#it makes sense as her having Problems Issues that she does not cope well with but man did it not endear her to me

[mamawasatesttube]

kon is sitting next to tim looking at him adoringly while he talks about why nissans are better than mitsubishis and he looks across the cave to see greta glaring at him from the shadows until he moves three inches away

maybe if you got on kon's level and actively listened to tim infodumping about cars he'd also do it at you, greta :/

[enavstars]

May you bliss us with your angst ninja headcanons?

mainly kai pls

Sorry for the delay. You asked mostly for Kai's so I delivered. If anyone wants more hcs about the others I can work on it some time in the future (I also have more of Kai).

Now the hcs:

• All the ninja have PTSD from everything they’ve been through

• And abandonment issues

• Cole has an eating disorder and eats when he’s stressed, this is one of the reasons he is very insecure of his weight. People online poke at him for it

• Jay's terrified of losing his loved ones again because of him. That is another reason why he went absolutely crazy post Seabound, as he thinks it was his fault Nya had to resort to sacrificing herself

• He used to be bullied for living in a junkyard before becoming a ninja and that's why he was ashamed of it

• Zane always shoves down everything wrong that happens to him (e.g being the Ice Emperor for way too long to be ok about it) because he puts the team and their needs first.

• Nya has nightmares from the time she died in skybound but doesn't tell anyone.

• She had to keep her work and love life secret from her brother for fear that he would shut her down to protect her. Her fear persisted well into s1 and that's why she felt she had to hide Samurai X even from Kai

• Lloyd still admires his uncle despite his obsession with the green ninja (and all the neglect that came with it) because he's the only relative that actually took him in

• All of the ninja have at some point hidden an injury at least once. But Kai and Nya are the ones that do it more often (Nya specially when she was samurai X), and know how to treat mild wounds because of it.

• Kai and Nya do physical activities when they’re stressed or have emotions they don’t want to process. They can do their thing like Kai working in the forge and Nya doing mechanics but they usually train, however they can go on for hours (Kai has passed out a few times)

• Kai and Zane have a very poor sense of self. Zane’s comes from him not valuing his life and thinking he’s expendable since he can be rebuilt, ignoring all the trauma that comes from getting severely hurt or “dying”. Kai has problems seeing his worth as a human being because he’s never lived for himself; everything he does is for someone else and so he thinks his value resides in what he can do for other people. 

• Kai is terrified of the idea of being alone, it’s his worst fear.

• He has THE WORST coping mechanisms and Zane is confused on how his body was able to go through all of them (Alcoholism, illegal fights, smoking…)

• Kai is an insomniac, he barely sleeps most nights and instead just waits until he passes out (He has very deep eyebags because of it but hides them with make up, covering his freckles too). He sometimes bumps into some other ninja at night since they all have fucked up sleep schedules. 

• Lloyd also has a lot of problems sleeping because of nightmares and goes to Kai or Nya’s room where he feels safer (mostly into Kai’s). Sometimes they stay up at night chilling or they try to sleep. In those cases the nights with Lloyd are the ones where Kai sleeps the most because he feels safer too.

• Kai has chronic depression because of his fucked up childhood

• Lloyd thought he had depression too for a while but it turned out to be autistic burnout because of the stress of being the green ninja. But he can’t properly rest or heal from the burnout so he’s exhausted most of the time.

• When he’s stressed Kai forgets to eat and can go days with very little food because he’s used to it from being poor in his childhood.

• Genuinely forgot what it feels like to be a kid and have no responsibilities so it’s his personal mission to not let that happen to Lloyd. Kai would be devastated if Lloyd ended up like him.

• Kai sometimes feels insecure about his face scars and contemplates hiding them with make up.

• Kai’s touch starved but terrified of letting people in.

• He hides his negative emotions as anger and when the others try to reach out to him he pushes them away by getting angry at them until it's mutual and they leave him alone.

• Never told the others about what he did after Zane’s “death”. He fixed himself up, alone.

[saturnaftertaste]

Does jughead match Betty's freak

this ask ended up twice in my inbox and i think that’s so funny. ask so real it came as a two-for-one deal !

honestly? no. jughead and betty are like, the epitome of an arranged marriage with the genders inversed. like specifically, jughead is the wife with unfortunate and irreversible neediness syndrome and betty is the strapping young man who has been tied down against his will. like, all betty wants to do is get out there and explore - first in a journalism sense, then in an investigator sense, then in a sexuality + life’s pleasures sense. betty really really likes being in charge of stuff, in taking command and moving stuff forward and getting shit done. she’s also a little more substantially fucked up than jughead in the sense that jughead is like. abandonment/inferiority complex 1000 ie. his mom left him, archie left him, his dad left him, his gf cheats on him or whatever. jughead is mostly a bundle of soft-type emotional-relationship issues which are fucked up in their own right, but he also expresses those issues a lot more openly (the whole Being A Writer thing, narratively the dying over and over thing, his whole misanthropy thing being just an accepted part of who he is).

betty on the other hand has: a serial killer father, serial killer grandparents, a mom who kills assailants and hides the bodies under floorboards, a serial-killer FBI-agent half-brother, a serial-killer cam hooker half-brother-in-law, a cult-indoctrinated accidentally-incestuous sister who had twins with the town dead boy who was killed by his father (said father also being one of betty’s own blood family), a boyfriend that dies every season and is an attempted gang leader, a cousin who is an insane witch, a gang-leader step-dad-situation who is also the father of her boyfriend, not to mention her serial killer genes! when i say she’s substantially more fucked up than jughead i mean that jughead weeps/whines/acts pathetic about his circumstances a lot more, which are sad in general bc that’s his role, but despite betty’s increasing “darkness” over the seasons (something that she says verbatim . lol) she still keeps it together on a surface level. still dresses in pastels still wears little pink sweaters and skinny jeans and does her cute hairdos and sheer pink makeup well into her adulthood, which makes her all the more fucked bc cognitive dissonance goes crazy!! the difference between how she’s perceived/what she’s supposed to be and all the things that happened to her/the way she’s supposed to react to it are two different ends of the personality spectrum.

of course, the problem this creates is that jughead (ultimate sad wet cat) sees her suburban good girl aura and takes it for granted that she will stay the same sweet girl and attaches himself to her - unfortunately, betty’s core directive is to keep moving, so naturally she starts looking in different directions. jughead needs her too much and she doesn’t really need him at all. consider that also jughead walks around like a festering open wound and betty graduated from the cooper school for emotionally repressed women…like. there was no way for betty to be weird (to be a weirdo. to not fit in and not want to fit in. she doesn’t even have a stupid hat on) like jughead is weird bc jughead is a freak because of his problems - ie he has no one, originally, bar archie, because he’s so “misunderstood” and “misanthropic”. the inverse of that - betty has, superficially, zero problems - which is what draws veronica and jughead to her, and her freak is just that much more intense because she never deals with it except in really unhealthy ways (a pile of coping mechanisms for which she is always looking to add to.)

tl:dr betty’s freak is a lot more intense and unsolvable than jughead’s and so while jughead can be fixed by a one-hit wonder vent novel and a new project-focused girlboss gf, betty can never be fixed - ergo they really need to see other people (NOT ARCHIE.)

