#This is less of a THEORY and more of a hope ig

[theodimasbabygirl]

I imagine this is very unlikely but I'd luuuurrrrve it if Ben had multiple killers Murder on the Orient Express style. Idk its been so long since we've had a murder mystery with multiple killers (iirc) and it would be so juicy.

[snekdood]

i think if people look back at all of this, the amount of people trying to suppress my voice, the amount of people Not believing a victim, the amount of people who want me to shut up about it- i dont think history is gonna look as kindly upon yall as you might hope.

[reegis]

Yo! Do you have any notes/tips for your coloring process? I've always had trouble with that part of drawings looking good lmao and I really like yours! If not for your specific style, do you have any tips with that in general?

Iv gotten a few asks about how I color but iv always avoided answering because

A) I am absolutely awful at explaining things, and

B) I am a very Very lazy artist you should probably Not do the things that I do

BUT i feel bad gatekeeping(?) my horrible technique if it helps anybody ig ill try and explain so

✨✨✨Welcome to Reegis’ Probably Not Reputable (But Very Long Winded) Art Advice✨✨✨✨

line art of a random character for the example, just pic whatever colors you have in mind for your base colors, you can try using palette generators or basing it off of existing palettes/characters/whatever I have absolutely no idea how color theory works (& this is why you shouldnt listen to me) so im solely going off of vibes. but it is Rough so onto step 2 & 3

(edit to add i usually start off with the skin hair & clothes on separate clipping layers and merge them together towards the end.. i think i forgot to say that at all here oops)

I abuse the hellll out of layer blending modes. overlay, saturation & multiply mainly, but also difference, brightness & screen. (just doodle something & try all of em out to get a feel for them honestly ik theres a Lot and they can be intimidating) for this i just wanted a more cohesive warmer tone to start with so i added a peachy overlay & a slight ombré to the hair to add a bit more interest to the character.

then just the most basic of rendering, some blush & highlights just wherever i think theyd go.

Another thing they tell you Not to do, my next step is to block out all my shading in a vaguely purpleish multiply layer!!! i cant be assed to do it any other way im sorry…. once i have the basic shading down, i lock the layer & go in with air brush eraser & also airbrush in other colors wherever I think the purple is maybe too harsh/clashing

still wasnt 100% happy with the colors so messed around with some more layer filter/modes/whatever you call them then colored in my line art! i think this is honestly the saving grace for all of my art shshsdhhf color your lines people. doesnt have to be all (i dont, i like the contrast) but it usually helps to make some at least a little less harsh

then with a little more color tweaking im done! one random sleepy dude, fully colored (by my standards)

and then if a piece needs more dramatic lighting you justttt

im so serious play around with layer settings! these are just basic multiply & add(glow), there as so many others you can abuse the shit out of & nobody will know or care in your finished piece.

was this?? in any way helpful???? I hope so.

[hermitw]

Jjk theories / opinions / thoughts part 3 uwu (they are becoming more stupid and less coherent, let's go)

-Gege began the rumor about sukuna drinking his own milk. It is TOO MUCH OF SOMETHING GEGE WOULD SAY I cannot be convinced otherwise

-Gojo's twink death happened in the prison realm

-kenjaku was involved in founding the star religious group. He's already been making pacts with sorcerers for a thousand years, so putting him in the Nara era isn't a stretch. We already know he made several attempts to interrupt the star plasma vessels. (yes I blame him for every thing ever. His fault. And I think he'd rather watch things crumble than do the work directly bc then it's like a game, unexpected things happen and it's more interesting. Bro is always playing games even with curses smh)

-Hakari would have started a fight club to fund Kirara's transition. Idk if the higher ups would have had issues w trans students or just with Hakari's unconventional domain and methods (not hesitating to lose a foot bc he'll get it back, for example), but Gojo called them a lot of variations of conservative idiots so it seems likely I think. And they left the school before she even came out, bc Panda didn't know.

-kinda unfair that Yuta gets to transfer into Gojo with his best outfit on, he didn't have to dress like Edward Cullen for years to get there (pls don't get offended I swear to God it's a joke but also I do kinda feel this way lmaoooo)

-how the fuck do nanako and mimiko's technique work? They're twins right? I get the feeling like Mimiko can't use one on her own, but she likes to threaten people with her doll and Nanako can hang people with it. I rly wish we got to see them more (I want to believe they survived sukuna bc Geto would have prepared those girls to stay safe, maybe there's just a time lag or something pls)

IN THE AIRPORT SCENE there's even Toji but those girls are not there so that gives me hope I kajahxkakdn (I get that maybe it's Gojo's mindscape but how would he have known that Haibara showed up to Nanami? It's not just his imagination imo, those girls are alive, I need them to be.)

-I miss rainbow dragonnnnnnnn I'm so sad and still mad at toji (despite my theory that he lost himself bc the worm is banana fish I'm just bitter lmao)

-I'm so fucking sad that we didn't get to see Hanami's domain. So I made one up myself but I don't have a name for itnkajsxjskmax I just think Hanami needed a redemption arc like Choso got :(((

-the other dubs are so fkn good that when I'm tired of it I'll just play that shit in another language. The first minute of the series in French tho made me laugh so hard I had to change it. But the exchange event in German was so good

-remember when Megumi brought out Max Elephant against Noritoshi Kamo? It's like. He knew that the blood manipulation weakness was water. Maybe that's a benefit of growing up in one of the 3 major clans.

-I feel like no one ever talks about how Megumi lost Orochi AND one of the demon dogs that was with him since he was a kid when he also watched Sukuna rip out Yuuji's heart. Like we all talk about how he gets more upset over losing animals than people but all 3 of those events at once... I was rly sad at first bc I wanted to see the snake more too.

-Megumi's head bleeding in every fight for most of the anime is meant to represent that his weakness is in his head.

-when it's raining, that shows that the characters are up against something bigger than they are prepared for. (I made a whole list of every use of water and its symbolism but God I feel insane)

-the shibuya arc hurts less to watch after the first 5 times (I think? I'm on My 9th watch and I think 2 1/2 read. It's hard to keep track at this point)

-I want to see the extended mahoraga vs sukuna fight in theaters I'm so jealous oh god

-I cannot be convinced that a single character in this show is heterosexual. Everyone is gay except for hakari ig but he's an ally so

-I think that Miguel and Larue might be together but idk

-kinda weird that no one mentioned nanako or mimiko (like how no one mentioned todo and he was fiiiiiine I knew he was having fun in the culling game the whole time)

-despite how much I love hanami, my favorite animated Gojo scenes are when he is exorcising them. The English dub especially oh god

[goldensunset]

Fun fact about N’s character theme: it’s based on prime numbers! I don’t know enough about music theory to tell you exactly how, but it’s neat that the composer took his mathematical affinity into account -moon

ya!!!! that’s what i was talking about w the arpeggios. that’s a detail i think is great fs….

don’t get me wrong it wouldn’t surprise me at all if n’s battle theme was some masterpiece of musical composition on a purely technical level that i don’t get because i don’t understand complex math and music theory terms. i tried researching the meanings behind his name and just exploded. i mean look at this. i do not go there

like i’m sure they were absolutely cooking something intentional. it’s all so nerdy. i trust they made their choices for a reason. but i still disagree with them

i guess what i was getting at is that like extra flavor details in the music like this are great but what’s underneath really matters too… the main melody plays the biggest role in storytelling here. in a critical plot moment you should be able to listen to a track and just Feel a certain emotion and get an impression of what the character is like or what the situation is like. is it happy, sad, fearful, determined? unsettling? does it actually distinctly lack a melody, and what does that say about it? like without having to study details like this behind the scenes.. you shouldn’t need a phd the song should just hit you y’know

like it doesn’t exist within a vacuum it exists in the context of ‘i’m fighting this guy who by now i know means well and has been lied to and is in denial at this point, in the hopes that he backs down from trying to change the world for the worse and admits he was wrong, so that we can please be friends’ i understand n is an unusual sort of person and that formulas and calculations are part of his character quirks. but also at his core he’s not a machine or something he’s a human being with a lot of feelings and beliefs. that’s like. a really important part of the narrative… ik he suppresses his thoughts a lot but like

ig i just would’ve expected more of that passion in him to come out during his decisive battle. you would not have to change that much about it to satisfy my conditions. like his standard battle theme works fine for him when he’s battling you just to like test and study you in a calculating sort of sense but in the endgame you’d expect it to be more dramatic. which is why i love the pokemas version where it gets fused with his castle theme it sounds absolutely perfect like that’s the n theme we needed

the like. main part of n’s battle theme like the melody part… it is full of dissonant intervals. again who knows there might be a numerical thing to it that i’m unaware of but y’know like those are the sounds that make you distinctly uncomfortable. that composers use to signify fear or evil. i once woke up in a feverish mini-panic bc that song made its way into my dreams. (and that actually made me appreciate it more not less. lol. if you strike fear into my heart that’s a compliment). and i know he is an antagonist and you should be at least a little bit afraid of him but see like that’s the kinda thing they did for like. ghetsis. the pure evil dude of all time whose name is actually music-related too. the man is so evil he got named after his own evil music. ok king

basically n my man he deserves more to his battle music than sounding scary and cold

buuuut i guess you could say that’s what his encounter theme is for. ‘prisoner to a formula’ has a distinct melody (although that song is creepy lol). and then in b2w2 it gets remixed into a major key and it’s now called ‘n’s theme’ so like yay for once mr natural harmonia has a memorable theme that sounds like he gets sunlight and fresh air and that’s definitively considered to be his character theme!! yay!!!!!

