#she literally was there but did nothing?

[lucyllawless]

[incurable-bookkl3pt0]

I understand that, I really do. It's just. What bugs me about this situation is that they walked away, but then tried to insert themselves back into Branch's life like nothing happened. My sisters have brought up that point, and I get where they're coming from, but I see Branch's pain and can't just dismiss that. Yes, they were well within their rights to leave, but in doing so, they lost the right to be a part of Branch's life. They got their freedom, at the cost of their relationship with their youngest brother. There is no such thing as a free lunch. They can't have their cake and eat it too.

And that's what bugs me the most about this movie. They gave BroZone what they wanted at the expense of Branch and his mental health, but they also wanted to insert BroZone back into Branch's life as if NOTHING happened, and that's the part that really bugs me. On top of that, the entire bus scene is just horrible. Not only were (Sp)Bruce and Clay being unnecessarily petty towards John Dory (and yes, he was bossy, but not bossy enough that warranted that argument; I say this as an eldest sibling) but they were completely dismissive to what John Dory said in his defense. 4 little brothers was a lot of responsibility. Add that to the pressure of the band, and it's no wonder he was the first out that door. I don't blame him for that.

What I do blame him for is being dismissive and completely insensitive to Branch's feelings. There was NO reason to make fun of the fact that Branch wanted to have them back in his life. Maybe he wasn't expecting to live together and roast marshmallows, but he at the very least expected SOMETHING to come out of this adventure. But the way the bros were talking made it seem that they were coming together for Floyd and then immediately going back to ignoring each other. That's the vibe I got from that conversation, and I bet that's the vibe Branch got too.

I'll give credit where credit is due. John Dory ADMITTED to have gone back to the tree, but found it abandoned. He thought Branch was dead the entire time. My guess is that he tried to look for the trolls via the tunnels, but since they were collapsed, didn't have much luck and wrote him off as dead, believing himself to be the last (Pop) Troll left. That is, until Rockpocalypse. So if ANY brother has a right to be in Branch's life, it's John Dory. Because from the looks of it, (Sp)Bruce, Clay, and Floyd didn't even attempt to go back, or at least it wasn't mentioned in the movie. And that bugs me more. (Sp)Bruce and Clay didn't even bother with a goodbye (JD's goodbye was generic and over-the-shoulder, but at least he said one) and didn't seem like they ever attempted to go back (in Clay's defense, the Putt-Putt Trolls thought they were the only survivors, but I don't know if that's worse since it implies he was at the Troll Tree the entire time and just never bothered to go visit his Grandma and baby brother; which is just cruel) and we never got details on just WHAT Floyd was doing all these years.

That brings me to why I believe that Floyd was ironically the cruelest. Unlike the rest, he PROMISED to be back, and he said he'd be back SOON. Yet, he never did. How much do you want to bet Branch held him up on that promise; based on the fact that he wore Floyd's old vest constantly? He doesn't even have the Velvet and Veneer excuse because they had him for a couple of months at most. He was gone for 20+ years. And somehow everyone is just letting him off the hook because he was the only brother that gave Branch a personal goodbye after a quick talk, and the only one that didn't immediately baby him the second they reunited; and also he almost (momentarily did?) died. That bar is so low that the devil is tripping on it. That is literally all it takes for people to go easy on Floyd, and immediately turn around and crucify John Dory, the only one that ever gave an actual legitimate reason for leaving, and admitted to trying to come back. (Sp)Bruce's only problem was the way John Dory treated him, so him leaving makes zero sense since John Dory was the first one out the door. Clay's reason for leaving wasn't much better. He wanted to be taken seriously. If he had stayed home, with John Dory and (Sp)Bruce gone, he would have been the oldest, so being taken seriously would have come naturally. Finally, Floyd. Honestly, I think he had the worst reason. He wanted a solo career. Could that not have been accomplished at home? BroZone seemed to have been doing fine growing from home. Could he not have done the same with a solo career? Especially since the only brother at home was a literal infant, there wouldn't have been anyone to disrupt that solo career; at least not until Branch grew old enough to have his own music career. So what exactly was his reason? If he had said he wanted to travel the world, that maybe would have clarified why he needed to leave. It wouldn't have made it any better, but at least his leaving would make sense.

So okay, yes. They were teens who wanted to live their lives. Yes, they weren't in any way obligated to raise Branch. But they could have at least kept in contact. Based on the fact that (Sp)Bruce sent a postcard, and the whole thing with the ransom letter, there is a mailing system. How hard was it to write a letter to the one brother that they probably had no beef with (on account of him being a LITERAL INFANT) and their grandmother?

Also, I would like to point out that Rosiepuff dying would have made them Branch's next-of-kin, hence making raising Branch 100% their responsibility, so in the end, the whole Branch-wasn't-their-responsibility argument is moot. Before anyone argues against that point, I would like to direct everyone's attention to the movie Lilo & Stitch. I rest my case. And before anyone says it, judging by Branch's age when his grandma got eaten, they (minus Floyd probably) would have definitely been old enough to take care of him by then. So age isn't an excuse here either.

In conclusion, I forgive and (mostly) don't blame Branch's brothers for leaving. What I'm mad about is the lack of contact (JD gets a pass because he at least tried to come back but thought everyone was dead) and how they treated Branch upon reuniting. Floyd treating him as an adult and not the baby they left behind does not garner a pass because he never apologized for not coming back despite promising to do so. Clay also does not get a pass, even if he WAS the only brother that (barely) apologized for missing out on (practically all of) Branch's life. They had the right to leave, but they had no right to act that casually and dismissively towards Branch and reinsert themselves back into his life just like that. Especially since they practically missed out on his whole life.

