#blue; threads

[plutonicbees]

secret calls in the phone/sewing/cat room (chapter 4 of bllb u will always be famous to me)

[heartnosekid]

🌓 mimikyu 🪡

with no people or hands for anon!

🪡-🌓-🪡 / 🌓-🪡-🌓 / 🪡-🌓-🪡

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

I came here for the silly haha doodles, but I've stayed for the absolutely blazing commentary in the tags. Your analysis of this story is so so so good! Thanks for all the work and thought you put into this!

I am just a silly little comics blog. I am not hiding anything in the tags, no way. Never.

[tsukiyo-7]

Right now, you're smitten.

[relaxedstyles]

Bluesky, huh?

[mordenandmerry]

Gay people have to stop doing this or I’m going to actually go insane one of these days

[mintypsii]

i hate them so much these freaks ohhhmymgawwddd

[yrsonpurpose]

Please stay gorgeous and strong and unbelievable. I miss you I miss you I miss you I love you. I’m calling you as soon as I send this, but I know you like to have these things written down. A ✿ / ❀

[asarigg]

Inside the Character's Mind: Part 6

CHILDHOOD. SLY AND KOUJAKU. THE AVOIDANT BEHAVIOR: part 3

As if all that wasn’t already enough, at the end of the Re:connect, this happens. Aoba thinks to himself that this is not what Koujaku wanted, as much as Sly wants to think that it is, that he’s in the right. As if what he has done has helped the Koujaku inside, the one who’s like him, the true Koujaku, to come out. As if they could be free inside that cell.

Koujaku reacts to Aoba’s thoughts. Sly thinks for a moment that it’s his imagination, but when Aoba repeats his thoughts, Koujaku says his name. Koujaku, who despite not having articulated a single word all this time, weeks, months, says his name as soon as Aoba “speaks”, that’s what I’m talking about when I mention their spiritual connection, that’s how strong it is. It happening after such a different sex scene, where neither of them can say no, nor show any kind of rejection, is just a reminder that they are both locked away, suffering, and that they will stay there watching this happen day after day until the day they die, not being able to see, or touch, or call each other’s names, or say “I love you” or anything they once wanted to say. They can only just watch each other wither away.

These thoughts of “This isn’t what Koujaku wanted” are very interesting because just like Sly thought, Koujaku really wanted Aoba to accept and love him. But the last thing he wants is having Aoba reciprocate him just because that’s what Koujaku wants. He’d rather be rejected, and even die in the extreme case of the situation hurting Aoba, than having him living something he doesn’t really want, that he doesn’t feel in his heart. Giving himself to Koujaku letting him do whatever he wants without thinking twice, without thinking about his own wishes. A life that doesn’t respect Aoba’s wishes is a nightmare for him. Just like he says in the confession scene “All I can remember is that I didn’t want to touch you like that”.

I mentioned that they don’t treat the tattoo as something that changed Koujaku, but as someone else inside his mind. When Sly appears before him, Koujaku immediately knows that he’s not Aoba, but has a hard time believing it, because physically he’s the same but white. He doesn’t know what’s going on, he can’t process it, but he knows. And the thoughts that tell him that the man in front of him is not Aoba are in red, like someone else’s, with some lowercase and some uppercase, growing more intense as the madness and anger of his tattoo reflects through. Doesn’t it remind you of how Sly’s thoughts appeared in the middle of the screen when Aoba was in charge?

Sometimes I wonder what Sly’s real intention was here. In theory he wants to break Koujaku and bring out the beast because that’s the part of Koujaku that he sees himself reflected in, that destructive entity, his darkest, true side, his pure animal instinct. Exactly what Sly is.

But he still tells the sane Koujaku that he loves him and wants to convince him that he’s Aoba. If that had worked then what would he do next? Because he truly believes that’s what he wanted to hear, and when the narration returns to his point of view he tells us that his love for Koujaku is true. Obviously locked in a cell it would be difficult for anyone to believe him, and Sly wouldn’t get him out of there anyway when he wants to keep Koujaku for himself. But then why does he keep trying to convince him, over and over again, even when Koujaku still doesn’t recognize him as Aoba any time he wakes up? Would he have been satisfied with a sane Koujaku, with those restrictions he hates, just because he accepted his words? It’s only when he sees that Koujaku won’t buy it, no matter what he tells him, that he changes his strategy.

And it’s in this scene that we see Koujaku in control for the last time, and again the last thing he says before losing his mind is Aoba’s name. This ending makes us see how Koujaku once again enters a cycle of abuse. He has gone from being his father’s slave, to Ryuuhou’s, and now Sly’s, and he will probably never get out of that cell alive. He no longer has prayer beads protecting him, only chains imprisoning him.

