#it would make some of my analysis... different

[thejesterstears]

Initial thoughts on TADC episode 5 (SPOILERS):

- Ohh Caine is slowly losing it, this is going to be interesting to see the more the series progresses.

- Of course Jax would suggest poaching as an adventure lol, I can only assume he submitted the President Pomni idea as an excuse to blow things up too.

- GANGLE’S ANIME-INSPIRED ADVENTURE WAS SO CUTE also I would watch a full episode in that art style, it was fun!

- I’m presuming the stargazing adventure was Pomni’s suggestion, it genuinely warmed my heart to see her actually happy and relaxed.

- There were so many fun and different things going on with the animation in this one, I adored the intermission sequence.

- Opposite Jax was just Serial Designation N in disguise lmao

- ALSO MAID JAX IS CANON I SCREAMED LMAO

- Okay getting into the nitty-gritty character analysis aspect, but I have to say I love that Pomni seems to be a sincerely kind person who wants to help people. She had small heart-to-heart moments with both Jax and Ragatha and seemed genuine in wanting to be there for both of them, even attempting to mediate between them in an escalated moment. She didn’t even say anything negative about Ragatha when Jax was ranting about her, and helped try to boost Ragatha up by giving her an extra turn to prove herself during the softball game. I feel like she’s going to play some key role between Jax and Ragatha when things inevitably fall apart between them but it also seems like she’s possibly caught in the middle of them, so I’m curious how that will progress. I do worry about her falling into the role of group therapist and how it might break her down over time.

- I was so surprised to see Jax interacting sincerely with Pomni, I think he genuinely wants a friend and Pomni seems a good candidate because she’s sweet and still new enough not to know all his baggage. Also Ragatha implying the only friend(s) he ever had are gone and the way he reacted made me feel sick, ohh we are going to get a vulnerable Jax moment in the future aren’t we.

- And Ragatha. Oh my god. I had always suspected that her people pleasing tendencies were a product of trauma and I swear my jaw dropped having it confirmed to be true. She was verbally abused growing up to the point where she felt unloved. She tries to appease everyone around her and remain optimistic just to make people like her and not leave her, but she’s bottling up so much more than I realized. She really was jealous of Pomni and Jax becoming friends because, from what I perceived, she did see Pomni as an opportunity to make a new friend who really gets her because she doesn’t seem to have a deep connection with anyone else in the circus—that final clip damn near killed me where everyone went off on their own and left her alone. She truly is a broken and lonely woman struggling to find the acceptance and love she so desperately yearns for. I’ll probably analyze this deeper later.

[aimasup]

Wonder if you seen the new digital circus episode, was really good full of silly stuff and insight into the characters

Caught it the minute it came out babeyyy it was a very pleasant Saturday surprise!

I'll take the chance to combine this ask with watchblogging

TADC EPISODE 5 live notes, spoiler warning, longass post and my personal magnifying glass vision analysis rambles:

Is it just me or is the animation somehow even better. The lighting is gorgeous and the expressions and body language are stellar as always. We should be watching this in theaters and yet it's for free

I kind of miss the uncanny 2000s 3d look but it's not really meant to be a horror show, just character-focused and kind of edgy, so it makes sense!

Opening with Zooble, fantastic start already. Love your new look

I assume they had to be in the ocean for a long period of time, which is good because they can't drown but bad because they can still feel like they're suffocating

Ragatha is still trying to become closer to Pomni! Is it because of Kaufmo's recent abstraction? She's so nice but that's it. Not good not bad just nice and trying. Such a fascinating and realistic character

I wonder what's up with the mannequin, Pomni's noticed it by now

It's not just me right - something is up. Caine's adventures are getting darker and darker.

Love his poses still though. I don't know if I've talked about this but despite everyone in this show being cartoony, the humans don't move like cartoons unless the situation calls for it, but every little gesture of Caine is dramatic and showy and stretchy. the subtle differences are very cool

Tell a good story? Caine I thought this was about making the humans happy 🤨. I know you mentioned your 'craft' in earlier episodes but you can't have both all the time man. Wow his ego is more fragile than we thought - hope he loses it and goes full AI meanie soon

Sex appeal

Caine is. So angry at Zooble. Zooble is literally just sitting there. Amazing that he now sees her as a blight and expresses murderous rage towards her normally only reserved for Bubble lmao. He does not love all his humans equally and he has no idea what he's doing

I feel like the fact that he likes them isn't the only thing holding him back. Might be the circus' systems leashing him as well

Premise of this episode is fun as hell, roller coaster mixed media let's fucking go

Yeah figured Jax would suggest this

Bowling alley screen animation ha

Jax did you make everyone a fursona

Wait do I like Jax now. Is he a charming rascal? Is he a cute bastard? What is happening

Pomni is so underqualified help her

I love how her mind keeps wandering off when distracted and she isn't the best at holding conversations

THEY BROUGHT BACK LUCID KINGER AND MADE AN ORAL JOKE THIS EPISODE RULES

You know what I like Jax now. He's actually fun to watch for some reason here. I like it when bastard characters are stupidly commited to being a bastard, look at Jax doing his funny Australian accent and flailing his arms around and making Zooble go splat. He's invested! What the hell! This is fun!

