Welcome to my theory blog! This is where I’ll be posting all my overanalyses of my favorite fandoms and characters! Don’t hesitate to send me asks! I’ll probably post theories for Pandora Hearts, Lore Olympus, Tangled the Series, and Castlevania, but I’m in a lot of different fandoms and might throw anything at you! Main blog: @i-prefer-the-term-antihero Writing blog: @antihero-writings Art blog: @antihero-art
It’s Christmastime, and boy am I excited to watch that movie about the guy who has to fight off thieves with his resourceful antics, clever traps, and witty one liners! You know, the one where he’s the only competent person left in the building? He’s gotta rely on his noggin and his determination, because he can’t rely on the local authorities. I like the part where he talks to the person he thinks is the villain face to face, and learns they’re not so different from each other. It may get a bit violent at times, but that gives the story more pizazz! There’s fire, there’s broken glass, there’s finally getting to hug the lady you love at the end. Because nothing quite says “Christmas cheer” like completely decimating a group of bandits!
Can anyone who’s seen The Last Voyage of the Demeter help me out?
I am a fan of Dracula, and I really want to go see it with a friend of mine (who also loves Dracula). But…I ordinarily don’t do well with horror. So I’m trying to figure out if it’d be too scary for me.
What is the overall tone of the movie? Is it full to the brim with spooky violins and jumpscares the entire time? Or is it more focused on the relationships between the crew members, with some scary moments intermixed throughout?
Can you tell me about where some of the worst jumpscares occur?
How many animals die, and how do they die?
How does the kid die?
How does the kid’s parent die, and do they die before or after the kid?
Aside from the vampires burning up, can you tell me about the other gore in the movie?
When people start going mad, what does that entail?
Is there rape involved? I know the lady was Dracula’s lunchable, I’m wondering how much further the horror of that goes.
To be clear, I want spoilers. Knowing how intense it will be and how characters die will better help me prepare my wimpy little mind
Every time I rewatch Star Wars I’m reminded how messed up the Jedi beliefs are.
Luke: You told me Vader murdered my father!! My dad is very much alive and also is Vader!!
Ben: ya know, I did say that, but I was actually totally right and not misleading you. Because of point of view. Nothing is right or wrong, true or not true, it’s just your point of view. The good man your dad was is dead now. See? Not misleading it all. Also if you think he’s still a good man inside stop it. Because that leads to the dark side
Luke: …so who’s my sister?
Ben: I ain’t telling you because anonymity = safety
Luke: OMG ITS LEIA
Ben: ah yes, you’re smart. Good job :)
Also Ben: So this feeling you’re having? You know what we’re gonna do with that feeling? You’re going to take that feeling, bottle it up, and stuff it down real deep. Mkay? Cuz if you don’t…you guessed it! You’re going to the dark side
Much of the movie this question buzzed at the back of my mind. It seems important. And it also seems like there are few candidates.
In the movie the boys wonder if it’s Norm. He would have been my first guess too. But because they said it out loud (and sort of discredited the idea by making fun of it) it makes me think that’s not the case. That’d be a pretty unsatisfying answer to learn the boys were simply right in the next movie. Plus Norm is around. If she was his you’d think he’d know it and be a proper dad.
Could it be an unintroduced lover? Certainly. But i think that also would be pretty unsatisfying. Waiting an entire movie to learn “Oh it’s just some dude she loved.” Why would that be withheld from us? It could still work, especially as a way to reconnect the Sullys to the Omaticaya, if he was one of them. But I don’t think so.
Then my mind want to darker places. What if Quaritch (or someone equally terrible)…assaulted her? But wait, he’s human, and Kiri is Navi, that wouldn’t make sense, would it? And they haven’t explored Navi crime much, but they overall seem very respectful of the act and significance of mating.
After I walked out of the theater my mind circled these ideas.
Why would they withhold this information until a later movie?
And at the spirit tree, why did Grace scream like that, and the scene go up in white light, when Kiri asked that? (Part of what made me think assault—it’s painful for Grace to remember or say who the father is).
And, most importantly of all, why would Kiri have such a strong connection to Eywa? We’ve never seen someone with this level of control over the world, have we? And if her father is a normal Navi or human, or an avatar, why would it create that connection? Perhaps a human x Navi child would be special, but I still don’t think that’s it.
I theorize that Eywa herself is Kiri’s “father.”
Grace’s wounds were too great, she couldn’t be brought back. But Grace saw Eywa in her last moments. Grave was always connected to her. She respected her. What if Eywa granted her something else? She couldn’t give her her life back, but maybe she gave her a new kind of life.
It would make so much sense as to why Kiri is so deeply connected to Eywa in a way we’ve never seen before. She’s Eywa’s daughter.
It would also make sense as to why the scene in the spirit tree went up in a flash and a scream. Eywa herself didn’t want Kiri to know yet and stopped her. Or the power and significance of the information overwhelmed the scene.
I haven’t really looked at theories for this movie, so I’m sorry if everyone’s already said this and I’m just late. But that’s my theory,
Persephone’s views towards sex in the latest chapter seemed rather contrary to how I understood them before. The lines I put above honestly seemed very out of character for her to me. (But I think it’s more likely I’m just not understanding her sexuality).
I think this post I made quite a while back explains well how I saw her view of sex in the past.
I was under the impression that she was absolutely sexually attracted to Hades, yes, and wanted to have sex with him, yes…but there were a lot of mental issues standing in her way—and affecting her view of sex in general. Her sheltered upbringing, her status as a member of TGOEM, and of course…what Apollo did to her…
Having sexual arousal and attraction doesn’t automatically equal “I’m going to die if I don’t have sex soon.” …Does it?
For someone with no shame around sex in their upbringing, and with no sexual trauma, it certainly might equal those things, yeah…but it sounds very strange to me to hear those things coming so blatantly out of Persephone’s mouth.
From my understanding, sex is still in essence a new and unexplored thing for her. The only other sexual encounter she’s had left her thinking (something along the lines of) “Is this how it’s supposed to feel? …This just hurts.” That to me doesn’t equal someone (who hasn’t had a good sexual encounter since) proceeding to go on and on about how much they want sex—even if it’s been 10 years. That equals “I’d very much like to have sex with this man I love. But I’m scared. Will it be like before? Or will it be as amazing as everyone says it is?” That feels more in-character for Persephone to me.
