#forgot to add these tags oops-

[l3xdrigo]

Under the Oak tree

The wilderness of the suitcase is an expanding space of forests, lakes and rivers, no one knows how it formed but we know that it's been there since the beginning. In a specific place of the wilderness, there is a large oak tree, its branches swaying in the wind, taking a closer look, there are things placed under the tree. It looks like a small makeshift of graves, rocks used as the tombstone,twigs tied together in the form of a small cross, flowers sprouted from these graves, slowly swaying in the breeze. All graves were slightly different, be it having different colored flowers or having tiny trinkets that have seen better days. Two trinkets standout from the others, one is a giant ring, placed on the cross slightly slanted, the other was a pair of glasses, that have small cracks placed on the rock. It was a somber and peaceful sight, it was clear that whoever placed this had made this as a memory for them and a way to grieve the loss. The grave of a boy who had an adventurous spirit, who grew curious of the outside. The grave of a girl who was shy and timid but had the soul of purity and was courageous till the very end. The graves of children who sought freedom of the outside but in truth were just lambs to the slaughter, being used as a sacrifice for a plan of manipulation and repentance to one of their kind who stands alone in the rain. Isn't it scary to die at such an age, the unexpected feeling of death as you felt raindrops on your skin for the first time, it's not all bad, at least you now have now met peace and freedom. For the lone sheep who's still standing, the chains have broken, but the shackles are still heavy. The door is open yet freedom is still so far.

(Or I personally headcanon that in the wilderness, Vertin has made makeshift gravestones for her fallen classmates when she first became the timekeeper, to keep their memory and as also a way to grieve the loss and guilt that she still faces till this day)

[barbed-snile]

Aftermath

[seasnailfish]

some old and recent doodles of lifesteal and unstables silles... hello ls and uu nation👋👋😄

[stupidphototricks]

Susan Sto Helit Death being an iconic teacher and mostly-human superhero in Thief of Time.

"Questions don't have to make sense, Vincent," said Miss Susan. "But answers do." -- Terry Pratchett, Thief of Time

Susan did not waste breath saying things like "That's impossible" at a time like this. Only people who believed that they lived in the real world said things like that. -- Terry Pratchett, Thief of Time

"But that's far too difficult for seven-year-olds!" "Yes, but I didn't tell them that and so far they haven't found out," said Susan. -- Terry Pratchett, Thief of Time

"There is practically no limit to the things I find normal." -- Terry Pratchett, Thief of Time

Some people fade into the background. Miss Susan faded into the foreground. She stood out. Everything she stood in front of became nothing more than background. -- Terry Pratchett, Thief of Time

"But I thought they were a superstition!" "No, they're a substition, said Susan. "I mean they're real, but hardly anyone really believes in them. Mostly everyone believes in things that aren't real." -- Terry Pratchett, Thief of Time

She smiled. "Look on the bright side," she added. "We're young, we've got all the time in the world..." She swung the wrench onto her shoulder. "Let's go clubbing." -- Terry Pratchett, Thief of Time

[dailykieran]

Day 69

Cringetober day 8: dead meme

[junaip3r]

I knew you would come through for me. You always do. Well, you said "trust me". And you did.

[abominandus]

coogie run? coogckies that run anybody? old man cookie yaoi?

[soulanine]

How do you think would be when luffy set sail on his own in baby lu au? Like, I can totally see 27 yo Ace and Sabo panicking and making OTHERS (commanders + whitebeard / dragon, koala, iva) panic too bc their 17 yo baby brothers will set sail.

oh that’s lovely………

i definitely think they would do some sort of send off at dawn, whether or not luffy grew up there or on the sea. i could see ace and sabp being nervous as the day approaches, but more than anything, they’re incredibly proud of luffy for how far he’s come. it’s a day full of excitement, worry (on their end), and happy tears

(it’s crazy, seeing the boy they practically raised grow up to become his own strong, independent person, going on his own journey all by himself. it’s crazy, and it feels amazing)

[lady-lilly-gray]

Kuroshitsuji “Suicide Theory” aka “Everything in this series is intentional”

Ever since I read the Emerald Witch arc (re: Chapter 105) I have wondered:

“Why bring up that Grim Reapers are humans who have committed suicide?”

