#if im going by text analysis anyways

[hahahafangirl]

the failure of language

so im getting around to write some suonirei fanfic and, inevitably, got to Backstory Speculations activities. and now i begin to think about suo (windbreaker in general) and the failure of language -- when people, regardless of how much they try or how eloquent they find themselves to be, will find points where they are unable to give words to what they are feelings or explain some difficult emotions or circumstances to themselves or another person.

think, sakura going "how am i supposed to treat you now?" after hearing out umemiya's childhood story-- what is he supposed to say? to act in general? language, spoken or behavioral, failed him. umemiya redirected sakura to language: he did not expect sakura to treat him any differently. come back to the language you understand, he says. and now we complicated "language" to means "a vehicle of interactions and expression", which is functionally what language is.

well i did say that this arise from thinking about suo, most notably, thinking about how windbreaker expresses speechlessness and stillness very frequently from suo's silence. think the focus on suo's eyes at any moment where language are yet adequate to say what is happening: suo and nirei's response to sakura's solitary during sickness; suo's anger (in KEEL and shishitoren) occurring wordlessly; and, most recently (which sorta sparked this line of thought), this page

note the wordlessness. a lot of time, wbk starts out the responses to these sincere and vulnerable moments with this wordlessness, where characters ponder and reflect on the statement, often evoking their own memories and experiences, thus empathizing with the vulnerability in question. it is a reflective and thoughtful way to begin the process of empathy in silence. it feels ritualistic, even, like meditation, to begin connecting with other by a silence that could be taken to be a single-minded, pure focus -- on what is being put on the stage to ponder. maybe this is not quite a failure of language, depending on how we see it, but rather, a moment outside of language priming for its arrival. it is not time for language to enter the scene yet.

but then language always come, sooner or later. as awkwardly or curtly or roughly, sakura and nirei speak sincere words that come from the bottom of their heart. language -- thus connection and empathy -- then propel the conversation. suo, notably (at least without me combing through the manga again) often does not enter this realm of language the way sakura and nirei do it. when he empathize sakura's feelings when he was sick, suo did it where sakura cannot hear. the only(?) time he responded genuinely (please bring up examples or counterexamples if you have it on hand) was when nirei was feelings insecure about his inability to fight and ask suo for help. but even then, the response of "your self-esteem is all over the place" is not quite the personal, genuine approach sakura or nirei has. its quite measured and reflective -- responding to nirei's statements rather than clearly interjecting something to the conversation. many of suo's vulnerabilities are deflected by falsehoods (harmless jokes, not malicious lies), distractions, etc, etc. language seemingly continues to fail him, or he continues to evade it.

i am in a habit of not stating my Backstory Speculations, because a lot of times i want to stick closer to the texts. whatever Speculations i have will most likely manifest as fanfiction (oh boy is that an ambitious media to do this in). but anyway, from popular hc of suo being potentially a "traitor" or somehow entangled in a major and antagonistic organization, his failure to relate this to his friends and thus him hiding his past can be taken as another failure of language. perhaps languages continuously fail him in his childhood-- hence it has yet to learn how to succeed.

p/s: i should also say that im enjoying using different concepts and ideas to speculate/think about and analyze the text (wbk) in a different way. this is basically what comparative literature and literary criticism is, i think (lol). sometimes i feel like this is just me dressing up good ole literary theme in a fancier language, but whatever works works lol. hopefully as i continue to think of the "inability to express your true emotions" and "inability to be vulnerable" more specifically (or broadly) as a failure of language, more interesting insights will come up. its less about what the texts is literally and consciously say, and more about how we can think about the text using -- and extract from the text via -- various frameworks.

yep, this is probably gonna be a more complete essay at some point. i even pulled out the usual rccl register for this!

[deus-ex-mona]

im working hard at hardly working just for you my queen~~~~~~

[stormyrainyday]

I need to type up chapter 4 of htrmfb so bad it is in my brain just not in a post

[glitchfang]

might look into joining a book club…. need more incentive to read and also i wanna chat about the stuff i read

[rivilu]

There's pieces of media that alter your brain chemistry and then there's pieces of media that rearrange you on a molecular level

[todayisafridaynight]

Just a curiosity! Why do you reply to the asks mostly via tags?

Nothing wrong with it of course I just found it curious!

if i post a response that's more than two lines long i'll feel like an eighteen wheeler in a bike lane does that make sense

[starmage-constellar]

sorry TUA fans

It's today. The Book drops today.

[setsunatekiblast]

oh yeah ummm hi i lowkey have a bachelor's degree btw

like not officially because the ceremony is in november but i finished my final assignment for the last course i needed last month & got my grade on friday! was an 80% (a-) which im not actually all that happy with because i feel like i could've done better but we ball

[tbob-enthusiast]

why are they like this why are they like this

This was supposed to be a goofy one off 3 panel comic not. Something with effort.

Many mistakes are about to be made

he does not remember a THING.

Also bonus of Robbie with bed hair and the shirt he passed out in

The shirt is based on my dad's RAGGEDY ASS mountain dew shirt he's had since I was born. It's so old he can't wear it anymore

Also messy hair robbie. The curls are threatening to return/silly

@tbob-enthusiast @jayxel1102 ehehhehe

[lubrumalis]

ghost headcanons! (realistic)

tw: nsfw, spoilers, dead dove do not eat

a lot of these are based off of my personal understanding of him

part 2 —> character analysis of ghost

general:

didn’t go back to manchester after his family died, too many foul memories—a lot of friends will probably know him as a murderer (comic reference, ghost was accused of killing his family in the newspaper)

has a fit body. a lot of people like to hc him as big and bulky, i think otherwise! its actually a huge disadvantage to be bulky in size as a soldier (logistics while fighting yk). most SAS soldiers are trained for endurance and fitness, i think he has a moreso lean body

hes not cold and ruthless, wouldn’t say hes a big softie either.

