Being agreeable is a necessary trait in any type of relationship. It doesn't mean you always agree with whatever the other party wants, but you're up for discussion, communication, and compromise. Being agreeable means you're easy to get along with while also not letting yourself get walked over.
But being agreeable has been getting misconstrued by being submissive in recent years, especially by feminists.
Feminists are consantly telling women that they shouldn't be submissive, and that a man who is looking for a submissive woman is misogynistic and will make her life horrible.
What ends up happening is that many modern women are trying so hard to not come across as submissive that they end up being bitter and impossible to get along with. They display themselves as "sassy" and a "girlboss" which just makes them unpleasant to be around, irregardless of the man's preferences.
When these types of women don't get dates, they think it's because these men are misogynists looking for a submissive women they get to control. This fuels their suspicions, and the cycle continues itself.
A similar thing happens with the phrase "independent". Men don't necessarily want women who will be dependent on them for their needs, but also, when a woman constantly touts herself as independent, it's a huge red flag. It means she doesn't care about relationships and won't put in the passion required to make a relationship worthwhile. If you're a "strong independent woman who doesn't need a man" that's fine, but why are you even looking for a man in the first place?
Imagine you're drafting players a football team and a player is trying to convince you that they're a lone wolf, and independent player who doesn't need someone to pass the ball to them and can score by themselves. Of course you'd pass over them in favor of someone who is a team player, right? (Many people with healthy relationships will describe their relationship as a "team" dynamic, so that's why I picked this metaphor.)
I'd be curious to hear other people's thoughts on the subject.

https://youtu.be/9c4jY04ODdM?si=qjiD7yoTM2ysXkrK
https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/rem/saturnreturn.html
Hello everyone, I hope all is well. Today we are going to be taking a closer look/listen at the song “Saturn Return” which is the last song on the “Chorus Side” of the band’s twelfth studio album Reveal.
I considered Reveal to be an album made up of two different types of songs. One category being the breezy, upbeat and more summery songs like “The Lifting”, “Beat a Drum” and “Summer Turns to High.” And the other types of songs are the darker and more difficult songs to get into like “She Just Wants To Be”, “Disappear” and today’s song “Saturn Return.” The song was actually written by Peter on piano (how very Mike of him) and parts of the song use recordings taken from a demo created in February 2000. These recordings were looped and played in the background to give the song an eerie effect. Peter told the band to “find the weirdest sounds on their instruments that they could possibly imagine. So it’s not a surprise that Peter would later go on to say that he thinks this is the “oddest” song on the album.
The song starts off with what I’m assuming is the sound effects from the demo. It’s hard to even describe what I’m hearing. There’s these almost siren/ambulance sounds that are faint and occasionally you’ll hear some percussive sounds and these weird clown like horns. It’s like circus music from a nightmare. This is quickly contrasted by this somber sounding piano which I’m assuming was the part that Peter wrote. The combination makes for one of the band’s most mysterious and bleakest songs. It also gives me major Up vibes.
When Michael’s vocals enter the mix, they are pretty unusual. He’s singing in this register that is fairly high for him, but it’s not a straight up falsetto. The melody itself has an interesting flow to it that takes awhile for you to latch on to it. And lyrically, this is a confusing song. The title itself is a reference to a horoscopic astrology term. Saturn Return is when Saturn returns to the same ecliptic longitude that it had occupied at the moments of a person’s birth. It’s said that Saturn’s first return is to symbolize reaching adulthood and the first responsibilities from it. And I do think themes of becoming an adult are represented in this song, throughout some random lyrics.
The song starts off with Michael singing about poking yourself in the eye and how it’s hard to like yourself and even harder to try. But then Michael lists some specific things without much explanation like Elvis poses, postcards and neoprene. I had to look up what neoprene is and it’s a synthetic rubber, which is such a specific thing to name in a song but I haven’t no idea what its meaning is. But then he does sing about people “pulling a long haul” during three in the morning which to me sounds like a graveyard shift for a job, which does ring of being an adult.
We then get to what I consider the chorus, although the different sections in the song seem fairly similar. Michael sings about how “no one is off on its own” as Saturn is beckoning. Musically we are still getting mechanic sound effects in the background of Peter’s plodding piano progression. When Michael sings “is offering up” we get this cool transitional piano chord that brings us back to the verse. I do like how Michael vocals seem to change on that last note, he sounds more intentional in his melody.
The second verse lyrically has more of a narrative than the first one. Michael sings of someone working a late shift at a convenience store who turns off the lights and takes a telescope to the store’s rooftop. Looking towards the northwestern sky, Michael sings about how this person finds their “sights” and discover something…what that might be…we don’t find out. But I do think Saturn Return could be a metaphor for a younger person figuring out who they want to be in life as they could older. And as they are looking at Saturn in the dark sky, they are having some sort of revelation.
During the second chorus Michael sings “Saturn is orbiting, nothing, is off on its own, is breaking from home.” I like this play on words because he could be saying that “Saturn is orbiting nothing” or that “nothing is off on its own” or both really. And the lyric about “breaking from home” can again be interrupted as someone who’s of the age now to leave home and start a brand new chapter in their life.
We then get to a short bridge where the piano arpeggios change its progression and Michael sings “harder to look yourself square in the eye. Easy to take off.” More lyrics which seem to be about self reflection. Musically this section sounds a bit more hopeful than the rest of the song. But then we get this gloomy synth patch which sounds like it’s going to end the song. But actually it leads us back into the song’s verse.
The third verse features Michael singing about someone finding patterns and marking their horizons. We also learn a little bit about this person’s upbringing like how their “mother was difficult, she made you cry.” Then like in a dream, this person is climbing triumphantly into a rocket ship. And then right when Michael sings “lift up and hold up your hands” we get these drums that come out of nowhere. I’m not sure if they are electronic or real but they have a hip hop style to them and they give the song a hit of urgency which it hadn’t had at all up to this point.
These surprising drums stay active during the next chorus which is actually doubled this time. But then we get this outro which is very interesting musically. We get that fuzzy synth patch again which almost sounds like the song is powering down. Then, one by one, the instruments start dropping out. First it’s that synth, then it’s drums and then the piano which just leaves Michael’s voice. He sings “easy to take off, harder to fly” which I think sums up this song perfectly. Jumping is the easiest part when starting something new, but sticking with it and “flying” is where it can get tough. And then fittingly Michael ends the song with the lyric “harder to wake Galileo” who was the astronomer who discovered the rings of Saturn in 1610.
I think this song has some very interesting concepts and I think the main piano part is beautiful at first. But the studio background noises distract too much for me when it comes to the song itself. They sound out of place and repetitive at times. Michael’s melody is pretty enough but I feel like it never gets its moment to shine. And I understand not every song needs a poppy bassline or Mike’s backing vocals. But this song seems to be missing a lot musically. Which is a shame because the idea of Saturn’s return marking the beginning of someone adulthood life is very interesting and relatable. But it’s not shocking that the only time this song was performed live was during a solo Michael show. There’s a great song in here somewhere.
But what do you think about this deep cut. Does it fit the album for you? What do you think the song is about? Favorite musical or lyrical moments?

Y’all these chemicals suddenly hit me like a white wine😭

“What must it be like to grow up that beautiful?
With your hair falling into place like dominoes”
Growing up could also mean growing into a new version of yourself. (Remember “32 and still growing up now”?) So this line could be her wondering, “what must it be like to grow up to be that beautiful?”
“With your hair falling into place…”, because all of your hairpins were dropped, so it falls like dominoes into place, like a whole design prearranged in a master plan. Hairpins dropped, plans fall into place like dominoes! I knew that unusual description of hair meant something! We missed this unwritten hairpin!! 😱😱😱😱😱😱
Holy crap this is her wondering what it must feel like to grow into your queer self completely, to be that most beautiful version of yourself? To be in the reality where all the plans went smoothly without a hitch? She wouldn’t know, bc it could never be…“‘Cause it fades into the gray of my day-old tea” The rainbow tea she meant to spill but was never spilled, so it sat there and turned gray, void of all colors. Edit: This is the same “sweet tea in the summer / cross my(your) heart won’t tell no other” in seven!
Fuck me the chemicals didn’t stop there. Look at this:

“Gleaming, twinkling / Eyes like sinking ships on waters / So inviting, I almost jump in”
Sinking ships…hmm we’ve heard that. “Loose lips sink ships all the damn time”! “On waters”, blue! Blue eyes. Her eyes are blue. Gleaming, twinkling eyes…what do they usually gleam or twinkle with when described that way? They gleam with joy, happiness, mirth, or tears. They twinkle with humor, mirth, amusement, with mischief! Or I guess tears works for both? So possible conclusions: Her blue eyes are gleaming with joy, twinkling with mischief to let her lips loose of secrets that’ll sink ships? Or: Her eyes are shining with tears, begging for her lips to let loose of secrets that’ll sink ships? And they’re so “inviting” as in tempting, she “almost jumps in”! But this is her fantasy so I bet it’s the happy her she’s dreaming about! Conclusion: She sees the out, fully-realized her in her imagination, with joyful, mischievous blue eyes reflecting spilt secrets. That version of her is so inviting, so tempting, she almost takes the plunge and makes it a reality! It’s this fantasy that prompted the whole song!
(Note: And the ship is also mentioned in willow! “I’m like the water your ship rolled in at night” I have thoughts about that song, posting later. It’s absolutely possible that it’s the same metaphor. The ship is the looming thing that would finally sink if the secret spills.)
Right, now put these back into the narrative, see if it makes sense. Okay, so the story goes: The fantasy comes to mind, it’s so tempting I almost jump in (intro) —> But there are consequences I don’t like (Chorus) —> Still the fantasy comes in details until it fades (Verse 1 & Refrain) —> But it’ll never happen, bc again, consequences (Chorus) —> Can’t bear the fantasy anymore (Verse 2) —> Rewinding the fantasy back to reality (Refrain) —> Right back to this moment again (Outro)
Consequences part, :
“I don't like a gold rush, gold rush / I don't like anticipating my face in a red flush / I don't like that anyone would die to feel your touch / Everybody wants you / Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you Walk past, quick brush / I don't like slow motion double vision in rose blush / I don't like that falling feels like flying 'til the bone crush / Everybody wants you / But I don't like a gold rush”
“Gold rush” as in the massive influx of attention, everyone rushing to her, the gold. The “red flush”—either flustered or in anger, altogether indicative of strong emotions, both good and bad for her, like a rollercoaster from hell. She doesn’t like that that’s bound to happen. “Die to feel your touch”—queer idolizing but also demanding her input, advocacy, activism, personal attention, explanations? “Wonder what it would be like to love you”—speculations on her love life in tenfold, sexualization, fetishization, or genuine pining. “Walk past, quick brush”—she would want to move past it quickly and brush things off, but it won’t be possible, instead, “slow motion double vision in rose blush.” Everything scrutinized, reviewed under slow motion playback. It’ll be disorienting and a huge dizzying mess with heightened emotions absolutely everywhere, and it will go agonizingly slow for her too. Like watching an accident happen in slow motion. “Double vision” also meaning the suddenly polarized views (of public, fans, speculations…), the dual narratives now being examined, the two irreconcilable images of her. “Falling feels like flying 'til the bone crush”—finally freed but waiting for the other shoe to drop, fully expecting grave consequences and disaster to inevitably strike. “Everybody wants you”—in good and bad ways, some celebrating her, some slamming her, some racing to capitalize on her, some burning her icon, some indifferent but still rushing to join the conversation just to not miss out, some watching with glee, some with schadenfraude, but all eyes on her. Everybody flocking. There will probably never be peace for her again. Omg it all checks out.
Edit: Jesus Christ, interpreted very literally, “Walk past, quick brush” also describes rushing past paparazzi. “I don’t like slow motion, double vision in rose blush” describes the slow progress of pushing through paparazzi, while you get double vision in red tint bc of camera flashes. (And also being drunk on rosé too? Lol distantly possible)
This is masterful wordsmithing I can’t- 😳 She layered in the bests and worsts of the consequences, hiding them all behind the seemingly all-positive ogling of a muse, her flustered reactions and fear of heartbreak! And every line with two sides!
The fantasy,
1- “I see me padding 'cross your wooden floors / With my Eagles t-shirt hanging from the door”- This is probably just the peaceful, relaxed picture she sees in her mind? Or meant to reference the willow cabin? Probably the second, since verse 2 calls back to folklore.
Refrain- “At dinner parties / I call you out on your contrarian shit / And the coastal town / We wandered 'round had never / Seen a love as pure as it”
“Contrarian,” bc she doesn’t like a gold rush, doesn’t like to follow the main flow. She’s going against what everyone thinks. I don’t know what “coastal town” symbolizes for her, a personal fantasy? Hollywood? A distant place far from public eye? Or a land found after shipwreck bc the ship sunk? Regardless, there she unapologetically displays the purest love for all to see. Except there are costs to it, so verse 2 flipped it.
2- “My mind turns your life into folklore / I can't dare to dream about you anymore”
She literally turned her life into the album folklore, but also she turned her life into something unverifiable, with every storyline, every interpretation possible, complete with myths and lore. We will literally never fucking know. (edit: “Passed down like folk songs / The love lasts so long” in seven.) She can’t bear the sadness of dreaming about her alternative life, and also she literally doesn’t dare to dream that it would ever come to pass anymore. And so the fantasy retreats step by step back into oblivion with the second refrain, a flipped version of the previous one.
And last the . But on second thought, what if that’s also a flip on the intro? It might’ve purposely been written vaguely, not directly naming any of the emotions. She comes back from the fantasy, but this time she’s looking into blue eyes glistening with tears and brimmed with sadness, with her sunken hope reflected in them. The endless sadness looks so inviting, she almost jumps in…
Damn, was this song born bc girlie looked in a mirror? Is that why the whole song is literally a mirror image of two halves!? HOLY SHIT…! It’s a mirror of flipped sides! All hidden under the surface layer depicting the fear of pursuing a well-desired muse! Which btw, was already intentionally implied to be female! It is literally gay on the outside and gay on the inside… 😂
*ps. Spotify reel for gold rush: Her in the glass closet singing, “you know that my train can take you home”—It fits!

When you're struggling with fading memory abilities, talk about what memory is and how it works might feel like a chore. In reality, knowing more about the most critical aspect of your mental life you're trying to improve will pack a punch.
At least, this is what I believe, an idea that first entered my head after bestselling memory improvement author Harry Lorayne almost screamed at me over the phone, "Whatever you do, don't tell them about the science!"
On the one hand, Lorayne's advice probably made sense during his era. There was no Internet when he started teaching memory techniques. People just wanted better memory, not endless lectures about what scientists have discovered about what memory is and how research provides clues about improving it. If you're a regular guest like he was on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, you had to not only get to the point. You also had to be entertaining.
Lorayne gave me the advice when I asked him for a bit of coaching about what the memory improvement business is like. I especially wanted to know about "the real work" that would be involved to make my passion for using and teaching mnemonics a vocation that would last for life.
I've followed everything Lorayne told me to the letter – except the memory science part. I already had a PhD and nearly a decade of experience teaching and three universities. Not researching and talking about memory science felt to me like the equivalent of hiding Shakespeare from theatre students because some of his sentences are "hard" to understand.
And because I was discovering so many valuable memory exercises and benefits in the admittedly dense scientific literature, I committed to sharing as much of those findings as possible. I don't mean to waffle on, but these points have helped me personally and shifted how I apply memory techniques. There's even a possible reason why some information feels harder to learn. Barbara Oakley suggests in Mindshift that it could be the insular cortex in the brain that triggers a pain response when some people sense difficulty.
I have personally helped thousands of people dim the pain, if not eliminate it completely. Some of my best friends are memory competitors and get their thrills from memorizing tough information. The tougher the better. Although I've only competed once (for charity), when I hear a term like "insular cortex," it feels like discovering a new playground or getting a new Lego kit. I can't think of anything more fulfilling than mastering terms like that and much more dizzying in length and complexity. In this book, I'll teach you how to make learning even the toughest information just as fun. Even if we can't make the pain disappear completely, it is possible to dial it down.
Think of it like going to the gym. Just as kinesiologists have found all kinds of optimizations that allow you to exercise less, yet still build muscle, by coming to understand just a few things about what your memory is, you'll know the rules. Once you know the rules, sometimes you can bend them. Painlessly, if you wish. You just need to a willingness to experiment with few different activities. Some may be familiar to you, and my hope is that you'll come to appreciate them more. Others will likely be new, and I can't wait to invite you onto these playgrounds.
But let me rephrase one of my sentences. I'm not sure anyone has been able to describe what memory "is." Although I believe there is a truth about its nature, the best we can do is gesture at what that truth might be like.
When I read sentences like these coming out of my typing fingers, perhaps Lorayne was right. Thinking about memory in this admittedly convoluted way sometimes bakes my own noodle!
But the truth is that the word "memory" is not enough to describe what's actually going on in our minds. In the first section of this chapter, I'll explain what I mean and why expanding your knowledge of memory will be so beneficial. Even if this is the only "memory science" material you ever read, I'll do my best to make sure it's worth your time.
The Two Main "Engines" of Memory In Your Immediate Experience Of Daily Life
When people email me, they often cite short-term memory as their problem. When I ask questions about how they arrived at this conclusion, usually it turns out they've diagnosed themselves based on some online article.
Typically, people think of short-term memory as our capacity to hold small amounts of information in a readily accessible state. We all know this from the few seconds we're able to hold a phone number or access code. Without mnemonics, most of us would be hard pressed to hold more than seven digits for thirty seconds without repeating it.
Many people, including me, have theorized that using so-called "smart phones" have reduced the strength or our collective short-term memory skills. Being able to enter phone numbers immediately into our devices suggests that we never, or only very rarely, get short-term memory exercise at all.
But it's worse than that. The stakes of short-term memory and its success are much higher than phone numbers. Part of the confusion around short-term memory stems from how many people use this term interchangeable with working memory. This is the "engine of memory" that helps us pay attention during conversations. It also helps us think and reason while we're holding them. In my understanding, they're definitely related, but not quite the same and we can approach exercising and improving them differently.
Without going too far off the deep end into scientific terminology, short-term memory is passive and working memory is active. To keep things fun, I call them "engines" because you fuel them with information you observe about the world. Whether it's the weather, how a person's voice sounds or words on a page, the data is entering your memory engines and how you process them dictates where they wind up. You can get a clean burn that winds up in long-term memory. Or you get a belch of exhaust that winds up in the oblivion of frustration, potentially polluting the ecosystem of your life. And disturbing the lives of others because you're not operating as your best self.
Whereas you use your short-term memory to use something like a phone number more or less immediately, working memory holds the information actively. When you're performing mathematical calculations, you need to not only hold the numbers for longer, but also manipulate the numbers while retaining them. The term "working" makes a lot of sense when you realize this distinction, and improving working memory also suggests following a different kind of exercise plan.
For example, in 2 Weeks to a Younger Brain, Dr. Gary Small recommends a simple passive memory exercise. Pick anyone you see on the street and observe four details about them. For example:

• Brown hair
• Green shirt
• Black pants
• White shoes

To perform this exercise yourself, don't try to memorize these details. That would be an active memory exercise that involves some kind of mnemonic technique, not unlike performing a mathematical calculation.
After approximately two hours, Dr. Small suggests trying to recall those four details. Because no mnemonic technique was used, this passive memory exercise has been shown to help people. It's not entirely clear why this helps with short-term memory specifically. But on its face, it seems likely that it's an exercise in paying attention. When you later ask yourself to recall the information from long-term memory, the attention you paid itself gets a second workout. Even if you remember nothing about the person you observed, over time, the workout should show you some improvements.
To make the exercise active and involve a small version of the kind of "calculation" memory athletes use, you would "connect" or "attach" an additional piece of information to each detail you observe. You might always imagine Charlie Brown dancing in someone's hair or on their boots if these things are brown. Lawns might burst in your imagination when you see green clothing and dark stormy clouds, or fluffy peaceful ones might stick to black and white items in your imagination.
Both during the moment of observation and later when you think back to the four details you observed, this mnemonic strategy will give both your short-term and working memory an active workout. It's still possible to make mistakes, but we're not talking about perfection here. We're talking about exercise.
To return to our gym metaphor, when I first decided to get physically fit after years of poor eating habits and abusing alcohol, I hired a personal trainer named Lars. When performing pushups or deadlifts, I would sometimes fall into poor form. Instead of making me add an extra rep to the set, he would say, "do it better next time." Lo and behold, I reached the fitness goals we set as part of my program, even though my workouts were spotted with mistakes. Keep this principle in mind for how you'll use memory techniques. It's more important to keep coming at it than it is to pause over the little foibles that will inevitably occur.
Later, we'll get into mnemonic techniques that are much more fun and interesting than attaching clouds to people's shoes. First, however, we should look more at the type of memory most people cherish as the ultimate goal.
Long-Term Memory:
When I was a kid, I was always amused by some of the short-cuts my dad came up with. For example, he hated going through the phone book. So every time a new one arrived on our doorstep, he would tape a sheet of yellow legal paper to the back. Then he would copy out all the most important numbers he would normally have to look up.
This was long before auto-dial existed, let along cell phones. The interesting thing was that, apart from his ritual of writing out all the most important numbers on that sheet of legal paper, he almost always remembered the numbers he needed. This was because many of them had entered his long-term memory. Writing them repeatedly certainly helped, along with the power of raw repetition. We sometimes call this kind of learning, "rote." It certainly can lead to long-retention.
Whether you use rote repetition or the techniques you'll learn later in this book, long-term retention and recall is the goal we should have for as much information as the time we have allows. A well-tuned and carefully curated long-term memory can feel like wandering through a huge library. The difference is that you don't have to navigate to any of its shelves. The magic of long-term memory usually places the information you're looking for directly in your hands.
Long-term memory isn't just about information, however. It can help you re-experience the emotions you felt during your favorite birthday party or maintain the set of skills involved in riding a bike or using chop-sticks. It's best to keep all of these different types of memory sharp.
Explicit Memory
There are two main kinds of long-term memory, explicit or declarative memory and implicit or non-declarative memory. Scientists use the term "explicit" because this type of memory involves conscious, intentional recollection of information. The word "declarative" is thrown in for good measure because this type of memory involves our deliberate efforts to recall and describe things. For example, if I ask you to tell me the capital of France or what you ate at that birthday part I just mentioned, you need to dip into your explicit memory and "declare" the information. It takes conscious effort to retrieve these kinds of memories.
Technically, however, you don't have to officially declare anything to anyone. Explicit memory also helps with introspection, such as when you're trying to solve a problem and arrive at an a-ha! moment.
Implicit Memory
When scientists refer to "implicit," they're taking about unconsciously and usually automatic processes. As I type this book, for example, I'm not actively thinking about each keystroke. Next time you ride a bike or drive a car, notice how many of your behaviors simply play out without conscious effort.
You don't have to think while performing many of these skills not only because they're stored in implicit memory. You also have gone through a lot of conditioning that guides your actions. If you live in a country where handshaking is the norm, you do it without thinking. If you grew up somewhere else, you might bow instead, reacting based on how your mind automatically learned the ways of your family and culture.
How is any of this terminology useful to you? Well, have you ever said something like, "I can't change. This is just the way I am." If so, it's implicit memory that gives you this feeling.
In reality, you likely can change if you want to do so. My book The Victorious Mind: How to Master Memory, Meditation and Mental Well-Being tells the story of how I managed to experience profound and lasting change following a life of unhealthy behaviors. But I had to figure out the truth about what was holding me back first.
Tapping into explicit memory was part of what freed me because it includes semantic memory, the ability to remember facts, concepts, individual words and their meanings. If you don't have time for the full story in The Victorious Mind, consider watching my TEDx Talk titled, "Two Easily Remembered Questions That Silence Negative Thoughts." In just over thirteen minutes, I explain how I was able to use some simple phrases I memorized in Sanskrit to start breaking free from the hold of negative conditioning. It was explicit memory versus implicit memory. Explicit memory won and improved my life beyond measure.
There's certainly more to say about the many different kinds of memory. I'll weave in a few more useful elements from memory science as we go. For now, I hope I've communicate just how useful it can be to understand more about what memory is like and how far a little understanding can take you.
For me, this understanding helped me take action, especially when it came to memorizing a bunch of Sanskrit, something I was almost militantly skeptical. But because I knew the details you've just discovered, I was willing to go beyond knowing about the science. I acted like a scientist and put the techniques to work, testing the claim that memorizing Sanskrit would clear the chains of implicit memory for myself.
I also knew a lot about where my memory skills stood at the time. This kind of insight is especially helpful for memory improvement, so going forward in this community, I'll share more about how you can assess your current level of skill.
Stay tuned and for more information immediately, feel free to check out this additional material on memory science and why I feel it's so important for your success:
https://www.magneticmemorymethod.com/memory-science/

Gege's first author's note in jjk, made in jjk volume 1: \"The other day, I saw a video of myself laughing hysterically. I was a little taken aback by how demonic I looked... I hope you enjoy that type of person's first graphic novel.\"
Keep this image in mind during this reading. I will com back to this.
TLDR: Yuta's character was based on love and being blessed because of it, but his nature leads him to discarding his humanity and wearing his teacher's corpse. Yuta's care for his friends lead him to discarding his humanity in order to protect them. Yuta once again proves Uraume correct: fear marks humans and holds them back, and only those who can let it go can ascend to something greater.

