Stupid Character Analysis

Talking about characters from movies/books/comics that I think are neat while trying to write

[caffinated-squid]

Bloberta: The Invisible Damage of Emotional Neglect in Moral Orel (1/2)

CW for mentions of abuse and alcoholism

Ok I went on a hiatus for way too fucking long, but I am back, time to talk about Bloberta and why I think she is very complex.

I’m starting with her first because I both have a lot to say about her, and there’s a lot to dive into with Clay, so I’m doing her first.

To make things a bit easier, I split her analysis into 2 sections: her during her childhood/before being married to Clay, and her after being married to Clay since there is a lot to discuss with both.

Childhood/pre-marriage

Taken from Season 3 episode 7 “Help”, Bloberta grew up in an abusive household. She was isolated from her family choir for being a high soprano (and they already had a soprano), it is clear from how Bloberta’s father (Raymond) talks and behaves that he is intimidated by her mother.

(In this scene where Bloberta and her father briefly talk, he is visibly anxious and looking around, which I interpret as him both struggling to connect with Bloberta emotionally as well as being worried about Ms. Hymentact overhearing him.)

There is a high chance that no one ever advocated for her (aside from her father but that was in private) which is why she is usually ignored by her family ** However, even though they have a very limited amount of screen time, I don’t think that Bloberta was the only one being abused. Aside from her father being terrified of her mother, I would argue that Bloberta’s siblings also suffer some form of abuse. Even if they are the favored children, watching Ms. Hymentact slap her youngest son for laughing at Bloberta right after praising him a few minutes ago gives the idea that they are the favored children as long as they stay in line and do what they are told. **There is a possibility that Bloberta’s siblings have been conditioned to see Bloberta as the othered family member, and that they need to play their roles and keep their mother happy or they will end up like Bloberta. **Also what is important to note is Bloberta’s older sister Modella clarifying that it wasn’t her who was off pitch, immediately feeling the need to defend herself. **Considering how little Bloberta’s father is able to express his thoughts or opinions, there is a good chance that everyone in the Hymentact household is encouraged to suppress their emotions, making people like her father emotionally unavailable. **I also mention this because Ms. Hymentact has a clear level of control over the family. All of the decisions and final says fall on her because her father is unable to advocate for himself or his children. If she gets pushback, she immediately lashes out (evidenced by her yelling at Blobertas father for giving a suggestion), so the best thing to do is to go along with what she is saying. **These characters do not get a lot of screen time so this could be argued as heavy speculation, but I wanted to mention it as one reading of the siblings.

***Another thing to note in the scene where Bloberta is in her room is that it is very messy, completely contrasting the cleanliness of the Puppington household in the present. This is probably the case because at this time, she was using alcohol as a way to cope with her living situation. If she drank, she could feel numb, and being numb is better than feeling alone.

I would argue that considering the events that occur with her and Clay before their marriage, she sees alcohol as a way for people to be able to discuss or deal with their emotions, as her dad could only express his opinions when he drank. It was a way to see his true self and be seen in the family for a brief moment, as well as relieve herself of stress.

Continuing with her struggles of being seen, Bloberta also felt ostracized from the other women in her community. Most of them were already married or getting married, which might have made her feel like time was running out and she needed to be with someone as fast as she could. She was raised in a Christian household and was probably raised to think that the only goal she should have is to be a mother and wife.

It is also clear that Bloberta does care about how she is perceived by others, considering that she and Clay decided to not get divorced because they were worried about how people would see them and wanted to keep up appearances. (mentioned in Season 2 Episode 1, "God's Image".)

She already felt unwanted by her family, and her being the only unmarried woman in Moralton proved that to her, as she was already not being included in events by Ms. Censordoll because she was still single.

Bloberta's desire to be wanted by people is translated through her constant requests and eagerness to help. To Bloberta, if she helps, then she is proving her worth and value, that she is important to have around.

When Bloberta met Clay, she probably saw this as her last opportunity to get married to someone considering how quickly she latches onto him, and just before was looking at all of the married couples in church.

From the start of their interactions, there are some red flags present which will quickly develop into the problems present in the Puppington family.

Bloberta appears to have a tendency of pushing people to do what she wants, as she strong-arms Clay into going into the reception. She might be unintentionally mimicking her mother while doing this considering how much control her mother had over the family and their decisions.

Bloberta isn’t ready to be emotionally vulnerable to anyone, as she drinks to suppress her emotions and keeps her personal opinions to herself. She sees alcohol as a way to get people to express themselves, as her father could under the influence (at least a little) and encouraged Clay to drink with the initial intention of getting him to open up.

This was probably furthered as a good thing to Bloberta when Clay mentions that she helped him get out of his shell. She was able to help someone for possibly one of the first times in her life, and she needed to want to help, to have value to somebody. And the way for Bloberta to continue having value and helping in Clays life would be to marry him. She could help, as well as not be the only unmarried woman or need to continue living with her family.

When she is briefly left alone, we see her reflection on the countertop, emphasizing her loneliness and isolation despite her attempts to help. (Bloberta probably has low self esteem as well considering what has been discussed prior.)

Despite this, it was not right for Bloberta to push marriage on Clay while he was completely intoxicated and made it clear that he had no interest. Understanding a characters motivation does not equate to justification.

Her emotionally distancing herself from Clay as soon as he does not give the desired answer and hurting him (both by hitting him and later dropping his head on the tile while she was holding him) is also important to note, as it is one of the few times in the entire series that Bloberta ever externalizes her emotions. (especially externalizing it via violence)

**(Possibly manipulation/emotional abuse that she may have mimicked based on how her father and mother were)

In the scene of her caring for Clay, she gives herself this type of martyr title, that its because of her that Clay was ok even though she was the one who hurt him. In this case, the marriage is posed as the thing that can be done as a type of repayment for Bloberta’s help. The way she poses her help is that it is the only thing that Clay needs or can rely on, highlighting her own importance. Along with this, she phrases the offer in this tone of “I have done everything for you” which puts more pressure on Clay to agree to marriage.

When Bloberta begins to develop her habit of cleaning, it is another form of her attempts to help as well as suppress her emotions. If she cleans, she is helping, and can also emotionally distance herself from what is going on, making the situation easier to deal with. (I would also argue its somewhere to put her anger, as she begins to look at filth with disgust after seeing Clay drunk, and takes that anger out on the bar grime before hitting Clay.)

During the ending of “Help”, Bloberta’s justification for marrying Clay because “Why not.” begins to make more sense. As a result of being emotionally neglected from her family, her community isolating her for not being married, and because of religious pressure to get married as soon as she can, she is doing it both to help, and because that is what she is supposed to do. To be a wife, then a mother, and always helping.

[caffinated-squid]

I’m taking down my Eltingville crackpot theory as information has come out about sapphicsandman also known as Joko.

Although this was a while ago, I was swamped with work and wasn’t keeping track of what was going on in Twitter, as I barely use it.

