#Fan analysis

[volchitsa-of-winterfell]

the way patrick zweig is so clearly a creature of desire; so fundamentally hungry. always devouring, uncaring of how desperate he might appear for it—taking a bite of the line judge's bagel sandwich before he even sits down; scarfing down his hotdog before grabbing a bite of art's, and then later treating their churros exactly the same way; picking the cigarette that tashi slapped out of his mouth up off the literal alleyway street so he can finish smoking it. acting on his hungers without asking permission first.

the way art donaldson is comfortable expressing desire without acting on it; content to yearn. mr. i-do-what-she-says-and-then-i-win obediently drinks his green juices, his electrolyte mixes; he lays his heart on the table for tashi, twice, and lets her decide when to take it; he tells her he wants to kiss her, but then lets her come to him to actually do it. a lapdog, just like patrick says: he'll turn his pleading eyes to you, desire writ across every line of him, but he is too well-bred to ever snap and just take.

....except, of course, with patrick; but even then, only when he can sublimate his desire for patrick into the appearance of desire for another woman. snapping at the churro when patrick calls him out over sowing doubt in his relationship with tashi is the obvious one, but also the fact that art is the one to come first in their mutual-masturbation experience when talking about kat zimmerman (how much of it was because of miss zimmerman and how much of it was art letting himself imagine patrick with her?). patrick, in the churro scene, describes it as seeing art "lit up about something," and while he's not wrong i think it's more specific than that. art feels deeply, keenly, but he guards the flames of his desire so carefully; banks them down and keeps the embers glowing for years. tashi is content to meet art halfway, to take the quiet longing invitations he extends. patrick is not. his desire, his hunger, is bigger than that. he wants to see sparks fly. how perfect, then, that he is the only one who can bring that out of art. he does exactly that with the racket-neck signal, and art (once he's over his shock) is once again lit up; ready to take the win, not to have it handed to him.

the way tashi duncan understands them both, perfectly, from their very first night in that hotel room that was so formative for all three of them. she kisses art first, because she already knows that if she kissed patrick first, art would take that as a rejection and retreat; put his desire away. she kisses art first because she knows patrick will not give up on his own desires that easily. she understands how to stoke art's desires and how to temper patrick's and teach him patience. and because of that, she gets them both: she doesn't have to choose.

[harmleikurdraws]

leopards and tigers

Ghost’s flat would probably resemble an empty dupster in Heywood, but Soap looks like a man that could appreciate retro leopards and tigers.

[galaxymagitech]

Tim is an excellent fighter…but he’s not the best.

He’s great with computers…but Oracle could outhack him.

He’s an amazing detective…but Batman is still the best.

No. What Tim brings to the table is that he’s absolutely, incredibly unhinged. Like—all Batfamily members are, but Tim has a unique brand of crazy. His brain goes problem —> solution, without any filter of “is this a logical, sensible plan?”

Tim will take so many insane things in stride. Did he set out to become Robin? Nope, but he’s Robin now! Oh, he met Lady Shiva? Well, she’s terrifying, but he does need to learn fighting while trying to defeat this powerful villain who appeared and is way out of his league. And then there’s the entirety of Young Justice. Tim sees one (1) portrait, concludes that Bruce must be lost in time, and then spends a year of his life on this hunch—and he’s correct. Oh, Ra’s al Ghul wants to talk to him? Well, that’s fine, he’ll just chat with the immortal cult leader while becoming an international art thief. He acknowledges that his life is crazy, but he doesn’t let that stop him!

This sort of reminds me of that old Batman movie where Batman and Robin come up with the most ridiculous answers to the Riddler’s riddles (a ballpoint banana, anyone?) and they’re right. Tim is just tapped into the DC universe’s insanity.

[sipho-pearl]

analysis of the soul contract

(if you haven't seen the translation for that yet, look it up or look at my original translation post here)

Major spoilers for the entirety of Gravity Falls and also MAJOR Book of Bill spoilers for like the whole thing so go look at that first, ok? (Seriously, this post makes more sense the more you know about the content of the book...and the series)

**if i make any mistakes within this analysis in terms of existing lore or there's something i should add, send me a dm/reply to the post!! or just rb it with the information lol

Under the cut because it's really long (but contains information that I believe to be very important to the overall lore!!)

There are three really interesting things hidden in the translation for the soul contract that I actually NEED to talk about because I haven't really seen them discussed anywhere else?? (yes it's divided up into sections, don't worry)

The Soulmate Passage

The soul contract passage starts off with Bill's lawyer talking about all of the things that they can legally do with your soul, but then they go into the idea of soulmates, and something about this passage feels eerily familiar.

YOUR SOULMATE WILL NOT RECOGNIZE YOU AND WILL WALK RIGHT PAST YOU ON A COLD AUTUMN DAY, NEVER MAKING EYE CONTACT, NOT EVEN PROCESSING THAT YOU GAVE EYES AT ALL. NO AMOUNT OF INTERACTION WILL MOVE THEM TO A PLACE WHERE THEY CAN REMEMBER, IN FEELING, THE THOUSANDS OF LIFETIMES YOU HAVE ALREADY SPENT TOGETHER, EACH TIME CHOOSING WHATEVER FORM WOULD KEEP YOU CLOSEST LIKE OTTERS HOLDING HANDS IN A TUMULTUOUS RIVER. YOU WERE BIRDS, YOU WERE TREES WITH ROOTS ENTANGLED, DRINKING IN THE SUNLIGHT TOGETHER. WHEREVER WE GO NEXT, WHATEVER YOU CHOOSE, I WILL ALWAYS BE RIGHT WITH YOU.

(sorry for the long quote but it's kind of important here)

He gets way too specific here, even going into the first person to begin talking about how he will always be there for you. In the Book of Bill, the main concept is that Bill is attempting to win over the reader in order to convince them to make a deal with him and, therefore, release him from the Theraprism, and he seems to be doing the same thing here with the reader.

However, in my opinion, because for the majority of this he talks about you using third person pronouns, it can be somewhat inferred that he is talking about himself and his soulmate. Not specified who that is (totally not the canonically divorced couple), but it can definitely be interpreted as him doing some introspection.

The references to loss of memory could also be a reference to how Stanley defeated Bill by wiping his memory, and how up until the last minute, Bill believed that he was back in Stanford's mind.

"THOUSANDS OF LIFETIMES" could be a reference to the trillions of years that Bill has lived and all of his exes, as well as how in every single one, he was the one getting broken up with. And, also, the many other muses that he (unconfirmed) may have had.

THAT'S DONE, BUDDY, CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE CHOSEN BILL INSTEAD.

Moving on!!

2. Bill's control over souls

**As far as I am aware, this is the first time in the canon that we see what control Bill has over the souls that he collects.