idk. maybe this is all supposed to represent how he suppresses everything he feels and withdraws into his shell and his mechanical obsessive habits while he’s battling. bc his heart is distinctively not in it it’s not true to who he is as a character and also he’s in denial and trying to talk a big scary game the whole time. like the music represents his outer self not his inner self which is imo not ideal for a decisive character battle. and especially not given that his battle theme is at its core basically the same in the sequel even after he’s undergone character growth they bothered to make a remix but still didn’t add heart to it. as if they still wanted your impression of him to be offputting. but who knows!

[heartbreakprincexsweetevangeline]

A Case For True Love 

There is nothing that the OUABH fandom is as invested in as the question who is the Prince of Heart’s One True Love–the one person that could make his heart beat again, whose kiss wouldn’t be fatal to, and his only weakness. 

It wouldn’t be as vexing if it wasn’t for the paradox that One True Love have supposedly been found and yet it was anything but love, and here’s another person who finally challenged the supposed unrequited love the Prince represents and yet they are denied to be rightfully called as “True Love.” 

That's what makes everything so confusing and compelling all the same. And  I sincerely believe that the One True Love, a powerful force in this universe, has always been the backdoor. 

Perhaps, like the Northern Tales, the promised One True Love had been twisted by the story curse until only bits of truth remained and none, even the Prince of Hearts is, the wiser

—----------------------------------------------------------------

Forewarning 

Before we proceed, I would hate to deprive you of joy of experiencing the stories you have not read before so please be cautioned that this will contain major spoilers for the Caraval book series (Caraval, Legendary and Finale) in which the Prince of Hearts first graced us with his presence. And obviously, the Once Upon a Broken Heart series (Once Upon Broken Heart and The Ballad of Never After) just in case curiosity got the best of you.

Lastly, I am aware that in one of the author’s IG story, Ms. Stephanie Garber have said that the third and the last book in this series, A Curse for True Love’s ending has changed. Thus all of my interpretations and theories based on the OUABH and TBONA would be rendered useless (ouch). 

And I've heard more people have received their copies of A Curse For True Love which sucks greatly, so at this moment, many have already know the ending and this is useless once again.

But I supposed if I love this series any less, I wouldn't feel be driven to write all of this.

Now all of that is out of the way, I hope you will have fun reading, as much as I had writing it. And perhaps could gain deeper appreciation of the wonderful, heartwrenching, but just as magical world of Once Upon a Broken Heart.

Paradox of The Prince of Hearts

One True Love that Perhaps Never Was 

The Ballad of the Prince of Hearts

The Key to the Valory Arch and More…

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·. Paradox of the Prince of Hearts

Some of us may know the tale of the Prince of Hearts by heart, but for all intents and purposes, let’s revisit what we’ve known about him, beginning from the 2nd book of Caraval Series: Legendary. 

Chapter 3, Legendary 

The description of the Prince of Hearts is the same as it is in Once Upon a Broken Heart, with the difference of Evangeline, being an angel as she is, couldn't imagine a more tragic existence.  She knew Fates weren’t saints or saviors, but she hoped that the Prince of Hearts was more feeling than the others. (OUABH, Ch1)

But that illusion is shattered. The Prince of Hearts is indeed a Fate. If not cruel and evil, Fates are dangerous because they couldn’t tell the difference between evil and good (OUABH, Ch 2). She thought Jacks wasn't a savior but someone needed saving from (OUABH , Ch 4)

And that makes the Prince of Hearts and his curse very baffling. On one hand, his entire driving force is to break his curse of fatal kiss, to find his one true love, and yet he himself is incapable of love. I

t’s not hard to imagine how he’s trapped in eternity of heartbreak, for in him exists the duality of Fate and very human desire–love. 

Contrary to belief, Fates are not entirely unfeeling as Lala said to Evangeline:

(OUABH, Ch 38)

As mentioned throughout, Fates are also very jealous, possessive and obsessive. They are not entirely incapable of love, but loving is antithesis to the very nature of Fates, and perhaps that’s why love will turn them human.

(Finale, Ch 20)

Jacks’s strongest feeling is to find his true love, in itself goes against being his Fate. Perhaps, that’s the problem- finding true love, but not allowing to experience love.

(OUABH, Ch 38)

Jacks could still be attracted to anyone, driving him to kiss even with tiniest hint of attraction. Operative word being “tiny hint of attraction” perhaps this is characteristic of Jacks’ Fatedness’s deadly combination of intense urges, obsessiveness, and inability to think of someone else’s welfare before his. As Evangeline puts it, Jacks being cruel as he always do. 

(OUABH, Ch 44)

His Fately powers could help him attract a person with his beauty, and indeed his kiss felt like it was worth dying for. But it is also the very thing that stands between him and breaking his curse, as if it wants to ensure he will remain a Fate.

And perhaps, a part of Jacks didnt want to become a human after lifetime of hurt. So the more he hurts the more heartless he becomes. But then again, his raison d'etre is find his one true love.

Thus the more heartbreak he experiences, the more his understanding of love becomes thwarted, perpetually damning him to remain Prince of Hearts and embodiment of heartbreak. 

Hope seems dire, until he finally comes across the girl who made his heart beat, the one who did not die of his fatal kiss, the most awaited One True Love…

︑︒⚬∙︓·⠄.*+:｡.｡　　｡.｡:+*·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.*+:｡.｡　　｡.｡:+*︑︒⚬∙︓·⠄

One True Love That Perhaps Never Was

In Once Upon a Broken Hearts, Princess Donatella of Valenda has been repeatedly mentioned and it’s becoming apparent that the sister of the Southern Empress is connected with the Prince of Hearts. 

It’s been said that she broke his heart (OUABH, Ch 13), Evangeline noticed Jacks had been tense at the mention of her (OUABH, Ch 40).

In OUABH, Ch 44, Jacks revealed to Evangeline their brief history- they first met at the sky carriage, she threatened to throw him off. The second time they met, he kissed her. He lied that she wouldn't die if she got him what he wanted. But as we know, she’s alive and well. And it’s because she’s made his heart beat and she’s the mythical One True Love promised in the story of Prince of Hearts. 

But as we could infer, it didn't work out. Jacks said that she never forgave him for their first kiss, fell in love with someone else, and stabbed him with his own knife. 

With Jack's propensity for cruelty, obsession, and selfishness, it's not hard to imagine why. But why is that the supposedly powerful force in the universe OUABH exists in itself could be so flimsy? Jacks himself repeatedly said that true love could break a curse, so why does it feel it’s the one being broken?

Most pressingly is the question, is there really true love in that One True Love? 

• • • • • • • SHORT NOTE• • • • • • •

Due to the bullet limitations, I had to cut out the timeline I created beginning from the second and third book of Caraval Series-- Legendary and Finale--up to the beginning of Once Upon a Broken Hearts. I will attempt to condense them and post them here in tumblr or on another platform.

But for now, I did as much as to include the most signficant moments and include the chapter in which you could find it

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Without further ado, let's proceed

*+:｡.｡　　｡.｡:+*

Reading the Caraval series definitely has my impressions vastly changed from what is told in the Once Upon Broken Heart series. That is just like the fairytales in the Magnificent North where stories are made both of truths and lie.

