#it seems like the arc would have to be her repressing her feelings even more and then its over and whatever

[saveahorserideaneddie]

(popping back for 0.2 seconds to give my thoughts on the episode- this is a long post so buckle up lmao but i promise it’s not crashing out or raging i tried to be as calm and collected as i could)

I’m going to confess something:

If a main character had to die on the show… Bobby would have been my choice.

Now before you run to my replies to get upset and accuse me of hating Bobby- let me clarify that that doesn’t mean I WANTED him to actually die…

But

If it needed to be done (it didn’t but walk with me) I understand the choice to have it be Bobby. I won’t spend too much time going into why I feel that way or what my intricate thoughts and feelings are on why he would be my choice, but instead I am going to spend time explaining why I am angry about his death.

To put it simply: It reads as cheap shock value.

It feels like Tim wanted an excuse to shake things up, and he dove off the deep end to do so without stopping and really thinking about what it would mean to the show and to the fans. Like I said, I think MCD’s are completely unnecessary in this universe and trying to throw one in now (regardless of who) only risks losing audience members who A) feel connected to that character and lose interest now that they are gone, and B) lose the assurance and comfort knowing that at the end of the day, these characters will get through what happens. That was the charm of this show, that no matter how much they go through, they will always come out on top in the end. That is no longer a reality here, and it’s a decision that- unless somehow reversed within the next two episodes (which is very unlikely)- will only negatively impact a show that was consistently climbing in terms of ratings and numbers, and didn’t need a shakeup to maintain interest.

It all feels unnecessary and out of nowhere- a sentiment that could provide a unique and interesting opportunity to explore those feelings within the show.

That, unfortunately, is not the case with ep 16. From start to finish, there was an emotional pall over the entire episode, but that feeling of grief was left underutilized within the context of the episode, all because Tim Minear felt the need to once again dedicate an entire episode to a side plot that didn’t even provide any real substance to the overarching story. We see Athena and Chimney both struggling to cope with their grief, but the rest of the main cast merely feel like background actors in their own lives.

For Hen and Buck it feels like they’re both just having a crappy day (at the most) and nothing more. Eddie (who was blatantly ignored by the show since the beginning of this arc) is once again cast to the side, his grief and emotion being boiled down to a handful of throwaway lines that don’t even begin to signal what the relationship between him and Bobby had been for years. Ravi- who for once had finally started being treated like a member of a team he had been with for years- is now back to being an afterthought; his grief and emotions barely making an appearance beyond the end of ep 15.

The potential to showcase the 118 grieving as a whole was completely bypassed by the direction Minear decided to take the episode. We could have explored Eddie’s complex feelings for not having been there, and the guilt he feels for that. We could have explored Hen losing the only captain who ever really believed in her when everyone else had no expectations of her success (especially with Gerrard being back). We could have expanded on Buck’s seeming stoicism and how he might be repressing and bottling up his emotions (something that wasn’t even really hinted at). We could have seen Ravi feeling isolated as the person who had known Bobby the least amount of time out of the whole team.

All of this could have been done as a subplot to Athena going through the process of grieving and moving on- something that would have made the ending all the more poignant, and would have been a fitting end both for Bobby as a character, and for the three episode arc that focused on the 118 as a family.

But instead, we got a flashback to a call we’ve never heard mentioned before, but supposedly had some major impact on Bobby meaning Athena spent the entire episode just ignoring her grief (in a way that didn’t even bother to explore the complexities of the denial stage of grief- it legitimately was as if this were just another case until the end). And on top of that, we have been taken all the way back to where we began the season:

Bobby’s gone, Gerrard’s back, Eddie’s storyline is at a standstill- (buck and tommy are potentially rekindling their relationship?)

We are quite literally back to where the season started, so I beg the question- What was the point of it all. Aside from a few minor outliers, there has been almost zero character development in the main cast so far, and we only have two episodes left to actually do something that would make this season not feel like a colossal waste of time.

And when you pair that with the fact that next episode seemingly is once again pushing Eddie to the side (like eps 14-16) and creating another random non-issue plot for Hen (like ep 13), I wonder if we will actually be anywhere different by the end of the season, or if they are simply going to just cram another random shock value twist in out of nowhere.

All that said, we can only wait and see what happens, but for now we are stuck with an episode that not only confirmed that Tim Minear is tone deaf to his audience, but also did not give Bobby/Peter’s farewell to the past 8 years the respect and reverence it deserves, and to me that is almost worse than Bobby actually being dead.

And with that, I am returning to my mental health hiatus- I will most likely be back by the start of the summer hiatus depending on how things are going for me irl (rehearsals are in full swing, im in the middle of a job search, and i am about to start flight attendant training ive been BUSY 🙃🫠), but i just wanted to give my thoughts on this ep 💕💕

love you all, please drink some water, eat something, and take care of yourselves- this all sucks but at the end of the day it’s just a show and isn’t worth making yourself sick over <3

[couldtransitionsaveher]

NAKAMOTO "SHIRO" TOSHIRO from DUNGEON MESHI

JUSTIFICATION:

"- Shown to have been uncomfortable with male gender roles since childhood, sensitive & feminine to the point that the girls she was friends with poked fun of her about it, and her governess literally terrorized her into giving up her interests in cute bugs so she could spend more time training to fight (she was not enthusiastic.) - The most repressed and shy person to ever live, constantly forcing down all her own desires and interests just to live up to family + societal expectations... - But the first time she expresses any real wants of her own as an adult is when she meets a girl with huge transfem vibes (Falin) and develops a huge unrequited crush she has no idea how to deal with non-awkwardly (which in turn has led an insane small number of fans to treat her like a creep for just having a crush on a girl despite being consistently respectful, considerate, and not at all pushy?? even her haters must subconsciously know she's trans, that's how they know to be transmisogynistic lmao) - Her single attempted friendship with a man was a whole mess because they couldn't relate to or understand each other at all (mostly for cultural reasons but lbr the fact that she has no genuine interest in traditionally masculine subjects and the man in question very much did had to have been part of it), but seems to have a substantially easier time communicating & getting along with women whether or not they're from the same cultural background (her best & seemingly only close childhood friend, Hien, was a girl, and she has no problem getting along with even more brash, blunt women from sharply different cultures like Namari) - Her entire character arc is about how she needs to learn to stop putting herself under insane, unhealthy pressure to live up to family & societal expectations, repressing and rejecting anything "weird" in the process, and should learn to express & advocate for her own feelings and wants instead. Give Her Estrogen it would be narratively sooo fitting & coherent I believe this in my heart - Vibes. There's just something so transfem about getting your first crush at 25 because it's the first time you met another girl who also thinks bugs/crustaceans/etc are cute and nice actually" - Anonymous

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[dekusleftsock]

I think that there’s a fundamental misunderstanding of what exactly is…happening with Izuku’s character. Specifically in regards to chapter 425.

I’m glad that a lot more people generally recognize that Izuku is not a character that can be read at a surface level, given that he’s both a repressed person with built up emotion of basically everything and also a very glaringly HUGELY unreliable narrator, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I agree with the ways I’ve seen this most recent chapter spoken about.

I see posts, comments, etc with ideas like “Izuku don’t suppress your emotions! Open up with people! It’ll be okay I promise!” When that’s fundamentally not what is happening here.

There’s always always ALWAYS been a distinct difference in character throughout horikoshi’s writing when he is showing that a character is:

A—Avoiding emotions, thoughts, ideas less than ideal for them. Not opening up when they probably should about their problems given that they’ve been handed the space to do so. Just genuinely not acknowledging, feeling, or expressing emotions that they don’t want.

B—Reflecting on the ways they feel about the world, themselves, or other people given their new perspective on a situation. Not outright reaching out to others to talk about these problems/feelings, but instead waiting until the moment they feel they have the most confidence to do so with their new outlook on their own life.

And genuinely, guys, to grab your BkDk attention rn, this is the exact reason why Ochako’s reflection on her feelings for Izuku and thereafter decision to pull away from them WAS NEVER GOING TO END IN OCHAKO EXPLODING WITH HER LOVE FOR HIM.

This was another common interpretation I saw of Ochako and Izuocha for a long time. That because she pushed these feelings away, they were somehow going to explode in this unbelievable way and she would “get the boy” because of it. That her arc would surround accepting her romantic feelings and that she can’t just push away how she feels for a career.

