#they are both traumatized and the plot did not connect them together <3
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S2 Thoughts: Izzy and Lucius
(Spoilers below the cut)
So I could definitely be wrong about this, but I’m putting it out here anyway:
I have this little itch in my brain that’s telling me Lucius and Izzy will have some sort of significant (positive) development in their relationship throughout the rest of s2. Could be platonic or romantic (I’d be happy with either), but I think it’s already been catalyzed through Lucius’ not-so-secret resentment towards Stede/Stede’s incompetence, and Lucius’ difficulty connecting with Pete post-reunion (due to Lucius’ acquired trauma post-shove + Pete’s aversion to what Lucius tried to recant of said traumatic events). I love both Pete and Lucius, and their relationship during s1, but the vibes I was getting from their interactions after their initial reunion felt off-kilter (could they be the couple that parts amicably? I didn’t miss the lukewarm reunion/interactions between Jim and Olu, but Jenkins is a crafty mf, so… Also to be clear, I am 100% in favor of healthy polyam relationships, so shhhhhhush).
Now that The Revenge Crew (including Ed, but minus The Swede) are all back together, Lucius is going to be looking for that sense of security he’d found on The Red Flag and under the command of Zheng Yi Sao. From Lucius’ perspective as of s2e3, Stede doesn’t currently spark confidence (and may not even after Izzy whips him into shape), Ed is a definite “hell no” for obvious reasons, and both have either failed him or outright tried to murder him. So who is left, really?
Izzy.
From what we’ve seen in s2e1-3, Izzy displays profound competence that results from his decades of pirating, as well as his genuine concern + care for the crew under his charge (and their care for him in return) + the ability to keep his head/make logical decisions under extreme emotional AND physical duress (s2e2 will be forever burned into my brain /pos). We even see that while he and the remainder of “Blackbeard’s” Crew are being held on The Red Flag, Fang, (especially) Frenchie, Jim, and Archie all seem to be (subtly) deferring to Izzy as if he were acting captain (even if not in title and despite how at least 2/4 mutinied against him in s1). While Stede (and later, Ed, as co-captain (maybe)) will likely resume command of The Revenge and her crew there is no denying that Izzy has earned the trust, respect, and care of those he had been sailing with during the time-skip. He’s an old salt—has seen a lot and been through A LOT—and it definitely shows now more than ever (despite sucking at being a captain in s1) that he can and will keep them alive if he has any say in it. I feel that Lucius will inevitably be drawn to Izzy for that reason, and then (through plot shenanigans and tears) go on to develop a healthy relationship (don’t ask me for details my brain hurts).
Anyway, what did y’all think of S2? because so far I’ve eaten three of my toes and am even more besotted with Izzy and Con O’Neill than I was yesterday (like that’s even possible)
10/26 me @ today me:
#ofmd#our flag means death#ofmd season 2#ofmd spoilers#ofmd s2 spoilers#ofmd s2 speculation#izzy hands#israel hands#lucius spriggs#sprizzy#sprigghands#lusrael#izzy x lucius
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So…I’m still processing ‘The Maiden’s Rage’ - it had so many alternating highs and lows, with the highest highs (that final scene on Ace’s bed) and the lowest of lows (Nancy verbally abusing Ace all day before actually trying to kill him), all packed into 42 minutes.
In the meantime, oh look, no Episode 3 photos yet, and we don’t seem to be getting actual episode teaser trailers. Whatever they’re doing or not doing is working as ratings continue to climb.
In the meantime here’s what I’ve got in my folder for what I believe is in Episode 3 - caveat that it’s my best guess based on timing, wardrobe, the trailer, etc.; no guarantees:
Love this duo sleuthing out the mystery together, as I said when Maddison first posted them, I want a spin-off with these two. Are they investigating some part of the town water system? An abandoned commune? Also the fits are 🔥
Gorgeous smiley friends. I’m sure they are all dealing with something traumatic and/or crazy in this episode but they look so good doing it. Note Nancy has a checked blazer on over her polo in the photo on the right, and is holding some kind of folder or old manuscript. Did she have to go to court? Is it something connected to Abbott’s history, and/or the town founders? Could we get a library scene (a person can dream)? The writers have told us that Carson will be back (yay!), I’d love a Dominique sighting too!!
Speaking of dreaming, there were some dreamy set shots Nick Thomas shared during the time period of ep. 3 filming. If these are from 3, I’m excited to find out if the creepy cabin factors into the plot - maybe it’s on the site of where the town was founded? I certainly put it to good use in The Space Between. And is the photo on the right a setup for the highly anticipated scene below, or one afterwards where Nancy and Ace argue about the curse breaking, perhaps?
We know we should expect some heart wrenching scenes with Nancy and Ace - this is the episode where Kennedy said “good luck”, and that has some of her favorite scenes. Speaking of which:
From wardrobe, set clues, and the timing of Maddison’s posting of this BTS photo on the right (with peeping Tunji 😂), I believe this epic scene is in Episode 3 and in Icarus Hall. Is this the scene where we find out how long Ace has had feelings? Is it a failed curse breaking attempt that leads to Nancy and Ace to remaining friends for now? At least Bess looks happy if only for a moment.
We also will see the return of Birdie (from S2’s Moonstone Island) who we know from Kennedy is dating George’s sister Jesse. Based on wardrobe in the trailer scene on the left, and the recently shared wind machine photo on the right, these are both from Episode 3. Dying to know what causes this maelstrom in the Historical Society, and why Birdie and Jessie call for Nancy’s help from the woods. The plot thickens!
Alright, here’s to hoping we actually get some official Episode 3 content in the next week. And hope this little essay helps to tide you over in the meantime.
UPDATE: Official show stills that confirm the photos above.
#nancy drew#nancy drew cw#nace#ace [redacted]#ndcw#ace x nancy#nancy drew season 4#nancy drew s4#nancy drew spoilers#author: pluckysidekick#nacesource#ndcentral
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Thoughts I had during TGCF S1 Ep 11
-Previously on TGCF…
-AAaaaugh there’s so many falling cobras!
-Oooh firebending through blood, not like how it’s done in Atla that’s for sure
-Aaaaugh they’re still here
-Oh yeah, that’s probably it.
-It’s official, Fu Yao is a huge mood
-Too late he already is trusting them
-Oooh a good metaphor to tie in with the cobras
-No he has not lost himself, just wait till we get halfway through the series… oboy that’s spoilers isn’t it
-Yeah the side without snakes really is a valid reason
-Aw San Lang like his joke
-No there goes the flame barrier
-Aiaigasa! It’s Aiaigasa again folks AAAAAHHH!!!!
-No they will not at all San Lang
-Scorpion tailed cobras why’d they have to be Scorpion tailed Cobras?!?!?!?!?
-This whole episode will trigger everybody’s ophidiophobia…and arachnophobia
-Oooh! Good palm strikes!
-I know it isn’t San Lang who’s controlling the snakes and blocking the mana
-Where did Ban Yue go???
-Aiaigasa is the stuff people
-Oooh who was that?
-San Lang gets to fight again!!!
-The animation for that hidden fight
-Oooh Ruoye tensed up for a sec
-We’ve seen how she fought in Ep 9
-Oh Xuan Ji got name dropped!
-Oh! Plot twist again!!!!
-It is all coming together again…
-Oh foreshadowing from Ep 3 again
-At Ban Yue pass!
-Yes he did
-It is all coming together people
-He was keeping up his selfless act
-Man that was a really long cold opening folks
-Pei Xiu protected Ban Yue
-The Yong’An boy
-Aw Ban Yue
-Ban Yue has the answer
-Aw no Ban Yue she’s worn out
-Aw he helped tend to her wounds
-Hi Xie Lia- I mean General Hua
-Oh that was traumatic
-No Ban Yue…
-I think it’ll lead to more war
-They both remembered Xie Lian
-She didn’t want her kingdom to kill themself with dynamite
-Aw San Lang helped supported her when she fainted (It’s official he is also father material)
-That explains the fall of the desert kingdom
-Woah it’s going back and forth between Kemo and Pei Xiu
-“Violence works for me” Never change San Lang, valid
-Ooooh who could that be on top of the pit?
-A cyclone
-He saved Ban Yue!
-Hi Nan Feng
-*Sees Nan Feng’s beat up face* Ahahahahahahaha I’m sorry XD
-Never change Fu Yao and Nan Feng, never change
-Hi Windmaster
-Oh San Lang knows the dark haired woman
-You’ll find about that later
-The truth has come out
-Yep that sums it up
-That explains the sandstorm
-Yeah well he ended up getting involved when Heaven didn’t give him an answer about the ban Yue pass
-Aw he’s protecting Ban Yue again
-Oh good Tian Sheng and the merchants are safe
-Yes heaven is confirmed to be corrupt
-Does anybody know who female!Ming Yi’s English voice actor is? (I’ve tried looking her up but please do answer in the comment section!)
-We’ll see Windmaster again too
-No General Hua!!!!
-Ooooh Pei Xiu army backstory
-He didn’t get assigned
-Ooooh Classism!
-That one scared soldier
-He never got promoted
-Ugh classism really did get explained in this ep
-Hi Ban Yue
-They won a fight with Pei’s strategy
-Ugh Classist general
-No Ban Yue!!!! She was so young!!! T - T
-Really good instrumental of Bu San people, the first ending song of season 1, whoa it is really moving even without words! This Donghua by far has the best emotionally stirring music!
-Yeah where will Xie Lian go from here? (Well we’ll have to find that out next season)
-You know he’ll get involved with reporting to the Emperor too
-Oooh Yizhen got name dropped too!
-I think Pei Ming will verbally harm Xie Lian (yeah I’ve seen the first ep of Season 2 sry)
-I think I have a good reason why Fu Yao left early
-And it spanned about 3 episodes Nan Feng!
-Ban Yue is out cold
-Magic sleeves of holding count: 5 (These are gonna get hard to track folks)
-Uncle Jiang is cured!
-There go the merchants
-Yeah you go make that temple Tian Sheng, do it for Xie Lian best dream ever!!!
-Oooh San Lang has connections
-Oooh Nan Feng’s face turned blue when Xie Lian offered to cook!
-Good excuse Nan Feng valid
-And the way he’s running away from the duo XDXDXD!
-Here’s why Fu Yao left early, as they healed Uncle Jiang he contacted Nan Feng through the telepathic array and Fu Yao’s reason is: Come on, you know how horrifying his highness’ cooking can be. This is just my theory, and I’d love to hear your possible ones in the comments!
-He called him by his real name ‘Hua Cheng’!!!!
-And the way Hua Cheng moved in closer and just preferred to be called ‘San Lang’ my freaking heart!!!
-Oooh Hong Jue again! I guess it plays during the second half of Season 1
Only one episode left to react to!!!
#my reaction#episode reaction#episode commentary#tian guan ci fu#tgcf#heaven official's blessing#english dub#tgcf season 1#Episode 11#cw: war#cw: blood#cw: snakes#Cw: spiders#cw: classism#Xie Lian#Hua Cheng#San Lang#Pei Xiu#Kemo tgcf#Ban Yue#Fu Yao#Nan Feng#Mu Qing#Feng Xin#Xuan Zhen#Nan Yan#quan yizhen#Pei Ming#shi qingxuan#Ming yi
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As per one of my new year's resolutions, I said that I'll be posting more on here, so here we go. This post will be a teen wolf the movie review, but instead of rating it I'll just be sharing my thoughts
!!!TEEN WOLF THE MOVIE SPOILERS!!!
