#which is framed as a harmful thing even if the characters themselves like it

[firestorm09890]

Penny stardewvalley makes me so sad because she's SO sensitive to, like, basically everything you tell her (telling her that you can't stand children while two children are nearby is a pretty lousy move but -1500 friendship?? being a jerk to other characters' faces typically loses you about 50 points, and if you choose the option labeled "creepy" and ask Leah for a kiss in her 2 heart event she physically hits you and kicks you out of her house but that's only -100 friendship…) and so if you want to befriend her it's a whole lot of lying and tiptoeing around her feelings (2 hearts: George was right but saying that makes her feel bad. 6 hearts: her food sucks but even if you try to be polite about it she feels like a failure; only a bald-faced lie pleases her. 8 hearts: saying you don't want to be tied down with a family loses you a little bit of friendship and she's only happy if you say you want kids) and I can't help but think she's a product of her environment. She lives in a trailer with only her mother, who gets drunk every night and has something of a temper. Penny's like a skittish rescue animal who won’t even come out from hiding under something unless you leave her lots of treats

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

i think i've said this before but i want to elaborate on it. i genuinely feel like the spop crew wrote c//a as some sort of torture p*rn. they know that people usually find an enemies to lovers arc sexy and intriguing. but the problem with c//a was that their fights were never equal. i don't know about y'all but when i think of enemies to lovers, i think of a dynamic where both individuals are at least somewhat on equal footing. i don't think about a relationship with a huge power dynamic where one of the characters is helpless and weak while the other takes every opportunity to torture them.

adora never tried to harm catra apart from self-defense, she always held back when she was fighting catra. she tried to reason with catra or just hold her off. meanwhile catra never held back on hurting adora. not once.

and all of this is framed as “hot”. it's framed as “sexual tension”. it's framed as “gay pining”, even though it's not. not to mention, most of the “homoerotic” fight scenes are where adora is either weak or helpless in some way. she's either restrained or too scared to fight back or actively stopping herself from injuring catra. and catra takes advantage of her kindness.

so what's the torture p*rn part of this? well. torture p*rn is basically a trope where a person (or multiple people being tortured) is the main attraction of the plot. c//a is supposed to be enemies to lovers, meaning they should be fighting equally, right? especially since adora is stronger and the “chosen one”, you'd think she'd definitely be defeating catra a lot more.

but no, most of their conflict is catra taking joy in harming adora. these scenes are framed in a more “intimate” way, with catra often touching adora without consent, saying vaguely flirtatious yet threatening one-liners and overall fueling the whole “sexual tension” part.

just take a look at these scenes. i can't completely blame the fandom for thinking these are sexy or erotic because they are framed that way. the crew themselves have admitted that c//a were supposed to have some sexual tension (despite being teenagers for at least two seasons, mind you) and it shows. adora may look scared or uncomfortable but it doesn't matter because the writers wants us to think that this is hot.

villains being creepy and borderline perverted is not a new thing, it's something that mainly came with queer-coding villains. but people often only do this to villains who are supposed to stay villains. and especially with the context that catra supposedly “loved” adora during all this, it just adds another layer of discomfort. it just feels like catra is taking the opportunity to not only hurt adora but also make her deeply uncomfortable by touching and interacting with her in a way that she did not consent to.

keep in mind that whenever adora has the upper hand, the show never frames their fights as homoerotic or weirdly intimate.

most of the time, she uses long range attack or she just goes on defense. the one time she attacked catra head on, she just decks catra in the face and is done with it. she doesn't cross catra's boundaries, she doesn't act flirtatious or touch catra inappropriately. the only scene where she can be described as “flirtatious” (though i would say she was just being smug) was when she wasn't attacking catra, but instead destroying one of entrapta's robots.

(and of course with no remorse, catra orders entrapta to activate the self-destruct on the robot so that adora could be blown to bits.)

so yeah. just because catra is a villain doesn't mean she has to be a creep. if the goal was to make her sexy (which is still weird since she was a teenager but regardless), there are other ways. there have been plenty of villains who are attractive and have a charming personality without being a total creep to the protagonists. for example, azula from ATLA is widely known as a queer awakening for many young girls because of how attractive she was (i know she was also a teenager. these are not my words, i'm just quoting the general public). and yet, you never see azula being creepily intimate with any of the protagonists. she often used long-range attack and she only goes as far as using some condescending language. it's just weird to write a villain who we should sympathize with, but then also make them a total creep.

[aro-comics]

Maybe More People Are Arospec (Part 3)

Maybe More People Are Arospec, 3/3 - The Alloaro Edition, in which we cover some alloaro specific (negative) tropes that I personally believe is the reason why there are so few people who identify as alloaro 🙃

I both have everything and nothing to say on this one, because the topic at hand hits home harder than I want to admit 😔. I think it's important to acknowledge the harm that constantly enforcing these ideas about sex without romance as being inherently emotionally drainining, a sign of emotional immaturity, or predatory, etc. probably damages the self-perception and self-worth of most alloaros greatly. Of course,:I understand that NOT ALL highlighted are inherently related to being alloaro - but the way these ideas are framed, especially in the split panel, imply sex without romance is the root of the problem, which in reality it is not. A lack of communication, respect for other's boundaries, or being flat out a predator is the actual issue here.

Anyway, I do understand the intersection of different issues that lead to the ideas that I referenced in the comic (elaborated more in the comments). I suppose the solution, as usual, is more education and more nuance surrounding the discussion 😅😉

I'm so glad to finally have this last part of the series up! I hope you enjoyed the ride, and for sure let me know if there's anything else that I haven't covered here you think also keeps people from realizing that they're aromantic 💚💚💚

[Image Description:

Slide 1: Celia sits on a green armchair in a living room. "Actually, let's make this take even more spicy - maybe a lot more people are alloaro in particular."

Slide 2: She looks down. "Alloaros are more likely to be labelled as heartless, or feel that on top of being 'broken' there's something predatory about themselves -"

Slide 3: "There's this idea that people who only want sex, and not romance, are the kind of people you want to avoid. Who don't care who they hurt. You know the trope - "

Slide 4: An illustrated example of the stereotypical trope. Shown is a house party where two characters are interacting. A taller man leans over a clearly intimidated woman:

"Hey Babe, you alone here tonight?" "Umm …" "Come on, don't be so cold, why don't you loosen up a little?" "No, uh-"

An arrow points to the man that says ""the predatory-college-fuckboy-frat-bro-trope"

Slide 5: Another series of examples, this time illustrated from Celia's childhood. The panel is split into three as you progress through the years. In each section Celia watches a television show.

1: "You can't trust him, ALL he does is sleep around - he's never settled down" 2: "Sorry I'm only looking for something casual right now …" "You're scared of commitment" "No, I-" "You're just using me!" 3: "At least it happened with someone who's loved her and been dating her forever", this is in reference to a teenaged character having sex the first time.

In this last section celia says, forlorn, "There's something wrong with ME, isn't there?"

Slide 6: Celia speaks to viewer directly. "I sure as hell didn't want to admit I was Aro because I knew I wasn't Ace."

Slide 7: "So yeah, those are my thoughts. I've told my allo friends about my theories and they …"

Slide 8: "… didn't exactly believe me." Celia is shown video chatting with her friend, saying "So those are my theories as to why romantic attraction is probably less common than we think, and why there's probably way more Aro people! People are probably too embarassed to admit it because stigma or never even realized it!"

Friend awkwardly says "I … I'm sorry I gotta say I don't agree …"

Slide 9: Celia holds her finger up to her chin, pondering. "Maybe it's just an Aro thing."]

[i-heart-hxh]

Whenever you can I'd really like to hear your thoughts about this and if you think it's accurate! ❤️ I absolutely adore your hxh meta and can't wait to hear more!!!

Hello! Thank you so much for the kind words, it means a lot to me! ❤️ These are fantastic observations and questions, as these traits are an important part of the basis of Gon's issues, and this tendency of his to rush into danger leads him into a lot of dark situations throughout the series. It's one of the most concerning aspects of his character.

His self-esteem issues are definitely at the root of this. Gon seems to have a fundamental belief that his life isn't worth much--hence why he tells Killua he's allowed to talk about dying, but Killua isn't. I think a big piece of this comes from the abandonment issues, as well as his issues with guilt (which I still need to write a post about). If even his own father won't stick around for him, what is he worth? And notice he frames Ging's choice in such a way where he doesn't assign blame to Ging--he believes that in a choice between him and being a Hunter, he must just be the inferior choice. Not a great basis for self-worth.

As much as he looks up to Kite, I don't think his encounter with Kite when he was younger helped--he was blamed directly for the mama foxbear's death and Kon becoming an orphan. And while I don't doubt at all that Mito loves him, I think Gon may see himself as a burden on her to a certain degree, and he tries to be as self-sufficient as possible as a result. (That's more of a headcanon of mine, but I do think the complex way their relationship is framed and Gon's behavior in the series supports this to a degree.)

Because he doesn't see his life as being worth much, he tries to take on everything alone, and he sees strength and power as a method to prove that he does have worth after all. If he can prove he's strong, maybe he isn't worthless after all! If he's strong, maybe he won't be a burden to others or unintentionally cause them harm (think about the mama foxbear, and ultimately Kite himself)! If he can become a Hunter and find Ging, maybe he can understand why Ging didn't stay with him, and he won't have to wonder why he left him behind any more!

I definitely think dangerous situations and escaping death give him a a sense that he is capable and worthy, plus it's a rush to him--a form of excitement and stimulation that he craves. Also, keep in mind that Gon grew up among nature, including many wild animals. While "survival of the fittest" is an oversimplification of how nature works, certainly at the same time, a weak animal is more likely to fall prey to a predator. So of course being strong is the more advantageous position to be in, and especially as a person who isn't sure of his worth or his place in the world.

