#in depth analysis

[flowery-laser-blasts]

*inhale* 🗣 Okay, listen, I'm going to rant over this moment again, but this time in a post so the world can read about it 🗣

It doesn't matter how many times I've watched Graduation part 2... But THIS HERE.

THIS IS MY FAVOURITE MOMENT. THIS IS WHAT THE ENTIRETY OF THIS SERIES HAS BEEN BUILDING UP TO FOR DRAKKEN AND SHEGO AND I JUST--

HE'S SO VULNERABLE IN THIS MOMENT. Look at that FACE. YOU KNOW WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS?! YOU CAN SEE SO MANY THOUGHTS GOING ON BEHIND THOSE EYES. THE EYES ARE THE WINDOW TO THE SOUL AND OH MY GODS IS IT FRAGILE NOW.

THE MAN FEELS INSECURITIES, DOUBTS, WORRIES, A HINT OF BASHFULNESS BUT HE'S ALSO SCARED, ASHAMED, TERRIFIED EVEN; HE WANTS TO RUN AWAY, BE ANYWHERE BUT HERE! his face SCREAMS: "What am I doing here?" and/or "Do I even deserve this?"

BUT MOST OF ALL: "What will others think of me now?"

And then ALL of his questions get answered in the form of his partner in crime's expression: A genuine heartfelt and sincere smile that says "You deserve this."

Shego, the femme fatale who is wanted in 11 countries. The villain who insisted by all means necessary that she's evil through and through and will NEVER be a hero or want to be associated with heroes STILL stands by his side. Do you know what the most important aspect of this very moment is? Shego doesn't stand on 'equal' grounds as him and she doesn't mind it, she lets it happen.

Shego and Drakken's dynamic throughout the story has been Boss-and-Sidekick for the longest of times. Both of them fought: Drakken for wanting to feel superior over EVERYONE and Shego wanting as much power (and/or more) as Drakken would have when they had taken over the world.

However, the happenings in graduation changed everything and now the world recognizes Drakken as a hero, a world savior, and a protector of peace. But if it weren't for Shego flying all the way with Ron to the Lorwardian ship, Drakken couldn't have possibly stopped the invasion.

Look at Shego's expression. She genuinely feels happy for Dr. D. She could've stepped in at ANY point before or during this (press)conference, demanding her own medal and telling everyone that it was in fact her who helped Drakken save them all. But she doesn't. Shego knows how important this moment is for Dr. Drakken. After years of hearing his stories and knowing how much recognition means to him; she lets him have his moment in the limelight, the sun, and she's going to let him bask in all of it for as long as he needs to. Because the most important thing is that she knows what she did and that's enough: She went into space to bring back the man she wanted to rule the world together with. Never ever again would she let Dr. Drakken think, for even a second, that she'd abandon him.

Again, look at the distance between them in this shot.

Yes, the distance is closer but then

As close as they can possibly get in public

They're on even grounds now. Drakken wants to let the world and most importantly Shego KNOW that they are a team and that they saved the world together.

I once saw someone pointing out that they looked very uncomfortable in the last image, but let me put it like this: - Prior in the episode Shego and Drakken almost flew into each other's arms but became VERY reluctant, why??? Because Kim and Ron were there! What must those brats think of them!? Certainly, they cannot show any weaknesses in front of their arch nemeses!

And now let me show this again:

They're embracing each other... in FRONT OF THE WORLD LEADERS. OF COURSE IT'S A BIT AWKWARD, YOU'D BE AWKWARD TOO, but the KEY here is that They're NOT looking away from each other like they did before.

In the previous scenario, they avoided each other's eyes: no connection, desperately trying to show no weaknesses, trying to change the subject matter at all costs.

Now they lock eyes, and they read each other. How I read it (both facial expression as body language): Drakken: Hopeful, nervous, apologetic "Did I hurt you? I hope I did not", kind of embarrassed because his foliage acted out so assertively by his thoughts of wanting Shego to be at least on the same level as him for the world to know. Shego: Surprised but not at all distressed, disgusted or upset about this sudden change. Most of all, I think she's deeply moved: Drakken always called her a 'sidekick', but now? She's recognized by him and the world as his partner. If you look at her face, those eyes seem to be on the verge of tearing up and that smile, how shy and embarrassed it may look holds warmth and happiness.