GOOD GOD! THE THINGS S I’VE SEEN. ME_ WHO AM I_ OH_ I_M BILL_S PREVIOUS LAWYER_ HE PUT MY SOUL INTO A QUILL PEN SO I CAN WRITE HIS LEGAL DOCUMENTS UNTIL THE SUN SNUFFS OUT LIKE A CANDLE IN THIS SICK UNIVERSE_ SPEAKING OF WHICH_ BILL RESERVES THE RIGHT TO PUT YOUR SOUL INTO AN INANIMANT OBJECT_ A STRANGE CREATURE_ A CONCEPT_ A SENTENCE_ A TASTEFUL BUT RUSTIC MASON JAR WITH WILDFLOWERS IN IT_ IF AT ANY POINT YOU WISH TO HAVE VISITATION RIGHTS WITH YOUR SOUL_ YOU WILL BE SWIFTLY DENIED_

According to this, Bill's control over souls when signed over gives him the ability to, (as first shown in Sock Opera, but in a more limited way) put souls into other objects, take them out of your body. While put in a more simplistic way in this passage, it is clear that he has a lot of control over souls, and, when signed away, may have the ability to do anything with one that he wants.

However, going back to the mischaracterisation present in the first quote where it sounds as if Bill is talking, now that we know it was his pen, it is clear that he also has the ability to control the souls to do what he wants.

The time limit on how long these soul contracts last for is indefinite, as Bill's soul lawyer himself says.

*Side note: it is revealed, in relation to souls, that the human soul is 21 grams.

3. The afterlives of the universe of Gravity Falls

So, later in this passage, all of the places that you can go to after you die are revealed. This is mainly important because you can see more of the in-universe lore, but also because we can see more of what Bill Cipher was hoping to happen when he invoked the Axolotl at the end of the series.

YOUR SOUL MAY BECOME FRACTURED AND PLACED INTO DIFFERENT OBJECTS_ THIS HAS NO  PURPOSE AND WILL NOT RESURRECT YOU IF YOU DIE_ SIGNEE HAS FORFEITED ALL RIGHTS TO ANY AFTERLIFE_ INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO HEAVEN_ HELL_ PURGUTORY_ BIG CORNER_ FLOW STATE_ THE DREAM HOUSE_ THE REINCARNATION PROCESSING CENTER_ AXOLOTL_ S TANK AND CONSEQUENCES HOLD_

A definitive list of all of the afterlives present within universe:

Heaven, Hell and Purgatory

"Big Corner"

"Flow State"

"The Dream House" <- The Dream House could possibly be a reference to either Bill's Dream Realm or Bill's Nightmare realm.

"The Reincarnation Processing Center" <- This is where I believe Bill was hoping to go once he invoked the Axolotl. Going by what he said in the last few moments of Weirdmageddon 3, "A-X-O-L-O-T-L! My time has come to burn! I invoke the ancient power that I may return!" It is clear that he thought he was going to be able to reincarnate by invoking the Axolotl, and by doing this, he would be able to escape going to hell.

"AXOLOTL" <- This is a reference to summoning the Axolotl when about to die, such as what Bill did. Axolotls are known for being able to regenerate, so going back to what I said before, Bill probably believed that invoking the Axolotl would give him the ability to reincarnate or regenerate.

"S TANK AND CONSEQUENCES HOLD" I'm pretty sure that this is a longform name for the Theraprism.

More Notes:

The passage is written entirely in the cipher for the journals rather than any of the codes that Bill often uses (alchemic, theraprism, combined, bill's symbols) which I believe ties back to my theory in 1.

While dogs can sense when a soul is missing, cats don't care. Not important, I just thought that was interesting.

anyway, again: if i got anything wrong in this please rb this and add more stuff!! :3

[candy-red-river]

OK I'm just gonna say it

The only reason why I never made an analysis post on Sebastian is because he's a heavily boring and underutilized character in the comics.

What are his hobbies? Sleeping, reading, and trying to leave.

He doesn't have ANY connection to the ivory household so he doesn't have much going for him.

All that "soft uwu boy" stuff was NEVER canon.

Personality wise the only interesting trait I see is him being judgemental.

He gets SO MUCH focus yet is constantly put on the sidelines as well (like the hotdog thing, and school thing) and when he's there he BARELY does anything I'm I'm half sure cap just doesn't know what to do with him at this rate.

[hereforthe911buds]

the more I've learned about the cut bachelor party scenes, the more I realize they had to be cut, not just for the time limitations but the writer's narrative as well. Having all of those scenes in would have turned vague tension into an obvious love triangle. Especially with What I Like About You being the karaoke song, it couldn't have been subtle. a lowkey slowburn would come off as a direct competition. the will they won't they and Eddie vs Tommy for Buck would have been harder to deny.

Also the kiss between Buck & Tommy at the hospital would have been less impactful (for the audience. it still matters a lot to the narrative of Buck coming out). it may have even caused some confusion for the audience because Buck was just having the time of his life with Eddie & singing about how much they love each other, to then making out with Tommy.

in my opinion, the writers crafted an extremely gay interpretation of events and then pulled back because it would have been too direct when I believe they want something more subtle with their storytelling.

[manytoonepoet13]

Fragaria Memories - Your Melody Song Analysis Essay.

"It is at his most vulnerable, where the knight shall be at his strongest."

Collab with @chamalam0726

Read for more insights: Fragaria Memories - Ever Red Visual Analysis Essay. Poem inspired by this analysis: Your Melody – "Tell Me, My Dearest."

(Duration of analysis: February 2024 to May 2024.)

1.) Visuals. a.) Cover - album.

Hallritt - Notice how he has his hand curled up in a fist. Usually, this means that he's tense, having to use his strength to clench his fist. He's tense from all the harsh memories, from the harsh truth, it made him hard, cold, concealed, in comparison to the usual Hallritt. He's serious, not as bright and fun fun like usual - now have lost the purity he once possessed.

Merold - Notice the ribbon in between his middle and index, it's as if he's mimicking a pair of scissors, releasing himself from the bondage of fragmented memories and the vague, incomplete truth. And with that, he, too, has released Hallritt, now having someone to share this with, someone who will stand by his side. Like I said, releasing themselves from the bondage of the past and acknowledging their scars to acknowledge the truth and what's righteous.

"Hallritt's bouquet is the only bouquet that does not contain a ribbon. This could signify that the flowers in the bouquet are memories and that the ribbons represent what's restraining the characters from remembering the memories. Knowing Hallritt is the only one that remembers, it makes sense for his bouquet to not have a ribbon." - @ c h a m a l a m.

