#analysis nobody asked for

[thekettlesoverthere]

"Phone her, text her, do something, while there’s still a chance. Because the chance doesn’t last forever. Trust me, Sherlock, it goes before you know it. BEFORE. YOU. KNOW. IT"

And then Sherlock looks like that

Looking at John helplessly, eyes intermittently twitching towards him.

Look, I know John is talking about Mary here, and I also know our dear detective's aware of that.

HOWEVER !

The way Sherlock just. Looks devastated. means he understood perfectly what John said.

More than that, he feels it.

But at the end of the conversation, Sherlock doesn't go "ah, yes,you're right, let me phone her, let me go to Irene Adler."

No, he goes to comfort John. To stay with him. He embraces him.

And when John admits the "cheating" part, Sherlock immediately connects this to "even I text her sometimes. The Woman"

Sherlock associates texting Irene Adler with cheating on someone. I'm pretty sure that's why he never does it.

On who, I wonder ?

[woodbrook-wanderer]

Bits + Bits: A meta discussion on Sam's gender

Hello! This post by @spyjam24 has been itching me for quite a while, and while I could just include this in a post about Sam and in general the queercoding of the BTTWNS world, this seems important enough to talk about on its own. Sam being a woman while presenting masculinely is another point of discussion in my future Nigel analysis.

BEAR HEIRARCHIES:

Being solitary creatures, bears have a simplistic social structure where mature dominant males are at the top, and sub-adults and cubs remain at the bottom. Male bears assert dominance by marking their area with their scent and challenge other males to gain right to food sources or an area. Larger bears roar to scare away younger bears who aren't as strong. While bears are not territorial and learn to co-exist with each other in safe distances, even congregating in places with abundant food supply (streams, coasts, etc.), the male dominance ensures that all the given needs (food, water, shelter, and mates) are streamlined towards them. Females do not have much say in the matter. Although they are tolerant and can live within the territories of dominant males, refusing advances for mating results in injury or even death.

Female bears are most associated with rearing young and defending their cubs when male bears threaten to kill their children in order to get the mother to mate with him. Females do not go out of their way to kill or challenge other females.

Single females and subadults are almost always submissive to mature males but have a loose hierarchy within their own group.

RE-IMAGINING BTTWNS WITH A MALE PROTAGONIST:

Knowing this, how would BTTWNS play out if Sam was a man? The most prominent selling point fans and comic news outlets use to drive eyes towards the comic is its similarities to the TV show Dexter. Similar logline, similar plot, close enough characters. I have not watched the show in its entirety yet but with the knowledge I've gotten through friends and social media osmosis, it's about a mild-tempered investigator who's a serial killer by night. I have heard from a friend that one of the main storylines in the series is a string of murders happens and it is done to impress the titular character.

Sound familiar?

However, coming from a fan of Beneath The Trees and did not read under the advertising of it being "Dexter but Richard Scarry!", I believe it largely undersells and underestimates the message and themes. It also seems to disregard the importance of Samantha being a woman but also being a butch. Her gender presentation is extremely important as to how and why she kills in the first place.

But let's play this hypothetically. Sam is a man. He owns a hardware shop and is well liked in his community. He's the only bear in town. He's secretly a serial killer and goes out to the city to pick and choose his victim. Sure, it sounds similar enough, but why would he still kill in the first place when he knows he's at the top of the food chain or the social hierarchy in Woodbrook in the lenses of the anthropomorphic animal world? More importantly, if he was a man, why would anyone be brave enough to challenge him by becoming the local serial killer?

Nigel challenges Sam because she is a woman.

Caging The Idea:

Of course Beneath The Trees could work alone if Sam was a man but that would take away a lot of the gravity in the implied horror of the series.

First and foremost, Nigel is a stalker. He follows Sam around and obsessively takes photos of her to collect. God knows what he's doing with those photos, but his obsession with her extends beyond the images and into imitation. Aside from becoming a serial killer himself, he tries dressing and acting similarly in Issue 4 where he confesses to the crime in an attempt to become her equal.

But that's the thing though. He doesn't view her as an equal. He's excited at the idea of her masculinity and imitates what he can learn from the violence that comes with it. She isn't as competent because she is a woman and he needs to assert himself under the guise of assisting her or "doing it together".

He throws a fit when he is rejected, similarly to how certain men feel entitled to a woman or a partner and violently attacks her (although in this case indirectly by framing Charlie's murder on her and creeping into her subconscious in the nightmare).

He fights for dominance he knows she can't naturally have because that's how nature is, correct? Females will always be submissive to males and rejection results in injury or even death.

Now imagine all of this if Sam was a man. It does not feel twice as horrifying as it actually is in its plainest form.

Nigel is a predator as we know it in the modern sociological context, and he confidently does this by exerting the violence that comes with masculinity which he ironically learnt from a woman.

WHY DO YOU KILL?:

It's simple. Nigel kills to assert his dominance.

Sam kills to emotionally regulate, but also kills to assert dominance.

Sam is seen to revere wild bears as she sees herself as a bear (she is, but moreso in the sense she is not "human" or social like the other animal folk in Woodbrook) and chooses to be one with what she loves. Her fascination and kinship with the strength and the power they hold in nature is why she chooses to present, dress, and act butch. However, we do see in gaps and moments that she is aware of how powerless she actually is if she was a bear and if she were to be a person. There's the pressure to be good. There's the social pressure that comes with being a woman. There's the expectations of her gender and the exploitation men will have over her in either situation.

And so she kills. She has no young to defend. She's not interested in love, or raising a family or being social so she'll act like a male bear because that is the closest she'll ever get to having power over anyone.

And that power will be challenged in the Spring.

Yes. It's important that Sam is a woman. Don't undersell BTTWNS as a Dexter spinoff.

[itsacruelsummerwithyou2]

since “the starling girl” is all over my tiktok right now i need to rant about the “spit it out” scene for a sec because lewis pullman’s acting is incredible. like it’s clearly a test, to see if jem will do this weird, specific thing without a fight for no other reason than he asked her to. owen wants to know how much influence he has over her, and you can see him sizing her up before and appraising her after she spits the gum in his hand. and all of this is totally unspoken, lewis pullman is able to communicate it with just a few looks, im obsessed

[stellocchia]

The problem with ColorKiller becoming more popular is that now everyone is showing them as soft and healthy when Killer has no capacity for that kind of relationship. Ugh

I profoundly dislike this kind of anti-recovery sentiment.

I'm assuming that the reason why you think Killer cannot be in healthy relationships is because of his history of being an abuse victim. Which... Sure is a take. Not a good one though.

I definitely do think it would take time for Color and Killer to get to a healthy point. Mainly because, yes, Killer's ideas of how to interact with others are based on his relationships with Chara, with Nightmare, and with his cats (with the latter being the only healthy one). So I don't doubt that he would be testing limits, pushing boundaries, and probably become unhealthily dependent on Color at the very least at the start (although I do think Color would be enforcing boundaries and doing his best to prevent that. And, when he fails to, he has a ton of friends right there to support him. Delta, Epic, the whole Abyss Team. They love him and they'd be there for him and Killer).

It also will take time for Killer before he's able to stop using violence as a crutch to deal with his boredom. Especially since that was pretty much the only coping mechanism he was allowed for the longest time. Likely years.

So yeah, things wouldn't immediately be sunshine and rainbows between him and Color.

However this is a relationship that has the potential to get there. And I don't think there is any problem with people wanting to focus on their healing, and their happiness instead of just beating Killer down further (plus there are both pieces of fanart as well as fanfictions that focus on the angst too, it's not like they don't exist). Sometimes people just wanna see their ship (be it romantic, platonic, queerplatonic, or something else entirely) be happy.

Lastly, my opinion on the "there isn't enough of this thing I like" kind of complaints will always be the same: if you used the time you use to complain to create something instead, this would no longer be so much of an issue. Draw, write, analyze, create and you'll see that fandom spaces become a lot more enjoyable.

[originalaccountname]

SB!Chuuya vs mafia grunts: spot the differences

Choker (for style)

Gloves (we don't have time to unpack all that)

Rolled up sleeves (for size style)

Open collar (delinquent)

No tie (delinquent)

Unworn sunglasses (in pocket)

It has all the elements of a standard mafia grunt uniform. In the novel, he picks up a shirt, all of which are high-end and well-maintained, "at random" just to get it done. This matches his empty apartment in serving the theme of the story, which is "who is Nakahara Chuuya?"

and YET, we can see his personality come through that basic nobody uniform in the way he chooses to style his bland clothes, the accessories he puts on, and the glasses, which are a mean to anonymise the mafia members, that he does not put on, yet carries with him. He will not be absorbed as just one of the many, and despite his uncertainties, he's clearly himself from the very start.