VERYYYY punctual. always on time

will not abuse or rape anyone. this guys been through atrocities, he would never do it to someone else

won’t hire a prostitute, ever.

honestly, hes just another dude in the military. he loves dad jokes and bourbon😭

ghost doesn’t think hes mean or tries to be, he simply is intimidating because of his size and way of talking

he likes watching soccer in his free time

gets internally offended if someone thinks hes from london (anywhere but Manchester)

very dark humoured. tell him any dark joke and he wouldn’t care

loves tea

listens to older british bands, like the smiths

cannot understand modern slang at all. what does ‘iykyk’ and ‘rizzler’ mean???

texts like a typical millennial. uses ‘😂’ and ‘😜’ unironically. types with proper grammar and spelling with punctuation too, maybe an occasional LOL

also unironically likes posts about trust issues and being a sigma male. he doesn’t actually think hes one, he just relates to those quotes that are like: “being alone is better than with fakes” 😭😭😭😭

ghost probably hates other men more than misandrists 😕 i think its bc hes always fighting other men and dealing with the cruel things theyve done, so ghost subconsciously feels more on guard with men he doesnt know

has insomnia

doesn’t cry. ghost doesn’t remember the last time he cried.

isn’t rich rich, but has a ton of savings. he doesn’t have a family or spend a lot. so the money piles up.

relationship hcs:

first off, i dont think he’d realistically get into one anyway LMAO

s/o would have to the chasing, i dont think ghost is the kind to actively pursue someone

he has charisma, doesn’t feel like using it

hes very against the idea at first—his family got murdered because he was in the military, you think hes gonna let it happen again?

probably will not like someone working with him as a soldier

i think itd go two ways: a) you are a civilian who aggressively pursues the poor guy and he gives in, b) you work as a military nurse and gradually get to know him, c) you are a longtime close friend of his before he was in the military

i cant see him being fwb with anyone, only one night stands

hes not a toxic partner or super lovey dovey

ghost doesn’t entertain multiple women at once

itd most likely end up in a breakup where he fears for your safety:(((

BUT lets ignore that

tbh, i think he would probably be with someone very empathetic and kind to others. he doesn’t like people overly energetic, too soft, or someone that annoys him

persons gotta be independent and good with long distance

simon doesn’t care about age gaps, but probably wants someone at least in their late twenties

had a hard time opening up, eventually told you everything once he trusts you

another reason why i think he wants someone empathetic is because he has severe trust issues😃😃

last thing he’d care about is looks for long term relationships

the type of guy to disappear for 6 months and reappear to be like “remember im your husband???”🫡

doesn’t let you tell your friends about him—No hes not being uncommitted or toxic, but hes simply being cautious after what happened to his family

you can’t show anyone photos of him, his name, his occupation, NOTHHINGGG

so you fake a name for your bf who your friends think you’re lying about

definitely does not let you post on social media about him either.

installs security in your home, teaches you self defense, and gives you weapons. this guy can be paranoid

will never hit you or lay a hand on you

ghost genuinely thinks you saved him—his life was bleak and empty before you came in. subconsciously thinks of you as a savior

he buys you gifts, does chores for you, he really likes you :(

ghost actively tries to make his voice sound softer and friendlier when hes talking to you

doesnt understand playing mind games, things like the silent treatment or “im ok” when ur not ok thing. just tell him how you feel

doesn’t tell his team about your existence. you and his job are always going to be separate.

avoids talking about what he does in the military. ghost has killed and injured many and he doesn’t want you to see that side of him.

scary dog privileges for SURE

[twipsai]

ive been wanting to do something like this for a while, so here we go

Silver's straightforward attitude and anxieties: a poorly formatted analysis

Silver's anxiety is something i havent seen talked about a lot, and im really just barely going beneath the surface here -- i hope i did it justice in anyway sfdkSKHJFDSKFH i think about his obvious anxiety disorder a lot

transcript of all the text i added under the cut incase its hard to read for some ppl ^_^

image 1 (source: IDW #8): "isnt really used to banter, got worried he actually offended Sonic"

"he worries a lot about not being useful, because thats pretty much his entire purpose in life. if hes not doing something, he will find something to do (badly) or panic. he gets nervous at the slightest insinuation that he mightve messed up because the last thing he ever wants to do is get in anyones way."

"for how powerful he is and how much shit he talks, Silver doesnt really think very good about himself or his own worth."

image 2 (source: Sonic Universe #82): "its hard to say anything here that i havent already said, its just another example os Silver having issues with his self wroth, and also a lot of his motivation coming from protecting the people he loves (and, more generally, protecting the world), considering a page after this he gets up and completely wrecks the Second Devourer"

image 3 (source: IDW #8): "Silver will take pretty much anything literally. he lacks the social skills to identify when someones being serious bc he grew up completely alone"

image 4 (source: IDW #14): "he cant lie (is both bad at it, and it really just doesnt cross his mind to do so), but he can change the subject"

"he also really doesnt like it when people are worried about him -- almost every time people show concern for him, he tries (and fails) to lie or change the subject"

image 5 (source: IDW #14): "he didnt see anything suspicious about [Starline giving the "vault code"] because he doesnt usually assume people lie directly to him, its just not something that usually crosses his mind"

image 6 (source: IDW #60, TSR interview): "Silver's rudeness, his naivete, misunderstanding of jokes/quips/banter, inability to lie, it all stems from his straightforwardness. its simple, but but oftentimes effective (yes i chose a bad page to showcase when it works, ignore that)"

"Silver doesnt like to beat around the bush or show off too often. go in, defeat the bad guys, get out. it ties in with his anxiety of the future -- time is always of the essence"

"Q: What are some of your favorite items to use during the race?

Silver: [...]but the Jade Wisps' "Ghost" is the only one I like. I can disappear and focus on the race."

"it does make him forget to stratagize and cooperate with his friends sometimes, though, when his first instinct is "hit it until it stops moving""

image 7 (source: Sonic Rivals 2): "im not really going over his bluntness in this, but literally the entirety of Rivals 2 covers that. he doesnt think to hide what hes doing because he knows hes in the right, so he just expects everyone else to know that. he expects people to believe him just because hes telling the truth. he doesnt see why he would have a reason to lie, so he never thinks to justify his actions."

"a lot of this bluntness is also shown in IDW #64 -- Silver cant be stealthy and observe someone from afar to save his life when he knows hes right about them. he really takes no time to explain that Duo is Mimic before Whisper steps in and attacks Mimic, even though if he took the time to talk through what happened, he probably couldve convinced Lanolin of Duo's true nature"

image 8 (source: IDW annual 2022): "Silver has pretty much zero idea how to navigate the world outside of helping other people and saving the world. he is almost constantly in "survival mode" and doesnt know how to handle low-stakes"

"(he sometimes takes casual conversation too seriously because of this)"

"he is constantly worried about the future. to an almost unhealthy degree sometimes, its often all he thinks about. when he knows exactly what to do, he comes off as confident and powerful, but when he doesnt know what to do..."

