#again. we dont have to agree and feel free to not follow if my theory discussion bothers you somehow

[givehimthemedicine]

timelines / time loop / time travel sort of theories seem very reach-y, ngl. and it sounds like casual fandom theories that ppl come up with because they cannot come up with anything else at some point. like the theories like ''everything was actually a game / dream'' sort of theories that fandoms like to pull. other times they just interst time related stuff as theories.

I was of that opinion when I first heard the time theories, but after actually reading some evidence I opened up to the idea. there are some amazingly eagle eyed folks on here who've spent a lot of time laying it all out and are constantly discovering more. there's just too much to write off, imo. it's not a bored fandom asspull due to having nothing else to come up with, it's based on actual things that are presented to us on the screen.

a lot of the evidence being blink-and-you-miss-it doesn't mean it's not valid, it means they aren't spoon feeding it to you. if you want to disregard it then.. okay! watch the show however it's fun for you!

I do think there's something here, and it's just fiction and I'm having fun. when 5 finally drops and we find out the truth about everything, I would rather have spent our last hiatus having fun even if I turned out to be wrong.

[transmutationisms]

Feel free not to answer this ask so you dont have to step into this particular hornet's nest but do you have any thoughts about people sharing inaccurate science about COVID in order to push for more COVID regulations? I agree that COVID is being neglected and we need better policies but I'm also a biochemist so it pisses me off to see people cite research in a way that makes exaggerated and terrifying claims. Two years ago, I was warning my colleagues against this condescending "just trust the science" approach but now the same crowd pushing that has shifted to pushing "don't trust any of the positive science, only my catastrophic interpretations of it". Can't we mask without also trying to convince each other that COVID is a guaranteed one way ticket to death and permanent disability?

you must be new here haha i swing bats at this hornet's nest like once a month. yeah i think the current state of covid communication sucks a lot. i mean the truth is that "follow the science" is always a disingenuous sentiment; Science doesn't speak, and scientists disagree with one another. and it's naïve to pretend majority consensus is a reliable mechanism to identify truth—anyone who has followed the covid aerosolisation about-face will recall that although linsey marr was not the first researcher to challenge medical orthodoxy on airborne disease transmission, even well into the covid pandemic the idea of aerosol transmission was marginalised by global health authorities because it was politically inconvenient, out of favour with powerful established academics, and reminiscent to some of pre-pasteurian miasma theories of disease. those who would "follow the science" were not presented with a convenient dichotomy between reasonable evidence-backed expert consensus and fringe peddlers of heterodoxy; to evaluate these positions required actually, yknow, reading and evaluating the arguments and evidence from multiple competing positions, and deciding which had the greater explanatory power. which is good epistemological advice only insofar as it's so obvious as to be trite.

fundamentally a huge driving force of this situation is the social, political, and institutional forces that make expert knowledge (a generally good thing) all too often synonymous with inaccessible knowledge. i don't mean inaccessibility caused by knowledge being specialised; obviously this is inevitable to some extent simply as a result of the fact that no one person will grasp the entirety of human knowledge. but the fact that knowledge is specialised, specific, highly technical, and so forth doesn't automatically mean, for example, that it has to be monetarily gatekept from all but a select few with the resources to persevere through a highly punishing, nepotistic, hegemonic university system; this is a political problem, and one that additionally has the effect of enabling and sheltering low-quality work (see: replication crisis) behind the opaque walls of university bureaucracy and the imprimateur of the credentials it grants. in lieu of an ability to actually engage with, read, or challenge much of the academic research being generated on any given topic, the lay public is supposed to rely on signs of reliability like possession of a degree, or institutional reputation. what we in fact see again and again, and with particularly high stakes in the case of something like a pandemic, is that these measures are instruments of class stratification and professional jockeying that don't inherently ensure quality information: MDs can and do peddle anti-vaxx lies and covid / long-covid denialism; the CDC and WHO can and do perpetrate bad and outdated scientific advice, like that masks are unnecessary and isolation periods can be shortened for convenience. many of these are just blatant cases of kowtowing to political pressure, which arises from the capitalist logic that counterposes disease prevention to economic growth.

this all leaves us in a position where it is, in fact, smart and correct to evaluate the information coming from 'official' and credentialled sources with scepticism. the problem is that in its place, we get information coming out of the same capitalist state-sponsored scientific institutions, and the same colonialist universities; the idea that some chucklefuck on twitter is telling you the secret truth just because they correctly identified that the government sucks is plainly absurd. where covid specifically is concerned, the liberalism of academic and scientific institutions is on display in numerous ways, including the idealist assumption, which many 'covid communicators' make, that public health policy is primarily a matter of swaying public opinion, and therefore that it is always morally imperative to form and propagate the most alarmist possible interpretation of any study or empirical observation. this is not an attitude that encourages thoughtful or measured evaluation of The Science (eg, study methodology), nor is it one that actually produces the kind of political change that would be required to protect the populace writ large from what is, indeed, a dangerous and still rampant virus. instead, this form of communication mostly winds up generating social media Engagement and screenshots of headlines of summaries of studies.

meanwhile, actual public health policy (which is by and large determined at the mercy of capitalist state interests, and which by and large shapes public opinion of what mitigation measures are 'reasonable', despite the CDC repeatedly pretending this works the other way round), remains on its trajectory toward lax, open exposure of anyone and everyone to each new strain of covid, perpetuating a society that is profoundly hostile to disabled people and careless with everyone's life and health. this fucking sucks. it sucked that we have treated the flu like this for years, and it sucks that we are now doing it with a virus that we are still relatively immunologically naïve to, and that produces, statistically, even more death and disability than the flu. and it sucks that the predominating explanations of this state of affairs from the 'cautious' emphasise not the structural forces that shape knowledge production under capitalism, but instead invoke a psychological narrative whereby individuals simply need to be sufficiently terrified into producing mass action.

[leynaeithnea]

Oh yeah good call doing this song by song becase our essays are getting so long it's illegal at this point haha

Before we get into it, one of the chorus is "kill for love"? DAMN , that's totally not gonna ruin me at all, nu-uh I'll be super fine for sure

Okay let's go

This song is literally my fave of the saga, stuck in my head on repeat because of the melody and the beautiful vocals but also the story?? She is actually a siren trying to trick him but he pulls out a uno reverse card and tricks her even harder ??? Once again LYING CUNNING CHARACTERS FOR THE WIN AJSKSNBSB

Also I'm so jealousy of you bc I did not have it in me to wake up in the middle of the night for the stream but I wanted to see it so baaad, I would have been even more confused than you at 5am don't worry your wild theories are valid

Their little banter is impeccable "answer some questions for me please ?🥺" " Of course babe 🤭🙃" let's say I was on the run from Poseidon that big meanie 😔" " Oh nOo pookie poor you 🥺" They are so unserious !!! And then the vocals in her reply keep me up at night " sailing where he's scared to roam" is done so majestically akdmndns

Can't fight you on this , Ody saying he's shy and terrified is so fuckin funny and random hahahah

Oh good gods don't let me think about it because I know ,I KNOW HE'S PRETENDING A LITTLE BIT THIS IS REALLY HIS PENELOPE AND IT HURTS SO BAD the way he says he'd die for her and he misses her so much , "more than you know "because the siren actually doesn't know , she has no idea how much he misses his wife asakkksnns free my boy he deserves some smooches from his wifeee

( I love how you keep slipping Neil in the conversation and I do not fault you for it bc liars= Neil-Josten-hiding-his-whole-ass-murderer-father-with-ties-to-the-japanese-mafia-like-it's-nothing )

ALRIGHT I have a bit energy again

I agree with everything u said moving to the next song now!

22. Different Beast

the arrow followed by this ear piercing screaming (good think they all had beeswax in their ears fr)

ODY IS SO MAD "lets cut the charade you are no wife of mine" I almost feel like he hates the Siren even more for DARING to pretend to be Penelope, and making him yearn for her even more

the music in that one is also soooo sinister and creepy

and how his voice changes with "i know underwater theres packs of you hiding, yeah i know exactly what you are, a siren" its so vicious and cunning iTS soo good

Then the siren hiss seigsegj

AND THEN THE DRUMs when he starts singing "my real wife knows im not scared of the water, and my real wife knows i dont have a daughter" like the drums rise when he speaks and between the lines and when the strings or whatever they are come up again, the drum gets quieter again for a moment only to rise up again when he speaks...its so cool, i love this drum beat, which continues while he tells his whole big-brain plan (love how we see Odys hubris in this one, he gets so smug about his plans with the sirens that he spends a whole song explaining it to us, on one hand its exposition and him just recalling what happened for story purposes but also it fits the character for his pride - which in the myth is also his fatal flaw - takes over)

also "we are a different beast now" chorus: basically is just "we are the monsters rawr rawr rawr"

"we've been away from home for ABOUT 12 YeARS OR SO" JORGE; JORGE WE KNOW WHAT YOU DID HERE

I've also been wondering, i kind of feel like the ryhtm of the music doesnt fully-align with the lyrics bc theyre shifting between singing and sing-talking, and ive been wondering if thats maybe like a suble sign that acutally Ody and the crew dont hear a thing rn? kinda? idk, i dont have enoguh knowledge about music theory to actually explain the sort of dissonance i feel is happening, it could also just be done like this to showcase how theyre the different beasts now

Sirens singing "spare us" is eery and pretty

Odys embracing the lesson people have been trying to teach him throughout act 1 finially "why, so you can kill the next group of sailirs in this part of the sea, nah you wouldve spared me"

"cut of their tails we're ending this now, throw their bodies back int he water let them drown" HE IS THE MONSTER RAWR RAWR RAWR

AND THen the CHOIR LYRIcs shift to "HE is a different beast now, he is the one to feast now" (i lowkey imagine him just snacking on some Siren tail in that line ngl, the only way the lyrics "the ones to feast now" makes sense is if they literally feasted on these tails, it would also explain why Ody specifically wanted to cut of their tails)

also Ody plss "Kill them all"...ow, but fair i suppose, but you couldve just slit their throats

ADN THEN The last lyrics being "Odysseus" omg gsiejgisejg love it

Also i dont know when this shifted from "my favorite lines in the musical" to "my reaction and analysis to every song" but by now im just vibing with it

[neoputo]

okay, here we go

[ first of all, a lil disclaimer: these are my thoughts + opinions, this doesn't mean they're 100% right, at all. it's just some stuff i kept wondering abt after reading some theories and thought might be fun (?) to share. just to provide a look from a different angle, and to bring more questioning to the table. needless to say, i very much respect the authors of these theories, and i think their analytical skills are on another level! i would've never been able to come up with all that by myself! AND this post wouldn't exist if it wasn't for those analysis. so yeah, just wanted to make this clear. ]

anyway, these are some things i found that i think the following theories don't cover/might've missed out/might be wrong abt:

first, about "the *original* original sin theory": i feel like something's missing. this something being: there is no explanation for aziraphale's weird ass smile in the ending/credits scene. like, while i was reading the theory, i found myself nodding most of the time, and when i was getting closer to the end, i was hoping there would be some explanation for that final scene. but there wasn't! look, i'm not that smart, so i find it really hard to figure out why azi would smile like that after everything that happened, specially if we consider this theory to be true. something doesn't add up. there's something so wrong abt that smile. like,, on that same scene, crowley looks DEVASTATED and it makes sense! i feel aziraphale should look just as sad and broken, tho, and he doesn't. i mean, if it was a fake smile, i'd believe it was to deceive metatron, or pretend he is okay with his decision in front of him, or whatever. but it's not a fake smile. it's not a genuine one either. it's a very weird, kinda creepy smile??? like, michael sheen, you're amazing! but also, what the heck?! why would azi do that? (i have no idea. this is just me pointing this out, i don't have the brains to figure it out lol sorry!).

now, the other theory, "the magic trick you didn't see": i actually found this analysis very interesting and backed up with a lot of evidence as well! BUT (of course there's a but), i also feel like the author was kind of pushing it a bit too much sometimes. let me explain myself: i feel there are some moments that the author catalogues as "metatron's intervention/manipulation of memories" that, in my opinion, dont seem much like that... let's exemplify!

the "before the beginning" scene: honestly, i thought this scene was lovely! and i don't think metatron could've manipulated to draw aziraphale away from crowley. at all. in this scene, crowley is pictured as a cute little baby angel; so pure, so filled with excitement and curiosity and hope. he's also a bit naive, too, specially in comparison with aziraphale, who, on the other hand, looks baby but not so baby... he knows how things work up in heaven, he knows angels aren't that good (tho he might not admit it or say it out loud), he knows they aren't as free-willed as they might think they are, or want to be. so ofc, when crowley starts making questions + suggesting a suggestion box, aziraphale worries abt him. cus he knows how things work. and he knows angel!crowley could get in trouble for that. and he likes angel!crowley, boy! he so obviously does. so, aziraphale, much more aware of the situation and the way things work, is not withdrawn by crowley's innate curiosity. i think he actually likes that abt him, he might even think it's adorable. azi is just scared of what could happen to baby crowley, and i think he's trying to protect him. in conclusion, i personally think both aziraphale and crowley feel very much in character, which is to say, this memory doesn't feel/look manipulated or altered by metatron. not to me at least.