Now that I know about this, I do not feel comfortable keeping that post up, as I talked to them a lot about this essay idea before they deleted their discord account. I advise everyone to please stay away from Joko/sapphicsandman/MinecraftDoctor

I am so sorry for not saying anything sooner.

[caffinated-squid]

As a brief follow up, the Moral Orel analysis post might take a while. This is both because I have college assignments to work on, and because I will be talking about topics like rape and abuse. I will be taking time to do research/gather and cite sources and make sure that it is handled with the respect that it deserves.

To shed some light on what I am planning to discuss, it will be about the abuse Clay and Bloberta went though in their childhood, their abusive marriage, and how their trauma and harmful beliefs lead to the abuse of their children Orel and Shapey/Block.

[caffinated-squid]

Would you guys want to hear me talk about Moral Orel

Yes

No

Voting ended onOct 27, 2025

There was an idea I was thinking over but not sure if the show has already been talked to death about (as it should)

[caffinated-squid]

How Misogyny is Handled in The Eltingville Club

From all the media I have seen about fandom and nerd culture, The Eltingville Club has the most accurate portrayal of misogyny and how it cultivates in fandom spaces.

The nerds in The Eltingville Club are a bit different from other creepy nerd archetypes in media who are misogynistic (ex. Upchuck from Daria) where they are overtly unpleasant to other characters. It's less that I believe that these people don't actually exist and more that misogyny comes in more forms than someone that creeps on women or openly talks about their hatred of them.

**It can give the idea that misogyny is always blatant, an easy "I know it when I see it". The most insidious thing about misogyny is that it is not a trait people are born with. They pick it up from the environment that they grew up in or the media they engaged with, which shapes their beliefs on women overtime.

The misogyny of The Eltingville Club is a bit more hidden in comparison (before the epilogue). They are not going out in public spaces to creep on women or catcall them. The club will only say or do creepy shit in spaces like Joes comic book store or in Bill's basement because everyone else has the same mindset that they do. These spaces end up becoming an echo chamber where misogyny is unchallenged because it isn't seen as a problem.

This can be seen most prominently with a scene in "This Fan, This Monster", when the girl walks into Joes asking if they have Saga comics before running out in fear. It's one of the few times that Bill doubts what Joe says rather than instantly agreeing with it. But Joe is eventually able to assure Bill that she wasn't a real fan. The echo chamber is sealed back up, and any self-doubt can be waived away because the most important thing isn't making people in a space feel comfortable, but shunning the "fake fans" to maintain the current space.

Although all of the club members are terrible people, there is no character in the club defined as “the misogynist” but it’s something that is present in how they talk and act in their own circles. Each character has misogyny engrained into their behavior, but it’s never to the extent where it becomes their entire personality. Characters like Pete and Bill can be argued to be more overtly misogynistic, but it would be a stretch to categorize either character as being “the misogynist” of the group (specifically referring to when they were still teens) since the characters frequently discuss their own interests and priorities. Even a character like Jerry who is argued to not be as overtly terrible as the rest of the club isn’t free from this.

The club has the tendency to view women as sexual objects first and people second. The members do not interact with anyone outside their own group unless they have to, so a lot of the way they have viewed the world has been through comics, movies, and tv shows.

Comics themselves have a history of misogyny, reducing them to damsels or as objects to be sexualized, even if the characters themselves are superheroes. (Wonder Woman's original weakness was that she lost her powers if she was tied up by a man, this was only phased out in the 1980s, "fridging" or killing/abusing female characters to give the male character motivation is an incredibly common trope that originated in comics) Although the issue has gotten better overtime, it is still an element that continues to permeate through comics. It wouldn’t be surprising if the clubs view on women was influenced by the comics they read or the media they grew up with.

***As clarification, no I am not saying that reading comics inherently makes you a misogynist or that you are not allowed to enjoy comics, I’m just using this as an example.

A lot of how the club views women can be shown through Bill, as he has the most scenes of his objectification of women. (I would argue a lot of it comes from Bill because he is the protagonist and as a result, the audience sees the most from his perspective, not that he is the most misogynistic out of the group.)

Bill’s fantasies usually focus on women that are subservient to him, willing to perform sexual acts on him at his command or serve as an accessory. It's a power fantasy, and these scenarios are thought up because Bill is insecure with who he is and like fandom, he can temporarily pretend he is someone else.

It can also be speculated that Bills misogyny may have formed because of his resentment towards women, considering in The Intervention Mandom breaks Bill down by mentioning that girls probably laughed at him at school as well.

Misogyny tends to be fueled by insecurity, and said insecurity closes people off out of fear of interacting with them. The more insecure and more isolated they are, the more frustrated they get, and the more frustrated they get, the more likely they are to lash out at women, blaming them for their own misery.

***Bill does lash out at people several times in the comic, but the element of misogyny becomes a lot more prominent in the epilogue

With Pete, (mentioned by Dorkin from the interview Vtuber Comic Club from 4:25:00-4:26:00) he grew up in a physical household where he was hit by his brothers and dad. He has had several angry outbursts to minor things which have led to physical fights and property damage, along with actively seeking out content where women are mutilated and raped for his own gratification.

***It could be considered a stretch, but I speculate Pete’s household was one that encouraged toxic masculinity (or a household that prioritized traditionally masculine traits like being dominant, self reliant, refusal to express emotion unless it is stoicism or anger) which can lead to misogyny since a lot of toxic masculinity pushes for traditional values including when women had less rights.

Pete growing up to be in a workspace like Sick Mofo in the epilogue can be seen as a transition point from spectator to participant since he was already engaging in spaces where people had the same views as him and later gave him the opportunity to play a role in it. Moving to a space where misogyny is prominent and common allows him to take advantage of women who are already being exploited.

** It is also shown during Mandi's introduction that he is able to hide his actual feelings and intentions from being seen by everyone around him. As soon as Mandi gets to the table, he stops making sexual comments not because it is wrong to do or was told to stop, but knew that approaching people with his workspace behavior upfront would scare them off.

Even a character like Jerry who is not openly misogynistic in the epilogue still permits misogyny, which can be seen when the club makes sexual comments toward Mandi which he passively tells them to stop, rather than actively defending his girlfriend.

The women drawn in the comics the club reads are usually sexualized or serve to be sexual objects for other characters.

All of this contrasts with the female characters that show up in the real world. The girl asking for the Saga comics in This Fan, This Monster forces the reader to see the comic shop and the club from her perspective, showing a first person view of all of the comic shop nerds tightly clustered together, only interested in ogling her. The panel is intentionally confining as it forces the audience to face the discomfort that fandom spaces can be to women.

Even when she leaves, the first thing that Joe says about her is that she was just intentionally trying to get people aroused by being there (even worse is that this is a grown middle aged man saying this about a LITERAL CHILD) and including the comment asking Bill if he has ever seen a girl that actually likes comics.