I think he believes the stronger he becomes, the more dangerous situations he can escape, and the more strong enemies he can defeat, the more capable and worthy he'll feel. Because of how much his self-esteem then hinges on whether he's strong or not, things like Hisoka punching him and giving him his badge make Gon struggle to feel like he has value. The times we see Gon cry, like in his conversation with Kurapika in the airship about that moment with Hisoka, or in the scene after he couldn't win against Knuckle and couldn't go to NGL to rescue Kite, often relate directly to him not feeling strong enough.

Also yet again (back to my usual refrain), this is in fact another subversion of shounen expectations. Shounen protagonists tend to be energetic and feisty teen boys who throw themselves into dangerous situations easily, and in most shounen series this is a trait that's not treated with much weight--they can handle it, nothing truly bad generally happens to them as a result, this trait of theirs is treated as something brave and admirable and "cool."

But with Gon, Togashi does give it weight--others worry about him and comment on this trait of his, his recklessness has real costs for him that escalate over time (think about the results of Gon tailing Hisoka in the Hunter Exam, Gon vs Gido, the end of Greed Island, and of course CAA), and ultimately his disregard for his own worth and safety essentially leads him to throw away his own life. In Gon, it's not an admirable trait, but a concerning and tragic one, with deep roots in his psyche.

It's brilliant to me how many of Gon's traits all link together--his low self-esteem comes from his abandonment issues and leads to his recklessness, he has a selfish streak because he's young and still somewhat immature and grew up isolated, and his short-sightedness as a result of that manifests in his sense of morality not being fully developed. And yet even with all of that, he's still a sweet, cheerful, kind, smart, and encouraging boy. I absolutely love the complexity of his character and how, if you carefully analyze him, the way he is makes so much sense.

Thank you for asking!

[onewholivesinloops]

the Onikakushi Usoda scene is so interesting bc it has keiichi insisting that this is Out Of Character for rena, that this isn't the rena he's always known, that this isn't his rena - even though he's only known her for a few weeks - bc she did something that broke his image of her as the Ideal Cute Girl. he never brings into question who he is as a person to the reader, and keiichi here is the audience's surrogate. he never looks within himself or considers the unreliability of his perspective of the events surrounding him. this is very meaningful. you, as the reader, think nothing of how this boy was just screaming at his friend, how he'd grabbed her, and how he was hurting her while demanding she tells him everything he feels he's entitled to know, despite hiding things himself. the moment rena gets angry and snaps back at him though, that's actually a reason to be scared, a reason to feel as though something is inherently wrong. after all it's wrong for girls to present themselves as anything but available and nice at all times. anything else makes them ‘abnormal’. ‘hysterical’, even.

we focus entirely on the horror of rena's seemingly sudden change, so the harm keiichi is causing becomes a literal afterthought the same way it’s one for him, even though that’s the real horror of the situation. he's an unreliable narrator, and an example of how the narration can lie to you while criticizing you for taking it at face value. keiichi is SO self-centered in this arc that even when he learns that satoshi is a houjou, and is satoko's brother - he never stops to consider what this means for satoko or the club as a whole who actually knew him, it's all about Him and His Problems (HE’S LITERALLY DEAD FOR ALL THEY KNOW OF COURSE THEY’RE GOING TO AVOID TALKING ABOUT HIM ESPECIALLY WHEN IT MIGHT BE TRIGGERING FOR SATOKO IN PARTICULAR). keiichi’s viewpoint first and foremost is that he's THE victim. that’s the most important thing to him throughout this arc. even when mion tells him to drop the 'satoshi' act bc it's actively hurtful for those around him who are still grieving satoshi’s loss, all he does is hurt her the same way he’s been hurting rena.

we also have ooishi (mfw you dig into a girl's background and medical history with mental illness then talk about it to her classmate without her consent bc you want to use him as bait for your investigation!!!!!! THERE’S A REASON THE ONLY TWO ARCS WHERE OOISHI DOESN’T SUCK HARD AS A PERSON ARE MINAGOROSHI AND MATSURIBAYASHI WHERE HE FINALLY STOPS ACTING LIKE SUCH A FUCKING COP (HIGURASHI SAYS ACAB BTW REAL AND TRUE)) telling keiichi about rena, and even when it’s BLATANTLY clear that the three male friends hurt rena in some way and they are ashamed of their actions which is why they seemingly took a deal to not press charges together with the school so as to not have charges pressed against them, we have keiichi doubling down instead of stopping to consider that, maybe, she didn’t “undergo a sudden change” and attacked them before breaking all of the windows in the school for no reason whatsoever. maybe they did something to trigger her. he never stops to consider that, maybe, rena is actually a victim in the situation. “rena has a disorder that normal people don’t” is a funny line when taken out of context, but it’s just keiichi continuing to frame rena as Abnormal, Cursed, and Weird for being mentally ill. it’s especially clear in the door slamming scene, where it’s just rena trying to pacify a clearly stressed out keiichi with some light teasings, only for everything to backfire and for keiichi to react so violently...but, still, rena continues to stand outside, apologizing. she feels so bad. no matter how ‘monstrous’ keiichi’s actions become, she’ll continue to be there for him bc she understands.

the fact that tsumihoroboshi reveals that keiichi shot a little girl and he also damaged her eye the same way rena permanently damaged one of the boys’ eyes is literally the narrative chiding YOU AND KEIICHI for ever judging rena for the same crime he committed, and the reason they never elaborate on why rena did this is bc it literally doesn’t matter! you and keiichi aren’t owed rena’s background and the things she wishes to keep a secret to justify to yourself not treating her like a monster! not treating someone like a monster for their past and struggles with mental illness is just basic decency, they don’t owe you the details or justifications. tsumihoroboshi keiichi agonizing over the girls not knowing his admittedly terrible past and them being like "we don't need to know literally everything about you, man, if you want to keep this shit a secret, it's okay" is very important bc it’s fine to draw boundaries and it’s okay to keep secrets, you don’t need to tell everything about yourself and have others do the same thing back to consider them friends!!! secrets are important in friendship!!!!!!

this is also a good example of how you can make ANYTHING seem scary when it’s taken out of context. you can misinterpret anything you want when you’re missing critical information. you can ignore everything about a person you know and all the obvious clues that point towards the opposite conclusion if you want to demonize them and victimize yourself. if you want you will believe you’re right. that’s what keiichi keeps doing this arc every time he’s told something vague about rena by ooishi.

onikakushi after tsumihoroboshi’s recontextualization becomes a horror story told from the perspective of the actual ‘monster’, arguing its own justification and validating itself for hurting others while framing them as the monsters. the ones with the reason to be afraid and run away in this arc are always rena and mion, but they don't, not at any point - rather, they keep trying to reach out to him, bc while keiichi insists on seeing them as monsters, they never see him as one regardless of his actions, and keiichi isn’t a monster either bc despite the fact that his actions are fueled by his self centeredness and ego, it's also his shelterdness and own trauma and he’s still a victim struggling with psychosis. he deserves to be forgiven despite everything. there’s a reason onikakushi’s poem is the one about forgiveness, THIS IS WHAT RENA IS TRYING TO TELL KEIICHI. 

onikakushi is also really tragic from rena’s perspective especially with how higurashi is painfully aware of the reality wherein girls have to present themselves as nice all the time, they need to be this ideal to be palatable (rena’s whole Cute Schoolgirl thing is an act born from her internalized misogyny basically), and yet even when they do, they’re still susceptible to be subjected to violence based on the assumptions of boys and men. this is something that has been haunting rena for her entire life.

she came back to hinamizawa, regretting her parents’ divorce and hurting others, promising she'll never hurt anyone again, and promising she'll always be nice, no matter what happens to her, then keiichi comes along and everything seems fine, they’re friends and he’s kind even though he’s a little mean sometimes, but despite the kindness he showed initially, he still ended up screaming at her, grabbing her, getting mad at her for reasons she can't understand. that’s what her father did. maybe the boys in her school too.

rena is also being affected negatively by everything happening since the festival. she’s manic, she’s scared of falling victim to the curse bc she’s always felt like she’s being punished by oyashiro-sama for ‘sinning’ (leaving hinamizawa), and she has her own struggles with mental illness, but despite all of this she’s still trying so hard to be good, trying so hard to reach out to keiichi and she even explicitly says this at multiple points - that she doesn’t want the same thing that happened to satoshi to happen to him, and she feels so guilty for not being able to do anything a year ago when satoshi disappeared, bc she knows what it’s like to struggle with these things and how horrifying of an experience that is, but keiichi just refuses to let her help - yet rena continues trying, even as keiichi is bludgeoning her with the metal bat, she’s trying, she always will, bc she wants to grant him the thing she wasn’t given while struggling with the same things. she knows how scary it is and she doesn’t want anyone to feel that scariness. if nobody is going to forgive keiichi SHE WILL, but keiichi needs to forgive her too for things to begin changing. rena. rena. rena. i love you rena...

the whole point is that rena isn't some kind of monster who's going to indiscriminately attack others bc she's ~oh so crazy~ beneath the cute girl mask (tsumihoroboshi makes this blatantly clear with how rena only kills rina and teppei bc she feels like she’s been backed into a corner) and keiichi needs to stop being ableist (keiichi himself is pretty sympathetic despite this ofc, bc you understand from being in his head how he arrived at all of these conclusions). after all higurashi is about how mental illness is pathologized and demonized especially in women.

keiichi is constantly torn between two assumptions in this arc: 1) that his friends and rena especially are evil people who have been lying to him all this time or 2) that they’re being possessed by oyashiro-sama to do these things bc the curse exists, but isn’t the core of both of these assumptions pretty ableist? you shouldn’t vilify people for being mentally ill in such a way and you shouldn’t blame their actions on things such as Being Possessed and Being Cursed.

watanagashi also follows up with shion who’s very much a girl attacking and hurting others, bc of how she's been hurt all her life to show that ignoring the person she is makes everything worse for her even if it doesn’t justify what she’s doing. after all keiichi is content to blame what she’s doing on the ‘demon inside her’ instead of trying to see her for who she is. his thoughtless actions and words in this arc lead to much hurt for mion and shion. tatarigoroshi is him selfishly killing teppei in a such a way that he’s robbing satoko of any agency or say in her abuse without considering how this could impact her. his actions leave her even MORE traumatized, blaming herself for how everything turned out for the worst.

when you think of the syndrome as an allegory, keiichi breaking through the syndrome with the help of memory leaks isn't just him overcoming his paranoia, but also him learning to look beyond himself and see how others could be hurt by his actions and words etc etc, which is why tsumihoroboshi is about him atoning for how he hurt everyone and helping rena in much of the same way she was trying to help him in onikakushi. it’s him finally returning the favor. tsumihoroboshi is higurashi’s turning point, bc keiichi finally stops being such a casual misogynist, he stops demonizing rena and tries to understand her, he starts to realize that his struggles and experiences aren’t inherently more valid than the girls’ in his life, and he starts to listening to them more...