"...he completely spirals. to him, an uncertain future is worse than a doomed one. not knowing how to fix things is one of the most terrifying thoughts to him."

"if Espio hadn't been here to calm him down, i think its super likely he'd have had an anxiety attack."

image 9 (source: Sonic Generations, IDW #64, Team Sonic Racing, Sonic Universe #79): "like, i truly cannot emphasize enough how he cannot relax. anything can be a threat, and if he doesnt see an immediate one, he will find something that is one. "

"he can rarely calm down, because every second hes in the past is another second he should be saving the future"

"i cant properly showcase it here, but if you run past him in Gens, he'll immediately be on-guard."

"he has to always be looking for the next world-destroying foe, it's pretty much his default setting."

"there are tons more examples of his overt anxiety, but these are some of the more prominant examples."

image 9 (source: Archie Sonic #235): "we even see in the traitor arc in archie how Silver is constantly paranoid. the idea never crosses his mind that there is no traitor, because something is always wrong. hes like a machine built to find a problem with no off switch"

"almost anything can set him off and make him untrusting of anyone, because thats the only way he knows how to live. anything can be a threat in his eyes, and when there is no threat, he will either find one or panic that he cant find one."

"because when you spend your entire life fighting,"

"how else are you supposed to live?"

[storgicbytes]

ok gang. its theory time

the analysis of the new mercenary scene. meta, blueprints and time

warning it is incredibly choppy because of the chaos i am in rn !!!!!! but anyways

okay so. the video cuts off at green&red defending themselves but i doubt that really means a lot

the glitching. it IS reminding me of the way chosens memories were scanned through. but mercs having a whole tv remote?? chosens memories mightve as well pushed them to use youtube ?? but why didnt they access it earlier ?? why vic didnt???

bc of these question im more willing to think they themselves decided to use youtube right now. maybe only right now !

this raises a ton of questions. does outernet have somewhat of an access to internet after all? is it just their own tech? (could be supported by the fact that if youtube was common there i doubt theyd be using specifically television for it. i feel like theyd use other screens instead without a need of a remote especially considering how advanced their tech is)

still possible that it is common. considering they aren't that focused on it and there are random workers in the bg literally enjoying the show

this whole thing is VERY meta lol but i do think the mercs are the ones that influenced the stream in this way

A BIG portion of alan drawing a flower from ava season 2 is paid attention to in the glitching scene for some reason ?? maybe as a note for his and secs alliance.

the video then cuts off and goes to victim again. the whole video was watched through

the stream cuts off to mercs. **RIGHT** at the moment chosen notices the freedom stick rights article. based on the vid it could be just primal messing with shit but i feel it was intentional. (ha. freedom? loser. we're here instead)

later. the video resumes at victim again. i didnt see any changes to vics or chosens ending.

okay. the mercs. pulling up screenshots for this one

i. cant decipher THAT much even though the quality is 1080p for me.

but i DO see that the first blueprint has as i suppose the hover ??

the text pinpoints "power core" and its pretty much the most readable thing for me. another one is kyokaz was here its just a cameo

the blueprint shows buttons? perhaps the controller of the hover? going to a circle thingy. perhaps what is working inside the hover

the whole thing on the left corner says f___ complex but i cant decipher

second screenshot. the blueprint left to the first one looks like a pc?? and its not surprising even in the screenshot itself bc. the mercs have one to the right corner behind em

now. third sc.

HELLO?

firstly. A VIC DRAWING????? WITH A GUN????

there is a possibility of it being any stick but. i feel its victim. in my guts

shooting?? what. for.

it is scribbled out . . .

there is a possibility (along with the self portrait of vics in the unused bg) that it was just. him doodling. it would kill me actually because he is no great artist like sec. just a doodler (<words of flareboi here)

now. this

again . the question how they accesed it.

if they can get youtube to open there. how did vic not know of the showdown. of sec

showdown was uploaded online. that was literally in canon !!!

unless there's a rule that not everything internet-like and youtube like can be accessible. but i dont really think of any implications that proved that

except. for the fact that showdown was already uploaded. before the ep even ended. would it imply time passing differently in both realms?

lord i needed to scream it out.

OH GOD !!!!!!!!!!!

[paleshroom]

In short, tall sad owl man has been living vicariously through romance novels his entire life and was forced to give up on the idea that romance was actually possible for him until he met his childhood friend again. This meeting was a literal meetcute for him, he’s shown for the first time that something he thought was impossible could be real for him. He can actually live his fantasy, with all the fictional tropes it entails, because some of those unlikely tropes have already come to pass in their first night together - red string of fate, scaling the castle, childhood friends to lovers, “real fast” (aka fucking all night), immediate sexual chemistry, and so on.

This extends to Ozzie’s too. Stolas had every reason to think that was a real date (that obviously went sour) until Blitz turned and said not to “act like what we have is anything but you wanting me to fuck you.” It’s not until Blitz says the keywords “you make that really clear all the time” that it suddenly starts to click for Stolas that maybe his fantasy isn’t Blitz’s. Worse yet, that maybe his fantasy is Blitz’s prison, which we later hear him voice more directly in When I See Him (“Would he want me if he was free? And if he’s only here as a prisoner, what kind of monster does that make me?”).

By the end of Apology Tour, he has started to really think about how this pursuit of fantasy has clouded his judgment and influenced his behavior (“Maybe it’s all on me, for missing every sign and every glance and every turn. Maybe there’s something here for us to glean, for you to teach and me to try to learn. // What if I came on too strong? What if I read this all wrong?”). In his speech to Blitz, we see he has a more solidified idea of his expectations in a partner and what he wants. The fantasy has faded, he’s starting to really look at himself and what he actually had with Blitz. He knows that he’s not going to get his “Harriet! Don’t get on that train, it’s going to London and I cannot be without you!” moment, but he just uses that bit of storybook fantasy to illustrate what he actually wants - someone to love him like he loves Blitz.

I had a think, and this is an ouchy and complicated one, but I have to share it.

We see Stolas's disrespect for Blitz (based on social class/race) in their first night together in The Circus . . . and he's not fully conscious of it, but it's not quite oblivious either. The TLDR is that I think he likes the power gap at the beginning, or at least, he finds it comforting.

Look at this adorable happy guy.

I saw some discussion recently of how trusting he is of Blitz very quickly in this scene, and how that might stem from Blitz asking him what he wants, which Stella never did . . . and, yeah, I think that contributes to him being so excited here, along with just being very into Blitz and the whole scenario (these ideas are really well explained by multiple people here).

