#developing an obsession with this episode is inevitable

[actual-changeling]

This post by the lovely @thursdayinspace violently hit me over the head with a baseball bat, so here we are. Dropping this mid-Pusher ficlet on your porch like a cat presenting a dead mouse. Technically this is canon-compliant if you squint a little.

I also wrote a longer post-episode fic a little while back, which you can find right here.

50% angst, 50% hurt/comfort, 100% yearning, the usual. Unofficial title for this one is "terrified with you".

———

Scully can't remember the last time she was this afraid.

No, not afraid—terrified.

Absolutely and utterly terrified for Mulder's life. She watches as the other agent (a name, he has a name) fits the bullet-proof vest around his chest, a thin wire running underneath it and connecting to what looks quite similar to a headset; one is waiting for her next to the screens.

If it were any other case, the sight of the defensive gear would calm her, maybe even offer an anchor to hold onto, but not this time. Not with Modell. Theoretically, wearing only a vest is often enough because, unless they're dealing with someone who knows how to shoot, the chances of the suspect hitting the body at all, let alone a small, moving part such as the head, are minuscule.

Modell is in no way experienced with a gun, but he doesn't have to be.

Mulder knows how to aim to kill, and nine times out of ten, he will hit what he is aiming at. He can use him, abuse him, force him to shoot whomever he pleases before commanding him to kill himself, and all she will be able to do is sit and watch.

The agent (she tries and fails to recall his name) steps away to respond to an incoming radio call, leaving Mulder half-stuck in the vest and the two of them in silence.

She shifts in her chair and turns her head until cold metal is digging into her cheek, already hearing her own voice list injury after injury, his body laying lifelessly in front of her.

Cause of death is a single gunshot wound to the head, self- (she can hear her own breath, too shallow, painful in her lungs) self-inflicted.

Self-inflicted. Suicides. Every single one of them died by their own hand. She really likes his hands.

"Scully."

Mulder's voice is soft, dipping into a tone he rarely uses and only ever with her, and she feels more than she sees him stepping closer. He raises his hand, gently grabbing her jaw and nudging it towards himself. Scully knows if she were to flinch away, he'd let her and not try again, but his fingertips are warm against her skin, a warmth she finds in his eyes, too.

Concern rolls off him in waves, and she presses his palm to her cheek, covering his hand with her own.

"Let me go in with you," she tries, knowing he will fight her on this harder than usual. It's a futile attempt, yet she still has to say it—for her own peace of mind and the small chance that he'll say yes.

"No, Scully," Mulder responds, an edge to his words, "one person putting themselves in danger is enough."

Separating never does them any good, but they keep doing it over and over, searching for the definition of insanity in the distance between their bodies.

"Why does it have to be you?"

It's a question she already knows the answer to, and his thumb brushes along her cheekbones as he shakes his head. A calming gesture, a way of offering comfort without addressing whatever it is that's spinning its net around them.

"You know why. I'll be fine, probably not even gonna have a scratch on me."

Scully hums quietly, evading their conversation in favour of discreetly tugging him closer; not that agent what's-his-name is paying them any attention. She blinks up at him, unsuccessfully suppressing the urge to study his features as if it's the last time she will see them flushed with hot, red blood (she hates that she finds it sticking to her hands in more than just her nightmares).

The curve of his lips and nose, the familiar line of his jaw, the affectionate glint in his eyes. So much left unsaid and yet visible to anyone who looks at him, at them, to the point where Modell could spot it from far away. She tightens her grip on his wrist without really meaning to, but Mulder only smiles.

"I will be fine, Scully." They both know he cannot make any promises, but maybe they can lie to themselves for a little while longer.

The radio crackles, popping their haphazardly created bubble, and she hesitantly lets him go. Mulder runs his thumb down her cheek, lingering on the corner of her mouth before stepping back, and the agent whose name she doesn't care about picks up where he left off.

"You better be," she mumbles, suddenly shivering in the cold of his absence. I need you alive.

[101flavoursofweird]

The thing I love about Kat and Ernest’s relationship

Kat grew up not just in the shadow of her father, but her older sister (the Golden Apple, Professor Layton’s protege), her older brother (who became a police inspector), her uncle Luke (Layton’s apprentice), Emmy (Number One Assistant) and Desmond (Azran-expert Professor Sycamore), etc. etc… 

Basically Kat comes from a family of clever, cool, sophisticated, capable characters, and it would be so easy for her, as the youngest child, to feel overshadowed. (Not that her family would purposely make Kat feel like that! But it’s probably inevitable when your father is THE Professor Layton!)

It’s possible little Kat appeared in the papers alongside her father— if the Professor was even taking on new cases at that point… but any fame Kat did have would be in connection to her father. Then, Layton and Luke disappear when Kat is ten. Would the public even remember the name of Professor Layton’s youngest child? (How many archaeologists can you remember by name? Not fictional ones. Can you remember the names of their children?) 

By the time Kat opens her detective agency, at he age of 21, no one (outside of her family and close friends) seems to know who she is. You’d think people working at Scotland Yard would know  Kat— her older brother works there— but the average police office like Inspector Hastings doesn’t recognise Kat when she first turns up at his office. (As seen in Ernest’s flashback!) In fact, Hastings seems to resent her! 

When Madame Gretchin Doublée requests the assistance of a ‘Layton’, she expects the Professor himself to arrive at her house— but instead, she gets his young parvenu daughter. 

We see a similar incident in the first episode of the anime, when Simon Light turns up at the Layton Detective Agency, insisting he wants Professor Layton’s help… much to Kat’s irritation.

It’s safe to say that before she opened her detective agency, Kat was just a nondescript girl in the eyes of the general public.

Sherl is Kat’s first ‘client’ when she opens her detective agency, but before that… Kat helped a young man accused of theft at Gressenheller. 

Ernest is a complete stranger to Kat. When they first meet, the only obvious connection the two share is their association to Gressenheller. Ernest mentions that he often encounters bad luck (which, I suppose Kat could relate to with her family) but other than that, Ernest doesn’t recognise Kat or her last name. He claims he chose to attend Gressenheller because his favourite professor (Dr. Ohm) taught classes there— and I believe that. I don’t believe Ernest masterminded a whole plan where he would bump into Hershel Layton’s daughter and she would expose the dragons for him. (Though, this is a cool take and I’d love to read something like that!) Maybe Ernest started developing his plans to bring down the Seven Dragons— keeping his intentions hidden from Kat— when Kat was taking on cases from the Dragons… but his first meeting with Kat was complete coincidence.

The day they met, Kat’s sole pure intention wasn’t to help Ernest out of the goodness of her heart. She was on her way to the university anyway, so she let Ernest accompany her. She may have solved the case partly to boost her own reputation and to stick it to Hastings… but she was still kind was kind to Ernest and, in the end, she cleared his name. No wonder she left such an impression on him!

After that, Ernest decides to drop everything and dedicate himself to the girl who saved him. He pronounces himself Miss Layton’s assistant and seeks her out at her detective agency. Yes, Ernest can be a little obsessive and Kat tells Sherl she doesn’t need an assistant, but actually… she really could use an assistant. Ernest makes her tea. He solves puzzles with her. He reminds her to pay rent. He carries her bags for her. He compliments her outfits. He’s indulges Kat’s wild theories. He’s like her personal cheerleader.

