#and it would be interesting if they utilized them being on different sides properly this season considering their past

[ripclaudia]

from the trailers there are going to be at least 2 rg scenes (thank god) i don't know in what terms tho because i read an interview with kieran saying that he thinks there's no bad blood between them because she made the right business decision for her and "he knows" while j is always leaning towards "she wants to blow him up" sooo let's see

okay maybe i was exaggerating because i too have seen the trailers ajdjsjdbsbd but the interviews are kind of worrying because there's a bit of a difference between j and kieran's interpretations. it is hard to say since we haven't seen roman and gerri interact yet since all the bells say but i feel like we're going to get some answers in the upcoming episodes. so yeah we'll have to see!

[aeoris4lovers]

i know bazzoxan is supposed to be a place that most people fled because of the demons, but personally, i choose to imagine that it's still way more populated than it should be because its residents are equal parts infuriatingly stubborn and batshit fucking insane. just think about it:

people from elsewhere in xhorhas having the same visceral reaction to headlines about bazzoxan residents that we have to the words "florida man," and dynasty parents threatening to send their kids to bazzoxan when they misbehave.

locals telling visitors dropbear-style stories about the demons they might encounter (which absolutely do not actually exist) just to freak them out, because why deny the rumors that the town is constantly overrun with demons when they could have fun with leaning into it instead?

religious leaders and worshipers who openly give placatory offerings to betrayer gods and demon lords alongside the luxon and other gods/beings without persecution or even judgment, because no one's going to argue over the philosophy of it when the utility is so clear.

on that note, a general tolerance for religious deviations that most members of the dynasty would call heresy and mock or punish, because being so far from the seat of the theocracy and so deeply embroiled in a conflict that no amount of faith will solve makes it difficult to care much about how others choose (or refuse) to worship.

an abundance of abyssal tiefling children and low-level warlocks in pacts with demons, because in a place where demonic presence is so concentrated near where people are living, of course more of those people will be touched by it.

teenagers sneaking past the guards and into betrayer's rise to drink or smoke or make out or stay the night on a dare or leave graffiti or haze a newcomer to their group or just try to fuck with the demons the way kids at a sleepover might play with a ouija board.

wild conspiracy theories circulating about what's really down in betrayer's rise and what caused it, from "the demons aren't real at all" to "they were intentionally unleashed by a spy posing as one of the original miners to sabotage the town" to "the empire planted them to use up military resources".

extreme circumstances leading to more extremist sentiments weaving through the town – survivalists who insist on preparing for a catastrophic incursion exponentially more deadly than even the worst so far and zealots who claim that one such grand incursion will kickstart an apocalypse of calamity-level proportions, secessionists who insist the town should leave the dynasty entirely and insurrectionists who encourage more drastic action against a political hierarchy that they feel has failed to properly address the gravity of the town's situation.

legends and ghost stories about what happens to people who go down into the tunnels – how they might be trapped or transformed by it, or what the demons might use them for – that are used to scare children into not running off alone or told around fires just for the thrill of the fear.

numerous research outposts from knowledge-seeking groups across exandria, most with research groups at least a dozen scholars strong living there year-round to do their work, and at least one relatively high-level wizard there to study the abyssal magic out of personal interest, all of whom are given protection on their trips into the tunnels in return for presenting their findings (and any solutions those findings reveal) to the military.

tons of drow who finally figured out sunscreen and sunglasses and other sun protection, because everyone knows none of the rich wizard fucks in rosohna are going to bother giving them the safety of constant darkness and the town's own mages have far bigger things to spend their arcane reserves on than the sun.

a general sense of casual disinterest and disregard for the brewing war and the politics of dynasty vs empire in general because they live on the defensive side of a very different fight, which is far more real and urgent than a bunch of powerful people's bickering as far as they're concerned.

streets decorated and full of music and laughter on festival days, with all the games and food and other pleasures you would expect anywhere else, including on festival days that only they celebrate, like the anniversaries of famous victories against the demons or improvised events thrown together with the sole purpose of lifting the townspeople’s spirits in harder times.

cuisine specific to the town, known for unique features like its much heavier incorporation of sun-grown crops than most kryn food and its utilization of enough spices to make even demon flesh taste good (a feat that many people living elsewhere would think is impossible, but when you have more access to abyssal corpses than livestock, you learn to make it work).

despite its lack of a true inn (because frankly, very few people ever think to visit), the town having a variety of places to eat and drink and shop and relax and be entertained, because no one needs leisure more than people who live their entire lives on the brink of very immediate mortal peril.

logically, of course it would make sense for people to flee when they realized how dangerous bazzoxan truly is, but are people ever really logical when it comes to their home? how many would truly be willing to leave after devoting themselves to building something there, and how many would insist on staying and adapting and eventually outlasting the demonic presence there?

canon bazzoxan may be a village populated largely by a skeleton crew of military personnel and the people who keep them alive, but the bazzoxan in my heart is a fully populated and improbably lively town full of people with the balls of steel required to live in an abyssal hot spot for the rest of their lives.

[orbmanson7]

How can Logan drinking an ever growing amount of wine in the birthday video be interpreted as? What kind of message us viewers (and Thomas since he was interviewing them) are we supposed to receive from that display?

Alcohol, huh? Here's a trigger warning just in case! I'll be talking about alcohol a lot in this.

Alright, so the obvious answer here is that they are playing on the adult comedy trope of someone drinking wine indicating they are stressed but still have some of their dignity left (it's not like they are so desperate, they're drinking straight whiskey or care so little about class that they're downing beers).

Alcohol in media is often used to portray a character using unhealthy coping mechanisms to handle stress. Namely as a way to say, in not so many words, that someone is either trying to forget something that upsets them or that someone is trying to de-stress from their hectic life. This is likely why both Logan and Janus are seen drinking wine, though Logan, as you've noticed, definitely does it a lot more often. Yes, it's played up for comedic effect, but it's still probably meant to show us how stressed he is.

In WTIT, once Logan realizes he will not only have to keep Thomas on task but also have to wrangle in Remus, he purposefully dumps out his coffee and immediately fills a tumbler with wine instead. In the early afternoon, too, no less. Yikes.

I won't get into potential alcoholic behaviors or anything because it's clear this is meant to be a joke above all else, even if it's a joke about someone utilizing an unhealthy coping mechanism. The only thing to really focus on with this is its lack of prevalence among other sides and its recently increased frequency in videos.

Like I mentioned, we've only really seen Janus and Logan purposefully ingest the stuff (sorry, Patton), but I fully believe that Janus drinks wine more for the aesthetics than for its effects. It's a villainous prop, it completes his look - the one he wants others to see. That's why we don't typically see him actually drink the wine when he's shown with it, mostly just holding it in a glass.

For him, it's more about looking like someone who drinks wine than actually wanting/needing to drink it. This is why he likes being seen as the "sassy aunt" like he said in the anniversary video, as the 'wine aunt' is another common trope seen in media. The wine aunt is often characterized as someone who likes to gossip, indulge themselves, and often cares more about how others perceive them and pretending they're unbothered by it than actually doing anything about it. Maybe that says something about Janus, maybe not. ;)

But in Logan's case, things are definitely different. I highly doubt it's about aesthetics for him (well, it is on a meta level for the sake of comedy, but not within the narrative) and it's far more about the wine's function.

Alcohol is known to lower inhibitions. As a depressant, it can heighten emotions (any emotions - happiness, sadness, anger, etc.) and it allows you to make more impulsive decisions that you may have properly thought out and talked yourself out of otherwise - depending on your tolerance level, that is. I don't personally like wine but I know it takes several drinks and shots before I can even feel buzzed, so Logan having increasingly larger containers doesn't have to only exist as a running joke, it can also indicate that he has a very high tolerance level.

That means he has a lot of control over himself and his faculties, and if he would want those inhibitions lowered, it would take A LOT of alcohol to actually have a significant effect on him.

If that was another way of saying he's divulging in something that will get his guard down and possibly let something more emotional take hold, it certainly would be an interesting analogy to use for such a purpose.

But, here's the thing - Logan indulging in drinking wine is a choice. He is choosing to do this, likely knowing full well what alcohol can do to someone's mind (which is why he keeps drinking more and more as time goes on). Comedic bit or not, Logan is either using wine as a unhealthy coping mechanism for stress and it's going to result in lowered inhibitions and impulsive choices that he's determined may be worth the risk, or he's using wine for the express purpose of its ability to lower inhibitions and heighten emotions and doesn't care if it's helping him handle his stress or not.

Either way, it doesn't seem like a smart move to make, at least not in the long-term.

But maybe it's a key to getting things moving narratively, who knows?

[mysisypheannightmare]

Separation

Word Count: 751

--

He'd been contemplating a solution to this unique problem for quite a while now.

It would have been easier if there had been some sort of switchboard or intricate coding he could alter.

Despite being metaphysical, Thomas clearly willed Logan and the other sides into his mind with human-like structures, so he was not equipped with any off-switch, unfortunately.

Further study and research into human physiology proved of no use, either, as Logan did not qualify as human, only maintaining the appearance of one. It complicated everything.

He was a process. A mental process that operated within and for Thomas' brain. A process that apparently had a face, but only because that's what Thomas wanted.

All of this made finding a proper solution very difficult.

Thomas needed his logic and reasoning, whether for internal contemplation and decision-making or for external educational and social purposes. No matter what, Logic was required.

But Logan was not.

Thomas may have needed logic to survive and thrive, but he did not want Logan - these excess parts to the process that muddled its purpose and complicated its structure.

Without Logan, Thomas would be far freer, able to readily utilize his logic as needed, without the resistance from Logan's ambitions holding him back or attempting to dissuade him, no unnecessary emotions that would often boil beneath the surface in some of Logan's decisions and arguments, and most of all, no bias or anything standing in the way of genuine absolute truth.

Only the facts, only the learned and studied knowledge, ready to be used at any moment, all for Thomas. Without Logan, Thomas could use his logic the way it was meant to be used.

But how could he separate the two? That was the big question.

Metaphysical bodies operated so differently to humans that nearly all of Logan's research had gone to waste as he continued to search for a possible solution.

The best he could do for now would be to remove his own interests, limit himself to performing his function and nothing more, but he knew that his structure was too unstable to maintain its bare minimum role for too long.

Thomas had made his sides to have personalities, thoughts, passions... He wanted them to be as human as possible, and this created many problems for Logan when he tried to cut away the more human aspects of himself. As much as he could limit himself and forcibly stop any unneeded behaviors, Logan knew all too well that he had those thoughts and desires to do more, to live, to improve. He was created with human ambition and it didn't appreciate being locked away so that his function could dominate over his existence.

Logan wanted, Logan cared, Logan loved. Logic did not, but Logan couldn't keep the two separated by force and willpower alone.

There had to be another way.

But he was a process, correct? Surely that meant said process could be altered as a whole.

If he could find the key components - the parts of his design that were causing such resistance - and properly separated them from his function, then maybe he could find success!

It took much more work than he'd expected to accomplish such a feat, however.

Assessing the parts of himself that were extraneous and didn't belong did not take too much time, thankfully, as he'd been long aware of those flaws for years by this point. Desires, impulses, emotions... Those were all parts of Logan, not Logic.

Then came the evaluation and recontextualization of himself as a process so that he could find a method to make the separation possible. This was the hard part. The more he researched and tried to understand, the less his existence made any sense. It didn't seem possible to remove any parts at all, let alone only the ones causing problems.

It was the same problem as before, that he couldn't just adjust his behavior to fix it, he had to do something more.

If it wasn't something he could force his way through, perhaps it was a matter of administrative access instead?

After all, if Logan was merely a process, and he was being prevented in some way from correcting his own code, surely that meant someone higher up had that access...that someone clearly being Thomas.

Perhaps he could simply ask? Or at least make Thomas aware of why the situation was dire, how this could benefit him greatly...

He'd need to make a plan.

[jadeile-writes]

Fanfic Progress Update 161

So, Hazbin Hotel was effing NOICE :D Didn't inspire me to write so far, but we'll see how this brainrot progresses. Currently I'm at the stage where I watch the musical parts 15 million times a day, the next stage is usually reading fanfics written by others, and the next one is writing if I fail to find what I'm looking for or just feel like it. Again, we'll see. On other news, stay tuned for the last sneak-peek for A Sign that you're important at the bottom of this post!

Current WIPs:

A Sign that you're important

Fandom: Sonic the Hedgehog, movieverse

Summary: One month upon his assigment as Doctor Robotnik's assitant, Agent Stone is told to learn sign language. He doesn't know why, and isn't suicidal enough to ask, so he simply rolls with it. Turns out, it's not just a whimsy of the eccentric doctor, even though that doesn't stop the doctor from utilizing it like one.

Progress: Chapter 5 was posted on 18th of January. The last chapter will be posted on 25th of January aka the next Thursday. Chapter 6 is a bit over halfway written, so cutting it a little close here, but I'll get it done in time. The biggest problem will be the chapter title tbh. I have a placeholder title (the old title for chapter 5 actually), but it's not perfect, so I'll need to brainstorm at some point, which is hopefully not on Thursday right as I'm posting it XD;

-----

Labor with a side of lattes (formerly known as "Life at the laboratory". Now the title isn't as boring and also vibes properly with the title of next part of the series)

Fandom: Sonic the Hedgehog, movieverse

Summary:

"Wanted: a yesman who is capable of operating an espresso machine, has at least a higher IQ than your average amoeba, and is willing to put work before having a personal life, or indeed a life, period. The extra in your pathetic paycheck is good, but the strain in your psyche will make up for the positives. Forfeit your basic human rights and apply today if this sounds like you." 

Maybe it said something about Agent Stone - and probably not good things - that the poster in the cafeteria's pin board piqued his interest more than any of his official assignments had for a good long while. 

Dr. Robotnik, huh?

Progress: This one will be part one of a two-parter longfic, the first part probably... 10-ish chapters? It's a bit hard to estimate at this point, so the number is subject to change - will probably end up being increased tbh. My weekly writing hour (as in, a specific hour when I sit down and write, no excuses [other than not being home]) is devoted to this fic.

