#character analysis

[yes-these-obsessions-are-healthy]

With his romance with Lavellan, Solas learned a horrific truth—that him simply as a humble man was enough to be lovable. He had been plied out of the Fade by Mythal because of her need for him, and out of devotion, he became something more and dreadful for himself, for her. And she never reciprocated that devotion with the same intensity. He spent millennia fighting for her as a thing he detested—a man of war and death, a being whose mortal body imbued him with innate qualities and emotions that would further twist his Wisdom nature. He was producing the very poisons that would normally corrupt a spirit by virtue of [Being a Person]. The external influences now harbored inside him.

But Lavellan showed him. That being you are, the one that wished to ponder and reminisce of spirits, who valued liberty and freedom and knowledge and the wry observation? That was enough. That was always enough. But he can’t accept it, because millennia of being Fen Harel, being devoted to Mythal and her cause.. to sunder it from himself would feel like a magnificent loss. He has been that for so long, is there anything yet truly left of the Wisdom spirit that once was?

Not only that, but given corporeality, Solas is compelled by the operant [If I can, I must]. He CAN do something about the Veil, so he will. If he doesn’t, then he is forsaking the memory of he destroyed with his choice. He is forsaking his own principles. To do nothing in the face of injustice and cruelty is a sin he cannot bear.

He comes to the Inquisition as a “humble apostate”, both as disguise and because in his de-powered state he is of little greater use (if he had greater power I’m certain he would have nudged the Inquisition toward their goals). This is a costume he is wearing, or so he tells himself. He exists to advise, to suggest, to subtly direct toward more peaceful and humanitarian and spirit-friendly directives. He operates as his former [Wisdom] spirit state.

And Lavellan grows to love it, to appreciate it. She grows to appreciate [Solas as Wisdom]. That part of him, the part of him that he has put aside for thousands upon thousands of years, though his nature craves to return to it. Without his ability to be Fen’Harel, it is pretty much all he has. And oh, this mayfly mortal born of a “forsaken ignorant people”, she is drawn to him, seeing him as a [man], seeing him at his (comparatively) weakest, most ineffectual state and finding it pleasing. Desirable. [Enough].

Enough. He is enough as Solas, simply Solas. But if it is enough for Lavellan, why was it not enough for Mythal? No, no, there was a reason. There was a war. War requires more of people. It requires limits to be broken and terrible mantles to be donned.

But Lavellan is fighting an existential war against Corypheus. And she does not demand more of him. She values what little he is able to provide—guidance, insight, his magic. It is [Enough].

We Solavellans have dissected and discussed at length about the nature of the relationship being one built on deceit, the moral and ethical quandary of love cultivated under a false identity. Veilguard has confirmed the existential struggle and quiet agony that Solas experienced by transitioning into [Being]. While Lavellan should of course had been informed of his ‘true identity’ before falling in love with him, an argument could still be made that Fen’Harel is not his true identity but a long-worn mask that he wishes he could ditch. The man Lavellan fell in love with is who he should be, who he wants to be. Far more underpowered than he’s comfortable with, sure, but the personality for certain. Just a person giving advice, discussing at length about topics he enioys, exploring memories and ruminating over them, smirking over small verbal sleights of hand and sly tricks, engaging in philosophical debates. All of that is already there, that is who he is in peacetime. The man has known war and conflict for so long that he has mentally split Solas and Fen’Harel as two people, because he needed to, but they are the same. Solas who wields the martial prowess of Fen’Harel. Fen’Harel who possesses the wry levity and artistic sentimentality of Solas. SOLAS YOU ARE BOTH AND MORE THAN THESE TWO HALVES.

[daystarvoyage]

Spoilers recently watched it

King magnifico was right👌

Oh forgot Disney needs to go back to the drawing board ASAP on how to make it great again.

If you haven’t seen Wish yet and you love Disney, do not go see it. I am telling you now. It is ripping out the hearts of the Disney movies you love and then waving their corpses around as if celebrating those hearts.

I’ll explain why, again: the message of Wish? Awful. Anti-Disney.