Kat— the overlooked, youngest Layton— LOVES this. She loves having someone to hype her up. She loves how someone (outside of her family) finally recognises her worth. She loves having a friend, who would do anything for her. 

Yes, she would be hurt by Ernest’s deception, but she forgives him. When Ernest tries to resign as her assistant and leave her forever, did he really believe Kat would let him go, after the losses she had experienced in the past? (Her father, Luke, Alfendi in hospital…)

Nope. 

[hunters-heathen]

I know you wanted headcanon or blurb requests but I actually just want to know what your favorite thing about each batch member is?? If that's okay? I know you said Hunter so you can just do him specifically but if you have something for every member that would be so fun too :)

First of all, anon, how dare you make me choose just one thing… how am I supposed to do this djdjdjdjdj I’ll give it a try

Hunter: god, what can I even say as my final decision?! I think overall I love Hunter’s grit and determination. I love that he’s willing to go above and beyond for his family, no matter what it takes. No matter how scary the mission may be. He reminds me a lot of Joel Miller in that respect, with his determination and feral behavior trying to get Omega back. And his attitude with Hemlock while being tortured- GOD like he must have been so scared & in so much pain but he still fought back (also? His voice is so sexy 🤭🤭🤭)

Crosshair: his character development. His arc. I can confidently say it was one of the best character arcs I’ve ever witnessed (on a more superficial level, his sass is so real like what sass can you give me in the bedroom, sir??) and I hope that those who never gave him a chance before can see how far he’s come and reconsider their opinions

Tech: oh, Tech… how I miss you… my favorite thing for Tech would be the way that he comforted Omega in the little cave after Echo left the group in season 2. Like he’s just so comforting for everyone in that scene and I feel like so many people need his “change is a fundamental part of life” advice. I know I did, and I loved it. For someone like Tech, who hates change, to acknowledge that it is inevitable and very much a part of our journeys… idk, it just really helped me. And it continues to help me (and he’s also such a cutie?????)

Wrecker: his balance between playful personality and getting serious when he needs to! Wrecker knows how to light up a room but he also is able to go from 0-100 when it comes to protecting his family & friends and I love that for him. He was easily the best character for comedic relief when tensions were high during the show

Echo: you already know I’m obsessed with that ARC badassery. His strategy and fighting in the finale was mind blowing and I don’t think I’ll get over it anytime soon. Like seriously I think he practically soloed that whole thing (props to the whole team though! It’s just that Echo’s skills really shown through this episode)

Omega: I’m doing 2 things for omega because screw you (kidding!!) - so a) I love how she copies each of her brothers’ specific movements and/or just carries so much of her brothers in her own personality, b) the fact that she never gives up. If I had been her, trapped inside that mountain? I would’ve given up. Accepted the fate I thought I was dealt. But Omega pushed forward & I’m literally so proud of her (so are the boys!)

[idontknowreallywhy]

Just chucking my rambling about the soundtrack of SOS2 in a separate post rather than buried in the showdown reblogs… mostly because I’m impressed by how many things there are to say even though I don’t feel like I mentioned half of them!!

🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵

Musically (which is my particular obsession, especially as I also listen to the episodes a lot in the car so don’t have the picture to tell the story)… SOS2 though is next level.

It has all the themes, plus the new ones from Calypso/Braman but it shifts and develops them.

We have Four launching to the theme in 5/4! That’s so clever, it really sets me on edge as it makes it clear something is OFF. The scene before when they are discussing Braman adds to this edginess because the quiet tremolo strings in the background just tip it off comfortable.

The search / chase / trap cues are brilliantly executed… the chaos crew themselves could have been written a lot better, but the theme is a very clever and flexible one (much like the mechanic’s was - the Fosters clearly love a baddie) and it’s well incorporated here, especially in how it is blended with the ‘underwater’ soundscape and then with the tension music as the choir backing happens and the pulse increases… your high panic from the upper voices, strings and solo trumpet… the sense of inevitability and hugeness from the lower end of the orchestra… till it all culminates in what is effectively a musical scream… and then the strings give us quiet pain.

Then the silence.

Oh the silence.

There is no musical background as Fuse approaches. It’s just water and rocket noise. Which in such a musically rich episode is jarring, it makes me hold my breath.

Then when he sees Gordon and we hear the start of the string and horn backing for the elegy… I like to think it’s a turning point for Fuse, him realising this is bad, having regrets at the same time the audience are desperately worried for Gordon. But they are brave - they start the mourning song but they stop it! When it cuts back to the Chaos Cruiser and the Hood deserves no music.

It’s only when Fuse asks whether Gordon will be ok that we get the music back and… oh my.

THAT ELEGY.

Look I know I have raved about this before but holy moley it’s beautiful.

But but - notice - where the hood got only engine noise & no music, once the chaos cruiser is gone and it cuts to Thunderbird 2 we have all music no sound effects. I believe it’s the only time in all 3 seasons where the soundscape is entirely bare but for music. The Fosters talked about what a privilege it was to be given sole charge of what the audience hears at that key emotional moment. Thunderbird 2 silent??? The Tracys silent - they communicate only by looks. The music speaks their agony for them. The rockets on Thunderbird 2 fire but there is no sound from them. Virgil says Thunderbird Two is Go but we don’t hear it fly overhead.

The Thunder is gone.

The theme develops as FAB 1 is in shot and the sound effects coming back is another little shock - like you’re waking from a bad dream to find out it’s real.

The Rescuing Gordon cue gives us part of the elegy theme with Gordon’s launch again, back it’s back in a slow 4/4. Because Two is there and Two is safe and stable. BUT… it’s still not quite right - listen to the strings… not the semiquavers in the bass but the single broken notes over the top - slowly rising and then falling - they aren’t on the beat! Every time the note starts just a little sooner than it feels like it’s supposed to. They have a plan, they know what to do, but agh they are also in a rush and there’s a sense of fumbling desperation. So. Flipping. Clever. I didn’t notice it until maybe the 30th time of listening.

The strings climax at the point the pods lock on and we hold our breath… and as Penny cuts Gordon free so does the music - they really play around with the speed here, the new string tune that comes in… with too many notes to fit into the 4/4 pattern it’s like the beat pauses but the melody continues until with a *gasp* she has him and the pulse restarts.

When they get him into Two’s med bay it seems like the music is gonna stop, like it does on the Chaos Cruiser but no. There is a single, quiet, sustained note… the orchestra doesn’t let Gordon go.

I mean I could go on all day… Shadow V Chaos, wonderfully scored too… the fact the Braman’s Sacrifice theme (from when he steered the Calypso into the sea) soars in and combines with Kayo’s theme as she gives up her advantage over the Chaos Cruiser to turn and save him. Lush. The soft family theme at the hospital… aaah.

But one final thing…

The ending.

Because I have listened to this hundreds of times and STILL the goosebumps.

