#I had such a crush on her bc of her slow redemption arc

[asquinate]

Younger me, looking at Chloe Bourgeois: I can fix her

Thomas Astruc: No, the fuck you cant.

*Seasons 4 and 5 occur

[miss-musings]

OK, here's something weird for all my fellow Ted Lasso fans: I had a dream the other night of a possible S3 story line for Jamie. (I already posted this on my Twitter, but wanted to share it here too.)

It would allow his character to realize there's life beyond football and give him a love interest who isn't Keeley.

So, early in S3, Jamie would sustain a pretty bad injury. One that puts him on the bench for several weeks if not months. This will create drama for Richmond as coaches try to find a suitable replacement on offense. Meanwhile, Jamie struggles with being where Roy was early S2.

Football is all he's ever known, and while he's only out a few weeks now, he realizes he will be Roy's age someday and he'll have to retire from the sport. What then?

During this time, Richmond brings in a special physical therapist/rehab specialist/whatever you call them to help Jamie get back to form as quickly and effectively as possible (bc everyone wants to avoid Jamie re-injuring himself).

She helps Jamie realize that lying about his pain (to himself and others around him) only slows the process. If he wants to heal, he needs to be honest.

Jamie really starts to respect and admire her (I'll just call her Sara) professionally and personally, and develops a bit of a crush on her. But, as he talks to Keeley or Ted or someone, he realizes it'd be unprofessional to ask her out while he's still her patient.

So, he holds off until he's back on the field.

When he does work up the courage to ask her out, Sara explains that she's been burned by patients/former patients in the past, bc of the terrible locker-room environment among some athletes. Plus, Jamie has a playboy reputation.

However, Sara believes that Jamie is being sincere, and wants some time to think about it.

They do hang out a few times outside of work -- maybe she buys him ice cream to celebrate his full recovery and return to the field.

As they do, their conversations reaffirm Jamie's idea that he should have a plan for when he has to retire from football (either bc of age or injury).

He doesn't feel like coaching is for him, and becoming a TV commentator would puff him up too much.

He feels like he could become a physical therapist/rehab specialist like Sara is and help people become themselves again physically. He tells her so in the finale, and she says he doesn't have to commit right away, that he still has time to figure it out.

He says he knows, but whatever he does, he wants to help people the way Sara, Ted and everyone else have helped him become a better person.

Then maybe they hold hands or something, and that'd be the last shot we'd see of them for the season/series.

Basically, the injury would be a wake-up call for Jamie. In S1, he always made fun of Roy for being old and slow, while Roy recognized that he used to be like Jamie when he was younger. Now, Jamie has to realize he'll be like Roy one day when he's older.

Giving him a love interest would help him move on from Keeley and find someone who could similarly push him to become a better person and act as a prompt for the last bit of growth he needs to complete his "redemption arc."

When we first met Jamie, he had a huge ego and didn't care who he hurt or how.

But, with this story line, he could further let go of his ego, and pursue a career that allows him to help others and a relationship with someone who holds him accountable (as Keeley said in S1).

Btw, the dream I had wasn't quite so detailed. It was mostly about Jamie learning to be honest about his pain during his physical therapy/rehab sessions with Sara (placeholder name).

But, I just wanted to share. Maybe it'll give the #TedLasso writers some ideas for S3. 😉

[maybankiara]

I read your tags about why you thought you shipped specific ships and now I kinda need to know your opinion of why someone would ship the various characters on obx lol

OH THIS IS A GOOD ONE. ok let me get my analysis gloves on!!

sarah and john b - i feel like this is kind of a given? they’re a canon couple and people tend to ship that. i think it’s one of those couples that you just kind of accept, or at least that’s what i’ve seen everyone do. they’re cute enough. but if you go into the issues of each character, you see how both of them aren’t the best people, and they do kind of fit together in a bad way. but honestly, they’re just basic. 

