#i was robbed of a lot of things and this family dynamic was one of them

[tentakrool]

why does remmick seem like a little freak when other vampires have natural charm and appeal?

tl;dr — sinners challenges the audience’s preconceived notions of vampires by throwing one into an atypical setting, subverting audience expectations to create a fresh vampire story rooted in historical and societal realities

saw a post comparing remmick to other vampires in media, specifically how unlike most vampires, he freaks people out and doesn’t have this suave, unearthly charm… but here’s the thing. he isn’t the one they’re freaked out by. they were suspicious to begin with, because of the sociocultural atmosphere of the time

1. should be obvious why the black characters suspected him of foul play. most white people in 1930s Mississippi did not seek out black companionship. if a white person wanted to deal with black folks, there probably was some kind of nefarious ulterior motive — case in point, the klan guy selling the mill to smoke and stack.

2. the white people in the film had reasons to suspect remmick as well. 1932 set us smack dab in the immediate fallout of the stock market crash of 1929 — the Great Depression. things were rough, and it made desperate people so desperate things. people would walk up to a house claiming to need help, then rob the family blind and sometimes even kill them. for remmick to run up to a white couple’s home out of nowhere and beg for help… that would be a red flag. his offer of money and appeal to their racism helped smooth that over, but their immediate suspicions of him came from the desperate atmosphere of the times and their own struggle for survival. you can tell they’re not wealthy from the ramshackle appearance of their home and their simple clothes. they don’t want some vagabond to waltz in and kill them for what little they have.

3. this would require a much longer post to fully flesh out, but i would argue that remmick does have that otherworldly charm — just for the right kind of person. while most people are suspicious of remmick from the jump due to their experiences with racism, poverty, etc., mary is the one person who seemed to fall for his platitudes and charm… and i would argue it’s because of who she is.

stack tells us that mary has a rich white husband that owns a successful, lucrative farm. she has no need to worry about her livelihood or safety from strange white people. in fact, she is probably used to them kissing her ass because she’s rich, pretty and passes for white. remmick, bart and joan are just white people to her, and they show her empathy and compassion when they learn her mother passed away, which further disarms her. only when they begin exhibiting monstrous behavior (the drooling especially) does she really clock that they’re dangerous.

i bring this up because in a lot of media, vampires find success in charming others because they can relate to them. yes, they are depicted with glamoring powers that can draw people in, but think about the classics.

dracula targets jonathan harker after placing himself in a position of power over him, then goes to hunt mina and lucy, both members of higher society. they defer to him because he is a count — a powerful person societally. his strangeness is offset by their unwillingness to challenge or question his authority.

or perhaps a newer example — lestat and louis in the amc iwtv show. louis is less suspect of lestat early on because he has made a living from dealing with white people, playing to their position of power above him and deferring to them. lestat uses this to get close, then begins appealing to louis’ desire for power over the white men who disparage and control him. again we see that while it’s true that the vampire has an otherworldly charm, it’s their knowledge of power and societal dynamics that makes them effective

we don’t normally see poor white trash vampires, so it seems like remmick isn’t as successful at charming others, but really what’s happening is that the film is challenging our preconceived notions of what a vampire looks like by throwing one into an world that we normally wouldn’t find them in. vampires aren’t normally poor, wounded and hunted — they have power, money, influence and good looks.

that said, remmick still uses the same playbook as other vampires; he just has his work cut out for him, and has to navigate an inherently desperate, dangerous world in more calculated ways to protect himself. otherwise, he never would have had a chance in hell of getting close enough to the juke to achieve his goals. coogler did this on purpose. which is just another way this movie slaps major ass.

gahhhhhhhh this could be a whole paper and i’ll be damned if i don’t wanna write it

[kitts-mechanix]

I just had a huge realisation yesterday and I wanted to share this after going through some pretty horrible stuff over the weekend: Something I've always asked myself ever since getting into G1 Transformers was "why do you like Starscream so much even though he's a narcissistic bully? Why are you, someone who is a victim of narcissistic abuse, taking comfort in a narcissistic character?" Well, I think I finally figured it out. Because Starscream is also a victim of that very same abuse. I mean, he's beaten, called names, bullied, unappreciated, abused, and put through the wringer…and he internalised all that abuse because he knew no other way. He had no one to turn to, and the few bots who did support him, he treated like dirt. Once he had that freedom and power, he abused it and became the very thing that abused him. I have no doubt he was always self-centred, selfish, had a huge ego, etc. before all that but honestly? I think Megatron's abuse caused him to turn out the way he did. I could have turned out that way and it's a little scary, some of the parallels I'm drawing with him.

@ichbinmeltdown wrote a great analysis on Starscream that I want to share here:

"Megatron was abusive as hell to Starscream. He treated him horribly, and I legitimately almost cried a few times watching it. There's an episode called Starscream's Brigade that introduces the Combaticons, and I think that perfectly demonstrates the cycle of abuse. The entire world is against Starscream at pretty much every turn throughout the series, but none more so than Megatron. Every word out of his speech synthesizer to Starscream is to berate him, and he's constantly throwing him around, beating him, even ripping out his speech synthesizer in a scene from a previous episode (Hoist Goes Hollywood, IIRC). His own teammates don't like him, and even his brothers- Skywarp and Thundercracker, going off of the idea they're brothers- just... allow Megatron to abuse him. (Not to get into headcanons here, but I personally believe that Megatron's abuse fractured the Elite Trine's family dynamic. They are still brothers and love each other, but they're all too afraid of Megatron to really... stand up for each other as they did in the past.) And Starscream seemed to just snap in this episode. He treated the Combaticons poorly, and even when teaming up with Shockwave, he subjected him to a lot of the same ridicule and torment that Megatron put him through. He failed to realize Shockwave was the one of the only bots who would give him a chance- and unfortunately lashed out at him, which ruined his chances of Shockwave ever being a true friend and ally to him. Once Starscream had finally gotten a taste of power and not being under another bot's boot, he too became the very thing that he lived in fear of. And that really is how the cycle goes- when you're finally free from abuse, it can be tempting to overcompensate and take back all the power you were robbed of, at any cost whatsoever. Starscream, like D16 in Transformers One, snapped up this opportunity."

And the sad thing is, I've seen this in real life and I've internalised some of the abuse I've dealt with too. I'm not proud of it. Like the Seeker Trine, my own family dynamic has been fractured by similar abuse. I know there's traces of narcissism in my behaviour too, and I'm NOT proud of it. Maybe this is why I can forgive Starscream for being a narc, because I can see a little bit of my own personality/attitude/behaviour in him. Maybe it's because I know where it came from, I get why he acts that way and it's not just random and out of the blue. Maybe it's because--and I know this is a bold statement--I don't think he would do some of the stuff my own family did to me (blah blah blah he's a fictional character).

I didn't mean for this to turn into a long rant, so

TLDR: I finally figured out that part of the reason I love and relate to Starscream so much despite him internalising some of the abuse I went through, is because he was the victim of that same abuse.

[writtenbycassandra]

i usually don't talk about httyd on here, but for some reason i've felt the sudden urge to rewatch all the tv shows and overanalyze everything and i've got some things to say about the twins (mainly ruffnut). they are actually so underrated and not necessarily in the fandom, but rather when it comes to the shows itself. especially in rob/dob, where they barely have any characterizations at all. this is such a missed opportunity because both of them can be extremely perceptive and witty at times. they have lots of random knowledge, are multilingual and actually show interest in topics such as poetry, philosophy, psychology etc. (their entire character designs just scream insomniac kids with ADHD).

specifically ruffnut is pretty smart. she is one of the best liars in the dragon rider group (tbh the bar is set pretty low) and extremely cunning. that one scene where she tricked the dragon hunter guard by pretending to crack? only to steal his key without anyone noticing?? this comes to my mind. or how she just straight up lied to viggo and ryker without showing a hint of fear or remorse? and the entire thing with gruffnut. to me, she seems like she just doesn't really care and wants to keep the expectations low to have fun. also, her calling astrid out for not respecting the team was completely valid, especially if you consider the character dynamics. although astrid is a lot more present in the show, ruffnut has a stronger connection to the other dragon riders (except from hiccup). ruffnut, tuffnut, snotlout and (even) fishlegs have plenty of bonding moments together, where you can sense the found family vibes. astrid mostly ignores fishlegs/only talks to him about hiccup/rolls her eyes at him, is openly aggressive when it comes to snotlout, and dismisses everything the twins say. she, too, never got really close to ruffnut (another missed opportunity), which is why there was barely any female friendship represenation in the main group. (i mean, there was heather, but she wasn't there the entire time in rtte and barely at all in rob/dob.)

also, i think the twins were just generally more fleshed out in rtte than they were in rob/dob. like, tuffnut got his chicken and we see all his hyperfixations (mostly very dangerous dragons, which is just a mood on its own). and i loved the scenes where we saw that they actually cared for each other a lot. like when ruffnut forced snotlout to get bitten by every dragon possible just to convince her brother that he wouldn't turn into one. and tuffnut giving up his beloved maze, realizing that his sister was more important than his weapon, which was just an item he could replace.

i just generally love the twins and their sometimes chill and sometimes chaotic vibe.

