#i care them a lot and they also symbolize personal growth and change (for Me)

[watcherscrown]

eclipse this, eclipse that. I'M TOO HYPE FOR HOT CICADA SUMMER TO CARE ABOUT THE SUN

[o-wild-west-wind]

okay, here’s my actual thoughtful post: I get why people are upset about the finale…I really do. but I want to mention that there’s a bigger picture to this story that’s missing if you’re zooming too close onto Izzy as a character, and I’m honestly so grateful that the show stuck to the thematic arc it introduced in season 1 because, as per usual, it’s about the themes 🤌 and this show never skimps on the symbolism!!

so here’s the thing: the primary themes are toxic masculinity (& it’s opposite, queer joy); trauma; love as a healing force for the above; and, title alert—DEATH. because it’s so much more than a cool title!

now, Izzy has always represented something metaphorical about all of these points; most directly, he’s always represented masculinity, and s2 has been an arc of toxicity deconstruction. but crucially, he’s also represented all that for Ed, who is the deuteragonist of this show. because—don’t forget—Stede and Ed are the show.

I’ve always doubted myself for feeling this after seeing how fandom saw Izzy as a third romantic figure (which like by all means have a blast in your fanfics I don’t care it’s about joy at the end of the day and pursue that as you want to), but after hearing something about djenks referring to Izzy as a father figure, it confirms a major point for me—Izzy is also in a lot of ways a parallel to Ed’s dad, and a representation of the trauma and guilt Ed felt from that formative killing. for so long, Izzy was an aggressive shadow in Ed’s life, and a tangible reminder of those daddy issues—someone telling him what to do, keeping him Blackbeard—and the beautiful thing is how that changed this season, how Izzy became a version of masculinity that could love and be beautiful and make good from the hurt, the literal poison into positivity. someone antithetical to his own paternalistic force, healing our daddy issues one drag show at a time. BUT, Izzy is still thematically representative within Ed’s arc—and by also representing the trauma that made Ed “Blackbeard,” it does make smart writing sense as to why Izzy died (NOT saying you can’t be sad about it—stick with me for a moment).

because here’s the thing—as aforementioned, this show is also about DEATH. killing is the root of everyone’s trauma, and reconciling a relationship with death is the ultimate arc Ed and Stede are both on, with the ultimate path of learning to live despite its inevitability. there’s a reason it was such a huge thing that Ed couldn’t personally kill, and then in this episode killed so many people with his bare hands in the name of love—and there’s a reason that was framed as a good thing. and there’s also Ed’s (and arguably Stede’s) active suicidality, which has been a huge force driving this season. these are characters who see death as this all-consuming thing, and they see their own deaths as the only solution. death is the traumatic force driving almost everything about their being for so long—and its reconciliation is everything for them, the greatest sign of growth. so Izzy’s death, and everyone beginning again with love—healing each other with love—is a cap to it all. it’s death as a positive force, for once. it’s death as love, not trauma. it’s death as something that will always happen, but this time not forced by your own hand. it’s a death to everything toxic, to what “Blackbeard” represented, and all the while a sort of rebirth. it’s kind of a death to…death? it’s functionally like the real physical moon replacing the giant romantic imaginary orb: it’s taking the thing that’s been artificially morphed in Stede and Ed’s heads and making it real this time, with all the bittersweet emotions that come with tangible reality.

and honestly, I’m glad that it was tragic and emotional. I didn’t think I’d be so devastated to see Izzy die, but it really did get to me, especially because of everything he said to Ricky and then to Ed. but think of it this way: Izzy and Ed might be romantically compelling because they were toxic and charged (and I hope people still enjoy everything they get from that dynamic in fan work), but imagine if the show had actually gone in that direction—where would it take us thematically? it would kill the thesis; it would be love as chaos and entertainment, but not healing. instead, this show gave us something so much more powerful: a legitimate, fully-fleshed trauma arc.

trauma hurts. Izzy’s death hurts. but that’s okay. that’s great, actually! it means the storytelling was effective—that Izzy’s arc made you feel something. and i know this won’t be every viewer’s experience, but honestly? I’m glad I can have this grieving process in such a beautifully framed light in the safe space ship of this show, because let’s be real—death, real life death, fucks you up. and let me tell you, I could’ve used this show during so many episodes of grief in my life. but here it is now, reminding us that our grief and trauma doesn’t define us—and WHAT a powerful thing for queer love, especially, to be presented as the thing that heals us all. ESPECIALLY when so much grief and death in this community is woven so deeply with the trauma of our identity.

so grieve as you need to, but don’t forget to turn the poison into positivity 💛 because that’s what the show is telling us—choose live, despite!

[loverboy-havocboy]

infodump at me about aliit au tattoos? please?

kissing you on the mouth about this, if i may. long post ahead, i imagine.

starting with comet:

starry night tattoo - comet is a painter and his favorite artist/main stylistic inspiration is van gogh. i think this is one of the first real tattoos boost did after beginning his apprenticeship in keldabe

honeycomb - this is the testosterone symbol! it's also a matching tattoo with his ori'vod thorn, who was (likely) the first other transmasc he ever met and whose non profit helped pay for comet's top surgery.

art is the weapon - a reference mcr's danger days album and a quote by either frank or gerard: art is the weapon, your imagination is the ammunition, stay dirty and stay dangerous, create and destroy as you see fit. i think that speaks to comet both as an artist and as a queer person, and i think the whole pack is insane about mcr. boost probably gave him this one in high school.

trans symbol - this commemorates his first hrt injection! boost did the injection and the tattoo a week after comet turned 18.

phoenix - this is a huge part of comet's character, and is done in out of the ashes. it's a cover up that helped him let go of an abusive relationship and reminds him of what he's capable of. it's also dedicated to/inspired by @brokenphoenix99, who's been around for comet since day one.

cowboy star - sinker gave him this tattoo under boost's very careful supervision!!

flowers - suggested by phoenix when i didn't like his old chest tattoo, these accentuate his scars rather than distract from them. they're something he's very proud of, so that makes much more sense for him. the flowers represent growth, new beginnings, and him finding the comfort in himself he needed to embrace his femininity. the butterfly is for change/transition.

pack tattoos (dog, sun moon stars, swords) - i'd say all of these are probably from high school if not very soon after. the wrist tattoo was the first tattoo any of them ever got and the first boost ever did. it was a stick and poke and they were around 14-16. sinker's given name means sun ray, boost has always been caught in his orbit (yes, we're excluding earth for this metaphor) and is the more quiet/reserved, so has always been his moon. idk yet when comet chose his name or whether he was already their star at the time, but this became Their Thing. the dog is because they were so rabid/feral in high school (and because comet drew blood biting another kid in a fight) that they were dubbed a pack of wild animals/dogs. they took that and ran with it, calling themselves a pack. the swords are an all for one and one for all kind of deal.

i am creation & lightning bug - i am creation is a lyric from creature by half alive which is transgender To Me. the lightning bug was just cute and comet likes bugs.

sinker:

moths: obligatory sun and moon tattoo to symbolize him and boost. these were really fun to do, i just feel like he's a moth tattoo kind of guy, you know?

darasuum: mando'a for eternal/eternity. this is in boost's handwriting, over his heart.

snake: much like with the moths, he just gives me snake man vibes? i think he likes snakes a lot, as he's a friend to all creatures. the snake has a pattern of suns, moons, and stars.

hip star: i think comet probably did this one! either way, it's dedicated to him.

baby/doll: boost calls him babydoll sometimes. they both have other partners (mostly hook ups for boost, sinker goes on a lot more dates/has other relationships), but babydoll is something just for them. the baby tattoo spends a lot of time under collars (or boost's hands).

others: he's got a lot of random ones because he's been boost's practice body for almost a decade!

boost:

his tattoos would need their own fucking post, and some of them can be explained by comet and sinker's, so i'm just gonna hit a few.

dinosaur: sinker did this one!

