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inkingtwice · 4 years ago

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Don’t mind me, I’m just trying to sort out something because I’m stalled on this fic and I suspect this is why: Si-mok’s head is such a hard one to get into. It doesn’t help that what I like best to write is the cathartic stuff that we rarely get more than a hint of in canon, and in Stranger/SF it takes a minimum of 14 episodes to build to that for good reason. (See in transit, where I needed a very wordy 25K+ words to get there and it wasn’t even his POV, and solve for x, which I had to give up on when I realized I’d basically written a 30K dark AU of season 2 before it even came out: ugh.) Si-mok needs a sustained push toward that end.

I suspect I need to work more on pinning down his character, the biggest challenge of which is how his brain surgery impacts his experience.

Not easy. I mostly prefer to splash around in the subtextual spaces of canon, and concrete info on Si-mok’s condition is fairly sparse in the show. Which isn’t to say I haven’t formed opinions (boy do I have those, buckle up): just that I think they’re incomplete.

This was outlined in what I felt were somewhat hand-wavey terms in the beginning of season 1; my initial impression was mainly that it was a plot device to set up Si-mok's character arc and the unique nature of his and Yeo-jin’s partnership. Based on what they cover in the first few episodes, he had some kind of hypersensitivity to sound, paired (?) with an intolerance for stress, leading to violent outbursts to stop the painful stimulus—which was solved by a pretty radical-sounding surgery. Stated side effects of said surgery being either extreme mood swings or no emotion at all, and Si-mok ended up with the second option. (Except Mr. Yoon does some research and thinks maybe the emotion was just suppressed for…20 years.)

Just you wait till episode 15, bub.

It’s a fictional world, is what I’m saying: I accepted it on those terms. Mainly because Cho Seung-woo sold it so well that after a few episodes I’d happily have bought the Brooklyn Bridge from him.

Personal side note: I also accepted it because some of it was familiar. Weird Tiny Me was diagnosed young with what was first believed to be a bizarre presentation of ADD, but turned out to be an auditory processing disorder. (The TL;DR version is that my hearing is unusually sensitive and my brain doesn’t filter sounds well, or discriminate easily between similar ones.) I was kicked upward a grade around the same time, and my family didn’t want me to feel/be any more Weird, so in a hilarious-in-hindsight case of paving the road with good intentions nobody told me about any of this until I was leaving for college. By then I’d cobbled together my own coping mechanisms and decided I probably wasn’t crazy, so. Here I am: meditating a lot, bringing earbuds with me everywhere, and being an aggressively visual learner and a notoriously crap conversationalist in ambient noise.

My Weird doesn’t align with this fictional one, but I had a distinct huh moment when I put together what Tiny Si-mok was experiencing, because I never expected to see it on a screen.

Anyway.

Teen Si-mok went from very smart and isolated by his hypersensitivity to sound to crazy smart and...even more isolated by the solution to his hypersensitivity to sound, which is some pretty shit luck. (I hope at some point we get to learn more about what led to taking such a drastic step—the flashbacks and tabloid comments seem to put the focus on the social element, but if it was 50/50 that he’d end up with extreme mood swings, it seems like pain had to have been the overriding factor.)

It was made pretty clear by about E5 in S1 that he could still feel some things, but that he honestly didn’t know he was doing that, which says a lot about his post-surgery experience.

I went nosing around early on for neuroscience articles about the insular cortex out of curiosity, and tentatively concluded, in my very non-neurosciency way, that it probably has something to do with processing sensory information and connecting it to emotion. (Happy/eager to be educated, by the way, if there are any neurosciencey people who want to chime in.) So, preferences and comfort/discomfort, but also the physical experience of emotion, which is kind of a lot of the experience of emotion.

I think this is borne out in the show: by episode 6 I’d decided that it was considerably less hand-wavey than my first impression—again, mainly due to Cho Seung-woo’s glorious sell.

Si-mok has no idea he’s smiling until Han Yeo-jin points it out; he has no idea he’s angry until she draws his face. The harder he’s pushed in season 1, the more pronounced his physical reactions are and, presumably, the more observable they would be to him, even if his brain doesn’t link them to emotions the way someone else’s would. I’m also inferring, on the meager evidence of a few flashbacks and the rich evidence of Cho Seung-woo’s wonderfully subtle and clockwork-consistent acting choices, that recall applies: at some level, these sensations must surely tie back to his pre-surgery memories.

(“Being pissed off is just like riding a bike!” I imagine Yeo-jin thinking right before she thumps him on the back.)

My sense is that Si-mok started to put it together in the first third of season 1, when Yeo-jin presented him with evidence and a different perspective. Also with her unique brand of support: she doesn’t demand a specific response from him except where it regards questions of morality, and more importantly she doesn’t tend to see his behavior as lacking. As @beingjanee has put so smartly in their analyses, this gives Si-mok room to interact in ways that actually are comfortable for him instead of in ways that are comfortable (or decidedly not) for other people.

He’s no longer isolated, perhaps for the first time in decades. He has someone who shares his mission and accepts his way of interacting. He starts offering small bits of personal information. He invites her into his space. His posture begins to improve. He meets her eyes, and then other people’s eyes, more and more often. His body language changes. His perspective on right and wrong changes. The overall picture is of someone who long ago decided his inner life wasn’t really relevant (or relevantly real), but who has suddenly found a space for it. How long had it been since he’d shared anything about himself with anyone? How long since he’d thought of himself as a person instead of a job?

When Yeo-jin pulls out her notebook to draw his smile and Si-mok stops her and tells her not to give him any gifts, it was a comedic moment, but I thought it was also a pretty big indicator that he had started to consider the possibility that she was right, and needed some space to figure out what that might mean. By the end of season 1, when he was comfortable enough (and self-aware enough) to express honest regret for the way he treated Eun-soo and to consciously play straightman to Yeo-jin’s jokes, there was no doubt in my mind that Si-mok knew Yeo-jin was right.

So my tentative take is that the most significant impact of Si-mok’s surgery is that it created a blind spot, which he believed was a void until Yeo-jin held up a mirror and showed him otherwise. (They’re there, you're just not showing them, she told him, and he would surely have wondered what she was seeing that made her so certain.) The side effects of the surgery would presumably mean that his emotions are something he isn’t usually able to perceive the physical evidence of—and emotion is, overall, a pretty physical experience.

But he is, through natural ability or surgical miracle, crazy smart: given enough evidence to tie the sensation to the emotion, and someone he trusts to help his brain make the leap, Si-mok learns pretty quickly.

Season two gave us a lot more to work with.

The quiet but repeated focus on Si-mok’s experiences with things he likes—cabbage, soju, cold soda after a bitch of a headache, whatever that boxed lunch was he had with Yeo-jin at the NPA—or doesn’t like—salty things, bleach smell, makgeolli, and (memorably) cooked cow intestines—feels pretty deliberate in a show that wastes not a single line or frame. The focus on him trying to sleep in an uncomfortable space does, too. (The focus on his discomfort, period. Season 1 Si-mok might have noticed but I doubt he would have cared, any more than he cared that his udon was too salty in S1E8.) His wince at the car horn in the background when he calls Kang Won-chul. The way he shakes his hand out after cutting it trying to pound open a padlock. The tap of his fingers on the steering wheel when he's driving away and that lovely song In This Silence is playing.

All of these little details point to a new physical experience: the sensory input might have been there before, but now Si-mok finds it relevant.

On a few occasions this season he even names his inner experience: I don’t enjoy this, he says to Kang Won-chul. I don’t trust him to Park Gwang-su’s widow; and I trust her to Choi Bit. And of course that lovely moment over lunch where he thinks about what could have been for Eun-soo, and Yeo-jin gives him the word for it: sad.

And then there’s the mirror that Han Yeo-jin provides; less deliberately for a lot of this season, and without the visual aid of her drawings, but maybe it’s all the more powerful for that: it forces him to reach out for what he wants—it forces him to acknowledge and act on wanting something—when this sort of soft-tissue effort must be pretty unfamiliar to him. Yeo-jin shouts at Kim Hu-jeong when her frustration gets the better of her, and she kicks her chair back and stands to address Jeon Seung-Pyo when she’s angry: Si-mok does the same things later, with the same impetus behind them. She surprises Si-mok into laughing in episode 12 (and doesn't it figure that his idea of funny would be situational irony + deadpan delivery, just as it figures that she intuited this); in episodes 15 with Kim Hu-jeong and 16 with Kang Won-chul, he’s already using it as a form of communication.

Yeo-jin leaves her colleagues behind in the council meeting to help him get somewhere quiet when one of his headaches hits, and sticks around to feed him soda and make him feel better. Three episodes later when she learns the truth about the chief she so admires, Si-mok’s attention is only for her even though he’s in the middle of interviewing someone about a case; and when she’s caught in the crossfire between the police and the prosecution—and between Si-mok’s relentless pursuit of justice and Woo Tae-has’s ruthless pursuit of power—Si-mok steps all the way outside his comfort zone to protect her.

