mike and will are samfroing out! or however the kids say it lmao.
here's the actual parallel drawn.
both sam and mike are encouraging frodo and will, and they don't take it seriously at first (frodo does says than will, which i didn't include bc this post would be much longer lol and i can only fit so many images, but it did remind me of will's speech to mike in the van; frodo's whole "frodo wouldn't have gone far without sam" and will's whole "without heart we'd all fall apart/[i] need you mike, and [i] always will".)
this isn't meant to be taken too seriously, but i truly wouldn't be surprised if the duffers/paul ditcher come out one day and say they had this sweet scene between sam and frodo in mind while writing/directing mike and will's sorcerer conversation.
How do I even write this recommendation when I am still speechless? I’m just watching my cursor blink trying to process.
Josh Silver has created something so special with these two books, and it deserves everyone’s attention. Beyond impressed. 1000/10 stars. Happy Head was the kind of story I devoured in one sitting, and Dead Happy was the kind of sequel everyone wishes for in their favorite books.
Things these books have:
- Incredibly unique dystopian setting
- Forced institutionalization
- Gay love story
- Lovable characters
- Whump, of all shapes and forms
- Edge-of-your-seat tension
- Brilliant twists
- Beautiful character development
- Fast pace
(Specifically, there are a LOT of elements that I know will appeal to my following if you like my stories & stories like them, BBU etc).
It's easier to joke around and be silly so that no one would see how devastating it was for you to lose your dad.
It's easier to appear confident and outgoing so that your family duties wouldn't look as crushing and constricting as they are.
It's easier to act like a hormonal teen and look for a girlfriend than to confront the feelings you have for your best friend.
You can't do it, you can't be fully honest, you don't want him to be in danger bc of you, you don't want anyone to feel pity for you [don't want anyone to cry].
You don't care if you lose your life. But you don't want him to be left alone.
You love him so much you let an eldritch entity take your place. Maybe it can be braver than you. Maybe it can make him feel loved like you couldn't.
You're too tired to be jealous.
But oh how you wish you two had met in different circumstances.
WARNING - there will be quite a lot of spoilers for anime and manga (even latest chapters)
This topic is huge, I'm not an expert and it's still pretty chaotic in my head so feel free to correct me or take it for further exploration. I'm curious about your thoughts.
First things first.
Yonic - relating to, resembling or shaped like a vulva, vagina or uterus. Very often used in all kinds of art in many cultures and religions from prehistoric times.
It's like an equivalent of "phallic" (btw I hate it that yonic symbolism is less known thanks to patriarchy and it's still a taboo)
When I was reading tshd manga I started to notice more and more yonic shapes and symbols (esp sorrounding Hikaru). I searched if anyone already wrote about it and found some reddit threads here and here. I want to sum it up and add something from myself.
Christianity
Since Christian religion is quite important part of tshd story I'll start with it. We can see yonic symbolism in many paintings that show Jesus wound from when his side was pierced by one of the Roman soldiers. It might represent some kind of cosmic creation as medieval art shows that the Church was born from that wound.
(it also looks like a piece of watermelon from top view lol)
There are also paintings/sculptures showing Thomas, one of the apostles who said he will not believe in resurrection (!) until he touches the wound
Can you see the resemblance?
Btw there are discussions among scholars about gender fluidity of Christ because of that symbolism.
Then we have also Sheela na gigs
These medieval carvings you can see above entryways of British and Irish churches, bridges and castles. They are believed to have apotropaic function - driving away evil spirits. In other interpretations it's a goddess who oversees childbirth / godess of life and death.
In many cultures vagina/vulva symbolises a sacred portal between spiritual and physical realms (examples: paleolithic and neolithic cultures - vulva engravings in caves and Venus figurines; concept of yoni in Hinduism - cosmic gateway; Japanese Izanami who dies giving birth to gods and descends to the land of the dead, her womb becomes the portal between the realm of the living and the dead; there are myths from Ancient Egypt, Africa, Indigenous Cultures of Oceania and Australia and so on - as you can see it's very universal theme)
umbilical cord?
In tshd they look for the holes and try to close them so the "impurities" can't enter our physical world. They call them like some kind of dirt but they are just lonely spirits (ugh the amount of shame)
I wonder if it's somehow connected to the abortion drug they talked about.
So there is a lot of emotional pain around the theme of pregnancy/giving a birth (I mean, imagine a person who is pregnant and happy about it but is FORCED to do an abortion because there is not enough food. Sounds pretty awful to me).