Yeah they're really nailing how useless Ragatha's cheer comes across now huh. It's rare seeing a show have someone be super nice and not have it be the solution to everything but also not make it a mask for their 'secretly evil real self'.

Anime segment threw me I love this show. I can't wait to browse fanart

Zooble just KNOWING it's Gangle's suggestion

Yeah Kinger you would be a language teacher huh

Yeah Jax you would hate slice of life huh

you know what I'm starting to see the relationship between Jax and Pomni now. Jax talks to her like. A lot. He is constantly trying to gossip with her and she calls him out but keeps her distance emotionally so she can still hold a conversation with him given the chance.

Love the anime figurine being our designated noodle incident

Stargazing is canon :'O they made the stargazing end credits screen canon I'm gonna sob

they're on a fucking picnic. OH. BE STILL MY MUSHY BEATING HEART

Jax is way too chill here. I was as shocked as Pomni when he started getting all sleepover-talk-like. Have all the rapid fire adventures worn him out?

Everyone makes valid points here. I love seeing this!!! No one is the bad guy in this specific conversation they just say and do horrid things that cross the line and their actions just happen to conflict - does that make sense? Arguably Jax is the bad guy - he's a right jerk but he's in the same cage as everyone else and clearly just needs someone to meet him where he's at, not reform him. Crazy. I care about him now, weird

Touchy subject for Jax. Ragatha definitely didn't mean it that way, she just can't stop putting her foot in her mouth

Pomni laughing at Jax's quips. I don't think we've seen her casually chuckle in a conversation before?? Huge stuff

Caine >:( Caineeee you insecure mf

Ooh yeah Jax definitely had a frog friend that abstracted before Kaufmo. The hallway door during the intermission, the confirmation from Gooseworx, the fact that Pomni's design used to be a frog (designs mean things, that's why Jax always talks to Pomni, habit probably)

BARTENDER ZOOBLE BARTENDER ZOOBLE BARTENDER ZOOBLE

Now this is nice and relaxing, love everyone giving their stories here, the dialogue is super fun, just the best, give me two more episodes of just this

Zooble bartender and tattoo artist confirmed. I can see why he's such a good listener. So many things are getting confirmed HOORAAAAY

Oh that makes a lot of sense for Ragatha, both her upbringing and that she actually shares a lot of her trauma even if she doesn't mean to. She is not that great at hiding her emotions! Damn!

Dude Jax and Ragatha are plain fighting over Pomni at this point. I think they do want to connect with Pomni genuinely, but they're sort of using her as a prize in their rivalry, smugly jabbing at each other, trying to knock each other down from their perceived pedestals.

There's a lot of clearly pointed words here, it feels manipulative and I don't mean that in the 'evil!! They're evil and smart and plotting!!' way, I mean that just literally. They're trying to play to their advantage here, the both of them. You can genuinely care about someone and also want to use that relationship to your personal benefit, because good relationships are supposed to help you right. Super unhealthy shit

Jax being afraid of corn is fantastic dude we love seeing him be brought down to earth. But on a serious note I like that there's shots of him being quiet of contemplative. He is clearly not going to open up a lot that easily so we have a collection of him throughout the episodes looking to the side with furrowed brows. That's cool

Yeah Caine is getting really antsy lately huh. He's no longer as jovial, he's SALTY that he isn't the reason they're having fun. Because that might mean he is the reason they're unhappy. That is salt on my screen right there

Evil team is great. Love this entire sports segment and the beginning part from episode 4 was brought back. Was this Ragatha's suggestion? Interesting

Kinger being constantly placed into authority figure roles is so neat. He earns it by seniority alone

Evil Pomni is literally just Pomni if she was careless as hell and super dexterous. That's funny

I adore Evil Ragatha with all my being. I love her so much

Evil Zooble was absolutely Caine's doing. he does not like their perceptive ass

Holy shit maid outfit canon. hell yeah

Zooble and Jax's rivalry brings me so much joy. Her throwing his words back in his face duuuuude

Kinger's collection of the most random knowledge on things continues

Ragatha being so hard on herself is expected, unfortunately. I like how not everything is resolved with one Pomni talk, it's that Pomni reaches out in the first place that changes things at least a little bit

Jax getting along with Evil Pomni makes a lot of sense tbh

My god these bitches fighting. Good for them

Love that Pomni is acknowledging both of them not really thinking about her when fighting with each other. It's not exactly about Pomni, is it you two

Ragatha GO OFF GO OFF

AND she apologised for that out of pocket comment about Jax's friends. This is a change for them, certainly. Jax's eyes dilating are so intriguing ooooh.