He picked up anger and humor and worry and care in rapid succession, much faster than he did in season 1, because in season 2 he’s operating on the understanding that he is capable of these things. By that last dinner with Yeo-jin, he seemed to have developed a pretty solid grasp on bittersweet, as well.

Which is not to say I think he’s aware of all of them, or even most of them, in the moment: he still has to be pushed to the brink before his emotions and his conscious actions start to sync up. He still lacks the natural connection between his physical experience and his emotional life. (Yeo-jin pointing out to him that his headaches only seem to happen in moments of considerable stress should make for some interesting developments in season 3.)

He also doesn’t appear to be comfortable exploring this newfound experience without the support of a friend—or perhaps he just doesn’t consider it as relevant without a mirror around to show him what he's doing. (I cheered when Mr. Kim showed up in Wonju and Si-mok's immediate response was pleased surprise and a joke; I really hope they plan to make use of that relationship.) Which is practical: it doesn’t seem like he’s had anyone on his side in a very long time, and deciding something is relevant is a far cry from taking the risk of sharing it. In any case: Si-mok is out of sync with himself most of the time, but things seem to be slowly lining up—and the harder he’s pushed, the faster it happens.

...Right, now I just need to figure out how this translates into fiction.

*sigh*

#tvn stranger #tvn secret forest #stranger 2 #secret forest 2 #hwang si mok #cho seung woo #character analysis #meta #so much meta #too much meta #this is my new form of procrastination isn't it #god i hate it when i get stuck on a fic like this #i'm just going to sit in front of write or die until something happens #this is why hemingway drank isn't it #headcanon

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solve-me-a-crime · 5 years ago

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Ariadne’s thread

When I first saw the family tree in Eva’s room I thought it was confusing (I mean the way it was drawn, not the actual relationships in it), but then when I looked at it better I understood that they made it in a way that resembled a labyrinth, a labyrinth in witch all the main characters were trapped.

At the end of season 1 I thought that the Ariadne play was a metaphor for the caves beneath Winden, that the caves were the labyrinth, but now I understand that there’s another layer. The family tree is another labyrinth and the blood ties between the characters are the red thread connecting all of their actions trough time and space.

S3E01 “Nothing changes, everything remains the same, the spinning wheel turns round and round. One destiny link to the next. A thread, red like blood connects all our actions. You cannot untie the knot but you can cut trough it. He cut trough our knot with a fine knife and yet there’s something that remains unseverable”

They basically told us the plot of the series in the play, if you go and rewatch those scenes in S1 E5 and E6 and in S3 E1 you’ll see what I mean.

#dark spoilers #everything is connected #dark #dark netflix #dark season 3 #ariadne myth in dark #martha nielsen #winden #jonas kahnwald

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makeyourownmyth · 4 years ago

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best seen in 2020.

My usual caveats from previous years are still applicable here: I don’t watch most of the major nominations the years they come out, and I’m usually not much for theaters and/or current TV. However, due to the pandemic, we watched a loooooooot of content. Here’s just a list of movies that I watched or rewatched this year, that were neither terrible, nor great, but I want to make note of:

Toy Story 4, The Brothers Bloom, Happiest Season, The Peanut Butter Falcon, Moana, Mr. Right, Moulin Rouge, Ocean’s Eleven, Spring Breakers, X-Men: Dark Phoenix (this might have been the worst movie I watched this year?), Widows, Gattaca, Black Klansman, Primer, It 2, Shazam (this maybe should have gone on the Honorable Mentions - it was fun), Training Day, Parasite (OK, now I have to update my Honorable Mentions), The Green Book, Strange Days, Elf, Love & Basketball, Above the Rim, Coach Carter.

That being said, there was some bad stuff, and I try not to shit on any artist’s creations too much, because I know no one sets out to make something bad, but these didn’t work for me.

Anti

Uncut Gems - It’s not that it was BAD, it was just too stressful for me to enjoy.

Brick - It wasn’t even close to enjoyable on a rewatch that I encouraged my partner to take on for the first time. I felt bad.

Hereditary - Neither a scary movie, nor a good movie.

The Witch - Same, but maybe better made?

Under The Skin - Jesus, this was terrible. Maybe I’m not artsy enough to get it?

Now, however, let’s get to the good stuff.

Honorable Mention TV

Avatar - I can’t legitimately put it on the Best Of list, because I’m not done yet, but I’m on Book 3, after finally actually getting started. I think I tried to start this in 2016, and i know all my nerd friends have been yelling at me for a long time because I haven’t gotten to it yet, and as someone who’s almost done, I can say: they were right! It’s great.

Ozark - S1 was great. It fell off a fucking CLIFF after that. Ignore people who tell you that you HAVE to watch this. They’re wrong. It’s fine.

The Last Dance - I know the world is obsessed with Michael Jordan, and I’m glad it came out when it did, but really, all it did for me was confirm that he’s an asshole who was very fortunate to play when he did. And also that the Bulls were fucking phenomenal.

His Dark Materials - Neither as bad as some of my friends think, nor nearly as good as the books (obviously) but also not good enough that I’ve even started S2 yet, so....I guess it’s fine?

The Mandalorian S2 - I think they know what they’re doing, and it’s super enjoyable, and I loved the ending, but I’m also curious as to where they’re going now.

Fargo S3 - Given how good the rest of the series is (other than my distaste for S2, dealt with below, and out of step with pop culture) I thought this one was a misstep,

Orphan Black - I cannot believe how late I was to this, and how good it still was. It really fell apart toward the end, but the acting was incredible, and the fact that they got to tell the story they wanted to was amazing.

Best TV

7. All the Smoke with Kobe (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R3KIyEgCgc) - Maybe it was just his death, but it hits hard, and I miss him. Does this even count as TV?

6. Looking for Alaska - It felt like gratuitous masochism to watch this and enjoy it, being 20 years older than when I fell for it, and feeling ashamed of the young person I was, but even knowing what was coming, I was weeping when it happened. Even knowing that they were ultimately going on a fruitless search and yelling at the TV while the Colonel and Pudge were searching for “signs” and hating them for it, I remember feeling like everything HAD to happen for a reason when I was this young... So yeah. It’s pure nostalgia for me. I’d be super interesting in hearing how kids responded to it.

5. Locke and Key - I get that some people feel like they don’t need old shit in a new medium, but for me, I’m always up to try it out. If it’s fun, I’ll stick with it. And this is. It’s fun, it’s got some of the old shit, it’s got some new shit, and it’s a treat to see my favorite comic of the last decade in a new medium. Haters need a new bit.

Fargo s1 and s4 (I didn’t love S3) - I know that I’m in the minority here, but I think 1 and 4 are the best and 2 was good, and 3 was fine. I literally watched all of this show this year, though, so I didn’t have the same time to digest as others. But I think that’s a benefit in some regards?

4. Magicians s5 - One of the saddest conversations of the last year to two was when a nerd friend of mine said he didn’t like The Magicians because all of the characters were whiny and self-indulgent. For me, that was almost literally the point: they shoved Q into the corner and told the story of the others (at least one episode quite self-referentially so) and it was so much better for that. I wish it hadn’t ended, but I’m glad they left it where they did, because it was so good.

3. Devs esp. The beginning of e5 - Jesus. The show of the year? Except for the fact that Watchmen came out at the tail end of last year, and I didn’t have it on my 2019 list? I mean, honestly, is there a show more tailored to me? I’m not gonna get into any spoilers, but it’s a quick watch, and it’s fucking fantastic. Watch it, have your mind blown by the concept, especially in the beginning sequence of E5, and then stick around for the subpar ending where basically all of the threads are resolved in the least good way.

2. Watchmen - This deserves multiple re-watches and all the praise that people heaped upon it.

1. The Good Place - I know, objectively, that Watchmen was a better show than The Good Place. But this is my list, and I’ll be damned if anything overtakes my favorite sitcom (maybe of all time?) for best of the year. I know it barely just ended this year, and there’s plenty of acclaim to go around for this show, but honestly, every time I talk to anyone about it, it feels like they kind of laugh it off. This show is not only worth your time, but should almost be considered must-watch material. If more people watched this show, we wouldn’t need the insult “sophomoric” to describe people who’ve just had their minds blown by Philosophy 101, and we’d be better off as a species.

Honorable Mention Movies

In this order, and you can take the comedies and make them the only honorable mentions, if you’d like to make a nice, even top 10. (Until I saw Tenet the night before I posted this.( (And then I looked back at the playing cards that we use to randomly choose movies and I found that I needed to modify the Honorable Mentions and the Best Of lists.)

21 and 22 Jump Street - In general, I’m not a fan of comedies. So I’m happy I watched these, thanks to Nathan Zed, and they’re funny. Good work guys.

Palm Springs - Apparently there’s now backlash against Groundhog Day? I dunno, man, it was fun, and all the actors seemed like they were having a good time, and I was down for it.

Parasite - I can’t add anything to this that hasn’t already been shouted from the rooftops, so let me just briefly say that I thought it was great, but it didn’t quite make the list of best. The combo of genres was great, the cast was fantastic, but what I loved the most about it was how quiet it was.