CHARACTER DESIGN!!!!

(note: the light novel description of his clothes and the character design do not completely agree. Asagiri wanted to have Chuuya wear emerald cuff links. Harukawa rolled up his sleeves. Make of that what you will.)

[celeborne]

some facts about astarion that i find very cute/meaningful :)

i wanted to share this so more people can learn about him and appreciate who he is deep down, behind the mask he wears. before cazador turned him, he was just like any other person; he had hobbies, passions and emotions. those things are still there, but they’re just hidden amidst all the darkness. he was so young when he first turned that he barely had a chance to enjoy life or figure himself out. so many people miss out on the complexity of his character due to only focusing on his physical appearance or labelling him as a cruel villain, but in order to see that he’s so much more than that and he’s capable of growing as a person, all you need to do is show him a bit of love!

- he loves embroidery and poetry

- he approves when you pet the owlbear cub because most people view it as a monster (the same way people have always viewed him). it’s like he finds comfort in the fact that you can love and care for something that most people are afraid of, and it gives him hope that you may feel the same way about him too

- if you put a flower on his grave, he smiles and says "cute"

- he comes up to you in camp just to thank you and tell you how grateful he is that you allowed him to make his own decision (after you defend him and don't force him to drink the drow's blood) because he is so used to being told what to do and he was forced to use his body for so many years

- in that same scene, he will hold your hand whether you choose to stay in a romance with him or be friends instead, because he loves and appreciates you no matter what, and any sort of relationship with you is so important and meaningful to him

- if you try to romance karlach and astarion at the same time, he tells you to choose karlach over him, even if he loves you and it hurts him to do so, because he can see that karlach loves you too. he says that normally an arrangement would work for him, but after everything karlach has been through and how fragile her heart is already, he doesn’t want to get in the way or see her hurt

- if you try to romance halsin and astarion at the same time, he just wants you to do what makes you happy, even though you can tell it hurts him if you choose halsin. he’s also worried that you’re unhappy because he hasn’t slept with you (he should never have to worry about that ☹️), so he doesn’t want to stop you from enjoying yourself. in this situation and the one with karlach, you can see that there are moments where he puts others before himself and thinks about their feelings more than his own

- if you’re playing as the dark urge and you’re trying to resist it, he is so incredibly comforting and tries to give you strength and encouragement. one of my favourite astarion lines is this: “you’re not alone in this, none of us are.”

some more lines that i love:

“i don’t hate you. because this is not you. but whatever it is, you’ll get through it. and i’ll be here to make sure you do.”

“whatever it is that’s controlling you, we can fight it. i know that better than anyone.”

“this thing won’t have you. it won’t win.”

“easy now, darling. you’ve got this. and i’ve got you.”

- when you try to break up with him because you’re transforming into a mindflayer and you tell him you’re becoming something horrible, he gets so upset that you would even think that way and tells you that you’re wonderful and he doesn’t care about what you look like. then he says he would get more stares walking down a street than you to try and make you feel better

- if you love and care for him and remind him that there is still good out there, he genuinely wants to grow, be a better person and break the cycle of power and terror that started centuries ago

- he approves when you help people that are considered outcasts or "freaks" because he has felt that way too

- he risked his life and got punished for letting a man go instead of luring him back to cazador because it’s implied he cared about him in some way and he couldn't hurt him (not entirely sure about this one, this is just how i interpreted it based on his voice and mannerisms when he was talking about him)

- he approves when you give an orphaned child food (act 3)

- he becomes vulnerable, honest and more gentle with you once you start treating him like a person, because for the first time in his life, he actually feels safe with someone

- he's extremely insecure despite the mask he wears at the beginning of the game and he doesn't believe he is capable of being genuinely loved for who he is as a person. when you get close to him and tell him you care for him and give him a hug, he is taken aback at first, but then he believes you and hugs you back. also, when you're playing as the dark urge, you get this line: "you like him for more than his looks, but he will never believe that." this is proof that astarion is so used to being reduced to his physical appearance after what he was forced to do for so many years, and he thinks that's the only reason why people like him. he struggles with intimacy and forming strong emotional bonds, so that's why it makes your relationship with him even more meaningful when he realises that you truly do love him for who he is, not just for his looks and body

- when the drow you met at moonrise shows up in act 3 and tries to make you drink something, astarion tells you to say no, because the only thing she's offering is pain and he doesn't want to see you hurt

- if you romance him, stop him from doing the ritual and help him defeat cazador, he tells you that you are the only person he's ever truly cared for

- if you defeat cazador without him and tell him you just wanted to protect him, he gets upset at first because you left him behind without telling him and he wanted to take revenge himself, but then he becomes understanding and says “maybe this is what’s best? the kind of power that ritual offered could ruin a person. even me.” this shows how much he’s grown and matured as a person and he’s aware of the consequences of too much power. the scene also ends with him telling you that he’s grateful for something that you did to help him (again).

- he becomes more self-aware, straightforward and honest over time and he doesn’t pretend like he’s perfect. he tells you that you were by his side through all the bloodlust and pain and misery, despite all of his flaws and mistakes. you remained patient with him and trusted him even though it was an objectively stupid thing to do, but he is so grateful for it because you believed he could become a better person (and he did)

- this is sad but he remembers some of the names of the people he had to lure back to cazador and even the memories he shared with them. you can see this during the scene with sebastian, and it’s clear that he actually cared about him (not sure how many situations were like this, but there was definitely more than one)

- if you say “i’m sorry we couldn’t save the other vampire spawn”, he says:

“we could have tried. we could have given them the same chance i had. i was able to go out into the world and make better choices. to go against my nature and become more than a blood-sucking monster. maybe they would have done the same. or maybe not - but did we have the right to take that choice away from them?”

this scene shows how much astarion has grown and how compassionate and empathetic he can be towards others. he understood what it felt like to have his own freedom taken away while cazador made all his decisions for him, so he didn’t want to put the other vampire spawn through that too (especially because he still feels so guilty for luring them there in the first place)

- if you romance him and he stays as a vampire spawn and you choose to help him look for a cure so he can stand in the sun again, this is revealed during the epilogue scene:

“one night, he tells you that these last six months of happy memories are the counterweight to two hundred years of misery.”

he’s finally truly happy and free, and the short time he’s spent with you is already so incredibly powerful and important to him. being with you has positively impacted his life in such a massive way that it makes all those centuries of pain and misery feel so much smaller

- another sweet line from astarion during the epilogue scene after he tells you to go catch up with your other friends and see how they’re doing:

“i’ll be here when you’re ready. i’ll always be here, my love.”

THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH 😭🫶🏼 he’s become so kind, loving, respectful, genuine and sincere. i’m so proud of him 🥹

[nobodyaskedyou]

Ever think about how much guilt Neil carries with him over the course of AFTG? First Seth, then general lying shit, then thanksgiving, then Proust, then his father... I feel like its all sort of glossed over occasionally at least in fandom but GOD this nineteen-year-old kid has been in an isolated pit of self-preservation his whole life and when he finally finds people to fight for all he can think about is how much damage (he thinks) he's caused them.

Sure, he ignores the countdown to his death day so he can keep kissing Andrew, but he also ignores it so that no-body else finds out. He knows that if anyone tried to come after him the likelihood of Nathan killing them too was ridiculously high and he couldn't have another death on his shoulders. And then on top of it all, when he's miraculously rescued and given another chance at life, he honestly believes that the foxes - that Andrew - won't take him back.

He's such a martyr, and he's also nineteen. God.

[minihelly]

One thing I really appreciate about Severance is how complex the characters are and the fact the writers trust that we as the audience are smart enough to understand them instead of just shoving it in our faces. I feel like most shows would go 'This person is the bad guy! And this one is the good guy!!!" but they don't really do that in this show? And while I felt a little underwhelmed by the episode at first, after a few days thinking about it I think Trojan's Horse was a really good example of how the show excels in moral ambiguity and its characters.

Helena is undoubtedly a villain. She's a higher up in the company and is at the very least complicit in the torture of its workers, and now she's taken things even further by SAing Mark last episode. She's objectively a bad person, but at the same time there's this kind of tragic sense to her character just looming in the background. She's a terrible person but she's also just a puppet in a larger plan. Her father, the only family we've ever seen her having, encouraged her to be sent back down to the severed floor even after nearly being murdered just days before because he couldn't care less about her as long as the company reaches its goals. She doesn't even see the innies as people but she's more like them than she could ever realises - she's just a pawn in a larger game and no longer even has control over her own body. She's a brillaint example of 'hurt people hurt people'. It doesn't take away from any of her actions but it makes her so much more tragic and complicated.

