#analysis of sorts?

[counting-stars-gayly]

There’s something about Percy spending the whole episode remembering how upset he was with his mother for separating them, but with this newfound understanding of why she did it, and then deciding to leave her (temporarily) at Hades’ palace because it’s the right thing to do, regardless of how much it hurts.

“Hold fast, Mom,” because they’re braving the storm that was made to break them.

#THEY ARE UNBREAKABLE AS LONG AS THEY HAVE EACH OTHER #percy jackson and the olympians #percy jackson #pjo #pjo tv spoilers #pjo tv show #pjo tv series #pjo adaptation #pjo disney+ #sally jackson #Pjo ep 7 #Pjo 1x07 #we find out the truth sort of #pjo analysis #-ish

[fumifooms]

Falin who cares too much and too little - analysis

Been stewing on Falin thoughts for a while, I know I have an interpetation on her that differs from many but I’m jumping into the fray. I think there’s a lot to be said about what we do see of Falin. This shorter Falin analysis I made is heavily encouraged prior reading. This analysis mainly explores her complex relationship with caring and so it’s sort of structured in two halves, with Faligon at the crux of it all.

Falin cares too little :

A lot of people assign Falin a people pleasing mindset and I… Don’t agree. We never see her care at all about people in her town or at the academy not liking her.

We do see her worrying about what people think of her… ONCE. And Laios comforted her, told her they didn’t matter and she should be proud of herself. She latched onto that hard. That’s why this scene was so important to be included during the dragon fight, relationship-defining; it’s always been them against the world. She grew to not care what others thought, to only focus on her close loved ones. No one else matters.

Laios’ words were her world. Her older brother who taught her how to feel comfortable with herself, who told her, you’re great, others are the ones in the wrong to not see that, I’ll always be with you, always be there for you. Older brother who always made great plans, who always knew more, who was better at wrestling to name the dogs, who she has always idolized. Laios who always spoke of traveling the world, to which she always said she wanted to follow. And she would, she’d follow him even if it meant leaving the academy and all she knew behind, she’d follow him to the ends of the world, and that’s what she did.

She didn’t care about showing to her classes or keeping up such appearances, she doesn’t even think of toning down her jumping into bushes when Marcille recoils, etc. She acts like an obedient pawn often, to her parent’s directives and then following Laios around no matter what he decides to do, but I don’t think the motivation is people pleasing, rather it’s being with & caring for her loved ones, and her go-with-the-flow attitude enhances the impression. Not that it’s as simple as that, mind you, but let’s talk about this for now.

Falin is perceived as selfless because we, the audience, have our perspectives revolving around the main people in her life (Laios, Marcille). They’re the ones she’s devoted to and people who care about her back a lot too, but to people like her classmates or the towspeople she probably must have seemed like someone who didn’t care about the people around her or her surroundings a lot, who just went on alone and did her own thing.

What matters to Falin? From what place does her kindness come from? Is a part of her keeping up appearances? And I think that’s the point, the horror of Faligon as well, that we can’t tell just how in control Falin the person is as the chimera (because we are shown that she’s in there, we just don’t know at what degree), that we don’t know her enough to be able to tell when she’s at her most genuine, her most raw. That even if you do settle on none of her being present as Faligon, we have to at least consider it, consider that she may be able to do something like this and have a part in it, brutal and uncaring. That even the lenses we see her through, the people who love her, may be unreliable.

And this is what’s very interesting about her too, she truly is so idealized by people around her as a saint. She’s so good and kind and caring to everyone etc etc etc. Laios, Toshiro and Marcille all see her as the paragon of goodness in the world. More cynical characters like Namari and Chilchuck have more layered opinions on her, the latter finding her somewhat unnerving because he can’t read her well. But then with that one flashback scene we see that… Her priorities are intensely focused on Laios and Marcille, she doesn’t care all that deeply about anyone other than them (+ maybe her parents). The rest of the party is in the same danger here but only Laios and Marcille who she’s speaking to get the special ,ention, and if they don’t cross her mind then of course she’d be ready to sacrifice strangers through a risky teleportation. That doesn’t make her not kind or caring!! Just that greater good isn’t exactly her priority. Any means is alright if the end result is her loved ones safe, it usually takes the form of healing and caring, but we see she’s ready to fight and make dangerous calls too. To me there’s this aspect to her that she isn’t as pure and magnanimous as everyone thinks she is, both in-world and interestingly enough meta wise as well, and there’s something interesting to that.

People pleasing implies a need to be liked, needs for the motivation to be that. A yes-man, etc. But if we analyze Falin, her general kind, smiling demeanor is more a matter of passivity I yhonk. Conflict avoidance is easier, so she’s friendly and hopefully things’ll be smooth sailing. It’s easy to be kind to classmates even if they act wary and rude if you don’t care about what they think either way. Of course she prefers good things happening to people over bad things, she is genuinely kind, but I think people tend to assign her a very grand altruistic way of life when to her the motivation is pretty self-centered. She doesn’t do what she does because she loves them, but because she loves them.

One situation that’s interesting to dig into for her way of thinking, and what I’m trying to get at, is Shuro’s proposal to her. I’ve seen people saying she hesitated because she didn’t feel comfortable saying no even though she wanted to, "I can’t say no, I don’t want to hurt him", something that sounds sensible and familiar, but it’s actually canon in the Adventurer’s Bible that the reverse was the case, that she didn’t feel comfortable saying yes. Because the offer was tempting, but it’d have been a loveless agreement on her end. And it makes sense she’d want to say yes too, like we see with the Toudens, marriage is very much a political strategical economical thing in their village, there’s even a bit on it on Laios’ Adventurer’s Bible profile about dowries, and both siblings were engaged very early. They lived poorly for a long time, it’s an enticing idea to marry rich, to have not only yours but your brother’s needs met forevermore easily, which at one point in their careers was their main worry and goal. Why shouldn’t she accept a life of leisure and wealth handed to her by a lovely friend?

So her hesitance was "yeah that’s convenient for me, but where it’s everything to him and heartfelt I’m able to be detached because I don’t care about it that much… Can I do that? I’m not reciprocating, not saying yes in the way that matters. Can I do that to him?" Very caring even though it’s not what you’d expect, isn’t it?

And central to my analysis, where I’m going with this is, I feel like that’s the thing with her character, that she doesn’t feel as strongly as she "should" sometimes, or feels a different way than she "should", or at least that she feels that way and others say she does. She didn’t mind suddenly leaving the academy, leaving Marcille behind and not seeing her for 4 years. She acted like it was no big deal that she sacrificed herself after getting resurrected after the red dragon fight. And in both those cases it upset the people around her greatly that she didn’t seem to get why it was such a big deal, didn’t seem to care about how they’d experienced her choices.

So it’s a tendency… And it’s not that she doesn’t care, it’s just that the way she measures what’s good for the ones she loves isn’t the same as what they themselves think it is (like Laios and Marcille not wanting to be apart from her). It’s an overt but quiet kind of care, it’s doing things like following them around and making sure they bathe and have a meal, even if that means she has to be dragged into misery too.

So yes she probably would know "not caring enough/the right way" is one of her perceived flaws, and that informs how she tries to handle her response to Shuro’s proposal. Her not wanting to accept like her first gut instinct, is because she’s thinking about reciprocity, about if it’d be right to go into this knowing that they have different priorities and she might not be able to keep up with the type and amount of emotions he wants/expects from her. And that’s a big part of her character isn’t it, having expectations pushed onto her. Her trying her best, but in her own way that may seem odd or even unfeeling. Not unlike when she exorcised the ghost as a kid too, unblinking and matter-of-factly, and not seeming to understand why people stared the way they did.

Even though she answered his proposal only post-canon, she’d been pondering it for a while even pre-canon and the Adventurer’s Bible explanation was released midstory, so I’m hesitant to assign her much growth about her hesitation and what I went on above, since she still didn’t react "right" with Laios after the red dragon fight (even if she apparently doesn’t remember sacrificing herself) and put herself in that situation in the first place. She hasn’t finished her arc on that flaw of hers is what I’m saying, she for sure still has it, but I certainly think her thoughts on Shuro’s proposal shows awareness, both of herself and social.

