#( spoilers below the cut. )

[asklesbianonceler]

The Dear Fingers Looked After Their Mother

I was musing about how you find Cherishing Fingers only at the grave stone after you rest and it made me feel a type of way.

It isn't a drop from Ymir when you kill him. It also isn't in his bell bearing which it easily could have been if it was truly so impersonal and false, as it's literally described as "one of his spells"

But we find it after resting and then going to Yuri's grave meaning this happens not when but after he dies. The prompt isn't him leaving the grave nor him losing our fight. Its after. So my two equally depressing headcanons/theories on it are:

He spent his last moments after the fight at Yuri's grave. Dying by his child's side. Leaving behind a final spell to remember his son by.

Or, though this was one of his spells, it is Yuri no longer needing to protect his mother. A final parting gift as they can both move on now. Yuri's soul no longer being tied to rebirth and able to leave something behind at his body.

I know the description on that spell is odd and let's you read into doubt but the fingercreeper ashes, to me, negate it. As does how this spell is received. It's not needed anymore. We get it from the grave of a fingercreeper after his mother dies.

Anyways, here's my miserable art of Ymir dying at Yuri's grave 🥲

[snek-eyes]

See you in hell.

[ID: A series of gifs from the Good Omens 2.2 minisode "A Companion to Owls."

Sitis looks disbelieving as she says, "…No. God wouldn't!" Crowley gives an exaggerated frown and replies, "Are you sure?"

Sitis looks horrified and says, "But they've done nothing! They're innocent!" Crowley nods impassively: "So were the goats." Sitis stares at him in horror.

In the cellar, Aziraphale looks back over his shoulder, seeming offended. "God's [side], of course!" Crowley reclines, raising his eyebrows and nodding. "Oh, really. Same God that wants me to whack the kids?"

Aziraphale looks very uncertain, and slowly says, "…Yes. But…" Crowley grins slowly, gesturing to Aziraphale and saying, "That's just how it started for me."

Back in the house, Sitis looks devastated and desperate. "If my children are dead, then… I will curse God, and—"

Crowley swings abruptly around the doorframe and rushes over to interrupt Sitis. "WHOA! That never ends well."

At the cliff's edge overlooking the sea, Aziraphale looks on the verge of tears but determined. "Well. I'm ready to go." Crowley asks: "Go where?" Aziraphale swallows. "To hell."

Crowley sits down on the rock and says, "I'm not taking you to hell, Angel." Aziraphale looks over at him, his tearful expression turning confused. "Why not?" Crowley replies mildly, "Well, I don't think you'd like it."

End ID.]

[hrokkall]

The world looks

[kat1nkulta]

Get husked idiot lol

[correctlyme]

Possibly the most terrifying Lewis-related easter egg of the game

[easter egg spoilers below cut]

what the fuck

[forgetyoursingalongsandlullabies]

A theory for TMAGP Season 2

Don’t read if you haven’t finished Season 1

Jonah was the one who sent Gwen the emails with all of the information to get Lena fired. Now Gwen has the job and no clue what to do. Want to bet she gets more mysterious emails that guide her and clue her in as to what steps/ decisions she should make? Jonah loves controlling a Bouchard and if he can’t place his eyes in her skull this might be the next best thing. I only half believe that JMJ are actually in the computers and it depresses me too much to think too hard about Jon and Martin being trapped with Jonah but if true, this is compelling (no pun intended).

[cosmiado]

you're going to die in your best friend's arms. And you play along because it's funny, because it's written down, you've memorized it, it's all you know.

PUT SO MUCH TIME INTO THIS I HOPE PEOPLE LIKE IT!! the words are from A Primer for the Small, Weird Loves by Richard Siken, which can be read in full here. the caption is taken from a different Siken poem called Planet of Love, which can be read here, and is Very oakworthy to me. also, you can click here to see the full painting from the final frame! <333

[traumxrei-archive]

leona and jamil’s interactions in 6-67 and their growth

book 6 threw me in for a wringer with leona and jamil’s relationship, and it's funny because i never realized how similar they are until leona was pointing out all of jamil's negative thoughts about himself, as if he knew these thoughts like the back of his hand. tell me i'm not the only one seeing parallels between them:

jamil as a kid was told he was never going to be equal to kalim, because he's supposed to be kalim's servant; having to concede to him at every turn in private and in public.