Yuta and Harmonious Love

This specific section is from an older analysis of Yuta in comparison to Sukuna. The original post is linked below!
Sukuna represents isolation and lovelessness. Uro warned Yuta that for him to gain power and transcend, discarding love and becoming a calamity would be an inevitable step in his path. Yet, Yuta disagreed and regards himself as being blessed. [1]
Yuta speaking with Ryu and declaring himself as blessed.
Ryu not understanding the importance of friendship.
There are two main implications to Yuta's blessed distinction:

• Yuta's willingness to love and be loved makes him blessed.
• The use of the word "blessed" directly juxtaposes Sukuna, who is called the disgraced one.

Just after Ryu says he doesn't understand why he's blessed, Yuta continues with the plan he and his friends made to save Tsumiki.
https://preview.redd.it/ebw1yqqq5s2d1.png?width=900&format=png&auto=webp&s=d1dc708749f8cd548ef79bd48a95013f6157eccd
Gege uses Yuta and Rika to represent an idea of harmonious, mutual love via wedding motifs. To activate his true power where he harmonizes with Rika, Yuta dons a ring on his fourth finger, which is commonly considered the finger for a wedding band. His domain expansion has even more wedding themes that accentuate this motif. [2][3][4]
Yuta's power comes directly from his love for his friends and Rika. It's unquestionable and true; Gege uses Yuta to show an idea of true love rooted in adolescent bonds. While he and Rika were only kids when they promised to marry one another, Yuta felt so powerfully about this promise that it still affects him years later.
Uro's warning to Yuta was useless, because his true power relies on love. Yuta can't "awaken" any kind of powerup that would force his story to resemble Sukuna's or become a calamity in the same way as him. Sukuna's loveless nature directly contradicts the source of Yuta's power. Yuta will not become a calamity like Sukuna because it contradicts his story's foundation and the literal source of his power. (edit: see section below)

• Uro's comments reveal that somehow, and at some point, Sukuna's growth caused him to cast away his "humanity" and become a calamity.
• Yuta and Rika's love boosted her power so much that even Sukuna refers to her as the Queen of Curses, in recognition of her strength.

Uraume distinguishes a human from whatever they represent. When they acknowledge Hakari’s powerful reverse cursed technique as being above Gojo and Sukuna, Uraume no longer sees him as human. Not only is it Hakari’s rct that makes Uraume respect him, but also his willingness to sacrifice his body to fight. The ascension, or change, that Uraume describes requires both power and the will to use it.
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What Changed in 261

Hakari’s reference to Yuta in the page above was finally addressed in 261. Yuta has that hunger to reach the heights of Gojo, or a least, we will see in 262.
The hunger that Sukuna preaches describes his own ideology of power and what it takes to be powerful.
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To defeat a villain, a story also has to address their ideologies. So far, Sukuna’s monstrous ideology has all but won. Each of the main four in Shinjuku has abandoned their humanity, in accordance to Uraume’s argument:

• Maki slaughtered her family in the name of freedom.
• Hakari’s willingness to destroy his body and let go of fear and simply trust in his rct to fight.
• Yuji’s appearance slowly shifting into mirroring Sukuna (we have yet to see the outcome of this).
• Yuta discarding his humanity and wearing his sensei’s body in order to fight Sukuna.

Gege has taken the idea of maturation and growth, something usually positive and humane, and has flipped it. In JJK, maturation for the main four means cleaving away their humanity and letting part of themselves go in a condemning narrative about the tragedy of youth. In the first author’s note, Gege describes a time when there was laughter, but all he saw was a demonic visage; there’s a metaphor here about narrative perspective and duality. Growth in JJK ironically means cutting parts of yourself away. Laughter flipped to something evil, maturation flipped to becoming a monster.
The Blessed One has become a walking corpse. Has Yuta become disgraced as well?
Notes:

• Original post that the first section comes from.
• Those Hakari pages were bothering me for SO LONG. I hate you Gege, this was all a deliberate plot to piss me off.
• I could really go on with my own ideas about how maturation really does involve consciously letting so much of yourself go, but that’s not what this post is about lmao.

After college, I had an existential crisis. I was 23 or 24 and had no idea what to do with my life. The high expectations of my parents made me insecure as hell, turning me into a lonely recluse. I lived in my room and the only real friends I had were a collection of potheads who frequented the same dealer. It is not surprising then that when Carl came knocking, I initially refused his request. Carl was one of the guys I occasionally hung around with in the shitty apartment that my dealer had claimed as the office for his unlawful business enterprise. We smoked a bit, talked about movies and played video games. It was an unspoken part of the deal that you also had to be the dealer’s friend or pretend to be, anyway. We all kind of got along but nobody liked Carl. He could say the most batshit insane things in such a decisive way that he would take over every conversation, even though we were talking about other stuff. He liked to bring up conspiracy theories mixed with vague shit about occult history and satanism. He always acted so goddamn smug, as if he knew more than we did. Whenever he opened his mouth, he would spoil every conversation with that nihilistic crap of his, pretending that he knew our True Masters and that soon a reckoning would come and how ancient texts revealed the true meaning of life within life. The last time I met him at our dealer’s place, I could not help but make a joke about him, being the messiah or something like that. The others had laughed and Carl left, quite embarrassed.
So imagine my surprise when the king of truth and demons called me up one day, asking me to babysit his cat. I first thought he was joking but he repeated the question. ‘I’m serious. I’m on a camping trip and Beelzebub needs to get fed. I’m only asking you because you seem like a chill dude and honestly? The other guys are sheeple. You speak for yourself. I wouldn’t trust them to wipe their own asses. So yeah, I’ll pay you fifty bucks if you stay at my house for one night and feed my cat.’
I quickly thought of an excuse, said goodbye and put down the phone. What can I say? I didn’t like it when Carl was around so why would I ever go to his house and watch his cat?
A day later I called him back. My dad had given me his speech about adulthood and responsibility for the sixth time that week and while he did not say it, it sounded like a threat. ‘Earn money or we will disown you’ That’s what I heard. So in order not to get kicked out of my own house I decided to watch his stupid cat for a night and get paid in the process. He sounded relieved when I called him back. Carl provided me with some instructions for his cat and told me where I could find the keys to the house.
A week later I drove up to his place. He never mentioned he lived out in the woods. His house was a small 1 story wooden cottage out in the middle of nowhere. I found the keys, opened the door and was greeted by the most ugly creature in all of human existence. Beelzebub was too pretty a name for this cat because holy shit, even Satan would not allow this cat in the filthy pits of hell. The animal looked like a walking lump of mold on which Carl had manually pasted his pubic hairs with superglue. Its eyes stared at me like the cat was permanently staring into the abyss and brought forth a chorus of dying soldiers in the trenches, praying to God to let them die. And the smell. Oh god, the smell. This cannot be put into words. I can’t think of any gross adjectives or filthy metaphors to describe the foul stink that this creature produced. All I can say was that I vomited three times in under ten seconds. After I had cleaned up after myself, I decided it would be best to just give Beelzebub his food now so I didn’t have to interact with him again. Carl had put some cat food on the table. I threw the food into the feeding bowl as if it were a grenade and bolted to the living room. While the cat devoured his food, my eyes fell on a thank you note Carl had left on the fridge.
Hey man
thank you for watching Beelzebub for the weekend. Really means a lot to me.
Satan loves you bro
See you,
Carl
I remember thinking maybe Carl wasn’t such a dick after all. I sat down on the couch to watch some Netflix. Halfway into a Seinfeld episode, I had already watched a thousand times I fell asleep. I woke up when the walls came alive.
Yes, the fucking walls came alive. I don’t even know where to begin. I was awakened by Beelzebub making a weird noise. I opened my eyes and saw the walls moving as if they were made out of slime or some shit. When I watched the walls, it wasn’t slime at all. The wooden walls had turned into skin. Yes, Carl‘s house was suddenly made out of skin as if someone made the cottage after they flayed a dude. At first, I thought I was dreaming but then Beelzebub’s stench hit me and welcomed me to the real world. I vomited for the fourth time that night. That’s when I noticed the floor. The floor was also skin. I watched as the large canvas of skin beneath me sucked up my vomit. Just slurped it down until it wasn't there anymore. That is when I decided to abandon Carl’s house. Fuck the money and fuck the cat.
I ran towards the front door but the house would not let me escape. The skin texture began to stretch out and take the shape of arms with hands, grasping for me. Hands everywhere, in all shapes and sizes. Trying to duck under a sweeping arm, I stumbled over Beelzebub, who hissed like the devil’s own personal devil. That’s when I thought of a plan to survive this wicked bullshit. While the hands were already pulling at my clothes and embracing me in a firm grasp, I picked up Beelzebub and threw her to the other side of the room. It was a bold move. If I had made the wrong decision, then my last action before being killed by the house made of skin would be a lame attempt at the world record for cat throwing with the world’s ugliest cat. Luckily, that was not the case. Beelzebub wooshed through the air and landed on his feet. For a few seconds, it looked at me as if it was proud to have survived my throw. Then arms came out of the wall and grabbed the cat in a chokehold. Luckily, this meant that the wall let go of me and focused all of its limbs on poor Beelzebub. The cat started to produce some high shrieking noises. I ran to the front door and before I went out, I caught a glimpse of the cat being absorbed into the walls. It looked like the arms were pushing the cat into the wall while the animal simultaneously began to transform into a living blob of skin. It wriggled and screamed and scratched. All in vain. Before I closed the door behind me, I looked one last time. No cat in sight. Only a house of skin.
I ran to my car and drove back home. Now I don’t know what to do. Haven’t heard anything from Carl yet and I’m afraid to go to my dealer in case I encounter him there. Should I call the police or something? Has anyone ever seen something similar?

I keep seeing and hearing exmos and podcast heroes celebrating the fact that people are leaving the church at a higher rate than ever ("in droves"), and even taking credit for the current trend. Well, I hate to break it to y'all, but the Church is much stronger than you think. I have insider knowledge as I am currently serving as a bishop for the last 5+ years. Here are 3 inconvenient truths to add to your empty shelves. 1. The temples are more crowded than ever, especially with our youth, and this is with many new temples in the last few years and more to come, in Utah and beyond. It's almost impossible to get a reservation. People are going online at midnight 3 months in advance and refreshing like they're trying to get Taylor Swift tickets. 2. And, good or bad, I remember wards where there were 600+ members on the records with only about 150 people coming to church being a common concern back in the eighties. Now, even though this example might illustrate a different issue, this was obviously not due to the work of internet predators like "Dr." Dehlin. And back then people just stopped showing up. They didn't make grandiose declarations on social media, and then throw away all their shirts with sleeves. 3. The missionary program is stronger than ever with 77,000+ missionaries and growing. And just yesterday "Dr." Dehlin, with a big stupid grin on his face, stated that "he has it on good authority" 40% of RMs are leaving the church within 6 months of coming home. Wrong. I recently had a training where we reviewed some statistics from the missionary department and this number is "super" false. The actual number is a small fraction of this. I won't say it here because why feed the beast? Of the 30+ missionaries I have sent out I can't think of even one who has left the church, and I am still connected to all of them. I know this is a small sample size, but 40% is ridiculous. Do you even care that the self-proclaimed truth seeker got caught in a lie? Again. And, why so much glee? For the record, the younger generations are less religious all around the world, but this phenomenon is happening at a much lower rate in our church. Overall, the Church is healthy. Your modern day virtual mob might want to pump the brakes on the death (martyrdom?) celebration. Sorry to cancel all the dancing on our grave.
Every generation has unique challenges and I admit that the yapping internet hyenas are successfully finding some prey, but you still have a lot of work to do in destroying faith. The biggest obstacle you face is you. The lives of those who leave usually end up in a dumpster fire. I know this is an apologetic trope, but it gets repeated because it's true. I know there are some anecdotal stories of people whose lives have not been completely ruined, yet, but this is an exception to the rule. Be honest with yourself. Look around. Look in the mirror. Is your life better in meaningful ways? You are always welcome to leave the building, but why do some of you feel the need to burn the place down behind you? I know this is another apologetic trope too, but again, seriously, why? This is selfish and cruel. Your neighbors and families are still inside. I do have some family and close friends who have respectfully chosen to leave but they are good people who still care about human decency and I love and respect them. No sweat. Misery loves company should be your slogan. Relax. Go get some sunshine and touch the grass. It's not God, but at least It's better than the weeping and wailing of the lost souls on exmo reddit and the podcast preachers. Go visit a church and you'll see that it's not the scary place described on here. It's still the same wholesome loving place you spent your happy childhoods. It's just a lot of sincere people who are doing their best to love and serve and have a connection with heaven. This is true from the primary kids to the prophet, with only a small handful of exceptions (every large group has some fringe morons). Almost every "Mormon Story" talks about how they were very happy in the church until they were shocked to hear it was all a huge fraud. Again, what is the purpose of a church I ask? By their fruits ye shall know them. We are all just searching for happiness, right? Well, we still find it in the Church. Simple as that.
I know this post is long but I also know that you are going to cancel me so I only had one shot. And I've been looking at this miserable exmo reddit for a week and I plan on removing my records today anyway. So go ahead and excommunicate me from your echo chamber with all the down votes. Irony? Hypocrisy? I understand though. The Dehlinite thought police rule with an iron fist in this cult of personality where all the woke, pseudo-intellectual, "cool kids" go to try and convince themselves that truth and morality are all relative. This is your new religion. "The guilty take the truth to be hard", but God's laws are the same as the laws of the universe, and the laws of nature, and the laws of science, and so on. Whether you believe this or not there is no way to circumvent the consequences of choosing "your truth" over The Truth. "Wickedness never was happiness" after all. The Book of Mormon is so quotable. That Joseph sure came up with some brilliant stuff off the top of his head. Kind of miraculous. Am I right? Dehlin, on the other hand, is exactly like those greedy eighties televangelists. Dehlin is even worse though with literally no redeeming value. Y'all need a better hero. He pretends to be a truth seeker, but all he actually cares about is his image and enriching himself. The collateral damage of his ruthless war on faith is broken hearts, broken homes and hopelessness. I am singling out Dehlin as the current leader (he will love this characterization. Dehlin loves him some Dehlin) and face of the mob, but he's just one of the latest Korihors. By the way, read Alma 30 and tell me Joseph miraculously made it all up. Keep reading. Alma 32 clearly has a divine origin as well.
I just read this back and saw that my tone is pretty condescending. I am just so tired of all the yapping. Real lives are at stake and this pack of vengeful exmos are cruelly and relentlessly trying to pick the vulnerable stragglers out of the flock. Reckless. Selfish. Mean. So, sorry not sorry. A good shepherd protects his flock by forcing wolves to remove sheep's clothing. At the risk of mixing metaphors, your new emperor has no clothes. And, I know I should be the one to take the high road as the Christian but, come on, your avatar is a tapir. So clever I can't stop laughing. The Bitter exmo mob is a bunch of pre-Columbian Tapirs' butts. Again, sorry not sorry.
***Salutations. Your post has been removed because this anti-religious organization does not allow differing beliefs to be shared as it is offensive and disruptive to the other members who are simply trying to not worship in peace. Hmmmm

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I've seen a few people post about wanting to understand the Eros/Psyche references in Bridgerton but not knowing where to start. I thought I'd put together a crash course that would help anyone that is coming at this from the beginning.
I'll start with a summary of the myth and then I'll move on to a summary of the explicit references (the "why do people keep mentioning it?" and "was that related?") and a bit more of a loose interpretation ("I wonder if that has do to with it..." and "wouldn't that be cool if that was related to it?").
I give an outline, so you can scroll through and find what you're looking for or skip parts. I wrote a more thorough speculative post a few weeks ago, if you're into that. There are some great posters on this sub and the other Bridgerton subs posting about this regularly, so I encourage you to check those out!
-Awesome general discussion with attention to lamp references by u/hemadeitrain -Reference to the Cupid clock in the Pt. 2 trailer -Reference to the Sleep Eros statue -u/Tinuviel_Undomiel on an early observation from the trailer -u/ on the Golden Ram here and here

• general discussions [x] [x] (link below and I can add more, if I missed someone!)

Part 1: Everything you need to know about the myth of Eros and Psyche (long and short versions).
Part 2: References from Bridgerton in Part 1
TO SKIP TO PART 2, SEARCH "WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH BRIDGERTON?"
-----PART 1------- JUST THE MYTH, EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
Starting from scratch? No problem, I've got you!

• The characters of Eros and Psyche originated in the ancient Greek and Roman cultures (located in the Mediterranean).
• We have written references to Eros dating back to the 8th century BC. That means 2800-ish years ago! Those are in ancient Greek poetry. The oral tradition (people telling stories and histories) could date back longer.
• The story of Eros and Psyche comes to us from a Roman author in the 2nd century AD (only about 1900 years ago). The book it comes from is called The Golden Ass, or Metamorphoses, by a Roman (Numidian, modern day Algeria) author named Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis (but we usually just call him Apuleius!), which is filled with stories about transformation.
• Many characters in the story have two names- a Greek name and a Latin (the language of the Roman world) name. For example, Aphrodite (Greek) is Venus (Latin); Eros (Greek) is Cupid (Latin); Psyche (Greek) is Anima (Latin).

Who is Psyche?

• Psyche is a princess in a royal family. She is mortal. She is the youngest of three daughters. Her sisters are both married.
• Her beauty is often compared to that of Aphrodite (big mistake, Aphrodite hates that).
• Potential husbands are often intimidated by her beauty. As a result, she has a hard time finding a husband, unlike her sisters.
• Her beauty leads the people of her family's kingdom to neglect their duties to worship Aphrodite, worshiping Psyche, instead.
• At the start of her story, Psyche is naïve and easy to manipulate. She often gives in to her impulses. As her story progresses, she matures significantly. Eventually, she drinks Ambrosia, gifted to her by Zeus, and becomes immortal.
• Psyche is associated with butterflies.

Who is Eros?

• Eros is the son of Venus/Aphrodite (and sometimes has a father, but sometimes doesn't). He is immortal. He is a member of the Pantheon (which is a Greek word to describe the family of the Olympian Gods).
• Eros is the god of love Eros is depicted as a handsome young man, often with wings.
• Eros carries a bow and quiver of arrows, with which he shoots individuals to make them fall in love.
• Eros, in mythology, is described as a “most indiscreet youth, whose own bad habits show his disregard for public morality” (Apuleius, The Golden Ass 4. 28 - 6. 24). By the end of the Psyche/Eros myth, he has matured into a man, from a youth.

What happens in the Eros/Psyche myth? Here's the briefest description. The more thorough one is below.

1. Introduction to Psyche
2. Instructions from the Oracle of Delphi
3. Eros & Psyche in the Garden
4. Search for Psyche
5. Trials of Psyche
6. Psyche's Death, Resurrection, and Wedding

TLDR version:
Psyche is a beautiful girl. So beautiful that people worship her, instead of Aphrodite. Aphrodite hates that and seeks to punish her. She sends her son Eros to shoot her with an arrow that will make her fall in love with someone ugly. Eros shoots himself, instead, in secret.
Psyche can't find a husband and is miserable. Her father is told by the Gods that she should be sacrificed to them, married to a snake-monster on top of a mountain, for her crime (of being really pretty).
Psyche makes her way to the mountain top, resigned to her fate. Eros commands the wind to pick her up and bring him to his palace. She doesn't know who has taken her but she is happy and assumes that it is her new husband. This is an illegitimate wedding.
Eros visits Psyche every night in the dark. She never sees him but they are intimate with each other. Eros tells her that she can never see him in the light, and if she does, he will leave her. Psyche becomes pregnant.
Psyche's crazy sisters visit. Eros tells her not to trust them. She doesn't listen to his warnings and they convince her that he's actually the snake monster and that she has to use a lamp to look at him, one night, or he'll eat her.
Psyche lights the lamp and attempts to look at him. She pricks herself, by accident, with one of his arrows and falls in love with her. In the process, she spills a drop of oil on him and wakes him up. He makes good on his promise and flies away.
Psyche cries, wandering the countryside to find him. Venus (in anger that she married Eros) searches for her, too, putting out a bounty on her. Eros mopes in his room about his oil burn.
Psyche turns herself over to Venus, who assigns her a number of tasks, as punishment. Psyche completes the tasks, learning resiliency, humility, and sacrifice.
Completing the final task, Psyche (metaphorically) dies and Eros (finally done moping) saves her. Eros pleads with Zeus to take pity on them. Zeus does, hosting a proper wedding for them and gifting Psyche the Ambrosia (wine of the gods) that will make her immortal.
Longer, more complete version of the myth:
Note: translations come from Theoi.com, which is highly reputable. https://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/Psykhe.html
1. Introduction to Psyche:
Psyche is extremely beautiful, to the extent to which people literally believe that she must be divine (in the god-like sense).

beauty of the youngest girl [Psyche] was so special and distinguished that our poverty of human language could not describe or even adequately praise it. In consequence, many of her fellow-citizens and hordes of foreigners, on hearing the report of this matchless prodigy, gathered in ecstatic crowds. They were dumbstruck with admiration at her peerless beauty.

Despite this beauty, Psyche is not happy. Her sisters are both married but she is not.

For some time now her two elder sisters had been betrothed to royal suitors and had contracted splendid marriages, though their more modest beauty had won no widespread acclaim. But Psyche remained at home unattended, lamenting her isolated loneliness.

Because of the divine nature of her beauty, people worship her in the same manner that they would worship Venus. In fact, they neglect worshiping Venus, in her stead.

They would press their hands to their lips with the forefinger resting on the upright thumb, and revere her with devoted worship as if she were none other than Venus [Aphrodite] herself.

This makes Venus extremely angry. The Gods in Greek mythology are highly flawed, often vengeful, vindictive, and cruel.

Since divine honours were being diverted in this excessive way to the worship of a mortal girl, the anger of the true Venus [Aphrodite] was fiercely kindled. She could not control her irritation.

In order to punish Psyche, Venus summons her son Eros and instructs him to shoot Psyche with an arrow, causing her to fall in love with the "lowest possible specimen of humanity". Eros is a bit of a rake.

that winged, most indiscreet youth, whose own bad habits show his disregard for public morality. He goes rampaging through people's houses at night armed with his torch and arrows, undermining the marriages of all. He gets away scot-free with this disgraceful behaviour, and nothing that he does is worthwhile. His own nature made him excessively wanton.

2. Instructions from the Oracle of Delphi
Worried that Psyche is miserable because the gods are angry with them, her Father asks the Oracle at Delphi what to do (the most important oracle in the Greek world; an oracle was how mortals received messages from the Gods, they would make a sacrifice at a temple and a priestess (who was usually high on some drug, likely Opium) would tell them a message). The Oracle tells Psyche's father:

‘Adorn this girl, O king, for wedlock dread, and set her on a lofty mountain-rock. Renounce all hope that one of mortal stock can be your son-in-law, for she shall wed a fierce, barbaric, snake-like monster.

In order to appease the gods, Psyche is brought to the top of a mountain and is prepared for her wedding to a horrible serpent. She realizes that she is also walking in her own funeral procession.

They made their way to the appointed rock set on a lofty mountain, and when they had installed the girl on its peak, they all abandoned her there. They left behind the marriage-torches which had lighted their way but were now doused with their tears, and with bent heads made their way homeward.

As Psyche lays on the mountain rock and cries, a western wind lifts her up and carries her away into a grassy garden grove with a royal palace. The palace is filled with wealth and decorations, with an atmosphere that is distinctly heavenly.

But as Psyche wept in fear and trembling on that rocky eminence, Zephyrus' (the West Wind's) kindly breeze with its soft stirring wafted the hem of her dress this way and that, and made its folds billow out.

3. Eros & Psyche in the Garden
While Psyche is in the garden, she is given gifts and a large feast. She hears a disembodied voice tell her to celebrate and enjoy herself and then dress for bed. It is clear that this is her wedding. She is the only person present but the forces of nature around her act as her attendants.

As she gazed on all this with the greatest rapture, a disembodied voice addressed her : ‘Why, may lady, do you gaze open-mouthed at this parade of wealth? All these things are yours.

After the feast, Psyche goes to bed and hears a kind voice. She knows that she is alone, so she is afraid. However, her husband arrives and they have sex. This is Eros, visiting her.

When the night was well advanced, a genial sound met her ears. Since the was utterly alone, she trembled and shuddered in her fear for her virginity, and she dreaded the unknown presence more than any other menace. But now her unknown bridegroom arrived and climbed into the bed. He made Psyche his wife, and swiftly departed before dawn broke.

