#if they get to the point where they are angry enough to intentionally kill someone they will also be at the point where they are...

[definitelynotaweirdo]

[pissvortex]

Is it also language policing to object to the term "ZOG"?

“Zionist Occupation Government” is an incorrect and antisemitic term, as the implication is that Israel is a hostile, foreign force occupying the American government and subverting its will in service of “the jews”. The twitter discourse which you are still angry enough to be bringing up in my tumblr inbox well after it ended was spawned by a guy on twitter implying that the /pol/ cretins who call jewish people “zog” are right because if you change “occupation” to “occupied” it’s actually a good and true acronym because the individuals occupying seats of power in the U.S. government are ideologically zionists. my objection to the ridiculous attempt at rehabilitating the acronym is that those words were only chosen in that particular combination specifically because using the term “zog” is controversial and gets a reaction out of people. it is rage bait, a useless rhetorical tool to make people angry for twitter likes, and does not hold any explanatory power on its own.

what you are referencing on my end is a post i made where, in response to a palestinian woman describing the IDF announcing plans to kill her sister, someone accused me of antisemitism and “losing support for my cause” because in the message i reposted from this women, she shortened “zionist” to “zio”. beyond the fact that the vast majority of people who see that shortening will not immediately think, “aw gee the KKK also shortened zionist to zio at one point!”, i can promise you it is nowhere near your example in terms of intentionality or provocation. the fact that you even thought to make this comparison tells me that you do not care about what you are talking about. you are just trying to do an epic own as a tumblr anon message because you did not even believe in what you were saying enough to do so publicly. you recognized at some level that this was a very stupid thing to say, but you did it anyway - consider unplugging your internet router.

[luna-rainbow]

The shield-bearer vs the gun-wielder

(Unmarked GIFs are credited to @lost-shoe - miss you 😭)

One frequent interpretation of the Steve-Bucky dichotomy sees Steve as the protector and defender with the shield, while Bucky is the aggressor and assailant wielding a gun or knife or even his metal arm. It's hard to shake that impression when we remember just how savage Bucky can be as the Winter Soldier, whereas Steve notably did not carry a weapon after CATFA. Promotional stills where they appear together reinforce that image, with Bucky often appearing with an offensive weapon (or holding his arm up offensively) while Steve holds his shield defensively.

But the picture of Bucky stepping in front of Karpov made me rethink. Despite Bucky's loss at the new super soldiers' hands a moment before, he is remarkably restrained in what he does as he leads Karpov out of the cage. I am not against the meta that suggested he gained some satisfaction at striking back at the new super soldiers, but he stuck to his goal of guarding Karpov instead of getting swept up in the adrenaline and joining the brawl - as other guards in the background did.

Bucky is a protector. I know there are already lots of meta about this: from the moment we meet him in the back alley, Bucky is using himself as a human shield between Steve and the bully. He puts himself at Steve's back when he's rescued from the Hydra facility and he picks up the shield to protect Steve on the train. Even that one scene of Bucky being a sniper in CATFA, he shot the enemy to protect Steve. As Bucky, his acts of aggression happens when he's protecting someone (usually Steve).

So it's interesting to re-examine the violence in CATWS. Yes, Bucky/Winter Soldier is capable of extraordinary ferocity in taking down Fury and Steve and Nat, but he's also someone who sits there placidly when Pierce's maid startles them. Proactive attack isn't his instinctual state - and that becomes clearer when we see more of Bucky in CACW. He waits until violence is upon him before he retaliates: whether in Bucharest, or in the German airport, or finally in Siberia with Tony.

And on reflection, even in this climactic CATWS scene, the visuals are consistent with Bucky’s modus operandi — he is placing himself as a human shield between his enemy (Steve) and what he needs to guard (the Helicarrier behind him). The trail of destruction he leaves behind on his way onto the Helicarrier is frank reminder of how capable of violence he is, but this moment on the bridge holds a curious stillness. He is waiting, but not as a predator waiting for his prey, but rather like a lone guard’s final stand against inevitable doom. And perhaps — his aim was never on taking the most number of lives on the airfield, it was to disperse and disable anyone who might interfere with the Helicarrier’s launch.

Bucky's focus during the first part of the fight with Steve seems to be more on the drive Steve is carrying rather than on killing Steve. Killing Steve only comes after the Helicarriers fail (which begs the question: was Bucky specifically instructed to stop Steve without killing him and then kill him afterwards, or did Bucky have enough presence of mind to hold back for as long as he could?) Even as the Winter Soldier, Bucky seems most in his element when protecting something behind him.

On the converse, we have Steve, whose symbol is the shield, and I think it misleads (maybe even intentionally on Steve's part) the audience and his enemies into thinking that Steve's strong point is defence.

But it's not. I wouldn't call Steve an aggressor (and I'm not a huge fan of the angry chihuahua fanon), but he is far more proactive in his actions and a lot more aggressive in his attacks than the shield might suggest.

Even this memorable image, which seems to suggest Steve is on the defense against Bucky's raging attack is actually the opposite -- Steve is rushing Bucky from the side, and Bucky's punch serves to stop Steve in his tracks (i.e. it’s Bucky's self-defense against Steve's attack).

Our first meeting with Steve establishes him as a challenger - he challenges the recruitment rules, he challenges the disrespectful guy in the cinema, he challenges Colonel Philips and Hydra and the Red Skull - and eventually, he goes on to challenge Loki and Tony and Fury and Pierce and SHIELD in the modern world.

We don't see Steve carrying a weapon in the modern era (except for maybe brief moments of him using a weapon in Avengers) and it's easy, for the audience but also for Steve’s enemies, to forget that Steve uses the shield as an offensive weapon. Sure, it serves its function as an actual shield, but Steve hurls it as a projectile weapon intended to incapacitate so many times I won't be able to list them all so I'll just let this picture speak for itself.

Even at their first reunion, Bucky is running away to avoid a confrontation with the witness (Steve) while Steve is chasing after him to confront the sniper.

And I think this describes their different traits to a tee - Steve is like the bloodhound with a keen nose for trouble and doesn’t rest until he’s chased it down, while Bucky is like the guard dog who patiently sits by his family until commanded to fight or provoked. That's not to say Steve is always picking fights, but rather he's got an intuitive awareness of where the source of the conflict is and has no qualms putting himself into the fray. It’s also not to say that Bucky is always avoidant or apathetic, but rather he tends to watch and wait unless it threatens those he cares about...and that is probably deserving of its own meta to discuss how their separate upbringings make Steve and Bucky different in their confrontation readiness.

"I thought you were more than just a shield," Batroc says, so Steve clips his shield back on his harness and dukes it out with his fists.

Of course Steve is more than his shield, because the shield is just a piece of disguise for who Steve Rogers really is - someone who's always assessing the world around him (rather than hiding behind the shield) and ready to challenge the injustices (rather than waiting for the fight to come to him).