And awareness is a big analysis key word with Falin, especially here it can be hard not to conflate not caring with not knowing. How socially aware is she? It’s rather layered, because canonically she wasn’t aware of her ostracization in her hometown at all, and we’re not sure if she knew Shuro was interested in her before he proposed, but she generally seems more socially aware than Laios. She tags along on his caravan job to make sure he isn’t being mistreated (though doesn’t ask he get a salary), she catches social faux-pas more easily like in the genderbend magic mirror omake with Shuro, and interestingly enough she’s very good at empathizing with her parents and understanding their perspective. We see when she’s worried about Marcille coming that she does know about propriety and how appearances shape impressions. Being a chief’s daughter must at least have taught her a thing or two on that front.

She never stands up for herself, but when it comes to defending others she worries, strategizes and explains.

And this sort of understanding is part of why I think she’d notice the expectations pushed onto her like I was saying earlier, notice how she makes people feel when she’s careless. But if she changes anything about herself in response to noticing is for her to choose, and generally I think it’s a sort of inbetween of yes and no: that she becomes more complacent but also more reserved, complying but by hiding more of herself passively. She’s not sure wether to accept or reject Shuro’s proposal, doesn’t want to lead him on? She’ll just be taking a while to silently consider it, try to keep things as they are for the time being. The third, less conflicting option. She doesn’t feel heard by Marcille who keeps infantilizing her? Just bear with it. Retract yourself emotionally. Settle for it.

We see that when she was young she had a tendency to not read a room, and I think that’s here too. She doesn’t get why her nonchalance upset others but that doesn’t change that she doesn’t want them upset or hurt, so she tries, albeit in maybe a roundabout way. She always had a hard time deeply connecting with people, often keeping herself some amount of emotionally distant: erasing herself from the equation, from the two-way trade that relationships are and making it a onesided thing instead, where all their needs and emotions are directed towards her but she only lets out a bit of her own show. She takes everything upon her and deals with it and tries not to give others this same burden, though not on a conscious level, it’s just that she’s learned growing up that she doesn’t have much agency.

Like I went into with my analysis linked at the beginning, I think Falin is used to just taking what she can get and not asking for more, when it comes to social bonds. She’ll take spending time with her mother no matter what it is they do, she’ll follow Laios to the graveyards and stick by him even when he’s pushing her away (because he doesn’t want her borrowing his book or "No copying!" or such). Her father was always distant, cold and uncommunicative, her mother was considered sick from anxiety and the exorcism attempts were the main way they spent time together, at dinner tables there were only her and Laios. The dogs picked on her too even if she loved them— And so did the townspeople, maybe that being normal to her at home is why she didn’t notice the ostracization she suffered.

She’s always been the last to be asked about decisions or what she wants, never asked to play with at recess, neither her father or Laios asked before sending her to the academy or leaving the village. At home, in the hierarchy she was considered to be below the dogs by the dogs themselves, as someone they can disrespect. Dogs learn from example and behavior, so this means Falin must have been pushed around a lot, and that the family didn’t try hard to rectify the dogs’ misconception, likely worsened by Laios regularly wrestling with her as a competition.

So for example when Falin showed Marcille food, it was her way to implicitly ask to have lunch with her without voicing that question, without daring to take up space. Someone’s presence isn’t something you ask for, it’s something that’s bestowed upon you, you can follow them around but you can’t ask them to stay or to come with.

She’s used to her needs and wants not being listened to, so she’s learned to have less wants. Caring less about herself, caring less about other people beyond her safe zone, was a defense mechanism in part. She has a sense of learned helplessness too, like how when Marcille came to take her away from Laios, even though she didn’t want to leave with Marcille it felt so determined and unshakable to her that whatever Marcille decided Falin would have to comply with.

And still, it’s the "marrying you would be awfully convenient if it wasn’t that I’d feel guilty for not loving you back, the way you wanted me to when you proposed to me" and the "I don’t regret leaving the academy and leaving you behind without goodbyes but I’m sorry that you’re so much more upset about it than me". It’s the guilt of not loving people back the way they want to be, with the same intensity or fervor.

It’s the autism it’s the aroace of it all, it’s the emotional stunting and confusion but the pit in your stomach telling you you did something wrong again. The no object permanence even for people you love even for 4 years, it’s the feeling like you’re somehow at fault for someone having fallen for you and not knowing what to do with any of it. I’m not joking btw it isn’t uncommon for autistic people to not see their close friends for a long while, not having missed them all that much and for that to be really hurtful for the other if they notice/ask about it. "Hiii bestie! Oh umm you’re uh more emotional about this than I expected, hopefully you won’t feel alienated by me not feeling as intensely about it…"

So… Yeah. I think she thinks of things and relationships in a different way than most people, and beyond "good things happening to people is good" I don’t think she actually cares about people all that much. I’d argue that Laios shows more desire to connect with others and make relationships. And just like with Laios and his own issues with humans, that doesn’t mean her kindness is a lie or ungenuine or worthless! It just means that like, well it’s pretty straightforward really, she’s not all that social and doesn’t see casual bonds as meaning all that much and whatnot. She does want to see people happy, but it’s not as much like… A conviction or goal. She’s too laser focused on a select few people. "It’s not that they’re bad people, they just aren’t interested in humans."

And sometimes it feels like people get defensive about Falin in a meta way too, like if you ever so much as imply Marcille isn’t her whole world or that she isn’t the kindest soul out there then you’re saying she doesn’t care at all or she’s evil. And that’s actualy exactly the sort of vibe I wanted to get through with my analysis above here actually haha, that she does care and she is kind but it’s not in a way that’s quantified or understood in a way that makes people feel comfortable. In a way, that makes people feel insecure because they don’t have the same logic as her, don’t show love the same. And I think this is another stellar depiction of autism, of parts of it that feels unpalatable to many, if I’m making sense. The fandom idealizes her as well, which isn’t uncommon or surprising for the character embodying the trope of the perfect beloved to rescue.

And disclaimer, as I said in the tags I feel like the details of Falin are pretty vibe based when it comes to analysis, there’s absolutely a valid angle where she does super care about everyone always, feel free to disagree with me on the overarching angle of my analysis. There’s enough supporting evidence to tip the balance either way I think, and the reason I’ve chosen this angle is I feel it’s more compelling for the themes in Dunmeshi of idealization and being different, of desires vs wants, and because I think it neatly ties up Falin’s character arc as I’ll go over throughout the next section…

So.

Not feeling as much as she should. And……. Is this not Faligon pushed to the max?

You can’t tie down a dragon. As the chimera, she gets to just not care about everyone else and be on her merry way.

Part of it I think is finding comfort and freedom in the mindlessness, in not having the burden of feelings and connections and a consciousness (despite still ending up seeking those in a stranger, Thistle). Like when she’s dead in the purgatory as well, she gets to just… Hang around and do whatever. Similarly to when she played in the forest instead of going to class in her academy days. That’s what freedom and peace of mind looks like to her. Why she decides to roam post-canon, if only now with the goal to find herself instead, with her mind in tow and somewhere to go back home to.

There’s excellent analytic framing out there about how of course, Dungeon Meshi has a big theme of grief and letting go, and… Falin was always a symbol narratively, idealized by characters and often underconsidered by them despite their love. It was Falin’s choice to sacrifice herself for Laios, she thought it was worth it, knowing that it would be her end. Her resurrection and the process of it intertwining her soul with a dragon’s wasn’t done with her consent, and the subsequent opening it gave her to become a chimera puppet. She’s stripped of her agency consistently, and so… It’s very noteworthy that the final choice, of wether to go back to life or to stay dead, in that purgatory scene, was up to her. And she chooses life, but I do think about her in those fields and how at home she seemed there. Peaceful, by herself in a vast calm expanse she could explore, free.