And I’d like to start with Jacks’ version of the story particularly on the part that it didnt work out :

(OUABH Ch 44)

First of all, Tella was able to forgive him, numerous times if I may add. She trusted him and she had been grateful for the kindness he showed her. She’d started to believe he was trying to fight against his nature for her, but ultimately betrayed her trust and hurt (Finale, Ch 39)

Jacks also conveniently left out that Tella was left with no choice but to stab him in the heart because it’s the only way to break out of the marriage he tricked her itno when that concept seems out of her card ( Finale, Ch 44) And when Tella thought that Jacks allowed their marriage to end because somehow the bond made him genuinely care beyond the immortal's feeling of obsession, all remains are selfish impulses. He wanted to use his restored full powers (which he was made to promise not to use against Tella or Legend but ofc he said unless they ask of him) to control her feelings for eternity. (Finale, Ch 54) 

 But most importantly, she has always been in love with someone else. She wondered if Legend felt love in the lust, obsession, and desperation in the feelings the Immortals’ possess (Finale, Ch 32). Or how during their kiss after they got unknowingly married and he’s absorbing her pain, her mind wandered to Legend (Finale, Ch 12). She didn't want to get married and yet in her mind Legend is the one that could tempt her to (Finale, Ch 22). When Tella was tempted to undo the immortal bond with Jacks she severed since she felt less alone when they were connected, Jacks wasn’t the person she wanted to be connected to. (Finale, Ch 45) 

If anything, Jacks simply made it easy for her to not to be swayed even when the object of all her desires has broken her heart numerous times.

Jacks may have wanted Tella, but to her wanting someone is not the same as loving (Finale, Ch 40) To her, love is messy but powerful all the same that you think more about someone else’s life more than your own. (Finale, Ch 34)

Of course, sometimes feelings and emotions are hard to untangle from each other. It’s hard oftentimes to say if they are the cause or the effect or something in between. Two contradicting things could be true. But I think it’s intentional that between Jacks and Tella the One True Love they shared is the lack thereof. 

As we’ve seen when Jacks kissed Tella during their marriage that allowed her to feel his emotions, there’s no love. (Finale, Ch 12) 

Or when the Ruscica that told the story of Donatella Dragna (which appears to only include objective truth) revealed that Prince of Hearts is still not capable of caring even though Tella, who supposedly made his heart beat. (Finale, Ch 44)

Perhaps, believing that he found his One True Love that thwarted it all. There’s no love that could counteract his Fately nature with propensity for cruelty and obsession. He only warmed up with Tella after the fact she’s possibly the One True Love, and it seems genuine, after all he disclosed intimate details about him and the fact he was once a human (Legendary, Ch 42).

He said that he didn’t know if she’s his One True Love, but he wanted Tella to be (Legendary, Ch 45). But is it Tella herself that dares him to hope, or because he wanted it to be true that One True Love has come? When he kissed her with all the passion and longing, did he truly want to kiss her because the lips belonged to Tella or is it because his kill wouldn’t kill her? Unlike Legend, not once Jacks said what he liked about Tella.

So if there’s no love, then why do Tella possess the characteristics of One True Love?

In OUABH, we have known there’s actual spell to turn someone into One True Love (OUABH, ch 47)

Then seven years before the events of the final book of Caraval series, Tella pulled up three cards and one of them is the Prince of Hearts. Because of this, Tella believed she’s doomed to loveless future for Prince of Hearts symbolizes unrequited love. (Legendary, Seven Years Ago)

 So maybe they got unknowingly cursed, as if dooming that their love will be loveless, and for Prince of Hearts to remain forever heartbroken. That future tried very hard to bring itself. Perhaps just like magic spells could mimic Love, some kind of curse could also mimic the promised One True Love.

So Prince of Hearts’ true love is told to be: 

Immune to the fatal kiss

Will make his heart beat

His greatest weakness. 

Let’s start with weakness. 

So it was said that Fate’s weakness is love because they will lose immortality. Well, Jacks didnt turn human, and if anything he became exactly the Fate and their destructive obsession that Tella was warned about.

With regard to weakness as in the kind of vulnerability that you could do unimaginable things for your love, or you’d sacrifice even yourself if it means they will be safe and happy – what actions did Jack do for Tella? 

Throw away his morals- he didn't have it to begin with.

 Willingness to sacrifice– regardless of his intentions, he put her life as a bargaining chip that made Tella think that he wanted his powers more than he wanted her (Finale, Ch 40) He betrayed Tella when she thought he'd try to fight his nature (Finale, Ch 39)

Unimaginable things– marry her without her knowledge and manipulate her feelings for eternity. 

Tella should've been her weakness but everything he did was less for her but more like for him and his own heartbreak. He may never intended to harm her, but as Tella said he already have. (Legendary, Ch 44) 

Making his heart beat

This one is baffling indeed. Jacks kissed Tella during the First Night of the Caraval (Legendary Ch 11), and Tella felt his pulse beating as fast as hers during the Fifth Night of the Caraval (Legendary, Ch 35). Firstly, Tella’s heartbeat weakened after the first kiss , and then it went fast, then it slowed down again until this moment. Secondly, four nights have passed by since the first kiss, did Jacks not just notice this until Tella pointed it out? 

There is a possibility that their heart beats synchronized at that moment because of One True Love binding them, and Jacks’s heart just took its time to beat. But at the same time, nothing stood out at that moment except the burning hate Tella had that made her attack Jacks, which he effortlessly avoided. 

There is another possibility that there are other things that have triggered Jacks’s heart to beat within the 4-night window. After all, Jacks is a busy man, a calculated collector, with many people writing to him asking for favors or meetings as Evangeline noted in OUABH (Ch47). There is a possibility that his heart beat far longer as there’s no definitive indication that he didn't have a heartbeat before that kiss. 

Immunity to Fatal Kiss

There were a lot of intimate moments and attempts at kiss but there about three times that Jacks and Tella shared a kiss and she didn't die. First, of course at the Fated Ball/First Night of the Caraval (Legendary, Ch 14). Second is the night Tella grieved for her mother and Jacks took her sorrows (Finale, Ch 13)

First kiss

With the first kiss, Jacks told Tella he wouldn't kill her if she got the second thing he wanted, but warned her that she’d still feel the effects. And so she did. Throughout the first to third night, Tella’s heart beat slowed down, even stopping in between (Legendary Ch 15, Ch 22). Blood pooled down from her ears to her neck, and beads of blood even fell from her fingertips. (Legendary Ch 16, Ch 24)

So if she’s One True Love, why is she showing symptoms of dying? 

By OUABH (Ch 44) , Jacks said that he purposely slowed down her heart so that she wouldn’t die immediately. That explains the heart beat. 

But I feel the revelation that Jacks lied to Tella, in a separate series, is quite significant. He purposely said that she could still feel the effects of the fatal kiss so she wouldn't suspect and still do his bidding, just to survive.

Perhaps that also explained why her heartbeat went abnormal again (fifth night of the Caraval, Legendary Ch 31, 34) just when her heart raced and healed her wounds after she was fed blood from Legend two nights ago (Third night of Caraval, Legendary, Ch 26 to 27). It healed her wounds and not completely counteracted the fatal kiss (Fifth night of Caraval, Legendary Ch 31, Ch 34). Tella was indeed dying. 

But then on the same night, Tella felt Jacks’s heartbeat pulsing . And her heart racing at the same time, which further confirmed to Tella that she’s his One True Love. The day after, she awoke with her heart pounding that further confirmed that Tella has survived the Fatal Kiss. (Fifth night of Caraval, Legendary Ch 35-36)

As mentioned with the heartbeat, there is a possibility that the One True Love activated at this moment which might explain why Tella’s heart quickened when she felt his heartbeat and no longer felt like she’s dying. 

Or perhaps, the love she had for Dante and her mother, somehow broke the curse. 

She might’ve hated her mother at this point that she no longer cared to win the Caraval especially now she knows she wouldn't die by his fatal kiss. But she wouldn't have felt so hurt by the betrayal had she love her any less. Despite the ruling anger, deep down she loves her mother very much. She was also increasingly conflicted about Dante who she suspects is Legend. That even if he wasn't, she feels she would still be betraying him. Tella was getting conflicted that she may have to choose between them so maybe the desire to save them both is what broke the curse. 

Second kiss

The second kiss took place at night (again) just after Tella’s mother had been killed. Overcame with grief, Tella agreed against her better judgment to accept the help Jacks was offering by temporarily taking away the unwanted feelings. Unknown to Tella, the blood exchange, and the words they uttered would tie them with an immortal bond that would forever tie their souls together in eternal matrimony. They proceeded to kiss as he took in her grief. (Finale Ch 12-13)

Unfortunately we don’t know if Jacks have experimented with someone else before. We also don't know how this exactly works. If the immortal bond goes beyond the grave— what happens if one half is immortal who has not become human, will the soul of the other half remain like some ghost?

There is the possibility that since the matrimony happened before the kiss, it could've saved Tella from the fatal kiss by an immortal bond that tied her soul to Jacks who was still immortal at this point. 

On other hand, I would imagine that if they were truly One True Love, they would’ve some existing bond before this..

• • • • • • •

Perhaps, the One True Love between Jacks and Tella is a cursed one, hence it mimics some of the supposed signs. 

Or maybe there is a universe where Jacks and Tella would’ve worked out in the infinite possibilities. And possibly the contradictions were due to the fact it failed to realized. 