"So you see how Merold is holding the ribbon with his hands shaped like scissors and remembers how you told me that Merold was the first person Hallritt told him. To me, it seems as if he's now cutting the ties of what's restraining him from remembering - or the ribbons." - @ c h a m a l a m.

Rimicha - Notice how his hand is slightly hidden under the flower's petals, yet still open, holding the bouquet so delicately, as if relishing in the joy (what sunflowers usually mean) in being blind and innocent as a child. I believe that with this song, it made him more open to the truth, more willing to let go of the momentarily happiness for the sake of a much greater, ever lasting one. One that'll save the entire fragaria world. It may seem like a small sacrifice, but for Rimicha? I believe it meant everything to him, not because it's his duty as a knight, or because it's for his friends, but because it's something so personal to him. Rimicha is all for fun, for joy, and to have that taken away from him... must be hard, yet he knows it's for the best.

b.) Music Video's key elements.

Based on the video's visuals, I can create a hypothesis where this song talks about Merold casually enjoying this "peaceful" life he currently has in this timeline and based on the flowers I can identify; Sunflowers and roses means happiness, loyalty, adoration and love, royalty, beauty. sensuality, mysticism and secrecy. What is interesting about the last two: Mysticism and secrecy is that I can infer that he (Merold) feels like this "peaceful life" is an illusion, this is why I believe the corners were blurred in some scenes, and why they're situated in this luxurious mansion, He, or even majority of the knights, are fixated on this illusion.

But then again, Merold feels like something is missing, like a broken mirror showing every part of you but one specific and most important part: His memories. I feel like this song is about him talking and relearning about these "missing parts" of him that he can no longer remember, and how it affects him and how he views happiness, love, and passion he had for the world and for his friends.

There might even be purity mixed in with the love and passion Hallritt has for the world and his friends relating to the reoccurring line "The knights ask for nothing in return for their love.", Hallritt's purity and innocence mixed in with the love and passion he's feeling has caused this predicament they were once and currently in. Losing their precious memories of each other and the most important part of one's self because of him.

I believe this is Merold's awakening moment, where he'll finally remember everything that has happened in the past and would like to reconcile (-with Hallritt).

This relates to my and my best friend's reconciliation theory.

"Take it this way, we got into a big fight, I got amnesia, I no longer remember you and bestfriend J, but as I got reintroduced to more memories (Hallritt telling Merold), I start to remember more. And because I remember more, it makes me cherish the memories we once had, so it pushes me to want to reconcile. Simply because I want to experience more of those memories." - @ c h a m a l a m.

"Your Melody" or "Hallritt's Melody" rather, is what made Merold open his eyes to the truth, and how the truth feels like a paradox to him. How it'll be bad if he doesn't know the truth, but then again, there's nothing wrong with knowing it, maybe it's even for the better.

And now he's just listening to Hallritt's Melody as he takes this next step with him.

2.) Soundtrack. a. Instrumentals.

One thing I would really like to point out is the clock ticking sound at the beginning and end of the song which will most probably relate to my time loop theory. Though, I'll assume that because of the seed's corruption, not only did it erase everyone's memories, but it also disrupted time itself, therefore creating this time loop only Hallritt can know and understand.

3.) Lyrics.

"If you even brush against me, I'll melt into a slumber."

Complacency - Them falling and fixating on this illusion of a life that they have, being caught up in this bliss that they feel peaceful and comfortable enough to fall into this slumber.

"The fairytale of that day you told me about... The pleasantly soft and and sweet whispers, Just listen to them carefully, don't get flustered now."

Hallritt telling Merold about that day, when everything went wrong, what happened in the past. Allowing Merold to recall those memories.

"It's ok to deceive with an outright lie... because within it lingers a quiet love."

Talking about this seemingly peaceful and perfect life and how it is probably better to stay within this illusion, for the sake of everyone's safety.

"That MELODY of a season that has passed is our promise, so don't cry. The ending to that story was that I truly was happy being YOUR MELODY. The MELODY of a voice that you approached me with. If I were to ever stain your smile, then I would do away with this heart of mine.

This is where Merold is starting to remember more, wanting to reconcile because he wants to maintain this friendship he once cherish and will cherish and create more memories with him.

He doesn't want to hurt Hallritt's feelings even more, so, he does away from his past actions, and ultimately chose to reconcile with Hallritt.

"The signals from our talks that made my heart flutter... are now sinking down my ordinary wish to the bottom."

That "ordinary wish" being the want to continue this "peaceful life" that he has, but the more he and Hallritt are talking, he realizes just how this can be incredibly crucial to their story.

"As if two hearts laid atop each other's... may we be connected by their singular rhythm."

This gives me the impression that since the both of them now knows that there is more to this than this illusion of a life, they are now connected by their "singular rhythm", this newfound goal of theirs.

"Let me fill your gaze with bouquets of flowers blanketing the horizon. All those fragmented things are intensifying our MELODY. Come, let's turn the timidity into joy and dance to your MELODY in the scores. The MELODY of your voice that I want to remain beside, what if... If you want to cloud over the future, if it is sadness that you want to echo... then please let me play it from here."

"Song wise, the last words have a build up (Let me fill your gaze...). Since we correlated the memories as the flowers, "Let me fill your gaze with bouquets of flowers blanketing the horizon." to me is how the truth/memories are all coming clear now. Because there's a buildup in the notes, it makes me think that this is where things start to happen.

"Let me fill your gaze" suggests that the memories shouldn't be hindered from anyone as those memories rightfully belong to them. I think this also correlates with reconciliation being truthful is also considered as a form of that." - @ c h a m a l a m.

(Eyes has been used as a metaphor more often than not in Fragaria.)

I feel like there is some sort of limitation within that line, solely focusing on the "your" person (Hallritt) they're talking to.

So it's like "I did this to you, so whatever I will do, is for your eyes and your eyes only because this is between us two."

"Even with this fragile heart, above all else, you are my dearest. (Tell me, tell me why.) These overflowing feelings are a MELODY for you. (Tell me, tell me why.)"

For so long, he has uphold this strong knightly image, probably in an attempt to hide this fragile heart of his as well as to protect all of those who are dear to him, because despite how these feelings overflow, it is still for them, for you.

4.) Symbolisms.

(Just to elaborate certain visual elements.)

1.) Mirrors with flowers - Along with the clock ticking sound, there are also these flowers that came along each beat. Since we made a connection between the flowers and memories, I would also like to point out how these flowers may also symbolize their emotions that are being held back, inside the mirror.

2.) Merold in the broken mirror - Relating to what I noted prior, this also applies to this scene but with Merold instead of flowers. I would also like to note how Merold had his eyes closed when he was both in the meadow and in the broken mirror but then opened his eyes afterwards with a smile.

That's because he was truly happy now that the truth is out.

He is finally free.