But yk. That didn’t happen. At all. Nowhere close even.

The same kind of goes for Katsuki, allmight, etc. They all had moments in their arc where it was spent genuinely reflecting, and the only reason we as the audience never connected it in the same ways we do ochako or Izuku was ALWAYS BECAUSE the narrative showed their inner thoughts while doing so (mostly because Allmight’s arc after losing OFA and Katsuki’s arc on what it means to be a hero were so intrinsically tied, both starting at the same time and ending at the same time during the final war. And because they were so tied this caused their own reflections, development, and thought process to be broadcasted to us frequently throughout their arcs… to each other. They also somewhat shared aspects with Izuku, but these were cherry picked more often than not, like dvk2 for example).

To us Katsuki never seemed to be.. idk, suppressing his anger in any way because we were always told what he was doing and why (side note: this is why I’ve always thought arguments against Katsuki were so weird, bc unlike characters like endeavor or Ochako he wasn’t like… hiding who he was and how he was changing. Ever. Like the audience knows at all times past basically season 3 what Katsuki is thinking and doing. Like how do you watch this happen, stare me dead in the eye, and tell me how much of a terrible and awful teenage boy he is. Like damn I didn’t think we were this dumb. This is also my theory as to why he’s most popular, his arc is very… in your face if that makes sense). Katsuki’s entire mini arc on reflecting his mistakes and his childhood and his future is spent TELLING YOU that it’s what he’s doing. (I’m referring mostly to the endeavor internship arc, the provisional license exam makeup, and basically everything in the war arc related to him leading up to bakugou Katsuki rising here)

And see, Horikoshi will stare you dead in the eye, tell you “this girl has taken into consideration that she doesn’t want to waste her time training her career focusing on a boy because he kinda caught her fancy”, and y’all will still say that this will explode in her face.

Y’all this is a series about learning how to manage emotions, maturity in relationship to one’s emotions, how to feel an emotion, but in a way that is helpful. Horikoshi isn’t telling you “go buck wild, feel everything all the time and always express it”, in fact he explores why you DONT do that! Through Toga or Shigaraki, they show how grief and anger can genuinely consume you. But he also shows why you shouldn’t just put everything in a box to never look at or acknowledge, or why you shouldn’t just let your grief destroy the world around you, or pretending that some emotions simply don’t exist.

I can’t say this enough, so let me say it now, mha is about the extremes of your psyche. That you should control something, but not too much. Everything can be harmful. Everything can be good.

Izuku is not controlling too much, he’s expressing just enough.

I LOVE shaming this dickhead at all times in all my posts. I love saying he’s an ignorant dipshit with a weird amount of distaste for a girl who just confessed to him. I’ve joked that chapter 348 is basically an entire chapter spent on Izuku calling Himiko a mean dyke. And yet I also believe he’s doing nothing WRONG here.

In fact, I’ll even say that this moment right here?

ISNT EVEN IZUKU DOING THE SOCIALLY APPROPRIATE THING ABOUT IT! But he’s still TRYING to reach out to someone he thinks MIGHT be able to understand. (And frankly, this moment is far deeper than what it’s being made out to be, to me it reads more like an unrequited friendship that Izuku both desires and has thought of them to have, while simultaneously showing the distance Ochako has successfully wedged between them for her own sake. Maybe it was always there though, maybe in weird, miscommunicated Horikoshi fashion, this is a representation of how Ochako always read all those “fun friend hangouts” as a little more than that, and without those feelings the friendship never really held any substance to her in the first place. Where Izuku saw his first real friend at UA, she saw little more than acquaintance)

Simultaneously, Izuku is genuinely reflecting on what it means for the world to change, to be a hero, to live after loss—and trying and failing to gain the connection he desires from individuals who can not and will not afford him that.

Izuku is ready for the world to change, a few select characters are also ready for the world to change (mirio, for example), but not nearly enough are. So maybe I’ll have to take this back if I’m proven wrong and I accidentally looked into this far past what everyone else did for no reason, but I genuinely believe with moments like this

And this

Aand this

That Izuku has come forward with that aspect of his character development. He’s reflecting on his new beliefs, not repressing his emotions for them.

[genericpuff]

Who is your favorite LO character? Who is your favorite LR character?

i feeeeel like my answers change every time i get asked this question JFDSKLAFJSDALK but that's okay because it just means i'm constantly finding new ways to analyze and explore these characters >:3

LO faves: Minthe and Hephaestus.

Minthe because she obviously gets such shit treatment in the comic and subsequently from the fanbase, but she's a lot more relatable than 99% of the characters in the plot, she feels like she has actual depth and a real character arc, even if that arc ended with an unceremonious whisper. It goes to show how great of a character she was that Rachel practically had to nerf her out of the plot, because it was often only ever at its best when she was present. Funny how as soon as she was written out, there was nothing interesting going on with Hades or Persephone anymore - the plot was literally so boring without her that Rachel literally tried to create a Minthe 2.0 through Leuce, and we all know how well that went /s

As for Hephaestus, nothing super specific, I just like his vibes. Maybe it's just my absent older brother issues, but I would love to just like, hang out with him, game in the same room as him, just autistic parallel play stuff, I think he would be into that. Only complaint is the design flaw of giving him running blades as the default prosthetic, that can't be comfortable for his hips and joints. But that's not his fault u.u and that's basically my only complaint about him which makes him a winner in my book, esp compared to the rest of the cast. He might not be in the comic all that much, but that was clearly to his benefit because it seems the more attention Rachel pays to a character, the worse they wind up being in the long run due to poor writing. Hephaestus is in the comic just enough, not too little, not too often.

So yeah, Minthe and Hephaestus are both 10/10 characters written by a 0/10 writer. They did the best they could... not Rachel of course, she did literally the bare minimum of "representation" which often came across as ignorant white knighting at best and blatant stereotyping / stigmatizing at worst, I mean that Hephaestus and Minthe did the best they could as genuinely interesting characters with unique circumstances and disabilities who were being written by an amateur Wattpad-level writer with a privileged white guilt complex lmao

LR faves (within the cast that's currently been introduced): Persephone and Dionysus.

I know, very different from my LO choices, esp considering Persephone herself within LO is literally one of the most insufferable characters by the end, but I'm frankly having a great time rewriting her in my own way, especially in regards to her specific role as the "wrathful side" of Kore. I know I've gotten questions regarding the interpretation of Kore as a DID system, and while that interpretation is totally valid, the angle I always approached it from was that repressed trauma and emotional bottlenecking. Obviously those two things are, in and of themselves, contributing factors to DID, so far be it from me to tell people they can't identify with Kore / Persephone as DID representation. It just motivates me even more to give her the character arc she deserves and never got. It's gonna be messy. It's even gonna be downright ugly at times.

But I hope, in the end, that anyone who identifies with her struggles will find closure and comfort in the resolution of her story. It's certainly a challenging tightrope to walk, between honoring the themes of her original myth, retelling a version of her that almost existed in LO (a version that I was hoping for and never got), and dissecting the implications of my own version of her throughout LR's narrative, but it's a challenge that I've been having a great time undertaking and all I can hope for is that I can meet and possibly exceed my own expectations - as well as the readers - in the end. This is Kore's story - it's also Persephone's.

As for Dionysus... he's just a very, very fun character to write, and someone who I had the advantage of introducing before he was depicted in LO. It wasn't intentional but it sure as shit paid off because even though I'm sure some will assume that this is my own re-interpretation of Rachel's version of the character, myself and anyone else who was there at the time can vouch that Dionysus was aaaalllll me, baby LMAO

All that said, we're obviously going at it from a VERY different angle than how he was tackled in LO, but I'm hoping people enjoy his presence in the story, especially as he becomes more involved (which is very, very soon wink wink) The roles have definitely reversed here with Dionysus taking on more of a "parental" role to Kore rather than the other way around. I feel like his characterization has only grown stronger in hindsight compared to what we got in LO, especially where he's one of the only characters who beat LO to the punch and wound up being in a sort of arms race with Rachel's depiction ─=≡Σ((( つ•̀ω•́)つ

[felonytaxevasion]

undersiders jigsaw apprentices au

Now see this is an interesting prompt because on the surface I think I feel mostly "they wouldn't do that" about it. BUT I think it's way more interesting to approach from a "what would have to happen to get them in this situation" angle which I think makes this AU fascinating

Taylor I think is the most interesting. Canon Worm is an exploration of what would happen if Taylor didn't have the support system to keep her from really leaning in to her repressed anger and violent tendencies as a way to get back control. But on the other hand the Undersiders are also not necessarily nurturing and encouraging of those instincts. Coil is, but the Undersiders themselves aren't really cheering Taylor on when shes shoving bugs into people's mouths for the greater good, mainly because they recognize that doing that is also bad for Taylor.