What is clear to me, in this timeline, Jacks and Tella's love story felt almost doomed—not in a star-crossed lovers way, but doomed to never happen with every odds not in their favor. 

Perhaps their meeting and connection are necessary–Tella to challenge her notions of love. From a person who didnt allow herself to fall in love, to someone who embraced her heartaches, fought for love, and finally experienced all its wonder. 

Maybe, true could be said for Jacks. His story continues, and his true ending and ever after awaits him…

︑︒⚬∙︓·⠄.*+:｡.｡　　｡.｡:+*·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.*+:｡.｡　　｡.｡:+*︑︒⚬∙︓·⠄

The Ballad of The Prince of Hearts

It wouldn't take a genius to say that Prince of Heart’s concept of love is rather terrifying. It’s easy to chalk it up to him being Fate but we know that he was once a human. He might say he’s grateful it lasted for short time, but there's a hint of regret. (Legendary, Ch 42)

He was genuinely brokenhearted when the supposed One True Love didn't feel the same obsession as he felt for her. (Finale, Ch 44). Tella even thought that whenever she thinks of heartbreak, she will forever think the way he looked at her for the rest of her life. (Finale, Ch 45)He longs so much that he’s willing to manipulate if he could have a taste of true love. 

But we also know that using magic to make someone love you rarely ends well –we’ve seen that with Luc and Marisol, Tiberius and Marisol, Evangeline and Apollo. Their experiences may have differed but they are all left with the same despair (OUABH, TBONA). For Jacks, it's witnessing with his own eyes how his spell even with his fully restored powers, would be broken by true love. (Finale, Ch 59) 

If he witnessed true love, then it seems his notion and concept of love barely changed. Why is his concept of love twisted to begin with?

From Lala we have known that Fates are not entirely unfeeling. When they do, it’s intense and consuming; and the greatest of these feelings is the urge to be which they were made to be. (OUABH, Ch 38)

For Lala, it’s to be loved. As the Cursed Bride, she’s left alone at the altar crying poisoned tears. 

For Jacks, it’s to find his one true love. 

To help with the urge, Lala makes gowns, seeing brides happy in ways she couldn't be.

To Jacks perhaps it’s the apples. After all there’s no other constant with Jacks than apples. Perhaps that’s also why his diet varies only with the colors of the apples, because there’s nothing his lips wanted more but to feel someone else's'.

Later on, Lala revealed there’s more to her curse . The reason she’s Cursed Bride is because she’s unable to move on from her first love, calling off her weddings. She had chosen to become a Fate, thinking she would be able to stop loving him, to let go but she couldn't. (TBONA, Ch 38)

Perhaps the same is true for Jacks. Perhaps there’s more to his curse and how it was borne because of love.

Evangeline’s favorite tale is the Northern Tale Ballad of the Archer and the Fox , a romantic tale about a crafty peasant girl who could transform into a fox and the young archer who loved her, but was cursed with the need to hunt her down and kill her. (OUABH, Ch 8)

It was said that Northern fairytales and history were treated as one and the same because their stories and histories were all cursed. 

Except this one is true and it was Jacks all along. He wasn't lying when he said truth is never the what you want it to be– he, the Archer killed the Fox (TBONA Ch 43):

Jacks said he didn't know if he really loved the Fox, but if he hadn't he wouldn't have broken the curse that makes him want to hunt her. He wouldnt own seven volumes of the Ballad, and which is the only collection precisely positioned (OUAB Ch 47) The Fox appears to have felt the same; she's the one who encouraged him anyways and chased him even when he’s driven to kill her. 

Perhaps that’s how his idea of love had become so twisted. Could he even dare to call the love he shared with Fox as true love when even though they broke the curse, she still ended up dead. 

Maybe his perception of love has become opposite of what he had once felt for Fox, because it seems it’s not meant to be. 

So when the girl that was immune to his kiss appeared, it didn't matter if there was love. He could just rely on magic to make her feel things, and perhaps that was enough. 

But we know that he desired true love. He needed true love. Because he’d be trapped in eternity of misery for chasing someone who didn't love him; for relying on love borne out of magic, an illusion so fragile that would always end up shattering.  He very deserved true love.

︑︒⚬∙︓·⠄.*+:｡.｡　　｡.｡:+*·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.*+:｡.｡　　｡.｡:+*︑︒⚬∙︓·⠄

The Key to the Valory Arch and Possibly More...

As we’ve established, Jacks’s qualities as Fate with propensity for cruelty and obsession might be the reason he is unable to break his curse. But at the same time, his strongest feelings is to find his true love, which is very human desire, and itself antithesis to his being Fate. 

But a lifetime of heartbreak– killing his Fox, being trapped in the Decks of Destiny, and the One True Love that should’ve been promised to him didn't work out– desensitized him from feeling any remotely human feelings, and fueling his obsessive nature even further. 

And perhaps he just needed something that could make a tiny track in his hard exterior, and something that could prevent his obsessive nature from taking over. That someone could make him tempted to actually love, to care for someone so much they’ve become your weakness and you will do anything in your power to keep them safe and warm. That for a Fate like him, he’d do anything within his power to fight against his nature. 

Jacks might believe that the key to the Valory Arch is his last chance to get his One True Love–and he may not be incorrect, because that will also lead him to actually experience one of a kind love..a true love in the truest sense of the word. 

*+:｡.｡　　｡.｡:+*

The moment Jacks’s realize that Evangeline could open doors, and saw the color of her hair, he have already thought of the prophesied key (OUABH, Ch 2) :

“You will know her because she will be crowned in rose gold. She will be both peasant and princess–  a fugitive wrongly accused, and only her willing blood will open the arch. (Ch TBONA 53) 

At that point, he still had some leverage over his supposed One True Love as their souls were still bound for eternity. [Note: It was reported that wedding turned to stone but was saved by the bride's sister arrived the morning after the marriage (Finale, Ch 12, 15, 16) ]

Jacks could find her use for later. 

But that’s not the only surprising thing about Evangeline–when he helped by turning something worse to even worse, she couldn’t just stand back and drank the poison to take the place of the boy she loved and people who turned to stone. Jacks must’ve been reminded of the person he used to be when he warned her heroes don't get happy endings–they give them to other people, and she should want her happy ending. (OUABCH, Ch 3)

Maybe that’s prompted Jacks to become a hero even for a short while when he gave Tella the Map of All, despite knowing she will find out about their secret marriage (Finale, Ch 40). And when he did not fight her, encouraged her even when she was reluctant to sever the bond. (Finale, Ch 44) 

As we know, he’s the one that asked Poison to save her, and suggested that the Empress send her to the Nocte Neverending, get her married by making the Crown Prince in love with her, all so she could fulfill the prophecy. 

But he also needed her willing blood, which prevented him from directly manipulating her. He needed her alive, so he needed to protect her. And all of this perhaps is how he has grown to genuinely care for her well-being. 

Unbeknownst to Jacks, Evangeline has started hearing his voice way back in the Nocte Neverending “Self-pity doesn’t look good on you, Little Fox.” (OUABH, Ch 19). And it was confirmed further when he tried to take away her grief of sorrow that was being amplified by the poisoned tears (OUABH, Ch 36) Not only that, his magical manipulation wouldn't work on her. And from there on, they could project and hear each other's thoughts, which is reminiscent of the immortal bond that Jacks once attempted with Tella. 

But that didn’t stop Jacks from betraying her trust when she realized that he’s the one who cursed her husband in suspended, thwarting his scheming (OUABH, Ch 44). Even so, Evangeline was able to gain her autonomy, as if she possessed some kind of charm that Jacks couldn't fully manipulate with magic or elaborate scheming. 

Jacks also needed Evangeline alive, that’s why he had been overprotective over her– he quickly shoved her out of the way when a vampire lunged at her (OUABH Ch42) or when he hold onto her like a grudge and didnt let go, so she could properly recovered for being given poisoned tears (OUABH Ch 36). But as Evangeline felt, perhaps with increasing intensity over time, how he genuinely protected her for her– he held her close and carried her as if his life depended on it instead of hers. (TBONA, Ch 13). Even Lala knew that he wouldn't let Evangeline die (TBONA CH23) His nostrils flared when he saw her arms with crudely carved words (TBONA Ch 20)

Not only is he protective of her, he’s gentle and comforting. Unnecessarily to his goals, and excessively even. Maybe he held her like a grudge, but then his arms were tight as if he had no intention of letting her go. When he slid his hands across the rail and twined his cold fingers with hers; he didn't even let go when she squeezed his hand (OUABH Ch41)   Or when Jacks offered to kill people who were whispering bad things about Eva (TBONA Ch 23) Even he kept warning Evangeline about Petra, Jacks was never condescending about how he is right and just crushed Evangeline to his chest, gently pressing her head to his shoulder. When she got a slash across her back, he slid his arms carefully and under her neck as he cradled her to his chest. How he comforted her when Evangeline said how much it hurts “I know love, I’m going to take you somewhere safe.” (TBONA Ch 31). 

