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ouroborosorder · 2 months

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Arknights VFX question: Any highlights or personal favourites as far as the "Stick a whole background/huge jpeg in there behind the character" category of skills goes?

Oh I like this question. This made me consider things I've never looked at before, so thank you for that. I had to do research.

So, there's not a lot of ops like this, and shockingly, I don't have many positive things to say about them. BUT I did find a few interesting highlights I think are worth discussing.

First off, I will leave Eine Variation out of this, as I have made my thoughts on that Thing very clear.

But, my favorite skin in the game actually does indeed have the Background.Jpeg - Specter's As One!

Aaaand it's easily the worst part of my favorite skin. Don't get me wrong, i think it's probably one of the better executions of the idea, since it's like, a skybox, it matches the pallette, matches the artstyle of the skin, it's almost perfect. I wish it was a LITTLE less static, maybe have some distortion ripples across it like waves to keep the stars moving, or maybe have them twinkle a bit or something. But it's fine. But a good effect isn't everything.

Effects relies heavily on the principles of animation, too. Appeal, weight, color, and most importantly of all - timing. Having a proper lead in can make a bad effect good, and having a bad lead-in can make a good effect fucking terrible. And having no lead-in at all will absolutely fuck your effect and make it super clear that you took a jpeg from the skin art and superimposed it behind your operator.

Here. Look at the picture above. Now, I am going to tab back literally just one single frame in the animation and...

oh ...there's no fade in at all. It just literally appears in a single frame. It draws way more attention to itself than it needs to just by virtue of literally popping in. It's SUPER obvious that it's just Skybox.jpeg. If it faded in with some sort of noise mask (which takes literally less than 2 minutes to make,) it would be so so so much better. Again, this is my favorite skin in the game, and I already think S3 is quite beautiful, so this is nitpicking, but this skybox always bugged me a lot.

Now to say a sentence no one has ever said - going up a step in quality from Specter to Hoederer!

I can't fully get this one in a still image and I'm too tired to record a video / gif so just go with this, alright?

This one is ALMOST GOOD. ALMOST. IT'S SO FUCKING CLOSE. The texture is being distorted by a wavelike noise that is giving it the rippling effect of fire, which is the standard thing to do for making a stylized fire. The problem is that... The texture itself doesn't fucking move? It's just being UV distorted, just a bit of offset to the material and I just AUGH.

It's so so so obvious that it's just a static jpeg of fire that's being waved around like a flag to get it to contort into being fire. This wouldn't bother me if the actual fire texture didn't have implications of movement in the little waves and fades and stuff. I hate it it's so irritating it's so CLOSE. But also, animating an entire fire flipbook would have taken a lot more time, and I can 100% guarantee you the VFX artist is also unhappy with this one. Their A team was probably on Arturia or something. Speak of the devil -

I've had a few people ask how I feel about Arturia's S3 after I expressed my hatred for Eine Variation, and I am here to say - this unambiguously fucking rules, for a few reasons.

First and least importantly, THE MONSTER MOVES. The monster itself has slight movement, you can notice its arms wiggle a little and mouth open and close. This is a small thing that goes a LONG way to make it feel way more dynamic and alive. It's also being distorted by a noise like Hoederer is, which is quite nice as a touch, really helps to make that limited movement feel way more significant than it is.

Second, is that the texture is monochromatic, but in a different way than Arturia is. The grays are colder, harsh blue-grays to contrast Arturia herself, who is a very warm gray. This makes it so that it adds a really nice background that looks like part of her, while also standing out and allowing her to stand out against it. It's a really smart use of monochrome to create visual interest using just different subtle shades of gray.

But that bluish hue also serves to compliment the only color in the effect - the blue light from the cello. Your eyes are naturally drawn to brighter glowing things, which is also the only colored spot on the effect - the cello from which her Arts emerge. As a result, the Beastie.jpg fades out of your attention, becoming monochromatic noise, which, due to being just kinda chaotic and aesthetically dissonant, you interpret more as abstract Shape than anything else. That abstract shape then makes a cone which leads you down into Arturia's center, which is her cello, which is where her Arts are coming from.

This is basically to say - These are very emblematic of what I think makes good effects textures in general. They work best when they're not alone. When these backgrounds are part of a larger whole that's all coming together to make an effect, rather than being the centerpiece of the whole thing. When I notice the background, it's a problem, in my eyes. Maybe people disagree. They keep putting them in skins, and a lot of people thought the Eine Variation goat was cool as hell, so clearly I'm in the wrong here, but hey. Who gives a shit.

I'm sure there's way more examples of this, (actually I know there are,) but I'm extremely tired and need to go the fuck to sleep. If there's any particular backgrounds ya'll want me to take a look at, lemme know and I'll get back to you when I've woken from my dread slumber.

#arknights #arknights vfx breakdown

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short-wooloo · 1 year

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It is ever obvious that people increasingly look at the Republic through the lense of "late Republic has allegories to contemporary (late 90s-early 2000s) us politics, us bad, Republic based off us = Republic bad, Jedi bad for being tied to Republic is bad because Republic is bad, no there is no nuance here, Republic bad so that make Jedi bad"

This misses the point

Lucas was certainly making an allegory to contemporary (late 90s early 2000s) us politics, but Lucas intent does not seem to be "us bad, Republic is us, so Republic bad"

He was criticizing the state of us politics to be sure, and warning of where things could go, but Lucas was not necessarily saying "us WILL (no if/ands or buts) become an empire"

The actual fall of the Republic draws more from how the Republics of Rome, France, and Weimar Germany became empire's and fascist states

Lucas was drawing from history, both in his worldbuilding on the fall of the Republic/rise of the empire and his observations of the current US state

The republic is still a democracy

Despite what people say about it "already being a dictatorship" by the time of aotc-rots, Palpatine is not a dictator yet

Palpatine still needed to put things to vote

Outstaying his term limits, being given emergency powers, creating a military, gaining more emergency powers

These all took votes

Palpatine did not and could not unilaterally declare such

What Palpatine did is manipulate people into voting for such things, always keeping his hands clean, never appearing as though he wanted such, always playing the part of a humble public servant, merely doing the job that the constituents asked him to do

To the public, Palpatine did not want to extend his term, but the people asked him to stay (relevant to this, according to Anakin, the same was asked of Padme), he did not want emergency powers or to create a military, but the people wanted him to

Palpatine always worked to present himself as a man not with ambition, but a desire to serve the will of the people

And this is best exemplified in clone wars when he loses a vote

In S3 episode 11, Padme rallies the support to defeat a bill that would put more money into war material by taking a loan from the banking clan

In all of the scenes where he's in public, Palpatine plays the part of neutrality, whether the bill passes or is rejected he will adhere to it because he follows what the people want

But in the end of the episode, in private (or at least in the presence of someone who's in the loop) he fumes

Palpatine muses that despite all his power, despite having the option of simply doing whatever he wants, he cannot, the systems of democracy are still in place, and they can beat him

And while the possibility of just ignoring the vote to further his plans is something Palpatine has the possibility of doing, he realistically can't

The whole shtick of his public servant persona is neutrality and following the people's desires

If he just does whatever he wants, damn the will of the people, then the mask is off, Palpatine being power hungry is no longer suspicion and rumor, he's no longer the humble politician doing what the people have asked, he's actively grabbing power without it being given, the senators now are more cautious about him, the Jedi start looking closer

And that brings me to the final point

As mentioned above, and as Lucas points out, Palpatine did not simply make a unilateral declaration of empire and dictatorship

He had a vote on it

(ok technically it wasn't a vote, but that's a case of visuals, "democracy ending with thunderous applause" works better if you show that instead of a vote, the point is the same, he only did this because he had the support of the people to do it, George Lucas literally says, "the people give their democracy to a dictator")

Just as the Roman, French, and Weimar Republics became empires with dictators/emperors by vote

Palpatine made the Republic a dictatorship by manipulating people into thinking that's what they needed for security and safety

And importantly, he only was able to do this after order 66

Because as long as the Jedi were a factor, there was a chance to stop him, a chance to save the Republic

#wooloo-writes #wooloo writes #star wars #sw #jedi #on the republic #palpatine #george lucas #the galactic republic #galactic republic #pro jedi #in defense of the jedi #on democracy #in defense of the republic #sheev palpatine

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infinite-orangepeel · 1 year

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just a little hurt/comfort steddie snippet from the next chapter of it's rotten work (bc it's still not done and i want to give you something in the meantime, lmk what you think--comments are always so helpful !!)

context: steve's having a panic attack about the whole 'russian torture' situation from s3. thankfully, eddie notices and is right there to help him through it.

Eddie must notice him slipping into the past, because he’s suddenly tugging at the soft, honey tendrils that hang at the nape of Steve’s neck. Pulling ever so slightly at the root–not enough for anyone to really notice, not enough to read as punishment.

He delivers the perfect amount of sensation to dangle the rope back to reality just in front of Steve’s lidded eyes. To stick an oxygen mask on him and rub that earthy smelling salve onto his skin. Lavender, beeswax, and pine. Elements of the great big world–everything far and beyond Hawkins–condensed into a mason jar. Rubbed onto his wounds, into all of the places where hurt has brought rot and decay.

