#like they put the whole scene in. literally for that parallel alone
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I'm sorry not Captain Barbosa's curse monologue only being here in Kh2 because it's a nobody parallel
#'we're not among the dead or the living' okay#I'm losing my mind#like they put the whole scene in. literally for that parallel alone#kh2#kingdom hearts#kh
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i had the misfortune of ending up on mileven tiktok by accident and found some gold



dude. how many times do we have to say its not the fact that they're standing next to each other. its the fact that they're standing next to each other when all the other characters are paired off with their significant other with significant space between them. they are SANDWICHED between two couples that they have numerous other parallels with. like you have to be playing dumb if you think we're just saying byler is endgame because they're in the same proximity. and WDYMMMM MIKE ISN'T EVEN LOOKING AT HIM why does that matter?? the whole point is that they're all looking forward at the fucking apocalypse beginning. nancy and jonathan weren't looking at each other, joyce and hopper weren't looking at each other. why does that matter?? and holy shit watching them try to analyze media is hilarious. the byler commenter was very concise an respectful and ofc the mlvn has to be backhanded. no, the 2 minute scene of mike saying i love you is not random, it's actually meticulously crafted so that we're able to tell mike is lying...


uhh because WILL IS THE MAIN FUCKING CHARACTER OF SEASON 5 AND THE WUOLE POINT OF AN ENDING SHOT OF A SEASON IS TO FORESHADOW THE NEXT SEASON???
do they think we're making this up???
he is the center and lead of season 5 and his arc is going to tie the whole series together. but nah they just paired him with mike and left him in the background on the hill just because el needed to be in front. they could've done a million other set ups where it actually comes off that mike and el are a team and in love and want to work together. they could've had those couples together and then had will alone or behind them and done a close up like they did with el in the actual scene, but no, he had to be with mike. and not only is he with mike, he and mike are paired off together and CENTERED. the CENTER of season 5 is CENTERED in the final shot of the season and he is standing with his long time best friend who he is desperately in love with. and all of this is foreshadowing for season 5, which if you've forgotten, is all about connection and finding belonging with others.
"People talk about mythology and The Upside Down, and all that is huge, but the magic of S5 are the characters who find a sense of belonging with other and through that connection, become heroes."
"[Season 5] It's about a group of people who question their value, who find each other, and who find superpowers in connection."
remember when mike beat himself up and questioned his value as a person because he feels weak and powerless and stupid next to el and then will gave him a painting where mike is a literal knight in shining armor and and confessed his own feelings about how mike holds everything together and makes him feel like he's better for being different and gives him the courage to keep fighting and how he'll always need mike and that finally made mike feel reassured
yeah...
alright you guys have to be lying. you can't think of a single reason why people would ship byler?? not a one??? you know what actually, you're right. why on earth would people ship two characters where one is canonically in love with the other, they've been best friends since the first day of kindergarten, they are always a duo, they have a special friendship compared to the others, one said asking the other to be his friend is the best thing he's ever done, one thinks home isn't the same without the other, they hold hands, put their arms around each other, always look out for each other, etc etc ETC. no yeah i don't see it
was the person who confirmed this named mike wheeler...

no yeah we just say random things. those of us using the knowledge we gained in film school/creative writing school to analyze a form of media are just saying random things. i just love making shit up!
mlvns are so silly lol like they really think they know more about film/writing than people who STUDY IT AND DO IT FOR A LIVING
#byler#stranger things#will byers#mike wheeler#byler endgame#byler proof#milkvan is bones#anti milkvan#anti mileven#anti mlvn#mileven is bones
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HEY HI HELLO
Sorry for the random message here In the asks, it's ok if you don't see this or answer it since you probably got a lot already and I understand if you don't see this!/gen
But first of all, I just wanna say
I CANT BELIEVE I HAVENT WATCHED YOUR ANALYSIS VIDEO SOONER IM SO FUCKING LATE MAN
It's so well done and so fucking funny, I was literally smiling and cackling through the whole thing, it's shocking how similar our humor is
NOT TO MENTION THE END SCENE AREE YOU KIDDING HOW DID YOU MATCH THE LYRICS SO PERFECTLY TO THE FUCKING LORE ITS INCREDIBLE 😭💜/GEN, POS
It's insane how much dedication is put into it, let alone singlehandedly feeding turbo fans as myself
Genuinely thought it's so nice seeing more content for a hyperfixation I've had since 2012, and the fandom coming back along with this video Genuinely brings me so much joy as someone who's loved this movie since I was a kid
Sorry for the ramble but genuinely thank you for making that video, I can't wait to see what other stuff you do, wreck it ralph or not I WILL be tuning in/gen, pos
Okay second of all
The main reason why I'm sending this is because of sometning I noticed while rewatching a scene in the movie
Now, this might be me over analyzing as I usually do but it feels TOO. OBVIOUS.
SO
IN the kart bakery scene where vanellope and ralph go to bake a kart, they obviously make their way into the building and into the main room
You see all the Karts of course, and It pans to the one vanellope chooses

Which, at first glance you wouldn't really pay too much attention, especially when watching it for the first time, she's just picking the model she likes
..but looking back at the scene
Vanellope's kart model, how it was supposed to look, looks very
Familiar
Because the kart she chose..

...is a red and white kart
With stripes down the middle, with a very similar shape to a..certain persons kart. Now this might just be nothing, it's probably just like I said, and over analysis on my part
But the kart the chose looks WAY too similar to turbo's, not to mention the stripe is down the middle, just like turbo's car on the cabinet art of him
And vanellope could've chosen ANY kart
But it was that specific kart she chose, out of any of the karts
Not to mention in some of vanellope's concept art...
(Art made by Lorelay Bove)

..Vanellope's concept design and turbos designs strike SCARILY uncanny resemblances to each others designs


From the helmet and colors
All the way down to her GOGGLES having the SAME. YELLOW. TINT. that candy's have in the movie, which have the same effect here. There's no way that this didn't have the intent to mirror turbo purposefully
So with that in mind, the kart vanellope chose in the kart bakery scene being turbo foreshadowing, wouldn't be too out of place, nor would it be too far off
Turbo's foreshadowing was always prominent, even in the smallest details you wouldn't focus on, just like he's infecting this world as a virus, little by little, everywhere. You. Turn.
Aaaand that's basically all I have to really say
Sorry for the long ramble, I've been thinking of submitting this for awhile now, especially after I told a friend about this and they mentioned that this should be submitted to you
So I decided to go ahead and just do it, no matter how wild my comparisons might sound-
Anyways, I hope you have a good day, night, or what time it may be, and keep being awesome! I can't wait to hear back if you see this! Bye-bye! ❤��🏎🏆
P.s
I've been quoting these since I watched the video and haven't stopped
Thanks for destroying my humor even more-/pos
Okay bye bye now-



-skitters away-
NO YOU'RE SO FUCKING RIGHT OH MY GOD VANELLOPE WAS ALWAYS A TURBO PARALLEL??? CHAT IS THIS TRUE. IVE NEVER SEEN THAT CONCEPT ART OF HER TEEHEE THANKS FOR SHARING
also God. This is 99% just a coincidence with zero merit because its such a common gesture- but Ralph and Vanellope doing their thumbs up.. maybe Turbo parallels ?? and like the EXACT same poses too:
Vanellope having one hand on the steering wheel and the other doing a thumbs up while facing the camera.
Ralph hunched over doing the double thumbs up with the visor tinting his face yellow. EXCUSE ME HMMM?? WHAT THE FUCK??
NOW COULD I BE CHERRY PICKING? PERHAPS. but when Turbo has barely a minute of screentime, there's not a lot i can pick from, and things SURE ARE LINING UP... (I'm cherry picking)
SO SHHHHHH... ❤️❤️❤️❤️ LET ME HAVE MY LITTLE CONSPIRASCY
#🎬#OK IM ACTUALLY GOING CRAZY NOW#ANALYSIS#OH MY GODF.#long post#turbo#wreck it ralph#vanellope#ralph#im. i cant ianymore#paralells#HES EVERYWHERE#OUHGHHHH HE'S SUCH A FUCKING CRYPTID#ask#also thank you for the ask teehee im glad you enjoyed :)#wir video
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thoughts on the old guard 2. spoilers ahead
i think the first half of it was really good, they had a strong start and all. but then it just became messy? like the whole point of it was that they didn't know how when or why they died and here comes netflix wanting a damn justification. the story itself has always had plot holes, they really didn't need to have added more.
discord felt completely anticlimactic, her motive is weak, her villain-ness is lacking, she's just a pathetic old woman. also, why is she white?? if she was there to see jesus killed there's no way she'd look like that.
i didn't hate quynh's arc as much as i thought i would. like booker said, she's betraying andy out of love. however, where's the love? there's no reason for them to not have their moment of romantic reconnection, we all know who they are (if we've read the comics, anyway). nevertheless i actually really liked them together and their scenes and story. the final scene was very fun to me.
on this topic, joe and nicky had a good arc, all things considered - the fact that they had very limited screentime. the first film was great to show us their dynamic, and they weren't even so affectionate there (except the van scene ofc). this film, the forehead touch scene was good, cute and its a nice parallel to the van scene in a way. it was very good to see joe so worried about being alone, and why he stays in touch with booker. when nicky confronts him in france, i loved how nicky takes his glasses off and wipes a tear from his eyes. but still, we should've had more. i honest to gods thought they'd try to make happen that argument we (the fans) don't know about from when they spent 6 years apart back in the day. it feels like a netflix thing to do.
booker literally commited suicide and made andy watch. at this point they all knew how he felt, and tuah tried to stop him from getting hurt by nile, but seriously mishandled it. netflix had the mentally ill, suicidal character commit suicide and framed it as an act of heroism. do you understand how that's fucked up? he knew andy would survive that fight, andy knew she'd survive, and they knew booker wouldn't. but really, wouldn't he? even mortal, he's been fighting for decades, was he really rusty enough to let a handful of guys kill him? i wonder if he just decided to die right then and there. he probably did. i don't think he'd let himself die until he saw andy and the others through. he knew it was a trap, he wouldn't have killed himself not knowing his family was safe, and alive.
andy felt mostly the same to me, fierce and good at her job. but idk, something about her this film just doesn't sit right with me. i can't quite put my finger on it, but i guess she felt a bit bland to me. her lovers quarrel with quynh was nice, the final scene felt very them.
and don't even get me started on how they not only side-lined nile, but had her become something that proposes she can't be part of the team the way the others can. how is she supposed to be around them if she can't hurt them? whenever they go on missions, she can accidentally hurt them. even at their houses, she could be helping nicky cook and nick him with a kitchen knife, she could be sparring with any of them and draw blood even without blades. how is she supposed to be part of that family? nicky said he believed they were meant to find each other, it was like destiny. what kind of destiny is that? she gave up her blood family for the old guard, she is part of that team, that family, just for her to be forced into exile? she would probably do it herself too, a sequestration of herself, go away forever just so she doesn't take away the immortality of those she loves. they did her so fucking dirty, for a stupid plot that was never supposed to be.
honestly have nothing to say about tuah, he did nothing all the time. he's a librarian so that's cool. way to be at peace for centuries just to get kidnapped and risk being mortal - and killed - the moment he leaves his house? king, you deserve better.
having said all of that, i hope we get a third film. this one was way too short to show all they had to show. we deserve a third, at least. five years for a goddamn cliffhanger makes me so angry. we had a good start, why did they fuck it all up? this is so netflix behaviour. the first film stays superior. they should've stuck to the comics storyline, even if it was a little crazy too.
i do have good things to say about it btw, but i just needed to get this out first.
*i changed my mind about a few things and edited the post to show my current thoughts.
#the old guard#the old guard 2#tog#tog2#tog 2 spoilers#the old guard spoilers#vee speaks#andromache the scythian#sebastien le livre#nile freeman#quynh#andromaquynh#yusuf al kaysani#nicolo di genova#joe and nicky
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Ain’t no way there’s CANON AGE REGRESSION in MHA!
do tell >:)
Yeah!! I don’t know specific chapters so I can’t find you screencaps (I could if I bothered but it would take a couple hours ykykyk) but Shigaraki and Dabi both show very blatant agere traits in the final battle!
For Dabi, a lot of his character is just naturally agere coded because of his backstory and the fact that he spent three years in a coma, affecting his mental growth as a whole. The way he talks about his family when he’s burning himself up, including how he refers to them and thinks about them, is pretty childish in nature. It’s very clear that the narrative wanted to remind you that, at his core, he’s just a little boy that wanted his parents to love him and wanted to be with his family.
For Shigaraki, he is constantly and consistently characterized as a “man-child”. One of the first things you learn about him is that the All Might and Aizawa (and maybe Nedzu? Can’t remember tbh) regard him as childish and similar to their students because of how he acts. Like Dabi, the narrative makes it very clear that his trauma and his lack of a healthy childhood left him very scarred and the result is a natural regression that he takes on multiple times throughout the series— throwing tantrums when he doesn’t get what he wants, spiraling when thinking about AFO (his “Father”) being disappointed in him, and even in the protective nature that Kurogiri takes on as a literal caregiver (their entire dynamic just reads as agere coded to me idk).
A lot of people see this as just a typical characterization because man-childs do exist irl, but when you align it with the context of how he grew up and the way his brain compartmentalizes to handle such traumatic events, it paints a bigger picture. Not only that, but he does literally regress on screen—
In the final battle when Mirio makes a comment about how no one likes him/no one wants to be his friend, Shiggy snaps back and says no he does have friends and he name drops the friends he had when he was a little boy. His wording alone made him sound very young, but he specifically named kids he knew when he was five instead of the League.
These aren’t just interpretations— these are very intentional choices for these characters!! MHA puts a lot of effort, especially towards the end with all the hero/villain paralleling panels, to show each of these kids as kids. Dabi and Shiggy are in their early twenties, sure, but they’re still kids and their trauma is linked to their childhood. A lot of people argue that it isn’t age regression because they misunderstand what agere is and how it can look like, but the scenes are very straightforward imo. Agere is often linked to trauma and shows up in media way more often than people think, particularly with victims of extreme trauma and stress like Shigaraki and Dabi :D
#baby babbles#mha#agere#mha agere#shiggy being a regressor is so important to me you don’t even know#he’s on par with (lowkey) canon regressor bachira in bluelock like 😭😭#that’s my boy!!!!#my babie!!!!!!#I hope this makes sense it’s almost 4 am lol
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Arcane Silent Frontiers: Isha and Jinx's Relationship