Perhaps Evangeline is easily dazzled that Jacks had fun teasing her– claiming she is tempted to kiss him or that she's jealous. When it’s increasingly obvious he is the jealous one; but it feels that it wasnt because he is a Fate, it felt something that belonged to Jacks; something that we havent really seen him do with his supposed OTL. 

Jacks was off-kilter when Evangeline pulled her hand free from him in her desire to answer Luc’s pleas for help. He told her how to most people, he’s the worst thing that can happen to them, but not to her, as if she’s willing to be destroyed and he was only a human (OUABH Ch 42) Or how he told Lala he’s only giving her what she wants, when he just terrorized every man approaching Evangeline before (TBONA Ch 25) then wouldn't allow Luc to take her to a dance (TBONA Ch 30). 

Jacks kept reminding Evangeline that he’s not a human, and it seems Evangeline is the human that is tempting Jacks to love.

Maybe when he told Apollo for weeks how gorgeous she was, it wasn't entirely because of match-making purposes (OUABH, Ch 15) Evangeline felt the way Jacks slowly took in every inch of her black thigh-high boots, her shortened skirt, and the form-fitting lace corset cinching her waist and the muscle in his jaw (OUABH Ch 39) Or when he couldn’t seem to let go when they were wrapped in embrace even after the vampire effects have come to pass (OABH Ch 45) How as he take his took slow bite of his apple, his eyes darkening moving from her lips to her neck, to her clavicle then to her breasts (TBONA Ch 15) The way he looked her where you weren’t supposed to watch someone when they knew that you were looking —bold and unabashed and utterly inappropriate. (TBONA Ch 25) Or the occasional brushing of his fingertips to her stomach or ribs, occasionally her breasts (TBONA Ch 25) And that he knew her wounds would heal on its own but he tended to them anyways  because he wanted to take off her clothes off. Evangeline was dying, yknow! (TBONA Ch 37). 

Perhaps, Jacks has always been attracted to Evangeline, after all a sliver of attraction could drive him to kiss. But he needs her alive, thus he needs to keep fighting his urge, his nature as Fate, that only grew in intensity over time. 

Even when he was burning with desire, about to kill another unsuspecting girl, he was able to fight against his nature because Evangeline didn't want him to. And as he touched her, grazing the slit of her skirt with fingertips soft as they traveled higher, and how he reached for her hips and hitched it to his– he reminded her “I’m not a human, Evangeline. And I’m not your friend, or your husband, or your lover.” It is apparent that he was being tempted–“Then don’t try to make me act like it. It doesn’t end well.” (TBONA Ch 25)

Even he was feeling blissful –perhaps as an effect of Mirth stone– he kissed her neck instead, as if he’s not taking any chances. His mouth pressed against her throat, slowly traced a blissful line next to her ear. (TBONA Ch 38) Or when he held her tightly that it hurts but Eva didn't mind, wrapped in embrace she knew they both wanted. Even when he deliberately fell his gaze on her lips, he licked only the center of her lips softly. She could feel his fingers against her scalp, holding her firm–he’s keeping his lips just shy of hers, he wants to kiss her but her safety is undoubtedly his priority.  (TBONA Ch 43)

Perhaps because he believed the mystical One True Love has come already, that from the beginning he, warning her that he is a Fate. If he loved her any less, he wouldn’t try so hard to push her away. After all, as Chaos said, she reminds him of his first Fox (TBONA Ch35) ; he doesn't want Evangeline to end up just like her (TBONA, Ch 43). 

But ust like the Fox, Evangeline had faith in Jacks. She kept chasing her even after knowing all this time he wanted to go back in time to his supposed One True Love, pleading with him to come with her instead. That he’s wrong that they aren't meant to be (TBONA Ch 45) And one last time, despite the hurt that he wanted her to just leave, she wanted to run back to him, tell him how much she felt. On one hand she believed that love was the most powerful magic of all, and on the other, it didn't matter if they stayed forever cursed–all that matters is he stayed. (TBONA ,Ch 46) 

How she couldn't love him?

 She kept being warned against Jacks, just like Tella. The moment Evangeline stepped in the Church of the Prince of Hearts which aroma supposedly would be one’s greatest heartbreak, it smelled of apples and blood. (OUABH Ch2).

When they jumped off the cliff, where she felt like that he held her close and carried her as if his life depended on it instead of hers —she hasn't stopped failing, she could no longer deny her feelings (TBONA Ch 37).

Maybe it has been foretold when the dragon-roasted apples that were supposed to taste true love, tasted hot, searing sweetness and Jacks–(OUABH, Ch 16). 

The same man who had admitted that he’s selfish, is asking Evangeline to stay with him for one night, asking her to let him pretend she’s his. Or if it will be easier, he asks that she could also pretend she wants to be his. The man who is said to know how only to take, is asking someone to take him (TBONA, Ch 37)

Romantic as she always is, Evangeline didn't want to be person that could disappear without anyone knowing she’s gone; she wanted to be important to someone, that if her heart stopped, she wanted someone else to feel it (TBONA, Ch 14) 

Only it did happen, and only if she knew afterwards the agony, the sort of raw grief that was only seen once in a century, how horrible the scream he let out as he held her in his arms when he lost her once. How he cried bloody tears for her. 

(TBONA, The End)

Evangeline might not be the one that made Jacks’s heart beat, but she is the one that tempted him to love, to truly love again.

 Evangeline has become his weakness–he’d fought hard against his nature as Fate. He would’ve traveled through time he used to be against for the One True Love, his raison d’etre—But he did it for Evangeline. All the scheming, the hardships they went through was so he could get back to his One True Love, his reason for being, but he didn't bat an eye and sacrificed it all for Evangeline. (TBONA, The End)

To Jacks, there’s nothing of equal value to Evangeline. 

*+:｡.｡　　｡.｡:+*.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.*+:｡.｡　　｡.｡:+*

Conclusion

No doubt in my mind that the “One True Love” promised in the story of the Prince of Hearts is the true love in the truest sense of the word. The same love held with highest regards, the powerful magical force on its own. 

Perhaps, this will also mark the ending of the Prince of Hearts– his heartbreak will cease, his love no longer unrequited because he knows how to love and someone could return it with the same intensity. 

He breaks out the curse, and perhaps he embraces the humanity he once discarded after a lifetime of heartbreak. 

The Prince of Hearts and the Valenda’s Sweeheart Savior may have experienced the greatest heartbreaks, but maybe in A Curse for True Love their story shall be remembered as a love story of astronomical proportions. 

[starsoftheeye]

TMagP 17 Reaction

Pre-Episode

I've discovered that acting disinterested literally makes the episodes show up earlier on my youtube account, so I've gotta play mindgames on this app every thursday to get to see the episodes less than half an hour after they release lol

Pre-Statement

Ah Celia is back on her bullshit

Wait did she just nearly get ran over???

I feel bad for laughing at her but her only reaction being "Oh for gods sake" is super funny to me how long has she been doing this

oh hi sam

oh god she missed their date :[

something tells me a habit is going to be made of this, especially considering she literally cannot help it

"it really wasn't" yeah no wonder you nearly became roadkill

theyre so cute i love them

ooh shes mad

Statement

"catalyst" huh, have we heard that before or is this the first time

pfft not the interviewer getting read to shreds

wild theory before i keep going, based on the title "saved copy" and the "identity crisis", "existential horror", "temporal distortion" and "captivity" tags, im going to assume that this person going to therapys having the details of their life copied somewhere for something to replicate and replace them, and the doctors gonna attempt to get rid of them but obviously it didnt work. either that or the guy outside the office does something

as someone whos never done meditation before this is not encouraging me to start

ah office spaces, the worst of cosmic horror

wait did they get teleported or something

tbf if my taxi driver started driving completely the wrong way i'd assume the worst and start "exchanging words" too

oh my god was i right

wait is this copy based on their therapy, a version of themselves with no problems whatsoever? and is this gonna be a "there can only be one" type scenario?

oh wait no i forgot siblings exist

wait nvm them having the same name is weird

"dates and times" so this is where the temporal distortion comes in ig

yup

i'm sticking with the "rich-darrien is a copy trying to assimilate into og-darriens life" theory for now

yeah because thats not normal darrien, even if youre related no-one looks completely identical apart from glasses, teeth colour and a lack of a beer-gut

do they both think the other is the copy, or does sharron just not know?

oh god what is he hiding

does he beat up a real person every time hes upset

of course it was his father that makes sense

oh my god the sound design

oh my god he's the one who assimilated thats so cool

good for sharron i hope shes doing okay

off-topic but i love the way the voices get more real as the statement goes on then go back to their more robotic tone at the end

