#and im interested in where this interpretation is perhaps going

[meanderfall]

🫡 always a pleasure to talk about leo!! im just going to talk about Leo not speaking with his family for now, bc it's easiest 🤣 (honestly hope i didnt raise any expectations fjldjgjdhg im not really treading new ground here and i probably could have tacked it on to the end of the og post but. i was tired.)

(under a read more, bc woooo boy, i did not know i had so many words in me about this)

I mean, one of the biggest things is that, in general, Leo doesn't really talk. Like, when everyone is just hanging out and having fun, he'll definitely speak up, but he does stay rather reserved, hanging out more in the background, and when they're actually on an adventure or in a situation, he pretty much does not speak unless it's related to figuring out the next steps on what to do. (Slightly unrelated, but I always found it kinda interesting how when they're in the midst of an adventure, Raph, Mikey, and even Don, will banter and tease on occasion, but they leave Leo out of it. At home, it's fine to tease him and annoy him, but when he needs to focus? They respect it. Just like how Leo, iirc, doesn't really get on their case for goofing around in these situations. It's sweet, honestly, imo, I love how much the brothers respect each other and how good they work together.)

And so, when it comes to things important to him, like defending what he thinks is the right thing to do or being sappy about how they're a team, he'll speak up, but things that worry him? burden him? hmmmm, I don't think so. We don't really get to see what kind of conversations they have off-camera (though there are a couple throwaway lines here and there, iirc, along the lines of "hey this is who we talked about!" if a villain reappears, so we know at least SOME communication is happening), so if they actually go to each other to talk about things bothering them or for comfort is more up to headcanon and fic. Buuuuuut, I do think there are enough moments in canon that hint at Leo not talking about these things before s4, that i would think it canon that Leo is pretty tight-lipped about his troubles.

For example, when Splinter shared that Leo used (? ngl i do love the thought of him still not liking them) to be afraid of heights, his brothers had NO IDEA about this. In the following episode when Raph joins him in the barn, Leo lists out criticisms that he thinks Raph wants to say (that he's been telling himself), but does not mention the emotional aspect at all. And it's clear that even though Raph stops him and shows his support and helps him, it's done through silent actions rather than talking it out. There's the s2 ep "reflections" where Leo mentions he still feels like an idiot for believing the Shredder's lies and when Splinter tries to tell him he's not wrong for having a good heart and hoping it was true, Leo brushes past the reassurance and compliment and focuses more on how he should have seen it coming. And perhaps on a sillier note, there's a whole comp of Leo going "i don't know... i just don't know" and never elaborating on his worries or fears 🤣 like come on dude, you know your brothers would listen about your doubts or theories just speak!!!! you don't HAVE to be mysterious.

Also, and this might be more of a reach, but I also found it kinda interesting how in the beginning of s4 when Leo is mostly just quietly sitting in sad silence, clearly reflecting over what happened, none of his brothers try to push him to talk. Which makes me think that maybe when something bothers him, Leo usually isolates and works through it on his own, and his brothers are used to this coping mechanism, and just stuck to trying to ensure Leo knew they were still around and kept inviting him to play with them so he'd know they're there for him. Hence why it took a while for them to really notice how bad things were.

The other reason is more based on how I interpret his character so like. nobody has to agree with me on this.

Anyway. By the end of this arc, when Leo is visiting the Ancient One, the latter helps him understand that he did his best and he doesn't have to punish himself for failing, but there's an entire half season before that where the sense of failure and shame over it is eating him alive, and, yes, there's the aspect of him feeling like he did not live up to his self-appointed role of protector, but who else did he feel like he failed? His family.

I mean, in the time before he goes to visit the Ancient One, who are the ones he's actually shown a willingness to talk about he how feels? April and Usagi. Two people who weren't there when it happened. And people he hasn't spent his entire life so far promising to protect. And the Ancient One is also someone he doesn't know, and, as far as he knows, doesn't really know him. Speaking to them isn't as fraught. He didn't fail any of them.

And, I think, if Leo actually told his family how he was feeling, about how he failed and feels so guilty and ashamed for it, it would make it real in a way he isn't ready for, that he can't accept. If he doesn't speak it, he has time, still, to prove it wrong. To be better. It doesn't matter that his family wouldn't actually find fault in him or forgive him. It might even make him feel worse. We already know from "Reflections" that any reassurance from his family wouldn't work on him, because he should have been better. He can be better. His family can still rely on him, he swears.

There's a reason, I think, that the Ancient One deliberately pushes him past his breaking point. Part of it is to finally break past his composure, but also to dig deep past the anger, anxiety, beliefs and expectations, and into the very core of the issue.

He gets those flashes of his family begging him to help them, save them. Because that's how he sees himself, how he thinks his family sees him. And maybe it's just the way I remember the episode, but the way he apologizes and pleads "I did the best I could! I did the best I could! There wasn't anything more I could have done!".... it feels almost like it was wrenched out of him. Desperate for forgiveness for his failures. And the Ancient One gentles and nudges him into realizing that the only forgiveness that matters is his own.

I'm not sure if Leo could have reached that point with his family. Not when his feelings of shame and failure are all muddled with these perceived expectations he thinks his family has of him.

i will never be over the perfect slow burn of leonardo's deteriorating mental health from s1 to s3 in tmnt 2003

he's a pretty reserved and quiet guy but we still get to see him be a dork in s1 and act like a typical teenager!!! having fun riding his scooter during the blackout with his brothers, getting SO excited over perfecting his split kick, and the background stuff too, like reading a book (and getting interrupted by the battle shell almost running him over in "fallen angel" rip), and eating junk food with his brothers.

but you get further into the series, and a lot of that stuff just kinda... fades away. he'll still mess around and play with his brothers sometimes before the plot starts, but the more obvious dorky teenage stuff sort of stops, and 99% of the time in the background shots in the set-up to the plot, he's training. And it's not even the fun, "i REALLY want to get this move right, hey look guys i did it!!! :3", kind of training like with the split kicks. he's taking it 100% serious, like it's life or death. And well..... I think for him, it definitely feels that way.

I mean, Tales of Leo pretty much shows us what is most important to him. (and i always go kind of bonkers over just how explicit they are in laying out just who exactly Leonardo is and what makes him tick in that single episode. Obviously the show does it at least once for the others too bc it's a kid's show, but once they give us the basics of personality early on, they let the characterization come through more subtly. In comparison, this episode comes late into the season and it kind of feels like them grabbing us and going "are you paying attention? this is important. it will be important.")

we get to see how focused he is, how he's been there to save his brothers when they get into trouble, how they trust him and his judgment, and most importantly from splinter's tale, protecting his family will always outweigh any fear he has. Leonardo is at his bravest when his family needs him. and we get proof of this moments later when he wakes up from his coma ("Leonardo, my son, you must gather all your strength and confront your fear"), he wakes up because he heard his family tell him they needed him.

and I think, pre-series, this protective drive, this responsibility he has gladly put on his shoulders, wouldn't be that much of an issue. Obviously, there were dangers but. Intermittent ones. Ones any of them were fully capable of handling on their own and as kids.

But then the show starts happening and their adventures get more dangerous, more lethal. And the stakes keep getting higher and higher.

And Leo feels this change the most keenly because he feels so responsible for the lives of his family. And, unintentionally, his family ends up reinforcing this belief, inadvertently places expectations on his shoulders, because at least once per season there's some big high stakes fight and everyone looks to Leonardo to pull through and finish things.

And obviously if they knew, if they realized how this might be affecting him, they would say something, do something, but Leo would never tell. He wants to protect them. He's probably happy and proud that they rely on him.

And so the series goes on, with his family none the wiser of what's happening, but, imo, you can see the cracks in the façade.

We know from Return to New York with the way he freezes and has a flashback when fighting the Elite that he most definitely has a little trauma from the Shredder Strikes Back. That he was afraid during that fight, even if he didn't show it. That he might've been scared during other moments in the show but didn't show it because his family needed him.

When he makes a mistake, he's so harsh with himself. In s3, Hunted, Leo steps on a mine and he immediately goes "stupid, stupid, stupid!" at himself. In the recap episode of s2, Raph points out that Leo isn't so perfect considering how he almost believed the Shredder when he tried to get Leo to join him. And unlike in the first episode of s1 where Leo pushes back against Raph's taunts, he just full-on agrees with Raph here. Splinter tries to let him know it's not his fault but he brushes off any comfort or reassurance, because in his mind, he should have been better.