Both of them acknowledge each other's worth and in a certain way, they took over each other's world.

[darxque]

Is it just me who gets Karen from lis2. Like don’t get me wrong I don’t support leaving your family and abandoning them without good cause, especially with young children involved but I genuinely felt bad for her, like it’s her first time living too. (but I will always cry at that one scene where Sean confronts her in ep4 😔) like her story is so just like I don’t even know the word, it’s really touching. She knows she can do more in life, but at the same time she’s honest and self aware. I think her character is so interesting and well put together, I think she’s super underrated. Like I wanna see more character analysis on her. But I have mixed feelings on her too 🙏🏽

[ladystoneshart]

I think it's interesting that the character who paints the most...redeemable? flattering? picture of cersei in their povs is probably catelyn. I'm not saying cat doesn't hate her, she absolutely does and for good reason, but she also sees cersei as a sort of mirror to herself and her motherhood. when catelyn goes to the sept in the (spoilers for acok i guess) chapter renly dies, she takes a moment to think about how even though she hates cersei for what she did, she can't say she wouldn't have done the same in her place, for her children. she sees cersei in the image of the mother and wonders if she prays to her too, which is more humanising than pretty much anything her brothers have to say about her in their povs. and this coming from the woman who said "give me cersei lannister and you'd see how gentle a woman can be" btw. idk I just think it's interesting

meanwhile in her povs cersei is like "catelyn stark was a MOUSE"

[thegunssawyerstole]

ive said this once and i will say it again, grady is the most nuanced character in KOTLC. Purely from just how he is written in canon- there is so much we can draw from his character with little inference.

On the one hand, you have a walking tragedy: he manifested one of the rarest and most dangerous abilities in the lost cities at a young age, he lost his daughter to her fiance, (if we're talking theory, he may have been in the neverseen), you can't help but feel sympathy for him.

But then- you realize something terrifying.

Gisela and Vespera are right.

Grady is the most ruthless elf in the lost cities.

But he's also one of the kindest.

Despite the danger it poses, he and Edaline adopt the Moonlark, they put themselves at risk. Despite everything been through, they willingly give their love to a girl who needs it. That is one of the kindest acts someone can pull off.

However, as alluded to earlier, there's another side to him. Despite how concerned, kind, and thoughtful he is; he is also vengeful, impulsive, and distrusting.

Let's look at Everblaze again. Partially because it's the best example of his darker nature, partially because I have it on hand right now, partially because it is my favorite book in the series.

In Everblaze, Grady's vengeance and impulse is seen in full. Take King DImitar, for an example. Sophie was going to be taken away; and Grady jumped in. He believed it to be the right thing to do; and believe me it was, but there is a dark tone to it. A feeling of impulse; that he wasn't truly thinking at the moment. And he almost violated the treaty, if it wasn't for the Councillors coming to his defense.

This scene serves as subtle foreshadowing for later and sets up something very important about Grady:

He could kill someone if he wanted to. And he knows that.

But what could push him that far? Well, there is an answer to that, an answer we later find out:

Jolie's death.

When he finds out the true circumstances to Jolie's untimely demise, his sheer ruthlessness is demonstrated. There's a deeper level to this however, it is his underlying fear of being taken advantage of showing to its surface.

Brant took advantage of Grady and Edaline, and that is the biggest injustice to Grady. Because it's what he has been fearing, it's why he had closed himself off to the world.

That fear causes the sheer level of terror that is caused in Grady. Terror that builds into his impulses, which causes him to go out to find Brant, with intent to kill.

That's why he doesn't want Sophie to come with, he doesn't want his daughter to see the monster he was about to become.

The monster he believes himself to be.

It's not just Everblaze, but a feeling that permeates his character and his choices.

His distrust of Keefe stems from two things:

The similarities he sees between himself and Keefe (the sense of humor, the blond hair, and later in the books; the ability of control).