Personally, I think freedom is Falin’s own subconscious selfish desire. And though to us becoming the chimera is obviously a shackle, I think it felt like freedom to her somewhat, too.

And if you think I’m going wildly off the rails here I want to talk about Laios’ wish of becoming a monster. And to be clear before getting into it, being mentally a monster is absolutely a big part of the appeal for Laios, it’s something that’s consistently referred to, something especially pointed out in the werewolf monster tidbit with Lycion. Right panel is from that, but left panel is from the extra with Izutsumi where Lycion talks about suppressing souls in a beastkin body, the human or the beast soul.

Finding comfort and freedom in being mindless, less sentient, less aware? While being unaware in her hometown might have saved Falin a lot of heartache although perhaps stunted her emotional growth, it’s always been Laios’ curse.

Actively, through his choices, he seeks to grow closer to people, to form deeper bonds, to understand and be undertood, but… On a deep seated level, what he desires is to leave humanity and civilization behind. He has an irrational hatred for humans, born from the trauma of ostracization, being different, being beaten up and rejected consistently through his life. Running away from problems is easier. He wants to be free from being a social animal from a social species who has deemed him the black sheep, he thinks it’d be simpler to just leave it all behind, people and his own humanity. At its core, to Laios becoming a monster is a power fantasy, a coping daydream of "if only I could be strong enough to never be hurt again, the power to destroy anything I want, the power to go somewhere better, if only it was possible for me to never feel hurt again. If only I could be someone, something, that can never be hurt". "If there’s someone you don’t like, you can gobble ‘em up in one bite. If you could fly, you’d be able to leave this village right now." It’s a childhood fantasy, from a deep sense of being misplaced and a desire to be able to stand fearless, thinly covering up resentment that Laios represses.

But you’ll notice, when the Winged Lion is enticing him in the last page, even now with his lifelong wish of becoming a monster on a silver plate, he still cares about his friends. He still has that sense of responsibility to his friends, doesn’t want to leave knowing they’ll be in danger and alone. The offer that his friends may be left unharmed is already good, but Laios also visibly flinches when the Winged Lion offers to specifically care after Marcille and rid her of her biggest fear. Laios’ care runs that deep. Not unlike with the succubus, he resists temptation until he gets reassured that everyone will be okay. But see, what he desires isn’t to stand alongside Marcille until her last days, it isn’t to stay and see how well his friends will live, it’s to go. It’s to leave. It’s to fly away, a monster both in body and mind. He wants to be free from caring here, wants to not have to worry about his friends, wants to just go do his own thing, but for that he needs to feel safe in the belief that said friends will be safe even without him being there to see it, because despite everything else he cares, he does. It’s again that dichotomy about caring and wishing you didn’t, or not caring and wishing you did.

In the end, it’s Falin who achieves that wish. Both by becoming a chimera during canon, and by going traveling post-canon. In the latter, being both free of human relationships as something chaining you while still being uplifted by them, by the knowledge that there are people out there you love and that love you. It’s a theme that can also be connected with Marcille, because she gets anxious over people she loves getting out of her sight, worrying they’ll get themselves killed, that time is passing while they’re away from her. But before she can get to the point where she can both have her freedom and being uplifted by her social bonds, regaining both her individuality and her connections, she has to get a taste of just one at a time. Before they can find balance in her life, she has to see what it’s like to have what she’s never had on its own. Unapologetic freedom, and power.

No one can blame you for not caring enough or caring right if you’re a fricking dragon!!!! You make the rules when you’re a beast and you can just… Fly away. From anywhere, from anything. And if a dog bites you you can just crush it. Instead of being pushed around by the dogs because you’re at the bottom of the hierarchy, you’re now at the top, the one with the power to be heard and do what you want without consequences.

I think she’s on autopilot. I think she’s on autopilot a lot of the time, even before being a chimera, and it’s partly why her will is so weak compared to regular dragons. (Again, read my shorter analysis.) It’s familiar to slip back into the role of following someone around unquestioningly. And that’s what is weaponized when she’s a chimera, that instinct she’s been nursing all her life to unconditionally support, defend and follow someone. Only now, that someone doesn’t matter in itself, only the symbol of it. She doesn’t mind, either way is fine. Her will is weak after all, because she’s trained it to take as little place as it could.

Falin cares too much

She spends all her time caring for Laios and Marcille alternating that none of her care and emotional energy is left for others, including herself. So she had to get relieved of all of that for a bit, becoming the chimera so she could reset and recenter and remember that she, too, indeed, is there and an important part of her own life.

So you’re probably seeing the duality I’m talking about here, Falin is very self-sacrificial but for specific people in ways that they often don’t recognize or appreciate. She cares but selectively, both in people, putting all her eggs in the same baskets, and in the ways she cares after them. She doesn’t care a lot, but when she does she cares a lot. Falin doesn't have a lot of earthly attachments, but when she does, they're her world.

In canon her arc, especially post-canon, is to grow beyond Marcille and Laios. Her caring for her close loved ones held her back from looking after her own self-fulfillment needs. And this is what I mean when I say she cares too much; she could gain from caring more about the world besides Laios and Marcille, both lands wise and people wise. She cares too little, but her arc centers her flaw around caring too much instead. Her pitfalls that Kui highlight over the course of the story, while of course her selflessness is appreciated for how she saved Laios and everyone, on a personal level is shown to be self-effacing and damaging. She’s undermined by Marcille, without the courage to voice her thoughts and wants, she would dedicate her whole life to Laios. And I mean, it’s text, in the response to Shuro’s proposal extra no less. And she’s so laser focused on her most loved people that she’s fine with being callous and risking others’ lives, even.

Post-canon, she needs to leave to find herself, away from them.

Herself. What if she wants to just be with herself for a while.

And this is me reaching but I feel like, not unlike Izutsumi who learns to feel this sense of never being alone, always having someone on your side what with having two souls, the dragon in her would make her consider herself more. She finds it easier to care after other people after all, and in the purgatory fields sequence she takes care to bring the bit of dragon left with her… Not unlike with Izutsumi, having two souls forces you to think about your identity and figure yourself out. Besides being this sort of duo now, where if she wants to care after herself she can channel it to that other side of her too… In meta dragons are symbols of greed, and I think the bit of dragon would push her to want more and listen more to her desires, primal and self-serving as they might be. The dragon soul which warped her human body with feathers and draconic features, her image of perfection marred, her weirdness externalized in a way that’s not palatable. But she doesn’t care, about if her appearance is palatable for most people, she hasn’t for a while now, and that’s great.

Notes & nuance

I’m struggling with the structure of this post, making my points organized, concise and strong at once. It’s difficult to make any statement without going "things are generally like this, but there’s this time that this contradicting thing happened too" or "it’s ambiguous enough that you should just follow my interpretation for the time of this analysis" haha, so this is the pit where I put all the stuff that wouldn’t fit well in other places but are interesting for Falin’s character. This section is pretty separate from the main thesis of the post, it’s just more Falin observations. The post has reached the 30 pics limit so I can’t just pull it up whenever it’s relevant but I really encourage scrolling up to read the stuff I highlighted in her Adventurer’s Bible profile if you haven’t already.