I think if John Kramer picked up Taylor she would have a much stronger immediate reaction of horror to him than she did the Undersiders. Casino robberies aren't great but the Undersiders never on purpose tortured anyone to death. Would Taylor still take up the deal to work with him under the context of gathering information to turn over to authorities?? Maaaaybe. I think you would have to really stretch her character and also get rid of Danny (maybe that's how jigsaw Gets her. Guy consumed with so much grief over his wife's death that he neglected his daughter does seem like the kind of guy John Kramer would target) so Kramer is quite literally the only person she has. Also if he starts her out building Kneecap Nutcracker 9000s for genuinely really evil people like Health Insurance CEOs and those traps are genuinely survivable maybe Taylor could rationalize the actions enough to stick around for evidence gathering. But I think if Taylor saw the really evil and hard to survive traps that target people who made mistakes or are just a little callous but not necessarily malicious she would jump ship pretty immediately.

That said if you can precisely engineer a situation where Taylor sees John as a father figure and works for him, while also trying to convince herself to turn him in (because frankly I think a Taylor who abandons her love for humanity and doing her best for the greater good becomes unrecognizable as Taylor) would be interesting.

The other Undersiders I think could be fun but are also rehashing territory covered in Worm canon. Lisa working for an older man trying to use her for nefarious purposes while she tries to out maneuver him is just her and Coil. Alec joining up with a serial killer after leaving his dad because he has no better options is Cherie's character arc. Rachel turning to crime in general due to no support systems for his issues is also covered in canon worm. The only ones I can't figure out are the Laborns. I don't think either of them could necessarily be manipulated in any which way to join a serial killer. Like Taylor they have too many moral lines they won't cross but unlike Taylor they aren't as easily able to trick themselves into thinking the lines they do cross are for a good cause. Plus to be taken in by Kramer you really need to lack literally anybody else to rely on. He's not even a good manipulator he's just able to find really twisted and lonely people he can trick. The Laborns have each other and that keeps them out of that requirement.

One must imagine Aisha would love playing dress up with Billy the Puppet though.

[scruncheduppaper]

Thank you for the response to my previous question about Noelle's character arc! It was really interesting to see your thoughts. I'd hate to make to type out another essay, but...

Thoughts on Kris' side of all this? Most portrayals I've seen seem to make them relatively static--in that they spend their whole time just trying to resist the player and gain freedom. Either that, or the player control is sidestepped and it's just about addressing their core issues outside of us. What do you see as, if not the resolution, the progression in their arc given both their previous problems but also the whole evil-puppet-master-is-making-me-manipulate-my-friends thing.

Idk, maybe that *would* just make someone flatly more angry instead of anything super complex.

Again, thanks for the ask! I’d like to preface my answer by saying that much of my interpretation of these characters is based on my own personal life experiences and my emotions, and I often like to project onto kriselle because of that. That doesn’t mean I don’t pay attention to canon (far from it) but just don’t take everything I say as 1 to 1 analysis or prediction.

While I definitely do see Kris as being angry at the player, I personally like to explore more of Kris’ self anger and hatred, as well as despair over their situation. I find that people often like to portray Kris and the player as rivals, where I don’t necessarily see them that way — in most situations I believe the player is motivated by either strong curiosity and love for the game/characters, as it is in real life. If Kris comes to understand this, the anger becomes less directed towards the player and more towards themselves.

I think this way because there is evidence of Kris’ self hatred and self harming tendencies within the game itself. This video sums it up pretty well:

Even before Dess’ disappearance, I think Kris always had a feeling of being an outsider, even to do with their personality — and then afterwards, after whatever happened with Dess and their parents divorce, I suspect that they often blame themselves for what happened, and connected with the idea they don’t belong, it causes them to shrink further and further into themselves, and away from people like Noelle.

I personally view Kris giving up their soul (since I like the theory that they traded it to Gaster) as an act of essentially suicide, which is why I made my last piece. However, especially in the Snowgrave route, this makes things a LOT worse for their sense of self-worth; I like to imagine that they feel immense guilt and pain over Noelle, which haunts them constantly, but now they’re unable to reach out, as they had neglected to beforehand while Noelle was helpless and suffering (it’s kind of like Mouthwashing, in a way).

I have little prediction for the actual story, as we know very little about Kris and what happened to them. Most of what I said here has been based on fan theories and discussions I’ve had.

However, my version of Kris will probably end up killing themselves for real — to spare Noelle from the player and to end their own suffering/guilt. Thus, this would be a final act of love towards Noelle, to show that they truly Have cared for her this whole time (or, in that case, to allow Noelle to kill them — both to satisfy her repressed anger and their own self hatred). I have no opinions about the normal route in this case, but I wish to see Kris have a good ending there, at least, where they are able to be truly free and happy.

[acourtofthought]

What do you think Elucien’s sex life is going to be like. People always want them to have “kinky sex” but funny enough I don’t think they will. I think Lucien is going to be an extreme dirty talker though, like he is going to talk elain through to the max, because from what we have seen, he uses his words to seduce or flirt a lot. And once him and Elain start bantering that’s going to be their foreplay. And I think they will have an outdoorsy scene, but for some reason I don’t know why I feel like their first kiss is going to be under the rain and it will be after like a tension filled angry angsty confession and then from there things will start getting steamy. And their first time is going to be when they are already in love not when they are not in love, and they are still trying to work out those feelings. I see them giving Feysand chapter 54 vibes. I don’t think they would have that much sex scenes on paper I can’t lie. I think they will have a lot of almost moments though, filled with a lot of tension but they won’t actually do it. Just because of the way their characters and stories are written and how, (especially Elain) treats modesty. (Another reason why I don’t see Elriel happening, but that’s a story for another day) I think that it’s going to be really hard for them to repress their emotions and when they finally do have sex it will be explosive for them.

I know you don’t necessarily care for gwynriel but as opposed to them who SJM has already noted Azriel is a “freak”. So I think they will have more sex scenes just because. And I think it’s going to be a situation where Gwyn will ask Azriel to teach her stuff that she has been reading about and from then things will get more and more steamy, before they realize they are in love. Like a soft friends with benefits thing. That’s just my take though. What do you think.

I think Gwynriel and Elucien will have an equal amount of sex scenes but not so many as Nessian. Az being a freak in bed will definitely translate to some interesting scenes when they happen but, his arc this far seems to have been characterized by heavy lust for the female he's currently fixated on. Like in ACOMAF where Feyre noted the visible hunger on Az's face as he looked at Mor in the dress, in ACOFAS where he's looking at Mor with heat and yearning while everyone is celebrating Solstice. And of course we know that his thoughts of Elain the following Solstice were dominated with extremely sexual overtones. So for that reason, it would be refreshing if there was a slower build for Gwynriel in getting to those scenes? Just my opinion though! I do love the "you're someone I feel safe with so help me explore my sexuality trope even though we're just friends" trope, but I am not sure if I see Sarah writing it for Az. I imagine every hookup he's had so far has been born from something casual so maybe she'd want something with more intimacy for them? I'm not sure. I love your headcanons for Elucien and could see things happening just like that. If there is kinky sex for Elucien, I don't see it happening right away but something introduced into later scenes. I blame Sarah for spawning a thousand fantasies what with Eris gagging Feyre with bands of fire (as well as what we learned from Brannagh). Lucien might be Helion's son but he's also an Autumn Court male and Sarah might have talked about Az in an interview with her friend but she wrote what she did about Autumn males in the book for everyone to see so I think that deserves equal credit, lol. And please, please give us dirty talking Lucien. From ACOMAF and beyond, he's constantly been trying to hold back the things he wants to say so at least free this mans silver tongue in the bedroom. The only other thing I would LOVE to see for Elucien is a Calanmai scene. The way Feyre helped erase Rhys's past with Amarantha in ACOMAF, I'd love Elain to do the same for Lucien after what happened with Ianthe.