"i'm here" star: comet did this tattoo! i'm gonna say maybe in high school.

lighter: "ni partayli gar darasuum" is mando'a for "i remember you, so you are eternal", which is part of the mandalorian death remembrance. this is a memorial for his parents. they died right before the pack started high school, and he was adopted by sinker's parents, who were already his godparents.

molotov cocktail: lyric from baby, i'm an anarchist by against me.

tic tac toe board: this is for sinker to play with when he's board. sometimes boost plays with him, sometimes comet.

gregor:

tallies: coric gives him a new one every time he does something stupidly risky that lands him in medical (which gregor generally just considers victory tallies, much to the medic's chagrin).

212: for his battalion!

bicep tattoo: foxtrot squad symbol framed by the words "jatnese be jatnese", mando'a for "best of the best". i'm gonna say his whole squad probably has this one!

[uptoolateart]

Having now seen the finale three times, details have popped out. I still hate hate hate that Adrien was not there in the final battle...but I think I see what the writers were trying to do.

As we know, there is so much fairytale imagery / allusion in the show, like Rapunzel, Bluebeard, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Pinocchio in a way, Cinderella, etc.

At the start of Conformation, Adrien has been removed from Paris and the mansion - effectively, his kingdom.

He's locked in that room, plagued with his own worst thoughts. He only has his painful unconscious to keep him company. This mirrors Snow White being cast into the woods, running in terror from shadows, the woods and shadows being a classic symbol for parts of our unconscious we are afraid to acknowledge.

He is then tempted with the Alliance and eventually gives in, in mimicry of Snow White accepting the poisoned apple offered by the witch. The apple puts her to sleep. The ring seems to hypnotise Adrien, dulling his senses like sleep.

The action then happens without him, just as in Snow White and Sleeping Beauty the action is all done by the prince.

I said in a previous post (non-ml, just looking at fairytales) that there have been psychoanalytical studies of fairytales to show that they work like dreams - every character is an aspect of one person, so the prince is another part of the princess taking over, to help her break free and mature beyond the child stage. The witch is also the princess, but the part tentative about growing up - and also represents all the adults in her life, afraid to let go of their child.

In Miraculous, though, it really is just Marinette being the prince saving the unconscious princess, and this is what irks me. We will come back to this.

After the Wish, we see Adrien asleep. Marinette leans over to kiss him and he wakes up. It's an odd little moment at a noisy pool party, which is what made it stand out to me. It's the kiss of true love waking him from the spell after the witch / dragon has been defeated. And really, this is where it becomes more like Sleeping Beauty, because that involved a real battle.

And if that's Emilie by the pool, she too is a Sleeping Beauty figure who's just been brought back.

The implication is supposed to be that Adrien has grown up a lot through this, and the demons in his life and mind have been vanquished..although I guess time will tell if this is true.

There was also a lot in the finale about nightmares, like think of this as a nightmare and the Alliance will free you from it, etc etc. When Adrien wakes, it's like everything before it was a bad dream.

But, as my husband commented, all that bad dream stuff is what MADE Ladybug and Cat Noir's relationship. It's what led to them being chosen. It's what changed their lives and helped them grow, so arguably it's what brought them together as Adrien and Marinette.

These bad experiences shape us. We can use them to become better people. Without them, we change.

Adrien cannot be the same person, if his mother is alive...especially if they all believe she's been there the whole time. I guess we will see about that, too. His mother's absence was the initial catalyst for all his growth as a person. He actually needed the dragons. He needs to KNOW about those dragons.

I said ages back that we had a classic Bluebeard scenario, where we were waiting for the princess to open the forbidden door and find all the skeletons in the evil husband's closet. By keeping Adrien out of the basement, he never opened that door.

In some way, he needs to be the prince who vanquishes the monster. Otherwise, he hasn't truly woken up. I don't care how good Marinette's kisses are. He is stuck in an infantile state and unable to grow.

Okay, I...managed to talk myself back round to finding his absence in the battle seriously irritating. But listen - maybe it's frustrating on purpose because they are using this as a plot point for the next stage of the story. I have no idea. But this is why it is so frustrating and doesn't hit the emotional mark. This is what needs to be addressed.

Because right now...Marinette has taken over the Bluebeard story. She is the one with the locked secret room containing all the skeletons of HIS past. We NEED him to open this door and have a genuine awakening. She is taking the Guardian thing too far, watching over rather than simply supporting. She is doing to Adrien what he accuses her of as Ladybug - forgetting he's her partner and leaving him out of vital information.

[dramaticl0vers]

HERE SHE ISS

SAY HI TO OLENNA AND HER HUBY

@amoexii here she is, I tried my best 😭,and also I changed her name from "Dhelia" to "Olenna"

Information about this beauty:

-In the beginning she I named her Dhelia, but in the end I decided that her name will be Olenna, which means "Ray of light or sun", for the reason that I will soon explain

- She is the eldest daughter of Hades and Persephone ( I love this couple a lot in the series, because in the original mythology it is...well, TURBIOUS)

-The reason for her name: Hades called her Olenna because living in the underworld, which is such a lonely and dark place, her birth symbolized the entry of a “ray of light” into his life and that of Persephone, which brought with it joy, love, union and the feeling of never feeling alone again.

-After her are her little brothers, Zagreus, Melinoe and Macaria (WHICH I DON'T KNOW WHY THE HELL THEY DIDN'T INCLUDE IN THE SERIES, LET'S HOPE SHE JUST HAS NOT BORN YET)

- She has blonde hair like her mother and eyes like her father, a kind of lilac combined with gray.

- Although in her physical appearance she is more related to Persephone, in her occupations as a deity you can see a mixture between both parents, mainly dominated by Hades, given that she is the goddess of peaceful death, protector of the living and the dead and guardian of the Elysian fields, but at the same time she is also the protective goddess of flora and fauna.

-A curious fact about her is that she had really fast growth, to give you an idea, she was already an adult millennia before the events of season 1 happened.

- She has powers, they are a kind of purple “fire”, and she can also make some plants bloom, but she doesn't like to use the first ones because when she was a child she tried to control them and, not being able to do so, she always hurt someone and that scared her a lot, especially when she once accidentally hit Persephone with they.

- The flowers related to her are: Forget-me-nots (her favorites), lilies, bells and white jasmines.

- As for her personality, she is quite reserved with people she doesn't know, but she is pleasant and fun when he gains confidence.

-she doesn't like to talk a lot. Olenna is afraid of ruining things with people outside her close circle, other deities, for example. Therefore, when she is in a social environment and her close ones are not around, she prefers to remain silent and express her opinion only when it seems necessary.

-She does not usually get angry easily, but she HATES it when those she loves are bothered, she has grown up in a home full of love and has a high emotional responsibility, she is willing to defend her family no matter what the cost, she learned that from her parents.

-Try to avoid Ares at all costs. (Why did they make him so bad? He is so good in the original mythology, he literally killed the person who raped his daughter, my baby😭)

-She doesn't like Demeter. She doesn't hate her, but she doesn't want to form close ties with her either.

-now, what you are all here for, OLENNA AND HERMES💕

- She knew Hermes, bah, she had seen him a few times from the balcony of her room in the Underworld. , leaving the souls with Charont, but never approached him, and then had the opportunity to meet him in person when he arrived at Olympus.