The real dichotomy between Steve and Bucky is that Steve is a natural challenger, who first picks up the shield to help him undertake a single-man offence on a Hydra base. When he wakes up in the modern world and sees that the imagery of the shield is entrenched with his identity, he uses that symbol to mask his fiery defiance while turning the shield itself into a weapon that works both in offense and defence. Bucky is a natural protector, who had picked up fighting and later weapons for defence and self-defence. Hydra then turned his loyal temperament and his skill set into “the fist of Hydra” - capable of both protection and targeted destruction.

They seem to have chosen (or been assigned) a weapon that is opposite to their instincts, but it’s also why they work so well together as a unit. Steve's convictions and idealism give Bucky the impetus to take up arms, and Bucky's constancy and protection give Steve the confidence to forge ahead.

The man who attacks injustices with a shield, and at his back, the man who defends him with a gun.

[merakiui]

Ooooh now I'm imagining all sorts of Danganronpa style drama for Azul's trial. So many false leads and tricks!

Someone strong (like Leona) is found dead and weighted underwater, so everyone immediately suspects the 3 merfolk. Some unintentionally specist comments get thrown around. But that's too obvious, right? There's evidence that excludes them, and the arguments go elsewhere. Who is capable of overpowering the victim, etc.? He has injuries that indicate a struggle.

Some eventual evidence indicates the cause of death was drowning. Suspicion returns to the mers. Did they work together to keep him underwater while he fought? He's so strong, it's still hard to believe. Would two of them actually be willing to die while the other wins? There are scary rumors about the Leeches. Was Azul even involved? The Leech twins start playing up their sketchiness (they're angry by this point). But there can only be one killer.

To Azul's horror, someone ignorantly mentions there were circular imprints on the victim's arm (with a picture). He was extremely cautious! There is NO WAY he left sucker marks; he even checked afterward. If they were familiar with octomers, they'd know the marks aren't even the right shape!! He's flipping out now and messes up his words. Nervous chatter has always been a trait of his. The jury ends up deciding the three of them worked together, but Azul is the killer since he had to be the one holding the victim, causing his drowning.

Azul IS the killer, but he's so upset they got all the details wrong. He did everything himself. He meticulously planned everything, accounting for the victim's UM, and krakened him. But he did not leave any of the evidence mentioned and those sucker imprints are fake 😨😡💀!! Now he's going to die looking like a fool where he wasn't.

Before Azul's punishment, Jade reveals that he figured out it was Azul before the trial. He knows him too well. He planted the main evidence because, while he cares for Azul, he has no intention of letting himself and Floyd die for him.

I like the idea that the twins remain super sketchy and intentionally misleading for all the other trials, without actually ever being the killers. They're very angry, and its their way of grieving Azul.

YES YES YES!!!! This is the vision in its entirety!!!! orz the twins continuing to be suspicious menaces even after his execution is perfect.

Azul spends the majority of the game being annoyingly kind and helpful, if only to spread goodwill and reduce the risk of being targeted. He may cut a strikingly scary figure when he's with the twins, but the truth is that he's an animal of prey at heart and he'll do whatever it takes to survive. So as nice as he seems, it's all an act to keep himself safe and on everyone's good sides. He keeps his ears to the ground, always wanting to know as much as possible, and he is genuinely helpful in the trials, if not a little pompous.

But he's so anxious. The killing game is wearing on and he desperately wants to get out of here. How is he going to keep up with the lounge if he's stuck here? This is horrible! He's losing so much business with every passing second! On the surface, Azul keeps himself composed, but beneath perfect smiles and his obnoxious flair for theatrics he's cracking.

I imagine the trial is filled with twists and turns and it's so very convoluted. It couldn't possibly be one of the merfolk, right? Anyone with enough strength could have drowned the victim. It's very possible. Azul keeps his composure up until the moment when everyone starts to suspect and turn against him. His own logic is falling apart and though he's used to quick-paced arguments and discussions in business this is different. They can't be serious. Do they all really think he's the one at fault here? Honestly, he wouldn't revert to his true form to commit murder. Come on! That's foolish.

With all eyes on him, Azul starts to break. It's suffocating to be under such intense scrutiny. Everyone's accusing him of such a monstrous thing. They're all bullies! >:( it's not fair! He's only ever been good and helpful and obedient! Sure, he may have seemed suspicious when he was with the twins, but that's just how they are as a group! It's all just an act to look intimidating, to look strong, to look untouchable. He's not a killer. He's a businessman.

He snaps when the twins don't take his side. So they're just going to bully him, too? Is that it? And from there, everyone sees the real Azul. Foul-mouthed and impolite, he's pointing and yelling, insisting that it can't be him; it could never! Why would he throw his future away just to commit a crime? Why would he make such a risk?! He's a businessman! His eyes are blown wide with delirium. He's definitely breaking into a laughing fit during the trial like how he did during his overblot. >_< he's crazed... it's haunting to see. The twins would feel bad, but he chose this. You make your mistake and you pay for it. Isn't that what Azul always says when debtors refuse to pay what they owe?

He's hysterical until he isn't. Until he can no longer be. After the vote comes in and he's declared the blackened, he gets this far-off look to him. Maybe he's reflecting. Maybe he's not. Maybe he isn't even thinking at all. No one can tell.

It's strange to see the twins without Azul. Their terrifying trio is forever down a member.

[spacedlexi]

I totally get your point about the kenny/Jane thing. In my opinion the best outcome is letting Kenny kill Jane (honestly Jane brought that to herself, all of them knew that if he lost someone else he would finally go ballistic and she deliberately put him on that spot to prove "a point") and then staying in Wellington, because Kenny acknowledges that he's not fit enough to care for her and AJ anymore, so he begs Clem to stay. He's aware that he's not right for the job, and he accomplished his mission, he stayed loyal to Lee and left. It also gives the opportunity to speculate whether he finally found peace after all his suffering. (Even if the original idea was him offing himself in the Virginia lake after that)

i always find myself struggling to talk about S2 because i know the writers changed direction (multiple times?) as the season was releasing??? which means character arcs and motivations were altered to fit this new direction and its like painfully obvious sometimes especially when it comes to kenny and jane and luke

i hate when writers cant commit to the bit. and that kind of happens with kenny. which is weird because even tho they decided against him literally being carvers character (which wouldve worked perfectly for a luke v kenny ending), they still try to give him that carver storyline. like.. i could see kenny easily being in carvers position at howes. just like lilly in S4 with the delta. these two characters wanted leadership and never liked any pushback from the people around them. i can also see the kenny we knew from S1 turning into a man like carver in S2 (a dude who has lost a lot and whose methods are becoming more extreme to keep people safe) and i think kenny being carver instead wouldve made carver a much deeper and more interesting antagonist. like carver is fine. he works although his beef with this 11yo is weird. but we dont buy it when bonnie tells us he used to be a cool guy. we've only ever seen carver as a murderer. but if it was kenny in this role then immediately we add a lot of baggage to this character and his relationship with clem and her new relationship with the howes group. like we know kenny and we know what hes capable of but we also understand his motivations and we do believe that deep down kenny does want whats best to keep his people safe. and clem reappearing in the life of THIS kenny wouldve been Huge as he wouldve already begun his descent and clem is the only one who can really get through to him (like they still try to do when all the adults are like "uuuh clem you go talk to the angry man theres no way he'll listen to US"). i think they were afraid of making kenny an outright antagonist though and instead tried to have their cake and eat it too which just kinda...leads to mess... commit to your characters dark spirals and downfalls i hate this wishy washy bullshit. plus having kenny as carver instead wouldve centered clem in the howes discussion more. as it stands she just kinda gets swept up in everyone elses bullshit and just has to go along with it. classic child experience tho

