#the cycles the themes!!

[coldshrugs]

countdown to dawntrail - shadowbringers

so there's a light sealed inside you, is there? you wouldn't know it from the outside. you look the same as you ever did to me.

[benevolenterrancy]

("Always. Continuously. With increasing apprehension, and decreasing hope. I will love you if I never see you again, and I will love you if I see you every Tuesday. I will love you as a corpse loves the beak of the vulture. I will love you no matter what happens to you, and no matter how I discover what happens to you, and no matter what happens to me as I discover this." -- paraphrased from The Beatrice Letters, Lemony Snicket)

[raayllum]

1x01 / 6x09

[charmac]

I wrote about Charlie and Dennis' paralleled childhood sexual abuse, and how their opposing trauma responses keep them from seeing themselves while they stay stuck in their own cycles of abuse.

// The content under the read more is an in-depth script analysis highlighting and discussing childhood sexual abuse and trauma response. Please read with caution or scroll past this post if these topics are known to affect and/or trigger you. //

Because Sunny walks an extremely fine line between sensitive, if not traumatic, character work and dark comedy, I've found that, in reading the scripts, the trauma being written is always much more blatant. You have to work a little harder to pick up on the underlying intent when watching the episodes (though the more and more we learn about the characters, the more the intent becomes clear), but the scripted versions of these scenes are solid evidence that the clear intent of these storylines is to reveal that these characters have extremely repressed childhood trauma, in-turn explaining to the audience why they have such fucked-up ideas of (and relationships with) love and sex. To put it more blatantly: the purpose of giving and revealing the childhood trauma these characters have is purposeful (if not needed), explaining why they are the predators that they are, and allows us to at least understand where their often psychopathic actions and rationales come from.

The fact that Charlie and Dennis were both sexually abused as children is all but obvious to the audience (and every other member of the Gang), but the extent to which these plots are intended to act as character work as opposed cheap-shot rape jokes is often lost on the casual viewer. In my opinion, the disconnect is not for lack of clear intention in the writing, but by the nature of the show being what it is.

It’s very clearly still there, easy enough to catch if you’re standing more than ankle-deep in the waters, but because Sunny is a dark comedy, it’s unfortunately easy to uncomfortably laugh past a rape joke if you don’t care to look deeper than the surface. Taking a look at the scripts helps paint a clearer picture, making it easier to point out, walk through and explore the CSA lore developed for both Charlie and Dennis, how they parallel and oppose each other, and how this trauma relates to their own predatory behaviours. 

An obvious starting point is Charlie Got Molested, which is, on the surface, an episode in which we learn that Charlie wasn't molested. What is changed from the script to the episode is this first line from Charlie, right at the very end of the episode, on his family’s response to his alleged molestation:

(Charlie's aired line is instead "Now everybody thinks that I've been molested. So, in a way, my life is ruined.")

Whether written with a specific intent at the time or not, this episode sets the stage (literally, lol) for a later building 'reveal' that (1) Charlie was molested as a child, and (2) his Uncle Jack is very much a pedophile, not just a perv (which is hinted at in the actual episode, both in dialogue and visuals), because the next time the show features a plot with Charlie and molestation (Sweet Dee's Dating notwithstanding, though important to mention, as it’s further evidence of the idea that there was clearly a thread being woven early on), it’s via the form of a play.

Charlie wrote The Nightman Cometh as a play about love, which was turned into a 'legible' play by Artemis, in which the Gang all "misinterpreted" his original intent and believed it to be about a child being raped. Charlie gets mad, because he doesn't see it, doesn't believe it, and instead believes everyone is destroying his artistic vision by refusing to let this idea go.

The script for The Nightman Cometh (which, I’d like to point out, RCG chose to make publicly available to everyone) has an alternate ending to the rehearsal of the bed scene between The Boy and The Nightman:

(The aired version shows Charlie more-comedically angry at Mac and Dennis by raising his level of frustration, physically with his hands. The mention of the Nightman taking The Boy face-to-face is never addressed in the aired episode, yet it does take place that way in the actual play scene following the rehearsal featuring doggy-style humping.)

