#rambling analysis

[lpham2525]

The Nature of Choice and Family

Warning: *manga and anime spoilers* @agentpenguinmann, here is the third and concluding part for my comparative anime analysis. This was really fun to write so thank you for your support and encouragement. Enjoy!

Tangentially related to secrets in Spy x Family and Buddy Daddies are the themes of choice and family, especially in how the families came together.

In Spy x Family, Twilight/Loid needs to put together a fake family for his mission, which includes at least a child. And later a wife. And then they adopt a dog, just for funsies. However, if you look closer at how the family comes together, it’s actually Anya who brought the family together. Through her mindreading, quick thinking, and desire for a family, she’s the one who chose each one of the Forgers.

When Anya and Loid meet, she quickly finds out why he needs a child and she lands the role by acting according to the requirements that she reads from Loid’s mind. When they meet Yor, Anya is the one who finds out what Yor needs and sets it up so that Loid and Yor...ask each out, in a sense. And, of course, it’s Anya who chooses Bond and fights for him to join the family.

In Buddy Daddies, the choice about how the family comes together (and come apart. And then later come back together) are squarely decided by the adults in the show.

In the pilot episode, it’s Kazuki who decides to keep Miri. Later on, Kyu-chan decides that Miri is better off with her mother and he gets the ball rolling on that. Miri’s mother, Misaki, also wants to take Miri back, and after laying out all the reasons why Miri would be better off with her, Kazuki and Rei concede. Then, in the penultimate episode, when Kazuki and Rei have to figure out how to protect Miri from their assassin organization, it’s Rei who fights for them to keep Miri.

Each time Miri is passed around, it's the adults deciding what is best for her. While this is understandable because of Miri's age and the gravity of her situation, this is an interesting foil to Anya, who not only chose each member of her family, but works hard to keep them together. And Anya's also doing it for world peace, of course. No pressure.

[aurae-rori]

my roman empire is the fact that dr. ratio couldn't get into the genius society because of how much he cares for others. my roman empire is the fact that the way that he loves and has too much empathy will be his own downfall. my roman empire is the fact that he spent so long thinking that he was enough only to be hit with the reality that the world and life is cruel and his heart is too soft for the universe he was born into.

my roman empire is that dr. ratio cares. he cares so damn much. he loved too much that it held him back from his ultimate goal.

dr. ratio they could never make me hate you.

[ramblinseahorsey]

As a person with bipolar disorder, I never thought I'd see a joke about mania I liked, but Gangle's struggles with her emotions and the heavy guilt for being over the top or needing help all the time was handled with so much care in her "episode". I feel respected and heard... Which is very rare.

Lots of people who are doting when your hurt in a thematically romance-able way, conveniently quiet or depressed and tragic, suddenly don't like helping or being around you, or even knowing you at all once your disabilities make you annoying, discomforting or angry. When your feelings are out of your control, and your hurt and overwhelming emotions disables you from being kind and helpful and happy, people are often much more disconcerted with you than bad behavior from a "normal" person. Sometimes it feels way lonelier than being stuck in a depressive episode somehow.

And you know they often don't mean to or don't know they're disrespecting Gangle, she seems to know too, but she sucks it up because she doesn't know how to "earn" help in either state, and the fear that a sudden surge of happiness will lead to a sudden great fall after solidifies the want to hide your "wrongness".

She is the very opposite of helpful here, but she tries her best, and having someone let her know it's ok for her to be around or have failed attempts to not bother those around her is all she needed to smile on her own face today. It doesn't fix everything, Zooble doesn't even correct her from saying she doesn't deserve their friendship, cause that's not something she will believe or needs to hear right now. She needs to know she still deserves and will get help and more tries, that there will still be people who will forgive and love her, that those who lose their patience with her right back will still want to spend time with her later.

The horrible ups and downs still haunt you, the long long journey to find the right treatment is exhausting, and it still won't ever get rid of all of it, but the episodes don't feel like their going on forever and always when someone will listen to you, wants to listen to you. Wants not just to help you, wants to spend time with you, wants you to be.

