#I think they're at the very least aware of each other since they both seem to possess some degree of omniscience however that may work
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Now that we have two disembodied voices talking to us in our head (both somewhat condescendingly in their own ways imo) do you think they have a dynamic with each other. Do (or did) they know each other
#I think they're at the very least aware of each other since they both seem to possess some degree of omniscience however that may work#also 'grandma' is probably somehow tied to the Mesmers from the way she talks thorough the entirety of three doors#(i started but haven't finished stage 3 yet)#reverse 1999#anyways;
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Things I look for in history books:
🟩 Green flags - probably solid 🟩
Has the book been published recently? Old books can still be useful, but it's good to have more current scholarship when you can.
The author is either a historian (usually a professor somewhere), or in a closely related field. Or if not, they clearly state that they are not a historian, and encourage you to check out more scholarly sources as well.
The author cites their sources often. Not just in the bibliography, I mean footnotes/endnotes at least a few times per page, so you can tell where specific ideas came from. (Introductions and conclusions don't need so many citations.)
They include both ancient and recent sources.
They talk about archaeology, coins and other physical items, not just book sources.
They talk about the gaps in our knowledge, and where historians disagree.
They talk about how historians' views have evolved over time. Including biases like sexism, Eurocentrism, biased source materials, and how each generation's current events influenced their views of history.
The author clearly distinguishes between what's in the historical record, versus what the author thinks or speculates. You should be able to tell what's evidence, and what's just their opinion.
(I personally like authors who are opinionated, and self-aware enough to acknowledge when they're being biased, more than those who try to be perfectly objective. The book is usually more fun that way. But that's just my personal taste.)
Extra special green flag if the author talks about scholars who disagree with their perspective and shows the reader where they can read those other viewpoints.
There's a "further reading" section where they recommend books and articles to learn more.
🟨 Yellow flags - be cautious, and check the book against more reliable ones 🟨
No citations or references, or references only listed at the end of a chapter or book.
The author is not a historian, classicist or in a related field, and does not make this clear in the text.
When you look up the book, you don't find any other historians recommending or citing it, and it's not because the book is very new.
Ancient sources like Suetonius are taken at face value, without considering those sources' bias or historical context.
You spot errors the author or editor really should've caught.
🟥 Red flags - beware of propaganda or bullshit 🟥
The author has a politically charged career (e.g. controversial radio host, politician or activist) and historical figures in the book seem to fit the same political paradigm the author uses for current events.
Most historians think the book is crap.
Historical figures portrayed as entirely heroic or villainous.
Historical peoples are portrayed as generally stupid, dirty, or uncaring.
The author romanticizes history or argues there has been a "cultural decline" since then. Author may seem weirdly angry or bitter about modern culture considering that this is supposed to be a history book.
The author treats "moral decline" or "degeneracy" as actual cultural forces that shape history. These and the previous point are often reactionary dogwhistles.
The author attributes complex problems to a single bad group of people. This, too, is often a cover for conspiracy theories, xenophobia, antisemitism, or other reactionary thinking. It can happen with both left-wing and right-wing authors. Real history is the product of many interacting forces, even random chance.
The author attempts to justify awful things like genocide, imperialism, slavery, or rape. Explaining why they happened is fine, but trying to present them as good or "not that bad" is a problem.
Stereotypes for an entire nation or culture's personality and values. While some generalizations may be unavoidable when you have limited space to explain something, groups of people should not be treated as monoliths.
The author seems to project modern politics onto much earlier eras. Sometimes, mentioning a few similarities can help illustrate a point, but the author should also point out the limits of those parallels. Assigning historical figures to modern political ideologies is usually misleading, and at worst, it can be outright propaganda.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. "Big theory" books like Guns, Germs and Steel often resort to cherry-picking and making errors because it's incredibly hard for one author to understand all the relevant evidence. Others, like 1421, may attempt to overturn the historical consensus but end up misusing some very sparse or ambiguous data. Look up historians' reviews to see if there's anything in books like this, or if they've been discredited.
There are severe factual errors like Roman emperors being placed out of order, Cleopatra building the pyramids, or an army winning a battle it actually lost.
When in doubt, my favorite trick is to try to read two books on the same subject, by two authors with different views. By comparing where they agree and disagree, you can more easily overcome their biases, and get a fuller picture.
(Disclaimer - I'm not a historian or literary analyst; these are just my personal rules of thumb. But I figured they might be handy for others trying to evaluate books. Feel free to add points you think I missed or got wrong.)
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I was reading your tweel analyses posts and came across the little blurb of Floyd and Jade eating octopus in front of Azul and seemingly relishing in it because it might unsettle him and they're little shits. their fave foods having octopus in them makes sense since it's part of a diet of moray eels
here's a question I don't see many asking: does Azul eat octopus dishes? I think everyone is aware that octopus can (and do) cannibalize each other (even self-cannibalize) but he is still an octopus merman. do you think the animal based mers like the octatrio view the animals they share similarities with as a completely separate species from them and therefore not care when eating them? or is it sort of like a human and big ape thing, where it is highly uncomfortable and generally frowned upon?
[Referencing this post!]
I think Azul refrains from eating octopus himself! The reasoning being that… well, it’s really a gut feeling that’s informed by my observations of the Octatrio’s interactions.
If he looked annoyed watching the twins eat octopus, then that indicates he feels a certain way in that scenario—a discomfort or irritation which would then extend to his own dietary habits. If Azul did eat octopus, then why should he take issue with his peers doing the same? If both moray eels and octopus dine on octopus, why would he only be distressed in one scenario and not the other? Why would Jade and Floyd go out of their way to eat tons of octopus in front of Azul and bring up mentions of how delicious his merform is, if not to tease and unnerve him?
I do think that merpeople view non-sentient sea creatures they share traits with as separate beings in the food chain. This is why the twins can eat regular ol’ octopus without an issue. However, I also think that eating a creature that is of the same “type” as you (ie Azul and an octopus) is seen as morally wrong, as they too closely resemble the merpeople in question. This would be similar to how humans are fine with eating cow, pig, and chicken, but are far less willing to consume primates. It’s the “human” part of them—of us—our consciouses calling out to us and letting us know “hey, this is wrong”.
The only thing I can really find to support this is how Jade says his least favorite food is a conger eel. (But his dialogue suggests he has tried it before and doesn't like the texture.) He and Floyd are morays, which is a different kind of eel... So does that imply that eating others is okay (ie other kinds of eels) so long as they aren't your exact species (morays for the twins)?
Merpeople may be part man and part fish, but I believe they are mainly human with additional fish traits and attributes; their thinking and behaviors are still very human, so I feel they share some similarities with humans in their moral and ethical codes.
The difficulty with half human/half animal fantasy races is that there will always be the debate of how much their animalistic side plays into their behaviors and how much of that can be overridden by their human side. For example, just because Leona is a lion beastman doesn’t mean he can’t eat vegetables, he just does not like them. This is in spite of lions being carnivores (ie exclusively dining on meat). We also see (or it is implied) many merfolk and beastmen eating food that would harm or kill their non-sentient counterparts (such as candy and chocolates during Halloween; you’d think they would otherwise express repulsion if offered what is basically poison to them). The “beastial” TWST characters in general don’t seem too strict on their food intake (specialized diets for athletes aside), so my guess is that their intakes lean more toward the omnivorous intakes of humans rather than the diet prescribed by the animals that are a part of them. After all… if Azul ate octopus, bro would be nomming on his own arm or something (since auto-cannibalism is a thing among octopus) 😭
Side note: Azul considers eating squid ink pasta in book 3. This is probably the closest we'll get to seeing him "eating octopus". Makes me think that it's acceptable to eat like... body parts and byproducts of other animals but not of the same species as you (ie chicken hearts vs human hearts).
Imagine walking in on that though????? I’d say, “Sorry to disturb you, sir! I’ll see myself out now,” then slowly shut the door and back away…
#twisted wonderland#twst#Azul Ashengrotto#Octavinelle#Leona Kingscholar#Tweels#Jade Leech#Floyd Leech#notes from the writing raven#disney twisted wonderland#disney twst#question#tw // cannibalism#tw // auto cannibalism#twst theory#twst theories#twisted wonderland theory#twisted wonderland theories
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What My Father Wanted was to Kill God: Reflecting on the cycle of Rebuild of Evangelion
It's been two years now, since Evangelion 3.0+1.0 hit Japanese cinemas for the first time.
I think many of us chose to say goodbye to Eva on that day, too, leaving satisfied. I can't fault anyone for this. But there's a part of me that stings knowing that 3.0+1.0 has been left relatively un-combed-through in comparison to the other films, and I don't feel right leaving it this way.
Today, I want to dissect "loop theory" - what it was before 3.0+1.0 came out, in what ways we missed the mark back then, and finally, what the resolution of 3.0+1.0 meant for the story.
I want to understand what it meant to kill God.
This article was heavily inspired by "What was loop theory? Investigating the truth after Evangelion 3.0+1.0", by Japanese fan-channel Eva Fan.
If you want to understand the meta angle of Rebuild better (i.e. "why does Rebuild even exist in the first place?"), please watch the NHK Professional documentary on Anno and the production of 3.0+1.0 (not "The Final Challenge of Evangelion" version on Amazon, although you should watch this one too because they're both great.) The meta of Rebuild is outside the scope of this article.
SECTION 1: WHAT WAS LOOP THEORY?
If you're already familiar with the basis of loop theory, you can probably skip this section and head to section 2. This is gonna be a lot of recap.
I, for one, have never been a huge fan of the idea of "loop theory". This isn't to say that I've ever disagreed with the conclusion that Rebuild's world is stuck in a loop, more that I felt like painting it as a "theory" is seeding more ground to bad faith actors in the fandom than necessary.
However, I'm using the term here to refer generally to different theories about the loops, namely those regarding Kaworu and potential connections with End of Eva.
Now that all of the disclaimers are out of the way...
ESTABLISHING OUR BASES, PART 1: THE MESSENGER
From the moment he's introduced, Kaworu's entire purpose in the first two films seems to be establishing the loop to the audience.
His familiarity with previous versions of Shinji is front and centre in the very first line he speaks.
Some relevant lines from Kaworu in 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0. Full sized image here.
While at this stage, we lack information on how much Kaworu knows, we are at least aware of his knowledge of previous iterations of the Eva world in that first line there: "The Third one again".
