#Code's Molly Theories

[alex-frostwalker]

I dunno why but. I got a dumb theory.

Reason why the park shut down because of Salem the Skunk. I mean, it's really suspicious that they aren't mentioned, but Rambly is glitched when on their section on the train ride, and is broken to pieces.

The minigame shows them corrupting Mollie Macaw to attack Rambly which it happened to us.

Maybe, just maybe. Salem's AI Code is programmed too well, too good on the role that it went to far and beyond and start harming the employees and guests.

And start to experiment on the bodies and animatronics/costumes. As evident on Mollie's fate on the chase scene.

Since Salem is a Witch name, they use potions. So basically 'black magic' on the thing.

It's really suspicious that there are some equipment working like lamp lights monitors are on. If I remember correctly. Rambly is at the front desk for a long time.

[billyvell]

I know these characters are not real, but something really hurts and feels uncomfortable when I see all these people say Lochy is deviant, or the "sus one" or the real freak, or the aggressor/manipulator, that he's taking advantage of Saxon. Especially this absurd theory I've seen 5 times now that Lochy spit out his ecstasy. I went frame by frame, he's out of focus in the background, mostly blocked by Chloe and Chelsea in the foreground, lurching forward (maybe he was gagging or just stumbling?) long after he already swallowed the pill, so this means nothing in terms of film language.

Yeah Saxon may not be as eager as Lochy is, Lochy may not be as innocent as he is assumed to be. But in no way is he victimizing Saxon. He didn't plan this, he's not an evil genius thinking of a way to get his brother in a vulnerable state to act out his "sick desires." He's obviously also high off the molly/x, even if Saxon is more visibly "out of it." And if he weren't? The boy has been binge drinking the whole night. He's not sober no matter what, so people claiming he's sober are beyond deluded. He has taken charge of zero situations so far. Saxon is twice his side and significantly older. Lochy couldn't overpower him or manipulate/pressure him even if he wanted to.

The show is not real life, but in real life, if a sibling develops feelings for especially an older sibling, it's 99.99% of the time due to past sexual abuse (not necessarily from that sibling but often yes).

If he wants Saxon, something traumatic happened in his past to make him this way. And Saxon is like, at least 25, so if he's had feelings for Lochy, we need to call Chris Hansen lol. And if he also has a past with sexual trauma, I feel less sympathy for him. He's a grown ass man now, he should be acting like it. He promised his parents to protect his brother, but he's done nothing but put him in risky situations, loudly project his grisly sexuality onto him, literally display himself and put those kinds of thoughts into Lochy's head, encourage him to be wantonly sexual, and shoved a beer in his hands against Lochy's objections. But now he objects because Lochy is more daring than he thought? He draws the line at party drugs and a kiss that didn't even involve tongue? Dude is a hypocrite. I'm not saying Lochy is necessarily a victim either at this point. But to claim Saxon is a victim is comical.

Again, it's not real life, it's a dark comedy where the rich white brothers having a weird incest arc isn't an endorsement of real life incest. I'm only pointing all this out because people bizarrely want to defend Saxon as if he's an innocent flower, and I know what they're all doing, taking the twinky gay coded character and saying he's the bad influence, the perv, the freak. Oh okay.

I'm also afraid of Saxon and Lochy having actual penetrative sex (I don't think they will tbf), especially if Lochy tops like so many people seem to want. That's another theory that pisses me off, like Saxon would not go straight to taking it up the ass, that's not how DL guys work, trust me. But if that happens, whether Lochy tops or is just the more active/encouraging partner in general, it would give these people more ammunition to frame Lochy as the "bad" one. Boo!

Yet people rightly call Chloe weird as hell for fixating on Lochy's barely legal "innocence," even though if they had sex it's pretty obvious who would be "topping" who. Interesting double standard going on there. I don't know, I'm probably taking it all a little too seriously. They can have their little incest without anyone necessarily being a victim. Saxon can look apprehensive without Lochy being a master manipulator sexual predator. People are praying on my pookie's downfall and I will complain about it!

Ooh, ok, so, there's a lot to unpack here. I agree that I don't like how some people are talking about Lochy. I think, with all the context and information we have now, he's not an aggressor, abuser, manipulator or anything. He has some feelings for his brother and the drinking and drugs are making him lose his inhibitions.

I think it's complicated because, I can kinda see the show possibly framing this as Lochy acting predatory towards Saxon, which, it's not what I want, and like I said, not what I think of it when looking at the whole situation objectively. But I kinda get why people are throwing that around. I think we'll have to wait and see how things are gonna go on the next episode, and even the ones after that, to fully grasp what's the truth of this situation.

Will Saxon realize he has feelings for Lochy? Will the narrative go with the idea that he doesn't and only did it because of the substance abuse? If they do something, is he gonna try to resist it? It can go on so many different ways and, I think right now, there are so many different interpretations of what is going on that is hard to really come to a definitive conclusion.

Personally, as someone who's genuinely shipping them, like not just for the shock value but because I actually care about their characters, I am hoping that it will not be played as one-sided, and that Saxon will realize that he has had some feelings for Lochy all along. Even if he puts a stop to it and doesn't outright say so, we might still be able to get that realization in a more subtle way. Some of the stuff said about this storyline by reviewers and Patrick implies such, but I think there's probably also stuff pointing in another direction...

If you look at all my posts, I was straight up thinking Saxon was intentionally trying to groom Lochy, but now I have changed my mind, and I think his actions are subconscious. So, you're right about the way he has been acting towards Lochy, but I think in his mind there's truly nothing wrong with it, and he doesn't let himself come to the conclusion that maybe he acts like that because he has unresolved feelings towards his brother.

I think Lochy is more aware of what he wants, ironically to their first conversation, and he feels guilty and weird about it, but Saxon's words and the way he acts and like I said all the substance abuse, not to mention Chloe encouraging it, is making him finally act out on them, but that doesn't mean that what he's doing is wrong.

I mean, I don't want to get into irl stuff because, yeah, obviously in real life this would be concerning. I don't have any incestuous feelings, I'm an only child so I can't even have brother ones, but I always have empathy for characters who have guilt and shame over their sexualities and connect with those themes a lot, and incest is a way to turn that up to eleven, and that among other things is why I write/read some fics that involves incest sometimes lol.

But a lot of people, who have more puritanical views about incest in media, are looking at this storyline as something inheretly bad and immoral, and so of course they need someone to blame it on, if not both of them.

I honestly don't care that much because, at the same time, there are soo many people excited about it and rooting for them, tweets about them are getting like 50k likes (the pics Patrick posted of them on set got 67k, though that's maybe a little less about the ship lol), and we have even become a bit of a little community here on tumblr shipping them together and speculating and making theories.

[general-klumpp]

DuckTales THEORY: Team Who?

Hello Duckblr! We know that in DuckTales 2017, Huey, Dewey and Webby have their own definite cliques, but what if this idea were to extend to each of the six Duck children in hypothetical future seasons?

TLDR: If DuckTales kept going on, we would have seen more Louie/Doofus/Goldie episodes. May's interrogative side can blend her in with the Rescue Rangers.

Team Science (Huey)

Huey's group of allies usually revolves around working on scientific breakthroughs and his hero, Gizmoduck. Huey stories would usually involve these specific characters:

Gyro Gearloose

Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera (Gizmoduck)

Manny

BOYD

Gandra Dee

Huey's enemy is usually Mark Beaks, a businessman who makes his living off dumb and/or stolen ideas, which is totally against his moral code. If executed better, Dr. Akita could make a better contender.