Brains brings up the data - We have the insistent pulse of the familiar theme but then a slow minor key string version of Braman’s sailing sailing song. Then as they start to realise what’s going on that fades and Jeff’s theme starts! Are we going to get it? It’s not totally clear… as Brains is trying to decrypt the hidden message the notes are held but as we see FAB we get the end of the melody! At last! JEFF TRACY! And it all rises and climaxes into the main theme at the end. PERFECT! BRAVO! *leaps from chair and dances*

[oneshortdamnfuse]

Major Ragnarok Spoilers for Final Episode Discussion

The Ragnarok ending only makes sense if Magne’s delusion is half true. It all being a delusion makes no sense, because doing so would pretty much erase any character development and plot points unrelated to Magne. Whereas, Magne experiencing delusions because of his loss and it becoming stronger because of his obsession with Thor and his embrace of that role is believable. That’s why when the main conflict ends, he can’t move past it. He still sees Ragnarok as inevitable, but his Ragnarok is allowing Thor to die so that he could live as Magne. Putting down the weapons was a way for everyone to process their grief and move on, but Magne needed more time to truly be comfortable with himself and properly mourn Isolde. With that said, it is just completely unbelievable for all of it to be a delusion. It’s just not built into the plot to deserve that ending with the interpretation that is was fully a delusion.

This isn’t like Mr. Robot where all the pieces come together to create a picture that was there right in front of us all along. If it was, then literally none of the conversations and conflict that happened outside of Magne’s view would have happened the way that they did. So, in order to incorporate the ending at all into my understanding of the canon, I can only accept it as half true which is fine. That’s how Legion dealt with the schizophrenia of its main character - some of the superhero fantasies were real and some weren’t. He is a superhero with schizophrenia, not just a man with schizophrenia. We’ve known Magne is neurodivergent, but it was also shown that he was being gaslit into thinking he’s crazy after Isolde’s death because of that neurodivergence. So, maybe it’s a balance of the two. The gods and the jotnar are real, and so was the conflict between them and the impact of that conflict on the town. But. It was distorted in Magne’s mind.

Anyway, I’m going to choose to go the Legion route with this one and interpret it as Magne being both mentally ill and having a special connection with Thor just as Laurits has a special connection with Loki and so on and so forth. It makes the most sense. As I said before, if you want to reject the last episode entirely then you could easily stop at episode five of season three and preserve the integrity of the show. Again, if you were satisfied with the ending then that’s okay too but it really isn’t proven throughout the show that this is all just the fantasy of a sick young man who lost his only friend. It can argued that some of it may be, but definitely not all of it. That’s not congruent with the past two seasons, or anything in season three leading up to it. In order for it to be, other characters would have to play a more active role in dropping hints that it’s not real and that doesn’t happen.

So, yeah. I understand the show was only given three seasons to wrap up. I get that. However, that was a cliché I didn’t expect and it’s not a “wow, they got me!” moment - it’s a wow, that just doesn’t vibe with the rest of the show I’m afraid.

[littleeyesofpallas]

Bleach’s Issue with Queer characters (1/3)

So, someone recently(when i started this draft anyway) left a kind of incoherent rant on one of my posts.  It wasn’t actually related to anything I’d said in the post, and just came across as disjointed babble, so it didn’t warrant a direct reply at the time.  But it did bring up a subject I would actually like to talk about:

How Kubo handles gender queer characters.

I think it’s a little easy to look at the most glaring cases, come to the conclusion that he doesn’t handle representation well, and leave it at that.  That’s valid.  And he’s clearly not well versed or tactful in how he portrays these characters, and it’s really not that unreasonable to judge him for it.  But I also think there’s more going on with it than that really accounts for, so let’s pick at it a little...

By and large what Kubo does is some pretty by-the-books queer-coding villains, and what amounts to casting effeminate men in adversarial roles.  In the big picture, it’s not a good trope to be falling back on: it comes from a bad place historically, and even if Kubo doesn’t mean anything bad by it (and I’ll get into why I think he genuinely doesn’t) it contributes to the momentum already behind it that other, less well intentioned creators and readers inevitably stand to do more direct harm with.

The earliest case of this is actually from Zombie Powder.  Very early episodic villain, Ranewater Calder is a youthful and even girlish looking man who is actually an old man sustained by a youth restoring drug.  He’s a villain of the week type, so the fact that he’s pretty and evil is literally all there is to him.  Moreover, his fixation on youth, his vanity, and his deception (he pretends to be a frail, dainty victim at first) all link directly to his moral character.  Although Calder is himself never made out to be gay, the archetype he's clearly based on is a pretty classically homophobic characterization at face value

But even here it’s not totally black and white...  

There’s a snag in that Kubo’s not writing some 1950s American pulp novel where the perils of homosexuality spell self-destruction or divine/dramatic irony on the loathesome villain; he’s writing a shounen action manga, and it operates on the Rule-of-Cool first and foremost.  Calder isn’t a vehicle for moral preaching by religious conservatives, he’s a highlight character taking up valuable print space in a popular comic.  He’s attractive, he has a cool name, he has a cool weapon with a unique fighting style, and even his vanity and deception aren’t there to make him unappealing, they’re there to make him compelling.

And herein lies the root of Kubo’s problem.  He just likes having cool characters, and he crams them in where ever he can fit them, and that often means in villain roles.  Moreover, although some characters get more vilified than others, even within the scope of villain roles, not all of them get to stick around long enough to be developed as either something other than queer and villainous, or to get the full turn around.  After all...

Yumichika was a villain at first.

And you’ll noticed I hesitated just now at calling it a “turn around” and not a “redemption” or “turning over a new leaf” because frankly, the Shinigami never actually changed alignment.  They were circumstantially the villains of the Soul Society Arc until Aizen turned on them to be the bigger "real” villain.  Technically it was Ichigo & co. that changed alignments from fighting against the Gotei13 to fighting with them.  But relatively aside, Yumichika became a good guy and his favorable portrayal got to outweigh his villainous introduction.

Speaking of which, there’s not a whole lot to go over with it, but Yumichika’s original appearance pretty closely mirrored the profile of Ranewater Calder’s bit in Zombie Powder: a kind of “sissy” prettyboy is obsessed with his looks, and other than just being a guy with a sword pointed at the established heroes making him a villain, that vanity and narcissism make them mean, judgy and vindictive.

But Yumichika came back, and stuck around, and frankly became something of a fan favorite.  And I think this particular development says a lot about how Kubo looks at these situations.  You’ll notice, he didn’t actually have to change Yumichika’s character much to shift him from villain to hero.  Yumichika gets a little less prickly, but he’s still vain and it’s not even something that anyone ever frames as a problem he needs to work on.  In fact, the introduction of his shikai brought into play a new facet of his vanity: Deception.  So we’re back to that Ranewater Calder framework, where the prettyboy has something to hide with his looks, but in Yumichika’s case it’s shown as an almost endearing quality.  He hides his sword’s powers, a reflection of his true self, to fit in.  But this isn’t shown to be a thing to pity, his willingness to sacrifice a part of his own identity is portrayed as a kind of noble restraint.