This is compounded at the very end of 2.0, in which he declares that "this time" (as opposed to previous times, presumably failed attempts), he will make Shinji happy.
In 3.0, there's a moment in which he seems to confirm to himself his musing in NGE of having been "born to meet" Shinji (notice the lack of のかもしれない "probably"), and following some more ambiguous lines we'll skip over, at the end of a long speech about parts of ourselves remaining in the world even after we're gone, he suggests he and Shinji will see each other again just before he dies.
These lines lead some fans to believe that the loops were in some way or another, under Kaworu's control. This iteration of loop theory suggested that the loops exist so that Kaworu, who remembers the events of NGE, can achieve his goal of "making Shinji happy".
ESTABLISHING OUR BASES, PART 2: THE RED SEA
Non-exhaustive chart of potential connections between Rebuild and NGE/EOE, compiled by users on /a/ board in 2011. Full sized image here.
There are several environmental aspects of Rebuild's world that seemed to suggest a connection to The End of Evangelion, most obvious amongst these being the red sea.
As Kaji explains in 2.0, the seas were blue prior to Second Impact. Flashbacks to this event reveal that it bore slightly more in common with EOE's Third Impact than NGE's Second; note the presence of the Black Moon in the comparison above.
Early on in 1.0, there's a shot that shows cross-shaped white outlines in the red sea, that appear to be remnants of EOE's crucified mass production units.
The moon in Rebuild also has a large, red streak on its surface, that could be the bloodstain that was left there by Lilith in EOE.
Additionally, Shinji's SDAT in NGE always looped the same two songs, shown under the track numbers 25 and 26. In Rebuild, Shinji's SDAT's track number begins at 27, and goes up from there (it seems to represent the relationships he forms with other people).
Some iterations of loop theory suggested that Rebuild was set directly after End of Eva, and that the events of Second Impact as remembered by the cast were actually EOE's Third Impact.
Additionally, though its relevance to any canonical NGE content is tenuous (tenuous, but not irrelevant when it comes to Rebuild; see the bonus chapter), Sadamoto's NGE manga also ends with a kind of timeloop.
From the epilogue chapter of Yoshiyuki Sadamoto's Neon Genesis Evangelion manga. Full sized image here.
After Instrumentality, the epilogue flashes forward to a long time in the future, where the crucified Evas are seen as some kind of relic from an unknown time.
We see Shinji, Asuka and Kensuke reincarnated, and Shinji and Asuka meet for the first time, with some sense that they've seen each other before.
Full sized image here.
This ending could be seen as an explanation of sorts of what's going on in Rebuild; the characters have been reincarnated a long time after the fact, while elements of the old world remain as part of the environment.
ESTABLISHING OUR BASES, PART 3: DOUBT
It should go without saying that, even at the time, these particular conclusions had holes in them. (This is to say nothing of the hundreds of other iterations of loop theory; if we went through every whacky headcanon explanation people posted on Reddit under the guise of it being any kind of genuine theorization, we'd be here all day)
Sequel Theory, especially past 3.0, required you to ignore contradictory information being presented in the same scenes the evidence being drawn on was. The comparison image I included earlier (it pre-dates 3.0's release, but was certainly spread around long after the fact) suggests that the Four Adams as they appear in 2.0's flashback could have been the Mass Production Evas (of which there are 8, not 4!). Two of the lines from Kaworu it included also don't support this line of reasoning; both "This time..." and "You don't change" imply multiple previous loops, not a singular. And while we haven't mentioned them so far, the coffin he emerges from in 1.0 being one of several was also something people were aware of back then.
Speaking of Kaworu - Shinji's Happiness Theory doesn't seem to line up with the way he goes out in NGE, either. He asks Shinji to kill him with the goal of achieving true freedom; it doesn't seem like he's looking for a next time, but rather an ending, away from his destiny as an angel. It doesn't really follow that Rebuild's loops would be a journey he'd set himself on willingly, rather a circumstance he's put into by some other force.
SECTION 2: PAYOFF
3.0+1.0 responds to the foreshadowing of previous entries in a way that's kind of inconclusive, on its face. I'm going to save the potential answers for the next section; for now, let's just go over the information we did get, including some things you may have missed.
PAYOFF, PART 1: OUT IN THE OPEN
Kaworu describes Gendo as being the origin of the cycle. Full sized image here.
Our first piece of confirmation, and first in-universe mention of the loops (or "cycle"/"circle"), is this line. "Gendo was the center of Instrumentality this time", the "this time" implying there have been other Instrumentalities with other person/s at the center. "Origin of the cycle" may indicate that Gendo is in control of the loops as a whole, or it may instead indicate that different people start them, perhaps through Instrumentality.
Asuka wakes up on the beach. Full sized image here.
After coming to terms with her feelings, Asuka "wakes up" in the same spot she was lying at the end of EOE, wondering if she was asleep. This is still in the anti-universe, but as was established by Gendo earlier on in the film, the Evangelion Imaginary and the anti-universe as a whole manifest as parts of one's memory. Asuka is our POV character for this section with her, so she must recall having been here. Maybe you could interpret "was I asleep?" as Soryu, specifically, having woken up.
Selections from Kaworu's Instrumentality. Full sized image here.
Anything that focused on Kaworu here was always going to be the juiciest in relation to the loops, but it's surprisingly upfront even then: There have been multiple previous loops, and Kaworu is not in control of them, he just continues to exist without agency over them like all of the other key players do. (That's both of our aforementioned Theories disproven in one scene!)
Kaworu introduces the "Book of Life", Kaji clarifies the details. Full sized image here.
We're also introduced to a new concept here, the "Book of Life". There's very limited information on what this does, but at least Kaji is here to fill in some details Kaworu conveniently leaves out, as he likes to do (that, if nothing else, Shinji and him meeting over and over again is something Kaworu has power over.)
Rei and Shinji discuss the birth of a new world. Full sized image here.
Most of Rei's instrumentality scene exists to wrap up the other aspect of Rebuild's narrative we're not talking about here, so I'll skip past all of that to this: with Unit-01 and the Spear of Gaius, Shinji is capable of creating a new world, through a power known as Neon Genesis. It may be worth noting that Shinji has to clarify that he isn't going to rewind time or revert the world, just create a new one on top of the existing. This may establish a precedent for characters in control of Instrumentality being able to do both of those things.
PAYOFF, PART 2: A CLOSER LOOK
NGE has a LOT of references to the years its set in. Even beyond the on-screen text, there's plenty of instances of plaques and other signs with the 2015 date on them. Rebuild, however...
Yui's grave as it appears in 2.0. Full sized image here.
The only time we ever see a date in the first three films is here, on Yui's gravestone in 2.0. It's partially obscured by flowers, and may appear at first to read the same as her NGE grave did. On closer inspection, though, you can clearly see there's a 0 in front of 2004.
This could be what the gravestone has written on it. Full sized image here.
One time could mean anything, but it becomes a pattern when we see more dates in 3.0+1.0...
The manufacture information on the railway track turntable in Village-3. Full sized image here.
The plaque on the AAA Wunder. Full sized image here.
Looking at that date given on the railway turntable, the earliest date 3.0+1.0 could take place is the year 12001.
This, combined with the physical evidence present in the first two films, seems to imply that Rebuild follows the same rules established in the Sadamoto manga, that the loop isn't necessarily a reset of the world, but rather a continuous stream of time in which the characters are reincarnated. It makes sense Sadamoto would use this as the basis for his ending, too - he worked on the first two films, and the Mari bonus chapter clearly demonstrates that certain aspects of Rebuild were solidified during their production.
Furthermore, the scene in which Shinji asks Gendo what he wishes for has more visual references to EOE than you might think...
Gendo grasps his right arm, as if he remembers the time he lost it. Full sized image here.
The arm thing is obvious, and the line he says there could be about EOE, but you might notice something else in that image on the left there. There's a picture of Shinji in the background.
That image comes from one of the flashing sequences in EOE's Third Impact, in fact, the entire sequence is overlaid on top of that shot of Gendo.
This shot in 3.0+1.0 versus the same sequence in EOE. The encode of 3+1 I was using was dropping frames here, so I had to cut some of it out. Video mirror here.
By the way, adult Asuka's official name, as used in every piece of merchandising she's been in so far, is just "Asuka Langley", not "Asuka Langley Shikinami" or "Asuka Langley Soryu".
Good Smile Company's "1/7 Scale Figure: Asuka Langley". She has a fair few figures, all of them with this name. Other merchandise never calls regular Asuka this. Full sized image here.
Rei holds a doll of Tsubame. Full sized image here.
The same thing ends up happening with Rei in-universe. The version of her with long hair is clearly Rei from 2.0, who has been inside the entry plug this whole time, but when we see her on the stage, she's holding a baby doll. It has Tsubame (Hikari and Toji's daughter)'s name written on it.
It seems to follow that different versions of the same character end up re-joining into one during instrumentality, be that cross-loop like Soryu and Shikinami, or in-loop, like Rei and Sokkuri (Lookalike). This would appear to go beyond just regaining memories of previous loops, as Rei and Sokkuri existed in the same loop independently of one another.
SECTION 3: A PROPOSAL
And now, to get into the real meat of the issue.
...Whose doing was this, exactly?
Here's the thing: Kaworu, we can already rule out. We know it wasn't him.
The next most likely candidate you might think of is Gendo, but... is he, really? Because Gendo died in EOE (perhaps not physically, but regardless), killed by Yui, but ultimately of his own volition. He had come to terms with himself when he died. He doesn't seem like someone who would have still had unfinished business.
Then, what of Shinji? Well, I think it's the same deal with him, too. Shinji might not have found his place in life at the end of EOE, but he also doesn't seem like he was clamoring to start over, after all of that.
In their video, "What was loop theory? Investigating the truth after Evangelion 3.0+1.0", Japanese Eva fan, Eva Fan (lol), of Minna no Eva Fan fame, gives us a different answer:
It was Yui.
Yui entered the Eva experiment for Shinji's sake. Full sized image here.
Yui's motives in NGE may have been left mostly up to the audiences' interpretation, but I don't think there's any doubt she loved her son more than anything.
As Unit-01, she becomes God at the end of EOE, accepting the burden of being the eternal proof of mankind's existence.
She leaves Shinji behind, knowing that he still hasn't found his place in life.
A PROPOSAL, PART 1: YOU WERE WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT
Yui leaves Shinji as he comes into his own. Full sized image here.
