#character observations

[yumetakato]

I feel a little silly for this realization, but I've always had a difficult time clocking Opera's age [at the start or in certain flashbacks] in if Mafia... And now I think I understand why.

-From Iruma's pov, Opera's always been an 'older kid' (maybe 13-16), so they look bigger/older/more mature than they actually are.

-From an adult's pov, they look like a proper kid (9-13), so they're smaller and fit the bill for being a little shit.

[clemblog]

Vampires SMP Spoilers

(Specifically Owen’s Finale)

Imagine being Louis, just watching your fledgling descend into cruelty because the world took you away from him before he was truly yours. You’re a mixture of disappointed and pitiful, you thought you’d taught him better but in the span of centuries, you were truly only in his life for a flicker of it. You can only watch as he cuts away everyone who hurts him but also everyone who tries to help him. You know how this’ll end, so you wait. You wait for your reunion, no matter how brief it is. And you don’t look away, because you promised you never would. Even if it hurts, to watch your fledgeling, your lover descend into his eternal punishment.

[perilousraven]

The Hair Controversy: On Draco Malfoy's Personal Grooming

So. Draco's hair. There has been some..controversy. What does it actually look like?

There is zero mention of it in PS, he's only described as pale and pointy there. In CoS there are two references to sleek hair, but the first refers to Lockhart (whose hair is also specified as 'wavy') and the second to Lucius Malfoy.

Apparently Mr. Malfoy had set out in a great hurry, for not only were his shoes half-polished, but his usually sleek hair was disheveled.

(CoS ch18, Dobby's Reward)

In PoA, Draco's hair is described as silver-blond, but the first reference to his hair (instead of just his father's hair) being sleek comes from GoF, where his hair is also described as white-blond (also all the rest of the series, seems that 'silver-blond' was retired at this point as a reference to Draco/the Malfoys and instead attached to Fleur and her family). In GoF the word sleek also describes Karkaroff's hair.

But the man who was leading them up to the castle was wearing furs of a different sort: sleek and silver, like his hair.

(GoF ch15, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang)

Even GoF doesn't describe Draco's hair as 'slicked back'. That's reserved for Hagrid's efforts to dress up for his date with Madam Maxime. The word 'sleek' does also describe Hermione's hair at the Yule Ball though (and also at Fleur's wedding in DH).

She had done something with her hair; it was no longer bushy but sleek and shiny, and twisted up into an elegant knot at the back of her head.

(GoF ch23, The Yule Ball)

OotP features more sleek-haired Draco (and Lucius), although most mentions of 'sleek' are describing Umbridge and Snape who are using particularly honeyed ('sleek') words to spread their hate. It also has the following.

[Bellatrix] had long, dark hair that looked unkempt and straggly in the picture, though he had seen it sleek, thick, and shining.

(OotP ch25, The Beetle at Bay)

HBP continues with more mentions of 'sleek', although quite understandably such descriptions are absent in the last book.

So what does all that mean? At this point, I'm obligated to point out. Nowhere in the books does it equate 'sleek' with 'slicked back' such as some of the fandom does. I can only speculate that particular association is because of the movies.

In the books, 'sleek' is also used for wavy, voluminous hair. Additionally, it's used to directly contrast to Hermione's natural bushy hair, and used to describe Karkaroff's silvery fur cape. In fact, overall 'sleek' seems to describe smooth hair with a healthy glow to it more than anything else. Smooth, shiny, silky, and something that can also apply to wavy and voluminous hair (or fur).

That is...quite a contrast to what he looks like in the movies. I've got to admit, while I was fairly certain his hair was never described as slicked back, oily, or stiff in the books, even I'm surprised by what it ended up being.

[multi-fandomdisaster]

Happy new year, everyone! As a gift to start up 2025, I give you all something I promised you all a good while ago!!!

✨BEHOLD✨, my favorite (alive) Ted details from TGWDLM (acquired during a soundless/no-audio rewatch I did of the musical to study his body language) (except as I go on, it gets more and more uncoordinated and chaotic):

(Heads up: this is gonna be really long, and as such, I'm gonna put the list under a cut as to not take up as much space. We're covering EVERY scene he's in [alive] within an ENTIRE musical. Buckle up, fellas!)