Alright! Time for something new! The (tragic) Relationship between Isha and Jinx in Silent Frontiers
Now for those who read This (if you haven't go read it), you might have notice that I put down one of the inspirations for Isha's character in SF as not only just Ellie from The Last of Us but also Joel as well.
This is because, both Isha and Jinx take the "Joel" role in this AU; which is basically a fancy way of stating that both of them have major attachment issues stemming from trauma and apparent abandonment. Because of this, both Isha and Jinx actually don't get along to each other as quickly as they do in the show. The need to Bond is there, but Isha often finds it hard to gain attachments towards people following immense heartbreak in her life, and is in many ways similar to Jinx in this notion. However what should bring them together, instead makes it hard for them to do so. There's a pull of course that neither can understand, but it's a pull that tends to lead them both at the current time to face first into a wall. They have to break that wall and it's a process. Its literally has to build up. But with every build up, there can be an explosion which with Isha and Jinx happens.
Thus then comes the Isha (ellie) and Jinx (Joel) parallel Remember This Scene, in the first TLOU

Well. . .Jinx and Isha basically go through the same thing Despite the attachment issues, throughout the story of SF, Isha does end up getting close to Jinx much like she does in the show. This however is where it gets complicated for JINX because Jinx's whole thing IS the fear of getting close to someone in a world that tends to take them away too easy.
The only one she's EVER close to is Ekko. He's been her rock since they were kids. But anyone else doesn't get as close easily and it's just how she's been for years.
She's been so stuck in her ways that it honestly scared her how quickly and how attached to Isha she got and as a result her first instinct was to push away.
To not only protect others, but herself.
Jinx's biggest breaker in this whole thing was the fact that Isha once accidentally called her mama by mistake and Jinx's first instinct was to fear the word because she never expected it to make her feel good. It was what started the OG argument (similar to the one Joel and Ellie got into in the first game) and what had caused a small rift to form between the two of them, because Isha tried to get close but Jinx pushed back and thus Isha basically "gave up"
which she was actually starting to NOT DO because of Jinx.
Jinx ends up of course beating herself up over it later on down the line because she realizes how stupid she's actually been about all this. Realizing that Ekko was right, that everyone was right and even Isha was right about a lot of stuff. But her stupidity this time caused her to go and "Jinx" it cause it's obvious that Isha is distancing herself from JINX now and it's not the other way around
When what happens with Isha happens (basically what caused the events of the fic: Alone in this Platinum Field which can be found there in the link), Jinx is distraught over it because not only could she possibly loose Isha, but she'll also loose Isha at a point in time where there's a big chance that Isha hates her.
But the issue is, is even now Isha doesn't hate Jinx. And that's the sad part. Made even more sad by the fact that she never did, nor does she think she ever could
It's just that Isha's hurt
She's hurt because in the process of pushing her away, Jinx had also said things that just got Isha the wrong way
Because as we all know when Jinx is scared, Jinx can't shut up for shit and has to put her foot in her mouth.
Jinx never really leaves her side shortly after what happened. The issue with the field was something she couldn't avoid, it sucked but she couldn't. But after that she never strays too far. She's always close by. Always within reach. But while part of it is her just being observant, there's also another reason as to why.
She keeps trying to apologize
Every once in a while, sometimes in the dead of night, while everyone is asleep or at least trying to sleep. You could often hear whispers. Hushed sounds. And it's Jinx trying to talk to her. Trying to apologize. Shes trying to apologize because the thought that Isha is going to die with the thought of Jinx not caring in her head absolutely terrifies Jinx to no end now.
So every once in a while you'd hear a hushed apology. "'I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it".
And sometimes when Isha's awake, at least long enough to actually hear those words somewhat, it would often seem like she would jump at the opportunity to accept it. To put it all behind them and forget about it all. But then she would get a look in her eye, as if she was remembering what exactly got said to her.
Playing it all back in her head.
and then Jinx would notice the sullen look. As if even now Isha couldn't bring herself even to forget. Or to forgive
But Jinx keeps trying to apologize.
And that's the sad part really in all this.
But what somehow makes it even worse. If that was even possible to begin with. Is the fact, that that's not the only thing Jinx tries to do. What she always seems to try despite it never working in the end.
She thinks the others don't hear her when she say's it. But they do. They always do. And it breaks their hearts to hear how desperate she sounds when she asks Isha to call her Mama once more.
Because they know the odds are slim now that she ever will. Not after everything.
But Jinx need's to hear her say it. She wants Isha to say it. Mouth it. Sign it. Garble Anything. Now more then anything
She doesn't care how Isha says it because at least if she does. At least if this is does turn out to be the end, Jinx can at least know and hold on to the warm feeling that Isha calling her Mama made her. Can hold on to that warmth at least for a while, just a little. Just long enough to help her cope with the fact that she may never get to hear it again if this truly is the end.
She hopes its not.
God she hopes its not
Because she still needs to make up for what she did.
So she's keep trying. As long as it takes. However long both her and Isha have left.
She knows she sounds selfish. Wanting Isha to say it now when there's a chance this might all be it. To say it now after pushing her away the way that she did. She knows it sounds selfish. Sounds cruel
She knows it probably is in some way. But its not. Really its not She's not being selfish nor is she trying to be cruel. Not really anyways. She just finally has come to accept something. Just a little too late. Just a little too much at the wrong time
But
"Just once. That's all. Call me mama again. Please just say it. Just once, that's all. You can say it. I wont be mad I promise…I won't just…-"
"Please?"
____
(Also as a added bonus in pain. Imagine Isha referring to Ekko as Papa by mistake when they make it back to the compound. They get her all fixed up for the time being and her being slightly drugged up for the pain, accidentally refers to Ekko as papa when he shows up to see them. Imagine being worried that she "did it again" and that she's going to be rejected by Ekko just like she was by Jinx. Imagine her being terrified of the potential rejection. Jinx did it, what's really stopping Ekko from doing it as well)
#arcane#ekko#ekko league of legends#ekko lol#jinx and ekko#ekko arcane#ekkojinx#jinx#ekko x jinx#timebomb#isha arcane#Isha and jinx#jinx and isha#arcane isha#jinx arcane#Arcane au#Arcane: Silent Frontiers#Timebomb family
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The Mechanist's Quest: Chapter 2
A/N - I see Chapter 1 went well! Thank you all for giving it the love I had hoped for. This chapter is longer than the previous and will feature another one of our favorite support mercs: Spy. I based this chapter on a few headcanons and some art I have seen in the community. While I don't ship any of the mercs together (sans RedOktoberfest, that shit is canon let's be honest) I do love the parallels between Demo and Spy and would happily write a whole ass fic just exploring them with a similar dynamic I have here. Anyway, I'm rambling. I hope you enjoy!
Word Count: 2,709
Days passed by and Pyro was starting to think this idea might be a bust. The two people they were trailing were the least sociable of the entire nine-man team, and for Pyro’s idea to work, they needed at least one other person to be around either Sniper or Spy. The two men were usually the first to hide away after a loss, not only because they wanted to be alone to sulk, but also to get away from Soldier.
Soldier always had critiques for those two, for everyone really, but he always seemed to really drill into those two whenever he could catch one of them. Sniper would just roll his eyes and walk off, hoping Soldier wouldn’t follow him like a dog begging for attention; while Spy would also try to ignore him, but when the losses stacked up, Spy would comment on how poor Soldier had been doing, which always ended up in an argument that would either be split up by someone else or Soldier suddenly appearing in the Respawn Room after Spy put a bullet between the American’s eyes.
Today was a good day, the midst of a winning streak for the team; the last three days they have been on fire, both figuratively and literally: Scout being the sacrifice to the BLU Pyro for each match. With the mood uplifted just a bit, the base buzzed with activity.
Whilst still not having luck with Sniper, Pyro lucked out with Spy being social that evening. After an hour in the smoking room, which Spy had just started expecting to see Pyro follow him in there at this point, Spy left to eat dinner with some of the others. Heavy made beef stroganoff, a favorite dish of Zhanna apparently, and a general favorite amongst the team, which could be shown by Engie being out of his workshop for more than two seconds to eat.
Pyro kept glancing at Engie, hoping to catch his eyes. Horrendous at distinguishing different forms of body language, Engie just smiled at the younger mercenary while trying to follow along with whatever Scout and Heavy were discussing. Acknowledging their loss, Pyro frowned and began to stare at Spy once again, as was the theme of the last week.
Once Pyro helped Soldier with the dishes, they quickly found Spy sitting on the couch, tired eyes attentively watching the movie he had just put on for himself. Despite being a man with refined tastes in film and drink, Soldier’s and Engie’s influences had rubbed off on Spy; thus, the man now had an interest and fondness for westerns. John Wayne would unironically grace the screen in front of the Frenchman more often than not anymore and nobody questioned it. Some of the films were inherently good and Spy did find amusement in the accent all the actors had. Having been exposed to Engie’s own southern drawl for as long as he had, Spy found that he could go through an entire film without mocking their ways of speech. If in a specific mood, Spy would go into the workshop after watching one of the movies and mimic the accent until Engie kicked him out; though the Texan had to admit that it was usually hilarious.
Plopping down into one of the armchairs next to the couch, Pyro tucked their legs up underneath them and watched along, occasionally glancing over at Spy to see his general reactions of the film. As John Wayne and James Stewart walked around on screen and monologued about sheriffs and Liberty Valance, Pyro imagined Sniper and Engie in all the scenes which made the movie much more enjoyable.
As John Wayne/Sniper rode his horse through town with a pistol in hand, the door into the room swung open and Demo stumbled into the room, bottle of Macallan in hand.
“There ye are,” Demo beamed, holding up the bottle as he closed the door, now no longer silhouetted by the outside light. Glancing up, Pyro could see Spy rolling his eyes but not give Demo the satisfaction of looking away from the screen. “Now c’mon, mate. Whatcha watchin’ one of these movies fer?”
Frown deepening, Spy bit the inside of his cheek to prevent him from saying something as Demo practically waltzed over to the couch and staggered onto the cushion next to Spy. Smile wide enough to brighten the room, Demo wrapped his arm around Spy’s shoulder and pulled him into a side hug, resting his head on the older man’s shoulder as he looked up at him; eyes wide with a playful curiosity that Spy was all too familiar with.
“No,” is all Spy said, feeling Demo’s tousled hair against his cheek, the black beanie he typically wore discarded long ago.
“I’ve nay said a single thing, mate. What’re ye saying nay to?” the man teased, sliding the hand from Spy’s shoulder down his back, eliciting a small shiver.
Amusement filled Pyro as they watched from their perch, with all interest on the film switching to the two men in front of them. They knew that Demo had a keen fascination with Spy, something to do with his stoicism or his ability to hold his liquor better than most of the men in the team. Pyro didn’t know what it was, but they sure enjoyed it whenever the two were together; the duo acting more like siblings than coworkers.
“We’re not watching it again,” huffed Spy, resenting his body as it slightly twitched beneath Demo’s touch, the offending hand finally meeting the hem of Spy’s jacket to find sanctuary between it and the white dress shirt.
“And why’s that?” Demo’s voice was sickeningly sweet, a cocktail with too much syrup and not enough gin.
“You know why,” hissed Spy, his tone darkening once he glanced back and noticed Pyro was still sitting there. Having made eye contact with him, Pyro quickly moved their head, so it looked like they had drawn their attention back to the movie, though through the mask, Pyro stared directly at the two men.
“I know yer just afraid,” Demo scoffed, his fingers gently scratching between Spy’s shoulder blades. “Aye. Ye know, I never took ye as one to be scared of a wee movie, mate. Ye acting like a wee laddie.”
“Am not,” Spy snapped, glad it was only Pyro in the room to watch this madness. Spy’s entire identity was professionalism, and he despised when he let others see that wall slip, even if it was just meaningless jesting from other merc. One on one, he was fine, but with Pyro here, Spy was glad he had the mask on, even in the darkness of the room.
“T’en why don’tcha wanna watch the movie with me?”
Spy knew this game well; a metaphorical standoff where they talk in circles until one of them give up. Just as a toddler would say “but why,” Demo was going to provoke Spy until he either left the room or replied with the desired answer. While Spy had avoided this phase with his own son as a toddler, he was cursed to endure it from the adult men he resided and worked with every day.
“I already told you,” Spy sighed, then let out a sharp gasp as Demo shifted around so he was wrapped around Spy. One leg hooked around his lower back and one around his waist, Demo leaned in, staring directly at the man with a devilish smile.
“An’ why’s that?” Demo emphasized the last ‘t,’ left hand sliding down Spy’s spine with a specific gentleness he reserved for only a few people, most of which he worked with.
“You know why,” the sternness of Spy’s voice was wavering, and in most other situations he would hate it.
“Do I now?”
Hand tugging at the tucked in dress shirt, Spy bit his lip to hold back the anticipatory anxiety from affecting his expression. Eyes staring at the screen, the character’s reflections shone off his blue-grey irises; though his ears were completely deaf to the words John Wayne was saying as he climbed his horse to ride off from one town to the next, just as Spy wished he could do in that very moment. Mind trying to focus on the movie, though the narrative lost at this point, all attempts to shift his concentration away from Demo’s calloused fingers grazing up his spine were being made.
“Mhm,” keeping his mouth closed, Spy nodded as his heart pounded.
“Use yer words.”
“Va te faire foutre.”
Pyro couldn’t help but laugh, absolutely loving the dialogue between the two.
Demo looked up at Pyro with an eyebrow cocked up, then dropped his eyes back down to Spy.
“Our wee firebug here seems to think yer funny,” Demo mused, his other hand dropping the bottle onto the floor with a thunk, both Pyro and Spy thankful that it had been empty this entire time. Hand now free, Demo used it to jab at Spy’s sternum in an accusatory fashion while the other hand drifted upward to finally still between the two shoulder blades, this time without anything blocking the skin-on-skin contact. “I have nae an idea what ye said, though I’m sure ye were being a proper prick. An’ ye know what that means?”
“Enculé,” Spy replied, looking Demo right in the eyes as he did whilst wearing a wide, unamused smile.