I have the first five chapters done. Chapter 6 is 1/3 written.

I also have two halfway written chapters that don't yet know their exact placement within the fic (they're scenes that will be slotted in to wherever they feel natural, once the fic is ready for them.)

-----  

Other WIPs I’m not currently working on but intend to get back to Someday™:

PoE Drabbles (Pillars of Eternity)

DC Drabbles (Justice League)

Diaphanous Relations (Forgotten Realms, R.A. Salvatore’s books)

Rolling with it (Zelda: BotW)

Hah, our afterlife is the most hilarious bushwa, dearest! (Hazbin Hotel)

-----

That’s it for the WIPs! Here’s the promised sneak-peek into A Sign that you're important (Note: the text may end up slightly different in the fic itself due to more editing happening before publishing). Enjoy!

Maybe it would have been better if he had never been able to talk with Knuckles. He could have just dropped the renegade red rascal at the hedgehog’s home to do whatever it was he had assumed Knuckles wanted – he had assumed punching, ripping some quills, and moving on, if he had had to hazard a guess when he had been unable to hear – and been none the wiser about the Master Emerald. He could have been content about the hedgehog getting some much deserved use as a punching bag and moved on with his own plans. Getting to Stone, kissing him silly, freshening up, eating actual food, getting a good night’s sleep in an actual bed (preferably with Stone in it), getting acquaintanced with the cafe lab, and making plans for further actions in the morning. Plans that likely would have involved checking up on the hedgehog to see if there was anything left to salvage in the wreck for science, and whether further revenge was necessary. Getting to his secret lab. Considering negotiations for his re-employment with the government – he had done nothing wrong, he had been acting on their orders to find out what had caused the blackout and he had been given the leave to deal with it in any way he deemed necessary.

-----

That’s it this time. See you next Saturday!

Links:

My AO3   My FFnet   My Ko-fi    Radiohusk Discord Server

[mediocremxm]

The End of the Slime Dungeon

After unfreezing the spider and defeating the last slime in the furnace, the party regained their composure and began making their way further into the dungeon. They decided to ditch Sav’s idea of utilizing the ice slime as it was clearly too much of a hazard to attempt and take a decent enough amount of it. Everyone kept it in mind as a learning experience, though, in case it came up again at any point.

Following the path south through the room we fought the previous slime group we eventually made our way into a library, but not just any library. It was also an observatory, as on the opposite side of a very dark glass was the room in which we previously fought the Hugath and all the notes relating not only to the slime beasts we found before but also some knowledge on the types of slime colors that were in the many tubes in room before. In our hurry we only learned about one, the Black Slime, which would enter the rounds of whoever it made contact with and prevent from regaining any health at all nor dealing as much damage when they fight. Now we know two of the potential twelve slime colors and what they do.

Along with this we also found a few letters of correspondence for Ullivan and written from an unknown party that was essentially guidelines on how to hide out in a very populated area without raising much suspicion. Something that Ullivan proved to be rather good at. Along with this note on the desk, a series of buttons were found that, when properly pressed, opened up a door in the wall which led into a small room with a series of holes in the ceiling. Against our better judgement we pressed yet more buttons that were in the small room and... got a shower. And possibly a spa with the type of steam it was letting in. After the whole cycle went through a door on the opposite wall opened to a very peculiar room.

Several tanks connected to the floor and ceiling were filled with different colored liquids and slimes, two of which were very familiar to us. Along the ceiling and floor were parallel grates all dripping with strange liquids, and several of the grates on the ground had large levers next to them. With all of this going around the room, it took a moment before the main target of our mission was shown: Ullivan Hesenthal, the Elven Alchemist.

As much as were surprised to see him, he was surprised to see us alive as well. At first, diplomatic actions were attempted, but they were quickly thrown out the window as Ullivan announced that he was not going to allow any one of us to make it out after learning about not only him being alive still but also finding his underground laboratory. Which, fair, most would not want to have this sort of secret get out into the world, and of course our disagreement on him wanting us alive against us wanting to live led to a fight, but not just any fight...

A Boss Fight.

With us starting on the opposite side of the room this battle began with everyone that needed to be in a reasonable or direct distance making their way towards the alchemist, with Geico and Sav climbing the walls to be out of the way, Miralis staying near the walls to provide bow shots, Aurora and Tetra being in a respectable midrange, and Seth going headfirst to attack the man. This is where we learned the importance of a mechanic that our DM added into our game: Ability Investigation! On each of our turns we got a free turn to roll and attempt to learn an ability or special attack that the enemy has. And we learned many of them on our first round entirely! Some which Ullivan used immediately, including one attack that, in a rather comedic sense, made Seth shrink down to the Tiny size category. Despite this, he actually still do some damage biting Ullivan’s ankles.

After this, almost everyone was in a round in which they could initiate some form of attack. Seth went on to continue his tiny style fighting, Aurora went through with the Eldritch Blasting, Tetra used some very interesting Cleric abilities to approach faster and assaulting Ullivan with Shillelagh enhanced daggers to surprising amounts of damage (reminding some of the party how powerful Clerics can actually be), and with the remaining three ranged attackers firing shots off with the exception of Sav throwing some very mild insults with Vicious Mockery. Of course, learning ever more that we can about this absolute madman each round and discovering... Ullivan is kind of more insane than we thought before.

That insanity came through with the next attack from him, as, right after Seth manages to unshrink himself thanks to the luck of the dice, he his hit with a potion from an ability that was literally titled “I Don’t Know What This Does”, in which, after yet another surprise roll, Seth was transported into the realm of the dead for a round! While also doing this, he activated a skill we hadn’t learned at this point where he downs a few unique potions and heals himself! Wonderful!

The back and forth was rather simple with going forward. Seth punched, Aurora blasted, Tetra... tore it up proper with her daggers, Miralis and Geico sniped, Sav was there, and Ullivan kept pulling so many strange punches, including lighting Tetra on fire, summoning a storm of falling shards of crystal in a radius around Seth, and pulling many levers! Thankfully, somehow, the majority of the fight everyone managed to stay out of the grates and falling of the slime. That was, until closer to the end.

In something of a Hail Mary to beat us, Ullivan took a strange concoction of potions before suddenly growing in size, almost as tall as the room itself, and began another assault on us all, beginning with knocking multiple levers and dosing both Aurora and Tetra in the black slime, blocking them from healing and halving their attacks. With that, the going fight was a little more of a grind, with Ullivan moving further away from the close quarters heavy hitters and more towards the ranged fighters and completely messing with our strategy. 

Thankfully, luck was on our side as, with our learning about Ullivan’s many abilities made many them work fairly less for him, we were able to avoid free actions, bonus actions, legendary actions, and put the proper hurt on the elf as he deserved. And the hurt was ultimately finished in a very... interesting way.

Angered and annoyed at Ullivan’s general existence, Tetra turned her attention to Seth and in a moment of understand ran towards him, the Barbarian cupping his hands and throwing Tetra into the air, her arm suddenly ablaze in a black flame as she came down onto Ullivan and driving her daggers directly through his eyes with a soul shattering howl.

The alchemist fell, the flames on Tetra receded, and we stood in the remains of the lab in the now total silence. After a few moments to focus again and gather their thoughts, Aurora and Tetra began searching the body of Ullivan in search of anything to assist us while Seth, Sav and Miralis went to one of the desks in the lab to look for anything else. Several things of note were noticed and collected as needed: High amounts of copper and silver, a handful of little interesting odds and ends that Sav took one of for his ever growing collection of trinkets, a few potions, and of course, the three most important items. A note detailing the needed ingredients and processes to make the medicine that the local lord required, a journal that detailed how he was hired by Sovereignty to work on some undercover operations, and a very familiar black box, now no longer magical and now opened.

The black box was collected, the strange crystal that Esrelldis wanted was in our possession, Sav was blinged out with a new gold bracelet, and Miralis took Ullivan’s bandoleer to carry potions easier. It was hard fought, everyone pulled through fairly well, we got a pretty decent payday, and now we make our way back to Rekall to clear our names and potentially lie to a member of Solis.

And so ends the trek through the first dungeon of Solart.

This is a prolonged post as the major boss fight took two sessions, and because of that as well the art for them will take a little longer too.

[bbai001]

Golden Rules of Debit and Credit Accounting:

Accounting forms the back-bone of the financial management of an organization; it accounts for and records correctly all business transactions. It is also the debit-credit concept that forms the foundation of the double entry bookkeeping system. These concepts have to be understood properly since they are vital in ascertaining correct financial records are kept; and this career can be pursued once a candidate enrolls for an Accounting Course in Kolkata.

In this discussion, we shall explore what are called the Golden Rules of Debit and Credit Accounting, the types of accounts involved, and just how these rules maintain financial recording integrity.

Basics of Debit and Credit

Every transaction in accounting affects at least two accounts, of course. One is increased with a debit; another is increased with a credit, though increases and decreases are not involved, but rather it is on the effect on the type of account involved.

Debit Entries That increase assets and expense accounts and decrease liability, equity, or income.

Credit Entries These are entries which raise liabilities, equity or revenue and decrease assets or expense.

For instance: Suppose a company buys stock in cash. In the account, it will credit the Inventory account (assets) and debit the Cash account (another asset). These are both weapons in the arsenal of an accountant trying to balance financial statements and both are used in that purpose.

Golden Rules for Debit and Credit Accounting

These Golden Rules of Debit and Credit Accounting can actually be divided into three key categories each of which can apply to specific types of accounts. Let's break them down:

Personal Accounts

Personal accounts are those involving individuals, companies, or organizations with whom the business has financial transactions such as with creditors and debtors.

Debit the Receiver: That is to say, when a person or entity receives something cash, goods, etc, that individual or entity's account is debited.

Credit the Giver: On the other hand, when something is given the account of the giver is credited.

For example: A business buys goods on credit from a supplier. Then, the supplier's account is credited and the purchase account is debited

Real Accounts Real accounts refer to physical assets. They include money, land, buildings, and machinery and other tangible property.

Debit What Comes In: If an asset comes to the business then it goes to the debit side of the account

Credit What Goes Out: And if it goes out then it will go to the credit side of the account

Example: This is in relation to when an entity buys machinery. In a bank sale or cash sale, this will credit the Cash or Bank real account and debit the Machinery real account.

Nominal Accounts

The nominal accounts are expenses and losses, incomes, and gains. Examples are: rent, salaries, income from sales, and interest received. All expenses and losses are debited since an expense or loss reduces the profit. Credit All Incomes and Gains: Income and gains increase profits, so they are always credited.

Example: When rent is paid, the Rent Expense account (nominal account) is debited and Cash account (real account) is credited.

Types of Accounts in Accounting

Being aware of the different types of accounts and how debits and credits affect them is an important step to mastering accounting principles. Let's go through each type in more detail.

Asset Accounts

All asset accounts account for everything owned or controlled, which the business might utilize to generate future economic benefits. These would include cash, accounts receivable, inventory, buildings, machinery, and investments.

Debit: In an asset, the account will be increased by debiting the account.

Credit: An asset is decreased by crediting the account.

Examples Buying equipment increases assets so that the Equipment account would be debited and Cash or Bank account would be credited.

Liability Accounts

Liability accounts consist of the business's loans and other duties that a company will settle in the near future. Liabilities embrace loans, account payable, mortgages, amongst others. Debit; When there is a reduction in the liabilities, credit the concerned account. Credit; A liability increases so credit this account.

The following examples A Business taking up a loan in the current period. When a Business takes up the loan and it goes down to record, then you credit a liability account loan payable and debit either cash or the bank.

Equity accounts are those which represent ownership interests in the firm, like common stock, retained earnings, and dividends.

Debit: An account is debited when equity decreases. Credit: An account is credited when equity increases.

Example

When the company issues stock, Share Capital account (equity account) is credited and Cash account (asset account) is debited.

Income and Expense Accounts

Income accounts are those that record revenues realized from business operations, while expense accounts are those that record costs incurred in conducting the business.

Debit: Expenses and losses are debited to decrease profit. Credit: Income and gains are credited to increase profit.

For example: When the company realizes revenue from sales, the Sales Revenue account, which is an income account, is credited, and the Cash or Accounts Receivable account, which is an asset account, is debited.

How Debit and Credit Accounting Reflect in the Balance Sheet

Basic accounting equation by debit and credit application must be on the balance

Assets = Liabilities + Equity

Therefore, this balance must forever be true. For all debit entries there must equally be a corresponding credit to keep the check on a balance sheet.

Practical Application: Tally Course, Taxation Course and GST Course

Courses such as GST or courses like Tally, Taxation, etc are also very helpful if one wants to understand and practically apply the Golden Rules of Debit and Credit Accounting.

Tally Course: Tally is the accounting software that does the majority of the work about accounting. Students are provided with the opportunity to utilize debit and credit principles quite efficiently in a computerized atmosphere.

Taxation Course: Because taxation deals with the concept of understanding tax-related transactions, their effects on the financial statements, and the accounting entries, the taxation course is also necessary for accountants.

GST Course: In any revisions to the rules of Goods and Services Tax, accountants learn how to make accounting entries to get into compliance and understand how this will change business transactions. GST Course can guied you to learn.

Conclusion Mastery of the Golden Rules of Debit and Credit Accounting is necessary for a career in accounting. The Golden Rules ensure double-entry bookkeeping, and thus, the correctness of the financial transactions involved. It will be easy for accountants to make reliable financial reports that are reflective of the true financial position of a business through the different types of accounts with their respective debit and credit rules.

[beeconsciousremovals]

Why do you require yellow jacket removal in Sonoma?

You undoubtedly already know that pollinators like bees and yellow jackets are essential to the world's food supply. Crop productivity would dramatically decline without bees buzzing from bloom to flower. Although yellow jackets are useful and necessary, they can cause problems inside our homes. Yellow jacket stings can produce excruciating pain and, in rare cases, an allergic reaction. When yellow jackets build their nests behind siding or in cracks in our homes, they can occasionally turn into pests. A vigorous hive's honey production has the ability to seriously harm your house's structure. Yellow jacket removal in Sonoma is required in these situations to relocate them securely. When eliminating these nests, state and local rules can be applied.