His shoulder shimmies during and after he says the "cute little barista" line

Honestly during that whole segment, the stark difference between Paul's near-complete lack of motion while Ted never STOPS moving

Actually, I don't think there's a moment in the whole musical where he's completely still and I love that

Also Ted seems so happy to be there talking to Paul lol

His little tippy taps on his mug while Bill speaks

He looks over to see the pot of coffee in Charlotte's hands when Bill makes the "coffee in the sugar joke"

His little lip twitch after the "I heard, I wasn't there" line

His facial expressions in the back while Charlotte's talking about Sam singing that morning

How fluffy his hair is during the alley scene in comparison to how it was slicked back the last time we saw him

"Paul," *tap tap* "get in a trash can!"

His apologetic grin to Emma after Paul says "Latte Hottay" and the way it IMMEDIATELY falls as soon as he looks back at Paul

BONUS: the way Paul flinches when Ted touches his shoulder

"My ID's in my back pocket-"

His incredibly confused expression when the cop grabs his arm and starts fake-driving with it

The "look at this guy" point at the dancing cop during the bridge of Show Me Your Hands

The way he starts vibing to the song during the bridge of Show Me Your Hands (this will return)

The way he plugs his ears as soon as the one cop starts imitating a siren (Bill and Emma also do this)

The double take he does when Sam pulls a gun on Charlotte

He uses the trash can lid as a shield

His visual "you're going great" as Emma's talking about Hidgens

The confidence and the smile as he says "A king"

He puts a hand through his hair as he looks down at Sam

He's very touchy with all of his friends. First the shoulder pats with Paul (which Paul seemed very uncomfortable with), and now the shoulder hold and back pats with Charlotte

He slightly extends his pinky when pointing

He often stands with his hands in his pockets and gently sways, shifting his weight thoughtlessly back and forth from one foot to the other. Bro literally CANNOT stand still

Okay, scratch the slightly extending his pinky. Bro just full-on points like this ->🤘sometimes (except with his left hand. Is Joey Richter a lefty? I ask because Ted primarily gestures with his left hand)

The little flourish (and/or fumble) with the handcuff keys as he puts them in his pocket

He rubs his hands together and cracks his knuckles as Hidgens is talking about the blue shit

His crossed arms and general bored body language as Alexa dims the lights

As soon as everyone else leaves, his body language immediately opens a little bit as he (and this is truly the only way I can describe this) swaggers over to Charlotte and IMMEDIATELY touches her shoulders, rubbing them soothingly before full-on holding her to him. Touch is this man's love language, platonic or otherwise, and nobody can convince me otherwise

I love the way he looks at Charlotte. You can tell he genuinely cares about what she me saying, and he looks confused and maybe a little hurt when she pushes him away. You can also see the exact moment the confusion weans as he determines the next words he's going to say.

HE DOES STOP MOVING AT ONE POINT! TO LISTEN TO CHARLOTTE!!! HE STOPS ALL MOTION TO FOCUS ON WHAT SHE'S SAYING!

His smirk on "always will be"

Okay, but like- Charlotte moves so much in this scene in comparison to Ted. Her shoulders, her face, her head; my girl's practically squirming the whole time. And I know it's mostly to drive in the joke with dramatized...flirting? I think? General horniness? Is that what's happening here? (I'm aroace; I don't pick up on/understand this kind of stuff lmao), but it's still a bit jarring to see a character deliberately moving their body so much that it makes Ted look practically still in comparison lmao

He doesn't look genuinely mad during the "I'm not your therapist!" line. He looks mildly annoyed if anything. Maybe a bit frustrated?

I genuinely feel like Ted doesn't like Sam. The two have technically never been seen interacting before, and yet the way Ted points at and states his opinions of Sam is done with so much...idk, "rigid matter-of-fact"-ness. He just...flat out does not like the guy

I have SO MANY EMOTIONS about the "This guy is a scumbag. You could upgrade to a sleazeball" line-

There's a lot of emotion in his arm gestures when he says that Sam's a scumbag. To me, it again looks like he genuinely doesn't like Sam, and he's trying to convince Charlotte that he's bad.

Then he calls himself a sleazeball, and he states it like it's a fact. It hurts even more to me how there's a slight smirk on his face when he says "you could upgrade" and then his face goes completely serious when he finishes the sentence with "to a sleazeball" and points to himself.