“No one’s ever gonna hurt you, again. Not on my watch. You’re safe, baby. Daddy’s got you,” Eddie whispers into his ear, breath tickling like a warm summer breeze. Conjuring the lick of the lake against Steve’s ankles, blue jays squawking songs from the trees, droplets of lemonade missing his mouth. Eddie changes the scene and grabs his hand atop the throw pillow, “Be good for me and squeeze down as hard as you can. You won’t hurt me, sunshine. Take whatever you need. I’ll give you anything.”

Steve melts into him, transfers the pain from his palm to Eddie’s. Follows the instructions, does what he’s been told like a good boy–Eddie’s good boy–and holds on. Gaze trapping on their intertwined hands as the kids rally playful arguments back and forth. Bouncing off the walls like they’re meant to–like all kids are meant to, like Steve never had the opportunity to.

“Harder, babydoll. You won’t break me,” Eddie encourages, nosing at his neck; drawing a line to his ear, but Steve’s distracted–eyes locked onto the kids just in case they need something or notice what’s going on between the two, “Hush, hush. Your babies are fine, Mama,” he nips at his cheek teasingly, “Daddy’s keeping an eye out for danger–don’t you worry. C’mon, be good. Push all that pain away, put it right into my hand, let me carry it for you. I don’t mind.”

taglist (if you'd like to be added or removed lmk <3): @asbealthgn, @madigoround, @malachitedevil, @thered-thread, @estrellami-1, @ilovecupcakesandtea, @bestofbucky, @vampireinthesun, @carlyv, @shrimply-a-menace, @jjoesjonas, @anxiouseds

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lunar-years · 7 months

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Holy shit, reading that anon (Jamie is son-shaped to Ted, but Ted is not father-shaped to Jamie) and your answer (how and why Ted fails Jamie every single time) I realized just how much, on the other hand, Jamie and Roy GET each other.

Roy gives Jamie direct instructions on how to become better and win his praise, not only with the training and diet regimen in S3, but back in S2 when Roy comes up with a literal signal, to tell Jamie exactly what to do and when. That's what Jamie responds best to, what he'd been seeking all throughout S2, and somehow Roy just knew.

And Jamie, he never pushes Roy to speak when he senses something is wrong. What he does is, he offers himself up first, honestly and openly, expecting nothing in return, but creating such a supportive environment that Roy naturally starts to open up (ironically, very similar to Ted's approach to Roy lmao).

In Amsterdam he knew that Roy was just taking his negative emotions out on him, and instead of challenging him, Jamie just went along with it, apologizing for being a dick first, sharing his memories of Amsterdam (good and bad), and finally calling Roy out lightly ("you're just taking it out on me"), in passing. And it did not make Roy defensive because until that point Jamie had offered Roy so much of himself, that instead of closing up, Roy naturally let go and was finally honest, with himself and with Jamie (if briefly).

I mean, Jamie taught Roy to ride a bike "for grandad!" but that wasn't enough, he still apologized for being a dick when he made fun of him. Our boy has become so emotionally mature 😭 (ep 12 doesn't exist, thank you very much)

These bitches get each other in a way no other character does. Even Keeley, as much as the fandom likes to ignore all her flaws and paint her as perfect, had serious communication issues with Roy, where she did not respect his privacy (airing dirty laundry in front of his literal boss and colleagues), and pushed him to talk when it came to something very delicate (the funeral and death in general). And Roy was the one to apologize, which made me very upset (particularly in the first instance).

I honestly can't see something like that happening with Roy and Jamie.

Fingers crossed for a spinoff, but even if it never becomes a canon romantic ship, Roy & Jamie would work extremely well in a Ted & Beard dynamic.

They just belong with each other.

(again, ep 12 where Beard leaves Ted's side and Ted doesn't even attend Beard's wedding doesn't exist ☺)

you're sooo correct. Jamie and Roy innately understand one another <3 Amsterdam is the perfect example of this because Jamie absolutely knows Roy is using him to air out his negative emotions, but Roy also knows Jamie's hyper-positivity is masking something else. They both have the right read on one another there, I think, and they both have the patience to draw the other out until they're ready to talk!

And the scene where they finally open up to one another is just soooo good from start to finish. Like, not only does Roy handle Jamie's tragic backstory reveal perfectly (i cannot say that enough, because god he does a really great job there), but then he finally opens up about what's bothering him, too! And I think because we focus so much on how majorly vulnerable it was of Jamie to tell Roy his red light district story, we don't ever talk enough about how majorly vulnerable Roy let himself be afterwards, too. Like, I think after Jamie dropped something so traumatic, it would have been particularly easy for Roy to have dismissed his own stuff as like, 'well I can't hardly say what's bothering me is just that the ex I broke up with has moved on and it's upsetting me. Not after he just dropped that, can I?' Like, especially given Roy's personality, I think his first instinct there was probably to minimize his own feelings and to dismiss his problems with Keeley as being so trivial and irrelevant compared to Jamie's Real Problems, and then to not talk about it at all and quietly simmer. So it's a true sign of just how much he trusts Jamie (as well as feels bad for using him as his punching bag all day) that he doesn't do any of that but instead properly opens up to him for the first time. And then Jamie realizes how monumental that is right away, and he's not dismissive either!!

Another scene I've been thinking about is the one where Jamie tells Phoebe that Isaac is his best friend and not Roy. Because like, on the one hand it's obviously mostly playful ribbing meant to rile up Roy (because Roy is quite obviously his actual best friend at that point). But I think there's also that underlying understanding from Jamie that Roy struggles with admitting how much he cares and loves people and he struggles to put a name to his feelings, etc. Jamie understands that, and he's okay with that, so I think his joke there is also his way of saying like, it's okay if you can't label this quite yet, whatever's between us - best friends or something else - it's okay if you're not ready for that. It's his way of giving Roy an out if he needs it. (this could also be bogus and me reading too much into everything lmao but like!!! something to consider)

Everything to me <33

#Roy absolutely needed to apologize to Keeley at the funeral though he was definitely being a dick #also i don't think royjamie would be like miraculously devoid of problems because they definitely would have plenty of their own #but i do agree that roy's problems with jamie would look different than the problems he had with keeley #royjamie #ted lasso #asks #roy kent #jamie tartt

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non-plutonian-druid · 4 months

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✨ Fic Writing Review 2023 ✨

thanks for the tag @littlerit!!!

Words and fics

I posted a tua oneshot Grace Through The Doorway In Time

and thats it!

ok rit i know you did say i should adjust it for art, i just thought it would be funny to do that first.

✨ Art Making Review 2023 ✨

Posted Art oh god

I kicked off the year by drawing Five and Lila in silly outfit submissions [1] [2] [3]

Delores as a mermaid in a crumbling ruin

Lemony Snicket au - Ben tied up in a closet

Redraw of a S3 promo poster

Five and Lila in that bathtub phone call x files scene

Tarot series - Death

Paranatural au - [1] [2] [3] [4]

Celebratory aroace Barbie

Comic fanart for alephnaught's fic Theory of Quantum Superposition

Five definitely just murdered someone with a chainsaw

Tarot Series bonus - Ten of Swords

Tarot Series - Judgement

Five and Lila run into each other for 0.2 seconds at the Commission water cooler

Baby Azula Mai and Ty Lee as centaurs

TUA centaur au - [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

Girl being abducted by a kelpie WIP

The Ben dying drawing that tumblr ate for some reason

Lemony Snicket au - the comic

OTGW au - Fei and Sloane

trick or treat WIPS: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [12] [13]

Voltron Gravity Falls au comic

OTGW au - Diego and Ben hide from Five

Paranatural au round 2 - [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Top Art By Notes

(probably the closest parallel to kudos is likes, but trying to figure that out feels hard)

s3 promo poster redraw - 840 notes

Death tarot card - 319 notes

bathtub x files scene - 273 notes

the first paranatural au post - 242 notes

Theory of Quantum Superposition fanart comic - 239 notes

Fandom Events 2023

@tua-masked-author !!!

Upcoming 2024

i joined the murderbot diaries new years gift exchange! so ill be making a gift for that!

i have an installment of the lemony snicket au that i think i finished like two years ago and never posted. i should proooobably post it

also, i did just finish a different installment of the lemony snicket au that yall can look forward to!

im either done or almost done with another short paranatural au comic

i will try to finish the tarot series. or failing that. ill try to at least make additions to it

im working on a post with regular canon five (doing this made me realize its been a MINUTE since i posted art of regular canon five. ive abandoned my boy) playing with mr pennycrumb

i have Another finished thing but im waiting for something else to be posted first. i dont actually have to, i just want to outsource having to write context

Rules and tags below the cut!

Rules: Feel free to show whatever stats you have. Only want to show Ao3 stats? Rock on. Want to include some quantitative info instead of stats? Please do this. Want to change how yours is presented? Absolutely do that. Would rather eat glass than do this? Please don’t eat glass, just keep on scrolling.

i dont know how many people I'm supposed to tag but! @destinyandcoins @darbydoo22 @ford-ye-fiji @grammarpedant @blessphemy trying to mind palace all the people i know on discord, who write fic, what their ao3 username is to triple check they posted this year, and what their tumblr url is... (and also if any of you dont like these kinds of games, sorry, thats my bad!!)

lmao also i fucked up all the formatting for you guys, this is what these are supposed to look like

#for the void #tumblr is not made for keeping statistics such as 'your most liked posts' or 'any art you made this year' in a convenient place #but i figured it out #thank you to that one note counting website u were a lifesaver #thanks for the tag rit!!!#also did i not post the centaur allison lounging in a fancy dress to tumblr????#i cant find it #whoops!!!!

