She/her, 22

I wanna make it clear that the boys do care about everyone and these associations seem more metaphorical then conscious by the characters. These aren’t personality HC’s and the boys don’t want the others to die and these traits don’t make them better or worse people but I’ve been gnawing on these thoughts for a while so here.

Ray is the one actively helping people (Curley, Barkovitch, Stebbins) calling out encouragement to others (Harkness and Barko), but by the time he helps them it’s too late, they die moments after he extends a hand. He only shows care towards those who are already dying. He wants them to keep going but he keeps choosing (unconsciously) those that cannot. He doesn’t extend this empathy to the people watching the road because they’re living and watching others suffer which in his mind makes them pigs. He wants a better world for the poor suckers who speak out against the system and get squadded and those who suffer enough poverty to go to the long walk, the ones that are dying, not the happy families watching the walk. The people he doesn’t hang on to or stick around for (in the movie) is Collie and Hank, one of which was so invested in life he fought for a way to preserve it, and the other who wasn’t dying he was “already dead”. Collie is the most alive character, he’s one of the fitter ones, the more sociable ones, and the one who keeps thinking about his family. Rays odd distance towards him is weird since they share a lot of the same ideals. But Collie wants to take the guards down to live, Ray wants to kill the major and then probably die, that’s what he’s accepted as proper change. Ray does reach out to Hank, in the hope he’s still in there, but he’s not, and when Ray realizes Olson is too far gone to be considered anything but dead, he backs off and then starts caring for Art (who begins to dying of a hemorrhage shortly after).

Art is nice and wants friends, but he doesn’t actively help anyone. It’s not that he doesn’t care about them but he doesn’t call out encouragement to the others or help steady someone while they walk like Ray and Pete. He does however pray for the boys lost, the ones who are already dead. He gets mad for Rank after he has died and he only has beef with Barkovitch who famously talks of “dancing on graves” or disrespecting the dead. Yelling at the kids to look away from Harkness is one that gives honor to his death but doesn’t actually preserve his life (telling them they don’t want to see him die IMPLYS he’s about to die). He likes them but he doesn’t go back for them. EXCEPT Hank at the end of his life, who as the narrative and dialogue established, is “Already dead”. (I know I talk about Olson a lot sorry :])I know people say he tries to turn back for Collie and would’ve given Hank food if Ray didn’t but all he does is like- fidget or look around and then someone acts first, also at the end of the day he doesn’t do anything, the story chooses not to display him helping them (also turning around for collie only after he’s shot could apply to this).

Pete is an interesting one! His hatred of murder and murderers, his way of seeing the light, and the belief in the familes on the road. Death has no coming back, from whoever commits it to whoever experiences it, that’s what he considers the greatest sin. He hates Barkovitch for it, he hates himself for it, he believed for a bit that even the evil government soldiers might make it a joke because taking a life is that unforgivable. He calls out to the dying when Ray does but his solo encouragement comes far away from death. The “fuck the long walk” chant (that he starts even though Ray says it first), the “All for one” chant, the “everyone woke up feeling funny?” Conversation. All moments he starts that encourage others to keep going and have genuine hope. He keeps the living alive. Although living and dying have a lot of overlap, that’s why many or Rays actions are ones Pete does as well. If you are dying, you have to be alive, and Pete wants them to stay alive.

//Trigger Warning: Suicidal ideation//

i haven't been this into fandom since i got hyperfixated on final destination

i love hank olson he's so me

Like Beverly says, the reason they were able to survive is because they were together. The kids in the first episode were not ‘together’. The sole reason any of them were even interacting (aside from Phil and Teddy, more on them in a sec) is BECAUSE of Pennywise. They virtually had no connection to each other whatsoever when they went to the movie theater. On the other hand, the Losers’ friendship was based outside of that. Bill, Stan, Richie, and Eddie were friends before and Bev, Mike, and Ben all joined the group under circumstances unrelated to Pennywise. Ben and Mike joined after the Losers helped them with encounters with their shared bullies. Bev helped them get out of a jam. They had a strong connection well before IT first attacked them as a group in Bill’s garage (which I think parallels the movie theater scene, which is that group’s first group encounter with Pennywise). That’s why a big chunk of the movie is just them hanging out together. It shows how they’ve built that connection.