Team Action (Dewey)

Dewey's group of allies usually revolves around getting into dangerous situations, definitely not due to the influence of Launchpad or his very own mother, Della. Dewey stories would usually involve these specific protagonists:

Launchpad McQuack

Della Duck

Drake Mallard (DW)

Gosalyn Waddlemeyer (an extension of DW)

Kit and Molly

Dewey's enemy is usually Don Karnage, a deranged air pilot who will go to any lengths to gain vengeance on him. Falcon Graves has also appeared in Dewey stories, a serious contender for his showboating.

Team Scheme (Louie)

Despite being shown to be a charmer in the show, Louie falls flat when it comes to making secure friends, especially when it's in his nature that he is the 'evil triplet' of the Duck boys. However, the cunning antihero, Goldie O'Gilt is quite fond of him. Louie stories would definitely involve these specific characters:

Goldie O'Gilt

Doofus Drake

Ottoman Brothers (placeholder because they're always in the background of Louie stories)

Although Louie completely destroyed Glomgold in S2, I'd love to see Rockerduck as his enemy, as the Wild West Swindler has a more interesting way to battle - with his words, instead of his fists.

Team Magic (Webby/April)

Webby's group of allies usually revolves around trying to fix the curses laid out from Scrooge's adventures, or his most powerful enemy, Magica De Spell. Webby stories would usually involve these specific characters:

Lena Sabrewing

Violet Sabrewing

Blackarts Beagle (redemption arc??)

Phantom Blot and Pepper (maybe they're forced to team-up??)

Morgana (placeholder because they don't have a grown-up hero)

Webby and Lena's enemy is usually Magica De Spell, a witch who wants to use her powers to abuse and take advantage of others, completely opposite to how Webby wants to play.

Team Mystery (May)

Despite the wishes of her current guardian, Donald Duck, I could see May get into contact with her ilk, also experimented on by FOWL - no other than the Rescue Rangers themselves!

Chip and Dale

Gadget Hackwrench

Monterey Jack

Zipper

...and maybe Detective Gokart from the comics (a loser that May could help to become a better person)

Perhaps the Rescue Rangers have found a larger FOWL experiment gone rogue and they need a heroine around their size to help bring the experiment to justice.

Team ??? (June)

Team Sports? Team Wellbeing? Team Theatre? Team Adorable? It seems that poor June is the only one I can't think of for a team.

By process of elimination, the only frequent group of protagonists without a child character to support them are the gods/goddesses of Ithaquack.

Bum Bum Ghigno, an everyday person from the comics might help her appreciate the normal and might draw parallels between the clone twins and his relationship with his brother.

I'd love to put the Idle Hour Club from Donald's first ever cartoon somewhere, but those stories wouldn't be fun.

[disgracefulthings]

Hello..If you don't mind me asking, can I ask, what are your top 7 (or top 10) favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series/etc) and your top 10 favorite (fictional) characters from any media? Why do you love them all? Sorry if you've answered this questions before......

Thanks for asking! Be warned, long post

For media in no particular order:

Code Geass - Great male lead and phenomenal ending. Has that anime trope of too many love interests with little personality, but still has some really good female characters (Nunnally and Euphemia are amazing). The Lelouch and Suzaku relationship is just how I like it - filled with many complicated feelings

Scum Villain Self Saving System - As someone who loves fanfiction, I think Scum Villain is a must read. MXTX really shows her understanding of fandoms in the story. Shen Yuan is an amazing main character, his chaotic thoughts and his lack of understanding of everything makes him really funny, and I love learning more about the characters around him as they become more real to him

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish - Just a really great movie. Great characters and villains, you don't need me to tell you why it's amazing

Infinity Train - Gone too soon. Therapy train that forces you to get better or it kills you, a great idea for a kids TV show! It honestly was a really good show that showed people going through realistic issues, and have them try to be better, though the protagonists are never perfect and can and will fail. I will never forgive HBO for cancelling it

Gravity Falls - Being in the Gravity Falls fandom while this show was coming out was really fun. I loved all the theories and seeing which ones came true. Great characters and villains, and I can't wait to see what Alex Hirsch comes out with next

Hannibal (TV Series) - A great rom-com with some delicious looking food. Also Will has 7 dogs, 10/10 show

The Mandalorian (First 2 Seasons) - Got me into Star Wars. Tired gun dad and little gremlin baby carry the show, and I love watching Mando slowly learn Star Wars lore

Iron Man - Favorite Marvel movie. It does so many things right, I don't care if the main villain makes their own iron Man suite and fights Tony using his own power, that wasn't an annoying Marvel trope yet, and Iron Man does that trope the best. Stane actually has a personal relationship with the main character so we can feel Tony's betrayal when he learns what Stane has done. Also it has Phil Coulson, so 10/10

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! - This show is just hilarious, I don't care if Catarina ends up with any of her love interests, I just love all of the characters (except Keith, I'm not a fan of 'I can't believe it's not incest' type ships)

Epithet Erased - Criminally underrated. The story takes place in a world where some people have specific words attached to their souls called epithets that give them power. The series has many amazing characters, but mostly follows Molly, a little girl whose epithet is 'dumb'. She is forced to grow up after losing her mother, and is made to do things 10 year olds shouldn't know how to do, like taxes. It's an amazing series that can be very heartwarming and funny, but also very tragic. Please watch!!!

And now my favorite characters, this time in order:

1. Shang Qinghua, Scum Villain Self Saving System - I love this pathetic hamster man. You can see parts of himself in the characters he wrote, and while his backstory isn't as tragic as most of the other characters, it is still very relatable and sad. He has really great chemistry with many of the characters, so he can be fun to write. He is my best friend and I would kill for him

2. Loki, Marvel - I'm a young adult woman on Tumblr, of course I love Loki. His characterization has kinda gone out the window since Thor Ragnarok, but he's still very charming and funny

3. Sesshomaru, Inuyasha (and only Inuyasha. Final Act made some questionable choices for the character, and I refuse to acknowledge Yasahime's existence, may it burn in hell) - I love the trope of redeeming a character by giving them a child. Sesshomaru's character growth throughout the story was fun to watch, and I love the fact that even though he has 1 arm, he doesn't hesitate to punch his brother in the face. The show ends without resolving anything, but at least it doesn't ruin the relationship he had with his father, gives his arm back in a stupid way, and changes his relationship with Rin in a creepy way. Nope, none of that happened

4. Yakushi Kabuto, Naruto - I loved this nerd since he was introduced, and the fact that he was given a tragic backstory near the end of Naruto just made me love him even more. He's a healer that uses his abilities to harm others, and I love that for him

5. Pythor P. Chumsworth, Ninjago - Best villain in the show. It doesn't always handle his character well, but his motivation for revenge is very tragic and I wished the show acknowledged it. His release with Lloyd was fun in ep. 4, and I wished they had a reconciliation. Still, he was fun throughout the show

6. Natural Harmonia Gropius, Pokemon - I love the idea of a character that can understand Pokemon, and he has a compelling arc in the games and anime. I love villains who do the wrong things for the right reasons, and also have good relationships with the people he's apposing

7. Mitth'raw'nuruodo, Star Wars (specifically when he's written by Timothy Zahn) - He's too smart for his own good and can be a little shit, but he also holds importance to the life around him, even though he's on the Empire's side. I love my morally grey characters

8. Discord, My Little Pony - I watched the entire show just because I liked one character, and it was worth it. I love my chaotic gods

9. Kumoko, So I'm a Spider, So What? - I love shows where we watch a protagonist get new abilities. Kumoko is very silly and chaotic, and while she seems nice, she wouldn't hesitate to commit atrocities

10. Lan Qiren, The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation - I just think he's funny

[hazbinshusk]

Personally I think Angel was the one who killed his sister Molly as a result of a mob hit, and that was what drove him to drugs to begin with.