The end point of the loops and emergence into the new world:
Shinji makes the decision to create a world that doesn't need the Eva.
Shinji and Yui, previously one being, separate.
Shinji breaks the curse of the Eva, becoming an adult, and now away from his mother, emerges into the real world.
As explained by Gendo, the anti-universe, the end point of Rebuild's story, is also the beginning, and somewhere Yui, at one point, resided.
The beginning and the end are one in the same. Full sized image here.
The anti-universe is "the one and only place fate may be bent to one's will". Shinji, in his parting words to Yui in EOE, tells her he thinks he'll keep making the same mistakes over and over.
To quote Hideaki Anno: Eva is a story that repeats.
In the aforementioned Eva Fan video, they suggest that the anti-universe may in fact be the world of NGE (perhaps, the world inside of Unit-01). Yui creates a new world through Neon Genesis, one which resembles the old, to tell the story of Shinji anew. To give him another chance to grow.
For as long as Eva is Shinji's story, it is Yui's; her goal was to bring Shinji a bright future, after all.
The act of piloting the Eva sees the child return to the place they resided before birth; back into the comfort of their mother's womb.
In Rebuild, the “mother” seems to become all but irrelevant - Yui Ayanami may reside inside Unit-01 but this is never touched on in the same way; Asuka’s mother doesn’t seem to even exist, and her original seems to reside inside Unit-13. The existence or non-existence of a mother’s soul inside of an Eva dictates nothing about who can synchronize with it (see: Unit-02, Unit-08, Unit-13, etc). However, taking a step back, it’s almost as if the reason why the presence of the “mother” is missing from the material world of Rebuild is because the entire series takes place within the world the mother created.
If Shinji entering the cockpit of an Eva unit in NGE is returning to the womb, then what is Shinji doing by existing in the world of Rebuild?
In deciding to create a world that doesn't need the Eva, Shinji is accepting life without his mother. The parting of mother and son represents the break in the loop.
He emerges into the new world, reborn as an adult.
INTERJECTION: WHAT’S IN A NAME?: YUI IKARI/YUI AYANAMI
Rebuild’s Yui’s name isn’t Yui Ikari (at least, her maiden name isn’t) - It’s Yui Ayanami.
In NGE, Gendo took her surname when they married. In Rebuild, Gendo already had the surname Ikari, and Yui Ayanami took his.
I think fans have been generally puzzled by the purpose of this change, but this interpretation - that Yui Ikari from NGE is the heart of the loop, the God that created the world and the God that Gendo would kill at the end of 3.0+1.0 - would seem to explain why this is the case. She’s Yui Ayanami because she’s a copy - like Rei is - of the original Yui. A Yui created by Yui Ikari.
This also may explain why the date on Yui's grave says "02004" - after all, it's the grave of Yui Ikari, not the grave of Yui Ayanami.
Rei of NGE is more than just a clone of Yui, she also holds a piece of Yui’s soul (in the form of emotional memory), while Yui herself resides in Unit-01. Therefore, it stands to reason that Yui Ayanami is not really an individual, but rather someone who holds a piece of Yui Ikari’s soul - I think even more so than Rei (who undeniably is an individual). Yui Ayanami may function as a kind of messenger for Yui Ikari, who holds the knowledge she has and steers the story in the direction it needs to go. There are many players in Rebuild who are more like symbols than characters, and I think this is a huge part of why Yui Ayanami is not a character like Yui Ikari was.
For the sake of brevity, I’m going to use “Yui Ikari” to refer to Original Yui, and “Yui Ayanami” to refer to Rebuild Yui, unless stated otherwise, for the remainder of this post.
A PROPOSAL, PART 2: ...WERE YOU THERE THE WHOLE TIME?
Kaworu himself wasn't brought into Instrumentality in EOE directly. Rather, the fetus of Adam was, through Rei intaking Gendo's hand. If souls like Rei and Sokkuri are capable of rejoining into one in Instrumentality, I wonder if the presence of Kaworu in Instrumentality can be explained by his soul rejoining with that of the Adam fetus. He definitely appears as Adam there, the same way Rei is Lilith.
Which brings us to this:
Shinji and Gendo upon seeing familiar souls: "Were you there the whole time?". Full sized image here.
Gendo offers Shinji the apology he never got to hear in EOE, and then realizes: Yui's soul was residing in Shinji.
Instrumentality likely reconciled the souls of Yui Ayanami (the individual who became Unit-01 in this timeline) and Yui Ikari (the soul who lived on as God, and in her son), the same way it may have reconciled Kaworu and Adam's.
For as long as Yui's soul resided in Unit-01, and in Shinji, her story was not over. For as long as Shinji was stuck in his loop of making the same mistakes over and over, Eva's story was not over. For as long as the Eva exists, Yui will, and End of Eva leaves Yui there, in space, as the eternal proof mankind existed at all.
If 3.0+1.0 says "goodbye to all of Evangelion", it must be the end of Yui Ikari's story, too.
INTERJECTION: WHAT’S IN A NAME?: “SHIN EVANGELION”
The Japanese title of Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon A Time is シン・エヴァンゲリオン劇場版𝄇, (Romaji: Shin Evangerion Gekijouban𝄇, English: Shin* Evangelion Theatrical Edition𝄇”).
There are three points of interest in this title:
Shin - The use of “Shin” here falls in line with the titles of Hideaki Anno’s other recent films: Shin Godzilla, Shin Ultraman, and the upcoming Shin Kamen Rider. While I’m not really the best person to explain this as I’m not really familiar with the source material, the other Shin films are based pretty heavily on earlier works in their respective franchises (I believe both Shin Godzilla and Shin Ultraman have sequences that are recreations of scenes from the original movie/series). Shin Eva also, obviously, does the same thing with NGE and EOE scenes.
*According to an interview with producer Akihiro Yamauchi on Shin Godzilla, the title of “Shin” was chosen for the film due to the variety of meanings it conveys. In all four titles, it is written ambiguously, and could be read as “new”, “true”, or “God”, amongst other things.
Evangelion - NGE’s title and Rebuild’s title are actually spelled differently. エヴァンゲリオン is the spelling of Evangelion used in NGE, ヱヴァンゲリヲン is the spelling used in Rebuild’s title (not the in-universe machines, for the record). They’re pronounced the same way, but Rebuild’s spelling uses characters that are a little archaic (if you want to get technical, it could be romanized as “Wevangeriwon”; note the use of “wo” instead of “o” just like in Kaworu’s name, and you probably get it.)
Shin Evangelion uses the NGE spelling, not the Rebuild spelling, which makes it sound like “Shin Neon Genesis Evangelion Movies”, not “Fourth Entry in the Rebuild Franchise” (in fact, “Evangelion Gekijouban” comes from Death and Rebirth/End of Eva’s Japanese names). Earlier posters for this film in English gave it the NGE font rather than a Rebuild style logo, which pretty accurately represents how this looks.
The symbol at the end - The symbol at the end of the title, is a symbol that’s used in sheet music. This could be read two ways - “Shin Evangelion Gekijouban: End”, or “Shin Evangelion Gekijouban Repeat”; If you assume 𝄇 is one symbol, then it’s a “repeat” sign (tells the player to repeat a section of the sheet music). If you assume it’s a colon and then a subtitle, then it’s an “end” sign (𝄂, signifies the end of the piece.)
A PROPOSAL, FINAL PART: TO KILL GOD
Full sized image here.
Gendo's goal in NGE and Rebuild is the same: To be reunited with Yui.
In Rebuild, he will become God through the use of the Key of Nebuchadnezzar and trigger the Additional Impact with himself at the center, so he can see her again in Instrumentality.
But there's a second aspect to this plan... Killing God.
Gendo lays out his intentions. Full sized image here.
I think it would be naïve of me to suggest that Gendo had any intention of ending things when he said this. These lines obviously pertain to something else (I think all of this is covered in the process of beginning the Additional Impact anyway), and it's made clear that he goes into Instrumentality as stubbornly as he always is.
He fully intended to destroy all of the spears, so nobody would have any way of manipulating or ending Instrumentality, so he could live peacefully with Yui for the rest of time.
Whatever it might have meant there... "Killing God" takes on a completely different meaning by the end of the film.
Yui Ikari is an existence that will live on indefinitely; someone who will never die, even long after humanity is gone. In becoming Unit-01, she alone will wait in the universe forever.
She once resided in the anti-universe; the Promised Land, the one and only place fate may be bent to one's will; she created the world of Rebuild of Evangelion, the beginning of everything.
Yui did all of this to give her son a better life. To let him try over and over again until he broke the curse of the Eva, and emerged into a brighter future.
She, Unit-01, Evangelion as a whole, could not rest until Shinji grew into his own.
Gendo comes to the conclusion during Instrumentality, after bleeding his heart out to his son, that he isn't any closer to reuniting with her.
Full sized image here.
But after acknowledging Shinji's adulthood, accepting his own fragility, and resolving their story...
Full sized image here.
Full sized image here.
...He realizes she was right in front of him this whole time.
Full sized image here.
With this, Gendo exits the train - the same train his story began, the train station he abandoned Shinji at all of those years ago - his story is over. He no longer seeks eternal life with Yui.
As Shinji breaks his own curse of Eva and is reborn out of the comfort of his mother's world, and into a world of his own creation, he says goodbye to all Evangelion.
Full sized image here.
Gendo, in peace at the end of his own long journey, is willing to let Yui sleep.
And so, he kills God.
Full sized image here.
#evangelion#rebuild of evangelion#neon genesis evangelion#analysis#yui ikari#gendo ikari#shinji ikari#kaworu nagisa#yui ayanami#evangelion 3.0+1.0#shin evangelion#shin eva#nge#eva#loop theory
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22. A french kiss/kiss with tongue
cc: @emilyjunk
Part 1 / Part 2
Last week, in Honors Ancient Greek Literature, Mr. Rapp had introduced them to the Myth of Sisyphus, and Regina had laughed.
You're laughing, Janis had texted Regina under her desk. Sisyphus is condemned to endlessly roll a boulder up a mountain and you're laughing.
Regina had gotten a stern admonishment from her teacher, but she couldn't find it in herself to care—not when she's in an eerily similar hell of her own making.
Here Regina is, at the base of the mountain, when Cady drops her backpack onto Regina's floor and says, "So Aaron did this weird thing this past weekend."