***Joe mentioning this can be seen as having a double meaning, specifically that women don’t want to be in nerdy spaces because they will be ogled at, objectified, or interrogated if they are a “real” fan when all they want is to engage with the fandom that they like.

It’s also important to remember that the misogyny present in fandom is not just limited to the Eltingville Club. The comic shows that misogyny is something that is baked into fandom itself. It can be seen both in how the background characters ogled at and took photos of the girl who just wanted a saga comic, and a background scene in the epilogue where a power girl cosplayer is surrounded by other fans who take pictures of her tits. (it can be argued maybe this was consensual, but again there is not enough information to go off of in the scene)

One thing that I especially like in the epilogue is how Mandi is introduced. Usually when a female character is introduced in a comic, there’s the tendency to change the composition to objectify her or put her in a more attractive light. In contrast, the panel frames Mandi’s first appearance neutrally, she’s just a person. The sexual comments that the club says about her are invasive text bubbles that cluster around her, directly highlighting to the reader how disgusting it is for them to talk about an actual human being like this, only stopping once she arrives at the table.

***this can also be said with the other female cosplayers to some extent, all of them are shown in neutral panels while the club judges them for not looking like the characters enough, or for not being sexually attractive to them in particular.

I partially want to argue that Bill is unable to view women as human beings, considering that he can only view women’s inclusion in fandom or their desire to participate in it always being a threat or having a sexual intent behind it, which is especially highlighted in his blow up at Mandi.

This is also extended to how he treated Agnes Zawatski as a threat to the club. It is not overtly stated in the comic that Agnes and Jerry dated or were just friends, but I tend to see them as friends because it underlines that even having a female friend is considered a threat because Bill is completely unable to see women outside of a sexual context.

**the single panel showing Agnes also does an incredible job at hammering this in, she wasn’t a threat to the club, she was just a nerdy girl looking for people that had similar interests.

The Eltingville Club forces readers to reflect on their behavior, to see the ugliness of themselves present in the club members. The accuracy of the misogyny present and its reoccurrence in the comics prevents readers overlooking it because toxicity and misogyny will crop up in any fandom, no matter how inclusive or accepting it appears to be.

[caffinated-squid]

To the anon that made the comment about giving me their life/soul when I make the Jerry analysis essay, did it get lost in the mail? I have been waiting for it for a while and haven't gotten anything. Give it to me now, chop chop

[bigmomma25]

Character Analysis of Josh Levy

Sorry if this is shit, idk how to word my feelings on Josh. Gonna go about each character very differently bc they're all complex in their own right and I have so many thoughts. Brain so full. He’s the most tragic of them all, super overlooked, misunderstood, and underrated. He’s someone who’s hard to analyze, since he’s so guarded. Plus I distance myself from him bc he's too real lol

I feel the most integral part of Josh's character is the fact that he's neurodivergent. He's always been very autistic-coded in writing, but it was also confirmed by Dorkin that he is somewhere on the neurodivergent spectrum, which changes his character completely from just a gluttonous selfish loser to a cautionary tale of what can happen when autistic children get no resources or room to be "weird" in public.

When we first meet Josh, it's established that he's the laughing stock of the group. In the first meeting that we see, the rest of the club has managed to get all types of pop culture merchandise from all over the place, but Josh's are more childish, like Animaniacs and Flintstones. He also went the easiest route, basically relying on his mother if he wanted to get anything done. All in all, not very complex, and this gets him laughed at immediately.

He is only treated with respect when he has something the rest of the club values, and has to use it as leverage to get any kind of positive feedback. During open debate, he's almost sneered at by the rest of the group and doesn't even realize it, since he's loud and corny and laughs at his own jokes. When they play DnD, he's shown to be very insecure and terrible at decision-making, once again getting him endlessly shit on by Pete. And once his leverage is gone, he's mocked again, especially for falling for such an easy scam.

There is a lot to unpack there, very quickly. The story almost makes it easy to point and jab at someone like Josh, without looking much deeper than the surface. He's the Eltingville Club's personal Chris-Chan, or Tophia, or Daniel Larsen.

Josh Levy has a Binge Eating Disorder

Josh has bad eating habits, both in the comics and pilot. He's willing to eat stale Doritos from a trash can, is constantly shoving fast food in his face, and bulk buys food constantly for the collectibles, eating it all instead of throwing it away like his friends. It even leads to health problems and discomfort, like when he was eating nothing but Batman-shaped Mac and Cheese for days and had extreme bathroom issues. This is meant to show his gluttony, but even that represents the issue Josh has faced all his life - his problems being portrayed as his own fault and made into a gag. Being fat is not a moral failure, but everyone has always told Josh that it was.

Binge eating stems from somewhere. You aren't born with those habits, and there's a reason he feels stupid and ashamed every time he participates in it. Josh has always faced a lack of control and emotional support from everyone in his life, leading to him trying to find it in both escapism and food binges. It's also a sign of even bigger mental health issues, but no one steps in. His own family shows a lack of care or consideration for their son, along with enabling his habits by constantly buying more for him. He has very little say in his own life, but he does at least have a say in how he eats and the things that bring him joy, even if it's destroying him.

Enabling Parents

While I wouldn’t say Josh has good parents, they at least have some type of care for him, and he obviously comes from a family with money. His parents are very old, and his mother is sickly, which means that they probably can’t discipline him in the way that he needed as a child. Even when Josh was grounded, it was a very light punishment compared to what he did (literally vandalism) and it’s clear there aren’t many rules in his house.

They essentially allow Josh to do whatever he wants, and throw money at him constantly, but refuse to actually look at what he needs emotionally that is causing all these outbursts. They show very little care when Josh is distraught, don’t address his binge eating habits or obsessions or why he’s having dreams of his friends beating him to a pulp. They constantly buy him a bunch of junk food when they can see the impact it’s having on his health, or maybe they don’t pay enough attention to notice. With his mother being sick, it’s very likely that he didn’t get much attention, and tried to get it from everywhere else in his life. He’s emotionally neglected and physically spoiled, trying to use material possessions to fill that void.

Josh’s Autistic Traits

I’m going to have to make a bullet pointed list for this, since there’s so many instances that it’s hard to pinpoint all of it.

Emotional Outbursts/Emotional Impermanence - Josh has been shown on multiple occasions to feel things very strongly, and acts out because of how emotional he gets. Particularly, his anger often overwhelms him. It’s very common for people on the spectrum to lack the ability to regulate their emotions and self soothe in a typical fashion, which leads to meltdowns, and angry outbursts. Josh clearly has a hard time conveying what he’s thinking when he’s upset, often getting tripped up and desperate, like trying to explain himself during the trivia-off, and trying to set boundaries with the club about the fat jokes only to be met with laughter and ridicule. I firmly believe he’s had meltdowns multiple times on screen, and it’s not always just him throwing a tantrum. He’s also able to switch his emotions very quickly, going from fuming with anger to beaming with joy, as if he’d felt nothing else beforehand.