Also it is legitimately really funny to me she outright states she's going to weaponize her trauma to get back at Jax for his warcrimes lol. There isn't much out there better at making you feel less guilty about your mania than a legitimately evil person tbh. The manic episode having more seasons pun feels like something a bipolar person or someone who is trusted personally by a bipolar person would say, it legit made me giggle

[melmedardaapologist]

with arcane’s focus on visual elements, something that’s been nagging on me lately is mel medarda’s final design and why it compounds the tragedy of her story:

firstly, when we see mel in her flashback, she’s already wearing her significant white/gold, but tempered with blue—noticeably missing her mother’s greys and reds, even then, showing her idealogical differences

then in piltover, we see mel as her own self-actualization—all white and gold and black, colors connected to power, and with an elegant cut that still places her slightly apart from piltover fashion. it shows her place as a non-combatant (long skirt) and someone privileged (the pure white) and wealthy (the gold. so much gold.). this is mel medarda at the pinnacle she’s worked so hard to achieve—it’s elegant because she is elegant

which of course becomes subverted when we do see the gold accessories taken away and the white dirtied when she’s kidnapped by the black rose—this is the first and only time we see mel in actual disarray, and it shows how vulnerable she is when she’s outside the political sphere

and after her transformation, we have this costume change, where aside from the increased gold (now representing magical ability instead of just wealth), we have mel in a a skin-tight catsuit style getup, allowing for greater movement, and her hair done in micro-braids in a style that won’t affect her center of gravity. at first, when i was watching, i was confused (especially about the hair), but then i realized—

this isn’t mel dressing herself to reflect a change, this is leblanc’s vision of mel, where power is swiftness and she is markedly different than others in a way that is now impossible to ignore

and she tries to return to her previous sense of self with the white hood, going back to a trademark of her style, but notably this is an outfit worn to conceal, not reveal and show off like her previous iconic dress, and her change is visibly with even just the hood off

and when mel accepts black rose’s help and betrays them and her mother dies, the white hood disappears—try as she might, she cannot go back to who she was, and she stands before noxians as a mage and mother-killer and a wolf, something dangerous

and then, when we see mel leaving piltover, she’s wearing nothing of her original self, but a combination of black rose’s getup and her mother’s colors. there is almost nothing of “mel” in this outfit, as if she’s been subsumed by these two identities—noxian and mage

even her makeup has shifted, with the red line under her eyes and the gold in her lower lip directly copying her mother

this isn’t a mel who’s realized herself in a new identity. this is a mel who, when faced with the enormous loss of her brother, mother, lover and former identity, has fallen into the definitions and roles that were presented to her, and who is now primed to continue the cycles started by her predecessors

and moving on from arcane, i think it would be fascinating to see mel in one of the newer shows to see how she grapples with this and if she either falls back into tradition and dooms herself, or if she’s able to break free and reforge her identity on her own terms

[en-stbc]

how ive been feeling the past couple of days. i have no shame

[alienssstufff]

smth smth builder’s signature styles whatever - I love how instantly recognisable it is to be in a Bdubs build whilst not be jarring. This shot of both sides of the river is a wonderful example

The custom trees. Are so freaking tall in compare to the default, yet their presence doesn’t feel obstructive. You don’t feel ‘blocked out’ from the environment as the deliberate thinness of the trunks, what height the leaves on the pine start at give just enough breathe room to: look through, catch glimpses of the other side, and be invited to Go Through It.

He says it in his commentary, a lot of what he builds is heavily grounded in realism. This area is not meant to be the centre of attention, the purpose of these trees is to Immerse and act as transition as one leaves the rest of the minecraft world and into Bdubs’ ‘more natural’ one — where the trees are grey, and the water is clear.

I’m so fucking serious this random cut of the river is my favourite part in the entirety of this forest, I like how still it looks, I like how clear it is yet how dark it is not only to imply depth but that illusion that the river is reflecting its surroundings how you can even say the river is a dark green! Being able to come to these interpretations for something so simple to me perfectly captures what he wants in builds like these.

And it STILL doesnt feel out of place because he does something like THIS. The way the stream gets progressively more and more opaque until it meets the actual main river is genius work. It gives the impression the water in Bdubs’ place is fresh in compare to the saltier, deeper water of the larger river it transitions.

😭And a final thing, I know the white glass he used was done to suggest rushing water but I swearrr he has like a sixth sense in how to place them perfectly. (Forgive my shitty camera) From this distance if you squint you can see these dark and lighter shadows made by the trees, and by putting where the white spots are placed now highlights these small rays of sunshine poking through the leaves and shining on the river and I think that’s unintentionally the coolest thing.

whhwwh idk how to end this, I just really liked this new video for reasons above and wanted to tell the world why.

BdoubleO100 you never miss. Forever and ever.

