#overanalysis series

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Late night conspiracies: Gravity Falls predictions.

So Hirsch has once again dropped a bombshell on us. We now know that someone's gonna bite the dust by the end of season two, but the big question is who is it gonna be?  I'm putting on my tinfoil hat for the moment, cause I was never one to sit idly and wait for something like this to be revealed.

Firstly, it's safe to assume it's gonna be one of the main characters, for the simple reason that it's what's gonna leave the biggest impact on the audience. We all know Hirsch isn't afraid to traumatise us, or to push past any and all borders of disney censorship,(I mean have you seen the show?) so we can assume he won't be afraid of killing off someone important if it serves a purpose to the story. Thus it's most likely gonna be one of the characters represented on the wheel

SO, who's it gonna be? 

First, for the sake of laziness, let's quickly shorten the list of suspects. Who is it least likely to be? 

I'm thinking these four; 

Pacifica Northwest, Jesus Ramirez, Gideon Gleeful and Robert Valentino

My main reason for doubting it being Pacifica or Gideon is because I seriously doubt that even Hirsch would kill off a small child without explicit reason to do so (see: Mabel or especially Dipper). 

Gideon has not been featured explicitly this season, and I doubt unless any changes occur, there would be any reason to kill him off now. 

Furthermore, Pacifica has just stepped onto the road of redemption for all she has done, and I think it's too early for her to be killed off. The same would go for Robbie. From being a minor antagonist to dipper in the last season, they are just starting to show him in a sympathetic light, it would be too early for him to be killed off. 

Lastly, Soos. I have no good arguments to offer against it, other than the fact that there are characters more likely to die. 

Mabel Pines, Wendy Corduroy and Stanley Pines

(Yes, I'm working on the assumption that the Pines Twin Theory is correct, and that this is, in fact, Stanley)

Let's start with Mabel. Actually, Mabel might have fit better in on the first list of most unlikely. I find it unlikely for her to get killed off, firstly for the same reason as Gideon and Pacifica, because she is a child, secondly, she is a main character, and thirdly, because Dipper would rather die (or strike a deal with a demon??) than to let anything happen to her. (I do realise that is a terrible reason, but once again, there are characters more likely to bite the dust).

Which brings us to Wendy. Why is she on the list of more likely characters to die? Foreshadowing. 

Remember this? 

Yeah, it wasn't actually Wendy, and the purpose of the scene is resolving the Dipper/Wendy plotline, but it was quite a strong/disturbing scene. Gravity Falls is known for it's impressive degree of foreshadowing, so could this be such a thing? Could an equally sad, permanent faith be awaiting Wendy? 

Not very likely, but it's fun to speculate. 

Now, how about Stanley? 

There are not a lot of things to go on here, seeing how we don't even know if he's real. But here's a few things. First off, he's an adult, which immediately makes it more likely for him to get killed off than any of the younger characters. Secondly, if he does exist, the viewers don't have a strong connection to him, and it might be less traumatising if he does die. Nor will it upset the overall story and character dynamic for later seasons. So Stanley is a solid maybe. Sorry dude. 

Now, for the most likely candidates. 

Dipper Pines, Stanford Pines and Fiddleford McGucket

First off, Dipper. Okay, so do I honestly think they're gonna kill off Dippingsauce? No, not at all. But I DO think he is in very hot water, with all his digging into things that are way bigger than him. There is a discussion going on about how he is starting to act more and more like Bill, striking suspicious deals, lying or telling half-truths, tricking people etc etc (take a look at the post, it's an interesting read). And I do really think that this will become important. 

Another thing, there has been a lot of near death experiences for Dipper(or things representing dipper i.e. sock puppets) that could be alluding to something happening to him; 

One might assume that the shapeshifter's threat has already happened (see: pine dipper) but I do still think it may be significant. I also believe the fact that he almost got maimed by zombies in the first episode might be significant - maybe to show us that the biggest threat to Dipper's life may be his own curiosity? There is no doubt in my mind that he will dig until he uncovers something he shouldn't have. Something that might threaten to truly end him.

But actually dying? I don't think so. 

What about Stanford? Well, first off, he's an adult, once again it's  more likely for him to get killed off than any of the younger characters. Secondly, there's the foreshadowing throughout the show; 

doesn't it seem significant that all depictions of Stan that has appeared, save for Stan himself, has been destroyed in some way? (2/3 times in a fiery inferno OH GOD) 

Again, Gravity Falls use foreshadowing a lot, so this seems likely. Also, with the way he's acting, what he's doing, and what the newest trailer tells us, he's up to major stuff. He's been doing weird shit for the last thirty years it looks like. Can he be causing his own undoing? 

Maybe so. 

Then there's Fiddleford.  