I understand that it’s been 10 years. But is 10 years with no (as far as I know) positive sexual experiences enough to go from “I’m sexually attracted to him, I want to have sex...but I’m scared” to “I’m going to die if I don’t have sex soon”? Maybe it is…but to me personally it felt out of character to read. Her words just seemed so extreme. Maybe it’s just that I feel like I wasn’t taken on that 10 year journey, so I’m still viewing her like her old self, when she’s changed.
I know she said it was bravado, but I don’t think that means her words were untrue. It felt like her words were true, but that she’s also not completely over the trauma too. (Basically that I’m thinking her trauma would affect her view of sex more than it does—in canon it still affects her, but not as much anymore). Am I misunderstanding? Was she just saying that to mask her real feelings completely? Why would she do that?
It seems like the coming chapters might discuss her trauma in more depth, and that might answer my questions. Which is great. But…still. That doesn’t change that she said these things.
I don’t understand how she became, not just unafraid of sex, but desperately wanting it and shamelessly talking about it in public. Her wanting it is in character, yes, but her level of—not just positivity towards the subject, but—desperation and shamelessness seems contrary to how I understood her character, and how she viewed sex, previously.
okay okay okay SO- i have an extremely similar trauma response to Persephone, and sort of similar trauma. (i also dont read fastpass, so dw bout that)
also idk if i talk in circles so TL:DR- her overconfidence was a coping mechanism, well see how much actual progress she made in the upcoming episodes i guess.
this is 100% her having this nebulous option. where if everything was how she wanted it, shed theoretically be able to say yes and have sex. theres someone who she is sure wants her and she is sure she wants him. when shes distracted by pulling her life back together, she gets to pretend that this 10 yr separation is the only thing in between her and a normal sex life with someone she loves.
working from her upbringing first bcuz its simple, many ppl have this "outburst" moment when in control of their life for the first time. kids of conservative parents dye their hair, get piercings, sometimes do drugs, sometimes seemingly innocuous things like who they date; Amish during Rumspringa are known for breaking all the church rules; even ppl well into adulthood have this after cults and bad relationships even if they were in control when they were younger. its her "acting out", in quotes bc its not bad. thats all her upbringing is contributing. i have a bad memory so correct me if im wrong, but sex wasnt necessarily something she saw shame around, her mother just infantilized her and treated her like an object she owned, like a piece of glass and if she wasnt careful Persephone would shatter. this doesnt go directly into "im five years late for my dick appointment", its mostly been shown in her clothing and her confidence while flirting.
onto her trauma, she was absolutely being all assertive and cocky and such as a coping mechanism. she wasnt going out and dating anyone in the mortal realm, and Apollo wasnt there, and shes seemingly far enough along in her recovery (or at least enough in control of her environment) that little things arent reminding her of her assault. so she got to be all confident and bold and not think about it.
shes compartmentalizing her trauma, shes not connecting what shes saying and wanting with what happened to her. which is kind of fine and kind of not. its good that shes able to talk and think about sex in theory without having a negative reaction. the not good side comes from how if her and Hades hadnt stopped something couldve triggered her during. which would turn out fine bc Hades is an attentive partner, but would add to her anxiety about the whole thing.
shes in this place in recovery where shes far enough past to want sex, and its been long enough since she came to that realization, that shes feeling pent up. like shes probably feeling like shes not in control of her sex life, between what Apollo did and then being separated from the only person she has ever wanted to have sex with, and shes right shes basically not in control here. and being all unabashedly horny is a way to claim control. yknow without going out and sleeping with someone.
i doubt shes actually thinking thru what shes saying. like not that shes not thinking about how it would go, but that shes probably not thinking thru her feelings all the way. like how we can all be like "oh if [bad thing] was happening, id totally swoop in and save the day" in our minds when for most of us thats probably not true. shes starting and stopping at "i want to have sex with Hades"
if i had to guess shes at this point where she knows she wants sex and desperately wants a positive experience, but doesnt know if shed have a nice time or cry on the spot, and thats whats stopping her. but in her mind, when shes not physically there with Hades in front of her, she doesnt have to think about that. in the mortal realm she was so far removed from it being a reality that her feelings dont really matter to her, and as she gets closer to being able to actually have sex she has this anxiety thats building up.
its hard to tell if she made a lot of progress healing, i mean obviously 10 yrs is a long time but it wasnt exactly her only (or most important) problem. she obviously was acting like it wasnt a problem while in the mortal realm, but her feelings still seem the same. which i guess is why they suggest she go back to therapy.
Fellow Ace here. I think we should also take into account that Perse's circle of friends and family have very polarized views on sexuality and that hasn't helped her to learn how to express those feelings properly?
Like on the one hand you have her mom and the other GOEM, who act like sex and attraction are Big No-Nos, to the point where Perse saying that Hades is handsome or even being seen alone with a man or receiving presents is met with antagonism.
On the other you have Eros, Daphne, Aphrodite, and Ares, who are horny on main and proud about it. -Hermes and Perse have been naked together, but they are not attracted to each other so this kind of conversation likely never happened between them- But Eros and Daphne in particular talk about sex as if it were an achievement. Something that is, in a sense, a performance, and that should be this bombastic, spectacular experience. As in it's not enough that it's pleasurable and consensual, it has to be a spectacle worth bragging about with your friends. They don't talk to her about intimacy, vulnerability, or emotional connection, no, they talk about going to work naked, and sexy lingerie, and have a condom for your 10 years of repression, girl. They don't do it maliciously of course, they have healthy views on sex already internalized, so for them this is all just light-hearted, sex-positive banter and bonding, right until this episode when she reminds them that her trauma is still present and they apologize for being pushy. Then, finally, Daphne talks about aspects of sexuality that Perse does need to hear about: communication, and introspecting so that you can understand your wants, needs, and boundaries.
My point is, Perse wants to have sex with Hades but she has a fuckton of trauma in her head (not just the Apollo stuff), and until this episode except for 1(one) therapy session and 1(one) conversation with Hades she's never had anyone to just... discuss sex normally. So of course, she has 2 base responses to the subject: either it's all bashful and shameful, and probably traumatic, or open and loud and please give me a good grade on horny, which is something that is both possible to achieve and normal to want.
This also has happened before, when Perse makes a slight pass at Hades while dining with Zeus and Hera and becomes anxious when it's reciprocated ("Why did I let my horniness give me a false sense of confidence?"). This is all just that again. She gets horny, feels like she needs to perform about it, then freezes when the vulnerability catches up to her or, as we saw in this episode, when the script goes off-rails. She needed more nuanced and intimate views on sex, and luckily now she's starting to get them and her partner is caring and considerate about her needs.