[qoldenskies]

Thinking about Rise Splinter hate… it always makes me kinda sad. Like YEAH, it wasn’t right the way he treated the boys. But like, Rise is really good at expressing subtle familial dynamics, and one of the big ones for me is the fact that like… there’s always an undercurrent of “It’s complicated” to their interaction with Splinter. IRL, it always pisses me off to see people casting judgments on people’s relationships with their family, because you don’t know!! Yeah, they hurt you, but not everything’s black and white. It’s complicated. Because you love them, and sometimes you get to understand a little bit better why things happened as you get older.

In a matter of smaller importance, hate for him loses so many opportunities in his character… even things that might just be kinda off-handedly mentioned.

He fought for SEVEN years—give me Splinter with chronic pain. Splinter relating to his boys with their neurodivergence—it’s HIS fault they have it!!!

That was seven years of imprisonment, or even simpler, an abusive relationship. What did he learn from that? How did he change? What things are skewed in his worldview?

His childhood! We saw his relationship with his grandfather a bit, but how did Splinter grow into his dream of being a movies star? HIM BEING A MOVIE STAR. He was both a rebellious team and a literal celebrity, this guy probably took empyrean at some point without knowing it, just like. Recreationally or something LMAO.

I maybe just need more of his old man knowledge. Him being so loser-core was a great move by the Rise team, and I could SEE where his story was going—ROBBED. We were ROBBED.

splinter hate is CRAAAAZY when he's such an INTERESTING character who does actually have a lot of obvious depth. like he's goofy and he's objectively flawed as a parent but he does go out of his way to improve himself and LEARN throughout the show, and he does listen and apologize when he knows he's messed up. his issues are so similar to leo's actually, leo's a kid so he's got more leeway to be shitty but idk when people act like its endearing on him and not on splinter. splinter's hilarious free my man

on the other side of the coin i dont really like when people make him a perfect loving parent either,,, i think people going for all kinds of interpretations in order to serve whatever story they need is fine but i do prefer kind of messy parent splinter, i think its kind of sad to see him reduced down to bad or good. he LOVES his boys so dearly and he would NEVER intentionally want to hurt them, but he's quick to cast judgement when he's angered/feels disrespected (evil league of mutants comes to mind, but also in turtle dega nights when donnie first stops the tank) and he's really a lot more inattentive than he should be. but there are REASONS behind this, coming out of an abusive relationship, fighting in bloodsports against his consent for years, you could probably count the whole draxum thing as traumatic (its presented as kind of silly in the show, but considering what it lead to,, its a pivotal moment in the backstory. its one of those things that i reasonably feel can be recontextualized because its so essential) and then dealing with crippling body dysmorphia and being forced into the sewers with no company other than his children,, it really adds up

idk like ,,,, you can still be extremely traumatized and be a horrible parent. in fact trauma can be a direct CAUSE of being a bad parent because that kind of thing influences every facet of your life and if youre unprepared emotionally, yeah. but splinter isn't the kind of person to double down and become more overtly nasty when he feels cornered. if he gets the feeling that his kids are actually upset with him, he backtracks. this is actually kind of a key trait of his, that he does try very hard to correct himself when he messes up. he's communicative and apologetic, and he tries very hard to be that way.

and also this is maybe something that i just have a wider problem with when it comes to the way people interpret things in cartoons at times but splinter's actions in eps like lair games (especially in lair games) and flushed but never forgotten are meant to be like. jokes. its absurdist comedy that's meant to catch you off guard. there are more serious emotional beats in rise you can use but i think when youre adapting this world and characters into a more serious tone you have to keep that kind of thing in mind because some things are meant to be surprising and absurd for the sake of making you laugh. i think the best comparison i can think of is how in musical movies they're not actually singing (in most cases, sometimes the fact that they actually are is played for laughs it depends. but yk what i mean). the joke is that this is kind of a shitty thing he's doing but taking the actions themselves seriously in a vacuum in order to cast shame on a character has always been odd to me. that'd be like calling raph abusive for rolling up the window on mikey's neck in late fee. or calling the teetz murderers because they caused a robot mass suicide that one time. it just doesnt make any sense

[bardan-jusik]

omg thank you!!

okay i'm sure everyone expects me to say kal, but it's actually vau

yeah i know i know we're introduced to him as 'the guy who is willing to torture prisoners' and 'the guy who nearly killed atin because of how atin was reacting to how his squad died'

this is not a vau defense post. im not saying he's a GOOD person. he has done, will do, and shows no remorse for a lot of horrible shit. HOWEVER he never does sadistic shit for his own entertainment- it's always because that's what (he believed) needed to be done, to protect those he cares about. and he is extraordinarily lawful about it

i could find more instances of vau demonstrating that he's actually extremely moral but i'm going to focus on the true colors intro scene for the sake of brevity lol

-very explicit about delta not touch anything, he is the one robbing the bank, not them

-he is a civilian, and multiple times through the books he uses his lack of military rank to do things that he would not be able to square with his conscience if he was in a military

-'my squad' 'boys' and 'won't go as far as kal'- he's maintaining the distance of not calling them his sons, but he clearly thinks of them that way. i believe that he won't think of them as his sons because he feels it would be inappropriate, for several reasons- he doesn't want to put himself in a parental role, knowing he would be shit at it, he may feel that after all they had to do to the clones on kamino it would be tasteless to try and play a father figure even if he would be good at it, and it may just be that the concept of fatherhood is distasteful to him because of his own fuckass dad

-'its heartbreaking' and 'tiny kids' and 'he's running out of time faster than me' LIKEEEEE. his inner thoughts are very focused on how much he cares about the clones, even if strong emotion doesn't come easily to him (and he's at least somewhat intellectually aware of whats up there, straight up says his dad fucked him up)

-his arguments with kal are really insightful into his own morals- he thinks that kal treating the clones like his sons is detrimental to the clones. whether kal or vau is right isn't the point- i think that the way they both handled their cadets respectively was the only way either of them could have squared it to themselves morally, and there was no objective Correct Way to handle this deeply fucked up situation

-dude lies to jedi and always manages to do it in ways that are morally acceptable to him

-gives the sapphire to ordo in a gesture that shows extremely substantial support for him and his relationship, and approval of besany, and is also justice towards vau' family

-helps kal dig the foundation for the memorial, which im sure to vau was more or less keeping kal company and showing him some solidarity while kal did what he needed to do to deal with his grief

-goes looking for sev on kashyyyk

-his beskar is black, representing justice

i could probably write a damn book on kal and vau's Whole Thing and this feels deeply incoherent right now but basically- vau cares even if he prefers to show it only through significant, meaningful action and never verbally, vau's actions MUST make internal moral sense to him, and i cannot think of a single thing he does in the books that wasn't motivated by a desire to help the people he cares about

versus kal who easily shows love, verbally, physically, through action- it hurts kal to not show affection. he has to lie to a terrorist and say he doesnt care about the clones to seal a deal and immediately asks to make sure they know he didn't mean it. his actions also must make internal moral sense to him, but he goes about it differently than vau- vau won't take a military position, kal won't sleep in a bed. and not a single thing kal does wasn't motivated by a desire to help the people he cares about

they are INSANE and just. holy shit it's good writing. the character building and dynamics are CRAZY. but you don't get that if you think that vau is an immoral person

[whateverisbeautiful]

Do you think Rick ever attempted to tell Michonne how he felt about her? I wondered if he tried and got scared or someone interrupted them. How do you think Rick trying would have gone?

I really like this question too! I can absolutely see there being moments where Rick wanted to tell her how he feels and maybe even came close to before something stopped him. Since in TOWL he admitted he didn’t know what to do about being in love with her for a while there, I think those mints ended up being pretty important in helping him finally figure out how to let Michonne know how he feels about her.

This post actually feels like the perfect place to put my Part Two of what I think happened with Rick and Michonne during that time jump between No Way Out and The Next World because I address this question some more in my play-by-play. So this is Part Two - what I think happened in that time jump to make Rick and Michonne be like this the next time we see them in 6.10 ⬇️💗:

As always, my extra self has to start right from where they left off in No Way Out, which includes one of my favorite TWD episode endings when Rick speaks to Carl and then Carl ever-so-lightly takes his hand.

I’ve always loved the staging of that scene too with Michone holding Judith right outside the room. It’s such a visual confirmation of the family unit they are. And I can envision that when Rick notices that Carl took his hand he calls Michonne in to tell her about Carl’s movement and they're really happy and relieved and it’s a moment where it’s pretty hard to ignore how much the two of them feel like a mom and dad. 

So then I’d think that Carl probably has to stay at the infirmary for a certain amount of time for Denise to monitor him in the earliest stages of his recovery. And Rick and Michonne visit every single day to be with Carl and help look after him. I feel like the community probably agreed that after NWO, Rick needs a little break from leadership so that he can focus on tending to Carl. So during this time, others step up around the community while Rick and Michonne have a lot more time to tend to Carl and be at home with Judith. I think spending all that time together really tightens Rick and Michonne’s bond even more.

And one of the biggest things I’m convinced we were robbed of seeing during this time jump is the increase in Richonne’s physical touch. I think Rick and Michonne got a lot more comfortable with showing affection through touch during this time. Nothing blatantly romantic of course but like those little low fives or nudges on the couch. They start doing those types of touches a lot more often. Along with ramping up the flirtation and the little glances that suggest this dynamic isn’t nearly as platonic as they’ve tried to act like it is because there’s some real yearning and desire evident during this time.

