#hear me out though: specialization in game theory | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

micer2012 · 1 year ago

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a reflection on MatPat's plagiarism

Hello, my name is Della, or micer2012, and 2 years ago Game Theory plagiarized three Tumblr posts of mine, making a video that now holds almost 6 million views.

My posts explaining his plagiarism made their rounds on Reddit, Tumblr and Twitter, but despite the Hermits and Pooka commenting on it (generally in support of me or saying they don’t know enough details about the situation to say either way), MatPat and his team have never owned up to anything, and no mention of my name is present on the video. The one Reddit post they made denying it (which was made before my detailed takedown, which they have never responded to (though the mods on the r/GameTheorists Reddit were kind and made sure it stayed up)) didn’t even mention me by name, just referring to me as “a tumblr user”. (Though one of the screenshotted comments in the body of the post does say my name)

This experience was baffling, but it’s overall had a positive impact on my life. r/Hermitcraft gave me a Golden Apple Award (post of the year, 2021). My inbox was filled with excited fans, wanting to ask me questions or pose their own theories, far more than the hate I got. (Though the hate I got from Game Theory fans was VERY funny. I wondered why none of them gave me shit about saying “MatPat misgendered Evil Xisuma” before realizing none of them read that far into the post.)

And getting on a more personal, and much more important note, I met most of my current online friends through this, including my partner. It helped me grow closer with my irl friends as well and gave me an entertaining story that I tell whenever I have the chance. It was one of the first things in my life that really made me feel like my talents, my autistic hyperfocusing and analyzing of things I love, could be valuable. Useful. Exploitable. It blew my mind that MatPat thought an autistic kid’s ramblings about a Minecraft Youtube joke character were good enough to steal. To put an audible sponsorship on. To get 6 million views off of.

And that’s why I’m writing this post, this update years later. As you might’ve been able to guess, Hbomberguy’s Youtube video on plagiarism reopened this wound. It was really hard for me to sit through, it took days of pausing and taking breaks, because I had experienced everything he was talking about firsthand.

In my 10 page long takedown post, I wrote about how his rewording of my sentences made him say things that were incorrect, just like Filip did. The content farm production style that made big companies like Cinemassacre take one creator (AVGN/MatPat) and turn him and his content into a brand, a voice that reads out scripts by other people with other opinions/theories, is a history shared with Game Theory. What really hit me was Harris talking about how big creators only do this to people they think they can get away with doing it to. How they view their victims as lesser, as not deserving of their words, repackaging them as their own to give to an audience that can gain from hearing them, but deserves better than to have to listen to the original victim.

That’s the thing, I 100% think a video version of my theory to expose to a bigger community than “Evil Xisuma Fans on Tumblr” is a great idea!! Near the end of the video Harris talks about how video adaptations of things could be a great market, even an accessibility tool, and I completely feel that about my posts. I wrote them quickly assuming the reader was someone well versed on Evil Xisuma lore, after not even watching most of the CarnEvil series, and the diagrams I made to explain them are even less comprehensible. Harris makes a joke that I completely agree with,

“I’m sure some of my videos would do very well if someone translated them into English.”

I don’t think I would’ve ever made my posts if I didn’t have autism, and a special fixation on Evil Xisuma and Hermitcraft. I made them because I felt the character was being done an injustice, and because I wanted to share with other superfans this theory that might explain it away. I do think that MatPat plagiarizing me was ableist. I used to wonder a lot if this would’ve happened if my posts were articulated better, if they had been peer reviewed, if the posts themselves had been spread to a wider audience before MatPat made his video. At one point when the discourse was fresh (before I had the time to write out my 10 page rebuttal), a bigger YouTuber (100k subs at the time) messaged me and started talking on Discord, interested in possibly making a video on the discourse, but I think my style of typing and general enthusiasm drove him away. You can tell by a single look at my blog (or my original 3 posts!) that I don’t usually type like this. This post you’re reading now has been peer reviewed and edited, and took me hours to format correctly. That video could’ve been huge, the entire outcome of this MatPat situation would probably be much different.

I also used to stress a lot about “being the one who ruined Evil Xisuma’s story”. If you didn’t know, to me S8 Evil Xisuma’s story got wrapped up pretty quickly and unsatisfying (in my personal autistic opinion). (though this might’ve been due to s8 being experimental and ending early with moon big) There was no real culmination of the plot points and arcs going on, and I don’t want to blame myself, but when Xisuma said on stream (when the MatPat thing was first going on) that he didn’t want to focus on the discourse or draw more attention to it, it makes a lot of sense to me that he just wanted to wrap it all up as quickly as possible. For a while I beat myself up about it, of ruining the story of this character I love, but it’s not my fault. If anyone’s, it’s MatPats, but I don’t think it’s useful to just blame someone else. That’s how the story ended up going, and that’s fine. This is Evil Xisuma we’re talking about, their inconsistent lore is what made them such an interesting character. And notably, Pooka made an animation with an awesome culmination of Jeff, the Dreamer, Evil Xisuma, and his own sona’s story, and it makes me so happy to watch. Whatever Pooka does is of course his own choice, but I’m glad he got to give this personal story his own ending (if it is an ending, and not just the start of a new chapter!).

Typing this all out and getting it off my chest has made me feel a lot better. For a while I wanted to make my OWN video essay about Evil Xisuma’s lore and CarnEvil’s lore, actually going episode by episode to explain it instead of just assuming you knew as much about Evil Xisuma as I did. That idea is still not off the table, but MCYT isn’t something I’m that into right now. Maybe if something else comes out about Evil Xisuma I’ll get back on it, but for now I’m fine with letting that go. But I want to make other videos, share other theories and analysis… if I have the freetime I’d love to make YouTube videos, and if I don’t have the time I’ll continue posting to my tumblr and infodumping to my friends. Apparently my infodumping is valuable enough “content” to steal! Writing this out has made me feel a lot better though, I’m really glad I got it out.

If anyone ever wants to talk to me about the things I’m obsessed with, or reach out to me as a source in a bigger discussion about Game Theory or other channels, my inbox is more than welcome :] Thank you for reading!

Sincerely, a tumblr user.

#exiavojtmmc #hermitcraft #matpat #gt #game theory #hc #mcyt #evil xisuma #hbomberguy #plagiarism #james somerton #jeff the minion #mine #micer2012 #hcs9

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niyafics · 13 days ago

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ᯓᡣ𐭩better every time˖ ݁𖥔

paige x reader (18+)

𐙚 part 1🐈‍⬛

˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖ wc : 2.5k

𖥔 ݁˖ cw : SMUT, first person p.o.v, petplay ahhh, the word sl*t, swearing, all that great stuff

˖ ݁𖥔 summary : a package arrives from paige, what could it be?

˖ ݁ a/n : hii srry if this sucks i haven’t written smut in years. not rlly edited.

p.b

did you get my gift,kitten?

yes, but i haven’t opened it

this kitten thing is just forever now huh :/

p.b

lol open the box and you tell me

We hadn’t seen each other in a week now, and even our last time was brief. Practice, games, school preoccupied all Paiges’ time, and I was getting swamped with work and my demanding minimum wage job. Still managing to slip a suggestive message or picture in between.

We had responsibilities. It was best for it to stay that way. For me to stay busy. That time apart would help me ground myself from getting completely enthralled in the tall girls icey eyes.

I felt embarrassingly moody last month when we didn’t meet up for a week opposed to our normal 2-4 times throughout it. Which in truthfulness, was too often. A few times us not having the sex our relationship was supposed to be exclusive to.

Like when she invited me over her place to watch the worst movies we could find on Netflix, intertwined lazily on her couch until I had to go to work.

Staring sleepily at the ceiling in the dark talking to each other about anything. Everything. Until one of our tired states doesn’t let us respond anymore.

Or when she’d pleaded to come over after a long practice, showering and plopping into my bed like it was hers. I had been the big spoon, combing my hands through her hair that was still damp, until she fell asleep. This one happened more than once.

I sat up on my elbow and watched her breathe slowly, my arm wrapped around her waist from behind, thinking how she was so effortlessly cute, and sexy.How she smelled good. How she blurted out my name without me giving it to her, our first night together.

I still haven’t gathered the courage to ask how she knew it.

“God, (y/n), you’re even prettier up close...”

It rolled out like she moaned it a million times.

By now, she probably has.

I wondered, if our meeting was such a coincidence after all.

My theory made me feel full of myself. How could have Paige known me? No mutual friends, and mine sure as hell wouldn’t have forgotten to tell me Paige Bueckers asked about me. We had no classes. Paige was a year ahead of me. Sure, I seen her on campus. She never seen me. Had she? I’d have to ask if I wanted to know.

Regardless of why we saw each other, we were getting dangerously closer than usual fuck-buddies. Pushing past the boundaries of friends with benefits. The special time together, the vulnerability.

Especially now, with her sending me stuff. First, it was [your fav flower] which I offhandedly mentioned I liked. We hadn’t talked in days and then, there was a delivery guy holding them in a vase of my favorite color outside my door.

She was thinking of me. couldn’t she just text it? No, this was way more sentimental than a text. It was meant to leave me thinking about her even more than I was. To show me she was thinking of me. It wasn’t just store bought, she had to have gotten it from a florist.

I almost knocked her over the next time i saw her, saying it was the sweetest thing anyone had done for me, because it was. Paige held me while I gushed, swaying me slightly, with a smirk that read I successfully stroked her ego.

“A good way to say ‘thank you’ is for you to let me between those pretty thighs, kitty.” A chuckle escaped as she said it, though she was serious, she lets me know this with a firm grip behind me. That damn nickname. Whenever I wasn’t completely under her spell, I felt almost embarrassed hearing her say it. Responding to it. Then wasn’t one of those times. I was on my back with her perfect mouth wet from me in minutes.

p.b

omg y/n

p.b

open it alreadyyy

My phone snapped me out of my thoughts. I shuffled to my kitchen counter to open the package waiting for me. I took a picture of me from above so the box was also in frame. Smiling to myself before I hit send, knowing the sight of me in her hoodie with nothing but panties she couldn’t see underneath would drive her crazy.

[image]

patienceee, i’m about to rn

p.b

[hearted an attachment]

oh yea? i’ll teach u alllll abt patience ;p

Blush crept to my cheeks with a grin I couldn’t help, while I wondered what she meant.

I tore the tape down the middle and the box opened slightly on its own before I peeled both tabs back all the way. My mouth slowly falling and flustered giggles erupting from me.

It was a pink collar with a silver bell hanging from it. Next to it was a shiny chain leash, with a handle to match waiting to be attached.

ohmygoodness

p.b

:) yeahhhh???

p.b

you like it or you luv it ??

you’re insane

p.b

insanely attracted to you. yes.

p.b

now be a goodgirl & put the collar on, i’ll be there to hook the leash to it later <3

She was coming tonight? I felt nervous as if I hadn’t been on my knees for her a few nights ago, congratulating her on a win. I looked closely at what I was getting myself into.

That tingling feeling came while I went lifted it near my neck.

This girl was awakening things in me.

I’m up to the door in seconds when I hear a knock against it. It’s in a goofy rhythm, so I know exactly who it is. My hands go to fix my hair even though whatever condition it’s in is going to be gone in a minute anyway. I open it a little, then step away, and Paige happily invites herself the rest of the way in.

“My kitty.” Her pink lips give me a smile that’s so warm I feel it. That could be something else. She’s in sweatpants, air forces that always seemed to look new, and another graphic hoodie I’m eager to collect. I’m in the skimpiest nightgown I could find, with the collar snug around my neck.