Best Movies

10. Blinded by the Light - Way more resonant than I thought it’d be from the previews, and I already thought it was gonna be stellar. I didn’t take into account TIME along with place, and that made a hell of a difference for this movie.

9. Shoplifters - Yeesh. What a tough watch, but so good, and so necessary. For me, I think we watched it back to back to back with Parasite and I, Tonya, and this one just stood out so much more. The storyline was softer all the way through, but really had gravitas simultaneously.

8. Tenet - It was fucking fun! I don’t get the hate! I liked it, I’ll like it more next time I see it, and I wish I’d seen it on the big screen, but I’m super glad I could see it on my TV!

7. I, Tonya - Geez, what a powerhouse of acting. Not only did they get me to feel good about the villain of my childhood, they got me to feel good about Margot Robbie, who I’d only thought of as a hot lady before. Superb acting from everyone else, too, and what a great pick up to be like, yeah, this is the story we’re gonna tell.

6. I Am Not Your Negro - I avoided watching it for so long because I was already depressed this year, and I didn’t think I needed any more of that, but it turns out I did, and I always do, from Baldwin. He’s a master for a reason.

5. Hamilton - I know there was some backlash with the time difference, and I’m sure it was better to see it pre-2016 in the theater, where it’s meant to be seen, but I’m not a billionaire New Yorker, and I was plenty happy to see it when and where I could.

4. Won’t You Be My Neighbor - I mean...what do you think? It’s so much exactly what you’re thinking it is, but then it’s even better, because it’s the real deal, and he was so good, and it’s so pure. Watch it.

3. Her Smell - Elizabeth Moss has already gotten all the acclaim, but to play this different of a role, in a movie that felt as stressful as Uncut Gems, but pulled off an actual plot so much more successfully? I can’t believe this one didn’t get more pub, but then again, yes I can: it’s a movie about a girl band that rages against the machine, and she’s got severe issues. Small surprise that the people didn’t react well. Seek this one out!

2. Arrival - Yes, I am going to totally cheat and put a movie that’s appeared on my list (sooooo long ago) as the #2 entry this year. You know why? Cuz fuck 2020, and this is a great movie, and it’s the movie that made me feel second best this year. It’s incredible, and I know people appreciated it in its time, but I feel like they should appreciate it even more.

1. Moonlight - It’s not a shock, nor am I trying to appease anyone with anything. It’s just that I finally watched it, and it’s the best movie I saw this year. I don’t think I could possibly add anything to the authentic critics who have already heaped praise upon it, but I do have to say that it’s all due, and so much more. The acting obviously stands out, but the direction, from the color palettes, to the choice of when and where (and how) to break it up, are all masterful choices.

#moonlight #2020 #eoy #best of lists #movies and tv #arrival #her smell #the good place #watchmen #devs

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ldso-tron · 6 years ago

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Is TRON 2.0 a CRPG?

As I mentioned previously, many were against the inclusion of TRON 2.0 in the upcoming CRPG Book because they don’t consider it a “true” CRPG (Computer Role Playing Game).

They likely consider TRON 2.0 to be an Action or Adventure RPG (ARPG), and that’s definitely a fair argument.

Okay, so what’s the definition of a CRPG, then? Well . . . ask many different people, and you’ll get just as many different answers.

But, there’s a forum post on the site RPGWatch that seems to be commonly cited as a good “litmus test” for whether or not a game meets the requirements.

So, just for fun, let’s see if TRON 2.0 meets the RPGWatch requirements to actually be classified as a CRPG.

Strap yourselves in, because this is going to be a long post! I wanted to do TRON Evolution as well, but then this would become far too lengthy. Will have to save it for another time!

Character Development

Describes ways to create, change or enhance your characters in order to increase their effectiveness in the game.

Must Have

C1: you can control and role-play one (=Avatar) or more (=Party) unique characters (-> not only uniform units)

TRON 2.0 meets this basic requirement. (As do most games.)

C2: you can progressively develop your characters' stats and/or abilities (-> e.g. through an in game value (usually exp. points) gained by quests, exploration, conversation, combat, …)

Yes, definitely present in TRON 2.0. (Subroutines = Skills/Equipment, Performance Ratings = Character stats, Build Points = Experience points.)

C3: Checks against character stats and/or character abilities/skills are necessary to make progress and finish the game

Arguably, yes, this is the case in TRON 2.0. You could, in theory, finish the entire game with just the basic Disc Primitive and never upgrade. But it would make completing the campaign far more difficult and, frankly, tedious. Not to mention, upgrading Jet’s jumping ability (Y-Amp subroutine) is absolutely necessary. Or else, you won’t be able to jump high enough to progress through levels.

C4: you can equip and enhance your characters with items you acquire

Again, yes, this is present in TRON 2.0. (Subroutines.)

Should Have

C5: you can create your characters

No, TRON 2.0 doesn’t have this. But it’s a “should have” and therefore not a requirement.

C6: the player needs preplanning for the development of the character(s)

Again, not present in TRON 2.0. But, again, not a requirement.

C7: the primary means of problem solving, gameworld interaction and overcoming challenges is the tactical use of character/party skills/abilities (-> the player's physical coordination skills are secondary)

Arguably, yes, this happens in TRON 2.0. Defeating enemies (mainly bosses) requires using certain skills/abilities to defeat them more easily. Otherwise, defeating them becomes a chore. Also, this is again where the Y-Amp subroutine becomes essential. (Skill/Subroutine needed to overcome challenges in the game world.)

Exploration

Includes how you can move through the game world, as well as everything you can find, see, manipulate or interact with, like locations, items and other objects.

Must Have

E1: your character(s) can interact with the gameworld and find new locations by exploring.

Interaction, yes. Definitely in TRON 2.0. (Then again, most game worlds are “interactive” these days, encouraging exploration.) Finding new locations by exploring . . . arguably, yes.

E2: your character(s) can find items that can be collected in an inventory (-> there have to be more item types than quest items, weapons, ammunition and consumable stat boosters.)

TRON 2.0 features an inventory system, yes. (The System memory screen, where you store subroutines.)

E3: your character(s) can find information sources (-> e.g. NPCs, entities, objects that provide info)

Yes. You talk to NPCs (Civilian programs), and collect E-Mails that provide a backstory to TRON 2.0.

Should Have

E4: there are NPCs in the game

Yes. Civilian programs you can talk to in TRON 2.0.

E5: you can choose a path (-> there is at least some branching)

Are there branching paths in TRON 2.0? Not really. It’s mostly linear. You could make the (admittedly tenuous) argument that there are a couple of choices that prevent you from experiencing all the game has to offer (the ICPs listening to the Light Cycle races, skipping participating in Light Cycle races yourself). But, again, this isn’t a requirement.

E6: your character(s) can manipulate the game world in some way (-> e.g. pull levers, push buttons, open chests, …)

Yes, TRON 2.0 has plenty of this. (Switches = Levers/Buttons, Archive Bins = Chests.)

E7: the gameworld can affect your character(s) (-> e.g. weather, traps, closed doors, poisoned areas, …)

Yes, there are many areas that can damage or trap Jet in TRON 2.0. (Corrupted floors and the “Format wall” are just two examples.)

E8: there are initially inaccessible areas in the gameworld that can only be reached by enhancing your characters' abilities, solving quests or puzzles (-> e.g. unlock locked areas, overcome obstacles, repair bridges, dispel barriers, …)

TRON 2.0 is chock full of this. Hunting down permissions to open doors, lower force fields, turn on energy bridges, and so on.

Story

Concerns all narrative elements like setting, lore, plot, characters, dialogue, quests, descriptions, storyline(s) and similar, including how you can interact with them.

Must Have

S1: your character(s) can get information from information sources (-> e.g. hints, goals, quests, skills, spells, training, …)

Yes, there are quests/goals (the Status Display, aka Jet’s Task list), tutorials/training, and hint/information sources (Help Files, E-Mails, Build Notes) in TRON 2.0.

S2: your character(s) can follow quests (-> there is at least one main quest)

Again, Jet’s Task list in TRON 2.0. Yes.

S3: your character(s) can progress through connected events and play their role

Arguably, yes. Jet, the character you play as, is the common element that ties together all the different story threads in TRON 2.0.

Should Have

S4: the story is influenced by your decisions and your characters' actions and stats/abilities/skills.

This is another tenuous one. Does the player’s decisions as Jet influence the story of TRON 2.0? This hearkens back to “branching paths”. Not really, no. Again, the path through the game is pretty linear. But, this isn’t a requirement.

S5: your character(s) can interact with information sources (-> e.g. NPC conversation, riddle statue question, …)

This is virtually a repeat of a previous requirement. Yes, TRON 2.0 has plenty of this.

S6: your character(s) can make choices in those interactions

Yes, see the answer to E5.

S7: at least some of these choices have consequences

Yes, though it’s minor. (Potentially missing out on Build Points, so you can’t maximize Jet’s version score at the end of the TRON 2.0 Single Player campaign.)

