#he becomes more and more sus with each passing episode

[hosharambles]

My full reaction to Attack on Titan Season 1 Episodes 10&11 is now up on Patreon! The Struggle for Trost is nearing its climax, and SO much is happening all at once! I swear, my questions are reproducing via budding, and by this point are almost ready to found their own freaking colony lmaoooo

Enjoy me struggle! 😂

[clean-casual-analysis]

When the villain is a philosophy

When you think of the word antagonist, the first thing that comes to mind is a villain. This is completely natural, given that stories of good vs evil tend to follow a heroic protagonist fighting against an evil antagonist. But once you get into the definition of the word, a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something, moral alignment doesn’t dictate whether a character should be a protagonist or an antagonist. The most recognizable examples of this would be the likes of Invader Zim and Megamind, characters that are villainous in nature but are still the protagonists of their respective stories.

But villain protagonists and hero antagonists aren’t what I’m talking about here. I’m talking about the antagonists that aren’t entirely focused on, at least in the traditional sense. Antagonists that, despite being the source of conflict in the narrative, don’t actually show up a lot of the time. These antagonists, while characters in their own right, are more symbolic in nature. The protagonists of these stories aren’t just trying to defeat the antagonists, but the rotten philosophies that these antagonists have. The beliefs that push the antagonists to do their villainous acts.

White Diamond: Uniformity and the Status Quo

In the entirety of the original Steven Universe series, not counting the movie or SU Future, White Diamond appears in three episodes out of one hundred and sixty episodes. (Two if we don’t count White Pearl/Volleyball) That’s not even one percent of the series. In most series involving a good vs evil plot line, we usually switch perspectives between our heroes and villains to understand how they’re reacting to the events of the story. But SU is entirely told from Steven’s perspective. The audience only gets new information about gems, homeworld, Rose Quartz, etcetera, when Steven himself learns it. Because of this perspective, we don’t see the final antagonist of the series until the very end of the show.

But even though White Diamond is not present throughout the majority of the show, her homeworld subordinates and beliefs fill in the place of the hurdles that the protagonists must pass. Think about what the show is about and what lessons it teaches. Relationships are intricate and need mutual respect, being proud of who and what you are, and (most importantly) societal roles do not define you. The development of the main characters each involve acceptance of the self and bucking of what’s expected of them. Pearl fully moving on from Rose, Garnet improving her self-love, Amethyst fully accepting herself for what she is, Peridot’s disillusionment with Homeworld and growing appreciation for earth, Connie disobeying her mother’s strict rules, Steven slowly becoming someone better than even his own mother, I could go on. It’s honestly surprising, looking back, how most of the characters’ core issues stem from the lack of self-assurance and how homeworld views their flaws.

White Diamond and her Homeworld regime ultimately represent how systems put limits and stigma onto people for the sake of uniformity. The consequence of living inside your own head. A fusion cannot happen between two different gems, Pearls must be servants, Quartz gems must be big and strong, and Diamonds must be the perfect leaders. Why? Because that’s just what gems do. Because that’s how the system works. Homeworld’s status quo is one of creating an ever-expanding empire at the cost of independence, self-expression, unique lifeforms, and healthy relationships. The system can’t be wrong, White Diamond can’t be flawed, it’s how things have always been so why change what isn’t broken.

Sauron: Dominance and Corruption

While he has more screen presence and is a much more a significant part of the story of Lord of the Rings than White Diamond is to SU, the dark lord Sauron is similarly one small part of a larger tale. Heck, he doesn’t even have dialogue in the book trilogy. Also, like White Diamond, Sauron is best represented by his many underlings. Ruthless orcs with crude but effective weaponry, colossal beasts to crush his enemies underfoot, massive armies dedicated to the dark lord’s cause of dominating all life in Midde Earth. But what’s most notable about Sauron isn’t the great power he possesses or the armies he commands, it’s the way he corrupts and deceives those that stand against him.

The betrayal of Saruman the White, the nine Nazgûl once being great kings of men who were turned into terrible ringwraiths, and most notoriously, the enticing power of the one ring. Boromir, believing that Gondor can use this evil weapon for good. Smeagol, utterly degraded into a deceitful cave dwelling throttler named Gollum. Frodo, forced to carry a heavy burden that weighs him down both physically and mentally. To Sauron, the corruption of good is a weapon he wields with unmatched lethality.

The insidious nature of his villainy is what makes Sauron the great representative of dominance and corruption that he is. The promises of more enticing good people to do evil for the “right” reasons and the ruthless conquest for dominion over all is all too real an evil to ignore.

The Martians: Colonialism and Warfare

I debated with myself on whether or not the martians from War of the Worlds should be included here. Unlike Sauron or White Diamond, the martians are clear and present throughout the story. On the other hand, there isn’t a named martian general or a big bad that’s shown to lead the alien invaders into combat. In the end, the fact that the martians are made to purely represent the darkest parts of humanity outweighs the secondary theme of this essay.

One of, if not THE first alien invasion story, War of the Worlds messaging is clear and easy to understand. The tentacled beings from Mars are coldly intelligent, remorseless, and regard our world with envious eyes. They use human blood as sustenance when they aren’t vaporizing us by the hundreds, their tripods are horrific machines of mass destruction, and their invasion is one of slaughter and destruction. But the book is quick to remind us that humanity isn’t so morally innocent compared to the martians. The consumption of our blood seems horrific, but humans have also killed animals and each other for food and resources. Their tripods are colossal and terrifying, but humanity has made countless destructive war machines. The invaders are dead set on wiping out humanity, but humanity not only brought extinction to animals like the dodo bird but to entire groups of our own kind. The martians are not simply an alien invasion to fight back against, it’s a cautious look into our worst future. A humanity that prioritizes ruthless colonization and military might is a humanity doomed to be parasitic and heartless.

War of the Worlds also takes a critical view towards solving problems through warfare. Violence is sometimes needed to fight evil, but that does make violence a good thing. The action and battles in War of the Worlds are not thrilling or glorious, they are horrific and even bumbling to an extent. Much like the early British imperials that they represent, the martians are arrogant and only win because they have the better technology. Even the destruction of a tripod has severe consequences, a flaming wreckage falling into a lake and boiling the humans hiding there alive. There is nothing pride or goodness to found in destruction and death. Warfare and violence should be the last resort of those trying to survive, yet humanity and martians brandish their weapons without care or empathy for those beneath them.

The Truth, In-Fighting, and the Seemingly Insignificant

These antagonists all represent a morally dangerous part of humanity. The stubborn refusal to change a flawed status quo, the desire to dominate and corrupt those who don’t, needless conquest and bloody war. But despite all their power and influence, these philosophies that the villains believe in fail them in the end.

For White Diamond, her ultimate failure stems from the mortal enemy of all tyrannical systems: the truth. In the last episode of Steven Universe, White Diamond removes the gemstone from our protagonist’s body. Believing that the mischievous Pink Diamond is merely hiding in this human body, White seeks to end this silly game once and for all. But once the gemstone is removed, it does form into Pink Diamond or even Rose Quartz. It forms a bright pink Steven. In the final act of Change Your Mind, White Diamond is faced with reality and all its implications. This gemstone is Steven, it’s always been Steven. This half human is not the irrational or childish person, it’s White. The leader of Homeworld, the one who’s supposed to know all and make things better, is wrong. But in order to do that, she needs to leave her own head. One of the hardest things for a person to do is admit when they’re wrong, that their foundational beliefs holding up a status quo is deeply flawed and objectively false. But accepting that you were wrong, learning from and fixing your mistakes, and becoming something better than what you were before is the greatest reward anyone genuinely looking for redemption can ask for.

For Sauron, his victory over Middle Earth comes so close. Minas Tirith has been ravaged, the army of man outside the black gates are crumbling before his might, and the ring bearer has been corrupted. However, just when all hope is burned to ash, something unexpected happens. Gollum, the epitome of the corruptive power that the one ring possesses, attacks Frodo to get back his precious. Whether it’s through struggling with Frodo like in the movie or not paying attention like in the book, Gollum falls into the fires of Mount Doom with the ring in tow. In the movies, we’re told that the eye of Sauron can pierce through cloud and stone. Because of this detail, I personally wonder what was going through the dark lord’s mind as he watched Gollum plummet to his death. The one ring’s defense, Sauron’s greatest strength, corrupting others into fighting amongst each other, was what led to his ultimate downfall. This is not the first time something like this has happened. Think back to the orcs fighting amongst themselves, or when Wormtongue stabs Saruman in the back. Not to mention that the mercy of both Frodo and Bilbo is what led to Gollum reaching Mount Doom in the first place. Even with all his armies and power, Sauron underestimated the petty infighting amongst his followers and the little acts of kindness of his enemies. Even when the forces of darkness seemingly succeed, all they’ll have left is each other to destroy. As Frodo himself said in the Two Towers book, they can’t conquer forever.

For the martians, their demise comes outwardly from nowhere. Their Tripods fall silent and they all die due to sickness. The book states that the martians either never encountered bacteria like earth’s or they had wiped out all disease on Mars. In both scenarios, the martian’s belief in their untouchable superiority over earth led their death. As soon as their invasion started, they were doomed. War of the Worlds isn’t just a hard look at what humanity could become, but also a love letter to all types of life. Bacteria, the seemingly most insignificant part of our world, is our savior here. It is so, so easy to despise germs and how they make mankind ill. But they also decompose dead flesh, helps the human body digest food, and are just as vital to our world as so many other creatures’ humanity takes for granted. All forms of life has a place in this world and to undervalue, let alone actively want to eliminate, all of it is foolhardy and black-hearted.

It’s how these stories come to an end is why I’m attracted to the idea of villains representing abhorrent philosophies. They show the inherent flaws of such morally bankrupt ideas and how their failures are inevitable. The desire for uniformity and belief that your status quo is flawless cannot stand up to the truth of the situation. Great and powerful conquerors seeking to corrupt will find themselves destroying each other when there is nothing left to dominate, while small acts of generosity and sympathy keep their opponents afloat. Arrogant war lords with their mighty machines will crumble to the things they deem to be insignificant.

[ivomartins]

I see many people consider Dmitry a redflag LI but to me he's a morally grey character: he finds a strange girl amidst the rift and assigns her a place in the squad instead of, you know, just taking Lane hostage when she's made it clear she's pursuing her own goals and only compels to the squad's decisions because she has to.

I understand why the interrogation episode is icky for many people but for me the devil is in details: Dmitry stops the interrogation because he doesn't want to hurt Lane further, and the whole situation can be seen as a necessary evil from the squad's pov, given Lane's actions. And at the same time, Lane doesn't deserve that shit either: she's all alone in a trust-no-one situation, and now she sees very clearly that the squad is not her friends.

To me that's what moral greyness is: different interpretations of the situation, when you can see motivation of both parties without whitewashing them.

Dmitry's conversation about turning your weakness into your strength adds another facet to his character, just like the stolen babushka gift 😭. I love the way Alexandra shows that he actually cares about Lane through him wanting to give her a chocolate bar or helping her with the work and sacrificing his sleep.

And the soulmatism of their branch is so well done. It's not "your mc is promised to this LI although you'd rather have her killed him in a cold blood" but "yes the situation we found themselves in is fucked up and bleak but at least we have each other because in another universe we'd pass each other by without looking back"

And I love how you can see Dmitry lashing out in the latest episodes, with more and more people in the squad dying, because he's responsible for their lives, he's the leader. And you, as a player, can choose Lane's reaction to his behaviour.

But the thing that truly made me sympathize with him is him telling Lane "It would be sad to lose my humanity while hunting for monsters and become one in other people's eyes. I hope I haven't cross that line yet?.."

That's how you write morally grey characters! 🙌

P.S. His latest CG fucks

i'm shook tbh that some people consider dmitry a red flag LI 😭 like yeah. the interrogation scene was iffy and lane didn't deserve that. but the world has literally gone to shit and this is a man who's been forced by circumstances to blur the lines of his morality for the greater good and the safety of the people around him ??? when we take that and the post-apocalyptic survival-of-the-fittest setting into consideration, plus the fact that lane was sus from day 1 and didn't really make any effort to prove herself trustworthy, the interrogation makes perfect sense

and like you said the morally grey nature to dmitry is the most interesting thing about him especially when it ties into the development of his bond with lane like !!!! with cain there's affinity in their position as outcasts and the apathetic nature they share, suspended above everything, untouched by what otherwise jars everyone else in the squad

but with dmitry their affinity lies in dmitry having a different nature to lane and still being drawn to her despite that, still accepting her to the point where she points a fucking gun at his head and he doesn't even flinch 😭 and doesn't even hold it against her later on like ??? there's so much devotion and unconditional acceptance to it and for me personally as someone who's on the whisper path it's definitely giving "the hero loving the monster and cherishing their blood-soaked hands" kinda dynamic

like it's "human" organic soulmatism like you called it, to balance out the otherworldly ambiguous soulmatism with cain. ugh i can't enough of it

i also love how he's been lashing out too and that not even lane has been exempt from that because he's just under that much pressure. i just adore how every single character has been written with their own role to play in the story, completely independent from lane, and they all get to develop just as much as she does as the story goes on 🥹

(and yes his cgs have been superior, even to cain, since day 1. i will die on that hill)

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

Pitch for a reimagining of Ace Attorney:

1) The game’s title

ACE ATTORNEYS

2) What’s the major reimagining?

