#But fucking also ... their opinions of everyone else

[ctgp]

incomprehensible longish suselle post incoming

i was inspired by someone else who commented on my last post but everyone knows that suselle is the big ship coming in deltarune obvi. i wanna talk about why i find them compelling under the readmore. feel free to agree or disagree idk

- starting off with noelle. everyone with eyes can see she has a big crush on susie. but genuinely, think about it. noelle had a fucked upbringing, her mother is shown to be strict, cold, emotionally distant. there’s a line of dialogue that implies she was like this prior to Dess’s disappearance in chapter 2. additionally, her father is terminally ill, so unfortunately he can’t be as present as he wants to be in her life. what this meant, is that noelle was likely given extremely high expectations on any performance. carol is a workaholic, implied to be super controlling, and restricts much of what she honestly wants. As a result, it’s hard for her to stand up for herself or even voice her opinions, such as when she’s forced to work with berdly on her project or when he tells her to attend the festival alongside him.

- Another aspect that (this is kind of me snorting crack cocaine) I think is likely true is considering how the holiday family is set up, noelle is definitely going to be idolized or pushed into a perfect and sweet girl role. I’m not denying that she’s a good person, but you can tell being super nice and trying to appease everyone exhausts her greatly. It’s why when pushed to a certain point, she’ll lash out (seen with berdly, kris, and queen), indicating her frustration.

- So why am I talking about this? When it seemingly has nothing to do with Susie? Oh, it actually has everything to do with her. Susie, in her eyes, is probably everything she wants to be, or desires, and practically her inverse. Susie isn’t afraid of standing up for what’s right. There’s no real expectations thrust on her. She’ll fuck up anything in her way and marches to her own tune. There’s no connection to her family, nothing about being put on a pedestal, or anything conventional about her. Susie, in Noelle’s eyes, sees her as a normal person. No forced interactions, no heavy secrecy around or a false persona, unlike many of the people around them both. Her crush on Susie is perhaps the only semblance of normalcy and freedom that Noelle will ever have, and an escape from all the baggage that’s plaguing her life.

- In contrast, while we know little about Susie’s background, everything in deltarune so far paints a grim picture. Susie constantly moves around, specifically avoids going home whenever possible, and is afraid to form a connection with anyone lest that get ripped from her. Her behavior is off putting (not to mention she eats inedible objects and drinks out of Alphys’s milk saucer each day, which further indicates she’s not being treated or fed well at home), and she purposefully shows herself as scary to avoid being close to people and also showing their true colors around her. As a result, pretty much most of everyone, including townspeople, try not to engage with her.

- So with all of that in her character, imagine her surprise when someone like Noelle treats her kindly and not as some kind of strange and violent creature. Despite all her flaws, Noelle genuinely wants to form a connection with her, to be close with her. And Noelle, possibly in Susie’s eyes, is a girl that’s also everything she’s not. Good academic and behavioral standing, liked by her peers, how effortlessly sweet and kind she is to everyone (and I’m not denying the sweet parts of Susie’s nature either, it’s way harder for her to be vulnerable), and seemingly has a big home she can always turn to. Never does Susie think Noelle is faking herself towards her or forced into, moreso surprised she even sees her as somewhat of an equal in the first place. Noelle is authentic and honest in a way that Susie highly values, something she snapped at Ralsei for in chapter 4. It’s part of why she pushes her to defend herself from her own mother.

- When the two spend time together, you can see that neither of them are fully ready to have a full conversation without fumbling a bit, which is part of their contrasting dynamic. Noelle is afraid of being weird, blatantly obvious and otherwise unconventional. Susie has no idea how to tread their conversation without potentially pushing Noelle away, but when they finally get the ball rolling, they are far more comfortable, open, and softly joking with each other, like they’ve known each other for a long time. They have common interests, play around, and Susie even gets bold enough to playfully scare Noelle. It’s also a gameplay mechanic to force you to explore Dess’s room but they make excuses to extend their time together. I think everyone should read the full conversations between them when the soul is separated from Kris, it’s very sweet. While once again, everyone with eyes can see Noelle’s crush, there’s tidbits suggesting it’s mutual to some extent. From Susie saying she likes Noelle’s smile to her getting flustered when she sees her in dark makeup, for example. There’s items that remind her of Noelle unprompted when you equip them to her. In addition, both used and unused sprites show her blushing around Noelle in the ch4 scene.

- I think it culminates to the big turning point in their relationship, when Susie loudly declares that she’s taking Noelle to the festival with her. she got a glimpse at Carol, decided she was bad news and stood up to/attempted to protect Noelle from her wrath. This is why I brought up Noelle’s freedom – the festival is potentially her ticket out of Carol’s grasp (and whatever the fuck she’s cooking with Kris and the knight) and a way for her to further explore themselves.

- There’s so many tragic elements in Deltarune – Kris’s lack of autonomy, the ominous prophecy haunting everyone’s narrative, failed and broken families, an uncomfortable air of secrecy and danger that’s plaguing the town despite its seemingly friendly nature – that a positive, lighter and genuine relationship blossoming between two loaded characters like Noelle and Susie is a breath of fresh air

- tldr they cute sorry for incomprehensible salad of words i can’t sleep

[kings-highway]

As Haikyuu fan, are you surprised that Yamaguchi is the captain in 3rd year? I was shocked when I knew it. I thought it will be, Hinata.

