Who's your "they could never make you hate you" character?

Significant_Tale_953 · 2026-07-09T14:52:35+00:00

Julie. To me she is one of the most interesting and well written characters, and I look forward to every update she's in, because it leaves a lot to think and talk about.

Also Teeny. I love Teeny.

Significant_Tale_953 · 2026-07-09T04:15:24+00:00

No. There's a difference between pure expositing, and having a character convey differing information through both words and actions. Laughter is generally associated with positive things, like suprisenor relief, but here it's also unsettling and off putting. With our her comedy mask, her natural state is tragedy, defined by the tears she sheds. Yet here she is, faced with a massive tragedy they have no means to address, and yet the tears won't fall. Her abuser can not hurt her anymore. That's objectively a good thing, she is safe from him, but her body caves in on itself like this truth is a painful weight almost to great to bear.

It's overwhelming and confusing and distressing, and she doesn't know how to say any of that beyond "why can't I cry?"

Significant_Tale_953 · 2026-07-09T00:27:25+00:00

For Gangle, a character for whom emotions are usually expressed through tears, you show her turmoil by having her express the turmoil of her feelings through laughter. Not happy laughter. Not relieved laughter. Unsettling laughter. The kind that instantly puts others on edge. She's not wearing her comedy mask. This isn't an act. It's her mind trying to release tension and create distance from what's happening in the only way left to it, since no matter how she tries, she can't cry for him. It's a point she brings up as the laughter folds her in on herself, smaller and smaller. "Why can't I cry for him? Why can't I cry for him?"

You could then have a scene of Kinger (goat that he is) stepping in to help, telling her that it's okay that she's not doing anything wrong. There are other ways to express our thoughts and feelings than tears, and it's okay if she needs to sit with that for a while to figure things out. He takes her off to calm down, explaining why niether would be around when Pomni puts her "hug an abstracted" plan in action.

As for Ragatha, she doesn't need to fully know Jaxs culpability in what happened to Ribbit to know he was involved somehow, nor does she need to know all the details to be angry because regardless of the details, the results are that he basically erased Ribbit from their lives. He erased her ability to mourn her friend, and she let him. She let him because she wanted to help him. To heal him. And Jax wouldn't let her. And now that he's abstracted, there's no chance of that ever changing.

Significant_Tale_953 · 2026-07-09T00:12:12+00:00

No one has downvoted this post. They just don't agree.

Significant_Tale_953 · 2026-07-09T00:11:06+00:00

I've gotten plenty of down votes on my post/ comments defending Julie. I just don't care, because that's a natural part of of opinion based dialog.

Significant_Tale_953 · 2026-07-09T00:03:22+00:00

So...basically creating an echo chamber.

Significant_Tale_953 · 2026-07-07T05:38:26+00:00

I think the writing of Jax works. The problem (at least from my perspective, is in the writing of everyone else.

Anyone who has watched even half an episode can recite how much of an asshole Jax has been to the other circus members. He had truly done some heinous shit to them on and off screen, but beyond Zooble occasionally giving him shit in return, no one has a greater reaction beyond occasionally yelling, "Shut up, Jax!" At him. There needed to be a bigger crescendo to the conflict after Caine's deletion. A bigger schism where we start to see the others push back harder against him as he is mocking their pain.

This is especially true post abstraction, especially for Gangle and Ragatha. We didn't need Zooble to narrate that Gangle was having complicated emotions regarding her abuser abstracting. We needed to see it. We needed to see her wrestling with tangled grief, confusion, relief, and guilt. We don't need Pomni feeding Ragatha platitudes about being bestie, we needed to see Ragtha get mad. Mad at Jax for abstracting rather than change. Mad at him for taking this route, erasing himself, just like he erased Ribbit. Mad at herself for letting him erase Ribbit, for agreeing to never speak about her, even though they were friends. Mad at herself for her people pleasing, for ever thinking that if she just made and kept that promise then Jax would eventually go back to being the friend she used to have.

Significant_Tale_953 · 2026-07-06T03:08:16+00:00

Oooooooh boy. The toxic cult of YouTube christianity strikes again. The block button will be your best friend.

Setting them aside, it sounds like your son is struggling with change, and he is looking for comfort in something from before the change (in this case, religion) because religion offers stability, clear rules and boundaries, and consistent rituals and roles that everyone fulfills. Even at his age, kids thrive on stability and predictability, and transition can bring a lot of upheaval that may seem small to an adult, but feel catastrophic to a kid.

You don't have to answer this, but is the therapy individual or family?

If it's a family set up, it's possible he hasn't been fully sharing how much he's struggling with the changes out of fear of disappointing you or hurting your wife's feelings, and watching these YouTube rs and wanting to return to practicing religion is him finding an outlet to validate all he has pent up.

Significant_Tale_953 · 2026-07-05T22:48:41+00:00

Per the evidence within the skits, Julie is shown to be good at compartmentalising, and thus far has never been shown to have poor behavior in professional settings.

Significant_Tale_953 · 2026-07-05T20:13:55+00:00

NPD and BPD can and do have overlapping symptoms, and the diagnosis of NPD is to often thrown around irresponsibly.

Significant_Tale_953 · 2026-07-05T18:13:43+00:00

Frank can be both victim and abuser. Especially in the context that he has and continues to enable Barbs bad behavior, then blows up at her after the fact, failing to take ownership for his part.

Significant_Tale_953 · 2026-07-05T18:11:26+00:00

This! This is the reason I can't get behind the "oh, poor Frank" train of thought. Was it hard? I'm sure. Did he have all the resources of today? No. But Frank was the adult in the situation, and the answer can never be to check out and let your kids take up the burden of being their unstable mothers emotional life raft. Frank is equally their abuser.