Biting down on their bottom lip, Pyro watched as Spy sealed his fate; throwing away the metaphorical key the moment Demo’s brows rose, lips twitching upward.
“That one, I do know,” Demo leaned forward, lips nearly grazing the fabric of the balaclava.
Biting back a strangled noise attempting to lurch out of his throat, Spy growled as he curled into himself; Demo’s frozen fingers now dethawed and gently scratching against the rarely touched skin. Breathing only out of his nose, Spy’s nostrils flared as he measured each inhale and exhale. Every neuron in his brain switched focus to just keeping his breathing even and his body under complete control, a statuesque stillness.
Excited by the prospect of a challenge, Demo’s free hand that was unconsciously gripping Spy’s shoulder made the move that Spy had hoped it wouldn’t. Slipping beneath the mask, each fingertip grazed Spy’s neck delicately, as if petting a small animal. Thumb on one side of the neck and the other four fingers on the other, Demo felt Spy swallow, his palm resting against the older man’s throat. Every micro-quiver of the vocal cords could be felt and Demo relished in the power he now held.
�� Knowing that Spy was an expert in resisting interrogation - his level of pain regulation and abilities to escape into his mind were exceptional - Demo also knew that Spy was allowing this engagement to occur as it was. If he had the slightest inclination to get away from Demo, Spy would have turned the tables faster than Demo could say “haggis,” with the younger man being pinned to the couch with a knife blade menacingly pressed against his throat. All actions here were calculated; all actions about to happen had full consent, and with it, Demo made his move.
Giddily, Spy felt the dam inside him cracking. With most anyone else to have ever graced his presence, Spy would have sealed it back up with super glue and duct tape, but Demo was not just anyone, nor were any of the others on the team, really. But Demo; Spy liked Demo a lot. He never really knew what it was; perhaps it was the level of control Demo had over his craft, in and out of the field, or it was a form of pity, that whilst Spy and Demo did not lead lives too dissimilar, Spy sees what he could have been if he let the bottle take over his life like it did the younger Scotsman. Perhaps it was the good that Demo saw in everyone he met despite living through hell in his childhood and having to experience the horrors of a capitalist war over and over again every day because he feels that he has to. Either or, Spy had a certain indescribable fondness for Demo which allowed him to experience playful moments he rarely remembered having as a child.
The second Demo’s dull nails arrived at their destination right behind Spy’s ear, the drawbridge lifted, and Spy’s laugh bubbled out from beneath.
Hands around the only one of Demo’s wrists he could reach, Spy tipped his head back; his laugh low at first before switching to a higher register as Demo’s fingers quickened in both places. Smile wide, Spy still tried to hold his laughter back just a smidge. He knew what Demo wanted, and he wasn’t too keen on giving it to him. As his laugh switched between two pitches, Spy scrunched his eyes shut and forgot that Pyro was in the room, and to Pyro’s credit, they had been entirely silent for a while, awestruck by the adorable noises seeping from Spy, a melody that they had never heard before.
“Someone’s bein’ stubborn, now aren’t ye?” Demo teased, radiating pure delight. Spy simply replied with a shake of the head, arching his back as those five fingers were giving him the most trouble.
Suddenly, as if bored of the positioning, Demo twisted them both around. Now on his back, Spy’s head laid against the arm of the couch as Demo’s larger body straddled his thighs. Devious grin adorned Demo’s face as he looked down at Spy, a cat satisfyingly looking down at its prey before delivering the killing bite.
“Adorable,” Demo thought before unbuttoning the front of dress shirt, playfully pretending to struggle with one of them which earned him a soft chuckle. The moment the final button was undone, Demo attacked.
“Merde!” Spy yelped, now fully laughing.
Demo had slunk forward so his arms were tucked beneath Spy’s body, snaking their way back up the shirt to drag his nails all along Spy’s shoulder blades and upper spine. Once in position, Demo pressed his face into Spy’s belly, nuzzling and blowing short raspberries all over his abdomen.
On top of Spy’s back being stupidly ticklish if caught off guard or permission is granted to touch the area, Demo’s facial hair was a straight up war crime, and the bastard knew it. As one of the resident hyperactive dumbasses, Demo used this knowledge for evil with a few of the mercs he was closest too. Soldier knew that getting into an argument with Demo could lead to a different kind of fight if the Scotsman was not in the mood or couldn’t use his words.
Heels digging into the couch the best they could, Spy frantically grabbed Demo’s broad shoulders and pushed; his laughter now hysterical and between every other peal of laughter was a snort, much to Demo’s and Pyro’s delight and Spy’s own chagrin. It was adorable and Pyro could not wait to write down every little detail they were seeing.
This activity may have been unusual to Pyro, but it was not too atypical for the duo. The movie he had been referring to earlier was Psycho and watching that movie with Spy was how he learned Spy was ticklish.
While the two watched the movie, Scout having left early on because he hated movies “without color because they suck,” Demo was hyping up the infamous shower scene. Both men had seen the film before, so knew when it was going to happen, but Spy had not anticipated Demo pretending to backstab him, just as Spy would do in the field, while the scene played out. The startled yelp and faint smile were enough of a catalyst for Demo to explore further. Now, if Demo was ever lucky enough to catch Spy watching something, jokingly begging Spy to watch Psycho became his running joke and way of hinting to Spy that he wanted attention.
Laughter clouded Spy’s thoughts and filled Demo’s ears as Pyro quietly got up, having got all the evidence they needed that their plan might work. Slinking out of the room, Pyro then scurried toward the offense wing to jot down all the notes they needed for their conversation with Engie tomorrow.
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WELP...It's taken me a few days to digest, so here's my TLOU Season 2 Opinion:
Overall, I enjoyed the season.
However, it was RUSHED beyond belief. And I still have no reason or justification from the creators as to why, which annoys me.
On top of it being so rushed in a way that it jeopardizes the overall narrative and payoff (I'll get into this later), some of the choices made by the Mazin and Druckman are just utterly baffling to me. I am a fan of adaptations that EXPAND on the world or certain characters, but that's not the same as ALTERING the world and the characters. So much was altered in Season 2 that had no business of being changed, that the great moments where they expanded on storylines or gave us amazing scenes like the cold open in Ep6 get tarnished by the overall stupidity of choices made that alter the overall story. Cases in points:
SEVEN FUCKING EPISODES?! And we gotta wait 2 fucking years until Season 3, which will be another measly few episodes as well? This series should be minimum 10-12 episodes PER season!
Throwing out the entire surprise of Abby and her posse's identities and motives. Like, they literally said "fuck it" and just opened the season spoiling that. Love or hate TLOU Part 2, everyone can agree that the reveal of their motives was such a shock and left you reeling as it all played out. Insane to me that they dropped that for "TV show pacing purposes".
Which brings me to the Ellie/Abby parallel stories not playing out as they did in the game. By leaving it until the end to "pick up with Abby Seattle Day 1", they just guaranteed alienating the TV audience to ever getting to accept her POV, let alone asking them to spend a whole fucking season only following her story. Such a bad choice.
Now, for the things I liked:
-Joel flashbacks were all in 1 dedicated episode. I loved seeing it play out with the "Ellie's birthday" trope, so we could palpably feel them drifting apart and wanting so badly for them to just stop the madness before it's too late and they regret the time lost
-The infected horde attack on Jackson. It showed how resilient and bad ass that town is, and what is at stake in this world still. Definitely reminded everyone that the threat of the infected is not something to be managed carelessly
-The front porch scene. No fucking notes!
What I hated but grew to be accepting of:
-Emphasis on Dina having her own relationship with Joel. It was nice, then annoying, then fine. But, it brings me to the bigger issues of the series
-Gail. I hated, and I mean HATED, the suggestion that Joel would speak to a therapist at all. Not our Joel. Not with everything he has buried in him and that he knows would be at stake if he divulged the truth about Ellie and the ultimate cause of their estrangement. I was pissed when the trailers alluded to him confiding that to Gail. Only person Joel would EVER confide something that volatile? Tommy. But! Once I saw it play out in the season, I accepted that it was a crafty way to have Joel try to bounce doubts and concerns regarding Ellie; that he was using Gail to be a sounding board and possibly get tips on how to navigate approaching Ellie while getting insight from an utterly objective yet experienced third party
-Tommy not being with Joel at the ski lodge. I hated it, but then I realized early on that they were re-envisioning Tommy's character arc entirely and reprioritizing his role within the series. Plus with the horde attack, he HAD to be in Jackson; we had to feel the investment on someone we really love putting it on the line for the town and family he loves, while still worrying about the others lost in the storm
-Tommy not having gone off on his own ahead to Seattle to merc Abby and co himself. At first it perturbed me, but then I reminded myself: Show!Tommy has a young son, he had 3 months to mourn his brother, whom he felt conflicted about in the sense of their post-outbreak survival days, and ultimately chose not to go down the path of vengeance Joel would've if roles had been reversed. Instead of running off to be the Terminator, he chose to help rebuild the town and try to heal the wounds of his community: Maria, Benji, Ellie, and all of Jackson. Him only going to Seattle after the girls, with Jesse as his backup, was a great departure based on wanting to not avenge Joel, but to save the girls from probable slaughter
The things I just hate and do not see the reasoning or rationale or rhyme or reason for being changed:
-Ellie and Dina not hooking up before the horde/Abby/horrible showdown. By not having that happen then, and waiting until after they survive the infected in the subway station in Seattle, they rushed and changed the entire tone of those 2 days in Seattle. It became more about them making googly-eyes at each other and the entire reason they're even there became secondary; fell to the back burner in service of justifying them hooking up and divulging their feelings ad nauseam during two episodes when they should've been heads on swivels and vengefully merc'ing ops! A total mess
-Dina being with Joel instead of Tommy. I know - someone needed to be there to witness and get the intel of Abby and her posse. But for that, they could've had Jesse be there. It also would've made Jesse's stake in things higher had he been there, and created amazing conflict between him and Ellie when he admits to "voting NO" back in Jackson on the Seattle raid. Jesse being with Joel would've allowed for Dina and Ellie to have been on patrol together, and then the hookup scene could've happened as intended, bonding Dina to Ellie in her need to seek revenge and not making it seem it was due to her being bonded to Joel as equal of a father figure as he was for Ellie. I was not a fan of that conflation of their bonds with Joel
-The 3-month jump after the events of Ep2. What a fumble. It took the momentum out of the revenge-fueled mania that Ellie falls into and uses to justify all her sadistic intent towards Abby and her friends. It was like a hard reset where all returned to normalcy and Joel was just a footnote to a bad event for the town and everyone around her - including Tommy!
-Completely skipping two MAJOR sequences for Ellie and Dina in the Seattle arc. First: going through the city and finding the FEDRA massacres and being confronted with the cruelty of both WOLVES and SERAPHITES, and how they're in over their head but need to muster through enemy lines and get captured. That sequence shows Ellie's brutality and the willingness of Dina to defend her with violence just as much as Ellie is capable of doing for her. It's the beginning of the piling on of violence that eventually shatters Ellie into a PTSD-riddled, trembling-yet-disassociated mess who is holding on to the goal - kill every last one of them! Second: Skipping Hillcrest was such a fucking fumble. I can't even articulate how stunned I was that they skipped that whole sequence
-Alienating Jesse and Ellie's friendship. While I'm in the minority that enjoyed Show!Jesse a lot, I did not like how they made him such a weird foil for Ellie in a moment when he would never make himself a foe or obstacle to his friend like that. And having Ellie be such a callous fucking idiot towards Jesse and his concerns for their collective safety was such bullshit
-Ellie TELLING Dina about what she found out from Nora, and then doubling down that Ellie knew he'd killed everyone at the hospital before Abby and crew found him and killed him. So fucking crazy to me that Show!Ellie is so willing to desecrate Joel's memory to Dina. Especially in THAT moment in the dressing room. Overall, this felt like a dumbing down for the series audience by over-explaining what THEY should be feeling in the moment - which should've just been the intimate, jarring and raw moment between Ellie and Dina we got in the game where WE picked up on the unspoken nuance of what ISN'T said between them
-RUSHING THE SEASON. There is no payoff to feeling anything for Ellie or her PTSD or how things played out in the aquarium because we did not get the buildup of seeing Ellie sadistically plow her way through foes before getting to Nora, then being confronted with either going after Abby at the aquarium or going with Jesse to find Tommy on the pier. It almost felt like they decided the TV audience wouldn't digest seeing a cruel, sadistic, WRONG Ellie doing dark, violent things in her crusade for violent retribution; the vengeance part was played off as her stumbling through her feelings vs being resolute in her intent and violent desires. She doesn't KILL anyone by accident in the game, so to play that narrative of "it was something I did but didn't mean to do"? Totally hollow and misses the fucking point of the story they were supposed to be telling: How we are all capable of doing terrible things in the name of love; that we all have the capacity for vengeance, and can let it twist and distort a person into the very darkness they swore to never become. That's not even in the room most of this season, which is such a disservice to the audience and characters
-Ellie overall desecrating Joel's memory. Not to mention her callous way of speaking about Joel to others before, during and after the events of Ep2. It baffled me, honestly. Because really the blowup at the dance is the only time she disparages him publicly, and I think that's how it should've gone down in the show as well
This is all SCRIPT/WRITING focused criticism. The acting was great and the talent did amazing work with what they were given.
There's so much more, but I'll give the rant a rest for now 😅 but do feel free to let me know if I missed anything~
#TLOU Spoilers#The Last of Us Part 2 Spoilers#TLOU#TLOU Season 2#SPOILERS#ROGUEFURY rants#The Last of Us#The Last of Us HBO#The Last of Us Season 2
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Retrospective on Kappa and Siren's first meeting (2/2)
This post will be a continuation of that one :
Now Let's Continue!
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5. Caring for someone
Just after this lighthearted interaction, Siren reveals to Kappa that he was not what he expected. It's a sensitive subject for him, causing him to act very vulnerable again (my poor baby).
And what happens next is something that I didn't notice so much when I first read it, but now it feels really precious and powerful.
Kappa gets upset and we see him and we see him turn his back on Siren.

