#meta overanalysis!!

[thecruellestmonth]

Honestly really curious about the “Jason feel triggered by Dick’s kindness thing” if you feel like elaborating?

Every betrayal begins with trust. Jason Todd trusts Dick Grayson, and so Dick is a glowing, ticking timebomb.

-The Past-

Dick and Jason have history, not all of it good. Not all of it bad.

Nightwing: Year One

Batman #416 // The New Teen Titans (1984) #31

Skipping the early years all the way to the Red Hood era, Dick is someone who pretty consistently tries to give Jason a chance. Dick keeps up his guard and doesn't trust blindly, but he also tries to listen to Jason, reach out to him, and even work together when possible. Although Jason is an enemy, although it'd be much easier to believe the worst, Dick still generally chooses to keep his heart and mind open.

Outsiders #44-46 (2007), written by Judd Winick. When Jason obtains information that could free an innocent man from prison, he chooses to turn to Nightwing for help. In turn, Dick also chooses to believe in Jason.

Nightwing 2021 Annual, written by Tom Taylor. Despite (falsified) video evidence of Red Hood committing a murder, Dick doesn't jump to assume the worst in Jason. Dick chooses to trust and verify.

As Red Hood, Jason doesn't really like to ask favors or depend on others. Yet Nightwing tends to show up and help him anyway.

Now if Jason were healthy, then Dick's kindness would be comforting and reassuring. But in Jason's experiences, the most crushing pain comes from the people he's supposed to trust the most.

Catherine Todd, Willis Todd, police officers, social workers, a schoolteacher, Sheila Haywood, Bruce Wayne. Those people were supposed to protect Jason—those people ended up hurting him. After these experiences, Jason has become fixated on anticipating others' behavior (look up "fortune telling" as a cognitive distortion). Dick has become the latest source of safety. And so Dick's kindness is a trigger, as Jason anticipates more betrayal and pain.

-Dreams-

Jason's dreams have implied two things about his inner feelings:

1) Jason trusts Dick in ways that he no longer allows himself to trust Bruce—in his dreams, Dick is the first one who shows up for him when he's scared. Dick is the one who anticipates Jason's questions without being asked, and notices the fears that Jason tries to suppress.

2) Jason fears Dick is going to betray him, reject him, humiliate him. Because Dick is in a position where he can hurt Jason, then past experience says he inevitably will hurt Jason.

Examples:

Nightwing #121 (written by Bruce Jones, AKA the infamous tentacle monster arc) - Jason has been ingested by a mutating alien tentacle monster (long story). He dreams that Dick is in the darkness with him—but Dick mocks Jason for hoping that Dick would care to rescue him.

Truth & Justice #11 (written by Trammell) - When Jason has a fear toxin-induced nightmare of being buried alive again, Dick is the one who appears at his graveside and offers him help. However, the nightmare Dick then proceeds to ridicule Jason and attack his worth.

Task Force Z #7 (written by Rosenberg) - Jason has a nightmare of being surrounded by enemies attacking him. The nightmare culminates in the scariest part when Nightwing and Batgirl (Babs)—his older sibling figures—make him feel like a little Robin again, and tell him that all his efforts are just making everything worse.

DC vs. Vampires #6 (2022), a vampire apocalypse Elseworld written by Tynion & Rosenberg

Now Elseworlds (alternate universe) comics aren't canon to the main universe, but can still offer possible insight into characterization… In DC vs Vampires #6, Jason tells Dick (who has revealed himself as an evil vampire): "I always knew someday you'd screw up worse than anyone." Yet up until the moment when Dick reveals himself as an evil vampire, Jason never has a rational reason to anticipate that. So either Jason is just now lying to cover up his own shame for having misplaced his trust yet again, or Jason really has been harboring fears that Dick would betray him.

-The Present-

Circling back to recent happenings in the main universe: Task Force Z #8 (2022). Jason is behaving very suspiciously on a solo mission. Dick wants to know why—whether the greater good is at stake, or whether Jason is in trouble and needs help. And so Dick asks Jason to have a reasonable conversation... to which Jason responds by punching him and running away. Just the slightest suggestion of misgivings on Dick's part, and Jason chooses fight and flight. Another turn of the cycle, and Jason leaves the family circle again as quickly as he rejoined.

Task Force Z #8 (2022), written by Rosenberg

So Jason does cherish his brotherhood with Dick… but Jason is also watchful for the tiniest possible warning signs that Dick could hurt him, so he can cut off that bond before it can be used against him.

Dick Grayson is irresistibly trustworthy. Jason can't stop himself from trusting Dick. That's exactly why he can't trust Dick.