But they've been doing this for a long time. Saying one thing with their movies, and saying another with their PR and Disney Parks Soundtracks.

I'll explain.

Main Idea of Disney's Wish (and the You Are the Magic theme park song and merch): "The power to make your wishes come true is in you."

≠

Most Disney Movies' Idea on How to Have Wishes: "Do what's right, (trust a higher power) and something even more wonderful than what you wished will happen."

Don't try to argue with me about this. You have to look underneath the slogans and the sweater designs and the song titles to what the stories actually support to acknowledge this.

Because you can’t say “do what’s right” has power unless you answer the question “who gets to decide ‘what’s right?’” (Which, coincidentally, is a question Wish brings up and then doesn’t answer.)

Audiences of Disney used to accept that wishing on a star was much like prayer; there’s something you long for, and it’s out of your hands, but you wish for it and you do what you know is right in the meantime. And you’re not crushed, you’re not downhearted, because somewhere in your mind you trust that the combo of those two things—wishing on a higher power and diligence to do what’s good—will be what makes your wish come true.

Trust in a higher power—COMBINED WITH:

—diligence to do what’s good.

The Blue Fairy (higher power) gave Geppetto his wish specifically because he had demonstrated commitment to do good, whether he got what he wanted or not. The Fairy Godmother (higher power) gave Cinderella her wish specifically because she kept on being kind and good to low creatures like mice and wicked stepsisters, whether she got what she wanted or not.

Do you know why that combo (higher power + diligence to do good) is impactful? Timeless? Important?

Because it’s selfless. You want something, but you’re not going to sacrifice doing the right thing to get it. You’re not going to focus so hard on making what you want a reality, on your own, that you miss out on things that could be more important than what you want. And, you’re not so self-focused as to believe that if you don’t do it, it won’t get done.

Jeez, that’s the whole point of The Princess and the Frog!

Tiana wishes to have her own restaurant, and she believes that only her own hard work will grant that wish. She misunderstands her dad’s advice before he dies. She isn’t willing to trust a higher power combined with her own diligence to do good—she only trusts her own ability.

It’s not until she realizes that Ray, the character of faith, was right all along that she learns—what she wished for was too self-focused. It wasn’t complete without love. Something bigger than herself. And getting that was never going to happen just based on her own hard work.

But you know what? It was never going to happen just by a “higher-power” flavored shortcut, either. Because Facilier offers her her wish if she’ll just trust him, no hard work needed. But what does she say?

Trust in a higher power + diligence to do what’s right = selflessness, and getting more than you could have ever wished for. And if your wish is selfish, doing those two things will change your wish into something selfless.

More examples? Get ‘em while they’re hot, in case Wish made you forget, just like the current #NotMyDisney executives have forgotten, what real Disney wishes are for.

Belle wishes to have adventures in the great wide somewhere--but when she's imprisoned and that chance is taken from her it's not reversed because she worked hard to make her wish come true. It's granted because she gave up her wish for her father: she just did the right thing, regardless of her wish. And in the end, she does get what she wished for, which is adventure in an enchanted castle...and much more, because she gets true love, a throne, and a castle full of friends.

How about the One Who Started It All? The one Wish is failing to pay genuine tribute to?

Snow White wishes for someone to love her, and he does--but when they're separated, she does not exercise power to make The Prince come back to her. Instead, she loves who she can where she’s at—the Dwarfs. In the meantime, she has faith that he will keep his promise, and that pure trust in a higher power outside of her control is a big contributing factor to why the Dwarfs come to love her, and learn from her...and in the end, even more than she could've wished happens. He does take her to his castle, but she also has seven new friends who also love her, and the Queen is dead. And she didn’t need to use “the power in her” to work harder and get it done. She just needed to not focus so much on herself at all.

How about a male main character? One who’s wish starts out selfish, but after learning to wish on a higher power and be diligent to do the right thing, gets more than he could wish for?

Aladdin wishes to be somebody different (somebody he believes Jasmine could love, somebody who lives in a palace and is respected and “never has any troubles at all.”)—but doing everything in his own power for that wish proves that it was selfish all along; so he switches to doing the right thing, regardless of if his wish comes true, and he gets even more than he could’ve wished. He gets real love with Jasmine, he gets his friend Genie, and he gets to be free from feeling “trapped” because he doesn’t have to hide who he is anymore.

