#"incoherent thoughts

[loveisactivated]

[lycoris-artcorner]

After learning the truth about Sentiel regime and getting transformation cog D-16 continuously shows up striking red flags as signs of build up rage and incapability of seeing big picture in thirst for revenge

"He lied to my face"

Ofc the most obvious 'No I want to kill him' speech, but first ones were constant empathize on I, himself and what he wants. Post receiving t-cog maniac laughter, violent tendencies and seeking out being the one in control, look how he uncharacteristically takes proof Alpha Trion gave them & lead from Orion saying 'I. got. it-'. Then when Orion talks with D 'I will never trust so called leader ever again' right before being attacked by High Guard. Head first challenging Starscream and pointing newly discovered fusion canon into opponents face declaring 'Bear witness! This is the last time I show mercy'. After reuniting with Pax when Orion tries to check on him and build up strategy D dismisses him 'This is nothing compared to what I'm gonna do to Sentiel' & 'I'm doing this my way'. Repeatedly trying to blast Sentiel with fusion canon not realizing the destruction he causes, when Orion tries to talk sense to D 'I have to do this' & 'Pax, you need to move out of my way before I move you myself'. And of course 'I'm done saving you' & 'Primus gave you the Matrix'. It's all there. In clear sight

Each time D does this camera goes to close shot on Orion's reaction

Even first time they see recreation of Sentiel trying to take matrix for himself, Pax's initial reaction was shock, while D-16's - rage

Megatron is product of the system, formed by blind anger and vengeance, whose tragedy is succumbing into his own version of said system repeating violence

Which takes roots from deeply personal views & mindset of D-16

And worst thing is, every time Orion was right there beside D noticing all of it, trying to call out to his friend only to see him fall deeper and deeper, giving into resented rage, choosing violent path. Despite all effort Orion was unable to do anything about it but watch D becoming the very thing he had sworn to destroy, failing to save his closest friend from himself

[mejcinta]

Helaena's Displeasure and Forcefully Taking Attention (A Body Language Study).

Love, love, LOVE Phia's acting here. In the first picture, you can subtly see the confusion in Helaena's soft gaze the second she walks in ("Have you seen Dyana? She's supposed to dress the children..." *pauses*) and then the shock and outrage that dawns on her in the second picture, when she puts together what Aegon had done.

Her eyes are wider (notice you see more of the whites of her eyes in the second pic) and her lips are pressed into a tight, tense line as she freezes. She was displeased and shocked (the incident happened in their room!), but somewhat resigned. This is because she makes no drastic show with her body. Also, we never see her face when Alicent hugs her, although it is apparent that Aegon is staring at her while their mother comforts her.

Note that Helaena doesn't flinch from Alicent's touch this time, like she usually does. She actually *wants* the comfort this time. She must be pretty hurt.

Meanwhile, Aegon was just as stunned as Helaena when she walked in on him (his mouth fell agape, his fixed gaze on Alicent abruptly breaking to blink in surprise when Helaena appeared offscreen).

Notice how he stared back at her, fiddling (nervously) with the sheets covering his manhood out of embarrassment, when Alicent basically confirmed to Helaena what she feared had happened.

While Aegon was indifferent with Alicent and her justified lecture, he is clearly not happy with himself at what his actions has done to Helaena.

Because he cares? Who knows. But even being the mess of a husband he is, it seems that he acknowledges his wife is blameless, spotless and innocent in every way. She's done nothing but be the dutiful wife, the dutiful mother... yet he's caused her pain and continues to do so.

Aegon could be grappling here with why he never seems to get anything right. Why he never seems to please anyone. Why he only hurts and disappoints. Why he's insufficient.

Later at dinner, he gifts Helaena a beetle. A poor attempt at apologizing, yes, but it is all he knows, it seems, of Helaena's taste. And his characterisation so far (using ep 6 as reference for his bravado and boastfulness) is shown not to be conversant with the concept of admitting failure or defeat verbally.