Milchick has been a villain since Day 1 - he is part of the management, he conducted break room sessions, and - despite seemingly trying to improve some of their working conditions - he actively engages in the abuse of workers. But he's also a victim in a way. He's been nitpicked and pushed around by upper management, is constantly being chastised for his work, and is even being subjected to racism from the company he works for and is in no position to stand up for himself. It doesn't take away from any of his actions but it makes him so much more multi-dimensional and even sympathetic.

Mark is such a complicated character already but the consequences of the events of Woe's Hollow have made him even more so. He's already lost his best friend (Petey), one of his very few other friends who was probably the closest thing to a father figure he's ever known (Irving) is gone too, and he's been manipulated and SA'd by Helena - he thought he was sharing an extremely intimate experience with Helly when in fact he was being tricked and taken advantage of by somebody else essentially wearing her skin. It's completely horrific and it perfectly explains his behaviour in the newest episode and why he's being such an ass to everybody. And yet, while it perfectly explains his behaviour, it doesn't take away from the hurt that it's casting on others. Helly has no idea what's going on and he's so angry and upset and confused at Helena that he's taking it out on her instead because he just can't trust her. And you completely understand why he's acting that way but it's leading to him hurting somebody innocent in response.

Like Helena, he's an example of 'hurt people hurt people'. The emotions he's faced in this episode are so complex to navigate that one minute I'm angry at him and the next I just feel so terrible for him. His feelings are so understandable and so valid but at the same time Helly was also assaulted - her body was essentially used for sex without her consent while she was unconscious and in any other circumstance that would be seen as SA - and yet she doesn't even know. He's keeping it from her because he's embarrassed and guilty and feels violated but she deserves to know. They were both victims but only one of them is even aware and he's having to process this alone while staring at the same face that did that to him without even knowing it.

THAT is good writing. And that is what this show excels at.

[jynxedshapeshifter]

Analyzing Klavier's Behavior Because I Am Nothing If Not Predictable*

*But also I made this post at 2am and am determined to see it through

Alright so a few days ago I posted this reblog of a response to a post I made mentioning that Klavier's behavior that is so commonly poked at as "Klavier, there was a murder" could very well be a coping mechanism. As you'll know if you've read the essay I wrote on the parallels between Ryulock and Homumiko, I really like to analyze fictional characters. So I have decided to analyze Klavier Gavin's behavior throughout his appearances because there's implications in there that I think aren't talked about enough.

(Also important to note because I feel like it'll come up; this is all my interpretation of Klavier's behavior based on a combination of personal experience and just how I read his behavior. I am not going to claim my analysis to be objectively correct.)

Part 1: A Brief-ish Summary of Klavier's Canon Appearances

Klavier's only canon appearances are in Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney and Turnabout Academy in Dual Destinies (which is a shame but that's not my point). In the latter, he's not acting as Prosecutor Gavin, he's acting as Rock God Klavier. I still think, for the sake of context, it's important to go over these appearances and how he acts during each one.

Turnabout Corner

Our first introduction to Klavier is in Turnabout Corner, the second episode of Apollo Justice. He's introduced as a cool, suave prosecutor that likes to throw his weight around a little (as indicated by him overriding the police and allowing Trucy and Apollo to investigate People Park), and it's easy to (correctly) assume pretty early on that he doesn't really care about giving information to the defense like every other prosecutor in the series (something that will come up later). In Turnabout Corner, we also learn about Klavier's status as a rockstar, and how he usually acts during court proceedings. Apollo's first impression, which carries over into Turnabout Serenade and is still part of how he sees Klavier into Dual Destinies, is that Klavier tends to not take things very seriously.

Turnabout Serenade

Turnabout Serenade is... interesting. We see a side of Klavier that he seems to want to keep under wraps at first — he's a perfectionist when it comes to his music, and his focus is on Daryan's missed cue, not the fact that a murder happened at his concert; notably, he's focused on Daryan's fuck-up, when he's not the only one who messed up during the concert. He comes off as irritable during investigation segments, seeming to put on a mask of his usual confident and carefree attitude when Apollo and Trucy show up.

This is also the first time Klavier starts to get honestly pretty mean when even the implication that something he didn't want to be true is true is suggested. The second Apollo implies LeTouse was murdered during the second set (which is when he first presents the igniter) Klavier gets mean ("Herr Forehead, don't destroy what little respect I have for you!" which implies he never had much respect for him in the first place, which I'd argue is not the case but I'll get into that later). We get into Daryan's testimony once it's made clear that Daryan's a suspect, and at that point he's less mean to Apollo and tearing into Daryan instead. Turnabout Serenade alone shows that Klavier's views of people can and will change on a dime.

Turnabout Succession (2019 section)

I'm gonna get it out of the way now, Klavier is a brat during the 2019 section of Turnabout Succession. This is relevant; he seems to have grown out of this by Turnabout Corner, but he's still prone to being a dick. Klavier's also much more egotistical during the 2019 section of Turnabout Succession; most notably, he brags about the success of The Gavinners multiple times during the trial (which Phoenix describes as an "utter lack of humility"). As a 24/25-year-old, he's not normally an egocentric asshole; this trait only really shows itself during times where he'd be stressed. Again, we'll get to that.

Turnabout Succession (responses to Kristoph's involvement)

The first reaction to Kristoph's involvement is when Vera mentions the commemorative stamp with Troupe Gramarye on it, and he gets intense about asking Vera about what the first forgery she made was. He actually scares Vera and concerns the judge:

And this is where he first breaks down. Trucy gets concerned, Apollo has to tell him to calm the fuck down because he's badgering the witness (at which point Klavier calls Phoenix Apollo's "soiled, sullied mentor"), and then Vera collapses from atroquinine poisoning and the trial ends. I cannot imagine what the next span of time before the trial continued was like for Klavier.

Once Kristoph actually takes the stand, Klavier's quite quiet for a while, aside from defending Kristoph when you press certain statements (and even then, Kristoph will not hesitate to talk over Klavier). Apollo even mentions that Klavier's acting different, and decides it's because Kristoph's in the courtroom. Klavier gets so upset that he can't even function properly, which Kristoph blames on Apollo ("My, my. You've upset my poor brother to the point of uselessness."). Klavier does eventually snap out of it and accuses Kristoph of bluffing, and the rest of the trial he works with Apollo to convince the jurists that Kristoph is behind Drew and Vera's poisoning, not Vera (although he does tell Apollo he's leaving the case if he can't prove Kristoph is behind forging the evidence in the Zak Gramarye case).

Klavier's behavior in the 2026 sections of Turnabout Succession very much remind me of 17-year-old Klavier, and his breakdown sprite does not help this (which I've also done an analysis on. Parts of that analysis will be relevant later). Again, this will come up later.

Turnabout Academy

I personally think Klavier's behavior in Turnabout Academy is also similar to his behavior when he was 17, although in the complete opposite direction from Turnabout Succession. Looking at Klavier's behavior in Turnabout Succession's 2019 section vs his behavior during Turnabout Academy, I am immediately struck by similarities. Notably, Klavier exhibits some degree of inflated self-confidence (he calls his own voice "godlike" if you present the tape recorder to him, tells Apollo and Athena to find the Gavinners banner, leading Athena to wonder if he just wants his banner back, claims the burnt fragments of the Gavinners banner is a "challenge directed at [Klavier] and Gavinners fans everywhere"), which leads him to put down Apollo specifically (telling Apollo that the role of a fledgling lawyer is one he was "born to play," calling Apollo a wet blanket, "That feigned swagger does not suit you in the least," probably jokingly accusing Apollo of destroying the statues of Klavier and Phoenix).

It's all behavior that feels like it should come from 17-year-old Klavier, not 25-year-old Klavier, at least not under most circumstances.

Part 2: A Slightly More In-Depth Analysis of Klavier's Behavior

Klavier's behavior, notably, changes depending on the circumstances he's in. I think it's important to figure out what the baseline for adult Klavier's behavior is before we go any further however.

I, personally, think the baseline for Klavier's behavior is most clear in Turnabout Corner. He doesn't have any personal involvement in the case beyond Apollo getting Kristoph thrown in prison, and he's pretty chill the entire case. It feels like, at the very least, he's adhering to his rock god persona (and I don't think it's a stretch to assume that's at least partially what he's like when he's not masking anything). Turnabout Corner serving as the baseline for Klavier's behavior also makes sense from a writing standpoint. So, I'm going to use Turnabout Corner as a baseline for Klavier's behavior. Now that we have that out of the way, let's analyze Klavier's behavior.