Now, granted, I don’t think those elements all play nicely together. (In fact, the nobility of his self-restraint is a very dangerous thing to uphold as a virtue) But when it comes to trying to draw a line between message and intent, I think the most pertinent thing to consider as context isn’t actually the villain or hero dichotomy, or even your own personal feelings about the themes in play, it’s the attitude ("attitude" as different from “intent,” mind you) of the creator towards his creations: Kubo seemed to enjoy making Yumichika.

He had fun with his design (the feathers and the weird sweater collar thing) He had fun with the sword, with giving him a secret power.  He had fun writing his vanity rants.  He didn’t have to have Yumichika, he didn’t have to bring him back, and he didn’t have to add to his character, but he did.  He invested his own time and effort and space on the page to him and to making him interesting to have around.

But like I said, Yumichika’s the lucky one.  He came in early, got to have a comeback, and had time to stick around.  But consider that when Kubo was floundering around trying to figure out how to salvage the mess that was the late TYBW arc, he didn’t need to bring back Arrancar, and he didn’t need to bring back the ones he did. (in fact, only the Privaron even make sense in-world, Luppi and Charlotte weren’t convenient choices, they were just Kubo’s personal picks.)  And when he did finally get around to cleaning up the Sternritter?  Bazz-B was an obvious choice to keep, sure (following that Renji/Grimmjow mold of the hotblodded rival who bucks his own organizations rules) but Giselle and Lilttoto?  That was Kubo playing favorites.

Luppi was so short lived, it’s hard to really say anything about him.  He was basically just reusing notes from Yumichika’s first appearance, which again also refer back to Ranewater Calder in Zombie Powder for basic aesthetic and demeanor.  (It’s actually kind of weird that Yumichika never really had any kind of dynamic with Luppi when they fought.)

Side note here, but Kubo really loves to build some of his recurring character types around a certain kind of scene or dynamic.  Byakuya and Ulquiorra both do this thing where they’re supposed to be the stoic unflinching types, but they actually get shocked and surprised almost constantly.  Kubo seems to be going into it with the mentality that he thinks it’s cool when the character who predicts everything and always has everything under control, can’t predict something and doesn’t have it under control, and just reverse engineers a stoic person for the purpose of having them “break character” later.  In this vein Kubo seems to have a real love of very pretty characters shifting into a kind of sinister “ugly mode.”  It wouldn’t serve his purpose to just have them ugly or obviously meanspirited all the time, the ugliness has to be served up in its reveal as that “breaking character” moment, even though that “breaking” moment is itself the core of the character.

Not to get too heady about this little observation, but it honestly feels like something that applies even to Kubo’s broader writing habits; wanting the payoff of a twist, and planning said twist first but then reverse engineering the supporting ruse only as a matter of course.  Just a silly little thought...

[1][2][3]

[sunwavesss]

unpopular opinion tbh but i wanted to share:

i honestly dont rlly like royjamie fics that take place before like. s3 episode 10. maybe im wrong about this but that would not fucking happen sorry. jamie is too immature s1 up to about midway through s2 when we really see how going to therapy caused him to really mature, and then roy i feel is too oblivious of his feelings in terms the root of his hatred/obsession with jamie. like he has been fixated on jamie for years and "everytime i think of her i just think of jamie fucking tartt" but i feel would never really realize the depth of his obsession until they became best friends (and once he became therapized). also jamie truly loved keeley (not really imo but i think he truly THINKS its true love) but then he doesnt realize that what he felt wasnt true deep love until him and roy are like practically living on top of each other post s3 and jamie inevitably falls in love with roy?? (i mean cmon theres no way jamie wouldnt fall in love w him if he's bi). also like i feel weird when ppl try and downplay what he felt towards keeley because i think she was a big part of his development and her encouragement to be better really helped him bc she was the only one who believed he could be better and saw the good in him.

sorry this is prob total bs but this has been kicking around in my mind lately and i needed to share

[soullessjack]

okay sorry I’m going full autism here but I am so obsessed with how fucking weird Kryptonian physiology is and all the implications of it. Like

Kryptonians do not have powers on Krypton. They’re exclusively a side effect of Earth’s lesser gravity and yellow Sun, but why would their biology only be affected by a singular planet light years away from them, and why does their biology include the capability for bending metals and shooting eye beams and seeing through solid materials? There’s nothing in Krypton’s environment to suggest that those are natural survival mechanisms, like human hair is for warmth–and even if it was, they’re useless mechanisms because they can only be applied under another planet’s specific environmental conditions.

Jor-El’s hologram makes it a point to mention to Clark that he will develop powers, and those powers could lead to people becoming afraid of him. If Kryptonians are functionally humans on their planet with powers that only exist under the conditions of another specific planet, how does Jor-El know about them or to warn Clark about them? How does he know fear will be an inevitable reaction from the people of Earth? Have Kryptonians ever gone to Earth before, or are there other planets that activate their powers? Does Krypton have a history of accidentally inciting fear with their abilities that could warrant Jor-El including that as a warning for what Clark could face after they develop?

Could different reflections of sunlight, like moonlight or an eclipse or even a rainbow, affect Clark’s powers? Could they make him weaker or stronger or give him entirely different powers altogether? There’s a STAS episode where that one weather control guy filters the sun’s energy into exclusive red rays that significantly weaken Superman, but what could other rays do?

Kryptonians don’t necessarily need food or drink to survive and sustain themselves, and can basically photosynthesize yellow sun energy. But then, why would they be naturally dependent on another planet’s light source for energy, and why would they have mouths and teeth and a digestive system if their energy intake isn’t exclusive or necessary in that form?

Kryptonite is essentially the equivalent to our radiation, uranium, etc lethal radioactive materials. How could an entire race exist or develop to utopian standards of life on a planet made of radiation? Are their powers a product of being constantly irradiated by their own home? Do I know too little about earth radiation to understand any of this? (Yes).

I’m sure there’s answers lying around in the comics somewhere, and I’m even more sure these are all just questions that don’t have answers because most comic book origins were simplistically constructed and later-expanded ideas without any real solid backing. Also, I am just autistic and really into biology and knowing the reasoning of things, so this only matters to me for those express purposes

[crowlhoard]

Undead Unluck Manga Chapter 183 Spoilers!!!

I know the main wave of discussions for this chapter has already concluded and the new anime episode is already out, but I tend to ruminate for a long time and I'm even slower on properly writing those thoughts out. But now that my thoughts are finally organized, I can put that dead horse to the ground.

Last chapter seemingly seems as an end to Rip's and Latla's character development, quite a disappointing one too (even besides the sister thing, that is just *sign*, Japan...), but I have some reasons to hope it isn't, and here's why:

In the first loop we are introduced to a variety of negators, which can generally be separated into two teams: Union and Under. Under being the antagonists of the story. As the story unfolds, we learn that Under and Union may actually work for the same goal, even if the former is doing it in a pretty twisted way. But there's two exceptions to that rule: Feng and Rip/Latla team.

