#I think this is supposed to be a break up song but I'm interpreting this as unrequited love. that was my initial interpretation anyway.

[m1ssunderstanding]

Understanding Lennon McCartney Rewatch Part 2.4

It's in the paper that Allen Klein was involved in 40+ lawsuits and John doesn't question it? At this point, I feel like he just didn't want to let Paul be right about anything. 

My question is who did that work on before? I mean who fucking does business like that? Let alone business with the most successful man in the world. 

John's complaining about Paul being too good at his job is both hilarious (what the hell is Paul supposed to do with that) and sad (it shows just how far their musical relationship has degraded from partners to rivals)

How did they lose Northern Songs? Genuinely, if anyone can break it down for me I'd be so grateful. Anyway I'm sure it was devastating for both of them. “Who'd have the children?” “Dick James”. 

I know I'm insane, but can I be allowed to see a glimmer of goodness here? I really do think it's John's kinder side winning out when he decides not to lie. Like, yes, he gets a buzz off of watching Paul go white at his words, but I think he also just – in that moment – didn't have the heart to trick Paul into staying. 

But also. Why are we trying to maneuver Paul at all if the end game is for John to leave? It just doesn't make sense to try to trick Paul into signing the contract unless John's divorce threat is at the very least not meant to be final. 

I will never understand this picture. Even in the emotional state he's in, he's still hamming it up? There is something seriously wrong with this man. 

I do find it interesting that the fact that Paul cried his eyes out after that meeting isn't even mentioned in the doc. I wonder why. 

Let's put the bizarre, super-warped timeline in this quote aside for a minute. Apparently the depression started after Brian died and it lasted for about two years and John was still in it during Pepper. Okay. That aside . . .

I have to assume this negative lense on what I can only assume means the period between 66 and 68 is highly influenced by hindsight bias. I agree that John was depressed at the time, in an unhappy marriage, doing too much LSD, etc and that looking at Paul's prolific talent and expansive , fast-paced life would have been maddening. But everyone go back to the end of part one really quick. He looks extremely happy. He sounds extremely happy. Everyone who knows him says he's never been happier. I think he just can't accept right now that there was so much good and he's lost it. 

“I look from the wings at the play you are staging . . . I don't know why nobody told you how to unfold your love.”

Insanity quote Hall of Fame. Paul explaining why the Beatles just had to break up, obviously, because he and John "didn't marry the same girl." Someone write the fic where John and Paul both marry the same girl. Could be Yoko or Linda. Sister trad wives au. 

Okay, cool, so this means I have full permission to interpret and tin hat about any lyrics I want then, right?

But also. Are we just not going to talk about the fact that Paul dumped a bucket of garbage water and punched this person? And are we not mentioning the depression and alcoholism and heroin abuse during this time?

It's so embarrassing how he looks to her for confirmation here. John, they asked you what you think. Just you. Not some complicated definition. Not Yoko's definition. Just your own thoughts.

“I couldn't wait for them to make up their mind about peace or whatever. About committing themselves.” Yeah, John. You sound real committed to peace. Or whatever. Here's a theory that anyone can shoot down if they want: John asked Paul for some kind of commitment (a friendship wedding, a partnership contract, a mutual wanking pledge) in India and Paul was a chicken about it. 

What was that day like, I wonder? I imagine extremely stiff and professional and horrid. But who knows. Maybe it was nice, and maybe that made everything worse.

I will go to my death believing that instant karma was for Paul. 

Do we think John actually did send Paul “about twenty postcards from Denmark” all covered in hearts none of which Paul responded to? Paul could be just as cruel in his lack of reaction as John was in his over reaction.

I'm sorry but that is not what a man says when he's just lying to the press to buy time for business. That's what a man says to the press when he's trying desperately to communicate with someone who he can't get through to any other way. 

But really, I just don't understand why the creator chose to minimize Paul's emotional response to John's divorce statement. If we don't see him bawling his eyes out and losing the will to live, he comes off like a self-assured, uncaring, jerk. Which. To be fair. John didn't see those things, and that is exactly what John thought of Paul during this time. But still. The audience now comes away from this doc with a skewed view. 

All we get is Paul being pissed off about Phil Spector butchering Let it Be without his consent and John and George trying to change McCartney's release date without his consent. Which are both a) understandable and b) strong, male, angry reactions. Making this section portray Paul in the same one-dimensional hyper-masculine way that John so often is. Which isn't my favorite. But hey, it's my only complaint about this doc so far.

Anyway, update: I won't be able to do part three until it gets reuploaded, so we're on hiatus for this project for the time being.

[gayleviticus]

I didn't really notice this before but it's interesting how in the dispute over whether Jesus is casting out demons because he himself is on the devils payroll in Matthew 12 - there's the famous bit about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit which lots of people get hung up on (and understandably so, esp if you struggle w scrupulousity and OCD - very inflammatory thing to put in the Bible @ God).

but Jesus then goes on to talk about good and bad fruits, and this line struck me: "Either make the tree out to be good and its fruit good, or make the tree out to be rotten and its fruit rotten; for the tree is known by its fruit."

you can kinda sense his frustration here. "make up your minds! either I'm doing something wrong or I'm not; can we not try to claim that I have some evil hidden ulterior motive that makes all the good things I'm doing secretly bad."

now sure, there are circumstances where people can do or support good things for bad reasons (nazis using anti Zionist sentiment as a dogwhistle; terfs making a song and dance about feminism - altho id argue neither of these groups are particularly 'doing' good things just hijacking them, but there are also just homophobic conservative churches that do run soup kitchens and food banks and yet that doesn't counterbalance the bad they do) or do bad things for what they perceive to be good reasons. but seems like what Jesus is talking about is again his old maxim of judge trees by their fruit; don't decide a priori that since X person is wrong therefore everything they do is tainted with wickedness.

blasphemy of the Holy Spirit happens when people see God at work doing good things and decide, in order to preserve their preconceived ideas about the way things are and what's good and bad, to call good evil.

and I think the reason that's an 'unforgivable' sin isn't necessarily because it's a particularly heinous one, but because it fundamentally warps your ability to interpret the actions of God. If you see God's goodness and mercy and grace at work in the world and decide well actually that's the Devil - how are you supposed to ever break out of that and truly recognise God? it's like when someone is hyped up on flat earth, creationism, anti vaxxer, protocols of the elders of Zion conspiracy theories; they've kinda destroyed their ability to even consider any alternative simply by loudly insisting any counterpoint is propaganda, any evidence to the contrary is fabricated, science itself is a hoax. blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is the same; people have destroyed any external benchmark (such as the harm and suffering being created) for judging their interpretations of scripture and faith.

and I can't help but think a bit on queer christians (as usual; I need to start finding other topics to get on my soapbox about), bc when we offer the fact that gay relationships or gender transition cultivate love and joy and peace and kindness and goodness, we get very much the same answer as Jesus' critics gave. "Pff. It's the work of the Devil." People a priori reject the good and life giving things we find in queerness because they don't want to deal with the implications of that. and so we get people insisting that bad trees can bear good fruit.

now in fairness they often do try for consistency and insist that actually this good fruit is a hollow lie and truly LGBTQ people are suffering underneath from living against God's will. but I think this view is losing its power bit by bit bc people understand it's asserting ideology over reality. it's a hard sell and not an intellectually serious position. either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad

[ughhhdavid]

A kinda long analysis of some scenes in The Sound Of Music in relation to the Ted Lasso finale, TedTrent, and Ted's bisexuality ahead.

Since they decided to name the finale as a reference to The Sound Of Music, and perform a song from it as well, I've decided to look into it. After all, Ted has always been pretty similar to Maria. They're both enthusiastic, positive, they come into this family's life, and, while uptight and closed off at first, it eventually warms up to them. They both help their new family become better.

And then they leave.

Why?

They both say it's because they miss their old lives. But Maria actually leaves because she has developed feelings for the Captain. Meanwhile I think Ted missing his family at home is genuine. (However, he had a chance to have both his Richmond family and his Kansas family at the same time. And there's some debate of the reason he didn't want that)

In The Sound Of Music, we get glimpses into Maria's life after going back.

Sound familiar?

All these shots of people he loves who you think would want him there. Even his own best friend's wedding. And where is Ted? Why is he missing these moments? Why is he so isolated?

Uhm... Hello???? If there's one way to describe Ted's face in this scene, it's this.

Now this is where Ted's story ends. But Maria's continues, having a very intense conversation with Mother Abbess about feelings you've never felt before, having something deep inside you that you can't face, being confused, and not wanting to betray God. This seems very queer coded to me.

On the other hand, she thinks that she is only in servitude of God, and accepting the Captain's love would be distracting her from her mission as a nun. To which Mother says, that just because she loves The Captain, that doesn't mean she loves God less.

Now that got me thinking about Ted, and the way he left everything behind, and the way he rejected everyone's love for him, and the way he seemed to think that was the right thing to do in order to fully love and be there for Henry.