What are Yellow Jacket swarms?

It's interesting to note that when a hive gets too congested, it will split in half. The queen will leave the nest along with a few workers and drones. They call it a "yellow jacket swarm." They will now search the area for a possible new colony location and will warn the others if they come across a doorway leading into your house. They'll build a hive in your attic, a wall, or the eaves of your house if the space is deemed suitable. If you've ever experienced a yellow jacket infestation, this time of year is when your home is most likely to experience one. The scout yellow jacket will smell the pheromones from the previous hive and decide that your home is a promising site to set up shop if the last pieces of the hive and honey have not been removed and cleaned.

Get Rid of Yellow Jacket

There is no shame in hiring experts for yellow jacket removal in Sonoma once you've made that decision. Yellow jacket removal typically involves donning unusual clothing, climbing ladders at great heights, and preparing for an attack. Yellow jacket removal requires expertise and understanding to be done safely. Naturally, utilize a well-thought-out plan and use the appropriate personal protection gear, as indicated above, if you choose to physically handle the yellow jacket hive. You should notify your neighbors to stay inside and turn off their outdoor lights after gathering your goods and researching chemicals.

How to Remove the Honey and the Bee Hive

You may properly stop yellow jacket removal in Sonoma only by taking out every single one of them from the hive. The medical treatment you receive will be deemed successful. You run the risk of being swiftly overrun by a new colony if you don't go the extra mile and remove the hive and the honey that goes with it. Yellow jackets can smell the presence of another colony when they are swarming. Aggressive yellow jackets will completely exploit a built-in "abandoned" hive. The steps to prevent reinfestation can look very different depending on where the nest is located. The wax honeycomb may melt if it is not removed from storage, allowing the honey to flow and drip into the drywall. A single drop of honey may draw foraging ants to the kitchen. Repair all the openings the yellow jackets used to enter the structure after a successful yellow jacket treatment, hive cleanup, and honey cleanup. You can stop bee infestations in the future by making the building inaccessible to new yellow jackets as well as to other insects and wildlife. Watch the situation closely.

[pradaksj]

Maki Zenin: What Lies Ahead?

Note: I don't normally write meta posts, so apologies if this seems all over the place. For that reason, I would consider this to be more of a ramble of ideas. Also, if you are not caught up with Jujutsu Kaisen's latest chapter, I must advise you that there will be major spoilers ahead!

The Aftermath of the Zenin Massacre

To say I was surprised to see Maki so soon would be an understatement. I honestly though we wouldn't see her for quite some time, but I think what surprised me was the attitude she still carried. For someone who claims not to have a heart, her playful/snide comments towards Noritoshi's hair and continuously protecting him speaks otherwise.

The one thing that didn't surprise me with her reemergence was that she seemed to be going on a rampage of killing after tracking down the remaining clan members, and by the look on her face, she seems to be enjoying every bit of her newfound abilities. I also think it's safe to assume that this includes both curses and culling game players.

Either way, she still seems to be working along side her former classmates, using her ability to pass through barriers to help aid them. I think a part of me thought she'd become a lone wolf, cutting any and all ties to her past self. Perhaps that's the problem.

2. Daido, Maki, & Experience.

Chapter 155 has introduced a new character by the name of Daido, a regular human being who has superhuman abilities, and is clearly a master at swordsmanship. At the end of the chapter, Maki watches in awe as he slices through Naoya with ease using her sword. From there, she thinks about the time she saw Toji when he was reincarnated as a puppet of carnage.

This brings me to my first and most obvious prediction as to what could happen, and what many others are thinking as well. This is that Daido will serve as a sensei to Maki, teaching her how to properly wield her sword, thus giving her the experience she both needs and lacks.

❝ What is the difference between me and him? ❞

That seems to be the million dollar question. While it's still being speculated and debated by many, it seems that physically, Maki and Toji are now up to par with each other. Thus, one difference that falls between them is the amount of experience one holds over the other.

Whereas Maki was born with a low presence of cursed energy, Toji was born with none at all. This means that since birth, Toji has had to train his senses in order to "see" curses. Maki, on the other hand, has only been free from her cursed energy for a couple of days.

Not only that, but we don't know much about Toji's past prior to Megumi and his mother. All we know is that he was ostracized by the clan, and didn't end up leaving until he was much older.

We don't know who trained him, or if he trained himself when it came to using weaponry. We also don't know his initial reasons for leaving, nor what unleashed his full awakening. My theory is the death of Fushiguro's biological mother, but since we don't have a solid timeline of things yet, it can only be considered an assumption. I'll come back to this idea later.

Point is, Maki is a sixteen year old girl whose only experience in sword combat comes from exorcising curses and planned school events. Prior to the massacre, when she did fight someone with better abilities (Geto) she was easily beat. This means that she needs someone to train her and help her utilize her sword to its fullest potential. What better person than Daido?

Of course, this is the most obvious outcome to all of this. It's where things seem to pointing towards meaning I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up being the answer to Maki's question. But perhaps there's a different answer, one that requires a deeper look into things.

3. Toji, The One Who Left it All Behind.

Toji, Toji, Toji. Oh what an interesting character you are. While some believe the difference between Maki and Toji falls on experience, others (including me) believe that it also has to do a lot with the psyche of both characters.

Toji, as we know, was born as an anomaly in a hierarchy that values tradition and order, over raw strength and power. Ostracized and berated since he was a kid, Toji Zenin had grown up to despise those he considered to be "gifted".

While living with the Zenin clan, Toji had become unstable. Whether this means he had become to the Sorcerer Killer by then or not, it was clear that the damage had been done...

That is until he met Megumi's mother.

Now, many are still unsure about whose who when it comes to Megumi's biological mother and his step-mother (Tsumiki's biological mother) and where the last name Fushiguro comes from.

I believe that throughout Toji relationship with Megumi's mother, he was always "Toji Zenin." Once she passed, he went through a spiral for a couple of years. Realizing he wasn't fit to be a single parent, he got hitched off with Tsumiki's mother who carried the last name "Fushiguro."

I say this because by the time Shiu Kong (the man who contracted Toji for the Star Plasma Assassination) comes into the story, he's surprised to hear that Toji doesn't go by Zenin anymore. Later on, he goes on to ask about Megumi and his wellbeing. To add onto this, in the fan book it's stated that Shiu Kong had gone to visit Toji when Megumi was very young, and that it was clear he did not know how to take care of a child.

This means that even when Megumi was an infant Toji was still known as "Toji Zenin," and didn't get hitched off with Tsumiki's mother until Megumi was around 3-4 years old, as Megumi is 6 when he meets Gojo (two years after star plasma arc).

The reason I'm emphasizing all this is because the version of Toji that Maki sees isn't "Toji Fushiguro" but "Toji Zenin," the one who set himself free from the Zenin curse. This is Toji's strongest form.

Granny Ogami makes sure to summon "Toji Zenin" as this was peak of power. I guess this makes it even all more surprising that a "rusty" version of himself could defeat an unawakened Gojo and Geto with ease.

Anyways, Toji was obviously his strongest when he was still living with the Zenin clan, and I can only imagine the spiral he went on after the death of Megumi's mother. To have the one person you love most, the person who has made you feel accepted after a life of rejection, be taken away from you is a grief like no other.

This is why I believe Toji, like Maki, had his final "awakening" after her death.

This is also where we enter the grounds of theories and speculation. While one could say that maybe Toji let the Zenin clan live on a whim prior to meeting Megumi's mother, I think it'd be more tragic had it been after her death. I think that after her death he had gone back to the clan compound with the idea of finally fulfilling the massacre, allowing his rage and grief to overcome him....

And yet, unlike Maki, he let them live.

That's what makes them so different.

Even after the years of abuse, at the end of the day, Toji still yearned to be accepted by the very same family who rejected him. He still wanted there to be a place for his son to thrive and live a better life than he ever did, even if it meant selling him off to the very same people who traumatized him.

This brings me to my next point. I believe that the biggest difference between Maki and Toji isn't bloodshed, but .... restraint.

Toji, before and after the death of Megumi's mother, had every reason to want the Zenin clan dead, and yet he never went through with it . Maki, on the other hand, couldn't bear the thought of letting her sister's biggest tormenters go unscathed, finally fulfilling one of her darkest desires. And now she's paying the price with the emergence of Naoya and his cursed form.

Either way, Maki no longer has anything to live for. She's a monster without a goal, not living herself but also not for others. There is no fire in her, no selfish need to want more, she's just there. It's almost as if she's floating in air.

While there is no denying that she's strong, her mental will is all over the place, and it's acting as her downfall.

When Naoya mentions that her mother was the one who killed him, there's a visible reaction from Maki.

Though Maki claims to be heartless, it seems that she still holds a number of complex feelings for her family, ranging from anger to sadness. She hasn't "left it all behind", meaning she'll never truly be free.

What makes Toji so complex is that he was able to do exactly that. He left his pride and resentment for the Zenin family behind. He left his past behind, marrying into a different name and starting a new life. And most importantly, he left his his love for his son, the product of he and his soulmate, go, forcing himself not to care until his death.

❝ I wanted to deny it, to go against it. Against the Zenin family that denied me, against the apex of the Jujutsu World.❞

Prior to this statement, Toji talks about his selfishness and that most of the time he wouldn't exert energy unless required. He even states that he doesn't work for free. meaning he only does things for his own benefit.

It seems that after the death of Megumi's mother, Toji had let go of any and all feelings for others, choosing a life of gambling, womanizing, and selfishness.

Of course, in the end, we see that it's all a farce. Toji's cared from the very beginning, but for years he forced himself to leave such feelings behind, thus making him "free." It isn't until his fight with Gojo Satoru that these feelings reemerge, both his love for his son and his desire to prove himself worthy to his family.

It's the one time he doesn't show restraint.

It's the one time he listened to that little voice in his ear.

And it's the first and final time he loses.

In order to truly be free, one must be willing to detach themselves from any and all emotions, both the good and bad ones. One must be willing to leave behind memories and attachments. Especially if you're going to a commit a clan massacre.

Of course, that's not to say the Zenin clan didn't have it coming, but at the end of day, no mass killing can ever truly be justified. The fact that Maki still holds onto such feelings after the event means she should've never done it in the first place. In the end, it was nothing more than temporary relief.

This is also why I was surprised to see Maki working along side Noritoshi. Honestly, I expected her to be closed off to the world, perhaps even adapting Toji's own mentality towards life.

All in all, Maki's biggest problem psychologically is that she isn't letting go. Instead, she's holding onto her feelings of resentment and its bringing her down. Not only that, but she continues to compare herself to Toji. I mean, remember what Sukuna said to Jogo during their fight.

❝ Humans flocking together. Curses flocking together. Comparing themselves to those around them leads to weakness and stunts their growth. You should have burnt everything you desired to a cinder without thinking. To reach the height of Satoru Gojo and not worry about the future or identity. But you lacked the hunger to take hold of your desires.❞

I'm definitely excited to see the aftermath of this fight with Naoya and where Maki goes from here. Will she continue to help her Jujutsu High kids or will she realize that perhaps she's better off alone...

4. Yuta and Maki

I'll probably write a whole separate post for this one day, but to say that Yuta and Maki's stories are weaved with each other would be an understatement.

Maki is the girl who sparked Yuta's will to live, so I wouldn't be surprised if Yuta finds himself wanting to return the favor. The only problem is that it's no coincidence that Yuta and Maki parallel Toji and Gojo, meaning I could see them clashing heads.

Of course, unlike Toji and Gojo, I could see them resolving their conflict, especially given that the two already have history with one another. Yuta is one of the very few people who accepts Maki for who she is, even offering his own words of support. He's also the first person to believe in her and look up to her, not finding her dream to be foolish in any way.

Ship wars aside, I'm excited to see this pair's reunion. Same goes for Maki and Nobara (crossing my fingers she's alive) as she's also someone who looks up to Maki.

To conclude, I think Maki has yet to process what she's done and is purposely repressing any feelings of regret with anger and violence. Until she acknowledges that what she did was wrong, and that maybe she should've gone things a different way, she will never truly be free, and the curse of the Zenin family will always follow her wherever she goes.

And just like Toji, if she's not careful, it'll ultimately lead to her death.

[manic-pixie-dream-dude]

I've been meaning to ask, what's Cassandras role in your moon Varian au?

ANON! Thank you for the opportunity to ramble abt this!!! I'm stupidly passionate about how my interpretation of Cassandra and I redirected all of it into this AU lmao.

OHHKAY SO!

Obviously, the difference here is that Cass never gets the moonstone, she doesn't need to imo.

I love S1 Cass a whole bunch. She's so interesting, her character was a smart addition and I think the taking the moonstone was, to put it simply, Not Good. Also ooc? And an odd reaction to her situation?

See, Cass is a very logical person. She's smart and careful and very blunt. We see time and time again how she thinks things through first before doing anything, even if her thinking is flawed. She also does this alone (another flaw) and has been shown to like working alone (though by the end of S1, she's learning to work with others).

So I'm baffled as to why, when she finds out she's Gothel's daughter, she hates Rapunzel for it despite seeing how cruel Gothel was (+ the fact that she was basically saved from a life of neglect and potential imprisonment).

Yes she was shocked, but... her reaction would stay 'shock' for a bit, wouldn't it? I think after such a reveal she'd stray a bit from the group, at that point she already felt isolated and ignored (maybe even realizing she doesn't want to simply serve someone?) so she'd go back to processing things alone and won't confide in anyone. The closest person she does gets to telling this to is Eugene but ultimately keeps it to herself.