All of his spare time now seems to be spent on training, because he needs to be ready for anything. And on that point, his hypervigilance is through the roof. If there's someone in the shadows, some quiet sound hinting at an attack, it's almost always Leo that notices. I think constantly of the moment in Hunted when Mikey would have been sniped if Leo hadn't noticed the glint of the rifle and got him out of the way. I'm sure what could have been haunts Leo. And it's those small moments, where Leo needed to be ready and able that keeps reinforcing Leo's belief that he has to be on the look-out, has to protect his family, because if he isn't, they will die.

And it just builds and builds and by the time you get to season 4, where Leo is spiraling and isolating himself and lashing out, it feels like it's been a long time coming.

[princessithaca]

pjotv what gave you the right. where have you been hiding that this whole time. emotional damage after emotional damage after emotional damage.

[microwavedelivery]

I'm pretty sure this is every post that I have ever made in my entire life

[iminlovewithmybentley]

WARNING FOR GOOD OMENS SPOILERS!!!!

FURTHER SLIGHT SPOILER WARNING FOR THE FOLLOWING BOOKS: The Bone Clock by David Mitchell, You Only Call When You're In Trouble by Stephen Mcauley, and Bibliomaniac by Robin Ince.

Edit: Photos by @polychromicron-persei-8 !!!!!

So I'm sure a lot of the fandom have seen the pictures posted by a very lucky fan who saw the production of good omens happening out in Scotland today!!

However what I'm not seeing people talk about is a hidden gem in the reblogs.

SOMEONE HAD MANAGED TO GET A PICTURE OF THE BOOKS IN THE WINDOW!!!

Naturally, I had to go and do my research to see if these books give us any clues or serve any other purposes other than decorative purposes

AND LET ME TELL YOU

These are the the books visible in the window:

I'll go through them one by one

(Please bear in mind, I haven't read any of these books personally!! The only information I have on them are the little bits I found online in a very rushed attempt at research!!!)

Okay firstly

"The Bone Clocks" by David Mitchell

Now, this is the one that I struggled to make sense of the most out of the three.

The story appears to follow a runaway teenage girl who is a "lightning rod for psychic phenomena." These visions are said to reorder reality and send her into a real life nightmare.

However,

It also states that there is a boy who eventually crosses paths with her and who's story "comes together in moments of grace and extraordinary wonder"

As I said, I've never read these books and the only link I could begin to make with this is the idea of a "supernatural being meets another supernatural being and what they can do when they're together defies anyone's wildest dreams" story, similar to what we have seen and could see in GO3.

The next book is where it gets FARRRR more interesting (in my opinion)

NOW

THE TITLE? INTERESTING ASF.

IS AZIRAPHALE IN TROUBLE? OR EVEN CROWLEY?

The quotes are literally taken from the amazon listing itself, but I'll just point out the bits that stuck out to me personally.

☆ "is it ever okay to stop caring for others and start living for yourself?"

And I'm skipping a HUUUUGE chunk of the story here so apologies

☆ "Tom does what he's always done - answers the call."

☆ "Thus begins a journey that will change everyone's life and demonstrate the beauty or dysfunction (or both?) of the ties that bind families together and sometimes strangle them."

THAT LAST QUOTE REALLY STICKS OUT TO ME. Personally, I'd say that could possibly relate to the heaven and hell divides?

But furthermore, we were told prior to the whole NG situation that Aziraphale and Crowley aren't talking.. so could that mean that as soon as they begin speaking once again, they have the power to leave heaven and hell behind? Perhaps stop the divides?

And last, but certainly not least

Now, keep in mind that this particular book is nonfiction and appears to be written from the authors own point of view as he aims to visit 100 bookshops in 100 days.

This has a relatively short description from what I can see right now so I'll put it in here

"Bibliomaniac takes the reader on a journey across Britain as Robin explores his lifelong love of bookshops and books - and also tries to find out just why he can never have enough of them.

It is the story of an addiction and a romance, and also of an occasional points failure."

This one interested me SO much because it SCREAMS Aziraphale character development sort of thing? You know?

I really struggled to find any spoilers for this one whatsoever but one website did mention the author's love for vintage books, which he only ever reads as and when, as opposed to focusing on just one book.

I just thought this was SO SO SOOOOO interesting, and if anybody has any differing thoughts/interpretations or has even read the books, the comment section is a safe space to do so!!! All theories/suggestions are welcomed (any hate WILL be blocked, don't test me).

OR MAYBE THIS ALL MEANS NOTHING AND IM JUST CLOWNING FAR TOO HARD?!??!??!

[homeofhousechickens]

Arctic Eggs and CHICKENS ramble

There is a ton of themes and stuff and different interpretations going on in this game but Im going to just talk about the chickens an the stuff i noticed.

To start off, the chickens are modeled after a red sex link production hens a type of hen bred for egg production at the cost of their lifespan. Battery hens rarely make it past their second birthday. Im not sure if the devs chose this breed on purpose or if it was just what a generic chicken looked like in their mind. Maybe they chose this breed because a white chicken would be washed out in the arctic environment.

The game starts with the player looking at the chickens in the cages and it brings up a lot of questions. Why are there so many chickens? Why are we the player character here? After you walk through this poultry prison you are tasked with the job of a poultry prepper meaning you cook eggs. It doesn't matter how many eggs you drop there is always more to fall into your pan. Its interesting to me that there is a surplus of chickens and eggs but their is apparently a food shortage going on in the game.

I think the player character has much more in common with the battery hens then they realize. It doesn't matter though you are greeted with the first line in the game, "Can you fry eggs ontop of Mount Everest?" It seems like and irrelevant question and in a way it is.

This game is quick to show you that you have very little freedom, same with the people you are cooking for. A lot of people are hungry and its not really for food is it? You cook cigs, bullets, beer, sardine cans and cockroaches. Eggs are not the only thing on the menu.

As you play the game multiple people tell you they are caring for the chickens but they are worried about what happens to them when they get taken away. Many seem quite distraught that they aren't being told what is happening to them especially since eating poultry has been banned (but not eggs). Some people still think about eating the chickens but are quickly disgusted by it soon after. One person even said they all "taste like tomatos now"

We can almost see this worry about caring for something and having it be taken away paralleled to the robot prisoners and their cockroaches, one of them weeping over the roaches you cooked for them like they were their own children. We can assume people also get taken away in this game, we see the prisons and the discarded brain in the garbage after all. Maybe this isnt about losing the chickens or the roaches? Maybe the poeple raising the chickens wish to know if they are being eaten?

There is no privacy in this game, people squat over toilets full of feces in front of everyone and the prisoners do the same as the guards watch. It reminds me of the conditions of a chicken battery cage, cramped and full of feces. These people are living very similar lives to the chickens with little freedom to choose how they live.

After feeding the necessary amount of people you go and meet the Saint of Six Stomachs, the supposed ruler/dictator of this place. He is an amalgam of organs and.. chickens? To me It is implied 3 of his stomachs are hens. You see these trapped chickens right before you see his face. Perhaps this is why chickens are banned because the Saint is made up of chickens, maybe this is where the chickens who are taken away go. This part of the Saint's anatomy fascinates me. You go and cook the hens 6 eggs.

Afterwards you are met with the Saint's head eerily making eye contact from their glass container. After cooking his egg he asks "Can you fry eggs ontop of Mount Everest?" He says he never thought about it since it was irrelevant to him. He is right about that, how would someone in his situation even think about doing that, like you and the chickens he is trapped. Just like to the player character it is a nonsense question that is irrelevant.

The credits roll after you grasp the saints hand, you pilot some kind of fighter plane to a mountain where you have a serious crash landing. As you and your friend look over the wreckage (where you may have died in tbh) you ignore your objective of frying eggs since you abandoned your pan at the Saint's and climb the mountain finding a chicken out of her cage perched on a rock. Maybe the chicken is here because you need an egg or maybe she is here because she made the choice to be. It is quite likely the player character will die on the mountain or is already dead.

The game ends after you slowly reach out and pet the chicken.

This game is absurd and challenging. The surreal vibes can kind of make it easy to not take it seriously especially with all the silly dialog but there is something very special about this game and what it is saying. I think it really "gets" chickens as a symbol as well and it was nice to see a game really use them for its story.