Social Obliviousness - Josh often doesn’t realize he’s the butt of the joke when it’s not spelled out for him. His friends don’t even want to be seen next to him at times, and he never really realizes the degree in which they hate him. He makes a fool out of himself constantly, but doesn’t realize how people perceive him OUTSIDE of being a fat nerd, and has no desire to know and no self-reflection. Once again, I feel that the dream he has about his friends beating him up until he bleeds is significant, because he asks himself “what could that possibly mean” when it is VERY obvious to the rest of the audience.

His Special Interests Shape His World - Josh isn’t shown to be the brightest in many aspects; in the pilot he’s prone to making mistakes, he often comments in the comics about how he comes to realizations far slower than the rest of his friends. But when it comes to his special interests like Star Wars, he’s a human encyclopedia. He knows the most out of the group about anything sci-fi and comic related, even trying to build an actual functional Iron-Man suit by himself (before lighting himself on fire, but that’s still knowledge and dedication). The way he calms down is literally sorting his figure into lines. He can’t take his mind off of it even in important situations, like in the pilot when he’s being screamed at by Bill’s mom but is still caught up in the DnD game. His job in the future is literally him trying to be a comic writer. He cannot function in the world without his special interests being involved, and since most people were very hostile towards him and his interests, this manifests in him being defensive and obsessive instead of forming a normal relationship with it.

Lack of Empathy - Josh is very rude, like everyone in the club. While his harassment of others isn’t an autistic trait, it does show that he has a hard time putting himself in other people’s shoes. Even when he does care about people, like his mother, or Bill not getting a chance to get a Star Wars figure because Josh keeps hoarding them, or Pete after the zombie walk, he can’t conceptualize how they feel if it doesn’t affect him. It may not even dawn on him, because of his social ineptitude.

Missing Social Cues - Josh isn’t the best in social situations; from the painful conversation with the many cashiers at fast food places, to the scene during DnD, in the comics, when Josh is confronted with a social interaction with a girl and completely falls apart. He’s awkward, he’s loud, and he has no idea he’s awkward and loud. He’s also very blunt, and sincere with his words, not realizing that other people can say something and mean another, like when he showed up to job interviews and talked about Godzilla, thinking the hiring manager was interested.

Black and White Thinking/Paranoia - Josh jumps to conclusions often. With him, it’s either something is the worst thing to ever exist, or it’s perfect and you’re not allowed to criticize it. He has a hard time understanding that grey area, and this also reflects on how he views other people. Unlike Bill or Pete who form their judgements of “normies” on trends they’ve noticed and behaviors they’ve watched from afar, Josh thinks they’re all inherently bad based on his own experiences being bullied. And he believes all nerds are inherently better because of his friend group and experiences. Seeing someone who’s both preppy and enjoys nerdy media would probably turn his entire world view upside down.

Disorganization/Executive Functioning Issues - Josh can’t care for himself on his own, and has a hard time in public places. In the pilot it’s more evident, during the DnD game when he’d been shown to drop everything, make poor decisions, be hyper focused on small issues and details while ignoring the big picture, which can reflect how he conducts himself in real life. Even just making himself a meal or going grocery shopping is hard for Josh, which can be partly caused by his parents babying him too much, and partly from lack of executive functioning skills.

The Lolcow-ification of Josh

Unfortunately it’s a big part of his character stereotype that this story takes place in the early 2000s, which means the general population is very hostile to both fat people AND autistic people. Being both means that anyone and everyone will find an excuse to shit on you, and it will be socially accepted to do so. So it’s not unreasonable to assume Josh has been socially outcasted since his birth. Social Isolation is scientifically the worst pain humans can go through as a social species - it manifests in the brain as physical pain. And being exposed to that pain your whole life leaves you traumatized.

I’m going to be a dork for a second and reference my favorite book; much like how Frankenstein’s monster was not born violent, but grew to be so after being rejected and betrayed by everyone he knew, Josh‘s positive traits slowly became overshadowed by his insecurity and defensiveness.

It’s rather heartbreaking, how hard it is to analyze Josh when he is so clearly defined by trauma. Especially since it’s a fact that no autistic person in our society has really gone without trauma. It’s hard to know the real Josh when he’s always on defense mode. His trauma is also heavily overlooked, both in the story and in reality. Since he is most likely undiagnosed, he probably sees it as his own fault.

Josh’s Positive Traits

When he’s so often looked down upon, I feel like it’s important to have a little segment all about the good things in Josh that’d hard to notice.

Creativity - Josh is actually very imaginative. From his desires to become a comic writer, to his eagerness during the costume contest, he’s shown a desire to create and is always full of ideas. Good ones? Maybe not. But full of ideas nonetheless.

Loyalty - Josh puts up with shit no one in the whole world should let slide. When Josh truly loves someone, like the club, he doesn’t leave them. It may be partially caused by his follower tendencies, but he’ll stick by and defend his friends in any situation. Even when he swears he’s leaving for good, like when he daydreams of shooting his friends in the head, or claims the end of the Eltingville Club in the pilot, he always comes back.

Attention to Detail/Ingenuity - Josh is the type to notice things no one else notices, which often comes in handy, like during the trivia-off and how he managed to make the stash of collectibles in toy stores for the club. It’s an important skill, especially when the rest of the club doesn’t pay as much attention is he does. He tends to take the long way when solving problems, so this attention to detail often means coming up with unique solutions to difficult problems.

Honesty - Josh says what he means, which is real as fuck. Saying he’s gonna piss his pants in excitement is not only humorously blunt but also goes to show that he’s not gonna hide what he thinks or how he feels for anyone. The type of friend you go to when you want someone to tell you how it is and not sugarcoat it.

——

Yeah that’s all I’ve got for now. Too many thoughts and too little words I may explode. I just wanna squish him

[bigmomma25]

Character Analysis of Pete Dinunzio (Comic Vs. Pilot)

Disclaimer: This is by no means a very good or professional analysis or anything, this is just me whipping out my Honors English high school powers for fun, to put these guys in a jar and shake them. Getting as much content out of this comic as possible even if it means yapping. Pete goes first because he's easy, lol

The Comics Highlight His Flaws

The first difference I noted when watching the pilot first and then delving into the comics is; Pete is aggressive. Much more aggressive. He's the most argumentative member in the first few panels, with most of his comments being rather pessimistic or sexual in nature. He always has some sort of retort or comeback to defend himself and his views, and his passions come out mostly in anger.

There's also a silent shame that comes with his behaviors, much more likely to complain about what he doesn't like than happily explain what he's passionate about. When he does have passionate moments, it's because these things that make him very vulnerable are being criticized, and he gets defensive. Like his love for Christopher Lee.

Without any prior knowledge of these characters, it can be assumed that Pete comes from an abusive household. His behaviors are major signs. He's most likely so combative because he's used to constantly being under fire, especially with (I think) 8 other siblings who are implied to be mostly older men. If he didn't have a slick comment or keep up this "tough" persona, he'd be their personal punching bag - figuratively and literally.