[thydungeongal]

By arbitrary I meant that nobody thinks "I am Evil and I need to attack the city of Good folk" but very much thinks "I am a strong Atlas that holds the world on their shoulders and you, weak plebs, are but dust under my feet".

Like yes it's a cosmic thing (I am not well versed in alignment but I heard about it), which is not really realistic but like, it's fantasy and it's a perfectly fine way to do worldbuilding. It's just that DMG made it somewhat more clear as to what those powers actually stand for.

(And also I was right for making my haughty imperial noble Lawful Evil, even if he doesn't directly harm people who don't cross his path he believes in both order and hierarchy with him being above many)

Oh gotcha, I do get where you're coming from: that by framing evil as a philosophy like that it becomes something that you can actually see people adopting.

But that's the thing, alignment in D&D doesn't just describe a character's moral compass, it describes which team a character is on in the cosmic conflict. In AD&D 1e this has a game mechanical effect of giving everyone an alignment language so they can communicate with their team mates. A lawful evil person isn't just someone who believes in hierarchy and order and themselves at the top, it's someone who's either consciously or unconsciously aligned themselves with the devil guys and as such can speak the cosmic language of Lawful Evil. You really can't make sense of AD&D 1e's alignments as just tags put on understandable moral philosophies, because otherwise people would be like "Okay so we know now that adopting these policies made us capable of speaking with devils. That is probably not a good sign."

Anyway I don't think it needs to be said that D&D's alignment system is actually incoherent and actually detrimental to any nuance. It's good for games where there's a clear Forces of Good versus Forces of Evil division, but actually kind of sucks and is bad imo. Like, yeah, you can try to strip it off of its cosmic trappings, but that doesn't change the fact that that's still there in the text.

[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group C Round 3: #C8 vs #C2

#C8: Government employee and his white cat boss

#C2: High social anxiety girl has to befriend her whole class

Details and poll under the cut!

*Text in green indicates that something has been changed.

#C8: White Cat Legend 2020 (Dali si Rizhi)

Summary:

Chen Shi, a young man from the countryside, journeys to the capital in search of his missing older brother, whose existence he only knew about upon his mother’s death. He knows neither the name nor face of his brother, and after finally arriving at the capital, he runs out of money as well. One thing led to another, and he finds himself employed at Dali Court, where he works for Vice Minister Li Bing, a large white cat.

On the other hand, Li Bing is of royal blood who was imprisoned because of his family’s treason. Now, he has to work in the government to atone for the crime.

At Dali Court, they review court cases from all over the country. But when an incident involving the esteemed ministers of the royal court breaks out, Dali Court is called to help, only to find themselves entangled in political threads and hit heads with an eccentric demon.

Li Bing is determined to get to the bottom of this, but how far can he go when he could regress into a real cat at any time when left unchecked?

Propaganda:

I’m tired of writing new propaganda every round, so I’m begging you to just trust me that it’s GREAT.

Intriguing plot? Check. Complex and interesting characters? Check. Comedy? Check. Drama? Check. 

The blend of comedy and drama is just so good. I started the show because I love cats and supernatural stuff. Who would’ve thought it would pull me into an abyss of despair of political intrigue. The cat demons turned out to be just the icing on the cake. 

We have all these different characters brought up in different ways that their ideas of what is Right conflict with each other. None of them are exactly Wrong or inherently Evil (well, except for maybe one guy), and this makes it so much more difficult to choose who to root for. You’d think everyone against the protagonists are the Enemies, but turns out even the protagonists are limited by their biases and unintentionally harm others. Even the two protagonists themselves get into arguments because of their different standpoints.

And I just love this because it makes them realistic, you know? The characters don’t always agree with their friends, and their enemies are not completely hostile either. It really all boils down to what they believe in. Sometimes their beliefs align with existing comrades, and sometimes they find it on the other side.

Production-wise, this show also gets a check on everything. As an adaptation, it’s amazing. The original manhua has quite a simple style—kind of like comic book drawings, and panels are all rectangles in one straight line. Storytelling is also simple and straight to the point. 

But the 2020 donghua? God, it went far and beyond that.  The animation team does not cut corners at all, which is a feat considering the show has a low budget from what I’ve heard. 

A short, simple scene in the manhua becomes an emotionally-devastating experience in the donghua. The animation choices, angles, music, and just everything else blend so well to deliver a STORY. This adaptation does not just copy frames from the source (like Blue Lock) or cut/reorder some of the scenes (like Horimiya and Sasaki to Miyano). White Cat Legend 2020 understands the material so well that it can creatively use the advantages of the animation medium to deliver an experience that exceeds even that of the source. Think Mob Pyscho 100 or One Punch Man s1 level of creativity. It even has mini stories at the end of the ending song. For s1, the mini stories are in stop-motion, while for s2 it’s formatted like a video game. You gotta appreciate the effort.

Please just vote for this show. It deserves to be in the Finals.

Trigger Warnings:

Cannibalism - There’s a cat demon who appears in human form, and he eats humans (it’s not shown explicitly, though).

Animal Cruelty or Death - said cat demon also eats animals raw (again, not explicitly)

Graphic Depictions of Cruelty/Violence/Gore - There’s blood and fighting, and somebody also gets tortured in season 2. But again, nothing too graphic

#C2: Hitori Bocchi’s ○○ Lifestyle (HitoriBocchi no MaruMaru Seikatsu)

Summary:

Many of us know what it is like to transition to a new school with few to no friends in a new environment, going through the arduous process of getting to know people again. Bocchi Hitori knows this struggle all too well, having just graduated from elementary school and thrown into middle school. Unfortunately, she suffers from extreme social anxiety: she faints when overwhelmed, vomits when nervous, and draws up ridiculously convoluted plans to avoid social contact. It does not help that her only friend from elementary school, Kai Yawara, will not be attending the same middle school as Bocchi. However, wanting to help her, Kai severs ties with Bocchi and promises to reconcile with her when she befriends all of her classmates in her new middle school class.

Even though Bocchi has no faith in herself, she is determined to be friends with Kai again. Summoning all of her courage, Bocchi takes on the daunting challenge of making friends with her entire class, starting with the delinquent-looking girl sitting in front of her…

Propaganda:

This is a fun and lighthearted show. Watch it if you need something cute to chill out! The art is cute and colorful, the music lively, and the animation fine enough.

As it's adapted from a four-panel gag manga, the story is simple and focuses on the various characters. They all have pun-based names related to their main personality trait, so they're easy to remember if you know some basic Japanese (Hitori Bocchi means all alone, for example). The girls are all adorable and fun in their own quirky ways, and I loved seeing the heroine doing her utmost best to overcome her fears -and other challenges- to befriend them in the hope of fulfilling her promise. That's the power of the Do-Your-Best Fairy! They all care for each other (despite some teasing) and help Bocchi with her monumental task, never pulling her down for her struggles but gently pushing her in the back when needed.

But most importantly, Hitori Bocchi is a very relatable character. As someone suffering the same trouble, I related a lot with Bocchi, from her silliest worries to her escalating panic and weird schemes in an attempt to prevent anything wrong. Anxiety is faithfully represented, mixed with the right amount of laughing to how far Bocchi can get to avoid fearful situations in her very cute ways. It feels good to see a character like me in a such positive light! The struggles are real and acknowledged, and it’s really moving to see our heroine overcome them little by little in a very humanizing way.

This series has become one of my comfort materials, and I come back to it when I need hope and inspiration in everyday social interactions! If you need one last thing to be convinced, listen to that most adorable and silly song that will give you the Power of Motivation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGoGwlNmZUQ 

Trigger Warnings: None.

When reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

If you want to criticize one of the shows above to give the one you’re rooting for an advantage, then do so constructively. I do not tolerate groundless hate or slander on this blog. If I catch you doing such a thing in the notes, be it in the tags or reblogs, I will block you.

Know one of the shows above and not satisfied with how it’s presented in this tournament? Just fill up this form, where you can submit revisions for taglines, propaganda, trigger warnings, and/or video.

[jedi-enthusiast]

Debunking the "The Jedi are Evil" Theory Made by The Film Theorists PT 9

Point 9 - The Final Part of That Godforsaken Video

Matthew quote:

"We all grew up watching these movies thinking the Jedi were the heroes, the movies outright frame them to be the heroes, but if you look at how the Jedi become Jedi in the first place--their legacy isn't one of freedom and doing the right thing. It's about putting toddlers into slavery, deceiving their parents, and then brainwashing those little kids so they become unquestioning members of their little cult."

