#<- it is interpretable yes? i hope so. maybe too vague..

[melni-zirgi]

Would you draw pruliet please?

I dont like pruliet (nothing against it ideologically just not my thing), but i've long wanted to draw this scene from 'Skirgaila'.. Translation under the cut. I hope it suits you. as always click and zoom in for quality

Keller {German crusader}: And what a shame, brightest duke, that we are now friends. We would be much better as enemies than friends.

John Skarbeck {a polish noble}: (angrily) May the highest Lord not hear your foul words, knight!

Skirgaila{duke of Lithuania}: (having looked at Keller) You think so, german? Who knows the future? But I like you - you are an open man and speak what you think.

Surprisingly, there is a ''small'' genre of works in lithuanian (in latvian ive only encountered a single one) of Special Crusader Guy falling in love with (more often pagan) freedom-loving girls and coming into Kindof Homosexual Tension with their fathers/husbands.. It's a topic thats been thought about for a While. Shoots myself in the brain.

Also the initial sketch ahah it almost looks better than the illustration itself

[my-castles-crumbling]

Hey Cas.. about your last ask. I am not that anon, but I used to be religious.

Please don't take this as a hate message or anything, I swear I don't mean anything bad.

I just wanted to ask something about something you said.

You said , 'you know religion and bible is created by humans right' correct me if I am wrong. I just want to point out, you know some people doesn't believe that, right? I mean, i think it's not correct to say it like it's a fact, because it may not be for other people.

Most of the believers believe religion is sent by god, so saying it's created by humans are like, wrong for many people. For most people, the books are god's words. And it is not created by humans.

Bible changed through the time, yes.

But for example Muslims don't think the quran didn't change, and it's the word of god. Religion is rules set by god, not humans.

At least that is how it is for people.

Meanwhile I agree belief depends on people and no one have to live according to religion. They can believe it's made by humans. And I agree you don't need a church or any temples, but in most religions praying places are needed, and it's okay to believe you need a church.

I believe religion is made by humans too.

I believe the bible is written by humans.

But I used to be religious, and I want you to know it's a belief. And i saw a lot of people who believes this. And just like they can't prove god exists or they can't prove religion is sent by god, we can't prove it's made by humans either.

I hope I didn't use a rude language, I tried to tell my point only, and I understand if it's surface level of words, therefore if my language is not enough to explain myself. my English is not that well.

Hi!

I'm so glad you wrote in to me about this. You definitely weren't rude, please don't worry! I'm honestly happy you said something <3

To you and anyone else who follows me who's religious, please know that I didn't intend to offend. I haven't been to church in a LONG time and even though I have a surface level understanding of some religions, I certainly don't understand them on a personal level. I don't want to make anyone feel uncomfortable for their beliefs at all- I think religious freedom is so important.

I'm putting an explanation for what I meant below the cut if you're interested, because I feel like maybe I didn't word it properly, but also like...these are just my beliefs and I'm one person so I am NOT saying I'm unequivocally right.

I guess what I meant is like...even if someone believes the bible/quran/torah/etc is the word of God, to my understanding, it's not a belief that he sent the physical book here, right? People; humans; wrote down his words? (Please, genuinely, correct me if I'm wrong. But I have a vague memory of someone writing some words on a mountain?) And then, these books have been translated and re-translated by humans hundreds of times. It's like a game of telephone--things get lost in translation. So what I meant was more that people, who have flaws, are interpreting for God. And as people have flaws, they make mistakes, or can be biased.

Same thing with religion. I'm not familiar with the organization of all religions, but with catholicism, you have the Pope, Bishops, etc...they're all humans. I think some people believe they're blessed by God, but they're not all-knowing like a lot of people believe God is. So, even unintentionally, they can make mistakes.

And absolutely, I didn't mean that you shouldn't go to church! I think churches, temples, mosques cane be wonderful places that offer safety and security for people. I know some religions require attending church/temple/mosques for prayer. But what I meant was that if there are no safe places available, I'd like to think a higher power isn't just listening in those buildings, she/he/it's listening everywhere.

I hope all of that makes sense? I really didn't mean to offend anyone, so thank you so much for saying something <3

[dusty-siltstrider]

Alright I'm properly boozed and decently numbed. I promised to bitch excessively on here if our boy became a name on a missing poster. Here the fuck I am.

For reference I'm focusing on Viktor and Jayce here. More than enough has been said about everyone else. Y'all ate good. Let us starve in peace. Lots of this comes from lengthy discussions on the Viktor Nation disc.

To start - no, Viktor does not appear in the new trailer. I'm sorry, he just doesn't. Not even a voice line which should have been pretty fucking easy. Over at Viktor Nation we spent nearly an hour going over the trailer frame by frame brightening shit to see if he shows. He does not. No, not even a far-off shot of his arm. We got more Viktor in the teaser from two months ago than the official trailer.

However...

100% Glorious Evolved. Fingerprints around their faces match what appears to be Viktor face-grabbing that Shimmer addict from the teaser trailer. Similar rune carvings. This is his cult. Which uhh right off the bat is much different from any other interpretations?

Basically confirms they're going all-in on runic magic for Viktor and largely veering away from classic Machine Herald. Which I have feelings about. That will be reserved for the season itself once we see it play out.

And before any smartasses come in with "lol at least you got a shot of his feet" jokes those definitely aren't his. Just one of the random cultists floating judging by the angling. And Viktor's would be full grape Fanta. The silvery/gold texture is interesting. Some kind of manipulation of metal through magic?

Don't even.

Also been seeing a lot on the shadowy golden-eyed figure and we figured that's near-certainly not him either.

Looks sick, I'll admit. I kinda hope it's him, in fact. Most likely not him. Face shape is slightly too squared off, ears stick out too far, yes I went in deep on skull shape for this and I'm at least 75% sure that ain't him. And Viktor's magical influence/Hexcore spookiness has been defined by purple sinews and more organic forms than this more fantastical shadow tendril thing. This seems to be a new force entirely.

I won't discount it outright since Viktor's eyes are indeed associated with gold/amber but for all I know this could be Mel. Eye socket shape/nose does vaguely match. And Viktor's eyes would likely lean more towards a purple voidy glow in S2 if they're going all-in on the Hex Core.

