#there's all this symbolism and these interesting motifs throughout that you can pick out of the Victorian sets that are just amazing

[goatmilksoda]

Last night, as part of my 31 nights of Halloween movies I watched Crimson Peak (with my parents btw) because I was so convinced it was a vampire movie that I literally wrote it into something before I saw the movie thinking "heehoo people are going to enjoy this little reference" and then it wasn't. I was so so ready for vampire Tom Hiddleston to get stabbed with a stake and maybe drink someone's blood. I'm not going to say I was disappointed because I don't think that's the right word (the production design is absolutely beautiful) but I think I will say "hey. What the fuck did I just watch".

If I had a nickel for every time Tom Hiddleston played a rich soft goth anti-hero little-brother character who has a dead mother, shitty dead father, and a weirdly incestuous relationship with an insane woman who likes knives, and also stabs someone without the intention to kill but instead just out of convenience, then I'd have two nickels which isn't a lot but it's really weird that it happened twice.

I'm sorry I still can't get over how funny his whole character twist is.

They build up this character as Mr. Perfect (he's rich! He's fancy! He's new in town!) And his big twist is that he's a huge fucking nerd getting pegged by his sugar-sister-mommy-dommy who's killing the women he "marries" for him for money so he can play with his trinkets and build a machine.

[epicspheal]

Let's Have A Champion Time! A Leon Analysis

Leon…he’s the reason why this blog even exists. He (and the entire cast of Galar) are THE reason why I’m really into modern Pokemon outside of Pokemas and Alola Reguri. Let’s talk about the great (formerly) unbeatable champion of Galar. Ever since he was announced he was subject to a lot of conspiracy theories (remember all of the “Leon is a fraud” and “Leon is actually evil” threads pre-SwSh) and even after the release of SwSh people had a lot of interesting takes on Leon (“Leon’s a himbo”, “Leon is still a fraud”, “Leon is a bad brother”, “Leon is a bad friend”). But a lot of people have seen the good in Leon and how wonderful of a character he is and I just wanted to add my two cents to the “Leon is an amazing Pokemon character” bandwagon Please note for the sake of this I’m only discussing game!Leon (so Pokemon SwSh and Pokemon Masters EX) otherwise this analysis would go on forever.

Now onto the analysis! Let’s start of course with Leon’s name. While Leon is an actual name, for our beloved directionally challenged champion it actually derives from Dandelion. And dandelion surprisingly has a lot of symbolism such as

Wishes coming true: Leon certainly has a wish to see the trainers of Galar be the strongest in the world

Surviving difficulties: Leon managed to be an unbeatable champion in what is probably the most difficult gym challenge circuit in the Pokemon World. Not to mention all of the other burdens that come with being champion

Heat/the power of the sun: Charizard 

Happiness and Joy: Leon is certainly truly happy when he’s in battle

I also wanted to take a bit of time to point out an older post I made regarding Leon’s Outfits because it’s actually chock full of symbolism that I think often gets swept under the rug because his champion fit is seen by many to be a bit goofy! I encourage you to check it out but in short summary it definitely symbolizes the image he has as champion and the burdens that come along with it.

Now to his team! Leon is one of the few champions (other than Blue, Trace, Nemona, and technically Hau, N, Kukui) to actually have a dynamic team that changes based off the starter you pick. Notice how the vast majority of the ones with a dynamic team occupy the rival role? Well this is actually important because while Leon is the standing champion of Galar, this dynamic team shows that he views himself as much of a rival to the player as he does the Unbeatable Champion. His team is also very British- er Galarian. Which makes sense given the fact that he is very much a symbol of the Galar League which defines the region’s culture, so it makes sense that his team also define the region’s culture as well. He leads with an Aegislash which is a sword and shield and the line itself is linked to people who have leadership qualities and Leon shows he’s a capable leader throughout. Also there’s knight qualities associated with Aegislash that apply to Leon, as Rose during his Darkest Day part 2 even calls Leon a knight.

Speaking of knights, I’d also add the Rookidee that Leon catches as part of the catching tutorial to Leon’s motif as the knight of Galar. Of all the early route mons they could’ve had Leon catch, it’s no coincidence they made him catch the one that’s line is also based off a knight. 

 He also has two powerful dragon types in Haxorus and Dragapult. Dragons are big in British culture and not only that his dragons are based off of weapons, a battle axe and fighter jet. This again points to Leon being essentially the line of defense for Galar. Rhyperior and Seismitoad also have motifs related to battle/war. Rhyperior has a drill and club while also coated in armor while Seismitoad can secrete various chemicals and packs a powerful punch Mr. Rime leans back into British Culture with clear design inspirations from Charlie Chaplin a famous British entertainer. While Leon aims to win, he also wants to put on a show for his fans so Mr. Rime definitely embodies this aspect. Mr. Rime also takes some inspiration from the yokai Haradashi which is known for cheering up sad and lonely people.  More entertainment can be seen with his Cinderace which is clearly derived from a soccer player (er I mean football, sorry I'm an American force of habit). Soccer/Football is absolutely huge in Britain so and it’s very entertaining (and fun to play) so this again points to Leon wanting to entertain people with his battles.

Leon’s Rillaboom (which became quite infamous in his anime counterpart) actually straddles the line of both entertainment and battle. Rillaboom has a whole drum set and there are many famous rock bands from Britain but also there’s the fact that drums were used in war a lot especially in Britain.

Another Pokemon that straddles the line between entertainment and battle is his Inteleon. Inteleon is based off a spy and a sniper both of which have clear ties to war, but also the spy part is a throwback to James Bond who is a very famous British fictional character.

And lastly we can’t talk about Leon without mentioning his Charizard. Charizard is draconic which again ties back to battle but it’s also (to some people’s chagrin) a very popular and entertaining Pokemon. Most notably the very first protagonist Red in many canons tends to have a Charizard. Leon in many ways is a homage to Red as he was also young when he became champion and they are both known to be some of the greatest trainers to have ever existed. He’s an example of what could’ve happened to Red if he had chosen to stay in the limelight as Indigo League champion instead of disappearing to Mt. Silver.

To further look at his team we can take a look at his movesets (linked here). We can see his approach is very offensive but he has a lot of coverage ensuring he can hit all types for a lot of damage. When he does opt for non-damaging moves he does seem to prefer status such as confusion through Teeter-Dance and Badly Poison through Toxic showing he aims to disrupt opponents and inflict as much damage as possible. His highly offensive tactic is straightforward but no less threatening and it fits with his genuinely kind and straightforward personality.

I want to take a moment to discuss two key pieces of information about Leon from Sonia and Opal "Thanks for always taggin' along with Hop. I hope you can keep it up. Leon really worries about him, too. He practically raised him, after all." - Sonia in the Motostoke InnThis is an optional piece of dialogue but it reviews a lot about how even when Leon was young he had a lot placed on his shoulders. Leon was definitely a parental figure in Hop’s life which no doubt contributes to the idolization we see Hop have of him throughout much of the game. This also adds to the meaning of the cape he wears as he has had so much riding on his shoulders.

"Your talent in Pokémon battles is beyond anything I've ever seen, but you're rather hard to read..." - Opal’s audition notes

We know Opal is very astute and can read people as well, but for her to not be able to read a then 10-year-old Leon says a lot. It shows even at a young age Leon kept up a facade in order to maintain the happiness of those around him and just shows how much pressure he’s been under pressure for as long as he can remember.

"Hello, hello, Wedgehurst! Your Champion, Leon, is back! I promise I'll keep doing my best to deliver the greatest battles for you all to watch!"

I really liked this quote as it’s very straightforward but planned. This is Leon in full champion-mode as he’s addressing the public in this part. I know during this speech a lot of people who played SwSh started to get annoyed with him because of his references to being a champion and unbeatable but I feel like people missed the fact this is him playing up a persona. The people over the years have clearly liked him talking about his being unbeatable and so he leans into that to give the people what they want.

"Look at you, Hop! I reckon you've grown...exactly an inch and a quarter since the last time I saw you!"

This line right here should’ve honestly quashed any ideas that A) Leon was dumb and B) Leon was a bad  brother. This line clearly shows him being observant (which many people who are dumb don’t do) as well as mathematical and he makes a point to notice the little things about his brother who he doesn’t get to see a lot. If he didn’t care about Hop he wouldn’t make note of something like the amount of height he has obtained since they last met up

"I bet you will be, Hop. That's why I brought along these Pokémon for you and <player>. So the two of you can battle and train and grow stronger together...to try to reach me!"

Another thing that people that seemed to make of Leon was that he’s unreasonably arrogant and self-absorbed. But here we see that he has a vested interest in seeing Galar trainers grow and maybe one day actually reach and surpass him. Yes in the entirety of the speech he does play up the unbeatable champion persona a bit but he is doing that to motivate not downplay and discourage.

"Your moves passed right through it? So, the fearsome Pokémon they say live in the Slumbering Weald...Are they actually illusions or something? Get strong enough and maybe the two of you could be the ones to reveal the truth someday. For now, let's simply get out of this place. You'll be alright now that I'm here with you!"Again this is another example of him being supportive of both Hop and the player growing and improving by giving them another goal besides just beating him, but to discover the secrets of the Slumbering Weald. This bit of motivation actually lowkey helps Hop get to his eventual path of being a Pokemon Professor

"Good to see you, too, Yamper! Yamper here is a real champ when it comes to helping you find your way around. He came to my rescue plenty of times back in the day, when I got lost on the road. Oh yeah, and that's his Trainer, Sonia. What can I say about Sonia? Well, I like the way she cooks. She makes food you can gobble down in a flash."I loved this quote from him because it shows the tension he and Sonia currently have due to their strained friendship but that he also still appreciates her and her Yamper for how they helped him during his own gym challenge.

"But Hop... Did something happen with him? He was acting really odd when I ran into him. He took one look at me and immediately was like, "I'm so sorry, Lee!" It might be the first time I've heard him apologize for anything, and I've no idea what it was for! Maybe he's feeling down because he's had some hard losses in battle?"Again this line shows how much concern and attention he pays towards Hop. Despite them not always having a lot of time to spend with each other he still knows Hop well enough to know when he’s acting oddly and he genuinely wants to know what’s going on. The reason why he DOESN’T know the full story because Hop didn’t actually explain what was going on…not that he didn’t pay attention

"I already told you, didn't I? Keep your eye on the goal! And for you, that's winning the Gym Challenge! The only Gym Badge left is the one you'll get from the Dragon Gym's Leader, Raihan. Right? Raihan is the only Trainer out there I consider a real rival. He's that good, you know!"

Here we see more of Leon trying to motivate the player into aiming for him, even if it means he takes on the threat of the random Dynamaxed Pokemon all by himself. And here we get a chance to see him talk about Raihan, the only person who actually makes him sweat even a little in battle. He’s showing a lot of respect towards Raihan which again beats back the claims that he’s exceedingly arrogant as most arrogant trainers tend to act like they have no peer in terms of strength. This again furthers the parallels between him and Red as Red also has exactly one person he views as a real rival, Blue.

 “Thanks! I appreciate the thought. But all I could ever ask of you would be that you join me in the greatest final match ever. I'll do my part to make that happen by keeping everybody's future safe. So you just keep on doing your part by winning your way through the Gym Challenge!"Once again Leon is trying to keep Hop and the player out of danger which shows his concern for his brother and friend but also a bit of his savior complex, something that was built on him being the strongest in Galar for so long. I know by this point many people were a little frustrated by him keeping the player out of danger but it shows how he really takes the job of protecting everyone else seriously.

"That was incredible. Brilliant. Honestly...there were even tears rolling down my face before I knew it. To think that the two of you set out together from the same town, built up the greatest teams, and arrived here at this point to throw everything you had at one another... That burning desire to win... Those moves filled with undefeatable passion! It was battling at its very purest, in every possible way! Even though there were some Trainers who weren't sure whether you were fit to be endorsed for the Gym Challenge at first..."I remember playing Pokemon Shield for the first time and having such a huge grin reading this set of text. Once again Leon at the end of the day, loves his brother and loves seeing trainers grow. And this battle, although the end of the road for Hop in the gym challenge, gave Leon a bit of what he wanted. To see his brother grow and see someone (the player) that could actually reach him. As someone who has a (forced) smile most of the time getting to hear an account of him having a bout of genuine emotion is actually touching. Plus him admitting he was wrong for doubting their ability to be endorsed in the first place shows humility and that he's able to have his mind changed on certain topics. 

"I think I understand well enough. What I don't understand is why we ought to cancel tomorrow's tournament in order to solve a problem that's a thousand years away from affecting any of us! What difference is one day going to make? My duty as Champion isn't this...this madness. It's to carry out that Championship Match! That's what Galar wants—and what I want! It's what we've all been looking forward to for so long!"The argument between him and Rose about the future of Galar for many seemed odd and pointless but I think these lines actually show a lot about Leon people don’t consider. Once again we see that Leon does indeed understand there are energy issues that are plaguing Galar but also we see a side of him we haven’t seen thus far. We know he has the wish to see Galar trainers to be stronger but up until this point that wish hasn’t really been threatened. But it is with Rose trying to cancel the tournament and here we get to see our usually compliant champion say “that ain’t in my job description” in regards to the match being potentially canceled. The part where he said “That’s what Galar wants- and what I want” is really striking because yes once again he’s putting the wants of Galar on his shoulders, but also he even directly states he wants to see the match through. Given the emotions that we saw from him with the Hop vs Player battle we can imagine that this year in particular he was itching to see the match. Sure Raihan always gives him a run for his money, but the player is shaking things up and after years of being undefeated this had to be very exciting for Leon. And while we’ve seen him state his wishes of strong trainers to the public, for him to say that Rose of all people was actually really powerful. He’s not just looking forward to the battle for the sake of his fans, but for his own sake as well

"The tense, still air on the pitch... And the exact opposite from the audience, cheering and yelling... They're both fantastic, wouldn't you say? But remember, the audience is also a bit cruel... They want nothing more than to see one of us lose, after all! It can fill you with fear knowing that, but I absolutely love pushing past the fear. I love giving it everything I've got as a Trainer and seeing my team give everything they've got to seize another victory! It's the greatest feeling in the world, and I can't get enough of it! I can feel my partners itching with anticipation inside their Poké Balls... We're going to have a real champion time. I'm the Galar region's Champion, Leon! Me and Charizard, and all the rest of our team, will use all our knowledge and experience to crush you completely!"This line right here gives me chills. It’s a speech very reminiscent of the champions of previous regions in it shows Leon as THE obstacle to overcome in Galar. His mention of the audience having the cruel want to see one trainer fall was intense because it brings back into focus how much of a spectacle the Galarian Gym challenge is compared to other regions in the game verse. I love the mention of how at times he might have felt fear knowing the audience wanting to see one person fall showing another vulnerable side to him besides his ability to get lost easily. Also the emphasis of Charizard being his ace as he’s the only team member he names outright just shows how deep the bond he has with his starter Pokemon

"You came to help me in spite of the danger? Thanks, Hop. And you, <player>. You two really have grown tremendously! But no need for you kids to worry. It seems like some power of Eternatus's was keeping my team from Dynamaxing, but...we've had a champion time all the same!"

Ahh, the famous lines before Leon gets knocked out! Once again we see him encouraging Hop and the player by commending their courage and growth. But also we see his champion persona coming into play here as he seems to make light of facing down Eternatus. He’s trying to keep the kids from being too worried while also showing them how strong he truly is. And to be fair, he almost single handedly tamed Eternatus which is impressive when you realize how far got on his own when it took Hop, the player and the two wolves to actually bring Eternatus down. Some people have used him getting knocked out to pain Leon as a fraud, but in reality this scene shows how truly powerful he is. Not to mention he’s one of the few champions who actually actively tries to intervene

“And now that you've grown so strong, perhaps it's time I started looking ahead myself. It's time we adults started working on improving the here and now, for the sake of all that's to come!"

I really like this part of his speech after you beat him because you see even though he’s had his world turned upside down by getting his first official loss, he’s not stuck in the past so to speak. He’s not worried about trying to regain his crown as champion. Instead he’s more than happy to pass the torch to the new generation and think of ways he can support upcoming trainers all the while now having a new goal for himself. Instead of being the obstacle to overcome now Leon has his own obstacle. The player.

"As your older brother… No, as your rival, you have my full support!"This was such a sweet line from Leon once Hop decides to become a professor. You could tell in this scene it meant the world to Hop to know that Leon supported him changing paths but also views him as a rival. Bad brother Leon, where?!

"<player>! I've been waiting for you. Always knew you'd be able to win your way here. Now, how about you take on Challenger Leon with everything that you've got?" Again going back to his lines after being defeated, Leon is just over the moon about now finally having an obstacle to overcome instead of being the insurmountable obstacle that came with being the Unbeatable Champion. Even when he shows a bit more raw frustration in his defeat animation in the battle tower, you can tell he enjoys having someone who pushes him like the player does. So much so that if he DOES win we get treated to this line: "Come on—remember our final match! Is this really the best you can do?!" "Hah! Don't you start on me, Raihan! I'm really trying here! See, I've spent my whole life battling with myself to become the greatest Trainer... And then I saw how <player> grew so strong by competing against my little brother, Hop... and how much it made Hop grow, too. It really proved to me how much further you can go when you're battling against a proper rival! And now that I've taken over running the League from Chairman Rose... I'm thinking I want to bring even more thrilling battles to our wonderful Galar region! So for both these reasons, I've called you all here today to tell you that... I'm declaring the Galarian Star Tournament open!" I liked this quote from Leon a lot because it shows his own reflection and growth. Even though he acknowledged Raihan as a true rival, he admits that he was mainly competing with himself in regards to improvement as a trainer. But Hop and the player’s rivalry inspired him to look at competition with others in a different way. And now that he’s at the helm of the league he wants to continue his dream of making Galar’s trainers stronger by allowing them to work together in battles!

Alright so we’ve gotten through the quotes I wanted to focus on from SwSh…but now I want to talk about some quotes from Pokemon Masters EX

"I'll always be around to make sure we have a champion time! I won't let anybody down!" - Sygna SuitWe know Leon really cares about making sure everyone else is having a good time and we can see even though the Leon that was brought to Pasio has been through the Darkest Day, that he still very much concerns himself with others’ wants

"I trust you too, Hop. I'm proud to be your brother."

"Me too. But y'know what? We were always together, even when we were apart." - From the Galar Legendary AdventuresI really adore these pairs of quotes because again it shows just how much Leon adores and respects his brother Hop. He recognizes that they don’t get to spend a lot of time with each other but that doesn’t matter to him as their bonds are still as solid as ever. As someone who has older siblings who I also didn’t get to see much growing up (let alone now as an adult) I can really relate to Hop and Leon’s dynamic and it honestly made me and my family feel seen through a Pokemon Game of all things.

"It didn't look like they were lying or trying to play innocent..." - Galar Villain ArcAgain putting to rest Leon not having a lot of brain cells, Leon was able to correctly ascertain that the Oleana and Rose who were transported to Pasio hadn’t yet tried to reenact the Darkest Day. This again shows his keen observation skills that quite frankly allowed him to remain champion for so long. 

‘That's why, before anything like that can happen, I want to properly tell him this time that...we can change the future together—not alone!" Leon here is reflecting on a flaw that both he and Rose shared in that they both felt the need to shoulder everything themselves. Yet since this is a Leon that had already been through the Darkest Day and getting knocked and seeing how the team work of Hop, Gloria, Zacian and Zamazenta actually solved things, he wants to bring this message to Rose.