All Pete really knows is aggression, being canonically the poorest member (he states that he couldn't even afford to be in the Boba Fett conversation in the comics). It's been shown that the club lives in a shitty area in Staten Island. Plus, they're heavily bullied. It's shaped the way he communicates and interacts with the world around him. Even his obsessions - he likes seeing people get ripped apart to the point it becomes a kink.

Even the way he speaks sets him apart. Not necessarily his accent, but his word choices are usually much simpler and his points are very blunt. He's not portrayed as booksmart, and his swagger comes off more as a performance (both of masculinity and of nonchalance) than a natural way of being.

It's also worth noting his position in the very first panel of the comics. Bill is head of the table, of course, it's his house and he's the leader. (I'll get to that symbolism in Bill's analysis). But Pete is sat right next to him, lower than Bill and somewhat distant from him, but still seeming closer and getting more focus than Jerry and Josh.

His position is meant to draw your eye from an artistic perspective, he is unconsciously trying to secure himself a good spot for control and stability. If you're on Bill's bad side, you end up like Josh (I'll get into the lolcow-ification of Josh later on too), but Pete gets the least shit from Bill. Pete is not a pushover, and he feeds into Bill more. Their bickering seems almost comedic.

Totally different dynamic than he has in the pilot, so them getting along so well may be retconned. He has much more of a moral compass in the pilot, and while both versions show Pete *attempting* to be a mediator and a voice of reason, the pilot shows it more. Almost like Pete didn't want to be there, much preferring Jerry's company since they were both reasonable.

Bill and Pete's dynamic also goes to solidify Pete's relationship with his father and the toxic masculinity he displays constantly. Pete has the urge to stray and separate himself from the obviously immoral tendencies of his father, but still seeks approval from an authority figure in which he admires. Someone he sees as "cool" and capable, teeter-tottering between loving him and fighting him. His father is very authoritative, Pete was never allowed to question anything. He associates anything "girly" with pain - like how Bill associates women with sexist stereotypes, expecting to be hurt by them because of their shared experiences with bullying and Bill's mommy issues. Except Pete had it literally beat into him.

Him connecting masculinity to being capable and independent leads directly to his tendency to make choices on the fly. In a house that's always arguing, someone has to make a decision. And Pete wants to be seen as the macho man who knows what he's doing, but also doesn't care that much. So he mainly makes decisions with common sense, emotion, and whatever he's compelled to. A very "pull yourself up by the bootstraps" mentality from living in a conservative household.

Though I do feel that most of his decisions come from a place of shame. If you're secure, you usually don't have to make it a point, or brag about it, or defend it so vehemently. You just... are secure. This directly ties into his canonical bisexuality along with his horror passions. His whole life he's been told everything about him was fundamentally wrong, and he's trying to run from it. Which is why he tries to separate his personal love for horror makeup and SFX from traditional gay and drag art forms. Those things are looked down on. He hates being looked down on. Which is why he uses gays, along with Josh, as scapegoats.

The Pilot Highlights His Positives

From the first 25 seconds of the pilot, Pete is already a more positive version of his comic alternative. He's more successful in diffusing the bickering between Josh and Bill, and is more level-headed and goal-oriented. He's calmer, seeing things go wrong and actually wanting to find solutions instead of dwelling on the small details and who-did-what. He almost feels like a disgruntled mother with more humor. His independence also shines, but so does his tendency to run into danger without thinking.

Pete also sits much farther in the pilot at their meeting table. He's at opposite ends of the table, like the other head, or leader, willing to criticize Bill and never really seeing eye-to-eye with him. He tries to lead before Bill does, starting with the "Sexy Sirens" tape, and has a little bit of a power struggle. He's leaning back, to distance himself, and his nonchalance is more natural, it's just who he is. Josh and Jerry seem closer to Bill than Pete is, which is a total 180 from the comics.

A big point of Pete's character in the pilot that isn't touched upon at all in the comics is his sense of justice. He wants things to be fair - from the trivia-off in Joe's shop, to the DnD game. He tries to break up fights but will hit back if he's being hit, or someone else is being hit unjustifiably. Much like a shephard dog instead of a guard dog, like his comic alternative. But only to the club, he's still a menace to his general environment.

His trauma is shown more subtly but it is still made a point - while Pilot Josh is unconcerned when Bill's mother is yelling at the club, Pete seems the most worried and distraught, the first to start sweating and holding his head. His body language screams abuse. His introduction panel also shows he's relatively used to beat downs, seeming silently resigned and defeated rather than horrified like the other characters.

His sexuality also seems more on-par with a teen boy and less hypersexual, and there's less sexist comments. He's definitely still a little freak, shown with his creepy little faces, clawing at the glass, and his comments about "Battle Broads" the series, but he's not trying to repress nearly as much.

Combining the Two

Since the point of the comics was to be an exaggerated version of real life incels, I'd say the pilot is a more realistic representation of who Pete is as a person. But with such a short run, it didn't get to show the entirety of his character, which would have to be fleshed out across multiple episodes. The comics is a satirical piece mocking and displaying the worst of the worst, and t pilot is a commentary on the societal failures that lead to children with this kind of behavior.

There are some parts where they undeniably intersect though. Like Pete's tendency towards violence to solve his problems, and one specific comic panel (which I can't exactly find right now) where Pete comments that sewing's for sissies, and Jerry insists that he's not. Pete's reply is "Of course not you, Jerry, you're a wizard. Keep it up." This can be seen as him just wanting his clothes repaired, but it can also be interpreted as Pete putting his own insecurities and internalized feelings aside because he loves and respects his friends too much. It shows that he doesn't actually believe what he's saying to the degree he insists. Pete is the second most likely to have the capacity to change his ways, if he ever so chose.

Honestly, it's up to interpretation how these traits are combined. Some fans like the comics more, some fans like the pilot. Though Evan seems to be leaning more into the pilot interpretations of the characters now than the comics, showing a possible reboot or retcon of their old traits, just like the retcon of Epilogue Pete.

Summary (MBTI, Enneagram, etc.)

I'm gonna use my general knowledge of personality quizzes to get my point across, lol.

I honestly believe his MBTI is ESTP, as someone who studied it for a very long time and spent way too long on PDB. But he is a very unhealthy ESTP that never found an outlet for his more creative attributes, and lives in unhealthy environments that disrupt his peace.

On the good side, he can adapt easily, read his environment and the people in it well, and he is extremely passionate. He's pushed by his love of horror and film, seeking out people with the same interests and motivation to get things done. He's very experience-based, seeking out adventure, and has a lot of energy. He's very down to earth, lives in the moment almost too much, can easily improvise and comes up with decisions very quickly. He's a quick thinker, but thinks after he acts, not before, and is very life-smart. He's a good communicator, he's practical, hedonistic, and fair.