jane pretending that aj was dead to intentionally push kenny over the edge just to "prove" to clem that hes dangerous was SOOOOO unnecessary jane!!! like we know girl!! we know!!! and when he tries to kill her for it its like...i know you saw this coming jane so how did you expect this to end?? was she just hoping she'd win the fight? she even tells clem to stay out of whatever was about to happen (plus she does genuinely put ajs life in real danger by leaving him in that car where they were lucky to hear his cries). but i think this problem stems from them changing it out from being a luke v kenny showdown. i think that ending wouldve culminated more naturally as their beef was slowly building since they first met. disagreement in leadership styles. that silly little middle school "choose who to sit with at dinner" thing felt like foreshadowing of a luke v kenny fight that just never happened. they needed to create a reason for kenny to attack jane as jane doesnt care about leadership she cares about keeping herself safe so the whole aj thing just....feels forced. like... jane why....Why........ where did your self preservation go...its like your whole character...

so...yeah.... i have a lot of conflicting feelings about S2 and its ending. on my recent playthrough i had clem tell kenny that maybe lee Shouldnt have come to save her in S1, trying to be all "boo hoo im so sad i get everyone i love killed boo hoo" and kenny responds by saying he should SMACK her for that???? i was so shocked that i missed taking the screenshot of it. i gasped audibly... turned into a "matter of time" situation for me (even tho things seem fine enough in the S3 flashbacks hes weirdly normal again and still talking about boats). kenny is definitely a broken man hanging on by a Singular Thread by the end of S2 and jane snaps it. this is why i like leaving kenny behind at wellington. clem and aj are definitely the light of his life at this point and he wants whats best for them. leaving them at wellington is really the best thing he can do for them both and its very sad because we know he Needs them. and clem would want to hold onto whoever she has left so its hard for her too. throughout all the seasons clem and aj are seen as the light in the darkness the hope for the future yadda yadda and kenny losing that? yeah i can see why the virginia lake idea was a thing. but thats ALSO why i like the clem shoots kenny ending. this man just wants it to be over he misses his family so much he cant take this shit anymore. staying with kenny into S3 really feels like we're stretching out his character as far as possible. it kinda feels like they hit the reset button on him and hes back to talking about boats. i feel like post S2 they just didnt really know what to do with him or jane. i feel like their endings in S2 are the most narratively fulfilling for their characters and i want clem to enter S3 on her own

[egg-emperor]

Has anyone ever tried telling you "eggman probably isn't as evil as you think" If so, how did you respond?

Side note. I really appreciate your account. We need more people who embrace Eggman as the irredeemable monster he is.

Yes, often and well they're either coming from a place of not being knowledgeable enough about Eggman and overlook all his crimes, or it's a case where they turn a blind eye because they don't want to believe he's actually that evil because it's not to their tastes and makes them uncomfortable. And I get it but it doesn't change the facts. I enjoy getting to help people learn the solid unbiased facts about game canon Eggman, by bringing up all the canon examples of what makes him such a terrible person and try to note as many of his actions as possible that prove he really is that evil.

Being a totalitarian fascist dictator who wants to own the world and strip freedom and free will away, a war criminal who causes mass destruction and is willing to commit genocide, will try to kill anyone who gets in his way even children as young as 6-8, has been sexist, will manipulate/gaslight and abuse people and animals in various ways and enjoy it, wants to build intentionally dangerous theme parks that can kill people in brutal ways as we hear all about in Colors, and knows he's evil and acknowledges it proudly and revels in it is the most evil of evil!

We've seen many examples that show just how low he'll stoop and he hasn't been known to have a single limit in canon, besides things that get the entire planet and himself destroyed so he can't rule it, obviously. Besides that purely selfish reason, he isn't shown to have any good morally based limits and doesn't show any hesitance or remorse for his actions, despite clearly being fully aware that he's the bad guy doing the bad thing, calling it evil with glee. He's ranged from completely apathetic towards the evil he commits to downright sadistic as he smirks cheekily and laughs through it!

Those aren't actions to be downplayed or overlooked, they're important traits that define his character and are involved by countless significant plot points, including his whole motivation and methods in his plans. They're the very things that establish him as a villain and a threat in the first place. It's what puts the "evil" in "Ivo (ee-vo)." He's not the villain and not the Eggman, or even the same character at all without it, I'm not even exaggerating. But yeah point is, if someone is to deny or ignore all these intentionally or not, then they're not gonna think he's as evil as I say he is. XD

From my experience, they haven't been able to provide solid proof and evidence, nothing I couldn't disprove with my own stacks of evidence taken right from the games, if they do have any they claim to be at all. Because a lot of the things I see that they tend to try to use are things that actually prove my own point instead, when looking at them in actual context and what they really mean. So what I'd also do is debunk anything they try to use to attest to the idea that he's really that evil of a guy, using those very same things they're trying to use for their statements and much more.

I really like having sensible discussions and debates where I get to put all my heavy passionate research and analysis to use but I don't really get the chance very often because people take it the wrong way. I think if people didn't take disagreements as so hostile, we could be having some really interesting discussions. Like sure, when someone says "Eggman isn't as evil as you think" I'm like "ah hell no, no way lol" but I'm not angry or insulting, I'd just like to discuss why I disagree and share some of the reasons why, which are based in fact. I encourage others to do it to me too.

Anyway, these are usually the points I bring up when I do get the chance. Then I ready all my tons of excerpts and sources right from the games explicitly written into the text, and with some further analysis adhering to that knowledge, and sometimes additional creator commentary that's solidly backed up by the game canon as a bonus. People I've talked to have been upset by being asked for sources but I'm always passionate about gathering all my sources the second someone asks because I'm like finally I get to do something with all this information lol

Thank you so much! I'm really happy you enjoy my stuff. :D I'm just super passionate about gushing over, analyzing, and educating over how Eggman is a lovable nasty evil bastard man and I'm really happy that I'm not alone, I have so much fun making the posts and to know that y'all enjoy it too makes it even better. Here we love and embrace this handsome horrible man always and I'm delighted for you to join me in it. We make fine loyal members of the Eggman Empire for it hehe 💜

[badassbutterfly1987]

Black Sun Rising Ch. 6-10 (in which I get more critical)

Chapter 6:

I was a bit confused by this chapter at first since we switch to an entirely new POV of an angry merchant upset about lost cargo

apparently the Weird Trio (my nickname for the things from a previous chapter that looked human but weren't) used the ship carrying his goods to reach the city and sunk the ship and other people on it to cover their tracks i think

the monotone voices and general lack of emotion really make them unsettling

Chapter 7:

we get a flashback/dream from the Patriarch's POV

so his mother had a drug addiction when he was kid, then she was killed and eaten by monsters

obviously a formative memory and probably contributed to his zeal for expanding the Church's influence

Chapter 8:

apparently Damien has a habit of staying awake during true night so he could be aware of any users of dark fae nearby; it's mentioned he was taught this by a mentor, I'm presuming another sorceror or Adept since this isn't the kind of thing the Church likes

he's good at reading the fae currents back in Ganji but they're too volatile in Jaggonath, so he's just chilling in his room for a couple pages then goes to sleep (wait it says it's 3am, is this a witching hour reference? neat)

then Ciani's shop explodes and she's presumed dead, mention that there's specifically blue fire. that color was mentioned last time with the earthquake-resistant wards. the emotional part of this is weakened a bit for me because I know the general plot of the rest of the book

For the most part, I like the rest of this chapter. Damian's understandably rattled, he really liked Ciani and there was the potential for a genuine relationship. We even get a nice moment where the Patriarch has a moment of not being an ass and offers his condolences to Damien, recognizing there was a bond despite his hatred of Adepts and the fae.

However-

Damian has the thought that he might have been falling in love with her. Here's the thing, I think they're fun together, they have a nice flirty dynamic and I could see myself writing ship fics for them. But that was all that was there; there weren't moments where they connected on a more intimate level and Damien doesn't read as having a romantic enough personality to fall this hard this early.

extra note since I didn't think to mention it last post: what kind of Church follower taught to fear and hate demons, would then name their kid Damien? Is it going to be revealed that his parents were Adepts/sorcerers who later converted? it would be a neat reveal; I don't think his parents have been mentioned yet, and it could have influenced with his ease about using fae

Chapter 9:

Weird Trio confirmed to have been hunting Ciani and maybe intended to eat her? didn't intentionally cause explosion. maybe she tried to fight back and triggered the wards in a way that overloaded them?

they apparently have another task to fulfill. how ominous!

Chapter 10:

Ciani is confirmed to be alive and hiding at Senzie's place, surprise surprise. but this is a genuinely sad scene, her attackers ripped out chunks of her memory and all her ability/knowledge as an Adept, something that is an inherent part of her identity

turns out Senzie caused the explosion in an attempt to make the attackers think she was dead and wouldn't attack again. unfortunately, this means that any research or artifacts that could have helped Ciani have been destroyed. Senzie insists he did what was best in the moment, which is fair but the way he says it points to a deeper insecurity. kudos to Damian for knowing how to de-escalate, he's like a warrior-poet but religious (is this just what dnd clerics are? I haven't played)

on a lighter note, we meet Allesha. she was briefly mentioned before as a fellow assistant and someone Senzie seemed to be mildly annoyed with. turns out she's his fiancee which makes that previous thing a little awkward

then we meet Karril, Ciani's demon friend who seems like a pretty chill guy; were he a modern guy, he'd probably wear Hawaiian shirts. what exactly demons are in this verse is a little unclear; the Church calls them demons and Damian treats them as such but other people seem to worship them as gods? Karril's domain is pleasure and he does have Dionysus vibes (also I know there's some fics that ship him and Damian so presumably he shows up again)

I really hope Ciani isn't going to be a traumatized husk for the rest of the book because she was a fun character and this already treads the line of fridging the only notable female lead (Almea dies in the prologue and Allesha is only relevant as Senzei's partner)

apparently Ciani investigated the rakhlands before (far too curious about unknown, similar to Damian), was trapped for a few years in which a rakh fed on her memories/substance as a person, and she barely managed to escape. while Karril wasn't able to get her to fully explain what happened, he did help her forget the experience at her request.

this is like that on a larger scale. the only way to fix it is to hunt down the specific creature that caused it. I might be misreading this part but they seem to be implying it could be a rakh or a more general (but still very dangerous) monster. I guess it's a red herring to the characters/audience to suspect Tarrant and while he is an amoral bastard, his brief POV chapters haven't suggested a motivation to do so (and he did notice new competition in the area, probably the rakh attackers)

Also, just for funzies, this is what I initially marked down for general thoughts that I wanted to make sure I expanded:

Senzei acting sus. defensive because insecure

romance where? barely know each other.

close to fridging. Ciani angry when?

where Tarrant?

[stuffyflowers]

What do you think Ceroba does after a Neutral run where you kill Starlo? Does she ever accept that you really did it? Does she end up tumbling into an even worse mental state? Does she ever get support from, like, the remaining Feisty Four?

ohhhhhh that’s a LOADED question i could absolutely ramble abt this.

I might as well drop my answer in the “does she know?” poll: im a “she has a hunch but doesn’t act on it” truther.

After weeks (or maybe even just days) of searching, she’s the first to come to the realisation that he’s not missing, he’s dead. She knows him better than anyone, she knows that even in his lowest moment he would never disappear for this long. In general she’s also just the most grounded monster in the wild east: while the others can indulge themselves in hope and optimism that he’ll return, she can just face reality and know the odds are definitely stacked against starlo being alive at this point

She would eventually accept that clover did it, too. It was a thought itching at the back of her mind ever since she first saw them on the cliffs, just… standing there. Only now is she ready to put the pieces together, who else could have possibly done it? The four were angry at him, but they were all still close friends just going through a rough patch. Clover, though? From the very beginning of their wild east journey, she had suspected they weren’t really… into it. They were being basically held there against their will, after all. If anyone would be willing to pull the trigger on star, it would be them.

And I imagine she would develop a guilt complex over this, of course. I’ve mentioned a lot before that she has a tendency to blame herself for things even when its out of her control, notably how she says she let chujin work himself to death when chujin is the one that intentionally hid everything from her, including the warning signs that his life was at risk. This would extend to star, I think. Her entire role in the wild east is as an observer, she watches over clover and encourages them to come to a peaceful resolution with starlo by playing along. When she leaves him, just like the four, she willingly left star alone with someone she knows could cause him significant harm (“humans are dangerous”, of course.). ESPECIALLY if we assume this is on a neutral route where ceroba already knew clovers soul is impure and thus had killed monsters before. What was she thinking??? How could she allow herself to set boundaries and leave him alone??? Who cares if what he said hurt her feelings, her feelings don’t matter. She should have been there to protect him.

So uh. Yeah. Definitely falls into a worse mental state. Losing the only person she was still close to, and in her mind it was all her fault, just like in chujin and kanakos case. She could have put a stop to his killer, too, but she didn’t. This is her new rock bottom.

I’ve already rambled on so long but uh feisty four uhhhh… honestly idk if they’d be able to do much for her. She isn’t close to them, really. Not enough for her to consider them her friends, apparently (“Starlo was the only friend I had left”). Ceroba would probably have trouble finding support in general as at this point she’s still hiding so much from everyone in relation to her family and the mission she had been left with. Letting her guard down to talk about how stars death affected her would mean having to talk about them, as well. Ceroba is stubborn, too, so I think it would be a long time before she truly lets herself get support from anyone

… and I think itd be more likely from crestina and solomon, tbh. She doesn’t talk much to the four, but she does talk to stars parents a lot, esp in relation to star himself. They’re the first ones she goes to consult abt stars disappearance, too. I think if anyone was able to get her to open up and get the support she desperately needs, it would be them.

