#mini meta

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Ok so Buck is getting a meta before I write my 7x03 meta and it’s all because of this still we just got!

We haven’t seen Buck in blue jeans (he’s worn jeans they’ve just always been super black) since season 2x01 - you know when Eddie rocked up at the station and put his shirt on - yeah you’re all thinking what I’m thinking aren’t you!!! The parallels of that jealous Buck and upcoming jealous Buck keep on paralleling. Putting him back in this style of jeans now is so very deliberate and interesting - if you ask me it’s playing not only into jealous Buck, but also into Buck and his hamster wheel - it’s playing on the whole buck 1.0 upgrade to 2.0 etc - there’s something about the fact that Buck essentially stops wearing jeans when he bonds with Eddie - something in the idea that that was the moment he was being both more true to himself, but also hiding a part of himself as well - it’s almost as if the intention is to parallel and revisit some of earlier Buck and explore him opening up the part he hid. Now with the context of Buck in s2 being in a (intense for him) relationship that’s shifted and ended without him knowing/ accepting it and a new guy coming on the scene sparking jealousy before creating a strong bond, and the parallel/juxtaposition of what we’re about to see - new guy sparking jealousy and presenting a threat to his status quo whilst he shares an intense bond with Eddie is a pretty interesting concept - the idea that they may be playing into the beginning of Buck recognising that his relationship with Eddie is changing and different in the same way he slowly figured out Abby had left him - only this time it’s changing in the opposite direction - stronger more unbreakable and allows him to be his true self - well that would be an amazing piece of storytelling in my opinion.

Now obviously alayna and the wardrobe team wouldn’t have known way back in the beginning of s2 that the story was going to head in this direction, but a great designer can make choices that they made in previous seasons work for them in future ones. So to me it feels like this sudden switch back to jeans is deliberate and about tying into the past to move and change things in the present/future. Alayna knows the full arc Buck is on and the fact she’s chosen now to do this when she could’ve done it at any point or not done it at all tells me all I need to know!

Would you like some other things we’ve got going on with this outfit?? I thought you would and I’m here to serve!

We’ve seen Buck in a spotty shirt like this one exactly twice before - 2x14 when he’s at a diner with Maddie talking about Buck finding his own apartment and Maddie going back to hers and going on her second first date with Chim.

Side bar - This is the episode we ‘hear’ of Tommy in the present tense - funnily enough to save Eddie - which in light of Eddie Tommy bestism were about to get is making me chuckle (it’s clever writing and retcon) in technical terms it’s the only reference we have of him as still working for LAFD - all his other appearances are in begins episodes so ‘historical’ rather than in the present!

And then we see a different spotty shirt when he goes to see Chase Mackey in 3x04

There’s also the other dark short sleeved button ups we see him in - not spotty, but striped - the one in 4x14 when Taylor comes back,

The most awkward I love you in the history of television in 5x09 has Buck in dark navy blue with vertical stripes (I don’t have the ref picture handy as I’m on my phone but I’ll come back and add it later 😎🤓)

Then we have 6x10 and the buckley-Han family get together where everyone finds out buck has donated his sperm to Connor and Kameron

All of these scenes are pretty key moments in Bucks arcs and what I find interesting (with the exception of the first one - 2x14 which kind of fits but also doesn’t) is that they are all moments that lead to developmental regression by Buck - under the guise of growth - moments when he thinks he’s moving forward but is in fact either side stepping or going backwards. Suing Bobby and the fire department is obviously the loudest of these moments, but they all fall into this category.

2x14 is perhaps the most interesting and relevant (what with the pattern being almost the same) in reality it’s a scene about Maddie moving forward and getting on with her life - that happens to also include buck getting his own apartment rather than camping out in her dining room. Thing is Maddie talks about going to therapy and putting in the work to feel and find normal in the aftermath of a major traumatic event. In some ways the chase Mackey spotted shirt kind of also falls into this same category - the aftermath of a major (or two) traumatic event for Buck and him trying to get back to his normal (he’s just going about it all wrong)

And here in season 7 we have Buck back in a dark short sleeved spotty shirt in the aftermath of a major traumatic event (Bobby and Athenas Cruise disaster - he couldve lost his dad) trying to get back to normal (something we’ve seen him trying to do for the back half of s6 obviously) and I can’t help but wonder - with Oliver talking about Buck getting off the hamster wheel he’s been stuck on - whatever happens whilst Buck is in this shirt is going to be a major catalyst for him. its going to set him off on his arc for this season and we'll to put in the work his sister did post killing Doug and actually move forward and learn about himself in the process. What that looks like I don’t know but the scene this is from is going to be key to his escape from repeating his past mistakes and actually growing towards his happiness.

