#Hope any of this made sense

[dunmeshistash]

Marcille is/was a teacher to Falin, and I read somewhere that romantic student/teacher relationships are a big taboo in Japan. Like more so than over here. But they were also romanticized so they show up fairly often in anime. I guess what I'm saying is, maybe Marcille is unwilling act on any romantic feelings for Falin because of this taboo? (As well as Falin being 23 just feeling too young to an elf)

Well, nothing indicates she was an actual teacher, she's described as an student and as a researcher but not as a teacher. Here's some discussion about her role at the school

When she corrects Laios she says she wasn't a student but a researcher but in her descriptions she's called a honor student.

Falin is the only one that calls her a teacher (as far as I remember) but I don't think she meant a literal teacher at the school

In the original she calls her 恩師 which is like a respected former teacher? I don't know if it has implications about her role at the school but nothing indicates she was ever actually in a teacher position (as far as I know), Falin might just mean that Marcille mentored her in magic and she respects her for it?

But anyway, I don't know if japanese sensitiveness would count on Dungeon Meshi in that aspect, Ryoko Kui treats her characters as westerners and even puts their sensitivities against japanese ones with the use of Shuro, like with the hugging section of daydream hour or when Mickbell and Chilchuk are shocked at him for proposing

Marcille and Laios come from the same continent and the place she lived was a small village in fantasy europe so I don't think japanese taboos would count for her

Marcille also only mentions seeing Falin as a little kid and doesn't talk about her as a student (and in context to me she's saying she'll never be too big (too grown up) to sleep together with her) I think she does see Falin as someone younger but idk if she actually see's her as a kid the same way she sees Chilchuck as a kid

Anyway I usually don't answer shipping questions but I wanted to answer this one cause of the cultural differences bit.

Gotta remember using drugs is also very frowned upon in japan and Kui has drugs in her worldbuilding without demonizing it's use, so I don't think general taboos would affect the worldbuilding like that?

Also there's nothing in the story about Marcille's feelings towards Falin that would indicate she's holding back in any sense so I don't think it would fit. Headcanon is free from canon shackles tho.

[faffodil]

How I think Sunnys relationships with the older eggs are gonna go:

(This is entirely based off vibes and obviously i am not, in fact, a fortune teller so they probably won't be at all accurate to what actually happens. You have been warned.)

--------------------------------------------------

Chayanne - Starting off strong, they both like potatoes and avocado toast, and Sunny wanted a supervisor chair just like Chayannes. I feel like Sunny might be intimidated by the older eggs at first and try to stake her claim to Tubbo by being really defensive, but I also dont think Chayanne will care too much about that. He'll probably just tell them about Tubbo being his egg, and she'll join him in bullying Tubbo lmao

Tallulah - I think after some initial confusion theyll probably get on okay. They have very different personalities, but they both like flowers and music so I think they'll be alright. Having a "good example" might be good for Sunny to show her that you dont need to have everything to be happy but I kinda feel like it won't make much difference to our little diva <3

Ramon - oh boy where do I start. I genuinely really think these two will end up becoming close- they live really near each other and their parents are both morning crew so theyre gonna end up spending time with each other a lot. Sunny will probably be jealous of Ramon knowing more create than them at first but i also think they'll get on really well. Ramon doesnt tend to spend a lot of time with other eggs comparatively, and Sunny could do with somebody in her life who doesnt bend to their every whim, which Ramon definitely wont. Bonus points if Ramon takes one look at Sunny being classist and forgets Everything Fit taught him, to join in with her

Dapper - again, i think theyll get on okay. Tubbo didnt tend to hang out with dapper much before the eggs left, so realistically I dont know how much to expect them to interact with each other. Dapper will probably just love showing Sunny her massive collection of animals and items, and Sunny will want Tubbo to get all of them for her

Leo - lmao i think theyre gonna be a really funny pair together. Tubbo rarely saw Leo before she disappeared, but he has already mentioned that he thinks Sunny would get on with Leo so he'll probably make an effort to introduce them. Sunny and Leo are either going to be instant besties or rivals, no inbetween. Theyre either gonna bond over all of their things (Sunny once again being jealous that Leo has a nice house, i bet) or constantly try to one-up the other with expensive items (Leo's winning this one, hands down, but it'd be funny to watch regardless).