- Regarding their relationship:

- They both love each other in such a way that they feel empty when his partner is not there.

- Olenna, as I said before, has a great emotional responsibility, she hates seeing Hermes sad or downcast in any way and she feels truly fulfilled when she can feel that he feels loved.

- Demonstrations of affection are both sentimental, physical and material.

- Sometimes, when Olenna is in her garden taking care of her plants, or talking to Artemis and Athena, among others, he passes by her side using his speed skills and alone He places a kiss on her lips or cheek before continuing with his work, it always catches her off guard, but she loves that.

- They are quite passionate and fiery, you wouldn't want to share the same sector of rooms after they didn't see each other for a week because of their duties. .

- They both have long hair, which is why they both love to brush and comb each other's hair, especially Hermes.

- Neither of them really likes the idea of sharing their lover, Olenna is quite territorial when it comes to his loved ones and the idea of another deity having the pleasure of sharing the love of his life is not something he likes very much, to tell the truth. As for Hermes, he is more than satisfied with having his wife, he is not TOTALLY CLOSED to having a threesome, for example, but he prefers Olenna first.

- Hermes would definitely dedicate his career victories in the Olympics to her and Olenna would be like : “Honey, you know that if you wear sandals that give you speed it's technically cheating, right?” and he would respond like: “I didn't see any rules, darling.”

[shinakazami1]

Uhh I would like to hear your opinion of either Stanley or the bucket take your pick.

But quick question I've had for awhile are you ever gonna return to the fandom? Or just talk about it occasionally? Or even just stop talking about it all together now that you're in a different fandom mainly? I enjoy your work regardless though of what you do. So keep it up!

Hi Cat!! Lovely to see you!

I answered about Stanley here so, I'll answer your remaining questions first and then the Bucket!

I don't know if I will return. I can't exactly enjoy the game anymore nor I want to be involved with fandom much. But I still hold the memories dearly. I have 10+ fanfics in my drafts, just need to reread through them. I have many ideas I still want to explore. I want to replay the game after I'm done with New Tales. I've been wanting to make a short comic. Idk if anyone still in the fandom would want it but seeing you and squoote in the asks does bring me hope someone still enjoys what I make haha

I hope to finish what I've already started. Good luck charm still waits for the next chap. We will see how it will go. But thank you for asking and remembering the lil ol' me :]

Now, onto-

The Bucket

How I feel about this character

Smart writing. Very, very smart writing. Started off as a joke and evolved into something so gorgerous and beautiful.

After so long on solitude, The Narrator decides to rewrite his story and be kind to Stanley. He sees they only have each other. He decides to use an everyday object that could be found in the office as object of comfort.

I think it represents most the Broom Closet ending, as a bucket would make sense to be from there. In the original - it's not an ending. It becomes a joke that it is. The Narrator knows there is a player. The game changes a bit between the runs and moves on. That's the BEST, to me, representation of the game, no joke.

And the bucket represents... A lot, actually.

First - what Narrator said. A calming presence. A bucket. A lover. But there is a lot.

The Bucket can be many things, depending on the perspective. Anytime the Bucket speaks - its Narrator speaking through the role. He shows he's playful. He shows he cares for Stanley. He wants to entertain and not hurt him as much yet he still ends up doing so (the fact you can still die in cargo ending). He changed, he wants to be held, he wants to be there with Stanley through the story they're both stuck in.

But also - the Bucket is Stanley. He is the comforting presence. He's seen as object without free will, just carried around, but also seems to have so much personality at the same time.

The duality fits them. It's a healing object for them both.

And this is why in Fernator AU--/silly

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Object to be desired, never to love back. Though Stanley x bucket x Narrator in the Bucket Apartment slaps.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Bucket x Narrator. Let him be with the symbols of his growth.

My unpopular opinion about this character

Once again, dunno the state of the fandom sieuehwh so headcanon time

- Bucket is a presence Narrator out himself in while he awaited for Stanley's return.

- The texture of the bucket feels off.

- You can't hold it by the handle. You have to hold it close. Holding by the handle feels like pulling someone by the hair.

- Narrator works in his free time after getting out of the game on more stickers. Fun work

- it holds liquids well. Soil too. In this Fernator analysis - /silly

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I will keep repeating myself. I love what is there and I don't want anything more. The game is finished. It said enough

[schdns]

Ready for change and growth. Ready to let go of what I can't control.

A butterfly symbolizes a lot for me. I've always been the type of person who fears change. I always wished everything stayed as they are, especially when they're good things, and even more so when they're good people.

But growing up, I realized change is something inevitable and beyond our control. We can't choose one over the other because changing means growing and growing means changing. Our high school friends will be adults, build their own families, and aim for the life that they want, just as much as we will.

A butterfly also resembles the relationship I have with my Dad. Simply because of that one Hannah Montana song called "Butterfly fly away".

"Butterfly fly away. Got your wings now you can't stay. Take those dreams and make them all come true."

I'm the eldest, which already says a lot about me, and I've been the only daughter for a very long time before my little sister came into our lives. My Dad's very protective of me, even until now. And I can't imagine how a father feels, setting his little girl free to chase her dreams and be the woman she's ought to be. That little girl who he used to carry in his arms, sit on his lap, play tickles with, the one who he joyfully buys pretty things just to see her happy.

As a daughter, I have huge goals and that is to give back to my parents and put them in a comfortable position. And as a woman, I dream of building my own family, having my own children, and finding a partner who I can spend the rest of my life with. Both of those goals meant leaving family behind for a while, and the old me would fear the idea of that, but the woman I am now knows that sacrificing some time away to chase dreams and achieve goals is nothing compared to the years of success and comfort I can give, not only to my parents, but also to my future kids.

So Daddy, I'm not a little girl anymore, but that's the best part of it. Because now, I get to take care of you and Mom. I get to be the one to provide you things that would make you both happy. I love you!

[letmetellyouaboutmyfeels]

The I feel like she sees me line being said to Eddie who is the person that truly sees Buck for all that he is. Are we supposed to take this line at face value which would indicate piss poor writing because they needed to rush to a horrible ending or do we take it as Buck being an unreliable narrator? What was the audience supposed to interpret from Buck saying that, were we truly supposed to believe him or we supposed to be pissed at Buck for saying this to the one person that truly sees Buck?

Good morning to me, I guess.

I'm assuming you haven't really seen people's reactions in the fandom on tumblr because I feel like I saw this said in quite a few posts going around, but you are absolutely not supposed to take this line at face value. I'm surprised that people think you should. 9-1-1 has from the beginning had a habit of turning friendships into romantic relationships (Bathena and Madney) and taking their time with these things rather than having an instalove situation. Even Karen and Hen, who meet when they're set up on a date together, don't instantly fall in love. I do not think they would set Eddie or Buck up for an endgame relationship with a woman by having them date that woman immediately, even if they didn't plan to make Buddie canon.

Buck is clearly struggling post-death. He's lost and once again looking for the answer from a romantic partner. He did a lot of growth in regards to his family relationships this season but not his romantic ones. Remember, his couch ended up destroyed and he asked his latest girlfriend to pick the new one out for him. Again. He's still not picking his own damn couch. After being unable to sleep on the one his mom gave him but passed out instantly on Eddie's where he ran to feel safe.

If people think this is all, somehow, an accident or the writers are doing this without knowing what they're doing, then I can't help you. Do you also think the symbolism I put into my fanfics are a total accident? Do you guys think I picked the name of the poem "Fuchsia Emerald Alizarin Rose" just because the colors are fun and they accidentally spell out F.E.A.R. or do you think maybe I did that absolutely 100% on purpose and was waiting for someone to realize?