The costume department haven’t let me down yet so I’m feeling pretty excited for that scene!

[raayllum]

The fact that Callum is the character in the trio most consistently down with murder, given that one its members is an assassin. will never not be funny to me. A snake boi older brother to the most pacifist little brother ever is both hilarious as a contrast, and makes total and utter sense.

Additionally: love that while Rayla has an extra incentive to go for the Novablade (doing so would also mean making progress with freeing her parents in one fell swoop) Rayla sides with Ezran's viewpoint, once again emphasizing their similarities and setting Callum apart in his decisions and inclinations.

[thoughtfulfangirling]

One of the coolest things, looking back, at Gargoyles is that it was a kid's show that featured a cast of adults. I never really thought about how unusual that is. One could argue that Brooklyn, Broadway, and Lexington are like teenagers, but even if we do, they take a backseat to the main character of Goliath and often enough Elisa, our main human character who is absolutely and entirely treated as an adult.

And I was not bored at all with that! In fact it made adulthood interesting in a way I hadn't really conceptualized it in the past if I ever thought to really consider it at all. And I just, I really like that about it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[estrella-etoile]

I think Hua Cheng is always warm. It doesn't matter that Xie Lian loves his ghost self as he is, Hua Cheng will never forget the night that his little flickering ghost fire could not keep his beloved warm.

So his body will always be warm, and his heart will always beat, so that when Xie Lian snuggles up to him at night, he will never be cold again.

[lucrezianoin]

Have you talked with Astarion after ascending? He's happy, healthy, and secure. He also loves that he has someone at his side who accepts him and his choices, probably for the 1st time ever in his life. He feels in control of himself. He's nothing like Cazador because he isn't torturing Tav or forcing them to do things against their will.

Have I talked with Astarion after ascending? Yes, very happy, very secure, so much that he tells you this, this is the FIRST thing he says to you:

He directly tells you that he can feel the desire of creatures to obey him and you... are one of them. Keep in mind that he also makes a direct comparison between who he was (feeling small) and who he is now (hearing creatures begging to obey him and serve him, even you). This is him now, this is how he sees the world, there is only the powerful who dominate and the weak and pathetic who are victimized. And you confirmed his world view.

After a whole game of telling you how much he dislikes being a vampire ("there is nothing more desirable than a vampire, is there?" + missing his face, missing seeing in a mirror, the pain of his transformation, the hunger, the desire to live again), Astarion is so scared of loss of power = being the victim that he makes Tav into his spawn.

He IS forcing Tav to do things against the will, so much that when Tav tries to break up with him at the end Astarion will react calling them "stupid" and telling them that they cannot live... now THEIR FUTURE is for Astarion's to decide. Here is the screenshot of the dialogue:

With dev note saying:

It is honestly pretty obvious. I wrote more here. Check the part about Cazador's rules... those are the rules Tav will have to follow now.

Also... this is a face of someone who is disassociating during sex, I am pretty sure:

Especially when you compare this scene with the kiss (same kiss) in the spawn ending where he touches you directly and stares into your eyes:

[bicheetopuff]

So, saying as how this was shown before AM attacked AFO at the end of the chapter, it’s probably safe to say that this vestige disappearing is part of OFA going to Katsuki and/or Katsuki waking up, referencing the panel of when he died.

AMs vestige disappearing to signify death doesn’t make any sense because all of the other vestiges of OFA are dead. So, if AM died, wouldn’t he become a full vestige instead of a ghostly one like the rest of them? And by that logic, the disappearing vestige may not even be AM at all cuz if anything, his ghostly vestige disappearing would mean he’s a user of OFA which… he’s not. So you know what that means?

This blurry little guy is actually Katsuki waking up as a user of OFA.

Just a hunch but it’s 4am so take what I say with a grain of salt.

This is kinda funny because when the leaks started I was literally about to post something along the lines of how I hate being right but realized that AMs old ass probably isn’t dying yet

[mrfandomwars]

There Is something to be said about Satine aka the Duchess of MANDALORE being chosen to lead and represent 1500 Neutral Systems.