Possible Jayce cameo? Very obviously meant to be his wristband gem, maybe somehow got fused with his skin. The grip on the object appears heavy so it's not Viktor's cane/staff. Could very well be the Viktor/Jayce confrontation since if you squint there might a robed figure standing in front of that weird fuckin magic doodad.

Speaking of...

Saw a pretty interesting post from @nylloth saying this could be Viktor's "hospital" or maybe some kind of Glorious Evolved temple. It does resemble the fucked up glowing sinewy appearance of the Hex Core so perhaps some kind of hallucination or vision that Viktor is having of his potential. Would love to hear more thoughts on that though. It's very obviously related to "the Arcane" as a broader more mysterious force.

Wanted to be angrier here but I'm honestly just disappointed. Which is ass because pit fighter Vi and Ekko and revolutionary Jinx are all things I'm genuinely looking forward to but I can't rally it. I'm very glad everyone else ate good though. Does indeed look sick and I'm still excited. Pit fighter Vi especially. Holy fuck. But I'm just too bummed out about Viktor, call that dramatic or childish but idc it's how it is.

Be stingy about appearances and character designs but it could not have been difficult to include a single voice line. Don't even bother including it in the show, get a couple trailer-only lines or a "Glorious Evolution" or SOMETHING. Don't give me that "well their fates are still ambiguous" No they aren't lmao they just aren't. By this point everyone knows Jayce and Vik live and 50/50 on Mel.

If Viktor had not appeared in that teaser TWO MONTHS ago for like 2 seconds then it would be reasonable to assume he got erased from the show entirely lol. We have a shot of his arm to go off of until we hopefully get a proper Viktor poster. Cool. Nice arm.

That is all. For now. Please refrain from discussing leaks. I don't need any more temptation.

[yaminerua]

Look I know it was done as just a gag but I can choose to read a gag sincerely in the context of the world of the show bc it’s only meant to be a gag to viewers. I can read what I want into it forever

But anyway that bit in Tomb of the Cybermen where Two Accidentally grabs Jamie’s hand instead of Victoria’s to go join the others and then lets go suddenly is like…

If you take it as a pre-relationship moment you can interpret it as Two getting flustered that he did that so unconsciously and immediately letting go so as not to potentially make Jamie uncomfortable. Because yes they may stand quite close and grip one another’s arms in a tense situation but that doesn’t necessarily Mean anything surely? And in any case handholding can come with a different set of implications and connotations and meanings and he’s not altogether sure what Jamie’s personal views on that would be.

Maybe he’s already come to terms with the existence of his own feelings but has no intention of burdening Jamie with them, esp since knowing the time Jamie comes from and the societal beliefs from then, he thinks it’s better not to hope for something that’s unlikely to ever have a chance at happening. So he jerks his hand away awkwardly before Jamie can possibly think of doing it first.

Or maybe he isn’t even that far along in figuring things out yet. Maybe he only has a vague sense that something has been steadily Changing between them, but that he hasn’t yet dared look at it too closely to inspect the feeling properly. But he’s aware that Jamie has become something tremendously dear to him, and his awareness of this is maybe especially heightened at that point, immediately following Evil of the Daleks, where Jamie very nearly left and he has to contend with just HOW relieved he is inside that he chose to stay.

But when he takes Jamie’s hand unconsciously like that and feels the panicked little rush of that unnamed Emotion flood through him upon realisation of what he’s done he lets go suddenly, startled and thrown off by the intensity of his own feelings suddenly blooming into unnerving, unmistakable clarity and not knowing what the hell to do other than shove it down and try to file that away to be dealt with later.

But then, whichever scenario it starts with, the Doctor then has to reckon with the indisputable fact that Jamie let him do it. He didn’t immediately retract his hand or throw it down or any of that. In fact, he went with it so easily and let himself be led forwards by the hand without a second thought, falling into step beside the Doctor as though it was the natural thing to do.

And that sets a little spark fizzing incessantly in the Doctor’s mind to be addressed at some later date that whispers to him that maybe, just maybe, Jamie is okay with holding hands. And if he’s okay with holding hands then… well… he’ll cross that bridge if and when he reaches it.

[codegeassfacts]

Ami Koshimizu interview about Kallen's evolution, relationship and Kallen's future

This interview Came out right after the airing of Turn 22; If you don't remember what happened in Turn 22, well, this happened:

Question: About the kiss in Turn 22. Ami: I'm also surprised by that kiss. Before this, I interpret Kallen as having no romantic feelings toward Zero or Lelouch. So I was like, "no kidding?! I've mistaken?!" But the director wanted me to show that Kallen is anxious from not knowing Lelouch's feelings towards her, and is seeking an answer no matter what. An idea comes to mind, "if I come this far, maybe Lelouch will say something." Without too much thinking nor noticing her feelings, she acts. When she kisses and Lelouch still doesn't answer to her, it's the first time she notices, "woah, I really like this guy." That's what the director said. Question: So Kallen thinks she likes Lelouch. Ami: Maybe she didn't realize it before because she mixed this feeling with loyality. Although she notices it now, there's nothing she can do under that situation. She can't just insist to go with him. It isn't Kallen's character to do so. Kallen is considerate to people around her. She will not allow her selfishness to get in the way. That's the type that doesn't get happiness, right? *laughs*

Question: What about Suzaku? Ami: She was captured and almost injected with Refrain. That's really mean of him, right? I think beating him up makes her feel refreshed. Suzaku thinks if it's wartime, it can't be helped if you have to kill your friend. I think that's why Kallen dislikes him, and knowing that such a person is following Lelouch irritates her. Question: Which Kallen scene gives you a strong impression? Ami: Lately it's the conversation with Nunnally. Although they werein Ashford together, they didn't get to talk in private. It's the first time the two of them can sit down and talk about their beloved brothers, and share their thoughts of a peaceful world. I think if they were able to talk earlier, they would have become good friends and might have changed a lot of things. Question: Is there anyone you really want to say something to? Ami: Yes! To Ougi-san! In Turn 16, when the UFN request Black Knights to liberate Japan, Rakshata said, "that'll also save Kallen". Ougi-san, your response was so vague! It was written on the script (in brackets) "actually he forgot"! When I was captured, you were secretly dating Chigusa, saying I love you, and then fall off a cliff. What are you doing? Ougi-san!! Question: Please give fans a message! Ami: For fans who like Kallen as loyal follower of Zero, I'm really sorry. I think from now on, Kallen will think and act on her own. Anyway, please look over her till the end.