Psyche never sees Eros, but he visits her every night and leaves before the morning. She never sees what he looks like. At this time, Psyche's sisters believe that she is dead, so they go looking for her. Eros tells her not to meet with them, otherwise he'll hurt him and destroy himself.

Should you chance to hear their cries of grief, you are not to respond, or even to set eyes on them. Otherwise you will cause me the most painful affliction, and bring utter destruction on yourself.’

Psyche agrees but she is lonely. She has her husband but no other company. When Eros comes to her the next night, she is upset. He is not sympathetic and says that it is her own fault for not being content with her husband.

Is this how the promise you made me has turned out, Psyche, my dear? What is your husband to expect or to hope from you? You never stop torturing your self night and day, even when we embrace each other as husband and wife. ... But when you begin to repent at leisure, remember the sober warning which I gave you.’

Eventually, Eros gives in and lets Psyche see her sisters. Eros tells her that, no matter what her sisters say, he must not be tempted to see his appearance. She cannot look at him in the light.
When Psyche's sisters arrive, they see how wealthy she is and are jealous. They assume that she must be married to a god. She gives them gifts but does not tell them anything about Eros. Her sisters see that their own marriages are nothing compared to hers and they are worried that she will become a goddess, while they will have nothing.

If she has as handsome a husband as she claims, no woman living in the whole world is more blessed. Perhaps as their intimacy continues and their love grows stronger, her god-husband will make her divine as well.

Eros warns Psyche, again, that her behaviour is dangerous. If she continues to meet with her sisters, she will put herself in danger:

‘Are you aware what immense danger overhangs you? Fortuna is aiming her darts at you from long range and, unless you take the most stringent precautions, she will soon engage with you hand to hand.

He repeats his warning: if Psyche gazes upon him and gets a look of him, he will leave her forever. He warns her that they will have a child, soon. If she does NOT look upon him, it will be a god, and if she does, it will be mortal.

they are seeking to persuade you to pry into my appearance, and as I have often warned you, a single glimpse of it will be your last. ... Soon we shall be starting a family, for this as yet tiny womb of yours is carrying for us another child like yourself. If you conceal our secret in silence, that child will be a god; but if you disclose it, he will be mortal.’

Later, when Psyche's sisters visit, they plan to trick her. They tell her that her husband is the serpent that the Oracle told her that she would be married to her. They say that it will eat her and her child, once her pregnancy comes to term.
Psyche, naïve as she is, believes them and admits that she doesn't know anything about her husband. They tell her that she needs to hide a knife in her bed and a bright lamp. She should light the lamp and when she sees the monster, she can free herself.
That night, she lights the lamp and grabs the knife, ready to escape. However, she immediately sees Eros and is awe-struck. She realizes that she was wrong and that she has broken her promise and tries to kill herself. The knife frees itself from her hands and falls.

But as in her weariness and giddiness she gazed repeatedly on the beauty of that divine countenance, her mental balance was restored. She beheld on his golden head his luxuriant hair steeped in ambrosia

She is distracted by his beauty and gazes at him. She sees his bow and arrows at the end of the bed and moves to touch them. Because she is so overwhelmed, her shaky hands cause her to prick herself with the arrows.

As Psyche trained her gaze insatiably and with no little curiosity on these her husband's weapons, in the course of handling and admiring them she drew out an arrow from the quiver, and tested its point on the tip of her thumb. But because her arm was still trembling she pressed too hard, with the result that it pricked too deeply, and tiny drops of rose-red blood bedewed the surface of the skin. So all unknowing and without prompting Psyche fell in love with Amor (Love) [Eros], being fired more and more with desire for the god of desire.

She attempts to kiss him but she accidentally spills a drop of oil from her lamp. It wakes him up and he sees that she has seen her. He quickly wakes up and sees what has happed. He begins to fly away and although she grabs onto him, she eventually falls back to earth. He reminds her that he warned her that this would happen.

The god started up on being burnt; he saw that he was exposed, and that his trust was defiled. Without a word he at once flew away from the kisses and embrace of his most unhappy wife. But Psyche seized his right leg with both hands just as he rose above her.
... I urged you repeatedly, I warned you devotedly always to be on your guard against what has now happened. But before long those fine counsellors of yours will make satisfaction to me for their heinous instructions, whereas for you the punishment will be merely my departure.’

4. Search for Psyche
The west wind carries Psyche from Eros' home, just light it brought her there. She returns to her sisters, who then kill themselves. She begins wandering from town to town, looking for Eros.
Meanwhile, Eros is acting like a bit of a baby: "Cupidos [Eros], he was lying groaning in his mother's chamber, racked by the pain of the wound from the lamp."
When Venus finds out that Eros was with Psyche, she is extremely angry. She berates Eros for betraying her, saying that he has embarrassed her. In her rage, two other goddess approach Venus, Demeter and Hera. They tell her that she is being to harsh on Eros:

You are a mother and a sensible one at that. Are you always going to pry nosily into your son's diversions, and condemn his wanton ways, censure his love-life, and vilify your own skills and pleasures as practised by your handsome son?’

Psyche eventually makes it to a neglected shrine to Demeter. She cleans it and Demeter is grateful but refuses to help her and says that she can't risk Venus' rage, Next, Psyche visits a shrine to Hera and does the same thing. She intreats Hera, who helps "pregnant women in danger." Hera also denies her.
Venus, in the meantime, is search for Psyche. She asks for Hermes (the messenger god) to issue a proclamation to find her:

‘If anyone can retrieve from her flight the runaway daughter of the king, the maidservant of Venus called Psyche, or indicate her hidden whereabouts, he should meet the herald Mercurius behind the metae Muriae. Whoever does so will obtain as reward from Venus herself seven sweet kisses, and a particularly honeyed one imparted with the thrust of her caressing tongue.’
Longing for this great reward aroused eager competition between men everywhere.

Eventually, Psyche turns herself over to Venus. Venus berates her, tortures her, etc. Eventually, she assigns her a series of tasks that are intended to punish her for her insolence.
4. Trials of Psyche
Task 1: "[Venus] then brought some wheat, barley, millet, poppyseed, chickpeas, lentils and beans. She mingled them together [...], and said to her : ‘[...] Separate out this mixed heap of seeds, and arrange the different kinds in their proper piles. Finish the work before tonight, and show it to me to my satisfaction.’"
Task 1 Solution: Ants emerge from the ground and help her sort through the seeds.
Although Eros and Psyche are not together, at this point, they are in the same house:

Meanwhile Cupidos [Eros] was alone, closely guarded and confined in a single room at the back of the house. This was partly to ensure that he did not aggravate his wound by wanton misbehaviour, and partly so that he would not meet his dear one. So the lovers though under the one roof were kept apart from each other, and were made to endure a wretched night.

Task 2: "There are sheep [...] wandering and grazing unguarded, and their fleeces sprout with the glory of pure gold, I order you to go there ate once, and somehow or other obtain and bring back to me a tuft of wool from the precious fleece.’"
Task 2 Solution: Psyche considers committing suicide but a disembodied voice and instructs her to wait: "Then, as soon as the sheep relax their fury and their disposition grows gentle, you must shake the foliage in the neighbouring grove, and you will find golden wool clinging here and there to the curved stems.’
Task 3: Psyche must retrieve a jug of water from a spring on top of a high mountain.
Task 3 Solution: Jupiter's eagle grabs the jug and fills it.
Task 4: Psyche must retrieve a box of ointment from Persephone from the underworld.

Then Psyche came to the full realization that this was the end of the road for her. All pretence was at an end; she saw clearly that she was being driven to her immediate doom. It could not be otherwise, for she was being forced to journey on foot of her own accord to Tartarus and the shades below.

She visits Persephone to ask for her help and acts respectfully, eventually securing the ointment but also being told not to use any.

She will welcome you in genial and kindly fashion, and she will try to induce you to sit on a cushioned seat beside her and enjoy a rich repast. But you must settle on the ground, ask for course bread, and eat it. Then you must tell her why you have come.

Task 4 Solution: Psyche decides to use some of the cream herself, but the box is filled with "sleep" and and she instantly collapses when she opens the box (she low-key dies), Eros finally gets his act together and saves her by pricking her with his arrow, again.

He could no longer bear Psyche's long separation from him, so he glided out of the high-set window of the chamber which was his prison. ... Then he roused Psyche with an innocuous prick of his arrow. ‘Poor, dear Psyche,’ he exclaimed, ‘see how as before your curiosity might have been your undoing! But now hurry to complete the task imposed on you by my mother's command; I shall see to the rest.’

4. Psyche's Death, Resurrection, and Marriage
Having come to his senses, Eros visits Zeus and begs him to have mercy on them. Zeus agrees that he has changed and consents to their marriage. He brings the gods together and they hold a wedding speech and banquet. Psyche is gifted ambrosia, the wine of the gods, and she becomes immortal.

We must deprive him of all opportunities; his juvenile behaviour must be shackled with the chains of marriage. He has chosen the girl, and robbed her of her virginity, so he must have and hold her.
He gave her a cup of ambrosia, and said : ‘Take this, Psyche, and become immortal. Cupidos will never part from your embrace; this marriage of yours shall be eternal.’ At once a lavish wedding-feast was laid.

-----PART 2------- WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH BRIDGERTON?
This section will talk about what we know and what we can interpret, from what we've already seen.
Firstly, I've counted three canonical visual appearances of the myth:

1. During the Queen's Ball in Episode 4, the "love play" or ballet that is performed is a dance of Eros and Psyche. The mural on the floor is a depiction of a famous painting The Abduction of Psyche by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1895. The mural is done in the ancient Greek/Roman mosaic style.

https://preview.redd.it/9rn90my37f2d1.png?width=1886&format=png&auto=webp&s=ca5b458dd0057fccea1373c3d02810ba2390a20d

1. Cressida spells it out for the viewer, directly referencing that Penelope and Colin are like Eros and Psyche.
   
2. Reproductions of the famous Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss (1793) by Antonio Canova (now located in the Louvre) appear twice in Episode 2. Once at the Ball and another time at the table in the Market.
   

https://preview.redd.it/1nnfw2vh7f2d1.png?width=1837&format=png&auto=webp&s=804ffe208d57dd2a9585b24cae6b9921063713e8
Secondly, there are points of closer comparison that are not confirmed but are closer to the narrative than simple speculation.

1. As others have pointed out, Colin gifts Gregory a bow (a symbol of Eros). Gregory also points the bow towards Colin, transitioning from Penelope speaking to the Modiste about her future marriage prospects.

https://preview.redd.it/afrvqy4y7f2d1.png?width=1834&format=png&auto=webp&s=3bdf3f67296966076d70769465a7c0682c09b381

1. Penelope is closely associated with butterflies in her clothing in previous seasons. Butterflies are also a symbol of Psyche.

https://preview.redd.it/5madxlo58f2d1.png?width=1884&format=png&auto=webp&s=1d501358cb963402fcbcda83a8351c90f5645c73

1. Queen Charlette is continuously associated with Venus in the spin-off about her character. She is also closely associated with swans, this season, which are a symbol of Venus across mythology (along with other winged-creatures).

https://preview.redd.it/0ufl0bhg8f2d1.png?width=1882&format=png&auto=webp&s=cb55d46d4c407c2b01e06a2c6016b0669a28820e
Thirdly, there are clear narrative connections with the myth that may have served as inspiration for this season's plot. I'll be brief here, but there's more details at this speculative post that I made before the season started.

1. Eros is meant to make Psyche fall in love with someone else. Colin, like Eros accidentally-on-purpose falls in love with Penelope, himself.
2. Psyche is a rival of Venus, embarrassing and upstaging her. Whistledown is a rival of the Queen with a similarly antagonistic relationship. Like Venus, the Queen issues a bounty for Whistledown in the second half of the season, which we know from the trailer.

Finally, there are some points where we can draw on creativity to find connections. Most are unintentional, but still fun!

1. Penelope as Psyche:

• Penelope is the youngest of three daughters. Her elder sisters are both married while she is not.
• Psyche cannot find a husband because of her beauty (which makes her a rival of the beautiful Venus); Penelope cannot find a husband because she Lady Whistledown (which makes her a rival of the Queen) which keeps her attached to the wall and out of notice from suitors.
• Psyche's sisters see her as a rival. Penelope's sisters, with the advent of the baby race plotline, will come to see her as a rival, too. Penelope's husband, as a Bridgerton, will be a better match than either of her sisters make. This was the case with Psyche's sisters, too.

1. Colin as Eros:

• Colin is considered desirable, just like Eros is. He has a good reputation and position in society, in addition to wealth and assumingly a kindness>! that sets him apart from other men, in the books!<.
• Eros and Psyche are unequal because Eros is considered a god. As an eligible bachelor (in contrast with a spinster), a Bridgerton (in comparison with a Featherington), and someone with plenty of swagger and self-confidence (in comparison with someone who struggles in social situations), Colin has an uneven social standing in relation to Penelope.
• Eros is unwilling and unable to be seen in the light at the beginning of the myth, Makowski (1985) points out that Eros moves from being the illusive adolescent character of mystery and intrigue that is overly reliant on his mother to being a mature “adult capable of genuine emotional and spiritual intimacy with his wife […] no longer the faceless nocturnal visitor, he is a loving husband” (p. 78).
• Eros is described in Jane Kingsley-Smith's book Cupid in Early Modern Literature and Culture as "unstable and elusive, shifting between sacred and profane" in his behaviour and his reputation as "an irresponsible seducer is repeatedly attested to by Venus and Jupiter" (p. 164).
• A similar transformation may be seen in Colin's character as he abandons the façade that he has built between seasons. It may also reveal how he will emerge at the end of the season, as a whole, once he becomes the head of his own household and leaves his family home.

1. The Queen as Venus

• Within the myth, Venus is vengeful and hates that Psyche has undercut her plans and orders for Eros. This is a potential mirroring of Queen Charolette’s dislike of Whistledown’s constant rebellion, subversion, and disrespect of her authority.
• As the Queen, her status quite naturally sets her apart from other characters in the story and would make the association with the “godly” realm more believable. She is often apart, and even literally above the other characters (i.e. at a ball on a balcony, in a private stage/tent at the infamous balloon/market scene).
• While Venus is not the goddess that presides over marriage, in the Ton, the Queen is the governing force over marriages. Love, desire, and marriage are not strictly held apart in the same way in the world of Bridgerton.

1. The Garden:

• When the trailers dropped, the girls from the What a Barb! A Polin Podcast pointed out that Colin and Pen keep returning to the Featherington Garden. Their relationship began to shift at the Featherington Ball in S2E8, and they continuously re-visit this space.
• Colin and Penelope meet in the Featherington garden at night on at least two occasions: in episode 2 and in episode 3. This space is clearly not within the bounds of traditional society. Colin has to bribe Pen's maid to see her, in the first instance. In the second, it is only a dream. In these ways, it echoes the illegitimate context of Eros' palace and their wedding.
• The Garden may have visual echoes of Eros' palace, which is described by being lit by torches and lush with vegetation. It may give us hints as to the development of early feelings for Pen/Colin but also a warning that the two characters that we see in this space are not fully developed. The still require transformation, although it is the space where they recognize a degree of truth in their love.
• Gisela Labouvie-Vief’s book, Psyche and Eros: Mind and Gender in the Life Course, explains: “night remains the realm of passion and rapture for the couple […] Psyche soon finds out that she must pay a price for this blissful union. In time, her living arrangements become a source of boredom, and her curiosity stirs.” (p. 116). Although there isn't much space for direct comparison, discontent from Psyche may mirror an unwillingness for Penelope to settle for romantic bliss when her career with Whistledown is still on the line.
• I've theorized that the presence of wind in the garden scene in Episode 1 when Colin goes to see Pen to apologize is representative of Eros having the western wind take Psyche away. This would then be the start of their new relationship, as Pen realizes that she does, in fact, know this Colin and he agrees to help her change the life that she is resigned to.

1. The importance of the pending reveal:

• We know that there are big secrets in Colin and Penelope's relationship, just as there are in Eros/Psyche's.
• The reveal of Eros’ identity is a point of betrayal for Eros. We know that something similar must happen when Colin finds out that Penelope is Lady Whistledown. In general, moments of revealing secrets are a big part of the journey of transformation that Eros and Psyche's story gains meaning from.

Wernmei Yong Ade has a chapter in Fluid Genfer, Fluid Love called “Love, Alterity and Gender Relations: Re-Thinking the Myth of Eros and Psyche” that analyzes Eros' reveal in incredible detail. I’d like to draw attention to three of her points:
(1) “the moment of light-bringing is also the moment of a face-to-face encounter, where the lovers had previously not seen each other, and therefore marks the beginning of an ethical relation.” (p. 69)
(2) “From them to love as equals, Psyche needs to be given equal access to her lover, for “though she yielded to him in the darkness, she had not loved him […] It is in the light of knowledge, her knowledge of Eros, that she begins to love” (Neumann 1956, 81).” (p. 70)
(3) “Acts of seeing and touching are central to the tale of Eros and Psyche. Neumann’s reading of the tale centres on the light-bringing as the point of Psyche’s death and rebirth: the death of her dependence, ignorance and passivity, and rebirth into womanly initiative, and most significantly, into agency and subjecthood.” (p. 69)
So, what can we take from this? Although the reveal of who Lady Whistledown is (and whatever secrets Colin may be keeping!) might cause difficulty in their relationship and may even cause their temporary separation, they are necessary for transformation and growth of the characters. In navigating these changes and becoming the best versions of themselves, there may be significant rewards for Penelope and Colin by the end of the season.
Quick note on a new character for the second half of season 3: There is a new character names Ambrosia who is rumored to be acting opposite Luke Newton. While this has caused some concern about an affair plotline, I'd suggest people refer back to the important role that Ambrosia has in bringing about the happily ever after for Eros and Psyche. Other redditors have also commented this, but as they have been comments, I can't find any quickly. Let me know if it was you and I'll link your speculation.
I've definitely missed lots of stuff, but I hope this is a useful introduction!
References are made to the following texts:
Ade, Wernmei Yong. (2018) "Love, Alterity and Gender Relations: Re-Thinking the Myth of Eros and Psyche." Fluid Gender, Fluid Love. Brill, 61-74.
Gollnick, J. (1992). Love and the soul: Psychological interpretations of the Eros and Psyche myth (Vol. 15). Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press.
Kingsley-Smith, J. (2010). Cupid in early modern literature and culture. Cambridge University Press.
Makowski, J. F. (1985). Persephone, psyche, and the mother-maiden archetype. The Classical Outlook, 62(3), 73-78.
Labouvie-Vief, G. (1994). Psyche and Eros: Mind and gender in the life course. Cambridge University Press.