Feng is pretty straightforward in his desire for strength and his willingness to sacrifice all and everything for it. Loop 101 already addressed his behavior and showed us a hint of change:

Rip and Latla, however, while being a team, aren't on an equal ground. While Latla obviously wants to save her sister too, we constantly see that it's Rip, who is consciously refusing to move on from the loss of Layla and fueling his obsession over his goal. A goal, as we learn in the unfolding of the last loop, that is quite selfish and short-sighted. Not only his current actions utterly betray his dead lover's last wish

But it also doesn't actually gain him anything but a few extra years at most with Layla before a horrifying death of the whole world and all three of them

While in the beginning such motivation could be explained by Rip being introduced to the world of negators through Under and coming to conclusion that all the people with power act purely in their own interest, that delusion repeatedly gets shuttered by his run-ins with the protagonist duo. Yet, despite every such encounter showing us a bit of humanity in Rip, every following encounter, he seems to push towards his selfish wish.

A potential for him to finally make a right choice this loop seems to appear after the culmination of Season's Arc, where it's laid plain to see that Fuuko is the one with the power to reach God and that she is absolutely the kind of person to try and save everyone, and loop is being inevitable by this point with Earth's careening towards Sun. This shows us a hopeful turn for the Rip and Latla duo - with Latla choosing to help Union search for Fuuko and, most importantly, finally separate from Rip

Yet, despite this hopeful turn, Rip once again returns to the original plan - speed the oncoming end of this loop and doom the next one, all for the desire to be Layla's personal hero for a single moment. This culminates in one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the story

Which is made progressively worse, once we learn Latla's negation next loop - Untrust. So for that plan to work, Latla either had to fully believe that Rip can't hit a moving target like Andy (which is doubtful, since she is the most aware of the extent of Rip's skill) or to truly believe that he won't be able to genuinely target her. And despite last chapter claiming that Rip loved both sisters equally, he is clearly capable of sacrificing Latla for Layla.

As heartbreaking as that moment is, it also shines light on the true nature of Rip and Latla's relationship in the loop 100 - they are enablers of the worst traits in each other: self-destructive loyalty, multiplied by infatuation in Latla and the short-sighted selfish goal pursuit in Rip.

Moving onto the next loop, we are introduced to them both once again before the tragedy of Layla's death. Latla doesn't seem to differ from her past loop counterpart. Her life is still built around helping her sister and supporting her relationship with Rip.

Rip is quite a different person, though. With quite the heroic claims

Which would be quite touching to see after this arc's end to show his growth, but here, before Layla is saved, we know those claims are pretty hollow. Unlike the rest of the cast, who sticks to their core values after losing a loved one, we know from the last loop that Rip drops this claim pretty quickly after Layla's death.

Latla does get her drop of a character development, finally standing up to Rip and demanding half the Bladerunner to stop Rip from trying to play a solo hero, in contrast to her quietly following Rip's path of self-destruction last loop

A few words about Layla - despite being alive this loop, she still doesn't have a character. Effectively, she could be replaced with a mannequin in a dress in 99% of her scenes and nothing would change.

So this arc culminates in chapter 183, where we get a brief recap of the events and Rip checking out his "happy end" box with marrying Layla. We also get slapped with a sudden question "Who will Rip chose?" after the narrative up to this point practically beating us with the demonstrations of Rip's first priority over everything (even Latla's life) always being Layla, from the start.

We are given one page in the ENTIRE manga to imply the single case of Rip picking Latla over Layla

And this chapter culminates in the weird kind of progress, or rather, regress: Rip now forcefully dragging Latla into his decisions, disregarding her own choices. Which is supposed to be taken as a positive development now? And in the end, Rip doesn't get any development to show that he is a better person than the last loop and not simply nicer because he didn't have to face hardship this loop.

A mini side rant, unrelated to the analysis - I hate this panel with. every. fiber. of. my. being. Romantizatio of first love as an only true love is one of the worst things to come out of romantic genre. Side rant over

UU isn't nuanced enough story to deal with the complex relationships and getting over infatuations, so I don't expect any developments in that direction. But Rip is supposed to be one of the author's favorites, and seeing such lackluster characterization in UU is really jarring, so I do hope this isn't an actual end to this three's characters development. I propose that at least 2 out of the following 3 options happening could somewhat salvage this mess:

1) Obligatory - Layla finally gets some characterization. Even a single page of her being the one to suggest including Latla into the ceremony, would've considerably improved last chapter.

2) Latla getting to actively disagreeing and opposing Rip, to showcase that she is capable of making her own choices, instead of being dragged around by Rip.

3) Rip facing his faults, which made him of the few true villains of last loop, perhaps through Remember, perhaps through other means.

[twistedtummies2]

Year of the Bat - Number 4

Welcome to Year of the Bat! In honor of Kevin Conroy, Arleen Sorkin, and Richard Moll, I’ve been counting down my Top 31 Favorite Episodes of “Batman: The Animated Series” throughout this January. We’re getting close to the end now… TODAY’S EPISODE QUOTE: “Gotham can be a Wonderland, Alice! Tonight, let me be your guide.” Number 4 is…Mad as a Hatter.

If you know me very well, this episode being in my Top 5 is no surprise at all. If you don’t, then you might be a little surprised. While “Mad as a Hatter” is certainly a well-liked episode, by all accounts, I doubt too many people would name it as being anywhere on-par with stories like “Mad Love” and “Heart of Ice,” two other villain origin stories that I covered in my past two entries. I, however, am not most people: while I love Harley Quinn, and I cannot deny the power of “Heart of Ice,” this story is something close to my heart in a way those two simply are not. This episode is the origin/first appearance of one of the Dark Knight’s slightly more unsung villains, the Mad Hatter. In the story, the Hatter is a highly repressed and socially awkward neuroscientist, by the name of Jervis Tetch. Jervis is an eccentric fellow, who has a bizarre obsession with the “Alice” stories by Lewis Carroll. The strange scientist has created a special headband and cards, which – via highly sophisticated nanotechnology – allow him to control other people’s minds. It’s then revealed that Tetch has unrequited feelings for his secretary (probably not-coincidentally named Alice Pleasance), and – when her boyfriend, Billy, seemingly dumps her – Jervis seizes the opportunity to use this newfound power to try and sweep Alice off her feet. At first, things seem to go well…but unbeknownst to Jervis, after he drops Alice off at home that night, she and Billy make up and even get officially engaged. This sudden development causes Jervis to snap, and he becomes the Mad Hatter: determined to claim Alice as his own, hang all the consequences, and willing to put half of Gotham under his thrall, if necessary, in order to do so. Naturally, Batman can’t allow this; he’s already on Tetch’s trail, after a (presumed) misunderstanding with some street thugs. Now, he must rescue Alice (and Billy) and stop the Mad Hatter before things get any madder.