What's heavily implied in the episode (and basically explicitly stated in the script), is that the Gang are not misinterpreting Charlie's art; the play is quite literally built around the idea that a child is attempting to communicate his rape, and Dennis is telling him that’s what it is. Charlie can't accept that, because this is a play about his life, he believes he’s created a play about love, and he is the boy and he was not raped so it can't be rape.

(And, following this, the audience can put the two and two together: Charlie’s clearly repressed CSA and the fact that his Uncle is a pedophile. In every.single.physical.interaction Charlie and Uncle Jack have, in every appearance he makes following Season 4, the fact that Uncle Jack is the Nightman is clear.)

Rolling back a little, it’s interesting that Dennis is the one to be audibly confused by (and frustrated with) the fact that Charlie can't understand his play is a rape play, because it's so very obvious to Dennis. Yet, 7 years later, he's in Charlie's exact shoes.

Because in Dee Makes a Smut Film, Dennis' plot almost directly parallels Charlie’s from The Nightman Cometh:

Dennis wrote his Erotic Memoirs as a tale of his sexual conquests, the first of his encounters turned into a 'film' by Dee, in which Dee "misinterpreted" what happened between Dennis and the Librarian as him being raped as a teen. Dennis gets mad, because he doesn't see how it could possibly be rape, doesn't believe a guy can be raped, and instead believes Dee and Grieco are destroying his artistic vision by refusing to let the idea go.

(In the aired episode, Dennis does not avoid using the word rape, and instead insists you cannot rape a guy, and that he was willing.)

Just like Charlie, Dennis refuses to accept that the people who are acting out his writing at face-value are telling him straight up that it looks like, and most-likey is, rape. Dennis can't accept that, because this is a film about his life, it's about his first sexual conquest, and he is the boy and he was not raped so it can't be rape.

This goes one-step further when Dee airs the 'film' for the rest of the Gang:

(The aired version of the video does not show anything from filming, and only shows a slideshow of photos from when Dennis was a teen, overlay text claiming he was raped, and a photo of Klinsky repeating 'hoser' over and over.)

Dennis goes on a spiel and reiterates that he was not raped. The rest of the Gang are not convinced.

And at this point, Charlie and Dennis probably should relate to each other, or at the very least intentionally give each other a pass/miss whenever the topic of childhood sexual abuse emerges, but instead they continue to have no issue believing and pointing out that the other was raped while continuing to deny their own trauma. 

In PTSDee, this paralleled-refusal is made clear. Very clear. In the script, it's even clearer:

(In the aired scene, Dennis' line is clearly cut after he mentions Charlie's mom, and it picks up with Charlie's line at "the father thing")

They see it so clearly in each other, but don't see themselves mirrored—and there's no doubt that's intentional. Because while they were both sexually abused as children, their current relationships with love and sex (as portrayed from basically episode one) are opposing, and the circumstances of their individual rape and immediate repression are extremely illustrative as to why they behave the way they do:

Charlie's trauma response is typical of pre-pubescent, forced rape. Not mature enough to even recognise what happened to him (as Uncle Jack's abuse was likely his first exposure to sexual acts), he regresses and represses, subsequently developing a repulsion toward sex into his adult life (in Season 5, Mac and Charlie Write a Movie, there's a deleted scene that makes it evident that he's disgusted by and avoidant of sex decades later), and, clearly by the depictions in The Nightman Cometh play and the lyrics of Nightman in Sweet Dee’s Dating, believing that the harassment he faced was love. 

For the run of the show, Charlie’s interest in love and sex is almost exclusively highlighted by his relentless pursuit of the Waitress. In so far as the idea that every member of the Gang is a sexual predator, Charlie is depicted as a sexual harasser, unable to recognize that disinterest, avoidance, the word "no," and stalking that leads to legal action to restrain him from the person he's pursuing is inappropriate and predatory.

While his CSA results in a repulsion toward sex (in most instances), Charlie clearly associates the concept of love with the early harassment he faced, brought on him in his own home by a "loved one," he truly believes that his own relentless pursuit will end up buying him love. Charlie is stuck in an abstinent cycle (at least, until Dennis’ Double Life) of his own abuse.