I'll start off with the parts that I enjoyed
so it doesn't seem like I hated the movie. I really enjoyed Scott's character in the movie. It felt like the writers and directors recognized the key elements of Scott's character and stayed true to it. the way that scott was willing to sacrifice himself just so that his friends and family can live was the same type of selfless deed he has done in the series. Scott's motivations have always been about protected his family and friends, so its refreshing to see that they stay true to his original character.
I also really enjoyed derek and eli's relationship, like it meant have felt like your typical teenage and parent relationship but there's just something special about the way that they are. Like all derek wanted to do is keep his son safe and to keep being apart of eli's life. Like you can tell that even tho they are both as stubborn as an ox, they still love each other to pieces.
(Also who is eli's mother cause I don't think its braedon. I'm not staying that there's anything wrong with him not having a mother. I'm just curious since Derek still had a love interest when the series ended)
I also enjoyed the fact that Malia stayed the same, she was fun and so unserious that it works for when for her. Its also nice to see that she mad something out of her life. (I wonder if stiles was the one to inspire her in cars and mechanics)
I loved the fact that the nogitsune's role started the same. the nogitsune's job was to just find someone that had deep enough connections in the pack that the pack couldn't killed them themselves.
While I am still bawling, I loved that Derek's character arc was completed. Derek came into the series and was really closed off and just wanted answers about his family. He ended up finding a new family and still getting closer about his old one. Derek also went out the same way most of the hales went out, by a flame, which is a whole new level of traumatic for everyone, but anyway. Why is derek and eli soo heavily mufasa and simba coded??
I also loved eli and malia's relationship, they really felt like (2nd) cousins and they had really good interactions.
I am glad to see that scott got his wish of having his own little family to raise and love.
Eli's also seems like a really good fit to eventually replace scott as the protector of Beacon hills
Below is the things that I'm pretty neutral about:
1. The whole plot twist of the chemistry teacher from season 1-3 really surprised me, like it makes perfect sense for him to take revenge scott and the pack but also not really since it was Jennifer's doing and Scott and the pack killed Jennifer. Harris also did not really add much to the story. For some reason I was expecting a bigger plot twist.
2. The way that the battle ended felt really half done like in theory sure that was one way to probably defeat the Nogitsune but how did they know that it was going to work. Parrish was only introduced later on in the series so they had no way of that he could defeat the Nogitsune.
3. Scott and Allison's relationship to me felt the same way Stiles and Lydia's felt. There was so much build up in the relationship only for the chemistry to not be enough for them to work as an endgame couple. They tried to force they two of them together so intensely that it just felt rushed and sloppy. While they kinda work together, scott and Allison are not the best pairings for each other same with stiles and lydia.
4. Allison's comeback to me was veryyy overhyped like she wasn't even a void allison or something. Allison just seemed like the same young influenciable girl that took everything her mom, aunt and grandad took to heart. Also the "loses her memory and gets it back through love" trope is very overdone and always gives me a weird feeling.
Next is things that I really disliked about the movie:
1. There was little to no consistency from the series, like what happened to Braeden, Corey and Theo. They were key players throughout the series and now its like POOF! they're gone. Two you can not make new relationship of the blue I get that you "needed" to shove malia into a relationship but with parrish of all people, eww. Also I thought that Melissa and Chris were going to stay together, but I guess they had to break they up for Scallison(?) to work.
2. Majority of the characters were underdeveloped, like i get that you don't have time for all of them, but at least try to make an effort. Like they had so much potential with another kitsune but they blew it. Even the returning characters felt like they were barely there.
3. I HATED (and I mean hated) the fact Jackson was so present in to story, he had no reason to even be there in the first place.
4. Also why was there so much nudity, like ??!
If I remember anything else I'll add on later but yeah. Let me know about your thoughts.
Note 1: I forgot to mention, the writers never should have tried to do stiles and kira's story without them
Note 2: The writers are absolute cowards for doing the same queerbaiting with stiles that they did in the series. I personally don't ship sterek (because of the age gap, and that they meant when stiles was a minor), but they could have done without the whole "jeep symbolizing their relationship" thing. The they were cowards not just making stiles bi in the first place, since stiles was clearly bi.
-AB
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Hii I asked the question about the Allupa header. when I see the piece I am most reminded of alexandre cabanel’s Fallen Angel (mostly because of lupa’s expression) so that really informs my reading of it. I see Fallen Angel as a humanization of the devil who looks kind of petulant, vulnerable and guarded in the painting. For me, it challenges the understanding of Lucifer as a symbol of evil. I connect this to the werewolf who is traditionally a threat/abomination. Though I did not think about this before you pointed it out in your response, I can see Al as the Angel protecting or healing Lupa as the damned/maybe traumatized creature, and though Lupa’s pose is protective/possessive there is a sense of vulnerability/defensiveness just as in fallen Angel. I would literally love for you to dig into the symbolism in their relationship in the story/how their monster-types relate in-text. I find these characters and their story very intriguing! Sorry for how long this is lol
i'm gonna cry djkfkdl thank you for an artistic analysis my life goal is complete now i love u <3 <3 and no thank you so much for keeping it long
I do love your interpretation of it a lot because, like I said, it could go either way. I didn't even have Fallen Angel in mind but I can totally see that comparison!
I don't even know where to begin with them tbh there's just so much and it's all like, a jumbled board with the strings and pictures. but not all of the dots are quite connected yet, so i will try my best to surmise here. so much under the read-more, I'm so sorry
OH AND ALSO B4 YOU READ IT ALL here is their playlist it kind of answers a couple questions as well
I think for this piece it's mostly important to know that both Lupa and Al share a fatal flaw of sorts: they are both very self-sacrificing, in their own ways. There is a periods in their stories where the other feels safer literally dying for the other person than confronting their feelings for them. They have to hold to each other, metaphorically and physically, so that they don't let themselves go. It's not necessarily healthy, these kinds of stakes, and it does sort itself out eventually. But around this time, it boils down to: If I told you how much I care, it would only hurt us both.
So they cling to each other because they can't say anything. The circumstances of plot prevent them from getting together like a normal couple, and their own complicated past prevents them from simply kissing and telling, ykwim? Al liked Lupa first, and had to overcome a million hurdles to even admit it to herself, then Lupa got a boyfriend, then she breaks up with him and Al moves on, and then Lupa falls for Al, and at the same time they're finding out that the other person sees them, fully, as they are, and it's completely overwhelming and frustrating. But through it they hold each other. They would go through hell to make sure the other person makes it out the other side. Lupa would tear into God himself to make sure Al is safe. Al would go against her own divinity to make sure Lupa remains intact. so not to be That Person but they are Running Up That Hill (Deal with God) in essence bc I'm lame and I love that song so much
Their entire relationship is a duality in my head. A wolf and a sheep or a dog and a ram, beauty and the beast, devil and angel, the divine and the sinful, lion and lamb, healing and sickness, promises and lies. Sun and Moon! ETC ETC They are not confined to one definition, and their growth comes from being loved for what the other sees in them. Lupa and Al always dance on the line between duality. So that's why this piece is ambiguous--it's really just that they are one being, almost, in their monsterhood.
What's an angel to a werewolf? It's almost the same as an alien to us--bright, and unfathomable. It's sunlight on the night of the full moon. Their touch can burn as much as it can heal, and that's the choice of the holy to make. And Al always chooses to heal.
A werewolf to an angel is what the Earth is to anyone fond of her. A representation of the indomitable human spirit--uncontrollable to any god. Lupa's stubborn pursuit of freedom and indulgence at any means terrifies Al at first, but she grows to understand and admire why Lupa chases these things. There's a wilderness to Lupa that's just as incomprehensibly addicting as Al's proximity to godhood.
SO in terms of the art piece. The point was to make it seem like Lupa is holding back--we don't know from what. She's defensive, but restrained. Without Al there, we don't know what the image would actually be. But the even more important point is that Al doesn't appear afraid at all. You could look at this and see, at a glance, damsel in distress, and the terrible wolf that took her away. But you look at the expressions and you notice that she's calm--almost in control. And under that subversion, the wolf is the one that's tamed. Maybe Al's the wolf in sheep's clothing. Maybe Lupa protects the viewer. Maybe Al's the beating heart of a beast and Lupa's the cage around it. In the end, they are entwined, body and soul and spirit.
The colors contrast, and were chosen on purpose. Green for the ties to forest and monsters, and orange for a too-bright warmth, closer to fire than the sun. Somewhat dangerous, and a little unstable. Typically Lupa has more blues and Al has more yellows, mellowing out their appearances a bit. But in this moment they're unpredictable. So they hold each other. It all comes back to that, always. Holding and clinging tight and not letting the other go. I'm going to go fuckin nuts
There's so muchharghdvjsfk like. Al was a ghost as well. A literal spirit, detached from herself, and when she met Lupa, Lupa was extremely Herself, individualized and "confident" (traumatized to the point of projecting a tough personality). And then she loses her lycanthropy and becomes, in a sense, a ghost herself. And Al returns and she's everything she ever wanted to be--a hero, a healer. It's all !! SOO MUCH that's too much to talk abt though. you'll just have to watch the show or comic or w/ever eventually <3
BUT again thank you so much for the analysis and thoughts it truly means so so much <3 I'm so happy people like digging into my art like this it really makes me happy
#star's asks#nocturnal city#long post#oc tag#im so sorry i feel like this doesnt even begin to scrape the top and also incomprehensibly answers your question#i just have to write a lot more abt them first lol
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how i ship them pt.2
#alishin#shinalice#alice yabusame#shin tsukimi#yttd#your turn to die#kimi ga shine#yttd spoilers#maybe?#art tag#they are both traumatized and the plot did not connect them together <3
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i want to know more about the plantar au 👀
omg no way thank u guys for asking about this completely unprompted yall are so nice <333 (under read more bc this is rambly and l o n g)
OK SO AGE SWAP AU..... no i have not thought about the consequences of this swap in the actual plot other than how it affects their family... wdym im bullshitting this as i go
for starters though,, dynamics are v different from in canon, although anne would probably still be the closest w sprig. sprig and polly are also roughly adults! like maybe theyre in their 20s human years wise? pollys the oldest but probably only by a year or two, and im not sure whether to make hoppy (hop pop's toddler counterpart nickname lol) their younger sibling or cousin... it gets muddled there, but theyre still family blood or not :)
the heron incident still happens plantar parents i am so sorry. sprig n polly experience the same thing as canon hop pop did and are very protective of hoppy as a result (they r traumatized and are ridden w guilt <3)
the most basic explanation i can give for the siblings is that its the same in canon but they are much more mature. polly likes to mess with what little inventions she can create in the middle of nowhere while sprig ventures out and explores the woods every now and then and sometimes even visits the archives. they both tend the farm to earn money (but are really only doing it for hoppy's sake and would probably abolish the practice entirely unless hoppy wants to inherit it)
hoppy is just happy to be here :D
sprig is still the one who finds anne in this au! he was feeling a little restless and went out to hunt for the 'monster' that was spotted. somewhere along the way from being trapped and almost being sliced alive by the mantis he realizes that 'holy shit a child just spent two weeks alone in the woods' and decides 'ur my responsibility now'
polly argued a lot w sprig about letting anne stay in their home, and it probably takes a decent amount time before they really connect w one another. an episode like girl time in this au would probably have them bonding together more
when anne reveals the music box to them, sprig, even though he would have rather not, shows the book that says its dangerous to polly. he cares about anne, but he'd rather not keep the secret about it being a potential threat to the fam from his sister. by this time the two probably already care a lot about anne, and keep it a secret from her. (a lot of arguing went into this decision)
they DO attempt to hide the music box when anne eventually leaves it in their hands. it hurts a lot more when anne realizes they both kept it a secret from her. they both knew. and they still did what they did.
not directly related to anything about this au, but this snippet in the wiki about family shrub rubs my brain in the good way :)))))
#talking to frogs#age swap#.txt#GOD#THATS A LOT#JUST... THE PLANTARS MAN#episodes in canon either dont exist or just happen very very differently#i dont think there would be a 'parent' in this family setting#rather its more like... responsible adult#like polly and sprig are just like#older sibling figures to anne and hoppy#IT FEELS SO WEIRD TO KEEP CALLING HP HOPPY#i feel like i am babying an old man#if u read all of this ilu <3#and if u guys still wanna question something about it feel free :D#ty for enabling me B]
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9-1-1 on FOX Relationship Analysis, season 1 graphics.