The Mad Hatter has long been one of my favorite Batman Villains, and I am 99% convinced that the specific version found in the DCAU is the main reason why. In the comics, the Hatter has always been an…iffy character, to say the least, as he’s typically depicted as a rotten-to-the-core little creep with many perverse desires. He’s a villain who’s meant to just be punched in the face, so to speak. Other adaptations have gone in other directions, but I think the version found in the Animated Series handled it the best out of anybody. This is, without a doubt, my definitive take on the Mad Hatter. Part of the reason why is the character’s voice: he’s played by Roddy McDowall, and in fact, the Hatter would be McDowall’s last proper character, as his final appearance in the DCAU – a Superman crossover episode called “Knight Time” – was released posthumously to McDowall’s passing, and a somewhat earlier episode, “Animal Act,” was released not long before his death. This was quite the role to cap a career with, and almost seems an inevitable one: McDowall had previously played a somewhat similar character, the Bookworm, in the 1960s Adam West show. He also was the narrator for an abridged audiobook version of Tim Burton’s Batman (where I swear he plays the most polite Batman in the history of anything). Not only that, but McDowall also played the role of the March Hare in a 1985 TV Miniseries of “Alice in Wonderland.” With credits like these, and his mellifluous voice, he was absolutely perfect casting for the part.

The other reason, however, sits with his origins. This by far the most sympathetic and fascinating take on Jervis Tetch I think we’ve ever been given. It’s easy to relate with the idea of unrequited love as the cause for someone’s descent into darkness, and at the start of the story, Jervis is really very nice. He’s a bit odd, and there are some subtle hints that he’s already on a slightly uneven keel, but he doesn’t come across as truly evil. There’s also an interesting dichotomy with the way his alter ego acts in relation to the rest of his life; it sort of reminds me of Catwoman’s setup in “Batman Returns,” of all things. At the start, Jervis is awkward, shy, panicky, and keeps a lot bottled up. Once he dons the top hat and trenchcoat of the Mad Hatter, however, he becomes a whole different person: he’s more charismatic, more confident, more flamboyant, and – thanks the power of his control chips – he has absolute control, something we get the sense he hasn’t had a lot of in his life. It’s only when his advances are so brutally shot down – when he finds out Alice, after all that, is ENGAGED to Billy – that he REALLY goes off the deep end. There’s some ambiguity and unanswered questions with his background – we don’t know why he’s obsessed with Wonderland, why he’s created these control chips, or even whether or not he intended what happened with the two aforementioned street hooligans – but that actually only makes him more interesting, as it gives the audience a little leeway to come up with their own thoughts, while still presenting a comprehensive understanding of why this Hatter is Mad.

Being a Wonderland-obsessed oddball myself, I’ve always felt a sort of dark kinship, for lack of a better way of putting it, with the concept of Jervis Tetch. That character concept has never been so splendidly handled as in B:TAS, and “Mad as a Hatter” is a phenomenal first impression for the character. I need no other reason to place it so high in my personal ranks.

Tomorrow we move into the Top 3 of the countdown! Hint: “Look at us. We’re all freaks and monsters. And who made us this way? BATMAN!”

[wiggles-mcgee]

OPINIONS ON GRAVITY FALLS

OK SINCE YOU ASKED I WILL ANSWER WITHOUT GIVING SPOILERS FOR SEASON 2!! Because I know you've not seen it yet. Not sure how much of this is opinions and how much is just rambles though.

First, context, Gravity Falls is a show I have been obsessed with since it came out. I own a copy of Journal 3 and Dipper's hat and can't wait to get the Book of Bill when it comes out. So my opinions are gonna be biased!!

The greatest episode of Gravity Falls and my favourite of all time is S2Ep4: Sock Opera (watch the episode and you'll understand why, though please watch the rest of that season too haha). No further questions needed, it speaks for itself in every second of that episode.

My favourite episode from Series 1 would have to be either Legend of the Gobblewonker or Dreamscaperers. Both are fun to watch and have sweet endings and notes to it, as well as incredible comedy and great pacing. They hit so good every time.

Boyz Crazy is one of my least favourite episodes because it reminds me of primary school where everyone was feral about One Direction and I just didn't get it at all, but I still find it hilarious.

Most of my least favourite episodes involve some kind of romance subplot - thats not to say all romance centric episodes are bad, I just find it less interesting to me when it turns out Mabel's new crush is Regular Guy (Normal Man) and not five gnomes in a hoodie. Or oh look Dipper is crushing on Wendy, what's new? Its probably because I never really related to it.

My favourite character is Grunkle Stan. He's funny and a weird old man, as Mabel eloquently puts it. He's gruff, sweaty, wrinkled, and a bit of an asshole. And he cares so much for his family. He tries and thats what counts. Also his absolute lack of shame about cash - like in Double Dipper where he launches himself at that dollar bill - and conning and scamming tourists out of their money is so hilarious to me. Grunkle Stan is dear to my heart and will always be my favourite character.

Pacifica is another one of my favourite characters! She gets a fair bit more character development in the second series, and I still find myself laughing at every interaction the Pines family has with her when I rewatch the show - she's hilarious in every sense of the word. Her growth as a person is really nice to watch.

If I met Tambry irl I think I would inevitably punch her, I cannot lie, she frustrates me too much

Bill Cipher my beloved <3 (you'll see why when he shows up again in season 2)

I have rewatched this show many times since it came out and I firmly believe that so many of the jokes still hold up to this day. It shaped my sense of humour greatly. And the best bit about being older is that now I get all the jokes I didn't get as a kid!!!

My favourite running joke is Guy Who Married A Woodpecker!! He just shows up every now and again and we see a snapshot of his failing marriage and I love him.

The pool guy is objectively and unironically one of the funniest people alive. As is Quentin Trembley, 8½th President of the United States, who also absolutely shaped my personality and humour.

Certain episodes in the later half of Series 2 tone wise feel like they should have been at the start of the series or in Series 1, and the series does suffer for it in my opinion. Of course its a kids show, you don't want it to get too dark, but I feel like some parts of that series just felt inconsistent to the rest of it. Of course the rest of that series is absolutely stellar in my opinion, most of my favourite episodes are in that series, so its swings and roundabouts I suppose.

The Wendy crush is nothing short of frustrating to me every time I see it. Had to reiterate this, and I get that people don't get over crushes quickly, but especially in Series 2 it frustrates me. tbh I probably had a crush on Wendy too as a kid I cannot lie.

The ending is so sweet to me and makes me want to cry or actually cry every time, not just for nostalgia, but because it hits me hard and emotional in so many different ways. No spoilers yet!

And ending it with a really strong opinion here, you should watch Series 2 (a shameless suggestion, I don't regret it)

[denimbex1986]

'***

It's always a risk to make another version of a well-loved story. Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley was a hit upon its publication and has remained one since, and the 1999 film adaptation is well-regarded in its own right. When Netflix announced Ripley, both anticipation and trepidation emerged in equal measure. Would it live up to its predecessors, or become just another remake that gets lost in the neverending river of regurgitated IP that seems to dominate both the big and small screens?

The show looked promising. A stellar cast, a characterful black-and-white style and, of course, a good story. It had all the makings of a mega-hit — but the sum of its parts doesn't add up to much at all.

One of Ripley's biggest problems is that it gets lost in its own style. The aesthetically engaged production and indulgent architectural shots, initially striking and unusual, lose their charm by the final episode, and seem to be favoured above movement of plot or character development from about halfway through. This isn't helped by the several pacing issues that make some episodes seem interminable and others' timeframes difficult to follow. There's a tendency among some recent shows to try to exploit the watch-on-demand format to make what is essentially an eight-plus hour film chopped into 60-minute segments rather than consider the actual enjoyability of the watching experience; Ripley, sadly, teeters on the edge of this flaw.

