#and in this context the scene becomes even more meaningful

[joicecubes]

the implications of ford pulling this photo out of his trenchcoat in the last episode you guys… THE IMPLICATIONS.

look at the state of this thing!! look at its rips! the stain in the bottom right corner! it’s dog-eared, the color is faded, the paper has browned… he’s kept this photo of them since they were kids. through all the years he stubbornly swore to hold a grudge, all the years he and stan never spoke, he kept this photo.

and we can assume he probably didn’t have it dimension-hopping, since i find it hard to believe he would’ve had it on him when he initially got sucked in, but ford pulling it out of his trenchcoat here!! implies!! that he had been CARRYING IT AROUND WITH HIM for some time after he got back!

imagine if he found it in some of his old stuff the night he returned, after punching and yelling at stan, after being sure to keep as much emotional distance between them as possible, and he finds this photo. would he have stared down at it? for a little while? smoothed the creases out on his desk? thumbed the torn, loved edges while he mourned a simpler time? then pocketed the thing to always have it with him?

i dunno. maybe i’m looking too far into it. but i can’t help but wonder if ford kept it because, against all his big dreams and ambitions, deep down he always wondered what his life might have been like if he sailed away with his brother when they were teenagers. never able to throw it away because doing so would symbolically destroy the last remnants of a childhood fantasy, the last piece of him that remains young and hopeful of a future at his brother’s side.

[bekolxeram]

I'm late to the party I know, but I need to learn how to make gifs first. I actually find the Bucktommy dinner scene a bit awkward, but not because they "lack chemistry" or the "flirting is problematic". It's not supposed to be just a cute bonus scene, it's engineered to stuff as much information as possible into mere 55 seconds. Here is my read on it:

The good old always at the hospital joke, probably just Tommy trying to lighten the mood after such a hectic day for the 118, but mainly a set up for the next part.

Buck does not see the humor in it, he seems upset.

Tommy has apparently gotten to know Buck enough at the stage to immediately clock it, and under all the dark humor and sarcasm, he does actually care about Buck's feelings.

The scene of Buck and Eddie in the hospital room with Bobby ends up on the cutting room floor, we've only got that one shot of teary eyed Buck when he breaks the news to Eddie at his house, so this is the first time in the episode Buck gets to express his fear of losing Bobby, his father figure.

And here we are, controversial moment number 1. There isn't much context attached to this line, so viewers interpret it differently. I'm in the minority camp that thinks Tommy is being serious here, Lou's delivery makes it seem like Tommy says this out of concern. I believe it's a call back to this line from the medal ceremony:

Here Buck is talking about Phillip the same way Tommy and Chimney (possibly Hen too) talk about Gerrard: like he's dead. Tommy is probably wondering if Phillip is another Gerrard situation, and he invites Buck to talk about it if he wishes to.

Buck gives a humorous but one word answer, so Tommy gets that he doesn't want to get too deep into it.

From this line on, it's a set up for the Gerrard reign of terror in S8. Tommy reiterates the jealousy he mentioned in 7x04, that he wants to become a part of the 118 family, which he only had a little taste of before he left to become a pilot.

Tommy backstory crumb. Buck and Phillip at least see each other at family functions, Tommy doesn't have a relationship with his dad at all. Judging by the medal ceremony, he doesn't seem to have any family left.

It confirms Gerrard as the anti-Christ anti-Bobby. Buck becomes the person he is because of Bobby, while Tommy behaved the way he did in the 3 begin episodes because of Gerrard. It acknowledges Tommy's toxic ways back in the days, but as we can see by the time Bobby became captain of the 118, Tommy was already on friendly terms with Chimney and Hen, we might have a chance to see the transformation in between next season. I've heard that season 7 is supposed to be a soft relaunch of the entire series, so maybe Gerrard is a good plot device to make new viewers understand the positive influence Bobby has on the firefam.

Classic deadpan humor from Tommy, Buck gets the message that he wants to keep the conversation lighthearted.

Now Buck has the power to decide which direction he's leading the conversation into, and he gives us controversial moment number 2, he brings up daddy issues and makes it horny. Look at his smirky face, he's definitely not trying to have a serious chat about father complex. He's the one who starts flirting, not Tommy, and it shows us unlike the nervous fumbling at the beginning of their relationship, Buck is now comfortable enough to initiate flirting.

Tommy can't say no to that face, so he flirts back, but it can also be interpreted as him being in denial of his obvious daddy issues. More conflict and angst for S8?

More flirting. Boy's got rizz towards all genders. He basically admits he might have "daddy issues" in a sexual connotation.

Now comes THE controversial moment of the scene, if not the episode. I've seen people online bashing Tommy for "making it sexual" (Buck did), "interrupting a meaningful conversation to satisfy his daddy kink" (no one is actually talking about any kink), or even "exploiting Buck's trauma to put him in an inferior role in a dom/sub relationship" (What? That's not what d/s is about).

I raise you the point that the word "daddy" is no longer some kind of kink exclusive lingo. This word has entered the popular zeitgeist the last couple years, and now it basically just means a sexy older man. I bet the daddy kink thing doesn't even cross the mind of most of the GA, they just take it as Tommy hoping Buck find this older man sexy. I think we might have collectively read too many smutty fanfics, that's why we all immediately jumped to the very extreme of the kinkiness spectrum when it comes to this scene.

Conclusion, the dialog in this scene may not sound natural, but that's not the point. This scene is in fact, an infodump. Kudos to the actors for making it cute.

[michanvalentine]

Astarion’s quotes that make my heart race!

Ok, maybe you’d expect something extremely romantic—but that’s not quite it. Or at least, not just that. There are moments when this vampire spawn truly drives me crazy—and not in a sexy way. Let’s just say that part is the cherry on top! But let’s not waste any more time…

"You deserve something real. I want us to become something real." Can we talk about this? This is the very first time Astarion truly opens up. Willingly. Officially. Even at the risk of being kicked out of the group, even at the risk of being told to fuck off—because yes, everything he did before was purely out of self-preservation. He used Tav/Durge and paid for the favor with his own body. And yet, he takes a risk. He puts everything on the line—even the very mechanisms that have protected him for centuries, allowing him to keep going without stopping, without thinking, without letting himself get emotionally involved. Because if he hadn’t dissociated, it would have hurt too much. But this time? He’s done pretending. This time, he really wants to try. He wants to take a chance—for the one person who managed to crack through his armor, who lowered his defenses. He wants to be real and experience something real, for the first time in over 200 years—with everything that comes with it. For someone who has always worn a mask, this is a massive, deeply important concept. Especially because, as I said, this confession goes against everything he’s ever believed—about love, about sex, about relationships. It goes beyond control. Beyond using emotions and feelings as weapons. Beyond self-preservation, which is what pushed him to act like a piece of shit so many times throughout Act 1. Here, Astarion takes a step away from selfishness and toward altruism—toward the other, beyond himself—and spits out the truth. He shows himself, stripped bare and flawed, and braces for the consequences. He takes responsibility for what he’s done. He makes himself vulnerable. And that’s an even more powerful, meaningful act when you remember just how hard that is for someone like him—someone who’s made fear his primary driving force for so long.

“This is a gift, you know. Thank you. I won’t forget it.” What can I say? It begins in Act One and ends at the conclusion of the Pale Elf’s quest in the “good” ending. The callback is incredibly powerful—revisiting the concept of the gift shows just how much he’s grown, how he’s come to genuinely appreciate what is offered to him. Even when it’s not what he expected, or what he claimed to desire. And in this case, we’re talking about trust. He is grateful for the trust he’s been given. Just like in the bite scene, where those words are first spoken. Trust in him as a person, not a monster. Trust in his qualities—the ones lying beneath the bitter, hardened, sarcastic façade. Trust in his potential. In the depth of his soul, where something much more profound is hidden. Something more delicate and vulnerable, too. And trust—or rather, certainty—that all of this has immense value and is worth nurturing. And for this, for the opportunity he’s given to finally explore that side of himself in his future, he is grateful. He considers it a gift. And that’s something that quite literally melts me.

“I did it. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat.” I’ve never experienced it in my playthroughs—I always freed the vampire spawn. Except for one time when I damned them, lol. But here, you can clearly see Astarion's growth and sensitivity. Not only that, but it also emerges in a context that doesn’t involve Tav/Durge, the safe harbor who has accompanied him on his journey so far. Instead, it involves the Gur tribe, with whom Astarion has a history that’s nothing short of turbulent: the law enacted against them, his own death, the kidnapping of the children. All violent and terrible events that left a mark on him—marked by hatred, anger, and shame. In this scene, there’s everything: forgiveness, reconciliation, redemption, leaving the past behind, and facing the future with a stronger, more determined spirit. Here, Astarion opens his mind and heart to someone he once despised, hated, and hurt. He acknowledges and embraces their pain, grief, even their resentment, and does so with compassion and newfound maturity. What else can I say but that I’m so proud of this mischievous little bastard?

“Even I deserve something better.” This is a moment I absolutely adore. I never cheated on Astarion with Mizora—just to be clear—I’ve only watched the cutscenes on YouTube. The she-devil just doesn’t do it for me, unfortunately for her. Lol. If I have to throw myself at someone with horns, I’d much rather pick Wyll or Karlach! <3 But back to why this scene makes my heart race… This is where you can see all of Astarion’s growth. All of it. This isn’t about jealousy—he makes that clear right away. We know very well that the spawn isn’t against open relationships; he’s even open to including Halsin in the mix. This is about betraying the trust of your partner—something he’s only just begun to claim for himself. To trust someone, and in turn, to be worthy of their trust. It’s a deep and incredibly important concept. If Tav/Durge attacks him with the idea that he would’ve been the first to jump into such situations and betray others, Astarion quickly replies that maybe, once, yes, he would have. But things change. People change. Another powerful concept. And the most beautiful part of all this is when spawn Astarion chooses to leave Tav/Durge, because he finally has enough self-respect and strength not only to keep going on his own, but to fight for himself. To say “No, thank you.” He’s no longer willing to settle, to bend, to swallow the bitter pill—even if that means parting from the person he loves more than anyone else in the world. Because yes, damn it, he deserves something better than that! And because, in that moment—just as he himself says—Tav represents everything he’s trying to escape from in order to become better: someone who only thinks about themselves, without caring about the consequences or who gets hurt along the way. Simply beautiful. Especially when compared to the tragic words of Ascended Astarion, who—when Tav/Durge suggests they had a bad night and regret it—responds by telling them not to dwell on it and to just focus on the next conquest. He doesn’t face anything. He runs. And deludes himself that next time, it’ll be better.

