#cross posted on Reddit

[hauntingofhouses]

While theorising about the events to come in future seasons, I just keep going back to the question about who Mizu's parents really are.

So to try to figure it out, let's go over what we already know about Mizu's parentage and the white men. This info is from the flashback of Mizu as a baby in Episode 3, from the bounty hunters who came to kill Mizu in Episode 5, and from Fowler's reveals in Episode 8, assuming that everything he said is the truth.

Mizu must be someone important, as Fowler calls her Little Miss. It is capitalised in the Netflix official subtitles. This implies that Little Miss is something like a title, rather than just a nickname.

There is a bounty on Mizu's head with a sum few can resist. Whoever is trying to kill Mizu is rich and powerful.

Two men are sent to kill Mizu as a baby. They are Japanese. We know this because their swords are both katanas, and they're shocked when they see Mizu's blue eyes, discovering she's a "half-breed." Man #2 also calls her a "devil child" at the end of the flashback.

Man #2 is hesitant to kill her, as she's "only an infant," and ends up killing Man #1 to stop him from killing Mizu. Man #2 then gives Mizu to Mama, who is actually her maid.

Mama is paid to keep Mizu hidden. Mama does as told for years. We can infer that there was a steady stream of income going towards her, as she did as told until "the money ran out."

Skeffington and Routeley were the "worst" of the four white men, making their money from "selling Japan's unwanted daughters." Unwanted daughters like Mizu.

One of the white men "tried to burn Mizu alive as a baby."

One of the white men killed Mizu's mother ("Don't you want to know which one killed your mother?").

When bounty hunters came to the ranch to ambush Mizu, she asked them which white man they worked for. They only replied that the only white person they see is her. This could just be a way to avoid her question, or it could also imply that they do not work for a white man at all.

So from this, again assuming this is all true, let's go over some things:

The white men are NOT the ones who paid Mama to protect Mizu, as one of them had been responsible for trying to burn Mizu alive as a baby.

Mizu's mother was killed by one of the white men. She likely died protecting Mizu.

If it was the white father who tried to kill Mizu and her mother, then it's likely the mother's side who paid Mama to hide Mizu.

Mizu's mother must have been rich enough to afford servants.

Mizu's mother must have been someone powerful enough to have been in the shogun's inner circle, allowing contact between her and the white men.

Furthermore:

Mizu's mother should be someone tied to existing characters, to make the reveal of her identity more narratively significant.

So with all that said, let me dip my toes into wild theory-land for a bit and propose a new idea.

WHAT IF: Mizu's mother was a concubine or even the previous wife of the Shogun? And, considering how people have pointed out how similar Lady Itoh and Mizu look (credits to @roninzuzu in particular for her post on this), what if, maybe just maybe, Mizu's mother was also Lady Itoh's sister?

If this is true, then Mizu's connection to the shogunate would explain why and how Fowler knew so much about Mizu's past, especially regarding her maid taking care of her, etc. This is because Fowler is allied with the Shogun himself, as well as one of the shogun's closest advisors, Master Chiba. So if it were true that the previous wife/consort of the shogun gave birth to a blue-eyed baby, it would've been a big scandal that was certain to reach Master Chiba's ears, and he would have in turn informed Fowler about it.

If this is the case, both the shogun and the white man would be trying to kill Mizu and her mother. The shogun would be trying to cover up the scandal, while the white man would be furious that she wanted to keep the baby at all, as the scandal likely ruined his business dealings in Japan and forced him to retreat back to London or wherever else he came from.

But then, if that is the case, then who would have been the one paying Mizu's maid to take care of her? I think it's Lady Itoh. If she and Mizu's mother had indeed been sisters, perhaps Lady Itoh went behind the shogun's back to protect her sister and her baby niece. Because maybe Lady Itoh knew that Mizu's mother had wanted to protect her no matter what happened. In such a case, what kept Mizu alive would thus have been love. Her mother's love. In this scenario, Mizu would have been brought into the world through the sheer strength of her mother's unconditional love. This would be a very poignant message that overturns everything Mizu believes about herself.

Moreover, Mizu having connections to the shogunate would inevitably lead to her wanting to discover the truth about her mother's identity. This would thus bring Mizu back to Edo palace, and would neatly tie Mizu and Akemi's storylines together again, letting them cross paths once more and work together to face the main plot-conflict.

TL;DR it's my crazy theory that Mizu's dead mom was the sister of Lady Itoh and the previous consort of Shogun Itoh. She had an affair with one of the white men, and against her better judgement and against what everyone else wants from her, she decided to keep Mizu. By making this decision, she risked and sacrificed everything for Mizu, out of love.

[mynameisvarian]

Drawing people's Camp Camp Related Dreams (Reddit Edition!)

See the original Reddit post here!