[number1villainstan]

watching The Landscape Framed By Kozue (episode 14) and, huh, Juri&Kozue parallels anyone?

-The Shadow Girl play for this episode (waitress advertising food and drinks, doing her job, while the man who's the only one in the car claims he doesn't want anything, and then Utena says "So ignore her" and he immediately orders a drink and sandwich) makes me think that maybe this is about Kozue wanting to return to the idyllic "sunlit garden" as much as Miki does, which is also supported by those sepia-photograph flashbacks she has earlier in the episode. Furthermore, when Miki offers her a milkshake before the duel, she claims she can't drink something that sweet, but after her duel she asks Miki to make a milkshake for her--and the milkshake has been set up as the symbol of childhood innocence for this episode. Even more so: the duel song for the episode is about a "time machine," and the fourth lyric is "taking me back to my innocent childhood days".

-So if Kozue wants to return to her idyllic "sunlit garden" nostalgia-tinged childhood, but claims she doesn't, then why is she pretending she doesn't want it? Because she thinks it's impossible. And Juri's whole thing (as we all know) is wanting something (the miracle of Shiori returning her lesbian love) but believing it's impossible, and coping with that dissonance by denouncing the thing she actually wants (trying to disprove the power of miracles). Which means that Kozue and Juri are using the same unhealthy coping mechanism to cope with two different problems.

-In another vein: both Juri and Kozue seek power within the systems of Ohtori, power that would normally be denied to them on the basis of their gender. Juri is on the Student Council, dresses in a uniform much closer to the 'boy's' than the 'girl's'*, and is shown to be able to dismiss teachers on her own authority--she has gained systemic power. Kozue has not gained systemic power--instead, she assumes a 'cool' persona, and uses sex, femininity, and that 'cool' persona to gain an more informal influence with people that do have systemic or formal power (e.g. Kozue walking off with Akio in the Akiopocalypse arc). In this case, Kozue and Juri are using different tactics to deal with the same issue of being denied power or autonomy on the basis of their gender. And furthermore, they're both seen as somewhat 'deviant' from Ohtori's ideal femininity for their efforts.

*I very much read Juri as a butch transmasc lesbian, or something close to that, but in the Utena Weekly thread it was stated that in the 90s a woman in power performing masculinity was seen as just trying to fit in with the boys/doing what she had to do to gain power, which is why I list Juri's masculine presentation here.

-Both Kozue and Juri call the person they're most closely associated with (Miki and Shiori, respectively) 'innocent', although with somewhat different connotations. Juri calls Shiori innocent in relation to the idea of lesbian love, in the sense Juri doesn't think that Shiori understands/is capable of understanding Juri's emotions towards her. Kozue calls Miki innocent (maybe not outright, but it's implied that that's what she thinks of him) in the sense that he refuses to grow up and see the world for the cruel place it is (in Kozue's eyes). Both of these instances draw on the idea that 'innocence' is a state of not knowing something important: innocence as ignorance as well as--or perhaps even more than--blamelessness.

-In addition, both of the people they call 'innocent' often do serious harm because of their ignorance. Shiori's torment of Juri is very deliberate harm, but it hits worse than Shiori realizes because of Juri's hidden feelings. Miki is less deliberate in the harm he causes, but his Madonna/whore complex and the misogyny that surrounds that still hurt those around him (i.e. treating Anthy like an object, refusing to see Kozue as a person).

So we've got: Kozue and Juri using a similar coping mechanism to deal with different issues (denying that they want something because they feel it's impossible to obtain, miracles for Juri and a regression to the Sunlit Garden for Kozue), using different coping mechanisms to deal with the same issue (Juri tries to gain formal power and Kozue informal power to deal with their systemic powerlessness), and using the term 'innocent', meaning 'ignorant', to describe the person each of them is obsessed with. A lot of these character parallels come from the patriarchal nature of their setting and the idealization of things which should not be idealized, like people or the childhood you don't remember quite right. Both Kozue and Juri attempt to reject the norms that surround them, but both of their rejections are incomplete, which is why neither of them have left yet--they still have deconstruction and disentangling to do before they're capable of walking away from Ohtori.

[happyk44]

In terms of healing and recovery, I talked to someone abt this before I think Piper would not seek help for HPD. Like I just don't see it happening. One of the things with PDs is that ppl don't see their behaviour as a problem or as the crux of any problems they may experience because of it and I think with that in mind Piper wouldn't seek out help for desperate need to be the center of attention, even at the expense of other ppl.

And thinking about that I was wondering about Annabeth and her NPD and I think while she might seek help for certain things, she'd get frustrated with any physician that makes her feel like something she talks abt is her fault. If she brings up a situation and they seem like they're implicating that she was in the wrong, she gets angry and more set in her ways. Even if she senses that her way of thinking may be a problem, she's too stubborn to accept it and she will rewrite that thought into a sense of "no, other ppl are the problem, I'm fine".

Meanwhile I've always been of the thought that Percy would accept help for his BPD. I feel like traditional talk therapy is not helpful for him because he's too emotionally repressed to talk about himself that way to a stranger but that he would talk informally with specific people (usually Carter or Grover, probably Nico as well and Jaz in the Nome AU; Annabeth is too much of a problem solver, "just do this and you'll be fine" kind of person to really help him out so he doesn't like voicing his problems to her because she won't listen, she'll just jump to "I can fix this for you" and it never works).

So yeah, Percy wouldn't go to a therapist but he'd be okay talking out certain things with people. I feel like Nico might be able to convince him to speak with Pasithea (who I HC to be Nico's therapist) a couple times, and in the Nome AU Jaz might be able to get him to speak with the doctors at the first Nome, but in either case it's never very regular because he can't stand talking about his feelings and his traumas. He does do his best to correct his behaviour and learn healthy coping mechanisms because he doesn't want to hurt anyone, but it is a slow process.

Similarly with Clarisse and the ASPD headcanon, I feel like she also has a desire not to hurt ppl, although it's more so limited to the ppl she cares about (Chris, her siblings, any other close friends), so she does seek help for her anger issues (because they make her get physical and she doesn't like that about herself) and her disinterest in other people's feelings (because when she's really stressed out the people she loves are also affected by this). Which is how she is like. The only one of the four to have an actual diagnosis lol.

But she does actively seek regular help from professionals and when she gets frustrated with it, she thinks about Silena dying because she didn't care about how the war would affect the others, she was just pissed off with the Apollo cabin, so fuck everyone else, and she actively chooses to be better every day and gets up and does the work she has to do. She'll never be cured of her ASPD, or her anger issues, but she can do her best to make sure the people she loves are not harmed it.

The reality is that not everyone seeks help for their issues, diagnosed or not, and I think it's realistic to look at certain characters and think "would they reach out for help? would they realize there's something wrong? would they accept it if someone suggested that something was wrong?" and concluding that the answer is "no, they would not". Healing is messy like that.