When it comes to the story itself, despite the strength of the original narrative Ripley decides to put its own spin on the tale. Art plays a prominent role in this interpretation of Highsmith's novel, with Tom besotted with an original Picasso hanging in Dickie's (Johnny Flynn) Atrani villa and, later, by an obsession with Cavarggio. The tie between the two characters is tenuous at best, and the nuance of the first few episodes is completely lost by the oblique signposts to the ‘parallels' in their stories later on. Particularly egregious is the inclusion of a hammy flashback sequence to a murder Caravaggio supposedly committed in 1606. Not only is this entirely unnecessary, it's inconsistent with the tone of the rest of the series and obliterates the narrative's tension.

A similar diversion from the original plot sees Tom meeting a fellow career criminal (John Malkovich in a nudge-nudge wink-wink cameo), the two recognising each other's nature based on some psychic criminal connection. This too is unnecessary, and is used as something of a deus ex machina to give this story a more conclusive ending than Highsmith's.

Andrew Scott, true to form, is excellent as the titular Tom Ripley. He plays the sociopathic social-climbing con man with an intriguing complexity, weaving humour and complexity into what could be a cliche, surface-level psycho. That complexity is limited, though, as the show never allows us to understand Tom's motivations, either overtly or subtextually. Despite being a textbook homoerotic tale, his relationship with Dickie has no sense of romance or lust to it. It comes across that his interest in him is purely financial, a desire for material goods and social status pushing him towards murder.

Although the majority of the show features strong, compelling performances, casting choices don't quite ring true. When the first promotional photos of Scott as Ripley were released, although there was inevitable excitement, there were also concerns that he had been miscast when it came to age. In presenting Tom and Dickie as significantly older than Highsmith's original characters, the glow and beauty of youth is a theme entirely removed from the narrative. Their actions feel less like the impulsive decisions of young men and more like those of established adults, who understand (in their own ways) how the world works.

This could be used as an interesting twist, but no further changes are made to the story to accommodate for this striking difference. The somewhat age-blind casting doesn't work, especially when we're introduced to Freddie (Eliot Sumner), who looks considerably younger than his peers. Although at first glance Ripley appears to be sleek and polished, just like its titular antihero, it can never quite be what it wants to be. By forgoing a compelling narrative in lieu of incomplete thematic ideas and a focus on aesthetic charm, and in spite of Scott's undeniable prowess, the show never gets its claws into you.'

[lexicorp]

Been thinking bout rottmnt lost sibs oc lore stuffs (ruby and diamond)

I wanna do something similar to this for Ruby too, dang it took a long time tho-

I imagine after draxums lab got wrecked, big mama's goons got to the sight just as it was going to hek, and seeing the chaos, and that they couldn't retrieve lu jitsu, opted to bring back something as to maybe big mama wouldn't be as mad. And that something was two tiny turts, later named diamond and ruby.

Big mama bred competition between the two and also egged them on about saying they were singly her favorites when they were apart. Dia didn't understand it, just was happy to get attention from mama, but ruby ate it up and it fueled her ego. Ruby took on plenty of big Mama's mannerisms, while diamond often just liked to be in their presences, despite not entirely getting what was going on socially, often kinda thinking their behavior was weird but shrugged it off.

Big mama picked diamond over ruby for the nexus because they reminded her of lu more physically, and we're far better in developing their magic and nimble combative skills while ruby had trouble getting magic under control and often opted for fists or way with words.

The four Turt Bois find out about diamond when Leo sees them on the nexus screens on the episode where they're trying to get Gus's tag for splinter, it's that that distracts him and gets him caught. Leo later mentions it and Donnie fabricates tickets to the nexus and they fashion their absurd disguises. There were mixed feelings on seeing dia absolutely destroy a couple captured mutants. But Micky was infatuated by the prospect of them being a lost sibling, Donnie doubting that and suggesting it was simply a kappa yokai. Leo encouraged Micky and they impulsively jump down to say hi, Leo justifying it saying that if they're such a bigshot, they'd likely not get another chance. Donnie and Raph followed even though disagreeing with jumping in so soon.

Big mama of course sees them and jumps down with guards, and Leo is not surprised and just coyly asks what's with her new turtle obsession, did she think he was that fabulous? She should've called~

Aaaand she laughs, saying how dia is her adopted kid, being vague of course. Leo prods, raph recommending against it, and they inevitably get kicked out

There's be the effort to talk to dia which is difficult since this (at this point) 15 year old basically just is confined to the big Mama's house.

I haven't wrapped up all of how they manage to get dia on their side, but dats what I've got atm

[filmfactors]

Thoughts on the fionna and cake series?

An overall decent series with a botched ending. Maybe it was inevitable the result would be unsatisfying no matter what, given the story line they chose has existed for years to be speculated on.

Unsurprisingly I think the ending is pretty rushed, altogether a little unsatisfying. Fionna and Cake felt majorly shafted, Gary and Marshal's story line felt pretty unimportant in the grand scheme of things, Scarab and Prismo feel sidelined, then there's Simon and Betty...

As someone who's been intrigued with them ever since I watched Holly Jolly Secrets as a child, well, all I can say after years of their relationship development and hoping for more...I'm very let down. It didn't feel like the actual, proper conclusion to the Betty and Simon we got to know in the original series. Nor did it feel like it expanded upon the characters at all? Same as it ever was, except worse this time.

I think the only way it could've been fixed was actually letting the show and it's characters breath, like Adventure Time had been allowed to. 20+ episode or least maybe even 15? But in this day and age of streaming, I guess 10 is the most we can hope for.

I also think they should've reevaluated what the problem with Simon and Betty was, and that it was not purely Betty's obsessive nature or Simon somehow being selfish despite that only being a trait they introduced in this series. It was both of their obsessive natures, their codependency, and outside forces that brought forth their ruin...

[knowledge-based-wumpus-agent]

Mob Psycho 100 is anti-incel propaganda

Extreme spoilers for Mob Psycho 100 in this post btw

Stop me if this is just me reiterating the text of the show but the conversation between "Mob" and "Shigeo" in the finale blows me away (emphasis mine):

M: I can't got Tsubomi like this. If she ever saw me like this...

S: But this form is exactly what Tsubomi needs to see. If she can still accept me, that would make me happy. Ever since Tsubomi lost interest in my powers, Mob stopped using them. But that was the wrong decision.

M: You don't think changing yourself for someone you love is natural?

S: I don't. At least, not when we're talking about Tsubomi. You should try to remember why you liked her in the first place.

M: It's because we got along...

S: No. Tsubomi didn't treat me any differently even though I could use psychic powers. She was kind to the both of us as a friend. She accepted us. It wasn't you that fell in love with Tsubomi, it was me.

