Pilot Opossum

OG screenshot from the ep 8 trailer:

Despite everything,

we got dates people!!

october 15 1996 "caine-core.11sp"

october 15 1996 "paraphernalia-engine.dat"

october 15 1999 "[Scratch].dat"

october 15 2008 "[Ragatha].dat"

Trying to make herself small, not saying anything. Just letting her mom berate her and trying not to cry or defend herself, because that'll just make mom even angrier.

This specific "please don't hurt me" arm-up pose when she blocks the first knife, implying it's instinctual for her to flinch like this around her mom. How she's more scared of her mother looming over her than the literal knives stuck in her body. I am ILL.

Yea because if she did anything other than compartmentalize herself to be as palatable & agreeable as possible it's heavily implied her mom would Fucking Hit Her 🫩 She had to constantly tiptoe around an unstable, volatile person.

Someone being unhappy with her in any way shape or form meant Danger. Of COURSE she's constantly paranoid about if other people hate her or not, and defaults to this fake-happy placating behavior. CPTSD has tuned her nervous system to be hyper sensitive to the mood changes of those around her.

A doll is meant to be played with for the enjoyment of whoever owns it - they're toys. They get posed, dressed up, manipulated, and never complain. If they get their stuffing torn out, they better keep smiling. That's what a good daughter doll does.

Me:

It doesn't show up in the captions, but I like to think she is saying "mama". Ragatha obviously knows this shadow-thing isn't her actual mom, but her body still recognizes the threat as her mom.

The way she raises her arm to block the first knife in a way thats framed like she's expecting to be hit. Then she just takes the abuse, more afraid of her "mother" than the physical harm.

I don't even think she thought about it when she cried out, it just felt so familiar, like she was right back there. At family dinner.