[camerainbow]

Eddie Diaz Rant (Buddie included) *hopecore*

This is a long one but it’s pretty straightforward

I know the Buddies are upset by the finale but if we are assuming Buddie will become canon I’m kind of glad Eddie will have his support network in person when he starts to figure himself out and doesn’t have to confront how repressed he has been when in his former hometown (and away from Buck).

I think it’s a good thing to show people that you can figure out parts of yourself in your chosen home instead, I’m glad he got Chris back so that Buddie can be coparents as they’ve been set up to potentially be.

Yes the PR tour of Buddie stuff now feels like a distraction to that finale but I think it was kind of like: don’t lose hope Buddie shippers, even if it’s not now, it will happen. Grief doesn’t have to be the thing that causes you to find yourself (or realize someone is your partner who you hadn’t considered before) and it seems kinder to have Eddie figuring out himself in a later stage of grief after rebuilding his life in his ideal home: Los Angeles.

I do agree the El Paso storyline did feel like a lot for just getting Chris back but at least Eddie now knows his most supportive family is his chosen family (and Aunt Pepa as a more fitting maternal figure than what is in Texas, and someone who can step into the void Bobby’s death created within his support network). Also we got that great episode from the moving storyline of Buck supporting Eddie by subletting from him and he didn’t have to lose Chris’/his home when he sacrificed stuff to get his son. The progression of Buddie seemed stilted with the absence of Chris if I’m being honest, I’m looking forward to them in person again.

Buddie not being partners through the 118 in next season means they get to contextualize their relationship in a different way than before which is exciting(!) and I think Eddie will realize better the depth of Bucks love for him without the partner label. Also out and proud homosexual Hen being his medic partner (if we assume Chimney as Cap) will be exciting and I hope we see more of their relationship like we did in 8x17 (clearly the best episode of late S8). We might get to see more of Eddie channeling Bobby to find “another way” when presented with only two options during an emergency (though I see Chim also channeling Bobby).

I’m personally so glad we avoided the awkwardness of having to see the logistics of Eddie going back, selling that house, and Buck being asked to leave. Though yes I am mourning a sooner Buddie roommates reality :/

Once we saw the direction they were going with the El Paso storyline I kind of dreaded a rushed feelings realization if there was gonna be one in S8. I’m happy it will be explored more in depth and not be a sudden moment/cliffhanger, it feels more honest to the character. Even though it frustrates me as we grow more and more impatient. But we must remember Buck has only been canonically queer since S7, and they have only been on ABC for two seasons now. Queer slow-burn storylines when both of the characters begin their character arcs on the show as “canonically” (assumed) straight have to take longer than other slow-burns by design (for the general audience to accept).

After seeing the Buddie argument in the kitchen, I think the aftermath of Chris visiting creating the impression of it being all better would be a little too storybook. And although I didn’t really care for the regression of Buck’s feelings in this finale episode (he shut down again seeing his 118 family not heeled since he knew Eddie was leaving still), it did feel real for him to still be processing the grief and loss of his old normal.

The amount of shifting around (Chim to Captain, Eddie back but working with Hen presumably, hopefully more Buck Ravi bestie-ism) will be very interesting to watch in S9!

Most of what I’m worried about is honestly Athena’s storyline since we didn’t really see her actual thought process for selling the house, I don’t know how we will see them (her and the 118) interact in the future out side of work, we can assume they will be a family but since not every shift includes police response, will she be getting less screen time?

Let’s remain hopeful to the possibilities! I think this set up allows us to process Bobby’s death more over the hiatus and doesn’t use a queer storyline for shock value in a finale!

I totally understand anyone who steps away from the show for their own mental wellness, it’s a lot if you feel strung along, but there’s always hope as the show is not over. Be kind to yourself and don’t fall into a spiral of doom if you can help it <3

[btvs3x21]

it truly drives me crazy seeing how much the yellowjackets fandom, primarily its white fans, completely ignore and misread all of tai's anxieties in the teen timeline especially about her sexuality in relation to her blackness. like... i'm not black, but i do have a lot of experience being a lesbian of color and feeling hopeless and miserable and terrified of the concept of coming out, especially to my family and my community at large, and that struggle just so apparent and reflected in taissa's storyline in the teen timeline. i truly don't understand how on earth you could actually watch and pay attention to tai's character without seeing that all over her unless you are straight up ignoring huge chunks of her arc and, frankly, the entire concept of other tai, at least as it exists in the wilderness.

she says it even! repeatedly! maybe not in those exact words, but it takes her months even in the wilderness, cut off from civilization and all of the anxieties and dangers it presents about being a black lesbian in the '90s for her, to come out to the others. even when she does finally come out to the others, it's AFTER her expedition fails and laura lee dies along with the hope of rescue she promises. at that point, the group at large believe they will never be rescued and that they will die out there. that's not taissa becoming comfortable with who she is all of a sudden. that's her accepting that they won't be saved and brought back to civilization, so she has nothing left to lose by coming out. it's also likely some kind of romantic gesture and apology to van for her having fallen asleep and sleepwalking while she was supposed to be on guard duty, causing van to get mauled by wolves.

yes, she becomes more comfortable with her lesbianism in the wilderness, but only in the context of the wilderness. when the idea of civilization is brought up again as a real possibility through the hikers' presence, tai's anxieties return. van says they could be together in civilization, and tai recoils. she asks how much could have really changed in the year they've been out here. she resists it so much that she sides with lottie and shauna about staying. yes, she cites the loose ends out here, and there are loose ends with the remains of the people they've eaten, but for tai, everyone knowing that she's a lesbian is also a loose end.

according to adult van, tai's reluctance to be out in civilization is even why they broke up. why else would van tell her "you wound up gay anyway" (paraphrased probably)? frankly, even from the life plan tai tells shauna she had pre-crash, it sounds like she was always planning to break up with van and wait to come out.

this is also heavily supported imo by other tai's existence in the wilderness. while other tai allegorically might represent something different in the adult timeline, in the teen timeline, she is so connected and tied up to tai's repression of her lesbianism and her anxieties around fully accepting and acknowledging it. even in season 1 when that white campaign donor is trying to extort tai's secrets about the wilderness in exchange for her financial support of taissa's campaign, it's impossible imo to not read that as both heavily racially charged and perverse about tai's sexuality given the ways i would argue the wilderness as an allegorical entity represents queerness.

obviously, we know adult tai is able to be out and open hence her being in the process of getting gay divorced, but that wasn't something she did immediately post-rescue. this part is speculation, but to me, it seems like the thing that got tai to a place where she felt she could come out was attending howard, a hbcu, where she would have in all likelihood met other queer black people, including other black lesbians and seen more and more that she could be out as a black lesbian, that there is a world where people like her don't have to sacrifice one community to be in another.

i just don't see how you can possibly gloss over such a central conflict in tai's life and her interiority, especially when it's one of the only ways the show continues to, at least implicitly, acknowledge race after season 1.

[overleftdown]

this is going to be my somewhat-brief analysis (buckle in, it's not brief at all) of preluding scenes to farleigh and olivers... scene, lmao. because i can't read micro-expressions and social cues IRL, but i can for movies! also, i want to give my understanding of farleigh's character using the most substantial part of his arc. i disagree so much with a lot of people's takes on farleigh. i needed to talk extensively about it.

[0:58:46] farleigh makes eye contact with a footman. this is one of the footmen that farleigh mentions to felix in a later scene, which i'll also go into. what's interesting about this subtle interaction is how wildly differently you could consider it, depending on how you choose to view farleigh as a character. if you go the "mirror of oliver," route, then this eye contact could be the moment farleigh decides the route he's going to take to confront felix.

on the other hand, the hand that i believe makes more sense, farleigh is genuine in his confrontation with felix. the eye contact he shares with the footman is reciprocated; the footman holds it, even as his body pulls back and his head turns. this gives the idea that they are making a connection. the expression farleigh makes afterwards is also an indication that farleigh isn't plotting or scheming to earn pity points; he feels a connection and comradery with the only other black people at saltburn. when the footman turns away, unneeded anymore (this can be a parallel to farleigh), farleigh glances down, back up, then purses his lips. he looks dejected, in my opinion. this is immediately followed by farleigh's dig at oliver; "i think oliver looks like he'd rather throw himself out of a window.

food for thought.

