#Having different interpretations is fine

[venigni]

I don't like when people call the protagonist of Lies of P "Carlo" because I feel like it simultaneously erases the person Carlo was and the person P becomes.

[aeb-art]

somebody's probably done this before but,,, i made an edit

original below vvv

[linddzz]

(regular disclaimer that I will exaggerate big feelings for effect but at the end of the day this is fandom and in the grand scheme of things Just Ain't That Serious good? good)

okok look while I am obviously SOOO into where Arcane went with the Machine/Arcane Herald, I can get why gamers who liked og LoL Viktor would be Big Annoyed at him being totally retconned and overhauled in game. That is undeniably a totally different guy there and yeah it would be shitty to have the guy you like completely swapped out. I can especially get it if they liked the mechanical cyborg engineering aspects of his character!

BU T I keep seeing iterations of "he didn't choose anything for himself he just had things happen to him" or "he just went mystic. he used to be someone who used his genius to remake himself and now he just meditated himself into a wizard" and I am so so down to meet in the pit on those takes!! I get people not liking the less mechanical aspects of him but hhhhhhohmygod do not be taking my guys agency and genius down like that

Yes the initial full fusing with the hexcore is something that happened to him, that someone who loved him maybe too much did to him (almost like Arcane has themes of people being launched down dark paths by things that happen to them beyond their control hMmMmmmmmm!!!) And btw I still hold that while his brain got changed by trauma (bc trauma DOES THAT) and the hexcore helped amplify and empower him leaning into his worst traits, after Jayce forced that initial fusion everything Viktor did was a choice.

But also!! Jayce used Viktor's notes. Viktor was the one who went down and got shimmer, who lied and experimented in secret. He stumbled into noticing the hexcore responding to biological material but then he pursued that avenue (because LIFE is a lot of stumbling into things and then deciding what to do from there), figured out what interdisciplinary collaborations he needed to make, figured out on his FIRST TRY what runes he would need to put where.

And while they don't lean into the mechanical engineering genius as much as the OG Viktor like...guys that's a software engineer with a big scoop of magic theorist on top of it (who then started a pivot into biomechanical arcane theory like THAT). He made a magic AI! Don't go telling me he didn't use his genius to become the Arcane Herald when he made a magic AI and then I got to watch the hexclaw grabbing and programming runes into spells like the coolest shit ever!!

That man figured out how to make Jayce's ideas into reality. He then used the scant knowledge of the arcane that still exists to figure out and recreate, using technology, what mages do by instinct. He made a MAGIC AI HOLY SHIT. Jayce is STILL referencing Viktor's rune theories to figure out the anomaly!!

He did not use the same type of genius to become the same type of Herald, but my guy invented being a technomancer so hard that he turned himself into a magical supercomputer and was so good at THAT that he made himself a robowizard god and I will not be hearing anything belittling how nuts that is!!

[thatswhatsushesaid]

psa that the day there are no jgy stans left on tumblr dot com is the day i am dead

but rest assured i'll go to my grave exactly as i lived: obnoxiously proclaiming to everyone within earshot how great lianfang-zun is. narratively, metaphorically, spiritually. sexually, too, like why limit myself. i like to keep my options open

[wishchip106]

it genuinely baffles me when people say they don’t see cherik as romantic or they view them as brothers

how do you look at these guys and not see their very obvious toxic, homoerotic, tragic situationship that’s the most dramatic thing you’ve ever witnessed in history

like hello? what were you reading/watching? 😭

[sunburstsandmoonshadows]

Idk if you're still taking requests but if you are can you do transfem!Dipper X Pacifica plz 🙏🏼 [if not that's chill ^_^]

doing other people's hair is for poor people, dipper

also here's a doodle of transfem dipper i made trying to think of how she'd look. i think it's a fun headcanon and re-contextualization of dipper's struggles with not feeling masculine enough.

seriously i wore skorts as a preteen (skirts with built-in shorts underneath, to those not familiar) and you could stick two chihuahuas each into their pockets, i have no idea why. i feel like dipper would appreciate that in clothing.