leona as a kid hearing whispers about how he was so different from the bright falena, and how he wouldn't ever get the throne; all his achievements a mere shadow to anything falena did.

jamil who tried to create an elaborate scheme to pit everyone against kalim, and to subtly kick kalim from his "throne", only for it all to backfire, and for him to be so scorned by having everyone find out that he overblotted.

leona who created a plot in order to secretly reduce competition in the magift tournaments, and tried to severely injure malleus draconia to keep him from playing, only for his plot to be revealed, and for him to give up on trying, thus leading to his overblot.

and then when you think about it, leona probably sees the younger version himself in jamil. jamil’s lust for power is something that leona’s been through more than once, and he knows how being arrogant can lead someone down a bad path.

the rut that he was stuck in was the fact that he thought he was more suitable than falena. but was leona right for the throne ? or did he just want the throne to prove all the people who slighted him wrong ? and again, with magift, he knew that he didn't have the magic power to beat malleus, but he still wanted to win, so bad that he played dirty tricks.

sounds familiar ? it’s basically what jamil did to try and rip the housewarden seat from kalim. jamil thinks himself more suitable and worthy than kalim but is that because he IS more suitable, or is it because he wants to publicly be better than kalim at something for once ?

that’s why leona wants jamil to move on past that. he needs to throw away the arrogance that he’s the 'best', and that 'others just don’t see his brilliance', because…he has a long way to go. leona recognizes his potential. he learned the lesson that jamil is going through the hard way, that’s why he’s trying to help him.

jamil kept insisting that he could protect leona, because he’s convinced that he is more capable at protecting him, relying on his perception of who he thought leona was, rather than acknowledging his prowess. leona knows that he’s more skillful, and he, in the end, succeeds in getting him to accept that.

when jamil can accept that he doesn’t know all that there is, and that he’s at the bottom of the pecking order…that’s exactly when he can start moving up. that’s when he can start working on his skills for the future rather than lamenting the fact that others don’t see his potential.

and that’s exactly the lesson that leona wants him to learn.

okay a cookie for you if you ACTUALLY made it here bc whew this got really long really fast— thank you for reading this far and i hope that you enjoyed my interpretation of book 6’s events ++ leojami’s growth ^^ (also sorry if there’s any spelling/grammar mistakes, i shall fix it later)

[camthecatchameleon]

So carry me from these walls, brother of mine, Show me the world outside. It has to be true, I'm counting on you To be my wings and my eyes.

Fish in a Birdcage - Rule #4, Fish Inside a Birdcage (2022)

Image ID:

First image - A messy, sketchy quality drawing of Ol' Jericho Sticks from Legends of Avantris: Edge of Midnight. Well, technically this is Virgil in Jericho's body. He stands at the far left side of the canvas, with his back to the camera and his head turned over his shoulder to stare a beady four-pointed eye at the audience. Their arms hang loosely at their sides. Four massive black wings sprout from Jericho/Virgil's shoulderblades and from below his "ribcage," the two farther from the camera extending over the rest of the canvas. The two in proximity to the camera curve over Jericho/Virgil's body, obscuring parts of them, and framing emphasis around their eye. Seven orange eyes with four-pointed star pupils, drawn even more messily than the figure, float in space and stare out at the audience from between the feathers of the extended wings. Scribbles in jagged strokes frame the piece and reach towards the figure. The whole piece is in a duotone greyish/orange color scheme. Words, the lyrics to Fish in a Birdcage's Rule #4 - Fish Inside a Birdcage, are written messily, following the contours of the eyes and the wings. The words write: "YOU GAVE ME MORE THAN I COULD ASK FOR... INDISTINGUISHABILITY"

Second Image - A zoomed in version of the first image, to give a more detailed view of Jericho/Virgil's face and body. Only the figure, the two closest wings, and a quarter of the other two wings are shown. No words are in view, but two of the eyes are visible.

[sincerely-sofie]

The people have spoken. The purchase has been made. Fair price for my sanity, 18 USD.