She opens her arms beckoning me to hug her, it’s tight and I melt in, getting a whiff of her shampoo, her laundry detergent. Paige pulls me back and runs her hands to my butt while she takes my appearance in.

I know she’s pleased from the way she licks her top lip slightly, while her slim fingers slip underneath the fabric that stopped at the beginning of my thighs.

“Look at you, such an obedient sweetheart for me, aren’t you, mamas?” Her voice hums in my ear. “So gorgeous. I knew it’d be perfect on you.” I’m pulled into a deep kiss that makes a thick smack when we pull away, I can’t help but whimper. She goes at the crook of my neck, which is her favorite place when we see each other. Well, one of them.

Paige leaves hickies on me that I stopped bothering to cover up since the second time she proved she couldn’t help herself. I remember her telling me how it turns her on knowing I walked around with her love bites all over me. The way she knows my friends will ask, and I’ll just blush in response.

Pulling away like it pains her to, she admires her work. Her muscular body pressed against me still.

“Missed you so bad..” She says in an innocent tone, flicking the bell on my neck and mouth curling into a mischievous expression when it rings back in response. “Where’s the leash, hm?”

“Bedroom.” I tilt my head towards its direction. Blood starting to rush thinking of which scenario in my head was about to happen next. I knew she’d surprise me anyway. She grabs my hand and gently guides me there, and I follow, unapologetically looking at her with needy eyes.

As soon as we walk in it’s like a switch flips in Paige. Pushing me onto the bed, her lashes low, and her ponytail falling over her shoulder as she stares down at me, eyes full of lust, and ideas. Both her hands hold my face then they move down my neck to my shoulders, so she can push the straps to the gown away. Her mouth is on mine again as she slides it down, beyond ready to feel what’s underneath.

Traveling down my neck again with her lips that seem to get softer every-time I feel them, but this time she stops and pays special attention to my nipples that are already hard from her touch and the air. When she’s not sucking, running her tongue over, and slightly biting one she’s fondling the other gently. Moaning even as she’s doing that, which is making deep inside me stir knowing she’s just as wet as I am right now. I can’t take the teasing anymore. I need her.

“Paige..” I drag her name out with a soft whine. “I..” Stopping because she knows what it is. Her clothed body is pressing against my heat, I roll my hips so she feels it. That’s the only way she snaps out of her trance with my breasts, she gives me a mocking pout.

“Aw, what, kitty?” Her full bottom lip pokes out, but the smile she fights back still curls in the corner. “hmm? tell me, ma..”

“Fuck me,” I breathe. Her smile is full fledged now. But she waits for more. “Ugh, please, baby..I need you..” my body loved the way she forced words out of me. If she opened my legs right now the teasing wouldn’t stop, it’d just move to how wet I am.

She doesn’t open them. Paige gets up and grabs the leash from my dresser, before returning back to standing over me, legs pressed tightly together on the bed, dress down my chest nearly off.

“Turn around.” Paige says. Not asking. More than happily, I sit up. Before I can turn over she flips me herself by my hips. I let out a gasp, it turns grows into a giggle that doesn’t hide how much that turned me on. Turning to look at her, my hands and knees on the mattress, batting my lashes, my back arching. From how she mumbled profanities, as she crawled near me, my taunting did what it was supposed to.

Her fingers go in my hair to pull it to the side, and the other hand loops the collar to the leash with a satisfying click. I start to squirm.

“Too cute...” She slides the dress further down my legs, I’m basically naked, getting unreasonably flustered at her staring at my wet slit. I hear an amused grin in her voice. “Don’t you dare move.” Paige mumbles. I feel a tug on the collar, the bell chimes, a moan hums in my mouth. My eyes closing, immersing into her taking care of me.

I hear her start to slide her clothes off, them dropping to the floor. Then she’s back hovering over me, and her finger slides down me slowly. I can’t help but let my head lower down, Paige grabs the leash up.

“Noo, I wanna to hear you kitty…” She coos, leaning down near my ear. The leash making me arch until I see her face, upside down, eyes still visible against the darkness. She slides her index inside of me, I sharply inhale, and breathe out a low moan.

More are pounded out of me as she adds another digit into where I’m now practically drooling from, twisting and curling them, trying to coax my orgasm out of me. Paige stares down at me, entertained, her mouth slightly open while she works inside me. Fingers so close to her lap she’s moving her hips and hand, bouncing me up and down off them, with the help of the leash.

My eyes are hitting the back of my head, I have to concentrate to focus back in on her gaze. Her expression making my sounds of pleasure louder, closer together. I hear her grunts in her throat each time my ass hits her hips, coming down on her hand.

A knot ties tight inside me. It’s about to snap. Paige doesn’t lighten up on the leash or her strokes. The collar chokes me, and instead of complaining, I wish she’d pull tighter.

“You’re such a slut..gripping me like this…” She huffs. Her fingers rub profusely on my G spot. “About to cum, hm kitten?” Paige breaths out with a small chuckle, leaning down to kiss my back, sweat on her upper lip.

I yelp in response, barley able to grip the covers anymore, reaching back to put my hand on her hip, it makes her add another.

“P-paige, I love-“ I force myself to stop and squeal instead.

“I know, baby. Me too.” She grunts lowly back. My head is spinning, even though we probably thought the sentence ended in different ways.

My legs start trembling as a wave relief and instant exhaustion ripple through me. I feel myself go limp, the third finger sending me over the edge.

Paige lets me face plant into the duvet, letting go of the leash, cold metal hitting my sweaty back. We’re both panting, I hear Paige’s stop in between while she’s licking herself clean of me. She rubs my back with her free hand, an exhausted satisfied laugh comes from behind me. I’m not looking, I just know a smug look is plastered.

Rolling over to look at her, and she’s undoing her hair tie with the facial expression I predicted, blonde strands falling down her back, studying my flushed face. She was still naked, which makes me giddy for some reason, knowing she used to rush to throw her clothes back on.

“Come here..” I lazily wave her over. This time she does what I say. I think about saying it to tease her, but she looks so cute when she crawls on top of my chest and looks up to me, doe eyed, I kiss her forehead instead.

“It was good?” Paige asks soft, seeking reassurance, like I’m not still feeling the after effects of her hands on me. I stroke her hair tenderly, getting turned on by her warm body pressed against mine, her face on my chest.

“Great. Amazing.” I chirp back with confidence. “It gets better every time.”

“Really? I dunno if I believe that…” A toothy grin stretches on her face instead. “I guess we’ll have to go again to test it out..” she shrugs, watching me as she glided her palm up my stomach to my chest again.

I nod eagerly in agreement. I had something to ask her. I can’t remember what.

niyafics©️

#paige bueckers fanfiction #paige bueckers smut #wlw smut #paige bueckers x reader #paige bueckers x y/n

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mumms-the-word · 8 months ago

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Illithid Souls - Part 3

The Case Studies: Karlach and Gale

Welcome to the third and final part of this wild deep dive rabbit hole monstrosity that is the three-part series about illithid souls and whether mind flayers, or specifically you as a mind flayer, have a soul.

If you read Part 1 and Part 2, then you know that yes, illithids have souls, they're just different souls that the gods don't recognize as souls because they're non-apostolic, or incapable of divine worship (as opposed to being apostolic like most humanoid souls). You now also know that you turning into a mind flayer is a bit of a special case because of the Netherese magic in the tadpoles, and this might be why you retain more of your soul than normal mind flayers would.

Also, a quick reminder of the two theories we're working with here: Theory 1 is that when someone becomes a mind flayer they essentially just die and their (apostolic) soul moves on to the Fugue Plane and the mind flayer body just gets a new illithid soul from somewhere. Theory 2 is that when someone becomes a mind flayer their soul is transformed and altered into an illithid soul, which remains tethered to the mind flayer body. BG3 seems to operate more on the Theory 2 side of things, but as we'll see with Karlach and Gale, it's more complicated than you think.

So let's deep dive, shall we?

The Case of Karlach

I'm going to be candid here and say that the mind flayer ending for Karlach makes me really sad, even knowing that there's a very high chance that her soul is mostly intact and she is mostly still Karlach. But there's no denying she's at least a little different, though the game tries to comfort us otherwise after she transforms.

Narrator: *She is transformed. Her body is no longer hers, but her eyes, her heart - she is still Karlach, for now. Only - there's a hunger in her eyes that wasn't there before.*

That "for now" is rather ominous, isn't it? But we have enough evidence from Tav/Durge/other Origins and Orpheus to suggest that the likelihood of her retaining her memories and her personality is very high. In fact, when you talk to her during the epilogue, she does seem mostly the same, though her language has mellowed out to a more formal tone and she speaks less colloquially (and swears less and less).

If you talk to her immediately after she transforms, she marvels that she's still "herself" but also "more," which again reinforces that we all get to be special mind flayers who don't completely lose our souls. But I think there are some interesting lines in this dialogue:

Karlach: This is wild. I'm myself but... but more. Player: I don't like the sound of that. Karlach: Don't worry, soldier. It's still your old pal under all this purple. But suddenly 'I' am different than I ever knew. And my engine, it's... it's... silent. No heat. No gears. Still there, but no longer threatening to explode. Soldier... Player: I guess turning into an illithid has its perks. Karlach: Here I thought I was making a sacrifice. Thank the gods I'm a noble fuck! Shit. I'm gonna be all right. I get to be alive. I get to stay. As a hideous monster, sure. But one that can feel. Think. Live. But I'm still myself. And I know what our mission is. I'm glad I get to the do the honours.

Karlach reiterates over and over that she's still herself, but you can literally hear the change in her voice. Where normally her tone and volume would be boisterous, loud, and energetic, she's now calm and mellow, even when she's swearing. Her tone here is more one of wonder. It isn't just the internal and external fires that have calmed down, her overall demeanor seems "cooler" too.

Also, in her romance ending just before the epilogue, where you're both in the Elfsong Tavern room, you can mention that she does seem a little altered.

Player: I still love you, Karlach. I still want to be with you. Karlach: I love you too. Before, that love was an irrepressible inferno. Now it is a calm, cool object of beauty. Player: I can see you're still yourself, but there's something else in there too. An illithid calm. Karlach: Maybe you're right. I feel less... changeable. Less afraid. I feel ready for whatever is to come.

It doesn't tell us much, but it does reinforce that when we or any of our companions turn into a mind flayer, we likely retain a lot of our former personality, but in a much more calm, even-keeled kind of way. Again going back to the idea that our soul is still there, still mostly the same, but has been made a bit more illithid.

What is more interesting for Karlach, specifically, is her discussion of her diet as a mind flayer. Remember what souls are allegedly made up of? Intelligence, personality, and what else?

Memories.

Karlach: For example, my favourite food used to be mutton chops. Do you know what it is now? Brains, soldier. Brains. Player: Comes with the illithid territory, I suppose. Karlach: True. But I've found ways to maintain my values while respecting that which I am - that which made it possible for me to live. I've made arrangements with a healer in the city. When a patient is beyond saving, but still able to speak for themselves, they're offered a choice. They can go as nature intends to take them. Or, when they're ready - when their goodbyes have been said, their affairs settled, and all that awaits them is pain - I relieve them. When I consume their brains, I am nourished by much more than the physical nutrition. Their memories - from birth to death - become part of me. I've lived hundreds of childhoods, first loves, marriages, feuds and friendships. I remember them all. And in this way, we all live on. Together.

