#can this be considered a parallel? i'm unsure

[gvaine]

2.08 — The Sins of the Father / 4.03 — The Wicked Day / 5.03 — The Death Song of Uther Pendragon

[love-and-deepspace-wiki]

Random Facts: Caleb

Home Tour, Part 3:

As promised, this installment of the series will go over Caleb's kitchen. I'll also explain additional reasons why I think the "other room" glimpsed in Captive Bird is also the kitchen.

The Kitchen:

The in-game still shots of the kitchen shown show a hybrid "open floorplan" that combines a kitchen, a dining area, and a lounge area into one room. The room has tile flooring throughout.

The kitchen portion features a refrigerator, an inset counter/storage area, and a large island countertop. A window can be seen behind this island. Since other standard elements of a kitchen are not visible in the depiction (sink, stove, oven, etc.), it's reasonable to assume the kitchen extends further beyond what is shown. The dining area is furnished with a table and six chairs. The area sits parallel to a window. Though only one window can be seen in the depiction, the diagonal shadows cast on the floor reveal there are actually two windows placed side by side. The lounge area features a couch and a rounded table.

Based on these details, here's the theorized floorplan for the kitchen.

Interestingly, the view from the window shows mountains? Since Skyhaven is a floating city, I'm unsure if the mountains are also floating or are just super super tall mountains?

The "Other Room":

In the second scene of the "Captive Bird" portion of the Main Story, Caleb says that he's about to leave and wants the protaganist to share a meal with him before he goes. He then grabs the protagonist's arm and begins pulling her across the living room towards another room. Though it happens super fast, we can briefly see into this other room.

(The left images are unedited. The right images have been brightened for optimal visibility)

In the context of his statement, the story seems to suggest this other room is the kitchen. From this glimpse of the room, it's really hard to make out exactly what we're seeing. I had initially thought the two windows we see here could be the same two windows from the still shot. But considering the positioning of the table and chairs in the still shot, that wouldn't really align. The only ways I could see this glimpse fitting with the initial kitchen floorplan is through one of the below sketches? But we'll have to wait and see what they reveal in the future to sort this one out for sure.

For our next post, we'll explore the different bedrooms! Stay tuned!

[callizinc]

so how do you interpret the significance of the themes in ena overall. like potential messaging. and how does dream bbq interact with the themes established in the youtube series.

i’ve seen people say they interpret it as anything from commentary on immigration (particularly how immigrants are treated poorly) to like, internet culture, or autism, or whatever really. i noticed a lot of people relate their own experiences to it. it’s cool how many different interpretations people get out of it (even if folks get a little in the weeds about the symbolism sometimes, and personally i’m not as focused on potential symbolism as the worldbuilding in itself)

This is an absolutely diabolical (/positive) ask to send me . This is like opening the floodgates to world's largest and most dangerous dam. Oh my goodness gracious

WELL!! That is of course such a good and cool question!! to be honest, i hope i can answer it sufficiently, since i've spent the most time thinking about Specific things in dbbq so far as opposed to the bigger and greater picture—But here's the thoughts i have about all that at present!

I guess, for one, i think interpreting the series to be commentaries on immigration, internet culture, and/or neurodivergence and the like are all completely fair and valid. I don't have much to say about those interpretations at the moment myself, but still, I think they're all interesting in their own right! I also agree 100% that it's super cool how many interpretations people have; even if i. Don't vibe with all of them LOL, i genuinely really like how much thought it inspires!

Right now, i can't help but interpret the game as a commentary on unhealthy work/life balances and abusive work dynamics. Which feels like the most obvious interpretation possible but... still LOL.

Ena's literal only moods are "smooth talking salesperson obsessed with work" and "pissed at everyone because of her stupid job she doesn't even like". There's her line where she goes "Oh, I am no longer the boss of myself" with extreme nonchalance, Not to mention she goes to The Club one single time and has a breakdown and starts like. turning into branches or something ("I need to get back to my deplorable job... I can't afford another moment of joy.." LIKE GIRL...).

We don't even know what her job... Is? like obviously she's a salesperson but, What is she supposed to be selling? and i know they have the slot machines and everything, but what does her Business even Do? The fact that none of this is clear IS amusing, but i also feel like it represents how her job, ultimately, is Not of importance. Nothing she's doing is of true value to herself, nor to others, but she commits her entire life to her shitty job anyway, leaving no room to even consider breaks or ANY life Outside of work ("any good business should be open all hours" ...).

Not to mention how. you know. Everybody hates her 😭 WHICH IS A WHOLE CAN OF WORMS ON ITS OWN, But i feel it also fits into this interpretation; She, for whatever reason, commits her life to work, the thing you're Supposed to do to be a valuable member of society, so to say, yet it gains her no respect, no benefits, seemingly nothing good at all. Maybe she works so hard to try to gain the respect of others, even though, just like how our capitalistic workplaces will chew you up and spit you back out, and no matter how hard you work, those people will never truly care about you.

However, the references to violence in regards to Ena are also important, i think, with the "I'm not doing ANYTHING!" scene, and the fact that the game trailer shows two accounts of Ena wielding a gun, and also.. A shot of Ena as an armless crumbling green zombie in the same desolate landscape full of raining bullets.

I'm unsure where to go with that as of right now—mostly because I don't think the game would draw parallels between Specific real life events, I'd still want to ensure i'm being respectful if i am to start talking about something like war/soldier theming. Still, i think this has to be significant, there's two separate depictions of Ena wielding a gun in the game's trailer, and I truly don't know how to else you're meant to interpret the scenes of distressed and desolate Enas around giant knives and raining bullets LOL

...I also just remembered you also asked how DBBQ's themes interact with the youtube series's themes, But. i feel embarrassed enough already having written this much. and also I don't know. About that one. I don't knowwwww. So um. I'm gonna stop here 😭

[applestorms]

hi here's a nearly frame by frame breakdown of that one bit in the kiss where we get a zoomed in look at their faces 👍

for context: during the main sequence (shown above) the camera jumps the line and sticks to this medium-ish close up shot, where we can see them from the shoulders up. this is notable in that it allows us to see how till pushes ivan away after the initial kiss, which he obviously ignores to immediately go back in for another.

after this point, however, the camera zooms in and we are locked into a view that is mostly limited to their faces. the main section i'm going to look at here is only about 5 seconds long (from approximately 3:12 to 3:17) so it passes by Real quick, but i find till's reactions in particular here interesting enough to make note of it. to start:

not a lot of changes so far, but when we're this closely zoomed in it's kind of hard to see a lot anyways. the most notable shifts here come down to their eyes opening or closing, with till's fluttering open and closed a lot more while ivan keeps his eyes pretty steadily closed before they stay mostly open for the rest of the scene.

till looks quite grumpy here (:3c) but we don't really see him push away again. if anything, he seems to become frozen in shock, not sure what to do after his instinct (to fight) get so sufficiently overridden, though admittedly we also can't really see his hands this closely zoomed in. for a couple seconds there, he also almost looks kinda into it?? tbf that may be the shipper goggles blurring my common sense, but when his eyes are closed it does make it feel like he has at least a Second or two of leaning into it (also see: second frame in the previous grouping).