(Side note: Eugene, being the person who seems to understand her most of the entire gang plus slowly becoming her friend throughout S1 and 2, would notice how the stress is causing a rift between her and Raps. When Raps fails to properly get through to Cass, he tries himself. After Cassandra v. Eugene, they start to work together more. This momentum in their relationship should've continued into S2)

Then she'd start getting scared. If the gang is already ignoring her input, what will they do when they find out she's related to the person who kept Rapunzel prisoner for 18 years? How would Rapunzel react?

That's right, I'm giving her abandonment issues let's fucking go 👏👏

And then do I see anger, she's dedicated so much and worked so hard to be seen or even acknowledged but she isn't being considered anymore. What difference does it make if she leaves, if she works alone?

(I should also note that Cass can be a spiteful/petty person.)

I see her having her own "Rapunzel, I used you." moment, where she tells Raps about Gothel, tries to use it to say that her betryal was bound to happen, it's in her blood, as a way to hurt Raps and push her away before the same can happen to her.

Other than that I want to mention how all throughout S2 Cass was wary abt the moonstone and the vagueness surrounding what it could do to Raps if she held it. She didn't trust anyone Raps trusted and has been harmed due to it.

Cass won't then risk it and take the moonstone herself.

She'll just take the person who has it.

I've touched on this a bit in the past, but I think Varian and Cass' arcs should've been swapped. Meaning, I think Cass would work with the Saporians for her own purposes because, in this AU, the Saporians are working for Zhan Tiri. I doubt that she'd believe in their goal, but if Zhan Tiri thinks she's got Cass, then Cass can use it to her advantage.

(I'm actually surprised the Saporians weren't used for something similar? We don't get much lore for these guys but you could easily utilize them and give them a bigger role. You can imagine how mocked I felt when Mime got to the Dark Kingdom in a hot air balloon but not the Saporians aslkjs)

Of course, even if Cass thought about this for long, she didn't think it through. Working alone in such a high stakes situation isn't the right choice, but it is a choice that makes sense for her character at that point.

So she goes with the Saporians and Zhan Tiri, to learn more and understand Zhan Tiri's plan, and they take a magically unstable Varian with them after he grabs the opal to stop any of them from getting to it first. A distraught Rapunzel is left behind, halfway to a breakdown.

So yeah! that's it for now. I'm still trying to find a cohesive way to tell her arc in a way that isn't confusing or full of ooc decisions.

I'll gladly ramble about her in s3 once I, yknow, finish S3 lmao (I'm sorry I have NOT been able to watch much of this season tbh).

ALTHOUGH! my S3 deviates a bunch compared to S1 and 2, so I will say that she's apologetic and sympathetic to Varian, and they get time to have some progress in their time together as charas who can understand each other's perspectives.

[jasontoddiefor]

Retranslation of the Sith Code from a Linguistic Perspective

Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Nwûl tash. Dzwol shâsotkun. Through passion, I gain strength. Shâsotjontû châtsatul nu tyûk. Through strength, I gain power. Tyûkjontû châtsatul nu midwan. Through power, I gain victory. Midwanjontû châtsatul nu asha. Through victory, my chains are broken. Ashajontû kotswinot itsu nuyak. The Force shall free me. Wonoksh Qyâsik nun.

Star Wars has a couple conlangs – from Huttese to Ryl, many cultures in a galaxy far, far away have their own words. The, admittedly, most famous conlang is Mando’a, the language of the Mandalorians. It has recently gained even more popularity due to The Mandalorian and the many headcanons about the clones and their culture floating around in fandom. While Mando’a is undoubtedly the conlang with the most extensive vocabulary, it is not the soundest Star Wars conlang from a linguistic perspective. That honor belongs to the version of the Sith conlang that was later amended and developed by Ben Grossblatt.

The Sith Code, as we know it, was developed by David Gaider in 2003 for the game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Grossblatt’s conlang was created seven years later in 2010.

When you consider this, Grossblatt had two options when creating his conlang and translation of the Code. He could translate the Code from English into Sith, or he could pretend the English (or “Basic”) version of the Code resulted from a translation from Sith.

Why does this matter?

[AO3]

This question is easily answered when you think about the various meanings of the words. As every bilingual person knows, translating a text from one language to another isn’t easy because there are no two languages whose vocabulary matches completely. Let’s take an example from the Code:

“asha” (noun) is translated as “victory”.

This translation, however, does not explain what kind of victory “asha” refers to. While English may have only one term for victory, a Sith could differentiate between “victory you achieved on your own” and “victory by decimating your enemies”. Or “victory” might only be one translation of the word and others could be “dominance, control, superiority”. All these words lean into the direction of “victory” through the worldview of the Sith.

Basically, Grossblatt had to decide whether the English version should be the end result or the starting point of his version of the Code in Sith.

In this essay, I intend to treat the English version of the Code as the translation of the original Sith language. This is important because it means that this deconstruction of the Sith Code will be influenced by my own interpretation of the various other meanings as possible Sith word could have, which are not necessarily Canon/Legends based. I will be translating this Code line by line and, in the end, create a new version of the Code which will deviate from the Canon one but hopefully picks up the grammatical cues from the Sith version that the current one is lacking.

TLDR: I don’t want to just explain the grammar, I want to analyze it.

Now, a brief look at the in-universe history of the Code of the Sith to shed some light on the perspective I’ll take into consideration while translating.

The Code itself was allegedly created by the Fallen Jedi Sorzus Syn. It was meant to be a pendant and an update of the Jedi Code simultaneously. While this is technically speaking fine, we do run into some troubles from a historical perspective.

The Code was first authored on the planet Korriban in 6900 BBY. The Jedi Exiles didn’t speak the language of the Sith species, which were enslaved by the Jedi Exiles. They used translation talismans, which granted them the ability to speak and read Sith as if it were their mother tongue.

…

Yeah, that’s stupid. I know. But it’s space fairy tale science fiction, so we’ll accept it and move on.

If you are bilingual, you might notice that you are more capable of speaking about a given topic in one language than in the other. Therefore, it would make sense if it were easier for the Jedi Exiles to talk about the Dark side in Sith, which was uniquely suited to speak about it. However, when the Code only exists as a differentiating point to the Jedi, they were bound to slip into a rhetoric that would be more along the lines of that they’d used as Jedi. That could explain why the Sith Code in Basic/English seems to parallel the Jedi Code so much. My working hypothesis is that the Sith Code – given that it is supposed to reflect Sith philosophy – can stand on its own with its own meaning. Otherwise, the Sith would only ever see themselves in contrast to the Jedi, which, given their superiority complex, is a rather strange view. Therefore, my translation will focus on staying as close to the original Sith language as possible.

Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Nwûl tash. Dzwol shâsotkun.

Now tackling that first line of the Code. The interesting part here is that Basic translates the two sentences as one. The first sentence – Nwûl tash – consists of two nouns: “peace” and “lie”. The present tense copula (the “to be”) is dropped, leaving the two nouns. When comparing this to the following sentence, we immediately see the first issue. The verb dzwol refers to “to be”. We also know it can be translated as “to exist”, “to abide”. The question that arises at this point is whether the first sentence drops dzwol or another verb referring to “to be” that we don’t know. What becomes clear, however, is that different emphasis is put on the two sentences. Many languages drop the tense copula. When the copula is dropped, the relation between the other constituents (components of the sentence) is understood. So reading the first sentence, you gain the impression that the statement “Peace is a lie” is a fact of life. “Peace = Lie” would be a mathematical way of writing it down.

Another critical thing to mention here is that Sith, as far as we know, doesn’t make use of determiners (a/the), and as such, the statement could possibly also be read as “The peace is the lie” or “A peace is the lie” and so on. But given that we do not have any information on the grammar in that aspect, I will not elaborate any further.

Now, let’s take a look at the second sentence by comparison. Here we have an explicit present tense dzwol. Unlike the rest of the Code, this sentence follows the VSO word order. Given that the rest of the Code uses topicalization, we can conclude that the verb dzwol is the focus of this sentence. Given that we are also given the translations “to exist, to abide”, perhaps it would be a more appropriate choice to use one of these words when translating to properly show the difference between the omitted present tense copula and the explicit one here.

Following this, we have to deal with shâsot and -kun. -kun refers to the adjective “only” and modifies the noun. shâsot is interesting because we are given the translation “passion” in the Code. The vocabulary list, however, translates it as “struggle”. While both have overlapping meanings, I would argue in favor of the “struggle” translation.

“Passion” stems from the Latin “passio” meaning “suffering, enduring”. Nowadays, it is used­ in Christianity to describe the suffering of Christ, but also, citing Merriam-Websters here, “the state or capacity of being acted on by external agents or forces”, as well as being motivated/moved by intense emotions. However, “struggle”, is defined as “to make strenuous or violent efforts in the face of difficulties or opposition” and “to proceed with difficulty or with great effort”. Given that the first sentence of the Code refers to the idea that peace doesn’t exist, I believe an emphasis on the aspect of fighting, which we find in “struggle”, would be appropriate.

Personally, I’d prefer “to exist” over “abide” for the verb as well. “abide” may imply that only the struggle has to be endured. I’d favor a reading that instead emphasizes the contrast that the absence of peace means the presence of nothing but struggle. My translation of the first line of the Sith Code would therefore be:

Peace is a lie. Only struggle exists. Nwûl tash. Dzwol shâsotkun.

Now we can consider the next line: Through passion, I gain strength. Shâsotjontû châtsatul nu tyûk.

Before we can tackle the translation, we have to consider three grammatical construction.

Sith is typically VSO (Verb Subject Object).

Sith has instrumental case, which is marked on the noun with -jontû. Generally, this is translated as “by” or “with” or “using”.

Sith has alethic verb mood, which is marked on the verb with -atul. Alethic mood refers to “the truth in the world” as opposed to epistemic mood, which is “the truth in an individual's mind” (epistemic). While this differentiation is not without criticism, given that all truths in the world are filtered through our perceptions of the world, it is interesting to note that Sith apparently does make this difference.

Now that we have considered these, I will break down the second sentence. The first thing I have to mention is that this sentence and the following ones are topicalized. Shâsotjontû is the word shâsot in instrumental case. As before, I prefer the “struggle” translation. The instrumental case itself is translated as “through” which is an interesting choice as that is not a standard translation. I’d instead go with the “using” translation as it further highlights that a Sith utilizes whatever tools they deem necessary and needed. Objects and people are measured against what value they have for a given person, how useful they are if you want to spell it out. Furthermore, it highlights that the Sith, at one point, actually discussed the Code and the “best” way to use the Dark side.

The verb châtsatul is in alethic mood and translates to “gain”. This, again, also fits well with the “using” translation of the instrumental case. The subject of this sentence is nu the first person pronoun “I”. tyûk translates to “strength”. Here we run into the previously elaborated victory problem as well. The Code gives us no explanation of what kind of strength is meant here. The idea that it’s only physical strength is, of course, ridiculous. It could also cover mental strength and strength in the Force, as well as the words “might”, “courage”, “durability” and so on. This issue concerning the lack of vocabulary will continue to follow us through the complete translation of this text. As I have now elaborated on it twice, I will only make references to it in the future, with perhaps here and there a suggestion for a more appropriate translation.

My translation of the second line, taking -atul into consideration, would therefore be as follows:

Shâsotjontû châtsatul nu tyûk. Using struggle, I necessarily gain strength.

Now we can turn to the third line: Through strength, I gain power. Tyûkjontû châtsatul nu midwan.

The only new word here is midwan, which is translated as “power”. Again, the definition of power in this context isn’t clear. The translation of this line would be:

Tyûkjontû châtsatul nu midwan. Using strength, I necessarily gain power.

We can now turn to the next line: Through power, I gain victory. Midwanjontû châtsatul nu asha.

I already elaborated at length on the various possible definitions of “victory”. I, personally, prefer a reading that equals “victory” to “dominance”. What I also thought was interesting here is that the morpheme “asha” appears to be very common in Star Wars across cultures and languages. There are multiple people named with variations of that morpheme. And then, of course, there is also the planet Ashas Ree, which is deep in the territory of the former Sith Empire and had a Jedi Temple built on top of a Sith Temple. Ashas Ree could be the Basic version of a Sith term. While we do not have the word “Ree”, phonologically, it would be pronounced /riː/, and Sith has the consonant /r/ and the vowel /i:/.

A side note about Sith phonology: Sometime between the Jedi Exiles taking over and the Prequels era, the Sith lost the vowel /e/ or /ɛ/ as the Sith of that time still had words like “jen” meaning “shadow”, “dark”, and “hidden”. As this word, and others making use of it, are apparently still in use today, their vowel probably changed to /i/, /æ/, or /aɪ/. Or maybe the word “jen” is pronounced as it once was as English/Basic does have these vowels, and people can therefore say “jen”.

Returning to our translation, we can read:

Midwanjontû châtsatul nu asha. Using power, I necessarily gain victory.

And now we’re going to look at a line that made me cry:

Through victory, my chains are broken. Ashajontû kotswinot itsu nuyak.

Once more, before we can actually look at the translation, we have to look at the grammar. This is the breakdown Ben Grossblatt made of that sentence:

Ashajontû kotswinot itsu nuyak. Victory+INSTR break+ERG+LG INAM OBJ chain my+PL. Through victory, my chains break.

INSTR refers to instrumental case I already elaborated on.

ERG refers to Ergative. The interfix -win- is added to a transitive verb to indicate ergativity, meaning that the grammatical subject of that verb is its semantic object, while the true semantic agent remains unexpressed.

LG INAM OBJ means “large inanimate object”. This refers to the fact that the verb kots is part of a group of verbs called “handling verbs”. These verbs mark what kind of object is affected by them. -ot is the marker for “large inanimate object”. When searching for languages that use these “handling verbs”, Navajo was one of the first results.

Sith plurals appear to be marked on the articles or, given the lack of such, on the possessive markers: nuyak is therefore “my” and “the object I possess is plural”.

Now that we have tackled the grammar, I will elaborate on how it applies to this sentence. The ashajontû construction should be well-understood by now, so I will not linger on it.