[mikuni14]

Dead Friend Forever - Ep 7

This episode of DFF is also excellent and I feel so blessed to have experienced two series with such well-written scripts this week (the other being Love for Love's Sake, of course) 💖

Everything in DFF is clear, logical and understandable when we take into account that the characters of this series are 1) humans 2) teenagers. I completely understand the behavior of each of these characters, even when I feel like tearing my hair out or throwing punches and kicks at them. If anyone is wondering whether what Non, his teacher, his bullies, is doing is illogical, I encourage you to study police reports - I have literally read about situations such as those in DFF.

Phee: what a solid guy 😍 As soon as he appears, we see him as a perfect boyfriend, romantic, strong, who gets things done. I like his attitude, the fact that no matter what, how, he gets shit done, even if he has to use his own father and his position to do it. I understand his controlling nature when you have a boyfriend like Non (Phee is in love, but he's not stupid and naive), I also understand that he doesn't fully trust Non. I completely understand his behavior at the end, especially when he entered the scene with Non and the teacher hugging. I also understand cruel words. Should Phee have acted differently? Of course. But he COULD NOT. Because he would have to be made of stone and be a hardened adult with perfect self-control and nerves of steel. Phee, despite how smart and talented he is, is only human and is still a child who doesn't have to be able to regulate his emotions, control his feelings of hurt, betrayal and rejection, and doesn't have to be able to cope ALWAYS and in every situation. Perhaps when Phee calms down, he will want to explain the situation, or at least apologize for his words. Who knows. Anyway, he's great as a character, my fav.

Non: in his being pathetic, in refusing Phee's help, in trying to save his situation by sinking deeper and deeper, in trusting the wrong people, in "allowing" bullying, in seeking validation of his self-worth where he shouldn't be, he is 100% real. Non irritates and that's how it should be. Because victims are often irritating and often confusing in their behavior. And how often questions are asked: but he/she agreed to it, no one forced her/him, he/she went there herself, they did it of their own free will! Why didn't he/she tell anyone, why didn't they confess? And here we can also ask why Non is doing all this, why won't he confess to Phee, why won't he transfer to another school, why is he having sex with the teacher? For me, Non is a victim of the system, his illness, his family, his school, and maybe also his personality. I also wondered why he didn't want to change schools and just leave it all behind, usually students who are victims of bullying dream of changing schools. But I think, looking at his conversation with Phee, that Non wanted to regain control over his life, wanted to solve his problems himself, perhaps feeling like a weakling and a loser seeing how easily Phee solved his problems. Perhaps he felt that control over his life was slipping from his fingers and he desperately tried to regain it by closing open issues, such as his debt and the movie. Does his behavior make sense to me? No. But I've never been in such a situation, I'm trying to understand it and this explanation seems quite logical to me. Especially since Non tries hard and finally wants to give up at least the movie, while staying at the summer house, and is stopped by Jin. And he tries to get the money back by sleeping with his teacher, because in his mind THIS is not bad, THIS is just a way to solve the debt problem. And for him, a poor person, the problem of money may be more important than having sex with a teacher. Sex with the teacher itself doesn't have to be such a big problem for him, especially since the teacher is young, handsome, helpful, nice and shows compassion and attention. For a person like Non, it may even be flattering and he may even convince himself that nothing bad is happening, it's just sex, physical stuff, he gets something out of it that solves his money problem and the teacher is so nice! I can imagine how Non can manipulate himself in this situation and how easy a victim of grooming and manipulation he is for the teacher. And I must say that the series shows PERFECTLY how adults prey on children and teenagers, technically the adult does not force Non to do anything, he just sets up a very complicated trap in which Non cannot say "no". This series really doesn't fuck around, it just shows the TRUTH. Just to be clear: Non is the SA victim in this situation, PERIOD. I do not accept any accusations against him.

Jin: I don't know ultimately whether it was Jin who released this video, but if he did it, I understand that too, his behavior seems logical to me. People do all kinds of stupid and hurtful things under the influence of feelings of betrayal and hurt (even if Jin had no right to these feelings), especially young people (here is the same situation as with Phee, which I described above). Jin may feel betrayed, because he "did so much for Non", he always defended him. Jin also honestly has a crush on Non and found him not with a boy on a date (Jin didn't have any strong reaction to seeing Non hugged by another boy), but having sex with an adult and with a teacher to that. It's a lot to digest, and clearly Jin couldn't handle it at all (if I'm not mistaken, he was also drinking, which certainly didn't help).

All these shitty little pricks: Fluke, as always, avoids trouble and simply removes himself from situations, never comments, never takes sides (meaning - he takes sides with the bullies). I wonder how Jin always looks at him when he's looking for allies to help Non and how Fluke never reacts. Por, with his increasingly worse behavior, also fits the mold of a classic bully who has found a victim, in addition, someone he truly hates, and whom he can torment without consequences, and it's quite possible that he simply likes it. All this is a dangerous mix, pushing Non to his limits, encouraging other bullies, but also very realistic. Tee and Top are up to something and it scares me. All I know is that this money will be stolen and Non will have to get it again...

I am very impressed with this series, how well it's done, how realistic and logical it is. I'm incredibly intrigued and curious and I'm looking forward to the next episode. I rate the story building, script and character cohesion as 10.

[inbarfink]

Sometimes when fandom discussions come up about how to make the ending of ‘Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog’ less… y'know, treating Penny as an object that Dr. Horrible is punished by losing and not as an actual person with her own emotional arc, a common solution that comes up is that the story should end with Penny becoming LA’s newest superhero and Dr. Horrible’s new nemesis.

And… I do see the internal logic in this. That sort of ending does retain the tragedy of Billy ‘losing’ Penny (and I do think that DHSAB, unless you wanna change it much much more radically than mostly just making it less shit to Penny, should be a tragedy) but without ‘punishing’ Penny purely as a proxy for punishing Billy. And in a way that gives Penny way more agency, and gives more space to condemn Billy for the way he treated her throughout the narrative. 

Plus, both DHSAB itself and other canon material constantly reinforce that Penny is the kindest and most altruistic person in the entire cast. And her hinted backstory of being inspired to do activist work as a way of coping with her parents’ death

calls to mind the backstories of many famous superheroes.

The main narrative of her prequel comic is basically about how hard it is to be altruistic as she is, and how it kinda stops her from having a normal life - including a normal dating life. Both in the ‘oh, I’m just too busy for that kind of stuff’ sense

And in the ‘my sense of duty interferes with my ability to have a Normal DateTM’. Which are also very familiar Superhero Struggles. Only that instead of something like ‘oh no, I accidentally stood up Mary Jane because Dr. Octopus is attacking the city and I must stop him!’, it’s ‘oh no, I’m a buzzkill on dates because I only wanna talk about Big Depressing Social Justice Issues.’

So all of this put together, I can understand why some people see Penny turning into a Superhero by the end of the story to be a logical end of her narrative arc. She’s always been the best and most moral person in the cast, and now she can prove that she’s the real hero!

Except… within the logic of DHSAB, Penny is kinda… too good to be a Superhero. Because superheroes in the Horribleverse are good for fighting superpowered bad guys and upholding the status quo and maybe giving an inspirational speech or too - but they can’t actually solve the big societal problems that Penny is working so hard to change, as she herself directly states.