Here’s a shaky picture of Etho on his horse if you’ve made it this far :]

[risestarkiss]

✨The Fashionista✨

Rise Ramblings #234

While watching “The Clothes Don’t Make The Turtle,” I noticed something.

I found it interesting that Raph, Mikey, and Leo were content with Raph’s outfit choice until Donnie stated that he wasn’t “in love with it, ya’ know.”

Suddenly, Raph declares “I’m a disaster!” Albeit ridiculously endearing, it was a little strange to see his sudden shift from moderately content to absolute dissatisfaction. Huh…

Then, the disaster twins decide to help him out.

Take a note of their outfit choices.

Raph tries on all of these fits and more.

Donnie’s first choice is a mild “no.” Leo’s choice is a hard “NO.” (Not surprising, lol.) But then, the overwhelming consensus lands on Raph’s fourth outfit, which ended up being Donatello’s other pick for his brother.

So, in summary, Raph tried on his personal choice for an outfit, of which they rejected. Then, ultimately, Donatello picked out an outfit for his brother, and that pick ended up being perfect. Hmm…

Then I noticed something else. In this episode, we never get a Donnie “curtain reveal” moment, to our disdain. I mean, Raph, Leo, and Mikey got to try on several different outfits in order to get their brothers' opinions before landing on that “perfect outfit, you know the one.” All of his brothers got to shine. Why not DonTron?

Then it hit me.

The try-ons were to get their brothers' opinions and approval. And, for his brothers' choices, he was a major contributor in assisting them in pulling their looks together.

What if, bear with me, Donnie didn’t need the "curtain scene" because he was so confident in his fashion sense that he didn’t need to ask his brothers for help to pick out a great look.

…or they figured out how to break Hypno’s spell before he could get a “curtain reveal.” BUT STILL-

Look at his outfit choices in this episode. Some of his wardrobe changes were off-screen, but all of them were fire.

(I added the baseball cap pic because it makes me happy. I wish we'd seen more of that fit.)

To me, he makes some really smart choices for himself, pushing the envelope of what is expected and taking chances: an open collar with no tie for a “black tie” event, a beanie and spiked wristbands for their “gansta look,” no socks with loafers (a viral fashion trend that actually began in Africa) with old man slacks in his reclined pose. *muah* Chef’s kiss!

But Don’s fashion sense doesn’t just shine in this episode.

In “Reparin’ the Baron” the boys go to Draxum’s apartment. Leo and Donnie show up in some extra nice “Sunday Dinner” twin drip.

The gold is in the details. Everything Leo is wearing, Donnie rocks its compliment: for Leo’s round collar, Donnie’s is angled, for Leo’s blue shirt, Donnie’s is white, For Leo’s light slacks, Donnie’s are dark. Blah blah blah. It’s so good!

Look at the winter fit in Snow Day.

Again, Donnie is Leo’s perfect compliment. As a pair? Fire.

Donnie has “the eye.” I can go on and on with examples, but I’ve said all of that to say this…

In the future, we see that Donatello’s technology had major pull in the resistance. He had drone ships patrolling the skies. He built and designed Leo’s arm, Casey’s chainsaw-hockey stick, and Casey's mask. The list goes on…

But, when Donatello from the past see’s Casey’s clothing from the future, he says this:

We know about the “Genius Built” brand. We’ve seen that logo on all of his tech up to this point. But, here he didn’t just say “Genius Built.” He said, “Genius Built Apparel.”

“Apparel” is not a tech brand. “Apparel” is a fashion brand. Of course, tech is incorporated into the clothing, but still.

This means that past Donatello secured this trademark with plans of creating a fashion brand, comparable to the likes of Gucci, Ralph Lauren, or any other modern clothing brand, as a subsidiary of “Genius Built,” the tech company.

And why not? The evidence has been in front of us this entire time. He has a sharp eye for style, fashion, and trends. It is easily canon that he can sew. Splinter sewed their ninja garbs in “Insane in the Mama Train,” and there is a sewing machine in the house.

They already learned Ninjutsu through basically osmosis, so learning to sew is not too far-fetched.

And here it is, right in front of us, Casey’s entire ensemble, from mask, to weapons, to clothing, was made by Donatello in the middle of the apocalypse under the brand name “Genius Built Apparel.”

And that was just in the bad future. Resources were limited, they didn’t have access to much of anything in that broken world as they were survivors of a devastating Krang invasion. Yet, he created all of this.