Helaena plays with the beetle before dinner begins and even shows it off to Otto while they chat.

She inspects the gift in the background when Aegon teases Jace, glimpses at him and takes a swig of her wine, giggling subtly at Aegon's sex joke. Does she find this truly funny? Is the wine loosening her up? Or is this a sarcastic/knowing laugh given what happened earlier? Who knows.

The matter, however, seemed to have been turning in her mind. Because shortly after when she is seen thoughtfully stroking Aegon's beetle, she suddenly stands up to make the provoking toast:

"I would like to toast Baela and Rhaena. They'll be married soon. It isn't so bad...mostly he just ignores you. Except sometimes when he's drunk."

She must have been pondering the incident with Aegon and Alicent earlier and reliving the feelings she experienced. Her outrage, disappointment, discontent and hurt finally found an outlet in that toast.

The sigh she heaves out before sitting back down indicates that she had wanted to get things out of her chest and that speaking up had offered her some relief, even if it came at Aegon's expense lol (I think she was happy to embarrass him, personally. And she is justified).

Generally, my conclusion from this analysis of Helaena's body language is that:

1. She was pretty upset with Aegon's actions, 'ashamed' as Alicent implied earlier to Aegon.

2. Her spontaneous roast of him at the dinner, the sudden nature in which she jumped up, shows that she had in fact been brooding over the incident and was quite angry with him.

3. However, her laughter at Aegon's jokes imply that her sexual encounters with Aegon aren't forced like people want to believe. She isn't nervous beside him. In fact I'd argue Aegon is more wary of her than she could ever be of him.

4. Her understanding of sex is warped but it is clear she has her expectations and desires. That's why she jibes at Aegon's alcohol addiction. Perhaps she wishes they would bond sexually without alcohol being a necessity. Perhaps she wishes he didn't ignore her.

Her dull tone when she says "It isn't so bad mostly he just ignores you" shows that she's sad about that part of her marriage.

And when Jace gives Helaena attention in the form of asking for a dance she readily seizes the moment. Not because she likes him (this is Baela's betrothed and she clearly respects that), but because she desires to be showered with attention and if Aegon won't give it she'll take it from someone else while forcing Aegon to give HER attention.

Aegon struggles watching Jace dance with Helaena, and he clutches Helaena's beetle... mirroring her action of stroking it.

Again, Aegon is not the kind of man to admit defeat, so he seethes instead in silence as she dances.

In Tom Glynn Carney's words Aegon didn't want Jace to win by gaining a reaction from him.

So Helaena dances to her content, fanning Aegon's anger and jealousy while also gaining HIS attention and punishing him for how he wronged her earlier.

As Alicent well put it:

"Think of the shame on your wife..."

By accepting Jace's hand, Helaena consciously or unconsciously made Aegon experience the shame she went through earlier after his cowardly action.

In a way, this whole scene is a display of power play and the rift between man and wife. Much like Alicent requesting Rhaenyra take her infant up to her chambers was a challenge of power between rivals.

[delu-lusional]

no bc why arent we talking about how ndrv3 has so much potential, ESPECIALLY in their antagonists and plots?? Sure, they tried to do something with them with the emotion v logic and reality v fiction, but like... they're such large concepts that it's kind of hard to fit both of them into a plot, let alone a game.

[ndrv3 spoilers btw]

lets talk about emotion v logic bc i can split the foils up really nicely with this plot:

LOGIC: Rantaro, Kirumi, Angie, Kokichi, Maki, Kiibo, Shuich

EMOTION: Kaede, Ryoma, Tenko, Korekiyo, Gonta, Miu, Kaito, Himiko, Tsumugi, Shuichi

here, everyone has at least one (1) foil. Kaede has Rantaro, Kokichi has Gonta, Miu, and Kaito, the list goes on. With these characters being next to each other, they highlight their own stance while also showcasing the complexity of said stance (like how both Kaede and Rantaro and united in defeating the mastermind, but it was Kaede's worry of the time limit expiring that incentive her to set her plan into motion).