[zyafics]

i have a question (please don't misinterpret im JUST JUST JUSTTTT ASKING PLEASE DONT KILL ME)

why are you trying to stop people from writing canon rafe? its fiction, so not a gloification. im sure since we're all adults we can tell that men who act like rafe are DICKS irl. but... fanfiction is writing. witing is an art. art is an interpretation. rafe is... not a good person, but he IS an interesting character tho. writing fanfics isn't about being all about bad behavior but you're looking at stories and emotions from different perspectives. when one writes canon rafe even if its smut you're not excusing him being a horrible bitch. ppl write what's fascinating to them and it's a good way to understand very nuanced characters.

perhaps... you should know how to separate fiction and art from real life (NOT BEING RUDE.)

everyone is technically allowed to interpret a character how they want and you're knda trying to shut that down which just limits creativity and community.

if you or others don't like how rafe is portrayed in canon fics, thats cool and you can avoid 'em! but trying to shame others and telling them to only write fanon rafe is just unfair and not nessecary.

hi! i never try to kill anyone who comes in with genuine curiosity and open-mindedness so do not worry, you're off my list (for now... hehe)

why are you trying to stop people from writing canon rafe? its fiction, so not a gloification.

i'm not! i love writing canon!rafe. i love writers who explore the complexity of his nuanced characterization. i admit, here and now, and over and over again, he is a bad person. his subtext is filled with prejudices—classism, racism, sexism to his own sister—but i never excuse that behavior. i never hide behind the veil that just because you're writing canon does not mean you're not subjected to criticism. additionally, just because you write canon!rafe does not mean you have to romanticize the attributes of his character.

fanfiction is writing. witing is an art. art is an interpretation.

you're right! fanfic is writing. fanfic is free. but that doesn't make absolve it from its problem. that's the beautiful thing about complex topics. two things can be right at once. you can write whatever you want. but that doesn't mean you're free from the criticism of your own writing. i strongly stand by that.

you should know how to separate fiction and art from real life (NOT BEING RUDE.)

i do. fiction and art are separate from real life. if you were here a while back, i even wrote a thought piece on rape and non-con in fanfic. i was advocating for people to have the right to write them. i explained, in explicit detail why people write it the way that they do. but i still stand by what i believe: just because you write a taboo topic, and you're in a fanfic space, does not mean you are absolved of the consequences and callouts of the interpretation of your fics by your audience. intents ≠ actions. and to completely disassociate those two, if you really want to be nuanced, is impossible. i remember reading an article where a serial killer admitted that he got some of the ideas for his murders from a skywars movie: the scene where leia was held up in chains. it was meant to be misogynistic and demeaning; so art and media do have an impact on real life.

everyone is technically allowed to interpret a character how they want and you're knda trying to shut that down which just limits creativity and community.

the thing is, i'm not. never once did i told them to stop writing it. i said to address it. the problem i have with it is the inherent romanticization of the characters. i have read dark, dead doves do not eat fics with rafe cameron, and i never called out those writers. why? because they never framed it as something readers should want. the audience should like. the audience should accept. it was narratively framed as wrong. that's how you go about writing a nuanced character with taboo topics. when you're putting misogynistic!rafe into a setting, and you framed it through a rose-colored glass, where it's actually acceptable, endearing, and romantic, that's the problematic aspect of it. you didn't do your due diligence as a writer to address that.

if you or others don't like how rafe is portrayed in canon fics, thats cool and you can avoid 'em! but trying to shame others and telling them to only write fanon rafe is just unfair and not nessecary.

i do avoid them. i don't read them. i didn't even @ any of the writers. this was something said in my own blog, in my own space, using the general rafe tag as anyone else. you coming onto my blog to tell me to avoid this was unnecessary. i did. if you're applying the same logic of your argument to me: you're coming into a space where you should've avoided my words. you should've "avoid" me. you wanted to come on my blog to let your feelings be heard, and i'm hearing them. but don't ever say that i didn't do my own due diligence. i did.

[enden-k]

whats so interesting and rlly gives me sm ivlk thoughts to think is how luka remembers ivan during that one scene where you could see ivan on the screens

(this is just my own thoughts and rambles, ofc everyone might interpret or think different. im bad w words so idk if i get my thoughts out properly)

like, similar to luka mimicking sua in R5 against mizi (her loved one dying in front of her and leading to mizi beating the shit out of luka on stage like she should), hes mimicking ivan against till and gets an entirely different reaction to mizi (not that he minds ig) bc till never knew nor reciprocated ivans feelings

from the beginning luka is already acting as ivan, mimicking his movements and being absolutely into him as a role. all that till remembers (not in a good way obv) is ivans scary stare, the forced kiss and how he choked him; (perhaps exactly what ivan wanted bc he would rather prefer till to hate him and not mourn him than have him go through smth like mizisua do, the difference being mizisua being mutual and him and till onesided)

till never understood ivan or returned his feelings for him

meanwhile luka saw ivan and his feelings, saw and remembers him by his sacrifice so till could live, his tears for him, his desperate face. he saw and remembers ivans love and his selflessness

if its amusing to him or not is a different thing, or if he mimicks those who sacrificed themselves for their love is his way to grant his opponents a merciful death or make them falter by their trauma, and obv up to anyones interpretation of luka i guess but its just interesting and art-inspiring no matter how you wanna see it !!!

anw till is very obv affected but still going on; what ultimately leads to his end is him trying to reach his love, his god and being shot down. luka tried to make him lose with ivans love but till ultimately died by his own love

[angels-heap]

Asides from the whole age gap valhoun discourse, why do you actually ship them? Like whats their dynamic im genuinely curious,,, i probably dont see it bc i cant see it as a cannon thing bc when I get interested in smth i often find myself sticking close to cannon unless its an AU

Oh yeah, valhoun's about as canon as freehoun (which is to say, Valve 100% did not intend for anyone to ship these two), but I'm a multishipper at heart despite being a canon stickler elsewhere. I think it's fun to imagine how Barney and Alyx would interact if they were put into Situations or if they spent more time together in canon. I've talked about the appeal of valhoun before (specifically here, here, and here that I could find), and other folks have also shared their thoughts. To summarize:

Unlike Gordon, Alyx and Barney are both (relatively) fleshed-out characters with known voices, mannerisms, personalities, and motivations. They don't seem to know each other well in canon, but this is never stated outright, so there's lots of room for interpretation. They're both a bit goofy/snarky, so there's potential for some excellent banter between them, and I personally find it easier to get into their heads (relative to Gordon's) and imagine them interacting for writing purposes, since I don't have to start from scratch.

Despite their age gap, Barney and Alyx have a lot in common and a lot to bond over (arguably more than other popular pairings; see the "none of us are free of sin" venn diagram). They've spent the same amount of time living on Combine-occupied earth and lost a significant chunk of their lives (Alyx's childhood; Barney's young adulthood) under Combine rule. They're both uniquely connected to Black Mesa and the resonance cascade. Perhaps most importantly, they're both involved with the Resistance, albeit in very different capacities, which entails shared goals and loyalties.

Because of their age gap, they're bound to encounter situational or interpersonal conflicts, which are an essential component of any compelling story. For instance, Barney remembers things and people from the Before Times that Alyx doesn't, but probably desperately wants to — possibly including her late mother. Alyx is optimistic and resilient in a way that Barney never will be but may find refreshing, because despite her best efforts, she can't fully comprehend what was lost and thus has not developed the same bitterness. I can also see her canonical empathy and naivete coming into play in a relationship with Barney (or anyone else, for that matter). I've said before that she approaches him like he's a stray dog she wants to rescue, and he regards her like a gift he doesn't deserve (that might also be a ticking time bomb). While I could go on for hours, I think that about sums it up.

There's potential for a whole "star-crossed lovers" dynamic here, if you squint. Whether they're just friends, or they're in love, or they're just hooking up to try and feel something, the fact remains that they can't develop any sort of meaningful relationship while Barney's undercover and Alyx is such a valuable Combine target. Any interactions between them are likely to be fleeting and dangerous and/or public. I like to imagine they're mutually attracted to one another, and they try to make it work for a while, but they end up taking one too many risks and someone (probably Barney) calls it off after a close call. Maybe they rekindle things post-canon, or maybe they don't. It's a choose your own adventure where the adventure is delicious angst. And on that note...

Valhoun can exist between HL1 and HL2 canon. Honestly, a big part of the appeal of valhoun to me as a writer is that it gives me an excuse to explore what all our favorite characters were up to while Gordon was in stasis. What was the Resistance working on in the years leading up to Gordon's return? How did Barney seemingly become Dr. Kleiner's personal bodyguard? How's he holding up mentally in such a miserable situation, and what does his job actually entail? What was it like for Alyx to come of age as one of the youngest people alive, surrounded by middle-aged scientists? How did those experiences shape her into the person we meet in HL2? Sure, we don't necessarily need a shipping angle to explore these things, but interpersonal relationships are a big part of the human experience, so a little sprinkle of valhoun adds some extra flavor.

Alyx and Barney are both hot. That's not the whole appeal, or even the main appeal, but it's worth mentioning. I am a filthy bisexual and I want to make the hot dolls kiss. So sue me.

