#tdp Elmer

[the-sky-the-stars-the-sea]

SOREN RECOGNIZING THAT ELMER HAD BEEN MANIPULATED AND CONTROLLED AND GASLIT AND TRAUMATIZED THE SAME WAY HE HAD BEEN AND TAKING THE HIT AGAIN AND AGAIN AND STILL DEFENDING ELMER AND SAYING NICE THINGS TO HIM AND THEN HE SEES THE FIST COMING AGAIN AND HE JUST SMILES HE SMILES AT ELMER BECAUSE HE UNDERSTANDS AND AND AND-

😭😭😭

[cyle-stuff]

This just deserves to be posted:

[sunfire-shield]

Something something Viren insisting that “even this goo-spitting homunculus does not deserve a name as undignified as Sparklepuff” something something the way that Soren insists that Deadwood Elmer deserves dignity and that manifests as Elmer insisting that his proper name be used

[raayllum]

Saw it pointed out in a Youtube comments section but even Elmer was surprised at Callum's anger / the fact he decked Finnegrin in the face

[konmaao3]

Interesting micro-expression from Deadwood/Elmer. He looks very surprised when Finnegrin says "justice". As if he had forgotten that people can care about anything apart from gold and control (just what working for Finnegrin does to you I guess). Maybe the gears already started turning here.

[fandomsandflyingstingrays]

Full Thoughts on TDP Season 5

Under the cut, because there are many of them!

Starting off with things I liked:

Rayllum! It was so good to see them on the same page again, and they have a perfect balance between deep, romantic devotion and the shared laughter and gestures of best friends. Their dynamic this season was my favorite iteration of them so far

Janai and Amaya were wonderful as well. I was really bracing for Amaya to leave for Lux Area without telling Janai and a whole bunch of drama to ensue, but no! They communicate! They trust each other! It's so refreshing!

Side note: Lux Area was gorgeous the detail in every shot of the city and Bookery was so good. I want to live there. I will take on the night creatures if need be

I hoped we'd get an apology from Amaya for Rayla, and I'm really glad they took the time to put it in the show instead of a short story or anything like that. It was also cool to see Amaya recognizing the similarities she and Rayla share and acting as more of a mentor to her, I hope we see more of them together later on

The reoccurring message that oftentimes the best way to be strong is by going to other people for help- first Amaya's story, then Rayla trusting Callum, then Zubeia's talk with Avizandum. It's a very good moral

That whole thing with Soren and Elmer! Breaking the cycle of cruelty! I love Soren so much

Callum using dark magic again. I thought I would hate it if that happened, since we've seen a corruption plotline with him and with Claudia already, but the way it was done sort of added a good sense of realism. I like that Callum isn't a Perfectly Moral Mage just because he can do primal magic; it feels deeper and more complicated if he has to recognize that the easier, darker choice is always there, and sometimes he won't be able to resist it, but he has to try each time anyway

So many little moments that I'll probably be going into in separate posts because the dynamic between the characters was on fire. It was so good to see the team really working together, their chemistry was so good

Things I wasn't as much of a fan of:

The problem with the show really relying on people to read all the supplementary material is still present. I was pretty confused about who Kpp'Ar was until I looked him up on the wiki, and again, people who didn't know about Soren getting sick as a kid from the Book 2 novelization really wouldn't have gotten his part of the dream sequence. It doesn't ruin the show or anything but it does make it a little confusing at times

The plotline with the coins is starting to feel a little drawn-out. Runaan's presence would bring up enough complications between Rayla and the rest of the group that he needs enough time out of the coin to give that the weight it deserves, and I'm really hoping he gets out next season so we can have at least season 7 to go into that. Also, Ethari needs his husband back

As good as it was to see rayllum back together, I do still think we needed a scene of them actually talking things through. I'm sure it'll appear in a Reflections story at some point, but again, you don't want your show to lean that heavily on the bonus material

This is more of a nitpick than anything else, but the characters' faces in the early episodes felt really stiff. They'd be having a monologue where you could really hear the emotion in their voices, but their faces just... didn't really move

And finally: too many crabs. This is not a flaw with the season this is just because I personally am freaked out by crabs and I've never been so horrified in all my life as when the true nature of Finnegrin's ship was revealed. It'll haunt me forever

Overall I liked it a lot, and I'm really excited to see where it goes next! Claudia feels like she's on the very edge of the point of no return, if she hasn't already crossed it, and it'll be very interesting to see how she reacts to the loss of her leg and (most likely) the loss of her father next season. I'm also very excited for the nova blade, that sounds like a gorgeous piece of weaponry and seeing whoever wields it (my money's on Rayla) fighting Aaravos is going to be epic. This season has definitely ratcheted up my investment in the show, which I'm very excited about

[defectivegembrain]

YEAH GO SOREN GO ELMER

[azucar-skull]

Is Deadwood a euphemism for deadname?

[wheretwofacesmeet]

[fullmetal-angelgrace]

soren identifying with elmer 😭😭😭😭 "he's cruel.... but you don't have to be" aaaahhhhhh

[elite-7]

Wanna see Elmer more. I love my woody boy.

I hope he comes back in the future.

[svperluminous]

Elmer's full name is Elmer Green???

Aaron Ehasz said they had to cut it because they didn't want to introduce the idea of last names into the show xD

Source: How Brown Morning Potion Podcast, episode 27

[thrandilf]

Soren standing up and letting Elmer hit him over and over because he knows what being verbally abused and put down by his father was like and he sees how Elmer just lets Finnegrin berate him and he keeps standing up for Elmer to take swings and he stands up not for himself but to give Elmer chances and to make it Clear how pointless the abuse was and to say "just because he's cruel doesn't mean you have to be" and it gets through to him and breaks the pattern what if I EXPLODED

[theredhairedmonkey]

Just noticing that, even before Callum throws a punch, he’s already overpowering Finnegrin here (even though Finn is a pretty big guy himself). Had Elmer not pulled him away, I’m pretty sure Callum could have beaten him within an inch of his life.

Which just goes to show, Callum doesn’t avoid violence because he doesn’t want to get hurt, he avoids violence because he doesn’t want to hurt you.

[raayllum]

I know who you are. Esmeray. / That's not my name. My name is Elmer.

6x05 / 5x08

[konmaao3]

Worldbuilding-wise additional sentient species are often a big deal, but TDP doesn't lose a lot of words about these guys.

This could just be my flesh bias speaking, but I assume they are more like ... elemental spirits? Probably few in number, not forming their own societies, might not reproduce (sexually), possibly ageless, stuff like that. An interesting question would be whether they are created artificially (Finnegrin being Elmer's creator sounds intriguing) or whether they occur naturally, e.g. occasionally spawning close to a nexus.