Cat Jax

Love small moments like these. Gangle doing great because Ragatha gave her advice, that's so sweet

Zooble just punting the opponent is great. He is so tired of this bs

Kinger is so unconditionally supportive, the way he spun her around and the others came to celebrate her, that felt meaningful somehow. Yeah it's because Caine doesn't know how softball works, and it's kind of awkward because it was kind of anticlimactic, but I feel like Ragatha getting a plain win without doing anything and without having to live up to some huge expectation is pretty significant.....Maybe I'm reading too much into it

Heheheheeee love the vegan joke

Meanwhile Caine's still had that going on for him in the background. Man I love how much more we see multiple characters progress in such a short amount of screentime

Dawg Pomni has a mean streak and Ragatha isn't a fan. Probably because to Ragatha it's reminiscent of being a Jax, the worst possible thing someone could be, since she is terrified of becoming a jerk. ITS SO MESSY. EVERYONE IS STRUGGLING AND PROJECTING. GOOD

Look at Jax here, the way they can communicate what he's thinking without changing how he carries himself is just peak

He had fun with them. That's like a massive deal. I don't even like Jax that much and I found this episode to be so good for his character. This exchange makes me feel warm inside my chest

Unexpected friendships let's go

Ragatha is just the phrase 'people pleaser but no one is pleased' damn

[raylina]

I'm going to talk about this post and hotd Helaegon only. I've seen good analysis of Aegon/Helaena and Aemond/Aegon relationships before, but still, I have something to say to the fandom that likes to demonize Aegon while Daemon, Aemond, Viserys and other characters exist.

1. Helaena was married at the age of 14.

Yes, and Aegon was 16. This is not the first early marriage in this world or books, and Helaena was lucky to marry someone her age and not some old dude. Girls were married as young as 11 years old in GRRM world.

2. Consummation is a mandatory process for marriage. Yes, there have been characters in history who waited and refused, but they were usually under pressure to consummate. In this case, the greens are on the brink of war, and they can't delay the matter of heirs (no matter how wrong it may be). But it's not the children's fault, it's their parents. Example: Aemma Arryn.

3. "Helaena puts duty before everything." So did Aegon, who didn't want to marry her, didn't want children. And the throne. And the war.

4. "Alicent hugs Helaena because she understands that Aegon did the same to her," a the author adds a piece of the script where nothing is said about it. Alicent is outraged by Aegon's behavior: that he is cheating on his wife, that he raped a maid, and feels sorry for her daughter for having such a husband. Not because he's an abuser of Helaena. Do you think she would have left it like that and did nothing? Even in the script they are not sure why she hugs her.

5. "Aegon ignores her as a wife until he needs sex (sometimes, she doesn't give consent)" and next to it is a text where Helaena directly says "except sometimes when he's drunk." Everyone understand it as: Aegon can't bed her unless he's drunk. However, it's also possible that he simply doesn't pay attention to her until he's drunk. Alcohol often makes people more gentle and receptive, and it's possible that he speaks to her when he's in that state.

It's not mentioned anywhere that Aegon is raping her; instead, Helaena is laughing at the toast, mocking him as a husband. She says "it isn't so bad". And Aegon looks disgraced. Victim of abuse would not say it in front of everyone while her grandad clapped at the said toast. Autistic or not you won't behave so brazenly with a person who abuses you (I know autistic people (family member) before you come after me).

6. Aegon made fun of Jace, made him lose his temper, and in response, Jace made Aegon angry by dancing with his wife. Where is "sexual harassment" in jokes or what is the author of the article trying to convey? To Baela – yeah, you can maybe say that. Also, let's not apply 21th century on the medieval characters.

7. "Helaena feels lonely, which is common among victims of abuse." I don't even want to comment on that. People can feel lonely, especially with a family like that. And because she's different. No one understands her, so they rarely talk to her, of course, she's lonely.

8. Oh my God!!!! A teenage boy is joking about sex and mastrubing!!! Never happened before (let's me remind you of the show called GoT). After all he "gets pleasure from exercising sexual power over others who disagree." Uh, voyeurism is a kink, I'm sure teenage boys do worse when the puberty hits. Did he hurt someone while jerking off? And Aegon clearly has sexual deviations, which can be discussed separately.

9. Helaena is his sister, siblings often call each other names, consider each other stupid, etc. It doesn't mean that he hates her or doesn't love her. Same comes to Aemond.

10. For some reason, the phrase at the Driftmark lead the author to believe that consummation "wasn't consensual and only on his terms." Where does this conclusion come from? There is no explanation. Because you think he would do it. Because you think he abuses her. It's not proven anywhere, once again.

11. The author also refers to Phia, and I remember very well an interview where the actress said that "Aegon was the lesser of two evils": he was her family, and she's going to stay close to her family, she's safe, also she can do whatever she wants. If she would be married off, most likely, she wouldn't have been allowed to do that, and she would have been forced to conform to societal norms, with her husband taking advantage of her (most of times marriage worked like that).

12. I don't understand why Aegon is always the root of their problems when they were married by adults who could have waited longer and asked for a non-consummation. Do we know how their wedding night went – no, no one knows.

13. "Daemon didn't consummate the marriage, so it's not necessary." And let's play the show to see how only a lazy person doesn't poke his nose. They tell him: "you should be with your wife, you should consummate marriage, you should make an heir", as even Rhea herself says. Their marriage is not considered legitimate. The fact that Daemon only can have sex with white-haired women is another question.

14. "Aegon visits brothels and rapes maids while Helaena takes care of the children and household duties."

The series makes it clear that he visits brothels (like most men in grrm world), and there was the maid. Maybe more: the show implies it, but doesn't says directly.