I'm not arguing that valhoun is the "best" HL ship or even my favorite ship, but it's got plenty of room for humor, angst, and character development and hot people kissing. I hope this post helps other folks see my/our vision and get on board. A little variety is good for any fandom ecosystem. :)

[izzyfishie]

I'm thinking about the Hwang bros and how In-Ho's profession made him suitable to be a Front Man.

Cops dehumanizes people, targeting the most vulnerable sectors, the most "undesirable," really it's not much different, and given he convinced himself that they were not worth "saving," he just sits back and enjoys it.

HOWEVER, Jun-Ho doesn't percibe the world that way. He follows an idiolized version of his brother, one who couldn't do wrong, one who follows a sense of justice, one who would do sacrifices for others to live, even when it affects his own health. So he pretty much maintains a vision where cops help communities, taking down the bad guys and saving the day.

He literally goes all by himself to an island, vulnerable to kidnap or murder if he took the wrong steps, to the mission of doing justice for his brother. Single handedly gathering all the information needed to dismantle the games, but not achieving it because of bad signal.

Imagine what went thru his head when he found out that his own brother, his hero, was the one responsible for the disappearance and murder of 456 people, not counting the ones who died in between.

"Hyung... why?" Was left unanswered, instead getting shot and falling to the abyss.

The last memory he has of his brother was a failed attempt of murder (that we find out it wasn't the case and In-Ho hired an overpriced nanny to keep him safe and away, but Jun-Ho doesn't know this) and even then he avoids snitching on him.

Many interpret like he wants to cover up for him, but I disagree. As much as he loves his brother, he still wants to dismantle the games and insist on it, even against his interests.

However, he wants In-Ho to explain himself to him, the "why?" He knows if he tells Gi-Hun who is the frontman, he would kill In-Ho the second the recognize him, and that wasn't the idea, they both wanted to dismantle the games, but Jun-Ho needs the answer beforehand.

I think the finale would be a Good cop vs. Bad cop scenario, and ultimately, only one would win. And I'm not emotionally ready for it 🤧🤧🤧🤧.

man i just woke up why must you do this to me moot 💔💔 /silly

i personally have a belief that in-ho’s belief that humanity slowly whittled down more and more the longer he became a cop. he saw horrid things, had to deal with the inequality of the system, etc. he entered the games with a more cynical attitude than gi-hun, definitely more like sang-woo? and the games was what completely broke him. perhaps him seeing the inequality in the crime world was what pushed him to make the games “equal” as well.

i agree that jun-ho follows an idolized version of his brother, likely subconsciously putting him on a.. not a pedestal of some sort. he would definitely be in-ho’s biggest apologist. i think that that viewpoint definitely got shattered after he found out what was happening in the games. and while he still loves his brother so much, his view on him is far from the same.

but he doesn’t want him to die, of course! that’s his hyung. i firmly believe some part of him wants things to go back to the way they were when they were kids.

as for your interpretation of why he covered up for his brother, i think there’s a possibility that it could very much be a mix of the two. he does want to dismantle the games, likely due to that innate sense of justice, but he also wants A) answers, and B) his brother back. but part of him still wants his brother back. not this frontman version of him, he wants the in-ho he knew back. which, unfortunately, isn’t a possibility anymore. people change.

and tbh im slightly avoiding theorizing the hwang bros side of the ending of s3 because i don’t want to hold myself to any level of expectations, but i do hold the belief that in-ho is going to die in some way.

anyways! thank you for the ask!! 💗

[veifei]

pain mv ramblings

ok as promised i'm actually typing up my thoughts for PAIN, of which i have many and will probably not be very eloquent about but hear me out let me cook, etc etc (long ish post ahead, and this barely touches the insane 3H item lore drop. anyway).

we start with xia fei--and with allusions to christianity wrt the garden of eden; however here 'paradise' is, importantly, distinguished and in direct opposition to eden. xia fei is a tempter, like the snake, and lures 'the traveller' in with the promise of paradise with him -> vampires are somewhat associated with eroticism and seduction, and since we're already looking at these biblical allusions, i think it'd be interesting to associate each section with a deadly sin. in that case, xia fei's chapter is one of lust.

then we've got undead vein—one of his lyrics reference neverland, so we're moving away from biblical mythology and into fairy tale ! deeply deeply unwell about the img of vein in the coffin, basically inviting you in, but more than that lol, it gives me a sense of...luring one to their death? violence and vein go hand in hand after all. plus @miyamiwu pointed out on vfei nation dscord that in the og iteration peter pan kills the lost boys (if they start to show signs of maturing/growing up); "he has a fixation on control." maybe a stretch but, for fun, i think wrath fits vein--luring you in only to brutally murder you. yay <3

final chapter is liu xiao; he is as always ever the enigma, but i kind of like the ambiguity. his section stands out as v clearly seperate from veifei's chapters—where they are predominantly red, he's all purple; it's the most musically distinct section; his subtitle isn't a descriptor but an instruction (i was gonna say imperative but,,) 'dance with him'—control, manipulation, and lack of agency is overt here. he's not trying to tempt or seduce or lure, he's just having a freaky time w his puppet who Could v well be symbolic of ltc im on board w that. there are references to the nutcracker (so the dance is v fitting). anyway im getting off track. his deadly sin is pride, because as written in my notes app: he thinks he's the shit

(edit: idk that i agree w myself saying pride. lol. like i said, just for fun.)

edit/p.s 2: i am not a lx thinker but in light of the item lore drop i think there is smth vaguely genuine in his want for someone to dance w him, w/o a sense of transaction. perhaps

further thoughts:

vampfei is so !!! wrt seduction/eroticism/being a model and undeadvein is narratively important and thematically resonant w veins horror motifs (thinks about the nightmare sequences in yingdu. vein Is a living nightmare to lg lmao)

but also interested that Neverland/boyhood is brought into the mix—violence and vengeance and killing 'lost' boys vs xf's charming seduction of falling into sin (paradise) with him; vein is more like, fall into ruin/the grave LOL

(edit: there's also an element of active pursuit/being hunted--you clear xf's lvl by tearing off his mask, but in vein's lvl it's about evading his capture)

also the peter pan association does add this different, tragic dimension to vein's character. thinking about LH0 insinuating that vein is mostly driven by his own amusement, and how that may come from a somewhat juvenile place. in addition neverland is a place where people forget their pasts—in peter pan his shadow is detachable, which i find v interesting in relation to vein-xiao weiying and how vein separates himself from his past. also !!! will have to find this post but i remember that an interpretation/translation of xiao weiying is miserable/dreary shadow (or reflection)....

speaking of—reflections/appearances/falsehood is a big theme here—the blood splattered pictures of model!fei in the elevator, and him at the centre (looking v suspiciously similar to vein style wise i might say. another win for vfei reflecting one another), the wall of framed pictures of vein in memoriam; lx's Wrong reflection while he dances w the puppet—xf even has a lyric in his verse referencing illusion.

 i already mentioned xf as The Snake, but i need to reinstate that and add that he seems to be posing as the deer (the brooch 👀. trying to make himself seem charming and approachable, etc) 

(p.s I SAID THIS BEFORE THE ITEM LORE DROP AND THE FACT THE ITEM YOU NEED TO UNVEIL FELIX'S MASK IS THE DEER BROOCH!!! IM NORMAL!!!!)

anyway like i said at the start i didn't talk much about the Lore that we got from the item sheets but trust me i have and continue to be insane about it. i also feel i didn't emphasise enough how much veifei paralleling/mirroring e/o is. Such a thing !!! to me !!! but it is and u just have to trust and believe <3

[thiswomansmind]

I finally got to watch Small Things Like These. I had read the book in the autumn and absolutely loved it, and couldn't wait to see what Cillian did with Bill Furlong.

What a quietly moving film.

There is no excitement, there is no crescendo, there is no thrill sequence, and yet it is an absolutely gripping interpretation of a piece of Irish history - although based on a fictional book - that has been told in different ways in the past.

Claire Keegan's book doesn't give a lot away about Bill Furlong, and neither does Cillian's performance, but what we are presented with doesn't hold back. Bill's passive and humble manner makes him an immediately likable, "paternal" character; he poses no threat, he's warm, and for some reason there is the sense that you can trust him from the start despite this lack of real revelation or outspokenness. A man so passive you rarely meet, these days.

Bill's sad backstory breeds his feelings surrounding his concern and speculation about what is happening in the Magdalene Laundry, and we get a puzzle-piece history of Bill and how it shaped him. You can see the sense of "there but for the grace of God go I.", given his mother's 'status', when he first stumbled upon Sarah, and then when he changed his and her life on his return.