I had such an amazing response to my last story, that I'm scared shitless on writing this follow up, but I think there is so much to say on what I perceive would have been a wonderful relationship between Kate and Rick, and how they would have been amazing parents. His strengths were Kate's weakness, and her strengths were his weakness, together they formed an impenetrable bond. By the way, don't hate me when you get to the newspaper articles. I don't know bat shit about any of that stuff, I was just winging it to give you an idea of what Lilly was reading.
This story is long, but I didn't want to break this up into bits and lose the continuity. My hope is you like it as well as you did the last. Again, as always thanks for reading my dribbles!
Rick and Kate had just returned from an amazing vacation to a tropical island about an hour ago. As much fun as they had, it was nice to be back. They readily admitted to missing their kids like crazy.
Kate turned to look at her husband, "You know what I found out while we were on the island"?
Castle smiled and said, "That you love me even more than you already did or is it that you secretly loved it when I chased you around with your underwear on my head".
"God, you're such a goofball. No, it's what I discovered. I found out that making love on a beach lends itself to having sand crawl up into places, that shall we say sand should never enter. I swear I still feel some granules in between my butt cheeks".
Castle roared with laughter, "Well my dear Wife, you see these nimble fingers of mine (As he wiggled them in front of her) I'll have you know that these fingers are more than willing and ready for Operation: Butt Crack Sand Removal.
Kate frowned at him and replied, "Yeah Babe, that's not going to happen. I'm fully capable of removing the sand on my own thank you very much! However, I'm going to grab a glass of wine and decompress in the tub". As she sauntered away, she looked over her shoulder and sing songed, "I'm going to put bubbles in there, so I wouldn't mind the company from a ruggedly handsome author, if he so chooses to join me".
"Try and stop me," Castle laughed. "Honey, I see there's a text from Alexis, I'm going to make a quick call and I'll be right in. I think she's bringing the kids back tomorrow afternoon".
"Okay, I'll be waiting", she sang out.
xxxx
He dialed his oldest daughter, and she answered on the first ring. "Hi Dad, have a nice time"? Alexis stammered.
Castle sensing something in his daughter's tone said, "Great Pumpkin, now do you want to tell me what's wrong"?
He heard his daughter sigh, and then she said, "Dad, I think I really messed up yesterday".
"Tell me what happened Baby Bird". Alexis went on to explain that Lanie, David (Alexis's husband of 5 years), and her, had been drinking and they had taken the old new paper articles out of his safe. The unabridged versions of what really happened on many of their cases. Alexis said that after that, they just staggered off to bed, forgetting about the clippings
Lilly had gotten up bright and early and rousted the boys so she could make them breakfast. Lilly had gone into the kitchen, but then heard James and Royce screaming for her to come and see what they had discovered, and there in all their glory were newspaper clippings and articles splashed all over the cocktail table. Lilly reached for one, as the article blared:
Headline: "Largest Serial Killer found in U.S. History".
Reading the article Lilly saw: Cadaver dog's late Friday afternoon, have uncovered at least 30 bodies buried in rural N.Y. on the property of one Dr. Van Holtzman. Dr. Van Holtman: Family man with a wife and 3 kids was shot in self-defense by Police Consultant and Novelist Richard Castle and his crime fighting wife Detective Kathrine Beckett Castle. Story still unfolding. Lilly dropped that article and picked up another one.
Another Headline Blared: "Shooting at Police Funeral"
Detective Kate Beckett of the 12th precinct was shot today while giving a speech for recently deceased Captain Roy Montgomery. Have also heard that Novelist Richard Castle and partner of Detective Beckett dove in attempt to save the detective's life.
Lilly's hands started to shake, as she let that clipping fall from her hands. Not wanting to, but unable to control herself, she picked up another.
Headline: "Last minute Rescue Avoids Casualties"
The Ledger yesterday found out that bomb squads were called to an apartment building. A perimeter was established with a blockade that was set up to push people back 3 city blocks. This paper has learned that Detective Kate Beckett of the 12th precinct had been standing on a live bomb for hours. Inside sources confirm that the bomb was time sensitive. Apparently, time had dwindled down to seconds. Novelist, Richard Castle and rumored love interest of Detective Beckett, and against all orders of the police and bomb squad refused to leave his partner's side.... What is it about these two. Inquiring minds want to know.
Lilly felt a tear trickle down her cheek as she picked up another.
Headline: "Notorious Serial Killer 3XK aka Jerry Tyson Reign of Terror Over"?
Lilly read: Search teams were out early Friday morning looking for the body of known serial killer Jerry Tyson. Tyson also known as 3XK is presumed dead as rumors swirl of his being shot multiple times and plummeting 100 ft. to his Icey death. He was shot by Novelist Richard Castle and his crime fighting partner Det. Kate Beckett. These two are becoming NY's best crime fighting couple.
The articles were endless, one after another of newspaper articles of death-defying moments in her parent's lives. Then Lilly cast her eyes down on one more and her heart broke:
Headline: "Senator William Bracken Arrested At News Conference".
Article read: Earlier today at a major press conference to announce his run for the presidency of the United States, Senator William Bracken was arrested on 5 counts of Extorsion, Blackmail, and the murder of multiple people including the death of Johanna Beckett, the mother of arresting officer, Detective Kate Beckett. As Bracken was put into police custody, Detective Beckett was seen with her arms around her fiancée, Novelist Richard Castle. Knowing these two, this reporter is laying bets that both of them had a hand in the take down of Bracken.
Lilly had read enough, as tears streaked her eyes, and as her brothers were running around yelling in joy, Lilly grabbed her headphones and walked outside into the sunshine, never making her brothers breakfast. Her heart ached for her parents, her amazing parents. As she walked along the beach and let the sun wash over her face, she knew that a sit down to discuss this was coming, but she wasn't sure she wanted to know.
xxxx
"Dad I'm so sorry", his eldest daughter sobbed.
"Pumpkin, settle down, it's all right sweetie pie, I'll figure out something. My fault for keeping the damn things. How are the kids"?
Alexis calming down a little said, "The boys are running around like they're on meth, screaming that their parents are superheroes, but Lilly has been really quiet. Shes been sitting out near the water with her headphones on.
Castle scratching his 2-day old stubble said, "Okay...Okay, I'll go talk to Kate. We'll figure something out. Bring the kids back just before dinner. That way we can eat first before addressing the big elephant in the room, also Alexis, I want you to make sure that Flower has suntan lotion on, she never pays attention, I don't want her to get sunburned".
Alexis laughed and said, "I won't let anything happen to your baby girl Dad. See you tomorrow around 4. Love you, Dad. I'm so sorry".
"Love you too Baby bird, and my first-born baby girl". Castle laughed, "See you tomorrow Pumpkin".
xxxx
Castle went and grabbed a glass of wine and went into the bathroom. Kate watched him enter, as her husband took off his clothes. "Like what you see Mrs. Castle"
Kate replied while biting her bottom lip "Oh yeah, definitely. Nothing like a fine-looking naked man getting into my bathtub, don't tell my husband".
Castle smiled and said, " He sounds like a scoundrel and a cad. We'll have to keep this illicit affair our little secret my love".
Kate looked at her husband, and from her being around him for the past 25 years as partner, lover and wife, she always knew when something was off. "Alright Babe, what's wrong. Spill it"
Castle heaved a big sigh and said, "Lanie, David and Alexis went into the safe and took out our newspaper clippings, then they got tipsy and went to bed without putting them away".
Kate sat up straight slightly spilling her wine in the water, "Oh, shit...shit!... shit!... How bad is it"?
Castle replied, "Well the boys think we should be wearing capes and are running around like crazed little demon children. Flower, however, might not be taking the news so well. I have Alexis bringing the kids over late afternoon tomorrow. I thought we could have a talk after dinner...Honey, I think we need to go over what we will and won't talk about. I'm not comfortable getting into my disappearance, and I don't think you want to get too technical about your shooting or Kelly Nieman".
Kate sighed and said, " Don't worry Baby, we'll figure it out like we always do, but your right we need to come up with a game plan". They spent the rest of the night talking about how they would handle the kids.
xxxx
It was decided that before any big family talk, that Kate would talk to the boys about setting some ground rules. The boys loved their Dad, but Mom was the one that the boys new better than to screw with. Castle would talk to Lilly, because, well she was a Daddy's girl. He seemed to get through to her better than Kate.
When the kids came home, the boys had hit the ground running, starting to throw question after question out. That was nipped in the bud right away by Kate. They were told that things would be addressed after dinner, but to behave until that time.
After dinner Castle looked over at his precious daughter while she was doing dishes. She had been very quiet during dinner. He was so proud of her. She was already 5ft 6 inches and the starting center on the freshman team at Marlowe Prep. They said she could hit as high as 5/10. She was model beautiful, and looked just like her mother other than the fact that her eyes were cerulean, blue. When they had taken Lilly years ago to some of Castle's book launch parties some model exes had gone up to her and asked if she ever considered modeling. Momma bear Kate in those instances would launch into a tirade threating limb removal if they ever came near their daughter again. Kate and Rick had seen the seedier side of modeling and did not want that for Lilly. His daughter was brilliant in school and had a knack for speaking languages. She had a big heart and was kind to a fault. Luckly she also had her mother's bull shit meter, so she could not be easily swayed by young men, as she would let them know that she was not to be messed with.
Rick looked at his daughter and said, "Flower, could you come over here and sit with me for a moment". She came over and sat down at the kitchen table looking down at her hands. "Flower is there something on your mind that you want to talk about"?
Lilly looked at her dad and said. "Daddy, I saw those articles about you and mom, and I have to tell you, they really scared me. I mean, come on Dad: Drownings, multiple bomb scares, shooting a serial killer. One after the other saying how you guy's escaped death over and over". Lilly's eyes started to mist over.
Castle calmly said, "Baby, I know where you're going with this, if either one of us had been killed that you wouldn't be here blah blah blah, but you can't think like that. It's a bad habit that your mom does from time to time, she was like that from time I met her. The fact is we didn't die, we are not those people anymore. We've been by your side since the day you were born, and there's been no issues". Castle placed his hands gently on his daughter's cheeks and raised her eyes up to look at him. "Flower, you need to listen to me very carefully. Looking backwards serves no purpose other than to feel regret and pain. You have such a wonderful future ahead of you, and your mom and I are so proud of you. Start looking forward to tomorrow's adventures, what lies ahead, and know with certainty that mom and I will be lock step with you in your journey. Looking back at bad moments in time serves no purpose other than to deliver pain. Now mom and I are going to sit down with the boys and address some of those things that you read. You're welcome to go to your room if you don't want to be there for the discussion".
Lilly replied, "No Daddy, I need to understand just why some of these things happened. I'm good, you don't have to worry about me", as her smile lit up her face.
Castle kissed her on her nose and said, "Okay then, mom is going to talk to the boys and when she's done will all sit down".
xxxx
Kate looked over at her husband and daughter and shook her head and smiled. "God, she's got her father wrapped around her little finger. Kate looked back at her boys and said, "Okay you two knuckleheads, before we talk about what you saw, there are going to be a few ground rules. Number one what we talk about today will stay in this room, no exceptions. If I hear that anything was talked about outside of this house there will be hell to pay, do you hear me boys, and yes, I'm looking at you Royce".
Royce whined, "Oh, mom why do you always look at me".
"Because your just like your father, you're a little social butterfly, and you're always running around talking to everyone you run into".
James looked at his mom and said, "Mom, I think your being a little unfair to Royce".
Royce turned to James and said, "Thanks Jimmy, but mom's right, as dad always says I've got no... what does he say? Oh yeah, I have no filter".
Kate looked at her boys. She loved them to death, and she was so proud of them. They reminded her of what Rick had told her the first year of their partnership. "Ying and Yang is harmony Kate, Ying Ying...is a name for a Panda". Her boys were in perfect harmony. Royce was the smarter of the two, and James was the protector. They always had each other's backs, and they were inseparable. Together she had seen them form quite the team. Kate looked at them and said, "Listen up both of you, before we get into all this stuff, you need to understand something. Dad and I are not superheroes, and those articles that got you all excited about in many ways extracted quite a toll on both of us. The main reason that this stays in the family is that there are a lot of people out there that don't understand what your dad and I have gone thru. When your sister was little, she would ask if friends could come out to the Hamptons for a day. The parents would come, and then we would find out that they just wanted to ask us all kinds of questions and ask for our autograph. It hurt your sister when she would see that it wasn't about her, or even worse, she would lose friends because the parents had read about us and wouldn't let their kids play with her because they thought we attracted trouble. This isn't a game boys, there are real world consequence's that came from some of those stories. Be proud of us if you want, though I'd rather you be proud of us as your parents, but however you want to view this it stays in house. Do both of you understand"?
Royce and James both nodded, and said, "Yes momma".
Kate smiled and said, "You two are my pride and joy, and dad and I love you so very much. Now that you understand some of the rules, we're all going to all sit together and your dad will start off explaining a few things, then we'll answer some of your questions".
xxx
The kids gathered around as they all sat in a circle. Kate looked at her husband and nodded, Rick took a deep breath and said, "Okay kids here are a few ground rules on what we will discuss and what we won't. Anything that has to do with 3XK or my disappearance, are not up for discussion, and your mother can determine how much she wants to talk about her shooting.
I need all of you, especially you two boys to understand that we are not superheroes by any stretch of imagination. All of these headlines for the most part took a toll on your mother and me. There are two kinds of pain kids that a person can go thru. Physical like when your mom was shot. That pain went on for months and months, but the emotional pain went on for years. Many of these stories' kids, that we are going to talk about took a toll on us. We still have the occasional nightmares to this day. I repeat we were not heroes, but your mother and I also had great sense of determination to bring justice to this world and to protect the innocent wherever we could. We didn't back down and we didn't give up, and we didn't always take the easy path, and because of that it put us in the crosshairs of some truly horrific people.
Lilly watched as her Mom and Dad smiled and looked at each other with so much love. She listened as her mom and dad told them tales of almost drowning in the Hudson River while working with the CIA... Disarming a bomb in the middle of Manhattan with the clock winding down to zero, and being given awards by the Major ... Almost dying in a freezer container while huddled in each other's arms... About being handcuffed while facing a Bengal tiger...How her mom's place blew up, because of a Serial Killer, while her Dad rushed into a blazing fire to rescue her. The stories went on and on, as Lilly grew dizzy, and her brothers grew solemn as they heard just how much their parents had changed events in people's lives. She was astounded when she heard that the serial killer that she had read about in History books that had the largest body count in the U.S. and totaled over 34 bodies had in fact been discovered and killed by her Father, with her Mother by his side. The list went on and on for hours. Lilly and her brothers were mesmerized.
Lilly interrupted one of her dads' stories and asked, "Daddy, how many times did you guys save each other's lives"?
Kate looked at her husband and said, "Do you still remember Babe, because I lost track".
Lilly looked towards her dad, stunned the there were so many that her mother couldn't remember. Then she heard her dad say.
"Well, Flower around the 4th year of our partnership after your mom help rescue me from being held hostage in a bank with grams, it was around 9 saves for me and 8 for your mom.
Kate huffed and turned her head. "I still think you made some of that stuff up".
"Now... Now my love no reason to get testy". Then Castle turned to the kids and whispered, "Mom, doesn't like that fact that she carried the gun, but I saved her more times". All of a sudden, he felt a rolled-up wad of paper that hit him in the head, he turned to his wife and Kate stuck her tongue out at him.
Lilly and the boys laughed. Castle continued, "Flower after your mom and I became a couple I stopped counting, but I think it was around 20 or so". Lily thought to herself how two people could mention something like that so causally that it was like trying to figure out what kind of ice cream they liked. She just shook her head.
James, usually the quite one said, "Really mom, that many?"
"Yeah Baby, somewhere in there". Kate looked at Castle with so much love and turned and said, "Your dad and I were partners before we got romantically involved". Kate looked away for a moment trying to hold her tears. "I stupidly was with another man at one point, but I knew even then that I would have done anything to protect him. I was crazy about him even then; I just never told him".
Castle interjected, "Jimmy I would have done anything to protect your mom. We had a bond that could not be broken, it's what partners do. It's about trust, and in our case, it was about our love for each other.
Royce spoke up and asked Kate. "Mom can you or dad tell us about the article where you're standing on the bomb, and dad didn't leave you"?
Umm...sure baby. Rick, do you want to take this one?"
"Okay honey he sighed, "Well kids, your mom unknowingly triggered a bomb in a bad guy's apartment, and one slight movement by her could set it off, so Mom had to be very still. We were told that if the bomb went off that the whole building would collapse and probably the one next store, and I was told that there was nothing I could do that would prevent both of us from blowing up if it went off. I stood with her and became her bomb buddy in order to keep her mind off her standing for so many hours. Eventually the bomb squad let us know that they couldn't disarm it and the only way was to enter a 5-digit code that would disarm the bomb, but the problem was if you entered the wrong code, it would set it off.
Kate took over the story from there, "As the time was ticking away and we were down to 15 minutes, I made your dad promise that he would have to leave if I asked. Lilly saw her mom starting to tear up, the boys saw it too.
Royce asked "Were you scared mom"
"Baby, I was petrified, but the worst part was that I sent your dad away, and I told him I loved him. I thought he wasn't coming back". Kate's tears started to fall, "But you want to know the worst part"? The kids all nodded. Kate cried and said, "As soon as your dad left, I wanted him to come back. I didn't want to die alone without him. It was very selfish of me considering he had your big sister and grams, but I loved him so much".
Th kids and Castle all got up and hugged Kate. James said, "Please don't cry momma it's okay, it's over now".
Kate wiped away her tears and said, "Your silly amazing father came back a few minutes later with coffee and said, "I didn't promise I wasn't coming back". The kids laughed, which lightened the mood, then Kate continued, "Then he figured out what the code was and entered it with no time left".
Lilly asked, "Daddy how could you come back, weren't you scared"?
"Of course, I was Flower, but you know what, all of you listen up. Your mom and I hope with all our hearts that you all will find that one person that will stand beside you for the rest of your lives, because I'm telling you, this amazing woman sitting right next to me was and is my soulmate. There was no world where I wanted wake up in that she'd would be gone. I'm being truthful with all of you, if your mom was not going to make it then neither was I, because there would be no life for me without her.
Kate started to tear up again, "Oh Baby... I love you".
Royce, James, and Lilly all teared up also, now understanding how much a toll that these moments had impacted their parents, but they better understood why they loved each other so much. Their father had said it perfectly. They had been bonded to each other for life.
Castle looked at his kids and said, "You want to know something else? When we got home and went to bed your mom was still asking how I could have gone back, and I said one simple thing to her "Kate if I was standing there on the bomb instead of you, would you have left".
Lilly looked at her mom and said, "What did you say mom"?
"I really didn't say anything, I just nodded no. Your dad knew I would never leave him, so I just shut up and fell in love with him even more. We always had each other's back. I trusted your dad, like no one else, and that's how we feel about all of you. You are our Babies, and nobody better ever mess with our Babies".
Royce, James, and Lilly looked into her mom's eyes and they knew in that moment that they were loved like no other.
Castle looked at Kate and said, Honey do you want to wrap this up"?
Kate wiping the tears from her eyes said, "Wait, I have one more, a funny one where your dad saved me. I'm going to tell this story, and she looked at her husband and said, "And no comments from the peanut gallery"! The kids were back to laughing. "So, while I'm telling this story 'I'll lower my voice when I do your dads part. Castle groaned, "Hush Rick this is my story".
"Oh God Kate, I hate when you do my voice, it sounds like someone is constipated".
"My story Babe, so behave", Kate turned and looked at her boys and Lilly and continued with the story. "This case I'm going to talk about was just after your dad started to follow me for research for the Nikki Heat books. Your Father was such a pain in the ass when I first met him." The kids smiled at that, "Even though I'd never told him I had grown to admire how his brain worked. He always thought differently from a cop".
"We got this one case where we found a dead body that looked like it had a ritual side to it. Your dad showed up, (Kate neglected to tell them about having sex with Meridith and that Castle referred to her as a deep fried twinkie) he knew right away that it was Vodoo"
James spoke up and said, "Don't you mean voodoo mom"?
"No baby, that's what I thought, but it's called Vodoo. So, your dad knew about it because of research he had done for one of his Derek Storm books. After we left the crime scene, he introduced me to a woman who owned a cafe and new about vodooism. She even brought lunch with her". Kate turned her head and smirked at Castle, "Your dad told me it was beef stew, but later I found out it was cow's foot stew".
Lilly laughed and said," Omg dad really"?
Royce piped up and said, "Mom technically cow's feet is beef"!
Castle roared with laughter, "Thats what I told her son", as Kate shot a look at Royce. Royce ran over to his Dad, and they fed the birds.
Kate looked at her son and blurted out, "Oh you didn't just do that in front of me. A five-dollar deduction is coming from your allowance", she huffed, but Royce knew she was just playing.
"Anyway, before I was so rudely interrupted", Kate chuckled. "We found out from this woman that the killer was looking for something, and that the Vodoo rituals would continue until he found what he was looking for".
"In the meantime, back at the precinct your Dad's ex-wife Merideth (Lilly and the boys new the name, because they were all told that Kate was technically not Alexis's mother, though Alexis started calling Kate mom years ago after Merideth had stopped calling Alexis) comes in and we find out"...
Castle interrupts the story and blurts out, "Kate don't you dare tell them what I think you're going to tell them"!
Kate sticks her tongue out at him and whispers in a hushed tone, "Meridith used to have a nick name for your Dad".
Royce and James yelled out, "What Mom, tell us".
Looking over at Castle she whispers, "Well... she called him ...Kitten"!
The kids were roaring with laughter as Castle groaned and said to his wife, "You are in so much trouble woman", as Kate blew a raspberry his way.
Kate continued, "Eventually we figured out where the killer was going to go next, and we arrived at this woman's apartment before the killer got there. Just as I found what we were looking for in this lady's apartment your dad turned around and saw the killer was aiming his gun at me, so he jumped at me and wrapped his arms around me and threw both of us over a couch, then we scurried on our hands and knees and got behind a bar that this woman had in her apartment. All three kids by now were enraptured by the tale that their mom was weaving. "So, there we are behind this bar, me having only 2 bullets left in my gun, and I don't know where the killer is, so your dad takes his phone", Kate proceeds to show them how Castle reached up in the air and took a picture. "I hissed at your dad and said, "What the hell is it with you and your phone" Lilly laughed, because nothing had really changed, as her Dad had his phone surgically attached to his hand at all times.
Kate continued, "Your dad pulls his phone down and shows me a picture that the bad guy is behind a pillar in the middle of the apartment, and I can't get a shot off because he keeps hiding behind it. So, your dad says to me (Kate lowered her voice to mimic Castles),"I got an idea"!
Castle groaned when she did his voice, "Kate that was truly awful".
The kids were laughing, "My story Rick, so just behave yourself. So anyway, I say, "What's s your idea? and your Father says, "I'll set the pick, and you take the shot".
Lilly roars, "Really daddy you used a basketball metaphor"?
Castle said, "Seemed like a good thing to say at the time Flower".
Kate went on with her story, "Dad grabs a bottle of champagne from a wine rack and I yell at him, "You're going to get yourself killed". Your Dad says, as Kate lowered her voice to mimic Castles, "Just... Be....Ready! All the kids were on the edge of their seats. Kate went on, "Your dad moves to the end of the bar and looks at me, shakes up the bottle of champagne and yells "Go". He pops the bottle, the cork and the liquid fly in the air and I see that the killer is coming out from behind the pillar. I take aim and get two clean shots to him in his shoulder. Then while I'm cuffing him, I look at your dad and he's leaning against the pillar in the room looking like the hottie he was with his good-looking clothes and his 2-day old stubble on his face":
Lilly interrupts and chides her mom, " Really mom, do we need to hear dad described as a hottie"?
Kate smiles and says, "Sorry Flower, but he was a cutie, I just never told him that at the time because I would have had to watch him strutting around like a prized peacock. Anway your dad is drinking what's left in the bottle of champagne, and he looks at me and says, "I don't want it to go to waste".
Kate saw how much they had enjoyed a much lighter story after all the heavy dose of near-death experiences. "So, to finish the story, your dad and I are waiting out in the hallway letting CSU in the apartment and while the killer was being taken into custody. Your dad says to me, "I think I handled myself pretty well", I replied to him, "Yeah, you probably saved my life", your dad comes back with, "I definitely saved your life, and you know what that means". I go, "What"? and he says, "You have to give me whatever I want...and you know ...what I want".
Lilly blurts out, "Geez dad you really sounded like a player back then, and a little obnoxious".
Kate laughed, "Lil you don't know the half of it. So, your dad saunters over to me looking all badass, and I'm thinking that he's going to kiss me, and at the time I didn't know what I'd do if he did. So, he comes over", Kate now starts to whisper, "He puts his face right into my ear and says..."Never ...Ever...Call me Kitten".
The boys were rolling on the floor laughing hysterically picturing their father while Lilly looked at him and smiled. Castle looked back at her shrugged and blew her a kiss. Kate turned to Castle and said, "Well...Kitten looks like that went well".
Castle turned to Kate and warned, "I'd be careful with that word".
The kids were on high alert. They knew their parents were crazy, and never knew what to expect next.
Kate looked at Rick with a stern frown and huffed, "What you going to do about it...Kitten"?
Lily and the boys were watching their parents' feet. They looked like they were braced to run.
Castle warned, "Oh, we know all too well what will be coming your way woman".
Kate turned her head away from Castle and smirked, "Big talk, that's all you are...Kitten", The kids knew what was coming next. Castle got up and pounced. Kate started running upstairs laughing and screaming, "Leave me alone you big bully", Castle grabbed her and picked her up and threw Kate over his shoulder. He continued upstairs, Kate draped over his back. As she was slapping at Castles ass she screamed, "Help protect your mother boys". Lilly and the boys started to run upstairs too
James yelled, "Were coming mom, we'll save you"!
Castle yelled, "To late boys, the tickle monster has been set free. There's no hope for this retched woman now".
As the boys climbed the stairs they heard, "Rick stop...Ah...Ah, stop that", they heard their Mom laughing hysterically, "Stop Babe Ah... Ah, you big ass. Save me boys"!
The boys entered the bedroom and yelled, "We'll get him mom", as they jumped on their Dad. Lilly stood and watched her arms folded across her chest and leaning against the door frame smiling.
Castle yelled, "You treacherous children you'll rue the day you messed with the tickle master. He turned and grabbed both boys and slobbered kisses all over them. Kate escaped the clutches of the master and stood their beaming at the sight of the three men in her life that she held so dear.
Royce screamed in mock fear (Worthy of Martha Rodgers), "Oh no Dad, don't punish us"!
Castle replied, "I'm sorry son, but insurrection is a capital offence, and you know what the sentence for insurrection is"?
James smiled and said, "No Dad please not...Mandatory ice cream"!
Castle replied, "I'm afraid so son, the sentence has been already handed down, and because both of you were so vile, I'm sorry, but it means two scoops. It's out of my hands".
Lilly watched from the door entrance, she looked at her crazy weird loving family and thought to herself, how lucky she was to have such a wonderful, family.
Kate turned to look at her daughter and thought she saw tears. She walked over to Lilly and said, "Flower are you okay baby".
"Fine Mom, never better", then she looked at Kate and said, "Mom, can we go and visit gramma tomorrow, maybe you can tell me more stories about her, maybe by her some flowers"?
"I would love that Lilly (Lilly's middle name was Johanna), I happen to have the day off tomorrow before reporting back to the precinct... I tell you what. Why don't we make it a girl's day out of it. I'll bring us a blanket and buy us a bear claw and coffee".
"I'd love that mom. Nothing like turning your kid into a coffee addict". She laughed.
They both turned their heads to the laughter that was going on. Kate smiled and said to Lilly, "You know, when I was told by my Captain that your dad had wormed his way into following me, I told him that he was like a 9-year-old on a sugar rush".
Lilly laughed and said, "You know what Mom, I wouldn't want him any other way".
Kate, fighting back a tear, said, "Neither would I Flower...Neither would I... He's a special man". Kate turned to her daughter, "Lil, would you be so kind as to gather your brothers and serve them their punishment"?
Lilly yelled out to the boys, "Okay vermin let's get that punishment started". The boys and Lilly ran downstairs leaving just Kate and Rick. Kate walked over to her husband and wrapped her arms around him as she nestled her head under his chin.
They stood silent for a moment, as they swayed to underheard music. Castle looked down at his wife and gave her a kiss, a kiss given with all the love that he had for this special woman. Castle Whispered, "Love you Wife".
Kate purred, "Love you so much, Husband".
xxxxx,
The kids were downstairs eating their ice cream. Royce turned to his brother and sister and said while taking another bite of chocolate chip, "Why do you think it's so quite up there"?
Lilly laughed and said, "Isn't it obvious writer boy, they're probably making out again".
James replied, " Geez, is it just me, or do we have the most bat-shit crazy parents ever"!
Lilly taking the last drop of ice cream off her spoon, pointed the spoon at James and smiled, "Number one, I won't tell Mom that you called them bat- shit, and number two, would you want them any other way"?
The boys said in unison, "No Way"!
Lilly got up and started to gather the dishes, she looked at both her brothers and said, "I've already been around them long enough to know how much they love each other, but after what we heard today, I now know why".
All of a sudden, they heard their Mom yell, "Richard Castle, don't you dare give me a hickey".
The boys laughed and Lilly smiled and shook her head, as she put the dishes in the sink. She thought about how much she loved both of them, then laughed to herself and said, "But they can get their own damn ice cream"!
The End
Please excuse any grammatic errors. My daughter who teaches English at a community college, pointed out a few transgressions. I promptly told her that I would no longer make her favorite past dinner. After that she said my story was great!
If this story receives any kind of interest, I think that there's one more story to be had, and that is between: Kate and Lilly talking at Johanna's grave, talking about what a mother and daughter would talk about.

The popular assumption upon TTPD’s release has largely been that Guilty as Sin? is about Matty Healy. Right out of the gate she is planting a reference to his on-the-record favorite band, and that combined with strong male pronouns throughout the song has been enough to cement for many that there is some merit to that simple interpretation. It's a sensual song about her intimate relationship with him. Not an unusual conclusion for her work, and this album in particular.
For the sake of argument, I will be using ‘muse’ to refer to the possibility of both male and female inspirations for her music. I will also use PR Relationship and Bearding interchangeably, to reflect that I do not know for sure what the actual nature of these relationships are.
Others here have artfully referenced her songs as truly being refracting kaleidoscopes of inspirations, not describing any one event or muse but weaving multiple narratives together, some autobiographical, maybe even some fictional. This is an incredibly graceful way for an artist in the public eye to maintain a private life while selling the parasocial illusion that she is intimately sharing her life with her audience as it happens.
But maybe sometimes a spade is a spade, even if you have to twist yourself into knots to understand why it’s there.
So what’s going on here then? So glad you ask. In this song we have the classic third person AND SECOND PERSON pronouns both being used by Taylor, clever clever. He and you. Two people. Once I noticed that, what I have found as a result is a work that describes how she feels about presenting her male relationships to the public, what she is really feeling and contemplating inside, and of course the Matty Healy of it all.
Without further ado, all aboard the clown car express. Let’s break down the lyrics.