Possibly unintentionally, but more likely than not intentionally, under pressure from his father and brother. Such was the mob life, doing things you really didn’t want to do, but would damn you anyway. That the Hell of this universe is not one that sends innocents to Hell, as much as we like our cast of characters, they did something that required redemption.

ooh, an interesting theory!

I've been more inclined towards the idea that if he's responsible for her death, it's because she was caught in the crossfire - whether that be because of his mob work or because of his addiction. I can see her trying to get him clean and getting killed as a result (either because something went down and she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, or because he was owing a lot of money to the wrong people and they killed her to make him pay back his debts).

I also think that vivzie and the writers might worry that making him her killer intentionally (even with pressure from his dad/brother) might make him less sympathetic, and while it's Charlie's show, it's his journey that's most important (imo) because without Angel's redemption journey, Charlie's doesn't have a purpose. So, they need to make sure that the fans stay on Angel's side. But who knows, maybe they'll surprise me and get really daring with his backstory.

I think Angel's life on Earth was problematic enough without him having to commit familicide to end up in hell (the drugs, the mob work, potentially pre-marital sex - and being gay if that's classified as a sin in the Hellaverse; I can't think of any explicity queer angels - that aren't fallen, vaggie is representing and luci is definitely queer-coded even if he hasn't been explicitly called bi or pan by vivzie). But I definitely believe that, yes, everyone in hell is there because they need to earn redemption, and it would be pretty hollow if their main resident was painted as a wrongly treated victim of the system rather than someone who actually had to atone.

thanks for sharing!

[pergerinerabbit]

Right so I've been sick in bed all day; and as some of you may know, outside of my business, as in when you're not thinking of the person who runs this shop as a mippy itty bitty brand entity, I'm kind of a Massive Non-traditional Horror Fan? So I finally watched a playthrough oh and picked around the files of Indigo Park Chapter One. And this post will very much contain spoilers for that as I pick it apart in the same way I suck the marrow out of the bones of a roast chicken; but the tldr is that:

1- I feel like game theory is... *mostly* wrong, but they always are. Sensationalist and nuts, for views and in turn, money

2- UNIQUEGEESE IF YOU EVER NEED A MERCH ARTIST *PLEASE* HIT ME UP MY SCHEDULE IS SO WIDE OPEN AND THIS IS A PROJECT I WOULD KILL AND DIE TO WORK ON,,,

3- Rambley Raccoon scratches the same itch in my brain as Ralsei Deltarune, which if you Additionally know anything about me or my shop, you'd know that means that he is My Son Who Can Do Very Little Wrong and I Will Commit Attrocities for Him

So, we Know Isaac Indigo, if he's meant to be a direct parallel of Walt Disney Himself- Must be an absolute Stark-Raving Lunatic. Anyone who likes Disney beyond its brainwashing mouse-eared nonsense knows this. and You CAN in fact, like Disney's body of work and know the guy was just as insane as John Harvey Kellogg.

So i am. Thinking there may be some stuff that alludes to the "Disney wanted to live forever"/"Cryogenically Frozen Head" Theory? It's clear that he's picking animals that are easy to obtain and raise from a very early age, if you happen to be a deranged madman with a ton of extra cash and a clear kind of unethical science-experiment hell center under your theme park. In addition to blood, we do see sparks fly off of Mollie in that decapitation cutscene, so. It very well may be a combination of organic being and cybernetic nonsense, as well as the good ol "placing everyone you love into your mascots/ai so they can live forever" thing (Eat your heart out, GLaDOS!) the creator did say that they were a MASSIVE fan of Shipwrecked64 (aka, the game I affectionately call "Shit-rekt-my-pants, 64 times." I would have appreciated it more if the shock and surprise horror elements werent so heavy-handed. the giovanni goose death scene lives in my nightmares rent free, not inclusive of how much havoc that game's jumpscare-only layers wreaked on my heart condition.) so it would not surprise me that these mascots are human and animal experimentation gone so wildly wrong it warrants a horror title. I definitely CAN appreciate that these critters are actually slightly cutesy and not... gross 80s rubber mask mascot being piloted by a morbidly deformed and genetically altered human, but also I can Appreciate if that's the angle and its just more palpable to the viewer as a sort of fursuit thing... ah, but that's always the surprise/plot of mascot horror-- "what the fuck is wrong with them and why do they act Like That." Rambley is Very Obviously Not The Villain, he comes across more like Ricky from My Friendly Neighborhood. And also he also comes across like a more verbally comprehensible Donald Duck who actually DID take the spotlight over Mickey Mouse, or in our case, Lloyd. He really DOES just want all his pals okay and to not be forgotten about. Also im going to put him in the pear wiggler. Next chapter is DEFINITELY going to focus on the Submechanophobia elements, no doubt. Really love the lil eeyore guy. I think Salem will also get a chapter, but it's really really clear that they're a kind of "bug in the code" here. For whatever reason, Rambley can't form a functional statement about them, and all their traces either disappear or blow up. Its clear the other mascots do not want them there, re: why their shit's just annihilated.. I can imagine that the other mascots aren't okay with humans (their first instinct is to run and hide, not attack. to approach first with curiousity and THEN murderous intent.) Its really clear to me that lloyd is driven off NOT by some noise your cuff makes, but by Mollie mimicking some high-pitched noise she once heard to make Lloyd get away. The other theory im entertaining is that these mascots are Mostly Harmless and the park is Not Actually Abandoned, but something inside them (like an AI chip) is going nutso and telling them to kill and maim. either way Salem isn't the bad guy either, outside of the cartoons themselves, and mioght be something like a "we don't talk about Failures to the Process" kind of thing. I'm betting money that the True Bad Guy is Indigo's Lunatic Hubris and Corporate cash giving him access to tech levels of a Mad scientist. it's said that Ed's full name is a reference to something extremely niche, and I'm going to be so real its probably a reference to some yet unknown by me Theme Park Urban Explorers thing or, my funniest and favorite theory I have ever come up with, its a Reference to Crashbox's Eddie Bull. God I hope its a Reference to Eddie Bull.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hi Steph! What do you think was written in John's letter? (the one Molly gives to Sherlock when Sherlock goes to visit John)

Hey Nonny!

OH GOSH that's the question, hmm.

Honestly, I don't really know. Sherlock's reaction was kind of ambiguous, but since I think S4 is "not what we see" on the surface, I think it might have been a secret message to Sherlock from John regarding John's Alibi, maybe? I dunno. I haven't sat down and watch S4 in so long to give a definitive "yes, this is what I think it is" but I do think it has something to do with John's Alibi, given that I think ALL of S4 is told "like a story" (with fantastical elements and such). I like this theory here by Jenna, and while not 100% my belief, I think it's a good one.

Anyway, so yeah, I absolutely HATE that the note was a pointless thread they created in the episode, but I definitely don't believe it was scathing to Sherlock. I think it was a coded message, given how many "codes" are often strewn about the series.

[dana-chan-the-control-brain]

Okay. Hazbin Theory time.

It seems Lute is like the one in heaven who is homophobic. (adam might be slightly but he's not as open about it. just thinks lesbians are hot and guys coming onto him is weird)

It's unclear if all of heaven is homophobic. All Lucifer says is "they're not as open minded as you think."

Which, could be the case that Gay people aren't allowed in heaven in this universe. But I highly doubt this cus St. Peter exists.