Instead of a detective game, the game is choice-based along the lines of Telltale (like Walking Dead) and Quantic Dream (like Detroit Become Human). So you can actually lose the case and still finish the game.

Also, instead of different episodes with its own case, we have three cases that are played out simultaneously. We switch off between the 3 protagonists, just like Detroit Become Human.

Lastly, this’ll be more realistic than the original games. For this write-up, I’m using my own personal experience as a lawyer-in-training.

3) Storylines

(Note: Keep in mind, all these storylines are happening simultaneously with each other. The game switches POVs)

Storyline A: Local fortune-teller Maya Fey has been arrested for the murder of her older sister, Mia. Maya hires defense attorney Phoenix Wright, who also brings on a co-counsel, Franziska von Karma, who recently passed the bar (reference to OG Franziska being really young). The prosecutor is Miles Edgeworth, who has no prior connection to Franziska and Phoenix in this reimagining.

Storyline B: Phoenix Wright is currently going through a bitter divorce against his wife, Dahlia Hawthorne-Wright. They are fighting over everything, such as ownership of the Wright Law Firm, their house, and all their other assets. Phoenix is represented by divorce attorney Apollo Gramarye while Dahlia is represented by divorce attorney Klavier Gavin.

Storyline C: Apollo’s sister, Trucy Gramarye, is a celebrity magician with her own Las Vegas show. Recently, she’s sued a copycat magician named Rayfa Padma Khura'in, who she alleges stole her entire routine. Trucy hires entertainment/IP lawyer Simon Blackquill, who brings along his newest attorney Athena Cykes since she just passed the bar and needs experience. In response, Rayfa hires her own attorney, Nahyuta Sahdmadhi (side note: based on the real life Penn and Teller case).

So we got 3 main cases in different fields; criminal, divorce (family), and intellectual property.

4) The protagonists (should be obvious)

* Phoenix Wright: protagonist of the Maya Fey murder storyline

* Apollo Gramarye: protagonist of the Phoenix Wright divorce storyline

* Athena Cykes: protagonist of the Trucy Gramarye copyright infringement storyline

5) Other major characters (not a complete list)

* Maya Fey: A local fortune-teller and the main client of Storyline A

* Mia Fey: Maya’s older sister and the victim of Storyline A

* Franziska von Karma: Phoenix’s co-counsel and the deuteragonist of Storyline A (she fulfills the role of “assistant”, but only because she’s a junior attorney helping the senior)

* Miles Edgeworth: The prosecutor and main antagonist of Storyline A (main antagonist since you don’t actually find the supposed real killer, your goal is ONLY to get an acquittal for Maya)

* Richard G. Sho: The lead detective of the Fey murder case

* Dahlia Hawthorne-Wright: Phoenix’s wife who he’s getting divorced from and the main antagonist of Storyline B.

* Iris Hawthorne: Dahlia’s twin sister who plays a major role in the divorce proceedings.

* Klavier Gavin: Dahlia’s attorney and the secondary antagonist of Storyline B.

* Ema Skye: The accountant working with both Phoenix and Dahlia when it comes to determining how to split their community property (because she’s “scientific”)

* Trucy Gramarye: Apollo’s sister and a celebrity magician working in Las Vegas. She is the client of Storyline C.

* Simon Blackquill: Athena’s senior attorney

* Rayfa Padma Khura’in: A copycat magician who is sued by Trucy for infringement. She is the main antagonist of Storyline C.

* Nahyuta Sahdmadhi: Rayfa’s attorney and the secondary antagonist of Storyline C.

6) How the stories could play out depending on the player’s choices

* Maya could either be acquitted or deemed guilty. That being said, it’s never made clear whether or not Maya is actually innocent, unlike the original games.

* Phoenix could either lose a lot in the divorce settlement or Dahlia could lose. This storyline is more to determine whether or not Phoenix has a happy or sad ending.

* Trucy could either successfully shut down Rayfa’s show or Rayfa could continue to perform. Just like Maya’s story, it’s not made clear whether or not Rayfa intended to steal Trucy’s performance or if it was just an unfortunate coincidence.

7) Miscellaneous storyline stuff

* A plot twist in the Fey murder case could be that the Feys were deep in debt and Maya may have murdered Mia for insurance money. Maya could say she had no knowledge of the insurance money, which the player can choose to believe or doubt.

* A plot twist in the Wright divorce case could be that Phoenix was cheating on Dahlia with Dahlia’s twin sister, Iris (who is a nun in this reimagining). This could be a major factor in who ends up prevailing in the settlement.

* A plot twist in the Trucy copyright case could be that Rayfa and Trucy were friends when they were starting out as amateur magicians. This could be a major factor in determining whether or not Rayfa knew about the details of Trucy’s magic tricks.

* Obviously, the storylines do cross over with each other. Apollo visits his sister which leads to him meeting Athena, Phoenix has to deal with both the murder case and his own divorce, Athena could learn about Phoenix through Apollo and Trucy, etc.

[animeandfilmotaku]

烏は主を選ばない-[A Raven Does not choose its master]-Intrigue and Insight.

In my normal regular brain, this is honestly my reaction to this series via a meme

But I am a serious film review writer, and I really really need to gush one of the best anime series I have watched in recent years, so shall jump into the world of Yatsugarsu.

I may come late to the court drama genre party, thanks to Apothecary Diaries (薬屋のひとりごと) [FYI I really highly recommend this, if you love strong female characters and intriguing plot twists), so unfortunately I have to wait til February 2025 for Season 2 (I should read the novels too, as I heard it is also good), but it would be another show that I will recommend. As for now, I need to talk about this series 烏は主を選ばない [A Raven Does not choose its master]

So it started simply about Yukiya, a country boy from Taruhi who has unexpectedly cross pass with Prince Wakamiya (the true Kin’u), to be his aide (Though Yukiya has his sassy ways when dealing with his antics). So for the first half of the series- we deal with the 4 consorts vying for Wakamiya’s hand in marriage. I said it was great, it was cool, the intrigue is amazing with every plot twist from each consort having its own affairs and personality-all vying for . Not going to spoil for one of the biggest twists for that arc, but not all that it seems in the courts, that even Yukiya-an observer be like I am too old for this shit with these delulu nobles.

I would say Hamayuu is my favourite among the consorts, because she radiated intelligence and wit that every time I see her, I be like QUEEN, I love you so much 😩

However I wanted to give the shout out to the next part of the series that totally solidify the series for me as a whole, so after the selection process of the consort is officially done (With oh course revelations of our lovely consorts, again no spoilers), trouble seems to brew at the countryside as there are mutated yatsugarasus and killer were-monkeys (These things scared the shit out of me TBH) prowling through the villages, killing the residents- which Yukiya is pulled back to the Prince’s side, to investigate these horrors. I guess that is how Game of Thrones fans feel like with the plot twists they watched, because Raven’s plot twists are muah Chef’s kiss. Like every time I be like ‘This so-so is SUS” and the same time, did not expect the unexpected with the motivations. Like from the intrigue on who shall win Wakamiya’s hand, now it become like there are drugs???? There are evil monkeys???? Gang pacts????? Quoting that Lady Gaga Meme;

You can say it makes you want more of its twists and turns in Yamauchi’s inner worlds.

Not to mention, I love the world-building that it is not jarring at all, but rather it serves you like a 9 course Michelin meal, which its politics, surroundings, mythos and livelihood interweaved so beautifully. I admit I am jealous how it is written, as I cannot even pen these worlds so intriguing and yet so brutal, which could be similar to real life.

As David Lean, one of my heroes said ‘I'm first and foremost interested in the story, the characters.’ and it really shined through the series, with the relationship between Wakamiya and Yukiya, who lived different lives; Wakamiya burdened with the destiny of protecting his fellow crows and Yukiya, a witty kid who learns that the world he lives is not what it seems and yet bonded by loyalty. They propelled the story through their observations and interactions with their allies, enemies or conspirators.

On the side note the endcard after every episode done by Natsuki-sensei (The illustrator for the Yatsugarsu series) which are so gorgeous by itself (I saw an online website where you can buy the postcard set itself, which I am jealous as it is expensive)

I am quite upset how this anime flew by the radar, with the more popular ones, but if you love court intrigue, refreshing world buliding and complex characters, this series is for you,and I hope you enjoy the ride as I was

I am hoping to get my hands to work on the novels by Abe-sensei itself so I can read it by itself, because it is just amazing

[toujokaname]

Game master / Episode 8

Author: Akira

Characters: HiMERU, Rinne, Kohaku, Aira, Tatsumi, Hiiro, Takashi

"Ah, but, it's okay. Because all of this is for my beloved Nii-san's sake."

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[ Read on my site for a better viewing experience using Ois~su ♪ ]

Season: Winter

Location: Secluded Village

HiMERU: HiMERU would like to know the actual situation. Or is it that even we can't know all the details?

If that's the case, he also has a proposal. From today onward, HiMERU intends to sever all ties with you, Rinne.

Rinne: Hey, hey, you jealous, Merumeru? Just 'cause your beloved lil ol' me has a wife now?

HiMERU: HiMERU simply doesn't want to be dragged into a scandal.

Rinne: Still, at least see just this job—see Matrix through to the end.

Like I said, it's alright. I've got everything planned out so that it'll wrap up nice and tidy.

HiMERU: ...Though this skepticism isn't half-hearted, the reality is that Rinne has always managed to resolve matters in the end.

Since it smells dangerous, HiMERU doesn't want to get involved, but he is a professional. Let's finish the job.

Rinne: Thanks for that. For some reason, Niki passed out, so Crazy:B's short of manpower.

Kohaku: "For some reason," he says... Rinne-han, you for real?

Rinne: Ah, right, right... I explained briefly since you kept nagging, but remember to keep this hush-hush in front of the cameras.

Keep it secret that a child was born between me and Anzu-chan.

If that gets out, it won't affect just the filming of the show. Coming all the way to the Amagi Village would be meaningless, right?

HiMERU: Even without explicit instruction, there'd be no intention of disclosing that kind of scandal material to the public, though?

Hmph. Or rather, this is just another component of your usual malicious schemes, isn't it?

Even HiMERU has become accustomed to your way of doing things.

At this point, it's not like HiMERU would be so naive as to panic due to a storyline reminiscent of a shoujo manga or a cheap TV drama.

Kohaku: But when ya first heard about it, you were more panicked than anyone else. Your tone even changed.

HiMERU: Please forget about it. Rinne is always, always so abrupt.

Aira: Umm... So then, what does that mean?

HiMERU: Our stance on the matter is to treat the tale of Rinne and Anzu-san having a child as nothing more than a joke.

In fact, it is impossible for such a thing to happen.

Kohaku: When ya look at it calmly, that's right. We debuted this summer, and we met Anzu-han even later.

How could they have a grown kid when they've barely known each other for maybe six months tops? It's against biology.

Tatsumi: Is there a possibility that Rinne-san and Anzu-san had some interaction before that?

Kohaku: Well, that ain't entirely outta the question. Rinne-han didn't debut in the show business as Crazy:B, but as a solo act.

There must've been plenty of chances to get involved with producers we don't know about.

Shoot, we didn't even know of Akan-han's existence, who's apparently some kinda acquaintance of his.

Kohaku: But, even if we're in the dark 'bout Rinne-han's past, we do have a grasp of his character.

We've been put through the wringer in these six months. Laughin', cryin', gettin' mad, and buzzin' around with Rinne-han as Crazy:B—

That's why, from where we're standin', this tale's beyond belief.

Rinne-han may be human scum, but he ain't scum to that extent.

HiMERU: Yes. Rinne went out of his way to tell a lie that was easily identifiable as such.

Furthermore, he fabricated a dangerous subject that could escalate into a scandal.

HiMERU interprets this as Rinne's attempt to avoid further scrutiny into the matter.

In essence, this implies that if the issue continues to be prodded into, he'll end up causing trouble for Crazy:B by repeating the same falsehood to the public.