Part 2.1: Turnabout Serenade

So, first of all, let's look at the transition from Turnabout Corner to Turnabout Serenade. Klavier's having fun, he's at a concert and performing with someone he looks up to and admires. Then, tragedy strikes. A murder happens during the third set. The pianist for the second set is arrested. Daryan missed a cue he shouldn't have missed. This is the first time Klavier is aggressive. It's the first time we see perfectionist Klavier. The second Apollo and Trucy show up, he starts acting like he did during Turnabout Corner. To be completely clear, I do think he was genuinely happy to see them. I don't think his behavioral change when Apollo and Trucy show up is entirely a front. At worst, he's pretending everything's fine by acting like he normally would. Two explanations I can think of for this:

Maybe he just doesn't want Trucy and Apollo to see him like that.

Maybe he doesn't actually care how Trucy and Apollo see him, and he pretends everything's fine by instinct.

Additionally, this is the first time we truly see the extent of how egocentric Klavier can get. He opts to completely ignore the fact that a murder happened at his concert and instead focuses on Daryan's missed cue. That's what we see, at least.

By the end of the case we find out that missed cue was crucial evidence. That missed cue had implications for the entire incident. It's also implied in Turnabout Corner that Klavier is always multiple steps ahead, and in Turnabout Academy he suggests that the missing Gavinners banner is relevant to the case, and it ends up being crucial to the case. Exactly like Daryan's missed cue.

I don't think Klavier was just being an egocentric asshole here. I think he knew that the missed cue was somehow relevant, especially if he noticed Lamiroir and Machi's mistakes during the second set. If he did notice the mistakes Lamiroir and Machi made, then noticed Daryan's missed cue, I don't doubt he'd think they were somehow related. The one thing saving him was that the entire case, both the defense's side and the prosecution's side, hinged on the murder taking place during the third set, so he gets fucking mean when it's implied the murder might've happened during the second set, because there goes any plausible denial. Once Apollo suggests the murder happened during the second set, Daryan's alibi goes out the window, and he becomes their prime suspect. Basically, Klavier's aggression in Turnabout Serenade, and potentially how set on figuring out Daryan's missed cue he was, was very likely him getting defensive.

Part 2.2: Turnabout Succession

Not gonna talk about the 2019 section of Turnabout Succession much here. Klavier's behavior in Turnabout Succession is very much like his behavior in Turnabout Corner. That is, until Kristoph is made a suspect in Drew Misham's murder.

Klavier's pretty much the same as he was in Turnabout Corner for most of the first trial of Turnabout Succession. He's enjoying himself (a fact Apollo and Trucy mention), he's having fun teasing Spark Brushel a bit.

And then Vera brings up the commemorative stamp with Troupe Gramarye on it. As I mentioned above, he gets so intense about finding out what Vera's first forgery was that he scares Vera, concerns the judge, concerns Trucy, and has Apollo telling him to calm the fuck down because he's badgering the witness. Even taking 17-year-old Klavier into account, that's incredibly out of character for him. 17-year-old Klav was a bit mean to witnesses, sure, but he never badgered them. This exact moment is where, upon replaying AJ:AA, I was like "holy shit, you can pinpoint exactly where and when Klavier realizes Kristoph's involved in this."

During the next trial day, he's out of character on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, by which I mean he's too quiet. Klavier's usually talkative and flamboyant. He likes to test Apollo and Apollo's theories. He likes getting under Apollo's skin. But the second Kristoph's on the witness stand we don't get any of that. He's just quiet and he lets Kristoph talk over him. Kristoph's presence is enough to make him uncharacteristically quiet (which makes me wonder what the fuck their history is, especially with Klavier's "Spinning out of whose control? Mine? ...Or yours?" line after Kristoph says he's spinning out of control and the fact that what triggers Kristoph saying that in the first place is Klavier saying "Let's clean out the family closet" and Kristoph claims Klavier's going to say something he'll regret, but that's a different post for a different time). Klavier eventually gets so desperate for proof that Kristoph killed Drew and tried to kill Vera that he literally begs Apollo to prove it. Once Klavier has seen evidence that would indicate that Kristoph is guilty of Drew's murder, he's mostly back to his normal self.

Part 2.3: Turnabout Academy

Turnabout Academy is interesting because Klavier's behavior still feels off but you aren't playing as Apollo; you're playing as Athena, who doesn't know what Klavier is usually like. Klavier's a lot nicer to Athena than he is to Apollo (he is still a bit mean to Athena at points, just to be clear). I personally think it's because Klavier knows Apollo but doesn't know Athena well, but that's just an assumption, I don't think there's really evidence to support it.

Anyway, Klavier's behavior during Turnabout Academy feels pretty similar to when he was 17 in my opinion. He is brutal with Apollo. Klavier:

Tells Apollo that the role of a fledgling defense attorney is one he "was born to play"

Calls Apollo a wet blanket

Calls Apollo a stick in the mud

Accuses Apollo of destroying the statues of Klavier and Phoenix TWICE (probably jokingly but that's still mean, Klavier. This is also, notably, reflective of Klavier accusing Apollo of setting his guitar on fire in Turnabout Serenade)

17-year-old Klavier, while he doesn't target anyone specifically, is a fucking brat. He's irritating and he likes harassing people (like how 17-year-old Klavier was ever allowed in a court of law is beyond me. Granted this is the same court system that let an 18-year-old with a whip prosecute cases but I digress). In some of 17-year-old Klav's dialogue, we also get a taste of just how egocentric he could get at 17. Some of 17-year-old Klavier's lines in the 2019 section of Turnabout Succession that had me like "wow, never has a more irritating 17-year-old existed":

"Herr Detective, this is my stage. Can the antics."

"And I haven't proven anything yet, beyond my good looks, and startling record sales."

"...Would you hold me accountable for a mistake made in my youth?" "That was just this morning!" "...I am still young."

"I would hope the defense refrains from its customarily broad, sweeping accusations."

"...Truly, there's no substitute for experience. Nothing blinds one to the truth so effectively."

I can 100% see some of those lines also coming from Turnabout Academy Klavier. That then begs the question; if Klavier had evolved past acting like this by the age of 24, why is he back to acting like that by the age of 25?

Simple; it's very likely the same reason his behavior was the way it was in Turnabout Serenade. Constance Courte had personal significance to Klavier and quite literally shaped how Klavier prosecutes cases. Klavier says this himself; "She may have taught the judge course, but she had a huge impact on me. She was fond of saying, 'The end is only justified through proper means.' She wouldn't tolerate dishonesty and always revered what was right beyond all else." From the beginning of the case, it's had more personal significance than any of the cases Klavier prosecuted (while other cases did have personal significance to him, it was only ever clear near the end of the trial).

The thing about Turnabout Academy is that, in terms of Klavier's role in the story, it is incredibly similar to Turnabout Serenade. Here's a list of similarities just to show what I mean:

Both cases involve Klavier having Apollo and the individual he's investigating with figure out something that doesn't seem to be significant to the case but is actually crucial evidence (Daryan's missed cue in Turnabout Serenade and the Gavinners banner in Turnabout Academy)

Both have personal significance to Klavier in some way (Daryan was the culprit of Turnabout Serenade and his mentor is the victim of Turnabout Academy)

You would not be blamed for saying "Klavier there was a MURDER" every time he shows up in both cases

Klavier's roles in Turnabout Serenade and Turnabout Academy are similar enough to me that it caught my attention almost immediately (in fact, I tagged the screenshot I posted of Klavier telling Apollo and Athena to look for the Gavinners banner as "turnabout serenade ass behavior"). That also means that his behavior is similar in both cases; the primary difference, in my opinion at least, is that Klavier's more intense and mean in Turnabout Academy (which was obvious to be quite quickly).

Part 2.4: Klavier's Shifting View of Kristoph

(This isn't important I just wanted to bring it up)

It's made pretty clear in Turnabout Succession's 2019 section that Klavier has a positive view of Kristoph. Klavier takes Kristoph at his word that Phoenix is going to present forged evidence and keeps him anonymous when he mentions that he gave him the tip that Phoenix would present forged evidence. He was excited to go against him in court (which just makes the fact that Kristoph forged evidence to beat him a lot more sad), something he even acknowledges when it's made clear that Kristoph forged the diary page that got Phoenix disbarred ("...Kristoph! We were supposed to face each other in that trial! A fair fight, brother to brother! I deserved that much! You let me borrow the victim's belongings... ...You showed me all your research on the case!").

We can literally watch this crumble during Turnabout Succession. He knows Kristoph is a good defense attorney; when Apollo first meets Klavier in court, Klavier says that he's prosecuting the case because he wanted to see the true strength of "the little boy who bested" Kristoph, which at the very least implies he respects Kristoph's skills as a defense attorney. That's completely crumbled by the end of Turnabout Succession, with Klavier literally telling Kristoph "You're not needed anymore." It's honestly really sad to watch too. It makes you wonder what was going through his head during that span of time during Vera's trial where Klavier's just not as talkative as he usually is and Kristoph's on the witness stand.