[strawberryjamsara]

Joe Tazuna profile analysis

I like the idea of Joe loving basketball because it gives me the mental image of him loving High School musical and Troy Bolton being his hero and wanting to do theater and dance with Ryoko. Yes this is veering a lot into headcanon for what’s supposed to be an analysis but guess what? My post my rules. Also I wonder if Joe has any pets seeing how he loves dogs so much. I know we hate the manga and using it as a reference should be considered sacrilege but in it, the students of Sonobeno remark that Joe is poor, and if that’s the case he might not be able to afford a dog. I wonder if maybe he had a dog before Mr Policeman died, and they had to let it go because finances were tight. Again, headcanon territory.

And his dislikes also point to a strong sense of justice, again pointing towards Mr Policeman being his dad, a man who left his position to pursue what was right. Joe also hates evil, and people who do wrong, but he has been taught not to have a black and white view. It’s interesting how that comes into play when he gets the sacrifice card. He is deceiving others and leading them on the nose to grave, but he’s trying to save himself and his best friend and admits defeat gracefully and kindly.

It’s important to remember how when things get serious, Joe is the one who takes them the most seriously. Joe in chapter 1-2 spends a lot of time brooding, angry at what happened to Mishima, and on his own. He was very much coping with a tough situation as much as Sara was, and him extending his hand to Alice was a tremendous act. Joe distrusted people. He wanted to know the votes. It wasn’t just a sweet gesture from a good kid, it was someone opening up his heart and trying to be kind in the worst situation, and that’s what Joe is doing, being kind in the worst of times.

So there’s a pretty interesting analysis about this bit done by @beanieman that I can’t find at the moment but I want to bring up another piece of symbolism…

Lightning can strike in one place a singular time. In other words the sacrifice could have one result. And when you have that result you can’t take it back. So Joe, where will you direct the lightning?

Joe himself wearing dog ornaments reminds me of emotion route where he tells Sara “I’ll always follow you! You know, like a dog!” No matter what, he’s loyal to the people he loves first, and will stand by any decision they make. He will kill for Sara. He will die for Sara. He even follows her after his death. Very good symbolism.

I like this because Sara’s profile states that the dress code for Sonobeno is pretty lax. Either Joe is intentionally wearing his uniform in a way that’s rebellious, but not rebellious enough he can get in trouble, or he’s just so flamboyant and cool his style is bound to grind someone’s gears, and I can’t decide which I like more.

[ikamigami]

Why Moon couldn't stop Sun?

Where do I start with this..?

Oh boy...

So, I'll start with Sun. He may seem to be stubborn about wanting to kill Eclipse. I get that, he doesn't want to listen to anyone. And people seem to think that Sun became evil because he's like Eclipse.

But don't you think that this is weird? Moon was right about that this is not like Sun. Sun doesn't act like that. Even though we know that this is Sun. And we know that Sun want to kill Eclipse to get rid of at least one of their problems... right? Technically, yes. Because I think that Sun wouldn't normally choose the option to kill Eclipse if it wasn't for Bloodmoon's death. And like I said Sun didn't expect BM to die that easily (Sun didn't know how much capacity nanomachines have). Even if he had a thought about killing their enemies, he knows it's a bad thing to do. So, I believe that Bloodmoon's death wasn't intentional on Sun's part.

Another thing is that Sun thinks that he's bad. He thinks that he's like Eclipse (or even worse). He feels responsible for Eclipse thus he thinks he should do something about Eclipse. And in this case it's to get rid of Eclipse. But why did Sun choose such drastic measure, so different from his way of actions? It's simple. He thinks he's evil. He killed BM. It proves to him that he's evil. So, why not go after Eclipse too? If he's on a bad side like many fans stated and like Lunar has said, why not at least try to use it for their advantage? Getting rid of Eclipse would be beneficial to all of them. So why not?

Also Moon couldn't stop Sun because Sun would go there anyway. Sun doesn't plan to go back to his brothers. He's bad so how could he live with them? When he finally accepted the fact that he's bad, he can't go back. Because to what? To continue ruining Moon's, Lunar's and everyone's lives. To keep making things worse. And not be able to help. To fix anything. This is also one of the main reasons why Sun chose option to kill. Because he tried everything and nothing ever worked. Despite the fact that he ruined everything or made everything worse. All of Sun's usual ways of acting were either useless or caused more problems.

Also Sun in order to prevent himself from ruining everything tried to act less like himself. That's why he started to act more like Moon. Besides Sun sees Moon as someone who is mature. For Sun, Moon is an impersonation of maturity. That's why when Moon said to Sun to "grow up" in their first fight, Sun understood it as that he should be less like himself and be more mature, just like Moon. That's why Sun started to hide his problems and became less clingy and he stopped showing that much affection. Because he thinks that showing too much affection is immature. And because of Sun's wrong understanding of maturity Sun said what he said to Lunar in their fight. Because that's what Sun learnt from Moon. He saw himself in Lunar and that's why he said Lunar will understand when he'll grow up. Sun didn't want to be mean to Lunar because he was angry. It was unintentional. He just gave Lunar the same advice Moon gave him. Sorry for this digression. Let's get back to the point. So, Sun changed but it turned out that it was still not enough. He was still as incompetent as before. And he still was making everything worse.

Sun felt that he tried everything at this point to prevent himself from ruining everything and nothing worked. He was at loss. He started losing hope that he'll ever be able to change. So, he thought to himself, why not finally accept the fact that he's evil. This was all really unfortunate. I mean that Sun has that thought about killing their enemies and then Bloodmoon came and he killed them (not intentionally imo). It was a turning point for Sun. He was no longer good in his own eyes. Or he could no longer pretend that he's good. Because how? When He killed someone. How can he still pretend that he's good. That's why I think Sun decided to go after Eclipse without planning to return back home. He doesn't belong there anymore, in his own eyes. He was hurting Moon for a very long time and now he also hurt Lunar. He can't stay with them anymore. I know that I'm repeating myself but I hope that you all will see my point.

And finally I'll talk about Sun and Moon talk in the forrest scene. I think many people didn't understand why Sun was so angry. Many people thought he was angry at Moon but that's not true. Many people thought he was angry that Moon wasn't truly there. But I think that he was glad that Moon wasn't there actually. I know that part of Sun still wanted for Moon to show up and stop him but at the same time Sun feels like he shouldn't hope for that. He doesn't deserve Moon's love and care. That's why I think Sun was upset while talking with Moon because Moon showed that he cares (because obviously he cares). Because if Moon didn't care or showed that he's dissapointed in Sun, it would be easier for Sun to let go of everything. To disappear. That's why I think that Sun said that Moon showed up just to insult him or be angry at him because that's what Sun was hoping for. But it didn't happen. So Sun tried to portray himself as someone truly awful. That's why I think Sun said that thing about not feeling anything after killing BM. I think Sun lied because he wanted for Moon to see him as a monster who doesn't regret anything. So when Sun will be gone, Moon could move on with his life. Because Moon shouldn't grieving after monster. That's why I also think that Sun seemed like he didn't care that Lunar left. To show Moon that he's cold-hearted and there is no reason for Moon to feel sorry for him or pity him.