"Your way of doing things shuts other people down. And with that, your valued partners will drift away."

I really like this dialogue of him confronting Chairman Rose about how he acts. The fact that he mentions “your way of doing things” shows this is kind of a pattern Leon himself has dealt with during his time working with Rose. We know he respects Rose and appreciates the opportunity from the endorsement he gave him all of those years ago, but that doesn’t mean he can’t call him out on his BS. Honestly I would love for a SwSh remake to expand on this line leading up to Rose unleashing the Darkest Day to better improve that plot

"My little bro always used to say, "I want to be just like you, Lee!" But the two of us are really different people. After lots of frustration, he finally found his own path. That's why he's doing so brilliantly now. There's nothing at all wrong with being different!" - It’s All Good, the Free Spirit EventI wanted to end off the quotes with once again showing how much Leon looks after Hop and how proud he is of little brother. You can see through this quote that the reason why he took a more hands-off approach in guiding Hop was so he could find his own path without feeling like Leon was steering him in any one way.

Phew, that was a lot and honestly there’s a lot more I could add but for the sake of not making this Tumblr post too long and getting this out for Leon Day, I’m going to end it here. Leon is a great champion and overall character and I hope people come to appreciate him more as the years go on! 

[aspoonofsugar]

Hi! Can you analyse "More Than Anything" from HH?

Hi!

Sure! More Than Anything is actually my favourite song of season 1! It is so sweet and very loaded thematically and character-wise!

I have briefly talked about it in this meta, but here it comes a deeper analysis!

LUCIFER AND CHARLIE: DREAMING OF LOVE

More Than Anything has two main themes that come together in Lucifer and Charlie's relationship:

Love

Dreams

The father-daughter bond is rooted in both. Specifically, they express love through dreams. Or if you prefer, they dream of love.

This is explored in the first two stanzas.

Firstly, Lucifer explains that his dreams were broken:

You didn't know that when I tried this all before My dreams were too hard to defend And in the end, I won't lose it all again

And that Charlie is now the only dream left, which is why he will protect her:

Now you're the only thing worth fighting for More than anything, more than anything I'll shelter and adore you more than anything

Charlie replies that it was Lucifer who inspired her dreams:

So in the end, it's the view I had of you That showed me dreams can be worth fighting for

And adds that her dream is for her people to be safe:

More than anything, more than anything I need to save my people more than anything

So, father and daughter are the opposite and the same.

On the one hand Lucifer believes fighting for dreams isn't worth it (my dreams were too hard to defend). On the other hand Charlie insists that it is (dreams can be worth fighting for). At the same time, Lucifer dreams of protecting (loving) Charlie, whereas Charlie dreams of protecting (loving) all her people. Desperation and microchosm vs hope and macrochosm. This is the root of Lucifer and Charlie's foiling at the beginning of the song. How does this juxtaposition develop? Let's go deeper by exploring some imagery present in the song.

LIGHT AND SHADOW

More Than Anything uses a light/shadow motif to express the two main themes:

Love (1): lights and shadows comment Lucifer and Charlie's bond. They both have been hiding parts of themselves (shadow), but throughout the song they show their true selves (light)

Dreams (2): light is a metaphor of dreams and of how the characters relate to them

1- More than Anything starts with Lucifer and Charlie distant and in the shadows.

They are repressing a lot and have no idea who the other is. Still, as the song goes on, they get to understand each other:

All that I'm hopin',now that my eyes are open Is that we can start again, not be pulled apart again 'Cause in the end, you are part of who I am

And in the end they embrace in the light.

What is initially in the shadow comes to light. So, Lucifer and Charlie see each other for who they are.

2- Lucifer mentions his past dreams and summons light. However, he throws it away because he has given up on his ideals:

Charlie hurries to pick the light up, just like she is pursuing Lucifer's discarded beliefs with her Hazbin Hotel project. Still, Lucifer stops her and holds her hands. His daughter is his new dream and he is ready to throw everything away, if he can protect her.

This resolution is highlighted in the next sequence:

Lucifer remembers the Elders of Heaven attacking him, then he imagines their weapons pointed at Charlie. Out of fear he drags her away. What's interesting is that Charlie is targeted when she stands in the light, while the moment Lucifer pulls her to safety, she steps into the shadows. The meaning is clear. Lucifer fears that if Charlie takes the spotlight, she will attract Heaven's anger. So, he wants her hidden and sheltered in the shadows. Just like a child. This is why his hug is sweet, but also suffocating:

Charlie wants a different kind of love. She needs the father who inspired her with dreams and stories. Specifically, Charlie remembers a light show Lucifer put up for her on the spot:

This scene is key and it combines the light/shadow symbolism with another motif.

THE UGLY DUCKLING

In their flashback, Lucifer tells Charlie a fairy tale by using light as a medium. The story itself is pretty obvious:

I never dreamed of so much happiness when I was the Ugly Duckling!

A little duck swims in a pool of water, but suddenly grows into a beautiful swan. Lucifer's Ugly Duckling is a metaphor of his situation, as the swan has six seraphim wings and shines at the centre of the universe. Specifically, Lucifer's fairy tale is the inversion of his own story.

Lucifer used to be a beautiful seraphim, but fell from Heaven and lost his family (the angels). He is now stuck in Hell, as a little duck:

Lucifer: Now presenting… the magic-tastical back flipping rubber duck! Haha! That spits fire!

Oh look! Lucifer himself is a magic-tastical duck, who spits fire :P

So, his fairy tale gives a happy ending to his own tragedy. It is a wish. A dream. It indirectly shows how Lucifer has been handling pain and misery by creating. It also suggests that Lucifer puts himself at the centre of his dreams. He is the ugly duckling.

At the same time, Charlie's narration tells us about herself and how she sees her father.

When I was young, I didn't really know you at all I always felt so small But I hеard your stories and I was enthralled Thе tales about your lofty dreams, I listened breathlessly Imagining it could be me

First of all, Charlie states she never knew who her father was. It is implied Lucifer kept his distance because of depression:

Charlie: We just have never been close. After he and mom split, he never really wanted to see me. He calls, sometimes, but only if he's bored or like needs me to do something.

This is highlighted in Charlie's memory too, as Lucifer appears in a dark study room. Not only that, but he is in the spotlight, while Charlie is in the shadow, which is a metaphor of how she felt distant from him:

Still, Lucifer embraces little Charlie and shows her some light. He reveals a caring and idealistic self that Charlie is initially unaware of. And this version of Lucifer inspires his daughter.

This affirms that Lucifer's dreams aren't useless. Sure, they are left unfulfilled, but they still motivate Charlie. They are why Charlie is who she is. Moreover, Charlie is enchanted by a simple story, not a big manifestation of power. It isn't a theme park or a circus or human free will. It is a short fairy tale Lucifer comes up with in a matter of seconds. No matter how small, a dream always touches dreamers.

Secondly, Charlie sees herself as the protagonist of the story. She wants to be at the centre of her father's universe and to make him proud. Well, Charlie is going to do exactly this. She is Lucifer's dream. She will fulfill his ambitions. She is turning into a beautiful swan.

Lucifer's arc starts when he understands this:

I've been dyin' to find out who you are I've been waiting, wanting the same thing Looks like the apple doesn't fall far Took you a while I've missed that smile

The King of Hell has been stuck in his own head, consumed by his depression. This is why he is initially alone and surrounded by mediocre rubber ducks. He can't create anything new because he is too focused on himself. The moment he opens his eyes and looks at Charlie, he finds hope again:

I'll support your dream, whatever lies in store And who could ask for more?

Charlie is his new dream, so he should do his best to help her become who she has the potential to be.

When Charlie is a child, Lucifer tells her a story, where he himself is the protagonist. Now that Charlie is an adult, Lucifer must accept Charlie is the protagonist of her own story. And he must help turning this story into reality. This will be his greatest creation. A duckling becoming a swan. A daughter growing-up.

PASSING THE TORCH

This frame has Lucifer:

Use his light again

Spread his wings

He starts the song by throwing his light away, but ends it by summoning a bigger and brighter torch. Similarly, he starts the episode making rubber ducks out of depression, but ends it with beautiful swan wings.

This metamorphosis happens because Lucifer isn't putting himself at the centre of the universe anymore. Rather, Charlie is his universe.

Lucifer creates a pocket-dimension, which is a bigger version of the fairy-tale of the flashback and has Charlie be its protagonist. He has her play with water, like the little duckling:

And has her fly at the centre of the scene like the swan:

In this scene, he gives her the spotlight, both in how he exits the frame and in how he has the light follow her. Charlie is the swan shining brightly at the centre of Lucifer's world (the circus).

More Than Anything starts with Lucifer desperate and focused on the microchosm. It ends with him finding hope in Charlie, who becomes the key to a bigger and more beautiful reality.

Lucifer's biggest success is that he gave birth to Charlie and showed her the light (dreams), even when he himself felt engulfed by the darkness (hell).

[nyaagolor]

Nemona Team Tweaks

So while I may be ride or die for Nemona, she actually has one of my least favorite teams in SV. Figured it would be fun to talk about my thoughts on how her team was constructed, the finale of Victory Road, and my hypothetical tweaks for her team. All under the cut bc these things get long :)

While I love Nemona as a character, I don't feel like her team quite lives up to her personality in a sense. Unlike Arven and Penny, there doesn't seem to be a clear theme to her team-- or maybe there is and i'm missing it? Either way, Penny's team is a complete gimmick so revealing it all at once makes sense, and you get to watch Arven's team build over time and add to the really solid and obvious food motif. Technically you see Nemona build her team too but she adds so many seemingly random pokemon last minute that I'm just ??? ok nemona

The second issue I have with Nemona-- and the end of Victory Road as a whole-- is that they do absolutely nothing interesting with Tera Types. The gyms set you up beautifully to learn all about how fun and interesting tera types can be, but then you get to the Elite Four + champion(s) and suddenly everyone teras into the same type. It feels like a bizarre way to end things

anyway, here's the team and some reasoning behind the picks:

First, I wanted to center her team around the theme of friendship, specifically her friendship with the player. All the pokemon she has on her team are either representative of her friendship with the player as told through dialogue throughout her story OR evolve via friendship / smth similar

Midday Lycanroc -> Dusk Lycanroc: I like Nemona's Lycanroc because dog = man's best friend and Nemona is the player's bestie, but also it serves as a hazard setter. I'm pretty sure she is the only person to use hazards in this entire game, and the stealth rock was such a pain when I battled her that I feel the need to keep it. As for why I'm switching it from midday to dusk, I think the orange color matches her eyes... and her ability would be Own Tempo if she had one! This pokemon appears in the third battle just like in the games

Orthworm -> Paldean Tauros: Adding this here with a minor caveat that it would also require some extra dialogue. We see her using this pokemon in the intro which implies it's on her initial champion team, but I think she should state this outright during her dialogue with the player, explaining how this is her precious partner and one of the strongest pokemon she's ever battled with. This pokemon ONLY appears in the final battle, and because we know this is one of Nemona's previous aces, we can show through her team how she's pulling out all the stops against you and finally bringing her all

Dudunsparce or Cyclizar: Tbh i'm actually not sure about this one, I feel like it could go either way. A three-segment Dudunsparce could symbolize Nemona being able to (seemingly effortlessly) achieve things that others only dream of, but a Cyclizar is a better parallel to the player and symbolizes Nemona's connection with her pokemon and the player. They're both normal types which means there's still a fighting weakness, so honestly either could work. Still on the fence about this one, but either way it first appears in the fifth battle (either weaker or unevolved) and then at full strength in the final.

Goodra -> Palafin: The fact that no one in the game uses a Palafin is a goddamn crime and I intend on correcting it. Plus, it fits with her new friendship theme quite well! I know the AI would butcher the use of this thing but it's the thought that counts. Much like Goomy, Finizen would appear in the fourth battle with her, but doesn't evolve until the final fight. The form change serves as a fun surprise for unsuspecting player!

Pawmot: No changes here-- Pawmot is a perfect pokemon for nemona. It's introduced at a great time in the second battle, fits her theme of friendship and caring for others with Revival Blessing, and even has her hair!

Starter: I wouldn't change anything about this pokemon EXCEPT for the tera type. This time, she teras into the type strong against your starter-- it serves as a bookends from your first battle with her to your last, and shows that she isn't holding back against you anymore. You're TRULY battling her at the peak of her strength and she isn't fucking around this time

aaaaand that's about it! This team wasn't made for balance or to be an especially hard challenge (since Paldea is easy as hell anyway) but just to add a little more oomph to her team in terms of themes. If u have any ideas on how to change her team lmk I like hearing other people's takes on it too :)

[darkx-the-dragon-kn1ght]

Chapter 19- Part 2

Mm, those must be the Grand Gates- that multicolored X-symbol really does show up a lot around these parts, huh…? I knew it was significant somehow, but the fact that it’s on these big important gates too…what are you hiding, o mysterious sigil?

Aha, here we are! I can’t imagine what could be underneath a set of big stairs, of all things, but there’s only one way to find out. Onwards and…well, not upwards this time, it’s very much downwards.

Oh? It’s some kinda crystal cavern- alright…

Not much to this first room from the looks of it save for this ladder leading down. These rocks didn’t even have any hidden items.

However, this second floor is much bigger…for the most part.

I see a second ladder, but it looks like it’s locked behind Rock Smash. So, nothing else to be done on this side, but what about further up? And maybe the right side?

Alright, point taken, a lot of this place is blocked without Rock Smash. I wonder if that means we’ll be gaining access to it soon…

Well, I found this though, this is nice to have for whenever I pick up a Ghost Pokémon.

So it looks like the only way to really go from here is down this particular ladder. Well, if that’s where we gotta go, it’s where we gotta go.

And it looks like it leads to an even bigger area- it’s even got meteor craters!

But seriously, what are these square things in the walls? I’ve been seeing them all over the place, but interacting with them doesn’t seem to do anything. It can’t just be set dressing, I’ve never seen caves have these sorta squares before…

I’m also starting to notice the…colors of the crystals around here. Red, blue, green, purple…it’s the same as the insignia they’ve got everyone, and the same as the Shards. This region really likes its reds and greens, as well as its blues and purples, huh…?

Well, at least there’s a legit item stashed over here, very interesting.

Ooooh…it’s one of these- a ledge thing, where you can only go down one path at a time. Hm…well, to start out, I might just stick with the far right side.

Really, now? You’ve got these very clear ledges that Xera can stand on, and she just…can’t walk on them? Fine, game, have it your way-

Well, she can stand on this spot just fine, and also this other ledge. Is a very slight corner tile difference really enough to keep Xera from standing on those upper ledges? I’ve heard of the insurmountable waist-high fence, but this fence isn’t even foot height!

OH! Nevermind, this ledge is completely worth it! That’s so good! But…who to put it on…? Hm- I’ll keep it in the Bag for now, decide later, it’s nothing to worry about right now with only wild Pokémon running around. But more importantly, I’m starting to see more of the two sides of this chamber. I should try and take a look at both before I fully commit to staying on the right or left sides…

AHA!? Wow, first the Focus Sash, now this! This cave really is blessed! 

But even so…this cave has another new Field associated with it? Some kinda…crystal field…? And…even here, the crystals are that same set of four colors! Even the background has those colors!

Alright game, I get it- the colors red, blue, green, and purple are very important for some yet unknown reason, you have made that crystal clear throughout all of this (no pun intended), but isn’t spamming the motif this often laying it on a bit thick? Like, would it kill this region to add splashes of other colors in other places? Like, how about a nice orange, or maybe some yellow? Have they considered a pleasant titanium white, even??

Alright, regardless, there’s still an entire Shiny Pokémon in front of me, and there’s no way I’m not catching it! If we use Prong, well- how much does Bug Bite do?

Enough! Enough to where, if we use the move again, the Sandshrew shouldn’t be knocked out (provided it doesn’t crit).

Alright well- Bug Bite did crit, but luckily it still didn’t do enough to knock it out. Also, new information learned: apparently, Magnitude destroys the crystals and reverts the Field to that…cave Field we saw when we caught Decibel. What the significance of this is, I have no idea, I don’t even know what the crystal Field does normally, but it’s irrelevant!

In fact…well, I was going to bring Glare in to paralyze the Sandshrew, but…I mean, it’s a Sandshrew. At this HP, a Poké Ball should be enough. In fact, I’ll even use my Premier Ball, because it’s just that special!

Perfect! And no, I am not naming him after Sonic.

I am naming him Cobalt- both because of the blue coloring, but also for the mineral association, being a Ground-type and all.

Anyways, back to the exploration-

So on this side, there’s…a cave of some kind, but it’s on top of those…are those supposed to be stairs? They don’t look like the stairs we’ve typically seen, they look more…baked-into the wall. Are those…supposed to be Rock Climb spots? Well- what’s on the left?

Okay, we’ve got some actual stairs, so whatever’s going on with the right side, it’s probably something we can’t access right now. So, my time might be better served checking out this left side and going up those stairs. So we hop down this ledge, then-

Oh- oh, very funny, game, very cheeky, very clever, hm-hm-haha. Well, maybe whatever’s up that ladder will still be worthwhile.

So far so good- now, as for this other ledge…

Oh- this is that one area again. Alright, well, at least that means we can go back down and have another go at those ledges. Let’s try again, try to go the correct way this time-

Oh come on! I can’t get to that other area through the middle path, either!?

Aha, just kidding.

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[loveguts]

ok last skinamapost but there’s a lot to digest about it so here’s my own personal theory on what i think the movie is about?

(content warning for mentions of child abuse, suicide, and self harm) (also heads up for spoilers for the entire movie)

so disclaimer i only saw this movie once a few hours ago so i’d really need to rewatch it to really develop what i think about it and pick up on details i missed out on and stuff

personally i think it’s a metaphor for child abuse and the malevolent force fucking with the kids is representative of the mental trauma of it and the way abusers can just haunt you, but the shape the memories take makes them into just this sort of shapeless horror. i once said to one of my therapists that my childhood abuser was less of a person to me now and more like some boogeyman, and that’s the vibe i got from the way the entity was portrayed.

i think that the entity is representative of both trauma as in ptsd symptoms, and trauma as a memory of an abuser that’s less of a distinct person and more of this amalgamation of cruelty. some thoughts:

-completely altering the world around you even in nonsensical ways because what you know is cruelty

-sabotages attempts to help (the 911 call)

-killing/torturing kevin over and over again, forcing him to relive it (like a flashback). i think it’s interesting that the one sound from the cartoon repeats throughout this too, which kind of acts as a motif to tie a lot of the movie together and imply repetition.

-calling the kids upstairs, particularly in regards to their parents’ bedroom. making them confront their abusers.

-taking the eyes and the mouth of kaylee. can’t see what’s happening anymore, can’t tell anyone about what’s happening.

-the whole knife in the eye thing reminds me of how kids in abusive situations will often self harm or do otherwise extreme things for a variety of reasons. it also reminds me of intrusive thoughts i’ve had about stabbing myself and even ones that are just exactly like the movie (stabbing my eye out).

-overall throughout the movie the kids are relatively calm when reacting to everything happening. i think this could imply acceptance and dissociation from the trauma because it’s no longer new or shocking, just numbed from it.

