#metaphorically speaking

[december-13th]

[geekynotfreaky]

The Front Man's Worldview

I posted this Front Man analysis on Reddit the other day and it didn't get much traction, so I thought I'd post it here too!

Squid Game Season 2 spoilers below the cut.

(And yes, proper capitalization, because this shit's serious!)

While watching season 2, I had the basis for the rivalry between Gi-hun and the Front Man simplified into the following: the Front Man believes in peoples' inherent flaws, whereas Gi-hun believes in peoples' inherent capacity for good. But there's a lot more to it than that!

This article recently got me thinking about how interesting In-ho's worldview is: https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/squid-game-season-2-lee-jung-jae-lee-byung-hun-spoiler-breakdown-1236258362/.

"In-ho is a character that no longer has belief or hope in the outside world. So it’s almost like he has nowhere to go, because that is not really a world that he feels like he’s a part of anymore."

The Front Man has no hope in the world and feels almost completely disconnected from it. So he clings to the games because the world outside is dire and beyond saving, and the world of the games just makes more sense to him than the world outside. This explains his spiel about fairness and equality in season 1. Under this perspective, it’s true everyone who plays the games is given one last chance to "fight fair and win." Because there is zero hope for them in the outside world, whereas the world of the games is a world of opportunity.

Granted, the rules of the game are not entirely fair OR just, but it's a system that makes more sense than the world outside of it. Knowing the Front Man's backstory as In-ho, you might say the real world disappointed him so much he had to become the leader of his own world.

"In the process of these really grueling and violent games, his feelings faded. Feelings of hope and joy are long gone in the In-ho you meet in Season 2."

Similar to Gi-hun (and they do seem to be foils of one another), the trauma of playing through the games and winning contributed to his shattered worldview. Notably, though not discussed in the article, they both also lost someone close to them despite winning the games (for Gi-hun, his mother; for In-ho, his wife and unborn child).

In-ho is so cold-hearted and impassive as we know him in the present day...he has no joy, no hope. He is what Gi-hun has the potential to become. Throughout season 2, when he’s not putting on that act as Young-il, he's often staring into space with a sort of deadness in his eyes. There’s zero warmth there, and the betrayal in the end serves to remind the audience of that. And yet!

"You do find him almost momentarily enjoying the situation. And I think this is just a very small glimpse of his past self.”

...there are moments where he DOES seem to be genuinely enjoying himself, like during the relay race. And as the article explains it, these moments are like little, miniscule glimpses of his past self. So when he's having a laugh throwing that spinning top incorrectly (three whole times with his non-dominant hand, just for fun), is that something the In-ho of the past would’ve enjoyed? Playing a little joke without the others knowing? How much of that tiny light in his eye is just a remnant of something that has long since faded?

The fact Lee Byung-hun paid such deliberate attention to the details of his character really makes season 2 all the more interesting to watch! Every scene with him in it is captivating because you’re almost forced to scrutinize every aspect of his behavior in order to figure out who he is at that moment: is he the cold and cunning Front Man, the supposedly innocent Young-il, or his true self Hwang In-ho? And that's what makes him my favorite character!

[fulcrum-art-fox]

“He believes he loves you very much” wtf is this wording Mizu why did you have to phrase it like this what are you hoping to achieve with this. are you reassuring her or giving her questions like oh my god Mizu. he believes he loves you. wtf. you wanna tell me why you chose to phrase this sentence this way. And then the way Akemi just like. glares at her harder for this is hilarious. Like it seriously sounds like oh yeah he believes he loves only you but I’ve introduced myself to the situationship and nothing will ever be the same. He believes he loves you. Good lord Mizu you glorious bastard

[naffeclipse]

The power has been out for about 15 minutes now so uh, I'm in the dark

[lmxpsuedonym]

The scream I scrumpt

[wretchedpsychiatrist]

Vampire that gets you as aroused as possible so all the blood rushes between your legs before biting your inner thigh to suck it all out.

[rosegoldorigins]

Lego Monkie Kid Season 5

Li Jing: Wukong's fangs have been pulled

Nezha: Dad what the hell?!?!