Buck saying that to Eddie is 100% supposed to make the audience raise their eyebrows. Especially when we see Eddie's reaction. He's confused and he's hurt and he's annoyed. Eddie then spends his next few lines showing Buck (and us) that he sees Buck. Buck misses it, it goes right over his head, but the audience is shown that Buck is wrong and Eddie sees him.

I think there was a lot of internal stuff going on behind the scenes way high up the ladder that meant Buddie didn't happen this season. No, I don't mean that in a tinhatting way, I just mean that they knew Fox wouldn't renew them, they didn't know if they'd get picked up somewhere else, Fox hasn't promoted or cared about this show the way it has its other shows in a while, and I think it's pretty clear there was shuffling and changes going on with 6B. So I think things had to be put off. Similar to the pandemic, where I genuinely wonder what kind of season four we would've gotten if we'd had the full 18 episodes and hadn't had to work around Covid. I think that when we know there was a big shift going on behind the scenes, we need to have some grace and patience in how that will effect the story that's told on screen.

But I think that this default to "everything good we see on our screens is an accident and the writers are making shitty choices" is a horrible bad faith argument, and it's exhausting. Aren't you exhausted? I'm exhausted. Fandom shouldn't treat the writing and production team like their enemies any more than the writing and production team should treat the fans like their enemies in some kind of war they have to win (looking at you, GoT showrunners).

We are supposed to be annoyed that Buck is missing the point. We are supposed to see Buck's yearning to be a husband and a father, and how he's missing what's right in front of him. We are supposed to put two and two together and see that Eddie was hurt by Buck's words, that Eddie sees Buck, that Eddie is Buck's safe place, and that Eddie in that moment decided he might not have a chance with Buck and needs to move on, because previously we saw Eddie admit he wants romance again but he doesn't want to go out on dates, we saw his aunt say she met her husband through work, we saw him say 'we have time' and then we saw him immediately after Buck tells him about this new girl who "sees him" flee to visit his mother and then immediately actually try dating. On a meta level this is also because Eddie needs confidence in himself as a romantic partner and needs some more experience under his belt before he's ready to take the plunge with Buck, but in Eddie's mind, I think it's pretty clear he feels Buck will never want him back and he's trying to find the love he wants somewhere else, even if his heart is still Buck's.

So that's what I think. I think it's not explicitly spelled out for a few reasons, but frankly if one of them was a woman we wouldn't need it explicitly spelled out and personally I kinda like that it's not. Something that annoys me with M/F pairings is the constant "we all know you two like each other" talks from third parties that half the time aren't about the characters but are about the audience, to either tell the audience SEE THEY LIKE EACH OTHER THAT'S WHAT THIS IS ABOUT or to give the audience some fanservice while the characters aren't ready to get together. I don't need to be pandered to that way, thank you, so I'm a fan of the slightly more subtle approach that I, personally, see going on with Buddie.

If you or anyone else disagrees with me and feels it was just "piss poor writing" then that's entirely your right. I'd just appreciate it if people who feel that way would stop watching the show, and stop putting their complaints into the inboxes of people who clearly do enjoy the show.

TL;DR - You answered your own question, Buck is an unreliable narrator (and always has been) and we are supposed to be frustrated he said this to Eddie who has proven time and again (and does so in that very scene) that he sees Buck.

[banana-milk-enthusiast]

Clear Card arc is finally done woohooo.....

🌸 SPOILERS BEWARE 🌸

I dont like being negative about this, I really did try to love it. But sitting through 80 chapters over several years just for an ending like that almost feels like an insult.

At least we got more Sakura, Xiaolang, and the og cast because not much else was going for it.

Rambles below I guess

It just felt so aimless all the time, and it was driving me insane. Outside of Sakura and Xiaolang's romantic relationship, there was no growth whatsoever. No one really matured further or learned a lesson or developed their character.

Admittedly I never cared for Akiho from the jump because she felt like she was just a Sakura clone with no personality; and while that ended up being the point due to plot it actually made me dislike her even more. She was literally just a plot device at all times, but the manga acts like you should be endeared to her somehow. Her crush on Kaito also made me more annoyed than anything but thats to me personally.

Kaito annoyed me at the beginning, but as more of his actions were revealed, I started finding him really interesting. But his plan was kinda disappointing ngl, where is the drama??? I literally felt no urgency about the situation because he was so soft that there wasn't even a 1% doubt in my mind anyone would end up hurt. In the end he wasnt even really a final villain.

Just a failed opportunity to make an actual villain. Which now that i think about it is something cardcaptor does very often, and yet Kaito is still the least interesting of the bunch. How is Eriol the child more menacing of a rival character than a mage that masters time magic.

Also, why make Sakura create all those clear cards just to get rid of them at the end. I understand that most of them were redundant, but like it feels like a waste. I actually enjoyed how she used the weirdly specific cards to her advantage. So to just delete most of them sucks. She pretty much keeps Flight and the ones with matches from the Clow cards fused.

And I can't believe i sat through all of that just to toss in some Tsubasa stuff in the end. I like Tsubasa. In super small quantities. But I actually dont want it to bleed into Cardcaptor. that's what XXXHolic is for cmon. Fai's symbol in the magic books, Sakura mentioning passing the clow staff on one day, Syaoran learning to master time magic.... It's too much. Because the whole heritage thing in Tsubasa is easily my least favorite part. It's so unnecessarily convoluted for no reason. I was about to start my Tsubasa rant, let me stop.

It just felt like nothing had happened. 80 chapters of just weirdly convoluted plot with no expense or dire situations. Like idk how to explain how i feel.

But if I read 80 chapters and the only emotions I feel are Confusion and Cuteness (over Sakura and Syaoran); then it's actually really sad. What happened to drama and suspense. Or literally anything about the Hero's journey. Does CLAMP need to go back to english class/creative lit???

I've read a lot of CLAMP works okay. I would even say I'm a fan. But this is probably one of the most boring work they've made. It's not the worst, but honestly, close.

Now, this might just be my childhood rose colored glasses for the og. Or the fact I'm much more familiar with the anime than the manga, which I only read once. I know the anime made many changes, so for all I know, the og manga could've been the same in writing. But I really hope that should the anime return, it cleans up whatever that mess was because I felt like I was slowly going insane during Clear Card arc.

[cityandking]

🧱 😱 ✨ 🐺 for dai, minah and anticlea!

thanks dear!! // prompts I'd like to receive

[ 🧱 ] how would you describe your muses’ morality? what are their core values?

DAI — "nothing is more important than the responsibility my faith confers upon me to help others in need." originally his altruism was structured by the tenets of his faith, but he's come to understand that his altruism is his own and faith is just one way to guide it. with or without pelor, with or without tempus, he wants to help people and do good. he was lawful good when the campaign started, but he's shifted to neutral good over time.

MINAH — minah's morals are a little hard to pin down, tbh. she has a deep-seated lack of trust in any authority or organization, so her morality prioritizes the individual over rule of law. her sense of right and wrong is largely based on her moment-to-moment gut instincts in a situation, but tends to be driven primarily by her desire for personal safety and security (financially, physically, mentally, emotionally, etc.) and secondarily by an impulse towards compassion (she'd really really rather not break any fingers). she meant it when she told cian that there's always unfixible things, and she's not particularly interested in fixing them—she tries to keep out of the big-picture politics and ethics, and she's likewise not planning to cut down on the thieving any time soon—but that doesn't mean she can't tip a busker or talk to a half-blind orphan lordling or offer to save a templar's lover from tranquility (as an interrogation tactic, but hey! still an offer). it's the little touches when you desperately need them that matter most. minah is true neutral.