“You. I want you.” Okay, this is where my heart just can’t take it. Awwww. I mean—finally, after everything we’ve been through in the game, after all those times we’ve asked him “What do you want?” and all the times he wasn’t able to answer… At last, Astarion gives voice to his own desires and replies: “You.” Not power. Not control. The relationship. That deep connection with another person, without any more doubts, masks, roles (master, slave, vampire, human), or ulterior motives. Pure and simple, from one soul to another. It’s a conscious and free choice. From someone who, not that long ago, couldn’t even put a name to what he had with Tav/Durge—“What are we, to you?” “I don’t know. But isn’t it nice not knowing?”—I think he’s now fully realized how warm, comforting, and fulfilling it is to know. To be able to give a name to what binds him to another. And the “I love you” that follows not only warms our hearts—it shows us just how far this small, desperate vampire spawn has come. He’s achieved the unthinkable: reclaiming his shattered identity, freeing himself from the curse of vampirism—not physically, but spiritually—and rediscovering his right to be, to choose, to express himself, and to feel something real. But most of all, he’s found the ability to recognize it and name it, without fearing the consequences anymore.

I think there are more, but I’ll stop here for now. Every single line from Astarion deserves to be analyzed, if you ask me! I have a feeling my next list will be about the Astarion quotes that piss me off. Lol

[five-one-two-station]

@halfalive-chaos - Context

Oh BOY do I have some big giant feelings about this!

The short answer is yes, I think people/The Audience has forgotten this - but I also don't think it's entirely their fault.

Part of the reason I was really impressed by how Arcane used and executed the scene, and why I keep going on about it, is that this whole subject is kind of an ongoing concern of mine.

I very sincerely think that the documented decline of, not just sex, but horniness, in media has narrowed the spectrum of contexts we're used to seeing sex and sexuality happen in our storytelling, in ways that are doing us harm.

Because mainstream media has started shying away from engaging with sex to the degree that it has, sex is now almost invariably depicted in extremes - either "Aren't we edgy big boys now?" stuff like The Boys, or miserably sad traumatic drama grist - or else not at all.

And because "regular" tv has been scared off showing sex, it's vanishingly rare to see characters who are in love have sex, or to be sexual as an expression of that, certainly without some negative element to it.

That means we're almost never asked to think of it in terms of sincere, meaningful character communication, or as a storytelling mechanism, or ever presented with it in the context of a positive wider relationship.

I think the hazard of this is obvious - if our media and storytelling doesn't engage with healthy sex in that wider context, or use it purposefully, then we're conceding the whole conversation around it to porn, to novelty edgelordism, and grimdark miseryfests. Those things will define all our language and imagery around it, and the only time we'll ever see it will be upsetting, harmful or ugly. When it is easier to stumble across a scene of rape than it is to see a consenting woman orgasm, it's little wonder people can become reflexively suspicious of any sexuality at all.

But even when it's not so extreme as that, more often than not it's depicted as a casual fling instead, divorced from a bigger picture, or a distraction, an alternative to a grander and truer romantic interest. There's nothing at all wrong with sex for pleasure, don't misunderstand me, but it's odd that our media landscape has engineered a situation where depictions of sex in the context of a bigger love story almost never happen. It would seem then that we can have one or the other - sex or romance - but never at once.

And we're diminishing it with all of this. We're saying this incredibly important, intense, uniquely vulnerable and intimate feature of the human experience doesn't matter enough to talk about. We're saying that sex and love don't have any functional overlap. Even at best, we're pretending that sex isn't important in relationships, or increasingly, that the only good sex is... well... sexless. Sterile. Permissable and virtuous only when it's so "clean" and so perfect in circumstance that it becomes an unattainably impossible kind of ceremony.

The venue must be perfect. The characters must be not only unimpeachable, but historically and permanently so, and exactly as faultless as each other - they must be exactly the same social status, age, background, emotional state and situation. There can be no power imbalance or even a risked perception of one. No chequered history to leave behind, no overcome adversities, nothing that had to be learned. No transgressions to have been worked through, and comprehensively put to rest now. There can be no gaps they've had to bridge, one painfully hard-won inch at a time, to finally reach for each other in this way; and there can never have been.

Indeed, the moment must be so sublimely judged that it's unlikely to ever actually arise in a drama to start with; the characters must be in such a stable and identical situation that there's no actual storytelling to be done here warranting the scene in the first place.

Which is convenient, because in this framework, the only unproblematic sex is the sex nobody can possibly have. Because nobody is perfect. Nobody can have "perfect" sex. That's not how it works - the fundamental nature of intimacy is taking each other for what you actually are, in all of the reality involved. If it can't be messy, it's not true.

All of this comes with extra points and splinters too when it comes to the matter of lesbian sex in particular, and the complicated history of how we've been either exploited for disposable male titilation, or else rendered chastely invisible by well intended feminists of all persuasions. We were already being presented with a sex or romance dichotomy, and never mind if either one worked. Our sexual desire is something for everyone else to trade in, either to commodify it, or else to minimize for Our Own Good, and use the neutered cardboard cutout versions of us remaining as benign talking props for their own purposes.

It's a dysfunctional either/or. Asexuals & friends notwithstanding, physical intimacy is an incredibly important feature of the lives we spend together, and the bodies we live our lives in. And as much as we'd like to think we're all too cool and aloof for it, for most of us lust is impossible to entirely detach from sentiment, when it comes to the real people we form bonds with.

People falling in love want to fuck each other. People who are in love want to fuck each other. People fall in love in the process of fucking each other. It's not some abstract thing that happens in isolation to our feelings for each other.

I don't think it's good for us to perform such weird acrobatics to pretend none of this is true, whatever the reason for doing so; but that is effectively what modern media does.

And I think we're all poorer for it. We're poorer for missing out on the most private, intimately human kinds of moments in our stories that live in the space where love and lust can intersect. Because that's the only place those moments happen.

[patientreflections]

The results are in....

and it's an interesting case study to say the least. I’m not someone who usually comments on celebrity rollouts, but the way this particular one played out caught my attention more so than usual. Not because of the relationship itself, but because of how it was presented—and how quickly it became clear that it didn’t land as I assume was intended. I found myself this week asking, "what was the point?" To clarify, I do think Luke and Antonia are genuinely together. If this were a PR relationship, it’s not a particularly strategic one. By all accounts PR relationships are grounded in both parties seeing a mutual benefit to the alliance. This rollout however hasn’t been smooth, the timing is strange, and the whole thing feels awkwardly executed. The problem here isn’t whether it’s real. The problem is that it doesn’t work—at least not in the eyes of the public. What stood out first was the rollout’s uneven pacing. It began with solo red carpet photos at the British Vogue x Netflix party—no official couple shot, just quiet proximity. Then, the next day, came more affectionate footage and behind-the-scenes images. Luke’s own grid post included a cheeky couple photo, but buried behind a solo cover shot. At the BAFTAs, a joint photo was taken at the entrance but not on the official step and repeat. The early signals felt cautious, almost noncommittal. Then suddenly, the switch flipped: a full-scale post-BAFTAs press push—major entertainment headlines, a stylized couple photoshoot, digital articles, the works. It went from soft launch to shouting in 24 hours, all seemingly to benefit Antonia. And then…poof, nothing. No follow-up. No echo. Just a sharp drop-off that made the silence louder than the reveal itself. Usually, after a media blast like that, you'd expect at least 48-72 hours of natural pickup— fashion commentary, snippets in entertainment news, curious discourse online.  But a quick trends search shows the coverage hit a wall and then a steep decline. No legs, no staying power. That kind of silence tells you everything. The audience just didn’t care enough to keep the story alive.

It doesn’t help that there’s no clear narrative around them. No shared project, no compelling reason for the timing, no personal reveal or milestone that gives this rollout structure. And critically, there was no existing foundation of goodwill to support it. A quick yet enlightening 10 minute google search showed me that Antonia came into this with complicated baggage among parts of the Bridgerton fanbase. Luke, meanwhile, has been publicly adrift for a while—present but not exactly engaging. In the midst of a rebrand of his image, which from what I can tell isn't exactly hitting the mark either. When neither person is holding strong favor with general audiences, a joint push like this is risky. And we’re seeing why. That context makes the hard numbers more meaningful. One week post press launch and Antonia’s Instagram gained just under 200 new followers. That’s not slow growth—that’s a near flatline. As for Luke’s numbers, they are moving in the opposite direction entirely, with noticeable drops on days with heavier media activity associated with this joint press push. For someone with over 2 million followers, the loss isn’t huge—but the pattern matters. In PR, it’s not just about the raw numbers—it’s about trajectory. Luke has been steadily losing followers for close to near a year now. That kind of long-tail decline tells you something about public sentiment. And unless there’s a clear pivot—something that injects likability, surprise, or career momentum—it becomes very difficult to shift that narrative back in a positive direction. At the heart of it, this isn’t even about how “liked” or “disliked” they are. It’s about the absence of emotional connection. There’s a lack of charisma in how they’re presenting themselves. The affection feels performed rather than natural—and even if you are one of the many casual viewers like myself, you can sense it. There's no spark, no softness, no sense that the moments being shared between them are actually for each other rather than for the camera. With Antonia, that pattern shows up in nearly everything she shares online. Every aspect of what’s posted —her outfits, her captions, even the way she moves through a red carpet—feels like it’s being filtered through a performance lens. There’s always a knowing glance to the camera, always a pose, never a moment that feels unguarded or instinctive. Her Instagram presence is heavily Gen Z-coded: trend-driven, aesthetic over substance, and largely without a clear persona or unique point of view. So when she’s suddenly styled beside Luke to evoke a kind of “polished elegance”—reserved, tasteful—it doesn’t land as aspirational. It lands as calculated. I’m sure that in person Antonia is lovely, but I get the sense she’s been studying what it means to be “seen,” more-so than knowing what she actually wants to say.  As for Luke, this past weekends events came across as someone familiar yet completely unknown at the same time. Like a man wearing an ill fitting suit designed by Hollywoods expectations of him vs. someone genuinely forging his own path. The disconnect is visibly noticeable.

In publicity, you can’t manufacture a moment unless people want to buy into it. The audience has to feel something—curiosity, warmth, joy, even drama but it also has to be rooted in authenticity. When everything feels staged, and there’s no real emotion underneath the aesthetics, people simply move on. That’s the danger of trying to perform visibility without substance. You can dress it up in a pretty dress, pair it with a leading man, and frame it on a red carpet —but if there’s no real person underneath for the public to connect to, it just doesn’t stick.