With emotion v logic, there isn't a clear line of 'good and bad' like hope v despair or future v past, both of these qualities are good in a person. v3 is really grey in it's messages, which makes it one of the best dr games in my opinion (i like to be ignorant to some of the.. other problems it has). It's not bad that you are emotional, but when your emotions cloud your judgement, that is bad. It's not bad that you are logical, but when your logic overweighs your autonomy, that's bad.

This by itself could be an entire game: how can we have a balance between compassion and cynicism? Trust v safety. Of course, that is the A plot for v3 and I think they handled it somewhat well. (of course, it could've done better if Angie wasn't killed, making Angie a foil to Shuichi instead of that role being put on Kokichi [who i find more so Kaito's foil], but a girl can only dream).

SPEAKING OF ANTAGONISTS, LETS TALK ABOUT REALITY V FICTION!! -- i'll also separate the characters, though this is a little more difficult to pin down.

REALITY: Rantaro, Ryoma, Kirumi, Kokichi, Shuichi, Kiibo, Maki

FICTION: Kaede, Tenko, Angie, Korekiyo, Miu, Gonta, Kaito, Himiko, Tsumugi

This, alike the emotion v logic, is grey. Reality hurts so finding comfort in fiction is bad-- however when your entire reality becomes fictional, something's awry. This is, unsurprisingly, shown in the last chapter the best: the world is crumbling away, the people are conscious, and the fiction someone is living in is peeling away to show the hideous reality. It's stated that the outside world is peaceful since they get their violent tendencies by voyeuristically watching danganronpa (which, no, that likely wouldn't happen.), so people are immersing themselves in fiction. IGNORING reality.

There are some implications to this B plot: Korekiyo talking about 'seeing his dead sister' which is not based in the reality that we know, Himiko talking about magic outside of magic tricks, and Tsumugi being more infatuated with cosplay than being herself. Meanwhile, Kiibo doesn't shy away from understanding that he's a robot (and actively tries to help), and Kokichi straight up makes a script for someone to mimic him once he dies to mess the game up.

and yet v3 is kind of... bad. The conclusion doesn't feel right, it doesn't feel like they worked for this, that's bc throughout the game, they were contesting against grey matters. There's no villain, there's no 'the worst, most tragic event in human history', just a company writing fiction. That's why I think people don't like this ending.

The game is like an essay that ends up no where without a firm foot hold because of the topics they chose to convey. They didn't exaggerate it enough (which is saying A LOT for the 'youre fictional' game), leading the a and b plots to fall flat.

Not only with their plots, mind you, but with their antagonists.

Kaede is perfectly written for plot a, kirumi is perfectly written for plot a, Korekiyo is (semi)perfectly written for plot a, gonta is perfectly written for plot a, kaito is perfectly written for plot a, but tsumugi is only written for plot b. She's forgotten by her creators just like how the audience forgets her.

Angie, Korekiyo, Kokichi, and Tsumugi are the main 'bad guys' for ndrv3-- but... are they?

Angie is a devote believer in her deity who has gotten everything handed to her, so of course she's going to be erratic in keeping everything under her control.

Korekiyo is a boy who's sister tragically died and is being TORTURED just to see her again, so of course he's mind is twisted with thoughts of sacrificing people to her.

Kokichi is a scared trickster who always manages to slide his way in and out of trouble, so of course he's going to hide his emotions and harm others so he can win.

And Tsumugi? She's trapped in a fictional world that she has no way of escaping, so of course she's going to be forgotten-- she isn't made for this world.

But, these characters are reduced to 'religious cult leader', 'serial incest killer', 'insane clown', and 'who?' This is another effect of having too many plots going on-- these characters aren't allowed their time to shine bc the plot is constantly throwing them around,

but idk, those are my thoughts. sorry for this being really scrambled I just have lots of feelings about ndrv3.