And, why do you think Haikyuu is fans favorite for m/m shipping? Like, what about Haikyuu that made shippers love it so much?

Hi hi!

I definitely was surprised to find out Yamaguchi became captain, and you'll probably be surprised to find out that I actually have big opinions on it. Overall, I understand why Yamaguchi became captain and I think it was a relatively interesting move, and do definitely respect the choice. It certainly leaves a lot of interesting options open. *However,* I do also think it was the haikyuu narratives' weakest decision. And I mean that in terms of symbolism and balance. Yamaguchi is given *zero* interaction with captains, or to-be captains, on any teams, that show any kind of affinity towards leadership and growth in that direction. The only point you see him showing leadership qualities is his scene with Tsukki, with the "what else do we need but our pride," philosophy. Otherwise, the character arc he goes on is far more concerned with his personal lack of ability. Yamaguchi's story is "I want to be good enough to stand on the court" NOT "I want to be good enough to support my team." which is a very important distinction. And what's upseting about this is that I can see Yamaguchi's character arc so clearly to become captain, but they never give him those moments. Ennoshita is clearly shown wrangling and having moments to corral the team, Daichi is obvious a constant pillar of support and understands what makes everyone tick perfectly - all they would have had to do is, say, show Yamaguchi giving one (1) pep talk that was to someone other that his childhood best friend, or like, not panicking and thinking Yachi was dead when all he needed to do was give her Gravol.

I think the best way to fix the Yamaguchi-to-captain story would have been to give him even just one or two moments in the Inarizaki match where he is able to identify Kita as both the captain and a spare player, and recognize that valuable players are not always star-lineup players. Because at the end of the day, Ennoshita was a Daichi-style captain, but Yamaguchi is a Kita-captain. He works relentlessly even when there is little payout, his skills are all honed and practiced instead of raw talent, and he certainly could earn the #1, but I think his hatred of his bench position is what sets him apart from Kita and makes his eventual captaincy feel like a random decision, because a true captain would have learn, at some point, that if he wasn't the best player for the team, then it was good he was sitting out. Like Kita does - and like vice-captain Suga demonstrates as well.

And on TOP of it all, Hinata is given *direct* comparison to Daichi several times throughout the show (learning to receive, being the only middle school captains to "care" when they lose, they both have the same bike scene where they stop in front of a TV to learn about the volleyball game.) AND Hinata is explicitly stated to be like "direct sunlight" where characters are CONSTANTLY describing how being with him makes them want to fight as hard as they can. Fucking *Tsukki* even says it, at the training camp, how Hinata just being in the room makes him feel like he has to work way harder. Plus he clawed his middle school team together from the ground up with his own hands, he was made to be a captain. But for some reason Hinata is denied being the team captain, maybe because it would be "too obvious," even though Hinata LEARNS that "it's about the team" lesson that Yamaguchi never does in his pursuit of a better serve.

So I like Captain Yamaguchi, I think it does work well. But I think it was a weak storytelling decision that, because it's not played into, actually detracts from Yamaguchi's storyline by making him (in the meta narrative) as important as the others. So you get your four first years, and you have the star setter, the mastermind blocker, the ace, and the captain, whereas Yamaguchi spends the whole series supposedly showing that "even average people can learn to fight," that's sort of detracted from by the storytelling choice of him secretly being the to-be captain the whole time (unless, of course, they had leaned into the Kita-thing.)

---

Also Haikyuu fans have mostly M/M shipping because they have 100+ named characters with personalities, backstories and futures and 6 of them are women.

You can talk about what toxic women-hating discourse you want to, but the truth is, the haikyuu fandom *loves* it's women. And they respect pretty much every canon M/F Ship. Mika and Daishou are ADORED. If someone doesn't like TanaKiyo, it's usually to swap it for KiyoYachi, a F/F ship. I don't know about you, but pretty much every DaiSuga shipper I know is also like 90% sure that canon DaiYui would be absolutely delightful. Personally, if Bokuaka weren't so popular I think Yuki and Bokuto would have been an adorable ship, and I wish people shipped Terushima with Hana more. They have a lot of good, natural chemistry with the very few named women available, but unfortunately this is a show about boys' sports teams and my god it shows.

And unfortunately it's the fault of the haikyuu promotional team and writers for creating the shipping culture it has, because these characters have fucking government assigned best friends that always appear together. All the most popular ships are literally besties and appear beside each other as mascots for their team. I mean, look at this picture: This is the loading screen wallpaper for the Haikyuu mobile game "Fly High"

That's... yep. With the exception of the Miya Twins, that's every character + their most popular ship.

As a result, I think the haikyuu fandom tended to latch onto the pairs idea. All the common ships - even rarer ones - are usually based on who the characters' assigned bathroom buddy is. And notably, the only break for this is Asahi-Noya-Tanaka. Where Noya seems to flip between standing beside Tanaka and standing beside Asahi, which REALLY highlights even moreso why these pairs are taken as romantic, because then only reason this happens is because Tanaka's actual pair is his future fucking wife.

And before anyone says "but SakuAtsu-!" yall cannot escape the fact that Sakusa's first biggest ship was his cousin (and assigned bathroom buddy) that yall shipped because they were pairs and only managed to break out of it when the cousin-fairy came down from the sky like a fucked up Cassandra Clare plotline. But, Atsumu was only "free" to be shipped because his assigned bathroom buddy was his brother.