3.) Feathers - "Across time and cultures, feathers have symbolized ascension, enlightenment, and spiritual evolution." charlesmcquillen.com.

I love how this choice of transition happened after they have the truth, therefore being enlightened and set free from this illusion, that's why it finished off with the three of them being in a meadow rather than being in that luxurious mansion they were in.

Now, they are reunited with their truest of emotions and memories, as they stand happily in the flower field.

Free.

4.) "Movie" Frame - My other best friend (bestfriend J) pointed out that the frames throughout the entire mv is reminiscent of those vintage movies, which was further proven by the grainy texture and vintage feel of the final scene.

This may relate to what I have pointed out in my Ever Red Analysis Essay as well, where it talks about how the mv is reminiscent of a videotape and that Hallritt was holding the camera (more on that in the Ever Red post).

These kinds of things stretch out even towards Blue Bouquet.

This relates to the reoccurring line in Ever Red "Live in Memories", because they are quite literally living in memories.

It is with these little recorded fragments of their memories can they actually learn their and live as their true selves if they want to save this world (and escape this time loop).

But until then, when the clock strikes, may it strike thrice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The knights ask for nothing in return for their love."

[slamdunktheories]

What sort of injury did Sakuragi have? An orthopaedic surgeon weighs in

Hey, gang! I stumbled upon this interesting article sometime back and have been meaning to share it. It's basically an orthopaedic surgeon (and fellow SD fan) analysing what sort of back injury Sakuragi had gotten during the Sannoh match. See article here (in Japanese). Google-translated English version is here.

In short, the surgeon thinks it was either a vertebral body fracture or a lumbar transverse process fracture, and goes on to talk about the recovery period one could expect from such an injury, how the team reacted to it in the story, etc.

His response when asked how Anzai-sensei and Ayako had handled things was pretty funny. “From the POV of an orthopaedic surgeon, it was of course a total fail.” LMAO!

But then he goes on to say something that would probably resonate with every SD fan (that if they had done the right thing and benched Sakuragi... there’d be no story).

As a fan, I'm relieved to hear that the injury seems perfectly realistic and also perfectly recoverable. Thank you Inoue-sensei for sticking to realism even in key/dramatic moments.

Have a gander at the article - it's quite interesting and much more in-depth than what I've shared here! Again, links here:

Original article here (in Japanese). Google-translated English version is here.

[sumn-somethin]

stuff im expecting from season 2

olezha and anton flashback (PLEASEEE)

olya appearing more

diplomator's official appearance

dima's family especially his sisters (at least ONE of them has to be a diplomator supporter i just know it)

murderer revealed or at least more hints about olezha's murder

zhenya 👀

more psychic battle

conflict between olya and dima

conflict between anton and dima

more actor AU (for trailers and teasers and stuff)

anton's family

[pixies-and-poets]

Smithy Gang Headcanons

Hi, friends! I'm extremely grateful for the positive feedback on The Forging, and definitely want to write more SMRPG stuff; I've just been working on other priorities lately. However, my brain has been busy churning stuff over, even if I haven't had the time to sit down and write a story yet.

So I wanted to jot down some of my headcanons for the Smithy gang, specifically the forging order of the main members. I thought of a sequence where Smithy created each as a response to shortcomings he saw in their predecessors. This timeline will serve as a framework from which I can write future stories.

I don't think there's anything here that goes directly against canon, but I'm not as much of an SMRPG expert as I am with some other games lol, so feel free to tell me if there's some kind of Japanese-only line that contradicts me. Also let me know your own ideas if you want!! I am new to being a proper fan in this fandom :P

First, some general notes: I don't really have a good definition for who Smithy himself is, where he came from, or what his world is like, and I don't know if I ever will, since I find some degree of ominous mystery to be more interesting. Also - while I've seen the Gang described as "robots", while that may be true in a sense, I think of them more as "constructs" - I don't think they're powered by wires or circuitry or anything like that, but rather arcane magic. They are not powered by AI, even in the sense that a more nuanced and self-aware robo-sentience might be (see examples in the Marioverse: TEC, Beep-0, JEANIE), but a more traditional type of consciousness/soul that Smithy has learned to work with, as if it were yet another material. (This isn't abnormal for the Mario world, where we already have living bullets and bombs and the like- and in an ironic twist, also makes them somewhat similar to Geno, who is a consciousness inhabiting a form that would not produce sentience or mobility on its own.)

This isn't really a fic, although it's long enough to be one, lol. I hope you enjoy!

First there was Exor; but Smithy did not create him. In fact, Exor was Smithy's beloved blade, the reason for his obsession with living weapons in the first place. But Exor is a being even more ancient than Smithy, who just happened to bond with him in his lifetime. The sword can grow to a massive size, and is never truly destroyed, but will reappear and reforge itself throughout history. The otherworldly creature that attached itself to Exor and brought it to life has been known to some as the Neosquid.

Now Smithy, in a sense, was his own first experiment - gradually replacing his organic parts with malleable metal, not only to extend his own life, but to make himself more suited for a variety of purposes. This was a process that never really had an end, as he was always experimenting, creating new heads for himself. But when he was satisfied enough with his initial efforts, Smithy sought to create life in his own image, and in the image of his beloved Exor. Among other adventures, he spent time in Subcon, the Land of Dreams, studying the enigmatic nature of consciousness - at least enough so that he could harness some of its unfathomable magic for his own ends.

Boomer was the first of Smithy's prized creations (yes, because I like the idea of the one called "Boomer" being the oldest). Originally created to provide a sort of companionship to Smithy in the form of strategic advisory and being a bodyguard- and also to provide friendship, although Smithy would never admit it. Over time, Smithy became distracted with his newer and flashier works, and grew tired of Boomer's overly serious and staid nature. Though their relationship has grown distant, Boomer's fondness, gratitude and loyalty for his creator has never faltered, and he will defend Smithy to the very last of his existence. In turn, Smithy has never put forth plans for machine-made Boomers- the younger creations speculate it's because he's too outdated a model for this to be worth it, but perhaps it's because even now, Smithy considers him irreplaceable.

Bowyer was the next-forged. Smithy sought to make a commander who represented a long-range weapon, to contrast with Boomer's katana; and also a more creative and inventive personality to offset Boomer's traditionalist and unadventurous nature. When Bowyer was born, Smithy found that he had accidentally gone way too far (in his opinion) in this new direction, leading to a creation that was so erratic he refused to even speak like those around him. Smithy found Bowyer a hard-to-control troublemaker who would rarely listen to him (or Boomer) and seemed unhappy most of the time, not fitting in with the world he had been forged into. Bowyer would also leave arrows all over the place, sticking out of random things in the weapon world - this is when Smithy had the bright idea to create arrows with consciousness, so they could return to their leader on their own. To Smithy and Boomer's surprise, Bowyer became a lot more joyful and content when he met his little Aeros, and they all became an inseparable entourage.