(To be clear, I think Klavier knew Kristoph was a piece of shit before Turnabout Succession. I don't think Kristoph's emotional abuse of Klavier started during Turnabout Succession, and I very much think Klavier knew that Kristoph was a piece of shit because of it. However, I don't really think he would've expected anything that came out during Turnabout Succession, which is why he reacts how he does. I also think it would be safe to assume that either Kristoph only started emotionally abusing Klavier after Zak's trial or Klavier realized that's what he was doing after Zak's trial, due to Klavier's attitude toward Kristoph holding the implication that if Kristoph was actively being abusive at that point in time, Klavier didn't realize it)

Part 3: What We Can Conclude About Klavier Based On This Information

I've mentioned it before (in fact it's in the Klavier breakdown animation analysis I linked earlier in the post), but Klavier's behavior comes off as him not having been able to properly grow up, whether because he became a celebrity when he was 17 or for some other reason. It's like he regresses back to 17 during traumatic situations, or possibly has some sort of relapse if we assume he got mental health treatment between the 2019 section of Turnabout Succession and the start of Turnabout Corner, and his behavior supports that, which is fucking heartbreaking. It's like he's putting on a mask of maturity because he was forced to. By who? Could be anyone. He could've felt obligated to do it by his status as an international celebrity. He could've been pressured into it by the Gavinners' record label (assuming they weren't indie). Kristoph could've pressured him into it because Klavier had eyes on his every action on a global scale. He could've experienced some kind of psychological trauma that caused it. There are so many potential explanations here and they're all fucking heartbreaking.

Part 4: Conclusion

So. 3.3k words later. This is longer than my Ryulock/Homumiko essay. Anyway, conclusion: I don't think Klavier's ever been flanderized. I think people are misreading his primary trauma response (that being, some form of regression or relapse). He's not even the only person this happens to in the series (*stares at Athena*), it's just not obvious with Klavier if you don't consider ALL his behavior together, including his behavior when he's 17 because that's really what explains his behavior in my opinion. Klavier's behavior isn't easily explainable in a nearly 3.5k word essay without knowing how he was at 17.

And yes, you could argue that this is all coincidence. You could argue that none of this was intentional, especially when you consider how Ace Attorney is written. Someone who goes into Dual Destinies without playing Apollo Justice first won't get the additional context required to recognize the full extent of Klavier's behavior.

I would beg to differ however. Some of Phoenix's bitchiness from Apollo Justice is still present in Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice, and I very much think that was intentional. Apollo's behavior in 5-4 and 5-5 are very much indicative of him having trust issues as a result of everything that happened with Kristoph and that's a hill I'll die on. Simon still acts the same as he did in prison, likely as a result of either trauma, habit, or both.

If you think Ace Attorney doesn't reference past games in characters' behavior, you're underestimating Ace Attorney's writing. I absolutely think Klavier's behavior in Turnabout Academy and his behavior in Turnabout Serenade are meant to be reflective of each other. I'd be genuinely surprised if that's not an intentional parallel and if it doesn't indicate something about Klavier's response to traumatic events. Even worse, I am quite sure that Kristoph has put him down over this. Hell, you could argue that his comment about Klavier being stressed to the point of uselessness is him putting Klavier down for how he copes with trauma. It explains why he was so quiet while Kristoph was on the witness stand, actually.

I also don't think Klavier's as egocentric and quite as much of a perfectionist as he lets on. I think it's part of what I referred to earlier as Klavier relapsing. I very much think he might've been like that at 17, but much like his other behavior at 17 it feels like he grew out of it, and he has a tendency to fall back into it during traumatic situations, whether it's as a defense mechanism or just how his brain responds to trauma.

Essentially this causes traumatic situations for Klavier to turn into him bottling everything up, which comes across to other people (including anyone who decides to play Apollo Justice and Dual Destinies) as irritability. This happens to me too; I'm prone to emotional overreaction but I've gotten to a point where I tend to bottle it up instead of doing literally anything else.

Capcom, please for the love of the Holy Mother give Klavier therapy.

[fatcatlittlebox]

I’ve been thinking a lot about how the showrunners have said in the past how much they referred to the Bible for inspiration and the religious symbolism utilized frequently throughout TROP. Also, how many online critics of haladriel cite the Virgin Mary as Tolkien’s inspiration for Galadriel and how shipping the two is sacrilegious. And while I do agree that Sauron is very clearly modeled after Satan, I think to say Sauron = Satan is pretty reductive. I also don't think this is the only theologic parallel in TROP.

I have said before, and I'll explain here that I think where JDP and McKay were drawing from were multiple religious parables: this includes Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. In my opinion, this parallel is an interesting and revealing one.

Like Sauron, Satan had “many names.” He was Lucifer once. In LOTR, Mairon was created by Eru and was once fair and good. Hence the opening line of the very start of this series: “Nothing is evil in the beginning." I think this is a founding principle of the show and season 1. It applies to people, ideas and intentions. Where season 1 sought to establish an origin story of sorts, they started with the "original sin”, the “Adam” and the “Eve.” In this case, the “genesis” of it all begins with Halbrand and Galadriel.

And is Halbrand the "Adam" archetype? I believe at this stage, he aspired to be. Sauron literally was reborn and perhaps saw that as a purifying experience. He wanted, in a sense, to be free of sin, the mistakes and flaws of his past. There is this striking image: an opening shot when we encounter Halbrand on the raft. Before he turns to face Galadriel, he cups water in his hand and he bathes his head: the act is baptismal.

Baptism in Catholicism is meant to cleanse the soul of original sin. A return to Adam. A return to purity. And he fits the description. He is "just a man." A "low man", primordial. They wander through Numenor in awe. Halbrand calls it a "paradise," a refuge to find his peace. And I think this is an important parallel to make because, maybe, Sauron didn't initially desire to conquer this new world, but to reclaim his Garden of Eden. To live free of his original sin. He sees the forge immediately and takes this as a sign, an offer: this is his ripe opportunity. Not to dominate and subjugate, but to be reborn as Mairon before Melkor. He is Halbrand seeking to rechart his path had he not have been seduced by Morgoth. And even if this would be a pale facsimile of his unsullied form, maybe it would be enough. But then there is Galadriel, who becomes his “Eve.”

Galadriel appears to fit the role. In the story of the Garden of Eden, it is Eve who offers the forbidden fruit to Adam. And with it the promise of knowledge, of greatness. Galadriel tells him that his current commoner state is the convenient lie, that the greatest act of reconciliation is to embrace his true self. While this advice may seem sound and was intended somewhat nobly, this is the double-edged logic that led to the fall of Man — his ambition. His pride.

Further deepening associations with sin, heaven, purity and evil is the iconography:

This shot is clearly meant to echo the famous depictions of the archangel St. Michael defeating Satan. And the symbolism is really interesting. Because where St. Michael purged Satan from heaven, Galadriel stops Halbrand. She asks him to spare Adar. Meanwhile, Halbrand is shaking with fury that I wouldn't interpret as emotion over the Uruk’s betrayal. He was almost detached and emotionless when Adar was killed later. Here, he is near tears when he proclaims, “You don’t know what he did!” He’s not talking about the Uruk in front of him. He’s talking about himself. Adar is the proxy for his past, his sins, his demons. Were Halbrand to succeed and vanquish Satan in effigy, he would be metaphorically purging himself. You can see he wants to desperately. But that closure is nullified. Galadriel stays his spear and it becomes symbolic of Halbrand’s failed overture at purification.

But mercy is not Galadriel’s folly anymore than it was for Bilbo to spare Gollum. Redemption after sin is not found in erasing the past. It’s not in making the impure, pure again. It is the balance of darkness and light in which justice collects payment. Something that Galadriel mentions twice in season 1 and is shown in Sauron's vision of their union. His world is in balance.

The loss of innocence when sacrificed for knowledge and greater ambition results to pain and suffering. But also allows bravery and hope to flourish. “Life in defiance of death.” The beauty borne from evil. Galadriel beckons to Halbrand with the promise of such harmony and he starts to believe. That peace and paradise in Numenor, his new "Eden,” are not his fate. She is. With the light of the Two Trees ensnared in her being, he would see Galadriel as the embodiment of paradise made flesh. He can live with his darkness with Galadriel at his side. Her light will provide balance. He cannot be free of the stain of his original sin. Without balance, he is destined to replay it like a broken record.

