#frame vs setup

[skrunksthatwunk]

i just finished saw v and i don't have high hopes for the rest of the franchise (based on what ive heard) but im in too deep to stop now

[silcobrainrot]

I think out of everything I've probably rewatched the scene of Silco and Jinx in his office in ep 4 the most and this moment specifically just does something to my brain.

Up until this point Silco has been.... not quite aggressive with his body language but harsh and imposing. His movements can be slow and methodical but there's always an undertone of intimidation. A minute prior he's grilling Sevika with the cold blooded, ruthless antagonism we've seen before and expect, and now he's calm, relaxed, inviting Jinx in and offering her comfort. His face and his movements are so soft.

And it doesn't start when he sees how upset she is, it starts when she's still in the rafters. They could have made him angry then force himself to calm down when he sees how vulnerable she is, but he cares enough about her and knows enough about her to know that's not what she needs. As soon as he knows they're alone his entire demeanor shifts.

How he lays into Sevika for fucking up vs how he tells Jinx to take some time after "today's screw up." The gesture and pose are similar, this is his natural body language, but his emotional state is completely different. His face is so much more relaxed he almost looks younger. His body is turned more towards her and he's not hunching his shoulders, which also closes your body to someone. There's 30 seconds between that frame of him grilling Sevika and him handing Jinx the syringe. Every character has such nuanced, realistic body language and no one's behavior is one note.

This is such a quick but excellent subversion of expectations and both the setup and execution are flawless. Sevika saved his life and lost her arm in the process, and we see him being savage to her. We expect him to grill Jinx just as hard because that's his character up until the second he asks her "what happened" all cool, calm, and collected. His patience for her is endless because his affection is, too. He's barely aware of it at this point in the story, but for us it's a slap in the face. In exactly 2 minutes 1 second they shift both these characters' stories onto a completely different set of tracks, we're in unusual territory for villain-ward relationships.

Zooming in on this because I'm normal about his hands. End post.

[maryallenc]

c3e111 delivered on the high-cha/low-int party (bell's hells) vs high-int/low-cha party (mighty nein) interactions.

and as an m9 girlie, absolutely love the energy the mighty nein brought in this episode. it's just so THEM. they're mean, intense, unapologetic, and just completely unfettered.

yet still manages to give off this air of hypercompetence and authority despite being the only party with such an anonymous reputation that out of most of world leaders only a select few knew them and trusted them, and turning out to be truly independent, feral ride-or-die bitches who will bite your head off when given the slightest reason.

and they are just generally pretty no-nonsense compared to bh. just. does not put up with any of bells hells' attempts to bullshit.

—said lovingly. i like bh's distinct dynamic of deflecting and keeping things in until something violently explodes, but it says a lot that it has been less than a day with the m9 and several deliberate "why dont you talk to me/them" within that time frame, and by the end of the episode, a lot of progress was made on bell's hells' relationships and issues (not that i'm dismissing all the setup made by the players throughout the campaign).

just. the m9 also being so genuine, helpful, straight-to-the-point, understanding, and willing to give someone the benefit of the doubt.

[amomentwiser]

The difference between how Hannibal framed Will vs Chilton is straight up comical. With Will he was so methodical and refined -- a strand of hair in his lure. Inducing seizures and time loss for weeks and weeks before D-day.

With Chilton it was fucking funny. Transferred a whole dead body + entire murder basement setup within a day. How did he do it? Did the neigbours see trucks parked outside or movers carry the furniture in? Who cares. There you have the head, halfway under a saw. There you have a wall of knives. Agents dropping dead left and right, blood spurting from every direction.

Anyone else would assume the Ripper -- famous for his meticulousness -- would never get caught in such a stupid red-handed way, but no sir. Not the great minds at BAU. We see someone dripping with blood, it's the Ripper. Unless, of course, that someone is Hannibal. Literally drinking blood plasma wine out of a cup. Then he is just eccentric and has unconventional tastes. Too high-brow for plebs like you; you wouldn't understand.

[gothghostiie]

Retired!Price keeping his new job on the down-low because, even though it’s a decently public thing, he’s not one to kiss and tell. unfortunately, Kyle is the first one to find out he’s gone into porn. at first he’s kind of horrified because, well, it’s Price, but at the same time he can’t not watch. …guilty wank, browses his other videos because, “It can’t really be the Captain. It can’t, right?”

ouhhhggg. mach. you're killing me out here.

listen to me. what if: pornstar!reader who's Kyle's favourite creator vs pornstar!price who collabs with you

cw: description of porn, kyle getting off, kyle being a switch/verse, gn!reader

kyle who gets off a little too enthusiastically, getting embarrassed at himself, his desperation, his thoughts. so he decides to switch to your videos, theyre a guaranteed guilt free wank, and a good one at that. when he sees you uploaded a new video he's more than just a bit delighted, clicking without reading the title, just to be met by the next evil surprise.

you're in your familiar setup on the comfy looking bed, touching yourself slightly before someone else steps into the frame. and who else could it be but price? kyle wants to stop, he really does, but his cock is so painfully hard and he's so pent up and you're looking so so pretty -

soon enough he's stroking himself to the same rhythm his captain is pounding into that pretty bird underneath him. watches him fold the poor thing in half while that thick cock, that kyle has seen in the communal shower more than once, splits your hole open and leaves you a babbling, drooling mess. you're looking so pretty, arching your back while price chuckles his little laugh, shaking his head while murmuring some low praise.

kyle genuinely can't decide who he'd rather be.

[nsfwitchy2]

The whole transmisogyny vs transandraphobia thing is so fucking weird to me and the more it crosses my dash and the more I read about it - it honestly doesn’t get…. Any less fucking weird????

Like ok, first of all, why is this even an argument? Like……. How come when trans men came out and went “hey we are also oppressed specifically for being trans and masculine?” - the first response was to go, “UM, ACTUALLY NO YOURE NOT-“. wtf ever happened to “treat others the way you wanna be treated”? Why are some of you suddenly scrambling to speak over your brothers in arms? Why do you feel so threatened by the possibility that they could in fact be oppressed for being trans AND being masculine? Why are you so desperate to deny their identity and oppression? Idk I guess I just expected better from people who are also often spoken over and oppressed but what do I know-

And the other thing is like…. The main argument I have seen so far, hinges on this idea that trans men cannot be oppressed because nobody can be oppressed for being masculine, because masculinity is historically celebrated. Except….. I don’t think that’s, true??? At least not from what I’ve seen???

Like yes from a societal standpoint it is seen as Good To Be A Man™️, but that really only applies to rich white cis het men. It is good to be a rich white cis het man because you have all the power and money and the world is setup in your favor.

But…. What about black men who are framed as rapists and monsters, specifically for being black and being men? Yes the fact that they are black plays an integral role in this oppression - but so does the fact that they are men. Black women are oppressed and stereotyped too - but they are often framed as mammy figures, or overly sexualized, or trashy. Black men are framed as rapists and murderers and monsters - because men, as a whole, are stereotypically seen as aggressive and violent - so black men specifically must be even MORE aggressive and violent, right?