Sly is aware of what he has done, and he believes that since he has destroyed Koujaku’s consciousness/spirit, it’s only fair that he is the one to destroy his body, not only fair but it even seems like an attractive idea, to die at his hands (Sly try not to be Ryuuhou challenge). I really like this dialogue where Sly tells Koujaku that he can tear off his flesh if he wants, on the condition that he stays. Staying with him, a reflection of his desire to feel loved, accepted, after so many years of abandonment. After hearing Koujaku speak back to Aoba, it must feel like a punch to the stomach to think for a moment that he’s wrong with what he’s chosen for the two of them, to think that Koujaku doesn’t really love him.

Having him locked in a cage somehow is perfect to prevent the slightest chance of Koujaku walking away, as well as keeping him in this state, unable to speak, unable to think, unable to reject him. It’s because of these things that I usually think that at least at the beginning the relationship with Koujaku in a good ending would be quite turbulent. He would like to flirt with Koujaku, sure, but when he realizes that he really feels love for him, he feels vulnerable, weak, and needs to protect himself because the people who were supposed to always be with him, guide and protect him, left him. And Koujaku somehow “abandoned” him once too. So before being exposed to that, he would rather push Koujaku away. Regardless, Sly would always come back to him, because as much as he wants to walk away he can’t, he needs Koujaku to stay by his side. It doesn’t matter if it’s love or hate, Sly will take it because it’s intense, real and raw.

Fun fact: Sly and Beast Koujaku both have golden eyes, when they “transform”. Everyone has those three sides of their conscience but Aoba’s just have a distinct personality and identity each, which I think might lead to thinking that beast Koujaku might have a personality of his own. I think he’s somewhere in between, he’s obviously not like them, but he’s definitely his own entity. Like some kind of natural force, like rain, wind, the energy of the cosmos, possessing him, something more abstract than a spirit or god, which we usually see as human or animal-like appearance wise.

The first thing that strikes us when we see Aoba is that his design radically changes. When Sly takes control of his body it’s not like he suffers any physical changes, besides the shine of his eyes, however here he turns completely white. The only time we see something like that happen is when we see the true forms of Sei and Aoba, but those black marks don’t appear. This is what makes me wonder if the white color has something to do with those forms, as if it were some kind of symbolism of Sly “breaking free” and being himself, without restrictions, without Reason, but they don’t add the black marks to not spoil it, or because it looks like shit with the design, or because it simply has nothing to do with that.

The white color is the color of death, mourning, the color with which the deceased are dressed. A sterile color, without impurities, highly related to the spiritual world. Many white flowers are commonly used in funerals, usually Buddhist, such as the white chrysanthemum, used for its meaning of truth and sincerity. Aoba wears a white kimono and also gives one to Koujaku. These traditional elements could be there just to remember Koujaku but nothing in this document could ever be simple of course.

The hair of a dead person is considered to turn white after a certain period of time, meaning that the hair is no longer a source of impurities, it can't be possessed by an evil spirit, and can be transported beyond the border that marks the separation between the sacred realm of the dead and the ordinary world of the living.

His skin, his characteristic blue hair, his eyes and his clothes turn completely white because at this point Aoba is no longer there. Not in a literal sense, of course, but in a figurative sense, Aoba is dead. And this is basically the same thing that happens with Koujaku. They are both reborn, destroyed, spiritually dying so that something else can be created, the ID, the instinct of destruction, the two beasts freed from the bodies that held them prisoners.

His clothes in general resemble those of a Miko, with a more “fantastical” and sexualized appearance. This post talks about it as well. Again it’s a reference to the spiritual realm, their religious side and how Aoba/Sly is an object of devotion, of how Aoba is somewhat a channeler for Koujaku. Just like there are rituals that call the gods to our world, like I’ve said in the section about hair, which serves as a connection with gods, Aoba is the only thing that connects Koujaku with this world, the only reason why he’s still alive.

[thegaissilent]

for: @halfofozsfavouriteteam

Being Glinda, the Good is, above everything else, tiring.

She can't even pinpoint what is the most tiring part of it. If it's the fact she has to perform way more than she did her entire life, if it's the fact the work never ends and she barely has time to stop and relax. Or if it's simply because she feels stuck in a loop and there is no way out.

Her entire life is made out of lies now. Having to listen to those rumors about her best friend and not being able to say anything against them, smiling and waving to the crowd while they stare at her like she's some sort of savior.