But Ted was a great father, even in London, and he didn't need to sacrifice all other things he loved for him. (Of course, parents would sacrifice everything for their kids, I'm just saying Ted didn't have to).

Loving Richmond didn't mean he loved Henry less.

Mother Reverend also says this:

Which reminds me of what Trent said earlier in the episode:

"I don't think we change, per say, as much as we learn to accept who we've always been"

Next she sings the song "Climb Every Mountain",which finally convinces Maria to go back. Here are some of the lyrics:

Which, first of all. Rainbow??? Ok.

Like the rainbow in Ted's hallucination? Like the bi flag in that same hallucination that helped him get unstuck and get as close to achieving his dream as he could, with Total Football.

Secondly, this reminds me of Ted on the plane, doubting himself. Thinking about how they could've won the whole fucking thing. And later, the lyrics from "Father and Son" that play while Ted looks at the snowglobe.

"For you will still be here tomorrow

But your dreams may not"

How are we supposed to interpret this if not that Ted is abandoning his dream,Richmond?

And that someone needs to make him realize his dreams are important, too?

Next, Maria comes back and greets the Captain in an interaction that reminded me a lot of Ted and Trent.

And then the captain says this:

Which is a criticism I heard a lot about the finale. The entirety of AFC Richmond said goodbye to Ted in big ways, and small ways, but he never said a proper goodbye to any of them. A proper, heartfelt goodbye in which he said something substantial, anything that anyone deserved to hear from him, after spending the past 3 years loving him, being by his side and believing in him.

With Maria returned, The Captain breaks up his engagement to The Baroness.

He says he has been dishonest. He has hidden his feelings and he can't hide them anymore. Reminded me of Trent, saying he had to come out to his wife 2 times before her believing. Trent, hiding his real feelings from a woman he couldn't love the way she wanted him to.

To which the Baroness gets defensive and acts like she's the one who wants to break up. That she doesn't think he's the right man for her.

Why?

I laughed out loud when she said this, ngl.

Next, The Captain talks to Maria in the garden about her plans to leave again soon.

Again, reminiscent of Keeley and Rebecca asking Ted to change his mind, and stay. And the book Ted is holding on the plane "How to Change Your Mind: The New Science Of Psychadelics".

The part where he says "it will be all wrong again after you leave". Let's talk about that. Because as Ted leaves, Roy and Jamie throw away years of development and go back to their old dynamic. Nate is a kit man again. So much regression. Beard, going home to an abusive girlfriend. And Ted, who was learning to break free from society's idea of what a family should look like, Ted, who wanted to be free and fluid, going back into those boxes.

For these characters, it's like the show was folded in half,to get the beginning and the end to touch. For them, it's like starting from zero. It's like everything they've been through has been for nothing. (Roy even specifically calls this out).

Back The Sound of Music, Maria and The Captain finally confess their feelings to each other.

Are you kidding me? A whistle? You mean like coaches have?

Anyway, this is all the parallels and things I've found interesting while watching this part in The Sound Of Music. I could go on for longer, but this movie is 3 hours long of scenes that remind me of Ted.

"Yeah, it might be all that you get

Yeah, I guess this might well be it."

[entamesubs]

Yu-Gi-Oh! Go Rush!! Episode 90 Sub Release

Torrent

Support us on ko-fi

Please make sure to read the FAQ if you have any questions.

There are translation notes below, so spoilers ahead.

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ドッチ・ジャーニー・ショウ！ Which Way the Book Turns!

This is a pun-laden name from Dudi again. It can be romanized literally as "Which Journey Shall/Shows!", but it is also a play on 書 (sho), which can sometimes be used to refer to a book - like the one Dudi is reading in the card art.

I just tried my best here; I'm sure there's a punnier name that makes me go "oh my god why didn't I think of that" once YGOrg puts their article out.

お前の中でこれがしの自我を保つのは難しそうだ "Your body is unable to sustain my ego."

Clarifying here that Kuaidul means this in the sense that if he merges with Yuudias, something disastrous will occur... to Yuudias. He is willingly undoing the fusion, or reversing it, so that it doesn't harm him.

He is "letting go" of Yuudias of his own volition.

種の寿命が尽きようとしている "Our species is approaching the limit of our lifespans."

More accurately, Kuaidul is trying to say "our species is going to exhaust our lifespan", as in "use up" or "run out", but I couldn't think of a way to word this that had the same finality as limit.

It is very much with a finality that Kuaidul says this. Interpret as you wish.

-------------------------------

Some other easter eggs

In order for Shewbahha's card to activate, Yuudias had to send Leviaknight (Phaser's card) to the grave - kinda like giving Shewbahha something to eat!

Nyandestar's Cat Claw Girl is the last obstacle that everyone must overcome, which is fitting considering she was the first ever card created by Kuaidul

Similarly, the last people to give Yuudias the ATK boost he needs are some of the first people he ever met upon arriving on Earth... Yuamu and Yuuhi!

Dudi Nishaw, though he's part of the Dudi Ducasse, is in fact a Velgearian... due to how he's supposed to be one of the three "factions" fighting in the Velgear Star Cluster. You can sort of think of the term "Velgearian" as both a species identifier and a nationality. Dudi is a "Velgearian" species-wise, but he is Dudi Ducasse in terms of nationality. Hope that makes sense!

The "Andromeda-Milky Way collision" is a real thing that is projected to happen... in the next 4.5 billion years. According to Wikipedia, it's actually not going to cause much damage to either galaxy or the stars within it at all, due to how far apart each individual star is. In fact, by the time this happens, all life on Earth would've been wiped out about 3 billion years ago anyway due to the Sun's growing instability

In Mahayana Buddhism, which Japanese Buddhism is derived from, a "bodhisattva" is someone with "a spontaneous wish and compassionate mind to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all" - does it sound familiar? It's Yuudias offering his body to Kuaidul even despite all of the wrongs he has committed.

I guess we now know why the ED is titled "Song of Departure"

-------------------------------

Announcements

Go Rush will be taking a break on New Years weekend and will not air an episode then! The next episode will be on January 7th.

As well, the entameSubs team will be on vacation for the next two weeks. I will be in Japan! That means episode 91 will be massively delayed until I get back.

There will be a dedicated announcement post of the vacation in a day or two, just so people are aware.

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And that's a wrap!

I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am for Go Rush season 3, now that we know that's a thing that's happening! It has always been something I wanted because I adore this show to bits... but I was so convinced we would be moving onto the next series already.

But here we are! The voice actor of Yuudias, Arthur, said that this third year was only possible "with [the fan's] support" - so it's wonderful and heartwarming to know Go Rush is very well received.

Merry Christmas, if you celebrate! Happy Holidays otherwise!

This is one of my favorite episodes of all of Yu-Gi-Oh! as a whole. I have not cried at a finale or even any episode like this since ZEXAL aired Nasch vs Yuuma ten years ago.

I leave you with a quote from one of my favorite games that applies word-for-word to this episode. Just replace "Ardbert" with "Yuudias".

Yuudias chose love, and Kuaidul was undone.

Happy New Year.

[orionsangel86]

Subtext Glorious Subtext! A Dreamling on Netflix analysis in The Sandman - Part 7

1989

You've given me shattered dreams, but I know you'll come back to me...

Here's where we step into unchartered territory - what is a show to do when its source material ends 33 years too soon? Apparantly lean fully into the angst, pining, and misunderstandings tropes that all good fandom ships thrive on!

After the disastrous break up of 1889, Hob is clearly nervous about whether or not Dream will show up to the next meeting. In both comic and show, he calls out that he will still be there in a hundred years, and if Dream is too then its because they are friends. Dream doesn't answer leaving Hob to wonder whether he pushed Dream too far.

In the comic though, Dream escapes from his imprisonment in time, and is able to reunite with Hob, having spent 70 odd years contemplating his past behaviours and actions in his solitude, and evidentally makes the decision to meet Hob and accept his offer of friendship:

In the comic, they reunite with Dream reassuring Hob that they are in fact friends, and it ends there. The next time they meet in Season of Mists Hob states how surprised he is to see Dream before their next meeting. There is no hint in the comics that they had changed their once-a-century date to be more frequent.

But the show changes all of this. Dream doesn't escape until 2022 so he misses his date with Hob. Instead we get to see Hob grow more and more concerned as he waits all day for Dream.

Whilst Hob waits, they show the passage of time by playing a mix of popular 80s songs, and although I know the fandom talked about this a lot when the show first aired, I can't not bring it up here because it such a hugely important part of the 1989 scene. Song choices in media are always carefully picked out. Nothing is unintentional. Producers have to apply for the rights to use songs in their shows and get those songs signed off and it isn't always an easy process, so song choices are always significant. ALWAYS. They are one of the principle ways we can analyse media and theorise about what the creators are trying to tell us. Every song choice has meaning.

For example, in Stranger Things both Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill and Journey's Worlds Apart are important song choices which reflect the emotional conflicts and journeys of the characters in season 4.