The whole point of the parallels between Penny’s life and more typical superhero narratives is that Penny is already a ‘real hero’. Penny’s activism is the real kind of heroism, with all the self-sacrifice and dedication and kindness that it requires - and the one that can really save the lives of people, even when they’re not almost stepped on by giant robots. Superheroes can talk big game about justice and goodness, but they’re not really changing the system as it is and if anything they only reinforce it. Villains (or at least well-intentioned villains like Dr. Horrible) can talk big game about changing the world, but at the end of the day, they are still fueled by resentment and self-profit more than anything. 

And those are the big flashy guys who capture the public attention for good or for ill, while the people making real positive changes in the world just get overlooked and dismissed and ignored and shoved to the side. 

That’s the kind of superhero world DHSAB exists in, and that’s kinda dour and cynical but… I don’t think that’s inherently a bad thing - narratively speaking. And I don’t think that Penny gaining superpowers and dedicating her life to punching Dr. Horrible in the face is really a culmination of her life of activism. If anything, it kinda goes against it? Like, even if you do, like, “oh and also Penny finds a way to do a Superhero and Punch Dr. Horrible in the Face while also being an actual activist who’s doing positive change in the world!”I feel like this still kinda weakens the message about the importance of the kind of boring, unglamorous and very realistic work Penny was doing as a ‘civilian’. 

But… I also don’t think that necessarily makes ‘Superhero Penny’ a bad choice for an ending. Because ‘Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog’ is still a Tragedy, after all. I think Penny becoming a Superhero can really work for the ending, if you emphasize the idea that becoming a ‘True Hero’ is as much of a tragedy for Penny as becoming a ‘True Villain’ was a tragedy for Billy.

Like, you know, Billy got to defeat Captain Hammer and he gained the respect he always felt he deserved and money and fame… but he lost the emotional connection he had with Penny, which is the thing that could've actually made him happy. Penny finally gets respect and attention and gets people to actually listen to her… but by giving up on her ordinary activism work - whatever it’s because of societal pressures to do Superhero Stuff now that she has superpowers, or because she feels a duty to stop Dr. Horrible specifically, or because she’s just really really pissed at Billy, or because she has lost her faith in the ability of the common man to effect change after the “Everyone’s a Hero” debacle or… any combination of the above - she has actually given up her original strong ideals and the hope of actually doing good in the world.

Maybe for extra symbolism, a fight between Super Penny (Working Title) and Dr. Horrible ends up destroying the Caring Hands shelter Regular Penny worked so hard to secure - just to really drive the point home. 

Super Penny (Working Title) can absolutely work as an alternative DHSAB Ending that gives her more agency and more consideration for her character, but… as part of this consideration for Penny’s character, you need to also understand that Penny becoming a superhero is her getting Everything She Ever…

[lost-art-of-world-domination]

What are your thoughts on Winter? Especially in regards to how her dynamic with Valkyrie has changed. I dunno, some aspects of that were pretty interesting to me

What a good ask! I agree, there are some very interesting aspects to Winter! I really enjoyed her inclusion in the book. Spoilers for A Mind Full of Murder to come, in case anyone hasn’t read it.

I’m not going to pretend I immediately called Winter being Alice, and I think the surprise was very well done, but I did have my suspicions after her “Not any more” line about evil in her family.

Winter Grieving is a name that is almost laughable in its edginess, but for a jaded teen such as Winter it does suit, and I like that it’s something more complex and unique than “Malice” (even though I liked that character).

I also really appreciated Winter’s whole perspective on Valkyrie. She’s rather practical, and won’t ignore her sister at her own risk, such as asking her for help at the end of the book, but I like that, in a way that seems like she can’t even help it, some part of her hates Val.

I like that it’s not necessarily a view we can support, but one definitely understandable given the character and what’s occurred. It reminds me a bit of Auger’s doubt over his future once the prophecy was complete. It’s an interesting question of what a Chosen One does once what they’ve been Chosen for either happens or falls through- whether that’s as a hero or a world-ender.

What Val did was obviously entirely a selfless act of sacrifice and love for her sister, and I like that Landy doesn’t undercut that decision, but simply acknowledges that even an act such as that can have unintended consequences, especially with where it leaves Winter.

Also I like that Winter is jaded, but not cartoonishly evil, and instead, like a lot of teens, vulnerable to bad influences such as the anti-mortal movement in order to deal with their own issues. This is obviously only worsened by having such a famous sibling, and it makes sense for Winter to be lashing out a bit to cope with being in Val’s shadow. It’s subtle and concerning for a character we’ve seen since she was a baby, but I’m excited to see where it goes. Although one thing that didn’t really work is that final moment. Fine on its own and in the context of Winter’s story, but as the end to the whole book it fell a little flat.

One element of Winter’s story I also like is how, from Valkyrie’s side, there’s just a bit of a wall with her younger sister who she used to be so close with, which again is the kind of realistic touch that makes the magical world of Skulduggery Pleasant work so well. It’s also tragic for Melissa and Desmond, who should never have to experience anything bad ever.

One last note I like about Winter is her burgeoning magical skill. She’s not super powerful yet, as evidenced by her struggling with the classic fear vs magic problem we see lots of young sorcerers tackle, but she’s shown some elemental powers and, especially interesting, some pretty solid teleportation. Sure it was just from the ground floor through a window, but it’s been made clear how difficult a skill this is for any sorcerer.

So overall, really interesting character and story, and I can’t wait to see more of Winter and her arc and relationships in the books to come.

[rayofmisfortune]

I remembered one of the questions I was going to ask, how does Dani/Ellie work when/if they exist later on? Will they also have the same sort of ghost form Danny has, as in the switch from Phantom to Fenton and all, or will Dani not be that?

Also I assume the whole thing with Super Danny and fun Danny doesn’t happen? And I mean if it does, the whole splitting thing, than how different would it be for them?

Dani/Ellie aka the clones and stuff

Vlad views Danny as... flawed due to the way the portal accident and mental trauma from it ended up splitting him into two people instead of just giving him flashy ghost powers like had happened with Vlad. Skill issue smh

Vlad would make clones of Danny and Phantom to... "fix" them. To make the perfect son. But he comes into too many problems while creating these clones.

About Ellie. Vlad is unable to create clones that are able to switch between forms. So then Ellie is created as a pure ghost clone. No human for her qwq (I guess if you wanted to go crazy with it she could have a human body she could possess and stuff kekw)

Identity Crisis

And to get into Identity Crisis! I've rewritren that one a bunch of times, tryin to find something that worked lmao this one is a lil more comolicated so bare with me here while I try to make it make sense

The Fentons find out Danny is Phantom. However, they think that Danny is being overshadowed by Phantom. They use the ghost catcher to separate Danny from that nasty no good ghost. They plan on using Phantom as a test subject for their experiments.

Shit happens. They do the deed with Danny kicking and screaming but at the same time thinking "Hey, if this somehow goes okay maybe I won't have to deal with constantly blacking out and feeling cold all the time!" Gotta look on the positives ykyk

Anyway, they separate. Stuff happens. A lotta stuff. Phantom flees. Danny copes, lives in denial. (They both do, let's be fr) Pretends like nothing's wrong, even when he's suddenly tired all the timey even after a good night's sleep and energy drink do shit. He felt okay for a little while, however that cold he felt whenever their ghost sense went off became a constant.