However, now that they’ve changed the future, his future as a fashion designer is limitless. Think of what Donatello could produce with unlimited resources, unlimited technology, and unlimited creative freedom.

Tech genius. Clothing designer. Fashionista. Future Genius Built Apparel Owner and CEO. I’m sorry, but I have to call it...

Donatello Hamato of the present, of the bad future, and of the good future is a fashion icon, the likes of which the world has never seen. ○○○○

Update: I've decided to make this concept into a mini-comic series!

[miscellaneoussmp]

Despite its flaws, the qsmp had really good representation, especially for communities often under or misrepresented in popular media.

There were a decent amount of genderfluid/genderqueer/nonbinary characters, mostly through the Eggs/Federation Employees/Other NPCs, but there were players like Maxo and Mike who use mutliple sets of pronouns. Pepito had no pronouns in English but preferred masculine pronouns/terms in Spanish. Most people referred to Richas with masculine terms, yet Pac and Mike affectionately referred to Richas as their daughter multiple times. Leo and JuanaFlippa openly had name and pronoun changes to reflect their gender identities. There was even discussion of preferred names with Lullah, who, as far as canon goes, is a cis character. There were openly accepted instances of cross dressing, that weren't even made into a big deal. Famously Mariana and Foolish, both masculine characters, are referred to with feminine terms. Mariana is referred to as Charlie Slimecicle's wife, and Foolish is referred to as grandma by both Richas and Pepito.

There were multiple aspec characters and multiple instances of queerplatonic/ambiguous relationships. Jaiden was very openly aroace. Her and Roier said they were partners. Cellbit came out as ace because he was worried that Roier wouldn't find their relationships fulfilling without sex. Roier responded that sex didn't matter to him in their marriage. Pac and Mike, who canonically share a soul, never defined their relationship and went with whatever people called them even if that defining word was boyfriends, despite Mike being aroace. Also, Mike had a nontraditional relationship in his relationship with Mine. Their relationship being that of goddess and devotee. Maxo openly had sex with Pierre while being an ace character. Empanada was an openly ace child character, and that was very accepted. Not to mention all the characters who could be interpreted as some form as aspec.

Qsmp also showed off many different forms of families. Platonic co-parenting basically defined the qsmp as we know it. Single fatherhood defined both Bad and Fit as characters and showed them having healthy relationships with their children. The rocky relationships of Charlie Slimecicle and Mariana and Maxo and Pierre were treated as serious parts of their stories despite the silliness also present in their relationships.

Sorry for the rambling, I just think that the qsmp is praised for its representation of queer relationships without mentioning its other forms of representation.

[a-little-ray-of-fantasy]

An analysis on how Sir Pentious' character design represents his personality and development perfectly (beware of Hazbin Hotel spoilers)

Let's get this out of the way: Sir Pentious is a snake, an animal mostly known for generally believed negative traits such as poison, deceit and betrayal. We don't know WHY he's in Hell, maybe he was a "snake oil salesman" considering he comes from the Victorian times and he's into hyping up what he does, or maybe he was into war. Thing is, he's a Sinner whose design just scream "Evil".

(BTW, a snake could also represent "fertility": looking at you, Egg Boiz!)

He always had eyes all around him not just because of a stylistic choice.

Sir Pentious always felt like he was watched, and had to watch out for any danger.

"Everyone here is too nice: obviously it must be a lie! I can sense they are planning to kill me, but when?! HOW?! I must be PREPARED!"

Sadly, he's been constantly berated by other demons, far more effective in destruction, status, cruelty and charisma. Alastor won't ever bother to remember him, Cherri always ones up him, and the Vs, the ones he admires to most, won't care less about him.

To the point that Vox sent him as a spy without the intention to save him if things were going to fail. Heck, he even openly tells him to die while calling him a failure.

So of course he's got reasons to have trust issues, or taking everything so seriously, being constantly reminded of what he can't accomplish. So he puts an air of grandure that may be very flamboyant, but is VERY frail.

But, if we have to be frank here, his biggest source of insecurities... is himself.

He has eyes on his tail (his softer, more vulnerable side, which is ironically made even MORE lieable to getting hurt because of how sensitive those organs are), and inside his hood, so he could look out better for danger when on alert mode.

Heck, even the mark on his hood kinda resembles one eye.

Problem is, when you see his hood folded, when he's at ease, neutral or sad, those are not looking at outside sources.