AAAAH the gentle touch on the cell bars I’m melting-hum, sorry-
So we see Siren trying to comfort Kappa, realizing how upset he made him.
Everything about this moment feels great and so SO right, so let me expand on why that is ^^
On one hand, Siren is just so caring and gentle. When he tilts his head slightly when he says "hey", it melts my heart. But most importantly, it puts him in the position of being the one to comfort someone. It's something he feels he hasn't been able to do his whole life, with everyone doting on him and worrying about his welfare and HIS only.

Interestingly, Siren's "thank you" here feels like a parallel to Kappa's thanking people for complimenting his scales when he doesn't like it but feels bad saying it out loud 🤔
But anyway, going back on track !
Siren has always been the one taken care of, but has rarely had the opportunity to take care of everyone. Not to mention the guilt he feels for being the one to stop the curse from happening while his people suffer, yet he feels unable to do what he "needs" to do to stop it. A very complicated and difficult situation.
Kudos to the author for showing such complex emotions and dynamics. Because on the surface it would be like "Siren is loved by everyone and treated like a hero, how could that be hard to deal with?" when in fact it is and the story illustrates it. This makes Siren feel even more isolated in his feelings, with really no one who seems to be able to understand or relate to him and his struggles, let alone see them (but more on that in a post about their second meeting, now GOING BACK ON TRACK)
The thing is, Siren has SUCH a caring, protective side to him. And here he's able to show care for someone and be in the position of being the one who comforts the other for what really seems to be the first time in his life. And it all feels really natural, spontaneous. Without any sense of guilt between them. Siren really needed to have someone to comfort, to showcase, maybe even realize that part of him.
°
On the other hand, we have Kappa showing how upset he is and how angry he is with Siren. But don't get me wrong :
That's such SUCH a good thing for me !
Let's put some context back here : Kappa is the Beacon, he's used to people seeing him for their own benefit, hardly like a person, more like a figure/object to be used. The first hours of his life he was literally yelled at for not doing things the way they were expected while he was a literal TODDLER.

Imagine the effect it must have had on such a young child. How messed up it was. But more importantly, how it forged him into not valuing his own feelings at all.
Back to the current scene. He's actually LOCKED UP in a dungeon. He's facing the prince of a cursed kingdom who has to kill him to end the suffering of his people. The guy is much stronger and bigger than him. He has a deadly weapon, but he can do whatever he wants to him without much effort. Considering his prophecy, he doesn't seem to have any reason to go easy on him.
YET, in the span of a few words exchanged, he's in a situation where he's upset, and this guy crouches down and apologizes to him for scaring him.