I can picture that there’s one night where maybe Michonne puts Judith to bed while Rick is downstairs putting away dishes and then on the way to her room they both just end up sitting on the couch and staying up late talking - something they subconsciously might have been more hesitant to do when Carl was in the house prior considering the whole son’s best friend/best friend’s dad thing. But while Carl is still in the infirmary, they end up feeling a bit more comfortable to spend this time together at night. And those nighttime chats then become a staple part of their daily routine that Rick and Michonne both really look forward to.

Like it’s so a part of their routine that even when they’re tired after a long day, they go to the couch instead of going to bed because they want to make sure they still get that time to decompress together.

And I think their conversations just flow so easily and they operate so organically as best friends, while also knowing it’s getting harder and harder to act like all they are is best friends. Especially when Rick decides to officially remove his wedding ring during this time - something I imagine Michonne did notice.

I feel like Judith also starts really clinging to Michonne like a mom during this time. Like I always love it when the baby who plays Judith reaches for Michonne during that 6.10 scene on the porch and even sounds like she says Michonne’s name. I always like to think that Judith feels so bonded to Michonne by that point.

And maybe Rick and Michonne even like to make predictions on when they think Judith will start crawling as they often like to smile over watching her "practice" on the baby monitor during their nighttime chats.

I can picture that on one of those nights, Rick thanks Michonne for saving his and Carl’s life when Ron had that gun on him and notes how she’s saved his life quite a few times and he feels like he owes her. And she’d tell him that he doesn’t owe her and again the silence after is so clearly her “because I love you and you’ve given me a whole family” but she doesn’t say all that and Rick doesn’t profess his love yet either. They just let the nice moment be. 

So then there’s the portion of time when Carl can finally come home and Denise teaches Rick and Michonne what they’ll need to do with Carl home, like how to wrap his bandages and do physical therapy. With Carl home, I picture that Rick and Michonne get a good routine going of how to take care of him and help him during this time of adjusting to his new life with one eye. It's all just even more confirmation that the two of them parent and operate like a well-oiled machine.

Some days are smoother than others because I think Carl would understandably have some days where the recovery is frustrating for him. But Carl is a fighter too so overall he’s resilient and keeps a good spirit during recovery. And Rick and Michonne try to make things as smooth as possible for him and they’re able to lean on each other when it’s hard or emotional to see Carl struggling. They’re both just so grateful Carl is alive. 

I think the four of them would have family dinner together every night and Carl can even peep that the bonding Rick and Michonne have done lately is so clearly because they’re into each other. Like I just know that the look Carl gave Michonne the morning after she was with Rick has to do with Carl being like I knew I was picking up on the right vibes in this house all this time. 😂

In my mind, I imagine that Michonne is best at changing the bandages so she often is the one who does that for Carl in the mornings. I think one of those mornings she’s getting ready for the day and realizes she’s out of toothpaste. So, wearing her robe and towel, she initially is going to ask Carl to borrow his before bandaging him but then she sees Rick’s bedroom door is open so she just asks him.

And Rick does have some toothpaste left and gives it to her while trying very hard to just seem casual about her showing up in her robe the first time lol. But he’s definitely not mad at the sight he sees. 😋

And then soon it just becomes a thing for Michonne to borrow Rick’s toothpaste in the mornings during their family's little morning routine.

Rick and Michonne still of course want to contribute to the community so Rick starts going back out on those runs with Daryl and Michonne takes on some guard shifts at the gate. Once again, I think Daryl is observant that Rick has been real cheery lately and he knows that, on top of the good news of Carl surviving and the community proving they’re capable of surviving too, it’s whatever Rick has going with Michonne that plays a big part in why he’s smiling and snapping to music on their supply runs.

I also think on Rick and Daryl's supply runs, Rick would always somehow find ways to bring up Michonne in their conversations - because he’s a man in love. And Rick thinks he’s bringing Michonne up casually and subtly but it’s not either of those things to Daryl lol. But again, Daryl mostly keeps those observations to himself, even tho the thought "if this idiot doesn't make a damn move on her already" likely crossed his mind at minimum three times.

There was a time when I would have thought that maybe Rick never outright told Daryl that he had fallen for Michonne pre-canon. But honestly seeing the way Rick is a guy who can wear his heart on his sleeve at times, I wouldn't be surprised if maybe he did open up to Daryl more straightforwardly about how he's in love with his son's best friend and doesn't exactly know how to best proceed. And Daryl is a man of few words but I'd imagine that even the few words he'd offer up about the situation would be somehow helpful or reassuring to his brother.

And then, even with Carl home, Rick and Michonne definitely still continue to have their nighttime chats between just the two of them. Even tho now maybe sometimes Carl will come downstairs for water or a snack and be like 'you guys are still up talking?' 🤭

I do think there could have been one night where they were talking and laughing, and everything in Rick wanted to just tell Michonne how he feels and even lean in and kiss her. Because again, he’s aware during this time that he’s in love with her.

Like maybe there’s a moment where Michonne even asks about why he stopped wearing the ring, sorta like how she asked Carl why he stopped wearing the sherrif hat in season 4. And Rick is about to say something about how it didn’t feel right anymore to wear the ring while he’s in love with someone else and he’d turn that into the moment he tells Michonne how he feels about her…But I bet they do have something that interrupts his chance. Like maybe Judith starts crying or Carl or Daryl walks into the kitchen or something so they sorta have to just let the moment pass again.

While Michonne would have reacted really positively to Rick professing his feelings for her at any point during this time jump, I think the actual timing of how Richonne got together ended up being perfect for them. After all the build-up of their slow burn, I think it’s better that their first officially romantic moment didn’t have to be a whole conversation but rather them just leading with their hearts and being passionately in the moment, rather than Rick perhaps directly telling her he’s fallen for her and maybe nervously adding something like “if that’s too much right now I understand” like the talk they had in 4.11. 

But I think these unseen time jump exchanges where Rick hoped to “find his moment," is also part of why Rick had that look that he had just before he kissed Michonne in 6.10. In that scene, I always feel like he looked at her like I think this might finally be my uninterrupted chance to kiss her and oh wow she looks like she wants me to.

I also feel like some of Rick’s hesitation to make a move before 6.10 was because he really didn’t want to potentially ruin what they have now by moving too fast or escalating in a way that Michonne may not want. So I think he just decided in his mind that if ever she gives the green light then he won’t hold back in letting her know how he feels, but he’ll wait until she’s comfortable enough for that. 

Until then, he’s just loving all their little exchanges throughout the day. And Michonne loves it too. She’s also aware she’s fallen in love with him by this point, but Rick is her best friend’s dad and they have such a good thing going as a family that I think she too is hesitant to make her feelings known and find out if it’s mutual. So like Rick, she's working up to it. Especially with Deanna’s final words to her ringing through her mind often during this time - “What do you want? Now you go figure it out.”

But one morning, Michonne remembers that she still doesn’t have toothpaste of her own so she goes up to Rick’s room to borrow it like she normally does. However, this time he’s all out too. And so is Carl.

All of them being out of toothpaste ends up being a blessing in disguise tho. Because fortunately, this is also the same day Rick very intentionally finds the perfect minty alternative. 😌

And those mints lead to Rick and Michonne finally acting on all the blatant love, desire, and sexual tension that they’d been steaming up the house with the last few weeks. 

And that’s my 'little' detailed play-by-play of what I think life was like for Rick and Michonne during that very impactful Season 6 time jump. 👌🏽😊

Also, I had said in Part One that this Part Two would possibly be less lengthy, but I checked and this one is longer than the first. 😅 They were just too fun to write and imagine. Thanks for reading them! I really do appreciate each person who takes the time to read my thoughts. 🙏🏽💕

[zepskies]

The Boys S4: Is it just me or...

Okay, anyone who knows me knows I love this show. And I don't mean to be overly critical, but...there's something missing for me in season 4. 🤔

Episode 4 brought me back in a bit more this week, but I have thoughts and just wanted to get them out. Which of course you don't have to agree with, if you so choose to dive below the cut. 😂

So here we go! Highlights and lowlights (and **spoilers**): ⤵️

Sorry in advance for my slightly stream of conscious-style thought process.

Lowlights (so far):

Kimiko x Frenchie: Violently pushing down something you built up for 2.75 seasons? Because "being more than that/family" can also be romantic? Why do you hate the fans, Kripke? 😂

The political "satire" is getting a bit old for me. A lot of the same jokes over and over. However, the problem of taking out Victoria Neuman is a very intriguing conundrum (and Bob Singer sweating over it while trying to keep supes out of the military/law enforcement is keeping me hooked).

THAT Rob scene: lmfao come on now. This was for gross shock value and nothing else. Even the exploding dick and Love Sausage in S3 served a narrative purpose. (But I enjoyed the footnote commentary while watching it on Prime: Rob B. apparently wants to remind everyone that he's a Shakespearean-trained actor. 🤣) I’m actually more disappointed that he didn’t have a more meaningful role in the show, because he really is a fantastic actor and I was looking forward to seeing what his character would bring. (Not that lmao.)

Overall, the season just feels...emptier than seasons 1-3? Maybe that has to do with the lack of Soldier Boy's gravitas as a new antagonist, and connecting the entire narrative and various conflicts of the season -- all while shedding light on the grisly past of Payback, Grace Mallory, and Stan Edgar. Stormfront also brought that ante up in season 2 in a similar way, all while shedding light on Vought's sordid history with the creation of Compound V.

We're missing the layers here in season 4. Now, this could just be because we haven't seen the full season yet as well, but that's what I see so far.