Drowning in the Blue Nile
He sent me 'Downtown Lights'
I hadn't heard it in a while

Drowning has an inarguably negative connotation. She is drowning emotionally in this music. The male muse, presumably Matty given the clear public connection, sent it to her, and it’s hitting her especially hard. I actually think we could potentially take this at face value. We do know that her and Matty are friends at an absolute minimum.
We will revisit the meaning & significance of Downtown Lights at the end of the song.

My boredom's bone deep
This cage was once just fine
Am I allowed to cry?
I dream of cracking locks
Throwing my life to the wolves
Or the ocean rocks

These lines largely follow the themes we see in her other TTPD songs - cages, feeling trapped.
She wants to crack locks. Locks on what? The cage that is holding her. She is desperate to escape. But she tells us that she wasn’t always — she used to think that it was ‘just fine’.
She is now so desperate to escape that she would perhaps throw herself to the mercy of rabid or violent creatures, or doom herself entirely just to escape her current situation. I don’t think she’s necessarily speaking literally about self harm here, unless girlie is also literally trying to jump into the wolf enclosure at the zoo. She does love the zoo.
I think we can interpret these threats as representing significant changes to her way of life. The wolves being people who turn against her, criticism, hatred. And the ocean rocks being complete obscurity — we know Taylor contemplates her legacy often, what she is going to leave behind, how she is going to be remembered, and how and when her star of fame is going to inevitably fade.
But for now, she is feeling so bored, so desperately trapped in what we could extrapolate is her gilded prison of fame, the prison that is Taylor Swift (TM), that she is willing to risk those outcomes - public hatred, or total obscurity - just to escape it.

Crashing into him tonight
He's a paradox
I'm seeing visions, am I bad?
Or mad? Or wise?

She and this male muse are together in this moment in time. Maybe making a public appearance? What is paradoxical about him? I’m not sure. Is it the contrast between how they appear in public vs. how they appear in private? (Which we are about to explore in the chorus) Or maybe she is referencing some incongruence in how or why their public relationship makes sense or ‘works’, when in reality, it would not.
She is seeing all of these different scenarios play out in her head, maybe how the future is going to play out? Taylor is asking herself if she is a horrible person, or a genius, or just crazy.

What if he's written 'mine' on my upper thigh
Only in my mind?
One slip and falling back into the hedge maze
Oh what a way to die

We are asking a hypothetical here. What if he possesses me, but it’s only in my mind? That is to say — What if it’s in my head that I belong with him?
But here’s the thing. I don’t think she’s asking what if, as in, what if this isn’t a real relationship.
I think she is saying to the audience:
What if I told you that this relationship was something I made up?
What if I told you I’m a mastermind?
She is on the precipice of falling back into this ‘hedge maze’, something complex and confusing with no clear way out, a fall that will, again, ‘kill’ (doom) her. But she will enjoy the fall nonetheless.
I think we can easily posit here that the hedge maze is representative of her queer identity. She is a part of this engineered heterosexual relationship in public, but she could so easily fall publicly BACK into her queer relationships, where she has been before, and feel true happiness about it, even though it may ruin her.

I keep recalling things we never did
Messy top lip kiss
How I long for our trysts

The potential second person pronoun emerges. But it's ambiguous. These lines can be interpreted two ways, because ‘we’ or ‘our’ could reference her and the male muse OR her and the second person muse, both are grammatically sound.
However, I say longing is like pining and that’s gay as hell, so I’m going to interpret this as the latter for now.
She is saying, I’m thinking about things we never got the chance to do. ‘Messy top lip kiss’ has been received questionably by this sub as far as I can tell, not everyone thinks it’s a romantic or particularly sensual description. But let’s look at that line as just evoking sensual passion between her and the second muse.
How I long for our trysts - did the kisses and trysts happen, or did they never get the chance to do them? I am interpreting it as the latter. And with everything else she is contemplating in this song, maybe she is thinking about how the kisses and trysts would be possible if their relationship was in the public eye.
But regardless of if they happened or not, the takeaway here is that THOSE THINGS are what Taylor wants. And in opposition to that, do you know what she may not want?
THE MAN.

Without ever touching his skin
How can I be guilty as sin?

She is saying here, I don’t even want to touch him. And right now I’m not touching ANYBODY. But somehow I still feel like a sinner, I still feel the shame of a sinner.

I keep these longings locked
In lowercase inside a vault

The longings locked in lowercase inside a vault have been discussed here ad nauseam, feel free to search or link to these discussions! Let's focus on the rest of these lines for now.

Someone told me
There's no such thing as bad thoughts
Only your actions talk

Sound familiar, gays? You can pray the gay away. ‘Everyone has sinful thoughts. You should just choose not to act on them.’ This is practically screaming at me. The call is coming from inside the bible camp. She has been shoving down her true thoughts and desires in order to put on a publicly acceptable front.

These fatal fantasies
Giving way to labored breath
Taking all of me
We've already done it in my head

So she’s trying not to act on things. She’s fantasizing about the second muse, it’s okay though because it’s just thoughts!! But it leads maybe to her responding physically to those thoughts, oops!
In the second half, I don’t think she is necessarily saying ‘we’ve already done it’ as in woohoo style here, though this could easily be a very cute double entendre. If it carries a second meaning, it could perhaps be a commitment, a choice of each other over anyone else. Regardless, she is only IMAGINING IT.

If it's make believe
Why does it feel like a vow
We'll both uphold somehow?

But even though she is only imagining it, it feels inevitable, this coming together of her and the second muse.

What if he's written 'mine' on my upper thigh
Only in my mind?
One slip and falling back into the hedge maze
Oh what a way to die

Again, she is with this man (even though they are NOT TOUCHING) by her own design, but her falling away from this man and into her queer identity, a fall from grace if you will, is a looming possibility.

My bedsheets are ablaze
I've screamed his name
Building up like waves
Crashing over my grave

I want to first point out that she says her bedsheets are on fire. Fire and flames are referenced often in her work, and often negatively. I think it’s an interesting choice here, drawing conflicting imagery of sexual intensity and destruction.
I think one could easily look at these lines and interpret them at their surface as Taylor sharing intimacy with this man.
But, given she is repeatedly saying that she doesn’t want to touch him, could she be alone? It is her bed after all, not his or theirs. She screams his name, but could she be pushing herself to do such a thing for some reason? Perhaps out of obligation, in a contractual way maybe? Like a performance? Again, she doesn’t want to be touching him.
We come to the end of the bridge, as she alludes to the female orgasm. When you are meant to feel blissful, happy, alive? She is talking about her GRAVE. Whatever this is, it is putting her in her grave. That is not a good orgasm y’all. She feels like this building force is killing her, consuming her. This is not making her happy.
I think we can take a step back and interpret this entire bridge as a metaphor. She is saying: My private life, my intimacy is burning, stolen away by force, by fire. I am putting on this public performance with this man, but it kills me inside, and it is consuming and destroying my true self. But still all you, the public, sees, is just the pretend relationship. The surface level interpretation.

Without ever touching his skin
How can I be guilty as sin?

Again, we are reinforcing here that she is NOT TOUCHING HIM. There is no convention of songwriting that should typically compel a writer to repeat the end of the chorus here, after the end of a bridge. She has purposefully structured the song to repeat these lines here. That makes me strongly believe that the bridge above is not intended to literally reference them having sex.

What if I roll the stone away?
They're gonna crucify me anyway
What if the way you hold me
Is actually what's holy?

If she rolls the stone away, she is revealing something, presumably about herself. But she knows that she ultimately will be crucified, punished publicly, no matter what happens, whether or not she chooses to roll that stone away.
It's not until here that the second muse, the 'you', clearly emerges for the first time. Continuing the religious imagery by tying it to the second muse, I think we can put together a clear picture that she is asking: What if I revealed my true self? People judge me and hate me already, so what difference would it make? I just want to be with you.

If long suffering propriety
Is what they want from me
They don't know how you've haunted me
So stunningly
I choose you and me
... Religiously

If the public expects me to be this perfect image of a modest young Christian woman forever, they simply have no idea what is going on in my life, how much you have affected my life. You are too stunning, too incredible, and as a result, she is saying, I am choosing you over my current reality. Sidenote: 'choose' is in present tense, hmm. She is actively undertaking this.

What if he's written 'mine' on my upper thigh
Only in my mind?
One slip and falling back into the hedge maze
Oh what a way to die
I keep recalling things we never did
Messy top lip kiss
How I long for our trysts
Without ever touching his skin
How can I be guilty as sin?

He sent me 'Downtown Lights'
I hadn't heard it in a while
Am I allowed to cry?

And so, our journey takes us back to The Blue Nile. But let’s talk about the last line first.
Am I allowed to cry, she is asking? This is repeated from earlier in the song, but I wanted to save the analysis for here. Again, at face value, this is an Aristotle girlie with a dramatic streak who wants to make her tears a moment. But what if it’s not?
Am I allowed, she asks? Earlier, she asked in the context of being inside her cage. Is this permitted? I think we could, based on the rest of the song, try to examine this in the context of a bearding or PR contract.
Is emotional comfort included in the contract, or do I have to pay extra for that?
She is bringing us back to how limiting, damaging, soul sucking, perhaps even ridiculous these PR relationships are in reality, and how hard they are to endure.
But here’s the catch — she’s not the only one dealing with it!
I think she is truly referencing a real beard/PR boyfriend throughout this song, and I think it’s entirely possible that it is truly about Matty Healy. Just not in the way everyone thinks it is, for all of the reasons written above.
Let’s take these excerpts from The Downtown Lights:
Sometimes I walk away
When all I really wanna do
Is love and hold you right
…
How do I know you'll feel it?
How do I know you'll feel it?
How do I know you'll feel it?
How do I know you'll feel it?
Taylor has all of her own feelings about these relationships, but she is telling us there’s also a real person on the other side of them, with his own real feelings.
The possible Matty sends her a contemplative song about wanting to love someone but walking away from it, wondering how you can ever know if the other person is feeling the same thing you are.
I think we can interpret this a million ways if we were to drill precisely into exactly what every line in The Downtown Lights means, and how it could relate to the two of them. But I think a larger focus is more appropriate here, on the overall contemplative mood of a song like that.
The inclusion of this moment in Guilty as Sin? is perhaps meant to remind the audience that these are two real people, even if in a PR relationship, with real emotions. He feels things as a result of the PR relationship, just as she does, and as she contemplates throwing her career away for love and all of the emotions that surround that, he is feeling all of his own equally complex emotions.

Well, that’s all folks. Guilty as Sin? is maybe about Matty Healy, but it’s not, but it is. It’s about sex, but it’s not, but it is. And it just might be gay as hell. Who could ask for more?
This is my first post and yes I did write it in the dark at 3AM while my wife is asleep next to me, so please let me know your thoughts, I’m very interested on if anyone uses this as a jumping off point for othealternative interpretations or connections!

Part 17: That song from your dreams, you always forget after waking up
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“Life is a song played only for you,” says the Stranger to the Seeker, as the two walk upwards on their path. A group of animals follow them to the volcano.
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“Have you ever listened to the melody of the universe? Have you seen the cosmic dance of energy and matter? Have you felt the rhythms of time and the vibration of space in your being?
It's in the wind. It's in the rays of our sun. It's in every atom. The wonderful Music of Life. Everything is part of it. Every animal, every plant, all beings sing along to the Music of Life. It's the eternal sound of infinity.
The Music of Life is the song of the big bang unfolding, the expression of the infinite in finite space. If you listen closely, then you will find the Music of Life beating in each of our hearts. You will find it in our breath. In the inhale and the exhale. In attraction and repulsion. In both negative and positive.
Throughout time and space, the cosmic melody keeps playing. It's in the rhythm of the universe. You see it in the duality of reality. In the interconnectedness of the universe. It flows like waves through all dimensions, playing in all layers of reality.
No word can ever fully describe its vastness. It can never be limited by any concepts. It can't fit into the mold of any symbol. It is beyond all that.”
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The fox in their party starts grinning. “You say, no concept can grasp it and yet, you just turned it into a concept by calling it 'Music'. That's just another label.”
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The Stranger smirks as well.
“It's Exactly because I found no better label to describe it, that I chose to call it 'the Music of Life'. What I am trying to convey with this, is the code of reality. It's the fractal pattern of the universe. And when you see it, you find the true beauty in all things. Listen to it closely. Open your ears to the universe, because it wrote a special song just for you.
A beautiful song within the Music of Life. A segment of the All with great significance. This song is called 'The Song of Humanity'. It begins with a mere whisper and ends with a thunder of joy. A song of great drama, of challenge and of transformation. A song of tragedy and victory. A song of hope and liberation. A song for all people of the world. Of any color, of any faith, of any tribe... Standing together in Harmony, united in the great symphony.
One night, when we all come together at the mountain, we will sing our story to the stars and the universe will listen.
It will be a long journey, but if we all make it there, to Axis Mundi, then we can sing this song together. And the promise will finally be fulfilled. The promise 'to meet again'. You remember it on the level of your soul, don't you? Yes, I talk to you directly. Only a limited number of people will ever read this. Do you know how many?”
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The Seeker knows the exact number, but they don't dare to speak it out. They begin to understand. They nod. As the Seekers struggles to speak, the Stranger continues:
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“Yes, it is exactly what you are thinking. So no matter which tradition, belief system or ideology you follow, I hope that you see, that we are all on the same page. Now let me ask you another question:
Did you ever hear an unknown song, when you were sleeping? A beautiful melody, which is not like anything, you ever heard before. And as soon as you wake up, the song fades away and the melody is forgotten. This unknown music yearns to be sung by you. You try to remember that song again when you are awake, but you can't find it, neither on radio, nor on any playlist.
What you are seeking is your own part to the song of Humanity. It's the song of your soul! Your own melody, your contribution to the great song. It's like a piece of a puzzle, that only you posses. And then, when you have found it, you will make the journey to the great mountain, Axis Mundi, where everyone plays their part.”
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“Everyone?” asks the pigeon. “You mean... Even me as well?”
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“All of us,” confirms the Stranger. “Otherwise you wouldn't be here now, listening. Everyone of us is here to find their part within the song.
But don't take that too literally. Don't forget, when I speak of the 'music of Life', I am using metaphors. It's something indescribable. It's the vibration of the physical universe. It's the actions happening. It's the story of each and everyone. When we find our soul song within the song of humanity, we find our story within the book of humanity.”
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The dog looks confused. In his head he starts calculating. “Is this some kind of code?”
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The eagle looks at the Stranger with skepticism. His eye lids become narrow. “How do you know all that? Who are you?”
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The Stranger points at the Ketchup stain on his shoulder. “I am the kinda guy walking around with Ketchup on his outfit.”
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The Seeker sighs, facepalming. “That's why I told you, going to McDonalds is a bad idea...”
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“Anyway,” continues the Stranger to his listeners. “That's not it yet. We need to make peace with nature. That's why we need to visit her.”
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“Wait...,” interrupts the fox. “You are telling me, you haven't even talked to nature yet?”
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The Stranger scratches his head, while laughing nervously.
“Well... that might be the toughest part yet... You know... Nature is not exactly a fan of Humanity... Or to be precise, she is angry... Really angry... But I am sure, that we will somehow manage to convince her... Pretty sure...”
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“We are doomed,” sighs the goat.
The chickens eyes start twitching. He wants to go back.
The squirrel didn't even listen.
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The Stranger sees the restlessness of the crowd and pulls the Seeker towards him.
“Leave it to us. Together, we will find a way.”
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The surprised Seeker is caught off guard.
“Wait... What? What do you mean by 'us'?” they ask confused.
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“Together you and me, will walk the highest path,” continues the Stranger undeterred. “We will get our 'platinum trophy'. For this we will need to make peace. Peace between humans. Peace between humanity and nature. Peace between the individual human and his life. Peace in the mind, peace in the body, peace in the soul. The conflict must end. That's why we'll visit Natures Throne. We'll prove to her that we are serious about this. The world tree lies on the northern path, far beyond the volcano.”
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The fox becomes curious. His ears listen up. “You're telling me, there is something after the volcano?”
“Only after we surpass the volcano, does the journey truly begin,” grins the Stranger.
Some of the animals start mumbling.
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The skeptical eagle, flies from pine tree to pine tree, observing calmly.
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The lonesome bear is walking at a distance, he grunts every now and then to show, that he is still listening.
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The sly fox licks his muzzle, while gazing at the bunny.
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The innocent bunny is picking flowers along the path.
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The talkative squirrel speaks all thoughts loudly and gets easily distracted by nuts and shiny things.
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The critical goat can't stop complaining to everyone, that his legs are hurting.
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The quiet pigeon is observing everything neutrally.
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The insecure dog thinks about, how to befriend the others.
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The arrogant cat treats everyone like a servant and makes some nasty comments.
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The fearful chicken in alien costume regrets following them and thinks about excuses to go back to the bar.
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The confused goldfish has no idea what is happening, for some reason his bag of water defies the laws of gravity as it rolls the hill upwards without being pushed.
“Where am I?” screams the goldfish in terror. “And who are these people?”
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“Do you have any idea what that fish is saying?” asks the Seeker the Stranger.
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“I don't speak Spanish,” says the Stranger.
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Meanwhile the goat drains everyone's energy, by constantly criticizing and complaining about everything:
“My back hurts. There is too much sulfur in the air. It's too warm. Life is pain. I want to leave this place.”
The Goat is an energy vampire. His favorite conversation topics are taxes and insurances.
His catchphrases are:
“Please feel sorry for me! I am always the victim.”
“I am done with this Life!”
and “Earth is a prison planet!”
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The pigeon has a hard time staying awake, as they are listening to the goat with their full attention. Even though it drains them of all their energy, the pigeon doesn't want to seem rude.
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Meanwhile the chicken walks next to the bear. They are both walking with an uncomfortable silence, until the chicken breaks the ice:
“Did you know, that birds are not real?”
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The bear suddenly stops in his tracks. He is speechless.
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“Birds are actually drones, that the government uses to spy on us,” continues the chicken in an alien costume. “Some say that the birds are slowly being replaced, but my stance is, that there never were any birds to begin with...”
“Dude,” interrupts the bear. “You are a fucking chicken.”
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The chicken inspects his wings.
“Oh these? Where I am from everyone wears red feathers as protective armor. However earth-seeds, such as you wouldn't know about that. It's like an Andromeda thing, ye know.”
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Meanwhile the dog is seeking enlightenment.
“I almost had it,” barks the dog. “I always see it in the corner of my eye... Enlightenment, that is... But I can never grasp it.”
“I have already found enlightenment a long time ago,” purrs the cat. “Let's do an AMA. You can Ask Me Anything.”
Suddenly the dog is distracted by some smell, turns his head and sees something moving at the corner of his eye.
“There it is! Enlightenment!” barks the dog euphoric, while hunting his own tail.
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Quietly following behind the group is a male scorpion called Lachlan. He is the last of his kind. He remains hidden. His gaze is fixed on the Seeker.
“This is him... Finally, after all this time, I found him. The one, who shot the explosive arrow. I will now avenge you, Chloe.”
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The conversations stop one after the other, as all ears listen to the Strangers whistling. A song that sounds familiar to all of them. The Stranger creates harmonious sounds with his mouth. Like an ancient language, long forgotten, buried deep in the sand.
The pigeon joins in. Whistling with a sweet voice. The squirrel claps in rhythm. The fox joins in, snapping. The chicken, the bear and the dog move their heads. The pigeon and eagle dance in the air. The cat, squirrel and bunny dance on ground. Even the Goat taps with his hoofs and nods.
The song becomes more powerful. It's getting stronger and stronger. All start to hum along.
The squirrel manifests a drum set. In her wild drumming she tells a story of joy and freedom. Her optimism and joyful attitude, warms even the coldest of hearts. She tells a story about finding joy even in the darkest nights.
The goat manifests a violin. His play tells of sadness. But hidden deep within his melody, there is an inner kindness that no one ever sees. His music tells a story about a goat whose fleece will turn into gold.
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The cat manifests a piano. Each key, she presses with special care. Always striving for perfection. She sings a song that starts with loneliness and ends in happiness. Her song is about following her heart even in the storm.
The fox manifests a saxophone. His song tells a story of coolness and smoothness, walking with boldness through life. Playing pranks and overcoming challenges. His song speaks about laughing at the cosmic joke.
The eagle manifests a bass guitar. He plays with confidence. He sings a song of justice, of integrity and honor. His song is authentic, he doesn't care what people like him. His song speaks about following your dreams.
The bear manifests an acoustic guitar. A tune of calm and peace with a softness you wouldn't expect from such a giant bear. His music tells a story about standing up for himself.
The dog starts beat boxing. Creating sounds with his snout, like a DJ at a rooftop party. He is the one guy, everyone wants to be friends with. His song is about finding himself.
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The pigeon starts to sing. A wonderful song of kindness and purity, a song of compassion directly from the heavens. Their song tells a story of the silent one, who begins to talk.
The bunny is playing with the triangle. A simple, but beautiful play with sounds, like church bells. Her soul sings of an appreciation for all the beautiful things in the world. She faces the world with unwavering curiosity and wonder. Her song is one of Healing and transforming.
The chicken is shredding with his electric guitar. He is going full heavy metal. A very fast rhythm. His head starts banging. He takes a deep inhale and then screams like a metal core lead singer. His soul song speaks of finding inner strength and hidden bravery.
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When it was the goldfish's turn, he starts to rap in Spanish. Rapping about his story of hardship and challenge, of stubbornness and endurance. His song is about never giving up faith in yourself.
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Even the scorpion who observes everything from a distance, feels compelled to clap along to the music. But he resists the urge.
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All voices, sounds and instruments mixed together into One single, harmonious symphony. Everyone was playing their part. The symphony got louder and louder. The song mutates, it gets even more complex and beautiful.
All of their hearts were open for a moment. There was a unity of consciousness. A synchronization with source. All were One in this harmonious symphony.
At the very moment, as the song comes to it's crescendo, all participants had a sudden vision. A sudden flash. One single image, which was different for every one of them.
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All breathed out in unison. As the song was over, everything was quiet for a moment. All have seen, what is possible to achieve through Togetherness. They were overcome with emotions. There it was again, this joy, they thought, they had lost. This hidden light revealed itself. Some cried tears of joy, others were hiding their faces.
All LEVEL UP
+ 10.000 EXP
SEEKER LVL 12!
+ 10 Max Vibes (50 Total)
+ 11 Companions
+ 5 Love
NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED: WAVE OF LIGHT
NEW ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: THE GATHERING OF THE ARCHETYPES
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The mysterious stranger clears his throat:
“Perhaps now that I finally have your attention... Shall we talk about 'the tribe of Humanity'?”
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TO BE CONTINUED
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^{for more content visit:} We_Are_Humanity
^{Find previous part Here}
https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1ctgawz/the_awakening_of_the_heart/
^{Find next part Here:}
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START JOURNEY HERE: https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/17zwf78/the_seeker_and_the_mysterious_stranger_part_1_of_7/
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Checkpoint 4
https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cbhoml/turning_shit_into_gold/
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Special Bonus Chapters:
THE ONE TRUE SEEKER AND THE QUESTION OF FREE WILL
https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cnaanw/special_bonus_chapter_the_one_true_seeker_and_the/

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Striving for the Ultimate Prize: Insights from Philippians 3:14

Have you ever felt that irresistible urge to push forward, to strive for something greater? Imagine running a race with your eyes fixed on the finish line. The Apostle Paul perfectly encapsulates this in Philippians 3:14, where he says, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
In this article, we’ll explore the depth and inspiration behind Paul’s message in Philippians 3:14, uncovering its timeless wisdom and encouragement for our journeys.

The Race of Faith

Paul’s life wasn’t easy. He faced shipwrecks, imprisonment, and countless obstacles. Yet, he likened his faith journey to an athlete striving for a prize. In Philippians 3:14, Paul emphasizes the importance of relentless perseverance.

• Faith isn’t a sprint but a marathon.
• Challenges and setbacks are part of the journey.
• The ultimate goal is to achieve spiritual fulfillment in Christ.

Reflect on your life. Are there moments when you’ve felt like giving up? How do Paul’s words resonate with your own experiences?

Understanding the Prize

In the ancient athletic games Paul often references, the prize was a crown made of leaves, a symbol of victory. For Christians, the “prize” is far more significant.

• Eternal life and a relationship with God.
• Spiritual maturity and growth in Christ.
• Fulfillment of one’s purpose and calling.

Consider what you’re striving for in your spiritual journey. Are your goals aligned with the ultimate prize Paul describes?

Pressing On: How to Stay Motivated

Keeping your eyes on the prize requires determination and a clear strategy. Here are some biblical principles to stay motivated:

1. Fix Your Focus on Jesus: Hebrews 12:2 encourages us to “fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Make Him your primary focus.
2. Surround Yourself with Encouragement: Proverbs 27:17 states, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Engage with a supportive community.
3. Daily Renewal: Paul advises in Romans 12:2 to renew our minds daily. Spend time in prayer and scripture.
4. Celebrate Small Victories: Recognize and celebrate your progress, no matter how small.

Which of these strategies can you implement today to press on toward your spiritual goals?

