#yellow's meta

[jesse-cosay]

This might be obvious, but I feel like it's often misunderstood about Jesse's character.

When confronting the Apex and running away with Lake, his number does not change. They don't get his exit right away, it doesn't appear after this dramatic moment of him standing up for himself and his friend.

"But Yellow! It's about the pacing! It's about the drama of them running away!"

Wrong!

For one, Jesse's problem isn't that he can't stand up for himself. Because he can! And he shows us this!

"It looks like your punching wasn't doing much good either."

"I was yelling! It's still my turn to yell!"

He talks back after Lake mocks his approach. He puts his foot down and defends himself.

"Pft. You would."

He antagonizes Lake after the flecs outted them as a criminal. He doesn't bend to Lake's whims like someone who's spineless.

"You better not tell mom!"

He doesn't grovel for Nate not to tell their parents. Doesn't promise to make it up to him later, doesn't try to lighten this blow at all. The way someone would if they always played both sides.

Defending himself is not his problem, not really. It's not even just people-pleasing.

"Don't tell me what to do!"

"I'm not gonna be a part of anything like this. On or off the train!"

If it was? This would have been the scene Jesse got his exit. There's enough build up for it, we don't need the chase scene before it, we could still have the flex show up after Jesse's exit closed with Lake on the other side.

But it isn't.

"I've got you. We're getting out of here."

It's only after he reassures Lake that his number changes. After he promises to stay with them, to side with them.

Jesse's issues were about standing up for others. For defending other people, even when it wasn't convenient. Not about him.

(Shout out to @elibethqueen for this post, love you bb)

[justanotheryellowsoul]

Oh. Oh.

Siffrin isn't just missing the trap switch or keys because they suck at their assigned job. He doesn't. Or at least- didn't.

They miss them because they only have one eye now. Siffrin has bad depth perception. He can't tell if a space in a drawer or book is a bit bigger than it's supposed to be. They can't tell if something is sitting oddly-

He keeps hitting that one table, because he clearly hasn't adjusted to the new depth perception. It's not their fault.

It was never their fault.

[jesse-cosay]

"Just like we talked about in this booth, back in middle school."

"It was that booth."

"Are you sure it was that one?"

"Yep. That booth."

I love that Min just lies in this scene because he's upset about Ryan leaving.

The pictures are at slightly different angles, so I overlapped the window and recorded a transition of one image to another, but- it's almost exactly the same. There's no way what Min is saying is true.

Like, the first watch through I thought it was supposed to tell us something about Ryan. That he isn't focused, that he doesn't remember things as well, that he didn't care for detail.

But it's telling us about Min. He holds grudges! He's petty! He wants to be right and won't admit it when he's wrong!

[justanotheryellowsoul]

Anyone think about how the titles Loop uses are all wrong?

The Researcher, but she isn't actually researching anything. Yes, she's smart and inquisitive, but her whole "research" bit is a rouse to hide behind.

The Fighter, but he isn't a fighter. Not when he jumps in front of attacks during the tutorial and during one of Loop's endings. He's a defender, a protector.

The Kid, but they're a preteen, getting to an age where it's a bit awkward to refer to them as just a kid. (No one else ever seems to.)

The Housemaiden, and this one is the closest. It's true, at least at its core, it's true. But Mira questions her faith and where she fits in it. She is not the small box of housemaiden, that is just what she struggles with.

Anyways, I wonder if the names aren't necessarily because Loop is creating distance between them and their family or just to accentuate... the distance that was always there.

[justanotheryellowsoul]

We know Bon-bon is a name that Siffrin made for Bonnie, but did Isabeau always refer to Bonnie as Bon-bon? Most of the characters who have nicknames have them used specifically by one person.

Only Bonnie calls Siffrin, Frin. Only Bonnie calls Isabeau, Za. Only Siffrin calls Isabeau, Isa. Only Bonnie calls Odile, Dile. Only Bonnie calls Mirabelle, Belle. Only Odile calls Bonnie, Boniface (though it's arguable whether it counts as a nickname, I think it does). (With the exception of Isabeau and Siffrin sharing Mira. And while both Isa and Mira call Odile Madam, Isa technically uses m'dam which is more casual.)

But after losing their eye, Siffrin stops calling Bonnie, Bon-bon. Which, even if Bonnie has a mixed bag of feelings around Siffrin, has to hurt!

They blame theirself for his eye. And now Siffrin is distancing them? Does Siffrin blame them too? They say they don't, they treat it like it's no big deal, which sucks and feels bad, but they also! Treat Bonnie differently!

Anyways, Isa is smart. He has a big family and lots of siblings and he's probably used to misunderstandings like this (though probably to a lesser extent). There's no way he wouldn't notice, or understand on some level, what Bonnie is thinking.

So what if he only started saying Bon-bon because Siffrin stopped? What if he's just filling the role that Sif left open in an attempt to placate Bonnie and also signal Siffrin in gently that it's okay to say Bon-bon?

[justanotheryellowsoul]

Thinking about how the team never comments on Siffrin's new moves, in the same way they never comment on equipment.

The universe corrects very small things like that and makes them disappear from view, erases the memory of them ever being there because you already have those weapons.

And Siffrin's craft probably falls under the same category in a way.

They are a weapon.

The party doesn't question it, and the only time it's acknowledged is if Siffrin slips up on the tutorial sadness. And that might be because Sif turns back and looks before the universe could really correct.

Anyways, thinking abt how maybe it's more obvious in early loops because Siffrin still views himself as a person. But the longer they loop and the more they dissociate and lose their sense of self, the more that new crafts fall under corrections for the universe.

[jesse-cosay]

Another thing I haven't seen anyone point out yet that just occurred to me.

This little story Lake tells sort of parallels Jesse. His friends are a bad influence on him, and likely don't respect his boundaries. Part of his character arc is realizing he needs to let them go.

Lake's story, though vague, does make sense. They never say they were close with Tulip. Never say the two of them had a good relationship as they get older or that separating hurt Tulip.

But Jesse still says it's unbelievable to stop being friends with someone. To need space from them.

Because he isn't at a point where he can do that. Where he can admit that he needs space from his friends.

And this, ultimately, is what draws Jesse to be friends with Lake. They don't try to make him anyone else he isn't.

[jesse-cosay]

We know that Lake hasn't been out of the mirror world for long, and as I've explained in older posts, their anatomy is different than a regular reflection or a flec.

"Wow, do you have special metal strength?"

"No, I just don't feel pain like you, with your squishy flesh."

So they make this statement early on, which, if you pay attention, just isn't true.

Lake easily picks Jesse up in the next episode. As well as picking up Mace, which is an accomplishment when you consider how much of the flecs is actually metal.

They also punch through a metal pod and crush a porter with their bare hands. All evidence points to the fact that Lake does have super metal strength.

So why bother claiming that they don't?

For the same reason that Lake walks straight into the water during The Map Car.

They don't realize that swimming and floating are things they can no longer do now that they aren't reflecting someone else.

Lake's only reference is the few weeks they've been out of the mirror world, as well as their time as a reflection. That's not a lot when the rules of the world shift around you.

They know they don't feel pain the same way, but they likely hadn't been in a situation yet/hadn't noticed that they do have super strength.

"How does that work?"

"I dunno, it's like- ugh. I-I dunno!"

Once we get to the Lucky Cat Car, Lake is comfortable enough with Jesse to admit that they don't understand how they work. They don't have all the answers, and it's just as confusing to them as it is to him.