CLEA — clea lives by the old girl scout law of leaving a place better than you found it. she's lived a long time and values heart and courage and kindness and growth. at the root of everything, she's just a gardener. clea is neutral good.

[ 😱 ] does your muse have any specific fears? where did those fears come from?

DAI — he's afraid of deep water. his first death was pretty traumatic ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I rolled a couple times during the kaiju arc against panicking while they were underwater but he kept it together (shout out to that high WIS mod). besides that, he's afraid of failing the people he's supposed to be taking care of, which was always there but really kicked in when Izzy died. a lot of things changed for him when Izzy died.

MINAH — she's got a couple, yeah. she's a lil claustrophobic—she can deal with tight spaces, but she needs to be able to access an exit, otherwise she gets panicked about being trapped. a few escapes have gone badly over the years—crammed in some tiny hidey-hole hoping no one notices her, or not quick enough and ending up arrested—and she's afraid of ending up back in a cell

CLEA — her son's memory haunts her—she dreams about him sometimes, when she's not dreamwalking—but mostly she's just grateful to see him. it's the only way he lives on. she's definitely afraid of foresyhte going to the abyss (and then losing him just like everyone else), which is why he won't be going! problem solved.

[ ✨ ] what aesthetics or symbols do you reference when writing your muse? are these backed up by canon, if your muse comes from a canon? is there any specific relevance to these choices?

DAI — shields, the sun, wings, light. wounds/sickness come up pretty often, which makes sense because he's a healer (but *cocks gun*). lava, recently :)

MINAH — I associate her with the tragicomedy masks, and also songbirds. molten gold, a bit. silks (the aerial kind, mostly, but also costumes). the theater, of course. and nomadism—living on the road, horses and caravans, that sort of thing.

CLEA — old trees, shrikes, white winter foxes, snow. furs and beads and silver jewelry. weeping willows and labyrinths and tea and bright embroidery. the way sunlight feels through the trees on a cool day in early spring, a touch of warmth after a long winter.

[ 🐺 ] does your muse like solitude? do they prefer it to being around others? how easily does your muse get lonely?

DAI — definitely (desperately) needs his alone time. he's a true introvert; no matter how much he likes hanging out he simply Has to find some quiet time to rest and recharge. the trip through the storm where they were all crammed together in the tiny hut was one of the worst experiences of his life and he's literally in the abyss right now. he doesn't get lonely easily, in part because he's always had pelor with him—the loneliest he's ever felt, I think, is when his faith was in tatters and he didn't know where to turn.

MINAH — minah likes a little private time to take the mask(s) off, but she gets antsy if she's on her own for too long. even if she's not entertaining, she likes to be in a group—she's an extrovert

CLEA — she gets lonely really easily, actually. back home she was part of a big community, and then when she left she was constantly meeting new people, going new places, traveling with her party. being in selto is nice—she likes the city and she's got friends and plenty to keep her busy—but she never lived alone before. she has a tendency to talk to the plants (and the neighbors) when she's undersocialized. she really does wish forsyhte would visit more often.

[anime-related]

I just finished Stars Align/Hoshiai no Sora

There are spoilers in this post. Do not read unless you have watched it all the way through to the end.

I have a lot of thoughts on the finale.

First of all, it makes me think that it was the plan all along. If the writers were rushed into finishing the show and just stuffed that in there for no reason, I dont think it would be so tightly fit in there.

I think it was supposed to have more of an arc though. Maybe (definitely) something to do with Toma. I mean, they both threatened it for each other, I think Toma was supposed to be involved.

Maybe Toma got hurt by him. Maybe Toma kept staying at their house just in case he came by (and perhaps for a taste of escapism from his own home life) and he wasnt happy with it.

I have a couple cenarios running through my head. Either Toma has Maki hide for trauma reasons, or for some reason Maki is out, leaving Toma alone in their apartment.

Kenji spouts some bullshit about how if Toma doesn't want Maki to get hurt, he'll have to take it for him, or basically just hurts him to get through to the money— something like that.

Once Maki finds out, that's what triggers it.

Or, alternatively, Toma is the one to do it. I think i like this idea more, simply because it's already stated in the show, but I also think it's less likely.

Shame on me for reading so far into it, but I feel like the act of legitimately killing his own father is symbolic of Maki's growth as a person. He's moving on. He's making a life for himself.

I'm not going to lie and say I'm upset that he killed his father. I am glad that sob is canonically supposed to be dead. I just think they rushed it because they didn't have much of a choice.

I know a lot of people choose to ignore the finale, which I 10000% understand and respect, but I'd like to write a season 2 directly following the ending scene.

Okay, well, maybe not directly following. I don't really feel like writing a murder scene. But right after that.

It's really upsetting that the show ended so soon. Hell, even if it ended like that and then got a renewal I'd be happy.

And genuinely, I care less about Maki's home life when I say that. He got closure. His father is gone.

I want to know how Toma and Ryouma handle their new home situation. I want to know if/how Futsu meets his bio mom and what she's like, and how their family dynamic might change.

I want to know how Tsubasa deals with his father, and see more of his relationship between him and his brothers. I think it's a crime that we don't see much, if any, of Itsuki's current home life. Who does he live with now, do we even know?

I wan to see Yu come out to their family and friends, see them wear a skirt to school. I want to see the diverse reactions that come with being nonbinary.

I'd like to see what happens with Nao and his mother. Maybe she gets murdered too, idk (/hj). I want to see Shingo's relationship with his sister and mother.

I want to see how Mitsue finds a new audience with her art. I want to see more of Shou.

I want to see more queer anguish and crisis.

I want to see how everyone reacts to the information that Toma initially paid Maki to join the team.

There's so much stuff that they weren't able to tie up in the end. And while I'm glad they tied up Maki's story with his father (and I do think that was the best choice out of the ones I listed in the short time they had), there's still so many questions I have.

[mintffxiv]

Making a whole new thought post as to completely be clear of it not being my initial thoughts. I think it may have been 5 days to a week since I wrote my first thoughts!

I am happy with these thoughts being conclusive to my idea of the story.

Spoilers below 👇

So I just woke up and it suddenly came to me.

The book authored by Joshua is by Joshua. Tomes mentioned he was a great historian or something. So both brothers were encouraged to write. I wouldn't be surprised if Clive was just narrating his parts to Joshua for the book. Or they could have written it together.

So symbolism this and hidden but clear meanings that I got to thinking. That yes all three are alive (still Dion maybe a stretch but idrc because I want to believe.) The post credits scene and Jill's sunrise is all you need.

Jill seeing the sun rise means Clive is alive

Both children represent Clive and Joshua from their hair colours.

The dog represents Torgal and Dion aka Bahamut which is what they call the dog. They could have called the dog any eikon but they called him Bahamut.

Of course there is also the cheap but also funny theory that it's literally just a fairy tale as the boy's mother says. Which would be lame but I could also make anything up and symbolism wouldn't mean a damn thing hehe!