How that, in a way, is all Grady has ever known.

Elves manifest young. Meaning that he has spent a majority of his life being distrusted by his peers, as well as distrusting the world and fearing someone would take advantage of him.

So when there's a talented but terrified young kid that needs his helps; whether through adoption or through training, he obligies.

Why?

Because he sees himself so much in that situation. Because of that deep feeling of kinship, he feels a need to take care of people in that situation.

Grady's empathy trumps his distrust.

And that's why he starts helping Keefe. That's why he adopts Sophie.

tl;dr: grady's character absolutely FUCKS why does no one talk about this???

also he is hotter than hell and i will fight people on this

[m1ckeyb3rry]

“anri cares about the blue lock boys” “anri is like a mother/sister figure to the blue lock boys” “anri is kind to the blue lock boys” meanwhile this is anri with kunigami:

SHE DOES NOTTTTT GAF ABOUT THEM 😭 they are a means to an end for her!! obviously she doesn’t hate them and of course she was happy they beat the u20s but let’s think critically here…was she truly proud of them as people or was she just happy that the program wouldn’t be shut down??

the narrative (especially via her interactions with ego) treats anri as someone very naive and dumb, but blue lock and hiring ego were HER idea. everything that has happened to the boys is a direct consequence of HER actions, decisions, and dreams of japan winning a world cup. let’s not forget she’s also only 3 years older than aiku, kaiser, and sendou — she has no interest in taking care of a bunch of insane high-school-aged soccer freaks, she literally just wants her country to win the wc because she herself is a soccer freak!!

[wishchip106]

why was he so excited

he wanted to show off to pookie so bad

spot the difference 🤨

don’t even get me started on the angst potential of this 😿🙏

he was so happy before everything happened 🙁

[a-train-nowhere]

It's so interesting to me how vastly different tres horny bois are in terms of how they're played, and I think that adds to the appeal of the Balance arc overall. Especially with Merle.

Travis plays Magnus like the big hero, the main character. He's loud and confident and boastful, he's incredibly talented and has plot armor out the ass that keeps him alive through everything. He's equipped with a tragic backstory, the loss of his home and wife and yet through everything he tries his best to be a good person.

Taako is the comedic side character. He starts as the joke character beginning with the name. He's Taako! The magical chef from TV! I assume Justin didn't truly expect TAZ to take off as much as it did so he made a silly guy for the one off episode they planned. But then TAZ just kept going. And of course he does get his own tragic story with the loss of his sister, the poisoning at Glamor Springs, and everything else. But that underlying silliness is always somewhat there!

But then there's Merle! Merle is the most human of the three. He's messy and he's relatable in some ways, and he's done bad things. He abandoned his wife and his children to go adventure. He's a deadbeat dad and he's not there for his family emotionally. His faith is loose and he's cynical. But at the same time? He's down to earth, he's a comforting figure and he knows how to help. He's trying his best to be there for his kids and to fix his mistakes, and he ADORES his kids. He wants to be a better father, a better man. And he does! He grows and learns and even though he fucks up he keeps trying. Merle's inherent caring nature shines through so well especially in regards to his children, and that's 100% Clint McElroy's influence.

[bayetea]

truly one of the biggest letdowns in piper's writing in hoo specifically is how it doesn't dig deeper into charmspeak and what a disturbing thing it is to have the power to control someone's mind. like I swear this is interesting stuff and more people would get into piper as a character if this were explored a bit more in the text. you definitely see piper disturbed by her own power and hesitant to use it (and note that like many other characters, i.e. leo and hazel, her powers have always been a source of trouble in her life - like how she got in trouble for stealing a car even though all she did was ask for it), but in my opinion the books spend way too much time in piper's perspectives on other stuff when charmspeak is such an unusual and fascinating and terrifying power that offers so many interesting avenues of character exploration

and I really wish the books would have talked more about the canonical fact that charmspeak is more effective against people who are (or could be) physically/sexually attracted to the user. this is a power that children of aphrodite have - a power that is implicitly tied to sexuality as a defense or offense. like this inherently necessitates that piper weaponizes her sexuality against monsters and deities and giants and any other antagonist that want to harm her. which is crazy. especially because she's a teenager and especially because piper is initially characterized as an underconfident girl who goes out of her way to downplay her appearance (do you guys remember how much harassment piper goes through in the books and what little gravity is afforded to those moments... like she has dangerous characters aggressively flirting with or expressing attraction to her A Lot, and she has to play into that attraction to save herself or her friends no matter how uncomfortable it makes her)