Smithy became creatively blocked while trying to think of his next big project, largely due to the stress of Bowyer's early behavior. Instead, he came up with a number of smaller-time minions, some of which were the Shymores, based on the Shy Guys he had observed during the time he had spent in Subcon. The Shymores were a playfully destructive group, and after seeing Bowyer's happiness with the Aeros, Smithy decided to forge a creation who was destined to be a leader from the outset; and also one with a mischievous streak, yet toned down from Bowyer. And so he made Claymorton, who later called himself Mack. He was a beloved leader to his rowdy group, but perhaps too social- he ended up neglecting his own training, preferring to play and mess around with his friends, and thus never became very strong on his own.

By now, Smithy was growing frustrated by the failures and flaws that he saw in the personalities of his creations. He decided to think extra hard about the character of his next project: this would be someone who could work completely independently - brilliant, shrewd, capable of powerful magic spells and illusions. Yet Smithy made sure to write in an unflinching loyalty to himself into the new creation's code, so to speak. And lo: at first Speardovich seemed everything Smithy could have ever wanted. Proud, powerful, but knowing his place. He needed no minions, and thus was never distracted, as he could split his own form and consciousness so that one being could do the work of many. He might appear to be older than Bowyer and Claymorton, but in fact he is technically not; he was just created from the outset to be more mature, with the moustache to prove it. And yet, over time, the cracks in this personality began to show. Speary was pompous and did not get along with the other creations when necessity called them to work together. And his respect for Smithy manifested as simpering; a begging for praise and attention which the smith found increasingly unbearable. He was always coming up with unasked-for ideas and input, such as: perhaps all the machine-made units could take the name of a spear in a different language, and "speardovich" could be their overall model name, and that he quite liked Yaridovich for himself personally, and perhaps it would be alright if- but no, Smithy would have none of it. While at first he had beamed with joy at this newest creation, he soon enough kept him at arm's length (or spear's length?) as well.

Finally, Smithy hit upon a brilliant idea - his next creation would be a group of (mostly) equals who could depend on each other without a major power imbalance, keep each other entertained, and stay out of his hair. The Axem Rangers were born, all bearing an energetic and youthful personality which they are still yet to grow out of. They were given control of the Blade, and sent to scout various worlds. They often picked up slang and brought home entertainment from the places they visited, and developed a countless number of inside jokes. The other commanders, and especially Smithy himself and Boomer, found it hard to keep up with them. However, Smithy considered their existence a big success, and remained very proud of them- although this might be due to the fact that he ended up not having to interact with them that much.

...So, that's what I have for now! I'm not sure where all of the Factory enemies fit into this; based on their descriptions, I think Clerk/Manager/Director aren't creations of Smithy, but are the same species as him and recruited from his homeworld. Same with the Chief, aside from possibly not being the same species. Smaller minions like jabits and the hammers would be produced at various points that aren't super relevant to this larger narrative. Count Down was probably made as a fun side-project when Smithy wanted to take a break from weapons per se, and see what he could do with an object like a clock. Gunyolk was confirmed to be created by the Chief. And Cloaker and Domino are weird outliers; I want to say they would be among some of the first things Smithy made, or the latest, in some kind of more abstract and experimental period.

Again - let me know your thoughts and ideas!

[drawnaghht]

Neo Edo magnetic "holsters"

so today/yesterday I started thinking....

what a cool detail the magnetic "holsters" - knobs and stripes are. A very unique design idea for the setting they went with (basically energy-punk or a kind of close-futuristic sci-fantasy)

for example, Gen has large magnet strips on his back, but also on the front of his vest?

The back strips are bigger, while the front strips I'm not entirely sure about, but they are slightly smaller and thinner, so it could be that they are something else, like pockets.

Chizu's appears to have dual magnetic strips on both her pants, her jacket lapels at the bottom, as well as a bigger/stronger magnet triangle on her back, assuming for her polearm, then later for her bow. The strips on her pants could also be just re-enforcing

The other Neko Ninja also appear to have magnets on their armor's backs and hip-pieces. (more longer images under cut)

Kitsune does not appear to have any magnets on her body? but she has a belt which she has a small pouch on and her belt goes around enough times that it could be easy to store her first set of tessen on her back.

Usagi's are small magnets on his obi, both the yoyo and sword have space to fit, one on either side. The sword is always on the left side, so that Usagi can draw it fast enough with his right hand without hurting himself by accident (at least, according to how sword-carrying became tradition during the Edo-era, the show is fairly consistent about this way the swords are carried)

From the first episode with Usagi, we see that the magnets appear to be strong enough that they lock onto the metal of the weapon long enough that the user can remove their fingers from holding the weapon.

and with the yoyo:

Overall, it's a super-interesting feature in the city! Other characters also have these magnets on their outfits/armor - you can pause any shot and see that characters have something magnetic/metallic on their body, with (I think) the exception of Karasu-Tengu and auntie, and the regular citizens of Neo Edo. So here for example the Keisatsu and Lord Kogane.

Most notably, one of the keisatsu guarding Usagi in ep 102, a set of keys dangles from it and we later find out it's this keisatsu's apartment keys haha.

Usagi waits and holds to test the magnet on his left side when he is holstering his auntie's sword, and we see that the effect is quite strong. But then in ep 2, he just slaps the yoyo onto his other side un-ceremoniously, even though this one is directly given to him by a magic stone haha xD You'll notice how Usagi's magnets have some sort of inset inlay, and a glowing symbol inside it which appears to be his clan emblem. Perhaps this means that his obi, or the magnet inlays were once commissioned for one of his ancestors? Since auntie does not appear to wear one of these, maybe it was a direct heirloom to Usagi from one of his parents? Or maybe it was something specially made for when Usagi was a bit older? Could even be that Auntie had it made for one of Usagi's birthdays (good source of a fanfic plot hehe). The magnets are also shown to always glow purple, like the Ki-Stone, and so is Usagi's yoyo itself, when activating any of its abilities, but in this case, the lines on the two sides of the yoyo glow just like the inset on Usagi's weapon-holster magnets.

For other fighter groups in the series, the Mogura crew don't seem to use any visible(?) weapons, while the Bat Squadron have switchblades on the top of their wings/fingers(?), while on their backs they have parachute backpacks. The Neko Ninja appear to have no visible magnets, but possibly their entire armor has hidden magnets within? just a theory for now.

