"Being stuck in here" "You can't write the ending this time"
The setup for him to disprove that he cannot leave the situation he has felt trapped in for the past 5 seasons. The queer double meanings of these lines that he will disprove.
You can't write the ending this time speaks to a lack of choice. That he cannot simply choose to leave, he cannot escape. That he is trapped forever now in a decision he made when he was 12 years old.
But that's not true. He can leave it. He does have autonomy, and his choice do impact things. Yes, he is trapped.
i fucking LOVE citing my sources. i love sending people links to resources for every need they may have or situation that arises. i love whipping out a physical book in the middle of conversation whenever that book is mentioned and referring to it directly. i like my reference lists/bibliographies to be at least as long if not longer than the work itself. formatting sources to fit a style guide and arranging them in the appropriate order makes me feel alive. i love being able to back up claims with evidence and tie media i’ve consumed into every discussion.
I’m so sorry Short Martin enjoyers…. I love and respect you, I think all your art and writing is delicious and I eat it up every time. But I do not believe you.
(HOWEVER I have seen no textual evidence saying Jon has to be short. Tall Jon enjoyers, I believe you.)
the thing about stranger things that is so weird to me and is a large reason that i think many people thought byler would happen is because, narratively, its kind of unsatisfying if it doesn't.
this isn't even on a plot point and chekovs gun and parallels level; im talking on an actual narrative level.
the thing about shows and books and movies that tend to cover the same age range that stranger things does is that they, like stranger things, usually add in some kind of romantic subplot. the kids at the forefront of this story are pre-teens turning into teenagers, and that age is rife with romantic complexities and dramas, as a general rule, both in fiction and in real life. in action and adventure, fantasy, or sci-fi media, of which stranger things falls under, romantic subplots are used to propel the plot forward and to develop characters and relationships that we, as viewers, fall in love with.
the thing about stranger things' romantic subplots and endgames that I found odd, was the way that none of these subplots are a "slowburn"; that is to say, none of these subplots are the product of years of build up and tension that only come to a head at the eleventh hour.
think of percabeth in the percy jackson and the olympians series, one of the most widely loved relationships maybe of all time. the pjo series takes place over the exact same age range that the main stranger things cast go through, from 12 to 16, and over those years, our main couple, percy and annabeth, develop a relationship in which they are both willing to sacrifice everything for each other before they finally get together after the final battle is over. their love story spans the entire first series and has it's ups and downs along with the plot of the series. critically, it is a slowburn, and this slow burn helps keep interest and add another layer of suspense along with the actual plot.
in stranger things, jopper, lumax, jancy, and rovickie, and mileven are the main couples that we see throughout the show.
none of these are even close to being a slowburn.
mileven kiss within a season, at twelve, and get together within two. jopper get together in season 4. jancy get together in season 2. lumax get together in season 2. rovickie get together sometime off-screen between seasons 4 and 5.
for the biggest show on netflix right now and one of the biggest pieces of media, period, for the past ten years, its downright weird that stranger things never put in that effort to add that narrative device and suspense and intrigue that a romantic slowburn subplot over the course of five seasons would provide. romantic slowburns dont just pull people in- they keep people hooked, and they add to the themes of the show.
the fact that every other couple in stranger things does not fit the criteria for a slowburn and that byler seemed to be ramping up in seasons three and four meant that it made sense for them to make byler canon. stranger things season five is messy and unfinished for a lot of reasons, but the fact that not a single couple in the show has a slow burn relationship that gets resolved just further adds to the feeling that this season is unfinished and creates a feeling of an unsatisfying final narrative
I thought other folks would like this and I had to share just for this line: "after a disastrous rock-climbing excursion with an emotionally intelligent himbo".
Enjoy some Farscape textual analysis in this year, 2025!
Comrades: Final Fantasy X is not just a game about fighting monsters—it's a masterclass in revolutionary theory, a devastating critique of theocratic authoritarianism, and an allegory for how the ruling class gaslights the working class into accepting endless suffering as “fate.”