Dennis' trauma response is typical of coercive rape and grooming. He was old enough to believe that sex is something that should be seen as cool, and therefore obsesses and brags about his experience(s), resulting in his hypersexuality. In Season 5, The D.E.N.N.I.S. System, it's firmly established that Dennis' pursuit of women is something outside of genuine attraction; in fact, it's almost devoid of it. Clearly by the plot of PTSDee, he sees a woman’s sexuality as a weapon he needs to fight against. 

For the run of the show, Dennis' interest in sex is deeply entwined with the fact that he gets off on having power over his "sexual conquests". In so far as the idea that every member of the Gang is a sexual predator, Dennis is depicted as a date rapist, having an aversion to recognising (if not an inability to understand) consent, he pursues sex exclusively for his own physical pleasure, with little care for the other party, getting off on the knowledge that he’s orchestrated the situation he’s in.

While his CSA results in an obsession with sex, Dennis clearly does not associate the concept of love with the act, truly believing that sex is used to overpower someone, most enjoyable when obtained via coercion, exactly as his virginity was taken from him. Dennis is stuck in a loveless cycle of his own abuse.

Charlie and Dennis meet after their own traumas; their clearly disordered relationships with love and sex is how they've always known the other to be. When there are hints of the other's abuse, they're able to easy recognise what it is, for they sense the paralleled familiarity of their own CSA—yet their polar opposite trauma responses result in an inability to reflect:

To Dennis, Charlie was clearly raped, and Charlie fears sex and Dennis loves sex, so he can't have been raped; To Charlie, Dennis was clearly raped, and Dennis doesn't pursue love and Charlie loves the Waitress, so he can't have been raped.

Their reflections being mirrored causes them to harp on the other's trauma and keeps them from being able to truly recognise their own abuse. Call the other out and deny what’s shot back, stuff it down and continue spiralling in their own cycle of abuse.

[anistarrose]

Davenport canonically says he's been teaching Barry to fly the Starblaster (as early as Cycle 17, a.k.a. Episode 61), and even trusts Barry enough to leave him solely in charge of the ship, specifically when the whole rest of the crew is literally diving into a flooded city with no idea what they'll find beneath, i.e., could easily all just fucking die. this was before the Hunger really Got Good, so to speak, at singling out and attacking the Starblaster, or catching the crew unawares, but regardless, I would like to propose...

Barry's fucking great at piloting the ship, especially relative to his amount of practice... and he fucking hates it. Barry's not Dav-level good, not by a long shot, but he's naturally talented as hell by the standards of people who aren't first-name-Captain, last-name-Davenport. except... Cap, you gotta understand... flying the ship is scary. flying the ship away from the Hunger singlehandedly is so scary. and flying the ship under technically lower stakes, but while his Captain and friends are there watching him? and able to be disappointed in him if he messes up? is so so so scary. the scariest thing of all, somehow.

Davenport trains Barry, Lup, and Magnus in piloting semi-simultaneously, so he gets them to compete with each others' times for flying around the robot planet, and Barry always absolutely crushes it, and then has to go breathe into a paper bag afterwards. he had enough anxiety driving through roundabouts with other people in his car to judge him back while he was on his home plane. he was the kind of guy to worry that people would think less of him if he slipped into always-goddamn-tempting road rage, or if he used his signal like a fucking nerd. upgrading from a car to a spaceship was never going to be for him.

[feelo-fick]

doodles from varying times :] kicking my feet and giggling. put your hand in my cage youre safe :]

[hasellia]

BOTW felt like it was telling the player; "Nature is an important part of who you are as a fellow creature of this Earth, and maybe building guardians of mass destruction isn't a good idea."

TOTK seems like it's telling the player; "Every tree is a potential enemy that's out to fucking get you! Burn. Surely, nothing bad has ever come from building guardians of mass destruction!"

[cissa-calls]

Agatha’s Trial, her worst nightmare, was to be a teenager again seeking her mother’s validation.

“Mom…why do you hate me still?”

“You were born evil. I ought to have killed you the moment you left my body”

Agatha, reduced and undermined as she was in her adolescence (hammered home by the fact she is literally dressed to evoke that), fight back tears as she realizes that her mother only remained as a ghost to punish Agatha. To try and ensure Agatha remained alone by telling the coven to complete the trials without her. Even though Agatha is a centuries old witch, standing there in her purple jersey, ratty hair, and tears in lost eyes, she’s a child again. Rio, having been with her for so long, shakes her head knowing how this could only go. How many times has she watched Agatha crawl for affection she will never get?