He's willing to be tied up by a near stranger, and that might seem like a giant leap of trust, but also, in a sense it's really not. The difference in power makes that trust a smaller leap. Stolas KNOWS that he's much more powerful than Blitz and can stop this at ANY TIME. And I don't mean he'd have to obliterate the guy (though he could). He could literally portal Blitz outside and evaporate the restraints. At any time.

And he doesn't immediately decide to go for it when Blitz asks what he wants. He's all in when Blitz starts taking charge and acting without his permission. You know, while trying to incapacitate and rob him.

Okay, you might say, but Stolas isn't thinking about the power difference, and trusting someone to call the shots in an intimate situation STILL requires a lot of trust.

Here's the thing- I still think that the sense of safety stems at least in part from Blitz being an imp. Throughout a lot of Season 1, Stolas is still referring to Blitz by variants of "impish little plaything," frequently, and I can't help but think that's part of the appeal.

Stella is very likely less physically/magically powerful than Stolas (indicated by her lower status), but she holds SOCIAL power over him.

Blitz holds no concrete power at all in this relationship. I don't think we can fully separate the safety Stolas feels with Blitz that first night from this fact, and . . . well, it's better to address social class late than never I guess . . . But early on, there is literally nothing Blitz can do to Stolas. On the surface.

But wait . . . there's that "first ever friend" thing . . .

And I think that's what it comes down to. Being intimate with Blitz is safe, because he's just an imp. But being intimate with Blitz is MEANINGFUL from the very beginning because Stolas feels an emotional connection.

Safe and meaningful come together and lead him to romanticize the fuck out of this. And that's what causes him to fall ass backwards into deep romantic love and put himself at risk for being hurt in a brand new way.

[lesbomaticlove]

introducing a new text post series im going to call

character-song analysis ✨

because i am insane and i have so. so many playlists with songs i associate with different characters and ship dynamics, both romantic and platonic and familial for one of them.

some breakdowns involve purely canon events, some are headcanon based, some are ultra specific aus that live rent free in my brain, and all will be under that tag. maybe ill take requests too if you send an ask with one of these playlists to pick a song from 🤭

anyway. i haven't had the energy for art recently so this is where we're at. first real post coming soon

[kingsmoot]

hi! im not sure if you’ve spoken about this before but would be so interested to hear your thoughts on the dynamic between ramsay and the original reek? like the combined matters of reek already being a serial rapist and murderer before he even meets ramsay, the abject weirdness of an adult man being best friends with a child/preteen, and the fact that ramsay names his torture victim after reek despite no indication that he ever tortured the original reek? i always felt george was hinting at some kind of cycle of abuse thing with the whole “who corrupted who” line. anyway sorry this ask is so long but i love your analysis and would really like to hear what you think!

hello 🩷❤️🖤 firstly thank you for your kind words!! i have spoken about this before, but i'm happy to speak about it again, ty for your interest! i'm honestly a little surprised this is such an underdiscussed topic in general!! but not too surprised.

in short: yes. i completely agree with you. from my reading of the text it is obvious that reek was sexually abusing ramsay. i've made a few posts about it:

1. most plainly here

2. and i also touched on it here where i talked about ramsay's mama willingly and purposefully putting him in danger

I went through asearchoficeandfire and pulled every mention of reek i, the manservant that roose gifted to ramsay, so let's go through them all together

the rest is under the cut for discussion of child abuse, endangerment, neglect, and csa, as well as rape and necrophilia

there are three "reeks" in the text. reek, the manservant that roose bolton gave to ramsay and his mother. reek, who is ramsay in disguise in winterfell. and reek, who is the tortured remains of theon greyjoy. to keep things simpler and easier to follow i am only going to call these three people reek, ramsay, and theon, ignoring who might have been called "reek" at what time.

"Lord Bolton has never acknowledged the boy, so far as I know," Ser Rodrik said. "I confess, I do not know him." "Few do," [Lady Hornwood] replied. "He lived with his mother until two years past, when young Domeric died and left Bolton without an heir. That was when he brought his bastard to the Dreadfort. The boy is a sly creature by all accounts, and he has a servant who is almost as cruel as he is. Reek, they call the man. It's said he never bathes. They hunt together, the Bastard and this Reek, and not for deer. I've heard tales, things I can scarce believe, even of a Bolton. And now that my lord husband and my sweet son have gone to the gods, the Bastard looks at my lands hungrily." Bran wanted to give the lady a hundred men to defend her rights, but Ser Rodrik only said, "He may look, but should he do more I promise you there will be dire retribution. You will be safe enough, my lady . . . though perhaps in time, when your grief is passed, you may find it prudent to wed again."

acok, bran ii

this is the first we hear of reek and ramsay, and it's notable that they've only been over at the dreadfort + its surrounding lands for two years now. we learn later in adwd that reek and ramsay have been together since ramsay was a child, but they were living in weeping water with ramsay's mother

It was a few days after Alebelly's bath that Ser Rodrik returned to Winterfell with his prisoner, a fleshy young man with fat moist lips and long hair who smelled like a privy, even worse than Alebelly had. "Reek, he's called," Hayhead said when Bran asked who it was. "I never heard his true name. He served the Bastard of Bolton and helped him murder Lady Hornwood, they say." The Bastard himself was dead, Bran learned that evening over supper. Ser Rodrik's men had caught him on Hornwood land doing something horrible (Bran wasn't quite sure what, but it seemed to be something you did without your clothes) and shot him down with arrows as he tried to ride away. They came too late for poor Lady Hornwood, though. After their wedding, the Bastard had locked her in a tower and neglected to feed her. Bran had heard men saying that when Ser Rodrik had smashed down the door he found her with her mouth all bloody and her fingers chewed off.

acok, bran v

the above is referencing ramsay, of course, disguised as reek. here we have the account of how ramsay and reek were caught on lady hornwood's lands after they had kidnapped and raped her from the stark perspective (and filtered through bran's 7-year-old perspective as well) but a little later on we hear it straight from the bastard's mouth:

