#goodbyelaraspoilers they put up finale lara standees at train stations in japan and one of them seems to be at a station in otsu... otsu mari... perhaps a subtle reminder that mari is always with lara, or mari is her home (or both)

#goodbyelaraspoilers like that'd be a worse ending in every way beyond being "more interesting" bc it'd just lean into the bury your gays trope

but some story details don't add up if that was the case anyways, like we know mari carried lara back after they ended up on shore

#goodbyelaraspoilers woke up to a theory on twitter going around that mari is actually still dead and only lara can see her and y'all 😭

it's kind of an interesting read but it's 100% not the intended one, it's kind of funny that the way they present the ending could lead to that conclusion though

#goodbyelaraspoilers i mean we know this is a big part of the controversy but people are trying to project their opinions of what a relationship should be onto the girls. romantic relationships come in many forms and trying to insist there's a "correct" way is just proving the story's message right

#goodbyelaraspoilers if anything implying that is a really bad faith read of their relationship and of lara's established character as a whole. people are getting too hung up in the uncertainty of the ending being more open rather than consider the character writing that shows lara loves her so much

#goodbyelaraspoilers tbh as someone whose been in a long distance relationship for years seeing the way some people talk about the prospect relevant to laramari is kind of annoying. living in different towns doesn't mean lara is going to meet someone else and abandon mari in the meantime

#goodbyelaraspoilers adding to this later bc i saw someone say that there's nothing implying laramari is romantic left, but the promise to live together is literally that. you don't just make an emotional promise to live with your bestie someday when you're older. 😭

#goodbyelaraspoilers falling in love is something you do in life, it shouldn't define your life. i think that's part of what the show is trying to say, and why them not being in a committed relationship at the credits roll doesn't take away from their love. they're in love, they're just not ready.

#goodbyelaraspoilers ofc she's also doing it for herself. her whole life has been spent chasing a love defined for her, and even though she's found the one she loves, she wants more in her life than romantic love. you should never hinge all of your happiness on your romantic life.

#goodbyelaraspoilers lara has always had a complex with being a burden on mari, and mari's mom even says in the flashback that she'll find someone who can walk beside her. lara will never be able to do that if she feels like a burden. thus she wants to discover and better herself and come back.

#goodbyelaraspoilers people act like mari doesn't know why lara is leaving but there's no way in the six month timeskip they didn't talk about it. mari knows. mari is still going to feel lonely. lara is putting on a brave face because she doesn't want to leave her but knows its for the best-

#goodbyelaraspoilers at the end of the day love isn't just happily ever after, just finding the right person isn't enough and you need to be willing to grow. lara is 15/16 with limited real life experience, it makes total sense for her to want to grow as a person and then come back to mari later

#goodbyelaraspoilers

its extremely funny for a show that sought to deconstruct the toxicity of a fairy tale ending, people are mad that goodbye lara didn't provide the immediate gratification they wanted even though the leads are very much in love with plans for the future together

ok to talk more about it- #goodbyelaraspoilers incoming
I would have been fine with the message they were trying to go for if they didn't set up multiple episodes of framing Mari as the one Lara loves + Luca having 3 episodes of focus and then treating Mari so coldly in that epilogue.

It's kind of ironic Rowan constantly talks about how Merfolk are the only ones who can see "The Light" & that they understand "true love", yet he is so blinded by hatred towards humans that he only sees Lara as a weapon to kill off the humans.
#sayonaralara
#goodbyelaraspoilers