#funny little parallels and cycles

[my-jokes-are-my-armour]

He is just bard.

I love that in the first place, that meant "he has no importance" and at that time he was no-one. And then "I'm not that important" while being famous and all.

This is not false modesty, he already knows that he can make a difference. He changed Geralt's life with his songs. But this is one man. His actions as the Sandpiper are local too. For the performance maybe he is, but he doesn't see himself as a proper hero in real life.

Yet he will learn what true power lies in songs and flesh himself a different kind of hero.

I am beginning a long series of parallels and cycles through the shows and the books too ☺️. Analysis are coming too. There are a lot of things to dig !

[eolande]

i think ashera identifies very strongly with the notion of what it "means" to be cassardi despite neither of her parents being natives.... at her heart her loyalties lie with cassardis and it's ways and traditions but she also can't help always being a little off-beat/out of place.... opting to hunt rather than to fish, having this great sense of wanderlust....

[malikselfindulgence]

TRAFFIC LIGHT TRIO X READER STUDY DATE HEADCANONS [seperate + all together!]

Content: reader is gender neutral, could be interpreted as either romantic or platonic

Headcanons under the cut!

RED SON:

☆ tries his best to keep you actually focused on the task at hand- doesn't let you goof off, but will allow consistent breaks

☆ but alas, once you've asked him a single question he'll derail the conversation twenty times over until he's completely off-topic and explaining something not even in your curriculum

☆ not that you mind- it's nice seeing him get passionate over topics he's into

☆ he tends to get absorbed into whatever he's working on, so study dates are a good way to get him to eat and drink water regularly alongside you

☆ I headcanon him as autistic, so parallel play is one of his favorite things! Enjoys being in your company while you each do your own seperate thing

☆ gets very easily frustrated if you're studying something not in his field of expertise [think molecular biology, literature, world geography] and you ask for his help only for him to not understand the question

☆ now it's your turn to try and keep him focused instead of going on a long-winded rant about how he's very smart and knowledgeable and this book is actually stupid and also he's-

MEI:

☆ you get a surprising amount of work done when you're with her!

☆ Mei's pretty good at balancing work and fun- she knows when to leave you be so you can focus on your studies, and when to strike up a conversation so you don't get too bored or stressed out

☆ she has a study date playlist specifically for the both of you that she updates frequently- she tries to keep her rock/metal songs out of it so it doesn't startle you and break your attention

☆ she's very horrible at explaining things- you ask her to help you with a question and although she understands the concept, she uses such convoluted metaphors and analogies that leave you more confused than before

☆ she likes holding your hand or sitting in your lap while you both work- just touching you in some way

☆ comes up with funny abbreviations for things you have to memorise

☆ gives you little pecks/kisses every once in a while, and near the end of your date when you're both burnt out, she'll give you a sleepy cuddle session while flipping through your flash cards

MK:

☆ oh boy

☆ where do I even start

☆ half of it is spent trying to wrangle MK into his desk, and the other half is spent trying to get him to open his books

☆ has a surprising amount of niche hyper-specific knowledge about various subjects, but if you ask him about the basics his mind'll blank

☆ tries his best to make the environment as comfortable for you as possible- utensils all set, cushions for your back, snacks and drinks on the table, reminders to stretch so your back doesn't hurt

☆ playing loud music tends to help him settle down and get some work done- you have to be holding his hand so he doesn't fidget around, though

☆ doodles on your notebooks/sticky-notes, usually small sketches of you or of himself giving you a thumbs up, flowers, hearts, little messages about how you're doing super well and you're super smart. It's really endearing and helps keep your morale up

☆ his attention span is very very low [I headcanon him as having ADHD], so he has to take multiple breaks in between. If you're still working while his mind is un-focused he'll braid your hair to keep his hands busy

RED SON + MEI + MK:

☆ yeah, you're not getting anything done today

☆ Mei and Mk together are a force to be reckoned with- and Red Son only adds fuel to the fire

☆ Mei and Mk'll make stupid jokes, Red Son'll tell them to shut up so he can focus, they'll make fun of him, he'll reply with a defensive and louder insult, and the cycle repeats

☆ if you ask a question, everyone'll be fighting to try and take a look at your book and help

☆ cue ensuing argument that lasts well into 20 minutes because all of them have a different answer

☆ upon googling it, you tell them that they're all wrong, actually

☆ even though you end up not doing anything, it's still a lot of fun- they're moreso just normal hangouts with the false advertisement of being productive

☆ the only time you get any work done with them is if it's the night before finals and you have to cram- the stress radiating off of you keeps their mouths shut

[Reminder that requests are open!]

[angel-of-the-moons]

Cycles

Miguel O'Hara x Spider-Woman!Reader

TW/Content Warnings: NSFW, Smut, PIV Sex, Heat/Rut Cycles, Territorial, bit of Feral!Miguel, improper use of webs, pheromones, hormones, predator/prey dynamic if you squint, Unprotected Sex, Biting, Scratching, Bondage(?), Breeding Kink (c'mon we all know Miguel has one), established relationship, boyfriend/girlfriend, rough sex, oral sex, blowjob

MINORS DNI: I am not responsible for the content that you are about to read/consume, if you are upset by the themes in this fic, do not read it and scroll on by!

A/N: For context, you are a Spider-Woman who is one of (maybe the only) the few Spiders who have similar powers to Miguel. This is my first Miguel x Reader fic I've ever written, and my first fic ever posted here on Tumblr! (Header does not indicate reader's race)

Earth 7164. New York. Middle of summer.

The scent hit him the moment he tore through the portal. A heavy, sweet, earthy scent that flooded his whole body with a rush of adrenaline. Even the fat droplets of summer rain that fell from the dingy skyline did little to diminish that delicious, mouth watering scent.

Your scent.

His body was trembling as he rolled his shoulders in an attempt to rid himself of the tension that roped its way through his heavy muscles. His talons flexed as he gritted his teeth, each drag of his lungs pulling your scent into his body.

Miguel O'Hara was a man who would claim he had a good sense of control over his urges. He would also say he was a good boyfriend, attentive. A bit protective (some would say possessive).

But, he had been neglecting you as of late, his duties in the Spider Society and ensuring the safety of the universe had kept him away from you these past few weeks, and he almost lost track until he felt that familiar boiling of his blood, an itch that he knew could only be scratched by you.

And he knew that you would be experiencing a similar situation to him, almost parallel. In fact, he surmised you were probably the only Spider who had similar powers. The only difference was that whereas Miguel's powers were (sort of) intentional, and other Spiders were given to them after being bitten by radioactive spiders... You were born like this. They didn't know why. Hell, you didn't know why.

You had the venom (you could consciously control how much you pumped out in every bite), you had your own talons (although yours were a part of your nails, not in the pads of his fingers and toes), the wall crawling abilities, natural web-shooting...

And your cycle. At first having you around was torture on his senses when it would roll around. It would start with your scent changing; the dampness he picked up from between your legs making the blood rush straight to his dick. More often than he'd like he'd have to excuse himself to his private lab to jerk himself off until he felt some of his clarity return.

But it was always just a temporary relief. It only got worse when your breeding cycle and his rut cycle synced up, resulting in the two of you needing to almost be sedated and kept away from each other. (How Lyla kept that under wraps, Miguel never knew.)

And once your dynamic shifted and you started seeing each other, and eventually getting intimate... well. He was positive that Jess or Peter suspected what was up... Especially when he would disappear to your universe for a week or so, only to come back in a slightly better mood, small dark patches peeking out from beneath the collar of his suit, or you would be walking funny or unable to sit comfortably.

Right now, though, those thoughts were shoved to the back of his mind. The only thing he could think of was you. He could smell you, taste you in the air. This was your territory, and he... Could be considered an intruder, depending on your mood.