Translation by Koshimizu (the translator, not the Seiyuu)

Hope you enjoyed.

[pileofmush]

cw: short. hopeful angst? not-so-vague jjk 261 spoilers. a/n: fuck it we move (i wrote this in a state of misery).

You’ve not one to be superstitious, but. There is something about him that makes you question your interpretation of reality. In the reflection of his wide, beady eyes, you see visions of yourself—crumpled, on the floor. A shadow of a shadow. Reduced to a something that is less and worse than nothing.

What could it be, but love? Reflected in his pitch black eyes?

It is certain, then. You can either leave. Disappear. Run until you reach a place where no one knows you and no one can find you and you are no one. Or you can stay. And watch yourself be nourished, then starved.

It is too bad that you don’t ever listen to your gut.

The notion approaches you when you’re in the midst of walking to the supermarket. It’s cloudy and cold, and the wind makes you feel like a brittle wafer. One crack and you’re done.

Yuuta walks beside you, even though the pace you set is slow. You pretend not to notice his nervous glances at you, quick and needy. Just like he pretends not to notice your longer, more appreciative stares whenever you forget yourself.

But can he blame you? He looks quite striking in his black wool coat. There’s a healthy pink glow resting just above his cheekbones. It’s cute. And his hair’s a bit messy, black strands falling loosely out of its natural parting, like he’s run a hand through it a few times.

Yes, he’s nervous alright. But when is he not nervous? And when do you care what he’s feeling, anyway?

It’s only a few moments later when he’s crouched before you, kneeling in the middle of the sidewalk, deft fingers reaching for your ratty, untied laces, that you realize how in deep you are.

“What are you doing?” You ask, just to ask.

It does not bother him. “Your shoe,” he says quietly, then he looks up at you and smiles. “Let me tie it for you.”

Yes, you’re in deep. You don’t utter a peep as Yuuta works quietly at your sneaker, then unlaces your other shoe and starts retying that. Foot-traffic swerves around you both, but you don’t have it in you to be sorry. Fuck. This was not in your plans, and yet—

When he’s done, he tells you so and runs a hand lightly up and down your calf.

You blank.

“Sorry, was that too much?”

Yuuta’s feminine voice brings back you back to your senses. He’s biting his bottom lip in worry, you note, though he seems reluctant to let go of your leg. He’s started tapping mindlessly against it, seemingly in thought. You don’t mind. You’re really pondering some thoughts of your own, such as how often he gnaws his lips. If they’d feel chapped against your own. If he ever accidentally draws blood.

“No, not too much.” You eventually reply, and then unwisely, you add, “Perhaps…not enough.”

And there is a sick, sharp sound of a lock slotting into place. The final snap of a coffin lid. You just might be doomed. But then, Yuuta tilts his head, hands tightening reflexively, and you really can’t find it within yourself to care.

So what.

So what if your intuition cries thick hot tears. So what if you see the worst in his haunting eyes.

Surely, you can take it. Surely, he is worth it.

For he is kind. Far too kind for his own good, maybe. And pretty. And he makes himself small, for you. And he smells like petrichor. Or lavender. One of the two.

.

You’ll regret it. Maybe. But not today.

You are not superstitious, but. The day you fall for Okkotsu Yuuta, you light a thin candlestick in the dark and allow yourself the space to mourn.

ty for reading T-T

[yuurei20]

Hello Yuurei! Hope you having a good day/night!

Is there any canon indication that Lucius is Treins familiar?

If there is, then can a dog be considered a familiar? I am confused about the animal/pet/familiar/dire beast thing in twisted.

Like, are the bats of Lilia canonically his familiars? I believe you posted that no, it wasn’t. Or it was someone else that records Twst info, I don’t remember the name tho, srry.

Where is the line between Familiar and Pet? Is it because the animal has a certain level of magic or sentience?

Because. Crows as familiars? Makes sense, they are naturally very smart and are scary in their own right. Cats? Yeah makes sense, they are natures human manipulator with their cuteness.

I am willing to bet jumping spiders can be familiars, for their size, they are pretty darn smart. And are just the Cutest!!! Jamil would be terrified if Yuu actually was a beast tamer with many familiars and send spiders to haunt him.

If you are able to respond, thank you very much. If not, it’s okay, I really don’t want to put more questions about info you so carefully craft and analyze.

Because god damn, you make GODS work along side many other blogs to translate and give your own analysis of characters that I just. (⊙_⊙)(°ロ°) ! Cant express with words.

Hello hello!! Thank you so much for this question! You are very much too kind m(_ _)m And I love your amazing ideas!

We do have canonical confirmation that Lucius is Trein's familiar!

2. Dog familiars might not be mentioned in the game? But they were mentioned by Yana! In a tweet from earlier this year she said,

"In the early stages of (Kalim's) character design he had a small monkey for a familiar. Other students had their own direbeasts or familiars as well, including owls, penguins, puppies, etc."

And the lines between pets / familiars / direbeasts are a very interesting point!

While Trein himself says that Lucius is his familiar, when Rook asks if Lucius is Trein's pet Trein says yes, and then calls himself Lucius' owner.

Whereas Trein seems devoted to Lucius, Lucius has been bought off at least once, intentionally hiding from Trein in a scheme with Ruggie and getting paid in tuna for his cooperation.

When Crowley calls Grim a familiar Grim insists he would never serve a human, so it seems the Twst interpretation of a familiar involves a degree of servitude? Perhaps Lucius participating in Animal Linguistics classes for Trein is a part of their familiar/owner arrangement? (not confirmed in game)

While Riddle never directly calls Grim a familiar he does say that, without his magic, he is "naught but a pet cat" (Grim denies being anyone's pet anything).

What direbeasts are seems equally vague in the game, and most of what we know possibly comes from Idia in Book 6.

He explains that Grim is a direbeast with high blot density that has been magically fused with "some kind of animal." (In a separate scene he explains that he has heard of "ultra rare cases where (phantoms) manage to blend in with direbeasts," which seems like it may be leading to something? But maybe not!)