Richas - ngl i feel like Richas is probably gonna be busy with Pepito and (maybe) Em so he wont see Sunny as much, but I also think those two are gonna bond over their morning coffees and general disregard for their parents wishes <3 also if Richas is up early enough hell get dragged into the morning crew shenanigans too so he may end up spending a pot of time with Tubbo and Sunny

Pomme - honestly pretty similar to 'llulah, except possibly more of a parent-based rivalry (Tubbo and Pierre/Etoiles). Both like flowers and music, Sunny will probably be jealous of Pomme's 5 (6?) parents as opposed to her (current) one, but I think theyll get on okay. Again, Pomme was one of the eggs Tubbo didn't see as much, but he did make the effort to go say hi when she was alone so I mean maybe Sunny and Pomme will be closer than I think

But yeah. Them <3

I cannot wait for them all to wake up and meet the new eggs

[sapphire-weapon]

I'm gonna sound so predictable here, but any new EagleOne material to comb through in Separate Ways? I can't help but ask!

no new content, but it's definitely

framed

differently

like I think it's going to be a lot easier to sell people on the idea that EagleOne is a canonical romance now that SW is out, because that's pretty much how both Luis and Ada see them.

like SW goes out of its way to reinforce over and over again "Leon and Ashley" "Leon and Ashley" "Leon and Ashley" like this is their story. they come as a pair. Luis is very tangentially and distantly part of their team, but not really; it is still The Leon and Ashley Show, and Luis knows he doesn't belong. and Ada has no place among them at all.

like. this is Ada's perception of Leon and Ashley:

+ after ringing the bell of the church, Ada can go back onto the roof of the church, where she can hear Ashley sobbing from the window. you can then go down in the little room on the side (that has the hatch underground), Ada finds Ashley's photo, and goes "I'm sure Leon is here to save her"

+ is told by Luis that Leon and Ashley are infected, and Ada's actual literal response is "why should I give a fuck"

like no seriously that's what it is

+ is present for the radio call between Luis and Leon at the very start of the castle, hears Leon playfully ribbing Ashley with the whole "but Ashley just had to see the inside of this castle first"

+ tells Leon to leave Ashley for dead, which pisses him off, and offers him sex, which he just ignores

+ sees Krauser walk out of the Salazar boss room with Ashley slung over his shoulder and watches Leon and Ashley call out each other's names. stays only long enough to watch Leon get pissed and shoot Salazar in the face.

+ watches the "for Luis" scene play out

+ hears Ashley successfully fight off Saddler's influence in order to protect Leon, because Leon's headset like. automatically connected to Ada's very conveniently

+ watches Leon princess carry Ashley out of the altar room

+ encounters Ashley during Leon's fight with Saddler, where Ashley basically orders her to go help Leon. it's kind of wild, actually. it's very much a tone of "Leon and I are a team and if you're not here to help you can just fuck off, actually"

+ the ending as normal

like

when Ada is watching The Leon and Ashley Show, it's more often than not moments of really heightened emotion between them.

and she only sees Leon a handful of times in a context divorced from Ashley, and it's usually to watch him fight like hell to get to her. and when that is basically all Ada actually sees of Leon during his mission, like...

it feels very very very different from Leon's campaign. it feels very concentrated and focused on his bond with and devotion to Ashley.

it felt like

Ada was being forced to witness what it looked like for Leon to actually have his feelings reciprocated in a way that he never got from her back in Raccoon City, and there was definitely a sense of like

annoyance about it.

it's like when you see your ex with his new girlfriend and they're like WAY happier together than you thought they'd be and it just kind of pisses you off on principle and you don't even really know why because you really don't want him anymore, but it still just sort of makes you feel some type of way about yourself and the relationship that you DID have with him

it felt like that

I'm high out of my mind so this is probably not making any sense but. I think there's something really profound that can be said by making a direct comparison between Leon and Ada in RE2make and Leon and Ashley in RE4make.

it just feels so different. and Ada knew it was different. and it felt like Separate Ways as a whole wanted its audience to know it, too.

[leartistickarma]

Favorite part about sable and why?

Hello, Anon! Thank you for your ask ^^

My favorite part about Sable would have to be his appearance so far. He has an attitude towards me as his creator, which I get. The reason why I like his appearance so much right now is I just think he looks pretty cool if I do say so myself 😎✨ lolz

Personality wise? Despite being considered dangerous, he's not an actual bad guy. He may look it, but he still has 'humanity' left in him thanks to the cigarettes he smokes(they aren't regular ones. Hope that one drawing helped clear that up considering the chromatic smoke clouds 😂), which keeps him stabilized mentally and emotionally for the most part. Why I like this about him is he's still determined to be a good guy, despite the wrongs he has committed in the past. He knows he did wrong, and he won't forgive himself, at least fully if ever. He's willing to take steps forward, towards doing better for both others of the past he did wrong towards, the present ones, as well as for himself in some way. Although I am still building him up, I like how he's turning out bit by bit. Even if he may not show it directly, he does care, especiallywhen he isn't feeling... Devoid of his emotions? But that's something else. And he's pretty good at being a total ahh most of the time. Though I will add that in general, his personality can and will change, but mainly I guess you could say he gives off Killer Sans vibes for the most part despite what I've said. And I don't say that because of the DT looking stains on his cheekbones. That is something else, not DT like what Killer has.