Regina, who has developed some warped Pavlovian response to the mention of Aaron—a mix of both anticipation and dread—raises her eyebrows in expectation.
"So we were kissing," Cady says, and Regina's heart rate picks up at the same time her stomach twists, "and he..." She pauses, making a face. "Licked me? Like on the lips. Is that normal?"
"Well, yeah," Regina says. "Have you never kissed someone with tongue before?"
Cady huffs. "You know I haven't."
"Right," Regina mutters, mostly to herself. "Well, I guess if you've never done it before, it would seem really weird."
"Yeah, I think he could tell I didn't know what was happening," Cady admits, running a hand through her hair. For some reason, she seems genuinely upset by this.
"I mean, if you don't like it, you don't have to do it," Regina says, although she can't imagine Aaron, the least confrontational person Regina has met in her entire life, forcing anyone to do anything.
"But I want to," Cady says earnestly and—okay, that kind of hurts.
Cady looks at her. Regina looks back.
"So..." Cady says, with a meaningful look. "Can we... practice?"
Regina should say no. She should really, really say no. She can't imagine a way that this ends that isn't very, very bad.
"Okay," Regina says.
She starts pushing the boulder up the mountain.
Cady comes to sit next to Regina on Regina's bed, then scoots a little closer, bracing one hand on the bed.
"Okay, um..." Regina murmurs, moving so they're close enough to be breathing the same air.
Cady places a hand on Regina's cheek with a confidence that makes Regina inhale sharply. She tries not to think about the experience that Cady has gained between when they first kissed and now.
Regina places her hands on Cady's waist and leans in, halting just before their lips touch to instruct, "So when you feel my tongue, just open your mouth a little bit."
Cady nods, barely perceptible, and Regina closes the distance between them.
Cady's lips are just as soft as Regina remembers, and she's almost embarrassed by the way she immediately feels hot, all over her body. For a moment, she forgets what she's supposed to be doing, lost in the feeling of Cady's lips slotted perfectly against hers.
Regina is suddenly aware of how nervous she is, even though she's been kissing boys with tongue since she was twelve. Carefully, as though Cady might suddenly change her mind and back away, she traces her tongue across the seam of Cady's lips.
Cady tenses, and for a second Regina thinks she might pull back, but then she parts her lips—a little too wide, so Regina gently guides her mouth closed a bit with a a hand on her jaw.
Regina tilts her head and brushes her tongue against Cady's. Somewhat unsurprisingly, Cady doesn't move, just keeps her lips parted exactly as instructed, so Regina strokes her tongue more purposefully, coaxing it to life.
Seeming to get the hint, Cady starts to respond, pressing a bit closer with a soft sound that Regina knows will be playing on a loop in her brain later. Regina traces the roof of Cady's mouth, sweeping in broad strokes, and is rewarded with the hand on her cheek sliding around to the back of her neck to pull her impossibly closer.
Experimentally, Regina retreats, but leaves her lips parted invitingly. For a moment, they sit their awkwardly breathing into each other's mouths, before Cady gets with the program and tentatively begins to explore Regina's mouth with her tongue.
It's like every fantasy Regina has desperately wished she never had has come to life, and all Regina can do is cling to Cady's waist as Cady's tongue dips lower to sweep over her bottom lip, then her top—and Regina lets her, frankly impressed that she hasn't passed out or started hyperventilating with how fast her heart is slamming into her ribs.
And then, totally without her permission, Regina moans, a deep sound originating in her chest expelled directly into Cady's mouth.
Regina pulls back abruptly, feeling her face start to burn. She looks anywhere but at Cady.
For a moment, the only sound in the room is heavy breathing.
"Wow," Cady says. Regina refuses to look at her, but she knows she looks beautiful. "Um, thanks."
"Yeah," Regina says, voice hoarse. "Anytime."
The boulder rolls back down the mountain.
#i guess i'm taking prompts by text now too#a lil homage to your fic angie <3#cadina#mean girls#mean girls 2024#mean girls the musical#regina george#cady heron#prompts#sleep eludes me so. here i am. writing cadina.
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Interactions that I want to see in proseka: An Shiraishi edition
Buckle up, folks. This is gonna be a long one.
New interactions
An & Kanade: this is actually more of a biased one (in a "I want to see two of my favourite characters interact" way), but I really hope to see more of them. An and Kanade are aware of each other's existence through Mizuki and the Twilight Festival event, but it's very surface level and I really want their potential to be explored more.
Despite appearing very different on the surface level and leading very different lifestyles, An and Kanade have been foils to each other basically since launch. They both grew up surrounded by music; they both have, and have shown since a very young age, a prominent talent in it (singing and composing respectively); they're both extremely passionate about what they do and are very hardworking, to the point of sacrificing their own well-being to it (a trait that, interestingly, more like early Kanade, but more recent An), and they also have a shared topic of grief.
Both An and Kanade suffered a loss of a loved one that impacted them deeply, and both of them choose to, at least to some extent, repress their own feelings regarding that. While I don't think their interaction/event should necessarily touch on that topic, I think it would be good for the both of them to have a friend who can relate to something that horrifying and personal.
(Additionally, while we didn't know what killed Kanade's mom, we know it was some kind of illness, and chances are it'll be same/similar to what killed Nagi. If Kanade shared how it was for her to witness her mom slowly fading away... I think that would make for an interesting conversation.)
Honestly, I'd take just about anything with those two, from grief and angst to composing and potentially even light-hearted event like Spojoy Park. I just really want them to meet properly.
An & Emu: Genki girls!! They are very dear to me personally despite not having met properly yet. They're also the reason I'm upset An has moved on from disciplinary committee: missed opportunity for her to catch Emu sneaking in! They would be fun to be around each other, I think, once An would get used to Emu's manner of speech (which she also somewhat shares, as shown in Nuanced Language sidestory. An being able to understand Emu-language from the get go would be a hilarious twist)
On the more serious note! Emu and An have a lot of shared themes, especially those of loneliness and abandonment issues, and also the way they chose to deal with those feelings. A lot of people say they're suppressing their emotions; I'm rather inclined to say they're avoiding them. If faced with each other who are, in a way, a reflection of their flaws, they might not be able to avoid it anymore - I think that would potentially be a very insightful interaction for them.
Moreover, they (along with a couple other characters, like Touya and Kanade, although for them it's much more minor) share the topic of legacy. Both of them lost a close one that has left behind a dream and both of them, voluntarily, stepped up to keep it alive. I think in that regard An and Emu would be able to understand each other in a very unique way. They have way more to their possible friendship than it seems on a surface level.
An & Mafuyu: one of An's most defining character traits is being a good friend and accepting of everyone - more than that, she earnestly believes she could accept all people if she tried hard enough. I think, for Mafuyu, having a friend, or even an acquaintance like that, someone who is put off by her behaviour and overall mannerisms but actively tries to understand her and be friends with her despite that, as well as someone who is so passionate about a dream she has she build her whole life around it, would be very useful.
(this is also the reason I hold a grudge with 2024 White Day event. It's beautiful and fun and all but An's not had a limited card for over a year and haven't had neither Valentine's nor White day, I thought FOR SURE this one. We could have had it all :( )
An & Saki: similar to An and Emu, both of them have a lot of both serious and comedic potential. They're lively, they're athletic, they're passionate about music - there is no feasible reason for them to not hit it off right away when they meet. I don't quite imagine the rest of their groups being able to keep up with their energy.
Still, underneath that energy, there is an underlying topic of loneliness that they both went through, and although An's is incomparable to Saki's, I think there would be this kind of understanding between them, too. While being extroverted and having a lot of friends, An has spend years searching for "her" person without success up until main story. I don't think she had any actual, deep bonds with peers going on in her life aside Haruka. Having a close-knit, big friend group might just be what both An and Saki have missed out on in middle school. That's an interesting observation, isn't it?
More of That, please (Already know each other but I want to see them More)
An & Haruka: in terms of Haruka and An, I really want to see more backstory for them. I know we've already seen it briefly, but there is so much more to it. How close were they? Did Haruka know Nagi in person or from description? What is Haruka's relationship with Vivid Street? Did she go to WEG to sort her thoughts out because An was there, or because it has a connection to her, too (The Non-Idol Me sidestory)? Did they grow more distant throughout Junior High? There is much to unpack here still!
And also, I just like their friendship overall and think we're really lacking their area interactions and accidental meetings, stuff like that. There should definitely be more.
An & Rui: the sillies. Now that An isn't a hall monitor I expect her to take absolute delight in Rui's antics.
They've performed together a total of three times (if we count the New Year show, even though it was more of a Tsukasa stage) and all of them went spectacularly. An is just the right amount of impulsive and reckless to be someone who's able to meet Rui's ideas halfway and match his energy, even though she's normally skeptical about it when she isn't a part of the performance. Hell, An even jokingly mentions becoming an actress!
I think they definitely should interact more and I want it to be utterly ridiculous. It's a shame it didn't happen a little earlier in Rui's story, but, for example, An (together with some other characters) doing acting gigs for Rui could be extremely fun.
An & Tsukasa: both the comedic and the serious angst potential is there; An's and Tsukasa's recent arcs do align quite nicely even though they're not exactly the same. They could probably have a nice conversation about it.
I think it's also fun to see An not realising that she comes off just as loud and pushy to other people as Tsukasa seems to her. But they definitely do have the same energy! I really liked Let's Study Hard and the New Year's Show for that; they're extremely passionate and Tsukasa admires An's passion and skill - I wish they elaborated on this more!
Also, An should definitely have something going on with Tsukasa with her passing the role of the hall monitor to him, especially with Rui around. No way they won't even mention it.
An & Shiho: they had an awesome time together during the In The Corner of Resonant Town and I'm BEGGING for them to get closer as friends. From fashion sense to music to their personal issues, they have a lot in common. I think they've had their share of deep talks and I'm not exactly looking for that anymore; something more relaxed like a jam session or just hanging out is another thing, thought.
An & Ichika: I'm biased in a way that I love them and I also think it would be very funny for Ichika to have a second vocal teacher. Ichika & Nene are very dear to my heart, but as things stand, An should canonically be more skilled in vocals (while Nene is definitely a superior actor) and her skillset probably fits Ichika's genre better. And An was teaching Kohane at the start, so we know she knows how to! There is no particular motive behind it other than I want to see them together more and I think that would be a perfect way for them to get closer.
Additionally, Shiho mentioned how An must be experienced in MCing and how there must be a lot they can learn from her. That. I want that to happen so badly.