Sure she started the whole thing but like, idk man, it seems like people trusted her And believed in Mandalore's strength enough to agree to join her neutral system council, when they could have well created it separately and simply invited the Mandalorian Sector to be a member and yet she was chosen to lead it, she made it and she led it and 1500 believed in her and followed her example

[survivalove]

you ever sit and think about how both times katara compared her parents to aang, he was never around to hear it?

meaning he has no idea the role he occupies in her headspace when they’re not together? 😫

and that all her “mothering” actions to him were really just a coverup to hide the fact that she was actually scared to lose him like she lost her parents? (to avoid confusion, i’m referring to hakoda leaving her behind as a loss, i’m not saying he died obviously)

and that katara’s belief in aang to save the world, doesn’t just come from her belief in the avatar, but her own selfish need to be with aang specifically?? and how she affirms this every time he returns from some dangerous battle or comes back to save her throughout the series?

and how their relationship SIGNIFICANTLY progresses romantically, after she 1) confronts hakoda and 2) faces her mother’s kiIIer??

1. The Awakening

Katara: I know the world needs him, but doesn't he know how much we need him, too? How can he just leave us behind?

Hakoda: You're talking about me too, aren't you?

katara goes on this whole rant about aang leaving her behind, and it takes hakoda like 2 seconds to realize that she’s talking about HIM TOO. (not just him, but him AND aang btw)

after this, we get some of the most significant unambiguous kataang moments in the show, more than we ever did in the first 2 seasons combined. which means, she’s probably been carrying around this feeling way longer than the episode suggests. it could also mean that katara has simply never felt abandoned by aang until that very moment, which would make sense too, because he never did!

2. The Southern Raiders

Katara: Remember, back in Ba Sing Se. And you turned around and betrayed me, betrayed all of us!

Katara: Hmm, maybe you could reconquer Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth King. Or, I know! You could bring my mother back!

then, she (more implicitly) compares aang dying in ba sing se to losing her mother which on first watch, are really not comparable at all (especially the way she says it) and seems like she just trying to find any reason to be mad at this person.

EXCEPT, the more the episode progresses, we get to see even more and more parallels between kya and aang. so yeah, of course, katara connects what happened in ba sing se to the day her mother died...

obviously these 2 moments are important for katara and her individual arc, but I just think it’s interesting how the moments we see of her lashing out talking to/about her parents are somehow connected to aang dying, and how their relationship evolves once she gets closure from those moments of her childhood.

[merrivia]

Day 2- Akielos

The words 'barbaric' or 'barbarian' are used by Pacat 26 times in reference to Damen or to Akielos across the Captive Prince trilogy. The Veretians make it clear that they believe that their (Western European coded) culture is superior to the half-clothed brutish 'savagery' of their Akielon neighbours. I think it's also one that can be subconsciously absorbed by readers too, and it's worth unpicking.

We first meet Damen displaced from home, in the heart of Vere, brutalised, stripped of titles, of power and of dignity, stranded in a shifting, twisting world; all decorative beauty and dark, dark underbelly. And he is given all the tropes of a Eurocentric view of barbarity- he is physically big and strong, an excellent fighter, an infamous killer. He is of a darker skintone and he lacks the elaborate courtly ways of Veretian people (who are bored, malicious sophisticates at best, and sadists, rapists and paedophiles, at worst). Damen has to literally fight for his life, to adapt his thinking to understand the Veretian court, doing his utmost to survive. He is Akielos, symbolically, in the first novel, but he’s alone, in dire circumstances, a lone fragment of a greater whole we cannot piece together yet.

I think it takes us seeing Damen in Akielos for us to truly see Akielos.

One of Damen's happiest moments in Prince's Gambit is when Laurent starts speaking to him in Akielon. It is described like "having a weight lifted from his shoulders" one "he had not realised he was carrying". The alienation he felt, away from home, his people, his culture, is a burden he didn't know he was carrying.

And when he returns to his country, it is telling that for the first time, we gain indications of the depth and sophistication of Akielon culture. Like when Damen hopes they can stop at Heston's estate:

Architecture. Philosophy. Aesthetics which rest on harmony, simplicity and balance. Nothing at all like the sneering Veretian judgement of 'barbarism'.

Akielos, as it turns out (in the words of Laurent), is beautiful:

I think what I like most about this part of the trilogy is how Damen reflects Akielos and how perceptions of Akielos reflects back on to Damen. Because it’s he who appreciates philosophy and architecture (art, music and poetry too), who appreciates his culture. He is not the ‘dumb brute’ they accuse him of being, just as Akielos is not a nation of brutality.

The beauty and profundity of Akielos comes alive when we see it first-hand through Damen’s eyes and his love for his culture and country, but also his intelligence and complexity of character comes more into view. Damen is not just a warrior; Akielos is not just a militaristic nation. It is only when he returns, can breathe the air of home again, do we get to see both him and Akielos for who they truly are.

[benbamboozled]

Can I tell you the feelings I have about Cass refusing to kill after the first time because she knows the hurt, the fear…

And Jason deciding to kill because he knows sometimes that’s the only way to stop the hurt, the fear?