Phantom isn't doing much better. For a while he relishes in getting to just be around when there's no threat around. That ain't gonna last tho lol. It's been about a week since they've split and Phantom starts noticing his form growing foggy, drippy. Definitely not good.

When Technus shows up. Phantom is in no shape to take him on. He has no choice but to seek out Danny. At the same time, Danny's basically become a walking freezer, hasn't slept in days due to the cold and is out of options. Out of options, he reluctantly asks Sam and Tucker to help him look for Phantom.

They meet up, weird separation side effects go away and they realize that they kinda actually maybe really need each other.

The rest of the episode from here goes kind of as in the show. (Phantom doesn't try to overshadow Danny tho, he hangs around invisibly til they get back to FentonWorks)

They try to use the ghost catcher to get them back together again. That kind of uhhh effs up, they DO merge back. They merge back too well tho. Ahoy arc 3 and the best boys navigating stuff while learning to properly co-exist! Their first trial? Beating a high tech Technus while one of them has never done anything like that before! Nothing will go wrong I'm sure

[thestrangestthing89]

Mike character analysis - Season 2

This is a continuation of my in-depth Mike character analysis. The first season can be found here, here, and here. I am basing this off the theory that Mike started realizing his feelings for Will were different than Lucas and Dustin by the end of season 1. By season 2 I think Mike realizes that he's gay and in love with Will. His behavior honestly makes no sense to me otherwise. This is in 5 Parts.

When season 2 picks up, it has been almost a full year since the end of season 1. We learn 2 key points right away - that Will has been having flashbacks to the upside-down since he got back and goes to the doctor regularly. This seems to frequently interrupt his school days and causes Mike in particular to worry. And the second point is that Mike has undergone some serious behavioral changes. This is understandable considering the trauma the group went through in season 1, but it's important to note here that the trauma isn't over. They are still going through it. And it's because of my first point - Will is back but still not ok. There is no resolution or time to grieve and it's one of the main reasons for the change in Mike.

Mike is getting in trouble at school a lot, his grades aren't good, and he has an attitude problem. A thing his parents are losing their patience with. His punishment is to get rid of his toys and when he suggests they have too much emotional value, he gets mocked by Ted who says they are just toys. Mike not only has to get over his feelings about what happened but he isn't allowed to be attached to things. Something that stands in stark contrast to Karen's behavior toward an 18 year old Nancy in season 4, when she tells her she can keep her stuffed animals. Nancy is allowed to be emotionally attached. Mike isn't. He is being sent a clear message. His emotions are an inconvenience to others. And the reason for this brings me to my next point.

Mike is shown to talk to El on the radio regularly. He's counting days and seems to just be talking about random things i.e. telling her about his day. Now he doesn't know that she's listening. As much as he says he believes she's alive there is no proof he actually believes this. He does absolutely nothing to go look for her. And he has no reason to. He saw her "die". There is no indication that this isn't true. And the most important note that I think I will make in this whole analysis is this - This behavior isn't cute or romantic. It's grief. And we know this for A FACT because we have seen this exact same scene before - with Hopper in season 1. Hopper calls his ex-wife repeatedly. He is often shown popping pills and drinking excessively. He isn't coping with the death of his daughter well. It lead to his divorce. His ex-wife moved on, re-married and had another kid. And Hopper is stuck by himself with his grief. So he calls her sometimes. Just to check in and he tries to reminisce. It's his way of holding on to his daughter and their life together. And no one, ABSOLUTELY NO ONE, interprets Hoppers behavior as cute and romantic. He is clearly struggling and depressed. And the fact that he's an adult here combined with the fact that we know he has substance abuse issues is enough to help the audience realize that Hopper isn't ok. He's not trying to get back together with his ex-wife. He's trying to keep the connection to his daughter alive. EVERYONE WATCHING UNDERSTANDS THIS.

So then WHY is it that when we see this same scene play out with Mike, it's suddenly just adorable. Because of the only thing that is different - Mike is a little boy. Between his parents and the GA, Mikes feelings are once again oversimplified and dismissed. He's a little boy of course he must be in love with El because why else would he call her? He's a teen of course he has an attitude. This way of thinking is seriously problematic and it's a large part of the reason why Mike isn't coping well - because no one notices or understands his pain, and certainly no one is helping him go through it. It is emphasized by the Wheeler parents that Mike needs to just get over his attitude. They've been patient long enough. And while he's at it, he needs to get rid of his toys - parts of his childhood - because it's time to grow up now (the phrase "man up" is heavily implied in these conversations). Because the Wheeler parents have this attitude, the GA does too. We've seen this EXACT THING before, too. Lucas and Dustin suggest in season 1 that Mike has feelings for El, so he must even though there is no indication from his behavior that he does. Mike has a bad attitude, well his parents say it's time to get over it so he must. He calls El all the time - must be because he's in love with her. Couldn't be grief. Doesn't matter that we saw Hopper do it, doesn't matter that we know this is normal behavior for grieving people. People often talk to or write letters to the dead. It can be a coping mechanism, but it can also be unhealthy if the person can't let that go and this is exactly what we see Mike doing.

It's a way to over-simplify Mike's feeling and it's entirely because it makes people uncomfortable. So if the GA (and his parents) don't want to see his grief, it's easy to dismiss it as just a little teen angst. It's easy to dismiss it as him having a crush on El - because why else would he be talking to a girl. I know I say this a lot but it's because it's important. People can't understand why anyone talks to someone of the opposite sex if it's not because of romantic interest and it carries over into their interpretations of Mike and El's relationship. They can't understand why he would be talking to her and the reason he does is this - he feels guilty that she "died" helping him find his friend. This is less palatable than a simple crush. Grief is complex and ugly so we need to hide it away.

It's so much easier to dismiss his feelings as the most simplistic answer, but this not only is the reason why Mike is struggling to process his emotions, it's extremely insulting because it implies that he doesn't have any complex feelings to think about. And people dismiss it because he's a boy. They don't dismiss Hopper - he's an adult and is entitled to his grief. They don't dismiss Nancy's attachment to her stuffed animals - it's cute that she wants to keep them. It's Mike specifically who isn't allowed his feelings. Which is why I will never accept or respect the point of view that Mike loves El because he called her a lot. Because Mike's well-being and what he wants and needs isn't being taken into consideration at all. This is a theme that continues through the rest of the series with every character and the audience - except for Will. Part 2 here.

[nerdygaymormon]

This conference was really hard for me and I'm relieved to know I'm not alone. Pres Nelson and Oaks' talks really made me reevaluate my place in the church and whether or not I want to be here anymore as a queer person. It just feels like everyone just wants us to leave so they can go on pretending the plan of salvation isn't presented in a way that writes out lgbtq people and does so cheerfully.

I also suffer from an eating disorder and when I tried to explain to my older sister in her late twenties that what president nelson said was hurtful, she told me that "well if food is your god, then you are offending the lord because it should just be Jesus. addiction is when something replaces god for you" which made me feel really discouraged and ashamed. Even though I know having an addiction isn't like that logically it still stung. I don't know. Basically I just want to say thanks for being honest about conference because I can't be at home. You're words have brought me a lot of comfort.