(note the parallels with the lip touch. damn you luka)

till is then very quickly shocked a second time when ivan almost immediately drops his hands and starts choking him.

which, if i may note, looks a lot more like a typical kink choke hold when we see it from the front rather than a I'm Trying To Murder You one-- in particular, look at how he seems to be angling his hands to put pressure on the sides of his neck instead of crushing his windpipe.

till still obviously panics in reaction to this which makes me think he must be applying some kind of pressure, but clearly not enough to cause him any lasting or significant harm.

we can also see his hands shaking when we view him from the side-- maybe an act to make it look more real/intense? without the context of the fact that till has no visible marks, it's easy to interpret this as his hands shaking from the Grip as he squeezes as tight as possible, but considering the fact that till is like. fine. i think it's perhaps a lot more likely that this could also be seen as him just being nervous too.

(edit: his hands also shake later on, when he's being shot. i'm inclined to attribute most of this to nerves.)

anyways. some conclusions that i'm drawing from this:

till has two panic instincts being activated here: to freeze, and to fight. he switches between these two quite quickly but i find both to be notable. his first reaction to ivan kissing him is to freeze in place, just staring at him, before he then switches to fight and immediately tries to push him away. when ivan goes back in anyways till seems to go back to freeze, unsure of what exactly to do. ivan then moves to choke him and till again sticks with freeze, accepting the choking without question and not visibly fighting back against it (e.g. he doesn't push ivan's arms away or grapple for his hands etc.), though he does still seem shocked and freaked out by it.

till seems to be significantly more distressed over ivan choking him than ivan kissing him. he also pushes ivan back when he kisses him, but not when he's choking him. (kind of fucking obvious, but still interesting to me considering their Histories, both together and as individuals).

ivan is very calm and calculated here, considering what he's actually fucking doing. who the hell taught that kid proper choking practices etc. etc.

ivan's very white outfit must be waterproof or something since we never see any stains even as the rain fucking pours over them. i also cannot imagine what the fucking acoustics must be like in that place.

i need to do a closer analysis of this more generally, but there is a Lot to be said about (ivan)till and collars.

final point, love that till unrepresses for exactly one (1) frame before it's all fucking over. GOD DAMMIT I HATE THESE GUYS

also bonus: ivan's very obvious checking out of the scores before he gives till one more little peck (still choking him, btw) and then dies 👍

fools.

[wishyoudwell]

juuust out of pure curiosity, id be interested to know what roles each member of The Chain would have in a modern day band... I advocate for Wind on drums (this is important to me) , but the rest I'm flexible on and am considering roles and positions................. Im also thinking:

Time Guitar, (well, he literally plays one in MM)

Wild Drums (because im afraid hed break every other instrument he touches) ,

Legend Bass (? In turn, Ravio on Guitar as a parallel or vice versa) (but Legend can play a lot more than that),

Twilight Vocals (Because all he does is howl),

and Sky also possibly Bass or Guitar. (bc the goddess harp also uses strings thats my only excuse for this one)

Im unsure with the rest though, i have ideas, but nothing solid. ...and id like to hear hcs

[becauseimanicequeen]

The Timelines in 4 Minutes

Since the Olympics are finally over, and I have three episodes of 4 Minutes to go on, I thought I would spend some time trying to figure out the timelines.

I'm someone who figures out what I want to say by writing it out, so this post will most likely be me "thinking out loud" and drawing conclusions as I go, and then, at the end, I'll have a clearer view of the timelines (hopefully).

(This is most likely going to be one long-ass post, so beware.)

Let's start with some initial notes before I dive into the fun stuff.

The contents of this post may be influenced by some of my theories (pre-premiere theories, episode 1, episode 2, episode 3), and I might come up with new ones as I write this post (they will be highlighted in purple so possible readers of this mammoth post can choose to ignore them if they want, lol), but my focus is primarily on the timelines themselves and, perhaps, on the passing of time throughout the episodes as well.

As I start this post, I believe there are 3 timelines (which are subject to change as I continue to write):

The present timeline, which is what starts off both the 1st and the 2nd episodes (these are events from the future from our current vantage point).

The 4-minute timeline, which is where Great changes things (I've previously called this the OOBE timeline, since I believe Great is having an out-of-body experience and is "reliving" his past).

Then there's a possible third timeline (I've previously thought it might've been the real past, which showed us events that actually happened in the past paralleled with the 4-minute timeline) but I'm most unsure about this one, so I'll just call it the 3rd timeline until my thoughts are more clear about it.

Now... Where the hell do I start?

Time

It might be a good idea to start with the clues that there are different timelines at play and then dive deeper into the episodes to figure out what's happening.

Besides the obvious clues that Great is sent back in time when he has his moments of the 4-minute phenomenon (4MP), there are other clues that different timelines are at play.

The first clue shows up in the Korn and Tonkla scene from the 1st episode and all the way through to the scene where Korn drops Great off at his place after their family dinner.

This is where I'll be crazy about the details (but I'm a hundred percent sure they matter, especially since this whole show is about time), but if we look at Korn's watch when he arrives at Tonkla's place, it says 7:15-ish pm.

Later, when Tonkla wants a second round, it says 8:55 pm.

Then they get interrupted because Korn's dad wants him home for dinner. They have their family dinner, and then, when Korn drops Great off at his condo after dinner, Korn's watch says 7:15-ish while the clock on Great's phone says 07:13.

(Great already has issues with time, which I believe is the effect of him having a cardiac arrest at 11:00 in the present, but the time anomaly in this particular sequence is different than Great seeing 11:00 and counting when he's alone.)

This whole sequence is meant to be the same day Great hit Manee with his car. All of them (even the dad and Great's mom) are wearing the same clothes they wore when introduced throughout that very same day. Yet, the times on the visible watches and clocks tell us something strange is going on.

(Could this just be me overanalyzing the watches and clocks? Sure. But the interesting thing is that the time is still consistent in the sequence with Korn and Tonkla. It would make sense that they talk, then fuck, and then lie there butt ass naked and cuddling for a total of 1 h 40 min. And, again, considering this show is about time, I trust that the creators have been meticulous about those details, even if it means changing the time on the watches and clocks for every new take if needed.)

Considering what I wrote above, I might start calling the 3rd timeline Tonkla's timeline, because I feel like it revolves around him.

Either way, I will focus on the 4-minute timeline and the third one in particular because I don't see a possible 4th one right now (I might by the end of this post, though, lol).

The question is, then, how we can determine which scenes belong to which timelines. I will get to that further below, because first...

Let’s look at some more details I’ve noticed.

Blurry Edges

One of those details is the dreamy, blurry edges (I'm sure there's a technical term for this, but I have no idea what that might be, I'm just guessing that they're adding it in post-production, but don't quote me on that). Much of the show has a dreamy feel overall, but I'm talking about the blurry edges in particular.

I've noticed blurry edges in the following scenes:

When Great feels iffy in the elevator (ep 1)

I'm pretty sure there's some of it happening in the scene when Tyme is treating Manee, both in the ER and in the OR during the surgery (ep 1)

At the family dinner when Great's mom tells him he should go see Manee at the hospital (ep 1)

When Great feels iffy at the hospital before his second 4MP (ep 1)

When Great is sitting in Title's car talking about where View is (ep 2)

I'm not sure about this one since it's hard to tell because it's dark, but it might be used in the scene where Title beats the shit out of Dome (ep 2)

When Great brings Dome into the hospital (ep 2)

When Korn is having a meeting with Fasai and her dad (ep 2)

When Great feels iffy and has his fourth 4MP at the basketball court (ep 3)

When Win reads through Tonkla's brother's social media posts and comments, which is a memory of him doing it (ep 3)

And I'm pretty sure we're getting more of this since there were scenes in the trailer that had those blurry edges as well, for example:

The pattern I'm seeing with these scenes (if we exclude the first scene in the elevator, Korn's meeting with Fasai, and Win's memories, the latter might've had blurry edges just because it was his memory, btw) is that each scene has something to do with Great's 4MP, before the rewind and/or after the rewind.