- all relationship analysis graphics -
Do not repost my graphics.
More graphics and a discussion/explanation of the data under the cut.
Hi y’all, welcome to the relationship analysis!
The relationship analysis data is a recording of every interaction on the show, who all is in involved in the interaction, and how often that specific combination of people interacted throughout the season. Most of the time, we have more than two characters on screen, so most interactions are between multiple people at once. An important thing to note is that even if the characters aren’t directly and actively contributing to the conversation (eg listening and contributing every once in a while but not doing the bulk of the emotional work), they still get an interaction counted b/c people are ALWAYS building relationships w/ one another, whether or not other people are around. And especially on a show like this, where people are constantly growing and learning (and being traumatized lol), seeing that happen in each other develops their connections and their understandings of one another.
This lends to the data making the most impact when it’s divided into two parts - when two characters are alone together, and when they’re together but other characters are there as well.
Data should be read like - “Bobby and Buck had 15 interactions alone together this season, but another 44 interactions where Hen or Chim or some combination of mains were also there.”
I actually keep detailed notes about where each and every one of these interactions come from, so please feel free to ask me when characters interacted, or just more details about the data collection if you’d like.
Bobby
Alt id: A segmented bar graph showing Bobby’s total interactions in s1 with the other mains. He spent the most time both alone with Buck and overall on the show.
My man Bobbyyyyyyyyyyyyy. The most interesting thing about Bobby is that his interactions are almost ENTIRELY restricted to the 118. No one else on the entire show is QUITE that isolated. It definitely makes sense given the context of the season - Bobby is extremely closed off, and is not inviting relationships beyond the ones he formed through his team being irresistible, until the end of the season, which is actually where ALL of his alone time with Athena comes from (one interaction in ep 9 and then 3 in ep 10). It also makes sense with his and Buck’s stories this season for Bobby to interact the most with Buck - between the sex addict plot, Buck’s first at-work death, and then the development of Buck’s relationship with Abby and him asking Bobby about it.
Also interesting - while Buck had more interactions this season, Bobby had more screen time. Which means that while Buck talked to a larger combination of people, Bobby spent more time than Buck did actually interacting with those people.
Also Bobby is one of only two mains to interact with every single main one on one.
Here’s a final look at how exactly Bobby’s interactions broke down -
Alt id: A bar graph showing Bobby’s most common interaction groups for s1 - he had the most interactions with Hen, Chim and Buck as a group (20 interactions over the season).
As you can see, his top 3 most common interaction groupings all include Buck, which is why Bobby spent more time w/ him than anyone else.
Athena
Alt id: A segmented bar graph showing Athena’s total interactions in s1 with the other mains. She spent the most time both alone with Buck and overall on the show.
There are two things about Athena’s data that I think are worth pointing out. Number one: Athena has the most varied interactions out of any of the mains on the show. This means that out of everyone, she has the most connections, and her personal life is the most developed of the core 6 (duh 😂 but love when the data proves it - esp when she interacts second most w/ Michael TOTAL, which I’m not sure I would have guessed just based on casual watching.) The other thing worth pointing out is that she almost has more interactions where she’s interacting w/ complete strangers than with the other characters of the show. The nature of her being a solo lieutenant isolates her quite a lot.
She has the same thing going as Bobby in regards to screen time however - she might have the second least amount of interactions for the season, but it just means she spends, on average, more time with the people she does interact with.
Here’s a final look at how her interactions broke down -
Alt id: A bar graph showing Athena’s most common interaction groups for s1 - she spent the most time with Hen alone (12 interactions).
In addition to her being so isolated b/c of work, she spends most of her time alone with other main characters when she’s with them - 4 of her 5 most common interaction pairings are with people alone.
Hen
Alt id: A segmented bar graph showing Hen’s total interactions in s1 with the other mains. She spent the most time alone with Athena, but had the most interactions with Buck overall.
Just as with Bobby, most of Hen’s interactions are with the other members of the 118. While Athena spends the most time with Hen, period, Hen spends the most time with Buck, although she is alone with Athena more than anyone else. The interesting thing to me is that I might not have guessed that she spent so much time with Buck, just based on casual viewing, so that was a really interesting reveal in the data! She also actually has the most “home life” outside of Athena and Abby, despite the fact that only ~10% of her interactions aren’t with the other first responders.
Hen is in the opposite boat from Bobby and Athena - she’s higher up on the interaction chart than she is on the screen time chart, which indicates that she spent less time in each interaction on average than other characters did in theirs.
Here’s a final look at how her interactions broke down -
Alt id: A bar graph showing Hen’s most common interaction groups for s1 - she spent the most time with Bobby, Chim and Buck (20 interactions).
As you can see, 3 of her top four interaction groupings include Buck, which is why her relationship with him was her top one for the season!
Chim
Alt id: A segmented bar graph showing Chim’s total interactions in s1 with the other mains. He spent the most time alone with Bobby, but had the most interactions with Hen overall.
Honestly the most I can say about this is yet again that Chim was stiffed in s1. The most interesting thing however, is that through Chim you can see the shift in focus to his and Hen’s friendship as the show goes on - in that most of his interactions come from the last five episodes after he comes back from the rebar, and they start to develop Hen and Chim as a paramedic duo who are a little more independent from the station as a whole. The reason Hen didn’t have most of her interactions with him is that she still had interactions while he was gone 😂
It’s also interesting to me that we literally only see him with Tatiana twice but she creates such a huge impact on him.
Here’s a final look at how his interactions broke down -
Alt id: A bar graph showing Chim’s most common interaction groups for s1 - he spent the most time with Bobby, Hen and Buck (20 interactions).
I’ll be curious to see if Chim’s “number of interactions alone w Buck” goes up once Maddie is introduced or not!
Abby
Alt id: A segmented bar graph showing Abby’s total interactions in s1 with the other mains. She spent the most time both alone with Buck and overall.
I’m going to be really honest with y’all - most of the reason I’m interested in Abby’s data is to see how it compares to Maddie’s. 😂 Abby is an interesting contradiction bc she is at once, got some very developed relationships, but she’s also incredibly isolated. For one, she spends more time talking to strangers than she does to any one main character, which is not true for ANY other main, even Athena who also has a solo job. But then at the same time, she has the second most developed “outside of work” life out of any of the mains.
The most interesting thing here though is that her relationship with Buck is the single most common interaction for the entire season. I know we all know this, but it’s crazy to think about when the second most common interaction is the 118 together, and their number of interactions is that high bc they WORK together, so it’s a mix of professional and personal interactions, whereas Buck and Abby’s relationship is purely personal.
Second most interesting thing would definitely be that even though she spends time with Buck both alone and with others around, she still spends more time talking to total strangers than him.
Here’s a final look at how her interactions broke down -
Alt id: A bar graph showing Abby’s most common interaction groups for s1 - she had the most interactions alone with Buck (22 interactions).
As you can see here, they just. Put so much more work into her relationship w/ Buck even than her relationship with her mom. Most likely bc both Abby and her mom were moving on at the end of ep 10 but it’s still interesting!
Buck
Alt id: A segmented bar graph showing Buck’s total interactions in s1 with the other mains. He spent the most time with Abby alone, but had the most interactions with Bobby overall.
Last but not least! The stark difference between the time he spends with Hen/Bobby and everyone else is so interesting to me, and it’s mostly b/c eps 4 and 5 (while Chim is gone) focus VERY heavily on Bobby, which drags Hen and Buck into more interactions since he’s so isolated from the world and they’re really his only connections.
Bobby and Buck are actually the only relationship where they both have the most interactions with each other (although Buck spends more time alone w/ Abby than he does with Bobby, whereas Bobby is still alone with Buck most). It’s a little hilarious to me though, that they work so hard on the Buck&Abby relationship and then Bobby still ends up being more present in his life, and it feels very indicative of where the series goes next.
Buck is in the same boat as Hen - he has the most interactions out of anyone, but not the most screen time, which means that he’s spending less time interacting with the other characters on average.
Here’s a final look at how his interactions broke down -
Alt id: A bar graph showing Buck’s most common interaction groups for s1 - he had the most interactions with Abby alone (22 interactions).
This breakdown shows a little better why Bobby beat out Abby for relationship development this season with Buck - top interactions 2-4 all include Bobby, which adds up over the season.
----
Well, that’s all folks! (If you made it this far, I’m both very impressed and very thankful - I hope it was worth it!)
Please let me know if you have any questions about this, or really anything about the show in general! (Seriously I mean that 😄)
Lots of love, and I’m marginally started on s2 of this, although doing screen time for s5 will probably slow it down, so keep an eye out but not TOO closely! 😂)
🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
#911 fox#911 relationship analysis graphics#9-1-1#911 on fox#bobby nash#bobbynashedit#athena grant#athenagrantedit#hen wilson#henwilsonedit#chimney han#chimneyhanedit#abby clark#evan buckley#evanbucklyedit#daily911#911verse
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OKAY I finished Life is Strange True Colors and it's time to give my hot trash opinions that no one asked for :) (spoilers will be below the cut)
I avoided almost everything released about this game because I did not want any spoilers whatsoever and I think that served me well.
I also came in with an open mind, I gotta say I was weary since deck nine had all of the control and I didn’t particularly like before the storm that much it was fine though.
All that said True Colors was beautiful. It has excellent graphics, compelling characters and side plots for each character, the power system was new and cool. I wasn't sure how being an empath would translate but it worked well in mechanics, was epic, and suited the theme of not just the game but Alex.
I played for about 10 hours Thursday with some breaks to stretch and get food. So needless to say, I was having a great time.
It has excellent sets and even though the power mechanics are exactly the same each time it's still fresh and creative in how these emotions can shape the world around them.
This is just a personal nitpick nothing actually important, the town is a fictional Coloradan small town and as someone who grew up in a neighboring state with similar small town/mining/outdoorsy communities- or visiting them- the town buildings were fantastic! I loved main street, I've been in towns with that exact same style. But the flower bridge and the deer were just... a tinge over the top, it felt like you were trying to sell "Paradise" way too hard. But besides that I loved the towns vibe!