@rainbowgothdisaster @shizukateal Thank you guys so much!!! Hearing your analyses is super helpful, I really appreciate you taking the time to explain!!
Persephone’s views towards sex in the latest chapter seemed rather contrary to how I understood them before. The lines I put above honestly seemed very out of character for her to me. (But I think it’s more likely I’m just not understanding her sexuality).
I think this post I made quite a while back explains well how I saw her view of sex in the past.
I was under the impression that she was absolutely sexually attracted to Hades, yes, and wanted to have sex with him, yes…but there were a lot of mental issues standing in her way—and affecting her view of sex in general. Her sheltered upbringing, her status as a member of TGOEM, and of course…what Apollo did to her…
Having sexual arousal and attraction doesn’t automatically equal “I’m going to die if I don’t have sex soon.” …Does it?
For someone with no shame around sex in their upbringing, and with no sexual trauma, it certainly might equal those things, yeah…but it sounds very strange to me to hear those things coming so blatantly out of Persephone’s mouth.
From my understanding, sex is still in essence a new and unexplored thing for her. The only other sexual encounter she’s had left her thinking (something along the lines of) “Is this how it’s supposed to feel? …This just hurts.” That to me doesn’t equal someone (who hasn’t had a good sexual encounter since) proceeding to go on and on about how much they want sex—even if it’s been 10 years. That equals “I’d very much like to have sex with this man I love. But I’m scared. Will it be like before? Or will it be as amazing as everyone says it is?” That feels more in-character for Persephone to me.
I understand that it’s been 10 years. But is 10 years with no (as far as I know) positive sexual experiences enough to go from “I’m sexually attracted to him, I want to have sex...but I’m scared” to “I’m going to die if I don’t have sex soon”? Maybe it is…but to me personally it felt out of character to read. Her words just seemed so extreme. Maybe it’s just that I feel like I wasn’t taken on that 10 year journey, so I’m still viewing her like her old self, when she’s changed.
I know she said it was bravado, but I don’t think that means her words were untrue. It felt like her words were true, but that she’s also not completely over the trauma too. (Basically that I’m thinking her trauma would affect her view of sex more than it does—in canon it still affects her, but not as much anymore). Am I misunderstanding? Was she just saying that to mask her real feelings completely? Why would she do that?
It seems like the coming chapters might discuss her trauma in more depth, and that might answer my questions. Which is great. But…still. That doesn’t change that she said these things.
I don’t understand how she became, not just unafraid of sex, but desperately wanting it and shamelessly talking about it in public. Her wanting it is in character, yes, but her level of—not just positivity towards the subject, but—desperation and shamelessness seems contrary to how I understood her character, and how she viewed sex, previously.
The fact that Hades has such a complicated relationship with fatherhood makes his dream way more touching, and tragic.
I always thought that Hades wanted to be a dad but physically couldn’t.
Hades and Persephone had at least one lighthearted and comedic conversation about it, which didn’t appear to be hiding anything. Just seemed like he wanted kids, but couldn’t have them the normal way.
I knew he feared being like Kronos, but i didn’t realize it translated to fatherhood itself.
So, in Hades dream, when the Underworld was put to sleep, he didn’t just dream of the two of them together and happy, he dreamed of them together and happy with multiple biological children.
Once again, I thought the emphasis was on the biological--He wants kids with her but can’t have them. Just seemed to confirm what I thought.
But...it’s more than that. His dream wasn’t just having biological kids…it was being a good dad. The conversation in his dream just seems cute and fluffy on the surface but...babyccinos and credit cards are Hades being a good dad...but also still being Hades. That's why it was his dream. That was the real thing that he felt like he couldn’t be. The real unattainable happy ending. ....Which, to me, is way more powerful, and way more sad.
And now…I’m questioning the idea that he can’t biologically have kids too.
I thought nothing of it before, even when he said he didn’t know what was taken from him.
But now...I’m starting to think the fact that he didn’t know what was taken from him was called into attention for a reason. Because, to this day, the thought that it took away his ability to have kids was just an assumption he made. And if it was just an assumption....it might be wrong.
Maybe in some weird magical way...it's the mental barriers he has to overcome in order to have a biological family, not the physical ones.
Me during most episodes of Arcane: Why does everyone love Silco so much? I mean he’s definitely interesting, but he also seems pretty evil. Sounds like people really like his relationship with Jinx but I can’t tell if he truly loves her.
Silco with his dying breath: I would have never given you up, Jinx. You’re my daughter
Is anyone else bothered by the fact that Dolores literally heard Bruno living in the walls of their house and neither said nor did anything about it for years?
Like imprisoning yourself, alone, in the walls of your own house because you think everyone hates you is an objectively terrible way to live. Surely Dolores would have recognized that and tried to do something about it? Sure he didn’t want to be found, but any truly loving family member surely would have been like “hey no this isn’t okay, we’re gonna get you some help and also do our very best to make sure the family stops being mean to you”…right?
Even if she couldn’t rescue him, she could have gone in there and been like “I know you don’t want to be found but, hey, at least I can hang out and give you some company”?
What makes it worse is she’s characterized as being a gossip, so it extra doesn’t make sense that she would keep that inside for years. I mean, to be fair, that might not be accurate, surely she hears tons of secrets and doesn’t tell them…still.
From what little I’ve looked up on here, it seems like people really like Dolores. I was baffled to see it, because I left the movie really disliking her.
I would have loved it if she got the chance to explain how being able to hear everything was actually really overwhelming, and/or even how she wasn’t a gossip, like Luisa and Isabella did with their gifts. If that’d happened I feel like I could have easily grown to like her. But we didn’t get that, and I already was feeling meh about her, so then knowing she heard Bruno all that time and did nothing pushed me into dislike.
What did you guys think of her? Do you agree? If not, I’d love to hear more explanation on why people seem to like her. If there’s a positive to this situation I’m not seeing
Idea for the Leveled Up video for Dragon Slayer that I know won’t happen but am having way too much fun thinking about
Dragon Slayer is one of my favorite NSP songs and I’ve been thinking about what the video could be for it—(at least…I assume there’s gonna be a video. I really hope so). I’d be excited for anything, even if the video is just the same as the original but higher budget. But since he’s so far been taking the songs/videos in different directions and mediums, I started thinking along those lines and one of my ideas I enjoyed too much not to share:
The entire thing is animated, and takes place in a fantasy world where all the outrageous lies are actually true.