I'm gonna be documenting my experience sitting down today for a partially-blind playthrough of this game in a series of posts! Not sure how I'll divide it. Maybe by repetitions of the time loop? Maybe by Tumblr yelling at me for trying to include too many screenshots in one post? We'll cross that bridge when we get there.

For now... I will agonize over how exciting it is to finally dive into this game whilst also feeling very nervous about how long it's taking to download.

I think it's important to remind those of us outside of the know: this is a visual novel. I don't think most visual novels take this long to download. Is this a normal file size for a visual novel? Is my internet just crazy slow? I don't know and I'm scared. I thought this game was rather short. Like, "finish it in an hour" kind of short. I don't think I'm going to survive this.

Setting that aside, I'm very excited to enter this experience. I have a feeling I'm going to laugh at the time loop aspect at least a little bit. It reminds me of how I put my OCTPs through all sorts of different drafts and scenarios and AUs.

Anyways, the game finally finished downloading! It's been sitting open on my desktop for a while and I really love the musiC WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED

I... DO NOT LIKE THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE GAME GLITCHING OUT VERY INTENTIONALLY AND GIVING ME THIS NEW TITLE SCREEN. WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO

[battlekidx2]

Blue Eye Samurai Thoughts

These thoughts are sort of scattered and don’t cover everything I think makes this show great but I wanted to get something out about this amazing show.

Every once in a while an animated project comes around that makes me sit back in awe that something this phenomenal was allowed to be made. That something this rife with creativity, care, and emotion was given the freedom necessary for the people behind the scenes to make an authentic experience that really pushes the boundaries of what animation can do. And Blue Eye Samurai did just that. 

The last time I felt that way about an animated show was Arcane.

Blue Eye Samurai follows Mizu, a child of mixed race that was deemed a monster due to her parentage, and her journey to kill the man who sired her. It’s a dark, tragic tale that blends 2D and 3D animation to create a story that centers themes of prejudice, class, identity, found family, revenge, and loss.

It’s one of the most gorgeous shows to come out in the last few years. With pretty much the entire show having the ability to leave you breathless. The action scenes in particular are standouts (shocking I know).

In these action scenes the show really embraces the freedom its rating gives it without falling into the usual trappings shows with a mature rating tend to. Blue Eye Samurai has an abundance of bloody gore filled violence that never becomes gratuitous. It all feels purposeful and poignant within the story itself and how it explores its themes. It gives the consequences of Mizu’s revenge depth. Not just in how it effects the people around her and the collateral, but also in how the violence Mizu perpetrates effects her.

This is best explored in episode 5 (The Tale of the Ronin and the Bride), which is probably the best episode in the season, where we get to see a glimpse into Mizu’s past and how her path towards revenge is solidified.

The hopefulness of the past is directly juxtaposed with the bloody carnage of the present, while the story of the bride and the ronin is told over the course of the episode. There’s a foreboding that is layered over top of every scene in the past, the knowledge that in some way this goes wrong and leads Mizu to this point. To become this force of nature capable of cutting down men without hesitation.

It shows those parts of Mizu she’s lost through the hardships her life threw at her and those parts she’s been forced to discard herself to accomplish her goals.

The loss brought on by the hardships her life threw at her is shown in the past with her mother and husband and their betrayal and death. And the parts of herself she’s had to discard is shown in the present when she initially spares the boy that turns her in and almost gets the women in the brothel and herself killed that she ultimately kills in the end when faced with the same choice.

This is all just scratching the surface of this exploration, but I think it gets across the point that this show does a good job of exploring the nuances of revenge and what led Mizu to this point.

It’s the show’s meticulous exploration of aspects of Mizu’s character that makes her such a complicated character and an amazing protagonist. I don’t know if anything I write would really do her justice, but the complexity and nuance of her character alone make this show worth watching.

The second most interesting character to me was Akemi. 

Akemi’s arc is incredibly compelling. She goes from feeling trapped and trying desperately to escape to learning how to use her cunning to try and become great. But because this arc is occurring in Blue Eye Samurai it isn’t as straightforward as that description makes it seem on the surface. That arc is flipped on its head and to show what I mean I want to look at the scene on the bridge.

That scene on the bridge after Seki dies was one of the most intriguing of the final episode. That moment you can see the shift in Akemi’s desires from that of freedom to that of greatness. In many ways this isn’t the victory that it should be.

