#they parallel in many ways

[amugoffandoms]

"You have your best friend."

(understand, misunderstand, accept, and let go.)

[vriskan8or]

let her go

[un-till-the-end]

All evidence Till survives (1/4)

I'm way late to making this post, but I've never believed that Till died. Here's why:

Foreshadowing

1. Being Shot

Many fans have heard of the "red tape theory." But did you know Till being shot has been foreshadowed at least two other times, potentially non-fatally? The first time was back in early May 2024 in this art for ALNST Friday:

@crustyfloor noticed the bubble gun pointed directly at Till's head and the impact motion lines of a gunshot on the other side. They speculated that since it's not an actual weapon but a bubble gun, Till would be shot in the future but the wound would be non-fatal.

Then, for those who don't know, the "red tape theory" refers to this album cover art from late September last year:

The idea is the tape is meant to symbolize a bandage or perhaps a scar: a treatable wound. The splatter indicates where he will be shot (the same as above).

Next, @rotingdoll noticed in the teaser trailer for Round 7, a crosshair made of light appears, and a moment later that creates a flash of light over Till:

Similar to the bubble gun, it could be argued a crosshair of light is also meant to symbolize non-fatality, since light is usually harmless, just like bubbles. The light passes through him from top to bottom, covering him only fleetingly.

@kitsquared noted the same symbolism happening here as well:

This time, the light isn't even covering him but is behind him. The burst of light is in the same location as the impact motion lines and the red tape: over his branding.

Blood spray from a bullet comes from the exit wound, not the entry, according to @verdantlights. In other words, Till was not shot from the right but from the left, the exact same location as was foretold.

2. Round 5 & Round 7 Parallels:

@cepheusgalaxy pointed out Ruler of My Heart and Blink Gone are the only rounds Luka is a contestant in. As such, Mizi and Till fall prey to the same psychological manipulation that exploits their trauma and grief. In parallel, both Sua and Ivan purposefully lost so that Mizi and Till would win - and therefore live.

(Gifs from @sailermoon)

@noven-warsh outlined Luka's strategy:

1. taunting them with intimacy

2. reminding them of their dead loved ones

(Gifs again from @sailermoon)

3. and then maintaining his composure as they lose theirs'.

@mikhardwheat noted Mizi and Till are equally overwhelmed, they've had no time to process the deaths' of Sua and Ivan, and are surrounded by reminders of their grief. @cepheusgalaxy pointed out Mizi and Till are both extremely emotional.

They both struggle to focus and engage in the competition.

They look to the crowd and are demoralized by the overwhelming support from Luka's loyal fanbase.

Meanwhile, Till is witnessing Mizi's round, and Mizi is witnessing Till's round.

Even more significantly, as again identified by @cepheusgalaxy, Hyuna has returned to the stage. Ruler of My Heart is the only round no one died.

Not only is Round 7 a replay of Round 5, it's also cyclical. Mizi has returned to the competition. The rebellion is back on the stage again. We've come full circle.

Observations | Official Art & Symbolism | Criticisms & Commentary

[wistfulwatcher]

1.06 New Eyes | 1.10 I Think She Will

[molinaesque]

You know why these boys brought you in? 'Cause I f*cked up a poor, defenseless gang-affiliated organ dealership? Yep. Mm.

[girldadbuckley]

S04E05: Buck Begins // S04E14: Survivors

[jyn-ehrso]

Andor S1E9 "Nobody's Listening!"

Andor S2E8 "Who Are You?"

[sidewalk-cracks]

okay so there's a common character dynamic that is Sun and Moon. Sun is bright and optimistic, and keeps Moon from falling too deeply into darkness. Moon is contemplative and melancholy, and keeps Sun grounded.

The thing that i am FERAL over is that Dick Grayson isn't Sun, and Bruce Wayne isn't Moon. They're BOTH Sun and Moon.

Bruce is the guiding light that saved Dick from his thirst for vengeance. Dick is the guiding light that saved Bruce from his thirst for vengeance. They both saved each other from their own self-destruction. Bruce gave Dick the opportunity to live and Dick showed Bruce how to live. They are literally the lights to each other's darkness. They saved each other from themselves. Dick would have never come back from killing Zucco. Bruce would have worked himself to collapse and then pushed past that until he died.

They saved each other, balance each other, complete each other.