Tatsumi: Is that not more akin to self-destruction rather than a threat? Since Rinne-san is also a member of Crazy:B, or rather, at the center of the scandal, wouldn't he suffer more damage than anyone else?

HiMERU: Indeed. That's how far Rinne is determined to go with this ridiculous lie.

HiMERU can't fathom the intent behind it. As it stands, the only option is to ignore the unidentified child over there.

If you want to deliberately cross a dangerous bridge, HiMERU won't stop you. But he advises against it.

Aira: Ugh... It does worry me, and I also enjoy that kinda gossip.

But, considering Hiro-kun's feelings...

Hiiro: .........

Hiiro: ...Umu. It's okay, I'm calm.

Err... You're Takashi-kun, right?

Takashi: Yes.

Hiiro: You've had a rough time too, getting caught up in this strange situation...

Takashi: Yes... Ah, but, it's okay.

Because all of this is for my beloved Nii-san's sake.

Hiiro: ...?

[ ☆ ]

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[originalwinnercheesecake]

The Owl House Watching and Dreaming Analysis. (Spoilers)

Its over. Its been around 3 years and now its over. Well like Luz says its time for a new chapter now. The majority of my tag is posts about the owl house, and now I have to find a new thing to post on. I like Molly Magee, but so far not enough to spend hours typing out analysis and theories. I got into Ducktales 2 years late and, it has me going through Disney plus to find more shows about the wacky highjinks of the duck family, so if that corner of the Disney fandom is still alive maybe I will pop in their from time to time. I also happen to like a few live action shows.

But before that I want to close out the owl house with 1 (possibly a coupe more posts). This one is my recount and review of the Owl Houses final episode, and will focus on the families and connections at the end, as I feel they were the most important part of the episode, Warning long post and spoilers below.

I will start off with talking about Meeting Kings father and what we learned about Titans. We have comfirmation now that Titans do not have spouces/mates and reproduce Asexually. King’s dad did not object to being refered to as Dad, but was term wise both his dad and mom. Two things: 1 does this mean King (who doesn’t need labels right now because he is only 8) will grow up to be aroace, like Lilith? 2 this is confirmation that he will still be able to become a parent 1 day, which I am glad about, because we know he will outlive Eda, Lilith, and Luz and this way we know he will still be able to have a family again after they pass on. Also we now have confirmation that the baby titan skulls in the trapers room were kings brothers and sisters. Were the Full grown ones his oldest siblings or were they his dad’s siblings. Also the owl beast. I knew it...they? Were a titan, and that were were probably the last living one Bill mentioned since king as an egg couldn’t cry or run, and was still being hidden. At first I thought they might be his parent, but it looks like they are actually either his older sibling or his aunt/uncle... They are still inside his mom and aunt, so they are a part of his life.

So now on to King’s Dad as a parent. Because the Titans heart was still beating he actually was not completely gone. His spirit was alive in the in between realms and was watching over King, is shown to be delighted that his son found such a nice family to raise him, and is confirmed to have had a bit of a hand guiding Luz in how quickly she learned glyphs and wild magic. This all feels like methaphors for Heaven and Guardian Angels. I do not know what Dana belives or if she belives in anything. She certainly hasn’t been shy about making metaphors to the bad parts of religon/christianity. But i am glad she also made these refrences loving and positive. They can be comforting to those that have lost loved ones.

Now on to the Collector. First the older collectors aren’t his gaurdians, they are his older siblings. From their point of view the war between titans and collectors was just them being mean and breaking their baby brothers toys. Okay, they are jerks, and it was a horrible thing to do, but okay the show didn’t go full on SU diamonds parasitic route. This makes me feel a bit better about how our collectors arc ended. King’s family and He forgave each other and are good friends, the collector is confirmed to come visit them from time to time, but he went back to the Star’s to finish growing up. His siblings better feel bad about him having been stuck in thousand year time out because of them, and better leave his new friends alone now. Him going back was one of the three options I felt were possible and while not perfect I genuienly do think it was the best one. The collector was ultimelty to powerful to live on the isles full time without hurting someone, and with all the repairs and rebuilding needed to be done Eda and Raine did not have the time needed to watch him as much as he needed.

No lets go on To Luz. She moved back to the Human realm to live with her mother and sister, and graduate from earth school in graves field. It also looks like Camila was able to eventually forge the documents needed to adopt Vee in the human realm and send her to school with Luz. But we can see that a permenent portal was opened at the old house (how can Camila afford two houses on her single parent vetenairy income? Did she pay in snails and the seller think she had gold?). Luz, Camilia, and eventually Vee (wonder how long that took) made visitations to the demon realm. Luz had the option to chose which realm she wanted to live in once she grew up. It also looks like Eda got upgraded from being Luz’s temporary host parent to being like a God mothe rto her. Camila will always be Luz’s real mother, but Eda still getting to stay in their lives as support is for the best. Camilia and Luz went through so much when Manny died and they were struggling to deal with it by themsleves. I said in an earlier post that I believe the owl house to ultimately be about finding a community that is suportive of you. Camila, Luz, and Vee did not have that before, but they do now.

Now on to Hunter. So the final hints very strongly that he was adopted by Darius, not Camila, and not Eda (who FYI had no positive interactions with Hunter and should not have been considered as heavily as she was by fans). This again makes the most sense. While watchig Thanks to them when Hunter is mentioned to be happy and doing well in the human world I was like “Alright the story still works great if Hunter becomes Hunter Noceda. Darius can just be a mentor to him if he goes back to the iles in summers”. But then when he described the life he wanted at the end of the episode I was confused because everything he said was things he could only do in the demon realm. He wanted to go back perminently. I doubt Camila will ever want to fully live in the demon realm, Luz did probably need to live in both worlds until she was an adult to fully make a fair choice, and you know it took months/years for Vee to step foot there. I still hope Camila got to be Hunters God mom or was in his life as a surogate Aunt. Hey Darius and Eberwolf are implied to have become like Police officers, dedicated to stoping suporters of Belos’s system fromt trying to reinstate it. It thoretically could have been possible that they would be away for stretches and Hunter would need another adult to stay with some of the time.

Reminder of what Darius and Hunter’s relationship was like since a lot of it had to develop off screen. Darius and Hunter are strongly hinted to have started spending more time together post ASIAS, by Hollow Minds Darius had grown so fond of Hunter that he was ready to abort his cover to help him. When Hunter ran away from the EC Darius is confirmed to have tracked him down to ensure he was safe, and Hunter was comfortable leaving his hiding place to go on a mission Darius gave him (protect Luz while she went to break Amity out of the manor). Hunter was very worried/scared when he saw Darius on the stage at the Day of Unity. Also while Hunter did not put Darius’s picture on the wall he started sewing every piece of fabric he could find in the Noceda’s basement and would talk about how this was something he practiced with Darius. So he clearly missed him, but I do not think he realized how much Darius and Eberwolf missed HIM until they came looking for him after waking up. On the subject of Eberwolf and Hunter, I have seen the headcannon that Eberwolf calls Hunter pup/cub but can we as a fandom please come up with a term Hunter uses for Eberwolf. there is no way they call each other “Uncle” and “Nephew”. Those are definitly trigger word for Hunter.

Also the Blue bird Palisman Hunter eventually carved himself. I am glad its a bird, because Hunter had Palisman as therapy/support animals and birds were the animal he was most comfortable with. I want to name his new bird Bananas. Since Bananas, like Flapjacks, were a human food he was unfirmilar with in the demon realm. I am also so glad that show let him grieve Flapjack and take his time before getting a new palisman. Flapjack was Hunters biggest support during his darkest time and I was so afraid that they would trivialize his lose due to the shortened season. But no not only did they give him a grave that got visitited, not only did Hunter get a tattoo of Flapjack, but so did Willow and Luz, maybe Gus and Amity as well. Flapjack was so loved and so missed, as he should be.

 On to Alador x Darius. I ship the couple but I am so glad how it was handled, with them basically being confirmed to not get together for another 3-4 years. As cute as their dynamic is, it would have been extstreamly problamatic for them to get together soon after the battle with Belos. Alador was just getting out of a long, abusive, marriage. While we do not get a chance to fully explore Darius’s character and what caused him to close himself off from his old friends, we know he was working through some things and closing a chapter on a mission that had been a big focus f his life. Not to mention that both men had teenagrs who had been tramatized and needed/deserved to be their dad’s full focus for the time being. So for that I am glad we did not get the Blight-Deammone step family.

One kinda nice twist was that Alador decided he wanted to build medical machines and Emira was the child that ended up working with him. Emira was the child who seemed to have the least in common with Alador so I liked that they eventualy had something they could do together. A stranger surprise was Amity and Lilith’s reunion, and the strong hints that they started working together again and bonded. Dana dropped them being Mentor and protage like a hot potato after Covention day and was quick to post that they were never close/did not like each other when asked. So its kinda strange that she suddenly had them start caring and tried to portray Lilith as a strong female figure in Amity’s life after her seperating completely from Odalia. This is the big thing I feel should have been either explored more or dropped.

Lastly reagrding the end credits; I am upset that for how many clips we saw of both Steve and Matt towards the end we did not get a single on of them reuniting or together. Come on Show Why. That said I love the jobs they were shown to have afterwards. I expected Steve to maybe get an internship/assistant job at the museum with Lilith, since they were such good friends. Seeing him, still friends with Lilith, but also with the Catt’s and working to rehabilitate other coven scouts was so much better. And finding out that Matt became a hotshot architectural designer on the isles is just perfect. Also I spent 3/4ths of the End credits going “Where is Gus. Do not leave him out of this time jump”. Then I find out he graduated early and was teaching students about the human realm at Eda, Raine, and Lilith’s new university. The little genius. They’re is no confirmation that he and Matt ever got together, but Oh well. Maybe they did and are just not into PDA? maybe did and broke up/were on a break? Maybe they only ever stayed friends? It was my second favorite ship (besides Lumity) but if it didn’t happen that’s okay.

All in All this was the owl house final. It was exciting, intense, it tied up lose ends,and gave our charcters ends that while not perfect, where the best they could have been. Good job Dana. Good Job Owl House Crew. Thank you for the show. Its helped me a lot with getting through the past 3 years.

[bulbasaursim]

Imagine a scene in All of us are Dead where as all the students were running away, on their way out of the school and to the mountain on episode 9, that instead of Cheong-San seeing his mother and eventually running away and leaving her zombified self behind, he stays.

An alternate universe where when Cheong-San finds his mother, he runs to her. Where he pushes away and beats away all his classmates to keep from harming her. A universe where he cups her face in his hands and stares at the same features of her face that he’s become accustomed to all his life. He analyzes the way that her eyes are bloodshot and her expression is one that he’s never even fathomed her muscles contorting to, but he grounds himself in the way her eyelashes still flutter when she blinks and how the slope of her nose is still the same, lips identical to the one that would kiss his forehead goodnight and jaw that would move with each syllable as she spoke to tell him how loved he was. He stares and he cries, tears dropping from his eyes just as his heart as he tries to comprehend that she will never be the same again. Nothing will ever be the same as it once was. His classmates are calling at him, yelling to continue their tread to the mountain before more zombies than they can handle get closer. They are already fending off enough zombies, any more could mean an end to any hope of escape. Cheong-San only runs their pleas through deaf ears, feet staying planted by his mother as she claws at his body to get closer to get a taste of his blood. She looks like an animal to his classmates watching, but to him, in the center of destruction, she has never looked so beautiful under the light of familiarity. Dae-su has resorted to trying to yank her off and away from him, but Cheong-San only turns her away from the frantic man and delivers him a cruel kick to his stomach, leaving him groaning on the rough asphalt. He turns back to her when he feels her breath on his neck and wraps his arms around her in a tight embrace, stepping forward until her back hits a car so that she is protected from anyone else who tries to take her away, his body shielding her front. She thrashes against him and hisses wildly. He can still hear the sound of bats against zombie flesh and multiple yells of his name around him as he adjusts his arms to hug under hers instead of over to free them. His sobs have tuned harsh and breath ragged as he holds her impossibly closer to him, as if someone would come and take her away, as if he was clinging onto the the last pieces of her, trying to hold and place them back together. He tucks his head into the crevice where her neck and shoulder meet, a warm feeling of nostalgia passing over him in a buzz. His body still remembers this exact action from when he was little, hiding into his mothers neck and sobbing until his tears ran out. Now he finds himself feeling like that same child again, gasping and bawling and so tremendously overwhelmed. When he feels the first gnaw of teeth sinking into his flesh he doesn’t even flinch. His hands ball into fists, gripping the back of her shirt as sob after sob wracks through him.

He ripped off the fabric of his uniform and tied a knot between his mother’s wrist and his own as he felt the first symptoms of his turning. Tight and secure, he made sure of it with all his remaining resolve.