An & Nene: no thought head empty just please more of them. Especially singing. I want them to sing together again, I loved hearing Nene's little monologue and I like the way Nene was able to give An tips on acting and singing while acting; they're extremely sweet, they're polar opposites while also being similar in a bizarre way, and I really want the writers to go all in with the classmates thing.
#project sekai#prsk#puroseka#pjsekai#do I tag it with every individual character? maybe#an shiraishi#kanade yoisaki#mafuyu asahina#emu otori#tsukasa tenma#rui kamishiro#ichika hoshino#nene kusanagi#saki tenma#shiho hinomori#haruka kiritani#sorry if this is annoying anyone in tags#also I wrote this at 5am so I'm not responsible for typos#jaysthoughts.txt
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i've been thinking about your latest spawn siblings meta since you posted it. i don't know why, but i assumed all the other spawns used the same seduction method as astarion and were probably forced to sleep with cazador's victims, especially since that i saw how petras attempts to reel in tav if they're alone. using similar lines as astarion as if they were trained. astarion says that some of his marks were brothel-goers, so we know cazador forced him to pose as a prostitute, and i assumed that might've been true for all his siblings. (then again, we know astarion was cazador's favorite, and this was a bad thing for him. 'particular attention' was paid to his punishments. so he was also likely more vulnerable to the sexual abuse cazador could force them to endure)
but that was a very good point about the most productive spawns, leon and violet, were both likely able to use magic. it also kinda reinforces what astarion says about himself: sex is "my only talent, i'm fully aware" if you're cruel to him in his act 2 confession, or his breakup dialogue in act 3 if you didn't get the confession "these are the talents i have." even cazador's other spawns had other talents to lure in marks and could preserve some dignity, whereas astarion just had to resort to being used for his body. that must've been so horribly isolating and humiliating for him. it makes me wonder what tactics the others, aurelia dalyria yousen and petras, might've used.
Hi! Sorry for the belated response.
My thoughts about spawns and their differing luring methods are based purely on theory (we have no evidence that other spawns didn't use seduction to lure victims) and Cazador's glaring miserable inferiority complex. Also, when put in an entirely new situation and facing a choice (bring a victim or get flayed), each of the spawns had only what they previously used to be good at as their saving straw - so, to be more precise, Cazador didn't tell them to lure victims in any specific way. He just knew they would have to apply their skills in a new twisted way.
As for Astarion and why his method was mostly seduction...the more I think of it, the darker are my guesses. We all know who had been telling him that sex was his only talent. And if Cazador Turned Astarion when he was a young adult, still figuring himself out...I assume he took particular joy in taking Astarion's future and potential choices away from him, which also included reducing his sense of self-worth and making him think he is only good for his looks and body. He was not to discover any other talents he had. He was not to think that he was good for anything else or worth anything on his own.
So, the deep headcanon of mine is that Astarion was Cazador’s least favored spawn and the most favorite spawn to torture in any way possible because he reminded him of himself. Not in terms of personality, probably, but…maybe his mere existence made him bitter.
A young elf, probably (certainly) a beloved son who got to leave to explore the world, make his mistakes and choices, a beautiful snobby chatterbox who is yet to learn that actions and choices have consequences...All of it made him seethe because Astarion had something Cazador didn’t -- and while he would never admit it (he is a vampire lord! He is powerful! Feared! He has everything he wants!) he became obsessed with the idea of teaching “the boy” some manners, of magnifying his downsides and stripping him of his dignity. And the more he tormented Astarion, the more he saw himself (the part of which he hated and wanted to forget) in him, and the more he saw it, the crueler he got. I think that also explains why he is so fixated on Astarion in his diary; while he would certainly throw a paranoid tantrum if any of his spawns escaped, but in his obsessive notes, he refuses to believe that Astarion got away, that there is an ounce of fight left in him and that he hasn't broken him to the point where he would crawl back, begging for forgiveness. He seems to shun the mere thought that his punching bag, his favorite object for projection, has been stronger than him all along.
It's similar to how an abuser would torment, gaslight, and degrade the shit out of the younger person just because the latter has an entire life ahead of them, which makes the abuser feel inadequate about themselves. So they mask that sense of inadequacy with acts of cruelty, by exerting their power in any way possible -- while endlessly reminding their victim of their worthlessness as a person (without their "guidance", of course).
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AITA for not apologizing when I freak out over my mother making certain noises? (TW for self harm mentions (biting)).
I (m, 20s) live with my mother (f, 50s). I have auditory processing issues, and am autistic. Certain noises are very hard for me to listen to. particularly, mouth noises (like clicking your tongue or swallowing audibly). Mostly, I wear in-ear headphones around the house to block noises, but when I'm speaking to someone I remove them because otherwise I can't understand what they're saying.
So the issue comes up that, during speech, it's very hard to avoid making noises with your mouth. Mostly I am prepared for this and can control my reactions, but sometimes there will be a pause or something and suddenly the noise comes when I'm not ready for it. When that happens I often flinch, instinctively try to cover my ears, or (in bad cases) bite my fingers/hands/forearms as this is my typical "coping" mechanism (I am aware it's not healthy, and it usually only happens if I'm already on a bad day for other reasons).
when this happens my mother usually gets upset, and says that it makes her feel like she's a terrible person that she upsets me for something she can't control. I understand that (I feel the same when I upset her because of my reaction), and I've told her I know she can't help it and I don't hold it against her. But she seems to think I should apologize for having this reaction, but she shouldn't need to apologize for her action, and I disagree. I don't think either of us is "at fault", since it's not intentional on either side, but if I have to apologize I'd at least think she should as well. Since it's unintentional, but both of us are causing each other distress, that seems fair in my mind.
So am I the asshole for not apologizing? Should I just suck it up and say sorry to keep her from getting upset? I'm aware that being autistic might make me view this differently to most, I just don't understand why I'd need to apologize for my actions in response but she wouldn't need to apologize for hers. Explanations would be appreciated in that regard but I'll take whatever judgement regardless. Thank you.
What are these acronyms?
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I know the general consensus on here seems to be that Courtney and Shayne are gonna lay low this year but honest to god I think we're gonna get an engagement announcement this year.
Hear me out. First of all, no, I don't think they're already engaged. I think the ring is a coincidence. As Shayne put it in today's Reddit Stories w/ Quinton & Damien, you should probably have all of your shit figured out before you commit to getting married. I think they'd probably want to make things public before engagement because it will obviously cause a major shift in their lives. Either that or they'll announce things WHEN they get engaged.
So, why do I think they'll get engaged soon? Allow me to list my arguments:
Time - If we assume they've been dating since 2020(iirc the common estimate is specifically August of 2020), then this year will be their 4-year anniversary. Add on that they've known each other for almost 10 years I think? And that they've been living together for at least 2 years now. I think they're both probably aware that marriage is kind of a formality at this point, which sorta segues into my second argument...
Reddit Stories - Someone pointed out on here recently that Shayne has gotten better at discussing relationships since he stopped being single. I would like to add that he also seems to be good at talking about proposals. They've read the two proposal stories recently where Shayne has expressed very strong, consistent opinions about proposals that imply it's something he's thought about at length, maybe recently? The reason I said my last argument segued into this one is because Shayne has expressed that he believes that proposals should generally be considered formalities in that the person you're proposing to should already know it's gonna happen, just not when. That was paraphrased, but you get the point.
Marriage Fever - This is my weakest point, but I think it's worth noting that both Kimmy and Amanda got married last year, and Josh got engaged recently. Disregarding Courtney's infamous "slightly more engaged than me" comment, couples tend to tie the knot one after the other in group settings like this. You see people around you happily getting married, and you want it for yourself. Pretty basic but I thought it at least shouldn't go unsaid.
Anyone who reads this, please say something if you think there's something to add or if you vehemently disagree with me. I just love discussion.
Damnnnnnn! That's a very good argument especially what Shayne was talking on Reddit Stories video. He's definitely been thinking about it and talking with each other a lot on this kind of topic for sure.
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The age-related question about Splinter kinda made me sad to think the boys could potentially live upto 150-200 while Splinter would most likely pass away at their late 20's/early 30's ☹️. Though, it would be bittersweet if before that any of the boys got a girlfriend and by then Splinter would be so loose about it even if their GF was a psychopath or she had a loose screw in her head because Splinter wants to at least see his 1st grandkid before passing away of old age regardless of what his other sons say about it
There isn't a question here, so I'm not sure how to respond. But since we're on the subject of Splinter, I'd like to share my fan theory that the further Splinter is removed from Hamato Yoshi, the worse ninjas his turtles are. (And also the less sense their rivalry with Shredder makes.)
So the best ninjas in the TMNT universes are the ones where Hamato Yoshi--a ninja master--is Splinter. This gives the turtles a direct pipeline to a master teacher and would thus have the most to teach them. This includes the 80's cartoon turtles, 2012, IDW and Rise. Having access to a master increases the turtle's chances of becoming a master themselves at a younger age. (Rise might be the exception, as we saw that he didn't really get serious about teaching his kids until they were teenagers, so they would most likely take a little longer to master their craft. But then again, Rise has the most terrifying villains and thus forced the boys to adapt or die.)
2003 turtles are a special case. Splinter was not Hamato Yoshi, but we find in the series that Splinter still had access to Yoshi's spirit and his knowledge to pass on to his students. But even then, when Leonardo surpassed Splinter's teachings, he had to then send Leo out to find a new master- The Ancient One- to continue his training.
Next would be the 90's turtles where Splinter was also Yoshi's pet rat, but seemed to pick up a LOT in both the fighting style and the philosophy of ninjitsu.
Lower on the totem pole would be the Bayverse turtles, where Splinter taught them from a book he found. And I would argue that they're not necessarily good ninjas. They are passable ninjas. They're just so fucking huge it's very difficult for anyone to beat them. And despite their strength, they still barely won against shredder because they had the muscle, but not the skills. (And Splinter's face off with Shredder in the lair made no sense because they had never met each other before.)
Coming in last would be Mutant Mayhem turtles, who learned martial arts from watching movies. I think the introduction of the Shredder could give these kids a wake up call to how little they know about ninjitsu--if the writers had any sense of self awareness of the origin they gave this series. It will be interesting to see exactly how Shredder relates to everything that happens in this universe.