From a fan perspective, it’s an interesting bit of world building, it provides a new lens through which to build on these characters I already know and love; but Yana Toboso is known for being very particular about what she writes, down to the exact words she uses. So, I don’t think she would drop such a heavy bomb on the fandom just because she knows the fandoms like the reapers—especially when she was presumably already working on (or at least in the planning stages of) the Akuma 6 chapter, which would be a more “appropriate” place to add in extraneous fanservice.

So, why add that particular piece of lore? Well, there are two reasons I can think of:

We will learn more about one (or more) of the Reaper’s suicides

Someone will commit suicide, and she wants us to understand the repercussions of that in this universe.

To start, let’s break down those two points:

For the first, which reaper would we get that kind of information about?

Of the named-in-universe reapers, I don’t think Sascha or Ludgar are “relevant enough” for this information to be revealed about them; plus, with the framing of the panel when this is revealed, we at least know how Sascha did it

It is a safe assumption that Grelle’s suicide would have been linked to her gender identity, and I can’t see Yana going into that

Will and Ron have already been at the focus of arcs (Circus and Sanitorium) during which this information could have been shared or foreshadowed

Whilst I do think that Will is indeed more important than we’ve yet to see (re: I think he was the one who was tasked with collecting the souls of Claudia and/or Vincent, as it feels somewhat intentional that he is the only “main” reaper we’ve yet to see go up against Undertaker, but I don’t think that would warrant a pre-suicide backstory.)

I don’t think we’ll get info about Othello either, but more on that below

The most likely reaper we would get this information about is Undertaker, but I don’t think we will; and here’s why:

A lot of mention of his past is focused on the 19th century (e.g. the mourning lockets, his desertion/destruction of the dispatch (which I do think we’ll get more info on later, the recent Phantomhives like Vincent and Claudia)

If the theory that his reaper number is a reference to when he died (re: 1366) the 19th century is MUCH later than his death

From what I’ve heard, the Japanese fandom is more invested in future events rather than past ones and Yana will probably be the same

I don’t think we will ever learn Undertaker’s “real” name if he isn’t Cedric K.

And if he is Cedric (i.e. Grandpa UT Theory) he was already a reaper when he fathered Vincent and Frances (correct feminine spelling) which would mean that what we do learn of his past would almost certainly remain within the last 100 years in-universe

Additionally, it is implied (if not outright confirmed? I have to reread the manga) that Othello died at the same time as Undertaker; and I feel like, though he will be imperative in taking down UT (or trying to) he will not be “valuable” enough to warrant learning about his suicide in addition to Undertakers’s

But that’s just point One. As for point Two: Who is most likely to commit suicide?

O!Ciel; besides the fact that Sebastian literally can’t let that happen, I don’t think it would be a satisfying resolution to the story at all; and considering the shorter chapters (which was either done to prevent burn out and/or extend the series beyond when Yana projected it to end) and now the hiatus, I think Yana is very determined to round out the story the way she wants to.

Soma; I think it unlikely for Yana to kill him off after already killing off Agni. Also, since he is (at least currently) distanced from O!Ciel and the rest of the main cast, his death wouldn’t really have an impact on the narrative. Thus far, Yana-san has been very intentional about killing off focal characters (Bizarre Doll!Angelina Theory Pending)

As for the Phantomhive Servants

Tanaka would never abandon O!Ciel like that, and is definitely too important given his current situation with R!Ciel

Side note; If Grandpa UT Theory is true, I bet Tanaka knows

RIP Snake I’m so sus that we didn’t actually see that reaper leave with your Cinematic Record intact… please don’t get turned into a BD

Finny cares way too much about O!Ciel—he would never

Bard already had a death fake out; it would be stupid to kill him at this point, even if he was “resurrected” as a reaper

Mey-Rin has some unresolved stuff with Lau and the Chinese Mafia, right—please tell me this will be addressed ???

Edward cares too much about Lizzie to “abandon” her; I also think he would have had more interaction with the supernatural characters if this was going to be the case

Lizzie on the other hand has had numerous brushes with such; so, let’s chat about her:

What has her role in the story so far been?