Now, while Usagi's obi and its magnets seem to be custom, could the rest of Usagi's outfit be too? possibly. It seems to be a very specifc combination of both samurai, ninja and farmer outfits, as well as practical application of what samurai used to travel lighter while staying protected. First of all, his vest is a kind of deep blue which according to some historic records, is hemophilic? meaning, it can hold in blood if the wearer is struck suddenly, and according to older beliefs, it even had some healing properties. The vest is tied together by the obi, and the shoulder-gaps/edges appear to have either wooden or leather guards attached to the vest, enforced by these peculiar rectangular (i've seen this kind of work before in woodwork workshops but cannot remember the exact name) Under this vest, he appears to have a light leather or wood breastplate for protectin and under this in turn, he has a dark blue/black undershirt. His pants appear to be in two parts. The first part being the dark blue pants he wears, and the second a patterned "pants cover" which attaches to his chest guard or armor under the vest via light blue clasps. [edit: 10.10.2023:] Still looking around for the basis of this, but this appears similar to some pants I've seen irl. This cover and the pants both seem to be either tucked into or covered by the leg guards Usagi wears. [end edit] Whatever 3rd undergarment he has connects with the blue sleeves he has, which are tied with strings similar to his auntie's sleeves, but these strings are only drawn and animated in the 2D sequences (for the sake of simpler animation, it seems, since Usagi appears in so many scenes and has many moving parts) Then he has dark blue arm guards and kneeguards, while the boot part of his shoes seem to be some harder leather or other material. Usagi, because of wanting to follow in the steps of his samurai ancestor, does not have any other magnetic holsters on his body.

Chizu and Gen also seem to have customized magnets, but of a different appearance. First of all obviously, their shape is rectangular longer or shorter strips, without inlays or emblems, and Chizu has her back-triangle magnet.

I've sometimes also wondered if Gen's emblem is also a magnet, tho this is less likely... The rest of his outfit is fashioned to protect his body enough to also be mobile. So his back magnet-strips are way larger and fit nicely there, enough for his kanabo to attach comfortably to it without falling off. He has a lighter and thinner looking metal plate over his chest, which is obviously armor with a dipping neckline which is colored a golden/bronze? while the bottom part is a deep indigo, covered with studs. Traditionally what these kinds of studs do, is that if someone hits you in the stomach area (one of the most vulnerable areas in an armed fight), the metal studs set in the plate should deflect metal weapon blows to the stomach. so that's interesting to see, Gen's outfit is very practical and he is obviously a bounty hunter who has been doing the job for a while, evidenced also by Gen's healed-over facial scars. A purple vest with a higher collar covers this armor partly. The vest is patterned with these outlined hexagons which have a smaller hexagon inside them. The sleeves of this vest are puffed up(?) and either tied to his arms or it's a rubber band inside the fabric of the light magenta strip of his sleeve. I cannot see that he has any magnets on his belt, which is otherwise tied around the latter-bottom part of his armor and pants. The armor near the belt and on the stomach bends upwards in a semi-trapeze shape toward the dipping neckline of the upper part of his armor. His shoulder pads, kneepads and armguards appear to be enforced leather. I can't remember the exact term for this, but you see that the shoulder parts have stronger leather strings going through the inner parts, possibly to strengthen the rest of the pads. His warclubs sit comfortably on his back on the larger magnet strips.

Chizu's outfit is obviously made for blending in as a civilian, while retaining mobility and flexibility as a ninja, so it's not metal/hard armor like the other Neko Ninja - but instead seems to be wooden/light armor made to look like the shapes on the shirts of other (the dipping rectangle), and undergarment (black) + red and black leather vest and pants. The strips blend in nicely with this sort of outfit, while also allowing Chizu to have many weapons besides the hidden ones she has, the ninja stars and the small crossbow in her gauntlets/hand guards. Chizu's back-magnet triangle meanwhile fits her outfit style exactly, with a black inlay and golden-color outer rim, sort of like Usagi's magnet, but with no inset. Perhaps it's not a magnet at all then? But it sorta makse sense to be a magnet still. In ep 2, she brings her collapsible naginata along and sets it on her back. So this is a running design element amont the characters of Neo Edo that they carry their weapons on these magnetic shapes - strips, circlets, triangles, etc

Kitsune has a very straight-forward outfit. She presents herself as an ordinary street performer while also stealing during her performances, skillfully enough that she doesn't need a helping hand in this. Her outfit consists of mostly greens, teals and on the leaf-prints of her kimono vest, we see that she has maple-leaf patterns in beige, orance and yellow tones, in homage to her namesake and inspiration, the Kitsune in the Usagi Yojimbo comics. Her belt goes around her waist 2 times, while the 3rd time sits more loosely around her left hip, carrying her leather pouch, possibly from weight, but also comfort. compared to the previous two, Kitsune's outfit seems less about hiding or being openly her profession and more about her feeling comfortable, being herself. This is also why she has different bracelets and bangles on her writsts. As with Usagi and Chizu, her clothings are closed in the traditional kimono 'y' shape, left over right side, but while Usagi has only his vest over his armor and undershirt, and Chizu's is just her undershirt, for Kitsune she has both a vest and dark green undershirt, meaning that she appears more casual and layered. Possibly, because of living on the streets, she is ready for any weather and these clothes might have more other practical applications. But also likely, she just feels comfortable in these warm clothes. It is spring after all at the start of the series (exactly the same day it aired, April 28th), so possibly the air is more brisk and Kitsune has kept this look for just a while. All this is more observation + fantheory, but otherwise, there seem to be no metal or magnetic parts on her body. She does not focus on fighting as much as the others and her modus operandi in fights seems to more self-defense, which is what her battle fans are meant for, a self-defense weapon. It's possible she could have hiding places on her open-toed boots for smaller weapons, but then again, I do not believe we've seen them used as such in the show.

Now I wonder how these magnet strips are produced and made at all... do they use the Ki-Stone to magnetize strips of metal somehow? There are many methods to make magnets irl, so I wonder which ones were used here to achieve this strong magnet effect together with the rest of the Ki-Stone's effects...

Anyway, this isn't a deep-dive about clothing, I just wanted to shortly write about the interesting element of magnet wepon-holders, because these seem a ki-stone specific magic/science, but I got a bit lengthy about the clothings anyway bc I like this show ^^

[jackie-gremlin-ghost]

I know regarding the Beetlejuice movie, I’ve seen at least a couple fans and theorists call bullshit to his claims that he lived through the black plague, despite his later comment of having been dead 600 years.

The cartoon version, however, is a bit harder to disprove, in my opinion. At least, if you know where to look.

In the episode "Scare and Scare Alike", Beetlejuice explains to Lydia that he's celebrated Scary Fools' Day, the Neitherworld equivalent of April Fools' Day, 627 times, which lines up with the movie version. That particular episode aired in 1990, and doing the math, that means that BJ most likely died around 1363, about a decade after the plague ended.