I think with the shy-looking loner type autistic kid archetype, and knowing she didn’t seem to mind others ostracizing her, it’s easy to lose sight of how she was by no means an unemotional child. In all the bits we see of her as a kid she’s bursting with energy and emotions. Canon confirms Laios leaving the village did affect her and make her lonely and she cried a lot, too. She may not be social in the traditional sense, but she was clingy with her brother, and she also never was all that shy about who she was, wearing her heart on her sleeve.And okay. Okay okay okay. Speaking of appearances. About what I said of her not caring about what people think of her, even seeming defiant with the caravan leader… There’s one istanxe of her caring actually, and it’s about how her face blushes easily. I remembered it as being because Laios’ said it and as I rambled Laios’ words are her world, but actually it’s ambiguous. It’s only Marcille imagining up this scenario where Laios says Falin looks weird because of it, there’s no evidence Laios said or thought that at any point. And on the other hand…

Her Adventurer’s Bible says: "5, Lovely Skin. She isn't particularly careful with it, but Falin's skin is fair and beautiful. Possibly as a result, her cheeks seem to flush easily. Marcille's always saying she's cute, and she secretly has a sizable complex about it." The phrasing makes me think the complex she has over her blushing might have developed because of Marcille more than Laios. "Marcille's always saying she's cute, and she secretly has a sizable complex about it." It could be related to how Marcille gets swept away and infantilizes her, calling her cute wanting her to wear cute feminine outfits etc. Again this feels like it relates to Falin’s struggle to be seen for who she is and what she wants to be seen as, her struggle to be recognized, having ideals and perspectives pushed onto her. Here Falin is insecure over her blushing implicitly because she doesn’t like being called cute over it, but that’s not how she wants people to see her. She doesn’t want Marcille to always see her as her 10 years old adorable friend. Like if your friend said you had puppy energy, it can be flattering, but it can also make you insecure.

Here’s a link to what I mentioned about her being uncomfortable wearing feminine outfits. It does seem to be more about comfort than the aesthetic perse, to me. Interestingly the shirt & shorts don’t seem like they show much more skin than her beach outfit, so maybe it’s more about the shirt and shorts being tight-fitting. Like the skirts and heels they feel stifling. Again a bit with themes of freedom and not wanting an aesthetic pushed onto her. So yes just to reiterate, I think this is more about self-affirmation and how her identity and self-image gets shown to others, rather than wishing to hide parts of her body like her blushing etc for people pleasing reasons. Makeup was a way for her to appear how she wants to and feel more confident. It was a way to take control over her own image. She didn’t keep doing it, the narrator stating the process to be ‘troublesome’. Ultimately she still prioritizes her comfort, and it was a lot of recurring efforts to go through.

And on the topic of appearances… A friend once asked me: "Does she really hide herself or not? I keep thinking about "falin is herself first and foremost" (in her Adventurer’s Bible profile) it’s just so. Hmmmmmmmm... I just keep seeing people say she hides her real self from people when I feel like the issue is more about her charitable traits straying too far into becoming flaws but people around her dont realize that..."

Imo the thing is, I don’t think she hides her identity, but I do think she suppresses her individuality for others’ sakes if that makes sense. In the way that only post-canon does she allows herself to go see what the world is like, but that’s not personality wise it’s needs and wants wise. And I do feel like that’s the closest interpretation of canon, she says it herself she doesn’t know what she wants because everything she’s done was always about Laios or Marcille, but she doesn’t change her demeanor or personality for others. But she *will*, like, not ask for things she wants directly, like sharing lunches with Marcille at the academy, she suppresses her wants, doesn’t ask things from people and doesn’t hope for more, hope for better. I don’t think we ever see her actively repress her personality, except like what, being more laidback than enthusiastic but I do feel like unlike Laios with her it’s less ‘appearing stoic to fit in more’ and more ‘yeah i’ll just chill until I’m needed or something activates my enthusiasm’. To which said friend quoted: "to feel like you belong you need to be useful. when you can’t be useful the next best thing is being convenient."

And speaking of passivity… I want to speculate about Shuro’s proposal some more. Shuro and her got along well though we don’t know how much, or how often they hung out, she even saved him from a nightmare. Why did she take so long answering Shuro’s proposal? Was it an effort to preserve or was she really just that conflicted? Procrastination probably yes, but what is the core motivation of itl Considering she ended up saying no to travel the world instead, I don’t think it was as simple as ‘she wanted to say yes for convenience’. Logically it’s what would have been best, but it’s not what she wanted for herself, but it was and still is hard for her to even know what she wants. Probably, since like she states it was a great offer and she doesn’t think she’ll get proposed to again, it’s that self-effacing tendency that yes it’d be convenient and logical, and that makes her want to say yes even if her spirit isn’t in it, because if it’s convenient then that’s more important than her feelings on the matter. Man also… Obviously Marcille is very vocal about how she shouldn’t get with Shuro, but imagine how Falin’s whole perspective on marriage must have felt when her only friend ever is a Romantic with a capital R who gushes about idealized romances and grand gestures and True Love and doing things with fully pure feelings all the time.

AND speaking of passivity!!! How much Falin is "there" as the chimera, just how much she’s master of her actions, is left ambiguous and intentionally so imo, but she’s for sure there & influencing the dragon’s action to some degree. Having a dragon’s foot on her in purgatory that keeps her from moving for sure visualizes how it must have been like, but there’s Falin calling out to her brother Laios, there’s the kind attentions towards Thistle that are so Falin-like, and most explicitly there’s the Adventurer’s Bible stating "Even after becoming a chimera, she has a soul that's as kind as ever", which I honestly dislike, a fantranslation puts it as "Even as the chimera, her caring nature remains" and either way to me it feels like confirmation that it’s her giving those berries to Thistle. Now, wether or not she has the mental capacity of a chicken or something closer to human Falin, no clue, there has to at least be some kind of mind bond between monsters and the dungeon lord, compelling or forcing them to go along with orders, or calling her to him in distress like with the fight on the first floor. But yes, it’s interesting to wonder what it is that a Falin, with her kind soul but without her human mind, would willingly do. On her profile, she’s described as Thistle’s guardian and servant. The power dynamic between the two are very interesting, I already went into how it might have felt like freedom to her while being fake so I’ll reign myself in and just mention it again. She’s still at the heel of someone, only now it’s someone who doesn’t care about her back. Going from being cared for so strongly that it’s suffocating and they would defy death and the world for you, to being devoted to someone who has not one feeling about you besides your utility as a paw . She has all this care to give and to focus onto others and he has none to send back to her and I think that’s part of it. In a way, being left with only her own feelings and a void, without expectations or feelings or ideals pushed onto her, it might have been soothing in itself, and eye opening. But yes the way I think of it, her care for Thistle isn’t unlike the care she gives the ghosts.

Interestingly, the care she extends for the ghosts is sending their soul to a peaceful death, freeing them, of life and any earthly attachment. Take that as you will with the themes of freedom and burden of life and mind, immortality and becoming a warped version of who you were, and such and such.

But going back on the topic of connections and bonds for a bit, I think academy days Falin & Marcille is super interesting bc we’ve never really see Falin form a connection besides with Marcille and even that is kept pretty ambiguous. When was the point that Falin started seeing Marcille as a friend and seeking her out? When was the "I’ll lay down my life for you" point? I’m so fascinated by how she wanted to share lunches with Marcille but never truly asked, only made little "hey want this? I found it isn’t it cool?" gestures of showing things to her… It’s the only way she knows to ask, or maybe it’s the only way she feels comfortable to. In all the scenes of young Falin and Marcille Falin seems comfortable in her friendship with Marcille, but at the same time… I think we see Falin at her most insecure around Marcille, because she really does care about Marcille and what she thinks of her so much, and while Marcille is a bit of an unstoppable force tornado style (affectionate) Falin is something of a doormat. I’d usually say showing her berries was her earnest way to connect and be like "Hey bestie look at this! :]" , but there’s a real possibility that she was self-conscious and holding herself back.