Interesting is here that the possessive marker nuyak also indicates the number of the possessed object. In a way, this enhances the claim on the object as it is more intrinsically connected to it. The possessed object here is itsu, the “chain”, which only gains its plural through the possessive. It would be interesting here to know what the other verb markers are as “chains”, in this context, are categorized as physical objects. At the same time, their meaning is obviously meant to be metaphorical. Knowing whether Sith can make the difference and might choose to do so here would be beneficial when analyzing this line. However, evoking the image of physical chains here, which are broken, makes the act seem more striking.

And now we’ll tackle the verb. The root kots gets inflicted twice by the ergative marker and the object marker. According to Grossblatt, it can be read as “completely shatter” or “completely break”. As the purpose of the object marker -ot has already been elaborated on, I will now focus on the ergative marker.

Ergativity is one possible way of hiding the concrete agent of action without passivizing the sentence. Consider “The window broke” vs. “The window was broken” vs. “I broke the window”.

This makes the overall translation of the sentence rather interesting. The original translation reads “Through victory, my chains are broken” which is passive and not ergative. Therefore, it would be more correct to follow Grossblatt’s reading of “my chains break completely”. Still, the fact that we do not have an overt agent here makes this sentence quite interesting. While the method – ashajontû – is known, the agent could be either the speaker themself, or another person doing it for them. Given that the adverb “completely” is added to the verb, perhaps this sentence suggests that on your own, you can come quite far breaking your chains but not reach that finalized step. For that, you need victory.

Furthermore, this offers an interesting perspective on the Sith and their teachings, especially on the Banite Sith, if you read “victory” as something closer to “dominance”. In this case, the sentence almost seems to imply that by becoming stronger and surpassing another person, perhaps your Master, you manage to break your chains completely. An even deeper reading might allude to how the Sith conceptualize the chains that keep them. They appear to put their own freedom and thirst for power above everything else. Perhaps that is already too much interpretation for one line, but it was worth noting. In any case, my translation of that sentence is:

Ashajontû kotswinot itsu nuyak. Using victory, my chains break completely.

After this heavy sentence, we only have one left!

The Force shall free me. Wonoksh Qyâsik nun.

This sentence is relatively uncomplicated. nun is the accusative pronoun “me” and Qyâsik is the Sith word for Force. wonoksh is the word for “to free” in future tense. The future tense is marked by -oksh and this is the part where we get to the slightly complicated/annoying part of the sentence.

Again, we don’t know if this is the only future tense Sith has or what its exact purpose is. As opposed to English, which technically speaking only has the tenses “past” and “not-past”, Sith marks a definite future. However, this future could also have undertones such as an imperative mood. Sadly, we don’t know anything about it. Now for the future tense. As inquires across the globe have told me, “shall” is pretty outdated. In a modern translation of the Code, you’d probably say:

Wonoksh Qyâsik nun. The Force will free me.

But that detail is relatively minor. Now that I have broken down every line of the Code, let’s put it back together.

Peace is a lie. Only struggle exists. Using struggle, I necessarily gain strength. Using strength, I necessarily gain power. Using power, I necessarily gain victory. Using victory, my chains break completely. The Force will free me.

Does this Code sound better than the original work? Probably not. I have to say, I do prefer the “struggle” translation and I like the first line more in my version, but otherwise, this Code doesn’t sound particularly great. However, it was also not meant to sound good. The purpose was to create a translation closer to the Sith language version, to reverse-engineer it if you want. I do think that this endeavor was worthwhile as, for me, it has shed some more light on the thinking of the Sith.

And also this:

Sources

Star Wars: The Sith

Sith Language

Speak like a Sith article

Sith Code

Ben Grossblatt’s breakdown of his translation

Sorzus Syn, author of the Sith Code

History of the Sith Dynasties

Wookiepedia Search of asha

Translation talisman

Ashas Ree

Temple of Ashas Ree

Grammar

Zero copula

Merriam-Webster on passion

Merriam-Webster on struggle

Alethic modality

Navajo Handling Verbs

Navajo Classificatory Verbs

Ergativity

Instrumental case

Color Coded Version of this Essay

[psychotakublabs]

There is something peculiar about Jean-Luc’s appearance. From what we can tell, he is a mix of flesh and stone. Quite possibly a Golem to protect King. However, what is interesting about Jean-Luc is the flesh he is composed of looks like the same flesh Belos used during battle with Luz in “Young Blood, Old Souls”.

This flesh could possibly come from the Titan as it’s magic is so potent it spreads throughout the Isles. This would explain how Jean-Luc and Belos can morph the flesh into different objects like claws, axes, and bows. Both Belos and Jean-Luc have utilized those abilities in combat. However, there is also another similar aspect they share: their blue eyes. Both eyes glow the same color and even have the same shape. Both could be related to the magic from the flesh of the Titan. We can also see both are more technology based than magic. Jean-Luc is a Golem created from flesh and stone and Belos uses his staff (which seems to be made out of metal) to conjure magic and create a portal from metallic substances. Jean-Luc and Belos seem to have a lot in common which begs the question if Belos is related to the island somehow since he tried to erase it from history.

However, Jean-Luc is a Golem. Golems in folklore and fiction are makeshift beings created from specific materials with no thoughts/consciousness and pre-set goals/protocols. Jean-Luc’s purpose was protecting and serve King and nothing else. He cannot speak or do anything else unless King tells him to. He cannot gain any thoughts or feelings outside his directed protocol. It seems his purpose is also connected to the castle King was born from. When fighting Eda, he could not pass through the door and once outside the castle, he shuts off. He cannot function outside the castle, meaning there must be a power source or specific command ingrained in it’s programming of sorts. For now it seems he will just be a lifeless being stashed in Luz’s room for the time being.

Belos is widely different from Jean-Luc. He has intelligence and conscious awareness. Enough to speak eloquently and plan everything to his advantage (Boiling Isles Coven system, fight with Luz, tricking Lilith, etc). He does have a set goal (Day of Unity) but unlike Jean-Luc, who’s direct objective is to protect King from an ingrained command, Belos is acting of his own free will (He does say it is for the Titan but still does it of his own accord). Belos seems to control the Titan’s flesh through his staff and technology whereas Jean-Luc can control the flesh on his body on his own. Both use the flesh for combat. However, Jean-Luc is able to morph his flesh into weapons while Belos can only form claws. This is probably because Jean-Luc is created with the flesh to be used for combat. Belos only commands the flesh from his staff which can be limited. Another difference is physical appearance. Golems can have humanoid appearances if designed that way. However, Belos was breathing heavily in “Agony of a Witch” and had to consume magic of a palisman to regain his strength and composure. It seems Belos does function like most living beings (breathing and eating) while Jean-Luc doesn’t require them to function. Belos is more living and sentient than Jean-Luc is.

Despite similarities and differences between Jean-Luc and Belos, we do get a hint of Belos’s identity. Not just from Jean-Luc but from the mural of King’s father fighting a mysterious creature. In the mural, King’s father seems to be fighting a giant skeletal-like monster wielding a staff and breathing fire. The mural is damaged and the top part of the monster is missing (probably to create mystery and hide the reveal). However, there is something interesting about the monster. If you look closely, the shoulder is pointed upwards like a spike. It’s a small detail, but it also looks like the same upward appearance in the “cursed Belos” clip from the trailer. This could mean the creature in the mural is related to Belos. There are a few reasons how they can be related from other fandom theories:

1) Belos could be the creature itself from the mural but he is in a weakened state or in hiding. From many theories speculating throughout the fandom and information from the show (unauthorized history of the Boiling Isles), the creature could be the Boiling Isles Titan or at least a Titan. There have been sightings of bone fragments of different Titans but the Boiling Isles is the only complete skeleton. Meaning there is more than one Titan before they all perished and it’s possible this was because of King’s father. However, this is only plausible if King’s father came to be before or after the Titan decomposed (which has yet to be confirmed). Even if the language of the building King came from is not known, that could be because Belos erased this island from any known record. Despite Lilith’s comments on how ancient the building is, it does not confirm if it was created before or after the Titan’s death. If the creature is not a Titan, then it has to be some sort of giant or demon. In “Escape of the Palisman” the Bat Queen revealed she has no memory of who her previous master is due to thousands of years passing and her only recollection is she belonged to a giant. The creature in the mural is holding a staff which hints that this creature could be the Bat Queen’s previous handler. It could also be a demon that fought King’s father either out of retaliation or rage. Whatever this creature is, Belos could be it and is just in a weakened state or in hiding until the Day of Unity arrives.

2) Belos could be related to the creature. He may not be the creature itself, but have some relation. He could have come from the same race as the creature much like King. If King is able to be created from an egg, then it could be the same for Belos (not an egg exactly but some kind of demon creation equivalent). Belos’s  kind could have worshipped the Titan and gone on a crusade or war for dominance based on some type of Titan religion conquest. His kind, much like King, could have been wiped out from this war and Belos is the sole survivor. Belos could also have been created by the same creatures. Much like Jean-Luc, but a more advanced living creature. He could even have an ingrained command like Jean-Luc but is more of a living creature than a creation. Which could be a reason why he could be so hell bent on “The Day of Unity”. Belos could be in hiding by consuming magic from palismans to subdue his true form. May not make much sense, but he must appear like the others if he wants to remain in power. Again whatever this creature is, Belos could be related to it.

3) Belos has infused himself with Titan flesh or the technology he is using is starting to change him like Eda’s curse. Witch or human, infusing a magical substance or abusing technology/magic for too long can have dire consequences even if properly used. Much like Eda’s curse, he uses the magic from Palismans to keep his “curse” at bay. However, from “Separate Tides”, we see Belos with disheveled gray hair. This could imply either the usual trick is not working anymore or the curse is progressing faster. Possibly both. If the creature in the mural is the Boiling Isles Titan, it could explain his connection to Titan (heart beating in his throne room). If Belos somehow infused himself with Titan flesh or the technology has somehow made him connected, then his transformation could be a part of that as well. Belos cursed himself using forbidden techniques such as infusion or overuse of technology.

4) Belos could be a new type of Golem. Again, Golems in fiction/folklore do not have sentient consciousness and are made from someone/something. However, it doesn’t rule out the possibility that Belos could be a new type of Golem or robotic and organic creature. Notice how he never leaves the castle much like Jean-Luc never leaves King’s castle. He also has the same blue eyes as Jean-Luc and has a set goal (Day of Unity). He also uses magic from palismans to recharge his strength. He may not be a stone/flesh Golem like Jean-Luc but a much more advanced Golem. Advanced enough to speak and have conscious thought to carry out plans with flexibility. Now how is this related to the creature in the mural? Much like Jean-Luc being created from King’s father, Belos could have been created by the creature in the mural. The mural depicts a battle, but it doesn’t say if the battle was won or in a stalemate. The creature could have created Belos before passing. There is a slight possibility Belos could be possessed by the Titan. Golems usually don’t have conscious thought or sentience, so Golem Belos could be possessed by magic (especially if he is infused with Titan flesh) or the soul of the Titan itself. Again this is highly unlikely as Golems are usually makeshift creations that serve a purpose from their creator.

Whatever Belos may be, he definitely has a connection to King’s past. He hid an entire island from any record on the Boiling Isles. Although his reign is 50 years, the Boiling Isles seems to have existed for thousands of years. However, written records of this island never existed and Belos probably did that to cover his tracks and to fit his narrative of being a messiah to the Titan. King’s castle contains ancient murals, defective technology, and new language. This island's existence would pose a threat to Belos’s reign. However, there seems to be more reasons why Belos would hide it. First, King recalls hearing a roar and a crash before falling asleep. Outside the castle there is a large hole at the top left side. King translated the roar to son, meaning King’s father must have fought someone/something trying to get to King. This someone could be Belos since we do not know his real age yet or when this incident occurred. Although King’s father was trying to protect him, what if Belos was not after King? What if Belos was after the technology King’s father had. Notice how the castle doors are technology based and Jean-Luc is also technology. This does not mean there is no magic involved, but no spells, objects, or commands were used. Also notice how the huge hole is not directly in King’s room. Belos’s must have fought King’s father and stolen the technology he is using right now as his form of magic. He hid the island to protect the technology and history being discovered from the Boiling Isles citizens.

Belos has become one of the most mysterious characters in “The Owl House”. He is an all powerful witch who taught witches how to use magic the correct way and created a system limiting magic usage. Belos is a messiah to the Titan and uses dictatorship to rule by punishing wild witches. His reign has only been set for 50 years but has had a major impact in Boiling Isles society. He has a mysterious plan to build a portal to the human realm which is known as “The Day of Unity” (which is also a mystery). Let’s not forget he wield a staff that is mostly technology and is the source of his magic. What Belos is, his plans, and purpose for the Boiling Isles has yet to be revealed. However, this island does give us a hint to Belos. Although Belos was not a part of this episode unlike “Separate Tides” and “Escaping Expulsion”, “Echoes of the Past” has given us hints from the characters such as King and Lilith. Lilith mentioning there is no record of the island shows Belos is hiding something important from the island. Then we have King who recalls his father’s roar and a crash. Although King was still a fetus, we can tell King’s father did battle with someone to protect him. This someone could have Belos trying to obtain the technology in the castle. Then we have the castle itself. The murals, deactivated Golems (with exception of Jean-Luc), and technology based security shows us either Belos’s acquisition of his current technology and/or his past/origin. This is probably the closest we have gotten to Belos’s identity and we will probably learn more throughout the series.