There's so much to unpack here. One, she still remembers her values, even six months later, but is trying to negotiate her former humanoid values (and personality, I imagine) with her needs as a mind flayer. That seems very Karlach, through and through.

But then, when she consumes these dying patients' brains, she absorbs and retains their memories. I imagine their souls still go on to the Fugue Plane, because I highly doubt that mind flayers also consume souls when they eat brains, but it still leaves me with questions. Karlach isn't part of a hivemind, which normally circulates memories between each other, but she's becoming a similar kind of receptacle for memories, and only she is the one that contains them, rather than an entire hivemind.

I have to wonder how much something like constantly consuming and remembering memories that are not your own affects you as a person/creature. Does that eventually lead to a loss of self, as you begin to "live" multiple different lives? Or does it all count as mere knowledge?

In some ways this would put her in competition with any elder brains still out there, but she's also not collecting knowledge for the sake of knowledge. She's collecting memories and living them out in her mind, which is a certain kind of tragedy. She's literally living vicariously through these people because her mind flayer body is too scary to go out and about in, and she's making up for a decade of life she didn't get to live. She's alive, but she's not...living if that makes sense. And again...how long before all these memories start to change who she is?

(An aside. I really don’t think her eating brains and collecting memories keeps someone’s soul from moving on. If you use the spell Speak with Dead, you don’t call back an entire soul, but the corpse still has access to its memories. I think in this case, even though memories make up part of a soul, Karlach consuming brains and collecting memories is more like her downloading a copy of the memories for herself. The dead person likely still takes their own memories with them to the Fugue Plane, where they will be judged by Kelemvor or collected by their favorite deity. She’s just copy/pasting data, not transferring everything from one hard drive to another, if that analogy makes sense.)

This arrangement where Karlach consumes the brains of dying patients is expanded or clarified a bit if you're romancing her during the epilogue, and also includes a reference to souls as well.

Karlach: I can’t wait to say hello, but to be honest, I’m keen to visit the doctor before it gets too late. He said there’s a potential in his infirmary. A very old woman recently diagnosed with a wasting sickness. She seemed interested in what I have to offer. I’ll want to have a good long talk with her before we make an arrangement. Though if I’m being very selfish, I hope she’ll say yes. I’m absolutely famished - and think of all those memories. Player: Glad to hear. I was worried you were getting hungry. Karlach: I don’t hide it well, do I? Some things don’t change, even when everything else does. It’s funny. I’m hungry in my body, but in my soul too. That woman has lived a long life - births, deaths, love, misfortune. And if she agrees, I’ll be able to give her a dignified end, and remember it all in her honour.

Or if you go with a different option:

Player: I'm still not sure how I feel about this arrangement. Are you sure it's ethical to feed on the dying? Karlach: I'm sure of very little these days. But at least this way, I can live. And those who offer themselves to me can live on too. Births, first loves, marriages, losses - I remember them all and always will. Each memory I've consumed is of value.

It's just so interesting to me. One, her remark that she's eager to say hello but slightly more interested in chatting to a doctor about her next meal suggests that some elements of becoming a mind flayer are much harder to ignore. I imagine if she's hungry, she feels less like Karlach. (And I have thoughts, for another post, about whether she becomes "too fixated" on living when she's a mind flayer, given the cost of what it means to stay alive as a mind flayer.)

But she also says she's hungry in her soul. Her soul seems deeply interested in these memories, and I wonder if that's because memories are (or could be) part of souls themselves. Maybe the remark isn't really that deep, but she specifically connects the hunger of her soul to all the memories a long-lived woman will have. It's almost as if these memories nurture her soul, but it's unclear whether that is because it's somehow healing to see and "experience" life in ways she can't now that she's a mind flayer, or if it's because the memories have some kind of tangible effect on her soul/souls in general.

I suppose we won't know for sure. What we do know from Karlach's case, however, is that a great deal of the original soul (personality, memories, etc) seems to stick around even six months later, though there are noticeable changes in personality, such as an overall calm demeanor. There are also hints that consuming brains could lead to further changes down the road, but there's nothing really concrete. Just hints.

In the end, Karlach is still Karlach, and her soul still has plenty of elements of the original Karlach, even six months later. This is a good sign, but we can't completely ignore that her new body/mind as a mind flayer will necessarily mean some things have permanently changed. Whether you judge those changes as good or bad is up to you.

With that said, let's move on to the final and most mind-boggling case.

The Case of Gale

If you play a companion as an Origin run, the mind flayer decision typically works out the same way as Tav...unless you're playing as Gale. Gale gets some extra options at the end of the game.

This is mostly because Gale has perhaps the most apostolic soul that hangs in the balance, second only to Shadowheart, and her soul pendulum swings between Selûne and Shar. Gale, however, seems to be walking on a knife's edge trying to retain or earn back entry into Elysium, Mystra's domain in the Outer Planes. He's allegedly already been there, though not as a dead soul, so he knows what's at stake if his soul suddenly becomes non-apostolic or disappears.

In other words, Gale has a formerly Faithful apostolic soul, but he spends much of the game probably worried his soul will be judged as False when he dies (since he lost Mystra's favor) until Mystra offers her brand of forgiveness, which is essentially "if you sacrifice your own life, I'll let you into Elyisum again." It's a guarantee that he ends up in the afterlife he wants to be in. That's what Mystra's forgiveness really boils down to.

Now, this is a man who does not want to sacrifice his soul, and also (Netherese orb aside) does not want to die if his soul is going to be judged as False by Kelemvor rather than welcomed into Elysium as a Faithful soul. We know that Gale finds the Fugue Plane exceedingly depressing, so I can't imagine he has any desire to wander around it for any stretch of time, even if Mystra does eventually deign to invite him into Elysium. I'm sure the thought of becoming part of the Wall of the Faithless might as well be hell to him.

Gale: It’s a relief to be back in beautiful Faerûn. The dreariness of the Fugue Plane oppresses one’s soul so very quickly.

[mumm's note: yes my man died in service of a Tactician battle against Grym, but he got better]

It's a little surprising to see how adamantly Gale would prefer to choose the Netherese orb over letting himself or anyone he cares for become illithid. Look at some of what he says when he tries to offer the orb as an option for the final battle:

Gale: An easy proposition for the Emperor to make - 'become a mind flayer' - it has no soul to sacrifice. If it did - perhaps it would understand the weight of what it's asking of us. And why we might seek an alternative.

I couldn't get this next dialogue to trigger in my game, but in the same conversation as above you might potentially get the option to remind him about Mystra's offer to cure his orb condition, and even then he reminds you of the stakes that come with becoming a mind flayer.

Player: Mystra will cure you if we bring her the Crown of Karsus. You don't need to do this. Gale: To cure me of the orb, yes. But what of the guilt of allowing one of my friends to sacrifice their very soul and become illithid?

Now keep in mind, up to this point no one has shown any evidence that turning into a mind flayer won't actually mean the total destruction of one's soul. Up until now, the only evidence anyone has of an original soul remaining intact inside a mind flayer body is the Emperor (we have no frame of reference for who Omeluum was before he was a mind flayer), and most of the companions do not trust the Emperor one bit. So Gale genuinely thinks that becoming a mind flayer means your soul is either destroyed or changed so much that it's no longer you.

I mean, think about it. He's half expecting you to take the tadpole the Emperor offers and literally cease to exist. He's expecting to fight alongside a mind flayer who has, at best, your name and a few scraps of your memory, and at worst, no shred of you at all. Because again, up until this point in the game, none of them realize that they could become a special mind flayer who does actually retain most (if not all) of their soul, including their personality and memories.

Gale literally thinks that blowing up and going to the Fugue Plane is better than you or any companion becoming a mind flayer.

But that's in a companion run. Obviously, if you play him as an Origin, you can have him turn into a mind flayer as a different kind of ultimate sacrifice. The decision plays out the same as a Tav/Durge run or any other Origin run. But after the game ends, Gale gets unique dialogue if he (1) sacrifices himself or (2) does not sacrifice himself and goes to meet Mystra with the Crown in hand.

Any run of his sacrifice (aka, using the orb, regardless of whether or not he is illithid) results in Withers finding him in the Fugue Plane for a brief conversation. This conversation isn't much different if Gale is a mind flayer when he uses the orb, since all it does is add an extra option to their conversation that references being illithid ("One illithid for the whole of Faerûn seems like a fair trade to me," which replaces the option "One wizard for the whole of Faerûn...etc").

(An aside, I don't have an Origin Gale run so I can't test this, but I think if he ends his life on the docks as a mind flayer, the way Tav/Durge can with a knife got the stomach, then he just gets the usual Tav/Durge conversation with Withers about how his form has "something of the spirit" about him. See Part 2 if you're curious about that conversation.)

What this conversation with Withers reveals is how much control Mystra seems to have over his soul, especially if/when he's a mind flayer. If Gale decides to sacrifice himself using the Netherese Orb, Withers remarks about how surprising it is that Mystra hasn’t picked him up yet.

Withers: Who flickers there ‘twixt the shadows? Gale, who didst surrender his very self for the salvation of Faerûn. I feared I might not find thee here - that Mystra would have already plucked thy thread from the tapestry of fate. But she may wait a while yet.

It’s a little unclear if Withers uses “plucked thy thread from the tapestry of fate” to mean Gale gets to go to Elysium or something else, and it’s equally unclear whether Mystra waiting is a sign of displeasure or a sign that she is interested in sending Gale back to the Material Plane. She is capable of doing that, after all, and has frequently resurrected her Chosens, like Elminster, if it suits her.

But I highlight this conversation to show that you can get it as a mind flayer, and (if you are a mind flayer during this scene) that Mystra waiting isn't because he's a mind flayer and she can't find his soul. She waits for a minute regardless of whether he's illithid or not. But Withers is certain Mystra will be able to find Gale's soul, because he was able to find Gale's soul and recognize it as Gale.

So, not to harp on this again and again, but it's proof that turning into a mind flayer didn't destroy Gale's soul. It's still Gale's soul, even in the Fugue Plane, even if he's mind-flayer-shaped, and that soul is still capable of journeying to Elysium, should Mystra bother to find it wandering the Fugue Plane (or wherever he is).

But things are a little different if Gale decides to become a mind flayer and then goes to visit Mystra with the Crown of Karsus in hand. Keep in mind, Origin!Gale always has the option to face off against Mystra after the defeat of the Netherbrain, and this face-off is where he decides to hand over the Crown, become the god of ambition, or straight up try to fight Mystra.

However! If Gale is a mind flayer, he gets a secret fourth option.

If Gale goes to meet Mystra as an illithid with the Crown of Karsus and then gives up the Crown to her, Mystra offers to take Gale to Elysium with her. More than that, she offers to literally restore his humanity and cure him of illithidness.

Sort of.

Mystra: So, Gale of Waterdeep, you have become the inheritor of Karsus’ powers at last. What do you intend to do with them? Gale: I came to surrender them. The Crown, the Karsite Weave - take it all. Mystra: This offering cost you greatly. There is no hope in life as an illithid, devoid of soul and conscience. It is within my power to restore your soul, and your humanity, if you are willing to leave the mortal realms behind. Return with me, to Elysium.

No one else is offering this kind of deal to an Origin-turned-mind-flayer. Selûne and Shar don’t care if Shadowheart turns illithid, and Withers isn’t exactly offering to restore souls and humanity (or…mortalness?) to everyone else. This is a signifier of the sheer amount of power Mystra has, yes, but this also hints at some other things.