Friendship and Marcille! Involving Laios into this too but, again with the autism thing of not showing you care in ways that others understand, Marcille being very overtly affectionate and clingy was so so soo important… Marcille keeping on hanging out with Falin and caring after her, and being undeterred/unbothered by Falin not always seeming like she cares all that much back in the conventional way, as in Falin acts nonchalant and a bit like she didn’t mind wether she was there with her or not during her outings to the cave dungeon. Caring and being clingy and so affectionate despite that in such a classic Marcille way is soo needed, because so often people will get discouraged by say, their friend not keeping in contact regularly/well, seeming disaffected or as happy-go-lucky as ever even if you haven’t seen each other in a while or when they’re alone, and yes there’s potential for a strong friendship there but someone like Falin won’t be committed enough to reciprocating attention the same way… I hope I’m making sense but yes this angle in particular strongly correlates to autism. And the way Marcille always initiates physical affection, both Toudens being awkward about initiating touch because they don’t know if that’s allowed, if they’re going about the social interaction the right way, if they’re allowed to ask that out of someone…

Another fun observation to make is about the 4 years Falin and Marcille spent apart. Marcille despite being of a long-lived race treated these 4 years of separation with more gravity than Falin did. Falin brushed it off very dismissively to say the least. But then you remember that the amount of time Falin and Laios didn’t see each other after he left the village was 8 years. Double the years, double the time. And that reminder makes Falin’s actions so starkingly understandable. Of course she wouldn’t see 4 years of separation as a long time if 8 years of separation with her beloved brother is her point of comparison. Of course she’d see it as worth it to leave Marcille for 4 years if it meant ending those 8 years instead, especially if she was worried about him (the reason why she followed him into his caravan job).

A friend always says that while Falin is the center of Marcille’s world, Laios’ is at the center of Falin’s, and I tend to agree.

It’s fun to think of how her career dreams had always been shaped by Laios, even when they were kids. Of course there’s how traveling the world began as a dream they talked about and shared, but there’s how he reassures her by listing cool jobs she could do like traveling exorcist, etc. And then of course, she gave up on her magic academy and career path to follow him and do odd jobs, etc etc.

I should go into the violence of Faligon more tbh, because I think there’s an interesting parallel to how she has no problem wacking things with a mace, wether a ghost when she was a kid or a walking mushroom as an adult. Something that often surprises fans when they remember, I don’t really want to get into the whole " Falin hates violence and hates seeing people in pain to an intense degree. ‘If you die do it somewhere where I can’t see’ style’ interpretation, it has some weight but on the whole I don’t vibe with the theory she has a particular aversion to violence, she seems to be fine resorting to it as much as any other adventurer as long as it isn’t needlessly against ghosts. And Falin’s sudden mace hits are fun to me too because it’s not her becoming a berserker when the need arises as much as her becoming active because something she cares about is threatened, and that brings her out of her passivity from 99% of the rest of the time. Thistle included. Falin always could be violent, she just dislikes senseless carnage. The Shuro party vs chimera fight is a bit ambiguous on it, because you can argue she only attached after being provoked, presumably offscreen as well while the ninjas went off to fight the harpies. Falin becomes the most active when she needs to protect someone, she has no qualms doing whatever’s needed for that, wether it be leaving the academy & Marcille without notice no matter the consequences or what her parents think, or teleporting the party, etc.

I’m working on a post specifically pointing out all the differences between Falin and Laios, but yes I think both of them selfishly desire freedom in different yet similar ways. Falin’s dark secret is "Ethics and risks are optional if it means I can protect those I love" like the teleportation, and Laios’ is "Ethics and risks are optional if I can be free of all this bullshit" aka humanity aka his wish with the winged lion.

Conclusion

Flighted birds have hollow bones. With freedom and wings there comes risks and sacrifices.

Tldr: Falin doesn’t care all that much, she’s very go with the flow. For example if someone hates her she doesn’t really care because that’d require her caring about what they think of her in the first place, and she only cares about her loved ones. She smiles, but it’s more a state of being rather than out of active goodness: she’s canonically very genuinely kind, but it’s more out of a general want for pleasantness than active care itself. She’s passive, and softspoken because that’s just how she seems, but she has no problem hopping into bushes or getting heated if something calls to her enthusiasm or calls for action and a hit of the ol’ mace. Her loved ones needing tending or protective is what makes her go from passive to active. That familiar autopilot mode of making someone the center of her world and following their every move is what made her so easy to be controlled as the chimera, even ferociously defending him with her life. Faligon is most interesting to me with the theme of freedom. She’s shackled to Thistle and out of her mind, but there’s also a sense of empowerment and freedom from expectations and society. She spends all her time caring for Laios and Marcille alternating that none of her care and emotional energy is left for others, including herself. So she had to get relieved of all of that for a bit, becoming the chimera so she could reset and recenter and remember that she, too, indeed, is there and an important part of her own life. There’s a way of caring after others that can be selfish, not unlike Marcille being overly coddling and not listening to Falin. In Falin’s case, I think it was so selfless that it ended up looping back around to erasing her sense of self. In losing sight of herself, that devotion becoming neither quite selfish or selfless but a fact of life and a state of nature, muddled by its lack of direction.

She’s sooo used to never being able to ask things out of others, you get the crumbs of affection and approval that others offer to you unprompted and that’s it don’t hope for more don’t ask for more. (Also reflected in how she follows her loved ones around without complain or personal opinions and how she’s not willing to rock the boat and affirm herself in her relationships like with Marcille during canon)

Falin cares so much, so much and so laser focused on her few loved ones that it blinds her and she loses sight of everything else, she ends up neglecting herself and the rest of the world. As Kui puts it, Falin is herself first and foremost. She just had to remember the importance of that.

-

I see her as an enneagram 9, which can be surprisingly accurate and fun to research through the lense of Falin. Excerpt below from this book, but like my god, good way to put it

That’s it, ty for reading. Even if it’s a bit of a mess, hopefully you’ll have gained a thing or two from it. Falin is a character hard to pin down, but it is very gratifying when you find the way that the puzzle pieces fit together right for your own understanding of the story. Fantranslation of the shuro proposal comic by @/thatsmimi here.

Here’s my spotify playlist for her if you’d like

Sometimes love is about letting go, a lesson a lot of the cast needed to learn. Self-love’s important too, and just like with diets we need a healthy balance.

#I find it hard to express myself right on the topic of Falin. Both because the issue is pretty vibe based and because we don’t #get that many moments with her. So there’s ambiguous scenes up to interpretation addressing a layered topic and like. Save me. Save me #As always falling down the rabbithole of starting an analysis about a specific facet and then needing to explain everything else around it #I’m doomed. I’m getting lost in the sauce. #dungeon meshi #delicious in dungeon #falin touden #analysis #character analysis #meta #autistic reading #aroace reading as well. Sort of. It’s mentioned #The aroace autistic guilt of not caring back in the way/with the intensity you’re expected to #As always this is just my interpretation blablabla #Spoilers #dungeon meshi manga spoilers #She loves like a dog aka unconditionally and happy with eating scraps of affection and attention off the floor #Laios touden #he’s here too bc they are an unit #If you’re not capitalizing on the uncanny vibe autistic effect for Falin’s character u are missing an opportunity imo #Fairy’s child is written all over her. Her cryptic-ness is the point so why am I surprised she’s hard to fully pin down #Even with the graveyard scene it was Falin following Laios… Sob. Laios could feel responsible her powers were found out #I’d like to rework this at some point if i get better at structuring. I’m not satisfied by the level of clarity #Will 90% for sure edit stuff in if i find more to say. #Fumi rambles #Crazy style #I give a TLDR at the end if you’d prefer. It doesn’t have the like evidence/explanations alongside but it makes the main points i think

[createserenity]

Does Crowley stay at the bookshop all night?

I'm just putting it out there that I don't think this is talked about enough:

This might not have been filmed, but it's right there in the scriptbook. Crowley leaves Aziraphale's bookshop right before Gabriel and Sandalphon arrive. I'm sure it's implied they are visiting fairly early on Thursday morning, since it's the first scene labelled as Thursday and later on Aziraphale and Crowley have time to drive all the way to Oxford and mess about there. So what? Well the scene before this is Aziraphale and Crowley drinking in the bookshop after Warlock's birthday party on the Wednesday. It must be fairly late in the day by this point because the hell hound was supposed to arrive at 3pm and this scene is happening sometime later. So Aziraphale and Crowley are in the bookshop drinking presumably into the evening on Wednesday whilst Crowley goes on about how he knows what Aziraphale smells like and they both think that the world is about to end in a matter of days. Then the next morning Crowley is noted as leaving the bookshop and has clearly been in there for enough time that Sandalphon can still smell his presence. Are we supposed to buy into the idea that he leaves late Wednesday night, comes back for an unspecified reason really early on Thursday, leaves again when the angels turn up and then comes back later for the trip to Oxford? Well, I'm not buying it. So what were they doing in the bookshop all night? (And also Aziraphale takes the angels into his back room to buy "pornography" - the back room where he was with Crowley not that long before - and frankly Aziraphale loves feeling like he's got one over on the Archangels, especially Gabriel, so yeah, there's that too.) ...just saying.

