#when he's grown SO much as an individual since s1 lol

[beldaroot]

imagine being s4 nancy wheeler and you’re saving your shitty hometown from interdimensional monsters yet again with your ex-boyfriend and you’re realizing that he still has your best interests at heart but then he suddenly brings up that the future dream he previously told you about actually included you even though you literally told him that part of that dream seemed like a nightmare to you.

[lovebecomeshim]

hello! your zutara posting today has finally motivated me to ask this question because I came to atla very late(last year, to be specific) and I Love It Very Much but am 1000% out of the loop as far as why what remains of fandom (at least that I've seen among my friends) is so very strongly zutara. I'm not opposed to it per se I just don't really know what has driven it to apparently be such a popular ship? can you help me understand and maybe convert me a little bit?

Hey!! Your ICON! :D I can try but I’m not sure how coherent I’ll be; however I AM sure someone a lot more competent will be willing to add to this. Either way, I’m glad you asked because my plan was to drag down as many people as possible with me.

*smacks the hood of zutara* this baby can fit so much mutual love and support!

This got so long, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how to put it under a cut on mobile and it already got deleted once so I’m scared to mess with it lol. Moving on.

I’m gonna start this with a disclaimer that im on mobile so formatting is tricky and I’m also really new to atla in that I only completed my first watch through in like 2019??? So some of my info is all just based on what I’ve picked up from Discourse 👀 so anyway the sparknotes version: zutara was wildly popular from the beginning. To the point where the atla crew internally disagreed on which ship should be endgame. (Ex. Bryke [showrunners] asked the writers to rewrite The Southern Raiders to make Zuko seem less ideal for Katara than Aang [which failed, depending on who you ask]; the animation team purposefully created a visual parrallel between Oma and Shu in the Cave of Two Lovers and Zuko and Katara in the catacombs under Ba Sing Se in the Crossroads of Destiny; etc.)

The ship was popular enough that Bryke actually chose to display zk fanart at a con for the sole purpose of mocking the fans, but that’s neither here nor there. The entire episode Ember Island Players, while a love letter to/parody of the whole show, was an opportunity to address zutara’s viability as a canon pairing (while, again, mocking zutaras for romanticizing that catacombs scene). Point is! It’s always been popular but with it not being endgame, there’s got to be something that’s given it staying power.

And that’s honestly got to do with three things: their dynamic, thematic cohesion, and potential.

(You know what... you know what, it’s four things. The fourth is they’re so aesthetically pleasing together and individually. Like, they’re just good looking people [specifically when they’re grown but they’re also cute kids] and that absolutely doesn’t hurt) (but it’s not the Point, it’s just nice to point out sometimes)

The dynamic is hard to get into without also looking at the canon pairings, but I think I can do that without unnecessary bashing. It’s just that part of the magic of zutara is really highlighted by what they give to each other that their other relationships don’t.

First off, it’s classic enemies to (would be) lovers. The absolute truest form of it. It’s not too different from how CS started out: a rogue antagonist with a job to do—but no personal vendetta against the future love interest—who is deeply and emotionally invested in his personal storyline (revenge/redemption) with little regard for how it effects other people after his entire life and genuine good nature are marred by suffering, and a fierce warrior girl with a strong moral compass and her own personal investment in stopping him (protect her family and save the world doing it). Obviously frustration and animosity grew between them by the nature of them being on opposing sides, but that just lends itself to the sweetness of their later reconciliation.

The thing is that while they’re wildly different on the surface (he’s a hot-headed prince of a fascist regime who is trying to capture the Avatar to please his father; she’s a nurturing daughter of the chief who is trying to protect and train the Avatar in order to topple his father’s throne) they find out that they have so much more in common both in their experiences and their personalities.

(What follows is an excessive use of the word “both” and I’m sorry about that)(I can edit it. I can do that. That IS an option............)

They both have an innate sense of justice that they are determined to see done (zuko, at the war meeting, sticking up for the Earth Kingdom kid when the guards torment his family, choosing not to steal from the pregnant couple despite his circumstances, abiding by his word to leave the SWT should Aang come willingly, etc.; katara, literally.... at any point). They both have pretty one-track minds at accomplishing certain goals once they’ve put their mind to it, regardless of a lack of support in that endeavor (it goes without saying I guess, but zuko’s entire hunt; katara’s determination to get the earth benders to fight back, her determination to absolutely destroy Pakku until he agrees to teach her, etc.). They both lost their mothers at young ages. Their worlds are war-torn and traumatizing to them both, if in different ways, but that ultimately forces them to grow up too quickly to be wholly independent individuals. They both have issues with their fathers (for WILDLY different reasons, but). They both hold extreme prejudices that they need to learn to overcome (which ties into thematic cohesion)(bit like Lizzie and Darcy in that way but magnified by a million). They’re both extremely emotional and empathetic—which can and often does result in loud outbursts. Katara’s a bit better adjusted and can temper her anger for longer than S1 Zuko can, but they both feel that anger deeply and have no compunctions expressing it (Katara is, usually, more justified, particularly in S1. Again, S1 Zuko is severely maladjusted but at the point when they could’ve feasibly become a couple, he’s so much better off with the way he carries himself). They both struggle with feelings of inferiority in their bending abilities when confronted with prodigal benders like Aang and Azula, but have the work ethic required to double down and become two of the most powerful benders in the three remaining nations. This is a little more minor but it is a parrallel that appeals to some shippers that they both have these alter egos in the Painted Lady (notably fire nation coded) and the Blue Spirit (water tribe coded) that are pretty different from who they are day-to-day and are useful in accomplishing a purpose that they as themselves cannot.

(I’m.... I just realized that this could potentially get very long. Should I have made a slide show with bullet points??????)

Anyway, similar. I know there’s more but there’s literally so much to love about zutara that I’ll drive myself a little crazy trying to compile all the ways they’re similar. (Just gonna say that at this exact moment I went back to add more similarities.... so okay then)

Once they’ve reconciled, we see how all of these things only lend themselves to a deeper intimacy together than they share with literally anyone else. There’s a steady partnership that positions them as the mom/dad of the gaang, while also providing the support necessary to allow the other to not have to carry so much responsibility. A lot of zutaras will point out how zuko is actually depicted doing the more domestic chores that are normally relegated to Katara once he joins the gaang, since the others in the group are two 12-year-olds and sokka. The one that sticks out the most is how he makes tea for the group and then serves them, while Katara is able to just relax with her friends around the fire. Fanon expands upon this a lot to Zuko helping with the laundry or the cooking or whatever else needs doing since he, as a once-refugee, is used to doing his own domestic tasks. Before Zuko joined, Katara was the one mothering everyone, sewing for them, cooking for them, etc. She’s always tending to the needs of the group, and that includes emotionally. She does the emotional labor for the gaang 99% of the time, but when she’s the one falling apart, she’s usually doing it alone and without the comfort that she normally provides for others. Until Zuko. And that’s before they’re even friends.

Which is WHY people romanticize the catacombs of Ba Sing Se so much. Katara is verbally attacking Zuko out of her own righteous anger but also her own prejudice when Zuko, surprisingly, chooses to be vulnerable with her. He’s been on a journey that’s opened his eyes a bit, but he’s never actively chosen to expose the rawest parts of his past to anyone. But for some reason he chooses to do that with Katara of all people. While she’s yelling at him. He sees her humanity, and for once can look past his prejudice and empathize with her. And this time, when she breaks down, she gets to be comforted. Katara normally talks about her mother when she’s trying to explain to someone else that she sees and understands they’re pain, as a form of comfort to them. Here, Zuko uses the exact same tactic. He sees her and he understands. And for zuko? He’s not being shut down. He’s allowed to articulate his pain regarding his mother without being ignored and made to internalize it, and he’s allowed to process how he feels about his scar out loud without being told that he deserved it. And then he lets her touch his scar, something we’ve seen him actively avoid before. He’s completely open to her and she’s completely open to him and all it took was one five minute conversation. She was about to use the little bit of Spirit water that she had, that she was saving for something Important, to heal the scar that still daily causes him pain just because they had, somehow, connected.

Plus there’s the whole parallel to the star-crossed lovers forbidden from one another, a war divides their people—

And then zuko messes up, he regresses, he gets what he wants and he HATES it. And the sense of justice he had as a child has been restored to him against his will and he can’t think of anything he wants to do more than the Right Thing, so he joins team avatar. Before he does that though, we get to see his relationship with Mai, which is where comparison really comes in. And what we see is Zuko, fresh off of his encounter with Katara in the catacombs, trying to be emotionally honest with Mai... and getting shut down and dismissed. Which is just how Mai is and it’s fine, but not for Zuko. Still, he keeps trying, and he keeps getting ignored or scoffed at or yelled at. Which is really a larger symbol for how he doesn’t fit in his old life anymore, but again that’s about thematic cohesion. He tries to articulate his anxieties about returning home, he tries to make romantic gestures, he tries to explain how morally conflicted he’s feeling—and Mai diverts to some kind of physical affection to shut him up and a parting comment that is pretty much always, in essence, “I don’t wanna talk about this.” So they don’t. On the other hand, once zuko and Katara are friends, we see him again emotionally distraught and caught up in his anxieties about facing Iroh, and it’s Katara who comes to him and listens to him and comforts and encourages him.

Similarly, we have Aang clamming up and getting uncomfortable whenever Katara shows any negative emotion, usually resulting in him making excuses or running away. Or, in the case of the Southern Raiders, lecturing her on how she needs to just let go of her anger about her mother’s murder. People have talked this episode to death and usually better than I ever could, so imma... keep it brief. There’s a serious disconnect between Aang and Katara in his ability to empathize with Katara and her needs that has her tamping down her vulnerability and amping up her anger. He tells her that he was able to forgive his people’s genocide and appa’s kidnapping (petnapping? Theft??), which is blatantly not true but also not an entirely equal parrallel to Katara’s situation, and continues making these little remarks throughout the episode. But it’s Zuko that Katara opens up to. It’s with him that she’s able to talk about the most traumatic day of her life, and it’s with him that she’s able to get the closure she needs, cementing their bond as friends and partners. This disagreement between Aang and Katara is then... never resolved. They just never bring it up and hear what the other is saying.

There’s a fic called The Portraits of Ember Island that has a line that so completely sums up the heart of the matter for why people love their dynamic. For context, zuko has woken up early to help Katara with the cooking and they spend the whole time just letting one another talk, and zuko stops to ask why she always just lets him talk. And so she stops to ask why he’s always helping, and it goes as follows:

There’s just... so much mutual support! Trust! Intimacy!! And it just continues like that from the Southern Raiders on, listening to each other, advising each other, watching each other’s backs! And then! Literally saving each other’s lives!! I will never be over the last Agni kai. Not ever. Zuko may have been willing to jump in front of lightning for anyone, but he actually did it for Katara. And in a show, that’s the thing that really matters. It’s a fulfilled trope usually exclusively applied to romantic pairings, and it ended up applying to Zuko and Katara. And then she ran out into the middle of a fight with tunnel vision just to get to him.

Also!! Also Zuko pushing Katara out of the way of the falling rocks at the Western Air Temple!! And Katara catching him as he fell from the war balloon that he fought Azula on!! Before they’re even getting along, they’re the ones reaching for each other. They come to this place of equal ground, as partners, who watch each other’s backs, call each other out but still listen attentively and understand, and provide the support that the other has been sorely lacking up until they knew each other (whether that be from lack of effort or lack of understanding from others, or an unwillingness to accept it for themselves).

Then, trailing along under the surface of this, we see the themes of the show totally embodied by Zuko and Katara as individuals and in their relationship to one another. There’s a YouTuber, sneezyreviews, who has a, like, 2-hour explanation on why she not only loves zutara but also believes that their endgame would’ve actually elevated the writing of atla to new levels particularly because of thematic cohesion and resolved character arcs. It’s the zutara dissertation I never knew I needed, and it’s funny and eloquent and effective, so I’m just going to sum up her section on thematic cohesion to the best of my abilities and then link it for whenever you have the time. And I HIGHLY recommend it, especially if you want a full understanding of what makes zutara so great and gives it such longevity.