He’s not even apologizing because he must kill him. But he apologizes for scaring him, for hurting his feelings. For something as “trivial”.
We went from a guy who was like "you have to kill me? okay, fine, I don't want to resist because I don't want to upset you" to "you scared me and were insensitive, I'm angry >:(" xDDD
But not only Kappa was able to express his feelings, Siren valued them and responded to it.
Despite the situation he's in, we see him feel safe enough to express his feelings and be angry at the guy who was supposed to KILL HIM. We see him feel WAY safer and more comfortable than he felt around people in castles who didn't have to kill him, all while he was swimming free.
Poor baby's bar is under the ground about the care and attention he deserves from people, especially people he's bound to by a prophecy. Yet, not only did our amazing Siren set no expectations for him, not only did he not blame him for anything, he even APOLOGIZED for upsetting HIM. Thus showing him consideration he likely barely had in his life.
They need to get to know each other better, they haven't bonded yet. But these few interactions convey how comfortable they are with each other and how their interactions bring so much to each other, something they barely had and brings them positive emotions.
Last note to conclude that part, I find it cute how Kappa's tendency to cross his arms whenever he’s upset at Siren remains 150 episodes or so later. It’s really cute xD
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6. The right thing
Afterwards, Siren mentions that he's going to free him. This seems to take him by surprise.
I guess he knew that Siren wouldn't kill him, sure, but there was still a prophecy, and he had nothing to gain by freeing him. Listening to him, Kappa goes back to his vulnerable expression, which expresses how he feels like acting for himself isn't even something to consider.
I find it very telling that the first thing that comes to his mind is "don't the other sharks want this?" as if what HE wanted was off the table. Which was true most of the time, unfortunately TwT
But for the first time in his life, someone is talking about acting for HIM and HIM alone, with nothing to gain. Not even that, choosing him DESPITE supposedly having more to gain by killing him now.
But he doesn't seem to be fully aware of it, doesn't trust it yet. I think at this point it's really hard for him to believe that anyone would ever do that for him, let alone a prince from a cursed kingdom who supposedly needs him DEAD. "Even if you're serious" is really telling in this part.
It might sound like something Siren said without thinking, and then he would immediately retract his words, realizing that he's still the Beacon and he can't possibly do that.
But that doesn't happen, on the contrary, Siren even doubles down on his statements with genuine confidence :
First, their physical proximity in this scene. Siren casually puts his face close to Kappa's. And the way Kappa reacts, he seems surprised, but not as uncomfortable as when people casually make physical contact with him and drag him around.
He seems surprised, but not bothered. It was probably unintentional on Siren's part, he tends to get close when he is caught up in his emotions. But it just feels right, again because their interactions feel respectful, on a similar scale, like two equals. Kappa isn't looked down on or tossed around and stuff like that.And it's so funny that the time he got that respectful treatment was in a FREAKING CELL xD
(Lil anecdote : when I first came across CS's image, it was from scenes in the dungeon in Season 1. So I had no idea what CS was about at that point. I knew that one of the characters was imprisoned, but I really didn't know which one. Because from the picture I came across, they both seemed so cool, and the prison always felt more like a hanging place than a literal, you know… dungeon xD Again, I think it was really telling.)
But now let's focus on what Siren actually says and how important it is. Not only does he express his confidence that he will be able to escape, he also expresses his commitment to doing the "right thing".
People who rely on the beacon usually put their burden on one person and expect the beacon to be a miracle solution, they wouldn't consider another option most of the time. Siren comes across as someone who is deeply guided by his morals and would rather find the way to make the "morally good" decision, even if it ends up being difficult. This is not common, not at all.
It's clearly not something Kappa is used to seeing in someone, and Siren deserves a lot of credit for that, imo.
They both bring something that the other deeply needs. Kappa needed someone to bring him this kindness without expecting anything in return, as everyone in his life does. But it also works the other way around. Siren needed motivation to act on his own, to realize what he was capable of. By acting for someone else, he's also acting for himself. He's not burdened by his bad self-image, by what his people expect of him, by his guilt, he's really thinking about standing up for what he thinks is right.
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7. The name reveal
And then we get to the scene where Kappa tells Siren his name. Again, I love this moment.
Kappa is first addressed as "the Beacon". When he asks to be called Kappa, his request also implies that he wants to be considered a normal being, not a divine being.
His name is very symbolic to him, it often feels like a big deal when he reveals his name and wants to be addressed by it. In other words, he's asserting himself as a person and going against what he feels he's supposed to be, aka a tool to fulfill prophecies. But sometimes he just doesn't share it because it's clear that with the way people treat him, it's not even worth considering.
But with Siren, it felt really cute
It was a heartfelt moment. The way I interpreted it is that Kappa didn't have to ask to be treated like a person: he already was. And it was one of the really REALLY rare occasions where he was treated as a person without having to ask. So I feel like the fact that he was able to share it so confidently and easily is really a testament to how trusting and comfortable Siren makes him feel. And I think it also shows that he is starting to have positive feelings about him despite the whole situation. And Siren, being the absolute sweetheart that he is, immediately went through with it.
Not only that, but it makes him blush once again. Because that's what's really important to him, getting to know the name of the person he’s developing a crush on. And gosh that’s so sweet, I’m so soft for them.
.
.
To expand on the whole "name reveal talk" before moving on, because I find it interesting: In other cases, some people who used to call him "Beacon" will evolve and use his actual name, like the amazing queens Nee and Krilli. But there are also cases where characters, similar to Siren, have already considered Kappa to be his own person, and the name reveal also felt like a way to make it "official", and they immediately went along with it. It's those two sweethearts :
And then there is Neth xDDDDDD
But she's a QUEEN so it's ok for her. (Nethimir is a freaking goat I love her so freaking much).
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8. Last thoughts
THEY ARE SO FREAKING CUTE AAAAAAAAAAAH
Kappa blushing for the first time, he probably realised Siren actually was attractive without the giant deadly spear on his hands xD Meanwhile Siren being a cute mess xD
Something we can notice in retrospect, I think, is how smiling Kappa is overall in this chapter. Yes, he was really scared and his current situation sucks. But the way he was all soft and smiling at the end is way more than he used to be. (Because our poor boy's life SUCKS)
I also really like this moment :
The fact that Siren actually THANKS HIM for handing him the spear. And look how happy our boi is 🥺
Again, it may not seem like much at first. But we're talking about the guy who got yelled at as a baby for getting a prophecy wrong. Yeah, I know I've said it countless times, but it's just a little reminder of how fucked up our little boy really is xDD
Bringing back this scene. Kappa felt as a BABY that if things got bad, it’s because HE did something wrong and was responsible.
Here, he might have expected to be considered responsible for not dying. And not only this guy spared him despite his prophecy, he's thanking him for something as trivial and handing him his spear back.
Then Siren leave the dungeon
I think it was implied that Kappa didn't immediately have a crush on Siren. Which makes sense, the situation didn't leave him too much mental space to see the guy who was supposed to kill him as a love interest. HOWEVER, he does seem to be smitten, smiling already. And we know that no one has ever been this nice to him before.
(Well, except for that damn golden woman I want to talk about sometime, don't worry, I won't forget that wonderful being with a V-name who will be immortalized in my heart).
I would like to end the retrospective with this moment, which for me is a good summary :
Mucku is the best and asks the right questions.💞
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That's all for now! I had so much fun revisiting all those moments, I really like how well their relationship is built from the beginning. Needless to say, I really love them xD
Thanks for reading ! 🩵🧡
#castle swimmer#castle swimmer webtoon#webtoon#kappa and siren#kappa the beacon#castle swimmer talk#castle swimmer ramble#siren x kappa
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Top 5 Faith episodes (in either Buffy or Angel)?
Okay I struggled with this initially because I feel like all of her episodes are all so important to her character, she’s never really on screen unless she is there telling a story. But top five going from least to best would be:
5. Revelations
I feel like this is our real first hint to who Faith actually is, not the Cool Party Girl she tries to be. I know that there are plenty of hints that are present within the first few episodes she is in (her whole first episode is filled with it) but I do feel like it is missed to the casual viewer, especially as there are still people who think she’s just a flat monster no real reason (or reason they care to find) to it. But this episode to me is like the first one that really dives into all of that with Mrs. Post and her trust issues and her authority issues, all that good stuff.
4. Enemies
I mean, what can I say? I’m a sucker for gay forehead kissage. But no for real, I do actually really like this episode as one for Faith alone, I feel like sometimes it gets diminished into just for fuffy (or at least from some spaces I’ve seen) but it shares a lot about Faith. I can’t remember if she’s said it earlier than this forgive me if I’m wrong — but I think this is the first real piece we get about Faith’s mom besides the one line in FH&T that I don’t really think the writers put much thought into. While I think Faith did bury a lot of her motives, she also told a lot and showed just how lonely and jealous and insecure she really was, and a really great post from herinsectreflection put the loser line into perspective as well which was intriguing and fun to dig into (Plus just generally I was actually shook by that plot twist and didn’t see it coming at all. Like I thought they’d get his soul back but I didn’t know that he never lost it in the first place and that Buffy was in on it, so that was pretty cool, I just liked the episode).
3. Orpheus
This is what I mean when I say that all of Faith’s episodes are in conversation with each other because her three episode arc in Angel were all so connected that anything thematically relevant I wanted to talk about just came down to picking one. You can find crumbs of everything I would have wanted to say across all three. I loved how this was a direct call back to enemies (as someone who already obviously enjoyed the episode), Faith fighting so hard to get Angel’s soul back as the exact inverse of what she did there. Also, I love that they finished her prison arc. She was only hiding! She felt so (rightfully) guilty of what she had done and instead of living in the world and making redemption, she hid. And they literally paralleled that directly to Angel himself with him in the alley for 20 years with rats, so like add that to the Angel Is Faith continuum. Plus s6 really put me right in the feels with this, so then it also paralleled Faith to s6 Buffy (as season s6 was being Faith) and it was just like a whole parallel fest. Plus Angel and Faith Faith and Angel my two gremlins who go evil from lack of/having sex <333 ( just an amazing arc of beating Faith down and getting her all bloody, shower scene, breaking the windows cause None Will Survive around her and a magical mind mushroom trip. Amazing. (special shout out to that woman who asked Faith to make out and Faith immediately pushes her against the wall and threatens her. Fantastic I think about you everyday.))
2. Five by Five
Can you even call yourself a Faith fan if this isn’t in your top five? It gives you everything. It really gets into the heart of Angel too, asking the questions of what does redemption mean, is it different for different people, can you atone for what you did after all this darkness etc etc. It also allows Faith to be a bit darker than she was in Buffy* and lets her spiral in a way that is really impactful. This episode again is one I wanted to include sanctuary in, because what comes after all the violence and chaos is equally important to this episode, but ultimately I just find this one more interesting scene wise than anything. The rain scene was one of the most devastating things I have ever seenand easily wormed its way into one of my favorite scenes in basically anything I’ve ever watched. The way it’s just two of the most fucked up people you’ve ever seen in your whole life just holding each other, because what else is left? What else is left after all this death and destruction and chaos other than love that somehow made it through? It falls into the category of Xander and Willow in Grave (6x22), and to a bit of lesser extent Buffy and Giles in Passion (2x17), and probably others I cant remember off the top of my head. I think it was just extremely well written and makes you feel every single emotion you have.
1. Who are you?
This one just hits you over the head with a red brick on fire and goes “Look at her!!! LOOK AT HER!!! LOOK AT DAMAGED GIRL!!!!” So like. Easily one of the best Faith episodes that Eliza Dushku wasn’t even really there for. I don’t think I need to say how amazing SMG did as Faith, she got every last mannerism down. This episode gives you everything you could ever want as both a Faith Stan and a Fuffy Shipper, and I would say her start to redemption begins here, not on Angel. She’s no where done, but this is something. She is literally becoming the light as a shadow, transforming into something more than she is. It’s the first step to being the Good Slayer and a person who is capable (and capable of believing) she can do some good in a life that only ever beat her down. It is also arguably, one of the must fucked up things you see in this show. It connects to the darkest parts of Faith and shows every aspect of Faith out in the open (being that we see it; characters may not) such as her own issues with sexual abuse, her sexual abuse of both Riley and Buffy, her intrusive thoughts, her death wish, her running, her views on her and Buffy’s relationship as BUFFY LITERALLY IS COMPARED TO A GOD FOR HER. Crazy shit. And there’s so much imagery and little parallels or nods to other things that every time I rewatch I get something new to see. Just generally is a fantastic episode, who doesn’t enjoy a body swap? (Soulmatism of Fuffy soulmatism of Fuffy soulmatism of Fuffy soulmatism of—)
*I say a bit cause I definitely think Who Are You? is darker than that episode, but Angel I feel just has darker themes in principle than Buffy does.
#my answer could change depending on the day of the week but it has been pretty consistent thus far so#thanks for the ask!#faith lehane#buffy summers#buffy the vampire slayer#btvs
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Hannibal Lecter. Always considered a
monster. Has anyone thought to consider that he is anything but that? He isn't necessarily human by the way he thinks and feels - but neither is Will Graham, and people don't consider him a 'monster'.
There is so much to unpack about Hannibal. He is so very complex, and people don't understand his character whatsoever. He is dumbed down to a "psychopathic cannibal serial killer." First off, let me start by saying that Hannibal Lecter is no psychopath. If we have to put a label on him, he is a sociopathic narcissist (ASPD + NPD). It truly baffles me how he can be labeled as a psychopath when he experiences regret and empathy. Hannibal Lecter has the ability to use his empathy as he pleases. He is the master of his own emotions (usually); “There’s no scene where he’s been lying with his emotions. The thing is, he contains all the empathy in the world, but he’s not at the mercy of his empathy. He controls it. He chooses when to be happy, when to be sad, when to be melancholic, but they are all true and honest feelings. Will and Abigail meant a tremendous amount to him, but at the same time, they wouldn't listen! So there's got to be another family out there for him." This depth of emotion and search for family do not seem like the typical psychopath. Psychopathy is often associated with a disregard for the feelings and wellbeing of others, which, to be fair, Hannibal does display, since he eats people (however there is a reasoning behind this, which I will get into later). Cannibalism aside, he does display selective empathy, as Mads Mikkelsen says. Also, psychopaths are unable to form true emotional attachments. I think we all see where I'm going with this - he has an emotional attachment with Will Graham to the point of literally blurring together and his whole self being changed. Sociopaths are capable of forming emotional attachments, regret, and empathy! Obviously there is much more to it than this, this is very surface level.
Onto the NPD, I think that is very self-explanatory. Hannibal is a person who values attention - hence why Freddie Lounds made it through the whole show. Hannibal didn't like her, but he liked the attention she gave him through Tattlecrime. He has a massive inflation of his self-importance, he has a strong dislike for rudeness and disrespect. He believes that some people are worthy of his attention, and others are not. Evaluated by their social etiquette. He decides what is wrong and right in society, and if you don't conform you are instantly viewed as a pig, and killed, * (go to the end to see what this is for) most likely (unless you are Will Graham).
Also, I would like to talk about the parallel of Hannibal and the Fallen Angel.

The image above is artwork of the fallen angel. He (Satan/The fallen angel) is depicted as a tragic hero who defies God's authority, and leads a rebellion of the angels against Heaven.

Above, is our lovely subject in the exact same pose.
The art work is based on John Milton's epic poem 'Paradise lost', in which The Fallen Angel rebels against God due to his envy of Christ, a desire for power, control, and a sense of injustice and unfairness. Hannibal often shows envy towards God as his actions seem so.. unworthy in comparison to God's; "I don't pray. I have not been bothered by any considerations of deity, other than to recognise how my own modest actions pale besides those of God." God has all of the control that Hannibal is incapable of having, and he cannot stand that his desire is insatiable; Hannibal craves control (and for a very good reason).
There are technically two different backstories for Hannibal Lecter, however I am going to fuse them both together for the sake of this. There are two different timelines, in one, Hannibal and his family had to evacuate their home during WWII and his parents were caught in the crossfire between the opposing sides, leaving himself and his little sister (Mischa Lecter) alone and with limited resources. Later, some Nazi soldiers looking for shelter from the cold found Hannibal and Mischa. Long story short, the soldiers saw that Mischa was ill and they killed and cannibalized her, fed her remains to Hannibal and left him to die (which obviously doesn't happen). In the other telling, he truly loved his sister, and he hid away his homicidal side for her, but she dies of an undisclosed cause and he eats her after her death as a way of forgiving her for 'making' him hide his 'true nature'. Either way, we can see that Hannibal craves control over everything in his life due to reason. He couldn't control his negative, traumatic experience in the first telling, and he couldn't control the fact that he wasn't even accepted by his own blood, in the second telling. He had no control over who he was in it, which is negative, and he wants to regain that control after forgiving Mischa for making him lose it.
This is why Hannibal does what he does to rude people. It is a desperate attempt to have control over negative aspects in his life. However, sometimes things happen that Hannibal cannot account for; Mischa not accepting Hannibal for who he truly is, Mischa dying/being force-fed her (depending on the telling), and Will betraying him (+ not running away with him). Hannibal lashes out because he no longer has control. He is defenseless and will act impulsively (although still with some restraint). It reinforces his insecurity and instability without the control. In Mizumono, he acts out because of Will's betrayal of him - leaving him distraught and angry. Hannibal puts people on pedestals and builds relationships in his head, and usually as soon as they fall off said pedestal, or don't act according to how he thinks they should act, (due to him creating relationships in his head, one sided-ly) no longer conforming to his ideals of them - they are pigs. But not Will. Will is on this pedestal for Hannibal as a possible equal for him, someone who can understand him. Hannibal has been searching for this all of his life, and Will has.. denied him of it - betrayed him. He doesn't like that, at all. But he's desperate. He always is. He gives Will a second chance, and offers to run away with him, being denied once again. Hannibal gets angry and impulsive. He guts Will (surgically, ensuring that he will live, to pardon him out of love, because Hannibal doesn't want to lose another person he loves. He already lost Mischa) and expresses his feelings throughout Abigail, murdering her to make Will suffer some of what Hannibal has suffered from Will's betrayal, trying desperately not to be the most hurt one in that house, failing miserably in the end anyway, as we see a tear escape his eyes. He tells Will that he (Hannibal) has changed him (Will), and asks if he believes that he could change him (Hannibal) in the way that Hannibal had changed him. Will responds with the fact that he already HAS - this makes Hannibal realise that he's right, he's made him love again - weakened him and his walls without him even realising. Hannibal didn't leave that day because he didn't want that life without Will. His only weakness is the one he loves, and Hannibal realises that to love is to go through pain.
In "Dolce" (S3, E6), Hannibal tries to saw open Will's head to eat his brain (whilst having Will drugged, so it doesn't hurt him). Obviously, this would kill Will. But let's think about what this would do to Hannibal. Eating the human brain can cause a disease called Kuru. Kuru is very fatal, and incurable. Hannibal has been in the medical field for a while, and he is already a literal cannibal - so we will assume he knew that he would've gotten this disease, which will eventually kill him - and he's fine with that. Why? This links back to Hannibal not wanting to live this life without Will. Hannibal is trying to eat Will's brain to forgive him for his betrayal - just as he did with Mischa - this is also a way for Hannibal to break Will's spirit and make him his forever. This is a desperate act, a last effort to control a situation that is spiraling out of his grasp. For the whole of Season 3, Hannibal acts incredibly impulsively as a way to lure Will Graham in. Hannibal is so overwhelmed by his emotions towards Will, that he resorts to violence.
This is mentioned by Chiyoh earlier on in the series ("Contorno" (S3, E5)) when talking to Will - "There are means of influence other than violence." They later kiss in the episode and Chiyoh pushes him off of the train that they were on. Will feared he saw himself in her, an abandoned toy.. was the kiss self love? Perhaps. I think that whole sequence is supposed to have Chiyoh to show Will that 'he can take down Hannibal other than violence', like...use 'love/tenderness' to influence him - but obviously Will doesn't realise that, and just kisses Chiyoh back - so she pushes him because she realises that violence is all he understands. And it's the same way for Hannibal.
Special mention #1: in "Dolce", during the gallery scene, Hannibal and Will sit in front of 3 Botticelli paintings: 'The Primavera', 'Portrait of a Man with a Medal of Cosimo the Elder', and 'Portrait of a Young Woman'.
First off, The Primavera symbolizes the rebirth of nature and the blossoming of love and beauty. This obviously refers to both Hannibal and Will's natures, and the blossoming of their love, and how beautiful Hannibal thinks it is, and Will Graham will eventually see it that way too.
Then, Portrait of a Man with a Medal of Cosimo the Elder is a self-portrait of Botticelli himself. During the gallery scene, it is behind Hannibal, whereas Portrait of a Young Woman is behind Will. The woman in this painting is Simonetta Vespucci, Botticelli's muse. Botticelli was madly in love with Simonetta, who was already married. Botticelli was heart broken that he couldn't marry her. Essentially, they're saying that Will is the Simonetta to Hannibal's Botticelli.
Special mention #2: Whilst Hannibal saws open Will's head, Will sees the 'wendigo', himself, and Hannibal in droplets of blood. The 'wendigo' represents Hannibal and Will's love (very complex and I will probably go into this in the future), I think that him seeing it in this moment was showing how Hannibal was doing this out of love, in a way.
Fuller wanted to change the story for Hannibal's backstory, so that Hannibal had not only eaten Mischa, but killed her as well. Mads adamantly objected to the idea. He insisted that Misha was Hannibal's concept of God, and never would have killed her for any reason or under any circumstances. And I think that this 'concept of God' was passed onto Will Graham. Hannibal worships him - he loves him religiously. Just as he did with Mischa.
There are two art parallels for "Mizumono" (S2 E13) that I'm going to talk about, plus one parallel from the show!

