I really think Mistynats and Lottienats need to stop fighting and join forces because…don’t you see you guys are siblings? I will never understand the arguments about which ship is superior (I don't get that argument in general because everyone's interpretations of fictional content are valid and based on personal preference, but especially not with Mistynat and Lottienat). It feels like the Spiderman meme to me.
Nat holds a great amount of resentment towards both of them, but it is just as clear that she also feels a pull toward them and a care she tries to bury or disguise through anger and aggression. She punches Misty and throws things at her in some moments, and in others she tells her, “It’s not your fault. You did the best you could,” defends her repeatedly from other members of the group, and genuinely has fun with her; unguarded in a way we rarely see Nat. She snaps at Lottie, tells her to speak less, accuses her of killing Travis in some scenes, and in others gently coaxes her out of a hallucination, tries to convince her to get rescued with great care shown to her mental state at the time, playfully teases her, bandages her wounds, dances with her, holds her.
That contradiction in both dynamics is the point. The unhealthiness and the ethical muddiness are the point.
Both dynamics are rooted in shared loneliness and alienation. In each, there is a deep craving for connection after a lifetime of rejection, and a recognition of that same wound in the other. Natalie is one of the only people who sees Misty and Lottie in their entirety, not through the distorted lenses imposed by others. Misty is not just “the freak.” Lottie is not just “crazy” or a deity to be worshipped. Nat sees the fear, the hunger for connection, the damage underneath because she knows it within herself. And part of what draws Mistynat and Lottienat together is this shared feeling.
Lottie and Misty are also similar in their pathology. Both have a profound need to be needed. Both place their worth in their usefulness to others. Both cause harm in their attempts to help. Both manipulate, coerce, and violate boundaries to preserve the euphoric sense of purpose they feel in the wilderness and beyond. Natalie functions as a grounding presence for both of them. They both cross Nat’s boundaries repeatedly and have a history of crossing others’ boundaries in service of their own needs (including sexual assault). They both harm Nat in different ways. They both use Nat at times. And yet, they also offer her a level of attention, devotion, and care that she rarely receives in her life, however warped and unhealthy that care may be.
I mean come on, there’s even a scene where Lottie and Misty are arguing over what’s best for Nat’s wellbeing in the adult timeline, and they're both so comically, darkly wrong in their approaches but really do want to help her.
And the selective moral accounting in fandom arguments is exhausting. You’ll condemn Misty for filming Nat without her consent, but ignore Lottie pushing Nat into hypnotherapy immediately after a suicide attempt, while she is profoundly unstable because Lottie is desperate for answers. You’ll talk about Lottie’s assault of Travis but not Misty’s assault of Coach Ben; both very important people to Nat. Misty sabotaging Nat’s car to make herself indispensable to Nat, but not Lottie sending her followers to stalk Nat for weeks. Lottie exploiting vulnerable people at her compound, but not Misty abusing god knows how many elderly patients under her care. And so on.
Arguing Nat doesn’t care about either Lottie or Misty is just missing out on a really intriguing aspect of the show. Nat never fully trusts either of them, but there are unmistakable moments of tenderness and care for both of them. Likewise, while Misty and Lottie often offer Nat care for selfish or self-serving reasons, it is also deeply genuine. Both things can be true at once.
Reducing any of these dynamics to pure hatred or apathy is so reductive. They are contradictory, volatile, intimate, and unresolved by design. That tension is interesting. It would be so boring if any of the dynamics were black-and-white/hatred or pure wholesomeness. So honestly… get into it. Sit with the tangled mess of resentment and love that represents how all these characters feel about each other. Stop fighting each other over it!
turnnoffyourmind
vaporwave
origamiaround
tangentwithtanner
germansingergirl
pixelskylines