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robin-buck1ey · 2 years

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Do you have any headcanons for autistic Robin?

Yes I do! So fun fact about me first, I’m also autistic, and got my professional diagnosis 4 days before vol 1 came out!! So I was super duper excited to see Robins autistic traits since she was already a favorite of mine (And now ronance is a special interest and hyper fixation so these are implied ronance )

-Part of the reason she loves learning new languages, besides them being a special interest for her, is that she gets to vocal stim on words by repeating them or stretching out certain bits and if anyone questions she can just play it off as practice

-When Robin masks she is much more sarcastic which is why we see her relationship change with Steve in s3 to s4 because they grow much closer and Robin feels safer to be her true self

-Nancy at first didn’t understand why Robin was so uncomfortable in her clothes, but later on she starts to see Robin react to different textures and realizes that Robin is just more sensitive to them and never again forces Robin to wear anything she isn’t comfortable in

-Robin has a big fear of driving since it can easily become overwhelming and doesn’t trust her coordination but Steve and Nancy both understand and are happy to give her rides

-She takes Nancy with her late at night to go sit on the swings at the park, because she loves no one really being out, no one to judge her, Nancy being her favorite person to be around, and they talk about whatever for however long, while also getting that sensory input from the moving swings. She does similar with Steve but instead his pool, she doesn’t ever want to force Nancy to go in the pool so swings are better.

-Robin is a big pasta and overall carb lover. Nancy knows this too. Whenever they go out to eat Robin always orders the same thing, and whenever Robin hasn’t eaten or is sick Nancy knows just what to make for her :)

-Robin isn’t a big fan of meat, she’ll eat it, but she’s picky about what type of meat and she never has much desire to eat it

-Robin likes to organize the movies at Family video, Steve never complains because it’s less work for him to do, and for some reason he can’t figure out, Robin loves doing it

-Steve and Nancy are the ultimate Robin protectors. They love Robin whole heartedly and won’t allow anyone to make Robin feel like she’s worth any less than she is to them

-Robin is normally very touchy and she’s very picky about who she will be touchy with. However when she’s comfortable with someone’s touch she enjoys cuddles and hugs because of the pressure stimulation

-Robin always doodles on stuff whenever she’s trying to be quite or needs some sort of stim to channel her energy into (Nancy let’s robin doodle on her, Steve doesn’t trust Robin not to draw something immature)

-Robin bites and picks at her nails as a stim but it sometimes becomes harmful so whenever Nancy notices Robin doing so she holds her hand to stop her, and rubs her thumb on Robin’s hand for a little before stopping so Robin can do it instead, since Nancy noticed that repetitive movements bring her at ease

-Crazy good memory when it comes to facts or random little details, but not so great when it comes down to a task she’s supposed to remember, like getting something out of the toaster or a direction someone gave her earlier

I’m gonna have to stop myself here otherwise I’ll be going on and on, who knows maybe someone will want more and I’ll make a second post :)

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fuck-off-im-ace · 1 year

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Alright that’s it, got tired of people bitching about Lilith. So, lets get into the deep dive, shall we?

It is well known (in the WN fandom, at least) that Lilith is the first wife of Adam, expulsed from Eden after she refused to submit to him. She then partnered up with the Archangel Samael, head of the Satans, which is probably the Adriel equivalent of the Bible.

(Yes, we could have guessed that they would fuck. It was literally written for thousands of years.)

There are many versions of Lilith, of course, as with everything, but she is very often referred to as a demon of the night, often very hot, with long hair and wings (no I am not making this up).

I think the scene where she goes to see her family is very important. You don’t give your character a butterfly shirt if some shit is not about to happen. I think it’s also well thought, because this puts her even more as the opposite of Ava. Something got shoved into her (the halo vs tarask claw), she came back to life, now she has powers that she didn’t ask for and don’t know how to control, or just generally why. Why her. Both went to Jillian for answers but couldn’t be helped. Both went back to where it all started, Lilith’s family and Ava’s orphanage. I didn’t really go well for either of them. After wandering for a bit, Ava went back to the OCS, even after what Superion and Lilith did to her. She found someone there who believed in her and supported her, so she stayed, and became what they needed her to be.

It was probably added after the fact, but it has been showned that Lilith got Ava, Beatrice and Camila away from Adriel in the last scene of s1. That means Lilith also left Mary there to die. Imagine how much that must have fucked her up. I too would be hesitant to show up at the OCS. She can’t go back there, and that “other side”, the one that would reflect Ava’s journey, is Adriel. So she went to him, and he believed in her and supported her. She became what he needed her to be.

This new Lilith is becoming more and more like the Lilith from the myths. Thing is, that character is… evil? And there are hints in season 2 to her becoming more like that. First, Lilith is supposed to have some sort of control on wind and storms. Adriel says in their first meeting that the storm around them was made by Lilith, but he also makes wind in his final fight with Ava? It’s hard to know if he was making that first storm to manipulate her, or if Lilith really was making a storm without meaning to.

When Lilith is chasing Vincent early in the season, we are presented with this beautiful mural. I had to ask some friends, some say its just some art that was on the wall, some say it’s a mural that was made for the show. I decided to go with that last idea, simply because of the drawing on the right (and it’s more fun this way).

Lilith, according to pretty much everything she appears in, is a baby killer. Which, huh, isn’t great! She kills newborn babies, or sometimes pregnant people, or sometimes just people in general. And that graffiti, seen while Vincent is being chased by Lilith, feels kind of on purpose.

(If you’re asking about the other character drawn, I can only hope that this is Adriel’s hairy ass, a demon with a nicer mask, but I have big doubts about that. I think it’s Asmodeus, and we’re about to meet him in s3, cause Lilith is also seen as his queen in some writings, and wouldnt that be cool?!)

I have been obsessively reading on Lilith since I watched the season, and I remember reading somewhere that Lilith has a realm, somewhere, according to Something. But I cannot find it again, so this is all pulled out of my ass, don’t take this for gold. But I’m pretty sure I read somewhere about Lilith having a realm, and leading hordes of demons. If I did really saw that and it wasn’t a fever dream, then I really hope that’s the way Warrior Nun goes.

At the end of s2, Lilith doesn’t have any desire to kill Ava, and some people were confused by that. For me, it’s just a big parallel to the end of s1. Lilith is constantly there to try (and fail) to stop Ava from Doing Something. Back then it was from freeing Adriel, now it was to stop him from using Reya’s power. Adriel hinted about a divine war, a devourer of world coming, and it make sense to think that he would have told all of that to Lilith. She’s smart, if she knows what’s coming and know that Adriel is gone, then she also knows that she might need Ava in the future. Who knows what’s coming! Not me! Even Lilith didn’t know if they would be on the same side. It would be stupid to kill someone that you might need later.

It’s is particularly funny to see people complain that she “turned evil”, considering Lilith has always been Bad. First scene we see her, and she’s waiting for Shanon to die so that she can take the Halo. She then tries to kill Ava to take the Halo. In the first few episodes of s2, she has no problem with hurting and killing people. Remember how much she enjoyed torturing Ava in the first episodes of s1. She was always morally grey at best, if not straight up bad.

Lilith is one of the most interesting characters of the show, and I say that only because so much thought has been put into Ava and I am obsessed with my Baetrice, so Lilith comes close third. The depth of her story is so good. The idea of making her the opposite of Ava, since the first episode of season 1, they are playing the long game. Ava started the show with nothing, and through trust and resilience, found a family and a purpose. Lilith started the show with everything, and through selfishness and refusing support, she lost her purpose and her family.

They didn’t “fuck up her arc” in season 2. This has always been her story.

#she is the blorbo from my show #my little meow meow #she can do nothing wrong but she's also straight up evil hope this helps xx #oh and in case you were wondering #this was the short version #i have so much more thoughts about possible future lore #help i am lost in the sauce #please tell me your thoughts #i wanna know what yall think So Bad #warrior nun #warrior nun spoilers #are we still tagging spoilers?#lilith #warrior nun analysis #sister lilith

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venomlion3 · 2 years

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"And all your friends will be surprised to see you in your cool disguise!" --- TODAY'S THE DAY!!! BITBBH was and is still one of my favorite shows of all time. It was super important to me as a kid and is still super comforting even now, the Goodbye Song still makes me weepy haha. I wanted to draw Bear to celebrate the show finally coming to Disney+, which was a dream come true since decent quality episodes are hard to find outside of home media, and also because I'm always for older media becoming more accessible. I'm too scared to mess with my precious VHS tapes trying to convert them to digital media, and I only have a few DVDs of the show, so to have the entire thing be available in HD is great. I was kinda intimidated working on the new art cause I wasn't sure how to translate his design into my style at first, but I'm happy with how he looks :] Would love to draw more of him as well as the rest of the BITBBH cast! ANYWAYS everyone go watch BITBBH immediately so we can do the Bear Cha Cha Cha together!!! Another lil fun fact: the mask Bear is holding here is also from the same episode the song mentioned above is in, 'Halloween Bear' (S3 EP 11)! Thought it'd be fitting since it's October haha. Also, that final photo is the earliest BITBBH fanart of mine that I’m aware of; I did it in Blue's Art Time Activities for the PC! The file tells me it was taken in 2005, so a 17 1/2 year improvement between drawings! ;3c Don't give up kids!