At first, she is introduced as more comic relief, the annoying girl in the background that gets between the yaoi-bait* -- however, we know this overly sweet and borderline irritating girl to have been a façade (one she created for R!Ciel): she was playing a role which eventually got stripped away, much like O!Ciel’s impersonation of his brother.

*Obligatory “black butler was never meant to be shotacon but there is undeniably fanservice towards BL/Shota fans, especially in the earlier chapters” spiel

But back to Lizzie.

When does her first major narrative shift occur? The Campania Arc, right?

Wrong.

Her first major narrative shift is in the circus arc.

“But Lilly! She’s barely even in that arc!” Yup! But she is in it—and not just in the “filler” chapter at the end. So why would our ever-intentional mangaka give her such a small role in the first arc to really kickstart the overarching plot?

Well, what is her role in this arc? She is at the Phantomhive manor when it is attacked.

When O!Ciel is informed that the circus troupe was sent to his manor, his first instinct is to be concerned for Lizzie’s safety, before ultimately entrusting the servants to protect her along with the rest of the house.

What does this mean? This means that, despite him being dismissive of her when she is first introduced, Ciel genuinely does care about her. Yes we obviously see him caring for her in the butler arcs, but this is mainly shown in ways that could be seen as having other motives: dancing with her is an appeasement, possibly even a “what would Ciel do in this situation?” moment; he has to protect his identity.

The second time is when he protects her from the bear on his birthday. Whilst we, the audience, trust this to be an instinctual action, the fact that he was in front of his Aunt at the time cannot be ignored when it comes to the “role” of his brother which he has assumed. There is no way to be completely sure that this action was not “doing as Ciel would” as well.

But in the circus arc, we simply get this reminder in O!Ciel’s mind. Joker doesn’t know she’s there, Sebastian doesn’t say anything. When Joker mentioned manor, O!Ciel himself recalls that Lizzie is there. He knows everyone in that room is going to end up dead—hell, he’s actively working through a ptsd trigger in that scene. By bringing Lizzie to the forefront of his mind at the mere mention of his manor, he is acting solely on his own subconscious; he is not trying to prove anything to anyone—these are his own genuine thoughts and concerns.

Ok, ok, ok, so NOW the Campania arc, right?

For the sake of this Theory*, yes. Let’s talk about what the Luxury Liner arc does for Lizzie’s character, as well as for her relationship with the twins.

* “I know you’re my betrothed, but I’d prefer you didn’t watch me undress”

Firstly, to get the point out of the way: it’s her first brush with reapers—specifically, she challenges Grelle. Is it just me, or is this establishing Lizzie as already being strong enough (or, at least, headstrong enough) to take on a reaper, like Undertaker? Also, if I’m remembering right, she is also the only human character (aside from O!Ciel) to be shown directly interacting with an “on-duty” reaper and live. (Will, Grelle, and Ron were all “undercover” whenever they were shown interacting with Humans whilst “on the job” + Undertaker is not an active reaper anymore.)

As for her character development in this arc, there are three scenes I’d like to look at:

The Battle in the Hold

“No matter what, I will protect you”

There is no one around (except Snake, rip best boy, but he didn’t know R!Ciel) to witness this, so it’s fair to say that this is O!Ciel’s own desire to protect her.

Also the way he holds onto her is so dang cute; my shipper heart melts!

There was, however, literally no reason to write them in such a cute way, especially just a few chapters before the juxtaposing views the twins share towards Lizzie’s strength.

The Watertight Doors

He stays behind so as to not leave her alone. He recognises that he can’t pull her out without risking her safety, so he risks his own* to stay with her. (*I genuinely do not believe he was thinking in this moment that Sebastian would not let him die.) Another cute and heroic scene, setting up for her to return the favour.

Also, him ripping her dress off is so unnecessary, and totally something a CSA victim would probably NOT do; but she gets to wear his jacket as a physical embodiment of his desire to protect her—and he does immediately comfort her. And, he is also right that the less layers she’s wearing the better chance of survival she has… dammit Yana.)