This isn't, obviously, to diss any of these pair ships - I love all of them! Because I love friends to lovers more than anything else, and I think it's really cute that all the haikyuu characters get a little bestie to follow them around. But I also think the "Haikyuu only likes M/M ships" idea is a bit of a correlation/causation misdirect, because it's a show that really does only have M/M friendships, and still absolutely adores the women when given them. At least... on my side of the internet. If you're experiencing Kiyoko hate call 911 and leave the building now, you're in the wrong half of the fandom my friend.

[thatneoncrisis]

i would loooooove to hear more abt ur opinions on kpop demons... i will admit i didnt like the movie overmuch but the vibes of your idol (the final villain song) have me by the throat

also bird with a little hat =]

uuuh ok compliment sandwich. also spoilers if you havent seen it go do that

the only songs i didnt like outright were soda pop and the ballad between rumi and that boy, and even soda pop is an earworm so it was doing its job. i dont listen to kpop ever so as an outsider it was pretty good

i thought the autotune on the first song of the movie was way too harsh, i also didn't think golden was great as a This Is Our Magnum Opus song

however they topped it with This Is What It Sounds Like so i can excuse it

the humor felt really Really babyish, like young elementary school and i never really got adjusted to it. just a lot of yelling and "hey look its hot women doing gross things like eating a lot and. yelling" it felt like the worst of butch hartman at times

it never felt like the movie was Trying to purposely trick me or do a subversion but there were still moments where i was suprised. like i did not think this thing had the balls to kill the love interest permanently

i retched openly every time those damn boys were on screen. sorry for being a hater lesbian or something i could not pretend they were cute they were so nothing to me

that tiger was perfect my friend and i cheered every time he showed up

the manager bobby and the stepmom felt like the shriveling vestigal limbs from an earlier draft of the movie. its so odd that celine isn't physically there like 90 percent of the runtime what is she DOING. it felt like they were setting up an arc for bobby to properly betray the girls but it just collapsed and he just flips when everyone else does

the fight scenes were a treat to watch, i was never a winx club kid but it was giving a lot of that

im gonna be honest when my friend and i first saw the glimpse of lover boys past we thought immediately that rumi was his daughter. "that was 400 years ago" completely ignored that but also maybe they had a magic excuse idk. anyway the point was for the first 3rd of the movie we straight up thought a plotpoint was that this guy was trying to connect with his long lost daughter but fans keep shipping them bc hes a sexy hunk. so simagine my surprise when they not only play the romance straight but the little girl was his SISTER. HELLO. this isnt the movies fault my expectations were skewed

the tagalog version of how its done clears. go listen to it right now

there were non comedic moments where it hit me that this movie is in fact for babies, like when the girls are talking about their insecurities and it is the most tell dont show shit ive seen in life like if just feels like this movie never has Time for anything. "im a problem child you guys accept me" IN WHAT WAY. YOURE FUCKING NORMAL GOD AT LEAST GET A SHITTY VOICEMAIL ON THE PHONE FROM YOUR MEAN DAD OR SOMETHING. they kept Teasing me with characterization that barely exists in the film like rustling a bag of dry kinble telling me its fresh salmon

the third act of this movie got me hype in a lot of good ways. rumi begging her step mom to kill her. the boys singing be your idol. the girls singing their new song ugh it just all came together i love dance fighting i love baddies i love music i love art and animation i love that ugly boy dying i love the new outfits i love a crowd of people powering up ancient magic i really FUCKING love turning red

rumis face reminded me of those online free to play make up games where you put masks and cream on someone with a unibrow and yellow teeth and pimples and rashy dry skin and make them look like 30 insta filters. i know this is literally what kpop girls look like but since she was animated and also standing next to her bandmates with more inique faces it kept throwing me off

every though i wish some things got more time i felt like this movie moved at a pleasant brisk pace. i was never checking my watch during a scene something was always happening. even the tonic man sets up the whole thesis of the movie

[rainrot4me]

The hc on Clockwork drawing Toby makes me wonder. What IS your opinion on Toby x Clockwork/Ticciwork?

Oh, where do I begin. To me, Ticciwork is like a gunpowder x lighter situation. They’re definitely exes who keep getting back together and splitting up again, but I feel a deep love for one-another that nobody else really gets.

Nat’s calculated, hardened, with a tight grip on her emotions—but she feels deeply. She’s the kind of person who would scoff at feelings while secretly craving stability, protection, someone who sees her scars and doesn’t flinch. She works with control—mechanical precision, trauma that forced her into maturity far too fast.

On the other hand, Toby’s chaotic, impulsive, and often out of touch with his own emotional landscape. He’s rough around the edges, but there’s this raw honesty in him that Nat would notice—and might even crave. His tics, his temper, his noise—those could unsettle her at first. But over time, I think she’d see the vulnerability beneath all of it.

Howeverrrrrrr, they’re manic. Put two crazy, traumatized people together and you’ll get an explosion before you get anything kind.