Guru pathik has a line that goes something like this: separation is an illusion; things that seem different are just two parts of the same whole. Iroh also tells Zuko something similar: balance and strength are achieved when the different nations come together and influence one another and celebrate what makes them each unique. And this lesson is a massive central arc that both Zuko and Katara go through, moving past a black-and-white, good guys-vs-bad guys, us-vs-them mentality and into a greyer, more nuanced view of the world. Zuko sees the fire nation from an entirely new perspective and while he still loves and hopes for his nations future, he surrenders his blind loyalty to them in exchange for an unflinching loyalty to peace and love. Katara too had to come to terms with the fact that cruel people exist in the earth kingdom and water tribes, while some fire nation citizens are just regular, kind people who also need and deserve to have someone speak on their behalf. And this is honed in directly on how they view each other. They grow in their individual journeys to be open to the humanity in the other and then, once they’ve found that, they’re able to grow more in compassion for others in a beautiful feedback loop. And this is all matched in the symbolism repeatedly and intentionally associated with them in canon: sun and moon, fire and water, yin and yang, Oma and Shu who found love despite their warring nations. Their individual arcs are completed in each other and complement the themes of atla beautifully.

The canon pairs... just don’t. Which, again, is fine. But the very things that give atla longevity and popularity are anchored in zutara. Kat@ang doesn’t accomplish this. They’re... nice. Sweet. Especially when you erase a good portion of their interactions in S3. It could’ve been just a sweet love story. (Personally, the dynamic between toph and aang accomplish the same thing that zutara does, with complementary personalities that fulfill the theme of opposites blending in harmony) M@iko, on the other hand, is less sweet but I think wasn’t even supposed to last. Zuko’s relationship with Mai seems to represent his relationship with his old life as a whole. He can’t be emotionally vulnerable, he’s goaded into abusing his privileges, his agency and opinions aren’t respected. They just don’t have common ground with which to discuss anything that matters, so they don’t. As far as themes, the relationship doesn’t fit with atla. It’s zuko returning to and sticking with what is (on the surface) like him, what’s expected. Fire nation with fire nation. Fluid water bender with the flexible air bender. Like with like, separated from what is different and challenging and complementary.

And all of these things combined of course lead to the potential for the ship. I don’t know how familiar you are with the post-atla canon but... well, miss “I will never turn my back on people who need me”, miss “I don’t want to heal! I want to fight!” ends up living quietly in the SWT as a designated healer who turns a blind eye to the water tribe civil war happening right outside her front door. Which can be fine! People change! Some people just wanna stay inside. I just wanna stay inside! But the potential future for zutara is so much more satisfying, with Katara becoming the most unconventional Fire Lady the uppity old cads who are stuck on the old ways have ever seen. Fanon has her serving as a voice for the other nations within a kingdom at the point of its biggest political upheaval, as a confidante to Zuko who can actually help him while he’s trying to figure out how to move forward and make reparations. They have the opportunity, together, to accomplish what they both have set on their hearts to fight for: positive change that lends itself to harmony and balance. And the steambabies! A popular headcanon is that their firstborn daughter, the crown princess, is actually a waterbender, which causes such an uproar among the people who are adamantly clinging to the old ways. It’s just a future full of potential to be forces for good together, full of trust, intimacy, joy. The exact era of peace and love and balance that zuko announces that he intends to ring in with the start of his reign as Fire Lord is, again, magnified by the very personal zutara relationship. And we love to see it.

tl;dr zutara isn’t for everyone. Some people just don’t vibe with it. Some are nostalgic. Some love the canon they grew up with. Some have been disappointed for years. Some just see themselves in other characters and want their happiness instead. Whatever the reason, that’s fine. But for me, I love the way these two, from the moment they give each other a fair chance, are able to lower their walls and prejudices to see the other for the kindred spirits they are. They see each other’s humanity, and their response is to pour out love and support and compassion. I love that they’re a power couple in battle. I love the symbolism and, honestly, soulmatism that colors their every interaction. I love that they embody the whole storyline of atla in their relationship and how it develops, which is notably why their seasonal arcs always culminate in each finale with how they relate to one another. I love that zuko adopting a waterbending move is what actually saves his life and then katara’s. I love the chemistry! And I love the future they could’ve had, instead of the ones they were given.

So, in conclusion: I just think they’re neat and I hope you do too, at least a little bit. Even if it’s just respectfully from a disinterested distance cause you do you. And now here is the video I mentioned. I’m sorry this post got so long and then I gave you an even longer homework assignment, but I can’t recommend it enough. She says it all better than I can.

[cheri-translates]

[Analysis] S2 Gavin’s theme song

The music used in MLQC is incredibly evocative and carefully constructed, so I spent some time analysing S2 Gavin’s theme song because I find that it sums up the relationship he has with MC very nicely!

Music is highly subjective, so don’t worry if you have a different view from me :>

🍒 Warning: Contains tons of S2 Gavin spoilers! I’ve tried to make things really clear in this post so you wouldn’t have to read through the entire swamp of S2 Gavin translations to understand what’s going on, but I’ll still include links to the references made! 🍒

INTRODUCTION  [ 0:00 - 0:12 ] - Reuniting as adults

I received a jump scare the first time I played the theme song LOL

It starts off abruptly in two ways - (1) the sound effect resembling a puff of air, and (2) the fact that it mirrors the 0:38 mark of S1 Gavin’s theme.

The sound effect resembling a puff of air essentially captures how S2 Gavin and MC reunite as adults -

Before I take a step forward, there’s a sudden tightening on my wrist.

My hands are firmly clasped behind me. Before I can get a proper look at the person’s face, my whole body is pressed against the glass behind me.

??: What are you doing here?

A familiar voice enters my ears, reminiscent of wind from the past awakening my memories.

The fact that S2 Gavin’s theme starts around the halfway point of S1 Gavin’s theme is pretty significant.

On a superficial level, this could reflect how there’s both a sense of familiarity yet foreignness to their dynamics. But this isn’t limited to S2 Gavin x MC, because the dynamics between the other love interests and MC do see a slight change as well.

But what’s perhaps more unique to their situation is that back in S1, Gavin and MC didn't get to know each other properly until they became adults. In contrast, when S2 Gavin and MC reunite as adults, they already have a shared past in Loveland High.

While we don’t know how their lives in Loveland High played out in detail, it’s inferred that they had meals together frequently:

Boss: Then, do you remember that lady who often came here with you back then? She still visits, and also likes to have her beef noodles with extra chilli.

Also, Mr Keller knows that the two of them are somewhat close and are still in contact, since he gets MC’s help in passing Gavin some old photographs, and invited the both of them to visit Loveland High for an activity. In contrast, back in S1, MC didn’t even know that Mr Keller knew who Gavin was until Campus Date.

Just as we’re thrown into the halfway point of what resembles the S1 soundtrack, we’re thrown into an iffy, halfway point of their relationship. In Chapter 1 of the main storyline, we can tell that they know each other well enough, but they aren’t as close as we’d expect ex-schoolmates to be.

Their meeting comes across slightly antagonistic on Gavin’s part, and he even straight out lies to her that officers are approaching, in order to force an answer out of her. Similarly, in Stray Date, Gavin uses his Evol to send her hovering over the ocean, once again trying to force an answer out of her.

Thankfully, this antagonism fizzles out very quickly as we learn that this is just Gavin’s tactic to squeeze the truth out of MC for her own good. And that he still cares about her deeply (evident in Dangerous Night Date).

Aside from the abrupt start, there are three other things to note:

The S2 soundtrack is much slower, and the notes are drawn out as compared to the S1 soundtrack. I’m inclined to viewing this as a representation of Gavin’s self-assuredness and pure confidence as the Commander of the STF and leader of the Special Operations Team

The piano chords. It’s probably just me, but I feel that they resemble the chime of a school bell. This point becomes significant in the analysis of the bridge, which we’ll get to later

There’s a somewhat grating, scratchy sound which I see as a representation of the tension between S2 Gavin and MC. There are only three places in the song where this scratchy sound isn’t present - the first verse, the bridge, and the outro

-

FIRST VERSE [ 0:12 - 0:38 ] - Gavin the student

This part likely represents the time Gavin was still in Loveland High, because the grating, scratchy sounds mentioned earlier (which I associate with the tension between Commander Gavin and MC), aren’t present.

At 0:24, individual piano notes come in. Even though they sound careful, they aren’t played in synchrony with the firm and resolute guitar notes. Sometimes, the piano notes are played alongside the guitar notes. Sometimes, they don’t.

I’d say that this represents missed opportunities. Despite S2 Gavin and MC meeting earlier in S2, MC ended up re-living one of her main regrets - not getting to read Gavin’s letter:

MC: They said Minor left a bloodstained letter on my desk and thought it was a threatening letter, so no one dared to go near it. But by the time I returned to the classroom, the letter was gone. I searched for such a long time… but couldn’t find it… I thought I accidentally threw it into the dustbin, so I looked through it for a long time. But… I couldn’t find that letter anywhere.

My voice grows even softer at the end, and I don’t dare to lift my head to look at him.

Even if this world were to be reset, unexpected events still present such regrets.

Like a merciless joke, an antithesis to my unwillingness to be powerless.

Even if she had read the letter and gone to the meeting spot, it turns out S2 Gavin didn’t even stay long enough to meet her at the arranged time:

Gavin: That’s not important anymore. Back then, I had already left before the arranged time. So it’s all right.

-

SECOND VERSE [ 0:38 - 1:04 ] - Gavin the Commander

The grating, scratchy sounds come in, injecting a metallic feeling which is in line with how S2 Gavin is often described as a “sharp blade” numerous times. As mentioned earlier, these sounds could also be a depiction of the layers of friction between MC and S2 Gavin.

MC is on her guard around S2 Gavin at the start, such as in R&S [Reunited Yesterday] where she thinks of leaving Lynn’s Kitchen the moment she sees that Gavin’s there too, and how she was genuinely fearful and trembling when he used his Evol to send her hovering her over the ocean in Stray Date.

If you listen carefully, you can hear that the individual piano notes are somewhat copying the upward climb of the guitar we’re used to hearing in the S1 bgm.

This could represent MC holding on to her memories of S1 Gavin as she navigates the new dynamics she has with S2 Gavin, which gives her the courage not to get intimidated by his cold exterior, and to trust him completely.

Gavin: I haven’t even rescued you out yet.

MC: With you around, there won’t be a problem.

-

FIRST CHORUS [ 1:04 - 1:28 ]

From 1:19 to the end of the chorus, the piano keys go off on their own, and they come across much more confident and complement the guitar notes much more than in the first verse.

I see all the choruses as instances where S2 Gavin and MC are given opportunities to work together, and we witness how well they gel as a pair. The best examples so far would be Stray Date and The Guardian Project.

I’m no longer that person who only knows how to let you stand in front of me. This time, I’ll stand beside you, and will not back down.

-

THIRD VERSE [ 1:28 - 1:56 ]

Nothing to say here, similar analysis to the second verse!

-

SECOND CHORUS [ 1:56 - 2:22 ]

Same analysis as the previous chorus.

-

BRIDGE [ 2:22 - 2:47 ] - Reminiscence

This part is breathtakingly beautiful. It’s obviously in stark contrast to the rest of the song as the piano takes the stage here. Even though you can still hear the electronic guitar in the background, it’s incredibly muted and mirroring the melody of the piano.

The instrument complementing the piano (it sounds like a harpsichord?) sounds like a middleground between the sharpness of the electronic guitar and the gentleness of the piano.

And here’s where the piano chords I mentioned at the start are significant. This is the only part in the entire song where the piano chords aren’t played. Rather, the chords are broken up and played as individual notes.

This part gives me the mental image of S2 Gavin and MC on the rooftop of Loveland High, reminiscing on their school days when things were simpler. It’s a moment where they peel away their roles as STF’s Commander and Black Swan’s Nox, and are simply Gavin and MC, old friends from school.

It basically represents the rare, precious moments of reprieve S2 Gavin and MC get in the ever-looming danger of S2.

Yet, even outside this safe bubble, the chords continue to be played consistently. They may be subdued in certain parts of the song, and louder in others, but the chords are always there. Their shared past in Loveland High isn’t something S2 Gavin can just ignore. On the contrary, it’s something that likely supported him through his time in the Police Academy:

Gavin is standing underneath a tree, holding a photograph in his hand.

Gavin doesn’t notice Tang Chao. All of his focus is channelled onto that photograph. In this moment, he seems to have unloaded all his defences, becoming a Gavin different from his usual self. Those perpetually stern eyes have grown dim, bringing with them a twinge of fatigue.

Tang Chao holds his breath, subconsciously squinting his eyes to identify the photograph. On it seems to be… a female? Could she be Instructor Gavin’s…

-

THIRD CHORUS [ 2:47 - 3:13 ] - The power couple

The chorus returns with incredible force, and it’s slightly different from the first two choruses. In the first chorus, the piano is subdued. In the second chorus, you can hear the piano, but it melds into the melody.

In this chorus, the piano is clearly audible, but it doesn’t disappear into the melody like in the second chorus. It goes off on its own, yet blends with the music at the same time.