#Jason Todd #Red Hood #Batbros #Task Force Z #Dick and Jason #Batfam #Batfamily #Dick Grayson #Nightwing #Jason Todd meta #DC vs Vampires #Nightwing Annual 2021 #meta #Matthew Rosenberg #LATE response SORRY. This ask has gotta be two or three months old. #Yes I would like to elaborate. ♥ I hope you feel like reading some scattered overanalysis. #Dick 'I'm convinced I've failed Jason and the guilt continues to haunt me' Grayson #Jason 'Dick is too good to be true so it's only a matter of time before I lose this family just like before' Todd #angst cw #angst angst angst #canon typical behavior cw #trauma discussion cw #toxic behavior fiction cw #attachment issues fiction cw #toxic relationship fiction cw #thecruellestmonth #I FIXED THE TYPOS. I think. #DC vs Vampires spoilers

[sepublic]

Wittebane Knife Overanalysis

I’m obsessed with the duality of the knife between the Wittebane brothers, their own versions of the same item that they wield in literal conflict with one another… Wittebro uses his to carve a wooden mask for his little brother, cementing their bond; And likely to carve Flapjack, symbolizing a new choice of destiny away from being a witch hunter, his acceptance of the Boiling Isles. Wittebro’s knife is meant to create, it’s an artist’s tool;

But Philip’s. It’s jagged like a kris; This is a knife meant to kill. An assassin’s murder weapon, hidden away and not out in the open, unlike Wittebro’s openly-welcoming earnestness. But like Belos’ hidden identity and true murderous motives… It’s to cut into others and hurt; Destroy not create. And it’s used by Philip to reject his brother and the isles, to sever their bond via murder.

Wittebro’s knife cultivates and creates, while Philip’s kills and mutilates himself to gain power, carving glyphs into his flesh and his ears into a witch’s. Wittebro’s knife meanwhile aided in his Palisman carving, contributing to a Clawthorne tradition meant to empower others and help them choose their own identities, not have them decided by Belos as the Palismen are slain, not made.

Wittebro’s knife is straight-edged while Philip’s crooked; Perhaps reflecting their morals. His is smooth and efficient, to the point; It cuts as much as it needs to as a tool that even a kid can use. But Philip’s, the crooked edges are for fighting; Causing vibrations upon parrying that pain an opponent’s hand. Serrated edges meant to cut and tear through flesh, to cause maximum pain and suffering and drag it out, literally.

Both brothers are a knife in a sense, but in two opposite functions. A constructive tool VS a destruction weapon. Straight to the point, yet agonizing and hidden. One forged and reflected a bond, was used to empower others; The other broke a bond and reflected a murderer’s eyes, used to empower himself. An artist appreciates, while a killer hates and tears down. Wittebro’s gave, Philip’s took.

Two sides of the same coin; The same object, yet different and opposite purposes. Made to hurt, but Wittebro chose to go against that ‘nature’ and intention of his creators, and created his own meaning. While Philip stayed with the purpose of harming, as both went down separate paths. A knife brought them together when used by Wittebro. But in Philip’s hands, it tore them apart; Tore one apart, literally. Philip chose the knife instead of love and acceptance… And he’d reject his brother again if offered by Hunter, because!

And then he’s out of them and has nothing, as he’s cut everyone and everything away from himself.

It’s also interesting that Wittebro’s knife is manmade, a relic from home; While Philip’s is a model used by Bump, as well as Eda, implying it came from the isles (or worst-case scenario, Belos popularized it as part of his marring influence). Wittebro brought the best of his world over to create magical things, while Philip appropriated to pervert and corrupt the isles, as he did its magic. Fittingly, both knives clashed, a conflict of ideology and especially purpose, either intended by one’s ‘creator’ or chosen for oneself; And sadly, it seems Philip’s won out as he continued to remake his brother for the purpose of being a witch hunter, time and time again…

…But time and time again, his brother chose a different purpose for himself, and was killed for it; The Hunter ‘died’ in two meanings of the phrase.

With how Belos has kept and continued to use the knife… I swear to Titan, if it comes back in the present-day and he attempts to use it to kill Hunter, as he had his brother, all over again! Conversely, it’d be neat if Hunter inherited Wittebro’s knife; Maybe passed down through generations before ending with Dell, who gives it to his daughters, who grant it to Hunter. So in a way this tool that went through such a long journey of hands finally loops around and ends up back where it started, in the hands of Wittebro’s clone.

What goes around comes around, you reap what you sow Wittebro. And soon you will too, Philip… It’d be symbolic if that knife of his was destroyed, lost, or even turned against its user by the end of the series, finally ending what it began, that etneral cycle of violence and the same brother being murdered over and over; Only for the other one to be slain with the knife at the end. Wittebro’s spirit endured several deaths because of its loving influence that others remembered, but it takes just the one demise to put down Philip for good, as people remember him as a monster who must never return…

It makes sense that Philip used his knife to kill; It was an upgrade from the make-believe wooden sword he wielded as a child, playing out his embraced fantasies of murdering witches. He’s still a child playing pretend, just actually dangerous this time, and playing the role of humble messenger for the Titan as well.

#the owl house #philip wittebane #emperor belos #the owl house hunter #knives #symbolism #meta #overanalysis

[faux-ee]

The possibility of Dabihawks linked past: yes i’m still not over it

Now that chapter 350’s out, the dabihawks childhood friends theory is pretty much dead - or is it really? They might not be friends in the past but I’m 70% sure there is some kind of connection beyond just parallels as narrative foils.

Toga is Uraraka’s narrative foil - Hori said he made Toga for Uraraka, after all - but we don’t often see their childhood being presented side to side, right? Yet every time we see a little bit of Todoroki Touya’s past, we also see a piece of Takami Keigo’s story.

Warning: what ur about to read contains serious brainrot, a ton of overanalyses, and is probably the furthest from accurate. I’m just listing out my suspicions and guesses here, which has turned into rambling by this point. I’M SO SORRY.