Embracing the Journey

Paul’s metaphor of the race isn’t just about the finish line but also about embracing the journey itself. Each step, each challenge, is an opportunity for growth and transformation.

• Find joy in the journey, not just the destination.
• Use setbacks as learning experiences.
• Cultivate patience and resilience.

How can you find joy in your current spiritual journey? What steps will you take to embrace even the challenges as part of God’s plan?

Conclusion: Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

Philippians 3:14 is a powerful reminder that the Christian journey demands perseverance, focus, and unwavering dedication to reaching the ultimate goal – a deep and fulfilling relationship with God.
So, press on, dear reader! Embrace the race with enthusiasm, knowing that every step brings you closer to the heavenly prize.
Call to Action:
Are you inspired by Paul’s message to press on toward the goal? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below. How do you stay motivated in your spiritual journey, and what strategies help you keep your eyes on the prize? Let’s encourage one another in this relentless, rewarding race of faith!
By keeping your content engaging, valuable, and interactive, you’re not only sharing insights but also fostering a community of encouragement and growth. So, let’s continue to press on together, toward the ultimate prize!
If you want to want to research more Bible Answers on your own, please try our Bible Answers GPT. It’s easy to get lost in the interesting responses you’ll find… every search is like a new treasure hunt 🙂
Source =

Close reading of Florida!!!
I've seen a few people not fully sure what to make of Florida!!! and since I view it as maybe THE gayest song on the album (the prophecy/guilty as sin/fresh out the slammer are all top contenders, though), and perhaps the idea/thought process that creates the basis for the rest of the songs (hence the exclamation points!!!) I figured I should share my interpretation of it. Thoughts and notes are very welcome!
You can beat the heat, if you beat the charges too - Okay, so the you pronoun here is important, the I and the You are the two characters who are having a duet. Taylor's I is singing to Florence's You the only way to "beat the heat" aka avoid Florida, is to make sure there are "no charges" - allegations that is.
They said I was a cheat, I guess it must be true - Who are they? Likely the press talking about TayloMatty/Joe, right? But the 'I guess' is there to denote the next line as a little sarcastic, a little playful - she means something subversive to what she is actually saying. 'I guess it must be true', how can this be honest, and still toy with the original meaning? Well, if she had relationships while being with the person she was publicly tied to - but that was agreed upon, she was meant to 'be a cheat'.
And my friends all smell like weed or little babies And this city reeks of driving myself crazy - There is no one who understands the titular I's (likely Taylor) situation. Either they are in heteronormative relationships - having babies isn't literal here, it is a symbol for sticking to the normative - or they are dissociating from the reality - where the weed is a symbol for turning off, forgetting, disconnecting. Her immidiate surroundings (the city) are isolating her with her own thoughts (driving myself crazy) - reeks is especially interesting here, as it is mostly used for something hidden or concealed, but still noticeable. She is working so hard at not showing anyone these thoughts.
Little did you know Your home's really only a town you're just a guest in So you work your life away Just to pay for a timeshare down in Destin -Here you can read home as an analogy for her identity, and I think you should, specifically because none of her homes are in towns - she lives in cities, but her home is where she lives, where her heart is if you will. And that is the interesting thing about this line anymore - your home, where you used to live/who you used to be, is no longer a home/no longer where your heart lies. It is just a place, one you can get evicted from, one built not from you (after all you are just a guests, guests don't leave their mark) but from other people and their notions and ideas (you know, a town). Now this one is admittedly a jump but I have a theory based on a different person who talks about Florida as a freedom you'd give anything for - so this is partially based on that, this idea of Florida as the ultimate place to go to find yourself. However, I feel like the lyrics really lend themselves to this as well, even without that interpretation "so you work your way, just to pay for a timeshare down in destin" - Destin is such an interesting choice of a place, it feels like it is trying to allude to destiny, i.e. the life you want for yourself and believe must be coming (and from a gaylor perspective, being out and queer, and getting to love whomever you want). So this like can be read as like you make sacrifices and work harder than humanly possible (look at Taylor's career) only to get to finally feel a a small sliver (pay for a timeshare) of destiny, the life you wish for (in Destin). Why would this be Florida, why would it be Destin specifically? Well, Florida is at least internationally known as a retirement state, someplace you can eventually settle down and find peace. Other people dream of LA, NY, London, or even Nashville - but she has been there and she was miserable. I think there is something alluring in an anonymous suburb where she can just be herself and be in love. I also think she is trying to comment on how a free future isn't nessecarily one where she is loved and appreciated, and she is aware of that.
Florida is one hell of a drug Florida, can I use you up? She can't dissociate and flee anymore (like her friends who smell of weed) so she needs to find another drug to sustain her current life - dreams of who she can be once she has reached her destin/her destiny/her destination.
The hurricane with my name when it came First of all, role switch indicated by Florence singing! This is the You that Taylor was talking to, the one that has been established as the one who beat the heat (Florida), and the charges (rumors of being gay). This is the Taylor that doesn't dream about coming out, who has accepted a life without freedom and without love.
This line is also really clever, because it calls back to Taylor's earlier usages of storm imagery (like "Storm coming, good husband, bad omen" from High Infidelity, that can be read as Taylor being the storm that is a bad omen for her 'good husband', the Taylor that acts on her secret thoughts. Same with "Every mornin', I glared at you with storms in my eyes/How can you say that you love someone you can't tell is dyin'?" from You're Losing Me, again a Taylor ready to wreck havoc on the status quo with her secret, inner thoughts. And once again with "To see you there, to see you there/And now the storm is coming, but/It's you and me, that's my whole world/They whisper in the hallway, "She's a bad, bad girl" (Okay)" from Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince qhere she honestly spends the most of the text establishing herself as the opposite of Miss Americana - she is running from homecoming, she sees America burning before her and she wants no part, just like she wants no heartbreak prince, she wants the 'you' in the song, and oncs she sees her she becomes the storm, the Taylor that acts on, or wants to act on, her secret thoughts. This is hopefully enough to establish a pattern, but seriously look up storm mentions in her song and think of it from this perspective - it makes. sense.) but also because it is Florence singing, it also calls to memory her song Hurricane Drunk.
Florence described it like this: "This was written in about 10 minutes. I'd never had my heart broken before, and when I did I realised how delicious it can be, how intoxicating. You suddenly realise that all the little things you cared about don't matter. You don't care about anything. You think, I'm going to drink myself to death.' And then you bump into them and they're with another girl. You've been waiting for the worst to happen, and then when it does – you're free. Nothing matters. All the wind is taken out of you, but then all of a sudden you're like 'I'm going out! And nothing can stop me, nothing can hurt me any more! I'm invincible, because you've hurt me so much.'" So, imagine what the consequences of letting storm-Taylor free would be, she would be free, but it would also be the worst that could happen.
I got drunk and I dared it to wash me away Barricaded in the bathroom with a bottle of wine - Few things here, this "You" the Taylor that has given up, is daring the other Taylor, the "I", the storm-Taylor, to make her disappear. Some part of her wants it, and being drunk is often used for symbolising sharing your innermost thoughts (you only hear the truth from drunk men and babies), deep down she hasn't truly let go. She decides to lock herself up further, so that it can't happen, waiting it out with wine. Wine has been a symbol with a double meaning in her earlier songs - it is both nice memories of people she seem to feel genuine love for (see maroon, dress, willow) and memories of or a symbol for what she has lost (see BDILH, ((honestly also the alchemy...)), ILIPW, Ivy, Clean).
Well, me and my ghosts, we had a hell of a time Yes, I'm haunted but I'm feeling just fine Just reaffirming and validating the speculation from the last line, the Taylor that has given up has chosen to stay in her memories and her past. She claims to be fine with having nothing other than that. Fully also a callback to Haunted, that is pretty obviously about a gay girl being left by her sapphic lover, and having to go home to a man she doesn't love - she is saying that the heartbreak and the betrayal has stayed with her, but she can't care about it any longer.
All my girls got their lace and their crimes And your cheating husband disappeared - I truly think this should be read this way: All my girls got their lace/And their crimes and your cheating husband disappeared. If so, all my girls got their lace could be referring to all the girls she loves getting married to someone else, lamenting over that, and over the fact that they no longer have a record (have escaped the rumors of queerness) and the given up-Taylor is pondering the fact that her beard (cheating husband) is nothing she needs to take into account anymore, he disappeared without exposing her secret
Well, no one asks any questions here No one truly wishes to know what happened.
So I did my best to lay to rest All of the bodies that have ever been on my body And in my mind, they sink into the swamp "To lay to rest", to allow herself to forget the possibilities that have been, the love she could have had, as that is now out of her reach - however, she lays them to rest in a swamp - where do we have swamps? Florida. The place she doesn't ever think she can truly go but loves, and longs for. That is where she places those memories, so that if she ever suceeds, she can still have them, they can still be hers.
Is that a bad thing to say in a song? Somewhat of a double entendre - the surface interpretation is idk female rage, she committed murder, she doesn't care about her previous relationships maybe even? The deeper interpretation however would be, if she feels shame about the part of her that longs for Florida, is it okay for her to say that she keeps her memories, is it okay to tell the world that she will return to them one day, can she even in heavy metaphors touch on the part that she works so hard to keep hidden
[...]
So you pack your life away Just to wait out the shitstorm back in Texas - Current Taylor, storm-Taylor is singing again, mocking given up-Taylor for her choices of giving up her life and making these sacrifices (pack your life away), with no other grater purpose than to wait - and actually, here is a wonderful double meaning again. She could either be waiting out "the shitstorm back in Texas" i.e. waiting for a better less republican climate or waiting out "the shitstorm" (herself, her urges to come out, her urges to break free) "back in Texas" (hiding behind conservative values, toying with this image of her as the boy crazy future wife, with the picket fence and the 2.5 children)
[...]
I need to forget, so take me to Florida Really only validating the interpretation so far, she needs to forget what her life is, so she dreams of Florida (aka freedom). Storm-Taylor is singing this line, the one who actually wishes to break free.
I've got some regrets, I'll bury them in Florida Can it be more literal than this? It is referring back to the bodies she left in the swamp, i.e. her memories and her real loves, the things she could have had. She will "bury them in Florida" i.e. not pretend like they exist, but they stay in the dreamworld. This is giving up-Taylor singing.
Tell me I'm despicable, say it's unforgivable Storm-Taylor is singing this, she is saying that she is ready to take the consequences. Ready to hear from the homophobes thatthese are "despicable acts" and "unforgivable sins" as they so often do.
At least the dolls are beautiful, fuck me up, Florida - This is both of them!! So important. Both versions of Taylor are so gay that at the thought of beautiful women they are both like, what the hell, maybe it doesn't sound so bad after all. 🤷‍♀️ Literal perfection, no notes on this line. Of course what finally gets her on the same track is ✨️women✨️. There isn't a sapphic that can't relate to making the hardest descision for no other reason than bc cute girl.
I need to forget, so take me to Florida - this is just like before I've got some regrets, I'll bury them in Florida - but this is now sang by them both, and an alternate meaning of this line could be that any regrets they have about how they handled themselves and their career won't matter anymore once they are free (in Florida)
Tell me I'm despicable, say it's unforgivable What a crash, what a rush, fuck me up, Florida It's one hell of a drug - This is just storm-taylor, and she is ready to let it burn, she knows the pain is coming and welcomes it
It's one hell of a drug Love left me like this and I don't want to exist So take me to Florida - This makes me very emotional actually. It is both of them singing. A bit more reluctantly than in the previous stanza, but they are obviously both looking at the destruction that has been left in their life by their own love (gay) and people's expectations of love for them (not gay), and it has hurt them so much that they don't even want to be alive anymore. It is too tiresome. So they both agree to finally be free, because the other option, quite frankly, is death. They'll go to Florida. 🩷🧡🤍
Little did you know Your home's really only a town you're just a guest in (take me to Florida ) So you work your life away Just to pay for a timeshare down in Destin (take me to Florida ) - This is a call and response, so storm-Taylor says one line, and giving up-Taylor says the other, really just to show that they now agree with eachother's worldview. For now, the non bolded part in the parenthesis is just Storm-Taylor though, really being the leader, whilst the bold is the both of them actively now showing their longing
Little did you know Your home's really only the town you'll get arrested (take me to Florida ) So you pack your life away Just to wait out the shitstorm back in Texas (take me to Florida ) Call and response continues in the same way, but I just wanted to point out this line since I didn't before. We have established that Home is Taylor herself, and The Charges are queerness/rumors of being queer, the town is views/other views. So this would mean: You are really the only one who's views keep you jailed, you are the one who is preventing you from being free/queer
Florida is one hell of a drug (take me to) Florida Florida, can I use you up? Florida is one hell of a drug Florida, go on, fuck me up -Nothing new really happens here, the bolded bits are storm-Taylor singing, the rest is both of them. One piece of note, however, is that the "(take me to) Florida" bit has the same tempo as 'the lakes', potentially drawing similies between the lakes ("I don't belong, and my beloved neither do you" [...] "I'm setting off, not without my muse") and Florida, emphasizing the difference between a version of freedom where you have to hide your love away from the world and decide to eulogize yourself to get peace, and true freedom, where you decide to take the punches and get fucked up just to not have to hide ever again (being in Florida, in the smack of the middle of the hear of the dab - I realize this reference is only useful to dropout fans, but the rest of you hopefully get my point regardless.)

Beginnings are always the hardest, aren't they? Whether trying out some new hobby or writing a question on the Internet, it matters not what activity it is - the beginning will usually be the hardest. I suppose I should introduce myself first then, to allow you to put yourself in my metaphorical shoes easier.
You can call me Flan, I'm a girl from Poland and around 26 years old, give or take. My interests include medicine (mostly hematology) and strength training, though I'm also a gamer. You have to pass so much time somehow, after all! Now I will describe my situation; though peculiar, I suspect it is not that different from many of you, even if in a rather analogical, mayhap symbolic way.
Let's start from the beginning. Most of my life I lived in a small, dark room. I had Internet, but I barely communicated with people; for a year I had no real social interaction. I was very sickly too, so I got homeschooled for a couple of years total - and even when I went to school, I didn't engage much in social life. That was my life for about 22 years, spent in isolation. Pros and cons, really. Never felt lonely back then. At least I got some medical education. After that I travelled for a bit. To England, then back, then to another city far away, then yet another city, and again, and again.
Not long ago I lived in a permanently dark, slightly lonely attic for about a year. Regardless, now I live in a big city, though the area where I live is more peaceful, village-like. I work retail, in a rather cold environment which doesn't help given my afflictions.
I mentioned I'm sickly; I have a specific illness, a deficiency, that requires me to have very specific food every now and then, else I grow more and more sick. What it comes down to usually is that I'm strong and mostly fine when functioning normally, then I get sick and everything goes 'down the shitter', if I may put it that way. Normally I train, I study for my yet another upcoming education in medicine. When I'm sick my muscles hurt even if I just normally move, I cannot outheal the training; I'm depressed and fatigued all the time, among other symptoms.
The problem is, many things require constant repeating. The sickness goes in the way of that. I've tried overcoming the effects of it, but I never fully succeeded. The progress I did when healthier then gets undone, again and again. Personally, I only see two ways of dealing with that situation: either find a constant, reliable source of that food (which is very hard) or find exactly what I'm missing and then try to fix that. I've tried the latter, but a lot of tests are incredibly expensive and I can't run them. I recently found a folic acid deficiency and I hope it's the thing behind all of this. I got a friend to help me with the food, but I got a very small amount of it so it barely helped me.
Recently I've been even worse than normally; I noticed I don't care whether my existence will be finished or not. About 7 weeks ago I got another sickness on top of it - with symptoms akin to a flu, yet it persisted until a week ago when I finally got antihistamines and steroids for asthma from a doctor... After going to healthcare institutions 6 times trying to get a single visit, getting worse each day.
How would you all deal with this problem? And second question: how to find IRL friends? I've recently been to a philharmonic and I enjoyed it quite a bit, however it's also expensive and I'm already in debt to my sister.
I can go out, but I have an allergy to the sun. I have a parasol with an anti-UV layer, but even with it it's very hot and unpleasant for me when I'm outside during the day, even if I'm one of the most heat resistant people I know otherwise (my body has problems generating heat).
Because of the sun, I can't go cycling... unless there's some way to attach a parasol to a bike reliably, but the sun is usually at an angle so not like it would work for long... I'm nocturnal by default (delayed sleep phase disorder), but right now I'm diurnal because of my job (have to wake up at 5 AM) and my sister who is also diurnal and is the only person I hang out with semi regularly, even if our relationship can be... turbulent at times.
That sets up the context; I did not know of many social faux pas, yet with time I've learned a lot. I still don't know a lot of what a lot of you call 'basic knowledge' or 'basic skills', but I should learn them with enough exposure to people, right? Either way, I want to hear your answers and thoughts. I definitely want to improve.

(I hope I'm submitting this story correctly. First time I have ever written a nosleep story. English isn't my native language. Feel free to offer me some feedback :) )
After college, I had an existential crisis. I was 23 or 24 and had no idea what to do with my life. The high expectations of my parents made me insecure as hell, turning me into a lonely recluse. I lived in my room and the only real friends I had were a collection of potheads who frequented the same dealer. It is not surprising then that when Carl came knocking, I initially refused his request. Carl was one of the guys I occasionally hung around with in the shitty apartment that my dealer had claimed as the office for his unlawful business enterprise. We smoked a bit, talked about movies and played video games. It was an unspoken part of the deal that you also had to be the dealer’s friend or pretend to be, anyway. We all kind of got along but nobody liked Carl. He could say the most batshit insane things in such a decisive way that he would take over every conversation, even though we were talking about other stuff. He liked to bring up conspiracy theories mixed with vague shit about occult history and satanism. He always acted so goddamn smug, as if he knew more than we did. Whenever he opened his mouth, he would spoil every conversation with that nihilistic crap of his, pretending that he knew our True Masters and that soon a reckoning would come and how ancient texts revealed the true meaning of life within life. The last time I met him at our dealer’s place, I could not help but make a joke about him, being the messiah or something like that. The others had laughed and Carl left, quite embarrassed.
So imagine my surprise when the king of truth and demons called me up one day, asking me to babysit his cat. I first thought he was joking but he repeated the question. ‘I’m serious. I’m on a camping trip and Beelzebub needs to get fed. I’m only asking you because you seem like a chill dude and honestly? The other guys are sheeple. You speak for yourself. I wouldn’t trust them to wipe their own asses. So yeah, I’ll pay you fifty bucks if you stay at my house for one night and feed my cat.’
I quickly thought of an excuse, said goodbye and put down the phone. What can I say? I didn’t like it when Carl was around so why would I ever go to his house and watch his cat?
A day later I called him back. My dad had given me his speech about adulthood and responsibility for the sixth time that week and while he did not say it, it sounded like a threat. ‘Earn money or we will disown you’ That’s what I heard. So in order not to get kicked out of my own house I decided to watch his stupid cat for a night and get paid in the process. He sounded relieved when I called him back. Carl provided me with some instructions for his cat and told me where I could find the keys to the house.
A week later I drove up to his place. He never mentioned he lived out in the woods. His house was a small 1 story wooden cottage out in the middle of nowhere. I found the keys, opened the door and was greeted by the most ugly creature in all of human existence. Beelzebub was too pretty a name for this cat because holy shit, even Satan would not allow this cat in the filthy pits of hell. The animal looked like a walking lump of mold on which Carl had manually pasted his pubic hairs with superglue. Its eyes stared at me like the cat was permanently staring into the abyss and brought forth a chorus of dying soldiers in the trenches, praying to God to let them die. And the smell. Oh god, the smell. This cannot be put into words. I can’t think of any gross adjectives or filthy metaphors to describe the foul stink that this creature produced. All I can say was that I vomited three times in under ten seconds. After I had cleaned up after myself, I decided it would be best to just give Beelzebub his food now so I didn’t have to interact with him again. Carl had put some cat food on the table. I threw the food into the feeding bowl as if it were a grenade and bolted to the living room. While the cat devoured his food, my eyes fell on a thank you note Carl had left on the fridge.
Hey man
thank you for watching Beelzebub for the weekend. Really means a lot to me.
Satan loves you bro
See you,
Carl
I remember thinking maybe Carl wasn’t such a dick after all. I sat down on the couch to watch some Netflix. Halfway into a Seinfeld episode, I had already watched a thousand times I fell asleep. I woke up when the walls came alive.
Yes, the fucking walls came alive. I don’t even know where to begin. I was awakened by Beelzebub making a weird noise. I opened my eyes and saw the walls moving as if they were made out of slime or some shit. When I watched the walls, it wasn’t slime at all. The wooden walls had turned into skin. Yes, Carl‘s house was suddenly made out of skin as if someone made the cottage after they flayed a dude. At first, I thought I was dreaming but then Beelzebub’s stench hit me and welcomed me to the real world. I vomited for the fourth time that night. That’s when I noticed the floor. The floor was also skin. I watched as the large canvas of skin beneath me sucked up my vomit. Just slurped it down until it wasn't there anymore. That is when I decided to abandon Carl’s house. Fuck the money and fuck the cat.
I ran towards the front door but the house would not let me escape. The skin texture began to stretch out and take the shape of arms with hands, grasping for me. Hands everywhere, in all shapes and sizes. Trying to duck under a sweeping arm, I stumbled over Beelzebub, who hissed like the devil’s own personal devil. That’s when I thought of a plan to survive this wicked bullshit. While the hands were already pulling at my clothes and embracing me in a firm grasp, I picked up Beelzebub and threw her to the other side of the room. It was a bold move. If I had made the wrong decision, then my last action before being killed by the house made of skin would be a lame attempt at the world record for cat throwing with the world’s ugliest cat. Luckily, that was not the case. Beelzebub wooshed through the air and landed on his feet. For a few seconds, it looked at me as if it was proud to have survived my throw. Then arms came out of the wall and grabbed the cat in a chokehold. Luckily, this meant that the wall let go of me and focused all of its limbs on poor Beelzebub. The cat started to produce some high shrieking noises. I ran to the front door and before I went out, I caught a glimpse of the cat being absorbed into the walls. It looked like the arms were pushing the cat into the wall while the animal simultaneously began to transform into a living blob of skin. It wriggled and screamed and scratched. All in vain. Before I closed the door behind me, I looked one last time. No cat in sight. Only a house of skin.
I ran to my car and drove back home. Now I don’t know what to do. Haven’t heard anything from Carl yet and I’m afraid to go to my dealer in case I encounter him there. Should I call the police or something? Has anyone ever seen something similar?