Deep down, he seeks validation from his peers, wanting to be seen as competent, talented, valuable. At his best, this helps him connect with others in a meaningful way like he craves. But he never really gets there, which leads to him forming a persona he believes will get him that respect. He's actually a very sensitive person in that way, not necessarily emotional but very touchy when it comes to what he loves. He's prone to pessimism, doesn't think about the consequences of his actions, and doesn't see himself in a world in which he's truly successful.

He's selfish, rude, doesn't trust others, has an intense aversion to rules, and doesn't look at any information that goes against what he believes. He can be bossy at times, or judgemental of others who don't meet his standards, and doesn't keep other people' feelings in mind. This leads to an internal struggle with seeing everyone as fake or not as dedicated, but also wanting, needing connection with other people. This can lead to him being rather conspiratorial, which leads to the whole "Jock vs. Nerd" conversation.

I also think he's a sp/so (self-preservation social) 8w9. His biggest fear is being hurt and betrayed by the people he loves, so he seeks out control and stability so that can't happen. He tries his best to be self-reliant so he has no need to open up to others and make himself vulnerable, and he's hard to warm up to. But once he likes you, he's loyal for life. He isn't very loud about these traits, trying to maintain an air of calmness while also being no-nonsense. He doesn't want to lose control of his anger, but also has a tendency to do so, leading to small outbursts of strong aggression. While he craves connection, if he has too many failed relationships, he may start to see them as a waste of his time and become very introverted, like how he became in the epilogue.

__

Yep, that's it, enough yapping for me. Those are all the things I noticed, hopefully it's entertaining to somebody lol.

[useless-moss]

Something I rarely see talked about is the fact that, at least twice in the first movie alone, Toothless helps Hiccup set boundaries or get the respect he feels Hiccup deserves.

He didn't start flying peacefully to show Astrid how nice it can be until after she apologized for being mean and threatening to tell the village. And when she did, Toothless almost immediately relaxed and arguably showed off. Like he was saying "look at this. Look at us. Look at what you'd be breaking apart and missing out on."

And, even if he didn't know the full story or reason, Toothless knew Hiccup and Stoick had a fight and Hiccup was upset. So he didn't show Stoick that Hiccup was alive until after he apologized for hurting Hiccup and starting that massive fight in the first place. In that scene, if you look at Toothless's eyes, you can tell he's waiting for something. And the second Stoick apologized, Toothless softened and opened his wings.

Even if Toothless didn't fully understand the entire situation or all the complex human stuff associated with it, he still knew that Hiccup was upset and deserved an apology. Even if neither time Hiccup asked for one and was ready to just sweep it under the rug and forget, Toothless still went the extra little mile to make it clear he wouldn't allow Hiccup to be pushed around or hurt or disrespected or anything without consequence.

Just. I love that. I love how that alone shows how damn smart the dragons, or at the very least Night Furies, can be. Toothless is Hiccup's number one advocate for anything.

[caffinated-squid]

i really liked your eltingville club character analysis’s!!! in the bill one you mentioned how bill was showing vulnerability in the intervention, do you think he was also showing vulnerability at the beginning of this fan this monster? considering how his friends weren’t around for him to belittle or reinforce his power to, i’d love to see an analysis from you for bills behavior in this fan this monster and how joe influenced bill. ty and keep up the good work!! <3

Thank you, happy that you enjoyed them! Regarding Bill in This Fan This Monster, I think it could be argued that it shows up a little bit in the beginning considering that Joe is probably the closest thing that Bill has had to a consistent father figure in his life. Focusing on this comic by itself, (the inclusion of the first comic makes it a bit more confusing) its mentioned in the hospital that his parents are divorced and while when it specifically happened is unclear, his presence is also absent in other Eltingville comics. (excluding the first) 

Bill’s mom probably did not play much of a role in his life as well, considering how much resentment they both have for each other, which can be seen though Bill’s mom preferring to get people to tie him up in a chair for hours to fix his comic obsession rather than just talking to him herself in The Intervention and accusing him of blaming her for the divorce in This Fan This Monster.

In summary, Bill is not on good terms with either of his parents and probably latched onto Joe because he appeared to care about similar interests. (though he just sees Bill more as a source of money rather than an actual person)

** From this, Joe probably influenced Bill's behavior the most since a lot of Joe's behavior seen in This Fan This Monster (saying customers have to be treated like idiots, that women don't actually like comics) reflected in Bill once Joe needs to leave for an emergency and in the Epilogue. (especially in his rant to Mandi)

** Though I don't think that Joe was someone that Bill would ever open up to regarding his personal life and issues, its idolization rather than an actual familial relationship at most

I would say that the beginning of the comic has a mixture of two things, Bill trying to appease and learn from Joe while looking up to him as somewhat of a father figure, but also constantly testing to see how much he can get away with, he is still just as willing to break rules if it means he has easier access to the things he wants. Though that appeasement definitely comes back in when he attempts to blame his friends for the destruction of the comic shop in order to still cling onto the power he just obtained.

On his friends not being around, I don’t think that Bill got better without them present. Although he is the leader of the Eltingville Club, Josh and Pete are there to constantly challenge his opinions which prevents his ego from going completely unchecked. With their absence, you can see Bill’s ego gradually become more inflated the more he is around Joe, getting worse when Joe temporarily puts him in charge. Joe ignores Bill a majority of the time aside from making fun of him for doing grunt work, which allows Bill to believe that he can get away with being an asshole because he now has a higher status, and with this higher status, he doesn’t need a friend group to control.

**I tend to see This Fan This Monster as Bills Icarus moment, in the sense that his ego rises over the comic only for it to come crashing down when he sets the comic shop on fire out of spite.

(Hopefully this answered your question/request! I have 2 other analysis essays I am going to write related to Eltingville, then I'll probably be done and focus on another topic of interest)

[caffinated-squid]

Jerry Stokes and the consequences of inaction in The Eltingville Club

Time to talk a lot about the last character in the crew, Jerry Stokes. A couple of quick things before getting into some lukewarm observations, this is not me trying to morally grandstand about a character actually being bad, this is The Eltingville Club, all of your faves are problematic. This is just about how his role feeds into the environment, and because I am not satisfied with only going over a list of bad things Jerry has done in the comics and want to go into why he is like this. I have seen a handful of people already go into his toxic behavior, so this is my attempt to contribute. To summarize, Jerry is both the support and doormat of the group. Even though all the characters rip on each other for their interests, Jerry is usually the main target. He is also the character that attempts to break up a lot of the arguments/feuds that the characters have. However, Jerry never actually fixes the problems present in the group, the most he does is postpone the terrible actions, but still goes along with whatever happens. I call Jerry the support of the group, but only by a slim margin. Like Pete, he has the tendency to enable the clubs behavior, but in his case, it’s by his lack of action rather than exacerbating the conflict.