Here are some unresolved questions about their arc:

Hawks’s “who are you” & almost calm expression at the Keigo Takami name drop

the infamous black bubble

How did Dabi find Hawks’s mom with only a C in intelligence (i’m sorry)

Scary men = Dabi’s thugs? Hawks’s mom leaving to stop causing him trouble, but to where?

Hawks’s dad: a thief or a serial robber & killer?

Name drop & the black bubble: One could argue that the “who are you” is just setting up for the Touya reveal, and I think that’s pretty much the case. But to really answer Hawks’s question, “Todoroki Touya” must be a person who has means to know Hawks’s name. Or at least knows that Tomie is Hawks’s mother.

Hawks’s face in that panel is almost…pacified? Calm? Curious? As if it’s not an alarming fact that his deadly enemy knows his dead name. Although it’s possible that it’s just how Keigo usually show emotions without that Wing Hero Hawks mask.

Some people see words in that black bubble, but there’s also a circle around those words, which makes it about 80% clear that it was just the speaker bubbles on the other side of the page. And even if “轰灯矢” or “endeavor’s son” is really what’s written underneath, the font is not big enough to warrant such a big bubble. It’s the lost piece in the puzzle - the explanation of why Todoroki Touya is someone that knows Hawks’s mom, knows where to look for his identity. And I think now Touya’s backstory is mostly revealed, we are about to know the full secret behind that black bubble.

Hawks went to his mother’s house, and thought the name was leaked from his mother after all since supposedly there’s no other person who knew his name & story - ok. But. Look at what he said before he was convinced that Dabi knew his name from his mother. “How did Dabi even go that far” “did Dabi use people for this” “Guess it was really my mom who leaked it” - like idk but it sounds like he’s not sure about this conclusion at all. Sounds like he has considered other possibilities but casted them aside when he saw his mom’s letter.

Speaking of the letter: the last time we saw a letter by someone who left was Izuku leaving UA. Would Hawks go look for his mother after the war arc is over, just like how 1-A has gone out to find Izuku? When Hawks was with the Todoroki family, he also expressed his regret not being able to save his own parents. Would we know the whole truth of how Dabi found her by then?

Takami the Thief was first brought up by the villain, Ending, so we know that the public knowledge about Takami didn’t go further than “car thief” - and why was it that Hawks’s dad’s true crimes needed to be hidden from public? What warranted the No.2 Hero Endeavor traveling across Japan to catch such a person?

Side note: When I first read Ending’s lines, I can’t help but notice how much his experience resembles that of Hawks - the capture of Thief Takami seemed to have endeared Endeavor to Ending in great ways, and then he claimed “7 years ago, I lost it, you caught me”(it’s also recent to when Touya burnt to death, which is 8 years ago), then it was shown that Endeavor remembered Ending and even recognized that he gave himself a villain name.

In his childhood flashbacks, Keigo and his mom were both seen wearing striped clothing which reminds me a lot of Ending’s clothing and quirk. — All I’m saying is that Ending probably had some connections with the Takami family, and it’s why the Takami case has been special to him. (A minor point is Hawks’s mom’s name, Tomie, which contains a character that means “to paint,” and Ending’s quirk is associated with the paint on the pavement.)

Dabi “dug out something” about Hawks’s past and came to the conclusion that he lived under constant influence of violence since his father was a serial robber & murderer, captured by Endeavor. But he didn’t bring up Takami the Thief on TV - hasn’t mention that name at all. Which means Takami Thief probably wouldn’t ring a bell in public ears, or else Dabi just had to say “Hawks’s father is the infamous Takami Thief” instead of prefacing it with all that. But Dabi made Takami’s crimes seem pretty serious, serious enough to stay in public memory - I mean, a serial killer captured by Endeavor himself, that gotta be one of Endeavor’s great victories worthy of remembrance, right? Is Dabi, idk, leaving Hawks some privacy over his name?

If dabihawks really have a linked past, when could they have come into contact before we saw them interact in canon?

Endeavor could have brought Touya along to Fukuoka when he arrested Takami the Thief, or Touya could’ve obtained that information on TV since he seemed adamant on watching every one of his father’s fights. Young Keigo told his father that his feathers sensed commotion in town, and that’s why he slipped out. It could be that he sensed the Heroes’ arrival in his living area.

When Touya was 12-13 and still attending school, Hawks was starting his training in the HPSC, presumably also in Mustafu - correct me if im wrong

Side note: we mostly assumed that Hawks would’ve never left HPSC during his training but what if that wasn’t the case?

During the early days Touya was wandering the streets, when his skin hadn’t required staples & he hadn’t dye his hair; Hawks was just starting his hero career.

Ok most of this is me obsessing over unimportant stuff. If u had read to here, u r an amazing human, i love u and im sorry for attacking ur eyes with my pointless ramblings. Anyways, if ur as invested in the childhood friends theory as I am, let’s not give up on the hope just yet <3

#dabihawks #dabihawks meta #but it’s more like ramblings #warning: overanalysis

[emotionallychargedtowel]

Utsukushii Kare master post

With Utsukushii Kare: Eternal becoming available on streaming in Japan and rumors of international streaming distribution on the horizon, I thought this might be a good time to do a roundup post of all of my meta writing on the series so far. There's quite a bit of it. Between the complexity of the psychological themes in this series and my capacity for hyperfocus, I ended up with a lot to say.