I’m given the image of a power couple who complement and fight alongside each other. We see this very clearly in The Guardian Project), where S2 Gavin sees MC as an equal to the point where he readily agrees to go along with her plan without having to hear it first.

MC: I have a plan. It could lure the suspect out without requiring more manpower. Would you like to try?

Gavin turns his head to look at me steadily.

Gavin: What do you need me to do?

MC: You’re agreeing just like that?

-

OUTRO [ 3:13 - end ] - The future

As mentioned at the beginning, the introduction mirrors the middle portion of S1 Gavin’s theme. Here, the outro mirrors the first few notes of S1 Gavin’s theme...

We see S1 Gavin in S2 Gavin. His clumsy way of showing concern, his protectiveness over MC, his jealous tendencies, his handsome face, etc.

Gavin: But protecting you - this won’t change.

His expression is very cold, and a certain emotion seems to be restrained in his voice.

What he says is reminiscent to words being tossed out in a fit of anger. At the same time, it’s also reminiscent of a vow he has always been fulfilling.

Gavin: Regardless of position, I’ll never let you get caught up in danger.

The tune draws to a close with a crescendo which ends abruptly yet on a hopeful, anticipatory note. Their story is far from over, and I can’t wait to see what this undefeatable tag team will accomplish together.

-

Final thoughts:

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this even though S2 is still very far away LOL And special thanks to @ginkgomoon​ who has been waiting patiently for this analysis T^T♡ If you enjoy reading Gavin-related analysis, do check out her blog!!

I wish I were a better writer so I can fully convey why the S2 Gavin x MC dynamic is so incredible, and quell the worry most Gavin stans have about S2.

Relying on my translations is a completely different experience compared to hearing the emotions in the voiced lines and seeing the sprites, so I can understand why it might be difficult to feel as much for them as I do T-T

The thing I love most about the S2 dynamic is that the relationship between them is much more natural. Instead of S1 Gavin falling head over heels for MC the moment he saw her in the rain and started following her around, S2 Gavin and MC already established a friendship in Loveland High in S2. And they tease each other so much more HNNGHGH SLOW BURNS HURT SO GOOD

[firelxdykatara]

Reader anon here with a thought!

Do you like love triangles? I personally don't, there is something about them that is incredibly frustrating lol. Same thing for harems, though there are some that do it tastefully 😌 so I can't be too upset by them.

It honestly depends on the love triangle and the way the author writes all three relationships (and, for any genuine love triangle, there should be three relationships--they don't all need to be romantic, but there needs to be an existing and strong relationship between all three points on the triangle, otherwise I'm almost certain not to be at all invested), how they are presented, and what the narrative purpose of the love triangle is.

Ironically, one of the best examples of a love triangle done well (at least... to a certain point in the story, which I'll explain in a bit) happened in a television show that is fairly notorious for turning to utter shit in the latter four seasons and alienating pretty much the entire fanbase, to the point where most of us dipped well before the end and everyone celebrated news of the show's cancellation.

I'm talking about The Vampire Diaries.

(under a cut because i went on a LOOOONG ramble about tvd and why that love triangle worked initially and then why it failed, and then i talked a bit about another love triangle that was pretty weak and failed almost from the outset in OUAT but was ultimately axed in favor of the stronger relationship and character being given focus, and what all of this means for how i feel about love triangles in general)

While this is still very much a case where I only shipped one side of the triangle, hated the other, and couldn't wait for it to be resolved so that I wouldn't have to deal with the side I disliked any longer (the writing was on the wall as far back as season 1, no matter how in denial a certain portion of the fandom remained right up until the series finale) the development of the triangle itself and how it affected all three characters and their relationships with one another was done very well for most of the first four seasons. Damon and Stefan were brothers, with a bloody and complicated history and relationship, and they both fell in love with this human girl--Stefan almost instantly, because she looked just like Katherine and he found himself... (and here I'm going to be as fair as I possibly can to him, but if you want my full anti stelena rant I have many of them prepped and ready to go) following her, at first to make sure she wasn't Katherine, and then inserting himself into her life to protect her. Damon, on the other hand, took much longer, because he was still in love with (and trying to rescue) Katherine, and so when he did fall in love with Elena, it was because of who she was, not because of some idealized 'Not Katherine' pedestal he placed her on the instant he met her.

(I swear, I swear I'm trying to be fair to Stefan, it's just very hard.)

The thing is, Elena was in love with Stefan almost from the jump. (And one of the reasons I never really shipped stelena is because that kind of insta-love with very little conflict that isn't manufactured by the plot just isn't compelling for me, and I fully jumped ship about halfway through s1 when Damon and Elena took a road trip together. It's a long story, but that remains one of my favorite episodes in the entire show and it marks the beginning of their actual journey together.) Stefan showed up at a time when she desperately needed someone, and to his credit he did help her through her early depressive spiral--in large part because Elena's recent trauma (survivor's guilt due to her parents dying in a car crash from which she was the only survivor) meant that finding out Stefan was immortal and could not die and would not leave her resulted in her getting fiercely attached.

He was safe, he was stable, she could rely on him. But she could not grow with him, because for him, she was essentially a morality pet/the anchor to his humanity, and that meant that he could not accept when she began to grow out of her need for him. The fact that this coincided with her becoming a vampire only made things worse--because she settled into being a vampire much more easily with far less strife than he'd ever managed, and an Elena who enjoyed being a vampire in ways Stefan simply couldn't could no longer function as the idealized reminder of humanity he was desperate to cling to.

Damon, on the other hand, was the one who fell in love with Elena--not Not Katherine. He never put her on a pedestal, he never asked more of her than she could give him--when he realized how deep his feelings for her ran, he made her forget his confession because he knew he did not deserve her and he didn't want her burdened with his feelings when she was still in love with his brother and was always going to be. Elena's growing feelings for Damon coincided with her growth from a depressed and suicidal teenage girl into a young woman who began to realize that it was ok to want things for herself--to be a little selfish, to take what she wanted, to admit what she wanted. And, again, the fact that this coincided with her transformation into a vampire (although her growth within her relationship with Damon began well before that), meant that Damon's reaction to Elena-as-a-vampire was thrown into sharp relief against Stefan's--because he accepted her where his brother couldn't.

Ultimately, this led to Elena fully outgrowing her feelings for Stefan, and accepting, nurturing, and reveling in her feelings for Damon. The triangle was resolved, all three characters had growth separately and in their different relationships, and they could then move on from there along their different paths. Stefan could have had some truly excellent character growth involving moving on and finally living for himself rather than trying so hard to be this perfect brooding tortured vampire because he was the Good Brother, since there was no longer any need for that Good Brother/Bad Brother dichotomy. They'd both grown past it, as characters individually and as brothers together.

Unfortunately, where TVD ultimately failed (and this coincided with the way the show utterly lost the plot in terms of storylines, character arcs and cohesiveness and became an unsalvageable mess) is in refusing to let the love triangle die.

What should have happened is that once the love triangle was resolved--Elena growing as a character and moving on from her immature first love and fully embracing her feelings, as an adult, for her much more adult relationship with Damon--they abandoned the love triangle premise and let all three characters continue to grow outside of it. Damon and Elena should have been allowed to grow together and explore their relationship, Stefan to figure out where he still fit in their lives--as Damon’s brother, and one of Elena’s closest friends who she still loved dearly even though she was no longer in love with him--and then explore relationships of his own outside their family unit as he finally began to fully move on and grow out of his own overly idealized feelings for Elena.

Instead, what wound up happening is that the stelena side of the love triangle kept being teased--probably to keep the avid stelena shipping contingent invested in the story, hoping for ‘another brother swap’ as was lampshaded in one of Nina’s final episodes before she left the show (and, indeed, many of them remained utterly convinced that stelena would be endgame, right up until the series finale)--and rather than growing together, delena fans were constantly hit over the head with how ‘toxic’ Damon and Elena were for each other (even though this ran contrary to everything we’d seen in the show to that point, including having Damon regress repeatedly for, presumably, no reason other than to never let fans forget he was the Bad Brother and always would be, and Elena just couldn’t help but love him anyway), and all three characters and their relationships wound up suffering horribly for it.

That is an example of a love triangle that had a very promising foundation and development, right up through what should have been a resolution, and the reason it is generally looked on so unfavorably in fandom circles is because the show refused to move on from the triangle organically when the story needed it to, because it had already served its purpose.

For an example of a love triangle that, in my mind, simply didn’t work from the very beginning, I’d say my go-to example is from Once Upon a Time--the short-lived love triangle between Emma, Killian, and Neal. I think the first stumbling block there was that there weren’t really three relationships that mattered. Technically, Killian did have a connection to Neal--because they’d met in Neverland, prior to Neal remaining in the Land Without magic--but it functioned more as a backdrop to explain why Killian knew him when they got to Neverland again in the story, and why Neal didn’t trust him. It wasn’t actually developed as anything outside of that brief flashback, and they didn’t have any connection in the present outside of one episode where they essentially fought over Emma and she (rightly) got angry at them for it. There was no real exploration of who they were to each other outside of the fact that both of them had feelings for Emma, so it really was just one woman torn between her feelings for two different men, and with no real stakes attached to her choice.

The other problem with this particular triangle is that one side of it was... conspicuously weak. While Emma’d had a full season and a half worth of interactions and development with Killian--where they went from enemies, to grudging allies, to Killian openly acknowledging that he hadn’t ever believed he would be able to love again until he met Emma--she had... very little to support her potential relationship with Neal outside of their history. History which consisted of then-young-adult Neal knocking up underage Emma (she was 17 at the oldest because she was still in Juvie when Henry was born, and he was already ten years old the day she turned 28; so she was either 16 or very newly 17 when she got pregnant) and ensuring that she got sent to prison for his own crime, at which point he didn’t see her again until she was nearly 30. When he did see her again, he treated her incredibly poorly, up to and including getting angry at her about the fact that she didn’t tell him that Henry was his son--even though he had no right to that information, because Emma was in prison because of him at the time she found out, and she had no clue that he was in any way connected to the Fairy Tale world until she was helping Mr. Gold track down his son and it turned out to be Neal.

A big point is made, throughout the early seasons especially, about Emma’s walls and how much difficulty she has trusting people--and a great deal of that stemmed from Neal’s betrayal. This could have been the foundation for a story of healing and growth and two people coming back together--however, with the way Neal treats Emma in the present and how little closure she actually gets for what he did to her in the past, it comes across more as ‘well, she never did get over her feelings for him, so maybe he still has a shot even though she has no real reason to want to be with him now’.

Killian, on the other hand, never doubted Emma’s abilities and always had the utmost trust in and respect for her (after they became allies), and it was obvious that this is something Emma experienced very little of in her life. It’s notable that the first episode where they really interacted is the one in which Emma’s history with Neal is revealed, and it very deliberately paralleled and contrasted with her interactions with Killian. This already presented him with a leg up on the love triangle once Neal did show up, because Neal was the reason for a lot of the walls Emma had built around her heart, and it wasn’t until meeting Killian that she finally began to let some of them down.

I think that the show recognized this, and it pulled something that is actually a very frustrating pet peeve of mine--rather than write out the story that makes sense and have the main point of the love triangle make a choice and stick to it, the third point of the triad was simply written out. In this case, Neal essentially killed himself via his own stupidity, allowing Emma to angst about losing him without actually having to tell him she wasn’t in love with him and wasn’t going to choose him. (Veronica Mars pulled something very similar with the Logan/Veronica/Duncian triangle in season 2--rather than admit within the narrative that her relationship with Duncan was built on flimsy feelings of infatuation bc of their history, and a ‘stability’ that didn’t really work for who Veronica was at her core, he simply got written out of the story, running away for Plot Reasons and never forcing Veronica to confront the fact that she wasn’t actually in love with him and hadn’t been for quite some time.)

I think that in OUaT, the love triangle could have worked if a relationship between Killian and Neal was not only established in the past but developed in the present--Killian was in love with Neal’s mother centuries earlier, and something I’m actually really upset we never got is the two of them talking about Milah and maybe Neal getting some closure for his mother’s abandonment and someone apologizing to him for what they put Baelfire through as a child--giving stakes to Emma’s choice beyond ‘one of them will be all uwu sad that he wasn’t picked’. It also would have worked much better if we were given any reason for Emma to still have feelings for Neal in the present beyond the history they shared, which caused Emma nothing but pain for the last decade and change. If Neal had treated her more fairly--if he’d treated her like someone he actually cared about and even still loved, rather than blaming her for things that were his own fault and undermining her belief in her own abilities, among other things--then their relationship might have been strong enough to stand on its own opposite Emma’s relationship with Killian. I don’t think it ever would’ve been a relationship that appealed to me, personally, but then I could have at least enjoyed watching the three of them grow together and seeing all of their relationships grow and change.