Their bones crack restlessly as they walk through the zombie infested city, classmates long gone towards liberation and grieving his loss. Zombies transform into brainless creatures when the last of their humanity slips away, friends and lovers alike passing by carelessly like they were nothing more than moving objects to each other, but Cheong-San and his mother stay entwined, wrists bound together by their love, and maybe there is hope that exists within the desperate threads of the fabric.

[scibaby346]

Here are Hazbin Hotel ideas:

After watching all 8 episodes of hazbin hotel I have some ideas.

Note: these are just notes I jotted down on how the story can progress.

Lilith goes to the hotel, surprising everyone.

Charlie is happy she is back and questioning where Lilith has been.

Lilith dodges the questions and compliments on the new hotel. Lilith subtly tries to persuade Charlie to leave hotel behind.

Lucifer and Lilith confront each other; maybe Lilith telling Lucifer why he isn’t helping with the “plan”.

Somewhere in this emily sneaks into hell to deliver the news about Sir Pentious.

Eventual Charlie confront both her parents - where the big secret plan Lilith had was revealed & why she is sus.

The Plan:

In the beginning Lucifer and Lilith were content with being in hell. They enjoyed each other.

Then Charlie was born. The parents noticed that she wasn’t like the other demons. She was nicer or “purer”.

As Charlie grew, Lilith began thinking that her daughter does not belong in hell.

Lilith and Lucifer fight on what is best for their daughter. This causes their marriage to fall apart. Lilith and Lucifer separate, taking Charlie with her.

As Charlie got older, Lilith became more convinced that Charlie doesn’t belong in hell like her and Lucifer.

Somehow she manage to get into contact with Heaven council and was accepted.

She presented her case to let Charlie go to heaven due to how good of a person she is all her life. After much debate, the heaven council decides to see and creates a contract.

The contract states that Lilith and angel observers will watch Charlie for 7 years ( I chose 7 because (a) that’s how long Lilith was gone and (b) 7 is lucky number in Christianity) to see how good of a person she is. If any of you watch The Good Place tv then it can be similar to that monitoring.

The contract also states that Lucifer and Lilith should have limited contact with Charlie on the basis of “ Not influenced by the greatest evils”. Lucifer was already distant with Charlie before this so Lilith didn’t see an issue with this.

The contract also states that Charlie can’t be killed during the exterminations of the 7 year period or null void. (Note: when the series or first episode start. 7 years have almost passed. The 7 year period ended before episode 7.)

When the 7 years passed it was Lilith job to try and convince her to leave everything behind in any way possible. Or after the 7 years have passed, the extermination angels can kill or fake Charlie’s death so they can send her to heaven.

As part of the contract Lilith gets to stay in heaven as well to be with Charlie.

All of this planning so they can send Charlie to heaven.

After The reveal:

After her parents explained everything, Charlie was in shock. Charlie is upset that her parents did this.

Lilith tries to explain that she thought this was for the best and why Charlie should forget the hotel so she can be in heaven. This is because after episode 8 the angels are becoming less likely to send her to heaven.

Charlie is currently having a breakdown of everything in her life. At the same time before this she was questing sending sinners to heaven is the right thing now. Her breakdown worsens when she questions her entire purpose now and doesn’t know what to think any more.

Charlie runs out and goes to her room. She yells to be alone.

After hours they go to check on her and she left a note saying she is gone by herself to think.

Charlie on her own:

Charlie has a bag with her and is out on her own to think. This happens for a while.

She manages to get her way to cannabal and has a talk with Rosie.

Charlie takes another look at how nice cannibal town is and questions how this be.

This could lead her to maybe go to the other rings and see how different the rulers are such as Beelzebub and Ozzy.

This could lead her to a realization and heads back to the hotel.

Back at the Hotel(Realization):

Charlie goes back to the hotel and gathers everyone.

Charlie tells them everything. She then tells her realization.

Charlie still wants to keep the hotel but now her main focus isn’t to get sinners into heaven, it’s to try to make hell a little less horrible.

Charlie then goes on a tangent along the lines of letting some sinners into the other rings as well to enjoy the full thing of hell.

Other Notes:

Adam comes back as a sinner in hell.

Sir Pentious comes back to hell and stays (maybe he becomes a fallen back to hell again)

Thats my notes so far. These are just ideas I just had to get down after all episodes. So long. 👋🏽

- Scibaby356

[baenxietydad]

Hatfish K-Drama AU Vibes

Where Mak makes a playlist entirely of their favorite K-drama OST songs. This is cringe. K-drama OSTs are cringe. Hatter and Marlin are both very cringe. Perfection. Last warning for PURE cringe though. Seriously.

Songs are in the order they’d appear in in the K-drama ^_^

Synopsis: After a shared dream where they were romantically involved, two strangers cross paths in real life. LGBTQ K-drama shit ensues.

1. Fate by Why

Drama: Full House (2004) First appearance: End of episode 1. When Marlin and Hatter first pass by each other after the AU dream, their eyes dramatically meet, they look away, they look back, its very obvious they’re looking at each other but both pretend not to notice. The chorus? Iconique.

I tricked myself numerous times that you weren't my love Wanted you to be a passing stranger Because painful wounds would be all that would be left with me But still, knowingly, I desire your everything and become sad

2. Cross My Mind by Twin Forks

Drama: It’s Okay, That’s Love (2014) First appearance: The outro to episode 2, where they exchange their first almost hand-touch at Hatter’s as he hands Marlin his coffee.

Why don’t you stay for a while? It’s been too long since I’ve smiled

3. Flower by Yoon Mirae

Drama: Crash Landing On You (2019) First appearance: Middle of episode 4. Plays in the background as Marlin talks about his life, his late wife, his son lol

On the road I'm passing by I saw a flower smaller than my hand... My eyes are filled by your little heart Will it fall down if it rains? Will it freeze in the snow? So I’m worried about you

4. Sunset by Davichi

Drama: Crash Landing On You (2019)

First appearance: End of episode 5. While Marlin is fighting to stay awake as he drinks his tea in the coffee shop after working all day at the hollow clinic and then all night at Pixie’s. Marlin eventually nods off sitting up and Hatter closes the curtain in that window so the sun doesn’t bother him.

Even if you don’t say anything When I look into your eyes I can feel your aching heart Your deeply locked voice Your shallow smile Show me how long your day was I know you’re smiling Because you don’t want me to know how tired you are

5. Will You? by Brothersu

Drama: Jealousy Incarnate (2016) [my FAVORITE drama btw] First appearance: Like 20 mins into episode 7. During one of those scenes where they’re both looking at their phones debating if they’re going to call the other, pacing around their rooms. Ultimately neither of them calls.

Will you come to me? Will you come by my side? Because it’s something you do with your heart You just need to tell me, whenever I’m used to it now No, I’ve gotten used to it Nonsensical days of me laughing Just because you’re here

6. That Man by Hyun Bin

Drama: Secret Garden (2010)

First appearance: End of episode 8. After Marlin stayed at Hatter’s talking to him late into the night, they run into each other each other at Moon Market the next morning, each grabbing just one or two things. They walk together and Hatter was about to confess his feelings for Marlin, when a gorgeous woman shouts “Mu-yeol oppa!” and charges at him, throwing her arms around him. Hatter politely excuses himself before he can find out that the woman is Marlin’s younger sister who flew in from Korea to surprise him. The song plays while Hatter is walking emoly and it begins to rain.

A man loves you That man loves wholeheartedly He follows you around like a shadow everyday That man is crying while crying Just how much more do I have to look at you alone? This love that is like the wind ,this beggar like love If I continue will you love me? Just come a little closer,a bit If I take one step closer,you run away two steps I who loves you I am next to you That man comes

7. Bye, Autumn by Saltnpaper

Drama: Jealousy Incarnate (2016)  First appearance: End of episode 10. True to K-dramas, Hatter still doesn’t know that the gorgeous Su-mi is Marlin’s sister and not his girlfriend. He assumes he hasn’t seen him in a few days because he’s busy with her -- which is true, but not for the reasons he thinks. They come in to buy coffee and Hatter doesn’t “forget” to charge Marlin for something extra this time. Marlin doesn’t really notice, but Hatter feels it was appropriate revenge for what he perceives as mixed signals. Later, Nemo comes into the coffee shop with one of his friends for a pastry and a chai. Hatter overhears him mention offhand to Jeremy “yeah, my aunt flew in from Korea to surprise my dad, he’s so preoccupied with her, he got someone to cover his shift at Pixie’s tonight. Which means! I can go clubbing without my DAD there for once!” Hatter drops a teacup and it shatters. The emo song plays over a scene of his cleaning it up while Nemo and Jeremy chat, and while Marlin shows Su-mi around town. They pass by Hatter’s again and Marlin pauses, considers going in to ask why he was so short with him, but decides against it.

If I cry if I smile Will my life still go on If I try if I chase Will my love still go on Somehow I can’t get out of here Sometimes I need you near me Keep me right, keep my breath Till the end of story Let me wait if you’re late Till my words find your ears Tonight you steer my heart away Just leaving a trail of sorrow

8. I Think I by Byul

Drama: Full House (2004) First appearance: Episode 11. After Su-mi leaves town, Marlin’s just kinda emoly chilling on a swing at the park, Hatter’s having a Rough Day TM at the shop. Marlin keep unlocking and locking his phone, debating calling Hatter to ask if he wants to meet. He had talked to Su-mi about his feelings for him and she encouraged him to tell him, but since he’s been distant lately he has second thoughts. Nemo comes into the shop again. Hatter looks Sad TM because he’s just thinking of his hot dad but won’t do anything about it in true K-drama pining fashion. A K-drama STAPLE, the montage of scenes where the romantic leads interacted, accompanies the song lol

I think I love you, I think that’s what it is ’Cause I miss you, whenever you’re not around I cannot do anything And I keep thinking of you Whenever I realize this, I think I`m Falling For You

9. Everytime by Punch and Chen

Drama: Descendants of The Sun [2016] First appearance: Episode 11, the middle. When Marlin resolves to walk to Hatter’s and talk to him. Makes the walking scene look dramatic af lmao, interspersed with shots of Hatter doing office work. The song fades out when the door bells jangle and Hatter leaves the office and they’re face to face. Hatter quickly acts as if he hadn’t been acting like Marlin had greatly offended him these past few days. Marlin doesn’t call him out, worried he’d ruin whatever good mood he was back in.

Oh every time i see you When i see your eyes My heart keeps fluttering

10. Talk Love [ 말해! 뭐해?] by K.will

Drama: Descendants of The Sun (2016) First appearance: This song actually appeared in Episode 1, during the dream episode, in the scene leading up to and during the Big Dream Kiss. It was threaded throughout the show since, and finally in episode 13 of 15, it plays again over the BIG REAL KISS SCENE

Why are you lingering around me? What should I do? I keep thinking of you Tell him! What’re you doing? Tell him! What’re you doing? Don’t make me look somewhere else like a fool I wanna tell you You’re the one in my heart you are my only one Being too in love Makes one cry I didn’t understand that before

[therecordconnection]

Ranting and Raving: "Sussudio" by Phil Collins

This is ‘Sussudio.’ A great, great song. A personal favorite.

When American Psycho first came out in 2000, one of the ways that protagonist Patrick Bateman was shown to be utterly insane to the audience was through the way he would ramble on and talk about pop music as if he were talking about high art. At the time of the film’s release, nobody did this. Nobody could be bothered to examine vapid pop music made by Whitney Houston, Huey Lewis & the News, or Genesis/Phil Collins with any kind of analytical eye. It was decided that there was nothing worth exploring. His musings on “Hip to be Square” and Genesis’ career path from prog rockers to pop stars are interesting and people can now quote them on command, but make no mistake: It was supposed to be one of the many clues that revealed that this guy is a special kind of deranged. 

Twenty-three years have passed since then and Patrick Bateman’s strange, falsely profound manner of finding critical value in pop music has become the prevailing ideology. Bateman’s monologues come while he’s preparing to kill somebody with an axe, while he’s setting up equipment to film himself fucking two women at once, and while he’s watching the same two women feel each other up on a couch. Satire or not, it caused something to shift in the culture. People take mainstream pop music more seriously now than they ever have before. Pop music does have critical value to it and it’s only been within the last two decades that people have truly decided that maybe pop songs aren’t as vapid and shallow as we may think they are. There are now entire books dedicated to doing the kind of wild, deep, analytical study of silly pop songs and artists that Bateman does in the movie.

If you’ve seen American Psycho, you may notice that while he plays “Sussudio” (a strange choice of sex music) as he’s walking over to get busy with the women, he mentions that it’s a great song, but does not monologue over it. 