S8: advancing in the story requires thinking of the player (-> e.g. irreversible choices, moral dilemma, riddles, …)

You can definitely make choices that are irreversible in TRON 2.0 (without loading an earlier saved game, that is), and prevent you from experiencing all the game has to offer. Again, see the answer to E5.

Combat

Describes how combat (or more general: conflict resolving) corresponds with elements of Character Development, Exploration and Story.

Should Have

F1: Combat efficiency is in some way tied to character stats or abilities (-> e.g. amount of damage, chance to hit, weapon access, …)

Absolutely. Subroutines can become infected by corruption, making combat less effective in TRON 2.0. Subroutines can also be upgraded, making them more effective. Performance Rating stats can be upgraded, too.

F2: Combat works with some random elements (game internal dice rolls)

Yes. Most notably, the Ball subroutines are unpredictable and somewhat random in TRON 2.0, in terms of the damage they cause.

F3: Combat should provide some challenge (-> e.g. preparing, use of tactics or environment possible)

Definitely the case. Preparing Jet’s subroutine loadout in TRON 2.0, before combating certain enemies, is a challenge. In the sense of determining which subroutines will be the most effective against a particular type of enemy.

What’s the conclusion, then?

In terms of “Must Haves” for a CRPG, I would argue that TRON 2.0 meets all the Character Development, Exploration, and Story requirements. And it even meets many of the “Should Have” requirements, though not all of them.

So, yes, I say that TRON 2.0 is a CRPG, based on the RPGWatch checklist.

- TronFAQ

#LDSO #tron #tron 2.0 #crpg #book #pc #game #video games #computer games #computer #rpg #tron evolution #tron runr #tron legacy #tron uprising

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jokocraft · 8 years ago

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[long meta] the hidden depths of voltron S1 E6

part 1: lance’s literal awakening and keith’s metaphorical one

(if you already know where I’m going with this, you might find part 2: an entire subtextual plot in S1 E6? - in this same post - more interesting)

I’ve been rewatching season 1, and I got to episode 5 with the bonding moment and was like yeahh but then I got to the beginning of E6, with everyone waiting for lance to be released from the healing pod, and I was like wait. I never really thought twice about the scene before, but this time around I was like...hold the phone.

what is keith’s reasoning for being impatient in this scene, anyway? like, if everyone else can wait a few ticks for lance to wake up, why can’t you?

is this just your Personality, to be an impatient nuisance sometimes, haha queue comedic intro? well, while keith is often impatient, it’s usually during situations involving life or death decisions. and since lance isn’t about to die, and the timing of his release from the pod doesn’t put anyone else’s life at risk...

since i trust the vld writers enough at this point (at least with keith, i guess...?) to not make characters do shit for no good reason, i don’t think keith was being impatient for the hell of it, especially to do with someone he’s made a point of *Shrug* Not Really caring about -- that is, until shit went down in E5 and keith dropped that pretense like it was hot and didn’t hesitate to initiate the famed bonding moment.

my point here about this scene in E6, is that it’s directly linked to E5′s bonding moment, like 100%. maybe you’re like DUH OBVIOUSLY - and you’d be right, cause it’s obvious to me now and I was probably just being really slow on the uptake - but nevertheless, i don’t think we should hang up the the phone there...

i think that - well, with the “cradled you in my arms” line, we all kind of know - that keith took that bonding seriously to some extent. but to what extent? just seriously enough to be annoyed with lance’s response? personally, I think keith took it seriously enough that he truly believed a major shift had occurred between them - a shift, if my thoughts here are on the right track, he’d probably been hoping for (perhaps only subconsciously) since this scene:

it’s from the tail end of S1E2, after they successfully form voltron for the first time. i referred to this frame as “first time keith realizes that lance is actually kind of cool”. the way I interpreted this was that now, keith can no longer see lance as >insert stereotypes here< and predictable, but rather as someone interesting and possibly full of surprises and definitely worth paying attention to after all. but in this episode, keith’s still too closed off emotionally to acknowledge at maybe his new perspective of lance is making him wish things between them were different - not so they could be BFFs like lance and hunk are, but something else....something he can’t yet put into words (space ranger partners).

god they r all 3 uber-dorks okay

anyway

back to E6, I’m now imagining that keith has spent the last 24 hours secretly relishing the idea that he’s finally (for the first time in his life??) got himself a friend that is both a peer and someone that he feels instinctually closer to compared to other peers. (shiro is of course someone he feels instinctually closer to, but he is not quite a peer in age or maturity. the stuff can you do with a mentor/idol is definitely not the same stuff you can do with another shitting teenager like yourself).

buuuut we all know keith’s about to be disappointed when reality rears its ugly head and lance says some bullshit to allura again. “classic”. and so, from keith’s perspective, the reality is this: despite any shift between them that lance definitely felt (he saw it with his own eyes dammit), lance must have nevertheless interpreted it in a way did not put them the same page. fukin sux

poor keith. don’t we all hate when we hype something up in our minds and it turns out we were totally off the fucking mark all along? I imagine right now that he’s busy mentally burying his disappointment six feet deep. (note to remember for later: you can also see in the image above that shiro has the highest tolerance for lance’s shit.)

((((((( also eye-narrow worthy, but....perhaps...meaningless........hm:

when coran presents the ticker when the topic of ticks vs seconds comes up, hunk and pidge come over to look instantly. allura is shown walking over to the group moments later at 22:00 into the episode. shiro is shown watching from where he stands a few feet away. and keith is just ... ... ... absent from this exchange for 4 seconds before he’s briefly shown finally walking into the frame at 22:04. for four whole seconds he was just...what? staring, I guess? at lance, waiting, probably feeling determined to Be There when lance woke up. but not so determined that he’d risk someone calling him out for it. (but shiro is likely an exception for him: shiro doesn’t have his back turned, and so keith must trust him not to raise an eyebrow if keith kinda wanted to, you now, Be There.) )))))))

anywaaaaaay

we know that burying disappointment not so simple as pushing it away and never feeling it again. because like keith, when present reality doesn’t match our perceived reality, we’re like, “wtf? where did i go wrong? how did i misinterpret this? was I delusional?” and sometimes we’re like, “no, fuck you reality, I was not delusional, not this time, I was not wrong.” And voila, here you see keith in all that frustration: he’s planted himself as much in lance’s line of sight as he can without just straight up taking the yellow mouse’s seat right in front of the bowl of goo. keith clearly intends to be acknowledged. or at the very least, to glean some clue from lance’s behavior as to why he’s being Capital-I Ignored.

keith stays quiet during the conversation at the table until lance make a quip about the mice besting them all, and keith makes his salt known:

BITCH WHAT HTE FUCK? DID U NOT SEE HOW VALIANT I WAS PROTECTING YOUR ASS? I WAS THE SHIT! NOW STOP SPOONFEEDING THOSE FUCKING MICE I SWEAR TO

lance goes onto totally dismiss what keith did and this is....honestly not what keith expected

lance isn’t even making a dumb joke, he’s just being an asshole, plain and simple. keith now is like *softly* bitch what the fuck. “We had a bonding moment. I cradled you in my arms!” keith says, trying to look indignant, because alternative emotions are supposed be buried six feet deep.

but it’s no use, he’s stonewalled and subject-changed. and while we the audience know that the overly-defensive tone of lance’s stonewalling practically confirms that he remembers, we can only hope that lance realizes this too and is able to feel a pinch of salty relief.

it’s my conclusion that the whole point of these beginning scenes is not just to have some character interaction and a bit of thrown-in development, but to provide legit exposition and rising action to the fully-fledged subtextual plot of ep6. Read part 2 below, an elaboration of what I mean by this.

part 2: an entire subtextual plot in S1 E6?

(apologies to anyone else may have posted similar conclusions and I just totally missed them)

so here i get into are more circumstantial stuff. maybe my reasoning is clouded by ship-goggles, or maybe it’s the opposite, when armed with the interpretation lens that season 3 is all but dreamworks-signed confirmation that Keith and Lance’s relationship is intended to be something more than BFF friendship, and always has been, and everything about their relationship from S1E1 to S3E7 is very deliberate in order to make their future endgame as believable, nuanced, and in depth as is possible for a younger audience show.

assuming that this interpretation of S3 is not totally mistaken, then I contend that S1E6, in its entirety, is a far more momentous step in their relationship than all previous S1 episodes combined, including the bonding moment.

basically, hunk wants to fulfill his promise to save his girlfriend shay, but allura decides a new incoming distress beacon needs to be looked into first. they arrive, and very unlike shay’s introduction (S1E5), characterized by dull colors, distrust, and caution....