The lady he’s courting is a princess and the song starts with him bursting in the door to the castle (looking very handsome and knightly) and the song is him making this grandiose speech in the throne room to her in front of all the other suitors (who genuinely are weightlifters and football players and the like, who look like deadbeats compared to our glimmering knight Danny).
As he tells the story we see scenes of all his lies being true and they’re epic.
When he talks about rupturing space and exploding the sun, either it pans outside to show that the world is a dark apocalyptic hellscape and everyone inside is casually like “oh so that’s what happened,” or it shows him recognizing his mistake and going back on time to fix it and re-slay the dragon normally. (Bonus points if it’s a shot of Ninja Brian turning a tiny time turner over and over and Danny over his shoulder being super anxious for him to hurry up).
When he brings the dragon to her he brings in a necromancer who resurrects a skeletal or zombie dragon.
In the end he seems like an absolute shoo-in, but she ends up choosing her little harem instead, and Danny is left all sad and confused. (Bonus points if the reason she picked everyone else wasn’t because she didn’t believe him).
Do you think Miguel was a good addition in regards to the larger narrative? (DEH Book spoilers below!!)
I’ll begin by mentioning I’m not actually finished with the DEH book yet, therefore I might not have enough context. So if that's the case, you can feel free to kindly let me know. But I skimmed pretty much all of Connor’s parts (not spoiling the parts related to the actual story, just wanted to learn about Miguel), and I needed to get my initial thoughts out.
From what little I've seen, it seems like folks in the fandom absolutely love Miguel. (A quick search on here makes that extremely clear). But currently my feelings are incredibly mixed.
Of course, from just a general a fan and/or character perspective, it’s wonderful that Connor had someone in his life he could turn to. Their relationship is fun, and interesting, and heartbreaking. Miguel for the most part seems like a lovely guy.
The main thing within the story itself that makes me question Miguel is when he belittles Connor for having a copy of The Little Prince. He might have meant nothing by it, it could have been a continuation of him saying that Connor was innocent, and he may have meant it positively, jokingly, and/or flirtingly(?). But, especially as Connor explicitly says he was making fun of him, it seemed like he was belittling him in a way that...really wasn't kind? Especially considering that Connor absolutely loves books, that’s a red flag for me. A friend who puts down the things you love, even in a joke...isn't truly a friend. I honestly thought Connor was going to describe how their relationship started to slowly decline from there, so I was rather shocked when next thing I know they’re woohooing. And that red flag moment never seems to be addressed. Why was that in there if Miguel was supposed to be a purely positive influence?
The other thing is him not saying anything when Connor took the fall for the weed. This isn’t too bad of an offense, but the fact that it sent Connor to rehab—and thus it drastically altered his life—and Miguel doesn’t seem to feel bad at all is questionable for me. Again, not too bad, but makes me give the side eye. (Though I might have missed something in my skimming).
But, more than anything…I currently honestly don’t think Miguel was a good addition specifically from a writing perspective.
I’m a writer and always look at things at least in some capacity from a writing perspective. If I’m looking at this from a purely fan standpoint, yes, of course we want Connor to be happy. This is something I could totally see being a cute fic where someone ships him with their OC and gives him some happiness.
But looking at it from a writers perspective, it doesn’t seem to improve the overall story.
One of the things that makes this story so beautiful to me is that Connor and Evan were in pretty much the exact same place mentally. They both didn’t have any friends, struggled with mental illness, with their relationships with their parents, their overall loneliness. DEH isn’t just Evan’s story, it’s Connor’s too. Some of it fabricated and some of it real, and part of what makes it interesting as an audience member is trying to figure out what was real. Connor fell victim to the loneliness in his head, and Evan almost did but ultimately made it out. Evan’s fabricated friendship is meant to go both ways. Both Evan and Connor didn’t have friends, and the true sadness is that they could have been friends if they realized they were such kindred spirits. Evan’s lie actually could have been real. They both would have wanted it.
Connor actually having a secret best friend, diminishes the power of the story at large so much for me. Because now Evan’s lie is just that. There’s no beautiful tragedy where they were both lonely and both would have wanted this friendship to be real. Connor already had a friend (more than a friend) and Evan was...kinda just a nuisance to him.
Connor's suicide wasn’t coming from the same place Evan’s attempt was—which, again, them both attempting suicide for similar reasons is something I always found beautifully tragic in the story. And Evan admitting that is, if not the climax, a climax. But...Connor wasn’t lonely over the summer just like Evan, he was lonely because he lost his boyfriend. He wasn’t struggling with his first day in the same way Evan was, feeling invisible, and succumbing to it. It seems like he was mainly missing his boyfriend, and that’s what he succumbed to. While definitely a valid reason to feel the way Connor felt, it removes beautifully tragic mirroring between him and Evan and weakens the greater narrative to me.
I was so excited when I learned that ghost-Connor would be narrating parts of the book. I loved getting to know him more, and I absolutely adored getting to hear his perspective on events that we don’t get to hear in any other version of the story. Within what's fake and what's real, Connor gets to tell us what's real, beyond what we imagined. That first chapter from Connor's POV where he wakes up dead is probably my favorite chapter in the whole book so far. I would have loved so much if ghost-Connor started talking about how he really wished he and Evan were friends. That we now get both sides of the tragedy where we never did before: here Evan is lying they they were friends, but genuinely desiring that, and here Connor is going “…I wish this were true too.” (I mean he sorta does say that but not to the extent I was thinking. It’s kinda an offhand “huh I guess that would have been interesting. Anyway back to Miguel.”).
But…like halfway through the book it’s no longer about Connor’s perspective on the story, it’s not about the mirroring, and the greater themes of the story—or honestly even just the story we know—we just get to hear about his adventures with his secret boyfriend. Don’t get me wrong, they are interesting to read about. Like I said before, I feel like this would be a delightful fanfic. But I don’t feel like it adds a lot to the story at large, and honestly seems to detract from it.
Like I said, this is my initial skimthrough. My feelings could change later, especially when i have more context. But I honestly needed to vent. And I’d love to hear people’s thoughtful discussion on the issue, as I think it might give me a better perspective as I go through and read those parts again.
(Okay so this is a really old post, about an equally old chapter but I found it in my drafts and I thought it was still interesting and applicable? So I thought I'd add to it a little, and share it.)
Let’s talk about this for a second, shall we?
I love this. Not because it’s cute, but because I love the way Rachel’s portraying this.