Our Flag Means Death also uses modern songs in an exceptional way to support the story and the emotional journeys of the characters. Using Fleetwood Mac's The Chain at the emotional climax for the characters in episode 8 was a work of genius.

Whilst songs specifically about love, romance, and break ups aren't always used for romantic character arcs, using three break up songs in a row for what should be interpreted as a falling out/misunderstanding between platonic friends is... unusual. Outside of comedy where the song choice could specifically be used in a humorous way (for example an overly emotional lovers break up song used for friendships in comedy could be a commentary on how ridiculous and overdramatic the two friends are being, with them acting like dramatic lovers being part of the joke.) But the scene in 1989 isn't a comedic one. Hob is genuinely hurting and Dream at this point is imprisoned. The song choices are therefore sincere. The message in the song choices should be taken at face value.

So please dear reader. Tell me what you think the following is supposed to be telling us?

Song 1: She Drives Me Crazy by Fine Young Cannibals

I can't stop the way I feel Things you do don't seem real Tell me what you've got in mind 'Cause we're running out of time Won't you ever set me free? This waiting 'round's killing me

She drives me crazy Like no one else She drives me crazy And I can't help myself

I can't get any rest People say I'm obsessed Everything you say is lies But to me there's no surprise What I had for you was true Things go wrong, they always do

She drives me crazy Like no one else She drives me crazy And I can't help myself

I won't make it on my own No one likes to be alone

Song 2:Shattered Dreams by Johnny Hates Jazz

So much for your promises They died the day you let me go Caught up in a web of lies But it was just too late to know

I thought it was you Who would stand by my side

And now you've given me, given me Nothing but shattered dreams, shattered dreams Feel like I could run away, run away From this empty heart You said you'd die for me

Woke up to reality And found the future not so bright I dreamt the impossible That maybe things could work out right

I thought it was you Who would do me no wrong

But now you've given me, given me Nothing but shattered dreams, shattered dreams Feel like I could run away, run away From this empty heart

You've given me, given me Nothing but shattered dreams, shattered dreams Feel like I could run away, run away From this empty heart

From this empty heart

I thought it was you Who said they'd die for love

And now you've given me, given me Nothing but shattered dreams, shattered dreams Feel like I could run away, run away From this empty heart

You've given me, given me Nothing but shattered dreams, shattered dreams Feel like I could run away, run away From this empty heart

Oh, no, no, no You said you'd die for me Oh, for Die for me So much for your promises So much for your promises

Song 3: Keep on Movin' by Soul II Soul

Keep on moving Don't stop, like the hands of time Click-clock, find your own way to stay The time will come one day

Why do people choose to live their lives (lives)

This way?

No-oh-oh (Keep on moving) (Keep on moving) Keep on moving yeah, yeah (Keep on moving, don't stop, no) (Keep on moving)

It's our time, time today The right time is here to stay Stay in my life, my life always Yellow is the color of sun rays

I hide myself, from no-one I know the time will surely come when You'll be in my life, my life always Yellow is the color of sun rays

Keep on moving (Keep on moving) Don't stop! (Keep on moving don't stop, no) Like the hands of time (Keep on moving) Click-clock, find your own way (Keep on moving) To stay (The time will come one day)

No-o-oh (Keep on moving) Hey-ey-ey (Keep on moving) (Keep on moving, don't stop, no) (Keep on moving) Oh!

I know the time, time today Walking alone in my own way Extremely cold and rainy day Friends and I have fun along the way Yes we do!

I hide myself from no one I know the time will really come when You'll be in my life, my life always Yellow is the color of sun rays

Keep on moving (Keep on moving) Don't stop (Keep on moving, don't stop, no) Like the hands of time (Keep on moving) Click-clock (Keep on moving) Find your own way to stay, yeah (The time will come one day) Yes!

Oh! (Keep on moving, don't stop, no) (Keep on moving) Ah-hey! (Keep on moving) Keep moving along, moving along (The time will come one day) Hey-yeah!

Keep movin', don't stop, no (Don't stop, like the hands of time) Hey-yeah! (Click-clock, find your own way to stay) Find your own way to stay (The time will come one day) (Why do people choose to live their lives this way?) Oh-woh-oh Oh, why do they choose to live this way?

Yeah! Ah-hey! (Keep on moving) Keep on moving (Keep on moving, don't stop, no) No-woh-oh (Keep on moving) No! (Keep on moving) Keep on moving in my own way I know the time will come today (The time will come one day) Ah-hey! Yeah! (Keep on moving) Yeah-hey Keep on moving, don't stop, no) Don't stop Keep on moving) Ah-hey-ey (Keep on moving) Hey-yeah! (The time will come one day) The time will surely come one day!

Hey-yeah! (Keep on moving, don't stop, no) No-oh-oh! (Keep on moving) Oh-woh-oh (Keep on moving) Hey-yeah!

I mean... *gestures at all of this*

The way I interpret these songs is a very linear emotional journey. It's a narrative in itself of Hob's state of mind as day turns to night and he waits and realises that his date isn't going to show.

First he contemplates how he can't help the way he feels. The waiting around is killing him, he's being driven crazy by his feelings, he's obsessed. But his feelings are true, and he won't make it on his own without [Dream].

Next comes the heartbreak. He dreamt that things might work out, but his dreams have been shattered. He feels like he wants to run away from his empty heart.

Finally, he realises that life goes on, he's gotta keep on moving, because he has hope that the time will come when [Dream] will be in his life again and this time [Dream] will stay.

I don't think I even need to attempt to make this any clearer! All these songs are about love, either obsessive love, heartbreak, or hope for future love. This is the kind of shit Johnlock and Destiel fans would have eaten up back in the day. At this point in Dream and Hob's relationship, at this point in this half hour sequence of television, I am not sure how else to interpret this, which is why the conversation Hob has with the bartender comes across so bizarre.

Bartender: You waiting for someone?

Hob: I think I've been stood up. We had a fight, last time we were here, but it was my fault. wish I could say I was drunk at the time, but I was just an idiot.

Bartender: I've seen plenty of friends get into fights in pubs, even more of them laugh about later.

Hob: *chuckling* maybe in another hundred years.

We all agree how bloody bizarre this is right? I have to praise this bartender for not jumping to conclusions but it would have been far more natural for him to assume Hob was stood up by a date, a woman (this is 1989 after all) and instead given his apologies and said something like "Don't worry mate, just send her some flowers and be honest with her. She'll come around."

Why does he assume they are just friends? Being "stood up" is commonly used to indicate a failed romantic date. It just isn't a natural assumption for someone to make based on the information Hob gave him. Hob cleverly keeps his explanation gender neutral, so the bartender does too, but even with gender neutral language the immediate conclusion should be that Hob was abandoned by a romantic date.

But the natural conclusion would have prompted a clarification. A definitive from Hob on the nature of his and Dream's relationship, and for whatever reason, the writers decided they didn't want there to be a definitive clarification here. Just like how they removed all the references to canon queer characters in 1589 to avoid distinguishing them from Hob and Dream, here they made sure that Hob was unable to refute or deny any implication that he and Dream may be more than platonic friends. Instead they chose to go with clunky language that doesn't really make sense, all to avoid having to make clarifications. Sorry y'all, but thats some SPN writer levels of ambiguity layering and I ain't buying it *side eyes Neil Gaiman suspiciously*. What are those writers up too eh?

I did read an interesting meta on this that the bartender could have assumed that Hob was talking about a man, clocked him as queer, and spoken in safe language to avoid an accidental outing (1989 was a difficult time for the LGBTQ+ community) but I couldn't find it or remember who wrote it to link it here. I found that interpretation to be really interesting and certainly worth considering, even if it's not my initial reading of the scene.

The other explanation is that maybe it was an attempt to "no homo" what otherwise comes across as a failed romantic date. But if that was what they were going for, it was very sloppily done and in fact only called further attention to the very romantic implications of the whole scene at least from Hob's side of things. If they really wanted to "no homo" the scene, why not just have Hob tell the bartender that he was supposed to be meeting his friend?

Then in a totally new decision made for the show, Hob finds out that the White Horse Tavern is closing its doors for good. This adds a further layer of angst and drama to Dream and Hob's relationship that the comics do not have. The worry that should Dream ever decide to return, how would he find Hob if the tavern is closed? It's once again pretty tropey in that its yet another external force keeping our boys apart. Anymore of this and we start falling dangerously close to star crossed territory.

The 1989 scene ends with a distressed and sad looking Hob, with a hint of determination, leaving the audience expecting him to do something about this.

Then we get that final glorious transition, from the whiskey glass to the glass sphere holding Dream, reminding us all that no, Dream did not stand Hob up, he was in fact stuck in his prison. Dream looks stoic as always, but the glance upwards indicates that he too remembers the date, and is regretting his inability to be there to make things right.

That look then transitions seemlessly into the modern day, as Dream stares sadly at the ruins of the White Horse tavern. Which is where we leave this chapter.

Check out Part 8 for my analysis of the glorious reunion!