"Aye, but [Ser Rodrick] thought us friends. A common mistake. When the old fool gave me his hand, I took half his arm instead. Then I let him see my face." The man put both hands to his helm and lifted it off his head, holding it in the crook of his arm. "Reek," Theon said, disquieted. How did a serving man get such fine armor? The man laughed. "The wretch is dead." He stepped closer. "The girl's fault. If she had not run so far, his horse would not have lamed, and we might have been able to flee. I gave him mine when I saw the riders from the ridge. I was done with her by then, and he liked to take his turn while they were still warm. I had to pull him off her and shove my clothes into his hands—calfskin boots and velvet doublet, silver-chased swordbelt, even my sable cloak. Ride for the Dreadfort, I told him, bring all the help you can. Take my horse, he's swifter, and here, wear the ring my father gave me, so they'll know you came from me. He'd learned better than to question me. By the time they put that arrow through his back, I'd smeared myself with the girl's filth and dressed in his rags. They might have hanged me anyway, but it was the only chance I saw." He rubbed the back of his hand across his mouth. "And now, my sweet prince, there was a woman promised me, if I brought two hundred men. Well, I brought three times as many, and no green boys nor fieldhands neither, but my father's own garrison."

acok, theon vi

ok just a quick pause i LOVE ramsay's little monologue here it's SO CRAZY GOOD it's so good it's so

like telling theon to his face "aye, but he thought us friends. a common mistake." is CRAZY. it's so good!!!! after so many chapters of build up too the whole thing feels like being nailed down to a chair and put in thumb screw and every time there's a new bran or theon chapter they're tightened just a half-turn before this reveal where your thumbs are sliced clean off by a scimitar IT'S SO GOOD RRAUUUGHHH

sorry i got distracted. this li'l bit is interesting because it sets ramsay up as In Charge. he calls the shots. "[Reek]'d learned better than to question me," he says, and he sacrifices reek to the stark riders to save his own skin. the way ramsay tells this story sets reek up as disposable and submissive. a servant who is below ramsay's station, defers to him, gives obeisance, and gives his life for his master. (notable as well that this is not Lady Hornwood who they are raping the corpse of, but an anonymous northern girl, likely one of the smallfolk who live by and/or in the Hornwood keep)

ramsay's language here also makes it clear that this is habitual for him and reek. he likes to hunt girls, rape them, and kill them, and reek likes to fuck their corpses before they've cooled. romance. this was established somewhat back in bran ii when lady hornwood first introduced the pair, but we now have it straight from ramsay's mouth that this is their habitual game.

"I knew the first Reek. He stank, though not for want of washing. I have never known a cleaner creature, truth be told. He bathed thrice a day and wore flowers in his hair as if he were a maiden. Once, when my second wife was still alive, he was caught stealing scent from her bedchamber. I had him whipped for that, a dozen lashes. Even his blood smelled wrong. The next year he tried it again. This time he drank the perfume and almost died of it. It made no matter. The smell was something he was born with. A curse, the smallfolk said. The gods had made him stink so that men would know his soul was rotting. My old maester insisted it was a sign of sickness, yet the boy was otherwise as strong as a young bull. No one could stand to be near him, so he slept with the pigs … until the day that Ramsay's mother appeared at my gates to demand that I provide a servant for my bastard, who was growing up wild and unruly. I gave her Reek. It was meant to be amusing, but he and Ramsay became inseparable. I do wonder, though … was it Ramsay who corrupted Reek, or Reek Ramsay?" His lordship glanced at the new Reek with eyes as pale and strange as two white moons. "What was he whispering whilst he unchained you?"

adwd, reek iii

the above comes two books later, and now that we've gotten lady hornwood's perspective (and this is a perspective that comes from the general northern grapevine of people who live between winterfell and the dreadfort) and ramsay's perspective (which we will soon learn to doubt) we get roose's.

it's interesting too, i had always pictured reek as a grown adult man, but my friend @wormlips pointed out to me recently that roose does call him a "boy" in the above passage. i think i always pictured him as an older man partially since theon is transformed through his year of torture in an abandoned shipping container into an old man. i had just always made the logical leap that in addition to making theon smell terrible so that he is more similar to reek, purposefully torturing and starving him and turning him into a bent old man was also to emulate reek. to recreate him in a way. so i have always pictured him as being WAY older than ramsay, like rams is between seven and ten and reek is like... forty five. but wormie also pointed out that drinking perfume seems like a childish thing to do. i can see the sense in their reading of it! i have personally never pictured the two of them as being close in age, but rather ramsay as a child and reek as an old(er) man. i think the two incidents of reek stealing perfume might have happened when he was young but that he was an adult by the time ramsay's mother came to the dreadfort to ask for a serving man.

it's interesting also that roose implies with his question of who corrupted who that reek was not a serial rapist + murderer before he was given to ramsay. but idfk about that. the thing is that all of these people are unreliable narrators, so it's kind of a murky picture of a purposefully obscured past.

it doesn't make sense to me that the smallfolk would claim the gods cursed reek to "stink so that men would know his soul was rotting" if he wasn't already murdering and/or raping girls or defiling corpses. why would that be how they explained his smell if he was just a normal guy with a medical condition?

it's possible that roose only gave reek to ramsay and his mother because of his smell. because ramsay's mother wanted him to give them a servant to help her raise the boy so roose gave her one who smelled like an open grave being used as a latrine. but that doesn't seem like the kind of joke roose bolton would play. not to me! roose giving the troublesome mother of his rapebaby a man with a proven history of horrible violence? that seems like the kind of joke roose bolton would play. to me.

also reek and ramsay becoming "inseparable" reads as far less sinister if you picture them being the same age. i do not.

another point to reek being significantly older is that it wouldn't make sense for roose to send a child over to a woman who was asking for childcare support. even if he did, she'd send him back. he couldn't do any more work around the mill than ramsay could if they were both children, he would just be an extra mouth to feed. so even if he isn't quadrouple ramsay's age like i'm picturing him, he would definitely be older. like 16-7 at minimum i think.

to your point about cycles of violence, i would say that ramsay's entire existence as a character is about cycles of violence. the cycles are certainly cycling!!! but that's not exactly what i get from this particular snippet. i take roose's question about whether reek corrupted ramsay or ramsay reek in the same way i take his telling ramsay that his way has always been in favor of "a peaceful rule and a quiet people". he's full of shit!!!

my reading of it is that rams was obviously already a violent child. maybe he was killing animals, hurting his mother, hurting his fellow children. but he was a child. and reek was an adult man with a history of violence towards others. that violence isn't explicitly stated in the text but i think if the smallfolk were saying that his soul was rotting then it had to be pretty bad. i interpret this as reek already being a rapist and serial killer before he ever met ramsay (which is your reading too!).