[windwenn]

Stuff i've been thinking about a lot recently (not unrelated to my feelings about star trek)

[licorishh]

the way people blur the lines between canon and fanon in star wars (especially in regards to tcw) and just Decide that their fanon interpretation is actually how it is and that anybody who interprets it differently is outright Wrong is so funny to me. like, fanon fives is actually just canon hardcase. fanon kix is actually just canon jesse. fanon tup is actually just canon kix. the idea that ahsoka is still a crazy chaos gremlin after she's expelled from the order isn't actually supported in canon and yet everybody just accepts it and is surprised when you point out that no, she actually mellows out a LOT after that. fives isn't ever a crazy flirtatious goofball. not once. in reality, his most noticeable traits are his kindness, intelligence and determination; almost the polar opposite of the widespread fanon interpretation. fives and ahsoka never actually interact in the entire show. in fact, ahsoka almost never interacts with any clones other than rex and a few others here and there. rex relaxes and becomes far more comfortable with himself and with the people around him pretty early on in the show; he's not uppity and stiff or oblivious or half the things everybody's just Decided he is. fox's entire personality and life is completely made-up by the fanbase. most people interpret anakin and obi-wan's dynamic as being like that of a son and father, but by obi-wan's own admission, he actually thinks of anakin more like a brother. cody's not a ridiculously strict rule-follower or chaos gremlin; he's actually pretty laid-back and chill.

it's so funny. how did we all just decide en masse that these things are the case??

anyway i really like it when people shake it up a bit and do something different.

[itadooori]

my slightly cohesive squid game s3 thoughts (SPOILERS)

obligatory disclaimer that i am NOT trying to tell anyone that they're stupid or illiterate if they don't agree with this. you're more than entitled to your own feelings about s3, these just happen to be mine. i'm not looking to fight with anyone, i just thought i'd share some things that may help someone come to peace with season three a little more. buckle up folks this is a YAPFEST

To preface this, I want to say that whenever I interact with a series and it makes a decision I don't like and/or don't understand, I try my hardest to figure out why it's there. This is essentially what this post is: me figuring out why the things that happened in squid game s3 happened. Some of the things still bother me despite the reasons I've seen, and some things I've made a bit of peace with.

Over the weekend I've been formulating my thoughts about s3 and the finale. I also read some interviews explaining certain choices, as well as posts from people who liked the ending/the season and people who disliked the ending/the season. I wanted to give myself a bit of time to post about this with a clearer head, and also wanted to try to understand the message HDH was trying to send.

I've given myself some time to process Gi-hun's death, and I think I'm actually okay with it? I've always kept his death as a real possibility in mind, so the fact he died didn't shock me, but did devastate me as he is my favorite character. I honestly loved the journey that Gi-hun's character went through this season as a whole, it was so full of grief and despair and was extremely heart-wrenching.

Some posts that helped ease my mind a bit about Gi-hun's choice (as well as some of the finale as a whole) are this and this.

(I also found this post to be interesting and it opened my mind up to some deeper thinking, so I'd give it a look if you're interested!)

Now. I want to admit: I am not as unhappy with the ending as much as I initially was. After reading some of HDH's words and other peoples' analysis on the ending, I'm starting to understand the angle it's going for, and I do appreciate it.

Obviously, my critiques haven't vanished -- I have my fair share of things I'm not happy about. I wish that In-ho had a bit more screen-time. I heavily dislike how Jun-ho's character was handled in s3. I also think that the pacing was off in places, notably in the latter half of the season. And of course, I do wish that the reveal scene had a bit More to it.

Also I just dislike the idea of an American spinoff so I was bound to dislike that last scene LMAO but that seems more like Netflix meddling than anything HDH wanted.