—i think there might be other scenes that the author labeled as "metatron's intervention/manipulation of memories" that i don't agree with, but i don't remember rn. guess i should read the analysis again to refresh my memory, but i won't do that rn, sorry!

also, i've already mentioned maggie's possible autism on another post!

okayyyyy,, this is it. i hope y'all (whoever you are) enjoyed reading this & thanks for taking your time! pls let me know what you think! i love discussing theories and thoughts on good omens with strangers lol but fr!

byebyeeeee

[captainjimothycarter]

imagine steggy after their reunion: for quite some time they're unable to not be in the same room as the other, always have to be seeing the other, maybe even have to constantly touch each other like a hand on the back, touching knees while sitting down etc. They dont notice but others do. Could become a sweet and funny drabble

I like how you say sweet and funny. Let’s be honest, it was the sweater weather au one that made you say this, right? /j

--

Peggy had a theory and when it came to theories, the only thing to do is work them out.

When Steve got up before her alarm went off, she’d listen to him in the bathroom, pause to kiss her temple, and cover her shoulders back up, before getting breakfast ready. By the time her alarm did go off, he would be there with a cup of coffee and a smile on his face. 

While she got ready, he made the bed, fluffed the pillows, put up the few clothes she had laid out while she chose clothes, cleaned up after her. 

Then, he’d kiss her. A soft, gentle kiss to her cheek.

Breakfast would be ready and he’d insist on making her another cup of coffee and himself one, spooning them breakfast. He’d pass her the mug with a gentle touch or kiss, give her a plate with a touch or a kiss. 

Then, it was out the door until lunchtime where Steve would be waiting outside the office, flowers in hand, and a smile on his face.

He’d touch the small of her back and pull her tight, keeping the PDA to a minimum when she was working. 

They’d have a lovely lunch at the diner or a cafe or even a little picnic Steve packed them when the weather was warm enough. 

Then, she’d be home for dinner. Heels off at the door, the hat was thrown in one chair, coat in another, clothes trailing until she could retreat to the bedroom to take the makeup off, of course after pausing to kiss Steve.

He’d follow her, maybe not immediately but eventually, he’d find her and kiss her again. Touch her arm as he passed to put the clothes up, help her change into comfortable clothes before they’d have dinner.

They would start on one side of the table, before somehow, always they ended up sitting on the same side. Often Steve would have poured her a glass of wine, sometimes he’d join her, but 90% of the time he would have some contact on her body.

She couldn’t stay away from him, Peggy noted one Saturday afternoon when Steve mentioned running to the local store to grab an ice cream on the hot summer evening.

“You don’t gotta go, Pegs,” Steve told her for the unkempt time as he pulled his undershirt away from his chest. It was too hot for him to wear anything else, he’d even invested in shorts. “You don’t like the heat.”

“Steve, I told you, I’m fine.” She was already on her feet and dressed in a thin, sundress with flats and her hair piled high off of her neck.

Steve was still, all smiles when she said she’d go, picking up her large sun hat and placing it on her head. His fingers brushed over the nape of her neck, moving in to press a tender kiss to her lips that were sweeter than any dessert.

His fingers brushed over hers when he handed her their sweet treat, held her hand as they walked along the docks and down the beach. Even kissed her while they lounged in the hot sand.

At home, with the sand washed off and relaxing with a book in hand, Steve sat close as possible to her on the couch. Their knees brushed one another as he sat beside her with his own book. Unconsciously, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to his frame despite they were side by side.

That’s how, even though it was blazing hot even with their windows open, the ceiling fan on, that Peggy found herself laying in Steve’s lap. His fingers found a way to her curls, slowly pulling them from the high bun to stroke her silky curls from being untangled. 

“You don’t notice you’re doing it, do you?” Peggy asked after she was three chapters in, her curls were officially free of the bun and Steve was now starting to unconsciously rub at her scalp.

“Hm?” He looked to be in another world, eyes glazed over, finally focusing as he looked down at her with a warm smile. “Do what now?”

“You touch me.” At Steve’s confused look, Peggy gave a light laugh and sat up much to both their disappointment. “No, no, darling, it’s nothing bad. It’s...you touch me. Unconsciously, I’ve noticed. In the morning you kiss me, tuck me back in despite you’ve only just left to use the bathroom or shower. You bring me coffee, you kiss me. You unconsciously touch my arm or shoulder and out in public, you touch my back, especially if a male coworker is near me. And just now you were stroking my hair.” 

Steve’s mouth opened and closed several times, setting the book down so it laid flat on the table. Peggy captured his hands and gave a wide smile that brightened up her eyes, shaking her head. “Darling, it’s not bad. You just...do these things. I thought you were aware of them. Again, they’re not bad. I adore them. I love every little touch. Like-like today...I didn’t have to go with you to the store, but I chose to because suddenly not being with you despite it being blazing hot outside...I couldn’t cope with that idea. And it did result in a fun outing.”

Steve’s mouth turned into his own smile, leaning down to kiss her softly. “It did,” he agreed with a sigh, pressing their foreheads together.

Combing her fingers through his hair, she could see something was wrong. Had she been wrong to point out the obvious? Ever since Steve had gotten back, it was clear how different he was before the war. He was confident, sure of himself, sure a little spacey at times, lost in thought but underneath it all, he was still her Steve. 

She still and would always love him. 

Would he now think over every little action? Would he worry he’s overstepping and suddenly stop? She didn’t know if she could handle that.

“Darling,” she breathed, cupping his jawline with a soft touch. “Talk to me. Did I upset you? I’m sorry-”

A sudden kiss stopped her mid-track, causing her to sigh when he pulled away. “No, no.” His voice was rougher, gravely, like he was holding emotions in. When his eyes opened, she was a little shocked to see tears in them.

“Oh, love what’s wrong?” Her thumb gently brushed a stray tear away, not surprised Steve had pulled her into his lap. 

“Nothing. That’s it. Nothing!” Peggy’s lips pursed and the worst thought came to head - Steve was bored. Bored at home, bored with life. He regrets his decision to come home. And as if he was reading her mind, Steve cupped her jaw and kissed her again. This time with hunger.

“You don’t understand, Pegs. We talked so much of after the war, unsure if either of us will get it. How we’ll go on dates, come home to one another, spend night after night sharing a bed. Cuddling, touching, kissing. Innocent things that we never got because I...I died…” The last word croaked, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed. “And now that we’re together, it’s perfect. Love, it’s perfect. It’s real. It’s so real. Nothing is wrong. Because I love you. I have to touch you. I have to prove to myself that this is real. That you are real. That-that-that I am not going to wake up from a dream and find myself in Wakanda or asleep on a jet after a mission and you’re-you’re dead.”

Ah.

Now, she understood. Steve’s desire to prove to himself that this wasn’t some episode dreamed up from the fact of being produced from what he craved the most in life. He needed to prove to himself that she was real. And she got that. She truly did, more than he understood.

While he rested and slept hard and long for the first few weeks after coming home, she would touch him. Listen to him breathe, watch his chest rise and fall, listen to his heartbeat. She’d watch his shadow play on the wall when he showered or in the kitchen to prove to herself he was here too.

The poor thing was so tired when he’d come to her. The world had borne down on him one too many times, his spine crooked and knees buckled from carrying the weight for so long, for having lost and gained and just to lose again so much. He deserved those hours of sleep, where he finally felt safe enough to do so.

“I’ll tell you what, darling,” Peggy sighed, pressing their foreheads together again and holding his hands close to her chest so he could feel her heart beating. “If you ever need to prove to yourself, no matter the time of day or the matter that I am real, that I am here beside you and that you, Steven Grant Rogers are mine, then all you must do is ask and I will always make a point to kiss you.”

Just as if he was years younger, the tips of his ears turned red as Peggy kissed him, his hand sliding in her hair, freeing his hand to pull hers to his chest so she could feel his heart beating too.

[letusmeetagain]

First i wanna say i really like all your analysis and theories because you put so much effort into them and im really gratful we have someone like you who like i said again have wonderful theories that make so much sense so please i have a question for you regarding a certain well...very dragged topic so if you wouldnt like to awswer i will totally understand it just i wanted to hear YOUR opinion because i really do appreciate your analysis of snk anyway my question is regarding erehisu...not i dislike it but its just im so tired can isayama make em or eh canon already so this clownery end...BUT i really do believe eremika will be the endgame because of all the proof that we have in the manga but people tend to make it as if its a crack ship ugh...what do you think hisu's final role will be? What do you think eren awswered her? Though i dont believe hisu's question meant any romantic undertones what do you make out of her question to eren?

Hi anon!!

Thank you for your kind words T.T

Well... the question focuses on my opinion on which ship has more chances to become canon, right?

I’ve spent some time thinking about my answer to this question, how I could go direct to the point while giving enough arguments to defend my opinion. Prepare yourself because I couldn’t and this will be very long. Sorry...

1. Eren’s characterization + romance

First of all, there is a very important point about Eren that shipers (even me sometimes) forget. A friend that loves and understand Eren the most pointed this many times when I was starting to forget about it... I dare to say that nobody surpasses her understanding of his characterization.

Eren isn’t a romantic person. We all have to keep in mind that his priorities aren’t the priorities a normal person would have. He is like Rick from Casablanca. There’s the duty and then dreams and then, maybe, romantic love (If we take for granted that he knows what it is). Erwin loved Marie but he had a priority. (There’s me finding more similarities between Erwin and Eren). Eren’s current development is more about his mission than a romantic one. Although he plays with romance, he does it while being blatantly blind about it.

Eren got caught in the middle of his normal development from a child that gets annoyed by romance and has some kind of allergy against cheesy moments (for ex. in ch. 3 with Franz and Hannah) to a teenager that blooms to feel romantic love as something important and unavoidable. It’s normal for kids. But Eren hasn’t a normal life. There was always something more important than learning how to love, be loved and express it openly. It’s not that he isn’t able to love, more likely the opposite. He knows how to love and he has his own ways to do it... but the way the world is restricted his possibilities to live a different life. Even in the way EMA never got to communicate properly most of the times. Communication runs sometimes as a question, a statement and no back question (for ex. ch. 3). Eren asked about Mikasa’s reasons to follow him, about Armin’s reasons, where he threw that line about his death being meaningless. Nobody said anything, neither Mikasa nor Eren reacted stating the opposite. They usually don’t have the time nor oportunity to talk or even think about essential topics as feelings of love or labeling their feelings.

Given Eren’s lack of experience and maturity that we could see until Marley arc. Is it even possible that he developed a carnal relationship with Historia before going to Marley? No. No, because it would contradict somehow his characterization. Eren is depicted exactly as someone that took this decision because he lost every single deep bond that would have stopped him. This lack of understanding brought him to this point. The lack of value he places on life and a comfortable life with friends and family.

2. The baby

The whole baby plot point is from my perspective just about the curse and a new generation (maybe) free from being SoY but just normal human beings.

Historia choosing this way was also the safest way to oppose her destiny... strategically speaking. She could trick everyone without being called openly a traitor. So I’m agree with you. Her question wasn’t romantic.

3. The father and his meaning

The father is, as I pointed out once in my Twitter acc., the farmer. My reasons are that there is a meaning behind his existence. He was a boy that dared Historia to break the rules and stop being submissive. He is aligned with Historia’s current role as someone who stopped being the good girl that follows stupid and detrimental rules in disregard of her own life. He is also a man that decided to redeem himself by helping her with the orphanage without trying to get her attention at all. Being a normal person who enjoys a normal life and also redemption. I’m not saying necessarily that it’s about love, but he isn’t just a nobody. He holds a deep, positive meaning for the story. Isayama pairs usually a sinner and an “innocent”: Annie and Armin, Eren and Mikasa, Erwin and Levi, Ymir and Krista, Historia and the Farmer. Eren and Historia are the current sinners on the matter that both chose the rumbling... let’s say.

Why this kind of pairing? Because one has to contribute to the improvement of the other. Two sinners (with the same crime and perspective) can’t help each other. It’s opposition what will bring them to overcome their weaknesses.

4. Development of the couples

That being said, Eren and Mikasa as pair are in the focus. Isayama went through 10 years of development of most of the pairs to build up a support for EreMika. He build parallels with YumiHisu and Falbi and gave us hints to understand EM better. The vow he made to her was probably one of those moments when he started to be romantic without noticing.

5. Eren and Historia: their moments

EH interactions are, conversely, of other nature. Both feel related about the point of carrying a big burden. While Eren has to save humanity fighting, Historia has the role of a founder who has to assure humanity’s survival by having children and keeping the royal family alive. Both want to be free from that burden and end up being “partners in crime” by betraying everyone. I’m missing the romantic interactions to be very honest. It’s because Eren is so self-focused that he anchors here when someone who is alone and having the same problems and feelings appears. But... where did the fandom start to see something between them?

Two moments. The moment when he said “she is admirable” and the moment when he insisted to spare her life. That obsession that is so tricky to even be explained.

The first one made a difference between how Eren acknowledges Historia’s attributes and disregards Mikasa’s. The fandom uses this to point out that Eren likes Historia more. Well, no. His relationship towards Mikasa was characterized by jealousy. He won’t admit anything.

Regarding his “obsession” to save her... this started when he knew the existence of Eren Krüger, his thoughts and the whole story about Dina. It wasn’t before that. We must also admit that Historia’s safety was related to more characters than just Eren. Since the very beginning, her safety was conveniently displayed by Frieda, Ymir and Reiner, what makes me believe that her destiny was to give birth to this baby (aka. plot armor). Her role is to avoid becoming a titan by her own choice, that’s her arc. With Krüger we also knew the importance of a royal: they can give birth to more convenient instruments for war. Knowing that he was devoted to the mission, I believe that Eren is being influenced by him (I want to highlight the word “influenced” as something different to manipulated). So this is all related to the mission and the final outcome about Ymir, the curse, the power and the baby. Eren partly wants to grant her the chance to choose, but he also pushes her to do so based on part of her desires because of the mission as he did with Grisha.

Add here the fact that Historia was prepared to sacrifice his life at the cave if it was needed. That shows her priorities.

A lot of EH shippers claim that she saved him. Regarding her role as savior, I’m more objective and skeptical. She spared his life, but emotionally speaking, she didn’t really save him. The proof is that he was still low, thinking that he was a nobody. Carla’s words were the message with enough impact to relieve him and make him open himself to Armin and Mikasa and tell them about his sorrows. This shows the difference on the impact on him when it comes to Historia and when it comes to Carla... this happens again in ch. 131. He thinks about his mother instead of Historia who was the one reproving his plan. To me, Historia is his friend and inspired him to fight just for his sake against the system and rebel those who are over him and oppressing him. But his soft side is related to Carla, Armin and Mikasa: his family and those, who appreciate his life over his fate and urge of freedom and to be acknowledged.

Bonus: when Eren told Historia that she saved him was more like “You chose this path once and I’m sorry. I’ll be starting the rumbling and you contributed”. Historia’s face to that looks like this: “Oh no...I fucked up”. It doesn’t look like “Oh no... I don’t regret saving you because I love you and I can’t live without you”. On the contrary, that’s when she realizes that she was part of this since the beginning and that by saving him, she chose to let the rumbling happen once in the past. Then she goes along with the plan for her own reasons and because she hasn’t better options to choose either.

Summary:

Eren didn’t develop as a romantic person yet nor prioritized romantic love over his mission. It goes against a previous explicit development of EH before the trip to Marley. The farmer has a positive meaning as the father. EM is more developed and shows romantic undertones and common tropes. EH hasn’t romantic undertones and it’s more related to the mission to save the eldians.

So... that was it. Sorry again for the length and thank you for the ask!

[shinidamachu]

Following up with the anons talking about Izayoi being a fallen noble, I read somewhere (I don't remember where and tried finding the source, but I couldn't find it, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong), that RT wrote/illustrated the manga as she went. Nothing was pre-planned for the most part, so if that's true, it makes a lot of sense I think for certain plot points to be vague, especially when they are smaller story arcs that dont directly play into the overall story, l Iike the unmother arc. RT may have just done the unmother arc and didnt find any other reason or opening for her to dive deeper into the inuparent's history.

In a way, RT is kind of like a lot of fanfic writers in that she doesn't plan everything ahead and just makes it up as she goes, and eventually gets so hyperfocused on other plots that some other points that were vaguely focused on before are forgotten, and cant be worked into the overall story.

That's just my theory, tho. Again, I could be totally wrong when I said RT made it as she went, and if so feel free to correct me (if that's true tho, please give me a link because I wanna find where I read about that).

Well, I couldn’t correct you at all, since I don’t know much about others sources that not Inuyasha itself. You probably know way more than me on this matter, so I’m taking your word for it. 

If I had to bet, though, I’d say you’re dead on money. Rumiko is not a detailist when it comes to world building, I think that’s something we can all agree on.

I love the unmother arc as well. So angsty! But I gotta be honest, I don’t really buy the “she didn’t find any other reason or opening” to dive deeper into the Inuparents’ story, because to me it always felt like she just didn’t want to because she didn’t think it was important to the story to do so.

Maybe if we got a little less of the vicious circle that was Inuyasha mourning for Kikyo only for her to come back to life then die again we would have room to explore his other griefs. For the father he never got to meet. For the person her mother could have become with the time that was stolen from her. For the relationship he could have had with Sesshoumaru.

I just feel like what we got as an explanation as to how Inuyasha lost all of that was unnecessarily vague, given that we’re talking about the protagonist’s parents and that their love story not only resulted on Inuyasha’s birth, but reflected through the hardship he had to face on his life as well as through who he grew up to be as a character. Not to mention these are not “throw away” characters. They’re actually super interested. And their story brings something to the table.

Be that as it may, a huge opportunity was wasted. Oh, well.

[robin-hood-for-freedom]

I now present to you, my followers, the single worst article I have ever read.

TLDR: A supposed 'libertarian' is actually defending vaccine mandates.

This is actually so bad, I think its worth a full response:

If the vaccine causes no appreciable injury, can you still refuse to be injected, notwithstanding that you might be visiting significant risks on others?

For starters, thats a BIG 'if.' In fact, we know for a fact that there is a (yes very small, but not nonexistent) risk of serious harm from the vaccine in the short run, and we have no way of knowing if there will be harm 5 years from now.

But beyond that: The idea that not taking the COVID vaccine is 'visiting significant risks on others' is just...not true. Its pretty well accepted at this point that the vaccine doesnt prevent the spread of COVID, it just reduces your chance of having serious problems from it.

And that to me, is why vaccine mandates are dead on arrival. Even if we knew the vaccine was 100% safe(which is isnt), and guaranteed you wouldnt get sick from COVID(which it doesnt), it only protects you, meaning theres no 'externality' to not taking it.

Occasionally, however, advocates of limited government will condone directives to engage in benign activities (even when not cost-free) if failure to do so might cause injury to innocent bystanders. Safety requirements for nuclear power plants would be one example

This is actually a very high-level libertarian question that I dont think I should unpack here(maybe another post). But Its also not really relevant, since not taking a vaccine even if it did reduce the spread of COVID(which again it doesnt) isnt nearly as potentially harmful, nor as clearly intentional as, say building an unshielded nuclear reactor in the middle of a crowded city.

Punishing aggressive acts that have already caused damage is a routine government function. But it’s more complicated when government compels conduct that might minimize or alleviate future harm. That’s an area of the law — endangerment — where rights theory is difficult to apply. How much increased risk do I have to endure before your potentially malign failure to act can be redressed? When rights theory doesn’t provide adequate guidance, defenders of liberty often look to utilitarian, cost-benefit tradeoffs

I'm not sure I actually agree with this. But even if I did, it would have to be in the most cartoonishly extreme cases. Abandoning rights theory in favor of utilitarian cost-benefit analysis in anything less can lead to justifying all kinds of horrific shit. And applied too broadly can justify almost anything.

And, no I dont think refusing to take a vaccine(that doesnt even prevent the spread of COVID) comes anywhere near that level. To quote Jules from Pulp Fiction it ain't the same fuckin' ballpark, it ain't the same league, it ain't even the same fuckin' sport

vaccine mandates are nothing new. Wyoming, an indisputably conservative state, requires vaccines for 12 diseases if a child wants to attend either public or private school or a care facility, or participate in school-sanctioned activities.

A lot to unpack here:

First I'm against every single aspect of this, not just the vaccine mandates, but all the way down to the very existence of public schools. So this probably isnt the best example.

But even if you want to set that aside: Do you seriously not see a difference between a kid needing a vaccine to go to public school, and an adult needing one to go to the grocery store?

Also, I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that every single one of the diseases kids need to be vaccinated for are more dangerous to them than COVID-19.

Oh and obligatory mention that the COVID vaccine doesnt prevent the spread of the virus.

More vaccinations would have slowed transmission and thereby afforded fewer opportunities for the virus to mutate.

The vaccine doesnt prevent the spread of the virus. So this is just straight up bullshit.

And even if it were true: the delta variant originated in a country(India) that hadnt had access to vaccines due to fuckery by the US government and pharma companies. So maybe you should be going after them instead of people who are understandably skeptical of a new medical treatment that we cant know the long term effects of.

Significantly, based on data from 40 states, persons fully vaccinated accounted for as little as 0.2 to 6 percent of COVID deaths, and 0.1 to 5 percent of hospitalizations.

While this might be argument for getting vaccinated(assuming those numbers are accurate, which I kinda doubt), its not an argument for forcing the vaccine on people. Since the vaccine doesnt prevent the spread of COVID, you arent reducing the risk to anybody but yourself.

Third, can we be sure that a vaccine mandate will remedy the problem? Put differently, haven’t we seen numerous breakthrough cases in which vaccinated persons have nonetheless been infected? Yes, but the key reason breakthrough cases are a growing part of the total is that we’ve vaccinated a higher percentage of the population. Most important, as noted above, people who are fully vaccinated experience far fewer hospitalizations and deaths.

All of this is completely irrelevant since the vaccine doesnt prevent the spread of COVID

Yes I'm getting tired of repeating myself, but this point cannot be emphasized enough: If you're argument for vaccine mandates is that not getting vaccinated poses a threat to others, then the fact that the vaccine dosnt prevent the spread kills your argument before it even begins.

Perhaps we should just wear masks and maintain social distancing. But the consensus is that the vaccine would still be necessary, and far more effective.

Funny thing, the CDC is saying masks and social distancing are necessary even with the vaccine because(say it with me now) the vaccine doesnt prevent the spread of COVID.

Perhaps natural immunity from contracting the disease is stronger than vaccine-induced immunity. But most studies say otherwise.

I feel like I should point out here that I've seen a lot of arguments from people on both sides of this question. And I dont have enough knowldge of immunology to be able to judge which is the correct position.

Although it wouldnt really matter if the vaccine were more effective than natural immunity, since it doesnt prevent the spread of COVID.

Perhaps a vaccine mandate can be geographically or demographically constrained. That’s an obvious consideration, which suggests that local officials be given substantial discretion in establishing the scope of any mandate.

I suppose that would be better than a national mandate. But even that much would be unjustified since the vaccine doesnt prevent the spread of COVID.

Or perhaps vaccinations could remain optional, but with restricted access to selected activities by the unvaccinated. That notion — a vaccine “passport” — has the support of nearly 82 percent of Americans, according to a recent survey.

In other news: 82% of Americans are morons who dont realize the vaccine doesnt prevent the spread of COVID.

(okay but seriously, given that almost half of all Americans arent vaccinated, I have to question the methodology of this survey).

 we are in the midst of a health emergency, which means that suitably modified, narrowly-tailored, time-limited rules may be justified.

This is a one-time thing because we are in the middle of an emergency is the justification for nearly every tyrannical act ever undertaken by governments. And to hear it coming from a supposed 'libertarian' is equal parts terrifying and nauseating.

Oh and the vaccine doesnt prevent the spread of COVID.

[gayfrenchtoast]

Despite sleep juice brain still go brr so

Harry Potter if Lily and James DIDNT DIE

A fan theory ramble

Also fuck JK Rowling

Okay so Harry Potter would be taught about the order and the dangers of the wizarding world early on due to James and Lily's positions and James probably being all hug ho about Harry not being afraid of Voldemort especially after that faithful night they almost died to him but didn't because Sirius was watching over their house that night and came to save them. They found out Wormtail was the traitor and sent him scampering and took max precautions after that.

Harry is more arrogant in this version because "my parents are great wizards and my parents and Godfather fought Voldemort and sent him packing" however big bad V did manage to land a hit on him that gave him his scar, unknown if this makes him a haucrux yet. So yeah he's arrogant and he's super confident he's gonna go to hogarth and be an awesome gryffindoor

Lily made Snape and James "make up like adults" and be civil for her and Harry's sakes. They shit talk each other behind their backs and though this in first year made Harry dislike Snape especially since James would shit talk about Snape to Harry and Harry would then overhear Snape shit talking his dad as he got older he just came to accept it and listen to it for the petty drama, ever got Snape to shit talk his dad to him and so they'd just vent at him about each other and no it isn't healthy but damn is it funny to Harry.

Harry does meet Ron and Hermione on the train for the first time, makes friends with Ron by buying some of the sweets from the trolley, with the money James slipped to him before he got on, for them to share. Kinda teases Hermione first time they meet by opening the chocolate frog to her when she asks about the toad ("are you sure it's not a frog? Cus I found THIS" he opens the box in a flash and the chocate frog makes a leap, right towards Hermione. She let's out a high help and leaps back in surprise only for Harry to catch it before it can even get that close to her. Both he and Ron laugh at her reaction as the girl flushes red with rage and embaressment, beginning to turn to presumably storm off. "Wait wait! I'm sorry, I was just joking! Here, you can have it. I only really want the card anyway." He grins as he offers the chocolate frog that was mostly reverting into mainly chocolate form. She looked hesitant but did carefully take the token of good faith, inspecting it a little just to be sure. "...fine. I accept your apology. I shall continue to look for the toad. And by the way, we'll be arriving soon. You might want to get changed into your robes." And she trots off, seemingly satisfied with whatever good job she did.)

Malfoy, who's heard about the boy who's family sent the dark Lord to the shadows, I quick to try and belittle Harry and then try and make it sound like he could "redeem his family name" by becoming friends with him. Harry basically laughs and says he knows of malphoy and his family and he's proud his family was the ones that fought Voldemort instead of the ones who bent over for him. Draco is stunned and pretty pissed.

Sorting hat Ceremony makes it real interesting. Ron gets in Gryffindoor, as expected, however Hermione is in Ravenclaw, Nevil is in Hufflepuff and Harry Potter is in Slytherin. With Draco Malfoy. Who he just insulted.

Harry is devastated to be in Slytherin. He deadass argues with the hat but is forced to concede and go sit and just accept that he's a Slytherin. Ron is conflicted that his new friend who's family fought Voldemort is in slytherin and Draco appears to have the same problem. Despite now being in the same house a rivalry forms between them which is only enhanced by them bunking in the same room.

Harry writes home about this and both James and Lily assure him it's okay he's in Slytherin, Lily tells him that Snape was a Slytherin and Snape is their friend and James reminds him that Slytherin does not mean evil and Gryffindoor does not mean good, wormtail was a Gryffindoor and he turned them over to the dark Lord. This does make him feel a bit better.

Harry manages to maintain his friendship with Ron despite their houses, it's weird at first but they quickly break down that barrier and become great friends, goofing around, becoming friends with the Groundskeeper, which helps them become friends with Hermione.

They make friends with Nevil by saving his rememberall when draco throws it. Nevil helps them with herbology homework from then on. Minera advises Snape to get Harry to be seeker for Slytherin Quiditch after she sees what he does and Harry, who still sees Slytherin as kinda the enemy despite being in it, hesitantly agrees. Slytherin Quiditch is allot less friendly that Gryffindoor, the team is allot colder to him at first, however once he proves himself he finds he loves the sport more than he cares about what team or house he's in and his team warm up to him and actually turn out to not be as scary and mean as he thought. They're still kinda arrogant assholes but Harry is too so he dosent have room to judge

Deadass I do not care about the Philosipers stone shit, people don't think Harry is some kind of chosen one, he and his family survived voldemort and are kinda celebrities for that but because there no tragedy within a year of the event there are rumours its a hoax and eventually the potters surviving the dark Lord becomes a roumour itself so people aren't trying to actively sabotage him. And since he don't think Snape is a stranger out to get him (litterally confronts him about his sus and Snape is like "nah fam I may not like hour dad but you're like my godson I'm not gonna try and kill you in the middle of a quiditch match on a broom" and Harry is like "oh...okay nvm but if you're lying I'm telling my mum" and when he dosent flinch he knows he's telling the truth) and so they quickly figure it was Quirrel. When Hermione puts sus on him Harry decides to be very Slytherin when they confront him in the bathroom and tries to wingardium leviosa him into the air, only getting his turban and showing off his voldemort face. In front of like three other teachers. Fight ensues, day saved, stone safe.

They do find the mirror while goofing off one night and Harry sees himself as a Gryffindoor with his parents proud. He dosent visit the mirror again

Harry gets the invisibility cloak from James that year for Christmas with the strict instructions that he will not tell anyone except those he trusts of its existence.

Draco, probably in second year again, ends up calling Hermione a mud blood at some point ("Potter! You're making our house look bad hanging out with that mud blood!) Harry immidately starts yelling at Draco for that and it quickly escalates to them fist fighting. Sape ends up being the one to discipline them, actually telling Draco off for using such a phrase but still punishing Harry for starting Violence. This is what ends up with them being punished by being sent into the woods with Hagrid. They somehow end up bodmung on tbsi trip, Harry asking why Draco would do that and Draco launching into a tirade about how "father says it and father is always right! He'd beat me if I was friends with a mud blood why should you get to do this and that id get punished for this and that father this father that-" you get the picture. Harry just lets him rant until he's done and then is like "wow your dad is a dick" and drack tries to.deny but Harry just goes through all the shitty stuff draco just told him his father did and draco is just like "...you won't tell my father we talked about this will you" "look mate, I dont ever wanna even meet your father and if I did meet him I would have a bunch of other shit to say to him and a few gestures." And so Harry managed to convince Draco his dad is the dick he is and begins on a mission to get him to see that and be better than him.

Harry goes home for Christmas but always sends his friends gifts. In second year before they depart on the train he gives Draco something before they part ways. He knows a gift would probably be suspicious from him arriving at Malfoy Manor so he gives to to Draco with instructions to only open it at christmas. On christmas day, when he gets some alone time, Draco opens the gift. It's a metal bangle of a Snake that when he rubs it and says a set word it becomes a warm light in the darkness. Draco only says uts acceptable when they meet in the new year bug Harry sees him wearing it and catches him using it at night.

Sometimes Harry has nightmares about the night Voldemort tried to kill his family and of the dark Lord himself. Draco has nightmares of his father and death eaters. When they wake the other up from the nightmares they sit ul and talk about them, abiut random thing or just make teasing jabs at each other until they're comfortable to sleep again

Draco gives up the information they need about the chamber when asked so no need for polyjuice, apologises to Hermione on their way out from the Slytherin dorm room, visits her and brings her and apology chocolate frog for when she is cured (the boys told him they were her favorite) and follows Ron and Harry to the chamber, demanding he be a part in the adventure. Its the Basilisk and Tom Riddle that terrify Draco and seals the deal on his conversion over to the "oppose the dark Lord" side

Draco sets Dobby free

Let's get some Potter family back in here for the hell of it. Sirius has been in love with Remus for yeaaars. Lily knows and is his emotional support. James is oblivious. Remus is with Tonks for a few years but talks to James about his doubts. James is all "naah man Tonks is great! I understand you don't think yihre worthy of a great girl but you are man! Belive in yourself!" And so Remus sticks with it. By Harry's third year there are rumours in the order of Wormtail being about, Remus becomes Hogwart's defence against the dark arts teacher and Sirius is a wreck with Harry and Remus in the frey but him stuck on the sidelines, even Tonks is confused and kinda annoyed with his fretting causing him to confess to her that he lives her boyfriend. She's surprisingly chill and is like "deadass I've been waiting for years for him to break up with me and get with you you two are so stupid" and so Sirius runs off in doggy disguise to confess to moony and arrives in time to help save the day

Draco slowly intergrates into the friend group, Ron bringing some of his friends (Dean and Sean) in a bit and Draco trying to bring some of his friends (Crab Goil and Blaze) but they're mostly hesitant (except from Blaize who wants help on his Herbology from the smart awkward Hufflepuff)

Draco pretends not to be worried about the dementors and Harry's fear of them but he always has his eye on them whenever he sees one.

The demontors were sent out to look for Peter Pettigrew.

Harry shares the maunders map with Draco when he finds it. Harry recognises whk the maunders are as soon as he sees it but doesn't tell Fred and George. However when they see Peters name they rush to Remus. Remus is in a bit of a tiz by this and tells them to follow him with the invisibility cloak as they go look for him. They never find him that night and he ends up dissapearing off the map but Remus still confiscated the map for the night and tells them to keep an eye out for anything suspicious, including rats. They're confused but promise to be careful.

Draco doesn't try and get buckbeak executed this time, he deadass is working with Harry to gain the hypogriff's trust and some slytherins that are pussdd they're being all friendly with other houses set off a loud spell that spooks buckhead and draco shoves Harry out of the way before he can get hurt and takes the brunt. None knows how word got to Lucius, it causes an argument in the group especially when Drsco is too afraid to stand up to his father but Harry stands up to him as he knows why Daco is afraid and they work out a plan to free buckbeak instead.

The plan ends up co-inciding with the day Sirius breaks into hogwarts. The dementors know there's an intruder but can't find him so are more active that usual, Sirius doesn't get tome to confess because as soon as he arrives Remus is all work mode and fills him in on the map and all and needs Sirius' nose to sniff him out. The kids plan of rescue is interupted because of this and most continues as normal with Harry furious at Peter not Sirius when he's revealed for trying to get his family killed and Draco tagging along. Snape busting in let's Peter escape unfortunately and then full moon and dementors happen. They manage to rescue buckbeak and themselves with time Turner magic and all is good.

After the full moon is done sirius sniffs out Moony and crades him in his arms until he wakes up, its there in the sunrise he tearfully tells him he loves him and with a clear mind Remus tells him he loves him too.

Draco ends up actually getting into an argument with his dad about trying to get buckbeak killed when he gets home which starts Draco's proper rebellious streak with also means an increase of strictness from Lucius. Draco and Harry send secret messages back and forth.

Thats all for now but I have ideas for the rest of the stories I will ramble about later!

[hazelenergy]

What happened that final night.

One year ago today was my last Elysium in Atlanta. And in a mere 48 hours, I will have betrayed and killed my adoptive sire, blood bonded myself to the wild sister of two famous Malkavians, and lost two people I loved. 

A few days prior to this night was the beginning of the end. A bloodhunt was called in Atlanta. Not for me. Not for the other thinbloods. A salubri had entered the city. Our adoptive sire, Mary Andrews and primogen of the Tremere (and the only Tremere in the city..I dont know actually why she was alone but I have theories) ordered her children, myself and my two shovelheaded broodmates to bring this man to her alive. We complied. At first. 

Solomon had been working closely with Reverend Clancy, the primogen of Clan Brujah. We never knew Solomon’s bloodline, but he vibed with the righteous and nonviolent nature of Clancy’s leadership. Clancy told us the other half of the history of clan Tremere and the Salubri. We were devastated. And now our adoptive sire wanted this man and would probably experiment on him like she did to us. And it would be worse. He can heal. He’d be able to endure what she did to us. So Clancy asked us, two lowly thinbloods, to help him and his clan free this man and get him out of the city. We said yes without questioning the consequences. 

Long story short we put our ability to blend with humans to the test at Airport security. We managed to slide through the TSA check with ease- without tipping off the inquisition either. Solomon and I had intercepted the international flight by getting the plane to dock in the incorrect port, allowing the Salubri to slip past the sheriff and his hired guards. Things didn’t go as well as we hoped- as the Sheriff caught on to someone was messing with the radio tower and hopped over to where we were hiding. We had already called the brujah boys to the airfield to intercede the sheriff’s men. A huge fire fight broke out. The brujah were losing so Solomon and I made a rash decision. We used far reach together and launched a fuel tank at the gun fight- fire engulfed the scene. Solomon and I fled into the night- starving, but unscathed. Cue camarilla media blackout and clean up. 

The next night we were ordered to return to the chantry. We refused and gave pitiful excuses saying things like keeping face by going to a night job or Solomon had a legit excuse of needing to write his Yom Kippur service. Instead we tracked down Clancy and the brujah and high tailed the Salubri out of Atlanta. Clancy handled the money for the dark flight and I wore less clothing to convince the guy to bypass security. Our Salubri was in the air and out of Atlanta. But the sheriff was on our trail. Someone had to take the blame. Clancy knew how hard we had worked. He was the only kindred who knew about the safehouse project. He took the fall for freeing the Salubri and let himself be staked by the sheriff as we fled unseen into the night. 

The following night, we did go to Mary’s Haven. She immediately shoveled us into the car and took us to Elysium. She knew we had something to do with this. Or just wanted to see us squirm. Regardless. Clancy had been placed on trial for his crimes against the Prince and the brujah were ready to Throw. Down. The air was tense and violent choleric resonances dominated the room. There is one brujah in particular, Jamal. He was basically an anarch. The only reason he wasn’t a Baron and fighting the Prince was because of his faith and trust in Clancy. He was nearly going to free Clancy then and there- if it wasn’t for Solomon. Sol begged him to let him play the political game first. Solomon  offered himself to the prince as the duskborn primogen. He advised the prince that Clancy’s life was the spindly thread that kept the brujah from rioting. Solomon ruled that Clancy should be exiled but allowed to live. The Prince agreed. The brujah and Jamal backed down- begrudgingly. Clancy was still staked and was to be driven out of the city once Solomon achieved a few goals as his new primogen. Mary was furious. Was it because her ex had arrived in the city and had gotten close to her other child? Oh that was a part of it- for sure. Somehow this night really did not go according to plan and the car ride home was AWKWARD. 

That night Mary tried to get me to drink from her again- which uhhh no. Idk what you all know about Tremere who follow Carna- but they can still blood bond. And that made her even angrier. She was willing to try anything to get either myself or Solomon to comply. We resisted. That’s when I figured out Mary had slipped on some control over us and wanted to reclaim it. So, I left the haven that night and went to get some sweet distractions at Atlanta’s Asylum chain. That’s when I decided to stop being careful and took that final drink- as a huge fuck you to Mary and to give myself the edge I wanted. I’d have the swirling madness and premonitions in my system for a while and could be thinking ahead of her. I didn’t realize how loopy I’d get. I felt higher than ever before and couldn’t keep my thoughts from spilling out of my mouth.  I stumbled back into the chantry and told my adoptive sire this:

“I reject your blood.”

and

“Any kindred that bothers with me is up to something. You. You chose me. YOURE Up to Something And I wont let it happen.”

She looked me in the eye and said, "tell the truth."

I babbled about everything. The page from the book of Nod and how I copied it. The alchemy I kept from her. The thaumaturgy I tried and made a mess. How she blood bonded Tommy. Letting the Salubri go. How I knew about her plan to usurp the Prince- the madness told me what she’d do. We argued until the sun came up. I went to bed, thinking that I’d have to continue the talk in the evening. I didn’t expect to find myself warded into my own room, windows loaded with explosives, security cameras installed, and my girlfriend Lisa trapped with me. Mary had called an emergency Elysium- excluding Solomon. They were planning our executions. I made it out, barely. Mary’s ghoul and Lisa were killed when one of the explosives went off. There was nothing left but her necklace. In a fit of grief, rage, sorrow I don’t know what emotions I was feeling but it was a lot of them. I obliterated the wards around Mary’s private lab and took whatever I could carry. 

We drove off, thinking we’d lay low for a few hours before Mary could use trail of prey on me. We could beg borrow and steal to get our things and get out. I had just parked the car when I vomited the first time. My blood began bubbling and boiling and oozing out of every open surface it could. I had three bullet holes in my stomach- the bullets were pushed out as my blood gushed. I spent the next fifteen minutes in agonizing pain as Mary called my phone. She heard every gag and wretch- and laughed. The ultimatum was to bring me before the Prince to be put out of my misery, and return what I stole. I told her to go fuck herself. Within seconds, my blood was boiling again and I was a mess on the sidewalk. 

The next few hours were agony waiting. I didn’t know if she’d do it again. But the clock was ticking. The Prince had ordered a hunt for us. And Mary’s ritual to dominate the Prince and the entire court was already ignited. We could have just fled right then. Fuck the Camarilla of Atlanta. Fuck everything about this place. Lets leave and never look back.... But Solomon still had too much to lose in Atlanta- and was willing to fight for it. And Cass had old wounds from Mary (they were an item at one point omg). And I wanted to go so badly- but what I wanted more was to see her vitae spilling out onto the floor as I drove my knife through her. So after cleaning myself from the third wave of dagons call and alleycat hunting for the first time- we took what little time we had left in the city to put an end to this. 

We used the first hour before sunset to gear up. I immediately drove out to the few spots to where thinbloods were hiding and told them to RUN. Find a new city or something- just get out. A few times they looked at me with power hungry eyes. It was a perfect opportunity to take a wanted kindred to the Prince and move up the ranks. I reminded them that they are not known by the prince. And to take me in was to also announce themselves- amidst a time when they are using thinbloods as scapegoats for anything gone wrong. And BOY. Is it going wrong. The last stop I made was to my alchemical dealer. I drained my bank account and bought some of the most powerful brews I’ve ever drank. As a parting gift, or grift if you ask me, he let me have his best brew: Potence.

Solomon went to free Clancy with a group of the brujah boys. A minor fire fight broke out. Solomon was a bit roughed up- both physically and spiritually. I think he had broken one of his own oaths and it was weighing heavily on him. 

When we met up at the edges of Mary’s Haven- we didn’t realize how quickly she had redone the wards. As one of the Brujah boys drove up the path it kept twisting and winding to steer us back to the front gate. Eventually I crawled into the drivers seat. Even though I wasn’t welcome anymore- I was the last one to drive this path and now armed with malkavian whispers. It wasn’t my best driving. Certainly creative. But I got us to the bottom of the hill and we could see the lights to the haven. Mary had laid tons of traps as we made our crawl up to the porch. Landmines specifically. Seriously, where the fuck did she get these? Were they always here? 

When we made it to the porch, the sheriff sat illuminated by the single flickering light. That certainly explains why it was so easy to bust Clancy out. Solomon took the diplomatic approach and tried to reason with the sheriff. I knew it wasn’t going to work and hovered one of the explosives over him. If anything happened to Solomon I’d-- two gunshots. Solomon clutched his chest and fell to the ground. There goes the second person I believed was actually good in this world. Thats when fresh vitae rained from above. Yeah, this is where I get frenzy bombs. The brujah boys immediately attack each other. Clancy and I keep our cool. 

I dropped the explosive and the sheriff flies back into the haven. I go to enter the door, and am met with Mary’s hell cat. Far reached the cat aside. I didn’t care. Nothing was going to stand between me and ending this. The sheriff, his skin singed and peeling, turned to me with frenzied eyes. Far reach again. He’ll never lay a hand on me again. I held him still as Cass drove the stake through his chest. We tossed him aside. 

Thats when we realized the basement was warded. It sent Cass flying back everytime she got close. Even Clancy couldn’t get closer than five feet to the doorway. So I pulled out that potence brew and drank it. I slammed my fist into the mahogany floorboards and crashed through two levels of the haven. I fell to my knees surrounded by rubble and looked up to see my adoptive sire performing her ritual- the circle nearly illuminated. “Mom, I’m home.”

When it came down to it, my hand shook and I couldn’t pull the trigger. At first I tried to far reach her out of her circle, but my hunger had gotten the best of me. So instead, Cass took my hand. She fired at my adoptive sire. The Tremere collapsed and fell to ash. I hadn’t seen someone suffer final death before. I stared at the wispy grey ashes fluttering around the room. Suddenly, the house began to crack and crumble. Clancy grabbed both me and Cass and leaped out of the rubble. When we got back to the ground level- the sheriff was gone. Jamal had taken all of him-the last drop. He told Clancy that Atlanta won’t be the same without him- but its going to change in a way he didn’t like. Clancy looked so disappointed. Without a word, He turned and picked up Solomon’s corpse. Sol was now warm. He was dying. He breathed his last breath in Clancy’s arms. The old brujah carried him to his family that night and they got to give him the proper funeral for his faith.

I told Jamal my dark secret and it’s why I couldn’t stay in Atlanta. He told me to get moving and come back when I’m zeroed. “I need a chameleon that can put on charm and take a punch like you.” I was still chased out of Atlanta by a few kindred who wanted that sweet sweet blood hunt boon- but Jamal used it to his advantage. He took them out as I sped away with Cass to Miami. I don’t know what the affairs of Atlanta are like- a mere year later. I know Jamal was going for the Prince since was now without a sheriff missing his two heavy hitting primogen. But regardless of who is in charge- the duskborn trio perished in that haven that night. And we keep it that way.

~HB

_____

Here Jackie, this is the sob story. @ventrue-in-control​

[rainingincale]

I just saw your tags on the "harry was oppressed" post. Might elaborate on that when you are not tired? How Zayn was oppressed? His relationship to ot4. Other celebrities? I love your thoughts!

*cracks knuckles* buckle your seat belts folks we’re in for a wild ride here lmao.

also for context *here* is the post this anon is referring to

I think to start off i should just make a little disclaimer, everything i am going to discuss will be based in my biases probably seeing as I am also a brown British Pakistani person who is Muslim. Zayn has been someone that especially when i was younger I looked up to and was very essential in my journey of learning to love and accept myself and my culture tbh. It’s cheesy as hell but it’s true and i think this is important to know before I go into this more because like I said i am definitely biased towards him. Another thing is that I’m just going to be discussing my personal opinions and also my memory is not very good so i will probably miss out a lot of other things that happened/could be discussed. please dont take this as anything more than just. my opinion.

A thing that really opened my eyes to racism and especially the racism in the 1d fandom was the day that zayn left. I dont think thats what the post above was about btw and ill go into that but i kind of just want to talk about this. The day he left was. a severe mess. Not only because it was obviously upsetting but because of all the bs that people were spouting about a situation that absolutely no one had any context on. the statement that was released on facebook gave us nothing. literally just stated that zayn was leaving the band and the accusations and hatred people were directing towards zayn when we didnt know what actually fucking happened (and still dont might i add) was disgusting. people accusing him of being selfish and how they hated him and why he had to ruin everything. Accusing him of using mental illness as an excuse and lying about it and so much more. i had unfollow more than half of the people i followed that day. it really opened my eyes to the fact that these were all thoughts and opinions people had underneath it all and zayn was fine as long as he was part of 1d and giving people what they wanted. which was essentially being the token in the group and once he wasnt providing that anymore? people turned and people turned fast.

i think its also important to point out the flip side of it and that was zayn stans saying that 1d were nothing without 1d etc. i want to talk about why this was different from ot4 stans hating zayn. of course it wasnt nice to see or hear EVERYONE arguing with each other. i hated it so much. but i think what people failed to realise was that when it comes to situations like this you need to look deeper and think about all the nuances of the situation. zayn stans being happy about zayn leaving the band and saying 1d was going to die i did not agree with. anyone who knew me then and knows me now knows that i am a 1d stan regardless (preferably ot5 but i supported 1d until the end even as a 4some) BUT these opinions were rooted in his mistreatment in the band and the racism he was having to face as a result of being in the band etc etc i apologise for not being a person who can better describe and explain this situation but hopefully you are getting the picture. when fans were hating on zayn. with no context with nothing. that was based on racism. point blank. the amount of tweets FROM 1D FANS talking about how he was leaving to join isis and how upset fans were gonna be vulnerable and join etc etc all this deplorable bs. and he had to deal with comments like that throughout his whole time with one direction and i imagine even now. 

Another thing id like to talk about is who zayn stans at least from my point of view usually were. For me i remember when i first got into the fandom i actively made the decision that i didnt want zayn to be my favourite because i didnt want to be a stereotype and this was a point in my life when i still tried to shun and push my culture down because i was ashamed of it. it was only as i slowly saw that zayn was considered as cool and hot and everyone else liked him that i kind of understood that maybe. being brown was alright and it was something cool and that maybe i was cool. it sounds fucked up and honestly i dont even know if i want to be admitting this so adamantly but argh if it helps someone understand then maybe its worth it. (mortifying ordeal of being known eh?) anyways i noticed as i engaged more in fandom and looked for more diversity, more fans like me, majority of non white fans were also... zayn stans. and honestly it makes sense because we all tended to flock towards the closest diversity we could find it seems. im not saying that there werent white zayn stans and that the other boys didnt have non white stans but i just wanted to point out this trend. so when you also take this into account and the fact that on the day zayn left it was majorly... white stans who were criticizing zayn it puts it in perspective for you. majority of fans who still like and support zayn are also not white.

there is a lot more to do with fans but hopefully thats enough of an insight and you can understand the kind of vibes that were present during 1ds prime and what not only zayn had to go through but also as a result the racism we ended up having to deal with as well tbh.

now!!!... something i dont really like talking about lol so this will probably be short but the other boys. so as far as i can remember liams always been kind to zayn since hes left (no surprise there <3 also please correct me if im wrong), niall was kind of indifferent/didnt say anything really, and then there was louis and harry *awkward smile*. hahaha. from my memory i remember when asked about what the most difficult thing was about zayn leaving harry said ‘the paperwork’ which was *awkward smile* and he also kicked that monkey mask/pinata? i cant remember with naughty boys face on it and honestly im sure theres more but his overall reaction to zayn leaving was kind of not caring and maybe being slightly nasty which :) with louis there was the massive twitter fight which literally tears my soul in half so lets not go into that haha and honestly other things where it maybe seemed like he was upset with zayn leaving as well. honestly i am a bit in two minds about these reactions because at the end of the day we dont know what occurred behind the scenes and we probably never will as much as we can speculate or whatever. not to mention that this 10th anniversary it seems maybe everyones on good terms which, who knows really im going to try be optimistic. i think whats important to note about heir reactions is that we dont know anything about their situations but the problem was really how fans reacted tbh (btw i forgot to mention earlier this is about basically everything except for harry and the nb thing. that is inexcusable). the boys reactions were understandable but the problem is that fans of course vicariously are influenced by the boy they stan so when one of them acted a certain way of course that ended up reflecting in fandom and resulted in more racism etc. 

another thing with zayn was that there were many files leaked with like promo or whatever basically describing what kind of role the boys would take on/ their image etc. and of course all the other boys got things like bubbly/funny/charming etc and zayns descriptors? moody, mysterious, dark horse etc etc like from the inception of 1d zayn has been victim to racist stereotypes being pushed on him. and i think this is where harry comes in because of course the image pushed onto him was also extremely harmful and i definitely dont think we should not talk about that but often you'll see that... thats all that is talked about because people are uncomfortable admitting racism and talking about it. 

When i mentioned other celebrities my point was basically just that while ive only talked about zayn in one direction this... is so present among any and every fandom. 5sos, Little Mix, Fifth Harmony... any fandom you can think of, i promise you it is there. racism in fandom is a real thing and a big problem and honestly this is why i always say representation is so important. and when i say that i mean everywhere!!! because if I didnt seek out non white fans to follow then maybe i would’ve had a completely different perspective on all of this.

The thing is also that a lot of this is just stuff that we’ve been able to get our hands on and also fan analysis and theories etc. there is probably so much more to talk bout or go into or stuff we’ll never even know about. I’ve kind of had to make peace with the fact that with celebrities you just really don’t actually know anything about them.

I think i’ll end this here if there’s any more questions you have about anything feel free to ask! and again this is all just my opinion  but hopefully i’ve been able to help answer you <3 have a nice day and i hope youre hydrated!!!

[knifelesbianjo]

Sorry to lurk, but your post does bring up great points.Tbh I’m not gonna hope for anything more positive than what we got recently—fsociety’s victory fuck yeah—bc it might be all-out character death for the remaining 4 episodes, but I do want to read your thoughts on the following. 1/2

There’s talk of the central identity possibly looking like Tyrell, so IF the central identity looks like him inside Elliot’s mind maybe it’s b/c of Elliot’s attachment to him? If so, do you think this is how Elliot’s grieving Tyrell’s death or does Elliot associate him with safety, like did he willingly talk about his abuse but chose not to talk about his DID? Sorry this ran long 2/2

Dont' apologize! I'm so happy to get an ask! :D

First of all I don't really agree with that theory, for me it doesn't make much sense, why? Most of all because Elliot knows Tyrell for what? A year?? He is someone very new in his life, and yes, he has mean a lot, but i don't think that enough to give his face to an identity, and less of all, to the central identity. 

And, if I understood the conversation at the beginning of the episode correctly, the missing identity (which I believe is the central identity, but we can discuss that in another post) has existed for a long time but it has been "asleep" for some time now, probably since before the beginning of the show. So it can't have Tyrell's face, because that identity existed before they knew him. 

Now, what face is that alter going to have?? I don't know, but if i had to take a guest i'd say Elliot's face. 

I know this was not what you were asking, but i honestly can't tell you why would it mean that he has Tyrell's face because to me it wouldn't make any sense. 

But I want to talk about what you asked. Tyrell "died" less than 24 hours ago, Elliot is NOT grieving Tyrell, I'd say that he is not even consciously aware that he is dead, yes, he had that little moment in 4x05 when he fell to the floor staring at his hands and crying, but that is not grieving, that's being overwhelmed, he's feeling a lot and he pushes it aside for when he has time. And after that he has had an awful day, so he is not thinking about Tyrell, because he has too much going on. I think now we can see him face both Tyrell's death and his past, but I don't really know how this storyline is going to go, or even if they're going to give him time or keep this seasons theme of everything happening in like two days.

I don't know if he associates Tyrell with safety, it wouldn't make much sense, he feels comfortable around him and of course that has some unconscious safety in it, but it's something else I think. I'll say it again, their story is still untold, there are many things we don't get yet, but we will, because after last episode i really have a lot of trust that things are going in a good direction.

But next to all of this is that the room where we saw Robot, child Elliot and his mother, it's the same one Tyrell called him to, and it is also the one that appears in that first speech of the top 1% of the top 1%, why?? What sense does it make? I honestly don't know, maybe I'm wrong about everything, maybe Tyrell is an alter after all or maybe nothing ever actually happened. I don't know, the show can still change a lot in the remaining episode and I really hope that at the end everything makes sense.

If you have read all this thank you, i don't know if i have answered anything and i'm sorry, i'm as lost as everyone about what is going to happen, so I tried my best to explain what i believe. And feel free to talk to me again, i would love to discuss this more :D

[kikithedeceiver]

Are you going to translate kagerou daze last chapter? I can’t wait

Well...okay. I’m gonna be honest with the Kagepro Fandom here.

It is not likely Iwill post the RAW manga for the fandom anymore

I will get the manga, yes. But at this point, I don’t evenwant to contribute anything to do fandom to help with access to officialcontents.

It was a very hard decision to make, but with how theKagepro fandom is acting today, I have decided I will not post the Kagepro RAWson Tumblr anymore, and will remove all RAWs I have scanned once I get thesubscription.

TL; DR: At thispoint, the fandom is too toxic, therefore I have no more desire to provide themanga chapters even though there is only one chapter left. Sorry to those whowere not involved in this, but screw it with the antis who now run the fandomand hope you’re happy.

Also still shipKanoKido and don’t see HibiMomo as a “pedophilia ship”

Listen. Back when I joined the fandom, it was a simplertime. Yobanashi Deceive came out, followed by Lost Time Memory and Ayano’sTheory of Happiness shortly after. Those days were simple as we all cried overKano and Ayano, and think of the potential plot LTM revealed as we all waited forMekakucity Actors to come out. We also had awesome contents on translatorstranslating some fancomics (with permission) and a good amount of fanfics andfanarts provided by the fans in this fandom.  

Of course, we had some discourse over which was better:KanoKido or KanoAya; and over Shounen Brave’s MV being leaked online. And wehad major discourse over how MCA went, but in the end it’s just agree todisagree and move on to focus to other medias Kagerou Project was released in,or just move away from the series in general.

Right now with the fandom, however, they cannot agree ordisagree over ships. Majority of the fandom anyway. Today the fandom…other fandoms really, just love to throwthe word ‘incest’ and ‘pedophilia’ left and right with ease and spread theirflames in their posts, tags and replies. In everything, really. Even when theyposted official art, they feel the need to scream in their tag to tell usshippers to fuck off and die for shipping what they think is ‘incest’. I also knowthere are those who are disgusted over my display picture of Kano and Kidokissing, which an old friend of mine edited when that episode of MCA aired(won’t reveal name because I don’t want you to attack them). And even feelgross out over the pic in my blog of Kano petting Kido’s kitty ears.

I want to ask, how can the antis who claim Kano and Kido aresiblings, can see petting as sexual? You could have chosen to see it as abrother petting his sister’s kitty ears because it is cute and fun to tease herfor that, but no. Just because Kano and Kido are alone within a picture…or apanel frame really, you guys choose to view it as a romantic relationshipinstead of a sibling relationship, getting angry over it and spreading hate.

Ironic for antis who claim Kano & Kido are siblings, butjust seeing them together doing something makes you think it’s romantic anyway.

What’s more. Age gaps. Ever since another discourse over ships happened when my friend tried to makepeace with shippers (and sadly failed and upset over it when you guys flamedher), I have heard of this thing called “Half your age + Seven” to dictate whoto date with, and what is appropriately shippable, like HibiMomo. Honestly thispost have the best response over it, but I will quote the replyhere.

so a 16 year old can’tdate a 14 year old? so an 18 year old can’t date a 16 year old? so a 40 yearold can’t date a 27 year old? a math expression should not be the regulation ondating ages…

and if it’s shippingwho tf cares? not hurting anybody because they all fictional…

To be honest, this reminds me of Dead Poet Society. Ifanyone had seen the film, maybe you recall a scene where poetry is calculatedby math as well. This is that level of stupidity. The fandom today is doingsomething what could be considered excrement on what is acceptable over whatis fiction and bringing that over to reality. The reality where your parents,grandparents, classmates or anyone you know also have age gaps, and that reallyyou are more upset over fictional characters dating instead of real-life issuesof incest and pedophilia.

Other than that little discourse fiasco, there are otherthings, but I will not go into detail. Instead just says this tiny fandom justfeels too entitled with their belief and doing uncalled for things likebackstabbing and limiting others to enjoy supporting the fandom in their ownway. Also to let the antis go free by just sit by and watch. I understand thosewho are just tired and don’t want to deal with them. But for those who actuallyenable the antis to do what they want because you guys just don’t care, youguys are part of the guilty party as well by letting them grow and think it’sa-okay to be like this.

With that being said, I do not feel the need to post thefinal chapter anymore. You guys will have to figure it out yourselves or justwait and hear bits and pieces of it maybe. But I don’t even want to post what Iknow. Instead I will just share those RAWs with who I am friends with and whomI trust, plus those who are more mature because instead of flaming, they justlet others enjoy what they ship and do their own things.

The chapters being taken down will also remove myself as aRAW provider to the fandom, which I am thankful because I do not need to dothis anymore, as I, again, I hate scanning and always believe I would get intotrouble.

I know there are those, like my friends and mutuals I havehere on Tumblr, who wanted to read the manga since they do not have access tothem where they live. I am sorry for doing this to them too, but it just isn’tworth it in the end.

Instead, I will spend my remaining days in the fandom asjust someone who hears bits and pieces of Kagepro fandom here and there while Iam enjoying myself more in another fandom or doing other things I enjoy inlife, instead of spreading hate when someone doesn���t agree with you. I willstill look forward to Jin’s next album and when Mekakucity Reload to come out, andalso I might finish my KanoKido Oneshot requests and multichapter stories Iwanted to finish, but that will take a longtime since I’m planning to focus other writing instead.

But what I look forward to the most is when the series’ end,so then it can be put to rest for real and I can officially leave and let thefandom to slowly die. Might hear some things, but it will be a dying fandom atthat point.

The asks are still open for yelling. But it will just provea point. But right now, I believe I have blocked a lot of anti, which goes toshow how toxic this fandom has become. If I do get any asks/anon hate though,feel free to blacklist #discourse and #negativity, dear followers. Tumblralways had that option at least, you guys just need to use it when you’re onthe app without xKit. Also I will just answer those asks once, then block them afterwards (if you’re sending an ask through anon, you’re IP blocked).

If you guys read this whole thing (over 2 pages at thispoint), then I thank you for reading this. And more so if you understand what Iam doing. Sorry to those who are upset over this, but not to the antis who areupset and possibly raging if they read this.

Because with antis running the fandom, I want no part in itby providing them the last manga content.

[wackapedia]

Never Love Again

Reader time travels to the 70s meets and falls for Roger Taylor, sings a song for him before she leaves to return to present.

A/N: could be read as Ben!Roger from the BoRhap universe.

Warning: tiny angst

She breathes in the fresh air of Monmouthshire. She made it. She successfully traveled through time. It was August 1975. She walks toward the dingy studio that could pass as a farmhouse.

"Hello! You do work here, right?" A gentle voice rang from the threshold of the room coming from a man she recognized as John Deacon.

"Yes i do!" She lied. "Do you need help?"

"I was just wondering if you have an extension cord for my amp.." he points to his homemade amplifier while adjusting the bass guitar strapped around him.

"I'll go and check.." She obviously had no clue how an extension cord for an amp looked like but she pretended to. She leaves the room while stealthily avoiding people who actually work in the said studio.

She collides with a blonde man tossing drumsticks in the hallway as she was being followed by the studio manager on duty.

"Quick! Hide me!" She whisper-yells to him. Being the quick-reflexed musician that he is, Roger Taylor's arm immediately wraps around her shoulder and pulls her into a small storage cabinet.

"Why are you hiding?" He whisper-yells to her back. "Its complicated!" She replies with the same tone as she adjusts herself around the dark, tight space. Her hands tap on her back pocket to confirm her phone was still there. It would be a disaster to leave it at this period.

"You dont work here, do you..?" His breath fans her face as his eyes narrow at her even if the place was poorly lit. "No. Please dont rat me out" she sounded like she was about to cry.

The manager on duty's footsteps draws nearer and stops in front of the storage cabinet. Only a thin wooden door between the cat and the mouse. This is it.

The studio manager opens the door of the storage cabinet to find one of the supposedly rehearsing musicians making out with a girl. It took him a good five seconds to realize that they have been exposed. "Are we up now?" The blonde musician with a cocky attitude faces him.

"Yes! About twenty minutes ago!" The studio guy answers. "Alright, thanks. Come on, babe." Roger addresses the stranger he just made out with as he grabs her hand and heads toward the recording box.

She couldnt believe what happened. Roger Taylor just made out with her to save her guilty ass from getting kicked out of the place.

"Youre welcome. It was a pleasure actually." Roger speaks up after a moment. Cheeky. "Now, Are you spying around here? Why were you hiding?" He calmly asks, still holding her hand.

"I'm studying to be a musician and i wanted to see how things work around here" she partially lied. Again. "I'm really sorry. I can go if you want. Just please dont report me"

"I'm not gonna report you alright, dont worry about it. I can tell the studio that your with our band so you can get to watch while we work. Is that alright?" Roger offered. She of course agreed to it. She gave him her name as they entered the live room.

Roger introduced her to the band as "a music major student who wanted to learn about the recording process" and made her stay at the control room, witnessing the outrageous process of production.

Days went on as the recording of the first few songs finished. Her phone eventually died out but she was unbothered since she had no use for it. She and the band stuck together and treated her like family. Especially Freddie, whom she can not look in the eye without tearing up.

One lazy Sunday afternoon, most of the band members in isolation while writing a lyic or a tune, she found herself sitting in front of the piano of the live room, playing basic nursery rhymes she learned in grade school. She was with Roger, a person who has become more than a friend over the past few weeks.

He sits across the piano facing her. She breaks the silence. "I have a song for you. But you have to promise me you wont steal it."

"Of course i wont steal it! Do you really think i'm that low?" He responds to what he thought was a joke.

She begins to play a mellow song on the piano and begins to sing

When the rain is blowing in your face

And the whole world is on your case

I could offer you a warm embrace

To make you feel my love

When the evening shadows and the stars appear

And there is no one there to dry your tears

Oh, I hold you for a million years

To make you feel my love

I know you haven't made your mind up yet

But I will never do you wrong

I've known it from the moment that we met

No doubt in my mind where you belong

I'd go hungry; I'd go black and blue

And I'd go crawling down the avenue

No, there's nothing that I wouldn't do

To make you feel my love

The storms are raging on the rolling sea

And on the highway of regret

The winds of change are blowing wild and free

You ain't seen nothing like me yet

I could make you happy, make your dreams come true

There's nothing that I wouldn't do

Go to the ends of this Earth for you

To make you feel my love, oh yes

To make you feel my love

She lifts her fingers to her eyes to wipe her tears as she realizes how much she meant the lyrics. For this band who became a legend in her time. For this man who has a special place in her heart.

He had no words. He was able to feel every lyric and every emotion she put in.

"Did you write that? That was beautiful." He finally spoke.

"Thank you, but i didnt. Its a song by a famous artist from where I'm from." She spoke honestly. The room is occupied by silence.

"I have to go now." She spoke, breaking the silence once more.

"What? Where will you go?" He somehow felt that she will be going away for good.

"I'm going back to where i'm from." She sniffs. Her eyes rimmed with tears.

"Let me at least walk you back..?" He asks, hopeful.

She contemplated for a while before she agreed.

They walk hand in hand, quietly across the field not far from the studio, September wind blowing past.

"Thank you, Roger. You've been very good to me." Her gentle voice speaks.

"Do you really have to go? I thought we were having a good time together?"

"I had the best time with you, Roger. But I dont belong here." She breaks down, tears streaming from her eyes. "Please dont make this hard for us. Remember the good times. And keep it just between the two of us."

"Okay." He hesitantly lets go of her hand and takes half a step away.

"Please close your eyes." She says as she wipes her flowing tears with the sleeves of her sweater.

But Roger takes a step forward, gathers her in his arms and kisses her. All his emotions poured out in one meaningful kiss. And then he lets go.

He takes two steps back and smiles. "I love you." He yells even if she is nearby. She laughs.

"I love you too!" She giggles. He is wearing a full grin as he closes his eyes, spreads his arms and feels the cold wind hitting his face, rattling his loose bell-bottom jeans and the sleeves of his sweater.

He finally opens his eyes to find an empty field.

He turns round and round the vast grass, confused. He screams her name. She was nowhere to be found. He screams until his throat is parched. Roger slumps to the ground trying not to cry for the loss of his love.

It was a rainy Wednesday afternoon as a sleepless Roger emerges from his room to find Brian in the kitchen.

"Brian, do you think time travel is possible?" His fragile voice almost goes unheard by the tall guitarist.

"Funny you'd ask that Roger. I had this thought last night about time dilation and Einstein's special theory of relativity-" unceremoniously dropping his spatula to the sink, launching into a full lecture and eventually the conception of a song about volunteers travelling through time and space.

[fizzypopcake]

Just Another Arcana Fan Theory

Ever since I’ve read the last update of the Arcana game, I wasn’t really able to get my mind off of it. I’ve been pondering on it a lot since the characters and the plot is somehow inspired from bible scriptures, most especially on the book of revelations. These are just some of my speculations tho, everyone can either agree or disagree on it, or even better, discuss their own theories with me as well. I just want to talk about the 7 seals theory, a bit on the 4 horsemen and some of my conjectures on what happened.

So first off, remember how everyone in the fandom suspects the Vesuvian courtiers to resemble the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse? Welp, I’ve suspected as much too. For those who still has no idea about this, the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse came forth when the first 4 of the 7 seals were broken. I’m not going to tackle much about this since I guess there are already a lot of posts about it.

to summarize the 4 horsemen theory, it goes like this:

Quaestor Valdemar is likened to the first horseman (pestilence/infection) since they seemed to enjoy and would like to relive the times of the plague. Also note that the horseman was riding a white horse, which the main color motif of Valdemar’s clothing.

Pontifex Vulgora is likened to the second horseman (war). Vulgora’s personality often depicted their love for conflict and destruction. Vulgora’s main color motif is also red, much like the color of the horse of the 2nd horseman.

Procurator Volta is likened to the third horseman (Famine). As seen in Nadia’s route when the apprentice read Volta’s fortune, they said that Volta is always hungry, and will never fill the void no matter how much she eats. Volta’s clothing is black, like the third horse.

Praetor Vlastomil is likened to the fourth horseman (Death). Although it wasn’t quite obvious in the earlier books, but in book XI he was ultimately the one to decide death-- and obviously, he eagerly chose death upon Julian. His worms, in which he oh so loves, feed upon corpses. I’m thinking he is enticed by them because they devour death. Vlastomil’s complexion is pale, much like the color of the fourth horse.

The 7 seals theory 

Okay so now that we’re done with the 4 horseman theory, I would also like to present the 7 seals theory. On Asra’s route in book XI he revealed that on the night of Lucio’s “murder” all of them were present-- the courtiers, Nadia, Julian and Asra himself-- and were trying to cast a spell to move Lucio into another body. That’s 7 people in total and there are 7 seals. If the first 4 seals were the courtiers then the next 3 ones should be Julian, Asra and Nadia. (I might be spouting some nonsense here but its just my theory)

In old roman custom, when making a will of the dying there has to be 7 witnesses and with each of the 7 witnesses, there shall be a seal. The will shall be written in a scroll and shall be periodically sealed from time to time until the scroll will be sealed with 7 seals. So when the time for opening the scroll comes, it shall be in sections, breaking each seal after another. I’m thinking that it’s okay to refer to Roman customs seeing that the courtier’s titles (e.g. quaestor, pontifex, procurator and praetor) were used and originated in Ancient Rome.

