#like the reason the storm works so well is because it parallels the moments they both are banished

[likealittleheartbeat]

just reading through the tags by @irresistible-revolution left on here and !!!!!

#refuge is also huge here because aang is countryless due to the war#and so is zuko when he joins them#while everyone else is fighting to NOT be countryless

We’ve all been calling the Gaang the classic example of the found family trope, but it’s a game-changer when you interpret it through the lens of the sangha instead.

“The practice [of the sangha] is, therefore, to grow some roots. The sangha is not a place to hide in order to avoid your responsibilities. The sangha is a place to practice for the transformation and the healing of self and society. When you are strong, you can be there in order to help society. If your society is in trouble, if your family is broken, if your church is no longer capable of providing you with spiritual life, then you work to take refuge in the sangha so that you can restore your strength, your understanding, your compassion, your confidence. And then in turn you can use that strength, understanding and compassion to rebuild your family and society, to renew your church, to restore communication and harmony. This can only be done as a community—not as an individual, but as a sangha.”

Thich Nhat Hanh

[pagannatural]

2.09 Croatoan

-my beloved

-The brothers go to Oregon because Sam has a vision of Dean shooting someone who pleads for his life.

-Sam thinks Dean is violent and out of control because of his grief but he’s actually violent and out of control because he’s losing his mind over Sam.

-Sam looks very Scared Little Brother when they realize the town has no phone signal. He stands really close to Dean. Sam is right. I forgot how scary this episode is.

-Sam hesitates to kill the son who had the mom tied up, and Dean berates him. Dean calls the son a “monster” and Sam says “it was a kid.” Dean likes a clean line between monster and human.

-Sam is always the one who comforts the victims and tells people everything will be okay, another way in which his role in the relationship is traditionally feminine. He’s the one women find non-threatening. (And he’s too distracted by Dean to be attracted to them).

-When the mom, Beverly, says “one minute they were my husband and my son and the next they had the devil in them” the camera cuts to Sam and Dean. This line could be Dean describing a blood-drinking Sam: one minute he was my husband and my son and the next he had the devil in him.

-One of the armed men blocking the road out of town asks Dean to get out of the car to “talk a little,” and Dean says “you are a handsome devil but I don’t swing that way, sorry.” It’s easy to forget that in the early 2000s, this kind of throwaway joke on network tv didn’t usually hint at a character’s hidden sexuality, it was just a vaguely biphobic little joke. But I do think there’s a reason it’s here.

The Croatoan virus is a demonic virus spread from blood infection that’s not visible just by looking at someone. So we have a little AIDS parallel. It’s also a similar concept to Sam’s demon blood. His blood represents choice and sin and the human mixed with the monstrous. Blood is also associated with family.

Incest and queerness are taboos that have often been conflated in fiction (and in history), and both have been strongly associated with monstrosity—think predatory sexuality, birth defects, infertility, rejection of the natural order. A desire that’s dangerous and wrong and destructive, that must stay hidden and can only survive in the shadows. The homoerotic incestuous monster hunters are the perfect storm of gothic queer horror.

Whether or not either brother is queer doesn’t affect the plot, and isn’t the point. I can see Dean grappling with being in love with Sam without questioning his sexuality at all. Sam is a category unto himself to Dean, and Sam doesn’t appear bothered about his sexuality aside from his feelings about Dean. But the confluence of these taboos—incest and queerness—with blood is central to the plot of the show and the question of what evil is. Really their love for each other and their shared blood is what saves them, keeps them human.

-Another of my absolute favorite underrated wincest moments is when Beverly is begging for her life from the utility room and Dean asks Sam “are you sure she’s one of them?” Sam barely nods and it’s enough for Dean to shoot her three times point blank. He doesn’t need any more information, just for Sam to nod slightly.

-Sam suggests that they need to leave to warn others of the virus and Dean tells him he has a good point. They respect each other’s input and work together well.

-Duane shows up and the situation becomes very tense. Sam is standing with his whole body facing Dean. In moments of extreme stress, Sam often seeks Dean’s protection rather than focusing on the threat.

-Dean has a gun on Duane with some urgency but Sam says “I gotta talk to you—now” and Dean leaves the room with him immediately.

Sam argues that they should wait and not kill Duane in case he isn’t infected. Dean says “what’s that buy us?”

“A clear conscience, for one.”

“Well it’s too late for that.” Is Dean talking about his guilt over John’s death? Or is this more about his general self hatred around never being enough to be everything for everyone, to give Sam everything that he needs and be the perfect son and soldier and brother and father and mother?

Sam tells him “you don’t act like yourself anymore, Dean. You’re acting like one of those things out there.” Dean does feel lost. He needs Sam to save him so that he can save Sam.

-Sam is so devoted to Dean this season. He spent season 1 gradually giving into his complete trust and commitment to Dean and now he’s been losing him or at risk of losing him in different ways all season. He fights tooth and nail for Dean every step of the way to get him to listen, to talk, to come back to him.

-Dean pushes Sam out of the way and locks him out, aiming to kill Duane. He says “it’s not him, not any more” and “I’ve got no choice.” But then Dean decides not to shoot him.

-When the doctor asks if it’s alright to untie Duane, Dean and Sam seem to have a wordless conversation in which Dean defers to Sam’s judgement, and Sam tells the doctor it’s okay to untie him.

-Sam is Dean’s morality. Dean is submitting to Sam, needing him to help him make the right choice. By doing this he’s also believing in Sam’s ability to stay good.

-Sam says about Dean not killing Duane “you know I’m gonna ask you why.”

Dean replies “yeah I know,” not looking up, focusing on keeping his hands busy making Molotov cocktails.

“So why? Why didn’t you do it?”

Dean looks at Sam with his chin tucked, like it’s hard to meet his eyes. He doesn’t answer. He clears his throat and says “we need more alcohol,” basically asking Sam to leave for a moment so that he can pull it together. He gazes after Sam with this raw, shamed look.

It’s the first of two parallels in this episode to their conversation in 1.19 where Sam says his reticence to date is mostly not about Jessica, and Dean asks “then what is it about?” and Sam just looks at him, implying heavily that it’s about Dean.

The question Dean was asking Sam there was essentially, Why can’t you love anyone else?

The first question Sam asks Dean is why he didn’t kill someone, but it’s also why Dean wants to do the right thing and not lose himself, and the answer is because of Sam.

-After Sam is attacked, he reaches for Dean’s hand to help him up off the floor and then just leaves his hand outstretched after Sarge holds Dean back and tells him Sam is infected. It’s like his muscle memory of reach-out-hand, Dean-pulls-me-up hasn’t caught on.

-The whole time Dean argues with the others about Sam, Sam only looks at the floor or at Dean. He’s not watching the conversation, he’s watching Dean because he’s scared and he looks to Dean when he’s scared.

-Dean says “no one’s shooting my brother”

He’s so protective. He was about to kill someone who might be infected just in case, but when it’s Sam he would simply rather die in a murder suicide and that’s that on that.

-Sam asks for the gun so that he can shoot himself, saying “I’m not gonna become one of those things.” This episode is pure foreshadowing for the end of s5. Sam refuses to become a monster, Dean chooses to stand by him and die rather than kill him. Because of their faith in each other, because they waited, things work out.

-Dean hands over the keys to the impala. He’s not fucking around. He tells the doctor “oh actually we’re not really marshals.” He’s in a truth telling mood, fuck it.

-Sam asks Dean to leave him and keep living, looking at him with incredulity and gratitude and love and fear.

Dean leaving him alone to die or become a monster would fulfill Sam’s deepest fear—left behind, not belonging, because something is wrong with him. But he still asks Dean to go, he throws a fit, he tells him “this is the dumbest thing you’ve ever done.” It reminds me of that scene from Titanic, Jack telling Rose “you’re so stupid” for staying with him instead of saving herself.

He says “it’s over for me, it doesn’t have to be for you.”

“No?”

“No. You can keep going.”

“Who says I want to?”

This scene is so dramatic and romantic. Close shots of their faces, Sam looking up at Dean with his eyes full of tears, begging him. Dean tells Sam he doesn’t want to go on without him.

Sam asks, what?

For a moment it almost looks like he’s taking this as the confession that it is, before Dean puts some distance between them and leans against the wall. This is the second scene is this episode to parallel their conversation in 1.19, this time even more closely.

Sam thinks Dean doesn’t want to go on because their dad died, but Dean says “you’re wrong. It’s not about dad. I mean part of it is, sure, but-“

Sam interrupts to ask “then what is it about?” and Dean gives him this look,

this look of love and tenderness, like he’s willing Sam to understand.

This time Sam’s question is Why don’t you want to live? And the answer is that Dean doesn’t want to live without Sam.

I love how this scene makes clear that Sam’s romantic partners compare directly to Dean. It confirms what Sam was thinking about in 1.19, because for these scenes to rhyme they must have been thinking about each other.

-The brothers share a romantic beer at the lake. Sam asks Dean what he was talking about last night in a way that honest-to-god sounds like he’s referring to pillow talk. Dean doesn’t want to tell so Sam keeps pushing, but their tones are teasing and light. They really sound like they’re flirting. Dean suggests that they go to the Grand Canyon.

Sam keeps questioning him, gentle but insistent, as Dean talks about taking a break.

-Where is our Grand Canyon episode?

-Sam looks so scared when Dean says John told him something about Sam before he died. I wonder what’s running through his head. There’s this feeling that people with Sam’s negative core belief often get, which is a fear that something is deeply wrong or rotten in them and that eventually other people will find out. He’s probably thinking that’s finally happened.

[brw]

soooo any in-depth thoughts/analysis on the recent x-force comic?

Ooooh okay, so I've definitely already ranted far too much to @elvain and @positivelybeastly but yes, I have quite a few, on various levels of complexity. The main thing that really stands out me is this; we have followed Hank for 50 issues of this, and a solid chunk of Percy's Wolverine. We have been in his head at different stages, and observed his thought patterns and his reasoning at different intervals, however weak or out of character those are. Not once did he ever mention or even think about Simon. So it really does stand out that without a moment's hesitation or consideration, he gave his life for Simon. No messing around, no second thoughts... because it was Simon, and Simon specifically. He would have never in a million years done that for anyone on Krakoa. He was willing to permanently ruin his relationship with Jean and with Emma and with so many people he cares about, but not Simon. Simon, he will throw himself in front of time and time again. Even if you're not reading these two as romantic, the literal actual text is clearly that Simon is on a higher tier of emotional importance to Hank, even the worst version of Hank, than anyone else. That stands out. Intentional or not, that is what happens! The only person who could get Hank to stop thinking about Krakoa or about mutantkind's survival above all ethics or morals was Simon Williams.

Now, Percy doesn't write a particularly strong Simon. While Simon is a pacifist, he also kind of fucking hates Logan, and I really don't think even pacifist Simon wouldn't tell Logan to get the fuck out of his face here.