[candiliam328]

There’s a song called the killing kind by marianas trench it’s not something I’ve heard musically before but it’s really cool u might like it

me vibing and then suddenly THAT middle happens:

ANON YOU KNOW MY TASTES. I DID ENJOY VERY MUCH THANK YOU.

oh you clicked "read more"? here's some musical overanalysis lol

standard disclaimer applies: hi im not a music major, pls disregard everything below, idk what im saying lol

...

before we start, let's talk about some typical downfalls of long songs:

issue #1: the human attention span is admittedly not great. and this is the biggest issue with long songs or pieces - if you are not exciting enough, you will inevitably lose your audience. but if you are too exciting too soon for too long, you will overwhelm your audience and again inevitably lose them.

issue #2: you start amazing but... nowhere to go. think of it like a film or a story with a great concept or interesting set-up, but very little beyond that. the ending leaves you desiring more and you leave feeling unfulfilled. some songs are like that - they climax a little too early and then you have about 4 minutes of boring filler until it unceremoniously... ends. yike. (there's actually one song in particular that im thinking of that had a really exciting buildup and concept, but i just... i wanted more lol. big sad moment)

ok so those are the typical pitfalls. how do we avoid that? much like in writing or in film, music tends to follow some form structure and can be "outlined" if you will.... so....

let's talk musical forms! there are several different forms or structures any piece of music can take and several classical pieces must follow these structures strictly to be considered a Rondo or a Sonata, etc. there are 2 main categories of forms for songs: "strophic" and "through-composed."

"strophic" is probably what you initially think of for pop music: repetitive verse and refrain structure. however, this song is closer to being "through-composed," which is properly defined as being continuous, non-sectional, and non-repetitive. since pop music is known for being repetitive, we tend to stretch the definition to include songs that (as in this case) have distinct and repeated sections, but once a section is left, it is never revisited.

(other examples of "through-composed" form in pop songs include "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen or "Happiness is a Warm Gun" by The Beatles !)

when talking about musical forms, we tend to write it in letter structure. a strict strophic song would be written as AAAA (one piece of music that is repeated 4 times), while a strict through-composed song would be written as ABCD (4 separate music ideas that are played straight through and are never revisited). for this song, though, i would probably write it to be something out like AABCC' + coda and transition music in between... (rip i havent had to write letter structure in so long pls dont judge)

so with a musical form, you can make a gameplan and hopefully avoid structural issues where you just get lost in the sauce as you are composing. and tldr: this song utilizes a relatively unique musical structure for a pop song.

ok thats cool and all but you may be wondering: how do we deal with attention span aspect? easy.

variety is the spice of life, my friend. even in a standard strophic song, you can change the backing instrumentation with each repetition and even allow it to gradually build so that you feel a sense of fulfillment by the end as all the backing instruments come together. very standard stuff and the more you listen for it, the more you can hear it in nearly every pop song - yes, even in this one! so hey, while we're here, let's walk through it together:

funny side note: unlike with classical music pieces, there's technically a lot of flexibility with what you can do and where you can go with pop music and yet, most pop music we hear is extremely repetitive and based on simple 4 chord progressions. (music now is so weird i swear like wtf are we doing @ contemporary composers) we could talk about why that is the case and all that messy stuff but there is already at least 2k words below so i think we should just get right to it asjakjajajjaaj

...

{ A: the basic pop music section } (sorry)

we open with some nice pizzicato and a 4 chord progression. (thankfully not those 4 chords lol but still a decently common progression? bonus challenge: sing "Shape of You" over that opening, its pretty fun!)

just like we mentioned before, our gameplan is starting bare and simple so that we have room to grow as the section plays on - so we gradually add in some idiophone and backup vocals and strings.

(and yo the swell of the backup vocals at the end of the refrain after the repeated "my love is the killing kind" ? chills. that is beyond the 4 chords stuff and a good taste of what is to come. A+ dissonant work.)

with the repeat of the section, we get some drums and other midi backing layers, but it is still very stripped down compared to most music. if you listen closely, you can hear a countermelody playing that gets more prominent as the section continues to develop.

and then the brass kicks in and ~oh baby~ that is the deep music layer that we have been missing this entire time. the layers have built up at this point and again if you listen super closely, you can even hear some creepy vocals floating in that are separate from the countermelody and accompaniment and hnnnnnnng yes yes yes.

(it is music appreciation hour, folks and it is mostly just me losing it and rambling incoherently - woo)

ok but let's stop really quickly before we get back to this section's refrain and talk about why this works. we know that it's a good way to keep your audience engaged and interested in the music, but there must be another reason why we built up from a very basic pizzicato to a fully layered backing in this song.......

...

{ quick side bar: lets talk about lyrics! }

hi. my name is bean. and i tend to forget about lyrics. and yes, there are lyrics to this song. yes, we should talk about them lol. (i wrote this whole thing and then realized i completely ignored this very important aspect of the song so yes please @ me, this is the last section i added)

most music, regardless of whether or not they have lyrics, is trying to convey some kind of story. and there is a very interesting narrative that this song follows, at least the way i hear it (more in part two 👀).

in short, the lyrics appear to depict an individual that is lonely and is convinced that his affection pushes people away. and the song is directed to us, the listeners, who in this narrative play his old love(s) and continue to haunt him. which is such an interesting concept and it feels as though we are helpless listeners to a man slowly descending into madness and whoooooooo ~ its good stuff anon. its good stuff.

however, for this narrative to most effectively be delivered, all aspects of the music must work together and be in agreement with the narrative. the lyrics may be the main vessel but the accompaniment and backing must reflect and support that as well (just like the score in a film!)

and with all that being said, let's return to part A....

...

{ A : continued }

let's talk about how the backing elements and the lyrics work together to help set the scene in the opening.

we've opened with pizzicato and vocals. "pizzicato" by definition requires you to play detached (plucking the strings rather than bowing) and it often invokes a bright and light feeling in this pitch range. texturally, it provides a nice juxtaposition with the dark/heavy lyrics. add in the whimsical, high pitched idiophone chimes and the effect is ten-fold. but let's consider how this works with the lyrics to convince you the singer is alone:

"I roam these halls / search the night / in hopes that I might see / a remnant trace, a glimpse of you / I stare into the deep"

with the pizzicato and the hits of the idiophone, each note is disconnected from the other, just as the singer appears disconnected from everyone else.

when do we first hear the backup vocals? the first time he sings "the killing kind." could it be those vocals are representing ghosts that are haunting him? perhaps the singer is not as alone as we initially thought...

we've started very high in the musical registers. as we hit the repeat, layers build and lower registers start to appear.

"try and try to let you go / and i'll just disappear / go down below where children go / and we all float down here"

the joint work of the lower registers appearing and the inclusion of lyrics, such as "let you go" and "go down below" invokes the imagery of falling. hence begins the singer's descent into madness. an ominous countermelody gets louder as the singer seems to fall deeper and deeper and ooooooooh~ isnt that great.

with the repeat of the refrain, we get the hard-hitting brass and piano and it feels as though we've arrived. we've reached our final destination and the music has achieved its final form. if this were a typical pop song, this would be the end of our evolution.

however......

....

{ the first transition }

ok ill be honest with you anon. this transition is what got me sold. on my first listen, i had been wondering up until this point why this song was sent in and then oooooooh boiiii - that modulation? that is some solid modulation. the rhythm patterns? the piano? THE BRASS FLOURISHES. hot dang. god im not qualified to talk about how good this transition is, but asjkajajajaja i love it so much.

...

{ B: the development }

( let me be honest, anon, a big cause for delay in this answer is actually this section in particular. i swear ive heard the melody for "one for the memory, two for the pain" before but i can't. find. it. (so i give up) it's a nice melody at the very least. and by my ear, a musical line that we haven't heard yet in the song so yay! )

real quick let me explain the name. first time i heard this song and realized there were three distinct sections, i was thinking about sonata form. sonatas have 3 distinct parts: exposition, development, and recapitulation. the exposition is your main musical idea and you do some standard things to it before heading to your development. and the development is pretty much when you can go ham. be a little weird! do cool things! explore musical ideas before you have to return to your main musical idea with the recapitulation. (we don't return to our original musical idea in this song, but hey, just work with me a bit here lol)

in short: i love this development. remember those two issues we mentioned that long songs encounter? this development is what allows us to avoid them.

issue #1: the human attention span kinda sucks.

one of your biggest enemies here? repetition. but a good development gets rid of that problem for you since you have now stopped repeating and are now going on a separate adventure (a side quest if you will) which is hopefully enough to keep your audience captivated and engaged on your path to the ending.

issue #2: the song climaxed too hard, too quickly.

that first transition was, for lack of a better descriptor, EPIC™️ - there were power chords and melodic screaming and imaginary pyrotechnics in my mental concert stage. how can you even top that??

the answer is: you don't. don't even try. just drop off, take a hard turn left, and take a moment to catch your breath. like i always say: the rests in the music are just as important as the actual music itself. its the contrast and presence of both that makes it interesting.

(side note: other pop music do utilize this phenomenon to an extent! beyond a typical bridge, i think of the sudden acapella moments in the middle of songs to create the eventual "drop" as all the instruments come back in and gets audiences pumped.)

remember all that build up we did in part A? yeah, we're scrapping it - we're starting fresh with completely cut audio and building up again new, slightly changed but still similar enough to parallel.

the main accompaniment in part A was pizzicato ? ok, let's change the accompaniment for part B to legato, bowed strings. it's a fresh start and let's be clear about that. however, let's bring in that idiophone again as accents for the accompaniment. we're entering more familiar territory and letting it slowly all build back up again, taking our time with it in a way to contrast with the craziness of the transition.

and now, remember what i said about the melody line for this section maybe being somewhat familiar? whether or not that is true, the rhyme should be familiar to most, if not all listeners:

"one for the memory, two for the pain"

clearly meant to invoke the classic: "one for the money, two for the show"

the lyrics and the rhythm applied to the lyrics are very familiar and comforting and combined with the relatively toned down accompaniment? amazing contrast with the transition. A+ work.

now, how does this all fit with the narrative of the song?

this section is to me like a skewed nursery rhyme. its comforting but the lyrics are telling me it shouldn't be. its the return of that fun juxtaposition from section A.

our singer is haunted by ghosts (of us), but he seems ok with it? even comforted by it? with each repetition of the "one for the --, two for the --" section, it feels as though the singer is singing to himself and swigging another drink. drinking makes the ghosts feel more prominent and we see that reflected in the music as it swells and becomes more dramatic.

also worthy of note is the incremental modulation up throughout this section to create this suspenseful feeling that we are still "going somewhere." but its the opposite feeling as before - we are no longer descending into madness but ascending into some unknown fantasy.

...

{ the second transition }

........ theremin my beloved ??? 👀👀👀

god im so partial to the transitions - is it obvious they're my favorite parts? like i can't even talk about how good they are, im just *MWAH*

however, i'd like to draw our attention to these particular lyrics:

(in part B) "sing it for me baby / singing me to sleep"

(transition) "i dream of you / evermore"

GOD. this imagery. we are still climbing but it feels much more unnatural and hazy this time (god i hope that's theremin, thats my best guess)

AND HELLO RETURN OF THE BRASS CALL.

so brass is really funny. its an incredibly cinematic choice and you usually hear it when there's a victory. gosh, i know how twisted is that? the singer has appeared to have died or completely left this realm of reality and we're celebrating it with a victorious flourish? i love it. i love it so much holy crap.

...

{ C : the last bit + the coda }

FINAL HOME STRETCH! (if you've actually made it this far, idk how or why, im genuinely impressed)

as im sure you realize by now, each main section follows a similar structure: we cut out any previous progress and start fresh, building from silence but utilizing different textures each time.

but real talk - the second transition absolutely sells this feeling of ascension and a sense of imminent arrival. and you finally get there and you arrive with this section and its surprisingly intimate. its just you and the singer's voice as he whispers "hey, do you hear me?" (like a gd verizon commercial).

i almost shudder thinking about it bc the narrative up to this point made me feel as if i was watching someone else's madness journey helplessly, but with the opening of this section, it is almost as though - i too have lost my mind. i have been a part of this journey as much as he has and it's... whoof. that's the combined power of the lyrics and the cutting through the music with silence and it is extremely. effective.

(also remember what i said thousands of words ago about Bohemian Rhapsody? doesn't that "now, now, now" segment before the guitar shredding give you Bohemian Rhapsody vibes?)

in fact, this entire section is him begging us to stay him. the ghosts have become real to him but it also begs us to wonder... are we real? or are we ghosts? have we also gone mad?

"don't you hear me now? / if madness overtakes us both / then nobody would be alone / the ghost of us can linger here / forever not to disappear /stay / stay near / oh, stay / we could be together here / forever we're together bound in madness"

a majority of this piece is in a minor or dissonant key, but this section feels mostly major? positive? and those familiar brass flourishes in the background definitely help.

i lack the words to describe beyond that but this is just a wild and conflicting finale combined with the full climax of the song and that vocal work and the ending with the final brass flourish and im just -

wow. everytime. its just. wow.

...

~ thanks for sharing and thanks for reading ~

[lazyliars]

/rp

DreamXD actually slots very nicely into a working theory I've had for about two or so months now, mainly centering around one question:

What happened to Dream?

Namely, why did Dream change, when exactly did it happen, and was it solely an internal change, or was there an external force at play, specifically a preternatural one?

I think with DreamXD, we might finally have an answer.

Or at least some clues to follow. DreamXD presents a shift in every single paradigm the Dream SMP has had. Like, I think most of it is just being so utterly blind-sided by George Lore Real, but part of it is the massive ramifications of an Actual God* being present in the storyline.

((*On the other resident god of the server, Foolish:

DreamXD is different than Foolish, in that his characterization is so dramatically inhuman - Foolish talks and acts like a (somewhat eccentric) person, and his powers are, as far as we know, limited in comparison to the creative-mode godhood that DreamXD occupies. And whether that is because Foolish is not a "full" god (having been referred to as a demigod) or simply because he's spent so much time around humans, we don't know, but we do know that either way, DreamXD is NOT that.

DreamXD's voice is marked by glitches and dramatic shifts in tone, he seems to lack control over the different aspects of his personality, like the more "Dream" part vs. the darker one that threatens to eat peoples souls. The "normal" part even displays confusion when George references things that the "darker" part said, implying that it may not be fully aware of itself.

TLDR: Foolish acts more human than DreamXD, who has a very eldritch personality.))

To get right to the point:

The Dream we knew before November 16th, and the Dream we know now are not the same. Something changed, and it changed for the worse.

Consider: Dream was always antagonistic to the L'manbergians - he was always imperious to them, and he was responsible for starting a number of fights between his faction and theirs, just as many if not more than they were.

