#Subtext and symbolism y'all

[alcida-auka]

The Bad Batch season 3 already had puberty/menarche/period symbolism in episode 3 but as the saying goes, y'all are not ready for that conversation.

[aletterinthenameofsanity]

Lauren/Mia playlist!

Listen, Power Rangers Samurai was my first Power Rangers show. I watched it when I was eleven with my little brother and it has a very special place in my heart- which means I am the first one to say that some of the decisions made in canon pissed me off. Making Lauren the first female Red Ranger and the first Red Ranger to fail to defeat her Big Bad? I still get a pit in my stomach thinking about it and it has been TWELVE YEARS.

So in this fic, I wanted to dedicate time to exploring her backstory going into Samurai as well as the aftermath of the show (and, yes, she gets to be part of the final push to defeat Xandred because I'm not an idiot). As an asexual lesbian, Lauren has a LOT of trauma wrapped up in the training process/her isolation/the fact that she had to give birth to a daughter to maintain the bloodlines (hello, Hatsu Shiba, one of my favorite OCs in this series). But with Mia and Lauren's friends and her brother, she gets to learn how to recover and how to be an aunt to the daughter she was made to have. This fic is angry and bitter and sweet and devastating and healing and it meant so much to me writing it back then. It definitely stands the test of time, too!

@skyland2703 @madhare0512 @khruschevshoe @liveinalovelyway @disastardly @augment-techs @our-raven-strife-universe @infinitysgrace @estel-eruantien

[line-of-fire]

This is such an inconsequential detail but, in any sort of 'ending' for Pixie, in any timeline, that involves her leaving special forces/active duty military, she grows out her hair.

It isn't much longer than when it's at her longest verse-wise (chin-length, just long enough to be pulled back into a low ponytail), but it's long enough to reach + (barely) go past her shoulders.

[darkcircles4lyfe]

it's a story about hands (reprise)

Yeah, okay, today's the day.

I gave my blog that title for a reason, you know, and it has loomed over me for years because the hand motif is absolutely everywhere and you could go on about it forever.

Maybe that's something I'll never actually attempt to do, but this chapter, we reached a breaking point.

Before I continue, I need to give a big, big disclaimer: I do not have a physical disability, so I'm not able to speak about that from the standpoint of representation as a first-hand perspective. I have at least listened to enough disabled people to know that fictional characters who become amputees only to miraculously gain their limbs back is, um, a trope. Disabled people in general being "healed" is a conception we would really prefer to avoid here. Not to call people out, but I don't think we're giving enough space to acknowledge that.

I don’t feel comfortable making the judgement call about what should happen. I’m leaving that open. I also don't want to downplay people's emotional reactions. Honestly, I don't know if I can accurately define the line between acknowledging real pain vs. ableist pity. But I’d like to talk about the possibilities of what could happen. Other characters have definitely gotten permanent disabilities as a result of their hero work, or even just the side effects of their quirk. But, for better or worse, I don't think this case is really about representation. Not that Horikoshi won't do that justice. He might. What I'm saying is that's not his purpose for having Izuku lose his arms. It's meant to be symbolic, so we can explore what it means. The other thing I’m keeping in mind here is that Horikoshi is notorious for playing with our expectations, like, alllllll the time. I mean, just take a few chapters ago for a classic example. Eri appeared at the end, and we all assumed she was about to take some sort of action to save someone with her quirk. Then, immediately following, we were given an explanation for why that wouldn’t be happening. And now it’s clear he wanted to do that “fake out” not just as a silly cliffhanger prank, but specifically so we would know not to suspect that Eri could be the miraculous solution to Izuku’s loss of his arms. Rest assured, there is no easy way out of this.

The expectation at play in this particular instance is an old one. It’s very understated, but its subtext has burned so brightly, you’d be a fool not to notice it. It sits with anticipation like one half of a call and response. Man, I was so certain. Lots of people still are. I was really looking forward to printing the panel where it happened onto a t shirt and wearing it proudly. All the hand motifs in this story radiate thematically from a single moment, the one that started it all for Izuku.

It raises all kinds of questions about the act of saving, who needs saving, why, what does it mean, what are the dynamics of power, politics, honesty, exploitation, compassion, pity, disdain, sacrifice. Katsuki has dealt with many of these since he first rejected Izuku’s hand. While Izuku was the one who was convinced Katsuki would keep on rejecting him…

…Katsuki was the one who kept that moment in his mind all these years and eventually came to regret it.

Katsuki is the one yearning for that hand-hold, the one who has imbued it with so much more weight than it ever originally had. Izuku, in contrast, does not allow himself to dwell on what he wants. To illustrate this difference, we need to look at another piece of foreshadowing:

Ugh, do y'all remember when lots of folks were complaining about how there never seemed to be actual consequences for Izuku's destructive treatment of his own body? I don't blame them, I was concerned and confused about it too. There were several "fixes" along the way. Recovery Girl healed him, but left a physical reminder. Then he started training to fight with his legs… sometimes. Then he got support items. All of these were unsatisfying non-conclusions because they didn't present Izuku with a lasting enough impression to change in a meaningful way. They didn't address his core, his origin.

Of course, that all changed this chapter. Now it looks like our frustration was inflicted intentionally. With the current context in mind, all of these moments look more sinister, like this day was always gonna come because they kept putting bandaids on a deep emotional and psychological wound. The problem is pretty much spelled out for us here:

As Katsuki put it, he just doesn’t take himself into account, ya know? He doesn’t care what happens to him. And he lies about it, to keep others from worrying, to keep them safe. To keep them from returning the favor and putting themselves in harm’s way for his sake. His motivations are noble,

…but what about the little boy inside Izuku? Who saves him?

This is all about Izuku giving himself up to the point that he literally has no more to give. The thing is, I bet he saw this coming. He knew his limits and decided to keep going anyway, because his personal safety and wellbeing are not important. Now that way of thinking has come back to bite him because the fight isn’t over yet, and he’s already made his sacrifice. So now we know who will be more distraught over this. Not Izuku—Katsuki.

It’s not about Izuku becoming disabled, it’s about how Katsuki wanted to use the intertwining of their fingers to communicate that he would never let go. Never stop valuing him most. Never let himself make the mistake of rejecting him again. Never let Izuku be so reckless with his life. To say: “we are in this together.”…if only Katsuki believed he deserved to be able to say such things. To reach out his hand would have been the ultimate way to simply imply them and let Izuku be the one to decide. Then, to feel their hands clasped together would be more than either of them dared hope for, but so beautiful, so right. A moment they’ve waited their whole lives for.

Yeah. That’s what we were expecting. We’ve been so comfortable. Horikoshi gave us all the signs. He tempted and teased us over and over. BUT. You know he does this thing were he gives us a desirable, completely plausible and simple thing to look forward to, and then he snatches it away. And THEN he replaces it with something much better, something we were not expecting at all because it seemed too good to be true. That’s exactly what happened when Himiko snatched Izuku away, and we were robbed of the chance to see him and Katsuki fight together. In hindsight, though, I’m glad things went a different way because now there’s so much more depth and angst on display. Likewise, in the present moment, we may consider how, as one door closes, another opens.

As wonderfully meaningful as the hand-hold would have been, perhaps it is still too simple a resolution for Izuku, for his and Katsuki’s relationship. Tbh, it could have been done like 100 chapter ago. At this point, there’s so much more potential. There are a couple of ways it could go. If Izuku stays armless, Katsuki will be forced to use other methods to get his point across. He’ll have to do something else, or say what he means, or both. Yes, I’m talking about what you think I’m talking about. If I say it, I just might jinx it (lol), but I mean it. I’m being serious. Either way, if Izuku did get his arms back in the end, I’m sure that it wouldn’t be an easy fix. It would be hard-won against Izuku’s self-destructive mindset, and/or by Katsuki’s conviction. Again, I say this knowing it is not meant so much as a representation of disability, but as a representation of Izuku’s greatest character flaw taken to the extreme. I know this might sound harsh, like, hasn’t he been through enough? I get that, but… I’ve said it before and I say it again: Izuku is stubborn as hell.

I wish I had a resounding final note to end this on, but I kinda don’t. I’m not sure what’s best. Now we just have to wait and see what Horikoshi has in mind.

[stevejobsbuysasamsung]

Why 'The Naked Time' says so much about Spock and Kirk's relationship

Okay y'all buckle up, because I'm 'bouta read too much into subtext and symbolism for my own good,,,

In saying that, I feel that this episode reveals so much about Spock and Kirk. It portrays their attitudes and feelings towards love, relationships, and... each other??!?!?!

The premise of this episode is that there is a disease transmitted through touch. It leads the victims the descend into a form of 'madness'. The disease's manifestation is related to the individual's inner psyche; Spock himself says it forces 'hidden personality traits ... to the surface'. This happens to Sulu, who starts to yield a fencing sword towards other crewpeople on the ship. Given his love for fencing, and that he is 'at heart a swashbuckler', the illness has responded to this. This is foreshadowed by the word 'naked' in the title: to mean bare, undisguised, as you are.

Christine Chapel soon becomes ill with this disease. She confesses her love for Spock and reaches out to touch his hands. Spock flinches at first but does not choose to resist as she continues. Significantly, she says she is in love with 'the human Mister Spock, the Vulcan Mister Spock.' Chapel finishes with, 'I do love you just as you are.'

Summarily, Spock becomes incapacitated in two ways; by the physical touch of Chapel, he has the illness; but also by the denigration of logic and surfacing of repressed emotions. I mean, why does Spock hold on to Chapel's fervourous touch and apologises to her profusely, multifold? By what logic would permit this? Surely no logic that abides by the teachings of his Vulcan upbringing.

Spock is visibly overwhelmed by the confession. That, not only is he loved, he is loved as a Vulcan and as a human - a dual identity that Spock struggles to live with.

Importantly, for Spock this disease reveals the unresolved tensions of these identities and the vigorous dedication he has to silencing his human side with Vulcan logic. Spock stumbles out, tearful, and plaintively cries that he is in control of his emotions. He grasps a computer of all things, the zenith of binary choices and answers, of perhaps Vulcan logic. Then, he assures himself that he is a science officer - a professional observer - an identity which would somehow negate the feelings he is experiencing. But even scientists, humans, and Vulcans can experience emotions, and this fact, coupled with the encumberment of this disease, causes Spock to unravel.

The height of this episode, for me, is when Kirk finds him. Through glassy windows of tears, Spock looks to Kirk and laments that he can never tell his mother that he loves her (because he is Vulcan). He then looks to Kirk and says, 'when I feel friendship for you, I'm ashamed'. The emotion that Spock is battling is not grief, anger, sadness, but, let's face it, love.

When they start slapping each other, they actually... tightly hold hands. To me, they're ferociously making out, full pash sesh, heaving petting.

And where, earlier, in a similar embrace, Spock found himself restricted by Chapel, Spock holds on to Kirk's hand for dear life.

This next bit seems like it runs unparallel to Spirk as a ship, but let me explain why it doesn't. Kirk contracts the disease from Spock, and also battles with the impossibility of love as the Ship's Captain. This love is dedicated to his yeoman. Immediately, it seems as if Spock has ... recovered? He switches off, begins to take control of the situation and the impending doom that would occur if they don't get power for something something sciency words something to do with engines. When Spock seeks Kirk in this state, it's as if he has responded to Kirk's lack of affection. The illness appears to recede.

Where this comes full circle is with the writing on the wall (literally). Spock observes, 'Love Mankind' on the wall.

This may relate to embracing his human side, and further his love for Kirk.

Kirk's writing on the wall? In the turbolift, upon finishing his comments about his love for his yeoman, is faced with:

What must Kirk repent for as a sinner? Can I be bold and say this might be about lying as a sin, perhaps?

Anyway. It is 1.30 am, I need to fight with the writers of this episode and I need to put my creative writing skills to use somewhere else, probably. I hope you enjoyed the mess that lives in my mind and my attempt to coherently collate what was a dozen voice messages sent to my best friends who are sleeping. I should probably sleep too...

[dephirium]

Dephi's predictions.

Hello. A bunch of people a lot smarter than me have already analyzed aspects of the prologue but I am bored and I want to get my thoughts out. General who I think survives or kills, ideas of what is going to happen, questions set up, directions of character arcs — That kind of stuff. It is just word vomit.

This is going to age like milk fast, I bet (I wrote this after the prologue was released). Also warning I have bad memory so correct me if I got a fact wrong or something, I rewatched the prologue sleep deprived so I am bound to make mistakes.

Spoilers for the prologue and stuff. Duh...

Also beware swearing, unfunny humor and the obligatory ''I am not above biases and personal taste'' warning.

Holy shit this took a while to make.

Miscellaneous hopes / guesses

(Considering the game's heavy ties with religion, here's a small blurb on that) I am not into religion and I have enough religious trauma as is but I think it would be very cool if there was a trial that paralleled the Ark of Noe situation; Someone saving only themselves, who god has deemed worthy, and leaving the sinners to drown is kind of similar to the death game premise. Also a case paralleling the Adam & Eve situation would be a neat but obvious pick considering the game's emphasis on it in their symbolism and themes. Just. The murders having some kind of tie-in with religion itself would be so interesting even if only on subtext.

Wonder why they didn't try to break the windows in the whole ‘Panicking bcs the gas’ bit (I mean yes it is necessary for the narrative for the characters to be put unconscious but it seems weird that nobody even attempted it or addressed it after-the-fact, nonetheless. Specially considering that they specifically addressed how helmet-wearing Jett was knocked out). Though Damon was very quick to fall, so maybe they did try it after he was knocked unconscious. Ah also it is very unlikely they were out for more than a day or two (because there are actually a lot of semantics involved in taking care of someone who is unconscious / unresponsive — and none of them are pretty y'all). Or maybe they did. Who knows with Danganronpa logic /shrug

Also the train was mentioned to be worse for wear than expected. Chekov's gun tells me it wasn't the actual train for Eden's Academy and they just yoinked the cast before the real one could arrive. As to the people Grace saw, it is likely that they were the mastermind group (The paintings depict many animals which could mean a group instead of a individual / the deadass confirmation we get with the tree of ignorance folk), hence why the knocking agent was planted beforehand.

What if Eden's garden is literally just a facade for talent yoinkers to kidnap and make ppl kill each other and who survives gets roped into the group lol. /hj

THE FUCK IS THE LIQUID ON THE BASEMENT??? It is not water, as it appears to be non-conductive, is way too much to seem like oil... Just. That whole sequence in the boiler room was so fucking weird, man. Is it water but doesn't touch any electrical wiring (Despite, I believe, the cables being mentioned as exposed)? is it NOT water? WHY IS THIS RELEVANT. IS THE DEATH GAME BEING HOSTED CLOSE TO WATER?

How fucking long did Damon and Eva take to get to the kitchen lol? Because they saw Akire on the floor (That was Akire, right? I remember the shoes looking like formal-wear...) and bee-lined to the kitchen afterward. Even supposing that canonically Damon checked every basement door to spite Eva (which isn't very long because Damon kind of gets bored after a bit of checking each room / is actually very on character so probably he did thinking about it), that leaves like... 10 minutes, tops. It just reads as weird in my opinion. Wonder if that is going to be mentioned later on.

I saw the walkthrough because my laptop had a aneurysm trying to load the game, but like. The tree of ignorance room has these... Egyptian hieroglyphs (?) Looking things that make me think that that's what going to open after each chapter / death. They look like mall stores what the fuck is this place (also it appears to have a second floor for what I remember ?)

Mara and Cara are very similar names. Wonder if they are related or something (they also both share a motif of guns) lol.

It is very likely that this isn't the first killing game, as per Cara's situation. However, it is very likely that it was a student council situation (meaning a "no trial just kill each other'' kind of deal), which would explain why Cara had a gun (because so far we haven't seen anywhere on the killing game ground that has access to fire weapons) and how the fuck the killer got away with such a simple killing plan.

Also considering the fact that all the cast calls Cara's murderer a man (idk why if gender neutral pronouns exist but ok) and that Tozu exists, it could be likely that he was Cara's murderer, and he won his killing game. or something. This also could explain why Tozu wanted them to solve how the culprit did it and not who the culprit is — He probably already knows who it was.

Considering what I said about Mara and Cara being similar, it kind of fits. That or he's related to a character of the cast. Maybe Wolfgang, considering his sheep-adjacent mask. Or both idk

It is very unlikely there's a mastermind amongst the students (kind of duh considering Tozu's whole ordeal, but still). However that doesn't remove the possibility of a traitor.

Speaking of, the death game grounds seem... Small? Like sure there's the living quarters, the "outside" and the tree of ignorance and they are somewhat big in their own right, but it just feels. Small in the context of official Danganronpa games. It is likely a engine limitation / self-imposed limitation for the devs sanity, probably, because doing a bigger environment would be more troublesome, but nonetheless I'm excited to see how they utilize the space. Maybe the areas that will open up in the tree of ignorance will help freshen things up.

GUESSES I HAVE FOR KILLING THINGS:

The locks in the living grounds are likely to become relevant in a trial (Probably the first), likely locking the cast out while the murderer is still inside? For what I remember the people who woke up on the tree of ignorance are not aware of the locks existence (Living quarters / outsiders are, however - Toshiko used them after all) and that could be weaponizable information in the trial.

I am super sure a death happens in the outside's fancy marble thingy and it will be beautiful and tragic.

Damon Maitsu

The vent connecting the boiler room to the kitchen is SO fucking obviously to be used as a killer's escape route I almost expect it to not be used just to spite us.

Start of prologue: Togami kinnie?

End of prologue: DAMON STOP UNLEASHING YOUR INNER TOGAMI GODDAMMIT

I have seen people speculating that Damon is going to die and there's going to be a Kaede / Shuichi protag switch, but honestly? I don't really see that happening considering the prologue already set up a very interesting character arc for him. BUT, I do see likely that there's a Komaeda chapter 4 situation where there's a POV switch for a bit with either Eva or Akire, most likely Eva because of her status as co-protag and/or sidekick.

Nonetheless, it is obvious that Damon is going to go through a character arc so he stops being such an ass to people. I love the guy but yes he needs to be knocked down that unhealthy mindset of his.

Because of his isolation from his peers it is likely that his motives to kill, if there are any, are family driven (It is also likely the fuck has heavy family issues because he kins togami too hard and that asshole didn't have a good relationship with his parents neither) the killing motives are likely to give us the context as to what nurtured this fuck’s god/inferiority complexes. Also because of this he would have the "protag doesn't have that big an incentive to kill" motive detachment like mister I Pissed The Bed Makoto Naegi.

Also people who are unable to see a nuanced / different take on the protagonist like Damon or Teruko on Despair Time without calling them names or misreading their characters pisses me off SO much, specially with Damon (Teruko is a different can of worms I am not opening today tyvm) because I am able to sympathize with him as someone ND who at some point decided to isolate from others and put this front of being a purely logical zero puny emotions individual because logic was just easier than facing complicated emotions I wasn't taught how to express and / or would be berated for. He's a interesting character a great deviation of the goody-two-shoes protagonist trope. I can't wait to see what they do with him and see him suffer and earn friendships with the cast.

Eva Tsukasa

I could go into detail but I am not that eloquent and other people have talked about it better. Here is a blurb-analysis of Damon in general and here is a analysis of him through the neurodivergent lens. Any opinion I have about the bastard is vocalized better by those two ngl (Eternity's Damon fics are also very good!) . I'll probably do my own separate blog about him if I have the energy, but I feel like I would just repeat points made better by other people.

Start of prologue: Pls don't be Kirigiri

End of prologue: PLS DON'T BE KOKICHI

Eva had a rough beginning because the first impression she gave was Kirigiri kinnie vibes and fun fact i fucking hated kirigiri on dr1 so i wasn't liking where this was going. That changed around 5 dialogues in with her saying she bridal carried Damon, which made me less prone to hate her on pure instinct. She's interesting! I like her a lot. I like the way that she and Damon share their pessimistic pragmatism and are the only two to shut down the whole buddy-buddy prospect; They both are very similar in a lot of ways, almost like character foils (but not quite — That's Akire) in a certain way. I cannot wait to see what they do with her talent, one of the most interesting ones I have seen in any fangan (though I do find it kinda dumb and a bit on the nose in a light hearted way).

Now onto the biased opinions — I think they shoot her shot way too early. While, yes, I found it very interesting that they didn't beat around the bush and didn't do the "ult ???" thing (I kinda find that troupe obnoxious at this point), I do view the fact that Eva's ultimate was revealed this early a very odd writing choice (and the reveal a bit clunky in personal writing taste). A good way to create intrigue and tension since the prologue to get the audience hooked, but I do wonder how do they plan to utilize her and this early reveal. In fact, if anything, this early reveal and her Eve motif - who doomed both her and Adam out of heaven's gates, and is literally implied to be bad since her conception out of Adam's left rib - make me wonder if she's being set up in a Rantaro fashion, and she'll be the reason the game starts (probably victim). I kinda hope not. She's an interesting character even if I believe that the most relevant part of her narrative was given far too early (although I do want to know how tf is Liar an ultimate talent).

Diana Venicia

Start of prologue: animal crossing character core

End of prologue: ... Are you a traitor lol?

She's a sweetheart and I don't trust it. With her sweet persona and her chameleon theming, she just screams killer red flags to me. I am unsure when exactly would she crack, but I think it would be kind of early on, like chapter 1-3 type of early. I think bears mention that everyone and their mom has called out the fact that Kara's dummy is way too realistic and her talent would enable to pull out that feat.

I don't see her being a particularly important blackened on the grand scheme of the narrative (unless she's in kahoots and she's like a traitor or whatever) but it would serve to show everyone the severity of the environment and how even the nicest person can crack against it.

The idea of yassifying a corpse to hide/obfuscate details of the cause of death or whatever is literally so so cool and I want it to happen so bad. But her and Kai's possible blackened situations (spoiler I do view both as killers as it makes the most thematic sense) seem a little too similar so probably if one is a killer the other will not.

Toshiko Kayura

Start of prologue: Hiyoko looking ass

End of prologue: Is your mouth fucked girlie

SIMILARLY, I don't trust the child. I am not sure why. She's good tho! I find her interesting enough for the setting and the prologue has set up enough with her character that I look forward whatever they want to do with her (and her formal way of speech is charming haha). I just hope it isn't a generic ''oh the kid is actually insane lol'' kind of deal as I am honestly tired of the Monaka twist, but I do see her being traitor adjacent at the very least. I don't see her killing (or, well, I hope™ she doesn't kill) but I can see her as a victim, probably in around chapters 3-4. I think the cast would try to be careful with her because she is the youngest of the group and that ends up being, partially, one of the reasons of her death. Everyone will be horrified if she does die.

Drawing it in the sand that her parents hated each other or something (or divorced), one had a meltdown and hurt her for whatever reason, hence why she uses her fan on her mouth. It'll probably become relevant later in her respective trial. Also this is the reason why she's a matchmaker.

Something something the bible story of Abraham being told by god to kill his child Isaac to prove his faith something

Cassy + Wenona

Start of prologue: Communism? / YOU'RE SO PRETTY

End of prologue: Oh so MrBeast then / Step on me!

Putting these two together because 1) I don't have much to say about them and 2) they are probably being used as character foils of one another so because of that my thoughts about them are interconnected. Here's my opinions of them:

Cassidy is... Okay. I like her well enough, she had her witty lines (the ace attorney reference was fun), and she feels cohesive enough for the setting and the other characters to not feel entirely out of place. Nonetheless, she is somewhat... irrelevant? Like, all her cards were played on the prologue itself, and there's no real way I can see her character becoming more relevant on the future or have any interesting development; She is a fun character, but not one I find interesting or relevant for the narrative. More like needing to fill lines because people need to die, probably. Her theming with spiders and that one sprite can prove me wrong, tho. Not saying she will kill, but that probably there's something else I am missing? (Addendum: this has taken me so long to write I had time to sit on my thoughts on Cassidy and I realized I kinda don't like how offhandedly mean she is lol. You know. Calling Damon bargain bin lawyer like that isn't an insult to his entire line of work and personhood and disguising it as a joke and all lmao. Wonder if this will be called out further down the line? Could be an interesting point of development for a otherwise stagnant character)

Wenona is interesting! Her design caught my eye since the train fuckery, and it made me deeply interested in her (also I like women so I am biased probably lol) and what her talent would be. While I kind of don't see how her appearance would convey the “ult entrepreneur” title all too well, I do forgive it because otherwise it is so fucking interesting and I am absolutely obsessed (and it's not fault of the writing and probably just personal taste of mine). Her possible character arc is a lot more obvious than Cassidy's, and ironically mirror Damon's "stop treating people like shit" own (Damon asking what is her deal when they are both assholes about talent and worth is very funny). I hope we get more information about her job and how she got where she is now are revealed because I am genuinely interested in her character trajectory and the parallels to the protagonist. Or maybe she stays in girlboss mode idk I wouldn't mind either way she can step on me regardless

I guess that in around chapter 2-3 Cassidy and Wenona are going to start to clash badly because of their different economic ideals (they probably clash on chapt 1 too but it is after a murder that things get worse as everyone becomes paranoid as hell). My guess is that they either end up killing each other or someone else uses the animosity to frame the kill on one of them.

I see Wenona having more chances of survival because so far Cassidy is kind of a (relatively) flat comedic character and doesn't have that many notes of character development / interesting said pieces. But I wouldn't be against her surviving to be honest. She's fun.

Grace Maddison

Start of prologue: SOYBEAN

End of prologue: You're literally a pacing risk huh

She's... a mixed bag. For one part, I like the fact that she raised a valid point in the trial despite the fact that she has been considered nothing more than the hotheaded, "stupid" vulgar one of the group. It gives her a decent amount of depth so far and makes me interested to see more of her. In the other... She's like disguised-Mukuro in dr1 for me, ngl. She's interesting, I can admit that, but definitely not a character I get too excited about (she's a bit annoying to me). Except I worry about how are they going to deal with her on trials, considering the fact that they had to literally knock her out on the mock trial so it could progress in a decent pacing (Which I kinda called out when I first saw her in the kitchen, but I thought she would've been a mukuro situation, details). Or maybe she dies first, which would be a shame ngl.

Wolfgang Akire

As she stands she seems to me like a pacing-risk character and it makes me worry about how they are going to use her going forward, although the fact that she was literally almost killed will probably chill her the fuck out while on trial. I just hope the writers manage to balance the fact that she's vulgar but not stupid as fuck. Oh and her and Akire's dynamic is very funny I love that

Trailer: Oh you get pegged™

Start of prologue: [Lost my shit laughing when I found he was called Wolfgang lol]

End of prologue: Unhinged bitch!! /pos

I like the parallelism of him and Damon! The attorney and the prosecutor, emotions and logic, the leader of the group (seemingly) and the social pariah. Akire is a character that works because in any other Danganronpa setting, he would be the protagonist. But the thing is this: He is not, here. This allows us to see raw sides of him that otherwise we wouldn't have — or that, in turn, we would have context for.

The mock trial meltdown works because we, as an audience, are seeing him through another person's (probably biased) perspective. The lack of interpersonal context of his thoughts or actions makes the slip of his calm demeanor to yelling—begging, almost—for reasoning of the killer's actions all the more jarring.

Anyhow thesis out of the way here are more thoughts:

This set up could not be achieved without Akire being the role he is, an antagonist for the mere factor that his entire existence is an antithesis of Damon's persona. But unlike the debater, who hides the fact that he cares and craves human connection, the lawyer hides a far uglier underside that he doesn't expose unless he is in familiar territory — His area of expertise, in fact — The courtroom. Quite literally, his territory, his area of expertise, his playground; He is confident in his abilities until he is quite literally denied the closure he craves for a killer's despicable actions against a ultimate.

In more ways than one, he, like Damon, probably has a god complex because of his title / the ultimates. He just demonstrates it... Subtly. He is the textbook example of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Akire ends up killing I am like 70% sure of this. He's too unhinged, and we never had a rival who did commit a murder themselves on DR so it would be interesting? (Kokichi doesn't count). Also the "28 STAB WOUNDS" man committing a murder himself would be a interesting prospect, with the wolf in sheep's clothing themes he has going on; Specially considering that he is most likely going to become one of the surrogate leaders of the class.

Calling him out as the killer would probably generate a Mikan-esque situation (Not like Kai's levels of bad but more born out of respect and lie-ridden logic than pity/empathy hard emotion bait) of nobody believing Damon and it sounds fun. It would be an interesting prospect considering Damon's possible "getting people to trust me after isolating myself and overcome my own biases" character arc. What better way to make a climax for such than to go against the leader of the group and getting people to trust you despite the odds?

Oh also it is very likely a relative of his (probably his dad) killed a important woman in his life (probably his mom. Or like, someone else killed her and was never caught or something idk pick your poison mom dead either way) and that's why he became a lawyer / has such strong sense of justice and the reason why he had that more-or-less breakdown on the mock trial.

Some other stuff I won't go into detail

This is the dump of other things I wanted to mention but I am too low energy to dwell onto and I don't want to procrastinate on this draft more than I already have (ITS BEEN A YEAR SINCE I STARTED THIS)

Anyhow:

I view that Kai would also be a killer, using his charisma in the same way Diana would (in a very Mikan way, as he's used to playing his audience like a fiddle and fishing out emotional responses) but in a more hardcore manner. That and the fact that Kai has latched to Damon from the first second of the prologue, it's probably setting up the fact that Damon will need to bring down Kai for the sake of the truth - and probably the first example of hesitance as Damon will probably grow to be "friends" with the guy, having to fight puny emotions he never had before (not particularly romantic, but like. Damon purposefully isolated from peers, so having friends would be odd to him, especially since I think that Kai is getting close to him for self interest). I deem this happening very late, and probably a chapter before Akire kills, as it would be a decent pacing from progression of severity ("friend" social person using the group -> the literal leader of the class)

Jett and Mark are also being set up as foils to each other (or at least the closest thing to that. A really pronounced character dynamic I guess), and the fact that just like Toshiko's mouth Jett off the suit is not shown in the prologue nor any outside material makes it obvious that it'll be a plot point later down the line (if I recall the most popular theory - or maybe mentioned in the prologue, I don't remember - is that he got burned to hell in a car accident mid race?), which makes me think that Jett is not going to be a survivor for the same manner - specially since those two are in the path of having a character arc together and the tragedy of demise needs to be written. Mark is maaaybe going to survive in his stead. Similar to Cassy, Jett reads to me as a comedy character mostly so he's more expendable in that regard. Without mentioning the fact that Mark had the bitchface(tm) look in the train scene, which implies that something is going on with the guy (either referent to the train/the kidnap group, or Mark knows Damon from somewhere. It'd be funny if they were classmates or someshit and Mark couldn't stand Damon's ass back then please p:eg team it would be so funny)

Jean has so many death flags (WHY ARE YOU SWEARING TO PROTECT THE GROUP YOU ARE THE BIG CHARACTER IN A FANGAN YOU'RE NOT SAFE) and I am literally so fucking sad because I actually really like the guy. Like, I don't have any relevant notes of how he's written or implied of him or anything (although I have personal thoughts of his backstory which I included in the fic I made of Damon and the guy), he's a decent character. I just wanted to scream about the fact that I am 80% sure he doesn't survive and I will forever cry about it. Same with Ingrid.