[0:59:9] elsbeth: you can invite all your friends. farleigh: what friends?

this can obviously be a petty dig. and it is, in some ways. but i think a lot of these petty digs are because farleigh has been here before. he has watched his cousin drag home mediocre and tragic (presumably) white boys for perceived self-benefit. whether felix wants entertainment, wants to quell his guilty conscious (both of which are motivations for his mother), felix seems to have these fleeting possessive relationships with the friends he brings back to saltburn. he could also be queer and deeply repressed, lmfao.

i digress; farleigh is sick and tired. the first thing he says to oliver, before oliver even got to felix, was bitchy as all hell. after that, farleigh had more incentive to belittle oliver; yes, his comments about mannerisms, class, and overall character were petty. they were also all of the qualities that farleigh couldn't afford to have. farleigh is pointing out that oliver has no social life, yet still gets a 200-person party full of people that don't even know his name. this is tragically unfair, at least in farleigh's mind.

[1:01:25] felix: and fucking farleigh, what a little shit stirrer. oliver: well, someone has to entertain us all. felix: ...right. oliver: that's why we love him.

there's a clear disregard of humanity and depth, when felix concedes that farleigh is "entertainment." the sheer fact that felix would immediately believe oliver, a "stranger (as venetia so eloquently puts)" over a close family member, is odd on it's own. there are probably more reasons for distrust; everyone in saltburn is a shit stirrer, and farleigh does put on a particularly good show.

that's intentional, though. farleigh is very intentionally entertainment. otherwise, why would the cattons keep him around? they're welcoming people to their house as family, because they want a break from the reality of soul sucking wealth. because they want entertainment. elsbeth with her friend, who's only real personality traits are being pitiful and visibly different. felix, with his summer pet projects like oliver. farleigh can't be a temporary show; he needs to keep coming back. he needs sir james to support his mother.

[1:02:40] farleigh: i'm not saying my mother isn't completely idiotic when it comes to money. felix: you just have to be firm with her. farleigh: well i can't call her and tell her no! felix: i know, i know, you've said that. i know, i understand. farleigh: no, you don't know! you don't, it's humiliating. felix: it's very hard.

felix's approach to discussing other people's issues--that he does not relate to--makes me giggle sometimes. not that he's malicious or a fumbling idiot, but because of this scene specifically. in just this chunk of dialogue, you have the "i understand" and "you don't understand" conflict. an age old one. a common representation of someone who has never lived a specific struggle yet frames themselves as knowledgeable. felix seems to enjoy the "it's very hard" verbiage. the manner in which he speaks to oliver about his supposed impoverishment and struggles is very similar to the way he speaks to farleigh, in this scene.

i don't know what else to say about this. you can make your own inferences on felix's dialogue, i suppose.

[1:02:50] farleigh: i'm sorry, but it's a bit fucking shitty. you're all throwing oliver a party for 200 people while my mother lives in squalor. felix: well, she's hardly living in squalor, mate. farleigh: well she can't pay her bills so she will be! okay? at the rate she's going, she will be.

GAH. again, this dialogue can be considered in two different ways. farleigh could be hyperbolizing in order to play into the catton savior complex. or he could be completely genuine in his anxiety surrounding his mother's finances. it's very important that you recognize the fact that farleigh isn't arguing about himself, in this situation. he's talking about his mother. later in the conversation, he recenters himself as a person of color. but the original conflict is about whether or not his mom is living comfortably. this arguably affects him, but not entirely. he could continue to maintain his oxford-student-and-saltburn-resident character and continue to frolic around while his mom struggles to make responsible decisions.

[1:03:02] felix: right, well that's exactly why dads concerned about helping her. he doesn't want to enable her. he wants her to learn how to stand on her own two feet. farleigh: yeah, like he does?

and farleigh ate.

[1:03:09] farleigh: i mean, you know how this looks, right? making me come to you with a begging bowl. felix: what are you implying? farleigh: i think you know what i'm implying, felix. why don't you ask liam and joshua? felix: who... who the fuck are liam and joshua!? farleigh: ...your footmen.

farleigh's mannerisms in this portion of the scene GAG me. the easy confidence, the self-assured and confrontational attitude. the cocky wave of his shoulders and tilt of his head. he smirks, scoffs, makes and holds eye contact as emphasis to what he is accusing. the way he says "i think you know what i'm implying" even though i'm not quite sure if felix did. this really hammers in the implicit nature of the cattons' treatment of farleigh.

[1:03:33] felix: oh, oh. that is... that is low, farleigh. farleigh: okay. felix: jesus christ, mate! seriously, is that where you wanna take this!? farleigh: right. felix: make it a race thing!? what the fuck! i mean, we're your family, we hardly even notice that you're... different, or anything like that! farleigh: mmm. felix: i never know our footmen's names!

GAGGED. i eat up this scene and lick my fingers. "wohohoho, i don't see color! i can't believe you'd make it a race thing!" i know i should cut felix some slack, but this is just a little too real. although i've cut farleigh some slack for his classism.

the complete change in farleigh's mannerisms from the previous timestamp to this one is EDIBLE. i can't cope with it. his smile as felix says "that is low" is so painfully real. it says "i've been here before and maybe i was expecting this." for a second, felix is almost entertainingly cliche. then the exasperation hits. farleigh just looks tired. he blinks rapidly, smooths over his eyebrow with his hand, vocalizes his disbelief in felix's denial. "we hardly even notice you're different," to which farleigh crosses his arms (defensive), raises his eyebrows, nods along.

i won't include the final few lines of this conversation cuz i'm blabbing FAR too much, but farleigh's expressions of absolutely exhaustion and disappointment as felix says they've "been more generous then most"... i'm so sick. it doesn't matter what other families would do, because this family passes out charity like it's their favorite pastime. farleigh is your best american girl.

oliver, overhearing this conversation, immediately knows what his next plan of action is. compare himself to farleigh. and really, it's funny, because oliver misses the obvious differences between him and farleigh. just like everyone else. he will never feel different, not in the same way farleigh does. not with farleigh's relationship to the cattons, the legacy of his parents, and his blackness.

[1:06:32] (godfather's karaoke scene, AKA apple bottom jeans. he's a disgusting manchild and he throws his jacket at his wife.) is it odd to point out that another one of the only visible black characters is being degraded/mistreated/disregarded? not crazy, right? especially following the conversation about bias two scenes ago.

[1:07:02] farleigh: y'know, i think i'd fuck richard the III. he's so insecure, so you'd know he'd put in the work, right? oliver: or you could just fuck me, right?

here, i think there's a level of projection that farleigh is using in his line about insecurity. not only is it made known that farleigh uses sex as a tool (with teachers, specifically), but it's also made known that farleigh believes/knows that he is treated differently due to his race and/or family history. oliver seems to have clocked this, considering he relates himself to richard the III, then tells farleigh they have similar experiences.

[1:07:34] oliver: y'know, if you ever wanna talk to anyone, you can talk to me, farleigh. farleigh: ...what do you mean? oliver: well, i know you're going through a hard time at home. i know how that feels, when things are so precarious. it's terrifying... and lonely. and it must be so fucking weird, having to ask them for everything. and i know you fucking hate me. farleigh: i... i don't hate you. oliver: but... if you ever wanted me to talk to them, to see if there's... if i can help in any way... just ask. farleigh: ...okay.

i love this movie. have i said that yet? i bet you definitely couldn't tell by this post. this conversation is so... there's so much to talk about.

i'll start with some of my favorite of farleigh's mannerisms/expressions. when oliver first cuts their... tensions with "you can talk to me," farleigh pulls back slightly, sits up slightly, looks across oliver's face. there's a level of shock to it, but. farleigh was comfortable with oliver, his sworn enemy, flirting with him. yet, he pulled back at a genuine offer of support. some see this as farleigh always wanting oliver sexually, but i think it's more nuanced than that. when oliver says "terrifying... and lonely" that's when the camera cuts back to farleigh. he previously wore a half-smile that is now dropping; "lonely" was the hardest word to swallow. his lip is quivering. he looks up in an almost-eye roll when he says, "i don't hate you." he's laughing when oliver finishes, like he finds it all funny, yet the way he says "okay" makes him seem genuine. however... clearly not, considering the next portion of this scene!