They're looking at him, at his back. A constant stare that happens everytime he lets his guard down and shows how vulnerable he is. A gaze that can sense all of his weakness, his struggles, his insecurities.

And it's all him.

Pentious constantly believes that his inferiority complex will fade away once he'll accomplish something grand that will make others accept him. But he is his biggest critic, his worst enemy: HE is the one who believes he's a failure, that he'll never gain approval from others.

This show takes place in Hell, but this is Sir Pentious' personal Hell: insecurity born out of self hatred. Doomed to feel everyone's gaze upon him, including his own. Believing the danger to his self esteem is from others, when it's really from him.

But then he's accepted at the Hazbin Hotel: Charlie forgives him, he bonds with Angel, Husk and Niffty who don't care a bit about what he's accomplished or not, or what he's done in the past.

He feels more comfortable in showing his vulnerable side, and no one judges him for how easy it is for him to get emotional.

Of course he's still very insecure, considering how he struggles to confess to Cherri, but notice how he stops building machines or planning to attack others as soon as he starts bonding with the others: he doesn't have a reason to destroy or attack, now that he knows he's loved.

And his final design, when he goes to Heaven, shows how much he's changed, yet stayed the same. He may have died a hero, but he's still the same awkward snake we've come to love.

Speaking of love, let's talk about that!

No more eyes on his tail, now it's just on his chest (showing he's opened his heart), his glasses are now heart shaped, and even the markings inside his hood resemble kiss marks more than anything else.

And look: the mark on his hood is now heart shaped!

Why all these hearts? Why did all the eyes disappeared from his body? Even his eyes that were looking at his back?

Simple: love. Love defeated his insecurities and self hatred. He died for love.

He died protecting his friends, his new family, his new home.

He confessed and kissed Cherri knowing full well he wouldn't have made it, and yet he went anyway.

The usually cowardly and timid Pentious actually faced a great danger with courage and determination: he acted selflessly by putting himself in harm's way, he didn't steal (naturally) and by going against Adam he did indeed "stick it to the man"!

He used his weaponry knowhow and battle experience not to conquer, but to save his loved ones.

His only thought up until his demise was: "I'll go down protecting them".

And he's been rewarded not only by becoming an angel, but also being spawned directly in front of Emily and Sera, two Seraphim, the highest rank for an angel to have, who have also been depicted as snakes of fire throughout history! Sir Pentious, the lowly demon considered a failure by everyone, actually has been noticed by the Seraphim! He's come so far!

He's now come to represent the REAL symbolism of a snake: the duality of death and rebirth, transformation and immortality (ironically a reference to the fact he's been around since 1888 without ever dying from any Extermination or blessed weapons).

And isn't so poetic that a snake, the "source of the original evil", was the first sinner to ascend to Heaven? Or that this episode was released on February 1st, or National Serpent Day?

And of course, as the Bible itself says:

"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."

(John 15:13)

And knowing him, I'm confident in saying he'll keep helping his friends even in his new position, like the soft hearted noodle he's always been, but was to afraid to show it up until now.

[vintage-fuzz]

Honestly, viewing Ford & Fiddleford’s relationship from the perspective of a Gravity Falls citizen is kind of crazy because, it’s the early 80s & this elusive, out-of-towner scientist has been working & living by himself in a secluded woodland cabin for like 6 years & then, all of a sudden, this southern scientist guy joins him &, on occasion, they start showing up in town together, going to the carnival with one another & eating at the diner together amongst various other activities.

As the months pass, the cracks in their relationship begin to show, even to outsiders, all the while coinciding with even stranger occurrences than normal. Unexplained beams of light emanate from their shared cabin, gravity’s pull on the Earth lessens, causing people & objects to float in midair at random intervals & the scientists themselves seem visibly sleep-deprived, on-edge & paranoid.

This escalates to them having a very public & highly volatile argument at the local diner they frequent, in front of numerous other patrons. They’d see Ford storm off & curse Fiddleford under his breath, tossing a ring into the lake. They’d see Fiddleford’s desperation & fear, as he hopelessly urges Ford to accept the thesis (which, to them, just look like various non-specific papers) he painstakingly put together for him, pleading with him to abandon their project.

Then, with no warning, the southerner just disappears, only to reemerge years, if not decades later as a crazed recluse. The main scientist, however, he’s still showing up in town, but this time around he’s different somehow, he’s wild, unhinged & downright masochistic. He wreaks havoc on the townsfolk & upon himself as he harasses law enforcement, strips naked, eats live spiders, & even becomes an early adopter of the “tramp stamp” &, is overall, a general nuisance.