One scene I was hoping to be included in the film is a wonderfully written piece from the book, where Bill and Ned sit together and Ned sings The Croppy Boy. Sadly, this wasn't featured, but there was the eluding towards Bill's parentage and Cillian played that shock and realisation incredibly well.

I was waiting (im)patiently, also, to see the scene where Bill and Eileen talk about his speculations and worries in the bedroom, wherein Eileen tells him in no uncertain terms to essentially wind his neck in. I was keen for this scene, not only because this was a cementing scene within the book, but also because of the way in which both Cillian and Eileen had talked about the intensity of it in interviews. I'll admit, I was expecting something more severe in its delivery, but it was as wonderfully understated as everything that Bill travels through the entire feature with, so it was fitting if a little underwhelming.

As with many people, I love when a film that is based upon a book stays true to it, and this is definitely the case here. Even down to the fireside scene between the holy Mother and Bill, it was like my visual interpretation whilst reading had been perfectly brought to the screen as I'd imagined it myself. Even down to expressions and inflection, Emily, Cillian and Eileen seemed to really embody the holy Mother, Bill and Eileen as Claire wrote them, and it was extraordinary to watch it.

Don't come to the film (or the book) looking for the thrilling revelations of a dark chapter in Irish History - it wasn't in the book and it isn't in the film. It skates on the outside, as an outsiders view of whatever was happening in the Laundries, and it sparks questions about your own morals and ideas, about your own choices if faced with something similar or as challenging. I would also say that if you go to the film solely as a Cillian Murphy fan from Peaky Blinders, you're going to be disappointed, but if you're a fan of his massive back catalogue of films and his softer performances (perhaps Broken, Peacock, or The Delinquent Season), then I think you'll be able to add this film in as another of your favourites. But whatever you do, don't miss out the book from your reading list.

If you are interested in finding out more about the Laundries from a different view, Eileen Walsh starred in The Magdalene Sisters as a "fallen woman" held in one of them, and you can also find a variation on that film on YouTube called Sinners. Both are from the inside of the Laundries and therefore offer, perhaps, the answers to some of the films posed questions.

As the granddaughter of an unmarried Irish couple who came to England to avoid this situation falling upon her grandmother, I found it a brilliant story. They did return to Ireland, married with two children, and then my own parents came to England in their twenties. But, I've grown up with the 'culture' and pride for Ireland, and often find love and a sense of nostalgia in Irish books and films. It's definitely going to be one I will also purchase on DVD, and I would definitely watch it through again - as with the book, which I have read through a second and third time.

[catmanbowser]

I hc Jason todd as ace and perhaps aro because I am and he has enough stuff going on in his life and I genuinely think he'd be good without a relationship like often found in fanon. Like, in my eyes, that complicates things, no?

My agenda is aro ace ppl getting some rest and spending time with friends and on getting better and being happy

Totally!! Im aro too, and i agree with what you said. Even if i dont have the same labels on him like i used to, i still see him as slightly aromantic. He yearns, and he loves, but he has his own way of showing it..and however that is, is up to anyone's interpretation of him as a character.

And yeah, he doesn't particularly need to have a romantic partner in canon or fanon since he's got a lot going on, but that doesnt mean that he didnt try since his exes are proofs of that he tried even if it ended up with him dying or they just didnt work out at all, and surely being suck at dating or failing to get one means that he's an aroace.

That's just coz he sucks or his partner sucked or maybe they just wanted different things or maybe that he's just bad at forming that kind of relationship not to mention keeping one. Being aroace would just his preferences, and he still could date if anyone decided to write him that way!

Hell! people with those labels can be in a relationship irl and people still say shit like "that shouldn't be possible", and "you must be miserable to not feel romantic or sexual desires towards anything". Like, no! That's not it!! We just prefer certain things in certain ways. Not to mention there's also a whole ass spectrum to these labels!

Also, to me the direction of his character in canon has been a little all over the place with a few clear ones where he's just doing his own thing again or with a company while figuring his relationship with the city and with people around him (new or old), also that these stories doesnt necessarily have to have to involve any romance nor sexual relationships in it as he's doing his own shit like you said, it would complicate things.

But i think if it's written properly, it could be interesting how he would or wouldnt be in one.

[ebisul]

Sterile Mandalore and my issues with the New Mandalore we see

I want to preface this by saying a lot of what’s wrong with Mandalore and the Mandalorians is fully Filoni’s fault (among a variety of other people involved) for being a bad storyteller. Also between brain fog, ADHD, and a severe anxiety disorder, I’m brute forcing my way to coherency.

This is in no way a defense of Death Watch or the history of imperialism. I won’t tolerate anyone comparing me to a terrorist organization for not liking the depiction of Mandalore under New Mandalorian rule or any particular Mandalorian Character, yes that has happened before.

As an overview, I will be going over the setting of Mandalore we see visually, a few of the characters and what those characters say about Mandalorian culture visually, as well as briefly touching on the Clones, and finally how each of these contribute to the Mandalore we see in The Clone Wars.

Now I wanted to write this because I actually deeply enjoy the Mandalorians as a culture, I think everything from the language to the armor to the Resol’nare, uncertain if thats canon, is absolutely fascinating. However, what we see in The Clone Wars has next to none of that outside of Death Watch, the terrorist organization.

The Setting of Mandalore

Mandalore the planet is primarily composed of harsh, seemingly uninhabitable deserts created from centuries upon centuries of war. What we do see of the civilization on Mandalore is primarily within the domed capital city of Sundari. Now there are a few things I wanna touch on here, primarily certain locations, such as the schools, the palace, and the overall visuals of the city, and the people, as a whole as well as individuals.

Beginning with the Schools,

We see schools on Mandalore at least twice in TCW, once during the poisonings when we see a cafeteria and once during our stint with Korkie where we see classrooms and dorms, and i have always hated the way they look. I will say that you could very well interpret the Royal Academy of Government to be a sort of military school, though given the New Mandalorians are all about peace and pacifism it would be an odd choice to send your nephew there.

Visually speaking, the schools are beyond dull. In the classroom we see Ahsoka teaching in, the entire room is gray, with nothing but the desks and a projector. Look at the kid in the front row! Thats how I feel looking at this room!! These are presumably either teenagers or young adults at a boarding school. Im not expecting much for a classroom but a dull dark gray, empty room is not conducive to learning.

I also want to note that they wear uniforms. Its totally normal for a boarding school to require uniforms, that makes sense, however, these uniforms have one singular interesting component and thats the iron heart. I can’t find an exact meaning behind the symbol outside of reddit so im hesitant to define it here, however what we do know is that the symbol is absolutely ancient. A significant part of Mandalorian history.

The rest of the uniform is similarly a dull cool gray, or perhaps a dull blue. And there doesn’t seem to be much individuality in the uniforms, that is outside of hair and whatever gambit-style headwear those kids are wearing at least, but even then they’re mostly all very similar hairstyles.

Im also electing to ignore that there are seemingly two separate sets of triplets here. I know it’s an animation shortcut. Still, they are still there and I can’t ignore them now.

Now, on to what I’m presuming is either a dorm or some sort of recreation or break room, I don’t remember much of the context and frankly you can’t tell from looks alone. I’m leaning toward a dorm because that was my first interpretation.

Regardless of what this room serves as, be it dorm or break room, its still void of character. If this were a dorm, we would have no indication of whose it could possibly be.

It looks like the light behind Korkie is a map of some sort, or something similar its unclear, but that and the neon lights above Soniee are the only sources of color. The red and blue can mean a lot of things but I genuinely don’t think there is a major purpose behind it. We already saw the two sets of triplets.

However, lighting is meant to mean something. In particular, red can mean many things, but given the visual context it reads as stress inducing, as danger. Particularly surrounding Korkie as it does.

Now blue lighting needed a quick google search, but my results for the meaning of blue lighting where a little unexpected. Blue is a typical calming color, similar to green, though can also be interpreted as depressing and cold like grays, and blue lighting can be representative of isolation and passivity. Ironically, this scene is anything but passive. Again, im not putting much weight into it but I feel its worth noting.

Ultimately, its entirely impersonal, slightly stress-inducing, and only marginally better than the classroom only because it had color. Now onto my most egregious example from the schools we see and my most despised, the cafeteria.

Do you see this shit? Where do i even start? My best guess is that these are approximately middle schoolers. If i went to this school I would willingly drink the poison. Their lunch looks like three tomatoes, three mystery cubes, and debatably either a cracker or a slice of cheese. Horrendous lunch. How is this acceptable to feed to children for a whole meal? Enough complaining about their lunches, though.

