#Ambition vs. Doubt

[wickedzeevyln]

Pale as The Summer Thinking of Snow

Blues in A Minor waking somewhere where summer happens all year long, if there is even a summer where you are,and here, where years swarm us, must be a relief for you to know you made it,you must be lighting your cigarette like you did when you made it here,although they were the culprit,working hand-in-hand with the nails to your coffin,and year by year,while you decompose,the stench of your…

[luna-azzurra]

Some Tips for writing internal conflict

Wanting Two Things at Once Imagine your character really wants to chase after something big, like a dream school, a major opportunity, or maybe even moving to a new city. But at the same time, they’re terrified of leaving behind everything they’ve ever known. Or maybe they’re in a relationship that’s holding them back, but they can’t bring themselves to let go. Show them getting pulled in two directions, torn between their ambition and their fear of losing the people or places that ground them.

Right vs. Wrong Sometimes, your character will know deep down what the right choice is, but it’s the most difficult one to make. Like, maybe they see someone getting bullied and know they should stand up, but doing so could make them a target. Or maybe they have to decide between helping a friend and doing something that could ruin their own future. These moral dilemmas create intense internal conflict because it forces them to question who they are and what they stand for.

Doubting Themselves We all have moments where we wonder if we’re enough, smart enough, strong enough, brave enough. Let your character wrestle with that same doubt. Maybe they’re the kid who has always been told they’re special, but now they’re in a place where everyone is just as good, and they start to wonder if they even belong. Or maybe they’ve been through something tough, and they’re not sure if they can bounce back. These moments of insecurity make your character feel human, like they’re trying to figure it all out, just like everyone else.

Dreams vs. Fears Show your character dreaming big but getting frozen by their own fears. It’s like wanting to ask someone out but being terrified of rejection, or wanting to move away for college but being scared to leave home. Let them imagine all the things that could go wrong , that moment when fear makes them doubt if they should even try. But also show their desire burning just as strong, making it impossible to ignore. That’s the heart of internal conflict: they’re stuck between wanting something so bad and being afraid of what it’ll cost to go after it.

Beliefs Being Challenged As your character grows, the world will start challenging their beliefs. Maybe they grew up in a family that drilled certain values into them, and now they’re meeting people who see things differently. Or maybe they’re experiencing something new, and it’s changing their perspective. It’s like when you think you have everything figured out, and then life throws something at you that makes you go, "Wait, maybe I’ve been wrong this whole time." This kind of internal conflict is powerful because it forces the character to question who they’ve always been.

Keeping Secrets If your character is hiding something, like a mistake they made, feelings they’re afraid to admit, or a truth they don’t want to face, that secret becomes a huge part of their internal conflict. The fear of being found out or of dealing with the consequences can create a constant pressure in their mind. Maybe they’re scared they’ll lose their friends if the truth comes out, or maybe they’re dealing with guilt they can’t shake. The tension comes from their battle to keep it hidden while knowing they can’t keep it locked away forever.

Pressure from Everyone Your character might feel like they’re trapped between what they want for themselves and what everyone else wants from them. It could be pressure from parents, who have their whole future planned out, or pressure from friends to fit in or follow the crowd. Maybe your character wants to be true to themselves, but they’re scared of disappointing people or standing out too much. This kind of internal conflict is super relatable because, at some point, everyone feels like they’re stuck between living for themselves and living for others.

Fear of Failing Sometimes the biggest obstacle isn’t the external challenge but the internal fear of failure. Your character might have big dreams, but they’re paralyzed by the thought of messing up. Whether it’s competing in a sport, performing on stage, or just trying something new, the fear of not being good enough can be overwhelming. Maybe they’re afraid that if they fail, everyone will see them differently, or worse, that they’ll see themselves differently. The internal conflict comes from their desire to succeed battling against their crippling fear of failure.

[yanderes-galore]

Yandere!Aemond vs Daemon concept with dragon rider!darling who’s dragon is close with both of their dragons.

Hope this is good-

-🌊 anon (assuming this isn’t taken-)

Far as I know, it's not! I should've added your Anon once I saw this so you're good >:) Also, sorry if this is bad, Vhagar made this oddly difficult. I'm going to be honest, I think I butchered it.

Yandere! Aemond vs Daemon with Dragon Rider! Darling

Pairing: Romantic/Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Stalking, Possessive behavior, Potential targcest (Darling is a dragon rider so they have Targaryen blood somewhere), Violence, Kidnapping, Medieval marriage practices, Mature themes (Brief mention of bedding), OOC characters obviously, Forced companionship/relationship.

I assume this is based on my HC of riders reflecting their rider's emotions.

When it comes to these two who haven't had their dragon hatched beside them... The emotions don't always show.

However... Caraxes has shown to reflect some of Daemon's emotions, so his can work.

Aemond and Vhagar are a bit more complicated though.

Vhagar has often gone against Aemond's word and doesn't seem fond of any other dragon.

She's the oldest dragon alive by this time period.

The only way I can see her fond of another dragon is if maybe they are from a clutch of hers?

Even then, I don't think dragons are the best parents.

Despite this, Vhagar would have some sort of respect for Aemond's obsession.

Now, I feel you could be on either side for this obsession to happen.

You're bonded to your dragon who is no doubt from a clutch laid by Vhagar.

Daemon and Aemond are rather similar to one another since they are both warriors for their side...

But they are not quite the same.

Daemon is fierce, unpredictable, brave, yet ruthless and bloodthirsty.

He tends to solve issues with force and violence alongside Caraxes.

Although... He does care for his family.

Aemond is serious, ambitious, yet also ruthless.

However, his violence is more due to duty or personal ambition than Daemon.

Vhagar is a tool to him to keep his family in power.

I feel both of them would have connections with you if their dragons did.

Aemond had never seen Vhagar friendly or tolerant of any other dragon.

Yet with yours, Vhagar doesn't snap or grumble much.

She doesn't even seem to mind your own presence much.

Granted, she isn't affectionate, but I doubt she was rather affectionate even in her prime.

Caraxes, however, is much more social.

He is more likely to reflect his rider's emotions towards you and your dragon.

While Vhagar is more like an... apathetic parent to your dragon, Caraxes can act like a mate to your dragon or just protective.

It depends on Daemon's feelings towards you much more than Aemond and Vhagar.

Now in terms of how Daemon and Aemond act around you...

If you want to go the romantic route, Daemon is flirtatious while Aemond seems more...refined yet oddly calculating?

If they're platonic, you have them both protective of you as family... as tension increases, they both try to convince you to join their own side...

But both routes are a competition, things are always a competition between the two of them.

It's all a game to them to see who can get you to be theirs first.

Both of them happen to enjoy the competition.

I feel your dragon being connected to theirs would be a bigger problem during the war.

Your dragon isn't typically sent against theirs because the dragons tend... avoid confrontation unless forced.

However... I can definitely see Vhagar and Caraxes more eager to take on each other since their rider's competition makes them... territorial.

I feel this pairing is surprisingly harder to do because of Vhagar.

With Caraxes, he definitely reflects Daemon's hidden obsession by nuzzling your dragon and wrapping around them.

Vhagar... can't do that.

However, for this, maybe Vhagar is aware of how close you are to him.

Not only that, but you are bound to her hatchling.

In that case, maybe Vhagar will listen to this kid ramble about you...

Then maybe she'll go against Caraxes and his rider to keep you and your dragon closer.

Vhagar just sort of follows her own rules though.

So, even the men's dragons are into this competition for their own reasons.

You, on the other hand, keep watching your family fall apart while Daemon and Aemond try to coerce you by using their dragons as an excuse.

You'd most likely never fight these two on your dragon anyways.

They keep you out of their games... until there's a victor, at least.

It's scary how far these two are willing to go to get you to be theirs.

Murder, duels, all sorts of bloodshed...

These two are quite ambitious men.

A rivalry on their own is pretty bad WITHOUT their dragons, since I haven't written about that yet, I can probably put a more general version here.

Aemond acts like a stoic and calculating gentleman.

He'd either be an overprotective sibling or try to court you slowly.

Aemond likes to plan things, he wants to make sure his plan works.

Daemon seems like he plans too, but he's more impatient.

If romantic he more intends to bed you before properly courting.

That, or he intends to be an overprotective parent or uncle who doesn't intend to hand you over to The Greens... and he plans to make that final.

Both of them are tactical and can create plans.

So to them, most of their rivalry is one big mind game.

One they plan to have come to a head by the time of the war.

Now, the dragons being more invested in this game may make things... worse.

Both dragons would essentially... threaten you to their side.

Caraxes is growling and not allowing you to mount your dragon unless you side with Daemon.

Vhagar doesn't need to do much, a roaring grumble tells you enough as she watches you and Aemond talk.

Both riders are fully aware that they can use their dragons as... ways to negotiate.

One way or another, you're going to join a side.

Up to you what dragon you're going to end up dealing with... not that it matters to the two riders.

They fully intend to finish their game bathed in fire and blood...

Them getting rid of one another and their dragons may just be a mercy to you.

[shyfurby]

My Analysis on Count Ymir and Metyr

This is my personal analysis on the lore and plot as a whole, Carians vs other sorcerers, an Ymir character study, a Metyr study, and my take on it in regards to gender and deeper themes and motifs. (From a positive lens)

Blue is for things added later: last updated 8/20

I've made a post on sorcerers and their downfalls prior to this and it is still extremely important to look at the differences between sorcerers who go too far like Sellen, Azur, Lusat, and graven masses as a whole vs Ymir. Because Ymir is most closely related to Rennala, literally and narratively. They are both Carians and experience "corruption" via a similar outlet.

Sellen, and the others who looked into the primeval current, only craved knowledge. They were far more detached from the beauty and divinity of everything around them and aimed to know too much. Graven masses are students who go too far. Even Thopps somehow dies from studying too hard. This happens because of their own actions. We don't kill or fight them.

There's one thing that is consistent with all Carians. Their downfall is their hearts. Ranni makes this so clear with her poorly veiled attempts at avoiding attachment with our tarnished. She tells us to tell Blaidd and Iji how much she loves them. She is detached because she knows she must be but she is terrible at hiding that she still has a heart. Rennala was consumed with grief and loss after the golden order presumably caused her and Marika (Radagon) to miscarry as well as forcing the love of her life away from her. She also loses all of her children to their own ambitions (they move out and do their own thing) Regardless, she is a husk because of love. Rellana abandoned her home to chase after love which was likely unrequited and still she forged swords of matrimony that she wields alone until her death, ever loyal to protecting the man she fell for. Rennala understood Relanna was chasing what her heart desired and sanctioned it. This is just a known fact about Carians. They get it. Their downfall is not knowledge but succumbing to love.

We know that prior to his involvement with finger sorceries Ymir was far more of a romantic than other sorcerers. Beloved Stardust's description is from a recitation he gave as a teacher to the Carians and it states that "One need only envision the romance of the stars above with adoration for stardust in one's heart to become a greater sorcerer. Do so, and you will know love."

He tells us it's only natural to want power and the truth but to no extent is this like Sellen's quest. He is not asking us to enable him like she is. Yes, he moved on from his studying of the moon, but it was not the same way she did. She wants to unravel it all and lay it bare, pick it apart. She is also driven to understand the elden ring which is very golden order centric. (want to be clear. I love Sellen)

She wants to dissect the life in the stars. Ymir wants to appreciate it's beauty. It is a clear clinical vs whimsical, both to negative extent. Sellian vs Carian.

We have no way of knowing his history in the lands between. He looks extremely similar to the figure on the Carian inverted statue and also has ties to Miriam, but that's all we can know for a fact. We also know for a fact that there are fingercreepers in both the gardens of Caria Manor and the flipped elevator of the Carian Study Hall.

I saw someone suggest recently that these were here as original assassins of the greater will to thwart Ranni back when the Greater Will still spoke to Metyr. I do like this. I believe the fingers were there for a very long time trying to accomplish something. Further I would suggest this is where Ymir first began to question them as he was no doubt in at least one of these Carian locations pre move to the Lands of Shadow.

We also don't know his early history in the lands of shadow aside from him teaching Rellana which he likely also did in the Lands Between. It seems clear Rellana brought a few Carians with her (the handful of white robed sorcerers, Moonthryll, and her teacher Ymir)

But we can come to two possible ideas from Manus Metyr and both give us a similar end point.

A. he had his own family and a child named Yuri who died very young and was buried in the graveyard, perhaps the only family he brought with him when he left everything and moved there.

B. Yuri was always just the fingercreeper and the fact that we can read the grave pre-quest is A an error. (odd but still completely possible) Or B this implies he has been continuously trying to birth the same fingercreeper over and over. The original fingercreeper child, Yuri, that he came to love dearly that never lived long being the main grave and the others all potentially being the additional failed attempts

Later on, during his research into the fingercreepers/two fingers he learns everything he knows in present day Elden Ring, becoming a high priest of Metyr and learning many of her spells. It is also during this time that he seems to beg Metyr/The Greater Will, to allow himself to birth fingers of his own.

This can be interpreted two ways as well. And we'll go in order from our last A and Bs.

A. He loses his only child in the land of shadow and is aware of Metyrs abilities. The GW (Or Metyr?) takes pity on him and shares power with him, allowing him to birth the fingercreeper Yuri. It is up for interpretation whether Yuri actually has the soul of his lost child in it or if Ymir is just so thankful for this new child that he projects his dead son onto him. I don't think there's any emotional distinction here.

B. He wishes to become the new envoy of the greater will from the start and is given one singular child, or just one child who lives, again, likely out of the desire for connection, pity, or perhaps pettiness of Metyr. (i'll come back to this in terms of Metyr giving him power). Through this he inevitably comes to love Yuri because obviously he is going to love his first child more than life itself.

As i said, the end point is the same. He is a Carian. He loves too fiercely. His original goals are pushed aside by the love he has for Yuri. In private he only talks about Yuri. He doesn't muse on and on about clinical knowledge or his desire to replace a god. He does not speak with any hint of madness, just utter devotion that I could see being seen as unhealthy. (i don't interpret it this way at this point but i get it. Just remember he is someone who is nearly completely alone in the land of shadow who has potentially experienced loss of severe magnitude before)

I also think that what we overhear at Yuri's grave sounds completely normal for grief. He wishes to be left alone and when he talks to Yuri he talks about only wanting to be his mother. He laments failing and promises to try again for him. This also lends to the idea that he believes there is a singular soul being moved around.

He only talks about Yuri. He isn't talking about replacing Metry and these are his most private thoughts.

I have seen theories that suggest he did not birth Yuri himself and perhaps stole him. His dialogue in private heavily implies he birthed him himself. As well as his unaltered robes which say they conceal an abundance of squirming beneath. So he had those fingers under there the whole time, definitely not as large and efficient as the ones during his boss fight, but they were there... and they were functioning.

I also don't think he ever comes off as this delusional? that might just be me but everything he says and everything Jolán says about him contradicts this. If there's any delusion it's the denial that comes with grief where he could believe his child's soul is in the baby fingercreeper.

But back to his quest- when we meet him he knows that the fingers that told Marika what to do were corrupt because Metyr is corrupt. He is exclusively blaming Metyr for this source of sickness. (this is an instance of him being a not fully educated narrator. He is slightly right, but needs to go further, a further we only learn from item descriptions where we learn the GW no longer wants a finger mother* i'll get back to this. But also THIS IS SO IMPORTANT WE LITERALLY LEARN THAT THE LANDS BETWEEN LOST THE PLOT AND THE FINGERS AND ANY ENDING THAT FOLLOWS THEM IS WRONG)

I believe at this point he thinks he birthed Yuri through the powers of the greater will and himself exclusively. I don't think he believes Metyr was involved because he knows Metyr is sick. He thinks the GW still wants a finger mother to send new messages.

We do his quest, we bind ourselves to our fate in the stars and of course that fate leads us to slay another remembrance boss. We need to clean up all the failed ideas of the GW so they aren't sticking around and causing trouble. Classic tarnished shit. iykyk.

EDIT: there is dialogue I missed and it seems dialogue a lot of people missed. If you talk to him after fighting Anna but before Metyr he asks you if you saw something down there, referring to Metyr. He tells you to remove it and any misconceptions from your mind lest it bring woe upon the both of you. (This is paraphrasing I don't completely remember the exact wording rn but it's essentially this). He doesn't want you to mess with Metyr. He has his own plans. He knows something bad will happen and he tells you to forget about her.

So why is Ymir hurt by you fighting Metyr even though the quest lead you hear? Irreparably hurt even? (1 and 2 can exist together still. they are not exclusively one or the other)

He had pushed aside this loftier goal and was still grieving for Yuri and only wanted to be his mother. The mother of one child. (To me that feels like it isn't taking it far enough. I do think he firmly believes he can do it better still. He hasn't realized the full truth. I just don't think this is at the forefront of his mind at this moment. He still wants to be The mother. His high opinion of himself makes it clear he believes he can do this)

He did not know that the GW had no need for Metyr any longer and that she had been broken and abandoned. He merely thought she was corrupted. So when he is possessed BY Metyr this is awful. He wanted to be a new mother. Not the same one.

GOES WITH MY PREVIOUS ADD ON: he may be aware he is using Metyr as a power source and believes killing her will affect him negatively. It is unclear if he knows the type or extent. Perhaps believing it will take away his power or perhaps aware it could be too much for him. He is also learning from her, so her untimely death would also be bad simply for this reason.

Okay now it's time for me to talk about Metyr in greater detail

The Staff of the Great Beyond says Metyr was broken and abandoned but still kept waiting for messages. This is also what the spell fleeting microcosm says which is likely referring to both Ymir and Metyr at this point since it is a spell that can be purchased from him as well as one Metyr uses, going on to say "The broken and discarded are fully willing to cling to fleeting simulacra, earning them some modicum of sympathy" He is a clearly broken person who thought he was grasping the GW's truth but wasn't and Metyr was clinging to her old life hoping for it to come back and for her to have purpose again despite being abandoned by her own mother. Metyr is unique and incredibly complicated which is interesting because her closest equivalent is the Elden Beast and other falling stars. Her items make it clear she had complex feelings- anger, grief, loneliness, resentment, loyalty. She WAS the magnificent gleaming daughter of the Greater Will. She was once loved and she knows that. Her other remembrance weapon is called Gazing Finger, but it's the name of its move that tells us the most about her. Kowtower's Resentment. She showed unwavering respect to the GW but she grew to resent it. We learn so much about her that only further ties into the overall themes of motherhood in Elden Ring. Imagine how Metyr must feel. Aside from the brewing hate inside her caused by the GW directly TOO her she is also forced to watch her children either grow increasingly more and more corrupt over time or slain. She knows her children aren't going into the world to be loved any longer. She knows she's sending them off to a terrible fate and still she must do it. Her children are purposeless. When we tie our fate to the stars- the great cosmic will- the new plan, it brings us there and it prompts us to kill Metyr and clean up its loose ends. But instead of letting herself be killed outright or leaving the lands between/shadow, she goes somewhere else because she is angry. She wants to be loved and needed. She is desperate to receive messages again. She wants to prove herself. We can say for certain that it is Metyr that possess Ymir in our fight because the GW has no desire to make a new mother of fingers and Metyr had already been lending him her power. There is only one and we clearly don't kill all of her at first. Is this her last effort to best the GW or merely her defiance to continue on living? Waiting to be of use again? Alas, we kill Ymir as well. ALSO- just mentioned Metyr to my wife and she said "Yeah Metyr is so similar to Messmer" and I literally said OH FUCK. YEAH! So let's touch on that: Both of them are abandoned by their mother, trapped somewhere, enacting her original design, spreading her original message all while never hearing from her ever again and still remaining fiercely loyal to the end.

Now back to Ymir and Metyr

Was Metyr sharing her powers with him out of loneliness or spite or simply curiosity?

It's definitely something that's up for personal interpretation because I don't believe these are spells just anyone can use or learn. The simple glintstone nail spells even say Ymir thinks they are "child's play" but fleeting microcosm and Cherishiny fingers are very different. The nail spells are ones others may be able to learn but the other two are unique to finger mothers. Also the act of birthing fingers is not a spell. It's Metyrs own unique ability and purpose- so clearly Metyrs power directly from her.

Did she long to be understood? To share what she was going through with someone else? Was she trying to show him that it wasn't her that was broken?

Did she resent him for blaming her and studying her? Or did she herself think she was to blame? Did she share her grief with him out of spite? Making him too experience loss via Yuri?

Or did she also have a bit of hope that maybe through a new vessel she would be seen again by the GW? Maybe her children wouldn't be cursed.

She certainly shared quite a lot with Ymir for it to be out of spite and their items and spells mimicking each other in descriptions really makes it feel like she wanted him to understand her. Both of their staffs show a microcosm but receive no answer. She lets him birth her children.

And Yuri is clearly aware of this. He's likely never seen Metyr but still has nightmares about her. Ymir telling him to "put that tangled mess out of his mind" He's torn quite literally about his origins. Ymir is his mother but Metyr is a presence he is aware of and in unfamiliar with to the point of fear. Perhaps this is what brings about his early death- that incomplete or splintered origin.

On to Ymir boss fight speculation/ theory

We have our ideas on why Ymir was hurt and upset by us fighting Metyr. Him taking on her corruption and learning GW truths as well as his own grief already being too forefront. But I wonder if when Metyr possessed Ymir he took on her grief and loneliness as well. Would he be able to cope with her literal cosmic scale of loss and heartache? Being misunderstood? Being abandoned by her own mother? I think it's a really interesting foil to have Sellen and co. destroyed and driven to insanity by knowledge and Ymir driven to insanity by grief and love. It makes the tear streaked makeup on his boss model hit a lot harder that way and feel far more intentional as tears which is what the dripping black really evokes (despite is being part of the tattoo category of character creation which is definitely just character creator limitation)

When we fight Ymir he also has a really effective voice inflection change as well. Props to his voice actor for almost making him sound completely different and just gone.

But yeah it feels clear that his fight is the built up madness of both him and Metyr's greatest desires manifested. They're consumed by loss and anger and a desire to be wanted and seen in the eyes of the greater will. They both want to receive messages and be The Mother.

Then we get his normal voice when we kill him where all he can think of is Yuri again and wanting to be his mother. He isn't thinking about being THE mother. Literally just Yuri. What is most important to him. The true Ymir. And of course, it's similar to Rennala's true voice coming through when we beat her, speaking about her beloved daughter, just HER daughter, not the sweetings.

I truly don't think he was as insane or gone as people think he was in nearly the entirety of his quest. and I honestly just think people default to saying "oh he's insane and delusional and freaky" because he is a "man" who is a mother.

okay thank god i can finally get into the gender of all this.

What do we know about Ymir in regards to gender?

Names are intentionally chosen in fromsoft games. Ymir was a norse giant who, though using masculine pronouns, was considered neither male nor female because he could birth children of his own.

He is named after an agender mythological figure who also has a moon named after him.

So we can read into Ymir being agender. He uses masculine pronouns, wears headwear that is strictly feminine, very neutral royal attire (we don't know enough about Carian clothing to have an opinion on the robe, gloves, or pants), a little makeup, and has no hang ups on being able to be a mother.

I, as someone who is nonbinary, have my own unique connection to him as a character that makes me really like this about him. In my brain gender means nothing which separates me from my trans wife where gender and expression mean everything. I have never had a mental connection to gender. I have presented many ways in my life since coming out. My outward appearance does not dictate my relationship to gender nor what I can do. In fact I think about gender very little.

Motherhood not being synonymous with female pronouns here is cool to me as well. it is nice gender non-essentialism.

But if we get into Elden Ring as being about women and the feminine divine as a whole, we can also read into him differently.

I've seen many people tag him as being trans to them! And I like that just as much.

He studies the fingers which are exclusively ruled by women. Metyr is their mother, finger readers are all women, then of course finger maidens. Even further, Metyr is a daughter of the GW. He says we ALL are her children. The GW is the original mother of all things. The creator of all life because she created stardust and to study the stars is to study the life in all things. Nearly all societies in ER are led by women. There is an innate power in womanhood in ER.

He gazed into the stars with adoration in his heart and knew true love. He felt loved amidst that divinity and sought to follow that path for himself. He embraced something that meant everything to him body and soul. He underwent true physical change for it. And with Yuri he was happy.

And of course, as all soulsborne games, it has to be tragic for us to see beauty in it, so he, just like nearly everyone else we know, faces a terrible end because of the fate of our tarnished and the GW's goal. He isn't a villain because he has a unique relationship with gender and it is kinda wild i've seen someone say that.

My additional thought on this is that it feels unnecessarily detailed for his robe description to talk about the ruff that "sparkles like a flower wet with dew" We really only get two other characters specifically connected to flowers and that's Malenia and St.Trina. Both are related to feminine identity, divinity, and true self. Malenia becoming the Scarlet Aeonia, her true form as a goddess, and St. Trina literally being the woman Miquella was meant to become. A literal transition could have saved her narrative.

So yes, I can absolutely see people interpreting Ymir through a trans woman lens as well. I love that different people can identify with this character differently and see parts of themself here and if other people have different takes on this character's gender identity and it making them feel represented, that's great! I just can only talk on my personal take and the discussion i had about him with my wife.

Can I see why people wouldn't like him? Yeah, so long as it isn't based on a lack of knowledge of the plot, items, and dialogue, or based on extreme pre-existing biases. Because I have seen a bad take or two that boil down to this kind of misinformation which is really frustrating.

There is no evidence in the text that he is a bad person. Jolán respects and cares for him immensely. She doesn't reveal to us any actual feelings about Anna and this is all very vague. Yes Anna is a puppet but Nox are the only people we know of that did willingly become puppets. She is also a recusant which is interesting as well. Most invaders are just invaders. Recusants specifically are invaders with a job (recusant fingers only come from Rykard but are snake scaled so potentially also Eiglay? Base Serpent? She may have just served another master). There may also be a reason for this due to game function alone or there may be the narrative reason. We really can't know much about them as they are side, side characters. But them being Nox i think is telling. He was also clearly a very respected Carian sorcerer and was a teacher to Rellana. Textually, he is never portrayed negatively by others nor in his items.

Here are some final add-ons

that i don't want to complicate my earlier jumble with that whether important or not, are worth seeing. I just didn't know where to add them. Also I do not have a final interpretation of these things in the greater context:

An item I would like to touch on as well as an item that goes hand in hand with it (pun intended) is the spell Cherishing Fingers as well as Fingercreeper Ashes. Cherishing Fingers says "The dear fingers look after their mother, or perhaps that is merely what the mother wishes to believe." but Fingercreeper ashes says " They are ever so fond of their mothers at this tender age"

These two items kind of contradict each other, implying the fingers DO care about their mother. But the intentional doubt is interesting. Fingercreeper ashes, as well as Yuri being in his arms really makes it feel like they do care, but perhaps as they grow older they don't? Or this can help drive a "delusional" narrative. But fingercreeper ashes really make it seem like it goes both ways.

Also, Why are the ruins (Miyr) beneath Manus Metyr just an anagram for Ymir? Did he name them that? Did he name himself Ymir? Is it a cool coincidence that he pogged at when he found out? Is it just a random world building choice? This I literally cannot interpret.

I thought of the name change thing and that lead me to investigate every single rise on both maps to see if one could have been his but nothing seems likely. but on to Rabbath's rise

Anna's puppet body is there. Rabbath is a known sorcerer who was a spellmachinist. Being a machinist is very anti everything Ymir does and is into. Is Rabbath the person who designed the marionettes? That is a loose end we don't know the answer to and being a machinist is telling but this is extreme speculation. I saw someone suggest he and Ymir may have been either friends or rivals- both could give potential case for Ymir's puppet being there. Again. JUST speculative interpretations of this because we also do not know enough about Anna either. Rabbath also, like many other Rise owners, doesn't appear to be dead. Some Rises have a gravenmass in them which feels clear was the original owner. But Rabbaths is empty and something different about Rabbath's rise in comparison to most others is that all the candles in his rise are out. I don't know what this means. Why is Anna in a part of his rise that is nearly inaccessible? To me this makes it seem like she’s exclusively there to be kept safe as this place can only be accessed by us on torrent… literally no one else.

I'd like to add some additional, after the fact, thoughts and observations I have no place for as well

In terms of Jolán I’m confident her loyalty to Ymir stems from the Nox’s belief that one day their lord of night will come to them, bringing with them the age of stars and the fate that the Nox had been stripped of after their banishment. She refers to Ymir as her shining star and after he is gone she only sees darkness. I could very well see her believing Ymir is the promised lord of night as he so heavily believes in the fate of the stars and brings stars to her life personally.

But by all accounts the Nox hate the GW and were the ones who created a blade to slay its vassals, which Metyr is one of. Perhaps this is where Jolan and Anna disagreed. Perhaps this is why she is a puppet now. Anna may have stayed true to their beliefs where Jolan instead saw the promised liege and pledged her service to him. Again, anything with Anna is still speculation but it would make sense if she and Anna and the other swordhands of night were initially there for a reason as they are the only Nox in the lands of Shadow and wear fingerprint armor independent of their connection to Ymir. Perhaps the fingerslayer blade was made for Metyr, the source of the GWs words. Perhaps this is the cause of the injury on Metyrs chest. This is something I could get far too into speculation on though. But it is interesting to speculate on as the location of her injury is not somewhere she would have fingers, so likely not Ymir’s doing, and is also a real “going for the kill” location. Again, chew on this one as you will.

Cherishing Fingers: I thought about this A LOT and I wish it was easy for me to fit it into the upper main post. Cherishing Fingers is "one of Ymir's spells" so why isn't it in his bell bearing? We get it not when he dies but after. It isn't dropped with his death loot and it only shows up after we rest and it doesn't show up on his body it shows up at Yuri's grave. And I know you could say "Well characters like Rogiers items are gotten from where we last saw him sitting even though he's gone) but we already got all of Ymir's things. Literally 6 items worth of loot. This is intentionally somewhere else. So two theories. This is not Ymir's final item given to us but Yuris. The fingers no longer have to protect their mother and are no longer trapped in rebirth so they leave behind a spell after they too finally pass on. Theory 2, Ymir, after our fight, chooses to die by Yuri's side, at his child's grave, leaving behind a final spell to remember him by. Regardless there is a reason this spell is separate and special. It's description that can sew doubt, to me, is negated by the positive description on the fingercreeper ashes that confirm they do love their mother. This also being found at a fingercreepers grave is also very telling.

The caged fingercreepers: if you look close and really work your camera, there are a handful of cages only near Ymir's throne that have fingercreepers in them. Are they still alive? Are they in there for their safety or because Ymir thinks differently of them/they aren't as important to him as Yuri? I do not have a final interpretation of this but it's important to note here. I have my wide reaching headcanon about this of course but it isn't something I'm confident presenting the way I present these interpretations.

Ymir’s neck ruff: this is only coming up because I’m writing a full over the top clothing analysis for him, but this one is connected to the lore, not the independent character design choices and it’s actually quite interesting. Aside from its description as a flower, which I mentioned in my gender portion, it also uses the word dew, something that has a specific and loaded meaning in ER and there are a lot of important Dew items. The new item dewgem, being connected to sprites, the dewkissed herba and Celestial Dew from the eternal cities, and Blessed Dew and the icon shield depicting erdtree boons and a divine age. Because dewgem is very hornsent adjacent I'm more inclined to connect it to the latter two types and I think I'd like to connect it to them both at once instead of picking but feel free to side with either. I'm just telling you how I feel. The allusion to celestial dew and glowing like a star, mentioning fate in the night sky, and being the dew of absolution is all interesting and this would be one additional connection to Joláns adoration to him, seeing the resemblance and iconography of her stars on his person. Creating familiarity. His mentioning of redemption and desire to break the cycle of corrupt messages also ties well into the idea of absolution and new beginnings. He is obviously tied to the stars, but the ruff is gold much like the blessed dew items which are described as divine, depicting ideas of eternal prosperity and blessings which paint dew as a concept as something extremely symbolic and sacred. Dew in both forms represent a new age and gifts of that age- one being absolution and fate, the other prosperity and divinity. Ymir believes in all of these things. Unlike the Nox he values the Greater Wills goals and words. He wishes to help bring about a new age, guided by the stars, via the Greater Wills untainted words. So the connection to blessed dew wouldn't be "erdtree good" but moreso how dew was viewed during that time and to those who believed in it. It seems more like a nod to the prosperity possible in a new age with roots that are not tainted and mad. A motif intentionally conveying similar ideas that others already have positive connection to. (You thought that erdtree was good? Imagine a tree that isn't corrupt)

OKAY ANYWAYS THANKS FOR COMING TO MY TED TALK!! If anyone stuck around for the whole thing I will be truly baffled but thank you if you did! Love Ymir with all my heart! if there are any typos or repetition please understand i really just kept going train of thought style here and its a lot to reread 4 times over to keep double checking as every time i got sidetracked.

[melrosing]

Do you think Joanna shared Tywin's ambition of marrying Cersei to Rhaegar? On the one hand it makes a lot of sense that she would support House Lannister's political interests and that match would result in her daughter as Queen Consort and her grandchild as heir to the Iron Throne. But I do wonder what her personal feelings on the matter might have been, considering her history with Aerys.

Around the time of Tywin and Joanna's wedding, Aerys said it was a shame that the first night tradition was banned, he also took "unwonted liberties" during the unrobing of her bedding ceremony.

There's also this passage in TWoIaF. It feels like there's a very dark implication that Aerys might have done more to Joanna than what is reported to the public. Also I get the impression that whatever happened was very much not consensual

"Sadly, the marriage between Aerys II Targaryen and his sister, Rhaella, was not as happy; though she turned a blind eye to most of the king's infidelities, the queen did not approve of his "turning my ladies into his whores." (Joanna Lannister was not the first lady to be dismissed abruptly from Her Grace's service, nor was she the last)."

So to Joanna, joining her daughter with Aerys' son might have been quite the unconfortable prospect. I do see it as one of those political vs. personal, love vs. duty conundrums that Martin enjoys writing and would love to hear your thoughts about it.

(Apologies if any of this is incoherent, english is not my first language 😭)

that’s actually an interesting q…. so obviously to start with, exactly what was going on between Joanna and Aerys is extremely up in the air. was it always one-sided on Aerys’ part, or did Joanna feel something too at some point?? I think even if she did it’s clear that it soured at some point, but the reason I wonder is bc the narrative always makes a fool of Tywin in the end: everything he believes to be true of his family is a lie etc, he can never see them for who they truly are, and I do kind of like the idea that everyone thinks Tywin is silent about Joanna bc of the grief whereas what if it’s not just that?? what if Tywin discovered something about Joanna that he hadn’t wanted to believe and now refuses to speak of her?? anyway I’ve wondered about this a lot, not bc I like A+J=T but more bc I think the implications of a relationship between the two of them fits interestingly w what the narrative tells us about Tywin.

to get back to ur point…. I think it’s interesting that Joanna was basically going behind Tywin’s back to betrothe one of the twins to the Martells like he wouldn’t fully expect input on that lol. it shows me that they weren’t fully on the same page (whether Tywin knew this or not) and that Joanna’s idea of the most advantageous match was not necessarily the same as Tywin’s. and yeah now you say it, I guess it does seem hard to believe that she would be okay with Cersei marrying Rhaegar, if only bc that would place Cersei in proximity of Aerys. again like, even if it was once consensual, it’s clear that things substantially soured between them by the time they meet again following her ‘exile’ from KL, and Aerys is openly seeking to insult her at basically every opportunity. it’s also obvious that part of his insulting Joanna is insulting Tywin by proxy, and ofc he later uses Jaime to the same effect, so there’s no doubt he would’ve messed around with Cersei too, and I assume Joanna would’ve guessed that?? so yeah I don’t think she’d have liked the match much!

and have said before but I think that Cersei and Oberyn would’ve been the more likely match than Jaime and Elia bc the Princess of Dorne would’ve been aware of the potential match w Rhaegar for Elia. and it’s Joanna who’s desperate to just ship one of the twins off to Dorne, so why not take Cersei and save Elia for Rhaegar?? this isn’t strictly supported by canon but yeah it’s my hc for the more likely eventuality and aligns w Joanna wanting to avoid a Targaryen match for her daughter

[akirasstories]

🔥 liam dunbar astrology chart analysis (or: how one boy can be so soft, so intense, and so ready to fight at all times) 🔥

aries sun, cancer moon, scorpio rising — born april 14

aka: the emotional warrior. the explosive cinnamon roll. your new favorite walking contradiction.

☀ aries sun (core self, ego, attitude, drive):

fire sign energy. he's literally made of action and chaos.

→ bold, passionate, competitive and impulsive af

→ always ready to prove himself, even if no one asked

→ hot-headed, quick to react, 0 patience, 100% intensity

→ thrives in fast-paced, high-stakes environments (aka every episode of teen wolf ever)

→ not afraid of risk, VERY afraid of feelings (but don't worry, he has those too)

→ would absolutely throw hands over something minor and regret it halfway through but still commit

🌙 cancer moon (inner world, emotions, relationships):

this is where the softness comes in.

→ nurturing, loyal, emotional, will cry over a baby animal video

→ intuitive to the point of psychic, seriously

→ NEEDS security and emotional closeness

→ will love you fiercely but if you hurt him? yeah he's emotionally gone

→ fears rejection/abandonment like it's his job

→ gives unconditional love to family, friends & lovers

→ if he shuts down emotionally, just know he's probably crying in the shower later

⬆️ scorpio rising (how others see you):

→ intense stare. piercing gaze. probably makes people nervous without trying.

→ mysterious vibe but actually dying inside about everything

→ emotionally guarded (jk his cancer moon pretty much cancels that out lol) but hyper-observant

→ very passionate, very determined and has the vibe of someone who'd protect you in a fight... and win

→ trust is earned and betrayal is never forgotten

💘 leo venus (how he loves):

leo venus is "love me like the sun loves the moon at eclipse" level dramatic

→ affectionate, expressive, full of warmth

→ big romantic energy. he wants to be adored

→ shows love through grand gestures & loyalty

→ expects appreciation in return... if not? cue the internal spiral of doubt

→ can be jealous or possessive if he feels replaced or undervalued

→ love is loud, proud and wrapped in cuddles & pda

🔥 aries mars (how he acts, motivation, ambition):

→ pure, unfiltered action. do now, think later.

→ brave, headstrong, will fight for what he believes in

→ natural protector and sometimes reckless

→ gets frustrated fast but bounces back just as quickly

→ not a planner. he's a do-er. usually while yelling

✨ combo breakdowns ✨

aries sun + cancer moon:

→ chaos vs comfort

→ always in emotional conflict; acts without thinking, then overthinks the fallout

→ fiercely protective of loved ones, cries after fights

→ explosive moods, soft heart

→ fights for love and then sulks dramatically about it

aries sun + scorpio rising:

→ bold + intense + lowkey terrifying when mad

→ confident and passionate, emotional and secretive

→ natural leader with a death glare

→ loyal as hell but will absolutely ghost you if you betray him

cancer moon + scorpio rising:

→ deeply emotional and intuitive

→ loyal to the point of self-destruction

→ struggles with trust and mood swings

→ needs love like air but will never admit it

→ wears heart on sleeve and body armor over it

☀🌙⬆️ aries sun, cancer moon, scorpio rising =

→ literal emotional hurricane

→ dynamic, passionate, reactive, loyal, impulsive, guarded

→ leads with fire, feels with water

→ will love you so hard it might actually hurt

→ intense protector. soft-hearted. explosive when triggered

→ terrifying and adorable at the same time

character traits based on chart:

courageous & protective — aries sun + mars = defender of the weak, biter of bad guys

warm & affectionate — cancer moon + leo venus = cuddle monster, affection addict

magnetic & intuitive — scorpio rising + cancer moon = emotionally attuned + mysterious

energetic & determined — aries placements = never backs down. never.

impulsive & hot-tempered — the king of acting before thinking. passionate tantrums™

emotionally reactive — feels everything. everything. all the time.

possessive & jealous — deeply loyal but also suspicious

validation-seeking — leo venus needs to feel appreciated or he’s spiraling by dinner

✨in conclusion:

liam is a fearless, emotional, cuddly, chaotic ball of passion who will fight for you, cry over you, yell at you and then hug you so tight you forget what you were mad about.

he's impulsive, dramatic, intense and so full of love it hurts.

theo's chart analysis | thiam relationship analysis | thiam sexual energy | teen wolf zodiacs

[pokepollsters]

Best Pokémon Villains Tournament- Individuals Bracket- Round 1: Match 1

And so we kick off the tournament, already seeing the wide variety of contestants from both the main series and spin-off games, as submitted by you! In this very first match, the head of Kalos' Team Flare, Lysandre, will be facing the legendary historical warrior- Nobunaga himself!

Nobunaga features in Pokémon Conquest, the crossover game with the Nobunaga's Ambition series. The strategy rpg game was a chance to see the world of Pokémon in the past- even before the release of Legends Arceus. Nobunaga is the main antagonist of the first main story in the game, and he's a powerful force! Nobunaga is the most powerful warrior in the game, which makes it even more exciting when you can recruit him after defeating him. It's no doubt that the spin-off villains will have an uphill battle against main series characters, but can Nobunaga start off strong and defeat a major game's main antagonist?

That antagonist, of course, is Lysandre! The boss of Team Flare, Lysandre wants to rid the world of greed and what he calls the evils of humanity using the ultimate weapon! A fanatic for sure, he almost succeeds at his goal, only stopped by the player at the last second. Interestingly, Lysandre's Gyarados knows moves not able to be obtained on Gyarados in X and Y- Iron Head and Outrage. He must've learned these from tutors in other regions! He also shares three Pokémon with fellow fanatic and villain Cyrus, as they both use Murkrow, Honchkrow, and Gyarados. Being the more recognisable in this match, Lysandre has an advantage, but he musn't be lazy! Anyone could still win this tournament!

[emblemxeno]

Out of curiosity, but regarding the Fates vs. 3H comparisons, aside from CF, do you think the other routes try to downplay the consequences of waging a war like that, or not as badly as the story does with Edelgard?

One of the things I loved the most about Fates is how much it doesn't want you to feel good for waging a war and killing hundreds if not thousands of people by the end of your campaign, in gameplay alone. No matter what faction you choose, they're both victims in the conflict, and they will suffer if you don't choose them. You have loved ones on both sides, and it pretty much shreds to pieces the idea that you're fighting the "right" side. Even Birthright does this as much as Conquest does, if far less explicitly; the fact the overwhelming majority of maps in Birthright are rout maps, the humanization of the Nohrian recruitable characters and you effectively mowing down waves upon waves of them while the game humanizes you and Corrin continues to rationalize "what needs to be done"... if it makes you feel terrible, IMHO that's the point. That's the entire purpose of the ludonarrative dissonance, especially given IMHO Chapter 26 is the most heartwrenching part of the game and just hits like a freight train in terms of feels. Even on the "good guys" route, it gives just enough feelings of lingering doubt as to make you wonder if you're truly the good guys.

By contrast, we all know Edelgard sucks and the story goes out of its way to excuse her for her wars of aggression by emphasizing how she feels and not the death toll of her imperialist ambitions always come with (enough so that a genuinely irritating part of the FE fandom is how the fandom accuses Fates of "excusing" itself when 3H does that far more readily), but I'm curious, do you think the other factions do to that too, or not as readily as Edelgard?

Thank you for the question!

Regarding the Fates point first, I totally agree! I think the game, for as much as it likes to skirt details, has a really solid intent at making sure you know that you're taking lives and what that means in the context of war and the future. Even beyond the playable characters, there's humanization abounds. In Birthright, when a wolfskin NPC gets blasted by an unknown party (later found out to be Iago trying to provoke a fight between them and Corrin's party), Keaton cries over the body of said NPC. Yeah he has dog sensibilities, but it's meaningful and sad. Same with villagers in the Ice Tribe maps on both BR and CQ, as well as the Cheve villagers in both routes, the port town in CQ, etc. There's also helping Layla in BR, meeting Cassita in BR, Kilma in CQ among others. The world feels lived in and alive, which adds the weight necessary for one of the points that Fates is trying to make, that taking life is a big deal.

As for the actual question, while I do undoubtedly think CF is the worst at this given its core premise, I also believe the other routes are bad in this area as well. Not nearly as bad as CF is, but still.

And that's because of two big reasons:

-First, the world doesn't feel lived in, meaning it feels as if every NPC or side character only exists to exposit details or serve as a puzzle piece in a grand mystery. This isn't just because of being locked to the monastery 80% of the time either. For example, Judith objectively has a bigger role in the story in 3H than Kilma does in Fates, but I'd argue Kilma feels written more like a person than Judith does. Kilma has identifiable morals, stakes, and traits separate from the the plot being told in the moment, whereas Judith feels less like an actualized character, and more like... and object? An object used to glean more info about Crests, the Alliance, Claude's capabilities, etc. And that's how I feel about most NPCs in 3H, save Aelfric and maybe Rodrigue and Jeralt. Other objectively important NPCs are Glenn, Holst, Count Bergliez and other various nobles, most of them have no faces or dialogue, and Glenn was the only one with a reasonable excuse given that he was dead (though that didn't stop Lambert). It took a whole extra game to actually put portraits to these people we're supposed to care about. Both the writers and the fandom heavily excuse this by complimenting the game's story as being "bigger than what you see" in a good way, but I vehemently disagree. I think the dissonance between being told a character or event is important, yet never getting to meaningfully experience it, means the story is half-baked, stretched thin, and shallow.

-The other reason is that the stories of Fates and 3H feel as if they serve different roles. Fates wants to tell a story for the player to experience and 3H wants the story to serve a player's preferred perspective. While both games have split routes through similar mechanics, and have unbending plots to follow, when it comes to gameplay and auxiliary/implied storytelling, they follow different approaches. Fates, as mentioned before, pulls no punches in reminding you-through Corrin-that there's weight and consequence to the choices you makes and the lives you take in this war. Frequent use of active* voice (EDIT: I originally had passive voice here, I was being a dummy!), characters making decisions outside of your control, negative character development that's unavoidable, deaths that are unavoidable, etc. 3H meanwhile goes out of its way to give the player an out. Don't want to hurt your scrunklies? You can recruit them if you tea time and lecture hard enough. Don't want to feel bad about the lives being ruined in this war you're taking part in? Don't worry, when named characters aren't just talking about other named characters or ~Le Worldbuilding~, they use passive voice to talk about the horrid violence happening offscreen and outside the comfort of your church. Don't want to feel responsible about things you think are bad while still feeling good about things you think are good? You're in luck, because the game was developed to ensure that any non-plot important character can be easily replaced by a generic and there will always be a dialogue choice to absolve yourself of any sadness.

I know that's not really specific enough to each non-CF route, but it's a pervasive problem with 3H at a whole, CF just makes it worse. Like, I do think it sucks having to fight other characters in 3H, take Ignatz for example. But that's something dependent on how much energy I put into him in multiple levels prior to actually fighting him, and the philosophy ends up at odds with itself.

If you're fighting Ignatz on Azure Moon, that implies you didn't care enough about him to know him and recruit him. Yes he's nice and sweet, but you don't know jack about him beyond that. Couple that with the timeskip adding other potential changes to him, and he could be totally different than he was in school.

If you do take the time to know him and recruit him though, well... then you're not fighting him. He's on your side. You saved yourself the heartbreak and the consequence of this war that wants you to feel bad about the characters you're at odds with.

Therefore the only way this gameplay-story integrated player gutpunch can work is if you put time into Ignatz but still somehow not recruit him, which is unlikely unless you're deliberately doing so, which... why would you do that, you're wasting time and resources. And this applies to every recruitable character in the game. So because of this, the game is basically crossing its fingers, hoping you just feel real bad about fighting these students you passed by in the halls sometimes.

You don't get moments like the retainers in Fates putting themselves in harm's way for their lords. You don't get Saizo and Kagero having the Mokushu chapter. You don't get Flora committing suicide over guilt and grief. You don't get the deaths of siblings who have unavoidable development parallel to Corrin as a result of being his enemies. And as stupid as they are, you don't get character deaths like Izana and Scarlet, where they still mean something and Corrin still feels bad when they die because he's a competently written character with a personality and traits.

In 3H you sort of get a sockpuppet that everyone is obsessed with, you're allowed free rein to ignore the icky parts of the story that can be tied back to you and your choices, and you are the final arbiter on any and every ~Good, Resonable and Responsible~ decisions made. You're leaned on the most for Dimitri's development despite his already present support group, you're there to act as the "tie" between Claude and the other Golden Deer because otherwise he's 'too sneaky', and you're made the leader of the new Fodlan through the church in all routes, especially apparent in Silver Snow because Seteth said so I guess. It feels all tied back the player through Byleth in a way that just feels deliberate and artificial, without regards to Byleth's actual role in the story, that being just a good mercenary, a good listener and a surprisingly good teacher. That's cool, but it's not proportional to the reverence he gets in the story, it's simply not enough. Were he to reveal he's basically the goddess reincarnated, then that's going somewhere, but only Rhea and the Green Gang care about that, and Sothis fucks off before part 2.

In Fates, yes it's tied back to Corrin as well, but with Corrin's established backstory, connections, and personality, it makes sense. Being royalty, being a brother, being a lord of various retainers and servants, being trusting to a fault, being compassionate and pacifistic. These things are actively utilized in the narrative, and make sense with how the plot flows.

Anyway, sorry that it was long, it turned into a rant lol.

[maybeiwasjustjade]

I think Feyre’s going to end the series pregnant again. The baby will be another boy, because SJM’s trying to parallel Feysand with Beron and the LoA.

The only difference this time, is that she (Feyre) ends up married to her mate.

~~*~~

Did anyone else find Helion’s story about his affair with the LoA familiar?

A very young Fae female set to marry a High Lord, and meets a handsome stranger who whisks her away for the night, and who just so happens to be her mate?

Sounds a little similar to what happened in the beginning of ACOMAF, no? The main difference being that Tamlin’s a better person than Beron, Helion/LoA being mates is merely a conjecture, and the LoA ultimately decided to stay and marry Beron. Be it due to her family ambitions (likely) or her own (also likely, given Autumn’s cutthroat reputation)—the LoA ends up married to the High Lord she does not (or no longer) love, and her mate forced to watch her unhappy for centuries as she births out six seven sons for her abusive husband.

Sounds a lot like what Feysand stans/pro-Feyre/anti Tamlin fans tend to believe Feylin’s marriage to be: shitty, toxic, and abusive, where she’s just a trophy and her only worth is her womb. Until her mate comes along, of course, and gives her the only child worth having. Nevermind of course, that Feyre ends up in that position anyway and of her own volition.

Then of course, there’s the constant pitting of Night vs Autumn:

Flames and shadows, cruelty masking beauty vs beauty masking cruelty. Night being full of monsters and brutes vs Autumn with its unchanging seasons hiding centuries of rot and decay. The Night Court never being able to move on from any of their issues vs Autumn being the literal representation of loving is to let go. Night being full of stars and hope vs Autumn being the state of constant dying.

500 years after the initial mess that was Eris and Mor’s funeral, they’re still beefing. Beron is openly hated and knows it; Rhysand seems to be surprised no one particularly likes him either. If the people of Prythian were to be surveyed, I don’t doubt those two would be on top of the shitlist. Autumn hunted down Night’s High Lady. Night gutted Autumn’s heir in their own land. Autumn’s heir left Night’s Third alone near death, and Night’s lady burned Autumn’s lady’s arm and the Shadowsinger strangled the heir during a peace meeting. Tamlin killed one of Beron’s sons, and yet it’s not personal with them like it is with Rhysand. Feyre died to save Prythian; Beron was the first person to give her the kernel.

And yet—

Despite their many, many quarrels and the fact the entire IC hates Eris, he still went to them for help against Beron. Not Helion—his mother’s potential mate and Lucien’s father—who has every reason to back up Eris in claiming Beron’s throne. Rhysand.

Beron’s vying for High King by allying himself with Bryallin and Koschei. Rhysand spent 50 years as Amarantha’s lackey (because the commoners of Prythian will never see him as a hero). Beron needs power to claim the Seven Courts under his rule. Rhysand has all the Made Fae and the Dread Trove under his thumb. Both are the only characters so far where the High King theory was ever uttered for.

Beron wants to subjugate; Rhysand will claim that he needs to subjugate. Especially with dearest Feyre or Nyx on the line.

What would Helion do, if he knew Lucien was his? If he had known since Lucien’s birth that the seventh Vanserra son was not a Vanserra at all? He’d risk war, I’d wager, for the rights to Beron’s head. Beron actively abuses and tortures his children. They’re weapons to him, and nothing more. The symbols of his power—seven sons in a land where even one is considered rare. Rhysand has a mate that wields all 7 Court’s powers, and a son saved by the Mother herself.

Symbols, symbols, symbols. Whoever wishes to be High King needs to crown himself with all those blessings.

So no, I wouldn’t be surprised if we end the series with:

Rhysand and Feyre as High King and Queen, as a foil to Beron’s failed plotting. Feyre will be pregnant with another son within 2-3 years, and deemed extremely fertile. Just like the LoA. Beron will be dead and Eris High Lord. Tamlin will still be a mess—god knows SJM won’t let him be happy because then it wouldn’t be fair to Feyre, and the only other option is death—and Lucien/Elain more than likely ruling Spring in his place. Helion, of course, will be alive and well and happily reunited with his mate and son. And of course, no one will mention the two dead Vanserra brothers or even name them; just as both Mama and Papa Archeron remain nameless.

[zan-the-second]

Brainrot so bad I'm making a Taylor Swift playlist AND I'm making up song titles for the cover

Made in here

Ramblings about the songs and what I think they sound like below the cut :P

Most of the titles are straight from the movie and book, the others are my own personal naming convention for certain themes and scenes.

As for the tracklist it mostly follows the plot of the movie and book in Aldo's pov. Each song loosely based on a Bellini scene.

Sound-wise I thinks it's like if Midnights and TTPD had a baby with a sprinkle of folkmore. I just think Aldo's got that Midnights vibe in him.

NOW FOR THE SONGS(yes there are 13 of them ;))

Track 1-Secrets Of The State

Loosely inspired by State of Grace

Just Aldo's musings about his tenure as Secretary of State and also being one of if not the closest to the late Holy Father

Lowkey Lucky One and Nothing New coded

Sound-wise it's like if Lavender Haze and I Can Do It With A Broken Heart had a baby

chess metaphors(of course) with Aldo feeling like a pawn in his mentor's game

Lord, what would become of me when I've lost my novelty?

Track 2-Loved More Than Anyone

First of all, I need to preface that I'm INSANE about this line WHY DID THEY CUT IT

Heavily Maroon-inspired(which is funny bc it's also the track 2 of Midnights)

that's a real fucking legacy to leave vs that's a real fucking legacy, to leave HAUNTS ME AND IS SO ALDO WITH THE PREVIOUS POPE

Those two make me insane THOMAS WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE LOVED HIM MORE THAN ANYONE

very my tears ricochet core with the mentor-mentee relationship

what am I supposed to do when there's no you?

Imagine you loved someone so much and believed in their ideas and now they're gone and you don't know where to put this love

no other notes other than imagine Maroon but about this gay cardinal

Track 3-No Sane Man

Lowkey his I Can Do It With A Broken Heart

him just going 'bro why do you all WANT this???'

His Anti-Hero really

Basically just his auditorium speech in the movie of being like these are the things I stand for and I will not change them take it or leave it

But with an undercurrent of WHY IS IT NOT ENOUGH WHY CAN'T I BE ENOUGH

I stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror

I can go anywhere I want just not home

Track 4-Know In My Heart

This is his marjorie

Him asking for advice from either God or the Previous Pope

Production style similar to The Archer

Just the mounting dread and anxiety

In a way also very Dear Reader

never take advice from someone whose falling apart

my fourth drink in my hand, these desperate prayers of a cursed man

Him grappling with his ambitions and dreams all the while knowing he isn't brave enough to pursue it so he just pretends he doesn't want it

Lowkey a denial song imagine him going 'I swear I don't want this thing I swear' then it's just him telling how wonderful must it be to have this thing(Is this about Lawrence or the Papacy?👀)

Track 5-Precious Doubts

NOW FOR THE DIVORCE

Some TayLore for those unfamiliar: Track 5s are her most vulnerable/personal songs

A lot of her heartbreak songs are Track 5s think All Too Well, Dear John, and So Long London

This is THE So Long London of the album

If tolerate it was in Midnights

Highkey very loml coded

This is the song that dives into his relationship with Lawrence and the trust and grief and heartbreak and doubts they both carry

HE WAS SUNSHINE I WAS MIDNIGHT RAIN

he wanted it comfortable I wanted that PAIN he wanted a bride I WAS MAKING MY OWN NAME CHASING THAT FAME

Track 6-It Is War

The Great War but without the reconciliation at the end

lowkey You're Losing Me

I'm fading thinking do something, babe, say something, lose something, babe, risk something, choose something, babe, I got nothing to believe

somewhere in the haze got the sense I've been betrayed

Him just BEGGING Lawrence to pick a side. Either support him or break his heart just be DONE with this

Track 7-Search Your Heart

Very Question...? inspired

I Wish You Would coded

Regret and all the feelings that come with it

A more subdued version of It Is War still bitter but less angry

Lowkey him wishing Lawrence would apologize LMAO

How You Get The Girl and The Other Side Of The Door core

doesn't everything feel like second best after that meteor strike?

Track 8-Breaking Of A Seal

MY BOY ONLY BREAKS HIS FAVORITE TOYS!!!!

HE WAS MY BESTFRIEND AND THAT WAS THE WORST PART

Just the metaphor of breaking things. Trust between him and Lawrence being broken when Lawrence broke Vatican law and when he refused to continue his candidacy.

I can kinda hear sounding like Down Bad

just the eraticness and otherworldly sound

first verse is very subdued and quiet but then the seal cracks before the chorus and the production shifts into a heavier synth

once I fix me he's gonna miss me

Track 9-Burn Them

High Infidelity coded

I bent the truth too far tonight I was dancing around it

Do you really wanna know where I was April 29th? Implying he took Tremblay's offer

His entire convo with Lawrence about the simony papers

Conflicting feelings of knowing what he's doing is wrong BUT also being so fucking tired and cannot deal with the alternative

Track 10-Pope John

Ngl this is only here because of Dear John

Afterglow coded

tell me that you're still mine tell me that we'll be just fine

Apology WITH tears

is it cool that I said all that? Is it chill that you're in my head?

Similar to ivy production-wise ESPECIALLY the bridge

Track 11-Firm Hand Of Yours

Quite possibly the horniest song in the album

Think So It Goes..., Guilty as Sin?, and I Can See You vibes

If that Eras Tour Dress x Afterglow mashup was a singular song

LOWKEY I Can Fix Him(No Really I Can) because I find it funny

you're good Lord doesn't need to lift a finger I can fix him no really I can

now you hang from my lips like the gardens of Babylon

Production is very if reputation and TTPD had a baby

Track 12-Moth Of Holiness

Lawrellini's Labyrinth or Sweet Nothing production and lyric-wise

everyone's up to something I find myself running home to your sweet nothings

lowkey invisible string with how they'll always return to one another

I drive down different roads but they all lead back to you

cowboy like me coded too

I got some tricks up my sleeve takes one to know one

Track 13-Checkmate

Basically Mastermind sound-wise

more chess metaphors(coming full circle from Secrets of the State)

Very Clara Bow lyrically especially with the ending kinda comparing Vincent to the previous Pope

you're the new god worth worshipping promise to be dazzling

YOU GOT EDGE SHE NEVER DID

THE CROWN IS STAINED BUT YOU'RE THE REAL QUEEN

[wickedzeevyln]

Organic

Greatness is packaged with doubters and haters. The byproducts of which is emulated and deduced into shortcuts. Before the opera, the masterpiece, the grace, and the glory, people come upon crossroads where vantage points overlooking their destinies wave at them. “That’s who I want to be.” For the first time, a ball, a pair of dancing shoes, a book, a movie, and a dream is picked up. On the…

[lapsed-lys]

Why do you worship a god who seems to hate you so much? Why do you worship a god who wants to prevent you from doing things that bring you pleasure, who cuts you off from other gods, and who says you're wrong the way you are and that you have to change for him? Jesus sounds abusive. None of my gods would ever do something like that to me. The main goddess I worship is Hel and she's really nice to me, she gives me hugs, and encourages me to engage in my desires and follow my ambitions. There are better gods for you to worship, you don't have to hate yourself or harm yourself.

Seeing your other posts, I wouldn't be surprised if you came from a place of proselytizing rather than genuine worry, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt still. Let's break this down.

TLDR: The beauty of faith is that some people find fulfilment in polytheistic religions, some people in monotheistic ones. Faith is always a subjective experience. I'm a lapsed Catholic, I'm okay I promise.

Why do you worship a god who seems to hate you so much?

The keyword here is "seems". Just like anyone experiencing hardships (especially us queer folks who grew up in such a bigoted society), it's almost instinctual to blame God for misfortune. But that anger we experience doesn't compare to God. He does not hate anyone. That's... the one thing that is hammered in the scripture, that He loves humans unconditionally. There's a difference between the religious institution, full of prejudiced humans, vs the divine.

Oh also Jesus literally discourage prejudice, humans not following love and support of one another aren't representative of the teachings lol.

Why do you worship a god who wants to prevent you from doing things that bring you pleasure, who cuts you off from other gods, and who says you're wrong the way you are and that you have to change for him?

Which pleasures are we talking about? That's subjective, what brings you pleasure might not be the same for me. The same goes for the other gods: I find fulfilment in worshipping God, my faith doesn't push me in polytheistic directions and that's okay. That's the beauty of humanity, how diverse we are.

God doesn't say we're wrong the way we are, and changing for Him sounds... reasonable? In the way that a parent would want to witness a child grow and seek its full potential. Don't you do the same, growing up and changing to adapt to the life given to you by the gods?

Jesus sounds abusive. None of my gods would ever do something like that to me.

You can't assume a whole religion based on r/Atheist (/j), Reddit isn't representative of theological studies.

The main goddess I worship is Hel and she's really nice to me, she gives me hugs, and encourages me to engage in my desires and follow my ambitions.

That's awesome! I'm glad you found love, support and witnessed your faith grow with and towards Hel. I feel the same way with God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, as well as mama Mary: They comfort me, they guide me, they encourage me.

There are better gods for you to worship, you don't have to hate yourself or harm yourself.

I appreciate the concern, I really do. I can feel that, since we're both queer, there's a lot of religious trauma behind this ask and a need to break from the religious institution to live freely in all aspects of life.

But I promise, I'm okay. My faith lies in God, that's just the way I am. Your faith lies in Hel, that's the way you are. Both can coexist. Isn't that beautiful?

[lilithlounge]

Hey <3 I would appreciate explaining my troubled lilith it's in gemini 23 degree in 12 th house square MC and saturn and chiron and sextile my moon

Hey 🖤 no no no no, it’s not troubled ☹️. I’m sorry you feel this way but I reassure you, it’s not 😶‍🌫️.

Lilith in Gemini 12H *23°* Lilith in the 12H is like a hidden storm brewing beneath the surface, you may feel like your voice, desires or true nature were stifled at some point in life. With Gemini, there’s an intellectual rebellion here. You might hide your most radical thoughts but they’re always running in the background.

This can manifest as feeling like people don’t fully “see” you or struggling with self expression vs. silence, having a sharp mind but doubting when/where to use it.

Lilith Square MC makes you misunderstood in public spaces. Some people might perceive you as rebellious, unpredictable or even “too much” even if you’re just existing. You may feel like your ambitions are blocked or that society doesn’t value what you naturally bring. BUT this aspect forces you to create your OWN lane. Success comes when you embrace what makes you different, not suppress it.

Lilith Square Saturn feeling restricted, judged or controlled especially by authority figures. This aspect demands self discipline but also teaches you how to break free from limiting beliefs.

Chiron Square Lilith there’s an old wound tied to self-expression. Maybe you were mocked, ignored or silenced when trying to share your thoughts or truth. This creates a push and pull between wanting to be seen and fearing rejection.

Lilith Sextile Moon this is your saving grace! Your intuition, emotions and subconscious mind work WITH Lilith not against her. You have a powerful inner voice and when you trust your instincts, you’ll find yourself expressing Lilith’s power in a way that heals rather than destroys.

Hear me out 🐥? You aren’t meant to fit into a mold, your power lies in challenging norms and owning your voice. Healing comes through self expression, writing, communication and embracing the duality within you. The world may not always “get” you but the right people will be magnetized to your depth and wisdom.

Your Lilith isn’t troubled it’s powerful. Own it 🖤😘.

[to-rise-above-monsters]

i’m really interested in y’all’s takes (and if this is popular /yall are are interested i might make polls for more characters)

below is propaganda for what i think/what im tied between (very long)

^this is mainly the inspo for everything i wrote

so a decade ago when I made my original Hogwarts au i felt so sure of my placements. but then as the characters became so complex and more was revealed, it’s obviously more nuanced.

lion was clearly my choice at the beginning. he’s an impulsive, reckless, strong willed, bold, determined, passionate and selfless person. because he was fighting for a cause we agreed with, he was heroic. he exemplified the good parts of gryffindor; following his morals and what he believed was right and driven towards his goals for freedom. he had such intense personal justice and morality to the point that he believed that those that took freedom from others deserved to died.

but without a doubt, that was twisted when we realized the traits he had were not necessarily for humanity but for his own selfish desires. which showed his true snake nature. he only cared to protect himself and his loved ones. he didn’t care about anything or anyone else in the end, and maybe he never did. all he cared about was his own personal freedom being taken from him and he would do anything to get it and punish those that stole it from him.

he didn’t know why but he wanted to destroy everything. is that more lion or snake? he’s such a simple minded character. sees everything in such black and white, me vs them, extreme to extreme, killing himself for humanity or genociding the world. and he was prepared to and did do extremely unethical and manipulative things to get what he wanted. he cares about his people and will destroy everyone else. that’s so key to being a snake. but being single-minded is also like key lion trait.

i’ve noticed that the line between lion and snake is very thin. and so is badger and snake surprisingly.