And later it started human sacrafices because people thought the "god" is happy now when they sacrafice pregnancies so maybe will be even better with something... bigger.
Maybe the holes are like open wounds that need to be stitched up and healed?
Wounds caused by transgenerational trauma?
They have to go back in reversed way to the womb and the source of suffering?
What do you think?
I don't know where the story goes so I want to wait with a deeper interpretation and connecting the dots but maybe you have some ideas?
Ahhh can't wait for the next chapters!
The sources I used are:
-this article
-Polish book "Histeria sztuki" by Sonia Kisza
And if you are interested in yonic imagery, I recommend this tumblr blog
“Hikaru”, theory of mind and the double empathy problem
Warning, spoilers for both manga and anime ahead.
I do not speak on behalf of the entire neurodivergent community. What follows is based on my personal views and experience as an autistic person, which will differ not only from other ND people, but also from others on autistic spectrum. Feel free to tell me if you have different opinions and/or experiences, I love learning about other people’s perspective.
I’ve seen people mentioning how “Hikaru” can be read as a metaphor for a neurodivergent person. This is something I noticed as well. I believe a lot of ND people (myself included) know that feeling of not being “human enough”. And since “Hikaru” literally isn’t human, he cannot be neurotypical (a very narrow category even in human context, but that’s a whole different matter), which technically would make him neurodivergent by default, if in an “eldritch cosmic horror” way.
I also read a post saying how “Hikaru” has no theory of mind, meaning he can’t understand other people’s thoughts, beliefs, emotions etc. may differ from his own. This is something I’m very conflicted about. (A short digression incoming, but I promise we’ll be right back to TSHD.)
I don’t know how it’s for other ND people, but there’s a widespread stereotype that autistic individuals universally lack theory of mind and are, therefore, all unable to ascribe mental states to other humans. The problem is that the researcher who first proposed the idea (somewhere in the 90s, if I recall correctly) and propagates it to this day worked with a rather homogenous group of people and failed to listen to different autistic voices on the matter. There are, after all, autistic people who are hyperempathetic; plus more modern research suggests the miscommunication actually happens both ways.
When I look at “Hikaru”, I can see a lot of struggle on his part. He doesn’t instinctively know the rules or morality humans follow. He often doesn’t understand his own feelings (which is akin to alexithymia in my opinion) or can’t tell whether they belong to him or the original Hikaru. But at the same time, he is capable of noticing others view things differently from him. It doesn’t make him instantly able to adopt a worldview that’s foreign to him on every level; but we observe him becoming gradually more and more aware humans don’t think the same way he does, or have the same needs etc.
It’s plain in many situations. During the festival, when Yoshiki starts grieving after the original Hikaru, “Hikaru” is conscious enough of the other’s mental state to try and give him some space. And the last anime episode (seventh) shows very plainly how “Hikaru” expects Yoshiki to be mad at him for hurting Asako, and that he realises there’s something unusual in the way Yoshiki acts all nice, takes him to movies etc. So again, “Hikaru” proves capable of anticipating another person’s thoughts, reactions, emotions – even when the other one is hiding them.
He “just” can’t grasp human morality.
So instead of saying “Hikaru” lacks theory of mind, I thought TSHD can be actually viewed by different lenses: that of the double empathy problem. Because it’s not only “Hikaru” who struggles to understand humans; it’s not all on him. We see, time and again, how Yoshiki makes wrong assumptions about “Hikaru” as well, and even how he berates himself for relying solely on human perspective in their interactions. Miscommunication works both ways. They need to meet each other midway.
This is beautifully shown in one of the manga bonus chapters where the two read a fairytale about a princess and a monster: the monster eats humans, but changes its diet so it can marry the princess and they both live happily ever after. “Hikaru” loves the story – he actually likes the idea of becoming more human! But Yoshiki rejects it. He first says the monster should have eaten the princess (well, we know “Hikaru” would love to absorb Yoshiki and his soul; I only hope Yoshiki didn’t unwittingly prophesy his own demise…). He even criticises the fairytale as skewed and antropocentric! The princess, in his opinion, should get to know the monster better, to learn what they have in common. And that’s precisely what he tries to do with “Hikaru” from now on.
By saying all that, Yoshiki recognises the monster has the right to live in accordance to its inherent nature; and that it’s not reasonable to force purely human values and behaviour on it. (Just as it’s not reasonable to force rigid and subjective societal expectations on ND people, especially when it harms them, but their unusual behaviour harms no one.)