-the toilet thing was weird but i think i pieced it together. i think it’s designed to purely and sadistically humiliate the kids. trauma can be humiliating and humiliation can be trauma. taking away the thing that helps them dispose of their waste = forcing them to live alongside it. in a way, the waste itself could be seen as representative of the trauma. you’re begging to get rid of, it’s literal waste in your life, but you can’t get rid of it when it’s just right there in a bucket. it makes you feel disgusting and guilty and gross but you can’t get away from it.

as for why i think the kids were abused at all:

-kaylee doesn’t want to talk about their mother

-falling is often a huge go-to excuse for both abusers and abuse survivors when there’s visible injuries. the dad sounds stoic and relatively unconcerned when talking about kevin falling and hurting his head. i think the sleep walking was a red herring and an attempt for the dad to cover his tracks.

-i think the scene with the parents on the bed is interesting because one parent is asking for kaylee to close her eyes, and the other is telling her to look under the bed. i think this is mostly symbolism based, because under the bed is where people typically store things and keep things out of sight. so looking under the bed = looking at what’s hidden and stored away— confronting trauma. she didn’t see anything under the bed itself because that language was metaphorical, what she was meant to be looking at was her parents who were right there in front of her. i think this is meant to be representative of repressed memories from abuse, because she knows something should be there but she can’t see it. meanwhile, the other parent tells her to close her eyes. she doesn’t want her to acknowledge the abuse. maybe the mom was complicit but not an active abuser herself, just not doing anything to stop it. “your dad and i love you very much” in the context of the film sounds like an excuse for something that happened. when kaylee leaves the room, she wants to move the couch. she’s blocking it out. she doesn’t want to talk about mom because that means acknowledging that maybe her mom let something bad happen, maybe her mom doesn’t care, her mom is just making her ignore it. i think her eyes are taken because she tried understanding what’s happening to her, her mouth is taken because she’s trying to stop being complicit and stand up for herself (the entity says her mouth was taken because she wouldn’t do what she was told).

-i also have a theory that the mother committed suicide sometime before the events of the movie, and they encounter her in the weird trauma memory dimension. (basically i think the entire movie is meant to represent traumatic childhood memories and what it feels like to have flashbacks and recall them). iirc the first time we hear her is when she’s crying, after kaylee says she doesn’t want to talk about mom. there’s also a scene where there’s a chair on the ceiling, and another scene where there’s a barbie doll on the wall (or the ceiling? not sure). i think that all of this, combined with the fact that there’s a loud bang from the closet when kaylee talks to her and the closest door is later opened, could signify their mother hanging herself in their closet (chair + barbie is how i came to the hanging conclusion , like kicking over a chair and being suspended from the ceiling, i also think closets are unfortunately a common place for people to commit suicide in this way). i also think it’s possible kaylee is the one that discovered her body and repressed the traumatic memory of it, given the context of everything else.

anyways this is all just my interpretation and by no means canon. and it’s also not perfect either there’s probably a lot of holes in it and i really need to rewatch it and develop it more and decide if i still agree or disagree with this on my second watch. 🤔

[lesbiancarat]

An (incomplete) analysis of Seventeen's Darl+ing MV

So me and @minghaosmilfshirt basically went frame by frame through the MV after it came out and i wanted to share some of the things we found for anyone who's confused!

first some general, overarching analysis of the MV and then I'll go through and point out some details chronologically. first things first, the MV is inspired by Peter Pan. seventeen are the lost boys in Neverland who are living happily in eternal youth. there are multiple references to youth throughout the video, such as the watch hoshi holds that says "boyhood"

there are even more references to growing up, though they're accompanied by more negative connotations (for example the book wonwoo is reading is called "growing pains" and the scrabble words spell out "grow" but also "shadow", already foreshadowing the twist at the end

an article revealed that "in the MV Seventeen were afraid of their inner shadow but they couldn't escape. When all 13 shadows gathered, the shadow grew bigger and another world unfolded before them, and a new story of Seventeen began. the story will continue with 4th regular album to be released in May." (source)

also throughout the MV there are a lot of sun motifs as well as smiley faces, perhaps representing the happy times of youth. there is also a common theme of clocks, likely representing the stopped time that allows seventeen to live in eternal youth

at the beginning of the MV we see vernon sunbathing. a bird flies overhead, casting a shadow on his face. vernon then raises his hand to block the sun, which is how he realizes he doesn't have a shadow. we also see a glimpse of the world crumbling that will come in full force at the end of the MV

a bit later we see the first shot of this clock, which is being stopped from moving by the red pin. again, presumably symbolizing the frozen time of seventeens youth

after a few establishing shots of seventeen being cute, we see mingyu putting flowers in a bottle, labelled as chamomile and marigold. I'm no flower expert, but a quick google search says that chamomile can represent rest and peace, as well as rebirth (another possible foreshadowing) while yellow marigolds represent the sun (another sun motif!!), optimism, and joy

i may not be interpreting the meanings fully accurately as both can have multiple meanings from what I found, but just interesting things to note that i think fit within the narrative!

the next interesting scene to me is woozi plugging in an aux cord(?) to the teddy bear's heart. tbh i have no idea what this means, but since this happens right before vernon bursts in with his revelation i feel like it might be significant. it's also worth noting that you can see all the teddy bears lined up in a different scene and there are 13 of them. which might have more significance or might just be a fun easter egg!

next we get this iconic scene of vernon telling the rest of the members that they don't have shadows (you can see the plants shadow, but not the hands of joshua or vernon holding it). there are also three words written on the ground: belief, real, remember. in the sunlit portion, you can also see the word "fear" highlighted among the other words

this is possibly a reference to seventeens "shadows" as the shadows were confirmed to be a representation of their inner struggles that they feared

we then see hoshi pick up a shard of the broken glass, his eye visible in the reflection. he seems shocked by something and drops the shard. i believe this is our first glimpse at the "mirror dimension" (more on this in a bit)

we next see jun uncovering this mural on the wall, which seems to be a prophecy of some kind. to the left of jun you see seventeen frolicking and being happy. next is seventeen entering the church with a large sun hanging overhead. then the scene we'll get at the end of the MV of seventeen falling into the shadow/mirror dimension.

it's interesting to note what looks like a bird with a crown on its head, we'll likely learn more about this and the final scene on the mural in the next MV for the full album. but there are actually quite a few black birds that can be seen flying overhead in various shots, including the beginning scene where vernon is sunbathing. there are also birds flying overhead in the first scene of the mural. their role is subtle in this MV, but i wonder if they'll play a larger role later

i won't provide a screenshot since there's an image limit and i want to keep this in one post, but after this jun goes to the bathtub and pulls out a wooden box with yet another sun on it, inside of the box is what looks like a pocket watch. also potential foreshadowing to the next MV

we then get several interesting scenes in a row. the church is trashed, woozi looking at his reflection in a mirror in the church, his shadow growing behind him. then the smiley faces on the wall of the home start "bleeding" as jeonghan also wipes dirt away to look at himself in a mirror. we see jeonghan's reflection is bruised. this is the same jeonghan we see at the end of the MV, after seventeen have fallen. seventeen are seeing their mirror/shadow dimension selves in their reflection

this is further shown during the bridge, where both minghao and jun see a mirror reflection of themselves. jun reaches out to his and it shatters, creating a burst of color

the red pin shatters. images flash in and out as seventeen look at their shadows on the wall followed by a dr. strange style shot of joshua and his shadow/mirror self in their respective dimensions. time has started moving again as the shadows have grown and a new story of seventeen begins

we then get the thumbnail shot of Vernon holding the red glowy thing. this is possibly the red pin in the clock that shattered, but it looks to be a bit too big for that, so it may also be something that gets properly introduced in the next video

next everything starts falling apart thanos snap style and seventeen falls into the mirror/shadow dimension, as seen in the mural before

we also get this shot of wonwoo and an eclipse. i assume we'll learn more about wonwoo's role in the next MV, but the eclipse is very fitting. the shadow is overtaking their sun. the sun has been used as a motif to symbolize seventeens happiness and youth throughout the MV, with the shadows representing their inner fears, which have now taken over

on the left side of this shot of the shadow world, there's a sign that once again references the word fear. "fear is [...]ming". my first thought was "fear is timing" because of all the clocks we'd seen, but i saw someone else speculate that it says "fear is coming", which perhaps makes more sense

in the next MV it looks like we'll see seventeen confronting their shadows (and their fears), so we'll just have to wait and see what answers the rest of the story brings us!

there are some small details here and there i failed to mention like other book titles, which pretty much just help set up the themes of youth and growing up or are Peter Pan references, etc.

i also didn't mention the blindfold game in the wheat field because I'm honestly not sure what it means. I'm tempted to say it's just showing another way seventeen are happy together, like them eating breakfast. but there does seem to be some significance to some of the members taking off the blindfold to find that they're alone?

I'm also not sure if there's any significance to the suits on the chairs in the church, it seems like an odd detail, but none of the "characters" in the MV interact with them in any meaningful way, so it may just be for aesthetics. or maybe it's a peter pan reference i don't remember!

in any case, although i may not have covered every detail, that covers my analysis of the darl+ing music video! see you all again in may for the full album release! ^^

[chitto]

I Analyzed All Of the Songs on Ranboo’s Lore Playlist and Here’s What I Learned.

We can pick a few themes out from the songs: 

Time

Fighting something inside of you 

Alluding to a villain arc 

Transition of a person 

My biggest theory from all this is that c!Ranboo is a time traveler from the future (probably before Mizu but after the Haunted Mansion). He traveled to the past, November 27th specifically, to stop c!Tommy’s exile. We can assume that in c!Ranboo’s future, c!Tommy burned down c!George’s house by himself but when c!Ranboo went back, he got caught up in it, thus creating a time paradox. (Evidence from the songs Merry-Go-Round of Life, all songs of Hawaii - Part Two by Miracle Musical, and The Ruler of Everything). Now knowing he is the cause of c!Tommy’s exile, c!Ranboo feels immense amounts of guilt for his actions, the regret keeping him up at night (Ain’t No Rest for The Wicked). This mental stress is something that has resulted in the beginnings of insanity for c!Ranboo (The Mind Electric). 

A villain arc is very plausible for c!Ranboo in the near future, most likely brought up by harm coming to c!Tubbo or Michael (Killer Queen, Mr. Bad Guy, I Can’t Decide, Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked, and Live and Let Die) 

Full Analysis on Each Song Under the Cut: 

(All Song Lyric Analysis Credits go to the wonderful people on genius, I merely fit them into the context of the DreamSmp and c!Ranboo) 

Prologue (StarKid) - A simple ticking clock. ARG trailer tie in as well as even more references of time. 

Introduction to the Snow (Miracle Musical) - Comes off an album that (storywise) has the listener loop over and over the songs in the album, as a time paradox. 

Dream Sweet in Sea Major (Miracle Musical) - Final song in the album (loops). Occurs in three movements. Tells the story of a sailor that gives himself up to the mermaids. Lyrics don’t give much in terms of hints at anything. 

Turn the Lights Off (Tally Hall) - About a journey through puberty and adolescence (??) perhaps could be changed to fit. However main name of the song is meant to convey accepting differences and confronting fears, something c!Ranboo doesn’t really do. First line also says ‘Don’t go in there, you’ll become one, Freaky creatures, monster party’ perhaps relating to the enderwalk/possession c!Ranboo goes through. 

The Mind Electric (Miracle Musical) - The song starts off in reverse, the singer speaking backwards. Once the song straightens out, we’re shown that the protagonist of the song is a mentally unstable man trying to figure out what triggers a specific fear. The second verse then goes into a young child who’s been held trial for insanity. The child and the judge then have an open dialogue throughout the rest of the verse until the child is sent to an asylum. The song concludes with insane yet peaceful thoughts from the child. Obviously I’m not a psychiatrist but doing some light research into insanity (NOT psychosis, as insanity is more of an umbrella term for unstable mental state while psychosis is a specified disorder) you can see a few signs of insanity that could be applied to c!Ranboo. ‘Denial of obvious problems’ Many times c! Ranboo has dismissed or downplayed his issues and problems, most notably when he’s found in a panicked state by c!Sam who asks him if he’s okay, to which c!Ranboo replies that he’s fine. ‘Delusions or Hallucinations’ this is a big one as throughout the Doomsday arc, c!Ranboo spoke to c!Dream in his panic room, only to realize he was talking to no one. ‘Dramatic changes in sleeping habits’ This is more of a reach as we have no actually confirmation but it could be assumed that c!Ranboo’s enderwalking could be disrupting his sleep patterns. 

Live and Let Die (Paul McCartney) - a song about a once young person who used to say ‘Live and Let Live’ but has now changed their maxim to ‘Live and Let Die’. Could be said that as people grow older they grow more cynical. Granted the phrases mean the same thing but one seems much more pessimistic. 

The Ruler of Everything (Tally Hall) - Once again a song about time, the entire song meant to symbolize how time controls our lives (once again feeding into a time paradox theory). The song has a verse that is a man and Time itself singing. The song then starts to speed up, representing how short periods of our lives can be in the grand scheme of things. ‘Do you understand that mechanical hands are the ruler of everything’ This lyric of the song is meant to mean that time (the mechanical hands of the clock) are at the root of everything, once again drawing us back to a time motif with Ranboo’s character. This specific line could lead us to believe that c!Ranboo is being ‘controlled’ by time, aka perhaps caught in a time travelers loop. 

Merry-Go-Round Of Life (Howl’s Moving Castle OST) - While the song itself is an instrumental without words, one could do some digging into the story of Howl’s Moving Castle, spoilers for the film in this analysis. In Howl’s Moving Castle, there is a sequence in which Sophie goes back in time to find Howl, seeing him as a young boy. She calls out to him, telling him to find her in the future, before getting taken back to her time. It seems pretty insignificant until you remember that in the beginning of the film, during Howl and Sophie’s first interaction he says to her, “There you are, sweetheart, sorry I’m late. I was looking everywhere.” thus representing that Howl has been looking for Sophie his entire life after she called out to him in the past. So what does this mean for c!Ranboo? Well its just more time motif and even more time paradox themes. But what even is a time paradox? A time paradox is when somebody who has traveled back in time, becomes a part of the past and causes the events they set out to stop in the first place. Perhaps this means c!Ranboo traveled back in time to stop c!Tommy’s exile, as it was a catalyst event that resulted in many problems on the server (L’manberg’s second destruction to name one) before getting sucked into the events that caused it himself. 

Killer Queen (Queen) - Really can’t say too much for this song as the song is meant to convey how “that classy people can be whores as well” (Freddie Mercury). Freddie also said that anyone else could call their own interpretations of the song as well. I can’t really think of too much about the song that could be molded to c!Ranboo. 

Mr. Bad Guy (Freddie Mercury) - This one is more interesting as the bridge of this song details how Freddie is ‘Mr. Bad Guy’ and that he can ruin people’s lives and many people are afraid of him. This could sound like something c!Ranboo would say in relation to someone trying to threaten the people he cares about. c!Ranboo going to any length for those he cares about (most notably his family) is something that recently cc!Ranboo has tried to drive home, making it a tweet under his character’s lore thread on twitter. 

Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked (Cage the Elephant) - The main line of this song is a bible verse that means that those who are sin-free can sleep well at night knowing they haven’t done anything wrong but those are commit sins need to keep one eye open at all times. Perhaps c!Ranboo believes that he has done something wrong that keeps him up at night. It could be tied back to the time paradox theory by saying that c!Ranboo is kept up at night by the fact that he couldn’t stop the bad events from happening, even becoming a part of them. 

The Bidding (Tally Hall) - While the song itself is about an auction in which men are trying to “sell” themselves to a woman, I would like to call attention to one specific verse. ‘I’ve been training like a Pavlov dog,  Let my independence out to take a hike, All you gotta do is activate my bell, and I’ll fetch you anything you like’. The first lyric calls reference to Ivan Pavlov, who ran a conditioning experiment on dogs, training them to associate the sound of a bell with food, whether they actually got food or not. The last two lyrics I find particularly interesting as we have seen somebody “activate” c!Ranboo. c!Sapnap. After c!Sapnap visited c!Dream in prison, c!Dream asked c!Sapnap to deliver a message to c!Ranboo. The message being ‘:)’. When c!Sapnap repeated the message to c!Ranboo, c!Ranboo immediately switched and began to speak in enderman language before wandering off. He then spoke to c!Sapnap in chat saying, in ender, “Doomed are those who try to run, for it always catches up eventually :)’. This is one of many incidents of c!Ranboo being switched into his enderwalk state, in which he does stuff for c!Dream such as burning down the community house. 

I Can’t Decide (Scissor Sisters) - This song is a upbeat song about a psychotic killer trying to decide on whether or not he should kill his victim. This song could relate back to c!Ranboo’s relationship with c!Dream. c!Ranboo has been very cagey on whether or not he would like c!Dream, most recently being very eager to break into prison and murder him. This song could also hint towards a possible villain arc for c!Ranboo. 

Stardust Crusaders (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures OST) - Unfortunately, this song is another instrumental. And even more unfortunately, I don’t watch JJBA so I can’t comment on what the song could be alluding to. Stardust Crusaders is the name of an arc of the show but reading through the plot summary on Wikipedia doesn’t turn back anything that could be tied to c!Ranboo. 

A Mask of My Own Face (Lemon Demon) - While the song itself is relatively simple, a man singing about how he wants to wear a mask of his own face to confuse people, a few lines have sparked certain people to examine the song deeper coming to the conclusion that the singer wants to cause chaos and controversy. The mask of his own face would allow him to mask his identity, as no one would wear a mask of their own face, while still allowing him to be associated with the chaos. For c!Ranboo I can’t really see this pointing to anything but the Syndicate. c!Ranboo really does believe in their core value of dismantling the things on the server that are bad but also he knows many people he’s close to who are at odds with members of the Syndicate, most notable c!Tubbo. However this could be rather lose as cc!Ranboo is a big fan of Lemon Demon and who hasn’t put a song from their favorite artist on a playlist even though the vibe doesn’t necessarily fit. 

Stranded Lullaby (Miracle Musical) - Another song of the Miracle Musical album Hawaii - Part Two, which loops itself over within the story. This particular song is about a sailor sailing through a cerebral ocean, which may or may not represent time itself; the sailor being a time traveler who had a mistake in his time traveling. This once again brings us back to the theory of c!Ranboo as a time traveler. There is also a line I would like to call upon, ‘Aimless thoughts and papers blown around, A million moments meant remembered rest in deep dark sound’. These lyrics are meant to relate to memories and how truly fleeting some may be, just papers floating in our brains eventually lost to time. This obviously can relate back to c!Ranboo’s memory problems, which are a known side effect of time travel, as told to us through the story of c!Karl, the only other time traveler on the server (excluding c!Connor who is only theorized as a time traveler for right now). 

Hidden In The Sand (Tally Hall) - This is slightly complicated as the song has two meanings. On the surface, the song is about a man who falls in love with a woman who leaves him, however the man is still in love with her. But in the music video, a new meaning can be found. The music video shows a cruise full of people, all very nice and kind until the ship begins to sink and the real, selfish, sides of the people is revealed. ‘Hidden in the Sand’ is meant to symbolize that a persons true nature is covered up by their outward acts and personality. This could apply to c!Ranboo, as he is outwardly very polite and gentle, growing attached to every animal he finds and refusing to kill any Enderman but he could have a whole other personality to him that we don’t know about. If songs such as ‘I Can’t Decide’ and ‘Mr. Bad Guy’ are any hints, we could theorize that c!Ranboo has a secret dark side to him that could be exposed in the events of his family being threatened. 

Now I’m Here (Queen) -  No statements or theories about what the song means or any of the lyrics. 