He doesn't look proud. He looks resigned to the title

And then he HOLDS THAT POSE, his hands/arms bouncing a little to drive in the point

I feel from that through the "but you refuse to be happy" line, we see a little bit of the caring inner side of Ted before he re-defaults back to his usual more asshole persona

UGHHH I LOVE THIS SCENE SO MUCH-

"I'm gonna go hit on that crabby barista" ✌️

Off topic, but we need a left hand emoji equivalent for every hand gesture emoji in my opinion lol

Ted is MANSPLITTING in that chair. His posture is so bad (and looks so comfy lol)

And also he's fidgeting with the bottle, looking relatively spaced out until he looks at Bill speak

Ted is 100% at his most asshole when he's drunk

Why does bro look like he has a headache at the beginning of this scene?

This goes for the whole show, but my man SERIOUSLY talks with his hands

Is that a bottle of Jack Daniel's? I feel like I should have noticed this earlier, but I never bothered to look lmao

He taps on the bottle every once in a while

"Oh" *nods with unimpressed frown* "My head" *nods with unimpressed frown*

He also stops moving between reactions. Like he's processing the stupidity of the threat in real time lmao

And then he stands up and sets the bottle down so he can go right back to his usual dramatic full-body movements as he makes fun of Bill

Okay, but it looks like he's genuinely having a lot of fun as he's making fun of Bill, and then gets pissed off again once he remembers he's supposed to be pissed off lol

I feel like there's not many details I can go into with this scene that people haven't already picked up on just by watching because Ted's a focal point in the scene

"That's what sense Bill taught me" *bows with the bottle of Jack Daniel's in his hands*

Wait, when did he pick the bottle back up? Is this a case of the "they put multiple shows together for the YouTube video?" Probably. Alternatively, Ted can canonically summon bottles of booze whenever he wants /silly

Bro is SO ANIMATED. He will NOT let this joke die on his watch lmao

I'm sorry, but his reaction to the light smack on the back of his hand gets me every time. Why don't we talk about this more often???

He looks SO OFFENDED (and a bit confused) when Paul takes the bottle away from him

The force in that "WHATEVER!" I stg I could feel that through the screen lol

Apparently he could feel the force of that "WHATEVER!" too because it lowkey looks like he's catching his breath after he says it

Man, I wish we could see Ted during the whole conversation between Paul and Emma. I wanna know what he's doing. I wanna know if he's listening along, or if he's spaced out and doesn't give a shit

UGHHHH I WISH THIS WAS AN AUDIO WATCH BC THE WAY TED SAYS CHARLOTTE'S NAME WHEN HE SEES HER BEFORE JOIN US (AND DIE) HURTS ME IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLEEEEE

*sigh* I'm gonna need to do another watch through at some point that's just me listening for his dialogue during songs, aren't I?

Also I wanna listen to Jamie sing because GIRL CAN SINGGGG

Bro's just standing there watching Charlotte and Sam approach like🧍‍♂️, except slightly crouched, like he's ready to run, but he has no idea what the hell is going on

From a different angle, it looks like he moves to the dino pose™️

HE RUNS A HAND THROUGH HIS HAIR AGAIN!!! I am FULLY convinced he does that when he's nervous now lol

He readjusts his shirt and fidgets with his hands as he tries to think of what to do, and then he goes to approach Charlotte. Then they hit the chorus and he stops. Or rather, it looks like Bill held him back

He does a double take of Charlotte at the chorus

WHEN DID HE PICK UP THE BOTTLE AGAIN??? (Ted's booze summoning powers strike AGAIN!)

Bro is so frazzled by Charlotte walking toward him with her arms extended that he does ANOTHER double take

TED STOP PICKING UP THE BOTTLE OF ALCOHOL, IT'S NOT GOING TO HELP YOU-

HIM SETTING THE BOTTLE DOWN AGAIN AND PICKING UP THE CHAIR-

Did...did Ted try to use Bill as a human shield? You had a chair! Why did you put the chair down???

Legit though, he is cowering behind Bill lol

Sam and Charlotte are NOT letting Ted have a good day lmao

The way he looks around confusedly during "ride it" like "what the hell are these guys doing to me???"

DID HE CRAWL TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STAGE AFTER HIDGENS SHOT SAM???