In case it doesn't go without saying, this post is subject to change as I continue to post on this topic.

The psychological paradoxes of Utsukushii Kare

This is a series of posts (the current plan is to write three installments) about what it says on the tin: paradoxical psychological dynamics in Utsukushii Kare. These are things about the characters that may seem contradictory at first but can be accounted for by digging deeper into some psychological concepts. These posts are focused on the series (both seasons) but will draw from the movie and from the novel and related stories when they illustrate points about the series.

Part 1: Covert grandiosity and finding status through idealization - A pretty deep dive into 1) the subtle ways Hira shows that while his self-image can be highly negative in some ways, in other respects he feels superior to others and 2) how by elevating Kiyoi’s status and humbling himself in comparison, Hira attains a different kind of status.

An addendum of sorts to part 1: Hira's parents and his self-defeating tendencies - Some guesswork about how Hira's parents could have contributed to his self-defeating personality, with some further discussion of specific self-defeating strategies he uses in his relationship with Kiyoi and elsewhere.

Utsukushii Kare through the lens of pursuer-distancer dynamics and related psychological concepts:

The pursuer-distancer dyad & how it applies to the world of BL - a primer on this psychological concept and how it applies to BL generally, with a brief reference to how this concept applies to Utsukare (also touches on Semantic Error and talks in detail about an example from To My Star 2). This one isn't super focused on Utsukushii Kare but is pretty de rigeur for understanding my UK posts on this topic.

Paradoxical roles; or, I think I finally figured out the pursuer-distancer dynamic in Utsukushii Kare - This post comes after some of the posts listed below but I recommend reading it first as this is really where (I think) I cracked the code on this aspect of the story.

Pursuer-distancer roles & attachment style in Utsukushii Kare, Part 1: Hira - In-depth discussion of Hira's role in the pursuer-distancer dyad, his attachment style, and his personality

Pursuer-distancer roles and attachment style in Utsukushii Kare Part 2: Kiyoi - In-depth discussion of Kiyoi's role in the pursuer-distancer dyad, his attachment style, and his personality

Re-evaluating pursuing & distancing in Utsukushii Kare season 1 - super detailed post working out my thoughts about pursuing and distancing in season 1

On the way Sakai Mai (the series' director) uses seme left, uke right framing and its significance in BL and other Japanese media:

Using an example from the s2e1 with the girl who hits on Hira at a party (via a reblog of a gifset from @nanons)

On the way Sakai flips Hira's and Kiyoi's position in the frame in two versions of the same scene and what it tells us about its significance

How the persistent/cute trope plays out in Utsukushii Kare season 2, plus related overanalyses of the big season 2 finale kiss:

The persistent and the cute (how "persistent" and "cute" are code words with specific meanings in BL/yaoi/other drama and manga genres/Japanese culture more broadly)

Analyzing the season 2 finale kiss in light of seme left/uke right framing and the persistent/cute trope (in a reblog of a gif post by @nanons)

Reblogging @bl-bracket to lobby for the season 2 finale kiss, with more overanalysis

Fragrance nerd discussion:

This bittersweet fragrance - on the significance of osmanthus/tea olive in Utsukushii Kare season 2, with additional information on the possible significance of the fragrance of osmanthus and perfumes that are either osmanthus soliflores or feature prominent osmanthus notes

Posts on specific season 2 episodes:

initial thoughts about S2e1

Additional (informal) thoughts on s2e1

S2e1 rundown

Hira's incongruous/misaligned affect at the end of s2e1

S2e2 rundown

on S2e2, including pursuer-distancer dynamics and seme left, uke right

Utsukushii Kare S2E4: “face me straight on” (mostly discussing relationship dynamics pointed out in topic-specific metas)

on Utsukushii Kare: Eternal:

Kiyoi and Anna: on Kiyoi’s friendship with Anna and its significance for his personal growth

#utsukushii kare #utsukushii kare meta #utsukushii kare analysis #utsukushii kare season 1 #utsukushii kare season 2 #utsukushii kare 2 #utsukushii kare eternal #utsukushii kare: eternal #hira x kiyoi #japanese bl #jbl #my beautiful man #psychology of bl #pursuer distancer dynamic #attachment theory #attachment style

[suchawrathfullamb]

do you think an actor's opinion is 100% canon? if they say it then it's true? I ask this because Hugh took a long time to say that there was romance between Hannibal and Will but Mads didn't

I think we often forget that actors are real people. These people are flawed. They're not gods because they portrait characters brilliantly. With that being said, actors have biases. Sometimes, no matter how canon something is, if the actor, for whatever reason, doesn't like it, they might play it off or completely deny it when asked about it. Sometimes out of spite, because again, actors are just people, prone to normal human behavior.

I don't wanna say why I think Hugh played it off at first or why he thought Will had relevant feelings for Alana cause I have zero patience for the backlash I might receive. I'll say one of the reasons, the other I won't: I think, just like Will, because he internalized Will, he was in denial. But whatever because he came through after season three.

Sometimes, an actor likes another fellow actor, sometimes they hate or dislike them, and because they're human and their work ethics are much looser and less demanding, they can get away with a silent bias, meaning, their opinions are not based in canon but in their feelings about other actors they work with, and nobody will actually know it because the true reason is inside their head and the only thing we hear is an actor having an opinion that no one seems to understand why, as in "how are you not seeing this?", or when they try to force a ship that no one else likes and everyone is "why??".