Post-Statement

as a celia fan i am eating well this week jeez

celia my dear what do you mean by that "not exactly the same though, it is?" girlie what have you done what are you hidinggg

alice!

who was playing the music in the background there?

as someones whos computing department in school consists of keyboard with never-before-discovered types of bacteria wedged between the keys thats valid

alice dyer i love you so much

ah the dyhard is dyharding

ah yes the mutual "i'm traumatised and i know you are too but i don't like you enough to give details on mine or ask about yours so we'll just sit and suffer in silence til the ice somehow breaks" dynamic

also colin mention woohoo i love the scottish man

the computer start up noise and power down noise at the beginning and end of every episode kind of makes me think that someone is watching all of this (maybe us, or more likely someone in-universe)

anyway that was fun, i'm doing this late but this was a nice way to spend my first proper off-day since finishing all my exams

[nomeniko]

hi :D for the ask game What do you wish more people understood about kazui? Which trial 2 MV do you enjoy the most, and why?

thank you for the ask i would grovel at ur feet in gratitude i hope the sun shines down and makes the light dance for u and you only today

1. if anything ive seen a few theories of kazui possibly revealing himself to be a two faced manipulator of sorts due to his self proclaimed liarness…. like ‘ohh u cant trust what he says he cld be trying to make himself look pitiable to the audience to get voted inno’ sort of theories which is. no he wont do that???

is he a liar? to a degree yes—liar not in the sense that what he says are direct falsities, but more like hes built much of his character to constantly disguise his true intentions/feelings as a defense mechanism. the lies he says are less of words from a schemer and more of redirections from someone who is, all in all, an insecure adult scared of what will happen if he isnt able to meet peoples expectations of him

as much as he calls himself a liar hes mad honest about where he thinks his capabilities lie, which is to say he doesnt believe in his capabilities at all lol. when amane asks him for help with her studies, he turns her down after some consideration bc he doesnt believe himself to be smart enough to help (despite having graduated from a university; sports degree or not credit shld be given where credit is due). when he talks to shidou post ktk attack, he refuses to admit doing any of the work in taking care of the situation and instead puts all the praise onto shidou. even his physical strength and skill (which is arguably the one part of him he does acknowledge and take some sort of belief in) is something he treats as less of something that he has achieved himself and more of an obligation of his—like, hes strong bc to him he HAS to be, bc it is expected of him to protect those who need protecting. he does want to protect others, sure, but much of that wanting comes frm how ingrained it is in him that thats what hes good for, thats what his strength is for (his timeline w/ yuno on her bday says as much nyway)

the way i see it, that self deprication of his plays back into his obsession with meeting the expectations placed onto him, or at least lessening the disappointment of others by lessening those expectations in the first place. if u tell someone that u didnt go to the right university, that u didnt do much to help anyway, that u were born so fundamentally wrong as a person that everything is bound to go to shit as long as ur there (he basically said this to es in his t1 vd im not even kidding), wouldnt that ensure the safety that youre less likely to ruin someone elses confidence in you? less likely to ruin bc in the small chance that u still fuck up, theres not much left to ruin at that point

in the end ig what i wish more ppl understood abt kazui is that hes a liar yes, but not a manipulator. he lies to stay safe, not to be a sadist or whatever. you cant take what he says at face value (in much the same way u cant do the same for any other prisoner tbh), but that does not mean u shldnt take anything he says srsly at all!!!

2. ok this one i have to give a bit of thought, mostly bc i cant pick just one

if the standards were which t2 mv do i enjoy for its direction music n visual wise, purge march takes the cake so quickly. the music itself is so bomb (which like, i cant even find a logical explanation as to why… its just so good to listen to) n the mv itself does such a great job at creating the right atmosphere, both in its flashy theatrics and the subtle uncanniness under it. mayb i have a slight bias bc tpm was the whole reason i got into milgram in the first place, but i stand by it idccc

aesthetic wise, def all knowing and all agony. the horror elements r genuinely disturbing, but not so overbearing that it overwrites the pop style that milgram has going on. i luove the use of amber for blood, plus the filters that remind me of found footage u usually see show up in asian horror movies. i think i was actually terrified the first time i watched the mv

symbolic wise, its cat always and forever god bless. it takes advantage of its aesthetics to hint at subtle secrets so well that it makes me giddy as hell. the use of colors as a part of the set, the transitions frm scene to scene having its own part in making the story, n honestly making the bg more blank than usual readjusts the focus of the mv on what matters p well. i cant mention every detail rn or else id be here all day

[dieselpvnk]

Why don’t you like your least favorite campaign in rw?

Spearmaster is just. I dont like it so bad. Most of this is btw not objective critisism but just stuff I personally don't like for reasons varying from pretty valid to plain stupid.

there' just way too many moments that I find frustrating and not fun. Sure, you could say skill issue and that I should just get better at the game, but

I did this with chaos + enemy randomizer, I make myself suffer in this game for fun and Spearmaster just hits different. (also yes I'm just taking a chance to bring up this screenshot again because I kinda slayed)

random, but this is the only time I get to mention I was so excited at the start of the campaign, just to get upset upon realizing cool new starting region is just Outskirts, the first few rooms made me hope for a mix of Shaded, Drianage and Superstructure kinda region. I guess seeing what's behind the Surv/Monk starting pipe is cool, but I hoped for something different. Also sad you can't go back there.

The mechanic is nice ig, I like killing things, holding two spears is cool ig, but tbh, a pebbles and a spear is even more effective in most situations. The way Spearmaster gets food is pretty cool and very unique, but I do miss munching on corpses. Not having a stomach slot isn't a big deal, until you remember Spearmaster has a bunch of unique lore pearls bc nobody else has access to pre-collapse Moon. Imo it's much much worse than the story pearl.

Speaking of, the story pearl. It's whatever, don't care, prior to Spearmaster I played Hunter bringing both the pearl and the neuron to Moon and it was much more difficult, as Spearmaster I just used a passage. What IS a problem tho, is having to go between iterators back and forth. I wanted to know what Pebbles was talking about, so I went to Moon first, then I had to go to Pebbles to get top surgery, then I had to go back to Moon again to give her the pearl, and then I had to go to Sky Islands, which is also going past Pebbles through the Precipice.

The spawns are brutal, which is not an issue itself, I liked Artificer's camapaign a lot. The issue id that it feels "bullshit" brutal instesd of "challenging" brutal.

The regions are also not something I enjoy. Past Garbage Wastes? Better as Artificer with brief acid immunity and awesome mobility [and high threat level to compensate]. The only really good part is build-a-ladder room. Waterfront facility? It's whatever, and again better as Artificer because I can make shortcuts myself, as a little treat. any wall is scaleable and gap is crossable [unverified information], the Precipice is bad. Tight jumps, no shelters, missing a jump.is very punishing and a lot of threats on top of that. Yes I know you can bring a grappleworm, but I hate them so I'm not doing that. Moon's Underhang? Struts, I believe. Also very fucking bad, just. she has an awful infestation she should get it checked out. The only and only thing that made me get get that awya from me mod and remove spiders. Also it's hard to navigate and it doesn't have enough shelters to compensate. Moon's superstructure? I don't like superstructure regions because zero-g is the worst mechanic every concieved for rain world. also getting food from neurons is annoying. I know I don't have to I can just go through Superstructure in one cycle. but I still hate it.

The lore? Don't give a shit honestly, I was kinda hyped for the broadcasts but then I just didn't care, I was just hoping I can skip them faster. I don't care about iterator drama stfu!!!! Like it's cool and all. in theory. but in reality I really just ended up not caring at all. Call me a fake fan but I wish they just weren't in there or there was a lot less.

Spearmaster is a lot more enjoyable if you disregard the camapign and do whatever. But at that point I'd rather play slugcats I enjoy more anyway. No dual-wield and no unlimited spears isn't a deal breaker

[ace-and-the-rpg-horrors]

my personal headcanon/theory of Rui's first high school year!!

so all we know from the one line it was mentioned in pretty much is that he got into this posh school, i like to think he managed to get in through scholarship. i also hc it was an all boys school, to sort of be a less fun foil to Miyajou. so basically, Rui ended up in a school full of bitchy rich boys. no whimsy. no silliness. probably just work and boring talk of the future. Otori brothers prolly went there a decade ago.

sure wonder if he managed to fit in...