The wording seems like that of someone taking control of their own destiny and deciding to pull themselves up to a position higher than anyone thought possible, but the framing with the city in flames behind her, the shogunate’s enemies burning alive, and Seki dead on the ground put it in a more tragic/sinister light.

And those words she speaks that are on the surface sound triumphant echo sentiments that her father has said to her (telling him he’s only alive because of her and the belief that she can control the shogun, etc). Her desire for greatness even reflects his own. 

This isn’t really freedom and considering the almost naive quest for that freedom she went through during the season and was even hopeful she could obtain just moments before, living out her days with Seki on his family farm, make this feel less a victory and more like she’s becoming what she has to. That she’s hardened. That she’s starting down a path that mirrors Mizu’s in some ways.

And this mirror between Mizu and Akemi is clearly intentional. The show itself visually mirrors the two within this same episode in the exact scene I was just talking about.

And throughout the season she is the most direct foil to Mizu. Both found different ways to try and work around the inherent restrictions being a woman in 1600s Japan would entail, to gain any semblance of freedom from those restrictions, but were ultimately hurt by those expectations/restrictions in a way that forced them to change.

They took how they handled it in two completely opposite directions (Mizu presenting as a man and Akemi using her sexuality and forced marriage to her advantage. In broad, over-simplified terms: rejecting femininity vs embracing it to achieve their goals) which is what makes them such interesting foils for one another.

This parallel/contrast to Mizu makes her the most interesting of the supporting cast and her end point puts her into what might be the most compelling spot out of all the main characters heading into next season.

(Plus she’s voiced by Brenda Song aka Anne Boonchuy and London Tipton)

Honestly all of the characters are given nuance that makes them at the very least entertaining.

The show even manages to make a character that could have just been comedic relief an interesting character and an avenue to expand on its exploration of themes with (season MVP) Ringo.

This is best shown through Ringo’s views of greatness. They at first seem shallow and naive. Not really looking deeper than the surface at what this idea entails and he floats from one thing to the next so easily that it can initially seem unfocused, but I think that’s the point. Ringo doesn’t really know what greatness is so his view of it is constantly changing and what he believes he can be great at is constantly changing too. 

Just like the audience he is awed by Mizu’s strength and ability in battle, but as the brutality and reality of what that skill brings comes to light the idea that this skill and determination is greatness slowly dims. It never entirely dies out because this isn’t meant to destroy his idea of greatness, but instead change it from a black and white binary to something that is more blurred. He still sees greatness/potential for greatness within Mizu, but he doesn’t see her as the pinnacle anymore. The end all be all.

And what he can do to be great constantly changes because he’s suddenly had so many opportunities he never could have dreamed about, due to his disability and being stuck at his father’s noodle shop, opened to him that he needs the time to explore what he wants. He’s still trying to find his calling and by the end of the series he might have found the start of it in the same place that Mizu did– With Swordfather. 

The one thing about Blue Eye Samurai that didn’t quite work for me is the use of music. The show’s score is beautiful and used to great effect, but the music it chose to put over scenes would pull me out of the moment almost every time because it used highly recognizable songs that I’d heard in so many pieces of media it felt inauthentic and jarring.

This is a small complaint because there are only 2 scenes where the music choice did this, but I felt I should mention it because of how important these scenes were supposed to be. The rest of the show easily makes up for this small gripe.

I could probably ramble about this show all day but I’ll cut this off here and say this: Blue Eye Samurai easily lives up to the hype that everyone has been giving it. It’s a visually stunning show with compelling characters that explores its themes in such depth that I can’t wait to see where it goes from here. 

Random thoughts

I love the shot of Mizu in The Great Fire of 1657 where she’s staring Fowler down, flames behind her and eyes a piercing blue, because of the perspective of this shot. This is shown through the eyes of Fowler, the man who just brought an army to the shogunate’s doorstep with the plan to take over Japan, and yet he’s afraid of Mizu and the lengths she will go to achieve her goals. It’s such a chilling shot that absolutely shook me to my core. (Man Blue Eye Samurai is amazing at these types of shots)

Taigen is a character that I had a lot of fun with, but didn’t make as much of an impression on me as the rest of the characters. He isn’t as complicated and compelling as Mizu and Akemi or as thematically interesting as (season MVP) Ringo. I wish I had more to say about him, but I don’t. I do think his dynamic with Mizu is interesting though.

