#and i'm like “yeah the translation is right below it king lets use our looking eyes”

[causenessus]

have i ever lore dropped that i have a tattoo of inarizaki's team slogan

[incorrectringsofpower]

Season 2 First 3 episodes thoughts (spoilers below the cut, DO NOT click the cut if you do not want to be spoiled!)

Episode 1

The dimples are a bit disarming ngl.

The chorals Bear added are interesting. Someone translate them please and thank you.

Ewwwww bug!Sauron nope nope nope.

Why hallo there handsome asshole :D

What's in the pouuuuch? (I don't think we're ever gonna find out tbh)

O shit are these the raft redshirts? Oh nooo.

I support horse girl rights and wrongs.

Mooom, Galadriel is a lying liar who lies.

Gil-galad looks so done lmfao. "Great-auntie whyyyy."

Elrond about to pull an Elwing.

I want to see my little boy (Isildur). (Where is heeeee?)

Hello Glüg, you SDCC photo gem.

Ah Waldreg you fucker. Guess you figured out between seasons that he ain't Sauron.

Lmao not Sauron pulling a Moses on Adar. Wtf are you doing buddy?

Nori my beloved

Wow The Stranger has so much vocabulary now. I still think he swallowed a Harfoot dictionary.

Ok additional Harfoot food note: Beetles (scarab beetles?)

Oh yeah some fic writers are reaaaaally gonna enjoy the scenes of Halron chained and collared. Here comes another fic deluge!

Sauron, don't you remember what happened with Huan in the FA?

BEN DANIELS TIME LET'S GOOOOO.

RIP to this random elf messenger bc I don't think he's gonna make it.

Ben Daniels has the raaaaange.

Eärendil mentionnnn. And Beleriand mention! I wonder why the Mariana Trench option wasn't considered in the TA. Update: Ok nvm Círdan will answer that for us.

Poppy! Hopefully the others can still travel without the maps she took.

The music is so prettyyyy.

"Your people have been set free." #doubt (show me the proof! also why did Sauron want that? He needed slaves to work the fields in Mordor, right?)

Ah Waldreg did die in the exact episode we predicted.

More elf nuns!

Elf costumes! I need an analysis post!

Lmao Elrond's face. "Grunkle Círdan, you betrayed meeee!"

Galadriel: How 'bout I do anyway?

Elrond: Thanks I hate it.

Galadriel: Please don't jump off waterfalls again.

Mirdania! Aw shit Halron got there before the nameless doomed Lindon elf.

Ominous ending music, Bear.

Episode 2

DWARVES MY BELOVED

I love the terrace farming so much.

Dwarf food note: Mole-tail stew, Large mushroom (chanterelle-like) that is very valuable, smaller mushrooms, gourds!

ilu Disa

This scene was exactly what I needed for dwarves and dwarvish food reasons.

Oh shit not my dwarves :(((

Alfirin seeds!

Ooh creepy!

New elf characters! Do they have names? Please give them names!

"Crush two spiders with one boot." Ooh I hate the foreshadowing of that metaphor. Hates it, hates it.

More foreshadowiiiing.

Mirror of Galadriel foreshadowing specifically!

Eregion is so beautiful and majestic (thanks, Season 2 budget!). Sure do hope nothing bad happens to it! (sobbing)

Yup, RIP Lindon messenger elves.

I looove this music.

Skeletor! (By the power of Grayskull!)

Ooh cultists.

The Dweller is back!

"curse upon our flesh" wut

I have a bad feeling about this. (Wait, wrong fandom)

Where is Narviiii.

Do Disa's friends have naaames? Wait x-ray actually was helpful for once. Rachel Payne as Brenna and Laura Jane Matthewson as Revna! I'm so happy she has named friends who even gossip!

Hi Narvi!

King Durin: But do I still have grandparent's rights?

"Stubborn as a root-bound parsnip!" Hah.

Oh my god he's working on ships. I love that so much.

Ooh shit a flashback to the woods scene from Udûn.

Why are you shaving, sir? Sir.

Ahhhh poetry mentions from the FA! How nerdy.

The bell seems bad.

Eye of Sauron?

Uh-oh. Is this how he learns how squishy hobbits are on adventures?

Ooh he's developing door ideas. Fun!

I get the feeling Mirdania ain't gonna last the season, either.

Fuuuck tower foreshadowing.

Ooh elf umbrella!