(also, Simon is like 6'2. What the hell is Logan standing on to make him seem so tall?)

And I know for a fact that Percy hasn't read these issues because it doesn't make any sense to write Hank the way he does if he actually has this much knowledge... BUT. But. It does stand out to me how willing Simon was to put himself in front of that gun/nuke thing, because Simon has done that before, and he has died from it. He dies in issue one of Force Works to protect earth from the Kree Ionic Cannon, which comes across as a reference to the comic event Operation: Galactic Storm, where Simon fails to stop a bomb going off that kills many Kree soldiers and this trauma permanently changes the tone of the 1991 Wonder Man series.

Simon has become someone very willing to sacrifice himself to protect other people, because the fear of being responsible for so many deaths has outweighed his fear of dying himself. Anyway, after Force Works, we see Simon's funeral in Tales of the Marvels: Wonder Years, and Hank is briefly interviewed and shown at that funeral, and he looks absolutely miserable.

And it is just... does Beast Prime remember this? Remember how difficult it was to lose his best friend? Hank becomes increasingly reclusive and focused on curing the legacy virus at the expense of his friendships during the 90s; is this part of this? Does this influence just how quick of a decision it was, to put himself and his life in front of Simon once again sacrificing himself for the benefit of others?

As I said, I do not think Ben has read either Force Works or Wonder Years, because why would you read those for this and not any Hank McCoy comic ever, but it does remind me of those moments and there's just. a lot of parallels there I enjoy.

However, I do feel frustrated slightly by the decision made to literally blow up Hank from the 80s–2020s? That's 40 years, and a lot of people have contributed to Hank in that time. Morrison, Whedon, Lobdell, Gillen, Waid, Ewing, Wells, Claremont, and hell, even people who's Hank's I don't like very much, like Bendis or Fraction, they all still had at least something to contribute to the character and it feels wrong that so much of that history is just. gone. Is Percy's writing worth this loss? Has he made any interesting statements about Hank McCoy as a character to justify steamrolling over 40 years of history and established lore and character development? Abigail Brand, gone from Hank's memory. His time travel shenanigans, gone. Dark Beast, a vague comment. Breaking through the door of Avengers mansion to kiss Simon on the floor and give him red roses, also gone. Becoming feline, to the sands of time. It's just depressing that so much has been cut out because writing an actual redemption arc would require having positive thoughts about Hank and we know Percy doesn't have those. I suppose I'm also just generally against the idea that villains have to die to be redeemed, anyway; is it not more interesting and more complex when someone has done so many horrible things as Hank had done under Percy, and he still is capable of change? Why can he only prove that capability in death? It feels like a very lazy way out and I really hope MacKay or someone gives Hank those memories back because so many wonderful and interesting dynamics have been lost because of it and I don't want them just to roll over it as if it hasn't happened.

But it does still really stand out that. Hank was willing to give everything up for Simon, and Simon specifically. Simon was the first person Defenders era Beast could think of that would make things better, that he felt safe talking to, and Simon is the one and only person Beast Prime was willing to die for, to put all the rest of his motivations and impulses on hold for and give up his life because he couldn't bare to lose his friend again.

And now the new Hank is living in Simon's small, one bed flat in L.A.

He's not helping the X-Men fight Orchis or the sentinels, or help X-Force with the Sabertooth problem... no, he's followed Simon to L.A. despite being covered in fur. That's true love if I've ever seen it.

It is also absolutely hysterical how little X-Force did in their own finale. Because did Hank give up his life because he felt regret over what he did for them? Did they successfully inspire change or successfully stop him in any way other than drag a sentinel to bother Simon and Hank? No! They didn't do anything! Logan stabbed Beast Prime but that didn't stop him, Simon being at risk and being in danger did! The combined forces of X-Force and a giant sentinel are not enough to stop Hank McCoy but the actor from Arkon IV is. Not because Simon even spoke to Beast Prime, or because he's thought about Simon once in the past 5 years, but because it was impulsive. Hank loves Simon so deeply that he will give his life for him even at his very worst, even after 5+ years of no contact and no thoughts about him. That's the actual closing statement of X-Force. How much Hank McCoy would do anything for this d list lame actor/underwear model.

[kharmii]

Who are your favorite black clover characters and ships (platonic, romantic)? talk about them!

The Captain Yami x Captain Charlotte one is cute but aggravating. One wonders if it will ever work, or they will just keep acting goofy and oblivious to each other.

For maybe a split second, I entertained Zora x Neige as maybe a parallel to Dabi x Geten, but then I was like....there's no way! -But then I thought...how about Gauche x Neige? This was the one one I put thought into, like Neige sees Gauge as the replacement Big Brother for the one who died. It starts out toxic because Gauche is always rotten to him out of worry for his sister, but their relationship improves in time.

The others are relieved when Gauche gets weird about someone else besides his own sister. He ends up being a huge help to the church because on top of lavishing gifts on Neige and his sister, he also gives money to the church they save up to help the child orphans stay on their feet and build a life outside of adject poverty when they grow up. Neige and Marie also share their presents with the other children, especially since the latter gets a lot of cool toys.

After I thought of that, poor Neige has another encounter with Gauche in E.143, and it's unpleasant. Poor guy gets clubbed in the head, and then has to suffer getting chewed out because he tried to keep Marie from being kidnapped but failed.

The only other ships I'm into are the Zora ships. There's someone shipping a hetero fire/ice....well kind of rare pair that's Zora x Fragil Tormenta (Spanish for fragile storm). That's kind of interesting but with very little content. I also like Zora x Nebra Silva. Someone did a fan fic where they had, like, quadruplets and another baby. It was cute, but that pairing is hilarious. What would her family think?

Even funnier there's Zora x Kirsch Vermillion. Kirsch is one of those Narcissist tropes in the most literal sense, and he's obsessed by his own beauty. Every in the world has to pass through a beautiful lens.

No, seriously, this guy...... I've got to find a good clip of him on YouTube.

IDK how Kirsch and Zora would work, but it's a reasonably popular ship in Black Clover. The two don't get off to a good start because Zora roasts him extra bad in the Royal Knights Exam.

Side Note: I'm confused as to how Zora's ash magic translates to being able to create a cave-in. Is it more like.....gunpowder magic?

Maybe in order for Kirsch to see anything beautiful in Zora, he'd need to catch him in a moment of vulnerability. He's not a bad looking guy, but it's a good analogy they gave Zora a monster's mouth because he doesn't hold back. Maybe Zora gets badly injured and is too grateful to roast him as usual. Kirsch uses Cherry Blossom Healing Magic; Beautiful Blossom’s Caress of Life on him, and he's dreamily blurting out compliments and validating him, like, "Yeah, for sure, you are stunningly gorgeous. I want to stay conscious so I can keep looking at your beautiful face. Don't let me pass out... *rapidly blinks* You're like a perfect 10 with all those cherry blossoms circling around."

[professorspork]

debated with myself whether to ask about a happy scene in order to spare myself the agony but: since it has haunted me unceasingly since the first time i read it i would love to hear the commentary on the scene in newsbees where adam. well i can't say cuts off because that happens later but. destroys yang's arm? i consider myself to have a pretty high tolerance for dark/disturbing stuff in fiction but that scene made me feel physically ill (positive? as in insanely well written) so i would love to hear what went into writing it because it is a fucking Achievement. (i have not picked out a smaller passage but if you want to pick a specific section to talk about go crazy)

well first of all thank you for the incredible compliment, gosh

and second of all-- to talk about the genesis of this scene we actually have to rewind the clock pretty much all the way back, because it wasn't entirely clear to me how all this would work for uh... a really good percentage of the drafting process, tbh

[warning for squeamish readers this will eventually get... a little intense bc I'm describing some very violent shit under the read more]

figuring out how Adam would fit into the basic framework of the Newsies film plot was a major hurdle in my planning process before I could actually start writing the fic. Blake and Yang don't map perfectly onto David and Jack, they're sort of constantly swapping who carries which beats, but Jack's on the run because he knows the cops will give him back to Snyder, the warden of the juvenile hall. Jack has systemic issues that ultimately have systemic solutions, resolved by the dismantling of The Refuge as an institution. so in the very earliest versions, when I was figuring out my antagonistic forces, I considered all sorts of ways for Clover to be chasing Blake, too, or for Adam to somehow be manipulating the Atlesian carceral state as a way to get Blake on the run.

one of the reasons I thought I had to use the cops was because I wanted to capture the visceral fear that happens in Newsies when the police break up the union's rally. I wish there were a youtube clip I could link to, but the basic outline is that Jack, having been outed by Snyder as a ~runaway outlaw~ to the chief of police, is slated to talk on stage at this massive rally of all the striking newsies. The cops surround the concert hall, and then storm in as Jack's speaking. Jack's friends try to help him get away, but it's chaos. there are mounted officers inside the lobby, and that terrifying moment-- a horse rearing up and the desperate scramble to get out of the way of its falling hooves-- is the true kernel of what ultimately became the Yang's arm scene. the violence of it is so distinctive and outsized to the situation, and felt true to both source materials in a way I was eager to keep.

so the stomp was kind of there from the beginning, because Newsies gave it to me... though it took me a while to realize it. I knew I didn't want Adam to have a sword, because that felt like it broke the world and was a little too cartoon-y. that meant I had to choose between Adam cutting her arm some other way (cleaner, but requires a lot more context to pull off in terms of what he'd have access to), or issuing such a catastrophic injury that amputation was the only option (much more achievable no matter how I wrote the scene, and brutal). I read up a lot about like, what does and does not constitute an irreparable break, and the bones in Yang's arm being crushed was the most "this is inarguable, they'd just do it" solution. the idea of Adam warning Blake resisting just makes the boot come down harder was something that I'd already had floating around my notes, and so the idea of using that as a parallel and him saying it again while actually stomping down was just... once I had the thought, I knew I had to.

figuring out how that scene would work took a lot more doing, though. as you'll notice, newsbees doesn't actually have a rally scene; the people Blake and Yang are talking to are the press, not their fellow strikers. for a long time, the rally was going to be played much more straight, and I was going to use that moment for Adam to out Blake as a Faunus and insinuate her as a member of the White Fang (something something "great job darling, you fooled them" "what the fuck are you talking about??? he's lying!" sort of thing) and there would be some kind of reveal about the crowd being filled with White Fang plants. I got.... really far into the draft, before I let go of that being the shape of the scene. it really wasn't until I reached the part after Blake and Yang's arrest and the gang had to come up with a plan that it all finally fell together organically, based on this idea of "Ruby should talk to the press" being the script that goes sideways.

so once I had the venue, it all kind of came together. the pieces fell into place; I knew I needed to blow up the Schnee garage to cause damage to the property that wouldn't threaten any of the cast in the manor, and to get Ilia access to a getaway car. having Adam hit Yang to start the scene then laid out the players on the board the way I'd wanted them (Blake surrounded, Yang largely incapacitated).