... nope, not at all!! he unintentionally clashed with them a lot on the rare times he managed to interact with his classmates. Rui's probably the type of student that asks a ton of questions in lessons, half satirical but half genuinely curious ones, and either way, at the "elite" place, both his classmates and teachers very quickly got fed up with it...

and of course, like the rest of his life, no one around him would give two shits about his ideas or interests which would defo begin having an effect on him quite early on (undiagnosed throughout his whole life neurodivergent Rui? it's more likely than you think!!)

also because i like books about boarding schools, i want to hc this one to be too- and i imagine Rui was full of hopes that his experience would be just as exciting as boarding school life is depicted in fiction- midnight feasts, light hearted drama, pillow fights, gossiping past bedtime, sneaking around to explore the school past curfew, having some sort of supernatural mystery to spread and hear rumours about, all that.

but obviously that didn't happen. it was dull and boring and not at all close to the warm, fun and friendly environment he'd been wanting. all his dormmates actually followed the rules strictly and he couldn't even get away with sneaking out by himself because there was more security than those books made out there'd be!!

as Rui began to realise he wanted out, that this was dreadful, that he was not going to spend three whole years like this, he felt like doing something drastic, to make up for a whole year of supressed creativity. Rui Kamishiro did not simply march into the headteacher's office and politely inform them of his decision to transfer with no fuss or noise. nah, i like to think he got himself expelled on purpose.

he was already excluded socially- might as well get himself excluded officially too.

he went out with a literal bang- did something along the lines of hijacking his school's main assembly hall to put on a little show with robots he'd secretly been building in the singular secret room he'd found (one boarding school wish come true ig) and at the end of it, a grand finale composed of a massive explosion of rainbow smoke and glitter that got everywhere and on everyone.

they didn't wait very long to chuck him out after he pulled that.

[noblechaton]

gonna ramble a bit about the ml art style change bc ig I have more thoughts about it than I knew. tagging this as leaks but no like story stuff is gonna be mentioned bc I don't really know any lol

so going off what little we've seen of it (and in arguably the lowest possible quality at that) I think it's gonna make the show very visually pretty which isn't to say it couldn't be or wasn't in the older style(s) but that was def more inconsistent between studios and such so if this new style is the standard then like. yeah it's gonna look great

buuuuuuuut I also think it looks kinda. generic? like what's happened to a lotta brand logos that used to have personality but now all look super flat and simplified. like the Pepsi logo or whatever. it's a similar situation to the movie (I'll get into this in a bit) where like yes it looks pretty but it doesn't really look like Miraculous to me? like ik the style kinda varied somewhat between the studios but it was largely consistent enough and felt much more unique. like I could see a screencap from any timestamp of any episode and place it as Miraculous just bc of the visual style

now tho it looks less unique to me and more....like a mobile game ad? some kinda un-marketed direct to streaming movie? not trying to sound mean or anything but it just doesn't strike that same feeling the old style did for me as of yet. it feels more like an attempt to ape off a generic Pixar/Disney sorta style which the movie's style did too - and that ig is a good excuse for me to kinda dive into my thoughts there bc like. it looks way more like that movie now right? the y'know completely non-canon movie that to my knowledge wasn't received too terribly well lmao. I feel like this is on some level purposeful tho

I made a post the other day about how someone (especially the youngins) might go into season 6 thinking it's actually more of a season 1 only to presumably find that very much isn't the case pretty quick lmao - but that's still a new viewer, which makes number go up, which is a Good Thing. that s6 looks to be something of a fresh start given the whole Gabe in da Ground situation makes me believe this more since I'm pretty sure he got got in the movie too (<- does not remember the movie she saw twice) albeit in a different way. very real chance they view s6 as something of a soft launch pad with the hope of ppl who only saw the movie just jumping in without looking first. I also have an even more insane conspiracy theory that they're using movie assets at lower res for the sake of cost management but again. nutso hunch

regardless I'm kinda surprised they're changing it so drastically this deep into the series and I have no idea how the quality of animation is gonna hold up from episode to episode, season to season. presumably this is part'a why we haven't had s6 drop yet, that they've been working on it thoroughly, but it's been a good minute since s5 ended and I feel like the drought in content isn't really worth it?

like it's been so long that to me sometimes it's felt like the show straight up ended and while I don't mind a wait like this, the show then coming back looking entirely different to how it used to is gonna be jarring. I'm giving it a chance bc we haven't really seen it yet and that footage is very likely a wip of some sort but all the same I'm not terribly impressed? the emotions seem more stilted and flat, there's a few sorta redesigns that look....off (namely Adrichat, imo), and it feels too much like an attempt at cashing in on whatever success the movie might have had by bringing the look of the show more in line with it

think what gets me the most is that the style and animation of the show was one of the biggest things that drew me in beyond the bugcat of it all. it was the first CG animated show I'd seen where I felt as if the animation really worked; the world felt alive and vibrant, the city lived in and populated, but it didn't feel uncanny or like realistic in any sense, and there were plenty of gaffs and flaws throughout but I feel that only endeared the look of the show to me more - it had its own style that stood out for better or worse and I think that played more a role in the show's success than most have given credit for, and now that it's being entirely dropped in favor of a style that feels much more like some generic CG animation style I can't help but feel a bit disheartened and even nervous about the future of the series tbh

want to say that I'm not looking to hate it - I'm gonna give it a chance, and again I think it does visually look pretty, but I feel like it loses a lot of what made the show stand out to me and changes things I don't think really needed changed. time will tell but as of now I'm really not sold on it

also think having a special (or two? maybe?) in the old style just to drop us into the newer one presumably shortly after is kinda weird. wonder what happened there. bad timing? tbh using a special to introduce it mighta helped a bit but idk for sure

[scribz-ag24]

Do you have a set process for coloring and rendering / adding texture to your art? If so, would it be alright for me to ask what goes into that process? I'd love to learn how an artist I admire goes about their work!

Omg I'm so flattered, I'll try my best to explain it!! ^^

Tho, okayyy, I apologize beforehand for how incoherent this might be, since I don't really have a set process at all and mostly I fake it 'til i make it haha. I'm the first to admit that I don't have a ver consistent method and that shows in how irregular in quality my art can look, even inside the general sketchy look.

(Btw sorry if some of the fanart i use for example doesn't make you comfortable but I've tried to find the best examples for each type of coloring haha)

I'll start with the brushes I rely on the most, tho I admit i made the mistake of downloading too many brushes and textures so I might use others on rare occassions xddd

These are basically the brushes I use the most. The "mezclador redondo" is just CSP's default paintbrush and I only tweaked it to find sth I liked and felt comfortable with for both lining and painting

As you can see here I only used one layer for lines and other three for each of the guys' colors. I colored it all with the default brush (tho unfortunately I lost the settings I used for this drawing in particular and haven't found them again rip). In drawings like this I just do a sketch, clean the lines (no lineart) and then paint it. After the base color I start laying out different hues to make the coloring more interesting.

This one was the same. One layer for coloring, manually adding lighter hues (see the more light and yellowish color on grovyle's left leg compared to the shadow) or darker tones. I try to add color to the shadows as well to make them feel less flat, and an airbrush in overlay tends to help with that (tho here I just used a brush).

Here you can see that I often paint over the lines on another layer to correct mistakes in the "lineart" lol. I also applied an airbrush (layer mode overlay) over celebi to make her more bright. I wanted to put this one to show that coloring doesn't have to be detailed to look nice enough. Here Celebi basically has no shadows at all but the tone of the drawing makes her look cute anyways imo ^^

In these two you can see adjustements over the full image again (yellow layer), but I also wanted to show that I don't have a set number of layers either, it depends on how many I feel like using. Again, sorry for the lack of consistency but im too lazy to have a proper method lmao

I will also use harder brushes and tone changes sometimes, instead of blending them with less dense brushes. I am also fond of adding hard lighting in some drawings. You can experiments with it on a top layer and delete it if it doesn't fit, so it's always worth a try.

Another thing I recommend is studying and copying artists you admire or like. Add things from their styles into yours, see how they work with proportions and try to use that in your own art. It has helped me a lot and, without looking to fully copy anyone's style, it does give you some ideas of how you wish your drawing would look, which motivates me (when it doesn't depress me lol)

Finally, the texturing isn't consistent either. I use one of CSP's/Downloaded texture packs, put a grainy texture on the canvas, set it to overlay and adjust the opacity until I'm satisfied. In these two images you can see I am not consistent in coloring even in the same comic lmao. But we are doing this for fun, so I think experimentation is always sth worth exploring ^^

And I think that's all I have to say. I don't control color theory at all, so I can't really explain how I choose colors. I look up some tutorials on youtube and pretend I understand lol. Ig the one thing I tend to do a lot is changing hues in a base color to make it look less flat, the same as with shadows.