kiara and jj - this is one of the biggest ones, and i’ve noticed that a lot of people who ship it come from teen wolf or the 100 fandom, both of which have a hetero ship that has seasons of buildup. (arguably for bellarke, as they are still not together, but the development is there). i feel like the reason why people like slow burning ships is because it’s a lot like real life. you get to know a person and you fall in love, and it has a long-lasting foundation. i’d even say it’s what most of us hope to have - a love that’s built on friendship over lust. plus, slow burns usually make for great storytelling, if done well, and could be a great addition to obx. now, this is my analysis, but then again, my little sister watched two episodes and she said they’ll end up together, so i guess there’s more to it that i’m not currently able to uncover. plus, on a storytelling level, it would be incredible to see both jj and kiara grow as people, be with others, and then once they are both in a healthy mindset, realising that they are into each other as more than just a childish crush. for them, i think, it’s mostly the potential of a great story and rudy just having chemistry with everything that walks.

jj and pope - rudy and jd. i said it. these two have incredible chemistry and they bounce off each other in a way that most other pairings in obx don’t. i feel like there’s also a slight aspect of “let’s ship bc it’s gay” for some people, too. it’s also the friends to lovers trope, but i think this one is almost exclusively because of the actors and the characters’ dynamics. 

kiara and pope - surprisingly, i haven’t come across many people who ship these two. i feel like that’s mostly because of the audience being shown that kiara likes john b and then a few episodes later, she’s kissing pope. still, it’s a semi-canon ship (can you count one kiss at the very end of a season with little build up as canon?) and i think a lot of people just go “huh, okay” and don’t think much about it. but they’re both intelligent, and could be a power couple, and i guess a lot of people like them together because it’s unpredictable, almost. 

kiara and sarah - again, the chemistry, for the most part, and some of the writing/acting. there were a few hints to kiara having a thing for sarah back in her kook year, and it would be a cute take on the enemies to lovers trope. plus, i think it would be a story a lot of people could relate to - falling in love with your best friend and not knowing how to deal with it, especially when it’s a same sex friend. if it had a happy ending, it’d be a nice story and it would mean a lot to people. actually, the same goes for jj and pope, come think of it.

sarah and topper - i loved them the first few episodes, until i realised topper is an overly protective boyfriend with anger issues to the point of being dangerous to sarah. but i do believe that there’s some part of people who would like someone to love them the way topper loves sarah, to be so protective, or to have them wrapped around their little finger. topper would do anything sarah would ask him to, and doesn’t that sound nice? it’s a bad thing, but a lot of people go for relationships like these because they offer them a sense of security, even if they’re unhealthy.

kiara and rafe - i think people ship this one mostly because of kie’s kook year and the fact that everything points to rafe being a part of it? they have an interesting dynamic, and if they ever intend on making rafe either a proper villain or give him redemption, him having something with kie could be a great way of deepening his character. plus, the idea of the bad boy being soft for the main female character is a much beloved trope. it gives the illusion that even the bad guys, the unhinged ones, the ones we should keep away from, can be changed and soft and different when in love. it’s a common trope. it’s a trope that leaves thousands of girls with unhealthy expectations and broken hearts, but you know. (bonus: the bad boy/good girl is definitely it. even little preteens, like my sisters, are susceptible to it.)

bonus round

kiara and topper - this one is my favourite, and i don’t really think people ship it, but i think it could easily be the most interesting pairing, both for the narrative and for the characters’ respective arcs. they could be each other’s way of getting over their prejudices, their unhealthy ways of coping with things and the way they feel about themselves, and narrative could support this incredibly easily. it’s based in speculation but man, i’m going down with this ship.

honourable mentions

jj and topper - i’ve seen this circulate? honestly no clue, except that it’d be an interesting dynamic

jj and rafe - imagine the hate sex. they’re two sides of the same coin and i think it’s the potential explosive dynamic that draws people in

rafe and barry - i’m gonna say it: drew starkey and rudy pankow both have chemistry with anything that walks. this is mostly for the scene in which rafe confides in barry, and their dynamic

rafe and topper - best friends to lovers extravaganza. again, drew’s chemistry.

honestly, i might be completely off with some (or all) of these, but i’d love to hear why people ship specific pairings!! i know there’s a lot of psychological analysis that could go into this, and i’ve read somewhere that the pairings we like actually mean something, just like the characters we like, but i haven’t really researched into it so i wouldn’t go really deep into this analysis and say it’s fact. but it’s definitely something that’s often on my mind and i love exploring it.