#venomdraws #bear in the big blue house #fanart

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lupin-et-rose · 2 years

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Show and Tell

Steve Harrington x Bi-Female!Reader

Summary: In the wake of heartbreak, Y/N has made some...rash decisions with her relationships these past few seasons. In a moment of clarity, she realizes--she has a few apologies (and confessions) to make. 3rd person POV.

Warnings: Takes place in a slightly AU S3. Beware of Mild cursing, some mentions of drug use and sexual references.

Not my GIF

Blinding white linoleum under fluorescence and skylights marked every storefront in Starcourt. Murmuring crowds and mopping carts of citrus cleaner rolled past in a blur. (Y/N) marched past all of them without even blinking. She didn't care that her hair was tangled. Or that her jeans were cuffed crooked. So what if her makeup was smeared? Or her shirt was wrinkled? She knew where she was going. And who she was going to.

Scoops Ahoy, straight ahead.

Every fibre of her being burned to blur past the counter. Ignoring all patrons, forgo the bell and burst through those double doors to the one person she'd shirked from all this time. Even now, Y/N nearly wanted to smack herself. Years, literal years had gone by, and only now had she gathered the nerve; to be honest with herself, with others around her, and most importantly to Him.

DING-DING-DING!

A head of wheaten blonde hair pops from the double doors with an irritated frown. Bright blue eyes flick to the counter, sparking to life for a split second. "Hey, Y/N! Speak of the devil,"

“Have you seen Steve?”

Robin startled. The light in her eyes ripples. “....Judging by the look on your face, I have a feeling I should say no.”

"It's urgent," the words tripped from Y/N's lips almost without permission. "Not trouble, just...important. -Please?"

The young clerk glanced back into the store room for a moment. Hushed words pass behind squeaky doors. Some are more heated, more insistent than others. Steve? Y/N wondered for a moment. Her stomach clenched, petrified of dropping. Does he not want to see me? -But that doesn't make sense. Why would he ever want to do that?

Probably 'cause you still hang out with Billy. An unhelpful voice pipes in the back of her mind. Or maybe it's you ditching movie nights to get high with Eddie M. Y/N scrubbed her face with her hands. Yes, she was willing to admit that she had not been masking her emotions in the best of ways. And visiting Steve at work with clear signs of 'Morning-After' syndrome certainly did not help things.

The window behind the counter hushed open.

Steve- A messy mop of oaken hair flared every which way around his florescent-pale face, only pinned back by that dorky little sailor's cap. Just the sight of those wide dark eyes, sunken or not, sparked a match in Y/N's chest. She couldn't even look at him without smiling.

All she got in return was a droll, tired stare. “Can we please talk about this later?”

Trepidation sprouted behind her ribs. That little match-light in Y/N's chest flickered. “With the way things are going, there might not be a later,” I can't lose my nerve. She drew her shoulders back. Shoring herself up with a low, deep breath. If I don't say this now, I never will.

Steve heaved a sigh. "Alright, come on back. Robin can handle the counter."

"Hey!"

"Rob, please."

"Ugh, fine~ but you owe me, Harrington."

"As if I didn't already."

Y/N couldn't help chuckling. If there was one change she was glad of in these past three years, it was the addition of Robin Buckley. Finally, someone older than ten to liven up their motley crew of sarcastic adventurers. Some days Y/N swore she could just sit back and watch Robin and Stevie bicker like siblings & still get a better deal out of it than the dollar theatre.

Her amusement caught the pair's attention. Abashed, Steve hustled his friend to the front and motioned Y/N to the back. Robin's hand squeezed her shoulder in passing. One deep breath. Drawing strength from Buckley's support was just what she needed. The world behind the Scoops Ahoy counter was much colder than the storefront. Y/N clasped her hands to her arms. Held herself tight against the chill of the ungodly number of freezers in this room.

Steve mimicked her folded arms. Leaning one hip against the counter with a completely impassive expression. "So? The world's not ending. What do you want?"

"I wanted to talk to you-"

"Well, I figured that much, genius."

Deep breath in, Y/N scrubbed her arms for warmth. Deep breath out, Pillow lines were still entrenched in her skin. "I know. Trust me, I know you're angry with me-"

"Angry? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't pull that shit with me, Harrington. I'm trying to -"

"So, did you have fun last night?"

Y/N winced. Nearly recoiling with the impulse to stare down at her shoes in embarrassment. No. One deep breath. Straighten the shoulders, and take it on the chin. "Maybe I did, but that doesn't matter-"

"That so?"

For fuck's sake...Y/N shoved her fists in her hair. Half-tempted to claw out desperate clumps in her frustration. Would it kill you not to be a smartass for two seconds?! Another deep breath. Turn the other cheek and keep talking. Just keep up that bit more courage. Just a little bit longer. "Steve...I'm sorry."

Whatever retort sat on the boy's lips, died in an instant. "You-what?"

"I've been an idiot," Y/N confesses. Finally succumbing to the impulse to scuff her shoes on the floor. "I didn't realize-no, I pretended not to know how my actions were affecting you. I've been a coward and a shitty friend and I'm sorry."

"Oh. Uh, okay," Steve swallowed. "I'm not gonna contest the shitty friend part," Y/N didn't even have the heart to glare at him for that. "-But where's the coward part coming from?"

She hung her head. "Cause all the shitty things I've done lately were out of fear," Y/N confessed. "Flaunting my friendship with Billy, exploiting my friendship with Ed, all because..."

Steve's arms tightened across his chest. The trepidation Y/N had seen in Robin returned ten-fold in her-in Steve's gaze. "...because what?"

"Because-cause they were the two people furthest away from you."

Trepidation plunged from his expression in an instant. Wide, dark eyes glimmering with something-something that hurt to put words to. "-What?"

"Face it, Harrington," She chuffed. More with irony than with true amusement. "Billy's basically your cartoon nemesis, and Eddie-god, you two would never-I mean, polar fucking opposites in every-"

"What's your point, Y/N?"

The knot in her throat was a bitch to swallow. To speak was an ever-greater challenge. "I wasn't running from you because I hated you," she said. "Don't think I ever truly hated you, I just--I just got scared."

Steve stood there a moment. Y/N could feel the weight of his gaze on them, but couldn't bring herself to meet him. "-Scared of what?" he asked, barely more than a murmur in the chill. "-of me?"

"Yes. Wait, no! Not like-" Y/N shook herself harshly. "Do you know how painful it is to be around you sometimes, Harrington?"

Again, his posture tightened.

Y/N ploughed through her own words before he could spin them wrong. "When I know I'm gonna see you, my stomach gets all knotted and restless. When you're in danger, it feels like my heartbeat's gonna bruise my ribs. I've burned my hands, broken bones and got blisters on my feet from chasing after you cause I hate the thought of-"

"Y/N-"

"When we're together my sides cramp from laughing and my cheeks ache from smiling. I swear, there's this ringing in my ears just cause I'm constantly waiting to hear your car roll up somewhere," once the dam breaks, the words won't stop. "And all those aches and pains scare the crap outta me cause the last time I felt this way, I-" Y/N swallowed. A foolhardy attempt to hold back the warble of tears. "The last person I loved like that...she disappeared. I built my whole world around her and through no fault of her own she just, vanished."

"-You're talking about Barb Holland, aren't you?"

The tightness of her throat was too much to speak through. All Y/N could do now was nod. This time staring at Steve's scuffed sneakers instead of her own. He stood still for a long moment.

"But..." Steve muttered, gears turning between his words. "Barb was a girl. How would you-?"

"Steve."

His arms fell lax by his sides. "...Oh."

"Yea, 'oh'," Even with the dour air between us, the half-huff was second nature. "First I thought I was one...' team', then the other. Then, between you and Barb it just...clicked."

"There's a team for both?"

This time, an actual chuckle slipped past. "Tch, always the sports metaphors, Harrington."

"You started it,"

"You're one to talk," Y/N teased. It was only in that moment she realized she'd lifted her head--to find him smiling. Steve was smiling. But the moment their eyes met, his light of mirth faded. "-Steve?"

Silence. His gaze turned distant over Y/N's shoulder.

"Steve?"

"Do you mean it?"

Y/N's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Do you love me?"

"...Yes," she repeated. "It can't be the same way, 'cause you're a different person. And I sorta am too; I could live without someone now. But without you? That is the last thing I want to do."

Slowly, ever so slowly--a grin broke across Steve's face. Seeing the sparkle in his gaze was too contagious. Joy dared to crackle in Y/N's chest at the sight of his smile. They beamed at each other.

"I love you," she could say it now. She could really say it.

"I know,"

Y/N snorted. "Boys got you watching Star Wars?"

"Robin bribed them with ice cream."

"Ah, so it was a family affair, then?"