I'm not going to go into detail all over again because I've already responded to all of this in the other parts, but let's do a quick recap:

1. The Jedi are free to leave at any time, nothing about the Jedi Order matches up with the actual definition of slavery.

2. Shmi is the one who wanted Anakin to go to the Order and the Order only inducts children into the Order with the permission of their parents, except in very select situations where they don't have parents and/or their lives are in danger.

3. The Jedi Order isn't a cult, it doesn't even come close to fitting the definition of a cult.

and 4. We're literally shown time and time again that Jedi leave, disagree with each other, have different opinions and ideas on their philosophies, they're encouraged to ask questions, etc--"unquestioning" my ass.

And, believe it or not, the Jedi's legacy is one of freedom and doing the right thing.

They stretch themselves thin and literally lay down their lives to fight for democracy, to protect the people of the galaxy from people like the Separatists and the Empire (who are literally meant to be allegories for Nazis btw), and to just plain help people. Throughout all of Star Wars, that is what we're shown the Jedi do. We're shown and told consistently that they're empathetic and care about others and, at their very core, just want to help people. That the best way to hurt the Jedi is to harm the innocent.

So forgive me if I'm not willing to buy into the bullshit take that "actually the empaths that care so much about the people of the galaxy that they're willing to fight and die, while receiving nothing in return and even being ridiculed for doing so, just to protect them are the evil bad guys."

---

Matthew finishes off his theory by saying that the people of the galaxy, and us as the audience, should be glad that the Jedi got genocided and are all but extinct by the end of the Sequels. And then he talks about how the Jedi are to blame for their own genocide and the fall of the Republic.

Which, again, sounds like fascist rhetoric.

He says that "the Jedi are the heroes if you turn off your brains," but to me it seems like you have to ignore 90% of SW media and refuse to contextualize the other 10% and read it in bad-faith in order to think that the Jedi are the bad guys.

Which is what he did to prove himself right, because his video wasn't about looking at the Jedi "objectively" at all.

---

Now, obvious disclaimer: don't go being jackasses and doxxing this guy or anything. That's not what any of this was about. This was just about me defending my comfort characters and going back to the thing that had me feeding into the anti-Jedi bullshit to take it apart and, in doing so, make myself feel better.

For everyone that made it all the way to this part, thanks for reading!

I hope this was as therapeutic for you as it was for me.

[mdhwrites]

I agree that Luz "inheriting" Owlbert would be a really good way to end her arc about palismen on the surface, but do you think it could also interfere with her arc about becoming her own witch?

Looks within the fathoms of Pandora's box. There is... So much that could be unpacked with this. I won't cover it entirely here but Luz's 'arc' of becoming her own witch actually is fraught with topics like where she gets her magic, what her magic says about her, how the show frames her at the end, whether or not she actually ever becomes her own witch, whether or not Stringbean even counts as an extension of that with how he was made, if that theme was actually important to the show, let alone when put against themes like found family, etc. etc.

I'm going to TRY and keep this mostly to a fundamental flaw in your argument.

Just because a craftsman uses their master's tools does not mean they will make the same things the craftsman did.

Your argument says that Luz using a tool made by her to emulate someone else and make what they would (like... I dunno, Azura, who she quotes for her final lines while still having magic) is more herself than if she uses someone else's tools in order to make something that is truly unique to herself. That what a person does is less important than that which they use to do it. It robs Luz (and fucks over Hunter's arc from literally his second appearance) of agency in choosing what type of witch she wants to be.

Because, you know, if the palisman entirely decides the witch, are Gus and Willow now no longer their own people? They now must follow the paths that their palisman are okay with? The statement of intent helps but it isn't the whole person and also begs the question of if the statement even dictates the sort of person you are. Gus says he wants to be an ambassador to the human realm but that doesn't dictate if he'll do it with friendship, manipulation, tricks, illusions, etc. etc. which I would place WAY MORE importance on how he is an ambassador than literally the title of ambassador. Willow is similar. When she wants strength to protect her friends, is that to stop them being harmed from when they get into stupid situations or the power to be able to stop them from doing the thing in the first place if she thinks they'll hurt themselves doing something? And these two statements are awkward next to each other because one is a statement of morals and character while the other is just what they want to do in the future. Why are these both equally valid answers?

It's almost like it's really hard to boil someone down to a single sentence.

This is without getting into more abstract statements like "I want to be able to choose my own future." Cool. WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT MEAN AMITY!? That is actually just what Luz said that made it so she COULDN'T get a palisman so why did it work for you? Sure, it's nice to want choice but does that mean you intend to fight for other people to have that right? To become so powerful no one can dictate who you are? It's a meaningless statement without any further context and doesn't even have the morality or future plans that Gus or Willow had.

"I want to be understood," is the exact same. What does that say about the sort of person Luz wants to be, let alone what type of witch she wants to be. Worse yet is that Stringbean does react to the words but... Luz literally gave up agency with her palisman. She let Stringbean decide with no actual intent behind them. While nice for the meta theme of individuality and choosing your own way, it fucks over the ability for Stringbean to say ANYTHING about Luz, her relationships, her interest in what type of person she wants to be, etc. like that.

Worse yet, it's all tell, no show. How one uses their palisman should be way more indicative of who they are and the sort of witch they are than simply a single line said to them during creation, especially since people change. Circumstances change. The show even admits that having your entire world figured out at fourteen is not really a thing. It's part of why Luz doesn't make a choice or the like. Her statement is just a feel good one for her that entirely ignores the fact that everyone has shown her MOUNTAINS of understanding over the course of the series but apparently that wasn't good enough. Just one episode ago before that after all, she was forgiven for something she thought was unforgivable because her friends knew better than to think Luz would do something like this out of malice or on purpose. You know... Because they showed her understanding. But then we're told she needs MORE understanding.

Which one of these is more effective?

And hey, if the show really was worried that a palisman overrode who you were A: they wouldn't have given Hunter Caleb's palisman, let alone had Hunter absorb CALEB'S palisman because that kind of fucks his arc immediately of trying to be his own person. B: You can do something with that. We could have seen, even in just steps instead of a focused episode, that Luz and Owlbert struggle to work together at first because they are expecting different things out of each other. As the two show more understanding to each other though, accept who the other is, one of the other major themes of the show, they are stronger for it. There's enough familiarity to work together after all but they need to actually get in sync. Again, show this bond instead of just stating it.

Not only that but Luz is portrayed as someone who helps bring in others. That she theoretically helps people in bad situations find a place where they can be themselves. Taking in a palisman who no longer has a use would actually be a great follow up to that part of her character and a more explicit version of that hypothetical theme than what she does with most of the other characters. Instead, she is one of two Hexside members who gets to make their palisman (unless Amity didn't I guess). The only one who customizes specifically to her, in theory since she doesn't. Why didn't she take one in? Give them a place instead of leaving them as an outcast?

Unless we want to say that's not a part of who Luz wants to be. That that's on accident, which does feel accurate to a lot of what Luz does on this topic. That's also an inherent issue with her statement. "I want to be understood." It is an inherently selfish one. One that asks others to show endless understanding... Even if she doesn't have to. After all, she's allowed to lie, ENDLESSLY, break her word and act behind people's back but the one time Eda does that, for Luz's safety? Luz doesn't show her ANY understanding. Doesn't give her even a chance to explain or talk. Instead, she gets into a fight with Eda. That plus her statement seems to imply that Luz being her own witch is... Selfish. Self serving. That who she wants to be as this mythical figure is for herself.

The final part of TOH doesn't help with it either. An older Luz should have had a real statement for what she wanted to study. "I'm choosing X because of Y goal." Instead her goal is just... Magic. To do as much as she wants. Actually putting it to use? Who needs that? That's actual work and having to make decisions instead of being an eternal student. Of having to take a title beyond just 'witch'.

This still isn't even all of it. Siiiiiigh.

What's worse is that even the action of Luz trying to give Stringbean their own option in this is the facsimile of compassion. Sure, she let it be up to her but... Couldn't you come out already? I know I left you in an egg because I refused to be open and honest with you and make an actual bond but come on, stop making me sad because you're not awake yet. After all, Amity even has to comfort Luz about the fact Stringbean hasn't hatched. If Luz actually gave a fuck about the thing's agency... She would just grin and bear it because that's part of allowing someone else to make a choice: Dealing with the consequences.

Luz, and to some extent the show, didn't want those though. Instead, they wanted a couple nice lines that make NO SENSE in context but sound really nice to the people projecting onto Luz. Because they TOLD us nice things, they stopped caring about what the actions were saying.

And actions will always speak louder than words so no, I don't think Owlbert would have gotten in the way of Luz defining what sort of witch she wants to be. No worse than Stringbean did at least.

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[timothylawrence]

it is a little sad that the game writers and the fandom are so blatantly in favour of astarion as the Designated Woobie, and then wyll, and even gale to an extent, get less content. and their stories get framed as jokes, or like they weren't ~really~ harmed because the person manipulating them was a hot woman... imagine the screaming if cazador was also a romance option and hung out unkillably in your camp? but somehow it's ok for mizora, and the writers themselves can say that gale is the most annoying companion and deserves to blow up. i feel like i usually get attached to the companion characters in rpgs with the least content, which is fine, but it's a weird energy when the writers themselves seem to dislike the character.

i think that's one thing from the writers that like. didn't surprise me at all in regards to them calling Gale annoying or that he deserves to blow up lmao. like, these are same writers who rewrote wyll based on racist ass fans feedback and gave final version Wyll his unfinished and weak story, with the least amount of romance scenes + dialogue of any origin characters. the writers also failed to give him a storyline that was strictly about him, not his father, not mizora, and not balduran lmfao. top it all off with the fact you can 'romance' his abuser and then be incredibly cruel and vile towards him afterwards... like the writers are racist as hell idk.