& (Tally Hall) - This song, as with others off this particular album, deal with opposites. The whole chorus of this song is about certain opposites such as dark and light or cold and hot. Relating back to c!Ranboo, perhaps this song is meant to tell us that c!Ranboo is a foil of a certain character. Possibilities could be c!Dream and c!Ranboo, as c!Dream is very against attachments towards things and is a very outwardly violent person while c!Ranboo is attached to almost every animal and enderman (not to mention c!Tubbo and Michael) and is a very peaceful person, or perhaps c!Ranboo and c!Karl, the two time (theorized) travelers on the server. c!Karl has a stronger control over his abilities and seems to retain most of his memory fairly well so far while c!Ranboo perhaps can’t control his power and has short term memory loss and can’t remember where he came from. 

I’m Gonna Win (Rob Cantor) - This song is a description of a fight between the singer and his inner demons, the fight resulting in very physical injuries for the singer. This can relate back to c!Ranboo, as he could be fighting the demons of his enderwalking state. This song has a very cheerful outlook on the fight however, as the singer is very confident in his abilities and knows he will win. c!Ranboo isn’t always the most positive, sometimes believing more in the pessimistic outcome but this could be a new leaf for c!Ranboo or a goal of his to be more positive. 

[first-of-her-nxme]

It looks like one of my answers doesn’t show up in the tags so I’ll copy it here, just in case. It might be interesting for the asoiaf fans, Jaqen’s and Arya’s fans in particular;)

So, the question I received was:

Where is the coherent foreshadowing for Jaqen and Arya? It all seems taken out of fucking nowhere

And here we go:

It starts in the very first book when Arya names her direwolf after the queen who married a Dornishman, and it never stops because Arya and Jaqen are repeating Lyanna’s and Rhaegar’s story. Of course, in ASOIAF, the story is never exactly the same. Which by the way gives me hope that at least they will have their happy ending. Or the closest thing to a happy ending, which in George Martin’s world means less heartbreaking than the others’s endings;d

Trouble with Jaqarya foreshadowing is that George Martin started writing the story with a five year gap in mind between Arya’s arrival in Braavos and A Dance with Dragons. So, when he first envisioned the story he already had a 15 year old Arya in mind. It means that Arya and Jaqen would have reunited in A Dance with Dragons already and she would have been old enough for a romance. It also means that Jaqen’s identity would have been revealed in A Dance with Dragons.

But, since GRRM abandoned the idea, we have to wait for the reveal till The Winds of Winter. As a consequence the whole build-up is made of hints, symbols, clues, metaphors, parallels to R/L and so on. Nothing is said explicitly because it would ruin the big reveal of who Jaqen is and what’s ahead of them.

So, from the top:

1. Arya names her direwolf after Nymeria, a queen who found home far from her own country and who married a Dornishman. Jaqen is half Dornish, he is Elia’s and Rhaegar’s son, Aegon VI. I already pinned the answer about his true identity to my profile so please read it if you need further explanation.

Thanks to the Game of Thrones finale we know that Arya will sail across the sunset sea. I searched through the books after s8 and of course I found information that they both, J&A, will leave. I guess I need to thank D&D for Arya’s ending, otherwise I would have overlooked the clues completely.

So, either they will find home far away, somewhere in the sea, or in Braavos or in Dorne or they will return to Jaqen’s castle ( the Red Keep or Dragonstone ). Wherever they will stay, it’s going to be far from Arya’s birth place, Winterfell.

2. Nymeria has golden eyes, Arya thinks that they shine like golden coins - it’s another connection to Jaqen ( Aegon ) who switches his iron coin for a golden dragon in A Feast for Crows. The coin is poisoned and kills Pate but it’s also a symbol of courtship. Pate needed it to claim his beloved Rosey.

3. On the way to King’s Landing, Arya is picking up flowers in the Neck, perhaps in the same area where the flowers for Lyanna’s crown had been picked. Ned is deeply moved when he sees Arya with the flowers because she reminds him of Lya. The flowers are purple - purple is the symbol of royal birth, of the rightful heir to the throne whom Jaqen ( Aegon ) is. They are called poisoned kisses and burn Arya’s hands - Jaqen is using poisons and represents fire. He is a Targ, a future dragon rider. Arya will also burn her hands and lips in the House of Black and White while learning to make poisons.”Poisoned kisses” is a bad name, it implies doomed love which reminds us of R/L. For Arya it means a love for the murderer. Hopefully with a happier ending than Lya’s love.      

4. Ned tells Arya that she will marry a king and rule his castle and they will have sons. Like I said before, Jaqen is the rightful king. In A Clash of Kings, Arya even reveals his identity though it is very cleverly concealed in the scene when she gives him his own name. To be brief: it's a play on words; he asks her if the name of the king she wants dead is Joffrey and she answers the name ( of the king ) is Jaqen H’ghar. So Joffrey is not the king, he’s impostor, the true king is Jaqen.

5. In King’s Landing, Arya has dreams of Rhaenys though she doesn’t realize it. She also catches Rhaenys’s cat, her “little dragon”, and kisses its forehead. In Harrenhal, Jaqen kisses her forehead as if to return the kiss;)

6. Arya ruins Sansa’s silk dress and offers to make her a new one. Sansa tells her she could make a dress good enough only to clean the pigsty.

That pigsty is kind of a big deal.

In fairytales, princes disguise themselves as swineherds to hide their true identity, like in H.C Andersen’s story “The Swineherd”.

George Martin used this motif in his books too. In AFFC Jaqen wears the face of Pate “the Pig Boy”. Arya, on the other hand, lives in Braavos in his house, makes dresses and sweeps the floors. She lives in the Pig Boy’s house, in the pigsty, and cleans it -  just like Sansa has said. Only the pigsty is the prince’s house like Ned has foretold.

7. In Harrenhal, Jaqen wakes Arya from her wolf dream and kisses her. This motif comes from the Sleeping Beauty fairytale - only the prince can awake the sleeping beauty.

8. Also in Harrenhal, Jaqen and Arya make their “weasel soup”. They pour hot broth on the guards to free the Northmen. Jaqen gives Arya a pair of padded gloves and he is wearing the identical gloves himself, while they struggle the pot of soup between them - it’s a metaphor for sharing power. Gloves are symbol of power and noble birth.

The cooking pot is another motif borrowed from “The Swineherd” - the prince has a magic pot that plays a song. Jaqen ( Aegon ) has a song too, a song of Ice and Fire.

9. Jaqen gives Arya his coin ( we already know it’s a symbol of courtship ) and she pays with it for a passage across the narrow sea. She crosses the sea to get to the House of Black and White, the house of darkness.

In Greek mythology, the souls of dead people pay with a coin to cross the river and get to the Underworld. Arya, like Persephone, is first shown while picking up flowers and then she descends into the Underworld seduced by GRRM’s version of Hades. Hades has a three-headed dog, Jaqen has a prophecy ( and the coin ) of a three-headed dragon.

10. When Arya meets the Ghost of High Heart, the witch compares her to Jenny, a girl with flowers in her hair who fell in love with a Targaryen prince.

11. In ASOS, Arya listens to Tom Sevenstrings playing My Featherbed song. The song was written by Rhaegar for Lyanna. It tells the story of Jenny and Duncan Targaryen but Rhaegar concealed his own feelings for Lya in the text. The lyrics refer to Arya and Jaqen as well - they repeat J/D and R/L story of a Targaryen prince and a girl from the North.

Of course Rhaegar didn’t know about his son and Lya’s niece when he wrote the song:))

The song is not about Gendrya, like people think. I already mentioned it in one of my answers. It’s very important because it helps to understand what had happened in Harrenhal and what will happen to Arya and Jaqen.

Arya hears My Featherbed after Gendry invited her to the smithy. He knocked her over and they wrestled. Her dress was torn and she looked as if someone had tried to hurt her. Right after Tom plays Rhaegar’s song. Gendry obviously didn’t want to hurt Arya but that scene explains what Robert did in Harrenhal after Rhaegar left - he was furious that Rhaegar crowned Lya so he demanded “his rights”. That’s why Lyanna ran off. Rhaegar was her rescue.

12. In the House of Black and White Arya sleeps under the red blanket which reminds her of her favorite blanket from Winterfell. I’m sure it’s Jaqen’s blanket, and perhaps his bed too, because red is his color: red hair, red poison, red war, red god, red comet over Harrenhal, red dragon (?)  - red accompanies him throughout his journey. Of course black is his color too, it’s the color of the Stranger. Red and black are the colors of House...

13. In Arya’s Braavosi chapters GRRM concealed the story of the beginning of Rhaegar’s and Lyanna’s love in Harrenhal. But that’s a massive story to tell so I will write a separate post about it.

14. Finally, in Mercy chapter Arya hears the story of the first Black Pearl of Braavos, the pirate queen, and her affair with King Aegon IV. She sighs wistfully and says that she would love to see a dragon too. Dragon here means more than an animal, GRRM once again hints at her future romance with the Dragon.

15. “Mercy” chapter parallels the prologue to A Feast for Crows. Originally it was meant to be in AFFC but GRRM eventually moved it to TWOW.

Perhaps GRRM wanted Jaqen’s chapter to start AFFC and Arya’s chapter to end the book. The prologue is a chapter with two main motifs: dragons and love. “Mercy” is a chapter of revenge and love for a dragon. The prologue starts at night when Pate’s beloved is sleeping naked in her room. “Mercy” starts at dawn when Arya wakes up naked in her room and sees a dragon boat passing beneath her window.

But those two chapters are so rich in parallels that they deserve a separate post as well:)

16. While Jaqen and Arya are having their adventures in Oldtown and Braavos respectively, in the North Mance is infiltrating Winterfell. Mance is posing as a bard. He sings a song of a Dornishman’s wife in turn with the Northman’s daughter. It’s another delightful hint that the Northman’s daughter, Ned’s daughter is ( well, will be ) the Dornishman’s wife.

As you can see it’s a pretty massive foreshadowing. I probably still omitted something because there are really tons of those clues.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the read.

Thanks for the ask :)

[newtgati]

Ok here’s a post I wanna do before Bravely Default 2 comes out, these are just some stray thoughts and sort of prediction type things that I wanna put out before these are probably rendered irrelevant. There may be some spoilers for the previous games here so watch out because those will be below the image! These are mainly crazy theories and subtle hopes so.. yea!

My prediction for the subtitle, the Roman numerals/ 2 being more than it seems is that...... I believe it actually represents a pause button, I know it’s a bit out there, but considering the previous games’ relation to the bravely second mechanic where time is stopped in battle (although I don’t know if this kind of feature is retiring or not) I could see the fourth wall break somewhere where pausing the game is needed in the plot. A bit of a stretch maybe but it’s the best thing I can think of.

Next is a few interesting things I’ve thought about after playing the demo, while it’s abundantly clear that there is no direct correlation to the previous titles, such as old characters and that this is a new world, not luxandarc I’m not expecting any huge plot relevance to those games.

However. I’ve noticed that the plot beats of the new game are similar to the original bravely, Awakening the crystals, Gloria shares similarities with Agnés in her role, starting in a desert area in the demo (although octopath did this too so bit of a stretch there) I’m not saying it completely follows the og to a T but there is similarities. This either means :

I’m thinking way too into this and it’s simply a return to form, especially for those who played the original and are picking up this one after a long time they want to follow some patterns (this is most likely true)

Or.. my other theory is that Bravely Default 2 is a mirror of the original Bravely Default, while not a direct sequel like Second it instead mirrors the original in terms of plot and other stuff, which may play in to the later story, bravely has alternate worlds, and who’s to say this game’s setting isn’t one of these, where Luxendarc never came to be and Exelant happened instead etc.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and it may also work with the end scene in second and the whole Planeswarden thing. The other thing to support this theory lies in the music.

Now once again, this is all speculation and could be me thinking way to into nothing. Revo is back doing the music, as they did in B1, what’s interesting is that there are a lot of motifs and and call backs to B1 in B2’s soundtrack. The most obvious is the intro to the normal battle theme, which I made a meme of. This could just be Revo’s way of composing and keeping to the original with little snippets like this, after all two games in a series have gotta have some shared motifs in music. Another motif I caught was in the field overworld theme where the latter part is very reminiciant of old tracks as well, it feels really nostalgic :) And again that might just be it. Nostalgia, Revo is composing just as they used to.

Which is what I would be inclined to believe completely if it not for the fact that motifs in bravely’s OST are really significant or hint to certain things, and I adore hints of symbolism like this. Some examples in B1 is the Ba’al theme featuring Airy’s theme, while the two aren’t directly linked in the plot, it does show that both are enemies in a sense, and in second Anne, her sister was pulling the strings and such. Another interesting one is Florem’s theme (an absolute masterpiece of a song) where it really is a slowed down version of That Person’s Name Is, the asterisk boss theme. As Florem is a hub of corruption and under the influence of the asterisk holders this is really cool to me, that the song features the antagonists theme throughout but isn’t overt at unless you pay close attention to it. It’s almost like story telling in music in a way!

Anyway. What I’m trying to say here is that these music throwbacks and motifs may have more meaning than just being similar to the original...or not, depends what happens! Apart from the obvious title theme and other overt uses of the motifs, there is one song in the demo that really caught my attention that may support my “Mirror theory”

There is a song which annoyingly I can’t find since I don’t know the name, and I don’t want to search up the OST since I’m pretty sure at this point the OST from the full game is up on YouTube and I don’t want to run the risk of getting spoiled by song titles.

This song plays in the demo in the talk with Prince Castor, and it sounds like a reconstruction of Bravely Default one’s Melody of Nostalgic Reminiscence. It has the same instrumentation however it’s almost...muddled. Some sound bites are there but others aren’t. I’m sure this isn’t the only song to do this, but it sparked the theory for me that this game is a mirror of the original, not a complete retelling, but some things are the same in both. If that makes any sense.

Finally of things I want to know about in this game is if there will be any referral or fight with Ba’al Firstborn, the ba’al that never had any plot relevance and was simply fought on the moon base, there’s always stuff in the bravely series that hints toward a sequel such as the magnolia cutscene and such so maybe firstborn will have something more to do in this. Or not.

I might make another post if there’s anything else but these are my theories and thoughts that are heavily just me wanting to find similarities and just obsessing over a game series I adore.

Thanks for reading if you made it this far :D

[stereogeekspodcast]

[Transcript] Season 2, Episode 5. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Review

The second Marvel Cinematic Universe spin-off streamed on Disney+, and we at Stereo Geeks had a lot of thoughts. In the Special, we give an episode-by-episode breakdown of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. What did we love about the story of the show, how were the characters developed, where did the show soar and when did it fall flat? Tune in to find out. Warning: spoilers ahead!

For a more detailed look at the show, check out Ron’s extensive recaps at Show Snob. You can also learn more about the show’s successes and failures with Mon’s features at Collider: Falcon and the Winter Soldier: How the Flag-Smashers Highlight Marvel's Problem with Sympathetic Villains The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: The Show's 13 Greatest Moments How The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's Bucky Barnes Is a Positive Representation of Expats Listen to the episode on Anchor.

[Continuum by Audionautix plays]

Ron: Welcome to a new Stereo Geeks Special! This week, we’re talking about The Falcon and the Winter Soldier! I'm Ron.

Mon: And I’m Mon. Please be warned, we will be covering all six episodes of the show, and yes, there will be spoilers. If you haven't watched the show yet, check it out and then come back.

Ron: So, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Thoughts?

Mon: Well, remember how we felt after Disney Investor Day, when the trailer came out? People were hyped. You and I were worried. We thought that some of the bro-y relationship stuff was a little bit manufactured. We were worried that Disney was, as always, trying to sell us something which they wouldn't deliver. I gotta say, they proved us wrong.

Ron: I was very tentative about the series, especially because we did really enjoy WandaVision. That show was quite different. It wasn't trying to be just an extension of the MCU. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier definitely feels grounded in the mythos of the MCU. The visuals are very similar. The musical motifs are exactly from the movies that we've already seen. I think the trailer made it look a particular way, which kind of put us on the backfoot. I'm glad that the show actually didn't follow through with that tone.

Mon: Yeah, me too. I think with the trailer, we were worried that there was going to be this 80s, macho vibe, and considering that neither of these characters so far, Sam Wilson/ the Falcon, and Bucky Barnes/ the Winter Soldier, they've been really great characters all this while in the MCU. Yes, they’ve been side-characters, they really haven't been developed that much, so I was a little bit worried that the moment they’d get the spotlight, we're going to see them out of character. Thankfully, we did not.

Ron: In fact, I was actually quite surprised that throughout the six episodes they refer to so many aspects of the films, and give us more insight into events that would have happened probably in the background, and I didn't expect that, in all honesty. So, shall we break it down episode by episode and review it that way?

So, we start off with ‘New World Order’. This opening episode takes place six months after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Steve is gone. The mantle of Captain America is kind of up in the air. Sam is actually trying to take care of family stuff and Bucky is in therapy. I think for a lot of fans, and for us, as well, it was like, at the end of Endgame when Steve handed the shield to Sam, even though Sam was a little bit tentative, he was going to become Captain America. For ‘New World Order’ to actually have him not do that, that quite a departure from expectation.

Mon: But I guess the name of the show itself kind of signposted that. We kept wondering why it's called The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and not Captain America and the Winter Soldier, and it explains that. Because Sam is just not comfortable adopting this moniker. I guess in a way you could say he's not comfortable with that because of his own identity. I think it was kind of just thrusted on him, and he's trying to get used to the fact that he doesn't even have Steve in his life, and now he has to step into Steve’s shoes; it's a lot for one person to take in. Also, he literally just came back to life. It's too much!

Ron: And also, I think the reason why it's a little bit more burdensome for Sam is because Steve Rogers/ Captain America would have been an icon when he was in the military, and it just so happens that he becomes his friend, but for Sam, Steve Rogers was Captain America. It didn't make sense for there to be a Captain America without Steve Rogers. But for us as fans, we were like, what? No! Sam, you have to be the new Captain America. It made sense to us but for him it didn't make sense. And I thought that was interesting. It was not what we're expecting, especially for Sam's growth throughout the MCU. He has become an Avenger!

But then, that ending. Apparently, a lot of people knew that John Walker was going to be in the show and Wyatt Russell was going to be playing him, and I was just like, what? Because I never remember any of these things, so everything is a surprise to me. So, you have this whole thing with Sam giving up the shield, and it being put in this beautiful glass case, and there's this whole Smithsonian exhibit for Steve. And you can feel, you know, there's a lot of emotion and stuff. And we get a scene with Rhodey, which is great. I mean, Don Cheadle, is awesome as Rhodey and it's always great to see him. He’s only in that one scene, though, and I was just like, why? And then we have this moment, when it's being announced that the government has chosen a new Captain America, and this white dude who looks like the guy from Up, turn’s up and he's holding Steve’s shield! That really was like a dagger to the heart. And I thought it was very well done.

Mon: I thought so too. Even though we knew US Agent was going to join the show, and that US agent is actually John Walker, and in the comics, he has taken on the moniker of Captain America. I feel like despite knowing all that, the way the scene plays out, it's still so heartbreaking because we're looking at it through Sam's eyes, and he has, out of the goodness of his own heart, relinquished the title of Captain America. He's relinquished this shield which belonged to his friend, and the government just took that as, oh, we can do whatever we want with it. It was just a really well played out scene, even though it was pretty wordless.