E6′s introduction to rolo and nyma is characterized by brightness colors, camaraderie, and repose. some quality irony here. tbh, It’s a fantastic way of fLipPing The ScrIPT if you ask me Hunk.

also I suppose it should be mentioned that shay is meant to be noted for her tattered clothes, androgyny, and lack of traditional beauty (but we aren’t fooled, shay is perfect) while rolo and nyma are clearly typed to be MUTHAFUCKIN SEX BEASTS. nyma is very overtly feminine and rolo is equally masculine.

as expected, lance swoons and does his gig. even says “Name’s Lance” which uh, de ja vu anyone ahem episode uno? as the episode progresses, it becomes clear that lance is going hella overboard, b/c even shiro (who, remember, has the highest tolerance for lance’s shit) is like for the love of fuck-

that night, there’s a bonfire, and rolo starts getting into his backstory. it’s worth noting that that besides space parents shiro and allura, keith is the only other paladin there listening. anyway rolo mentions sendak, immediately acknowledging him as a major threat. the point of that: considering just earlier in the episode, keith mentioned sendak’s threat to lance and lance promptly didn’t give a shit.....

even from profile view, keith’s expression in this frame ^ is distinctly similar to his expression from before (last frame from part 1), e.g. wide eyes revealing vulnerability, small frown, etc. i would take a gander that this is the moment that keith decides to...let things play out, rather than support hunk’s suspicions.

(why? maybe because he sees lance being a dipshit and if hunk’s right, and these people are liars and cheats, then lance is going to get what he deserves. but, i admit, such a theory has no basis in canon.)

meanwhile lance is being a dipshit and lets nyma inside the castle while the others aren’t looking. she plays him like a fiddle to get to the lions specifically, and at this point, the keen viewer is really starting to wonder why he’s being so dumb.

and this is important: I do not believe the writers were making him dumb because that’s his Personality. Just like keith’s impatience with the healing pod, there’s gotta be a reason behind his behavior beyond “that’s just how he is, that’s just what’s happening right now, don’t look into it too hard”.

I believe - going off of lance’s highly defensive refusal to acknowledge the bonding moment with keith earlier - he’s in a rather delicate emotional state right now, whether he consciously realizes it or not.

regardless of what keith might believe at this point, I think the reality is that lance sure as hell did remember. and although lance’s interpretation was probably different, it was different in the opposite way keith probably imagined (i.e. an even more dramatic and sentimental interpretation than keith’s). but the real divide between them at the beginning of E6 is their reactions to their own interpretations of the bonding moment:

keith reaction: omg a real friend?? for me?? maybe jesus does love me

lance reaction: lies jesus lies i have never had a gay thot in my entire life nope

one of the big reasons I’m fairly confident I’m not just making lance’s reaction up totally with ship-goggles is because of this slap-in-the-face parallel:

of ALL the things that could have been done, nyma is cradling lance in her arms, the very thing lance wants to deny even to himself ever happened with a certain someone else.

if you’re followin my theory, i think it could go like this:

because of the bonding moment, keith’s mind promoted his relationship with lance from we’re-both-in-voltron to F IS FOR FRIENDS, but i think from what can be seen of lance’s vastly exaggerated womanizing behaivor all E6, lance’s mind promoted his relationship with keith from grumpy-voltron-frenemy to ...

...

... something he can’t yet bring himself to put into words (space ranger partners, italicized coughcough)

honestly, the frame of lance in nyma’s arms is a little depressing when put in context with the beginning of the episode. what is lance thinking, in this moment? or trying not to think about? is he telling himself on repeat: this is what I want, this is what I wanted, this is how it’s supposed to go, this is who it’s supposed to be -- he’s 100% blushing when she asks him to take her on a ride around moon, holding him like this.

this post is cancelled if keith’s explicitly mentioned cradling is somehow not intended to be totally parallel to this scene right here with lance blushing.

(sorry little baby cuban, but it is not mindless bromance that is in your future.)

immediately after this, lance seems to check back into reality, and shows some resistance to nyma’s request. but then:

TRIGGERED

chances are, nyma made an educated guess that lance - like any hopeless romantic douche (psa i still love lance with my whole soul) - would react stupidly and competitively when threatened to be bested by another suitor. but there is a smidgen of possibility that she’s smart as FUCK (which there’s plenty of evidence of) and she knew that there could be only ONE1 reason lance could be overcompensating so obsessively. and out of other TeenPaladins, keith’s the hottest. i wouldn’t put it past this chick to put 2 and 2 and 5 together to get 69 and be correct.

bonus: she mentions how the minerals of the kinetic spring “reflect off the water, making a rainbow”. Also, I’m almost certain someone has pointed this out before, but I guess I’ll do it again - the bisexual flag colors are pink, lavender, and blue, and this background..!.............but that’s just whiteboard conspiracy silliness, surely. surely.

necessary? i think not

((((((( also on a related note, i’ve watched this clip below like eight times because I have a feeling that this sequence is some kind of subtle parallel or reference to something as well. on the surface, lance appears to be surprised and blush when nyma rests her head against his armpit side and starts laughing.

it just caught me off guard like, why would this bit be included? we already know that lance is infatuated with her, so what’s the point? why waste time and frames to keep making the same point? ... oR is there some other point that’s trying to be made and I am blind to see it? right now I can’t come up with anything, but if you have any ideas, definitely let me know. )))))))

meanwhile...

keith stap.

and so lance’s massive fuck up comes to a peak, and he’s so desperate for this thing with nyma to work (so desperate to prove to himself that nothing’s changed, he’s still the same, a beautiful girl is still what he wants, what he needs) that for one sad moment he’s actually willing to believe nyma’s a dominatrix before he’s willing to believe that she’d been playing him all along...

(how can I be mad at this boy?)

the others start the pursuit to save lance, and i think that it’s clever how keith was given the spotlight in the blue lion’s recovery via navigating the asteroid belt. that pursuit scene was very flexible in its requirements for how it needed to go, technically keith’s role doing that was interchangeable, and so the whole sequence could have been designed in a way to cater to another lion’s strengths. but.

“This kid can flat-out fly,” says rolo. the title of this episode is “Taking Flight”. why would the title of this episode, in which, tbh, keith hardly does anything for a majority of it, be dedicated to this relatively predictable space car chase?

A: because it enables keith to say that he got is lion back. I saved your ass AGAIN and this time you can’t deny it!

and because of this experience, lance now has come to understand (to at least some extent) that there’s no point in wishing that he’d had his Magical Moment of Connection™ with some cool and pretty girl like he’d always imagined.

maybe, very very deep down, he’s begun to realize that the moment was only magical in the first place because it was with keith.

keith, who keeps coming through for him when it matters most.

the episode comes full circle, and - going along with my theory so far - the real conflict has been resolved. One might argue all that this “subtext” was just a subplot to the main plot of learning their lesson with the bounty hunters and always listening to hunk because he’s right and shay is 1000% more pure than rolo and nyma combined, tattered clothes be damned.

Or like me, one could argue that all that non-subtextual stuff��(not counting the interspersed, juxtaposed scenes of Overarching Plot, Starring Your Hosts Haggar and Zarkon) was just an external plot chalk full of thematic parallels tailor-made to accommodate the true purpose of the episode: for lance and keith to come to terms with each other in the aftermath of the subtle but major shift that’s occurred between them.

lance took a big step in this one episode by going from total denial to verbal acceptance (for everyone to hear) of a bonding moment, in fact, existing.

and keith did good by accepting lance as he is and choosing not to continue resenting him for how he first reacted. its safe to say that keith progressed in character even more than lance, which I think is why he wins the focus of the episode title, because what he learned was that if he wants a deeper friendship with lance, fate’s not going to hand it to him in a healing pod. he has to do his part developing it. he has to work for it.

knowing keith, that’s a pretty tall order. but at least this time, keith got to Be There for lance after all.

Here is a follow up post: link

#klance #vld #voltron meta #meta #keith kogane

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theyapper0 · 4 years ago

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Amphibia season 2 rewatch + notes :)

So here is my season 2 Amphibia analysis stew as promised! I hope you enjoy! I had more than a fee break through regarding theories and what not!!!

S2: E1 Handy Anne

Anne is having some pretty bad memories about all the shit that went down at Toad Tower with Sasha, I feel bad for her :( they're all only 13,,,

Anne: The house… Everything I worked so hard to protect

The second time (I think) we officially see Anne's eyes glowing blue! The first time was in season 1 but it was only for half a second and frankly, when I first saw it, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me or it was some animation eerie BUUUUT!!

This time we KNOW it was on purpose, it wasn't quick and it even gave a little 'shing!' sound effect!

I love seeing how the blue heart stone is evoking itself in Anne through passionate, emotionally driven situations like right now!!

I think Anne worked so hard to protect the house and the Planters this episode is not only because this is just how Anne Is but also because she probably felt a little more than helpless during Toad Tower, she couldn't help or protect Sasha and was helpless to just watch her best friend just fall to her death (before getting saved by Grime of course but still).

Also Hop Pop says it takes 2 weeks to get to Newtopia, obviously they had a lot of stops and interruptions on the way but if they DIDN'T, it would've been 2 weeks. But that got me thinking…

If Sasha and Grime are going to Wartwood in season 3, do you think we'll get some episodes with just them and their travels there? I think it would be cool to have more Sasha and Grime episodes!!!