(Perhaps the reason for the blurry edges showing up in Korn's scene is because he's the possible third character that's having an OOBE. And if this theory is true, there's a possibility that there's yet another timeline/reality/perspective present that entwines with both Tonkla's and Great's timelines.)

There are also the tilting camera shots (mostly showing up in scenes with Great), which I might get into next week as I continue to build on this post.

But, what does all this with the blurry edges mean?

I have no fucking clue.

Perhaps it's just meant to show that things aren't what they seem. Perhaps it's meant to show which characters are experiencing OOBEs (Great, Tyme, and possibly Korn)? Perhaps it's meant to show moments that are affected by Great changing them through his 4MP? Again, I have no fucking clue, yet (but it might start to get clearer as we get more episodes).

So, moving on...

Different Realities/Parallel Worlds/POVs?

There is another aspect to this whole timelines discussion I'm having with myself that I want to bring up. And that's the clues I've found that support the possibility of different realities/parallel worlds/different point-of-views. I'm not sure what to call them, yet.

So, let's dive into the moments I'm referring to and try and figure it out.

The second time Great experiences his 4MP, he goes to the ER's front desk and we're shown the nurse's actual desk where there's a clock that we're supposed to focus on because it's telling us that time will do weird shit again.

The moment Great has been sent back in time (after being in Manee's room), he's standing in the same position, looking down at the clock on the desk, and realizes it's happened again (just like when he hit Manee). However, this time, the things on the desk are different.

The time on the clock is the same, but the mirror is in a different position, 75 has turned to 74 (I'm not sure what these numbers mean), 77F has turned to 76F (which I'm guessing are Fahrenheit degrees), and the pink, blue, and yellow papers are lying on top of the folder the second time around.

If Great was sent back in time to the exact moment he was in before he went to Manee's room, the things on the desk would've been in the same place, right? So, he might not even have been sent back to the reality he was in before this 4MP happened.

Another clue is the sunrise and the sunset artworks on the wall at the hospital. We often see them by the entryway:

Then, in the 2nd episode, it looks like at least the right one is hanging outside Manee's room (which we've seen isn't anywhere near the front desk since Great had to walk around a bend to get to her room in the first episode).

Could they have more than one of those artworks in the hospital? Sure. So, take this with a grain of salt.

(Btw, I find those artworks so fascinating because sunrises are usually cooler (more blueish) while sunsets are usually warmer (more red/orangeish). But from our perspective, looking at them straight on, the warmer artwork has the sun setting in the west while the cooler artwork has the sun rising in the east. And, since the eye in left-to-right reading cultures often automatically goes from left to right, it's interesting that the sunset comes first and then the sunrise. Perhaps it's to show that the world is turned upside down now that Great is having these weird experiences. Or perhaps it's to show that the time between the sunset and sunrise will be important for Great and Tyme since Great watches Tyme pass those artworks (from sunset to sunrise) the first time he has visions of them having sex. But, I digress...)

Another set of clues is in the scene with Great and Tyme sitting on the bleachers by the basketball court and Great has another 4MP in the third episode.

The first time we see this wide shot, there are 5 people (excluding Great and Tyme):

4 of them are wearing white shirts (one with a darker cardigan), and they sit on Great's side. One wears a blue shirt and sits on Tyme's side. This is where Great asks Tyme why he didn't call before coming to the University.

As they continue to talk (and the camera shot is closer to them), you can see the top of the head of a girl walking towards the bleachers. There's also another person walking by, waving, but he's walking right past them rather than towards the bleachers.

Then, as Great thanks Tyme for the Thai tea and gets up to leave, we get this wide shot. The only difference here is that the girl who walked towards the bleachers is now sitting next to her friend. That seems logical, right?

But, then Great has his rewind, and he comes back to the moment where Tyme reminds Great to get his wound treated. Great tells Tyme about his precognition and Tyme tells Great that he will consult with one of his doctor friends. Then, as Tyme stands up to leave, we get this wide shot:

The two girls at the bottom left are in the same position but the girls two steps above and to the far left are different, the boy and the girl next to them are new, and the boy with the white shirt to the right is the same boy that sat on Great's side previously.

Coincidence?

Well... After Tyme tells Great that he can call him Tyme rather than Doctor, and Great says that they should grab something to eat after he gets his wound treated, we get this shot:

Now we're back to the original two girls to the left, there are new boys wearing black on the bottom left, and the boy in blue is back again. That's a lot of moving around in such a short time.

The only things that stay consistent in all of the shots are the bags (except for one of them) and bottles.

So, what's going on? Is this another one of those things that happened at the hospital where Great was sent back to a reality where things were different from the reality he was in before the 4MP?

Is the show giving us different perspectives? For example, Great's perspective before his 4MP, Tyme's perspective when he says he'll talk to Den, and Great's perspective again when Tyme has left? That could work for the hospital example as well since it was from Great’s perspective before the 4MP but turned into Tyme’s after the 4MP as he asked the nurse at the front desk who the guy that bumped into him was.

Or is the show just underlining how strange everything is during the 4-minute timeline (and Great's possible OOBE)?

Well, the latter might not be it because clues like this don't just show up when Great is around.

In the first episode when Korn comes to Tonkla's place, Tonkla's laptop shows he has something blue and yellow on his screen:

Then the screen is black as if it's been turned off:

Later, when it cuts to them lying naked on the sofa, it's just white:

Also, notice how the small spotlight behind the desk is positioned differently and pointing in another direction on the desk than in the first image above.

Could it be that Tonkla simply used the laptop and moved the lamp between them having sex and lying there? Sure. Again, if we look at Korn's watch from the beginning of this whole sequence (7:15-ish pm) to when Tonkla wants a second round (8:55 pm), we know he had 1 h 40 min to rearrange things and do stuff on that laptop.

But, you know, unless the house is on fire, who would move from that spot on top their sugar daddy who is lying there deliciously naked? And especially to do some stuff on a laptop? Fuck technology (the not-so-good kind of fuck) and fuck your sugar daddy instead (the deliciously bad kind of fuck). We all know Tonkla wants to. But, I digress...

Take this detail with a grain of salt if you want to (or a whole fistful). For me, though, this shows that there's a possibility that changes and inconsistencies like this aren't just happening around Great. And (to my crazy mind, at least), that it might be two timelines showing up throughout this particular sequence between Korn and Tonkla.

24 Hour vs AM/PM Clock Settings

And on the topic of inconsistencies... Another thing I want to point out is the inconsistencies with the digital clocks when it comes to them being 24-hour clocks or set to the am/pm thing.

The hospital seems to have a 24-hour setting in some cases:

But not in others:

This could be in the morning, of course, and the darkness outside Manee's window might just be because of the thunder/lightning storm (but I still think it's night rather than morning).

And then we also have Great (who, to be fair, has a special relationship to time in this show), who sees 11:00/11:02 both in the morning and at night:

And the am/pm thing is on his phone when Korn drops him off:

Even though his phone seems to have the 24-hour setting:

More than once:

But, again, Great clearly has issues with time and clocks/watches. So, this might just be a way to show how confusing it is to him.

But, what if it isn't? What if it's an indication that several realities are entwining? (Okay, I feel like I'm going with the term "realities" when it comes to this.)

My Timelines So Far

So, what are my conclusions after watching the first 3 episodes?

At this point, I think there are 3 timelines:

The present timeline.

The 4-minute timeline.

