#ad meta

[alivingsaint]

You all ever notice that their cars were given erections during a scene where they’re basically measuring dicks?

Like, it kills me that their shirts match the color of their respective dickmobiles, and that they’re both situated in a way where they’re literally dwarfed/framed by the sheer metaphorical magnitude of their own dickery. Just beautiful. A masterstroke in storytelling tbh.

[quinnmorgendorffer]

Do you have any mbti ideas for AD characters?

Hey! Well, I have been thinking about it and I have some ideas lol. They’re a bit hard to figure out because, after all, it’s arrested development, meaning they haven’t really grown up, which makes seeing their cognitive functions harder to figure out. Someone did typings on funkymbti, but I don’t agree with all of them 100%, but I’m no expert. But, again, I wouldn’t mind taking a swing at it. My personal rundown, with explanations under the cut, is:

Gob - ESTP (this is the one I am the MOST confident on)

Michael - ESTJ

Lindsay - ENFP

Buster - ISFJ

George Michael - ISFJ

Maeby - ISTP

Lucille - ESTJ

Tobias - ENFP

George - ENTJ

Tony (mostly speculative) - INFJ

Gob - definitely an ESTP. Like, holy shit, he’s a stereotypical ESTP. A stereotypical ESTP is the partier, the jock, the popular kid. He’s totally in a Se-Fe (Extroverted Sensing-Extroverted Feeling) loop most of the time; basically his manic stages because, yes, I have to fit in the bipolar Gob theory whenever possible. Anyways, he seeks adventure and sex and drugs and alcohol and is somehow magically ALIVE, so he either has no limits or knows his limits, making me believe his Se is high. Fe explains his ability to charm people, as Mitch described him as someone who doesn’t even realize he’s being charming. To quote mbti notes, “Tertiary Fe often makes a person seem sociable or charming, which can easily be mistaken as Fe dominant. However, tertiary Fe often has a calculating underside, more likely to treat people instrumentally as tools/objects for self-centered gain (due to higher Ti). Tertiary Fe is more likely to produce relationship failure and social discord (than dominant Fe).” He’s able to observe the environment around him and come to conclusions from time to time, showing his SeNi, like putting together that his mom had been driving Michael in “My Mother the Car”. I said he loops in Se-Fe because his logic (Ti) is very much absent like...constantly. His logic is very abstract and not based in facts like Michael (a total Te user) is. Inferior Ni also explains his need to stick to being a magician despite his total failure at it; lots of tunnel vision can happen with Ni. So, yes, I’d say ESTP.

Michael - This person said ISTJ, but I lean more towards ESTJ, if only for the fact that he’s not nearly as introverted/independent as he likes to believe (he needs the family as much as they need him) and the fact that it means he’d have inferior Fi (Introverted Feeling), explaining his “robotic” nature. Fi also explains why he has his own set of morals that, quite often, go against his family’s. It also definitely explains why he thinks he’s more moralistic than his family but really isn’t; the lower something is in your stack, the weaker it is, but you still might think you’re good at it. The Te-dom nature makes him very driven by facts and logic, and having Te-Ne makes him come up with dry, snarky comebacks. SJs have a rep for normally being pretty traditional due to Si, which isn’t always true, but it works in Michael’s case. I think a lot of his s4 behaviors are signs of inferior Fi/being in a Fi grip versus inferior Ne/being in a Ne grip. To quote mbti notes’ spotting guide on inferior Fi, “Their failures usually involve: being too aggressive and then getting severe pushback, taking on too much then suffering exhaustion, or being so focused on bottom line efficiency/results that they neglect other important things.” ESTJ.

Lindsay - She’s definitely an Fi user; she has her own morals and ethics that aren’t decided by her family, so she’s an FP or TJ. They said ESFP, but I might honestly lean more towards an ENFP. When she’s stressed out, she goes back to Tobias, and in s5a, they have her leave to find her “real” family, which indicates an inferior Si to me. But when she’s less stressed, she’s able to change her life around quite easily. She changes her focus a lot, including what size of a cause she’s on, and she’s very adaptable, normally a high Ne trait. And Lindsay having the same functions as Michael but in a different order really helps explain why they tend to get along well, I think. ENFP.