and as for the actual writing of the scene itself... the vast majority of what's published was the very first draft, which I wrote in one feverish sitting just trying to get my own, like, revulsion at Adam's actions down on the page. Blake's anxiety manifests as nausea often throughout the story, and this was always intended to show why--he's just absolutely stomach-turning, in the things he's willing to do and say. I tend to be adjective- and adverb-heavy in my writing even at the best of times, but I really tried to maximalize my descriptive language to always land back on violence, here: it's not just that he's menacing, it's not just that Blake is scared out of her mind, it's that he's purposefully doing everything he can to make this hurt (physically, emotionally, mentally) as much as possible and they both know it. it's why one stomp was never going to be enough for him; it's why he goes out of his way to make Blake parrot that it's her fault, which immediately back-fills in all the millions of times the reader knows he must have done that throughout their relationship. in his head, this is Blake's punishment for defying him: look what you made me do, this wouldn't have happened if you'd just behaved. and for a punishment to stick, Blake has to FEEL it.

which: the cruelty here, just like in the show, is that this is a pivotal moment in Yang's life and it doesn't get to be about her. Adam's not hurting Yang to hurt Yang; he's doing it to hurt Blake. Yang's just a prop, and useful or important to him only as a way of showing there's no part of Blake, nothing she holds precious, that she can protect from him. he hurts Yang for the same reason he'd punch a wall next to Blake's head, or tear pages out of her diary and break her pencils or something. he doesn't see Yang as a person. he doesn't see Yang AT ALL. he's making eye contact with Blake, talking to Blake, putting pressure on Blake the entire time he's doing this. the only time he addresses Yang, period, is to reveal that Blake used to be in the White Fang and hid it from her-- which, again, was a dig to make Blake feel like shit. he couldn't care less what that meant for Yang.

which, you know, is exactly what Blake was afraid of and knew would happen and was trying desperately to avoid :)

[lover-of-mine]

okay so: opinions on buddie having a confession similar to the jolink one at the end of 19x20?????

(I know jolink have more of a romantic/sexual past than buddie do currently, but when I first watched that scene all I could think about was buddie, because of the fact that the kids were included as part of the speech but not the main focus, and the whole 'I'm so in love with you. How do you not see that?' bit and so many more reasons that have escaped my brain right now)

(Also full disclosure: I'm not a fan of jolink as a couple, and wish they'd stayed as friends, but I do love the buddie parallels/vibes they give me 😅😅)

((Sorry this was long!!! 💚💚))

(just to get it out of the way, I was fighting and kicking and screaming at them putting jolink together because they had such a great friendship and damnit media needs more friendships between men and women who are straight but not trying to get with each other)

I'm kinda obsessed with the idea of getting something like that now that you mentioned lol. I mean, there would have to be some adjustments, I feel like a lot of it works the way it does because they slept together and decided to say it was just casual, with the way they explicitly draw the line and said "no we are just friends" and I feel like that wouldn't work as long term as they played it with jolink when applied to buddie (not unless they want to make us suffer more for a few seasons but if buddie sleeps together then wakes up and go nah we should just be friends is never gonna happen again, I'll burn something down), but I am legit obsessed with the idea of Buck hiding behind Chris for a change and just snapping, listing things about loving Eddie and Eddie is just staring at him with his exasperated husband face and going "you idiot I love you too". If they kiss in the rain too I would spontaneously combust (with the lightning and the well and every bad thing that happened to Buck involving water and the way the moment they start getting along involves literal fire, the symbolism behind them getting something good in the rain would be everything to me really)

But since we're talking Jo, I rewatched the perfect storm the other day, that's why I ended up making the parallel between April and Buck, and I keep thinking about a situation like when jolex gets together. The whole they have a huge fight, Jo tells Alex to stay away from her, then she shows up hurt, Alex gets all protective, he's about to say it, but then the tree falls into Alex living room, and they ignore it until Jo says she doesn't deserve it, that she'll ruin it and Alex is all you asked yesterday you wanted to hear it I'm gonna say it but them he freezes, and she's all i don't hear anything, and they banter a little bit before Alex finally says he loves her and they kiss. I feel like if we get a proper build up with buddie where everyone is aware of where they are going and they keep fighting against it until something snaps but right before they actually do something the universe intervenes, and have them dance around the fact that they almost said it dealing with an emergency, all while the tension between them keeps getting higher, until they finally get a moment alone and they can talk and Buck is all we should just forget it, you're my best friend, I'll mess it up, depending on the nature of the emergency that stopped them you can even add a line of like "that was a sign, the universe was stopping us from making a mistake" that Eddie could counter with his level is skepticism "I don't believe the universe speaks to anyone and you wanted to hear me saying it so I'm saying it" and then freezing and having them banter back and forth until one of them says I love you and the other goes in for the kiss, could work. And it would be one hell of a scene.

So the conclusion here is that Jo has very buddiecoded love confession since Alex and Link get the best friend place before things evolve and either one of them makes for a killer getting together scenario for buddie.

[brolantra]

The past 24 has been as healing as it was triggering. I’ve been spending a lot of time going inward. Focusing on deep deep shadow work. It’s been hard because the things I’ve avoided within me, I definitely avoided for a reason. But I always knew it would spring back up out of its hiding place…… that was never in question. I was presented with the perfect storm.. the perfect circumstances that helped me not only face what I needed to face, but also make connections and find the parallels. And the way my gifts have been upgraded I see now why God even allowed me to postpone healing this particular wound to begin with. I needed the upgrades in order to see how everything in my life truly connects. Between my dysfunctional family, awful ex friends, abusive past lovers & even the work environments I was once apart of. I also needed to see how the wounds of this lifetime connect to my past lives as well as my ancestral line. I got hit with a wave of clarity like never before. I always say clarity is a fleeting thing for me, and that’s true. So the way things have been going, I feel the need to really relish in this moment. I will hold on to this feeling, and revisit this moment when doubt and sorrow are looking to creep in again. Broke down for a break through indeed

On a less serious note… I’m allergic to cats right, and my nephew was around a bunch of cats before he came over the other day. I was with him for over 12 hours with no problems and then suddenly had an allergic reaction. Eyes swelled up, got all itchy, watery, and red. Took Benadryl before my body had a chance to produce hives, because I knew that was next. I’m only mentioning this because I wanted to say that although a lot of times I feel like I know I’m one of Gods favorites…… people who aren’t allergic to cats are the REAL favorites. I love cats and I’m allergic as fuck 😭😭😭 It’s not FAIR

[longroadstonowhere]

i have watched the first episode of the live action avatar, and i'm a big fan thus far

like, literally my only real gripe is i don't like how floaty aang can be without his glider, seems like he can pretty much fly without it and i liked how limiting that was for his powers (plus it made zaheed's whole deal pretty cool in korra)

but other than that? starting the show from the past, so that we immediately understand what aang has lost, and introducing us to his abilities through the current need for them (which he then runs away from because he is a child who just wanted to take a bit of time to himself before he was forced into responsibilities beyond his control), honestly a super solid choice in my opinion because they just don't have the time to wait six episodes for an episode parallel to 'the storm' to happen, and it's unlikely anyone watching this is completely unaware of aang's backstory

i really liked the conversation he and iroh had, as well, with iroh actually trying to explain things to aang as best he could without giving away his own feelings on the matter, acting within the limits of what he can do as an ostracized old fool (which is the vibe i get from him)

i like how they foreground sokka's need to protect the village as his heroic flaw, and how katara is the one to push past his pragmatism to make him realize they have to do better than just survive if they want their struggle to mean anything at all, and i really love how katara is the one to protect them all from zuko's fireblast as they escaped his ship

i will admit, i'm reserving judgment on the relative amounts of screentime between katara and sokka, because it feels like sokka's story might be getting more weight at the moment and i don't want katara to be diminished in any way, but that is merely me being cautious for now, i'll give them the benefit of the doubt until i finish the season

which, by the way, for some reason i thought these would be coming out every week? but i guess i just assumed that because of how dungeon meshi is, and there's no real reason for them to drop these episodes one at a time (although i won't be binging the whole thing tonight, i've got other things i must do with my time)

also! the lore nerd in me absolutely loves all the worldbuilding details, from the big stuff like the strategy of how sozin managed to take out most of the air nomads in one strike to the little things like how we have a name for katara and sokka's village, and how the front gate has a water tribe symbol subtly worked into it

so yeah, one episode in and i like the adaptation - there's differences from the cartoon, but there should be for a good adaptation, and... dunno if this'll make sense, but it feels like the difference between shonen and seinen? like the cartoon is the version of this story written as a shonen, and the live action is the version of this story written as a seinen - not something i can explain with better words than that, i think, hahahahaha

[damthosefandoms]

so here's the thing, i've read three of hinton's books now in the last few months (the outsiders, (most of) that was then this is now, and tex) and i've kind of come to the conclusion that she's just crazy about world building. and the thing is that i love that, because it means you can literally turn to any page in a given book and she'll have the narrator (reliable or unreliable as they are) or some character dropping lore out of nowhere, whether it's relevant to the plot or not. which maybe is just how books work but there's something about the way it's done in her books (the outsiders specifically) that is just really really cool to me. how in a book like the outsiders that's only a hundred and eighty pages long we can squeeze enough out of the characters to keep people coming back to it for actual decades.

and if you don't believe me (which you should), i got a random number generator, and i'm gonna flip to whatever page it tells me to and find some kinda detail on there to over-analyze (below the cut) because there is nothing i love more than over-analyzing a few lines of text. and sharing details with people who might not know as many fun things because they were introduced to the story through other forms of media, which is awesome! retellings just add more and more to pre-existing characters and I just think that’s neat <3

oh and if you want to, try opening to a random page yourself in the book (or like... find a free pdf online if you don't have a physical copy and scroll to a random page. or add your favorite tiny background detail from the movie or musical and talk about it. go nuts) and reblog with at least one detail that stands out!!! also no wrong opinions here because i'm here for a fun time not a serious time <3 in this house we write the book reports we hated writing and never turned in back in high school <3

The Outsiders - Page 39 I have quite a rep for being quiet, almost as quiet as Johnny. Two-Bit always said he wondered why Johnny and I were such good buddies. "You must make such interestin' conversation," he'd say, cocking one eyebrow, "you keepin' your mouth shut and Johnny not sayin' anything." But Johnny and I understood each other without saying anything. Nobody but Soda could really get me talking. Till I met Cherry Valance.

I could've every easily gone and talked about the bigger hunk of text on this page: Pony delving into the story of Soda and Mickey Mouse, which would be so on-brand for me, but that flows over onto the next page and I thought this one was more intriguing in the moment for a few reasons.