Mm- I rambled. I think. Dunno if I got off track or not, lmao. But even if I did, free extra info that might help others get to know about him a bit more.

*scurries off* 🐀

[emeritusterzo]

Do you think Danhausen is more clown or mime adjacent? I know he is neither but to which end of the spectrum do you think he leans?

THIS IS SUCH A GREAT QUESTION I’m enchanted by your brain

I would strongly lean on the side of mime, since his early character was heavily inspired by kind of a rob zombie-esque photography while his performance heavily relied on how he moved both inside and outside the ring, which granted the unsettling un-human aspect of his character (and is why my horror fan ass got obsessed with him)

(see 2019’s highlights video, “the beginning of Danhausen” or “evil Danhausen types a letter” for reference)

even when he fell to his more clownish side we know and love his character was still heavily developed through physical comedy if we’re talking in-ring wise, be it by his height, the use of the jar of teeth, his general clueless sometimes or even his cursing

I imagine the strongest point for clown is his face paint but, for me, none of them resemble clowns that much

[jonesyjonesyjonesy]

Jimena cheated on Jimmy? Oh, brother, this is what he gets for treating so many women like trash over the years. I hope Scarlet got a side piece as well.

Lowkey: It would have been crazy if they start having kids with him pushing 80 while she is still in her 30s. That is a huge gap btw. I think JP already got his karma.

And yes, the reasons why people babying Jimmy is because him being one of the most influential musicians in one of the most influential bands, so people give him a pass because of it. And he benefit from pretty privilege and rich privilege.

Like I said, I never had heard about the Jimena thing so whether or not there’s “karma” there, who knows. Relationships are hard, people are complicated. Being in a relationship with a recovering addict is a complication, an age gap is a complication, fame and fortune are a complication. Even if people “deserve” what comes around to them, it’s still painful and they’re still human.

Personally, I don’t dwell on the Scarlett/Jimmy relationship. Plenty of musicians his age are in age gap relationships like that and many have already have children. I don’t get the impression that’s what their relationship is about, however, watch me be surprised. I think he’s getting a lot of joy over being the patron and champion of a young artist; sure romance and sex make that more complicated, but I do sense a deep respect there for sure.

I find that a majority of Jimmy lovers are actually pretty comprehensive in their knowledge of Jimmy. What I mean by this is that I don’t know many people who “ignore” the bad stuff. And with Jimmy, there’s a lot of that going on. Even with John there’s shit I don’t like to look at. However, I think with deep empathy, it can be understood. Not DEFENDED or JUSTIFIED, but understood. From there, it’s at any of our discretions to like or attach to someone. So I have a lot of respect for my fellow Zeppelin blorbo havers ☺️

[coldbycrossfade]

MAN THAT REALLY COLORS THIS RESPONSE IN THIS CONVERSATION SO DIFFERENTLY FOR ME

[redfirefox-55]

Ok so I don’t know how to explain an AU in any way that is coherent but I will try my best

This was sort of inspired by another person’s au on here that was like a sort of role swap, but basically mine is just what if Heng decided to go to New Kunlun to make up with Yi before the launch, only to get there in time to watch him die to Eigong, and then promptly get forcibly escorted to the civilian housing area and stuck into a dreamscape, even though she’s not technically a citizen on New Kunlun. And the plot continues as normal for awhile till she wakes up again hundreds of light years away from her home and a little shell shocked from watching her brother die in front of her for a second time

Soo basically the screw Heng over AU because I miss her and want her to be around more, or as I have lovingly dubbed it, the stowaway AU :)

Yeah it’s very half baked.. don’t think about it too much

Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that Yi still gets revived by Fusang in this au?