[seasaltmemories]

Dennis’ Connection to Zarc: Arc V Character Analysis

So this may or may not be a little series I do.  While I have no hard plans, I’d enjoy going through the cast in whatever order I choose and talking about whatever aspect of the character I feel compelled to tackle at the moment in a very personal and subjective matter.  As a result if this is well-received and/or I find myself interested in continuing this I might share my thoughts on other characters in the future.

Due to @skittymon’s encouragement on this post and the fact it’s been about a year or so since episode 114, I think I’ll dive into what really stood out about Dennis’ character to me.

While I love the non-counterpart cast of Arc V to bits, I feel like Dennis is the prime example for why I believe that Arc V wasn’t really about the counterparts themselves.  Starting with the public reveal of his connection to Academia in season 2, every time he appeared I was left with this sense of  “this changes things”  His arc really builds on the themes and message of Arc V while giving a weight to different aspects of the plot.

Starting with episode 74-75 was really the first time I really thought deeply about Dennis as a character.  That’s not to say his earlier appearances are bad (I love his duel against Gongenzaka) but it introduces a very human element to Academia: reluctance.  He’s not like Yuri, the Obelisk Force, or Sora (from what we had seen so far) who deeply believe in Academia’s goals and enjoys fighting for the cause, but he’s not like Serena, someone who can turn his back on it so easily.  It’s just his job, one that he continues on doing despite the regrets it leaves him with.  Still this doesn’t excuse the harm he’s caused.  Even though he prefers to entertain as opposed to battle, there’s no erasing the fact he started a war.

Drifting into the hypothetical a bit, but this is why the only ship that I personally wish was canon is Janushipping.  Not even in a romantic context, just that they had explicitly known each other.  In the flashback we’re shown, he is on enough good terms with Ruri that waving to her as they pass by is not unusual.  Now this doesn’t signal a deep friendship or anything, but if there had been just a smidge more focus on it or at least an acknowledgment of it by Ruri, I feel it could have added a different type of pathos to the Heartland Invasion.  Seeing your home burn to the ground is very traumatic and horrifying, but it is an alien concept to most ppl and hard to empathize with.  Being able to add a human face to it through Dennis’ betrayal of Ruri adds a dimension (lol) that is much easier to relate to.  It would also give a bit more weight to Ruri as a person by showing her outside the role of Shun’s sister and Yuto’s friend/crush, but I digress.

By the time 112-114 roll around, it’s pretty easy to ignore this past revelation as Dennis acts the part of heartless soldier pretty well.  It’s only at the end of 114 do we see a continuation of this conflict.  By now he’s decided that he doesn’t want to continue and support Academia, but at the same time he feels he doesn’t doesn’t deserve redemption.  Yusho himself offers forgiveness to him with no strings attached, but the conflict between who he is and what he’s done drives him to card himself.  It’s one of the most somber moments of the series and deserving so bc we just watched a young teen commit the equivalent of suicide.  While by now we know he can return and we see this happen on-screen, there’s still the fact that Dennis thought the best fate for himself was to not exist.

Tying this in with other events, it really gives a weight again to redemption, something I think Arc V tried to do.  Winning people over to Yuya’s ideology in one duel wasn’t really done until season 3, when the show presents him as his most developed.  Before, the only person who switches so easily is Serena who unlike almost any other Academia soldier was not aware of the level of violence being done.  Sora took nearly half of season 2 before he declared himself as defecting from Academia and initially he was very much against doing more than making sure his loved ones (Yuzu and Yuya) were safe.  In season 3 the mass defecting of Academia forces can feel odd after such slow processes but in-between it all we’re smacked in the face with a character who feels redemption isn’t possible.  It’s a harsh reminder that comes very unexpectedly and also goes to differentiate the three ‘redeemed’ members of the “Fusion quartet”  as this post by @x-ali-chan-x nicely summarizes 