For one, the Ponyboy-Johnny dynamic. Like I could talk for years about them, as friends, as boyfriends, as that weird inbetween whatever-they-are to each other qpr pbj my beloved, but like, the key here is that it's just such good insight to their relationship. They understand each other. They don't need to talk to know what the other is thinking. They're not just sitting there whispering and giggling like little kids, they're not yapping away a storm, but they just—it's like parallel play. The proximity to each other is enough to bond, and they can just read each other very well.

As separate characters, as well, it tells us a lot. Johnny's quiet, quieter than pretty much anyone—makes me wonder if anyone can get him talking, if he still doesn't talk that much with Pony around because they don't need to talk to enjoy their time together (actually, I could argue that Dally can get Johnny talking and bring him out of his shell, but THAT evidence isn't from this particular page so I won't be bringing it up).

Ponyboy is quiet. Which is implied quite a lot, but because he's the main character, he does a lot of talking in the story, so it's easy to forget that he's maybe not like that all the time; he seems to be most comfortable talking more around the people he loves, as opposed to Johnny who doesn't talk much even around the gang. Two-Bit says Pony isn't a talker, and we know he's more of an observer. But he talks to Soda a lot, in a way that's less Pony saying whatever comes to mind but specifically "Soda can really get me talking" which means even Soda has to really work to get him to open up. Until he meets Cherry, who just seems to easily figure that out. Almost like maybe she and Soda are similar in how they approach him, which gives us even more on how THEIR characters are!

ALSO, this little bit of text leans a little into how observant Two-Bit is, which is also shown clearly in other parts of the story, but I won't get into that either.

And it's always worth noting that Pony's an unreliable narrator, so we can't always take his word for it, but... he says he has a rep for being quiet, and when we get an outsider's (heh) POV in TWTTIN, Bryon describes him as "not having the rep of a tough guy" and calls him "shy," and then Cathy literally outright says he's not her type because he's "too quiet," so it's pretty easy to believe that this isn't just him saying it—he is quiet, but he opens up to the people who know how to get through to him. And while Johnny and him are closer than peanut butter and jelly on a sandwich, Johnny doesn't need to talk to him to understand him—and the only people who he can really talk to are Soda and Cherry.

tldr i love this book idk man

​you open to any given page of the outsiders and ponyboy’s dropping more lore about his friends, family, and the world he lives in than a goddamn soc saturday livestream. and none of it has anything to do with the plot

[wellnotwisely]

Briefly, on The Bear

I haven’t written in years, but I’m slowly, clunky trying to get back into it. At the moment, it's very much a case of doing it for the sake of trying to remember how to do it... Here’s a short piece on ‘The Bear’ (contains spoilers) that I managed to finish.

I'd heard a bit about The Bear- not too much so that it was labouring under the weight of expectation but just that it was a show about 'the pressures of the kitchen’ and that it was good. But what convinced me to watch it was the runtime: eight 20-minute episodes, and, boy, does that brevity serve it well.

Broadly, The Bear is about Carmy (Jeremy Allen-White), who returns home to run his brother's beef sandwich shop after he dies and leaves it to him. Carmy, a rising-star chef of some repute, finds himself back in a place he had reasons to leave, struggling to make sense of the suicide of a big brother he loved fiercely but hadn't spoken to in years. Cooking was something through which Carmy and his brother connected, yet also the source of their estrangement: Michael never let Carmy work at The Beef; never explained why. And now it is all he las left of him - this poky, debt-addled shop with its askance, rag-tag staff.

Much of what makes The Bear work is due to Jeremy Allen-White's performance - all hand-pushed-through-it mussed hair, big eyes, shoulders tight with grief and guilt, puff-puff-puffing on a cigarette. Within that small kitchen, Carmy is both the storm and the stillness. A panic attack away from immolation. The camera seems relentless in its pursuit of him, exacerbating the tension and stress with rapid cuts, jittery tracking shots, and close-ups. When he flings open the back door for a moment's escape, you gulp the fresh air for release. In his brother's kitchen, Carmy grapples with the parallels of their shared passion and pain while seeking a way to free himself from being consumed by it. Wrestling the bear.

There are other superb turns, too. Ebon Moss-Bachrach as the only-made-tolerable-because-Michael-put-up-with-him, now superfluous Richie you loathe but could absolutely see yourself being two bad choices away from being. It's such an acute combination of writing and performance to give somebody who is so inherently cuntish a degree of understanding and vulnerability without it excusing him. Aya Edebiri as Sydney, a headstrong 'green' chef burning through workplaces due to an uncompromising belief in knowing the way (her way) in implementing change immediately wherever whenever that change makes sense. Success can only look like this.

And let's talk about it: that Jon Bernthal cameo. A cameo's function is to provide the audience with the pleasure of recognition upon seeing a well-known face in a perhaps unexpected context. When Carmy says 'I always thought my bother was my best friend... Except everybody thought he was their best friend... he was that magnetic.' Suddenly it all made perfect sense. Because cameos are also a form of shorthand- the shorthand of a specific actor bringing specific, familiar elements to a part. Who could be that instantly, believably magnetic? Now, you tilt-nodded your understanding. The gossamer of a character threaded throughout made sparkly flesh. It made sense that everyone fell apart after Michael died because Michael was Jon Bernthal and that's a charisma and warmth and presence whose loss you'd feel. That final shot of Carmy's memory of Michael throwing him a look and smile over his shoulder? Conspirational after what's just occurred but also filled with love- romantic not in nature but in style. A beautiful full stop.

[teatitty]

Sparbossa Brainrot Part 8: Long Suffering Husbands

If you didn’t believe me before when I said this is a monstrous movie to dissect well you’ll be pleased to know you only have two parts left after this and then we can pretend I’m a perfectly normal person over this trilogy

Anyway picking up right where we left off last time we have Jack swinging over from The Endeavour to The Pearl, with The Pearl’s crew already leaning over the railing and expecting him to make his glorious return to the ship. Naturally, Barbossa still manages to look the least surprised out of everyone here

Though when it looks like Jack may have gone overboard he does seem to cuss quite loudly. There’s no audio though so I’m just guessing

Pushes in front of everyone to get to where Jack was first

And on top of being the first one to see where Jack is, he also does a double take to make sure of it. Even after all these years it seems these two keep surprising eachother and truly the only reason Jack is posturing like this is to be a show off lol

The point I’m making is that even without discussing anything beforehand, Sparbossa had complete and utter faith that they would both make it out of their respective situations and where Jack knew that The Pearl would blast The Endeavour and it would be his sign to leave, Barbossa instinctually knew (along with the Crew of course) that Jack would use his usual rope swinging trick to get back to them. Subtle details that are easy to miss but oh so juicy!

And then Hector becomes an aggravated spouse storming off in a huff because Jack made him think something bad had happened but he was actually fine lol

Jack did this with Barbossa earlier that same day so... Barbossa - Elizabeth parallels perhaps?

This decision is what gives her the crew's respect if that wasn't obvious before

Will straight up forgetting he's dealing with the escape expert himself. Do have to wonder how long Jack's been sitting there watching him do this. Anyway we've been long overdue a mentor moment between them and so here it is!

“My disappointment is immeasurable and my night is ruined. I thought I taught you better than this”

Jack gives surprisingly good relationship advice which is a stark contrast to Barbossa who can't even "speak as if to lover" to free Calypso which has always tickled me

Dying did indeed reshuffle Jack's priorities - it also reshuffled Barbossa's which is why they ultimately go after The Fountain of Youth at the end of this movie

Jack has officially given his compass to both Will and Elizabeth to use in order to complete his own ends. I'll be honest when I first saw this I thought he was gonna kiss Will and throw him overboard as a callback to Elizabeth's kiss with him in DMC but alas this is still Disney

Welcome to the club William they have meet-ups every Thursday

This is a pretty good shot to show how they differ in captaincy: Jack actually mingles with the Crew and creates a personal rapport with them but Barbossa keeps himself distant, only allowing a small number (in this case, Pintel and Ragetti, since he trusted them with the eye) to get somewhat close to him

I see this take a lot so I'm going to put it to rest right now: Calypso isn't threatening Barbossa with death she's threatening to bring back his Aztec curse - permanently, this time, which is why his hand turns skeletal. A threat of death wouldn't work considering she actually needs him alive to free her and besides the Curse would be a fate far worse in comparison

Course Barbossa doesn't take such threats lying down. As much as these two quite plainly hate eachother they have no choice but to work together for the time being. It’s fascinating to think that Calypso gets along with Jack who, like her, was betrayed by the man he trusted most (before you get on my ass about Calypso not showing up for her date, a broken promise is not the same as a betrayal. They both hurt for very different reasons), but doesn’t get along with Barbossa, who was the betrayer

Jack may not have been able to hear what was going on, but he still watched it all unfold. Whether he’d already figured out Tia Dalma was Calypso already or if this is when he fully connected the dots is up to interpretation but it’s fun to see his undivided attention on Barbossa regardless

If you wanted more proof that it was the curse she threatened him with, he clenches and unclenches his fist a couple times to make sure it's back to normal and looks, for a rare case, panicked

Clap it up for Will taking a leaf out of Jack's book with that innocent "you didn't tell him” much like when Jack said a similar comment about Elizabeth in the Locker

I know this is a Sparbossa thing, I know, but how could I not include the most heartbreaking Calyavy reveal

Jones "wants" Calypso dead and Beckett "wants" Jack dead. Exes man. What can ya do. Anyway Will is speaking in similar airy tones to how Elizabeth does which is a cool detail

Appreciation for the design of Shipwreck Cove because goddamn thats cool

It's cute how often Jack and Barbossa stand side by side even though they really don't have to

A wordless side-eye between them 

Barbossa did the summons so he's taking charge but Jack choosing not to sit at the table and just kind of lingering in the back messing the the swords is the biggest autism mood

The humour in AWE simply hits different I don't know what else to tell you

Sao Feng may not have known Jack was a Pirate Lord but everyone else - or, at least, Villanueva - does. More importantly this is when Barbossa learns what Jack's Piece is and then files away for later! Interesting that neither of them knew what the other’s Piece of Eight was until this scene but both are aware of their shared Pirate Lord status 

Smug son of a bitch it's a wonder Barbossa hasn't punched him yet honestly and absolutely no surprise that Sao Feng did

Swirls my drink. Do I even need to say it anymore

They do another one mere moments later

Jack of course knows this already and is doing his best to make sure nobody figures that out. Of everyone, Barbossa is the one most likely to either figure out at least some of what's going on soooo his narrow gaze flits to him

I just think them standing like this is cute and a nice setup for when Elizabeth is elected for being in charge and we see The Mentors standing either side of her

Appreciation point for Jack being a slut and showing off partial tit while looking at Hector Like That

Very easy to miss since the camera is putting him out of frame now but as Barbossa starts to talk about Calypso, Jack leans back to keep him in line of sight as he circles the table, similar to when Barbossa kept moving to keep Jack in sight back in the Locker

Jack doesn't actually disagree with Barbossa's points, is the thing. He's simply keeping an eye on the reactions of the other Lords because he happens to have his own plans this time

There's zero reason for him to lean so far into Jack's space when he returns to the head of the table. Look how much room there is between himself and Elizabeth in comparison

When the Lords start laughing at the idea what do these two do? A head turn towards eachother eugh

NO THE SUBS MISSED OUT THAT HE SPECIFICALLY CALLED THE BEARD "SCRAGGLY" THAT'S THIS IS THE WHOLE REASON HECTOR THE CAT IS SCRAGGLY TOO

This is the closest, I think, Barbossa has come to wanting to murder Jack on the spot in a long time. Meanwhile Jack is busy holding back laughter

Best line in the entire movie

Barbossa just has the best eye rolls

Davy kind of a snack with or without the tentacles ngl

WHOO THE CALYAVY AND SPARBOSSA PARALLELS IN THIS ONE LINE ALONE 

Her heart is the maelstrom he falls into when he dies at the end, for those who didn't make that connection

Barbossa has officially Had Enough and I thiiiiink that is in fact Jack holding up the sword in the back. Supportive husbands!