Neither is aware that the other is still alive.. for a while anyway

But come on guys you KNOW I of all people have to have a sibling reunion in my AU.. I just can’t help myself

[sensorydephrivation]

That “compare hand sizes” question from the preshow… we say that dnp are testing boundaries with their audience but never has there been a more direct and obvious example than that moment. Dan asks the audience why they screamed for it, he proposes several ideas (that it represents dick size, that it’s a fetish thing, something about furries), gets the answers “it’s cute” and “flirty”, and then ends up doing it anyway despite not having a better answer than it being a “they touched” moment. What a clear example of trying to find out what kind of freaks (not negative lol) we are and then deciding they don’t care what we think, yet doing the thing anyway.

[ink-the-artist]

holy shit I did NOT realize how popular my "I will remove my teeth, for I want to remain kind despite my anger" quote is. I just googled it for fun to see what would come up, a bunch of people are quoting it not knowing who its from, an artist called Kuma made an album titled that, so bizzare

[puppppppppy]

personal character design headcanons + brainrot

Note: the re-bound!au does NOT belong to me, it belongs to @chipper-smol I’m just not normal about it lol

[sluckythewizard]

PART OF A BIGGER DOODLE PAGE. WHEN ITS DONE ILL TUCK THE LINK INTO THIS LITTLE X RIGHT HERE ----> [X] I REALLY REALLY LOVE THE TOM N JERRY DYNAMIC W EMIZEL N VEX. IMAGINE BEING SO SO HAUNTED BY A LITTLE GUY THATS JUST SSSSOO FUCKING ANNOYING.

[paintpanic]

Res AU Joronia drawings. Character rambling and bonus doodles under cut.

This AU takes place a good while after the events of Triple Deluxe happened. Since then, Taranza's mostly recovered mentally from everything. He was able to move on from his grief and (somewhat) forgive himself. Now that Joronia's in his life again, seemingly back to her former self, some of those wounds he'd thought were fully healed have started to ache again. He still feels ultimately guilty for what happened to her.

He's thrilled that Joronia's been given a second chance at life, but is somewhat wary deep down. This feels to good to be true, that she's just back with seemingly no strings attached. The other shoe could drop any day now, and he could lose her all over again. Fearing this, he wants to make the most out of what could be a short time to be together again with his friend.

Joronia senses that there's a distance between the two of them now that wasn't there before. It shouldn't be surprising; he's probably still hurt from what she did. Other people definitely are. She's determined, though, to work hard to make it up to everyone she's hurt, and to prove to them (and herself) that she's not really like that, that she's capable of being better.

The Mirror's influence twisted her mind and her perception of reality. It made her feel like she was inadequate, and that everyone else were enemies to be subjugated. Now, she's supposed to be normal and better, but she still feels like there's something wrong with her head. She still doesn't feel good enough, and it still feels like everyone hates her. It's hard to trust herself. She's not sure if it's some lingering effect of the Mirror, or if there's just something inherently wrong with her now. She's scared.

She's afraid that something will happen, that she'll revert to how she was as Queen, and that she'll hurt Taranza again. Someone who'd always helped her, who'd stuck with her even when she was absolutely horrible to him, and who's kindness she's relying on again now, staying at his home as she worked on getting her life back together. She's a burden on him, and she always has been. She hates it.

Still, her deepest, most selfish wish is that they could be real friends again.

---

These two need to have a long, honest discussion about their feelings toward each other and themselves. Both of them are absolutely terrified about that prospect, though, because they each think that the other secretly resents them to some degree. If they actually talked through it, they'd quickly realize that they both want the same thing.

[windcarvedlyre]

The more I try to analyse Komaeda the more apparent it becomes that he's a hypocrite about everything. Ever. All the time. Cognitive dissonance all the way down.

[iztea]

helloo!! i was wondering how you go about rendering hair because i’ve been staring at your drawings for HOURS and i’m in love. like literally entranced with your art style.

sorry if you’ve already answered this question!!

hii! sorry for the late reply, i wanted to use this ask as a opportunity to drop the little hair "tutorial" that i promised a while back so here it is; this is how I personally draw hair ** side note: i didn't use any references for this one so it's strictly painted off the top of my head

[ironunderstands]

Double Indemnity, Spellbound and how a retroactive plot twist kicked the communities ass (which also has some VERY interesting implications for Aventio)

I had a very enlightening conversation on TikTok about the nature of these two romance/thrillers, and while unfortunately, I have no idea how to watch them, the plot synopses I’ve seen and analysis other people have made have caused me to come to this conclusion/interpretation of these references:

On the first viewing of the Double Indemnity questline, the reference to the DI movie is meant to be played straight, with Aventurine and Ratio being just as doomed to fail as they are in the movie, and their relationship as equally as toxic and fake.

