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spikeymarshmallows · 4 years

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music, languages, and dancing lessons

Okay, so S2 established a few things for us.

Allison speaks 7 languages. One would assume the rest of them were taught that. Electra-XT pointed out that they might not remember what they were taught. But let’s just go in assuming they were taught about 7 languages.

Diego said that they did ballroom dancing lessons

Five quoted Homer’s Odyssey to Reggie too.

And Klaus mentioned in jail that their Dad forced them to learn Shakespeare.

So, we probably could have made this allusion anyway, but it seems that Reginald raised the children to be Cultured TM.

And me, being me, am now pondering... what languages these were, whether they might have learned any musical instruments, and whether they did other dancing lessons.

So, Allison points out Klaus “can’t speak French”, but I think... French is just something so many people learn, so I would tentatively guess they were all taught French, but Klaus definitely doesn’t remember all of it.

I would imagine the languages might be:

Russian [as seen by Vanya being able to speak it]

French

Spanish

Italian

German

Mandarin

Japanese??

Latin??

Arabic??

Music

Now, Vanya played the violin, and we know that that was Special TM. But does that mean no music lessons at all? In Episode 1.10, Vanya says “my studies this evening pertain to music. I wonder if I could borrow it.” regarding the violin. Reginald has just finished saying that the siblings are away on a mission and may be gone longer than usual, meaning Vanya will have to do her lessons alone.

What I’m getting here is... They did some kind of music. Maybe it was musical appreciation. Maybe it was music theory. I would place money on it not being the recorder like it was in my primary school though XD

So, let’s say there was some degree of music learning. Some might think “why would he have them waste time doing things like learning instruments when they could be doing their other training?” and I guess I just imagine...

Particularly when they’re younger... I don’t know that little kids could maintain physical training all day, every day.

I also believe Reginald would have trained them to be Perfect Little Children to show off. Not only do they have powers but they can speak seven languages! They can play music! They can dance well! Aren’t they good and perfect and admirable children??

Now, from what I’ve seen of schools with Fancy Stuff, the two instruments most kids are started on are the piano, and the violin. Vanya has the violin, so we’ll assume they don’t all play it, if they play anything at all.

But good god, can you imagine having seven little monsters trying to play the piano?

In that vein, drums/percussion were probably out too.

On the other hand... What might they have learned? Piano is always impressive to have your kid sit down at and play. Maybe the piano is in another part of the house.

I looked to School of Rock for inspiration. This was a Cultured TM school so... what instruments did those kids play?

Classical guitar, percussion, cello, piano.

Okay, we can work with that.

Also, harp?? cultleaderklaus showed me some adorbs pics of Robbie (dressed as Klaus) playing the harp. I could see harp being something the kids might have learned.

Anyway. I’m gonna ignore the comics because... Like. I haven’t read ‘em. Soz.

I could see....

Luther... Okay, I can’t see Luther knowing an instrument. Let’s say percussion because I’m imagining the drummer in SoR here, okay?

Diego playing classical guitar (and then sneakily learning rock music); he wanted to play percussion but he was too, um... energetic. Wouldn’t shut up. Alternatively, consider... Piano. Because... Have you seen David’s hands? Wait, ignore that. I went back and checked and Diego has a bass in his room. So.... Cello? Or still classical guitar and converting to bass as he gets older?

Allison would sing

Klaus on triangle. We’ve seen Klaus holding the little guitar, so I could see him playing classical guitar too. OTOH, I can see him liking the cello. IDK, it’s just a nice mental image.

Five disappeared early but the kid played piano, and he fucking played it well.

Ben played piano because cultleadklaus says so, and like... Honestly, I’m running out of ideas here, guys. HELP.

Vanya played violin. Duh.

Finally, we have dancing lessons

For starters, we know Alluther always paired up. When Five was there, he and Vanya danced together, even though Vanya was never allowed to come along to things. It annoyed Reginald to no end because Vanya didn’t need lessons and it meant that one of the Even Trio were always left out.