[machlover54666]

i was bored 💥💥 and didnt know what to put for R&D and cosmo djsjskak

[arandomidiot]

WARNING!!- Gore up ahead!! Slight danganronpa 2 spoiler up ahead aswell

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Sorry if I didn’t do the warning good not great with tumblrs formatting, i hope no folks accidentally get jumpscared lol. Got inspiration from that one jjk manga cover

[mirorbdangamachine]

So I saw a Reddit post discussing who everyone picked to perform the Rite of the Covenant with in Unicorn Overlord, where someone in the comments talked about how he made the choice based on what would have given Alain the biggest political advantage. They listed some examples, and that then got me thinking “What is EVERYONE’S advantages to Alain were he to pick them?”.

So I wrote all of those out for each and every character recruitable in the main portion of the story, alongside some potential downsides too.

Spoilers below the cut up until the final battle of the main game!

Without further ado, I shall now present all of these in sections based upon where the in game library says the character counts as being from:

Cornia:

Scarlett: Not only secures peace with Albion, but also means Alain has direct influence onto the control of Palevian Orthodoxy, enabling religious backing, and the country of Albion itself.

Lex: Nothing politically gained beyond increased public morale. 

Josef: This is his dad, the king’s guard are already secured with Alain because of this, same with all Liberation leaders. Don’t marry dad.

Chloe: Nothing politically gained beyond increased public morale.

Hodrick: This is kind of his uncle figure, probably shouldn’t do that. The king’s guard is already secured anyways. 

Clive: Strengthens ties to the Ashen Blue Knights, potentially making the Ashen Blue region swear fealty to Alain directly instead of his grandfather Gerard. 

Rolf: Nothing politically gained beyond increased public morale.

Sharon: Strengthens ties with the Palevian Orthodoxy, garnering support from religious entities.

Mordon: Seemingly much older than Alain, perhaps not appropriate. Would strengthen support with mercenary groups, may face criticism of perpetual drunkenness. 

Yahna: Unsure whether her power will enable her to continue to live forever or not. Served Alain’s mother as court sorceress, morally gray on whether this is appropriate. Would secure support from the southern swamp region of Cornia, and strengthen ties with Elheim.

Berenice: May garner support from mercenary groups and potentially the Ashen Blue Knights.

Selvie: Nothing politically gained beyond increased public morale.

Auch: Will secure allegiance with House Aubrey of Cornia. May potentially face criticism as a former commander of Zenoira.

Adel: Strengthens ties to the Ashen Blue Knights, potentially making the Ashen Blue region swear fealty to Alain directly instead of his grandfather Gerard.

Fran: Secures support from the Knights of the Rose, potentially able to rebuild the squadron and increase public morale as a result.

Nina: Secures support with a Cornian noble house, potentially may face criticism for former banditry work.

Miriam: Secures support from the Knights of the Rose, potentially able to rebuild the squadron and increase public morale as a result.

Kitra: Secures support from the Knights of the Rose, potentially able to rebuild the squadron and increase public morale as a result.

Melisandre: Secures allegiance of House Meillet of Cornia. May face criticism for swearing fealty to Zenoira during their invasion.

Colm: Significantly older than Alain, perhaps not appropriate. Would secure support of House Meillet. 

Monica: Secures allegiance of House Nordheim of Cornia. May face criticism for swearing fealty to Zenoira during their invasion.

Renault: Nothing politically gained, will most likely face criticism as a former high ranking general of Zenoira.

Tatiana: Nothing politically gained, will most likely face criticism for engaging in inhumane experimentation.

Virginia: This is Alain’s cousin, he realistically shouldn’t marry her. Not like that’s stopped royalty before though. Would ensure that the Cornian royal bloodline is not split and thus cannot have a dispute of royal succession. Also ensures allegiance of the Knights of the Rose.

Gammel: Nothing politically gained. May garner support from some in Elheim, though most likely will face criticism for banditry. 

Mandrin: Nothing politically gained. May garner support from some in Elheim, though most likely will face criticism for banditry.

Drakenhold:

Aubin: Garners support from the desert region of Drakenhold, strengthening ties between the two countries. May increase support from mercenary groups, but may face criticism for former banditry

Travis: Secures allegiance with House Zechshelm of Drakenhold, strengthening ties between it and Cornia. Also may garner support from mercenary groups.

Bruno: May increase support from mercenary groups. May face criticism as a former Zenoiran general.

Berengaria: Secures allegiance with House Zechshelm of Drakenhold, strengthens ties between the countries. May increase support from mercenary group, but may face criticism as a former general of Zenoira.

Leah: Strengthens ties with Drakenhold.

Primm: Strengthens ties with Drakenhold and the Palevian Orthodoxy.

Aramis: Secures peace with Drakenhold in secret.