What does Helaena do? They are a prince and a princess, and they have much fewer responsibilities. Servants do everything: they feed, dress, and educate the children. This is not the 21st century, where mothers raise their children themselves. Judging by her room, she has a lot of free time to spent on her hobbies.

Both Phia and Tom agrees: it's not a happy marriage, but also, not the worst. They don't understand each other, he's cheating on her, but non of them (or the writers) ever stated he's abusing her. Do you remember how Alicent reacted to Aemond dragging her daughter? Do you really believe she would stay silent? Have you ever seen in the show that Aegon was cruel to her or did something to her?

Helaena says "I was happier before I became the queen". She confronts Aemond on her brother's behalf. When she's scared – she tells him her thoughts. When their son dies – she wants his presence.

In conclusion, I do not understand the fandom's desire to demonize Aegon, as half of the points in the article have no evidence. As the desire to make Helaena more miserable, because someone transfers his experience to the character, creating an OC for himself. As I see a lot of people do in the fandom.

Also, do you really believe the writers are that smart: hiding clues in the script? Yeah, the same writers who couldn't even come up with a solid reason for Aemond to burn Aegon. And the same ones who forget their own characters every episode.

‼️ TRIGGER WARNING: CSA ‼️

My thoughts on Phia's interviews talking about Helaena's marriage as an autistic survivor and lover of Helaena:

Helaena was married aged fourteen (a child) to someone shown as sexually predacious (even described as evil by Phia), and then was pregnant not soon after.

These are all glaring signs of CSA.

All Helaena's relationships interest me and I want to explore the reality of their marriage at this time when she was a little girl. This was the first big trauma of her endlessly tragic life. Phia has discussed how Helaena puts duty before everything, and this is the root.

Helaena and Aegon are shown and described to have a distant and strained relationship, not one of mutual respect or healthy partnership. Let's explore this in the context of abuse.

Below is a script exerpt of Helaena looking at Aegon with “flat detachment” (disassociation) when faced with the aftermath of him raping Dyana. Furthermore, how Alicent hugs her as she realises that Helaena has endured a similar fate to herself.

Credit: Darksvster

Now, at the dinner we see them again. But this time, Helaena makes a toast: “Mostly he just ignores you, except sometimes when he’s drunk,” as Aegon rolls his eyes at her, implying that he neglects her as a wife except for when he needs sex (something she doesn't get a say in). He can also be seen sexually harassing Baela and Jace as Helaena sits next to him, trying to focus on other things.

From the script we get more about their dynamic in descriptions of how “lonely she has been”. She's so happily surprised that someone would pay her attention as Jace did. Loneliness and low self esteem are extremely common in survivors, just like with Helaena.

Credit: Darksvster

At Laena’s funeral, referring to their betrothal, Aegon outright calls her an idiot and (in my opinion) makes a sexual ‘joke’ involving her. This younger Aegon also masturbates out of windows, showing the pleasure he reaps from exerting sexual power over non-consenting others.

That isn't a sign that she was respected. Alongside Aegon's persistent characterisation as a sexual assaulter, implies that any consummation wasn't going to be consensual, but on his terms only.

She was a child forced to marry her raping brother and led a very lonely life.

Exploring this dynamic is incredibly important, and how it develops, but I don’t see the point if we don’t acknowledge the reality of this from Helaena’s point of view.

This life was forced upon her by the system, Aegon included.

Apologies for lack of a better example, but Daemon didn't consummate his marriage. It's not essential. If he respected her he wouldn't have had sex with her. He did because he wanted to and could without repercussions. It’s not nice to think about, but in this deeply patriarchal society, he has an immense power over her that she does not also have over him. He was abused, just as Helaena, but he also abuses her. It is not as simple as them both being equal, because they are not. In daily routine, he can frequent brothels and assault the help, she has to take care of the children and do whatever is asked of her.

It hurts and troubles me to see people act like Helaena isn’t a victim, especially with what we're shown.

At 14 she was forced to marry her rapist brother and used by him for sex. No child could consent to that.

I'm not saying that this is everything their dynamic was or will be, or that she hates him in any way, but just that this is at their core. It purposefully parallels Alicent's child marriage to Viserys.

Please be kind. I'm not attacking but trying to shed light on this. I'm trying to open up this discussion to what Helaena's perspective was and to do some honest scene, relationship and character analysis. 

[windienine]

i don't think it's really possible to say one way or another whether loic soulsov is also transgender beyond vibes but i have been quietly stockpiling salient headcanon material like a dragon hoarding gems.

what he looked like as a student is under wraps... for now

contextually surprising lack of art of him fully topless, the most we've gotten is a boob window (to be amended if ch. 2 does actually let us see him in a thong.)

demeanor towards ysme softened considerably (terrified >>> downright serene) when greeting her at the end of the prelude after her godhood + glamour both receded, like he recognizes some new facet of common ground (could also mean he has experience with other trans people, could also mean he's just relieved she didn't actually mulch anyone while in god mode, could also mean he's a little resigned to his new fate, could also mean he's doubling down on his initial assessment of her [this one's textual], or any combination of the above)

from what we know about flower reading, diy flower magic hrt ought to be perfectly possible (surely 'masculinity' and 'femininity' are concepts represented among the potentially countless ones out there)

i am a narrative analysis guy and not a theory guy and this line of thinking is wildly self-indulgent, so any speculation kind of begins and ends with "his ongoing kink-shaped thing with ysme makes my t4tdar go off like a geiger counter" and "eh. maybe?" but i'm putting it here for posterity. just in case