I think it also has to do with the odd dynamic the boys side is in right now. With Butcher on the fringe of the group, and the others splintered off on their own side plots, it feels like the supes' side of things are more...for lack of a better term, "unified" in the narrative.

Which I realize is probably to reverse parallel the state of each side in season 3. But it just feels "off" to me somehow, since we're supposed to be just as invested in the boys side lol.

Highlights:

Butcher and Ryan: Butcher's doing his best there now, and it soothes my heart.

Ryan's slowly seeing the consequences of his choice to join Homelander. In fact, I'm wondering where Ryan is in episode 4. Hiding in his room?

The Khan Worm that appears to be inside Butcher is both frightening and intriguing. I wonder if this is the key to saving his life? Or just another lovely side effect of taking V24 long term. 🐛

JDM (Joe) and Butcher: All their scenes were golden. And that subtle John Winchester reference? Being willing to train up his son to be a killer? Being able to grieve at his son's funeral, knowing he "saved the world?" *Chef's kiss* 🤌🏽

(And if Butcher or Joe end up being the one to break Soldier Boy out of his cryo coffin, my fangirl heart will freak TF out. 🤣)

The way that Homelander is noticing his age is fucking hilarious. Bet you wish you had that life longevity from your father/sperm donor, dont'cha? 😂

But also the way Homelander "confronted" his past in E4 had some truly WTF/Holy Shit™️ moments, in a good way. As in, I'm once again afraid of this unhinged psychopath--kind of way. 😅

A-Train continuing to struggle internally with the place he's fought so hard to keep in the Seven, versus recognizing the evil around him, his own complicity, wanting forgiveness from Hughie, and wanting a true connection with others (namely his family).

It's interesting that Hughie's mom is being brought back in at this time. And even MORE interesting that she seems to be the one who gave her ex-husband Compound V. Her story of why she left her family seemed so normal that I actually got a little suspicious of her. But now, even more so. 🤨

M.M. doing his fucking best. (Except for the way he suddenly had a change of heart about Butcher in E4. Not sure about that one.)

Tilda effing Swinton voicing Ambrosius. PLEASE. My Queen. 😭🤣🤣

I actually had more lowlights before I watched episode 4. There were some really interesting moments that literally had me gasping in shock (this time in a good way), more so than in the first 3 episodes. However, I still think seasons 1-3 were stronger from the get-go.

But even with my lingering reservations, now I'm actually more so looking forward to getting into the meat of the season in this second-half coming up. 👏🏽

[class1akids]

Do you really think the Deku Bakugo Shouto trio were written well?

I often see people complain about their dynamic and trio in many social media spaces, and many people say Horikoshi focused on them because of their popularity and he abandoned the actual trio aka ''Deku Ochako Iida''

So the whole manga is not very well written, but I think that the idea behind the Origin Trio is good and interesting. Like I've said many times in many places, Origin Trio is not your typical shonen friendship trio, but the backbone of the manga on which the narrative is built. It explores All Might's legacy from three different angles:

Deku - the "successor/ chosen" one who explores the OFA legacy

Shouto - explores how hero society was shaped by the All Might era and how it impacted the family of "A" hero who was not "THE" hero

Katsuki - explores a genius by the standards of the All Might era hero society.

We follow each of these character, originally inspired by the same person as highlighted in their Origin chapters to try to emulate him, understand what made him so iconic, reflect on how to follow in his footsteps and finally come into their own as heroes in their Rising, with a more personal definition of what being a hero means to them. This is structured around the themes of save, win, reassure.

And while the Origin Trio do eventually become friends, the point is more this exploration, how they influence each other's emerging hero ideals in the ways their story intertwines.

I also don't know what makes you think that the "actual trio" is Iida, Uraraka and Deku or it ever was meant to be. They had a couple of scenes together in the beginning, but by USJ arc (so the first 20 chapters, Origin Trio was the one who went to save All Might and the Sport Festival was squarely built around their three-way rivalry.

It's pretty easy to fact-check, but the first popularity poll was published during the Stain arc. So it's not that because they were popular, they were given more content, but the content itself that was planned before the first popularity poll influenced their popularity.

For me, Uraraka's and Iida's function in the story is different than Bakugou's and Todoroki's. While Origin Trio are all pinned to All Might, Ochako and Iida are pinned to Deku's influence and how their hero ideals change due to their admiration of Izuku. This is most prominent with Uraraka, who has no other influence than Deku to make her journey from "I'm here to make money for my parents" to "who saves heroes" and "being a co-weirdo).

Iida's is a bit different, because while he starts out definitely as a Deku-admirer, he's also influenced by Todoroki and by Tensei's legacy, and after the Stain arc, he shifts more into the new Deku-Iida-Todoroki back alley trio friendship circle (which is btw much better written than anything about the first-arc trio) while Uraraka becomes attached to Tsuyu, I guess in preparation to her plotline with Tsuyu.

The Iida-Ochako-Deku trio isn't really a thing outside of the "Beginnings" arc and then is brought back during Class A vs OFA a bit, because that arc is making lot of full circles to the first arc (like bringing back the civilian with the star-head from Ch 1). Iida and Uraraka have no dynamic to speak of.

So I'm really not sure why this belief is so widespread in fandom that they were the "actual trio" and somehow got robbed by Bakugou and Todoroki (whose significance was pretty obvious from the start, I think).

There are some shonen where your "main trio" is introduced in Chapter 1, but there are many others where some of the key characters arrive a bit later (when did Karma show up in Assassination Classroom for example? when did Killua get introduced in HxH?) and the first trio is just a first-arc trio.

In any case, the Origin trio hate is very forced in the fandom, but their popularity (and the popularity of characters tied to them) is an indicator that their narrative captivates the readers.

[amalthea-13]

Stolas, Amalthea, and Destiny

Introduction

When it comes to Stolas I have wanted to talk a lot about his and Blitz's narrative through the lens of The Last Unicorn. There is a lot of stuff that during the film explains and helps us understand Stolas and Blitz as characters. For the sake of simplicity, I will just say hi! I'm Amalthea, but today ya'll can call me Moon since the Unicorn's name is also Amalthea.

Stolas and Amalthea

Stolas and The Unicorn both have a lot in common. They're both immortal beings who cannot understand those around them. Both deal with feelings of isolation and loneliness due to everyone around them being fundamentally different from them.

When we meet both Stolas and Amalthea, they are bound by one thing, duty. Stolas is bound to his job and role as a Goetia, and Amalthea is bound to her duty to save other unicorns from King Haggard. They are both bound to their role and have no flexibility due to the world around them.

The first scene I will be dissecting is the scene of the unicorn trapped at Mommy Fortuna's Carnival. During this scene, the Unicorn is unrecognizable to the humans around her. In TLU (The Last Unicorn), it is established that unicorns have been gone for so long that they only see Amalthea as a white mare, not a unicorn.

Therefore, Mommy Fortuna puts a false horn on her so people "recognize her" despite it being an act. This scene directly works in tandem with Stolas and Stella's dynamic.

During the court scene in Mastermind, we see Stella and Andrelphus have worked such a warped idea of who Stolas is to the world. To the point they're able to paint an entire narrative on his behalf and speak for him. Completely robbing Stolas of his own agency.

The entire "owl in a gilded cage" metaphor is very apparent here that- Stolas is trapped within the confines of his position.

Both Stolas and Amalthea are manipulated socially by the people around them, utilizing them for their own benefit. Stella to Stolas, and Mommy Fortuna to the Unicorn.

Their lives are only as important as they are useful. As morbid as that sounds, it's the truth.

Moving on both Stolas and Amalthea are incredibly innocent creatures who can come off cold or even vain. While Amalthea is canonically that way due to being a unicorn, the same can be said for Stolas since it is just within Goetia nature/upbringing. These characters are predisposed to particular behaviors due to their environment.

Moving on, Stolas beyond anyone tries his best to show kindness. During a scene in TLU, Amalthea meets a harpy named Celenio.

Like Amalthea, Celenio is an immortal creature being trapped by Mommy Fortuna, ensnared purely because she is immortal like Amalthea. In regards to Mommy Fortuna's aversion to releasing Celenio, Amalthea states;

"Keep your poor shadows, if you will, but let me go. And... let her go. I cannot see her caged. She's real, like me. We're two sides of the same magic." - Amalthea/The Unicorn

Later on Celenio acknowledges Amalthea and states;

"Set me free. We are sisters, you and I." -Celenio/Harpy

The reason these lines matter is Amalthea and Celenio acknowledge one another as equals, both trapped and hunted by man for their immortality and their usefulness as spectacles.

Once Amalthea releases Celenio, she attacks Amalthea, but even during that never once does Amalthea harm Celenio back.

What can this tell us about Stolas? More particularly about his relationship to Stella?

Both Stolas and Stella are bound by their roles and despite Stella's aversion to Stolas. He acknowledges their situation is awful and tries his best to make Stella comfortable.

Even when she ridicules him and hurts him, he extends kindness to her because they are both stuck in their position with no ability to change their circumstances. Stolas states that he genuinely tried despite all of Stella's cruelty;

"You and I were arranged for one reason; to birth a precautionary heir to the Goetia family, nothing more. I tried so many years to make it comfortable for us; to have this family, but it was never enough. The only reason I have endured your constant insults and cruelty was for that girl to have a normal life." - Stolas (The Circus)

Just like Amalthea and Celenio, Stolas extends kindness to Stella that she has not deserved or earned, but it is freely given. While partly it is for Octavia's sake, he expresses he was doing it for himself and Stella too, to make things comfortable for the both of them despite the awful circumstances.