Magellan: Garners support from the desert region of Drakenhold, strengthening ties between the two countries. May face criticism for former banditry and being a former commander of Zenoira. 

Liza: Garners support from the desert region of Drakenhold, strengthening ties between the two countries. May face criticism for former banditry. 

Gloucester: Strengthens ties with Drakenhold, though may face criticism as a former Zenoiran commander. 

Hilda: Nothing politically gained, will most likely face criticism as a former Zenoiran commander and inhumane treatment of citizens. 

Jeremy: Nothing politically gained. May increase support from mercenary groups.

Gilbert: Secures peace with Drakenhold, granting Alain direct influence on the country.

Bryce: Nothing politically gained. May face criticism for banditry.

Amalia: Nothing politically gained.

Elheim:

Rosalinde: Secures peace with Elheim, potentially giving Alain influence on the country. 

Lhinalagos: Strengthens ties with Elheim. 

Celeste: Strengths ties with Elheim.

Ithilion: Strengthens ties with Elheim. 

Eltolinde: Secures peace with Elheim, giving Alain direct influence on the country. 

Ridiel: Strengthens ties with Elheim. 

Railanor: Strengthens ties with Elheim. May face criticism as a former Zenorian general. 

Galadmir: Strengths ties with Elheim.

Bastorias:

Morard: Strengthens ties with Bastorias. While no one singular ruler has been selected yet for the country, he is one of the most likely candidates to take the position, which grants Alain direct influence on the country. 

Yunifi: Strengthens ties with Bastorias. While no one singular ruler has been selected yet for the country, she is one of the most likely candidates to take the position, which grants Alain direct influence on the country.

Ramona: Strengthens ties with Bastorias. While no one singular ruler has been selected yet for the country, she is one of the most likely candidates to take the position, which grants Alain direct influence on the country. However, she is implied to be much older than Alain, so this may be questioned on whether it’s appropriate. 

Dinah: Strengthens ties with Bastorias.

Bertrand: Strengthens ties with Bastorias. Questionable whether this is appropriate given his implied age due to having had a son.

Govil: Strengthens ties with Bastorias.

Albion:

Ochlys: Secures support from the Palevian Orthodoxy, strengthening ties with Albion.

Raenys: Strengthens ties with the Palveian Orthodoxy and Albion. Implied to be older based on her having been a lady-in-waiting for Scarlett as a child, so this may be questioned for whether it’s appropriate or not. 

Jerome: Secures allegiance of the Largion region of Albion, strengthening ties with Albion. Seemingly much older than Alain, this may not be appropriate. 

Umerus: Strengthens ties with the Palevian Orthodoxy, Albion, and the Heavenswing Knights. 

Fodoquia: Strengthens ties with the Palevian Orthodoxy, Albion, and the Heavenswing Knights. Questionable whether this is appropriate given his implied age due to having had a son.

Sanatio: May strengthen support from the Palevian Orthodoxy, Albion, and the Heavenswing Knights. Will most likely face criticism due to his part in covering up the murder of Pontifex Arant and following Zenoiran command.

If you happen to think of any other benefits or downsides to the characters, it would be neat to see what you think!

[racer4lif3]

Will you be his friend?

[shnemes]

By request, not mine:

Saturn Devouring His Son

Balloons, r/DJdrummer

Perhaps the greatest work of art of the 21st century

[fragrantgenders]

Wolverinecharic: A gender connected to and or related to the character Wolverine

[pyrokitten284]

Last Reddit request for now, we’ve got Hungary braiding Czechia’s hair. Super happy with how the posing came out :)

[j3st3r-luvr]

I’m bored so here’s what I think each non 50 blessings hotline Miami characters mask would be.

Biker- ik he is in 50B but if he did choose a traditional mask I’m 100% sure it would be a peacock. For one thing it’s a very elegant bird and would serve as a great foil to jackets rooster mask. For one a male peacock has very vibrant colors that match bikers (pink jacket can metaphorically match the flashy eye-feathers a peacock has). This would also complement bikers “guns blazing” play style. Showcasing how he’s more willing to question his part in 50Bs plot rather than put his head down and mindlessly obey their will (kinda like a chicken would). Bonus points for also mirroring the “cock joke” with richards mask. (Figure it out yourself)

Next is beard- a cat. Not a big cat but a regular orange tabby. Not only does he have chill “leave me be and I’ll be V. Cuddly vibes” like a cat but I 100% believe he would let a stray cat crash and live In his gas station. He’s just chill like a house cat and I respect that about him.

Evan wright- a vulture Lol. This one kinda explains itself, with some of mannys dialogue about “the press being vultures” aswell as Evan sniffing around dead bodies as opposed to killing the Russians himself. Not much else to say.