So grab your oversized sword, your blitzball that you use as a weapon(???), and your deeply suppressed class rage—it’s time to deconstruct the class struggle of Spira.
🏛️ Yevon: The Union of Church and State
The Church of Yevon holds totalitarian control over Spira. It is both government and religion, ensuring that there is no distinction between political power and divine mandate. It upholds its rule.
Manufactured crisis & fearmongering – Sin, an unstoppable force of destruction, keeps the population in a constant state of fear, ensuring their reliance on Yevon. (Sound familiar?).
Banning progress – The church forbids machina (advanced technology) to keep the masses dependent on archaic traditions. Meanwhile, the ruling class in Bevelle enjoys all the benefits of technology, proving their "anti-machina" stance is pure hypocrisy.
Rigid class structures – The Maesters (bourgeoisie) send summoners (working class) to their deaths, brainwashing them to martyr themselves for "peace." Meanwhile, the elite sit comfortably, untouched by suffering.
The Illusion of Salvation – The Final Summoning is a scam. It kills the summoner, destroys Sin temporarily, and the cycle starts again. The system exists to sustain itself—not to fix anything.
The Church of Yevon gaslights an entire civilization into believing that suffering is noble, poverty is virtuous, and only the ruling class can "save" them.
⚡️ Tidus: The Outsider-Turned-Revolutionary
At the start, Tidus is completely disconnected from Spira’s struggle. He is, effectively, the apathetic outsider—your average "I’m not political" guy.
He just wants to go home (apathetic bystander).
He notices things aren’t adding up (early-stage radicalization).
Then he realizes the entire system is a lie and refuses to accept it (fully radicalized revolutionary).
By the end, he helps dismantle the entire oppressive power structure.
Tidus’s journey is a lesson in waking up to systemic oppression and actively fighting back against it.
🔧 The Al Bhed: Radicalized Revolutionaries in Exile
The Al Bhed are Final Fantasy X’s equivalent of anarchist resistance fighters.
They reject Yevon’s control.
They embrace "forbidden" technology.
They actively rescue summoners from being sacrificed.
They challenge the idea that suffering is necessary.
For this, they are vilified, hunted down, and treated as dangerous radicals. The ruling class frames them as terrorists, because their existence alone threatens the power structure.
💀 The Final Summoning: Grooming for Suicide
From birth, summoners and the working class of Spira are taught that the summoner's deaths are necessary "for the greater good." Their sacrifice is celebrated, not questioned.
If you die working, that’s just life.
If you struggle to survive, it builds character.
If you suffer, it’s because of your own failings—not the system.
This mirrors how capitalism convinces workers that suffering is noble, while the ruling class sits comfortably, demanding more sacrifices.
💥 Dismantling Yevon: A Full-Scale Revolution
The party’s fight against Yevon is not just about defeating Sin—it’s about overthrowing an entire power structure.
They expose the Church’s lies.
They dismantle Yevon’s authority.
They destroy Sin WITHOUT a summoner’s sacrifice.
They end the cycle of oppression—permanently.
This is not just a battle against a big evil boss. This is a full-scale revolution that topples an entire system.
🔥 Conclusion: Final Fantasy X as a Revolutionary Blueprint
Final Fantasy X is not just about fighting monsters. It’s a lesson in radicalization, class consciousness, and direct action. It’s about:
How ruling classes use fear to maintain control.
How those in power create artificial cycles of suffering to justify their existence.
How revolutionary change requires rejecting not just the leaders, but the entire system upholding them.
Resistance is messy, painful, and often met with hostility—but it is still necessary.
Ultimately: It’s a story of how to wake up, how to fight back, and how to build something better.
It's 1000 degrees outside. Horse owners are putting out signs asking their neighbors, with varying degrees of politeness, not to stress their animals to death making more noise in five hours of darkness than the British and Continental Armies made in five years of war. I am arming myself with summer-y beers and venturing into my yearly rewatch of The Patriot before my yearly sleepless night of thinking James Wilkins had the right idea when he locked his neighbors up in their church and set it ablaze. The horse-killing-est time of year is upon us once again!