#good omens #good omens analysis #good omens meta #sort of #ineffable husbands #they probably just got horrendously drunk together #but I love the idea that they did more than that #I especially love the idea that Aziraphale just flaunted it in front of the Archangels #I need to write a fic of this #good omens script book #ineffable fandom

[chasing-caws]

The fact that the slow burn romance isn’t in your face is what makes it somehow even more intimate and beautiful to witness.

I don’t think we ever see them say “I love you” but their actions speak so loudly that they never needed to. Jack seemed to almost KNOW about the ambush ahead of time, delegating Furiosa to pursuit which quite literally SAVED HER LIFE as we watched the War Boy he allowed to drive the rig get killed almost instantly, which would’ve been her if he didn’t make her drive a pursuit vehicle. Then, he wants her to leave. He shoots the flare, and she almost goes but NO. She’s not abandoning him and she floors it back toward him. And when Jack catches sight of her, coming back to help him instead of leaving for the place she had trusted him enough to tell about, he gets this absolutely haunted, terrified look in his eyes, like he thinks she’s dooming herself by coming back to help him.

But Furiosa doesn’t give a fuck, because he’s the only semblance of peace she’s ever had in this hellscape since watching her mother be tortured and murdered. So she saves him and they begin their grand escape and, with the belief they’ve left the citadel behind them, Jack seems to allow himself to fully realize his emotions for Furiosa, now that they’re driving away from the citadel, now that they no longer need to hide any sort of attachment to try and protect themselves.

And then Dementus. Fucking Dementus has to come along and ruin EVERYTHING. And still, they fight for each other, to protect one another. I didn’t notice this on my two viewings but someone pointed out that after Dementus flipped their car, Jack can be seen reaching for Furiosa, to check on her, and just AHH these two stir up my emotions so much.

Then, as Dementus rants and raves and they’re both probably concussed to hell and in pain, they only have eyes for one another, drawn together, gently pressing their foreheads together, and Furiosa whispers “my Jack,” like an oath, like she knows this is their final moment together.

And Jack, as if sensing the same, allows himself to fully acknowledge and realize his feelings and emotions for Furiosa when he breathes out “my Fury,” barely audible before they appear to share their first gentle, tender kiss, also their last before Dementus rips them apart.

And, like I saw in a fic, someone said that even in his final moments Jack was desperately craning his head, trying to get a glimpse of Furiosa and, in his final moments, his own torture allows Furiosa the distraction she needs to get away to avenge all the things that Dementus has taken from her.

And it’s all just so fucking poetic and heartbreaking and BEAUTIFUL and I need to watch this movie a million times.

#furiosa a mad max saga #furiosa #praetorian jack #furyjack #dementus #character analysis #sort of #relationship analysis #the inherent romanticism of protecting one another

[bklily]

I fully agree, he belongs in the "oops, all trauma!" box. But who's gonna have the courage to put him there.

-

jokes aside like ok im about to go on a rant about Cat Walker

we joke about chat blanc being the scariest one and all but i actually think Cat Walker is easily the most disturbing persona of Adrien. To me personally

like sure Chat Blanc represents a lot of his anger and rage and abandonment. and Claw Noir does that too only in color and lipstick. but Cat Walker being the literal representation of Adriens ability to just, repress himself on command. to just shut off a huge part of his identity (Chat Noir) for what he fully believed to be forever. and easily start acting like a completely different person (Cat Walker) is so. incredibly disturbing to me.

like yeah the episode frames it lightheartedly but the IMPLICATIONS ARE THERE.

cat walker stares at the fact Adrien is so willing to abandon himself, to replace himself in people's lives, to stand by ladybug as a completely different person because thats what he believes she wants from him, to easily live behind layers and layers of masks, and he simply goes "i choose to not perceive that" and i think thats fucking wild man.

so yes, he does entirely belong in the box, but he sure as hell aint gonna admit it, because his whole thing is being the representation of Adrien's repression and covering up his problems. He's not gonna admit he has a problem. So if you try to stage a coup, YOU'RE going in the box, bucko.

#anyway if its not obvious i love Cat walker and I know hes a silly little guy #but he should be allowed to be a little disturbing. just a bit. as a treat. #ml spoilers #sort of #miraculous ladybug #my art #lily doodles #this is a little au now i guess haha #Mind Palace AU #i think thats a good name yeah #mister bug #cat walker #adrien agreste #mlb analysis #kuro neko #cat walker analysis #adrien agreste analysis #he IS a sad and repressed little guy

[bornwholocker]

Ok I just learned people hate Phoenix for saying edgeworth should’ve stayed gone in farewell my turnabout?? And I know I literally just posted about him and got all pissy at how people interpret him but I need to get this outta my system real quick so I’m going for round two

In the first game, Phoenix’s clear main objective was to save Edgeworth. This is shown both directly and indirectly several times throughout the game. And he finally makes progress in turnabout goodbyes, and then RFTA happens. And suddenly it’s all seemingly undone, and Phoenix has brought to light that Edgeworth, unwittingly or not, presented false evidence in court. Even though it was Gant who really pushed the issue, Phoenix was the first to put the pieces together and find the truth.

Through that case he watched Edgeworth sort of spiral because of this evidence, caught him writing a letter of resignation, watched Gant tear him down. And after that case, Edgeworth leaves the, “Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth chooses death” note. Can you imagine how that fucking wrecked Phoenix? How he probably in part blamed himself? Obviously Edgeworth was hurt too, that’s why he did it in the first place, but to work so hard to save your friend from what had been haunting them for years and to finally think you’ve helped them somehow, just for it to be destroyed by something you think you found out?

And after this, he pulls himself together and keeps doing cases, but he still grieves Edgeworth all through the second game. By the time Farewell happens, it’s been over a year that he’s thought Edgeworth was dead, and he still couldn’t bear hearing his name, or even thinking about him. And after this year of mourning and trying to move on, Edgeworth just pops up again like nothing happened. Phoenix felt betrayed, he felt extremely upset, and in a moment of high emotions he said something emotional. That’s not ridiculous! At all!! It doesn’t mean what he said was right, but I’ve seen people give him WAY too much shit for one line. If anything, I wish they had made him react more! More than a YEAR of thinking the man you changed careers for died and you couldn’t save him, and then he’s just. Back! Edgeworth needed that retreat, but it was a shitty way to go about it, and Phoenix wasn’t wrong to be mad. UGHHHH THESE CHARACTERS MAKE ME INSANE I’m like RFK Jr rn

#ace attorney #phoenix wright #miles edgeworth #farewell my turnabout #rise from the ashes #wrightworth #sort of #like implied #character analysis #ramblings of a madman #brain worms

[cheese-water]

Watching Tubbo interact with people is so interesting. Every conversation he has is a information game that for some reason he keeps winning while making the other person think they won. Even today with his convos with Fred And Foolish, it’s like he knows all the right buttons to press to get someone to talk, literally.

Like, I would have never guessed fighting back on Fred’s robotic answers would get him to speak. Friendship and politeness and compassion, yes but calling out the bullshit responses he gives? I haven’t even mentioned the absolute gall Tubbo has to pull a “let’s run that back bucko” and continue questioning him. And he was right too. Tubbo treated Fred like anyone else on the server, demanding him to just talk to him like a normal person, and that’s what made the worker crack. And now he has a personal appointment at 1 pm pst all from two conversations (we still don’t know if it’s a positive or negative but it’s still a fuck ton of information).