They break up at least three times a year. And every time, it ends the same way: with bruised lips, sharp words, and one of them slamming the door. But they never stay away. Toby throws things. Not at her—never at her—but around her. He can’t handle the silence. Can’t handle the thought of losing her. Natalie stands like stone, arms crossed, eyes burning. “You always ruin this. Why can’t you ever just be satisfied?” But two nights later, he’s outside her window, soaked in blood and rain, shivering like a kid. And she lets him in. Always.

They’ve seen each other at their worst. Not the messy proxy shit—the real stuff. The things no one else knows. She knows about the way he cries in his sleep but never lets the tears fall. He knows she doesn’t wind her clock when she’s overwhelmed—lets the ticking stop because she can’t bear to feel the time pass. They never talk about it. But they both remember.

Most nights, he finds her in the bathroom, floor tile cold against her legs, trembling hands trying to hold herself together. He sits beside her. Doesn’t say a word. Just slides a hoodie over her shoulders and rests his head on her knee.

Now for everyone’s favorite part, the sex.

It’s angry. Gripping. Desperate. Like they’re trying to punish each other for still loving this much. She claws at his back like she’s digging through all the silence between them. He leaves bruises on her hips like he’s trying to prove something—like maybe if he marks her up enough, she won’t leave again.

Afterwards, she curls into his chest, breath hitching.

“You’re the worst fucking thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“Yeah?” he rasps, lips at her neck. “Then why do you still co-come back?”

“Because no one else sees me like you do.”

He goes quiet. Pulls her closer. “Shut up.”

They date other people. Clockwork flirts to make Toby jealous. Toby fucks someone else to prove he’s “over it.” But it always feels wrong. Off. Like they’re wearing someone else’s skin.

They can be halfway across the country from each other and know when something’s wrong. She’ll wake up with a tight feeling in her chest. He’ll get that electric buzz in his bones. And eventually one of them shows up.

No matter how bad it gets, how many times they blow up, if someone else lays a hand on the other? They’re dead.

It’s toxic. But also? No one else has ever loved them like this. No one else ever will. They’re both so fucked in the head that nothing normal or soft would satisfy them. So, sure, they’re horrible and awful to be around, but no one else sees them the way the other does. That still doesn’t mean that Natalie won’t beat the absolute shit out of him. She has shot him before, she will do it again.

꩜ .ᐟ

[wkngsnds]

Jax and Ragatha Mini Analysis PT 2

Here’s part 1

Jax is fucking hilarious bro because why did he spend so many of his interactions with Pomni talking about Ragatha. He clearly cares about her deep down and just wants her to be honest— straight up saying “let yourself be mean, it’s funny”. Then when he found out about her abusive mom the mission changed from “let’s expose her” to “you need to let it out before you abstract bro”

Not gonna lie I genuinely feel like he stopped making fun of her after the bar scene because the way she described her mom is exactly how he has been acting towards everyone— with yelling and berating especially. He is aware of his actions and attitude and how that makes him look, which is why he obviously deflects when he’s vulnerable (I.e ‘also she’s dumb and looks weird); he’s got a tough guy act to maintain. Now, he’s trying to make her realize what she’s doing is not helpful if only for her own sake.

Deadass, he’s trying to be his own version of Pomni to her, and let’s be honest in the end he’s the best person to do. He knows her best of all the cast— I don’t think he’s going to save her, but I do do believe he’s gonna be the one that makes her see sense.

On the other end, Ragatha wants to have a genuine connection with Jax or reconnect with him. Some people think this episode confirmed that Ragatha hates him, but I don’t think that’s right. In my opinion, I think she is frustrated by him— not even because of his physical attacks or petty comments towards her, but specifically because he seems to be just as deluded as he makes her out to be, yet he insists on her dropping her persona first and tells her she isn’t authentic enough when he’s also fake as fuck.

That’s the problem, he’s being a huge hypocrite and no one else can see it, because everyone else (kind of like the fans who hate him) write him off as being one dimensional. Or, in Pomni’s case, is seeing another side to him that might make him amicable.

Basically, this is where they’re at with each other right now

I hope they have a one on one a la Pearl and Greg; their problems, I feel, are too intertwined that Pomni won’t be able to play ref

[sak123hina]

SasuSaku haters are so fucking hypocritical, it’s actually ridiculous 🤣😅

NOT MY FANART!!!

Like, if you don’t like Sakura and Sasuke as a couple, fine. I genuinely understand that, just from a couple dynamic perspective. Their relationship is complex and not everyone is going to interpret it the same way. But the issue is, most people don’t even take the time to actually understand their bond, not just romantically, but as two individuals who went through hell and back and still found their way to each other. People reduce it to the surface level without ever acknowledging the emotional depth, history, or narrative weight behind it.

But Sasusaku haters turn around and start shipping Sasuke with every other girl under the sun. like what? I’m saying girls specifically because honestly, Sasuke’s dynamic with Naruto makes way more sense than any of the random girl ships people try to push. The only people Sasuke had any real emotional attachment to were Naruto and Sakura. That’s not an opinion, that’s straight-up manga evidence.

I saw someone shipping SasuIno, and to be honest, I don’t think the ship itself is awful, it could make sense, and I respect people who just enjoy it for fun.