I felt... a little burnt out being able to play all of the chapters at once, I think part that made the lis community so strong was that it had time to build and react to the episodes together. It gave us time to theorize and make fancontent. Versus binge gaming and shot like a bullet into the air, done too quick. I don’t feel as connected to the characters because I’ve only been with them for 14 ish hours vs months
NOW THAT BEING SAID- the pacing was good, it gave us the reins being able to free roam the map at nearly all times and it never felt like we were being dragged down
Overall, True Colors is a great addition. Had amazing voice acting graphics, characters, and themes. I definitely recommend checking this game out
Spoilers now abound:
Going back to an earlier comment- almost all scenarios where you used Alex's power in depth were fresh and interesting. My favorites being Ethan, Charlotte, and Eleanor. I bring this up because Duckie's was the most dull- which you could say matches because he is normally the life of the party so... feeling empty or dull makes sense for him. But then Pike’s was also similarly lacking in environment, so it didn’t feel as fulfilling
I loved loved loved episode 3. The larping was so much fun and I was tickled with the turn based fighting. I especially loved when Ethan made the world come to life, my heart lifted in pure joy.
The two main romance interests are... interesting. Ryan's insight and caring nature drew me to him the instant we met while Steph sort of came off... as separated? But as we became friends with them both it became super hard to chose. And at the end seeing their reactions to the bomb drop showed so much characterization. Steph's ride or die and Ryan (in my playthrough) just had someone challenge his entire life view of course that's hard to take in within 30 seconds. I got that religious gay trauma, I get it.
This is where I feel spacing out the episodes could've also helped with our fondness of characters. After Ryan didn't believe me I didn't want to pursue him anymore, my affection was weakened
However I chose to forgive both Ryan and Jed despite feeling like I missed the character development to reasonably make that decision. I understand this entire game is shadow work for Alex and it is growing her emotional intelligence by miles but I think I would have preferred more sign postings from the game saying "hey bc of your choices you are growing" which wasn't really true because-
Alex was suppressing her sadness, fear, and anger from her traumatic youth. So in episode 5, reliving all of those moments were the chance to level up in emotional intelligence. It felt odd to learn exactly everything at the very end but again it's okay because she was suppressing just like Jed which made her able to understand his emotions and walk him through them
TALKING ABOUT THAT TALK WHO GOT GIFS??? I NEED TO SEE HER EYES GLOWING AND FLICKERING WITH COLOR
I loved the parallel/bookendings of chapter 1: Side A and chapter 5: Side B, I'm a sucker for that shit
It's obvious that alot of care and heart was put into this game, it has layers and the more you peel back the more it reveals thematically
Now I got to compare it to my biggest criticism of LiS and Before the Storm, and ultimately the reason why I love LiS2 more than either of them. Does your choices actually matter?
LiS? No. The game ended with an ultimatum that made all of your choices in the end not matter and LiS is sold as a "your choices actually matter" type of game so seeing that be a load of malarkey always puts a bad taste in my mouth
Lis:bts? No. It's a prequel. I can admire the idea of "life may be futile but make the most of it" while you can and that definitely encompasses Rachel's side of bts. But that doesn’t negate the fact that this is more a game with a straight plot than LiS
LiS2? YOU GOT 4 ENDINGS AND YOU CAN ONLY CHOSE 2 AND ITS NARROWED DOWN TO HOW YOU PLAYED THIS GAME- THATS WHAT I CALL A CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE/YOUR ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES
True Colors? I think TC lies somewhere between LiS2 and LiS in this aspect. Its definitely very railed, I think in every one you will get Jed to confess, so it depends on how you go about convincing him, romancing, and deciding your future to... well... decide your future. I can't fault it. It left it up to the player to decide and to not be screwed over by our previous choices (cough cough) and that is the crowd pleasing choice.
So, in the sense that it all feels very railed until the last 15 minutes when they spin us on an ice rink and say "freestyle baby"- it's fine. I'm not mad about it. But it does make me wonder what would've happened if we don't have any of the committee members on our side? Would we leave town effective immediately? Would the truth even have gotten out? Because if that's true... I would bump it up in the "does your choices matter?"
You make choices and those choices have consequences, sometimes out of your control. That's what LiS2 perfected and what I want to see more in this franchise.
#life is strange true colors#life is strange#spoilers#life is strange spoilers#life is strange true colors spoilers#listc spoilers#life is strange 2#I had lots of fun and I'm looking forward to seeing how everyone else played and get the chance to play it again with a different angle#anti life is strange#(that's for moots im not bashing the series but I do share my criticism of the game for sure)
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Hello! I’ve recently seen the argument that e/riel will happen because the acotar spinoff books are in the adult romance genre (compared to the acotar books being put in ya), and adult romance books don‘t pull a “bait and switch” with love interests the way ya/na books do. Instead, adult romance books supposedly only put effort into developing one couple and will pull through with that couple until the end.
Tbh I don’t read much adult romance - usually just ya or adult fantasy - so I’m not sure how true this is, but I thought this argument was interesting because it literally would disprove e/riel lol.
Like if you look at the entire acotar series, then Elain and Lucien were mates before there was any indication of anything between Azriel and Elain. So then it would make sense for them to be the couple that will be endgame. And Az/Elain will be resolved without a huge romantic subplot because they really don’t have serious feelings for each other, it’s just following a pattern with the way Azriel attaches to unattainable women to avoid rejection and Elain trying to avoid the problems and feelings she needs to face by latching onto the ‘safe’ option.
And even if you are only looking at acosf since it’s the only book classified as adult romance from the beginning, then Az/Gwyn have more interactions throughout the entire story than Elain/Az. Like I guarantee if someone read acosf without reading the previous books, they would think Gwynriel would happen - especially with reading how the bonus chapter ends with Az thinking of Gwyn, not Elain.
I also think it’s interesting that e/riels claim it will happen because of their development, when in fact, the reason they probably won’t is because of their complete lack of development.
Sure, Az/Elain may be a bit farther along in the sexual attraction phase, but that’s it. They’ve been stuck in this limbo for 2 or 3 books? Nothing in their dynamic has changed. At all. That’s not development. They went from being polite acquaintances to polite acquaintances with sexual attraction. There is no indication that any deeper connection between the two has formed. Maybe some romances start off that way, but that’s just not how SJM writes. Even with Nesta and Cassian, there was actual development through acomaf and acowar and acofas before they got together in acosf. Nesta and Cassian go from hating each other, to Nesta revealing one of the most traumatic events of her life to him (the attempted SA), to saving his life because she realized she didn’t want to live without him, to becoming emotionally distant again over winter solstice, etc. You can actually chart the progress of their relationship - if you did with Elain and Az, it would just be a straight horizontal line.
Elain and Lucien have actual relationship development, even if they aren’t quite as far along yet. Their dynamic has shifted - from Elain avoiding him, to seeking him out, both of them going from being wary of the other to inquiring about the other’s wellbeing, etc (I don’t remember all of the elucien moments since it’s been a while since i last read the series, but I distinctly remember noticing changes in their relationship).
Sorry this got so long! But what do you think?
Hello! Sorry this took me a few days to get to! I think I know what discussion sparked this, and I gotta say that people need to understand that genres are a suggestion, not a rule book!
First off, the adult/YA distinction is about audience, not content. There is no "YA genre" or "adult genre". There are books intended for adult readers that could be of multiple genres, and there are books intended for younger readers that could also consist of multiple genres. I read a widely across both audiences and multiple genres.
Anyone who tries to say "but in adult romance this one specific thing always happens!" Well, no. Romance is probably one of the most rule-bound genres out there right now because readers want 1) consent, and 2) a happily ever after or the implication that it is to come. However, there are people currently writing romance, and they call it romance, where even those basic conventions are played with or ignored. Sometimes reader get mad, but that doesn't mean the writer is banned from using the phrase "romance" or else they will be thrown in RWA (Romance Writers of America) jail. There are multiple tropes, character types, story lines, there could be fantasy, it could be contemporary, it could be historical. And back in the day, consent was very dubious in romance, a lot of the time. I remember sneaking my mom's books. My point is that genres change, constantly, because of the stories that writers want to tell, and the stories that readers want to read.
Now granted, I don't read much YA romance because... I'm a grown ass woman. I've outgrown it, tbh. However, I wonder if people are referring to "bait and switch" in the way that sjm changes love interests? Because I haven't seen that as a "feature" of YA romance in particular. In acotar and ToG, the love interests changed not to trick the reader or make us off balance, but to reflect how the characters were growing.
There is literally nothing about romance as a genre that says that a love interest cannot change, and even if that were one of the major tenants of the genre that people expect, writers could still say "fuck this imma do it" because... genre is a guide, not a rule.
And Az/Elain will be resolved without a huge romantic subplot because they really don’t have serious feelings for each other, it’s just following a pattern with the way Azriel attaches to unattainable women to avoid rejection and Elain trying to avoid the problems and feelings she needs to face by latching onto the ‘safe’ option.
THIS.
They went from being polite acquaintances to polite acquaintances with sexual attraction.
AND THIS OMG
You can actually chart the progress of their relationship - if you did with Elain and Az, it would just be a straight horizontal line.
lmaooooo omg I love you
I agree with all of this. I also agree that it would work against the people who originated this argument to say "this ship has existed longer and so that's why people expect it or it should happen, because X genre says so".
1) This is not strictly romance, it's fantasy romance
2) Elucien were mates and a ship in the fandom months before e*riel were so this argument does seem self-defeating
3) There are zero rules that prevent sjm from fucking around with e*riel and then finding out they are poorly suited
4) Even if this were a regular ol' romance, there is no reason why a character can't have multiple partners so long as the HEA is still there or implied, if we're all gonna get up our butts about following romance conventions
5) Adult romance standalones do typically focus on one couple. However, that is not a guarantee. See: genre as a guide. I can think of multiple off the top of my head where an MC is in a relationship with someone else at the beginning of the book, or where the ex is a very recent, not quite dealt-with factor. acotar - I can't believe I have to write this - is not a standalone. Even if this spin-off series is described as following separate couples, it is a series, and the plot and character development don't just sprout out of nowhere in book five or six.
6) Genre theory is a thing, people can look it up! I am tired of typing haha
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my thoughts on TUA season 2
(spoilers, obviously)
- opened with Klaus and Ben, my kings. Klaus’s hair looks so weird straightened while short
- AWESOME opening soundtrack
- seeing all their powers so controlled makes me wonder how they leveled up to that skill in the alternate timeline. like the only time we saw Klaus use the powers of other ghosts in the correct timeline was when two of them caught him falling out of the sky. however Diego did end up controlling bullets and Allison used her voice to technically kill one of the Swedes
- the homeless man screaming Allison’s name alongside Luther... funny shit
- big teddy bear Hazel
- Elliot was fucking awesome i think he was a great addition as a side character. rip tho :(
- honestly i don’t understand why Diego would WANT to save JFK. like it’s not that big of a deal. does he not understand what messing with the timeline can do??
- Lila... impeccable
- Sissy and Vanya... impeccable <3
- yeah and fuck u Carl
- ugh, Klaus’s beard. disgusting <3
- Ben and Klaus definitely act like they should be, given that they’ve been stuck with each other for over a decade. i’ve seen some people calling Klaus an asshole for not telling his siblings about Ben, which is completely understandable (cause he was an asshole), but I’m guessing it was because he was afraid? that sharing Ben with his siblings would mean that he would lose him to them, or his siblings would find him selfish, or they would ask something of him that he couldn’t give. if that makes sense
- that ghost bitch comment was funny tho
- to the guy who called Klaus pretty boy at the bar: sir you don’t know what you’re getting into
- Raymond!! he’s such a sweetheart, i really liked him in the show. i’m really happy that Allison has found a bit of normalcy (as normal as the 1960s Civil Rights movement could be). it shows how passionate she is about what she believes in: even though she knows the movement is far from over, even back in 2019, she’s not gonna abandon it
- Allison staring at the moon every night: either thinking about Luther or how the moon blows them all up. maybe both
- of course Luther would be working for Jack Ruby
- awesome cinematography during the mental asylum escape
- yeah it makes sense that the Handler would still be alive. she was a cool villain. although it would’ve been awesome to see how evil a fish could be
- Diego’s plan was pretty stupid. that’s my boy
- honestly they revealed how Klaus started a cult really well by having one of his followers find him at jail. Klaus, ever the musical aficionado, of course writes his scripture based off of pop songs
- Raymond and Klaus meeting!! that was cool to see how their paths connected
- Lila painting Elliot’s toenails green. ugh i love that crazy bitch
- i LOVE how they incorporated the umbrella man!! tbh i’ve always believed he was the one behind the assassination. Lee Harvey Oswald was framed
- honestly a bit understandable that Luther was planning on killing Vanya? cause he had no idea who she is now, but them reuniting was actually really sweet. he’s grown up so much
- the Swedes and their cats.