Or what about Butch lesbians who are punished for their masculinity? Yes you could argue that that’s misogyny because it’s trying to control a woman’s body - but…. When I was in middle school, there was a pervasive fear of lesbians in the locker room - specifically butch lesbians. Butch lesbians were the face of lesbianism for a long time, and with them came the ever present fear from straight women that they were going to be sexually assaulted. “Oh but that’s lesbophobia!” I hear you cry, “That’s different!” - except…. I almost never saw the depiction of a sex crazed rapist lesbian who was a petite femme. No, it was always a butch. Butch lesbians are too similar to men, too violent, too sex addled. To the point where they’re driven from their own community because they’re too masculine and no self respecting lesbian would ever want to date someone who looked like a man. Did you guys forget that femmes were shamed for dating butches because we were accused of trying to imitate a heterosexual couple?

The masculinity that is supposedly “celebrated” - is violence. It’s rooted in the stereotype that men are brainless, sex addicted apes. The so called celebrated masculinity perpetuates emotional abuse, misogyny, eating disorders, drug addictions, etc. Masculine men don’t cry. Masculine men don’t have emotional connections, they fuck bitches and leave. Masculine men solve all their problems with their fists. They don’t have feelings - they have sex and drugs and money.

Like… it just baffles me that we can acknowledge that everyone suffers under misogyny in their own way, but we refuse to acknowledge that the way men suffer under it is specific to them being men - the way that women suffer under it in a way that is specific to being women. Women are delicate flowers meant to be protected. We must never sweat, we must never have body hair, we must never say “no” or raise our voices. And we also, must never trust men - because men are sex crazed violent maniacs. We must hide our children from them, we must shun them from our spaces and we must shun anyone who dares to express themselves similarly.

Idk how to end this I just…. Is it truly so hard to believe that maybe this isn’t fun for anyone on either side? Like maybe we really are two sides of the same shitty fucking oppression coin?

[charcubed]

Doctor Odyssey finale (aka the Captain vs The Powers That Be)

WELL! My mind is powerful unfortunately.

That simultaneously blatantly looked like what happens when a queer story gets censored but ALSO felt it could be twisted as setup for a future throuple in season 2 if miracles happen, which is both better and worse than I expected (a la Max’s speech).

They packed several bits of ODY3 subtext in the last like 5 minutes of that episode and I will TAKE IT ALL:

Max and Tristan making up as a group wedding happens.

Here's a screencap I took that also captured my sister texting me because she heard me yell "FUCKING FINALLY" through the wall.

Bonus points for the Captain's speech about love.

Despacito (LMFAAAOOO) being a Max/Tristan moment before Avery returns. "It started with a dance on a beach," as we were reminded this episode. But that song and dance was always about all 3 of them.

Not ending it on Maxavery; ending it on the throuple. Despite how that makes Tristan a third wheel in a scene that would feel objectively insane in any other television program about a love triangle lol. But this was never a conventional love triangle despite this supposed "resolution"! It was a poly love story!

And Max said he'd take all the bad again for both of them.

Treasuring the beautiful morsels <3

But! Come for the ODY3 subtext, stay for the other tangentially related subtext in the episode.

It's not a joke anymore (if it ever was): I DO think there is credence to the Captain's story in this finale being about the censorship of the show. It felt intentionally blatant.

"Corporate" "The powers that be" The rest of the team standing in solidarity? Not a boat but a SHIP?

Yeah.

Sequence of events:

Captain Massey, #1 supporter of ODY3 in the show (like its creators/writers), is steering the ship.

Captain is removed from power by corporate and the ship is steered by Monroe to bring Avery to Max.

Maxavery ultimately decide on monogamy. (That hard cut from Max and Avery dancing without Tristan to the Captain looking upset while on the ship? Like holy shit lol.)

Captain is then put back in power in the end via solidarity and protesting from his team.

Only then does ODY3 subtext return.

Crazy work.

I see. I perceive and appreciate. I say "fuck you, ABC network executives." The usual.

But in all seriousness, one of the reasons I'm arguing this is that – if I understood/remember correction (I'm very tired so maybe I'm off with this detail lol) – the Captain was removed from his position for saying they were returning to land to pick everyone up. So corporate punished him for that.

But Munroe made the same call and then did THE SAME DAMN THING with no consequence. It wasn't a plot thing. It was a metaphor!!!

CRAZY. WORK.

I do think they set up potential for a season 2 fairly well, all things considered? Like Max/Avery are obviously doomed without Tristan involved. Framing even conveyed that:

Tristan being in the middle again, getting between Max and Avery just like when they walked down the aisle as a trio (as ODY3 truther Captain is reinstated)… likely thing for them to show.

Avery wearing red as a visual warning while Max/Avery's chairs are close together and Tristan is slightly farther with a different drink… sick and twistedddd. (<- Complimentary)

So like, I'm at the point where I believe this show either doesn't get renewed because they said no ODY3 allowed, or if it DOES get renewed it's because ODY3 is (temporarily) alive as a possibility. The writers left themselves enough threads and subtext to work with, though I'm not sure how they'd get around Avery not being on the boat.

...but Avery going to med school means Max/Tristan would physically be on the ship together as just the two of them for a bit. There's that.

So like. Am I satisfied? No.

Would I say I'm upset? Not on the level I could've been. The writers got to sneak in more crumbs than my low expectations anticipated tbh. I'm mostly just sighing heavily. I also think I'm entitled to financial compensation, and Tristan as a character is entitled to violence, after which I will wrap him up in a blanket to hug him.

Would I say this show has wasted potential if it's been axed via the behind-the-scenes ultimatum of network interference that I suspect? Yeah, obviously. ABC executives, you STUPID BIGOTED BASTARDS.

To recap from last week's post:

There is a non-zero possibility that the execs gave Ryan Murphy an ultimatum about no longer doing polyamory, and since that’s the premise of the show, he is stuck struggling to figure out where the show can go from here. Which is maybe why it’s a decision (but not much of one) that the execs say Ryan Murphy has to make, which positions him as the bad guy who has to take the fallout from fans if he ostensibly ~just decides not to continue the story~ if renewal doesn’t happen.

The way this finale went seems to support that. But who knows! Take it with a grain of salt.

Anyway. I'm chillin. Like I made my peace with this a couple weeks ago at this point because I could see the writing on the wall. This show was still a gift to me. Censorship is just seemingly alive and well in the big year of 2025 (that's not news, though I really appreciate it being written into a plot) but subtext is also alive and well, so! Fuck it.

Throuple slow burn love story boat show I will always adore yoouuu <333

[windvexer]

Theme and Action: a tarot method for brainstorming plots, setting, and characters

I find a lot of story brainstorming spreads to be clunky and rigid, so I did a little experimenting and came up with a method I like a lot. I haven't done a ton of testing yet but I thought I'd share what I have.

Basically, it's a two card draw from a deck split into majors and minors. Each draw always has one major card (theme) and one minor card (action).

When you have a question, like:

What are some ideas for the next scene?

Why would that character behave that way?

What's the defining characteristic of this vampire clan?

What do the people in this society fear most?

Why is this scene dragging?

What does this character need to feel more real?

You would draw one major card and one minor card!

Themes and Action; what it's about vs how it manifests

We could call these cards a bunch of different things depending on exactly how the question is framed, but Themes and Action are good enough.

Basically, the major arcana card gives subtext or context, and the minor arcana card provides specific incidents. Like this!:

"In my vampire setting, what is the most important thing in vampire culture?"