So, ultimately, TL;DR: I do like love triangles, conceptually, but there are a few requirements they must meet for me to feel anything other than irritated at the inclusion. One: there must be at least three equally important relationships between the three characters. If it’s just one character torn between her (or his, but it’s usually a woman) feelings for two unrelated people, that can be compelling for a short time but ultimately I’m going to be left feeling frustrated by her refusal to just make a damn choice and put me out of my misery. Two: there should be some sort of development in each relationship which makes the presence of the triangle narratively significant. Why is it important for one character to have conflicting romantic feelings for these two other people at the same time? What purpose does it serve either their character arcs or the story as a whole? While I am both a Bangel and a Spuffy shipper, I’ve never considered Angel/Buffy/Spike to be a love triangle--they are very different relationships that she had at very different points in her life, and while her feelings for Angel never really went away (and do cause some angst for Spike near the end of btvs) they are never really competing for her affections in any meaningful sense. If that competition does exist, there needs to be a compelling reason why. And, as a further addendum to this point, I need to at least understand why the main point of the triangle is invested in each relationship, even if I don’t ship it and actively dislike or even outright hate one side of the triangle. (I loathe stelena, but I’ve always understood why Elena was in love with him in the beginning of the show, for example. And before s5/s6, I was really pleased with how the show handled her feelings for him and finally allowed her to grow and move on from them.)

And finally, three: the triangle needs to be resolved at some point--and, when it is, it needs to stay that way. Where TVD ultimately lost me (aside from the ridiculous plot contrivances and rampant character assassination) was the refusal to let the love triangle die a natural death when it is what the story called for, and all three of their characters, their relationships, and the show as a whole suffered massively for it. So, when the primary point of the triangle makes a choice--particularly if she had made one choice in the beginning of the story, but it was clear that she was ultimately moving towards choosing the other side as she grew and her feelings and relationships grew and changed with her--let that be the end of it. Move on to exploring what that choice means for the main pair and the party not chosen, sure--maybe explore their feelings about not being chosen and how that affects their relationships with both of the others afterwards--but don’t constantly tease the possibility of the ‘losing side’ getting back together just to keep shippers invested. It’s only going to hurt your show and make everyone look callous and stupid.

Alternately, a final possibility: make it an ot3 instead. But again, if the other three conditions aren’t met (particularly number two, and its addendum; if I don’t understand why the main point of the triangle is in love with both other points, an ot3 is unlikely to resolve that issue and I’m only going to wind up resenting it), then this won’t work, because it’s just going to wind up a lopsided and stilted mess of a relationship that leaves me wishing the offending point of the triangle had been killed off just so I wouldn’t have to keep hearing about them.

[rudystree]

I’m sometimes a little scared to say things here cuz I l’d hate to accidentally summon the angry anons for you to have to deal with 😂 but on top of what that anon said it just bothers me so much that so many of the “fans” who are Rude to both Rudy and Elaine are the same ones that complain about Rudy never posting as if THEY DONT KNOW THEY ARE THE PROBLEM. Like Elaine almost posts more than Rudy.. at least she used to. I highly doubt she’s stopping him from posting pictures on his Instagram or from hanging with the cast who ... she was friends with before they got together? Like they’re just a big friend group (that Elaine is and has always been very much a part of) and four of them (chase and Maddie and Rudy and Elaine) coupled up. I doubt their group chemistry has changed that much. Maddie literally said In a live once that she’d just been hanging out with Elaine, rudy, drew and I think Austin (and some people even somehow managed to take the way madison SAID HER NAME as factual evidence that madison hates her KAGDJSHDJD) but I digress lol. Rudy’s just a private person, I think he’s made that pretty obvious and he probably just doesn’t want to deal with all the negativity that comes with social media. And when he does post or go live ... well stuff like the Bubble Live and all the things his “fans” said about the swimming pics happen. He is a grown man and I have complete faith in his ability to do what’s best for him. And apparently that includes dating Elaine and not posting much on social media. Deal with it. Appreciate him for who he actually is or just move on find another celeb to Stan. It’s not like there aren’t plenty to choose from. Rudy doesn’t float your boat? That’s fine, really not a big deal, just go stan someone else instead of staying in his fandom and spreading negativity. People are quick to blame Elaine for every change we’ve seen in Rudy since April and never think to question how their behavior as fans might have affected him. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk jwhdjahsjsh 😂

Girl you went OFF and I LOVE IT!!! 😂❤️

Couldn’t agree more. I think Rudy not being active on social media comes down to 3 things:

He’s a naturally private individual

His followers have made the internet a very uncomfortable space for him

He’s busy

I’ve seen people compare Rudy’s activity now to S1, which makes no sense since they didn’t follow him in 2019 and wouldn’t know, as well as to last April/May when he was hyping the show. Right now he’s filming and has a ton of shit to deal with and nothing to promote. I’m sure when S2 promotion commences he’ll be much more active again for like a month. And I cannot wait 😍

Rudy’s said multiple times he’s very appreciative but not very comfortable with such a huge following online. I don’t blame him, I wouldn’t be either. When he does come out of his shell and posts something, people just tear him apart. The Bubble live was a great example - he decides to finally show his face after ages and dares to be vulnerable to talk about mental health issues that are important to him, and immediately he sees people in the comments bashing his appearance and his girlfriend. He must’ve thought “oh wow, not doing this again...”. It’s beyond ironic that people think it’s E’s fault when it’s their own. If anything, most of the content we’ve been getting has been coming from her.

Overall, it’s a damn shame. 😕 I just want everybody to shower this man and his girl in nothing but love and show them that the haters are irrelevant and that so many people want him to be happy and see/hear from him more often. Those who don’t want to love on them should take their negativity elsewhere. ❤️

[justsmilestuffhappens]

@siriuslyjamie where feet may fall ( and fear surrounds me ) smartbuckley on AO3

This right now though. OMG.

Oh no. Buck doesn't have a kid to say bye to. Or so he and others thinks. We know!

Modeling! Modeling?

You tell him Eddie. You tell him!

He misses hearing you voice at night! Omg!

I miss you too buck fuck!

I've officially left my body

The fake smile buck plasters on is real when it comes to Christopher

I'm deceased y'all

Eddie grounding buck as he's thinking of the Bombing no!

Don't do anything stupid while I'm not watching your back okay?

Eddie I always care Diaz fuck!

They're back from Austin and oh no the parents are coming. Fuck!

Buck's triggered by explosives this is both ironic and deeply sad. No.

Shit he just revealed that he's seeing a therapist on accident

Buck called them but they never answer him any time. Fuck. I'm crying. You deserve better man.

Yeah Buck you've grown so much since you joined the 118 and left home buddy you did good!

I fell asleep I was so tired lol.

The parents are here. They're judging. Ugh. I hate it here.

The parents thinking buck freeloaders off of Chimney because he's comfortable there when he's practically family and now he's gonna be regardless of what they say or do I'm crying

Excuse you Buckley's telling Maddie off for leaving Doug then invalidating buck's trauma when you weren't ever around to see it his he nearly died and lived through an event filled with both pain and death surrounding him

Oh no fuck he just admitted he's in love with Eddie while talking about the Tsunami and Christopher OMG

They just found buck on the side of the road and they reveal he's adopted while arguing with him no that's why they're detached of him

Buck's running, it's his turn now, only he's, he needs time to think, to process, Oh, Maddie knew he was adopted but not that they didn't even want him ouch why

Gdi no buck staring in the mirror and thinking his birth mother didn't want him since he was just left to be found by the Buckley's buddy it may hurt but you are a wonderful guy my man and that's without the Buckleys help you did so much after you left home bud but Maddie loves you okay gdi

No one's ever wanted him everybody always leaves ouch but looks whose here now you've still got the station and the 118 and Eddie and Chris cough because they're both together with the others and an individual group

Punching the mirror no buck oh God he's stress baking Bobby would be startled and proud you've picking up his coping habits man

And Eddie's now just there watching buck at the punching bag looking fine as hell and here for him but not knowing God Chimney didn't tell him yet

Buck's crying in the locker room Eddie's sitting next to him and they never even wanted buck ouch

Eddie's hugging him now fuck I'm soft let this boy find peace it's okay buck Eddie's here for you man

Eddie kissing buck's head I'm dead

You tell him Eddie we're here for you I'm here for you buck hell yeah use your words bud good for you

Buck is trapped in the warehouse and falls into water triggering memories of his past holy shit

Modeling buck's modeling sounds about right totally possible

His arms in a cast fucking hell poor guy can't catch a break but you're alive buck and that's good you can heal and hopefully it's not too bad

What the fuck he's thinking about high school Oh no his parents didn't answer and what he's a teenager in the hospital alone!

Buck sending photos to Maddie of his travels like the post cards tho

Wtf someone tried to murder him or caused an accident and hurt buck because they were jealous of his parents owning company how ironic since they barely care

Oh buck 1.0 starts in South America while bartender huh

Buck's lover is an older man omg

No he was a married man and Buck didn't know he didn't mean to the guy cheated on his wife!

Buck's gonna be a seal now

Oh the old college house with buck's room mates from s1 he's starting his fire academy training

Buck feels guilty for taking up space in the hospital even though he's legit hurt my guy please stop and yes Eddie's here for you he's your best friend and he loves you

Did Eddie lie saying they're married please tell me he did that old trope alive and kicking yes!

Buck wakes and wants to confront his parents one last time before they leave OMG they're still here

Eddie freaked out at the thought of losing buck just the same as Buck did when he was buried

Oh fuck the Buckleys are alone in Chimney's place and Buck's gonna confront them alone with Eddie outside waiting I can't you can do this buddy get your closure man

You deserve so much buck like you deserve to be happy to man

Buck distancing himself by calling them by their first names

Yes buck use what you learned in therapy bro your techniques

He's not your Evan he's Buck! Say it right Phil and Marge !

Buck standing up to them

They put all that responsibility on Maddie who was barely 9 or 10

Buck tried pleasing them but it never worked they don't love him

I Have My Own Family! YES! 118

Buck left his toxic parents for one last time and didn't look back Bye!

Buck doesn't detach from Maddie by calling her his sister, he really loves her with all his heart she isn't like their horrible parents

Maddie kept everything is that really surprising though yes!

All his letters and photos like that postcard from before I'm crying

Everything Buck sent was an escape for Maddie from Doug the dog she wanted to be with he little brother and now they're together here with chimney and everyone

Buck is a Buckley whether they like it or not he's Maddie's brother!

“Look through the photos Buck. Remember who you are, and who you’ve grown to be. I’m so proud of you, alright?” Maddie whispers, kissing his forehead when Buck nods, a small smile on his face before he walks Maddie through the door. - Put this on my tombstone. I'm blown away now.

The good parts and the bad parts of your past all add up to being who you are you experienced it and grew from it your life things changed and so did you for the better you're wonderful buddy

Buck's heart was locked away to protect it but someone hurting him again but they got in and they love him he's theirs and they're his

I'm trying to not cry right now

Buck's got a home to go to you say would it be a place where he's not really a guest at maybe hmm ?

OMG they were dating pre pandemic and Eddie asked him to move in with him with them fuck but Buck couldn't say yes yet he still had stuff to work through

Buck's walls were no match to Eddie and Chris slowly coming in and alerting his world for the better guys I'm losing it here

“I love you, Eddie. I’ve loved you for so damn long and I’m tired of letting fear and insecurities stop me from going further in my life.” - I'm still screaming at this shit fuck

Eddie waited buck's ready now

He's ready to go public and to move in and for what's to come

Buck knows who he is and that he chooses the Diaz boys Yes!

[wolfwhiteflowers]

My mixed thoughts on Carol and Daryl/Caryl in s11 and the spin-off show.

 I think my thoughts are a bit unpopular or mixed.. Idk. I’m overthinking. I’m really am. LOL  It’s a long ranty post and with some spoilers and speculations! (I’m kinda a hate-watcher but I want or keep hoping for good writing. Oh I’m also more of an ensemble-show/TF fan too. So I'm like yeah u know twd/cheesey-ok-writing but I'm also taking it serious. I want good story telling/writing. Sigh, anyway.)

vvvvvv

 So everybody have these expectations and speculations on the TWD shows and shipping Caryl of s11, Rick movies, spin-off show. I feel like Carylers are all not the same page /different opinions on it. I feel weird and awkward about it. I mean it means people are gonna agree or (majority/petty) disagree with me or not like the idea of what the future will bring. So it means that there will be some fandomwank or debbie downers around. (Idk I’m thinking of the BeIIarke fandom.) It’s like oh well...but we’re all in the same team. Well it's always just gonna be up to me deciding if I like it/trust the writers. Eh it’s just right now it’s a waiting-game on what these shows or future will be like. 