I also somewhat understand more why magic would be okay gone. Simply because Ultima and his people were driven by such greed they rid their bodies of themselves to continue their addiction and it continued to consume them. Still a Final Fantasy world needs magic, and no I'm not gonna go into 'But life is magic~~~' okay I need the fantasy lol! Basically I just wish it wasn't so finite and I think it's a weak choice. Learning how to manage and respect magic aka power is a valuable lesson that is consistently changing barriers and boundaries. Like the Fallen, we didn't learn what material their indestructible structures were made from. Was it magic, was it completely man made, was it from space? I'd understand if their technology killed them but it was Ulitma teaching them a lesson so basically what I'm saying is I think removing magic invalidates a lot of the world's growth. Like the whole incident with L'ubor being a bearer is completely pointless now. The whole, it being the first town with a mayor bearer now means nothing. Every bearer's struggle for hundreds of years now means nothing. The reason the world got so bad is because of the mistreatment of bearers which was an abuse of power without magic. Everyone needs to learn to not abuse power in any sense and taking magic away doesn't remove those problems. But I think that's an oversight by the team. But overall I can understand why and the 'symbolism' behind why magic is gone. Especially trying to mimic the 'magic' of our own world but for me this comes across as cheap and a bit lazy even if it is the most likely case.

Like what a better revenge and 'I told you so', moment for Ultima it would be! Showing him a world with magic that recovers without killing everyone and thrives with respect and care. He could never!

It does still slightly confused me that all of humanity doesn't die with origin. Even those not being bearers humanity is made from magic so if they all disappeared it would make sense to me but of course I don't want that, I just think it's another oversight. I also presume Ultima and his people were made without magic and most likely from another God. I'm presuming that as it seems their are other stronger forces than Ultima which makes sense to me but I'm also a believer (won't get into that because it's personal). Like Greagor, which I presume is a humanity made God but there is the power of manifestation which is what FF games and general fantasy likes to do. After all humanity's will and bonds were stronger than Ultimas magic so ideas like manifestation being tangible makes sense. So Greagor or a God similar potentially being alive in some sense helping them wouldn't be far fetched.

Like the whole Metia to moon thing. If Metia died after sending the message to represent it being magic I'd presume the moon would also go but it didn't. As I said I'm thinking it got the message went to tell the Moon and the Moon granted it and would eventually return back to it's original spot. And I believe the Moon is either a God itself or a camera for the God or God's watching the planet or even this universe. The game talks of space travel so I do believe other Gods or Godlike beings like Ultima exist and this was just his and his people's journey. So higher God's makes sense to me, thus the prayer finally being answered.

I'd like to think that it was not just Jill praying too. In several FF games prayer is important even though they like to kill God's as well lol but it is important. Pure will made reality. The prayer reaches the God's or is just made real by the power of that will. Which again turns to making the God's real by that will etc. But yeah other people praying especially those in the Hideaway makes sense I just wish they showed it. And I presume Jill wished for them all to come back home and not just Clive. This is her family after all.

The story of family. Clive and Joshua blood brothers, Dion their step brother and Torgal their fur brother represented sneakily in one dog named Bahamut with the brothers at the end and they were all happy and alive!

And this thought not only makes sense to me but is comforting. I'm still shaky because of them being annoyingly vague but everything fits for me and it also fits to soothe my heart which isn't just me hoping and what I've concluded has sense. And all of it matches symbolism so it's not from nowhere. So I'll take it!

🗒Notes: As usual I might add more later and there is probably some spelling and grammar mistakes.

[sinners-carnival]

Something good.

today has been a wash in feelings. I'm stressed, a lot is going on, I'm highly anxious and ext. but after writing in my journal I decided to list some of the good things recently and one that means a lot to me and that I wish to share here is... the other day I asked peoples opinions on a list of names and with one person in particular, while the initial responses made my head do a spin and made me upset, that person later gave me one of the most... honouring? explanations to a name they thought suits me. They said Rain was a name they would pick for me as it feels more me to them and said- "Rain is a symbol of renewal and rebirth. It represents change, growth, and transformation, and can inspire us to let go of the past and embrace the future. Rain can be giving of life. Promoting the growth of flowers, trees, feeding rivers. But rain can also be destructive and unforgiving. It can crumble the earth, and cause landslides that change the entire ecosystem. A natural force blown in with the unpredictable gales of the earth. A calm, or destructive force." Now, "rain" itself, as a base name(the sound of it)- does not suit me. but the meaning and explanation of it absolutely does. and a thing about me is I love things that mean death, growth, rebirth, and ect. My favourite tarot card is death and one of my favourite flowers is the red Lycoris (spider lily). and for someone.. to see me encompassing that of which I hold so dearly makes me cry. but a good cry. one where I'm glad I can be that. I'm also a very emotional person, I feel strongly. I feel intensely. So i get the second half of why it fits me as well. I wanna find a name with a very similar meaning for me and or find rain in a language that i think sounds better. But I will hold that explanation very close to my chest for a very long time. And I just wanted to share this I guess. Afterwards I'm like 'is this weird.' but i genuinely just wanted to share something that I perceived as positive in a time where I'm not feeling such, nor are the people around me. Please take care of yourselves. please.

[randommusingsstuff]

Why Ben and Devi are Endgame (Meta)

At the heart of every rom-com, it always comes down to this: what does the protagonist truly want? 

Why Devi and Paxton Don’t Work

In the season 2 finale, Devi triumphantly says “So, I guess I'm Paxton Hall-Yoshida’s girlfriend now”. She got what she thought she wanted at the start of her journey, only it’s not what she wants anymore. 

Although Devi cares for Paxton, she views him as a status symbol. Paxton, for all his growth, still sees himself as cooler than her. And no, he was not just embarrassed because she cheated on him. Before he knew she was cheating, he invited his friends on their first date and refused to call her his girlfriend. In the finale, it once again takes someone else to point out that he shouldn’t blow her off. As Devi and Paxton walk into the dance, he gives his friends a sheepish look while they judge him. Not only does he still have lingering feelings of embarrassment, his friends’ reactions suggest turbulence ahead for their relationship. 

There is also a lack of communication between Paxton and Devi. They have a magical kiss by the window, and makeout sessions afterwards, but they don't actually talk about their relationship in that elapsed time. Devi makes the assumption that they are together and Paxton doesn’t articulate what he wants until it is forced out of him. 

What can we conclude from this? Paxton is a great character, but he is not the one for Devi. They have differing interests and goals, a lack of communication and they do not see each other for their true worth. 

Can the writers surmount all of these issues to give them an endgame? Yes, but it would require fundamentally changing who Devi and Paxton are. 

Why Devi and Ben Work

In episode 1 of season 2, Devi wants to pick Ben but her friends talk her out of it. This is crucial to understanding why they belong together: her gut instinct has already revealed the truth. She had both guys vying for her and she wanted Ben. Just by this one fact alone, we can infer that Devi’s relationship with Ben was more meaningful to her than her pursuit of Paxton in season 1.

When it’s revealed that Devi is two-timing the boys, Paxton is hurt but Ben is devastated. Paxton likes her, but Ben connected with her on a deeper emotional level. Devi follows Paxton out of the party, which is understandable because he is the one walking away. Again, this is cleverly hinting at their communication styles. Paxton wants to avoid the situation and Ben wants to talk about it. From Ben’s perspective, Paxton is the guy she has wanted for so long and he is the second choice. 

Throughout the season, Ben never considers the fact that Devi could want him over Paxton, which is equal parts sad and infuriating. Her therapist asks what she wants more than anything and she says Ben. In context, it’s a comical line, but it’s also Devi revealing her truth. Like she does at the beginning of the season, she makes a choice and it’s Ben. She pursues Ben romantically before Paxton even though Paxton is the one more willing to forgive her. 

It takes Ben longer to forgive her, and yet he is still there for her when she needs help. The little things he does like give her advice about Aneesa and make her feel better about Paxton’s rejection all show Devi’s ability to be vulnerable with Ben. 