What pisses me off even more is the way they write off Sakura completely, this person said like “Sasuke needs someone bold and kind-hearted.” Suggesting, Ino... Are they being serious?? That’s also Sakura. She's bold, she’s emotionally resilient, she stood up to Sasuke multiple times, and despite everything, she stayed true to herself. But nah, let’s act like she’s some brainless, clingy girl just to push another ship. But this person was tearing down Sakura just to hype Ino, saying the most out-of-pocket shit that clearly ignored canon entirely. Majority of the arguments they make are built off twisted scenes, misquotes, or just blatant headcanons.

And what’s funnier. the same person who said “arguing with SasuSaku fans is a waste of time” has dedicated their entire account to bashing the ship.If it's such a waste of time, why are you so obsessed with hating on SasuSaku?

Yet again, disliking the ship is completely fine. No one's saying everyone has to love SasuSaku. But can we at least be objective about it and actually try to understand the characters? Because it's genuinely annoying when people twist Sakura's character just to justify their hate.

It’s not even just criticism anymore, it’s deliberate misrepresentation. Some of these takes ignore her development, downplay her role, and act like she was just some obsessed girl with no growth or substance. People act like she didn’t mature, didn’t face harsh realities, or didn’t fight in the same war as everyone else. It's like her struggles don’t count unless they fit the anti narrative.

Let’s stop pretending these anti takes are some sort of deep, well-thought-out analysis when they’re clearly built on cherry-picked panels and personal bias. Hate the ship all you want, that’s your opinion. But don’t act like you’re the only one being “logical” when the arguments rely more on emotion than actual canon. At the end of the day, it’s not about agreeing, it’s about being honest and fair when discussing the characters and their dynamics.

[wsancho]

YESSSS!! Let the juices flow! 👀

I don't think Sabin's reaction is out of character, but the heat of the moment is missable. He just finished fighting off someone who was close to him and was trying to kill him. Normalcy is jarring right after you've been in a setting where your survival is threatened. It takes time, space and mindfulness to readjust (soldiers get PTSD because they don't get none of that. I heard that the Roman Empire had a ritual of several days specifically meant to bring their soldiers back from "combat mode" before sending them home. Makes sense). This moment with Vargas is treated as if Sabin just stepped on a bug, but I take it as one of those things where all the emotional charge get lost due to lack of expressions and dialogue. It also makes it make sense when he overreacts with Ultros. I don't like his reaction but I see where it comes from.

Also I doubt the brothers have an inner narrative where the other is casting judgment (condemnation). But when you love someone to death and at the same time you witness them doing things that you utterly disagree with; you'll give them tough love, not treats or kudos (Sabin saying that he feared Figaro turning into a puppet state isn't exactly praising Edgar's work). I think of Sabin's reaction to seeing Edgar as that of a parent who sees their kid choosing a dangerous career path, as in "I love you and let you make your own decision, but as long as you go down this path I don't wanna hear a fucking thing about it". He asks Edgar what he's doing in Mount Kolts, but may be anticipating a very unsatisfying answer.

They let the other be his own self and they still trust each other blindly because at the core it's the same pure heart that drives both. That unconditional love is always there, untouched. But they take opposite extremes about how to solve the problem at hand, which undeniably causes conflict, but it doesn't break them apart. ❤️😤

I have theories about the unknowns you mentioned 🫡

The twins' shared flashback ends with the coin toss. There are some logistics afterwards that are never shown (because the flashback is about the twins' bond, not about logistics), mainly:

Sabin leaving. I think he leaves immediately, considering that he doesn't wanna deal with the people in the castle. Were there obstacles for him leaving? Not great obstacles, in my opinion. I think Edgar telling the priestess to leave them alone (and her understanding it as "get everyone to leave us alone") granted them enough privacy for Sabin to silently get out and people just taking it as "he's being emotional, he needs some time alone and he'll come back to his senses in the morning". I know of kids "escaping home" only to come back hours later because they didn't figure out the next step. 🫤

Revealing the decision to the other politicians. Edgar would tell them only after Sabin was out of reach. After this reveal it could get difficult for Sabin to make any move. There's the semi-canon Figaroan belief that twin monarchs are a good omen so the commoners, more than anyone else, would object to having only one twin ruling. I'm thinking that the politicians have their preference too, either for the one who behaves more like them (Edgar), or for the one who seems more simple-minded and easy to puppeteer (Sabin).

King's funeral. By Sabin's reaction of denial, I get that he didn't see his dad's corpse (and wouldn't wanna see it). If the show Six Feet Under taught me anything, it's that funerals are for the living, to give them closure and facilitate detachment. Sabin not taking part in the funerary rituals could contribute to this boy not being over his daddy issues ten years and lots of meditation later.

Edgar's coronation. Again, I don't see Sabin sticking around for this. At this point it's settled, whether Figaro likes it or not, there's only one heir, and it's much easier to get them to accept this if there's no other choice available. There's a fanfic that brushes on some Figaroan rumors of Edgar exiling Sabin to take the throne for himself. Awfully unfair and typical in these circumstances. 😞👌🏼

Sabin getting Duncan to take him in. In the flashback Sabin is just finding out about his dad and then that leads to him wanting to leave the place and expecting Edgar to come along:

Seems that Sabin wanted to be with his brother, nothing more. And he didn't realize Edgar had been preparing for his dad's passing. Sabin wasn't planning to go to Duncan's and bring Edgar along, he wasn't planning for his dad to get murdered and run away to train to avenge dad's death, or train to fight the Empire just because. My take is that in this moment he felt more pressured than ever and considered that this was the perfect moment to go for what they really wanted. I think Sabin's "plan" goes something like this:

Phase 1: Collect underpants. Escape.