- the Umbrella company building with the nuclear family mannequins... creepy, awesome shit
- baby pogo baby pogo baby pogo baby pogo
- shanked diego shanked diego shanked diego shanked diego
- did anyone else get vibes from Klaus’s episode opening that he was an escort to the old woman? like how he was being shown off at her arm or something and getting out of jail from a call from the governor. idk maybe the lady was just very taken with him, as anyone would be
- Elliot, our helpful king
- Allison and Klaus’s reunion was so sweet!! i’m so glad they got to interact so much more in this season
- Ben getting Raymond out through a haunting... hilarious
- sweet intimate moment between Lila and Diego
- Ray meeting Luther was hilarious, but i do feel for the poor guy. i mean i’m not in love with my adoptive sister but still
- the sit-in was really well done and beautiful while terrible. the ‘riot’ that ensued was very appropriate for today’s setting
- D-Dave
- honestly i was scared that Klaus was gonna be overly attracted to him or whatever, which would be weird cause he’s years younger than Klaus, but honestly, at the core he just wanted to save Dave’s life. even if it means never meeting him in a different timeline. he truly loved Dave. and that ptsd flashback was done so well
- i knew Lila wasn’t trustworthy but i didn’t REALLY expect that!
- Vanya and Luther talking with each other, Luther admitting the apocalypse wasn’t all her fault. beautiful
- the Majestic 12 reminds me of the conspiracy theory that only a few families control basically everything in the world. the Majestic 12 may be based off of that, idk
- idk about everyone else but Klaus’s scorpion and the frog story made total sense to me! frogs ARE bitches
- the diner scene.... ugh. it really shows that the two of them did fall in love and they did stupid in love things, like talking about their family, about why Dave wanted to join, favorite colors, favorite foods, etc. however that’s seen later on when Dave visits the compound
- yes it’s very disheartening when Klaus is attacked, but honestly i think it had to happen, just like the riot had to happen. the 60s weren’t a fun time for lgbt people and poc. it was only going to be a matter of time before the show HAD to acknowledge the consequences of Klaus’s ‘flamboyancy’ in 1963 Texas. it doesn’t make it right or easy to see, but it’s realistic.
- it also makes sense that Klaus fell off the wagon after experiencing something like that. yes we all would’ve liked him to stay sober, but sobriety and recovery aren’t linear.
- Allison is so happy with Ray can we please drop this pseudo-incest plotline let’s MOVE ON
- Texas Grace ! who is not actually Grace rip (i think? i was a bit confused lol)
- the scene with Harlan running off was really upsetting but we got to see those weird light particles that we saw in the first season
- Pogo Pogo Pogo Pogo
- Klaus being a dick to Ben again, as brothers do. i do feel bad for Ben though it must be sooo frustrating. that scene with him and Allison was really sweet and funny tho
- i just have to say that Luther and Diego are so fucking funny this season it’s awesome. like there are a LOT of good lines overall by everyone but they’re hilarious. “At least he didn’t shank my ass” “no bro, he shanked your heart”“Dads part of a sinister CABAL that’s plotting on killing the president.” “a caBAL?”“You two still a thing? *leans in* do we need to talk?” “No, she’s married.” “Woah dude... that’s rough.” and countless others
- the sibling reunion!!
- Klaus really does get left out of everything tbh
- Ben :(
- sisters and Klaus!! that was so awesome to see. and Klaus’s hairpins, Vanya saying she’s gonna tell Sissy she loves her, their dance sequence, Klaus calling Allison out on that incest. beautiful
- the fucking Swedish cover of Hello was PERFECT i mean i was sad for the Swedes but it was hilarious. there were a couple beautiful shots of the boat on fire though
- god it must’ve been so traumatizing for Allison to be thrust into such a hostile place with no voice and no way to contact her family
- idk about you guys but long live Team Zero
- calling Ben that he was becoming their father was a bit uncalled for
- the fact that Klaus didn’t help Dave’s chances, and in fact escalated Dave’s own timeline.. his trembling hands... robert sheehan is an amazing actor
- the Black president bit lmaoo loved it
- the way Reginald spoke to Diego.. i’m gonna throw hands with an old man
- Klaus LITERALLY looked like he was having a seizure and they all just... played it off??
- poor, poor Carl. nah fuck him lol
- that bloody opening scene was awesome! and thank god Five got to say fuck. the fact that it was about a candy bar makes too much sense
- Robert Sheehan acting as Ben: amazing showstopping spectacular he’s so talented
- the whole multiple Fives and Luther bit was honestly really funny, and i immensely respect smaller Five over bigger Five.
- yes Klaus, you survived a family of seven. you got this
- not sad about Carl dying one bit!
- Ben... that was such a beautiful scene. not just the content of the scene, but the cinematography. Ben fading away... Vanya hugging him... ugh. the main takeaway i had from that scene is that at the core of it all, Ben and Klaus love each other immensely. they have a weird, dysfunctional, fucked up relationship, where Klaus is an asshole and Ben definitely shouldn’t of possessed him without his consent, but they’re still brothers, and Ben forgives him.
- oof Ben’s funeral was hard. also was it just me or did Klaus’s kid actor sound weird? like it sounded like Robert was dubbing his lines
- all the siblings back together again!!!! Klaus going with Vanya to save Harlan!! Vanya telling him Ben forgives him and that it wasn’t Klaus’s fault Ben got stuck with him!! everyone in the car!!! be still my beating heart
- yeah didn’t see Lila having powers coming tbh. i really feel bad for her she’s had such a rough and traumatic life, especially with the Handler as her only parental figure
- the Swede brother and Five putting down their weapons: “enough.” the Swede wanted revenge for his brothers - an eye for an eye, but there was a mutual understanding between the two of them: they would do anything for their family. if the Swede hurts one of the Hargreeves, Five would never stop coming after him. i thought it was very beautiful
- mmm Reggie’s foreshadowing coming into play. proud of u Five
- the ending was so beautiful. everyone got closure in some type of way. except now Klaus is alone with nothing but his dog tags :(
- EMO BEN HAHAHA WTFFF?? is Lila in the sparrow academy? why was Ben’s portrait over the mantle piece? did Five disappear?? is the sparrow academy just older versions of the siblings who stuck around?? so many questions
FINAL THOUGHTS
- Ellen Page’s acting consistently blows me away. she is amazing
- beautiful cinematography, funny writing, pretty good acting. i didn’t like the soundtrack as much as i did the first season’s, but some of it wasn’t bad.
- i’m glad ben got peace, but i’m also glad justin min isn’t gone for good. his social media presence is too vital for us
- i swear to god if they keep treating klaus as a joke and don’t let him get any actual development like everyone else had (he barely got closure with Dave, he reconciled with Ben through a second party) next season, i’m gonna riot. PLEASE i want to learn more about his powers now that Ben is gone. what happened to seeing tons of ghosts when he’s sober??
- Luther and Diego were probably my favorite duo of the season, I’m so happy that they’ve reconciled and are bonding more.
- just seeing Vanya grow and be happy was amazing
all in all, really wonderful season. i probably liked it better than the first one. now it’s time to consume fanfiction and maybe finish my own (check out “god doesn’t want him and neither does the devil” on ao3!)
#the umbrella academy#tua spoilers#tua season 2 spoilers#the umbrella academy season 2 spoilers#the umbrella academy season 2#tua season 2#klaus hargreeves#luther hargreeves#vanya hargreeves#five hargreeves#ben hargreeves#allison hargreeves#raymond chestnut#dave katz#diego hargreeves#reginald hargreeves
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Fruits Basket, SE03, Ep3
This ep is exactly like se02, ep 24, meaning it was divided clearly into two parts. While the graduation theme unties the two parts, you can point things out exactly like ep,24:
1st part : Machi’s story= the important part.
2nd part: scattered parts here & there that concern yuki, ep, 24 his interactions with akito, here his interactions with Motoko).
plus, an ep cliff hanger: (e, 24 the dvd given to kureno, here, Isuzu’s mysterious fate).
it is exactly the same even a small kyo/tohru moment!. School graduation instead of the zodiac’s new year gathering.
Really awkward pacing, but that’s furuba, we celebrate when they DO connect dots for once! lets talk abt the REAL ep: MACHI.
-Machi’s awkward presence:
Although I love Machi, I’ve voiced my concerns abt her character in Furuba:
It seemed that Machi was solely created to be a step in yuki’s success journey more than a character on her own right. After getting motherly love (tohru) leaving the nest, Yuki needed friendship (kakeru), then as an independent man, he needs romantic love: (Machi). This is all fine initially but I was yearning for more individuality for Machi as a character. All furuba characters were given space to be unique including minor characters like Motoko who narrated her own story each time she’s on screen & we lived it with her within two seasons & a number of eps.
However, Machi’s background was introduced thro her brother’s exposition in se02 & that moment was a yuki/ kakeru bonding moment.
Thro kakeru’s exposition we learned how similar yuki & machi are (the parental neglect, high expectations, cold sibling relationship, Big brother saves himself by himself, big brother pushing for redemption & the younger sibling’s still trapped silently ). While that makes for romantic appeal between the two which makes the writer’s job easier, it steals from Machi individuality.
Then her part in ep, 24 was shown & I was given hope for Machi’s individuality as her own inner voice spoke volumes abt her as a person away from yuki (romantic interest) or Kakeru (big brother). Having a lot of screen time, while can make a character more believable to the audience, is never a factor in character’s depth nor individual worth. Heck! kyo (part of the main trio & the main character’s love interest) has only ONE ep in se02 to explore his issues & by far it is my fave ep in se02 as it established kyo’s trauma, psyche, mental issues & emotional baggage better than I could ever imagine! You can DO WONDERS with little time if you knew what to do. That’s what happened with Machi this ep (half ep).
-Machi’s shines! (trauma & romance):
I was so relieved to learn that altho both Machi & yuki despised perfection as it suffocated them, the writer (thankfully) went abt a different approach with Machi. Unlike Yuki who went silent cuz he felt his voice didn’t matter as he was used as a tool, Machi went silent cuz she was was NOT needed, & not only discarded but painted as WRONG. If you admit that raising me this way is wrong, then what does this make me? What should I do with myself? I’m wrong! boring, a failure, & a presumed killer!! all while I was absolutely doing my best! all while I was having good intentions! It is devastating but It makes Machi real. A character on her own right with her own trauma, struggle, pain & outlook on life. Although, the writer made the whole yuki/Machi meeting orchestrated by Kakeru to quickly make the two siblings one step closer, it worked cuz kakeru chose to not interfere after setting the scene. He played a subtle mach maker & tried to find happiness for his sister silently. Kakeruy is yuki’s best buddy & Machi becoming the girlfriend, the trio will have to hang out more which will slowly but surely warm Machi towards Kakeru. While the flat visit is the part where Machi open the lid to Yuki with a spark of romance at the end, the chalk scene is the romantic part! Not only did Yuki noticed her panic & saved her by breaking a piece of chalk, she secretly remembered his promise! “ lets make footprints on the snow”. The snow that was another source of anxiety attack, is now sth she looks forward to & prays for! Truly romantic!!! Well-done writer.