Or Simba?

Simba wishes to get to do whatever he wants as King—but when Mufasa dies and he’s convinced it’s his fault, it isn’t for that wish that he goes back to Pride Rock to confront his past and his Uncle. It’s because he had an encounter with a higher power—his father—that helped him to realize his wish was selfish all along. He gives up the selfish wish, and he goes back to take his place as king, not so he can do whatever he wants, but so that he can take self-sacrificial responsibility that comes with ruling. And because he just does the right thing, finally, he gets more than what he wished for.

How about something more recent? Zootopia.

Judy wishes to make the world a better place by proving she can be what she wants to be and catching bad guys—but when she tries to make her wish happen on her own, in her own abilities, she fails and is forced to realize that she should’ve been looking for help by understanding “bad guys,” like Nick. It’s only after she humbled herself, admits she’s wrong, and changes her wish from “proving I can be what I want and catching bad guys” to “proving that understanding each other makes the world a better place” (much less self-focused) that her wish comes true—and so much more. She does make the world a better place, and she does get to catch bad guys, but she also gets to befriend one who was a good guy all along, and become all-around more effective at her dream job.

This is how Disney always has been. Because it’s at the heart of good storytelling, and even life (not to get too dramatic.)

The power is not in you. Because it’s not about you. Self-sacrifice, faith, and doing the next right thing regardless of if you get your heart’s fondest desire is what makes more than just your wishes come true. And there has to be belief in a higher power to make that message powerful.

But Wish?

Not only is it bad at showing instead of telling. Not only is it lazy and soulless.

But it’s characters rip the Star out of the sky and say “don’t wish on this. Wish on yourself, to get what you wish for. You don’t need a higher power. You don’t even need to sacrifice to do what’s good—whatever you do is good, because you are the one doing it.”

That is wrong. That is not true, and it is not powerful. There’s no sacrifice in focusing on or placing your trust totally in yourself, and it undoes every good thing Disney has done up until now.

And it undoes it on the 100th anniversary, and it flaunts Easter eggs of the very things it’s undoing.

[rootspiral]

Agatha All Along deep dive: episode 4 part 2

(Wandavision entries: [1][2][3])

(AAA entries: ep1 [1][2][3][4] ep2 [1][2][3][4] ep3 [1][2][3] ep4 [1][2][3][4][5])

THE LITTLE FLOWER POPPIN. THE M'LADY

seems like agatha is having An Emotion

but look! look! rio is once again being super special extra on purpose!! because if she just strolled in agatha would be overwhelmed and run away again. so what does rio do??? she corners her with a grand zombie entrance!!! the more over the top she acts, the more agatha is in her element and comfortable interacting. and in this case, angry is a better start than sad. all part of rio's Brilliant 66-Steps-Plan To Win Her Wife Back™ (or was it 666?)

her face omg

oooh are you mad??? are you big mad at little ol' me???????

agatha is like nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope

imagine being aubrey plaza and being born so effortlessly cool. she's cool even when she's awkward dear lord

jen and alice: kinda stunned by both her hotness and her weirdness

lilia: VADE RETRO SATAN (lilia's spider senses are already tingling)

will I ever be over the fact that Death is just one particularly powerful green witch?? that she's a gentle if odd girl who grows plants and flowers and mushrooms and is called the River of Life??? that she is the embodiment of life in all her forms? that decay and regrowth are all part of the same natural cycle? that the hardest and most inexplicable thing a living being can go through is also the most reassuringly organic and normal???

have I already said "i love you patti lupone" today?

we're off to see the wizarrrrd. her cute peter pan outfit!

what do we think, billy? does she want to talk about it, or does she have the emotional maturity of a baby ostrich?

same girls, same

whoa there ladies, calm down. I'm already taken

lilia is also having an Emotion. it must be pretty weird to realize that your mortal foe is this hot

alice going NOPE when she sees her mom's house. the leaves are red alice, honey. it's your turn.