HOWEVER, there were also several things this season that did hit me very hard, and that I hold close to my heart. Many, many people have brought up (and rightfully criticized) the things I mentioned above, and I feel that elaborating on those points would be regurgitating what's already out there. So I'll spend some time talking about the things I DID enjoy in s3:

• IDK if this is a hot take or not, but I really loved the Dae-ho and Gi-hun stuff. It was so fucking dark and the furthest we've ever seen Gi-hun fall and I enjoyed every second of it. I don't think Gi-hun was simply mad at Dae-ho about the ammo; that was only part of it. Dae-ho I think on a narrative level served as Gi-hun's internal monologue towards himself, and I think this is backed up by the fact Seon-nyeo tells him that killing Dae-ho will clear his bad karma. And in that altered state of mind, induced by a psychotic break, he believed that. Obviously, when he killed Dae-ho that caused some sort of Realization, which is why he switches from "it's your fault" to "it's my fault" as he attempts suicide again. Also, on the topic of Dae-ho, if you're upset about the military reveal, I'd recommend reading this post because Netflix fucked up the subtitles and I think the more accurate translation falls more in line with his character.

• As a trans person, I honestly liked how Hyun-ju's death was handled. Her death did not strike me as uniquely gore-y or horrible, nor was it tied to her transness. It was tied to her core traits of kindness and commitment to other people. Her death, imo, continued to humanize her. I hope that her existence helped open up some peoples' minds.

• I loved the callbacks to Sae-byeok. First, the more subtle one of Gi-hun telling Geum-ja that he's "not that kind of person" just hit me like a TRAIN. I teared up. And then when Gi-hun had an outright flashback to Sae-byeok when he once again thought about killing someone in their sleep, I actually bawled.

• The entire Gi-hun/In-ho flashback sequence with the dagger. I have no notes. That was beautifully done and one of the best scenes in the entire season imo.

• MIN-SU'S ENTIRE JOURNEY IN S3 WAS REALLY COMPELLING TO ME?? I already really liked him before, but I was absolutely enamored by what they did with him. The hallucinations were genuinely terrifying, and him finally taking Se-mi's hand in death actually made me tear up. I love that lil guy. He straight up went thru every circle of hell.

• Geum-ja's speech to Gi-hun was very very touching. Both of these characters just went through the worst day Ever and yet she still shows him kindness and a reason to keep going. I love all the subtle expressions LJJ displays in this scene too.

• I liked that No-eul got a good ending. She deserved it. I'm glad that she gets to reunite with her daughter, a reflection of something Gi-hun didn't get to do.

• The tragedy between Geum-ja and Yong-sik....goddddddddd I wept.

• Seeing Gi-hun carrying around Jun-hee's baby was like cocomelon to me. The way he smiled at her had me sooo weak I love him so much.

• Woo-seok's little side plot was fun and I liked seeing him get some spotlight.

• Jun-ho not wanting to become a cop again LMFAO I loved that the story still sticks to its dislike of cops and the justice system.

• Of course, as always, the cast's acting was absolutely phenomenal. Even for scenes I don't like, the actors did the best that they could and I think they deserve recognition for that.

There are some more things I could list, but this post is getting long enough lmfaoo

Now, I believe that my feelings on season three are more complex than they were initially. I feel a little isolated from the majority of the fandom right now because while I have my issues, I don't Hate it. Far from it, honestly. It feels more like a "i enjoy many things about this, and i understand and appreciate the message being sent, i just wish that some of it was done Better" type thing.

I've also been looking at squid game, especially season three, similarly to how I'd look at a Greek tragedy. Squid game shares a lot of key elements you see in them: dramatic irony, hubris, hamartia (a fatal flaw or lapse in judgement leading to a character's downfall), peripeteia (a sudden reversal of circumstances), catharsis (emotional release), and moral dilemmas. The themes also overlap, and I'm reminded of tragedies like Electra. And I think that some of s3's choices make a little bit of sense if you see the story as emulating a Greek tragedy; I'm not saying you have to like it, but for me it made me more understanding of the message being conveyed.

Finally, I want to say that my love for squid game hasn't diminished at all, and I won't be leaving the fandom any time soon. Even with my complicated feelings about s3, I still think s1 and s2 are incredible and it's worth sticking around even just for them.