A male spider waltzing into a pissed off and horny female spider's web during breeding season.

Shaking his head, he took another deep drag of the air around him, the smell of the city mixing with your earthy, almost fruity tones. Your scent was faded slightly, but he could still use it to track you beneath the smog, garbage, and vehicle exhaust.

It's not like he didn't know where your apartment was... But he knew during this period of time you'd be restless, irritable, angry.

And mind-numbingly horny.

Miguel launched himself up, slinging his wrist out and using his glowing webs to propel himself in between the buildings and skyscrapers; leaping, flipping, arching through the sky in a red-and-blue blur.

He knew he was closing in on you. Your scent was all but strangling him, choking the air and what little sanity he was clinging to right out of him.

He should have known you were waiting.

Miguel was rammed into with the speed of a runaway train, the oxygen he so desperately needed ripped from his lungs as he tumbled with a roll onto the rooftop below, landing on all fours as his talons dug into the concrete and tar, leaving deep grooves as he slowed himself.

He lifted his gaze to see you land in front of him, chest heaving, body trembling.

"I have been waiting for you, for almost two weeks." You wheezed out.

"Hell of a way to greet me, querida." Miguel grunted, pulling himself to his feet.

Beneath your mask, he knew your eyes immediately dragged down to the hard bulge pressing against his suit, the hard outline of it sending a fresh throb of arousal straight to your core.

"The kick was a bit much." He said, trying to maintain a professional composure.

But his control was quickly slipping.

"Shut the fuck up."

The short rebuke didn't surprise him.

"Should have been here days ago." Miguel said, swallowing hard at the lump in his throat. "I know that. But--"

You cut him off by lunging at him, hurling your full weight onto him and pinning him down beneath you.

The heat between your legs felt like it melted through his suit, burning the skin beneath and causing a fever to spread.

You raised your fist to bring it down on his face but his reflexes allow him to catch it, gripping you like a steel vice. His other hand gripped your thigh as he planted his feet on the rooftop, rolling to pin you beneath him, his massive frame caging you in.

He squeezed your hips between his thighs, muscles tensing and twitching, breathing heavy. Your free hand reached out and clawed at him, tearing at his suit, leaving a rainbow of glitched out fabric behind, small droplets of blood rushing forth to drip down his tanned skin.

He gritted his teeth at the sensation, the sweet burn sending another wave of heat through his body that made his cock twitch.

You were past talking, past negotiating and being civil. You knew what you wanted, and you wanted it now.

You breathed heavily, gritting your teeth as Miguel gripped your thigh and forced your knee by your head, squeezing the plushest part as his face dragged down to the dark patch soaking through the fabric of your suit.

Using this new position, you kicked at him square in his chest and threw him off of you.

Before he could right himself, you rolled to your feet and jumped off the roof, shooting a web to sling you away from him.

Sure, you were horny and wanted to ride his cock til he couldn't see straight for a month. But he had been gone for weeks and you had been struggling with your own self-care, your measley silicone toys and vibrators barely able to compare with that womb-punching length that Miguel crammed into you, or his skillful and knowledgeable hands rubbing you until your eyes rolled back. But right now, you were pissed.

He wanted your pussy? He was going to have to work for it.

And if that meant playing your cat and mouse game for an hour, building the anticipation and making his cock leak; aching, desperate for a taste of you? So be it.

You played this game for a while, teasing him, getting within arms reach before yanking yourself away at the last possible second, thwarting his attempts to catch you.

Sometimes you liked to play with your food.

But all games come to an end. And this one had an abrupt ending when Miguel headed you off, tackling you to the roof of some abandoned warehouse, pinning you down on your belly, hands above your head.

"Bout fucking time I caught you. Tu pequeño bromista.." (You little tease.) He snarled, leaning down to your ear as his mask dissipated from his head, letting his wavy chocolate hair fall free, damp strands plastering themselves to his forehead.

His eyes were wild, red and glowing; pupils blown wide.

"Fuck you." You hiss, squirming under him.

"Oh, sucederá en, no te preocupes." (Oh, don't worry, it will happen.)

Miguel raised his free hand and brought it down hard on your ass, making you bite your lip to contain the mewl that tried to claw its way out of your throat.

"Look at you, now, hermosa." He sneered, his chest huffing in a small, humorless laugh. "I can fucking smell you from a mile off."

He reached down and cupped your mound, his fingers squishing slightly in the damp fabric of your suit; but once again you deny him a moan, instead biting into your lip, fangs threatening to puncture your lip.

You squirm an arm free and go to elbow him in the face, get him off of you. (Or under you.)

But he predicted that. That's what always got you going when you were in the middle of your cycle. You liked it rough.

His large hand completely encircled your elbow and forced your arm back down. Quickly, he used his glowing, laser-webs to secure your wrists together before he gripped the fabric of your suit with his talons, shredding it as he yanked you over so you were on your back.

Miguel smiled and yanked your mask off of your head, tossing it to the side before gripping your chin with his fingers, putting enough pressure to keep your eyes on his.

"Now... What should I do with you?" He said contemplatively, tapping your cheek with his index finger, making a show of thinking, his eyes dragging over the flushed features on your face, your tongue darting out to wet your dry lips.

"Ah. That's it." He grinned, his slightly askew teeth gleaming in the dark. He grips you by the front of your torn suit and pulls you to your knees as he stands.

He grips the crotch of his suit, and rips at it with his talons, the torn edges doing that kaleidoscopic glitch of colors as his cock springs free from its confines; large, twitching, angry red tip leaking in excitement.

You have to bite your tongue to keep in your little groan, your heart soaking through and dripping out through your suit.

"Hmh." He grunted, annoyed. "I'll loosen your fucking mouth. I've been keeping myself under control this whole time. But now? I'm not going to be gentle."

He gripped your hair, just shy of painful as he dragged your head to his crotch, the tip of his cock smearing his precum across your cheek.

"Chúpalo." (Suck it.)

You finally give in, your hands bound in your lap as you drag your tongue along a prominent vein in the velvety skin of his shaft, earning a deep, rumbling groan from him that you swore sent vibrations straight to your cunt, making you flutter around nothing.

You pull your head back and swirl your tongue around the tip, pulling and tugging as you lap at his slit, eagerly tasting every drop of pre he was giving you before diving in and taking the rest of his tip in your mouth, bobbing your head in a steady rhythm.

He massaged your scalp, his talons tickling the skin under your hair as he encouraged you to continue.

But you knew his calm demeanor wasn't going to last. It wasn't long before he grabbed at your hair with both hands, forcing you to choke down on his length, just shy of blocking off your airway as he fucked your face, the tension and stress from your cat and mouse game coming out as his tip kept shoving at your throat, your nose brushing the dark curly hairs at the base, his balls slapping your chin with every thrust; saliva pooling around his length as you keep your fangs pulled back as you let him use your throat like a fleshlight.

You close your jaw microscopically, fangs grazing the flesh.

"Míralo!" (Watch it!) He reprimanded, pulling your hair roughly to pull you back, his cock springing out of your lips with a wet pop, saliva connecting the tip with the soft pink muscle in your mouth like a weak bridge.

"Be a good girl." He snarled, pulling you back down on his length, barely letting you catch your breath before forcing you all the way down, tears welling up in your eyes and falling down your cheeks as you choked and gagged.

You knew exactly how to lick, suck, and tug at his cock to get the best reactions, the most delicious sounds from him.

You snuck a glance up at him, watching as he tipped his head back with a throaty groan as you greedily swallowed him down.

You moaned around him; his cock throbbed.

You felt him twitch, felt his hips sputter as he gritted his teeth.