Fowler is a really fun villain and I can’t wait to see how he plays off of Mizu now that he is going to be her guide in London. I can’t wait to explore those bombshells he dropped in the finale about Mizu’s origins.

The fights in episode 6 were the most visually stunning to me in the season. The way it played around with lighting and perspective was incredible. 

I didn’t talk about it much above but I thought the way Blue Eye Samurai explored Mizu’s relationship to her gender to be very compelling and nuanced. The way it’s handled lends itself to a fascinating exploration of identity and gender that I think is important.

Swordfather has such a great relationship with Mizu. He knew she didn't leave his house the night before and just decides to adopt her and teach her everything he knows, giving her a stable relationship that doesn't reinforce her shame. He doesn't recognize her mixed heritage as a point of shame instead embracing her for who she is and letting her know that her mixed heritage doesn't make her impure, standing up for her when the bandit threatens to hit her and insults her origins. This genuine care is something Mizu desperately needed as a child and it was amazing to watch.

I think I want to go into greater depth at some point on my points on Mizu and Akemi being mirrors to one another and how The Ronin and the Bride explores violence and loss and how they're intertwined in Mizu's life at some point.

It’s shows like this that make me even more frustrated at Netflix. They were on such a role in animation and were (and sort of still are) a driving factor in changing the landscape of adult animation that they were frequently the platform that I was most excited to see new animated projects on, but then they absolutely gutted their animation division and showed little to no respect to the work of those that made the animated properties and I lost a lot of respect for them as a result. I really hope projects like Blue Eye Samurai keep being made and that platforms start respecting animation like it deserves.

I kind of feel like adding a few adult animated recommendations on netflix to this so here goes: Arcane (duh. It’s a masterpiece), Pluto, Cyberpunk Edgerunners, Castlevania, Carol and the End of the World, Skull Island, Inside Job, and Tear Along the Dotted Line.

[happy-af-fan]

Slay the Princess Funniest Highlights

"I can believe you made me say that. I hate you." - The Narrator

"The Narrator ignores you." - The Narrator

The Smitten "How dare you kill our love" and The Cold "I'll fucking do it again"

The Stubborn roasting the hell out of The Broken

The Evidence

The Spectre gently encouraging the player to stand up against the Narrator

The Spectre going "damn you live like this?" after meeting the voices

The Opportunist trying to win over The Wraith who's already possessing his body

The Razor being Totally Not Suspicious You Should Walk Closer To Her

The Cheated speedrunning by talking over The Narrator

The Cheated yelling at The Contrarian (who made intrusive thoughts win)

The Look

The Smitten and The Stubborn agreeing that a sentient cluster of blades is fuckable

The Shifting Mound having trouble hiding The Apotheosis's eyes

The Narrator making the player flip off The Adversary (who gets offended and returns it)

[ponds-of-ink]

Quick Audio “Analysis” of One Into The Pit Easter Egg

More Into The Pit spoilers below. Still minor, but it’s a wild Easter egg that’s related to the character tag.

Nonetheless, small ramble incoming.

I cannot believe we got audio of William’s Springlock Incident from FNAF 3. On FNAF’s 10th anniversary.

I don’t care if it was probably sound effects from an audio library and not PJ Heywood going all out on William writhing in pain (and trying to muffle it?). Legit the fact that it’s most likely canon that William had the most pathetic whimpering/screaming is just.

Stunning, really?

I thought for sure they’d go the more movie-type route where he tries to go “this is fine :’}” and suffers in silence, but no.

For a split second, the pathetic mess of a man from the Silver Eyes came back and horrified everybody. Maybe even going beyond that, but that’s up to y’all.

TL;DR: FNAF Spring-locks hurt, dude. They can even make the worst villains feel like crying. ..Or maybe even actually cry, if I’m hearing the audio correctly.

[fire-bug1]

Day 5/6/7 - sword, backstory, dragon

[flowerandblood]

Review from the Vatican

House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 1

AGHHHH!!!!! I LOVED IT. I LOVED ITTTTT. I don't care what others think, I had tears in my eyes throughout the entire episode! I couldn't imagine a better season opener, really. It was fantastic first episode, better than the one from season one in my opinion.

Below are my spoiler thoughts and my husband's impressions – beware, comments section is not spoiler free.

Alicent x Criston???? Honestly, that's the only spoiler I got, but it was still worth it, lol! Their relationship is very interesting! I like the idea that Alicent kind of get what she always envied Rhaenyra. Scene in the Sept with her burning candles made me very emotional. And her trying to justify Aemond and Aegon? Her sending apologize letter to Rhaenyra? Heartbreaking!

Aegon trying to be a dad who cares and a good king in his weird, boorish way? Helaena saying that she is afraid and his response, that there's nothing to afraid of – then when she says that she is afraid of rats he looks around the chamber as if thinking that there are really rats there. When he nor the servants sees none he is going back into joking mood, not knowing what to do with her words. I love, loooove that we get a scene between them!

Helaena giving away her boy not knowing what to do? Helaena running away with her daughter? Helaena in complete shock, entering her mother's chamber, not even caring what is going on there?

I really like the change that they wanted them to kill Aemond, not Helaena's children. It has a lot, lot more sense for the plot for me (I know that some Team Green people will complain that they make them "look better" – I'm not any team and for me it just look more logical that you want son for a son that actually KILLED YOUR BABY.

Rhaenyra finding Luke's body and grieving? Jace talking to Cregan on the wall? Aemond being Aemond?

AMAZING

As to the Aemond: Aegon calling him a hound, but like, in some tender way, like: my brother will fucking destroy our enemies and protect our family. I love the feeling that Aemond deep down, as Otto said, want to PROVE himself, because he FUCKED UP so much.

And him teasing Criston Cole? My fucking God that was hilarious.

I loved Alicent × Otto conversation a lot too.

My husband really enjoyed the entire episode. Overall, I'm proud of him for understanding what was going on so well and we both laughed during the scene in the Throne Room with Aegon and Otto. He was surprised that Helaena gave up her son so easily and didn't really believe she did it: in my opinion, she just knew that if she didn't do it, they would kill her and her daughter too.

The next episode looks completely crazy. We'll see what happens in the brothel, aghhhh.

FUCKING JUSTICE FOR THE DOG. 🤬🤬🤬🤬

If you want, write about your thoughts, but please take into account that I will simply delete and block messages/comments that insult other fans or me. I invite you to a joyful and pleasant discussion!!!!!

[olterior]

Dangg, Interview with the Vampire is giving me the "maybe it's kinda both of them" narrative for abusive relationships that I've lowkey wanted representation for the whole of my child-of-an-abusive-relationship life

I am v much loving everything about the presentation and story of this show (musings below the cut)

Some particular aspects that I like:

It shows how both partners can be toxic, and harmful, and be victims in different ways of each others' behaviours?

How one may be "the bad guy", no matter what the emotions behind it were, but that doesnt take away from how the assumed victim was also kinda shitty? Nor does it excuse a survivor of abuse going on to hurt another in a relationship? (Louis and Armand are a whole thing oh boy)

AND we get a nuanced child perspective of what that's like? The desperation of trying to help the parent who's you know can change, can live better, who is more of a victim - only to feel time and time again like youre just a bystander to another round of their destructive "romance"?

The way they show Louis's misremembering of events - painting him in different convenient lights, whether intentional on his part or not? And how that affects the people who've heard and absorbed his story?

And how goddamn hard it is for a survivor of an abusive relationship to trust their own narrative? How it is to carry around the weight of your abuser?

I've not the widest breadth of media, I often struggle to watch dramas and shows that cover these sorts of topics because they can get p triggering for me. But, the format of IWTV has really gripped me - Im near the end of season 2, and the way we get flashes into the present, reminders that its an interview and now Daniel as a third person looking in provides to me a sort of grounding for the story... Like, you know they get to this point, it is to the present day characters a story, and so it doesnt seem to activate the ol' trauma response in me as much. Plus, they're all vampires with mind powers and shit lol - so a nice level of detached from reality.

It's really cool to roll around in my head how well it works for me! May be thinking about this show for a while 👀