The real past/Tonkla's timeline (which is meant to show us the real past events that happened, most of it from Tonkla's perspective).

Having Tonkla's timeline be the real past is possible considering the inconsistencies in time during the Korn and Tonkla scene and then the Korn and Great scene in the 1st episode.

And before someone says this doesn't make sense because of all the missed calls Korn has (if anyone is still reading this, lol)... Well, that's because Korn exists in both timelines and the scene when he looks at the missed calls in that bathroom in the 3rd episode:

Could be the 4-minute timeline rather than Tonkla's timeline (the real past). That could make sense because all we've seen of Tonkla since Korn told him off over the phone is him waiting by his phone for Korn to call.

We never saw Tonkla call Korn again after being told off.

On the flip side, if Korn is in the real past when he looks at those missed calls in episode 3, it would make sense that when he wants to call Tonkla while he's waiting for Great at the bar (in the 4-minute timeline), the icons on the top right of his phone are different from the phone he looked at in the bathroom:

(Am I getting too crazy about this? Yes. Do I care? No, because it's fun.)

Could he be using different phones? Yes. Could those icons change depending on where he is and what settings he's using? Sure (I'm not familiar with Samsung phones so I have no idea what most of those icons mean). But it could also mean that we're seeing Korn in different timelines in these two scenes, which makes it possible for Tonkla's timeline to show us the real past.

(I personally prefer the option that the scene with Korn looking at the missed calls is from Tonkla's timeline (the real past) while Korn almost calling Tonkla in the bar, and then smiling at his phone as he's going to the bathroom, is from the 4-minute timeline where Tonkla's brother (who I believe is Dome) hasn't been killed.)

Also, I think showing us the real past is a smart way to show us what leads up to Tonkla beating the shit out of someone.

(I believe that scene is from the real timeline, and whoever he's beating with that rock, might have an effect on the things that are happening right now. I'm not sure what kind of effect, though. Perhaps it's a possible third person experiencing an OOBE and "living" in the 4-minute timeline. Perhaps Great is going through this OOBE to prevent that murder from happening after he wakes up (if he ever does). I'm not sure at this point.)

So, that's where I'm at with the timelines after 3 episodes.

And, when it comes to the inconsistencies in certain scenes, the easy answer is that they are just meant to show that this whole 4-minute timeline is an inconsistent mess of (what I believe to be) Great's OOBE.

But, I would personally find it more interesting if these inconsistencies (like all the people around Great and Tyme changing in that scene at the basketball court) are evidence that there is more than one character experiencing an OOBE and that the inconsistencies shown are there because the characters have different perspectives of the events happening.

Now, I had planned to make a flowchart of the scenes in each episode divided into the three different timelines I've written about above. But, I want to get this post out before the 4th episode drops tomorrow, and I just don't have time to make the flowchart before that (or enough images left in this post to fit something like a flowchart in it before I hit the pesky limit). So I'll wait with that chart until next week instead (when I'll continue to build on this post in a reblog).

Waiting to create and post the flowchart until after the new episode tomorrow also gives me another episode to nerd out about. It's a win-win for me.

[glitter-stained]

what are your favourite comics of your favourite characters? jason, cass, mia, anybody you'd like to talk about! 🫶

Hi there! Unfortunately, I have forbidden myself from reading Batgirl 2000 until I am done with my master thesis (which so far appears to be done with me more than the other way around), deadline is in one month! So no Cass yet 😕 she motivates me though

Green Arrow 2001 is the Mia comic. So far of all the other Mia appearances I have read it's the only one I've enjoyed, but I'll say I haven't read Green Arrow/Black Canary and Green Arrow 2023 yet, very excited to see her in those! to go back to GA 2001, not only is that the comic with three different mia-centric arcs, but even in the arcs where she's not the main character, she's written with so much care and detail, it's just amazing. It also has my favourite Mia get-up, a black set-up with the big pants that none of her Speedy suits so far has lived up to. Also the attention to her hair is really great. I'm rambling I'm rambling, sorry. Just- Green Arrow 2001 is really cool. (I do have to say, I've been told it's not great for ollie and dinah- it was my intro to ollie and I still fell in love with his character but i can understand that compared to previous versions of him he's not as good. I love him though.)

For Jason, I'm a big fan of the whole original post-crisis jaybin run! Well. I'm a fan of Jason's characterization -Starlin's writing is often racist and sexist and pretty shitty, but if you approach it with a mentality of "Jason is right and Batman is wrong" it becomes often much more readable. Aditf in particular is racist as fuck, though the Jason characterization is good- Starlin is quite the incredible illustration of the "enemy of my enemy is my friend", yk. I also deeply adore Judy Koslovsky, she's one of my favourite minor batman characters. But my favourite Jaybin story is Batman #408-409 (which was written by Collins), it's just so good (though i'm unsure whether the batman criticism and classism conversation were intended or if it's just my reading - i don't care, it's great whether it meant to or not). Ma Gunn might just be my favourite Batman villain, she's the perfect mix of thematically relevant and camp, she doesn't need to be edgy to make a wonderful critique of Batman, she's a narrative foil for Batman and a Leslie parallel and thus the best option for introducing Jason's character. Granny McCrime truly nobody does it like you do, I'm sorry Scott Lobdell got his nasty paws on you. For Red Hood Jason, I don't know if I like Under the Hood ( i could write a 17 pages long essay on my love-hate relationship with it) but it sure is a comic, wow. Red Hood Lost Days is great, as long as I pretend that one sex scene isn't there (it was retconned, so i can do that anyway) it's my favourite Red Hood comic. You just have to like, ignore the psychoanalytical subtext tbh. Other than that, I have to finish TFZ and read TMWSL before making an opinion on those. Oh, I also really liked Jason in Batman: The Cult (which was almost an awesome horror story until Starlin fucked with gratuitous racism for no reason). Legends is also an awesome Jason comic, he's not in there long but I do love both his inferiority complex towards dick, his incredible bravery, and the way it explores child superheroes with the parallel between Jason and Billy and the way they're treated.

Barbara's also one of my favs, but I'm still reading through Birds of Prey 1999, so I don't think I have much to recommend beyond it so far- very eager to make a "best of barbara gordon" reading list as soon as I have read it! Especially curious about Oracle's first appearance in suicide squad, and maybe that Batgirl comic where she runs for mayor or something.

For Roy, I'm a big, big fan of Devin Grayson's Arsenal mini! Snowbirds don't Fly is also a reference or course, both as a drug psa (esp considering the time it was published) and as a Roy story. I haven't read much more of him yet tragically, but I did read that standalone Titans #19 (i think it was 19) while looking for Mia appearances, and I thought he was really really good in it.

And of course I can't not include one of my favourite characters, who I'd bet you might really really like, The Crimson Avenger! She's criminally underrated and underdeveloped, but despite how short her appearances are she's like -such a cool, well-rounded concept. I wish DC would let me write stories with her so so bad. I already made a reading list with links so I'm just linking it, she's just... So cool. A lot of the reasons I like her overlap with the reasons I like red hood jason also. Anyway check her out I promise you will not regret it!

[haiisx]

MUSICIAN AU??? EYES EYES EYES. SHARE. how did toshinori get his injury?? did him and nighteye split up and why?? what is his preferred style of music?? how does he meet izuku?? EYES EYES EYES. sooo curious <333

!!!! I'm so glad you asked!!! Get prepared for a lot of rambling because this has been consuming my every waking thought for a WHILE

How did Toshinori get his injury?