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do you think everyone else in the hexsquad knows about Hunter's crush on Willow? and/or vice versa, maybe? even that there's something happening but it's a slow and tentative thing that they shouldn't push or meddle in? like Hunter is valiantly trying not to be painfully flustered and obvious around the others while Willow seems to be making some attempt to be subtle and deliberate about when she does The Flirts and i'm curious how much either of them they're succeeding
I've been thinking about it and I believe the most logical conclusion based on what we know from Thanks to Them is that they all know to some extent but their level of knowledge varies depending on the person. But one tidbit that they are all very aware of is Hunter's painfully obvious crush on Willow. They're just. Politely ignoring it.
Because like. I think if this was a thing they knew and made their business, Thanks of Them would have at least given one example of them giving him looks or making some comment alluding to it. There's none of that. Which could mean that none of them actually know. But...c'mon...
Like how the fuck is he hiding this? Realistically speaking. He goes bright red when Willow does anything. There is no way he's been doing that for months with not a single person noticing.
So I figure that while Willow's feeling might be a little more subtle and not everybody is entirely certain of them, one thing they can all agree on is Hunter.
I imagine that it's kinda similar to Willow and Gus's reaction when lumity was developing. Like they knew but they let Luz and Amity figure it out for themselves rather than get involved.
Vee would absolutely clock Hunter as a hopeless girl liker immediately. Like she's been having a pleasantly slice-of-life teenage experience these last few months while her sister has been fighting for her life. Vee hangs around with her average teen friends, she watches TV, she's sniffed around online. Vee sees like twelve stupid crushing teenage boys on her morning route to the supermarket alone. Like she knows the drill.
I also kinda like the thought that she knows about Willow's crush too. Their friendship in Thanks to Them is so cute so I really like to headcanon they often hang out when Lumity and the Menace Brothers are off doing their own thing. So they're having giggly little private talks and idk brushing each others hair or whatever. So Vee knows about Willow's feelings because Willow told her. Like she's gotta be a gushing teenage girl about Hunter to somebody and honestly I can't think of a more perfect candidate than Vee.
It would be cute if Vee was the reason Willow really started stepping up her flirting game. Like she thinks Hunter might like her but she's still not certain, and Vee offers her opinion that he most definitely does. With that certainty in mind, Willow gets a little bolder in how she approaches her interactions with him and eventually starts to pick up that Vee was right. He is absolutely reciprocating. It's simply a matter of waiting until he's ready to flirt back.
Love to think that Gus cares the least about this shit but he's also cursed to be the most perceptive of the group. Labyrinth Runners reveals that he's very good at reading even the subtler emotions of both Hunter and Willow. So neither of them told him but he's known since the day they fucking met. He actually caught on to Willow's strange shift in behavior first during the events of ASIAS and it wasn't until he became more familiar with Hunter better that he realized it was mutual.
But like. He doesn't really care. It doesn't bother him really but he's not exactly bursting with excitement over it. He figures if he just leaves them to it, they'll eventually sort out what they are to each other. That's what happened with Luz and Amity anyway.
I feel like he would never make a big deal about it. But based on "You wanna borrow my library card to visit Amity, don't you?" being his way to saying he knew that lumity had something going on, he'd definitely just drop it in casual conversation. Which scares the absolute shit out of Hunter. Like
"Hey Hunter, Camila's got groceries in the trunk. Help us bring them in."
"Oh sure, no problem."
"But please don't do that thing where you try to carry four bags at once. It never ends well."
"That was one time!"
"Yeah and Willow's already out there so there's bound to be a second time. Your crush on her makes you do stupid stuff."
"MY WHA T????"
So yeah Gus doesn't bring it up often. But whenever he does, it startles Hunter terribly. Based on the whole lumity cookbook thing, he's nice enough that he'd try to help every now and again. He's not exactly good at it. And he doesn't do much. But he helps. And Hunter is already at a complete loss on what to do so he'll just blindly follow whatever advice Gus gives him. This leads to him gifting Willow a cookie tin of dirt. (She liked it so Hunter has not disowned Gus as his wingman just yet.)
When it comes to Willow, it'd be post ASIAS-pre LR where they'd just be at school, eating lunch and Willow is glued to her scroll.
"Are you all smiley and giggly because you're texting the Golden Guard?" Gus asks boredly.
Willow looks up, surprised. Then she smirks. "And if I am?"
"I'm not gonna say anything but I'm gonna be pretty "Hmmm" about it."
Willow just laughs. "What if I said he was cute."
"Girl..."
But now that Gus and Hunter are besties, he is also equipped to help Willow along. Of course, Willow doesn't exactly need help. She's actually doing perfectly fine on her own. But yknow he'll occasionally feed her information. Like "Okay okay there's this one line from Cosmic Frontier. Write this down, it's like--I said write it down. It's like his weakness. He's quoted it a billion times today alone. If you say it, I promise you he'll swoon. Trust me on this."
Hunter did swoon so Gus has not lost Willow's wingman privileges either.
Amity is just not very observant to others' feelings a lot of the time unless they make them explicitly obvious. I feel like this is especially true with Willow who she loves but doesn't always have the best read on. Like Amity was completely oblivious to Willow's frustration with her in LR so it's safe to say she doesn't really understand her inside and out. And that's fine, she needs some time to get to know the real Willow. So yeah she wouldn't really notice that Willow has a crush on Hunter unless it is point blank explained to her.
It also never even crosses her mind that Willow could possibly be attracted to Hunter. That anybody could be attracted to Hunter. Because frankly Hunter is the most romantically unappealing creature Amity has ever beholded. And she does not mean that in a mean way. It is simply fact. So the eyes she's giving Willow during the cosplay scene is just complete bewilderment because she cannot comprehend why Willow is encouraging this.
Like girl, she wants to smooch his stupid face. Keep up.
But there is no discernable way Amity does not see herself in Hunter. He is tomatoing all over the place. Like it doesn't matter now unobservant she is. This shit is impossible to miss. But quite honestly, I think Amity understanding what he's going through would lead to her not saying a word about it. Like he's clearly still in the very emotionally muddled stage. He's figuring out what he's feeling. He's coming to terms with it. So maybe he'd like to get a better understanding of it before his friends are pressuring him into making a move/confessing. And she gets that it's a very vulnerable way to feel. Sometimes you want to feel like you have some privacy over your emotions, even when you know you're very bad at hiding them. It's not Hunter's fault he's prone to blushing and displaying his crush for the world to see. But he has a right to keep it to himself until he's ready to talk about it. Amity respects that.
When it comes to Luz, I originally saw it as her being too focused on returning to the Boiling Isles to notice that something was developing. But after Thanks to Them, I see it differently. Over these last few months, Luz and Hunter have had this secret bubble between the two of them that nobody else knows about. Obviously they know about the Philip and grimwalker stuff but I could easily imagine the two of them slipping into this relationship where they just spill the beans of all the dark ugly and confusing emotions that they don't feel comfortable telling anyone else about.
Having a crush is definitely a lot more lighthearted than the stuff they usually talk about but it's Hunter's first crush so it makes him feel very vulnerable and weird. And if he's gonna vocalize that unfamiliar feeling to anyone, it would be Luz.
And I know Luz is a hopeless romantic. I know. Buuuut. I like to think that being around Eda and Raine for a short period of time really opened her eyes to the fact that romance can be...complicated? Difficult? Messy? Basically, just not as shiny and bubbly as she used to think it was. As such, Luz does not jump at the opportunity to pair Hunter and Willow up. Season 1-season 2A Luz might have. But she is not the same girl. Her view on romantic love is a little more nuanced. Sometimes it's something you have to be careful with. So she doesn't push it. Like Amity, Luz deduces that Hunter needs a little time to process what he's feeling before he goes diving into the next stage. So she gives him space to do that. In the meantime, she's here if he wants a void to yell into about it.
All that being said, Luz would occasionally tease him about it now and again.
When it comes to Willow's feelings, I feel like Luz has tried to subtly suss them out on Hunter's behalf but it's....difficult. Not because Willow is subtle about it but because Luz and Willow's feelings for Hunter kinda overlap into something very unclear.
Willow and Luz both have that sapphic girl tendency where they are deeply fascinated with the same soggy piece of bread of a guy. They want to study him under a microscope. They want to put him in an enclosure filled with strange objects that he doesn't understand and observe his behavior through the security camera. The only difference is that Willow mostly behaves this way because she thinks he's boyfriend material, while Luz just sees him as her most beloved moth eaten stuffed animal.
But because Willow's enthusiasm and support of Hunter is so similar to her own, Luz has a hard time coming to a conclusion on if Willow's feelings have branched out into the romantic direction.
Because like Willow will say shit like "Hunter is so cute <3"
And Luz responds. "Yeah. He reminds me of one of the feral possums we kept finding in the shack."
"I want to kiss him." She'll sigh absentmindedly.
And Luz has to internally debate this for over ten minutes because she also wants to kiss Hunter. On the forehead. Because she's always wanted to kiss a feral possum on the forehead. So she is forced to concede that she has no fucking idea what Willow feels, despite the fact that Willow could not be any more obvious if she tried.
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something i really want to see in s3 is carmy gaining a little of his self worth back and i feel like the fallout from claire will help with that.
he literally says he doesnt need happiness or entertainment or any of the things he had with her. he's lived so long without them he knows how to cope without it - no matter how isolating it gets.
but he did have it. claire did give that to him and he enjoyed it enough to shirk his responisibilities to those he cares about. i think its going to hit him differently this time and im here for it. i want him to want those things for himself. i don't think him and claire will get back together but i think he'll slowly be able to accept that he wants those things now and move towards it in a more balanced manner (probsafter throwing himself back into work for a bit again). but he'll feel that void more now bc it had started to be filled.
this time i think it'll be filled with syd tho - even if they're hanging out just for work and as friends. they already have such a connection i think carmy will become more aware of it now. slowly, of course. but i think thats what they both need.
if they want a healthy steady relationship then i think they both need it to start from friendship, trust, and a place of comfort or solace. carmy def needs that bc he's just lacked healthy intimacy in his life. syd on the otherhand.. doesnt seem to have a lot of friends. at least from what we've been shown. she has good relations, but what i found interesting is that when marcus hinted at romance with her she got very weirded out. and yes, it could be bc she sees him as just a friend but part of me wonders if shes also scared of intimacy. we never see her be really emotional -besides being angry or stressed- all the other times shes really calm even when she opens up to carmy. she states what she thinks and needs but its in a very matter of fact way. as far as ik, like carmy, she's never seen a healthy relationship bc she was to young to notice those things when her mom died.
slow burn is perfect for them. esp since syd def doesnt realize or at least want to admit she may have actually been jealous. that her feelings may be more. and in s3 when things playout between her and marcus i really wonder how carmy will react bc i think to everyone they seemed to be just friends. so if marcus pursues her a lil more openly or ppl find out that he likes her then that might spark something in carmy just like claire did with syd. at the very least they might become closer if they open up to each other about their love lives if they need advice or help with marcus/claire.
idk just thoughts.. but id LOVE to see the angst that comes with slowburn of both carmy and syd becoming aware of their feelings but not being able to act on them - for whatever reason. whether they're scared to lose the other or that the other wont feel it back and saying something about it will make things weird between them. what i think would be amazing is if they pull off the 'she fell first but he fell harder trope' bc rn we know for a fact that syd knew who he was when she walked into that diner, that she's always respected him, and that her dad doesnt care if that diner closes down. so i have to wonder if she actually went there for him
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Luci Interacts!