Sex is so glorified in the media today, and I feel, in plenty of stories today, the characters would go immediately from a passionate kiss to sleeping together. (And yes, I know part of the reason they don't is it's a slow burn, but still).
In other stories, Persephone stopping in the middle of the kiss might not be answered with something like this, (with something so personal, vulnerable, and emotional), and I love that it was here because it makes her so much more like a real person.
Persephone has been taught her whole life sex is something bad. Many people are, and for her I think it was probably rather extreme. She wasn’t given a choice if she wanted to have it or not, she was just shunted off into TGOEM. (And who knows if she had to learn about what it even was/the mechanics from someone/where other than her mother).
Even if she didn’t actually agree to it, or with Demeter’s view of sex, I’m sure Demeter’s view affected her own. Especially as she isn’t openly rebellious, she probably felt very ashamed of any sexual feelings she experienced growing up, and tried to write them off, or stuff them down. (And I’m curious as to how many times she even has experienced arousal at all.)
And I mean, I don't know much about sex, but what went down with Apollo wasn’t exactly an “exciting” experience for her, on multiple levels. There was no build up where they kissed and she got to experience what it was like to be excited by a man she was actually attracted to on a physical and personal level before it happened, (like she is when she passionately kisses Hades). In fact, it’s possible a kiss itself is a rather foreign experience already.
So to her, not only is arousal potentially foreign to her, it’s shameful. Notice the way she says “I got excited.” This isn’t a cutsey, blushing, kind of embarrassment. It’s not “oh no I’m telling him I’m sexually attracted to him, how embarrassing! Squeee!” It’s a very real shame. We don’t see her seeming embarrassed and blushy afterwards, (as characters in this sort of situation often would after admitting something embarrassing). In my mind, the statement isn’t said in a cutsey way, her voice is very serious, it just gets really soft. Because she doesn’t want to admit it. Its been ingrained in her that it’s wrong to be attracted to him in such a way. Or at least I’m sure she’s debating within herself whether it’s wrong or not a lot. Even if she herself doesn’t believe sex is bad it’s still a cause for shame and guilt within her.
Now (unfortunately) back to Apollo. Her mom already taught her sex was bad, but Apollo, at least in some way, probably confirmed it. She probably at some point started thinking “Is it supposed to be like this? To feel like this? Is this normal? Was mother right? Is this just what sex is? And now I can't be a part of TGOEM...because of this?” She probably tried to tell herself that with someone else it would be wonderful, but at the same time, it likely tainted her view of sex even more. Not only has she been taught from a young age sex is something bad, to say her only experience with it was bad would be an understatement. So her own sexual feelings are not only something she’s already learned to be ashamed of, they’ve probably in some way become associated with Apollo and his awfulness. (She did say she felt tethered to her abuser in a recent chapter).
This gets real speculative, but, in a strange way, she may not want to feel this way towards Hades because she doesn’t want to taint their relationship. She is attracted to him, she loves him. On one hand, of course she wants to sleep with him. And yet, maybe she doesn’t want to do so with him and find it’s just as bad as it was with Apollo, or that her experience with Apollo somehow mars her experience with Hades.
She doesn’t even know what’s normal, or understand her body. Its really interesting how kisses are portrayed kids shows--they’re almost sweet and innocent in a way. They are the end of the show, the romance, and, when you’re a kid, sex doesn’t even factor in. Then when you grow up and realize sex is a factor, that a kiss is just a forerunner...I don't even know how much she's been taught about kissing. For her, she's been so sheltered. She knows about sex and kisses now but, I think there's perhaps a level of dichotomy of "oh wait, a can't just kiss him, that leads to sex." That is perhaps almost a sort of new thing for her.
Which she even speaks aloud about in a (sort of) more recent chapter
She wants to sleep with him, she does, and she loves kissing him...but she's also scared. She wants the kissing to lead somewhere...and she's afraid where it will lead, too. She questions whether it inherently leads somewhere. And she's altogether concerned with what others want from her, Hades included. She's concerned what others will think of her if she sleeps with him...and what Hades will think of her if she sleeps with him--and those two dilemmas are very different.
She's expressed her fear of not being able to give him what he's used to a lot recently, and I do think that's part of it, but...at some point she's going to have to tell him what happened with Apollo, and that it's a bit more than just that, and I think that's where things will get really interesting.
I also find it interesting how she talks about giving, like sex is about giving herself up. I'm sure that's what it felt like with Apollo. But, like Hades says here, she shouldn't have to give herself up to provide for his needs. That shouldn't be what it's about.
I dunno, I just am enjoying reading about Persephone's struggle with this, and how and if this will continue to be portrayed in a deep and realistic way.
It would be so easy to write her as "Yup, she's sexually attracted to him, she 100% wants to have sex with him, the only problem is her fear of what everyone might think, anyways, let's go." And I appreciate that there's a real struggle here. That there's "I really really do want this...No, wait, do I want this? Can I actually provide this for him? Will I enjoy this? Will everyone hate me if I do this?" And I like the portrayal that she's even a bit ashamed of her sexual feelings (Even her "I just experience a lot of feelings of sexual attraction" in the therapist's office, while it was hilarious and adorable, it also conveys this embarrassment of "maybe I shouldn't feel this way, maybe I shouldn't say this" and Chiron had to tell her it was perfectly normal). I like the portrayal that just because she experiences sexual attraction towards him, doesn't mean she's ready to sleep with him right away. That isn't the only factor here. I feel like it's a lot more realistic to how girls who are sheltered might feel in real life. There's a lot of things she needs to work through before she can sleep with him, and this can be a healthy thing.
So this is going to be a long, overemotional/melodramatic post... but I need to get my feelings out somehow.
I've only watched ep1 so far, but I really love the look of, and am really excited for, the new Loki show.
When I first saw that some Marvel shows were coming to Disney+...okay, yes, I was definitely excited about Wandavision and Loki, because those are three of my favorite marvel characters. But at the same time, things did feel a bit like a marketing ploy. Of course Disney would make a bunch of marvel shows on their new platform--thats what'll sell. Of course they'll pick Loki, because he's really popular and that'll sell more. I wasn't even sure I'd watch Falcon and Winter Soldier. It didn't feel like I could genuinely be excited about the shows, thinking this. And, don't get me wrong, this problem is still there, no doubt about that.
But I've definitely enjoyed Wandavision and Falcon and Winter Soldier, especially the former. I thought they were solid shows.
So even though I LOVE Loki as a character...I came to the trailers with this sort of bias in mind.