“Don’t leave me with her! I can be good! Please!”

If Agatha was truly born evil, it was only because her body formed in the womb of Evanora. Then:

“Mama! Stop!”

Agatha’s other greatest fear. Nicholas watching this all happen. Was she a better mother to him than Evanora was to her? Did stealing Alice’s powers just confirm that she was evil, as Evanora said, all along?

[drenched-in-sunlight]

the Light of Miquella incantation Eng description is so confusing to me, so i decided to look at the JP text, still confused (i asked both my native speaker friend and American friend working as a translator in JP, and even they are confused and i couldn't just give them a wall of text on Elden Ring lore so they could translate 1 paragraph), so i turn to the CN translation which follows the JP one... and it's so clear??????????? im shocked

(please note im not native CN speaker either, but my mother tongue is built based on their language and i double check with my friend who is fluent)

Miquella wishes to embrace everything, yet he understands that there is one exception: whether it be the absolute God or the Lord (King Consort): there could only be one (of them)

so us player, as Lord of the old Order, is the one he could not embrace. and we clearly see that for him to accept us, we already have to be charmed and relinquish our claim to Lordship (thus failing the boss fight).

i feel like this is the translation i could understand & line up well with how events in the game plays out. Miquella wants to accept all, but the rule of the world dictates that there could only be one God & one Consort (who the hell wrote that rule...), and so one of us has to give.

it presents a paradox of him wanting to become a God to save people & bring compassion, but to be a God he HAS to eliminate all other candidates for Godhood. he has to be the only one.

it sheds light on why Marika's age also started with conflicts. it's something demanded of the new God. and also us when we fight to become Elden Lord (+ line up with why Ansbach is not mad at us for killing Mogh, as he too understands that rule).

[idlewarning]

the ring & the ring two + motifs: flies

[paeonie-s]

my current read on yoshidas ch is that hes the equivalent of a high schooler being made manager of a mcdonald’s bc all of his adult coworkers quit which leads him to believe that the fate of the world now depends on his ability to keep the drive thru times below 90 seconds

[allenwalkerbitch]

It's a small detail amidst the craziness that is the rest of 252, but I'm losing my absolute mind at the fact that Past Allen was apparently soldier.

We just had it confirmed that our protagonist, our child soldier protagonist, had a whole previous life that he lived and completely forgot about. He had a whole first life where, until he was at least an older teenager, he had nothing to do with the inescapable holy war that's taken over his existence the second time around. He was just some kid with no connection to the battle between the Noah and the Black Order.

But what was he instead? Was he free to actually have a childhood in this other life?

Nope! He was just a normal soldier in some non-spiritual, completely mundane war, and he would have died in battle if Nea hadn't swept in and drafted him into the holy war instead. There is no life in which the young Allen is not a soldier.

[pasta-pardner]

attack dogs shouldn't bite the hands that feed them

[raayllum]

―Fortesa Latifi

[geekeryisafoot]

Since their introduction, so many of us have been trying to find the theme and metaphor of World Hater as our primary antagonist. Is is hunter v prey? Hunter v farmer? Life v death? I love all of theories and I'm inclined to believe all of them are true in one way or another, and I'm excited to see what we lean into as the story continues

And now we have this page

Now I'm leaning more towards the circle of life. Ichi embraces the cycle. He kills only to survive, and he knows someday it will be his turn to be killed for something else to survive. What we've seen of the witches works this way too: they aquire and aquire until they fail, and when they die their majiks return to the ecosystem to be acquired again.

But World Hater breaks the cycle. They are not life until death until life. They are obliteration. They are entropy. And, as of now, I think our thematic core is that they will need to be hunted to be put back into their place in the cycle.

[bittersweetresilience]

the great gatsby / kentucky route zero / koe no katachi / disco elysium / omori / night in the woods / homestuck / koe no katachi / l'étranger / disco elysium / firewatch / john dies at the end / everything everywhere all at once / the subtle art of not giving a f*ck