[sorenevans]

can we just talk about the song "Inkpot Gods" for a minute?

while I am 100% sure I am interpreting this song wrong I really don't care.

let me show you my vision-

(listen while you read- it makes more sense.)

There's a young girl- about 10-11 years old. She's probably been through a lot. and she tries not to cry because she thinks that is a sign of weakness, but a man who was supposed to care for this girl originally, but was so scared too he never really tried- POTENTIALLY A FATHER FIGURE, MAYBE EVEN HER ACTUAL FATHER- tells her that it's ok to cry, and to not worry about the other kids laughing at her because she's just learning how to fight for herself.

Oh, what? These, these aren't tears It's just the rain that wasn't brave enough to fall And what they hear isn't laughter, after all It's just your voice learning for once to stand up tall

that same man wants to keep her safe, and that's exactly what he does. he vows to stay by her side and train her until she can fight the monsters of this world without his help. he sees her for more than her scars, more than her marking, more than anything superficial. he sees her for her. he sees her the way his father never saw him. He vows to never be like his father. He wants to be present in this young girl's life, he wants to be the father she doesn't and he never had.

And when the rain came down I made a vow out to the dark "Please, let her live just one more day Cause she is so much more than all her scars And if she doesn't have the will But it seems the whole world does, I'll stay, because I will be the man my father never was"

this man knew her mother before she died. she brings it up to the man when she turns 15 so that she can get the letters from her mom that the man had been keeping safe. the last letter written very hastily written read these lyrics. \/ The girl asked the man and he said that her mother was always singing.

And what you hear is not silence It's just the trees waiting to hear what next you'll hum

She also wrote in these letters that she was never truly alone that she had the man and the darkness was only there so she could appreciate the light in her life, it was only there to discourage her in her quests. but her mother also wrote not to let the darkness stop her and that those who made her life dark only did so to hurt her.

And what you see is not the dark It's just the gods upturning ink pots 'cause they know what you'll become

And she wrote a letter to those powers holding her daughter back.

And to those gods, I will speak bluntly "We've an accord, if you ever touch or harm her Please, rest assured that you might not fear a man But to a woman, by the end, you'll kneel and plea

and her mother writes one last thing. telling the girl how her mother always told her to look out only for herself. but after having a child she couldn't imagine not gladly dying for her. this child was her life.

'Cause I'm more than what my mum told me to be"

She's 17 now. fighting her own battles, and she's doing well until one day she's not. She is struggling- SHE'S LOSING. She's overwhelmed and OUTNUMBERED AND SCARED! The man wants nothing more than to help, but after all this time he's become old and frail and unable to fight like he used to. he can see her fighting. he can see her trying. he sees her fall. He can't watch anymore. he's fully overwhelmed by that feeling of helplessness.

And I can hear her sing And I know she's giving up And I don't know what to do, how to help her How to bring her home

and she sees the man, no- her father- she knew he saw her fall. She knows he's seeing her lose. She can feel the waves of emotion. she was so scared for him. She craved independence but right now she just wants to hug him- but this is her quest and only hers.

And I can hear him break And he doesn't understand And I wish that I could take his hand But where I'm going is for me and me alone

the man sees a letter sitting on the table. the girl had left it there. for in case she didn't make it back. It's been hours, and he didn't want to admit she could be dead, but he could see no other outcome. he opened the letter. and reads it over and over and over. he can practically hear her singing it.

And I can her sing "If I don't make it back from where I've gone Just know I loved you all along" "If I don't make it back from where I've gone Just know I loved you all along" "If I don't make it back from where I've gone Just know I loved you all along" "If I don't make it back from where I've gone Just know I loved you all along" (loved you all along)

He sits in a chair facing the battle scene, where he watches something emerging from the horizon. he tucks the letter neatly away and walks out to meet the girl. she won. She won so she could come back to him. her father- the one who was always there for her, the one who taught her about her mother- the one who loved her unconditionally, and she, him.

If I don't make it back from where I've gone Just know I loved you all along If I don't make it back from where I've gone Just know I loved you all along If I don't make it back from where I've gone Just know I loved you all along If I don't make it back from where I've gone Just know I loved you all along

[ckret2]

Wait what's up with Dr. Horrible?? (I never watched it I just know of the song Brand New Day and that's it)

Okay so short plot summary: the main character is a mad scientist/aspiring supervillain who's presented as an earnest, nerdy, likable guy. We're intended to find him sympathetic; his villainous goals are comically cliché and he has some moral standards he sticks to, like we mainly see him commit property crimes but he refuses to kill people.

He has a crush on a very nice idealistic girl who wants to feed the homeless.

His nemesis is a smug handsome dudebro superhero whose collateral damage from his fights is arguably worse than what the villain himself would have done. The superhero ends up dating the idealistic girl after saving her from a near-death experience he himself caused by breaking the villain's machinery.

The superhero says some douchey misogynistic things about his new girlfriend to Dr. Horrible in private, so, naturally, he decides to compromise his values and murder the superhero. Through no fault of Dr. H's own (the narrative would like us to believe), the superhero makes the weapon malfunction in a way that, instead, kills the girl. Dr. H is broken-hearted and despondent but finally recognized by society as a true supervillain.

So, good nerd "villain" VS bad jock "hero" and the nice girl takes the douchebag with muscles.

This was several years before the "incel vs chad" meme took off—but it's hauntingly familiar in hindsight.

The thing is, even though the main character does have his "villain" moments, the way it's written makes it pretty clear the audience is supposed to be on his side. His evil is cartoonish and funny rather than things that actually tend to bother viewers, we're supposed to want to see him win over the girl and be mad that she went for the jock. Not only is HE your typical "nice guy (who isn't nice)" who doesn't understand why he skeeves out girls—but the STORY thinks he's genuinely a nice guy, too*.

(*This is the part that's controversial. Some people think "nah, Joss Whedon knew exactly what he was doing, we ARE supposed to recognize that he's really just a creep in defiance of how the narrative frames him, it's an unreliable narrator thing" and other people think "Joss really thinks Dr. Horrible is a tragic underdog who deserved to get the girl." Personally, I think the truth is somewhere in between, but it's closest to "tragic underdog.")

Except, Dr. Horrible is a supervillain! That's what makes the whole thing extra interesting. On a surface level, this is your basic role-reversal type story, "the supervillain is actually the hero and the superhero is actually the villain"—but once you recognize Dr. Horrible isn't quite as much a decent guy as the narrative paints him, the role reversal reverses: "the villain really is villainous, he's your typical vengeful entitled incel, but seeing the story through his eyes he can't see himself that way."

It's really a masterfully done unreliable narrator story breaking down the toxic incel "girls only don't like me because I'm nerdy" "they go for bad boys with muscles" "if I can't get a girl it's my right to lash out at the world" viewpoint, done convincingly enough that you can totally buy into the narrator's skewed perspective. (Like, it took years before I started seeing this "it's a breakdown of nerd culture toxic masculinity" interpretation of Dr. H in mainstream discussions. Some people might've been saying it at the time but it was nowhere near as widespread as it is now; when it first came out, just about every discussion I saw took it for granted that the narrative considers Dr. H the "good guy.")

But, on the other hand, it's only an okay trope role reversal story. Like it's pretty good? It's all right. It's fine.

The story is better if you look at it saying "Dr. H really is the bad guy here, but is so deep in his head neither he nor the narrative sees that" and worse if you look at it saying "Dr. H is a misguided good guy stuck in a tragedy."

And yet, I'm pretty confident "misguided good guy" was the authorial intent. For other folks who believe that was the intent, in order to let the narrative truly flourish, they have to interpret it in a way that directly defies what they assume the author wants; in order to say "the main character is blind to his true nature" they also have to say "the author is blind to the main character's true nature." And I think that's fascinating.

[laprasboat]

Hiii :) Here's an ask game so we can tag phan!! Shuffle your favorite playlist and post the first five songs that come up + if your opinions on whether they could be related to DnP or not. Copy/paste this ask to your favorite mutuals!! <3 no pressure if you don't want to

hehe gonna do this again

1. Inside Out - FFDP

Uhhhh yeah I think I'm gonna go with no on this one

2. I Don't Need Your Love - SIX

I can see someone writing an angsty break up phanfic based on this song, but other than that not very dnp coded

3. Pretty Fly 4 - Joost

I mean, they are white I guess?

4. Black Eyes Blue - Corey Taylor

Oh yeah this one does make me think of them. I wanted to pick a line to point out, but honestly I think the whole song fits (Listen, I'm very bad at figuring out if a song is supposed to be toxic or a love song, if it's not a love song then you're all wrong and I'm right <333)

5. Lutka - S.A.R.S.

Oh man, depending on which interpretation you believe in, this can absolutely be dnp coded. I'm gonna go with yes because I don't care if the song is about addiction this is a love song to me

[ilookbehindthewall]

Taylor Swift's 'Fortnight' and the Quest for Authentic Self-Determination and Identity

As someone analyzing Taylor Swift's new album, I want to emphasize that this analysis is not about the men in her life. For me, Taylor Swift isn't a "man eater," as some label her, but rather a person with feelings, problems, and her own identity. Taylor is creative with her lyrics; who says "he/him" has to directly refer to a lover?