At this point in the show, Ted's the only one in the main group who isn't wearing primarily white. I just thought that was interesting

Ted is STILL on his hands and knees with his jaw hanging open right up until the "musical doppelgänger" line

I love how he looks at Paul for help when Hidgens makes them sing Moana, like Paul of all people would know the words. I love even more that Paul is the ONLY ONE who knows the words

Ted's just trying to follow Paul's lead lol

Also BONUS: Paul tells TED that he didn't like that movie lol

The look of pure annoyance he gives to Bill as he sings a completely different song

The way he meanders around the back of the stage, looking down at (presumably) Charlotte

THIS IS THE FOURTH TIME HE'S GRABBED THAT BOTTLE OF JACK DANIEL'S (including him starting the scene with it)

He looks so done with everything when he's talking to Bill about him getting his daughter. He looks so exhausted. So...emotionally drained and angry and, dare I say, grieving

I think the bottle switches hands between shots

YES! WE FINALLY SEE HIM DRINKING FROM IT! I don't know why I'm excited about that lol

He momentarily stops moving to process before "Oh, I'm a fucking creep?"

The way his eyes widen during "...people who are FUCKING DEAD!"

He also stops moving while waiting for & listening to Paul's response

There's so much emotion from him during this scene, but I can't think of the words to describe it

He's just so...frustrated and sad :(

He keeps sitting back down in the same chair whenever nobody's speaking to him

AND HE TAKES ANOTHER DRINK!

YES!!! SHOW STOPPIN' NUMBER!!! I LOVE HIS VIBES IN THIS SCENE!!!

I love how he's effectively asleep on top of Emma

HIS DOUBLE-CHIN I CAN'T-

"What? Wha...? What...? The fuck...?"

The way he's facing the complete opposite direction from Hidgens and has no idea what's going on lmao

His slow tired processing about how the heck he can turn/lean around to see

He like- looks around, then tries to look over his right shoulder, then looks around again, rinse and repeat

'What's going on over there?' *scoot scoot*

His expressions range from "what tf is this guy on about?" to "this guys a fucking dumbass"

He's taking in everything occasionally nodding along

Man, I wish I had the dialogue in this scene memorized like to do for basically the rest of the show. It would make analysis of the scene a bit easier lol

The way it looks like it takes Hidgens chucking his Alexa across the room for Ted to realize he's in danger

*GASP* The first time we see Ted visibly uncomfortable with someone touching him!!! Like- a full on flinch and cringe reaction! Now, the real question is if it's because he didn't know Hidgens was gonna put his hand on his shoulder, because Hidgens is actively insane, or because he doesn't overall know Hidgens? Maybe a mixture?

He's breathing SO HEAVILY after Hidgens lets go and walks away. He was NOT okay with that touch

His slack-jawed expression when Hidgens reveals the keyboard. He's so shocked he stops moving again beyond blinking lol

"Don't you fucking do it!" *scoot scoot* "DON'T YOU FUCKING DO IT!"

He looks almost jittery at the beginning of Show Stoppin' Number. He's full-on looking around for an exit

He also leans away when Hidgens walks toward them

HOLD ON, DOES HE LOOK HIDGENS UP AND DOWN WHEN HE TAKES OFF THE JACKET??? I THINK HE DOES A DOUBLE TAKE, BUT I'M PRETTY SURE HE ALSO QUICKLY DOES A FULL-BODY SCAN OF HIDGENS AND THAT'S SO FUNNY TO ME-

He's OFFICIALLY VIBING TO THE SONG!!! And all Hidgens had to do was take off his jacket lmao

*scoot scoot* "Fuckin' go for it!" *bounce bounce bounce bounce bounce*

He is FULLY invested

AND NOW HE'S COMFORTABLE WITH HIDGENS TOUCHING HIS SHOULDER!

He is SO EXCITED about Workin' Boys! The Ted vibes are unmatched in this scene

And his investment during the phone call??? Hello???

"...and Chad..."

And then he's RIGHT back to the vibes lmao

As soon as the Workin' Boys come in, the vibes cease IMMEDIATELY and he's back to being terrified for his life

His very fast head shake

The gag where he starts praying to be saved and then Paul shows up will never not be funny to me

"I'LL GET THE PIANO!"

And mark another one down for him touching Paul's shoulder

And now he's also grabbing Emma's shoulder. And Paul's again.

Both of them are SO uncomfortable with him holding their hands. Emma gets OUT of that SO FAST when he lets go and both her and Paul's body languages are so tense. He notably DOESN'T try to slip out of his grip like Emma does though. He's just so used to it at this point lol

Another Paul shoulder touch. I should have made a counter for this.