Onto the funny thicc skin man himself

Manny pardo- I’m more of the opinion that if he did have a mask, it would be a puppet mask (basically just phantoms face in mask form). Not only does him being a puppet suit him, with his actions mearly puppeting the fame of the masked maniac, he’s also a very hollow man. He chases fame to fill the void (it never works though). But if I 100% had to pick an animal it would be a German shepherd. Not only are they the dogs favored by the police but they also parallel the dogs used by the Russians. This club as a possible reference to manny being in kahoots with the son.

Speaking of which for the son- I’m torn between a panther or a shark mask. But Leaning towards a shark. As we can see he owns his own pet shark (I always assumed one given to him by his father) and I could definitely see his personality being compared to a sharks whole aesthetic. But a panther mask could work better as a reference to his fathers legacy. Aswell as showing how he lives in the shadows of his dad. Always wanting to win his approval but never getting it due to his death. All in all I’m more fond of the shark, as it is a mask not already in game (apposed to the panther) and it goes to show more of the son’s personality aswell as being his own thing not too connected to his dad.

Onto the henchman- he would be an eel all the way. A small fish with big Dreams only able to succeed at them by stealing the sons profits/hard work. He’s slippery and didn’t make too much of an impact outside of his bosses escapades. (No hate to the guy but he is unmotivated to work for what he wants. Floating in the middle rather than choosing his own destiny)

And for fun here’s a some bonus masks

Daniels- gives me big polar bear vibes. (An no not because he fat)

Barnes- coyote. I know it’s not a wolf but at least one of the “ghost wolves” had to be a canine.

[suitetarts]

some lucky redditor got a bug where the drow twins scene wasn't blacked out, and turns out there's most perfect snuggle pile if you brought halsin 😭

[princess---erica]

Hey guys, i'm selling art commissions for the first time!

I do inked realism from photos or other references. Prices range from $75 to $115. I'll mail you the piece when it's done. Currently U.S. only due to payment methods being garbage. Hmu if you're interested!

You can also find my comms on reddit:

[oldsoul--newmachine]

Fallen Hero Retribution: The Complete, Unabridged Guide

9½ months. 650 pages. 75,000+ words. Pages of notes, countless sleepless nights, and one Revelations demo later- Finally, here it is. Our answer key to all things Retribution. Enjoy.

So, You Want To Be A Villain?

As of posting this has not been play-tested. If you notice an issue, feel free to let me know.

[thatswhatsushesaid]

me: sigh i think my jgy hyper-fixation is finally fading. oh well i knew this would happen eventua—

some idiot on reddit: it was totally within jin guangyao’s power to execute xue yang, and also he should have done this because he SWORE an OATH to nmj, it was nmj’s RIGHT to make this demand of him

me:

[adarlingmess]

So, let's discuss that scene in Raphael's Boudoir.

Before anything else, I want to thank the studio for giving us that treat after us devil simps kept asking for him, and apologize for the unholy fanwork it might inspire.

Right, now that it's out of my system...

At first, I found it hilarious that Raphael only ever sleeps with a copy of himself. On brand, for a narcissistic devil. But after some thought, I just realized how that might've been a half-truth, and how utterly self-indulgent, controlling and depraved Raphael actually is.

Haarlep himself told you that the person he copies his appearance from will know that they're having sex in that form. By sleeping with himself, he's experiencing twice the pleasure he gets. It's basically masturbation with a few extra steps. That would also mean Raphael felt everything and is perfectly aware that his incubus fucked you if you do it.

If you steal the hammer or rip up your contract, Raphael will confront you. You can try to get Korrilla on your side, she will say that the only reason why we're here is because Raphael allowed the player to be there. So, he is actually allowing you to use his "toy".

This is where it gets more screwed up: Haarlep is Raphael's personal incubus. It doesn't help that failing to resist them leads them to saying that the player's body will be "left alive as a loving doll to obey the wishes of me and my master"

In conclusion: Raphael orchestrated everything. He didn't sleep with the player himself and let Haarlep do it so that he will have access to your form at any given moment and do whatever depraved thing he wants with it. I guess that explains why he was eyeing the player from head to toe when he claims to just be protecting his assets when you meet him outside of the Thorm Mausoleum in Act 2, too. It lends a whole new sinister meaning to him saying that he's grown fond of you in his own way.

The rational part of my brain says this is so fucked up, but the other half is in morbid awe. The writers managed to make what seems to be a minor fanservice moment into a further glimpse into a character's psyche. By that point in the story, it's glaringly obvious that Raphael is a control freak- and dominating you by making you feel it whenever Haarlep uses your body is another way for him to exert control.

Such a bastard. I love to hate him and hate to love him.

[nymori]

Just finished my first spooky cross stitch of the season. It honestly wasn't so hard on the eyes until the last two colors, and then... ouch.

The (free!) pattern is Lost, based on a design by BlindCherub.