Ron: Yeah, and I think the reason why it works is because throughout the first episode, we are seeing the problems that Sam and his sister are having because they are a Black family in America. And that's not something that has been touched on in the MCU. It's kind of like just happening in the background, it doesn't seem to affect the actual heroes. And here we see that, a hero or not, they still have problems. They can't get a bank loan! And the guy, on the one hand is like, I want a selfie with the Falcon, on the other hand, he's like, oh, you don't have any records for the last five years. Yeah, but he's been dead for five years! How's he gonna show you anything? And with this really infuriating scene, obviously the ending just made everything worse because you're like, oh okay so this is how Black hero gets treated. And this white guy from nowhere just gets handed one of the most symbolic icons in the country. So, it's quite an interesting start.

Mon: Yeah, I have to say. And we haven't even talked about the amazing opening action sequence with the Falcon. It is breathtaking. It really captured that original feeling that we had when the Falcon first took flight in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. And the production values were fantastic. We knew this was gonna happen, but still.

Ron: I think what surprised me about that opening action scene was that this was not TV quality. I think it's pretty good that Marvel is actually pouring in that kind of money into its limited series, and TV shows. It's kind of sad that they're doing it now, when Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was on for seven seasons, we had all the Defenders shows, and they never got a look-see; they were always in the periphery, they were always on the outside. These are very intrinsically tied into the MCU and they've got a much bigger budget.

Mon: They’ve also got more eyeballs on them. I'm just saying.

Ron: Yeah, well, let's see what happens.

Mon: Yeah, totally. So, I think let's go into the second episode and we can talk a little bit more about Bucky, because his introduction into the show was a bit underwhelming and it sort of picks up from the second episode. So, ‘Star-Spangled Man’. This song, this title is synonymous with Steve Rogers. Not anymore! Because John Walker literally has this gigantic parade where they're singing an updated version of this song. And it's so dissociative, the entire experience of seeing somebody who is very obviously not Steve Rogers in the Captain America outfit, enjoying the crowd, greeting the crowd, and this song’s going on. I have to say, the showrunners do a really good job of tugging on that nostalgia that we have for the first Captain America film, while also hitting us in the gut with this realization that, yes, this is a new world order.

Ron: And it's so manipulative, right? The government obviously knows that the ‘Star-Spangled Man’ song was associated with Steve, and they've just taking that, and they're like, oh, it doesn't matter if there's a new person who's Captain America, the song still belongs to him. But Captain America was synonymous with Steve and has been all this while. And they’re going around just thrusting this person in our faces. And then you have that first interview with John Walker and he's trying to come across as really nice, and he's talking about how Steve feels like a spiritual brother to him. And Bucky’s face when he's watching that is so funny. [laughs] Because he's just sitting there on the floor, open-mouthed like, what is this guy talking about?

I feel kind of bad because John never stood a chance. From that first shot of him at the very end of the first episode, we hated him. Mainly because the shield belonged to Sam. The name ‘Captain America; belongs to Sam. But in the second episode, even when the show was trying to humanize him, we see his wife, we see his best friend Lemar, it doesn't matter. We’re still like, give us our shield back! And it just goes downhill from there.

Mon: Yeah, absolutely. The one good thing about John Walker taking on the mantle of Captain America is that Bucky and Sam are finally reunited. As we learn in the first episode, apparently Bucky has not been replying to Sam's texts. I think it's amazing that Sam is taking his role as Bucky’s friend and protector really, really seriously. Because, let's be honest, Sam hates Bucky.

Ron: And Sam rightfully has every reason to hate Bucky. The amount of trouble he caused Steve and Sam. And Steve could at least stay alive because he had the serum in him. Sam was just a normal guy! As he said, when people are shooting at Steve, Sam is usually in the way. And Bucky was the reason why people were shooting at them! These are the little things that I really loved because Steve mattered to both of them. Of course, Sam is going to be the bigger man and try and keep in touch with Bucky, despite what Bucky put him through. For Bucky to be the one who's like, no, I'm not gonna talk to this guy, I'm just like, saying what?

Those are the little things about Bucky’s characterization in the first episode that didn't quite work for me. I like the fact that he's in therapy. That's good. I like the fact that he's been given a pardon; he helped save the planet. But him ignoring the last vestige of Steve's connection to him just doesn't make sense.

Mon: I also think that the idea that Bucky would go back to square one just because Steve has left, it didn't sit right with me. He's living in Brooklyn, which is his hometown, but his apartment has no furniture. He only has a TV. I think he has a cell phone.

Ron: Yeah, he has a really old-fashioned cell phone, right?

Mon: Yeah. He goes to therapy, and he tries to make ‘amends’. As we find out later, he's not making amends. He's avenging his wrongs. It felt disingenuous to sort of write Bucky like he’s stuck in one place, not reaching out to the people who care about him. And they sort of tried to do this thing where the only way Bucky gets out of this funk is through some romantic entanglement. So, he goes out on a date with a waitress and then he abandons her halfway through. In contrast with Sam, who had so much depth in the first episode, I couldn't wait for episode 2 Bucky, because episode 1 Bucky was kind of badly written.

Ron: Yeah, he didn't work for me either. The moment he’s with Sam again in the second episode, things are much better. And I felt like it was a bit like Bucky doesn't work unless you have that direct MCU connection. Throughout the first episode, that's not really there. Like yes, we get a few flashbacks to the Winter Soldier and that sort of thing, but until he's with Sam, those other parts of Bucky’s life just don’t work.

Mon: Yeah, I was really happy when he confronted Sam in the second episode, and then that's it, they’re stuck together. After that, it really worked. They banter with each other, they do not get along, but they’re very good at working together. They're not a well-oiled machine, because as soon as the bad guys, the Flagsmashers get in their way, Bucky is totally stuck.

Ron: And they don't listen to each other. They go in different directions; they get into trouble. They have the added tension of John Walker and Lemar Hoskins turning up and actually doing a better job at fighting the Flagsmashers. Which is annoying, but also you kinda understand it because John and Lemar are good at fighting together. They've been fighting together for years. They're best friends. The reason why Steve and Bucky fought well together, Steve and Sam fought well together, is because he was best friends with both of them. Sam and Bucky? Disaster. And they end up losing that fight.

Mon: Yeah. With the second episode, again we’re sort of treading on eggshells with these two characters. But them being together and that chemistry between the two of them, it really works to get us interested in this show.

Ron: And the fact that the two of them have a common enemy, they both dislike John Walker, so that kind of ends up giving them a reason to bond. Because otherwise, I don't think they would have had a reason to actually speak to each other. And from then on, it becomes a lot smoother. And of course, by the end of ‘Star-Spangled Man’, we get another MCU character, Zemo. As far as I'm concerned, from all the MCU villains, Zemo was the only one who succeeded. It was definitely exciting to have Zemo back and we got to see a lot more of him in the third episode, ‘Power Broker’.

The prison breakout was unexpectedly funny, especially because Bucky is kind of standing there telling Sam, hypothetically, if Zemo were to break out, this is how it would happen, and then he's actually made sure that Zemo did break out. And you’re like, why would you do that? We understand, Zemo hates super soldiers. He also knows a lot about super soldiers. The Flagsmashers are super soldiers. Ergo, we need Zemo’s help. But also, Zemo was the reason why the Avengers broke up. That man should stay in jail. But that dynamic between Zemo, Sam, and Bucky, I did not see that coming!

Mon: Same. I was definitely surprised but it really worked. Recasting Zemo as this rich Baron kind of made sense. Because he's not just rich, he is very cultured, he's very smart, he's very intelligent, in every scene that you see him, he's always the smartest guy in the room. Which is kind of annoying because he's the villain. He's also the kind of person who did really bad things because he was in a very bad place, and he had the facility to do it. I don't think at any point the writing makes us think that we can forgive this man. However, he is a means to an end, which is something that Bucky reiterates later on as well, but he's also really a fun character to hang out with, and he's really charming. They were really smart in bringing Zemo back and using him kinda as a plot device but also to bring some much needed levity to the show.

Ron: What I also liked about him being Baron Zemo in the show was that it retroactively explained how he managed to do everything that he did in Civil War. Because Zemo spends two years tracking Bucky, keeping an eye on the Avengers, and there's no way he could have done that if he didn't have money. I remember when we were watching it, we were like, how has he been able to do all this? Like he's traveling around the world, he's learning these languages. How's it possible for somebody who's just an ordinary person to have saved up that much money? So, now it makes sense. But it doesn't take away the fact that when the battle in Sokovia happened, he did lose his family, so his need for vengeance kind of made sense. It's just that at the end of it the Avengers did break up. And Thanos would not have won had Zemo not won.

Mon: Right. This is so true. We're definitely always going to fight Zemo’s corner, because way too many people ignore the fact that he was a very successful, very smart, villain.

Ron: I think among the fans who love villains like Loki. I mean, Loki is great. We love that character, of course. But you don't need to be as grandiose or as flamboyant as Loki to make a difference. Zemo was very quiet about it. He was just an ordinary guy. That's why he was successful. You don't think that a regular guy is going to be able to break up the Avengers. But he was meticulous about it. He was very determined. And he got what he wanted. So, it’s interesting after all that to see him back here and Bucky springs him from jail. And you can never trust him, but he also doesn't do anything terrible.

Mon: Yeah, I mean, he shoots one scientist because he's the only person who knows how to make super-soldier serum, which I completely understand, because Zemo really hates super soldiers, so of course, he wants to make sure that there is no possibility of anybody making the serum after the scientist. In general, it seemed like throughout the course of this episode, every time Zemo had a chance to escape, he didn't. He always came back. Of course, it's a good thing he did because otherwise we would never have been introduced to MCU Madripoor, which has got to be everybody's favorite MCU destination now.

Ron: Madripoor has a long history in the Marvel Comics. It’s usually associated with the X-Men. So, a lot of people were excited thinking that this means that the X-Men will be coming. Now, both WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier have kinda hinted at the X-Men somewhere. But they still don't have definitive proof. On the one hand, people are like, we've had so many X-Men movies, and so many of them sucked. Maybe, just let it go. On the other hand, we don't want the MCU to be like, we’ll dip into the X-Men pot, just take some of those stories, those locations, those characters. But let's not actually do anything with the X-Men. I hope that they don't do that. Maybe they are paving the path for the X-Men’s final arrival into the MCU.

Mon: I think the Marvel executives are going to be really smart about how they use the X-Men, and how they introduce the X-Men. Because they have this 20-year knowledge of where the X-Men went right, where they went wrong. They are sussing out the fan reaction. They already have the phase four slate for the MCU. They already have Fantastic Four lined up. They're not gonna thrust the X-Men on us. Not so fast. They're gonna wait for an opening. So, I know, we’re all excited, but what they’re doing right now is that they're giving us a feel of the Marvel Comic universe through these screen properties, but they're eking it out. I think they're being really smart.

Ron: Yeah, I guess so. I think the Madripoor setting was really exciting. However, I was really disappointed that Marvel went the same route as so many properties before it and had this extremely Southeast-Asian aesthetic, and there was not a single Southeast-Asian person in sight in Madripoor. Now, this has been a problem for a really long time, from Blade Runner to Firefly—euggh—in 2021, to have a Marvel property do that, that was really frustrating. I know a lot of people are upset. Whenever we do return to Madripoor, hopefully they will have more people who are actually from Southeast-Asia.

Otherwise, the setting was really exciting. It was quite different from what we've seen in the MCU. It was quite rugged and a bit scary, a bit quirky. That drink that Sam had to drink. Very brave of him. But Zemo was completely in his element over there, and that was an interesting sight to see, because he wasn't really in charge on all this while. But yeah, the outfits? Hilarious.

Mon: What I liked about it is that Zemo’s in charge, but he sort of knows when to defer to both Sam and Bucky. But also, the way Sam and Bucky fall in line with what Zemo is doing because this is his area of expertise. Sam is dressed in this flamboyant outfit because he's pretending to be some other guy, the Smiling Tiger. [laughs] As Sam says, even his name sucks. He's apparently wearing heels, which is really hilarious. I really wish we'd been able to see how high his heels were because he can't run in them. And Bucky he has to pretend to be the Winter Soldier again and a Winter Soldier who is working for Zemo. I just really like the entire feel of it because it's really quite uncomfortable knowing that Zemo’s they guy in charge, and Sam and Bucky are quite helpless. But you also know that Zemo can't really push his boundaries too much because he's at their mercy, too. So, this amazing little dynamic between these three characters really brought this entire episode to life. There was so much hype after this episode because people were kind of in love with the whole aesthetic, and the whole feel of it, which we haven't really had in the MCU that much. There's an intensity but also a levity. They really played it well.

And then of course, we finally meet Sharon Carter, who's been on the run, and is now living in Madripoor. She's kind of exiled there, her family don't know where she is. But she still helps Sam and Bucky, which is great. We see her living in Hightown. She's living it up. She's got all these art pieces which she's selling to her ‘buyers’. Of course, we find out so much more about Sharon later on.

She gets this awesome action sequence. And I have to say, it is such a surprise. When Sharon leads the three guys to meet the scientist who has the super-soldier serum, she's the only one on the outside, and there are goons after goons coming at her. And she is just knocking them dead. She's pretty brutal, which is kind of scary, because we have not seen that level of brutality in the MCU proper. We're not talking about the Netflix stuff which has its moment. She's very obviously shooting people and really harming them. But it was impressive to see a female character hold her own. She wasn't suddenly rescued by anyone. She wasn't asking for any help. She's just a one-person army; it was really impressive.

Ron: I think the reason why the fight scene also stood out was because Sharon really hasn't had that much to do in the MCU. She's been kind of pigeonholed into the love interest, who helps out, and it also shows us how much she's changed. The Sharon Carter that we see in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is a different person from who she was in Winter Soldier, in Civil War. And she's hurting. She didn't get the pardons, the life that Sam and Bucky got. Winter Soldier, who changed the course of history, he gets a pardon. Sharon Carter, who was helped Steve Rogers help Bucky, no pardon.

Mon: Forgotten! Even worse! So, it really does make us wonder what these guys were all doing. Can we say the Avengers were just so depressed, so grief-stricken themselves that they forgot about the other people? Whoever wasn't in their vicinity in Wakanda was just forgotten? That’s the only thing I can think of. Like, why would Steve forget Peggy Carter's niece, his friend, maybe love-interest, who knows, why would you forget her? I mean the only thing I can think of is that Steve saw Bucky die, he didn't even see Sam die, he could, of course, assume that, and then that's it. He was just like okay, we lost, and he was just broken after that. That’s my only thought.

Ron: I can't really think of anything else as a reason. From what we saw in Endgame, it seemed like the Avengers kind of closed ranks and focused on the big problems, the major issues. Even with Ronin, Clint Barton was just going around the world decimating these cartels and Yakuza or whatever, and that was going on for a while. And it was only when they needed Clint to come in that they actually went to look for him. Until then, it was just like, oh, this is a problem. Should you be doing something about it? He's an Avenger who's killing people who had nothing to do with what's going on in the world. So, I feel like a lot of people did get left behind, and Sharon Carter, unfortunately, was one of them.

Mon: Yeah, it’s really disappointing.

Ron: So, I guess it's not surprising though that her trajectory ends up the way it does in this show.

Mon: Yeah, I agree with you.

Ron: We don't actually get to see much of that. And in ‘Power Broker’ it's not even mentioned. You don't even realize that there's something off about Sharon, you just feel bad. And Sam and Bucky also feel bad. Sam immediately says, I can do something, I can fix this. And that's great, because that's his immediate reaction. Most of this episode is just a little bit of fun, really.

Mon: Yeah, I will say that this episode is probably a favorite among a lot of people because it is just so much fun. I would say that it's probably the one with the most glaring writing issues. Because Bucky explaining to Sam how he broke Zemo out is very clever, but where did Bucky have the time to plant all the keys and the clues for Zemo to get out? Where was the time? There's also a lot of other small things. Things like Sam saying, oh, it happens in every action movie. Sam wouldn't need to say that because he was literally a soldier. So was Bucky. So was Sharon. While that's a really fun scene, and an extremely fun dialogue, it just doesn't make sense in the context of these characters. So yeah, there's just a few little things here and there but honestly, it's such a fun episode that you won't even notice it.

Ron: Yeah, I'm actually surprised that Zemo of all people bring so much levity to the show, because he was downright scary in Civil War. So, this is really, really unexpected but also extremely enjoyable.

Mon: And I like that Daniel Brühl doesn't play him all hamfisted. He's not trying to be a caricature or he's not trying to be a comedic character, he's just playing Zemo as Zemo. It's just that the reactions of Zemo, and the reactions to Zemo, are what bring the levity, so that way, the combination of the writing, directing, and the performances really works.

Ron: So then we move on to Episode 4.

Mon: Quite a sea change, right, from Episode 3?

Ron: For the most part, ‘The Whole World is Watching’ kind of follows the similar levity, the tone, of the previous episode. We got to the Dora Milaje, which is really exciting because we weren't expecting any of the Wakandan references in The Falcon and Winter Soldier. And it was great that from the second episode, Bucky was talking about being in Wakanda. He tells Sam that his name is actually White Wolf, and Sam is actually surprised because he's like, ‘wait what, they named you something?’ And then we get to see Ayo. And she's not happy.

I like the fact that there's an immediate connection with the events of Civil War. King T’Chaka was extremely important, he was king of Wakanda for so long. And the way he was taken from them was so arbitrary. And, of course, Zemo was at fault. But it's kind of part of the reason why you see in Black Panther that T’Challa doesn't really want to be going out there, because look what happened when they outside, right? But of course, everything with Killmonger makes him realize that outside Wakanda’s walls is a world that needs their resources. And we see a little bit of that here, with Ayo coming to meet Bucky and actually speaking to him about handing Zemo over.

What I really like is that Bucky and Ayo have the kind of relationship where Bucky can say, ‘I need this guy, he's a means to an end. Give me a little bit more time, then you can have him’. And Ayo is like, ‘Okay, I understand where you're coming from. You’re the White Wolf. You've been in Wakanda, we've seen what you went through, I can give you this time. But then after that, you have to stick to that deadline’. I love that Bucky’s connection with Wakanda is kind of explored in the show, because he was there for a long time, and they made such a difference to his life. They deconditioned him.

Mon: I felt like the level of trust between Ayo and Bucky was quite obvious between the two characters. And also the fact that they've obviously had a kind of professional connection for a long time in Wakanda. Ayo is a very strong warrior. After Okoye, there's probably nobody better. So, it seems like the Wakandans had placed a lot of emphasis on Ayo keeping an eye on Bucky when he was deconditioning. So, as you see in the beginning of this episode, she's the one who is there for the last test to make sure that, yes, the programming is gone. Because if the programming wasn't, then Ayo would at least be able to fight off the Winter Soldier. So, I really like that beginning, and the fact that that's not the only time we see the Dora Milaje. They come back later, so that's good.

This episode is a lot slower in pace. It feels kind of like a filler episode, because a lot of it could have been part of the previous and the next episodes, but it wasn't.

Again, Zemo he feels like the smartest guy in the room, but you get the feeling that with Sam and Bucky they're getting a bit tetchy now. They feel a bit close to the prize, they have a deadline looming and Zemo is just antagonizing them. One of my biggest issues with this episode was that Bucky and Sam don't obviously use their brains too much. They just go headfirst into stuff, whereas Zemo, he very calmly and coolly gets information because he's using his brains.

Ron: Clearly Steve Rogers was 90% of their impulse control.

Mon: Sure seems like it, because when they go into the refugee camp, looking for Karli Morgenthau, who is the primary antagonist of the series, they just go in there asking. Everybody knows who Sam Wilson is, everybody knows who Bucky Barnes is. Nobody is going to answer your questions. It's Zemo who gets the answers they're looking for. I think it’s really frustrating when you watch them doing silly things like that, because you're like, ‘they're smarter than that, surely’.