Now, let me be clear, I don't just love Loki.
He was probably the first character I ever became truly obsessed with. I'm pretty sure he was the first villain character I liked, and kind of awakened my love for redeemable villains (which, if you couldn't tell by my url, stays strong today). He's a character I've loved since Thor came out in 2010. He's been in my life for ten years, and in a way shaped who I am.
I enjoy marvel overall, but pretty casually. I definitely keep up with all the movies, but I don't totally obsess over all of them. However, I still remember just how unfathomably excited I was when Dark World came out. How unbelievably happy I was to see Loki again. How I savored every joke he made, every tender moment with him, and just how happy I walked out of that theater. When I watched Ragnarok, I was older, so I wasn't quite so giddy, but that kid inside me is still there, and still jumped and grinned every time I saw him come on screen.
Needless to say, he holds an extremely special place in my heart. Even though I have characters now that I potentially like more, he's sort of been my "favorite character" for ten years, and I will always adore him.
I'm sure its been said by plenty of Loki Stans but...I absolutely hated how Infinity War went.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not mad because he died. Okay, of course I'm mad he died. But I can deal with character death. In fact, I sometimes prefer a character getting a dramatic and fulfilling death to them getting a happy ending. (And there are things I liked about his death--like, I really adored his dialogue, that he was dying for a good cause.)
But what I hated the most was that it felt like the creators didn't know his character. Loki is the god of mischief. He would never EVER launch a straight attack on a villain, no illusions, no back up plan. I'm sorry, but that's just not him at all. (Sure his plans in Avengers were more scattered and went horribly...but, firstly, he was being mind controlled so he wasn't all there, and secondly, if I remember correctly, there was still a level of mischief in his plans. He didn't generally do things straightforward. That's part of what made it fun to watch.).
(Loki wasn't the only character I felt they did this with in IW. I hated that they just had Cap live his life through time with Peggy. Not that I hate that idea itself, it's cute of course. But Cap is so incredibly selfless. He would never just do something so selfish like that...It wasn't him).
In addition to that, I felt like I saw the puppet strings so clearly in that scene. That movie was all about shock value. I don't think a movie--at least one in a franchise like marvel--should ever be made purely for shock value. It should be about what's right for the characters and the overall storyline. If there's some shock there, great. But give the audience an actually fulfilling story. Don't make your entire plan to shock and horrify the world that loves these characters/this franchise. In that scene, it truly felt like they were "Oh hey Loki's like the most beloved character, right? Lol, let's break his neck within the first five minutes to show we mean business. They'll hate that."
I'm a writer, I know the merit in going "okay, hey, we're going big here, we need to set up our villain early, and set up how this movie overall is going to go with the first scene." I know why they felt the need to kill off a character in the first five minutes.
And hell yeah I'm largely just mad because it was my fave, of course I am.
But it didn't feel like they were going "Okay does this make sense for Loki's character? Is this a good way to have him go out? Will this satisfy our audience who loves him?"
It felt like they were going "Okay let's pick the most beloved character so it'll shock, annoy, and hurt people the most."
And I'm not okay with that.
I'm just some shmuck, there's nothing I can do about that. But I'm not okay with that. I was so not okay with that, that I've pretty much hated marvel for all the years preceding Infinity War, and have not been fully excited about anything marvel related since then. I have barely interacted with Loki content since then it affected me so much.
I know it's melodramatic, but It felt like they were killing my childhood. That little piece of me that got excited every time he came on screen. That piece of me, that had been so excited to see him be on the side of the villains in infinity war, because it just meant I got to see him. It truly felt like a small part of me died when I watched him die.
So when the Loki trailers came out? In a weird way ....I couldn't even be excited.
They were bringing him back, potentially erasing the problem I have with Infinity War. And yet...I couldn't be excited.
First off, when I saw what happened with him in Endgame (it made me extremely happy and hopeful, let me tell you, but it obviously didn't fix everything) I was kind of under the impression he'd just be causing mischief throughout space and time for the show, and I was absolutely here for it.
So when I saw the trailers were him getting caught immediately, and then recruited for the side of the good guys...I was like "okay so...the same plot as other Marvel movies? The plot of Ragnarok again? He gets stranded on an alien planet, and has to work for the leaders. There's lots of fighting, like there is in every other marvel movie, which is the part I least care about." When I saw the trailers I didn't get to see Loki being himself at all. I saw other people controlling him, and then him working for the good guys. That's not Loki. Loki is mischief. Loki works for himself. Loki fights, yeah, but his character actually has depth and emotion to it, he's not just for brainless fighting. (And whoo boy let me tell you I was mad when I saw the DB Cooper part of the trailer and thought they chopped his wonderful hair off when they made him a good guy, like they were totally changing his identity. And also let me tell you the SHEER RELIEF I felt when I found it was just a tiny scene, and his wonderful hair will remain (please God let it remain)).
So here I was thinking "great, its infinity war all over again. I'm gonna have a whole show of them not knowing and staying true to his character."
Even though that little kid inside of me was still there. Even though that little kid was going "Dude! Dude! It's Loki! An entire show about Loki! You won't have to wait for him to show up on screen, he'll just always be on screen! He'll be the protagonist! Do you realize how much I would have loved this if I got to see it years earlier?" I was so tired, and so mad.
But now I've watched the first episode.
And for the first time since infinity war...I felt like I could breathe again.
Here I thought they'd forgotten his character. They forgot that he's the god of mischief, that he's funny, that he's, well (to use the words of Thomas Sharpe)...absurdly sentimental.
And they didn't at all.
From minute one he's himself, wanting to rule the world, cracking jokes, refusing to be controlled, causing mischief when and where he can. They actually showed the progression of why he'd be willing to work for them really well.
And gosh I loved that scene where he sees what his life would be like. From the moment Mobius started showing him scenes from his life, I was desperately hoping he'd be left alone with the device and get to see more of his life, and desperately hoped he'd see and react to his death.
And they did not disappoint.
They remembered. They remembered that he's ambitious, that he's not controlled, they remembered that he's funny and mischievous, and that he's a special marvel character, that you can actually get deep and emotional with. They remembered all of it.
Watching Loki watch his own death was like taking all those years of anger, and for one brief moment melting them away. I felt like I wasn't alone anymore. Wasn't alone in going "hey that's not Loki." Loki himself was watching it, and could judge that for himself. And most importantly, it was confirming before my eyes that it was no longer was his end.