[happi-dreams]

it’s now 3 am but now i’m a squeaky clean boy so uhhh grabbing this out the lovely lego server i’m in to place here !!

number 1 -> two things I immediately noticed is emmet having a participation award and a diploma!! As well as him being completely alone on a roller coaster ride which is so sad and miserable, how can a cheery house be so underlying-ly empty… but also he has a trophy !! (perhaps another participation thing but still!! (i like thinking it was for his opera singing voice :D))

and 2 !!! a small thing i noticed (that might be me overanalysing but who knows!!) with how emmet’s animated, is how he moves a lot more expressively than everyone else, like with the dry cleaning he basically skips along while everyone else just walks and when the construction workers cheer emmet jumps much higher than all of them! (a tad hard to visualise in still form but yeah!)

Very fitting for Emmet of course — but it’s cool seeing how he’s already portrayed as a *little* different from everyone else through his happy nature and kinda sorta alludes to him being the ‘special’ or in general how his personality is compared to everyone else in a very small way in such a small amount of time which I find so cool and awesome—!!

small other things i noticed within the first .. 15 minutes !!! is emmet driving a very ordinary Octan made car, which is very fitting once again but also when he’s first driving he waves at someone !! joys !!

also he was completely out of the loop when the building was blown up .. emmet your poor ears buddy

also the radio show/music is called Rocktan which is very important and lovely to me i think

[good-beanswrites]

My thoughts on how the Milgram mv machine works based on the evidence we have:

(I know there’s been discussion about where exactly the interrogations take place, but wherever they are,) the prisoners are made to sit in a specific chair near the wall that houses the machine.

It’s ordinarily hidden, but the wall panels shift aside to reveal it when the mechanical sounds play in the dramas. As well as the walls moving, the chair transforms to restrain the prisoner and attach whatever it takes to access their brain. The fact that none of the more frightened prisoners try to run or break it makes it seem like they physically cannot. This is why Fuuta sounds so panicked, and why Amane is suddenly helpless in front of Es in their T1 vds.

(My mind conjures very classic sci-fi mad scientist machines with wires, pipes, lights, nodes, needles, etc, but I’d love to hear how other people visualize it.)

In some vds (maybe all? I’d need to check,) you can hear Es take some steps right before their iconic line -- it would make sense that for safety reasons, the power mechanism is placed across the room. Once again it could be anything, but the sound effect makes me think of one of those giant wall-mounted levers you have to pull down.

The voice dramas don’t really provide the type of crime details that an actual interrogation would reveal, and it’s odd that they’re placed before the extraction rather than after Es gets to see the new details. This leads me to believe the machine functions with priming. All Es needs to do is get them talking about their murder, so it’s on their mind.

The video produced is much like a (non-lucid) dream. Even if the prisoners figure out that this is how it works, they can’t control it just by thinking really hard about something else. The murders produce the strongest emotional affect, and that’s what it picks up on. If someone else used the machine, it would default to whatever gave them the strongest emotional reaction in the ~15 minutes beforehand, hence why Es’ video focuses on their daunting task ahead. (The Undercover theory is still a bit loose, though, given the private shots that Es wouldn't have known about). It’s why the videos are usually closely linked to the vd topics/beats. I also like to think that the reason their prisoner colors appear so much is because they’re looking at those colors on their uniform 24/7.

The bell rings to inform Es that it’s the optimal time to use the machine -- the prisoner has been thinking about things for long enough that the video will be about their crime, and if the conversation lasts much longer they’ll start thinking of other things. It’s at a different time for each prisoner because it’s based on the specific conversation. I guess Jackalope is listening in to the interrogation, timing it perfectly. (The only one that kind of messes with this theory is Yonah, because they just keep talking afterwards lol, but it could just show that the interrogation is still in Es’ control.)

Their “Sing your sins” is the final priming nudge to get them to think of their actions as a sin, revealing their guilt.

Once activated, the prisoner enters a sort of trance/sleeping state. It’s very much like REM sleep, with the machine forcibly activating neurons and recording the output. The prisoners have asked Es what they saw, meaning they don’t remember the mvs. I like to think the prisoners do experience the mv in real time, acting as the major version of themself that appears, but can’t remember it afterwards. It’s when you experience a dream, but as soon as you wake up you’re just left with fleeting emotions and memories right on the tip of your tongue.

The video plays immediately upon extraction -- whether on a huge projection or little screen depends on which room it’s in. It simultaneously saves the memory so that Es can rewatch it later (on those old TVs in the jailbreak mix). The machine downloads the song and video together, but requires special parts to retrieve them. The technology is pretty new and fragile, so if one is broken, there might be a delay between when Es can hear the extracted song and see it with the video. (That’s my justification for Kotoko’s delays -- after 9 prisoners the parts wear out, or maybe Mikoto himself overheats it with his complex situation.)