That's like a 50/40 male to female ratio with one of them really butch coded. And you can't tell me that that Butch and those shirtless men are completely straight cis in this show. Any other show, maybe, but not Hazbin. I don't think that they would be, even if they are just background prop-dressing designs. (well aside from Molly but we're not talking about her atm since we don't know a lot on her)

So I don't think it's just that all of heaven is homophobic. I feel that gay people do exist in heaven just probably closeted.

I think it's Lute who is.

But Lute is like… Aggressively homophobic. Especially when it comes to Vaggie.

So my thought is that… Vaggie confessed a crush to Lute in confidence. (maybe to her, or maybe to someone else) and Lute took that so personally.

Maybe the two even made out in front of Adam just to make him happy. And then Lute finds out Vaggie is actually into it. Into her. and she's disgusted by Vaggie on a deeply personal level and is determined to make her fall and humiliate her.

Lute is definitely the vibes of a cis straight woman who would tell a gay woman that "sure you can trust me with your crush I like you." and like… kiss a girl in front of her boyfriend to humiliate that person and just make her bf think she's hot as fuck.

So The next extermination… she was looking for an excuse.

Any excuse to take Vaggie out. It would have happened anyway. Regardless of Vaggie spared the Cannibal Sinner or not as far as Lute is concerned.

As it seems when Lute retreats with Adam, Adam just calls her off and "let's just go" with Lute.

More akin to just letting Vaggie lie there as a form of mercy on Adam's part. Which we know he's a bit disgusted by her brutality at times.

"Chill Lute fuck"

Cus I don't doubt she would have kept going if Adam didn't show up and just told Lute to leave her there.

Ironically, it was Adam calling off his Bitch(dog) in this moment that lead to Vaggie showing Mercy to Lute later in their fight. Which also seems to be a deeply personal issue to Vaggie.

I'm not saying Adam is a good guy. Far from it. But Lute is just ruthless with how she sees Vaggie and demonizes her to the point she convinced all of Adam's other forces of Babes to hate her as well.

So it's yet to be determined if heaven is homophobic, or if the issue that Lute has with Vaggie is a very deeply personal one.

It reminds me or Moral Orel's "close face" episode and how that spoke so much to me growing up discovering my sexuality. Especially with how I was bullied then. Hazbin proved they can write adult themes with depth, so I really hope they take it in that direction.

also some additional context I'm sharing the full clip:

[cagedchoices]

Honestly though the more I see about Popular Red Dead Theories (i.e. "Abigail was a second rat/Molly was the rat all along/Molly/Karen was pregnant" or otherwise critical opinions of the women "Mary used Arthur/Sadie is a Mary Sue/Abigail nags too much/Molly is annoying" it reminds me of aall the similar things that have ever been said about Westworld characters and the double standards that exist there too.

So to start with, there's a double standard that results in a lot of pushback when it involves something like a love interest asking their lover to change for them or run away with them. Abigail and Mary in Red Dead beg John and Arthur respectively to leave their outlaw ways behind and just live a normal, honest life and they receive the brunt of criticism for having set unrealistic expectations for their men.

BUT in Westworld, Teddy is the one who dreams of asking Dolores to run away with him. He asks her to leave their pasts behind and live a domestic life together, carve out a tiny piece of the park for themselves. Nevermind that hundreds of heavily armed enemies are on their way to slaughter every host they find, "just come play cowboys and indians with me forever Dolores I know it's the last thing you want when there's an entire world out there you're not allowed to even see but I love you... Conditionally."

I suspect that because Teddy is a man - or more accurately, a robot designed to look and act like a man in every meaningful way to the point that there is functionally no difference - he got a lot less criticism about this than if you were to reverse the roles. If it was Dolores begging Teddy to quit his job as a bounty hunter I would be highly disappointed but not at all surprised if people then started calling her a nag about it and saying shit like 'well don't fall in love with a bounty hunter if you don't like what they do to put food on the table'

People will also consistently criticize and call Dolores a bitch for changing Teddy's code, but it was apparently totally fine when Arnold merged Dolores with a different character and programmed her to kill him. Likewise, they'll often call Dolores a bitch Again and blame her for manipulating Caleb and not telling him everything she knows, but. I guess it's fine that Serac/Rehoboam & Solomon systemically manipulated Caleb into capturing or killing people, and manipulated him into killing his best friend when the system decided both of them were no longer useful to its cause, and manipulated the most boring and unengaging existence Caleb could've possibly lived to keep him compliant and too shut down to want to fight back. Serac's a dick, but point this out and suddenly a bunch of people would go "wellll maybe he had a point though."

And for another common criticism, both Maeve and Dolores get hit with the Mary Sue comment often, but it happens to Maeve more frequently AND she also gets called annoying for the crime of...idk, missing her daughter? And right there is another double standard. Maeve tried to let go and move on, convince herself that the host playing the role of her daughter is someone she has no attachment to and that it wasn't real, but she couldn't. She remembers and she loves and protects that little girl as if she was real, because to Maeve, she is!

In contrast, Bernard has memories of Arnold's son Charlie and Hybrid Caleb has memories of Frankie, but these men have never even met these children who are always on their mind. There is rarely ever any critique that dives into Bernard chasing after his love of a son who hasn't existed for a very long time. As for Hybrid Caleb...

I don't know, it's like for all the hemming and hawing people do about "oh but the hosts aren't real and they never have been that's the thing" ...by the time they kill Caleb off and reintroduce fidelity testing (which still hasn't quite worked out all the bugs in the program by then) almost everyone seems okay with accepting that for all intents and purposes, Hybrid Caleb is still Caleb. He never even met Frankie before she came to rescue him, but he has all these memories of her and they motivate him to survive until he physically can't go on anymore. He never gets called annoying for this. Just Maeve. Only ever Maeve. I wonder why that is?

[diamond-in-the-ash]

Watching Pretty in Pink with the understanding that Duckie is gay is the best thing ever.

Vogue: Did you always read [Duckie's] character through a queer-coded lens?

Molly Ringwald: It just always made sense, given the way that Jon decided to play him. The character was based on my best friend Matt Freeman, who ended up coming out later in life. I got him a job as a PA on Pretty in Pink when he was 20 and not quite out yet. Some of our friends suspected he might be gay, but he and I always had an extremely nonromantic relationship, and I felt the same way about Andie and Duckie.

..........................

The director wanted Andie and Duckie to be romantically involved, but that fell flat for Ringwald: EXAMPLE OF ACTRESS DIRECTING HERSELF (with clueless male director).

The producer, Laura Donner, said in the original ending Duckie and Andie go to the prom as friends and share a triumphant dance as everyone stands around and watches. This seems like the most truthful ending: romantic love doesn't always win, but friendship conquers all.

This makes 3 possible endings of the movie. My theory is that generative post readings matter and affect the fabric of space-time. This movie exists both in the era it was made and in our era. It wobbles back and forth between these possible timelines and cultural realities.

The only character who knows it's wobbling is Annie Potts. And you can tell by what she's wearing what universe we're in.

[theanxiousbookdevourer]

Barnes & Noble's Pre-Order Sale

Hey, so Barnes & Noble is having a 25%-off sale on pre-orders from Wednesday, April 23 through Friday, April 25. All books, including audiobooks and eBooks, are eligible.

You can use coupon code PREORDER25 to get 25% off pre-orders. If you're a Premium Member, you get an additional 10% off print book pre-orders.

So let's talk about books. I want to focus on three things:

Diverse Books. We need these more than ever.

Books that deal with grief, mental health, quirkiness, and/or the afterlife, as those are the themes I explore in my books.