We need to take actors out of the pedestal. Yes, they are living those characters and understand them a lot, but they're still actual people, and people (actually, most) cannot see themselves properly, they lack self awareness. So of course they can have an opinion that is completely wrong because although they're playing the character, they simply lack the ability to actually take a step back and analyze their behavior and actions.

I believe that like Will would 100% deny any romantic feelings towards H, because of what it represented about him, so would Hugh. Just because Hugh plays Will doesn't mean he sees Will in the same way we see Will, in fact, he 100% doesn't, just like you cannot perceive yourself in the same way others perceive you. Our perception of Will is actually manipulated by two lenses: Hannibal's and Alana's/Jack's. That's why the fandom is divided between people who love deranged Will and want to see him in his becoming and fully accepting of his darkness, and the ones who have the copagenda thing and see him as a wounded puppy.

Now, Mads is the exact same, actually. His perception of Hannibal is flawed sometimes. For example, he says Hannibal is happy, a lot of times. Of course H isn't happy, we all know this, but Hannibal himself lives in denial. He crafted a mask of refinery and charisma, to keep that deep rooted depression in check. So it makes sense that Mads would think H is happy, in fact, he needs to in order to play the character in the best possible way, because in this manner, he's not pretending or lying, he's truly in Hannibal's shoes, deluding himself as a happy, satisfied, person.

The actors who think too much or rationalize their characters too much are often the ones we forget about. Actors who engage less in overanalysis often provide responses that appear less intricate compared to fan-generated meta, as they authentically embody their characters rather than engaging in extensive rationalization. This is because the actor is just being, instead of trying to be. They're not rationalizing their own behavior because people, although they think they do, they don't, at most, we judge our own behavior, but that's different than actual rationalization or complex analysis (some people do, of course, me included, but it's not the norm, not the default).

I believe this answers your question.

#lamb tries #ask the lamb #difficult topics #hugh has a thing i think LOL but I digress #hannigram #nbc hannibal #hannibal #will graham #murder husbands #hugh dancy #hannibal lecter #mads mikkelsen

[honesttoglob]

Meta-overanalysis incoming: When Steve is listening to Weird Al on Foodtruck Radio in the season 1 supercut, he's listening to a Weird Al parody of his own backstory. And um. ????? Does the song UP exist in universe for Weird Al to have parodied it? Is Cup a Weird Al original and then Steve liked it so much he made up his own song based on the tune? Did Steve's backstory and UP come to Weird Al in a psychically-influenced dream but upon waking he could only half remember it and the plot didn't make much sense so he changed it to be about trying to get a solo cup at a high school party? Only Ian knows. And he will Never Tell.

#bigtop burger #btb steve #Watched a little bit too much Quinton Reviews Nickelodeon saga #And all the inter-universe theories did unspeakable things to my mind and body

[fortuna-et-cataclysmos]

Fortuna's ML Analyses Master List

Look, I had to do something with my Humanities degree.

Ep. 26 Recreation:

A perfect world and a fake victory

Wrapping up the "running out of time" theme

In defense of s5 finale: the finale was supposed to feel wrong

Ep. 25 Conformation:

The ultimate fight location: the kitchen

Ep. 23 Revolution:

Adrinette love as act of revolt

Ep. 22 Collusion:

Ms. Sans-Culotte and the French Revolution symbolism

Collusion and the political victory of Gabriel/Monarch

Ep. 19 Pretension:

Season 5 and the symbolism of pancakes: Gabriel's illusions of choice

Two designers: Marinette vs. Gabriel

Ep. 18 Emotion:

On Felix, Revolution and Anarchism

Ep. 17 Adoration:

Marinette's healthy relationship message

Ep. 16 Protection:

Meta joke on ml fans

Marinette/Adrien and Gabriel/Emilie parallels (visual storytelling)

Hints that Kagami is a sentibeing too

Ep. 14 Derision:

3 beliefs Marinette acquired due to the prank and how it impacts her relationships

Accepting Chat Noir & Adrien parallels (short)

Adrien's pov on Marinette's anxiety (short)

Ep. 10 Transmission:

Duty vs. Love: how Ladybug and Chat Noir chose love over duty

Metaphor between disease and superpowers: the weight of responsibility

Adrien & Gabriel parallels (short)

Separation and reconciliation of civilian and superhero identities

Ep. 9 Elation:

the Marichat kiss image analysis (l don't have anything better to do)

Marinette and the impossibility to be in a relationship

Monuments' symbolism in season 5

End card: Chat understands that his love to Marinette is impossible (short)

Ep. 8 Reunion:

Post-truth in Miraculous

Ladybug // Joan of Arc parallels: heroes' antagonisation

Ep. 7 Passion:

Marinette and control vis-à-vis Adrien and Chat Noir

Ladybug/Chat Noir roles reversal (short)

Nathalie's discourse analysis and how it reflects her relationship with the Agrestes

Ep. 6 Determination:

Determination in the light of Derision: why Marinette falls both for Adrien and Chat Noir

Marinette crying at the end of episode explained: the duality of Marinette and Ladybug

Adrien falling for Marinette at her worst, loving her as is

Marinette and self-acceptance

Contrast between Adrien and Marinette in understanding their love

Jubilation // Determination speech parallels

the love square is becoming a circle (short)

The symbolism of the museum Grévin? (overanalysis)

The symbolism of wax heroes? (overanalysis)

Ep. 5 Illusion:

Gabriel's emotional exploitation of Adrien

Nino's Resistance: a reference to French Résistance during WW2

Ep. 4 Jubilation:

The importance of rain in Jubilation

On Adrien/Chat Noir and control, aka why is Adrien depressed in Jubilation?