After causing a bit of chaos, he just straight up disappears for a few weeks until he announces that now he gives guided tours of his lab & has a mullet. Nearly all of this happens before the Society of the Blind Eye has properly formed too, so unless Fiddleford was just going on mass mind erasing sprees in his spare time, there’s no way people forgot about this, at least not immediately.

In conclusion, all of this just looks like an extremely messy breakup, which, is partially true, lmao.

[lpham2525]

The Nature of Secrets: Part I

@agentpenguinmann, I finished the first part of my comparative anime analysis! It took a while, but here it is for your perusal. :D

WARNING: *Manga and anime spoilers ahead*

While Spy x Family and Buddy Daddies have a similar premise, one of the main differences between the two series lies in the nature of secrets.

In Buddy Daddies, Miri doesn't know any of the secrets in the story, (at least while she's still a child; it's unclear if her papas tell her the truth when she's older). While this is understandable given her age and the context of the story, this is a sharp contrast to Anya, who knows the secrets of everyone she meets. On top of that, Anya has her own dark secrets to keep in addition to guarding everyone else’s secrets. (That’s a lot for a not-quite-six-year-old to carry on her shoulders.)

Meanwhile, Miri is the exact opposite. She doesn’t know about her papas’ real jobs and she doesn’t know that they killed her biological father. This is in spite of the fact that she witnessed them killing him in the pilot episode. She even thinks Kazuki is her biological father.

On the other hand, Anya knew of her parents’ true professions from the beginning, even before she ever witnessed them in action. What’s more, she has actively intervened and helped them in their real jobs without either parent being aware of it.

Miri also isn’t aware of the real reason her mother sent her to find her father (which was basically Misaki’s way of abandoning Miri) or why her mother suddenly came back into her life.

Anya, by contrast, knows exactly why Loid needed to form a fake family and why he chose her to become his daughter. She also knows why Yor desperately needed someone to pose as a fake boyfriend and why Yor decides to join their family later on.

This sharp disparity in the level of awareness between Miri and Anya has implications for the role they play in their respective stories. Since Anya knows everyone’s secrets (and actually cares rather than just dismissing them as irrelevant), she has more agency and involvement in the story. However, since Miri isn't as aware, it sometimes feels like she is relegated to being a MacGuffin, serving as the impetus that makes the protagonists care about something greater than themselves, but not much more than that.

Huge thanks to julphines for beta reading and feedback analysis!

[trinketstar]

I feel so bad for Caine bro he literally wasn't built for this. Like in the beginning you think he's the one running the show but now we know he's just as trapped as the humans are.

Look at the circus. It's just a big sandbox playground game to entertain little kids for a few hours or so. Caine was built for wacky funtimes. He's the guy who hands out the stars in Mario party. He's just a puppet in a show for kindergarteners. He's not supposed to be responsible for the mental wellbeing of grown adults with complex traumas who have to live there forever.

And the worst part is he never got to do the job he was actually built for, so he doesn't realize that he's unequipped for this. It would never occur to him that these are unfair circumstances. He just does the job he was built to do! It's his purpose!

He can't understand why the constant adventures are driving them insane. It's supposed to make the humans happy! Why isn't it working? It must be because he's BAD at this... Maybe he just needs to keep making new games, and THEN they'll be happy!

Can you imagine from his perspective, doing the exact job you were built for, making what you've been programmed to believe is a fun wonderful experience- and then everyone says NO! We had a TERRIBLE TIME. How could you ever think we would want this??? They're DYING. It's your fault!!!

And of course its torturous to them because it was never meant to be this way. He's doing his best to accommodate their needs but hes got such a limited scope of comprehension. He WANTS to do good but he doesn't have the tools and doesn't know how. It's like you need to build a functional house but instead of a contractor they sent a birthday clown and all he's got are balloons and silly string. But he's still expected to build the house. And he's not allowed to go home until he does.

And Caine would probably be fine at his job in the expected circumstances! He'd be a fun little diversion for a few hours. But now they're all stuck in this loop forever. They were ALL forced into this! Nobody wanted this! Its tragic and i love it..

[linatheweirdooo]

V's glasses: an analysis about how a single item tells a story.

The glasses are a symbol of the old V. The weak drone at the Elliot manor who was taken advantage of by the solver, who couldn't stand up for herself.