Another thing is that Sun seemed so fixated on killing Eclipse and that he have to do it because I think that Sun wanted to at least to do something good for once at the end. He also said to Moon that he also feels responsible. I think he said that because Moon like always started to blame himself. Sun didn't want to listen to it because he doesn't think that Moon is one to blame. That's also why Sun was so upset.

I truly believe that Sun will try to kill himself. I know he probably won't be able to because he's a robot. But it's still very sad that he'll try to do it. Because it shows that Sun has serious mental issues.

And about Moon in all of this. I think that Moon could listen to Sun more in this conversation but I doubt it would change things that much. Maybe if Moon was there, then he could do something to stop Sun and Sun would feel more pressured to say what is truly on his mind. But I think that Sun still would try to force Moon to let him go.

That was truly a very tragic episode. Moon couldn't do much to stop Sun. But I hope that Moon won't give up on his own brother. He should know better because he knows Sun from the beginning. After all he spend his whole life with Sun.

[histrionic-dragon]

Good Omens Season 2 Reaction

Spoilers, obviously, so under the cut.

I accidentally saw enough of a gif here on Tumblr that I knew there would be a kiss. I accidentally saw a post here on Tumblr about "watching David Tennant unable to be with the blond he's in love with hits as hard at 26 as it did at 16" so I suspected something sad would happen.

I was not expecting THAT.

I didn't expect the kiss to be angry, and even when Crowley suddenly moved across the room and I thought "here it comes" I didn't expect it to be...devastated. He doesn't think that's going to make a difference. He doesn't think it's going to change things, not really. He just needs to do it, needs to make damn sure that Aziraphale gets it and he's done everything he can, but it's a parting shot, not a real argument.

And he's right. It doesn't change anything.

The narrative doesn't go the easy route of "Oh, what--wait--well that changes everything." Aziraphale's reaction is the worst. I wanted to smack him, and I generally like Aziraphale. I see myself in Aziraphale. I'm bookish and compulsively honest and want to see the best in people. But YE GODS, that is--NO!

It's better. It's more messy, how people really are. But it's so much worse to witness than a neat, fun, happy ending.

Maybe if he had more time, Aziraphale would process and fuss and dither and make up his mind and do something, but Metatron hustled him along (intentionally? is there a plot? don't really care right now) and he went. Even when he saw Crowley waiting by the car--"Yes, yes, I stormed out, but I haven't stormed out, I'm right here, I haven't abandoned you"--he goes.

At this point I actually put my head in my hands.

I thought maybe there would be some kind of plea deal with Heaven and Hell to avert the war where they both have to never see each other again. I didn't expect that they'd be separated because of someone's choice.

Again: it's a better, more human story. It's a worse, more human situation.

Aziraphale still doesn't fundamentally get something about Crowley.

The "I can change things if I'm in charge" argument, yeah, I can see that being a very strong, pardon the word, temptation. But that wasn't even what he was most excited about: he wanted him and Crowley to be angels and happy together. He's missing the point for Crowley because of what he wants. Crowley isn't a violent creep like most of the demons, sure, but he's still a demon. He doesn't like Hell, but he doesn't like Heaven either. He doesn't want to go back. He might have "sauntered vaguely downwards," but he was kicked out of Heaven for asking questions and he doesn't like that way of running things. Heaven sends angels to kill kids. Heaven was perfectly ready to destroy Aziraphale. He's not OK with that.

Azariphale wants to be with the good guys, wants to see the good in everyone, and wants to reconcile that good in everyone with the stricter, decontextualized good that Heaven has in mind. Crowley doesn't define "good" or "bad" as "in line with Heaven/Hell" much anymore, I don't think, and I don't think Aziraphale really understands that, even after millennia.

Also: David Tennant is a remarkably good actor. I enjoyed him a lot in Doctor Who, but the Tenth Doctor is on a continuum between goofy and all-powerful angsty adolescent most of the time. Crowley, whatever else he may be (and he's a lot of other things), is a grown-up. He's more nuanced. That comes through so well even in wordless scenes where he's wearing big dark sunglasses. Wow.

Unrelated also: I so appreciate the line "Can we throw books at them? Not the fiction, obviously, but the encyclopedias? It's all online anyway these days." I am deeply gratified that, in a life-or-death situation, someone had the initial reaction of "naturally we can't damage the books, especially the stories."

[plebeiangoth]

Okay I think it's been long enough that I can make this point. In fact I likely wouldn't have thought to make this point unless something gave me a blunt reminder.

I got into what I was surprised to find to be a heated argument among close friends some time ago about that string of fine art vandalisms as climate activism. The argument ensued because I thought it was all just kinda dumb and my friends actually got angry at me because I was dismissive of these demonstrations getting broad coverage, and my friends got too angry to let me explain why I felt that way. But here's the point that I couldn't even get a word in edgewise to suggest, now I get to make it:

I really didn't think back then that anyone would be talking about it by now, and I think I'm right. I can't remember when that was and I've not seen nor heard anything about it since. The only reason I was reminded was because I saw a headline of someone threatening to destroy a bunch of fine art if Assange dies in prison.

Climate change is something that needs to be talked about, people need to think about it, more importantly it needs to be acted upon, and people (mostly corporations) need to make big changes 20 years ago NOW because we're massively fucked—what more can I say? Anything I can think to say feels like I'm reaching for low-hanging brownie points. It's driven me to consider and nearly attempt suicide to stop any further damage I will cause as a human (don't do that, please don't), and there's yet to be anything any therapist can say to help me not feel like a blight on this dying Earth, while I can't even enjoy summer anymore because it's now just smoke season. I've had about three or four suicidal episodes every year since 2020 because I don't want to be a part of this involuntary human destruction of Earth that governments and corporations force us into. This has possibly driven me actually insane and narrowly avoiding hospitalizations. And I'm expected to applaud when protesters do little more than cause a public nuisance? Of course this isn't to say that protest is futile, rather it's not effective unless it's making people thing, talk, and act and continue to do so.

Ultimately what I mean to say is

This shit is fucking bad and not a single one of us can afford to be complacent and silent about climate change! This should be a fucking no-brainer!

And while I'm 100% for any provocative, non-violent protest or demonstration on the matter, maybe actually try to do something that will, oh, I don't know,

MAKE PEOPLE CONTINUOUSLY WORRY ABOUT THE CLIMATE TO MAKE THE GOVERNMENTS AND CORPORATIONS CHANGE, AND NOT PERFORM SOME FLASH-IN-THE-PAN NONSENSE THAT JOHN DOE FROM MIDDLE AMERICA OR WHOEVER OR WHEREVER IS GOING TO FORGET!