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She and Pico can't fucking stand each other. Luci and Pico are like parallelly opposites, if that makes sense. They're nemeses :3 @hellishgayliath
Context! Pico and Luci didn't meet until after the episode "Repo Mantis". Luci was aware of Todd, but hasn't met him in person at this time and was originally going to be the one to get Todd's trailer, until Donnie and Mikey showed up and make a deal with Repo for the Jupiter Jim Moon Buggy. Instead, Luci spends the entire episode with Mrs. Nubbins before Repo gives her a different job to do before Mikey and Donnie come back.
Luci does not like Todd as she believes that he's a manipulative person that uses his kindness to get what he wants. This thought is fueled after Luci meets Todd to try and reposes a different loaned item, and sees the giant puppy rescue he has. She asks about it, and that's how she learns of the events of the episode. This greatly angers Luci and she starts yelling at everything, but not in Todd's face as his kindness still has a bit of an effect on her. (I like to think she's one of the least effected people from Todd's endless kindness, but it still has enough of an effect to where she does the bare minimum in her anger, like not screaming in his face or keeping her insults under her breath) At this point, Pico would probably hear the commotion, and would most likely turn into them yelling at each other before Luci storms off. This would establish their hatred for each other, since Pico is protective of Todd.
And this isn't the push and shove kind of rivalry, no this is full on insulting each other in every other sentence, aggressive glares, and attempted murder :D I'd like to think Pico would learn all vulgar words from her and her bad mouth, that she definitely got from Repo
Accurate Representation lol
If it's really heated, they'll start to insult each other's dads, but this is a very rare thing. They're both aware of how much they value their parents and don't like going that low. But if one of them does insult the other's dad, well someone is going to walk away with a scar or two.
This is also a time to explain Luci's physical body real quick; so some moths don't eat because they don't have mouths, which is why they don't live very long. I wanted Luci to have a mouth with no teeth to reflect this, as well as to show how little she uses it. She only opens her mouth mainly to yell or scream and only does it when very very angry.
Like mentioned earlier, Luci does not like Todd, finding him annoying and deceiving. Any time his irresistible kindness starts to take effect, she explodes in rage and gets as far away from him as possible. This is also prevents loaned or late paid items from getting repossessed, same end result except it's not because they felt bad or gave Todd more time Luci just gets too frustrated to deal with him.
Luci is also slightly afraid of dogs! Not to where it's a major problem, but she'd like to avoid them or see them at a distance if possible. If it wasn't for her stubbornness and disliking to Todd, she'd avoid Todd and his puppy rescue as much as possible. At most, if there are too many dogs, she'll freeze up for a few minutes before she swiftly leaves. Mrs. Nubbins made her a cat lover, despite this mantis cat trying to kill her at times, and values their chillness and sassiness.
When trying to deal with Todd, they'll converse a little bit away from the puppy rescue because it makes her more comfortable and Todd is considerate, so he'll agree. Of course, Pico isn't far keeping an eye and ear out on their conversations, and I think he'd smile every time Luci gets frustrated and storms off from Todd.
Bao & Luci are actually very chill and casual
Luci isn't always aggressive and explosive; she just seems to be that way, especially to Pico. She mainly acts this way when it deals with Repo's businesses or Todd, which is the only time Pico sees her. Neither of them have seen each other interact with their dads personally or with their companions (Mrs. Nubbins & Miho), so they've only seen each other's nasty side towards each other, of course.
With Bao though, she's more laid back and chill, still sassy though and her vulgar language is less present. She and Bao share gossip, mainly Luci as lots of drama can happen in the junkyard like reality tv lol. Luci discovered Bao's tea shop when in a heated fit and was trying to cool off. She felt almost immediately soothed by the environment, and it became one of her safe places. Bao did not know of Pico and Luci's dynamic and didn't even know Luci was the person Pico would be talking about. Pico would never say her name when talking trash about her, claiming that "she's too nasty and terrible to even say her name". So Bao would see a softer side to Luci that Pico never did see
Of course, one of these days they'd run into each other at the tea shop, and it would go something like this lol. Moths are nocturnal, and even though Luci can be up in the morning, she's usually up by noon. And when going places, it's usually the late afternoon or night and it's these times that she goes to the tea shop. I think Pico would be bringing over some dog chow for Momo or gardening stuff a bit later in the day and would see Bao and Luci conversing.
Afterwards, Pico wouldn't understand how he could stand Luci while Bao would probably try to tell him of the Luci he knows, of course Pico wouldn't believe him. Luci wouldn't understand how Bao could date someone like Pico, to where Bao does the same thing, but a bit more serious to show he won't tolerate her insulting their relationship (to which she does not ever).
After this run in, I think Luci wouldn't show up to the tea shop for a while, to where Bao asks if he and Pico could go check up on her and Pico is reluctant to. I think this is where Pico would firstly see Luci's softer side as they'd catch her with Mrs. Nubbins in her cave. Mrs. Nubbins notices their presence, Luci gets angry and embarrassed at being spied on (causing a bit of ripple in her and Bao's friendship), Mrs. Nubbins tries to eat them, Luci progressively tries to stop her, they're all tired, Luci wouldn't say anything except harsh glares and go inside her home. And I'll leave that plot point at that :]
If asked her opinion on Pico it'd go something like:
"UGH! I can't STAND that trash eater! He's annoying, rude, and worst of all, sees that BEAVER as a GOOD GUY!! He even had the NERVE to F***ING insult Boss! He's the WORST! THE WORST!"
#rottmnt oc#luci the moth#they're enemies! one day turned frenemies!#but we're not there yet#wanted to give Pico someone to combat with!#because what's more fun to draw than how characters interact?#especially if they hate each other :D#pico the opossum
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Okay. So.
Once again, I'll throw out my two cents involving Bloodmoon.
I want to make it clear that I do not support the actions of Bloodmoon. They have done some horrible things and I do not think that any of the people they have targeted deserved that kind of physical and mental agony. At this point in their story that the showrunners have stretched, it is very hard to say that they're "innocent". (Seriously, the showrunners really hammered in the wrong point with that comment. At least for me, I don't think they're innocent, I just think they could've done better with their character.)
HOWEVER, I do like their character and I find them very intriguing as an antagonist. Like, seriously, they have probably the healthiest sibling relationship and the one that I find genuinely sweet. Before they do anything, they always make sure to check in with their other to see what they have to say and if they're okay with whatever they're doing. And nothing is really hidden from the other even when one of them is unavailable. It's a very genuine level of communication that you don't really see with the rest of the characters. (I'm also aware that this isn't really...Bloodmoon Bloodmoon. But the love they have for each other is very real, in my opinion.)
I can also see a lot of reasoning (not excuses, of course) for what they do. Bloodmoon has been a tool to be discarded from day one, so it would make sense that they would lash out and attempt to destroy anything that they would think would hurt them. They were also made to be violent so of course their defense mechanism would be violent. It makes sense in both a character standpoint and in terms of their programming. No one really understands them. No one understands how they operate. And since this Bloodmoon was only made from a select few memories of the original Bloodmoon, there are also bound to be some differences.
The way I'm seeing it, there is a clear lack of understanding of how Bloodmoon operates. Traditional help is confusing for them and if someone suggests it, then they probably just see it as a way for the person to get them to leave that person alone. Which they don't like. Because it shows that the person offering it without a second thought doesn't understand them.
It...also probably doesn't help that the celestial siblings gave up pretty quickly after their first try. Which, I mean, yeah? You tried the bare minimum. Of course that wasn't gonna work.
So yeah. "Traditional redemption" doesn't sit well with me regarding Bloodmoon. If they did something with them that fit more with their character and gave them development that meant something in the long run, then I would be happy. But full-on, "proper" redemption or full-on, one-dimensional villainy doesn't seem right to me either way.
#pastel babbles randomly#sun and moon show#the sun and moon show#tsams bloodmoon#sams bloodmoon#tsams#yep#rambling about this guy again#apologies if it sounds like i'm just repeating what i've said before#but i wanted to say a little something and clarify some things after that very pointed comment in the most recent episode#we're not mad that bloodmoon isn't being made “innocent”#we're mad because you brought them back for no reason
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some more spitballing about that AU but in a new post since that one was getting kind of long:
From Coran, Allura figures out that it may be possible to get someone's memory of the previous reality to return by having them come in contact with a specific trigger. For Coran, it was his control panel on the Castle of Lions.
Which means... she just has to figure out what each paladin's trigger is. Clearly it is not their lions. Keith is proof enough of that. But maybe she can even use it to disrupt Honerva's brainwashing.
Speaking of Keith, it is... deeply weird to see him as an Altean. But also fortunate, because it seems he has a spark of alchemical talent! Which means they can move the Castle of Lions, as soon as they get it in order.
Keith and Romelle are just confused. Why do these two- what did they call themselves again? Humans? Know so much about this ancient Altean ship?
Allura only sort of lies. She tells them she has memories from a past life, as does Coran. Technically very true! She has lived nineteen years as a human. It does make her life as an Altean princess feel a bit like a 'past life'.
Keith's a little wary, but Kosmo seems to trust them, so he decides to trust them both.
local half-Galra turned local Altean born with a lingering sense of something being off, but unable to determine what. He grows up wary and naturally suspicious. except for Romelle. he trusts Romelle implicitly.