Getting married to Fiyero so she can finally stop thinking about her.

She is tired. She is so tired. And yet she can't stop it. She doesn't know how to. Because despite it all, despite the fact that this is wrong and repulsive, she can't help herself. She can't help the small amount of satisfaction that she gets when people are praising her. When she's celebrated, applauded.

It doesn't compare to real love, of course. It never will.

But it fills her up somehow. It's all that she's had for the last years and if she keeps trying, she knows she can pretend that they truly love her.

Plus, she's still trying to make moves to actually take down the Wizard. To destroy this awful, terrible system from inside. So maybe, one day, she will be able to clean Elphaba's name. And have her friend back beside her.

(Does she actually believe she can do that still, though? Or did that naiveté die with Galinda?)

Either way, her entire life is absurdly tiring and as soon as she reaches the Emerald Palace in her bubble, exhausted from a very long day, she only wants to soak in her bathtub, and then lie on her bed.

But instead, she's called by the Wizard and grunts at that as she makes her way to the room where he keeps the goddamn machine. Everyday, Glinda wishes she could set that thing on fire.

As soon as she walks past the door, she freezes, though.

Green skin. Black clothes. Dark hair with microbraids.

Elphie.

"Elphie!" She exclaims, throwing herself on her friend to hug her tight. "What... What are you doing here?"

[sysig]

Reverberations, configurations (Patreon)

[cicada-heart]

a work in progress i’ve been chipping away at this week! hand embroidery on recycled lace 🦋

this piece has sold but i have more embroidery available on my etsy! ❤️

support my work on patreon 💖

[tj-crochets]

I have to take some vacation days before I lose PTO hours, so today I am finally finishing up some WIPs and packaging things to mail them! I think it’s a first vacation day in a long time well spent lol

[pernillecfcw]

This aura 💙🥶

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

went to the incredible cross stitch store while I was in colorado over the weekend!! They have suuuuuch a beautiful range of both silk and cotton thread, including the range of hand-dyed silk thread i’ve been obsessed with using in my pieces lately. they are sooooo soft and have amazing subtle variegations in color within the skeins. i could have spent 3 hours and $500 here if left unsupervised BUT restricted myself to things for specific projects I already have lined up instead. here’s what I got!!!

the top row are going to be for my Davrin tarot card piece, which I’m still working on the lineart conversion for. very pleased with the muted blue/brown skein near the right end for Assan’s feathers :) and the bottom row are going to be for a redo of my Lavellan/DAI elf stained glass icon, i want to do it larger and match my Lavellan’s dark brown hair color rather than the white in the dalish tarot card.

also grabbed LOBSTER CLAW in cotton to go with the Marmalade & Creamy Peach my friend sent me a few months ago—these will be for a personal piece of a koi i’ve been wanting to do.

[breathing-neon]

Inside of a little cabin, a man with blue hair approaches Baby. The last round was a hectic one, what with the killer having severely injured almost everyone. He himself was moving slower than usual, mentally exhausted from it all. But he noticed that the killer’s chase was especially focused onto this one ally- someone whom he had never met before.

“Good work out there. Are you alright?”

@privateguest1337

Baby didn't, and arguably still doesn't, fully grasp what's happening. They were given a crash course by a helpful stranger, before more or less being dropped into the deep end.

He gets that the goal seems to be to avoid someone seeking out and attacking others, but it's kind of hard to do that when it seems the killers are, more often than not, trying to focus on him and someone else... At least he's familiar with death-loops, so the shock only lasted so long.

Currently, the satyr was sat in the corner of the cabin near the bookshelf, checking themself over. It's not the first time their body remembered injury that wasn't still there, and it was reassuring to double check, deal with things that weren't lingering aches.

Where they were sitting was no accident either, directly under a window so no one could see if them if they looked in, and mostly obscured from the door by the bookshelf. It just felt... Safer.

He had tried his best that round, trying to heal people where he could but well...

His ear flicked at the approaching stranger, offering a small nervous smile well before the question was asked. He had come to the conclusion in his short time here that most people in the cabin were nonhostile, if a bit stand-offish, so actually being approached with conversation was a good change of pace.

"A-Ah um..." His smile twitches a small bit before he rubs the back of his neck. "I-I'm... As alright a-as I can be...? Just... K-Kind of sore I gu-guess...?" They scanned the other for a moment thoughtfully, trying to figure out what kind of... Intuition they got from him. Tired for certain, but that was easy enough to decern from body language...

They'd probably get a better grasp the longer they talked, they couldn't help but feel a little tired as well...