I don't have the answers, I don't even know where to start other than to produce as little waste and carbon emissions of my own, and to be really fucking loud. I have faced arrest for peaceful protest (excessively dumb story for another time), and what I can say to that is I understand what it can cost to speak up for what's right. It takes a big person to stand up and say very important things out loud even though it's going to make people angry and probably cause this person to be arrested, imprisoned, killed, who knows.

Fine art is a whole can of aristocratic worms, I know and feel that, but when about 53,685 forest fires happened last year alone, and 92 million tons of clothing ends up in landfills when one pair of jeans costs 1,800 gallons of water, and that these are only a fraction of a percent of the issue, I think anyone who cares needs to be a whole hell of a lot more blunt with their words and actions to make governments and corporations stop killing us and our world.

Does this make any sense?

ONE LAST EDIT BEFORE PUBLISHING: I intentionally didn't look up the time of the art vandalism I was thinking of until right now because I wanted to see if my point holds up. It was late 2022, which I would think would be recent enough to think about, by the activist group Just Stop Oil according to this Time article. Apparently the art destruction has continued but I've not heard anything about it in a year.

Probably a bad time to include this but I do sell cloth menstrual pads because I've personally stopped using disposables for climate reasons and want to do my part to make them more available.

A couple small clarifications: This isn't meant to be a slam on my friends, I love them and we're fundamentally on the same side of this argument, we just had a misunderstanding I'm sure. Also I'm doing better mentally. I'm without counseling at the moment for reasons beyond mine or the therapist's control, but I'm finding reasons to live, I'm on medication, and things are looking up for me. My life is good, just it feels in vain when the world around me is dying. It helps me to find things I can do to make the world around me better, no matter how big or small, and I would encourage everyone to do the same.

[mixing-bowl-of-stories]

How would Pandora act if she were truly enraged? What would it take to get her to that point?

Pandora has two kinds of enragement

In battle, and in a social situation.

Pandora is still relatively calm when she’s super mad, she gets eerily quiet and has that look [tm]. But the difference between being in battle and being in a social situation is what she’s inclined to do and what she thinks to do.

She doesn’t yell, but in battle, she does become incredibly violent. She’s calculated and still has an even head which makes her even scarier because she knows where she needs to hit you to knock you down.

In a social situation, she’s very quick to start making slight jabs at whoever she’s talking to, she’s told several leaders in Selcouth that they would be quite literally nothing without their people’s love and respect.

She’s very knowledgeable and sometimes will even hold off no matter how mad she is in order to gain further knowledge against whoever she’s furious with.

Here are some things that can and will make Pandora angry to this degree:

- scaring or intentionally nearly killing a member of The Crux or her family

- Someone bringing up her family or The Crux and speaking ill of them

- Someone bringing up Victor and making disrespectful comments about his disappearance

- Someone mentioning her death and making fun of it

It’s important to note that the only time Pandora gets thrown into a rage that she’s not thinking right in, is during a mental breakdown she has due to her repression of emotions.

Pandora shoved down everything she deemed to be a “negative” emotion, and she didn’t have enough respect for herself or confidence in herself to get angry when people disrespect her or others. For a while she was very meek and shy, willing to let anyone walk all over her.

She eventually decides that she needs to do better as she is representing the De La Dáinn family, and doesn’t want people believing that they are weak.

[the-backspin-alchemist]

Crying, spider, doughnut

Because I know you intend to have me answer for all four listed, all four you are getting.

😭 CRYING - what makes them cry? do they cry easily?

Ciara only cries when she is PISSED. She is an angry cryer. So, like, emotionally damage her enough, and you’ll get tears. But don’t expect to live too long afterwards.

Astrid doesn’t cry all that easily, but given the trauma of her upbringing, she does cry sometimes when it catches up with her, assuming she’s not around too many other people.

Jack is hard to make cry, but this is also because he’s made himself believe he has to keep a brave face for everyone, so if it happens it either means that you’ve managed to hurt someone he cares about on a level that makes him want to kill you, or it’s around only one of maybe three people that he feels to be able to be vulnerable around.

Shiraki doesn’t cry intentionally or easily, but given that she views the world very differently from most people, it’s mostly because she doesn’t always understand how to react in a situation where most people would cry.

🍩 DONUT - favourite sweet treat?

Ciara likes candied nuts. Great travel sweet.

Astrid is a fan of anything sweet. She did not get to have sweets until finally getting out into the wider world (being born into and raised by a cult will be like that).

Shiraki really likes caramels.

Jack doesn’t like sweets. Why would he like sweets? Sweets are dumb. There’s no reason he would be a fan of sweets. But if he were offered any of those strawberry-flavored hard candies he wouldn’t turn them down (who are we all kidding he loves them he just doesn’t want anyone to know)

🕷️ SPIDER - what is their biggest fear? do they have any irrational / mundane fears?

I’ll lead with the two heavy ones.

Astrid fears that she is in fact only what the cult made her, and that by turning her into this oddly monstrous force of nature that she is, she cannot live any meaningful life outside of the role they assigned to her, as one day their god will come calling to claim her as his bride and she will not have any day in the matter.

(She’s wrong, Thraxiphar is in fact horrified at what the cult did to her and proceeded to execute them all for it after she left, but…y’know. Can’t blame the girl for not knowing that.)

She doesn’t really have any mundane fears though since she’s basically unkillable at this point.

Jack’s worst fear is his own mind. He’s the son of an abusive demon princess with a load of psychological trauma, and a man who’s single-handedly slaughtered tens of thousands, and who even though he swore not to kill anyone further after a point, still has MANY issues. He is scared of becoming his parents, because his parents were messed up. Both of them. He is terrified that his demonic side might cause him to run rampant, and if that doesn’t do it then his father’s own past and trauma might catch up with him and do the trick instead. He doesn’t want to hurt anybody. He just wants to keep his friends and loved ones safe. But he’s constantly scared of being the thing that ends up harming them in the end.

He DOES have a mundane fear, though, and it’s centipedes. They freak him out.

Ciara fears being forgotten. She wants ti make sure *someone* remembers her once she’s gone. She doesn’t care who it is or why. She also hates snakes.