All of this is, of course, reflected in Yoshiki’s and “Hikaru’s” relationship: “Hikaru” sacrifices half of his “insides” to become more human (or at least, less threatening to humans), effectively crippling himself. This makes me think of how some autistic people (and, presumably, other NDs as well) mask their “weirdness” to appeal to a wider society, but may end up developing depression or other conditions. On the other hand, we know Yoshiki is “mixing” with “Hikaru”, which Rie warns will make him less human. (We also know Yoshiki already views himself as monstrous due to internalised homophobia, but that’s, again, a different matter.)
Now, this is a horror story, so it probably won’t end well for either of them. Or maybe? TSHD can be surprisingly tender and heartwarming, and very good at going against expectations. Still, I’ve always loved stories about two different worlds clashing and having to learn to respect each other, instead of trying to force the other one to change. And since real life is not a horror story (or at least it definitely shouldn’t be), and ND people are not monsters, we don’t have to be scared of opening themselves for a different perspective on what it means to be human. Let’s meet midway.
tshd manga spoilers again. talking a lil more about the animal symbolism
So I mentioned how much I love the wolf/dog symbolism that “Hikaru” got awhile back. I think a lot of people love and understand canine allegories well. But I saw someone asking what Yoshiki being represented by an elephant meant. And I was wondering that myself until I saw the article mokumokuren posted on their bluesky after the newest chapter; about elephants who mourn and bury the dead.
They’re extremely intelligent animals. They’re very gentle despite their size. And they have very close bonds with their family. They grieve, they mourn, and perform “burials” for their dead companions- a behavior not often seen outside of humans. They even revisit these “graves” for years. They’re complex, deeply emotional, and empathetic animals.
That’s just…how “Hikaru” sees Yoshiki. I think it makes a lot of sense for him, who placed value in the soul regardless of the container, to make the connection between these empathetic creatures and Yoshiki.
I really do love how we get both of their perspectives on each other through these little bits of imagery. And the difference in the “horror” aspect for each.
From Yoshiki’s perspective, the horror came from loving something with a violent nature.
But with “Hikaru”, the horror (or rather, sadness) came from loving something with a gentle nature…but trapped in a vessel that could never communicate with him.
The only reason “Hikaru” has found happiness in his new life was from spending time with Yoshiki. Learning about so many things, experiencing the joys of humans. Simply talking with this person he cares for so much.
Even still, he didn’t fully understand the value in life, since your soul sticks around in some form anyway.
But now, a catalyst for his change in mentality, a simple realization that “an elephant Yoshiki could never talk to me”.
It helps us to see how he’s processing things and starting to value life now. That the “soul and the vessel” are both important, because that’s what allows you to experience these meaningful things, and build memories together. Memories are what make a life.
And I love that simply enjoying Yoshiki’s company as who he is in this life is enough for “Hikaru” to challenge his own views on the world, and grow.
Hikaru: You don’t want to be separated from me? Psssss lol, Gross!
Also Hikaru: *tells Yoshiki he doesn’t need to leave the oppressive atmosphere of the sticks after discussing Yuusuke - more or less coming out without saying it - because he’s always welcome at his home, says he’ll always visit him in college and never let he and his hypothetical gf have a moment alone, makes his dying wish to not be separated from Yoshiki’s side*
Hikaru Indou, you were always so full of shit - and that clearly had an impact on Yoshiki
god the summer hikaru died contains such multitudes it's honestly astounding. it's about being queer. it's about grief. it's about not understanding certain human experiences but doing your best to learn anyway. it's about how having good intentions doesn't necessarily guarantee good results. it's about how understanding the unknown makes it less scary but also letting the unknown stay unknown because forcing it into a box might do more harm than good. it's about how monsters can be human and how humans can be monsters.
the summer hikaru died is such a good example of queer horror as a genre. not just horror centering around queer people, queer horror. horror in which the queerness cannot be separated. the queerness IS the horror. the horror of hiding yourself, the horror of feeling disgusting, the horror of being alone.
being queer can be absolutely terrifying. queer horror gives that terror form
yoshiki's scars being visible to selected people as an analogy for him becoming more visibly queer to those who are close to him and know bout hikaru<3
why scars? bc he sees his homosexuality as an ugly 'monstrous' thing</3
Completely relatable for Yoshiki to give in to his attachment to the not-Hikaru so early on. If I was an isolated, closeted gay teenager who’d lost my best friend (who I was in love with), and the eldritch horror that replaced him came back validating my feelings every second of every day, telling me how much he loved and appreciated me, touching me constantly, giving me honest, unfiltered declarations of devotion?? Shit, I’d fold too