Sure, both Stolas and Stella could have been sour and angry at one another, but Stolas chose to be better and do better. He had infinite power in the palm of his hand, and instead treated Stella with kindness and fairness she did not deserve.

Moving on, both Stolas and Amalthea are solitary creatures that are seeking community due to how out of place they feel and lonely they are in the world.

However, seeking that community comes at a cost for both of them.

I will get more into Amalthea's baggage later, but specifically what she lost. When Amalthea is running from The Red Bull, Schmendrick in a desperate moment to save her life, turns Amalthea human. Amalthea expresses her fear of her new body;

" I wish you had let the Red Bull take me. I wish you had left me to the harpy! I can feel this body dying all around me!... No. But I'm afraid of this human body. More than I was of the Red Bull. Afraid." - Unicorn/Amalthea

An important thing to note is that due to unicorns being immortal beings, they do not feel or understand mortal feelings the way we do. Earlier on Amalthea and Schmendrick have a conversation after Schmendrick regrets poor Mommy Fortuna being eaten by Celenio;

"I can never regret. I can feel sorrow, but it's not the same thing." - Unicorn/Amalthea

Amalthea does not process the same way as humans. However being trapped in a mortal body, Amalthea slowly but surely starts feeling human emotions such as sadness, anger, love, and many more feelings.

Later on in the film, when Amalthea finally finds her community with other unicorns, Amalthea realizes she will never be like the others. That she no longer is like the unicorns due to her time spent as a human and finding solace and comfort in her love and relationship with Prince Lir. Sure on the outside she looks like one, but she is no longer like the others.

"I'm a little afraid to go home. I have been mortal, and some part of me is mortal yet. I'm no longer like the others, for no unicorn was ever born who could regret. But now, I do. I regret." - Unicorn/Amalthea

When it comes to Stolas, he craves community. Stolas has no social life or anyone beside Octavia. More than anything he craves a connection. Hence his extreme attachment to Blitz despite being apart for 25 years.

I won't bore you with the conversation regarding Stolas's delusional attachment to Blitz so if you haven't go read the; Stolas, Yuno Gasai, and Delusional Attachments essay for more information on that.

He spends his days dreaming of a romance that can never be. Longing for a connection he can never have. Similarly to Amalthea, Stolas goes off and makes a choice to finally find connection and community, only to be changed forever.

I want to note that Stolas sleeping with Blitz was a desperate situation. It was Stolas last and only way out of his current situation. Blitz is the only person who could have pushed Stolas to choose himself and leave the marriage. This is fundamentally important to the context of who Stolas is. Anyone who argues otherwise has no business analyzing Stolas's character without acknowledging that Blitz was the only one who could help Stolas.

In Stolas's choice to choose himself and pursue Blitz, he inadvertently hurts people around him. The relationship itself becoming a mess between him and Blitz, along with Octavia.

Things slowly devolve until Mastermind. Stolas willingly and nobly sacrifices his own life for Blitz to save him.

In these series of choices of seeking community and connection, Stolas himself is turned "mortal" in some regards. He can no longer utilize his magic, he has lost his daughter, his status, everything. Stolas knows no peace due to his loss of his daughter. He is now on the same level socially as an imp. This isn't even a joke since imps are one of the lowest on the societal ladder. Stolas's only comfort through this hell is Blitz.

In TLU, Prince Lir acts as a "comfort" for Amalthea as she is consistently feeling the weight and pressure from her new emotions and duty to the other missing unicorns. Lir allows Amalthea to exist as a woman and be treated as one of their own. Finding comfort in her position despite it being foreign to her.

Blitz provides that same comfort. He treats Stolas like everyone else and gives Stolas full ability to express himself emotionally. He helps distract Stolas from the weight of his decision and his hurts regarding Octavia.

The major issue is that, despite being treated like everyone else, Stolas isn't like Moxxie, Millie, or Loona. He lived in an entirely different culture and it shows. He is still out of place even after finally gaining a sense of community.

In my notes regarding Amalthea I state; "Amalthea's lonliness bends between two worlds. Being immortal Amalthea cant relate to her human friends, but being a unicorn once more she can no longer relate to her species. Stolas now being mortal, he is more isolated than ever."

In relation to Stolas, I acknowledge that he is now currently further isolated than before.

While to many think him being with Blitz now he's in a "better" place, in actuality it's the same prison as before in a different font. Stolas has no one around him who understands him or sees him for who he is. No one who understands his very unique experience and circumstances.

Amalthea herself can no longer purely relate to her kind now that she is mortal. Stolas and Amalthea's isolation extends far beyond feeling lonely, but now realizing no matter what they will never actually fit in. That they truly have no "place" anymore. Even if Stolas is a Goetia again, he has been mortal and that part of him will always remain regardless.

These two are destined to be alone. Regardless of who they are with or how their circumstances work, their fundamental lived experiences mean they'll never truly fit in no matter how hard either of them try.

Conclusion

The unfortunate truth is that while these characters have supposedly "happy" endings, they both are bound into eternal loneliness, forever tormented by how their choices haunt them.

While Stolas can eventually get out of this, he is bound to this fate of loneliness for a while longer.

Stay tuned for Part 2 regarding Blitz.

[sapphire-weapon]

I see a lot of people freaking out in your asks about the possible family connection between Leon and Grace, but am I the only one wondering what the point would even be, story-wise? Grace is already an adult -- she probably doesn’t need or want another adult suddenly showing up to play daddy. I'm saying this as someone who was abandoned by her father at birth and had him show up once I was an adult: no, you don’t necessarily want to meet your father in that situation. It’s too late, and honestly, you just don’t care. You became who you are without him. So I really don’t see what it would add for Grace.

And I don’t see what it would add for Leon either. He’s got a savior or protector complex -- he doesn’t need to be someone’s "sperm donor" to feel involved. If there’s one person in the RE main cast who doesn’t need a reason to go save someone, it’s Leon. So I just don’t get why people are so worked up about it, especially when you already admitted it was a troll.

Well I'm bored and it's my night off, so let's do a fun thought experiment and see if we can make this theory seem narratively satisfying.

So DG has said pretty explicitly, and Andy has implied pretty heavily, that RE9 is actually Leon's story. Like, he's the main character, and the story is about him.

So, knowing what we know about storytelling (hopefully I've taught you guys something over the years), then what that means is that (regardless of how you feel about the gender dynamics at play here) any familial connection between Leon and Grace would exist to primarily serve his character. Not hers. So, throw your entire first paragraph out.

Sorry, Grace.

I think it's bad practice to think of this in terms of, like... giving Leon a reason to go save someone. Because I don't think that that's going to be the case, for a few reasons:

We don't know that Leon is going to save Grace. People are just assuming that because she's a blonde girl in distress.

We don't know that Grace is the reason that Leon ends up going back to Raccoon City in the first place. He could be going for a completely unrelated reason and just run into her there.

This line of thinking pre-supposes that the entire plot is going to turn around Grace's capture, similar to how RE4 turned around Ashley's capture... but seeing as how Grace is a major, playable character, it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense for the story to be about her rescue. I don't really think she needs rescuing, personally.

You're right, and Leon would save her just to save her anyway.

So. With that in mind.

What do we know?

Well, we know:

The FBI is heavily involved in whatever's going on.

Capcom has said that RE9 is about answering the final questions left hanging from the Raccoon City outbreak.

Leon is the only member of the main cast who was actively lied to regarding/following the RC incident and still doesn't know the full truth of the why's and how's of everything that's happened to him in his life.

Leon has been heavily isolated from the other characters and had his growth stunted as a result.

Most of that isolation was done on purpose by the US government, specifically to rob him of as much of his autonomy and agency as possible -- probably to prevent him from ever turning against them and/or so that he'll follow orders without question.

Despite the government's best efforts, Leon has started to question things and think for himself -- but he lacks the motivation and self-determination to actually take action against them, because he just doesn't care about himself enough to stand up for himself.

So, if Grace turns out to be Leon's daughter -- and it also happens to be the case that the reason he didn't know about Grace's existence is because the government intervened and somehow kept Alyssa and/or her messages away from him...

That could be the motivation that Leon needs to finally rebel against the government.

Because it's not just about him, anymore. It's about his child. And it's about all the time that he lost with that child -- time that he'll never get back. It's about the psychological/emotional damage to her that came from growing up without knowing her father that he can never make up for.

He missed everything in his child's life. He missed her first birthday, her first steps, her first word, her first day at school, her first love, her first heartbreak, her graduation, her first day at college, her acceptance into the FBI... He never got to chaperone a field trip or a school dance, he never got to help her with her homework, he never got to teach her how to drive, he never got to teach her how to shoot a gun, he never got to threaten her first boyfriend, he never attended a single sports game or school play or science fair...

He wasn't able to be there for her when her fucking mother got murdered.

He missed everything.

And Leon has a very romantic, sentimental nature. He would've wanted all of that. He would've made the effort to be in her life -- if only he'd known she existed.

But he was robbed of the simple opportunity to try.

And to make things worse, he can't even apologize to Alyssa for not helping her with Grace... because she's dead. Because he couldn't protect her. Because he didn't know. Because the government kept all of that information from him.