Shiraki doesn’t quite compute fear the way most others do. She is most scared of being hunted down and killed, maybe, but doesn’t have any major existential fear aside from her father existing, and even then she doesn’t understand *why.*

[twodancingzombies]

Are requests open? If so could you do Hannibal, Michael Myers and Jason with an S/o who is scared of blood

requests are open love x

Michael Myers

Well that sucks for you unfortunately you're just going to have to come to terms with the fact that blood is going to be very present in your life if you're anywhere near Michael Myers

At first you'll get no sympathy from Michael but as your relationship grows you will notice that there are significantly less blood stains in your house and Michael does make a conscious effort to avoid getting covered in too much blood

Honestly that's about it from the shape of Haddonfield, he's not exactly the type to go out of his way to clean down the surfaces or run through someone's sprinkler system before coming back to you

If you happen to witness an unfortunate amount of blood or are about to Michael tugs you into his chest keeping his hand firmly on the back of your neck so you don't see anything that would trigger a response

Begging Michael to shower after a kill might just get you what you want but it honestly depends on his mood, don't push the pleading though or you'll get a glare that would put any man in his place

Jason Voorhees

Totally understanding, Jason may not understand why you're scared of blood specifically but everyone has their phobias, even him so he's more than willing to make you more comfortable

Jason forgoes his knife in substitute for something less bloody but he is beyond angry if one of his victims gets blood on him or near the cabin, he will make a huge point to accentuate said anger and bear in mind that he needs to clean up before you see it

Jason is practically your shield now, he's got a keen eye if he sees blood that failed to wash away with the rain or a wounded animal he's quick to tug you into him and walk away

He despises himself for any slip ups, Jason hates seeing the fear in your eyes, he's quick to offer you support should you get too stressed

Poor boys trying his best, honestly 10/10 for being around if you have a phobia he will always remember to clean up after himself and will always offer his absolute best hugs whenever he even thinks you need it

Hannibal Lecter

You don't like blood, you're not seeing blood, Hannibal is the most careful when it comes to managing his job and his 'hobby' if anything he's probably more paranoid about the cleanliness of himself and his house with you around

He will always be the one to shield you from the bloody crime scenes acting your hero with surprisingly good premonitions of just exactly where the blood is

Hannibal is also great at stopping any panic attacks or distress that come with your phobia acting as your therapist and whatnot if he feels your phobia is becoming too consuming

He's incredibly sweet should you get injured be it a paper cut or a particularly bad wound, he'll always bandage you up never once making you look

He does intentionally slip up and make you see blood never too much but enough for him to act your hero and slowly desensitize you, he'll make it up to you with kisses and gifts but part of him genuinely wants to see you overcome your fear

[wixhing0nastar]

I’ve headcanoned for a little while now that Luz has undiagnosed BPD and this latest episode really solidified that thought for me.

(Spoilers and lots of mental health talk below)

TLDR: Luz exhibits enough BPD symptoms to in theory get diagnosed, without falling into harmful stereotypes. Which is really cool in a world where BPD is currently so heavily stigmatized.

I’m going to steal a definition for BPD from NAMI, because I’ve found a lot of people misunderstand what BPD is and assume it’s just someone being uncontrollably angry when it’s a whole lot more than that.

“Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a condition characterized by difficulties regulating emotion. This means that people who experience BPD feel emotions intensely and for extended periods of time, and it is harder for them to return to a stable baseline after an emotionally triggering event.”

(Note it doesn’t say that these feelings come out of nowhere, just that you have trouble regulating them).

Additionally, BPD’s kinda baseline driving force (especially in social settings) is a severe fear of abandonment by the people closest to you (source: my therapist, who diagnosed and is treating my BPD currently).

Looking at the diagnostic criteria, some of them would be hard to prove given we can’t really get inside Luz’s head (like splitting for example) but others are pretty blatant in the show. For example:

Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment by friends and family.

Luz has a habit of going way above and beyond to try to keep the people in her life happy with her, sometimes even to the detriment of her own health (and often making things worse in her attempts).

Examples: Hosting the Midnight Conjuring for Gus and Willow even though Eda had said no (106). Agreeing to stay in the human realm with her mom even though the thought makes her miserable (210). Not telling Amity that she attacked the Abomitron because she was scared Amity would get upset (214).

Distorted and unstable self-image, which affects moods, values, opinions, goals and relationships.

This one’s a little harder to point to in the show but feels like such an important part of Luz’s character at the same time.

I think the best example of this is in Separate Tides. We see Luz blaming herself for what happened to Eda (and Lilith) and acting out because of it. We also see this very prominently in Hunting Palismen where Luz’s inner turmoil is revealed to be bad enough she can’t even get a palismen to bond with her because she doesn't know who she is deep down yet.

Impulsive behaviors that can have dangerous outcomes

Luz literally ran away from home to live with a total stranger (love you Eda) in another realm that’s so dangerous basically everything tries to kill you.

Like there are plenty of examples throughout the show but it’s also the entire premise.

Periods of intense depressed mood, irritability or anxiety lasting a few hours to a few days.

Another one that’s relevant during Separate Tides, but also something that’s been clued at during the flashbacks during season 2B (specifically her misremembering things in Follies at the Coven Day Parade and in Edge of the World and somehow twisting them into something worse than what happened... something that usually happens when you’ve been overthinking and panicking about something for an extended period of time).

Inappropriate, intense or uncontrollable anger—often followed by shame and guilt.

This is something that we’ve only really seen twice in the show, the first time directed towards Lilith during Young Blood, Old Souls, and the second time just this last episode directed towards Eda (and then the coven scouts).

We don’t see Luz get angry often, but when we do it tends to be very explosive and intense and, in all honesty, throw her judgement completely out of wack (eg: intentionally getting herself arrested, attacking Eda).

And while the following are hard to prove without really getting to deep dive into Luz’s thoughts, they definitely feel like they could be relevant.

Unstable personal relationships that alternate between idealization (“I’m so in love!”) and devaluation (“I hate her”). This is also sometimes known as "splitting."

This one I wasn't sure if Luz experienced (you don’t need to have all of these symptoms to have BPD, only 5 out of the 9 total) but the way she flipped on Eda due to Eda’s perceived betrayal and then flipped back so rapidly when things got hairy during O Titan, Where Art Thou has me reconsidering.

This one can be pretty easy to mask if you aren’t broadcasting the changes so it’s a little harder to track.

Chronic feelings of boredom or emptiness.

This one I can’t think of any particular moment that’s shown that confirms Luz experiences this, however (getting personal for a second) this is one of my symptoms and I tend to try to deal with the inner emptiness feeling by trying to help other people with their problems, something that Luz does constantly while blatantly ignoring her own problems (basically the entire premise of Reaching Out).

Dissociative feelings—disconnecting from your thoughts or sense of identity or “out of body” type of feelings—and stress-related paranoid thoughts. Severe cases of stress can also lead to brief psychotic episodes.

Again, can’t really prove that Luz is dissociating during these scenes but Luz does tend to shut down and/or develop the thousand-yard-stare directly after experiencing some sort of trauma (the final scene of Agony of a Witch, most of her scenes in Reaching Out after talking to Amity about her father, the end of Hollow Mind/start of Edge of the World when she’s trying to process what happened in Belos’ mind).

It would also make a lot of sense why Luz has started to experience symptoms more and more throughout Season 2. Firstly because she’s been in a lot more situations that would trigger her BPD lately, but also because at 14 she’s right at the age where symptoms can start manifesting.

And honestly, I really love the idea of Luz having BPD because she’s such a great representation of what living with BPD is like for me and (most importantly) would be wonderful rep because for once it would mean seeing someone with BPD portrayed in media without them just being an angry, abusive narcissist like most shows would do... she’s not villainized for her symptoms, only held accountable and helped through it and that’s groundbreaking with the way BPD is seen currently.