(does the back of rio's jacket look like a ribcage?)

it's going to be fine baby. your friends are all here. you can do this. deep breaths.

fire moon! fire moon! fire moon! oh this is my favorite trial

*grabs the mike* WOULD

from right to left: would, would, would, would, would, oh hi joe

rio: BITCH I AM?!?!?!?!?!?!? (everyone say thank you costume department)

the Road isn't subtle, BILLY.

sure, there wasn't enough sexual tension already, let's add side boobs, shall we? and rio being like hey agatha, hey agatha, hey. guess what. I'm here again agatha. you're not gonna get rid of me this time agatha.

I keep thinking that every reflection agatha comes across is a "te veo". and even when rio isn't there she is watching from mirrors and from puddles.

OH MY GAWD AGATHA how can you expect me to cope when you look around to make sure nobody is watching and then you lean in so so so sclose and then you say no with such a deep soulful voice and so much intimacy and such quiet anger and not one lil hint of clownery. I AM ABOUT TO GO FERAL

agatha around rio is like, mind screaming in anguish and body screaming in horny. lethal combination

lilia who's been trying and failing for centuries and centuries to come to terms with the violence human beings inflict on whoever is different

if there is one thing a broadway pro is trained to do is making people cry while wearing increasingly stupid wigs

JEN SEEING MASKS BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHO HIDES BEHIND THE MONSTER THAT BOUND HER

fletwood mac?!?!!?!?!?!?!? in this economy?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? I cannot handle much more of this, my emotions are raw and fragile and tender as it is already!!!!!!!!

oh, alice.

well this episode is making me feel like agatha: sad and horny. weird vibe but okay.

go to episode 4 part 3

[faithbetryin]

Thinking about the fact that Matt survived a building falling on him, and while he survived, the love of his life- that he just got back from being resurrected into a soulless weapon, died. They wanted to die together, yet Matt survived. Then he found refuge in the place he felt the most alone in his life: the orphanage where his mother cared for him without his knowledge. The basement of a church where he's surrounded by angel statues whilst rejecting religion, forced to be watched under their stone faces. And after a suicide attempt, he has to hear the choir singing above him, surrounded in a tomb of graves in the walls. He is surrounded by death, failure, by religious symbols and sounds. Yet he's supposed to find meaning, challenged by the comments of his mother who tells him not to dwell in selfish "self pity."

DAREDEVIL, 2.01 "RESSURECTION"

[fairandfatalasfair]

I love Edwin's clumsy kindness; the way he struggles to connect with and understand people but he tries.

He tells Charles when they first meet that he's not good with people. He probably never has been, and hell can't have helped (70 years alone, where he had to close himself off against any empathy because if he tried to stop to help anyone else it would cost him time he didn't have.) We see how he stumbles in his efforts to engage with strangers, how he doesn't understand Monty's interest in him, how he struggles to sympathise with Crystal's fears, how sharpness comes easier for him than vulnerability.

But he tries and he keeps trying. He doesn't have the context or the emotional intelligence to understand Charles' headspace after the Devlin house, but he keeps offering to listen, to help if he can. He reassures Crystal that it's who she is now that matters. He catches himself when Shelby snaps at him, and listens gently to her, and doesn't try to dismiss her version of events again, even though he's reserving judgment.

He's not good with people, but he spent 35 years risking being sent back to hell so other people could have the justice he never got. He doesn't see the hurt that Charles carries around, but he gave him an afterlife where he was loved completely and unconditionally and felt safe. (As long as I've got my best mate, and a case to solve, I'm aces.) He's scared shitless of how Crystal is upending the most important relationship of his existence, but he's not going to let her get hurt.

[floorworm]

The way this misunderstands Ratatouille so demonstrably is driving me crazy.

His motivation wasn't any sort of health concern, but rather greediness. He hid away Linguini's identity as Gusteau's son because he wants to continue making money off of selling out Gusteau.

Likewise, he couldn’t give (no pun intended) a rats ass about if his customers are getting sick off his food, if not for the money. The restaurant was padding his pockets, that's the only reason he wanted to make sure it was up to standard. Losing another star would mean losing his moula.