All looking at Barbossa’s hanging balls -

Jack looks Barbossa up and down for some reason before glancing off to the side which is true horny gay shit

Do I make another balls joke or should we just leave it as is

Barbossa's only reaction to Jack being between his legs and interrupting him is to give another big eye (and head!) roll and then climb down to bicker with him. Please also appreciate all the people watching these two like they're a morning cartoon

Jack is literally just doing this to fuck with Hector and Hector knows it

What's funny is that these guys actually move when he shoos them off lol

When your ex decides to embarrass you in front of every single person in the room just for giggles

Her men might be ready to stab him at any moment but he does give her shoulders a rub and she seems okay with it so... Jack's good at shoulder rubs confirmed?

He's so done with Jack's shit. But hey look another shared trait: their ability to work a room

Jack mentioned she is a woman scorned and not only is Barbossa thinking "oh shit" because Jack has most definitely figured out who she is but also because he is, ya know, turning the room in his favour now

Jack is very smart to put himself at the opposite end of this table (they're both the "heads" of the table now) because Barbossa would for sure leap for his throat at this

[scorpionyx9621]

Do you think Jason Todd fandom is kinda toxic? Because it seems like NO MATTER what DC do, there'll always be complains. Forget the bad adaptation like Titans. Even Judd Winick cannot escape the criticism with how he potrayed Robin!Jason. They just never satisfied.

SORRY, IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO RESPOND TO THIS. I just moved from Washington D.C. to Seattle, which, for my non-American friends, that's 4442km away. And I DROVE THERE ALL BY MYSELF. And now I'm trying to find new work in a new city and trying to stay mentally healthy and positive. Life is exciting but hard and scary.

*sighs*

As someone who was a fandom elder with V*ltr*n. I've seen some of the worst when it comes to fandom behavior. I'm talking people baking food with shaving razors and trying to give them to the showrunners. I'm talking leaking major plot details and refusing to take it down unless they make their ship canon (I am looking at you, Kl*nce stans) For the most part, DC Comics has had a decades-long reputation of treating their fans like trash and not caring what they think so from what I've seen, we all just grumble and complain in our corners of the internet about how we don't like how X comic portrays Jason Todd.

The challenge with Jason Todd is that he's your clinical anti-hero, the batfamily's Draco in Leather Pants, he's a jerkass woobie, and on top of all of that, he's a Tumblr sexyman. It's a perfect storm for a very fun but frustrating character to be a fan of. It doesn't help that every writer decides to re-invent the wheel every time Jason comes up so his canon lore is confusing at best and inconsistent as a standard.

I guess starting with a general brief on who Jason is and what is uniform about him with every instance he's appeared in comics/media.

Grew up in a poor family in Gotham with a dad who was a petty-mid-level criminal, and a mother who dies of a drug overdose.

Survives on the street on his own by committing petty crimes and potentially even engaging in sexual acts to keep himself alive.

Is cornered by Batman and taken in after Dick Grayson quits/is fired

Becomes the second Robin, but is known for being the harsher, more brutal Robin.

Is killed by Joker after being tortured, but somehow comes back to life and regains senses through the Lazarus Pit

Resolves himself to be better than Batman by basically being Batman but kills people.

Where there has been a lot of conflict in the fandom is the fact that Jason Todd is not a character that is written consistently. DC Comics loves to go with the narrative that Jason was "bad from the start" and was the "bad robin" when, yes, he has trouble controlling his anger, but he also still is just as invested in seeing the best of Gotham City and trying to be a positive change for the world as any other DC Comics hero.

Where I get frustrated with the fandom is its ability to knit-pick every detail of a comic they don't like while completely disregarding everything that makes the comics great and worth it to read. My example being Urban Legends. To which most people had pretty mixed reactions to. I was critical of the comic at first but as it went along I ended up really liking it. I have a feeling DC Comics went to Chip Zdarsky and told him he had 6 issues to bring Jason back into the Bat Family, and honestly he didn't do a bad job. Did it feel rushed? Absolutely. I wish there was more development of Jason and Bruce's characters and their dynamic as a whole. However, where I see a lot of people being angry and upset with Urban Legends is that they feel Zdarsky needlessly wrote Jason as an incompetent fool who needs Bruce to save him.

Whether or not that was the intention of Zdarsky is up to debate. However, and this may be controversial, but I don't think he wrote Jason Todd out of character at all. For as fearsome, intimidating, and awesome as Red Hood is. Jason is a character who is absolutely driven by his emotions. Why do you think he donned the role of Red Hood? As a response to his anger towards The Joker for killing him, and towards Bruce for not taking action against The Joker and for seemingly replacing him so quickly after he died. Jason didn't care about being the murderous Robin Hood or for being the bloody hammer of justice against N*zi's and P*d*ph*les. He only cared originally about making The Joker and Bruce pay. It wasn't until he trained under the best assassins in the world and realized most of them were horrific criminals who trafficked children and were p*dos that Talia began to realize that the teachers that she sent Jason to train under started dying horrific and painful deaths.

The entire story of the Cheer story in Batman Urban Legends was started because it finally forced some consequences upon Jason. Tyler, aka Blue Hood's father was a drug dealer who gave his supply to his wife and kids. And when Tyler's father admitted he gave the drugs to Tyler, it immediately made him fall within the self-imposed philosophical kill-list of Jason Todd. And Jason, well, he proceeds to kill Tyler's father. When this happens, Jason is in shock. Tyler's dad fit the bill to easily and justifiably be killed by Jason. We've never seen Jason having to deal with the consequences of being a murderous vigilante on a micro-level. When Jason realizes what he's done in that he's murdered Tyler's dad, he's shocked. He tells Babs the truth. He does a rational thing because he's in shock. He doesn't know what to do, he never has had to face the consequences of his actions as Red Hood and now the gravity of befriending a child as a vigilante hero who kills people just set in when he killed the father of the same child he was just introduced to.

(Oh here's a little aside because it had to be said, Jason would not have been a good father or a good mentor to Tyler and absolutely should not have been his new Robin. Jason is a man who is in his early 20's (not saying men in their early 20's can't be good fathers at all) who is a brutal serial killer using the guise of a vigilante anti-hero to let him escape most of the law. the complications of having the man who murdered your father adopt you and make you his sidekick are way too numerous for me to explain in a long-winded already heavy Tumblr essay post. There's a reason why we don't advocate for a story where Joe Chill adopted Bruce Wayne or one where Tony Zucco took in Dick Grayson.)

The next biggest argument is that they feel that Jason is giving up his guns as a means to just be invited back into the Bat-Family. To which I will tell anyone who has that argument to go actually read Urban Legends. Already have and still have that argument? Please re-read it. Don't want to? That's okay, I will paste the images from the comic where Jason specifically says that he doesn't want to give up his weapons for Bruce and his real reasoning down below since the comic isn't exactly readily accessible.

Jason gave up the guns because he felt the gravity of what he had done and knows how it'll effect Tyler. Thankfully his mom is alive and in recovery. But Tyler doesn't have a father anymore. And Jason killed Tyler's father. It may have been in accordance to Jason's philosophy, but it was a case where it blurred the lines. Jason Todd isn't a black and white character, just very dark gray. He doesn't kill aimlessly like the Joker. If you are on Jason's list you probably have done something pretty horrific, and also just in general, being in his way or being a threat to him. Mind you, in early days of Red Hood and the Outlaws (Image below) Jason almost killed 10 innocent civilians in a town in Colorado all because they saw him kill a monster. That being said, Jason isn't aimless in his kills.

(Also can we just take a moment to appreciate Kenneth Rocafort's art? DC Comics said we need to rehabilitate Jason Todd's image and Kenneth Rocafort said hold my beer: It's so SO GOOD)

That being said, the key emphasis in the story of Cheer asides from trying to introduce Jason Todd back into the Bat Family and give an actual purpose for him being there, other than him just kind of being there ala Bowser every time he shows up for Go Kart racing, Tennis, Golf, Soccer, and the Olympic games when Mario invites him, is that Jason and Bruce ultimately both want the same thing. Jason wants to be welcomed back into the family and to be loved and appreciated. Bruce want's Jason back as his son and wants to love and protect Jason. Both of these visions are shown in the last chapter of Cheer while under the effect of the Cheer Gas. It's ultimately this love and appreciation they both have for each other that helps them overcome their challenge and win.

Jason Todd is a character who, just like Bruce, has been through so much pain and so much hate in his life. The two are meant to parallel each other. While Bruce chose to see the best in everyone, giving every rogue in his gallery the option to be helped and give them a second chance, hence why he never kills, Jason has a similar view on wanting to protect the public, but he understands that some crimes are so heinous they cannot be forgiven, or that some habitual criminals are due to stay habitual criminals, and need to be put down. But at the end of the day, the two of them both try to protect people in their own ways.

I am aware that through the writings of various DC Comics authors such as Scott Lobdell and Judd Winick, the two have had a very tumultuous relationship. And rightfully so, I am by no means saying that Scott Lobdell writing an arc where Bruce literally beats Jason to within an inch of his life in Red Hood and the Outlaws, nor Judd Winick's interpretation of Under the Red Hood where Bruce throws the Batarang at Jason's neck, slicing his throat and leaving him ambiguously for dead at the end of the comic is appropriate considering DC Comics seems to be trying everything they can to integrate Jason back into the family. That being said, a lot of these writings have shaped the narrative of Jason and Bruce's relationship and have an integral effect on the way the fandom views the two. It doesn't help that Zdarsky acknowledged Lobdell's life-beating of Jason by Bruce at the very end of Cheer by having Bruce give Jason his old outfit back as a means of mending the fence between the two of them. That does complicate a lot of things in terms of how they are viewed by the fandom and helps to cause an even greater divide between the two.