Ron: I could still maybe excuse Bucky, because he hasn't been Bucky in a long time. He's really just has been pulled into fights. But Sam has had to be tactical, so for him to kind of just go in there and try and ask questions, it doesn't make sense, because Sam is very sympathetic person, and he wants to understand why Karli is doing the things that she's doing. It just doesn't make sense the way they went about it in this episode.

Mon: That's true. I like the fact that Sam kind of tries his level best to see the best in Karli. When he finally talks to her, he tries to engage with her, but then again, there's this moment in there when John Walker and Lemar Hoskins, sort of barge in and interrupt Karli and Sam. And you're like, ‘but Bucky was standing in the doorway, stopping them. What happened? Like how did these two normal humans with one shield between them, push through a metal-armed supersoldier. It doesn't make sense sometimes.

Ron: It felt like there was a moment that wasn't shown to us. And I don't know why they would have done that because it does leave you with a lot of questions.

Mon: Yeah, it's like, did they convince Bucky that Sam was in danger? Did they convince Bucky that Sam was stupid? [Laughs] Like what like what did they do? Or did they do the whole Marty McFly thing?

Ron [Laughs]: And why would Bucky fall for that?

Mon: So, it really makes me wonder about some of the writing moments in this entire series.

I feel like this episode was going one way, and then suddenly Lemar Hoskins is killed, and the entire tone changes. Because not only is Lemar killed, and you really feel for John because Lemar is basically John's Bucky. Right? I mean if John was Steve Rogers that's exactly how we would have viewed the whole thing. And we know the kind of lengths that Steve has gone to, to save Bucky—in all three films. So, you see this, but then John just takes it a whole new level. And them sort of showing you how he kills this innocent Flag-Smasher—the same Flag-Smasher who earlier had said that he had looked up to Captain America—and now he's being killed by Captain America, the poetic irony of that is so horrible. And the fact that John is ruthless.

A lot of this episode is also about the parallels between John and Sam. So, where Sam is immediately not interested in the supersoldier serum, John, on the other hand, has a conversation with Lemar and then decides to take it.

Ron: But you can see from the very beginning that he's tempted by it. And then when he has that dust up with the Dora Milaje, who are just trained soldiers, they don't have any serum running through their blood, but they make chutney out of him. And he's shocked that these people just easily took him and Lemar down. That's when he really started thinking that there is no way that he can continue being Captain America if he doesn't have something extra.

Mon: Yeah, and I think that they didn't build up the fact that there is insecurity in John Walker. There are a few scenes where he's talking about he's not sure about this. He seems to be suggesting that some of that medals that he earned, he’s not proud of them, because of the actions that he took. We never are privy to what those were, and we don't need to be. We understand that these are burdens that weigh heavily on this man. But I feel like his relationship with the supersoldier serum, his relationship with the icon that is Captain America could have been built out more.

Ron: Yeah.

Mon: Just so that we understood this character as more than the guy who stole Steve’s shield.

Ron: In the first two episodes, it seemed like he was just an ordinary soldier who's very happy to be defending the world as Captain America. You get these moments where he's trying to push his boundaries with people, especially with Bucky and Sam. He wants to be Captain America, and he wants, other people to fall in line with him. When Bucky and Sam don't do that then he's just like, ‘then don't get in my way’. It's very Black and white with him. Those moments happen fairly often, but in ‘The Whole World is Watching’ it felt like there was a lot more to him than just that. The way he's vacillating between whether he should continue letting Sam speak to Karli, or whether he should actually go in there and arrest her—he's so restless. He can't stand still, he's getting more and more agitated. These are not the reactions of somebody who should be getting the shield. But we don't really know why that is. And then once he gets the serum, and you see him kill the Flag-Smasher, you get the inkling that, okay, this man maybe should not have been given the all clear in his psych eval.

Mon: That's completely correct because when we start off the fifth Episode, ‘Truth’, we begin to realize that this is true. The truth is that he probably did not pass his psyche eval. By the way that John is trying to convince himself that, yes, he was in the right for killing this innocent Flag-Smasher, it's just frightening because that man, while he was dying was literally saying, ‘I'm innocent. I didn't do it’, and here's John standing there on his own, saying, ‘no, no, I was completely right, you know, he had to die’.

Ron: It's like he's convinced himself. And later on, in ‘Truth’, when he actually goes to speak to Lemar’s parents, they're obviously very very upset. They know John. These boys have most likely grown up together, because the parents, they are so loving towards John. And then they're like ‘the person you killed, he's the one who did this to our son?’ And John says ‘yes’. And I was just like, ‘did you just lie to these parents?’ I mean, on the one hand, you're like, what's he gonna say, he can't possibly tell them, ‘No I killed some other random dude and the actual person who killed your son, she's still out there.’ That's not what you want to tell grieving parents. But on the other hand, bare-facedly lying to people in grief, people who love you. I was just like, ‘wow this guy's off the deep end’.

Mon: Yeah, the fight scene that ensues right after the killing of the Flag-Smasher, is another reminder that this guy is not to be trifled with. Because he doesn't seem to have a moral code. His aim in life is to prove that he is Captain America. And I think that's the biggest problem with John. It parallels Sam's own reservations, right? He was stepping into somebody else's shoes. He was carrying somebody else’s shield. Hence, he was the better man who decided against picking up that mantle, because it didn't feel like it was his. John's been given this, and he was big-headed enough to believe that he deserved it. And we seem to see that there is a reason why these two characters are at opposing ends, and why one seems to deserve the shield over the other.

Ron: I would have liked to get some inkling of who John Walker was before Captain America came anyway near him. Because, especially in ‘Truth’, the way he keeps insisting, ‘I am Captain America’, it's almost like he's convincing himself, because maybe somewhere in the recesses of his mind he's realized what he just did, that's not the Captain America thing to do.

And of course, in the middle of it all, grief is in the mix. Lemar, obviously, was a huge part of his existence, and for him to die like that, it’s affected him. But him having taken the supersoldier serum, it's messed up a lot of what is already wrong with him.

What we know is that he did what he had to do as a soldier. He didn't like it, those acts have weighed very heavily on his mind, which is again making me wonder, how did he get chosen to be Captain America? Because this is not a man who sleeps soundly at night.

Watching the events of ‘The Whole World is Watching’ and the aftermath in ‘Truth’, you can see why Steve decided not to give Bucky the shield. He chose Sam, because from what we see in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, John is as messed up as Bucky. But the government decided to give him the shield, and this is what's happened.

Mon: Bucky literally says in ‘The Whole World is Watching’ that John is crazy, and he knows that because he is crazy.

Ron: Exactly. And there are now dead people.

Mon: Exactly. And one of the things that Sebastian Stan mentioned about Bucky, in the first film Captain America: The First Avenger, is that in his reading of Bucky, in some of the comic runs, he felt like Steve was the good guy, the morally high ground kind of guy. So, some of the dirty deeds were actually done by Bucky. So, as we see in Captain America: The First Avenger, Steve's going around knocking people with his shield, but Bucky’s the one with the sniper rifle. Bucky’s doing the dirty deeds, saving Captain America from that. The reason is that Captain America has clean hands. With John, he's already come in with dirty hands, and the adage that to be Captain America, you have to be a good man, everything you know about Sam Wilson tells us that he is one.

What we know of Sam, when he was part of the Project Falcon, is that he wasn't going around shooting people. For John and Bucky, will have the parallel that they were already killers. Bucky was a killer before he became the Winter Soldier.

Ron; Which is probably why he was such a good Winter Soldier.

Mon: That’s probably true. With ‘Truth’, all these truths come out and it's just so disturbing. Especially in the first fight scene when Sam and Bucky, who have been fighting for the shield, are literally at the receiving end of it. That fight scene was very reminiscent of the fight between Bucky, Steve and Tony in Captain America: Civil War. But, wow, this one is so brutal, like you can feel those punches.

Ron: I liked what they were doing here because you immediately know that in Civil War, those three were holding back because Steve and Tony were friends, Bucky knew that they were friends, so nobody was actually trying to murder each other. Here, it's not like that. Bucky and Sam are trying to protect each other, but John is trying to save his own bacon. He does not want his shield to be taken away, he does not want to lose being Captain America. And the way he fights for it, as you said, It's brutal.

Mon: Yeah.

Ron: He's not afraid to hurt these two.

Mon: Bucky can at least take it because he's a supersoldier. But poor Sam!

Ron: My gosh that poor land, he does get a beating, doesn't he?

Mon: Yeah. And he keeps getting back up, and he’s so deft with his wings, he uses them to perfection.

Ron: We haven't actually seen that kind of wing fighting in the MCU. He usually used his wings just to fly about. But the wings over here, they work so brilliantly. And the fact that he can get hit and still keep coming back. I thought that was really commendable, because he's just an ordinary guy. And even after that, he still doesn't want the serum.

One of the other aspects of the shield that, well, you probably didn't have to talk about it that much, but it was implied, is that the shield is the last remaining part of Steve Roger. So for Sam and Bucky, the shield is kind of sentimental in a way. And after John kills the Flag-Smasher with the shield, it’s the first time we see blood on the shield, and that's quite a striking and kind of a gory image.

What I liked in ‘Truth’ was that once Sam and Bucky, after having been beat down so many times and finally Sam's got the shield back; you see him kind of wiping the blood off the shield. That was such a touching moment. I like those bits.

Mon: That fight scene was really good because not only was it beautifully choreographed, but it really worked hard to develop character. And I think it's so hard because we do watch the shows and these films for the action, but sometimes the action just feels overlong and gratuitous. But this one, this particular fight scene, it did a lot to tell us so much about these characters. And I really appreciated the fact that even though we’re on the penultimate episode of the series, they were working hard to tell us something new about these people.

Ron: Yeah. So you have all these things happening and they kind of just have to give up. And there’s this really nice long sequence when they're in Louisiana. Then the tone completely changes with Sam going back to Louisiana to sister, and the two of them trying to fix the boat and then Bucky turns up, and you're like, ‘why are you here?’ I don't want to hang out together, but they do hang out together. And they're fixing the boat and you need those kinds of interludes. With the Marvel films, you don't have the time for that. You only really have two hours for the story and action. With a TV series you’ve got that time. It's basically a six-hour long movie so you've got a lot of time for that character building. And it's kind of sweet to see Sam and Bucky just trying to get closer to each other, but also accepting the fact that the reason why they’re connected is gone. So, it works.

You also get this very long montage of Sam learning how to use the shield. And you see him training and stuff, not all of it worked for me.

Mon: Oh really?

Ron: Yeah because, why do we need to see Sam training? He’s a soldier. He's already well-built, it makes sense to see him train with the shield because it's Vibranium, it's not made to be caught by a normal person. So it does take him a bit of practice, but him doing, you know, the whole Rockymontage sequence, it didn't quite make sense. Because he’s already there. It's just that this one specific skill he needs to work on. But by the end of it you know what's going to happen. We just don't know how it's going to happen.

So then we go into the finale, ‘One Word One People’. And that's the motto of the Flag-Smashers. I guess they're a Marvel villain. I'm actually surprised that in the six episodes they weren’t as well constructed as they should have been.

Karli Morgenthau is a villain ™. There's no reason why she should be. The Flag-Smashers’ goal is to bring the world together without boundaries, as it was during the days the Blip. And for that reason they're bad people? And the show kind of makes it so that we feel like that because Karli randomly blows up people. And yes, these are strategic targets, but the victims are just ordinary people just doing their jobs. And there's no reason why she has to do it. I think that with the Flag-Smashers the show really struggled. And I would say, it kind of failed.

Mon: Especially in the final episode, it seemed like the showrunners just want to double down on the fact that the Flag-Smashers are bad, you shouldn't be rooting for them. I think we were really let down by those characters, and their entire arc. They sort of all died and then that was it.

Ron: Yeah, especially because, think of the optics. You have Karli Morgenthau, who’s played by Erin Kellyman, who’s a biracial Black woman, and she's the bad guy? And she's the bad guy for wanting to bring the world together. It just doesn't look right. And had we had a bit more time to understand them, maybe we could have felt something, but you're just like, ‘why are you telling me how to feel about these people?’ And it really did feel like that.

Mon: Because Sam believes in her and believes that she's got good in her, but nothing she does seems that way. Aside from the first episode where they were seemingly ferrying vaccines to refugee camps. After that she really went downhill.

Ron: It was 0-100.

Mon: Yeah. Again, with Marvel villains, it's always like that.

Ron: And it doesn't make sense for this particular group to be like that, which was frustrating.

Mon: I felt like, with Karli, maybe if she'd had more screen time or some better writing, if we had understood her anger along with her goal and her mission. It’s just that she kept telling us that these people are terrible, these things that they're doing are terrible, we just didn't have enough background or context for why she's feeling this way, and why she's feeling such animosity that she's going around killing innocent people.

Ron: Yeah.

Mon: In that sense I would say the finale fell flat.

Ron: Yeah, I mean the rest of the action was fantastic, absolutely brilliant. Sam, having the Falcon wings, and the shield and fighting with both of them, it looked so good. We haven't seen action like that. I don't know how they shot it, but it looked really great.

Mon: And his costume is so close to the comic book, and it works.

Ron: Yeah.

Mon: It really works. I kind of wish we'd seen Sam and Bucky fighting together. That was the only thing I really really missed because Bucky goes off on his own, and after some time he is working with US Agent, well John Walker, before he’s US Agent. But Sam's off on his own for the most part. And while he's really smart, and he's really good as Captain America, I just wanted to see them fight side by side.

Ron: Yeah, that would have been nice. And Sharon Carter kind of comes in, but she doesn't really do much. And you're like, ‘why is she holding back?’ Then we find out that she's actually the Power Broker. There were rumors from like two, three episodes ago that she might be. I don't know how to feel about this. On the one hand, I get it. She's upset. She has been abandoned, she's lost everything she knew. Of course, she's going to do whatever she can to get some power. On the other hand, really?

Mon: It doesn't sit right with me.

Ron: It seems really unfair to Sharon Carter.

Mon: Yeah. There are so few women characters in the MCU, as it is, and you've got one good person, Sharon, she's a bad guy?

And also, we don't know the depths that the Power Broker has gone to, we don't know how powerful the Power Broker is. So, it's hard to gauge, just how scared we should be of Sharon's transformation.

Ron: With Sharon and whatever trajectory she's on and Karli, having been killed. I wonder why there's this dichotomy between who gets redemption and who doesn't. The Winter Soldier really did mess up a lot of things. But somehow, Bucky is getting to live a life. And by the end of the series, he's pretty much with the Wilsons now, he's part of the family. But Karli has to have died.

Mon: Well, the only difference between Karli and the Winter Soldier is that Bucky didn't have much of a choice in what he did as the Winter Soldier. So, in that case, he can be forgiven. He was literally brainwashed, he did not have any control over it, so I can understand that dichotomy, that's fine. But I just don't understand the evolution of Sharon. Because Karli I felt like they really wanted us to care about this character but they never wrote her as someone we should care about. But Sharon, she's a comic book character who we all are familiar with. She's always been Captain America's girlfriend. And she's been on the right side of Marvel comic books. So, for her to evolve into somebody who could potentially be a huge threat, that's the only worrying part. And we will be seeing her again?

Ron: Well, apparently, there's going to be a second season for the show. Captain America 4 is also happening with Anthony Mackie as Captain America. I don't know whether we will see the character from this show turn up in the movie, but the second season, we could see more of Sharon Carter, maybe even more of Zemo, and the Countess, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, which was a surprise I guess?

I don't know, people were making like a big deal about it, and I was just like, ‘why wouldn't you be in a Marvel role?’ Her kids are probably really excited about it?

Mon: I feel like that part of it is going to be interesting, but it's never going to be the compelling pull for me, because for me, I just want to see Sam and Bucky being Sam and Bucky. I want to see them evolving and growing and just hanging out together. Action, fight scenes that's what we got this season. We saw Sam grow; we saw Bucky grow. We saw them come together; come closer. I just really like that.

And in the end when the title card changes from The Falcon and The Winter Soldier to Captain America and The Winter Soldier, I was squealing with glee.

Ron: Yeah, and that's what we were wondering from the beginning of the show right? Why isn't it Captain America and The Winter Soldier, well, now we know why.

I still don't know why he still the Winter Soldier, though? Is he gonna reclaim that name? Maybe, who knows?

But yeah, this show was interesting because it gives us more of two characters who we do care about who haven't had the opportunity to grow in the films. So yes, they needed this platform. But the other characters like John, now he’s US Agent, how come he's not in prison, I still don't know. But for some reason he's out there. Sharon, really, I just don't understand why they've had to go in to make her a bad guy mode.

The character I am excited for is Joaquin Torres, played by Danny Ramirez. Joaquin is from the comics. He's Falcon in the comics. His design in the comics that I've read are kinda creepy.

Mon: Oh!

Ron: Yeah, because he's an actual like part Falcon.

Mon: Ugh, I really hope he doesn't turn into a part Falcon.

Ron: I hope they don't go with that design either. But we did see him kind of get the suit from Sam, so maybe he will become Falcon. I do love him geeking out over Sam from the very first episode. It's very sweet, and it's a really nice way to introduce a character.

We haven't been able to talk about Isaiah Bradley, played by Carl Lumbly. Isaiah Bradley is a character from the comics.

Mon: So, Isaiah was introduced in a limited comic run, where he was part of a regiment of Black soldiers who were experimented on. And when the government decided to abandon them, he stole the Captain America suit and tried to save them. And for his efforts, he was unfortunately imprisoned and experimented on even more. His story in the TV show is a little bit different. In fact, the way they've written his character and his actions, parallel Steve's. It’s exactly the way he tried to save Bucky and his regiment. It's really heartbreaking, especially because we know about the Tuskegee Airmen who were also kind of forgotten by history, and a lot of Isaiah’s story is based on those forgotten heroes.

I am so glad that after that little snippet that we saw in the second episode, he did come back and his story was expanded on and Sam’s connection with Isaiah was also expanded. And that was really good because I was a little bit confused initially as Bucky he knew him, and he dragged Sam there and Isaiah was really upset. He seemed to be agitated at the sight of Bucky. I was thinking like, ‘what is Bucky doing?’ But the last two episodes where Sam meets Isaiah, I feel like he was able to form a sort of bond with him. And in the final episode he really seemed to thaw that cold heart of his.

Ron: Yeah, I felt like Sam meeting Isaiah gave him the impetus to become Captain America, even though Isaiah didn't want him to take on the mantle. So, Sam had a lot to think about. And it was good to get that other perspective, because for Sam, getting the Captain America shield from John Walker was really important. But why Isaiah and people like Isaiah would not want Sam to take on a mantle that was imbedded in oppression did make sense, but in the end, it was Sam's choice. It will be interesting to see how the fourth film explores what it means for Sam to actually be Captain America.

Through Isaiah we also get Eli, his grandson, and in the comics, Eli is Patriot, who is also part of Sam's group. So, maybe, Elijah Richardson who was playing, Eli has hinted that maybe there’s a future for his character. Who knows.

A lot of people are really excited because it seems like the makings of the Young Avengers has been in the works. A lot of the characters have been introduced by now, but who knows, we haven't got any confirmation yet. Let's not get excited. But it'll be great to see something like that.

On the whole, this show was surprisingly enjoyable. It was a bit darker than I expected. I really did think that it would be more bantery and fun. I didn't mind the dark bits. I think they worked well. Certain characters worked better for me—Isaiah was definitely a highlight. I love Sam and his sister Sarah. The glimpses we got of the Dora Milaje were lots of fun. Bucky, initially, I really wasn't sure about him, but it got a lot better. Sharon, she's doing a good job with what she's got. But I don't know what the future holds. I really wish it wasn't in the darker direction that it's apparently going.