Like recently Kang mentioned Caryl as “platonic friends” (im not sure what she means..like s1-10? but she mentions them as soulmates last year) and NR talking about the Caryl spin-off show that he wanted ages ago. I think all these lil hints on what the Caryl spin-off show will be like, I don’t think they’re gonna spoil it to us and it’s also this story-plot comes after s11. So it’s like they can’t really tell us all what it’s about really. So..idk be hopeful or whatever you wanna do till the show comes. 2023. Caryl on. Fics, pls.

And there’s still s11, the series’s last season that Kang have to work on. I guess I feel I don’t know Kang well yet or trust her. So I think Kang might put a love triangle plot and tropey soapy love story going on with Caryl. Like she might want to play into it. And she might want to tease the fandom with the “will they-won’t they”.  S10c-s11f is 30 episodes that is a lot story needed going on. Eh I don’t want a love triangle plot and I hope Kang does something interesting with Caryl in s11 and make them canon! (I also want Conni3 to be like a Sasha and not  a Beth. I want Conni3 to be her own character and bond with her sister, Kelly.)  So.. it’s gonna be a lot we go through before the spin-off show.

So what I mainly want from “TWD Universe” .. And hoping for is... that I think Gimple had always planned to have these TWD shows & movies be connected like “TWD Universe”. I want the (ship canon) Caryl spin-off show connected to the Rick's story in the movies in some way and Caryl(and others) be in the movie(s) too. The spin-off show could be Caryl looking for Rick (with Lydia and Grimes kids), looking for supporters (idk like FTWD?/Morgan), OR eventually later on they helped Rick before they go be part of the movie(s). Idk just something related to Rick grimes movies. Even though like most Carol fans don't like Rick or don’t want the show to be connected at all to the other shows (and no kids). :\ IMO!

*This here I rant about Carol’s story arc and spin-off show. -Lydia.

Recently I watched s10 finale, it hit me that TWD show is ending next season, s11. Like, it’s the end of seeing Team Family and the Grimes/comic-based story. The s10 finale ep kinda also pointed on what I am feeling lately on TWD show and Caryl spin-off. I actually want to see how s11/TWD/Grimes show goes and ends first. I know Caryl are already TV leads, Maggie returns, comic things and drama are back for one more season, but me as a Caryler, I’m also fan of Carol and Daryl individually. (Well I'm more a Carol stan.) Anyway I'm trying to say that I want to see how Carol's or/and Daryl's story ends in the TWD show with TF. I want it to be good writing and story. Like seeing Carol and Lydia in s10f made me cry because it was so good, but what does it mean in s11 and so on? I'm gonna miss Caryl with TF and ASZ. I’m gonna miss some things of TWD too. Idk what the Caryl spin-off show will be like exactly. Will Lydia and others be there too or ..it's the end for them s11? It's sad to me.

 I want more Carol and Lydia to well.. be like mother and daughter or friends. I think of them as “Carol and mini-Carol.” Why should I be invested in them then if it all ends next season and Carol rides off? Idk I'm like, is it bad writing if Caryl spin-off show just be Caryl road-tripping? Idk what I'm saying. I want Carol's/Daryl's story to be good and in character, in end of s11 and spin-off show. Idk... It's like, writing-wise, is Carol always meant (or it’s in-character for her story?) to then look after Lydia and grow old with TF in ASZ..Or was Carol always meant to leave to go to New Mexico away from TF and on the spin-off show( or it’s just show business?) It's almost like there's two endgames that I want with Caryl in s11 and spin-off show. There's two endings on how Caryl's journey ends with TF AND how they will be like in s11 finale/spin-off. Like there’s Caryl and TF’s story ending and Caryl’s TWD show-arcs ending. And will it be in character and be an interesting story? Sigh idk it’s just a lot of hoping and trusting on these writers, and wondering if I still like the story. A lot of changes to get through. 

 Although, I recently read some comments about Carol and Lydia and thought about s11 and the spin-off show. If Lydia isn’t part of the spin-off show, I think I would be okay, story-wise, if Lydia is always meant to be a plot to end Carol’s (TWD show)arc on TWD show. In the finale, Lydia mentioned that they don’t have to be like a mother and daughter which Carol is probably already thinking of it and had this unlucky past with kids. Lydia said they could be friends. Then Carol told Lydia to find her own path, her own way in life. I think the writers are like wrapping or going over the whole Carol and kids arc since s4. Carol have this long traumatic past with kids. Carol wants to protect her/the kids and it’s like Carol realizes that she can’t always protect them, the kids also have to be their own and survive and it’s a rough life. It’s not all Carol’s fault in a way that if/when they die. If that make sense. So with Carol and Lydia since s9f, I feel they have this different adult-kid storyline than Carol with the other kids. I see it as a Carol and mini-Carol storyline. It’s probably all about Carol and all kids/Lydia storyline too. Later in the s10f, Lydia saved Carol, like Carol saved Lydia in s9f. They’re so like similar, mirrored. I’m really interested in them. I think I would be okay if the writers focus on them in s11, if it’s about Carol’s arc-with-kids ends. She learns to not to feel like a bad mother and letting go of this protecting-kids-thing but try her best to protect them and not blame herself. Learn to see how much she grown and love herself by being around Lydia. So yeah just overthinking on this and it would be nice if the writers go there next season because it’s seems like a in-character (TWD show) arc to end for Carol. (I don’t care about Negan and I don’t want the kids with Negan. :\ I also don’t want Daryl to be friends with Negan. maybe just tolerate him.)

Another thing .. Is idk how the Caryl spin-off show will go for Carol and Daryl. At first I'm like whatever they have fun on their road trip but thinking on it and with TWD, I'm like I don't want the spin-off be like a ‘Mcreedus on the road in their costumes show’. Like that's not what the Caryl spin-off show is right? So like I'm overthinking on it I know I am but really .. Now I’m wondering how this spin-off show really goes with Carol and Daryl and still being in-character. I feel there's gonna be some main motivation or arc in spin-off show. The core storyline and character's core storyline. Idk what it is for Caryl/Carol and Daryl. I think of other shows like this and there are reasons to it. Like all of this, it's really a whole new show and it gotta start with all these usual basics in the show. I think of other shows that might be similar to the spin-off show. Right now I'm thinking Avatar:TLA and Telltale games’ (comic) Michonne or TWD game s3: New Frontier (Clementine and Javier). Lol, yeah random. These are I think traveling stories and the main characters have a motivation or whatever. And it’s a hero’s journey/redemption, finding her lil bro(AJ), or with Michonne it was going through stages of grief in six (?) episodes. So my point is I don't want the spin-off show be pointless and OOC and just Mcreedus riding around with no plot. Ok, it’s still a story about Carol and Daryl. Idk what the show’s arc will be about. Maybe it’s them helping people, them finding peace and learn to love themselves. Maybe to find Rick. Idk. I want Carol and Daryl story be good and ended good. And related to Rick's story....I kinda don't mind if Caryl bring the Grimes kids (and Lydia) along. As long as the story is good to me. So, I just wanna point out that it’s still Carol’s and Daryl’s story going on. 

Another thing with Caryl’s relationship, I'm thinking on what makes sense to me on Caryl's relationship is that if the Caryl spin-off show will be them as already a couple. Then I think Caryl should be canon in 10c or s11 finale or earlier. I think to have a spin-off be separated from main TWD, it will go smoothly to me if they are already a couple in the spin-off show. If they don't then I feel the writers lost their chance and/or baiting shippers. I don't feel like waiting for them to be canon in spin-off show, because it's like previous TWD seasons. I find it tiring and boring and it’s the same as before. If they're confirmed as just friends then I feel that the characters' story is wasted or shorten/OOC. They deserved more in their life. It’s not good writing or story to me. And if one finds a bf or gf like... who wants to see that and I guess we assume it won't last that long because Caryl are the mains. It would be OOC to me and not interesting. Anyway, I hope Caryl are a canon couple in the spin-off show by then. Oh I also think the show would be at least 2 seasons. But you know show business u never know.

Oof high expectations. Caryl on.

[hmsannlett]

Foe the salty asks:

4. Do you have a NoTP?

25. Would you change the ending of Anna/Hewlett(/Selah)???

4. Anna/Abe is a big nope for me and is probably the ship that irks me the most on the show because there’s so many destructive elements to it, and yet the show just kept pushing it. Their relationship has huge collateral damage for everyone who has the misfortune of getting dragged into it and, imo, does a disservice to both their characters (especially/mainly Anna).

Anna/Simcoe also bothers me, because she could not more clearly be terrified of him, and he uses that against her and doesn’t respect any of the times that she says no to him. It especially strikes a negative chord with me because I’ve been in Anna’s position more than a few times with men that just won’t take a no (although not to the extent that Simcoe took it to), so I truly empathize with the powerlessness that she feels. It’s the worst position to be in, and to feel completely alone like she does makes the situation all the more unsettling.

Both ships are unhealthy in their own ways, imo. Fortunately, neither ship is/has been very popular in the fandom.

25. Oh, goodness. So many thoughts on this. I’ll try to not write a whole thesis here lol and just distill it down to my main thoughts.

In short, yes, I would love a different ending. I will preface all of this, though, by saying that I’d like married couples to be happy with each other and remain together as much as anyone. I’m not completely against the idea of Anna/Selah (though Annlett is my fav and will always be my otp); I just don’t agree with how all of Anna/Selah was written and how Anna/Selah/Hewlett ended.

So, from a writing perspective, I think Selah was brought in too late in S4 to have the character development that he needed after how he was depicted in S1 (and, according to the show’s writers, Anna and Selah were supposed to have a pretty unhealthy dynamic in S1; some of these scenes had to be cut for time constraints, though, so we only get small glimpses of this dynamic). There wasn’t much opportunity to connect positively with Selah in S1 or S4, and as a result, his quick character arc in S4 (to me) breaks the age-old writing rule of showing vs. telling.

There’s no buildup to Anna’s and Selah’s reunion that shows him growing as a character or even what it was that caused him to grow and respect Anna. Why would he suddenly respect her now in S4 more than he did in the first part of S1 after she all but said that she wanted to end their marriage by jumping from the boat, publicly humiliating him, and causing their lengthy separation – during a time period when desertion/an extended period of separation was, in some of the colonies, considered equal to divorce? There’s no apparent motivation (that we’re shown) to inspire his growth. We’re just told as an audience that he’s changed, and I think that weakens the growth that the writers were aiming for. It could be that Selah spent a lot of time reflecting while he was in Philadelphia, but we don’t get to see that onscreen. And for me, what is shown on the screen is much more convincing and effective than whatever we are told happens off-screen.

My other issues with Anna/Selah’s ending are that

1.) If their relationship was so unhealthy before, is his change in how he treats her sustainable? (Would he still treat her with respect after he found out/got confirmation about her affair w/Abe? That tended to make a woman “damaged goods” back then.)

2.) If Anna feels that “he’s not the same man I married,” why then does she seem so upset in 4.10 when they return to Setauket and in the epilogue? It seems like the story ends w/Anna being in exactly the same spot she was in in S1 – unhappy w/her life for whatever reason – and feels like she had more of a character circle than a character arc. She didn’t really end up anywhere different than where she started, even though she had grown so much throughout the show. It just feels like lazy writing to me, and I had really hoped that all of Anna’s sacrifices and growth during the war would be rewarded (even if that wasn’t necessarily a future w/Hewlett like my shipper heart wanted).

Conversely, there was excellent growth shown between Anna and Hewlett, both individually and as a couple. We got to watch each of them grow to respect each other’s character, sacrifice for each other, and fight for each other over the span of almost two seasons – and do so even when both of them felt there was no hope that the relationship could continue. There was a purity and selflessness to their relationship that none of the other relationships on the show were really able to capture, and, imo, is absent from most relationships in films/shows. And I had hoped that that kind of character development would be rewarded or at least considered in S4 after dedicating so much screen time to it. I also feel that Hewlett offers what Anna truly wants: respect, agency, and to be seen as a person, an equal. Like I said above, I don’t know if Selah could offer that level of respect long-term in their relationship. I’d like to hope so, for Anna’s sake, but she definitely doesn’t seem satisfied to me in 4.10.

Anna and Hewlett each left a significant mark on each other and were an enormous part of each other’s individual growth, and I feel like that was largely ignored in S4. For two characters so dedicated to their causes (and practically acting as the epitomes of the two sides’ warring ideologies) to be able to see each other as people and respect the person/character they saw in each other, even at the end of their relationship, is huge. And it seems like the writers just abandoned that without a second thought because they felt that they (finally) had to be historically accurate.