I NEVER NOTICED TED FLAT OUT SNATCHES THE GUN FROM PAUL WHEN JEFF'S WORKIN BOY APPEARS THAT IS SO FUNNY-

AND THEN HE JUST DIPS

I LOVE TED

And another nervous hand through the hair!

Teddy...no...those soldiers aren't gonna help you...

Ted please stop waving that firearm around so recklessly, you're gonna hurt someone

He's so excited to see the military that he literally jumps for joy

The way his motion stops so suddenly when he gets shot. And the confusion in his eyes

Orgh the way he tries to resist-

His little head shake no, the way he tries to hold MacNamara's hand back with his free hand, and then when that doesn't work, with the gun hand, the way his eyes are wide with fear...until they're not

The shift from regular Ted to infected Ted is so jarring, especially after hyper-analyzing his body language and all of his small little character motions for so long. He's so blank. His gaze is suddenly so serious and empty. He's dead. In a singular swift motion, they've taken this lively, constantly in motion, utter mess of a man and turned him into another mindless slave. You can pinpoint the exact moment Ted is gone and the Hive has replaced him. It's terrifying. It's heartbreaking. I love it.

And LUCKILY FOR ME THAT MEANS MY OBSERVATION LIST OF ALIVE TED IS OVER!!! FINALLY!!! I'M FREE!!! /silly

I hope you've all enjoyed my insane ramblings about one Theodore Spankoffski! If y'all would like me to turn this into an actually coherent rant (or perhaps would want me to do this with another character, although note that would likely take me a good while just like this one did lol), let me know! The time it took aside, this was actually SUPER fun to do, and it's given me a new perspective and appreciation for the character! Hope y'all have a wonderful day/night/year!!!

[stayweirdalways]

mkay mkay gotta talk about this: Ragatha and Jax, specifically, along with a couple of other characters that act like them.

Let me preface this by saying I am not trying to villianize or absolve anyone here. I am just making observations.

Jax is an Avoidant. When there is struggle, especially if it's emotional, he will avoid voicing his feelings out loud at all costs. He will divert, change the subject, and act like a jackass to get the scrutiny off of him. If someone asks him how he's doing, he will give a wide smile, all teeth, and say "I'm fine!"

Now, I'm gonna compare him to two other Avoidants that I know very well, whose stories have already reached a conclusion (that'll be important later). Eda Clawthorne, from the Owl House, and Bill Cipher, from Gravity Falls.

Eda Clawthorne is an Avoidant for only one specific reason: she fears hurting those she loves. It's not an unfounded fear, either: she attacked and crippled her father, someone she adored and who adored her, for life. It was an accident, yes, but that does not change the fact that his life and the lives of his family were forever and irreversibly altered. This incident haunts Eda throughout her life and her story arc. 

Eda, like most if not all Avoidants, simultaneously fears and craves intimacy. She genuinely wants to connect with people on an emotional level, but once bitten, twice shy. Getting close means more chances to hurt those she loves. And getting close also means being seen. She already thinks of herself as a monster: she cannot stand being seen as a monster by other people, especially if it's someone she loves.

This divide, this back and forth, is present throughout the series. It's most noticeable in episodes that directly have Eda lore, like Eda's Reqiuem, Knock Knock Knockin on Hooty's Door, and Elsewhere and Elsewhen. This last one in particular is the most glaring. Eda's father Dell finds her, and says he "can't keep chasing" her. And by Eda's response, we know she's not running from him because she doesn't care if she's forgiven by him: she doesn't think she deserves to be forgiven. But that isn't up to her. It is up to the person she wronged to forgive her, and Dell does because it's his daughter and he loves her. 

Another thing I noticed in that episode that ties into Eda's fear of letting people close is these lines: "I hear I have a grandson now?" "Yep, King's a Clawthorne." She doesn't directly say he's her son (she never does, but it is evident she thinks of him that way) but she doesn't dispute her father calling King his grandson. She just confirms that Dell heard right, there's a new addition to the family. She genuinely wants that type of relationship with King, always has, but she's afraid to voice it for real because life has taught her the hard lesson that she is a monster and cannot be trusted with something so fragile as a child.