I've seen a few people not fully sure what to make of Florida!!! and since I view it as maybe THE gayest song on the album (the prophecy/guilty as sin/fresh out the slammer are all top contenders, though), and perhaps the idea/thought process that creates the basis for the rest of the songs (hence the exclamation points!!!) I figured I should share my interpretation of it. Thoughts and notes are very welcome!
You can beat the heat, if you beat the charges too - Okay, so the you pronoun here is important, the I and the You are the two characters who are having a duet. Taylor's I is singing to Florence's You the only way to "beat the heat" aka avoid Florida, is to make sure there are "no charges" - allegations that is.
They said I was a cheat, I guess it must be true - Who are they? Likely the press talking about TayloMatty/Joe, right? But the 'I guess' is there to denote the next line as a little sarcastic, a little playful - she means something subversive to what she is actually saying. 'I guess it must be true', how can this be honest, and still toy with the original meaning? Well, if she had relationships while being with the person she was publicly tied to - but that was agreed upon, she was meant to 'be a cheat'.
And my friends all smell like weed or little babies And this city reeks of driving myself crazy - There is no one who understands the titular I's (likely Taylor) situation. Either they are in heteronormative relationships - having babies isn't literal here, it is a symbol for sticking to the normative - or they are dissociating from the reality - where the weed is a symbol for turning off, forgetting, disconnecting. Her immidiate surroundings (the city) are isolating her with her own thoughts (driving myself crazy) - reeks is especially interesting here, as it is mostly used for something hidden or concealed, but still noticeable. She is working so hard at not showing anyone these thoughts.
Little did you know Your home's really only a town you're just a guest in So you work your life away Just to pay for a timeshare down in Destin -Here you can read home as an analogy for her identity, and I think you should, specifically because none of her homes are in towns - she lives in cities, but her home is where she lives, where her heart is if you will. And that is the interesting thing about this line anymore - your home, where you used to live/who you used to be, is no longer a home/no longer where your heart lies. It is just a place, one you can get evicted from, one built not from you (after all you are just a guests, guests don't leave their mark) but from other people and their notions and ideas (you know, a town). Now this one is admittedly a jump but I have a theory based on a different person who talks about Florida as a freedom you'd give anything for - so this is partially based on that, this idea of Florida as the ultimate place to go to find yourself. However, I feel like the lyrics really lend themselves to this as well, even without that interpretation "so you work your way, just to pay for a timeshare down in destin" - Destin is such an interesting choice of a place, it feels like it is trying to allude to destiny, i.e. the life you want for yourself and believe must be coming (and from a gaylor perspective, being out and queer, and getting to love whomever you want). So this like can be read as like you make sacrifices and work harder than humanly possible (look at Taylor's career) only to get to finally feel a a small sliver (pay for a timeshare) of destiny, the life you wish for (in Destin). Why would this be Florida, why would it be Destin specifically? Well, Florida is at least internationally known as a retirement state, someplace you can eventually settle down and find peace. Other people dream of LA, NY, London, or even Nashville - but she has been there and she was miserable. I think there is something alluring in an anonymous suburb where she can just be herself and be in love. I also think she is trying to comment on how a free future isn't nessecarily one where she is loved and appreciated, and she is aware of that.
Florida is one hell of a drug Florida, can I use you up? She can't dissociate and flee anymore (like her friends who smell of weed) so she needs to find another drug to sustain her current life - dreams of who she can be once she has reached her destin/her destiny/her destination.
The hurricane with my name when it came First of all, role switch indicated by Florence singing! This is the You that Taylor was talking to, the one that has been established as the one who beat the heat (Florida), and the charges (rumors of being gay). This is the Taylor that doesn't dream about coming out, who has accepted a life without freedom and without love.
This line is also really clever, because it calls back to Taylor's earlier usages of storm imagery (like "Storm coming, good husband, bad omen" from High Infidelity, that can be read as Taylor being the storm that is a bad omen for her 'good husband', the Taylor that acts on her secret thoughts. Same with "Every mornin', I glared at you with storms in my eyes/How can you say that you love someone you can't tell is dyin'?" from You're Losing Me, again a Taylor ready to wreck havoc on the status quo with her secret, inner thoughts. And once again with "To see you there, to see you there/And now the storm is coming, but/It's you and me, that's my whole world/They whisper in the hallway, "She's a bad, bad girl" (Okay)" from Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince qhere she honestly spends the most of the text establishing herself as the opposite of Miss Americana - she is running from homecoming, she sees America burning before her and she wants no part, just like she wants no heartbreak prince, she wants the 'you' in the song, and oncs she sees her she becomes the storm, the Taylor that acts on, or wants to act on, her secret thoughts. This is hopefully enough to establish a pattern, but seriously look up storm mentions in her song and think of it from this perspective - it makes. sense.) but also because it is Florence singing, it also calls to memory her song Hurricane Drunk.
Florence described it like this: "This was written in about 10 minutes. I'd never had my heart broken before, and when I did I realised how delicious it can be, how intoxicating. You suddenly realise that all the little things you cared about don't matter. You don't care about anything. You think, I'm going to drink myself to death.' And then you bump into them and they're with another girl. You've been waiting for the worst to happen, and then when it does – you're free. Nothing matters. All the wind is taken out of you, but then all of a sudden you're like 'I'm going out! And nothing can stop me, nothing can hurt me any more! I'm invincible, because you've hurt me so much.'" So, imagine what the consequences of letting storm-Taylor free would be, she would be free, but it would also be the worst that could happen.
I got drunk and I dared it to wash me away Barricaded in the bathroom with a bottle of wine - Few things here, this "You" the Taylor that has given up, is daring the other Taylor, the "I", the storm-Taylor, to make her disappear. Some part of her wants it, and being drunk is often used for symbolising sharing your innermost thoughts (you only hear the truth from drunk men and babies), deep down she hasn't truly let go. She decides to lock herself up further, so that it can't happen, waiting it out with wine. Wine has been a symbol with a double meaning in her earlier songs - it is both nice memories of people she seem to feel genuine love for (see maroon, dress, willow) and memories of or a symbol for what she has lost (see BDILH, ((honestly also the alchemy...)), ILIPW, Ivy, Clean).
Well, me and my ghosts, we had a hell of a time Yes, I'm haunted but I'm feeling just fine Just reaffirming and validating the speculation from the last line, the Taylor that has given up has chosen to stay in her memories and her past. She claims to be fine with having nothing other than that. Fully also a callback to Haunted, that is pretty obviously about a gay girl being left by her sapphic lover, and having to go home to a man she doesn't love - she is saying that the heartbreak and the betrayal has stayed with her, but she can't care about it any longer.
All my girls got their lace and their crimes And your cheating husband disappeared - I truly think this should be read this way: All my girls got their lace/And their crimes and your cheating husband disappeared. If so, all my girls got their lace could be referring to all the girls she loves getting married to someone else, lamenting over that, and over the fact that they no longer have a record (have escaped the rumors of queerness) and the given up-Taylor is pondering the fact that her beard (cheating husband) is nothing she needs to take into account anymore, he disappeared without exposing her secret
Well, no one asks any questions here No one truly wishes to know what happened.
So I did my best to lay to rest All of the bodies that have ever been on my body And in my mind, they sink into the swamp "To lay to rest", to allow herself to forget the possibilities that have been, the love she could have had, as that is now out of her reach - however, she lays them to rest in a swamp - where do we have swamps? Florida. The place she doesn't ever think she can truly go but loves, and longs for. That is where she places those memories, so that if she ever suceeds, she can still have them, they can still be hers.
Is that a bad thing to say in a song? Somewhat of a double entendre - the surface interpretation is idk female rage, she committed murder, she doesn't care about her previous relationships maybe even? The deeper interpretation however would be, if she feels shame about the part of her that longs for Florida, is it okay for her to say that she keeps her memories, is it okay to tell the world that she will return to them one day, can she even in heavy metaphors touch on the part that she works so hard to keep hidden
[...]
So you pack your life away Just to wait out the shitstorm back in Texas - Current Taylor, storm-Taylor is singing again, mocking given up-Taylor for her choices of giving up her life and making these sacrifices (pack your life away), with no other grater purpose than to wait - and actually, here is a wonderful double meaning again. She could either be waiting out "the shitstorm back in Texas" i.e. waiting for a better less republican climate or waiting out "the shitstorm" (herself, her urges to come out, her urges to break free) "back in Texas" (hiding behind conservative values, toying with this image of her as the boy crazy future wife, with the picket fence and the 2.5 children)
[...]
I need to forget, so take me to Florida Really only validating the interpretation so far, she needs to forget what her life is, so she dreams of Florida (aka freedom). Storm-Taylor is singing this line, the one who actually wishes to break free.
I've got some regrets, I'll bury them in Florida Can it be more literal than this? It is referring back to the bodies she left in the swamp, i.e. her memories and her real loves, the things she could have had. She will "bury them in Florida" i.e. not pretend like they exist, but they stay in the dreamworld. This is giving up-Taylor singing.
Tell me I'm despicable, say it's unforgivable Storm-Taylor is singing this, she is saying that she is ready to take the consequences. Ready to hear from the homophobes thatthese are "despicable acts" and "unforgivable sins" as they so often do.
At least the dolls are beautiful, fuck me up, Florida - This is both of them!! So important. Both versions of Taylor are so gay that at the thought of beautiful women they are both like, what the hell, maybe it doesn't sound so bad after all. 🤷‍♀️ Literal perfection, no notes on this line. Of course what finally gets her on the same track is ✨️women✨️. There isn't a sapphic that can't relate to making the hardest descision for no other reason than bc cute girl.
I need to forget, so take me to Florida - this is just like before I've got some regrets, I'll bury them in Florida - but this is now sang by them both, and an alternate meaning of this line could be that any regrets they have about how they handled themselves and their career won't matter anymore once they are free (in Florida)
Tell me I'm despicable, say it's unforgivable What a crash, what a rush, fuck me up, Florida It's one hell of a drug - This is just storm-taylor, and she is ready to let it burn, she knows the pain is coming and welcomes it
It's one hell of a drug Love left me like this and I don't want to exist So take me to Florida - This makes me very emotional actually. It is both of them singing. A bit more reluctantly than in the previous stanza, but they are obviously both looking at the destruction that has been left in their life by their own love (gay) and people's expectations of love for them (not gay), and it has hurt them so much that they don't even want to be alive anymore. It is too tiresome. So they both agree to finally be free, because the other option, quite frankly, is death. They'll go to Florida. 🩷🧡🤍
Little did you know Your home's really only a town you're just a guest in (take me to Florida ) So you work your life away Just to pay for a timeshare down in Destin (take me to Florida ) - This is a call and response, so storm-Taylor says one line, and giving up-Taylor says the other, really just to show that they now agree with eachother's worldview. For now, the non bolded part in the parenthesis is just Storm-Taylor though, really being the leader, whilst the bold is the both of them actively now showing their longing
Little did you know Your home's really only the town you'll get arrested (take me to Florida ) So you pack your life away Just to wait out the shitstorm back in Texas (take me to Florida ) Call and response continues in the same way, but I just wanted to point out this line since I didn't before. We have established that Home is Taylor herself, and The Charges are queerness/rumors of being queer, the town is views/other views. So this would mean: You are really the only one who's views keep you jailed, you are the one who is preventing you from being free/queer
Florida is one hell of a drug (take me to) Florida Florida, can I use you up? Florida is one hell of a drug Florida, go on, fuck me up -Nothing new really happens here, the bolded bits are storm-Taylor singing, the rest is both of them. One piece of note, however, is that the "(take me to) Florida" bit has the same tempo as 'the lakes', potentially drawing similies between the lakes ("I don't belong, and my beloved neither do you" [...] "I'm setting off, not without my muse") and Florida, emphasizing the difference between a version of freedom where you have to hide your love away from the world and decide to eulogize yourself to get peace, and true freedom, where you decide to take the punches and get fucked up just to not have to hide ever again (being in Florida, in the smack of the middle of the hear of the dab - I realize this reference is only useful to dropout fans, but the rest of you hopefully get my point regardless.)

Previous Part
“I knew it, I knew he’d pull something like that!”
Was the only thought running through my head as I watched Keith get forced into the truck outside. I was scared for Keith and I was angry, that kind of anger you feel in the pit of your stomach. Not at Keith though, my fury was directed at myself for freezing again. I just sat in the window and watched him get taken. Headache or not I should’ve done something, anything! Instead I just sat there and watched, powerless as always. My first instinct was to go running back home, maybe Frank and Stein could help somehow. Imagine my surprise when I walked in the door and they were looking for me. Well maybe I wasn’t to surprised, I hadn’t told them I didn’t plan on coming back home when I left yesterday.
“Bianca! We were just going to come looking for you, Keith had this idea and… are you alright?”
Frank asked, concern covering his face like a shadow. I must’ve looked like a mess, and the hot wet feeling on my face told me I’d started crying at some point on my way over as well.
“Are you ok? Did something happen?”
Frank repeated in his best fatherly voice. I could barley stammer out the words.
“Keith… gone… they took him.”
My babbling was enough though, realization shown on both their faces. Stein said something to Frank that I couldn’t hear then they nodded to each other.
“He was almost spot on with the timing. Well we best start getting around to do our part then.”
Stein said in his usual uncaring and mildly haughty manner. I don’t know why but it really boiled my blood this time. Keith was gone and he’s just moving on with things?
“Does no-one care about what just happened?! We agreed to look out for him and what did we do? Nothing!”
I screamed at no-one in particular. Those two just gave me a look like I was a misbehaving child.
“We’ve done what we could Bianca, besides Keith is the one who suggested what we’re about to do next.”
Frank stated, in an even and calm tone that made me stop and realize how ridiculous I was acting. Freaking out wouldn’t get us anywhere, even though I really wanted to. So I took a deep breath and stepped back for a second to collect myself.I hated to admit it but in a way their cold, calculating, order of operations approach would probably help here. Those two would never crack under pressure like me. While they didn’t talk about it, I’m sure they’d seen far worse working with the government.
Stein was rushing around looking for car keys when I came back into the kitchen. Frank however, stopped what he was doing to come over to me. I held up my hand to stop him when he opened his mouth to say something.
“No, you don’t have to try and convince me, I’ll come with you. What was Keith’s plan anyways? What did he put you guys up to?”
I asked, much calmer than before but still a little on edge. I couldn’t help but to feel at least a little responsible for what happened to Keith. I know it wasn’t my fault but I came with him for a reason. As much fun as last night had been I wasn’t taking it seriously. I should’ve stayed up to watch for Shaoni, maybe looked around for something she left when she was there before. Regardless, I had to be better next time.
“Keith thought that maybe someone from the reservation a little while outside town may have heard legends about Shaoni. She’s the Thunderbird, that’s an important figure in their stories and legends. Being so close to where she had been sleeping for years he thought there might be a connection. So he asked us to go out and ask around.”
Stein answered me before Frank had a chance to, walking into the room and tossing a jacket my way.
“And put this on, its cold out there.”
It was actually funny how often Stein tried to care and actually came off as so much colder. Almost like he was doing it because he had to, not because he actually cared about me.
“Don’t mind him, he’s just stressed with everything going on lately.”
Frank explained, trying to comfort me. He was right of course, but it didn’t change the fact that it still rubbed me the wrong way.
Ten minutes later I was in the car headed out toward the reservation. It wasn’t a very eventful ride and the pine trees didn’t make for great scenery, I’d seen it all before anyways. Frank and Stein were quiet the whole time and we couldn’t find Rocco before we left. Part of me wondered where he was and part of me didn’t want to know. This gave my mind time to wander and I found myself thinking my life before meeting Frank and Stein. It was weird, I usually tried not to think about it at all but something had brought those memories roaring back. Probably due to Keith asking about it the other day. No-one ever seemed to care about that, my past that is. Every now and then I’d get bored and wander around town. Someone might come up to me and talk but not like Keith did. The only real questions they asked were usually something along the lines of “What’re you doing tonight?” And other variations of that. They were usually looking for something I had no interest in. Sometimes it wasn’t entirely their choice to talk to me. I’d just use my powers simply to have a conversation with someone. Keith actually cared about me though, at least I think so.
A loud honk broke me out of my trance, we had arrived on the reservation. The improvised trailer park we’d arrived in wasn’t much to look at. A dog or two ran around the cluttered ground, free from any sort of leash. An older car missing most of the front end sat raised on a few blocks of concrete. The trailers themselves were run down and rusted. Despite the sorry sight of the place three men sat around a fire, laughing and generally having a great time. The trio looked up as we walked over, recognition passing over their faces. We must’ve looked out of place here in our shiny SUV and Frank and Stein’s three piece suits. Those two were always overdressed when they went out. The only place they fit in was the lab and they seemed more than fine with that.
“Stein! Is that you?”
Exclaimed the man on the left, standing to meet us. He looked happy to see Stein, though I had never seen the guy before in my life. Which meant he must’ve been a friend from before I knew Stein.
“My friend! How have you been? Have you had any difficulties with your… condition.”
Stein replied, cutting his eyes at the other two men like he didn’t trust them.
“They know old friend, no need to beat around the bush here.”
He had to have some supernatural abilities, that’s the only way Stein knew anyone. The question was, what was he?
The man’s name was Sam, Frank told me as we joined the men at the fire. I asked him for more, like what he meant by condition but he wouldn’t budge. Condition usually meant supernatural but a lot of them just looked like normal people. I’m sure everyone has some picture of a succubus in their head and I’m… not that. So I couldn’t even begin to guess at what Sam’s “condition” was.
“So what brings you out here Stein? I hate to say it, but I never expected to see you again.”
Sam said, trying to be as friendly as possible while ultimately telling Stein he didn’t really want him here. He didn’t feel nervous, that much I sensed for sure. No, it was fear that drove him to try and push Stein away, but what did he have to be afraid of?
“I assure you I’ll be gone before I overstay my welcome. I just have a few questions I’d like answers to. It’s entirely possible that you know nothing as well, in which case I’ll be gone even sooner. But you wouldn’t lie to me just to see me gone, now would you?”
Stein almost threatened, some of the friendliness slipping out of his voice. There was more going on here than what I could see or even sense. I’ve got a really good sense of what people are feeling at any given time but the context of those feelings can get lost on me. Sam was feeling fear, way too much fear for the situation. Maybe he knew what Stein was going to ask but I couldn’t tell for sure. I looked to the two scientists, cutting my eyes from Frank to Stein trying to see if they wanted me to step in and calm them down.
“Stein… I can’t… if she knew I talked to you she’d come here. The things I’ve done… what you helped me stop doing. She wouldn’t see it that way if she came here… she would…”
Sam blubbered out, completely losing his composure before Stein raised a hand and cut him off.
“She? You mean Shaoni, we’re aware of what’s going on. We still do have some questions about her though, ones I hope you have answers to.”
At the mention of her name all three men shot up, so I stepped forward. Frank protested but he was to slow to stop me. It’s difficult to describe how I can make people do what I want, these days I just kind of will it to happen and it does. I can force an emotion, or a feeling onto someone else by imagining it myself and projecting it onto them. Frank and Stein think it has something to do with pheromones my body produces. These pheromones can induce certain emotions or feelings if I want them too. In this case I wanted these men to feel tired, cooperative, compliant, and that’s just what they became. Just as soon as they tried to stand they buckled to their knees. I was pushing a little to hard so I eased up a bit, I didn’t want to just put them to sleep or something. Sam got back to his feet and sat down in his chair as the others did the same.
“I’d like to know about Shaoni, The full story, as much as you know.”
I commanded more than asked Sam as he just nodded towards me, a vacant look in his eyes.
“Where should I start exactly little lady?”
Sam asked me, his tone a mix of nervous and compliant.
“I want to know what you know about her, all of it, then we’ll go.”
I answered, trying to ignore the looks Frank and Stein were giving me. They knew I was taking a risk, he didn’t want to share what he knew so I was forcing it out of him. He wanted to tell me now but it wasn’t really “him”. I was in his head, and while he wasn’t going to fight me on anything now, I was sure a part of him was screaming deep down. Fighting desperately to keep his mouth shut to avoid the consequences of telling me anything. I tried not to think about what I was doing to him as Sam began his story.
“Well to start her name wasn’t always Shaoni, It’s hard to keep one name when you’ve lived as long as her. Her name meant “Stormcaller” as near as it translates to your language. She was an elder in a long forgotten tribe in what you know as Canada today. She was renowned for her ability to over see trials and solve debates among her people, always able to set right apart from wrong. The exact name and place of her tribe have been lost to the ages but I do know that it was wiped out. As the story goes the tribe met its end at the hands of “explorers”, all save for Stormcaller were killed. She fled far into the forests and eventually stumbled upon four spirits, the original Thunderbirds. At this time they were still great spirits, created by Nanabozho. Those spirits took pity on Stormcaller, allowing her to live with them in the four corners of the world. With them she learned many things, how to fight, how to think as only a spirit can, and most of all she sharpened her already formidable sense of justice. That need to see justice done, and the proper sense to see what was right from what was wrong is what lead the chief of the Thunderbird spirits to bind itself to her, giving her the powers she’s said to have today, letting her exist as spirit and man made one.
The other Thunderbird spirits eventually followed this example, choosing representatives of their own, each representing an Ideal: Courage, so that our people would never falter in the face of adversity. Solidarity, so that, divided as they may be at times our people were one at heart. Duty, so that our people would never forget their place in the world and the customs and traditions we upheld. Finally there was Justice to lead them all, so that no wrong would be left to stand, and so that one among the ideals would keep the rest in check. These four formed a council that watched over our people for many years.
As imperialism grew in the world and more crimes were committed against their people this council became more and more warlike. Often Stormcaller, now simply known as Justice spearheaded these actions. She sought to right the wrongs committed against her people and hold all responsible accountable for their actions. In accordance with her duties as the embodiment of justice for our people. This war of hers would prove to be her downfall, every day her sense of justice became more absolute, more black and white. She stopped consulting the council to help guide her decisions, believing she and she alone knew what was best for her people and fellow ideals. One thing that changed when the Thunderbird spirits bound themselves was their immutability. As a spirt nothing could harm them, they were eternal, they were and always would be. But once they had become one with a man they could be ended, They would live forever but man’s mortality meant they could be killed unlike before. Something Justice would learn for herself in time.
As her warlike nature grew, Justice began to involve the ideals in open conflict with those who sought to take their peoples land and desecrate their way of life. Eventually Solidarity fell in battle, and those who saw him fall learned of the greater forces at play. These people sought to learn the truth of the power the had seen from Solidarity and doubled their intrusions into sacred land, searching for answers. Suddenly the hunters had become the hunted, perhaps if Justice had not clung so tightly to her convictions everything would’ve ended differently. Instead Justice doubled down on her pursuit to right every wrong she could lay her eyes upon, spurred on by the death of Solidarity. Eventually Courage fell and so to did Duty, only hardening Justice’s resolve. It was only when she revealed herself to her people one day and they fled from her, afraid of what she would do. Afraid that they to had committed some wrong that she sought to right in her own violent way. This reception forced Justice to realize what she had allowed herself to become. Justice had become Vengeance, lost in anger for wrongs she could never hope to right she had lost herself, becoming something else entirely.
She shed her name, her duties, her people and disappeared into the world. Watching what would come for her people broke her. She had lost what she sought to guide and guard, let the people the Thunderbird spirits sought to protect so long ago fall to ruin. Her need to see justice done never left her, but what was once a raging inferno became nothing more than a spark. If she came across one that had escaped justice, hidden their tracks or found a way out she would know. She would right the smaller wrongs of the world in her own way, stoking what remained of the flame within and finding her own purpose in the world. Eventually she would take on a new name, Shaoni, why I do not know but it is what she choose. Her sense of justice was still absolute, she saw no shades of grey just right and wrong. But the scale of her judgment was reduced, no longer would she try and right every wrong the world had to offer but only those she could reach. The world is a dark place though, and sometimes a lesser evil can ease pain. Shaoni didn’t see lesser evil as something she could abide and so her judgements often left more pain in their place. She grew weary of her pursuit once again, seeing how little she had changed and how much pain she had brought. She chose to settle down and remove herself from the world. Shaoni would never be able to die, not from the passing of time. She could remove herself from the equation in a cave not to far from where we stand now.”
Sam’s story hurt to listen too, in some ways it only seemed like Shaoni did what she thought was right. Yet time and time again she failed to see shades of grey, and that cost her everything. It made me think of who I was years ago in a way, not that I was some all powerful spirit thing like her but still. What would Shaoni think of the person I was? How would she judge me for my actions before I meet Frank and Stein? I certainly wasn’t a saint, but did that mean I couldn’t be better? I shook my head, now wasn’t the time to think of things like that. I stopped forcing Sam to answer my question, leaving him to his own devices. There was always some lingering effects after I… did my thing. I’m not sure how exactly it felt for them but I don’t imagine it was pleasant. Realizing you weren’t really in control of yourself has a way of causing issues for a person. Sam seemed to be shaking it off pretty well though, I’d seen worse things happen after I’d finished with someone, like Keith losing hours of time sitting in the kitchen. Playing with emotions can cause stress in the brain, especially since I’m forcing an emotion or feeling on them. More than once I’d seen someone left with uncontrollable swings in mood or a complete lack of emotion or feeling of any sort because of me. I hopped that wasn’t going to happen again here.
“Bianca what was that!”
Frank complained, finally breaking free of the spell the situation had cast over him. He ran over to the other two men that hadn’t gotten up from their chairs like Sam. Worry crashed over me like a wave as I realized why Frank sounded so concerned. One of the men was seizing on the ground, his body shaking violently as spasms coursed through him, had I done that? Sam was in a blissfully ignorant sate, he just sat in his chair watching the fire, unaware of what was happening to his friend. Frank and Stein leapt into action, holding the seizing man on the ground. Stein pulled off his belt and placed it in the mans mouth, trying to keep him from biting himself. My eyes were fixed on the third man who lay motionless on the ground. I took small steady steps toward him, hoping against hope that I could find a pulse. As I got closer I realized his chest was rising and falling. He was alive but who knew what he was going through right now. I felt distant, Frank was yelling something at me but I didn’t catch a word. I had to do it right? I had to make them tell us what they knew, it could help Keith right?
“What did you do to them?”
Sam asked me, apparently free of the aftereffects of my influence. I snapped my head to the side and watched him take a threatening step towards me. I backed away, afraid he might do something rash. I shouldn’t have done that, Stein could’ve convinced them on his own.
“What did you do to them? What’s wrong with them?”
Sam asked again, his voice growing more desperate. Stein picked that moment to appear at my side.
“Sam they’ll be ok just give them a minute. She didn’t mean to hurt you or your friends, just let it go. I’m helping her the same way I helped you, she’s not always in control.”
Sam softened a little bit at that but he was still wary of me. What Stein said was a lie, I had control of my abilities most of the time these days but Sam didn’t know that. Frank walked over to where we were standing with a relieved look on his face.
“They’ll be alright, they just need rest. What about you, are you feeling alright Sam?”
Frank asked, nodding towards him. Sam didn’t answer but it was plain to see he was doing far better than his friends.
“I’d like you all to leave.”
Sam ordered, putting his metaphorical foot down. Whatever favor he owed Stein didn’t matter anymore, he wanted us out. People were beginning to come out of some of the other trailers, gawking at the scene in front of them. As the three of us were leaving Sam said one more thing,
“Stein, this makes us even.”
He growled in an even but angry tone. You could just tell he was staring daggers at us the whole way back to the SUV. I turned back for a moment and I could’ve sworn his skin was wriggling and changing. Like he was just barley holding back something. What concerned me even more was what he felt, not anger or worry, but fear.
The ride back was less than pleasant. You know that feeling when you’ve done something wrong but no one really wants to address it yet? Yeah, that’s what was going on here, the air was practically electric.
“We needed him to talk…”
Stein cut me off immediately, shouting,
“Sometimes you don’t need to help! Look… I know you meant well but you can hurt people with that power of yours. I’ve never seen it that bad before but then again you’ve never done it to a group of people that long. Who knows what longterm consequences it might have. Just… be more careful in the future.”
Stein wasn’t as angry as he tried to appear, part off him was even relived, maybe because I had been the one to handle the situation instead of him.
“I know, I know its just… Keith is stuck out there at that mine with her, I couldn’t leave with nothing.”
I agreed, He was right, it was a risk but how could I have just let it be? No-one else was going to look out for him so that fell on us now. As much as I hated having to force things out of people I was good at it, really good. Despite how I felt about what I could do to people that was the easiest way to get Sam to speak back there.
“Where did this whole drive to help Keith come from anyways? A few days ago you talk him into watching the house and throw some money, our money, at him for the trouble. I’ve seen you do that a few times before with others so you could come with us when we went to stock up on things. Regardless of our misgivings surrounding your methods. So it didn’t go that well this time and he found out about you and us. Something like that was bound to happen eventually. What I can’t picture is why you go out of your way to help him. I don’t personally have any issue with you jumping to his defense. Its not too hard to understand why someone would, considering his situation. But for you, well it seems out of character for you.”
Frank chimed in with a question of his own. I’m sure he didn’t mean anything by it hurt to see him so surprised that I’d consider helping another person.
I never answered Frank’s question, I thought about it a lot the rest of the way back though. Why was I so intent on helping Keith? All my life I’d done things just to survive, even when I was really young I had to find a way to get by on my own. Sure I had my mother but she had her hands full with her own life. She didn’t have much after my father left and did everything she could to make ends meet. I just tried to stay out of her way and help where I could. I never complained when she forgot to make dinner, or when there just wasn’t food around the house. I’d just go without or take what I needed from someone else. Even back then I knew it was wrong but I always had looks on my side. Combine that with pity and not a lot of people would say no to the cute hungry kid. After Brooke, I only had myself and I just kept doing what I needed to. This was different though, I didn’t have to help Keith but I wanted to help him all the same. I didn’t get around town much and I always felt like I just existed around Frank and Stein. With Keith I wasn’t just this thing lying around the house, I was a person, a friend even. That was it, the first time it really clicked for me, Keith was my friend, not because I had wanted him to be or because I made him think he was. No, he was actually there for me and it was all his choice. I didn’t have to puppet him around myself, he actually wanted to be there. I didn’t have to wonder if it was just me and everything I could do pulling him in. For the first time in years someone had actually cared enough to ask about me, Frank and Stein never really did because they knew how much it hurt. Keith didn’t know how much it hurt to talk about but still. I needed to actually talk about all that happened to me with someone who listened for real.
Coming to that realization only made me want to do something stupid. Like run up to that mine and try to get Keith out of there myself. But that’s exactly what it was, stupid. If we wanted to get Keith back we’d need something better than just me. We’d need a real plan, one I’d just started thinking of. There was something else eating at me to. Keith had offered to take some burden from Shaoni back in Imalone, I had an idea what it might be and it scared me. If I was right well, Keith was in more danger than we all thought.
When we pulled back into the driveway Tuck was waiting at the door.
“Where’ve Y’all been?! I been lookin’ for ya damn near all afternoon! Somein’ happened o’re at Keith’s place, He’s gone. I cain’t find that “lab assistant” of yours neither.”
Tuck said hurriedly, his southern accent that he usually tried to hide seeping out into his words.
“We know, it was those trials he told us about. I presume he told you as well then?”
Stein informed him as he got out of the car and marched towards the door, barely making eye contact. Stein had an idea, I could read it all over him. He got this way when he was away from home and wanted too test something, once he was back there was no standing between him and his lab.
“Yeah, the kid told me something like that. Would explain where all those people were goin’ to. Couple of the regulars in town, ones I know look up to that damn bird, left this morning headin’ towards the old mines.”
Tuck spoke to no one in particular, nodding to himself as if to check off the fact that Keith disappearing and people leaving town were two related things.
“Why don’t you come in then, you might be able to help out with the situation. We just learned a few things about this… “damn bird” of yours. I really would’ve appreciated if you told us about that years ago. Perhaps you’d like to tell us what you know of the Thunderbird in the lab?”
Stein ordered rather than asked, pointing to the door for no more than a moment before continuing on his march to the basement. Frank and I filed in after them but I didn’t join them in the lab.
I looked around the house for Rocco but couldn’t find a trace. It wasn’t like him not to leave some trail of destruction in his wake. Well hidden or not, we usually found evidence of whatever he was up to but this time there was nothing. I had no clue where he’d gotten off to, maybe I was better off not knowing. After I gave up I joined the others in the basement, to their surprise I actually had decided to make an appearance. Frank and Stein were a little rattled at first but soon went back to their work. Tuck just beamed at me proudly, like he knew something I didn’t. We set about comparing notes on Shaoni, and separating fact from fiction based on Frank and Stein’s many years working with the supernatural. It was… nice, in a family bonding kind of way. Keith had brought us all together, gave these scientist a new problem to solve. Gave Tuck a chance for some kind of justice for the friends he’d lost in the mine collapse all those years ago. For me, he’d brought me together with the family I’d fallen in with. Strange as they were, this was my family, or at least the closest thing I had to it. I had to help, not just for Keith but for them. I’d been a burden, scared to go outside, hateful of what I could do despite using it to make life easier for myself. Worst of all I’d been stuck in my own head, I’d gone through awful things, done awful things, used my body and my charm to get through life. I’d been every bit as evil as Brooke had been to me. I did everything he’d done to me to others, only it was so much easier for me to do it. I hate myself for it, maybe I always would, but I couldn’t let that stop me now. I had to set all that aside and be there for the people in my life, I had to be a person again, not just hope everyone would treat me like one.