This is because “Sussudio” is indeed a great, great song. But it’s also a stupid, silly pop song that doesn’t actually say a hell of a lot. It doesn't need to. 

In my experience, “Sussudio” is one of those songs that you either love or despise. When Phil Collins backlash had reached a height in the nineties (due to him being so successful and inescapable during the previous decade that people were just sick of the guy) “Sussudio” tended to be one of the low-hanging fruits people went for when insulting the guy. Back in the day, famous internet frat guy Seanbaby had this old joke, which sums up the negativity well: "Sussudio" is what a normal word sounds like when you try to say it through a mouthful of dick. South Park went full playground bully and made entire episodes making fun of the guy, one scene having him sing the song with complete nonsensical babbling in the worst attempt at mockery I think I’ve ever seen (which is a low bar for South Park). Family Guy at least had a more light-hearted, complimentary joke about the song: During the season two episode, “The King is Dead,” Brian Griffin is seen doing vocal warm-ups before he and Peter Griffin put on their production of The King and I. Part of Brian’s vocal warm-up is to sing “su-su-sussudio” quickly. So people make jokes about this song, but not all of them are mean.

Personally, I’ve loved Genesis and I’ve loved Phil Collins for a really long time. I don’t mind going to bat for “Sussudio” because Patrick Bateman is absolutely correct: It’s a great, great song. It’s also a personal favorite of mine as well. 

Musically, this song is dated as all hell, but it’s dated in a “time capsule” kind of way. “Sussudio” is a song that only could’ve been made in 1985. The production just has all of the hallmarks of what was hot at the time, that if this had been made at any time before or after that year it wouldn’t have had the same impact. Sussudio works because it needs to be this big eighties monstrosity. Everything about the production is just a blast in the face in the best way. It’s the kind of song that you only need to hear about thirty seconds in order to know if it’s something you’ll love or hate. Phil spent most of the eighties trying to find the loudest and biggest drum sound he could make and he found it with this song. It sounds like your angry cousin turning his bedroom wall into swiss cheese but it grabs your attention immediately. You hear it and you know within the first few measures what song is playing. Beyond the drums (which are just a drum machine that he found the perfect programming for), there’s that colossal main keyboard riff that’s so pleasing to the ear and such a good hook that you don’t even care how many times it's played. “Jump” by Van Halen is a similar song that benefited from that. There’s the bass synth, guitar, and the horns all tucked in there as well. The important thing about this song is that while it sounds big and in your face, it’s mixed very well so it doesn’t sound like formless sludge. Make no mistake, this groove is  t i g h t . It’s locked in from the second it starts and remains that way until the end. It’s tight without ever sounding too stilted. It’s just right.

Now, Phil Collins attempting to get funky and make a dance track wasn’t any sort of record company request and it wasn’t him losing a bet or anything. It was a deliberate attempt to change things up. By the mid-eighties, Phil was afraid his image was getting too dark, too dour. His solo songs “In the Air Tonight,” “I Don’t Care Anymore,” “Do You Know, Do You Care?,” “Thru These Walls,” and the Genesis song “Mama” are all some shade of dark, moody, twisted, bitter, and angry. He was also getting worried that people were starting to see him as a sad balladier, “If Leaving Me is Easy” and “Don’t Let Him Steal Your Heart Away” being examples of that. He decided that No Jacket Required, his third album in 1985, needed to lighten things up. He needed to show the people that he could party. 

So he listened to Prince’s 1999 way too much and went from there. There’s an argument to be made that “Sussudio” is a Prince ripoff. Truthfully, I don’t think I fully agree with that. Yes, “1999”’s DNA can easily be found in “Sussudio.” The foundations of the track are pretty similar, mostly in that steady drum beat/keyboard riff combo. It has the aura of “Can we have ____? No, we have ____ at home” meme. Then again, if trying to make a party track is your goal, you might as well take inspiration from one of the greatest party tracks ever written. 

Phil wasn’t the only strange white guy trying to get funky in the mid-eighties. Hell, he wasn’t even the only Genesis member trying to get funky in the mid-eighties. Peter Gabriel tried it with “Sledgehammer” and Talking Heads tried it with “Burning Down the House” (and most of the Speaking in Tongues album). Both were attempts from weird white guys trying to take influence from Motown and old funk from the seventies and attempt to make something new with it. Both of them fail as the things they aimed to be, but succeed in their own weird and oddly charming way that narrowly avoids the usual “cultural appropriation” conversation that kind of thing would warrant. However, Steve Winwood took a stab at that same idea a year after “Sussudio,” but he ended up with “Higher Love,” a song so fucking lame and awful to listen to that it should be considered a hate crime to some degree. 

Anyway, “1999” is definitely the basis for the song, but I don’t agree with writing it off as a Prince ripoff. “Sussudio” goes in directions that the Purple One would’ve never gone. If anything, I’d argue Phil borrows more from Rick James than Prince. Those horns are blowing notes that wouldn’t sound out of place on something like “Give It To Me Baby” or anything off of his Street Songs album. The Prince comparison is very obvious and apparent, but what he’s trying to capture is the kind of party Rick James was legendary (and infamous) for throwing.

Speaking of those horns, Phil puts those horns to damn good use here. Those horns you hear are none other than the legendary Phenix Horns, better known as the main horn section for Earth, Wind & Fire. “Sussudio” is not the first time Phil has employed their help on a song. They appeared on Phil’s first four albums as well as “No Reply At All” by Genesis. By the time of this song, Phil was well aware of what he could get them to do and what they do here is just phenomenal. They add little flourishes here and there through the first half of the song, then just as the second half is starting, Phil stops singing and lets the horns speak for him. And boy, do they speak. It’s glorious. The Phenix Horns more less dominate the mix for the second half and they never shined brighter with Phil than they do right here. Sometimes, less is more, but for “Sussudio,” the goal is to go big or go home. 

Everything about this song is just so over the top and fun in the best way. There are a lot of mid-eighties songs that sound too stilted, too lifeless, too processed. “Sussudio” doesn’t have this problem. It should, but there’s a strange magic to it where the song just feels alive. It sounds like a never ending party that everyone is invited to. It sounds like a song that’s so cheesy it doesn’t matter how you look while dancing to it, so long as you’re having fun. 

You wouldn’t think a song like this would work in a live environment, given how it sounds on record, but this song absolutely kills live. Phil performs the song live with the same energy given in the studio and since they’re not bound by a time limit for a single or space on a record, he can stretch the song out to lengths you’d never think possible. Live versions of this song can go on for about seven minutes. You’d think it would run out of gas after a bit, but it just doesn’t. He can have the horns go full blast for a little longer, he can throw it to just the guitar, just the bass, just the drums and keys, he can do crowd work with the vocals, whatever! It can keep going and it never feels like it’s overstaying its welcome. It feels like it shouldn’t, but Phil was just batting a thousand during that No Jacket Required period and the things he was writing at the time just worked. “Take Me Home,” the song that ends the album (“Sussudio” starts it) was given the same treatment. Live renditions of that song can stretch to the eight minute mark and it can just build up and go on and the crowd will just keep it going.

Now, the biggest question on your mind, whether you’re unfamiliar with the song or not, is probably this: what does the word “Sussudio” mean? The answer? Not a goddamn thing. 

It’s a nonsense word Phil used when he was writing the song. He explains as much in his 2016 autobiography, Not Dead Yet:

“I program a drum machine track and improvise some syllables over the top. The rhythmic word ‘sussudio’ comes out of nowhere. If I could have a pound for every time I’ve been asked what the word means, I’d have a lot of pounds. I can’t think of a better word that scans as well as ‘sussudio,’ so I keep it and work around it.”

It’s something that’s commonly found in a lot of songwriting demos. A writer will have the music written but it doesn’t have the words yet. They know how the vocal melody will go and the rhythm and meter that the words will eventually have to fit, so until the words get written, they just sing syllables that are meaningless. It’s just a placeholder. The chorus to “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire is an example of a placeholder that just never changed. The band had most of the words but they didn’t have the chorus so they just sang nonsense over it and would figure out lines to fit with “say that you remember” and “dancing in September” later... and then they liked the placeholders so much that they never went back and added words. If it works, it works.

“Sussudio” is a complete nonsense word, but it’s a good nonsense word. It rolls off the tongue well and it’s easy to sing. Your lips make an O shape when you say it so you look like a horn while you’re saying it. It’s silly, but it’s a fun word to sing and you can come up with a number of ways to do it. Phil even sings it in several different ways. “Su-su-sudio” is the main way he sings it, but there are also points in the song where he just sings “sudio,” points where it slithers out of his mouth like a snake and he stutters like the Who on “My Generation” (“she makes me n-n-nervous, m-m-makes me scared” and “s-s-s-su-su-sudio”). Phil also goes the extra mile to really sell it and you can tell he’s just fucking ecstatic to be singing this. He almost makes it sound like a war cry of sorts. You don’t have to be a good singer in order to join him when he yells “OHHHHHHHH” after “just say the word.” “Sussudio” is a stupid nonsense word, but it sure is a fun one. It’s the first song I can think of that I would include in a playlist called “Party Music for Yuppies”.

I’ve spent so much time talking about how silly a word like “Sussudio” is, but the lyrics to the song aren’t completely brain-dead, they’re just not the thing you’re listening for. “Sussudio” is about something. It’s about a schoolboy crush and Phil sells it like this is the first time someone has ever fallen in love with someone. 

There's a girl that's been on my mind All the time, Sus-Sussudio, oh-oh Now she don't even know my name But I think she likes me just the same, Sus-Sussudio, whoa-oh

Listening to this song again, I began to wonder if anybody considered “Sussudio” to be the name of the person Phil is singing about. I wondered about it enough to ask friends and also put up a poll about it. My friends were divided, my poll was also pretty close, but the answer, “Yes, it’s her name” was the winning result. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter. We’ve already covered that the word “sussudio” is gibberish. The music speaks for this song more than the lyrics ever could. Phil could’ve said anything over this song and it still would’ve been a hit. I was just interested in seeing if anybody else considered it a name, perhaps I did that as an excuse to try and find deeper meaning in places where there is none. According to Phil’s appearance on VH1 Storytellers back in 1997, his daughter apparently had a horse named “Sussudio,” which tracks because horse names are very strange. He also apologized if anybody had ever encountered somebody who had named their child “Sussudio.”

Regardless, the lyrics and the music work together to really sell the feeling of developing a crush on somebody for the first time or falling for somebody after not being interested in anyone for some time. It’s this really big, joyous, and wonderful feeling. It wouldn’t land that well if the music wasn’t blaring and busy being completely over the top. 

Ah, I've got to have her, have her now I've got to get closer, but I don't know how She makes me nervous and makes me scared But I feel so good if I just say the word, Sus-Sussudio Just say the word, oh, S-Sus-Sussudio, oh

Phil sought to lighten things up and make something more fun-sounding when starting No Jacket Required and “Sussudio” succeeds in doing that. It’s a fantastic opening track that hits hard and relishes in all the best parts of big eighties excess. This is the kind of song where you’re allowed to be silly with it and have fun. Dance to it like nobody’s watching! Sing along with it even if you’re not a singer! Enjoy it however you wish. The best pop songs are the ones that make things larger than life. They take you away from the world and send you to another one where you’re free to just enjoy yourself. 

All you gotta do is just say the word.

[jessicamdawn]

I posted 2,734 times in 2022

That's 2,601 more posts than 2021!

35 posts created (1%)

2,699 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@seekingidlewild

@itwasyummy

@kaylizle

@sherokutakari

@kashidoodles

I tagged 1,343 of my posts in 2022

#thai drama - 619 posts

#not me the series - 288 posts

#kinnporsche - 181 posts

#kdrama - 159 posts

#jdrama - 109 posts

#bad buddy - 73 posts

#extraordinary attorney woo - 72 posts

#not me white - 56 posts

#not me yok - 53 posts

#not me sean - 51 posts

Longest Tag: 91 characters

#the bravest thing in the world is being able to tell someone you’re sad or lonely or scared

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Just passed the 20k mark in this Clone!White Not Me AU fic

Feels like a milestone

Officially a Long Fic

6 notes - Posted April 21, 2022

#4

Wednesday, I had a slight sore throat that persisted throughout the day. Since I had other symptoms of dehydration, we figured it was that and I drank A LOT of water and by the time I went to sleep, it didn’t hurt.

Thursday, my throat hurts worse and only sucking on medicated cough drops helps (which also NUMBED MY TONGUE, I thought I’d lost my sense of taste, y’all. I freaked out.) I had a slight cough and slight headache.

Friday, my sore throat was gone, poof. But! lots of sinus drainage, leading to more coughing, And a slight headache that got worse over the day (ended up taking a migraine pill cause it got so bad. was probably a major tension headache from the stress of being ill in some way.)