Easter egg in the episode

The power of Jubilation (short)

Reconciling the real Chat Noir and the one in Ladybug's dreams (short)

Ep.3 Destruction:

Parallels between Chat Noir and the Monarch's destructions

Chat Noir vs. the perfect Chat Noir Ladybug wants (short)

General s5:

Miraculous Ladybug is actually a Greek tragedy

Schrödinger's love square (short)

Gabriel and Adrien being each other's obstacle to be with their love (short)

My one and only salt about the scientific error in Ephemeral

I'm doing this list mostly for myself (it was starting to get hard to keep track of some points I previously made when I wanted to link).

I'll keep this updated, and if I have forgotten something (Tumblr's search function has disappointed me once more...) feel free to lmk :3

#miraculous ladybug #ml analysis #from fortuna #ml spoilers #ml season 5

[deltaruminations]

one more weird dialogue thing that Needles Me: there seem to be some inconsistencies in how sans deltarune talks about his brother’s availability. i think the main reason i never posted about this is because it feels like straw-grasping overanalysis but whatever. if no one else is going to grasp for them then more straws for me i suppose

if you talk to sans in chapter 1, he invites kris to see his brother the next day.

in chapter 2, if you didn’t speak to him previously about his brother, he says:

if spoken to about his brother previously, he says:

but sometimes, he’ll say this instead:

(i’m not sure what triggers this, or if it’s just random chance; i've basically never seen him say it in any of the playthroughs i've checked on youtube, but i have personally seen it. i tested it again just now -- it seems like there's a chance he'll say this instead of the default on the first time you ask about his brother. he then reverts to the previous one ("maybe a day... maybe another 2 years.") if you ask again.)

so:

in chapter 1, sans expects his brother to be available the next day (he is wrong lol. but still). fwiw sans is almost certainly talking about papyrus here.

in chapter 2, sans apparently doesn’t know when his brother will be available (but considers “in a day” to be a possibility), while simultaneously expecting him to be available next week (when asriel comes home) at the earliest.

the normal, level-headed interpretation is that he’s talking about the same brother (papyrus) in all of these cases. we'll see papyrus next week. he’s just being vague and self-contradictory because he’s a tricksy jokeboy who doesn’t like to make promises but does like to make silly Meta Jokes.

……… but anyway if we want to go absolutely fucking nuts about it: what if he has a third brother who's at university lol TEEN GASTER CONFIRNED ????!!!!!??!?!?!?!!?!?????

#$ 666 mystery man lore hell

[catboyzone]

i love you narrative i love you themes i love you overanalysis i love you meta narrative i love you stories i love you plot points i love you complex characters i love you dialogue

#thonking about #umineko #and various other #visual novel

[cheemerthelizard]

I posted 10,290 times in 2022

That's 7,179 more posts than 2021!

400 posts created (4%)

9,890 posts reblogged (96%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@raidendotcom

@kirbyofthestars

@stonersayaka

@demilypyro

I tagged 1,701 of my posts in 2022

#prev tags - 18 posts

#lee don’t look - 13 posts

#me - 11 posts

#jjba - 9 posts

#findlayer - 6 posts

#salamander!!!! - 5 posts

#good post sammy - 4 posts

#purple - 4 posts

#stone ocean spoilers - 4 posts

#what - 4 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#it’s always “did you complete this important thing so you can enter college” and never “wow is that your tomodachi life music overanalysis”

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

is it just me or are there any other genderfluid peeps who will have their gender influenced by the stupidest shit. like i saw a joke post about how someone’s gender was gamer and i was like ”yeah, that sounds good.”

61 notes - Posted May 26, 2022

#4

ATTENTION EVERYONE

IT IS SLEEPY AWOOFY SUNDAY

84 notes - Posted August 28, 2022

#3

Ok so the 4Kids dub of Kirby Right Back At Ya may not be great but you cannot ignore that we have all collectively decided King Dedede and Meta Knight sound like they do thanks to it

143 notes - Posted April 9, 2022

#2

I love love looooove reading descriptions on collectibles in games. Yes please tell me more about what this food item or character or place means. Please give me all of the little lore I will soak it up and keep it inside of me forever.