Theme: Death

Action: 10/Pentacles

Interpretation: (Theme) The most important thing in vampire culture is the process of dying and the equalizer of death itself. (Action) This has resulted in cultural rituals where death is treated as a sacred adoption or initiation into a new family/estate.

(I really drew this test spread and it really was death lol)

We can swap out the Action card to see a different outcome:

Theme: Death

Action: 5/Swords

Interpretation: (Theme) the most important thing in vampire culture is the process of dying and the equalizer of death itself. (Action) the horror of death and loss has never been overcome in this society, and it must be dealt with as an individual - because vampires process the pain of their own deaths by taking it out on each other.

Here's a different example. In an urban fantasy book where a witch solves ghost mysteries, pacing is dragging and we need our next scene to be exciting. But despite a foot chase after a suspected ghost poacher, the scene doesn't feel fast paced or exciting. The question is, "how do we spice this up?"

Theme: Hermit

Action: King of Cups

Interpretation: (Theme) instead of a crowded street, the character will be isolated and without normal support. (Action) she'll be trapped in a closed space with the story's main villain, who most closely connects with the King of Cups

Another swap, this time switching out the theme card:

Theme: Empress

Action: King of Cups

Interpretation: (Theme) the scene feels boring because it's action without development. Show the main character's personal development and give her a 'level up' moment. (Action) have the ghost poacher lead her to a premature showdown with the main villain, whom she faces bravely for the first time.

This is already long so I'm not going to go on and on with examples but so far I've found this method to be pretty versatile.

Try interpreting Theme and Action as literally as you can within the context of the story!

If you're writing a story about a flower princess who sleeps on a dewdrop in the mystical Gnarlwood Forest, the Sun card will mean one thing.

If you're writing a story about vampires, the Sun card probably means something very different.

Major arcanas can be literary themes, like the moon representing deceit within society, but they can also be literal; in a werewolf story, the Moon card might represent the celestial body that controls the lives of certain people.

The most important thing for me is to avoid interpreting the cards in a general self-help sense.

The cheerful villagers of prosperous Splitsky Castle are waiting for you to invent a festival so a mysterious stranger can come to town and get the plot going.

The question is, "what kind of festival gives me the right setup to pull off the plot point I want?"

The theme card is the Magician, so ideas for the festival could be:

A festival honoring magic users (if they exist in your setting)

A festival honoring the resourcefulness of the villagers

A festival of stage magic and trickery

The action card is the 6/Cups.

Probably, the festival is not about healing your inner child with Jungian shadow work. More contextual ideas might include:

A festival where children are chosen to be trained in magic

A festival celebrating teaching the next generation important skills

A festival meant to delight and entertain children with stage magic

Developing related factions or foils

Draw a major arcana card to identify a certain Theme, maybe along the lines of:

What do they hold to be sacred?

What do they not care about, or hate?

What is their most cherished virtue?

What is the defining feature of leadership?

When they sing about home, what is in their songs?

This theme will be the same for both entities.

Draw different minor arcana cards to show how each entity expresses that theme.

Conversely, work in the opposite direction: keep the minor arcana card for both entities, and swap out the theme card.

Finding Action cards when you know the Theme

Holding the deck so that it's facing you, thumb through the cards until you find the major arcana card that describes your theme. The most recent minor arcana card that was on top of it, even if separated by other majors, is the action card.

Reversals

I tend to read both cards as upright and reversed, and just apply whatever meanings are most relevant. In my experiments using reversals ended up being too finicky and specific, and limited my creativity.

Complex Concepts and Plots

For a complex reading, like plotting an entire novel or building an entire character, I have found more utility in doing many pair readings rather than doing one large spread with many pairs.

My tests so far have suggested that the most creative freedom is found in asking specific questions, like "what is this character's driving motivation," and "what is her quirky hobby," and "what makes her put up with her annoying best friend," rather than trying to build a giant spread that includes all of these things at once.

As a caveat, in plot spreads, I will sometimes put pairs down without returning them to the deck, and then connect Theme/Action pairs with single action cards to suggest events that connect the dots.

[rei-ismyname]

Emma Frost fights Thor

Once upon a time in Marvel land there was an event called Avengers Vs X-Men. It gestured at some interesting ideas but it was primarily a vehicle for superhuman violence. 'Twas decided that there wasn't enough of that in the main series, and a mini devoted entirely to 1 Vs 1 fights was born.

The characterisation is pretty thin and problematic, but it doesn't matter. They're fighting, and Emma is a girl. That's the focus here. It's deep stuff.

She's a maiden and he's no mere man. If you're thinking this is a setup for some kind of feminist reversal or takedown of toxic masculinity, well, honestly I'm not sure. It's certainly framed in a deeply gendered way but it's hard to say what the intention is here as Thor hits her with Mjolnir.

This series had a lot of 'fun facts.' Many are too subjective to be facts and their level of fun depends on how jolly one feels. This one focuses on Emma's body in a gendered fashion, but - plot twist - Thor has never faced a domme in battle before. Wild stuff. I think the idea is that his feeling emasculated leads to him ramping up the violence.

Umm, good job Thor. You smashed this woman into smithereens. Standing pitilessly over her broken body doesn't feel very heroic to me.

Good thing Emma is able to reconstruct herself. Heading back to the Avengers and saying 'I killed Emma Frost and there's nothing left to bury' is a bad look.

Obviously she reforms and beats him senseless. Girl power? I can't tell with that fourth panel zooming in on her bumcrack and vagina. What a decision.

Phoenix Emma thrashes Thor so easily that she must have been toying with him. Fun fact - I think I'd prefer to read about the dress ups scenario Emma proposed. Preferably written by someone else.

The X-Men are portrayed as the bad guys in this event, but I like them and think they're cool. I want them to win. It's nice that Emma defeated Thor here, of course, though the inclusion of bizarre gender politics brings it down. It's like 'Thor is fighting a girl. Haha, Thor lost to a girl. She's a girl, get it?'

[mommymothma]

Spoilers for Andor Season 2 (with pictures)

Okay I just watched episode 9 of Andor season 2 and I simply cannot neglect my duties any longer. I would not be a star wars blog if I did not put to writing the pure ECSTACY I felt watching this arc. The season's previous arcs have been exceptional, but this one has been PHENOMENAL. I mean COMPELLING. My ass has been sat for damn near three hours, thinking, contemplating, considering everything I was watching unfold in front of me. I watch A LOT of TV, and if you ask me what I think are objectively some of the best shows ever (some are even my favourites) Andor will be up there. Whether you are a Star Wars fan or not, this show has something for you. Season one blew me away in all regards-- "One Way Out" is still in my top 5 list of the best episodes of all time, "Welcome to the Rebellion" is now creeping up on its seat. I am going to go IN DEPTH on my favourite aspects, and break down some scenes and imagery because I'm a nerd, so I will hide it behind a break so that those who do not care, or do not want spoilers, can keep scrolling

Mon Mothma's character, development, story is honestly my favorite arc in the show. I have been ON MY KNEES for her since season 1 (and really long before that). Her arc in S2 1-3 was no exception, and added to one of the more personal plotlines explored in the series. In season one we see her make the ultimate sacrifice for the rebellion- her daughter. And as a result we are rewarded with this incredible piece of imagery:

Which in case you already aren't aware of the significance of this image I insist you examine the Rebellion logo below (shoutout to Sabine). Picture the flanking pillars on the side as the edges of the semi circle and Mon as the center "pillar".