[andorshitdaily]

ANDOR + Texts From Last Night

[rosetintedduelist]

@sweetcobaltblue

"Careful with titles. What is it they say? If you give the stray a name, it will establish a bond..."

"...and only be make it more difficult to cut ties later."

[feralchaton]

A lighthouse, a beacon, the lantern in the night, shining brightly, constant, all the while standing tall, bathed completely in darkness along with her keeper(s).

[blueskyscribe]

I'm rewatching TFP and it's wild how we collectively assigned Breakdown the Precious Cinnamon Roll fanon, but in the show the first thing he does is try to turn Miko into paste, and then in a later episode he mocks Miko for crying when Bulkhead is losing his memory

[leupagus]

You know what's missing from Game of Thrones? Dragon shenanigans. Dragonanigans.

It had been a year since they'd first come to Meereen, flush from victory over the three cities of Slaver's Bay, yet coming up to the Throne Room still set Missandei's heart to racing. The great hall seemed to hunch over on itself to glower at the supplicant, as though even now, with freedmen walking side-by-side with their former masters on the street, it sought to subjugate all who came within. The Throne Room had been built to inspire fear, and for centuries had done exactly that.

Not that it was called that any longer. Now it was called the Dragon's Chambers — or more often, the Nursery.

Today when Messandei entered, she found the queen stood in the middle of the room, arguing with Rhaegal. The great green dragon had a shovel in his mouth and seemed intent on making as much noise with it against the stone floor as possible. Viserion was curled up on the dais as usual, whistling faintly in his sleep. All around them bustled the newly formed Dragonsguard, orphan boys and girls who had come to the Pyramid in search of work.

(Not every applicant had been accepted — the dragons were the ultimate arbiters of who tended to them, and not every child wanted to climb all over a fire-breathing serpent all day simply to keep themselves fed — but those rejected had been given a place on the queen's staff, though that "place" was often just a bed every night and a seat in the dining hall three times a day. The queen fretted at the children's education and safety, but it was at least an improvement over the temples or slaver-markets where they would have been herded to before.)

(The Westerosi men had spoken at length of opening a new kind of temple called an orfinidge, but thus far the Congressional Council hadn't agreed on "proper resource allocation" for such an endeavor and the queen had simply paid for the current arrangement from her own coffers.) "Rhaegal, drop it this instant," the queen demanded, pointing sternly toward the ground. "That is not a plaything!"

Rhaegal, supremely unimpressed by his mother's arguments, stuck the shovel into the water trough and flicked a shovelful of water into the air, drenching the queen and a half-dozen children. The children shrieked with laughter, some of them jumping into the pool to splash back at the great dragon. The queen, on the other hand, covered her face with her hands and sighed.

It was then that Rhaegal caught sight (or possibly scent) of Missandei and called out to her, his frill lifting in welcome as he lifted his head. The shovel clattered to the floor, forgotten in the excitement of a new friend to pester.

The queen turned and saw her. "Are children always like this?" she demanded, snatching the shovel from the floor and making a face at the dragon drool covering the handle.

[spikeironfoundersson]

They said it* couldn’t be done** but a miracle*** has happened!!!****

*an infamous Broadway flop

**revived on Broadway, unless you hate money

***Tim Rice committing SO HARD to his ABBA-collab musical Cold War fanfic despite literally millions of dollars and decades of evidence that this is a fool’s errand

****CHESS BROADWAY REVIVAL 2025 CONFIRMED, BABY!

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

also I'm sorry to those who may feel TTPD monotonous or whatever but the piano in loml just cuts right into my soul.

The lilting cadence of it (until the bridge) just almost feels like being swept away in a wave back and forth.

There's something about the tone of her voice and the melody in the song (not to mention the lyrics) that just guts me on this one

[eagans]

we are bloodletting again tonight

[starmocha]

😔 Chatting with @vesearlee and I realize now this was a religious awakening. 🥺 Zayne, I am ready to accept you inside me—