I'm just a regular German girl who faces similar issues herself and can identify with them through her music. I don't want to claim that everything I analyze was her intention; I just want to share my feelings.

I also think that some things can be understood as queer. As I said, I identify a lot with the song myself. So these are my personal impressions. I'm not directly claiming that Taylor Swift is queer. It's more about the content here. Because their inner self is often symbolized as male, one might think that the public Taylor represents the unouted personality, while the male figure symbolizes the outed one.

Like each of us, she goes through a process of self-discovery and self-acceptance. In "Fortnight," she seems to struggle with accepting herself and showing her true self. I won't dissect every single sentence, as that would take too long. Instead, I'll focus on the lines that are most meaningful for my interpretation.

"I was supposed to be sent away but they forgot to come and get me"

This suggests that Taylor tried to break away from her public image or others' expectations and instead become her true self, but ultimately, this process was interrupted or incomplete. The phrase "but they forgot to come and get me" may imply that although she had intended to distance herself from her public image or redefine herself, there was no supportive framework to help her successfully complete this process.

"I was a functioning alcoholic till nobody noticed my new aesthetic."

The term "functioning alcoholic" usually refers to someone who consumes alcohol but still fulfills their daily obligations or keeps their life together. In this context, it might mean that Taylor tried to hide or compensate for her inner struggles by consuming alcohol. The mention of her "new aesthetic" could indicate that she also tried to change her outward appearance or behavior, possibly aiming to create a new image of herself or distance herself from her former self. The word "till" in this line might suggest that she stopped being a "functioning alcoholic" once nobody noticed her change or once nobody perceived her as such.

"And for a fortnight there, we were forever"

This suggests that for a brief but intense period, Taylor Swift fully identified with or was aware of her inner self, giving her a sense of eternity or timelessness. It could symbolize a phase of self-awareness or self-acceptance.

"Run into you sometimes, ask about the weather"

These lines might indicate that after this phase of self-awareness or revelation, Taylor Swift sometimes comes into contact with this inner self or becomes aware of it, but she tries to treat it lightly or superficially by talking about everyday things instead of delving deeper. It could suggest that even in moments when they feel intense and happy, the conversation remains superficial, or that they have difficulty addressing deeper issues. This could be part of their dynamic or relationship dynamic, where they struggle to fully open up or understand each other, even in moments of closeness or connection. Likely because she has never really dealt with her inner self.

"Now you're in my backyard, turned into good neighbors Your wife waters flowers, I wanna kill her"

Now she talks about it being over with the fortnight. The "now" stands for the present, the here and now. Here, the mention of the backyard and the neighbors could metaphorically represent the immediate proximity of the inner self in the back of the head.

The mention of the wife and the desire to kill her could symbolize the frustration or conflict that Taylor feels when trying to adapt to a conventional or heteronormative environment while still confronting her inner conflicts and identity issues.

"All my mornings are Mondays stuck in an endless February"

These lines could suggest that Taylor Swift feels trapped in an endless phase of discomfort or stagnation stemming from past experiences or identity conflicts. The metaphor of "mornings that are like Mondays" could imply that she faces each day with a feeling of emptiness or frustration, similar to the feeling of being on a Monday morning, where the week lies ahead and everything feels cumbersome and tiresome.

"Took the miracle move-on drug, the effects were temporary"

Here, Taylor Swift could describe how she tried to break free from these past experiences or identity conflicts by using some kind of "miracle drug" to move on or progress. The metaphor of the "move-on drug" could suggest an attempt to leave the past behind and move forward, but the mention that the effects were only temporary suggests that she still struggles with the effects of these experiences and that these coping methods are not sustainable.

"And I love you, it's ruining my life / I love you, it's ruining my life / I touched you for only a fortnight / I touched you, but I touched you"

These lines could reflect the ambivalence of Taylor's feelings and the complexity of her relationship with her inner masculine self. The repetition of "I love you, it's ruining my life" suggests a deep emotional bond but also pain and conflict. The brief touch for a "fortnight" could symbolize that this bond was temporary but still had a strong impact on her.

"Thought of callin' ya, but you won't pick up / 'Nother fortnight lost in America / Move to Florida, buy the car you want / But it won't start up 'til you touch, touch, touch me"

Here, Taylor might describe her attempts to break free from past experiences or identity conflicts, but she still feels influenced or trapped by them. In this line, Florida could have a metaphorical meaning, representing a place where Taylor Swift can find or accept herself, especially in terms of her true identity. The purchase of the desired car could symbolize her efforts to allow her inner self to take control of her life to live her true identity without being restricted by societal expectations.

The line "But it won't start up 'til you touch, touch, touch me" could suggest that Taylor's true journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance can only begin when she touches or accepts herself. This could mean that she first needs to learn to accept herself before she can live her true identity.

In the music video of the song, we see Taylor taking a pill called "forget him" at the beginning, which she has been taking since her birthday. This is indicated by the date on the pill packaging. In my opinion, this is the biggest hint that the song is not about a lover but about herself.

I love music and it is art. And art has many sides and everyone interprets it differently

~ Hanna

[a-wins-a-win]

mouse's attempted B;APO timeline

aka i was writing an irrelevant detail in a silly little fic and it occurred to me that oh wait i could actually think about this!!

credit where credit's due - i am using this timeline right here (from @hearmyvoicee) as a base, but i have some particular thoughts/interpretations of my own + felt like using 2001 dates! (bc why not, ya know? keep it basically of the time it opened) so this whole thing is mostly for my own reference, but if it makes sense to any of y'all as well? great <;3 [keeping it under the cut for my own sanity + yours]

.✨.

Sunday, January 7 [the feast of the Epiphany is celebrated on January 6th, or the closest Sunday to that date - in the case of 2001, that's the 7th]

Epiphany

Monday - Friday, January 8 - 12 [ i swear on my life someone mentioned to me once that it's generally accepted that You & I spans several days?? i cannot find who or where but someone tell me i'm not going insane ]

You & I

Friday, January 12 [the friday is entirely arbitrary, just seems the type of day you'd hold auditions - give it a week to stir interest, cast on friday, start up your rehearsals from the next monday onwards] [i have never been in theater though, so don't hold me to that]

Role Of A Lifetime

Auditions

Plain Jane Fatass

Thursday, February 22 [to me the phrase "we'll meet in Tanya's room on Friday night" implies that it's not yet Friday + in theory the song takes place during study hall, so an actual weekday? so to that end it could be any day monday-thursday, the specifics not mattering in particular, but i arbitrarily went with thursday so that Ivy’s birthday lines up right]

Wonderland

Friday, February 23

A Quiet Night At Home

Rolling

Best Kept Secret

Wednesday, February 28 [borrowing from the previous timeline for this one - the Lent + Ash Wednesday significance makes sense] [to that end, Ash Wednesday 2001 was in fact February 28th]

Confession

Portrait Of A Girl

Thursday, March 1 [in Wonderland they reference the fact that "Ivy's birthday's in a week", ergo wonderland date + 1 week]

Birthday, Bitch!

One Kiss

Are You There?

911! Emergency!

Friday, March 2 [peter mentions 911! Emergency as being "last night"]

Reputation Stain'd

Ever After

Saturday, March 10 [generally, the Spring Break week is from March 11 to March 17, so in my head it makes sense for them to be leaving for their spring break the day beforehand - ergo, March 10th]

Spring

One

✨ spring break / intermission ✨

Sunday, March 17 [the sunday makes sense in my head to mirror Epiphany]

Wedding Bells

Monday, March 19

In The Hallway

Monday, March 26 [ as claire says - "gone a week, i miss you already". so if classes started again on the 19th + 1 week is the 26th ]

Touch My Soul

See Me

Warning

[sidenote, easter 2001 was sunday april 15. to that end, to account for the Easter Monday holiday, likely they had the 16th off also]

Friday, May 18 [okay listen!! i know it crowds A LOT of act 2 together but!! the way sister chantelle says here "if you decide you want to get together one more time" implies to me that they aren't going to be having more Official rehearsal time before the play actually gets performed] [it all has to occur between monday may 14 & sunday may 20 for jason's "graduate next sunday" line to be technically correct] [rory's decided that they'll "meet back here. seven o'clock" - which i was always under the impression is the supposed to be rehearsal that sets up Promise] [Nadia's "call me tonight, or tomorrow, or whenever" to me implies that she won't see him tomorrow? so probably they don't have any classes or rehearsal the next day]["i know it's late" in Cross is such a little detail, but to me it just ties it all up]

Pilgrim's Hands

God Don't Make No Trash

All Grown Up

Promise

Once Upon A Time

Cross

Saturday, May 19 [saturday night seems a reasonable time to put on the show, right? like in order to make it accessible to family + friends outside of the school?]

