#I don't know how else to communicate 2+ simultaneous thought threads

[melchinafan]

Hey wait, I should repost (and elaborate on) my observations and headcanons that I was posting on twitter while the Redfall account was posting promo videos leading up to launch. Leaving out the now-obvious theorizing and cult symbol recognition, it's mostly...no, uh, it's all just Devinder stuff, whoops. (His primary outfit still baffles me in some ways. Also, adding a few things I've noticed in-game so far.)

First, observations:

he's got sharply-square-toed calf-boots (in all his outfits, but especially the default) and I am thoroughly jealous perfect blend of practical with formal vibes, amazing shape without giving up the traction of a good rubber boot sole I NEED THEM

he has three stickers on the back of his phone (in the announcement trailer): one like his UK Cryptid Association patch, one that's a cartoony caped vampire with sunglasses, trying to hide from some bright flashes that says "NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY," and a round one with a simple eye that says "TRUTH SEEKER" along the top (and has a sentence around the bottom, but it's too small and blurry for me to make out, to my eternal lamentations)

his buttons are on the "wrong" side of his shirt when his collar is open (but with the attention to detail otherwise present from the devs, and the fact that they're like that in-game AND the announcement trailer, perhaps it was deliberate and they're magnetic buttons?)

he doesn't appear to be using belt loops in his hero trailer (though he definitely does in the Casual Hunter outfit, so they just probably weren't on that fancy model)

his standard belt is nylon with a quick-release buckle, which is also the buckle style on his backpacks (including the leather one)

his Dapper outfit has a nerdy leather shoulder harness with two pouches, one for his cell phone on his left side, and a paper journal with pen on the right (which would be hidden if he wore a jacket, but per the description of the outfit, "no jacket required")

while there are buckles on the front of said harness, there's also lobster-claw clasps on the back as an alternate release mechanism and very subtle pun

his primary outfit's gloves have a small gold fleur-de-lis printed on the end of the velcro strap, whereas his dapper outfit has driver's gloves with a snap strap

he has orange gloves(?) in his primary outfit, under his leather gloves, which are at least long enough to go well under his sleeves so no skin peeks out (what is this? why does he seem to have layered gloves? are they neat-colored compression gloves? or does he have ballroom-length gloves that match his silk scarf "a gift from [his] parents" awwww, so he can just doff the jacket and leather gloves at any time for a quick dapper look? presumably not, since he removes them for his casual outfit, but I just ??? truly baffling)

attended New College in Oxford doing the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) course (which is apparently a 3-year thing), plus spending "the better part of a decade" cryptid-hunting...if we assume he started hunting after finishing his schooling, and that range being around 7-10 years, he's probably...somewhere between 28-31, maybe? could be younger if there's overlap between them, could be older if he didn't immediately dive directly into each thing

calls his viewers "Dev-iners" how cute is that I love it

seems to be titling his adventures in Redfall as "Delving Into Darkness"

clearly a Doctor Who fan (quotes include "allons-y!" after falling, and "don't blink" when he uses his Blacklight—and his first dapper suit being blue-and-brown could also be a subtle reference along with the fact that he has both a wristwatch and a pocketwatch as a potential "time lord" reference, unless that chain attaches to some other nerdy trinket)

he has written and recorded notes as the descriptions of two legendary weapons (that I've seen), as follows:

Clacker (electric pistol, blue and yellow funky little thing):

Hey Remi! I don't know where you found this thing, looks like it was assembled by an Elwetritsch after a 3 day bender. One of those cultists with more thumbs than sense, no doubt. But I pulled it apart and fixed up a few contacts so the chance of fatally shocking yourself is minimized (note my word choice). Now it's like a little cousin to my Javelin. You know, it's kind of cute now that I'm looking at it. -- D

Snipe Hunter (stake launcher, an unpainted version of what he had in the announcement trailer, with sharpie-scribbled notes in several places on it):

Crousley Tapes (Private) Cortana Suggested Title: "It's a cloudy day and I'm thinking of my mum" [VOICE REC BEGINS] "Note to self, something to file away for later. Whenever it turns foggy like this, like sodden grey cotton, I think of mum. When I was a kid she said that I had a big imagination. Unlike a lot of people, she meant it as a compliment. I saw things, things other people simply missed. But she told me to always trust myself. Sounds easy, but every day since then I've tried to live up to that." [VOICE REC ENDS]

Which leads to: headcanons!