even though oliver is lying out of his ass, everything he's saying is a description of farleigh. people grossly misunderstand farleigh's character, even when it's laid onto a banquette sized table through this portion of the movie. he's insecure, desperate, terrified, unsure, and lonely. farleigh, with so many friends and so many scandalous choices, is so fucking lonely. he knows he doesn't belong here, so he jams his ill-fitting puzzle piece into the saltburn jigsaw and crosses his fingers.

he tells oliver he doesn't hate him, and he looks like he's struggling to spit it out. he looks up towards the ceiling, closes his eyes like he's gathering himself. again, people take this as a bonding moment. the next portion of the scene contradicts this. honestly, i'm not completely sure, either. i think he's honest when he says he doesn't hate oliver. so, what? he's jealous, definitely. he wants to hold the same power as oliver, a foreign entity with somehow so much more privilege than farleigh. maybe that bred a certain kind of infatuation; the need to emulate what you'll never be. of course, he sees himself in the boys felix brings home; they, just like farleigh, need or want something from the cattons (although i object to the idea that farleigh is somehow "a mirror" of oliver). do what you will with this word vomit, i don't know where i'm going here.

and OH MY GOD "if you ever wanted me to talk to them, to see if there's... if i can help in any way," is diabolical. so terribly diabolical. the sheer idea that oliver knows, is pummeling it into farleigh's face, that he has authority over farleigh's life like that? that he knew felix for six months and he can somehow "talk to" farleigh's family about treating farleigh better... vomit inducing. farleigh is actually your best american girl.

[1:09:39] (karaoke scene) elsbeth, so uncomfortable with the idea that oliver is using them. i suppose that's the manner of wealthy people; they don't want to believe that they're only good for their money. but... they did that to themselves, in a way. they enjoy the pet projects, the charity work, the ego boost that comes with inviting the "lesser" to saltburn. hanjob on a haybale, golden big boy summer, right? everyone in the room is scandalized. farleigh is having the time of his fucking life. yet, here's the kicker,

[1:10:10] oliver: this is your song too, farleigh. come finish it. farleigh: only if you insist!

and then farleigh gives the performance of his life, by the way. people died. but... nobody is uncomfortable. literally no one. no one shudders or gasps at the scandal of oliver saying "this is your song, too" over the karaoke microphone; everyone heard. nobody cares. they all know. they start clapping farleigh on, cheering. elsbeth relaxes back onto her bed of cushions, because farleigh is entertaining. the change in mood is soooo... interesting.

[1:10:45] curse this scene, i don't even want to talk about it. it was hot, oliver and farleigh are so homoerotic, whatever yadayada. just like every other sexual scene in this movie, it is riddled with a suffocating kind of uncomfortable tension. we are made intimate third-party witnesses to carnal, sinful, emotionally ambiguous scenes. when i pointed out farleigh seemed more comfortable with flirting then comfort, when i said farleigh uses sex as a tool, when i said farleigh was projecting with "he's so insecure, so you know he'd put in the work." i just overthink. but any person that has sexual relationships with teachers needs intensive therapy and that cannot be denied. however, it's oliver, that uses sex as a tool throughout this movie. another uncomfortable parallel between the two characters.

something about farleigh's expression throughout this scene is... kind of hurtful. the way the moonlight just barely illuminates the light in his eyes, whereas any detail of oliver's face is shrouded in darkness. it make's farleigh look young, innocent, real. (sidenote, as i'm watching, i have to mention this. the way farleigh says that second "no" is so funny. "...no...?" LMFAO). man, i don't even know what to say, past this. the whole dominant dynamic, farleigh saying "i'm going to behave" is a little too painful considering the context leading up to this scene. it's freaky. it's so very oliver.

this is way too long but i could make so many more connections with their final confrontation at oliver's birthday party. i'm drowning in thoughts. what i really wanted to highlight was how ambiguous farleigh's character is, and how differently a lot of his scenes can be perceived. i've decided that farleigh is a sympathetic character, similar to oliver but so much less powerful. some people hate farleigh! so. there's that. the end! thanks to anyone who read this whole thing!

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

What do you think of the claim that “the beach episode didn’t prove anything. Azula wasn’t a good friend.”

I think they're completely missing point or deliberately taking stuff out of context. The Beach is not about "These characters are all good people actually", it is all about revealing hidden depths.

Ty Lee, the super happy, cheery character that seems so lovable, and Mai, the aloof, grumpy character are both dealing with the same trauma, aka being ignored by their parents, and deal with it in opposite ways: Ty Lee tries to get as much attention as possibly to fill that void, while Mai avoids getting attached to anything to prevent more heartbreak.

Zuko, the character we are constantly seeing being angry at everyone for the smallest thing, is actually furious at himself because, in his despair to please his father, he constantly acts in ways he would normally find morally reprehensible.

And Azula, the openly evil princess that seemingly had no issue with being evil, is actually super emotionally confused over why her mom had an issue with that side of her, and fears that means she wasn't loved.

She is arrogant and mean and wants everything done her way, yet she doesn't tell Chan and his friend that she's the princess because she wants to see if she could get people to like her for who she is as a person, not because of her status.

She is a terrible friend that is prone to putting people down when they easily achive something she struggles with, but she also feels bad for making her friend cry, apologizes, and actually admits to her jealousy.

She calls Zuko pathetic for caring about right and wrong, but her entire struggle with their mom is proof that does care about it too, she just has a VERY different idea of what "right and wrong" even mean.

She's disregarding the others' confessions as "performances", as if she considers it all insincere, yet she's clearly repressing the fuck out of her own emotions - leading to her breakdown in the finale.

It is a key episode to understand Azula as a character, and it doesn't not make a redemption arc inevitable in any way (in fact Azula was the only one of these four characters to get a tragic ending in the original show) - but because it shows her in a more sympathetic light and shows she's far more complex than the fanon interpretation of her (in which she's a """"pyschopath"""""), thus proving that a redemption is not impossible for her, even if it was something the showrunners clearly had no interest in (unlike the lead writer) people get mad.

God forbid the villain, even one that is just a teenager, is allowed to have feelings, insecurities, fears, or just generally be a human being while still being clearly evil. Unless the villain in question is Zuko, I guess.

This fandom is alergic to complexity.

[mortish-writes]

Ngl, it's really interesting people are playing the Heretic as unaligned to the Weaver and aligned for the Zealot, because I'm the exact opposite 😂. My Zealot is pious and I'm going to play her into being more open to other religions later in an anthropological manner (definitely not based on me, who's religious but loves studying other religions and cultures, including my ancestors's pagan ones, aksjdjknasdjk), but she's having an identity crisis first and foremost, because she is loyal to her (fake) goddess until she literally has nothing else to stand on 😂. 20 years of hard work down the drain! Nuh-uh! If not out of loyalty, sheer stubbornness is pulling her through 😂. The drama and character conflict is too juicy, the betrayal too personal, especially the religion was used as a crutch to justify her suffering. As you mentioned before, too, I don't want to make the religious character as someone mindless who'd fall into any religion just because she needs authorial guidance. Her being too trustful is what got her here in the first place, and needing to question and figure out what works for her fulfills a stronger story arc, imo—and it's not to totally divorce her from ever wanting an authorial and outside guidance for structure, because I get it and am like this. I just don't want to force another religion and deity onto her without her letting her question things and explore other options or at least know what there are other options, give her the agency she never got from the Sun Goddess's order. As for Heretic, I once again totally didn't put myself and preferences in her shoes when making her Weaver-aligned because if I characterized her as wanting to be religious and believe something, but not being able to see it in the Sun Goddess and her order because hypocrisy, things don't add up, the cruelty, repression, it involves hating half her self reasons. Increases the level of loneliness and validates her gut feeling too, while also allowing her find someone to rely on when she finally has proof of a deity that actually seems to care for her and not contradict herself (so far). Basically, this is me advocating to try the MCs out this way if you haven't already and for 10000/10 angst, haha. Make the girls suffer! As everyone says, I love we can play the MCs in so many different ways and get so many different versions of the MCs and stories for it, makes the replayability high and number of combos we can test out to get our favorite phenomenal. ALSO, you have no idea how the non-aligned Weaver Zealot route ending from the latest night has been living in my brain, rent-free. I still haven't tried the other end (want to see if I can get it with Heretic), but it's been wild to see how it seems to paint Valdricht in a better impression than whatever happens in the other end 😂. The "Valdricht scares me" asks have me like, "REALLY," since all I've been seeing is husband-shaped old man.