Two Households

Bare

Queen Mab

A Glooming Peace

Tuesday, May 22 [a {catholic} person is buried between 2 and 7 days after their death, typically around 3. i always got the vibes that Absolution was supposed to take place on/around jason's funeral, ergo the play + 3 days]

Absolution

Sunday, May 27 [going with the assumption that they graduate on the last sunday in may, in 2001 that date was the 27th]

No Voice

.✨.

wanna make it super clear that i a) am australian and b) am not catholic and c) have never been to boarding school or in theater so a lot of dates were found via google search, and/or arbitrarily assigned weekdays

also also at the end of the day i'm not sure the specifics of the timeline super duper matter, it was mostly just for fun - but like. feel free to share ur thoughts!

[bookstayallaroundthelibrary]

SOCIAL PATH ANALYSIS TIME!!!!

I'm always doing this when I want something to do that'll occupy my mind. There's a lot of it, and none of it may be accurate. Art exists for interpretation, though, right? So I'll see what I can offer. Be warned, my thoughts will be haphazard because it's past two in the morning and I have a headache.

Now let's start with the obvious. I think we've all clocked that Social Path is a play for the word Sociopath. Stray Kids do that a lot, right? Bend words to wrap around themselves because maybe they feel imprisoned by what the original word represents? Maybe they feel it is a label, and if they must carry one of those, they'd rather design it themselves.

The opening is "gave up my youth for my future"😭😭

An alien (foreigner) in the town.

All the hate, all the broken lines. All the anger and the resolve.

Oh my God, there are so many layers to this song😭🫠.

Their voices meld so well together. Not to mention the instrumentals, which sound genius, yes, but a bit light and excited too. The lyrics though—

It makes so much sense, at least from the perspective I'm looking at. Them being adrift, like comets, with the possibility of crashing or continuing to float.

Being lost in a sea of bodies, just giving up. Hands and words and chains reaching for them, people telling them to give up, trying to hold them down.

I don't know if it goes this deep, but felix has only one wing, the pain it must've taken to loose the other but still hold on to that one side. Did it get ripped out? Did he stumble and decide to "rise up stronger"?

And in the end, they stand as if they have won a battle, Bruised perhaps, but they've victorious. And a war still awaits.

There's more people...

A different line of thought, I'm thinking the part Lee Know is on his bed, a place that should be one of comfort and rest and privacy for him, and hands are frantically reaching for him despite how much he's curling into himself might have something to do with fans and their mega obsessions and lack of respect for their private lives.

Not to mention the same faceless people made bang chan feel choked, and he never did escape them in the video. But then there's a part where they stand and lift him up, till he's floating.

I don't know. There is so much hyper-symbolism in everything that I'm getting wrapped up in it, too.

If we begin breaking down the MV scene by scene them you will get to see the full picture and not fragments of the message they trying to pass on

The M/V fits the lyrics totally.

The scene where Han was chained??

Where the chains fear?

Was it doubt? Was it pain? Was it the endless dread of the future?

And the fact that he was chained alone, in a fortress where he saw nothing but himself. Was that a way of showing how he kept all the pain, the negative emotions locked away inside of him, how he projected it onto himself?

Life isn't easy, neither is any of this simple, and they showed it in rock and roll😌🫠 how amazing is that!!!!!!

When everyone ignored I.N? Why?

Others debuted but not BangChan....it was like he wasn't seen,he wasn't heard...in the midst of everyone,he stood alone with no one to hold

Then them pushing through all those throes of faceless people that signify not just people but every single hurdle they have had to overcome and come out stronger just to keep this dream alive.

I cannot even begin to unpack all this. Making them laugh while they feel empty? It echoes, it's loud. Having to appeal to a world that barely even wants them. And the line "meant to be my dream". I'm sure no one expected dreams to hurt this much, especially not people who were barely more than children, reaching for something they could never imagine having. Like I said, their life in a nutshell. They said, "It was supposed to be their dream," not something to expand their worries.

And I feel like that space simulation is a safe space, the chorus happens there, maybe its each other.

That scene was a lot. The m/v was so intense that at first glance, one would assume it was nothing but chaos, but isn't that what life looks like from the outside? There is so much to unpack about it and it's so easy to judge another.

There's more everyone but I feel I should save it for another day.

Before I stop though, I'll have to mention the theory I keep seeing from other people on tiktok and Instagram. They say each scene depicts a members fear, Here it goes:

Changbin: Nightmares.

Lee Know: Fear of Heights

Felix: Overthinking

Seungmin: Fear of small spaces I.e Claustrophobia

I.N: Fear of being ignored

Han: it think ita fear if being forgotten/ Anxiety.

Hyunjin: Fear of being alone.

Bang Chan: I think its him loosing his voice.

There's the whole Lisa aspect. Does she represent their dream? Is she a villainous character in the M/V? Am I just a crazy human? Yes.

[otakween]

Digimon Tamers - Episode 24

This episode was fantastic, so many emotional moments. And we got a new ED (and slightly modified OP)! Going into this episode I was a little annoyed knowing they wouldn't actually be going to the digital world yet, but they did such a good job building up the hype that I think it ended up being very necessary to have one last human world episode. So pumped to see how the next arc plays out!

Notes:

When Takato is like "our town..." in the opening monologue does he mean Tokyo? Shinjuku? Just struck me as kind of funny to call that area a town, but what do I know

Seeing the various ways the kids tell their parents about their journey was super fascinating. I like how they all did it in different ways with varying levels of directness. Honestly I think the "I told them it's a school trip" option made the most sense to me. If this was real life there's no way in hell a parent would allow their 10 year old kid to go off into some dangerous, alien world.

Something about Jian's dad interacting with Terriermon is really cute. It would actually be cool to see a Digimon series with adults as the MCs since they have a different perspective on the world.

Juri mysteriously dodged the question about how she told her parents about the trip. I wasn't sure how to interpret that. Did she just not tell them at all? Does she actually not get along with them?

I think Ruki's departure from her family was probably the most interesting. Her grandma has this sort of sage understanding of the situation while her mom is blissfully unaware. The scene where Ruki dresses up for mom to leave her on a high note was really sad.

Suddenly Culumon is in a lantern-shaped cage. Lol where did that come from?

Some interesting Yamaki moments. I guess he's realized the error of his ways and is now on the kids' side? Kinda abrupt, but I can dig it. (Also, he was more handsome than usual this episode teehee)

The scene with the teacher was insane! The kids just flat out tell her they're leaving school and she's like "wtf?? what am I supposed to do with this knowledge!?" In America at least, teachers would probably be expected to report something like this, but they did already tell their parents so...I understand why this kind of breaks her. Like...how is she supposed to just carry on like normal? Moumantai my butt!

Takato's dad's support kinda had me sighing and rolling my eyes, but oh well. Can't project my real world context onto things I guess

^The appropriate reaction. I feel like if the parents had witnessed some digimon battles and saw what their kids were capable of, I might buy it a little more. But Takato's mom & dad just found out that Guilmon exists!

lol @ Shiuchon just kind of rolling with it when she finds out that Terriermon is real. It was nice to finally see them talk to each other. Hopefully Terriermon can set boundaries with her now when he gets back.

Yamaki at the end being like "I'm jealous" is the stand in for me, the 31 year old watching this and being like "why can't I be a 10 year old going on adventures instead of working my 9-5!"

So pleased that I'm watching this at the perfect time! They kept emphasizing how this is taking place at the end of summer. Love it when things work out that way.

Lots of insert songs this episode + the new ED. I can't wait to listen to them all on their own and soak in the lyrics. I like that the ED has a more mature, somber tone compared to the first one.

Side note: I've been calling Culumon "he," but then saw someone on MAL use "she." When I google it I found that Culumon is likely genderless (unfortunately I also saw some spoilers while googling boohoo). Guess I'll try to use "they" now...

[formosusiniquis]

*whispers* Some kind of Terry Pratchett AU

This got wildly out of control in the sense that I spent way too much time thinking about this today and now I'm scrapping all my current reads so I can reread Discworld. It has footnotes! Anyway I interpreted some kind of Terry Pratchett as vague Discworld and this happened.

Currently taking warm up prompts - they will end up being Stranger Things

“Get out of the window kid. Have you been invited in there?”

Hearing Hopper’s voice makes Eddie miss Brenner for one fitful second.^1 Brenner never instilled nosy night watchmen who ruined his day. He’d even risked getting singed to make it to this exact spot before shift change. “Really up and at ‘em tonight, chief!” Eddie cheers, he doesn’t move from the window.

“There were reports of a disturbance.” Hopper grouches.

“Weird, I didn’t notice any disturbance climbing up here. Good luck hunting it down!”

“Munson, get your bloodsucking ass down from the window. You are the disturbance.”