I'm not surprised they said these things abt Gale either when they have a very obvious favoritism issue going on with their writing and how they treat their own characters

[tabithatwo]

you people are so weird. any person with a brain would understand that shauna would be the most affected by the loss of her baby. that baby is literally a part of her in a way that jackie will never be able to. you’re just mad that shauna’s character no longer revolves around the non canon ship that you made up in your head.

I’m only gonna respond to one of these the rest will be deleted but this is a good example to use to tap into more general concerning discussion I see!

Two parts, the easy one first:

everyone who says this stuff is missing the point completely, the conversation isn’t even about shipping like…at all, actually! It’s character continuity! The point is simply that s1 21 shauna was constantly impacted by a specific thing (the loss of Jackie) and now that we’ve seen that loss on screen in 96, the showrunners have shifted s2 21 Shauna a LOT (both on screen and in interviews). I also talked about Misty’s continuity. Im concerned about the 2021 CHARACTERS CHANGING BASED ON THINGS THAT HAVE ALL ALREADY HAPPENED TO THEM IN THE PAST BY THE FIRST FRAME OF ADULT THEM THAT WE EVER SEE IN THE SHOW. Because I worry that the writers don’t themselves know enough of what happened in the 96 tl to not have continuity issues in the adult characters and/or there’s been a push somewhere to make the characters more tolerable or sympathetic. Like that is the thesis statement idk if that helps lol cause I think you’re probably willfully misunderstanding me but in case you’re not there’s another rephrasing of it.

Second thing, less easy:

telling people that “anyone with a brain would understand that the loss of a baby would impact her most” is actually a very cruel thing to do! I’m taking the time to explain this in case you’re on the younger side or something and maybe just don’t understand, but when you talk to people you do not know what they’ve experienced. So imagining that you’re telling someone who has experienced the thing you’re lecturing them on when you say things can be a helpful metric in being less of an asshole in your phrasing. Pregnancy loss and stillbirth CAN absolutely be the hardest thing some people ever experience. But applying that rhetoric to every single woman is actually a very right wing bullshit propaganda sexist crock of shit, which is the other issue I have with this storyline that’s making me weary. The entire she showed no interest in this baby but every woman wants their baby and it just takes seeing it to realize thing? Rotted. Absolutely rotted lol. Can that happen? YEAH! Does it every time or even most of the time? FUCKING NO IT DOES NOT! Does constantly portraying that in media create a general understanding that is incredibly harmful? The one you’re actually sending back at me right now? ALSO YEAH! I’m not saying I don’t think there’s a way they can go with Shauna’s grief that doesn’t play into this, but the shift in her 2021 character PAIRED with the quote about the baby being the most profound loss worries me.

Especially when the proof is a little bit in the pudding, because there are so many people like you very loudly saying that miscarriage or pregnancy loss or stillbirth is unequivocally the worst thing that can happen to a woman and that questioning that is wrong.

So back to think about who you’re talking to and how they could have any life you don’t understand: you sent this to me! A stranger on the internet! And I, someone who actually quite literally experienced pregnancy loss at 19 years old of a baby that I didn’t want with a man that I slept with because of his proximity to a specific woman, woke up to a message telling me that I’m stupid for not understanding the impact of the loss of a pregnancy. Now is that the exact same loss as Shauna’s? No of course not but damn if it isn’t a little eerie in its closeness lol. Which is probably WHY I care so much how they’re handling this rhetoric.

ANYWAY LAYING THIS SUBJECT TO REST FOR NOW LIKE COACH BENS LEG Y’ALL ARE DOING TOO MUCH LET ME TALK ABOUT MY CONCERNS FOR THE CONTINUITY AND DIRECTION OF A TV SHOW I LOVE ON MY OWN BLOG WITHOUT TELLING ME I DONT UNDERSTAND A THING IVE EXPERIENCED THANKS SO MUCH!

[itsclydebitches]

Hi, I stopped watching RWBY midway through volume 5 and basically only keep up with it through your blog which has made volume 9 quite a trip. Anyway, I've got to ask what the fuck is going on in episode 9? The team is happy about Ruby drinking the tea???

I literally cannot imagine being you right now lol. Experiencing RWBY solely through this blog?? Absolutely wild concept. How does it feel being blindsided on a weekly basis? XD

But to actually answer your question... yes? The tea is heavily framed as a suicide attempt, given that Ruby drinks it after a physical and psychological beating from Neo, with the intent of not being Ruby Rose anymore, after Neo herself entices her with it because, as we know, she wants revenge on Ruby for (in her mind) killing Roman. There’s no version of Episode 8 in which this is framed as a positive action. However, at the same time the show has been pushing the idea that Ascension (AKA what Ruby has done by drinking the tea) is ultimately a good thing; a way for those who have fulfilled their purpose to finally move on and achieve something new. Now, however harmful a message that might be from our perspective, the show has made it clear that this is natural for an Afteran, so I could sort of buy it as a cultural difference...

Provided the show had explained how losing your memories/even your physical body isn’t a "real" kind of death.

If we hadn’t seen a character dragged off against their will, forced to Ascend despite clearly being opposed to the idea.

If our “best” version of the journey didn’t come from the Paper Pleasers, a group with cult-like undertones that are so obsessed with Ascension they orchestrate daily attempts at physical harm/suicide in order to achieve it.

If any one of the characters had bothered to consider whether this would be good for Ruby, a human who does not come from this world, especially after it’s explicitly pointed out that she shouldn’t be able to Ascend.

If any one of the characters had considered that Ruby doesn't have a defined purpose that she has completed and thus has no need to undergo the Be Assigned a New Purpose Ritual.

And if most of this information hadn’t come from the Cat, a manipulative (according to the heroes) party later revealed to be a Super Duper Evil Villain.

So even within the realm of ‘This is a good thing, just a cultural difference!’ there is a LOT of negative implications that the story hasn’t bothered to unpack. But here, in Episode 9, the group continues to ignore all of it. They see that the Paper Pleasers, after drowning themselves, have come back as the Genial Gems. Does it matter that they had to undergo such a horrific event in order to achieve that upgrade? No. Does it matter that they no longer remember Jaune, a friend who lived with them for years? No. Does it matter that they found Ruby beaten and bloody, being given the tea by Neo while a fake Roman talks about how the world would be better off without her, after she ran from them all post-meltdown because she (rightly) believes that no one cares about her mental health? No! All that matters is that the Gems came back “better” - with “better” defined as now being impervious to water and fire - so that means Ruby will definitely come back “better” too. Hurrah!

The characters don’t care about the horrors that it took to get Ruby to this place, or that she committed magical suicide in front of them, or that Neo helped orchestrate all this, or that Little was lying dead in front of her. All they care about is how this was supposedly Ruby’s “choice” and if she doesn’t come back as the same Ruby they knew, that can only be a good thing because - again - she chose to do this.

(I need to make a separate post on how no, this is not a choice in the way RWBY is framing it. There's a reason why we discuss depression as an illness. You don't "choose" it any more than you choose to die of cancer.)

I can’t emphasize enough that the message of Episode 9 couched in metaphor is, “Yes, if you hate yourself dying is an option. Agency is the most important thing, so if someone wants to die, you need to let them die and accept that fighting for them is selfish (remember Penny?). Lucky for the heroes, they exist in a magical world where death has a reset button, so choosing suicide is an even smarter choice because then you can reflect on that choice and possibly come back with a cool upgrade!”

Yang has one (1) moment where she freaks a little after seeing Ruby encased in the tree, but Blake, Weiss, and Jaune talk her down because remember Yang, your sister chose this. It’s a good thing.

The rest of the episode is this vibe. Behold, the team literal minutes after watching a psychologically terrorized, physically beaten Ruby try to kill herself:

[that-ari-blogger]

Here We Go! (Agony Of A Witch)

While it isn't wrong to say that Agony Of A Witch is the episode in which The Owl House picks up speed, it is possibly the understatement of the century. This episode switches vehicles from a golf cart to a drag racer and puts a rock on the accelerator.

But, pacing isn't everything. The true test of a story is how well it handles the turns, how efficient it is with its maneuvers, and how much this metaphor falls apart.

I actually think this episode is phenomenal and is a demonstration of the character writing muscles that were previously glimpsed in Understanding Willow being put to full use.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD: (The Owl House, One Piece - Whiskey Peak, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe)

My thesis for this post is that it explores motivation to create a compelling conflict that draws on entirely well-meaning intentions that contradict each other. As in, there is an antagonist in this episode, that being Lilith, but she isn't entirely villainous, I don't think.

Let me define some terms. A villain is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as the following:

"A character in a book, play, film, etc. who harms other people."

This definition sucks. That's right, this little Tumblr blog about The Owl House is going toe to toe with Cambridge. Fight me, nerds (please don't actually fight me).

In my opinion, this definition manages to be both reductive and unhelpful. While "harm" is a fairly open term, that is a problem, because it encompasses characters who don't constitute as villains. For example, Deadpool is a villain by this structure, but so is James Bond, and Obi Wan Kenobi has removed enough people's arms that it has become a meme.

Hooty causes harm in this story. Is he a villain? Don't answer that.

On the other hand, what about villains who don't succeed in causing harm. Mr 5 is unquestionably villainous in One Piece, but he gets his arse handed to him in Whiskey Peak, and doesn't really succeed at anything other than looking like a chump.

So, there is some intentionality there. Allow me to propose my own definition of the term, that I will be working from:

"A villain is a character who willingly does bad things, as described in the story, even when given an option to do otherwise."