The cafeteria itself is offputting to say the least. Pure white. The children, pale and blonde, all wearing the exact same gray uniforms with only variation for the girls, because girl = skirts. It’s the picture of uniformity. Its horrific. The only color outside of the pitiful lunch is the monstrous poison drink nearly all children have. Probably bc theyre lunches are terrible.

This scene has two interpretations in my mind. The first is that its meant to be creepy as all hell, which is unlikely because we’re supposed to support New Mandalore. The second interpretation is that it was meant to look like the epitome of peace and serenity and utterly fails because it takes more than an overuse of the color white to represent innocence, purity, and peace.

How do you manage to make an entire school look like a cloning facility? In fact, I’m certain the cloning facility has more diversity than all of mandalore.

Now the issue with all of these areas of the schools on Mandalore is that they look like no place to teach a child. There are certain things that are conducive to learning and color is one of them! So is fostering individuality! There are specific things that make an environment suitable for learning and these schools have very few of them.

Now onto the Palace,

This will be a shorter segment than the previous. Although I will be lightly critical of Satine here. So to begin, we primarily see the throne room. In fact, im not even sure we see much else in the Palace of Sundari. We do see Satine’s rooms or office but I can’t find a picture of it so i won’t use the example.

Both of these images share a few things in common. First is the dramatic lighting, the otherwise empty throne room save for the chairs that seem to have been brought in, and the only color present outside of gray is Satine and/or her throne. Even Padme, notable fashion icon, is or appears to be wearing gray in these scenes.

The dramatic lighting in the first image is an obvious “Hey! These are the good guys!” and I can’t piece out a relevent meaning behind the second image so Im choosing to move forward because I think it is just that, lighting.

Now the throne room being utterly void will be clearer in the next image I attach. The issue with it being so empty is that it feels almost lifeless, cold. It doesn’t feel like a throne room visually speaking. This ties into the last thing these images have in common. Satine and her throne.

Within the gray permeating what seems to be most of Mandalore at this rate, Satine is the only source of actual color. Her clothes are these vibrant, beautiful blues and greens and purples. Her throne is a glowing beacon above everyone.

What does that say, when every one of her people is dressed in grays, beiges, and pale blues? Or when they all dress the same?

This is a better view of just how empty the throne room is. Theres more of the iron heart design, though still no real idea of the meaning further than it is significant, as well as the portrait of Satine. The only things in this image with color other than gray or biege are indications of Satine. But the throne room itself is almost entirely barren.

Whether or not you think this is any indication of her character one way or another thats up to you. My read on what this shows of her is that she is blinded by her own ideals, she doesnt truly see her people as they are, be that through ignorance or arrogance, and that allows the corruption to seep.

I wanted to show the hospital because I think thats a Good environment design for mandalore but i lost the picture. It is ironic that my example of good design is the one thats meant to be clinical.

Therefore, I’m moving on to the city at large

The city itself is incredibly industrial. I’m torn because I know it has to be like that to a degree but it also doesnt have to be like that. That’s a choice the designers made. The city of Sundari exists within a dome due to the uninhabitable deserts from years of war, that doesnt mean it must look so cold.

It just feels so lifeless. Colorless even. Ive noticed by now, and you probably have too, that my main issue seems to be coloring. Well, I wouldn’t say its my main issue but it’s definitely up there.

We’re supposed to think that Satine’s New Mandalore is Good. That it’s this vision of peace and prosperity. But where do we see that visually? Through industrialization? Thats not good!

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that Satine’s peace is a clear facade for all of the shady bullshit going on behind her back, but we should be able to see that in the enviroment.

We should be able to see the idyllic peacefulness and people’s enjoyment of their city. We should see that face and the shady underside. We shouldn’t just see drab gray with a splash of corruption. It just makes Satine look like a bad ruler.

Characters and What They’re Telling Us

I’m actually not starting this with a particular character. I’m going to begin with the Mandalorian people as a whole.

What a surprise! Theyre all blond white people! See I have a huge issue with the lack of diversity among humans on Mandalore for a few reasons. The first reason is the obvious, it’s fucking WEIRD. The second reason is that we know there are people of color who are mandalorian.

And on the one hand this really demonstrates my point. Everyone looks the same, everything is dull and empty. This isn’t prosperity.

The first example they look like theyre dressed in uniform. Every single one of them is wearing the exact same color. Thats not normal. In the second image, while they aren’t dressed uniformly, they are all dressed in grays and beiges. These people are Satine’s governing council. They’re supposed to high standing officials.

And that brings us back to The Duchess herself

I’m choosing to use her main outfit design for this. There will be no more images from here onwards because there is no space but I’m trusting you all to know what these characters look like.

Satine’s Dress can only truly be described as opulent. She dresses in shades of blue, purple, and green and elaborate headwear and accessories. Her hair is styled in a way characteristic of Kalevala, similarly to Korkie’s friend Lagos but more extravagant. The colors she wears are chosen to appear soothing and to honor the history of Mandalore’s forests and lakes.

But this isn’t something you might pick up on naturally. Remember this is a show for children. You would have to do the research to learn that. Without that information you could interpret her appearance any number of ways.

Between her headress and the color scheme, I would have confidently said she was peacock-like, had I not known the nuances. Character design needs to be something people can infer from. Something that lines up with the environment to tell a story.

That being said what her design is meant to tell us is that she greatly values the less violent aspects of Mandalore’s past. That she is trying to preserve and honor their history and Mandalore’s beauty.

The issue is that (from memory at least) the honoring forests and lakes never really is relevant? We see Peace Park but we’re never shown much about any restoration or preservation efforts of the planet itself. Did they just give up because its a “wasteland”? Were there no other alternatives? We were never given enough context, explicitly or implicitly.

And without the knowledge of what her design is supposed to mean, what is stopping anyone from misinterpreting it. What is stopping anyone from thinking she is just this haughty, holier than thou politician? Especially when you put her next to civilians or even her own council when she is already sat above them on her throne?

Satine’s design is essentially meant to show us her value to peace and progression but we arent really shown much progressing. We’re meant to just believe what we’re told rather than showing us the progress in, yknow, progress.

Now, Bo Katan

I chose specifically to include the sisters in this because I wanted to compare them, also bc obviously they are the most relevant. Bo’s design also demonstrates her values, admittedly way clearer than Satine’s.

She’s a traditionalist, someone who values the warrior ways, and yes also a terrorist. Thats not super relevant. Because she’s a traditionalist, it makes sense that her character design is rather simple in comparison to her sister, but they both honor the history of Mandalore all the same.

Mandalorian armor is equally as historical and significant as the iron heart itself, even so far as to have the two intrinsically intertwined, having the Iron Heart as part of the armor. I think most Mandalorian fans know this already.

Now, I want to take the armor paint color meanings with a grain of salt. Im not certain how canon any of it actually is even if the meanings do seem to hold up withon canon. However, the thing about the armor paint is that it sets the mandalorians apart as individuals while simultaneously tying them together as Mandalorians.

Bo’s armor is painted primarily blue and gray with white detailing and owl imagery to signify her Nite-Owls. Now in the EU the colors have meaning. Blue and gray mean reliabilty and mourning respectively. I think it would be in the Mandalorian culture’s best interests to keep this canon and even expand upon this.

This is because these unique paint schemes allow for individuality, community, and notable artistic expression. I mean, just look at Sabine. This contrasts with the uniformity of New Mandalore which just makes New Mandalore look really bad. Like really, really bad.

Next I want to look at Almec

So, Almec has two designs I want to look at. First is his usual outfit as Satine’s right hand and the second is his own armor.

Pre-betrayal, Almec wears an almost solidly white outfit, with gray, beige, and a dash of gold detailing. This design actually has two iron heart designs, one in his clothes and one in his hair. Outside of the iron heart, the design is very plain. The overuse of white is likely meant to give an illusion of purity and peace again. It doesn’t really work when he looks so clinical, though.

In his armor, Almec’s design is a stark contrast to the previous. He wears a light green, maybe gray, flight suit with black and gold armor. The reason I wanted to include this design for a number of reasons but specifically, the shoulder cord.

The gold shoulder cord gives Almec a more militaristic appearance, even in comparison to other armored mandalorians. This is actually a design detail I really enjoy because the gold shoulder cord essentially means “service to another” in the US military.

The colors black and gold in mandalorian armor represent justice and vengeance. Again, take that with a grain of salt, but I think more importantly this change actually makes Almec a more recognizable character. The armor is more personal than his prior outfit working under Satine as a New Mandalorian. It tells us more about who he is as a person.