In "Cabin Fever", Lydia is afraid that he'd catch her measles, but he explains that he's had various illnesses over the centuries, Bubonic Plague being one of them.

On occasion, he slips into a more European accent (which is where the plague most ran rampant) when he's being particularly dramatic.

The fact that the Juice Family has a Coat of Arms, as revealed in "Family Scarelooms", which is also a tradition of European origin.

(As you can see, I read way too much into this series lol)

[person1-8]

Another arcane season 2 analysis feel free to check it out👍 no leaks or spoilers

[candy-red-river]

Luther is beauty, style, and grace (an analysis again)

ok ive wanted to talk about this guy for a while after finishing the comics lately and oh my god his deal is the most obvious of all the characters compared to others when you think about it.

Starting off, his most obvious feature is his manners. He is very polite and "reasonable" but often forces it onto others and seems somewhat superficial. Like he's trying to hide something about himself. One of my mutuals earlier called him "repressed which I find very interesting as I never saw him that way before.

But after reading the comic I said to myself, "Yeah he's definitely repressed".

Specifically in the camping arc he has HUGE BEEF with the hitchhiker calling them a narcissist for seemingly being themselves, albeit a bit morbid and tries to poke through his skin like he does with others (whether to sedate them or not) but restrains himself when randal comes around, later attempting to call his doctor about it, implying that he doesn't want or like doing that to begin with.

There was also the scene with the pancakes where he just unhinges his jaw but implies that he doesn't do that often in front of guests for the sake of their comfort.

Other than that, Luther absolutely INSISTS that he's human and the weird "family" dynamic that he's made for the ivory household (which consists mostly of brainwashed people forced to play a pet role and randal who I'm pretty sure isn't even related to luther) and generally tries to put down anything he does not like in a sort of fancy royal manner.

From all this and the speech he made about choosing his own destiny and being so assertive about manners to others I think it's safe to say that luther is an absolute monster, but is very self aware and almost insecure about being non human, which he also enforces on others in order to "fix" them or to make himself seem perfect with the "ideal" family.

I think he's aware of how messed up everything is but is either in denial or trying to tone it down.

Other things to note:

Captain howdie said they had a crush for luther from an ask which I think is funny and unexpected. (Also true)

He has canonically dated women (epic)

The eyes on top of his eyes aren't just eyelids since they have been shown to come out before. He literally has two sets of eyes.

I also think it's funny that nyon and nana have an implied crush on him (I'll get to them later)

He's scared of mice apparently

he has a LOT of pets, none of them are normal animals

He seems to have sympathy of some kind but it's definitely half baked.

(Unrelated note: the current most mysterious characters are Sebastian, Nana, and the hitchiker)

[ghostlycircaea]

Where would Alexios have place in the succession line to the Agiad throne?

So I originally posted this to the ac Odyssey subreddit, but it was fun to talk about so I'm posting it here too.

This is mostly just self-indulgent fun to work out some logistics while I'm working on an AU, and I’m relying more heavily on the historical side rather than the game but I'd love to hear what you all think and if my logic actually tracks for this.

(Most of the historical stuff is coming from Wikipedia, so do with that what you will. There are also spoilers in regards to the Kings of Sparta.)

Most of this doesn’t really apply to canon because Kassandra is the canon protagonist and this doesn’t work if we use her—as a woman, she wouldn’t have been eligible for the throne in the first place. There was a 'queen' title during the Classical period, but it looks like it only refers to wife of one of the kings and not an inheritable position. I’ll be using Alexios as the elder sibling here.

To get it out of the way, there are technically two different birth years for both Alexios and Kassandra, based on the novel and game respectively: Alexios - 458 BCE or 453 BC   |   Kassandra - 451 BCE or 446 BCE. Based on when Leonidas died, 458 and 451 makes the most sense and I think is the generally accepted opinion. It also just fits my timeline better.

The most glaring issue here is that I’m not sure if the kingship could have been passed through Myrrine unless there were no other potential heirs or with the interference of the Ephors.

Myrrine’s brother, King Pleistarchus, died with no heirs around 458 BCE. I’m going with him dying a few months after Alexios is born. Pausanias (II) wouldn’t be born for several more years, historically speaking. Even if we use the younger ages for Alexios and Kassandra, they would still BOTH be older than him. Which. The Pausanias we got in game? WAY older than the real Pausanias. He would have been like 14-16?? when the war started??

Side Note: I have a suspicion that the Pausanias we get in Odyssey may be a bit of a blend of Pausanias II,  his father, Pleistoanax, and his grandfather, Pausanias I. All three of which were considered traitors and exiled or killed for one reason or another.  

Pausanias I, served as regent for Pleistarchus, until he was caught allying himself with Persia and found himself murdered by the Ephors a lá the cask of Amontillado (i.e. bricked up into a temple and left to starve to death. Seemingly started by his own mother no less!).

Pleistoanax was exiled for making peace settlements with Athens. He returns to the throne in 427 BCE after the death of Archidamos II.

Pausanias II was put on trial twice, once for betrayal and the other for “poor leadership” after which he was sentenced to death (he escaped and lived the rest of his live in exile)

There seem to be a few options for next in line to the throne after Pleistarchus all but Alexios would have been descendants of Kleombrotus, Leonidas’ younger brother. The other two brothers had no known sons.

Pleistoanax is who, historically, inherited the throne from Pleistachus.

Cleomenes II and Nasteria, the younger brothers of Pleistoanax. Neither brother has much information available, so it’s possible that one or both.

Nikomedes, brother of Pausanias I, died sometime after 457 BCE. He was passed over historically as well but served as Pleistoanax’s regent.

However! In this version of events, I think, if given the choice, the decision could have been made by the Ephors to pass over Pausanias I’s descendants, if another possible heir was born. To me, it would seem that the grandson of Leonidas (and great-grandson of Cleomenes I) would be a far more favorable choice than the son of a known traitor (who would also go on to betray Sparta) even if they had to go down through Myrrine. But I also know that both Pleistoanax and Pausanias II betray Sparta as well and Sparta wouldn't have know that, so I’m a bit biased.

With all of that though comes the implication that Alexios could have… technically been king since he was an infant? In this case he would have inherited it directly from Pleistarchus in 458 BCE. It would have really just been the title, and he would have a regent, likely Nikomedes, as he was regent for Pleistoanax.

Obviously, this doesn’t line up with the game much at all, but I think it’s entertaining to think about. For it to work, I think the regent would need to be a part of the cult and actively want Alexios to either join them or be out of the picture entirely and replaced by someone already under their control. In this case, the opportunity to get rid of him showed up first at Taygetos and they jumped on it.

(Fun fact: The direct heir/king of either throne generally did NOT participate in the agoge. All more distant heirs, would have. The heir would have specialized training and was also protected from the high mortality rate that came with the agoge.)

Personally, I just think that it’s funny that none of this ever really comes up? I get why it didn’t—they would need to change the story depending on who you chose to play which would likely be a decent bit of extra work. Although, I do wish that playing as Kassandra or Alexios had more consequence to the story—I would be far more inclined to go back and play as both if they weren’t the same story.

tl;dr: I think that Alexios could have possibly been the Agiad king/heir if the Ephors decided that Pausanias I’s descendants were too much of a risk to put into power.  

[manytoonepoet13]

Mysticism and Secrecy...

WE'RE BACK AT IT AGAIN, PEOPLE.

So to recap, in the second part of episode two, we learned about the Illusory SEEDS and Merold's true intentions, how while those stories that were told about Merold and his abilities were indeed a lie, he is still the strongest, not in terms of physical strength, but rather in terms of how he carries himself, his words, his wits his smarts. And it indeed worked because My Melody's kingdom grew to be one of the strongest within the Red Continent.

This is what chivalry means to him, what made him want to become a knight; do whatever he can to protect the ones who are dear to him despite having him to "Tell as many lies and use as many underhanded tricks as I need to. Go ahead and call me a fraud. That means nothing of me. Not if it means I can keep Melody and her kingdom out of danger with these unworthy hands of mine.". Sounds familiar?

Quote from Your Melody: "It's okay to deceive with an outright lie... because within it lingers a quiet love." — "If I were to stain your smile, then I would do away with this heart of mine." — "Even with this fragile heart, above all else, you are my dearest. (Tell me, tell me why.) These overwhelming feelings are a MELODY for you. (Tell me, tell me why.)"

Merold knows that what he's doing isn't the best, even going out to admit they were merely "lies" and "underhanded tricks", and that they would bring disdain, fear and anxiety across the world of Fragaria, but he doesn't care because he's doing all of this to protect Melody. That, and he's already too far within his own illusion.

You see, Merold and the SEEDS aren't too different, really.

Quote from episode 2, part 1 (Merold): "These SEEDS and the oh-so-terrible "greatest knight" might just have something in common."

Besides, have you noticed that both MELODY (representing Merold) and SEEDS are both in all caps?

This is because they have similar forms of attack; by spreading fear and anxiety through lies or "illusions". The SEEDS' lie being their illusions to cause harm, and Merold's lie being his facade to protect the ones who are dear to him.

You see, this is actually not the first time we talked about the SEEDS and illusions all in the same sentence, or, paragraph rather.

In all of my theories, me and my friend concluded that the SEEDS take on various forms to create illusions to trap the knights. (The ribbons in Ever Red. The mansion in Your Melody. And the neon lights in Charcoal White.)

We figured that if the SEEDS can take into various forms to create illusions, it'll be easier to lure the knights in unnoticed, especially when the forms they take are what the knights' wants, but always at a cost.

In Ever Red, the ribbons tie everyone together — symbolizing Hallritt's want for all of them to come and work together as one, in exchange, he's being held back, tied down, pulled into the abyss of those fragmented memories as if he's being tied on a leash. And is now stuck in this loop of anxious torment. — They overpower the knights.

In Your Melody, the mansion is beautiful, peaceful, safe — symbolizing Merold's want for a peaceful life, one where he can keep everyone who he holds dear safe. In exchange, he became so fixated on this illusion that he cannot see any other way other than this. He knows that this is safe, he knows that he can protect them like this, but in the long run he will fail. — They overpower the meadow, the knights.

In Charcoal White, the neon lights are the ones that "paint the city" — symbolizing Chaco's want to be seen, but in return, he lost sight of who he truly is, now struggling with the fact whether or not he is authentic. Is he true self even "true"? — They over power the graffiti, the knights.

Now, "Seeds correlating to missing cases where they can make people disappear aligns with anxiety. Our first perception of seeds were that they're anxiety. It aligns because when you're anxious, you'd just want the ground to swallow you whole and disappear forever, hence the missing cases? I'm thinking that when someone is anxious caused by the seeds, it would soon consume them and then they'll "disappear"." — @c h a m a l a m.

"I'd like to think of these as different stages. Stage/act I: Anxiety. Stage/act II: Vanish. I could say that there'd be a third stage/act because it could fit well with the Fragaria 3: bouquets and timelines." — @c h a m a l a m.

So you see here, like what my best friend said said, it aligns because when you're anxious, you'd just want the ground to swallow you whole and disappear, that is what Merold thought of and incorporated when he lied about being the "strongest knight", to cause fear and make people think twice about making an enemy of him.

But this is where he will meet his downfall because I believe his plan would backfire. Going with the Your Melody theme, we have this line:

Quote: "The signals from our talks that made my heart flutter... are now sinking down my ordinary wish to the bottom"

Back then, I wrote how this "ordinary wish" of his is the want to continue living this "peaceful life because this is where it is "safe", but the more Hallritt protests, the more they talk.. he slowly began to realize just how this can be incredibly crucial to the story, that's why he began listening to Hallritt.

Now, have you guys realized that during Merold's little speech about what chivalry means to him and the mirror scene from Your Melody resembles each other?

Well, I believe this is because this is where he began sinking and got sucked into the broken mirror, where he began to lose the important parts of himself for the sake of protecting Melody. His actions were a double edge sword, causing anxiety and fear to bring peace and security.

This is also why Hallritt was serious–looking in the album cover and during the majority of the mv. He didn't like how he was told he was unfitting for a knight, how, when he asked Merold about the fault in wanting to be idealistic, he was told "All I'm hearing is 'let's work together' this, 'let's learn from Red Bouquet' that, 'I want to be this kind of knight'... It's all about you and your ideals. But for all your pretty words, in reality you were fooled by a single SEEDS and you achieved nothing.".

He became tense and distant towards Merold because he still sees Merold as a fraud and he even declares how he hated people like Merold, he even attempted to fight him a couple of times already. Hallritt's purity and innocence mixed in with the love and passion he's feeling has caused the predicament they were once and currently in.

All this negative energy won't do them any good, especially if they want to go against the SEEDS who literally thrives off of negativity. So, what should they do? SUMMON THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP, BECAUSE FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC. (jk).

In my Charcoal White post, me and my bestfriend theorized how in the song, they realized that going in headfirst while desperately trying to eliminate every single SEED they encounter wouldn't work, so what they did is take a strategic form of attack and will infiltrate the SEEDS at it's source. And it seems like we was right because that was what Merold and Romarriche did in the episode.

But truly, it is indeed best if they were to stick together and actually get along with each other because only they, the knights, could dispell the SEEDS, and if they let their negative emotions get the best of them.. then.. well, let's just say that it would result to more angst, conflicts, and time loops (probably).