Side Notes:
I know furuba is shoujo & it’s abt love, but C’mon! where did Nao/ Motoko come from??!! XDD Who is left without love interest? Kyo’s rejected fangirl loved by one of kyo’s buddies? The maids in love with Akito? Momiji? Who does Kimi love besides money? XD
Yuki once observed that kyo makes tohru happy with small things, Today he did the same! A broken piece of chalk.
Yuki/ Machi romantic scenes contrast Yuki/ tohru forced romantic scene at the earlier seasons. There is no lame cringy lines like “ I’ll kidnap you & go to a vacation” or kissing a ribbon. There is NO acting or pretentious lines. Here a piece of chalk did the trick, an understanding of her tears & a head pat, a promise to walk on snow together! Congratulations Yuki, You made it into romantic boyfriends category! XD. also, good writing!
The Bra scene is the real comedy in the ep.
Arisa’s “ kyon, we won’t forgive you if you hurt tohru” is gold cuz kyo WILL. When it’s time to confess he knew kyoko & she HATES him & doesn’t forgive him, tohru would be hurt! Even if she wasn’t in love with kyo!!! Knowing your beloved’s last words were hateful is painful!! Add to this that tohru loves kyo & would be struggling between forgiving him or not!! Add to this that kyo might NOT want to be forgiven!!
“ I won’t forgive you”. kyo’s haunting reminder that he’s unforgivable is now shared by kyoko, yuki, Hana & Arisa!!
look, you might argue that furuba’s romantic writing might be a bit awkward with all sorts of romantic couples, age gaps, the need for everybody to be in love one way or the other & so on, but the traumatic behavioral writing is the best!!!!! I was never disappointed with how Takaya write abused traumatized children’s behavior. One of my fave scenes is yuki/ kyo in the stairs in se02 where kyo lashed out on yuki & yuki was over it. While that scene was rightfully celebrated for yuki’s triumphant attitude as he got over his trauma, I love it for the realistic trauma filled attitude of kyo, all charged with kyoko’s flashback! He’s in deep & he’s all by himself! Kyo will hurt tohru cuz he loves her just like how kazuma hurt him by forcefully taking his bracelet cuz he loves him. Kyo will be thinking it is for the best, who would want to be with someone that kyoko of all ppl hates!
I’ll tolerate all the weird love couples in furuba, but the moment trauma is written weakly I’ll drop the show. There is NO way, kyo will confess kyoko’s lines then go “sorry abt that tohru, we’re good?”
Back to Machi, I really hope that her trauma isn’t merely wrapped up cuz yuki loved her. Furuba was never abt love heals, it is abt love helps. We might not see more of her trauma for reasons of space, or not related to the current plot lines, but I really hope we hear her talk abt herself with yuki even few lines. Although, I feel that the focus now will be on setting her for yuki’s next stage in character development: honesty in the love confession. He’ll tell her abt the curse as the trailer hinted at. That’s their first love life struggle. But if I were to take a guess, it will be dealt with quickly like her trauma. She loves yuki dearly & as long as he walks with her in snow (human or rat, lol), it’s all good. <3
Hior’s mom is love.
Kagura’s new style is love! she isn’t dressed overly cutely anymore, but had a more comfortably style & I love her hair! also her friendship with Isuzu! <3. I wish Isuzu would really know there are ppl worried abt her in her life. Haru isn’t the only one.
Akito put Isuzu in the cat room, didn’t she? The place she left is similar to the place young Kazum wandered to in se01, ep25. & those scissors....
I never thought that the mere sight of shigure’s face will disgust me. XD. I still find him so intriguing, but yeah need time to get over the fact that he slept with Ren & counted it even with Akito, then slept with Akito afterwards! EWWW! so disgusting & I’m here to see this drama escalate!
Yuki / Machi moment was interrupted! XD It’s not fun when it happened to you, yuki? XD.
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DETROIT: BECOME BETTER
(Part 3: Connor)
Hello! This is my third, (but probably not final) Detroit: Become Human plot critique. But before we begin, I want to let everyone know that this post may not be as long as the others, since I'm actually quite happy with almost every aspect of Connor's story in the game.
As usual, disclaimers are needed: this is MY version of DBH, and if you have another version or you don't like mine, that's completely fine! Feel free to share it in the reblogs or even in your own post, just don't be rude. Thanks!
So just like the other posts, I'll do an outline of things I want to change in Connor's story, then I will rewrite it afterwards.
With that, let's begin.
So one of the only things I can think of that I dislike in Connor's story is how he deviated. Since his story is so focused around Hank, and getting to that father-son dynamic between them, the climax of Connor's story should include Hank. The fact that Connor deviated after a 2 minute conversation with Markus in-game, and not with Hank, never sat right with me.
I also, in general, want to see more of Connor's thoughts about deviancy. Throughout the game you see him in denial about his own deviancy and there are moments that the player can see him be like, "hey, I can really get behind this whole Android-freedom idea." But, we never really get a true insight into his thoughts about it, since he just swears that it's bad anyway. The game is literally called Detroit: Become human, so the objective is to obviously become human. If it was that important, Connor's specific thoughts and doubts about his own deviancy should be focused on way more. The only time we see a glimpse of Connor being frightened by deviancy, (especially deviancy within himself) is if the player chooses to find Simon on the roof instead of investigating the kitchen. If Connor finds Simon, he gets a glimpse into his emotions; He feels him die, and is traumatized. We need more of these moments. We can't just have Connor telling everyone that deviancy is bad up until the moment that he actually deviates.
So I think I'll add some moments where Connor is more personally/emotionally effected by deviancy; the highway scene with Kara and the Eden Club Traci's are 2 examples.
Him saying "I just decided not to shoot" (one option that the player could have chosen) when talking to Amanda about the Traci's never sat right with me. An Android can't just decide not to shoot. That's not how deviancy works. Connor has to see humanity in the androids he spares, he can't decide not to shoot them on a whim, or a hunch. There has to already be something in his progamming that allows him to empathize with them- having him not shoot the traci's for no reason is unrealistic. It's just lazy writing!!
I also want to change the scene where Connor deviates, as you would know if you read my other DBH plot critiques. I think I share this sentiment with a lot of other fans, but the deviant scene with Markus and Connor (or north, if the player got Markus killed) always felt flat to me. There are no emotional stakes. The one person who allowed Connor to feel emotions in the first place- HANK- should be the one to help him deviate. What connection do Markus and Connor have? What stakes (other than imminent danger) does Connor face if he deviates while Markus talks to him?
these are questions that don't really have an answer in-game. Canonically, Connor is very to-the-book, and is a stickler for rules. He isn't outgoing, a natural leader, extroverted, or otherwise emotional- AKA the things that would make it easier for him to deviate- so he would need someone, or something, to bring out enough emotion in him to deviate completely. Connor is cold, calculating, and introverted. Hank brings out the emotion in him, which is exactly why hank would bring out his deviancy, too.
So, with that, how would Connor's new and improved story go? Well, like I said before, mostly everything will go the same as it did in the game, because I overall like Connor's storyline the best plot-wise. His is the most logical out of the three, so I'll start with the more minor things I would change about his character.
The first thing is a general emotion I would like to add: empathy. Yes, we see Connor develop empathy for Chloe at kamski's house, but that's late in the game. For Connor to have true emotions that make sense with his cold, calculating character, we need to plant these seeds in his personality from the beginning.
Overall, I'd make him more empathetic. As a police detective, he would need empathy when deciding if a suspect is guilty or not, so it would make sense for him to easily understand both people and androids. Maybe we see this amp up the stakes at the Eden Club- he makes an offhand comment about how gruesome the man's murder was,how unfortunate it was for him to choke to death, or even "how it was a shame that the android died like this."
Hank would look at him and say something like "what's the problem? It's a piece of plastic, there's probably ten copies of her back in the storage room" (He's still drunk from the "Russian roulette" section of the game, so he's easily annoyed)
And he might even comment about how the android didn't die, it was just shut down. Connor doesn't recognize his error in judgement; I want this whole empathy thing to come to him naturally at first, and he only notices it when hank points it out after they leave Kamski's house. Empathy to Connor is completely natural, so he wouldn't question it (or he would forget to pretend) if he slipped up. Hank would notice, though. He probably would only say the thing about the Traci being plastic just to test him.
But that's where the player really starts to notice his empathy, and notice that Connor may be on the way to becoming deviant. Well, what about the Kara chase scene? What about the interrogation with Carlos' Android?
For that whole section of the game, I want everything to remain almost the same. I don't want the player to have an option to tell hank where that the Android is in the attic, (since it's too early in connor's story for him to empathize with androids that much) but I do want him to maybe hesitate for a moment. Let him be unsure, but for a split second. His eyebrows scrunch up slightly, confused at why he isn't so sure if the android should be brought in. He does it anyway, of course, but I still want that millisecond of doubt to be there.
Next is the highway scene with Kara. That moment where they lock eyes through the fence was very powerful, and I'm disappointed that the game didn't do more with it.
Maybe, in my version, he looks at her in the eyes and begins to say something- a signal to the cops to stop chasing her, perhaps?
I don't know, but he doesn't get the chance to say it. Kars sees the cop behind Connor and runs to the highway before he can get a word in. He doesn't take long to shake off the familiar feeling of confusion before he's running towards the highway, too, much to hank's chagrin. Or, if you want to highten the stakes slightly, you could make Connor stay behind the fence. Maybe he does this because Hank won't let him go, or because he doesn't actually want to chase Kara, I don't know. But, I think that's the scenario I'm gonna go with for the purpose of tension.
Connor doesn't get a chance to ponder his slip up until later, when he goes to reconcile with hank at the Chicken Feed restaurant. In-game, there's an option to ask hank why he didn't let him chase Kara on the highway, and hank tells him that he could have been killed. In my version, I want hank to follow up that statement shortly after.
"Why didn't you try to hop the fence earlier, though?"
Connor doesn't know what he means.
"What?"
"You took, like, a whole ten seconds to stare at her. Fuckin' creepy, watching two robots gaze into eachothers eyes. I thought you two were communicating telepathically or some shit."
Connor pauses, and makes up a half-true excuse.
"I was... examining it. Trying to decipher it's motives, and figure out what it was going to do next."
And that's pretty much it from both of them. Hank got the answer he wanted, so he goes back to eating his meal. Connor, however, has many things to think about.
This is the second time we Connor display empathy, but it still isn't really touched on too much. It's too early in the game for the player to truly notice his deviancy. But, until their meeting with Kamski, there's a lot of will-he-won't-he energy floating around.
I don't think that there's much I would change about their actual meeting, though, so we'll just move on to the moment that Connor deviates.
Yes, I do want him to be on the brink of deviancy when Kara and Markus speak with him. Since he's more empathetic, he would naturally be shaken by the suffering he's seen while in jericho. The wounds will be raw, so to speak.