202 notes - Posted July 26, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

280 notes - Posted July 27, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#NOOOO MY TOP POST LITERALLY BEING A REPOST FROM TT IS EMBARASINGGGGGG #I know better than to do that but at the time I literally just... forgot about repost etequitte #anyway yeah this is my formal apology for reposting something without permission

[talistheintrovert]

pat and pran in episode 10: an overanalysis

in the past i've only felt the need to overanalyse pat because while pran's feelings are always hidden from other characters within the narrative, they've always been really clear to the audience. pat's the loud not-really-dumb-dumbass who wears his most obvious feelings on his sleeve while he works through the other stuff under the surface. pran is the repressed, anxious overachiever who tries to push down every feeling he has to justify his own existence.

but this episode did something amazing.

it flipped them.

pat, ever the headstrong, loud, argumentative one, the one with a reputation at the whole university for being a bit of a gangster and never backing down from a fight, was simply devastated. the only time in this episode where he looked ready to square up was when pran got shoved into the wall and he looked like he was about to shove his dad right back, but even then he quickly changed tack and went for verbal confrontation. because pat is TERRIFIED of his father. he can't fix this problem by yelling or getting physical because his dad will do it first and win. sure, pat respects him, he admires him, wants to emulate him in a lot of ways - because he's been taught to - but he's also so clearly uncomfortable around him and terrified of his disapproval in a way that only abused kids are (hi dad!).

so when pat finds out his dad is the reason he spent so long hating pran, all he can do is look his father in the face and try to hold himself together while his world crashes down around him. the person he's been told to hold up as a beacon of who he should be, the person he loves and fears the most, is standing in front of him and not denying that he's the reason for so much misery. so pat just. breaks.

meanwhile pran, who has spent his entire life silently breaking on his own and then bottling himself right back up again, is confronted by his mother and for the first time ever, he does the opposite of what his instincts tell him. he's always conceded - he hid his friendship with pat in high school and when she found out not only did he move schools but he stopped playing guitar, something that he loved, because his mother wanted him to. even after he and pat found each other again, he spent so long avoiding his feelings even as they came back stronger than ever because he knew it could only end in heartbreak. he walked away from pat on that roof because he knew he wasn't strong enough to face up to his mother. He gave up so much because he was too scared to fight for what he wanted. Sure, he is know among the architects as a fighter too, but he's clearly also the last resort, the voice of reason, the person you only ask to throw a punch when you really need it. he ends arguments, he doesn't start them.

but his mother confronts him and he confronts her right back. he doesn't yell, but he raises his voice, he doesn't waver, he looks her in the eyes and he tells her how badly she broke him. and she tells him she didn't raise him to speak to her that way and it only makes him angrier because she raised him to speak to pat that way. she raised him to completely disregard the feelings of someone he cared about simply because she didn't like his father, but when he talks back to her, suddenly it's "not how she raised him."

so pran snaps. he tells her she's the reason he's broken, and she slaps him, and it hurts but the fact that she would even do it at all hurts worse. it just confirms all the worst thoughts he's ever had. and then he storms out.

for the first time in the course of the show, pat and pran are completely flipped, and of course it happens when they are both confronting their parents just feet away from each other with barely two walls separating them.

when they're both at their best, pat will raise his voice and get in someone's face and pick a fight, while pran will bottle it up and force it down. but in their lowest moments, pat just quietly breaks and pran finally finds the courage to push back, to let out so many of the words he's swallowed since he was a kid.

and it's heartbreaking.

and it's beautiful.

#bad buddy #patpran #pranpat #pran parakul #ohmnanon #bad buddy meta #patpran meta #this overanalysis brought to you by the emotionally abused children committee #it's about the catharsis in the tragedy of these two kids who never got to be truly themselves to anyone but each other #and the way they are perfect narrative foils to each other #while also being soulmates in every sense of the word #and how that all comes together in these two perfect scenes #and then the way pran finally has someone's arms to break down into #and pat has a reason to keep bottling up his feelings #and the way that roof scene destroys me in 800 different ways and i keep coming back for more #it's crying over patpran hours #it's always crying over patpran hours

[sepublic]

I mean I guess that proves Eda’s recipe was better if even Lilith’s preferred it. Poor Lilith even her own work is throwing her under the bus and she really can’t win at anything (besides glyphs), but as she reminds herself in the letter, it’s not a competition and trying to make it that is why she resorts to dubious, reckless tactics that end up being her undoing!

This short is funny but there’s an implicitly sad undertone to Lilith’s desperate need to win once again backfiring... I dunno if the chibi shorts creators made this ahead of time before Season 2B premiered with Lilith’s latest design, but it does fit with what audiences saw and knew of Lilith in 2A! Honestly, I can see this short actually being canon and happening in the two-week period between seasons 1 and 2, which would add to Lilith’s insecurity still being a potent thing that hasn’t cooled down quite yet.

But hey; At least Luz appreciates Lilith’s work and there’s something so precious to me about Luz understanding her aunt and validating her, as a dweebus who’s also fond of Eda and not a natural to magic like others are, and feels insecure over that; Even resorting to not the best methods to keep up (even if she doesn’t intend to sabotage or one-up others) like stealing the training wand for example. She gets it and that makes moments like Luz validating her aunt’s hyperfixations all the more wonderful.

#the owl house #lilith clawthorne #luz noceda #meta #overanalysis #chibi tiny tales

[heretherebedork]

The parallels between the Sean x Yok fight and the Black x Sean fight were absolutely beautiful.

Because Yok was fighting for the man he loves and Sean was thinking he was fighting with the man he loves.

Yok fought with all his tools to the fight with Sean and he still lost because Sean's anger at the idea of bringing a cop in overrode his strength and his strategy because Sean was merciless.

Sean didn't fight Black because he saw the face of the man he loved and he though he saw the man he loved and he was lost and confused and he had come with love and nothing more.

Sean came to the fight with Yok with nothing but revenge and control and the need to win because he couldn't see past the personal.