"Has my bastard ever told you how I got him?" That [Theon] did know, to his relief. "Yes, my … m'lord. You met his mother whilst out riding and were smitten by her beauty." "Smitten?" Bolton laughed. "Did he use that word? Why, the boy has a singer's soul … though if you believe that song, you may well be dimmer than the first Reek. Even the riding part is wrong. I was hunting a fox along the Weeping Water when I chanced upon a mill and saw a young woman washing clothes in the stream. The old miller had gotten himself a new young wife, a girl not half his age. She was a tall, willowy creature, very healthy-looking. Long legs and small firm breasts, like two ripe plums. Pretty, in a common sort of way. The moment that I set eyes on her I wanted her. Such was my due. The maesters will tell you that King Jaehaerys abolished the lord's right to the first night to appease his shrewish queen, but where the old gods rule, old customs linger. The Umbers keep the first night too, deny it as they may. Certain of the mountain clans as well, and on Skagos … well, only heart trees ever see half of what they do on Skagos. "This miller's marriage had been performed without my leave or knowledge. The man had cheated me. So I had him hanged, and claimed my rights beneath the tree where he was swaying. If truth be told, the wench was hardly worth the rope. The fox escaped as well, and on our way back to the Dreadfort my favorite courser came up lame, so all in all it was a dismal day.

adwd, reek iii

the above always sends a chill down my spine... "a peaceful rule. a quiet people. that has always been my way. make it yours." you delusional lying bastard 🩷🩷🩷

this passage is notable as well because it shows us that rams is an unreliable narrator. it's not the first time either!!

Ramsay was clad in black and pink—black boots, black belt and scabbard, black leather jerkin over a pink velvet doublet slashed with dark red satin. In his right ear gleamed a garnet cut in the shape of a drop of blood. Yet for all the splendor of his garb, he remained an ugly man, big-boned and slope-shouldered, with a fleshiness to him that suggested that in later life he would run to fat. His skin was pink and blotchy, his nose broad, his mouth small, his hair long and dark and dry. His lips were wide and meaty, but the thing men noticed first about him were his eyes. He had his lord father's eyes—small, close-set, queerly pale. Ghost grey, some men called the shade, but in truth his eyes were all but colorless, like two chips of dirty ice. At the sight of Reek, he smiled a wet-lipped smile. "There he is. My sour old friend." To the men beside him he said, "Reek has been with me since I was a boy. My lord father gave him to me as a token of his love."

adwd, reek i

ah, but that's not true, is it, rams? your father gave him to you as a jest, to spite you and your mother. he was given to you both to harm you and it is a quirky little miracle that he ended up harming others with you instead.

rams tells himself and other stories about how he was welcomed into his father's house and beloved by him. how his mother was a great beauty who his father was in love with. and it's all lies. all dust upon the air.

i'll also note that roose describes reek as being "dim". i don't think there's much truth to that tbh. i think roose is proven time and again to view all the smallfolks as dumber than him. beneath him and mostly inhuman. this is really well defined in arya's acok chapters when she serves as his cup bearer and she is totally invisible to him.

"A fine rule, m'lord." "The woman disobeyed me, though. You see what Ramsay is. She made him, her and Reek, always whispering in his ear about his rights. He should have been content to grind corn. Does he truly think that he can ever rule the north?"

adwd, reek iii

[ALICENT HIGHTOWER VOICE] AND AEMOND... YOU KNOW WHAT AEMOND IS.

this btw is where my characterization of ramsay's mama really takes root. i think it's obvious enough what she was doing without this explicit confirmation from roose, especially with how ramsay acts and how he speaks about himself. but this is the crux of it. she had everything taken from her. her husband murdered and her raped under his still-warm corpse. and then she carried her pregnancy to term in the hopes that the gods would grant her a boy who could be given a place in the world that she never could be.

to me this is where the cycles start cycling. not with reek and ramsay, but with a desperate, violated, brutalized woman giving her son back to her rapist and insisting that he claim him. like, if she were... i'm not certain that i would call her a "Good Victim" for doing this but she could have aborted her pregnancy. tried to rebuild her life now that her husband was dead and she was physically brutalized. aboritcides are plentiful in westeros. or if she wanted to keep her pregnancy to term she could have lived the rest of her quiet life with her child in weeping waters in the shadow of the dreadfort. and she could have kept her son far from the leech lord who brutalized her.

but she didn't!!!!!!!! she shoved that baby right into the wide open razor toothed mouth of the monster who brutalized her!!! she knew exactly what kind of man lord roose bolton was and she was determined to get her child recognized by him and taken into his fold.

i love that rams is like... a personification of her all consuming rage as well as a personification of his father's brutality. it's great.

"He fights for you," Reek blurted out. "He's strong." "Bulls are strong. Bears. I have seen my bastard fight. He is not entirely to blame. Reek was his tutor, the first Reek, and Reek was never trained at arms. Ramsay is ferocious, I will grant you, but he swings that sword like a butcher hacking meat."

adwd, reek iii

further evidence of reek being significantly older than ramsay! a child would not tutor another child. further evidence also that reek was already a brutally violent man before he and rams started playing the most dangerous game in the woods. he taught ramsay how to hack people apart with a broadsword.

also calling reek ramsay's "tutor" here reinforces to me that their relationship was inappropriate. odd for a young child and his teacher to be "inseparable".

"He's not afraid of anyone, m'lord." "He should be. Fear is what keeps a man alive in this world of treachery and deceit. Even here in Barrowton the crows are circling, waiting to feast upon our flesh. The Cerwyns and the Tallharts are not to be relied on, my fat friend Lord Wyman plots betrayal, and Whoresbane … the Umbers may seem simple, but they are not without a certain low cunning. Ramsay should fear them all, as I do. The next time you see him, tell him that." "Tell him … tell him to be afraid?" Reek felt ill at the very thought of it. "M'lord, I … if I did that, he'd …" "I know." Lord Bolton sighed. "His blood is bad. He needs to be leeched. The leeches suck away the bad blood, all the rage and pain. No man can think so full of anger. Ramsay, though … his tainted blood would poison even leeches, I fear."

adwd reek iii

aaaaaaaaand back to ramsay's bad blood. "I had him whipped for that, a dozen lashes. Even his blood smelled wrong." :> where did all the bad blood come from, i wonder? his sire perhaps?