"Shut up," Steve muttered. His half-hearted attempt at an eye roll glowed with nothing but affection. Felt like ages since the pair of them had smiled so bright. Steve licked his lips. "So, we good?"

"I should be asking you that," she said. "I still screwed up. Badly." Y/N bit her cheek. "-Can you forgive me?"

Steve glanced fleetingly out the warbled window of the ice cream shop. Fluorescent lights and the waft of citrus cleaner drifted through among the fading throngs of people. Y/N's stomach squirmed. The longer his silence stretched on, the worse it got.

"I crave a boon," he decided.

"Boon? What boon?" Y/N's brows furrowed. Everything seemed warmer all of a sudden. Even so, she didn't fully register Steve's approach until his thumb was brushing over her fingers. Her breath hitched.

"Go out with me."

"Wha-? Just like that? "Y/N blinked. Wide-eyed and awestruck at the sight of Steve Harrington lifting her fingers to his lips.

Steve hummed. That soft, gentle kiss against her knuckles nearly melted her on the spot. "Gotta make up for all those missed movie nights, right?"

"You're gonna make me pay for the cinema, aren't you?"

That smirk. That smirk. The one that blooms across his face only when he knows he's won or when he's just begun to realize it. "Didn't know it was this easy to make you blush, doll."

Y/N clasped a hand to her face, absolutely mortified. "Shut up! This whole mess is your fault anyway!"

"My fault? How is this my fault?"

"You're the whole reason I even dared to go out in public lookin' like-" She gestured broadly to her bedraggled appearance. "God, I don't even know what. A human rat's nest or something."

"Should I be flattered?"

His smart-ass quip earned him a smack in the chest. "Jerk!" Steve just laughed. All complaints stilled when he pressed a kiss to her temple.

"Seriously, though, holding your hand is like a dream come true right now," His voice a soft murmur against her hair. "I missed you, Y/N, rat's nest or not." Ever so gently, he wrapped his arms around her wrinkled-shirt waist. --"And just in case it wasn't stupidly clear...I like you too."

#show and tell time #show and tell #satt #satt-prompt #writing prompt #satt-writing-prompt #satt-2184 #stranger things #stranger things s4 #steve harrington #steve harrington x you #steve harrington one shot #steve harrington stranger things #steve harrington fanfic

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twdmusicboxmystery · 2 years

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ToTWD 1x04: More Analysis

Here are more thoughts, mostly from my fellow theorists, about the episode. Enjoy!

@wdway:

Great review, @twdmusicboxmystery. Hope is a thing with feathers, was from the poem Joe had written in his journal from e1 Joe/Evie. You telling about Everett and Amy could have been a Eden couple being only two people made me start to think about how e1Joe/Evie by the end of the episode they were more of a couple. Maybe e1 couple, e2 Blair/Gina represented siblings, e3 Dee represented motherhood and e4 Everett/Amy is friendship. Just a thought.

The above is not well thought out but I could see it having possibilities. From the previews after e4 in e5 it's hard to tell but it looks like there's more of a community story. Which would fall in line with the different types of relationships. Like I said above just a thought am throwing out there.

The snake would definitely fall in line with a Eden theme. Although I guess you could say that Alpha could represent the snake but we're seeing it here in e4 not e3. My first thought was of the snake that Daryl kills at the beginning of Still which I think was a diamondback not totally sure there but this snake definitely does not have a diamond pattern and it may not actually be any particular type simply a symbol of a snake. I also love the fly on the forehead of the skull which immediately made me think of the fly in the opening credits on the walker.

Mentioning skulls, I too thought of the Whispers when with the mention of the skull Hunters putting heads on pikes. Everett's had a coat made of human skins to hide openly with the Walkers rather than a human head mask but his coat did have a large hood so it could also be seen as a type of head cover mask.

One of the very first images we see is of the butterfly emerging which would be a resurrection symbol.

@twdmusicboxmystery, you talked about how Everett needed to follow specimen 21, he needed to know where he was. I thought this was very insightful and I believe this could represented Daryl in his need to found Rick's body. If he was made to leave before he found Beth originally after Grady then his 5 years of searching for Rick was his need to know what happened to Rick, because he was not able to know for sure about Beth.

Mosley floating down the river in what almost appears to be a small natural raft. Seriously though, the name Mosley/ Moses. I think this is a nod towards Rick who is saved by floating down a river and was pulled out by a woman who rescued him and he flew away on a black bird. I have always thought of Rick as a Moses figure from the old testament. The ultimate leader of his people that wandered the wastelands of a fallen world. I mentioned this a few weeks ago about watching s5e2 Strangers and in seeing the children's coloring of the Moses baby a drift on the river, I thought it was a nod to Rick and also Beth because there were 2 coloring drawings one was browns and orange the other in pinks. 2 who were separated from family and saved by the large establishment and become strong leader who returns to their true family. The Moses story fits so well with Rick and to a lesser degree Beth.

@frangipanilove:

I actually found this episode very interesting. I have a feeling it could be one of those episodes that we will discover new layers to for a long time to come. I have many thoughts, will definitely need to think on it some more, but there were a couple of really major symbols that I’m really exited about.

First, the X on the trees obviously. I agree that they’re a sort of “way back” sign, and I’ll explain my reasoning behind that interpretation. I’ve mentioned it before, but basically I started interpreting the arrows in this way after that episode in s3 when they were cleaning out the prison tombs. Glenn brought a spray can and painting arrows on the walls, explaining he was marking their “way back”. He used those words. Way back.

Then we also saw Morgan carve an arrow on a wooden mail box post (synonymous with a tree because wood) in 7x2(?). Then, of course I interpret trees as synonymous with crosses (as in the symbol for resurrection), and X’s and + signs are all synonymous with the cross.

So when we saw Morgan in Coda following the trees with the crosses on them, imo it’s a variant of this symbolism. And what is a “resurrection” if not a “way back” from the dead? It’s return symbolism, same as Sirius symbolism. “Way back” is “resurrection” symbolism, if that makes sense. The backpack/back pocket/back of a car/trunk symbolism is all just different manifestations of this, imo.

Ok, on to my favorite little piece of synonymous symbolism from this episode. You guys know I’m obsessed with the blue heron, right. I interpret it as part of the “bluebird” symbolism, like the bluebird we saw in 9x6, like we heard about when Negan mentioned “blue line to Reagan National Airport”, or Daryl’s blue wing with ten stars on his west, plus 100 other examples.

Well, I’m exited because in this episode we had a mention of something I’ve been waiting for for literal years! The Victoria Crowned Pigeon. Pigeon is pig symbolism combined with bird symbolism. Pig symbolism is partly police symbolism because pig is a derogatory term for police. And the bird was blue! It was a blue bird!

And as you know, I interpret Blue Clues as something that is closely linked with Beth and Rick, because Rick is a police officer and Beth is the new sheriff in town, and Blues is an affectionate term for police officers. They’re both at the very center of the blue clue symbolism, and they’ve both been seen near the blue heron painting. And I’m sure you’ll understand that this eventually will circle back to the trunk symbolism, because doesn’t it always.

But stay with me, I’ll try to explain why. I sometimes use the term “blue trunk” meaning a police car. Officer Licari’s Dodge Magnum was a “blue trunk”. It wasn’t blue, but it was a blue clue because it was a police officer’s car, and imo it could be THE car that saved Beth.

In Rick’s case, the. Blue symbolism is provided by himself being a police officer, and the helicopter was the bird symbolism. Blue bird symbolism. And……I’ve been waiting for a Victoria Crowned pigeon reference for ages…and now we got it! Because guess what we saw in the literal opening seconds of this entire series? LITERALLY the very first thing in the history of TWD? In the very first seconds of 1x1 Days Gone By….? A Ford Crown Victoria police car, meaning a blue trunk, synonymous with a blue bird/blue heron. Isn’t this kind of neat?

Ta-daaaah!! A Ford Crown Victoria police car!

@wdway:

I knew this meant something and have been waiting for someone to talk about it. Not surprised it was you. This is so exciting! In e3 Dee we had the blue Heron painting and in e4 now the Victoria Crowned Pigeon. I have something I want to check out a little more before I talk about it but I have reason to believe we will see something big in e6.

@frangipanilove:

Can’t wait! And remember we discussed the peacock headboard a few days ago, I suggested it could potentially be a not to how peacocks are also blue birds? Well, in researching the Victoria Crowned pigeon it suddenly dawned on me that the Norwegian word for that bird is Peacock Crowned pigeon. Now, I can’t find any shared etymological ties between the English name and the Norwegian name, so it’s likely a coincidence based off of the appearance and color of both birds. But still, kind of an interesting fun fact, if nothing else.

I agree on the Mosley/amoses thing as well. And the way he floated off on the raft was too similar to the Moses drawings from FG’s church to not mean something. The alligator reminded me of Nile crocodiles, although idk if there were any croc attacks in Moses’ story

@wdway:

I did a few Google searches for peacocks. Egypt peacocks are linked with the sun-god Hmon-Ra and associated with the all-seeing eye on Horus.