Her Avoidant style is 'get close but not too close', and her mask is The Owl Lady, the feared wild witch. She gets close enough to people to get at least some of the intimacy she so desperately wants (her ex-boyfriends also being an example) but stays far enough away to not hurt them too badly. Keeping people at arm's length. Raine eventually could no longer take it: they genuinely cared about Eda and wanted something deeper than Eda would allow herself to have. I think at some point, if Luz had not come along, King would have slowly drifted further away from Eda in search of a deeper connection than just 'roommate' and Eda would have continued to deny him that type of connection no matter how much she wanted it because she feared hurting him. The only reason Eda started letting people get closer again is because Luz knocked down her walls with a sledgehammer and refused to take no for an answer. 

By the end of the Owl House, her Avoidant style isn't exactly fixed buuuut we can see the effects of Eda trying to fix it. We can assume, after defeating Belos and after everything settled down, that she started trying to open up more, trying to break the habits she's kept for so long. It was most likely not immediate, but her friends and family would be able to see that at least she was trying, and that is half the battle in and of itself. Raine likely would be the one most often seeing this, as her partner and as someone who had been affected by her Avoidant style in the past, and they would be proud of the effort she was making. The Owl Lady simply becomes Eda, since she has no more need for a mask.

I promise, this is still relevant to TADC.

Bill Cipher is also an Avoidant with arguably a much, much bigger and worse list of crimes than 'I clawed half my dad's face off', including but not limited to: genocide, destruction of at least one dimension, Time-Baby-cide, tormenting any poor sod that summons him to the point where they would quite literally rather be dead, and just being a general asshole. His style is more 'party animal': if he doesn't think about it, it didn't happen, and he'll do whatever it takes to ensure he does not think about it. Drugs, disrespecting authority, following any impulse that comes into his head and not thinking about the consequences.

He never apologizes. He keeps his mask of Party Animal firmly in place, only letting it down twice: 1st time, in the tip of the Fearamid, talking to Ford about 'a flat world with flat dreams'. It's the most serious he's been in the actual series, and dare I say the most aware of what exactly he is doing. He is deliberately letting one (1) wall down very very carefully. The second time is in the Book of Bill, in the lost journal pages. He says a monster destroyed his dimension, and when Ford offers to slay the beast, Bill only says "Sixer, it would eat you alive." Again, it's the most serious he is in almost the entire book. In both of these situations, yes, Bill wants something from Ford. But he's not threatening. He isn't screaming. He's entirely serious. There is no beating around the bush, no diverting, no joking.

The rest of the time, his Party Animal mask is glued to him. He tortures because he thinks it's funny, he is goofy but terrifying, and most importantly of all he is not thinking about what he's done.

Bill does not get an arc that redeems him, at least in canon. Yes, once he dies he's sent to be rehabilitated, but he's been doing the 'party animal' Avoidant style for so long that it will take millenia just to break down his walls - some of which, I guarantee you, he doesn't even know they're there. And after that, it'll take him ages to reconcile with himself. He'll have to. There is no one to forgive him. His people are gone. The Pineses think he's dead and are glad of it. The others, the shaman, the Victorian guy, all dead. Bill is going to have to grapple with the fact that he is the last of his kind, the last of Euclidean culture and heritage, and that he's the reason he's the last one.

Now, finally, on to Jax himself.

Here's what little we know about Jax: he had a friend, named Ribbit if I'm not mistaken. Ribbit abstracted. Jax hasn't recovered. Jax acts like an asshole to everyone. Jax thinks he's funny when he acts like an asshole. Jax has trypophobia (this is relevant).

The thing is, being an asshole? That's Jax's mask. While Eda masks behind 'keep everyone at arm's length' and Bill masks behind 'don't ever think about it', Jax does both. Acting like an asshole ensures nobody wants to be around him. Ribbit was his friend, maybe even his closest one in the circus. Whether or not Jax directly did something that caused Ribbit to abstract, who knows? But maybe Jax was the first one to find them after they abstracted. All their eyes would have triggered Jax's trypophobia, and Jax would have run from them, too scared to try and help. And maybe his guilt over Ribbit's abstraction is tied to that: that he ran and didn't even try to save them. While this doesn't put him at fault, hewould still feel guilty because that was his friend. And if Jax keeps everyone at arm's length, if he ensures no one else gets as close to him as Ribbit did, then it won't hurt as much when they abstract and it won't be caused by him.