Phase 2: ❓

Phase 3: Profit. Happiness.

He proposes the same thing that these fools did (probably would get the exact same result):

If you haven't seen this, it's a great film. It sucks.

There may have been a vague idea of that idyllic life, but not a real roadmap: spending most time in nature, answering to no one, doing only the the things they're passionate about; and since Gestahl started some shit, maybe one fateful day they'd be going to knock on Gestahl's door to kick his ass or something. Good stuff! Good wishful thinking stuff. 🥲

Wishful thinking, or rather the ability to take the mind outside the boundaries of linear thinking and logic is what I believe allowed Sabin to become mind-blowingly skilled and off-the-charts strong. He did not follow the predictable trajectory he was on (as a prince and as a sickly child), and once off the beaten path, anything was possible. This is one of Sabin's most important strengths, it contrasts Edgar's mind-blowingly strategic thinking and off-the-charts foresight. But in order to succeed they still dip their feet in the other's field: Edgar is not only doing diplomacy, he's secretly arming his nation. Sabin didn't go on a 10-year vacation, he devotes himself to a real life project after leaving the castle. I think Sabin only realizes the need to do something about the Empire after cooling down, away from the castle drama, dwelling in the loss of his family.

Sabin knows what Edgar is trying to do. He knows Edgar knows what's right and fair and just. Both boys think they know where the other's approach is lacking as they lack the ability to fully grasp what the other can achieve. But they do have enough respect to let the other do his thing while in disagreement.

Meeting again and being in agreement was unexpected but not a coincidence. Each went and perfected himself without the other's influence only to come back together in a moment when Edgar took an uncharacteristically dangerous stance while Sabin had been uncharacteristically subduing his eagerness in favor of his martial arts roadmap and to let Edgar's strategy play out. As all paths lead to Rome, whatever these boys do leads them to each other because the opposite life choices are external things, but on the inside, they're one and the same. ❤️‍🔥

And in the end they get to live how they want to; not for a season or a few years, but for the rest of their lives. Sabin's idyllic life (which both twins desire) can only be secured after both decide to play the long game. Edgar may have known this pretty early, but it'd take Sabin some time to see the full picture. 💪🏼👑

Figaro Twins’ Coulda, Woulda, Shouldas

On a previous post I wondered if the twins could have maintained communication during their 10-year separation. My guess is that they didn’t, given that the High Priestess doesn’t know what Sabin’s been up to; Edgar doesn’t seem to know either, and he’s surprised to find out where he’s been living and who he’s been hanging out with.

But Sabin’s initial reaction to seeing Edgar felt off. Too casual and carefree for someone who sees his beloved big brother for the first time in a decade. Even if they had maintained communication, this still feels off, impersonal and unaffected.

The brothers shoulda hugged and celebrated seeing each other but they didn’t. With the characters being who they are and without putting blame on the devs, how could this make sense for these boys? Like, WHY WOULDN’T THEY HUG, GODDAMNIT?! 😖🥺

When Sabin first saw Gerad he didn’t react much either. We can blame it on the good ol’ “platform limitations” and “time restrictions”, but I like to take canon as is and figure out how it could work in service of my personal, self-indulgent narrative that makes me happy 🧐

So my theory is that, as much as Sabin looks up to Edgar emotionally and intellectually, he doesn’t really expect Edgar’s diplomatic approach to work.

Before leaving Figaro, Sabin wanted to avenge his dad, but his rage completely deflates when Edgar puts the focus on politics, like everyone else in the castle. Sabin may have convinced himself that he’d have to do this alone, even against Edgar’s established diplomacy. Not only does Sabin know Figaro’s situation before Kefka’s attack, he knows of the Returners hideout (some gamers interpret this as “the Returners not being great at hiding”, but one can know, for example, that Edward Snowden is in Russia or that Osama Bin Laden was in Afghanistan; but finding them requires slightly more knowledge than that. Sabin knows exactly where the Returners hide). I don’t think he had direct contact with them, but seems he had been actively looking for the information, not just learning whatever came his way.

Sabin loves his big brother and wouldn’t go against him, which is why he waited for diplomatic efforts to fall apart, as they did. But until then, Edgar’s decisions are very much the same of those who let his father perish. Sabin might have mixed feelings about Edgar because they had been on opposite ideological sides (imagine if Edgar had replied “We're climbing this mountain to meet up with my guest Kefka and escort him to the castle” Yuck! 😒).

Edgar had been reacting a little more to hearing about Sabin and to seeing him again, but I believe he prevents himself from showing too much and tries to keep his cool at all times. Also, after seeing so little reaction from Sabin, he might have gotten the impression that Sabin isn’t as comfortable with him as he used to be, so Edgar keeps his distance and accepts whatever Sabin chooses to express; after all, he set Sabin free in all possible ways. He’s not conflicted about Sabin and is not trying to maintain the distance, he’s just respectfully passive.

Of course Sabin trusts Edgar’s intentions. I think he’s having a bit of “emotional jet lag” (like he just learned that his surrogate dad got murdered by his surrogate brother and then tried to kill him too, or something 🤔), but as soon as Edgar tells him that diplomacy went to shit and they’re getting ready to strike back, Sabin is onboard, driven and even excited; if there were any doubts, all dispel once he finds himself on the same team as his bro.