John Walker, it looks like that guy's gonna be hanging around. He's probably going to be a thorn in Captain America’s side, that’s for sure. A second season would definitely be welcome. And I think it will be needed. Whereas with WandaVision, it works as a whole. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, now Captain America and The Winter Soldier, it probably needs a bit more time for some of these characters. But otherwise, surprisingly enjoyable.

Mon: Yeah, I really like the show. I would go as far as to say, I actually really loved it. Yeah, there were some writing issues. And I will admit that yes the villains were under done—they were very formulaic which, honestly, the first episode seemed to suggest that they weren't going to be, so that was really disappointing. But if you came here for Sam and Bucky, you are going to get Sam and Bucky, and they are great; they are fantastic. It seems like Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan seem to be really enjoying playing these characters and fleshing them out, which is great. I mean at the end of it, it seems like the two of them, as characters, have really formed a bond. They seem to have accepted that Bucky is just part of the Wilson family, and it's great because he's been kind of on his own all this while. And for whatever reasons, Steve wasn't able to give him that family feeling, because Steve himself was a man out of time, Sam isn't, so it was really nice to see these characters get a platform, and then really grow into it. I would honestly love to see a second season, I would love to see a second season, and Captain America 4.

Ron: Yeah.

Mon: Because I can't get enough of these characters. So please Marvel, keep at it.

Ron: What did you think of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier? We'd love to hear from you.

You can find us on Twitter @Stereo_Geeks. Or send us an email stereogeekspodcast@gmail.com. We hope you enjoyed this Episode. And see you next week!

Mon: The Stereo Geeks logo was created using Canva. The music for our podcast comes courtesy Audionautix.

[Continuum by Audionautix plays]

Transcription by Otter.ai, Ron, and Mon.

[renaer-is-allegedly-hot]

session 18

Session 18

Sunday, February 28, 2021       7:33 PM

  -  "we're all gonna die"

-  Lilguerite talking about soup and secondary soups and tertiary soups

 -  Last week on

-  We went to the hideout thing

-  In the prison thing

-  "you take little bites you fool"

o  "take bigger bites you fool" - marguerite, judging marianne

-  There's a minotaur

-  We tried killing this one guy but it didn't work lmao rip us

 -  6 for initiative

- 19 for L (22}

- 14 for M (17}

 -  Theo shoots, misses (10}

-  Dwarf

o  Sylvia: "how big is his ass"

-  Dwarf has an axe

o  Aerana is probably the closest

■       Is hit

■       I'm unconscious

■       "I'm expendable" "no binch I won't take any of this negativity"

-  Halfling asks theo for the lockpick

o  Theo gives it to her

-  Asyna turns into a crocodile

o

-  Adam o o o o o

Tries to bite and misses

 Cutting words Hits

Next minute dwarf is completely unconscious Strums one note for hypnotic pattern

Falls on his face (the dwarf not adam}

-  Time to go get his keys

-  Asyna has to roll a saving throw as a crocodile (17} ; she's fine

-  Cel adds 8 to aerana

-  Asyna turns into ape, grabs key, 11+2 for dex

-  Throws keys to adam

-  Adam lets big boys out first

o  minotaur, ogre, another w ogre-like features but not quite sure what type of creature it is

-  Cel lets out human and drow

-  Asyna takes battle axe

-  Asyna looks through pockets, 4 for investigation

-  Asyna gives adam the axe and gives the axe to the minotaur

-  Theo gets lockpick back

-  Aerana moves to the back bc she's casually bleeding out

o  Aerana in back with sword

-  Asyna still an ape

-  Theo doing smth I didn't hear lmao oops sorry lillian

-  Dwarf gets up

-  Adam "so you wanna surrender now?"

o  Dwarf grunts

o  Adam tells minotaur to sic him

-  Cel rolls to hit, dirty 20 w disad

-  theo rolls to hit, 15 w disad

o  Cel hits

■       12 damage

■       "can I shoot him in the ass?"

-  Adam has to persuade minotaur

o  11, persuades and minotaur

o  Hits, 21 damage

-  Back to theo

o  18 to hit

o  9 damage

-  Halfling looks around, turns to squad, says we have everything covered

o  Adam asks for any helpful things

■       27 for ?? Persuasion ??

  -  Asyna

o

□

□

 21 to hit

Sighs and has a crude shiv and walks up and shivs the dwarf Hits, damage ig

o 6 damage

-  Dwarf uses half his movement to stand, tries to run

o  18 damage from ppl around

-  Asyna gets to hit again

o  21 to hit, 9 damage

-  He runs off to the right

o  Adam is like 80? Ft away from him, casts sleep ?

-  Cel peeks out, sees arena with a bunch of blood

o  No bodies ???????? Ew

-  Arbys is the minotaur

o  Because he's got the Meats

-  Dom asks us for our passive perception

o  We apparently don't see the thing

-  Drow woman steps out

-  Does blood trail stop?

o  Adam investigating, 11

■       "sure" there's a trail of blood leading to wall, adam pushes wall, it swings inwards

-  Cel goes in first, adam right behind her

-  "are you guys finding the way out?" "we're finding the way in, dawg"

-  Inviting them to come with us

-  Ask them their names

o  Human names

■       Arthritis

□  "there you go. He's smoking hot"

□  This is an elderly man

□  Why are we into him

♦

■       Claudio

■       Jia

OH WE'RE NOT ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT ARTHRITIS

o  Drow

■

■

 ■

Raylan Arwindar(?}

"if you follow quickly, minotaurs have an uncanny ability to memorize where they've been"

Looks @ asyna and aeranan and in elvish says if we're interested in visiting below, operation works on level 5

□ Puts on a ring and disappears

o  Humans choose to follow minotaur

o  Halfling is gone

-  We can still pass without a trace

o  Time to go down secret passage

-  Adam peeks head into somewhere and sees four pillars glowing w sickly green/yellow light

o  100 ft long

o  Urns scattered throughout

o  Via thaumaturgy dims the lights, walks over to urns

■       Stealth check to go to urns

■       30 stealth, notices some things abt room

□  Nine alcoves in wall; ones he can see have murals w beholders painted on them

□  Diff patterns + colors + eyestalk shapes

□  Large statues of beholder heads that look similar to the ones in the murals placed in front of them

□  To right, carved stone display of a scowling beholder flanked by two statues of wizards

□  Beneath each wizard's hood a light that pulses

□  The pillars are kinda pillars but they have bubbling liquids w a beholder n all of its eyes shuts in the tank

-  Adam wants to let them out

o  "bitch what the fuck" - sylvia

-  Adam looks back at everyone else and says "what the fuck"

-  There's an exit to the south, ahead of us

-  Adam investigates

o  Walks up to biggest beholder and "no don't do that" (sylvia} looks at it

o  They're frozen in a serene pose; the furthest one is jet black and chonky, larger than the one that attacked our house

-  Adam looks inside an urn

o  Adam makes constitution save

o  Dirty 20

o  Unique smell that makes adam wanna puke

o  Quickly shoves lid back on, adam picks up urn and takes it with him

o  No one is hiding in alcoves

-  Go out south door, see a hallway that looks like another hallway we were in earlier

o  In front is heavyset wooden door, another passageway extending to right

o  Door swings open, aerana looks inside; pitch dark which is unusual

■       Heavy desk made of stone in corner, ornate chair behind it w a spider motif

■       Bookshelves not really w any books

■       Two open crates

■       25 for perception

□                Nat20 bois "it's an 8" "no it's a 6" - lillian and marguerite

◆      Spider motif gives off drow vibes

◆      Crates: stuffed beholders in them

◊ Grabs a bunch of them

◆      Small statues in other crate like trophy depicting smaller beholder being caressed by hands

◊ Looks kinda nice

◊ Some type of stone

◆      Empty bookshelves

◆      Chair smushed

◆      Drawers in the desk? Pull desk back

◊ Nat20, we move desk and it grates against stone; see different compartments in desk

◊ Nothing on or behind the walls

►            Asyna recognizes chair theme

-   Not made of wood, made of mushrooms

-   13 history check

•   Looks like a chair from menzo bonanza

•   Basically drow capital

•   Asyna remembers that her mother used to hide things in her chair

•

•

 -  "guys there's a key in the chair. Can we look for a keyhole"

14 investigation

There's a sealed compartment in the chair, pulls out a small black key

o  Try desk keyholes

o  Left cabinet

■       Silvery silken sack

□  "what's in the sack" - adam

□  Asyna pulls out sack, hard to see

♦

♦

♦

♦

♦

♦

o  Right drawer

Nothing in it

Adam cannot tell us what it is

Jacob cannot tell us what it is either Asyna puts her hand in it, feels around Fits her arm in the bag

Tardis bag

■       Heavy tome

■       "it's not even a book. It's like a tome. This big black book"

■       Wrapped in webbing

■       Asyna recognizes it as just a typical book protector

■       Pages of symbols n words; some in elvish

■       Arcana check 17

□  It's a wizard's spellbook

-  Use naya to find the jailer

o  Goes out of pathway and to left

o  Let's go kids

-  Puts a plushie in the bag

o  Puts 30 plushies in bag, they fall out one at a time

o  Bag does not get heavier

o  Puts urn in the bag

o  Takes urn back out

o  Only fluff in the plushies

o  10 investigation to see if there's anything in the plushies

■       Yellow n blue beholder

o  Puts book in sack

-  Aerana wonders if turning bag inside out is infinite

o  Everything falls on the floor

■       The animals and the trophies

-  Theo steps into the bag

o  Put on the ground, oh never mind it's been 15 minutes

-  70 ft down hallway, see an eyeball thing

o  Looks like a living thing, alien, looks back and forth every once in awhile

o  Doesn't see us

o  Sneak past it?

■       Narrow hallway

o  Theo + aerana 20 to hit, same time

o  Cel 17 to hit

■       Creepy shriek noise

■       Liquid slips out, drips, turns into cloud of green dust

o  Dust in the bag

o  Adam tries to do monster lines

o  "now it's a bag of . beholding" - lillian, 2021

o  We get some beholder dust in the bag by blowing

-  Hallway continues, ends at a doorway w heavy wooden door w side passage and stairs heading up

o  Naya looking up

o  Adam peeking into other door

o  Black smoke billows out of room, adam sees room lit with a halfling male with a dirty apron on, running around frantically

■       Appears to be cooking

■       Adam opens door and salutes

■       "head chef I'm here to help ! I was sent by the upper"

□  "finally I haven't had a break"

□  Gives adam the apron and mans leaves

◆      Leaves out off to right

□  "does the apron say anything"

□  Cel says if we survive she'll embroider "kiss the chef" on the apron

■       Adam puts food on top of rack, two halflings on bottom?

■       Adam rolls 14 investigation, sees one dirty apron and chef's hat combo

□  Aerana puts on chef's hat and apron

□  Thinks this is stupid

□  Asyna and aerana cook

□  Nvm asyna and aerana r following naya

-  Adam pushing cart towards good smelling food

o  V elegant chef ppl walking around

o  Hallway transforms into smth less dingy

o  Two large stoves

o  Spice rack

o  More elegance here

o  Seven chef ppl

o  Two small beholders; gazers

■       Floating above, chef gazers

o  "well fuck you too" ???? Cel to adam ???

o  Adam goes to most important looking chef and says he's responding to duty, says he was instructed to feed lord silgar but bc new doesn't know where to go

■       Gives self bardic inspiration

■       17 for deception

□  Chef goes "what are u doing w that"

□  Can't give food to silgar

□  Cobalts look like little lizard ppl

□  Adam instructed to follow stairs from outside

◆                                                                                                              Left right left right again for xant chambers

[harryignr068]

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When was the last Google Maps picture taken?

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Steven Wesley is an education and learning blog writer and also technology enthusiast. He has an interest in public connections, organization, electronic advertising as well as academic, technical, and political problems. Besides, Steve believes in the mighty power of the pen to change the modern-day globe.

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Can I see a live satellite view of my house?

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, go into the title to show for this area in the text area balloon. In the Pagebuilder WYSIWYG Editor window, position your cursor at the spot where the map will certainly lie. The map element can not be modified after it has actually been conserved. You require to have actually picked" Partner map with this article" in the Map Options window when creating a map for that map to be displayed making use of Map Query tag shortcode.

After that, change to the HTML sight for the material element. In the following view, choose the HTML block and click Next. With the iframe replicated to your clipboard, return to the touchdown page editor, find the block that we left open for the map, best click and select Include Material. After that, choose the share or embed option from the menu.

You can add a map area to your motif to reveal the location of your company.

Just above the Google Maps API script in your HTML data, add a link to your Javascript documents.

The 2nd means to utilize your site to enhance your Google Maps ranking is to target it for neighborhood search.

A lot of the cost-free motifs from Shopify consist of a map section that you can contribute to your home page.

Make sure to change the src characteristic worth with the place of your very own documents.

For the read the full info here objectives of this instance, we'll put our custom Google Map code in a separate Javascript data called map.js.

This consists of choices for submitting custom symbols, advanced store locator attributes, as well as far more. With these benefits in mind, you're probably asking How do I embed a Google Map into my WordPress website? Installing a map on your site can also assist to reduce your bounce rate, along with allow your website enjoy other Search Engine Optimization benefits.

All right, as well as allow me kind of pivot over right here a little bit so I'm not hiding Boston, there you go. Okay, so we have actually obtained Sacramento, Boston, as well as San Antonio, all throughout our beautiful map below. And also there's a lot of, if you have a favored WordCamp make sure to comment listed below and also give 'em a shoutout. I'm gon na do a number of my favorite WordCamps around the amazing United States, so allow's do Boston.

[unklarity]

Critical Role: Beau

“Click “keep reading” for more photos and a description of my Beau magic box! :)

Over the course of CR2, I was totally blindsided by how much I grew to love Beau, so I was both excited and nervous to make a box for her. I actually made the whole box on paper first (which I have never done before). I think that on some level, I was procrastinating because if I never started, I couldn’t screw it up. After having numerous Beau conversations with some amazing people (special thank you to @alemongrenade​, who helped me to turn my Beau feelings into real words), I was able to pin down some themes for her, but it took a while to flesh them out and really get to a point where I was comfortable with them. I ended up focusing on the difference between Beau’s perception of herself and how others perceive her, the way that perception influences her actions, and how that perception was developed.

I have a bad habit where I always feel the need to one-up myself, especially since I’m always learning new techniques and ways to do things, so I tend to want to incorporate all the things I learn into everything. With Beau, though, I wanted to keep it simple. “I’m a simple girl, simple needs,” to quote her introduction. I think Beau is very simple, on the outside, and I wanted the physical box to reflect that veneer of simplicity. Everyone always underestimates her, thinks there isn’t much more to her than a girl who has a problem with authority. So the box is plain, only decorated on the outside with the Cobalt Soul symbol, and yet the contents are varied and complex. (I love a good extended metaphor haha)

One of the reasons I struggled with Beau was her lack of concrete imagery at the beginning of the campaign. While I appreciated her simplicity from a fan standpoint, it was tough to come up with motifs to fit the box. I really wanted to reference her frustration with not being able to see in the dark and how much of a game-changer her Goggles of Night were. My first thought was a glow-in-the-dark message since I was having a hard time finding something more concrete, and even though I eventually did find a perfect pair of miniature silver goggles, I still wanted to include a glow-in-the-dark element, which ended up meshing perfectly with her jade All-Seeing Eye tattoo.

I painted the tattoo in the inside lid and added a clear, matte glow-in-the-dark paint over the top. You can see in the photo below how it looks in the light and in the dark! It’s one of my favorite parts of the box :)

Stones:

I wanted to stick to the Cobalt Soul color scheme of blues and greys as much as possible, so I wanted to use as many blue stones as I could. For a focus stone, I picked a gorgeous electric blue apatite tower. Apatite clears away guilt, confusion, apathy or negativity and helps expand one’s intellect and desire for knowledge and truth. It also represents positive use of personal power to achieve goals, encouraging you to accept yourself as you really are, and to gain greater self confidence. What I thought was interesting about this stone is that the meaning of the word Apatite relates to the Greek word 'apatao', which means 'to deceive'. Now, that’s probably due to the stone being mistaken for other minerals, but I thought it fit well with Beau not being easy to read, people thinking she’s shifty or lying even when she’s being honest, and her troubles with outwardly showing genuine emotions.

I also included a tiny Jade owl to represent wisdom, balance, perspective, and learning to be comfortable with showing your true self (and because I, too, wish Professor Thaddeus could have been Beau’s awesome owl sidekick).

The rest of the stones in the box are:

Fluorite- focus, intelligence, aids in meditation and helps with finding peace with oneself

Labradorite- transformation, becoming, being more true to who you are, help banishing fears/insecurities while enhancing faith and reliance in oneself;

Aquamarine - courage, freedom, and communication

Honey Calcite- clarity of insight/action, confidence, intellectual power

Rose quartz - forgiving oneself, learning to accept love, alleviating fear and sorrow/resentment

Blue aventurine - moving past trauma/letting go of emotional baggage, endurance, help saying what you mean, inner strength, passion/determination, gaining  control of anger and emotion, using it to help you

Hematite- grounding, cooperation (fighting in cooperation with spellcasters), fighting up close and personal (associated with martial artists), help talking your way out of situations

Tourmalated Quartz- hardness/tough exterior, help when feeling trapped/cornered. provides security when there is fear of failure, courage and self-acceptance in the learning process. Help with self sabotaging. Good for discipline and meditation. Help dealing with anger/self loathing/bitterness

Sodalite-help being less critical of oneself and help calming internal conflict

Celestite- clarity, intuition, and openness to things out of your comfort zone (also divine energy as a reference to Caduceus’ Holy Weapon spell)

And that’s it for stones!

Potions:

There are 6 potions, each labeled with a number on the bottom. The first three are in the photo below, in order from left to right:

The first potion is centered around Beau’s perception of herself, and how that’s been influenced by her interactions with others. Inside the bottle are lemon balm and basil for self hatred, peony for shame and anger, yellow carnation for disdain, heather for solitude and only being able to rely on herself/carry burdens herself, marigold for feeling like she has to constantly fight to prove herself worthy of love (“love you have to fight for”), nettle for insecurity and perceived insincerity, pine for low self worth, lotus for rebelling against authority, purple hyacinth for guilt/feeling like she has to apologize for being herself, and yellow hyacinth for comparing yourself to others/not thinking you’re special. Sealed with silver wax and a lotus flower stamp with blue pigment.

The second potion is a direct contrast to the first, dealing with other people’s perception of Beau and how she really is. There’s acorn for wisdom despite youth, sunflower for wisdom/loyalty, nutmeg for intelligence/wit, cedar for resilience and strength, pansy for thoughtfulness, thyme for loyalty, affection, attracting the good opinion of others, and courage in the face of adversity, gladiolus for strength of character, faithfulness, and honor, and dogwood for deep devotion and keeping confidence. Sealed with silver wax and a sunflower stamp with blue pigment.

The third potion represents the Cobalt Soul and what it means to Beau at different points in the campaign. At the beginning, the Soul is just another cage, someone else trying to impose their will on Beau, but as the story goes on, her goals and theirs start to line up. Dairon is the first authority figure we see give Beau a real chance while also managing to earn her respect, making the Cobalt Soul something that Beau can be a part of instead of something she’s trying to run from. In this potion we have tarragon for struggling to regain independence, chamomile for shedding outside influence, anise for using knowledge as power/to protect yourself/to get what you want, gum arabic for meditation, lilac for wisdom/memory/unlocking potential, rosemary for mental alertness/perception, violet for guarding against deception, lily for freedom and no longer feeling trapped, green tourmaline for calming the mind and increasing abilities/confidence, chrysocolla chips for empowerment and adaptability, and jasmine for appreciation, calming, and developing confidence. Sealed with silver wax and a Cobalt Soul stamp with blue pigment.

The next photo shows potions four through six, in order from left to right.:

Potion number four represents Beau’s past and how it affects her life currently. Before meeting the Mighty Nein, Beau grew up with parents who constantly tried to make her into something she wasn’t; her criminal background was a direct result of Beau rebelling against that control, and we see throughout the campaign that her intense distrust of authority figures still follows her wherever she goes. As time goes on, she does do a lot of growing up and letting go, and yet the way she was treated in the past still informs many of her present decisions and actions. In this potion, there’s lavender for ingrained distrust and problems between parent & child, dandelion for overcoming hardship, sage & cypress for grief and loss, amaranth for help recovering from trauma, black salt for being controlled/told what to be, yellow rose for betrayal, yarrow for regaining agency, mint for trying to atone for the past (Specifically, her guilt and criminal background vs. adopting Molly’s philosophy of leaving places better than you find them after his death), and barberry for freeing oneself from the power/control of another. Sealed with silver wax and a rosemary with blue pigment.

The fifth potion centers around Beau’s fears and struggles (fear of people leaving her, of not being good enough, struggle with being friendly/charismatic, being soft, struggle with presentation). There’s rue for regrets and obsessing over past mistakes, poppy for carrying a traumatic period in your life with you and letting it affect your actions, hydrangea for apparent aggression and being “bad at people,” cinquefoil for desire to be eloquent/wise/self confident, snapdragon for feeling like she has to lie because that would be better than being herself, gardenia for difficulty trusting others/letting people in, violet for importance of outward appearance (being in control of your own presentation and aesthetic and how important that is for Beau), amethyst for fear of being abandoned, garnet for help shedding guilt/sharing burdens, redeeming oneself, and struggling with responsibility (taking so many of the M9’s failures as her own personal responsibility). Sealed with silver wax and a fists stamp with blue pigment.

The sixth and final potion deals with the people around Beau and how she grows by learning lessons from others, both members of the Mighty Nein and the people they cross paths with. Just as in all the rest of the M9 boxes I’ve done so far, there are cloves for camaraderie and being improved by friends, one for each member of the group. There’s also red carnation and basil for brother-sister bonds with Caleb and Fjord, skullcap for willful commitment (found family), zinnia for remembering absent friends (Molly), sweet pea for chaos and adventure (in particular the Jester-Nott-Beau “chaos crew”), magnolia for loyalty, rose quartz for learning to accept love, and bluebell for friendship and slowly growing to be comfortable with being more truthful/open with people. Sealed with silver wax and a rosemary stamp with blue pigment.

That’s it for the potions! Next are the rest of the box’s miscellaneous contents:

So before I even got a box for Beau, I knew there had to be ball bearings in it. There are about a hundred, minus any that managed to escape while I took this picture :)

In the tiny blue pouch, there are gold coins for Beau’s role initial role as group treasurer, along with aforementioned ball bearings, a worn out old Circus flyer, and a set of  21 miniature Major Arcana tarot cards - the 22nd card, the Moon, is in my Jester box. Attached to the tie of the pouch are a silver pair of goggles with purple lenses to represent her Goggles of Night.

Also in the box are Beau’s staff, and her super secret book of important monk notes. Tucked into the book’s closure is a tiny hand-stamped coin with one of my favorite serious Beau quotes, “I don’t want us to drive each other away.”

Below are some close ups of the wax seals so you can see them better:

Thanks so much for reading! That’s it for Beau. Below are some close ups of the whole box at different angles, plus the quote I engraved on the bottom: “You are a good friend to have and a terrible enemy to make.”

I really had a great time working on Beau and I hope you love her as much as I do!

You can check my “magic boxes” tag to see the rest of my M9 boxes, or you can see them on my website at unklarity (dot) com! 

<3

[ineffably-in-love]

Good Omens Soundtrack: The “Lift Home?” Music Analysis

So, I’ve been way too deep into the Good Omens OST lately, and it’s a real shame that not every piece we hear in the show made it to the final soundtrack. One of the pieces most people miss is the romantic violin song that plays in Episode 3, when Crowley hands Aziraphale his unharmed books and bastard angel canonically realises he’s in fact in love with that demon thanks Michael Sheen.

I thought it would be fun to unpack this piece of music --- and even though Aziraphale and Crowley don’t have an explicit theme of their own, by now I firmly believe that this melody is Their Theme. Read my take on it under the cut :’)

First of all, a brief definition from Wikipedia on what a ‘motif’ is in music: “A motif is a short musical phrase, a [...] recurring figure, musical fragment or succession of notes that has some special importance in or is characteristic of a composition.”

With that outta the way, let’s dive into this.

So, this is basically the melody we’re hearing when Crowley hands Aziraphale the books:

But that’s not the first time we hear this melody. It first shows up in the Main Theme, after the A Minor and Major parts, that, as far as I’m concerned, are Hell and Heaven respectively. Or at least two different ideologies/ideas/fractions. This new little theme is still in A Major, but it’s not as elaborate as the melody from before. It’s playful, sure, but very simple and repetitive, maybe even to a point where it can get kind of annoying. It goes like this:

As you can see, both motifs start on an E --- the same note that the Main Theme (the first thing that plays in the intro) starts with. The melodies go down from there, to D sharp and C sharp respectively. But the little new motif takes a very different turn with C sharp, because C sharp is what distinguishes the sound of A Major from A Minor. It’s E - C sharp - F sharp. This new motif does not turn into A Minor, like the Main Theme did. It ends on a high A and stays A Major throughout.

That’s very interesting, and I kept wondering --- what does it mean? Why is there such a cut in our intro music? It’s a completely new theme. What kind of theme is this?

Whose theme could it be???

Crowley and Aziraphale, of course. This melody and the fact that it stays in A Major until the very end contain a lot of things they stand for: That they stay true to themselves and their Arrangement. That they share the same “origin key”, but turn it into something that’s solely their own. Their positive nature (we’re in Major, not Minor). But more on that later.

So when do we hear it in the show? The motif does not always play during vital turning points in the plot involving them (I’ve talked a bit about ‘Is That You?’ here), but I think it does play when something changes fundamentally about their relationship. Something personal. I’ve not actually counted all the times the motif is played in the show, but here are some instances as examples:

Crowley’s Lullaby: Sung in C Major, for David’s sake, maybe? Crowley and Aziraphale have thought of this *brilliant* idea to keep the Antichrist normal. They’re actually watching the wrong boy, but they don’t know that, so they’re very enthusiastic about it. but they’re actually being dumbasses Crowley sings to Warlock as “the evil fraction”, but it’s actually part of his and Aziraphale’s mutual plan, and as of right now, everything is going according to that plan.

It’s interesting that a variation of the Main Theme plays when they enter the scene as the Nanny and the Gardener. It’s the “representative tune”. But in that intimate moment, when Crowley is alone with the child he believes to be the Antichrist, he sings our motif, the little new one that sounds so simple and sweet, during the mission that might save his and Aziraphale’s precious Earth.

Before that, we’ve only heard the new theme briefly play when Mr Young names Adam after his birth in the hospital (in the key of C Major) and before Crowley tries calling Aziraphale. You might think that it is out of place here, but remember: The Antichrist is what will drive Crowley and Aziraphale for the next eleven years and make them work together -- even when they first think it’s all about Warlock.

We’re Not Killing Anybody: This is their break-up scene in Episode 3. Now we’ve changed to A Minor (E - C - F). We even get a bit from ‘Holy Water’ in here. But our motif begins when they start their break-up: “This is ridiculous, you are ridiculous”, showing how their relationship is changed by this conversation and by their different ideas about dealing with Armageddon. Showing how their past relationship is coming to a sad end. “It’s over!” Sob.

Bookshop’s ON Fire: An altered version (F - D - B flat - A - D), but it’s there. The motif goes up to B flat before it falls to A and D, showing Crowley’s great emotional distress and the destructive mania he drives himself into. Listen to the choir when he picks up the Nice and Accurate Prophecies, one book as a souvenir, the last thing that connects him to his angel now -- that’s our motif. Sobbb.

Requiem for A Bentley: Even more altered, distorted even (A - G sharp - C - B) --- The Bentley has accompanied them with the greatest loyalty, and their theme is showing here, too, if you listen closely to the strings at the end. The Bentley is gone, that’s how close they are to Armageddon. Everything’s a mess already, how much worse could it get?

End of This Story: We’re back! Well, sort of. Not A Major, but G Major, the key of the Them. One note below A. An only slightly altered version of our motif plays as Aziraphale believes the war is already won, believes that he and Crowley did it. It comes up again when he starts talking about the Beginning and how his husband was a wily old serpent and how he was technically on apple tree duty and---

All Change: They reverse their bodyswap and chatter happily on their bench in St James’s Park. We’re finally back on the old pattern in the key of A Major. After the motif, there’s a nice line cliché down to A [=harmony’s “going down” note by note in a very pleasant way; Queen used those a fair bit, e.g. in ‘Somebody To Love’] and then to E without resolving the tension that comes from this dominant of A Major. It only gets resolved in the piano version of Nightingale later on, which is written in A Major as well.

Okay. So far, so emotional the ugly sobbing. But, especially when watching Ep3, you might be asking yourself: Isn’t the “Lift Home” scene the first time in Crowley’s and Aziraphale’s mutual past when this motif plays?

The answer is yes.

Let’s revisit Episode 3 before the Blitz scene. At the Globe, when Aziraphale looks at Crowley, eyes begging him to make Hamlet a success using a miracle, an E plays quite prominently and you could think it would kick off our little motif. But it doesn’t; it somewhat changes into a sweet little downwards melody, ending in a happy little E Major chord (while showing Aziraphale’s sweet smile) before cutting to Paris. E Major is the dominant to A Major, as written above, and the dominant always means tension. Tension that, to our ears, feels like it needs to be resolved, ideally to the tonic, which in the case of E Major could be either A Minor or A Major. Now we don’t actually get that feeling right away, because the whole phrase is written in E Major, but keep it in mind still.

Because apart from the many times the Main Theme plays (e.g. when Crowley enters the church), I think that’s the closest we get to our little motif: The two of them bickering about their Arrangement and doing each other’s deeds, when suddenly Aziraphale wants Crowley to do something for him. Not for head offices, not for God, not even for poor Shakespeare, but for him. And when Crowley says yes, “my treat”, our angel gives him the most precious smile ever. Urgh.

The motif first plays in its proper form when Crowley hands Aziraphale the books and offers him a “lift home”. This is when Mr Sheen decided that Aziraphale would finally realise his love for Crowley, and the camera and music department support his acting rather strongly in that regard. As for the instruments, I believe it’s a violin playing the melody, with those cute recurring chimes sprinkled on top. The chimes play so often on this soundtrack I’d have to analyse their meaning/symbolism as well, oh God. Back to our scene with Aziraphale staring into the middle distance. Finally he’s on the same level as Crowley, who’s had it bad for 6,000 years already, and maybe Aziraphale even knows. I think that in this scene, Aziraphale not only realises his own love for Crowley, but he also realises that Crowley very much loves him as well, and has loved him for a damn long time already. That’s a big effin turning point for these two.

However, this would mean that the variation we hear in the Blitz is actually the original version of our motif! It’s a quiet tune that sounds like realisation, yearning and loving, and it’s written in A Major. It would mean that the times we hear it later on in the timeline (e.g. the Warlock lullaby or the happy ending) are actually an evolved version of Aziraphale’s love theme from the Blitz.

Let’s take a look at this early motif again:

It goes up to G sharp before falling onto F sharp. This kinda sounds like a sigh, doesn’t it? The second time around, the melody goes to G sharp once more, before falling down to E -- an even more longing sigh in here, a quickened heartbeat in the quavers there... At least that’s what I hear :’) Aziraphale’s heart is practically beating out of his chest here. That’s one brilliant way of musicalising the feeling of falling in love if you ask me. But the best part is that the music also conveys Aziraphale’s confusion about those feelings, his insecurity, because we do not get a resolution. We are in A Major but we end on E Major yet again.

Now, let’s look at the evolved version we hear in the intro once more:

The melody is much more refined by now, it’s steadier, quicker and overall more complete, mainly because we end on an A Major chord. We climb up from our E Major to a high A and the thing finally, finally resolves. Aziraphale and Crowley have come into their own, they are comfortable with their feelings and their mutual love for one another. It’s whimsical, playful and laid-back at the same time. This little motif is about them and them alone, it’s the signifier of their relationship, and it has turned into their Theme. In this regard, the omniscient intro has given us a fully developed theme since Ep1, and it has been evolved from Aziraphale’s little love motif.

So, if you ask me, this melody is as close as we get to a Theme for Crowley and Aziraphale. It’s more joyous than the Mystery Theme (which plays very prominently during their pep talk to Adam), mischievous even, but quiet and solitary when compared to the pompous Main Theme. It also lends itself to more serious tones when shifted in key, as seen above. But most important of all, it gives us a resolution after Aziraphale’s confusion in Ep3. Now we have a happy ending in fucking A Major, the key that is said to sound the most emotional, bright, proud and joyous; the key that closes the series with ‘A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square’.

Bach, famously one of the demons’ composers, once said that “the glorious heights of the light of A Major have only seldomly been really reached” by other keys in music. If that isn’t worth a Hallelujah then I don’t know what is;;

Thank you for reading!

[spongeaddict]

Hey there! I hope you're up to answering some writing asks :) Symbols: 💎- What was your favorite part? (of any of your stories!) 🗝️-What were you thinking when you wrote it? 🎭- What was the feeling or mood you were going for? ⛰️- What was the hardest part? ✏️-Would you go back and change anything if you could?

Ah, delightful! Thank you for these asks! I’m going to answer them about “One For The Money” and the parts of “Two For The Show” that has been published, but I also have answers for my first ever multi-chapter fic, “Scooby Doo and the Mysterious Tape.” Thus, this will be a little long...

💎- What was your favorite part? (of any of your stories!) 

Mysterious Tape: Is it any surprise that my favorite part is the scene where Shaggy and Velma confess their feelings for each other? Shaggy eating a Scooby Snack to get up the courage to tell her he loves her the night before she’s meant to die was a particularly heartfelt moment for me. We may see that trope again in other fics of mine too...just sayin...

One For The Money: The scene where Daphne, drunk at a party, kisses Fred and they are then caught by some of their classmates, including the gang. I think my favorite line in that scene is Fred saying “It’s not what it looks like!” while he’s hovering over Daphne on the bed. Classic Fred.

Two For The Show: Weird as this is, I’m pretty fond of the scene where my OC Tony overhears Velma and Shaggy in the practice room. Can you see a theme here?

🗝️-What were you thinking when you wrote it?

Mysterious Tape: I’ve always been a fan of the “too little too late” motif, and I think Shaggy as a character is a really good embodiment of that. In all iterations of “Scooby Doo” he’s seen as cautious and cowardly, and sometimes that can come back to bite him. I wanted to explore that in this scene. I was also interested in showing Shaggy doing something brave. I think Velma often comes across as “pushy” (like in “Mystery Incorporated”) and thought the love confession would mean more when Shaggy was the one who instigated it.

One For The Money: I was in my second semester of college while writing this, and had been to a few parties, which is where the inspiration for this scene came from. I never caught anyone making out behind closed doors, (nor was I ever caught myself) but it’s a great YA trope. The story had been building to this moment, and I thought it was fitting for the “let’s-throw-it-at-the-ceiling-and-see-what-sticks” characteristics that both Fred and Daphne sometimes embody.

Two For the Show: This might be a little TMI, but I wrote the scene about a month and a half before my wedding, when my husband and I had an embargo on “certain activities” till our wedding night. Honestly, I just needed an outlet. Shelma is my OTP, and all I wanted was some passionate limey goodness! (Though I will say right now that I absolutely refuse to turn “Scooby Doo” into a lemon -- the day I write about high school students having sex in full detail is the day that I am no longer alive on this earth.)

 🎭- What was the feeling or mood you were going for?

Mysterious Tape: Desperation. This is a last resort moment for both Shaggy and Velma, who have feelings for each other but haven’t said anything until now, when it’s almost too late. Is he going to get over his fear of rejection so the woman he loves knows how he feels before she dies? (Spoiler alert: yes).

One For The Money: I was going for a kind of epiphany moment for Daphne here.I knew I needed Fred and Daphne to kiss (and so did everyone reading the fic), but I needed a believable scenario. Drunk Daphne lowering her inhibitions enough to admit (just to herself!) that she had feelings for Fred allowed her the bravery to kiss him, only to later be disappointed that their first kiss was clouded by the alcohol was, I thought, the perfect way for Daphne to realize that her feelings for Fred were real.

Two For The Show: I was really interested in the juxtaposition between the Fraphne relationship and the Shelma relationship, and how they were both unfolding (which a few prescient reviewers picked up on in earlier chapters, so that was really cool!) Fred and Daphne go kind of balls-to-the-wall crazy whenever they’re together, interrupters be damned. Shaggy and Velma, while just as overtaken by passion, tend to be more careful for fear of getting caught. I was exploring the feeling of letting their guard down even a little bit, and the ramifications of being discovered.

 ⛰️- What was the hardest part?

Mysterious Tape: The hardest part for me was the lead up. I’d been trying to put Shelma hints in throughout the entire story so it would feel like a big sigh of relief when it finally happened. 

One For The Money: Honestly, the hardest part was figuring out where to stop. Again, I’ll write limes but no lemons, so I needed to figure out the best time for them to be interrupted. I didn’t want the Fraphne shippers to be disappointed, but I also didn’t want the characters to go too far. They’re only in high school, after all! (Of course, I realize that my definition of what “too far” is may differ from others, and for that I do apologize. This is why I always add a disclaimer at the beginnings of the chapters about what they’ll contain, while trying not to make the descriptions too graphic. I’m not writing a porno, here).

Two For The Show: The hardest part in this scene was writing a believable way for Tony to discover them. I was trying to make it come across as though he’d tried to knock on the door but overheard them making, you know...sounds...and then felt too embarrassed to knock, but also too shell-shocked to leave. It was really difficult to capture that without making it seem like Tony was just creepily spying (which is definitely NOT what I was going for).

 ✏️-Would you go back and change anything if you could?

Mysterious Tape: There’s a lot I would change about “Mysterious Tape” (I wrote it when I was 13 and then revised it when I was 18,) but I think I’d mostly leave this part alone. I do think my OC Lorelei had a little too much to do in that scene, though. Maybe in a re-write, I might make Scooby the one who offers Shaggy the Scooby Snack so he has the courage to go after Velma. I think that might be a lot more poignant.

One For The Money: I very famously left “OFTM” on hiatus for several years before coming back and actually changing quite a bit. Though I left that scene pretty much alone when I came back and revised it, if I were to do it again, I might spend a bit more time in Daphne’s head -- explore her feelings and thoughts a little more.

Two For The Show: Nope. I think I did everything that I could do with this scene, and it came out pretty much exactly how I’d hoped. I don’t want to spoil anything, but Tony knowing Shaggy and Velma’s secret is crucial to the future of this story and the rest of the series. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.

I love when people ask me stuff!