Overall the pet/familiar/direbeast borders seem a little blurry, and Grim has been labeled as all three at different times by different people. And that's not all!

Grim is also referred to as a monster as early as the Prologue, with the characters using the English word "monster" (as can be heard in the audio), which might be connecting back to a theory related to Ortho.

And in Book 6 Crowley, audibly, calls Grim a monster, but the word "direbeast" has been included as a hidden meaning. So is the game using the words "monster" and "direbeast" interchangeably? Or is this meant to be a reference to how we don't really know what Grim is yet? Or does Crowley actually know he is a direbeast, but is still calling him a monster?

And another interesting point arose in the official English-language translation of the Heartlabyul manga: Grim originally calls himself "a man who will become a great mage" (in both the manga and the game), but I don't think the kanji used (男) is meant to be confirming that Grim considers himself human. The English language is more limited (man = humankind or male human), which is probably why the EN server had Grim call himself a "spellcaster," instead.

But the manga is being localized by a different company (VIZ Media) and they wrote this line as, "I am a monster who will become a great mage," in what might be the only instance of Grim choosing a label for himself (but I still need to check the rest of his in-game dialogue to be absolutely sure).

3. The "bats = Lilia's familiars" theory was not me! :> This is my first time hearing it, and while it seems entirely possible, I have not come across anything in the game to confirm or deny it yet!

While Lilia's bat motifs seem to have been largely inspired by a bat-based goon of Malficent's from the animated Sleeping Beauty movie, I occasionally see conversations about why, out of all the motifs available for Yana to choose from, did she go with that one in particular?

The best explanation I have found (and this is unofficial), was: it might be a pun. In Japanese, the word for bat (コウモリ) is pronounced very similarly to 子守, which is close in meaning to "babysitting."

(Yana is a very big fan of puns and wordplay and it comes up a lot in her work, i.e., the Broom/Bloom Birthday series).

4. You might be right that the difference between the three has something to do with sentience and magical ability! Idia comments on both after declaring that Grim is a direbeast, but if "pets" are at the lower end of the "sentient/magical" scale, for example, I am not sure how they differentiate between direbeasts and familiars in the Twst universe. Those who are willing to enter into servitude vs. those who are not? (This is purely conjecture)

5. I love your idea about jumping spiders! Spiders seem largely absent from the game, but they also do not really come up in too many Disney movies (I think?), so that might be why!

Thank you again for this question! I apologize for only offering more questions in response--this is all so interesting to think about!

[castlebyersafterdark]

Hi! Love your blog and spending time here in the Castle :)

I'm only here on Tumblr, so I don't really know what the cast is saying about S5. Can I ask you and your followers what did Noah and Finn say about S5? I just know that Noah described it as sad, sweet and shocking, and that Finn compared it to The Return of the King, saying that it couldn't have ended better. Something else? Is that true that someone (Noah?) also said that finally something good happens to Will? I'm asking because today I read the most depressing, theory about the ending, in particular, about Will (I won't elaborate) and I need some hope. Thank you!

Hello!!! Glad to have you, hope you're having a good time 😁

I will be vague but I think I've read parts of some of the more "depressing" theories you reference - I preface to say I love the creativity in the fandom and the way many fans embrace deeper thinking and using the show to explore alternate interpretations and alternate reads, it's interesting. For sure. Do I believe much of it? Can't say I do. Far-fetched, personally. I find most really extensive theories I've read over the past few years all are certainly creative and with merit for taking a story and spinning it a different direction. But I don't think Stranger Things is going to go any of these ways. Mostly for the extreme tragedy aspect. I don't put stock in that.

Will and Mike are going to triumph and have their hero moments, whatever those may be, and live to see the end. There's bitter-sweetness in that the show is ending, and there was such a difficult road for our characters to get there - and yes, there will be some tragedy. But it's not going to be a bloodbath. It's not going to have the gay couple suffer and perish - that's not what the show is about. How is that a good show after all this? I sincerely doubt either Mike or Will don't survive to the end. They will, together. Especially Will.

My biggest disinterest? It was all a dream. It was a story someone was telling. It was all a DnD campaign. No. Big No. The Duffer Brothers themselves hate those ideas and have said in different ways that's not the show. Maybe Mike and Will in the epilogue, years down the road are making a comic series together based on the events - but real events that happened.

DB from Metro:

Noah:

These were all from OUT and is 2 years old, long before they saw the final scripts.

This is a good article over all about a lot of aspects, focusing on the DB and the play as well, etc.

I'd also recommend looking into a lot of things said in these con panels and other interviews - there's a lot. It's very apparent that well, we're gonna maybe suffer a little, but Will and Mike make it and have a happy ending. I'm one of the most optimistically confident people in the fandom, I'll claim that! I could not find the article I want where the DB talk about how a main take away of the show's vibe is a hopeful tone. I wouldn't worry too much!! It's going to be veryyyy emotional, no matter what...

[edennill-archived]

ok, but how much did the numenoreans know about the fate of men? because...

the thing is, when you share Tolkien's faith, the way it's always presented as such a huge mystery is almost funny. because you can so, so easily guess — well, not even guess, you just know that what he meant has to be to large extent concurrent with his own beliefs, whereas in-world it's always "well, mandos knows, and maybe manwë". kudos for being aware of something most of the valar aren't, then.

but how much do mortals themselves know or guess? the númenóreans say "we must die and go we know not whither" and I used to pity them a bit for that uncertainty — which would not excuse anything, but might easily be very disquieting, especially when you're placed next to the immortal elves. we seem to be pointed towards the edain of the first age having no beliefs they were certain about in regards to this, going only on hope — one of the closest things we get is when hurin has his moment of defiance to morgoth: "well, you cannot keep on tormenting us after we die! then we're out of your reach", but interestingly, as far as what concerns me here, he replies to an accusation that he's just repeating what the elves taught him (not a valid counterargument, but never mind), saying that no, it just came to him in that very moment. in general, we get the idea that they know very little, though some of them vaguely hope for something positive (and I do wonder whether news of Beren shook things up at all, even if he did not, after all, meet the full fate of men that first time, just waited in the hallway).

so far, so good, if a bit bleak, but then we get to The Mariner's Wife, and Meneldur's dramatic monologue:

'May Eru call me before such a time comes!' he cried aloud.

and

'I am in too great doubt to rule. To prepare or to let be? To prepare for war, which is yet only guessed: train craftsmen and tillers in the midst of peace for bloodspilling and battle: put iron in the hands of greedy captains who will love only conquest, and count the slain as their glory? Will they say to Eru: At least your enemies were amongst them? Or to fold hands, while friends die unjustly: let men live in blind peace, until the ravisher is at the gate? What then will they do: match naked hands against iron and die in vain, or flee leaving the cries of women behind them? Will they say to Eru: At least I spilled no blood?

and you could read it differently; to be honest the polish translation gives less room for doubt, which may colour my interpretation, but it does seem that he knows, or guesses with seeming certitude, and that is such a different attitude from everything else I've mentioned.