-

also to those who are curious how he might fit into the other houses:

with badger, his loyalty was and is a key component of his character. he wanted freedom, he didn’t want to die, but he could not kill his friends. he could not escape his main ties to his friends. a badger’s entire basis is about care for all people, however a badger can decide who counts as a ‘person’. he has no problem killing titans at the beginning but then decides to spare the one on the floor. he dehumanizes those who take freedom from others and makes it in his head that they don’t count as ‘people’. which culminates in him wiping out everyone who is not ‘people’ to him.

but i think this exemplifies snake traits more

with bird, it’s hard to explain bc im seeing it in the sorting hat chats pov (the link i put above) but they say that bird’s main driving force is systems and the system they have crafted must be followed. most birds change the system and make it more complex as the learn more. but stagnant birds are those that refuse to change. when his need for freedom conflicts with his knowledge that everything is predetermined and he has no real choice, his system breaks and he becomes depressed and is consigned to suicide.

tho …i don’t know. he’s like the least bird person ever. he is impulsive and reckless. he only starts to be calculating in the end of his life in an extremely snake way. he doesn’t systemize his morals or views of the world or is in pursuit for knowledge and truth. rather he is very dead set on one goal and commits even when he knows it’s wrong (which a bird would never think) also bro is not wise or creative or any other characteristics—

-

So now with all the propaganda out of the way, I’d love for you to write your explanations for your choice! (long or short)

also i wanna do a poll for armin, mikasa reiner and jean bc those are alsao characters who i feel like have such nuances to them that id love to hear input:))

[leonstoenailunderhisbed]

Lately, I’ve been thinking about Leon, Ada, and Claire. Especially on their relationships because I think they’re pretty interrelating so here’s another analysis made by yours truly <3

TW: mentions of mental illnesses, MY OPINION! + observations. This is strictly based on my knowledge. I’m majoring in English- doesn’t mean I’m 100% correct, it just means I’m pointing out some things that I thought were pretty cool. Take this with a grain of salt.

So I actually propose that we bring the color theory into play, mainly between Leon, Claire, and Ada.

In RE2R and in Infinite Darkness (death island too but I’ve yet to watch it), Leon is portrayed as blue. (His RPD uniform and his suit/jacket) back in my English class (film vs book) we talked about the different types of people and how the author/creator purposefully assigns a character a specific color.

By majority belief, the color blue represents sadness and often times calmness as well. However, I have a different view on why CAPCOM seems to love Leon in winter colors (blue/green/purple)

Leon is the definition of the Blue Character Theory- these types of characters are compassionate, loyal, confident, and can manage their emotions (keep it cool in other words) but sometimes these characters are prone to become over emotional (depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, etc.) and I actually wrote a small paragraph on Leon in infinite darkness about this because I found it so interesting that Leon- a cool and reserved guy, has these complicated emotions welled up inside him and one of the only ways we can tell is by the color of his representation. (Think of Euphoria and how colors really affected the way the characters act, especially Maddy and Cassie and how different they are.)

I’m also going to be hella bold and say that his eyes are a CLEAR representation on his character by color analysis. His eyes are blue, not only because he’s a white man- but because the “eyes are the windows to the soul” thing really does help us understand him better. They clearly did this on purpose to let the viewer catch a glimpse at Leon’s raw personality. His eyes are very expressive if you really REALLY analyze them.

And when you bring someone who is represented by the color red (Claire and Ada) there’s already an established connection between the two. Although Claire and Ada are way too different in personalities, I like to believe that they both have at least the same level of ambition, stubbornness and leadership. Red characters are known to lead or take matters into their own hands when the world is against them. If no one is going to help them then they’ll do it themselves.

In ID, Claire did her own investigation. She took charge and decided to that if no one would help her, including Leon, then she’ll just do whatever she can with the power she has. Ada is similar in that aspect. Ada has a way of getting things done her way, just like Claire. She uses the art of manipulation to make sure her plans are fulfilled, even if it means at the cost of others. She’s ambitious and goal-driven, much like Claire.

CAPCOM represents the two women in explicitly red or at least with red items (hair, dress, shoes, etc.) it makes me believe that they know what they’re doing when it comes to giving characters their own individuality.

Now, we know that blue and red are complementary colors based on the color wheel.

But we also know that Leon and Ada don’t really have a healthy relationship (I’ll get to this in another post near the future once I’ve got evidence) which is contrasting to Leon and Claire’s relationship. Which prompted the question: Why?

I mean, yeah Claire is Chris’s sister and by affiliation Leon enjoys her company. But it is also clear that the two of them worked very well back in RE2R (the fence scene) their chemistry and tension was high but when he’s with Ada, it seems different.

It is no doubt that Leon had/has (? I’m just as confused as bro tbh) a crush on Ada. I read somewhere from the notes on Leon that he was actually glad to have seen Ada in RE4R (not too sure for RE4OG since almost everything is about the remake)

CAPCOM purposefully follows the Red Oni/Blue Oni trope (a Japanese folk tale, shout-out to my professor for putting me on that) but what why are there two red ones and one blue one? Is CAPCOM keeping their choices open for Leon’s potential love life? I can’t say for sure what’ll happen or what everything means because this is something I over analyzed.

Remember, I’m only an English major student, I still believe my observations are pretty vague or at least a little bit underdeveloped. Hopefully sometime near the future I can make better analysis 🙏🏼

Also, tysm for all the amazing comments and reblogs 🥹🙏🏼 idk how to reply to reblogs but I really do appreciate the fact that you guys like my fics. I promise I have more to write (I have a list in my notes app lmao)

[gayelderstourney]

OLD MAN YAOI BRACKET ROUND 1

Propaganda:

Sir Alistair Hammerlock/Wainwright Jakobs:

THEY ARE CANONICALLY MARRIED!!!!! THEY ARE FORCE/FINESSE SUN/MOON SALT/SUGAR. THEY ARE SILLY GENTLEMEN WHO ARE IN LOVE. HAMMERLOCK IS A VICTORIAN BIG GAME HUNTER LIFTED STRAIGHT FROM A STEAMPUNK NOVEL WHO IS ALL ABOUT ADVENTURE AND WAINWRIGHT IS A SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN HEIR TO A GUN MANUFACTURING MEGACORPORATION WHO HAS SMALL AMBITIONS. OPPOSITES ATTRACT ULTIMATE INCARNATION. THE THEMES AND MOTIFS AND PARALLELS BETWEEN THEM ARE IMPECCABLE. THEY SUPPORT EACHOTHER UNCONDITIONALLY AND WHOLEHEARTEDLY. HAMMERLOCK THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO DIE AND HE RECORDED WHAT HE THOUGHT WERE GOING TO BE HIS LAST WORDS AND HE SAYS, I QUOTE: "but I long not for death seeking adventures, but instead for one… last… peaceful… moment… with you. I love you, Wainwright. Farewell." DID I MENTION HAMMERLOCK HAS A NICKNAME FOR WAINWRIGHT. HE CALLS HIM Winny AND IT MELTS MY HEART EVERY TIME. GOD THEY GET MARRIED IN THE CORPSE OF AN ELDRITCH GOD AND THEIR WEDDING IS AN ENTIRE DLC. IT ALSO COVERS THEIR RESPECTIVE DOUBTS THAT MAYBE THEY AREN'T THE RIGHT MAN FOR EACHOTHER BUT IN THE END THEY REALIZE THAT IT'S NOT TRUE AND THE OTHER LOVES HIM SO SO SO MUCH JUST LIKE HE IS. I AM SO SO AUTISTIC ABT THEM THEY ARE PEAK OLD MAN YAOI BUT THEY ARE VIRTUALLY UNKNOWN IN THE OLD MAN YAOI COMMUNITY. PLEASE.

They have an entire DLC about their wedding. Their base game story arc starts with Wainwright calling you to ask you to go on a rescue mission to save Hammerlock and calling him the love of his life.

There is a whole game DLC dedicated to their canonical marriage, they constantly call each other by pet names, every single time they talk about one another there is passion in their voices, they express how much they love and care for each other.

Irving Bailiff/Burt Goodman:

they are TRAPPED in capitalist dystopian hell and yet gay love persists. literally they are fighting for their got damn lives to be gay. they've been subjected to evil fucked up brain surgery to make them forget who they are outside of the workplace and yet. AND YET. they fall in love INSIDE the workplace and gain the desire to fight their oppressors so they can do old man yaoi activities. i forgot to take my adderall today sorry im not forming coherent thoughts but they made christopher walken yaoi real

They have only ever experienced being at work and are desperately trying to find meaning with no memory of the outside world. Fraternization is against the rules as well. The yearning is so much.

they are 2 sad old men who are in forbidden love. they bond over a mutal love of corporate art & company tote bags. their love inspired Irving to rebel against his employers for the first time ever. Burt is even Christopher Walken.

They’re so quietly sweet and heart-wrenching… fell in love on the ‘inside’ (they both work a job that ‘severs’ their work memories from their out-of-work memories; inside the job, they have no idea who they are on the outside or what the world is like, but they found each other and found a little bit of love and meaning and happiness inside the nightmare corporate world that is their job)

canonically in love with each other! in the show people sever their consciousness so they aren't aware when they're working. this creates a separate person that only exists while they're at the office, who doesn't share any memories with the person they are on the outside. these two old men bond and find comfort in each other despite the dystopian hell situation they're in

Old men having a forbidden romance while stuck in a hellish workplace dystopia

These two old men know nothing outside of their company propaganda, which says romance is forbidden, and they still choose each other. They bond over paintings, discuss company policy in each other's arms like they're debating scripture on whether their love is allowed. They're sooo gay and it's so sweet to see true, canonical old man yaoi

Weird old man office romance except they only exist inside the bounds of the world’s worst office building and they go on a little date to a room full of plastic plants