When we first see him emerge into human form, he has clothed his nakedness. It recalls to mind the creation of Man. However, in this version, darkness and shame follow this “Adam” because he has already fallen. And as we progress through 2 seasons, Halbrand devolves with the snake and serpent emerging as the dominant entity. Towards the end of season 1, he dons a serpent's scales as seen in his armor. By the end of the season finale, after Galadriel rebuffs him and effectively casts him out -- look at this shot. He looks like a cobra poised to sink his fangs into her with a poisonous bite (he succeeds in 2x08):

Like the biblical serpent, manipulation is his tool and one he has employed with great skill and ease. Adar, Mirdania, Celebrimbor, the orcs. He tempts them with promises and praise. Adar describes his way as “slithering.” When Adar commands Halbrand to grovel on the ground in 2x01, this is a reference to the serpent in the Genesis story who was condemned to crawl on his belly by God as his eternal punishment.

Later, when Sauron transforms into Annatar, his manner and dress pay homage to this. His headdress, the detail of his robes, his chest plate and his arm vambrances are adorned with coiling snakes. Charlie had said in an interview that this was intentional. This was his metamorphosis.

But with Galadriel, I posit that he “fell” as Adam not by being consumed with schemes of pride and hubris (as in past and future iterations of Sauron). It was that he fell in love. Which is why this parallel with the Garden of Eden is so important. It is a long argued theological debate that the serpent and the forbidden fruit in this story do not just represent greed but also lust and desire. Adam’s sin was not just borne of his vices but also out of love. He loved his Eve more than his God. He turned away from paradise because Eve held their future in her hand, having eaten the fruit before Adam. So he chose to share that unknown fate so long as they remained bound together. Whether in glory or exile. I believe this is the greater “sin” Halbrand committed when he left Numenor, his "Eden," with Galadriel.

I don’t even think he was aware of it at first. He may or may not have believed in her cause but he had complete devotion to her. He did not seek forgiveness from Eru but he asked for hers. He worshipped her and in doing so committed the greatest transgression. Like Adam, he turned from seeking salvation from God and chose to follow his Eve instead. And for Galadriel’s part, the obvious symbol for the forbidden fruit is Nenya. A ring that was literally made from power forged by good and evil in conflict over a tree. But I don’t think that was the real forbidden fruit here. It was when they chose each other in defiance of the gods. What ultimately gave her knowledge of good and evil? Not a ring. It was her binding to Sauron that opened the door and unleashed such power, love, life, beauty and death upon Middle Earth. The forbidden fruit was a forbidden love. That was the reason for Halbrand's preoccupying fear of Galadriel casting him out. It was because he had already been cast out of paradise in his past life. And when Galadriel shut the door to him, she cast him out of the paradise he was so desperate to rediscover.

[agenderduck]

so many people misunderstand red’s intentions in transport. he is not some secret genius that holds the answers to escaping, because he isn’t one. he’s terrified and at his wits end. he knows deep down that there is no escape so he pretends to drive a car that is self driving. he pretends to be in control because in his mind it’s the only thing he can do. its painfully mirrors how self awareness and pattern recognition when you’re mentally ill gets you absolutely no where without any real help. its a curse not a blessing. red is forced into a seat of awareness. awareness of something he knows nothing about, something he never wanted to know anything about. he never asked for this. truthfully he doesn’t know what he wants, nor does he know who he is and that’s ultimately what ruins him. he’s tired of feeling everything and nothing at the same time, so he runs. not necessarily physically but mentally. transport is a physical representation of red’s mental state. he isn’t constantly trying to escape the house, he’s trying to escape his own mind and circumstance without ever actually going anywhere. he knows fully well that what he’s doing will get him no where, as it always does but he needs to feel in control of something, anything. a part of him deep down truly believes that in doing this, real change may be made this time so he latches onto the idea of a community. he is running from the problem rather than facing it head on. transport is red wanting to break free from the chains that he perceives to be binding him, the problem being that he’s pulling on the wrong chains.

he spends the episode in a panicked frenzy, getting absolutely no where because ultimately red knows nothing. he doesn’t even know who he is. red lacks a sense of self, all three of them do, hence why he acts the way he does in jobs, and in family. he spends the series desperately trying to find a solution to that problem, trying to be anyone else, anywhere else. red thinks about himself first and foremost, not that he doesn’t care for duck and yellow, but because he associates them with the house, with his misery. as much as he cares for them, he can’t help but harbor resentment towards them. red fails to recognize that they likely feel similarly, because they do things so differently from himself. how could they possibly understand? he fixates solely on how trapped and powerless all this makes him feel. so when he begins to drive, he knows that he’s pretending to drive a corpse that’s going no where. he lies to his friends claiming that he’s doing it for all of them, when in reality he’s doing it for him. red tells himself that maybe just maybe there is a reality where he can live a life of his choosing, one where duck and yellow might also be there but one where he can live in a house of his own, have his own space. to be in control of something. deep down red knows that duck and yellow will always be there, partially because he cares for them but mainly because he has no choice. there was never a choice to begin with. red knows this much, and that is as far as his knowledge goes. the three of them will always be together, no matter what, but not in the way he wants them to be.

[crushmeeren]

hello crush!! ヾ( ˃ᴗ˂ )◞ • *✰ i wanted to check in and ask how you're doing! i also saw you like blue lock (my fav sport anime after haikyuu heh!) and wanted to ask who your favorite character was + why 🙈 blue lock has a bunch of cool characters i adore and i'd love to hear what you think about them 🥰 i hope you're doing well, love!! make sure to drink tons of water and take care of yourself <3 love you! :)

omg bee hi!! i’m so happy to see you in my inbox, i love getting messages and ily too!! c:

i am down so bad for haikyuu and blue lock 😩

this is so long bee i’m so sorry lmao. please feel free to write paragraphs back to me cuz i want to hear your thoughts as well. <3

let’s see… for blue lock, the one who caught my eye immediately and who i’ve been obsessed with since the beginning is bachira!

ᯓ★ bachira.

the fact that the man is so unapologetically himself and doesn’t fit inside the lines (in soccer and outside of it) draws me to him like a moth to a flame and the fact that the very first time we see him he’s asleep on the floor kills me. he’s so silly and cute and he’s a fucking beast on the field. he strikes me as the kind of guy who smiles at someone threatening him but you can just tell he’s unhinged on the inside and i love it. 😭

ᯓ★ isagi.

another fav is isagi. his determination and dedication — even his desperation, his willingness to do absolutely anything and everything to become better makes my heart pound. watching just how smart he is on the field drives me insane, like i want to run beside him on the field and let him tell me what to do or where to be to score a goal (even tho the only time i’ve ever played soccer was when i was 5). his friendship with bachira lives in my head rent free.

ᯓ★ nagi.

moving on to another boy on my list of faves we have nagi. he’s called the lazy genius and it’s true but i do find it truly fascinating to see him switch between wanting someone to feed him to laser sharp focus on the field. he’s effortlessly talented and it’s like he doesn’t even have to think twice about being amazing. i am envious and in awe of him at the same time because i wish that was me with long distance running lmao. seeing him decide he wanted to actually work on becoming better was so cool.

ᯓ★ chigiri.

chigiri is my pretty baby omg! besides the fact that he’s gorgeous (i’m super attracted to boys who look feminine or androgynous like him), he’s just so strong. i don’t necessarily mean just physically, but mentally too. thinking about how he overcame his fears and continues to grow and evolve and showcase how damn fast he is gives me chills. wish i could see him run in real life. he’s dependable and sassy and smart and if i played soccer i’d always want him on my team.

ᯓ★ rin.

rin is who i wish i was more like. i’m always drawn to characters who have troubled relationships with their brother’s ( i.e. itachi, sasuke, shouto, touya) because i also have a complicated and painful relationship with my own and he’s the only sibling i have, just like rin. so i feel as if i can relate to him in certain ways. rin is cold and calculated and brilliant and he stands on fucking business. gives approximately zero fucks about anyone else’s opinions and has the talent/skill to back up his behavior.

[aizawashuichi]

Near isn’t shown to have any resentment towards Linda and Roger during or after them giving his and Mello’s facial composites to Light, and Roger even becomes Watari after the Kira case. So, I feel like it’s safe to assume that what they did wasn’t as bad as it’s presented, and the only reason in my opinion is because Near instructed them to do that. Just the fact that he then lets Roger to become his right hand tells me that he does trust him, otherwise it would be out of character to get someone that betrayed him (and Mello) to work so closely to him, able to compromise L’s identity.

But even if Near didn’t tell them anything, let’s look it from Roger’s perspective. He watched this genius child grow and become this undefeated beast, a synonym of stability (sort of). As long as L was alive, nobody could take over the world. After he died, that was possible, and it was scary to think that this person with this incredible power to kill people at distance was now free to act as they pleased.