S2: E1 Fort in the Road

Hop Pop is so cute, I can't even get mad at him and all his rules,,,

Okay so that ancient technology with all the old frog structures are apparently called "The Ruins of Despair" and they've been around longer than any written history

I wonder if they had another name before that or of they were renamed by King Andrias (who we know is like over 1,000 years old) as a way to scare people into not looking or checking out the ruins since they are super important ancient tech

Sprig: Forget the rules! This place has everything! Cool atmosphere, implied historical significance!

Oh if only you knew my sweet baby boy,,,

ALSO THE TECH GLOWS BLUE... JUST SAYING

I wonder if there are more buildings that make robots around Amphibia as well.

Anne: You know, there was a time I would pick out the bug bits [of the crickets and cream ice cream] THAT TIME HAS PASSED!!

I can't believe Anne just,,, eats bugs now. That habit is gonna be hard to break.

We know Sasha wasn't eating bugs if the food they had at Toad Tower was anything to go off of, so I wonder if Marcy was eating bugs. If she was, it was probably super fancy ones like beetles (are beetles considered a delicacy in Amphibia? I dunno) since she was living with King Andrias

Whatever, her and Anne could potentially bond over eating bugs then. Sasha thinks it's DISGUSTING

Also,

FROBO!!!! MY SOOOOON!!!

S1: E4 Toadcatcher

I mean, I know we talk about Marcy's self destructive tendencies but I think we gloss over Sasha's. She does NOT want to think about what happened in Toad Tower, she literally throws herself into her training to the point of obsession to AVOID thinking about it.

Also, omg Sasha has Suspicion Island downloaded on her phone too, I wonder if she and Anne would talk about the show a lot with each other.

And Grime letting himself go and basically leaving everything to Sasha was a pretty dick move. I mean, I know he basically lost everything and has the emotional competence of a meatball but COME ON. Sasha has to fend for herself and Grime WHILE repressing the SHIT out of her trauma, but I get it honestly. They aren't close yet, I know.

But I think it's amazing how much their relationship has grown. Like, the end of season 2 Grime would NEVER do that to Sasha.

Grime 'You hate the sword don't you, I knew I should've gotten a gift receipt!' Would rather die than see his daughter repress her emotions like that and not be there for her.

Their relationship has just come so far y'all,,,

GENERAL YUNAN!!!!!!!

SCOURGE OF THE SAND WARS, DEFEATOR OF RAGNAR THE WRETCHED, AND THE YOUNGEST NEWT TO EVER ACHIEVE THE RANK OF GENERAL IN THE GREAT NEWTOPIAN ARMY!!

SHE'S HERE!!

(Also doesn't the Newtonian flag kinda look like The Night? Or is it just me,,,?)

Yunan just cartwheeled out of the bar, she just,,, does that

God I'm in love.

Yunan taught Marcy how to make GREAT entrances and exits, you CAN'T convince me otherwise

(Yes I am a supporter of General Yunan and Lady Olivia being together AND adopting Marcy FIGHT ME-)

And all those dramatic poses Yunan does when she introduces herself, she definitely learned those from Marcy, there's not a doubt in my mind.

Aw Grime still has something left to fight for, it's his and Sasha's friendship I'M-

Did Sasha and Grime really come up with the idea of leading a rebellion to take over the capital from a fucking adrenaline rish after fighting Yunan? That's HILARIOUS

S2: E5 Wax Museum

I honestly didn't think I'd make an analysis of the Gravity Falls parody (even though it is SUPER FUNNY) but I nearly forgot this is where we see the Skip Man!!!!

So Mr. Ponds (again, fucking HILARIOUS) told Anne while she was in that wax tube thing that he found it in Newtopia!

Now this could mean 2 things depending on WHEN he actually found it.

1- It's Marcy's and she dropped it somewhere and he found it which I doubt considering I don't think Marcy would have a Skip Man if Anne's PARENTS had one

2- This is what a I believe more. This was from King Andrias somehow. That maybe from all his weird, crazy, colonizer multiple universes thing he has going on, must have dropped or left or something with that Skip Man for Mr. Ponds to just find it lying around in Newtopia

I dunno how important the Skip Man is to the overall plot line but I DO know that this means there are OTHER ways of getting to other worlds besides the Calamity Box then, or at least showing us that we could transport things to other worlds.

S2: E6 Marcy at the Gates

MARCY MARCY MARCY MARCY MARCY MARCY!!!!!

Oh wow, I didn't even know Marcy was warped right inside the Newtopian city walls when she got transported here, I figured she teleported right outside or at least a couple miles away. Buuuut thinking about it now it makes sense, there's no way Newtopia would just let in any ol' rando, especially not some creature they've never seen before.

Hop Pop: Marcy, how would you like to be adopted?

SHE WOULD LIKE THAT A LOT ACTUALLY

Okay okay GREEN EYES GREEN EYES!!! Marcy's eyes (as we all know) turned green in this episode!

Since the gem of wit (what Marcy has) is green, it makes sense that her eyes would turn green in this scene! Her last line just before they turned green was:

Hop Pop: Who knew those ants were so bouncy!

Marcy: I did! Because I studied them!!

Marcy studies, she learns, and applies her knowledge like, all the time. And she did so here as well, she was not only proving her agency to Anne, she was protecting her skill of knowledge to ALL of them! To show them ALL how much she's learned here in Amphibia!

I believe the next time we see her eyes glow in season 3, it will be in a situation with a similar case. To show everyone her knowledge or her applying said knowledge in things (and those things are most likely life or death situations)

LADY OLIVIA!!!! HEY GIRL!!!

I LOVE how they introduced King Andrias at the very end with him looking down and watching over the group from his castle and then saying how all the pieces are coming together along with the flipwort board!!! Such a great way of showing how he was the big baddie this entire time!!

S2: E7 Scavenger Hunt

Okay I was right, Marcy DOES eat bugs like Anne does, if her saying that Burg makes the 'best beetle burgers in all of Newtopia' was anything to go off of

Sorry Sasha, I guess you're alone in the whole not eating bugs thing.

But I'm still wondering what types of bugs qualify as a sort of delicacy in Amphibia because now we know it's not beetles if they're in plain ol' burgers (or maybe they COULD be if you prepare them right?)

Listen LISTEN, I HATE King Andrias for all his killing a 13 year old (especially MARCY!!) And not to mention all his COLONIZING but,,,

I think it's the cutest thing EVER that instead of just giving Marcy a message, he makes it into a puzzle for her to solve because! Marcy! Loves! Puzzles!

(But I do know he only does this not because he cares but because he wants to make her think that he does. That he does care for her and cares enough to set things up in ways that she likes. That he is only using her for her skills and brain. And because he is GROSS AND MEAN AND-)

Anne's ability to form such close knit bonds so easily and not to mention quickly (And half the time by accident) is something that I touched upon in the Season 1 analysis stew with Sasha!

I said that Sasha felt lesser in terms of relationships when compared to Anne. Because Anne can make these amazing relationships where people are willing to risk their lives for her, because Anne has this wonderful support system and Sasha doesn't (or, at least not at the time).

Sasha didn't have anyone to help hold her at Toad Tower but Anne did. Sasha didn't want to drag down one of the only people she actually cared about. She wants to PROTECT Anne, not see her hurt, suffering and struggling to hold her up.

And that is exactly how Marcy feels, or at least in a way. Marcy can't make relationships in the way Anne can. That's why she even tried her luck at the Calamity Box in the first place. Because moving is scary, because she will be away from her only friends, the only people who cared for HER, because she has trouble making friends and would NEVER be able to make any in a new school with new people and NO support system.

Marcy isn't like Anne. Sasha isn't like Anne. That's why Anne is the heart, that's why she's the emotional connection they need in their logical worlds.

I think Marcy, like she said in this episode, is jealous of Anne's friend-making ability. And Sasha, I think she just feels… inferior (but I guess that's jealousy as well) something she HATES feeling.

Matt Bradly himself even said that Marcy and Sasha have SEVERELY doubted Anne's abilities when they were still back on Earth.

But Amphibia changed that.

S2: E7 The Planters Check In

Kinda fucked up that Anne didn't help Marcy (And Andrias too I guess) with trying to find information on the Calamity Box.

Like, I know she can't translate ancient texts like Andrias and Marcy could but staying for some moral support could've been nice and also considering she just LEFT Marcy, who she hasn't seen for MONTHS, for days at a time to go hang out with the Planters.

But I know this is a regular thing for their friendship (plus Sasha) to leave Marcy to do the work for school like with group projects.

Anne: Just like group projects back home!

And damn, that royal Newtopia credit card can single handedly destroy Amphibia's entire economy.

So frogs can stick to things, newts can swim up and down streams like, super fast (just like amphibians in the real world) so what can toads do that are unique to them? Should I Google real life toads or did toads do something in Amphibia that I missed??

S2: E10 The Sleepover to End All Sleepovers

Aw wait, Marcy has plants?? That's?? So?? CUTE!!!!