Back in the day I used to read blogs of queer Mormons, and they usually followed a similar arc. They were newly home from their mission and then had to grapple with the fact their queerness didn't go away. Things would start very faithful with a commitment to always be an active member, and would progress to them being more critical of the church and then no more entries.

Those blogs meant a lot to me because there was someone like me, but their story wasn't the same as mine.

When I started this blog, one of my goals was to write honestly about what it's like to exist in this space. I thought that one day historians would be interested in what it was like to be a queer person living through this period of LDS history. What did queer people at that time think, feel, and experience? What surprised me is that some currently-living people were interested in what I share.

It's always tempting to put a positive spin on things, to present myself in the best light, like I have everything figured out, but that's not reality. Sharing about being suicidal, crying about how hard therapy was for my social anxiety, my experience with reparative therapy, and how I was hurt by something said in General Conference are very much a part of this experience of being a queer Latter-day Saint, that's why I write about them in my blog.

Sometimes I worry I'm being too raw, too open, too negative, that I share too much. Your message is a good reminder that it's important to be honest so that we can see we aren't alone. Our stories have power! The power to help each other and the power to change the hearts of others.

———————————————————

I'm sorry you don't have family who you can talk to about these things. I don't either. Having a few close friends I can message about hard things is important to me and I hope you have some in your life.

———————————————————

What was said about eternal marriage isn't new, and I've built up some callouses to it, but to have it emphasized like it was in General Conference still hurts, especially how President Nelson linked queerphobic statements with "think Celestial."

Calling people sinners because they deal with mental health issues, like eating disorders, was unexpected and pierced me as I hadn't built up my guard against such rhetoric. Since I shared my reaction on social media, I've received many comments like your sister's.

President Nelson was a heart surgeon. Would he believe that people with heart issues were offending God, that they were worshiping their heart problem instead of God? What the heck?!! It doesn't make sense. Many people dealing with hard things turn to God for help.

I'm pretty sure God wants to help heal us. I don't think our personal trials offend Him. If anything, He hurts with us and for us. Jesus invites healing, not shame.

These "addictions" that President Nelson attacked are ways a person's mind and body try to cope with hard things. My mental health challenges come from being a queer Latter-day Saint and are ways my body & mind have coped with the emotional trauma and dissonance. So many queer folks have eating disorders and anxiety disorders. I'm glad our bodies protect us from worse consequences, but it sucks that this is a common result for queer people who try to be religious. Most non-queer members don't recognize there is a high cost to be paid by us, and I want them to know these are the fruits of the anti-queer teachings and policies

Please know you are loved. There is an online community of queer Mormons who know what you're feeling and who are pulling for you. If you need help, there are resources

please visit these if you are queer and need help:

Only to age 24: @trevorproject@utahtrevorproject (Utah) @encircletogether (Utah)

In Utah: @flourishtherapyinc @celebratetherapy

Active LDS: @liftandloveorg (national&online)

National: @glaad @988lifeline (involves law enforcement)

[ilikelookingatthings]

Thoughts on Miraculous Ladybug : A Comment from YouTube I'm proud of about themes and Chloe

The thing that confuses me is theme wise Akumas are people who are hurt/have been wronged. who feel alone or like that hurt isn't being seen, who then lash out to try to make that hurt seen or help themselves...often in ways that don't make sense logically to us but makes sense to them in the heat of the negative emotions. but the point is these 'villains' are in fact victims. they are people who are hurting and who need help and when you find the core of their problem (represented by an item that often is connected to their problem) and acknowledge it/break it open. then your able to have a chance to actually talk to them/calm them down and give them the help they need.

the show has been pointing to the fact that the 'villains' are victims where in these cases we blame the ones who act like they understand or are there for the victims and who encourage them down bad paths(in this case hawkmoth).

but the show has used Chloe in particular to both have Marinette stand up to someone bad and not let them get away with stuff and shows if your firm about it they aren't unbeatable or that strong. and the show has used Chloe in particular to show as well that people are complex. that even if Mari personally doesn't like someone it doesn't mean they don't have problems and that they might need help seeing how to be better. Marinette went from seeing Chloe as simply evil to seeing how complex Chloe was (and honestly kind of pitiful).

so what I don't understand is if they make chloe completely unredeemable..... If we are supposed to take that at face value...why the HELL should I believe Mari would give Gabriel /hawkmoth a chance or any understanding when Gabe has been terrible all season and been terrible as hawkmoth?

if they invalidate the arc of Chloe which they had been using to teach Mari to reach out to the bad guy because they might be hurting and need help like the victims...why would I believe Mari would reach out to hawkmoth?

even more when WE the audience know that Chloe's downward spiral was a direct plan by Gabriel. hawkmoth isolated Chloe on a rooftop, cut of her line to signal to ladybug literally by cutting the wire to the signal, told her that her parents were targeted because of her, implying that he might keep doing so when she had no way to protect herself since she had understood ladybug saying she couldn't be a hero anymore for her and pollen's safety...just for Chloe to be targeted anyway and for pollen and the other Kwami being stolen and not been properly protected.

like I get why Mari and others think Chloe was just being her entitled self, upset about not being the bee....but WE the audience knows that Chloe only agreed to side with hawkmoth to free her parents who were hostages and because if she didn't he would have kept pollen and the rest...and she had no idea how he'd react if she rejected his offer when she literally couldn't protect herself AND the literally master at manipulating emotions dug directly into her insecurities that he set up with this scenario.

So while I get Mari misunderstanding Chloe at irredeemable.....WE the audience knows better and more about the situation.

it feels even weirder because Chloe's spiraling had a direct parallel to both Adrien and Marinette who relied on old behaviors to cope and distract from their real issues and semi pushed people away to not face those issues. Chloe being worse could work as relying on being mean to cope because THAT is what she knows and is good at. its familiar and she thinks (the literal biggest fan of ladybug) that she probably does feel guilty for what she did...but she can't take it back and burnt that bridge...so Chloe relying on being mean to try to feel a sense of control.

Pretending like she chose to be mean again on her own makes sense.

even more as a contrasting cry for help because Mari had others who would try to reach out to her where we got to see she was covering up her really issues and stress of her guilt of the loss of master fu. while Chloe was able to push everyone away and no one realized Chloe's actions were a cry for help.....

like, on one hand people have to face consequences for their choices...but on the other the show has spent the whole time reminding us that the people acting out are victims and the true villains are the ones who take advantage of their hurt to lead them into further bad actions...which could lead to people not seeing they need help.

why the hell is the show expecting me to hate Chloe and see her as irredeemable when her downfall was a direct plan by Gabriel/hawkmoth and Lila?! like I can understand believing she should know better but she KNOWS no one likes her which means she is vulnerable to emotional manipulation! and she was cornered into that big downfall she thinks she can't come back from since she failed the one person who had given her a chance.

she literally got replaced by her sister Zoey who everyone liked better and who found being nice easy to understand compared to Chloe who struggled and who's best progress came from trying to not disappointed Adrien and her teddy bear!

even more her father was the worst! he's racist, spoils Chloe but never gives her real attention/guidance and her mother literally hates her, thinks she's useless, forgets her name and bad talks her all the time and they going to stick Chloe with her mom who was the literally worst?

what's even more frustrating is while I could understand it being a 'this is what happens if you don't take the chances to change since it's not other people's jobs to fix you' it undercuts alot of lessons in previous episodes if Chloe is completely unredeemable!