That being said, Phil, Teddy, and Matty’s ‘friendship’ acts as a sort of foil for Bill, Stan, Eddie, and Richie’s relationship before they meet the others. They’re the bullied social outcasts and this allows them to form strong connections with other social outcasts. Bev, Mike, and Ben are just embraced and accepted as part of the group no questions asked. Meanwhile, Teddy and Phil, who are also bullied social outcasts, have to be bribed just to show up to Matty’s birthday party. Also, Phil and Teddy’s friendship isn’t even strong. Teddy tries to talk about Matty and Phil changes the subject and screams in his face that Matty’s dead. But the Losers were following Bill into the sewers to look for Georgie. They’re all super mindful about not implying that Georgie is dead, going along with Bill’s belief that Georgie is ‘missing’ even though it sounds outlandish. It is only out of terror and anger that Richie screams at Bill and tells him that Georgie’s dead. The Losers draw strength from each other and use that to combat the fear, loneliness, and darkness Pennywise feeds on. The kids in this show are emotionally isolated from each other and thus easily fall victim to Pennywise.

And how did they know that Hank was at The Black Spot? Because Ingrid told them. She knew that those men would respond with violence and that the chaos and fear that ensued would lure Pennywise. Yeah, the same Ingrid that literally fed children to a monster. Thinking that her father was possessed is no excuse for the children she sacrificed. I see people getting on Ronnie and calling her annoying because her main concern is her father, which yeah no shit she’s scared. Her father was accused of a crime he didn’t commit. She and her father are black in America in the 1960s. Hell if they were living in 2025 she’d still have the right to be scared for her dad. People are constantly posting about hoping Ronnie dies but where is that energy for Ingrid? Like many white women in her time and even now, she weaponized white mens racism for her own benefit.

I pretty much hold my breath every episode and pray to the show gods that they don't ruin the absolutely beautiful thing they've created.

And so far...as of episode 7...they haven't.

Because every episode has built on the idea that it really takes all THREE of them to make this relationship work. The framing reinforces this with frequent triangle shots (and even triangle dialogue). There must be a connection between all points, and no point is more important than the other. Every person is essential.

Because while Takuzo may be the "responsible" one, he's rigid in his ways.

And while Mia is the realist who easily speaks her mind and expresses what she wants, it can make her very focused on herself.

They already tried it with just the two of them. It didn't work.

And Mia and Shinpei have already tried it with just the two of them too. It doesn't work.

Because they struggle with managing responsibility on their own.

They are willing to do the work, but they need someone to guide them with structure and remind them the laundry exists. I feel that.

And although Shinpei is a free spirit who really brings "joy" to everything he does...

With just Mia, he still feels a bit insecure and not quite good enough.

And with a younger boyfriend that has so many fans, Mia can sometimes feels insecure too.

As the men have developed and taken their relationship further.

Takuzo is able to affirm Shinpei and give him the words he needs to hear.

And Shinpei's earnest and sweet nature is able to break through Takuzo's walls to help him see that his rigidity can have consequences.

His infectious energy pushes Takuzo to go places he wouldn't otherwise and encourages him to try new things.

But both men recognize that they NEED Mia.

She holds them together.

Because she's the one who can express words and speak her mind easily.

Who will make the first move when things get difficult.

And push them to make the necessary decisions.

Because they're a throuple. And no (good) relationship exists without all three of them.

Bonus: There's food symbolism (even more than I mention here). Be still my beating heart.

Mia is gyoza.

Takuzo is curry.

And it's best when the chef (Shinpei) serves both.

This one's an old drawing from April 2023 that I never got around to uploading. Drew this for The Party Never Dies, a Monster High 'fearbook' zine.

With the whole yearbook theme, I decided to focus my piece on the 'creepateria' and show some of the exchange students enjoying tasty treats from their respective cultures! God, these Monster High puns.... I also did 2 portraits of Catty and Spectra for the yearbook photos section: