha? I believe it meant everything to him, not because it's his duty as a knight, or because it's for his friends, but because it's something so personal to him. Rimicha is all for fun, for joy, and to have that taken away from him... must be hard, yet he knows it's for the best.

b.) Music Video's key elements.

Based on the video's visuals, I can create a hypothesis where this song talks about Merold casually enjoying this "peaceful" life he currently has in this timeline and based on the flowers I can identify; Sunflowers and roses means happiness, loyalty, adoration and love, royalty, beauty. sensuality, mysticism and secrecy. What is interesting about the last two: Mysticism and secrecy is that I can infer that he (Merold) feels like this "peaceful life" is an illusion, this is why I believe the corners were blurred in some scenes, and why they're situated in this luxurious mansion, He, or even majority of the knights, are fixated on this illusion.

But then again, Merold feels like something is missing, like a broken mirror showing every part of you but one specific and most important part: His memories. I feel like this song is about him talking and relearning about these "missing parts" of him that he can no longer remember, and how it affects him and how he views happiness, love, and passion he had for the world and for his friends.

There might even be purity mixed in with the love and passion Hallritt has for the world and his friends relating to the reoccurring line "The knights ask for nothing in return for their love.", Hallritt's purity and innocence mixed in with the love and passion he's feeling has caused this predicament they were once and currently in. Losing their precious memories of each other and the most important part of one's self because of him.

I believe this is Merold's awakening moment, where he'll finally remember everything that has happened in the past and would like to reconcile (-with Hallritt).

This relates to my and my best friend's reconciliation theory.

"Take it this way, we got into a big fight, I got amnesia, I no longer remember you and bestfriend J, but as I got reintroduced to more memories (Hallritt telling Merold), I start to remember more. And because I remember more, it makes me cherish the memories we once had, so it pushes me to want to reconcile. Simply because I want to experience more of those memories." - @ c h a m a l a m.

"Your Melody" or "Hallritt's Melody" rather, is what made Merold open his eyes to the truth, and how the truth feels like a paradox to him. How it'll be bad if he doesn't know the truth, but then again, there's nothing wrong with knowing it, maybe it's even for the better.

And now he's just listening to Hallritt's Melody as he takes this next step with him.

2.) Soundtrack. a. Instrumentals.

One thing I would really like to point out is the clock ticking sound at the beginning and end of the song which will most probably relate to my time loop theory. Though, I'll assume that because of the seed's corruption, not only did it erase everyone's memories, but it also disrupted time itself, therefore creating this time loop only Hallritt can know and understand.

3.) Lyrics.

"If you even brush against me, I'll melt into a slumber."

Complacency - Them falling and fixating on this illusion of a life that they have, being caught up in this bliss that they feel peaceful and comfortable enough to fall into this slumber.

"The fairytale of that day you told me about... The pleasantly soft and and sweet whispers, Just listen to them carefully, don't get flustered now."

Hallritt telling Merold about that day, when everything went wrong, what happened in the past. Allowing Merold to recall those memories.

"It's ok to deceive with an outright lie... because within it lingers a quiet love."

Talking about this seemingly peaceful and perfect life and how it is probably better to stay within this illusion, for the sake of everyone's safety.

"That MELODY of a season that has passed is our promise, so don't cry. The ending to that story was that I truly was happy being YOUR MELODY. The MELODY of a voice that you approached me with. If I were to ever stain your smile, then I would do away with this heart of mine.

This is where Merold is starting to remember more, wanting to reconcile because he wants to maintain this friendship he once cherish and will cherish and create more memories with him.

He doesn't want to hurt Hallritt's feelings even more, so, he does away from his past actions, and ultimately chose to reconcile with Hallritt.

"The signals from our talks that made my heart flutter... are now sinking down my ordinary wish to the bottom."

That "ordinary wish" being the want to continue this "peaceful life" that he has, but the more he and Hallritt are talking, he realizes just how this can be incredibly crucial to their story.

"As if two hearts laid atop each other's... may we be connected by their singular rhythm."

This gives me the impression that since the both of them now knows that there is more to this than this illusion of a life, they are now connected by their "singular rhythm", this newfound goal of theirs.

"Let me fill your gaze with bouquets of flowers blanketing the horizon. All those fragmented things are intensifying our MELODY. Come, let's turn the timidity into joy and dance to your MELODY in the scores. The MELODY of your voice that I want to remain beside, what if... If you want to cloud over the future, if it is sadness that you want to echo... then please let me play it from here."

"Song wise, the last words have a build up (Let me fill your gaze...). Since we correlated the memories as the flowers, "Let me fill your gaze with bouquets of flowers blanketing the horizon." to me is how the truth/memories are all coming clear now. Because there's a buildup in the notes, it makes me think that this is where things start to happen.

"Let me fill your gaze" suggests that the memories shouldn't be hindered from anyone as those memories rightfully belong to them. I think this also correlates with reconciliation being truthful is also considered as a form of that." - @ c h a m a l a m.

(Eyes has been used as a metaphor more often than not in Fragaria.)

I feel like there is some sort of limitation within that line, solely focusing on the "your" person (Hallritt) they're talking to.

So it's like "I did this to you, so whatever I will do, is for your eyes and your eyes only because this is between us two."

"Even with this fragile heart, above all else, you are my dearest. (Tell me, tell me why.) These overflowing feelings are a MELODY for you. (Tell me, tell me why.)"

For so long, he has uphold this strong knightly image, probably in an attempt to hide this fragile heart of his as well as to protect all of those who are dear to him, because despite how these feelings overflow, it is still for them, for you.

4.) Symbolisms.

(Just to elaborate certain visual elements.)

1.) Mirrors with flowers - Along with the clock ticking sound, there are also these flowers that came along each beat. Since we made a connection between the flowers and memories, I would also like to point out how these flowers may also symbolize their emotions that are being held back, inside the mirror.

2.) Merold in the broken mirror - Relating to what I noted prior, this also applies to this scene but with Merold instead of flowers. I would also like to note how Merold had his eyes closed when he was both in the meadow and in the broken mirror but then opened his eyes afterwards with a smile.

That's because he was truly happy now that the truth is out.

He is finally free.

3.) Feathers - "Across time and cultures, feathers have symbolized ascension, enlightenment, and spiritual evolution." charlesmcquillen.com.

I love how this choice of transition happened after they have the truth, therefore being enlightened and set free from this illusion, that's why it finished off with the three of them being in a meadow rather than being in that luxurious mansion they were in.

Now, they are reunited with their truest of emotions and memories, as they stand happily in the flower field.

Free.

4.) "Movie" Frame - My other best friend (bestfriend J) pointed out that the frames throughout the entire mv is reminiscent of those vintage movies, which was further proven by the grainy texture and vintage feel of the final scene.

This may relate to what I have pointed out in my Ever Red Analysis Essay as well, where it talks about how the mv is reminiscent of a videotape and that Hallritt was holding the camera (more on that in the Ever Red post).

These kinds of things stretch out even towards Blue Bouquet.

This relates to the reoccurring line in Ever Red "Live in Memories", because they are quite literally living in memories.

It is with these little recorded fragments of their memories can they actually learn their and live as their true selves if they want to save this world (and escape this time loop).

But until then, when the clock strikes, may it strike thrice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The knights ask for nothing in return for their love."

[skyrislunaflower]

Siciria Analyzes The Most Complex Stick Figures Known To Man (part 2)

Red's new tiktok came out.

We're going with Red next.

Also here's part 1 of SATMCSFTM.

Idk why I abbreviated it.

Or why I linked it.

Welp.

-

Okay, so to start off, most people perceive Red as the youngest of the CG, and the most outgoing. He's the resident animal lover, is sensitive, and in some situations, can be really aggressive and hotheaded.

Like here:

Red went first. He is someone who always throws himself willingly into danger (like Blue in the last part, though Red does it more consistently). With Dark, he went for it not knowing if he could win, but instead to protect his friends. He is the line. He is someone who truly cares for others, and will treat newcomers with the utmost goodness regardless of what he's getting in return. He will go back for them.

This is shown, primarily, in Monster School.

In this scene, he was about to turn back. He was about to go back through the portal. But he saw that his teammates (the ones who bullied and harassed him prior) were in trouble, and still went back for them. We talk about how he went back for them. We talk about it.

But we don't talk about how he must have been feeling, or how much they must have hurt him. And he still helped them despite that. He truly has an extremely strong character, probably the strongest out of everyone, or at least the CG.

AND HE SURVIVED BEING LITERALLY POSSESSED TWICE. TWICE. HOW MUCH MENTAL STRENGTH DOES THIS STICK HAVE.

Okay, now to not state the obvious. this whole "analysis" thing is just me stating the obvious anyway idk why u guys seem to like it

Red is smart.

No, Red is really smart.

And I think we, as a fandom, don't give him credit for it. He's always the one to come up with new ideas, and these ideas seem to work. This is shown, mostly, in the Minecart Race episode.

He was the first one to start paddling with his hands.

And the first one to boat on the ice.

And he had the bright idea to use the snowballs.

Even in the Color Sorting short, he had to know at least some kind of coding or engineering to get all the items to become red items. Come on.

And in his tiktok that just came out today, he does so many different, unique moves. In Green's and even Blue's, it's more repetitive, and shorter (though Blue's dancing skills are unmatched ngl).

An in Monster School, they only passed because of his ideas (WHICH THEY HARDLY GAVE HIM CREDIT FOR). Because it was HIM who understood that the bow needed to be flipped around to shoot properly.

And it was HIM who knew that tickling the Enderman would help.

And it was HIM who got them across the ocean to the mountain using the spider.

He is someone who can recognize the potential in his teammates, and recognize what they can do in a given battle.

AND WHAT DOES HE GET FROM THEM? NOTHING. NOTHING. HE GETS BEAT UP. HE GETS STICKING BEAT UP.😭😭😭

So in summary...

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT RED MORE.

(I honestly learned more about Red doing this. It's kinda fun ngl).