“Wife of the Queen’s Watchdog”

Right out of the gate, this phrasing is interesting in retrospect: R!Ciel has never officially held the position of Watchdog. Whilst, yes, she would have been his wife once he assumed the role, it is an interesting word choice for drawing a distinction between R!Ciel and O!Ciel—the latter of whom the title of “watchdog” applies to. Additionally, so far as I can recall, Lizzie is not aware of O!Ciel being on the ship for Watchdog Reasons™—so why bring it up in the first place?

Next, we are given the perspective of O!Ciel in this scene. He is shocked, he is safe. He is admiring her strength and resolution. Of course we can say now that this was done to distinguish his perspective of her strength from what his brother told her in the past; but that’s exactly the point I’m getting at: Lizzie made herself into someone else in order to stay in favour with her love (R!Ciel); but it’s her authentic self that is admirable to O!Ciel—I’m not very knowledgeable on relationships, but I think you would want to be able to be your true self around your life partner, no?

Another interesting interaction in this scene is after the fight.

Lizzie is sad that “Ciel won’t love [her] anymore” (I’m paraphrasing), which O!Ciel vehemently declares is untrue “How could I hate you for saving my life?!”

And then Lizzie hits him with the iconic: “So you’ll still marry me?” and our poor wet cat becomes a blushing, stammering mess. (And the fact that I don’t relate to this is how I realised I’m Aromantic—so what does that mean for our boy’s own feelings? Let’s consult our Mangaka on that!)

Yana-san once said (don’t ask me for the source idk where it is—I’ve been in this fandom too long) that she doesn’t intend to have a romantic arc in the story because she doesn’t trust herself to write a good romance story… so, why draw attention to the romantic aspect of their relationship? I would say because O!Ciel’s feelings for Lizzie—and maybe even Lizzie’s feelings for both twins—will be tested. Last we saw of her, she was on the verge of a breakdown for not being able to tell them apart; I’d be curious to know how much of that was related to considering her feelings for O!Ciel: How much of her love was due to him acting like his brother—and how much of her love was due to him acting like himself, like when she protected him on the Campania?

“Lilly, this is interesting and all, but the main focus of the story is O!Ciel and Sebastian’s contact! What does it matter which twin Lizzie is in love with?” That first comment would be correct; but what do most fans agree the ending will involve? Sebastian claiming his prize; re: O!Ciel’s death.

To that point, is there anything holding him to life at present, aside from his need for revenge—who would mourn him when he’s gone, now that his brother, that “favourite child” in his eyes, has returned from the grave?

I think we’ve already gotten all the information of the cult that we will, so that leaves us with the attack on the Phantomhive Manor keeping him here, something most likely linked to Vincent’s role as the Watchdog. Thus, in my humble opinion, in order to truly round out that aspect of the plot, the position of Watchdog must die with O!Ciel.

So, let’s look at what needs to happen in order for that position to die.

The heir and the spare: R!Ciel would more than likely not accept the position. I can’t see him wanting it, especially acting under the influence of Undertaker. Who would it pass to next? Vincent’s spare: Frances Midford.

Side note: she more than likely was at the very least consulted regarding this position when it was believed there were no survivors of the attack on the Manor. Remember, this was the same time when Lizzie fell into a depressive spiral.

Which brings us to the point of Frances’s heir: Marquess outranks Earl, so Edward would not be demoted; and he doesn’t have the disposition for the job anyway. Thus, her true heir, as both the Watchdog and the Countess Phantomhive, would be Lizzie. (Hence why she was probably chosen as Ciel’s betrothed in the first place.)

Now, if Lizzie were to die, Frances would not have an heir; and with no prospect of having any more children (not biologically impossible, but still unlikely at her age) would Victoria even bother bequeathing the role to her? My guess is no—especially if it does turn out that the Crown was behind the attack on the Phantomhive Manor.

But let’s forget that for a moment and look at how other characters would be/will be affected by the death of our Earl:

Tanaka: has already seen the death of his master (Vincent…possibly Claudia?) and went a period of thinking both twins had died; he would be distraught, but wouldn’t show it; and he would recover.