Books that I feel aren't getting the attention they deserve. Quiet books need love too. :)

Let's get started.

What Comes After by Katie Bayerl Young adult, afterlife April 29, 2025

With classmates disappearing and an afterlife revolution brewing, Mari must decide whether to play it safe or break the rules. At stake? Her eternal fate. Literally.

Dear Virginia, Wait for Me: A Novel by Marcia Butler Adult, mental health May 6, 2025

A sensitive portrait of a vulnerable yet resilient young woman who, with the help of an inner voice and newfound friends, attempts to find her way at the turn-of-the-millennium Manhattan.

A Field Guide to Broken Promises by Leah Stecher Middle grade, mental health May 6, 2025

This tender and imaginative middle grade novel combines a fast-paced plot and reluctant reader appeal with explorations of perfectionism, people-pleasing, and bullying.

If I Could Go Back by Briana Johnson Young adult, mental health, diverse rep May 6, 2025

An achingly compassionate and beautifully empathetic novel exploring the intersections of race, mental health, and the meaning of family.

One of the Boys by Victoria Zeller Young adult, diverse rep May 13, 2025

When a chance meeting cracks the door to college football back open, trans girl Grace has to decide how much of herself she's willing to give up for the game she loves.

Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson Adult, quirkiness May 13, 2025

An unexpected road trip across America brings a family together, in this raucous and moving new novel from the bestselling author of Nothing to See Here.

A Sharp Endless Need: A Novel by Marisa Crane Adult, diverse rep May 13, 2025

A propulsive and nostalgic coming-of-age novel about an all-consuming relationship between two teammates on a girls’ high school basketball team, from the Lambda Literary Award–winning author of I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself.

Shampoo Unicorn by Sawyer Lovett Young adult, diverse rep May 13, 2025

A powerful and ultimately joyful debut novel about three teens, one podcast, and carving out a rainbow pocket in an otherwise red state.

This Moth Saw Brightness by A.A. Vacharat Young adult, diverse rep, mental health May 27, 2025

A weird and revelatory debut that vividly captures the dislocation of growing up BIPOC and neurodivergent in a country awash in both conspiracy theories and genuine conspiracies.

The Phoenix Pencil Company: A Novel by Allison King Adult, quirkiness June 3, 2025

In this dazzling debut novel, a hidden and nearly forgotten magic—of Reforging pencils, bringing the memories they contain back to life—holds the power to transform a young woman’s relationship with her grandmother, and to mend long-lost connections across time and space.

Amelia, If Only by Becky Albertalli Young adult, diverse rep June 10, 2025

A devoted teen leads her friends on a queer pilgrimage to a celebrity event and wonders if the star she's chasing is the one she really loves after all.

Rewind to Us: A Novel by Molly Morris Young adult, quirkiness June 17, 2025

A high school graduate plans to tell her best friend that she loves him during her annual summer vacation to California but winds up wishing she could have a do-over instead. (Molly Morris blurbed The Yomigaeri Tunnel, and I love her eccentric, heartfelt stories so much.)

One Yellow Eye: A Novel by Leigh Radford Adult, grief, afterlife (zombies) July 15, 2025

In this heart-wrenching and unique spin on the zombie mythos, a brilliant scientist desperately searches for a cure after a devastating epidemic while also hiding a monumental secret—her undead husband.

Pan: A Novel by Michael Clune Adult, mental health July 22, 2025

A strange and brilliant teenager's first panic attacks lead him down the rabbit hole in this wild, highly anticipated debut novel from a distinctive literary mind.

Ghost Fish: A Novel by Stuart Pennebaker Adult, mental health, quirkiness, grief August 5, 2025

A tender coming-of-age novel about a young woman haunted by her sister’s death, who starts to believe that her beloved sibling has returned to her—in the form of a ghost fish.

Once a Villain by Vanessa Len Young adult, diverse rep, grief August 19, 2025

The final book in the lauded Only a Monster trilogy, this is a fast-paced thriller that blurs the division between villain and hero and features a deeply conflicted protagonist caught in the middle. (Vanessa Len also blurbed The Yomigaeri Tunnel, and I am SO excited for this book.)

Vote for the G.O.A.T. by Ali Terese Middle grade, diverse rep August 26, 2025

Banter, activism, self-care, double-crosses, big shenanigans, and even bigger feelings follow as a burned-out soccer star and chronically ill overachiever fight to change how animals are treated at their school and achieve true freedom for their four-legged, sweater-chewing friend in this laugh-out-loud middle-grade heist centering friendship and bodily autonomy.

The Golden Boy's Guide to Bipolar by Sonora Reyes Young adult, mental health, diverse rep September 16, 2025

From bestselling author Sonora Reyes comes a poignant and searingly honest novel following beloved character Cesar Flores as he comes to terms with his sexuality, his new bipolar diagnosis, and more mistakes than he can count.

The Experiment by Rebecca Stead Middle grade, quirkiness September 16, 2025

The Experiment is a fast-paced coming-of-age novel - with aliens - that asks universal questions about how we figure out who we want to be, and whether it’s ever too late to change.

The Court of the Dead: A Nico di Angelo Adventure by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro Middle grade, diverse rep September 23, 2025

New York Times #1 best-selling authors Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro collaborate again on a new adventure in which Nico di Angelo teams up with his half-sister Hazel Levesque to protect . . . monsters?

Finding Lost by Holly Goldberg Sloan Middle grade, grief October 7, 2025

A stray dog leads to major change for Cordy and her grieving family in this heartwarming new novel by the beloved author of Counting by 7s.

To the Moon and Back: A Novel by Eliana Ramage Adult, diverse rep November 4, 2025

One young woman’s relentless quest to become the first Cherokee astronaut will irrevocably alter the fates of the people she loves most in this tour de force of a debut about ambition, belonging, and family.

How Girls Are Made by Mindy McGinnis Young adult, mental health November 18, 2025

Sex Education meets Euphoria in this dark contemporary novel that tackles perfectionism, emotional abuse, and the dark side of social media.

I'll Find You Where the Timeline Ends by Kylie Lee Baker Young adult, diverse rep November 18, 2025

A teen descendant of a Japanese dragon god must find out the truth of what happened to her missing sister while trying not to fall for a handsome rogue agent in acclaimed author Kylie Lee Baker's magical new YA romance.

Well, that's all I have for you(, she says, after recommending twenty-four books). I obviously love books, and the people who bring them to life, so if you're still here, thank you for staying.

As a reminder, my sophomore YA novel, The Yomigaeri Tunnel, is releasing this summer, July 1, 2025. That means it's eligible for the Barnes & Noble sale. You can see it on B&N here.

If you're wondering what it's about, here's a pitch I wish I had written but unfortunately did not:

This speculative coming-of-age YA novel follows a teenager as she undertakes a magical journey to bring her deceased childhood friend back to life.

Here's the longer version:

Monika can’t bring herself to celebrate her last summer before college. Instead, she’s still grieving the loss of the one classmate who didn’t make it to graduation, a boy named Shun with whom she had a complicated relationship. Then, during her final Japanese Club meeting, Monika hears about the Yomigaeri Tunnel, a local urban legend. Those who venture into this mythological passageway undergo harrowing trials to confront their hidden secrets and worst fears. According to the lore, anyone who makes it through is rewarded with the ability to resurrect one soul from the dead. Monika jumps at the chance to bring back Shun, but she soon discovers she’s not alone. Sharp-tongued and fierce Shiori is hell-bent on reviving her mother and won’t let anyone stop her. As Monika and Shiori confront the ghosts of their pasts, they have to decide: Are they friends, or foes? With fantastical twists, this emotional, offbeat book about hope and healing is an essential read for anyone who’s ever needed a friend in the darkness.