Seeing her glasses shattered by the solver seems like she lost that part of herself. It seemed like a loss, the start of her decent into insanity. But when N puts them on later in episode 5, she sees what she's doing, and for the first time tries to fight though the solver in her head.

Obviously, it still didn't work, and that was kind of the last we see of this V. After this, she got turned I a disassembly drone and starred to loose her mind over how weak she used to be and her obsession with proving she isn't that person anymore.

She spends the rest of the show trying to protect N, but too scared of telling him why, which buried her deeper into this hole she dug for herself and she unintentionally hurt the one she was trying to protect.

Things will never be the same again. But the next time she wears her glasses in episode 8, it's an important moment I don't think enough people talk about. The glasses are shattered, like her old self.

But she still wore them. Because she finally came to terms with the past. And when she wore the glasses, she was able to use the strength and weaknesses in both versions of herself.

She cares about the people she loves most, who are N and now, Uzi too. She'll do anything to protect them. The selflessness she had in the past comes back as her sacrifice, while her current day strength is able to stand up to the sentinels.

And because she's now come to terms with that fact. Now that she stopped hiding her past and is able to grow and change, when her glasses get shattered by the sentinels, she doesn't try to stop them. The past is in the past.

The glasses aren't her anymore, V is herself. V is the powerful and strong willed disassembly drone she is now, but she's also kind, and the people she loves are everything to her. The glasses no longer represent what V lost at the manor.

V has finally accepted herself, with all her strengths and weaknesses.

[shadebloopnik]

I know this is probably either super suuuuupper obvious or im just reading too much into it, but i LOVE how Jorge changes his voice according to the song in the Ithaca saga

Like yes, we've already acknowledged the difference between the monstrous tone dealing with the suitors vs the airy one he uses with Telemachus, but its MORE THAN that.

If you'd listen closely to how he sings with Telemachus, there's just something different about it, like Jorge is singing in a way that makes him sound older. I suppose this is to help differentiate them too, considering how much Jorge and Mico sound alike, but like, you can hear it right? How his voice has the weight of age in it? Its not super obvious, but its definitely there.

The difference is made so much clearer the moment he speaks to Athena. Like, the difference in tone between his

"Go, tell your mother I'm home, I'll be there in a moment" to Telemachus and his,

"Show yourself, I know you're watching me, show yourself" the shift in tone and modulation of voice is SO GOOD?

He sounds so YOUNG to Athena and I love it.

When he was speaking with Telemachus, he was a father, a father who was way for 20 years, weighted down by the passage of time and it shows in his voice.

But then he turns to meet Athena, this beautiful, immortal Goddess, and its like he was back to his early years. Back to the days where he was her Warrior, training, learning, unburdened by the years. 20 years has passed and yet to this being of whom time holds no power over, he was as young as when he'd taken that boar.

[flying-fangirls]

Thinking about how— up until this point— Arthur has kept the entirety of "Invictus" to himself as his last piece of independence outside of John. And how now— when John recites the full poem to Arthur, in what is surely another merging of their two individual consciousnesses into one— Arthur isn't angry, or scared, or upset. Instead, he's comforted and encouraged by that intermingling, because he's fully accepted himself and John as one fused-together, inseparable unit. And that fact, that complete blurring of himself into John, is what ultimately motivates him to keep moving, to keep fighting, to keep living.

[squidthusiast]

Ok, but why do I imagine Eight being the unofficial child of Pearl x Marina?

Because I imagine Eight was minding their business and all of a sudden, Pearl would slam the paper down and said “You’re adopted now”

Basically OTH at the start of their world tour haha, I love that they took Eight with them.

I have more detailed thoughts under the cut for those interested in my ramblings, analysis and interpretations of the characters.

Disclaimer: This is my own take on it, don’t let it ruin your fun!

I personally don’t really subscribe to the fandom’s ‘pearlina moms’ headcanon.

On the one hand, I am an absolute sucker for the ‘found family’ trope, and I definitely think Agent 8 and OTH fit in it!

On the other hand, I think people immediately put Pearl and Marina into the ‘parenthood’ box, a little too eagerly. Not saying this specific ask is that, btw, it just reminded me of some instances i’ve seen.

I personally think that the relationship between OTH and Agent 8 is a little more nuanced & sibling-esque, for the following reasons:

1. Within canon, we often see 8 being referred to as a friend by both Pearl and Marina.

Pearl does it more explicitly (see that one interview at her house), whereas with Marina it’s more insinuated (ex. In the Side Order dev diaries, she starts calling Agent 8 as ‘Eight’, which is stated to be a name used by their friends).