Buster - Buster is a hard one, god. He’s been robbed of so much of his adulthood that it’s hard to figure out his cognitive functions. Stereotypically, I think he fits as an ISFJ (Si-Fe-Ti-Ne). Si-doms are stereotyped as being very into routines, and Buster had trouble leaving his routines behind when Lucille was in jail. He craves approval of others, particularly his mom and his older siblings, which could indicate Fe, and higher Fe tends to make people warm and friendly, which is definitely a Buster trait. Through Ti he’s normally able to come up with some logical explanations, like figuring out Uncle Oscar is his dad, but he’s not too concerned with logic. His Ne is basically non-existent, since his growth has been so stunted. But, yeah, he likes things to stay the same and he’s a sweetheart, so I’d say ISFJ.

George Michael - Definitely an ISxJ, since when he’s stressed, he easily falls into the grip of Ne - spiraling anxiety. To, again, quote mbti notes, this time on inferior Ne, “Their failures usually involve: being too anxious or worried (catastrophizing), being overwhelmed by too much novelty or rapid change, or micromanaging situations (sometimes due to unwillingness to delegate).” I think I’d go with ISFJ because I think he has to have Fe in his stack; he’s very worried about keeping peace and harmony, and while Michael keeps the family together, GM is the one who actually wants the family to be together. Fe is often about togetherness. ISFJ.

Maeby - I definitely agree with the typing done on her as an ISTP. Her Ti-dom nature makes her very prone to being a bit rude and cynical, as well as independent and she can figure things out on her own. Inferior Fe pops up in her being unintentionally (or sometimes truly just intentionally) cool or rude to people around her. Hell, she purposefully tried to make GM feel bad for no reason. She’s definitely someone who lives in the moment (Se) and she’s able to get things to fall into place...most of the time. Definitely Se in her nature, so I could also see ESTP as well, but her Fe seems to be her biggest blind spot and she lashes out when she’s upset. And to quote mbti notes, “However, tertiary Ni often leads to very superficial judgment, more likely to carelessly dismiss deeper meaning or potential for growth (due to higher Se). Tertiary Ni is more likely to have a dejected or cynical attitude about what is possible in life (than dominant Ni).” Let’s not forget how she ended s4 by refusing to say she made a huge mistake. ISTP. 

Lucille - another tough one. I’m sure most people would put her as an ENTJ since that’s normally considered “the mastermind”, but I don’t know. I’ve always said the child most like her is Michael, so I could definitely see ESTJ. Te-Ne would explain how she’s able to think so quickly on her feet, both in regards to lying to people and with her insults. She’s definitely set in her ways, a definite Si related trait. Her active blind spot is definitely her morals, much like Michael, but she’s a bit better at hiding it since she is older. ESTJ.

Tobias - I think the person who typed on funkymbti did a good job with ENFP. From the mbtinotes on dom Ne/inferior Si “Their failures usually involve: not being able to prioritize the best ideas to pursue/develop, carelessness with details that leads to failure, or feeling restricted such that they cannot access inspiration/hope for long periods.” Ne explains his willingness to give up the career that he had for decades as well as how he’s willing to change what kind of performing he does. I’d say FiTe works because he’s not necessarily into harmonizing and he’s definitely devoted to what he thinks is right to him, not necessarily what people tell him to do, since he has no problem pursuing an acting career despite everyone telling him it’s a dumb idea. ENFP.

George - Eh, I do my best not to think about him lol. I actually 100% agree with this person’s reading on him and would definitely say he’s an ENTJ. His family are chess pieces to him, he’s always scheming, very much a Te-Ni trait. His inferior Fi makes him pity himself when he’s stuck in a bad situation. Yeah, I’ll stick with ENTJ. 

Tony - I’m not sure there’s really enough to work with for him at this point. I’m tempted to say INFJ, since that makes him Gob’s “mirror” type, meaning his has the functions in the opposite order of Gob (ESTP would be Se-Ti-Fe-Ni and INFJ is Ni-Fe-Ti-Se), and that’s supposed to make people a “perfect” match. But, since they’re same, maybe he’s an ESTP? Lol. Well, he definitely has a singular vision like a Ni-dom would, which is making it as a magician (contrasted to Gob’s inferior Ni that he always falls back on that one vision, Tony’s whole life is definitely magic). Again, from the mbti notes page, this time on inferior Se, “In low moments of weakness, they become very rash or extreme in behavior.” This could explain what we hope is just him faking his death (where are you s5b???). He claims he’s good at faking being gay and definitely has some manipulative, suave tendencies that could be an upper Fe trait. So, yeah, why not? INFJ.