Not even an hour later, we get Tubbo and Foolish’s discussion about the order which was incredible on Tubbo’s part. He instantly twists Foolish’s question about his opinions on The Order back on him and when he doesn’t get a satisfactory response (“I mean, they’re my friends!”), his approach changes.

“Do you think I should join The Order? Disregarding what’s in my best self interest of course.”

The speed at which Foolish responded no is astounding to witness. And Tubbo didn’t even answer his question. He just tweaked it ever so slightly to make Foolish think he was offering the newcomer advice instead of being forced to show most of his cards. To y’know, the guy he’s supposed to arrest in the future.

Makes me wish Tubbo was here for when Foolish arrested Pac and Mike. That interrogation probably would’ve gone a lot better lmao

#qsmp #tubbo #qsmp tubbo #qsmp fred #foolish gamers #he is a weasel #a very polite looking weasel #if I could write an analysis for every convo qtubbo has I would #however I have some sort of a life and need to sleep at some point lmao

[exilepurify]

It’s okay to run away and save yourself!

Master has saved me so many times.

But remember, the one who always saved me was me.

Noticed a fun little parallel but it’s actually kind of ripping me apart like a mountain lion. Shigeo is literally taking Reigen’s place here, like physically in the composition. Because when Reigen saved Mob in that episode, it was actually Shigeo saving Mob. Because it was Shigeo’s power that enabled Reigen to do what he did. Otherwise, he would be maimed or dead and they would all be fucked. he DID save himself.

#mp100 #mob psycho 100 #it’s sort of fucjing insane #shigeo kageyama #reigen arataka #unknown percentage #???% #mp100 analysis #parallels #i feel so goofy using the mp100 analysis tag sometimes lol #‘analysis’ boy you took four screenshots 🙄 #oh well #mp100 spoilers

[frankiebirds]

I love this scene a lot and it lives in my head rent-free. I can't really think of another way to interpret it other than that this is elle telling reid that the reason he can't get a date isn't because of something wrong with him that he needs to change but simply because he doesn't ask people out (or, more broadly, lacks confidence).

I have seen some spencelle shippers read this as elle saying "hey. ask me out" but i disagree, not because i don't ship spencelle (i sort of do, elaboration in the notes) but for the following reasons:

I think elle would have realised very early on that if she was going to wait for reid to ask her out, she would be waiting years

i don't think she gives enough of a fuck about gender roles to wait for The Man to ask her out

she generally seems confident

i lean more towards her being very new to the BAU in the early episodes. I don't recall right now if there's an official anti-fraternization policy or if that's a fanfiction trope, but even if there isn't, entering a relationship with a coworker that early on is an easy way to mess up her career.

i think she was waiting until she was more established to start anything, but then, well, everything happened, and she left before becoming established enough to feel comfortable taking a risk like that

#anyway: i do ship spencelle #but not as a relationship exactly #if that makes sense #i think there were mutual feelings and i think something may have happened in that hotel room #i like to think that they remained friends after elle left and i flipflop on whether that friendship has any “benefits” #as for something possibly happening in that hotel room: reid thinks it's the start of something #but elle is only doing it because she knows deep down she's leaving soon and so it doesn't matter if she jeopardizes her career #reid only realises what really happened when elle quits and feels guilty he didn't realise something was wrong for a long time #*punches spencelle shippers in the gut* you're welcome! <3 #spencelle #spencer reid #elle greenaway #character analysis #scene analysis #sort of? #criminal minds #not fic #criminal minds rewatch #criminal minds s01e04 #plain sight

[designation-zi]

Something that makes me even sadder about what happened to V is how she went from being hostile and threatening towards Uzi to becoming actually pretty protective over her in the last episode

It initially seems like a quick shift, but it actually makes a bit more sense when you know most of V’s hostility to Uzi was because of the Absolute Solver. V was scared and distrustful of Uzi because of it and the traumatic events that happened with Cyn at the mansion, so she wanted to get rid of her (and Doll too) since she knows the AS is dangerous

But I think what started to change V’s view was the Worker saving her alongside N from getting their minds digitally wiped, since technically Uzi could have just saved N, but she helped V too

Ironically, since it involves the AS, another factor I think was seeing Uzi later overexerting herself with her powers from fear of N getting hurt, and then seemingly stopping the Sentinels from getting to V despite being practically unconscious (at least that is what I think happened when watching the episode)

I think all of that played some role in V beginning to realize that yeah, despite the very real threat the Absolute Solver is, Uzi herself is genuine and is someone she can put trust in

Which makes the scene where she calls Uzi by her name for the first time and tells her she trusts her more sad and impactful 🥲

#murder drones #murder drones analysis #murder drones theory #serial designation v #md v #murder drones v #uzi doorman #md uzi #md uzi doorman #murder drones uzi #absolute solver #zi rambles #i’ve wanted those two to start getting along and I sort of got it but at what cost

[the-darkestminds]

Elain and Lucien aren’t ready yet but they will be soon ☝️

#elucien will sort itself out #Mor you are so right #this is my in depth analysis #lol #sarah j maas #sjm #acowar #acomaf #acotar #a court of wings and ruin #a court of mist and fury #a court of thorns and roses #a court of frost and starlight #a court of silver flames #ACOFAS #acosf #elain x lucien #Lucien #lucien vanserra #pro lucien #pro lucien vanserra #elucien #pro elucien #sjmaas #I’m choosing to see it this way #elucien supremacy #anti e/riel #anti elriel

[shantechni]

Just thinking about them and this episode

Other than feeding into my imagination and making me wonder how things would've been if Mikey was nearly a decade younger and five feet shorter, it's adorable seeing how all of the guys treated little Mikey. Also, I have to say that the name "little Mikey" is adorable on its own, and it's funny that Mikey just takes it in stride when Raph still calls him that in the end of the episode.

It's not just the nicknames though (LEO CALLED HIM "LITTLE MAN"😭), Raph sounds like a concerned mom of the year when they hear Mikey screaming lol. And I neglected to clip it, but Raph looked ready to bite someone's head off when Fugitoid started to explain what the Neutrinos were instead of going straight to why Mikey was targeted. I guarantee you if Leo didn't always designate himself as the babysitter, Raph would be glued to Mikey-

Even though Raph and Donnie slid in a joke about Mikey's true self being a kid, the scene of them and Leo encouraging Mikey not so long afterwards is immensely delightful. Mikey honestly believed he was powerless as he was, and this is supported by his reaction to everyone turning to him like they had something in mind. They all praise him for his colossal imagination and Raph hammers home the fact that Mikey is in control.

And they had absolutely no reason to be so extra, but they'll always find a way to indulge Mikey and that was by gleefully tossing him into the air💀it's endearing though.

#analysis #sort of idk #tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt 2012 #tmnt 2k12 #tmnt michelangelo #tmnt raphael #tmnt leonardo #tmnt donatello #tmnt mikey #tmnt raph #tmnt leo #tmnt donnie #2012 mikey #2012 raph #2012 leo #2012 donnie

[flowersbian]

thinking about that season 1 mobius is basically:

"there's this god ive been obsessing over studying for my entire life. i know everything about their life from beginning to end. i know all their tricks, i know all their tells, i know how they'll react if i do something, i know all of the games they play, etc. etc. etc."

and then he giddily jogs to the courtroom because he pulled the strings to get this Loki kept around long enough for a trial, just so he can save their life and then subsequently give them space to heal emotionally and be themself (silly, chaotic) without any dangerous consequences. He also proves to Loki that they're not a monster, that everyone makes mistakes, that their past does not have to define their future, that they can be cared for and care for in return. He gives them a place to let down the walls that were permanently in place; he doesn't push for progress aggressively, but he doesn't relent with his gentle probing.

He gives Loki the opportunity to learn how to be a friend. He allows him to make mistakes, and he proves to them that other people can make mistakes and own up to them and move on.

I doubt Loki would consider Mobius a bad person, or say, a monster, do you? Despite the fact that Mobius has (either directly or indirectly) killed millions more than Loki has.