"Fuckin' close." He snarled, looking down at you as your eyes connected with his feral ones.

You rocked your clothed cunt on your heel, trying desperately to get some friction to your aching clit. Miguel caught this motion, and held you down on his cock, choking you from not letting you ease off.

"You're not allowed to touch yourself." He said through gritted teeth, pulling your head back with a harsh tug, letting you get a gulp of air before voraciously fucking your mouth again. You obeyed his command, sitting in your slick that was dripping down and out of you, your folds puffy and neglected.

"Fuck..." He breathed heavily, he could feel that burn, that coil about to snap, his blood boiling and rushing straight to the tip of his dick as he felt his balls draw tight.

You moaned softly around him, gagging slightly before that rush of heat flooded your mouth as you worked your throat to swallow every last drop of the load he was feeding you.

Miguel panted, dragging some much needed air in his lungs as he let you pull back, hacking and coughing as your airways flooded with oxygen again. You grin maliciously and bite down on his thigh. No venom of course, but just enough to remind him you were there, earning you a sharp glare and a slap to the back of your head as you licked your lips.

He ran a hand through his hair, and it wasn't but a moment later before he yanked you to your feet, and shoved his tongue past your lips to overpower yours, tasting his cum lingering on your breath as his heavy rut-scent flooded your nose. You moaned shamelessly into the kiss, biting and tugging at each others lips until a burst of cooper flooded your mouth.

Miguel pulled away and licked at his bloody lip, before his mouth twisted into a snarl. He barreled into you, forcing you against a rooftop air-conditioning unit.

His hand reached down as he ripped at your suit, your breasts bouncing free.

Of course you weren't wearing a fucking bra. Probably no panties either. Because you were just that fucking horny and desperate.

He leaned down and took one of your pebbling nipples in his mouth, biting and sucking roughly as you push your head back against the unit, the metal bumping as you do, a strangled cry coming from you.

He pulled back, before delving back down and putting the same torture on your other tit. This time however he pulled back, biting down on the marshmallowy flesh, making you mewl out as his tongue laves over the mark he made.

"Miguel!" You snarl, thrashing your leg to kick at him, your frustration and neglect finally getting to you.

Miguel caught your flailing lim and forced it up, pinning it against the air-conditioning unit with another shot of his webs, before securing your already bound hands with more, above your head.

He pressed his forehead against yours, his hot and heavy breath ghosting over your sweaty skin, before his hands once again swiped and gripped at your cunt, pawing at it like a cat kneading a blanket.

Miguel lazily dragged two fingers torturously slow up your slit, before punching your clit hard through the fabric.

"You've been misbehaving... But I know you're just going to keep acting out until I give you what you want." Miguel sneered into your ear.

You whimpered, arching into his touch as he pulled away, making a frustrated sob at the lack of contact.

You nearly had the air punched out of your lungs when Miguel dropped to his knees, inhaling the scent of your soaked pussy like it was a drug he needed a hit of. He opened his mouth and dragged his tongue up the soaked fabric, before latching on and sucking.

Now this was new. Getting eaten out through the fabric of your clothes. There was too much contact but somehow not enough as he rutted his nose at your clit, sucking more at your folds drawing more of your slick through the fabric.

You thrashed against his webs, trying so hard to roll your hips and fuck his face, but with the way you were pinned, you were at his mercy, especially when he hoisted your free leg over his shoulder. He pressed two fingers against your covered hole as he furiously suckled your clit.

Your orgasm crashed into you so hard you couldn't even manage a scream, your mouth just hung open on a silent cry, eyes rolling back as a fresh gush of slick leaked through your suit.

Miguel smiled against you and tore your suit's crotch open, and you shivered as the humid, summer air made contact with your slick and creamy folds. You barely had a second to realize what was happening before Miguel plunged back in, his nose rutting your clit once more as I sucked at your cream, your slick covering his chin.

Miguel was the best sexual partner you ever had, he knew exactly how to eat you out to the point you lost your voice without even using it.

Just as your second orgasm was creeping up on you, he pulled his mouth away, wiping his face clean with the back of his hand and licking his chops like a dog eyeing a juicy stake.

His cock bobbed against his stomach as he stood, a steady stream of precum dribbling out of the tip and to the ground below.

He pulled your free leg to wrap around his waist as he slid the underside of his cock against your puffy cunt.

Miguel bit down on your shoulder, hard as he forced himself into you with one brutal thrust, pushing the air out of your lungs as he punched your guts through your womb with his cock, spearing you wide as he set a rapid, relentless pace for the both of you.

You uttered breathless pleas, praises, and incoherent mumblings with each thrust; the two of you grunting and moaning in each others ears like rabid animals, Miguel's cock slamming home into your pussy, squelching, dripping, the slap of skin and hips colliding filling the very atoms around you.

Your body screamed, cried, ached for him to fuck you, fill you up to the brim.

Miguel's tip crammed against your cervix in such a brutal way that you swore he bullied himself into your womb with every thrust. It was a blossoming pain that bled into pleasure, quickly bringing you back to the edge of your second orgasm that he had denied you.

"That's it, baby." Miguel snarled in your ear. "Ah... So tight for me. You want me?"

You nodded, whimpering and sobbing into his shoulder.

"Want me to fuck you til you can't walk for a week? Stretch you til all you can think of is my cock?" He said, his voice edging on a gleeful tone as he pants, turning his head and licking at the sweat on your neck.

"Want me to fucking breed you?"

You bite into his shoulder at that, whimpering as his suit glitches around your fangs and you lick at the blood welling up.

He hissed, and his pace became frantic, almost angry as he reaches down and pinches your clit like before, and your orgasm comes flooding through every blood vessel in your body as you jerk mindlessly against him, your pussy crushing down on him, milking him for everything he can give you.

He moans loudly in your ear, snapping his hips up into yours, balls slapping your ass as you cry out, sobs wracking your chest as your vision blurs and the tension rips out of you.

You whimper, and hiccup against him when he forces himself into you one last time, his tip kissing that oh so lovely spot inside as he pumps his heavy and sticky load deep inside your pussy, dripping out of you with each jagged thrust as he fucks you through his orgasm.

When Miguel's hips still, his hand pets at your hair as he kisses your jaw, nipping the skin there as he slices the webs holding your legs and hands up.

"Mmmmh. I needed that." Miguel sighed into your hair.

You grunted in response, your fists gripping at his suit as you pull him down for a hungry and toothy kiss.

"Take me home and fuck me." You demanded.

All Miguel could do was smile, and carry you back to your apartment. The real trick was keeping his cock sheathed inside of you as he swung from building to building, trying to avoid anybody who may have a camera phone...

But honestly? You didn't care.

However...

The two of you did care, a few weeks later.

When two little pink lines appeared on the stick in your hand.

"Fuck."

[alcordraws]

I think it's interesting how heavily Nai leans on being the "older brother".

Like, in all the scenes with the twins as little kids together, I don't think they ever denote which is older and which is younger. They're mirror images of each other, proper identical twins. Vash has an insecurity over not having any obvious plant powers, but in all other things, they seem to be equal (ie Vash having pass codes that Nai doesn't, picking up the piano and immediately expecting for Nai to pick up what he's putting down despite it having a different tone to what Nai started with).

I think it's specifically after they find Tesla that Nai starts thinking himself as the "older" brother. (Also interesting that Tesla's coloring is closer Vash's and that her mutilation can be paralleled with Vash's). People will never change. They tore an independent apart once, they'll do it again (Nai even says as much that with Vash having no powers, he's weak and helpless, little more than a pet, so Nai has to be the one to protect him.)