Based on the lack of conversation we get afterwards, I picture Es leaving before the prisoner wakes from the trance. The machine adjusts their brain back to normal before they awaken, restraints freed and able to return to the rest of the prison.

It’s very much like a dream, so it’s not harmful despite the amnesia/head injuries the prisoners have. It does, however, exhaust them. Brain activity alone takes a lot of energy, so forced brain activity with added emotional strain would cause them to feel pretty drained the rest of the day.

[doodlejoltik]

my favourite writing device is having an un-Rei-liable narrator

[no27-chilis-honda]

I used to be pretty laissez faire about cheating in school but now I’m like actively not graduating until August because I refuse to actually cheat on this assignment I fucked up during spring and like honestly? My classmates who cheated should actually face consequences for their actions tbh

[personinthepalace]

Kate's mill pond memory:

“Well, down the road from our house was an old mill pond, and my father took me there to swim once. I was only two, but a good swimmer. The water was cold, the day was warm, and I thought it all felt wonderful. I laughed and splashed until I was exhausted. Then my father — I can’t picture his face, but I can still feel his strong arms lifting me out of the water — he carried me on his shoulders back to our house. I remember asking if we could swim there again, and he said, ‘Of course we can, Katie-Cat.’ I remember that very well. He called me ‘Katie-Cat.’”

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Milligan's mill pond memory:

And just as this realization struck me, so too did the cold waters of the underground stream, and into my mind flashed an image of a mill pond, a lovely place perfect for swimming. I could picture a girl swimming in that pond — so young it was hard to believe she could swim at all, much less splash and dive about like an otter — and in my mind’s eye I drew her near to me, heard her laughing, and, as I took her hand to lead her home, heard her ask me, ‘Daddy, may we come to the mill again?’ To which I replied, ‘Of course, Katie-Cat. Of course we’ll come to the mill again.’

Something I just noticed that might have been pointed out before is that their memories of the mill pond are different. Of course, we have Milligan remembering the "mill again" part while Kate doesn't. But Kate remembers being carried on his shoulders but Milligan remembers that he was holding her hand to walk her home. It would make sense if one or both of them remembered some details incorrectly since it's a memory. Kate was so young while Milligan's memories were buried. Plus it happened so long ago.

[icewindandboringhorror]

I'm so heavily anti-advertising that all pitches sound goofy silly to me/I can never take them seriously, so I have no idea how I'll manage to to advertise my game even if I do finally finish it soon-ish lol...

[sorrinslays]

Gepard's role in the story

(crack theory territory)

So, I'm sure I'm not the only one that noticed, but Gepard is extremely underused in the story, which is such a shame?

Like, I counted the times we see him in the main story and it's disappointing. We (Astrall Express Crew) see him at the start after Sampo ditches us, where he takes us to Cocolia and all, then we see him again at the end of the story when he's trying to stop us because he believes we are trying to harm the Supreme guardian and he fights us and his Sister and that's it. We don't see him again.

Then, when Topaz comes to Jarillo VI he is there for two scenes again. One where he tries to stop Topaz and gets ambushed and one at the end where he stops a woman from getting crushed to death.

Even in 'his' (Serval's) companion quest, he takes the backseat. Sure, the story was about Serval and her getting over Cocolia and Gepard's role was him just trying to show Serval that she is still needed in Belobog, but honestly they could've done more with him.

I think people forget that he doesn't know the truth of what really happened to Cocolia? (as far as I'm aware at least). Can you imagine if he learned the truth? The mental breakdown that he'll experience?

This man has been serving her for the better part of a decade. He was spoon-fed propaganda like that Underworlders are 'wild' (an item description mentions that he had to fight 'wild Underworlders' I'm pretty sure) and blindly following the Supreme Guardian's orders for years. How is he supposed to react when he learns that those 'necessary sacrifices' of his fellow guards was just an excuse to get rid of more Belobogians for the 'dream' the Stellaron promised Cocolia.

Don't forget, he knew those people. They were friends, comrades, people he saw everyday. And all of them were dying on the daily and he was powerless to do anything.

And when he learns the truth, how is he gonna react to Bronya's decision to cover it up? Were the deaths of his friends in vain? Do their families not deserve to know the truth as to why their loved ones died? How much blood does the late Supreme Guardian have on her hands? How much of it has transferred to Bronya? How much blood does Gepard have on his hands because he never questioned his orders?

Point is, he is so important to Belobog, he's the Goddamn Captain of the only military service they have there, obviously he is needed! So why underuse him so much?

Well, this is where we move more into theory territory. I think it ties in with a future Belobog quest that Black Swan's companion quest hinted at (at the end during Sampo's and Sparkle's conversation).

Since Gepard has been on the backburner, we have yet to see Sampo and Gepard interacting and the fact Sampo still doesn't have a companion quest even though he is an important lore character I think all of that will happen in the future.

I think it would work best as a quest without the Astral Express Crew, like the new POV mechanic or the cut aways used in the Loufu for Dan Heng. We could play as Gepard or Sampo as they are forced to work together for whatever reason.

We could play as Gepard as something big happens in the restricted zone (AKA the catastrophe Sparkle teased Sampo about). Maybe he gets informed about it (maybe we get a new 4* character that's a guard that informs Gepard) and when he makes it there, Sampo is already here, as if expecting it.