[raayllum]

anyway one thing i think TDP does very very well is how it uses visual storytelling so strongly to indicate character mindset(s) and progression

Claudia's hair is the most obvious example - we don't need to be told she did something fucked up in 3x09 to bring her father back, because as soon as we see more white hair we know, from context and worldbuilding clues, that she did. It allows a lot to be communicated but not directly told, and it carries weight accordingly

Then there's more subtle ones - the sun being behind Janai when she steps up behind the horn ruins vs Karim not having one, because she is the true and fair queen and he is not, as well as her being right in how she handles matters legally and him being wrong in how he handles matters (il)legally.

There are also examples of Rayla's S1 binding - she's literally uneven/unsymmetrical and subsequently off-kilter - as a chain she has to be freed from, and how Callum has the golden bars around his wrists in his arc 2 design that also look like he's wearing permanent quasi-chains (because of course he is)

The crown of Katolis is a literally broken circle/chain, Aaravos walking around being literally heartless, how certain spells appear and a perpetual emphasis on circles (people being surrounded, objects, etc.)

There's a lot being communicated and is one of the reasons, I think, the show is so rich because our brains take it in subconsciously if nothing else, and then we can notice it more consciously on rewatches and subsequently appreciate it, and it just adds to how many layers are on screen at any given time

[nanomooselet]

While not every decision made in the English dub is one I would have made, there are so many touches that genuinely delight me, and here's one.

When healing the Plant, Vash talks to it. The subs I have translate what he says as "I can hear you. Don't worry."

In the English dub, what he says is, "I can hear you. Don't be afraid."

The English dubs add a lot of texture WRT Christian and religious symbolism (since it's a culture they know very well and can rely upon those who speak the language to understand), but this might be my favourite. Be not afraid.

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Mini costume meta

Gonna throw in a very mini costume meta because now I’ve got a proper look at Bucks velvet jacket I am having a lot - and I mean a lot of feelings about it.

For starters this jacket is not maroon - it is burgundy and that is an important distinction. maroon is a more brown toned colour while burgundy is a more red and purple toned colour and they have very different meanings. 

I’m not sure how easily you can see it from these two pictures, but the tee Buck wears when he tells Christopher about Eddie getting shot - in 4x14 - is much more brown toned, while the velvet suit jacket has much more of a purplish tone to it (i’m hoping for better pictures of the suit jacket when the episode actually airs as the screenshots I grabbed are not the best!!)

So Like I’ve said in previous metas, maroon has been used in scenes where a character is taking on some form of parental role - this is something thats been going on since season 1 and its been used on pretty much all the characters. Buck telling Chris about the shooting is the most obvious example, but Eddie in the last episode when Buck went over to the Diaz house was making Christopher's lunch - a parental thing. We’ve also seen Bobby in maroon a fair amount when he’s needed to step into a parental role - think back to Bobby telling Harry he needed to clear the table - that he couldn’t be best buddy Bobby anymore, and needed to be step dad Bobby and so on. 

Maroon is thought to promote comfort and warmth, it is also a colour of strength and maturity - all things associated with parenthood. It is also a colour often associated with drying blood which connects it to the idea of blood ties - which equals family ties.

Then we have burgundy - a colour of sophistication. It’s a powerful colour commonly associated with refinement - stemming from the idea that a Burgundy wine is among the best and most expensive in the world. This association also means Burgundy is associated with wealth - the perfect colour for Buck to be wearing while he’s winning at poker!

The other thing about burgundy though is that it is also associated with lust, passion and desire - it is a colour very much connected with romance and deep love as it is a deep form of red!

Combined with the black of the rest of the outfit, including the black wide peaked satin lapels, which is a colour of elegance, sophistication, power and seduction, as well as the choice of velvet and satin for the blazer - two fabrics considered to be symbols of wealth luxury and sophistication I think it’s safe to say that this outfit is very much an outfit one would chose for a date. Peaked lapels are an interesting choice - they are the most difficult lapel to achieve and are considered the mark of an accomplished tailor - hinting at the idea that Buck has been on a difficult journey, but will achieve success with it. it can also hint at him being accomplished at cards!

Its also worth mentioning that velvet as a word is a slang term for money acquired through gambling 👀👀👀 

Last thing to note is that Eddie is not the only one wearing a new and more blingy watch - Buck is also wearing a new one - we only get a couple of very brief glimpses and I’m hoping we’ll see a bit more of it once the episode airs, but I am very literally screaming over it. (you can see a tiny glimpse in the still below)

Buck has had the same watch since season 1 - no deviations, just the same watch! and now - now we get a new one! Post dying, post coma dream, post Buck going to the Diaz house and sleeping on the couch and post Buck appearing all contemplative and figuring things out at the end of last episode we see Buck in a new watch!!!!