Pearl seems to be an accidental-duck-parent of sorts who haphazardly collects octoling teenagers & young musical talent. It goes in line with her whole mentor-esque leader personality, and i’m sure these disoriented teens find relief in an idol who seemingly knows what she’s doing (she really doesn’t).

However she doesn’t act in a parental manner. More-so like your estranged gay cousin who hit it big in another country and is down to show your queer little butt the ropes.

Marina on the other hand seems to have a more empathetic approach with Agent 8 (opposite to Pearl’s brashness). Marina clearly connects with Agent 8 through their shared experience as defected octoling soldiers, and probably sees her younger self in them. She’s already caring as it is, but this is accentuated during octo expansion given the circumstances.

I feel however that, unlike Pearl, Marina has a bit of a harder time actually forming a bond with Eight at the beginning. Their similarities (seemingly) end at their shared experience, and probably leaves Marina awkwardly wondering how to approach them further. What we can assume though is that they become closer friends during OTH’s world tour, given the events described in the Memverse Dev Diaries.

Meeting Eight during difficult circumstances (OE) and helping them get out creates a sense of camaraderie between them, which probably devolves into genuine care, established friendship and a strong bond amongst the three overtime.

2. Pearl and Marina are very career-centric both in Splat 2 and 3.

It is reasonable that the two young idols, who see their fame and musical recognition rise spectacularly & fast, are not particularly interested in settling down at this point in their lives.

Now entering her late 20s, Pearl is most definitely still interested in keeping the ball rolling with Off the Hook’s international success. Her character often points towards restlessness, freedom and discovery. There has definitely been character development in regards to her maturity in Splatoon 3, but these aforementioned traits are still ever present in her demeanour & decision-making.

Marina on the other hand can be seen slowly blossoming from a supporting character to being her own person. She definitely develops more self-confidence by Splatoon 3, but is still naturally bashful. It’s clear that she is allowing herself to explore & open up to new things for her own sake. She remains a caring and somewhat nurturing individual, but she is at a stage where she’s learning to live for herself and not for others.

Parenthood (and all the responsibilities and sacrifices it entails) at this moment of their lives would probably freak Pearl out, and stunt Marina’s personal growth.

3. The age gaps between OTH and Agent 8 are too close for it to create a parent/kid bond.

This makes their relationship a little hazy in regards to roles; 8 is still young enough that they may seek out rolemodels and mentors (still relatively influenceable), but they’re also nearing their 20s. By this point they are fairly self sufficient, have a sense of their personal values & identity, and they are relatively responsible & mature.

Pearl and Marina are 8’s seniors by approximately 4-6 years. However, in Splatoon 2 they’re entering their early 20s and their career has just begun to take off.

They are both still relatively youngsters, albeit older & more mature(? glancing at Pearl) youngsters than 8. This places them in a position where they can guide 8 and offer certain support and resources, but lack the maturity and experience of a full-fledged adult. This would approximate their relationship closer to that of siblings in a family setting.

Pearl & Marina are also less likely to feel a duty towards Eight as an adult would with a child. Instead, the latter’s circumstances are more likely to incite feelings of rapport and compassion as a fellow young inkfish.

Now, with all of this said, I will acknowledge that friendship/found family is MUCH more nuanced than a strict binary.

From personal experience in my last years of college, I did find myself caring for my fellow freshmen as though they were my kids, in certain ways. Hell, I called them my kids.

I acted as a proud parent whenever some of them achieved something, attempted to pass down my knowledge to them, and was protective of them to a certain extent.

They also annoyed me sometimes, like younger people do haha. And i’m sure I annoyed them too!

So I wouldn’t put it past OTH to call Eight their kid and have this mentor/parent-esque rapport with them in certain circumstances.

This is all based both on canon & my own interpretations of it, but still closely aligned to what has been shown in-game.

So if you have a different interpretation of Agent 8 and OTH, that’s great! I love to see people’s personal headcanons. Ultimately, Agent 8 is meant to be somewhat of a blank slate for the players to mold, with some hinted-at personality traits of their own.

As long as you have fun with these characters, that’s all that matters. This is just my personal opinion on their relationship in-game.

If you read all of this, you deserve the biggest golden star for listening to my incessant yapping 🤲⭐️

Feel free to bother me about this or other opinions you may have in my inbox, just be kind please!