I think there's such a dark undertone to all of this that's worth investigating. we know that piper doesn't like herself, doesn't like her powers, and doesn't like demigod life. hoo has her on a journey to become more confident in herself as a person and as a daughter of aphrodite but it's always going to be fucked up that part of her role in the prophecy seven is becoming confident enough in herself that she gets better at weaponizing her ability to violate the free will of others - and her ability to use her sexuality as an armament of war

[fakedsaint]

[alicentsgf]

the soccer team element of the show actually adds such a fun layer and if you know soccer the little interplays are so interesting so im gonna share.

overwhelmingly their positions on the field mirror their personalities, roles, and relationships off of it. 11 players in a normal line up (8 positions with 3 duplicates) and we only know who played 7 = 8 survivors but we only know 7. or perhaps this doesnt represent the 8th survivor, but wilderness as the invisible playmaker. after all, the jersey numbers tell us whos missing - the attacking playmaker that normally links the attack to the midfield. the person making all the attacking decisions for the team, a mirror to the wilderness deciding who lives and dies. the way this would foreshadow jackies isolation (as the attacking playmaker stands between her and everyone else) and all the attackers missing or dead as though the wilderness is pulling out the teams teeth.

the #6 and #9 dichotomy of jackie and shauna. shauna as the silent playmaker. jackie as the golden girl goalscorer. and then van ? the symbolism of her being a keeper. always touched by death but never dying, parrying a ball away at the very last moment. lottie as her defender, stood between van and the opposition. and then laura lee as lotties fullback, positioned at her right hand with all the biblical allusions that brings. and then tai and shauna as the central playmakers, working in tandem, making decisions for the group.

the way the hierarchy of the team, the starters and the reserves, remains exactly that, even in the wilderness. with misty, who has no position, always being the outsider. picking up after them as she always has and never appreciated. ofc she gravitates towards nat, a winger, naturally on the outskirts. though always typically the player called upon to play centrally in the absence of the #9 (Jackie). as we see nat shoulder jackies leadership role after her death. the necklace becoming a symbol of leadership as well as sacrifice, passed down the ranks like the passing of the armband when a captain leaves the field.

and then you have the mindset of the game itself "what happens on the field stays on the field" being applied to the wilderness, as they try to make sense of the two realities they're living in. the different rules for each. one thats ruthless, alongside the one of comeraderie, just like soccer. because on the field your best friend can kick out your legs and elbow you in the face, but once you step back over the white line its over. its how they comparmentalise. so is it any wonder they couldnt kill each other without making it into a sport.

[vaultedoverthehorse]

Ponyboy Curtis is a writer. But he doesn’t write for fun. No, he reads for fun. He writes to express his grief. He would never write a theme like The Outsiders had he not been brought to it by grief. Were something to happen to another member of the gang, I bet there would be another story written. I bet he’s written stories about his mother and father as well. But he doesn’t write just because. Ponyboy Curtis is a writer whose pen is motivated by mourning.

[rose-above-dark]

I’ve been seeing a lot of people joke / say that V1 canonically has a uterus and while I think that is objectively funny / interesting. Are we sure this isn’t blood from the metaphorical womb of Hell?

The text reads: “#INCLUDE ( blood, formal_blood ) FROM "d29tYg==“

Include blood *from* womb. Meaning that you’re gaining blood from the womb, periods are usually a flushing out of blood / reproductive stuff not gaining. I think it would be more interesting / make more sense if they gained blood from the womb of hell.

We also know that hell is alive (see: the canonical reason why doors open/close depending on enemy spawns, the “Forces from far beyond” from guttermans terminal entry, & hell’s eye everytime V1 dies).