Thank you for reading. Please support diverse, quirk, weird, quiet, and out-there books.

[falllpoutboy]

I have a wild ass theory though it’s probably not new but pls humor me/hear me out.

Is it possible that 🦈 and 🍀 have this promise that they’ll give their budding connection a chance once the show is over? Just so that they won’t be caught up in the whole PR madness of it all that will definitely happen when they date while the show is ongoing. It’ll still be a storm after the show ends but it’ll be more manageable given that they will be working on their relationship only as a couple and not as a dating pair AND coworkers too.

Maybe they’re open to dating people in between (someone else said Tomdaya era when they dated others but still couldn’t resist each other and what they have, finally going all in - love them so much btw).

So 🍀 and 🦈 are fine with them being with other people but the betrayal of it all is when 🐍 comes in. 🍀 and 🐍 are, well - were close. Then 🐍 pulls the ultimate girl code breaking move by pursuing 🦈 hard (man is a bit of a player, not to excuse his participation in this). It’s possible 🍀 didn’t know about this and thought everything was cool up until RS’ birthday and the release of the pap pics after.

The reason why I say this is because… the pics of 🍀 during the Loewe show of PFW, she just looked so sad… like she was smiling but idk. Maybe it’s fatigue. Maybe it’s finding out one of your close friends went for the guy you have a promise with. I just can’t shake out this hunch of mine.

Where does this lead us? Maybe she’s still kinda upset with 🦈 and maybe she’s completely fallen out with 🐍 save for some civil appearances together cause they can’t help it given their work (one photo during the Academy Awards gala? Hmmm). Still, given the clout chasing moves pulled by 🐍, 🍀 chose to give 🦈 a chance. Of course, it’ll take a while but they have until the end of The Bear to work on their trust.

Sooooo this is part wishful thinking part based on some photo evidence and tea from anons on your blog buuuut TY FOR LISTENING TO MY TED TALK (long live 🍀, and maybe 🦈 too if he makes it up to 🍀 and does right by her)!!!

It’s possible 🍀 didn’t know about this and thought everything was cool up until RS’ birthday and the release of the pap pics after.

ok but she definitely knew 😭 other than her very pointed answer on keke’s podcast, ayo not dumb and molly looks like she can’t hold hot water for shit. but this is a very interesting theory! i dont agree with it but its certainly interesting

[mcbastardsmausoleum]

The McManus Brothers’ Netflix Ecological horror stunner THE BLOCK ISLAND SOUND (2020) makes its worldwide Blu-ray and 4K UHD debut this December from Synapse Films with exciting special features!

"The Block Island Sound is a modern horror masterpiece." - Elena Conforti, CBR.COM

"A terrifying story of grief and madness." - Michelle Swope, Dread Central

Official Selection - 2020 Fantasia Film Festival

Something terrifying is happening off the coast of Block Island. A strange force is thriving, influencing residents and wildlife alike. Birds are dropping out of the sky and fish are mysteriously washing up on shore. As some residents are suffering from inexplicable emotional collapse, Harry Lynch (Chris Sheffield, The Stanford Prison Experiment) watches with dread as his father grows increasingly forgetful, confused and angry. Very, very angry! His sister Audry (Michaela McManus, Into the Grizzly Maze, TV's The Orville), whose work in marine biology will soon prove invaluable, returns to town with her daughter and leads them all towards chilling revelations that will affect her family in unimaginable ways.

The Block Island Sound is a hair-raising new horror creation from Kevin and Matthew McManus, Emmy-nominated writers and producers of American Vandal and Cobra Kai. Delivering thrills while touching on a range of the signature worries of our times, from conspiracy theories and climate change to unpreventable familial breakdowns, this film is “a well-constructed puzzle box of a movie” (Josh Hurtado, Screen Anarchy) that “will haunt you long after it’s over." (Molly Henery, Blogging Banshee).

You saw it on NETFLIX in 1080p high-definition, but Synapse Films is proud to present the world-premiere 4K UHD release of The Block Island Sound in a stunning presentation with high-dynamic range (HDR10) and eerie 5.1 surround sound!

SPECIAL FEATURES:

- Audio commentary with directors Kevin McManus and Matthew McManus

- Original Trailer

- A Practical Apocalypse

- Finding the Cast

- Filming on the Water

- Special Effects on a Shoestring

- Los Angeles Behind-the-Scenes (Super 8mm)

- McManus Family Home Movies

- The 4K UHD release features a special limited edition slipcover featuring new art from Joel Robinson, while supplies last

NOT RATED / 2020 / COLOR / 99 MINS. / 2.35:1 / 5.1 SURROUND

2160p 4K UHD EDITION

ITEM # SFD0233

UPC CODE: 654930325698

$39.95 SRP

1080p BLU-RAY EDITION

ITEM # SFD0234

UPC CODE: 65493032579

$29.95 SRP

STREET DATE: December 10, 2024

BLU-RAY SPECIFICATIONS

VIDEO: High-Definition 1080p Widescreen (2.35:1) Presentation / AVC

AUDIO: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround Sound

SUBTITLES: English for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing

4K UHD SPECIFICATIONS

VIDEO: Ultra High-Definition 4K 2160p Widescreen (2.35:1) Presentation (HDR10)

AUDIO: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround Sound

SUBTITLES: English for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing

[joyful-mollymauk]

Code’s Molly Theories

Molly Theories Index 

1) indicators that Matt & Tal have stuff planned 2) possible ties between Molly's and Clay's backstories/arcs 3) Lucien's ritual: both his intent and the spellslinger's 4) possible NPC activity going on regarding a rez 5) what a returned Molly-Lucien-other might be like 6) the fire bird

Molly Theory part 1 Matt & Tal Indicators Matt’s first objective is to run a fun game for his friends, and his second is to tell an amazing and coherent story. Back in Campaign 1, resurrecting characters was standard practice, starting with Pike’s low-level death pre-stream. So we know Matt is not opposed to making every rez possible. 

Tal has been crafting Molly’s character since way back in Campaign 1 and was itching to play him even back then. And when Molly died, Tal admitted that he cried all night long and didn’t get any sleep. 

The M9 were gearing up to attempt a rez in episode 27 and then inexplicably acted like rez magic didn’t exist in ep 29. No in-game reason was given for this sudden about-face, so we can only conclude it was an out-of-game decision. 

Only Matt and Tal have authority to call a halt on rezzing Molly. Given the rez frequency last campaign, all the loose story threads, and the sheer amount of love Tal poured into Molly, it wouldn’t make sense for him to just move on. So why else call a halt to rez attempts? 

The only explanations I see are to wait and try at higher levels, when the chance of success is higher, let Tal play a different character temporarily, or leave Molly’s fate purely in the hands of the DM. 

Matt has woven something grand into Molly’s backstory, including a whole cult following, a botched (?) ritual, and a mysterious spellslinger of unknown intent. He’s already had Molly rise from the grave once, giving him plenty of leeway (and a narrative drive) to do so again.

Further evidence of this intent is how gleefully smug Tal got whenever Matt made reference to Molly being dead. As if Tal was excited about that but trying not to say anything. Tal also built Clay with an easy way to leave the narrative whenever it suits him. This is very useful when you know a character is temporary. 

Tal has mentioned that he keeps Molly leveled up along with the rest of the M9. He also slips right back into reacting as Molly whenever stuff about him is mentioned. This proves how ready and eager Tal would be to bring Molly back into the game! He’s waiting patiently but is definitely excited, and oh how ecstatic he’ll be at Molly’s return.