Hop Pop is gonna have some me-time while Lady Olivia is gonna be in the kitchen drinking wine,,, these parents omg,,,

Hop Pop is a tired dad/grandpa and Olivia is a wine mom confirmed

I think it's so cute how Anne and Marcy are like the older kids while Sprig and Polly are just like Anne's younger siblings, just AGDKDKAJA

HHHHH DID LADY OLIVIA FALL ASLEEP READING

In the Heat of the Swamp

IS THAT A STEAMY, EROTIC ROMANCE NOVEL FOR MOMS???? WHAT!!!!

I LOVE HER SO MUCH

And not to mention she was knocked out in a rocking chair holding a margarita WITH SLIPPERS ON

SHE'S SUCH A MOM GUYS

Marcy: You know, some cultures believe that mirrors can ward off malevolent spirits Marcy: OR SUMMON THEM! (Maniacal laughter*

Marcy, you're too gosh darn cute to be scary even if you tried

Some of those spirit things came out of the coffins in the crypt, maybe they're the souls/spirits/ghosts of whoever died in those coffins?

Well if they are my next question is why are those bodies even down there in the first place and were those spirit things SUPPOSED to exist/be there?

Also, why are there moss men in the garden? And why are they chained up?

I think the moss men were created there, probably made by King Andrias or whoever to replace the robot army (that they didn't have for a while since their ancient technology was all gunked up at the time).

It also REALLY worries me that one of the tunnels in the basement (or let's be honest, the dungeon) leads to MARCY'S ROOM!! LIKE??? WHY????

Why do the reflection of the mirrors cause those spirit things to turn physical? Will this be important in the future? I think we all should remember this.

S2: E10 Day at the Aquarium

Ooooo!!! Let's take a look at this book, shall we??

Okay so on the left page, we see the 3 gems with their corresponding main attribute. The green is brains/wits, the blue is heart/passion, the pink is a fist/strength, yadda yadda yadda all stuff we know already

BUT what I found the most interesting is on the right page! There it shows small, simple pictures of the 3 temples which I found super cool!

But even cooler was the thing on the bottom left!! It looks kinda like a capsule, but it plays music apparently? My mind automatically jumped to the Skip Man but I doubt that it's supposed to be that.

Maybe it's something that has to do with the actual Calamity Box instead? Like, we know it technically is a music box too, maybe it's a device INSIDE of it that plays music and does something else as well?

Well, it has to be important if this is the page we're shown, right? I'm sure we'll see more of it in season 3!

Anne: Anytime I was feeling gloomy back home, the Aquarium would always make me feel better!

Aw, now I'm thinking about when Anne was back home and going to the Aquarium and just being so amazed by all the fish and stuff there. That's so cute,,,

I've watched before but it STILL pains me, the whole Marcy being SUPER hurt that Anne had just chosen the Planters instead of her but still let her go and even played it off like it was still the "most logical thing to do" as if like, 5 seconds ago she was saying the OPPOSITE

(I'm just a Marcy kin y'all)

The scene also reminds me sort of the whole thing with Sasha back at Toad Tower, how she let go of Anne.

Both Marcy and Sasha let Anne go. They both chose Anne over honestly, themselves.

Sasha was ready to straight up DIE to keep Anne from straining or hurting herself. And Marcy was willing to let Anne go, something she was so unwilling to do with both her friends which is the reason they're in Amphibia in the FIRST PLACE, just for Anne.

They both see how close Anne is with the Planters. They both know that she loves them and sees them as family and they… I think they honestly want what's best for Anne even if that thing isn't them.

I think those 2 scenes mirror and play off each other very well.

But honestly, the whole re-reunion with Anne and the Planters always makes me tear up,,, they care for each other so much,,,,

Andrias: Always sad to see someone go, isn't it? I have a proposition for you, Marcy. And I think you'll find it VERY interesting

Okay, wow manipulative jerk much? Andrias KNEW how much Marcy cared for her friends and KNEW that she was probably so SAD after watching Anne WILLINGLY choose the Planters over her.

He knew she was in a vulnerable state, he knew that she would agree to ANY plan if it meant not having to leave her friends again. He knew she trusted him and he knew he could get her to be his little pawn.

Just…

FUCK KING ANDRIAS

Me and my homies all hate him

S2: E13 Ivy on the Run

Okay really quick, ANNE WAS ALSO IN MUAY THAI???

So far, Anne plays varsity tennis, rock climbs, AND also did Muay Thai. Fucking JOCK

S2: E13 After the Rain

Okay so at the end, Hop Pop finally shows the others the book with the giant 'P' on the cover that had information about the Calamity Box

He said that it's been in his family for as long as he could remember (And he is around 68 years old so that's like 68+ years)

But why would the Planters have information of the Calamity Box?

Hmmmmmmm….

S2: E14 The First Temple

So right off the bat, when handed the Calamity Box, Marcy had pressed a couple things on it and music started playing which then caused the gems to be able to pop out of the top.

So there are OTHER things you can do with the box it seems and doing certain actions (besides opening it of course) can lead to different things happening and Marcy knows this!

This also means that Marcy knows OTHER things that the box can do, whatever she was doing in True Colours with opening the portal and saying something along the lines of "Okay, I just need to-!"

Marcy knows this box. She knows how to work it at least somewhat but that knowledge is still more than many characters combined.

Also, remember what I was talking about in A Day at the Aquarium? With that capsule looking thing that plays music? Well I speculated that it was probably something INSIDE the music box and guess what the music box just did before popping out those sweet gems?

Play music.

Now, I wanna say that maybe every time you do a different action on the Calamity Box, the box plays music but I can't be certain. Because during True Colours when Marcy had reopened the portal, no music was playing.

Granted that could have been because she was further away or maybe even because they were playing some super cool, dramatic and suspenseful music. But I dunno. Maybe?

Marcy: But don't worry because none of them were Marcy Wu!

Marcy: Head of the chess club, master RTS player, straight A student (except for gym because I was reading in class which only proves my point!)

HHHHH Am I looking too deeply into this or did she get the introduction/monologue from Yunan? (Please let me be right. Please let me be right. Please let me be right. Please let me-)

"Only the worthy will have the wisdom to choose. Whether it's more important to win or have the humility to lose"

"A choice was made to save thy friends and, honestly, doesn't that make you a winner in the end?"

Only so I REALLY liked how they handled the first temple. How they were testing not just intelligence but EMOTIONAL intelligence as well (because intelligence comes in different forms!!!) The humility and the wisdom to step down, to willingly lose in order to make the right choice, to realize that the lives of your friends are more important than any temple or puzzle.

They also showed this in the actual temple trials. How in the second and third trial you NEED more than one person in order to solve it. Hell, even in the first trial, those floating ball things happen to whoever was holding the cube, ANYONE could've done it, people could've taken turns trying to solve it!

This temple tests intelligence, and it also tests humility and priorities and co-dependence.

OH OH OH!!! ONE MORE THING!!!

Okay so I, like a ton of other people, have been thinking that the weird secret basement where The Night is was in that OTHER secret room that King Andrias and Marcy found during their research in Lost in Newtopia.

BUT I WAS WRONG!

The basement with The Night was in the Throne Room (And Andrias seems to be well aware of its existence) while the room that Andrias and Marcy found was in the Royal Library (And it looked like he didn't know about it, though it could've been a cover up but I don't think that, I think that's where they found info on the Calamity Box)

They're different rooms!! So I doubt Marcy knows ANYTHING about The Night OR about the secret room in the Throne Room.

And speaking of The Night… Rewatching this made me realize that The Night has… gears and screws and bolts. And like,,, wires. (BUT there are less wires here than there were in the Season 3 intro). So…

What the FUCK??

IS The Night a robot or at least was made with that ancient technology? Or maybe their life force is being kept alive by those metal parts and stuff?

King Andrias: The prophecy is being undone as we speak, my Lord. Soon, we will have our revenge

Okay so obviously we know the prophecy is where the holders of the 3 gems come together in an epic showdown and beat the shit out of the big baddies

But draining the stones force from the girls would mean they are unable to go all super saiyan which is what I'm assuming that was what Andrias meant when he talked about "undoing the prophecy"

Because making the girls unable to go super saiyan means they can't have the gems' powers and that means they can't try to stop the big baddies.

But we know that draining the stones' powers from the girls isn't needed to make the box take them home, if we look at Marcy during True Colours. She was able to open the portal without the blue gem's charge.

Charging the stones was never important to get Anne, Sasha, and Marcy home, it was important because it was going to prevent a prophecy.

S2: E17 The Second Temple

"But empathy alone isn't enough. For what is heart without responsibility?"

I really like this!!! I LOVE how for every temple, it focuses on the main attribute but then there is a secondary thing that makes you TRULY worthy!

Like with the first temple, Marcy was smart yes, she could get through all those puzzles easy. But what made her worthy wasn't her brain, it was her ability to make the right call and step back, losing to save those she cares about.

It's just like that with the second temple! Anne has the heart obviously, she's got grit and is passionate and not afraid to help and do what is right. But that alone isn't what made her so special. Her ability to own up to her actions, to take responsibility for them is what makes her so amazing!