[jepzer0]

Fox who got his name cause he was cunning and sly and yet would also try and bite your ear off in a fight cause he refused to play fair. Wolffe who got his name cause he would always be around another vode, usually Fox, and he was loyal, loud and violent, never knowing how to properly express his feelings. Despite them looking as different as the clones got cause of Fox's mutations, which left him with redish hair and heterochromia, they were twins and where one was the other wasn't far behind. They did almost everything together on kamino and swore to always be there for one another.

And then the war happens.

[fumifooms]

Rin, smiling, and nagging

Rinsha Fana’s character is summarized in a couple facts thrown here and there. Because she worries for him, she follows Kabru to help his cause and protect him, and to nag him. She’s a grumpy angry tsundere, but it seems not only rooted in her attitude but on a deep rooted physical level, to the point where any intense emotion she feels will make her frown and scowl even if it’s genuine joy. Her childhood was half spent ostracized in the tallman community her family lived in and half with the elves, where she’s said to have been treated like an animal.

We don’t know how she was raised exactly or who it even was, but knowing she was "treated like an animal" by the elves taking care of her…

Elves are shown to have a highly hierarchical society, not only with their concern with status such as nobility and the purity of bloodlines but also reflected by its social culture imo. They have high society and etiquette, upmost devotion to the queen, very role-oriented, like cogs in a machine, and as such, it’s a bit skewed since most of what we see of the elves is in a military context with military people but they seem to value having emotions under lock and key to be efficient and not bring dishonor, Flamela is an interesting character on this. Don’t be a bother and do your job until you’re called on, fulfill your role, everything else is extra at best inconvenient at worst.

Personally I do think the canaries kept Rin, it’d make sense that whichever canaries got stuck with the job at the headquarters would be barebones with her and treat her like an ‘impounded article’, they couldn’t find another place for her and this way they can get her report on the events whenever she can speak again in however many years, and this way it makes sense that she could keep in touch with Kabru too. They’re used to prisoners, not kids. Being raised in a military context rather than at some orphanage would shape her further.

All of this to say…

She’d already seen the world’s harshness to those who don’t conform in her hometown, but with the elves? Her disdain for those who had formal education at a magic school?

Wouldn’t she become very concerned with proving she is not an animal, proving that she’s smart and skilled in her own right on her own merit, even without schooling. And to do this she nitpicks and nitpicks, because even being pristine isn’t enough to be respected, but at least it’s not giving others reasons to disrespect and dehumanize her. Learning to school her emotions, to scowl as a defense mechanism because anything else makes her vulnerable, because they don’t care about her as a person with feelings, because showing other expressions was dangerous or punished in some way: because it was fit in or don’t fit in and that’s the difference between having your house burnt down and being tolerated, between getting her food or having her questions answered and being yelled at to shut up… Because all her life she’s been surviving in hostile social environments and at the mercy of others, but unlike Kabru she doesn’t become a people pleaser but becomes very self-reliant and wary of socializing.

So she nitpicks and nitpicks and nags, because she’s worried. Because flaws are dangerous. So she has a hard time smiling and laughing, because it’s dangerous to allow yourself to feel safe in being authentic.

It would be nice…

Is my red, red enough? I'm waiting for your teeth at my throat. It’s only good manners. -Stephanie Valente 

[owlsie-hoot]

05.07 / You are so brave and quiet.

[machveil]

I don’t write cheater stuff because it doesn’t really do anything for me, but the angst of a POV story from Cheater!Ghost’s perspective after you transfer to KorTac and some months later he sees you hanging off of Nikto’s arm has me going hmmm

[cloudyfacewithjam]

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (2025) dev. Warhorse Studios

[summer-oil]

hot take maaaybe but imo the core tragedy of satoru is that he’s not a god, he’s literally just a normal guy who got godhood pushed onto him by other people . a god would be able to handle eternal solitude no problem but satoru isn’t one so he suffers for it

[in-a-spring-way]

Something I haven’t seen anyone really talk about is how Theo fully flinched away when Gabe was shot. A year ago(?) he dug his claws inside of his pack as painfully as he could and felt them dying. He can’t even look at that kid getting gunned down now; he physically recoils, squeezing his eyes shut and turning his head away from it. Countless things he’s witnessed and experienced, and this is what he can’t watch. An angry, misguided teenager getting betrayed, blindsided, and killed.

[stilbiesrevivedclone]

Jevil/toriel roleswap au. Council do we approve