(ironically, it was this same wariness that prompted him to never be around whenever Honerva visited. he was under her nose the entire time, and she never knew)
Keith and Romelle out on their own in the universe. What will they do? (acquire a cosmic wolf, an ancient Altean superweapon, and stumble upon an ancient Altean castle. they're keeping themselves busy.)
Pidge is Olkari and Hunk is Balmeran. These are obvious. If we had confirmation that the merpeople could get legs, I would make Lance one of them, but we don't so I feel like he's Puigian? I think Shiro's just Galra again. He gets to be fuzzy this time.
Coran gets to speedrun the sense of strangeness that Allura has lived with all her life, of being one thing and then suddenly another. It's fun!
(Allura overhears Keith and Romelle whispering to each other about their 'weird ears'. oh. now she knows how Lance felt.)
Allura is going to have to somehow teach Keith at least the fundamentals of Altean alchemy without being able to do it herself. That... shouldn't be hard, right?
(it very much is)
Their luck runs out eventually, and Honerva becomes aware that the Castle of Lions is active again. And onboard is a human girl who resembles Princess Allura far too closely for her comfort...
#pidge once she gets her memories back and realizes she's olkari now: holy shit. YES.#advantages: you have a teleporting space wolf. a single paladin. a single lion. and the castle#disadvantages: a lot#keith's trigger is the shack in the desert#shiro's is the kerberos shuttle#I'm not sure about Lance Hunk or Pidge yet#reality scramble au
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So we are sure as anything that is going to be Callum that releases Aaravos at the end of the day (being terrified of being possessed again? Now the gang literally HAVE THE PRISON? Yeah he’s gonna be possessed and forced to open it for SURE! Poor boy what will that do to him..?)
But one thing that hasn’t happened yet is Rayla losing Callum. Callum has lost Rayla once and nearly lost her twice now, but we are yet to see Rayla do something to get Callum back (maybe we can include the ship scene but I don’t feel like it’s quite to the same extent that Callum has nearly lost her, if you get what I mean)… how do you think this is going to happen?! If at all? I LOVED season 5 and can’t wait for what happens next!!
I forget if I thought Callum would free Aaravos post-S3 or S2 (maybe, ever since the Key was introduced)? But definitely post TTM I thought he'd have a role to play there. I've always leaned towards it either 1) not being under possession, but coercion, or 2) if it is under possession, it's because Callum took a risk (and knew what he was risking being possessed by doing it). The writers always like force characters into being aware of the choices they're making / retaining agency even in the terrible choices they're making (i.e. Harrow being aware of and agreeing to Viren's plan to kill Zym in 3x06's flashbacks, rather than being ignorant and therefore blameless in it, which they easily could've done). I don't think Callum can just have a "whoopsie daisie I'm suddenly possessed again through no reaffirmed fault of my own decision making" since that kinda feels like it's letting him off the hook too much for whatever he does, but if they just want to go full throttle on the "no agency" angle, that would be a valid route of its own kind of horrific (even if it may not be the one from a theorizing standpoint I currently prefer but hey, canon could change my mind).
For Rayla and Callum, I think their arcs (intersecting and circling each other as always) are going to be opened and book ended, most likely, by Massive acts of love for each other for arc 2 (up till S6, most likely). Currently for both of them, they've done their initial, unhealthy "going to dark places is an act of love" for one another:
1) Rayla leaving during the timeskip / through the moon
and Callum doing dark magic about a season later to save her life
The fact the choice is something they both cover up and know the other person wouldn't like, the shouldering it alone, the "I have to. I love you too much not to," etc. I don't think it's a coincidence that a few episodes after Rayla reflects on what inspired her to leave — "I left without him because I couldn't bear to put him in danger. I knew I had to be strong alone" — and trying to be what she didn't want to be (a lone assassin) that we see Callum making a similar decision after he was forced back into a path he also didn't want to take (a dark mage), that Finnegrin got his head enough to warp him: "All that talk about how love makes you stronger" and Rayla making him 'weaker.' And, like Rayla, he keeps a secret to try and shoulder it alone, at least at first.
Which is in line of how he and Rayla were already starting to switch in S4, with Rayla acting more like him upon her return and Callum acting more like her because of her absence, and nicely leads up to them both reaffirming that they are each's strength and each other's weakness, eventually. (Good and bad, light and dark, pain and love. Two cakes!)
I always figured Callum would do something ultimately self destructive in order to save her, just because they tend to be very reciprocal (and he tends to hit her plot beats a season after she does, anyway) so it seems, due to the symbolism and framing and patterns, that Callum doing dark magic for her is his Narrative counterbalance for her leaving him in Through the Moon. (This is very in line with their S2 and S3 patterns as well, where Rayla saves him and Ez in a way from Soren and Claudia in S2, and then Callum saves her from Soren and Claudia over the dragon fiasco; as well as in S3, with Rayla risking her life to keep Sol Regem away from him, and then Callum jumping off the Pinnacle to save her, etc).
So what, you ask, is Rayla's big gesture moment - and what could Callum's reciprocal moment be? Well...
2) Rayla breaks Callum free of the brainwashing + identity reconciliation arc
This has been foreshadowed and set up for a variety of reasons — Rayla showing up in a halo of light and always reaffirming Callum's agency in S4; Callum asking her to be the one to kill him in 4x07, and this according quote exchange from the Book One Novelization ('"Wow. So they look identical, but they might kill you or they might save you,” Callum said. "Exactly," Rayla smiled. "Just like me"); Rayla's role being highlighted in the actual possession scene in 4x04 and Aaravos mocking her for being unable to kill; Rayla's epiphany in S5 about being "stronger together" at all. If you want more details on all of this I would heartily recommend this meta I wrote regarding Rayla's duality as Callum's salvation and destruction, written pre-s4, and then updated post-S5. Now moving on...
Book 6 is gonna be stars, and stars are associated with Destiny. So is dark magic with control. Thus, Callum confronting the destiny Aaravos has given him (and being possessed again by proxy) seems the most likely for this season. We also know we're going to learn about Rayla and Stella's history eventually (and given that Stella means star, and is connected to the Star primal) and it would make sense to get that backstory in S6 as well. We know we're learning more about the Key of Aaravos (rune cube) and most likely Leola (and her last wish) next season as well. Last but not least, S5 reveals that Rayla's parents can presumably be saved by using star magic / quasar diamonds, and that Callum is even more dedicated to freeing them to some degree than Rayla is, at least in terms of Prioritizing it.
Okay, but what does this all have to do with anything? Well...
It seems pretty certain that Rayla's Big Moment, as you've indicated, has to happen, and will be her refusing to kill Callum and instead breaking him free of the brainwashing. The strongest evidence is actually things I haven't touched on yet, which is that this dilemma and plot beat would resolve both of their character arcs that S4 set heavily into motion.
For Rayla, she's been struggling for seasons feeling like a failed assassin / that she can't kill someone, and that this is a weakness. The fact that it's Callum's life on the line vs the world ("my heart for Xadia") is just the icing on the cake and is a trolley problem she's faced before ("You let him live, but you killed us all!" / "No, you have two choices: you all die, or just the wretched, evil human dies"). So her not killing Callum, and instead saving him, would resolve her arc in a variety of ways:
Prove that her good soft heart is a strength and not a weakness
Reaffirm her love, devotion, commitment to Callum and promising to Not leave again
Prove to her that she can save people (4x05's "we can't save everyone") and that she won't always inevitably mess things up
Rayla refusing to sacrifice something, for once, for the good of the world
Her path in this is so straightforward there is little doubt in my mind, like, come on. It's not subtle and I love it
This isn't even touching on Rayla's parallels / thematic opposition to the other person vying for control over Callum, Aaravos, which if you're interested in you can read more about here. <3
Alternatively, Callum's side of things is far more complicated / less clear. This is for a few reasons:
There will be a choice, presumably, that leads to him getting brainwashed. The most obvious of these is him doing (dark? Star?) magic to free the Moon fam and Kpp'Ar from the coins, but it could be something else. Being willing to take a chosen risk opens up the door for him to feel responsible if/when he plays his role in Aaravos' plans (bc he presumably Has to, since S6 can't end well under any circumstances).
If he is randomly brainwashed, he will have to make a conscious choice to play into Aaravos' hands after breaking free from the brainwashing. This will probably be under coercion or due to a loved one (either Ezran or Rayla) being in danger or threatened. I've always leaned towards Rayla because they've had primary conflict for longer and her weird associations with the cube and its foreshadowing, and for a few other reasons I'll discuss here briefly below.
What's not in doubt, to me, is Callum - willingly or unwillingly - continuing on his dark path within Aaravos' clutches. Whether this would include breaking him free under coercion (but not brainwashing) is debatable, but we'll see when we get there I suppose (if we get there). What does need to be answered, here, is what Callum's Reciprocal Act of Love would be. It seems that he'll have to save Rayla back in turn from something, after all.
Likewise, there's a few options in no particular order:
He saves Rayla from having to make a terrible choice regarding her parents, either to have a life without them or for her to do dark magic to free them by taking that on himself.
A lot of Callum's identity changes have been because of her absence and subsequent shut down. Rayla reaffirming her identity by saving him is also the process by which Callum reaffirms his own identity by choosing her / being able to be saved. A mutual identity reconciliation happening simultaneously, if you will. And throwing off Aaravos' control certainly would be an act of love!
He frees Aaravos to save her life after she breaks him free of the brainwashing, since choosing Rayla and defying Aaravos could be choices that cannot be reconciled.
I lean towards something beyond the mutual Identity Reconciliation because I think 1) Callum being able to express his feelings for her is also very important to his growth for this arc and they've teased him saying "I love you" again quite a bit thus far and 2) I think Rayla, as a character and her core of sacrifice (what does it matter to her, after all, if she gets majorly injured saving Callum) would really benefit from being literally, reciprocally saved, but these are the various avenues I think are the most likely. But I do think their S6 (or whenever the possession plot line is resolved, maybe it is only in S7, who knows) arc is resolved, it'll be with a Big Act of Love from Callum as well, with Rayla's being saving him from said brainwashing.
Anyway, I hope this answered your question and that said answer wasn't too long! Thanks for asking & for reading <3
#rayllum#predictions#i need you to kill me#s5#arc 2#analysis series#analysis#thanks for asking#anonymous#requests#s6 speculation#s6#surprising no one this is long#tdp#the dragon prince#tdp meta
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