He's surely read the story of Cain and Abel. How a human, fueled by jealousy of his beloved younger brother, killed him and declared that he was not his brother's keeper. Well, Nai would make a better older brother. He would never make a human's mistake of taking a younger sibling for granted. And what's funny to me is that while Vash acknowledges Nai as his older brother, he never directly calls him "big brother Nai" (whereas we do have Livio and the orphanage kids calling Wolfwood "Nico-nii"), so I like to think at some point Vash let Nai have the older brother title as some form of appeasement.

It's also just. Argh. The way Vash wants to absorb all pain onto himself but Nai wants to hurt everyone except for Vash. And then the pain and anger he levels on humans rebounds onto Vash, who blames himself for it anyways rather than blame the humans the way Nai wants. What a vicious cycle.

[anonzentimes]

Hello!

What is your opinion on danganronpa 2.5?

hello anon! thank you SO MUCH letting me ramble!!! :)

I really do love Danganronpa 2.5, I think it's really cool that they explain more how everyone was waken up, I also adore that the plot is based off of statements in Danganronpa 2 only elaborating and exploring them more. Not only that, but they make it all about Nagito who's the same character that is complex enough to have three entire songs haha!! So it works out well.

2.5 reverses Nagito's luck cycle which makes it easier to understand and I really love it. It also adds the statement that truly Nagito would rather have his luck not harm others but rather help them and harm himself, there's also the detail that Nagito's luck is so prominent in his life that even in a world made by his subconscious it is always there. It also implies he deep down wishes talent didn't exist which is something he'd never admit or even know he felt with his unhealthy obsession and dedication with hope and the ultimates!!!

I really enjoy world destroyer too, I think his scenes are very interesting, like, ok man thanks for pulling up with your FINGER GUNS??? It's super cool!! His design is pretty interesting too even if it's just adding to Hajime's preexisting one.

I also like the detail that alongside Nagito's own death the memories that he remembers most vividly is Hajime's smile and his time with him which is just very sweet

The moments with Makoto and Sayaka being out of character because Nagito views them, especially Makoto, so highly is super funny too. Kazuichi and Fuyuhiko's friendship is also fun and something we don't get to see often! The background characters we get to see are also just very fun.

I find it really interesting that by swapping Nagito's belief with the opposite it's basically telling what the genuine issue is in their world because his beliefs stems from the flawed ideals of hope's peak. The issue in their world isn't the talentless, it's the talented. No one is happy, talentless people feel worthless, and being talented is exhausting in its own way. All of the social pressure of not being treated as humans being at its most extreme in this world is upsetting for most everyone.

also this Parallel makes me lose my MIND!!!!!!

Danganronpa 2.5 has a lot of REALLY good stuff going on for it, I think the only complaint I see about it is Nagito's "contradiction," which I'll talk a little bit about!

Basically, people like to point out that with Nagito's suicide plan he should have been more upset, "He never believed in Hajime though?"

I've seen a few pretty good interpretations of it, but the one I think makes most sense is that he was talking more to Izuru kamakura since he had gotten his memories back. Nagito's old and new memories merge together, he remembers pretty much everything. Which is why he sees Izuru first, then corrects himself seeing Hajime, and Hajime replies that they're both him.

Nagito then says he knew he'd make it to the lowest stratum, and that he believed in him. Basically saying that Izuru could do anything.

Maybe he believed the supposedly Bad luck from going into the Neo World Program would end up in Good luck? It's unclear a bit, but I definitely believe he's talking to Izuru a bit at the very least. Mostly because if he believed in Hajime in the killing game his luck cycle wouldn't have gone, good luck: the traitor was selected, bad luck: the plan didn't work and they lived.

Nagito has known Hajime and Izuru now and accepts him for who he is. It's honestly really sweet. Hajime himself has grown and accepts Nagito for who he is as well. They both forgive each other and it's just really sweet. They've been through a lot!

Overall little rambles aside, I think Danganronpa 2.5 is really lovely. It adds more to Nagito's character, tells more information about how the class woke up while using actual text from Danganronpa 2, and is just super fun! I love Danganronpa 2.5 a lot.

[pessimisticpigeonsworld]

The ASOIAF fandom is so funny about discourse; both in topics and reactions. The other main fandom I frequent on Tumblr is Tolkien, and the difference is remarkable.

For instance, in the story of the Fall of Numenor, there's a story about the usurpation of a woman that leads to tragedy. I'm talking, of course, about Tar-Míriel. She was the rightful queen of Numenor, but was usurped by her cousin Ar-Pharazôn, who caused the destruction of Numenor.

There is not a single person in the Tolken fandom who argues that Ar-Pharazôn was in the right, was actually a good person, or that Tar-Míriel deserved to be usurped. Granted, the story isn't actually the same as that of the Dance, but the bare bones are pretty similar.

Tar-Míriel isn't a morally gray character like Rhaenyra, in fact we know very little about her, but the parts we do know are good. However, both Rhaenyra and Tar-Míriel were declared their fathers' heirs despite the existence of close male relatives. They were both usurped and ultimately killed (Míriel indirectly) by a male relative.

Ar-Pharazôn and Aegon II are both written as almost cartoonishly evil. They both were horrible rulers and warmongers. Their reigns caused massive tragedies; Aegon II and his faction caused the deaths of the dragons and Ar-Pharazôn's actions caused Iluvatar to destroy Numenor.

Now, I'm not saying that these two stories are meant to be connected or paralleled, they simple capture a similar story pattern rooted in history. My point is that the ASOIAF fandom has a major issue.

The greens are not secretly heroes, good people, or morally superior to the blacks in any way, shape, or form. The obsession of the ASOIAF fandom to turn them into more "sympathetic" characters is ridiculous. Fandoms like the Tolkien one are able to embrace a character being a villain without trying to turn them into a hero.

It's so frustrating because this obsession with making the greens into protagonists damages fandom discourse. It's turned the Dance into a cheap "choose your team" issue, rather than a story of the damage of misogyny, the patriarchy, and warring lords. The arguments over which team is right is absurd and creates a space were misogyny is fostered and encouraged (even some TB fans)

I know, a majority of my posts are complaining about TG and their stans, so I'm guilty of perpetuating the cycle. But there's a difference between analysis of a character and arguing with people's rotten takes and just reducing the story to team discourse; I try my best to avoid the latter.

I'm sure a large part of this issue can be traced to HOTD, but I think it's indicative of deeper problem in the fandom. People reduce the issues in the main books to "who's gonna take the throne" rather than actually addressing things. They're so comfortable spouting misogyny in regards to Daenerys and Arya. The ASOIAF fandom has deeper issues that are being exacerbated by the writing decisions of HOTD and, before that, GOT.

[completeoveranalysis]

[2]

NEW FAVOURITE COVER?

NEW FAVOURITE COVER!

Chapitre 201 - The Truth from within the Ruins

Oh this is just beyond gorgeous. Who can stand against the pure concentrated adorable that is Tsubasa Babies Family Photo? Now with all four of them!

I’m in love with all the tiny details that they clearly spent so long on - all the lovely folds of Sakura’s dress, the intricate detailing on Fai’s robe and staff. Lava Lamp is in his ceremonial garb, and tiny Kurogane IN HIS FANCY LITTLE OUTFIT. (AND HIS POSTURE? GET OUT. Incredible)

 Kurogane doesn’t have Ginryuu yet (since this is Happy Childhood AU, so his father will still have it. Still has the moon though!) but Lava Lamp has the Syaoran Family Sword all ready to go. His outfit would be incomplete without it - they’re all wearing clothing from their home worlds, or maybe their families? I’m technically not sure which world Lava Lamp comes from, but his outfit is Family Legacy all the way down. I’m dying to know if Fai’s outfit is in the style of Seresu or Valeria - I don’t think they’re all that different, but I think I would put my money on Valeria based on the position of the fur and the curl motif. In which case it’s fun for me that his Happy Family AU is in Valeria instead of with Ashura. (sorry not sorry Ashura get fucked)

I suppose in this version he never had reason to leave Valeria in the first place, so it’s a very nice touch that the outfit doesn’t immediately resemble the clothing he wore in his backstory, since that’s all so closely linked to the death of his twin, who would be alive here. Very nice visual choices all around, especially with each of them in their own unique colour pallette. Oh, and even with the colour differences they all have bits of yellow somewhere on them, showing their connection.