In time, it became Luther/Allison; Diego/Klaus; Ben/Vanya. Mostly because I see it as Klaus and Diego, for one, being a duo (shipping aside), and two, because in S1, Diego didn’t like Vanya, and seemed to dislike her even before the book, and two, Klaus and Vanya barely interacted!! They only interacted in the second season! So I’m sticking with my S1 headcanon that Klaus and Vanya weren’t close.

I don’t love that people automatically go “KLAUS IS THE GIRL” but that’s a whole thing. Rather, I can see Klaus not giving a shit and Diego is wrapped up in toxic masculinity and insists on being the “boy”, and Klaus just shrugs because like, whatever. Less work for him.

Every so often, he’d have to switch it up so Klaus did learn to lead, but... Klaus really doesn’t give a shit.

Now, I know fuck all about dancing but... there’s probs other kinds of dancing that they would have done, right? To be those Perfect Cultured Children TM.

Anyway. Thanks for coming to my long and rambling Spike-talk which adds nothing of value to your lives other than perhaps the mental image of the kids playing music, and them dancing together. uwu

#spikeys headcanons #spikey's tua s2 spoilers #long post

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spikeymarshmallows · 4 years

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reflections of that scene where the kids and Reginald meet for a light supper or whatever, as I related to them based on my own Loving Mother :/

CW: abuse from parental figures

Also, warning for spoilers. I haven’t tagged this because I don’t want it in the tags... But tua s2 spoilers, tua spoilers, umbrella academy spoilers, etc.

I’m not trying to get discourse-y... More just reflecting on that scene.

TLDR: Honestly, unpleasant as it was, the way the siblings responded to everything in that scene and after it aligned very strongly with my own experiences and understanding of parental abuse.

Also, disclaimer. I’m not coming at this from the perspective of an anti, nor trying to go “uwu” at the characters.

So.

Something I’ve seen negative responses to is the dinner with Reginald. The way he tore into Diego like that hurt. And I’ve seen a lot of people upset that his siblings didn’t defend him.

And I guess.... I related to them hard in that scene. I’ve been the recipient of my mothers tirades and scathing speeches. I’ve seen her do the same to my siblings. I’ve had 5+ years of therapy. I haven’t lived at home for more than 6 months in the last ten years. And I still don’t know that I’d jump up and defend a sibling like that. Not because I hate them but... trauma runs deep. The thing is--me and my siblings have stood up for each other at times. That has been used to hurt us too. You very quickly learn not to defend the others because it results in you getting hurt, and sometimes, even more hurt being thrown at your siblings because how dare someone defend you.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the siblings had stood up for another before and been punished for it.

And god, what my siblings and I went through was minimal compared to what the TUA kids have... So I don’t really blame them for not standing up to Reginald... [also, I realise this is a maladaptive comment to make... I’m not trying to ~compare~ trauma, but like... IDK, my siblings and I weren’t science experiments trained to kill? Other mother was just emotionally and sometimes physically abusive].

Another thing I’ve seen in relation to this is that Diego was dismissive/nasty about Klaus getting possessed etc, and making the comment about him ODing. Again, reflecting on my own experiences... When you’ve been torn into, (sometimes!! not always but. sometimes!!) you get defensive. You get nasty to those you love. You lash out wherever you can. You lash out because why should you care about them? They didn’t care about you enough to defend you. Maybe you want others to hurt just as badly as you’re hurting right then. You lash out because you’re hurt and you’re not thinking rationally. You lash out because it’s just the instinctive response, and you’re operating on that panicky-fight-or-flight system and you didn’t really think about your response, you just... responded. And it (sometimes... or for me... very often....) are responses that you regret. Because that’s not how you really feel. You weren’t thinking when you responded like that.

I’m not saying these are good responses. But I’m saying... I get it. I’ve lashed out at my Dad after Mom has ripped into me. My Dad is my favourite person in the world. I’ve lashed out at partners who weren’t even there after my Mom has attacked me. My siblings have attacked me after being attacked by Mom. I’ve attacked my siblings too! And later, we’ve gone to apologise to the other, bawling our eyes out because we didn’t mean to be horrible. It’s not a good response. It’s not! But trauma be like that. So, again.... I don’t overly blame the siblings.