So the injury itself is unrelated to AFO, even though I toyed with that idea for a bit when I was coming up with this AU. The two ideas that I'm considering as of right now are: Toshinori is involved in a car accident (which results in the AFO-style injury from canon, and also causing nerve damage in his hands which makes it difficult to play or compose) or Toshinori comes down with an illness, and because he doesn't take breaks to take care of himself like, EVER, it progressed and got worse (which doesn't result in the big huge scar from canon, but it does shorten his time that he's ablet to perform without worsening his health even further). Even if it's cliche, I'm a bigger fan of the first option.

Did he and Nighteye split up and why?

Yes!! They did!!! Pre-injury, Nighteye and Toshinori were partners, so they wrote music together (which, for any non-musician readers, is a big deal. You don't write music with just ANYBODY). That was until Toshinori got his injury, and proceeded to overwork himself despite Nighteye's protests. Just like canon, some things are said, and the two of them split because Nighteye can't watch Toshinori work himself into the ground and Toshinori can't just give up on music because his body isn't holding up. (And yes, Nighteye still takes Mirio under his wing to be Toshinori's successor).

What is his preferred style of music?

Classical/orchestral!! His symphonies are grand and powerful and rallying. When it's just him and a piano (as it mostly was back in his Prime), he can make it sound like he has a whole orchestra behind him. Post-injury, he transitions into conducting an orchestra rather than performing himself (although, he did do some conducting in his Prime for the symphonies he composed).

The titles of his pieces are references to events within canon. For example, his song "Symbol of Peace" (Or, symphony no. 8) is his most famous song, alongside "I Am Here" (symphony no. 1), and "Final Act" (symphony no. 94, and a reference to what Gran Torino says about All Might during the fight at Kamino Ward).

I'll also explain how One For All ties into everything since it has to do with his style of music. So One For All is actually the title of a piece that is currently unfinished. The song was passed down from his mentor, Nana Shimura, which was passed down to her from her mentor, and so on. Each generation of musician added about a minute or so to the piece (with Hikage Shinomori, the fourth artist, adding two to three minutes to mirror the fact that he held OFA the second longest in canon), and it is still unfinished. Toshinori hands the sheet music down to Midoriya, who eventually finishes the piece and completes One For All.

How does he meet Izuku?

So far, I'm thinking that Izuku sneaks into one of All Might's concerts and bumps into him after the show, at which point Izuku fanboys, freaks out, and trips over himself for an autograph. i'm a little unsure about the specifics, but I want this to parallel canon, so Toshinori gets the chance to hear something Izuku composed, which is so full of emotion that Toshinori is moved and inspired, thus taking Izuku under his wing.

Izuku is still a big ol' nerd, so his notebook is FULL of analysises of a plethora of artists' trademarks, of the progressions they use in their pieces, the lyricism, the time signatures, etc etc. He also has an arc where he has to stop just mirroring All Might's musical style and branch out into developing his own.

And now time for everyone's favorite part: facts you didn't ask for but I'm going to share anyway!!! can I get a drum roll?

Stain is a critic, and he's known for killing musicians' careers with his scalding responses. The only musician he's ever given positive feedback to is All Might.

All For One and Toshinori new each other when they were younger and they both got into music at around the same time. They're rivals because the messages that AFO promotes in his pieces (despair, surrender, hopelessness) are diametric opposites to the messages All Might promotes (hope, unity, strength) in his music. Also, AFO straight up steals music from other artists (reference to the quirk-stealing) and has been trying to steal the sheet music for One For All from All Might since they were in school. AFO derives joy from being the only one to make All Might's constant smile twitch or falter. All For One is also a classical/orchestral artist, and the names of his songs are references to canon as well. His most famous piece is "Demon Lord," which incorporates haunting choral vocals.

Present Mic owns a record label.

Aizawa still becomes a caretaker for Eri, and 1-A still put on the concert she attends w/ Mirio.

everything has a much lighter tone than canon considering that nobody's lives are on the line, and the biggest "conflicts" are just rivalries between musicians.

Alrighty, I think i've rambled long enough. If you have any more questions please feel free to ask them!! Feel free to make any additions as well!! I plan on drawing some more for this AU, so stay tuned. Thank you so so much for the ask!!

[pokemon-my-beloved]

my thoughts on pokemon legends za: what we know so far

i'm back!!!! sorry for not posting in over a year, the hyperfixation has shifted and i started uni which has kept me VERY busy. regardless! i'm super excited for the new game! this post will be based primarily on the trailer that dropped earlier today, though i will be taking info from the official site into account.

analysis under the readmore!

general

i think this game is going to be a launch title for the switch 2. i know the trailer and website both said it would be for the switch, but considering a. that the switch 2 is coming out later this year, we just don't know when yet and b. how godawful sv's performance was (and how the visuals seem to be pretty similar to sv's), i think that would make the most sense. if this is true, both will probably be releasing in november, because that's when pokemon games come out (except pla lmao), but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ we'll see!

since pla took place like... idk, 300 or so? years before dpp, i'm betting that plza will take place roughly 300 years after xy. given the amount of development and improved technology (and, from what i can tell, a lack of sycamore, clemont, and other characters from lumiose (though this is only the first trailer)), it would have to be at least 100 years in the future. i just think the time difference is roughly the same for parallel reasons. i'll elaborate more on this later, though

OBSESSED with the new battle system. finally, we can truly live out the anime and have our pokemon fucking dodge attacks without relying on evasion boosting moves. the ui is also really neat, i LOVE the info (chikorita used razor leaf, it's super effective, etc) being on the side, it feels a lot less obtrusive. also love that you can see your whole party at all times, i think that's great

speaking of ui, the minimap is fantastic. desperately needed that sooner, thank you gamefreak

the architecture and stuff looks AMAZING, i adore the style

pokemon

starters are chikorita, tepig, and totodile! definitely gives johto favoritism, but you know what, that's fair, johto has not gotten appreciation like this in years

unsure if the starters will get kalosian(?) forms or mega evolutions, i've seen speculation for both. i think it'll probably be forms, because it doesn't feel like there's any way they could give these three mega evolutions but not the others from those regions, plus samurott and typhlosion already have hisuian forms

relatedly, snivy is definitely going to be the grass starter in the next legends game (assuming we get another one, at least, which we probably will)

regardless, regional variants seem more likely to me, which gives more credence to my theory that this is a good few hundred years post xy, even if this is pokemon, changes like that take a while. fairly confident we won't get mega evolutions for the starters, but it would be cool if we did!

speaking of, mega evolution is BACK!!!!! i'm SO excited, mega evolution is EASILY my favorite mid-battle... mechanic? change? idk, but z moves, dynamaxing, and terastilization don't even come CLOSE

the currently confirmed returning mega evolutions are charizard, kangaskhan, gyarados, ampharos, gardevoir, sableye, altaria, absol, and lucario: a solid mix of mega evolutions introduced in both xy and oras. i imagine all of the old mega evolutions will return (except maybe mega rayquaza and mega mewtwo, given that i can't think of any reason for them to be there)

relatedly, the returning pokemon (in general and not counting the ones already mentioned) are sliggoo, clauncher, furfrou, sandile, bunnelby, pyroar, zygarde (obviously), budew, vivillon, eevee, patrat, pikachu (duh), larvitar, bagon, aegislash, trubbish, weepinbell, chandelure, fletchling, swirlix, spritzee, hippowdon, pidgeot, skiddo, onix, florges, dragalge, dedenne, and inkay, plus obviously all pre-evolutions and evolutions thereof

didn't see any regional variants, but i'm fairly confident they'll show up considering they've been in every game since sm (even though kalos was before that). hopefully we'll get more variants than we did in sv!