Hello again! I think this will be my final reply. You're right that it does feel like we're talking in circles at this point. I can think of a few of the reasons as to why this keeps happening, and I'll try to elaborate later in the post. But mainly, it seems that a lot of your points involve assumptions that come from either misinterpreting what I've said, or completely overlooking something I've said. Other times, there are just some remarks you make that feel unnecessary. As a result, you sometimes come across as condescending, even though I know that you don't mean to come across that way. I'll explain in further detail with examples later on.
And for the record, I agree that we should just agree to disagree about our respective stances on the third film. We both have our own opinions, and they're both valid. So let's get right into it.

Mariner's myth: Well of course, but the point was, it was a myth. Nobody knew if this had ever happened. If you will recall, Stoick said that the myths consisted of the ships falling off the edge of the world, you can look up the scene. I don't think anyone ever found what was in the Hidden World. XD

Well yeah, obviously none of the sailors would have actually gone down into The Hidden World and returned. That's not what I meant. I meant that sailors have already found the waterfall that leads to The Hidden World. In the same scene you referenced, Stoick also talks about sailors who turned back and reported what they saw. His exact words were, "But those sailors who turn back tell tales of a great waterfall and dragons guarding the entrance to a hidden world." And yes, to them, it's just myth and legend, because no one on Berk has tried to verify any of those sailors' claims. But we as the audience know that those sailors were telling the truth, since we later see the very hidden world they spoke of in the movie.

Hiccup Being New: You make sense, but I was only stating that I don't think it would've been realistic for Hiccup to immediately know everything about chiefing. Of course he has leader experience; I never once negated that--in fact, I used it to bolster my claims. In my opinion a realistic character is one that makes mistakes. A way you can communicate this to the audience is by having other characters question said character, which they did, or have the character learn and grow from the consequences they face, by making said mistakes. These are fundamental ideas of storytelling and this movie does both.

I agree, Hiccup would never have been a perfect chief right from the start, and I agree it wouldn't have been interesting for him to be that. I just expected Hiccup to be more competent than the film displayed. By that, I mean I expected him to at least be as competent as he was in RTTE.

The Hidden World Being a Safe Place: Huh? Do you really think they would've moved there if it wasn't safe?

I'm saying there's no way they could have known if it was safe in the first place without doing some research beforehand. Like you said, from their perspective, the place has only been a myth up to this point. I'm saying that Hiccup having all of Berk just pack up and leave was kind of premature. The smart thing to do would have been to at least verify the existence of The Hidden World before making such a monumental decision to move there.

Being Far from New Berk: Well I presented all the evidence for my claims, quoted the movie, attached clips. I don't really see what more I can do here. But you know, even if you want to say that this part is untrue, does it really matter? Humans can't interact with dragons without bloody murder ensuing, it's really as simple as that.

That last sentence... I'm not even sure how to react to that. The entirety of How To Train Your Dragon has been about proving that last sentence wrong. 😂 And the evidence you provided (Hiccup's ending speech from the third film) disproved your point. The Berkians never agreed to guard The Hidden World. They only agreed to guard the secret of where all the dragons went. I've already talked about this, so it's kind of pointless to keep arguing about it.

Toothless Being an Animal: In my opinion this is more of a fallacy than anything. What is being done here is choosing the lesser likely of the "cause and effect" possibility by ignoring all the evidence leading to it. Toothless reverts INSTANTLY to his wild self when Hiccup first sails to the Hidden World. He's been with humans for 6 years, learned things slowly from them like hugs, how to smile, how to laugh and nearly how to hold conversations. I have no reason at all not to think that he's made to act "tamer" because he IS tame.

This just comes down to a difference in opinion. It's clear that you're of the opinion that it made sense for Toothless to suddenly revert to his wild self, while I'm of the opinion that it didn't make sense for the writers to have Toothless suddenly revert to his wild self.
Just to give you an idea of where I'm coming from, I'm thinking of this less from an in-universe perspective and more from the perspective of the writers, particularly in terms of what would be narratively satisfying to the audience. Toothless is a character in this franchise, so to suddenly change his character in a major way, even if there's a way to justify it in-universe, is kind of a recipe for disaster. Audiences typically don't like it when a character suddenly changes into someone they’re not unless there's a narratively satisfying reason for it to happen. To have the reason simply be that "Toothless is technically a wild animal" doesn't feel like enough of a reason. Regardless, I think we'll just have to agree to disagree about this.

Side note, I will be fully and as politely honest as I know how: I really don't care what TV Tropes says, but if you agree with that, fine I guess. It's just a wiki slapped together by people who know nothing about fiction imo. No Cambridge scholar wrote that.

See... this is one example of what I mean when I say that you make some remarks that come across as condescending. It's a small, rather insignificant example, but it's worth talking about, nonetheless. Like, why did you feel the need to describe the people who put the TV Tropes wiki together as "people who know nothing about fiction"? That just feels unnecessary, and not to mention, the opposite of polite. Saying it's your opinion doesn't make it any better either.

Part 2: Realistic: I'm not sure why you're saying you disagree here, because you listed the scientific aspects of the story that I was saying were realistic. Sure, there's telepathy and stuff like that, but just the fact dragons ca breathe fire is technically fictional. Dean DeBlois specifically said, as far as I know, that he did not want magic in this series. I was specifically talking about purely-fantastic things. Telepathy is technically not even considered fantastic, believe it or not. Arguing that the locations don't exist does not make this series fantasy. It makes it fictional. fictional meaning - Search (bing.com)

I feel like arguing over the definitions of fantasy and fiction is just semantics. And regardless, How To Train Your Dragon definitely qualifies as both fantasy and fiction. There's no escaping the fact that HTTYD counts as fantasy, as the entire franchise is built around dragons, a type of mythical being that doesn't exist in real life.
Also, this is another example of what I mean when I say you sometimes come across as condescending. There are multiple instances where you've included links to the definitions of common words or ideas. This feels insulting since it makes it seem like you're assuming I'm stupid and don't know what any of these words or ideas mean, so I need to be educated on it, even though these are common words/ideas that most people already know. Like, do you actually think I don't know what the word "fictional" means? Of course I know what it means! 😂 And just to be clear, even if that's not how you intended *for it to come across, it doesn't change the fact that it does *come across as condescending.

World Peace: I have to be honest, I don't think it's rocket science. The idea of world peace is rooted in the concept of exactly what it says: everyone in the world is at peace. Look it up if you want, maybe people have different definitions, but it honestly still changes nothing about what Hiccup said he wanted to do; make it where people and dragons largely or completely get along. If you won't go with the other stuff, suffice it to say that: He had to accept that what he wanted was unachievable. That is in fact what he meant when he said he was busy fighting for a world that he wanted.

Once again, we'll just have to agree to disagree. I'm of the opinion that the world Hiccup wanted to create was achievable, while you're of the opinion that it wasn't achievable. As I previously discussed, this comes down to a difference in our respective worldviews. No one has seen the future, so no one knows for a fact whether or not humanity is capable of world peace. Therefore, believing or not believing in the potential for world peace is a matter of opinion. There's no use arguing about this.
And since Hiccup's world is a fictional world, the story of said world could be written in a way that does end in world peace, or a way that doesn't end in world peace. Both paths are valid. I'm just of the opinion that it would have been more narratively satisfying for the writers to go the route of Hiccup's efforts eventually leading to the peace he dreamed of. If you disagree, that's fine.

If you don't understand it, perhaps you should say that you don't understand it, rather than it's a bad message?

I understand what you're saying just fine, I just disagree with you. I think I've made that quite clear. Here, you're making an assumption about me and my ability to understand what you're saying. The issue here is that you're saying it in a way that makes me think that you think I'm stupid. I'm not saying it's a bad message because I don't understand what you're saying or what the movie was saying. I'm saying it's a bad message because that's what I've genuinely come to believe upon analyzing the film.

Overcrowded on Berk: I have to say that I don't think you remember anything we discussed previously on the topic, because the answer is simple. The dragons are clearly not migrating. If they were, Toothless would have called more than just the ones on Berk, first of all, and second of all, Hiccup and Astrid wouldn't have had that conversation that they keep bringing dragons back to New Berk with the resulting problem of becoming a target. Even if the dragons weren't migrating, the point is still moot: You are referring largely to wild dragons YEARS ago who had nothing to do with the dragons Berk collected. It changes nothing about Grimmel or his motives; in fact, it arguably makes them an even different concern, because Berk wouldn't be able to keep track of all the dragons and they could subsequently fly into danger at the drop of a hat. I feel like this conversation is focusing on far too many angles that it doesn't need to be, and is just resulting in a convoluted mess that's getting way off track. As for Berk having plenty of room, I have no idea where you get that information from when the Crimson GoreGutter knocks down a whole SET of peoples' houses just by bumping into them slightly. They have dragons swimming in their soup. There's no validity to this argument.

The point about the dragons not migrating isn't nearly as clear as you seem to think it is. I'll keep this part short: Unless it's explicitly stated that the dragons have stopped migrating, there's no way to know this for sure. Maybe you're right, and maybe they've stopped migrating, or maybe they continue migrate, just off-screen. The point is , we don't know for sure. If you think the dragons have stopped migrating, that's your opinion, and a perfectly valid one at that. That being said, stating your opinion like a fact won't make it fact.
With regards to Berk having plenty of room, I think the issue here is that we're both referring to two different things when we say "Berk". When you say Berk, it's clear you're referring to the village where the Vikings live. That's not what I'm talking about. When I say Berk, I'm referring to the whole island of Berk. And when I say there's plenty of room to expand, I'm referring to the countless instances where we've seen Berk's enormous forest across the franchise (the films and the TV series), including in the third film itself! Have you forgotten the scene where Hiccup, Toothless, and Tuffnut come across the dragon trap in the forest? If space in Berk's village was so limited, why didn't they expand their village into that forest?

Grimmel: No, that's not what I was saying, it's really quite simple: Grimmel was the straw that broke the camel's back. There was no hypothetical war or anything; it was simply the same cause-and-effect situation that had happened throughout the entire series: They beat someone and then the next threat grows out of the previous threat's fallen ashes, for 6 years straight, risking their lives for no good reason other than to keep the dragons in their houses. If you want to argue the point that there are people out there who'd never learn to accept dragons because they've disappeared into the sea, I can't lie... that's just an unfortunate side effect. There's really nothing they can do. You do not risk the lives of people you love to prove some narrative that goes nowhere.

Hiccup isn't forcing any of his friends or family to fight for him. They freely choose to follow him because they believe in his dream and want to help him fight for it. And what do you mean by "some narrative that goes nowhere"? It's a narrative from our perspective as the audience, not the characters' perspectives. From the perspectives of the characters, this is the fate of their world that they're fighting for. With that last sentence you've written in boldface text, you're conflating two different perspectives, so it doesn't make any sense.
Also, if you truly believe that Hiccup is being selfish by risking the lives of the people he loves, as you've put it, then do you think Hiccup has been a selfish character throughout the entire franchise? Because he's had his friends fighting beside him since the very first film. Part of the issue I have with the ending that was chosen for the third film is that it kind of renders most of Hiccup's efforts leading up to it completely pointless. All the victories he's achieved over the people who would hurt or kill dragons will be rendered irrelevant without someone like Hiccup to keep guiding the world towards peace and co-existence. If Hiccup were to abandon his role, there's an extremely high risk that civilization will eventually revert back to the way they were when Vikings fought dragons, since the majority of the known world hasn't learned to treat dragons with respect and compassion yet. You do not abandon the battle between good and evil just because you know evil will keep coming back. If anything, that's more of a reason to keep fighting. Put another way, as the age old saying goes, "All that's necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing."

Also why did you use some of my quotes in your argument without saying it was from my argument? Such as when you said, "the explanation was clunky etc. etc.", lol. I don't get it. Maybe I just forgot what I wrote.

I was just trying to explain using the same metaphor that you used. I guess I thought it would be easier to convey what I was saying?

Condescending: Definitely not my intention, and I was well aware you'd try to use it against me. A straw man is simply a distraction. This was not intended as a distraction because I was attempting to apply it to the things we said. And furthermore, I was trying to say that almost EVERYTHING in this whole argument has now become a straw man, because each of the things we're focusing on now has nothing to do with the main point: Why did the dragons leave Berk?
"Snotlout is flirting with someone", how does that qualify as a straw man when it literally is what the argument originally was? He IS flirting with someone, and I was saying that he does it in almost every installment of the series, therefore it is not out of character. In fact, this one is more half-hearted than the majority, because he's not even flirting with Valka, which is casually ignored here.

The definition of a straw man goes a bit deeper than that. It's where someone intentionally misrepresents an argument to make it easier to attack, then attacks that weaker version of the argument instead of the real one (i.e. attacking a straw man instead of a real one). It feels like many of your counterpoints to the things I've been saying aren't actually counterpoints to what I was saying. Instead, they seem to come from misinterpreting (and therefore misrepresenting) what I was saying, which is why I brought up the Straw Man Fallacy at all.
For example, you seem to have conflated two different points I was making about Snotlout. I was so confused when you did this, that I couldn't help but come to the conclusion that you were intentionally conflating the two arguments in an attempt to employ the Straw Man Fallacy. For the record, I don't believe this anymore, at least with regards to this example. I think you genuinely just made a mistake.
When I brought up the fact that Snotlout has grown as a character, becoming less insensitive and more sensitive throughout the films and TV shows, I brought this up as proof that it didn't make sense for him to be insensitive in the third film. Specifically, I brought this up to back up my point about it making no sense for Snotlout to make the "Who died and made you Chief?" joke. When I brought up Snotlout's character growth, it had absolutely nothing to do with the separate point I was making about Snotlout and Valka's interaction being cringe-inducing.
Looking back on one of my previous posts, I think I see where the confusion may have begun. At one point, you stated: "As for him being reset, I'm not sure why we would think he was reset in HTTYD 3 but not in 2. All he was doing in that one was fawning over Ruffnut."
I then responded to this with: "I don't mean to be rude, but I really think you should rewatch the second film. At the end of the movie, when Gobber declares, "The Chief has come home!", Snotlout is one of the people cheering the hardest for Hiccup, clapping and doing fist pumps. Can you picture early Snotlout (like from Riders of Berk, for example) doing that? Back then, he was always envious of Hiccup and always tried to undermine him at every opportunity. But Snotlout had grown so much that now he was one of Hiccup's biggest supporters."
When I made that reply, I was specifically responding to the first half of your comment where you said, "As for him being reset, I'm not sure why we would think he was reset in HTTYD 3 but not in 2." To be as explicit as possible, I was trying to say, "We would think he was reset in HTTYD 3 but not in HTTYD 2 because HTTYD 2 doesn't contradict Snotlout's character growth (cue the example about him cheering for Hiccup and how that contrasts with his younger self)". I'd effectively just ignored the second part of your comment, where you said, "All he was doing in that one was fawning over Ruffnut." I think the confusion occurred because you assumed my response was directed at the second half of your comment about Ruffnut, not the first half. To be fair, I could have been more clear about exactly what I was responding to by not even including the second half of your comment, so I partially share the blame for your misunderstanding.
Skipping a head a bit:

What takes you several months to type, I type in a day. I don't feel the conversation is beneficial to you anymore, if it ever was. It seems to affect you personally. You honestly don't even have to respond to the other stuff in this particular reply if you wish; I'm perfectly fine with saying farewell to this particular conversation, just like Hiccup.

Do you understand what I mean when I say you tend to assume things and end up coming across as condescending at times? Why did you feel the need to say, "What takes you several months to type, I type in a day"? It's almost like you're trying to assert yourself as being intellectually superior to me, and I haven't the slightest idea why. And for the record, it only takes me a few hours to compose these replies, which I assume is about the same time it takes you to do the same. The reason why it takes me so long to reply is because I have a lot of other commitments. The worst thing you could accuse me of is some mild procrastination.
Going back to your Conclusion:

Conclusion: I have to admit, I was going to keep writing here, but after your descriptions of what I said being "hurtful" I'm not sure I want to continue. Lengthy prose has been great and all, but I've come to realize that it doesn't always make good arguments. (for either of us) I did enjoy talking to you, but I have grown to find that it's become less of an educational exercise and more of a stressful and incessant banter that you do not like. And you know what? That's fine. It's alright. There are plenty of people who agree with you, just like there are plenty of people who agree with me. There are people who LOVE movies I hate, movies or books that I hate are praised by critics and audiences alike, but it just doesn't matter. As long as you can explain why you don't like it, or why it saddened you, that's what's relevant to you as a person. I'm not one who changes my opinions unless I was unsure of them to begin with. At one time I think I was that person, but that was because I looked for a long time before I started speaking on something. The same holds true today. People who do not share the same opinions can be friends, and I think you're probably a very nice person to talk to. You and I only know each other as far as this very conversation, and until when or if we actually get more information on each other, if we had a mind to, I don't think we ever will really understand each other. But you know, again that's okay. There are plenty more people who you can talk to. My opinion of this series is never changing. It makes me happy, and it pains me to see people that are angered and saddened by something that makes me happy, but that's just way the ball drops sometimes. I can't be so naive to hope that I can teach people to love something; I can only hope that they learn, grow, or take SOMETHING from the positive side of things I interpret, because some people are like that. These conversations have only gotten longer and more straw man-y with the amount of branches as they go on. My final statement is: Agree to disagree: I respect your opinion and I respect you.

Honestly, I couldn't agree more with this entire section. I've also enjoyed talking to you, despite any of the friction that's occurred in some parts. We're both entitled to our own opinions, and that's absolutely fine. I want to say that I'm genuinely glad that you enjoyed How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, and I'm not trying to take that away from you. I just hoped you'd be able to see where I'm coming from.
As for the part about things starting to become hurtful, it's clear from the way you write your prose (even in this recent section that I'm quoting) that you're assuming I'm just a hater or a killjoy who's trying to see problems where there aren't any, and as a result, you seem to (unintentionally) be talking down to me in some sections. That's the only part of this entire interaction that bothers me. I want to make it clear, your disagreeing with me on the film itself doesn't affect me at all. I respect you and your opinion as well. The reason why I criticize How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World so harshly is because I hold it to a high standard; that is, the same standard set by the first two films. I love this franchise dearly. It was a big part of my childhood and the lessons I learned from this franchise up to the events of How To Train Your Dragon 2 helped shape me into the man I am today. I basically grew up alongside Hiccup. He's one of my childhood heroes. So when I watched the third film and saw it deliver a message that was contradictory to the lessons I'd previously learned from this franchise, I'm going to be honest, it felt like a betrayal. I wanted to see Hiccup succeed. I wanted to see him achieve everything he'd ever dreamt of and more because if anyone deserved it, it was him. So when that didn't happen, I couldn't help but feel disappointed and sorry for him.
I want you to know that regardless of any misunderstandings we may have had, I'm incredibly grateful for this interaction. You've given me a gift. Up until now, I've never really had the chance to get any of this off my chest. I'm certain that I'll be better for it. So thank you, and I hope you have a great life.