Jerry’s main concern in the club is avoiding conflict. If he prevents the club from arguing, he won’t lose his friends. But because of that, it leads to a refusal to challenge any of the groups bad ideas. The Eltingville club has cultivated an environment where they all need to have the same opinion, and anyone who doesn’t is wrong or stupid and not a real fan. So the most that Jerry can do is just meekly suggest that something is a bad idea, but because he is also the doormat of the group, and isn’t really going to stop them, his protests can easily be ignored by the rest of the club.

Jerry ends up becoming both a bystander as well as an enabler, which has the tendency to get looked over because characters like Bill, Josh, and Pete are more blatantly toxic and destructive, so Jerry’s behavior usually goes under the radar in comparison to the rest of the clubs.

**The main reason the club will actually listen to Pete when he tells them to cut it out is because he backs up his threats, he will follow though if they don’t listen to him.

Jerry’s tendency to postpone conflict also comes with the result of refusing to call out any of his friends for their terrible behavior. He has almost never defended Josh even though the entire group bullies him for being fat is because it’s been normalized. From how bad arguments tend to get and how no one in the club takes Josh’s concerns seriously, he probably just writes it off as playful jabbing rather than bullying. Even with something like Bill making the Greedo-318 account to tell Josh to kill himself and telling Jerry to keep his secret, Jerry’s main concern is not wanting to lose his friends. He wants Bill to like him, because if Bill still likes him, the club can still exist. Jerry already has a lot of anxiety about the club breaking up, so revealing this would do nothing but add more conflict.

From what I can tell, the characters live in the suburbs. Eltingville is a tiny town with not much to do. None of them have a drivers license so they can’t go anywhere by car, days are monotonous, and the only place that holds any of their interest is a shitty comic book shop. I mention this because in this environment there is the need for community, even if that community is terrible, because it’s better than being alone. It is established that the club takes up a majority of all of the characters time, so outside of this group, there isn't really anywhere else for Jerry to go to.

Even if Jerry was able to make new friends, I have the feeling that the rest of the Eltingville Club would probably try to sabotage any attempt, considering that they spread rumors about him going around telling people that he fucked Agnes Zawatsky to reel him back into the club.

Misery loves company, and even if Jerry is the main punching bag of the group that the characters put most of the blame on, he can't leave, because they are The Eltingville Club, and its always them against the world.

[caffinated-squid]

Love your Eltingville Club characther analysis!

Thank you! I’m going to get to Jerry eventually, I just have a lot of work to wade through first, I want to see if I can get it out this week or next week at the very latest. Next thing I’ll probably get to making posts about is Moral Orel

[autisticfanperson]

the way that hiccup looked at toothless and decided he couldnt kill him because he looked at him and saw himself. the way that there is a very large possibility that toothless thought the exact same about hiccup after he was freed from the ropes. the two of them looked at each other and could not bear to kill the other purely because they saw themself in someone who was not them. they saw fear and saddness in eyes that they were taught held the opposite. IM GONNA SOB

[apersonnamedel]

Something I would like to point out while rewatching HTTYD2 that I think is very interesting and also not at all talked about is this.

HTTYD2 brings lots and I mean LOTS of parallels whether they are visual or spoken but the one I hear spoken about the most is between Hiccup and Valka and them not killing a dragon. Even the movie tries to make this seem like a parallel. They bring it up even!

“Ehh it runs in the family.” Hiccup says after the flashback scene.

But something I noticed is that it is not a parallel. Mainly because of a few key things. It’s more almost perpendicular. They head in the same direction and they have the same realization, then go in complete opposite directions.

Valka runs away. A key part of her character I’ve noticed while I’ve been writing my analysis of her is that she oozes of cowardice and willful ignorance. Now that doesn’t mean she’s a bad person, it simply means that she ran away and chose to stay away. But that’s not the main reason I brought this up.

Remember the flashback where they draw attention to how similar Hiccup and Valka are? They talk about it in a very specific way.

They bring attention to two points. Both of them looked into a dragons eye and saw themself. Then they both didn’t kill a dragon. They show this as some kind of parallel. Maybe to show that Hiccup has someone who understands him, maybe to add a bit of layering to the first movie and how he’s just like her.

But it’s not a parallel.

What’s the difference in this scene?

One dragon is tied up.

One isn’t.

It’s a matter of choice.

“You and your father nearly died that night. All because I couldn’t kill a dragon.” Quote Valka.

“300 years and I’m the first Viking who wouldn’t kill a dragon.” Quote Hiccup.

Hiccups statement STILL rings true. Valka had no choice in if she wanted to kill Cloudjumper or not. That’s why I brought up Valka’s cowardice. Valka was in a trapped house with an injured newborn and an unbound dragon 5x her size. She was in the middle of a raid with people all around. Stoick was around the corner. She simply couldn’t kill the dragon. It wasn’t a matter of would or wouldn’t.

Hiccup on the other hand was alone in a forest with a tied up dragon. He made the decision to not kill Toothless. He wouldn’t. Because he absolutely could have killed Toothless.

“I was a coward. I was weak. I wouldn’t kill a dragon.”

“You said wouldn’t that time.”

This scene (in my own opinion) is meant to show that Hiccup was never the hiccup. He was never a coward. He wasn’t weak. It’s meant to be ironic.

Hiccup let go one of the most dangerous dragons in the world and it was brave. He went against his culture, his tribe because he thought it was the right thing to do.

That’s where Valka and Hiccups story become perpendicular. Hiccup was brave. Valka was a coward.

Hiccup chose not to run away. He chose to change their minds. He thought their minds could change.

Valka ran away. She didn’t listen and didn’t think change was possible. She held this belief until Hiccup comes along.

Valka’s path is where she believes that dragons are more than they seem. Then, “This wasn’t a viscous beast, but an intelligent gentle creature whose soul, reflected my own.” She has the revelation. Then she runs away and stays away. Now she had her own reasons and I am very much phrasing this in a biased way but it’s meant to show a point. She stays away and doesn’t change much. Because she couldn’t kill a dragon.

Hiccups path is where he does not see much to dragons. He wants to kill one to be accepted into the village. He shoots down Toothless and- “Everything we know about you guys, is wrong.” Or- “I looked at him and saw myself.” Hiccup and Valka’s paths cross here. But Hiccup doesn’t run away and he changes Berk’s mind. Because he wouldn’t kill a dragon.

Anyways I think that’s about it for that topic and I think it should be discussed more! Because if you really think about it, there are almost no parallels in Valka and Hiccup. And if there are, it isn’t well executed enough that it leaves a strong impact. I definitely will talk about this more but it’s late and I crave sleep.

[caffinated-squid]

i know jerrys probably the easiest in the club to analyse because he actually changed and grew as a person but his position as a pushover and inability to challenge the club's toxicity was equally harmful but like if you do jerry analysis my life is yours ect ect

Yeah I am definitely going to talk about how Jerry is also a toxic part of the group, already have some stuff laid out for his section so hopefully it will be out soon. (I’m keeping this brief because if I don’t I won’t stop talking) And if what you are saying about your life being mine if I make the analysis is true, would you have any interest in confirming it via demonic contract?