And acting like his archetype, staying behind his mask of 'The Funny One'? Keeps him sane. It's Jax's way of dealing with the situation. If everyone is in an archtype, he can fit them all into boxes. If he can fit them all into boxes, it gives him a reason to keep existing. After all, there's always the comedy relief in cartoons, right? Someone has to do it. Crazy's funny but only to some extent, Zooble's too grumpy, Gangle's too sad, and Ragatha's gotta stay positive because she's the happy one. Kaufmo (I've realized how to spell his name correctly) was a clown, yes, but nobody really thought he was funny (RIP man). So that leaves Jax to be the funny one! He also strikes me as the type that genuinely likes making people laugh, usually through a deadpan or sarcasm. The reason he bullies everyone is to keep them at arm's length, but the reason he calls himself 'The Funny One' even while being an asshole is because he needs to have that mask to cope with the situation they're all in. He doesn't know how to balance pushing people away and keeping them laughing yet. 

When Jax's mask is poked at, when it starts to be questioned or when someone tries to confront him about it, he does whatever he can to get the scrutiny off him. Divert, change the subject. Make a joke. Anything at all to keep his mask from breaking.

Part of the reason I think Jax has a bit of a fascination with Pomni is because she is genuinely not hiding behind a mask and she doesn't fit neatly into a box like the others. She doesn't have any archteype to mask behind and plainly doesn't want one, and it both frustrates and intriques Jax. Frustrates because if she's not in a box, she doesn't fit into Jax's way of viewing and coping with the situation. And what if she does choose to be the Funny One? There can't be two comedic reliefs! Where does that leave Jax? And it intriques him because so far, despite not picking a mask, Pomni's doing just fine. Could… Could Jax do that too? Let down his walls? No. No, of course not. Obviously.

Ragatha is the other character in the circus who's masking. She's also an Avoidant, and her style is not any one of the ones I've already named. She takes the 'keep the peace at all costs' approach, likely due to growing up with her mother. She will let people walk all over her just to keep conflict from breaking out. By the way, that's not any better than the other ones. Even now, her Peacekeeper mask is starting to break more and more because that's just what happens. I know because I AM her, at least in my relationship with my brother. He acts like Jax: an asshole. I constantly try to greet him with a smile and with happiness, and he constantly responds with meaness or even open hostility, and it's getting tiring. I have a shorter fuse nowadays and it doesn't take him long to set it off. Being nice to someone who is consistently mean to you is tiring and eventually it wears you down until you find yourself fighting back. Honestly, Ragatha is stronger than me. If I was in her shoes, Jax would already be in a digital hospital with about 7 broken bones and a busted spleen. But i digress.

Ragatha is starting to slowly let her Peacekeeper mask down, starting to be more genuine about her feelings. I think a real change is gonna come for her and overall she'll actually be happier, because she'll be surrounded by people who accept that yes, she's a person with her own feelings. And if she's not trying so desperately to stay positive all the time, the other will see that she's being more genuine about her happiness and they'll appreciate it far more. I don't think Ragatha will abstract, not with the path she's on right now.

Jax, on the other hand… the way it is now, I can see one of two endings for him in particular.

One: The Eda Clawthorne route. He realizes that pushing people away is actually worse and it hurts more than letting them in. He starts to change, likely not immediately but it's a start, and the others see that too and welcome him, support him. They support him making an actual effort to change and grow, and this in turn encourages him to be more open and let his mask down a little. Whether this happens as a guy or as a girl (as many are speculating Jax will transition to a girl at some point due to various comments made by the creators and Jax himself) is up in the air as of right now. But if Jax does realize and does transition, it will likely make her happier and make this ending more likely.

Two: the Bill Cipher route. Jax holds onto his mask with a white-knuckled grip and doesn't let himself change, and he ends up abstracting by the end of the series. Leaving everyone to wonder 'why didn't he just ask for help' and leaving everyone, especially Pomni and Ragatha, to grieve him and grieve the relationships they had with him, wondering if there was any way they could've known, could've stopped it. Honestly this one could happen as a guy or a girl as well, but it'd be far more tragic if she did transition and still wound up abstracting. 

Added note because I noticed it while observing everyone: Jax and Ragatha are the only two characters in the circus with masks. As I said before, Pomni is genuine and open. Kinger is truly losing his mind, but when he's lucid he doesn't avoid anything: in fact he has multiple difficult conversations with different people, people he only sort-of knows. Zooble isn't masking, that's just the way they work, they're a private kind of person by nature. Gangle, ironically, isn't masking either: her physical masks simultaneously reflect and affect her emotional state, and as we've seen, even her sad mask has the capability to show joy. 