This artwork shows Medea killing her children as revenge on her husband, Jason, because he had betrayed her.
We all know that Hannibal referred to himself and Will as the fathers of Abigail Hobbs, and he knew that Will saw her as a daughter (and so did he, she reminded him of Mischa and he was a father figure to her, but she wasn't Mischa.) A child. He knew how much he wanted to be a father, and he took it away from him time and time again. I think you can see how these two closely relate.

The image above depicts the grief-stricken Russian tsar Ivan the Terrible cradling his dying son, the Tsarevich Ivan Ivanovich, shortly after Ivan the Terrible had dealt a fatal blow to his son's head in a fit of anger. The painting portrays the anguish and remorse on the face of the elder Ivan and the shock and heartbreak of the dying Tsarevich, shedding a tear at the unexpected betrayal and shock of having been killed at his father's hands. Obviously, this is a lot harder to see as in Mizumono, it's Will cradling Abigail, not Hannibal. However, the position represents theirs and how Will was unable to save Abigail. It could also be said that in a way it was Will's fault that Abigail died, he drove Hannibal to that point. As the Tsarevich Ivan Ivanovich was, Abigail was unaware that Hannibal was going to kill her. She did not expect to be killed by her surrogate father in the exact same way her real father tried to kill her. Abigail Hobbs was always destined to die at the hands of her father, she just never knew which one it'd be.
Continuing with the death of Abigail Hobbs, and her multiple fathers - the parallel of "Mizumono" (S2 E13) and "Apéritif" (S1 E1). In Apéritif, Will Graham goes to the Hobbs house and sees Abigail's mother dying on the step of the house, attempting to save her. He does the same in Mizumono, only this time it is Alana (who Abigail classed as a maternal figure). He then leaves to go and save Abigail (although not the initial intention in either episodes. We see Will with a gun, almost expecting him to shoot Hannibal as he did with Garret Jacob Hobbs - but he doesn't. We see Hannibal slit Abigail's throat, just as Garret Jacob Hobbs did to her - only this time the attempt at killing her succeeds. I think this just shows how Abigail saw Will Graham as a strange man who killed her father and then tried to become him - and that she really viewed her true substitute parents as Hannibal and Alana. I think that whole Hannibal's main motive was to make Will feel the pain he made him feel, but I also think that it was because Hannibal recognised that with Abigail, him and Will couldn't have been together with her due to the way she saw Will, and how she saw someone else as her other parent along with Hannibal.
Back to Hannibal, he is always the one that is left behind and his first time leaving someone willingly!!! (Will, (even though he was driven to do it) he left Mischa first, in a way, but totally UNWILLINGLY) was in Mizumono and he couldn't even leave him completely - he took his coat just to have something of him which kinda makes me think of how he ate Mischa to keep her with him (and forgive her). He's always desperate to keep the people he loves. He is a lonely man and all he wants is companionship and understanding from another, just as anyone else would.
Circling back to control, I think that Hannibal feeding people human meat is also a way to take back control - if we consider the fact that in one of the tellings of his childhood, he was forced to eat Mischa against his own will, I see it as his own way to retaliate against God. "Defying God, that's his idea of a good time." - Will Graham.
However, in no way am I saying that all of his trauma caused any of his actions - although it is the reason for many of his desires, and parts of his personality - it is not his motivator, merely just an influencer. Hannibal believes in existentialism. Existentialism is a philosophical movement that emphasizes individual existence, freedom, and responsibility in shaping one's meaning and purpose in a seemingly absurd world. It focuses on the idea that individuals are "thrown" into existence with no pre-determined essence, and must create their own values and meaning through their choices and actions. Key concepts include authenticity, freedom, responsibility, and the search for meaning in a world without inherent purpose. Hannibal himself says in "Secondo" (S3 E3) "Nothing happened to me. I happened." When Hannibal Lecter says this, he expresses a sense of agency and control over his actions and identity. Despite any trauma he may have experienced, he views himself as the active force in his life rather than a passive victim of circumstances. This statement reflects his belief that he shapes his own fate and choices, rather than being defined by past events. It's a way of asserting his power and dominance, particularly in the context of his manipulative and violent behavior. So, while trauma has influenced him, he sees himself as the one who takes action, rather than someone who is merely reacting to what has happened to him.
Plus, Hannibal Lecter has a sort of 'blue and orange' moral code. It describes a morality system that seems utterly alien by typical standards. A character with blue and orange morality might act in a way that is unusual, unpredictable, or hard to understand in human terms. This does not always mean they are 'evil' or that their moral framework doesn't exist. He does have some type of moral code; for instance, he frequently kills and eats his victims because he dislikes their rudeness, and considers consuming them to be just punishment for their behaviour. However, it's quite inconsistent as that's not always the reason why he kills and eats people.
"There is no morality, only morale." - Hannibal Lecter.
Morale: a state of individual psychological well-being based upon a sense of confidence and usefulness and purpose.
Morality: the human attempt to define what is right and wrong in thought and behavior, resulting in a system or set of ideas about 'good' vs. 'bad' action, and the basis of community belief in what constitutes good behavior or proper conduct.
Morality is a social construct which Hannibal doesn't concern himself with. In the quote above, that is basically Hannibal saying that he doesn't care about right and wrong, as long as he's having fun, it's okay (Could also be known as 'YOLO').
And back to God talk! Many people believe that Hannibal is an atheist, but I don't think this is the case. I think that Hannibal is a dystheist. *² Dystheism is the belief that a God is not fully 'good', and can even be considered 'evil'. An example of something with a dystheistic nature is Eshu, a trickster in Yoruba religion who deliberately fostered violence between groups of people for his amusement. Hannibal often suggests that God might be indifferent to human suffering, or even enjoy it; "Killing must feel good to God, too. He does it all the time, and are we not created in His image?", "God's terrific. He dropped a church roof on thirty-four of his worshippers last Wednesday night in Texas whilst they sang a hymn. Did God feel good about that? He felt powerful."
* - People often baby Will Graham, brushing him off as less dangerous and scary than Hannibal. But I think that this is incorrect. Will Graham is inherently 'worse', if you'd like to put it that way. Will is well aware that the people he harms/kills are human beings, still sees them as humans, he acknowledges it and yet he still continues to do what he does, enjoying it (or 'tolerating' - in his words, but we all know that was a LIE.)
But Hannibal is a narcissist (as mentioned earlier), he views himself as worthier than the rest of humanity - above them (apart from Will) and he views the people he kills as animals as (usually, unless he's killing Will Graham) they are people who have disrespected him - so in his eyes they are no longer 'human', they're just pigs so they are of no importance to him. He doesn't see them as humans anymore. Whereas Will does. And yet the fandom still disregards Will's personality and overall character by giving him the "victim complex".
*² - Due to recent research, I think it is also a possibility that he could be a maltheist! Wow!
Anyway, this essay, or whatever it is..., is very surface level. However I think it may help people understand Hannibal's character a bit more. I love him and I could talk about him forever because that was ME in a past life!!! I hope everyone on here enjoys this as much as my friends did, as it was something I wrote in my own time, for fun...
#hannibal tv series#the fallen angel#parallels#art#hannibal#hannibal nbc#hannibal shitpost#hannibal and will#hannibal and abigail#hannibal lecter#nbc hannibal#will graham#hannibal cast
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I don't think Kaiser and Ness would be good together
Which is why i think about their relationship constantly despite that, i love these freaky little soccer dudes and their obsessive codependency
If there's one ship in bllk that I absolutely adore the content for and think about constantly besides Kunigiri, it's Kainess. And it's not because I think "Oh they'd be such a wonderful couple" or "They look good together", this is one of those ships where if they ever got together I feel like they'd actively make each other worse because they have so much internal stuff to work on alone first, you know? And just thinking about that potential train wreck of a relationship is enough to keep me entertained for weeks on end.

I've said before that Kaiser and Ness are a Bachira and Isagi parallel in that they show the toxic bad sides of a codependent relationship, but I think there's more to it than that. Like Kaiser and Ness are reliant on each other for both ego and attention, but they're also both deeply lonely people at the end of the day. Even in the scenes where it's just the two of them, they never let up the act of trying to surpass everyone and be at the top.
They have no silly banter or back and forth, even in this panel Ness looks more like Kaiser's personal servant than his friend or partner.
Where as everyone else in the Blue Lock compound has some healthy way of destressing after a match, these two weirdos (affectionate) sit in dark rooms and watch the same matches over and over again while plotting like saturday morning cartoon villains on what to do next game. I mean, even Itoshi Rin has a destress activity he does that's NOT soccer related that helps him not morph into some soccer obsessed monolouging freak, so to see these guys just constantly always planning and thinking and practicing it really puts into perspective how much of the time that they spend together is them not having a fun time casually. And if you compare what they do on their down time with what the other "partners" in Blue Lock do, this difference becomes even more apparent.
And I don't know, I find that to be a really interesting aspect of their relationship just because even though they are so clearly missing all of the key elements meant to make a healthy partnership, it still works on the field anyways because they're both equally obsessed with the same thing. Kaiser loves football and wants to be the best. Ness want's to see Kaiser become the best because he loves football. Their devotion to the game drives them closer to one another, but it's clear only one side holds any real "affection" for the other directly outside of the game.
Now, I do NOT think Kaiser hates Ness which I think people assume if you say "Kaiser doesn't hold a lot of empathy for Ness, or cares for him" that it translates to "Kaiser hates him".
I think Kaiser keeps Ness around because deep down he knows that at the end of the day the only person who would be willing to follow him even if he couldn't become the worlds best is Ness. And I think that's because Ness loves soccer in a different way than Kaiser does. To Ness, soccer is a really magical sport and one where amazing things can happen. And Kaiser is the only character who has done the most insane feats in the manga so far. Kaiser does things on the field that seem impossible until he pulls it off, which is the whole crux of his ego anyways: Making the impossible, Possible.