Ulysses is being set up as relevant as a notekeeper (which is really cool!!!! I haven't seen that in a fangan before I don't think), but I sadly do think that anything relevant from his notes might be discovered post-mortem, either relevant to the killing game as a whole or the case that might have him as a victim. My dude is literally falling asleep standing I am deadass so worried for his safety.

I don't have anything remarkable to say about desmond or swan girl (I forgot her name sorry) besides the fact that swan girl is being kinda set up as the "oh the cinnamon roll killed someone", and "the shy girl is actually very dangerous" which I am not particularly mad about even if I deem a bit cliché at this point. I hope Desmond doesn't die tho he is cool.

That's everything. Sorry for taking forever on this shit I am not the greatest writing consistently

[peopleareaproblem]

She's got a body like an hourglass That's ticking like a clock

Y'all are absolutely sleeping on a major part of Katya's arc.

Obviously we all love the queer subtext and shipping Katya and Sofia, but like. I'm honestly pretty tired of all analysis of media just boiling down to ships and romance. Katya is a really interesting character as-is, and it's worth exploring.

I've seen posts on here (this one by @notcaycepollard is really good) exploring the themes of food and eating in the film. And like yes absolutely. To quote that specific post (bold emphasis mine):

the rigid enforcement of domesticity as represented by the meals goncharov conspicuously fails to eat with katya [...] to me I think it speaks just as much about how trapped katya is by social expectations too. she tries so hard to perform the role of the good wife, polishing the fucking silverware and making blini [...] by the end of the film these conflicts are resolved with goncharov and katya at the table on the street, finally eating together but in a way that’s not constrained by the trappings of domesticity or the expectation of remaining true to your roots, katya is finally seen by goncharov as a whole person with her own internal life and he’s able to break bread with her, that final shot of them drinking wine with the church behind them, it’s just, the catholicism in this film is a lot okay

And this is an excellent analysis of these scenes, I totally agree with this take. BUT I think it leaves off a really important element. These scenes, Katya's struggle with performing domesticity with Goncharov, or arguably his failure to hold up his end of the marriage, are a direct metaphor for their inability to have children.

Throughout the film everyone's running out of time, the clock symbolism throughout, and then the scene where the men are assembling their weapons intercut with Katya getting dressed and putting on makeup — because her body is her weapon, and instead of her life being what is at risk of ending, for Katya it is her biological clock that is ticking. Her figure gets literally compared to an hour glass by Mario, and visually that metaphor is implied a couple of times as well.

Yeah I know it's a kind of misogynistic trope nowadays but this movie is from the 70's and was honestly kind of groundbreaking at the time (but it's for sure written and directed by men so like). I absolutely 100% believe that Goncharov and Katya as a couple cannot have children.

It's really conspicuous when you start looking for it. Obviously all the times Katya tries to make her husband food, always always traditional russial food, she's so clearly trying to cling to a traditional family life when it absolutely is crumbling in front of her. And idk if she's literally infertile or if Goncharov just won't sleep with her or what, that's a whole other discussion tbh, but I think Katya wants, or believes she should want, to have children. When her brother Valery pops up he makes these comments about their house being quiet, immediately followed up by talking about his own wife being pregnant again — very clearly implying like "why don't you have kids??". And once you look at the cinematography with this perspective in mind you can really see how shots of Katya and Goncharov are framed in these like kind of wide shots that really would make a lot more sense if there were kids in the shot, and like. Her walking past the playschool? The bit at the market where we see the mother and daughter, and then pan to Katya all by herself? Come on.

Which brings me to Sofia's character. And yes again we all love to read this relationship as sapphic af and this theory isn't necessarily incompatible with that? But basically fundamentally Sofia is written as a parallell to Katya. Really well portrayed in this image by @mimiadraws:

And a HUGE aspect of that is the fact that Sofia has children and Katya does not. Sofia's effortlessness when it comes to the gelato and the anchovies compared with Katya's struggles with food throughout the film really underscore the food as a parallel to motherhood to me. Katya sees in Sofia something that she does not believe she can ever have: this figure of the effortless woman, doing what she believes a woman is supposed to be doing: having children, making food, having a "normal" domestic life. Interestingly we never actually see inside of Sofia's own home, and we barely meet her children. But Katya still projects this perfect version of herself onto Sofia. (Which like I honestly think makes the sapphic reading more interesting? Who among us has not struggled to recognize wether we wanted to be her or be with her?)

And then you have Katya and Goncharov's final scene together, finally effortlestly eating together at the market. They have both finally embraced Naples and left their old life behind, and only then can they fulfill this element of their relationship...

Anyway Katya is pregnant when the movie ends. Change my mind. (You can't.)

[schromp-lee]

The Count Dragul of Lyyr

what do y'all think this book is about?

in my mind it's about Just Some Guy who suddenly inherits the title of count from an obscure great-great-great-great aunt and has no idea how to live up to the cape-swishing-creature-of-the-night-standard everyone's come to expect.

he's not even a vampire. all he wants is to do is catalogue his library but he keeps getting caught up in Hijinks & Shenanigans™. vampire hunters keep showing up to kill him. every single noble family in a ten mile radius with offspring in the marriageable age bracket is obsessed with his balls the kind with dancing and hors d'oeuvres not the other kind

many a treatise has been written by scholars on the subtext between the count and his butler, who goes from resenting his new master's presence to being one of his most staunch supporters. there's a scene where they get locked in the wine cellar together that oozes symbolism and tension

[persistant-disaster]

Okay. Listen. Second watch of RWRB. The ✨symbolism✨ behind Henry getting undressed during the Paris Scene.