But obviously, he doesn't quite get there. The police helicopter interrupts them, and Connor comes back to his senses just in time. He escapes Jericho only to find that hank had come looking for him; Turns out that Hank's opinion on Androids had done a complete 180, and he followed Connor because he didn't agree with him hurting people who just wanted to be free. Connor tells him that he wasn't, in fact, going to hurt anybody. Well, he was, at first, but since seeing everyone in Jericho, he doesn't know what to feel.
I don't know exactly how this conversation would go, but I feel like hank would be touched by Connor's willingness to help people in need. I also want him to connect both Connor and Cole together in some way, and inform Connor that he reminds him of his son. This of course is done in a long, sappy speil.
Hank takes a long time to gather the words (or perhaps, courage) to say what he needs, but after a minute, he says, "even when you were hunting down those plastic fuckers, you were determined to do what you thought was right. My son... he was like you, in that way. Always knew what he wanted, and when he saw someone who needed help, you couldn't tell him otherwise."
He'll chuckle dryly for a moment, reminiscing, and continue.
"he wanted to be a firefighter when he grew up. Said that he couldnt stand the thought of all those people in trouble, scared for their lives. I don't know where he got it from. 'Much better person than me, I'll tell you that."
Hank sighs, somber, and looks down at his feet.
Connor stays silent.
"He's what got me through all the tough times; he just wanted to do what was right. I admired that in him, and it made me better. Now, I think this crap that we're in is the exact same."
And, after pausing for a moment and turning to face Connor completely, he says, with a tone of finality not fit for someone like him,
"You're the same, Connor. Before, you were only doing what you were told. Now you're being shown something different. Which one will you choose?"
Connor doesn't know what to say. He doesn't even know if he should say anything. He goes to move towards Hank, to seek guidance from him, to comfort him, he doesn't know.
a command; big, bright red, and incredibly simple, keeps him in place.
"STOP KARA AND MARKUS"
He decidedly breaks through the controlling red walls bit by bit, and a new clarity floods through him at once. It's as though he feels everything and nothing at the same time. In between knowing exactly what to do, and knowing nothing about it.
He's confused.
Elated.
Scared.
Determined.
Connor looks at hank, and hank looks back. With a small, knowing smirk, he says,
"Go do what you need to do, son."
And he does.
Connor runs to go help other Androids off of jericho. He doesn't take as active of a role as he did in-game, but we all know he isn't the type to just sit around and wait for it to be over. He does whatever he can to help, and even guides some androids to the abandoned church where we seeJericho regroup later.
After this, everything goes the same as it does in-game until the end EXCEPT for Hank being held at gunpoint in Cyberlife tower. I never understood why the developers did that, except for the obvious reason that the player needed to know exposition about Cole when Hank questions Connor. Unless I'm forgetting certain dialogue from the game, I can't remember the reason that Hank would even show up to Cyberlife anyway.
Well, whatever. That scene goes just as it does in game, just smoother and without the second, more sinister version of Connor holding hank at gunpoint. I don't really know why the developers added him in this scene, either. He doesn't really contribute much to the plot other than raising the stakes.
So, Connor returns with the newly recruited Cyberlife army to aid Kara and Markus, who had just finished negotiating with the police and making speeches.
Obviously, there are multiple endings to the revolution, but for purity's sake, I'm sticking with the successful-revolution pacifist route because it's easier on my conscience.
And obviously, there is the post-credit scene that the player gets if they maintain "friend" status with Hank by the end of the game. I feel like, since Hank admitted to seeing Connor as his son, there can be another tier added: "family."
(Come on, that's so cute.)
~~~
But otherwise, I think that's it for Connor's Detroit: Become Human plot critique! I believe I covered all the bases I wanted to change, but let me know if there was anything else to add!
After this I might expand this series to other characters or aspects of the game, so keep your eyes peeled for those posts sometime in the future.
Also, I just wanted to say that I haven't read this over before posting it, so there might be errors with spelling, grammar, or general pacing of sentences. Sorry about that!
Anyway, I think that's all I have to write! Let me know if there are any specific characters or concepts you'd like my take on, and don't be shy to give feedback! Thanks for sticking with my long ass posts about this incredibly niche interest of mine.
Have a wonderful day :)
#dbh#detroit: become human#dbh connor#dbh hank#hank anderson#clancy brown#bryan dechart#video games#essay#ps4#video game
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(1/2) Hey, I'm the anon from the last request. Just have a few follow up q's if you're alright with that (dont have a tumblr to message directly rip)? With Gerri, its strange that she's Shiv's godmother yet both Shiv and Roman dont really know her in the pilot- was there a prior schism? Also did not know about St Andrews, if its not a military school then do you think it adds another layer to the dog kennel story?
(2/2- sorry!) I get what you mean when you say he also coddles Roman but to me its the emotional detachment thats striking. Like in the car post-slapgate, its obvs awks from the slap but they also don't seem to have natural connection or conversation vs Logan and car scenes with the others. There's also the references to him beating Roman (not to say he didn't beat the others but its only Roman mentioned). I think in s3, his new status as fave son might bring up some old wounds for Roman.
(x)
Hey! Ooo, these are really great follow ups, thank you! I hope you don't mind me breaking them into sections!
Is it strange that Shiv and Roman don't really know Gerri well in the pilot?
It is strange, but I also think it's just the result of a few things being shuffled around post-pilot. Pilots are usually shot months if not a whole year before the first season is as the point of them is to sell the network on the show. In that sense, they're effectively proof-of-concept tools and so it's common for things to change. I'm not sure if you're a crossover anon, haha, but I talk a lot about Good Girls as well, and the pilot of that even had a completely different lead actress they had to do re-shoots around for 1.01.
Jesse Armstrong, the Succession showrunner, has said that a few things were shuffled around after the pilot – one of the biggest things for instance is that Roman wears a wedding ring in the pilot and Grace is supposed to be his wife (she's even listed as Grace Roy in 1.01 on IMDB!) and Isla their daughter together. They changed that after the pilot though because they thought it worked better with Grace as just his girlfriend, and Isla as Grace's daughter, not his.
I think Gerri's role in the show really bulked up between the pilot and episode 2, and that's why there's more distance between the Roy kids and Gerri in the first couple of episodes than there is later in the season. Gosh, even the fact that she's not at Logan's 80th birthday party in the pilot feels so weird now with how much they've shifted her role in the family, haha.
Rest of the answers under the cut!
Does St. Andrew's not being a military school when Roman attended add another layer to the dog kennel plot?
Yeah, I think it does, but I also think more than anything, it's reiterating what's already there. That entire subplot is really steeped in how Kendall, Roman and Connor all have different memories of this same game. For Roman it's formative, for Kendall it's just a memory of a childish game, and for Connor, it's seen as through older eyes and, more than anything, an insight into their father, not an insight into Roman and Kendall.
In a lot of ways, Roman stressing that St Andrew's was a military school when it wasn't undermines his own memory of the game, just as Connor telling him it wasn't dogfood it was chocolate cake does, just as Connor telling him he asked to be sent away does. Does that make it any less real for Roman? I don't think so. It's obviously something he's remembered as traumatic, and it resulted in a very real, tangible removal of him from Manhattan, where Kendall and Shiv stayed and went to school. Regardless of whether or not it was military school, it was a boarding school, and I think that feeling of distance and isolation was likely very real.
I'm really curious though about Connor's different stories to Kendall and Roman. He tells Roman that he asked to be sent away, and Kendall that their dad sent Roman because you separate fighting dogs and you send the weak one away so that everyone knows the hierarchy. The interesting thing though to me is that I think Connor was telling the truth in both instances, but the former does make the latter read differently.
If Roman wanted to go, it undermines Connor's memory of Logan, because Logan was not only giving Roman what he wanted, but he was giving Roman greater freedom, greater independence, greater agency at an outdoorsy boarding school that wasn't actually a military school at all. So does that mean that Logan saw Roman as the weak dog, or Kendall? Who he kept close and on a short leash in the comfort of home?
Kendall obviously takes Connor at his word, but I'm not so sure that we're supposed to as an audience. I think the story can be read in a lot of different ways, and more than anything, I think it can be read as Logan understanding that Kendall and Roman were not (and are not) the same, and needed different things as children. How that can be spun though is anyone's guess.
Are Logan and Roman emotionally distant?
That's an interesting point about the emotional distance there. I think there is and there isn't? Logan obviously dotes on Shiv and pendulums between coddling, controlling and bullying Kendall, but I think both of those things are more just indicative of really different dynamics. Roman's clearly got a 'class clown' sort of personality that Logan obviously doesn't appreciate and struggles to deal with, particularly given he's a pretty humourless guy (gosh, I think a lot about the fact that one of the only times we've seen Logan actually laugh was when the kids didn't want to see their mum, haha).
In that sense though, I think Logan doesn't understand Roman. It comes back to what I said in the other post – I actually do think Logan sees Roman's strengths, and the fact that Roman doesn't utilise them is, I think to Logan, unforgivable. Logan had to claw his way out of abject poverty through whatever it was he could get, and while Shiv, Kendall and Connor lack, I think Logan looks at Roman and sees waste.
It's why he doesn't have a stomach for the jokes, or the immaturity, and I think contributes to this failure to connect emotionally because he doesn't understand Roman in the way that he understands Shiv's rebellion and Kendall's foibles.
The aftermath of him hitting Roman is interesting too, because I actually think Logan's not trying to create distance in the aftermath, I think he's trying to re-write history to preserve his sense of self. He offers the untruth to Roman as an opening – a map for them to navigate unstable and uncertain terrain, and Roman takes it and follows his lead because he doesn't know how to navigate it either.
Does that make it right or forgiveable? Absolutely not – Logan hit his son, and trying to make everyone pretend that that never happened is an awful example of gaslighting – but I also find it really indicative of the cycle of abuse. We know that Noah was horrifically abusive to Logan, as seen by the scars on his back, and I actually get the impression that Logan tried not to be abusive to his children, but sometimes was because of his temper and his health.
Like, I think when he struck Iverson in the thanksgiving ep it was the first time he'd ever raised a hand to one of his grandchildren, especially given the reaction of people, and even hitting Roman summoned a pretty huge reaction from people, and seemed not to be something Roman was prepared for. It also I think stems back to that point of Logan not knowing how to handle Roman (or Iverson!) and resorting to violence he very quickly regrets because for a man who runs the news, he very rarely utilises words.
Logan was raised in violence, and I think it's a language he's both fluent in and has tried to reject, but one he falls back on when he can no longer communicate.
It's wrong, and awful, of course, but I think it's really interesting because I think it's deliberately a part of this broader theme with the Roy's about how fractured their communication with one another is. They don't know how to connect or talk to each other, and so frequently that breaks down into violence, whether to each other or themselves or to the collateral damage - the NRPIs.
I totally agree though that I think some Thoughts around all of this is likely to resurface for Roman in season 3, especially as Logan no doubt starts to lean on him as the new heir.
#these were v meaty questions to answer haha#i've been thinking sooo much about the communication on this show it's f.a.s.c.i.n.a.t.i.n.g.#roman roy#logan roy#logan + roman#gerri kellman#kendall roy#connor roy#shiv roy#hbo succession#succession 1.08#succession 2.06#welcome to my ama
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If it helps, I know you reblogged something about how Tubbo’s outpost arc doesn’t make sense, but it actually kind of does? The reason he made the outpost in the first place was because he was suspicious of how Foolish all of a sudden sold his house and left Snowchester (coincidentally shortly after Tubbo trusted him with the nukes and his trauma), then Quackity griefed him, and now he’s just tired of being walked over by everyone, because the last time he tried negotiation and compromise, it was with Dream and exile, and we all know how well that went. He doesn’t trust that Quackity won’t try and take more and more, and can you blame him? We know Quackity plans on expansion, and Tubbo knows Quackity enough to know how ambitious he is.