i love roose describing rams as full of anger. that's his mama's anger 🩷 calcified by roose's rejection of him and his refusal to accept this. spurred on by reek's proclivities and by reek's own rejection by his liege lord. just a horrible layer cake of brutality and violence and abuse.

that's all the quotes i have for you!!!

to me it is obvious from the above text that reek sexually abused ramsay as a child. possibly when he got older and bigger and stronger and reek was a much much older man, smaller and frailer, he really was meek and obedient to ramsay. but it didn't start out that way. his tutor would not behave with deference towards him. the man who taught him how to hack meat apart with a broadsword and how to hunt women through the woods before skinning them was not... subservient to him.

the closeness between them is suspect just because of their age difference and further suspect because of who reek is and what he does.

i also think that ramsay would never see this as sexual abuse. i think ramsay and theon have exactly the same frame of mind here where it isn't possible for them to be sexually abused or taken advantage of because they're men and that doesn't happen to men.

it's obvious that ramsay thinks of his relationship with reek fondly. fondly enough that he tells people reek was a token of his father's love. fondly enough that he creates a new reek for himself after the first one dies.

to your point about ramsay torturing theon into his reek when he never tortured reek, i do read part of that as revenge. like a sort of inversion of what was done unto him. i don't think that reek tortured ramsay the way ramsay tortures theon! but i do think he assaulted him. a major theme with ramsay is the playing of parts (a theme intensified and continued when jeyne is brought to winterfell as arya) so i see his sexual abuse and torture of theon as an inversion of what reek did to him.

i mean, i think ramsay tortures theon for other personal reasons. like resenting his beauty, his status as a lord's legitimate son, and the way he treated him in winterfell when he took it over. and just because he's a sadist who likes torturing people to get off. but also i like to think that it was an inversion of what reek did to him.

i'm unsurprised also that this isn't really talked about because the asoiaf fandom in general loves to say that the cycles are cycling but hates to admit that the evil monstrous characters who hurt people were also hurt themselves. so it's like bad fandom politics to say that ramsay bolton, who is a serial killing serial rapist, was also raped as a child. and put into situations with people he never should have been in because he was a child.

this is way too long it's way too many words it took me like the whole day to write it!!! i hope you read it to the end and don't get bored!!! thank you for your question mwah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hyaxci]

suo theories/character analysis

very very very very very long rant about my theories for suo from windbreaker. BE CAUGHT UP ON THE ANIME IF YOU WANT TO READ !! SPOILERS LIE AHEAD !!

i personally find suo so incredibly interesting. and its apparent that a lot of people in the fandom do too. a lot of fans are also saying that suo might be the main 'villain' of windbreaker??? but they never really elaborate on how or in what way exactly. so this is going to be a really really long rant/diagnostic/analysis thing into what i think about suo and his backstory since even manga readers dont know the full story

so. i suppose i'll begin with already existing theories about suo. starting with the 'villain' one. first of all, most of this theory isn't fleshed out. at least from the people i've seen writing/talking about it. it's just based on the fact that he's cold and detached and blah blah blah but they never really go into *how* exactly this could happen or why in the context of windbreaker. it's important to remember that windbreaker as a story follow sakura. it's mainly used as an exploration of sakura and his progression/journey with emotional vulnerability. sakura, as a character, has been neglected and unwanted all his life. until now. until furin/bofurin. he's slowly but surely finding his ground because of the people that's there. so in the context of this, how exactly would suo become a villain? windbreaker doesnt follow the typical "oh my god im so evil and i plan to completely wreck your plans" type of story arc. if suo WERE to become a villain i think it'd be much more quietly and under-the-radar type deal.

now following that train of thought, if we really think about - like really really observe what suo does CANONICALLY (i have nothing against fanon it just isn't relevant for this context), he's not very emotionally attached. or it doesnt seem like he is. there are quiet a few moments where suo just kinda exists. yes he talks. and no he doesnt talk alot but that's not what i mean. during sakura's emotional vulnerability arc during season 2 (mainly season 2 cuz season 1 is just kinda an introduction/preview of it), suo doesnt interfere necessarily but he doesnt push it forward either. and yes during the....red light district run in with the gang/people who were chasing that one singer girl (oopsies spoilers sorry), suo did encourage/step in when sakura wanted to throw nirei to the side bceause he didnt trust him to be able to protect himself. because of suo's step-in/encouragement, sakura turned his attention to fighting and fending off the gang. but i think this is the only time when you see suo encouraging sakura. and even then, suo isn't an active...participant? in sakura's emotional growth. like he doesn't urge sakura to try and do things in certain ways during active situations (i.e. a gang fight or confrontation) in ways that would help in him. anyway, there's really no other time if my.........very limited and often murky memory serves me right. this doesnt imply suo is bad per se. just that he's not necessarily involved in sakura's growth as much as, say, kaji or umemiya or togame for exampe. also notice that if he doesnt see an opening (socially), he wont butt into conversations. though this could just be his extremely high emotional intelligence for a typical high school boy. but here's the thing. it could be that or that he's just an observer. 

if we follow this theory that suo is just an observer, it could open up a lot of paths into exactly how he could be a 'villain' in the context of windbreaker as a story.

to make this section more....digestible and not just a fat block of text im gonna break this into bullet points for possibilities:

- suo is very emotionally intelligent. i think that much is obvious. he understands emotional restraint and when to use it. he knows exactly when to joke - where and when to poke someone's buttons - but he also knows when to stop and become serious. in a way, he kinda similar to the jokester but secretly really skilled character archetype that's been......showing up way too much in anime recently. an example of this is during his visit to sakura's house when sakura was sick. nirei (oh dear beloved sweet nirei) was worried and wanted to stay with sakura. as is expected of any typical high school boy. but suo could instantly tell that sakura wanted to be alone and was able to use a strategic deflection to get nirei to follow him outside. he also proposed that they go back the day after they went to go visit sakura instead of that night or a few hours later. this is opposing nirei who was really anxious and wanted to make absolute sure that sakura wouldnt feel lonely or was okay. im not gonna say this type of emotional intelligence is rare (it's....kinda not but also kinda is idk its complicated) but in the context of furin being a high school with a bunch of teenage boys, this is most definitely rare. suo often stops others from getting too emotional as a way of driving their actions. BECAUSE he's very emotionally intelligent (not just for his age but just in general - even in the context of adults) and considering the fact that he actually doesnt involve himself emotionally with the guys at furin, it might suggest that he was sent to observe them. for. one reason or another.