I have been thoroughly obsessed with this still since season one, so you can imagine my eyes have been peeled this season for more imagery, and I am probably reaching here but I found an interesting pattern with Cassian (keep in mind, I had to scroll a lot to find these images so I might have missed something in episodes 1-6, if I did, please please please reblog and show me so I can loose more sleep).

In episodes 7-9 of season two Cassian is based out of Yavin, and coincidentally his house has a circular door. So I was on the edge of my seat, watching tentatively WAITING for a similar setup for him. But I noticed a pattern, whenever he is framed for a proper position to replicate the logo he is sharing the space with someone.

Like here where he is sharing it with Bix and Wilmon. Also in this scene, he is the first the leave.

I was getting frustrated at this point because they kept getting close and I was on the edge of my seat. The next opportunity, and I was SO sure this would be it, Wilmon is missing, but Bix remains, forcing the frame to widen him out of position and show like this

WE EVEN HAVE THE TREES POSITIONED AS PILLARS THIS TIME

Now you can probably guess where I'm going with this. Now that Bix is gone, I believe there is a much higher chance he will get center screen, and his "official-unofficial" Rebellion badge. It is all I want please Tony Gilroy. I will owe you for the rest of my life If you just give me the cinematic experience of this framing one more time!!!

But moving on to my next topic- Ghorman vs Ferrix

I probably don't need to like draw it out for everyone, because this was way more obvious messaging. I felt distraught for Cassian who essentially had to witness Ferrix all over again, only on Ghorman... they lose. It's like an insight into what COULD have been. The Ghorman genocide draws a lot more attention to background characters deaths to emphasize the fact that this is a LOSS, whereas in my season 1 rewatch I notice that there is less (but still some) emphasis on civilian death. Other parallels include the catalytic throwing of the bomb, the singing as a means of choral rebellion. The site of the massacre occurs in a grave/memorial in both locations (Ferrix the wall, Ghorman the memorial plaza). In Ghorman, the imperials were given the go-ahead to shoot to kill, while on Ferrix, they were asked to bring in Andor alive, causing some hesitancy to be the first man pulling the trigger. I'm sure there are so many more people who will add, but off the top of my head, these are what I could recall.

Episode 8 also shows us the death of one of our main characters Syril. He has been with us since season one and I'm sure he will be missed. I think the interpretation of his character will be extremely varied among fans, but my general understanding is this; Syril was not willing to do whatever it took to achieve his goals, and for that reason he died... morally grey. On the other hand, Dedra was willing to set aside literally everything, albeit reluctantly. Watching her breakdown and repeatedly slip through the first two episodes was endearing and captivating. It's almost like beneath everything is a woman who just wanted to prove herself. Regardless, I don't think this is the end for her, I think it's the beginning (and thus, I also really want a frame of her imitating the imperial symbol to add to my collection). But back to Syril, I chose two images that sum up his character ambitions. He is selfish in every sense of the word, but he is also weak.

On the top we have Syril choking Dedra. At first this seemed out of character, but we have to remember that while Dedra was locked up in her Hightower, devoid of any Ghorman notion, Syril was not. I can totally see how he would get frustrated and lash out at her. I also got the sense this wasn't the first time, based on her reaction. But that is purely speculation. In season 1 Syril could not hold his own whatsoever, he WAS the battle-avoiding officer, who was humbled greatly at his first combat exposure. It's clear that since his demotion he has gotten used to being a soldier, being expendable. So now it is his turn to show the elite that real power comes from the people, and not the elite. It's interesting because he could have prevented Ghorman, or at least delayed it in this moment, but he has never truly overcome his doubt and weakness, a point that is solidified when he loses to Cassian and the Ghorman rebels. Although I wouldn't consider Syril redeemed, I think it's fair to say that he tried. Given more time, he might have finally learned how to use a blaster.

OKAYYY back to Mon because I'm not done with the senate. Bullet points first;

Shout out to Bail Organa, I love this man, and I would die for him. I appreciate that they went for the subtle recast, no unnecessary CGI budget. The actor was phenomenal and embodied the character well. Great chemistry with Genevieve.

Mon absolutely losing it at her daughter's wedding was one of the most tragic things I have ever witnessed on screen, and keep in mind this happened simultaneously with Brasso's death (RIP Brasso, if I had the energy I would give him more screen time). Watching the ceremony was harrowing for multiple reasons: the first, being that they were literal children. Child marriage. The second, is that it was COMPLETELY OPTIONAL. Leida CHOSE to do that, even after Mon gave her an out. I felt her pain in my chest, when Mon tried to have a civil, loving conversation with her daughter and Leida practically spat in her face. If Anakin was going to kill any kids it should have been her sorry not sorry. But I can't imagine what it is like to watch your child voluntarily participate in the same thing that traumatized and radicalized you. To add to that, the only person from her past she still trusted, maybe even loved (platonic or otherwise) was murdered by the man who was her closest ally. I simply just envy her strength, and I could talk about that wedding scene for hours. For now, I'll leave it with one more note, and that is: I was acutely aware of the braid-cutting symbolism. This is definitely me reaching again, but we know that Jedi braids are a symbol of growth, knowledge, acquired wisdom, and age. So seeing in the universe a normally sacred thing be cut and discarded was a little jarring. It represents an abandonment of all those things. (I am once again reinforcing the head cannon that Leia fills the role of her daughter once she joins the rebellion because Mon deserves to be a good mom to somebody.)

Last week Mon Mothma's arc was sidelined a bit for the sake of some other things, but this week we finally got the bigger picture. Making Cassian the agent that brought her to the rebellion and saved her life was just genius. An incredible way of tying the story together and FINALLY placing the main characters in the same setting. I almost can't believe we have three more episodes to go, because episode 9 felt like a finale. I didn't think I would be fed so well, let alone given DESSERT next week. Her speech about the abyss... jaw breaking. Her and Bail thwarting the system to make it happen? Fucking incredible. The ESPIONAGE of Andor sneaking into the senate and out of the senate with a WANTED senator by-- let I remind you alllll the way back to season 1 episode 3 "pretending you belong there". Her reactions to the deaths of the "bad guys", especially Kloris who she had known betrayed her the moment he showed up. She expresses empathy, even to her enemies. This messaging is something that was reinforced in the Ghorman episodes prior: "There is nothing to save if we give up what makes us Ghorman" (or something similar). It's also a massive wake-up call to her, that the rebellion is MESSY. She had been lucky thus far, to avoid associated bloodshed. But she is struck with the realization that this will be her life now and forever, unless the empire is defeated. Tears roll down her cheeks and she expresses how scared she is, but like everyone else she puts her trust in Cassian, and our boy "always pulls through".

Last things I want to squeal about "Rebellions are built on hope"

I don't need to explain. And if you are confused, wait till next week and go watch Rogue One ASA you finish episode 12 thank me later.

Live, laugh, love Saw Gerrara screen time. He is freaking me out a bit, but I am intrigued.

K2SO ORIGIN BABY LETS GOOOOO. Still one of my favourite droids in the franchise, and I hope to GOD he gets at least a little screen time next week.

Incorporating Krennic is an incredible decision. I have no notes on this, other than I think someone needs to die via asphyxiation while trying to achieve their goals (Dedra perhaps)

Now do I have predictions for the finale???