“Pretty sure talk like that is hate speech, Chief, thought you Nightwatch types were supposed to be accepting?” He does float down though, if that vein bulging in Hop’s neck bursts like it’s threatening to it would make a nice snack.^2

“I’ve been very accepting, or I would have hauled you in for breaking and entering already.”

“I didn’t break anything, and I’d barely even entered. Are these the kind of flimsy cases that Owen’s Hawkins is basing its justice system around? That’s bordering on wrongful imprisonment. I’ll have my day in court!” Hopper shuts him up with a growl and a hand fisted in his collar.^3

“What were you doing breaking into the Harrington place, Munson. Cut the bullshit, I’ve got a dark wizard uprising that actually needs my attention instead of playing personal police to this side of town.”

“I wasn’t breaking in. I was invited.”

“By the owner of the house.”

“Yes!”

“No influence involved?”

“How little you think of me! I am a wanted and treasured guest.”

“Then why are you coming in through the window?”

“Wow, Hop, the romance dead between you and Joyce already? I try to keep things fresh so my lovely little lord stays interested, thus I climb my fair prince's tower."

That vein looks extremely close to bursting, it's making his mouth water a little. "Remember how I feel about the local childminder^4 and try that sentence again, Munson.”

“I pissed Stevie off and I’m pretty sure he had Dustin set up a flashbulb on the door. I figured if he saw me in person he couldn’t stay mad.” And he doesn’t want to get swept up by the maid again. Last time he almost got tossed with the actual dust, and he’s pretty sure she was gonna do it on purpose.

“Pretty sure he can, kid.” Hopper says, clapping him on the back and heading off toward his uprising or whatever. “Next time, why don’t you sing him a song. Or try not pissing him off in the first place.”

Some advice that was, Stevie loved playing a little fairytale pretend. He just needed to decide if he was the dashing prince or the beast that trapped him.

^1: This would mark the only time anyone, shy of his mother† would actually miss Brenner.

† His mother, of course, unaware of the many crimes against children, humanity, and inhumanity that he had committed.

^2: Eddie had actually gone full Black Ribbon, but he was a big believer in waste not, want not

^3: For a man of so many growls, Hopper was not the lone werewolf officer on the Nightwatch. A win for Don’t Judge a Book By its Cover activists everywhere.

^4: Harrington's Home for Horrible Half Pints, though poorly named, took advantage of the young Lord Steve Harrington’s supernaturally magnetic draw for troublemakers, rascals, and rapscallions. He was regularly trailed by six mischief makers who wouldn’t listen to anyone but him.

[weather-cluddy]

The Purge March translation trivia

One thing I noticed is that between the trailer and Purge March's actual release, the chorus got reworded to sound considerably more lofty and literary. Deny vs disavow, "nary a sound", "eyes corrupted", that sort of thing. This goes even further for the rules section, which starts slinging around 'tis and thou.

And the thing is, this is not really the case in the original Japanese. The grammar isn't particularly archaic, nor is the word choice unusually complicated. But there is one line that stands out for something along those lines. Wanna know which one?

It's one of the last lines, translated as "You're sorry? I don't care!". Put literally, it'd be something like "Even if you apologize, bleh!" What's "bleh" supposed to mean, you ask? Well, it's the onomatopeia for the gesture of pulling your eyelid down and sticking your tongue out, sometimes blowing a raspberry for good measure. Not the most dignified behavior, is it?

And, you know, I actually want to focus on the last three lines more, because I think it's an interesting example of how a small change can make for a big shift. As a refresher, this is the official translation of the end of The Purge March:

"After you cry, repent, and kneel, it’s now your turn to say that hopeless 'I’m sorry' You’re sorry? I don’t care! Please, go ahead and die already. Remember MY cries, MY repents, MY words of “I’m sorry” that I said to you?"

Let's start with the first line. Translating it myself, I'd render it as "After you cry, repent and kneel, try and say 'I'm sorry'". As we can see, there's no implication that this happened to Amane first, and the word "hopeless" is not present either.

But this is actually the second time this particular line shows up. The first time time is right after the trailer part. You know, "these scum saying it can't be helped is unforgivable, let's crush their eyes and throat so they'll stop"?

Now this is my interpretation, but talking about how awful "they" (AKA, you) are and how they're going to be punished horribly and following it with a request (okay, order) for an apology… kind of makes it sound like redemption is possible? If it was just about getting rid of a worthless heretic, who cares if they apologize?

And sure, this redemption doesn't sound very pleasant! But then again, it never was for Amane, was it? That's probably part and parcel of "purification", to her. She did said that "they" would forgive our trespasses if we reflected and corrected our behavior, after all. And the lyrics right after this are "If you become a bad girl, monsters will come out. This is the magic that stops that from happening". The first stanza of Magic already told us what the magic word is: "Sorry." Taking all this into account, isn't it possible that this is intended a very, very tough love?

The stanza leading up to the second chorus also goes along similar lines. She says she doesn't need it/you anymore, if you're going to break your promise. She'll tear you apart, as punishment (though that word got skipped in the translation). She'll deal back what you gave her, so that this won't happen again. It's extremely aggresive, but the constant refrain is that this is deserved and will set everything right. Everything, perhaps including you. It seems like there's a small, faint ray of hope peeking through the clouds…

And that's where the twist in last two lines come in. You thought you could maybe worm your way into the light? Nope, she's already decided that you're done for! And this also marks a transition in the lyrics, from Amane as the avenging angel of justice she's been the entire song, to Amane as an imperfect human who, once upon a time, also had to cry, repent and kneel down. But that's not going to save you now.

That contrast doesn't exist if we already know that Amane tried and failed, nor does the implication that forgiveness is possible. Now, you could say that "scum that can't be helped" already foreshadows that they/you are supposed to be beyond salvation, but it gets a lot less focus than the "say you're sorry" line, much easier to gloss over as a simple play on words. So I still think that the last stanza is supposed to be unexpected, especially considering that it happens only fifteen seconds before the end of the song and has Amane dropping the singing for extra emphasis.

That's more or less all I have to say about the song itself, but I'd like to double back on something I glossed over. Now, maybe your ears perked up when I said that the original lyrics include the word "punishment", but I should note that this is not the same word as the tagline "Doubt your punishment", nor the one Kotoko uses (in her voicelines, at least). For that matter, the next sentence doesn't actually say "judgement" either (though it does appear in the intro), so it doesn't seem like this stanza is supposed to be a call-back to Milgram in particular, at least no more so than the rest of the song. It's not the same one as in Amane's T2 VD either, that one's more like "retaliation" or "revenge".

However! You know what word is shaping up to be pretty important? It's right there in the title: purge!

So far we've seen it in three places, not counting voice dramas or app convos: one is of course The Purge March. The other two are Kotoko's second glitch line ("Purge complete. These are your just desserts") and the very first page of the manga, where Es narrates "This is a purge" over a corpse.

I assume Es says the same in the novel, but as I don't have the original text I cannot confirm. Either way, that scene wasn't originally a flash-forward, so isn't it interesting that they chose that line to be the very first thing you see when you open the volume, even putting it above the title? I suspect we'll be seeing it a lot more in the future as we unravel Milgram's mysteries. The word "lost", as well.

[digestionsack]

Okay, so I’ve said this before (in Mike’s playlist analysis) and I will say it again and probably many times in the future:

The Duffers were ABSOLUTELY FUCKING CRAZY for putting “Breakdown” by Tom Petty on Will’s playlist. Like actually insane. I mean…those of you who have heard the song can back me up on this, right? The insanity? For those of you who haven’t heard the song (first of all, go listen to it, it’s an absolute banger and a classic), here are the lyrics:

“It's alright if you love me

It's alright if you don't

I'm not afraid of you running away

Honey, I get the feeling, you won't

There is no sense in pretending

Your eyes give you away

Something inside you is feeling like I do

We've said all there is to say

Baby

Breakdown, go ahead, give it to me

Breakdown, honey take me through the night

Breakdown, now I'm standing here, can you see?

Breakdown, it's alright

It's alright

It's alright

Breakdown, go ahead, give it to me

Breakdown, honey take me through the night

Breakdown, now I'm standing here, can you see?

Breakdown, it's alright

It's alright

It's alright”

Bro? BRO??????? Okay this was supposed to be a short post because I’m going to analyze Will’s playlist like I did with Mike’s but this song is so goddamn unhinged that I will probably end up analyzing it three times total (there was a short one in Mike’s playlist, one here, and one when I analyze Will’s playlist).

Time to break down the lyrics (lmao I seriously did not intend that pun):

“It's alright if you love me/It's alright if you don't/I'm not afraid of you running away/Honey, I get the feeling, you won't”—Damn, we jump right into the craziness. Right away I’m noticing “running away” in these lyrics and tying that back into Mike’s “running away” motif in his playlist. If you haven’t read my analysis on Mike’s Spotify playlist, the “running away” motif is something I noticed since there are so many songs on that playlist referencing running away (which I interpreted to mean a). Mike is getting hella Vecna’d next season and b). Mike is running away metaphorically—from feelings and societal pressures, most likely). Anyway, back to this song. Tom Petty sings about how he is not afraid of his love interest running away, which is pretty interesting in the context of S4 Byler, since Will thinks he has “ripped off the bandaid.” I wonder if S5 will provide us with a Melvan breakup and more Byler moments, which will make Will more confident about his feelings being returned. And having the feeling that the love interest will not be running away…this works not just physically (Smalltown Boy era revival when) but metaphorically as well.