Black came to the fight with Sean with nothing but the sight of him kissing his brother and old instinct and unhinged anger.

Sean and Yok could not win; Sean and Black could not lose.

Sean had to win and he had to lose so he could see what he was doing and make a choice and see that choice reflected on someone else.

#not me #not the series #not me series #not me meta #not me the series #thai drama #thai series #gmmtv #gmmtv series #gmmtv drama #so much meta #overanalysis #i tried

[holdthosebees]

My dumb english major brain keeps insisting that there’s Meaningful Symbolism to the fact that Martin, in choosing to sit on the disgusting couch, is choosing to comfort himself by clinging to a relic from the old world (I’ve been walking so I should be tired, the way to solve that problem should be to sit on a couch, because that’s what couches should be for) despite the fact that it’s disgusting and uncomfortable  And Jon, who continues to refuse/be unable to disengage from the world as it is, refuses his invitation to join him in this act of comfort/denial even though it puts physical space between them, because he is prioritizing the flaws in what the situation (couch) actually is over what he thinks he should be able to get out of it, and also because it’s super gross. So the interaction becomes a microcosm of their conflict all season: Martin engaging in denial for comfort even if it ultimately makes the situation a little bit worse, and Jon finally setting a boundary by refusing to follow him. Jon said that you can’t trust comfort at the beginning of the season, and he continues to act according to that even as Martin tries to find ways around it--something that might just come to a head when they encounter Daisy and Basira, and Martin attempts to connect to the comfort of a friendship that is no longer safe.  Or, you know. Maybe it’s just a gross couch. 

#tma #the magnus archives #yeah the lap-sitting headcanons are cute but have you considered #complete ridiculous overanalysis #me as i put on my dumb nerd glasses: i think i will be extra pretentious today #yes all of the (words in parenthesis) are jokes #this is a take i actually believe but it's too overwrought to take seriously #tma spoilers #meta #mine

[potatoes-tomatoes]

I think a large part of what’s so charming about eddeddy is that it starts out so unintentional. From a productional level and in-show level, no one really set out for these two characters to be a “thing”. It just built up naturally from the first throwaway joke about Eddy being a kid, confusing what it means to be an adult and sneak into a theater by having Dee be his wife. Their bickering old couple dynamic flowed so naturally, it couldn’t be helped that the crew continued to consistently tease them via banter and visual language (granted, as jokes mostly at the character’s expense) and that the online fandom took notice and reallllyy started to nurture that hidden sadness they each have as a bonus (2004 was a VERY active year for shippers according to my ummmm research haha) fueling the flames until key members of the production team started to openly support the ship alongside fans within online forums and snuck in teases of eddeddy in the show. Before we knew it, the finale of the godamn show had the relationship between Edd and Eddy as it’s heart. Yes, the dilema from premise of the show—the eds being accepted by their peers— was solved, but the resolution of everything was solely between Edd and Eddy. Dee reassuring Eddy that he would never abandon him even after seeing him rejected, humiliated and beaten by his brother and more ostracized by his peers than ever, the entire closing scene strongly suggesting Edd is THE most important person to affirm Eddy’s rough journey to growth, the way he gently pulls him away from hiding and SEES HIM for the good he is and what he can become..... Like holy shit. THAT level of tenderness and shared vulnerability between two adolescent boys? Built from an early 00s slapstick, nonsensical, light-hearted, comedic show??? It continues to boggle my mind.

#eene #ed edd n eddy #eddeddy #I LITERALLY woke up and decided to choose overanalysis as the first thing I did #cel speaks #I just. man. I could really really go on about this ship for such different reasons than all my other top ships #the meta of it is so integral to it’s success that it alone is as fascinating to me as the ship itself #also abt that finale ED IS ALSO JUST AS IMPORTANT just for a different reason!! #Dee was different bc it was a battle for eddy’s conscious. Bro vs Dee occupying Eddy’s head #Ed is more grounded and straightforward. he saw a direct solution to end eddy’s suffering and he KNOCKED OUT Bro #Ed did so much but again it hits different jffkfhdh #I don’t mean to exclude Ed in any way! these tags have become a post rant Ed apology jfkfkfkf

[honesttoglob]

META OVERANALYSIS COMIN ATCHA FAST LET'S GO:

I was recently reading a recap of Dr. Caligari, I watched it a while ago, but I forgot part of it which is that the Dr. Caligari in the movie had found an earlier written account about a man named Dr. Caligari who had a somnambulist he controlled named Cesare, and then when a somnambulist is entered into his own psych ward in the present, he names the somnambulist Cesare and himself Dr. Caligari and starts to take advantage of him in the same way. So what I'm thinking is, do you think the original Cesare (that Dr. Caligari read about) was btb Cesare? Except in this case he wasn't actually asleep, but dead? Could they take place in the same universe in that way? Also, does the cabinet of Dr. Caligari as a movie exist within the btb universe? Because living dead girl by rob zombie was based on the codc film, and Cesare has a poster of Rob Zombie in his living dead girl costume in the zomburger van so would tcodc be based on a true story in the btb universe????? Completely alternate theory, is Cesare just a name given to all the watchers, after an original Cesare?

#bigtop burger #btb cesare #And are they all given original Cesare's memories with their own identities erased because it makes them easier control? #This show makes me go 🤔 HMMMMMMM