On our $1 bill on the front is George Washington. On the back we have the all-seeing eye on the left and the Nations seal which is a eagle. Ancient Greek mythology peacock was a symbol of the goddess Hera. Liesel mentioned this in her post today. I really liked this one. Peacock is a manifestation of the heavenly Phoenix on earth, one of the Twelve Symbols of Sovereignty. Peacocks and Christianity - represents Immorality, Resurrection and Spiritual teachings.

@frangipanilove:

Love this! Nothing is ever random on this show. There are always multiple layers of symbolism. Great finds! I feel like this episode was a treasure trove of symbolism and that we will discover new connections for a long time to come, much like FM.

@wdway:

I totally agree with you about e4 being a episode we revisit going forward. You ask somewhere above about Nile crocodiles in Moses story. No, no crocodiles, baby Moses was put a drift in the Nile in hopes that God would protect him and save him from death because the male children we're being killed by the Egyptians. Moses mother created a basket/raft and put him in the Nile, his sister watched from a distance as the river carried the basket to the Pharaoh's sister and her attendance bathing in the Nile. Baby Moses was brought to the Pharaoh's sister who saw the baby as a gift from the gods and took him as her son. I agree with Liesel who said that she thought the alligator consuming specimen 21/Mosely, was a play on Rick being consumed/taken by the CRM.

@galadrieljones:

Okay so I’ll start with the Skull Hunters. Obviously we didn’t learn a ton about them, but they’re obviously an Easter egg, something we should keep a eye out for in the future. The concept of skull collecting reminded me of the leader of the Complex in season 11, I can’t remember his name. He was a religious figure and kept a large collection of skulls displayed on a set of shelves behind his desk, as trophies, and means of intimidation. Skull hunting as a practice is also reminiscent of scalping, which is interesting, considering the location of the episode.

The location is something I didn’t see anybody comment on above, so ofc as resident Google Maps Girl I will take the reins on that lol. In the episode, Amy asks Everett to point her in the direction of the Chatahoochee, which is a quasi-famous river that runs directly through Atlanta and then forms a partial border between Georgia and Alabama.

So the episode must take place in either Georgia or Alabama. The Chatahoochee, in the days before the forced displacement of Native American tribes out of the area in the 1830s-1850s, also served as a dividing line between the territories of the Muscogee Creek and the Cherokee. Wherever we are, in the “Dead Sector,” it is saturated with metaphysical sadness from the past, the Trail of Tears, but also clearly an ecological wonder, as Everett puts it: “nature’s great reclamation project.”

These themes are abundant in the early seasons of TWD, re: Daryl’s story about the Cherokee Rose, as well as his encounter with the Chupacabra in the haunted woods, which force him to relive his past and confront his inner demons to survive. Something similar happens here to Everett. He is perpetually haunted. He claims to empathize with the dead, but what he truly seems to empathize with is who and what the dead used to be, as is evidenced by his fixation on Specimen 21.

The trench and the river also bring back the Underworld theme, which was already touched on. Everett reminds me of a lost soul, wandering the Acheron. The Skull Hunters give me Charon vibes, ie: Amy claims that if they pay them with skulls, they will help ferry her community over the trench and into the Dead Sector. When we first see her, she is carrying a walker head and tosses it away once she’s been besieged. At first I thought she might be lying, that she actually is a Skull Hunter, but ultimately I don’t get that sense anymore. She seems to be telling the truth.

Anyway all of this, the river and the Underworld, ofc returns us to Find Me, an echo compounded by the “Bicycle Girl” walker (I had the same thought, @twdmusicboxmystery), who Everett claims it is his responsibility to “observe” and to “never interfere.” At one point when he finds her, her arm has been separated from her body, due to an animal attack.

At this point, Everett looks deeply pained and takes out a big waxy piece of paper, seemingly to make some sort of collection. The waxy piece of paper—and this might be a stretch but still—reminds me of the waxy piece of paper that Daryl has in “Find Me,” in that odd scene where he has the fresh eye wound, takes out the knife, and sets it on the tree stump. This is the same piece of paper, presumably, that he and Leah use to observe the eclipse.

In the Tales scene, Everett shows a lot of cards here. Edwards gives a subtle performance as a man who claims he is only observing the Bicycle Girl walker, but is then seen in very clear remorse when he discovers she has been mutilated. The disembodied arm throws back once more to Find Me, and Leah tossing that arm at Daryl as he enters the house. I know the many interpretations of that and will just add my own to say this could be a symbol of the universe removing or handing a character the ability to enact change on their situation.

In Find Me, Leah tosses Daryl the arm, giving him the “hand,” or the agency he needs to make a change and escape his causal loop. It’s like a slap in the face. But Everett’s story is much bleaker. He cannot escape his causal loop. In the end, he is right back where he started. He merely observes the arm, which has been severed and has many bite chunks taken out of it. He does not interfere. In fact, Everett does very little acting or major decision-making in the episode. He merely drifts along, observing and pining, like a piece of debris floating down an endless, violent river.

Speaking of causal loops, I want to comment on the name Everett, which I knew I had seen before, so I went back to my notes. A long time ago, when I was looking into Alice Through the Looking Glass and how it mirrors Daryl’s experience in Find Me, as well as his relationship to dreams, I researched a lot into the Red Queen’s Race, which is a scene in the book that has been co-opted by scientists as a way of illustrating the metaphysical and scientific paradoxes of time travel. In the scene, the Red Queen challenges Alice to a race, and this is where we learn that, through the looking glass, everything moves very slow. As Alice races the Red Queen, she notices that the Red Queen runs extremely fast. Alice notices that no matter how fast she runs, she never seems to get anywhere. The Red Queen says, “[In our country], it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!"

This concept has been used to illustrate concepts in many fields, from economics to Darwinism, but most notably for me, it has been used in physics to illustrate something called the “predestination paradox.” This basically just holds that “whatever happened in the past, happened.” If somebody travels back in time, they exist on a closed “causal loop,” and whatever they do cannot affect change what has already happened, holding that it always happened.

One particular scientist, named Alan Everett, wrote a book in 2012 called “Time Travel and Warp Drives,” in which he explores examples of this paradox, ie: “an old woman gives a watch to a playwright who later travels back in time and meets the same woman when she was young, and gives her the same watch that she will later give to him.”

In this example, the man who travels back in time will seem to have appeared “without origin.” This is because he exists on a closed, independent causal loop. He cannot affect change. Obviously causal loops have played a role in TWD, mostly in the narrative sense, but after Blair/Gina, we have also seen them playing out in in a more postmodern, “real” sense, in which the characters actively comment on their Groundhog Day type situation. What we learn through that episode, however, is that in stories, the physics of the universe is inconsequential. A character can change his past. This directs me again back to “Coda,” and to Daryl, and what he must do to affect “narrative change” on his past, end his causal loop, and move forward.

This is essentially what makes Everett’s story so sad. In the end, he is right where he began. Having lost Specimen 21, a former colleague and friend, he will make Amy into Specimen 22. This is evidenced by the collar he takes out of his pocket just as he sees her in the end. In this moment, we learn that he did value Amy’s friendship, and he wished things could have been different, but his inability to enact change on his situation has caused him to experience the same trauma, and to reap the same punishment for his mistakes over and over again.

Symbolically, I think this can be illustrated, too, but Mosely’s failed journey down the river. I loved the Moses comparison, Ann, and it’s notable here that Mosely doesn’t float down the river, doesn’t end up anywhere, doesn’t lead anybody to their salvation. Becuase he’s dead. He is eaten by an alligator, a meaningless end for a meaningless existence.

On a TD note, it’s compelling that Amy becomes Specimen 22. I don’t really have an answer for that, just random thoughts. Shane is marked with the #22. He is also a sacrificial death in the series. Rick must kill him to move forward with his arc, even if it’s difficult.

Amy is also the name of Andrea’s sister, who dies and turns into a walker in season 1. Andrea, who sits with her until she turns, inspires fear in the other survivors, who think she won’t have what it takes to do what has to be done. But when push comes to shove, she DOES have what it takes. She kills Amy, and she moves forward, even if it’s difficult.

This is similar to Daryl killing Leah. He kills Leah, and he moves forward, ending his causal loop, in which he is responsible for Beth’s death over and over again. This is something that Everett cannot bring himself to do.

Okay, I was talking about Everett, the name. I had seen it with Alan Everett, more than a year ago, and his work on the predestination paradox. Lee Everett is also the name of the protagonist of “The Walking Dead: Season 1,” the Telltale choice/consequence video game. I haven’t played it, but his character becomes a surrogate father to a little girl named Clementine. Neither the names Everett nor Amy are new to the franchise.

Anyway. Moving on. A more practical note. In the montage of drone footage that Everett shows to Amy in the woods, we can see a sweeping overhead shot of a huge field of poppies. They’re red poppies, exactly like the dream poppies of the Wizard of Oz. They couldn’t be more similar. The Wizard of Oz theme is also evidenced in Amy’s Xs on the tree trunks, a path so that she can find her way home. I didn’t look for anymore WoO symbols in the episode, but I haven’t gone back to look. It’s obviously a big theme this season, characters finding themselves in hostile, foreign lands where they cannot find their way home.