One, despite evidence of the contrary, Mystra is adamant that Gale-as-illithid is or would be “devoid of soul and conscience,” even though we know that that likely isn’t true (just see Karlach, Tav/Durge, etc). Perhaps Mystra is unaware that Gale is a Special Mind Flayer (seems unlikely), or perhaps she’s simply trying to convince Gale to come with her. After all, what she’s offering is still a kind of reward.

Then again, maybe Gale and/or Mystra fear the long-term effects of illithidness. Maybe over time he would become less and less like Gale, perhaps due to consuming memories, or other factors that come with being a mind flayer. Still, though, saying that his life would be "devoid of soul and conscience" seems like a massive stretch on Mystra's part.

But anyway, the reward for him turning into a mind flayer and giving her the Crown is a restoration of his humanity...but only in death.

Mystra: Return with me, to Elysium. Devnote: respectful - Gale sacrificed his humanity to achieve what she asked. If he’s willing to die on the mortal planes, she will restore his soul and body but in the heavens.

Now before I get to what happens if Gale agrees to this reward, I want to point out that Mystra herself sort of acknowledges that Gale isn't exactly devoid of soul and conscience if he refuses her offer. Here are some of the ways Gale can turn her down, with her answer to each option being the same:

Gale: [Option 1] Thank you, but no. I have someone waiting for me. Gale: [Option 2] Perhaps one day, but for now there is more I need to accomplish. Gale: [Option 3] Being an illithid has its advantages. I'm content as I am. Mystra: Then you are free to go with both my thanks and my promise - henceforth, your prayers will always be answered.

The whole idea of an apostolic soul is that it means the person is capable of worshipping a divine being, and this worship ncludes prayers. She might have said that him being illithid would mean he would be devoid of soul and conscience, but in nearly the same breath she promises to answer all his prayers. So she recognizes something of a soul within him. So why say he would be devoid of soul?

Of course, things get weird if Gale accepts her offer to be restored and go to Elyisum. If Gale agrees, then she fulfills her promise and even restores his place as one of her Chosen.

Gale: I crave nothing more. Take me to Elysium. Mystra: So be it. Gale of Waterdeep, Chosen of Mystra. Cinematic Tag: Mystra transforms Mindflayer Gale back to his human form (hollow) and grabs Gale’s hand. They return to Elysium.

This is wild to me. You see, originally when I started this project I thought I was going to be writing posts about how interesting it is that when you become a mind flayer, your soul is probably hanging out in the Fugue Plane or something, and eventually I’d suggest that Mystra is able to restore Gale’s soul to him because it’s already gone to her domain or she knows how to find it because he used to be so faithful to her. But none of that works now.

Because now I’m convinced that the Netherese tadpole changes everyone into a Special Mind Flayer whose soul is still present in their mind flayer bodies, just altered or transformed. So what’s up with this stuff from Mystra? She recognizes Gale as Gale even when he's a mind flayer and promises to answer his prayers, so clearly there's some kind of apostolic soul thing going on here. So why does she offer to "restore his soul," and also, why only in death?

She does say that she will restore Gale’s humanity, so now I assume that somehow her powers allow her to un-alter Gale’s soul so that it isn’t so illithid anymore. My idea is that she’s essentially restoring his soul to its former state and not, as we might otherwise infer, literally giving him his soul back, as if it were separate from his body. Gale’s soul is still in his mind flayer body, if all the rest of the evidence holds any water, so Mystra must have merely changed it back to the way it was.

quick picture break, this is from Northalix's video, linked below

Which makes me wonder, can a completely original, apostolic-type soul exist in an illithid body? Or does the body dictate that the soul must be somewhat illithid in order to be compatible?

Because the thing is, this deal comes with an ultimatum. She’s not going to let him go back to the mortal realms after she’s restored his soul. She probably could—she’s probably capable of doing that, if only by giving him a completely new body (she's done that before with Elminster). But she doesn’t. The cure comes with a cost. He only gets to be human again if he agrees to die completely and join her in Elysium. There is no undoing the illithid sacrifice, which seems more like a game limitation than a Mystra limitation (although we can certainly brainstorm reasons why Mystra would be so petty as to basically say "I can make you human again but only if you die completely.")

I want to point out that Mystra doesn't offer to let Gale come back to Elysium as a dead guy if he's not a mind flayer. Like, we don't get the sparkly ascension scene if he blows up with the Netherese orb, we get the Withers visit in the Fugue Plane. This Elysium offer is an illithid-only option. If he's not a mind flayer and he returns the Crown, she cures him of the Netherese Orb and sends him back. There's no option to join her in Elysium. Why is this an illithid-only option?

Also, just...I need you to watch the scene.

youtube

There's a lot that bothers me about this. One, the gestures she makes are the exact gestures God!Gale makes when he ascends Tav/Durge if they romanced him and agreed to become a god with him. Do with that what you will. But two...it just gives me the ick. This is a different kind of ascension for Gale. It's a restoration of his place in Elysium, but it ultimately means his premature death. If this is the route you take as him...it's hardly better than him sacrificing himself using the Netherese Orb without becoming a mind flayer. Only this time, we get to see the scene where he goes to Elysium, I guess.

It also massively complicates the whole idea that everyone gets to be a special mind flayer with a mostly-intact, mostly-apostolic soul. If the soul didn't change, why does Mystra need to "restore" it? And if it did change, why is Mystra the only one capable of un-changing it back to its original form (is it because he’s her Chosen and is/was so faithful)?And if such a thing is possible, why offer it and then say "but you're dead now"?

It seems as though her "fixing" Gale's soul was really just her...I don't know, separating it from his physical mind flayer body so the illithid anatomy wouldn't mess with it as much, and then dusting off his soul, which is now bodyless, and taking it with her to Elysium. I'm not saying that's what she did, but that's the weird vibes I get from this interaction. Like, there seems to be some kind of implication that you can't have a fully humanoid, apostolic soul housed within an illithid body. The soul has to be altered somehow to work with the illithid body.

So why not just give him a new body, Mystra??? Fix is soul and give him a new body! You’re absolutely capable of that!

I have so many questions.

Of course, keep in mind that Gale can reject her, obviously, and return to the mortal realms as a mind flayer. She does acknowledge that he has at least something of a soul that can pray to her so...I mean, there's that.

Anyways, what have we learned?

The Summary

With Karlach, we see that being a mind flayer does necessarily change parts of a person's personality (which, again, is part of their soul). Usually this results in a person seeming calmer, more mellow, less emotional than they normally would have been, but it does seem that for Tav/Durge, the companions, and Orpheus that turning into a mind flayer doesn't completely destroy their soul. It just seems to alter it a bit. In my opinion, the soul just becomes a tiny bit more illithid. Karlach’s case does leave us with questions about how “good” consuming and retaining so many memories might be in the long run, but as of six months post-ceremorphosis, she seems fine.

From Gale, we learn that apparently it's possible to restore or un-alter a partly-illithid soul so that it goes back to normal, but this power is extremely rare and likely relegated to the gods alone (or a particularly powerful Wish spell). We're also reminded that keeping recognizable parts of one's soul, like the personality and memories, is a huge surprise, because that's not how normal mind flayers work. We know this from Orpheus, but Gale just kinda reinforced it.

I guess we also learned that Mystra is a massive—but I should keep this civil. We all know what Mystra is.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that she's unwilling to accept Gale into her domain while he is still a mind flayer, even though his soul obviously would fit the bill based on what a soul is/does for the gods. He has a viable apostolic soul, it’s just mind-flayer-shaped!I'm sure Mystra thinks she's being magnanimous by offering him eternity as a human in Elysium, but I think it ultimately just shows how shallow she can be. Gale only gets to come back if he’s not mind flayer shaped.

And I think, deep down, Gale has always suspected that would be the case.

And on that familiar note, my friends, thank you for joining me on this excessively long deep dive into mind flayer souls and things we can learn from the game and the lore.

~*~*~

If you made it to the end, congrats! More gold stars for you!

✨⭐️🌟⭐️✨⭐️🌟⭐️✨⭐️🌟⭐️✨

If you read through all three parts and also made it to the end of this one, you are the real MVP and I wish I had stickers or achievements to give you so you can be like "I survived another three-part deep dive from mumm." But I don't even have a lousy T-Shirt to offer you.

You can have this random picture instead though :> it's my Tav Dani looking very unimpressed by the Emperor's offer of sexy times (sorry not sorry Empy, she's got a man and his name is Gale and she prefers him and all her friends to be tentacle-free)

Enjoy the lore and remember that it's all up to you to decide what you want to keep or reject! I'm just showing you what's out there!

Tags for those who wanted an update! @galesdevoteewife @stuffforthestash

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 meta #bg3 lore #bg3 deep dive #bg3 discourse #gale #gale dekarios #karlach #mind flayer #IT'S DONE #this is the wildest one I think and the one I wanted to write the most so #yay #why do I DO THIS to myself omg

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poppitron360 · 2 months ago

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saw your post abt epic & music theory! Are there any interesting time signatures (non-4/4), key signatures, or tempo changes in epic?

and/or something similar?

Yes!! Charybdis is actually in 5/4!!

For the normies out there, the “4” on the bottom refers to the fact that the bar is counted in Crotchets (or quarter notes if you’re American). The number on the top refers to the amount of them that there are- i.e 5/4 being five quarter notes. Most music you hear is gonna be in 4/4, but another song you might know that have 5/4 time is “tolerate it” by Taylor Swift.

Now Jorge has said many times that one of his main influences in writing Epic is videogame music. I recently watched a video about time sigs in music for nintendo games- linking that vid here (part 1, part 2)- and one thing I noticed is that the “weirder” (translation: more awesome) the time sig got, the more often it was used in a boss battle. Charybdis DEFINITELY feels like a boss battle.

“I told myself I’d never write a song in 5/4 […] And the one idea that kept coming into my head was this idea that Charybdis throws Odysseus’ balance off. The same way 5/4 initially threw my balance off.” - Jorge, in one of his videos explaining how he made Charybdis’ music. Now what’s special about 5/4 specifically, is that it’s SO CLOSE to 4/4. SO CLOSE to what our brains are accustomed to hearing, to what sounds “right” and “natural”, but it’s just that one extra note that throws us off.

At this point in the story, Ody has lost everything. He’s back after 7 years on Calypso’s island, and he’s changed. I love how with each progressing Saga the music gets darker and wilder (re: my post about Scylla being my all-time fav in Epic in terms of music production and composition). The fact that this is the only song in non-4/4 makes it stand out. It throws us off.

Also, the little intro bit to the song (before the electric guitar kicks in)- it’s hard to tell but I believe it’s in 4/4. This is showing that it’s before we meet Charybdis.

What’s interesting to me is that after Ody survives Charybdis and sees Ithica again after 20 years, his instrument switches back to his gentle nylon-string guitar, but the music doesn’t switch back to 4/4. It stays with that extra beat. Odysseus is still shaken.

Even though he’s home, he will always be looking over his shoulder at what’s behind him. He will always be flinching at every noise. He will always see the faces of the men he was responsible for in his nightmares.

It could just be that Jay didn’t wanna have to write the melody in mixed meter, but I prefer this interpretation.