I have very little to say to this except that beliefs may have grown or changed. I am very far from an expert on this, but, within ancient Israel which might be the closest analogue, and was even mentioned in connection to Númenor by Tolkien, beliefs regarding the afterlife seem to have changed depending on time and philosophical currents.

yes, it's not much of a conclusion, l admit, but there isn't really anything else I might say, unless it were to add that third age gondor seems to be somewhere in between, with a vague and hopeful sense of something, aragorn's "and beyond [the circles of the world] there is more than memory" and faramir's "till that time, or till some other time, beyond the reach of the seeing stones of númenor" (italics mine) being the relevant quotes. (the rather dramatic, if you think about it, context for the latter, being that faramir is probably well aware neither he nor frodo are that likely to see the next month — also worth noting that the italicised phrase is in text paired with the image of an alternatively possible — though "beyond hope" — meeting where they could "laugh at old grief, in the sun")

(the rohirrim seem to have their own beliefs, but they also seem to come with their own traditions, which, while not on the most part incompatible, may at times have been different. on the other hand, what we have is not much less vague either, just cloaked in different terms, so there isn't much evidence either way.)

[raliasnox]

So. I've been playing Warframe again.

I started a completely new account at the start of the month and have already blown through a majority of the story content at MR6. Previously I had about 160 hours on my old account at roughly MR7, but my playing was so inconsistent that I figured I'd go ahead and just start fresh.

My jumbled thoughts undercut:

(also look at my operator teehee)

1.) This is the most fun Ive had with Warframe in years. Idk if they just greatly rebalanced a lot of things since last I played or I just. Got better. But I'm genuinely having a blast

2.) The queerness of this game cannot be overstated. Unironically has made me a lot more inclined to eventually do co-op play now that I know for sure that most players wont snipe me for being a silly lil gay boy.

3.) This game is fucking batshit insane. Like what the fuck is going on. I dont know! But its fun. I love it when games are fun (hard to believe I know)

4.) While I am a bit disappointed that the Operator character has taken a backseat, I can understand why this new "Drifter" character is so focused on. Having a full grown adult vs. sad teenager opens a lot more flexibility for the players to interpret their character as they wish, especially with the timey wimey wishy washy stuff.

5.) Other thing abt Operator/Drifter stuff. I really like how hand in hand they are. Its vaguely (very) confusing but Im hopeful we'll get more lore content for both counterparts. An ability to name your Operator/Drifter would be fun too, maybe they can make it a callback to the Lotus choosing her name to reclaim control for herself.

6.) This is one of the best free to play games out there, to the point where I actually would like to spend money on it to support the devs. That being said, I am honestly peeved on colors of all things costing premium currency, and also why we have so few options for our tenno/drifter without also using currency (the base hairstyles look like party city wigs Im sorry 💔)

7.) Follow up to 6, yes I'm aware you can trade for Platinum, but even now it seems the most effective way to do that is through the 3rd party trading site and when you're more early game it really is hard to just. Get that. I wish there was a way to earn platinum in-game at small amounts.

8.) Maybe its just me, but if feels like I have a lot more weapon slots by default. I cannot begin to express how grateful I am for that, especially with how many cool weapons we get through quests.

10.) I am hoping, praying, that Archwing movement gets an overhaul. That shit is a nightmare to pilot and I avoid Archwing levels like the plague as a result. I was hoping they updated it since I last played but... alas

[yuseirra]

Onk spoilers!! (Vague) Jotting down what I make of 162~ writing clears thoughts and helps me wrap things up and understand things. Here's my attempt in trying to make out what Kamiki is. He's so confusing lol

Stream of consciousness~~

The guy in the chorus in IDOL though.. That is probably Kamiki...that IS a realization I get.

So Ai is that kind of person to him huh,

Can I actually pity this guy? Or is he a character that's not meant to be taken that way? What is the message they want to give, the intent behind this? Is this emotions he's having another type of obsession that should be left at that? Like I say over and over, then it's better without 154 because in that case, it'd be more straightforward enough to have some sort of moral. "Don't idolize people to the level of erasing their individuality and and just accept them as a person."

How does this guy take of Ai? What should I make of him? It's not a matter of being complex or not, it just doesn't make sense to me for the time being.

So does he want to get her back because she's a person he really "loves" and he just couldn't bear living in a world where she doesn't exist or is it that he deems her too special, like someone who's different from him that he could not reach, to the point of it becoming an obsession, fixation or worship? Maybe both ideas can sorta somehow coexist?; Can it?

Well, this was a guy who kept saying him and Ai "were the same". That was the basis I had as I interpreted him but, "becoming closer to her", huh... For me, it feels like he wanted to feel her as "reality" after Ai's passed. Like, he really wanted to have some sense of Ai actually being there in the world. That should be what he means by having "weight".

In that case, he IS trying to get back what he's lost... And it IS similar to the sense of wanting to bring her back from the dead but there is no way for that to happen in this world so he's clung onto false hope. He really did grow very crazy after having lost her.

I'm trying to understand his analogy in a psychological sense, yeah, if it is this, then it can make sense, but why make a character like this... What good reason is there to make someone suffer this much AND make him even go as becoming a perpetrator beyond saving(if he is?)

Okay.. I come to the conclusion that he really wants Ai to "exist". That seems to be what he wants. That IS something pretty sad. But making someone like that go this far? For what? Aqua was in this for Ai's revenge at first but, it's not about her revenge now anymore in this case, right? Because the one that he thinks of avenging is the one that actually wants to have a sense of her "being there" in a sense, Kamiki wants her to live. If Ai was alive, he wouldn't be doing any of these things in the first place.