So where do they go from here? From my experience, they've got two choices: 1. At first you don’t succeed, try again…and hope for the best 2. Accept that what might work behind closed doors just doesn’t translate publicly—and forcing it into the spotlight won’t fix that. Whether it’s working privately is anyone’s guess. But whatever it is, putting it on display isn’t helping either one of them. 

[howtofightwrite]

For a character that virtually can’t die and regenerates in order to keep living, how do you make action interesting? Emphasize they still feel pain, why they’re doing it?

I'm actually going to step back a bit from this question first, and complement it. This is a very honest question, and something most writers who include violence in their work, should really think about. Even if you don't think you have characters like this, you do.

Now, I'm going to dunk on Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw for a moment. Ages ago (I think it was in one of his Resistance reviews), Yahtzee described, “threatening to blow up the world,” as the laziest form of raising the stakes. Because, “hey, I live on a world.” He's mostly correct. Threatening your protagonist's life is even lazier. In the vast majority of cases, your audience knows you won't go through with it. That you won't kill off your protagonists.

With that in mind, when you decide your protagonist is completely immortal, that changes less about how you write them than you might expect. The biggest difference is simply that they're directly aware of their plot armor, rather than them engaging in faux indecision based on their perceived mortality. Again, this is something that every writer who uses violence should think about, at least a bit. It is natural for a character to fear for their life, and have reservations about risking their life, but making the part where your character's lives are on the line isn't automatically suspenseful. In a lot of cases (consciously or not), your audience will call your bluff, when you threaten to kill off a major character.

If you think back to major character deaths where something drops them without warning, part of what makes those scenes work is the lack of (apparent) setup. The writer didn't spend pages teasing you with the idea, they just went for the throat and ended that character on the spot. This is more respectful of your audience, because you're not telling them, “well, I might kill this character, or I might not.”

To be clear, I'm not saying that there's no place for teasing your audience with a character's impending demise, just pointing out that in a lot of cases, this won't generate the kind of suspense you'd hope for.

So, to get back on topic, how do you make it interesting? Remember that while this character can't die, the same is not true for the characters around them. Depending on the tone you're going for, you could create an absolutely brutal crucible effect, where everyone around your immortal gets burned off, sooner or later. Whether that's literal, or figurative, is up to you. Even if your character can't die, watching people they care about suffer and die is going to have an effect on them.

You probably don't need to draw special attention to the physical pain they experience, but you do want to be aware of it. Especially in the context of how pain affects the victim's behavior. Beyond that, there is probably an element of pain being far more annoying to the immortal than it would be to a normal person. They know it's not telling them anything meaningful, but it is distracting.

Long-term, both of these can easily result in personality shifts. And, legitimately, this is a scenario where a character may be immortal, but they would still experience significant changes over time, and with the growing emotional pain, could have very adverse effects on your personality. This does have some very real, “live long enough to see yourself become the villain,” potential. How many friends can you lose before you stop caring? How many funerals can you attend before you start taking the phrase, “you're either part of the solution or part of the problem,” a little too far? How many times can you pick yourself up off the pavement a blood-covered alleyway, surrounded by corpses, before you start to forget what made you human in the first place?

And, that's not the only option. The simplest answer for maintaining tension when one of your characters is immortal is keeping your eye on what they're trying to accomplish. Keep track of their objectives, because I guarantee they can fail those. Even just keeping their own nature concealed from the mortal world is probably fairly important, because of the idea that men in hazmat suits will drag them away to some research lab and poke them until they figure out how to replicate their immortality, is a classic (and potentially plausible) threat. (Bonus points, if you're wanting to loop in something like the medieval inquisitions, or some other secret societies that could pose this kind of a threat.)

So, what do you do? To dig out an old cliché threat, “there are fates worse than death,” and it's probably worth exploring them. This also opens up new possibilities for threats. Finally, it's worth remembering that immortality does not guarantee success. If your character is hoping for that, it might be time to give them a very harsh lesson.

-Starke

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[sepublic]

            Man. Imagine growing to care so much for a person and see how they hurt, how that hurt is hurting so many others, and then finding out the father you wanted back, who you thought had been absolved, was the one who hurt that friend to begin with and led to all of this?

            This moment gets to me because I can’t imagine King’s feelings about his dad and the emotional journey of them; The way he starts off as hopeful, surprised to consider his existence seriously! Before getting those hopes crushed, as he becomes bitter and resentful. And then at some point he feels a quiet acceptance, and opts to instead do the healthier thing and move on, focusing on accepting Eda as his mother; That’s part of the significance of that scene, it’s part of what prompts it. Not just the revelation he was a child raised by her, but that in his quest for one parent, he already has another who’s actually there!

            How did King feel about the Titan? It was used to justify a lot by Belos, but he was raised by Eda, who always recognized the Titan as not a tyrant, but a part of their world exploited and misrepresented. So he probably felt the same; No real judgment. And a lot of skepticism over the Titan speaking to anyone; If Deadwardian era witches revered the Titan as meaningful but still dead, the same could be said for Eda, and thus King. Did he think the beating heart in the throne room was a fake? That it meant anything, and wasn’t just being forced to move as part of the charade?

            And then King finds out his elusive dad and the Titan are one and the same. And he understands so much better why the Titan couldn’t be there and how he did care, after learning of the genocide, while still mourning because of the newfound loss of genuine love. He reflects on his dad and realizes they must be quite alike, as just regular people who wanted to be loved.

            So when King gets to know the Collector, it’s a pretty terrified perception based on Luz’s own misremembrance, and also a lack of crucial context. King forgave his dad upon learning her identity, realizing she was not for Belos either, etc. So when he learns the Titan imprisoned the Collector, he must believe it was for a good reason.

            But then he gets to know this kid, gets to relate to them, becomes a bit of a friend, somehow. And King realizes this Collector kid was actually just hurt, but they could’ve learned and were willing enough! So why then?

            And then it’s finally revealed; There was no justification. The Collector was a victim caught in the crossfire of their siblings’ sins, and targeted for it as a way for the Titan to feel like he could do something about this genocide, get back at the Archivists for slaughtering his kin and yknow I’d like to imagine and hope that losing the Collector DID hurt them, that the Titan lied about slowly killing the Collector just to make the Archivists feel even a fraction of what they’ve inflicted.

            But he didn’t have to imprison the Collector like that. And so it’s this quiet dread and understanding of the other side to his father’s love; That his father deeply hurt someone innocent, that King had grown to care for. In doing so, he unwittingly laid the foundation for other horrible things to happen, such as the entire coven regime. Not that it’s truly the Titan’s fault, but an act of cruelty begetted more cruelty, hadn’t it? For all of King’s anxiety about being a child failed by his dad, just to be relieved of that… It turns out his dad DID fail another child, who he’d gotten close to.

            But then his dad brings back Luz; One of the most important people in the world was lost and King grieved again, only to not have to, not just yet. He’d hear from Luz about the Titan and his regrets, and in the end comes back to that realization; That the Titan, his father, was not some deity but just a flawed person who made mistakes but cared a lot, enough to learn from them. There are different facets, some of them ugly and disappointing, like the realization for King that he was living under delusions. But in the end, somehow, he can work with this, and it’s better this way in fact.

[linkspooky]

Love your JJK metas - apologies if I missed it, but any thoughts on Gojo feeling that he was "left behind" and has to "catch up" to Geto before slaughtering the higher ups?

I don't think the impact Shibuya had on him was really explicitly explored, except for that one panel where he said it was his responsibility, but him internally seeing it as following Geto's path in a way surprised me - it makes sense to me, but it doesn't at the same time.

This is a question I really wanted to answer, but delayed for a long time because I wanted to think it over. When the exhibition changed and Gege released his original draft for this scene, it helped clarify a lot of my thoughts on this scene.

"If you want to kill me, kill me. I wouldn’t mind if it were by your hand. But make sure mine is the only life you take.”

These lines become more meaningful if you think of them in the context of earlier events in Hidden Inventory. It sheds light on a lot of scenes from the flashback arc.

In particular this scene.

In his post-enlightenment high Gojo could kill the entirety of the Star Plasma Cult and feel nothing about it to punish them for Riko's death, but he lives the ultimate decision up to Geto.

In that moment Geto convinces him that killing these bystanders would be pointless, because society has other methods for punishing the members of this cult. Specifically he tells Gojo that it's not their job as Jujutsu Sorcerers to punish these people. He basically confines Gojo to the morality of a Jujutsu Sorcerer. Sorcerers kill curse users yes, but they never use their curse techniques on other people like the members in the crowd who don't fight back. Jujutusu Sorcerers aren't a part of the japanese justice system, they exist for one job and that is to deal with curses and curse users in order to prevent them from hurting normal people.

So Geto's lpong explanation to Gojo to talk him down from slaughtering the crowd that's applauding for Riko's death amounts to "That's not our job." He also emphasizes how killing these people wouldn't accomplish anything, because the group was going to disband anyway, and these are just rank and file believers the leaders of the cult are already gone. So in total two reasons, 1) it's not our job, 2) this murder wouldn't accomplish anything.

In the KFC breakup, Gojo parrots Geto's own arguments about killing right back at him. Notice that when they're having their argument Gojo never brings up the fact that killing is wrong, but that killing non-sorcerers is pointless because the sheer amount of number of people you would have to kill is so enormous it's impossible.

Geto's methods are wrong not because they're immoral but because they're impractical. It's not whether or not killing is right or wrong. It's meaningles killing vs. killing with a purpose. Geto's goal is completely impossible for him to accomplish, so all the people he killed in name of that goal died for no reason.

Gojo and Geto are specifically arguing about methods, not morality. Gojo is especially troubled because he's trying to appeal to Geto using the morality that Geto taught him, obligation as a sorcerer, justice, killing with purpose, but now it's all falling on Geto's deaf ears. I think it's poignant Gojo at this stage in his life can't really form a moral argument of his own just repeat Geto's words back at him, it shows how much Gojo was using Geto as a guidepoint.

Gege even says in the databook the reason Gojo stopped himself from killing the cult is that he was using Geto's moral reasoning and not his own.

So in a way, it's Geto's words that prevented Gojo from being a monster all the way back in Hidden Iventnory. Yet, we see in premature death Gojo's completely unable to talk Geto down from the ledge he was standing on.

Even though the words he's using are Geto's words. Perhaps, because the words he's using are Geto's words. Gojo's faith in Geto as a partner and a moral guidepost was so unshakable he's not capable of reconciling with the fact that the person standing in front of him right now slaughtered a whole village.