Maybe Bronya calls Gepard to her office after an anonymous tip was sent to her warning the Silvermane Guards of a catastrophe coming to Belobog. Maybe he is tasked with finding who sent the note as well as prepering for said catastrophe, which is how he runs into Sampo, having the two working together.

Maybe we play as Sampo, leaving clues for the Silvermane guards until we reveal ourselves, getting that 5* version. Maybe we are the one pushing the puzzle pieces so they fit on their own or maybe all through the quest we keep cutting back to a game of chess between Aha and Sampo, showing the unpredictable nature of the catastrophe as it was orchestrated by Aha just for shits and giggles.

Either way, this works great as a pathway to seeing:

a) the dynamic between Sampo (arguably the most mysterious character to come from Belobog) and Gepard (resident bbg)

b) 5* Sampo

c) (and this is mostly me playing around with concepts) Gepard becoming an emanator, becoming the first on screen character to be turned into an emanator

d) a great end to Sampo's character arc by becoming a part of Belobog (maybe he even becomes part of the Silvermanes as a detective)

e) more Geppie screen time and exploration of his character

(a few extra ramblings from my demented as a treat)

I think it's criminal that Gepard doesn't have his own companion quest and he's practically shoved in his sister's, and considering that Sampo doesn't have his own......................

I think it would be fair to have these two in a companion quest of their own.

I'm thinking of a quest where Sampo becomes a Silvermane guard (a detective to be more precise) and Gepard learns the truth about Cocolia.

I can imagine that during some investigation that Gepard is having a hard time with due to the Underworlders not trusting the Silvermane guards, he is forced to seek Sampo's help. So through Natasha, he gets ahold of Sampo and the two work together where Gepard, through investing a shady group learns what actually happened to Cocolia as well as all the lies he's been getting spooned-fed for years.

One mental breakdown and emotional conversation between the two later, they catch the criminals and Gepard takes it upon himself to make Sampo part of the Silvermane guards because of how helpful he's actually been recently (main story + new quest with the catastrophe + the companion quest + helping the Underworld in general).

The companion quest ends with Sampo becoming a detective (Heizou from Genshin Impact style) where he wants to prevent crimes from happening before they even committed. His reason being 'criminal to detective is pretty stereotypical and Aha might blow up the planet' so he challenges himself to stop crime before it's committed to keep Aha entertained enough that they don't blow up the planet but uninterested enough that they don't actively observe.

I think it would be a great end to both character arcs.

Gepard gets more screentime and learns to question orders (it'd be nice to see his friendship with Bronya damaged, cause technically he is her uncle (Cocolia adopted Bronya while she was still in a relationship with Serval, making him an uncle)). Maybe he also reaches the conclusion of still being a Silvermane Guard for the sake of protecting the people but not actively following the Supreme Guardian because he lost faith in her.

Sampo gains a home and (gasp) love (platonic, romantic, doesn't matter). He'll feel like he belongs somewhere, a permanent home. Not matter if he leaves the planet for a day or a year, he'll still be welcome. His reputation improves and his skill is used for the betterment of Belobog. His mask is allowed to slip, even just a little.

[anti-transphobia]

Everyone posts about how Stardew Valley is a cozy LGBT+ inclusive game but NO ONE mentions the lack of a platonic option for the bachelors/bachelorettes. Which would be good for aspec people and also just more pleasant for many casual players I believe but that's not even the point. I just want to become best friends with everyone and not only does that require me dating everyone at once and feeling like a sleazebag because of it (ik the bad cutscene can be avoided but I know in my heart they'd be hurt if they knew) BUT it also means the women flirt with me!!!!! Constantly!!!!!!! It makes me sick to my stomach. Truly ruining the characters I liked

[her-canine-teeth]

bad astrology by flower face

< -

[agendratum]

lying in bed eyes wide open thinking why are felix and changbin the only ones in hollow mv running around together, basically being the only ones who acknowledge each other's existence while everyone else are focused only on the orb hunt (doylist explanation - they're the only ones with a rap part)

which made me get out of bed and rewatch the mv again because then i thought that i actually don't remember felix having one of those scenes that basically everyone else have with desperately looking for these orbs in weird or questionable places (technically han also doesn't have a scene like this, he's literally just standing there, which is how he gets got, but with felix, nothing happens to him, like at all, right)

and so my current after rewatch observations that yes, felix is the only one not seen adding anything to the bucket (he watches the orbs pour out tho, in one of those close-up bits), he runs around with changbin for some time and actually i think it would be more correct to say not that they acknowledge each other, but that felix does, changbin is also only occupied with the orb hunt. he notices the lights in the window and comes closer to watch (because in the mv anything shining, warm etc reminds them of what they're desperate for), and then felix notices him and joins him and stays at the window pondering his orb

and then of course there is the moment in the end with everyone running behind the curtain, when felix stays, picks the hollow orbs up and lifts then up to be filled with light while giving the viewers a knowing look what does it meeean what does it all mean

[benkaben]

Gggggaaaaaa

[heyclickadee]

Because I’ve decided to be somewhat annoyingly optimistic about Tech coming back eventually, I kind of wanted to explain the hypothetical framework through which I’ve been looking at the all of this wiiiiiiiiiith…

…a crappy diagram. (I’m sorry about my handwriting. I usually write in cursive, so it’s usually smaller and even worse).

