Percy’s face when Sally mentioned Grover playing a role in getting him kicked out of school…
The way his face scrunches up really tight before relaxing? That’s anger.
But not the kind of anger we see in him in the last episode.
This is the kind of anger that makes you cry. The kind that’s underpinned by embarrassment and hurt and feeling like you’ve been treated unfairly.
Percy knows he didn’t push Nancy into the fountain and he thought that, if anyone would have his back, it was going to be Grover. And then he didn’t. And it’s unfair to Percy. It’s Wrong. Because no one believes him, apparently not even his best friend.
And the way he closes his eyes and takes a really deep breath? That’s a tactic that’s literally recommended to stop yourself from crying when you’re angry. It allows your body to “catch up” with your mind.
What do you wanna bet that Percy learned that from a school counselor?
I saw a tiktok about this, looked into it, and it made a LOT of sense.
now, a victim of WHAT, you may ask
Covert Incest.
covert incest is a type of non physical sexual abuse. some examples can be parents telling their kids graphic details about their sex life, personal problems/treating them like a friend or therapist rather than their child, and holding them to the same standard and expectations as they would an adult.
"when I showed weakness, I was less of a man than him. when I lashed out, I was just as bad as him. it was confusing. it was like she missed him, but also hated him. and I became the target of all that. "
jax describes his relationship with his mother as slightly better than with his father, his father not being emotionally present in his life, and not present at all after him and jax's mother split.
he states that after his father leaves, his mother gets worse.
she begins to compare him to his father, shaming him for not being like him, and shaming him FOR being like him, mirroring her relationship with his father, disliking certain things about how he was, and being upset when Jax doesn't meet the standard of things she did like about his father.
holding him at the standard and expectations she did of his father/her ex partner.
he also says it seems like she missed his father AND hated him at the same time, and took it out on jax.
this can imply that she could have been physical with him, both is violent and sexual ways, but none of that is explicitly stated. but this also suggests that she treated him the same way she treated his father, psychologically, mentally, and potentially physically.
all of these behaviors are linked to covert incest, and recognized by physiologists AS covert incest.
of course he didn't help his mom when he shoved her. of course he takes his frustrations out by being a dick. his mom was an abuser. he was delusional and convinced himself they were just cartoon characters, and none of it mattered anymore.
he was a victim. he let ribbit in, then refused to let anyone else in, being a dick to prevent it from happening.
amandas representation as a (old) black cartoon character
ykw actually. this is like. the 90s. H*meln ACTUALLY managed to design a black girl with accurate hair and skin colour. like so many real life companies fumbled this. while it was Sam’s original design they could just as easily have ruined it. her skin is ACTUALLY dark, like there are light skinned pocs out there but I hate those mfs that were like “here’s a dark skinned person” and they’re literally peach. her hair is a simple shape but it has TEXTURE and may I mention it’s not poofy and out of control all over the place, or shaved off, or put into ridiculous messy dreads/braids like it’s a pile of ribbons or something, or the worst one I think, where it’s just straight, no texture, for no reason, like she’s not even black, like she’s faking it. her hair is something a little girl would ACTUALLY HAVE as a style. IVE had that hair constantly when I was little. and she doesn’t even have those unnecessary big ass lips or does that pursed lip thing black cartoons like to do a fucking ton. what’s even more is she’s wearing normal clothes and not like the roadman fit. like no insane amounts of bling or hats or random pieces of fabric or saggy pants or some shit nothing. there’s a number of characters out there who are supposed to be literal children just sitting around inside looking like they just got back from the hood.
like look. not one of them look like Amanda ok maybe a few but that’s besides the point. she doesn’t have one accurate thing and one stereotype she’s on point. like her design is so damn simple but it’s so righttt.
might i add (this one’s for the devs) her accent is more or less the same as everyone else’s. it’s not exaggerated just cuz she’s black and she’s not overly sassy or rude. her rudeness is within her character and not just because. and it’s a small thing but i like that they took the care to hire an actor who shared her ethnicity as a step up from the original.
I’m trying so fucking hard rn to not give H*meln any sort of praise but like. they’re practically the first animation company to represent a black character accurately this is the 90s. either they’re racist as fuck like everyone else and just didn’t have the budget for stereotypes or they tried to make it more appealing to like. black kids or smth so they could “borrow” more kids. anyway props to sam for setting the vision and lowkey being THE black dad ever I love him.