In music, we often count odd time signatures in smaller chunks, which can differ depending on the way that it’s phrased (e.g 10/8 could be counted as “one two three, one two, one two, one two three” OR “one two, one two three, one two three, one two”). What’s interesting about this specific use of 5/4 is that it’s counted as “one two three, one two”. In the video I referenced earlier, Jorge explains his struggles to get a song in 5/4 to be “catchy”. The way he tackled this was to have each instrument + the vocals highlight this rhythm. So even though Ody is being thrown off by Charybdis, he is still in control.

Let’s look at how the melody in the verse reinforces this:

The first four beats of the bar are completely conjunct (moving in steps)- staying within three notes of the root note (1st note in the scale). Then on the 5th beat (the one that throws you off) goes lower than the root:

1 2 3 1 2

You be Her men

must who mes

tioned-

This solidifies the feeling of being thrown off, showing not only how Charybdis but this whole voyage has shaken Odysseus, which makes Poseidon’s appearance afterwards even more terrifying, because we as listeners are completely disorientated by this effect.

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crimsonhydrangeavn · 4 months ago

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Hey there! I'm here to simp for Garret, as usual, but I have another reason to gush today—I absolutely adore your drawing style! Whether it's the colors, the character designs, or the scenes, I just love it all. One of my favorite things, though, has to be the characters' facial expressions—they are all just beautiful!

Marcelo's surprised face? Perfect. Rita's blushing cheeks? Adorable. Camilla's entire design? Has a special place in my heart. And don't even get me started on Teagan's smile—it's so cute, it's almost unfair. But, of course, my ultimate favorite is Garret. I can't handle it when he furrows his eyebrows, whether he's pissed off or has that smug look like he's just hit the jackpot. It's all just so perfect!

Anyway, I do have a question for you—do you have any tips for creating character designs? I feel like the way your characters look perfectly matches the vibe they give off, and I'm starting to work on my own visual novel, but I'm having a hard time nailing down the character designs and I felt I could find good advice from you.

Additionally, I apologize in advance for all the fangirling and for my poor English. I hope nothing I said came across as rude or inconvenient, truly 🙏.

Thanks so much, and I hope you have a fantastic day! ❤🌻

Thank you so much for your incredibly sweet ask! Please, please, please NEVER apologize for gushing about characters for fangirling over them! It always brings a massive smile to my face and I really appreciate hearing how much you enjoy them! <3 I'm incredibly flattered that you reached out to me for advice on character creation and I'll do my best to share my process with you! Granted there are a million different ways to do things so these are just a few things that I've found that helps me in the creation process.

I'll give you a little background about me and my character/story creation journey so you can get a better understanding of my background in writing/character development.

You see I've been a huge fan of text roleplay for the majority of my life. I actually started roleplaying on gaiaonline when I was 12 and I've been doing it ever since. ( Almost 20 years at this point! damn am I old lol) As a result I've had a lot of practice creating and interacting with different kinds of characters in different settings. I've also been playing DnD on and off since high school. That being said, I've had time to refine my craft and create characters that I personally really enjoy and align with to some degree. ( And hopefully you do too!)

That being said, I'll list a few tips and tricks I've picked up over the years below!

Anatomy is key! Yes, my characters are stylized, however I spent a long time studying anatomy and getting a solid sense of proportions, ratios, and musculature. Am I perfect? Absolutely not, but I'm at the point that I can usually notice if there's a glaring error/ something looks really off.

Make sure to put all of the characters in a line up once they're designed! Are their heads the same size? What about their hands and feet? Some slight variations are natural, but if one character's head is noticeably larger than the others, then I'd take the time to adjust. The same could be said for colors. Is one character SUPER saturated while the others are more muted? Unless they're supposed to stand out, consider reworking the colors to make them feel a bit more cohesive.

A basic understanding of color theory is always a bonus in my book! I'd also consider making a general color palette for your game. That way it'll help you make sure everything looks and feels as though it's in the same world.

When I first create a character, I try to think of a general concept of what I want them to be. What's their general vibe? What do they look like? What's their personality like? Ect. Once I have a general vibe down, I try and do a bit of visual research on tiktok, pinterest, tumblr, google, ect. For example, I might have a general idea of what a typical frat bro or sorority girl looks like, but until I actually do the research and look into the kinds of things they wear, how they speak, and their general lifestyle, and real life examples of these kinds of people they'll feel like a flat caricatures of what they actually are.

Then, once I have the general vibe nailed down I start doodling them and playing around with different hairstyles, outfits, body types, ect. I actually have a few different different versions of all of the characters for Crimson Hydrangea! I rarely end up going with my first sketch/ concept when it comes to most of my characters. I also like exploring with different skin tones, colors, and textures/designs.

It takes a lot of thought and trail and error, but once I finally create a character that I'm visually happy with, I really start delving into their personality, backstories, and general psyche. What are their likes, dislikes, positive traits, and flaws? What are their motivations, fears, and traumas? How self aware are they? Then I start asking myself slightly more introspective questions to help me relate to the characters a bit more. What about this character resonates with me? How can I make this character feel more real? What are some traits that we share? For example, Garret inherited my unhealthy perfectionism, Marcelo inherited my love of food and desire to make sure those around me are happy and comfortable, Camilla inherited my sarcastic sense of humor, Rita inherited my unyielding sense of responsibility and unhealthy work-a-holic tendencies, and Teagan inherited my deep rooted insecurities. Granted most of these characters take it to a completely new level than I do in my real life, but at least on a basic level I can relate to them and understand their motivations. That being said, I don't think all of your characters need to inherit a specific trait of yours, it's just something I recently realized I tend to do on a subconscious level to help me write them with a bit more depth.

Let your characters develop a life of their own within your story. It's okay if they end up changing from your initial concept. People in real life are complex and don't always fit into a specific mold no matter how hard they try. They grow and change over time, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worst. Do what feels right for the story you're trying to tell. For example, Garret was originally supposed to be more calculated and methodical. Marcelo was originally supposed to be a lot more laid back and go with the flow. However when I actually started writing them in specific scenarios I realized that they're far more complex than a simplified list of traits. Flaws and weaknesses make them feel so much more real than a "perfect" gary/mary stu.

When it comes to facial expressions, I usually have a small mirror on my desk to observe and reference specific expressions I'm trying to convey. In addition to using the mirror as a reference point, I also tend to make whatever face I'm drawing as I'm drawing it. It's a little silly, but I find it really helpful feeling my facial muscles recreate the same expression. It helps me figure out what the brows, eyes, and mouth are doing at the same time. It's gotten to the point of doing it subconsciously whenever I work/animate/draw. (Fortunately I usually work from home so no one has to see my weird expressions lol)

I think the final and most important tip you should take to heart is to create characters you genuinely enjoy. It'll also help you stay motivated to keep writing them and developing the story, especially early on in the creation process.

Hopefully you found my rambling helpful! It ended up being a bit more of a brain dump than I originally intended haha. That being said, I'd love to see what kind of characters and game you end up creating in the future! <3

#yanderes #yandere #original character #yandere visual novel #crimson hydrangea #yandere vn #ask #crimson hydrangea vn #visual novel #male yandere

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qwimblenorrisstan · 9 days ago

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Oh my god I just finished the Black Ops 6 campaign and whaaaat this game is a masterpiece

(spoilers under the cut, as well as a big rant about my favorite stuff+ theories and parallels between characters I noticed)

You’re telling me that this entire time the mole that probably got Alex Mason, Hudson, and almost Woods killed was (or implied to be) JANE?? And the reason Adler got framed for it was because Jane had convinced herself that Adler had been the one to murder her parents (even though he hadn’t been…)

I never liked Adler much because he just seemed cocky and overconfident to me, but he also wasn’t stupid judging by the billion little cassettes he left around, and the connections he had.

I also love the mentions of Alex Mason, mainly because the Black Ops 1 & 2 campaigns were the first I ever played, so that silly schizophrenic man and his kid hold a special place in my heart.

There were also sooo many hidden details. Like the puzzles in the house, where first you have to get to the boiler room and fix that, then use the black light, find hidden messages on the WALLS, play the piano in that order, go down the secret stairs, do a keypad version of wordle, hack into a computer, then solve some riddle just for 1000 bucks?? Insane.

I loved the level of detail in this game because it really felt more authentic to me. Like did you know that Adler played football in highschool (I think as a linebacker), or that he got his face scars from jumping out of a second story window face first? All just random dialogue. Or the NPC dialogue, where it’ll range from talking about “turning in for the night” to someone’s wife having a torrid affair with her husbands knowing consent?? (yes I did actually hear this dialogue in game)

Something I’m still wondering about is if the person who was talking to Case (in his head) was the devious version of Jane, because we see the voice telling Case to kill Jane in the very end, and seeming angry at Pantheon, which makes me think it might be the version of Jane that Case knew before she went evil. Another reason why I think this is because while Case is under the effect of the mystery gas and therefore the voices, we see Adler being the monster in most cases, with the dialogue even being “I knew we couldn’t trust him,” once, which I think further shows Jane’s delusion even while not fully being evil yet.

Also, the whole schizophrenic “voices in his head” seemed a whole lot like Alex Mason, too. I’m surprised Woods didn’t bring it up, especially because he even noticed Case being out of it a few times and asking if he was still with him. In Black Ops 2 we hear Woods telling David Mason (Alex’s son) that he would “notice him get that look in his eye again, like he wasn’t really there with me” and I think that’s an interesting parallel.

But, if Case survived the whole being infected by the Cradle (even though the voice told him he wasn’t affected by it earlier on in the game?) and being underneath the sea in a crashed helicopter, I wonder if Woods and the rest of his little crew would’ve figured out about it.

If you go through the house right before one of the last missions before it becomes inaccessible, you see almost every character having their own folder in their room, with Felix having one that mentions his worries about Case’s “growing instability”. Felix mentions Case’s nightmares and how he says “Pantheon” in his sleep and whatnot, even saying he might not be stable on missions after his earlier interaction with the mystery gas that made him spaz out.

I think Case even wanted to tell them, with the first dialogue option after the hallucination mission you can have with Woods is you trying to tell him, but being stopped by the voice. In the end, I think they would’ve found out anyway, probably due to something like Felix getting into old footage from Pantheon’s experiments or Case finally being able to talk about it with Jane dead.

Something I also liked was the pacing of the game. It wasn’t all just blazing guns and glory, there were moments where you had to take things slow, had to sneak around, blend in, hide bodies, and I loved the puzzle aspect. One thing I also liked was the mission where you could roam the dessert and choose your objectives.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good action mission, but something about watching Felix stir random vegetable stew while talking to me about the value of human life was nice too. There were also a few mission where I was super tense and it felt more like a horror game, and some where I was giggling.

Honestly, I just need Case to be alive, and then to fix the old house up and live happily ever after while Woods helps raise Alex Mason’s kid. I just need them to all work out their trauma together, for Felix and Sevati to either get together or become best friends, and for them to be a big happy family.

Sorry for the rant, I got a little bit excited.

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deerseye · 3 months ago

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Blind Man Cassidy — The greatest NPC ever created.

Blind Man Cassidy has got to be the smartest and most thought out NPC in RDR2, and I have several arguments as to why that is.

Yes, I am slightly biased given my already extreme obsession with symbolism & foreshadowing.. But honestly how can you not like Old Man Cassidy. I recently just watched a full analysis on his “fortune tellings” ( which i will link here ) & when I tell you how perfectly his readings fit.. I was pretty stunned.