Mey Rin: We still have the unresolved mafia stuff that I refuse to shut up about!! But also, the Maids arc shows that she could find another position if she had to. (Keeping it would be a different conversation though…)

Bard: He would probably be sad (“another fallen comrade”), but he lost his family, and many friends in the war. He is the most desensitised to death of all the servants.

Finny: I think he would be the most upset behind Tanaka—definitely the most outward about his grief—but the scene in Bard’s memory where he views Mey-Rin and Finny as Johanna and Junior comes across as foreshadowing the three of them sticking together, turning into some kind of platonic family unit.

Edward: I would say he has the most support: his parents, his school friends; and I don’t think he’s one to shy away from expressing his emotions. Also, I don’t think he has the resolve to turn suicidal over O!Ciel’s death, especially with his feelings towards him at present.

And Lizzie?

Of course she loves her brother and her family; but the twin reveal already has her separated from them (re: running away when she was faced with r!Ciel) and is testing her mental stability. The prospect of O!Ciel’s death (should she learn the truth about Sebastian and the contract, which I can totally see Undertaker via R!Ciel informing her about it in order to keep her on their side) could be the final drop in the bucket, pushing her over the edge. After all, she is his Queen*. *see Chess Game theory here

That brings us to the final point of foreshadowing (in my opinion): Lizzie v. Sebastian

The first time they fight, it is with regards to R!Ciel. Could this be a set up for another fight between the two over O!Ciel? Oh, but if it is, Sebastian would not go easy on her. If she’s to stand a chance against his full demon capabilities, she’d need supernatural strength of her own…like a reaper.

“Admirable strength…for a human” he says. Whilst this could easily just be Sebastian being all inhuman and weird, I think it may also be a nod to Lizzie losing her humanity.

There is also a slim possibility of her killing Sebastian (an act of true love cliche yada yada yada) and effectively freeing Ciel from his contract; with the help of Undertaker (especially if he’s Grandpa Phantomhive), but I wouldn’t hold my breath over that. If anything, killing Sebastian may not free Ciel at all, since he already sold his soul; it may just allow his soul/cinematic record to pass peacefully into the hands of the reapers in lieu of being consumed.

And it could be her redemption for being so quick to turn on him in the first place.

Also, should O!Cielizzie end up endgame in this context, it would also establish Ciel and Undertaker as foils (further supporting my choice to make them the Chess Masters—see Chess Theory again) by having them both be in reaper x watchdog relationships!

Um, yeah; I don’t really have a conclusion for this theory because it will probably evolve once Lizzie comes back into the story. Until then: like, comment, subscribe!

[canon-gabriel-quotes]

Transcript:

Gabriel : Yes, I do know. It seems like you could even KILL OUR BABY for your career.

*whipcrack.mp3*

Gabriel : AGH!

V1 : What the fuck. How could you?

*whipcrack.mp3*

Gabriel : D-AGH!

*whipcrack.mp3*

Gabriel : Mmm...

End Transcription

Audio Source

[peach-moths]

The Always Sunny Twins but it's the Disaster Twins from Rise

[frank-kiwii]

He'd burn Eden down if he could.

[serpentineshine]

~ “Take it far, give it a name! Places forget, stories remember.” ~

Yaelokre’s work is so inspiring to me, i adore their artwork and musical storytelling. i wanted to draw something to celebrate the release of My Farewells to the Fields / Bird Cage Blue and Yellow so i drew the Storyteller character!

Yaelokre’s Songs of Origin are out now on youtube and streaming now on spotify! please give their songs a listen if you like folk music, storytelling, and general whimsy :) and congratulations to Yaelokre on their release!

[beastomato]

i love play pretend and daydream everyday so i’m making a fake comic cover for my pmd fanfic

[solariex]

red & ruben art !1!1

originally i was gonna use this as the icon for the red askblog (which is @kittycatred btw cough cough self promo) if i did doodles there i wanted it to be easier to draw so i opted for the stickfigure style theree !! :D

[chewingbatmanlikeasqueakytoy]

My favourite version of Batman keeping the Joker alive is him being like. A litmus test for the justice system

Like Joker thinks Batman and him have a special bond but in reality it's just that Batman knows when the system can Actually Deal with people like the Joker he can finally fucking retire, bc people can't wriggle out of their deserved punishments