So as long as Kaiser plays that way and does all of the amazing things he's been doing, Ness would follow him literally anywhere because that's what drives him.
But Kaiser is different, it's clear that to him soccer/football is not something that is grounded in the fantastical, but something that's tangible and real to him. He takes it seriously even if he goes about it in the most dramatic and campy way possible. Looking at old chapters of Blue Lock when Kaiser was first introduced is so interesting to me because I forgot about Kaiser's whole "king" attitude where he pretty much talks and acts like some nobleman with a crown and scepter.
He even makes Ness "bow" to others or makes Ness physically lower than him like a king does with some peasant. You could chalk it up to him making Ness "apologize" in the Japanese way by also bowing, but I don't think that's why he does it just because his entire character is just so "king" coded.

It's worth noting that he also makes Ness "bow" whenever Ness seems to lose any kind of faith in them winning. Which is why I don't think the above two times was him making Ness apologize, but that its something he does to ground himself or make Ness fall more in line with how he's thinking at the moment. Notice how he seems to only do it when Ness isn't sticking to the right "script" or seems to show the wrong reaction openly etc.

But anyways, Kaiser and Ness love soccer but they don't love it for the same reasons and that is what ultimately conflicts with their relationship in the end. That, and they've both got their own issues to work out.
I feel like if they did ever get together, it just wouldn't work because in order for it to work, Kaiser has to first realize that he can still be an amazing player and have people regard him as the best without obsessing over where he sits in the rankings. That he can perform things nobody else can and never will and that is the thing that will separate him from the rest of the crop, not a trophy saying "Number 1" on it.
Maybe before when they first met things could've worked out well, but even still I think Kaiser was dead set on his goals of becoming number 1 long before he ever met Ness. We will definitely get to see the extent of that next week for sure I hope, when we learn more about Kaiser's past.
#kainess#micheal kaiser#alexis ness#bllk#blue lock manga#recent chapters had my brain churning out thoughts on kainess
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I was reading the first part of "The Blanched Soldier" and helllllllp! I'm really tired and I doubt I can make a coherent analysis out of my thoughts - BUT it is so tempting to try and see if the story can be read as a Holmes/Watson analogy!
Holmes dropping not only the "The good Watson had at that time deserted me for a wife, the only selfish action which I can recall in our association" bomb which could be read as an ironic/humorous remark, but also the devastatingly plain and honest "I was alone" right afterwards.
Holmes then telling the story of a client moving heaven and earth looking for his soldier friend who disappeared, constantly stressing how close their friendship was.
ALSO during the flashback scene the client is, in the logic of the narrative, literally in the position of the detective, trying to find out what happened to his friend!
His search being hindered by an oppressive and stern father figure - something something about authority and control and societal norms (and perhaps Watson's marriage as a necessity because two bachelors living together for so long might be a bit suspicious in the eyes of the public)
"'You must put it down, sir, to my real love for your son.’" Whaaaaaat?? Putting aside the question whether or not one wants to read this story in a romantic way, this is a story about friendship and devotion and loss and oh my god just kill me, just give Holmes his friend back please
Client then has to have dinner with the parents which must be incredibly awkward, but instead of trying to make conversation he claims that he "was so bored by the whole proceeding that I made an excuse as soon as I decently could and retired to my bedroom". Bored?? Now I'm reading too much into it, but this also reminds me of Holmes who is NOT a fan of smalltalk and would rather sneak off to his bedroom to meditate over the clues than to make polite conversation with people he dislikes (although the mother seems to be okay)
On top of that a nice His Friendship and Courage Saved My Life *cough* Devil's Foot *cough* parallel: "There was no braver man in the regiment. He pulled me out once from under the rifles of the Boers, or maybe I should not be here." (Yes. Now I'm hopelessly overthinkink and overanalysing.)
Aaaand as a bonus, Holmes in the beginning practically admits that it was necessary for Watson to write his stories in a way Holmes often criticised, AND behind the whole charade of "I don't have a companion because I LIKE him" he literally says that "Watson has some remarkable characteristics of his own to which in his modesty he has given small attention amid his exaggerated estimates of my own performances", indicating that Watson downplayed his own role in the cases he wrote up.
I hope Watson returns soon, because his absence CLEARLY puts Holmes into an overly dramatic mood.
(I'm joking about this, but I actually feel very sorry for him. I can feel the "I was alone" keenly, because haven't we all been the best friend who was abandoned for a romantic partner at some point? Please tell me it wasn't just me. )
#i got carried away#poor holmes#sherlock holmes#letters from watson#acd canon#dr watson#the blanched soldier#friendship#holmes/watson#analysis#or an attempt :D
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Why Bisexual Jon Snow Could Work /srs
Jon Snow is bisexual and here's why.
Aight, I'm aware the queer rep in asoiaf is pretty eh for the most part. Sweets is cool, and Loras and Renly have a nice implied relationship but Dany and Cersei having gay sex scenes felt way more fetishized than actually meaningful representation, especially since neither character considers a romance with a woman. Because of this, I'm gonna say that while I think this could be a valid direction to take the story, I'm like 50% sure that GRRM won't write it. Then again, it's been so long between books that times have literally changed and FnB seemed to have a ton of queer relationships so who knows.
Ok, ok, so I've laundered my argument; we all know why we're really here. Jon Snow could be bisexual and that could be really important for the story. Why?
First and most obvious is that it's another parallel with Dany. Jon and Dany have had storylines that directly mirror each other, especially in books 3 and 5. Dany is confirmed bisexual by the narrative, since she has regular sex with her handmaiden Irri, although because of her position of power over her, she tries to limit them. And, as already mentioned, she never gets to be romantically attracted to a woman. Maybe that's coming in future novels, who knows, but all that to say Dany and Jon mirroring each other on the bi front is not inconceivable, especially when you consider that there is already evidence for Jon being bi.
I'm sure most of you deep into this discourse(?) have probably predicted that I'm going to talk about Satin. And if this story does go in the 'Irri' direction, Satin is definitely the candidate for Jon's male love interest. He's a former prostitute from Oldtown, which mirrors another of Dany's handmaids (Doreah I think) and he's Jon's steward, like Irri is to Dany. Other characters also seem to think that Satin has kinda slept his way up the ranks to being Jon's steward, confirming at least that this idea is in GRRM's head. I wanna take a look at a few scenes and see how they could imply a future relationship between Jon and Satin. Take a look at this fight scene between Jaime and Brienne (I promise this is relevant.)
"'Give me the sword, Kingslayer.'
'Oh I will.' He sprang to his feet and drove at her, the longsword alive in his hands. Brienne jumped back, parrying, but he followed, pressing the attack. No sooner did she turn one cut than the next was upon her. The swords kissed and sprang apart and kissed again. Jaime's blood was singing...
...The dance went on. He pinned her against an oak, cursed as she slipped away, followed her through a shallow brook half choked with fallen leaves. Steel rang, steel sang, steel screamed and sparked and scraped, and the woman was grunting like a sow at every crash, yet somehow he could not reach her."
To me this scene has always read as implicitly foreshadowing Brienne and Jaime's future romance. Words like "kissed" or "grunted" or "pinned her against a tree" feel implicitly romantic/sexual, even the way the scene is described as a "dance." Jaime even says at a later point "Might I have this dance my lady" to mock her. Of course there is plenty more in the story as a whole that foreshadows Brienne and Jaime having a relationship, but I use this as an example because I want to point out how GRRM sometimes writes a fight scene as romantic and sexual foreshadowing, or at least that can be how some scenes are interpreted. Now I want to look at the scene where Jon trains Satin.
"It's too heavy," the Oldtown boy complained.
"It's as heavy as it needs to be to stop a sword," Jon said. "Now get it up." He stepped forward, slashing. Satin jerked the shield up in time to catch the sword on its rim, and swung his own blade at Jon's ribs. "Good," Jon said, when he felt the impact on his own shield. "That was good. But you need to put your body into it. Get your weight behind the steel and you'll do more damage than with arm strength alone. Come, try it again, drive at me, but keep the shield up or I'll ring your head like a bell . . ."
This scene reads similarly to me. Words like "jerked," "rim," "get it up," even the one word sentence "Come," can read as sexual foreshadowing in a similar way to Jaime and Brienne if you are given context that Jon and Satin do end up together. In particular, "ring your head like a bell" reminds me of a scene where Gendry gets approached by a girl but rejects her advances.
"I'm named Bella," the girl told Gendry. "For the battle. I bet I could ring your bell, too. You want to?"
I would be remised if I didn't mention that Jon calls Satin pretty three times in the chapter where he's supposed to be engaged in a battle with the wildlings. Like yeah, that's a bit weird, why are you thinking about that now Jon. Or I could mention the fact that he described Satin’s voice swearing his words as being like song and that he could smell the fresh sweet oils Satin rubbed into his beard. Jon… buddy you got something you wanna say? I’m joking of course: you don't have to be queer to recognize another man's beauty. What I think puts this into perspective is if you compare this to how he describes Val, someone who it's generally agreed upon that he takes an interest in.
Here's a quote where Jon describes Satin:
"The boy claimed to be eighteen, older than Jon, but he was green as summer grass for all that. Satin, they called him, even in the wool and mail and boiled leather of the Night's Watch; the name he'd gotten in the brothel where he'd been born and raised. He was pretty as a girl with his dark eyes, soft skin, and raven's ringlets. Half a year at Castle Black had toughened up his hands, however, and Noye said he was passable with a crossbow."
Now here's Val:
"Val stood on the tower roof, gazing up at the Wall. Stannis kept her closely penned in rooms above his own, but he did allow her to walk the battlements for exercise. She looks lonely, Jon thought. Lonely, and lovely. Ygritte had been pretty in her own way, with her red hair kissed by fire, but it was her smile that made her face come alive. Val did not need to smile; she would have turned men's heads in any court in the wide world."
I mean, the fact that "pretty" is a word used to describe both Ygritte and Satin is a connection that I shouldn't need to point out the significance of, but I digress. If you actually compare these quotes, both look like neutral descriptions of someone's appearance in isolation, however in context, you have to ask why the author shows you this stuff. Why does Jon comment on how good looking both of these characters are so often? It doesn't seem like there would be any other purpose to these, again, repeated descriptions of both Val and Satin other than to highlight that the fact that Jon finds both of them attractive is important.
Again, none of this proves anything outright. I mention this because this is the sort of thing where if you reread the books with this lens, suddenly more things start to jump out at you, and it can read like obvious foreshadowing you missed. Like when Catelyn sees her reflection in some armor and comments on how "drowned" she looks. It doesn't mean too much on a first read, but when you know what happens to her, it's some clever foreshadowing.
Another big reason I think Jon getting with Satin might be important is that you can see it as a pivotal part of Jon's character arc, specifically Jon's sexual awakening storyline. When Jon first has sex with Ygritte, she's the one who initiates the interaction. In fact she has been doing that the whole time he's had her hostage, teasing him with advances and mocking him for his inexperience. In the famous cave scene, Jon's thoughts are how he wants to bang her, but also about how it would be in conflict with his vows. That's the main reason he never has sex with her until she incites it on her own; it's not because he doesn't want to. It's because he thinks it would violate the words he swore at the weirwood.
So Ygritte begins this part of his arc, and Jon discovers that he likes having sex, how original. But he still feels reservations about it, during the act and afterwards. After all, his people resent him for being able to openly take a woman to bed with him, while they have to go to Mole's Town to dig if they want to get any action at all.
My view on this is that the story is heading in a sex-positive direction with respect to Jon. There’s plenty of theming about this “why is it a sin if it feels so good” etc etc. The books are full to the brim of people feeling needlessly guilty about having casual sex, Jon especially. Where I think this is headed, therefore, is probably something like a wildling understanding of sex; Jon has to view sex as Ygritte did, because that was always the healthiest way for him to go about it. Except this time, to complete his arc, he is going to need to take the initiative himself and embrace his desires like Ygritte did. Her teasing him for not doing this was trying to get him to come out of his shell. It would feel strange to me if this went nowhere. Jon needs a future romantic/sexual partner so that he can feel no qualms with taking the initiative with them. How he learns to do that is up to George but suffice it to say, however uncertain I maybe that this partner will be Satin, a future romance is in the cards for Lord Snow.
So Jon's in a bit of a bind here from a meta perspective. If we want him to complete his sexual awakening storyline, he's going to have to take the initiative himself with a partner without feeling any inhibitions. But he can't do that if he's still a brother of the Night's Watch because of the aforementioned conflict with his vows. But he's not going to stop being a crow, his vows are important to him. So how do we reconcile the fact that Jon's character arc about his sexuality needs to be resolved, but he also needs to keep to his words? Simple: make his next partner male so it doesn't violate anything.
I've actually thought this could work as a plot point for anyone either in the Night's Watch or the Kingsguard. One of these men surely has to consider at some point the obvious loophole of "so I can't bed a woman, but what about a man?" and how that affects their honor or whatever. It just slots kinda nicely into Jon's storyline here. Another reason it really works is that Jon is looking to socially progress the Night’s Watch: unity with the wildlings, defending Satin from homophobia etc. Him realising the obvious flaw of the vows for not considering that men can be romantically involved through his own experiences as a bi guy can help him begin to dismantle the outdated nature of the customs. He’s framed as this sort of reformer, and being a queer bastard (who is also probably the lost heir to the Targaryen dynasty) makes this thematically poignant. He’s an outcast, but also a king.
Of course, he’s always been an outcast, being queer would just help add to that. And this is just one way of writing this arc; I’m not married to this take on this basis alone.
I can so imagine a scene where Jon is having sex with Satin and the lit hearth is positioned behind Satin's head from Jon's POV and it looks like Satin's been 'kissed by fire.' Also, Jon considering how Ygritte would feel about him doing this and coming to that conclusion that she would be proud seems like a great way to end a chapter about the two hooking up because Jon's arc would be basically resolved.
This final part is something that I feel should not be left merely implied: Jon being canonically bisexual would be great representation. This is one of the most beloved and famous heroes in all of fantasy, hell, in all of modern fiction. Making him queer would be a really important step forward for queer rep that should not be underestimated. Verity Ritchie (VerilyBitchie on yt) did an excellent video essay on bisexuality in reality tv, a point from which I'm going to paraphrase: it's really hard to effectively depict bisexuals because any confirmed relationship with another character would look like they 'picked a side.' But in order to continually show someone's openness to sexual attraction to two or more genders, you risk going to far the other way, falling into the bisexual sex demon stereotype. This is a really difficult needle to thread, and is why we have characters like Nick Nelson constantly having to remind us that they're bi, rather than having us just assume they could be. Put simply, we need better bi representation, especially with men and Jon Snow is excellent casting for the role. His relationship to Ygritte is constantly referenced throughout the narration as something he treasures and misses, so there would be no doubt that he was not 'gay the whole time.' But, if the Satin story goes ahead, there can be no doubt he's not queer either. Literature is a great place to put bi characters, I think, since an internal monologue can remind you of past relationships with other characters of different genders and how they mean something to the character in question, but never undermining the integrity of the current relationship.
Me personally, I'd be buzzing for Jon Snow to be confirmed as bi. Really interested to see people's thoughts on this.
#asoiaf#a song of ice and fire#jon snow#satin flowers#ygritte#val#bisexual#jon snow x satin flowers#jon snow x ygritte#bisexual jon snow#jon snow is bi 2024 i will die on this hill /j#please george a crumb of queer rep#brain worms
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OKAY HI I REALISED SOMETHING RIGHT
(preemptively i might make an actual analysis at some point but that day is not today so take some incoherent rambling instead haha)
so i was listening to the dragon prince s6 + 7 score, as always, and i cannot believe i missed this:
'the path of freedom' plays during 6x01 when viren leaves claudia. the piece's title references viren's line about how that path will lead him to katolis - ironically where, claudia points out, they will arrest him.
so what i noticed was you can hear parts of 'last sunset' in this piece, references to harrow's final moments. and to me that is just tragic
i think what's even worse about it is that the melody in the piece follows the shape of the last sunset's melody distinctly when he talks about paths of freedom and truth and how he must face his truth in katolis and this is all done on the cello - harrow's instrument.
which is pretty poignant because viren was probably the one to put harrow's soul in pip, whether it was by consent or not
i've likened 'last sunset' (and leola's fall, which references it as well) to a funeral dirge before and i just love how this foreshadows viren's death. this is the last time claudia will see her father alive and he is leaving her.
BUT THEN
there's this motif in the dragon prince which you can hear in 'the path of freedom' and 'leola's fall' which is this simple ascending set of four notes that goes up in sequence - mostly in a minor key
first of all, this melodic shape is ironic in 'leola's fall' as she then, you know, falls.
hehe
in 'the path of freedom' this motif is heard at 1.14 and then stronger at 1.34 crescendoing through this to 1.47 over claudia's breakdown
but what is so tragic about this in this scene when it first plays at 1.14, you literally cannot hear it over claudia's screams, her yelling at viren to come back, that he has to because she brought him back
(much like how soren chose to stay with viren over lissa and then claudia is forced to make a choice, she chooses viren, she chooses dark magic, and soren leaves - cycles, no?)
this ascending sequence motif i like to call the tragedy motif - as a joke but really it's not too far off (perhaps the loss motif)
then, viren has three or four pieces in the soundtrack that correlate with his scenes
'viren's confession', 'father and son', 'the truth is' and 'to the stars/your mother's tears'
without going into a horrendous amount of detail: these concern his relationship with soren, dark magic, lissa and truth - not respectively.
you don't hear this tragedy/loss motif but the 'last sunset' melody is heard in 'father and son', 'the truth is' - an event that clearly impacts both of them
but there is no loss - soren hasn't needed viren in a long time, however much he wanted it
also with 'the truth is' and 'to the stars/your mother's tears' both draw parallels of viren and callum as these scenes are side by side
both are facing their truths; with callum, he is facing his deep truth and viren is facing his truth in katolis - one in chains and the other flying to the stars
but callum's is beautiful, grand and lyrical, with a focus on the strings, while viren's is dark and deeper and the piano is far more prominent, rippling through the whole piece. (i do think there's something to be said that the piano is associated with aaravos, by the way)
these truths are so different but truths regardless.
and the culmination for viren is in 'his good heart' - which honestly i would write a whole thing based off of this one ALONE - this is his death, his sacrifice (his redemption for some) and the music is one of the main things about this scene - all we hear is the music, 'i am a servant' and the hearts of cinder spell.
i think that deep down he knew he wouldn't be free in katolis, that he would die in the dungeon. viren knew he 'i am already dead' if you will
and we don't hear the tragedy/loss motif in its normal rhythm and setting, instead i think it has been augmented on a solo cello line. almost foreshadowing what this (his death) will do to claudia.
this solo cello changes though, and instead goes to the major, in comparison to leola's fall where it just continues and continues, getting higher without changing
'his good heart' is almost a piece parallel to last sunset - solo cello, piano opening, tragic strings where it's a death of a father and a start of a war, an arc. but his good heart is so much grander, with choral moments because it's also the end of an arc.
but, the following cue 'one last time' ends the episode with claudia finding her dad's body and then aaravos calling to her
and then, when claudia sobs over viren's body there's a solo female vocal followed by this tragedy/loss motif and you are struck with how alone she is (because even terry isn't by her side, he's behind her) before suddenly you hear aaravos calling out to her dark cello and strings, the tone changing
because this is the last time - what else does claudia have to lose?
anyway :)
find me forever crying over the tdp soundtrack
bloody hell i would write my dissertation on this soundtrack i am not kidding
#the dragon prince#score#score meta#tdp soundtrack#viren#claudia#the dragon prince music#god i could go on and on about this#it's so difficult to be coherent tho#i might write something about 'his good heart' like that scene BROKE me#today on tragedies in the dragon prince#parallels
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♥️ Ranking Richonne
#20: I Don't Have A Problem (S3E12)
Clear. 🤩 One of The Walking Dead's best episodes for many reasons, but especially for the beautiful seeds it planted between Rick and Michonne. The fence is where their lives became interlocked, and Clear is the start of where their hearts became interlocked. And in this scene right here, Richonne became absolutely inevitable...
This whole episode is something special, and I love Rick and Michonne's every interaction, with an honorable mention to their “the mat said welcome” scene. 😋 From the moment they met, these two had some romantic tension brewing, and it nearly boils over in this scene that just had to make the top 20.
Rick has brought Carl on his first run and decided to bring Michonne along to help and to see what she’s about. It'll forever be telling to me that Rick felt comfortable enough to have Michonne on this run alone with him and his kid.
Despite some arguing that Rick was strictly skeptical of Michonne during this era of their relationship, I think the fact that he brought her out here to his former neighborhood and then, even more, let Michonne go out unsupervised on a crib run with Carl showed that there was some level of trust here that I don't think Rick would give to just anybody. Like while Rick initially tried to fight how drawn he was to Michonne in season 3, his behavior with her still painted a clear picture that to him...
And Michonne shows both Rick and Carl just how special she is and proves that she’s the real deal in all aspects throughout the episode. Especially in this scene here.
So what I love about this scene is that in a moment where Rick is feeling visibly frustrated and disappointed, Michonne’s regal calm spirit practically tames his defensive energy. He asks if she has a problem with the new approach they have to take, despite her showing no signs of having an issue. And Rick asking this will just always make me amused because no one got him hot and bothered quite like Michonne just existing.
Like she was silent for a literal second, but that was enough to evoke a reaction from him. And Andy, to me, found the perfect way to ask where it was defensive without sounding overtly challenging or particularly offputting.
And then Danai just makes all the right choices in this scene cuz Michonne knows that she doesn’t need to match that testy energy. Instead, she turns slowly and looks right at Rick and sets the tone by gently saying, “No Rick, I don’t have a problem.” 👏🏽👑
Something about even just her saying his name has some weight to it. And I love that this is the approach she takes. This is genuinely me every time I hear Michonne perfectly deliver that line...
Michonne had been a bit quieter and apart from the group prior, and this line is her elegant offering to let Rick know she isn’t his opponent and wants to help - that she isn’t a problem and doesn’t have a problem, not with his approach, or just doesn’t have a problem in general that he has to worry about.