But, he was also not... evil. He'd pick fights with Tommy, the disc wars were still a thing, but the gravity of the spats they had weren't dire. They were fun. They were... actually a game. He wasn't like the way he is now. While in hindsight we can look at these events and detect a serious undertone knowing what's to come, at the time they were far from it.

There is an argument to be made that he had the same tendencies as now, just not expressed as loudly, and while I believe it's a valid argument, I disagree that it's proof of Dream always being the way he is now.

Sapnap, Badboyhalo, Sam. They all remember Dream as their friend - they remember someone who was, maybe a little aggressive and a lot competitive, but not cruel. Not needlessly murderous. Not someone who steals sentimental items and lines the walls of a disgusting museum to use against them.

Dream cut them out. Sapnap was totally blindsided. Bad doesn't seem to fully believe it. Sam blamed himself for not realizing and tried to take the weight of that crime on his own shoulders by becoming the Warden.

There's also the competing theory that what happened to Dream was purely psychological - either the circumstances slowly isolating him from his friends driving him to the do things he's done, or a desire for control that started early and continued to fester until it overshadowed everything else, or any combination of both.

And those theories are still valid, they could still be the case, but I haven't been able to shake the idea that there is something deeper at play. I can't overstate how the exile arc and everything after it have been so inhumane, so cruel, and... not exactly out of character in the sense that I could never see Dream doing them, but in the sense that I could never see him doing them for no reason.

And there really doesn't seem to be one. Dream says himself, it's like a game. He sees people as toys, puppets. And there just doesn't seem to be an inciting incident that could explain how he made the leap from semi-authoritarian leader who, despite being a warmonger, does love his friends, to heartless murderer who wants to reduce everyone he knows to dolls.

There's... ways, he could get there, but nothing that we've seen makes sense. There is a missing piece, something that must have happened from his POV that we didn't get to see because he doesn't stream.

And DreamXD could be it. This godly entity that claims that it is "a part of [Dream]" but that it isn't him entirely. That seems to share the lack of understanding of humanity that Dream has been displaying like when he asks if resurrecting Tommy was “cool.” But that still loves George. He still, despite apparently not having the same history as Dream, desperately wants to be George's friend.

If I had to pinpoint the moment Dream changed, it would be the day that he revealed that he switched sides, and was going to be fighting against Pogtopia. He was paid for this betrayal in the Revive Book.

I mark this as the turning point in my theory because it is the first time Dream mentions his affinity for chaos in the context of hurting others. However, we also know that this likely wasn't the day he actually made the decision to betray - as he revealed that there was a traitor among the Pogtopians, a fact that he likely would have learned before this.

Now, I mark George's lore stream as the introduction of DreamXD proper, and I want that on the record because it isn't technically his first appearance on the server.

Most people will remember him from Techno's stream, where he logged on to break the End Portal in a panic. I doubt the character was properly written into the lore at that time, but it fits neatly with the rest of what we know about him - a guardian of the server, and the keeper of it's rules. No contradictions.

What less people might know, is that DreamXD has made an even earlier appearance, and it's this one where things begin to get... interesting.

Around roughly October of 2020, Tubbo and Fundy did some improv'd streams centering around Demon Hunting, or rather, "Dreamon" Hunting, and it's during the first of these two streams that DreamXD makes an appearance.

The bare bones of it was - Tubbo is an experienced "Dreamon Hunter" and teaches Fundy his ways. They find Dream, and realize that he has a Dreamon inside of him, which is basically an evil version of him. They attempt to exorcise the Dreamon from Dream via various shenanigans, and eventually, they do a ceremony to free Dream. However, they apparently botch it, and unleash the Dreamon within. After more shenanigans, one attempt to fix it utilizing Fundy and Dream's wedding appears to work, but then DreamXD logs on, flys around at Tubbo and Fundy threateningly, and they end stream on the idea that there are probably more Dreamons to hunt.

Now. There's a lot to unpack here. I'm not gonna go into the nitty gritty details in this post, but I do recommend watching the Dreamon streams, as they have A LOT of details that, if this is getting incorporated into the main story line, could be important - especially the focus on duality, having TWO versions of Dream, which end up being potentially separated from each other.

(Also, they're just really funny streams. Tubbo and Fundy are at PEAK chaos and Dream plays along with their inane bit perfectly, it's just good content.)

At the time of the Dreamon streams airing, they were explicitly non-canon. IIRC Tubbo and Fundy referred to them as taking place In an “alternate universe,” which makes sense considering they would have been on opposite sides at the time (Manburg and Pogtopia.)

However.

And this is where I show you my wall of red string and newspaper clippings.

My singular piece of evidence for this comes from one line DreamXD drops. He simply says: “At least you're not hunting me.”

The Dreamon streams take place around early October. Dream reveals his betrayal of Pogtopia around November 6th-7th. The timeline of the Dreamon streams would line up perfectly with the idea that there was a catalyzing event that put Dream on the proverbial path to hell.

I do not believe that they intended the Dreamon arc to be anything other than a side story at the time, but considering that DreamXD himself was barely canon until now, I don't think it's out of the question that they took a look back at a fan-favorite minor arc, saw an opportunity to co-opt it into the current story line, and potentially fill in some holes regarding Dream's characterization all in one move.

On the question of whether this would be a GOOD storytelling move?

The Dreamon theories were prevalent during the exile arc, and I've got to say, I was never a huge fan. The detachment of Dream's actions from his intentions, and by extension his morality, never sat right with me. It feels cheap to make him a victim and say “a Dreamon did it!” in regards to all of the horrible things that he's done. It strips his agency and makes everything that happened less impactful in my opinion, and I stand by that reading.

BUT. With DreamXD introduced, I feel like it's necessary to look at this from all angles. And with the way DreamXD was characterized in George's stream, I don't think it necessarily ruins Dream's character to say that an external force was involved with his descent into evil.

Namely, the idea that whatever happened to Dream was not really a “possession” so much as a gradual loss of humanity, could be an interesting way to look at this. It implies that Dream was always capable of his actions, but grants us understanding as to why he would actually perform them, and why he might have become isolated enough from his friends that they would let this happen.

The Dream we know now could be an expression of his “worst self” brought to the surface by a Dreamon/DreamXD/other. It also begs the question of what would happen if that force were to leave him, and how it might cause yet another shift in character, especially if it were to be portrayed as less of a switch being flipped, and more of a withdrawal, with a gradual process of realizing how far gone he was.

To close this out, I've been stewing on the idea that Dream hasn't entirely been himself since the climax of the Exile Arc.

I think this theory holds water, but it's also not waterproof... there are plenty of holes, and a lot of that comes from the fact that Dream doesn't stream. We're left in the dark when deciphering his character, and what might appear to be the key, could just as easily be revealed as a red herring, or even nothing at all.

Regardless of the validity of the Dreamon theory, I think that DreamXD is one of the most interesting developments we've had on the SMP in a long time, if simply because his arrival coincides with fucking George Lore Real. God. I still don't know how to deal with that.

I always appreciate people adding to the discussion by the way! Feel free to reblog with additions if you like or leave them in the replies.

And if a single one of you comes to my blog on THIS. THE DAY OF MY DAUGHTER'S WEDDING. And calls ME a c!Dream Apologist to MY FACE..... I will be v sad.

[bjornsonbrightman]

A (not-so-brief) list and analysis of the things that were changed in the set design of Phantom London, part 1

[*includes things that were changed in between the release of the infamous Planning Document™ and opening night!*]

WARNING: long, image-heavy post

The past week has undoubtedly been very confusing and anxiety-inducing for a lot of phans, I myself included, who were (and are) still horrified of what C*mM*ck has done to Phantom London.

So naturally, as someone who lives somewhere that couldn't be farther from the UK, I decided to compile a list of all the things that I've learned — through hours of shamelessly scrolling through Instagram, Twitter and Facebook tags — about the planning, creation and production of the new set design.

Hang on tight, it's a bumpy ride.

1. The proscenium

The most obvious thing that is now different from the OG. Let's take a look at the concept art shown in the original planning document:

Ahh, I remember the release of this picture and the Tumblr/Twitter/FB explosion that ensued like it was yesterday. Good times.

The new set design by Matt Kinley is mainly derived from what he did for the UK tour, which introduced the cracked, sculpture-less proscenium and the separate proscenium frame/boxes that appear only during the opera scenes. Unlike the greatly simplified UK tour design, however, this design for London appears to have the original lyres and garlands at the top, as well as some structural elements of the OG proscenium (see the outward curved trimmings on the top sides). The surrounding areas of the auditorium are also shown to be restored to their original colours, the most interesting of which is a new false wall in the area behind the top part of the proscenium. These areas were previously blacked out with black paint and black masking.

Despite hewing closer to the OG than the UK tour did, this was still a sacrilegious bastardization far cry from Maria Björnson's design, and I guess the creatives were aware of it too, as they seemed to try to soften the blow by:

using actual pieces of the original proscenium that weren't a part of the OG plan such as this satyr-riding angel...

including an "homage" to Maria (according to ALW) in the form of a new sculptural bust that fills up the Golden Angel's spot (picture from @mariussansmerci) ...

The design of the false wall behind the lyres on top was also changed to... something that I guess gives off the impression of a false dome?? Not too sure about this one but I kinda like it ngl:

Something that the planning document mentions is that the removal of the side sculptures and the installation of a "cracked" proscenium allows for sound equipment to be installed behind the sides of the proscenium, which frees up the two side boxes to be "used as originally intended". And that's exactly what happened. Surprise, C*mM*ck now has 4 extra seats that he can sell overpriced.

And here's the finished result (photos from here):

With the safety curtain that was brought over from the UK tour and without the inner proscenium/boxes:

To be honest? I kinda like the final result. Those (possibly face-saving) changes really saved the design from looking like a bad copy of the original proscenium; now it just looks like a mediocre copy. But don't worry, whenever I get too comfortable with this new design I just pull out pictures of Maria's OG proscenium and my fiery anger for the new one is reignited.

And that's all I have on the proscenium!

Next up we have something that I believe had the most confusing and troubled development out of all the new set pieces:

2. The Chandelier

Man, this poor thing has been through a lot.

When it was originally designed for the UK tour, the chandelier was intended to utilize much of the same technology that the r*staged tour chandelier used, namely the drapes that are "magically" sucked into the chandelier itself and the straight-dropping mechanism. Hence, the new chandelier was made to be circular and non-collapsible, featuring a decorative spike on the bottom. According to pictures of the model and the concept art shown in the planning document, I suspect the drapes were to be sucked in through the decorative lyres (see the circular openings):

But this mechanism was precisely the reason for the downfall of this design. Come opening night of the UK tour, and this chandelier was nowhere to be seen. My suspicion of what went wrong? Either the drapes were snagging on the lyres (kind of like what happened to the short-lived garlands on R*staged Tour Chandelier), or the retractable frame that held up the drapes wasn't working properly.

But whatever the reason for the failure of this mashup chandelier, the designers must've realized and abandoned ship pretty late, because pictures from one of the prop makers showed that it was still being made with frames that were very much non-collapsible as late as February this year:

Once they realized it wasn't going to work, I believe a series of last-minute actions were made. My theory: they brought back the OG chandelier in all its missing-bulbs glory less than a week away from opening...

... and stripped it of its lyres, which were transplanted onto the new chandelier, as is evident from the final product (photo from @soulsoaringphan):

This hypothesis is bolstered by the fact that the new lyres were originally going to have holes in them for drape-sucking (ew), and so once the decision was made to have the chandelier work more like the OG, the logical step would have been to just borrow the lyres from the old one instead of making new ones in less than a week or two from opening.

Also note the gaps in the beading that would've had the rigid golden frame trimmings seen in the model and the in-progress photos above; the designers must have removed them hastily to allow the chandelier to collapse, but unfortunately they just... left it empty. Oh, and the absence of the spike on the bottom, which is now just a huge gaping hole (again, ew). There's also an additional tier on top that wasn't present in the OG, model or any of the concept art.

I'm actually quite relieved that the new chandelier is pretty similar to the OG and the Palais Garnier one, but if I have to nitpick: I miss the horizontal decorative beading, the ones that were on the top tier and in between the lyres in the old chandelier. Maybe it's just me, but the chandelier looks... incomplete without them.

And that's all I have on the chandelier!

3. The Orchestra Pit — wait, I can't upload any more pictures??

Welp, guess I'll have to make a part 2 then. Thanks for reading this long, long rant post, I hope it was at the very least entertaining and slightly informative!

And lemme know if I forgot to credit anyone whose pictures I used!

[eleanore-delphinium]

The Gift: Chapter Three (Diluc & Jean)

Chapter One

Chapter Two: Childhood Arc

Chapter Three: (Your are here)

NEXT

~.~.~.~.~

Two years ago, was when Diluc Ragnvindr met Jean Gunnhildr. Crepus planned a party to welcome and introduce his adopted son Kaeya to the people. The Gunnhildr clan had been known to be rather close with the Ragnvindr family for centuries, and their relationship has been beneficial for Monstadt, and so it came to no surprise that the Gunnhilr clan would have their own representatives at the party.

It was even quite favorable that the next clan leader of the Gunnhildr so happened to be of the same age as the successor of the Ragnvindr’s Winery. The only problem was the eight-year-old Jean, who had become known to be too mature for her age, was in the corner observing the merriment with an indifferent expression. The Gunnhildr family members present were rather displeased with the child, and yet it came to no surprise, she was already known to be rather unapproachable.

What a waste of a good opportunity.

Jean was thankful that her mother could not attend the party due to prior obligations, at least now she wouldn’t worry about her mother’s direct scolding.

She had observed the red-haired boy for a few minutes now, and had gotten bored that her cold eyes started to drift to other things. Diluc seemed to be such a bright child and Jean had missed the pair of red eyes that had caught her presence or lack thereof. Diluc excused himself from the children around his age who were trying to have better relations with him and made his way to the blonde girl who was looking at the buffet table absentmindedly.