It might have been nice to see some comfort after, and it was a bit :( to see nobody offering the others comfort.

But Diego and Luther had just been hurt horribly. Klaus had been possessed without his permission, and he outright said he felt violated.

But yeah... Sometimes, when you have those attacks, you reach out to others, you all recuperate by loving each other. I remember nights when Mom would be horrible to us, and sometimes we’d sneak into each others rooms and check the others were okay. We’d keep quiet but we’d all end up laughing.

And then other times... You’re too in your own head. You care about your siblings... But you’re too caught up in trying not to crumble from what just happened that taking care of another just isn’t on your radar, or... you’re not up for it.

Anyway, thanks for coming to overshare-hour-with-Spikey...

But as mentioned in the TLDR: honestly, from someone who has experienced abuse from a parent, the way the siblings responded in that scene aligned very much with my own experiences.

#cw:abuse #cw:child abuse #abuse #i'm... not sure how to tag this without it appearing in the tags... I don't want to invite every TUA person on the internets to comment....#spikey's tua discourse #spikey's tua s2 spoilers #hopefully that'll allow people to blacklist the spoilers without me appearing in the tags....#tua #the umbrella academy #tua s2 spoilers

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spikeymarshmallows · 4 years

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so, TUA s2 thoughts

I haven’t actually finished it but I’ve got the gist of it lol

I finished it this afternoon! Whoo!

Spoilers under the cut.

So I had a few Big Fears going in. And none of them eventuated. WHOO. Or didn’t eventuate in the ways I was most concerned about.

1. I was scared they’d give Reginald a Redemption Arc TM. They did not. Thank god.

2. I was scared that the sibling interactions would suck. They did not! They were amazing. Glorious. I had to rewind so many to just truly savour them.

3. I was worried about Lila. I mean, she “gets in the way of my ship” but I’m good at ignoring that. Honestly, I kinda dug her.

4. I was worried about the “ewwwww incest” stuff. But they... actually didn’t do it terribly. Luther and Allison still clearly adore each other. It was referenced a number of times and never as an “ewwww”. I really loved that. There were some gorgeous moments and like, as one of my friends said... It seemed like they were trying to sit neutral on the issue. Which I can understand and respect.

5. I was worried about the Kliego interactions. And yeah, we didn’t really get them. BUT as a writer, I definitely felt I got more sand to play with. I’m already working on at least three new ideas and I haven’t even finished the season yet. Also, I definitely am gonna need more Luego, more Biego, and if I ever stop feeling shy, I’ll probs join Electra-XT and achilleees on their Fiego ship. I’m just realising what the common denominator is here but that’s also not a surprise. Diego is my baby and I ship him with everyone.

Things I wasn’t scared about per se, but was pleasantly surprised about:

Allison and Raymond - I went in a bit cautious because it looked like the Alluther was going to be all EWWWW INCEST. But... god, the love that man had for her... He was just wonderful. It was just beautiful. I really genuinely enjoyed them.

The sit-in etc - I was scared about this one, but not in the same way as I was that Reginald would get a redemption arc. I’m a white person, and I’m not from the US so I cannot comment fully on it, but... it seemed like they tried to do a good job with it. I definitely need to read more about race relations in that time period in particular before I can comment effectively. The police brutality was.... brutal. Heart wrenching. And timely given what we’re seeing in the world right now, and have been seeing for far too long. Defund the goddamn police.

Klaus’ hair and outfits - seems inane compared to the last point.... But like. I thought Robbie looked so incredibly hot all season. I miss his goth aesthetic but... damn. He looked so gooooood.

Diego’s hair and outfits - I expected to hate them more than I did. Apparently my rare sexual attraction to him knows no limits because I was so thirsty watching him.

Luther - I was so happy that he was so fucking likeable! I have been on the “we do not insult luther hargreeves in this house” team for quite a while, but I felt that Luther really shone this season. My big, soft, idiot, earnest boy...