Geto leaves, and Gojo lacks the words to make him stay. However, in spite of the fact that this scene is called the KFC breakup this, Geto and Gojo aren't ending their relationship. In Jujutsu Kaisen Zero, Geto is surprised by the fact that Gojo still trusts him and feels the same way years later. In Gojo's dying dream, he states that he would have been satisfied losing to Sukuna if Geto was there to wish him good luck before he left. The Geto he pictures is the one in his Gojo-Gesa, the corrupted adult Geto, and not the one he used in childhood.

This is also after Geto expresses jealousy that Gojo wanted to provide a challenge to Sukuna and force him to go all out, because Gojo understood Sukuna's isolation from being the strongest. Because Geto and Gojo's relationship began from the fact that Geto was the only other special grade in their year and therefore the only one able to understand Gojo by being just as strong as he was. Only for Gojo to immediately say that he wasn't satisfied going all out against Sukuna, because Geto wasn't there. It wasn't Geto's power he needed, but his presence.

Geto wasn't leaving Gojo. He was leaving Jujutsu Society. However, since Gojo is such an integral part of Jujutsu Society, it's essentially the same thing. They're not breaking apart because their no longer friends, but because their morals are so different. Even if his attempts at reform wasn't so radical as killing all human beings, Gojo still wouldn't be able to leave with Geto because without Jujutsu Society there is no Gojo Satoru.

Gojo doesn't believe that massacring half the world is possible, but in a way he probably wouldn't believe even a less extreme reform is impossible as long as it was accomplished from the outside. Gojo has always been an internal reformist while at the same time being a radical. Gojo stated this early on he can just kill the people on top but that would make him a monster.

Remember what I emphasized above, Geto convinced Gojo not to slaughter the members of the Star Cult because it's not a Jujutsu Sorcerer's job to punish people like that. If he crossed that line he'd no longer be a Jujutsu Sorcerer. Gojo not only lives to be a sorcerer, but the time in his youth when he was with Geto was the only time he ever felt understood and that there was someone he could rely on.

Geto crossed that line and when he killed the people of Nanako and Mimiko's village (the way that Geto wanted to kill Riko's murderers that day), he was no longer acting as a sorcerer. Geto stopped being a sorcerer, but Gojo couldn't follow him because Gojo lives to be a sorcerer.

Gojo's plan is therefore create sorcerers strong enough that they can support each other the way that him and Geto should have. Create strong allies so that in the next generation no-one will be left behind.

Gojo's belief is that what he needed was stronger allies, not a systemic issue. When his attempts at reform fail, and he wakes up to see that all of his students have had execution orders placed on them by the higher ups he finally gives up on the notion of internal reform.

Gojo eventually ended up committing a mass slaughter for his perceived greater good. The same kind of mass slaughter that Geto prevented him from doing that day he avenged Riko's death. By doing that, he stopped being a sorcerer.

Now that we've finally come full circle I'm going to explain what I think Gojo means by "I can't do that. That day I was left behind, so I have to catch up."

The most direct interpretation is that Gojo is echoing Yuta's sentiment. Geto became a monster all on his own and left Gojo behind. Now, years after the fact Gojo is realizing that Geto's violent action was necessary and he's essentially leaving his role as a sorcerer to become more like Gojo. He's finally understood why Geto did what he did, years after the fact, and far too late.

In one sense Gojo is becoming Geto in this scene. In another sense, he's recalling how he felt years before when he watched Geto walk away. Geto is the one who kept Gojo from being a monster and kept him on the path of being a sorcerer, only for Geto to go off that path himself. Not only that though, but in their final conversation, Geto made sure to still try to keep Gojo on that path.

Remember this line from the original draft:

"If you want to kill me, kill me. I wouldn’t mind if it were by your hand. But make sure mine is the only life you take.”

This line is essentially the same as this, but look at the paneling.

Gojo is about to unleash a hollow purple on Geto, but when Geto disappears into the crowd of people he stops. In order to kill Geto, he would have had to kill several innocent people in the crowd so Gojo hesitates.

The original draft lines indicate that Geto did this on purpose. He told Gojo to be sure only to kill him and not kill anyone else because he still wants Gojo to remain a sorcerer. Geto was resolved to become a monster on his own and didn't want to drag Gojo down with him.

Geto is leaving and he doesn't want Gojo to become with, because Gojo is the happiest when he's a sorcerer.

In the Hidden Inventory Gojo is playing the role of Yuta, begging Geto not to become a monster alone only to be left behind. In the future Gojo resolves to become a monster like Geto. Even though he's finally trying to understand his friend, he's a year too late. Geto is dead and he can't catch up now.

[tvlandofficiall]

big fan of your idea for weird route queenkaard (sorry for bringing it up again), especially with queen being a major antagonist for the weird route like. i vibe with the idea that they bring out the worst in each other, like it's a relationship that challenges nothing about their worldviews and that's exactly why they're so drawn to it. queen's arc in chapter 2 just kinda gets. skipped in the weird route and i think rouxls would be the least person likely to incite the thought in her that she might genuinely be wrong at times, all he'd do is shower her in empty compliments to get her to stay with him. and like if she's keeping rouxls around out of a desperate attempt to Keep Things Normal he won't have to think critically about himself either, he'll just think of queen as a replaceable authority figure he submits to because he can get things out of her, not because he actually cares about her. like their characters could just very well stay stale in each other's company and it could. culminate horribly i'm sure. queen becomes even more convinced that she always knows what's best for everyone and can use extreme measures to get her way because she's right (i think the weird route in general could affect this) rouxls becomes even more convinced that sucking up to people he can betray any second if he needs to and being controlled by someone else is good actually and he doesn't need to change anything because queen literally tolerates him. ANYWAY SORRY FOR THE LONG ASK i was just thinking. if you have any thoughts about how they would interact on the weird route, how they would function as an antagonist and a supporting antagonist, what their relationship with the main characters would be like and just. how their dynamic would be in general i'd be really interested to hear that i enjoy these two and your takes a lot

NO NEED TO APOLOGIZE! i do tend to avoid long asks detailing theories when i feel i don’t have anything meaningful to add, but here. well, you’ll see from my response that i feel i do this time around. this is also a more in-depth analysis of my weird route thoughts, so even if you’re not into queenkaard, i’d invite you to take a look! fair warning, though, this gets LONG and is incredibly messy/may see some post-posting editing as i am concocting it in the middle of the night. THAT SAID; let's get into it!

with regard to the canon, i’ve discussed often how the main thrust of the weird route wrt noelle is forcing the game into a “noelle route”. this doesn’t necessarily mean every aspect of noelle is put into greater focus – we omit the introspection about dess and about noelle and kris’ relationship as children from the route almost entirely. in fact, much of the route is framed in such a way that the player seems almost expected to have taken the normal route prior to this – a lot of lines of dialogue builds off of information we get in the normal route, and the route itself is framed and presented like something someone would come across while replaying or backtracking.

rather, the “noelle route” reading is one that is more attuned to the term in the context of, say, a dating sim, or a life sim with multiple romanceable characters. context for several scenes is changed to turn them from choices into Romantic Choices – ie; choosing between kris and susie at the ferris wheel poster or choosing whether to imply kris and noelle are friends or something “else”. they’re the kind you’d see in a game like that.

as such, we’re forcing noelle in particular into the spotlight, and it seems we’re trying to isolate her from characters that she’s close with as a result. this brings up the other aspect of the weird route; the almost speedrun-like aspect of it. other characters (darkners in particular) become “enemies” to noelle, key cutscenes are removed, character development is truncated. berdly dies. queen’s role as major antagonist grinds to a screeching and abrupt halt. spamton, although he does manage to become the new route boss, has his sympathetic qualities put out of focus and dies as a result. susie manages to get a moment offscreen with noelle, in typical susie fashion, but she’s still our party member at the end of the day. and overall, a good amount of ch2 just… doesn’t happen, and so the bulk of the route becomes just kris and noelle in isolation. the only element that remains largely the same after we kick things off is the light world walkaround at the end – which makes sense if we’re rushing to get there and detaching ourselves even further from caring about the dark world and the events that occur there. the festival happens in the light world, after all, and i wouldn’t be surprised if taking noelle there becomes a critical juncture on the route. noelle will ride with us, after all.

but on that note; much to-do has been made over whether or not we embolden noelle on the weird route as we do on the normal route. however i feel the more prescient idea is that on the weird route, we take a look at noelle’s status as the damsel and decide to reinforce it. this is what i talk about often when i bring up don quixote in context of the weird route – i’m gonna do it a lot here, but to refresh; don quixote is a very old story wherein, to quote, a common man named don quixote believes himself to be the chivalric hero of the time, and tries to play at this for the "sake" of a woman named dulcinea. and this sort of don quixote idea comes up a lot (although i don’t think toby fox is intentionally invoking it), especially with noelle.

according to many of the other characters, noelle is a damsel, a “dulcinea”. she’s who berdly swears to protect, who catti tells you to keep safe, who mayor holiday keeps under strict rules and who even rudy talks a little down to. and oftentimes, kris is positioned as a protector figure specifically; either as a rival or as someone entrusted with the role by other characters. and this positions them perfectly to be the vector for our aforementioned reinforcement of the idea onto both them and noelle. we reinforce the idea of this world working in terms of don quixotes and dulcineas, of protectors and damsels, of obstacles to our protection of noelle and of noelle herself as our responsibility to protect and mold into the person we want her to be. (we even see this echoed in the new dialogue of the new route boss – i’m sure i don’t need to discuss how spamton talks about noelle there.) we take up the role of her “don quixote”.

queen’s dynamic with noelle is very interesting and complicated in relation to this. queen has this vision of herself as being in control, of noelle as a hapless damsel, but queen is also a darkner. the only control she can really get over noelle and the other lightners comes in the form of AGREE2ALL puzzles and “peon release forms” (i will not spamqueen in the middle of my queenkaard analysis but also, consider, spamqueen;), in being an obstacle for the lightners to overcome. and in the normal route, that’s just what happens. queen comes to understand more clearly the nature of her fate, complies to that, and is overcome. it’s a disquieting ending – but obviously, that’s the point. the unsettling nature of the prophecy and the darkners’ fates as objects are major conflicts there, and the start of the story is about setting them up as Problems That Exist. the more this goes on, the more we’ll start to see it questioned and revealed as such. it won’t last forever there.