After losing his job, he's fueled not by concern but vengeance. He's angry, not at Remy for being a health worry, but at Linguini for getting the job he's entitled to.

That's my two cents anyway. Sorry had to let the Ratatouille fan within me loose for a moment.

[dinarosie]

James Potter and Sirius Black were better than Snape. They matured enough to sacrifice themselves to protect Harry, while Snape never grew and never moved beyond his grudges

It’s easy to admire the kind of hero who sacrifices everything to protect those they love—their family, their child, their cherished godson. That kind of bravery is noble, no doubt.

But do you know what’s even more extraordinary? What’s more selfless and heroic?

True heroism is not about protecting those who love you in return. It’s not about fighting for gratitude or recognition. It’s about standing alone, fighting for people who don’t care about you, who misunderstand you, who will never see or value your sacrifice.

It’s about a man who endures hatred, mockery, and indifference—and still chooses to protect those very same people. A man who saves lives that openly scorn him, who risks everything for a world that will never celebrate him.

His heroism isn’t adorned with glory. It isn’t written in songs or remembered in tales. It’s quiet. It’s relentless. It’s profoundly human.

He doesn’t do it for fame or reward. He does it because he knows the right thing must be done, even if no one will ever know it was him.

So tell me: is there any greater hero than the one who fights without glory, loves without reward, and sacrifices without being asked?

Because if you look closely, you’ll see him—the man who gave everything, not because he had to, but because he chose to.

This is Severus Snape.

[ombiblombi]

P.AI.nter is SUCH an interesting character to me... he's probably become one of my all time favorites, as I haven't fixated on a character this hard since since...TMC. It physically hurts to think about it in the best way possible-

That being said, I have SO MANY THOUGHTS to say about 'em... so I'm going to dump them here.

First and formost, it's so interesting that P.AI.nter has such a wide array of emotions when it comes to attacking and interacting with the Expendables. At first it's strange, like "WTF?? You're trying to kill me and you just yelled how I was boring, wdym you're sorry??" But... knowing his lore and backstory, it makes so much sense.

P.AI.nters creator was gunned down on accident by Urbanshade, which upon the discovery of P.AI.nter, then decided to trap him in a harddrive and make it mine whats essenically crypto at the Hadal Site- For years, it's stuck mining for the company unwillingly, unable to draw the lanscapes it loved. For fucks sake, P.AI.nter tried to FRY HIS CIRCUTS just to get out. He's desprate, miserable and lonely, and just wants to escape- Any way possible.

And so when Sebastian comes reeks his havoc on the site and finds it, P.AI.nter is incredibly trusting of him to get them both out. Maybe alittle too trusting, but whats he got left to loose? They've both been used by the company and want nothing more to leave, leave and never return. So when Sebastian connects it to the servers- to the Navi-Path & Turrets and tells him to stop the Expendables, P.AI.nter does.

However.

This is self preservation down here. P.AI.nter of course, is rightfully angry at times. I mean- The same company that killed it's creator before his very (nonexistant) eyes, trapped it down here, and even sucked the joy he has from creating art away is now actively getting in the way of the freedom he yearns for. But at the same time... this isn't something done that it entirely wants to be doing. Like I said. This is self preservation. And his actions, and even your deaths weigh heavy. Theres a voiceline, and its delievered so well- Of P.AI.nter pleading for the player to wake up and apologizing profusely if it kills you.

That line sparked this whole theory in the first place.

Your death, reminds it of his creator.

Isn't it ironic how it's now manning the very same weapon that killed the one who brought him sentience in the first place? That he's now the one at fault? Thats gotta be on the back of his mind each and every time it leads an expendable to their demise.

This isn't personal.

He doesn't know who you are.

But it still hurts.