Oh... the English cover for Fatal is so golden. It goes: "I can't bear to live when I know you've gone away, I'll surely give up anything, no matter what it takes!"

That is exactly how he feels about Ai. I can sense that well. So losing her destroyed this guy to bits. Only fragments of what he's used to be are left in this sense, he really couldn't live in a world without her, was it. Wow, Fatal does describe him perfectly...

Shouldn't the ones that caused this to happen be brought to light too, then? They surely must. Regardless of whether this guy lives or dies, he wasn't originally this broken. He really wasn't this mad. He used to be so kind. Can you really call this "delivering justice"? This is so cruel... If he's done horrible things, then yes, let him rot and burn in hell but, what about what's caused a person to be this broken? How will that be ever resolved and punished? How can it be made better compared to where it left off from? Kamiki is clearly despairing to the point of insanity. This guy's so hurt. Beyond repair maybe, but no one can tend to his loss. Not a single person is there to help him. In the past, there was only Ai. Now, he still has nothing. He could be blamed for a lot of things but he really doesn't have things to live for. (By the way, why was he so attentive to the twins?? Why does he know about them so well? He knows so much about Aqua? What was that about him having paternal love huh? I was pretty sure that he does have it, there were signs)

Yeah...after thinking about this calmly, I can see WHY Ai wanted him to be helped. Can he be though? I've always been asking that because they NEVER show us what he's actually did. He became so different after losing Ai?? They display that in a painfully obvious way now and it's pretty terrible what they make of him. Should they have never met? I don't ever think the story should head in that direction because that'd imply it's wrong for idols to have tried to find love, Ai got murdered because she chose to love. That can't be it.

I have to make sense of a character's mental state in order to create fan works of them, yeah... For now, this is what I make of him. I'm not sure if he's worth sympathizing or pitying(really hope so) in an objective manner, it's a sad situation though.

I think society is what's ruined him. He really might be the god who's been tainted by the malice of people, I would appreciate it if they really brought in that sort of analogy? If they want to tie in the idea of gods. They're so mean on him... He never got to be happy when he was just happy from having one person with him by his side, they couldn't even let him have that and now they make him a monster.

He got two songs so I think he's loved though? So let's see if we get more things about him later on. For the time being, I think I got a little better grasp on how his mind is functioning compared to the way I did this morning. Still don't get it entirely.. But I think I partly understand what he's going for.

[riley-summers]

Bizarre Takes I've Actually Heard About Riley Finn, Pt. 1

Will there be a part two? I don't even know. TW for discussion of homophobia.

Okayyyy here's tonight's absolutely batshit take: Riley is homophobic?

Yeah, I'm not buying it either. Also, disclaimer that I am myself queer.

The "logic" was something like "Well he doesn't like the supernatural, and the supernatural in the Buffyverse is a metaphor for being gay, so clearly! He is homophobic!"

Okay let's break this down, one piece at a time, so I can explain why I disagree with this clown.

"he doesn't like the supernatural" I don't think that he hates/dislikes the supernatural so much as he is (understandably) distrustful of magic and demons. Especially since demons and vampires and the like regularly kill people in Sunnydale to the point where there was an obituary section in the school newsletter. If I lived in Sunnydale, I probably wouldn't like demons and vampires much, either.

"The supernatural in the Buffyverse is a metaphor for being gay!" Sometimes, sure. Magic is used as a metaphor (metaphor. As in subtext.) for gay sex a couple times. It's also a metaphor for doing drugs. And many other things. And sometimes? It isn't a metaphor for anything. It's just a rampaging monster.

"Ok but what about that time he got worried/mad because Willow dated a werewolf?!" Ok, sure I guess maybe that could be read as a kind of bigotry (Buffy does call him out on that) but it's important to note that. One. He does have a valid reason to worry about Willow dating a werewolf (there are risks). And two. He changes his mind about it by the end of that episode, tries to save Oz, and basically throws away his whole career to be with Buffy and help her and her friends. That's called character development, bestie. Look it up.

"...the vaguely offensive 'yes I am a lesbian' joke?" Listen. This was the early 2000s and I do not think the writers would have made that joke now. As a sapphic person myself, I actually find it kinda funny and some of my sapphic friends do, too. It's also important to note that in that scene, Riley is helping the lesbian alliance set up and tells them that their banner looks great. Not rock-hard proof that he's an ally or anything however it's also not really a homophobic thing to do. We also don't see him be homophobic towards Willow or Tara, either.

So, in conclusion, I don't see any actual hard proof that Riley is homophobic in any way. Any "proof" that is exists is at best highly subtextual, and open to interpretation. Most of the "evidence" I've seen has been basically headcanon with no basis in canon.

And it shouldn't surprise anyone that the source of this godawful take was someone highly wrapped up in shipper war BS. Because that was what it was really about: "I ship Buffy with someone else, and I am going to come up with as many reasons and possible to come after you for your ship." I sincerely hope that "I headcanon your blorbo as a queerphobe!" doesn't become the "literally hitler" of shipping wars but I fear we may be heading in that direction.

[xxx-sir-pentious-xxx]

A Watchful Eye

Day 3

Today was the first day of one on one therapy for Sir Pentious.

Ms. Jones was his current therapist, she was tall and thin, fragile looking. Yet her voice was strong and warm like tea that was freshly brewed. The office was dim and warm with sheets over the ceiling lights to make it have the aforementioned dim lighting. The smell was vanilla or sugar cookies?

Ms. Jones guided him to lay on the therapy couch before asking,

"So... what brings you here to this facility?"

Pentious was straightforward,

"I tried to kill myself... I just dont wanna live without my eggs or my friends... or Cherri."

Ms.J nodded softly, asking then,

"Well where are your friends?"

"In Hell... I got redeemed after killing myself in battle with my minions...."

"Oh... well.. do you have a long history of suicidal tendencies?"

Pentious breathed softly thinking about all that had happened in his many years of life.

"Yes... I was a lonely sort in my first life... lonely still in Hell... I always felt so isolated and it hurt to my core I had no one... I first committed suicide when I was 45 in London the year being, 1888. I just couldn't handle the guilt of not doing anything to save- I didnt report..."