And not to mention this is something she learned to do while IN Amphibia! Anne wasn't really one to admit she did something wrong and was always quick to pass the blame, but she's grown and matured here. Same with Marcy! I doubt back home Marcy would have EVER willingly lost or willingly get a bad grade on ANYTHING for ANYONE! They've both grown in little ways and I love it!

I also think it's super cool how the 3 trials for the heart stone were kinda like,,, low key. Like, you obviously couldn't KNOW it was the trials or you would obviously sacrifice your life for a stranger or to your warmth for your friends. They had to make sure that all your actions you were doing out of your own free will and your own morality.

S2: E17 Barrel's Warhammer

The whole thing with Sasha reassuring Percy and Braddock that if things get too wild, she'll stop the whole thing… But ended up NOT doing that…

I think that Sasha meant what she said, I think she really does care for the two of them and really did wanna make sure they were okay and not you know, scared or eaten.

But when push came to shove and Sasha was too focused on her goals and her own stuff, she didn't take into consideration their feelings. She was just too driven, too passionate, too CLOSE.

I think this was the kinda thing that probably happened a lot back home. Sasha obviously cares for Anne and Marcy and always wants to make sure they're okay but sometimes her care and protection can get too much, that sometimes she just does in the wrong way and ends up hurting them.

And not to mention that she has probably done the same thing with them as she did with Percy and Braddock. I wonder how many times Sasha had reassured Anne and Marcy that if things, no matter the situation, were too much or scary or risky or anything, she would stop and they could go do something else.

But it didn't happen. Sasha would get so caught up in it and just… not do it, she would go against her word because whatever they're doing was almost done it not that much or whatever ither reason she would say. And Anne and Marcy would just keep going even though they didn't want to because Sasha is the leader, because Sasha is their friend.

I don't think Sasha is a bad person, I don't think any of the girls are bad people. I just think they all are just flawed.

And also like, 13. What 13 year old is morally the best honestly?? Middle schoolers are the WORST and middle school judt fucking sucks for EVERYONE

S2: E18 The Third Temple

"You've definatly got skill no doubt, but it's time you learned what strength is all about"

*one epic fight scene later*

"Congrats, bruh! You finally what it takes to go the distance. For what is true strength without persistence?"

The third temple is about strength, no doubt about that obviously. But the most important attribute that accompanies true strength besides how much you could dead lift is, you guessed it, persistence!

Sasha has shown time and time again how much determination and grit she has. Hell, even in Barrel's Warhammer I even said how she can get so driven by her goals that it kinda becomes her downfall.

Because like intelligence comes humitly and empathy comes responsibility, strength needs persistence. The need to keep going, to keep pursuing even when all else is against you.

That's how we knew by the end of THIS episode that there is NO WAY Sasha was gonna go through with the rebellion. Because Grime said himself that there was "nothing stopping this rebellion now"

But there was, it's Sasha.

Because strength comes persistence. And if Sasha believes is happening shouldn't be happening, there is no WAY IN HELL THAT IT'S GONNA HAPPEN! NOT ON HER WATCH!

S2: 19 The Dinner

Nothing to really say about this episode besides that it's ONE OF MY FAVORITES (besides any Marcy centric episodes and True Colours)

Also I think it's ADORABLE how the girls are all wearing clothes that kinda show where they were transported to.

Sasha has army from Toad Tower. Marcy has teal/aquamarine robes with even a pink sea shell on the collar, which is literally what everyone wears in Newtopia. And Anne has a cute, simple outfit with flowers to show Wortwood.

It's just cute :)

S2: 20 True Colours

I honestly didn't think I'd have anything to talk about for this episode that hasn't been said 1000000x better by other people on this site but I think I got something!

The Calamity Box doesn't send people home by just opening it again like how the girls did when they firdt got transported to Amphibia.

Granted, I'm sure someone has said that already and I already did touch upon it but I'm saying it again.

The Calamity Box doesn't need to be completly or even partly charged to transport people.

The gems use is to take away the power from the holders, to prevent them from going all super saiyan not to charge the box for it to work.

We know this because even with all the gemstones charged when Sasha opened the box, nothing happened. And at the end, Marcy was able to open a portal with the blue stone not fully charged.

Marcy KNOWS how to open the portals and I bet she learned how to when her and Andrias found that secert library wing and info on the box.

AND AGAIN!!!

When Andrias takes the box, he presses a couple things on the top which is the thing that sets forth that giant laser on top of the palace that blows up Toad Tower.

This box can do a LOT more than we ever thought…

Overall Notes and Season 3 predictions

Okay so first of all, I hate Andrias but DAMNIT HIS VILLAN BUILD UP WAS SOOOOO GOOD!!!

I mean starting with his very first sort of appearance, where we see him watching over the others from his castle window. And it's all dark and he moves his flipwort pieces and stuff!! AAAA!!

And then in episode 7 where they get the message/puzzle from him via arrow and Hop Pop screams, "AH! SOMEONE'S TRYING TO KILL US!" Like YES HE IS GUYS!!!

And Marcy is autistic, OBVIOUSLY! As someone who is autistic as well, I see a LOT of my own habits and tendencies in her! Her avoidance of eye contact, hyperfocusing or The Zone, her hyperfixations, her need of constant stimuli, RAPTOR ARMS!!!!

And who could forget...

Anne: Who says there has to be one [sleepover] queen?

Marcy: everyone. That's kinda how the whole system works, Anne

SHE TAKES THINGS SO LITERALLY!!!

I just love her guys,,,, can you tell she's my favorite?

Alright before I get too sidetracked with talling about Marcy, let me get into what I think may be in store for season 3!

LET'S BEGIN!!!

Okay so first of all, the Season will start sorta slow, not TOO much plot driven things will happen in probably the first couple episodes.

And I doubt we'll be seeing anything of Marcy until maybe episode 4 or 5 honestly.

I think the first episode will start with Anne and the Planters trying to hide from the world, maybe they're getting waaaay too much attention and need to lay low.

Then it'll end with them making it to Anne's house and the second episode will start from there.

The next 2 or 3 episodes from there will be with the Boonchuy's and the Planter's getting used to each other, maybe with a TINY TINY cut to what Sasha and Grime are doing.

Speaking of Sasha and Grime, I think that they escape the King and get the FUCK out of Newtopia, leaving Lady Olivia and General Yunan behind with the agreement they will be more like leaks or the inside you know?

Sasha and Grime will definatly then start to head back to Wortwood, but this traveling could take place over the course of a couple episodes but I predict they may get there in around episode 5 or 6, maybe 7.

But anyway, I think Anne may think about everything that went down in True Colours, maybe while explaining to her parents what happened and they'll all start to think about what the FUCK did she do back there with the whole turning blue thing.

Which would then lead to Anne trying to learn how to control it.

Anne will probably be taking the Planters out to show them her world, with disguises of course. But it won't last long as it seems that the news or the government are gonna be after them.

And those 2 mechanic girls, I think they'll be helping Polly rebuild Frobo.

And the girl with the blue hair looks kinda young, I think she's a practicing doctor or something. I bet she'll be like a doctor who's gonna check Anne out to figure out how she turned blue (with very little answers of course)

And back on Amphibia, Marcy's probablt gonna be in that tube for a while and the next time we see her will probably be her waking up from it. (Which could be anywhere from episodes 5 to maybe even 8)

I DO think that she's the one controlling that robot thing that was chasing them in the Season 3 intro, there was a camera. But I have no idea why she would be so there's some holes in the theory…

Also, I really don't think The Night is gonna be controlling Marcy. I think her brain is way too valuable to just,,, control. It'll be taking away her only "use" so to speak (I don't think Marcy is only food for how smart she is, just to be clear). Plus, if The Night was gonna control someone, you would think it was be the big beef cake Andrias.

So I think she doesn't really remember what happened during True Colours (with Andrias' betrayal) and is just getting manipulated again by Andrias

So when Sasha and Grime get back to Wortwood, they're gonna lead a rebellion with the frogs, toads and the newts, officially uniting them all against their king.

Anne is gonna be on Earth, dealing with the things that are getting sent there by King Andrias (And potentially Marcy?) While learning to control her blue power thing.

And Marcy is gonna be helped by Anne and Sasha I think. Like reminded of all the shit that went down and then the 3 of them are gonna take down Andrias TOGETHER!!! :D

And I'm HOPING to get a super saiyan for Sasha and Marcy!!!

I dunno how Sasha will unlock her's but I think Marcy May be able to unlock her power when she finally realizes how fucked up Andrias is. Like taking back control of her feelings and refusing to be manipulated any longer by finally remembering what happened during True Colours.

Anyway, this is just my take and may not even happen but I'm still excited for season 3 nonetheless!

I hope you enjoyed my Amphibia Season 2 stew!!!

#amphibia #anne boonchuy #hopadiah plantar #hop pop #sprig planter #polly planter #sasha waybright #Marcy wu #king andrias #season 2 #analysis #my ramblings

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