Anyways I hope this was helpful or that it at least waas what you asked for haha. Thank you for the interest!! :DD

[mettywiththenotes]

I am not sure how to feel (rambling)

I spent those 2 weeks after 423 re-evaluating everything I thought would happen (I assumed would happen. bad move from me ig) and everything I thought about bnha. We're talking roughly 7 years of wondering if we'd get more with Tomura and Izuku, and one year less than that wishing that Izuku and Tomura could somehow bond and understand each other and that Tomura would be physically saved. In a sense, I am mourning the things I hoped for

I am also loving the angst potential, I can't lie. I've always loved Tomura Izuku angst, I think it can be just as compelling as Tomura Izuku happiness. Granted I always turned away from fics where one (or both) of them died. And yes I see the irony in that, hating reading it in fics and then it literally happens in canon. Very funny ha ha. But still, I can't deny I like when the hero fails and the character who deserved to live dies (I don't always like it but sometimes I do) etc, so yeah there are parts of this situation I do find delicious

I am also living in au's. I consider that this is probably a way to defend myself emotionally and cope with the sudden change. Au's my beloved

A part of me feels like Tomura could come back? Somehow? Yeah. If not physically then like as a vestige. We'd get to see him one last time. And as a vestige in the EMBERS inside IZUKU? Again, the angst would be chefs kiss. What do you say to the remnants of the guy you couldn't physically save, Izuku? And would Tomura smile again? "Do your best" etc? Would he be sad? It would be bittersweet for sure

How could Tomura even come back physically? I imagine Izuku/Spinner seeking out someone with a quirk that can revive people, the age old "fanfic quirk plot device" lol

I am still thinking about the potential of Tomura possibly having transferred a quirk to Izuku in his last moments and that being like a revival quirk or smthg (Might go hand in hand with Vestige Tomura theory 👀)

I also feel like. If he doesn't come back, there may still be ways his character/death could be focused on. We've still got chapters left. We could get more insight into how Izuku feels, how the League are taking it etc. How the country/world is taking it, even. There are like 2 hints in chapter 424 that things won't go back to normal. The doctor literally saying it, not just referring to Bakugou but to the story itself, and the narrator (presumably future Izuku) at the end saying "Our story doesn't end here, there's still more to do, we've got to go beyond" or words to that effect. Basically saying in no uncertain terms that we're not quite at the end yet. And if that's not proof enough, Hori's comment with the chapter about how he wants to keep going a little more

Point is, more is coming, it'll surely wrap up the rest of the story, and things will be different now. There's been a shift, a change in the world around them and their experiences. Something could come from this, even it wasn't how we expected it to go

So I guess those are my thoughts rn. And I have been cycling between all of them every day lol

[psychic-refugee]

“You start by realising all these ridiculous childish theories and conspiracies are wasted time and energy and then just throw the chicken in the oven to be fair,” Louis wrote.

Back in 2017, Louis revealed in an interview with The Sun that the persistent theories about himself and Harry had affected their friendship.

Louis later added: “It created this atmosphere between the two of us where everyone was looking into everything we did.”

I do hope people in the Wednesday fandom, particularly Wenclairs, take this to heart. I am pointing Wenclairs out specifically, because from my own experience they are the ones who take the shipping beyond just the fictional duo of Wednesday and Enid to applying to their real-life counterparts of Jenna and Emma. The Wenclairs have been the most aggressive in their shipping and are the ones more likely to actually attack people over other ships.

I’m aware that Percy and Jenna have some speculation, but in my observation those shippers have not been weirdly aggressive about it.

Hunter and Jenna have not had any due to Hunter's homosexuality and husband.

In the brief time I was on IG, I was seeing comments of people declaring that Jenna was for sure a lesbian and they act as if they have insider knowledge. It’s weird and creepy.

I think when the “theories” are in their infancy, most can brush them off and even laugh about it. The actors might joke about it and even reference it in interviews. But then the theories become bigger, and people become more unhinged and start to cross boundaries. People create explicit art or fanfic and then tag the actors in it. They start fights in comment sections. It crosses a line and its sexual harassment, plain and simple.

Louis point blank says the Larries affected his friendship with Harry, and I don’t blame them for wanting to distance themselves from each other. I agree with Louis, it was super childish to press the issue.

Same with the “Gaylors” who were aggressive in saying she was a lesbian.

There are many reasons why people might stay in the closet. People have a right to keep certain things private. Hounding them for the “truth” shows a serious brainrot in our society. It’s especially disrespectful when the celebrities point blank deny the allegations and the rabid fans double down.

If we want actors to have at least cordial relationships with each other, much less have a friendship, then we have to cool it with the aggressive shipping, especially IRL shipping.

[boboteam]

HSR Senti ramblings

Hello this is literally my first post and it's me rambling about my idea of how Senti could exist in the Honkai Star Rail universe, do beware that it may be really silly and lore innacurate nonsense, you have been warned!!! It also might have a little involvement of SentiHua so... So I have thought of this for a long time and this is what I came up with, let me explain, starting off with important information : Marshal Hua. My theory is that she is a Vidyadhara who resembles the legend of Phoenix and is Phoenix herself, however Phoenix exists as "another entity" ( aka almost like how Fenghuang's Down sentience works ) There is this one quest called "Poetic Genius Ingenium", in short it tells us a story about a man named Cong and a woman named Jingzhai. All the information we need from this quest is that he is a Vidyadhara that seems to remember Jingzhai no matter how much he went through hatching rebirth. All of this information leads me to thinking : what if it's possible for a Vidyadhara to leave a body behind? Listen, this does sound absurd as the Vidyadharas revolve around continuous cellular transdifferentiation, which means they techncially just transofrm. But we have numerous different cases of disorders that the Vidyadhara can be affected by, for example Jinyu that undergoes the cicle of hatching rebirth every few months. So this could technically exist as a disease and tie with the idea of Hua having so much personalities and even versions of "self" in the Honkai lore. That leads us to the part of the lore bs I have thought of. Basically Senti is "a body" that remained after Fu Hua went through hatching rebirth once (probably when she was already a marshal and ig most of her memories still remained aftet that). She has all the memories that Hua had, and when she first was "born" into this world. She thought she was Hua for a long time, but their viewpoints are very different and unalike, so who is she? Is she truly an individual being? How can she break that mirror and see her true self? She had a plan in her mind. - Surely, I can at least bring them some fun. The biggest difference for sure being - she had grown fond of the Elation. After observing the usual life of the citizens of Xianzhou, she thought it lacked some fun. The people here were just too much focused on their duties. Sure, they might have very deep connections, but do all of them really not lack that sense of connection? Sometimes, work even made them cut it off completely. She decided to carry on Hua's duty as a marshal with some...Changes. During that time, "Hua" was really kind to all of the members of the Cloud Knights - she spent a lot of time with the Cloud Knights, cut them some slack, gave them random gifts and treated them very well, even was laidback about the work sometimes. In comparision - Hua was pretty closed off and more strict, she was somewhat cold most of the time and didn't find a place for herself with the Cloud Knights, despite still doing a great job in helping and caring for them. However Senti was no strategist unlike Hua, and soon after spiked up a little problem - unfinished assignments, very clunky reports, and the amount of chaotic events, which turned out to be a complete hit for the duty of the Cloud Knights. It didn't take long for Hua to realise that she had been "replaced". That is when she noticed the culprit behind all of that in her office. - Ah, so you've noticed! - said Senti, cheerfully, but not surprised, almost as if she was awaiting this. - You see, you're not me, and I'm not you, but I was hoping to bring some more joy and happiness into your lives! Don't you get a little lonely like this? Maybe you're giving a tad too much work for yourself and too less of time that you can enjoy. Now you can at least look back at this and say "Aha!" . It is, alas, the time for us to part... Hua stood there shocked. She was not offended by this, nor did she really mind all that this person had done. She was probably the first one to ever care for Hua so greatly, so... — Wait! Could you...Stay?

[effieandtim]

How do you think hawk will react after Tim’s death? Will he go back to Lucy and his new life in Milan?

hmm interesting question

i think he will definitely be impacted and devastated - we will start seeing hawk come to terms with the reality of tim dying soon in the next episode bc i think even in ep 4, he was in denial.

i really hope he spends the remaining time tim has left with him, but i don’t know.

i have some theories on what that formal event is where hawk and tim go - where tim says ‘i have loved you my whole life, my great consuming love’ - i think that is hawk more or less coming out in his own way even if it is to his own community bc he hasn’t done that yet

i really don’t see a future after that where hawk is the same man he was before reuniting with tim. i dont think he will become an activist but i really hope tim’s death helps him embrace himself. ofc, it should NOT have taken tim’s death for him to do that but it is what it is ig

as far is lucy and his life are concerned, there’s a bit in the trailer where lucy calls hawk and says, ‘you need to come back’ - idk if that us after tim’s death or not but hawk looks v disheveled and distraught. so perhaps he does close himself off due to grief?

i personally do not see him living his life the same way he had planned tho i do not know how his new post and lucy would fit into the picture - but ig that would depend on how and how much hawk changes

in any case, i hope he keeps tim’s memory alive in some way. i really hope for that.