There’s one quote in particular that stands out to me, and this is one I’ve already analyzed and picked apart myself — and it’s “Your whole life, sir, you have followed the wrong star.” Obviously what he’s hinting at is Dutch, given the fact Arthur was with him practically from the very beginning, but this quote can go so much deeper than that. (or I might just be going crazy bc i have an addiction to over-analyzing things). The use of the word star, though. There are plenty of other ways & words he could have used. Something to do with paths, or destiny — but he used something specific. A star.

Made out to be these beautiful things, and in poetry they’re used to represent hope & inspiration. But in reality, they’re just clumps of burning gasses. So while they may look pretty, the fact of the matter is that up close they’re nothing too special or sophisticated — rather a mess and a bunch of heat forming together to be made out as something they’re not. You see what I’m getting at here..

I might be stretching the idea out here, but the way that Old Man Cassidy phrases and constructs his words and tellings is obviously no coincidence. The writers & devs lowkey outdid themselves with this single NPC that you dont even see all that much (unless you’re really lookin for him.)

anyways. yap party. i love symbolism and game theories, i have so many ideas & opinions on rdr2 its insane. i love hearing abt other ppls theories so.. please🙏 send them my way

#rdr2 micah #rdr 2 #rdr2 arthur #rdr2 scenery #red dead redemption community #rdr2 art #red dead redemption 2 #jovier #red dead fandom #red dead 2 #red dead redemption #red dead #red dead theories

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the-blind-geisha · 6 months ago

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Luigi's Mansion 1 - 2 headcanon / Theory

I know the King Boo crown design is different for a reason comparing it through the series. They really didn't expect LM1 to do well for one thing or for King Boo to really stick around as far as him being a main antagonist for Luigi.

But I like making up headcanons anyways for things that have no explanation, so here I go!

I like to think that King Boo knew about the mine in Evershade Valley for some time. The red gem in his first crown could have easily come from there given the properties it seems to hold in general and how he knew exactly where to go in seemingly no time at all when he was set free from his portrait. I know we don't know exactly how long he's been freed, but I'd like to think the king isn't going to wait too long to get revenge on Luigi, let alone the kingdom he helps protect and comes from.

But as much as I do like to joke he has anger issues, the guy can wait to act out a plan so. Again. who knows. Lol

All and all, he needs a gem of some sort to empower his magic. To me, it feels like that gem is meant to act like a wizard's wand or something. He can still use powers without it, but with it, they are amplified. As for his replacement gem, could be his boos located a purple gem first or maybe King Boo stole some magic gem item from the person who foolishly freed him from his portrait in LM2.

Could also be how the person even managed to free King Boo to begin with as that gem and the tactics Gadd has can undo painting prison (if I am going to pull this whole theory away from my own Gijinka version). Maybe the person who freed him once worked at the mine and had a special souvenir. Who knows. The moment he finds a replacement gem, he decides to get to work on the thought of empowering his boo army with the power these gems seem to house.

The only problem he seems to have though is he cares too much for his boos to put them at risk, so he decides then to break the Dark Moon and get the Evershade Valley ghosts on his side. Using mind controlling tactics, he is able to have them work for him in stopping anybody who would oppose him but also experimenting on them with the gems found in the mine.

Better to put a bunch of ghosts you don't care about at risk than your own kind feels very on par with him. It also sounded and looked like those ghosts were in agony, so I doubt he'd want his boos to be forever crippled in pain just for the sake of revenge and building the strength of his army. Thus, he no doubt sees these Evershade ghosts as fodder for the most part. Very indifferent what becomes of them and far more upset when his own falls.

Because I don't care what anybody says. Him saying 'all those ghosts—useless!' in LM3 sounded more like he was referring to Hellen and her employees. Not his boos haunting the mansion (even if they felt like they were a last minute add-on to remind you they're in the game helping their ruler). Rarely do I ever hear him calling his boos as ghosts anyways. He calls them boos more often than not.

#i was gonna write this quick b/c it was storming #and i was tired #but then i got called for soup and it stopped storming so...#i don't have an excuse anymore if it reads wonk PEFT #anyways. i am just rambling #king boo #luigi's mansion #luigi's mansion 2 #luigi's mansion 3 #headcanons #smb #mario #nintendo #mod headcanons #king boo headcanons

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brightstarblogs · 11 months ago

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RainCode Honorifics!

First let me preface this by saying I'm not Japanese so there may be a few mistakes in this post.

I haven't seen anyone else make a post on this so I figured I'd do it myself. I've always found honorifics interesting in Japanese media and often include them in my fics. RainCode is a little different however because all characters go by their first names instead of surnames which most Japanese media typically use (since most surnames are westernized/wacky). This interested me so I wanted to do a little research!

But yeah, if you want to use honorifics in your own fics or just find Japanese linguistics interesting, I hope you enjoy this post! It has taken me 3-4 months to compile this list.

Spoilers ahead!

Yuma: Typically Yuma uses -san when referring to other characters. However there are a few exceptions to this. Yuma uses -chan to refer to Shinigami (because she asked him too) and with Kurumi. He also changes to using -kun for Desuhiko after they arrive at Aetheria Academy in chapter 2/Gum shoe gab 2 to show they're friends (but this could be to reciprocate the fact Desuhiko changed from using Rookie to My man). He does not use any honorifics for the peacekeepers (Yomi, Martina, etc) to show he doesn't respect them and Makoto (Although he will use -san when talking to Makoto). He also doesn't use honorifics on Aiko, Karen, Waruna, Yoshiko and Kurane, although he does use -san when speaking to other students in the investigation.

Shinigami: She tends to not use any honorifics and instead uses nicknames. Most notably Akuma-chan for Halara (Hellara in the dub). When she does use a character's name it is with no honorific. I did notice she uses -dono in the gum shoe gabs when saying Yuma's bond with a character has deepened. -dono is often used in writing letters/emails, but also is used in a lot of fantasy media/JRPGs. Shinigami does reference Dragon Quest in the dub so perhaps this is just her being a nerd (Special thanks too @/rararazaquato for pointing this out). If you want to know more about the nicknames she gives the NDA in Japanese, please look at this post!

Halara: They use no honorifics for any character. The only time I heard them use one was in their DLC when they use -san for their client (They do not use Tetra's name though. They say Ojo-san).

Desuhiko: He also doesn't tend use honorifics. Unlike Halara though he uses nicknames. He refers to Fubuki as Ojou, which translates as Young lady/princess. He uses -chan for Shinigami and Kurumi but also when referring to female characters like Guillaume and NPCs where he'll say neko-chan. He also calls Yuma Rookie until they arrive at Aetheria Academy, where he changes to My man for the rest of the game.

Fubuki: Uses -san for every character.

Vivia: Uses -kun for most characters. He doesn't use honorifics for Yomi or Makoto, and uses -chan for Kurumi

Yakou: Like Halara and Desuhiko, Yakou tends not to use honorifics but there are a few exceptions. He uses -chan for Fubuki and Kurumi. He also calls Seth -sensei when he was trying to deescalate the situation in chapter 1. He uses -san for Tetra, so I think he uses honorifics with clients. I don't know for certain but that's my theory.

Kurumi: Now, Kurumi tends to use -san for most characters. She used -san with Yuma when they first meet, but switches to -chan when he is in disguise in the school to help blend in. She then uses -kun from chapter 3 onwards (and once in chapter 2 when she's held by a peacekeeper, but Yuma doesn't hear her). She doesn't use honorifics with Akio, Karen, Waruna, Yoshiko, Kurane and Shachi.

Makoto: He uses a variety of honorifics. He tends not to use any for Yuma, but also does say -kun. He also uses -kun for both Yomi and Martina/Suwaro. He also uses -chan for Kurumi.

Now onto minor characters where it gets a little difficult due to screen time.

Pucci: Uses -san for Zange so maybe uses -san for other cast members.

Melami: I didn't hear her use any honorifics as she doesn't refer to others by name and tends to use nicknames.

Zange: He didn't call any character by their name so I have no idea unfortunately.

Aphex: Used nicknames so again, I am not sure.

Zilch(?)/Hitman: In chapter 1 he uses -kun for both Yuma and Aphex. He did not address the rest of the cast by name so I have no idea if he'd use -san or -kun for Pucci or Melami. Even then I don't know if that was an act as he is an imposter. He uses -sama however for Yomi in chapter 5 when you find him as a zombie.

Martina: Fun fact, she is actually called Suwaro/Swallow in the Japanese sub! I don't know why her name is changed but this was a fun surprise. She uses -sama for both Yomi and Makoto. She doesn't use names for the NDA.

Swank: He didn't use any names, but I included him because like Martina, his name was changed. Originally he was called Spank in the Japanese sub.

Yomi: Only ever called Martina by her name with no honorific.

Seth: Like most peacekeepers he calls Yomi by -sama.

Guillaume: She tends to refer to Dominic by just his name, along with Shachi. She however does use -sama for Yomi like the other peacekeepers.

Priest: Uses -san for the clock-maker

Teacher: Although this is Desuhiko, in disguise he calls Kurumi by -san.

Yoshiko: No honorifics

Kurane: No honorifics

Waruna: No honorifics

Shachi: No honorifics

Iruka: Uses -san for Yuma but no honorifics for Shachi.

Servan: Doesn't use honorifics for other resistant members, but uses -kun for Yuma

Icardi: No honorifics

Margulaw: No honorifics

Ramen man: Uses -chan for Kurumi. Not sure what he'd use for other characters.

Enyne: Before she reveals her identity she uses -san for Desuhiko

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front-facing-pokemon · 5 months ago

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koraidon is my best friend. my beast. his name is sandwich and i never make him fight ever if he doesn't have to. i yelled at all the characters for insisting he fight. he's a special little sandwich boy.

well! i've. certainly missed out on a lot. let's get through all these

number one! sandwich is a perfect name for a koraidon. the special little sandwich boy

now, everything else:

i. only caught this after everybody ragged on me for not getting it. i dunno HOW i failed to pick up on this but, yes, i've got it now

actually, i was just about to make a proper post asking what i should do with the blog (since i queued up the final pokémon in the natdex yesterday) so i will keep this one on the list of suggestions (hopefully. if i don't then remind me and feel free to drop it in the comments of the post i make abt it)—although there is one option that's at the forefront of my mind..!

this killed me on the spot when i first got this ask. incredible. i queued up iron boulder a few days ago (obviously since i have queued up every single pokémon in the national pokédex by now) but this is funny. be proud

you did yes. that's some commitment. rather powerful especially since i don't think they can even breed. not sure if they can show up in outbreaks though

this is a theory i'm hearing about for the first time from all of you, and it's one that i do quite like. although saying "until you start thinking about it for half a second" feels like you're accusing me of not thinking about it for half a second? probably not but damn. ouch! either way i think this makes sense. i feel like it wasn't explained in game very well at all

POWER CREEP THE POKÉMON YEEEAAAAHh

oh i just call most pokémon "little guys." i quite like the phrase "little guy" and use it to describe most creatures

oh yeah. especially with all their names being nearly identical just "iron (noun)" i feel like their designs are super boring compared to the past paradox 'mons. makes me wish i got scarlet instead

i would, but i doubt tumblr will let me post them, for one, so you'd have to DM me—and for two, they're in trmdl format. whether or not you'd be able to actually manipulate them (or even render them) depends on the software you're using. your mileage may vary

and now, the many, many nose ratings i've missed:

PHEW!! that was a lot! if you're still here, you must be dedicated! if you're that dedicated, expect two posts coming up shortly: number one, a few fundraisers that were sent to my ask box that i wanted to give their own post to not mix it with the regular content. as far as i'm aware, they've all been vetted. and number two, perhaps later: the post asking what exactly i should do with this blog once we reach the end of the natdex. after i get enough suggestions on that post, i'll send out a big poll with the top contenders to truly decide WHAT becomes of this blog once pecharunt posts. thanks for sticking around for this wild ride!