And maybe they killed her, too.

Maybe Leon does save Grace... but not from chair guy. Maybe the story is about Leon saving Grace from the government. Maybe Grace didn't go into the FBI by choice. Maybe she was "recruited" the way that Leon was "recruited."

Maybe Grace is the way for Leon to redeem himself from the way that he utterly failed Sherry -- and the way that he utterly failed himself.

Maybe that's why she's named "Grace."

[knickynoo]

Well, I was sufficiently enabled for the idea, so here it is: ✨Alex P. Keaton's Top Neurodivergent Moments✨

The funny thing is that the amount of time I put into scrolling through my encyclopedic mental inventory of Family Ties scenes, compiling these moments in a list, making gifs, and finding past gifsets/analysis to link back to makes creating this post one of my most neurodivergent moments. Good for me.

These will be organized by season (easier for me than trying to rank on a scale) and are in no way ALL of the moments. I'd need like...15 posts for that. Also, tumblr only allows 30 images/gifs per post, so I'm going to include links to past posts when possible.

ENJOY!

• Alex gets his first-ever failing grade and immediately decides to quit school

Exactly what it says. Alex strolls into college all bright-eyed and confident and ends up a broken shell of a guy just a week or so later. The prototypical Gifted Kid from the moment he learned to speak, Alex cannot handle anything less than perfection. Getting the first F of his life shatters his entire self-image, and he wants to drop out of college entirely.

• Alex's friend Doug announces he's getting married, and Alex spirals into despair. As one does.

The entirety of the "Best Man" episode is one big Alex displaying neurodivergent behaviors moment, honestly. There are a whole lot of Alex-centered plots that are set into motion because A Change happens, and he just cannot deal with it, and this is one of the best examples. Alex is so distraught at the suddenly altered dynamic that he wanders the house like a lost soul—sad and confused and needy. He walks in on Steven's shower just to give him a hug, offers to go shopping with Mal and play dolls with Jen, and also draws up a seven-year contract for his other friends to sign to ensure they stick to their regularly scheduled card games, lest they also run off to get married and destroy his life.

• Alex P. Keaton: child development expert

When faced with the news of another sibling on the way, Alex has some very nurturing advice at the ready for when the baby is crying.

• The Keatons all laugh at a funny story. Alex is not amused.

This is one of my favorite Alex scenes of the series. Uncle Rob shares a memory of the time Steven was young and got in trouble because he started rebelling against the system and refused to write his name in the designated spot on his school test papers. The family shares a hearty laugh. Alex, king of black-and-white thinking and lover of rules, is deeply upset.

I love him so much. He genuinely cannot see how they're enjoying such a story. The Name Spot is for names. And his father dared to write in the Not For Names Spot?? Jail for Steven.

He's so ridiculously autistic.

• Alex's favorite childhood toy

It was a cardboard box. I can't quite put into words why this sets off my ND radar, but it does. Maybe it's the being attached to unusual items thing that's common with autism? The intense fixations that make other people go ????

The Alex and Ba-ba plotline provides some wonderful Alex Lore.

• Mr. Mustache

Yeah, those intense fixations? In the "Fool for Love" episode, Alex grows a mustache and legitimately cannot speak about anything else for the several days that follow. He's asked to present a speech at Mallory's homecoming dance and centers his entire speech around his mustache. He's unable to have a conversation that doesn't involve mustaches. It's incredible.

• Everything in "Matchmaker"

Alex is so sweet in this one. After Mallory comes home crying after a bad date, Alex promises to help her find a great guy. Unfortunately, putting someone who struggles socially and with processing emotions in charge of your love life isn't exactly a great fit. Alex uses the power of science to craft a formula to find Mallory's perfect match (he isn't), then tags along on their date and helps foster a very natural environment (it isn't) for the relationship to flourish (it doesn't).

The episode ends with a great scene between Alex and Mallory that shows just how well Mal understands the inner-workings of her big brother's head.

• Divorce is tough. Alex has some advice.

The Keaton kids are shocked to learn that their Uncle Rob is divorcing their Aunt Maureen. As Jen and Mallory reel from the information, Alex helps to reframe things.

He then pulls out the Special Interest Card and compares the divorce of their aunt and uncle to a "failed merger, not unlike the breakup of the phone company—although obviously less emotional. Nothing more than a natural fluctuation in the marketplace of love and marriage."

And the thing is, he IS impacted by the news. He just hasn't the slightest clue how to actually process it. So, a simple failed merger it is!

• You had one job

Mallory needs some croissants for a fancy get-together she's having with her poetry class. Alex helpfully offers to go pick them up.

Now, I debated about this one because there's part of me that's like, "Hmm, did Alex purposely do this to annoy Mallory?" Is this just a jerk move? But you know what? It stays on the list because the whole "I personally don't like this thing and struggle to see how anyone else could. Therefore, I will get the thing I like" is (for me) a relatable aspect of being ND.

• Every single second of "A, My Name is Alex"

For real, though. This episode is a deep dive into how Alex became the person he is, and it is FILLED with "flashbacks" of an intensely neurodivergent child whose issues were made worse by the people around him. (Mostly teachers and peers. Steven and Elyse did their best with him, but I do also have some critiques of the way they parented him). Anyway, he represses his emotions to the point of a meltdown

And then there's this

Full coin gifset here. Also, I made posts on the full episode, which can be found here and here.

• "Alex has a weird body"

That's Mallory's explanation to Andy as to why Alex can't help her when she needs someone to model one of her latest clothing creations. She says Alex's head is too big for his body, and those words, unfortunately, find their way back to him. In a mini plot reminiscent of the mustache one, Alex proceeds to obsess over the comment.

And I mean, I think being told your head is too big for your body would make anyone insecure, but it's the way Alex handles it. He's unable to have regular conversations for a while because he can't stop fixating on the size of his noggin'.

Both of the "Read it and Weep" episodes fit in this list, to be honest

• An accurate statement by Lauren

I've got to include this because it really does neatly condense a lot of who Alex is

So true, bestie.

And then, to wrap this whole thing up, there's all of this

And this is just what I can fit in this here post without going over the limit lol. Obsessed with the way MJF played Alex.

Thanks for reading ✌️

This is me with Alex, btw

[biomic]

good finale to a really great show.

gogov surprised me! i didn’t have particularly high expectations going into it. i figured i’d have a decent time given the theming and my nostalgia for its PR counterpart, but i also saw a lot of people bounce off of it early on because of mondo and the contentious family dynamic. i certainly struggled with that initially, especially with how much of the humor in those early episodes is just “boy, our dad sure is a thoughtless deadbeat!”, but as the show went on, i found myself getting way more attached to the tatsumi sibs than i’d ever anticipated

people have joked about gogov being “just some guys”, but i think that’s actually to the show’s benefit. you get used to toku heroes having big personalities and exaggerated quirks, and the tatsumis are just so… normal. you wouldn’t have to stretch too much to put these characters in a regular drama about the aftermath of a family’s absent father entering into their lives again, with zero demons in sight

i kinda love that! and it works particularly well in a setting like this, where they’re meant to be emergency responders first and superheroes second. that dynamic makes them feel like the underdogs most of the time, probably more than any other sentai team. they have to outsmart their enemies when they’re outmatched, they take real losses, and they have to work through their own dysfunction as a family to succeed against the odds. it’s a compelling setup, and makes the team so much more endearing than they’d be otherwise

how much someone can tolerate mondo is definitely a sticking point, especially with the show’s genre-typical insistence that family is the most important thing above all else which prevents him from ever facing real consequences for having failed his kids, but there’s something there that resonates in a way. the incompleteness of it, the family mending one wound while ignoring another. not as cathartic as if shou had just outright decked him, but it feels true to how these things can often go

all in all, if you couldn’t tell, i like this show. a lot! no one can ever say “this is what gogov fans would be like if there were any gogov fans” again because it is officially rob biomic erasure❗️❗️

[descendant-of-truth]

On principle I don't really like the idea of Sonic being sent after Shadow at the request of G.U.N for two reasons:

It robs us of the god-tier cold open of the original game where Sonic busts out of a helicopter to escape arrest

I always loved the setup where Sonic and Shadow meeting was pretty incidental - neither of them had any idea who the other was, but Sonic thought Shadow was impersonating him on purpose while Shadow just thought he seemed fun to mess with

But depending on what the surrounding context is, I can see how the movie could make this plot point interesting in a completely different way that still complements these versions of the characters, even if I don't prefer it to the original.

So, some ideas:

G.U.N has been the villain of the last two movies, so in order for Sonic to be working with them, they must have a pretty good deal for him. My guess is that they promised to leave him and his family alone - no more schemes, no more kidnapping, nothing of the sort - on the one condition that "Team Sonic" helps them deal with Shadow.

This would already function as a narrative parallel to Sonic enlisting Robotnik's help later for the same thing. The name of the game becomes "we don't like each other, we're enemies, but we need to work together to deal with this guy because he's too powerful," which becomes a triple threat if the whole cast including Shadow gets to team up at the very end to save the world

I think it would also be very fun if Sonic is trying so hard to talk things out with Shadow in large part because he heard that there was another hedgehog on the loose, and wants so badly to be friends with someone like him that it takes at least one full-blown beating before he gives up on that idea

(The other reason he keeps trying is "it worked on Knuckles" of course)

Now, this puts Sonic in a fascinating position, particularly when using the game as a frame of reference. SA2 was very straightforward with how it presented its conflict at first: you have a Hero Story and a Dark Story, and as such you're primed to think of everyone on both sides as either being good or bad.