As an aside, they had the opportunity to show Devi being vulnerable with Paxon but didn’t take it. In episode 8 of season 2, Paxton sees Devi crying and she reveals that she got into a really bad fight with Eleanor. I was thinking: here it is, here is the moment that Paxton finally helps Devi with her problems... but no. His response is “seems like you’re in a fight with lots of people” and the conversation quickly shifts to her apologizing and helping him yet again. Devi is able to open up to Ben and be supported by him in a way that she can’t with Paxton.

Before I talk about the finale, which is arguably the biggest point in Ben and Devi’s favour, I want to look at the season overall. The entire story arc is Ben and Devi wanting to be together but constantly running into roadblocks in the form of Eleanor/Fabiola, Paxton and Aneesa. It was so alarmingly obvious they belonged together after season 1, that the writers had to find ways to forcibly separate them for the time being. It’s important for Ben and Devi’s relationship that she dates Paxton first. If she had been allowed to go for Ben, they would have had to explore Devi wondering what she missed out on. When Devi and Ben do get their happy ending, it will be because Devi has realized that Paxton is not the person for her. 

In the finale of season 2, we get 3 crucial scenes from Devi and Ben. The first is the bathroom scene which reaffirms Devi’s ability to be vulnerable with Ben and his ability to support her (something she doesn’t have with Paxton). The second is their tension-filled scene at the dance where they longingly stare at each other. This directly contrasts the scene in episode 8, where Devi tries to reframe her mindset and stop seeing Ben as someone she is attracted to. Here, it becomes apparent that she is unable to stop thinking about him in a romantic way despite actively trying. 

The third scene is basically Eleanor saying “you dummy, she wanted to choose you!”. The writers intentionally reference the pros-cons scene from episode 1, re-affirming that Devi wants Ben. The only reason they are not together is because he is not an option. 

Then we get the line “it wasn’t always him”. Many Devi and Paxton fans believe her choice was Ben, but he took too long and now it’s too late. But when has it ever been too late for a main love interest in a rom-com? Mindy Kaling is a rom-com savant, and she knows as well as I do that it’s only ever “too late” for douchey guys who do not acknowledge the self-worth of the heroine. That’s not Ben though, he has always seen Devi for who she is. 

The heartbreak on Ben’s face is infinitely worse than Paxton’s voicemail at the end of season 1, although these scenes are meant to parallel each other. Devi and Paxton are two people who like each other but do not work as a long-term relationship. Ben and Devi are two people who work as a long-term relationship but never acknowledge their feelings for each other at the right time. It’s a tragedy just waiting to be rectified in season 3.

Season 3 Predictions

Now that I've given my analysis on why Devi and Ben are meant to be, here are some predictions I have on the Devi-Ben-Paxton love triangle for season 3.

Fabiola/Eleanor will be the ones to help Devi act on her true feelings for Ben. This one is a no-brainer for me. After sabotaging their chance to be happy in the first place, Fabiola and Eleanor will decide that they want their friend to be happy and set things right. It will also parallel Ben mending their friendship in season 1.

Paxton and Devi will have some sweet moments in the first half of the season, but not without their issues. The lack of communication and their respective status (the way they view each other) will cause them to fight. They will break-up mid-season, but the ending will leave hope for reconciliation.

On that note, I do not think they will kill the love triangle. Even though we will likely see Devi confessing her feelings for Ben and saying that she wanted to choose him all along, this is still a TV show. Contentious love triangles = buzz and money.

Ben and Aneesa will break up by mid-season, but probably earlier. Ben will find it hard to be in a relationship with Aneesa as he grapples with his feelings for Devi.

Ben will be a pillar of support to Devi as she navigates how to be a girlfriend. It’s the classic trope of the guy helping the girl win over the man of her dreams, only to realize that the person she wants is right in front of her.

 Devi and Ben’s friendship and lingering feelings will culminate in an epic finale confession and kiss. Everything that they were unable to say to each other last season will be spoken aloud in season 3.

Ben and Devi are soulmates, drawn to each other and unable to avoid their feelings. I can’t wait for them to take over my life again next year.

[ladyluscinia]

As someone who is nebulously in the “Izzy is a bad person/ not an Izzy fan” camp, your posts have helped me realize something pretty important. A big part of why I hold those opinions is because I view Izzy through the lens of symbol and allegory rather than complex personhood. Maybe that’ll change in season 2 as we learn more about him, but as of now I think that’s a big reason why I and many others are quick to judge and excuse wrong doing against him. For some it’s simply difficult to connect with him as a character, and much more accessible to see him as a reminder of hypocrisy within the queer community. Hell even a reminder of that one old friend who for whatever reason just CANNOT let the fact that you’re growing as a person go.

I don’t know, what do you think about the concept of there being a difference between analyzing characters as people and analyzing them as representations of larger societal issues?

Interesting question...

I mean, I am a big proponent of "characters aren't real people and that's important to remember when discussing them", which does dovetail nicely with a lot of discussion on "What is this character in the story?" And a character being a symbol or representation of something else abstract or systemic is a perfectly valid option. Nigel Badminton, for example, has a twin brother who loved him, but absolutely none of us give a shit about how his death affected Chauncey emotionally because both of them are really just symbols of oppressive societal power / Stede's childhood trauma / bullies in general / etc. The show only cares about their deaths insomuch as it affects Stede, and Stede literally admits he doesn't even feel bad about it.

They are such straightforward examples of narrative tools all the way down to their deaths, which are pure symbolism via black humor. Like, Nigel falls on his own sword because he can't stop mocking Stede to take him seriously for two seconds, and Chauncey shoots himself in the head the moment he fulfills his role in Stede's story because it's a hilariously dark joke that this happened to Stede twice.

To take this to Izzy however... Ok, so three major questions once you think a character is representing something:

What is this character representing?

What is the story trying to say about it?

How direct is the represention? Or to put it another way: How much of a person are they vs just a symbol?

Because most characters with any decent amount of screentime are going to naturally become more "people" than "symbol". It's not an either/or situation. OFMD creators have been very open about how the show is looking at toxic masculinity, for example, so I think it's pretty safe to say Izzy is the character on screen most pushing that mindset via the abusive pirate culture he's firmly planted in. I also think the show has a lot to say about classism, and Stede is pretty obviously the designated character for that. (I also think Lucius is, because he's kinda picking up the furthest extreme of Stede's version of piracy just like Izzy is Edward's, but that's a meta a little to the left of what you asked.)

But Stede is a lot more than just "rich guy", and despite the fact you don't exactly root for the rich guys in classism narratives, we are supposed to root for Stede. His arc is about learning. The show's message is broadly not upper class positive - look at the French partiers - but Stede can escape it in a way they can't because he's also a character in his own right, and the show's overriding theme is about growth.

I think Izzy is certainly complex enough to be a character, unlike the other antagonists who are kept mostly offscreen. He has a major connection to one of the mains, which tends to automatically convey a level of depth. He also just... doesn't function effectively as a pure symbol of oppression, because he's not bad enough. There's so many writing decisions where it would have been so easy to make him worse. More aggressive. More textually bigoted. More directly harmful. And they didn't. (...Fuck it. Linking to that time I said this and got immediately blocked.)

An example that's been getting me recently: In his very first episode, why didn't Izzy steal the hostages? That's like basic antagonist setup. Especially for people that think overt racism is at play here at all (I very much do not) it would be the simplest thing in the world to have him steal them from the natives for some stupidly easy early work on that front, and establish it with a line of dialogue. Instead the line we get is "Oh, we sold them to some guys." They had him pay for them.