[sufiblackmamba]

It is past 5:30 am and I'm sitting on the prayer mat in cold. The cold is hitting me through the wide open window because it is stuck and can't be shut. From afar, I can hear the adhaan calling for the morning prayer. I really love this alone time when there is no one between me and Allah. I express my feelings to the Lord who always listen to me. He protects me from the evils. He showers me with blessings. At every step of my life, I have always relied on Him. There were times when I was rejected for jobs but I knew He will open the doors for me and give me something more incredible than what I am seeking. He has blessed me people who are always there to love me and help me at each corner. I feel anxious sometimes how things will unfold but it amazes me how He has planned the life for me. Alhamdulillah. I will always be thankful to Him for the life I had, the life I am living and the life I will have. I will keep on relying on Him alone. He is the master of keys of unlocked doors. He loves me and I know if something is not in my life, it's only because I cannot handle it properly. I will continue to pray to Him for power, for love, for courage, for knowledge, for health, for peace, for compassion. Amen.

[liaragaming]

I think Mythal gets a lot of undeserved hate directed her way solely by being Solas's former love. And I also think Crossroads Mythal has had thousands of years to do nothing but stew in her own anger and misery - thus coloring who she was before.

But the one thing I cannot get over is how upset she is at Solas for "betraying" her.

Like...

He built a refuge for her in the rebellion! He always thought she would join him - despite her never saying the words!

He tells Elgar'nan the only reason Mythal joined the Evanuris as gods was to keep him and everyone else in check!

Solas never rebelled against her! He rebelled against the Evanuris' claim to godhood. And it was a claim that he always thought she would drop.

I get so mad at her for being so mad at him! But she did join them, and Solas never saw that. He always held this picture of what she was to him before he took a body. He loved her so much, and maybe she loved him the same once, but that love became so misguided, and they both clung to it?

They give me some deep Emmrich / Johanna vibes in that way - on such opposite ends there's no way for them to work out but also inevitably tied together.

Solas is so in it to the point of not being able to see what she had become. Real enough in his love for her so as to keep the essence of her alive when it would have died anywhere else.

I just get so tangled up in what they must have meant to each other at one point (pre-physical bodies, a time we don't get to see), and how Mythal moves on and Solas clings to her, and how much he loved her, how much hope he had, and how upset she was with him, and what a painful complicated mess this all was.

He traps the Evanuris behind the Veil because he's so grieved and pissed.

And then he wakes up to find a piece of Mythal walking around in Flemeth's body, and I can't help but imagine what a shock that was. To find a Mythal that had lived and learned and changed over thousands of years that he didn't experience. He won't even speak to her essence in the Crossroads.

When Bellara asks how he could have killed Mythal, Solas insists Flemeth wasn't her. But we know he feels guilt over killing Mythal. We know he weeps over her body. Like, he loved her, but I think at this point, he's also angry with her as well? Maybe on a level that he doesn't recognize.

I just can't help imagining Lavellan running into her in the Crossroads and giving her a piece of her mind.

[ushstuff]

Kinda want to draw Cedric with a dagger, I mean the symbolism is so aaaah

But he really never

[jonathanbyersphd]

Pookie ❤️

[charlieswebb]

a tree sprouts, it reaches up to the sky where the answers lie. it grows an apple with the knowledge it holds. a bite of the fruit will bring the cosmos to your eyes. the branches reach up and the roots reach down. encompassing every surface, every inch of the skies. the tree of life grows beyond our world, the fruit of knowledge bittersweet on the tongue.

[loumandforyou]

*back on my DM bullshit* I am always thinking about how Armand opened up to Louis about his traumatic past, with 'amadeo' playing in the background, and then he shared just a glimpse with Daniel, the same track playing.

Do we think that the only person Armand felt truly safe with (aside from his 'false' sense of safety with Marius) was Daniel? And once Assad can actually talk about their relationship, he will tell us all about that?