Firstly, he's involved in what is going on under the surface in Gravity Falls - at least he was until he lost his mind to the memory erasing device. He is, however, slowly regaining his senses, which means its becoming more likely that he'll get involved in the upcoming situation in a way that might cause him his life. He is an adult, which makes him a more likely candidate, and most importantly, he is new as a main/important character. 

 He is much more likely to get killed off than Stan because the repercussions won't be as dire. I love McGucket, but let's be real, if Stan is to get killed off, it would unbalance the main cast of characters. Mabel and Dipper would no longer have a caretaker, and they would be shipped back home unless somebody else were to step up and take care of them. Stan dying would be life-altering for the entirety of the show, and I doubt it would fly. 

Unless somebody else were to take Stan's place, the person to get killed won't be Stan. 

So we're landing on Fiddleford out of shear logic. 

I might be totally wrong, but I know a lot of you are thinking the same. McGucket is the logical choice that will have just the right amount of impact. 

I worry for the old man. 

 LAstly, one thing I haven't touched is the fact that Alex Hirsch in his tweet says at least one character. Could there be more than one doomed? What do you guys think about my sleep-deprived, slightly-sick ramblings?    

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Gravity Falls predictions II: Mayor Befufftlefumpter

A follow up to this post.

Quite a few of you left responses to my predictions post (something which I absolutely LOVE) pointing out that quite a few things may suggest it's the mayor of Gravity Falls that's gonna bite it this season; let's look at the evidence, shall we? 

First off, he is old. Old as balls. 

This ties back in with my original post that it is much more likely that they are going to kill off an older character than a younger one. Mayor Befufftlefumpter is losing hair - wheelchair - spider-webbed - was born before women were allowed to vote - old. I'd say he is pretty fair game by now. 

Secondly, there are the vultures.  

This can of course be read as a joke about his staggeringly high age, but one should not forget that vultures circling is also an idiom; If the vultures are circling, then something is in danger and its enemies are getting ready for the kill. 

Usually in tv and movies, vultures are depicted circling the dead or dying. The Mayor being associated with vultures and by extension be associated with the dying could be a pretty clear clue that he's gonna die. 

Thirdly; his mention of the Grim Reaper. 

 "Ah, the Grim Reaper, I've been wondering when you would--"

Once again, this is an obvious quip about his old age, but I find it interesting nonetheless. It might be a stretch, but i do believe the Mayor is the only person in the series that has mentioned "the grim reaper" which of course, is a staggeringly clear symbol of death. 

Additionally, the Mayor greets what he thinks is death like an old friend - like, this could be his own impending doom and he is basically like "how good of you to come". 

So what we can take from that is that the Mayor himself might know he's gonna die soon? I get that vibe, at least. 

Fourth, the cryptogram. 

"THE MAYOR OF GRAVITY FALLS IS NOT LONG FOR THIS WORLD"

This might be the most staggering piece of evidence, seeing how it basically says it all. If you aren't familiar with the idiom, "not long for this world" means that the person in question is going to die soon.  

So in conclusion, the mayor is quite the logical option for characters heading for the last roundup. I do however not think anyone else is out of the water yet, I still worry about McGucket's faith. 

What do you guys think?

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Steven Bomb 5: What is grief?

The differences in how grief is portrayed between Yellow and Blue Diamond in the new Steven Bomb is really interesting to me. They’re both such uniquely different, yet so familiar expressions of grief (albeit exaggarated for the purposes of the show).    We quickly see that Blue DIamond is the one who is grieving the most conventionally (i guess), weeping, visiting Pink Diamond’s “grave”, or at least the place where she was killed. 

“Oh, Pink... I’m sorry,  I’m so sorry, I should have done more... Yellow says it’ll all be over soon, i wonder what you would think...”

It’s a very typical “having lost a family member” kind of grief. We see BD looking tired, grief stricken, hunched over and wheeping. We see her wishing above all to perserve their memory; perserving her creations by emloying the Quartz soldiers (even perserving a room of bubbled Rose Quartz-gems), . Collecting the things PD loved by bringing new human(s) to the zoo. 

Meanwhile, Yellow Diamond’s type of grief is recognizable as well. I’ve seen her catching a lot of flack for “not allowing BD to have feelings” - a too narrow view of her character in my opinion. (IMO, one of the best things this steven bomb did was taking the diamonds from scary bad guy “gods” to something much more human).

“Let’s make a plan of attack, start looking forward and stop looking back”

YD exhibits the type of grief where you just want to keep moving, keep busy in order not to look back. The song even alludes to this; “yes, of course we still love her, and we’re always thinking of her, but now there’s nothing we can do, so tell me what’s the use in feeling blue?”

Her grief materialises mainly in the wish to exact vengance upon the gems who caused PDs death, as well as the entire subgroup of quartz that she belonged to. If not for BD’s wish to perserve everything that belonged to PD (because ”they were hers”), she would have eradicated the entire cut of Rose Quartz in their possession. 