Then there’s the part where Sabin jumps into the river to fight Ultros. It rubs me the wrong way that he pushes Edgar aside and jumps anyway. Sabin is not listening to reason and he’s not really a team player here. He’s trying to protect Terra from Ultros, but it’s very much an overreaction and I think it has to do with his need to prove himself and his disfavor for Edgar’s more passive methods (and with Sabin not having been part of a team ever before).

Sabin coulda listened and stay put, but I think his detour helps build his character. Sure, he meets and brings along new people and new information about what’s going on in the world, and all those are very important things for the plot; but I see a subtle mellowing down of his temper. He’s separated from the group and can’t help to constantly wonder if his brother is safe (the English translation makes it about the group, but in the original he’s worried about Edgar). I think he knows he kinda fucked up. Things worked out fine, but he seems less impulsive afterwards and more willing to listen.

Knowing that Edgar cares and worries about Sabin as much as he always did, I can see why it’s a little jarring when Edgar doesn’t try to save him after the encounter with Ultros, especially because recently the FF6 Rom Hack, Divergent Paths, was brought to my attention (thanks @monk-of-figaro ❤️) and it had me thinking whether Edgar woulda jumped in like “any sane brother would”, to quote the mod. And well… I don’t think Edgar is a “sane brother”. He’s a righteous king and there’s nothing sane about that 🤷🏻‍♀️

Seeing Sabin float away hurts my feelings way more than the devs intended to, and I’m sure Edgar would fear for his little bro, like he probably feared for him for an entire decade (Sabin was a sickly and overly emotional teenager leaving home for the first time to go who knows where). But if there’s one thing that distinguishes Edgar’s way of ruling is that he makes the hard choices:

Observes his father’s poor health knowing that he’ll soon die an untimely and unnatural death. Edgar makes the hard choice of seeing his own powerlessness for what it is and accepting that all he can do is witness his dad’s decay. Someone sane would have been in denial of this and focused on finding the culprit and avenging his father. Instead, he went through the same emotional turmoil as Sabin, but quietly, alone, and in the course of weeks or months as his father’s death came closer. And this is how Figaro was spared from becoming another Doma.

Witnesses Sabin’s meltdown after the king’s death and makes the hard choice of giving him the freedom to remove himself from the toxic environment. Someone sane would have escaped with him or tried to talk him into staying, and Sabin would have probably agreed to it if Edgar guilt-tripped him or simply told him “I want you by my side”. But Edgar wouldn’t sway Sabin in any way, no matter how badly he wanted him around. Sabin was too attached to Edgar and could never define his individuality if he kept doing whatever Edgar did or told him to do.

And when Sabin gets his ass beat by Ultros and is at risk of getting drowned or found by the Empire and killed, Edgar chooses to stick with the program. A sane brother would have gone after him, but the mission was to keep Banon alive and getting him to Narshe for negotiations. It’s not only “game over” because you fail the minigame, it’s game over because Edgar has been a double agent for a decade and the resistance can’t fully trust him like they do Banon. For the rebels to be on his side, Edgar depends on having Banon’s trust (this isn’t stated anywhere, but it’s only logical). Terra was not a Returner then, she was still doubtful and Edgar never wanted to force his ideas on her (like Banon), so leaving this to her was not an option either. Losing Banon is losing all chances of saving Figaro, while losing Sabin would cause Edgar to lose his mind, an entire nation would still survive. The right choice is the hardest of choices and Edgar’s judgment is on point; as it has been since his adolescence.

Hell, even when Edgar proposes his idea to Banon and gets rejected, it happens to be exactly what they end up doing (in the English translation he proposes “to make magical weapons” but in the original he talks only about “acquiring magic of their own”). Who knows what Banon’s plan was before meeting Terra. After meeting her, I believe his plan goes something like this:

Phase 1: Collect underpants. Talk to Espers.

Phase 2: ❓

Phase 3: Profit. Peace.

Anyway, I’ve always wanted to see more interaction between the FF6 cast (still do 🥲). Fanworks do a great job filling in the blanks, as I’m sure the devs intended, but self-indulgence is a tradeoff that prevents from discovering character traits that are easy to overlook and can be difficult to make sense of, especially for characters who operate in a state of maturity or conditioning or emotional strain that is difficult for us to access or even begin to understand.

I love that Sabin is such a lively, honest and self-motivated dude, that he grows and learns exclusively by doing. He does, he fucks up, he learns. And he laughs out loud while at it 😁❤️ Ultimately that’s how true wisdom is acquired, only by experience (there’s no such thing as acquiring wisdom from others’ experiences, you only remember the wisdom your soul already possesses by learning about how others articulate and express theirs).

On the other extreme it’s heartbreaking that Edgar is so freaking talented that he can see where the system fails, and having both talent and power, it’s up to him and him alone to come up with real solutions. No other character in this entire cast could pull off any of this shit as smoothly. To paraphrase La Femme Nikita: “[...] because when you lead, we survive.” And Edgar knows this 😕

This is unfathomable for most of us. I’m nobody, so I get to sit on my ass and talk about what the politicians should do, and what the sports coaches should do, and what the movie directors should do. I also get to make mistakes and fuck up my health and my finances and my career and my relationships and my home, but no one else’s. And because I’ve got this luxury it’s easy for me to say what would have been. If the FF6 devs did things my way it would have been not the masterpiece that it is. Heartbreaking as it is, it tells the stories of these (fictional) people organically and faithfully.