“There is no sense in pretending/Your eyes give you away/Something inside you is feeling like I do/We've said all there is to say”—THE PLOT THICKENS, MY FRIENDS. THE PLOT FUCKING THICKENS. My eyes immediately go to the word “pretending,” which makes me think of all the times Mike has had his walls up this season, pretending to be someone he isn’t (the cool, straight, perfect boyfriend). And that line strings into “there’s no sense in pretending…that you don’t feel the way that you feel.” And there is yet MORE content in the next line—“your eyes give you away.” This season has placed symbolic meaning on eyes—“the windows of the soul.” Vecna’s last act of torture against his victims is destroying their eyes, so at that point we know to look for eye-centered metaphors. And, as many Bylers before me have pointed out, Mike is always covering or averting his eyes in his “happy couple” scenes with El—goofing around with the sensory deprivation goggles in the Surfer Boy Pizza scene being a prime example, as well as the airport scene where he kissed her while wearing sunglasses (umm???? You just got off a fucking plane Michael??? The fuck did you need sunglasses for???). However, with his scenes with Will and the heart-to-hearts, Mike’s eyes are completely uncovered (the only exception I can think of was during Will’s monologue when feelings were being disguised, and even then Mike spent most of that scene gazing at Will like he hung the stars. Observe):

And the third line…goddamn. If that isn’t basically confirmation, I don’t know what is. Now, I don’t actually think that Will is going to call Mike out directly on his romantic feelings (I think Will is definitely going to call out Mike for the nature of their relationship since he has done it in the past but not explicit romantic feelings), but these lines are so telling. And…the last line. I really like this line. It emphasizes that they have just that sort of relationship where they can communicate without speaking. But I also think that foreshadows that there will not be an emphasis on words with their relationship, rather on actions, emotions, and feelings. I especially like this because a). It parallels all the other canon couples who don’t need words to express love (especially Lumax, who expressed love through pictures in a scene where they literally didn’t talk), and b). The relationships that don’t quite work out as well are always centered around definitive words of love (St*ncy, Melvan).

“Baby/Breakdown, go ahead, give it to me/Breakdown, honey take me through the night/Breakdown, now I'm standing here, can you see?/Breakdown, it's alright”—100% supporting the “Mike has an emotional breakdown in S5 because he’s overwhelmed by societal pressures and his own mental health” agenda. This is furthered by the fact that “Make No Mistake” by Psyche is on Mike’s playlist, which is basically all about wanting to be free of emotional pressures and breaking down (the first lines are literally “got to drop this pressure”). So if songs like these are on Will’s and Mike’s playlists…Mike breaks down in front of Will? Maybe, given the context in which it’s used in “Breakdown,” about his romantic feelings? “Take me through the night” is really interesting to me, because I’ve seen a slight “night” motif in Mike’s playlist (ex: “Running in the Night”)—not as big a motif as the “running away” motif, but still. Could “night” be a metaphor for the Upside Down? Societal stigmas and pressures? Either way, it works here. Sort of like a “let’s do this together” thing—cute! “It’s alright” is saying to me that Will is going to end up understanding where Mike is coming from and being supportive (but of course he would be), and it’s reminding me of the song right after “Breakdown” on Will’s playlist: “Just What I Needed” by The Cars. In it, you see the lyrics “it doesn’t matter where you’ve been/as long as it was deep, yeah.” So hopefully, this means that Mike will explain to Will why he’s been acting so out of wack in S3-4 when in S2 he was basically glued to Will’s side and apologize and Will is going to understand and forgive him.

No more lyrics (it’s a song that’s decently sparse with lyrics), but I just want to point out something…this is the second to last song on Will’s playlist. I would say that has pretty big S5 implications. And the song after this…the last song…is “Just What I Needed” by The Cars. And the last song on El’s playlist…is “Jolene” by Dolly Parton (several Bylers have pointed this out already, so thank you to them!). If you haven’t heard those songs, go look at the lyrics and read them side-by-side. Make of that what you will.

Whew…that was a lot longer then I intended it to be—but I had a blast writing it. This might be one of my favorite songs on Will’s playlist given the lyrical implications for season 5 (that, and I just really love Tom Petty’s music)—and I haven’t even done a full analysis yet. Can’t wait to see what other crumbs are scattered around these playlists…

Until next time, folks!

[paintedmered]

lyrical analysis of fortnight (ft. post malone) by taylor swift

disclaimers

my analysis will consider the album epilogue, in which taylor explains that her relationship with matty was 'not a love affair!' but a form of 'self-harm' stemming from a 'manic phase' as her relationship with joe disintegrated and then completely fell apart· it will take into account taylor saying matty 'love-bombed' her while feasting on 'low-hanging fruit'.

idc what matty stans think. i'm analysing taylor's perspective, not yours.

if you disagree with my interpretation, you don't need to attack me.

analysis!

based on taylor's amazon music commentary and my own interpretation of the song, fortnight seems to be a hypothetical future where she stays with joe and they get married, but he's not the person she's meant to be with. it picks up where hits different leaves off ('is it you or have they come to take me away?' / 'i was supposed to be sent away, but they forgot to come and get me') – after the break described in hits different, joe returned to her (it was his key in the door, after all) and they gave the relationship another try... but they shouldn't have. she needed out of it for the sake of her mental health. no one intervened, and she now wishes they had. saying they simply 'forgot' to come get her shows how she feels like she slipped through the cracks... (this also calls back to 'my friends found friends who care' from dear reader. she's been checked out with them, so they've been checked out with her.) a similar sentiment is given by 'i was a functioning alcoholic 'til nobody noticed my new aesthetic'. no one noticed how much she was struggling. now she feels more unwell than ever.

the relationship has progressed to the point that they're husband and wife, but their problems haven't been solved... he's cold towards her. he's cheating on her. (this represents the emotional cheating or weird almost-cheating that's implied elsewhere on the album to have actually happened ('he was with her in dreams' / 'fell victim to interloper's glances' / 'i founded the club she's heard great things about' / 'go home to their husbands, smug 'cause they know they can trust him') but also how she feels like his physical cheating is therefore inevitable in this hypothetical future.)

she wants another guy (matty), but he's also married to someone else now. she recalls/fantasises about a fortnight she spent with this guy (likely representing 2014, though whether it was literally or figuratively a fortnight is unclear – the point is that it was a short time). all her days are mondays (widely considered the worst day of the week) in an endless february (one of the coldest, most depressing months of the year) – her existence is merely something to endure. she 'loves' both men, but it's ruining her life. (one is unfaithful and keeps her trapped ('locks and ceilings' on fresh out the slammer), while the other makes her dream of destroying her life as she knows it...) she hates her cheating husband. she hates the other guy's perfectly nice wife. she feels insane and wants to kill someone.

taking the album epilogue into account, my reading of this is: fortnight was the fear – what she saw as the situation taken to its logical end if she didn't leave joe. matty whispered 'what if?' in her ear a lot when things were bad with joe, selling her the 'get-love-quick scheme' referred to in the epilogue – 'what if it's meant to be us? i've always wanted you. i've grown up. i'm ready to give you all the things you want that he won't give you!' ...and in her desperation, she thought, 'what if he's right? what if joe isn't my destined love? what if i stay with him just hoping things will be good again but they never are? what if i'm not meant to marry him anyway? what if i regret not taking a chance on this other guy, and he was meant to be the one all along?' (this is despite the fact that they were only ever involved very briefly in the past, possibly betraying that this 'love' is superficial. she's an unreliable narrator from the beginning of this record, and reality consistently slips through. she touched him for only a fortnight... still, she touched him. some important subtext here is that means she doesn't have to start all over with someone brand new...)

ultimately, she HAS to find out 'what if?'. so at the end of the song, she runs away to florida, buys the car this guy wants and lets him touch her again. there's a LOT of symbolism here: the car she thinks she's bought is actually the rental car he crashes in loml – it's not really hers, just something she uses for a short period of time. the setting of florida leads to the song florida, which contains the same/similar symbolism in the form of the 'timeshare down in destin'. the car is also a getaway car. it will only start up when she lets him touch her again because she's realised the only way to leave her relationship with joe and find out 'what if?' with matty is to actually just DO IT – to go be with him instead of just thinking about being with him (see also: guilty as sin?).

...the rest of the album is her realising she wishes she'd just left it alone ('it was unnecessary, should've let it stay buried' from loml). (this is also why the ivy/wcs mashup happened on tour, imo – he planted roots in her dreamland... but now that she knows, she wishes he'd left her wondering!)

- END -

analysis of other tracks coming soon?