We even see it in the rehtoric (can i call it rethoric?)  she uses on BD, pushing her to see a picture bigger than her own grief, 

”Where’s their diamond when they need her, Blue? You’ve got to be a leader, Blue!”

It’s even shown in their composure; BD hunched over, head bowed, weeping, YD straight-backed, head rarely bowed (until that one, fantastic moment from the song where we see her composure break just a little). 

Steven Universe shows us something that is important to remember. Grief doesn’t always look like bowed heads and tears and laying flowers on graves. Sometimes it looks like squared shoulders and stubbornly not looking back because what lies behind you is too painful.

Steven Universe is great because it shows depth to even the most terrible of villains, and I just fucking love this show man. 

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I do believe it has a good 65% chance of being Lucy but Juvia is in a critical state and people have said its from a broken heart? So in all fairness Lucy or Juvia?

Juvia has been chilling out in constant rain without an umberella for like three months. Even a rain woman would get sick from that. I’m landing on the assumption that she has a severe case of pneumonia (based on symptoms she seems to have like fatigue, fever, shaking chills, shortness of breath, even confusion (mistaking Natsu for Gray)).

And the thing is, pneumonia can in some cases lead to cardiac arrest. 

However, what would this accomplish? Juvia has Wendy by her side, the one person in the current story with first-aid healing abilities - if Juvia went into CA, Wendy would persumably save her at once. (And it’s too early in the story for Gray to join the FT gang again because of Juvia being ill)

So I’m going with Lucy. 

Lucy’s in the middle of the action, healers not being in any immediate vicinity, and with a black mage that seems to be able to affect or cause injury to her body without touching her. (interestingly, some women experience abdominal pains as a symptom of heart attack)

Or maybe her heart doesn’t stop. But there is a threat for it to do so, and I’m imagining this being a nice setup to Natsu unleashing hell on earth, giving us the opportunity to see the full extent of his powers.

Maybe we even get to see some CPR? The least romantic type of kissing there is. (Oh how the fandom would love that). 

Or maybe, as a third option, Code Blue is related to Gajeel and Levy’s attack? Not having anything to do with Lucy or Juvia or stopping hearts  at all?

Nonetheless, I think I may have freaked out the fandom. 

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Late night conspiracies: Newt’s limp?

We know that in the book, Newt’s limp injury is described as heavy, noticeable, and it’s clearly stated that it slows him down quite a bit. Comparatively, in the movie it is very slight, barely noticeable, and clearly not slowing him down too much. 

His limp is easily seen during calm points in the movie; limping away from Chuck and the maze when he believes Minho and Thomas aren’t coming back. Limping beside them when they come back from sector 7. And when they run through the maze before they encounter the grievers.

These are all instances when there is nothing at stake - or nothing to really claim his attention. The limp is heavier when the stakes are lower. 

Comparatively , the limp seems less severe when his attention is focused elsewhere, or when he is in a different state of mind; 

When Ben attacks Thomas, Newt is the first person to reach him - successfully clocking Ben in the face with a shovel before the others even manage to catch up.

When the alarm for the ‘box’ goes off, Newt limps out of the hut, then literally sprints in front of the others to reach the box when he sees that it’s coming up. His limp doesn’t seem noticeable until he slows down to stop. 

When the grievers attack the glade, and Newt + company attack the grievers, his limp is not at all noticeable. 

All of these instances could on the one hand be explained by an adrenaline rush in the body, making him not notice the pain.

This could be an explanation, but I am wondering if they aren’t actually playing the injury off as psychosomatic. 

If you’re not familiar with the term, a psychosomatic injury refers to an instance where someone’s trauma manifests in the form of physical pain, or where their physical pain is made worse or longer-lasting as a result of their mental state.

An example that you may be familiar with is Watson’s leg injury in the first episode of Sherlock. (I refer you to this brilliant post about Watson’s injury)

John’s limp and reliance on his cane are the physical manifestation of the feelings of helplessness, uselessness, and inadequacy that he was beset by upon returning from Afghanistan.

 If you know anything about the series, you know that these feelings caused him to *spoiler alert* attempt suicide by climbing halfway up the Maze wall, and jumping down - causing his injury.  What I’m proposing is that Newt’s ankle-injury has long healed at this point in the movie. And that the pain he feels is in his head.

This could explain why he seems to run fine when someone needs him or something takes up his attention (similarly to Watson abandoning his cane when Sherlock needs his help hunting down a murderer). 

Newt’s limp could essentially be a manifestation of the helplessness he felt being a runner and not being able to find his way out of the maze. The weight of being a runner and knowing (believing) there is no way out, could have caused a psychological dysfunction that led him to limp, even after his actual injury had healed. 

The persistence of the injury essentially keeps him from going back to being a runner, and going back to the daily reminder that there is no way out of the maze.

Or something. Idfk.