On second viewing, it’s the complete opposite, and the track (and other movie reference) you receive at the end, Spellbound, proves it.

Let’s start with Double Indemnity.

Also disclaimer I’m gonna be over simplifying the plot/themes of these movies because a) both are singular references, DI is only referenced in the name of the quest itself and Spellbound is only referenced in a track you receive once you complete DI, and references this small probably aren’t meant to be anything more than a fun Easter egg for those who notice it b) this is hoyoverse they aren’t clever enough for that anyways c) the nature of references isn’t going to be having everything be the exact same anyways, so I’m just going to go with the overall interpretation of DI + Spellbound/their impact, picking the stuff which aligns with the actual plot of the DI quest, I don’t care what happens in one frame at 30:01.56 minutes in and neither do the writers

Anyways, how does the Double Indemnity reference on the first viewing seem?

On our first play through of the Double Indemnity quest, we are made to believe that Dr. Ratio and Aventurine do not trust each other, but they are begrudgingly working together for the sake of stealing Penacony for the IPC. Then, Aventurine makes it seem as if he wishes to use the singer Robin’s- also the sister of Sunday, the head of the Oak Family and the one they are negotiating with- death as a means to pressure Sunday into forking over some of the Family’s secrets, which Aventurine will then use against him in future negotiations.

With this setup, the Double Indemnity reference is a solemn warning- Aventurine and Ratio will fail.

You see, in the movie, Phyllis Dietrechson intends to kill her husband in order to earn the money from the Double Indemnity clause (which is a real legal thing btw!), roping in one Walter Neff when he falls for her. However, their relationship isn’t stable and in the end, Walter betrays Phyllis, ratting her out to the investigator Keyes, ultimately meaning they don’t earn the DI clause, also killing Phyllis in the process.

Hopefully you can already see where I’m going with this, but it’s time to draw some fun parallels.

Sunday is Keyes, Ratio is Walter, Aventurine is Phyliss and Robin is Phyliss’s husband.

Although Aventurine a) isn’t married to Robin and b) he didn’t actually kill her, he is the one who witnessed her “death” and in the first viewing of the Double Indemnity quest, we are made to believe he intends to profit off of it, although this time the payout isn’t money: it’s Penacony.

To do this, he enlists the help of Ratio- albeit not seducing him, but still convincing him to help nonetheless- and together they go to meet Sunday for negotiations.

However, Ratio “betrayed” Aventurine, ratting him out to Sunday behind his back and informing him of his plan, which mirrors how Walter confesses to Keyes. This results in Aventurine being sentenced to death, much like how Phyllis dies by Walter’s hand, Aventurine seems like he will die by Ratio’s, calling him a wretch before slinking off.

And there you go, their partnership is as doomed as the one in the movie, failing because their trust + love didn’t hold up till the end, a devious foreshadowing.

At least, that’s how it seems on the first playthrough.

Because Aventurine and Ratio’s plan SUCCEEDS.

And on the second viewing, knowing that the betrayal is fake, you realize they succeed because they do the one thing the people in DI (and I’ll get to Spellbound) DONT do- they actually TRUST each other.

Ratio and Aventurine’s plot is a success. And it’s because they deliberately made it seem like they were doing a Double Indemnity plot. Like they were going to make the same mistakes as the characters in the movie. Sunday falls for the false appearance hook, line and sinker, and that’s his downfall.

They win because they TRUST each other, you can even say because they actually LOVE each other, unlike the characters in the movie, where it’s more list than anything else. Walter and Phyllis don’t make it together to the end but Ratio and Aventurine DO, and they get to continue on with their lives because of it. The reference to Double Indemnity in this quest is genius because it works both before and after you learn the retroactive twist of Penacony. It makes you believe Aventurine + Ratio are doomed to fail, and it makes you realize they were always going to succeed, expertly dawning the false appearances Sunday expects from them, becoming literal actors playing out the roles of two people who will fall short due to their selfishness. Sunday believes he’s seen this film before which is why he BUYS IT, and god it’s just beautiful looking back on it. He thinks he’s Keyes about to uncover a dastardly plot to profit off his sisters death, and in turn he paints Ratio and Aventurine with the identities of those he believes would do such a thing, which they do their best to play into. Ugh it’s amazing.

And now, for Spellbound.

You receive this track after completing Double Indemnity, containing the description above.

Now, this is a reference to Spellbound, another one of Hitchcock’s films.

