scrawlers:

One thing that I really enjoyed about the new More Than Human chapter was the symbolism behind what the Boys experienced in the vortex (and their dreams). Namely, the way the Boys regarded each other in the vortex, as well as how they interacted with the Girls either in their dreams or in the vortex, speaks a lot to their subconscious perceptions and opinions of each other, as well as what they crave from their relationships with the Girls.

For instance, in Brick’s dream that he has at the beginning of the chapter, Blossm is the only one present. This makes sense given the type of dream it was, but what’s notable is that it’s not just other people that are absent from the dream, but also other things. Brick makes a note after the fact that he should have realized it was a dream because his desk was gone. If you’ll remember, Brick has a computer under his desk that allows him to talk to Penny. The desk is a direct link to JS Inc., which in turn makes it a strong symbol for his work, which is something wholly separate from Blossom. In the dream, that link—that obstacle—was gone. Furthermore, Brick was not in control during the dream in any sense of the word. Not only was it not a lucid dream, but Blossom was the one who initiated everything. She approached him, she guided him to the bed, she told him to open his eyes. Brick surrendered control utterly during the dream, and he did so because of Blossom.

What this tells us is that Brick subconsciously wishes that he could let go of everything that is keeping him (or that he feels is keeping him) from Blossom. He doesn’t want his brothers or the other Girls to be present. He doesn’t want JS Inc. to be part of it. He doesn’t want his own interference to get in the way. He wants to let go and just be with her. He won’t, because he is very good at creating obstacles and difficulties for himself, but subconsciously, that’s what he wants. He wants to surrender control and release these obstacles and just be with her, letting her take the reins.

The vortex, meanwhile, didn’t actually tie his dream into it (at least, I don’t believe it did), but it did give us insight into how he perceives his brothers as well. Boomer latched onto Brick’s leg, and was dragging him down. This wasn’t intentional on Boomer’s part, of course (and we’ll get to Boomer in a bit), and to some degree Brick recognized that, as he notes that Boomer’s eyes are closed and he isn’t saying anything. Setting aside Boomer’s part in latching onto Brick’s leg, we could view this (Brick’s perception of the events) as a sign that Brick feels that Boomer is a passive weight holding him back. Boomer is someone he has to take care of, someone who drags him down, someone who holds him back. Boomer is the “baby” of the bunch. And in a way we do see this in their relationship, in that Brick expects Boomer to follow along and do as he’s told, and gets upset in the rare moments when Boomer argues back (as seen when Brick told Boomer to break up with Bubbles). Nevertheless, for the most part Brick perceives Boomer as being passive (hence the closed eyes, no words), but still a burden to be carried.

And as for Butch? Brick and Butch clash constantly, but what’s notable here is that Brick didn’t realize that he was attacking Butch until after the deed was done. To “see red” is to be so filled with rage that you can’t think logically, or sometimes even realize what you’re doing, until after the anger has faded. “Seeing red” is synonymous with being “blinded by rage.” You’re not literally blinded, but you’re not thinking clearly and, as such, you’re not fully in control of what you’re doing. (Which isn’t to say you’re not responsible—you absolutely are responsible—but it is to say that you might say or do things in those moments that you wouldn’t say or do if you were a bit calmer.) This is relevant, because even though Brick wasn’t really angry in the vortex, Butch often drives Brick to points where he … well, sees red. To some degree, Butch enjoys doing this, as we know. And the fact that Brick nearly killed Butch in the vortex and didn’t even realize he was doing it until after the fact could be a manifestation of a subconscious fear that Brick didn’t even realize he had until now, which is that Butch might actually push him to that point one day. Brick thinks to himself after the fact that Butch does need to be kept in line, but immediately after takes it back and says that this was different, that he wouldn’t want to do this. Yet, his temper being what it is (and his behavior being as violent as it is), that risk is still there, and we now know that it’s a risk that Brick doesn’t like, even though he acknowledges it.

Speaking of Butch, it’s pretty telling that the dream he had of Buttercup was one that so simple, soft, and comforting. The imagery of the two of them sitting back to back on a fence, holding hands, tells us a lot about what Butch craves from their relationship. The thing about Butch is that his life up until this point has been nothing but one wild, violent event after another. This isn’t something he’s ever complained about, or ever even thought to complain about, because as we know Butch truly enjoys the adrenaline rush that he gets from those situations. But the thing is that Butch has never had stability, he’s never had comfort, and he’s never had true companionship. His relationships with his brothers aren’t good (more on that in a second), and he’s never had friends before. As a Rowdyruff Boy, he never really had the opportunity to make friends. But that changed once he got to know Buttercup. This chapter was, I believe, the first time he acknowledges to himself that she is his best friend, and in that we see that although he makes tons of sexual innuendos and he’s clearly jealous of other romantic prospects for her, what he truly values most about Buttercup is, in fact, her companionship, her friendship. And while there are many different scenarios that his subconscious could have used to show that he values her companionship and her friendship, the imagery that we got is very telling. The two of them are sitting back to back, which is both a protective and a vulnerable gesture. If you show your back to someone, you’re making yourself vulnerable, because even superbeings can’t see behind them. But if someone has your back, they’re protecting you, and shielding you from that vulnerability. In his dream, Butch sat alone with Buttercup, back to back. She had his back, and he had hers. They were both vulnerable and protective of each other in equal measure. It was quiet, comfortable. They held hands. And what this tells us is that what Butch craves from his relationship with Buttercup is stability (the fence), comfort (holding hands), vulnerability and protection (back to back), and companionship (they were the only two there, together). Subconsciously, this is what he desires.