Elliot - I rather enjoyed him! RIP.

Some things I was less than thrilled about....

The siblings being mean to Diego : ( - The “Klaus Hargreeves Needs a Hug” tag got a beating last season. I swear, if we don’t get 500 “Diego Hargreeves Gets A Hug” fics, I’m gonna write them all my damn self. I’m also not going “uwu my baby had people be mean to him : (((((” but like. No. No, that.... A lot of it kinda really got me down.

The Ben possessing Klaus stuff - Like. I get it. But I just... Klaus might be annoying but he was pretty : ( at being possessed and like... It felt pretty icky to me. Klaus literally said he felt violated. Ben was all “mwahahaha once you sleep I’m gonna take over your body”. I get why Ben was annoyed and why he wanted to. Doesn’t mean I feel nice about that whole... thing.

The Vanya/Sissy thing - I see a lot of sides of the coin here. I have some friends who were thrilled because they love Vanya being a lesbian, and having representation. But I also saw: stereotyping of what A Lesbian Is, pigeonholing Ellen to only play lesbians. Also, like, I went in cautious, but I was just... .....kinda bored with that storyline? And yeah, I would have preferred to just... you know, not have the amnesia. I liked seeing Vanya be happier, sure, but.. IDK it just didn’t make sense to me from a storytelling perspective.

Lila and Diego - Initially, I quite liked her. As a character, I enjoyed her. My ship aside.... Honestly, it makes me a bit *grimacing emoji* to see some of the stuff we saw. Like, I’m far from someone who thinks ships need to be Good and Pure. But at least some of the stuff I saw between them (such as, IDK, drugging... kidnapping... etc) makes it a bit of a nOTP. Not a FULL nOTP, but like... It definitely went from “awww” and “lolll” to “hmmm, not... not sure this particular pairing is for me personally”.

Things I wasn’t scared about but loved:

FIVE - Good god, Aidan has always been an impressive little fucker but he really stepped it up a notch this season. I loved the way he went psycho. I loved the love he always has for his family. I adored his lines. I adored his vulnerability, the little cracks we really got to see. He loves his family so fucking much T.T

DIEGO - They gave David some really, really good stuff to work with this season and he aced it. He was absolutely sensational. I adore this man. AND HIS POWERS.

KLAUS - Weird thing to be OMG about but... ......I was super there for Robbie’s legs this season... They’re so.. skinny. IDK, it’s weird. But I loved it. I loved his hair. I loved his outfits.

ALLLLLISSONNNNNNN - This woman is perfect. The End.

Misc Thoughts

Damn, given the above, it sounds like I’m all “uwu, all things must be good and pure” and that’s so not my standpoint. But I am team “there needs to be some basic respect both ways”, even for enemies to lovers. So I felt a bit :/ at some of the Horrance stuff and Diego/Lila stuff. Not that I hate them! Just... ....Some of it wasn’t to my taste. But that’s okay, I can ignore a lot of stuff!

I definitely don’t hate the pairings! Rather there were a few things in those pairings that personally didn’t blink as “WHEEEE” for me... But I’ll just ignore those elements and focus on the bits I did like and... YAY!

Overall, honestly, I really loved this season. We needed more Kliego, but I loved the Five and Diego interactions, Diego and Luther... Klaus and Allison... Five and Luther... Just. Just. I was really delighted at so many things we saw.

I thought so many of the interactions just shone. I loved them.

I’ve seen some people be really upset and mad and confused etc, about how the siblings were at the dinner with Reginald. I’ve written my thoughts on it here. TLDR: for someone who has experienced abuse from a parental figure, their responses aligned extremely well with my own experiences.

NGL, Klaus being all “T.T” about being touched all the time was.... good?? IDK, it gave me Ideas TM.

I have fic ideas!!!

It’s weird... I thought this was a really Light and Bright season but I also... Know I felt a lot of T.T and hearthurt. In good ways.

#spikey's tua s2 spoilers

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