In this case, "bad" is defined as whatever the story's themes advocate against. In the Owl House, this is willful ignorance, bigotry, and denial of another's freedom. It is the latter of these that characterises Lillith as villainous and has characterised her as villainous for the series up to this point.

But this is where the intentionality comes into play, because for the majority of season one, Lilith has been the main villain, trying repeatedly to restrict Eda into joining a coven, and she still fills that role here, but this episode makes that more complicated.

I cannot gush enough over how incredible this opening scene is, it feels like what would happen if Wes Anderson did more than just look pretty (apologies to any Wes Anderson fans out there, I just don't like his movies).

The imagery here is clear, a massive castle made by an architect who clearly had a thing for the Eye Of Sauron. There is a cage being walked across the bridge, and shadows everywhere. This is where the villains hang out.

Good sound design often goes unnoticed, except for when it is meant to be overwhelming, but I genuinely think that this scene is carried by its subtlety in that regard. There is nothing here, just the wind, and the sound of marching. In a story about freedom and expression, this is a place where there is absolutely zero of that.

This is Belos' first appearance, and he is steeped in religious imagery. He is in a place of worship, plated with gold, on a massive stained glass window.

You can tell a lot about a person by how they talk about themselves, even more than how they physically appear. For example, someone who appears unkempt might be less tidy and refined than someone in a suit, or they might be the most eloquent person you could ever meet. In short, actions speak louder than appearances.

So, lets look at how Belos has chosen to present himself. First up, he is huge, and towers over those looking at the window. But he also towers over the others in the frame. Those others happen to be kneeling to him in subservience, worshiping him. Belos presents himself as powerful and worthy of praise.

He is also leaning into the idea of freedom expression in his villainy here. Because there is colour in this room, but only on his window. Only when looking upon him, can you be free.

The room, however, is gold, the same colour as his mask and cloak, so he definitely has a hand in the limiting of power

Then there is the fact that this is a window. To see the outside world, Lilith needs to look through Belos. Even when she isn't trying to see him, he dictates what she sees anyway. Belos revels in control.

I also want to talk about the religious imagery here, because it plays into his personality. It shows a character who thinks of himself as deific, who has placed himself in the centre of the room. When people pray, they pray to him. This is a narcissist.

Back to Lilith, the start of this episode goes out of its way to hammer home Lilith's goals, and hints at why they might be.

"I haven't forgotten what you've promised me. I will bring you my sister, Emperor Belos."

I think that Lilith manages to walk the line between villain and antagonist in this episode, fully exiting the former in the finale of the season. She doesn't appear to be doing things of her own volition, but that isn't clear enough yet to say.

I also want to stress this, forcing someone to do something doesn't have to be physically bending their arm behind their back and making them do it. In this case, Lilith has been handed two choices, one of which is objectively worse, so the choice is self-evident.

Luz and Eda on the other hand, get their motivations laid out as the episode opens after the credits. They want to protect each other.

Eda is struggling with the owl beast curse, and that has been getting worse. But to protect the naivety of her student, she has been hiding this fact from her, until it is too late. Remember how I said the story emphasises willful ignorance as bad? Well, that is explicitly how Eda's actions to obscure the truth from Luz are framed.

Eda repeatedly does this over the series. She hides elements of her life from others to make their lives better in her eyes, but it always backfires. People find out, and the result is always worse.

Then there is Luz, who is idealistic and determined. She wants to help out Eda, and when the opportunity to do so falls out of the sky in front of her in the form of a road trip.

Both of these characters want to protect each other, but that means they can be used as bait for each other. Contradicting goals from compelling intentions.

Ok, one more thing about Belos.

"The Relic Room. These items are reminders of our great Emperor's overwhelming power."

Kikimora is saying the quiet part out loud here. Look, everyone! This guy is powerful. Worship him.

Anyway, this conversation is so revelatory about Lilith. Belos issues demands, and though they aren't spoken with any real menace, the threat is obvious.

That threat is why I keep bringing Belos up when talking about Lillith, because in the same way that Amity was a key part of Understanding Willow, Belos is a key part of understanding Lilith. Because that threat colours everything she does.

The audience doesn't even get told what happens to wild witches and why Lilith fears it so much, but we get the malice in him from his tone, and from how the scene frames him.

Take, for example, the first thing we actually see Belos do:

You know that scene in Who Framed Roger Rabbit where Christopher Lloyd's character murks a shoe? (It makes more sense in context). Well, that is what is happening here. Belos kills a small creature and drinks from its life force. If you take that with the imagery surrounding him, it is valid to say that the Emperor of the boiling isles is a vampire.

If Belos is willing to do this, what might happen to Lilith?

Once again, however, that sound design carries this scene, because there is no way this moment would be nearly as intense if it wasn't for that heartbeat that Belos breathes in time with. The man controls the scene, right down to the beating of the heart in your ears. This man is terrifying.

Now, I have been saying this name for so long that it is starting to become white noise, so before that fully sets in, why is Lilith called Lilith?

Contrary to the general public opinion, I love stupidly edgy names in fiction. I think there is a place for cheese, and antagonists definitely fit that mould. Don't get me wrong, I think if a character's name is "Skullcrusher" or "Shadow" or "Tazerface" and that doesn't immediately get picked up on as needlessly over the top, that is a disruption of my immersion, but names that have that edge attached to them are writing gold to me. Lilith is one of these names.

Lilith isn't directly in the Bible, but she is referred to in folklore as Adam's first wife before Eve. According to Britannica, she is credited as a mother of demons, specifically succubae and incubi.

In terms of pop culture, however, the name Lilith has spiraled into being synonymous with "evil lady who might be demonic," the White Witch in the Chronicles of Narnia series is a descendant of her and characters in Devil May Cry, Supernatural, and Doctor Who bear her name.

So, this is a name that is traditionally associated with evil, mostly. Wherever you find stories with people who are "inherrently evil", you run into people who explore what that means, and so there are a few stories out there that either take Lilith's side, or suggest that the name should not be used to make a judgement about a person's character, a fact that I agree with.

Lilith Clawthorn doesn't really engage with this directly. Instead, she bears a name that has moral implications, and makes that person morally complex. The traditional betrayer angle is brought in through her relationship with Eda that I will get to in a moment, but the misunderstood aspect is important here as well.

I love the fact that Gus and Willow are fully prepared to help Luz out here. Someone is in danger, so they offer their advice, and this scene also jumps in on that theme of honesty. Once again, the truth outs itself, and I don't think Luz would have lived through this episode if it hadn't.

Eda, meanwhile, spends the entire episode filling that maternal role for Luz. She knits for her, she has photos, she discusses the human "growing up", so its not exactly subtle.

So, naturally, the moment Luz is in trouble, Mamma Owl Beast doesn't hesitate to try and save her.

I think that Witch's Wool cloak is a cool little metaphor for the two's relationship. This is an item that can protect one of them, and Eda is willing to give it away to Luz, even after admitting she needs it for herself. But, Eda still can't tell Luz about it, because she still refuses to actually tell Luz how much she means to her.

On the other hand, we open this episode still without knowing who cursed Eda, and the dream serves to remind the audience of that, without having to do a "previously on..." segment.

I do have a love for when The Owl House messes with aesthetics, and this weird, amorphous blob is a really neat way of obscuring the assailant's form. Character design in cartoons is often focused on silhouettes, you can tell almost any two characters in this series by their shadow, for example. So, it's a neat bit of direction to hide that.

But, Ok. I know what y'all came for. The fight.

The first thing to point out is that the Clawthorns have a signature spell, that being this teleportation thing. The only characters in the entire series who do this burst of light and then warp are Clawthorns. There's some foreshadowing going on there.

"Renounce your wild ways and join the Emperor's Coven. He can help heal your curse!" "Don't believe everything that bone head tells you. He doesn't want to heal me, he wants to control me."

So, we have the two sides and their goals and ideologies. Freedom vs Safety, and we will get back to the nuance of this next week, when all the reveals happen. But for now, this is what both sides think they are playing for.

One of the most prevalent pieces of advice on the internet for combat in TTRPGs such as Pathfinder and D&D is "roleplay doesn't stop when initiative is rolled", in essence, characters are still characters when they are fighting. This scene is an example of what that means.

Eda is direct and to the point, she comes out of the gate looking for blood and clearly has the upper hand throughout this fight.

Lilith, however, is clever. Not to say that Eda isn't, but Lilith fights more tactically. She uses Luz as a shield, and is constantly talking and trying to get under her sister's skin.

"It's sad to see you slowing down, Sister. Tell me, is it the curse?" "Maybe it is the curse. But then how pathetic are you that you can't best me at my worst."

Eda is a ticking time bomb, and Lilith knows that she just has to outlast that. She is buying herself time.

There's also something really cool about how Eda and Lilith's magic is coloured. Eda leans into the fiery orange of wild magic and Lillith takes on a bright blue, and both of those kinda relate to Belos a bit.

Belos' gold is similar, but not exactly the same as the wild magic, he is offering freedom, but not exactly. Meanwhile his eyes are the only things in the entire series besides the magic that have that bright blue tint (Camilla's uniform comes close, but it isn't as bright).

"You always thought you were better than me. That I could never beat you at anything." "I am better than you." "Then why were you so easy to curse?"

Tick, tick, boom.

So, let's talk about redemptions for a moment.

There is a general atmosphere on social media that Lilith's redemption arc wasn't handled well, and I would like to peacefully say that I think this idea is bogus.

The argument comes from two points, the first being that Lilith wasn't built up as enough of a threat, and the second that she skipped the redemption part of her arc and moved straight to being redeemed. The latter of those arguments is a discussion for a later date, but the former I would like to discuss here.