Saturday, my throat feels fine until suddenly I HACK. It’s like when your body overreacts to an allergen, where even the smallest thing makes you sneezy or itchy or w/e. The smallest thing tickles my throat and I start coughing (that ‘smallest thing’ being so much nasal drainage, or, you know, bread.)

I was coughing so much I started timing it and realized that, if I’m distracted, I can go 5-6 minutes between coughs, but if there’s no distraction, I cough every 40-50 seconds. So some part of it is psychosomatic. The cough is also worse when lying down.

Now it’s 11 PM and I’m congested enough I need to stack pillows to sleep. While I don’t think it’s COVID (my mom was sick first and tested herself and it came back negative), I’ve still been wearing a mask around any other people and sequestering myself when possible.

Please send well wishes and good prayers my way.

7 notes - Posted July 16, 2022

#3

Chapters: 3/12 Fandom: เขา...ไม่ใช่ผม | Not Me (TV 2021) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Sean/White, Dan/Yok, Black/Gram, Eugene/Namo, Gram & Gumpa & Sean & White & Yok Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Clones, Clone!White, White is not Black's twin but his clone, becoming a person, Self-Reflection, Vigilantism, Illegal Activities, disability rights, Rule of Law, Mental Link, Physical Link, Falling In Love, SeanWhite's real ship name should be TrustFall Chapter Summary:

White takes part in his first acts of vigilantism with the gang, working for disability rights. In the aftermath, he experiences a violent episode that leaves him gasping and certain he has just drowned on dry land. Concerned, Gumpa insists White stay with him at the garage. Now roommates with Sean, White begins to see a new side of his hotheaded teammate.

11 notes - Posted May 13, 2022

#2

Things My Sister Said While I Showed Her “Not Me” Episodes 7-9:

- Todd is sus. Todd is sus when he breathes.

- Sus hair. Sus smile.

- All I hear is -flirt- Officer- we're so wrong for each other. but so right. -passion- flirt-

- I don’t know if I even know what happened in the scene. I think I was having a stroke. It was beautiful.

- Sean is like 'fuck. omg. breathe.’ touching. more touching. went from the knee to the arm. face. this is what friends do. ear. how is sean not freaking out?

- Hey, Google. Call Sus Todd

- Todd’s soy milk is sus

- stfu. I’m dying. I’m screaming. kiss him. fuck. KISS HIM. YES!

- I feel like one of those posts that's like "Yeah, sex is great, but have you ever seen two ex-enemies doing a trust fall and kissing on a rooftop before?"

- Todd is at fault until I say otherwise. Guilty until proven innocent.

- I'm expecting Black to come back and everyone is like "ew. Where's the other guy?"

- (Black slapped White) 😶 Kill him.

11 notes - Posted May 3, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Given that both White and Sean do a trust fall to prove their deep trust in the other, and that Sean uses a trust fall to prove that Black is not his Black, I suggest that their ship name is not “SeanWhite” or “WhiteSean,” but “TrustFall.”

15 notes - Posted April 7, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[reaction2whatever]

Agents of SHIELD S4E08-S4E09 reaction

Agents of SHIELD S4E08

-Of course Daisy and Inhumans are the ones being blamed for Eli's crime...I'm not surprised but I'm still pissed off

-I've missed yoyo and her super-speed.

-mmm I have missed the Daisy+FitzSimmons scenes. They were so innocent in season 1 and now they are all grown up

-I love the idea of Daisy's power being able to predict earthquakes. Her power is so versatile.

-i feel like the bad guy motive of Eli is kinda weak. He's just...on a power trip? Or maybe very influenced by the book.

-Love the fact that Daisy can absorb earthquakes. That is so impressive to see

-I love Yoyo. I feel like her power scenes are all super badass

-I still haven't figured out the director's inhuman power. I thought inhuman power is more complicated than just super strength?

-OMG I love this scene of Daisy flying super high in the air. Just how cool is that. Daisy basically has the potential of learning to fly

-Mmmm I have to admit that the director is a good politician who can lie well. Does this mean Daisy is gonna be back to shield?

-waiiiiitttt Coulson's line is basically saying to Daisy's face that she should be the next director??? basically??? with all that "next face of shield should be an inhuman" talk

-Is this foreshadowing for Daisy to become the director in the future?

-I would be so excited if that happens

-Mack and yoyo's kiss is pretty hot

-"turtleman" is such a cute nickname

-mmm I feel like Radcliff wouldn't want to just surrender the Aida project.

-Holyfuck Aida just killed this guy ugghhh I knew that this is gonna go wrong but...why would she just... kill this guy? Just because she doesn't want to be controlled by shield?

-Why is May here???? I thought May was celebrating with the team at the base?? wtf? How did Aida kidnap May?

-but omfg why is May so freaking hot. She's just sitting there being passed out and somehow she's so hot.

-???? May is at the base drinking with Coulson? How are there two Mays???

Agents of SHIELD S4E09

-What does Aida want from May? like I literally cannot understand her motives here

-the way that there are two May is creepy

-The anti-Inhuman senator's own brother is an Inhuman lmao the irony.

-It's nice to see this scene between Jemma and Daisy. I still kinda wish they have a ship. Maybe a friendship but still. It is nice to see them talk to each other

-Idk about this conversation between the director and Daisy. I can understand his reasoning logically. But emotionally I still don't like him lol

-omg is this the episode where Aida goes crazy because I thought for sure it's gonna be dragged out more than this

-lmaoooo I laughed way too hard at Daisy's line "Simmons have been kidnapped three times but only two on this planet"

-Daisy said it so casually and the pure terror on the new director's face lmao

-This senator is gonna kill her own brother? even if she didn't do it in the end she's still pretty crazy for threatening it

-Oh fuck May has a doubleganger Andriod twin. Should have thought of that. Everything suddenly makes a lot of sense

-This ethics debate between Fitz and Radcliff is making my head hurt

-If base-May is just a robot how come she knows all of May's memory???

-is robot-May flirting with Coulson mmm it is sus

-The way Mack cut off Aida's head was pretty epic lol

-mmm I feel like they're wasting good villain material by killing Aida so fast. But if Aida's head was chopped off, what would happen to May's robot? she can't be really dead?

-omfg this senator really just shot her brother. The anti-Inhuman hate in her is REAL. I feel bad for her brother. He seems like a good guy.

-Righttttt. Radcliff is the bad guy and Aida is still alive. They make interesting villains. I would say better villains than Hive.

-It's a shame that I don't have time for more episodes but season 4 is getting more and more interesting the more that I watch

[sugarcubetikki]

Implications of Teaser #2

I can't stop thinking about the 2nd Teaser. I've found so many implications to it already that I'm freaking out.

(Probably going to talk about the first teaser later. We can save time for ranting about Hawk Moth's ugly suit later).

Let's start off with exactly who this person is (poor Barkk).

From older spoilers, this person goes by the name Su-Han.

Miraculous Mexico also confirmed that he's a guardian from the temple and doesn't like the idea of Marinette being a guardian.

And surprise. Surprise. He's also going to be akumatized:

The real question is:

Why is Su-Han against Marinette being guardian?

There are a multiple range of answers to this question, some more obvious than others.

I'm going to highlight on key three reasons why:

Marinette is Master Fu's chosen.

She has no proper guidance.

She's only a teenage girl

Firstly, it's important to note that Master Fu made Marinette the guardian, and the last impression that Fu made on the order of guardians wasn't very...pleasant. Due to his foolish actions, the temple was destroyed and all the guardians and miracle box in the temple were gone for nearly two hundred years until Feast when Ladybug used her cure to resurrect all the damage. It's not like Fu even went back to talk to them. He said he would but never found the time since he was on the run and lost his memory after that.

These people from the order "wake up" after nearly two hundred years, and they're probably trying to catch up with time, and are trying to locate other miraculous. We see exactly that happening in the NY special, when the guardian of the Native American Miracle Box, locates Eagle and tries to take back the miraculous from her.

By evidence of LB and CN's presence in Paris, they must know that the Chinese Miracle Box is there too, and that ties back to Fu. Since it was one of the guardians that told Fu to take the Miracle Box to safety, they can connect the pieces.

However, are they going to be accommodating to Fu and his choices? Especially after he made that huge mistake? How can they trust him or his chosen to handle the Miraculous?

Furthermore, they don't know how exactly the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculous got into the wrong hands, but they're going to blame that on Fu too. With the claim that Paris wouldn't need superheroes if Fu hadn't lost the miraculous...

Since Ladybug and Cat Noir are tied to Fu, they might not like them very much. This might go two ways: they might want to take the miracle box AND the their miraculous away OR they might let them continue being heroes seeing how they defeated Feast in the first place to bring them back, however, they still don't want Marinette do be the guardian.

The shadows of Fu's mistake is a key element in why they're very unsure with the whole idea of Marinette guarding the Miracle Box. She's still Fu's chosen. Wielding a miraculous is one thing but guarding an entire box of miraculous is something else entirely...

This is where my second point comes in: she has no proper guidance. From what we know, these guardians put people into training for guardian from a very young age. Having these really strict methods of guarding the miraculous, and we're still not sure what they think is the appropriate age to become a guardian.

The thing is that...Marinette is a very young guardian, with no proper training. In their eyes, they could see that as a potential risk. They might think Marinette's inexperience could lead her to making a number of mistakes in the future. They could even connect Marinette's position back to Fu's mistake, who was also young and inexperienced, and because of that, he destroyed the temple, and let the butterfly and peacock miraculous fall into the wrong hands.

They might not want history to repeat itself and therefore, letting Marinette stay as guardian very difficult for them to accept.

This is where we move onto the third point: Marinette is a teenage girl. They don't trust Marinette because she's too young and the last time they trusted a teen with a Miracle Box, he burnt down an entire temple. Furthermore, all the guardians so far, the ones in NY, Su-Han, Fu, they're all men.  These guardians weren't chosen in the 21st century, but chosen in a time where women were still seen as inferior to men. And from what we know, the guardians are very old-fashioned.

It makes me wonder...whether...Marinette being a girl serves more as a reason to why she shouldn't be a guardian. It's an extremely sexist perspective. Miraculous might not directly point it out, but they might imply it. The show is about female empowerment, and adding a conflict point like this, is something they would do. It might imply that females are not often chosen as guardians. On top of being young, Marinette being a girl could break the guardian's traditionalist ways. This is speculation. Like I said, Miraculous would not directly address this matter, but they might imply it, liked they implied xenophobia in Bakerix.

As this show encourages female empowerment, makes sense why Marinette is the guardian. It has more impact in breaking traditionalist views. Since the guardians follow traditionalist views, and Marinette stands for everything that breaks these traditionalist views: a  21st century female teenager

Where does Su-Han come to play in this? Exactly?

Makes me wonder if he was the previous guardian of the Chinese Miracle Box before Fu. What if he was the one who assigned Fu to guard the box? What if a part of him also sees it as a mistake to entrust Fu? What if he's going back to Paris to fix his mistake?

Technically, Su-Han is a loophole in the "renounce the Miracle Box, lose your memory" rule. Since he was pretty much killed, when the box passed on to Fu, and then resurrected again afterwards.

Now, it also makes me wonder, since he doesn't want Marinette to be the guardian, he wants Marinette to renounce the box. If she renounces the box, she'll lose her memory. And this could mean he's considering taking her miraculous away too since she'll lose all memory of the miraculous away anyways. Making the plot of the episode even more dramatic and impactful. Like with all this happening, how would one not be watching this episode sitting on the edge of their seat?

And this is what I got by one little promo?

Crazy. Crazy. Crazy implications. This might not all happen, I'm theorizing and exploring all the implications and reasons behind "Su-Han being a guardian and being against the idea of Marinette being a guardian."

Huge concept stuff right here. A lot of theory potential. I'm already hyped and I cannot wait for S4 : )

EDIT: Ignore my “what if” relating to Su-Han being Fu’s teacher. A user makes an excellent claim saying that each guardian seems to possess a special staff. In the flashback of Feast, Fu is carrying a staff with a green gem. In the trailer, Su-Han’s staff carries a purple gem. Shows that they’re different people. 

[your-brilliant-lady-m]

Part 5 - Basic Concepts of Miraculous Ladybug: Guardians

Helloooo! Did you think I was done? No!

My PhD thesis chapters were approved last week, so have some celebratory meta. I haven't seen the latest Season 4 episodes, so do forgive me for not being up to date.

Welcome to the next part of my analysis of the basic concepts of Miraculous Ladybug. Today we are talking about Master Fu, Order of the Guardians and how little everything here makes sense. I highly recommend reading previous parts to fully understand this one, but I'll try to quote most parts of earlier posts.