#not pkmn #nose ratings #phew! i would say back to your regularly scheduled programming‚ but you'll get a few more posts outta me today

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who-needs-sleep-not-me · 7 months ago

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Gojo x geto song is be nice to me by the front bottom and people don’t want to hear it.

As much as I love the edits of gojo and geto to mr. Loverman and line without a hook by Ricky Montgomery these songs are not what there relationship is and here why.

Mr loverman

In my eyes this song is about a couple that has come to a end but not do to a break up or something like that but something that is out of their control the line “the ways in which you talk to me have me wishing’ I was gone” adds to this idea is show that speaker has lost the talking about in the song and “ oh what am I supposed to do with out you?” Also helps this theory. Now but to gojo and geto sure you can say that there relationship come to a end out of their control but I would say that geto wanted to break ties with gojo so this song would only fit with gojo for the end was on of his control but we are looking for a song that shows both side of their relationship not just one side.

Line without a hook

This song is about a toxic relationship the has one person giving every part of their self’s to keep their relationship from ending but know matter how much they love and tried the relationship still ended, and now they’re left alone trying to figure out if it was something that they did wrong in the relationship in trying to fix it this theory is supported by the lines “do you like it when I’m away? If I went and hurt my body would you love me the same” and “mama never really learned how to live by herself” show that the speaker comes from a family of toxic relationships and is constantly doubting themselves and willing to hurt themselves to keep a relationship now, this can relate back to Gojo and geto for it shows how at the KFC breakup scene gojo was almost willing to give up any team to keep geto from leaving, but also has the same problem as the previous song as this only shows one part of the relationship part not geto’s

Be nice to me

Now back to the Magnum opus of songs, this song shows both sides of Gojo and geto‘s relationship. I believe that the first verse of this song represents both Gojo and geto in the jujutsu world since they’re both special grade sorcerer’s. They are hold up as the strongest in jjk’s society even though they’re only high school students who are maybe 17 to 16 so them having the world on their backs, would be the lines. “ I have boulders on my shoulders collarbones begin to crack” I think this line will represent the weight of the world on both Gojo and Geto’s backs and the line “there’s very little left in me and it’s never coming back” represents geto after the star plasma mission I feel like that was where he mainly fell because when he saw Gojo and Rika had died pieces of him that believed in supporting the week and being the strong had broke off that was parts of him that he never got back so we don’t have the original geto anymore. “There’s very little left of him”.

And the line “there are certain things you ask me and there’s certain things that I lack”is also back to ghetto. I believe this is directed towards Gojo and the idea of “you ask for me to be a strong as you and say that we are strong together, but you have surpassed me and I won’t be able to get to your level. I won’t be able to stand on the same pedestal that you were on that is a thing that I lack”

The line “in beginning we were winning” I feel like shows how and the beginning of Gojo and geto‘s relationship after they were done with their fighting and they actually got along. They were on this high of believing that they were the strongest together and that they could change the sorcery world that they would be able to win the game with the cards that they have been dealt with in life

The line “there’s no meaning to the words, but we still sing the songs”. Well, I feel like this shows that after the star plasma vessel, how Gojo and ghetto still tried to pretend that they were OK that they were still the strongest, even though Gojo and Geto were suffering the effects of their failure so the words that they were saying didn’t have any meaning to anymore, but they had this song and dance routine memorize so well that they were able to fake it.

And the line “if we all left it alone, I’m sure it will work itself out”. I feel like that’s Gojo when it comes to the entire situation Gojo comes from a clan that didn’t see him as a human, but saw him as a weapon so when he had problems that showed up in his life, the main way how they were fix. It is just ignore it or tell him to suck it up and be the strongest so I think Gojo took that Point of view and the situation goes to believe that if he just left it alone long enough ghetto would come back to how he was he believed that if he did what his clan did with him that maybe things would be different because gojo hasn’t known anything different that has always been his life if he leave it alone if you are the strongest nothing can hurt you

And then the line “you’re a killer and I’m your best friend. I think it’s unfair. Your situation” does obvious coming from Gojo because I see this as after Goja finds out what ghetto did to the village geto is now officially a killer and Gojo was his best friend, his one and only, and after the star plasm vessel. Gojo knows how geto feels when he eats the curses. He understands geto situation and he finds it unfair. That’s why he wanted him to come back with him to help him fix his society, but they had two different points of view fixing it. They both had the same problem, but they had different ways absolving it.

And then the chorus of the song is, “you say I’m changing, I’m sorry I didn’t know had to stay the same.” I feel like the first line you’re changing is coming from Gojo and I’m sorry I didn’t know how to say the same coming from geto and geto taking that as a attack against him because geto knows that he has changed geto knows that his ideals are very different from what he started off as and he deep down, knows that his ideals are wrong. He knows that his ideas won’t get him far, but he’s already too far deep to Change anything he already done the murder. He already has become a curse user there’s no turning back.

No back to go to the lines I try to show motion, but my lines went wet. My eyes went wet. Shows Gojo like I said, growing up in a clan, always being told that he’s the strongest and strongest doesn’t show emotion. Strongest doesn’t feel fear. The strongest doesn’t cry Gojo has been emotionally stunted for nearly his entire life. No thanks to juju and goes to clan so he does try to express his emotions when he does try that, and feel emotion like that. It is hard for him because he’s never taught how to properly execute these emotions how to properly deal with them.

Your flashlight and a dark room for blackouts loneliness you were all we had left after it was all filtered out. I feel like this represents go. I’m not gonna ghetto state. He was in this dark state of mine, and Gojo was supposed to be his flash, but after all the missions and all the stuff like that, Gojo himself wasn’t brightened up to bright geto

And the lines you’re a werewolf and I am a full moon dates that between the two of them one is the moonlight and the other one is a regular person most of the time, but once they see the person, the moonlight they shift into something different they become someone else someone they can’t control and I feel like this is perfect for for Gojo and geto and a relationship

And then the line “you’re changing don’t worry you don’t have to stay the same.” I feel like this is from Gojo to geto. This is Gojo saying that I recognize that you have changed after what has happened with the star plasm vessel mission and I have also change and he doesn’t geto to be the same. This is why I think this song being nice to me is the perfect song for Gojo ghetto because it shows the new ones of both of the relationships and how it changes over their time at did tech and the star vessel had changed them and shape them into the people that we see today again this is just my opinion if you feel like I’m wrong or you have something to add in please do.

#jjk gojo #jujutsu gojo #jjk #gojo satoru #geto suguru #jjk geto #fandom ships #fandom #song lyrics #gojo x geto #satosugu #jjk satosugu #sorry for bad english

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redstringredeye · 11 months ago

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OKAY OKAY I know we are all so happy right now but we ARE listening to a horror podcast so let me SPEAK

(TMAGP 08 spoilers/theory)

my hot take is that Gerry's paintings ARE supernatural, outward expressions of his subconscious link to the fears (???) and that link is why he was in the Magnus gifted program in the first place

GERTRUDE HAS TO KNOW THOUGH you can HEAR that something is up with her. And she tells Gerry the paintings take up too much space and he has to keep them out back??? Gertrude is playing her own game with Gerry's special talents but she is FULLY trying to keep Gerry in the dark about it hence trying to get Sam and Celia the fuck out of that apartment.

Also maybe she “adopted” him as her grandson when she found out what he could do?? Was she working at the Magnus Institute? Did she know Eric Delano and vow to take care of his son again? Or just like… see this kid in danger with these powers and decide to take him on… Gerry wouldn't know if she was lying to him about their familial connection and why she was acting as his legal guardian, he doesn't even remember the Magnus program, whether because of his age or his trauma And I think she wants it to stay that way

I don't think it's nefarious, I am sure she cares about him but ALSO i know that woman can PLOT when she needs to and I’m thoroughly unconvinced by her grandmother act

#also what were they candidates for?#hmmmmm #tmagp #the magnus protocol #tmagp spoilers #tmagp theory #mine

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itzrafee · 3 months ago

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One Piece Chapter Discussion (Chapter 1128)

This week the adventure in Elbaf continues but our cover story takes a hiatus as we get a fun and vibrant colour spread of the Straw Hats on brooms made of bamboo flying alongside a dragon. Luffy and Robin get a special emphasis which is nice since Robin’s taken a bit of a back seat to Nami in the last few spreads. The dynamism of the spread is great too as it feels like Luffy is leaping off of the page. The witch theme is also quite curious as it reminds me of a theory I heard a long time ago that the Emerald City would be in Elbaf. And that Nami would take on both the role of a witch, owing to her burgeoning weather witch powers, and Dorothy. Ussop would be the Cowardly Lion, Sanji the Tin Man, Zoro as the Scarecrow, which would leave Chopper or Luffy to be Toto. But that theory also supposed Vegapunk as this Oz-like charlatan, which we now know can’t be the case so maybe that’s all it was; just a fun theory… Or was it? We’ll get into that in a spoiler filled discussion below the cut!

In the last chapter, people had noticed many many inconsistencies, with people thinking a devil fruit or some kind of magic or trickery at play. With the named character of Loki in the back of everyone’s mind, a lot of people’s minds went to him, thinking that he resembled his namesake, The Trickster God, at least in his proclivities. But with this chapter, some of those minds have changed and chalked it up to Oda’s age and hard work having him make mistakes. I am of a different mind.

It’s interesting that this chapter is called RPG, the acronym for Role Playing Games. A friend of mine recently remarked that it was odd how much of a crybaby Nami was in the last chapter. While Nami is usually a coward and a crybaby, she usually isn’t this much of a mess. Neither is Ussop as Luffy later remarks. As a Table-top role playing gamer and one of those forever Dungeon Master’s you hear about if you ever dip your toes into the hobby, I got heavy TTRPG vibes from these past few chapters. From waking up with amnesia to over exaggerated interpretations of characters to needing to go to town for information to some things just being off… it screams a TTRPG campaign. Moreover what I think might be happening is that some giants who are fans of the straw hats are role playing them in some kind of table top role playing game. It would be quite a novel way to introduce some new characters. Also is it just me or does Luffy not have his Straw Hat on him anywhere? Wouldn’t he be freaking out if he was missing it?

The counterpoint to that idea of it being a representation of a TTRPG game though is that I am not quite sure what end it would achieve rather than being a cool framing device. On the other hand, taking what’s happening at face value does lend more towards One Piece’s themes and central ideas. And the title of the chapter could refer to the Giant at the end of the chapter, who I will refer to from now on as the “Sun God”, and how they basically created a game out of people’s lives. And it would go along with One Piece’s commentary about how those in power try to maintain the status quo through violence and oppression as it benefits them. They use symbols like how this Sun God uses gigantified animals, to represent unquestionable symbols of powers in the shape of gods. I would also love to learn how the series’ view on gods and dieties squares with Luffy as Nika at the end of the day. I feel like there’s a lot more to the story there. Maybe how the same symbols that can bring hope can also be used to oppress people.