This is awesome to hear, almost no one has mentioned the unaligned route and ngl it was definitely my favorite for the Zealot!

As I’m wrapping the Heretic route I’m actually feeling stressed on behalf of the MC. I’m just like this is TOO MUCH how can she even deal with all of this without just screaming for hours? Thankfully we’re almost done with all of the Act I overwhelm and will soon get into actually getting to know the ROs and developing the romance. Don’t worry, there will be plenty of opportunities for delicious angst later.

I’m still blown away that so many players have such strong opinions about the characters already. None of it bothers me, it’s so exciting to see. Valdricht is awesome and gets better once players understand him and his motivations for what he does. Granted, appreciating him is definitely predicated on readers enjoying morally gray dark fantasy romance men. I could see readers being turned off by an authoritative love interest, but at the same time Serax would be exactly the same but without the finesse if it was just him and the MC. He can afford to be fun and permissive because he knows Valdricht is calculating and hyper-vigilant.

Once all is revealed, I suspect a lot of players will be replaying the first few nights with a completely different perspective on Valdricht, Serax, and The Weaver. I can’t wait.

[stickdoodlefriend]

Considering how 911 has forgiven every terrible parent of the main characters, not forgiving Eddie who has devoted his entire life to Christopher since he was born would be absolutely ridiculous. Like Buck's whole speech to Chris on why to forgive Eddie is him forgiving his own parents who drove him to self-harm to gain attention? Which is way worse than what Eddie did. We've been told time and time again how much Eddie's parents messed him up in canon, and now suddenly they are the more 'stable' choice to parent a kid?

Another point if we continue with Eddie losing Chris is it would reinforce the very harmful lie that Eddie thinks: he cannot have joy, forgiveness, and identity outside of his son.

The blowout with Kim only happens once Eddie tries to find closure with Shannon in a very messed up form on non-consensual therapy. Eddie recognized what he was doing wrong and tried putting a stop to it. He was not going to go to Kim again after telling her about Shannon. But once he finds some sort of closure, he is punished harshly by his son walking in and then walking out of his life, making his worst nightmare come true.

He finds forgiveness with the help of the priest and joy in a very very long time? The newest clip seems to punish him immediately with now Chris might not even come back.

CHRIS'S POV

Even from Chris's POV, it doesn't make sense that somehow both the Diaz grandparents suddenly gained emotional intelligence and maturity to raise Chris in a healthy environment to get over his trauma when they couldn't do that for more than 30 years?! Chris is avoiding, I doubt he is getting therapy there to deal with it. It was traumatic and he is valid for being mad but staying mad is hurting him. Eddie's whole arc and issue stem from the toxic masculinity that he needed to unlearn which makes him the king of repression. You know who caused a silly goofy man (Eddie at his core is very silly and is forced to be serious) to repress? His parents who are now somehow better options to deal with Chris's complicated emotions?

They think Chris loves the water, but they don't know the enormous work Eddie did to help Chris get over the tsunami. Chris breaks down during COVID because he misses Carla and his friends which dredges up his abandonment issues? They don't know that it was Buck who supported him through it and how Eddie adjusted his relationship with Ana to make him more comfortable. They don't know that Eddie quit the job he loved so Chris wouldn't be scared of losing him. They don't know how scared Chris was when Eddie got shot. We often focus on how Buck broke down and how Chris hugs him but Chris is breaking down with him together.

THE WILL (DISREGARDING ROMANCE)

Eddie's not stupid. He didn't put Buck instead of his parents in his will out of spite. Because really when it comes down to it, Buck was the best option for the will in canon. In the very beginning, we were told Tia Pepa and Abuela can't take care of Chris full time (thus, Carla). But Carla is paid for her job, she won't be on the will. Eddie has no other family in LA and we don't know how his situation is with his sisters. However, considering canon implies then to be younger (thus his parentification), Eddie would consider them too young (subjective) to raise his son. None of the 118 is as involved with Chris as Buck is. In fact, a big reason is the fact that is that Buck allows the Diaz boys a safe space which Eddie was not allowed to have growing up.

Buck has respected Chris's autonomy (admires it even- canon from s2), supports and listens to him without making him feel bad, expresses his emotions and finds ways to support him (like finding equine therapy, accessible skateboard) and respects his decision even if he doesn't like it (going to Texas). And I'm not saying because of Buddie or anything. Even if they remain platonic co-parents (co-parenting as described by Oliver Stark and Ryan Guzman), they serve as parallels to things Eddie wouldn't have gotten from his parents if he was in Chris's position.

Eddie was forced to manage his mother's emotions while his father was absent. Chris has a dead/absent mother but never has he had to manage Eddie's emotions. When Eddie has a mental breakdown, he calls Buck and is told to focus on his own healing (equine therapy). Time and time again, Eddie has said that his problems are not on Chris to help.

When Chris wakes up crying from a nightmare about the tsunami, Eddie gets him help and never criticizes him. What do you think happened when Eddie would wake up from his own nightmares after being discharged from the army? He was living with his parents, Shanon and baby Chris, there's no way his parents didn't know about it. We have proof in canon that Eddie never received any help and Shannon was at the end of her rope until she abandoned him. All his parents did was fight him for custody and applaud him for almost dying (aka silver star).

POSSIBLE FIX

One way to maybe fix this is by working with the theme of Eddie reclaiming his agency. If he goes to Texas to fight for his son, to have that communication, group therapy even, letting Chris know he is working on making himself better and that Chris needs to confront his issues and how running away and not feeling with grief is how the Kim situation happened in the first place.

Or, I understand that Gavin McHugh might want to take a break and return to the show except a few scenes. We can give him the Denny or May Grant treatment, where they are there but we don't see them anymore, just referenced. Like have a video call saying he wants to come back, show Eddie ecstatic and ready to hug someone at the airport, fade to black, and next time we can have Eddie on cloud nine but also scared of losing Chris again.

TLDR; It's unfair to punish Eddie when every main character's terrible parent has been forgiven and reinforces the idea that he isn't allowed to have joy, forgiveness and identity outside of Chris. Keeping Chris with his parents implies they are a better choice when they're the reason Eddie has these issues. There are better ways to handle the situation while minimizing Gavin's screen time.

[anthurak]

So I touched on this idea in my rambly post a while back about a ‘Yuri Mecha Top-Gun parody’ but I thought it would be fun to dive a bit further into this take on ‘Rivals to Lovers’.

You see we start with our mech-pilot heroine: Bright, fiery, hot-blooded and determined to prove herself, even though it seems like almost nobody believes she’ll amount to much.

At her side is her co-pilot, a girl who’s rather shy and unsure of herself and is just as much of an underdog as our heroine who knows exactly what it’s like to have no one believe in you. But our heroine believes in her and so she believes in her partner right back. So that together they’ll be the very best and prove everyone who ever doubted them wrong!

And of course, they are down bad super hard for each other. Maybe they’re both pretty dense and spend a while dancing around their feelings.

Or maybe they’re both pretty up-front and confess their feelings as they first unlock their mech’s big, ultimate super-mode with the power of love in just the second or third episode. Maybe put a twist on the usual formula by having our two main character confess their feelings and hook up early on and make their story more about being IN a relationship rather than building up to one?

Then we have our big rival. Or rather, big rivals for BOTH our heroines.

Because we have a rival DUO of girls for our main couple.

Of course our main rival is a haughty, angry, edgy girl driven to be great at everything who just can’t stand being upstaged by this random, no-name loser!

And her co-pilot/partner, who is a stoic, ‘logical’ girl who is really just pretty emotionally repressed and trying to hide how much she’s offended by the protag couple being silly and cute. Which in turn is of course itself a repression of just how jealous she is of the protag couple.

And before too long, this pair of rivals end up having their OWN romance arc :D

Like the rivals hook up mostly because main rival girl wants to get the same ‘power of love’ super-mode powerup that our heroines got. Of course the funny thing is, it actually WORKS for them as the rival pair get their own super-mode comparable to what the heroine pair has. And the rivals likewise play off their relationship as ‘fake’ and ‘just together for their own ends’ when of course it is pretty clear they have caught feelings for each other too.