[thekittyokat]

you ever just have a lot, a LOT of feelings all at once about a character and not even remotely enough words or brainpower to FORM the words to describe everything you're feeling. so it feels like you may explode. yeah

[frostgnawdraws]

failure and futility

for day 2 of campfire fest! prompt: third eye (and i guess could also count for explosion, or a lack thereof lol) @outerwilds-events

[quaggyday]

Its fine if you see Kanji as straight or use she/her for Naoto. I appreciate how Kanji's storyline is about accepting that its okay to not have masculine hobbies and how queerness and toxic masculinity are linked. I appreciate how rooted in a Japanese subtext Naoto's story is and how your going to have to understand it from a different perspective of a different life. Both of these characters I like and find interesting.

But I swear, if another Youtuber or other says in some variation "Thinking Naoto or Kanji's stories are queer means your MISSING THE POINT OF THE THEMES OF TRUTH IN P4" or that as they are in canon their arcs are perfect and not needing any sort of change and are not at all at least a little dated or problematic" I am going to start screeching.

[mrmeepsmadmind]

bee's protective nature over anyone persists even as a ghost & i think he sometimes forgets or doesn't care that only star can see him (sadly no touch tho) & will start shouting & angrily try standing between people who are mad at starscream even tho he can't be seen, he just wants to try & help anyways bcs STOP IT >:(!! BE NICE !!!! cried the ghost no one can hear or see except for the poor guy getting yelled at & trying to overhear the conversation over bee's frantic rebuttals while trying to discreetly let bee know it's ok while ALSO trying not to look Insane .

continued attempt at a 4am drawn doodle comic below

i might draw detailed later but yeah i just wanted to give yall this headcanon bcs i love starbee so much... the nagging wives finally finding their true loves... another nagging wife.

' you .. do know only i can hear and see you, unfortunately, right? or are you starting to go loopy, because i don't need another insane figure haunting me. I have enough already, as you can try and fail to imagine, little bee . '

' trust me, im Well aware .. of everything you just said . .. but i just. i couldn't just Stand there and do Nothing while someone talked to you like You were Nothing . that's not the autobot way. that's not- my way . '

' . . . '

[epickiya722]

I know what these last few chapters have taught me about BNHA...

Blocking people is useful! 😐

[themyscirah]

Complaining abt Suicide Squad yet again but the fact that they have Waller exposing the alien community to space racist attacks and talking abt how she got to her position through deceit and being a terrible person and stuff is just. Ahsfiwueh JUST SAY YOU DONT KNOW WALLER.

Anyways literally the 3rd mission of the Squad ever (and the first framed as smth Waller picked and not orders from above) was the Squad discrediting and stopping a rogue vigilante who was only arresting POC and funneling white people into white supremacy groups (of which he was the most prominent member) in SUICIDE SQUAD #4. and it's explicitly framed as this mission being personal for Waller that she's hiding from the government bc its illegal like. Guys. Please why are we having her incite (space bc comics) racist attacks now

Also the whole "Amanda got her position through deceit and being a terrible person" NO. she KEPT her position through being shitty and playing complicated political games!!! She wasn't always that way like there is a difference and it is IMPORTANT ppl PLEASEEEE. In Secret Origins #14 we learn Amanda's backstory and she used to be a normal, caring person! Like even after she entered into working in government and politics she wasn't automatically morally bankrupt like please people. She was originally given control of the Squad by Reagan (*sigh* 80s comics...) to distract and get rid of her because she was so successful at pushing progressive social policy in Congress. Acting like she's this static pillar of evil is such a waste of her character and so fucking uninteresting and disrespectful to her arc it drives me MAD.

Like I am NOT saying Waller is all sunshine and rainbows, she fucking SUCKS (said w love <3) but like there's a human being there. It's a progression, she has a character arc like please, DC, please!!! They've fucked up Waller so bad and made her so opaque and uninteresting she can't even be the protagonist of her own story for fucks sake!

Like I don't know how many times I have to scream it until DC hears me or remembers but WALLER IS THE MAIN CHARACTER OF SUICIDE SQUAD. ITS HER BOOK. yet right now she's a cutout to be used as the villain wherever the writers please. Even in her book we get none of her perspective really displayed, no exploration of her thoughts with any kind of understanding of the role she traditionally has played and was made to play in the story.

[chameleonsd1sh]

started watching the good doctor to see what the fuss is about and this is gonna shock some people but saying that the reason it’s bad autism rep is because an autistic person couldn’t be a surgeon is wildly more ableist than anything the show did

[addicted-to-the-knife]

I think it's very important that we bring back this inherent understanding that actors are also just some fucking guys (gender neutral)

[meowsticmarvels]

the concept of delta engineering the decision game so he and phi can be born is kinda funny he's like ok so i have to worsen my parents' existing ptsd so me and my Stupid ass sister I Guess will be born witj magic powers and shes also gonna have worsened ptsd as a result. this is a Necessary evil Life is Simply Unfair :/