characters

not a lot to say about the rivals, tbh. they're fine enough, i don't have enough info to make much of a judgement

i do not trust jett and vinnie. mostly jett. they're leaders of a megacorporation, and i know how that goes in pokemon games (plus jett's design gives HUGE r*se and oleana vibes, both of whom i hate with a passion). the only thing that makes me doubt they're the antags is how early in the promotional cycle they've shown up, but if they're villains i will have called it on sight. stop designing characters like this, gamefreak, you've made a reputation for yourselves now

and finally, AZ!!!!!!!!! i'm super super SUPER excited about him being here, i think that's INCREDIBLE and i'm so happy he and floette are thriving now. he's running a hotel, good for him

SPEAKING OF, this is probably the main reason i think plza will be so far in the future. we've established that az..... can't die, and he didn't reconnect with floette until post xy, so there's no way this game can take place before then (unless it was way way WAY long ago, but he wouldn't be able to run a hotel then cause he would be busy being king. also all the technological improvements and stuff). given that it he's established a hotel and it seems he has been running it for a while, based on the fact that the rivals live and work there, this game has to take place long enough after xy that he would 1, not be an emotional wreck 2, get himself cleaned up and presentable 3, get enough money to buy a building in lumiose city, which i imagine would be pretty expensive 4, buy a building in lumiose city that he can turn into a hotel 5, establish it as a business to the point where people live there and the player character chooses to stay there, and 6, the events of the game occur. step 1 alone had to take years (half joking), so i'm positive that given the other steps this game has to be at minimum a century after xy

also, he uses a cane now. arguably he should've had that a long time ago, but still (i was also gonna mention the knee brace, but i checked and he had that in the official artwork for xy)

EDIT: i know there’s no fucking way this will happen but i kinda really really hope the lumiose ghost girl comes back and fucking explains literally anything. i want to know what the fuck she’s talking about but also i hope it’s a mystery forever and she stays a cryptid queen. idk, just thoughts, it’s like 2:30 am and insomnia’s kicking my ass, there are no coherent thoughts rn

that's it for now, i think. super excited for this game, i can't wait!!!!

[artobotsrollout]

Hey!!! i've been seeing your Knockout posts, so i wanted to shift your focus to this face that KO makes after Starscream snaps at him in the final movie

Its small but it really speaks volume about all the shit he's had to put up with and this was his last straw

OOO YES thank you for submitting this cause you're absolutely right that his face shifted in a way that made it clear that this was the final straw.

Major Transformers: Prime and Predacons Rising spoilers. Read at your own peril.

In my opinion I honestly think that Knockout wasn't planning to knock out (heh) Starscream the way he did until Starscream told him to shut up. Based on his facial expressions I think it was a slap to the face realization moment.

His face shifts from shock/dismay at Starscream telling him to shut up, to this expression of realization.

I think it's largely bc Starscream was basically the last thing in the Decepticons that could have made him stay. Whether or not someone interprets that as friendship or Knockout being hopeful that things would be different if Starscream led is up to the viewer. I think it's a mix of both tbh. I don't know if they'd be considered full on friends but as far as we could see on screen Starscream was the last friendly face that Knockout had connection to in the Decepticons.

It also hurts a bit. Considering TfP sometimes had good theming but often had messages and themes that, in my opinion, weren't explored as well as they could have been or just weren't explored further I'm unsure if this next parallel was intentional or not. But Starscream's "Shut up you!" was said after Knockout said something kinda cheesy/punny in the evil way he does. The thing is? He used to say the cheesiest shit with Breakdown. And every time one of them started a punny line or something? The other would add to it.

In a way this moment was kind of a contrast between the two relationships. Breakdown matched his energy. I don't think Breakdown got enough screentime nor did the dynamic between Knockout and Breakdown get explored as much as it could have been but you can still get a good read on their bond. And comparing Breakdown's relationship with KO vs Starscream's it's easy to see how one lifts each other up and the other is well... rocky.

So Starscream telling him to shut up made him realize the distinct difference from his relationship with Breakdown. It basically told Knockout Imo that Starscream didn't like or care about him the way a companion should. And with that realization came the realization that he really had nothing left with the Decepticons. Not even the last person he had a semi-positive relationship with actually cared about him.

Some people think Knockout's defection was just shoved in willy nilly but, in my opinion, as far as side switching goes, Knockout is honestly the only Decepticon that I think made sense even if it was rushed. I know some people say it was badly done which, totally fair. Though I would have loved to see more buildup and a sort of, episode to remind viewers how shitty he was treated so his defection felt more natural plus more bonding with Breakdown to give us a better sense that they were close, Knockout's defection honestly? Made sense if you thought about it.

Enough shitty stuff happened to him bc of being in the Decepticons, add to the fact that with Breakdown gone he was now entirely alone to warrant a side change. And from the get go he never seemed particularly loyal to the Decepticons as a whole. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Knockout joined the Decepticons for the ✨ aesthetic ✨/hj. He's already shown a tendency to enjoy roaming and doing his own thing. So him ditching when there's nothing left worth staying for? Very in character I think.

I wish it got more attention than just a brief plot point in Predacons Rising but like, TfP had been cancelled so I kinda get it.

[besiegedhunter]

Priestess Inspiration.

So once again not making a post about Red (I am) but I wanted to talk about something I thought of that I've not really seen anyone talk about and that's the possibility that Priestess is inspired by Chang'e, the Goddess of the Moon in China.

Also disclaimer: I'm no expert on either Chinese mythology nor anything Ancient Civilization. Also spoilers for CN.

So firstly the thing that got me onto this thought in the first place is this cg:

I'm unsure if we are told where this is but you can see Priestess and the new Cautus Hilda who Priestess resurrected because she wanted her own bunny I suppose.

Immediately to me I thought about how Terra has two moons and how one is implied to be artificial:

And with that thought I realized that Hilda might not just be there to be a parallel to Amiya but instead referencing Yutu, the rabbit that Chang'e has with her on the moon which would suggest that Priestess is inspired by Chang'e.

So what exactly is the story of Chang'e? Well there's different tellings and I'm sure there's more to her, I just want to stick to the basics but from what I understand the basics are:

She was a mortal woman who had a husband who was gifted the elixir of life which he decided wouldn't be drunk. In whichever telling it is, Chang'e ends up drinking it and ascends to the moon, taking her rabbit with her I believe, to become a goddess and live on the moon and Yutu creates the elixir of life.

While I believe she appears elsewhere, this is the story I want to focus on because it's her origin. It also focuses on the elixir of life which I think is quite fascinating in regards to Arknights because Priestess is everything to do with Originium which may make it analogous to the elixir of life.

I know that the elixir of life is extremely prevalent in Chinese mythology and throughout history many have tried to create one and got poisoned including many people in high positions.

And it seems possible that this angle is being explored, particularly through Hilda who as a Lateran pilgrim seems like she'll be heading down the path of using originium to "heal" the infected and wants to use originium in that way:

It's implied that Priestess did this but Hilda's expressed wanting to find her and to essentially do the same, if she can't already. I'm unsure on that detail.

And the whole 'ascending to godhood' does seem to be pretty accurate to Priestess considering what she can do but also that as far as we see the Doctor can't (I swear though the Endministrator from Endfield has some level of using originium.) and it seems no other Precursor is with Priestess.

Unsure about taking the elixir of life however though it could be assumed that the Doctor could play a role similar to Hou Yi, the husband from the story but I don't know how expansive that'd be.