Stripping away the mask of Prince Henry, so that he can just be Henry Fox with Alex. And Alex eventually helping him? And how Alex is still fully clothed because there's so much left to learn and so much that he's still holding onto. And then the relief of just being able to lay yourself bare to someone- both physically and emotionally?

There's so much subtext y'all.

Screaming. Crying. Throwing up.

I am and will always be completely feral over this movie.

[dindjarindiaries]

While I do like Favreau enough, I am disappointed about his excuse for the Darksaber plot point basically being dropped. ''Din was never meant to lead, it's evident because if you notice in BOBF, the Darksaber is heavy for him'' feels very lazy, and a bit condescending to the audience. Din struggling with the saber because he is untrained and bothered is not genius subtext writing, it's a basic start for character development. He just basically agrees that Din doesn't need that development in his eyes, he's not good with the Darksaber so obviously he can't be the rightful leader! Like... wtf? You have such a huge door open for a great character journey (that you could even spread on several seasons if you want), yet you just... close it? I don't understand that choice. I just don't. And then going about how we shouldn't have expected a rivalry between Bo and Din, or any Darksaber plot, when this was both teased in the trailer AND literally set up in season 2's finale. What happened in the writers room I have no idea, but how could they mess up the main character's storyline so bad.. it's like they completely forgot who and what the Mandalorian was. It's very jarring.

You're 100% right, and I felt the same way when I heard him say that. Especially the comment about Aragorn because... y'all... you know I was drawing those direct comparisons for a whiiiiiile.

I was disappointed because I love Jon and the way he's written this story so far, and honestly, parts of season 3 really could've worked if he hadn't just resolved Din's story so quickly. It could have been drawn out to the last episode and it would've worked, and it would've been a huge time period of growth for him - of how he can still be an influential Mandalorian without being in the good graces of his tribe.

The Darksaber, though, has definitely just been a frustrating plot point. I'm honestly glad it was destroyed, because looking back now, it's just a headache in Din's story. Him having it literally had no payoff. All it did was act as a symbol of the burden of leadership that Din really didn't want.

[white-light-on-my-prism]

Tagged by the lovely @letters-from-transylvania 🤍🤍

Name: I go by Lavanya(he/she/they) in the football fandom because why not? Also because she's one of my favourite fictional characters moulded by the one and only Rabindranath Tagore, the love of my life.

Birthday: 28th of May!

Zodiac sign: gemini according to western astrology and leo according to Hindu astrology, but I am way too ignorant about astrology to understand what either of those mean for me.

Hobbies: wayy too many holy shit, can you tell I'm neurodivergent? I LOVE MUSIC, so... it's not a hobby it's worship for me, and I don't care if it sounds corny. I was pursuing fashion as a career but now I've switched my majors so I guess it's a hobby? And writing is a hobby which I want to transform into a career going ahead. Nail art is a proper hobby though. It just exists and I do it and I enjoy it thoroughly. Picking out gay subtext from every piece of literature I ever– *gets shot*

Favourite colour: Blue and pink on the main, but I find anything softly vibrant to be visually appealing.

Favourite book: Sherlock Holmes. Everything of Sherlock. Everything of Poirot except 'Curtain' because spoiler alert he dies and he's not allowed to do that. I'm quite into Greek myth though a lot of that shit is messed up, but so am I. Recently read the second book of 'Aristotle and Dante' series, those two books SLAY SO SO HARD.

Last song I listened to: 'Still Alive' by Demi Lovato, it just came out and it's a punk rock masterpiece. Demetria🤌✨️

Last movie I watched: 'Is love enough? Sir' directed by Rohena Gera. It's in hindi and the artistry in the film it top notch. An excellent commentary on societal class divide, privilege, dreams, hopes, love and the complications that arise when all these intersect.

Something that helps people: Some wisdom I gathered from recent personal experience– acknowledge the negative impact of other people's actions on your life, and do not be afraid to take steps accordingly. Doesn't matter if the person did it completely unintentionally, doesn't matter if everybody around you says that they're "an angel" and they would "never do that to anyone" even though they did it to you, doesn't matter if even you genuinely believe that they're a good person and they didn't mean it. It still happened. And it affected you negatively. People can be the best people ever and still act in a shitty way on occasion because we are humans, but it doesn't mean we shouldn't be held accountable. So don't be afraid to admit it to yourself, or call it out, don't feel compelled to accept their apology, especially if their behavior doesn't change going forward, and don't shy away from drawing boundaries. You may lose friends in the process, people may attack you to defend them and it may hurt a whole lot, but, you owe it to yourself to not put up with bullshit, including unintended bullshit.

Meaning behind my url: I used to be a passionate science gay bb as a middle schooler lol. Had to let go of that part of me because of some traumatic experiences which are ☠️☠️ better not talked about but... I've always thought of the dispersion of light by prism experiment as a symbol of queer liberation for obvious reasons. That's where the url is from :)).

Tagging: @neyxmessi @ispeakmorelanguagesthanyou @dykes4neymar @emmacarsword @krocodilf if y'all haven't already done this, I'd love to get to know you but nothing compulsory. And anybody else seeing this, you're tagged!

[pyreofsunflowers]

What I watched this week 3/13-3/19

this week was a little skimpy because I had to work so much, but fret not I still have plenty of stuff for y'all

The Shining (1980, Dir. Stanley Kubrick)

Did y'all know I go to the "overlook" (The Timberline lodge up in Mt Hood national forest) every year in the summer? It's a beautiful place. Anyways you'd think with that I'd have seen the shining by now, but nope! This was my first time ever watching it! And man - what a film! Nothing beats a well made horror movie, in my humble opinion, with that sweet spot blend of the meta-physical and the physical threats, threatening, stylistic cinematography, and a small-yet-solid cast of characters portrayed by talented actors really giving it there all makes for such a satisfying watch!

I've never read the original novel, where most of the subtext and themes of those movie -obviously - are drawn from, and I likely never will as I generally dislike fiction. However. I still found the themes permeant and the subtext moving despite not having it in full context. That, in my own opinion, is what makes the Shining such an effective adaptation - although I am rather uninformed as I've only ever heard people talk about the book.

Definitely one of my favorite horror movies -5/5

Enemy (2013, dir. Denis Villeneuve)

Okay so I'm just gonna be frank - I am bad with metaphors and symbolism. I can understand character growth, plot structure, timelines, cinematography, lighting, peroid accuracy, and all sorts of more technical and object elements of a movie. I mostly critique based off of these things, I stay in my lane. It's not that I can't ever understand a metaphor or pick up on any forms of symbolism, it's just not really how my brain works.