On to Jango

Yes he is Mandalorian. I will not debate this I dont give a shit what George Lucas intended with him. I don’t even care what was said in TCW. Jango was canonically a mandalorian foundling. And yes I know they never show up really in relation to Mandalore, but Its important I mention them, I think.

So, we know in TCW, Jango isn’t considered a mandalorian by the New Mandalorians. They insist that he must have stolen the armor, that there’s no conceivable way he could be mandalorian. Except that we now have canonical confirmation that he was in fact a foundling.

See, here’s the issue with this, because in retrospect they’re basically denying a dead man his own identity and creed.

Jangos armor isnt really what I wanted to talk about in relation to Jango himself. Mostly I wanted to talk about what his character means for the New Mandalorians. Jango amd Boba are quite literally The Blueprint for Mandalorians. Except now we get more Mandalorians and they fully deny Jango his Mando-ness.

What, because he doesn’t align with their ideology? Jango wasn’t a great person by any means but being Mandalorian isn’t just a nationality. It’s something you’re taught.

Again this isn’t about the armor, it’s about the fact that he’s played by a Maori man. The first Mandalorian face we see is a brown man and that gives a real bad impression when you have a planet of White People claiming he isn’t even Mandalorian, why? Because he’s adopted? Because he was a bounty hunter?

The Clones

This section isn’t totally relevant so feel free to skip to the next, but i can only go so long without talking about them.

The clones themselves don’t have a strong tie to Mandalore, narratively speaking. However, they do have ties built into their appearances. More than just being clones of Jango.

They don’t speak Mando’a in canon and we aren’t totally sure who exactly trained them before Jango died, but we do have little hints from their character designs that indicate some connection to Mandalore or the Mandalorian culture.

Rex specifically is one of the few with jaig eyes. Jaig eyes are a Mandalorian honor symbol. And he’s not the only clone with this symbol, Blackout also has Jaig eyes on his helmet. Which leads me to believe this symbol is fairly common for troopers since its not terribly common we see clones sharing symbols without a personal connection to eachother.

Further than just that, clone trooper armor, phase 1 at least and presumably onward, is also based on Mandalorian armor. This is primarily because of the armor jango wears, naturally his clones would be fitted with similar. But the clones have also picked up the armor painting. Could this simply be a coincidence? Sure if you wanna believe that. I don’t think I do though because its so significant to both cultures as a means of individuality.

What does all of this say about Mandalore?

And I mean that as what is this telling us visually. What conclusions can you draw from this with just images. Because it doesn’t look great for New Mandalore. And maybe that was the intent. I know my first impression of Satine was just how unprofessional she was acting.

Except we’re supposed to see New Mandalore as the good guys, essentially, right? Riddled with corruption but still Good. That doesn’t translate when the setting is dystopian-esque at best. Its cold and empty and clinical.

When you see an entire planet of people who all look almost exactly the same, wearing the same clothes, the same hair, the same face, the same color skin, it gets unsettling. Its a weird design choice because it’s an American cartoon and America is characteristically individualistic.

The Bad Guy, the literal terrorist organization, caters more towards that visual individuality than the peaceful, progressive Good Guys. It visually reads as a Safety vs Freedom story but thats not the story that they need to be telling. You can’t go telling people freedom is evil.

It makes it incredibly easy to misconstrue what New Mandalore is trying to do because the visuals aren’t supporting them. There’s a reason so many people genuinely think Satine has comitted some sort of cultural genocide against her people because we aren’t seeing any of the culture and when we do see it, its not supported by the narrative. They may have Mandalorian writing but they never speak Mando’a on screen outside of Death Watch. We dont really know what the iron heart means and its everywhere. They may talk about prosperity and progress but they aren’t showing us that.

What I Would Do To Improve

This is the last segment, I promise.

I want to start with what could improve the background. Because a lot of the issue stem from it being dull and lifeless, I think giving it some sort of life would really fix a lot of the issues. Namely, I would say to put more trees, real, lush trees not the tiny ones you’d find in a city. It would help give context to Satine’s homage to the forests of mandalore if we had a visual clue from Mandalore itself. This would also bring in some more color and take away from the industrial appearance. This is more of a personal thing because I grew up around farms, but I think we should have seen a farm or some sort of clue as to how Mandalore is feeding itself. How is it sustaining itself, if not for import?

Another thing I would change would be the overall coloring. Generally, I would push for more color but I’m mostly referring to the color of the buildings. I would replace the cold gray and blues with more of a bronze and maybe a warm orange or even just changed the undertone of the blue could add so much. I would also give the lighting more warmth. Overall I would just add more warmth.

Adding onto this, I would also bring in more color by adding more public art. More murals and statues and the like. We know they have murals and paintings in the Palace at least. We should see them in the city, too. Having more art around the city would also connect it to the same cultural roots that have the mandalorians painting their armor.

In the schools, the main issue is that there’s no color. That these spaces dont have anything that would bring a sense of comfort to a kid. The stark white of the cafeteria is more stress inducing than calming and it would be good to replace some of that with a splash of color to break it up, as well as with some background decorations. Slap a poster on them there walls.

The classroom we see could also use just more decoration, make it look like a classroom. Have posters of diagrams and models. The room is dark so I won’t say much of the coloring except just make it look less cold. The back of the room has a wide, empty space and I think if that space were filled with something it would change a lot of the energy it gives off.

As for the dorm, if that is a dorm, give is an idea of whose room it is. Make it look like someone lives there. If it’s not a dorm, why are these kids sitting in a dark room? The room itself shouldn’t exude this uncomfortable feeling, that should be the undertone.

Overall, I think the Palace is generally fine if only it werent so empty, and again, if there were more color. The detailing and the lighting both look nice but it just needs to feel more like a throne room.

As for the people of Mandalore, for fuck’s sake, diversity is not going to kill you. Again its insane that all of the mandalorians of color we see are either A.) terrorists B.) deemed not mandalorian or C.) future cultists. We should see more black, brown, and Asian mandalorians. Hell, we should see alien mandalorians too.

Furthermore, they should have more variety in their clothes. What society wears all of three colors when they definitely have access to others? On top of that we should see Mandalorians who still wear pieces of armor. Armor is defensive, it’s not inherently violent to protect yourself and it honors the history of Mandalore while still moving forward with progress.

This is of course just my personal vision. These visuals can be interpreted in a number of ways, if you want to think the designs are good and exhibit peacefulness more power to you, I simply can’t see it. I tried my best to keep it to the Clone Wars series with a strict focus on the appearance, though that was a difficult challenge for me.

Anyways, I hope this was somewhat coherent and enjoyable. I’ve likely missed some details but this took me multiple days to organize my thoughts properly so im not pressed about it. Let me know your thoughts! Just be kind and don’t call me a terrorist :)

[teacupistired]

eurovision semi-1 quick thoughts

on the postcards - super fun idea to have the artists basically being tourists around switzerland.

on the stage - love love LOVE the idea of a big frame at the front and the graphics are absolutely massive, i'm so loving basel's vibes.

Iceland - i did not think this song would be so much fun omg the little dance break on the boat is so sick, the graphics are very creative, the rhinestones are a great choice for a stage costume, and they seem like theyre having a lot of fun. plus, i'm always a sucker for a final chorus in a higher octave. i may put this on my eurovison playlist. 8 points

Poland - the intr is kinda insane, i love the graphics they used for the staging, i'm not sure i'm really into the costumes. the choreography is cool, the chorus weirdly let me down coz her vocals are wonderful but the instrumental is missing something. the violin feels random, as does the bit where she's suspended mid-air (it's super cool but I don't get the purpose). 5 points

Slovenia - I know this is abt his wife and her health problems and it's a very touching concept but my god these lyrics are. very point blank. no room for interpretation. the falsetto notes feel misplaced. I wonder if it would sound better in slovenian. him being upside down is cool but it looks a bit weird. otherwise the staging is kinda boring. I feel bad about it, but no points.

Estonia - insane having this right after Slovenia. anyways this was so fun!! i'm not sure how italians feel abt it, i've seen lots of very different opinions, but as a non-european i loved it. the staging is fantastic, his vocals are doing what they need to do, and the crazed fan was just chef's kiss (pun intended). everything felt so perfectly thought out and the crowd evidently went nuts too. 10 points

Spain - easily my fav postcard (yummy). anyways, the performance was fun, it isn't eurovision without a woman dancing in a silver bodysuit. I like how the song kept changing, it wasn't one-note and had a good mix of high, medium, and low energy moments. no points coz they're already in the final.