Molly Theory part 2 Lucien & Clay Backstories Clay’s family lived in the woods outside SCR. Something has been twisting the things that live there, and the firbolgs who went to investigate never returned. Lucien ran a cult (?) in that same forest. Whatever they were involved in was magical, secretive, and likely not something the public would approve of. What are the chances of these facts being separate when Matt loves to tie things together? 

Lucien apparently died and came back to life, and Clay is a death cleric who opposes undeath vehemently. If Lucien is tied up in something necromantic, Clay is perfectly designed to combat that. 

Given all this, my personal theory is that investigating the forest’s ailment for Clay will lead the party straight into Molly’s backstory. And, quite possibly, something occupying Molly’s body!

Molly Theory part 3 Lucien’s Ritual  Cree’s impression of Lucien’s ritual was that he was trying to reach “The City.” Whatever the ritual entailed was similar enough to death that Lucien instructed them to not do anything right away if he appeared actually dead. 

 Entering a near-death state to travel sounds like astral projection. The lengths they went through and the apparent danger involved suggest The City couldn’t be reached by normal means. Or perhaps he just needed to get there without his body. 

 But! The ritual was being performed by someone outside of the Tomb Takers and did not have the effect Lucien expected. Either the spellslinger genuinely tried and failed or did something else under the guise of the ritual. 

 The ritual, as it was cast, left Lucien’s body as a nearly empty shell, with only fragments of his original self remaining. If this was the spellslinger’s intent, then perhaps she was trying to clear him out completely so something else could move in. This would mean her first attempt failed. But now that his body is truly empty, she might have the opportunity to try again! 

 So. Why Lucien? If we’re going with this theory, there must be something special enough about him to warrant that level of attention. Perhaps she was simply there to get the book and has no further interest. But those red “eye” marks are not mundane, and Matt very likely jumped on that detail and made them significant.

Molly Theory part 4 Possible NPC Involvement There are three NPCs in play who might involve themselves in “Molly rez” shenanigans. First, there’s Cree. She reveres Lucien far more than the Gentleman, knows that he has died “again,” and has people she can contact for help in bringing him back. 

 The most critical person for Cree to contact is that spellslinger from the capital. She both has the book and cast the original ritual that Lucien returned from. But, as mentioned before, this spellslinger may have her own interests with Lucien’s body. 

 And, on the other side of things, is Gustav. He has little in the way of resources, but he has been set loose by Clay to go take responsibility for whatever grievous wrong he’s been punishing himself over. Interestingly enough, Gustav is also from SCR! He somehow found Molly near his gravesite, cared for him patiently, and helped him grow to be a good person. He also somehow knew about those three demigod-like entities, turning their story into a circus performance way back in episode one! (He portrays the phoenix, or “fire fairy,” as a heroic warrior, fighting for the light.) 

 So. What is he guilty for? Is his story connected to Lucien’s as well? If Gustav gets involved in all this, he’s the only NPC who will be trying to recover Molly. 

Tin hat: Once the M9 encounter Not-Molly, Gustav will reappear as an ally to help them get him back.

Molly Theory part 5 Not-Molly My favorite Not-Molly theory is an avatar of that bird creature, but we’ve got other options too. The spellslinger could be working with some other entity, like a powerful Kryn. Perhaps she wants him as her own puppet, winter soldier style. Or she could actually bring Lucien back, with or without Molly in there as well. 

 We’ve got a lot of unknowns, but one thing is certain: it would be silly of Matt and Tal not to do something with this! 

 Personal hope: we get to see Tal play an evil Not-Molly and giddily torment everybody.

Molly Theory part 6 The Fire Bird Matt has presented the M9 with a mural depicting Ukatoa, a fire bird, and a giant worm. And way back in episode one, Gustav told tale of a mystical serpent that gifts abilities, a “fire fairy” that fights for the light, and terrible beasts whose “bellowing roars will quake the lands of Xhorhas and beyond.” 

“But from that night, a burning light doth keep back shadows’ bane. The strength to fight will set alight the morning sun again. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Ornna the fire fairy.” -Gustav, C2E1 

 So what’s the connection to Molly? Lucien’s name ALSO means “light,” and he was a (rare!) purple tiefling with a scattering of red marks and (going by the official art) dark gray horns. Interestingly enough, those are the same colors Matt gave the fire bird! 

 It’s unclear what Lucien’s motivations were, but he led the Tomb Takers to split away from their previous order because he had “a new path” for them. Cree later stated that he was their new path. (He had also adopted the title “The Nonagon,” which sounds connected to his nine red marks that could not be covered with tattoos.) 

 So. A purple-gray tiefling, named after the light, is granted nine magical red marks that bring him in perfect alignment with the fire bird’s aesthetics. He then becomes the new path for a cult. That sounds like a deliberate link to me. 

 Tin hat: Lucien’s body was sanctified to become that bird’s avatar. And when the M9 catch up to these events, they’ll meet The Nonagon instead.

And that’s what she’s got so far! If anyone has questions you’re welcome to send them in to joyful-mollymauk and I’ll send them on to Code! I’ll also update the Code’s Molly Theories tag when any new canon lore comes along to update these theories or spawn some new ones! 

Thank you Code!!!

[kuroshika]

hello! i have just stumbled upon your page and i have to say i love ur work! i was wondering if u are familiar with the theory of Will's romantic pursuits representing the 5 stages of grief for him? and if so would you care to share your opinion on it? :3

giggling because all i thought about was

but besides that! i have heard the theory, and i wrote my own little spin on that myself, so here you go!

so, will has had four romantically-coded relationships during the course of the show. molly, alana, margot (barely), and hannibal. the five stages of grief (because i can't remember them for the fucking life of me) are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. i absolutely believe his romantic development can be a mirror of that.

denial would be molly. will married molly after hannibal went to jail, after the famous overdramatic breakup between him and hannibal. so your mortal-enemy-slash-gay-lover-slash-psychiatrist is in jail. what do you do from here? you won't let yourself confront your emotions about him, and you sure as hell aren't going to say there was anything between you— in marrying molly, it felt like an unconscious act of denial on will's part. he's denying hannibal has changed him, he's denying that hannibal still has power over him, even locked up (which refers to me previous post about will wanting hannibal to need him and hannibal needing will to want him). in marrying molly, he's trying to prove to himself that he doesn't want hannibal anymore, that he can love and have a normal life.

anger is obviously hannibal, pre season 2b. their relationship is so convoluted with anger and dependency, of both sides trying to find themselves in the other. hannibal's ache to consume, to blur with will until they couldn't survive without each other, and will's urge to keep himself repressed and unchanged. the tension sparked a lot of deep-rooted anger in will, which hannibal enjoyed stoking all too much. in closing himself off from hannibal and condemning/sabotaging their relationship since the very beginning, establishing that anger before he finds his reckoning, he opens the entryway to hannibal seeing the perceived worst of himself before the mask comes off.

alana is bargaining. even though their relationship is in the beginning, he still carries that sort of flame for her all the way until the end of season 2— and, honestly, i don't really think it ever dies out entirely. will is trying to push off all of this new information he's being given, both about himself and the people around him, by pushing that projection of himself further. he goes after alana, a woman whom he has hardly been in a room alone with up until this point, who knows the bare minimum about him and sees him as a professional enigma, because he has gone through a very traumatic ordeal and she was one of the few people there for him (besides hannibal). what i likely believe happened was that will trauma-bonded with her and decided that she was who he should want; in any other story, doesn't the guy go for the strong girl who helps him emotionally? that's what he should be going after, right? he can't begin to broach whatever relationship he has with hannibal, whatever pseudo/psychosexual tension they've got going on, and instead opts for the option he believes he should want.