Yeah. Unfortunately, most of them are tragic. I think we will be saying farewell to a large assortment of characters next week, most prominently Wilmon and Luthen. I just think that Andor has to lose his last connection to Ferrix in order to truly become endowed to the rebellion. I don't think Wilmon will die, but I can see him siding with Saw in a heated argument and parting ways. Luthen has been and always will be a mystery. At one point, I thought they might explore his character more, like his premise is certainly interesting: how does a random shopkeep in Coruscant become the underground leader of the rebellion?

I don't know, and I don't think we ever will. The kyber he wears around his neck may point to an explanation, but to be honest, I think he probably stole it. Andor and Mothma will agree that Luthen must step out of the shadows or leave, and Luthen will leave. Then probably die. Rumbles on Kleya and potentially Vel dying as well, but for Mon's sake I hope not. Those are the only people she has left, and I don't think I could stomach watching her say goodbye to Vel. Kleya is less important, but I am emotionally attached to her for some reason. I think I like that she is a good balance between Luthen's dogma and Mon's morale.

Last but certainly not least, I truly, from the bottom of my heart, anticipate that episode 12 will end at the start of Rogue one. I think Tony is gonna go back to the source material, and much like Rogue One did with episode 4, I think he will do it again. Do I think we will get a Jyn Erso cameo? Not a significant one, I think it's more likely we see Andor heading to the meeting point, or being introduced to his next mission.

If you read for this long, I seriously thank and appreciate you. Slide into the DMs my friends, if you want to talk about Andor, or anything Star Wars at the moment. I'm certain I will have another novel-length dissertation next week (probably written in all caps). If I don't, please check on me, my anemic ass is prone to fainting under pressure and if Gilroy keeps cooking my bp may not be able to handle it.

Cheers, and may the force be with you.

[raayllum]

Do you think Callum will do dark magic again?

Oh yeah, not a doubt in my mind. This is for 3 main reasons:

1) You don't have a character say "But beware, if you ever do dark magic again, the darkness will overwhelm and corrupt you" and escalate the stakes of usage unless you're going to go there. It's kind of like how I know Callum is going to be possessed Again at one point (s7 dark my beloved) precisely because he's worried about it and more than that, that he's brought another character (Rayla) into the fold with a decision to make. No reason to have setup and then no payoff

2) Unless Callum does dark magic again, Aaravos can't possess him again. And as previously mentioned, Callum has to get possessed unless they want to throw away multiple episodes (4x04, 4x05, 4x07, 5x04, 5x08, all S6 + orb shots, 6x03) out the window. Ergo, he has to do dark magic again. Setup like this (i.e. Rayla as Callum's light being hinted at in framing in s2 and then much more overtly in s4 before being brought mostly home in s6) always comes back around in some manner, just gotta look for it

3) Viren parallels. Viren and Callum have always had oppositional (arc 1) and then mirrored (switching) foil arcs throughout the show (think Callum with wings vs Viren falling to his death in 3x09, or Viren swearing dark magic off in 5x09 and Callum having opened that door back up again an episode prior, etc). Viren, as stated, had sworn off dark magic saying he would never ever do it again, nor did he want to do it in 6x08 for a multitude of reasons.

However, someone he loved (Soren) as well as the extenuating circumstances caused him to use dark magic as a full on sacrifice that likewise only sacrificed himself. A couple episodes we had Callum 'fix' the hole dark magic had made inside him, but if he's following Viren's path, there's two likely angles: the first is that he, like Viren, will use dark magic even after trying so hard to rid himself of it (the mirrored arc). The second, overlapping angle is that Callum will refuse to sacrifice his heart (switching) because his heart is Rayla.

'I will think of you under every full moon. Please don’t let this hurt too much. But, if it does—if you feel that soft aching—know that that piece of your heart isn’t missing. It’s not missing at all, Callum: I’m carrying it with me! Always.' —Dear Callum

Kinda like how Aaravos demanded that Viren should make the sacrifice in 5x09, and Viren refused vs Rayla demanding that Callum should make the sacrifice in 6x03 (and Finnegrin a bit honestly) and Callum inevitably refusing cause Rayla can't permanently die lmao.

Other:

There's also the unsavoury implication that "restores bodies to spirits" spell Callum did in 5x09 has unique associations with the dark ritual spell Claudia did in killing Sir Sparklepuff that was undeniably dark magic usage.

The coin has been seemingly wiped clean now that Runaan is out (though maybe there's the symbol still on the other side?) but it does make me wonder of a potential plotline where Callum knew ahead of time, or belatedly, that this spell would require something adjacent to dark magic and he's done it, but the corruption Kosmo spoke of is gradual, making him more irritated, paranoid, etc. like the King of a 1000 Eyes that Amaya talked about. I think that'd be really interesting

The indirectness / the fact we'd only know it'd Happened retroactively makes me lean that we'll outright see another blatant usage in S7 since that's more Dramatic (which I've always been in favour of Callum viewing "I get possessed again bc I make a 'bad' choice and hand myself over to Aaravos" as a sacrifice of himself into "i'm already dead so kill me" territory). And if he breaks his promise to Rayla that he won't pick her over the greater good, then she can break her promise to him that she'll kill him (this is exactly beat for beat what I've wanted since s4 dropped and even before tbh)

TLDR; Absolutely Yes. S7 being Book Seven: Dark only adds to this and the stakes / set up are all there. I'm pumped

[theneptuneflytrap]

Because I read the UK continuity, this didn't occur to me before, but holy shit you made me realize that if somebody only reads the US comics what happened with Grimlock would seem even worse. Like how unnatural what played out at the end there would be without Earthforce for example?! I still think the writing decisions were awful and nonsensical either way and I hate how the ending frames Grimlock, but I didn't even think of the fact that without the UK comics, the entire setup and dynamic with say Grimlock and Prowl would've been so incredibly bizarre and have no context whatsoever. -arceespinkgun

HONEST!! I also read the UK comics but I'm collecting the US issues to read them physically so I think about this a lot. But it especially stood out to me because of how much Budiansky liked Blaster vs how Furman treated him when he took over. I mean, Blaster would NOT have stood for how Grimlock was treating Prowl and Wheeljack, but when Furman took over, he just stood around. The start of the franchise's Blaster erasure I fear.

[kradeelav]

I've been using a mix of Krita and Paint tool SAI. I'd appreciate resources for Krita specifically too. Thank you for answering by the way. ♥️

Of course!

So! Here's my guide to making comics with Krita, down to the details such as layer setup, borders, speech bubbles, and SFX.

preface: it took me at least a year to figure this process out; but once when you've figured out the system & a template, it's smooth sailing. let's use this finished spread from the selfship comic last year to go through the process:

i'm going to assume a certian level of digital program proficiency (knowing what layers are, having a general idea of what vector vs raster graphics are, etc) since otherwise this post would be a book lol.

(if the read more does not work: the static permanent link for the full tutorial is on my website here: https://kradeelav.com/diary/tegalog.cgi?postid=312&1740096282

rest of the post under the cut; this one's going to be a long one as is.

let's start with talking about the layers for a single page of the above comic image.

(ignore the "orbs" and "titania bubble" layers - those were oddities for this specific spread.) Going from the top downwards:

SFX - sound effects. this is an optional layer to have if you don't have a lot of sound effects. you can use either render the sound effects by drawing them out (raster) or vector SFX; whatever you're most comfortable with. more on that below.

frame - this is the comic page borders.

speech bubbles - self explanatory. contains both the text inside the bubble and the bubbles themselves.

ink - main lineart & drawing layer; self explanatory.

tone - the shading layer.