Ukraine - i love these costumes, they look super cool esp w the hazy lighting. the female singers are killing it, the male singer's notes feel a little flat, perhaps by design but they still sound weird. I don't love the song, but the instrumental break is nice. no points

Sweden - second fav postcard because of how silly goofy they are. the staging is wonderful, the little sausage is so funny, i love their acting skills and the costumes just work so well, particularly the juxtaposition of the suits to the towels. it's always a treat to hear lower, baritone male vocals in eurovison, from what i've seen, male acts tend to hit the highest possible notes so the baritone vocals are refreshing. also if im not mistaken, there's a few lines in finnish, which is cool to see. ik sweden literally just hosted, but let's have them do it again. 12 points.

Portugal - i feel like i've seen this entire act a million times before. i don't like the harmonies, or the melody, or the staging. perhaps the only thing i like is the instrumental. i was just kinda bored. no points.

Norway - I like his costume, the dancers' costumes are a bit meh. I'm usually a fan of an anti-drop chorus, but it didn't go hard enough. the vocals are nice, the choreography is solid. the lighter sfx are crazy fun. I wish the staging was more interesting, but the fire is nice. 4 points

Belgium - The staging graphics are really cool, and i can tell the low notes are hard to reach, but there's something missing, perhaps a backtrack to fill in the space like in the second verses? the high notes are super sick tho. I didn't expect to like this, but I see why so many people do. 6 points

Italy - fabulous staging, the perfect rock ballad, i appreciate the subtitles. the harmonica is so perfect too. I absolutely loved this performance. they're also in the big five

Azerbaijan - the staging is. fine. the vocals are not. the falsetto isn't very appealing and the song sounds quite generic except for the post-chorus instrumentals. no points.

San Marino - Incredibly funny for them to do a song about Italy. i'm not sure if the artist is the dj or one of the singers or all three. but i like the drop chorus, and the masks, and the statue in the bg is funny. the song is catchy, which helps keep my attention. 3 points.

Albania - her costume is absolutely amazing, and so are her vocals. the dancing feels a little improvised, perhaps its just the sleeves weighing her down. the male vocals are pretty one note, but it's a damn good note. It helps break up what could otherwise be a pretty standard eurovision balkan ballad. i love the ending instrumentals too. 7 points

Netherlands - A french song is an interesting choice, especially since the french lyrics aren't particularly complex. They're peppered in with the same regularity as Espresso Macchiato, which would've been fine if it was done as a goof, but the song does seem to take itself too seriously so the stereotypical lyrics just fall flat. The violins are nice, but I can't tell if they're live. The vocals are fine too. There's just nothing encouraging me to really like the song. 1 point

Croatia - with a song called "poison cake", I would've liked to see some kinda evil bakery rather than a cauldron and some smoke. the vocals are versatile which I appreciate, I like his costuming, but the whole thing doesn't seem particularly cohesive. his vocals were the best bit. 2 points.

Switzerland - i'm often a lot less inclined towards ballads, but this one is done really well. The instrumental is done with almost medical precision, the vocals are lovely, and the staging is simple but the camera sticks close to her so its not bad. I like the dramatic third chorus/bridge, especially the camera movements. They did everything right with this song/performance. 9 points.

Cyprus - Very creative intro staging, lots of vetruvian man energy. I don't quite understand the lyrics and its storyline. I liked the choreography, especially with the staging. but quite honestly, the lyrics and vocals were a bit of a let down, the high notes weren't being hit in a particularly pleasing way. no points.

[thekidsarentalright]

i know im going against your last anon but seeing the results on your happiest fob album poll has me genuinely scratching my head bc happiness is not an emotion i associate with srar at all. like for me srar has always been about rage? like a short of rebellious teenage rage??? or that low deep anger you feel when you suddenly realize you grew up and the world that you're living in isn't the same as before and you're fighting both to keep that world and trying to claw in your place in the new world. idk. does that make sense???? (tho i can see the angle anon was talking abt wrt the band. but even then i wouldve picked abap. they were riding the wave of the comeback and the hype of returning and new fans. and i think that shows in how upbeat and danceable abap is. even tho i still think abap feels more like a fleeting type of happiness) (idk idk sry about this ramble i just keep thinking about this and coming to the realization that none of the albums are really happy 😭😭😭)

omg dont be sorry i love the rambling i love hearing ppls thoughts on stuff like this!!! seeing srar as rebellious rage is so interesting and i really think i do get where you're coming from and the more i've thought about srar being my instinctive answer, the more i've thought about how that kind of hopeful (to me), rebellious spirit just can come across as Happiness even if it. isn't fully? like, it's highly possible none of the albums are Really happy so the closest emotion people can associate with it is that like... fight for the future, rebellion, cautious hope so. your interpretation of srar absolutely makes sense, and that's just my take on why people interpret that as 'happy' in the sense of the album itself. tho also absolutely agree about abap but it's interesting to Me that happiness is very fleeting in the sense that its trying to rebuild a sort of happiness or. contentment? forgiveness? in the face of regret and remorse and painful nostalgia so. perhaps no fob album is purely actually happy fkjsndkfs

[badgalsasuke]

https://www.tumblr.com/maoam/745156953164169216/im-so-kishi-just-wrote-as-straight-forwardly?source=share i wanna ask you about these boruto scenes and their potential significance to sns. so basically mitsuki having romantic feelings about boruto and comparing them two as sun and moon is canon, got it. there's some things from that post that i don't get tho. like in the scene where sasuke and boruto has a conversation and then sasuke suddenly asks boruto to keep that one headband, prior to that i think boruto was talking about his bond with kawaki(?). especially how kawaki "understood and accepted boruto's resolve" and how wearing that headband made boruto "firm in his resolve". Boruto also called kawaki his bro and we can also see sasuke brooding and thinking "brothers, huh?" before looking into that headband and deciding that you know what boruto you should keep that. Boruto then goes on to remind him that "isnt this like a memento of you and my dad?" which implies that sasuke was thinking about naruto while boruto was talking about kawaki. I think kawaki's role in the boruto manga is similiar to a deteuragonist and the dynamic of boruto as the protagonist hero mc "chasing after" kawaki might remind sasuke of his own relationship with naruto back at the past? It could also be that all this talk of resolving things made him remember of the "promised fight to settle things" that he made with naruto as a symbolism of keeping that headband before suddenly deciding to give that headband away at that moment. and at the end of the scene after sasuke gave the headband away and boruto is out of the frame, sasuke was repeating boruto's words "maybe i'm the one having to show his resolve next". does those words refer to him and naruto? what is there to be resolved? ngl all these theories and implications are kind of setting up certain expectations in me that perhaps they are gearing up for something... but i dont wanna get my hopes up omg. also someone also brought up how sasuke in this scene is posessed by a tree or something but this is another thing that i don't understand from the boruto manga lore. what's your interpretation of this scene?

hey anon!

okay this is a very long ask, but it seems to me that what you want me to answer is this

sasuke was repeating boruto's words "maybe i'm the one having to show his resolve next". does those words refer to him and naruto? what is there to be resolved? ngl all these theories and implications are kind of setting up certain expectations in me that perhaps they are gearing up for something... but i dont wanna get my hopes up omg. also someone also brought up how sasuke in this scene is posessed by a tree or something but this is another thing that i don't understand from the boruto manga lore. what's your interpretation of this scene?

I'll preface this by saying that I don't read Boruto and my knowledge of that manga is limited to excerpts posted here every now and then by other narusasu blogs.

But yes, Sasuke was definitely referring to himself and and Naruto when he said he is the one that's gonna need to show his resolve next. However, as far as I'm aware, that Sasuke that was talking to Boruto is not the actual Sasuke we know, but a posessed Sasuke by the enemy/seems to be a clone. I read this very interesting comment from someone that reblogged the post you sent

"maybe i'm the one having to show his resolve next" which Sasuke is saying this? the clone or the real one? because it has different interpretations then. If it's the clone then the mission of killing Naruto may be the resolve they need to have, which gives place for an incredibly juicy plotlines: Sasuke has never been able to kill Naruto and trying to kill him is what could break the "spell" or posession or whatever is going on with him, or maybe the clone does manage to kill Naruto and that also breaks the posession and Sasuke can't live with Naruto being death, especially knowing it was his body who killed him.

I don't think it's the real Sasuke who said those words, after all it wouldn't make sense for him to be considering it was Naruto the one who was unable to speak clearly on his feelings for Sasuke and who broke the promise of having "a real fight" with Sasuke. Unless, by giving up the headband, Sasuke means he's no longer be a passive actor that's always waiting for Naruto and instead he's going to instigate their "real fight" and force Naruto and himself to fix this mess they got themselves into.