The fact that they both appear to be wearing metal watches means we have the possibility that their watches are going to potentially match up, because metal watches are more showy and confident - they’re less practical (especially if you’re a fire fighter) and are therefore much more about making a statement of some sort. Them both wearing them for the first time at the same time is a choice! Not to mention the fact that while Eddies watch is out and proud - on display for everyone to see, Bucks is mostly hidden - we only get to see a tiny part of it for a moment. The idea that Eddie is confident and essentially putting this new version of himself out there for people to see, while Buck is ‘on the same page’ but still mostly hiding his new self - he’s still uncertain about it etc is a choice - especially as we’ve seen watch theory around Buck expand much more this season than previously! I should also mention the fact that the show very loudly made a big thing about Michael buying David a watch as an engagement gift - rather than a ring - and we don’t see any other (male)  characters wearing metal watches, so for them to choose now to put Eddie in a metal watch as well as possibly Buck is making a very purposeful connection!!

I really can’t wait to see if we’re going to get more of these watches - if we do I’m expecting we’ll only see them connected to Buddie developments and that they’ll revert to their normal watches for other non work scenes (I’m expecting the brown leather strap watch for whatever date(s) Pepa has set Eddie up on!!)!

[barrowsteeth]

I never thought this would happen to me. Me neither.

I've always loved this part of the scene because it's sunny and bright and warm, and also emotional and private compared to the jubilant 'we're boyfriends!' exclamation that follows.

But I also appreciate that this moment is a bit reflective and tinged with sadness for what could have been.

For Nick, I think in this moment he's thinking that if things had gone differently, had he not befriended and fallen for Charlie, had his world not been turned upside down in the best possible way and allowed him to discover his true self, he might not have had this with Charlie.

But for Charlie -- sweet, loving, 15-year old Charlie, who at the beginning of the episode thought the world might be a better place without him in it -- I think that up until this moment, he truly believed that he wouldn't ever have this. Not with Nick, or anyone else.

It's such a sad prospect I can barely stand to think about it. Which makes the fact that they have found each other, that they do have this now and can acknowledge and appreciate it in this quiet, intimate moment, so much more beautiful.

[bicheetopuff]

I CONNECTED DOTS YOU GUYS

(After the training camp arc Ch. 84)

Izuku using OFA at a capacity that he couldn’t handle made it so that it seemed like bombs exploded inside of him.

He was quirkless so, his body has no limiters which is why he isn’t able to get a grip on his quirk for so long. It’s similar to a child using a pencil for the first time. They don’t have fine motor skills yet because they’ve never held a pencil before, making their hand writing sloppy and harsh.

So, I present this:

Cluster

As the doctor said, a persons limiters are taken away when their fight or flight response kicks in but their body can’t take that kind of stress. Especially when you’re using 100% of your power for an extended amount of time.

So cluster is the result of Katsukis fight or flight response when he thought Izuku was gonna get hurt.

Fight or flight means that his limiters are thrown out the window causing stress of over excursion of his quirk on his body causing explosions to go off inside of him.

This happening to Katsuki though is more like someone who’s been writing for years but is suddenly forced to write faster out of fear, causing their hand writing to be sloppy and harsh, like a child’s.

And this kinda just reminds me that Katsuki and Izuku have been becoming more like each other in more ways than one as the series goes on. There’s intentional and unintentional imitation on both sides, not just Izukus side. But also kinda shows that these two imitating each other isn’t always a good thing…

Where am I going with this? Nowhere. I was just re reading vol. 10 of the manga cuz I needed something for my fic and i found this and thought that I’d point out the foreshadowing and parallels. It’s also cool that chapter 84 is referenced at the beginning of chapter 285 when cluster is born.

There’s also foreshadowing to Izukus vigilante arc from Iida in literally the same chapter which is also foreshadowing for Iida being the one to talk him down. Ugh it’s just super cool re-reading and seeing the things that were hinted at but were completely overlooked initially.

This was kind of a rant lmao, I’m sorry

[gregorovitch-adler]

BBC Johnlock died in The Lying Detective in my opinion, at least in canon (we can extrapolate it in fanfiction to write fix-it fics, but that's a different thing.) I say this as a Johnlocker who still very actively ships it in the show.

In TFP, the portrait of “John Locke” in Mycroft's house starts crying tears of blood out of nowhere in the beginning. That's the real symbolism we all needed to notice.