Regardless, I want to emphasize the fact that Jason Todd is a part of the family of his own accord. Yes, he's quite snarky and deadpan in almost every encounter. However, Jason is absolutely a part of the family and has been for a while of his own will. There's a great moment in Detective Comics that emphasizes this. Jason cares about his family because it is his found family. Yes, they may be warry about him and use him as a punching back and/or heckle him. At the end of the day, we're debating the family dynamics of a fictional playboy billionaire vigilante whose kleptomania took the form of adopting troubled children and turning them into vigilante heroes. Jason Todd wants a family that will love and support him. This is a key definition of his character at its most basic. This was proven during the events of Cheer and is being reenforced by DC Comics every time they get the opportunity to do so.

Now, none of this is to say that I hate Judd Winick. I do not, I don't like the fact that in all of his writings of Jason, he just writes him as a dangerous psychopath, and Winick himself admits to seeing Jason as nothing much more than a psychopath. Yet Winick is the one who the majority of the fandom clings to as the one true good writer of Jason Todd because 'Jason was competent, dangerous, smart' Listen, friends, Jason is all of that and I will never deny it. However, what I love about Jason isn't that he's dangerously smart of that writers either write him as angsty angry Tumblr sexyman bait or that they write him as an infantile man child with a gun. There's a large contention of this fandom that has an obsession with Jason Todd being this vigilante gunman who is hot and sexy and while I definitely get the appeal. It is very creepy and downright disturbing that all of you hyperfixate on his use of guns and ability to be a murderer. It is creepy and I'm not necessarily here for it.

What I love about Jason Todd is that despite all of the pain, all of the heartache, all of the betrayal, and bullying, and death, and anguish. Jason Todd is one of the most loving and supportive characters in all of DC Comics. Jason has been through so much in his life, but he still chooses to love. He still chooses to see the bright side in people. Yes, he takes a utilitarian approach and chooses to kill certain villains, but at the end of the day he wants to see a better world, and he wants to be loved. It takes so much courage and so much heart to learn to love again after one has been abused or traumatized. I would not blame Jason at all if he said fuck it and just went full solo and vigilante evil. He has every right to, but he still chooses to be with the Bat Family of his own accord. That's something that I see a lot of in myself. I have been through a lot of trauma and yet I try to be a better person myself in any way that I can. It is extremely admirable of Jason to allow love back into his heart when he really doesn't need to. He kills and he protects because he has this love of society. It may have been shaped by anger and hatred, but Jason has found his place amongst people who love him and value him. I think Ducra, from Red Hood and the Outlaws put it best in the image given below.

To end this tangent, I love Jason Todd and all of his sexy dangerousness, but it's far more than that. As much as Jason may be dangerous and snarky, he loves his family without a shadow of a doubt. I look up to Jason Todd because despite all of his pain and all of his trauma, he still choses to love. Jason Todd is a character who is someone I love because despite all of his flaws and having a very toxic fandom, he still serves as a character filled with so much heart and so much passion. I wish more writers would understand that. But for now I will live with what I have. Even though the fandom may be vocal about it's hatred for his characterization, I choose to love Jason regardless because he is a character who chooses love and acceptance regardless of his pain. Jason Todd is by no means a good person in any sense of the word. He has easily killed upwards of 100 people by now. He is a character who is flawed and complex but ultimately is one who powers forwards and finds love and heart in a place from so much pain and anguish. That is what I love about Jason Todd. After all, to quote a famous undead robot superhero, "What is grief, if not love persevering?" Jason Todd chooses to love despite all of the trauma and pain and grief. Yes, he is hardened in his exterior, but inside there is a man with a lot of love to give and someone who deserves the world in my eyes.

[bemusedlybespectacled]

One of my major problems with Season 2 is that, yeah, technically stuff happened, but you end up needing to take what the show is telling you entirely at face value, with no thought as to the overall implications or how it fits with the rest of the fucking plot. Like, sure, on its own a particular plot point is fine, like, "Ed apologizes to Fang" - it's when you try to string it together with the other ones that you start having problems.

Ed already had his moments of apology to the crew (Izzy, Fang).

And... Frenchie, whom Ed psychologically tormented for at least one episode? Jim, whom Ed made fight Archie to the death because they had one romantic moment? Any of the crew he marooned? Like, the whole joke in Episode 5 is that he's very much not apologizing, but the crew (minus Lucius) has no frame of reference to recognize it and are just glad he can't sneak up on them:

Lucius: So we're laughing. Blackbeard's back and we're all just back to it. Archie: Hey, bro, that's what happens, ya know? They just… get away with it and we move on. Frenchie: Yeah, at least he's wearing the sack. Pete: And the bell. That was my idea. Roach: And he apologized. Jim: I actually thought it was pretty solid… for him. Lucius: And yet, the words "I'm sorry" were never mentioned. Did anyone else clock that? Roach: I've never heard an apology before, so, to me, it was amazing. Lucius: Ah. The bar is on the floor.

His moment with Fang that same episode is the most meaningful because he does actually apologize for something he did, though notably it's not the past however many weeks/months of the Kraken, it's something totally unrelated (the "Knife Parade"), it's something he had genuinely no idea was a problem up until that moment, and the actual reason Fang is okay with him isn't because Ed actually apologized or did fucking anything, but because Fang got to beat him up:

Ed: Fuck, how come you're not mad at me? Fang: I kinda got it out of my system when we beat you to death.

Like, the only person who explicitly "got their own back" from beating Ed to death is Fang, who also gets the only apology in that same scene. Everyone else's reaction is "well, I can't do anything to make him change or show remorse, so I'll just move on and ignore it." Lucius is made out to basically be in the wrong for complaining (Pete's "come find me when Blackbeard isn't living rent-free in your head" speech), and his moment of emotional acceptance comes, not from anything Ed does, but by adopting the same "oh well" attitude as everyone else (the wooden shark).

The crew [...] had half the season to work through their trauma and by the time of E6, they're on good terms with him

First, let me just correct something: they did not have half a season of working on their trauma. They had two episodes, Episode 4 and Episode 5. Episode 4 was them re-integrating back with the other crew and handling their triggers (which they do by coming together to make Izzy a new leg). Episode 5 is about them just "oh well"-ing the rest of it.

That's it. That's the whole thing. Them being on good terms with him (which I'd dispute for everyone other than Izzy but eh) a whole [checks notes] two days after they banished him from the ship is part of the problem.

Regardless, the crew sort of tolerating Ed is a far cry from Izzy's dying speech about how the crew loves Ed and is his family. And it's especially nonsensical given that was Izzy's arc this season, not Ed's.

Ed also almost died with Stede crying over him at the beginning of the show, so it would be kind of redundant to have another scene like that.

Ah, see, my point is that it would be a call-back, not to Stede crying over Ed's body, but the storm. Have a shot of the whole crew standing in a circle around Ed to take care of him as a visual parallel to the Kraken crew standing in a circle about to brain Ed with a cannon ball.

I'm not sure that the retirement is going to be permanent, but by having Ed and Stede choose it, it signals a step of development in their relationship.

Again, I am sure that's what the story is supposed to convey. Like, it has the right tone and beats of that happening. The problem is the complete lack of build up prior to it and in some cases active contradiction.

Like, okay, the issues in Stede and Ed's S2 relationship, according to the plot:

They are both "whim-prone."

Stede is either naive or willfully ignorant of Ed's issues, and Ed is

They need more experience in relationships/with each other in general. Therefore, they need to take things slow in the relationship and not jump into stuff like sex right away.

Ed wants to move away from a life of violence, but Stede is starting to come into his own as a pirate, and their goals are incompatible. This results in Ed and Stede breaking up over this incompatibility.

And this is just according to the plot itself, not even getting into what I consider underlying problems that were raised in the first season that have never been addressed and have apparently been completely forgotten by the writing team.

What happens at the end of 2x08:

Ed and Stede decide to open an inn together. We know this is a quick decision because of the timing around Izzy's funeral and their choice of burial place, and it's not a terribly well-reasoned decision (Ed has a whole-ass scene that's just him demonstrating his inability to handle people being even slightly HYPOTHETICALLY rude to him IN THAT EXACT JOB). In short, they are doing it on a whim.

This requires them to move in together ONE DAY after they argued about taking things slow and Ed calling sex with Stede a mistake.

This requires Stede giving up piracy for Ed. Again, this is the day after they argued about their different career goals, with Stede trying to get Ed to understand he can't just go be a fisherman when he's caught all of one fish (i.e. he shouldn't jump into a career with no experience and expect it to work out), which is borne out by the fucking cold open of the next episode.

None of the issues raised by the characters themselves are actually addressed and are just straight-up ignored. We have no proof that anything in the past day or two so profoundly affected them that those issues are now resolved, which means that they aren't actually developing anything, because nothing has changed.

Realising they suck at it is probably going to be the next one.

We cannot use speculation about what might happen in a future season to justify what happened in this season. This season ends with them actively making a bad decision, and that decision is treated like the good and mature thing to do and the next logical step in their relationship.

But also, even if the next season does address it, it doesn't really matter. It's a problem either way. Either a) it really is a good thing and a sign of their relationship maturing, in which case it contradicts the rest of the plot, or b) it's actually a bad thing, in which case neither they nor their relationship have really matured and they learned nothing this whole season.

Which is kind of the problem with the finale generally. It feels like it's coming from the end of the third season/the show proper, rather than at the end of the plot of this season, so it's behaving as if everything's been resolved already when it hasn't been. Which incidentally has now scuppered any potential third season, IMHO, because they've already used this particular ending (Ed and Stede retiring together to run an inn while the adventure continues for the rest of the crew), so they can't reuse it as the actual ending.

So what is S3 going to be aiming for? If all of their character flaws and relationship problems are fixed, which is what the show seems to be trying to tell us, what growth is there going to be? And if they're not fixed, 1) why portray it as a happy ending and 2) what was the fucking point of this season, then?

tl;dr: I'm not gonna lie and say that Izzy dying wasn't emotionally shitty for me, but it and (indeed that entire episode) also sucked from a writing perspective. My post is addressing that and patching those holes, not simply trying to find a way to justify Izzy living.

y'all. y'all. I cracked the fucking code and I am so fucking mad about it because it's a fix that solves every major problem with the finale:

have ed get shot (injured, not killed) in defense of izzy.

seriously, hear me out, this solves LITERALLY EVERY PROBLEM:

"Ed never gave Izzy a real apology!" "Izzy would never accept one!" okay, then don't have Ed apologize to Izzy verbally. have him apologize by taking a bullet for him. have Izzy cuss out Ed for doing something so stupid while cradling him in his arms.

"Ed never gave the crew a real apology!" okay, then have him get shot defending Izzy as both a subtle callback to Izzy shooting Ed in defense of the crew in "red flags" and as proof that he's changed.