Along with this: the symbolism of a womb is also used in the 7-2 poem, describing the guttermen feeling remorse for its source of blood: the person inside them. We know in hell that this still rings true, and the symbolism can be applied to hell in that hell is where the machines get their blood by killing demons made of hell, birthed form hell if you will. Therefore, gaining blood from the womb of hell as you are INSIDE hell.

This would also add to ultrakill’s themes of cannibalism and cycles, see: the 7-4 eulogy and general need to consume blood. You’re eating each other, your fellow machines, what remains of your creators. And depending on how canon you think the cybergrind is / each P rank attempt is (ESPECIALLY since we see hell’s eye flash for a moment before you die) then endlessly retrying until you get it right. The fire is gone, you’re chasing phantoms, you’re chasing your own tail, eating yourself until even the sparks burn away.

And yeah, I know that in the death screen, V1’s systems refer to itself in fleshy terms like organs and limbic systems

Which is why I’m not ruling out this could be V1’s uterus entirely since we do see its systems in that fleshy context, but still I think it would make more sense for the uterus to be METAPHORICALLY hell itself

[tfemthanatos]

the hate nyx receives is so undeserving and downright misogynistic most times. i wish to see real character studies of her rather than fics of her randomly abandoning her children and then it’s named a “character exploration”. she is not a terrible bitch. she is a multifaceted Woman, with imperfections like every character, who has suffered so much all on her own. but i don’t want to highlight all the miseries she’s experienced— i want to highlight all her beautiful traits.

her diplomacy, intelligence, defiance, and strengths. she is incredibly defiant, defying the fates to keep zagreus alive, defying hades to continue helping zagreus escape the underworld. the fact she managed to circumvent the olympians—she hid zagreus and persephone from everyone. she keeps the earth stable by existing. she has canonically fought. she allowed achilles to acquire the infernal arms. she is not taken seriously and feared by the olympians but nevertheless, she hates to be questioned.

but also, so much of her actions are rooted in care. she is so loving, tender, comforting, playful. she’s artistic. she used to play hide and seek with chaos. in the myths, she protected hypnos from zeus’ wrath. she took in zagreus, selene, and megaera when they had nobody else, and raised them like they were her own children. she laughs when she speaks fondly of megaera, laughs when zagreus mocks hades. everything she has done for zagreus cannot be listed or else it would take too much time—just play the game! she stitches the chthonic companions by herself. she likes the roses zagreus buys for her. she likes ambrosia. she loved persephone so much she let her leave the underworld, and it’s pretty clear she was amazing towards persephone.

and that’s not even accounting for how many people honor and love nyx! athena, ares, zagreus, hypnos, thanatos, nemesis, hecate, megaera, etc etc. jamie landrum, her own voice actor, adores her. the people on supergiant clearly love her because she is so well-written and perfectly designed!

i hate how so many people speak about nyx :( from hating her to objectifying and sexualizing her, or just reducing her to a mother, she deserves so, so much more. she’s still learning and growing as a person. i am Glad she’s not docile, that she’s not the perfect picture of a mother like she kind of was in the myths. i am Glad she prioritizes her job. i am Glad she does fucked up shit sometimes that makes me want to shake her. she’s one of the best written female characters i’ve seen. even hearing her voice is soothing. nyx, my love, they will never make me hate you.

[chronicreativity]

hi everyone! i'm writing a research based essay on the popularity of queer tragedies in the market today for my creative writing masters and it would be a huge help if you could fill this out! it's very quick, shouldn't take more than five minutes to complete the eight multiple choice questions and it's all based on preference/opinion, so nothing too taxing to think about. every response is a huge help for me, so signal boosts would be really appreciated! thank you <3

[knight-says-rawr]

“Brooklynn chose her investigative work over her relationships” factoid is false. Brooklynn is shown going out of her way to visit her friends the most out of all of camp fam despite her work.

Singular DPW investigation that threatened her friend’s safety and therefor took priority has a disproportionate amount of screen time adn should not be counted.