This year, I want to take a break from writing about imperialist farmer and deadbeat dad Benjamin Martin and give due attention to the real main character: William Tavington. I know a lot of people share that opinion, but often when I read their interpretations of this character, I find we agree on little else. There are basically two categories of The Patriot enjoyers: men who want to be Benjamin Martin and women who want to fuck William Tavington. I'm neither, and my four years of writing meta and fic for this fandom have been a constant search for others like me, and we are few and far between.
All readers (or viewers) bring their own desires and experiences to their interpretation of any work. There is whole school of literary criticism, reader-response theory, centered around this phenomenon. A compelling case can be made that the reader/viewer's subjective experience matters as much if not more than the writer/director's intention in interpretation of a text. And I don't blame women for taking something for themselves from a film that is giving them absolutely nothing on purpose. But the main form of engagement with The Patriot that I see on this site not only centers one character but one scene that is not particularly revealing about him. He doesn't speak; he's fighting for his life. And I can see the appeal for an audience that wants nothing more than to map its own fantasies onto an aesthetically appealing blank slate. In every other scene, however, Tavington is a sassy, over the top, speech-making murderer of surrendering wounded soldiers, women, and children. The only way he could be more of a Disney villain would be for him to burst into song!
And like many classic Disney villains, Tavington is as queer as the July sun is hot.
I've hesitated to put my thoughts about this into a single formal argument because I've never seen anyone who reads him as straight do the same thing. Even though no one has put this pressure on me in relation to The Patriot, those who interpret characters whose sexualities are not obvious plot points as queer are often held to a higher standard of "proof" than those who read them as straight. In the case of straight Tavington, though, the proof of his sexuality is not in the pudding but in the baker (or stir-er if they're American). His scenes where women are present at all can easily be counted on the fingers of one hand. Only one of these women (Anne Howard) ever speaks to him, and Tavington completely ignores her. I have seen the argument that Tavington's lack of encounters with women is owing to the film's near exclusive focus on conflicts and comradery between men, and I would buy that if Tavington's willingness to target civilians was not one of his most character-defining features. By his second scene he's harassed the populace enough for them to have given him a nickname, and in the main action of the film he burns eight militamen's homes and murders their wives and children. His conversations with General Cornwallis suggest that he is trying unsuccessfully to get information from the populace even between these scenes while forbidden his preferred tactics. That Tavington does not attempt to seduce or sexually menace Patriot women in canon as he does in So Many fics on Ao3 is hardly because he lacks opportunity.
Obviously, lack of interest in women is not inherently queer; what makes Tavington readable as such is his coding. The clearest example of this comes from a scene titled "The Heart of a Villain" neither included in the theatrical release nor added back in the extended edition. It is available in the bonus features for DVD releases of both theatrical and extended cuts and on YouTube. In it, Tavington and Captain Wilkins are taking a break from interrogating a militia deserter. Tavington is admiring the "beautiful country" while examining a purple flower which he then brings into the house. The color purple has a longstanding connection to queer people of all genders in popular culture, as do flowers in general with gay men. Furthermore, why does Tavington need company for this break, and why they are concealed from the rest of the British soldiers outside? The tall stalks they are hiding in are corn. Cornholing is an American slang term for anal sex. Roland Emmerich is not a subtle director at the best of times, and this scene is no exception.
Even if we only consider the most accessible version of canon, Tavington's relationships with men on his own side go beyond professional norms. While he is obsequious towards General Cornwallis early on, he is later able to use Cornwallis's growing frustration with the militia to convince him to allow the use of brutal tactics his superior had previously forbidden. He has to use a light touch with his superior since he lacks power in that exchange, but when Wilkins hesitates to burn his neighbors inside their church, he uses the same strategy of seduction and reassurance that had worked on Cornwallis. Wilkins is not only under Tavington's command but surrounded by his fellow dragoons who never hesitate to follow orders. Tavington does not need to charm him; that's just the way Tavington is.