TLDR; my thoughts are still complicated, but i don't think the season is as bad as i initially thought

[many-gay-magpies]

I just finished watching The Old Guard (banger movie by the way, absolutely recommend if anyone’s been debating it), so naturally my brain went the route of Old Guard DBDA au. I don’t know any details; all I can think of so far is that Charles and Edwin are a pair of immortals that have been at it for a while together, and the timeline of the story starts with the appearance of a new immortal: Crystal. As for what’s beyond that, idk—are there other people on Charles’s and Edwin’s immortal team? Or are they just a duo? Idk if the immortality loss thing happens to either of them, I’m leaning towards no if it’s just the two of them… but like. It would fit SO well.

I’m already kind of envisioning that it’s just been Edwin and Charles, doing good and helping people from the shadows for decades (or maybe even centuries if we stretch out the timeline a bit); not a direct role-for-role cast replacement of the Old Guard, but more of an insertion into the story structure/world. Like, Edwin as the older of the two, having become immortal a while before Charles and almost immediately getting trapped and spending a canon-adjacent length of time being tortured for his abilities—then escaping a short while before Charles appears and he starts having dreams about him. Their deaths could even be similar to canon: Edwin gets sacrificed (literal sacrifice rather than a prank this time) or maybe even put to death for suspected homosexuality and comes back; Charles dies of hypothermia and internal bleeding after his “friends” turn on him, but he doesn’t STAY dead. Edwin has dreams of cold, and pain—utter impenetrable cold—and of an attic, and a lake, and he sees Charles’s face—he decides he has to find him.

Then Crystal comes around, and maybe she has a similar background to canon—maybe even with the memory loss? Like, her toxic ex-boyfriend kills her and she comes back without a bunch of her memories—some kind of complication with the process—and she gets them back gradually over the course of the story (probably as multiple deaths clear things up/shift things back to normal). When Charles and Edwin find her, there’s a lot of complicated emotions, stemming from—well, both of them wondering why NOW, why another one after probable centuries of it just being them, but where Edwin is resistant and standoffish (he doesnt trust new people this close, why did it have to change, their life was FINE as it was), Charles is excited to have a new person around!! Someone they won’t lose!! Someone like them!! And meanwhile Crystal is just,, fucking REELING from this and also maybe being stalked by her crazy power-hungry toxic ex-boyfriend who was maaaaybe in the government the whole time and dating her because her parents had whopping political status. It’s a lot.

Shit, maybe Esther could even be another immortal—one Edwin and Charles don’t know about; one that’s removed from the dream-connection somehow, or one that they haven’t been able to pin down/get clear enough memories from to realize it’s a whole other person and not just, like, them having weird dreams and shit. And maybe Esther LOSING her immortality correlates with Crystal gaining hers, and Esther tries to figure out a way to steal the boys’ immortality somehow to get hers back… or maybe she’s NOT an immortal, but more of a Merrick-type character that finds out about the immortals and wants to take their power for herself? Idk.

Last thing I’ve been thinking about is, I want Niko to be an immortal too… but is she an immortal from the start? Probably not. Maybe she’s a normal mortal girl they meet while dealing with Esther and all get really attached to, who then breaks everyone’s hearts by dying when she tries to help Crystal get the boys back from Esther, providing Crystal’s first big lesson about the futility of relationships with normal human beings (while still being worth the pain for the value of the love while its there)… UNTIL she comes to in her grave in Japan weeks or months later, and the inside of a coffin shows up in all of their dreams. Or something.