And most people, I think, were inclined to play the Hero Story first; it's the one with Sonic in it, and the select screen hovers over it by default, too. It tells a very simple story of Sonic and friends stopping Eggman's (admittedly very threatening) evil plan, developing some new rivalries along the way.

It's already a little bit of a twist for Sonic and Knuckles to have formed a respectful relationship with Shadow and Rouge by the end, since you see them as villains initially, but they still remain antagonists. Rouge returns the Master Emerald pieces, but she's still working with Robotnik. Shadow thinks Sonic is pretty impressive, but he still tries to kill him to stop him from saving the world.

But then you get to the Dark Story, and then the Final Story, and you think, oh. It's really not that simple.

For starters, you get to see more of Rouge's bond with Shadow. There's some conflict inherent to their relationship because Rouge is a spy and is only here to get information on Shadow, but after he saves her life, there's a definite shift to their dynamic. There's something genuine there, even if it doesn't get a lot of screentime dedicated to it.

But most important to the story is what we learn about who Shadow is, in part through his interactions with Rouge.

Shadow is cunning and ruthless - heck, his goal is to literally blow up the world. But whether out of compassion or survivor's guilt or both, he can't let Rouge die, so he saves her and then lies about his motivations for it to seem colder than he is.

And even though the things he's doing are definitely bad, his motivations are famously sympathetic; he wants revenge for his best friend, a young girl who was killed by the G.U.N military during a raid.

(It was implied that there was some sort of brainwashing done on him by Gerald after Maria died as well but that part of the story is incredibly vague)

By the end of the game, Shadow comes into his own as a hero and helps save the world instead of destroying it. And suddenly it makes sense why the stories weren't called Hero and Villain, because neither Shadow nor Rouge are especially villainous characters; Rouge is selfish, and Shadow is driven by grief and hatred, but they're ultimately kind at the end of the day. Both of them find people to care about - each other, as well as Knuckles and Sonic respectively.

But y'know, there wasn't a lot of ambiguity about who the heroes were in the Hero Story itself. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are pretty clearly The Good Guys, and nothing they do is really questioned because they're always fighting The Bad Guys.

So what I'm seeing here is an opportunity for Team Sonic to not be totally in the right for once. Yes, it's good to stop Shadow from going on a rampage and destroying the world, but look at who they're keeping for company here. G.U.N? Robotnik and Agent Stone? As if either of those groups are trustworthy enough to not stab them in the backs as soon as it's convenient. As if they're not going to find some way to exploit Sonic for their benefit.

And frankly, Shadow is totally in the right to hate G.U.N, and Team Sonic for working with them. Given that his backstory seems to be largely unchanged, it's kind of impossible not to be on board with him fighting the protagonists at least a little bit.

Besides, I don't think it's a coincidence that Shadow is doing the wrong thing for the right reason, while Sonic is doing the right thing with the wrong people (and maybe also for the wrong reason). That has the potential to be very clever if executed well.

I can only imagine the dawning horror on Sonic's face as he realizes just how much he's not on the right side of this conflict; when he learns about what happened to Maria and everyone else on the Ark. Especially if Tom's family was involved in it, like the current popular theory going around.

Also, last-second realization: what if there's something more to that line from Tom, "it wasn't always easy, but you didn't change who you are in here"? Most likely it's going to be used as a way to show how Shadow is different from Sonic, because he did change who he was in response to trauma and it'll be really poetic when he "finds himself" again

But also, consider: maybe Sonic does end up changing throughout the movie. Maybe he does something that goes against his core principles in order to get an advantage in some way, and they kind of play around with the idea that Sonic is similar to Shadow in ways that aren't always flattering to either of them. I want those hedgehogs to make each other worse before they get better

In any case, there's a lot of potential here, and I'm very curious to see what they ended up going with

[barren-heart]

We already know the ending of What We Do In The Shadows the show. The movie told us.

Spoilers from both the movie (2014) and the show (2024)

I think it’s obvious when Taika and Jemaine set out to make an American version of their vampire comedy, they weaved a lot of the same storylines into the show. We have vampire roommates, werewolves (not swearwolves) , familiars, an ancient vampire, vampire hypnosis, and a camera crew.

All the same ideas exist from movie to show, just presented differently.

Guillermo, the familiar turned vampire hunter turned bodyguard turned vampire turned back to human, is a combination of the movie’s familiar and vampire Hunter roles. I believe he’s also the love interest, Katherine.

I think the show, while becoming it’s own thing entirely, has a deep connection to the movie. I think they’ve been trying to follow viago’s love interest storyline since the show switched hands from Taika and Jemaine to Paul Simms.

While probably not known to most, Paul was instrumental in bringing the show over to the States, having helped to fund it.

He was already in the world of Shadows, and while I haven’t agreed on the way he’s said things and some direction the show had taken (season 4 had some growing pains), I do believe he’s understood the heart of the show.

Which is why I think they took such a dramatic shift in season 4 to tell and show the audience that Nandor doesn’t want to just date, but to really have a life or afterlife partner. That season had two “coming outs”. Guillermo obviously coming out as gay, and Nandor coming out as pansexual before he was turned.

I think this distinction was really important to build their romantic dynamic. They wanted to show Nandor’s interest in Guillermo wasn’t attributed to just horny vampireness, but actual true love and affection for him.

And having Guillermo formally come out as gay was more than just the Freddie gag (or the purpose of Guillermo having a boyfriend so that Nandor sleeps with him causing Guillermo to get upset about it which encourages Guillermo to take vampire turning into his own hands, leading to the events in season 5), but to show the audience that Guillermo’s not just a hero worshipper of his boss. He could very well have a crush that could become something more.

And while Simms’ execution of Nandermo so far has not been executed perfectly, (mostly because I think his version of Shadows uses jokes to cover or masque serious moments whereas Jemaine’s comedy often highlights and exposes the truth about life in funny situations), I think Paul’s vision is headed in the right direction.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Guillermo has a far larger familiar role than the one in the movie. Storytelling wise, it’s expected that Guillermo’s ending will solve the lingering vampire question that was halfway resolved in season 5. Because the show is telling the audience, “Wait. There’s more.” There’s more change to be had. I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that a part of Nandor’s arc is finding love. And part of his ending will have to be resolving this, as well.

And funny enough, Viago’s ending resolves both of these issues. He finds love with Katherine again and turns her into a vampire, but she got to have a full life first. There’s comedy there (he’s still older than her even though they don’t look it) but also there’s heart. She got to have a full life and agency of her own instead of being robbed of it.

I think Paul wants to set up this ending because it’s funny but also, to highlight his appreciation to the original. We expected from the jump that Nandor would turn Guillermo eventually and we can’t just have that without growth and change and conflict in between. It’s nice to get everything we want, but that’s not what sitcoms do. Sitcoms subvert expectations, and Paul is highly versed in sitcom structure. (Something that I think even Jemaine and Taika had to learn. )

Paul Simms’ isn’t just a writer in the room, he is a writer familiar (haha insert lame reference joke here) with the source material in a sitcom format. The movie wasn’t a sitcom. They could resolve Viago’s relationship because movies resolve arcs at the end of the movie.

Sitcoms don’t resolve anything at the end of an episode or even the end of a season. They resolve them at the end of the show. He knows Nandermo would end the show, because when characters get what they want (whatever their aspirations are) it completes the narrative. In sitcoms, the characters wants drive the purpose of the show.

And all good sitcoms don’t immediately give you (the audience) what you want until the end. And yes it can be frustrating, but when done right, the payoff is worth it. When the arcs are finished, the story ends. Even in sitcoms and comedy shows. So, Guillermo and Nandor being together and Nandor even eventually turning Guillermo, would have to be arc finishers. That would end the show. Which is why I think s6 is ending here, because the lead (Nandor) finished his arc.

Now whether that means Nandor will turn Guillermo on screen or not is yet to be seen. Maybe at some point down the road when Guillermo’s family is much older or have moved on from this earth and maybe when there is a new way to be a vampire without blood, Guillermo will be ready.

[tacitusk1llwhore]

It is possible that Mary loved Arthur — or rather, she loved an idealized version of him. I imagine she loved his humor, his thoughtfulness, his charm. I also believe she’s quite taken by his fierceness, his protective nature, his bravery, all while soundly rejecting the parts of him and his life that shaped him into that man.

I don’t blame her for not wanting to live the life of an outlaw wife. Constantly running from the law, sleeping in camps, robbing and killing their way across the country. We know that life didn’t spare Dutch’s love Annabelle, and Hosea’s wife Bessie also died — we don’t know how, but that it was sudden and devastating to Hosea. I don’t even blame her for wanting Arthur to leave that life behind and go honest. But she is selfish. She rejects Arthur for all those things while in the same breath would be asking him for help precisely because that dangerous nature of his is beneficial. I don’t mind about how later in the story, she writes to Arthur wanting to see him, only to ask for help regarding her little brother Jamie, I really don’t mind that. Jamie is young, and innocent, and liked Arthur, and she had no other good option. I mind a lot the asking of him to help her father, who is a grown man making his own terrible decisions, who told Arthur he was not good enough for his daughter. Her last words to Arthur after he brought Jamie back were “you’ll never change,” and calling him back again for another favor I can’t see as anything but selfish.