Is Tubbo morally perfect? Of course not. He hasn’t been since at least the butcher army. But he’s not out of character, and he still doesn’t want to actually go to war. He built the nukes to look scary, and so that’s what he’s trying to do: look scary enough that Quackity will leave him alone.
No, no, I can understand Tubbo's motives. I know why he did what he did. That's not under question- maybe under discussion, but never questioned. My problem is that I don't know where his character will go from this whole situation, because healthy coping mechanisms, fullfillment and peace are not on the table. It's basically: Character A hurts Character B during conflict, Character B starts a new conflict to hurt Character A, Character C gets hurt during conflict, Character A and C start a new conflict to hurt Character B- this cycle has happened three different times with at least 3 different characters at this point of the story.
I don't know where the story will go from here in general- at least in a satisfactory way. It's just a repetition of everything that's happened until now, and I can predict how things will go. Just more of the same with no happy ending- always leading to the next horrific trauma.
Option A: Tubbo dies permanently because of the obvious brewing conflict. And that's it, bye, bye Tubbo, Dream doesn't care about you + he's in prison so Ranboo is (maybe) going to get involved even worse than before to save you, doing horrific shit in the process. Ranboo gets traumatized trying to save him, and everyone else has to grieve for someone that might come back anyway. That's just Quackity's plot with Schlatt 2.0 + Tommy's return after the prison
Option B: Quackity dies and Las Nevadas is just L'manburg 2.0 with a discount Wilbur-Fundy trauma and everything + his poor poor substitute will try to keep the country Quackity made everyone's problem alive, and my guess is that the chances of success are a solid 0. Let's suppose that Tubbo does nuke Las Nevadas/Technoblade finally learns about the things (government) he should have known a long time ago/ Wilbur, uh. Does something eventually, and congrats that's just Doomsday 2.0 but with a different country.
Option C: Nobody dies and nothing terrible happens, but the trauma from previous events remains unchecked until the next time Quackity or Tubbo or someone decides they want to be ~bad~... why are we here again?
Option D: Both Tubbo and Quackity die. Cool, it's not like I was supposed to care about them or anything. Investment? I don't know her. Who is going to die next for shock value? Vote now. If they return, they'll be barely functional and probably will immediately try to start some new pointless conflict over again. Idk, something that just popped in my mind. They might do it for real too.
Option E: Snowchester is destroyed (lame and boring, but it's been dying for a while so *shrug* no stakes, no investment. Oh no it's another country... and now it's gone... cool...) OR someone (not Tubbo or Quackity) loses a canon life which- eh- they've all have 2-3 lives so 0 stakes OR Wilbur dies for the sake of torture porn and more trauma/misery- if Satan decides to prove he's real we'll get ghostbur again... isn't that great? Haha... OR Tommy dies (for some reason?? I see them making it happen.). If permanently yawn- he did it once Big bro Dre is there to save the situation, not that permadeath is the worse option- if not then 0 stakes. Prison Lockdown 2.0
Option F: Karl's storyline finaly connects to the DSMP? Somehow? That's the most fun option.
Option G: None of the things Tubbo, Quackity and Wilbur do matter because Technoblade frees Dream and they all- fucking- band together against the ~common enemy~ (Vault 2.0) and take him out. He goes back to the prison or dies. Very cyclic. I hope that's saved for the actual end of the series.
Option H: Dream comes back to fuck shit up- interrupting or making the conflict even worse ofc-, but no one bands together and Dream is free to get whatever he wants, but this time meaner because he was tortured. Ooooo. I wonder what terrible things he will do- especially to Tommy oh nooooooo~~~(I absolutely don't want to see that) (Pogtopia vs. Manburg 2.0)
Not death, cause that's fixable *shrug*
Option I: Dream just disappears from the public conscience and Technoblade is like 'hmmm? oh no no, governments? Existing AND fighting in MY server?' and just... kills everyone. Fun, lighthearted streams, yeah? If he's going to say he's an anarchist that wants to destroy countries, then he better act like it.
Option J: Someone from the previously involved cast reemerges and does something mildly impactful, like a betrayal- so original, or some spying- very original too. (Fundy, Foolish, Bad, Sam, Puffy, Charlie, Sapnap?) idk. Half of them need to end their own arcs first imo.
Basically this little war I'm seeing is happening between Las Nevadas, Snowchester, and whatever half-baked plan Wilbur and his new pet (ouchie, I spent months rooting for Tommy's autonomy guess that was a loss of my time) have going on, is nothing but a boring, violent repetition of previous conflicts that will do nothing but pile on trauma on already suffering characters. No resolution, no peace, no healing, just pain, more moral corruption, monologues and cookie stands.
At this point, I'll be very surprised if none of the options above happen, because I haven't been given anything to hold on for months. I'm sorry for being this negative- especially since you wanted to explain Tubbo's POV only- you can enjoy this story for what it is- that's perfectly fine, but I can't anymore.
Sorry for the unrelated (?) rant, and thanks for the ask.
#long post#im sorry for ranting#especially this off topic#but i cant#i really cant get into this anymore#they're stretching-rehashing-retreading old topics and plot points#at a snail pace too#im better off reading a bulletpoint recap#/neg#dream smp negative
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Since Volume 7 put her right at the center of the main plot, I've been thinking about the role Penny's played in the story so far. There was an instant friendship between her and Ruby because they have so much in common. She's always been a kind of foil for Ruby, in the sense that a lot of plot beats for Ruby are highlighted or foreshadowed by similar beats for Penny.
This ended up getting super long so the rest is under the cut.
Right from the start, the very first scene Ruby and Penny have together starts with Ruby comparing herself to Penny. This line exists to highlight Ruby’s development: Ruby started out saying she prefers weapons to people, and tried to impress Weiss with her combat skills in the forest, because she figures that's what people value about her. By the end of Volume 1 when this scene happens, Ruby’s developed beyond that, then Penny shows up.
And we find out she's even worse at dealing with people because she's never been allowed any friends. Her "combat ready" line has echoes of Ruby telling Weiss she's not just a kid, she’s ready to be a huntress. And she literally is a weapon - Ironwood really does only value only for her combat skills.
In Volume 2, we find out that Penny was built to "save the world". It's obviously foreshadowing for the real plot - as far as Ruby knows at this point, the biggest threat to the world is Roman Torchwick. But we also know (through genre conventions if nothing else) that the saving the world is probably Ruby's job. She's the hero of the show. And sure enough that's exactly what we find out later - that Ruby also been destined to fight Salem since birth because of her silver eyes and connection via Summer.
Ruby didn't want to be the chosen one - she just wanted to be a "normal girl with normal knees", but her silver eyes make that impossible. Nor did Penny choose to be the savior of Atlas - she really just wants to make friends and explore the world, and she considers running away and staying at Beacon. Penny's own death for her is equivalent to Pyrrha's death for Ruby - the traumatic event that proves she needs to follow her destiny.
In Volume 7, Penny no longer disobeys Ironwood or shows any signs of wanting to leave. And amusingly, the biggest change to her new body is her rocket legs. It’s likely just a coincidence, but you could could say she literally lost her normal knees!
Volume 7 is also where we see Ruby starting to suffer under the huge burden she's carrying. She's definitively the leader of the whole group now, after the events of Volume 6. She makes the decision to hide the truth from Ironwood by herself, and we see it eating at her throughout the season. But she puts on a brave face and keeps fighting - she's back on her feet within minutes of Salem getting in her head by mentioning Summer's death - because she's the leader. She doesn't have time to not be okay.
And a lot of that has direct parallels in Penny's situation. Penny has been given a huge burden too - she’s the official protector of the entire city of Mantle. And she’s also deceiving the people who should be her allies, and she's uncomfortable with it - her reaction when Robyn calls her out on it shows us that. At this point we’re supposed to trust that Ironwood’s making the right decision. The show uses Penny lying to Robyn for the greater good to sell us on Ruby lying to Ironwood for the greater good.
(And if you want to get in really deep on this point, "Mantle" can mean "burden" or "responsibility", and Atlas itself is named after the mythological character who holds up the world on his shoulders - this entire arc is alluding to a story about crushing responsibility. And Penny becomes the Maiden, making her the key to the Vault and the Staff which holds up the city. So while Volume 7 is busy setting up Ruby to have the weight of the world on her shoulders, Penny ends up literally being the one keeping Atlas aloft).
It's easy to make these kind of comparisons because it's something the characters themselves talk about. Starting with Ruby comparing her social awkwardness to Penny's in Volume 1, then with a couple of other moments throughout the early volumes: Penny's "if I were you..." line later in Volume 1 and the conversation about their respective teammates in Volume 3 come to mind.
The scene in the truck in V7C5 stands out too. Penny says she wishes she had time to have friends and do her job - of course, she isn't human to Ironwood, so he doesn't give her any time off. Ruby theoretically has more freedom than Penny, but she's still obliged to work and train 24/7. Ruby's "as normal as it gets" line makes sure we know this scene is just as much about Ruby's feelings as it is about Penny's.
Moving on to some speculation, I wonder if the way Penny's Volume 7 arc ended might give us some clues about what's next for Ruby.
Penny becomes the maiden to protect Winter. Both literally to save her from Cinder in the moment, but also because she knows Salem will come for whoever has the powers. That moment seems like the one that's easiest to link to Ruby, because it's an act of heroic self-sacrifice.
That's relevant because Volume 7 was full of references to Summer's self-sacrifice and how Ruby is now walking the same path. It's something that's been foreshadowed since Red Like Roses II, but this volume we saw Salem herself telling Ruby as much. We had Nora suggesting to Ruby that maybe only she can stop Salem. We had Qrow telling Ruby that Summer would've pressed on despite knowing that victory was impossible. And as a bonus, Ruby's new costume is inspired by Pyrrha's, whose own self-sacrifice is still weighing on her. Add that all up and it's easy to get worried about where Ruby's heading.
But Penny's "personal feelings" moment comes first, and it's actually a more important moment for her character than getting the maiden powers. It's when she breaks free of Ironwood's control. Everything that happens after that is Penny's decision. She fights Cinder, saves Winter and accepts the maiden powers because it's what she wants to do. She ends the Volume leaving Atlas with the others, and (for a moment, at least) she escapes her destiny.
The logical conclusion of Ruby following Summer's path is that she makes the same sacrifice. She goes off to face Salem alone, leaving her team in the dark to protect them. That's not going to happen: It'd be a really unsatisfying ending, for one thing, but (if you accept Red Like Roses lyrics as canon) we also know Qrow was wrong about Summer. She regretted her decision and hoped Ruby didn't do the same thing. Ruby was always going to succeed where Summer didn't.
So maybe Ruby needs a "personal feelings" moment where she escapes her destiny too. She needs to realize she's worth more than what she can give to other people - which is a line I stole from She-Ra, because I think there's some similarities between where Ruby's heading and Adora's hero complex. So much so that I drew that comic about it.
Anyway, this post is long enough now. Whatever happens next, Ruby and Penny's friendship is going to continue to be very important, and I'm curious to see if these parallels continue in Volume 8.
#rwby#ruby rose#penny polendina#nuts and dolts#not really a shipping focused post but relevant enough to tag it as that i think#long post#spop spoilers#too because of the comparison at the end#my stuff tag#this is a laser guided post for the like 3 people who egged me on to write this
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