Pentious stopped as he began to cry, his sin from all those many years ago still burned his immortal soul despite not needing to be so ashamed anymore.

Afterall those ladies went to heaven right?

Right?

Ms. J gave him a tissue and consoled him as best she could as he simply didn't stop crying. It hurt her heart the way he cried so hard and so loudly as if he was lost in his own suffering.

"Let's redirect to something else... tell me about your childhood."

She had hoped for something sweeter, and it kinda was if you could interpret it as such.

"Oh.. uh.. let's see.. when I was born i was in a middle class family, my father was a British man and my mother an Indian woman. They loved eachother, or so i heard, but she died when i was 3 from... she died from... what do they call it now? Tuberculosis? I vaguely remember her face, so pale and lost...."

He recalls then adds,

"I was always told I had my mother's eyes and hair... I had beautiful long black hair that shined and was like black silk. I had her skin tone too but my father did something to my skin to lighten it. I cant recall but I never got my color back.. not to the same tone at least. Maybe now it is with the shade of blue but now I dont have my black hair. I lost a lot of myself coming to Heaven."

He admitted the last part and felt ashamed,

"I hope I dont sound ungrateful I just wish I at least got my hair hood back..."

The therapist offered an idea,

"You can dye it or maybe tattoo it black. I cant tell if its feathers or fur lined if I'm honest..."

"That's a great idea! Oh and its-"

The therapy was cut short with a timer and he made his way out of the office feeling a lot less heavy and with a new appointment date for next week.

[supermarine-silvally]

For Yara&Ace:

🦋

💔

Here you go!! tysm for the ask and hope you enjoy!! <3

OC x canon ask game

🦋 How long did it take them to get out of the awkward early relationship stage? Have they gotten more confident around each other? 

I don’t think Ace went through the awkward stage at all lmao as soon as Yara gave him the go-ahead, he was all over her, wanting to constantly be touching her and giving her kisses and being very vocal about his affections. He was thrilled to not have to hold back the depth of his feelings for her anymore. It takes Yara a lot longer to become comfortable with PDA, or to even acknowledge the fact that Ace is her boyfriend now, of all things. She does worry that she’s not affectionate enough and that Ace will eventually get sick of her being what she fears is too cold and distant, but he assures her that he loves her just the way she is, and that he does actually appreciate her not being super clingy. Yara is very much an acts of service type person; she shows Ace she loves him by helping him repair the striker and waiting patiently with a napkin for him to wake up after he has one of his narcoleptic episodes in the middle of a meal (my personal headcanon as to why he wiped his face off with that one lady's skirt in Alabasta was because he was so used to Yara holding a cloth out for him that he just saw something vaguely cloth-shaped in front of him and instinct kicked in lmao). The confidence piece for her comes in when they settle into a rhythm that assures her that she is enough and Ace’s affections towards her never wane, despite her not being as outgoing or friendly or easy to get along with as he is. (She’s such a Dracule it’s not even funny. Literally Mihawk Jr. Antisocial-ass genes.)

💔 Do they have any previous relationship experience from past partners? How does it reflect on how they handle their current one?

Maybe an unpopular fandom opinion here but I personally don’t see Ace being a womanizer. An unintentional heartbreaker, yes, because he’s just so sweet and lovable (and gorgeous) that he probably makes women (and men, and nonbinary folk) swoon over him without even meaning to. That being said, I really don’t think he has much experience at all prior to Yara. Maybe a kiss or a makeout here or there, but considering how fast he travelled through the Grand Line, I don’t see him having partaken in any major relationships-- in the second Ace novel, he laments over not being able to visit the mermaid cafe on Fish-Man Island because he was too busy stuffing his face and then falling asleep in his food and being a dine-and-dash menace at a local restaurant. The main thing on his mind is trying to make himself more (in)famous than his father by beating the Four Emperors. So the way I’ve interpreted things in my personal version of canon, Ace doesn’t have any past partners.

Yara actually sort of has some experience-- or at least more than Ace. She had a summer fling with a mermaid when she was about fifteen, and while it never went further than a kiss, it was her first experience with romantic feelings and the sorrow that came with parting ways, knowing that they couldn’t actually stay together. The relationship and its inevitable end didn’t really impact her too much in the long run because it was very brief, but Yara at least learned a bit about what dating is like. She doesn’t really have much interest in it again until she begins to develop feelings for Ace, but the circumstances feel so different from her sort-of ex-girlfriend that she doesn’t feel the need to draw on the past much, other than to remember what she learned about how to kiss good lol

[mrs-weasley-reid]

KER!!!!

Hi Ker. Its me, again. Don’t you worry about accidentally deleting my ask I did read your fic also at like… 3am LOL. I’m going to bullet point what I asked before I forget so sorry if this feels a bit rushed and kind of rude

- say don’t go (taylor swift reference? If it is I SEE YOU SWIFTIE! (Maybe swiftie? Idk if ur a swiftie but i see the ref regardless)

- this was me begging for a part 2 if you’re down to write a part 2 because i desperately wanted to know what happens next

- i was also wondering if what you did was perhaps intentional, though. The angst leaving us all on a cliffhanger. Did you leave it open ended on purpose?

- because in that case i get it but still humbly request a part 2… on my knees

- does she wake up and survive the surgery? Where do they go from there if she does?

- does she NOT survive the surgery? Where does Spencer go from there??

- but once again i don’t want you to feel pressured by any means to write a part 2. If it comes to you it comes to you, if it doesn’t that’s ok! You already gained a new fan of your writing and your work 💕

- oh i also wanted to tell u idk if i said this in my comment but I LEGIT THOUGHT that when she was standing in the doorway and he was standing there in his suit and tie that she bought him- THAT SHE DIED AND WAS A GHOST. LIKE STRAIGHT UP. I WAS LIKE DAMN SHE DEAD? But she wasn’t dead- her heart was just broken and crumpled up on the floor and what lay in the space between them

Anyway I think I’m rambling again. These aren’t really bullet notes 🤣

OK BYE YOU’LL BE SEEING ME IN YOUR COMMENTS REAL SOON 🫡😗

OMG you are such an angel for doing this😭😭😭 and don't worry, it's not rude at all!