The main characters in this one are Dr. Anthony Edwards, a man suffering from amnesia, and Dr. Constance Peterson, a psychoanalyst who he was meant to replace, who discovers a dark secret about Edward’s while they fall for one another; he’s an imposter. He believes he killed the real Dr. Edward’s, but she thinks he’s just suffering from a guilt complex. Fake Edward’s goes missing, and the real Edward’s assistant arrived and informs them that he’s missing. She finds Fake Edward again, living under the pseudonym John Brown, and although he tries to leave, she convinces him to stay, telling him that with the help of her mentor, psychoanalysis can help recover his lost memories.

Through an incredibly complicated psychoanalysis of dream, Constance begins to uncover the truth- learning the person who believes himself to be Dr. Edward’s (and is using the pseudonym John Brown) is actually a man named John Ballantyne. Ballantyne accidentally caused the death of his younger brother in the past, resulting in his deep guilt, as well as recalling the location where the real Edwards died- skiing off a cliff to his death. With his memories, they find the body, but it has a bullet wound, so Ballantyne is taken into custody.

However, her boss, Dr. Murchison lets it slip that he actually used to know (and didn’t like) Dr. Edwards, and through another complicated sequence gets him to confess his guilt and ultimately kill himself, which frees Ballantyne, ending the movie with the two going on a honeymoon.

So, what does this mean in the context of the quest line?

Well, let’s say Ballantyne and Constance are representative of Ratio and Aventurine respectively.

“Every psychoanalyst must first have someone else diagnose them.”

If we read Aventurine as the psychoanalyst (Constance) and Ratio as the diagnoser/doctor (Ballantyne), it reveals an interesting interpretation.

That being that they knew the truth from the start/ they had already succeeded.

Or in other words, unlike in Double Indemnity, in Spellbound, they actually succeed.

In the film, Constance is the one doing the diagnosing, the one trying to figure out the truth, and you can see that in Aventurine pretending he’s trying to find out the truth behind Robin’s death. However, in the DI quest, it’s the opposite. Ratio’s as Ballantyne is the one doing the diagnosing for the psychoanalysist, Constance, or rather, Aventurine.

To diagnose someone, you must be very familiar with them, or at the very least the ailment plaguing them, and Ratio he knows Aventurine through and through at the start, and what plagues him (his own sense of meaninglessness) unlike the protagonists in Spellbound who despite falling for one another quickly, don’t begin being intimately familiar with one another.

In this way, they have already succeeded. Aventurine and Ratio already know one another, and while they might not know the reason behind Robin’s death, that was never what they were searching for in the beginning, meaning they effectively can skip through all the drama (aka the ups and downs of Spellbound, finding out the truth behind Robin’s/Edwards’ death), and reach their happy ending- a honeymoon; or in DI’s case, Aventurine attaining his cornerstone, and fulfilling his end of the plan.

Interestingly, Aventurine slots into the role of Ballantyne and Ratio as Constance equally well, with the phone call Constance makes to save Ballantyne being reminiscent of the note Ratio makes to save Aventurine, as well as Aventurine being the replacement, or in the sense, the one to find the truth about Robin.

Personally, I think Aventurine and Ratio are reminiscent of both the main leads in Spellbound, which is why it’s complicated to discern the meaning of the reference. Oh how I wish I knew what the original Chinese description for this was (if you do please tell me 🙏).

Is it just meant to signify them being in love? Is it meant to signify that they will succeed, due to how well they know each other? Is it both, which is what the inclusion of Double Indemnity (the movie) suggests?

Either way, it adds onto the already present idea that the trust between Aventurine and Ratio is what allowed them to succeed in Penacony, and that’s not just something expressed by these movie references.

Think Aventurines Eidolons: Stag Hunt Game and Prisoner’s Dilemma, both of which are game theories about trust. Or how Aventurine says that Ratio knows him best, or how Ratio entrusts Aventurine with close secrets of his, like him being the “Genius” of the council of Mundanites.

“Do you trust me?” “That depends on you.”

These are 2 lines in their 2.0 conversation that really stick out to me. Ratio will always offer his trust so long as Aventurine can prove himself worthy of it, and as we have seen, Aventurine always delivers, proving himself long before Penacony in the Final Victor lightcone, albeit in his weird homoerotic way.

Therefore Ratio will always trust him.

And because of that, they win.

Now whether you take the deep trust between them to be romantic or platonic, or infer the literal honeymoon at the end of Spellbound to mean something for Aventio, either way the feeling absolutely there, and it’s crucial for an understanding of their relationship.

Also damn, the retroactive plot twist fucking slaps.