Honestly I'm surprised Branch even remembers them at all.

Okay. So I'm doing this now, I'm playing devil's lawyer with fucking BroZone...

s i g h

Welcome to...

✨Branch's brothers didn't do anything wrong✨

(First part)

Quick disclaimer, english is not my first language. Oh! And this is going to get a little psychological

Let's remember the context of the characters, 'key?

When we get to the story, seeing through little Ramón's eyes, we see four boys who seem to hate each other. We don't know why.

Some may think that the reason they left was because their hatred for each other was greater than their love.

But let's think for a moment! About the family situation these kids were living:

Their parents are gone. They work doing something they haven't enjoyed in a long time. Even if their grandmother is there as a loving caretaker, she is juggling. Raising five kids of different ages, with different needs. She has to deal with the two teenagers, there's also one that is entering adulthood and other who is leaving childhood AND ON TOP OF ALL! She has. A. Fucking. Baby.

So the family situation was shitty, right?

And in that last fight he just- left because if he didn't, he was going to kill those three idiots or was going to kill himselve.

These were four angry, hurt and desperate for freedom teenagers.

And they did what angry, hurt and desperate teens do best. Run away from home

They didn't thought that they were abandoning their little brother, they thought that they wanted to live their lives. And, sorry, but I think they had the right to do so. Just as they also had no responsibility to take care of their baby brother.

Because, plain and simple, Branch's brothers are. NOT. His. Dad.

[moonmarbled]

Puppy

[charleslovemustdie]

i am going to blow up the entire planet can she please get a shred of happiness

[dollarstorefern]

*cough* if you hate amber volakis i hate you *cough* (just kidding!) (i’m not.)

[flakops]

[project-sekai-facts]

i'm curious why you feel confident in saying that mizuki was trans, it feels like the story itself only explicitly stated that she's amab - i would really like for it to be confirmed but it feels a bit like jumping the gun

If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, but considering how uncomfortable Mizuki is with classmates calling her a boy, and how she's gone out of her way to not have N25 know this, and how she reacted to Ena being asked "If you're friends with Mizuki, are you [a cis girl] a boy too?", idk man I think I can jump the gun.

Plus everything in the trans Mizuki post. The blatant use of the trans flag colors, people calling younger Mizuki "weird" and asking "isn't it odd for you to wear that" when she goes into school in typically girly clothes for the first time, Mizuki having short hair and boys clothes in middle school but long hair and girls clothes in high school, her sister encouraging her to stop repressing and live her life on her own terms.

Like. This is Mizuki's reaction to classmates telling Ena that Mizuki is a guy. It's the fact they asked a cis girl if she was a boy to try and justify why she was friends with Mizuki. Like there's some sort of implication there that they think Mizuki is pretending to be a girl. Yeah sure maybe they'll turn around and say Mizuki is a crossdresser despite everything, but Mizuki being told "isn't it weird for you to dress [like a girl]", "it's just for attention" "it's just a phase". It resonates so much with the trans experience, these are word for word things that trans people hear, and then you can couple that with clpl saying they aim to portray their character's struggles realistically.

Like. Let's get this straight. The boys who ask Ena if "[she's] a guy too" are presumably the same ones who have been showing up in the story since the beginning, being portrayed as bullies. Them calling Mizuki a boy, and making fun of her for dressing in a feminine way, is presented as bullying. Going off that translation doc since sekaibest still doesn't have the script, they follow up that scene by saying that Ena is a "normal girl". Normal is the key word here. Ena is a "normal" (cis) girl to them which implies they view Mizuki as an "abnormal girl" (trans girl), or they outright just call her a guy. Yikes.

Again. Mizuki's reaction to the bullying speaks volumes. Mizuki had gone through such lengths to hide this from her friends. It feels way too much for them to just say she's a gnc cis boy at the end of it. Listen, if gender wasn't related here, she wouldn't have nearly this much issue with her friend being told she's a gender the story has repeatedly proven that she doesn't want to identify as and have other people identify her with. Simply from the perspective of a screenwriter.

...also mizuki is literally grouped as a girl for gameplay purposes and always has been? And ensekai at least at launch made the executive decision to use she/her for Mizuki.

But if I'm wrong, I'm wrong.

[sluttybibuck]

this is the most romantic scene in the whole show btw

[scullymaxxing]

Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny at the 1998 Golden Globes

[justaz]

like i’ve said time and time again, i haven’t watched bbc merlin in years but i was just wondering when the first time merlin called arthur by his name to his face and im scrolling thru the transcripts on the fandom wiki (supposedly it was s1ep4 btw) and im skimming the script for all these episodes and getting angrier and angrier. gaius was wrong for all that. morgana deserved so much better. edwin muirden was valid as hell (for targeting uther AND gaius. yeah. i said it.). also kilgharrah ate with that one lil line “then turn a blind eye. that is, after all, your talent” okay lizard brain pop offff.

[butchdiaz]

eddie diaz is the archer thanks for coming to my ted talk

[wyrmswears]

gguys im so fucking serious id die for a flashback episode following at least one member of the team in the immediate aftermath of the merge

[skyfallscotland]

In light of the blurb, I'm gonna warn you all right now, if Violet Sorrengail is a truth sayer I will see myself out, sorry. I can't do that.

[danandfuckingjonlmao]

so this is why you dressed up nice today like fuck off

[nyatbinary-81]

@vulpixisananimal

[Soothing Restful Song]

[You hear a bell. Chiming, tolling, calling your name.]

[nonbinoclard]

the instigator