And him being the villain and the hero? I cannot explain to you how much I love that idea. How much and how well that keeps in line with his character. A great premise and protagonist can make for a poor story if it has a poor villain, and, to be fair I haven't seen how it goes, but that seems like the perfect--and perhaps only--villain who could make this show absolutely stellar. I'd love to see them explore that Avengers-level villainousness, with him also being a hero like we see at the end of Ragnarok. It'd be fun to see his two sides trying to convince each other to join them. It would truly feel like they understand all aspects of his character.
I'm older now, so I don't get nearly as excited about things as I used to. I wish I did. I almost wish this came out when I was younger so I could be more excited. But that kid is still inside of me, and I'm so excited to see him on screen all the time.
Now...I don't really care so much if it's all about the money.
It's a whole show about Loki. I don't have to wait for him to come on screen, he's just there.
This feel like more of a relief than I can possibly express.
Additionally, your thoughts on Dracula and Adrian from the Netflix adaptation of Castlevania? I find Dracula really tragic, and the ending scene of Season 2 crushed me because I was not expecting Adrian to cry. He’s usually so stoic and calm that I didn’t think he would weep, I expected him to just shrug it off like heroes usually do, but no, when given time to process everything, the first thing he does is break down into tears. Sypha was right in calling him a brooding teen in an adult body.
Ohh man. If you just take a look at my writing blog (or anywhere I post my fanfiction) it’ll become pretty clear pretty quickly how I feel about them XD So far all my Castlevania fics have been about the Tepes Family. Adrian and Drac are my favorite characters in the series!! (Though I do love pretty much all the characters in it.)
YES YES YES!!
They did an incredible job making Drac sympathetic and tragic. I don’t know if you know anything about the games, and granted, they couldn’t put a lot of story stuff in the games, but (at least as far as I’m aware) in most of them it’s like “ya, he was an evil dude who did evil things because he was evil.” So it actually would have been pretty accurate to the source to make him just an unsympathetic, irredeemable villain, but they didn’t and I LOVE them for it. Playing Symphony of the Night (Alucards game) after watching the series l was almost longing for that Drac I know and love from the series, (though it’s fun to see evil Drac too).
As I’ve said, I adore redeemable villains, and they did an amazing job with him, to the point where pretty much everyone in the fandom adores him, which is extremely tough to accomplish—even if you write a redeemable villain well, often large parts of the fandom don’t see it and hate the character. I knew that the point was that they were going to defeat Drac but I have to say, especially since I originally knew nothing of the games, I was hoping they’d save him by the end.
I think the fact that he liked and was kind to Hector and Isaac was evidence that he wasn’t too far gone. I mean, the only two people he genuinely trusted and liked in his court were human…that’s so interesting, I wish it was at least talked about, either in the show or in the fandom. I think he actually liked humans, partially or especially because of Lisa, he just...was so angry, and needed someone to blame. He probably ultimately blamed himself for not being there to save her, and it was just easier to blame the humans he once hated/didn’t understand, even if in reality he didn’t hate them as much as he thought he did...
Doing more thinking and research into the show for my “If These Walls Could Talk” fic I recognize now that symbolically it made sense even within the show that he died when Lisa died (which I can explain more about if you want but id probably end up going off on a long tangent so I’ll save it)...but I still thought practically, in the show, he could have still been redeemed.
Omg I LOVED that. The longer I take to sit with it, the more I realize just how much I loved that they put him crying instead of shaking it off.
It’s very interesting that Drac and Alucard are more openly emotional characters. I might be totally wrong, but as far as I remember, they (...and Lisa when she dies, and probably Isaac in a flashback), are the only main characters we see openly cry. It’s a pretty bold move to make any of your characters emotional like that, but especially your villain, and your bold handsome hero. It’s sooo easy to get emotional characters and emotions wrong…or just offputting to some people...but more on that later.
I think Adrian and Drac are both rather sentimental, in an odd way. Much of Drac’s motivations in the show and even in the games (the times his motivations are explained) had to do with his wives (yes he was married before Lisa in the games...unless Lament of Innocence was retconned...) which is interesting. So many of his decisions are based on emotion. He lets Lisa in just because he likes her, he goes to war with the world because of Lisa, he sits in his study mourning her loss, he let’s Alucard kill him… I also notice very often he digs his nails into his palms until they bleed, presumably because if he didn’t he’d hurt someone else (in the scene where he hurts Alucard, he does this). His sentimentality doesn’t diminish is power as a villain, which is SO difficult to accomplish.
 I am emotional myself so I absolutely love to see emotional characters, but for most people, seeing even a normal character be emotional diminishes them in their eyes, or makes them whiny, so making your villain even a little emotional, and having that not take away from the audiences perception of their power as a villain is sooooooo hard to do, and I applaud them for making a so well-beloved, and still villainous and intimidating, but also emotional (at times) villain.
For Alucard. I don’t see any problem with him being emotional, but it makes even more sense if he’s a teen in an adult’s body—which was indeed portrayed quite well.
Yes that was interesting when he cried when drawing his parents!! I wasn’t expecting that when I saw him drawing them. I was enjoying and intrigued by his story so much, then when he started crying I was caught off guard—but in a good way. It really made me feel for him, and understand that he was still grieving his mother, and that knew the gravity of what he was currently doing.
I think it’s kind of important to show that kind of thing in a situation like this. It’s easy to think Alucard hates his dad, and they need to show the emotion of the situation to make it clear “no he doesn’t hate his dad, this actually breaks his heart, he just knows he has to do this.”
I loved when he was telling Trevor and Sypha about how much the world would lose by killing Dracula. It’s really interesting that he hides his emotion with them, and that Trevor and Sypha are so stoic. The son of Dracula isn’t the guy you expect to be the only hero who cries.
In “For Love” when Trevor’s like “Don’t get weepy about it” I was sitting there, sobbing, like “No, please get weepy about it! Let the boy cry for goodness sake!! Give me some emotion!!” But I too was not expecting him to cry like he did, and in grieving the death of his parents...
I knew the crying scene was coming because I’d seen pictures of it on here and pinterest, but I had no context for it. In the end it wasn’t just the weeping itself that made the scene so impactful, it was everything surrounding it. I didn’t know it would happen when he was completely alone (and would be for the foreseeable future), and in grieving his parents, or about the ghosts/flashbacks before it (cementing his grief), or that it was literally the last scene of the season, or that there would be no music for both the scene and the credits thereafter.
And that was what really got me.