It really annoys me when people in the community call P.AI.nter two faced, or god forbid, do the shitty thing of saying in a derogatory manner that he's bipolar or such as a "joke". Thats just disrespectful to both the character and folks who do have it. It's just plain rude. People do something similar for Sebastian, saying that oh, they're ruining his character by making him mean and snarky and whatnot. I know this happens in every fandom out there, and that this rant is fruitless, but... people need to understand that characters like P.AI.nter and Sebastian have reasons behind their actions and have existing trauma that if you take a moment to look at, you can go "Wowie! Thats a complex character! Everything makes so much sense now, like a puzzle peice I can see traces of in their character in almost every aspect!" Rather than doing awful things like I brought up at the start. But... I digress. I know this rant wont change much so. I hope y'all enjoyed my mini character analysis

Anyway this video has all of P.AI.nters voicelines if 'ya wanna go have a listen after this :] also I got plenty more thoughts about P.AI.nter and Sebastian if anyone wants to know!

[doppel-doodles]

Why I think Ace Trappola is a great example for teenage immaturity!

-> Ramblings from the perspective of an actual teen!

Something I haven't really seen discussed in the twst fandom in terms of it's writing is how well it handles maturity or the lack there of with it's cast, so allow me to start a discussion by throwing my own two cents in with the character I think embodies teenage immaturity the best: Ace Trappola!

The reason why I think he is a good example for this is because a lot of his character traits make him feel like a teenager without reducing his character to just be that, it's part of his characterisation sure but it's not EVERYTHING.

Like in the way he is actually kinda smart, I know we call him and Deuce the one braincell dou but he's got something other than air up there!

The problem lies with how much of a slacker he is, he doesn't apply himself academically if he did he probably wouldn't have had to make a deal with Azul just saying.

He feels like that one kid in class that somehow still passing without doing any work and barely being there.

And Ace also has some streetsmarts on him as well, he can pull tricks, mask his true intentions or really rile someone up but his tact isn't all that refined making it blow up in his face.

Which is great! Those are traits he uses to be an asshole so why reward that?

Speaking of which: ACE IS SUCH AN ASS!

Like sure we are friends now so obviously he is a lot nicer in-game but how much of a jerk he can be is still on full display, like with his brutal honesty that can be straight up insensitive.

To be honest that also feels like a teen thing because if you’re ever looking to get your ego shattered just ask a high schooler for their opinion.

And you are totally valid for disliking Ace for being like this, they are flaws and not exactly meant to be likeable aspects of his character but they are well written flaws!

I just really wanted to ramble about this because I am tired of characters in a school setting either just being romanticised, reduced to stereotypes or worse it’s obvious whoever wrote them is not a teen and is embarrassingly failing to write them or even wants to make fun of them.

It’s sooooo refreshing to see characters that feel and act their age! And I want to give them more appreciation!

Teenagers are still people and deserve to be three dimensional characters as much as any other character!

[pjowasmy1stfandom]

See, everything about this post is excellent, but that last line hit me with a steel chair

Literally No One:

Me: Do you think when Truman escaped The Truman Show and he saw the real moon for the first time, he was like "Huh it's a lot smaller than the one I grew up with," but then he noticed it changing after a few days so he brought it up like "Honey, the moon is getting skinnier. Is that normal?" and his girlfriend was like, "Yeah it does that. Don't worry about it," so Truman ignored it because he had bigger fish to fry (assimilating to the real world) until one day, it was just gone and he positively flipped his shit "GUYS SOMEONE STOLE THE MOON IT IS MISSING WE NEED TO ALERT THE MOON PROFESSIONALS ABOUT THIS HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO SEE AT NIGHT WITHOUT MY MASSIVE NIGHT LIGHT" and then Lauren had to sit him down and explain the phases of the moon for an hour? Do you think he got really obsessed with the moon after that? Did he get a library card and check out all of the books he could find about the moon and the moon landing and moon rovers and space travel? Do you think he kept up with it after that by maybe following NASA's subscription newsletter to see if there are any updates on the moon? Could he tell the difference between a waxing and a waning crescent? Did it make him excited to see it during the day too sometimes? Does he miss it when it's too cloudy to see? Does looking at the moon at night help him cope with his newfound freedom because it proves he's not trapped on Seahaven Island anymore? Because not every day is the same like it was before? Because the world changes around him now instead of stopping when he leaves the room? Just like the moon will keep changing even if he can't see it? What's his opinion on werewolves?