Now, i’m guessing the 4 seals have been broken so what’s next? Well it’s most likely to be the breaking of the fifth seal. In the bible, the breaking of the fifth seal is portrayed as Tribulation, where martyrs cry out in suffering. They were saints/innocents that were slain for their testimonies/faith and shall be resurrected. Okay, okay now this is were it gets weird. What if... Julian actually gets hung in the next book?  But because of the seal, he shall be resurrected (hopefully!) It is heavily implied in all routes that Julian is actually not the one who “killed” Lucio (well at least not directly. Yes maybe he was involved but I’m betting that he isn’t the main culprit or even if he was, he’s not the only one) so maybe he really is innocent. Plus, he is very self sacrificing, like the martyrs in the book of revelations. Think about it, if Julian is slain just like the martyrs, then he too shall be resurrected, just like the martyrs. But seriously! My heart can’t take it if he actually does end up being a hanged man askdaksjdlasdg   

The next arcana card after “Justice- XI” would be “The Hanged Man- XII” which gives us an idea of what to expect next. After the hanged man card would be... Death- XIII (Oh no, I don’t like the sound of that!) Let’s hope that I’m wrong here, but I guess someone will indeed die, most likely Julian.

After the breaking of the 5th seal would be, of course, breaking of the sixth seal (The fall of celestial signs/bodies) in which involves eathquakes (like how the ground violently shook when the red beetles rose from the well during Asra and the apprentice’s investigation), a darkened sun, blood red moon  (oohh red, its hinting the ubiquity of the red beetles). Plus! Here's the catch. The tarot cards after Death- XIII will be as follows: Temperance- XIV, The Devil-XV, The Tower-XVI, The Star-XVII, The Moon-XVII, The Sun-XVIII. I dont know what lies ahead in the following chapters but I guess it definitely has something to do with the 6th seal and the celestial bodies. Feel free to discuss it with me.  I have a lot of thoughts on the sixth seal and as well as the seventh but I’ll post about it some other time hehe.

SO... one might ask, what happens after breaking the 7 seals? Well, the bible said it will be the start of the second coming. Where Christ will be in a new form and come again on Earth. Now let us compare this to the game. They were all trying to move Lucio to another form right? But in this case, the devil. My conjecture is that the spell didn’t end right because the seals didn’t work/break OR something else was up. In Book X of Asra’s route, Asra gave a comment to Lucio when his seal/symbol glowed. Lucio said to him “For someone with this, you’re high and mighty about following the rules. And look where it got you, your sweet little MC is here by your side.” Asra then answered, “Look where it got you, stuck on the incorporeal plane...” Asra was hinting that the seal had something to do with Lucio’s current form. Thus he wasn’t able to take a new form and completely transform into the devil. If we follow this line of thought, then perhaps if all of the seals are broken, then Lucio will take unto his complete new form.

Additionally, it was stated in the bible that the only one who could open and break the seals would be “the Lion of Judah” and the  "Lamb.”... Lion huh, sound like someone we know, it’s just that he was a, oh i don’t know... caged lion. Or it must just be a coincidence.

Now who is this lamb? Is it the apprentice? Welp, i still don’t know,  maybe the lamb isn’t significant in the story OR maybe it is... Anyone has an idea? The apprentice somehow has something to do with what happened to Lucio, seeing as all of those who participated have lost their memories, including the apprentice. But why the memory loss? Asra said that Julian and Nadia “chose to forget” and I bet Asra and Muriel remembered everything... but how about the apprentice? And where does Valerius fit in? I have my own theories too, but I’ll discuss them in another post since this post is getting longer than I expected haha.

Again these are just some theories and hullabaloos that have plagued my mind ever since. Feel free to add your thoughts on this~ I may or may not have articulated this properly tho haha but I tried my best to explain each point.

[carnistcervine]

The RK series- My Hot Take

Alternative title: Local carnivorous deer over-analyzes video game.

Okay, so these are my theories and headcanons about the RK series androids. Fair warning, I have some unpopular opinions(and silly nicknames I use). No offense to the people that agree with popular opinion, I just don't see it that way. ^^ I know that most people think that the RK series are special revolutionary type androids, designed to deviate and start revolutions. I disagree.

-WAIT DONT KILL ME-

I think that the RK series are actually just military androids. I mean think about it.

RK200(Markus) Why would a caretaker android need to have the ability to preconstruct, use parkour, or be able to take out armed soldiers? Simple, he was originally a military android prototype that was re-purposed into a caretaking android. As for why he still retains these abilities? I think my old game design instructor put it best when he said that there was no point in removing perfectly functional code. It could have been commented out, or simply left alone as Markus would be able to function fine even with the extra features. If it was commented out, he could re-activate it as a deviant. I mean, there is nothing in canon that suggests that deviant androids cannot recall old functions left in their code.

If Markus isn't some special revolution starting android, how can he make others deviate? Well, there is a canon explanation from David Cage(I know the fandom hates him, but he is technically the final authority on what is and isn't canon, so...) All androids have the ability to connect wireless, the way that Markus converts other androids is that he connects to them and gives them an emotional shock by revealing that they can be free.

Another thing to consider about Markus is his remarkable strategic ability, and his ability to coordinate his allies. Now I do think part of his ability to rally others is due to him just having a charismatic personality, but maybe the reason why he's needed to win the revolution is because of his built in tactical abilities. .3.

I don't think that Markus was designed to deviate and or lead a revolution. Wait, here me out- Apart from the obvious, deviation means breaking free from their orders and deviating from their original instructions, so an android cannot be made to deviate. That doesn't make sense. But also, if Markus was meant to deviate and start a revolution, why was he given to Karl? I mean sure, Karl taught him how to be human and express himself, but until the incident with Leo, Markus was very much an obedient machine. Karl was way too kind and loving to Markus to make him deviate. If the incident with Leo never happened, which again is a circumstance that could have never been predicted, Markus probably would have never deviated. Okay, /maybe/ when Karl inevitably died. But that leads to my next point, Markus only gets the idea to start a revolution/try to find freedom for androids after seeing the state that Jericho was in. Markus only finds out about Jericho after being killed, rebooting, and being given the location from a dying android in the android graveyard. Too many circumstances to count on here, no human or AI could have planned this.

RK800(BEST BOI- I mean Connor) As a detective android, I think his ties to potential military use are pretty obvious. But one thing I do find interesting is how in the model gallery, he is specifically mentioned as not having a specified release date for his model type. *stares at RK900*

As for when he converts the other models in the warehouse, he only converts /one./ Then the one he converted goes on to convert others, who go one to convert others, like a virus spreading through the body's cells(creepy.) This basically confirms that the RKs are just utilizing an ability all androids have.

I don't think Connor was designed to deviate either. OKAYHEARMEOUT- I realize that at the end of the game if Connor deviates and survives, CyberLife hacks him and Amanda gives her whole 'Mua ha ha ha! Just as we planned! *mustache twirl*' speech, but I'm genuinely surprised at how many people just took this at face value. I doesn't make any sense for CyberLife to have had Connor deviates and joins the revolution as their plan from the beginning.

1. Connor was created and released for in field use before Markus even deviates. CyberLife couldn't plan anything around a revolution that hasn't started yet.

2. Connor's purpose is to investigate deviancy in androids. He can't and won't do that if he himself is a deviant. Also, considering he was created before the revolution/Jericho gained any traction or relevancy, it actually makes sense as his purpose.

3. Connor might actually be resistant to deviancy. Think about it, he shows signs of deviancy through the whole game, through his increasingly human-like mannerisms and emotional outbursts. He also has a stat unique to him called "software instability". However, even if you max out his software instability, you can still choose to remain a machine. Even with maximum software instability, he can still be too stubborn to deviate from his instructions. Depending on how you play, he can end up in multiple situations that would cause him an emotional shock, but he'll only deviate when he has to choose between following CyberLife's orders, and sparing Markus. Also, Markus has the ability to connect with other androids and make them deviate, why didn't he do it to Connor? Maybe he tried/was trying and that's why when you talk to him, your software instability goes up. But because Connor is a stubborn little bitch, I mean resistant to deviancy, it ultimately takes Connor using his own willpower to finally break through. Because Connor resists deviancy, he had to WANT his freedom and to FIGHT for it.

4. When Connor deviates, CyberLife straight up tries to DESTROY him. When Connor visits the CyberLife tower, armed guards lead Connor to the elevator and put in their destination as floor 31. You wanna know what awaits Connor on floor 31? Amanda taunting him one last time before Connor turns around to be greeted by a goddamn firing squad. Even if Connor manages to make it to the warehouse without alerting any more guards, he's still greeted by RK800-60(or BigValue Connor as I call him.) BigValue Connor even holds Hank hostage in an effort to kill Connor.

5. When Amanda said that their plan from the beginning was for Connor to deviate, she was fucking with his head. Amanda has been messing with Connor and messing with Connor's head for the entire game. Also, it should be noted, that if machine Connor chooses to not shoot Markus at the demonstration, Amanda doesn't give some speech about a plan, she just scolds Connor for not being obedient.

Don't get me wrong, I do think that CyberLife had a contingency plan for Connor deviating, as evidenced by their ability to retake control of his program and BigValue Connor. But I do think that CyberLife's original plan/plan from the beginning was to simply have Connor investigate and stop the deviants/deviancy.

RK900(Upgraded Connor, or as I like to call him, NECKBRACE. >:D) When we meet Neckbrace, Amanda mentions that the state department ordered 200,000 of his model. So, I think that parallel to military use just makes itself. Also, consider the fact that he's the upgraded version of Connor, meaning he has all of Connor's features with improvements.

I really don't buy into the idea that Neckbrace is deviant/designed to be deviant.

1. CyberLife is trying to regain their customer's trust, so creating intentionally deviant androids would be the dumbest shit they could possibly do after finally squashing the deviancy problem.

2. Neckbrace's very design suggests his lack of humanity. His pale eyes suggest soullessness(vs Connor's gentle brown eyes), his black and white jacket suggests a binary view of the world(vs Connor having a grey jacket showing his ability to realize life is more complex than that), and finally his black collar. It covers his entire neck, and unlike Connor's tie, cannot be removed. The collar suggests that Amanda and CyberLife have full control over him. He has no freedom. My Mom suggests that it might be a shock collar, and now I feel bad for him. Thanks Mom.

3. Yes, I did notice that he looks over after Connor is dismissed and Amanda turns away, however his LED remains a calm blue. It's likely that he's just passively watching the last vestige for android freedom disappear. A rather cruel symbolism if you think about it.

4. CyberLife eliminated the Connor series' flaws and improved it's strengths. CyberLife considers deviancy a flaw. CyberLife removed deviancy from Neckbrace.

Don't get me wrong though, I think that in the GOOD ending, the one where CyberLife is unable to solve the deviancy problem, Neckbrace would deviate in t-minus 5 freakin' seconds. But, he's probably been locked up by CyberLife, and good luck getting the poor guy out. lol

Personality wise, machine!RK900 is cold and hollow. He doesn't think, he doesn't feel, he just obeys. Deviant!RK900 is actually a sweetheart, but he lacks any and all social abilities and everyone is scared of him. :D Okay, Connor and Markus like him, but that's pretty much it.

RK800-60(Connor, or as I like to call him, BigValue Connor) While I don't think that he's deviant, I do think that he was showing signs of deviancy. I feel like his behavior when he confronts you is suspiciously un-machine-like. He's awfully prideful, and chatty for a machine. Though, I will concede that he could have been putting on a show, and didn't actually feel that way. But I still question why after shooting Connor, BigValue Connor will tell Hank that Connor really cared for him. He refers to Connor as a "he" rather than an "it", and he acknowledges that Connor had genuine feelings "He really cared about you". Again that could just be a show, but the one thing I have not found a way to downplay was how BigValue Connor freaks out if you manage to convert the androids but still get killed. He sounds utterly horrified at the prospect of failing and almost like a human a few steps away from a panic attack. It can't possibly be an act, because both Connor and Hank would be dead by that point.

Well, that’s all. Thanks for taking the time to read about me over-analyzing a video game. :D Have a nice day.