Also as an random detail to throw out there, the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program is also known as the Chang'e Program whose crafts are named after her which I think is fitting since a lot about Priestess has so much to do with space and space travel.

Curious to see if anything comes from this.

[skyler1290]

Bad news: I'm sick. Good news: that gave me free time to work on Raspberry and Mercurial Knight's appearances.

Raspberry Cookie -

Raspberry Cookie’s Soul Jam is a half crimson, half-dark blue flower-looking symbol, a reference to how flowers can represent a lot of things and how Raspberry, back in the Hollyberry Kingdom, used to manage quite a few jobs and responsibilities. Her Soul Jam is the Light of Loyalty.

She has crimson hair with light pink swirls in it. Her hair used to be long, but paralleling what one of her fellow Neo-Ancients did when he ran away from his kingdom, she cut hers shorter too. It’s about shoulder length now. Due to this, instead of tying her hair, she leaves it untouched since it’s a bit too short to style in that way.

Raspberry wears a short, dark-red jacket with a hood. More often than not, her hood is up. She still wears her tailcoat but no longer sports her cravat or her epaulettes. 

Raspberry Cookie also doesn’t wear her gloves anymore; as mentioned in another post, she gave them to Kouign-Amann Cookie (her gloves are light pink in this AU, unlike how they’re white in the canon storyline. It's a bit of a useless change, but it doesn’t do anything negative).

A pastel blue ribbon can be seen tied around the former princess’ waist (and yes, she is Royal Berry’s younger sister in this AU and has Jungleberry as a sister-in-law. The age gap is huge, however). She wears white pants and short, brown, diamond-shaped boots.

As for jewelry, she doesn’t have any besides her two necklaces. 

Her Soul Jam is embedded into one of her necklaces as a charm.

Mercurial Knight Cookie -

Mercurial Knight Cookie’s Soul Jam is a half aquamarine and half cream camellia sinensis leaf. The representation of that shape will be revealed later on in the fic. His Soul Jam is the Light of Detachment.

The top part of his hair is white, and the lower part is black. Unlike his fellow Neo-Ancients (other than Stormbringer, maybe), he didn’t alter his hair or tie it up into any hairstyle that’s different from how his hair is styled or seen on your average day. 

Mercurial Knight wears a gray fur cloak (without the hood), abandoning his shoulder blades. He still wears the armor that he wore at the Faerie Kingdom, but he’s been thinking of changing it for a while now. Mercurial is unsure of such a choice, however. It would be more of an emotional decision if he kept it, but he’s the holder of the Light of Detachment, so that’d be slightly hypocritical of him, wouldn’t it?

Unlike before, his wings are folded underneath his fur cloak most of the time. There’s two hidden openings in the cloak that can be zipped open and closed for his wings whenever he doesn’t want them folded, however.

He also wears a gray waist cape, which reaches to about his ankles. His gray boots reach up to his knees, but he may also change the boots in time since they’re part of his Faerie Kingdom attire.

This is also the time when I’ll be mentioning that all of the Neo-Ancients wear a necklace with a light blue crystal charm. Consider it their ‘friendship’ necklace (it may hold more of a purpose).

His Soul Jam is the clasp of his fur cloak.

-

I'm doing my best to change Raspberry's backstory in a way that fits into the story. And also, I'd like you guys to note that Stormbringer was brought up differently in this AU and has a different status from the canon storyline, so quite a few aspects of her personality and goals will and may differ.

(Beast Ancients AU by: @cuppajj )

[iravaid]

sry if this is random but will u tell us what english au is? i remember seeing it passing re: codposting and im so curious

Hi i'm so happy you asked

English AU came about when me and @farramint started bonding over how much we hated the comics and talked about how things might look if Roba was more competent.

English AU sprouts from the concept of what would happen if Simon let the brainwashing 'work' and started complying with Roba, to an extent, as his personal attack dog. Both as a way to get the torture to stop (so he would be healthy enough in the future to escape on his own, when the opportunity arose), and to stall Roba getting bored with Simon and killing him (as, in this AU, Roba had Sparks killed, leading Simon to realise his time is limited here, and dependent on that sadist's interest in him).

It's also a fun, morbid enough exploration on how low Simon will be forced to stoop while 'working' for Roba (murder, torture and such, yknow how it is), as well as the harassment, humiliation, and torture (of all kinds) he'd have to tolerate within the Zaragoza cartel. Things like forcefully being tattooed, mocked for the sexual assault and torture he'd been subjected to, and being referred to by 'English' as opposed to his actual name. I can see Roba subtly holding Simon's family hostage (to where they don't know they're in danger), and making sure Simon knows that any step too far out of line will lead to their harm. Gripped by the idea that the first time Simon hears his brother's, or mother's, voice in months is a conversation secretly recorded between one of them, and someone Roba had planted in Manchester in order to keep tabs on them.

It also lead to the idea of Roba, in all his arrogance, seeing a weakness in Las Almas following the upheaval within the cartel causing El Sin Nombre to rise to prominence. And this spurs him to try and expand operations. One thing leads to another, and Valeria convinces 'English' to help her against Roba, in exchange for his own freedom. Roba eventually dies, Valeria and Simon are violent girlbosses in arms, and Simon is coping sooo well after the torture nexus that he's just going to brutally hunt down the remaining Zaragoza cartel lieutenants while in this tenuous alliance with El Sin Nombre, who is also unsure how much to trust this man, as well as unsure if she wants to even let him go - Simon is very good at what he does, and in all honesty he knows too much about her identity. Also extremely to draw parallels between Valeria and Rudy, but if people want to read about that lmk because that's a separate post entirely.

And it makes sense for the 141 to eventually appear, maybe somewhat faithful to the plot of MW2, with the missiles and such <3. Except now there's some ulterior motives from Price, who might be aware of the MIA SAS serviceman who got tangled up in rumours of corruption and cartels. Leading to him trying to find Simon Riley and bring him back home with this sense of duty/honour to uphold, in the wake of higher-ups failing this man.

Simon then going from one master (Roba) to another (Valeria) to another (Price) is very fun to consider, as well. Valeria giving Simon more independence than Roba ever did, with shreds of respect to stop him from rankling under her thumb as badly (but still keeping Control, at the end of the day). Price is very much a man who knows how to utilise the men under him as Weapons, and while he respects his subordinates as people (versus Roba seeing Simon as a convenient attack dog he used to make kneel naked, arms behind his back, in a wire kennel for hours on end), Price ultimately values them by their individual abilities to keep the 'bad guys' afraid of their own shadows, and to 'save' the world.

This au has everything. Alejandro-Valeria bitter divorce, competent Roba horrors, Graves is there for some reason (he explodes in the tank again), Simon slaughter hashtag girl momen with a cunty silk buttonup a (with the buzzcut no less)(and houndcoding)(and corruption. but how much is merely just building off his sas conditioning), Price's vague sense of corruption but 'for the greater good', Soap and Gaz's horror at Simon's situation in a 'this very easily could've been us' way, and Gaz gets thrown out of another helicopter.

augh this became long, i hope it makes sense. The idea is ultimately that simon gets to go home, too, and tries to readjust to a 'normal' life, reuniting with Tommy and Sharon and Beth and Joseph. But I can see Price convincing him to return to the service (he knows a lifer when he sees one, and why waste a good soldier), potentially as a private contractor with the 141.