Because, firstly, we never got to see any flashbacks to his childhood, and that was what I was begging for the entire series (and hence why its what I write about). To finally get it, and it not to just be something the audience gets to see, but something Alucard himself is seeing... a happy memory he’s seeing when he knows that is completely gone, he cannot hope to have it again, and for him to now be in his father’s place…that’s heartbreaking. Like just having your character cry—let alone those kinds of full-on sobs—is painful enough, showing a son grieving his parents is a particularly heart wrenching kind of sadness, but showing that he is haunted by memories of those parents he lost—not only lost but one of which he killed, and, if SOTN is canon for the show, the other of which he could have saved—of a happy childhood, and he is alone with these memories for the foreseeable future...that is truly heart wrenching.
Also the scene with Trevor and Sypha in the wagon earlier in the episode was super sweet, they could have easily put the Adrian crying scene earlier, and had the Trevor and Sypha scene be the last scene of the season (and Trevor’s game actually does end with them looking into the sunset, so ending with the last scene of “For Love” would be accurate as well), and left it on a positive note, and the audience would have been left with a completeness. But they made a conscious choice put his crying scene last, and it was so powerful, because it made you remember that at the end of the day, he isn’t just our bold handsome hero, he was a son who lost both his parents, and that, to him, this isn’t really a triumph, but a loss. It also kinda confirmed that Drac wasn’t an "evil guy, end of story". That there was reason to grieve him, and to show his son grieving, and to leave it there because of it. It was a personal gravity too
In the end, it was the lack of music in the scene, and even more so during the credits, so theres only his tears, and all you are left with in the end is this amplified emptiness that really did me in. I think I literally sat there, tear tracks on my face, my mouth open when I hit the credits.
Playing Symphony of the Night after watching the show is really interesting in exploring his character. I knew there was very little story, so I wasn’t expecting much from the story, but I actually found that I was beyond excited whenever there actually was some story, and the few lines they did say are stuck with me.
Maria comments early on that Alucard’s not very good at talking. At first I just chalked it up to...weird translations or whatever. But the more I played the game and the more I thought about him in the show...I think she’s right. He’s not very good at talking, yet if and when he does talk he’s quite eloquent, and precise with his words. (This actually makes him a somewhat difficult character to write). I wonder if perhaps this has some connection to his emotionalness. He’s very careful with what he says, and this may spread to what he does—such as being careful when he shows emotion. I’m curious why he’s like this. It could just be his nature, but I wonder if as a kid he was ever hated because he was a vampire—maybe people made fun of him, and he cried, and they made more fun of him because of it—and he learned both to hide his emotions, and that he had to be very deliberate and show people he didn’t mean any ill will with his words. (And he looks older than he is so people might call him immature for acting his mental age). All very speculative, of course. But it’d be fun to write about!
Also, another thing from SOTN that is related to this topic, there was a fight that really struck me (enough I actually wrote a fic about it (inverted recurrence)). SOTN takes plays 300 years after the events of The Netflix Series (aka Dracula’s Curse). Most of the bosses don’t seem to have a lot of meaning story-wise, they’re just there for you to fight. The other day I (Alucard) walked into a boss room...and there were Trevor, Sypha, and Grant (who was omitted from the Netflix series). They were fake versions of them, of course. And there’s no dialogue in the fight so maybe I’m just speculating, but what struck me was that the fact that Dracula could use them against him probably means he still cares about them, even after 300 years. It probably also means that they’re some of the only friends he’s ever had. Granted, he was asleep for a good chunk of those 300 years, still. It goes back to that sentimental-ness I was talking about earlier.
I few years ago I watched the Gravity Falls commentaries, and from them I got a lot of the writing advice I still think about and use today. Alex Hirsch said something on this subject which I really liked which is “Hold your tears.” When a character cries they’ve broken, that’s as far as they can go. So if you make a character cry when the audience themselves doesn’t feel the weight of the scene, or it doesn’t feel like the character has broken yet, it can feel like too...much/cheesy, and distance the audience. especially with cartoons where the way it’s drawn can actually affect your sympathy for the character (it can look weird or accentuated).
They did such an awesome job with this by literally holding his tears until the very end. I don’t know how other, non-emotional people felt about it, but Ive don’t know if I’ve ever seen tears used so well in a show, pack such a punch. To have it not just be a part of the scene but literally the focus, and at the end...it was powerful.
Sorry for the long response, and more importantly, I’m beyond sorry for taking so so SOOO long to respond. I hope you enjoy my response, if you see it <3
P.S. For anyone else who made it all the way to the end, I actually have a Castlevania sideblog now: @symphonyofthewrite !! I’d be beyond happy to recieve asks like this over there, if you’d like to hear more of my thoughts!!
You wanna know what I absolutely love about this line?
So, we know wishes are dangerous things for vampires to have in the world of vnc, due to the certain creature that professes to grant them, and what that creature steals in order to get them:
Naenia, while she/they pretend to be sympathetic, of course doesn’t actually care about the person’s struggles, emotions, and wishes, she just wants to steal their names and will do anything to get them. Though I think often the vampires she comes to are desperate enough for that sympathy they see it as real or else don’t care and will do anything to have their wishes granted.
We have an inclination that Jeanne may, in fact, have made this sort of wish at some point in her life:
And Vanitas himself also has inclination, but, as he himself said, not confirmation, of this same fact with regards to Jeanne.
Returning to the first two screenshots, on the surface it may just seem like Vanitas is being romantic, but, (especially since that’s not yet where he’s really in love with her), I see a much deeper meaning to the line.
Whether or not he directly means to, to me it sounds like he’s telling her,
“hey, I actually care about you, your struggles, your emotions, your wishes, and I want to grant them, not to get something out of it, but because I love you.
So if you have a wish, bring it to me. Don’t think just because the wish is ugly or a curse you have to ask someone, something, else to grant it.
I’m the only one who can make your wishes come true. So bring them to me. Not her.”
I know Vanitas of course has his own issues from the past with regards to helping people, so maybe the line isn’t nearly as nice as it seems.
At the same time, at this point he isn’t sure that she’s a curse bearer, so in addition to it being cool symbolically even if he doesn’t purposely mean it that way, it could be really powerful if saying this is part of his way of trying to make sure she does not become a curse bearer in the future. Or perhaps if she is a curse bearer, that she’ll be more willing to tell him and be treated by him in the future.
It’s just a really lovely scene in general, I wasn’t sure about their relationship at first, but I’m growing to really love it, and I’m excited to see where things go from here.