"it makes no sense for Izzy to say the whole crew loves Ed when that hasn't been shown at all!" okay, then show it. any lingering hatred the crew has gets wiped out when they see that Ed really does care about Izzy (keeping in mind that him not treating Izzy well was a major unifying thing for them), and they all work to help him: getting the bullet out, holding his hand, telling him he's going to be okay. Ed's accepted back into the family because of his deeds, not his words, and we get a nice call back to the scene where the crew makes Izzy's leg.

"Izzy's death was all about Ed and Ed's arc and that's fucked up" okay, so have there be a REASON that Ed is the center of attention (the reason being that he's been shot and the entire crew needs to care for him) and make it actually part of Ed's arc (acting selflessly in defense of them when he's been pretty self-centered and not really accepting responsibility this entire time).

"it makes no sense for Ed to retire to an inn on land when we just established that he's bad at things that aren't piracy!" okay, then don't have him retire voluntarily. he needs to recover from his bullet wound on land, and so the crew needs to reluctantly leave him behind.

"it makes no sense for Stede to retire to an inn when his entire arc has been him finding a family in the crew and getting the respect he never had!" okay, so make it a really difficult decision for him – staying on land with Ed, the love of his life, or staying with the crew and being a big bad pirate – and ultimately choose Ed. have Ed even try to talk him into staying with the crew, because he loves piracy so much! but given another choice to leave Ed (one that Ed would be aware of and understand), he stays this time.

"Izzy's death is inconsistent with the rest of the series where the good guys survive absurd levels of violence and the bad guys die hilarious karmic deaths" okay, so don't have him OR Ed die. have Ed get shot, have him be seriously injured, maybe even fake us out by having him get shot on the right side (which is of course the side with the important bits!), and then have him live.

"Izzy dies right when he was starting to enjoy life and find his own family/community outside of Ed!" exactly. so don't kill him. shoot Ed. and then have Ed retire on land.

[firelxdykatara]

Katara x Aang :3c

are you trying to get me in trouble

-cough-

no but in all honesty, my genuine feelings about kataang boil down to three major points: 1. it's boring, and does not jive thematically with either of their character arcs, to the point of, 2. actively hampering character development on both sides, and 3. katara deserved better.

points expanded under the cut. (please, if you're a kataang shipper and you see this, just keep scrolling. i've tagged it appropriately and put the bulk under a cut and at this point that's literally all i can do lmfao.)

send me a ship and get my (brutally) honest opinion!

1. It's Boring: This is the most subjective point on the list (I mean, in fairness, it's all subjective, but I have evidence from the show and post-canonical materials to support my other points; this one is just preference), but there's just... nothing to kataang. It's cute (when it's not actively aggravating), and... that's about it. It's not even that I dislike friends-to-lovers as a shipping trope (though it's not my overall preference), because there are a lot of friends-to-lovers couples that I do ship (kanej comes to mind, also will/elizabeth from potc, karolsen from supergirl, romione and hinny from hp, among others), but one thing that I think all of those couples have that kataang doesn't is that both sides of the pairing are teens or adults when they get together, with teen/adult dynamics and issues and stories to deal with, rather than one half being a teenager and the other being literally prepubescent.

And don't get me wrong, I have no problem with age gap ships in general. And as far as atla goes, Katara, at 14, has the same age difference from Zuko (16) as Aang has from her, and it's never stopped me--because both Katara and Zuko are well into puberty when they meet and I have no problem picturing them being into one another and growing together as they enter adulthood. Aang, on the other hand, is a child. And he acts like it. Which wouldn't be a problem, if the show weren't expecting me to believe he is a) ready for a romantic relationship, and b) ready for one specifically with Katara, who is not only older and far more mature but is specifically cast as his caretaker in a very maternal role for the entire show's run.

This show asks me to believe that a teenage girl well into adolescence is going to be attracted to and develop romantic feelings for a pre-adolescent child--and it asks me to believe this while showing us otherwise that Katara's type is actually older boys with fabulous hair and angsty pasts in all of her other potential romantic dalliances--and then enter into a relationship with him, all while ignoring the elephant in the room that is the fact that she was basically acting like his mother for the entire series to that point. (Something that is heavily lampshaded earlier in the very same season.) That just stretches the bounds of credulity way too far for me, especially when there's no evidence that Katara herself would get anything out of their romantic relationship.

There's nothing there for me to sink my teeth into. No delicious development, no parallels where they help each other grow, no internal conflicts that they have to work through together, nothing. Certainly no reason for me to actually believe Katara feels (or would grow to feel) anything for him other than the platonic affection of a caretaker. I can easily believe she loves him dearly, as a friend and quasi-little-brother, but I just can't see that developing naturally into romantic love--not the way it's presented in the show.

And even if they did manage to at least make the development of Katara's feelings believable, unless they changed something fundamental about the nature of their relationship, it'd still be boring, so.

2. It Actively Hampers Their Character Development--On Both Sides: I've written before (extensively lol im so sorry) about how kataang is actively detrimental to Katara and to Aang. In short (because ye gods this post is already getting long enough), Katara is narratively harmed by being shoved into a relationship that completely ignores her stated feelings--a relationship that had been presented as a one-sided puppylove crush for the vast majority of the series--and it inhibits her growth as a character in ways that become far more obvious in the comics and lok, where the very same creative forces that lead to her beginning a relationship with Aang in the first place reduce her to 'the Avatar's girl' and very little else, all the way through to the end of LoK (where she is a Healer and the Avatar's wife and, again, very little else).

As for Aang:

As to how this relationship is detrimental to Aang (other than the comics and LoK nonsense)? Just take a look at book 2, when he’s trying to learn Earthbending from Toph. Katara constantly coddles him. Much of the time, she’s afraid to be anything other than gentle and understanding with Aang--partly because of her fear that if she pushes him too far, he’ll run away. (Which he does, several times.) But sometimes, what Aang needs to grow is a sharp kick in the slats, which Toph was more than willing to provide--and which worked. Katara was great for teaching Aang to waterbend, but he needed more than that to grow as a person. And he can’t get that while he’s in a relationship with someone who will apologize for getting upset when he was very explicitly neglecting her.

In addition, it is pointed out by Guru Pathik at the end of Book 2 that one of Aang's chakras is blocked by his attachment to Katara. Aang takes this to mean (incorrectly) that he has to stop loving her in order to become fully realized as an Avatar, but this is actually part of the problem--because the issue isn't that he is in love with Katara, it's that he's possessively attached to her. He believes himself entitled to her love in return, rather than selflessly loving someone regardless of whether or not they return that affection. (This is obvious come the EIP episode, where Aang demands to know why he and Katara aren't in a relationship already--because he kissed her without asking [or even checking to see if she'd be ok with kissing him], which he phrases as mutual even though it very much was not, and he gets angry and violates her boundaries when she says that she is confused and doesn't want to think about it right then.)

It is his attachment to Katara--the need for her to return his love, the belief that she will and it is only a matter of time before he gets what he wants--that he was supposed to let go of, not his feelings for her in general. Unfortunately, while he pays lipservice to doing this (far too late for it to be useful--if he'd stayed with the Guru for five more minutes and unlocked his chakra there, that battle would've gone very differently), he almost immediately backtracks on that development come book 3, and there isn't another single whisper of Aang maybe growing up and moving past his one-sided and possessive crush and realizing that even if Katara doesn't feel the same way, it doesn't mean she loves him less or that their friendship is less important.

What really needed to happen, for Aang to grow as a person and become fully realized as an Avatar, was for him to grow up. To realize that his feelings were not of paramount importance, and that even if he was in love with Katara, he was not entitled to her love in return. He should have been able to move past his need for her to love him back, in order to get past that stumbling block, unlock his chakras, and regain the Avatar State in time to face the Firelord. But he didn't. As a result, they had to find some other way to just give him the Avatar State (a well-placed rock) and the means to defeat Ozai without killing him (the deus ex lionturtle) and his entire character arc just fell apart in the third act rather than reaching a satisfying conclusion.

3. Katara Deserved Better: This really ties into how her romantic relationship with Aang hampered her own development, but I'm still bitter enough about it that it gets its own bullet-point. And the biggest single reason I could never ship kataang--the thing that would've turned me off even if there were substance and a halfway decent storyline for them--is the fact that Aang kisses her without her consent (for the second time) in Ember Island Players, Katara gets angry at him and storms off, and then..... she walks out onto the balcony to make out with him.

With nothing to bridge that gap.

It's bad enough that a show aimed at children had a scene where the child protagonist kissed the object of his affections without her consent when she didn't want him to (made explicit by her angry reaction)--and this is absolutely an issue when the show is aimed at children and it may well be the first experience they've had with consent issues portrayed in media--but this moment is never addressed again. Katara just decides--completely off-screen--that she does love him Really and walks out to make out with him in the epilogue. There's no conversation, no apology for violating her boundaries, no discussion of why that was wrong or any indication that Aang understands what he did and why it upset her. They don't have a single one-on-one interaction between that kiss and the epilogue, and the only other time they are on screen together, Aang yells at her and storms off.

So, even leaving the comics and lok aside, Katara deserved much better from her own romantic plotline. In fact, she deserved to have one, rather than simply being the oblivious object of Aang's affections, given a couple moments where she blushes but otherwise remains completely ignorant of his feelings (she looks shocked and upset when he kisses her prior to the invasion, and then she completely forgets that even happened because she's confused as to what Aang is even talking about during EIP until he brings it up; that's not the behavior of a fourteen-year-old girl who was kissed by someone she was developing romantic feelings for), before the epilogue where it becomes clear that she figured all of that out off-screen and had feelings for him after all.

She's a main character, not a side-character written in solely to give one of the mains a love interest. She deserved a romantic plotline of her own. (She could have had one with someone else, with very few changes made to what was actually on-screen prior to the epilogue, but that's another conversation entirely.) She deserved to have her feelings considered at all important by the person she was going to be paired with in the end, rather than having him just assume she felt the same way and then get mad at her for never giving any indication of it when he'd never asked about her feelings to begin with. She deseserved agency in her own romantic narrative, and she just didn't get that with Aang.

So yeah, at the end of the day, my biggest issue with kataang is that it involved doing Katara dirty, and she's my favorite character and she deserved so much better damnit.

[itsthenovelteafactor]

Fall of the House of Hargreeves

So I mentioned a while back in my Superhero Gothic meta that there were a number of parallels between the season one finale of The Umbrella Academy and the Edgar Allen Poe short story The Fall of the House of Usher and that I could probably write a whole meta on that if anyone was interested. Shout out and love to the anon who requested that I do that! 

It’s been a minute since I’ve done one of these long form metas, but I am very excited to get back to writing about two of my favorite things: gothic literature and chaotic superheroes. 