The only contact we know he and L had was through the periodic press of a button to signal that he was still alive. I don’t think they (Watari included) had any regular calls, because otherwise, they wouldn’t need this system set in place (which makes me wonder why they didn’t talk anymore. In my Roger x Watari headcanon, it’s because their relationship grew cold after Watari chose L over him, which made him also hate children more than before, but canonically, we aren’t given any reason as to why Roger is no longer – or has never been – part of L’s actual work).

So, Roger didn’t know anything about the case, other than what was reported on the news, he knew very little about Kira, and had no clue who L thought Kira could be. He could only imagine it was someone who was physically close to him, as to know what L looked like (not because of the Death Note, since he didn’t know about it, but just to pinpoint who the detective was and target him), so I think he guessed they had to be someone in the NPA/Japanese Task Force (those that are working to “catch” Kira and/or have access to his computer in order to emulate him) that took over his role. He knows L enough to understand that he wouldn’t go out of his way to let a lot of people know his identity, only a handful, in strictly extraordinary circumstances, as this one. And this is something I don’t understand on Light’s part.

When learning from Aizawa and Matsuda that Roger knows that L is dead, why didn’t he find him a threat? It seems a bit odd that he wouldn’t question how he knows that and if L told him other stuff about the case, including his main suspect, but that’s irrelevant here.

In any case, I believe (correct me if I’m wrong) that when Aizawa and Matsuda showed up to Wammy’s, they presented themselves as people connected to the Kira case in some way or another, as to be credible and justify their sudden appearance, but even if they didn’t, they are still Japanese. Roger didn’t know L’s whereabouts directly from him, but surely the news reported what L did in Kanto after it happened, and that’s why he knows he was killed by Kira. That, or L would actually report where he is, when moving for a case.

Without any instruction from Near, I think his actions are somewhat justifiable: his position was extremely risky, because he could be in front of a possible Kira, that could kill him or the kids (to threaten him or whatever). As much as he hated kids, I don’t think he was insensitive to the possibility of a mass murder. A mass murder which nobody would find out about unless either Near failed to get in contact with him or someone passed by that place.

In his eyes, in this scenario, putting up any kind of resistance meant only the worst, so he did what he could to ensure his and the kids’ safety, which I think Near could see as understandable.

In my opinion, though, they were in constant contact or, at least, Near asked Roger to be updated in case Mello came back there or if someone showed up, asking him information about them, and he gave him some instructions or warnings just in case.

Near, at this point in the timeline, didn’t know Light directly nor he knew what he looked like, so he could only relate to him what he knew regarding the method of killing and instruct him on how to act, if someone went there.

I seriously think that whatever happened at the Wammy’s House that day was orchestrated in advance to go in a certain way, because it was Near who decided to tell Light about the Wammy’s House, which he wouldn’t do if he knew that there was ACTUAL information that could get Kira to kill them.

It’s hard for me to believe that Roger didn’t know the kids’ names, because surely, he should have the documents that assess their existence into this world. They didn’t spawn out of the blue in the orphanage and if Watari went to look for them or if someone sent them to the Wammy’s, they had to have a birth certificates, medical record, etc. with them. And when Roger took Wammy’s place as the head, he had access to them. Watari couldn’t be the only one in their possess, because otherwise e.g. they couldn’t even go to the emergency room if they needed to. I don’t know why Matsuda and Aizawa didn’t question this part, but to me Roger hid all these documents somewhere, so if they searched Watari’s (now his) office, they wouldn’t be able to find anything.

In the end, I think Roger gave them what they asked for, but without revealing too much, so that he could convince them he was being truthful and collaborative, when he wasn’t (at least, in part), thanks to Near’s help that told him what information he could give out.

I don’t know how much of a stretch is to say that it was all Near’s plan to get a hold of Mello, but we know that Near wants Kira to approach him in some way and giving him information he has decided prior on if it was detrimental or not is the best way. Maybe he contacted Roger as a preventive measure, but then decided he could use that for his own gain.

About Linda, I think she was at the Wammy’s at this moment, because they didn’t say Roger provided them with her contact, so it wouldn’t be hard to tell her what to do. Not sure about this, but giving them their facial composite wasn’t seen as something dangerous, because he didn’t know about the eyes. It just helped Roger to seem collaborative.

[georgiesblurredbones]

Imagine Being The One To Introduce This Stupid Guy 2 Mitski Music. (He’d Relate 2 Her Songs In Humanly Impossible Ways And He’d Probably Kill Himself Over It Bc He’s: Japanese But Got Weird Looks For Bowing To Show Respect So He Mostly Stopped Doing It Because of Other Peoples Views of His Culture, Rarely Ever Displays Any Actual Emotions That Aren’t Anger or Sadness Bc He’s So Desensitized To Everything, Very Fucking TRAUMATIZED(See TFRiD2015 S3 Ep 9 ‘Out of The Shadows’), Probably Has Mommy/Daddy Issues Bc Just Look At Him, Misunderstood Bc of His Lack of Emotion/Over Exaggeration of Emotion, Was HOMELESS And a Drug Addict At One Point, And Basically Got GROOMED, Gets Deadnamed By Said Groomer The Entire Time They Were On Screen, Had His Kids Kidnapped TWICE, Once By The Groomer And Another Time By STARSCREAM).

[tinysnailtales]

Inuyasha Chapter 119

Kikyo's Arrow

Probably a 5/5 chapter. Continues to explore established themes and digs into the characters of Kikyo, Inuyasha, and Kagome and their “love triangle.” This chapter essentially is the "love triangle" manifesting in a physical fight while Miroku remains fixated on how Inuyasha's body will fuse with the demon's whether he wins or loses the fight.

There is not a lot regarding Inuyasha’s thoughts on the situation, at least not directly, but his actions enable us to draw conclusions about his feelings while also leaving some wiggle room for interpretation. Kikyo and Kagome are a more direct commentary on the dynamic between these three characters, with both girls coming at the situation with their own biased perspectives.

We get "'I've got to get Kikyo's body to a safe place!' If I don't, Inuyasha will continue fighting that demon, in order to protect her...because Inuyasha will never abandon Kikyo!" from Kagome and "Fool...now that you've shown up...Inuyasha has lost his reason..." from Kikyo.

Though Kikyo’s perspective is informed by her dislike for Kagome and her belief that Inuyasha prefers Kagome, she comes off as a more objective observer simply because she can tell that what Kagome says about Kikyo is true for Kagome as well: Inuyasha will never abandon her. Kagome’s reflections are also tainted by sadness–she is hurt by Inuyasha’s dedication to Kikyo–while Kikyo’s are more tainted by annoyance and anger.

Inuyasha fights to defend both girls, but when he notices Kagome is there, it does come across as his rage slamming into a wall of shock, like a weightier role of protector falls on his shoulders. His thoughts reiterate: "Blast it. My only choice is to fight!"

Kikyo’s presence made him think “Why is she here…?!” (which is also what Kagome thought) whereas Kagome’s feels more like “oh shit.” To be fair–her arrival means he now has to protect two people he loves.

Regarding Kikyo specifically, she continues to be a fascinating character. The poison imp steals the souls of the dead inside of Kikyo's body and declares: "The woman...she ain't human, eh? Then I'll make her part of me..." and so we get the continuation of the question: what is Kikyo? What are the impacts of death? How do souls factor in? Kikyo possesses a body made of clay; a fragment of Kagome/her original soul; and the stolen souls of girls who have died, but she is not human and not living. And now this demon, which consumes other demons, wants to make her part of it. Has Kikyo become a semi-demonic figure? She wanted Inuyasha to become human but has ended up becoming something not quite human herself.

This also connects back to Kikyo’s observations about Naraku in the previous volume: “The evil aura that permeates the castle…emanates from this man…?! What is this man?! I cannot feel any life force within his body at all. It’s as if he’s dead from the neck down.”

There’s a bunch of should-be-dead people in this love tangle (adding Naraku to the triangle), with demons giving Kikyo and Naraku new “life.” If the Shikon Jewel keeps playing out its own history in an endless cycle, I guess it is fitting that it now goes through the motions of that history with the dead like a haunting.