So for me, it’s disappointing that a show that was so heavily focused on character development (and, by and large, executed that development very well throughout the seasons) took what felt like a cop out and didn’t fully realize/fulfill Anna’s, Selah’s, and Hewlett’s individual character arcs. Since the showrunners felt they had to keep Anna/Selah for historical accuracy, I would have preferred that their relationship had been given more time to develop before his arrival in S4 because they had grown very far apart and had significant issues to address before moving forward. But ideally, of course, my Annlett shipper self would have liked the writers to stick with the two seasons of character development between Anna and Hewlett, resolve their relationship, and find a way of kindly writing Selah out (because, tbh, he kind of deserves a better ending too. Anna did betray him deeply, and it’s a lot to ask of him to just overlook/forgive that and move forward with their relationship. Furthermore, I don’t know that Anna is capable of really, truly loving him – it’s always come off as more loyalty/obedience to me – and that’s not a very satisfying conclusion for his character either). And as for how I would end Anna/Selah/Hewlett…well, there is a fic in the works…

Annnnd this is over 1k and has indeed become a thesis, so I’ll leave it at that because this is probably waaaaay more than you wanted lol. This post pretty much hits the nail on the head (succinctly! unlike me lol) with my frustrations about the writing of Anna/Selah/Hewlett and the closure of their character arcs/relationship arcs, as well as the balance of character development and historical accuracy. If you want me to explain any of my litany of thoughts more than I have here (this is the best I can do at an overview of all my thoughts lol; I have many), I can write responses/metas that go into more detail. :)

tl;dr: I wish the show had decided earlier on whether it was going to go with the character development it had created or with historical accuracy, because I don’t feel either Anna/Hewlett or Anna/Selah got the ending they deserved. Annlett was left with two seasons of development unfinished and forgotten, and Anna/Selah was drawn to a close without enough development to make it feel truly convincing for me.

[arcadianmoonshadowjedi]

TTS-Cass Character Analysis (My Personal Opinion) Part 1

There has been something I have been thinking a lot for quite a while. I’ve been thinking a lot about how views about Cassandra in the fandom are very polarizing, which I found to be super interesting that there are so many different interpretations about this one specific character.

I personally do not have a crush on her lol (my one only is my boy Eugene!!) nor do I romantically ship Cassunzel, Cassarian, or her with Eugene. But at the same Cass is a character that actually grew to not only be my favorite series exclusive character, but also has become my joint favorite character alongside Eugene and Rapunzel in the whole entire show (And believe me, I never saw that coming when I started the show because I was only interested in New Dream haha)! I found the amount of complexity that we see in her in S1, S2, and S3(to an extent) to be really interesting and enjoyable. It made her a very cool and well rounded character that I became so invested in her story, mostly in S1 and 2. But I wanted to reflect more on how I felt about this character throughout the show.

When I was first introduced to her in the show, I wasn’t really quite sure how I was going to feel about her like a part of me was like: Yeah! Rapunzel is finally getting a gal pal! Something we hardly see a Disney Princess getting! I enjoyed her in the Wind In My Hair scenes, her telling Rapunzel about the black rocks, and the scene where they tried several ways to cut her hair lol! On the other hand, I was completely mad at her whenever she interrupted New Dream scenes or when she pressured Rapunzel to keep a big secret which was negatively affecting her relationship with Eugene, but overall, it was more of a “Honey, I’m mad at you but I’m enjoying this kind of mad” lmao. 

I wasn’t entirely mad at her for insulting or picking on Eugene because I know my boy is strong and can stand up for himself, like he calls her names too! I personally don’t think she was mean to Eugene for fun, but it was more like she was very distrustful of him because he was the wanted thief that her father was hunting down and the fact that she thinks he’s “too laidback” or “self-centered” or a “freeloader in the castle” lol. (Just to make things clear, I’m the kind of person who can absolutely love a character, but still call out their individual flaws and actions, which are qualities that makes them more realistic and human, and makes me adore them even more). I for one enjoy Eugene and Cass’s sibling rivalry dynamic (My favorite friendship and platonic ship in the whole show haha!) I found it so hilarious and enjoyable how those two are throwing insults back and forth and annoy each other lol. I think I started liking Cass more than I did before in Rapunzel’s enemy and definitely Fitzherbert P.I. when she was actually rooting for Eugene against her dad!

Then of course, I was spoiled about Moonsandra!! Until this day, I hated getting this spoiler when I was still watching the show (I started about a year ago) and still in S1! I still wish I was surprised by it at the end of S2! Of course it didn’t help that the first episode I watched after that was none other than Challenge of the Brave! I was trying to keep in mind that this spoiler was going to happen much later and that I should enjoy the episode I’m currently watching but I felt so conflicted this entire episode I could hardly enjoy it lmao! I will get back to my thoughts on this episode later because it took me so long to re-watch it. 

Thank goodness Cassandra v. Eugene was the next episode because it helped ease the conflict I had about her more lol!! I found it hilarious how she and Eugene were locked in the cell and forced to work together but we see them bonding more! Overall, I liked seeing Cassandra’s arc for the rest of S1 and I liked seeing her grow a lot more. I felt like we got to see her be more compassionate, especially in Queen for a Day where she was willing to hug Rapunzel when Eugene and the guys were going to save her parents or when Rapunzel thought Pascal died. I loved seeing this side of Cassandra so much and has shown how much she grown since we first saw her! I also loved seeing her be a trio with Rapunzel and Eugene in a lot of latter S1 episodes where we see them working together more! I loved seeing Cass start to loosen up and not only be nicer and a better friend to Rapunzel but also seeing her start to get along with Eugene more while still maintaining their comical banter! I also liked seeing her and Eugene working together to help or save Rapunzel like in Painter’s Block and The Alchemist Returns. 

At the same time, I loved seeing more of her goals, like wanting to become a guard or proving herself to her dad. I loved that we also get some insight into her insecurity, which I felt like we got more of in Secret of the Sundrop, Under Raps, Great Expotations, and yes even Challenge of the Brave. The two latter episodes weren’t really episodes I liked or enjoyed, even when I rewatch them but at the same time, I felt like they do give clearer insight into her insecurity and COTB definitely does show a lot of what lead her to become Moonsandra. Cass is someone who wants to feel like she is noticed, appreciated, she wants to feel like she matters. While in that episode, Cass had done extremely shitty things and took it way too far, which I do not think is ever going to be acceptable like ever, I didn’t entirely see this episode as one sided conflict.

Now I know that people might disagree with what I’m about to say and I totally accept that. I decided to re-watch this episode a lot later while S3 was airing so I could get more insight into the whole Moonsandra turn. I felt like this episode showed so much of her insecurity and how she felt being looked down at as “Rapunzel’s Handmaiden”. This goes into that Cass wanted to be seen for who she is and for her combat skills, which is something that means so much to her. While I do love Rapunzel so so much (She’s the number 1 character I relate to and see myself in) I did feel like she was in the wrong as well, maybe not as much as Cass but still. Even though Cass didn’t talk about how much this meant to her, Rapunzel did notice signs of Cassandra being nervous and even told Eugene. Even throughout the challenge, there were several instances where Rapunzel could tell that Cass was bothered, but still continued anyway. I just felt that in this episode Rapunzel did act in a way that was inconsiderate and selfish (somewhat similar to Goodbye and Goodwill, but that played out differently), but at the same time, I don’t entirely blame her. She was locked in a tower for her first 18 years with no human interaction except with a horrible, abusive “parent” that never loved her. Of course she is going to lack a lot of social skills and knowledge about how friendships work, but over the course of the series she goes through many things that teach her more and I absolutely loved seeing her grow in this.

Back to Cass, while I do think that this was more of two-sided issue that could’ve been prevented by better communications on both sides, I’m in no way excusing what Cass did. However, what I did admire is that when they did talk and Raps apologized, and although Cass should have apologized and said she was wrong out loud, at the end, Cass at least came to realize that she was wrong and has owned up to her mistake, maybe not completely or in the most traditional way, but when she saved Raps from Wreck Marauder, raised Rapunzel’s arm up to declare her champion, and actually hugged her, that was her way of apologizing. Now I know that not everyone will agree with my interpretation of this episode but it’s just how I saw it and I tried to see it from the points of view of both characters and be unbiased as much as possible.

I personally don’t think of Cass as a horrible person or toxic friend, at least in S1 till the mid/end of S2 because on a more personal note I have dealt with so many toxic friendships in real life. In those toxic friendships, one major issue that has lead me to cut ties or create distance is that when the toxic friend hurt/used me (Which I really don’t wish to go into detail on atm), they NEVER and I mean NEVER admitted their actions were wrong or ever even bothered to see it, even when I called them out on it. I refuse to see Cass as a toxic or horrible person because even when she does something wrong, she’ll admit it, she’ll own up to her actions and accept the consequences, and eventually she actually started apologizing.

I know this post is super long but I really wanted to express my thoughts on Cass and still want to go over her arc in S2 (my personal favorite!!) and S3 (which might actually might be super painful! I would say I had overall mixed-negative feelings on that lol) But this concludes most of my thoughts on S1 Cass I wanted to reflect on!

[suckishima]

suckishima’s hq!! 30 day gif challenge masterpost

I’m doing the 30 Day Haikyu!! Gif/GFX challenge! But I’m slightly modifying the rules so it’s more fun for myself.

Link to the prompts here!

I’m skipping a few prompts because I felt like it lol. So I’m doing 22 of the 30 *shrugs*

I’m not allowed to repeat any characters, because if I did, well, basically the whole challenge would just be Tsukki gifsets and as much as I love him, that wouldn’t be much fun for me or for anyone else lol. This also works out for me because I’m generally bad at choosing definitive favorites, and now most everyone gets a turn.

I’m only choosing moments from the anime and therefore doing gifs only, because it would have just taken me too long to add colorings into the mix. Maybe one day I’ll do the challenge again but with only gfx/manga edits. That does sound fun lol, especially since a lot of my favorite moments haven’t actually been animated yet.

If I’ve done my math/timing right (and I stay on schedule) there should be one set every day from today until the second cour of Season 4 airs on October 2! So it’s kinda like a countdown event? idk lol

See which ones I’ve done so far here!

I’ve listed why I chose what I chose for each day under the cut if you wanna see me ramble on some more!

(I’ll update each prompt with a link to its post when it’s uploaded)

Favorite character: Yamaguchi Tadashi. Tsukki is probably more of my actual favorite, but he fits better for the character development category for me. So, I went with my second favorite, Yamaguchi! I love him so much, he’s such a sweetheart and I really like how we get to see him slowly grow more into his own. His big moments are some of my favorites of the entire series and I just really relate to his drive to just get to play with the rest of the first years.

Character first fell in love with: Hinata Shoyo. This one was easy peasy lol. Hinata is the light and love of my life and I’d honestly be surprised if anyone picked anyone other than Hinata for this prompt. He’s just so *clenches fist* good. Hard working, fun, determined, a little dumb, and so so caring and compassionate. And I’m so proud of him too tbh. I don’t care how cliche and overrated it is to say this, he is a ray of sunshine and I love him.

Character gradually warmed up to: Tendou Satori. Again, this could easily be Tsukki lmao since I didn’t like him at allll at first until he slowly began to grow on me in s2. Anyway, Tendou also grew on me. I tend not to like characters that feel chaotic just for the sake of it, and that’s how I felt about him at first. But as the Shiratorizawa match goes on, and especially in the Ball Boy arc as we see him interact with his teammates more I realized he just wants to have a good time and shame on me for wanting to be down on that. He’s funny, fun, doesn’t give a fuck what people think, and is a supportive friend. Nothing not to like tbh.

Favorite karasuno ship: Tsukkiyama. I mean, it’s my two favorite characters together lmao, it was bound to happen. Especially since a lot of the reasons they’re my favorites is because of their interactions together. I feel like each significant interaction between them isn’t just development for them together, but for them individually and I love that. There’s like this silent building each other up. They’re both there for each other without having to say anything, but then when they do voice it, it makes it that much more powerful. I just love how strong their friendship feels by the end of nationals arc, it feels so earned and genuine. I love that Tsukki is proud of how far Yamaguchi has grown, and that Yamaguchi is proud of not just Tsukki with volleyball, but Tsukki’s relationship with Akiteru. They’re both just so proud. I’m cool with all ships being just platonic too, but if we’re talking non-canonically, them being together just makes me happy. I’m a big ol’ sucker for friends to lovers.