margot is depression. when will sleeps with her in s2, there's a lot of shit going down. margot is using him to get pregnant, will barely registers that she's even seducing him and is just using it as an emotional outlet, yet he still finds himself picturing alana bloom, and by extension, hannibal lecter. two people he's had romantic entanglements with thus far— alana by his projection and hannibal by what lays underneath his mask. hannibal, it seems, no longer needs him and alana doesn't want him. he's been left (in his eyes) by the two people he cares about most. i don't even think there's really an emotional connection between the two of them (there isn't, but she's still a love interest, so), which only furthers her place as his depression stage.

and, of course, hannibal "i wanted to be seen by you" lecter is acceptance. their earlier anger has simmered down but not disappeared— their romance will always be bloody and angry, feral in all aspects. will is coming to terms with that, he's making his choice in choosing hannibal. in turning him in, in telling him that the fbi knows, in pushing the two of them over the cliff. one cannot exist without the other, nor can they coexist. hannibal wants to permeate every fiber of his being with will's and will wants hannibal to see every part of him and ache for it. when will asks bedelia if hannibal loves him, this is when he starts to accept it. throughout this whole series, not one person that has loved him has been constant. but hannibal has stuck by his side through all of this mess, and still loved him, beyond what normal projection he showed. will does indeed ache for hannibal, he aches for his attention, to be wanted and needed and seen by him. he wants hannibal to need to have him, he wants to be desired and sought over. and he accepts that with hannibal in TWOTL, when he makes the choice to follow hannibal to their deaths.

@lesbian-hannibal @7x16pm @shatteredlesbian

[greenerteacups]

What do you think of Tonks and Remus? Wrong answers only 😒. No really, I mean he was older than her and he didn’t seem to love her half as much as she loved him. What are your theories, canon-fitted and otherwise, on their relationship? Do you think he used her?

Oh, they're beards! Next question.

I appreciate the prompt, because you've handed me a shiny free pass to go on a rant I've been holding in since reading Half-Blood Prince. Taking my preferences aside, I don't think he used Tonks, although I think the age gap ads a really unnecessary layer of skeeze to their relationship. To be clear: I like Remus with Sirius, but I don't need them to end up together to be happy. I just don't see why it's Tonks. We don't see their natural chemistry; there's no scenes of banter, I don't know what she likes about him or vice versa. I do know that she's desperately in love with him after Order of the Phoenix, and he... isn't, honestly. Or at least, he doesn't act like he's in love with her. I'm not saying this just to shit on Remus and Tonks; I'm saying this because if I did ship Remus and Tonks, I would be mad as hell at how hard I got short shifted in Book 6! I would not have been fed! That is not a romance arc! Which makes me think, you know, okay, then why are we here? Why is it this woman, i Ask Thee, Remus Lupin, whom you have decided to marry, even though you frankly have more chemistry with Severus Snape? Or, to reframe from an authorial perspective: the HP world is wide open, someone from childhood could walk back into his life, or someone from another school, or you can introduce another Marauders-Era character, or you can just come up with someone from whole cloth — why is it Tonks?

But then I thought: Tonks is intriguingly similar to Sirius in several ways. She's a disgraced Black, she's charming and charismatic, she's a skilled fighter, she's a jokester, she's generally kind and doesn't take herself seriously, she's a shapeshifter. There's a line in OOTP that says she never made prefect because she didn't have "the temperament," which suggests she might've been a troublemaker (not hard to believe). As someone who ships him with Sirius, and believes that their relationship is at least a little bit coded romantic, that all reads like Something to me. But even for strictly canonical purposes, those similarities are still hard to ignore, especially since Tonks begins pursuing Remus in the same year as Sirius dies. So it's a handful of months after he watches his last childhood friend get murdered that Remus is deflecting her advances, meanwhile he's in the middle of fighting a war, meanwhile everyone in his life is pushing them to get together Because Love or whatever the fuck, @ Molly, @ McGonagall for some reason, and it's not hard to imagine that he just... gives in.

He's lonely, he's scared, and here's this person who reminds him of his friend and is willing to freely give him affection and care, and like... to be real? I don't think Remus believes he's going to live that long past Sirius's death, anyway. He's talking about giving Tonks children, but that's stuff he says to her when he's trying to deter her from pursuing him; when he talks about himself, he uses a lot of words like "damaged" and "broken" and "[not] whole." Added to the fact that the First and Second Wars are both very bloody and he's an active fighter in several notable battles; added to the fact that if he's caught, his lycanthropy means he's a target for killing, since taking a werewolf prisoner is the kind of smart move that begs to lose wars; added to the fact that he's been undercover with werewolves for part of this year, which, though we don't hear about it outright, is obviously a move to isolate himself from his friends and cannot do good things for his mental health; all these things point to him being in a Very Dark Place during HBP, and puts him in a headspace where he might marry Tonks essentially to make her happy, because he can always console himself that she'll end up a widow and be free to go live her life after the war.

Is that using her? Yeah, I guess, in that he's entering the relationship on slightly less sincere terms than she is, and I think what he's getting out of it is much more basic and unsentimental than what she's getting; but in his defense, Tonks has sort of marshaled the Order of the Phoenix behind her on this, and we also don't see that she altogether... cares if he's in it for her? He rejects her like, twice at minimum, and she keeps pushing, which is— like, girl, do you honestly want to be in a relationship with someone who's rejected you twice? Who you had to badger into giving you the time of day? Why? We don't know; she just wants him. Which, again, is a very 23-year-old thing to do: it's object-oriented, it's not based in compatibility or long-term happiness or even mutual affection. She's acting like someone who hasn't been in a relationship before. Which, by the way, she might not have been! She's 23!!

Whether or not the Age Gap implies mistreatment, I don't really think it does; I mean, it is a Not Great Situation, and if I were Tonks's friend I would be yelling at her very loudly about why she should wait to date someone that much older than her, but Tonks is an adult. The fact that Remus was already at Hogwarts when she was born carries a certain squick factor (YMMV) but ultimately it's not accompanied by evidence of mistreatment or manipulation on his part. This is helped by the fact that we never (ever! at all!) see Remus pursue or flirt with Tonks, or give her any encouragement, which means their relationship feels DOA for a lot of readers, but also means that the element of older-man-seduces-younger-woman is nowhere in their relationship.

(That being said, while I've been trying to humanize/rationalize Remus's decision, he's still responsible for it. He's a grown ass man, and whom he dates is his choice. It doesn't matter if Molly Weasley's being annoying about it. You're 35. Act like a grownup. Don't date 23-year-olds.)

Tonks is a much less thorny case, because she's younger, and the books are more sympathetic to her. Plus, I mean, seriously: if you're a freshly-minted college-age guerrilla soldier in a horribly traumatizing war, probably haven't been on a date in a while, you've Been Busy, and this hot 30-something war veteran comes around a lot and laughs at your jokes, then — yeah! Girl, I get it! I'm on board with Tonks having a crush on Remus because it could have been a springboard for all sorts of ruminating about age, and power, and "want you" vs. "want to be you," and the social allure of older men, with all the potential for manipulation that opens up. None of that was explored, but that's a problem of execution, not concept.

In conclusion, I like Tonks a lot, and I think she's a pretty realistic rendition of a young woman in her early twenties who, like all young twenty-somethings, is exercising her inalienable right to make stupid-ass decisions and fuck up her love life. I will defend her for that seven days a week. I will not, however, defend the authorial choice to make everyone in her life complicit in that bad decision.