Now, this is simplified, there are plenty more arcs, plots, and subplots than this, but I sort of picked out the main three that we seem to be dealing with from the beginning of The Clone Wars season seven onwards.

First we’ve got Rex’s arc, where after an endless string of losses and disappointments from previous seasons, he begins putting his foot down and trying to take something back and help his fellow clones, first within the GAR when he insists on rescuing Echo, and then later on in The Bad Batch as we see him gradually form a small band of clones and other allies (people like the Martez sisters and Riyo Chuchi) with the end goal of freeing as many clones as he can. This seems to be an ongoing plot, given that Rex’s work as well as the setup with the senate continues into season three of TBB but receives neither climax nor resolution as we narrow the focus towards Omega.

And, of course, alongside the Rex arc is what I’m calling the clone agency arc, introduced (or perhaps re-introduced) via Echo and his captivity by the Techno Union in the beginning of season seven of TCW, continuing through the end of TCW and into TBB with Order 66, Crosshair’s time under the chip and with the empire (his story far has given us a great look into the life of clones subject to order 66 and imperial service), the clone retirement bill, and the CXs. It, too, reaches neither climax nor conclusion and seems to be ongoing. Furthermore, Rex’s arc seems to be dependent on the clone agency arc (though you could argue it the other way), and many of the loose threads from the end of TBB tie into it as well.

Next, at the beginning of “Aftermath,” we’ve got the clone force 99 family arc as well as the individual bad batcher arcs, none of which reach a resolution. (The bad batch characters are all introduced in the bad batch arc of season seven, but I’d argue that with a few possible exceptions, they don’t really begin their arcs until the start of TBB. They’re not the focus in season seven and are there largely to facilitate Rex’s arc, so what we get for them is a lot of set up and establishing baselines).

I’ve argued before that each of the batcher’s character development goes only so far as it needs to go in order to facilitate Omega’s arc ending by the final episode; after that, they don’t conclude, they slow down, get put on the backburner, and come with period reminders of what those arcs were doing. Hunter gets very close to resolution in his development, since he’s the most tied at the hip to Omega’s arc and most of his character arc has to do with her, but the others are all completely open-ended. The family arc likewise remains open-ended—not necessarily because Tech’s not there and they remain separated, but because the separation and brokenness of the family is never dealt with and left wanting a conclusion despite the fact there was ample opportunity to reach it if necessary.

And last, we’ve got Omega’s childhood arc and the Hunter/Omega relationship arc. These, closely tied together, are the only major arcs that conclude by the end of TBB. And here’s the interesting thing; they’re not actually the first arcs introduced in the show.

Omega is the POV character, but she’s not actually introduced until the second act, I would argue she doesn’t become the POV character until the hyperspace scene at the end of “Aftermath,” and her arc proper doesn’t really begin until “Cut and Run” when we introduce the idea of Omega choosing where she wants to be and the, “You all have a purpose—so what’s hers?” “It doesn’t matter, she’s just a kid,” exchange. Other arcs including her start earlier—I would argue that Crosshair’s arc with her starts in the brig scene, for example—but her arc doesn’t quite kick off until a little later.

Basically, the way I’m looking at this is as a series of nested arcs. A storytelling nesting doll, basically, where the major arc that was introduced the latest and has the smallest scale is also the only one to reach a resolution by the end of TBB show while the others imply a larger, ongoing story.

It’s not that the two larger major arcs stop when the Omega arc is introduced, either. They keep being told alongside, largely through Omega’s point of view with occasional zoom-outs to a wider frame, and limited to what we need to see at present either for future set up or before zooming back in and, in the case of much of the third season of TBB (last four episodes in particular) focusing in on Omega’s arc and that resolution before, hypothetically, broadening to a larger focus again. It’s also not that Omega can’t show up now that her arc is concluded, either. She can! In fact, she should, for multiple reasons. She just wouldn’t be the focus anymore and would probably show up in a more limited capacity.

And it’s not that these nested arcs are even separate. They might start and conclude at different points, but they are told alongside each other because they’re tied together. They weave in and out of each other and push each other along. They’re relevant to one another and, I think, pieces of a larger clone story that’s not quite over.

Because here’s the thing: There’s a lot of stuff in both TCW season seven and TBB that we don’t really need unless it was there for setup. The only part of season seven that was entirely necessary for closing out the clone war and that part of Ahsoka’s story was the Siege of Mandalore arc with maybe, *maybe* one additional episode to explain what she’s been doing. I love the bad batch arc, but we didn’t need it…unless the purpose was to set up arcs for the batch and also tie the batch’s and Echo’s stories to Rex’s and the clone agency arc. We don’t need the Martez sisters episodes…unless we need to introduce the Martez sisters, who also meet the batch and are also working with Rex once we get to TBB (and are presumably still working with him from time to time, since we haven’t heard otherwise). Likewise, the list of things in TBB that aren’t strictly necessary from a storytelling perspective if all we were doing the whole time was telling Omega’s story is extensive…unless the larger story with those larger nested arcs isn’t done.