that aside – on the weird route, queen never stops being a potential obstacle. she doesn’t get killed like berdly and spamton do; she’s just kind of unceremoniously shoved off to the side. ralsei talks her down at the end by telling her about the roaring, but that’s even more of a band-aid solution than the normal route nets. queen’s only remark on the matter is to lament that the only idea she had to help noelle went belly-up. so we’ve got two big interlocking ideas here already; queen is another obstacle to us, one who cares a lot about noelle, but one who we’ve written off for now. and we’ve zeroed in on this don quixote & dulcinea dynamic, turning the dial on it up to eleven.

so turning the camera into my own storytelling and to queen for a moment; storytelling-wise, what would she be up to now? overall, queen at the end of the weird route is not doing so hot. she’s quieter, seems a little out of it, and can’t quite muster her usual enthusiasm. this tracks with the tone of the route overall – a lot of the humor is tempered or outright omitted. i can’t imagine she can think of much else other than her concern for noelle and the loss of her… well, everything but swatch, really. and since she and rouxls never get to meet on-screen at all, the first time he’d ever really get to see her or talk to her would be in castle town, when she’s in that state, one-on-one. queen’ll actually get a chance to get a read on him this time. he won’t flee.

now of all the don quixotes in deltarune, rouxls kaard is one of the don quixote-est. combine a grandiose self-image and an object’s fate that’s shaped that self-image, and you get a social-climbing renfaire LARPer who’s chomping at the bit to swear himself as someone’s sword, even those he isn’t duty-bound to serve. and a beautiful villainess in distress? one perhaps in need of someone to swear himself to her? that’s kaardnip. that’s his “dulcinea”. (not to mention, it’s a chance to one-up swatch as her new butler supremeth.)

and of course, a villainess who starts her story seeking out a willing peon isn’t just going to turn one down. she’s lonely, too, incredibly lonely, and with king behind bars and the shopkeepers shopkeeping, i think she’s more than happy to spend a lot of time with this man who’ll throw himself at her feet while she throws herself into a new plan to help noelle.

so you have these two just marinating together in castle town, right? (stretches the time in castle town between ch2&3 out like taffy.) there’s a proximity there that would give way to a more – genuine isn’t quite the right word, but it isn’t the wrong one, either – relationship. they’re always together. they know one another in ways only people who spend all their time together know one another. i think you’re right that in the game itself she mostly tolerates him right now, but given queen’s taste includes the insufferably prissy (swatch), the slimy (spamton), and the egotistical (king), i could easily see rouxls slotting right in. the compliments he gives are empty, but they’re so reassuring to hear, to cling to. they bolster her; of course this is only a bump in the road, of course she’s still in control. in short; the two know one another quite closely, but there’s still that level of artifice there; like two people infatuated with the idea of being infatuated with one another, but who also know one another’s pet peeves and the side of their mouth they tend to chew in most often and the places they most like to be kissed.

it’s very strange, and probably very strange for others to see happen. i think they’re very attached at the hip in a manner that comes off a bit like they’re actors. i want rouxls to offer her hand kisses and reverence and just go all in on this performance, while she clings to it like a lifeline because there’s so little left otherwise. (it reminds her of swatch and so sometimes she goes and spends time with them, and they’re both so blunt with her on their feelings about rouxls and so ardently fond of her by comparison that she almost thinks about ditching rouxls for them, but – well, swatch isn’t out “in the field” like rouxls is, swatch is caught up in their new café work so often, and even back in her kingdom she had more than just swatch. so she doesn’t.)

as for out in the field – because rouxls will likely be in proximity to the party as they continue into the next dark worlds (even as he is turned to stone there and thusly irrelevant to them during the weird route,) he’ll likely notice what queen’s been talking about in noelle as it becomes more and more of a focus. he’ll likely tell her about it. and that brings us around to this unfinished arc between queen and noelle, where noelle is clearly miserable and queen will become a villain if it means she can make noelle smile again. it brings us around to queen as an obstacle to our goals that’s been put off but not overcome. and it keeps queen as a future obstacle – someone strong, who could be on the “winning side” at the end of the day. someone who rouxls’ll want to continue to stay allied with even as new rulers come and go as a result – and someone who’ll allow him a pathway to powerful late-game opponent status. after all, he’s likely to become a late-game opponent, too, in actual game canon. (he’s also just likely to based on – well, the sort of thematic juggernaut status i’ve laid out across this whole affair.) i’m a massive sucker for rouxls portrayals where he opposes the party in a more major way, because they’re often so campy and fun. that sort of absurd character concept is what makes me as fond of spamton as i am, and it’s what makes toby’s writing so good.

he’ll protect her. he’ll be a hero. he’ll keep her safe so she can save the day (and he can take all the credit). but he won’t, of course. i don’t think the weird route will have a happy ending for anyone. and i think he’d likely get himself killed doing this, leaving the floor open for queen to finally take center stage and pull out all the stops as a true “villain” to be reckoned with.

[waiting-for-a-sunny-day]

“Why not just let Gojo take care of everything himself from now on?”

This reads a bit like a throwaway line from Nanami, but it’s actually a meaningful thing for Gege to insert here.

For context, Nanami asks Geto this question after coming back from the failed mission where Haibara was killed.

This scene is also immediately before Geto's village massacre / defection scenes.

This is the very next set of panels: (It’s the continuation of the thought Geto started above, then cuts to to the mission where he kills the 112 non-sorcerers)

So, what Nanami says to Geto is the last thing we see anyone at Jujutsu high saying to Geto before he makes that final decision to turn away from being a Jujutsu sorcerer.

Geto’s thought about the “mountain of corpses” is the last internal monologue / insight we get into his mental state before defecting.

In Geto’s mind, who is in the hypothetical ‘mountain of corpses' created by Jujutsu society?

- - - - Read more cut - - - -

Let’s start by acknowledging that Nanami’s suggestion to make Gojo handle all the missions actually makes sense, from a strictly pragmatic perspective. (Why let weaker sorcerers die doing something that Gojo could easily handle?)

Even before Gojo learned Reverse Curse / Hollow Purple, he (and Geto) were given the Star Plasma Vessel mission on special request from Tengen. Presumably because they were the strongest sorcerers.

It’s reasonable to assume the higher ups in Jujutsu society have thought about optimizing the mission assignments this way. And, by this point, Gojo is getting sent on missions, alone, without Geto.

But even though he’s the strongest sorcerer, Gojo is not unbeatable. He’s not even as powerful as he’ll become by JJK0+

Here’s what Gojo told Geto just days before the mission where Haibara dies:

So Geto knows that Gojo can’t always run limitless, and he hasn’t perfected domain expansion. Gojo can’t protect himself against poisons.

Geto also already knows what happens when Gojo’s power is overestimated - when he is overworked and spread too thin. Last time that happened, he got stabbed through the chest by Toji.

“Impossible!” is Geto’s reaction, because he’d been lulled into a false sense of security, thinking that Gojo was untouchable.

Nanami suggesting that Gojo handle all the curses is sort of like Toji putting up a bounty for Riko. Each weak assassin wasn’t enough to take Gojo down on their own, but en masse they could distract and wear him down.

The same would be possible with a never ending onslaught of curses to exorcise. Then, all it takes is one mistake before Gojo's corpse is added to the mountain.

Don't get me wrong, Geto had many reasons for defecting, and Nanako, Mimiko, and Riko’s treatment by non-sorcerers were probably the main ones.

But Geto must have also believed that the world he was trying to build for Jujutsu sorcerers was a better, safer world for Gojo, too.

[wesleysniperking]

Yasopp could be one of the reasons for increased attention on Usopp's spotlight (tl;dr)

I know I keep bringing up Yasopp, and it may seem redundant, but I want to emphasize that there’s no reason we shouldn’t get at least some answers about him. One of the most important questions is: Does Yasopp know Banchina is dead?

This is a game-changing question because it would reveal whether Yasopp was keeping tabs on Usopp, how much he knows about his son’s journey, and whether he was aware of Banchina’s illness. Why did he leave, knowing she was sick—despite her encouragement for him to follow his dream? Was there something dangerous about his presence in Syrup Village? Was he forced out, with Shanks as his only option? Because if he was simply hanging around in a nearby island/village but never reaching out to his sick wife and child, that paints a much different picture of his character. And we don’t have enough information to confidently say Yasopp is a bad person. But answering whether he knows about Banchina’s death would provide key context.

Another major question: How and why did Shanks seek out Yasopp?

In Strong World Episode 0, it’s mentioned that Yasopp was already well-known for his sniping skills, which means Shanks deliberately recruited him. But why? Was it purely because of Yasopp’s skill, or was there more behind it? Did Shanks help him escape something in Syrup Village? Did Yasopp have a past that made him an ideal crew member? Understanding this would not only shed light on Yasopp’s decision to leave his family but also reveal more about Shanks’ mindset when forming his crew.

And that ties into more significant questions:

- When did Yasopp develop Observation Haki? We know when Usopp awakened his, but did Yasopp always have it?

- Why did Yasopp want to become a "brave warrior of the sea"? Did he have a background similar to Usopp’s, or was it something else?

- Why was Banchina so determined for Yasopp to chase his dream, even at the cost of leaving his family? She was a good woman, so something significant must have happened for her to support his decision.

- Why is Yasopp so loyal to Shanks? This could explain why he was willing to leave his wife and son behind in the first place.

A crucial emotional question is: Why is Yasopp afraid to meet Usopp?

In his filler encounter with Daddy Masterson, Yasopp seems convinced that Usopp would hate him. That suggests guilt—but guilt for what exactly? Just for leaving, or for something more? Understanding this would clarify why Yasopp never tried to reconnect with his son.

When did Yasopp find out Usopp was on Luffy’s crew?

It’s likely he learned after Usopp’s bounty became public, as we see in Dressrosa when he’s holding a newspaper and laughing. But did he know before that? Did he recognize Sniper King?

And then there’s Usopp’s perspective on Yasopp—which is strange because Usopp almost never mentions his father. After the Syrup Village arc and a few minor moments (like the deleted Water 7 scene with Garp), Yasopp’s existence barely comes up, even from Luffy.

- Does Usopp secretly resent Yasopp? Not necessarily in an “I hate you for leaving” way, but perhaps in a “I’ll never measure up to you” way.

- Does Usopp realize he has Observation Haki? Given his personality, he might not even fully grasp it, despite using it at Dressrosa.

Back to Yasopp:

- Does he know Banchina was sick? If not, why didn’t he check in? If he did, what was so dire that he still chose to leave?

- Did he leave to protect Syrup Village? Was his presence a threat to Banchina and Usopp? Did he sacrifice his reputation for their safety?