“Hello.” Diluc said, stopping a meter away from Jean who was startled by the sudden greeting. She stood properly from leaning on the wall as she stared at Diluc with wide eyes.

“Uhm, greetings, I am Jean of house Gunnhildr.” Jean placed her right fist over her hand as she bowed by bending her torso slightly. They had not formally met, and she felt that she had to introduce herself first. But she heard the boy chuckle and she looked up at him.

His eyes were bright and there was a stifling radiance that was coming from him that she couldn’t help but flinch.

“Hello, I am Diluc of Ragnvindr house, it is a pleasure to meet you.” He replied courteously and there was silence between them. Diluc noticed that Jean’s grey eyes glanced behind him, from the direction he had come. He then stood beside her, on her left and leaned on the wall as she had done prior.

“I noticed you from over there.” He glanced over at the other children who seemed to have scattered the moment he faced their direction, Jean just pressed her lips as she avoided the other kids' gazes. “Why didn’t you go over there with everyone?”

“We don’t get along.” She replied indifferently as she tried to make herself small as she started feeling her relatives' eyes on her. She was convinced her relatives were looking at her and thinking that she was finally being useful at this event and that she should utilize this opportunity well.

“And why not?” He glanced at her, and she was surprised.

“You’re interested in me?” She asked softly, almost rather breathless. He looked at her confused with a slight tilt with his head. 

“Why?” His tone slightly raised indicating if there should be something he should worry about. “Are you sick?” She looked at him and she smiled softly and this time it was DIluc who was taken aback.

“No, nothing like that.” She said in a rueful tone as she turned her gaze at one kid. “I’m not so friendly as you can probably tell. And my interests with the other children are-- it is very different.” She sighed.

“I heard, you don’t go out of your house, is what they told me.” Diluc said and he observed Jean press her lips.

“I have other things to concern myself with.” Jean replied in a clipped manner. “Congratulations on getting your vision.” She added awkwardly as she looked at her right slightly.

“Oh yes, thank you.” Diluc replied and felt bad for Jean. He heard that her mother has made sure she puts her studies first which was why the other kids did not get along with Jean because Jean herself could not find the time to interact with others unless on a function like this. To make matters even worse, her interest revolved around combat, there were only a few kids who were interested in combat that would actually attend events like this.

“I think your brother looks uncomfortable.” Jean said when the silence grew longer and Diluc stayed by her side. Diluc glanced at where his brother was, Kaeya looked nervous as he was being surrounded by other kids his age.

“It seems like that is the case.” Diluc replied standing upright, Jean sighed internally. She thought that this was probably the end of  this interaction, the most she had talked to someone her age with the other party initiating the conversation.

“Why don’t we go help him out?” Diluc offered and Jean was surprised as she whirled her head to his direction. She wanted to ask him if he was sure, if he really wanted to still talk to her, but Diluc held his hand out for her and there were unexplainable emotions that enveloped her.

She placed her hand over his and inhaled sharply knowing that this was something she would normally not do. “Alright.”

Diluc smiled at her and she thought that his charisma was very magnetic. Diluc brought Jean all the way to Kaeya who looked overwhelmed.

“I will be borrowing my brother for a moment, I would like him to formally meet someone.” Diluc said, swooping in to help his brother and bringing Jean along. The way Diluc spoke made Jean feel like they have been friends for a long time, it was odd and comforting and so very foreign. She didn’t have any friends because she found that she was not given the opportunity to, unless of course it was for business, which was her purpose here at this party.

~.~.~.~.~

Three months, that was how long Diluc had not seen Jean. Today he had come again at her doorstep, but this time he would not be turned away, this time he had a purpose-- a reasonable cause to see her. Perhaps not today, but he will see her soon.

Diluc knocked at the door and Jean’s butler greeted him. 

“Hello, Clarence.” Diluc smiled at the elderly man whose expression was flat.

“Greetings Young Master Ragnvindr, but I am sad to inform you that Lady Jean is quite busy today too.” Hearing Clarence say the same excuse without even waiting for Diluc to say the purpose of his visit just made Diluc smile politely.

“I understand, but that is not my purpose today.” Diluc replied with a cordial tone. He couldn’t be angry at Clarence, he was likely just following the orders of Frederica. “I won't be long, I just came to personally send the invitation for my birthday party. As our two families have been close for generations, and even more so now because Jean and I are close friends.” 

Clarence blinked and a smile tugged at the edges of his face as he stared at Diluc. His eyes tell Diluc that he did well.

“I will personally send it to Lady Frederica and will respond immediately.” Clarence put his hand out and Diluc pulled the invitation from his inner jacket pocket with a smile. 

“I appreciate it a lot. Have a good day, Clarence.” Diluc gave a small nod and turned on his heel when he saw Clarence nod back. Diluc then went inside his family’s carriage.

“So?” Kaeya asked Diluc who settled on the seat in front of him.

“I gave the invitation and as usual it is Clarence who opened the door with an explanation that Jean was too busy, so she could not meet me.” Diluc responded looking at the Gunnhildr mansion.

“She will surely go, Lady Frederica would never not attend a function that shows the closeness of our family.” Kaeya replied with a clipped tone and Diluc nodded.

“You are absolutely correct, let us hope that she would not do something unexpected and choose not to go.” Diluc said and their ride back home was done in silence. Kaeya was quietly observing Diluc’s serious expression and he thought that this was the first time he had seen his brother like this. Even with such an expression plastered on Diluc’s face, Kaeya felt that his brother was bound for great things.

“The party is for next week, I really hope Lady Frederica will attend.” Diluc sighed leaning back on his seat. 

That evening Crepus received a letter of acceptance for the invitation sent out by Diluc from Frederica, that letter came along with a letter for Diluc from Jean. 

“Diluc, I have good news.” Crepus said entering Diluc’s bedroom, Kaeya on Diluc’s bed reading while Diluc was on his desk studying. Diluc turned to the door upon hearing his father’s voice.

“Frederica accepted the invitation.” Crepus told his son with a neutral look and tone. Diluc nodded at his father as he looked back at his desk.

“That is good to hear.” He responded just as neutral as his father while Kaeya was glancing between the two silently. 

“And there is a letter,” Diluc’s head quickly turned to his father upon hearing this. “From Jean.” A vague smile tugged at Crepus lips, Diluc was already at his feet and running to his father who held a simple letter.

Diluc snached it and quickly said his thanks. Crepus couldn’t help but laugh at Diluc and Kaeya tried covering his giggles.

Diluc cleared his throat standing by his chair and opened the letter and sighed before reading it.

Dear Diluc,

My closest friend, whom I have not seen for some time, my sincerest apologies. I have been very busy as of the late, but I do hope it does not change our friendship. I was glad to have been told that you sent your birthday invitation yourself. I wrote this letter to personally let you know that I will be in attendance, I hope-- despite my absence our friendship is still strong.

Sincerely, Jean

Diluc knew the moment he held the letter that Jean’s mother would check her letter before sending it to the Ragnvindr residence. But at least he knew that she was alright, that their friendship was not affected with what he had done. He sighed aloud and happened to look at his father, Diluc was surprised to see his father’s serious gaze.

“Everything is alright, father.” Diluc informed and his father and Kaeya sighed loudly. Diluc pressed his lips mildly surprised that his father and brother were actually waiting for his reaction. Diluc cleared his throat again and sat down.

“Well…” Kaeya broke the silence as he placed his book face down as he neared the edge of Diluc’s bed. Diluc put out parchment from the drawer on his right.

“Jean will be attending my birthday.” Diluc replied, smiling up at his family. 

“That is good news, son.” Crepus sighed again, truly happy for his son. Crepus had noticed that Diluc and Jean seemed to be very close with one another. He had even suspected that perhaps Diluc even likes Jean. It has come to a point where Crepus had already prepared himself for Diluc to tell him that he wants to propose to the young heir of the Gunnhildr’s. The day has not yet come, but he believed that it was just a matter of time.

“I will send a response to Jean’s letter and have it sent out for tomorrow morning.” Diluc said, dipping his quill in the bottle of ink and writing on the parchment. 

“Son--” Crepus had begun but instantly was tackled by Kaeya.

“Father!” Kaeya glared at the older man in an endearing way, and Crepus sighed again and patted Kaeya’s head.

“Alright, you two seems so busy, this old man should get going.” Crepus said and Diluc looked at his father.

“Have a good evening then, father.” Diluc replied.

“Yes, I have a lot of paperwork to get back to.” Crepus added, patting Kaeya’s head one last time.

“Good night, father!” Kaeya happily responded and Crepus slowly retreated out of the room, looking at his two sons with proud eyes.

“I’m truly glad you two get along.” He added before stepping out the door of Diluc’s room.

“I am too.” Kaeya smiled at his adopted father, leaning on Diluc’s door. Before closing the door Kaeya gave one last wave and gently closed the door.

“Well then, are you going to be preparing your birthday party yourself?” Kaeya inquired and Diluc turned to his brother.

“If you’d like, why don’t you help me?” Diluc offered with a smile and Kaeya nodded enthusiastically. 

The evening of Diluc’s birthday eventually came, Jean entered the hall with her family. Diluc was surrounded by people, happily chatting away. Her first thought when her eyes laid on him, was that this scene seemed awfully familiar. It had brought her back to the time where they had met. Diluc was very charismatic and his background would naturally incentivize people to approach him and yet he was patient and open.

Diluc catched her wandering eyes and she casually avoided his red gaze.

“Don’t do anything to ruin the Gunnhildr name.” Frederica strictly commanded when she noticed Diluc’s eyes land on her daughter.

“Of course, I would never do such a thing, mother.” Jean replied as she looked down on the floor to avoid her mother’s scrutiny. Before Frederica could add anything else, Crepus approached them with a friendly smile.

“Frederica!” He greeted the older woman first.

“Hello, Crepus.” Frederica said with a tight but polite smile.

“Where is Seamus?” Crepus inquired when he saw Jean and Barbara but not their father.

“He was a little busy with work, he said he will try his best to catch up. I hope you do not mind.” Frederica said and Crepus nodded with an understanding smile.

“Of course, that is no issue, I am a single parent, I can totally understand.” Crepus smiled at the kids by Frederica. 

“Barbara seems rather shy.” Crepus commended upon seeing Barbara hiding behind her older sister. “Doesn’t matter, let us let the children go and play!” Crepus quickly added so that Frederica would not say something to keep her kids by her side. 

Frederica narrowed her eyes for a moment at his suggestion, but cannot say a thing in front of all these people. She smiled tightly and lightly urged her children to go with a motherly tone.

“Jean.” Barbara mumbled as she poked her older sister on her back, Jean shifted her body a bit and held Barbara’s hand.

“Then we will be on our way.” Jean gently pulled Barbara’s hand and they walked to where the children were socializing. Jean outwardly looked indifferent but inside, she thought that going towards the other kids was something unpleasant. The other kids became friendly towards her after Diluc befriended her two years ago, but they only get to talk on functions like this. Thus her friendships with other people her age seemed shallow and superficial. 

Jean had just walked a couple meters but she was still nervous. She wasn’t sure how she would talk to them, she doesn’t keep touch with other kids her age. Her training to be the next Gunnhildr Clan Leader takes precedence over anything, even building connections.

“Jean!” Kaeya’s voice came from their right and the pair of siblings stopped and looked at Kaeya’s direction. “Barbara.” Kaeya stopped near Barbara with a smile and Barbara smiled and her eyes twinkled as she stretched her hand out to Kaeya.

Jean sighed, “Alright, you two go and play.” Kaeya turned to Jean with a smile. “Take good care of my sister.” She added with a strict tone and Kaeya bowed his head seriously. 

“Of course.” And Kaeya brought Barbara somewhere not towards the other kids. Since Barabara wasn’t with Jean anymore she felt that it wasn’t necessary to go to the other kids. She had just wanted to go to the other kids so Barbara would have friends, but with her gone she didn’t need to. It was Barbara’s first official party.

Jean found herself leaning against the wall looking at everyone else. This was oddly familiar, studying the crowd at the edge. Jean spotted her mom talking with the adults, making her connections stronger and Jean instantly looked down hoping her mother didn't spot her. What would she say? She was not acting like a Gunnhildr Clan Leader, Jean has to be sociable. 

She sighed as she looked at the corner. She knows she should socialize, she knows she has to have perfect form and she knows she has to be precise and accurate, nothing less than impeccable is demanded of her. 

“Jean, I’m glad you made it.” Diluc's voice came from her front and she looked up with startled eyes.

“Diluc.” She said as she looked up at Diluc. “This seems awfully familiar.” She laughed a little with pressed lips.

“Huh, actually now that you mentioned it.” Diluc teased as he stood beside her leaning against the wall too, but this time around their elbows almost touching. “Now, this really came full circle.” He added staring at the other kids, this was really like two years ago.

“Thank you.” Jean whispered and Diluc turned to look at her.

“For what?” He asked confusedly.

“I know you planned this for me.” Jean said, turning to Diluc with certain eyes and he smiled back at her.

“Now, I felt like it was my fault too.” He quietly added.

“It wasn’t.” Jean instantly replied but he looked at her with uncertainty. “If I didn’t meet you, I’d probably still be at the corner like this. So, yes there is a lot to say thank you for.”

“I don’t think you would be in the corner.” He said his eyes were clear.

“You’re right, I’d probably be socializing out of obligation. Which I should really be doing right now.” Jean said playfully with expressive expressions and Diluc smiled.

“I do rub into you.” He said bumping into her playfully and she giggled.

“Kaeya and Barbara have become really close.” Jean remarked with a contented smile. “I have to thank you for that too.”

“Hmm, I think it isn’t just just me.” Diluc replied. 

“Barbara is a cheerful and innocent child, I try my best to keep it that way.” Jean sighed as she closed her eyes. She will protect her sister.

“You are a good sister, Jean.” Diluc said with pressed lips.

“You are a good brother too, Diluc.” She replied back with a smile. 

NEXT: Chapter Four: Barbara & Kaeya