[caffinated-squid]

Dissecting Pete and his complicated role in The Eltingville Club

Time to talk about Pete, the character that I have actually struggled the most to write about because I have a lot to say and have been struggling to coherently organize it. Also because I have seen some other people make really good analysis pieces about him, so I’m going to try my best to contribute.

On surface level Pete appears to have the same function as Jerry in the club, he is the support of the group and is able to break up a lot of the arguments that Bill and Josh get into. However, Pete doesn’t resolve the actual problem, he actually has the tendency to exacerbate it by actively encouraging the characters shitty behaviors instead of calming them down. One example that comes to mind is the Steel figures, instead of getting Josh to calm down and move on, he goes on a rant about the movie, and then encourages Josh with the idea of burning down the Steel display.

There is also the possibility that he originally joined the club as a kid both to talk about their nerdy interests together, as well as to get away from the violence in his family. But overtime he ended up needing to deal with fights and arguments from the club, as well as eventually participating in it.

*Focusing on Petes temper for a second, I think the main reason why a lot of his outbursts result in property damage is from him having no fucking clue how to deal with his emotions. From the brief scenes we hear his dad talk and what Dorkin has mentioned, Pete grew up in a household that encouraged toxic masculinity and rejected his own interests as being unimportant or for children. Dorkin also mentioned Pete growing up in a physical household where he was hit a lot, (which can also be implied when his dad threatens to break his legs if he ever tries to meet with the club again) so his go to for anything is to get violent, its the only acceptable emotion to express.

**I also like to think this is why Pete had the least of a reaction when Bill goes on his rant tearing him down, its probably the norm for him.

I find Pete’s contributions to the environment of the club to be interesting because of how contradictory it is. Pete is usually the character to call other characters pussies or make fun of them for not doing things that are traditionally masculine, (like the comment to Jerry about how sewing is for chicks, sissies, and sweatshop workers) but at the same time needs to defend his own interests from the club as it gets brushed off as being gay or not worth discussion, including needing to defend his admiration of horror make up/special effects.

His reaction makes sense in the context of his family life since they don’t care about his interests either, and the club being his only friend group probably gives the urgency to both protect his interests while also aggressively stamping out any suggestion that it implies something about him. If bi Pete is canon, I’m assuming he doesn’t even want to think about it because if it were true, it would probably lead to more isolation and more things for the club and his family to shit on him for.

Out of all the character punishments, next to Josh, I think Pete got the worst of it when it came to punishments, as he was forced to throw out all of his horror stuff after the comic shop burned down, since his method of escapism was completely ripped away from him and confirmed as non important kids stuff that he needs to grow out of. It’s also sad to see because in comics like Unstable Molecules and They’re Dead, They’re All Messed Up, you can see Pete’s interest in horror make up and costumes shine through. Mentions of him improving the zombie looks from the prior year and his admiration for the horror make up in The Twilight Zone episodes show that he cares about the craft behind it. (same with him talking about horror icons like Peter Cushing, Anne Rice, and Christopher Lee)

Destroying this escapism didn’t make Pete more of an adult. Ironically he became more of a child as he got older, his insecurity about his interests made him seek out more adult content, both because its content he gets off to, as well as wanting to be perceived as an adult, which is why he gave up comics years ago ‘to take up fuckin.’ Pete never solved any of his actual problems, he’s still short tempered, a sex pest, and insecure about himself, but is now the one abusing other people with his scrap of power, just like his dad and probably his brothers did to him.

[caffinated-squid]

The Eltingville club- consumerism, control, and how they relate to Josh Levy

So initially I wasn’t going to talk about Josh because I have seen his archetype multiple times and it felt self explanatory, as well as not really having much to say on him as a character, but I still want to give it a shot. So I am going to talk about 2 things: what Josh represents in fandom, and how that intersects with his relationship with his parents.

Starting with the basics, even though all the characters collect figures and memorabilia, Josh is the most obsessive about it, which can be seen in how he goes to several fast food stores for toys to complete his collection, later tearing through several loaves of wonder bread for a card in Bread and Suck Asses, and refusing to eat anything other than Batman Kraft Mac n cheese in the hopes of getting a new figurine.

On surface level, a lot of Josh’s behaviors reflect the overconsumption aspects in toxic fandoms, the need to spend everything to finish a collection, even if it is something they don’t even like. But I also think that its a way for Josh to have something that he doesn’t have a lot of in his life: control.

As much as Josh owns and collects, as much as he knows about trivia, he is unable to control how other people view him, which becomes more of an emphasis when taken into account that Josh (next to Jerry) is usually bullied the most. He has no control over the club, as Bill constantly reinforces his status through making sure that he gets to decide how the day is planned and what they are going to do. No matter how much he knows about comics and sci fi, he will never get hired at Joes because Joe sees him just as another source to get money out of.

I think the collecting allows Josh to have some say in how things go, same with his writing of superhero fan fiction, it gives him the ability to decide what will happen without being questioned.

*This can also apply to how he treats people in customer service, considering how he talks to them and how he treated the seller from As Seen on TV. These people can't lash out because if they do, they will get fired, and only exist to Josh as someone who he can tear into without consequence.

In this case, it is probably why Josh never got better as a writer, along with his own entitlement, he probably saw any criticism as an attack on him, and he already gets shit on daily by pretty much everybody. The only way he could find a way around this was to force people to have to deal with it out of spite, which can be seen in the epilogue as he goes on a whole speech on how when he finally gets in with the desired group of people, he can finally force people to accept his work as canon.

Josh’s parents also play a role when it comes to his consumerism and how he interacts with people. Although they are never seen, the pieces of information given (Josh having the most money to spend on memorabilia, their willingness to let him keep spending money and continue his terrible diet, giving him punishments for his behavior but still being very forgiving as they still let him interact with the club even though that’s usually how he gets into trouble) give more context for why Josh is so quick to anger and entitled, he is used to getting what he wants with little to no resistance which is something that Bill constantly challenges.

Though there is definitely a shift in this behavior after the events in This Fan, This Monster. Out of all the characters that get yelled at, I would say that Josh’s is one of the worst. You can see that his parents have reached their breaking point, and possibly have a lot of built up resentment towards Josh that is finally being let loose as they tell him they would rather be dead and blame him for his mothers heart attack.(as well as their own regrets of how they raised Josh being blamed on him) It is a personal attack that is directed towards Josh, and this is one of the only times that he doesn’t respond with hostility.

The one thing that Josh lacked which he needed the most to improve was some degree of self-reflection, as well as needing to accept that he can be wrong. The epilogue shows he did neither of these and instead doubled down. He may have gained more power, but has not gained any sense of self or respect to others, and will probably be treated as just another disposable piece in the comic industry.