The left/right split between them is really fun too - sword wielders on one side, phenomenally powerful magic users on the other, cats vs dogs, unique child/parent pairings, etc. It’s very funny to me that they found a super fancy chair for Sakura and a cushion for Kurogane, but nothing for the other two. But Fai draping himself over the chair is such an incredible piece of character flair, which I am in love with, but also, the TOUCH? The little touch of tiny hands? Sakura reaching back to put her hand on the back of Fai’s? Tiny Lava Lamp’s little grip on Kurogane’s arm? OH it’s so touching. 

And behind them all? THAT WINDOW. Such a clear symbol positioned directly in the centre frame. At first I thought it might be an eye, but this is Happy Family AU so there should be no Evil Wolverine to spy on them. What I’m voting on instead is CLAMP playing with Tarot symbols again and this being the Wheel of Fortune, or a similar idea of a wheel of destiny. They use the latter idea a lot in their earlier works (RG Veda and X/1999 say hi), but I think the tarot symbol in particular really shines through with the ideas they’re playing with in Tsubasa/xxxHolic, and has a very strong parallel to the idea of hitsuzen. 

After some much safer googling it looks like the “Wheel of Fortune” in Tarot can mean change or cycles or inevitable fate, but on the flipside could also be lacking control. I think the reversed meaning of the card really speaks to me the most about their situation in general, as it describes bad luck and misfortunes thrust upon you from external forces, that you are fighting to take control back from an unwinnable situation. That fighting it is impossible, that continuing to fight it can only bring more suffering, and that the only option is to let it go. To stop blaming yourself for the thing you did wrong, or the thing that you think was your fault. To forgive yourself, to accept it all, to let yourself move on, to accept that change is inevitable, and to finally be able to move forward and just let everything happen. 

Because if that’s not exactly the whole situation we are in I don’t know what is. It’s a mirror for the things that Fai and Kurogane have already been through, and for what Lava Lamp Guy is still currently fighting, and CLAMP love to do drop these symbols all the time. 

And this is a bit of a tangent but who’s gonna stop me? Clamp LOVE their tragic destiny pairs, especially in their early works - the couples deeply love but also cursed by fate, like Kendappa and Souma, Ashura and Yasha (flavoured differently in RG Veda, but still fitting this cycle again in Tsubasa), Subaru and Seishirou, Sorata and Arashi (unfinished), Kamui and Fuuma, etc. The characters who are so different from each other, so diametrically opposed, but in love still, and it burns so strong that they either have to kill each other or let the world burn around them - or both! They’re always fighting destiny, just like the reversed wheel of fortune, and they fight it to the point of obliteration. 

AND THEN we have Tsubasa, and I think it’s so endlessly interesting that they took the same pattern and turned it around. Syaoran and Sakura definitely fit the theme (and wild that they took the Cardcaptor Sakura happy couple deliberately to make the most universe shattering tragedy out of it, but I still haven’t seen how their story ends, whether one will have to tragically die to save everything or whether they’ll get out somehow). But what I mostly want to talk about (surprise surprise) Kurogane and Fai, who fit the pattern exactly. Complete opposites, diametrically opposed, set up as antagonists and destined to kill each other but fall in love instead. That they both fight against the tragic pasts that defined them and eventually change their mind. Eventually, slowly, they accept love again and realise that they can actually live with themselves and each other if they let it all go. 

And I think what really gets me is that if this was an earlier Clamp work they absolutely would have tragically died - they would have killed each other in the climax of Seresu and it would have been beautiful and terrible and no-one ever would have ever emotionally recovered from the complete and utter devastation. 

BUT THEY DIDN’T. 

CLAMP spend all of Tsubasa revisiting all their old works, taking us through a parade of the various tragedies they’ve sung across the years, all leading up to them ultimately breaking their own pattern and letting Fai and Kurogane save each other from the same Clamp fate that claimed every tragic pair before them. They choose each other and get out alive. They stop blaming themselves for the unchangeable parts of destiny and finally forgive themselves. And it’s just very emotional to me that it’s these two that make it, these two that get to recover and choose each other and live their lives inseparable from this point on. The two that had arguably the most tragic backstories also get to face their trauma, survive, and live. 

And it’s just so beautiful to see how the CLAMP storytelling method has changed over the years, and to find out that after all these years, the big destiny story they really wanted to tell in their longest and most detailed work was about the two men who fell in love, against all odds and saved each other. Despite absolutely everything saying that it should be impossible, it’s Kurogane and Fai that finally flip the tarot card back around and live. 

And I’m extremely interested in what this means for Lava Lamp and Not!Sakura.

[mykoreanlove]

in the script

Journaling had been an essential part of your life ever since you were a little girl.

It had always been an outlet to release emotions, to find solace in a world that was often as cruel as war itself.

The unfairness you referred to changed with the years, though.

When you were little you used to rant about your mother hating you for making you put away your toys every night or favoring your little brother over you.

When you grew up you used to rant about the red pimples on your face or those stupid neighborhood boys that pulled your hair and made fun of you.

When you entered university you used to rant about the excessive workload, seriously considering selling your body instead or how hard it was to maintain a social life whilst studying and working your ass off.

When you settled into life you used to rant about the cruelty of dating, not understanding your luck with unavailable men that tossed you aside the minute they received what they were truly after.

But as time passed you found yourself repeating the same cycle over and over, filling the golden pages of your little notebook with the same entries. Different names, yet same stories. One day though, you decided to switch it up, to try something new.

Instead of rumbling about all the unfair and cruel things in your life, you decided to focus on what you would like to see. 

You never deluded yourself into believing that those were true, but rather saw them as a possibility. You created a different universe, a parallel reality that took away your pain and filled your heart with sweetness.

Every afternoon, when you found time, you veered off to your favorite cafe - the one that was filled with trees and birds, in a secluded area away from the hectic of the bustling city.

In here, you were in your own little world.

„Okay, shall we?“, you mumbled silently as you grabbed your pen. 

Dear diary,

Hi, it’s me again. Y/N. Were you tired of me always writing the same depressing stuff? I know I was. Hence, we’re going to switch it up. Let me tell you of all the things I want to believe instead of what I’m currently perceiving with my eyes. You ready? 

I want to believe that I am a wonderful person. I want to believe that I am a real catch and anybody would be lucky to be with me. I am beautiful, funny, smart and kind. I want to believe that it’s so easy to fall in love with me. I mean, who wouldn’t?

I want to believe that I am one of a kind. Someone like me doesn’t come along for a second time which is why everybody is on their best behavior with me.

I want to believe that I am loved. For all that I am. The good, the bad, the ugly - I am loved simply for existing. And I love me. All of me, really. 

I want to believe that I am worthy of love. And lovable. And I want to believe that if I like someone, he automatically likes me back. And I want to believe that if I have feelings for someone, those are always reciprocated. His feelings are even stronger than mine. 

I want to believe that I can have any guy I want. Not only have him but like have him. I want to be on his mind and in his heart. Only me.

I want to believe that there are good men out there. Ones that are handsome, loyal, funny and kind. Men that want love and romance just as much as I do. Men that crave a real connection, physically and emotionally.