And then to make that verbal offering of her alliance even more physical, Michonne hands Rick the lone bullet she picked up. Rick takes it and the way they focus on their hands again feels like it’s an important exchange. It’s like their first peace offering. And it’s one of the first of many things Michonne and Rick will hand each other, including a very special pack of mints that parallels this scene a bit. 😊
I love that Carl is visible in this scene and noting this exchange between his dad and the woman who will become his mom and his best friend. Carl knew something was up here and that something was different about this. He was still skeptical of Michonne at this point, but I think it was at this moment he began to tell that Michonne has some sort of unique impact on his dad.
This scene is also special because this is Rick in the freshest stage of being a single dad. He has to raise his son, who went through the trauma of having to put down his mom, and he also has a newborn to take care of, who he knows is actually Lori and Shane’s baby. And he has to deal with all this madness with the Governor. The weight of the world was on Rick's shoulders, and you see him really frustrated that the lack of guns at the station is yet another L. But Michonne is just so calm about it which is the energy he truly needs in his life.
She just asked if there’s a new solution cuz she only envisions winning. Even just when hearing Rick earlier explain how he was the police in this small town and there are other places to check and all that you can tell that he’s used to being second-guessed and challenged by people, and having to prove himself...But Michonne isn’t other people. She gets him, and she’s not rattled by their situation, so he doesn’t have to prove himself.
I also love how, even as they speak, it’s tense but not harsh. There’s just always this passion pulsating between them, even as strangers.

There’s so much power in the fact that Michonne wasn’t hostile back, but rather calm, collected, and compassionate. The way she looks at him here just says she sees Rick in a deeper way than most. Even that early in their relationship, she understood him.
So even with Rick bugging out, it doesn’t intimidate her or put her off, Michonne gets it and she handles it beautifully. If Rick and Carl didn’t know they were rocking with a queen before then, they knew now.
And y’all, I know Rick knew they were with someone special because of his reaction after this exchange.
Rick’s reaction to Michonne after she hands him the bullet and looks right in his eyes with that soft knowing expression before walking away is the cherry on top of this golden scene because homeboy looks like he’s been fully enchanted. Like Rick's whole energy is giving...
Rick pockets the bullet and takes a whole moment to collect himself after the way Michonne looked at him. His look up to the sky was a 'dang, can Lori see me falling for another woman in just a few short days?' look. #DirectMindQuote 😂
Rick and Michonne felt a spark right then and there. I know it. And no characters would have an exchange like this unless it was a seed toward something romantic growing.

Even deeper than that, I love that this moment was an insight into so much of what makes Rick and Michonne's relationship special. They can speak to each other and reach each other in any state. They can be a calming presence. They can enchant each other. They are so clearly the exact type of person the other needs in their life. They have such a unique and positive influence on each other, and this was the beginning of many moments that show that.
I love that it was this moment that had even Danai wondering if Rick and Michonne were endgame and that it was then confirmed that for Gimple, Richonne really was in the works during this episode. I mean after an exchange like this, the road to Rick and Michonne falling in love was pretty much guaranteed.
So I love seeing Rick and Michonne in this early stage, especially knowing they will go on to become beloved family to each other in the fullest sense. #Husband&Wife 😌
#richonne#top 30#number 20#rick x michonne#reveling in richonne#twd 3.12#top 20#twd towl#the ones who live
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