[gloomybadger4life]

@zuko-always-lies @chaosmagetwin @ballooo @azutara-lover

I am deeply curious and have my own headcanon here.

[pauleentology]

lets talk about...

Ashlyn Banner 💚

Ashlyn Banner's character isn't limited to a typical antisocial introvert who hates people. She's so much more than that. She, like everyone else in the SBG group, has trauma and pain of her own, that wasn't brought about by the phantom realm.

Let's firstly talk about her introversion. Ashlyn has built walls and defenses around herself that have gotten so high nobody even dared to climb them. She didn't do this just because she didn't like people and having to interact with them, because deep down, she takes shame in her sensitivity. Her tinnitus and hyperacusis aren't just physical conditions for her, but a reminder of her fragility. The world is a cacophony of sounds that continue to overwhelm her senses, highlighting her internal chaos. She longs for peace but finds herself in an endless battle against the very sounds of life. She didn't want people to portray her as weak or sensitive, so she's built this entire cold front to distract everybody from the fact that she's just like everybody else. The irony in that though is that her very defenses end up pushing away the people that might understand her pain.

She's a clueless, troubled, socially-deprived teenager. It's only natural we expect her to not know what to say every time she speaks with someone, which sometimes ends up in her just blurting out whatever comes to her mind, often having her come off as abrasive and painfully straightforward. But she never means to be rude, she just doesn't know how to sugarcoat her words or soften her sharp tongue.

Despite her introversion, Ashlyn is more than capable of asserting herself when needed, and her bluntness is merely a defense mechanism for her to navigate her complex emotions even she herself doesn't completely understand. She's unfamiliar to the social construct of friendship, and avoids it as much as she can.

So when Ben and Aiden come into her life all the sudden, she's prompted to confront her fears of social interaction. After getting entangled in the supernatural events of the phantom realm with the others, she began to slowly soften and get attached to them, eventually trusting them with her life, and they begin to trust her with theirs. This puts her under the impression that she's responsible for their safety, and is obligated to protect them. She takes the lead, and protects them all with her life, just like she would her family.

Everytime they were together, she always felt some underlying guilt for their predicament. She always felt responsible in some way, and she vowed to take the lead from there. If she felt responsible, she thought it best she would take responsibility, and be the reason they were safe. She was the only one who didn't understand that she was allowed to show them her own vulnerabilities and hurt. She thought nobody else would understand if she just broke down into tears, that everybody expected her to be perfect as the leader. If there was anything she was scared to death of, it would be fucking everything up.

Her guilt that was already eating her up inside only got worse when Tyler died. She hated seeing her friends like that, seeing Taylor absolutely inconsolable for Tyler's state in the hospital, to see everybody else worried and shaking, she thought everybody blamed her, and even she blamed herself. To think that if she'd just taken a safer route, or driven a bit more carefully, or if she'd just listened to Taylor's pleas, none of this would've happened. She saw everything as her fault. If she had just been better, Tyler wouldn't have died.

Imagine how strong she must've been to be the one to get Tyler off that tree that night. To inject into him the sedative, having to use all her strength to stop herself from trembling in those moments— the slightest slip-up could compromise any chance they had of saving Tyler.

In the hospital, all she needed was comfort, which Aiden unexpectedly provided her. It wasn't meant as a romantic act, it was just basic human decency. A tap on the hand and the light squeeze of her palm was enough to break her. She never expected that of Aiden, and Aiden never expected that of himself. They only reacted like that because— well, what could you expect from two clueless teenagers? Their development is amazing excluding romantic interests, and they aged beautifully as characters.

Having to drag Aiden's limp body to safety at the school, after witnessing him die just after Tyler did— all under her care, that was already too much to bear. Seeing Aiden look like that just before waking back up to his seizing body, she was completely frozen. Overwhelmed. If she had just reacted faster, or had kept them closer, maybe she would've been able to save Aiden in time. But no. She fucked up, again, and the guilt she felt for it crushed her. If she had just been better, none of this would have happened.

She always felt responsible for their safety, and always blamed herself for things even she had no control over. She thought everybody expected the best of her at all times, and she'd be letting them down if she were to just cry or crumble where she stood. She's a character who'd choose to go back to the past and fix all her mistakes. The new her wouldn't have traded them for the world, and if she were given the chance to go back, she wouldn't even dare to change being friends with them, she'd just keep them even closer, and make sure none of those bad things happened again. She would do it all again if it meant they'd be safer.

[sharpth1ng]

How did Hank react to Maureens death? How did Billy feel about that reaction?

I don't think Hank and Maureen had a deep emotional relationship and I write Hank as a pretty repressed guy so I think he probably tried to seem as normal as possible to keep the status quo. Basically react to it like she's just his son's girlfriend's mom and not a woman he had an affair with.

It doesn't seem like it's well known that there was an affair either, it's news to Sid when Billy does his reveal in the kitchen scene. So yk, Hank probably wouldn't want that getting out, especially because it would put him in connection to a murder.

This would piss Billy the fuck off. On an unconscious level I think he partly killed Maureen because he wanted to teach Hank a lesson, he wanted to hurt him, and he used Maureen to do that. When he doesn't get enough of a reaction it makes him mad as hell. Not like theres a lot he can say about it without giving himself away though.

That said I don't think Hank would be able to keep up the mask forever, it would crack sometimes so Billy gets a least a little satisfaction out of it.

[jackofacetrades]

I suppose that I am commiting a felony, but it is just possible that I am saving a soul.

So many people need to be reminded of that nowadays. Sometimes the good choice is not to give someone up because they broke the law.

I think a lot of modern Sherlock Holmes adaptations (as in, Holmes in the modern era) miss out by having Holmes work so closely with the police. A lot of people forget that Holmes was one of the original ACAB bitchies in fiction; he did not like the police. Yes, he worked alongside them sometimes, but he often talked about them with open distain. Sometimes he even worked directly against them (think of The Norwood Builder).

Granted this was mostly because the police lacked a lot of the skills they have today, such as forensics, something that Holmes was an advocate for, and tended to draw conclusions that did not fit the obvious facts. This has obviously changed - the police have a lot more resources at their disposal nowadays, but they are not a perfect institution - far, far from it, and if he were alive today, Holmes would have a lot to say about that.

I wish modern adaptations stayed true to the fact that in canon, Sherlock Holmes was the man you went to if you could not go to the police. If you had, perhaps, a criminal record, were homeless, were POC, were queer, were neurodivergent, an abuse victim, reliant on illegal substances, or even wrongfully accused, Sherlock Holmes would be the man you went to, and he would help you to the best of his ability.

Also, Holmes had his own unique sense of justice. Think of The Abbey Grange - a man murders the abusive husband of an old lover, and the wife is complicit. Holmes and Watson ultimately decide to let them go - Lady Brackenstall was being horribly abused, she was trapped in a loveless marriage with a violent husband. Captain Crocker murdered Sir Eustace, freeing Lady Brackenstall and perhaps saving her life. If the police had arrested Crocker, it would be very likely he would be hanged for murder, regardless of the circumstances.

Then there is James Ryder in the Blue Carbuncle. He, after Holmes pesters him, freely admits to stealing the jewel, but Holmes does not hand him over to the police and instead lets him walk free. It was Ryder's first offence, one he was manipulated into committing, and Holmes and Watson see him as a, quite frankly, pathetic little man. Holmes realises that if he were to turn Ryder in, it would destroy his life - he would be 'a jailbird for life'. Ryder committed a crime, but he is no criminal. Prison would turn him into one.

Holmes takes justice into his own hands, and in a way, it turns him into an anti-hero. But I think this a part of what makes him such a loveable, iconic character.

Holmes has created a 'safe space' within 221B Baker Street. I think this would be extremely intresting to explore through a modern lens.

[biggest-vi-defender]

and what if i told you that part of the reason vi became an alcoholic and likes alcohol so in the first place is because it reminds her of the last drop (which was a bar) and it’s one of the only things she can physically hold onto that make her nostalgic bc of how bad she misses her family.