Those in power make it seem to those that they’re ruling over that the world that they live in is inevitable and the only one that can exist. And much like how the Straw Hats have shattered that illusion in each and every island they go to, they too shatter that illusion here, through the literal breaking of the boundaries of the world. This also gives some credence to Wizard of Oz parallels as it’s akin to Dorothy pulling the curtain on the deception of the wizard. Alongside that, they’re also told that there’s a road that leads to the Sun God, much like how the yellow brick road led to the Wizard. It definitely fits with One Piece’s themes of the secrets and lies versus truths and revelations. As far back as Crocodile’s deceptions to as recent as Vegapunk revealing the truth about the world sinking, this has always been a constant theme.

But beyond the fact of keeping people in a country like that, it doesn’t seem too much like the Sun God is totally awful. Seeing as they’re skilled at making clothes and really about their “Temple”, it could be that they’re a shut in who enjoys creating models and dioramas and just doesn’t know how to interact with the world in a better way, much like Shirahoshi who was trapped inside and a giant crybaby. The Sun God also being a giant and finding intruders in their home also calls to mind, quite obviously for you all I’m sure, the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. It’s really cool to see how Oda ties all these influences together but isn’t beholden to them in a way where it ever feels like it’s someone else’s story. It’s always Oda’s and it’s always One Piece. One Piece has just got that superpower of being able to work almost anything inside of it.

That aside though, whether real or fake, the dynamics between the Straw Hats have been excellent, with the casual slapstick comedy reaching heights it hasn’t reached in quite a while. With Chopper being found, it accounts for the whereabouts of all the Straw Hats, those on the giants ship and those in this current predicament. I’m excited to see where this goes so I’ll see you all in the next chapter!

#one piece #one piece meta #one piece manga discussion #elbaf #elbaf arc #one piece elbaf #one piece 1128 #op 1128 #one piece chapter 1128

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twisted-tech · 2 years ago

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The Phantom Blot & Crowley’s Identity

Who is the Phantom Blot?

⚠️(Book 6, 7, & Glorious Masquerade spoiler warning)⚠️

Phantom Blot Similarities to Crowley

Overblots and Phantoms are closely related things in Twisted Wonderland, and based on the names, both are probably derived from the same Disney villain: the Phantom Blot. Given blot and phantoms are a major plot point, I wouldn’t be surprised if this Disney villain becomes an in-game character, maybe even a final boss? I want to point out the similarities the Blot has with Crowley to suggest they may be the same person.

The Phantom Blot was created in 1939 in Mickey Mouse Outwits the Phantom Blot. This is right after the shorts that inspired Ramshackle Dorm: Thru the Mirror (1936) and Lonesome Ghosts (1937). Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) was released near the same time.

The timing may suggests that these things are related. I bring up Snow White because there’s lots of evidence to suggest that Crowley is based on the crow from Snow White (the school being themed on Snow White, his outfit being similar to Pomefiore’s uniform, the portraits in his office, etc.)

The Blot was first introduced in comics as a thief who only stole cameras of a “special type” and then destroyed them immediately. It was never said what was special about these cameras or why he destroyed them.

In the prologue, Crowley gives the Prefect the Ghost Camera, saying it’s “enchanted with a special kind of magic” to photograph both the body and soul of the subject.

His appearance resembles ink, sometimes it even drips off of him. “In costume, the Phantom Blot wears dark clothes that make him resemble a living ink-blot, or a shadow, hence his name.” Since he is constantly disguised, his only defining features are his glowing eyes.

Crowley is also always disguised, dresses darkly, and has glowing eyes.

The Blot’s abilities include- but are not limited to- disguise, identity theft, escapology, blackmail, bribing people with false promises, manipulation by using another’s greed/desire for revenge against them, high intelligence, and duping innocent people into acting as his unknowing agents.

Disguise/Identity Theft: Obviously Crowley is disguised with his mask, but he also proved he can change his form when he transformed into a ghost in the prologue. Though he claimed to use a transmutation potion to do it, we have nothing but his word to prove it. This is doubly suspicious since Azul has said that such potions are highly restricted and often illegal. Knowing this, it’s very strange that Crowley just happened to have a potion like that on him, and that he would waste it on a trivial battle with the Prefect and Grim. If he can pop a rare potion like it’s nothing, does that mean he has more? And why have them to begin with? What if he had it on him because he constantly uses them, and the Crowley we know isn’t his true form at all? Or, did he lie about the potion and he actually has an ability, item, or unique magic that changes his form?

The theory that he’s constantly transformed lends itself to many different “Crowley’s Identity” theories, and goes beyond what he looks like without the mask. I use it now to suggest he might be the Phantom Blot that’s taken a more humanoid form, but I also see compelling evidence in the “Malleus is Crowley” theory that this could work for too- but that’s for another post.

This also opens the possibility that he has been turning into other people/creatures and stealing their identities throughout the story. If so, it raises every interaction into suspicion. He could have easily spied on people or spread false information, who knows.

Escapology: I think this works into Crowley’s skill at avoiding his responsibilities and his dislike for the law. There’s less obvious evidence for this, but hear me out: in book 1, he escaped fighting Riddle in order to evacuate students; in book 5, you could argue he “escaped” dealing with Jamil’s overblot by leaving the school and not answering his phone; in book 6, he narrowly avoided losing his job when he was called to parliament. He has a knack for getting out of situations.

Blackmail/Manipulation: There’s too many examples to list them all, but to name a few: bribing Grim with tuna (and not paying up), bribing the Prefect with dorm repairs (only to not chip in at all and let the other students and the Shroud family pay for it), threatening to throw Grim off campus if he didn’t serve as a janitor, and deliberately withholding funding for food, dorm repairs, and a portal home from the Prefect to better exploit them and force them into doing tasks for him. He also only does this because he is aware of how completely reliant the Prefect is on him, having noted on their first meeting that the Prefect is “without a cent to their name” and doesn’t have any “ability to contact their guardian”. He straight up laughs after coming up with this plan so I think everyone already knows this.

Bribery: On top of “bribing” students to do things, he also accepts bribes. In Jamil’s overblot flashback, Crowley confessed to accepting a bribe from the Al-Asim family to accept Kalim into the school and make him a dormwarden. Interestingly, during this scene, Crowley’s tone of voice completely changed from it’s usual over-exaggerated one to a very serious tone. He also accepted a bribe from the Shroud family to allow Ortho to attend school as a student.

High Intelligence: The Blot is described as a master strategist. The trouble with this is that the game is not over, so I can’t really prove yet that Crowley does have some master plot in the works. He does seem to be hiding something though, which makes me think he probably has some plan going on.

Duping the Innocent: Once again, there isn’t really proof of this since the game is unfinished, but Crowley seems to know more than he’s letting on and has a tendency to manipulate other’s into doing things for him. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s been using the Prefect or other students to carry out a more nefarious plan with them none the wiser.

Personality wise, “The Blot is very vain and his desire for money and power is only surpassed by his desire to immortalize his name in ‘the annals of crime.’" “He is very cunning and can come up with hundreds of different plans, from stealing all of the money in the world, to murdering Mickey Mouse.”

Now I wouldn’t say Crowley has shown any murderous tendencies, but he fits the other traits to a T. One of his main personality traits is his desire for prestige and money, seen in how often he talks himself up and how he makes a point to tell people he’s the Headmage of a very famous school. He also hates being outdone by RSA.

The Blot isn’t just any villain-- he is the arch nemesis of Mickey Mouse (I didn’t even know he had one before now). He stands out from other comic villains by posing a true threat to Mickey’s life. “The best part (about Mickey Mouse Outwits the Phantom Blot) by far is the Phantom Blot himself. Menacing and truly dangerous in a way most comedy adventure villains aren’t allowed to be. He’s a real threat while still being humorous and entertaining”.

Crowley definitely has the potential to be hiding a more sinister side. He’s goofy, over the top, and generally sleazy with no proof of being truly evil. However, he sometimes let’s slip the mask, such as when telling Jamil that he had to accept Kalim as a housewarden and his voice lost all it’s previous joviality, or when he seemed to know something was coming just before the CHARON attacked the college.

The Blot’s relevance to Mickey also caught my eye considering the presence of Mickey in the game. Mickey has a history of fighting inky, magic monsters in not only tv shows but games as well. I don’t fully know what the connection between Mickey and Crowley could be, but there’s more to Ramshackle’s history and magic mirror that I bet Crowley isn’t saying.

Magic is an integral part of the Blot’s character: he despises anything related to magic and often tries to steal it from others and destroy it. In some variations, he himself is a “powerful evil sorcerer” and gives his ink to other villains to make them stronger. More recent depictions of The Blot solidify him as a powerful, evil sorcerer who battles Mickey, uses ink to give others extreme power, kidnaps people, attempts to take over the world, and tries to eliminate all magic.

Despising magic is more of Rollo’s thing, so I think they’ll go more the powerful, evil sorcerer route. Crowley has shown a consistant interest in blot, from his explanations of it to the Prefect and later revealing that he searched for the blot crystals after overblots only to never find any because Grim ate them.

Idia mentioned wanting to find a way to “recycle” blot and use it as an energy source, and that STYX was working to research that. It’s possible Crowley is working with STYX considering he implied he knew CHARON was arriving before they did, he let them take him without a struggle, and he was in a private meeting with the two leaders of STYX.

If this is true, then it looks even more likely that he somehow plotted the overblots of the students to better study them. It may be he had good intentions, such as to help research a way to make blot safe. And I’d he did find a way, maybe he’ll start sharing blot with some other people.

Sage’s Island is also the ideal place to do such experiments since it’s remote, and if anything went wrong it wouldn’t hurt the mainland. The game makes it a point to show how hard it is to get on and off the island without the mirror during winter break and certain events.

With the kidnapping people point, this could be applied to how STYX kindnapped students, and you could argue that if Crowley is working with them, he kidnapped them by extension. But even before that, I argue that the Prefect is technically kidnapped as well. Crowley shows no desire to return them home. In fact, he does the opposite and encourages them to get used to the new world and forget about their homeland.

One old theory is that Crowley is constantly in a state of overblot himself, attributing to his mask and the gloves he never removes in order to hide the markings. It is also strange that the Dark Mirror has overblot markings, and that in the trailer, Crowley’s mage stone turns black at the end and his cloak falls into a pool of ink, suggesting he might have overblotted.

The Blot once told his daughter a reverse fairy tale story that portrayed himself as the hero and Mickey as the villain before telling her to dream of “happy endings.”

In general, this fits the theme of the game. The villains are heroes, and history seems to have been altered to portray the villains virtues over their immoral behaviors. The title of the game is Twisted Wonderland after all, so we know there’s something going on here.

Interestingly, though history was changed, it does not portray the heroes as villains. It more of an “everyone wins” situation where all get their happy endings.

Not to get back on the Malleus-is-Crowley theory, but this is also remarkably similar to what Malleus said before putting the students to sleep.

To close off on, the Phantom Blot seems like a really cool villain and I recommend checking out the wiki if you want something to do. Even if I’m completely wrong with the Crowley part, I do feel pretty confident saying that he was the inspiration for phantoms and overblots. Thanks for reading!

Sources

https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Phantom_Blot#Background

https://twisted-wonderland.fandom.com/wiki/Twisted_Wonderland_Wiki

https://twistedwonderland.miraheze.org/wiki/Twisted_Wonderland_Wiki

https://rachelbethhines.tumblr.com/post/174145090021/the-best-of-disney-comics-part-10

#twisted wonderland #twst theory #twisted wonderland theory #dire crowley #twst crowley #the phantom blot #twst phantom blot #twst crowley theory #dire crowley theory

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