I want to believe in love. I want to believe that love is all around me. I want to believe that I was meant to be loved, in its purest form. And I want to think that relationships are a beautiful thing. An union where you can trust and grow together. 

I am not deluding myself, you know. I know that I am single right now but I also believe that I’m going to meet the love of my life shortly. I can feel that he is on his way to me right now. It sounds crazy but I can almost see him in my mind. He will be breathtakingly gorgeous, strong yet soft. He’ll have longer hair which I can play with and he will have the most kissable lips ever. I can’t wait to kiss him. I can’t wait to stroll around the park with him and eat all the yummy food. I can’t wait to get a puppy or maybe a kitten? Anyways, I can’t wait to meet my best friend. 

I want to believe that he will get me, on all levels, really. Especially about my past.

All the pain and heartbreak that I endured in the past were not for nothing, no. It made me the person I am today. I have let go of all the baggage and now I want to trust. In me. In men. And in love. I want to trust that I can have the romance of a lifetime, I want to believe that I am good enough for that. Wouldn’t that be nice?

You were so engulfed in your writing, entirely in trance, that you didn’t notice the guy that had been mustering you for the past five minutes.

He was gorgeous, in a very unique way. His body was slim yet muscular, whereas his face was feminine and soft. Long dark hair fell into his eyes, almost distracting from his sweet smile.

His intense gaze was set on you, he was admiring you like a painting in an art museum. 

„Are you going to keep staring at her or will you finally go over?“, his friend rolled his eyes impatiently. 

„You think I can? What if she is working on something super important? Look how concentrated she is.“, he retorted.

„Only one way to find out, Taem.“, his friend patted his shoulder.

Taemin took a deep breath and handed his friend his cup of coffee.

„You’re right.“

Determined, but nervous he made his way over to you. With each passing step he lost more of his confidence, yet he couldn’t stop approaching you. It was like he was pulled towards you, inexplainable yet strongly tangible.

Taemin smirked as he stood right before you, which you still hadn’t noticed. He found the passion you worked with extremely sexy, something that he rarely felt for a woman. 

„Damn, I hope I’m not interrupting some life-changing novel here..“, he muttered under his breath.

As someone cleared his throat right before you, you finally took notice of your surroundings. 

Before you stood one of the most beautiful human beings you had ever laid your eyes on.

„Hey, am I interrupting something?“ 

[peacereturnedtothevalley]

palisade 56 //

Great intro with leap I love to be laughing 2 minutes in

I did not remember leap’s epilogue at all LMAO just that he stayed on palisade

Hiiiiiiiii Jorie

Barnacle….

Rye and Gallica…. Rip to her… love a sexy evil duo

I need to relisten to this but again hiiii jorie “the scalpel” is so sexy

Cori’s that’s so raven vision

Wait a minute… looking at description names… Svir…. Five…….

Xylem

Resolute welkin..

they smiled at each other

Vibrant copse

HELLO?

I was getting vibes but I wasn’t sure but I’m sure now oh my god. Austin. Austin thank you

Branched x Delegate/Wakeful Yuri what a beautiful world

I’m like obsessed with every npc Austin has presented before us today

—

JACK.. Let’s go

They’re so gleefully inventing a worse peer to peer gig worker society

Cannot believe this is what they meant when arbitrage was like okay we can do not a contract :)

They haven’t said this but how I would make this shit work is everyone gets a rating and doing a shit job ostracizes you from society

God this gig economy feverdream is so nauseating. And it makes sense to me as a continuation of connadine’s on cycle shit.

Not to bring personal things into it but. I saw a movie at a film festival recently, about an Uyghur girl in 2017 who was going through family pressures to get married on top of increasing surveillance and detention of Uyghurs at that time. There was a director Q&A and when she was asked about how the situation is currently, she said the surveillance and restriction is less severe now, not because of the goodness of their hearts but like, that status quo got to them and the uyghur population are policing Themselves now. For events like weddings and stuff they proactively call a cop to join them so that rather than be questioned later, they know what’s going on already. People can’t and won’t say how they really feel freely and this is the way they have found survival . I still can’t call family and talk about things in any specifics. More and more people can visit again/leave the country after years of not being able to but their families will be too terrified to actually meet with them in case it brings trouble, and who knows when they might flip the switch on the limited freer travel

Okay that ended up being a longer tangent than I planned but all that to say, rather than arbitrage enforcing things with a contract, why not make it ubiquitous with how you have to live in society. It feels parallel to the stuff I outline above :)

You know how in stardew valley you go into the road tunnel and there’s a place where you can insert batteries for mr qi stuff that’s arbitrage to me

—

Connadine takes his shirt off to call arbitrage

Connadine and Arbitrage’s loving partnership is so funny to me

Cas’alear time

Routine hooked up with them huh

Svir time… Five……

10 years of solitude :(

I care him… the isolation is so real and agh

HES LOOKING FOR THE NOBEL..

doing snaps in the air for Austin

okay I think the partizan finale is such a blur to me and I did not remember what specifically happened to autonomy itself

Svir :((((((

OMG DID HE FIND THEM…. Or did they find him…

Brnine time 😎

Agh in the wreckage of a lost war…

I just got to a harrowing point in the new ffxiv expansion and its coloring this war zone vibe

Brnineeeee you’re so depressed. My meow meow

The leaving a letter thing is so funny brnine is emotionally doing a Turkish ice cream situation on Levi

Gangs back together :) we’re soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Back

Whole episode thoughts: that was excellent. I needed this. I loved every npc in Austin’s stories and I need to listen to them all again… got a little lost in the first one oops

No word from jesset or gucci so far but I hope we get some of it at Some point but who knows

Cas…. Cas’alear has always been technically compromised but has never truly betrayed millenium break or something. You know that I don’t believe in monarchy but I love it when the chosen king gets the throne tweet, something about apostolos brings up that emotion and cas does so in particular

Levi really speedran the revolutionary leader thing I hope we get some inferiority or interpersonal stuff for him tbh… cori hugging him was cute :’) my poor girl…

In my heart I believe in Cori’s ability to find and save Elle but with the say the contracts work I’m so worried for her

I wonder if we can get more eclectic later… the second story kind of contextualized the amount of independence he may have. Also glad Austin got to portray a softer story of how wakeful kind of works

excited and nervous for the sortie now good luck everyone don’t die

[gold-rhine]

op i am kissing you on the mouth finally someone agrees that kaeya and dany have parallels like the prince that was promised being a little girl and the final hope being a half-blooded khaenri'ahn, both being essentially "reborn" in fire, both have some vedic indian themes going on, both yearn for the past but they cannot go back like hdhdvdbfh i rlly hope both stories end with them truly breaking free from the cycles of abuse that brought them here and they can both just. have all the lemon trees and meaty skewers they want

(this post changed me and it really fits kaeya too kinda if u squint

https://www.tumblr.com/horsegirldany/721206179978690560/made-this-sparked-by-these-posts-by-romanken-and)

like alberichs are SO targaryen coded its not even funny. like hoyo obv took influences from pop media as well as mythologies and philosophies, and like. khaenriah draws from valyria just as much as from nordic myths and faery archetypes. the ancient isolated civilization, more advanced than others, seeing themselves as ABOVE others due to dragons\khemia, seeing themselves as equal to gods, with severe fucked up cast system. and just like targaryens, alberichs were not top dogs, they were just middling nobles, their main advantage was that they Survived. the "pure" noble line with special easily recognized looks that is basically encouraged to inbreed and bastards are ostracized? mythologizing children as promise and last hope, while actually using them as tools, like clothar waxing rhapsodically about how caribert "ascended", while poor boy's soul is trapped in the machine, slowly fading, and all he wanted is to live a normal life. and now they are cursed and caught in a loop of trying to recreate the glory of the past, when the current heirs have never seen the past! kaeya doesn't know khaenriah, dany doesn't know valyria OR westeros. all they know is histories, legends, myths and promises their families have told them.

dany just wants to go home and belong somewhere! kaeya just wants to go home and belong somewhere! but they never knew that home. yeah i also hope their stories will let them finally break free and have that little house with a red door and lemon tree.