Order of the Guardians

Order is an international and ancient organisation (New York Special showed us the guardian from North America and he was dressed like Su Han). Presumably, Miraculous jewels were created by these people. Guardians are responsible for the preservation of jewels and knowledge about them. They also distribute Miraculouses to worthy people around the world to combat mostly magical threats, but sometimes jewels are used against normal threats too. It's implied that Master Fu used Miraculouses during WW2 when he was in Paris. Perhaps he performed some spywork with Marianne, but the magical nature of his interferences was discovered and he was forced to flee, before returning to France many decades later.

Why does the Order need so many people to take care of a 3 Miracle Boxes? If its only purpose is to preserve knowledge, keep magical secrets and distribute Miraculous jewels then wouldn't it be more logical to have Master-Apprentice system? It's much easier to keep magic knowledge a secret and train a few people in martial arts than doing the same in the self-sufficient temple full of people, keeping in mind that a good part of them are teenagers and children, who are bad at keeping secrets. Also a single person can travel around the world much easier to give out Miraculouses. Imagine that we have a few active guardians traveling the world with Boxes. What do other people at the temple do in the meantime? They teach the next generation about the powers of each Miraculous and Mirakung Fu, but besides that?

Master-Apprentice system gives us more personal conflict between Fu and his mentor and makes his relationship with Marinette and Adrien more nuanced. In this scenario Fu accidentally caused the death of his Master at 14 because he wasn't careful. It makes sense for him to take on only 1 or 2 students if this is how things were done with Miraculous Guardians. This Wang Fu is very cautious and protective, he spent the majority of his life afraid of hurting someone else and never took an apprentice as a result. But now he is ready to try again, since he is not getting any younger and he likes these 2 kids. He wants them to succeed. Maybe Master Fu, becomes the father figure for Adrien in this situation and a guide for Marinette. Just think about it. This way writers avoid the need to develop all these extra characters (Su Han) and traditions related to the Order. All inconsistencies I mentioned before and later in this post are gone now! Hell, even memory loss and the changing of the Miracle Box shape could make more sense. We also raise the stakes post-amnesia, if it happens of course (the whole Season 3 finale didn't make sense, so stay tuned for my next meta). Marinette and Adrien are on their own now, there's no one who can give them answers. It's very fun scenario, which has potential to be brilliant. Any thoughts on that?

The existence of Order of the Guardians is not quite a secret, at least it wasn't in XIX century China. Master Fu in "Feast" says that guardianship was considered "a great honor". It implies that people who lived close to the temple of the Order knew about Miraculouses and what exactly guardians did for the greater good.

The existence of other Miracle Boxes around the world makes sense from a real-life perspective. Writers have the ability to create many stories set in the same universe and use them for merchandise and an almost unlimited amount of content. Judging by the unholy amount of specials in production, this is exactly what the creators are going to do. It probably won't go down well, but who knows?

However, it doesn't work in our main story. The main conflict is Paris-centred. Gabriel's motivations revolve around Emilie's resurrection and Season 4 gives us more reasons to suspect that Adrien's mom wasn't as wonderful as everyone says. Hawkmoth still remains the main villain of the show and most likely it's going to stay that way. There's no point in moving the main story to different places for the sake of introducing more Miracle Boxes from around the world. Ladybug and Chat Noir aren't needed to fight something halfway across the world unless Hawkmoth also changes locations.

LB and CN are centrepieces of this franchise. They brought success and money to ZAG. Creators constantly need to remind the audience that this new piece of media with new characters who will never be mentioned again is connected to Miraculous Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir. Writers have to come up with reasons to include our heroic duo into the story even if makes no sense.

New York Special had to introduce American Heroes whose names rarely come up in the fandom because people stopped caring about them or their stories shortly after the release of the Special. I barely saw any content dedicated to them. In order to bring LB and CN into the story, you have to include Hawkmoth too. Gabriel suddenly needs to get his hands on the Eagle Miraculous and goes to USA. Marinette and Adrien suddenly have a class trip to New York. Unfortunately, their presence in this story is required only to expand the world of Miraculous and attract fans of the show, so that they could keep an eye on new content related to newly introduced characters.

In the end, it's not their story. Events of the special don't affect main story of the show and the development of the love square is merely an illusion, because Adrien and Marinette are no closer than before. In season 4 LB and CN are growing apart and their test of trust in NY Special doesn't matter. Perhaps, some people don't see it that way and it's their right, but I find it hard to see NYS as a valid contribution to canon. I mean, even people in large portion of the fandom state in the tags on AO3 that "specials are not canon", "specials didn't happen" or "ignores both specials". It speaks volumes about continuity and preferences of your fandom.

Shanghai Special didn't give us more information about the Order, which is located in China, history of Miraculous jewels. We still don't know much about how Gabriel and Emilie found Peacock and Butterfly. Maybe, Marinette's family had connections to Miraculous jewels. Maybe, Adrien does some snooping and discovers research his parents made while Gabriel is away. All of these are relevant to the main story. However, we got something much different in the end.

Marinette chases Adrien across the globe and they make new friends. Fey becomes Ladydragon and now has a direct contact with Marinette through her uncle. Gabriel's desire to get his hands on the Prodigious comes out of nowhere. Apparently, he had been planning this trip for years, presumably even before Adrien was born. It probably happened at the same time as Agrestes found 2 Miraculouses. He bought bracelet-key (which is also a Miraculous apparently, but its Kwami is a Guardian of the Prodigious and they existed separately for a very long time - and let us not dwell on this mess) from some shady mafia boss, who can easily find out just who Gabriel really is (fashion designer billionaire) and use this information to blackmail him. This Special didn't answer important questions, but it gave us a new superhero character.

The real question is whether Miraculous as a project will survive long enough for writers to create content for every minor character they introduced in all specials. This is only a beginning after all.

Miraculous is not a global show and it can't be globalised in a way that makes sense, at least with Ladybug and Chat Noir in the centre of action. Case closed.

Mirakung Fu

I liked the idea of Mirakung Fu introduced in "Furious Fu". It makes sense and things rarely do in this show. Miraculous grants its holder superhuman strength, stamina, endurance and ability to fight. This means that essentially transformed heroes are guided by magic in combat. There's nothing personal in the way Miraculous holders fight. You can predict their moves and learn how to fight this magic guidance, which is what Su Han does.

However, if the holder has any special training, skills or knows any martial art in their civilian life then they become more dangerous opponents during transformation because now their fighting is a mix of magical moves and their personal knowledge, tricks and style. Therefore, Adrien and Kagami as skilful fencers have more chances of winning against someone who knows Mirakung Fu than Marinette, for example.

Memory loss

At the end of season 3, we find out several things:

apparently, now Miracle Box can change appearance to suit its guardian;

when Guardian passes down the Miracle Box to someone else, they lose memories not only about everything related to Miraculous, but also about pretty much everything in their life (Fu doesn't recognise Marianne, instead he experiences the love at first sight)

Master Fu trains Marinette to be the proper holder and next Guardian off-screen. He says that her training as the holder is complete in "Feast" and wants her to become the next Guardian. Fu told her lots of things, and yet, he never mentioned the fact that he would lose his memory after relinquishing the box, nor the fact that Marinette would lose her memory afterwards. She finds out about this from Wayzz after the battle with Miracle Queen and the letter that Master Fu gave her. That's not proper training! How on Earth do you forget to mention this memory loss? How?

Master Fu's amnesia is a convenient plot device that removes him from the narrative almost completely. That's mostly all there is to it. Why? Because it doesn't make sense.

Fu was around 7 or 8 when he started his training. The disaster at the temple happened when he was 14. He stated that his training was never complete, which means that he never passed any magical ritual, never swore an oath or was bound by some kind of spell that made him subjected to the rule of memory loss.

Miracle Boxes belonged to the order, not Fu. Their design reflected their country of origin because these Miraculous were made and kept in China. They were just standing there on the shelves not magically bound to anyone in particular. When Feast attacked, monks just tossed Wang Fu the miracle box and grimoire. No one at the temple lost their memory after Fu took the box with him (Su Han is the proof). Su Han not only remembers Fu and his mistake but everything that happened that fateful day as well. In "Furious Fu" Marinette explains Su Han that Master Fu lost his memory in the very first conversation they have. However, after Ladybug and Chat Noir fight Su Han on the roof and escape with the Miracle Box, the latter searches for Fu and attempts to take his staff from him. In this scene, Su Han acts like Fu knows very well what is going on and who he is.

Su Han should be aware of the memory loss rule as the Celestial Guardian. He remarks on the different shape of the Mother Miracle Box and calls her "incorrect", which means that Su Han should have been able to easily tell that previous Guardian lost his memory and the Miracle Box is now bound to someone else. But he doesn't say anything. Moreover, since Su Han is supposed to know about amnesia, he seemed awfully chill about forcing this 14-year-old girl in front of him to give up the box and her memories. Hell, Chat Noir wasn't on board with this. But we get zero reaction from Su Han.

During the first conversation between Marinette and Su Han, he doesn't ignore what she is trying to say, instead he actively comments on every word. Even if Su Han didn't listen when Marinette told him about Fu's memory loss, than he still should be able to understand that Fu doesn't recognise him, because of common sense and the "incorrect" shape of the box. But nothing of the sort happens. Because writers apparently forgot that "memory loss" is supposed to be known to everyone in the Order. On-screen it looks like Su Han is not aware of the "amnesia rule".

"Furious Fu" makes the concept of memory loss a plothole no matter how you look at it. Just like "Timetagger" and "Chat Blanc", as well as "Kwamibuster" this episode is not consistent within itself. It does not surprise me, however.

Grimoire and Guardian Staffs

Let's talk about the Miraculous Grimoire. Good things first.

There are no illustrations of Miraculouses in camouflage. Kwami can't read its contents, only guardians can. Certain elements are written in riddles as an additional precaution. The book contains only the information people have learned so far, which means that Miraculouses have more unexplored potential ("Mr. Pigeon 72"). It describes powers of each Miraculous, provides information about weapons, has instructions for potions that don't make sense (see previous parts).

Unfortunately, everything is about to go downhill from here.

Guardians are taught how to read the writing in this book. They can read it just like people learn to read texts in a different language. This means that one can read Grimoire like any other book (you don't need to consult some guide to decode each letter or word). Master Fu proclaimed Marinette an almost fully trained Guardian. He should have taught her how to read the Grimoire then (he doesn't know the code very well, but he knew enough to understand the general meaning and content of the book according to "Collector"). He didn't. We don't know why. He shows her powers of every Miraculous but doesn't teach her the code.

Master Fu knows that Grimoire now belongs to Gabriel Agreste. He knows that it's dangerous for someone else to have it. If they knew how to read the Grimoire, they could discover all secrets of Miraculouses and harm Ladybug, Chat Noir and other heroes. It's very important to keep the information about the code top secret because Fu is not the only one with the source material.

What does he do then? Master Fu proceeds to write a French translation of Grimoire for Marinette, a translation that he doesn't even need. He carries it with him at all times on a tablet (without any precautions) just like the Miracle box after "Feast". Naturally, it means that in "Miracle Queen", Gabriel and Nathalie easily managed to get their hands on the tablet and Miracle Box. It allows the plot to happen, sure. But it doesn't make any sense.

"Furious Fu" created another curious plot hole. It will probably be ignored, of course. Su Han has a staff with a magical compass that allows him to find any Miracle box, but not the Miraculous jewels for some reason. How does the staff work? Can it locate the box without the Miraculous? If yes, then it seems useless. What's the point in the ability to locate an empty box? If it can locate the box only with the Miraculous jewels inside, it implies that the staff can track the location of every Miraculous too. So, Su Han could just locate the Butterfly and Peacock without any problem. But he talks about reassigning Ladybug and Black Cat to adults and defeating Hawkmoth like locating the Butterfly is not possible. This situation makes the Guardian Staff a simple plot device that creates plot holes and its only purpose is to explain how Su Han found Marinette.

Also, I have a few more words to say about this. Master Fu had a Guardian Staff that was never mentioned before. I wonder why? That's because the staff didn't exist before "Furious Fu" was written. Writers just went: "Do you know what would be cool? If Fu's cane was really a secret Guardian Staff with a compass all along that he decided to keep even after he lost his memory? It would make people wonder whether Master Fu is faking amnesia, and everyone will definitely call him an awful mentor after this even though we kind of tried to make him a good and responsible person."

Fu didn't give it to Marinette and didn't mention it to her. Why? When he gave up his memory, he should have written about this in his letter at least. Why did he decide to keep it? He can't use it anyway now.