Another note: Everett mentions that he was part of a research group, something he later refers to as his “team” that was studying the environment in the Dead Sector “since the shift.” I don’t know if this is CRM-related but the term “team” is very loaded now, considering what we know about the Primrose Team and the Violet Team. I’m intrigued because he could also be in Georgia. I have been combing together evidence that Dr. Jenner and/or his wife were also part of some of these “teams.” So any evidence that there were research scientists studying the walkers in Georgia before, during, or after the “shift” is very compelling to me.

On the poetry theme: I loved the poem in the end. I wish we could have seen more of Everett’s poetry collection. There are now two Emily Dickinson allusions. I had a kind of unorthodox reaction to this. I wondered if she wasn’t chosen because of her name: Emily. Might be a long shot, but Gimple knows who’s watching closely.

@twdmusicboxmystery:

That’s it for today. More discussion tomorrow! What did everyone else think of this episode?

#beth greene #beth greene lives #beth is alive #beth is coming #td theory #td theories #team delusional #team defiance #beth is almost here #bethyl

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tangledbea · 2 years

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can you tell us on varian outfits of his development?

Forgive me for taking a few days to get to this! I'll absolutely analyze his character growth and development as displayed through his clothes!

I'm actually going to start at the very beginning, with the very first thing we see him in.

As we know, this outfit is essentially safety gear. The heavy coat and face shield are used as a protective layer in his lab/mechanist's shop. But this outfit serves a dual purpose. It's both for safety and for intimidation. The intimidation factor is strong enough that Rapunzel uses the coat when she draws him after her nightmare.

It's also what she envisioned him wearing in her waking nightmare of him in "Happiness Is..."

The coat and face shield are the marks of both intimidation and competence. In fact, seeing Varian shed it is a bit of a shock.

He instantly loses a lot of his presumed mass, just by removing the coat, and also sheds the intimidation of our initial introduction.

Interestingly, Varian's standard S1 outfit is vaguely reminiscent of Eugene's movie outfit, in as much as the colors he's in - bluish-greenish, brown pants, brown (likely) leather accessories - and a few minor details - rolled-up sleeves, boots.

Which just calls to mind the fact that he starts the series idolizing Flynn Rider. Varian's outfit has always comes across to me as oversized. His gloves aren't even close to fitting snugly against his arms, and neither are the rolled-up cuffs of his sleeves. Even the strings of his apron are tied in an oversized bow, implying that it was designed for someone with a bigger waist.

We know Quirin is relatively well-off, between being the leader of Old Corona, the size of the house, and the fact that he could afford so much lab equipment and materials for Varian, as well as to help repair damages done by Varian's misfired experiments (both to his own house and to the village as a whole). So what's with the patch on his sleeve? I always figured that it was easier and cheaper for Varian to mend his clothes than to ask his dad for a new shirt every time he accidentally set it on fire.

His winter outfit in "Queen For a Day" adds to his impression of being soft, but generally knows what he’s doing.

Practical, does the job without burdening him down.

All in all, his season one outfits paint him as loveable and mostly-harmless. He wants to be impressive, though, as the coat and face shield imply. And, in fact, our first impression of him is correct by the end of the series. Although his clothes haven't changed, his attitude has.

His outfit in "Rapunzel's Return" screams of overcompensation and masking who he truly is.

From the oversized, edgy coat to the bandanna with sharp teeth on it to the drawn-on goatee, to the bandolier of alchemy bombs, everything about this outfit tells me that he's trying to "dress the part" and look cool in front of his cool friends.

However, he has a change of heart, and with it comes a return to his old outfit for the end of the episode.

However, it's not to last. Because his final outfit in the series is, in my opinion, his best.

This outfit is tailored to him. The vest is well-fitting with a more adult style, the gloves have bands to adjust them and help them fit more snugly, which is a more responsible way to wear gloves. Even his apron is more his size, with a belt to keep loose ties tucked away safely!

In S3, Varian's outfit tells his story of growing up and learning from his mistakes. He's not an adult yet, but he's well on his way to becoming one, and his new fashion reflects that. It’s also a style that’s entirely of his own design, not drawing inspiration from the people he looks up to, but being comfortable in his own skin.

#Tangled #Tangled the Series #Varian #TTS #Screencaps #Analysis #Answered

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loving-villanelle · 2 years

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After s3 Sandra was also talking about Villaneve saying things like "the only person I can rest with is you" and "they can only trust each other". So it absolutely baffles me that s4 is the way it is. Like you said, it looks like they will come to this same conclusion and realization at the end of this season as they already were on the bridge. That's so f*cking stupid I can't

Rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat. That has ALWAYS been the downfall of Killing Eve. Because you can't keep the cat and cat game going forever. There has to be progression. And for all the terrible things we say about s3 (and rightfully so) the one thing that can't be denied is that it is the only season that has ever dropped the cat and cat game long enough to give us any sort of progression. It's the only season that ever let us witness two honest, soul bearing conversations between these women where they both let down their masks and surrendered to this pull between them. The BIGGEST mistake the show made was having them turn back. If they had walked away from each other on the bridge and never turned back, this would all make perfect sense! Villanelle literally said "now we walk and don't look back". This season, for Eve anyway, has been all about not looking back. But Eve not only DID look back, she was the first one to look back! She was the one not willing to walk away. She wanted or needed Villanelle so much that she looked back!!! That act was so monumental! It was so incredibly groundbreaking and introduced such a shift that we all spent 2 years building up what it could all mean. When walking away was an option that Eve didn't take, how does it make any sense to revert back and be like "well yeah she looked back, but then was actually like hmm yeah I am still going to walk away though". It literally doesn't make any sense, because they both so clearly were not willing or able to let go of the other! They weren't able to walk away and not look back. Yet that's where this season picked up. In the most jarring of ways, because again, that choice to look back gave us every indication that walking away was not an option.

So I don't get it. I want to scream because they were given a gift with the s3 finale and the progression that transpired during it, only for them to ultimately decide to hit the reset button once again. It made sense when Villaneve were still dancing in circles around one another and hadn't faced what exactly it was that draws them together. But once that happened, the logical move would've been to delve further into that and explore it. And to say that wouldn't be interesting is such crap! I've never had more fun on this show than when I watched Villanelle and Eve work on the Aaron Peele case together. There was drama, comedy, tension, attraction. You name it and it was all there. So for them to claim that there was no way to have Villaneve together this season without it becoming boring is such complete bull. I can't tell you the fun I would've had watching them they do this investigation together all season. Villanelle telling Eve she looked cute in her disguises, Eve getting annoyed at Villanelle for being impulsive and going offscript from a plan they laid out. Villanelle helping Eve to train to improve physically, while Eve helps Villanelle master the investigative side of things. All of this would've had me giddy and intrigued and invested and over the moon! But we didn't get it and never will at this point. Not enough of it anyway. And it just sucks that there was so much build up with no payoff. But unfortunately it's something we'll just have to live with

#Villaneve #killing eve spoilers

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the-yearning-astronaut · 2 years

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Ok so I was responding to @freetown-vanth's post about Tarka but I realized real quick that I was gonna end up with another character analysis essay lol.

Warning: spoilers for episodes 10-12 of Star Trek Discovery season 4.

I apologize in advance for this epically long character essay. I genuinely miss doing character analyses and drawing parallels between character arcs....

I don't typically like asshole characters -- I didn't even like Paul in the first 4-5 episodes of season 1 tbh -- and I rarely, if ever, like antagonists. While I occasionally enjoy truly evil characters as much as the next person, I've never really cared for villains with a tragic backstory™; I've never found them to be particularly interesting or their motives to be compelling. Every now and again, however, show runners will write an antagonist that resonates with me. Sometimes they're written as grey antiheroes, other times as foils to the protagonist(s). There's always something about them, however, that resonates within a deep part of my soul-- something in their motives that I can relate to. These are the sorts of characters that I find most interesting -- they're like mirrors, reflecting back those parts of ourselves that we'd rather not analyze because they frighten us. Frank Castle is one of those characters to me and is usually one of the first ones that always comes to mind.

The writers of Discovery have now given me two more characters like this: Georgiou and Tarka. In a way I think they're actually foils to each other. Or possibly mirrors. Either way, when you set Georgiou, Tarka, and, surprisingly, Book next to each other you end up with a very compelling take on the importance of connection and community.

Let's start with Book: Book starts as an antagonist in s3 -- and when I say antagonist I simply mean he's a character that is at odds with and challenges the protagonist -- in this case, Michael. He's a complex character in that he has a code of honor that he follows and trust in his fellow couriers while also not being above manipulation and trickery to get what he needs. To Michael, at first, he comes across as a gruff, abrasive lone wolf type and only out for himself. And he is, because that's what he's had to be in order to survive in the galaxy he lives in. He's quite different from anyone Michael has known before and he ends up complimenting her beautifully -- they balance each other and which allows them to grow as they challenge each other to become their best selves. This is why, in episode 12 of season 4, Book is able to not only see reason when Reno is talking to him but also follow through on her pleas for him to put an end to the madness he has found himself caught up in. Book is in unimaginable emotional pain and experiencing the intense grief that has come with the literal destruction of his home world. But he's not alone. He has Michael and the crew he's come to call his friends. He has something to hold on to for stability and support. And it's this support that allows him to finally see sense.