(deleted) ruff/sketch - this is the sketchy thumbnail layer that is imported when i first start working on each spread, and naturally gets deleted when the lineart starts looking good on its own.

so!

there's two types of digital rendering krita can do: raster (most similar to drawing with a pencil or tablet) and vector (computer draws mathematical lines and shapes and text that you can manipulate). a lot of programs fully specialize in one or the other but the killer feature of krita is it can do both on a single page; you just need separate layers depending on the rendering..

that's what this "fx" symbol stands for by the way - these are the vector layers....

... and the symbols circled in purple clue you in that they're raster layers (ink, tone, sketch) where you do the actual drawing. with me so far?

speaking of those:

borders/frame

here's what the borders layer looks like + (the print layout layer above everything in black/yellow). the print layout layer is really only useful if you're physically printing this comic (it's basically bleed/trim if you've heard of those terms, ignore this otherwise).

i really struggled with doing borders in krita until finding this tutorial:

- since the thing is i make a lot of last minute changes. i need to be able to move and edit borders around easily if a panel's not working for me. so the method above makes it incredibly flexible to just ... up and move one, or to make a gutter wider.

i also really need to be able to see what's behind the borders while i'm drawing it to check anatomy sometimes -- the beautiful thing is you can simply turn the layer style to "multiply" and it's effectively transparent with one click.

like this, voila!

lettering

here's the lettering layer(s) with one bubble's text selected.

fair warning: krita is absolute ass with the text tool. it's the biggest failing but in newer versions i do believe they're slowly working on improvements. thankfully this program can do just enough to letter bubbles.

essentially, i use the same trick as the frames shown in the video above. if you slap a "layer style > stroke" on the whole "bubbles" layer, that's where that 2px black border comes from, and that layer-style-as-a-border "follows" every bubble so it's consistent.

(rule of thumb aesthetics-wise is speech bubble borders should be slightly thinner than frame borders, and on average about as wide as your lineart.)

SFX (sound effects)

technically you can hand-ink all of your SFX if vector art scares you or if you don't intend on doing much, but the vast majority of pros use vector work for efficiency. hentai/erotic work also has a lot of SFX versus other (non-NSFW) genres for the immersion factor with bodily functions.

the spread above didn't need a lot, though.

as you can see it's mostly the inorganic orb clinks and then the big SHING. (i put my for-the-web-kradeelav.com signature on the same layer for laziness).

here's part of my current sfx library below just to show you what i start with for erotic strips; usually i start with some base fonts and start moving the letters around individually.

(a lot of these are redone for every project; there's some in here that are already "outdated" in my eyes.)

miscellaneous

my favorite inking brushes are from this free resource pack. my favorite halftone (shading) brushes are from this (also free). thanks for reading!

[multifamdomfan]

The Arcane art style (from the League of Legends animated series) is gorgeous — it's rich, painterly, expressive, and very cinematic.

Here are tips to help you capture that vibe:

1. Focus on Shape and Silhouette First

Arcane characters have strong, clear silhouettes. Their designs are recognizable even in shadow.

When sketching, exaggerate important shapes — Vi’s strong arms, Jinx’s wiry frame, Viktor’s sharp lines, etc.

2. Painterly Textures Over Clean Lines

The show doesn’t use hard "anime-like" outlines — instead, it paints edges with color and value.

After your sketch, paint over your lines and blend them into the forms.

3. Dramatic, Cinematic Lighting

Arcane lives on mood lighting: backlights, rim lights, dappled light through windows.

Think "how would this character be lit in a movie scene?"

Use high contrast lighting to create drama.

4. Rough but Thoughtful Brushstrokes

Arcane art looks a little rough close-up, but the strokes are very intentional.

Use bigger, visible brushes for hair, clothing, and backgrounds, but don't over-blend. Let the brushwork show.

5. Color Palette: Muted, But Punchy Accents

Most backgrounds and outfits are muted earthy tones (grays, browns, dark blues).

Then they pop the characters with vibrant accents — like Jinx’s neon blue hair, Vi’s pink gauntlets.

6. Subtle Facial Expressions

Arcane expressions are extremely realistic and detailed.

Focus on micro-expressions: slight eyebrow lifts, small mouth movements, tension in the jaw or cheeks.

7. Backgrounds: Soft and Detailed at Once

The backgrounds are softly painted, with layered depth.

Focus detail around the midground where characters interact; background details fade out.

8. Mix 2D and 3D Mindsets

Even though it's 2D painted, Arcane was built with 3D models.

Try to build solid volumes with your painting — imagine your characters as 3D sculptures.

9. Master Edge Control

Not all edges are sharp!

Use soft edges for less important areas (like the lower body or background) and sharp edges for the face, hands, or anything you want to draw the eye toward.

10. Study Screenshots

Pick a few screenshots from Arcane, and break them down:

What's the lighting setup?

Where are edges sharp vs soft?

What color palette is used?

How loose or tight are the brushstrokes?

---

Brushes for Arcane Style

You want a painterly set that has texture, variation, and isn't too "perfect."

Here’s what you should look for (or set up):

Sketching Brushes

Pencil-like Brush: Light texture, not too opaque.

Charcoal Brush: For rougher sketches and underpaintings.

Painting Brushes

Chunky Oil Brush: Big, slightly rough, opaque strokes. (Great for hair and clothes.)

Soft Round Brush: For smooth blending where needed (like cheeks or soft fabrics).

Grainy/Texture Brush: To add subtle grit and realism to skin or metal.

Detail Brushes

Fine Brush: Thin strokes for things like wrinkles, scars, or stitching.

Dry Brush: For faded effects, dust, scuffs.

> Programs like Procreate, Photoshop, or Clip Studio Paint usually have these, or you can download free brush packs that say "painterly" or "oil paint" style.

---

Mini Practice Cheat Sheet

Here’s a simple practice plan to start learning Arcane style:

---

Day 1: Shapes and Silhouette

Pick 2 characters (like Vi and Jinx).

Just draw their shadows — focus on big, bold shapes without details.

Goal: Recognize them just by silhouette.

---

Day 2: Lighting Study

Grab a screenshot.

Do a quick grayscale painting (no color!) focusing only on light and shadow.

Goal: Understand how cinematic lighting builds drama.

---

Day 3: Painterly Brushstrokes

Paint an object (a glove, a boot, a bottle) using big brushstrokes.

No tiny blending!

Goal: Let brushstrokes show. Focus on "where do I need detail?"

---

Day 4: Color Palette Study

Pick a scene.

Eyedrop the main colors.

Make a tiny color palette swatch of it.

Then repaint a small area using only those colors.

Goal: Muted base + bold accent colors.

---

Day 5: Face Study (Micro-Expressions!)

Zoom in on a character’s face in a dramatic scene.

Draw just the expression — forehead tension, tiny smile, furrowed brow.

Goal: Subtlety and emotion.

---

Bonus Tip:

Overlay a grainy noise texture (low opacity) over your final painting.

Arcane scenes often have a slight gritty texture that ties it all together and keeps it from looking too "clean."

---

[alleesaur]

hello i love your gorgeous miku design! i was wondering how you did the 2d animated face on a 3d model?