[pikabysss]

Gah! I want this to have it's entire gag reel. I want this to have it's entire gag reel. I want this to have it's entire gag reel. I want–

AAAAAAH! Hibiki malewife, Naoto wanting to date basically another version of himself, Jin wanting to kill with love, Kagura giving the checking out stare, Bang being awkward, Terumi being taunting, Hazama putting his hand over his heart while he doesn't have one, as if he'd be able to get the feeling since he's now in love with Ragna!! AAAAH! Everything is fricking perfect, I can't–

*dies*

(Found this on the blazblue wiki in Hazama's gallery. Go take a look, there's a lot of good stuff on there. This one is by far my favorite.)

Heres the link. Enjoooy~

[lycoris-artcorner]

As Orion Pax falls Megatron rises

As Optimus Prime arises, D-16 falls

Both weren't there to catch, now dead to each other

[ribbittrobbit]

No but to make a deity in your own image, that encapsulates your convictions perfectly but fail to propagate their worship?

What does that mean for Kristen’s belief? in herself? in what she has been searching for? what does it mean to believe in doubt incarnate?

because ok, like, religion always has some element of the miraculous or supernatural that transcends understanding. There is always mystery in relating to/ worshipping a higher power. But the mystery is secondary, it is mysterious that there are beings from another plane of existence that choose to interact with the material world- the reasons why are a mystery but the acting on the universe is believed wholly.

now what if the central thing is mystery and the unknown and the night (i’m thinking along the lines of the “dark night of the soul” as in a state of spiritual blindness/ lost in the darkness), its a never-ending feedback loop and ITS SO THEOLOGICALLY CRAZY

And how much of Cassandra’s current form a product of Kristen? Kristen who is plagued by skepticism, who got annoyed at the incredibly abstract god who was entirely her creation and let it die when she found a new thing. Cassandra as the nightmare king/ previously unnamed god of sylvaire did already seem to be associated with the night and mystery but the form she takes as cassandra mirrors kristen as she was in that moment, kristen in the nightmare forest, self -resurrecting. Are gods capable of transforming and growing the way humans can? or does changing mean a complete transformation?

she really is at kristen’s mercy and kristen IS A CHILD

Yeah anyway come and scream with me bec i physically cannot contain this, its not enough to draw about it and poetically think about it i need meta homies HELP

[mejcinta]

Aegon and Aemond vs The Strongs: A Show of Loyalty.

To this day it's still strange to me that people misinterpret the dinner scene for one or another reason, misreading the words and actions of the characters using bias and/or team politics.

The episode 8 dinner scene picks up from the previous episode years ago on Driftmark when Aemond lost his eye. It is meant to show us what feelings the Greens harbor towards Rhaenyra's family years after a feud broke between them.

Throughout the dinner Aemond focuses on the Strong boys: Luke sitting across from him and Jace who failed miserably at 'turning the other cheek' and disrespected Aegon by asking Helaena for a dance.

In fact, before taking a seat Aemond is heard lamenting to Aegon about how he hates that they have to break bread with Rhaenyra's brood (I'm paraphrasing but you'll hear it before Viserys is carried into the room).

In the end, both Aemond and Aegon answer to the contempt and audacity the Strong boys showed them. The scene by all means effectively managed to show us how the brothers now work as a unit compared to when they were younger and Aemond suffered bullying on his own.

Aegon supported Aemond's derogatory toast and even tackled Luke (the boy that gouged out his brother's eye) when he tried to join Jace against Aemond.

And Aemond dealt with Jace squarely in response to the disrespect he showed Aegon and Helaena (we all know that dance was not about Helaena for Jace, but coming between a married couple that has an image to uphold and as revenge against Aegon who foolishly made a move on Baela to insult him).

From the very start of the scene it's clear that neither Aemond nor Aegon wanted to be at the dinner. They hated that the Strong boys were there and even bitched about them before Viserys arrived.