She asks Arthur to drop everything and run away with her after that, and then rejects him again when he tries to explain that he needs to wrap things up and help some people first. This is his family. He is an orphan and he’s been with this gang for twenty years. It is all he knows, all he loves. And because he’s not willing to step on a trolley with her and leave without so much as a goodbye, she breaks his heart again. It’s her way, all or nothing. She doesn’t care to consider what might be important to him, what he needs.

But I don’t think it’s calculated, or malicious. I think she loves a man who only exists in her mind, in a vacuum, divorced from the rest of the world. She wants so badly for that man to be all there is to Arthur Morgan, but it’s just not. It never was. Asking him to run away with her as they part is just one last desperate bid to try and excise the parts of him she loves from the rest of him and have the idealized life she always daydreamed about.

I really like that they wrote Mary to be messy, flawed, selfish, cares far too much about what her father thinks, in love with a good looking but dangerous outlaw, but not willing to give up her life to be with him on the realistic terms or even give him a chance. It seems like Mary loved the idealized version of him, perhaps loved the thrill of dating an outlaw and having him help her with the dullness of her life while also having him run her errands, but when Arthur and her actually became serious — she realized that it wouldn’t be worth the risk and instead chose the safe option while completely disregarding Arthur and enforcing the idea that he wasn’t good enough for her and his family, for anyone, to not even give him the chance of changing. 

Mary’s actions were a bit contradictory and self-serving, despite her genuine feelings for Arthur. Her inability to accept Arthur as he was, combined with her repeated calls for help, created a dynamic that sorta prevented both of them from healing or moving forward. And maybe if Arthur had run away with Mary, their relationship would have been marked by tension and frustration, with neither party ever fully satisfied or at peace with the choices they made.

huuuu </3 it all makes me so sad they both deserve happiness (but in my opinion they would have never worked out, not even in ‘normal’ circumstances) but

I don’t even need to add anything there. I’m just going to leave it here and move on. This is a glorious take on their relationship and dynamic.

[nthspecialll]

Bill Williamson "being an asshole"

I hear quite a lot of people saying that they do not like Bill because he is an asshole but I actually don't think it is that true. Some of the points I am gonna run through are going to be shortened but I will link to longer explanations.

Let's drop directly into the one I hear the most "Bill is responsible for Sean's death," yes and no, but mostly no. A lot of people use the argument "how could Bill not see it was a trap?" however I think we forget it wasn't just him who couldn't. Micah, Bill, heck even Dutch could not see it, it is also mentioned around Lenny and Karen while they ride to Valentine, and they don't mention a problem with it either, actually, the only two characters who shows any concern are Sean and Arthur and yet they both go along with it anyways because they think they can handle it.

Quite a lot of times we see characters going on risky jobs even though it might not turn out well, including Arthur and Hosea going to the Braithewaite manor, which was literally turning up two people to a massive family with something they stole from them, but they do it anyways because they think they can handle it, and for the majority of the time they can. A job going wrong, a risky job, going wrong is not new, but as Bill points out "when you mess up it is just one of those things, but when I do it I am an idiot."

One of the many reasons why Bill is being called an idiot by many is because of the dynamite in chapter one that didn't go off, but a surprising amount of people forget that !!Arthur!! set that charge and even admit it! It is even stated other places that Bill is an explosives expert, now imagine some amature comes along, asks if you want help, you give them a simple task, they mess it up and now everyone blames you for the one thing they previously respected you for.

There are a lot of the others reason why he is being called an idiot in camp, but it is more complicated.

Bill is very eager to please, and that is not anyone, but Dutch, Bill owes Dutch everything. Bill got thrown out of the army for being homosexual and lost himself completely, completely lost faith in himself, completely lost confidence in himself, became the man he said he would never become, but Dutch saved him, pulled him out of that hole and gave him everything, just like Dutch gave Javier or Lenny everything they could dream of.

That said, Dutch does not replicate, he likes Bill, he trusts Bill, but he doesn't value Bill half as much as some of the others which weighs Bill down quite a lot. Bill also works hard for the gang, being of the gang members present at most jobs, six-point cabin, Valentine bank robbery, coach robbing, security job and so forth, he mentions it himself, while Arthur is out, so is he. He most likely does just as much coach robbing and stealing as we do.

The difference between Arthur and Bill though is that while they work about as much, Bill does not get the same recognition from the others, especially Dutch, whom he worships, this leads to a lot of jealousy and a feeling of unjustness. This is displayed as fustrated anger and snarking comments as well as the "when you mess up it is just one of those things, but when I do it I am an idiot," but also more visibly when he drunkenly speaks to John and says "everyone thinks you are Dutch's pet" - "or at least I do." He is jealous that those two have such a long leash and no consequences, yet a small mistake from him and he will never hear the end of it.

For seven entire years Bill tried to please Dutch but was only ever made fun of.

In chapter four if you meet Sonny (if you don't know who that is, be glad) Bill will come up and say "he seemed to know all about you!" a lot of people see this as Bill making fun of Arthur's sa, but taking in historical context and the dynamic between Bill and Arthur, that does not make sense, rather it sounds like Bill thinks Arthur had a consensual homosexual hookup and Bill sees a chance to bully Arthur with the very thing Arthur bullies him for. (A link to further explanation)

Then we have one of the reasons why I am not too fond of him and that while I can explain will not excuse, his abuse of Kieran. Now we are going back to the homosexuality because while this is a progressive gang, this is not a homosexual accepting gang, they bully him quite a lot and that isolates him quite a bit. Suddenly he finds a person in camp who he likes, but he doesn't know how to approach. The fustrations of being alone, as well as the lack of "protection" Kieran has, leads to these unfortunate events of him trying to flirt and show affection but not knowing how to. (Wonderful explanation)

I also see some comments on his general racism against Lenny and Javier (which he btw only does when drunk, otherwise he knows to keep his thoughts to himself), and this is very simple to explain. Bill is a man in 1899. That is it. We sometimes forget that people in 1899 were not like Dutch, they were not like Arthur, people in 1899 were racist. Finding an Arthur would be like finding a needle in a haystack, finding a Bill would be finding a haystraw in a haystack. Does that excuse it? No, but it explains it. (Edit; I have looked deeper into Bill's racism and realised it is not this easy, link to explaination here)

A Reddit post called "why I hate Bill Willimason" that I am using right now also mentions how he didn't get any leads at the majors party "because he is a massive idiot and struggles to fit in or get anyone to continue talking to him. Why on Earth was he even brought along to this event?" Because he wanted to, because he wanted to impress Dutch. Again, Bill feels in debt to Dutch, he looks up to Dutch and to some degree Hosea as well. Most likely it was only meant to be Dutch, Hosea and Arthur who went to the ball, but Bill valuneteered as well.

We hear how excited Sean is about going out with Charles, Arthur and John, saying "me and the big cheeses, love it!" This was most likely Bill's "big cheeses," he is used to going on jobs with Charles and John, but Dutch and Hosea? The important ones? That is special to him and he wanted to prove that he could do something, that he was worth something but he failed, why? Because he is not used to people, because he struggles fitting in, when you follow him around at the party you can hear him awkwardly trying to start a convosation but people judge him and ignore him. He is trying but the others are rejecting him.

I have also found this lovely sentence in the post: "Him not giving a damn about Lenny's death and never actually addressing it in the entire game reflects what a piece of trash he is." Bill Williamson grew up as a boy in the 1800, he was taught from childhood that showing emotion means he is weak, something physically beat into him in the military, and the fact that he is gay makes it even worse. Bill being gay, something seen as weak, makes him try to make up for it, he is not going to show a lot of emotion. It is not just Lenny who's death he doesn't comment on, and it is exactly because of this.

Then the redditor goes on to compare Micah and Bill and how they are both terrible but comes with this sentence: "The difference between them is that Bill is supposed to be one of the senior and more trusted gang members." But the thing this lovely person fails to acknowledge is that Bill is not given that seniority, he sleeps together with Lenny who says he "sleeps with the juniours" (even though he sleeps with Hosea? But point either way), Dutch mocks him by saying "yeah what about you Bill?" None of the other takes him seriously and he is talked down to.

Lastly there is the whole he sided with Dutch and he acused John of being the rat. Yeah, he sided with Dutch because Dutch is a god to him, Dutch is his savior, his everything and Bill trusts him, the idea of John being the rat itself was Dutch's idea that Bill just adopted. Now that said, he not completely blinded as some might think, as soon as the Pinkerton's show up in the end Javier and Bill are gone. You can use the camera to search all around camp and while Micah, Joe, Cleet and Dutch are very easy to find, Javier and Bill are not, you cannot find them. Most likely they ran away as soon as it started because they knew that the revenge was stupid and pointless and saw their own surivial more important, not to mention the clear, at least, annoyance that Bill has with Dutch in rdr1.

I am not going to go into talk about rdr1 because there he is a proper asshole, but rdr2 Bill is very defendable and I really dislike people just slapping the label "asshole" on him and calling it a day without looking deeper into who he is and why he does what he does.

Another not so fun fact, Bill's father was an alcoholist who lost his mind due to it, Bill hated it, hated all of it and his biggest fear was ending up like him... I don't think Bill ever liked himself for drinking.

(This is not a defending post and you can absolutely hate Bill if you want, this is an EXPLAINING post to make people understand him and his choices better)