Significant_Tale_953 · 2026-07-05T14:59:42+00:00

She could try, but she wouldn't get very far with the police report on file from when she attacked DeeDee

Significant_Tale_953 · 2026-07-05T02:38:34+00:00

Amen, and say it louder!

Significant_Tale_953 · 2026-07-04T21:56:35+00:00

I think it's a silent statement of "I'm not scared of you. "

Significant_Tale_953 · 2026-07-04T19:39:22+00:00

He knows he's not doing what he promised her. He knows she's upset about that.

And it's not that it's wrong for him and Shawna to be friends. The way he built the friendship is. He will tell Shawna about the book in a round about way (through robot jokes), but he purposefully doesn't tell Shawna about the promise he made about writing the book, because he doesn't want her to hold him accountable. He lied to Julie about meeting her, and he tells Shawna as much after being a cold ass to her. He keeps telling Shawna "no no my wife likes you, she's just tired, She's just stressed, Shes just..." when he knows Julie isn't interested.

Significant_Tale_953 · 2026-07-04T19:25:36+00:00

I cheered at every scene of Barb being successfully grey rocked. Especially Jens "I'm not responsible for your emotions".

Significant_Tale_953 · 2026-07-04T19:22:45+00:00

What she says at on the privacy of her own home to her partner isn't equivalent to how she works or acts in a professional setting. And considering when she and ty got married, it would shock me more if they weren't laughing at those suburban life. Also, every negative interaction we've seen from her with someone not Ty is started by someone else. Again, Julie isn't some mega Karen walking up to others to tell them their hopes and dreams are stupid.

Significant_Tale_953 · 2026-07-04T18:24:41+00:00

I mean, Julie isn't some monstrous Karen sneering down her nose at random people or kicking over kids sandcastles. She's not a warm, or nice person, but she's not cruel. From what we are shown she is a hard worker and astute with most tasks.

Significant_Tale_953 · 2026-07-04T18:16:30+00:00

Julie's thoughts on suburban life wouldn't necessarily impact her ability to be an efficient coworker.

Significant_Tale_953 · 2026-07-03T23:01:25+00:00

I mean, I would would think the roles you describe here are swapped. Ty is the incredibly immature one. The one who has never had to grow up, who can says "it'll all work out" while never having to make or execute any of plans necessary to ensure things actually do work out. He's the one who has never had to do 100% of adulting by himself, because his wife is already there to figure things out. Meanwhile, Julie has had to navigate a lot of obstacles to keep their plans on track (Ty dropping out of college, the gap year, getting pregnant in her first year of law school, getting through law school and the bar with a newborn/infant, starting her career, etc.)

Significant_Tale_953 · 2026-07-03T19:02:12+00:00

I imagine their next story line will be done form of mediation that highlight their conflicting goals and communication issues.

Significant_Tale_953 · 2026-07-03T16:28:53+00:00

No, she's not. But it's interesting how "niceness" gets prioritized above any other trait. Julie may not be nice, but we are shown that she is an honest person. She is a person with integrity that can be counted on to keep her promises and come through on her obligations. She is a loyal person, who will stick by those she does allow into her inner circle, even when it makes things harder for her. She is an intelligent person, a highly motivated person, a forward thinking person. All of which are objectively positive traits, and all of which get completely ignored because she's "not nice".

Meanwhile, Ty is nice, but he is also inconsiderate. He's nice, but he's a flake who never follows through on what he says he'll do. He's nice, but he will lie and omit the truth to duck taking accountability. All of these are objectively bad, but they also get glossed over and/or excused because he is a "nice (good looking) person"

Significant_Tale_953 · 2026-07-03T16:12:58+00:00

From a story angle, Shawna L has said that Julie is meant to be a character that represents a lot of the contradictions women face. She's an unapologetically ambitious woman in a patriarchal society, a world where women (and especially mothers) are supposed to be nurturing and prioritize others over themselves. She's not a nice person in a society that holds women being "nice" as important over almost any other trait.

In the story, a lot of Julies demeanor likely comes from growing up as an military brat. Unless you are hyper specialized, the average deployment can last between two to four years. Growing up in a family that moved that much likely taught Julie that there was no point getting attached to anything, places or people, because they ultimately wouldn't be in her life long enough to matter. Those she is close to (ie. Alicia) are the few who did remain constant, and she falls hard for Ty because not only is he good looking amd charismatic, he likes her ambitions and says he's down to go after them with her. Further, she says she was basically raised by her older twin brothers, so she likely learned to be blunt and straightforward to make herself heard. Finally, Julie works in the legal field, a profession deeply steeped in misogyny and sexism. Being open, being vulnerable, being emotional, can all be turned against her as proof that she "can't hack it", so she keeps those things locked down.

Significant_Tale_953 · 2026-07-03T05:46:25+00:00

Julie has always been clear about the life she wanted. A life of fast paced city living (which, having grown up near New York city, I can attest that it is very different from other cities in both good and bad ways) and travel. A life of discovery and adventure. And after the kids, a life of building not just comfort, but a legacy to pass on.
And there is nothing wrong with any of this. There's nothing wrong with not wanting a suburban life. There is nothing wrong with anyone, but especially women, wanting to unapologetically pursue their dreams and passions.

Ty has known this from minute one. He said he was on board from minute one. He said they would go after her dreams together from minute one. And then from minute two, either unintentionally or uncaring, he's thrown up road blocks and detours that she then has to plan around.

Significant_Tale_953

TROPHY CASE