Which then leads us to the REAL emotional/romantic through-line of the story:

You’ve heard of Rivals-to-Lovers, but what about 2v2 Rivals-to-Lovers? XD

[nynyhaha]

Thinking about the way Chrollo represents apathy and passion.

When I first saw him,he gave the impression of someone who is both very serious about his occupation and on some kind of mission,and someone who just lets things happen.

The reason he seemed so enigmatic compared to other troupe members is because we couldn’t grasp what he actually values, besides obviously the spider.This whole line of his about not caring for money,glory or fame.The fact that he sells the loot soon after stealing it.

It doesn’t make sense for a thief to be this indifferent towards the treasures he steals.And while the troupe risked their lives trying to steal from the auction,when things went wrong the loot was the last thing they considered.I always wondered what happened to all the boxes at their hideout.I hope they didn’t just leave it there??But it was never the main focus,

I think he occasionally finds something that fascinates him,just to discard it afterwards.It’s almost like he tries very hard to,excuse me, “fill the emptiness inside him”,with material possessions but is painfully aware that it’s not possible.The troupe are primarily known as thieves but it seems obtaining stuff can’t be that satisfying,at least not to Chrollo. Even if he tells everyone to “just steal” in his character song.

The scarlet eyes might’ve caught his attention at some point but again,he’s very dismissive of the whole kurta theme even when Kurapika demands some response.

So I don’t believe it’s greed that drives him.In fact,he doesn’t know what drives him.

And the reason he’s able to commit all those horrible deeds is because of his disconnection with PEOPLE. Being the leader,he’s somewhat set apart from the rest of the spiders.And there are rules that put the good of the organisation before the well-being of the members.That’s supposed to prevent members from caring as much for one another.Which is tragic.

It all only started because they all cared.

How are characters humanised in hunter x hunter? Trough forming bonds with other characters.

Killua and meruem are excellent examples.Both of them grew to care more about humans in general trough meeting a particular person.

Chrollo lost someone important and that very personal grief lead him to stop caring about human lives.Not just his own,but the ones of his fellow troupe members.

Obviously it didn’t work and they still feel very strongly for each other.The whole yorknew arc focuses on those repressed feelings of camaraderie that aren’t allowed to be experienced fully as that would interfere with the Spider.Pakunoda has to break the rules if she wants to save the life of her friend.

Chrollo can’t do that because the Spider with its rules is all he has.He’s very good at “severing ties” with things like living a save life,the authorities,possibly religion,connections with other people,seeing dead bodies as something to be respected and not as objects.He’s willing to give up everything that made him who he was,but what does he have in turn? Nothing.

The Spider needs to have a purpose but it seems that purpose is lost.Chrollo is lost,all his sacrifices lead to nothing.

He doesn’t even feel hate or anger at the world.He rarely takes things personally.

I think there was some revenge based reason for murdering the kurta clan.The troupe seem like they’d have some reason,even tho it could never be good enough.

But my thesis is that Chrollo’s biggest sin isn’t greed,pride,anger or whatever.It’s apathy.

Nothing prevents him from hurting people who have nothing to do with him,therefore he does.

He’s afraid that things will start mattering again,but at the same time we see him constantly searching for that something.He is scared of it,but he really strives to strive for something so that he can break out of this indifference he feels for everything.

So maybe Hisoka will awake some of this rage buried inside and with it make Chrollo once again seem like a very distressed human.

[cedarxwing]

The ending of Hannibal the novel explained

(aka the breastfeeding scene)

Here's the passage (end of Chapter 101):

I thought everyone was kidding about the breastfeeding kink jokes until my partner read Hannibal and the whole ending flew over their head. Their main takeaway was "that was weird." When I checked reddit, it seemed everyone was confused there too. I was gobsmacked to see one guy say that Thomas Harris was playing some cruel joke on the reader by writing an ending that didn't make sense!

How many people are reading Hannibal like this, completely missing the resolution to Hannibal's character arc? They must finish the book confused about what it was all about in the first place. So here's how I understand it!

First, I need to get this out of the way: a lot of people hate this scene, and from what I understand it's because they're weirded out by the "breastfeeding kink." Which is fine, but it makes me want to gently hold them by the hand and tell them that it's ok for someone to suck on a nipple. It happens all the time. Sometimes it just feels good, sometimes it's part of a breastfeeding fantasy, and sometimes it's literal breastfeeding. Between consenting adults, this is all fine and normal. Let's all move past this knee-jerk repulsion (or alternatively, sit in our discomfort and expand our horizons) so we can analyze this piece of art together. :)

Next, authors LOVE Freudian psychoanalysis. Even though it's all nonsense, it's full of literary allusion and makes for compelling narratives and character studies (childhood maladjustment, repressed memories, etc), which is basically catnip for a writer. Thomas Harris was no exception, and probably creamed himself (as I did) when he learned that Freud's oral-sadistic stage was also termed the "cannibalistic stage," referring to the time when an infant is growing teeth and begins to bite at the breast--the psychosexual urge to devour and destroy the thing you love. What could be more appropriate for Hannibal?

Next, consider the pattern of Hannibal's Il Mostro murders. He killed young couples in one of the most romantic cities in the world, then arranged them as Chloris and Zephyr from Botticelli's Primavera, exposing Chloris's left breast just like in the painting. In classical art, an exposed breast is often a symbol of fertility. Chloris is associated with spring, new growth, and transformation.

Perhaps, at the time, Hannibal rationalized these murders as retribution for rude behavior. Maybe the couples were performing disgusting PDA. Maybe they were obnoxious tourists on their honeymoons. Either way, it's clear to the reader that Hannibal has some deep-seated hang up about sex and romance.

The particulars of this hang up are open to interpretation, but based on Hannibal's obsession with the rape and transformation of Chloris as well as his embarrassment at the paintings of Leda and the Swan in the German's house, I think it's safe to say that Hannibal feels like any relationship he has with a woman who isn't aware of his true (monstrous) identity would involve a degree of violence/lack of consent. He is forever barred from normal romance.

Having given up on sex/romance, Hannibal is unable to consciously recognize his desire for Clarice, so he sublimates it into a more general familial love. He longs for a return to innocence, to return to the time before he ate Mischa and became an unlovable monster (cue the teacup metaphor).

But even familial love seems like too much to hope for, so he sublimates it further into something that seems more attainable: resurrecting the person whom he loved and devoured, and who loved him in turn (Mischa) through Clarice.

So we have the breast as a symbol of sex/fertility (Chloris/Clarice), as an object that is loved and devoured (Mischa), and as a literal source of sustenance that must be given up during infancy (mommy).

Big brain Clarice connects all these dots and, in the very same style of therapy that Hannibal has been using on her, distills Hannibal's psychological problems into a single poetic gesture that completely fixes Hannibal in an instant, proving that she's not only his intellectual equal, but is, in some ways, his superior.

When Clarice asks, "Did you ever feel that you had to relinquish the breast to Mischa? Did you ever feel you were required to give it up for her?", she's ostensibly asking Hannibal if he's stuck in the oral stage of childhood development (which yeah he probably is). On a deeper level, she's asking Hannibal to consider if he's given up on love.

When Clarice exposes her breast in the same fashion as Chloris, says, "You don’t have to give up this one", and suspends the drop of wine from her nipple, she is shifting his perception of her breast from familial devoured sustenance to a sexual object. Basically, "Why do you want me to pretend I'm your sister when we could be banging?" Hannibal is being aged out of his childlike mindset, not regressing into one.

There are other layers of meaning in this act. The hedonism of using thousand dollar wine for food play is a sign of Clarice's character development. The way Hannibal kneels before Clarice is a position of subservience, but could also be interpreted as devouring Clarice in a way that's new to him. It's the most self-actualized thing Hannibal has done since escaping prison (LOL) and marks the end of his hero's journey (as one of the first things we see him do in Hannibal Rising is nurse).

Personally, I don't read this scene as breastfeeding kink. Yeah, Clarice talks about breastfeeding, but that was more a metaphor for other stuff. Considering the direction of Hannibal's character arc, I understand this scene as him briefly licking the wine off before they have sex. But to each their own! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

ANYWAY, yeah, it's unsettling. It's obviously meant to be. But it's beautifully unsettling! Hate it all you want, but this is peak cannibal romance, to me!!