The masks stated here - The Owl Lady, the Party Animal, the Funny One, the Peacekeeper - they are all ways of coping with the situation the people are in, all ways of keeping others at arms length. They're shields, they're armor. They are meant to keep the people inside safe from harm, and for the most part it works. But every mask has to break, because it takes too much energy to sustain them for too long, and isolating yourself from true connections is damaging in the long run. Eda broke her mask. Bill died instead. Ragatha and Jax both will have to choose: break their masks and risk their hearts for a genuine connection, or die. 

[googlesnakegame]

HOLY YAP BRO😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Little miss mochachino (beret girl) and Bradley definitely had history together. U can't fool me. And I don't mean Romantic history I just mean they ABSOLUTELY got beef with each other, even before Max, Bobby and PJ came to State Uni.

Like what's with the "I got dizzy from watching your downward spiral" comment, Beret Girl? 🤔 Were you keeping tabs on Bradley's probably semi-decent behavior when he first started college, followed by his subsequent degradation of character once he joins the Gammas?

Also the "why don't you go ahead and save some whales, or something?" bit from Bradley? Lowkey pmo bc I'm doing enviro science and I hear ts shit a lot. But it Does establish a lot for his and Beret Girl's character like come on. Beret girl is probably an environmental activist of sorts, probably going on protests around campus and the like, and Bradley looks down on all that stuff. Rich kids and their affluent families and all that💔. Probably thinks it's beneath him, but he could've also said that to try and get a rise out of her.

Edit: NOT A SHIP!!!!!

Edit edit: Calling Beret Girl ‘Beret Girl’ ,,. It’s giving ‘no im not a human’

In conclusion I ate malatang for lunch earlier and I ordered the most minimal possible amount of spice but it still felt like they shilled a whole chilli plantation in my dish and I had to race for an entire milk carton at the grocery store and down my malatang with it. I'm slightly lactose intolerant💨

[bitletsanddrabbles]

One thing I've noticed about other people's 'missing scene' pieces from the second movie (as opposed to mine which may be forever unfinished - go me) is that they all seem to include at the very least a 'first kiss' scene, if not a full on sex scene.

And that's fine. If that's what you felt was missing, that's what you felt was missing. It's your fic. I will not criticize.

But for me one of the great things about the pairing was that they didn't kiss. They didn't need to.

There was no need to sneak enough nights of passion to last a year until your next excuse to see each other for a weekend or until he dumps you, whichever comes first.

There was no need to quickly, conclusively, and rashly determine whether he was interested before Lord Grantham officially declared that Bates was back in as valet because let's be honest, that was never not going to happen and everyone knew it.

There was no need for anyone to make their desires crystal clear as they were literally walking out the door after a four day stay and one very eventful night out.

They have time.

They have time to get to know each other better. They have time to confirm that this is not only something they're very interested in and willing to commit to, but something that has settled a little and yes, looks like it's not going to fall apart as soon as they leave England. They have the trip across the Atlantic. They have hotel rooms in New York. They have a transcontinental train ride. They have a house in California.

They could wait for that right moment and it didn't matter if it took a day or a year. They could wait until they'd settled in with each other.

They could wait, and for me, that's part of what makes the relationship really work.

[what-life-im-a-fangirl]

SOMETHING I NOTICED

Almost always, Diaval is on Maleficent's right. (Like a right hand man?) Observe:

First meeting. Technically she's circling him but she's looking to her right.

Then there's the scene when Maleficent causes the storm inside the cottage... and the deleted extension of that scene when Diaval asks about revoking the curse.

Side bar: they definitely should have kept that scene. It was still when Aurora was relatively young and it shows that Diaval wasn't afraid to question or contradict her.

Then there's the two of them watching Aurora at the wall of thorns.

"Bring them to me."

Then there's the scene where Diaval suggests Philip could break the curse (and Maleficent just crushes him by saying true love doesn't exist)

BUT THEN!!!

When Maleficent regains her wings, he seems to shift to being predominantly on her left. Maybe I'm reading too much into this but it's almost as if that shift is to recognize that they are equals? I mean...

And it continues into MoE when Aurora and her goth parents are walking to Ulstead and when Maleficent is presented at the royal dinner...

And when their precious pastel daughter gets married

I mean, there are some moments in the first film when he isn't on her right (mostly during the castle scenes after Aurora is cursed). But it just was something I noticed and couldn't get out of my head.