Finally, we have Tavington's obsession with Benjamin Martin, and the film makes it very clear that is the man he's after, not just victory and advancement. In the final battle, after he attempts to warn his men about the trap, Tavington does not even seem to notice that his side is losing. He only leads them into this trap because he sees Martin and cannot resist charging, with his whole regiment behind him, in pursuit. If Martin were any other enemy, Tavington would have killed him as efficiently as any other, and the end of the film would be much more satisfying. Instead, his desire for connection with Martin is so powerful that it leads to his death. And yet, somehow, slash fans are sleeping on this ship. One of the greatest evils of patriotism, I have no doubt!
None of this is to say people shouldn't create or enjoy canon divergent versions of Tavington. I have certainly done both. Nor am I saying the kind of formalist criticism that focuses on plot, dialogue, images and tropes in the text is morally superior to reader response's subjective focus on the viewer's relationship with the text. I just can imagine how disappointed people introduced to Tavington by fandom must be when they see him in context given how wildly different he is in most fanworks. And it's a shame because he is the best part of the story and for reasons that are actually present within it.
Forge and Sage in X-Force (2024) - issues #4 and #5
Sage walks out on Forge. Tells him to go fuck himself and quits on his ass.
And precisely because I ship them, I squealed with joy.
It makes sense, I promise.
Issues #4 and #5 are very action-packed, so there isn't time for Forge/Sage moments in the way there was in previous issues. The relationship just simmers in the background. Until it boils over.
Forge sacrifices Surge for the sake of the mission. He even personally zaps her to hasten the proceedings, because he's efficient like that. Ignores Sage's pleas to stop.
[Everyone, I give you: Blorbo! *slow clap*]
The team is left horrified and angry, obviously.
Betsy's glare in particular takes us back to the moment in issue #4 when she'd confronted Forge about his nebulous talk.
In that moment it was Sage who had attempted to restore the peace, reminding the reader that she was the one in Forge's corner, the one willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
But now, with Nori dead and Forge so clearly responsible, it's Sage who snaps, not Betsy. Why? Because to her, Forge's behaviour isn't just a callous decision, it's a personal betrayal. She'd started a partnership with him, built the team with him, had become his second in command—all of which is a big deal for someone as guarded as Tessa —and he goes and does that? No wonder she takes it harder than everyone else.
I also feel like there is something to say about the inclusion of Tempest—an alt-version of Storm who turns up at the end of issue #4—to this story. Not only does this woman die for Forge's mission minutes before Surge, but she also reveals that the Forge from her own reality abandoned her and their love child.
[The Jerry Springer-ness of it cracks me up. Also love the idea that these two are a thing across universes.]
It might just be bit of fun on the writer's part, but Tempest definitely appears at the right moment to remind Sage that Nori's demise isn't a freak accident—Forge does tend to destroy the lives of the women close to him. She already knows this, being a friend of 616 Storm, but with these two examples right in front of her face, she really can't ignore the fact. Whether you're Forge's friend (reminder that he and Surge had a mentor/mentee relationship for a while) or his lover, you're all the more likely to end up as collateral damage to whatever his tangled and toxic brain has come up with. Especially now, when his newly-enhanced power is so unpredictable.
And what has the book established issue after issue? Sage and Forge have become close. Sage knows this, of course she does. Emotions might not be her forte (or so people believe anyway), but if there's one thing my girl has, it's insight. So there might be a bit of self-preservation in her decision to go as well.
In any case, one thing is for sure: she's hurt. She can't even stick around for the sake of saving the world, like the others do. She needs Forge out of her sight, right now. So she leaves, tears of rage streaming down her face.
And that, my friends, is kind of a prerequisite to becoming Forge Girlfriend Material™. I've seen the 'woman trusts Forge and gets burnt' scenario twice before, and I know where it leads: irresistible and tormented romantic entanglement. Our Tessa is now irreparably screwed, and there is no escape. (Unless you cancel the bloody book. Yeah, that'll do it, you effin bastards.)
And issue #6 seals the deal. Confirms this theory on many levels. Let's talk about it next time.
Previous: Forge and Sage in X-Force (2024) - issue #3