I’ll also say the Steve Holt gives me ESFJ vibes (very sweet and warm, popular, goes with the flow, values family) and Ann Veal seems like an IxFP (guided by her own morals and ethics). I could definitely be wrong, though.

[danajsparks]

Hello Blunder Bus!

I know I haven’t been around in ages. But I’ve been lurking on tumblr lately, and I’m having Bus nostalgia. I can’t believe it’s been almost five years!

For those of you still around, I hope life has been treating you well. And I’m sorry if it has not.

I’m hearing rumors of season 5, so fingers crossed. 🤞 🚌 🌈❤️

[wishingformemoria]

Ooohh, I wonder if this injured gentleman is an opportunity to test Gil's doctoring skills? Which could emphasize how little he's actually been trained, in front of an audience no less. (Considering how inexpertly he treated Maggie, Odin, and Ava after the crash.)

Yeah.

I mean this post is so great on how it analyzed how inept he was treating them.

[wishingformemoria]

As scaredcoffeebean worded it,

 one of the main reasons I like Odin is...

that he has been the most decent to Ava compared to anyone else in the comic. Yes, him, the guy who literally held her at gunpoint in chapter two.

Re-read the last line, you aren't mistaken. Compared to every other character both Odin and Pedri have treated Ava as close to kind as you can get. 

[i-love-tony-wonder]

OUR LOVELY QUEER CHARACTERS OF ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT

Also, two I think might not be heterosexual:

Argyle Austero 

He is sort of the definition of the theater gay stereotype, but that does not necessarily mean he is in fact gay. So I am marking him as a maybe.

George Bluth

Now, I know it might sound a little silly, but bear with me here. At the time of “Daddy horny, Michael”, George had been in prison for two months. He says he has not had sex in one. Apparently if he has to ask Michael to arrange a visit from Kitty (or Lucille, either way), it is because he did not have a direct contact with her, or because he dared not ask (not likely). I believe inmates cannot have conjugal “encounters” if they are not married to that person, which makes the Kitty business a little hazy, but also implies he had not received a visit of that until that episode. 

Also there are no women! What’s up with that?

[lydiduh]

I love Will Arnett's face for many reasons but also because Gob always just looks like he's absolutely FORCING his expressions out

IDK how to describe it like he's either in Kubrick smile mode or sneering or laughing or having a breakdown-- whenever he's in a scene with someone else his face is always tensed really unnaturally like he's either trying to restrain himself or exaggerate what he's feeling or somehow things are just not clicking right in the way he's expressing himself, Gob never just has an expression he births it like a baby walrus

Gob's face is so much like a mask that keeping literal masks/disguises as a recurring theme to his character is an incredibly on-the-nose choice

[lydiduh]

Can we just talk about the weird, adorable nucleus that is Gob/Buster/Tony in Sword of Destiny

After Buster performs as the magician as per Gob's rouse, Tony takes an instant, genuine liking to Buster that we never see anyone else in the series come close to without an ulterior motive. The rest of the Bluths have largely given Buster up for a lost cause outside of being a lap pet, and most outside people think he's creepy, or if they do show him kindness they're usually trying to manipulate him like Ophelia later does, but Tony? An excited "Those moves were in their own orbit!" and an offer to have him go solo and be on his DVD. That's probably the nicest thing anyone on the show has said to Buster period.

Which is where most sitcoms would have Buster take Tony up on his offer and leave Gob out in the cold because Buster abandoned the plan to further his own ends-- but Buster is, to borrow a phrase from Moral Orel, pure pureness in its purest form. He still tries to push for Gob to Tony because Buster is primarily in this thing to make Gob happy as per the original plan, and Buster has repeatedly demonstrated a way stronger "family first" resolve than Michael ever has.

And then Tony watches their act at the end and decides that both Buster AND Gob are just the coolest thing since sliced bread (and he would know all about sliced bread of course.) "Bit of a celebrity" and therefore at least semi-successful Tony Wonder basically sort of fanboys the two absolute bottom rungs of the Bluth clan and that's just precious.