Lastly, a fun but potentially meaningful question: Does Sniper Island actually exist?

While it might never be confirmed, it could tie into why snipers are so crucial in pirate crews. Three out of four Yonkos have snipers—why? Is there an underground sniper network? Why was Usopp hesitant to take on the role?

So, the big question is: Which of these revelations would truly change the game and redefine Yasopp’s character?

[guiltycorp]

Damn i really want to know tf happened in the writing room of arcane s2. Some of the downgrades were inevitable due to the show's corporate limitations (not being able to progress the class war story in a meaningful way, having to tie things back to league of legends in terms of making playable characters more appealing to well, play... rip Mel and Viktor in particular), sure. But i still feel like it's even worse than that? There are so many bad decisions that i couldn't even start listing them all... the characters, plot, pacing, themes, it's just such a mess? Even the dialogue writing, it feels much more mm Marvel at its worst i suppose. What i am most bothered by is probably just the straight up harmful messaging so um... Cycles of violence and abuse can be broken by individual decisions to become a better person! Got nothing to do with systemic oppression, living conditions, mental health issues, you can just conveniently ignore aaall the social context, live laugh love and then things get better automatically yep, oppressors famously stop oppressing you when you show them that you're harmless and won't put up a fight anymore. Literally three out of three suicidal characters dying to redeem themselves? Not even in a tragic/cathartic way but in a bittersweet 'they finally atoned for their mistakes' way? Groundbreaking lmao. Romantic relationship between Vi and Caitlyn including no communication about their biggest fight, just conveniently skipping to sex and getting back together - would have loved that if it was framed as the unhealthy fucked up thing that it is, skipping over Vi's hurt and her background to once again become a cop, her girlfriend's direct underling at that (!) due to her not having any other support systems... But nope that was our cute lesbian romance wrapped up, a good thing all around, not concerning at all. Jayce telling Viktor that what he 'always admired about him' was his disability and his deadly disease (??? from a character who spent the whole s1 and first act of s2 desperately trying to help Viktor find a cure? sure) and that those imperfections don't need fixing, just wtf truly. Magic bullshit was also weird, some implications of 'natural magic is ok, but achieving that power through other means corrupts you into a crazy robot bitch or just wilts your trees i guess', but tbh it was written in such a weird and inconsistent way that we can skip this one... Yeah actually a lot of things were just such a mess that I feel silly pointing to specific moments or lines I didn't like, I mean duh, it barely makes sense as a story at all... I am happy we have s1 which comparatively was a masterpiece, and i also really enjoyed s2 act1, i truly believed it would lead somewhere good at the time, my mind still kind of cuts off the story at that point when i think about it, that WAS the open ending of the show to me (is it possible that there were rewrites? targeting act 2 and 3? idk, wishful thinking perhaps). Despite my extremely negative feelings about this season's conclusion i remain glad that so many people appreciate the show regardless, it is clear that there was STILL a lot of love in the process of its creation (although i'd argue that even some of the visual aspects of the show suffered in quality, once again i have to wonder about behind the scenes mood of it all) and i get very upset when i see creatives online despairing over reception of their projects even when i'm absolutely in the disgruntled crowd hahaha... ...however yeah, this wasn't great In a world that increasingly grows more and more right-wing politically... we really needed something different i think.

[crisisandcritters]

Trying something new, writing a fanfic. Which is super out of my comfort zone. So I drew one of my fav scenes. If anyone is interested in it or wants some context for this pic, you can check it out here on ao3.

Or you can read the story below the cut.

Midnight. On the bridge. Come alone.

That was all the note said, scrawled in hurried handwriting on a scrap of paper slipped under Agata’s rundown apartment door. He had almost missed it, the white edge barely peeking out before it could vanish beneath the bookshelf. For a moment, he stared at it, his heart pounding.

This was it. What he’d been waiting for. Ever since he started mingling with the lions who ruled the black market, Agata had anticipated a sign like this. The Shishigumi—an infamous gang whose influence ran deep through the black market’s veins—wasn’t just a group; they were the group. Ruthless, powerful, untouchable.

He walked to the window, the city’s dim lights casting long shadows across the room, and began to get dressed. If his instincts were right, tonight wasn’t one of Free’s pranks. Tonight was his chance. The invitation he’d been waiting for—to finally be one of them.

But if the rumors whispered in the darkest corners of the Market were true, joining the Shishigumi was no simple task. The gang had one of the roughest reputations, known for being some of the meanest cats ever to prowl the shadows. Agata had once asked what someone had to do to become a full-fledged member. Free and Dope had joked, throwing out absurd ideas like stealing a tuft of the mayor’s tail fur or spending the night locked in a box underwater. Hino claimed they made you shave your mane and strut around like a lioness for the night. But no one ever gave a straight answer.

The only ones who stayed silent were Ibuki and Dolph. They said nothing and simply looked... sad. Agata shook his head at the memory. He must have been misremembering. The Shishigumi were ruthless, sure, but they took care of their own. Whatever the initiation entailed, it couldn’t be anything that bad. Could it?

He would be turning 20 this year and had been living independently since he was 17. He’d tried to lead an honest life, but nothing had ever truly satisfied him. Agata had always stood apart, both in appearance and demeanor. His imposing stature and dark fur made him a prominent presence, a natural leader in the eyes of others. But Agata didn’t want to lead. He never craved the spotlight, never wanted the burden of greatness. As a child, people had assumed his potential without ever bothering to know him.

What Agata wanted was more straightforward: to belong. Not to stand at the forefront, but to be part of something larger, something meaningful. He didn’t want glamour or glory. He felt most at ease when he was just another cog in the machine—not the one pulling the strings. And with the Shishigumi, he felt that sense of belonging. With them, he wasn’t an outlier.

Not to mention, he’d discovered he was surprisingly good at committing crimes. His dark fur turned out to be an asset, helping him blend into the shadows, and his strength made him a natural enforcer. He’d already assisted some of the guys on a few easy jobs, proving himself useful. In this world, no one looked to a criminal to lead. No one demanded greatness from someone who slinked around the edges of the black market. It was strange, but for the first time, Agata felt like he might have a chance at something that resembled a normal life.

Tonight, could be the night—the moment he solidified his place within the pride. He was sure he could handle whatever they threw at him. Whatever it took to become one of them.

As the clock crept closer to midnight, Agata made his way to the bridge Dolph had pointed out months ago. The older, scarred lion’s words echoed in his mind: Anything important, anything that needed to be handled, would be dealt with there. The night was unnervingly quiet, as if the world itself held its breath in anticipation. Even the wind seemed to still, heightening the tension in the air. The clouds hung low in the sky casting grand shadows across the river. Every fiber of Agata’s being was on high alert, his whiskers twitched, and his claws started to extend on their own. The low hum of an approaching engine broke the silence, drawing Agata’s attention. His ears turned straining to catch the sound as it grew louder. A car’s headlights suddenly cut through the darkness, blinding him. Squinting, he barely had time to react as several large, shadowy figures leapt from the vehicle and surrounded him.

Instinctively, Agata raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, hoping to signal that he meant no harm.

"Look at this cub, all dressed up like he belongs here," one of the larger lions sneered, stepping closer. His voice dripped with mockery as he shoved Agata hard. The blow caught him off guard, sending him stumbling straight into another lion’s chest.

"You lost, rookie?" the first lion jeered, his laugh echoing in the cold night air.

Agata barely had time to steady himself before rough paws grabbed him by the shoulders, spinning him around.

"He’s shaking already!" another lion crowed, his tone cruel and gleeful. "This one’s not gonna last five minutes!"

A sharp fist drove into Agata’s gut, the impact stealing his breath. He doubled over and crumpled to the ground, coughing and wheezing as pain blossomed in his ribs. Panic surged through him—his mind screamed that this wasn’t a prank, wasn’t a test. They were playing with him like a pack of hyenas toying with prey.

But then, clarity cut through the haze of fear. If he didn’t fight back, he wouldn’t survive the next five minutes.

A shadow loomed over him, and he glanced sideways just in time to see a foot arcing toward his head. Gritting his teeth, Agata rolled, the sole of the boot grazing the fur on his temple as it smashed into the ground where he’d just been.

Using the momentum of his roll, Agata scrambled to his feet, adrenaline drowning out the ache in his body. The harsh glare of the car’s headlights still blinded him, reducing the advancing lions to hulking silhouettes. He counted five—maybe six—but there could’ve been more.

The next lion lunged at him, swinging a heavy fist aimed at his jaw. This time, Agata was ready. He sidestepped the blow and brought his elbow up hard, driving it into the back of the lion’s head. The impact sent the attacker sprawling forward, and Agata pivoted, using the opening to deliver a sharp jab to another lion’s ribs.

For a brief, dizzying moment, he thought he might hold his ground. A surge of fierce determination coursed through him as he ducked and weaved, striking out whenever he saw an opening. His fists connected with fur and flesh, and the satisfying sound of a grunt told him he’d landed at least one solid hit.

But then, out of nowhere, a voice snarled, closer than it should’ve been:

"You don’t even know what you’re asking for, do you? This life’ll chew you up and spit you out."

Agata spun toward the voice, but too late. Pain exploded across the back of his head as something heavy—maybe a pipe or a baton—struck him with brutal force.

The world tilted. His vision swam, and his legs gave way beneath him. As he crumpled to the ground, the last thing he saw was the shifting blur of shadows circling above, the laughter of his attackers fading into the encroaching darkness.

And then, everything went black.

The first thing Agata noticed was the smell: old stone, damp with age, mingled with the acrid tang of stale cigarettes. It was enough to stir him back to consciousness. He groaned softly, his head pounding as he opened his eyes, only to be greeted by blurred shapes of tan and yellow swimming in his vision.

His cheek rested on something cold and unyielding—stone, maybe—and for a brief moment, his mind raced to piece together what had happened. The bridge. The lions. The fight.

Agata shot upright, his fur bristling, claws unsheathed, and instincts screaming. This time, he didn’t wait for a fight to come to him. He lashed out, swinging hard and landing a hit on the closest lion—a sharp blow above the eye.

But before he could follow through, a massive paw clamped down on the scruff of his neck. He yelped as a lion with thick dreads hauled him off his feet with effortless strength, disarming him in one swift motion.

"Look who’s finally awake," the dreadlocked lion rumbled, a toothy grin splitting his face.

"Aww, he’s like a little kitten," another lion teased, his tone dripping with mock sympathy.

"Miguel," a third chuckled, "I didn’t know you had such a motherly side. What’s next? Are you gonna start grooming him?"