Thank you so much!!

My approach is a bit different depending on the program I am using (blender vs unreal engine) But the principle is the same - basically I am key framing the face texture to be at different positions

You'll need to draw the face sprites beforehand and space them out at even intervals. In blender, the node setup is as shown and you would key the xy transform at a 'constant' interpolation (this is so it doesn't smoothly move and instead jumps to that position on the texture sprite)

[twig-tea]

Only Friends Ep 6 Scene By Scene

This is the episode we've all been waiting for. It's the first episode where everyone is objectively a bit of an asshole; it's the first episode where truths are finally talked about, it's the episode that starts to answer two of my most burning questions (what is Boston's home life like, and where is April?), and interestingly it's the first episode we get without any obvious narrative framing or character perspective.

It was so interesting, as the clear pivot point of the story, that there was no obvious framework this ep, but this entire episode was parallels and callbacks and hypocrisy/relying on viewer knowledge to understand all of the subcurrents. I have so many thoughts that I'm talking about each scene so this post is LONG.

First scene: Top and Mew by the pool. Not enough people are giving Force and Book credit for keeping the awkward tension between these two even though they are having textbook cute moments, because these characters still don't trust one another and this scene establishes that before the rest of the episode blows them up: Mew says he's not sure they'll be together in 3 months, explicitly calling out the fragility of their relationship; and Top gets defensive at Mew insinuating he doesn't need a relationship and doesn't trust that they'll stay together, and straight-up lies that he's stopped doing drugs and having casual sex [though I do wonder how much he believes it's a lie because he's clearly cut back from his usual, and when someone does something all the time changing to doing it rarely does feel like not a big deal in comparison] and asks what else about himself he needs to change for Mew [all, by the way, while Mew is preparing to undergo permanent surgery to his eyes for Top]. We also get this called back later in the ep when Mew tells Ray to quit drugs and Ray says sure, and I have to wonder how many times that exchange has happened and if it's partly why Mew is suspicious of Top's "easy" change. Also interesting that Mew seems to be one of the only people in this friend group who has two parents (his moms) that care about him and who also have a good relationship with each other. Mew's point that he doesn't need fulfillment from a relationship because he gets it from his friends and family is interesting; especially given his friends. [Sidenote: This is basically how I feel about my own life so I am curious how other people read this assertion.] The ephemeral change of sleeping around and doing drugs vs the physical and permanent change of Lasik is really standing out to me this scene as significant.

Second scene: the meeting with the professor. It's interesting that even though they're presenting, they're the ones sitting down. Cheum says they can keep personal and professional lives separate and Ray turns to stare directly at Boston. I love that this is even before anyone else knew that the Boston/Top hookup was at the soft launch party for the hostel. Also noting Cheum's catty comment about even Boston helping; this girl is so much messier than people give her credit for [just saw @lurkingshan 's breakdown of this episode as I continue to update this post and yessssss call her out!!]

Third scene: noodles. This is I think the same place they planned the soft launch party. I'm seeing parallels with everyone pressuring Boston to date Nick to everyone pressuring Mew to sleep with Top in the first ep. Also, interesting that Cheum promises to behave this time [and then definitely doesn't]. We've all (or at least I have) been wondering where April is and now we get some explanation. I do wish they'd established this as more of a pattern for Cheum to complain like this, but I'll take it as setup now. The way Ray and his seething is invisible in this scene has been covered beautifully here [by @poetry-protest-pornography and @respectthepetty ].

Fourth scene: Ton and Nick wakeboarding. The parallels here to Top/Mew are twofold: we get the similar sitting by the water parallel from earlier this episode, in which there is a clear undercurrent of hypocrisy between what the characters are saying and what the audience knows about them (that conversation with/about Gap was so good, with the tension in Nick knowing he still has that audio clip and still hasn't deleted it as Boston berates Gap for the same thing), and then there is the contrasting parallel to when Mew took Top wakeboarding for the first time with the rest of his friend group. In contrast, Ton took Nick here alone, clearly still trying to play this game of not dating Nick but doing things with him that they would do if they were dating, that send extremely mixed signals. This scene again underscores the fragility of the relationship Boston and Nick have and how easily it can be broken.

Fifth scene: The hospital. Sand and his mom, in which we see how used he is to taking care of someone who is a bit of a mess [affectionate], and how he can still only be somewhat honest with his mom about his relationship with Ray (more than we'd expect between a 20something and their mom, but less than we the audience know is the truth--they're just having fun but it's not what he wants). And then the confrontation between Top and Sand. Top characterizes his relationship with Mew as "I get what I want" and I have to wonder how much of that is posturing to annoy Sand and how much of it is honesty. I did also think that maybe he meant it when he said "I hope you get what you want soon" because he wants Ray's attention away from Mew.

Sixth scene [start of part 2]: Sand intentionally drops and stomps on his phone to have an excuse to borrow Nick's so he can steal the sex audio. This is the first time that Sand consciously does something shitty to one of his friends, and I am living for it--let good characters make bad decisions! The parallel here is of course to Boston getting his phone fixed by Nick and having Nick steal his photo and adding one of his own from the beginning of the series; also a small one of Sand using his mom as an excuse to lie to his friend, the way Top used his dad as an excuse to lie to Mew the night he slept with Boston [not a comparison Sand would like, which is why I enjoy it]. I love that we see Nick get worried at the end of this scene because he's a phone tech and of course would know to check what Sand did with his phone.

Seventh scene: Top taking care of Mew after Lasik; this is maybe the least tense scene between Mew and Top, and the fact that Mew can barely see and is drugged for it is on point. I do also like that Top isn't great at caretaking but he is trying. This scene reminds me of Mew taking care of Ray and vice versa, especially the latter when Ray kisses Mew while he's sleeping and how that's contrasted with Top (Mew's boyfriend) only kissing Mew's forehead when he realizes he's asleep. The sketches that Top does are also really interesting, and how they hit Mew later is even more fascinating. The conversation they have in which Mew establishes that this is all happening right after they've had penetrative sex for the first time (so not long after ep 5) and makes clear he's still nervous about his performance and then credits Boston for their relationship, setting everything up for later, is just so good, it underscores the importance Mew has been putting on his virginity and sets the betrayal up to hit harder. I love how Top pushes back on giving Ton credit for their relationship here because it makes him so uncomfortable.

Eighth scene: Sand calls Ray out to play the stolen clip for him. This feels like a parallel to Boston calling Top out to play the video of Mew and Ray kissing. Other folks [ @xceanlynx and @respectthepetty linked here] have pointed out that in this scene Sand is choosing his hatred of Top over his potential relationship with Ray here, which I don't disagree with, but also what occurred to me here because of this parallel is the similarity in that both Sand and Boston seem to be motivated by their jealousy of Mew in these scenes too. I also just can't stop thinking about how wild it is that everyone recognizes Top and Ton by their sex noises alone.