Next this also reminds the viewer that these are child soldiers.  In a fantastical series such as Yugioh the horror of this is nowhere near the level of reality, but it’s still hurts.  As many victims he’s hurt, Dennis is a victim himself, and it’s very hard to ignore that act when faced with these actions.  On another note it almost mirrors Zarc’s fall before he even learn his existence.  To declare either as blameless is to outright ignore the show, but outside circumstances are both a key factor.  If left to their own devices, both would probably prefer to simply entertain ppl. Even if the damage of their actions outweighs any sympathy in your eyes, that doesn’t take away the tragic elements to their struggle.

Interestingly enough, exactly 30 episodes later is when we get a resolution to Dennis’ arc.  To understand the impact of this, context is required.  The fanon around Dennis’ character was largely composed of angst and hurt with the only sign of recovery being shown as happen years in post-canon  I say this as someone who was writing fanfic like that bc the fact 144 is so optimistic hit everyone out of right field.   Not only was it positive, but it felt right, better than any conclusion others had proposed.  I remember discussing with a friend how the idea of him becoming a teacher and sort of finding his redemption in the next generation was something that had never occurred to her yet it was perfect.

Personally 144 is one of the reason I will never discount the “make Reira smile” arc as pointless.  To me the duel between Yuya and Dennis shows the best of entertainment dueling in several subtle ways.  At the beginning Dennis is falling into some old habits, painting himself as a villain for Yuya to defeat and make everything better with.  Though his self-carding is never outright mentioned its memory is hard to ignore as he still views himself as unworthy of being “good.”  Then Yuya flips the script and reaches out to him.  The duel becomes less about vanquishing a foe and more about understanding someone else to build a bigger and brighter future than before.  In a way this prepares the audience again for how Yuya will handle Zarc.  The way Yuya overcomes Zarc’s shadow is by trying to understand him and instead of damning him showing how better alternatives exist.

So again when I see the statement that the counterparts were the star of the show, I have to disagree.  Even if some of what I pointed out was more coincidence as opposed to intentional actions on the creator’s part, I feel you can’t argue that Dennis’ role in the story wasn’t meant to have importance to the overall narrative.  And for the most part I think many agree.  Despite supporting character I have only seen one person express dislike for him.  Usually the coldest reaction I see is indifference or neutrality, and that is overshadowed by the love I see showered on him.  His impact sticks in a way I think the character himself would be proud to see.

[juviin]

Thought that would have made the pl arc better and make juvias redemption better: Juvia is shown love by a positive female figure as well (probably mira bc she'd b able to relate to her feelings of isolation and being treated as an outcast bc of magic) and after losing her will to fight, instead of fainting, gray and mira convince her to help them by slowing down abyss break (bc since abyss break was powered by the element 4 they might b able to affect its speed ??) THEN they try to convince her to join ft but she hides bc holy shit these ppl were so kind to her and showed her affection even after she kidnapped one of their friends and like her showing up at the resort should b different like mb she tried to get a job there or smthn bc she wanted to get away from magic ? And then that hot guy who showed her the sun shows up and gets attacked so she helps then after that he convinces her along w lucy to join the guild (also there shouldve been more w them in toh like Mashima shouldve shown juvia regretting the stuff she did and lucy being like hey i dont hold grudges and u seem chill and ur helping us save erza so yea we can be buddies as long as u like stop kidnapping ppl) And also he shouldve shown her still liking gray (starting as a crush bc thats what it was in the beginning but then growing into genuine love as they gor closer) but also being friends w lucy and cana and mira and gajeel and she should have been helping the others trust gajeel more bc she already had team natsus trust so the others would probably see that she wasnt that bad before they saw that in gajeel And over time we shouldve seen gray noticing her changes, from the rain woman, to the shy newcomer who feels like she doesnt belong w these kind ppl, to someone who fits in among ft and grts along w her guildmates and him slowly falling for her and noticing it and being like oh shit ive got some rly strong feelings for this girl