- IF he was sent to just observe furin as like an......ambivalent kinda all-knowing person, then this might also support the fact that people often think that he's from a gang/the yakuza. this is ignoring the fact that his family is just really rich since he has a liking for foreign teas and also has earrings that are antiques (we'll get into that later). we don't really konw why this would be though. it's just a possibility. we're not sure exactly sure why suo is even at furin. plus when we first met him, it appeared like he already was well acquainted with everyone there even before nirei and sakura? so. that suggests something that im not entirely sure of yet.

- OKAY. now for the family rich and earrings being antiques thing. it's kinda interesting because suo isn't chinese. he's japanese. though he does know another language according to the official fan guidebook published by the author. and....i saw some drawings/sketches on tiktok that i think were of suo and his proclaimed 'master' that taught him how to fight. dunno if these are official or not and i didnt really bother fully looking into if they were or not BUT if they are, then it seems highly probable that suo's chinese liking/influence comes from his master. and...his family might not necessarily be rich since i think it's heavily implied that suo was sorta kinda raised by his master? or at least spent a lot of time with him. so maybe his parents often went out/traveled a lot for work and then left suo at home. though his family being rich would sorta make sense? but it doesnt logically fit into the rest of the fan theories. 

- uhhh okay i think that's all the ground for my theories on him being an observer of sorts. so i digress into this: what WOULD be really cool tho is if windbreaker turned into a sort of time....leap type of thing. cuz suo is just back because he's waiting to make a move cuz someone died or smth. idk. would be an interesting storyline to follow but its not plausible.

OKAY. NOW ONTO A COMPELTLEY DIFFERENT THING: suo's fighting style.

i dont know if anybody's noticed but he rarely moves. like i mean physically. yes its been stated that he uses his opponents weaknesses against them. but notice how his body stays relatively upright/straight. he'll duck yes but that's not what im talking about. he's just very....stable? when on his feet? idk. i think this might be a metaphor/a psychological type of thing. maybe he fights like this because he UNDERSTANDS violence intimately. and i mean like. really understand it. like maybe in his past he killed someone in a fit of rage (similar to the KEEL situation before sakura stopped him) or did some really bad damage that he now wields it with the utmost precision. i've also noticed that he doesnt like to fight people. he wont attack first BUT here's the catch: he WILL verbally provoke people which is. interesting in the grand scheme of things. basically, what im suggesting here is that he might be burdened by guilt, past violence, or emotional repression because he fears loosing control, or past trauma where violence was too easy OR an extension of his emotional state (numb, indifferent or deeply conflicted). HOWEVER the only thing that would oppose part of this theory would be the fact that we've seen him get angry. especially with that fight with KEEL. i dont know why he got angry or what exactly that other guy did to provoke him or even how but. hm. raises an eyebrow amiright

aside from his.....emotional intelligence he also doesn't really seem to have a moral compass. while most people at furin are there because of internal values and beliefs and motivations, he doesnt seem to have any? anyway, the other strange thing is is the fact that as soon as he saw sakura, he took an interest in him. suo has become a protector of sorts for sakura but also doesn't actively participate in advancing his emotional development? (someone double check if this is actually true or if im just imaging another version of him in my head). 

okay but it's clear that he doesn't oppose furin. obviously because he's there. but does NOT opposing something mean he truly supports it? there was a very very brief moment during season 2. right after suo's fight with that one KEEL member (the one where he almost lost control - oh! just had a thought. nevermind. scrap the uh. the theory i had earlier about him fearing loosing control. because that probably isnt the case. he didnt look scared or terrified of what he was about to do. so that's probably not the case. he did look like he was in a trance though) and right after sakura pulled him out of that trance he was, he whispered something under his breath that sakura wouldnt have heard because he was already walking away. it was something like "god you're too strong for me" or....something. something that suggested admiration mixed with resignation and maybe envy? sakura isn't necessarily stronger than suo in terms of physicality/fighting strength. at least not on the surface. if anything, i think suo would be much stronger if he got genuinely angry. so if suo wasn't saying something about sakura's physical strength then it must've been about the emotional restraint/control that he's been developing. i think that suo admires sakura in the way that he's able to grow and develop despite the hardships that he's faced. and maybe that makes suo a bit jealous in certain ways because maybe he wasn't able to or currently isnt able to (maybe because of his ties to another organization that has more power - aka his potential observer role). 

anyway, i'll wrap this up with the ways he could become a villain

- embody the 'old way' of thinking. if sakura is progressing towards emotional vulnerability and openness, suo could say "this softness is going to get us killed" or "just keep moving forawd, dont dwell on the past"

- he could become emotionally unreachable. even more than he is now. as sakura and the others grow closer, more open and more emotionally bonded/attached, suo might not keep up. he might pull back and begin feeling alienated. this could hurt group cohesion in ways that the others dont know how to fix because most of them (besides the third years, umemiya, hiragi and tsubaki in particular) aren't this emotionally fluent

- whenever bofurin encounters a crisis - whether internal or external - he might not choose to act at a crucial moment. this would cuase the others to question his loyalty and maybe this is where we would get his real backstory. he wouldnt do this out of malice though just maybe that he'd realize/stick with this realization that he's with them but not ONE of them.

but suo does get surprised. he does show emotions. just not....usually? like during everyday stuff? when they aren't fighting? yeah. he only shows emotions during fights. particuarly during that one time where nirei was about to get hit by a guy in the red light district but nirei was able to duck because suo had taught him to do that. suo was shocked then. like genuine shock and worry. sakura too but that's expected. he's usually pretty emotional and wears his emotions on his sleeve even if he doesnt know how to talk about them. so, in me saying that suo isnt emotional/doesnt show much emotion is not in the sense that he's just purely stoic like uh ayanokoji from classroom of the elite or other such characters. he just. doesnt show what he really, truly feels. and that can act as a double edged sword both for him AND the people he seems to care about

all of this villain thing would ultimately lead to conflict BETWEEN our main characters. sakura would want to fight for suo to stay and nirei too. but suo would probably go down his own path again once their story ends and their paths diverge. oooo yummy tension hehehe. anyway.

here’s another additional layer: suo might be information gathering sure. but somehow, when he's provoking/poking at his opponents, it seems like he already *knows* how that person is going to react. suo hasn't also struggled to maintain control while fighting tho. sakura at some point (canon I think but I haven't seen it myself to be certain) called suo "the one without any shred of kindness". I wonder where that came from though and what made sakura say that about suo.