Oh you little weasel!

"I'm going to open a First Age bottle." Love that detail.

"Are you my friend?" Hoo boi.

Ominous thunderclap. Ooooh.

Is he gonna larp as an Istar? Lmao.

"Soon every realm will fall." Because of you, asshole!

Title drop!

Wow. Okay. Playing on his insecurities and also calling him the "Lord of the Rings". Overdoing it a bit much there, Ronnie?

"I am your partner." screech

Pope-galad says you need babysitter, Gal. I'm sure this will go splendidly!

Episode 3

Bronwyn ;_;

Berek best boi my beloved

Sad Elendil and Valandil :(((

YESSS OH MY GOD IT'S HAPPENING. EVERYONE STAY CALM. IT'S HAPPENING!

ISILDUR SAVE YOUR HORSE FOR THE LOVE OF ERU.

Pls don't kill Berek. I couldn't stand it 😭

ISILDUR BEST HORSE GIRL

THEY'D BOTH BETTER LIVE OR SO HELP ME

FUCKING RUN ISILDUR FFS

(GOD I HATE LARGE FANTASY SPIDERS AND THIS IS WHY)

Ooh the shells funerary detail!

Eärien girrrrl your evil phase alarms me.

This ship is so saddd :(

More ominous tower shit.

Pharazôn, you weasel 2.0.

Fucking foreshadowiiiing.

Valandil my beloved! Oooh tension with Kemen.

A baby orc! Fascinating!

Damrod has arrived!

More title dropping!

"--a friend." The emphasis was so funny.

Durin is suspicious. Love it.

Celebrimbor: Well if I start a Catholic schism then so be it.

It is your moment, Holly-boy, but also your doom. You're being Anakined into Vader by Palpannatar.

Isildur has discovered the DnD means of equipment acquisition.

Noooo more dead horsies :(

Estrid :D (please don't be evil)

Lmao at least he knows proper wound procedures lol.

DO NOT HURT BEREK

Potato food spotted!

ARONDIR YASSS

THEY STOLE BEREK NOOOOO

Arondir sir you are low on arrows.

Arondir ;_;

Bronwyn :(((( fuck I'm so sad about this

I will never recover from the Aronwyn ship, I fear :(

Theo, buddy, need someone to talk to?

Sad version of Aronwyn theme nooooo :(

Really not liking how much King Durin's crown sorta resembles Sauron's this season.

Theo taking over his mother's skills :(

Yup, poisoned orc arrow theory confirmed.

Stepparenting with foreshadowing for Numenor, delightfulll.

Please don't be foreshadowing.

Who is his dad? Oh no hurtful, Theo. Buddy :(

My Garden Fam is broken and I'm deeply unwell about it.

Theo-Isildur friendship time?

BEREK HEIST BEREK HEIST

Isildur really is so relieved to be alive and not eaten by spiders that he's gone friend mode. How very like his Grunkle Elrond!

Oh no Isildur mom backstory :(

Don't cry Isildur and Theo bc then I'm gonna cry ;;_;;

Also now this is a narrative parallel!

Ah good gift discussion next to the word "precious" is throwing my brain. Oh lordy.

Please don't be evil, Estrid! I'm already suffering without Bronwyn and both Disa and Míriel are doomed af.

Theo wtf are you doing?

ENTS.

No don't lose the sword Galadriel gave you!

Míriel in white, Elendil in blue and gold, Pharazôn in red. Totally Kate Hawley doing some fascinating storytelling here.

Oh no my quote about Elendil and his daughter in a courtroom is suddenly very apt. Oh dear.

What did Elendil see?

Huh the unrest happened sooner than I thought.

EAGLE TIME LET'S GOOOO!

Eagle: Y'all are gonna die!

Elendil: Top 10 anime betrayals and by my own daughter. Wtf.

Annatar gets his own cute lil forging outfit :D

More symbolism!

Oh god what a way to end the first 3 episodes. Send help.

[dotsunflowers]

Promo for German-language La Cage aux Folles (2022), ft. Drew Sarich as Albin/Zaza, and Victor Gernot as Georges

English translation below the cut!

[approximate English Translation of German Transcript]:

Georges: Open your eyes! You are in the cage of fools — in La Cage aux Folles!

Victor Gernot (Actor, Georges): My name is Georges— I'm the director of this variety show. I am the boss of the Cagelles, and I'm not just the employer, but also the best friend, lover, husband, and admirer of the star of the show: Zaza on stage, and my Albin in real life.

Zaza, singing Mascara (translation of German lyrics): 🎶 I only feel zest for life, sensual, fabulous, / Because through putting on make up, Albin has vanished, and Zaza is here 🎶

Drew Sarich (Actor, Albin/Zaza): We have a wonderful home, and we have a son, Jean-Michel. And Jean-Michel comes home and tells Georges that he's getting married.

Gernot: Excellent choice. He has chosen the daughter of the party chairman for family, tradition, and morals, and wants to present an idealised/sanitised world for these in-laws—a world that, of course, doesn't actually exist in our household.

Jean-Michel: For the next 24 hours, there will be people here who have a different lifestyle than you do. For the next 24 hours, I am asking that you give up everything that you personally enjoy and everything that you are personally proud of. My future depends on it.

Melissa King (Director and Choreographer): This play is over 40 years old, and even if LGBTPQ rights have made advances, the community still isn't truly integrated. Which is to say, there is a certain level of, let's say, tolerance, but not 100% acceptance.

Georges, singing Look over There (translation of German lyrics): 🎶 Why do you believe that from now on there is just one love? / Think of the affection you have experienced so far 🎶

Lorenz C. Aichner (Conductor): My favourite numbers are actually the quieter ones. The show numbers are done wonderfully—beautifully crafted, dramaturgically well constructed with their high points, and they are superbly scored—but the most honest numbers are the quiet numbers, where there are truly honest interactions, truly honest emotions, and things are happening at a truly interpersonal level.

Georges and Albin, singing the Song on the Sand reprise (translation of German lyrics): 🎶 As the time has passed / I think often of that song there, in the sand 🎶

Aichner: Yeah, I think Georges is a difficult character—difficult for himself. For us, he's not a difficult character, but for himself? I think he sometimes makes his own life more difficult because he wants to be diplomatic toward everyone. I think that's a fine quality to have, but it must be terribly stressful for him.

Gernot: At first, the plan is that you won't be there at all. And then we decide that it would be good if you were there, as a man, as Uncle Albert. And finally, you take initiative—

Sarich: —and save the day!

Gernot: You save the show, you save the day, you save the marriage, the upcoming marriage, you save our marriage, and are the mother.

Zaza and ensemble, singing The Best of Times is Now (translation of German lyrics): 🎶 The most beautiful time is now / what’s left of summer, just an Edelweiss 🎶

King: And I find, that's when you see the perfect blend of Albin and Zaza. Albin, who's perhaps less self-assured, who's jealous, and then you have Zaza, who has power, self-assuredness, will fight for everyone, right? And when he has to play the mother, it's the perfect blend of the two. I think every person has yin and yang, masculine-feminine, and when those are perfectly combined, then the person is...

Aichner: Complete.

King: Complete. Thank you. Thank you. (laughs)

Zaza, singing I Am What I Am (translation of German lyrics): 🎶 I am what I am / and what I am is not a secret 🎶

Sarich: It's phenomenal that we can deliver a message like this without it getting preachy. Where we don't have to point and say "Please please please please please." Um, there's an expression in English, "You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar," and we are smearing honey over everything.

Gernot: Yes.

Sarich: Ha!

Gernot: At the end of, at the end of the night, we smell a bit like vinegar, but— (laughs)

Sarich: (laughs) But we taste like honey.

Gernot: We taste like honey (laughs).

Zaza, singing I Am What I Am (translation of German lyrics): 🎶 Hey world! I am what I am 🎶

[1000punks]

extras/comments under the cut!

overall, this is a playlist about religious trauma. roiben is a bhaalspawn, there's no two ways about it. his feelings towards it are that he can't fight destiny, and resigns himself to being an assassin in bhaal's name, albeit reluctantly. "this is all i can be," he thinks. "so i'll be the best."

king for a day - ptv

Please, won't you push me for the last time? Let's scream until there's nothing left So sick of playing, I don't want this anymore The thought of you is no fucking fun You want a martyr? I'll be one Because enough's enough, we're done

You told me think about it, well I did Now I don't wanna feel a thing anymore I'm tired of begging for the things that I want I'm over sleeping like a dog on the floor

roiben sees a lot of his relationship with bhaal mirrored in his relationship with astarion, and as such, he'll be a martyr for both of them. two birds, one stone, right? the only way that relationship is gonna end is if one kills the other. but until that happens, roiben is happy to be astarion's blunt little instrument.

knockin' on heaven's door - bob dylan

Mama put my guns in the ground I can't shoot them anymore That cold black cloud is comin' down Feels like I'm knockin' on Heaven's door

what a twisted, cynical version of heaven. heaven for a bhaalist, i imagine, would be dying bloody and screaming.

desolation row - my chemical romance (bob dylan cover)

They're selling postcards of the hanging Well, they're painting the passports brown Yeah, the beauty parlor's filled with sailors The circus is in town

the bob dylan version is more extensive but i just felt this fit the vibe of cynicism and mass destruction that roiben would cause during and after the events of the netherbrain crisis. especially with astarion. gods below.

r*** me - nirvana

i won't post any lyrics for this one, but the overall tone of it is "fine. take everything from me. you'll get it back tenfold."

the killing moon - echo and the bunnymen

Fate Up against your will Through the thick and thin He will wait until You give yourself to him

it's about bhaal. or is it about astarion? who can say for sure? roiben's head hurts.

sacred - depeche mode

Sacred, holy To put it in words, to write it down That is walking on hallowed ground But it's my duty, I'm a missionary

So here is my confession It's an obsession I'm a firm believer And a warm receiver

it's about astarion. or is it about bhaal? who can say for sure? roiben's head still hurts.

crimewave - crystal castles

Eyes lit on sharp threats from dark lips The lights press the soft skin to rough hands Eyes lit on sharp threats from dark lips The lights press the soft skin to rough hands

i have a scene in my head about the way that roiben approaches physical intimacy the same way he approaches murder. enough said.

marduk - heilung

i won't post lyrics here, but the lyrics are just all of the different names for marduk by the babylonians. i also encourage you to look at the marduk -> bel -> baal connections in ancient history. the name "marduk" translates to "lord," or "master."

engin miskunn (no mercy) - hatari

Eldur mun gleypa veröldu þína Haldreipi áttu engu að fagna Enga miskunn!

Fire will consume your entire world No lifeline to hold on to No mercy!

in the end, roiben is really in it alone. bhaal wants to use him as an instrument. so does astarion. so has everyone else in his life. the rage that must go along with that, hoo boy.

after dark - alper6nen

We're swaying; To drum beats In motion; I'm feeling My patience; Controlling The question; I won't speak We're telling; The stories Our laughter; He knows me We're leaving; We're talking You're closer; It's calming

all things considered, astarion is still the first person to show roiben an ounce of care. and under the cover of night, he can open up a little bit. a close second is shadowheart. he's never had friends before this, guys - give him a break :') also don't give mr. kitty money/streams - that's why i used this version.

join me in death - HIM

This world is a cruel place And we're here only to lose So before life tears us apart let Death bless me with you

there are only two things certain to roiben; astarion, and everything dies eventually. he loves him, but he's scared of love, he's never felt it. so it comes out this twisted broken thing as he watches the person he loves become the worst possible version of himself. roiben has to wonder, how did the two of them get here? is everything he touches destined to break?

PRAYER - HYDE

I'm crossing the borderline Without a sound A wilderness No one could ever know The sadness How it brings me down I know I have no choice

Is it wise? Taking a life?

this is specifically about the Urge. the lyrics in general kill me, it sounds so hopeless. and it is.

zetsubou billy (billy in despair) - maximum the hormone

愛　知恵比べ　緊迫 エゴの屈折サディスト 断片邪念の鉄槌 奪れゆく生命

臓器広げ懺悔 ほくそ笑む死神　因果関係なぜ？

Love, a battle of wits, tension, bending of the ego, a sadist Fragments from the hammer of an evil mind, robbing one of life Saturated with criminals, the urgent murder of a sinner Snickering gods of death, why this repercussion?

these two parts, specifically? shit, dude. more about destiny and the fight, the death, the potential repurcussions, the emptiness it leaves in the chosen vessel. you get it.

dead souls - NIN

Someone take these dreams away That point me to another day A duel of personalities That stretch all true realities

That keep calling me They keep calling me Keep on calling me They keep calling me

the urge, and also the meta associated with roiben outside of the events of the game (inside the events of the tri-soul, for example).

tear you apart - she wants revenge

It's only just a crush, it'll go away It's just like all the others it'll go away Or maybe this is danger and he just don't know You pray it all away but it continues to grow

i don't know that i have to explain this one lmfao but it's about astarion.

i don't wanna be me - type o negative

i think this one does what it says on the can!

aerials - system of a down

When you lose small mind, you free your life Aerials, so up high When you free your eyes, eternal prize

this one is the theme song for roiben embracing his urge. it was touch and go in act 2, he didn't get isobel immediately but he got her in the end.

pretty handsome awkward - the used

Your market value Your resurrection (your resurrection) Your shallow concept help yourself I hope you choke and you die I know you meant it Nice fucking disguise (so hollow) Embrace the burn You bleed just like you puke while running a mile

you know that banter line you sometimes get when you click back to Durge? it goes "Wretched thing, pull yourself together." this song reminds me of that, like an inner monologue.

dig up her bones - misfits

I have seen the demon's face I have heard of her death place I fall down on my knees in praise of the Horrible things that took her away

And death climbs up the steps one by one To give you the rose that's been burnt by her son

this gives me a very post-orin battle vibe. i think roiben would ultimately feel guilty about it but carry on dutifully regardless.

kiss the ring - my chemical romance

Move back the walls And keep the faith Don't leave a dry eye left in the back of place Is it hard To stay clean? And if you all keep believing I'll keep believing

another embracing the urge anthem, it just gets harder to push aside from here on out, and roiben's head hurts.

leviathan - leathermouth

i'm not posting lyrics because i think you really need to experience this song itself. think, inner monologue. think, losing your mind. think, bloodthirsty.

smells blood - kensuke ushio

God can't stop me, we are coming You are one of us, remember God can't stop me, we are coming You are one of us, remember

God can't stop me, we are coming You are one of us, remember God can't stop me, we are coming You are one of us, remember

I don't need God Because I'm him I don't need God Because I'm him (ah)

this song is from devilman crybaby and it plays (almost) every time that asuka/satan does something. consider the lore of the fall of lucifer here. :0

the murderer - alesana

The knife slides down to the tip of my tongue. I'm finding pleasure in watching you writhe. I lean in just to lick the sweat off your face. I taste the reverence dripping down my throat.

shuffles notes uhhh, nuff said.

terrible lie - NIN

Hey God, why are you doing this to me? Am I not living up to what I'm supposed to be? Why am I seething with this animosity? Hey God, I think you owe me a great big apology Terrible lie Hey God, I really don't know what you mean Seems like salvation comes only in our dreams I feel my hatred grow all the more extreme Hey God, can this world really be as sad as it seems?

i think this is the song that plays in the distance when roiben is standing in the wreckage of the apocalypse and is maybe, considering the weight of what his hands have done.

gimme danger - the stooges

Now, if you will be my lover I will shiver and sing But if you can be my master I will do anything

this one really has to do with helping astarion ascend, and being his right hand. is he a lover? is he a master with an iron hand? yes!

head like a hole - NIN

God Money I'll do anything for you God Money just tell me what you want me to God Money nail me up against the wall God Money don't want everything he wants it all No you can't take it No no you can't take it (You can't take that away from me) Head like a hole Black as your soul I'd rather die than give you control

regrets? maybe there are some down the line. maybe when roiben gets a little older he'll wish he hadn't caused so much destruction. maybe later if there's any wiggle room he'll resist the urge to kill.

the hills - the weeknd

I only call you when it's half-past five The only time that I'll be by your side I only love it when you touch me, not feel me When I'm fucked up, that's the real me When I'm fucked up, that's the real me, yeah

i definitely see a!a/roiben's relationship changing a lot after the events of the game. getting tired of one another emotionally, still craving that physical connection. roiben especially tiring of the theatrics and the promiscuity (i feel like a!a would be promiscuous as a power grab, but that's just my mind palace). their relationship is something that happens only in the dark of night.

came for the low - ZHU

We can be alone Push it 'til you're gone Tripping with the low I know you wanna go again

speaking of things that happen in the dark of night... their relationship is more of necessity than love after so long. it's a power struggle. very "you're the only motherfucker that can handle me (derogatory)"

hysteria - muse

'Cause I want it now I want it now Give me your heart and your soul And I'm breaking out I'm breaking out Last chance to lose control

i'm really hoping to explore these themes in a fic, so i won't say too much. maybe things eventually end for the both of them. sips drink