Aegon's sly behavior with Baela was a provocation he started in response to his displeasure at Rhaenyra and the Strongs being there and Viserys' wish for them to bury their differences without acknowledging Rhaenyra's wrongs. Aegon was pressing for tension to erupt at every chance he could get.

Aemond silently watched him go and did not stop him for a reason. He couldn't bring himself to rebuke Aegon's mischief, not if that meant making the Strongs upset.

He only intervened when Jace almost lost his cool on Aegon, standing up dominantly to give warning to his nephew and Aegon to a lesser extent (who eyed him knowingly).

When Helaena rose up to justifiably humiliate Aegon with her toast, (she was clearly upset about his sexual misconduct with Baela and earlier with Dyana) Aemond's reaction isn't shown.

However, when Jace stood up to ask Helaena for a dance with his eyes fixed on a scandalised Aegon (Jace had every intention here to get back at Aegon, not to be the better gentleman), Aemond took notice, meaningfully locking eyes with Aegon, but kept his cool nonetheless; whereas Aegon quietly seethed and squeezed Helaena's beetle (reportedly a gift he'd offered her before the dinner) in his hand.

Aemond monitored Helaena because he doesn't trust the Strongs with his family. And I'm sure Aegon would've done the same if he was seated in a position where he was free to watch the mother of his children in Rhaenyra's bastard's arms.

Note how he was staring at Rhaenyra while Aemond monitored Heleana and Jace.

The Targtowers clearly watch out for each other when faced with external forces, just as Alicent said they should in episode 6: "In the world we must defend our own".

When the roasted pig arrived on the table Aemond suddenly took notice of Luke giggling at him, reliving how he and Jace (and a now repentant Aegon) would make fun of him for being dragonless.

The insult was probably less about the pig to him and more about what happened because of his dragonlessness. He gained Vhagar then lost his eye in a sickening twist when the same boy laughing across at him swung a blade at his face!!!

Finally, Aemond lost his cool. He snapped and attacked the Strongs with his infamous toast.

He did not make the toast because of Jace dancing with Helaena, like some believe. He did so because of Luke who had the gall to laugh at his pain!!

Aegon readily supported Aemond because he too was itching to get back at the Strongs, particularly Jace who despite of having insulted Aegon by dancing with Helaena, could not handle the pun in Aemond's toast.

Aegon and Aemond were obviously fed up with the pretenses at that point of the dinner. From the very beginning of the dinner scene and their interaction with each other, their disgust at the Strongs and Rhaenyra was apparent. They hate that those three can get away with having a lord (Vaemond) murdered in cold blood on top of disabling Aemond without consequence!

How safe is their family? How can they trust the Strongs and Rhaenyra when punishment and death follows everyone that dares to challenge them? That is why Aegon and Aemond were evidently frustrated with Helaena and Alicent respectively at the dinner. The boys believe they know a threat when they see it while the ladies are more accomodating of Rhaenyra and the Strongs, Alicent especially believing (perhaps out of resignation) that there could be a chance at peace.

What transpires after the toast shows the factions within the Targtower family itself. Alicent and Helaena being more open and neutral, Otto wanting to maintain appearances and Aegon and Aemond being understandably doubtful and hostile.

The scene is so much more complex and informative. It shows us the relationships between the Targtowers and what their stances on Rhaenyra's party is. How they work together and how they are divided.

[historical-paramedics]

Vimes and Columbo have so much in common it's crazy. (They're both coppers and are completely devoted & worship their wives)

[annieqattheperipheral]

I have thoughts but I'm also not ready but i get it but also. I'm not ready have they considered that but i get it i do i do not also what about

i can't i honestly feel a little choked up rn. it's been a bad news day personally (dw nothing major just got rejected from my dream job) and then the olympics ending and then the leafs changing course so much in the last year i get it all i do i do I'm just gimme a sec MLSE would ya. maybe your press conference wed will help maybe I'll wake up tuesday with calmer clearer thoughts rn i just would like the world to stop spinning also could hockey pls return and take me out of hellscape summer