Agata found himself surrounded, the pride of lions from the bridge and more closing in, their feline eyes gleaming with amusement and curiosity. They loomed over him, scrutinizing him now that he was conscious, the tension crackling in the air.

"Look, guys," Agata stammered, panic tightening his voice. "I don’t know what I did! I’m sorry! I’ll get out of town, I swear! You’ll never hear from me again—"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down, buddy," Free interrupted, stepping forward with an easy grin. "You didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, you put up one hell of a fight back there."

Agata blinked, his breath still coming fast. "What… what does that mean?"

"Sorry we had to rough you up," Free continued, his tone almost apologetic. "But we had to be sure. We can’t just let anyone join the Shishigumi."

"Wait, are you serious?" Agata swallowed hard as the lion with dreads finally set him down. His legs wobbled beneath him. "Does this mean… I’m in?"

Free tilted his head, a sly smile curling his lips. "Well… not quite."

Agata’s heart sank. "Huh?"

"Like I said," Free replied, "we can’t just let anyone join the group. There’s a process. Blood in, blood—"

A loud creak interrupted him. All heads turned toward the heavy double doors at the far end of the room. They groaned open slowly, the sound echoing in the still air.

Free and the other lions immediately backed away, their casual demeanor vanishing in an instant. Agata’s stomach churned as he followed their gazes to the doorway.

The lion who entered didn’t have the imposing stature one might expect from a leader. He walked with a pronounced limp, leaning heavily on a cane for support. His balding mane was slicked back with gel and grease, giving it a sickly sheen under the dim light. Two jagged scars slashed across his face, running dangerously close to his eyes—remnants of a fight that might’ve blinded a lesser predator.

But what he lacked in physical presence, he made up for in raw authority.

The moment he stepped into the room, silence fell like a guillotine. Every lion snapped to attention, their postures rigid and their gazes fixed straight ahead. All except for Agata.

Agata, the literal black sheep in the room, stuck out like a sore thumb. He was the only lion not dressed in a suit and tie, the only one bruised and battered from the earlier fight, and the only one whose stance betrayed his unease. He couldn’t help but stare as the older lion made his slow, deliberate way across the room, the rhythmic tap of his cane punctuating the stillness.

"When I was a cub," the older lion began, his voice low and gravelly, "lions were considered the Kings of Beasts. No creature dared interfere with our business… because they quickly became lunch."

He stopped directly in front of Agata, his piercing gaze boring into him. "But now, the world seems to disagree with the old ways. Lions are no longer feared as we once were." His lips curled into a faint, menacing smile. "However, there’s one thing no one can dispute—raw power. And that’s something we’ve always had and must continue to hold onto."

Before Agata could react, the boss grabbed his shirt and yanked it up in one swift motion, exposing his torso. He inspected Agata’s body with the detached air of someone evaluating a product, his fingers brushing over the younger lion’s ribs and shoulders. Then came the cane, tapping against his arms and back as though testing the sturdiness of newly purchased goods.

Agata froze, stunned into submission. His wide eyes darted around the room, searching for any reaction—any support—but the other lions stood motionless, their faces unreadable.

"Open your mouth," the boss commanded.

Agata hesitated, unsure if he’d heard correctly. The pause proved too long. The older lion stomped hard on Agata’s foot, and as the younger lion yelped in pain, the boss seized his opportunity. Fingers shot into Agata’s mouth, gripping his tongue and pulling it out as though inspecting a prize animal’s fangs. The probing was methodical, his rough fingers pressing against teeth and gums with a practiced precision.

Agata’s body locked in place, too shocked to resist.

The inspection ended as abruptly as it began. The older lion released him without ceremony, wiping his fingers on a handkerchief he produced from his pocket. "Hmph," he muttered under his breath, stepping back.

"A lion with a dark mane," he said, his voice dangerously soft, "is often considered a strong candidate for leadership." He leaned in close, his breath hot against Agata’s ear. "You’d do well to keep any ambitions… in check."

"Y-yes, sir," Agata stammered, nodding frantically.

The older lion’s mouth twisted into a cruel smile as he patted Agata’s cheek—a gesture that felt more like a warning than affection. Without another word, he turned and made his way to the table set at the far side of the room.

The tension in the air eased slightly as he lowered himself into the head chair, the creak of the wood seeming to signal that the worst was over. Agata dared to exhale, his nerves still jangling. But before relief could take hold, the boss motioned silently with his hand, and several lions immediately exited the room without explanation.

Whatever came next, Agata knew it wasn’t going to be good.

“The Shishigumi live by simple rules,” the Boss declared from his makeshift throne, his voice carrying the weight of an ancient decree. The other lions had begun to settle into their seats around him, a silent council of judgment, while Agata remained standing alone in the center of the room.

“Be loyal to the family, put the family first in all matters, and, of course, Blood in, Blood out.” He leaned forward slightly, his cane resting across his knees as his sharp gaze fixed on Agata. “That last one might sound confusing, but it’s quite straightfoward.”

The lions who had left earlier returned, this time carrying a large, covered cage. Its ominous silhouette sent a shiver down Agata’s spine.

“In order to leave the Shishigumi, blood must be spilled. Typically, your own.” The Boss smirked faintly; his words deliberate. “And to join the Shishigumi, blood still needs to be spilled. It’s a balance—one that separates us from the spineless and the unworthy.”

With a sharp tug, the cover was ripped away, revealing the cage’s occupant: a massive, hulking white bear. Its fur glistened under the dim light, giving it an almost spectral quality.

“If you want to prove yourself worthy of joining our ranks,” the Boss continued, his voice now a growl, “you must kill this bear. Spill its blood to be welcomed into the family. Show us that you can separate yourself from the weak-willed and pathetic creatures who dare still call themselves carnivores.”

For a moment, Agata couldn’t move. The lions had retreated to the table, watching him from behind a heavy steel gate that had risen from the floor, separating them from what was to come. The bear, however, remained eerily still within its cage.

The room was silent except for the low groan of metal as the cage door creaked open. Agata’s heart pounded in his chest as he stepped forward, his legs heavy as lead. He expected the bear to lunge at him, to fight for its life. But instead, he heard something that stopped him cold.

A whimper.

Frowning, Agata bent down for a closer look. His breath hitched as the truth dawned on him. The bear wasn’t the massive adult he had thought—it was just a teenager. And not even a polar bear. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a white-furred grizzly—a rare find, but smaller and younger than any true predator should be.

He stumbled back, horrified, and turned toward the group of lions. The disbelief was written all over his face as he searched their expressions for an answer, for some kind of reassurance. Most averted their eyes, unwilling to meet his gaze. Free’s face twisted in self-loathing, his jaw clenched.

Only Dolph stared directly at him.

Dolph’s gaze was hard, unflinching, as if trying to speak a silent truth. This is the life we all chose, his eyes seemed to say. And now, this is the life you’re choosing. Commit to it, or run while you can. But understand one thing—you’re in the company of killers.

The weight of Dolph’s unspoken words sank into Agata’s chest like a stone.

He turned back toward the cage, steadying himself as the bear whimpered softly again. Agata clenched his fists, his heart warring against his mind. He knew this was a crossroads, the moment that would decide everything. The path before him was dark, but it was the only one left. He had to belong somewhere. If this was the price, so be it.

With trembling hands, he stepped forward and reached into the cage, grabbing the young bear by the throat. The creature struggled weakly, its wide, terrified eyes locking onto Agata’s. He forced himself to look away as he tightened his grip.

“I’m sorry,” Agata whispered, his voice barely audible.

He tried to make it quick, but the bear’s blood spilled all the same, gushing onto the cold floor in a pool of crimson. Agata watched the light fade from its eyes, his stomach lurching violently. He turned away just in time to suppress the bile rising in his throat, but he couldn’t stop the sickening weight that settled in his chest.

Something inside him broke.

It was like watching a piece of his soul evaporate, leaving behind a hollow, unrecognizable shell. This was his turning point, his blood baptism. There was no going back.

The Boss rose from his chair and approached, his slow, deliberate steps echoing in the silent room. He gestured toward the lifeless bear with his cane, then looked Agata in the eyes.

“This blood symbolizes your birth into our family. From this moment, we are one until death.”

Agata swallowed hard, his voice trembling but steady as he nodded solemnly.

“Yes, sir.”

The Boss smirked, clapping him on the shoulder. “Welcome to the Shishigumi.”

Agata said nothing, the weight of his choice pressing down on him. He had a new home, a new family… and a new darkness that would haunt him forever.

[let-us-cultivate-our-garden]

What do you think of season 2 of arcane? i've seen quite... a contrasting reaction from the public when compared to the reaction that s1 got

[cracks knuckles] ok, first some context: I was, and still am, largely unfamiliar with the League of Legends video games, which probably colors my perception of Arcane as a whole. The first season was incredible. 10/10 no notes. It's a masterpiece of animation hands down. One of its many strengths is that it sticks to a self-contained story that does not require lore knowledge or even knowledge of who the characters from the games are. It's a character drama wrapped in a steampunk/sci-fi/fantasy aesthetic. It tells a grounded story that follows its characters as their arcs play out all the way through to the end. I love it and habitually rewatched it while waiting for season 2.

...And then season 2 came and it kinda went. I enjoyed the season. The animation, music, voice acting, all incredible and it's what makes the season a joyride. But that's pretty much what it is. A joyride. That grounded story and character drama was largely dropped for bigger stakes and it feels like the season lost the plot. You were invested in the Zaun/Piltover conflict? Let's have Jayce give a half-assed speech about working together to defeat a common enemy and give Sevika a token seat at the councillors' table. You wanted to see how Jinx and Vi's relationship developed after the bombing? Well, Vi says "my sister is gone." Until Vander/Warwick shows up. But they don't really talk about their relationship or how much they've both changed. They're just cool with each other know.

Did you want to see how Jinx deals with the fallout of killing her father figure and embracing the role of the Mad Bomber? Well, she kinda mopes for a bit. Finds a street urchin that magically cures her of her mental instability. oops, street urchin is dead. Jinx is depressed now. fun. It's not like the marketing lead us to believe that Jinx was going to be an actual antagonist, right?

right?

Now, I know trailers and posters can be misleading but come on. Season 1 ended with her fully becoming Jinx and I feel like she was more Jinx-like there than in season 2.

We got less of the sisters than in the first season despite being the emotional core of the story. Part of that is the escalating conflict and having far too many antagonists. We have Ambessa, Viktor, and the Black Rose and they all take up too much screen time (this last one was a huge ??? for me as a noob to the games. Actually, Mel's whole arc in season 2 was so divorced from season 1 that it feels like they just gave her magic powers just so she could participate in the fight). The other part is that when the sisters are together, they don't really say or do anything meaningful. The dialogue is rather boilerplate and there's no emotional weight to their scenes. It's just there.

That's really my problem with season 2 as a whole, it just feels like it's ticking off boxes to get to the big action sequences, and even some of those felt superfluous (did we really need a fight scene with Smeech? Smeech? Who the fuck is he and why should we care?). The funny thing is that, there are a lot of good ideas here. Jinx feeling conflicted about suddenly being seen as a symbol of the people? Awesome! Caitlyn falling under the sway of Ambessa as she mourns her mother and gasses innocent civilians in her mad pursuit of Jinx? Great! Viktor slowly losing his humanity and becoming the Machine Herald while Jayce struggles to right what they have wronged and get his friend back? Excellent! The problem is that they're all crammed together and don't get room to breathe, so everything is rushed and unsatisfactory.

When your first season ends with four people at a dinner table that explores their character dynamics and your second season's climax looks like a Marvel movie, there's a problem.

(also, side tangent: Silco and Vander's backstory was shoddy and contradictory. Making them BFFs with Vi and Jinx's mom was a bad idea. It cheapens Vander's decision to leave behind a life of violence and adopt two orphans. It introduces a plot hole that Silco wasn't around for the kids' childhood and makes that moment when he tries to kill Powder extra weird. PLUS, we have the ever lovely trope of fridging a woman and making her the catalyst of conflict between two male characters 😒

although this season did make me ship these two, so there's that👍)

(another mini tangent: I'm not fond of making a time traveling Viktor the one who gave baby Jayce the rune stone. That scene was one of my favorites from season 1 and the mage actually being Viktor just makes the world feel smaller and less enigmatic YMMV).

So there you have it. An overall okay season but one that pales in comparison to its predecessor.

[dutifullydelicatemiracle]

Arcane is one of my favourite shows of all time but I got grievances and I need to vent!

I fell into this rabbit hole of show analysis after posting the last chapter of my fic on ao3 ‘All We’ve Left Behind’ where I start to explore my headcanon for the Day of Ash, the revolution in general and Vander and Silco’s past.

It’s a very emotional moment as Vander relives the attack on Silco in his mind, torn between the guilt and regret over what he did and the responsibility he feels now for not having been able to actually kill him and stop him for good. In my story the focus on their relationship means that everything that happens between them, then and now, has a very personal component but it’s also important to me to maintain that the rift between them is largely ideological, stemming from irreconcilable differences over how to fight for and protect their people like in season 1.

I think season 2 cheapens the whole thing by erasing all that in favour of UNEARNED personal bullshit (and overshadowing the political conflicts in general but let’s not get ahead of ourselves)

To be clear I don’t actually have a problem with the catalyst for the attack being Vander’s grief and anger over Felicia’s death because that’s a very flawed and very human reaction which is what we love about the characters in arcane. My problem is that season 2 shoehorns that in, entirely forgetting the concepts previously introduced about those characters and the conflict between them.

It doesn’t add context, it undermines what was already there.

The flashback scene in s2e5 does no favours to anybody and (together with the stroll we later take in Vander’s happy go lucky family time memories) proceeds to retroactively assassinate both of their original characterizations which we so loved.

Season 1 shows Silco as a man who was always a bit too extreme and angry, making him dangerous in the audience’s and in Vander’s eyes, but a the same time he is very ideologically sincere and sympathetic as a human with relatable vulnerabilities and trauma. His bottom line is righteous is methods are not. 10 out of 10!

As his counterpart Vander is shown as a man who WALKS HIS WAY BACK from a similar place of anger and extremism towards different values that prioritize protecting the weak over fighting for an hypothetical future. Dropping his gauntlets to become a father when faced with the horror of war. 10 out of 10!

In season 2 Vander doesn’t walk his way back from anything! They tell us he was always a piece of bread, a loving uncle that had always been very involved in the girls’s life, undermining the choice he makes to change for them in season 1.

And (in my opinion even worse) showing us the trio and Silco being so close to the girls’s mum makes everything he does in season 1, which was horrible but understandable, truly evil, cold and unforgivable. Because the implication is that he knew the girls as children, swore to their mother, a comrade, to make a better future for THEM and yet he is ready to kill them both without batting an eye. Him, a man to whom loyalty is everything?! That stinks of nonsense!

And the show knows that because it refuses to give us any more context about him whatsoever. His personality doesn’t match, he is basically absent in Vander’s memory slideshow and we get no meaningful information about their dynamic pre bridge disaster, Silco simply becomes an empty narrative foil to bend out of shape as needed.

In my opinion the writers did this for three reasons:

1. To make him an exact mirror for Powder/Jinx. On the bridge he is doing what he thinks is right but he ends up only causing death and destruction, just like Powder in e3, which is (now) the main cause of Vander’s betrayal and abandonment, like with Powder and Vi.

2. To hammer home the ‘it only takes a bad day’ idea they’re so fond of in season 2. Again reducing him, and his relationship with Vander, to a mirror for other characters, mainly Caitlyn (they are basically the same person, gay vampires with serious anger management problems, I’ll die on that hill) but also Viktor. Both of them are trying to do good from their prospective but end up committing atrocities because they are blinded by emotional pain. Reminds you of anybody? Also nobody can convince me that Vikto and Jayce aren’t meant to be the direct embodiment of Silco and Vander’s dynamic, much like Jinx and Vi, and that’s why we don’t get to see it. Guess the writers where afraid of repeating themselves too much (says sarcastically)

3. The parabole of forgiveness. Silco was a good person before the betrayal, a pretty chill dude and he could have stayed a chill dude if he’d just chosen to forgive! You get it? Systemic injustice, police brutality, the negligence and indifference of a corrupt government, the consequences of terrorism, none of that matters every character should have just forgiven each other guys and every problem would solve itself!

Ahhhhhhhhhhh! I am so unreasonably angry about all this!

They turn every relationship in the show into a mirror of itself as this grand metaphor for ‘the never ending cycle of violence’ but it’s not! It’s a damn dog chasing it’s tail! It’s like they heard the praise over the parallels in season 1 and went “Great! Now everything is a parallel! More praise please.” Entirely missing the fucking point!!! They didn’t get praised for being self referential but because the parallels were well done, contextualized and narratively justified. Which is what we lose in season 2.

None of that is bad, on the contrary, but it feels so hella contrived because it’s spottily executed and contradicts itself! They flipped it, reducing the story in service of decisions that feel arbitrary instead of allowing context to organically build the story.

Anyway I’m sorry, I feel like I’m becoming less and less coherent, I’m done with the angry rant I promise.

In truth I don’t know that I’ll ever stop grieving over the wasted potential with this story because I love it so much.

And to conclude on a more positive note I want to really stress my love and gratitude for the incredible work of art the is Arcane.

Even with everything one could complain about I still believe Arcane is a nearly perfect show. I love every character, it’s visual style is mind blowing, and the voice acting and soundtrack will forever live rent free in my head. I am still in disbelief that this story has inspired me so much that it has pushed me to actually start writing myself and even posting online which had always terrified me. We need more content like this to inspire us to be creative and bring us together.

Thank you Arcane! I desperately miss you, I love you and I will never forgive you❤️❤️❤️

[backjustforberena]

Please feel free to unleash the Rhaenys ramble 👀✨

Oh, there's always a Rhaenys ramble ready to go. Honestly, give me a word or a scene or an idea or a headcanon or whatever and I'll just go for it because that's where my head is at and, frankly, it's a hobby at this point. It's enjoyable.

But where I was last night, and still continuing on today, as I've made a few gifs to queue up and have been looking over some WIPs and headcanons set around that time, is Rhaenys in Episode 07. And trying (and failing) not to get obsessed over the iconic - well, in my head it's iconic - fireplace argument between Corlys and Rhaenys because it's so beautiful to look at, so layered and raw between the couple, beautifully acted and, of course, the first scene filmed of the whole series.

But then, also, just looking at Rhaenys overall in that episode: as a woman of grief, of anger and of love. Of her with her granddaughters, as well. Of her being politically-minded and also sick of performance, of being tightly controlled in all her splendour only to be left screaming on the floor like an animal. And I love how, always, she seems to be the more angry one out of her in Corlys. In every scene that calls for it, she is the fiercest.

Rhaenys Targaryen is in 6 scenes in 1x07. She only has any meaningful dialogue and conversation in 1 of those scenes. 2 are completely silent. 2 have superficial and very brief dialogue (consoling her granddaughters - only a few lines), and the other one only has her screaming.

Rhaenys has always been a woman of few words: she is economical. Even in the scenes where she is centre-stage, she's often very precise in her language. Radically unemotional, even - as usually these conversations are in a political sphere, if not in context then at least in subject. And in group scenes, including those at court, those on the council, other events, she rarely speaks or even takes centre-stage.

But what we get from Episode 07, I think, for Rhaenys, is some form of reckoning: a refocusing, an awareness of what matters to her and a motivation to see things done, to have something from the tragedy, and to protect and defend what was left to her. I think Laena's death was igniting something in her - but I think Laenor's death then killed it.

I'd love to know the before's and the after's of that episode. Rhaenys and Corlys finding out about Laena's death ("It was a raven that brought me news of Laena’s death. I existed for weeks in torment… refusing to believe what I’d been told. It was only when I saw my daughter’s mortal remains that I could begin to mourn her."), then receiving everyone - organising the funeral, enduring mourners and company and family and seeing her son so miserable. Being reunited with those girls who so easily and quickly become the centre of her world. The slow, agonising split between her and Corlys that becomes a complete fracture by the end of the episode.

And after the episode: how long does she scream for, what happens then? How is Laenor buried and who comes? When does they learn of Rhaenyra and Daemon's marriage? When does Corlys leave her? How does Corlys leave her? ("After Laenor was slain... I couldn't bear the face you. (then) I fled to the Stepstones seeking mine own death.")

Even moments IN the episode, just joining up the dots. All those little moments she must have had with her girls, with Corlys. We know from BTS footage that as soon as Viserys leaves, Rhaenys and the girls excuse themselves from the wake. Does she take them to their room? Get them food? Stay with them until night falls and they must sleep, at which point she goes down the Hall of Nine and that's when we get the fireplace scene? When she's just come from a picture that her daughter wanted: her daughters in her childhood home - but it's all wrong because Laena isn't there.

So yeah, many thoughts, always whirring.