This pays off the foreshadowing from a couple episodes prior: Mob has legitimately repressed the entire reason he got a crush on Tsubomi in the first place because he associates that so tightly with his psychic powers. When everyone else bullied him as a kid, Tsubomi treated him like a normal person, and he developed an obsession with her as the one person he could feel normal around. But when she moved on (because I mean, they were like six) Mob took that incredibly personally. It was the final nail in the coffin for him and he began constructing the "Mob" personality, suppressing his emotions, in order to hide his psychic powers from others. But this had immediate negative consequences: Mob is unable to keep his emotions in check and snaps while trying to protect Ritsu. From there there's a vicious cycle where Mob tries to suppress his emotions, inevitably snaps, the pent-up emotions run wild and cause a lot of harm, and then he redoubles his intentions to never feel emotions so that it doesn't happen again. But refusing to properly deal with his emotions and bottling them up is why he has these ???% episodes in the first place!

It really redefines Mob's whole relationship with Tsubomi. Like, it seems pretty clear that his pursuit of Tsubomi isn't just about Tsubomi. This is about Mob's perception that people don't appreciate him for who he is, that everyone is just using him for their own gain. Despite the strides he's made since the beginning of the show, he's obviously still incredibly insecure and remains convinced that since Tsubomi treated him as a full person before, if he can just win her over, he'll be able to feel alright about himself again. Mob's crush on Tsubomi and Mob's struggle with his psychic powers are the same internal conflict. And when "Shigeo" says:

S: You have a very strong desire to go see Tsubomi-chan. That is the most important thing to me.

He means that it's the most important thing to Shigeo full-stop - this has nothing to do with asking Tsubomi to go out with him, in this particular scenario. This is a core motivating force that's so deep down there that now that Shigeo, Mob's repressed emotions, is in charge, it's the only thing he wants to do.

But the irony is that throughout the show it's obvious to the viewer that Mob already has friends that appreciate him, he has tons of friends by this point (who all turn up to try to help him in the finale!), so why does he need Tsubomi's validation? But then Shigeo makes it clear that for the entire show Mob has had this cynical voice in the back of his head trying to convince him that everyone else is just using him. Deep deep down he doesn't trust all of these people that on the surface he seems completely open with.

M: Master doesn't treat me any differently!

S: You can stop pretending now. That man is a liar [...] that man is only interested in using my powers for his work. Meaning he gave me more different and special treatment than anyone else. That's all there is between us.

That's why it takes both Reigen and Dimple to calm Shigeo down. Dimple is the only character other than Mob's parents that call him Shigeo, the name Mob associates with the parts of himself he represses, and the part currently in control. Dimple, despite everything, is the most supportive about Mob fully embracing his psychic powers, and he respects the Shigeo persona and that's why Shigeo listens. And then Reigen finally admitting that he'd been lying to Mob for years (something Mob already knew, which deep down made the lie hurt even more) breaks through Shigeo's cynicism - no, his friends do care, they do like him for his entire self. He doesn't need Tsubomi's validation anymore.

The extra-double irony of all this is that Tsubomi clearly already likes Mob! Like, they're friendly with each other. Their parents are friends! When every other boy in school lines up to ask Tsubomi on a date, Mob calls her family's landline and talks to her mom! And then they chat for like multiple minutes and Tsubomi ends up waiting for him in the midst of a supernatural calamity, because she already trusts him and cares about him! Mob is so blinded by the pedestal he's put Tsubomi on that he's can't see that he already has a leg up on like every other boy in school and, more importantly, that she would totally be friends with him if he just like, talked to her normally.

This is why it's so perfect that Tsubomi rejects Mob. If Mob got the girl in the end I think it would have undercut the entire point of the finale. Everything Mob's done throughout the entire show has been to get Tsubomi to like him, but that wasn't enough because nothing was ever going to be enough. Tsubomi just doesn't see Mob that way, and that's okay. Sometimes you can do all the right things and still fail, that's life. That's the final lesson Mob needs to learn to complete his journey. He's spent all this time legitimately improving himself, getting fit, developing social skills, actually making friends. But he's hit a point where he can't keep growing as a person until he gets his romantic fixation with Tsubomi out of the way and allows himself to grow for himself instead of for someone else. He realizes the thing he was searching for, people who accept him, is something he already has. So he finally lets himself cry, no longer suppressing the "Shigeo" aspects of himself.

Anyway, the thing I find so cool about Mob Psycho 100 is that in a media landscape largely made up of pandering wish-fulfillment isekai nonsense, here you have this show that says no, actually, you don't deserve a girlfriend. She doesn't owe you anything even if you bettered yourself. But you did better yourself for yourself and that's what's truly valuable. Getting a girlfriend won't fix the parts of you you don't like, only self-improvement and self-acceptance can do that.

[starfallen-selfshipper]

this user is proship interact at your own discretion MDNI

long post

when it comes to raph, donnie and there relationship with mars i have a pretty good idea of how it goes:

raph and mars develop crushes at roughly the same time they had met when raph was top-side (early seasons specifically) letting his anger out mars finds him like this and (against his better judgment) decides to lend an impartial ear to his problems only offering advice if he asks for it

raph while suspicious at first quickly comes to appreciate mars's help and it doesn't take long for him to develop a crush as result afterwards he begins trying to spend time with mars outside of when he needs to vent (he even brings spike to meet them)

mars also quickly develops a crush on the turtle much to his horror but (again against there better judgment) continues to spend time with raph because it is concerned raph might have a harder time with his temper if they did.

eventually the others find out about mars although it's only just before mars gets mutated (which is around the same time april's dad get mutated and for the same reason mutagen canister gets dropped on them)

because they had decided go after raph after another fight with him this results in a confrontation and right in the middle of the four of them fight mutantgen drops on mars and then the kidnapping situation i've posted about happens.

post mutation any of raph's romantic feelings gets pretty much over ridden with fear for a while

until the space arc in episode mona betrays him to try and save her people mars tries to protect raph (and gets badly hurt as a result) this for whatever reason largely squash's raph's fear of mars and revitalizes his crush (though him and mona still make up and stay in a relationship) and helping to take care of mars causes him to start to develop a bit of on obsession (i'm going down the yandere route yes)

once they get back to earth raph begins insisting on mars coming to live with them rather than the mighty-mutant-animals (where they had been living since the craang invasion is there two or one a's i can't remember)

mars at first is very against the idea as star was trying to distance themselves before the triceratons attacked and they had no choice but go along with them but eventually is worn down enough to agree (after raph ropes mickey in somehow)

and it all goes down hill from there with raph trying to eclipse as much of there time as possible, trying his best to keep it from leaving the lair, (this is only so successful seeing as mars had been training with them for the most part during the space arc) stalking mars when he unsuccessful ect ect

he definitely tries (and fails) to downplay just how bad his obsession is to both himself and his brothers

donnie on the other hand has pretty much just platonic feelings for mars he does appreciate having someone who can at least keep up with his scientific jargon

it isn't until mars has a talk with april about needing to tell donnie she doesn't feel the same for him (she is psychic there is no way she doesn't know and all of her actions revolving around his crush just screams she is aware but is scared of hurting him)

or else when he inevitably finds out the fallout will be much worse the turtles over hear this conversation and results in mars trying to comfort donnie and talks about unrequited crushes they themselves have had in the past this causes donnie to begin to develop a crush as well

donnie also doesn't develop an obsession with mars like raph but donnie does try to get raph to hide his more obsessive behaviors because he doesn't want raph scaring mars off