Please note how in the flashbacks Fu didn't take any staff with him when he escaped the temple. Su Han seemed to know how Fu's staff looked like. It means that Master Fu didn't make this staff himself, because it belonged to the Order.

Su Han wasn't even surprised that Marinette didn't have the staff as the current Guardian. Was she not supposed to have it? He never questioned the fact that the former Guardian without memories has the staff. Su Han actually returns this staff to Fu after he is deakumatized and Fu acts like they have never met before. Why did Su Han gave the staff back when he knows what it is and to whom it should belong (to him or to Marinette as the current Guardian)? The staff is useless in the hands of the civilian. Does Marianne know about its secret? We'll probably never find out, unfortunately.

Guardian Staff of Master Fu has a compass too and therefore this also makes it a plot device, just like Su Han's staff.

[lightsonparkave]

HAPPY TWO-YEAR ANNIVERSARY TO LIGHTS ON PARK AVE! 🎂🎉 In celebration of LoPA’s birthday (August 22, to be exact), all of the prompts from the previous year are up for grabs.

Round 24 will end on August 31, 11:59 PM ET (what time is that for me?).

As always, you’re free to jump in whenever you’d like during the round, a wide variety of work types is accepted, and there are no minimum work requirements. Unfinished works and works for other fandom events are allowed. You can find more information about Lights on Park Ave and the participation guidelines here.

Here are all 149 prompts. Go crazy and have fun! 🎈

ROUND 13: TIME

A quote about being infinite in the present moment from The Perks of Being a Wallflower

“Vellichor,” the the strange wistfulness of used bookstores

“How long is forever?” dialogue from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

“Time” - Hans Zimmer (Inception OST)

A quote and gifset from Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival (2016) about the nonlinear structure of time

Agnès Varda’s portraits when she was 20, 36, and 80 years old

A John Irving quote about what time does to the people who matter to us

Ten traveling back to see Rose on New Year’s Day in 2005 before he dies and reincarnates in Doctor Who

Future inventions in 2015 as seen in Robert Zemeckis’s Back to the Future Part II (1989)

A quote about what time does for wounds

ROUND 14: LIMINALITY

A photoset of various liminal spaces

Illustration of a black cat in front of a red-lit house with the caption, “They say no one is living here—but the lights come on, once every year”

A photoset of Victorian-era spirit photography, an art form that attempted to capture the ghost of a deceased loved one

Information on the famous Mojave phone booth, a lone telephone booth in the middle of the desert that received calls from all over the world

Rosemary Ellen Guiley’s The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits Third Edition’s definition of “witching hour”

Illustration of a ghost train on an abandoned trestle bridge in the Pacific Northwest

A quote by Isabel Allende about spirits coming out at night in the library

Gifset of the spirit world in Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away (2001)

Illustration of a neon roadside sign of a motel that only appears at night by a long-forgotten highway

“Pacific Coast Highway” - Kavinsky

A gifset quote from The Twilight Zone (1959)

Scenery from Twin Peaks season 1 (1990)

A quote about something shifting into a strange, new place inside of a person from Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

ROUND 15: LOSS

A quote about being lost and found by someone special by Sue Zhao

A photo of the Mildred, wrecked off Gurnard’s Head, Cornwall in 1912

A quote about ephemerality and the beauty of it from Troy (2004)

Two paintings of people visiting ruins by Caspar David Friedrich

A quote about desire and loss by Lara Mimosa Montes

A photo of an overgrown, abandoned conservatory

A passage about what disappears and what remains in ruins from Suicide by Édouard Levé

Dialogue about gratitude for people who aren’t meant to stay in your life but shape who you are from BoJack Horseman

A scene from Fleabag where the Priest chooses God over Fleabag and gently tells Fleabag that her love for him will pass before they part ways

A prayer to St. Anthony, patron saint of lost things, people, and souls

Oscar Wilde’s tomb in Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, covered in lipstick kisses from admirers

Photos of a cemetery statue in Austria, wrapped in branches and dead leaves, holding a single flower

ROUND 16: DEVOTION/SERVICE

A gifset of Kevin on the phone, telling Chiron he’ll cook food for him from Barry Jenkin’s Moonlight (2016)

Buttercup’s monologue to Westley about how she would do anything for him from The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Gifs of Merlin saying that he was born to serve Arthur from BBC’s Merlin

An excerpt about giving all of oneself to someone despite what it costs from House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

A gifset of various times Jaime and Brienne demonstrate their loyalty to and love for each other in Game of Thrones

A gifset of all the different ways Cliff is there for Rick in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)

A gifset of Nadia deciding to be by Alan’s side no matter what in Russian Doll

“Devotion” - Ocean Vuong

A gifset of Bond comforting a traumatized Vesper in the shower in Casino Royale (2006)

A gifset of Sookhee refusing to leave Hideko, saying her job is to look after her in Park Chanwook’s The Handmaiden (2016)

ROUND 17: DREAMS

A dreamscape gifset and quote about repressed thoughts in dreams and the Internet from Satoshi Kon’s Paprika (2006)

A gifset of Mitsuha and Taki finally meeting in their own bodies in a dream from Shinkai Makoto’s Kimi no Na wa (Your Name) (2016)

A quote by Tinker Bell telling Peter Pan where he can find her and where she’ll always love him in Steven Spielberg’s Hook (1991)

The scene where Keating tells his students that poetry, beauty, romance, and love give life meaning in Peter Weir’s Dead Poets Society (1989)

An animated illustration of a storefront called “Hauntings” with a flickering “99¢ dreams” neon sign

Various dreamscape scenes and a quote about ideas being the most resilient parasite from Christopher Nolan’s Inception (2010)

A quote about how all living beings must dream to survive reality from The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

A comic about people we love taking turns to visit us in dreams every night

Lovers and Sleeping Couple, two drawings by Egon Schiele

A quote about belief in a better world by Robert Frobisher to his lover, Rufus Sixsmith, in Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

A quote about the feeling of falling in love lingering when you wake up from a dream in Alexis Dos Santos’s Unmade Beds (2009)

A photo of subway graffiti by an unknown author insisting that they’ll never give up making the world a better place to live in

ROUND 18: PHYSICAL TOUCH

A scene about how to return a stolen kiss from Daniel Ribeiro’s The Way He Looks (2014)

A line about kissing someone the way a flower opens from “I Know Someone” by Mary Oliver

A gifset focusing on showing affection and care through hands from Park Chanwook’s The Handmaiden (2016)

A passage about two people leaving invisible marks on each other through the accumulation of touches over the years from A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood

Two conversations about never being touched before and only being touched by one person from Barry Jenkins’s Moonlight (2016)

Going from yearning to touch someone but stopping oneself to being allowed to touch them from Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy

Moving art of two bodies made of stars and the cosmos embracing

A quote about maintaining sanity by touching someone but being separated despite proximity from The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje

A line about proving that one still exists and is real through touch from On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

Different touches between Villanelle and Eve expressing violence, threat, sexual tension, comfort, and companionship in Killing Eve

A juxtaposition of two scenes from Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love (2000) of Su Li-zhen rejecting and accepting Chow Mo-wan’s hand

A compilation of marble sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Syd (Chris Evans) trailing kisses down London’s back in London (2005)

ROUND 19: IMMORTALITY

James Baldwin talking about how art helps you discover that people before you have experienced the same thing as you and you are not alone

Dr. Brand saying that love transcends time and space in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar (2014)

Nadia and Alan meeting for the first time as they’re about to die and relive the same day again in Russian Doll

The loneliness of losing everyone by having a long life as expressed by Ten in Doctor Who

The doomed eternal time loop romance of Simon and Alisha from Misfits

A quote by Edvard Munch about becoming eternal through the flowers that grow from his body after death

Nagai Kei recalling the traffic accident that killed him and triggered his immortality, making him one of the rare persecuted humans to possess the power, in Ajin

A collection of moments from Jay Russell’s Tuck Everlasting (2002)

A quote by Mary Wollstonecraft hoping for something that lasts inside the heart

Various scenes with Jack Harkness from Doctor Who

Aya telling Asou-kun to live on and live forever as she nears the end of her life in 1 Litre of Tears

An excerpt about the immortalization of the self through love from “Love of the Wolf” in Hélène Cixous’s Stigmata

A collection of scenes from the Black Mirror episode “San Junipero”

Naoko telling Toru to always remember her and remember that she existed in Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

Dom explaining to Ariadne that he uses the PASIV to dream as it’s the only way that he can be with his wife and children in Christopher Nolan’s Inception (2010)

ROUND 20: POETRY

“I’m Going Back to Minnesota Where Sadness Makes Sense” - Danez Smith

A line about wanting to forget how much you loved someone and then actually forgetting from Bluets by Maggie Nelson

“Perhaps the World Ends Here” - Joy Harjo

“In Time” - W. S. Merwin

“By Small and Small: Midnight to Four A.M.” - Jack Gilbert

“Magdalene: The Addict” - Marie Howe

“Wild Geese” - Mary Oliver

“Morphology 2″ - CJ Scruton

“20″ from Moscow in the Plague Year by Marina Tsvetaeva

“To Hold” - Li-Young Lee

ROUND 21: LONGING

“I Loved You Before I Was Born” - Li-Young Lee

A poem about longing for someone through worlds by Izumi Shikibu

A gifset of Marianne and Héloïse falling in love from Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

“Make Me Feel” - Janelle Monáe

A quote about living in longing being better than realizing that longing from 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

“I Want You” - Mitski

Orpheus and Eurydice in Hades - Friedrich Heinrich Füger

Long definition of the word “saudade”

Definition of the word “hiraeth”

“Something About Us” - Daft Punk

Two lines about burning quietly from the poem “The Pillowcase” by Annelyse Gelman

A conversation about wanting each other after decades of separation from Pedro Almodóvar’s Pain and Glory (2019)

A Hanahaki disease mood board

“Shrike” - Hozier

Two lines about wanting someone to return from Herakles by Euripides

“Love of My Life” - Queen

“Eyes, Nose, Lips” - Taeyang

A screenshot of Kathy and Tommy holding onto each other desperately from Mark Romanek’s Never Let Me Go (2010) and a quote from Kazuo Ishiguro’s eponymous novel

ROUND 22: YOUTH

“Perfect Places” - Lorde

A piece about realizing you’ll never be this young again, but it’s the first time you’re this old by Kalyn Roseanne Livernois

A conversation between Neil and Mr. Keating about Neil feeling trapped and unable to live the life he wants because of his father from Peter Weir’s Dead Poets Society (1989)

An excerpt about being too young to know how to love properly from Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

“I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor” - Arctic Monkeys

Elio’s father telling Elio not to try to rid himself of his sorrow and pain—and with that joy—which he feels so strongly because he’s so young from Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman

A quote about how everything feels final to young people because they’re experiencing it for the first time from Middlemarch by George Eliot

Lara Jean telling Peter that she had to make it seem like she liked him to deal with her love letter fiasco in Susan Johnson’s To All the Boys I Loved Before (2018)

Rue and Jules dancing together and partying it up in Euphoria

“Le Plongeoir” by Laurent Roch

A quote about being pushed into adulthood and not being ready from Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

A photo of a roller rink illuminated by pink and purple lights

Pastel photo series of Coney Island by Mijoo Kim and Minjin Kang

“Hips Don’t Lie” - Shakira feat. Wyclef Jean

“Young Dumb & Broke” - Khalid

Different moments accompanied by the letter to Mr. Vernon at the end of detention from John Hughes’s The Breakfast Club (1985)

Various scenes and a quote about growing up and realizing life isn’t like a fairy tale from Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

Stills of the young lesbian couple in love from the music video of “You Know” - Jaurim

Lines by Effy about her emotional and mental struggles from Skins

Nathan chiding the group for not taking advantage of their superpowers as young offenders from Misfits

ROUND 23: HEDONISM

A passage about giving into passion and losing control from The Secret History by Donna Tartt

“Thot Shit” - Megan Thee Stallion

An aesthetic photoset of the Greek god Dionysus

A quote about living for ecstasy rather than balance from From a Journal of Love by Anaïs Nin

A photo of an anonymous person in nothing but a silk robe and lingerie

A photo of Donatella Versace lounging in a chair, surrounded by shirtless, muscular men sunbathing around her in Capri, Italy in 1994

An aesthetic photoset based on The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

The music video for “Heartless” by The Weeknd

A plea for summer to never end from Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman

“Plastic Love” - Mariya Takeuchi

A gifset from the music video of “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd, a continuation of the “Heartless” music video

“XS” - Rina Sawayama

A gifset from the music video of “Body” by Mino

Photos of people dancing at the legendary Studio 54

Photos and a description of the party scene at Studio 54

Chris Evans and Evan Rachel Wood hooking up in a car in the “Gucci Guilty Black” commercial