That being said, I still really really enjoyed this movie. It was a well made slow paced pysch. thriller that tackles adultery and cheating in a way I've never seen a movie do before. Villeneuve's style, as always, adds such a rich, amazing, and lonely air to the film - one which I think helps enhance it's message.

To condense, this is a film about double lives, about two drastically different halves inside one body. It's about secrets and hiding and ultimately letting the facade all down and the chaos all of that will cause in one's life (illustred quite well by the ending scenes of the film.)

I can't really describe this film, just go watch it for yourself. Unless you can't stand spiders. 4.5/5

Halloween (1978, Dir. John Carpenter)

After marathoning all 6 Scream movies over the course of 2 weeks, my hopes were really low for Halloween. Specifically because Scream, at least the first one, is a pretty self admitted satire of tropes Halloween brought to the table. But I was really surprised with how good this one was!

I don't really know why? Maybe it's because I don't tend to super love what is super popular? But I'm happy to say Halloween holds up and is a genuinely creepy slasher. John Carpenter's slow, meandering style really lends itself well to the genre - making the final kills feel well deserved and establishing a true sense of fear in the audience. Especially with how hidden Michael Meyer's is from the camera for the first 2 acts.

This films lighting and cinematography are also on another level, the way the film gets both literally and tonally darker as the day drags on, the way Michael is always kept in the shadows, the intimate, stalker-esque camera... It's amazing!

Me and the friend I watched Scream with are doing the same thing but for the Halloween franchise now, but less frequently cause there's no upcoming film. So stay tuned as I work my way through 9 more fucking Halloween movies.

This movie was really well made, though not something I would consider a personal favorite. 4/5.

Breaking Bad Season 4 (2011 shrn. Vince Gilligan)

So I'm just about finished with season 4 and hollllyyyyyyy shit Vince Gilligian is a mastermind. I've really been enjoying the plotline with Hank catching up to Walt + Gus, and am really excited for the payoff in S5. Jesse's arc continues to carry the show and I want nothing but the best for this man. Please oh god Mike just help this man he NEEDS it.

The scene where he went back and cussed out his old rehab therapist was *amazing* and really hit home with just how far gone he thinks he is and gives you a really good look into his pysche. Speaking of Pysches Walt's undoing is finally starting to rear it's head and boy howdy am I ever ready for that clown to kick the bucket. Fuck that guy.

I also really enjoyed the Gus backstory, and Max's death is probably one of my favorite scenes in the entire series (is that a spoiler? i don't think so...) Anyways brba continues to be a masterpiece and you'll be seeing more of dis.

[randomcanbian]

.

[thatannoyingbitch]

a heartfelt thank you to everyone who is analyzing Our Flag Means Death like a classic work of literature, because there is so much symbolism and subtext that i have learned about from y'all! this show is so beautifully made and so deep and the fandom gives me more of an appreciation for it every day

[chairismaticchair]

I FINISHED READING IT so here are some of my thoughts and stuff.

I have watched the first movie, and know the basic plot of the second. I also watched the IT Rockwell musical.

Favourite character: Has and always will be Eddie. I like Jack Dylan Grazer's acting cuz it really reflected book Eddie really well. I like how they introduced Eddie by talking about everything in his medicine cupboard.

I think it was interesting that the movie producers decided the set the 1st movie in the 1980s when the book is set in 1950s and then 1980s when they are adults. It adds a sense of relatability and it was a smart move.

THE REDDIE SUBTEXT THOUGH. Holy shit, when Eddie died and Richie started to sob and kissed his cheek. Like y'all this is very gay. And Richie likes to call Eddie Eds which is very cute. I'm not sure where Eddie Spaghetti came from because it wasn't in the book? But I like that too very cool.

Okay when I saw where Beverly was going when they defeated IT and were all in the sewers... I shut my phone because jfc. Like I get it, but it wasn't necessary? to make a bunch of 11 year old have sex? And I dunno that whole scene was weird don't @ me about the symbolism and shit.

Bill's a douche. He married Audra who LOOKS JUST LIKE BEVERLY, and when he goes to Derry, the first thing he does after the meeting at Mike's house is cheat on Audra with Beverly. Like bro, really? And Audra went all the way to Derry because she was worried about him and got attacked by IT. That was very shitty.

I honestly think Myra isn't that bad. Like she really cares about Eddie, they just aren't very compatible. She has good intentions, she just harmed Eddie by encouraging his hypochondria.

STANLEY WAS ROBBED. Honestly, I really liked Book Stanley, he has such a eccentric sense of humour and really likes birds, and actually has a personality. Wyatt's great in the 1st movie, but they really did strip his character.

So yeah the book was alright, stayed for the characters and not the plot and now I wanna rewatch the musical.

[perfectlywisedelusions]

Y'all need to watch the Untamed it's a super clearly queercoded Chinese drama that's based on gay books and it's one of the highest grossing shows in China. Also it's a really good show and I loved it and want a second season.

A few quick notes.

You can watch it on Amazon prime, Netflix or pirated in great quality on Dailymotion or Youtube

The subtitles aren't great (idk about netflix) so prepare to piece sentences together on occasion

Also the first episode is super confusing. Stick with it, as it gets much easier to understand, and worse case scenario read an episode recap online.

Also the ending might seem unsatisfactory to shoppers of the queercode, and idk if there will be a second season. (it did say till next time at the end and also idk what's up with huiasong like it seems they might set him up as a villain but we have no word so). Still, read the subtext and the ending and entire show becomes much more gay. (for instance the two characters are shown with red orchids in a vase which symbolizes passion, desire, a couple, and unity. Stuff like that's there to pick up on and putting character's reactions into context of being in love and/or having to hide it is revealing to say the least.

Obviously it isn't gay because of the Chinese government, but it's so clearly queercoded and based off of gay books and a great show in general and I love it so much. Go watch it please.

Also, here’s the link for the book. Read it after watching the show, because it’s got some terms that really only make sense if you’ve seen the show.

https://www.webnovel.com/book/the-untamed-grandmaster-of-demonic-cultivation_17542835005407605/chapter-1-reincarnation_47091818692665987