I think that's so important to think about too-- Mobius moves on and decides instead of wallowing in his past, he'll fix the future. An inspiration for Loki if I ever saw one; Loki's always hung up on their past (their legacy, their heritage, their actions, etc.)

Season 2 Mobius continues not giving a shit about his past, too, which I feel like should be mentioned because that!! Is very important to his character!!! He does NOT linger in the past-- until Loki's gone.

When Loki's gone, he doesn't know what to do with himself, because what was once his glorious purpose is now no longer there for him to study. So he has nothing to look forward to- in his brain, there's no future to think of, not when his past has the thing he wants.

I habe so much more to say about Mobius oh my GOD

#mobius m mobius #lokius #loki tv #analysis (sort of) #loki meta #lokius meta

[splatattackz]

a little bit of a ramon character analysis in all of this;

(from someone whos watched him basically since the start of the egg event)

let me preface this by saying BOTH sunny and ramon are very valid in how they feel right now, i just want to go through and explain how things are from ramons point of view.

lets start off. imagine youre a kid. its just you and your dad, because your other dad left you before you had really begun to speak. you're a kid, and youve never really gotten to have a childhood. from a mix of one of your dads leaving (and how he treated you before he left), to feeling isolated from every other egg (besides a few, a little), to feeling like you have to protect and save everyone else - youve never gotten to be a kid. you still remember that day, when the party exploded, and you were hailed a hero for saving all your siblings. you hadn't felt like a hero, you were scared you were going to die before you had done anything you deemed useful. the worlds loneliest hero. you are only 3 months old at this point. youve died already and live life on one life, a life that threatens to slip away every. single day. youve watched siblings die. youve watched worry swamp your dad, and youve heard his greatest secret. you are only a kid. this is not a childhood. youve never even had a sleepover.

and then enters the picture 3 new siblings. and you love them. you realize, youre now a big brother. and you take that with pride. you care for them. you protect them. youre trying to protect them from your own fate, of not having a childhood. and bad things happen. and you fail. and you fail. and you fail. and youre sorry, and it adds to emotional stress thats been building up for months with no escape hatch in sight.

and then something amazing happens! youve helped your dad find someone to love. you have a pai now. now neither you nor your dad are truly alone, you cant be. you feel amazing. you feel like you can be a kid now, your biggest worry gone. you feel like youve finally done something useful. you can be a kid now. ... except, you can't. not really. because one of the people you considered a big brother, alongside your little sister, are trying to ruin what youve accomplished. theyre trying to destroy your happiness, you think. everything youve worked for - theyre trying to make a rift between your dad and your pai. and your angry. so unbelievably angry. and you shouldn't be angry at your little sister, you know this. you shouldnt feel salty. your dad explained you cant be mad at the child for the parents' actions. but you cant find yourself to stop this anger. the emotional stress that has been building is breaking and being let out at someone you dont want to be mad at. but you cant bring yourself to face her and talk to them. you just want to be happy why cant they see that? why cant her dad see that?

you are finally being happy, you have such a big family now, and theyre trying to ruin it - and turn you and them both are beginning to lose family (eachother) but you cant help it. youre just a kid! youre just a kid seeing 2 peoole you love try to break up your dad and your pai! how are you supposed to feel? youre done being the grown up. after all these months you get to finally be a kid in a proper family. you just want to be a kid. why cant they let you be a kid?

tl;dr; ramons just a kid whos never gotten to be a kid and when he finally does get to be one he sees two of the people he loves the most try and ruin that. how can he NOT be salty and angry? he just wants to be a kid, is it too much to ask?

#gahh i love this kid #and hes very justified where hes coming from #as is sunny dont get me wrong! #its not either of their responsibilities to fix this #THEY ARE JUST KIDS #its their parents responsibilities to show them everything is okay #like i dont like shifting stuff but #its current tubbo fit and pacs responsibilities to fix this #because these two are just kids #they cant sort through this on their own #yk? #qsmp #qsmp ramon #character analysis #qsmpattackz #splatattackz

[skyefeys]

i envision pre-speech contest kazuma to be very similar in personality to post-return kazuma - stoic, intense, and fixed on his goals. it makes sense - his life at this point revolves around avenging his father, and it's strongly implied he has little connections to others, despite growing up with the mikotobas.

meeting ryunosuke softens him in a sense - he has a presence in his life that is positive and significant. he has someone who makes him want to be better. he finally allows himself to have a human connection, and this grounds him.

without his memories, traveling to london, it's no wonder he regressed to his prior state. without ryunosuke's presence, he is back to being single-mindedly fixed on his goals. when they reunite, he intentionally puts distance between them (perhaps unconsciously), still blinded in pursuit of these goals. and then of course, ryunosuke is the one to bring him back to reality, and reminds him of the happier kazuma he so briefly was.

the boisterous, playful kazuma is a kazuma that only flourishes when he has his best friend in his life. when he ALLOWS himself to have that connection, and feel the joy of life, instead of obstinately marching towards vengeance.

#i talk more about this sort of thing in my upcoming video essay so keep an eye out! #character analysis #kazuma asogi #tgaa #dgs #dgs2 #dgs2 spoilers #the great ace attorney

[comradekatara]

there are a lot of bad takes in the atla fandom (like, atla fandom may as well be a bad take generator) but something that has really been pissing me off lately is the assumption that you can categorize the fire nation royal family into good guys and bad guys. first of all, obviously, they're all bad guys. they are imperialists. but the idea that "sozin ozai azula bad" and "iroh lu ten ursa zuko azulon(?!) good" is actually insane.

lu ten died attempting to conquer the earth kingdom. lu ten was there because his father, iroh, was leading the siege. ursa laughed when iroh joked about burning ba sing se to the ground. zuko laughed too, mirroring his dear mother who taught him about the wonders of imperialism. and the fact that some people think that azulon was a good guy because he favored iroh is crazy. he favored iroh because iroh was the better imperialist, was more charming and tactically savvy as he bent the world to his will. people who think that azulon didn't like ozai because ozai was cruel literally have it backwards. ozai was cruel because azulon didn't like him. sozin shaped azulon, and azulon shaped iroh and ozai. azulon reigned for most of the war, and he was responsible for decimating the southern water tribe and colonizing the earth kingdom.

iroh only realizes the error of his ways well into middle age, after spending a majority of his life colonizing the world. he only stops to reconsider once he experiences the adverse effects of war for himself through the loss of his son. likewise, zuko can only gain empathy for the victims of the war by being one himself, as a refugee in the earth kingdom, and bonding with people who have been hurt by the fire nation. azula doesn't get that chance. ozai doesn't get that chance. azulon, lu ten, and ursa are dead, so they will never get that chance. but it's not like there is some ontological moral divide separating azula from zuko. zuko was a sensitive child whereas azula was better at embodying fire nation values of power and cunning. zuko was punished for his outbursts whereas azula knew how to keep her mouth shut. therefore, zuko experienced circumstances that led him to disavow fire nation imperialism.

but that doesn't mean that azula is ontologically evil. azula was the iroh of her generation to zuko's ozai, and iroh (eventually) disavowed conquest as well. there is no inherent divide between good and bad, monster and human. ursa was a warm and loving mother to zuko, just as iroh was a warm and loving father to lu ten, but they both laughed at others' suffering. their values were shaped by their circumstances and experiences. their ideologies do not make them less human, or less capable of change, just as their interpersonal behaviors do not negate their abhorrent ideologies.

#just because they're cartoon villains doesn't mean they're. yknow. cartoon villains #i think a lot of people just don't really understand iroh at all #and that's where a lot of these biases stem from #because if you think 'iroh good' then the next step is to assume that anyone iroh likes is good and anyone iroh doesn't like is bad #even though iroh is heavily biased and incredibly complicated #analysis #sort of #this is like. analysis for babies #taking you all back to preschool #so we can learn that fascists are human too #azula #zuko #iroh #ozai #azulon #ursa #lu ten #the evil gang's all here!