Now let's look at Georgiou. I have absolutely loved watching her grow and develop into the incredibly complex character that she becomes by the end of season 3. While she isn't in season 4, I think she's still important to analyze here. Georgiou starts off alone. Yes, she is emperor but she is very very much on her own. Trust anyone, including her daughter, and she runs the risk of being stabbed in the back. She simultaneously has everything and nothing. She's sharp and cutting and horribly cruel and everything her prime'verse counterpart was not. And she had to be that way because in the mirror'verse, to be anything but that means a painful and bloody death. Once she begins to work alongside the crew of the Discovery, alongside Michael, it becomes quickly apparent that the cruelty and bravado is merely a mask and the longer she's with them the less it fits her. She never becomes prime!Georgiou because she's her own person and has been shaped by experiences and relationships in ways that prime!Georgiou could never have imagined. But she does become softer... More kind, in some ways (though certainly not nice!) and as Dr Burnham says in season 2, she becomes the kind of person that would put her life down for others, Michael in particular. She forms such strong bonds with the crew of the Discovery that she attempts to fix all that is wrong with her life in the mirror'verse when given the chance.

Finally, we get to the character I started this post for: Tarka. I've said it before but it's important to say it again here: Tarka has had no one for most of his life. We know nothing of his childhood on Risa, only that he never felt like he fit in anywhere. He was enslaved for an unknown amount of time but spent at least five of those years in isolation. When he is taken to help Oros, he rats him out, believing doing so would lead to his own freedom; it doesn't even occur to him that he could grow to like Oros at this point, let alone love him. And I genuinely believe that he believed that the Syndicate would forget what he told them, especially as the years kept going by and his unwitting betrayal led to nothing. He genuinely believed that they were getting out of there and I don't think he even realized what was happening until the power was cut and their room was stormed. And then Oros forgives him and begs him to run and he does. He runs and he leaves Oros behind -- the one person he cared about and who cared for him in return. And then he loses him. He spends the next half decade with the sole purpose of following through with his promise and finding his way back to Oros. That promise becomes the only tether he has. It's the only thing keeping him going, year after year. Cause I don't doubt that the only reason he works on the new spore drive is because of the slight hope he may find his way to Oros through the network. But then the DMA turns up and ofc he goes after that. Ofc he leans on Book's pain and manipulates him into helping him; he knows exactly what it feels like to lose everything that is important to you and how it makes you utterly vulnerable and willing to do whatever it takes in an attempt to fill that giant, gaping hole in your chest. His bravado and self importance is merely a cover for his pain and grief -- it has a duel purpose: a shield he has built up since losing Oros and a barrier between himself and anyone else. Keep others at arms length, push their buttons and make them hate him as much as he hates himself. And each time he fails at getting closer to Oros, each time something or someone gets in his way, he becomes more desperate. This promise is all he's got left and there's nothing left to lose. It makes the tough calls "easier" to make because if he makes it to the other universe, well, he won't have to deal with what's left in his wake, will he? And I think he does come to consider Book a friend. I think he does genuinely care for him. Unfortunately, Tarka can't see how betraying Book and calling Book his friend don't line up. He betrayed the only person he loved and was loved by in return, after all. Betraying Book is easy. I don't think he went in knowing that destroying the hyperfield and DMA would lead to the destruction of the Discovery, the 10-C, and Earth and Nivar. His expression of surprise is genuine when he sees the results of his calculations, though whether he has actually considered the implications of those results is on the table. Because following through with his plan will get him killed too. And he either knows this and doesn't care or he refuses to think about it. Tbh I think he's lost hope that he'll be able to get to see Oros again and the pain is so great that meeting his own end is more preferable to facing it, regardless of all the others that will follow him.

So we have Book, a man who had what he needed to survive, who finds someone, loses his home, but still has people to anchor him and bring him back down to reality when he loses himself to grief.

We have Georgiou, a woman who had everything and no one, who loses her title and her universe but gains a family that grounds her and allows her to start shedding the sharp facade she's worn her entire life.

And we have Tarka, a man who had nothing and no one until he found someone, only to lose him and then keep losing him while never forming proper connections with others. He has no anchor. He has nothing to keep him steady and he's going to get everyone killed because of it.

The tragedy of Tarka's story illustrates the importance of trust and relationships and connection. Had he asked for help, had he trusted Book and Michael and Paul, had he made an effort to make connections rather than actively push people away... He might have actually had a chance to get to Oros after all. Now tho... I just don't know. I don't want the season to end with him sacrificing himself to save everyone else. I want him to have a chance at growth. Not as part of a redemption arc or anything like that but because I think it's important to show that it's possible to grow and make a better life for yourself even when you aren't seeking redemption of any kind. I don't know how to properly end this essay length post... But I guess I'll end it by saying I hope Tarka has a chance and I hope it's the 10-C that give it to him.

Why have a new alien species capable of strong empathy and who communicate via emotions coded in hydrocarbons...and two characters drowning in their own pain and grief... And not use one to help the others and ease their suffering? I have to have hope that Trek will give us that.

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w00wzerz · 3 years

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🚃Ticket back to Life🚃

(All that matters in Titans s3 ep 9)

There is so much to talk about, so without further ado, lets get into it!

The episode begins with a seemingly defeated Bruce scanning over his will for a few seconds - hinting at the fact that he will harm himself or is planning to soon move on to the “other side.”

At this moment I had crinkled my bag of Doritos, placed them in the crack of my lap and sat in silence for a few seconds. My mind was working overtime to try and piece together just what the hell was going on. These were my initial thoughts: I would like to sincerely apologize to Dick Grayson and Jason Todd for ever having to put up with Bruce Wayne’s crazy ass. The man is coo coo, he’s unhinged! He’s deranged!

However, upon further evaluation of the scene, I came to the realization that this was simply Bruce’s call for help. He had lived his entire life by attempting to mask his pain, using anything in the book to deter his emotions. Until one day, he ultimately settled on taking in kids who he presumed had developed under similar circumstances.

What Bruce failed to realize is that playing the role of a parent is an upmost emotionally draining task - just ask my mother… By raising his own kids with a shit ton of baggage he would also be signing up to mountain theirs atop his own, crafting an incredibly unstable terrain that would inevitably come crashing down.

Now we know where Dick and Jason get their compartmentalism from.

Moving on to my girl Rachel in Themiscyra! You know things are pretty bad when Rachel starts to complain about training too much, seeing as that was all she ever did over at Titans tower.

However, it seems that her hard work has paid off as she has awakened a heightened sense of urgency in her movements - her coordination skills have also improved significantly, as shown below.

Such a badass scene! ☀️

Upon their very first introduction, it is safe to say that Donna establishes an instant connection with the terrified kid who jumped from the train - Tim Drake. It could be the gravitational pull and familiarity with his fear that peaked her interest because of how similar it was to her own, or she could’ve just wanted to make sure that he was okay. And I am willing to bet on ALL OF IT.

Secondly can we all just take a minute to celebrate Donna’s long awaited return! I have never been more excited for the revival of a character. Now Kory can finally have some grown up friends 🥂

After Tim and Donna linger for a-bit in the woods, they meet up with none other than Hank himself. Of course he would be the one to appear out in the middle of nowhere, in an old fashioned car after his death. I wouldn’t have accepted it any other way.

I also have to admit that I was pretty psyched to see Hank again. Do not quote me on this, but a tiny piece of me had missed his annoyingly snarky ass.

Was anyone else feeling some serious 21 jump street vibes from this lttle road trip scene? No… just me? Okay.

Once they’re all familiar with one another Hank begins to take a subtle interest in Tim. As my senses began tingling once more, the pieces had somehow found their way together. Despite the tough ass persona he displayed for the other members of the Titans, Hank has always had a soft spot for kids. Which would also explain why he was killed by Jason in the first place - because he thought he could save Jason from himself. A part of him still feels like an idiot for falling for the false vulnerability that was expressed by Jason on the phone that day.

And no I wasn’t crying at Hank’s farewell, you were 🥲

I was disappointed at first after treading on the idea that they would all return back together. But after viewing Hank’s reunion with his brother, I think it’s safe to say that I’m pretty glad that he decided not to miss out on that drastic part in his journey. Plus who knows, maybe another portal will open again after a few years and they’ll both be back to kick some ass. 🤷🏽‍♀️

Below is another example of Donna’s rocky, yet emotional connection between herself and Tim. And I say rocky because it doesn’t seem that she even realizes it herself, but she loves my little Tim baby!

Tim just has a way of interacting with folks that evokes a sense of urgency to protect him. I also believe that it must be fate that is drawing them all towards each other, especially when taking into account that Tim has practically met almost every member of the Titans dead or alive - by accident.

As you can see below, a teary eyed Donna watches as young Tim fades away into obscurity from her very own finger tips.

And as his body slowly disintegrates she makes it her mission to assure him that he is fact not a coward and that above everything else, he is a hero in her eyes. Now if that doesn’t get the waterworks flowing, I don’t know what will.

————————————

A recurring theme that I’ve noticed throughout the past three episodes is the current writers obsession with fire.

Fire = destruction. 🔥

Even as Bruce set a flame to Wayne’s manor he intended to destroy not only his home, but as well as himself along with it. Could fire represent what is to come in the near future for the Titans? Or am I sipping too much gatorade? I guess we’ll have to wait and see folks. Until next time! ��😙💜

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