Favorite episode/chapter: Illusionary Hero. Sensing a pattern yet? ha ha haaaa. The relationship between the Tsukishima brothers is one of my favorite in the series (i still cry over the peace signs), and this episode is where I really began to not only fall in love with Tsukki but the writing of the show. I too had been wondering “what IS the point of them working so hard,” and I loooooved how Furudate addresses that question through Tsukki’s backstory. Great stuff. (favorite manga chapter is 298 when yams and tsukki do their successful serve and block for the first time, if you were interested lol).

Favorite team: Karasuno. This was another easy choice. I love every single team in the series, truly. But I can’t just abandon my boys lmao. Karasuno is the heart and soul of the show, and they are also now my heart and soul.

Favorite position: Setter. “The setter is the information tower of the team” is the “the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell” of volleyball. Okay, not really, that quote was just repeating in my head while I made this set. I don’t have any cool meaningful reasons for this one. Setters are just cool.

Favorite wing spiker: Ushijima Wakatoshi. Ohhhh how I love Ushijima. At first you think he’s just big huge muscle baddie (and, like, he kinda is) BUT he’s also some of my absolute favorite comic relief in the whole series. He is so frickn earnest and blunt and doesn’t give a Fuck what people think and I love him.

Favorite middle blocker: Kuroo Tetsuro. This was a hard choice lol, because my top three favorite characters (tsukki, yamaguchi, and hinata) are all MBs, so I was like uhh which one do I choose? Aone was a close second to Kuroo too.

Favorite libero: Nishinoya Yuu. He’s just so dang cool.

Favorite setter: Kageyama Tobio. My boyyyyyy. God I love Kageyama. I’m not sure I can put into words how much he means to me. His character arc of shedding the King mantle only to pick it back up again with a new context is one of my favorite character developments of all time. His arc is all about learning to communicate and not only relying on others but learning to be relied on and I just ah - and the stuff about self care??? i love him.

Favorite captain: Sawamura Daichi. He just, is The Captain ya know. He’s got the vibe down pat. We love a good solid foundation for our team. He’s integral and Karasuno would have never made it as far as they do without him.

Favorite manager: Yachi Hitoka. I love Shimizu too, I do, but Yachi’s very unique brand of crazy is just too much fun lol. The first season feels so empty without her, and she brings so much joy to the team and to the show.

Favorite match: Shiratorizawa. Of the whole series, my favorites in order are actually, Nekoma, Inarizaki, Kamomedai and then Shiratorizawa, then Aoba Johsai 2. But since most of those aren’t animated yet, we get to focus on Shiratorizawa. Which I do still love, the hype is SO real the entire match, I still get chills at the end and during Tsukki’s Block.

Favorite non-match scene: BAR-BE-QUE!! Lmao tbh it was a close one between the fun of the bbq and heartwrench of the meal after the lose to Aoba Johsai in s1. Furudate said let them eat.

Favorite arc: Tokyo Training Camp. I love to see them improving and practicing and growing and ah it just makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

Favorite underrated character: Tanaka Ryuunosuke. I LOVE HIM. HE IS SO FULL OF LOVE. And he’s so slept on I feel like. He is one of the most supportive characters in the show. He is always positive and is a great morale booster and is just an overall Good Boy. Yeah yeah he’s a bit intense with his crush, but he’s always respectful and I’ll fight anyone who thinks he’d do anything that makes Shimizu uncomfortable.

Favorite character development: Tsukishima Kei. Ah, we’re finally here lol. The top two reasons Tsukki is my favorite character is 1 because I relate to him sooo so much and I’ve never seen a character written in a way that feels so much like just how I personally think about and see things. 2, because of just how amazingly earned and cathartic his development is. I could ramble about this forever so I won’t. But when I found out he was still playing volleyball after the time-skip, I actually cried. Like, after everything, he’s still playing? He WANTS to play?? godddd.

Favorite non-player: Tsukishima Akiteru. Ah, I gotta say I relate to his struggle. Plus I love how expressive he is lmao, crying over like every little thing.

Favorite friendship(s): The Tsukishima Brothers. They are so important to me okay. The admiration, the falling out, the chasm for years that affects how they both interact and even see the world, the slowly piecing things back together, and then the reversal of the peace signs in the Kamomedai match, wow. (kageyama/hinata is a VERY close second, i’m bad at favorites)

Favorite pairing(s): Kageyama/Hinata, Bokuto/Akaashi, Shimizu/Yachi, Ushijima/Tendou. There’s so so many more tbh, but I had to narrow it down.

Favorite rare pair: skipped

1st, 2nd, or 3rd years: First Years. They’re my babies. I love them all and they way they all interact and I need them to be friends forever thanks.

Girls: skipped

Most relatable: skipped

Most like to be friends with: skipped

Most heartbreaking moment: skipped

Most heartwarming moment: skipped

Stage play day: skipped

Your choice: skipped

[alwaysaprille]

What was the bad meta about Jaha? And because now I’m curious, what’s your version?

I’ve taken screencaps, because that’s easier for me. 

The first paragraph reads as if Jaha’s leadership alone is the sole reason for the uprising that occurred in S1 when the Ark was in Space for almost 100 yrs at that point. We see in S3 (in the flashback of Becca) that the Ark has always operated on a system of “Comply or Die” (Polaris is shot out of the sky for taking to long to decide to join up with the rest of the group. They wouldn’t even let it operate as an independent space vessel. And that was when the Ark was first formed!) Historically, uprisings tend to occur after years and years of oppression, and the conditions of the Ark clearly aren’t new. This has been the de facto method of leadership for ages now. 

This line of thinking also ignores the fact that although the Chancellor is the final authority on the Ark in times of need, on an everyday basis he/she is answerable to The Council, and the Chancellor in that case acts as the tiebreaker if a tie is reached. An excellent example of this is The Culling (when 320 people volunteered to die to provide more oxygen).  The population reduction plan was Kane’s, because they felt the wristbands turning off meant Earth wasn’t survivable. The Council voted on it and came to a tie. Jaha abstained from voting because he still had hope (hmmm…who does that sound like? Oh that’s right Abby!) that the generations still on the Ark would be a transitional generation (the ones meant to return to Earth). After the vote, Jaha tells Abby she has ten extra days to prove that the ground is habitable.  Eventually it was  decided that they would seal off Sector 17 and Jaha would die with the Sector (in a supposed accident). 

The biggest problem with Jaha’s leadership in S1 (according to the actual plot) isn’t that he doesn’t deem everyone “worthy”, lol. Kane, Diana Sydney and others note that Jaha is “weak”. Remember, in S1 and portions of S2 Kane is the ruthless one. Jaha is the person who teaches Kane that being a good leader is knowing when not to follow the law (and people love to talk about that fact that Kane has grown into a better leader than Jaha-even though he literally learned his leadership lessons from…Jaha). 

This weakness in fact, leads Jaha to tell the Ark’s Station Representatives about the failing life support on the Ark (something that the Council as a whole voted against doing). At that meeting he puts Diana Sydney in Abby’s former Council place, and she uses her power to stage an admittedly failed coup. The “uprising” was because Diana was trying to become the Chancellor. 

On to the second paragraph:

We have absolutely no proof that Abby was accustomed to special treatment, lmao. That’s literally conjecture. It’s not unheard of for people to believe that, because they know a person in power, they can attempt to leverage that connection (even with no proof that the person will actually help them out). All evidence actually points to the contrary. Jaha followed the letter of the law for the most part, if you commit a crime you are floated or imprisoned. 

On to the third paragraph:

Again, we have no evidence that it was uncommon for the privileged to be floated for the crimes, remember Miller-who was from Alpha Station and was the son of the Head Guard was also in prison. It’s more likely that the privileged are floated less simply because they are privileged and so have fewer reasons to commit crimes. (Note: this is much like current society! People who are capable of providing for all of their needs are less likely to commit crimes to satisfy those needs). Wells being imprisoned isn’t a sign of Jaha’s desperation, it’s a sign of his fairness. 

In Episode 102, Jaha literally delays voting on The Culling for 10 days, knowing that for every day they wait to vote 10 additional people will have to be culled. This is why 320 people must be culled as opposed to the original 209. The only reason Jaha waited was because he was trying to give Abby more time (as stated above). If Jaha were truly so desperate that he would sacrifice his son (one person whom he loved) why would he wait 10 days (and wind up sacrificing an additional 111 people)? The truth is Jaha sent Wells to the Ground for the same reason Abby sent Clarke: they both thought it was their children’s best chance for survival because the alternative was death in space. 

On to the fourth paragraph:

The only reason Abby was spared was because she’s literally the only doctor on the Ark (Jackson is an apprentice). The Council actually says this in Episode 7 of S1, after Abby has committed yet another crime that she should be floated for. In fact, it seems the real problem is that Abby knows she is too valuable to be killed and as such she takes advantage of her position. This same rule does not apply to Murphy’s father. Unfortunately for him, his skills were not invaluable. 

On to the fifth paragraph:

Wells was sent down to Earth because he broke the law and Jaha wanted to save his son from death by space (just like Abby!) and yet for some reason, we condemn Jaha for doing the exact same thing Abby did. Wells didn’t die because his father was a monster. Wells died because a thirteen-year-old girl didn’t understand the way her government worked and didn’t realize that The Chancellor didn’t make all the decisions alone. That the Chancellor wasn’t responsible for the harsh penalties for crimes (and that in fact-that penalty was established almost 100 years prior). The rage we see directed at both Wells and Clarke (because this meta conveniently forgets that Clarke wasn’t accepted by the Delinquents until about 109 and even up into S4, the Delinquents still prefer Bellamy’s leadership to Clarke’s) is simply because they are privileged. That’s literally it. They are targets because of their privilege. They are hated because of their privilege. Remember, Wells was called the Prince in much the same way Clarke’s “Princess” was originally derisive.  

On to the sixth paragraph:

Of course Jaha isn’t 100% bad, just like no one else on this show is. The whole show is about gray morality. About how there are no “good” guys. Jaha’s prime directive as the Chancellor was to ensure the survival of the human race. His primary duty was ensuring that the species survived long enough to make it back to Earth, and once they arrived to ensure that they could survive.  The methods listed above that make Jaha so “villainous”? Clarke Griffin has employed all of them at some point in time:

Deceit: How many times has Clarke lied to the people? She lied to Bellamy about Octavia’s safety in S2, she lied to the people about them all being to survive in S4, she lies all the time as long as it means her people will survive. 

Injustice: Remember when Clarke decided to accuse Murphy of killing Wells in front of an entire camp? Remember the mob violence that happened as a result of that? Was that just and fair? Was it fair to assume that Murphy had committed the crime with no evidence outside of his knife? 

Classism: Clarke literally treats all Grounders like savages with the exception of those she likes. In S1, she believed herself to be a better leaders simply because she was….what? Why? We’ll never know.  But her classism is born and bred in her (as it is in most privileged individuals). Why would Jaha be an exception when he was most likely born into that same privilege?

Lack of Humanity: Right, hmm, OK. Remember when Clarke was cool with locking all of the Grounder clans out of the bunker and letting them fry if it meant that her people survived? 

Manipulation: This right here is one of Clarke’s core traits. She’s been exhibiting it since S1!!!!! But when Jaha does it, it’s a problem. 

“Remember he’s also the man who attacked and was ready to kill a seemingly innocent water girl if it meant he survived.”

BOY, this is a complete and total manipulation of that scene!!!! Jaha initially speaks to L/xa calmly, he’s attempting to soothe her and determine what’s going on. He is met with an imminent threat, not just to his own person but to Kane’s as well:

Jaha: What’s your name?

L/xa: L/xa.

Jaha: L/xa, I’m Thelonious and this is Marcus. Your commander spoke of an assassin in the village?

L/xa: Yes, eighteen of our people were murdered. Elders, children.

Kane: We had nothing to do with it.

L/xa: It doesn’t matter, the commander thinks you did. One of you must pick up the knife that is our way.

Jaha: And if we refuse?

L/xa: Then the commander will use it to slit both of your throats.

Jaha: There has to be some other way to resolve this. Something that we haven’t thought of yet.

Lexa: There isn’t.

Kane: She’s right, they’re not budging.

Jaha: We can offer a trade, these people are primitive I’ve seen how they live. Our technology our medicine, all we ask for in return is peace.

Kane: If we truly want peace, they told us how to get it.

Jaha: Through murder.

Kane: Through sacrifice.( Kane walks to pick up the knife.)

Jaha: Marcus what are you doing?

Kane: If we don’t make a choice then we both die. And the killing won’t end. There’s only one way out of this, you have to kill me.

Kane: You have to do this, it’s our only choice.

Jaha: Kane, no.

Kane: They value strength, let’s show them ours.