[wickmitz]

Do u actually ship rocky and mitzi?

to try and be as simple as possible, i suppose i do ship them ; i’m particularly drawn by their dynamic and have long since grown enamored with it … so, naturally, i enjoy turning them over in my head and shoving them together, seeing all the possible ways they fit and how they function when glued together. rocky’s feelings for mitzi are so intense and metaphorical that there’s a lot of ground to run with, honestly. it’s not a black and white relationship where they fit neatly under one label or another either, hence my constant use of the term ‘a secret third thing’ for them overall. there’s romance, obsession, desperation, platonic associations, and a thousand other factors embedded into what they have. rocky simply ‘seeing mitzi as a mother figure’ or ‘being totally in love with her in a traditional sense’ just doesn’t capture them with the justice they deserve. it’s more … muddled than that. rocky, at this point in time, is completely incapable of maintaining love anyway, and mitzi certainly isn’t any better either. in a context where i envision them together, that aspect is a big part of things : where they click together due to their inability to sustain a healthy and stereotypical romantic bond, and thus accidentally fuel each other’s unhappy paths. it’s easy to see how mitzi does this to rocky! but rocky is capable of doing it to her as well, what with his all-consuming need to be who she relies on and to restore the lackadaisy to it’s previous glory for himself and her. he enables her and she enables him, even if it’s subconscious and accidental. while there is undeniable fondness and care there, they are also walking down this path hand-in-hand, tugging each other along when one of then falters or pauses. so, to me, it’s not hard imagining things becoming closer and more intimate … who doesn’t want to be smashed together against someone who gives you all the validation you crave and never shuns you, twisting all your awful deeds into something good and believing you righteous at all times. it’s addicting! and natural. while rocky obviously would enjoy such a relationship, so would mitzi at this point in her life. where she’s exhausted and feels particularly ugly within, and is currently all alone.

they also would click in ways that wouldn’t force them to abandon how they currently go about romance. mitzi needs to spend a good portion of her day thinking about her dead husband and nobody else, meanwhile rocky is very enamored with being a knight in shining armor so to speak, only able to express himself through extreme devotion, a thing that ( as said by crew members on stream ) can’t singlehandedly keep a relationship afloat … normally. but mitzi can deal with rocky’s rather eccentric and destructive behavior, can take the only thing he can offer and accept it wholeheartedly, because she couldn’t handle anything more normal or mature right now. and rocky, despite his occasional displays of territorial behavior, never bats an eye at or feels inferior to mitzi’s atlas obsession. this wouldn’t be the case in other relationships, where both of them would have to change or grow in some way in order to keep the love stable and secure. there would be things they’d have to give up, or be vulnerable about, and both of them are too stubborn for that at this point. a random lover would always be a second thought compared to the lackadaisy.

( now, of course, i ship mitzi and rocky with other people! and i’m very interested in these bonds forming during canon’s events. but it’d either be an unhealthy relationship, due to everything i said above, or a happier sort of take on things : where mitzi and rocky are pulled from their minds’ unraveling edges and are both given the care, patience, and understanding they both need. one where they can set aside the lackadaisy for a moment or two, and can find genuine happiness somewhere else. i never see them as fully moving on from it, nor do i see mitzi fully giving up atlas or rocky fully giving up mitzi, but things can be softened and less insane. sometimes! )

now, is this healthy? no. but is this me saying they should be surgically removed from one another because they make each other ‘worse’? also no! i adore them in every sense of the word and acting like there aren’t positives attached to their dynamic would, frankly, be stupid of me. they are there for each other in their worse moments and approach each other with kindness, something they don’t really get from others anymore. they are genuinely happy to be in each other’s presence and have a habit of lifting each other up, or providing each other some much needed warmth on a bad day. you see it many times in the comic, situations where mitzi is devestated, and rocky rushes in to comfort her ; and he always succeeds in some way, wiggling that severe expression off her face and getting her to smile, even if it’s small and weak. and rocky loves that! it makes him happy to be able to ease her heartache and worries so. it makes him feel useful and needed, and she’s one of the only people in his life to give him even a sliver of praise here or there. here are some examples i can remember off the top of my head :

and while there isn’t many examples of mitzi praising rocky, she is also still one of the few people who shows concern over him and asks after him. there are also two scenes, in the pilot and in the comic, where rocky messes up big time, and mitzi has every right to be frustrated with him. she could yell, she could get mean, like rocky is so used to, but instead … she sucks it in and simply lets it go. this happens with the pig farmers, but also in the pilot most notably! where the second she realizes how hard rocky is taking her words, her reasonable and sympathetic irritation at things not working out, she backtracks. she forces those emotions away and simply says this, earnestly and kindly, and wipes the devestation off rocky’s face :

as much of an accidental negative influence they can have on each other, there’s also a more purposeful positive influence that is inherent in their dynamic. i wouldn’t ever want to dismiss that, nor do i enjoy when other people rush to do so themselves, claiming they’re simply no good for each other. well, they claim mitzi is a manipulative person who only sees rocky as a pawn, but i’ll pretend fans are critical of rocky’s many faults as well. the point is : they’re good for each other and to each other! they just happen to have a great capacity to cling and stay where they are rather than doing anything more beneficial or productive. any dynamic in lackadaisy can become toxic in a sense, given the fact that a majority of the characters are prone to indulging in their flaws and chasing what’s familar, what’s most comfortable, with little regard to anyone else. but i find that aspect interesting, and i love rocky/mitzi all the more for their accidental enabling and vastly obscured views.

the more romantic aspects aren’t really something i care too much about, overall. i play around with it and find scenarios where things can bloom in such a way, but them calling each other ‘boyfriend’ or ‘girlfriend’ isn’t something i care for. i do not think mitzi would ever be attracted to rocky in a sappy lovesick way -- she’s above fawning as it is, and is rather methodical about things like passion or adoration nowadays anyway. her eyes can’t exactly sparkle upon seeing rocky spilling syrup all over himself nor can she sigh dreamily at his nonsensical, improv poetry spiels that just burst out of him like water through a broken dam. but they could soften at the corners and she could convince herself of something romantic if it held her the right way. if she felt battered enough to give into it, or was lonely enough to indulge herself in a place she knows she’s wanted. rocky, on the other hand, is a bit easier to imagine here! he would never say no to miss m. and actively wants to ‘keep’ her already … if they were to become an item, an obscure, happenstance item, than he’d embrace it full heartedly! it’s been well established rocky isn’t one to turn down love or affection, so to get it from mitzi of all people? it’d be extremely ooc to even pretend he’d regret it or shy away. he loves her, of course he does, his beautiful dionysus : who unlocks her doors for him to enter, who smiles upon him with her wine soaked lips, who brushes a dainty paw across his shoulder and sings him praises like it doesn’t pain her to say them. she is warm and comforting and soft, and rocky is possessed by a maddening desire to wrap every spaghetti limb he has around her, and never let her go. again, his love is nothing short of all-consuming and obsessive where mitzi is concerned. her devoted acolyte! it would be simple to see how he’d get here in comparison to mitzi’s more wounded and guarded heart. i don’t think rocky fully loves her in only a romantic sense, however! i’m a firm believer that it is a mix of romantic and platonic feelings, an awkward and intensive blend of the two, this sort of combination that isn’t easy to sort through. he does take comfort in the fact she reminds him of a motherly figure, just as much as he genuinely finds her attractive and appealing in a puppy love kind of way. there’s also the fact that rocky is keen on lying to mitzi and wearing masks around her in the name of seeming more amazing in her eyes -- the fact his love for her is metaphorical and personal in equal measure, and the fact mitzi hides herself away from everyone around her. there would be a lot of untangling! a lot of pretending. this is a ship that will always have a multitude of layers and caveats attached to it, so to speak.

but that excites me! i like it! i love a dynamic that i could write endlessly about no matter the context it’s being framed in! how utterly unsurprising it is that the first lackadaisy fic i thought of was one that would focus heavily on these two and what’s happening between them, what could happen. mitzi wallowing in her self-inflicted misery while rocky prowls around her, begging to be useful to her while simultaneously chasing off a suitor of hers that he cannot stand to let near, is quite the image in my mind, and is one i always have looping around in the back of my head. the parallels to atlas/mordecai are an added bonus to this! if rocky is doomed by the narrative then mitzi is the narrative to which he’s bleeding himself upon, you know? that, as well as his own insecure delusions. mitzi, similarly, would easily waste away to nothing or get herself killed while trying to pursue her nostalgic ambitions if it weren’t for rocky being so willing to do the dangerous stuff for her. i think about how mitzi almost got herself killed in skedaddle and how rocky rushed to save her. while zib and ivy care for mitzi, and viktor is obligated to protect her, they are not as quick as rocky is -- nor as recklessly devoted to the point of readily given sacrifice.

anyway! i’m very fond of them, and there are so many scenes and other aspects of their characters that i could spend ages pouring over. this is, genuinely, merely a fraction of my thoughts on them. although i do hope i answered your question, anon! i got a bit carried away and i’m sure a lot of this is hard to parse through by default, but oh well!