And all of this I think ties back into that second question of "what is the show trying to say," because I do not think the answer is "Izzy is just our stand in for bad people and we do not care about him." Especially not if he's the designated representation of toxic masculinity, because I think Izzy-as-a-character is clearly suffering under toxic masculinity. He's specifically also a victim of the system, and it's kind of a fucked up and pessimistic message to say victims of a shitty system deserve to be written off as a comedic punching bag and die unhappy. Isn't it better thematically if he's a person like Stede who can learn to be better???

We're in a world where Edward's backslide into the toxic masculinity aligned system starts with 7 attempted murders + mutilation and abduction, and we're going to forgive this and give him a happy ending. At this point the show's message is approaching incoherent if Izzy is irredeemably evil and deserves to suffer.

[kiwi-astrology]

Sun in the Composite Chart

The sun in a composite chart represents the ego of the connection. What is your guys goal together? Why does this connection exist?

->The composite chart works for all relationships (family members, platonic, romantic, work related, etc.). While there is potential with the energy, remember it is created mutually with time!

(ALSO! These are just my mere interpretations and observations as I have been researching/reading various com. charts of people I know!)

Aries: Aries sun in the composite chart is all about the thrill. This relationship exists because of the youthful energy you both possess when together. Your goal together is to seek fun and feel like a child again. I have noticed that this placement is found in a lot of younger siblings (with big families) or casual friends. This is a very lighthearted placement. There may be a tendency for the energy to burn out once the spontaneity ends.

Taurus: Taurus sun in the composite is all about comfort. This relationship exists to remind the parties to slow down and appreciate life. There is a very fond connection between the two, as well as mutual support. This tends to be a long lasting energy, even if people depart. These connections can become sensual as well.

Gemini: Gemini sun in the composite is all about friendship. This relationship exists because of the recognition each party has for the others quirkiness. Even in romantic relationships, this connection will be light and playful. There’s a lot of mental stimulation and exploration in these connections.

Cancer: Cancer sun in the composite is all about reassurance. This relationship exists so that both people know they have someone to protect them. There is a strong sense of comfort in cancer sun composites. The involved parties are very fond of each other and want to endlessly support each other.

Leo: Leo sun in the composite is all about the highest self. This relationship exists to boost the confidence of both individuals. With a Leo sun in the composite, the energy created is an illumination of the ego. Both people want to hype each other up and encourage growth. They want the best for each other.

Virgo: Virgo sun in the composite is all about lessons. This relationship exists to allow both parties to learn something new from each other. Ive noticed that there tends to be a comfortable distance between the two parties as they analyze each other. Nevertheless, they find the other intriguing and a topic worth exploring.

Libra: Libra sun in the composite is all about romance. This relationship exists to invite beauty and love into both parties lives. This is an ideal placement for romantic relationships, but it brings a sweetness to any connection. No matter what, both parties will always try to see the goodness in each other. They tend to be very flirty with their energy.

Scorpio: Scorpio sun in the composite is all about insight. This relationship exists to probe into the hidden areas of each other and heal. There is a raw vulnerability of Scorpio sun in the composite that brings comfort to the unknown. These people tend to share many secrets, but can sometimes keep things from each other on purpose. This occurs if one feels ‘taken advantaged’ of due to the inability to conceal darkness in these connections.

Sagittarius: Sagittarius sun in the composite is all about expansion. This relationship exists to remind the people of everything they overlook in their own life. The energy created appreciates the vibrancy of creation and new experiences. These people love to travel and try new things together. It’s an endless journey between the two.

Capricorn: Capricorn sun in the composite is all about ambition. This relationship exists to reach success and complete desired goals. These people create an energy of purpose that seeks to accomplish. This placement is very binding until both people feel that they have reached the desired goal. There are certain expectations in these relationships as they hold each other to a high standard.

Aquarius: Aquarius sun in the composite is all about acceptance. This relationship exists to express individuality and fully accept each other. There is a lot of zesty energy and the two may love to innovate/create together. There is rarely harsh judgement but rather encouragement to pursue grand visions.

Pisces: Pisces sun in the composite is all about healing. This relationship exists to ascend the parties into higher awareness. The people involved gain deeper understandings of themselves because of the other person. It’s like seeing right through any facade and nurturing the forgotten wounds. I have noticed, however, these relationships sometimes end with one person wronging or taking advantage of the other.

In the houses!

Composite sun in the first house deals with individuality. Appreciation for the others goals and egos is emphasized. Seldom do the parties attempt to change the other. This placement can sometimes indicate one person inspiring the other to create a stronger identity for themselves (if that makes sense lol).

Composite sun in the second house deals with security. There is a lot of power for one person to influence the other persons self-worth. The energy is steady and everlasting, as both people feel comfortable early on in the connection. The people involved can really raise (or hurt) each other’s self-esteem/confidence!

Composite sun in the third house deals with youth. Similar to Gemini sun in the composite, this placement is great for friendships. There’s a lot of communication and humor involved. These people don’t take each other seriously, but in the best way. I also find this placement indicates that the people involved begin to steal each other’s lingo/hobbies, it’s so cute.

Composite sun in the fourth house deals with family. This could indicate people that become apart of your family or who feel like family. Typically, these people care immensely for each other and the connection feels natural. The fourth house is the deepest part of life, so there is a chance to really open deep wounds (in a good or bad way).

Composite sun in the fifth house deals with creativity. The connections are great for working together on creative projects, or for creating fun memories. I’ve found that sometimes there’s comparison in the connection about clashing talents/egos. I’ve also found that the people appreciate the others talent. This placement reveals itself differently in all charts.

Composite sun in the sixth house deals with routine. It could be common for people to have composite sun in the sixth house to regularly see each other and work with each other. One thing I have noticed is a tendency for one person to put themselves above the other. It could also indicate one person helping another with mental or physical health.

Composite sun in the seventh house deals with lovers and enemies. This is such a powerful placement that manifests in such extreme ways. These people can almost feel like they’re supposed to be in a relationship. The people involved understand the others power and ultimately want to work with them or against them.

Composite sun in the eighth house deals with karma. There could be unexplainable reasons why you guys stay in a connection together, but you do nonetheless. This placement may indicate inheriting money from each other or feeling obligated to help one another. The people involved are probably fairly vulnerable with each other.

Composite sun in the ninth house deals with experience. The two will definitely learn a lot from each other, but especially through physical experiences! They will probably ask a lot of questions within the connection and have a goal of expanding their mind. A lot of teacher-student energy created. One person may try to get the other to do a lot of new things out of their comfort zone.

Composite sun in the tenth house deals with accomplishment. This placement is common in a lot of public/famous couples. Your guys connection will be hard to keep secret, and could involve a lot of other people. Being together may manifest an energy that boosts your own image or success. You guys may create a lot of grandiose goals together.

Composite sun in the eleventh house deals with awareness. This placement may bring many new thoughts or wishes into the pair’s life that they disregarded before. This is the one placement I couldn’t find a lot of physical examples for, which was interesting. However, expect growth with the energy of this connection and a newfound appreciation for humane and hopeful things.

Composite sun in the twelfth house deals with the subconscious. This is personally my favorite placement for the sun (in platonic & romantic relationships). A spiritual and everlasting bond ties the two together. This allows for intense healing and revaluations for both people involved. These two people tend to understand each other in a way others can’t, which is very powerful and intimidating. For the brightest planet that surrounds the ego to be placed in the darkest house that rejects ego is very symbolic and intriguing to me. This placement is definitely unforgettable. I’ve found that this placement in celebrity couples leads to a private relationship, but successful.

I hope these were insightful! I think using composite charts to see how certain relationships can work out (work, siblings, parents, friends, etc.) is really interesting! I’m not 100% good with this type of chart yet, but I have been doing a lot of research :)