Part I: The Fall of the House of Usher

The Fall of the House of Usher (which I’ll call House of Usher for convenience for the rest of this meta) is a short story by Edgar Allen Poe first published in 1939. It is considered a classic gothic short story, and deals with themes of family, madness, inheritance, and isolation. 

Since it’s in the public domain, I’ll go ahead and link a pdf to the story here. If you aren’t interested in reading, though, or just want a refresher, the story follows an unnamed narrator going to visit his ill friend, a man named Roderick Usher in his isolated (and very spooky) family estate. Upon arrival, he discovers that Roderick’s sister, Madeline Usher, is also ill, and has a tendency to fall into dreamlike trances.

Over the course of the visit, Roderick confesses to the narrator that not only does he believe the house is alive, but that it is connected to the fate of the family which, at this point, only includes Roderick and Madeline. He later comes and tells the narrator that Madeline has died, and enlists his help in order to bury her in the family tomb beneath the house. They do so, but for the next couple of days Roderick is suspiciously...on edge. 

Then, one dark and stormy night, Roderick shows up in the narrator’s room incredibly worked up, and throws open the window, and starts low-key (read: high-key) having a breakdown. The narrator is unsure as to why until he hears ripping and tearing sounds coming from somewhere in the house. These ripping and tearing sounds are revealed to be Madeline whom Roderick and the narrator buried alive whose appearance scares Roderick to death, right before she collapses, also dead from the strain of tearing through the foundations of the house.

The narrator decides this would probably be a good time to leave and is very much right about that because as soon as he leaves, the house (which was already in pretty bad shape) splits in two and collapses into the lake surrounding it. The end.

Part II: Umbrella Academy as Gothic

So, there are probably a couple similarities between House of Usher and The Umbrella Academy season one that stand out right off the bat, but I’d like to start by taking a step back to talk about thematic parallels between the two works. If you’d like to read a very long winded explanation of why I consider The Umbrella Academy to be a modern gothic tale, I have a really long meta about it. 

If not, here’s a quick overview:

Gothic does not have a clearly defined set of requirements as a genre, but its purpose is to explore the contradictions and the failing edifices of convention in a way that is dramatic and often fantastic. 

Gothic fiction plays with reality, but usually in a way that is representative of the characters and story. 

It often situates itself during times of great change, as there is something haunting about the irreversible passage of time, particularly for those that struggle to acknowledge it and hide behind conventions that have grown increasingly irrelevant. 

Poe is considered one of the classic authors of gothic fiction (though the genre significantly predates him), and is decidedly one of the best well-known examples of it. 

The Umbrella Academy is a family drama about former child superheroes dealing with their trauma while trying to prevent an apocalypse that their every move seems to set further in motion. It explores the messy and complicated relationships between siblings who have been abused and pit against each other for years. And yeah, it’s fun with great music and talking gorillas and dance sequences, but the premise is kind of hard for me to read as anything other than gothic.

Part III: Parallels

Like House of Usher, the first season of Umbrella Academy takes place in a massive, largely empty mansion where siblings gather with disastrous consequences. Both works explore a family that is past their prime and disconnected from the present. They also both explore the psychological toll of isolation, the consequences of tyrannical family rules, and why it is a really bad idea to lock your unstable sister in a basement and just leave her there. 

Let’s start with some thematics parallels. Everyone in House of Usher is extremely isolated, and the absence of anything resembling the modern world amongst the house full of relics is part of the horror. All of the siblings in Umbrella Academy are defined by their isolation as well, physically (Luther, Five, and Ben), socially (Vanya, Diego, Klaus, and Allison), and emotionally (legit all of them). It is this isolation that drives the conflict of the story, feeding into every characters’ choices. 

In both House of Usher and Umbrella Academy, the main characters are trapped in this isolated state as a direct result of their familial legacy. In House of Usher, the titular house is a character itself, a manifestations of the obligations Madeline and Roderick hold as members of an aristocratic family that is so far divorced from wealth and status that it keeps them from ever fully moving on and rejoining the real world. In Umbrella Academy, the characters are similarly trapped by their familial legacy, this time in the form of the specter of their abusive father, and the roles he created for them. Like the Usher siblings, the Hargreeves have no way of maintaining the roles their family left out for them – they were never given the tools to function in the real world and it cripples them – but are trapped in them regardless. 

Part IV: The Woman* in White 

*As of the time I am writing this, nothing has been said regarding Vanya’s gender identity being written to match Elliot Page’s. I am using she/her pronouns for Vanya, as that is what has been used for the character thus far. 

Aside from thematic parallels, however, the most direct connection between the short story and series, and in fact the reason I was inspired to write this meta in the first place is the way both of the stories end: with a sister trapped beneath the house clawing her way out to face her brother(s and sister) and creating a disruption of the family legacy so great that the entire estate crumbles.

Madeline Usher is described at this point as wearing a white dress, strained with the injuries she sustained from physically breaking herself out of the basement tomb her brother buried her alive in. Vanya, of course, becomes at this moment the White Violin, and though she has not yet had the epic violin-music-so-powerful-it-changes-the-color-of-her-clothes scene, the principal still stands.

As characters, there are also a couple of noteworthy parallels between Vanya and Madeline. The narrator at one point describes “the illness of the lady Madeline had lone been beyond the help of her doctors. She seemed to care about nothing” (Poe, 27). The reader never knows what illness precisely is the cause of Madeline’s apparent madness, but we see the effects. It dulls her emotional responses to situations and leaves her withdrawn and powerless. Similarly, we learn over the course of the first season of The Umbrella Academy that the medication Reginald Hargreeves prescribed Vanya for her anxiety is actually a power suppressor for her abilities that has much the same effect – because they are strengthened by extreme emotion, the drugs numb Vanya’s emotional responses and deprive her of the ability to access her powers.

Additionally, the final scene of the story story shows Madeline escaping her tomb during a great storm and going to face her brother who put her there, the storm itself being a metaphor for her anguish that tears the house apart. Vanya’s connection to the destruction of the house is a bit more literal, but it is similarly a manifestation of her anguish and trauma. She sees flashbacks of her siblings being distant and rude to her in their childhoods and the anger she feels rips the foundation apart. 

It is not entirely clear in the short story why Roderick buries Madeline alive – there are a lot of theories: he genuinely believed she was dead, he wanted her out of the picture, he himself was succumbing to the madness of the house, etc – but the guilt he feels for doing so manifests as him hearing her scraping her way out for several days preceding her escape. The justification for Vanya’s imprisonment is more clear in text, but the series of flashbacks make it clear that it is not just the imprisonment that has driven her over the edge. It it guilt for her sister, anger at her abusive upbringing that is much more easily directed at her siblings than her father, the newfound emotions experienced by being off her medication for the first time since childhood, Leonard’s manipulations, etc. 

In both cases, amidst a spiral of emotions and experiences folding in on themselves, Vanya and Madeline experience a single, cold moment of clarity that drives them to escape, and it is that moment of clarity that breaks the shadow of the family legacy. They observe the situation as it stands and realize that it is completely unacceptable, and it is the realization that leads everything to crumble. Because gothic literature is focused on the complexities of maintaining that which is out of date, the realization that things must change can break the spell.

Part V: Conclusions 

As per usual, I have no great theories on why this is or what it means. One of the reasons I love gothic literature is that it is rife with meaning that can be more easily felt than deciphered. I welcome any and all interpretations, theories, (politely worded) disagreements, and comments. 

Thanks for taking the time to read; I have a lot of fun doing these. Enjoy spooky season, y’all. 💛

[dwarvenhobble]

Because before then everyone was still working under the idea the Storm Troopers with Jango Fett clones still somewhat (hence Luke stuck out as small as a Storm Trooper) and Rey ended up being insanely powerful with no actual training. The whole "Well 9 out of 10 times calling them bigot is right" is hilarious in the face of you pointing out companies doing token diversity to work as shields. You are just admitting you happily hold the shield up for them and protect them from criticism for the very thing you claim to dislike them doing. You are the reason they do it because you make it work for them to do lol. As for "You haven't provided examples". OK fine. Picard Season 2 where they go back in time to help deal with the climate crisis and fight totally not ICE. HBO's watchmen making the 7th Kavalry up to be villains basically as a "Fuck all those who think Rorschach was right" 99% of Vagrant Queen as a whole series. Homeless AntiFA captain America. American Chavez being from Utopian Parallel the perfect dimension because it doesn't have any men and all the women there are harmonious lesbians. The whole "America Chavez's girlfriend at the all Latino University is the smartest person in the Marvel Universe now" followed weeks later by "Moongirl is now the smartest person in the Marvel Universe". Captain Marvel was basically being mind controlled by a dude and totally was insanely powerful always it's just he was keeping her down. The many MCU variations of the "Girls can do it to" kind of trope that was so bad The Boys mocked it on screen.

Changes for many Disney Live action remakes.

I'm not Starfire. Superman's Bisexual son being in activist marches (yes the guy who is insanely powerful and could make a huge difference to things decided not to do that but walk about with a placard). The changes to Wheel of Time such that the Dragon reborn who is meant to be insanely OP to the extent it concerns everyone and it's part of the plot having one of his first big moments replaced by 2 of the female leads. Oh and the casting for it because the entirely point being the person who is revealed as The Dragon Reborn stood out like a saw thumb in the town due to having red hair, doesn't work well in an adaptation when the rest of the town is like the Burger King Kids Club. The whole thing with Michael Burnham in Star Trek. Basically her whole character and impact on lore as a whole. Chibnall's Dr Who changes with the whole first doctor no longer being the first one and the doctor was originally a black girl who the timelords exploited to gain the power of regeneration.

A sad thing about getting immersed in the leftist worldview is how much media I enjoyed as a teenager is completely unbearable in retrospect. Like for example, when I was 15 and I watched Highschool DxD I was like "hehe boobies". But now I think about on it and the MC literally doesn't see women as human beings, sexually assaults women enin every other episode and his character arc is going from a pathetic mysoginistic pervert who gets beaten for peeping on girl to being an extremely powerful mysoginistic pervert who is now in position to indulge any desires he has. It's just so wild, one of the first major antagonists is basically what the MC wants to become - a powerful devil who has a harem of girls he can fuck whenever he wants and the show treats what he does as wrong, but not because he rapes women. No, he's evil because he's rude to his sex slaves.

It's absolutely fucking wild to me how full of shit like this the anime I watched as a teenager is in retrospect. And it's even wilder how when I watched that as a teenager I didn't see anything wrong with that. I was fucking lucky to go to a university that was like 95% female students and got to know that women are literally the exact same people as I am and then stumbled into online left.

But not everyone is that lucky, a lot of people watch that shit in their formative years and then carry that for the rest of their life. What media you consume as a teenager has enormous impact on your worldview. This is why the chud mantra of "don't bring your politics into our media, just let us enjoy our games/comics/anime" is bullshit. They don't want to keep media apolitical, because it already isn't. They just don't want their politics challenged.