[bpd-blorbo-bracket]

Blitzo Propaganda

He meets these diagnostic criteria, in order of intensity: pattern of intense and disorganized relationships (a huge part of the plot is about his complicated situationship where he has feelings but doesn't want to be vulnerable with someone), impulsive behavior (MAJOR one. spends money recklessly, off-the-cuff insults people sometimes, sleeps around, gets himself into messy situations with other people because he accidentally led them on), emotional instability (all over the place), issues controlling explosive anger, frantic efforts to avoid abandonment, it's implied he used to be a lot more unstable before the start of the show but has mellowed out quite a bit and stopped being quite as on the fritz. He had a rocky end to a previous friendship as well as a separate toxic relationship as a result of a lot of trauma. He has some pretty fierce daddy issues. Despite all his setbacks, Blitzo is a very independent and empowered individual who has a good relationship with his adopted daughter that only continues to get better as the show progresses. He's shown great progress in apologizing and owning/taking blame for his fuckups while also acknowledging when other people are being awful to him. He's got a lot of issues and insecurities revolving around relationships and himself as an individual because he's been stepped on so much growing up and undergone a lot of abuse and trauma. He's midway through learning some valuable coping skills and means a Lot to me as a person with BPD that struggles with the same symptoms as him

okay okay okay i think it goes without saying his moods are opposite of stable luna is his fp. she will get away with whatever she wants and Blizo WILL enable that damn near every single time. despite that, his attachment to her was instantaneous and he very much sees himself in her, especially regarding the abandonment. she is HIS blorbo the way he avoids abandonment is by extremely skewing his perception of the situation (e.i. stolas just asked me to watch a movie and have wine with little intention to fuck and i still made it about that anyway as a cop out). he chose to abandon first (stolas and verosika are good examples). he pushes others away (moxie) by degrading them regularly. cant make a connection if they hate you thats science impulsive dangerous behaviors is his middle name self harming behavior? try uh drinking an entire BARREL of giggle bee juice to escape the Bad Feels tm and regularly (implied by luna) giving himself alcohol poisoning. intense unstable relationships is his other middle name. at one point he trips really fucking hard on some truth gas and theres this visual of moxie who spends his entire time degrading blitzo, a really key insight on how he feels about himself. he does not think highly of himself. after the fizzbot fight, he really got bothered with the insecurity of dying alone and being abandoned by the people he genuinely cares about.

every physical photo of himself, hanging on the walls of his apartment, has his own face crossed out with black which signals and unstable sense of self.

also notice how he'll defend the people he cares for with his life and even tears himself emotionally about it, but instead of like idk venting it out by showing his appreciation, he gets self absorbed about it (he can be in your business but if you get in his, its gunna be your problem for sure), rude (lashing out and sometimes even manipulative

[tumblydovereviews]

In Defense of Max and Ruby

Max and Ruby is a Canadian preschool cartoon focusing on the lives of two bunny siblings- seven-year-old Ruby and three-year-old Max. In each episode, hilarity ensues as Ruby attempts to restore order in the house while Max, in his attempts to get the thing that he wants or needs, causes chaos. The show debuted in 2002 and aired new episodes until 2020, albeit with many hiatuses along the way. While the show has been over for over four years now, its reputation has yet to vanish. To this day, people still discuss it, especially in the case of Ruby's treatment of Max.

In order to examine Ruby as a character, we first must get to the root of the issue: where in God's name are their parents?

The reason that we never see the parents in the show (at least until Season 6) is simple: Max and Ruby is a show that encourages kids to solve problems on their own and grow in their independence. Adults serve little-to-no purpose in the grand scheme of things, hence why they never appear. The adult that we see the most in this show, Grandma Bunny, doesn't even live with the kids. Max and Ruby live by themselves the vast majority of the show's run, and as a result, Ruby is forced to act as a parent towards Max, and thus seeks control in her already-hectic life. Yes, she does come off as bossy at times in the way she treat Max, but that's to be expected of a seven year old, especially one who hasn't been properly sat down and taught how to relax a little.

The stereotype against Ruby defenders (Ruby rangers) is that they have a hatred for Max. If anything, I feel bad for Max; a lot of these scenarios that he is forced into could be prevented if he had the ability to speak up for himself. Unfortunately, Max clearly has some sort of developmental disability that limits his ability to function in that regard (some theories suggest Max as being autistic.) The lack of structure in the household also acts as a detriment to both kids. Ruby's rule fluctuate in weird ways. In one episode, she sent Max out to the store by himself to get groceries, yet at the same time he cannot be trusted with scissors and isn't allowed to stay at home alone when Ruby wants to go out.

A quality of Ruby's that I don't think is talked about much is how patient she is with Max. Sure, her ways of managing him aren't always the most thoughtful, but she barely yells at him or shows a excessive amount of negativity in his escapade. Ruby's controlling behavior doesn't come out of malice; it's a coping skill she came up with.

Ruby isn't a narcissist or a brat; she's a kid who hasn't been able to be a kid. Ruby desires control and structure over her life because the world she lives in is so unpredictable that she feels the need to mold things to be her way in order to gain that sense of predictability. Her target? Max. His neurodivergent, nonverbal tendencies lead him to be the perfect "guinea pig" for her.

But, how does this dynamic change when Max does learn how to talk in full, legible sentences?

Well, Max's impulsivity clearly still clashes with Ruby's need for control. However, most of the time, he tends to agree with her thoughts. Max has become so accustomed to following Riby's rule that letting her down is one of his greatest fears. But, simultaneously, he wants to be himself and act is his own, quirkily way. There's a tension of opposites bothering Max, and it shows.

Max and Ruby both need family therapy, clearly. Max may benefit from working with a speech therapist to further expand his vocabulary, or an occupational therapist to help with his impulsivity and expression issues. Ruby needs to be given more choices in her life; it's been proven that giving kids choice helps give them that sense of control without needing to resort to bossy behavior.

And, most of all, the bunny parents need to start parenting. It's great to let kids learn by themselves, but it only works to an extent. I'm not going to learn how to do calculus by making a PB/J sandwich; somebody needs to teach me actively, and the same thing applies to social-emotional learning.

Max and Ruby isn't just about two bunny kids doing cute, bunny things. It's a show about the effects of neglect on a young age. It's a show about growing up neurodivergent and feeling unheard and misunderstood. It's a show about growing up in a world that is ever changing, a world that you yearn to stay the same.

But hey, that's just a theory- a PRESCHOOL SHOW THEORY.

[nonsenseandstuff]

I watched season 4 of Umbrella Academy. And I have thoughts. This post is mainly for my own processing of thoughts and feelings.