[tmasmashorpass]

So spoilers and a poll

I'm very unsure if I'm supposed to be doing parallel characters we've already done considering there are new traits being learnt, Georgie for instance, should I be doing another Gerogie TMA TMAGP version or is it done now? Please vote so I know if I'm adding those and not just the versions in our current verse. This will only be a day poll so I can get back to posting quickly

[adracat]

Esoteric+Divine Composite: Suletta

Suletta's position as an amalgamation/twist on Miranda and Caliban is obvious along with Utena. But what are some of the lesser known? She's a character shaped with symbology ranging from norse and greek myth to alchemy. Fenrisulfr, Hercules, Hermes/Mercury, and the Red King.

Fenrir

I've already broken this down a bit in a previous analysis, and in light of the finale, she finally fulfills the Ragnarok prophecy.

The freed wolf who eclipses the 'sun', heralding an end to the Gods(Benerit and SAL)

And her method of devouring Odin Miorine is consuming her in holy matrimony as the new cycle of the world is born.

Hercules

This one might be a surprise, but it's true. Suletta is undeniably coded with Heracles/Hercules symbolism, beginning with his 12 labors. In the very first episode of GWitch, she slew the invincible Nemean Lion and 'skinned' his coat

And her final labor is the subjugation of Cerberus, the multi-headed dog of the underworld.

Take note, before Hercules descends and encounters Cerberus, he's inducted into the cult of Demeter and Persephone. Notrette as Anesidora is revealed to be our Demeter, chthonic goddess of agriculture. And prior to this battle, Suletta speaks with the Persephone of our tale, inducting her within the mysteries.

You can draw other parallels between the various herculean labors and Suletta's duels. Such as the Grassley battles echoing that of the Hydra or Elan/Peil as the man-eating Stymphalian birds.

Suletta's godlike strength suddenly doesn't seem like an accident, does it?

So why was this done, other than for fun symbolism? The answer all boils down to Hermeticism, as it often seems to. Specifically this painting of Hercules, called Allegory of Wisdom and Strength

I'm unsure if it's common to interpret this image as another symbol of As Above, So Below but it's clear to me Okouchi has. We have Hercules focused on earthly matters while the greek personification of wisdom, Sophia, is focused heavenward. The light of enlightenment crowns her brow. Both are in frame and not in conflict; As Above, So Below. Coincidentally (or not) Sophia is one possible ciphered translation for Baphomet; a blatant esoteric symbol of perfect unity.

Mercury/Hermes

This is of course obvious considering its in her name, but there's one mythological parallel I want to highlight. The tale of Persephone/Kore. It was Hermes who descended into the underworld and retrieved the 'defiled' Persephone, escorting her safely above and reuniting her with her mother

Suddenly, Shaddiq's dramatic comment about Miorine's defilement doesn't seem so off-color. They were intentionally harking to Persephone Mio who was taken by Hades, Prospera here.

The Red King

I've already discussed this a bit here, but let's recap. Suletta is derived from Soletta. Her signifying colors are Red and Gold as Holder, both key to the Red King. She was 'eaten' by a lion (aqua regia solution) before being reborn, her metaphorical sun blackened with despair (dissolving).

All of it culminating into a Great Work, banishing gundams, defeating SAL, and saving Eri; her Filius philosophorum (Philosopher's Child) All miracles.

Oh and finally married her White Queen ofc, though their union was cemented with a tomato by then. In GWitch's version of Theogony Hermes wed Persephone, accomplished the 12 herculean labors, created a philosopher's stone, and completed Ragnarok

Note: Considering the proper name of Fenrir, Fenrisulfr, Okouchi might've been trying to be cute. Sulfur girl indeed

[that-left-turn]

It seems to me like norman was vocally pro caryl around season 2/3 and then became vocally anti caryl after Melissa won her Saturn awards for seasons 4 and 5 and became a main cast member.. and then became vocally pro caryl again after she got paired with ezekiel.. and then he's anti caryl after they break up and has been ever since - even more so now that he's got "his own show".

Do we have any good idea of who was behind the leah story and the connie shipbait? Even though they used both to give caryl parallels, those seem like the main obstructions in season 10 for driving caryl forward. I wasn't actively shipping them then, but I felt the show was starting to push caryl towards canon, but then when leah popped up, I was like 'oh... ok??? I guess I was wrong then, stupid me'. As for connie, I thought it was to show "it's not like that", but it was never made fully clear. I wonder what the motivations were really behind introducing those two characters as ships for daryl.

BASICS

Each character arc and the emotional arcs which involve one or more characters are laid out in pre-production, so the season is fully plotted before any scripts are written. There are zero surprises in screenwriting: each episode has a treatment, which details every scene and that's the basis used for writing the screenplay. The individual episode writers have no freedom to deviate from the plot, so it's very different from writing a novel or fanfic.

LEAH

The Leah arc was supposed to further Caryl's emotional arc, but a lot of plotlines were dropped or shortchanged in S11 because of things going on BTS. S9-10 were very deliberate and intricately plotted with a myriad of little beats throughout the seasons which were supposed to lead to a bigger picture reveal in S11, like how Daryl's facial scar factored into Caryl's relationship. If the showrunner is a good plotter, the groundwork for seasons to come is laid early, giving the audience plenty of puzzle pieces.

Unfortunately, Leah's arc was both stunted and misappropriated into a Maggie revenge plot which had zero payoff because viewers had no emotional investment in her entourage of redshirts. We don't know exactly how the Leah arc would've played out if the original vision had been followed, but it's clear from the pieces we do have that it would've led to Caryl canon so no, you weren't wrong or stupid. Leah was intended to be a foil for Carol and a catalyst for Caryl. I'm unsure of how sound this particular plot twist was, considering how easily something like that can get ruined when dealing with recalcitrant execs, but Kang is a detail-oriented writer, so as a viewer, I was willing to make a leap of faith with her.

SHIPBAIT

As for Connie, my guesstimate based on productions I've worked on, is that the network wanted to tease the possibility of 'something' to draw a larger share and to drag out the will-they-won't-they for Caryl (which doesn't work in today's TV). Sometimes, showrunners get notes where they have to make the best out of a situation they disagree with and Connie was never intended to be anything other than shipbait. The showrunner did her best to incorporate the studio notes into a storyline which would service the emotional arc she was actually trying to tell: Caryl thinking they aren't good enough or deserving of each other.

A good writer doesn't want to manipulate the audience. It's dishonest storytelling and it's not how you sustain and grow your viewership. You have to give clues along the way that will reward observant fans, even though the narrator might be unreliable. It's about building momentum and anticipation. If you do, a lot of the marketing will be self-driving at that point because of fan engagement.

If the Leah storyline hadn't gotten diverted, the use of Connie as a plot device in Carol's emotional arc would have been made clear. We never got any resolution to her self-loathing or the conflict between her and Daryl, and that's why there are still so many question marks surrounding the connection these two characters had to Daryl.

AUDIENCE RECEPTION

AMC has always wanted to sell the show to absolutely everyone and as long as there's a large ensemble cast, that might work to some degree, but it's not a long-term plan for sustained viewership and when the show is skimmed down to a handful of characters with the focus on two leads, it's no longer viable. The core emotional drive has to be the relationship between those two characters, no matter the nature of said relationship or whatever the external plot might be.

TBOC did everything to diminish and downplay Caryl's ties to each other and that was the biggest failing of the show. The hokey cult with its underdeveloped messianic plot and the fudged pseudoscience of the super walkers would've been forgiven and forgotten if Zabel had nailed the central message the season started out with, 'to find home is to find each other.' You don't need to be an amazing writer to write a show that people will enjoy, but you do have to respect your audience for them to stick with you in the long run.