Jaha: I said no. You didn’t order the massacre.

Kane: Not that one.

Jaha: Marcus, you don’t need redemption the choices we made were about survival. We did what we had to so that the human race could survive!

Kane: The human race was already surviving!

Jaha: Then we did it for our people.

Kane: Yes and now we must do this, it’s the only way. You’re a good man Thelonious, I won’t let you die for me. (Kane takes the knife a slits his wrists.)

Jaha: Marcus, no! (Kane falls over.)

Jaha: Help us, please! Please! Come on! (L/xa hands him bandages.)

Jaha: Thank you. (He wraps Kane’s wound.)

Jaha: I do not choose to die. (He puts a knife to L/xa’s throat.)

Kane: Thelonious, no!

Jaha: I choose to live!

Like, what about Jaha’s actions here put him in the wrong? We’ve seen Clarke make these same justifications, make the same decisions when put in similar positions (remember in S2 when she attacked Maya and held a knife to her throat and walked with her until she got to the Dining Room in Mt. Weather?). Again, why is it different because Jaha is the one performing the actions?

“He’s the guy who taught the AI how to get around her prime directive of only chipping people who consented.”

OK, but did he really? Remember when Raven was chipped and she surrendered completely to ALIE to rid herself of the emotional pain that ALIE was forcing her to live through (and mind you, she’d been under ALIE’s control for far less time than Jaha was). Remember the things ALIE made Raven (and later Jasper and Abby) do in order to “save” the human race? Why is it that we just assume that Jaha was completely cognizant of everything he was doing, but accept that others under ALIE were not, even though it’s quite obvious from as early as his first appearance in S3 that Jaha is not himself.

On the seventh and final paragraph:

Clarke Griffin isn’t some passive person who just absorbs all advice she’s given. Many of the traits that people see as negative in Jaha, Clarke is lauded for showing because she’s “breaking the stereotypical female leader mold!”. She actively questions and derides Jaha because he floated her father, but even if she hadn’t, it would make sense that Clarke would listen to Jaha, not because he’s “wisdom spouting” or “good-looking” but because he was her best friends father and they have a pre-existing relationship we can assume goes all the way back to Clarke’s earliest memories. 

Like, I know fandom doesn’t like to talk about this but, as Jaha’s death is likely given certain hints (probably around 503), I’m just going to be blunt:

A lot of the things that this fandom villanizes Jaha (the sole black male in a position of unquestionable leadership in the show) for they praise white characters for. Jaha is regarded as a horrible tyrant, and unfeeling brute, an evil man when literally all he’s ever tried to do since S1 was save his people, no matter the personal sacrifice. 

Jaha lost his son in a bid to save the human race. 

He was willing to sacrifice himself with those in Sector 17 in S1 (and didn’t only because Kane convinced him not to). 

He did sacrifice himself (and the opportunity to see his son’s final burial place), to save his people in S1. 

He tried to convince his people to move out of Camp Jaha and to other, safer, uncontested land in S2 and he’s vilified, even though he was right!!! The land they were on was already claimed by the Grounders, why couldn’t they have moved?

He left Camp Jaha hoping to find a safe place for his people (the rumored City of Light) and was taken in by a well-meaning but fucked up AI.

He did lots of shitty stuff under the spell of that AI. 

But he’s never lost sight of the goal: “I must save my people!” (Which y’all may notice is Clarke’s catchphrase, too.)

Not to be that guy, but like…anti-Black racism is so prevalent that y’all often don’t even realize when you’re doing it!

Jaha is just as gray as Abby, Kane, Clarke, Bellamy and every other character on this show, because that’s the whole point!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But whatever, because I’ve been saying this for years and people still aren’t listening. 

[pandora-twists]

Ofcourse anon ^^ Brace yourself as I only need a reason to ramble XD

Rai really is too reserved. I remember having a few conversations on tumbler at the start of this arc on how Rai looking out for the children was more out of duty than care, as opposed to Frankenstein. Because he shows so little emotions its really hard to guess. Let me see if i can find any again: Here is some of it. But now this far in current arc, esp after 444, its clear he values his children much more than I thought. Rai has just been so desperate, and cute this arc trying to save M21, I really grew to admire their relationship.

For Rai, I think even before the first moment he had actually interacted with M-21, he has already had his heart softened towards him. Can we forget the Frankenstein would have killed M-21 if it wasn’t for Rai? One of the reason for this instant consideration is that, back then, M21 and M24 were the first modified he had come across (after Frankenstein), and their pitiful abandoned existence that didn’t really have a home anywhere, neither human, nor Nobles nor any other species would accept them, saddened him greatly. After them, there was so many modified one after the other the novelty wore off lol.

And then, the more he came to realize M21s trauma and just how damaged he truly is, the more he started caring for him. All very gradually, and quietly. While we saw Frankenstein’s care and each moment outwardly, with Rai it happened inwardly enough to even ignore if one isn’t looking carefully. Then M21 had stepped in to protect him from the Elders is definitely one of the highlight of M21s interaction with Rai, and it genuinely warmed his heart. He hasn’t have this kind of individual interaction with any of their other child. Rai has come to defend him by words more than once too, one when he was beating himself over KSA, and one when he asked for Mark’s awakening, and there may have been others. Then Franky and him actually discussed his mental/emotional health before deciding that they should get his comrades name from Crombel. All this has been a privilege not bestowed upon any other child, partly because they don’t need it.

The whole Mark saga infact, raised Rai’s worry for him 200% I think, by now, M21 is Rai’s favorite kid hands down imo. He also seems to remind him of Frankenstein in his unruly days, a much milder Frankenstein so there’s that plus point.

Frankenstein/M21 had always been one of my most favorite parts of Noblesse. Frankenstein started getting soft towards M21 very early on like Rai. The first moment where he noticed that hey this kid is not bad, was when M-21 had called him to warn him about Jake and Mary in S1, and Frankenstein was like,isn't it a bit too kind of you to tell me everything in detail? This was when he gave them the safe house address to hide if they want.

The scene after M24s death, when M-21 had told them causally how all of the 100 M series died on him. The first time i read this scene I thought Franky expressions were him evaluating if this guy is telling the truth or not. Now I think he was like what poor kid. Master we have managed to pick up a really unfortunate puppy. Rai was clearly hurting for M21 far back then too. But saving the kids in DA-5 arc was definitely what sealed his worth in Frankenstein eyes. He would not have blamed him if he had chosen otherwise I’m sure, it was a very tough situation M21 was in, but he exceeded his expectations there.

Also spoiler alert ahead if you aren't upto date with the canon unreleased chapter.

I was quite disappointed with the fact that it was RK5, not Frankenstein or Rai who saved him from the crazy Green werewolf. I'd been musing so many ways he could be saved this arc by either one of them the entire last year and hugged to death and what not. Then came RK 5 to take all the glory. I've now grown to like this development for various reason now, but it took a couple weeks to come to terms with  -_-

M-21s is a cute lil baby. He should be allowed to talk however he likes XD Frankenstein and Rai knows he needs this freedom to acquire some measure of self-worth and value. So yes, they let him. M-21 genuinely tries hard to be respectful to Frankenstein too. Most of the times he has been blunt or rude were extreme circumstances, like when he snapped him out of darkspear influence during Frank/Rajak, or when he was arguing about Mark authenticity or letting him awaken. M21 will dare not disrespect Frankenstein deliberately, Franky’s too scary for that.

Also I think atleast initially, M-21, not Tao, was meant to be the one who can be upfront with Frankenstein and snap him out of a moment of weaknesses, but this particular relationship point hasn't really been used again after Rajaks fight as far as I can remember. Maybe when/if its Frankenstein's arc with his old student Tasume then it will be utilized again. I'd very much like to see it again.

And M-21 is their first child. Ofcourse he is special ^^ Okay its probably my bias speaking too, but M-21 is hands down the most troublesome of their kids. 4th and 5th arcs issues are direct results of his actions, Rai even has to go to sleep in 5th due to his comrade’s saga, so yeah they are well aware that this child needs extra attention. Plus there's the fact that M-21 is the most traumatized of their kids and arguably has suffered the worst in life (can we deny that he still gets the worst of all, like how many times has he been stabbed by now?) Which means that they are hands down the most worried about him = more blankets to wrap him in = more protection = more space in their worried minds and hearts ^^

Though every child has their own special place too, Seira is probably Frankenstein's favorite due to her helping him in household work and bc of how obedient she is. Tao is Frank 2, so he is obviously special. Takeo and Regis are the most normal of them, and as such the most easily to be ignored by Frankenstein, unfortunately or fortunately for them.

I do not think Rai knows anymore about his heart other than that it is of a werewolf. If he knew anymore, he would have revealed to Frankenstein atleast by now. Though, it could be that its Ashleens and Rai will eventually figure it out… even in this arc, dare we hope.

I would LOVE if Crombel does something like this. Infact, before this arc I was very sure this is exactly what’s going to happen triggering the start of the end of Crombel and M21s comrades name or heart owners saga. But then came this arc, and this kidnapping of M-21 had been so heavy and long, and pretty much everything he didn’t want to happen has happened with him already as a hostage, which lessens the chances of another kidnapping.

Then again, children have been kidnapped some 3-4 times now? by comparison M21 is only at his 2nd yet. So maybe he'll get taken once more before the end? It’ll be hard to summon that much worry by household this time and M21 will feel like shit for getting abducted yet again, so I don’t know how authors will manage to make it fresh. Crombel has been a villain since the start though, he needs to live upto his hype in any case so he better do something for once.

Also anon I don't know if you’re into fan fictions, but there are some really good ones who explore some nice Crombel/M21 in such setting. Over the top of my head there's these 3 where Crombel takes him back. if you hadn't read them yet, I'm sure you'll really enjoy these and i'll provide more food for thought:

I am Tao

Would You Kindly

3600

 And please barge in whenever you like. I love talking about Noblesse ^^

[mustlovelance]

Pfft, no kidding. I don't even care about Keith's dynamic w/Shiro like I used to because now I feel like it's overexposed. We get it. Keith loves Shiro. Shiro helped him out when he needed it. That's been obvious since ep. 1. We needed that s7 garrison flashback of them like a sledgehammer to the head. It was akward thing to get after 6 seasons of us already being told why Keith is so devoted. You know what would nice instead? A straight up Shiro flashback showing his past; more focus on the-

2 non Keith people from his past and how/why he became such a legend. Maybe what happened to his family? But we just HAD to be reminded - again - how much Keith adores Shiro. It still disappoints me a lot as a Shiro fan that Shiro didn’t get to finish off Sendak. They had all this history and Sendak looking down on Shiro and building up to ‘only human’ Shiro overcoming 'galra are superior’ Sendak… Only for the half galra Keith to show up and take Sendak out in one hit. Was this to show Keith-

3 Keith will always save Shiro? Because we get that at least once a season and the aspect of it has dried out for me. Not only that but s7 regressed Keith w/his relationships to the other paladins. S4 and prior felt very genuine. Now in s7 it all feels plastic and/or s1 immature Keith. Which is akward because everyone else has matured and grown closer. S3 leader Keith may not have been perfect but I felt his presence within the group a lot more then I do s7 leader Keith who barely feels there.

in s1 and even s2, i was a huge fan of their dynamic. it reminded me of my relationship with my roommate. now, i just think it’s overdone and (IMO! to each their own!) unhealthy. their dynamic has turned into what my shiro actively prevented it from becoming. he didn’t want me to isolate and rely on him for socialization, so he gently encouraged me to branch out, and i am so much healthier for it! it was so tempting to just follow him around like a lost puppy, because it was easy and safe, but he knew i wouldn’t be truly happy that way, so he actually put in even more effort towards our relationship for my own best interest. keith has become so fixated on shiro, and while i don’t blame either of them for being that obsessed with each other because it’s understandable, it’s just annoying and frustrating to watch. it didn’t do either of their arcs any favors imo. 

shiro as an individual didn’t get enough focus, particularly in later seasons. he couldn’t even get his own moment with sendak, his nemesis! like, what the hell? again, i can understand why keith would realistically just jump to rescue shiro, because he’s so devoted and grateful and protective, but from a narrative perspective, it’s so dissatisfying and redundant. 

s7!keith leads the team just fine for the most part, but he doesn’t have a genuine connection to anyone who isn’t shiro, and it’s just fucking–i’m just MAD. his vlog was all about struggling to connect with others, and at that point, he was already clinging to shiro as a safe presence, so like…why…did they do nothing with that? he reconnected with his mom, who left after saying she’d never leave him again (and he didn’t even blink lol), and he continued to depend on shiro, who he’s been depending on since s1. wow. amazing. what progress. 

SIGH……….