[my-jokes-are-my-armour]

Their birds are born in a nest of pain

One thing I loved with BO is the constant parallels and the mirror playing between Éile and Jaskier. And there is one sequence that I found great that came back in my mind recently. It held a parallel I didn't think of before.

When Éile is trapped in her memory, in the mist, we saw what created the Lark in the first place. Hence the bird she extracts from her entrails after seing her younger self committed atrocities for her clan. She used music as a fugue state. And later she became bard when she couldn't bear it anymore.

The Lark is the name she gave herself to cut with her traumatic past but it's born from it.

As for Jaskier... He became The Sandpiper after the traumatic events of The Seat of Friendship. We still don't know what he saw nor how he survived. But when he spoke about it briefly to Yennefer, his eyes couldn't lie. And his voice slightly broke when he referred to the endless circle of hate and the horrors that will touch anyone that would be seen as the other...

Éile's bird made her a bard. Jaskier's bird made him a protector. They rose out from their pain and trauma to make them grow.

[queen0fm0nsterz]

The Different Ladies Statues

While researching and writing the official (/j) Ladies powerpoint, I was reminded of the fact that each Lady statue has, apart from the differently colored kimono, also a different facial expression.

The first, Fox, is notably missing a part of her head. Her expression is solemn and her eyes are closed in what seems to be either acceptance or... well. Sleep. Either way, she stands proud in her place, and strangely at peace with herself.

Oddly enough, this same expression on a statuette makes its appearence a few more times. Tengu and her wooden double also have the same face as well - as well as having cute flower decorations on their kimonos!

(I did not notice wheter Fox also has them due to her being too distant, but all the others also seem to have the same pattern on their kimonos.)

((Also, double sidenote... I'm not entirely sure, but that thing behind wooden Tengu on the bookshelf looks suspiciously like the little music boxes in the Prison. I will have to double check, but putting the thought out there.))

What's interesting is that, once you take her out of her spot - away from the prying gaze of the Eye - Tengu's expression changes entirely.

This would line up with her description, as well as the visual rappresentation provided by the puzzle in her room; if she breaks characters and stops acting like "a monster", she will be immediately crushed by the world around her.

Or perhaps it could also be a visual rappresentation of the pressure weighing on her shoulders since she took the place of the First, and therefore has a lot to uphold... which could be why she wears the same face initially. Maybe she's trying to keep her cool and imitate her predecessor as best she can before inevitably giving in.

Her new face is disheveled, with copious amounts of makeup running down her face and her expression twisted in either pain of fatigue. Interestingly, she seems to be leaking a lot blood from her neck, which then spreads on her cheeks and kimono.

This could also be someone else's blood, but judging from the placement, I'd say it's more likely coming from her.

Moving on, there is Scarecrow. Being the first to have her eyes wide open, the Lady in blue looks like she has been, quite possibly, bamboozled.

... Putting the very funny screenshots I took of her up close aside, her expression is drastically different from the other two. She looks somewhat surprised, if not even scared; sorta like a deer starring straight into the headlights of a car.

Remembering how her mask originally pointed to her being scared of those around her, a face such as this would reflect that quiet fear. The room before the one she's placed in is filled with portraits of people from the outside world, while she stands alone in her little room. Then there is, of course, the security Eye, which can be considered a nice parallel to the paralizing fear that takes over once one has to leave their safe place.

Unlike all the other ladies, she appears to be wearing large earrings. The design is unusual because it looks nothing like the traditional Japanese earrings, so I thought I'd point that out.

Another interesting thing is that, in Scarecrow's room, a few statues resembling the other Ladies are also present. While one has Fox and Tengu's expression, the others are wearing the current Lady's mask. Considering that the cycle of Ladies is not exactly linear, this could be a signal of the passage from the chaotic beginning of the lineage to what then becomes the defining traits of the journey.

Teapot's statuette is very interesting for this very reason. She too is wearing the same mask as the current Lady... considering the rest of the imagery - this is where the Maw is most prominent - I wonder if this is when the cycle finally cemented itself, and where the Ladies started "blending in" with each other definitively.

There is one Lady of the Maw, the image of her that is presented to the world. She's not a specific person, she's a symbol. When one dies, the one after her takes on the role and acts as the Lady of the Maw.

This would explain why the Ladies are all wearing the same kimono in the picture where they all stand together and why Teapot here is wearing this kind of mask specifically. And it would also explain the sentence hidden between the image files of the various paintings of the Lady --

-- But that's for the PowerPoint. It's too long of a concept and it ties in to many other aspects of the Lady specifically as a character, so I'm not going to dwell on it now.

Going back to Teapot and the Maw for a moment, the submarine itself is heavily referenced in this room specifically. There is a big painting portraying it and Teapot herself being hidden inside a small model of the Maw itself is... quite telling. There is a big theme of curiosity and it leading to eventually being imprisoned surrounding her, so keeping in mind where you find her... it doesn't get any clearer than this, really.

And you wanna know what the worst part of all of this is? Each time you retrieve a statuette, the first notes of End of the Hall play in the background. The OST itself then continues, but the fact that the first notes are played each time you get a Lady is... telling.

This is not the first time End of the Hall is played in regards to the Lady either; it's also in the background of the Residence's trailer, where the melody ends up being drawn out by the Lady singing over it. And then there is the small picture of the Thin Man found in the Residence's files... that picture is somewhere in the Residence.

But again, I'm going to stop myself again. This has it's own section in the PP.

Going back to the statuettes, there are a few other Lady statues that should be brought up. This little statue on the Lady's personal music box is one we never see up close, but she seems to be wearing a Noh mask.

Either that, or she's very angry. What prompts me to say she's wearing a Noh mask is that the eyebrows remind me of those drawn on many types of masks. It'd be awesome if we could get a close-up of it.

Lastly, how could I forget the tiny statuettes scattered all around the Maw, and even in some places of the Pale City? I believe these ones are meant to rappresent the current Lady...

... and they're faceless.

Food for thought.

[obscurecharactershowdown]

Group E Round 4

[image ID: the first image is of No Significant Harassment, a shadowy figure standing behind a sleeping pink-red, fox-like creature. their green hands seem to be holding up the floating creature. the second image is of Shrimp, a black creature with a blue and white collar. he has bright white eyes, 4 spindly legs, a long tail, and an oblong head. end ID]