(I also find it so interesting that Brick was the one who had the sexy dream, while Butch was the one who had the soft, comforting, companionship dream, given how they both ordinarily act during the waking hours. It really shows what each of them is repressing, and particularly with regards to Butch repressing something like this, that really is so interesting, he’s such an interesting character.)

As for his perception of his brothers, we see that manifest in the vortex. Butch does not realize that Boomer is there at all. Although Boomer latched onto Brick’s leg, Butch never sees him, and never thinks of him. In this, we can see that Butch doesn’t really consider Boomer very much at all. Obviously he knows that Boomer exists and that Boomer is his brother, but Butch doesn’t think of Boomer very often and tends to dismiss him. Thus, he was essentially a non-entity to Butch in the vortex.

Brick, meanwhile, is someone that Butch views as a rival of sorts. I believe there was a moment in an earlier chapter where Butch made a caustic remark about how Brick always gets everything he (Butch) wants. Last chapter, Butch was infuriated when Buttercup kissed Brick at the party, even though Butch himself knew that it was a dare and that there were no feelings behind it. (That said, Buttercup was dared to kiss the hottest guy at the party, if I recall, and she deduced that said hottest guy was Brick, so that could still have something to do with it.) In Butch’s mind, Brick gets everything while he (Butch) is left behind. Moreover, the “he gets everything I want” mentality means that Butch perceives Brick as not just passively getting everything Butch wants, but aggressively taking it. Thus, what Brick does in the vortex is a manifestation of how Butch views him as aggressively taking things from Brick. First he moves toward Buttercup in a way that seems predatory, and then he goes through her, and finally he literally rips Butch’s chest open, very nearly taking Butch’s very life from him. It’s aggressive, violent, and devastating, and ultimately what it tells us is that Butch not only perceives Brick as someone who aggressively takes everything that Butch could or does want, but that he acknowledges that Brick is, ultimately, stronger than and capable of killing him. (Which we sort of see him acknowledge a couple of times while awake as well, but nonetheless.)

Lastly, Boomer. Boomer’s dream is that he’s standing at the bottom of a pool, almost-but-not-really-drowning, and that Bubbles is above the surface of the water. He reaches for her so that she can help him out. The symbolism here is obvious. Boomer views Bubbles as a lifeline, someone who can help him break free of a situation where he feels he has little to no control, where he feels like he’s suffocating or drowning. We know that Boomer has a complex about being the least skilled of the Boys, and also that he has never really been in control of his own life. If it’s not Brick controlling him, it’s Him, and so on and so forth. He looks to Bubbles as a way to change that, but also … Bubbles is very different from both Brick and Him in that she’s not violent, aggressive, or cruel. She treats Boomer with kindness, and takes care of him. And he looks to her to do that, he seeks that from her. We see this numerous times throughout the fic, but one of the most prominent is during the dinner date they had at the Girls’ house, wherein Boomer kept repeatedly thinking of her as a wifely or motherly figure. Boomer craves that nurturing aspect of Bubbles’ personality, and he sees her as a personal salvation and lifeline. What he craves most from their relationship is for Bubbles to save and take care of him.

As for his brothers? This is potentially the most interesting of all, because for Boomer, his brothers were non-existent in the vortex. Butch dismissed Boomer, but Boomer dismisses both Brick and Butch in that he doesn’t even so much as think of them during the vortex scene, much less acknowledge that they’re both present. (Moreover, we never see his reaction to what Brick did to Butch; we don’t even know if he knows what happened.) Although Boomer latches onto Brick’s leg, he believes Brick is Bubbles. And this is telling, because what this tells us is that in Boomer’s subconscious, as long as Bubbles is present, his brothers might as well not even exist. Brick may see Boomer as a burden, and Butch may be dismissive of him, but the simple truth of the matter is that we have every reason to believe that Boomer would ditch both of his brothers tomorrow if it meant he could go have a Happily Ever After with Bubbles. In his subconscious, he doesn’t need nor want them. Brick has his dedication to his Vision™ that he feels he needs his brothers for (as well as a sense of responsibility toward both of them), and Butch has a warped sense of brotherly loyalty, but Boomer doesn’t really have either of those things and clearly prioritizes his relationship with Bubbles over that of his brothers. So by showing that he didn’t recognize his brothers at all during the vortex scene, and didn’t think of them at all, what we see is that Boomer’s ties to his brothers is actually pretty weak (at least, again, in comparison to his attachment to Bubbles), and that he doesn’t consider them very much at all.

And I just think that all of that symbolism is just really very interesting.

YESSSS!!! ^^^ This is everything I couldn’t put into words! Like… I felt a lot of these things while reading, but couldn’t point exactly to why or how to use words to put it all into concrete terms???