This episode shows Lilith at both her most villainous and her least at the same time. It gives you a hint at her true motivation, and hints at her being manipulated, but it doesn't spell it out, yet. It's a set up for what will come later.

But in terms of being a true threat, let me just lay out what Lilith has done so far. Curse Eda. Capture Luz. Throw two children into a wall. Throw another child off a bridge. Try to push said child into a bed of spikes out of sheer spite. This is all in this episode, by the way.

I think Lilith needed to spiral like this so that she had further to climb from in her redemption arc in later seasons. You can't redeem someone who ain't done nothing wrong.

Thank you, nameless strawman opponent, you were very helpful in proving my point. Anyway...

"Luz, thank you for being in my life."

Wendy Malick needs more praise. This line is incredibly well performed, and that tiny hesitation is golden.

But, the meaning of this is also important, because this is the first time Eda has actually expressed any affection for Luz directly to her face. Otherwise she has been the distant, cranky mentour.

The Owl House plays with tropes a lot, but the mentour sacrifice is one it plays almost straight, and it hits incredibly hard. These are what Eda thinks are her last words to Luz, and its a thank you.

"I am richer for having known you, friend."

(If you get that reference, you can have a cookie.)

FINAL THOUGHTS

It's important to the pacing here that the heroes lose this episode well and truely. It sets up the finale well, and it gives an air of malice to both Belos and Lilith that is imperative for the next episode to have any weight to it.

This episode has garnered a ton of affection from the fan base, and I think it might be more popular than Young Blood Old Souls, and possibly on par with King's Tide and Hollow Mind, but that is just my observations and not backed up by any statistics. Let me know in the replies if you agree or disagree, I'm keen to know what you think.

Next week, I am tackling the finale, Young Blood Old Souls. So stick around if that interests you.

Previous - Next

[slxsherwriter]

Not so Quiet Town

Fandom: Old 37/Bill Moseley characters

Pairing: Darryl x female reader

Word Count: 2,614

Warnings: Mentions of murder

A/N: I rewrote this twice and am still unsure of the ending. Basically, I wanted to play on the duality of Darryl's character. I think there was a genuine attempt at a date with the mother before realizing what exactly it was he thought he was seeing. So, why not? Is soft his default? No, I don't believe so, but I think he is capable and even more so given the circumstances I threw in here. Hopefully, you enjoy!

Watching the elderly woman struggle to get the groceries into the car, you noticed that no one else was giving two shits, stepping up to help. Well, that just wouldn't do. You tossed the two bags that you were carrying into your truck before jogging over to where her car was. It was clear that she had some difficulty moving, given her age probably some arthritis at the minimum.

"Can I help you get those into the car, ma'am?" She startled a bit, which made you happy that you had kept a respectful distance between you still. There were plenty of people that would take offence to the offer of help, especially around here, a small town were most were used to providing for themselves. If she said no, you would back off.

"That is very kind of you dear. If You don't mind." You offered her a smile, still waiting to step forward, not wanting to crowd her.

"Not at all." When she stepped back, that was your cue to move forward. Carefully, you began to load the car. There was more than you expected but you knew better than to question. You had no idea of her situation. Nor did you have any right to inquire. Just as you got the last bag into the car, an angry sounding voice called out.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" It was your turn to be startled, almost stumbling back from the car before you caught your balance. The look on the face of the man approaching the car matched the anger in his voice. Immediately, your hands shot up in an innocent gesture. Admittedly, that was more the reaction that you had been expecting.

"I was just…" Before you could finish your explanation, you were cut off by the woman that you had just helped.

"Calm down, Darryl. This nice young lady was just helping me get the groceries in the car while you finished up. She's been nothing but polite and helpful." As she spoke and reassured the man that everything was okay, some tension leaked from his frame. He still looked distrusting, but he wasn't about to physically approach anymore. A fact that you were thankful for. A fight in the grocery store parking lot was the last thing that was needed. No good deed went unpunished.

"I didn't mean any harm. I saw that she was having a hard time getting the bags in the car and thought I would offer my help. Didn't do anything until she gave me the okay."

"Go on and get in the car, Mom." Ah, okay that explained the man's protective nature. You stepped back further, offering a soft smile.

"Thank you very much, dear."

"You're welcome." She shifted around the car slowly to be able to get in. It left the two of you in a slightly awkward silence. "I'll just get going…"

"Thank you," he sighed out. It caught you off guard. Being thanked was not what you expected. Giving a small shake of your head, you were quick to assure him.

"It was really no big deal. No one else was stepping up to help, and it looked like your eggs were about to hit the floor."

"You're new around here, aren't you." That wasn't the first time that you had heard that this week alone.

"It's that obvious, is it?" You held out your hand for the man, giving your name since you already had the advantage of knowing his.

" Well, thank you again. I'm sure we will see you around."

***********

While the town itself was decently large, most of it was more rural, so the population wasn't all that big. That resulted in you running into both Darryl and Martha a few times over the next few weeks as you settled in. Each time, a friendly conversation was struck. Darryl became increasingly more relaxed at each interaction, even going so far as giving you a friendly and welcoming smile the last few interactions. 

There were some whispers around town, but you hardly paid attention to them. If every person was judged by their past, well, everyone would be screwed. What mattered was how he acted now, mainly how he acted with you. 

The brash and aggressive personality was certainly there, though not as upfront as it had been in that first meeting. He loosened up further as you spent time helping out his mother, who had taken a shine to you. Mainly through some volunteer work that you were doing at the church. Martha had recognized you and instantly seemed to latch onto you. Not that you minded. She was kind. A woman of faith where you had lost yours. She didn't judge and simply was happy for some companionship and help outside of her family. 

Of course, you weren't quite aware of the way that she watched you interact with her son or the way that a bit of happiness sparked in her when she was present for those meetings. 

It had gotten to the point that Darryl trusted you enough to pick her up from the salvage yard, where they also lived. It had become almost routine. You would pick Martha up on Sunday mornings for her church service and then a little afternoon lunch and outing. Sunday mornings turned into another three outings throughout the weekend. Always scheduled and never random but that worked for you. 

Darryl had taken to greeting you at the entrance to the yard, the two of you chatting about this, and that, nothing specifically as Martha made her way down. You enjoyed the time with the older woman, but you had to admit that you began to really look forward to the chats between the two of you. It really came as no surprise when he finally asked you out for a coffee.

Coffee turned into dinners, dinners into late night drives with stargazing. Random talks turned a little more serious. Neither of you talked about the past, focused only on the future. There was a soft side to the man that you were privileged to see. A side that you found yourself liking more and more. It was easy, and he seemed to appreciate that you didn't expect anything of him besides some respect and time to enjoy one another.

**********************************

Two months had passed, and things couldn't have been looking better for you. There was an easy routine that allowed for the stability that you had been seeking. Volunteer work, spending time helping Martha, dates with Darryl, and working in the small home that you had purchased kept you plenty busy. In a good way.

It was comfortable enough that you didn't recognize the signs of being followed. For the past week, something had seemed off, but it was nothing that pulled too hard at the front of your mind. You simply brushed the feeling off as a result of the recurring nightmare that had played you for the week, which had led to a distinct lack of sleep. Anything else seemed silly and never entered your conscious thoughts. Darryl had noticed something, making a comment on it during your date two nights ago. You had promised him it was simply from you not sleeping well, not wanting to go into detail on what the nightmare was about.

Maybe you should have. Maybe offloading would have helped ease some of the tension and help stop the nightmare. That would have let you sleep better, which in turn may have let you spot the car that had been following you to the salvage yard. Just as you pulled up to the entrance, lights flashed behind you.

"You've got to be kidding me." A cop really decided to pull you over? You hadn't been speeding, and you knew for certain that nothing was wrong with the truck. Scrubbing a hand down your face, you looked behind you and frowned. It was an unmarked car. Now that was unusual, and you could feel the hairs on the back of your neck standing. Something was wrong. That was an instinct you had learned to trust a long time ago. Still, you remained in your car and as relaxed as possible. There were no cameras at the front of the yard. Which meant that Darryl or Jon Roy would have no idea what was going on.

With the window already down, you were getting ready to ask what was wrong, but you were never given the chance. A large hand reached through the window, grabbing the back of your neck and slamming your head forward. Pain blossomed outward from your nose, and your ears were ringing almost immediately. The action stunned you long enough for the man to pull you from the car, one arm wrapped around your torso before cold metal was pressed to your temple. Your head was clearing enough for you to realize that. You could feel the blood leaking down from your busted nose. That was going to be a bitch come tomorrow.

"This is how this is going to go. You are going to get this gate open, and then we are going to find the two degenerates that run this place. The ones that killed my daughter." Killed his daughter? What the hell was this man going on about? You didn't have any choice besides to play along. You just hoped that Darryl or Jon Roy would be around, see what was happening and get help. "Anything I don't like, I put a bullet in your brain. Do you understand?" 

'I understand." Your mind was racing to figure out how you could get out of the situation. If he hadn't gotten the jump on you, you may have been in a better position. Reaching into your pocket carefully, you produced the key that Martha had given you. You shuffled forward, the man still pressed against your back. As long ashedidn't check your hip…

Getting in was easy. But there still hadn't been an opportunity that presented itself for you to try and get away or gain an upper hand.

"Come on out you sick fucks! I know you are here. You wanna take away something of mine, then I'm gonna take away something of yours." The gun was pressed harder against your head Enough so, you were forced to tilt to accommodate the pressure with gritted teeth. As your eyes jumped around, you didn't spot either of the boys.

"Woah, woah, woah. What's going on here?" That was Darryl. After a second, his form appeared from around a nearly junked car. His hands were in the air, though that anger that you didn't often see anymore, was so clearly present.

"Don't play dumb, asshole. You may have others fooled, but I'm not. Once a twisted fucker, always one. That record of yours was easy to pull up. And all the missing people along this stretch of road? I don't know how anyone didn't put it together sooner. You and that deformed brother of yours are behind it all."

"Listen, I don't know what you think you know, but you got it all wrong. I haven't been in trouble since I got out…"

"I tracked her phone here! I know she was here. The last place that she ever came. " Darryl was doing a good job of distracting the man. It was now a question where Jon Roy was. Something that the man was acutely aware of, unfortunately. "Where is your brother?" 

"I'm not his keeper. How the hell should I know where he is?" You subtly tried to shift your lower half away from the man. Creating a little space would give you the chance to throw a blow or slip from his grasp. Either would work right now.

"Bullshit. He doesn't show himself in the next fifteen seconds, I'm shooting her now. Then I'll shoot you." With the underlying hint of something in his voice, that unhinged nature, you actually believed that he would do that. So, there was no time to waste. 

"You know, if you were coming here, guns blazing, I would have thought that you would have had a slightly better plan than this. Really it's a shit attempt at trying to get what you want. Two on one, the odds weren't ever in your favor." The man behind you let out a cry. There was little time to react before your balance was thrown forward, though his grip didn't exactly leave you. Cursing, you tried to twist out of the hold as the man swung around. The loud crack of gunfire echoed out. Ithad been aimed at Jon Roy, who wasn't hit and tried taking another whack at the man. The momentum was something that you tried to take advantage of, toring to continue the motion through. Managing, you broke free, but stumbled in the process.The gun was aimed at you this time. it was only that continued motion of the stumble that the shot missed your chest and caught your arm.

"Fuck!" It sent you to the ground. The sound of rushing footsteps came, likely signalling that Darryl had moved forward. He still had the gun though, which put the brothers at a disadvantage. Rolling to your back, your good hand patted your side in a near frantic motion. Don't panic. It was the only thing running through your head. Finding the handle of your own gun, the action was all but muscle memory, practiced ease before the trigger was pulled.

Both Jon Roy and Darryl jumped back as the man's body hit the ground.

"Son of a bitch!" With a heaving breath, your head hit the ground. Between the throbbing, pulsing pain the gunshot wound in your arm and the slightly less sharp pain in your face, You couldn't be bothered by the reactions. 

"Is he dead?" You would need to get the bullet out of your shoulder. Hopefully, the two would be able to help you with that.

"Don't think there is a doubt about that." There was a moment of silence. Then Darryl was standing over you. There was that hard look still on his face. He went to open his mouth but you cut him off.

"Good. Now, can you help me up and help me get this damn bullet out of my shoulder?" This could turn into a proper nightmare. If what the man said was true though, maybe there was another path to travel. After another second, an almost disbelieving laugh came from him.

"You serious?"

"Darryl, I have a bullet in my damn arm. Yes, I'm serious. I can dig it out but I will need some help." He knelt down, an arm going underneath your shoulders to help you getup into a seated position.

"You just shut someone dead and you're more concerned with that?" Distrusting. That was what his tone was. Something you hadn't heard in the past two months. 

"It's not the first person that I've shot and killed. Frankly, the bullet is my first priority. The second will be figuring that shit out so nothing comes back on you and your family." His arm tightened around your shoulder but it wasn't from anger or distrust. That was far more the comforting touch that you had come to expect.

"Let's get you up on your feet. Jon Roy's got him." There was confirmation. Clutching your arm, you got to your feet with his help. "So, not the first person you've killed?" Was that a hint of pride in his voice? Seemed that quiet wasn't quite what you were going to have in this small town. At least not anymore.

***********************

Tag list: @run-rabbitt-run || @jackalopes-eat-bacon

[rathologic]

Here's a Class A "thought I had that requires a strong assertion but spins into a worrying chain of events". One of the things I like least about p2 is that it frames humanity itself as incompatible with the Earth - the Kin must reject humanity to be able to survive the Earth's pain. (I've talked before about how weird it is that this doesn't extend to the white adult townsfolk who are stripped of their humanity in the Nocturnal ending then walk off to die, and of course how bad it sucks that the core premise of this game is "the Indigenous population are meant to be subhuman", but bear with me.) It's not only an appallingly pessimistic position with respect to real-world sustainability, but goes against extensive histories of human stewardship and care for land. The other thing on my mind lately is how most members of the Kin talk about eagerly awaiting the day they "flood the streets of the Town", killing settlers and reclaiming their lands - reciprocal violence, i.e. the racist fear that self-determination and an end to oppression for the Kin will mean the violent death or expulsion of the oppressors. The image of indiscriminate violence and the cessation of morals is itself what we'd call inhumanity, right? Which is the origin of a certain slur towards Indigenous peoples.

So, "humanity"/"civilization" is the source of the pain that the Earth is lashing out against. The game presents this directly as "the Polyhedron literally harmed the Earth", but the Polyhedron is a recent construction and not the origin of "civilization" on Gorkhon: if anything, it traces back to the construction of the first buildings around the Abattoir as canon's first mention of the "Town" as a concept, which develops into the modern usage of the Termitary: representative of the Olgimskys' control over the Kin (in physical freedom of movement, and financial dependence on factory work; further, culturally wrt. spiritual leader Tycheek being of the Termitary, to say nothing of Oyun). So one can eventually argue (this being the assertion!) that the oppression of the Kin is what is harming the Earth - supported by the fact that in the endings, the Kin and Earth either live or die together, but moreso going back to how similar colonial dynamics have damaged our planet IRL.

And this draws a parallel between the Kin and the Plague itself, where the Plague "floods" the streets of the Town and instills a new order. The pitchforks-and-torches human revolution that Kin characters express their desire for never happens, leaving the Sand Pest as both the closest substitute for this imagery, and the vehicle by which the way is cleared for the Kin's new society in Nocturnal. The violence is still enacted and it's still unconscionable, but it is done by a reflex of the quasi-sentient Earth; that is, it's an act of the Earth as it exists in the Kin's belief system. The connections between the Kin and Earth legitimize their interests as shared: in fact, the Plague was once held back, until a member of the Kin felt it was in their people's best interest to unleash it.

Is it any less offensive to make a game that plays reciprocal violence (as feared by the colonizer) straight, but as an abstracted, automatic process spawned from nothing, rather than something the oppressed people enact themselves? I think it meshes with the treatment of the Kin as helpless and without agency, described as "a realm of infants" by Oyun and (paraphrased) "not understanding themselves" by the art book design notes; underscored by the nonexistence of efforts towards liberation in-game from Kin characters, even including the Haruspex. In the same vein, there's interplay with the way that the Kin's cosmology and beliefs being real in the setting demarcates their people as mystical, wrt. the Earth's magical intervention being the only way the game suggests that the tension between Town and Kin could be solved.

The main takeaway I got from writing this out is that Isidor is more connected to the "flooding the town" idea than previously thought (which is part of the interesting topic of how Isidor conceives of violence and the necessity of violence, in relation to his being implied to be an abusive father), and that merits further inspection... but as always, valuing the writers' choice of themes surrounding the Kin on how well they form Isidor's character isn't very productive from a "how this relates to the real world" standpoint. I don't have a neat ending for it though :saluting_face:

[crystal-cliffs]

Arlecchino’s story quest was a solid 8/10 for me

However there’s still one thing I’m not sure about, spoilers beyond this point.

The fight between Arlecchino and the siblings isn’t an unheard of dynamic, it’s been used in shows like Avatar in the episode Sokka’s Master, the mentor seeming to turn on their apprentice to test them of their skills.

However unlike Avatar, Arlecchino was violent. (it had to be convincing ofc) She seriously harmed all three of the siblings, hell, Freminet mentions being bedridden for two days. Im not against this characterization of her, someone who thinks the ends justify the means as long as they get from point A to point B. She can essentially turn her emotions off to get things done since obviously she cares about the children, we’ve established this multiple times, but she also probably considers this “fight for freedom” caring about them as well since it could be worst, she could actually execute them. Which is all sorts of fucked up but I mean, I’m glad they’re letting her do something fucked up again.

Im also not opposed to the siblings characterization of how they still appreciate her anyways (for the most part, still some stuff that makes me feel off), its all they’ve know, and theyve decided for themselves that they understand and are willing to work past it, hell i guess forgive her. It makes sense for people like them.

However that doesn’t feel like a happy ending like the game might be trying to sell it as. Its sad. Lyney mentions it himself, they don’t know how a real family functions, this is all they’ve known and they certainly aren’t willing to lose it.

I don’t mind how they chose to end things. It’s just i definitely got a more solemn energy than happy even though what Lynette was saying seemed like that’s what they were going for.

Arlecchino’s story quest isn’t happy. Arlecchino is a product of her environment that cannot ever go back to the way she once was, if that person even ever existed. The siblings were seriously harmed in a fight and then seriously thought Arlecchino was about to kill their family, and that’s not okay. Then right after Lyney is back to normal and talking to Arlecchino as if nothing happened. I don’t know about you but family or not I’d be shaken up for awhile if I thought my dad was about to kill the rest of my family in front of me, idk that’s just me.

Again, I don’t have a problem with Arlecchino, they might not even be trying to frame her actions positively, but the way the siblings just return to normal makes it feel like they might be… like “oh it’s okay you did that, we want to stay <3” which just signals the audience that it’s time to forgive her

I didn’t want the siblings to forget, because that’s just boring, but idk it bothered me that he just brushed it off as if it was nothing. Maybe that’s just a product of their violent environment? Or maybe I’m just making excuses for poor character writing.

That’s all, my thoughts are all incredibly jumbled and I can’t quite string them together right😅

I might have something more cohesive later