he's the oldest in the group (because Jacob's timeline is fuzzier to me, and Jacob asking "your parents okay with these little field trips of yours?" in Dev's hero trailer is SO much funnier to me if Dev's the oldest)

has chronic pain in (at least) his hands (possibly from piano plus frequent fiddly tinkering, or just General Fuckery that happens for some folks regardless of age—and I assume it's mild to moderate/otherwise fluctuates, since he's clearly not slowing down with tinkering, and is capable of at least short tunes on piano)

specific reasoning/potential evidence for the above includes but is not necessarily limited to: possible compression gloves, quick-release buckles, maybe magnetic buttons, plus the clasps on the back of his nerdy dapper harness (they may be how he does easier release when he struggles with the buckles? assuming his other joints aren't borked, because they're behind him? I'm less clear on if they're actually practical though)

neurodivergent as all get-out (is this even a headcanon, it feels like it's been self-evident from the second he showed up, though the specifics are up to interpretation)

trans/nonbinary because why not, I'm already out here projecting, and he layers enough for the vibe, also "TRANSlocator" puns

bi? ace? monsterfucker? etc.? I don't know, I need to see if anything specific comes up in dialogue at all but he is just so very queer as is the whole cast it's great

he clearly used some research he did into the psychic Nests(/the dream-like Trance) to create his (literally-)dreamy Quantum Kerfuffle decoy (the final Translocator skill), because holy SHIT does that thing draw in every vampire within what I swear is the same radius a Nest covers, it's the most beautiful hazard on the entire island

[parvuls]

so many thoughts about the ted lasso finale but they're all a mess

SPOILERS BITCHES

many people said they found the finale anticlimactic and while i don't necessarily agree, i do see their point. i think the reason is that the s1 finale truly felt like a wrap up episode where all the arcs got an ending (even if the ending had an obvious afterthought that would come in s2, like jamie, like getting relegated, etc.), while the s2 finale was just one huge semicolon where all the arcs got to their peak and we'll only get to see their fallout in the concluding s3.

it's a logical way to format a three seasoned show - s1 serving as an exposition, s2 building up tensions, s3 tying everything with a nice bow - but i guess it is a bit of a frustrating watching experience. literally the only two arcs having a clear ending is the soccer (in the first they get relegated, in the second they get promoted, in the third they win the whole fucking thing - ted promised us that), and nate's arc.

ted spent the whole season struggling to face his mental health issues - which came to a head when he finally confronted his dad's suicide, but then the arc peaked when he decided to turn his circumstances for the better and talk about mental health in sports. the conclusion to ted's personal journey will only come next season, so in fact, after admitting to his problems we haven't seen much progress.

keeley spent the whole season working on her career and slowly allowing herself to express her goal of being the one in charge in the business sense. it came to a head when she got a dream offer, but it all happened in the last possible second so we don't know anything about how she feels, what it's gonna be like, how it's going to affect her life. that would comd in the next season.

roy and keeley spent the first half of the season establishing a serious adult relationship and then the second half tugging on several plot threads of Relationship Issues. this is perhaps the arc I'm least happy with - unlike the others, it didn't even peak. i assumed they'll have a big fight this finale, but instead we got a six week separation keeley claimed is good, while metaphorical ominous music sounded in the air thanks to roy's diamond dogs moment. obviously there's some commitment issues and lack of communication lingering there, but it's just a weird place to leave them off. s3 will simultaneously deal with having that fallout, fixing them and with getting their happy ever after? can't imagine the flow, tbh. sounds too heavy for a season that has so much to accomplish already.

nate's arc, while unbelievably complicated, is the only thing other than soccer that's very very clearly divided into three neat sections. season 1 dealt with him cementing a place within the team, season 2 dealt with his gradual downfall and had an obvious ending when he betrayed them and went to work for rupert (as we predicted), and season 3 will deal with his redemption. i hated nate for a lot of the season, but you have to admire how round his character is, how well he's written and acted. we'll see how they sell him back into our graces, but i've got hopes.

then there are all the things that are kinda floating around and i'm ??? about them, because when your main arcs get left off at their peak on purpose, it's hard to know what else is unresolved on purpose and what's just been neglected. what was the point of sambecca? unless s3 features endgame tedbecca and sam will somehow serve as a plot device for that, i don't understand why it happened, why it was left off like it was, and why no one has voiced concerns yet. what even was jamie's arc in the second half of s2? becoming a team player already started last season and his dad didn't get a resolution. when is the fallout from beard and jane supposed to happen? what was the point of the ted/flo build-up? were they going somewhere with pheobe's school struggles (and the breast drawings)?

i enjoyed this episode more than i expected but i still have more questions than answers for s3, and i'm not sure how i feel. mostly i'm confused and concerned, even though my babies got promoted, which really says a lot.