First and foremost, yes! I am a swifitie🫶 The entire fic is written while I had the song on repeat and specifically based on these two lines:

And I'm yours, but you're not mine I said, "I love you." You say nothin' back

So, if you want to reread it while listening to the song, it might make the angst angstier (? is that even a word lol)

Now, my favorite part of your ask. I did, in fact, leave it open-ended because I love to leave readers asking themselves what they want the ending to be. One thing I want my readers to know is that I will always leave things on a cliffhanger or open-ended because I myself cannot decide what I want. The reader recovering from the surgery does not mean things will go well with them and Spencer. So, it really is up to everyone whether they want her to go or to stay. I got a request to make a part 2 where the reader dies. It was a pleasant ask (and very tempting, tbh), but I left it for everyone's own interpretation. And I would love to hear everyone's thoughts on that.

But of course, sometimes I do fold and write part 2s and more if I feel like it. Although, I love most of my fics as a stand-alone. Anyway, this might be a bit of an advertisement, but I'll be posting some unfinished drafts that are open-ended because I'm too indecisive. It would really be amazing if I get replies that tell me what they think happened and will happen. I already posted one called Execution Style somewhere around my blog. It's vague. And too short. So might not be as great.

Moving onnnnn lol

The ghost part had me chuckling when I woke up so I truly appreciate you sending the ask again. I kind of wanted the story to seem like it's going back and forth from one scene to another. It's a bit difficult to portray, so I understand why you thought she was a ghost😂😂😂

I officially welcome you to my crazy department and hope that you enjoy your stay

— love lots x

[blackjackkent]

Stepping inside the main office of the Flaming Fist barracks we find a woman yelling at the local officer in charge about her missing daughter. The ambient dialogue is odd and seems to imply that there are some mental struggles happening among the Fist, possibly as a result of the TERRIFYING WORM CREATURES in everyone's heads.

I feel like maybe we should get involved in this before Lora has an aneurysm.

"How many times do I need to say it? You sent word about a lead - said that I should come see you about it!"

The Fist stares at her. "Of course, Madam, let me just..." Her head twitches, her eyes blanking out for a moment, then refocusing. "Forgive me. Why are you here?"

"Is this some kind of sick joke?! Do you have any idea what I've been through the past few days?!"

"What is going on here?" Hector inserts himself into the conversation, trying to add a calming voice even though he doesn't really think it will help.

"My daughter Vanra! My little girl, she's missing!" the woman cries, rounding on him with an air of desperation. "This stupid, useless Fist said she had a lead, but she must have been sucking dream mist or something!"

Hector glances at the Fist with a critical eye - and doesn't like what he sees. Dream mist, he can only assume, is a drug, but this doesn't look like a woman drug-addled or confused, but instead, in serious pain. The Fist's head twitches again, her face spasming as if trying to shut out some agony inside her skull. "Madam..." she mutters hoarsely. Her fingers flex inside their metal gauntlets. "Tell me... you said... she was... ah... taken from a tavern?"

Narrator: [ARCANA] You catch the barest tendrils of magic coiled around the Flaming Fist.

Hector glances at his companions and sees his alarm mirrored in their expressions. No doubt all of their thoughts have gone in the same direction. This Fist is infected. Are those twinges of pain the onset of ceremorphosis?

"Yes. The BLUSHING. MERMAID. Down by the docks," the other woman snaps, oblivious to the deeper implications here. "I've told you a hundred times - why aren't you listening?!"

[ARCANA] Examine the Flaming Fist.

Narrator: Someone, or something, has tampered with her memory.

Aha. Hector feels himself relax slightly as he interprets the signs - not ceremorphosis but something more like a Modify Memory spell. Still not GOOD, but definitely not as BAD.

"What...ah... what were we discussing?" the Fist mumbles vaguely.

"What is *happening*?" the other woman wails in disgust. "I feel like I'm going mad!"

Hector steps forward, puts out a hand between them in an attempt to calm the moment. "Someone's tampered with the Flaming Fist's memory," he says firmly.

"Nonsense," the officer says. "I'm fine. Madam, tell me why you're..." She trails off, winces sharply. "Nngh... here... and I will assist..." Her words drift off into silence and she looks vaguely past the woman's shoulder.

"Gods, you're right," the woman says with some alarm. "Something's wrong with her." She hesitates, then steps closer to Hector and away from the Fist, clearly seeing in him a new sign of hope.

"Can you help me?" she asks. "I've no family, and Vanra's father isn't around. The Flaming Fist were my last resort..."

Her face crumples and he sees tears sprout in her eyes. "I'm so afraid... and so tired... I've been looking night and day, everywhere I could..."

Without even thinking about it, Hector reaches out, rests a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. Of course he'll help; there was never any question of it. He knows all too well about being tired and afraid and not knowing what to do...

"I'll help you find your daughter," he says gently. And, with luck, figure out what's wrong with the Fist, too...

Her shoulders sag and her eyes brighten with relief and a flash of hope that is gratifying to see. "You will? Thank you... I haven't slept or eaten since she disappeared. I'm terrified something has happened to her. Her name is Vanra. She's seven years old and has red hair, like me. We were in the Blushing Mermaid when she was taken - just up by the docks."

He nods gravely. "Was anyone else with you?"

She shakes her head. "No. Unless you count a couple of old drinking mates at the next table - but they'd be no help. They barely remember their own names. I was sober though, I swear," she adds earnestly. "I stop in the 'Maid for a drink sometimes, but it was only a quick one!"

Hector lifts an eyebrow at her briefly, but doesn't comment on this. "You must have some witnesses, surely," he says.

"Of course," she says, nodding. "The front of house, Bosun Gannet, was there. And the owner of the Blushing Mermaid, Captain Grisly. Neither lifted a finger to help me look. It was awful..."

Hector huffs out a breath. Well, it's a place to start. "I'll head to the Blushing Mermaid now," he says firmly.

"Thank you," she says with a sharp nod. "I'll head home. Can't stand being around these idiots any longer. Come find me the moment you hear anything!"

Hector watches her go out, rubs his jaw thoughtfully. There's something bothering him about her, but he can't quite put his finger on it, so he shrugs it off for now. He's hardly going to ignore the potential need of a missing child, no matter what.