I am hereby inviting anyone who wishes to participate in this idea with me to do so, in any way you please

[lovelylixie]

this is pretty long and might be a little ramble-y but it's like 1:30 rn and i've been writing this since like 11pm as i rewatched the movie for the 7th time... i've been getting sidetracked as well but that's not the point.

anyways, here's a speculative/opinionated essay on k-pop demon hunters for no reason except that i'm autistic, hyperfixated and opinionated!! this isn't meant to come off as aggressive or rude, i'm just extremely blunt when it comes to my opinions 😭 so please keep that in mind. i'm not trying to invalidate anyone's opinions or headcanons!! hopefully i'm not just entirely preaching to the choir here lmao. my credentials? i've watched the movie 8 times.

i truly believe rumi's patterns and her hiding them are a metaphor for talking about your feelings. when she talks to jinu, her voice gets better. the patterns seem to recede a little. it's a subtle way of saying that you have to talk about your feelings or have some kind of actual outlet to function properly. you also need to take breaks—it's a commentary on korea's intense work culture. you can't just work work work and then be shocked when you physically/mentally can't anymore. the lines "i tried to hide, but something broke" and "we can't fix it if we never face it" in the song free support this.

the doctor guy also says that "to heal/treat the part, you have to understand the whole". he also says that "focusing on one part leads to ignoring other parts, making you separated, isolated". zoey follows up by saying "emotionally closed off?" and the doctor enthusiastically agrees. mira calls her a workaholic and says she doesn't know how to relax (she launched golden immediately after their tour when they were supposed to take a break i mean come on 😭/lh). while the doctor is kind of a fraud, he does make an extremely valid point.

rumi also seems to be pretty depressed and suicidal. it's most evident when she goes to celine and asks her to "do what she should've done a long time ago". there's also the "i've been a mistake since the moment i was born" thing. and the way she sings "a demon with no feelings don't deserve to live" on the train—she looks so sad and self-loathing. she acts like she's fine and that's part of the problem. she's holding it all in and it's tearing her apart.

another quote that stands out to me is from zoey when she says "how can we be together when we can't tell your lies from your truths, rumi?". speaking from experience, it can be a little difficult to be friends with someone when you can't tell if they're lying to you or not, especially if you're only trying to help but they just lie that they're fine. it might be easier in the moment to pretend to be fine, but it's not good for anyone in the long run. as seen in the movie, it can easily ruin relationships. celine taught rumi to hide how she feels all the time and that ended up ruining their relationship as well. she tells rumi that "our faults and fears must never be seen. it's the only only way to protect the honmoon." which is awfully similar to "hide your feelings so you don't burden others".

this post is about rumi's patterns specifically. based off of what happens in the movie, this doesn't seem to fully apply to a human-turned-demon's patterns (like jinu's). while it can be a similar case for one of those kinds of demons, it does seem to be fundamentally different. their patterns are not inherently the same kind of metaphor, but the human-turned-demon patterns can definitely be a metaphor for working on, for example, jealousy before it consumes you.

this is long enough and i'm way too tired to break 'this is what it sounds like' down so i'm just... not gonna 😭😭 have a great day HRMCUDJ i'm going to bed (definitely not i'm actually gonna watch dandadan 🤫)

(please read the tags as well)

[titanfalling3]

just remembered how trevor's statement wherein he describes his brother's violent death at the hands of something he does not understand while he was frozen with terror and unable to save him then him dedicating his life to hunting down the things that killed his brother out of both revenge and the hope that it will prevent similar devastation to others had fucking tim assigned to do the followup. how are you all doing tonight.

[lenucciaurl]

if one more person tries to claim that the oh hellos are no longer christian i am going to lose my shit

[angelsdean]

sometimes you just have to say: your interpretation is not my interpretation and move on with your day. even when it's people you like and respect like, sometimes people's headcanons just do not jive. it's fine. and being able to respectfully disagree and move on is so important. no one is ever going to see things exactly how you see them. even when you check a lot of boxes with other people, there will always be one headcanon or interpretation where you disagree, sometimes in really big ways, and it's fine

[starbuck]

the worst part of taking statistics is thinking about doing statistics and the best part of taking statistics is actually doing statistics.

[90stvqueen]

"i hate romeo & juliet because people think the tragedy is the lovers but the real tragedy is the society that made them" okay so. you Don't hate romeo & juliet. you just like hearing yourself talk