I know a lot of people were disappointed with this season. I get that, it certainly had it's issues. But, on the whole, I still enjoyed it, and I have mixed feelings about some of the comments I've seen. So, I'm going to break down the comments I've seen and address them, mainly to get these thoughts out of my head, your mileage may vary, and give my opinions on the season as a whole.

Spoilers ahead!

First, personally my main issue with season 4 was the shorter season led to issues with character arcs and development.

Claire for example has no real personality. She has been Alison's driving motivation for the past 3 seasons but we meet her and she is... nice? That's pretty much all I can say about her. The same for Gracie and the twins. They weren't given any development or depth.

The shorter season, along with the time skip, made many of the characters developments feel reversed and their arcs felt flat at times. We don't see Luthor looking for Sloan, we don't see why Ray isn't with Alison, or Sparrow Ben integrating to the umbrella guys, or Klaus's struggles with sobriety etc, etc. Lila felt very stripped back as well.

Jennifer absolutely wasn't given time or development that she really needed.

I thought the overall plot was pretty good, and it kept the same tone and vibes that previous series had. It was fun!

Now, the comments I've seen:

The main thing I've seen people have issues with is Five having a relationship with Lila during their 7 years on the subway. 'He spent 45 years alone in the apocalypse, he wouldn't cheat with his brother's wife!' For me, this is split into 2 parts. First, that Five spent 45 years alone, he can cope with 7 years. Five imprinted on a mannequin and spent 40 years in a loving relationship with her because our boy doesn't do well alone. He loves hard and he depends on people. He does not do well on his own. He cares deeply for his family. It makes sense for his character to fall for Lila when she was the only one there. Secondly, it was his brother's wife. They thought they were stuck, that they wouldn't see Diego again. Having said that, I think it was a shitty decision from a writing Doylist perspective. I don't have a problem with age gaps in fiction, but I get why people are not comfortable with Five-who has literally been in a school uniform for the rest of the series- be with a woman quite a bit older than him. Or vice versa as Five is a lot older in lived experience. Five also seemed quick to give up this season and not as comitted to his family as he had been in the past, which this added to. He didn't seem like himself.

'There are plot holes'. The main so called plot hole that I've seen get discussed is why didn't they need the other 43 powered/marigold effected people to join them to save the world? Those people don't exist in this reset universe. Reginald didn't release the marigold because his wife wasn't dead and he didn't need to save her.

Where is Sloan? - Alison was the one who controlled the reset. Alison, who is manipulative and jealous of Luther having a life outside her (shown more in the comics). She chose not to bring Sloan over.

Why did Luther get his Monkey body back? This is an actual plot hole. The ape body was the result of surgery performed by Reginald on Luther. The marigold didn't cause it.

Where is Ray? Again actual plot hole. I'm guessing this was the actor not being able/willing to come back or a result of the shorter season.

Why was Jennifer in the squid, how did she know the cleanse was happening? Which reality did that happen in? The reset world or the original? It seemed to me that it was in the original, but it is a bit confusing. I think that maybe Ben and Jennifer were conencted interdimensionally, with Ben's ability to summon monsters from another dimension via the portal on his abdomen. Sparrow Ben had been drawing adult Jennifer which could show this sort of connection.

Why did the umbrella academy have to die/turn into flowers? Shouldn't they have still existed just without their abilities? No, they only existed because of the marigold. Their mothers were impregnated by the marigold and the pregnancies last a matter of minutes. They wouldn't have been impregnated without it, and even if their mothers had children, they wouldn't have been the umbrella kids.

No Dance Routine. Yeah, I missed the umbrella siblings having their dance number. But we got Jean and Gene dancing at least.

Wouldn't Umbrella Ben have told Klaus how he died? I don't think Ben knows. He was shot in the back of the head, and we don't see spirit Ben manifest immediately. I think most likely that Ben was summoned back by Klaus, and at that point none of them remembered how Ben died and Ben didn't know. He knew he and Jennifer both died but not how.

Why was Ben on the subway and why wasn't this referred back to? No clue. I'm guessing this was cut due to the shorter season

So yeah, overall, I would say that there were definitely issues. But it's still a fun show, and most of the issues were down to the shorter series and not really having time to explore the characters or plots as deeply as in previous seasons.

[rosebuddnd]

pt 3

And last but certainly not least is the absolute firecracker, Dyme Pepperbox.

Dyme grew up in a bunker underground, having to deal with the boredom of subterranean living and a group of survivalist fundamentalists. She only saw the surface for the first time when the being she was hiding from, The Animator, was slain by the original party and her home was brought into the Material Plane. Everything should be great, right? I mean she’s alive, her oppressor is dead, and her people don’t have to hide anymore. Everything’s great, r-right?

Nope! Things are so not fine that its kinda funny to even pretend like they are! When her community was brought back to the Material Plane, they were brought back a couple hundred years too early. This temporal anomaly caused a massive rift to open in the sky above Spring Valley (her home). Quickly, this rift began to cause havoc in Spring Valley, including allowing a WW2 American fighter pilot to attack the city (yes, really).

But most importantly to Dyme’s story, waves of temporal energy would cascade down onto the city, causing people to rapidly age until death. Why is this important to Dyme’s story? Well, one day in Spring Valley she was working on her various inventions, and when she returned to where her family was they were all rapidly dying of old age in front of her. There was nothing she or anyone could have done.

The death of her family DESTROYED Dyme mentally, but instead of coping with it she threw herself into the work her and her father had started. If only she could finish these inventions, certainly everything would work out. Just one more cup of coffee (likely laced with cocaine). Just one more screw. She just needed more time.

Time.

Dyme’s story, in my eyes, is defined by her struggle against time. Time is what stole her family away from her, time is what was taken away from her family, and time is what she now tries to harness. She starves herself of sleep, forsakes times with her loved ones, and shirks her responsibilities to her surviving family and community all so that she can claw back just a bit of the time she lost. The time that was used against her.

Surely running this hard from your issues won’t cause any issues, r-right?

Again. A hysterical thing to say. Of course it has! Dyme’s repressed sadness over the death of her family has manifested in POWERFUL anger issues. This culminated in the most recent sessions as her yelling at Kiriko’s father figure who was trying to flee, and being arrest by the police for blowing at a truly ridiculous tabaxi man while trying to save her cousin’s life. That event in particular, seeing her ability to save one of her only remaining family members slip away from her because some asshole wanted to extort her for more money, really seemed to draw this anger out.

Its interesting to have two characters who are both running from their problems, but in such different ways. Kiriko *has* to run, if he doesn’t everything he’s worked for will be taken from him. But Dyme, Dyme could confront her issues. She could go back to Spring Valley right now and apologize for missing her family’s funeral, apologize to her longtime friend for closing herself off entirely. But instead, she chooses to flee. I think the key difference between these two pcs is that while Kiriko does confront the things he’s running from, Dyme doesn’t. She avoids them as hard as she can possibly avoid them. And all those bottled-up emotions are starting to spew out.

But can we blame her? Time literally stole her family’s lives. It only makes sense that she would try to beat the clock

God what fantastic characters you’ve all built, I could explore them all from so many different angles and I’ve already written a 2000 word paper about them.