No Significant Harassment

They're just a silly little guy. A jokester. Significant harassment if you will. Anyway, a more in depth run down: They're a city sized supercomputer built by a Buddhist adjacent society to figure out how to transcend the 'Great Cycle' (semi-metaphorical cycle of death and rebirth) in a safer way than the previous method (submerging oneself in the 'void sea' which is a mysterious golden liquid that dissolves whatever it touches). Despite being built for this express purpose NSH never really shows a pressing interest in ascension, even cracking jokes about those who are still looking for a solution. Whether this is due to indifference, dislike of, or humor to cope with being unable to ascend is not clear and really up to interpretation. Example: NSH: I wish them super good luck in that endeavor. How is it going to happen? Have the overseers gnaw through bedrock until their entire can crashes down in the void sea? BSM: Please be respectful when speaking of the Void Sea. Grey Wind, where did you hear this? CW: I really shouldn't say. He's going to attempt some sort of breeding program. Thought you might want to know. NSH: Haha with the slimers, lizards and etceteras? Surely the answer was in a lizard skull all along! He's very flippant, but does care very intensely for those close to him. NSH: Moon? It's me again. NSH: I do not know if you are receiving these. Please signal in any way you can. NSH: I need to talk to you. I need to know you're okay. NSH: … NSH: Its difficult for us to assist you over this distance. NSH: Even more difficult for us to do anything in the midst of these tantrums. NSH: Were going to try everything that we can. NSH: Just hold on a little longer. (Context for previous convo: They genetically engineered a super organism of a slugcat (the species you play as in Rain World) to help reset his coworker/sibling after her collapse and restart her systems. He was so desperate to fix her that he accidentally messed up the slugcat's (Hunter) genetic code and as a result it became riddle with the Rot (relatively similar to aggressive cancer) :( which parallels his other coworker/siblings condition who also has the rot. ) He canonically uses he/they pronouns too! Nonbinary swag! NSH has major internet troll vibes. He has sent a data pearl of "something distasteful" to his neighbors on several(?) occasions and causes chaos. If he had access to the wider internet he'd probably be an influencer So…yeah! Vote NSH this website likes the allure of heavy machinery and stuff like that so… there you go. Kind of a blorbo. End post.

Shrimp

Ok so Shrimp is public enemy #1 and I love him. He's the funny little guy you see on your loading screen during the game who you don't think much of until eventually you find an asylum on one of the floors of the Upturned Inn and oops! Shrimp is there! And you need to free him to progress, which Ik is alarmed by even though you can also just tell him you didn't see/free Shrimp. You can put a collar on this little guy to make him look snazzy, despite how little he's with you. On the floors where he's friendly he kind of just follows you around, so you get to have a little buddy for parts of the game! He's basically just your pet dog who may or may not be severely dangerous. And by may or may not I mean a definite yes he is, because he turns aggressive when he gets especially hungry. He can eat the food objects scattered around, though, so that's avoidable! He can also stay with you for nice little elevator rides, which does concern Ik, but it works out! until he starts trying to attack you but if you don't feed your dog then I don't care if it attacks you [additional propaganda 1] [additional propaganda 2] [additional propaganda 3]

[ultraviolet-cello]

Tristamp rewatch, episode 2! Took me a little longer to get to this because I think episode 2 is like,,,, I never have anything to say about it lmao I don't have too many background details.

Nevertheless, below the cut [Not so long today!] are some theories, details, and character traits I've picked up on today's fine tooth comb rewatch! Also once again spoilers for Tristamp and Trimax.

Once again thanks to @tristampparty for organizing this, I'm having fun :]

So! In sharp contrast with yesterday, I realized that we have a little bit more of Knives in that opening crash sequence - his face is less covered and the camerawork less Vashcentric. I am possibly the worst person to analyze expressions (I have That particular Autism Thing where I often misinterpret people's faces) but here are a few I found interesting

He just looks a little. again not good at interpreting expressions but anxious? scared, a little upset? I'm not entirely sure he understood how,,, violent the ship exploding would be - and Vash is clearly very very distressed. Also the dark circles under his eyes in that last one - he might have been crying. Much to think about.

Okay this scene, aside from being really funny, is Frustratingly Overlooked imo. Vash's whole,,, pathetic wet sona thing is often intentionally played up in order for him to get people to see him as less of a threat/weaker/more peaceful. And then to have Meryl and Roberto go yeah no we aren't buying that, Instantly calling him out on his bullshit is interesting.

I guess just as Wolfwood sees through Vash's smiles in 98/Trimax, Roberto and Meryl call him out on his schtick here. I also think that he's doing it more exaggerated than normal to kind of change the subject/alter some perceptions of him.

Rai-Dei spotted, and Nightow! Slightly higher quality because I realized I was watching in 720p instead of 1080 because I,,,, i don't know why lmao. anyway i like that nightow gets his own little poster its cute

I guess now would be the time to talk about children in Trigun. So as it goes on I'll build on this, but the fact that so many characters in Trigun are motivated by children is very very important to me; Rosa and the people of Jeneora Rock go after Vash not for themselves, but so they can have the money for their children. Father Nebraska appeals to Rosa to help him get Gofsef up on safe land again by pointing out that he's a father too.

A common trait amongst Trigun characters is their protectiveness of children - Wolfwood (obviously), Vash, Meryl, Roberto and Milly clearly, but Knives and Legato leave the children alive in that one town in 98, Livio in Trimax learns to see children as kinda cute - and the arguably most unsympathetic character, Chapel, is kinda the only guy that hurts/abuses children with 0 remorse. Hate that guy lmao.

It reads to me like a bunch of people wanting to break the cycle of abuse on this planet. but they don't really know how :(

On a lighter note, some screencaps I grabbed for fun, ft: The Thomas Loaf

my closing thought is about Roberto. So clearly he's, yknow, there instead of Milly (unforgivable /lh), but he and Milly have some interesting parallels and ideas - Primarily their observational skills.

In trimax, when Milly interacts with Vash, a lot of the time she's calling out strange expressions or oddities on him - in legato's appearance, that time she asks him why he's still smiling, and the arc where Meryl gets kidnapped.

Roberto is serving a similar role in observing and calling things out about Vash, but he's a little more,,, rough about it. He's nowhere near as (outwardly, the man's got a big heart) caring as Milly! I think it'll be good for Meryl to have Milly in s2 :]

Speaking of Meryl, I appreciate that she definitely has at least someone observational with her, especially while she's less experienced. I love her very much but she happens to be a very stubborn very impulsive person lmao. She definitely needs a balancing.

[sillyandquiteawkward]

I'm super late to the party but did you watch the fallout show? And what are your thoughts? I have a few little ones like:

How well they portrayed the BOS as a militant cult

The prewar stuff. First 7 minutes of the pilot episode had me so on edge

The video-gamey hyperviolence was gross, sure, accurately translated from game to cinema

me and ray have watched about half of it and we mystery science theater-ed it the whole way and heckled the fuck out of it. needless to say, not a big fan.

but thats so funny the first prewar segment i was so pissed off. the bombs dropping immediately right next to them was written so stupid. just took out any grounding in reality and grace i had just immediately. really did set the tone for the whole thing that it would not be for me. like. i thought the sole survivor and the vault 111 people seeing and getting blasted (yet remaining perfectly fine) as they went down was stupid too. this was just ten times worse bc it was SO focused on. GAH

not even mentioning they branded the black main character on screen for no reason, named the enclave scientist directly after a real life holocaust survivor (to the point it muddies his google results) and then carried his decapitated head around as the macguffin (bc they invented a disgusting prosthetic leg to be so cruel that he killed himself over it. way to go honoring a holocaust concentration camp survivor???), the uncaring anti-recovery view on ghoul/drug recovery and weird parallels they tried to equivilate it to turning feral and drug addicts having a point of no return, plus more im sure bc we hadnt even finished the series? lots of people have written more in depth posts about the weird n bad shit the fallout tv show decided to do for some reason.

that said, i did really like in broad strokes how they were characterizing maximus and his relationship with the bos and how power and expectation and cycles of abuse corrupt. but i also havent seen how his arc ends. however the writers view that the wasteland is just a suffering machine i think fails to consider that fallout doesnt have to just be about lets blow each other up with nukes and kill each other for fun. functioning society exists in this post post apocalyptic world and theres plenty of interesting stories to be told about THAT.

i havent played classic fallouts yet but when i learned about the narrative repercussion of the original bloody mess trait, i think it fundamentally changed my view on how modern fallouts idea of gore and savagery for just the spectacle. without saying anything about it. fallout nowadays feels like it rings hollow, but the tv show tended to ring with like. really weird things to say that i wish it didnt.

anyway yeah.