Ninth scene: Boston and Nick with Boston's dad. We finally get some background for Boston and he clarifies he's always been planning to bail on Thailand to go to New York. It's interesting that it's made explicit that if Boston fails he's more likely to go to New York sooner, especially after the warning their teacher gave about the hostel project and how we know it's Boston's drama that is threatening to blow that project up. Boston's conversation with his dad is a contrast with Sand and his mom earlier; while Sand sleeping around was not judged by his mom, she did warn him about his feelings, while Boston's dad seemed to celebrate his callousness. The way Boston continues to ask Nick to not be dramatic while stirring up constant drama in his own friend group, and his insistence that his relationship with Nick is special but not a relationship is really something. Also that this convo takes place in Boston's dark room, which gets called out later as one of his regular hookup locations, and where Nick first got suspicious about Boston and Top, is interesting, especially in the context of permanent physical photos vs digital recordings that you can't necessarily erase vs how gossamer thin their relationship security is, and how tied up in voyeurism all of these things are.

Tenth scene [start of part 3]: Ray confronts Boston at the hostel (blatantly running contrast to "we can keep personal and professional lives separate"). We see Boston nervous here when first being confronted before he decides what approach to take with Ray to keep his mouth shut (not for the first time; we saw him nervous in the showers when he first tried to get Top to have sex). Also, I just have to say, respect to Ray for going to Boston first to confirm it's true before deciding what to do with the clip.

Eleventh scene: the birthday party at Yo's bar. It's poetic that the start and end of the Mew/Top relationship is because of conversations at Yolo. Once again, the spectre of failing school [because of the project] comes up in Mew's birthday wish. Cheum immediately breaks her promise to be "good" and teases Boston about Nick. She also says "everyone is dating someone now", apparently forgetting entirely about Ray. This entire conversation was so passive aggressive and @lurkingshan 's post (linked above) breaks it down really well. I am fascinated by Mew's reaction to Top's gift; I hope we get more insight into that because he seemed legitimately shaken, and it didn't seem to be positive. Also highlighting that once again Boston is credited for their relationship (this time by Cheum), and both Boston and Top seem deeply uncomfortable with it but Top doesn't argue it this time.

Twelfth scene: Ray and Mew in the bathroom. I already mentioned Ray's promise to quit and how it parallels Top "quitting for Mew" at the start of the ep; Mew is expressing care for Ray here but in a way that is distant and frankly a bit callous (to say "you'll be dead by thirty" to a guy who was/is suicidal is not the smartest approach even if it isn't intentionally referencing that). He insists that Ray not drive home but doesn't take his keys or stay with him to make sure he does actually get a ride, which is admittedly a big ask on your own birthday but just indicates the intentional boundaries Mew tries to set with Ray about not caring too much, I think. I don't think this makes him a terrible person, but it makes him not a great friend. This is in contrast to Sand, who stayed with Ray and made sure he would not drive before he even knew him, and followed him at the end of this ep to make sure he would not hurt himself or someone else even after Ray pushed him away.

Cursed thirteenth scene: Ray blows everything up [ shoutout to @liyazaki for this perfect post]. First, the same song is playing as the silent disco, calling back how Top's fate was sealed before Mew and Top had even gotten very far. And then once again, Sand's band is interrupted so that someone can take the mic, just as Top did when he asked out Mew for the first time. Mew calls out Cheum and April for their less than perfect relationship despite what it seems on the surface and more specifically calls out Cheum for being a bit of an asshole actually, mentions that Boston is a gossip about his hookups (which is not actually something we've seen evidence of, and I'm interested in how true it is), tells Nick he's not special, tries to explain to Mew that he (Ray) is not who Boston thinks he is and didn't share the clip with Mew to get him for himself [only knowable on rewatch of course]. Cheum finally admits that she fully knew Ray was in love with Mew this whole time and has just been ignoring it/pretending not to [vindication!!] and accuses Mew of exactly what he was trying to deny. Top finally acts his nastiest self in front of Mew, putting his arm around Mew's shoulder and claiming ownership for the second time this party in Ray's face (first time was when Yo joked that she wanted to go out with Mew now that the glasses were gone). Sand can't get Ray to stop, and Ray tries to shame Sand needing money by implying he should have sex with Ray for money. Ray goes after Boston, and Mew can't get Ray to shut up either so he hits him (even knowing why Ray is acting like this; and that's my favourite part of this entire episode, that Mew has decided he wants his moment to confront Top his way, once again using sex to control his feelings--this time to make him humiliated rather than fall in love--and he's willing to punch his friend to get his moment, and I am obsessed).

Fourteen: Only Sand goes after Ray, once again the only one actively trying to stop him from killing himself or someone else on the road. Sand snaps and yells at Ray to pay attention to him, Ray's "what are we to each other?" comes off as desperate rather than accusing, which I love--the question of what they are to one another has come up so many times and neither is willing to admit they want to be more first. Ray again calls Sand a whore this time explicitly, and drives off. Sand follows Ray. This is a beautiful parallel to the first time Sand took Ray home. Like every other couple scene this episode, the tenuousness of their connection is highlighted and even threatened in this scene, but Sand doubles down.

Fifteen: April and Cheum finally have a scene. They reconcile, but (like all of the couples) it feels tenuous. April asks that Cheum not lie to her just to avoid conflict, and Cheum promises to do that--but I am fully expecting this to not last. Since we know Cheum knew Ray was in love with Mew this whole time, it's confirmed that her lying or just glossing over reality to keep things easy is her personality not just something she does with her girlfriend's films.

Sixteen: the scene that we've all been waiting for. This was such a good fake-out, and it's the start of Mew's unhinged era he promised us all at the start of Top's pursuit of Mew. The way he set the stage, prepared a script, and as best I can figure out, TIMED A REMIX OF THE SEX AUDIO TO HIS SEDUCTION is absolutely sending me. Being more sexually confident, initiating sex and holding Top down, and making sure he could see Top's face when he realized what was happening, whew boy what a set-up. I am thinking about how much of that was him wanting Top to feel tricked and violated the way he felt tricked and violated. I also love Mew jumping to the conclusion that Boston and Top planned this and were laughing at him because that's a) indicative of something Mew would do, clearly; b) totally something people think when they're embarrassed, they assume everyone else knows and is laughing at them; c) not totally wrong because Boston did make fun of Mew's lack of experience to Top (shoutout to the YouTube comments for the reminder).

And that last sentence of the episode deserves its own paragraph because it just so perfectly encapsulates exactly where Mew went wrong in his thinking from the start: "I wasn't good enough for you to love only me"... As though other people's behaviour is controlled by your goodness and earned through your own behaviour. As though love and sex are value judgments. As though the world is fair. As though goodness is an objective judgment that allows you to control the people around you. This thinking is so harmful and so pervasive. It's really a sign of Mew's desperate need to be in control (in this version of events, even Top having sex with Boston is actually Mew's doing, which means in theory Mew could prevent it from happening again if he betters himself). And it confirms what we all suspected Mew's been trying to do this whole time: Manipulate Top into changing into a "better person" [read: monogamous and drug-free] through his own behaviour.

I also noticed that almost every camera shot in this entire episode was close faces and there was a lot of hand-held camera work. Intimacy, instability, lack of clarity, all of these things were coming through the way it was shot.

Ahdhsh tumblr keeps eating parts of this so I'm going to stop. But whew this episode just gave and gave!!

@ranchthoughts @slayerkitty @wen-kexing-apologist @neuroticbookworm @waitmyturtles @lurkingshan @distant-screaming @chickenstrangers @clara-maybe-ontheroad

Tagging the ephemerality squad because if any of you pick up on any of these threads and parallels and tie them into your meta I want to know about it! Tumblr is showing me only like half of what people are posting these days and unfollowing people without my consent so pls tag me