#heres the preface to that

[thatnununguy]

I guess better late than never, right?

[sublimerences]

In light of Eitaku/Aotsumi somewhat like kinda sorta really getting confirmed to some degree, I kind of want to yap about how crazy they both are

(Warning for Spoilers + discussion surrounding the Prologue, True, Multiple Eitos, and Goodbye Eito Routes Below)

Like, where do you begin here? They’re practically made for each other, Takumi killing him [and absorbing his hemoanima] in route 0 was /the/ damning act that bound them together for every reset thereafter. They bring out the absolute best and worst in each other, and prove that they both, deep down, lack the strength to carry out their convictions despite the gravity that they’re treated with. They both possess qualities that, at a surface level, seem completely at odds with their respective goals.

Takumi is, as we know, majorly invested in saving everyone — he takes on this savior/martyr role where he shoulders basically every act that requires judgement some way or another, including everyone’s burdens and the continued war effort. He is so deeply entrenched in the belief that if no one else does it, he has to, to the point of actually being pretty brutal about it; in these positions where he has to make increasingly difficult decisions, he’s the one who has to choose the most pragmatic options — even if it directly leads to others, and often himself, getting hurt — for the sake of survival, to make it to the end of the 100 days.

Really, there’s a sort of resignation to Takumi’s character where he actually ends up being pretty complicit to [often needless] violence when the situation “calls for it” (ie. Eva getting repeatedly tortured). He’s not usually in a position where he protests wrongs (even if he internally disagrees with them), instead seeing the war (and by extension the violence associated with it) as an inevitability — an immutable factor. He’s more on the reactive side than proactive. If given the mullen, he will bite it, often unquestioningly. Takumi is a character that changes drastically depending on the choices that are made, but I’d argue on an overarching level that it’s the possibilities that he considers that really define him as a character. Everyone knows that Eito’s skill names (judge, jury, and executioner) reflect him on a personal level, but Takumi is put in the same position time and time again, as well. (Notably, Takumi’s foreknowledge and past experiences do have the tendency to inhibit his ability to make sound judgement — there’s a reason that court of law deems evidence of other unrelated crimes inadmissible because it interferes in judging the here-and-now).

* One of my favorite aspects of the Multiple Eitos route is Takumi’s tangible shift in thought process — from “Why didn’t I choose to spare him?” to “Why did I let him live in the first place?” I like how the true route sort of pushes that further, in the way it encourages you to take certain options (choose Kyoshika, to help Nozomi and Kurara reconcile, and because she has additional dialogue that makes her death seem less cruel and more willing; choose Gaku because he is vital to learning more information; let Shouma kill Eva because it is vital to learning more information and because Eva is an ‘uncontrollable and unstable variable’ not worth investing in any longer). He’s so viciously pragmatic at times — a true “Whatever it takes” mindset (and showcase of his circular reasoning).

On the other hand, there’s Eito, who lands on the opposite side of the spectrum with this “Hell is other people”-oriented worldview (a fallacy of mind projection). He hates humanity with a passion, he believes himself fully righteous having been given the ability to see humanity for what it really is, and thus he feels justified in carrying out the extermination of all of humanity. There is an emotional core to his ideals despite him initially presenting cold, harsh logic and cunning — the fact that he grew up isolated from the world around him, in reality wanting companionship but being unable to trust in it both due to his affliction, being alone in his affliction, and the evidence he bases his logical argument around (the books that he read). Even then, the books themselves end up being a supplement to his lack of human connection, a grasp for some sort of understanding — for something to reaffirm the world he views on an outward level so as to justify it(s) (and his) existence. With Eito, there’s a repeated motif surrounding him about what it means to be defective, a glitch, an aberration, an uncontrollable variable that’s (as stated later on by Sirei) not meant to be there — something that Eito protests long before the nature of his exact existence is revealed. It’s clearly a doctrine that he is intimately familiar with having grown up more or less confined to a hospital after his own parents — who are supposed to be the very epitome of unconditional love (which extends to forgiveness) — gave up on him, leading to his inability to comprehend it.

I should say, the intriguing part about Takumi to Eito is that by the first reset, Takumi has effectively made himself an outlier just as Eito has been; it’s the fact that Takumi has the option (and is narratively compelled) to give Eito not just a second chance, but a third chance, at living and proving himself despite having multiple timelines (as a testament to his ability to be irredeemably reprehensible) stacked against him. Would I call it unconditional love, per se? Not really. But it is this idea that, in spite of all of Eito’s faults and his standing as a variable that is technically illogical to keep around during a war that begs vicious and inhumane pragmatism, Eito has a right to exist. It’s this that has him opening up his world just enough to let the Special Defense Unit exist beyond a generalization — or to at least entertain the idea of it.

* On a semi-unrelated tangent, the choice to have Eito literally rip out his eyes and replace his previously clear-viewed lenses with tinted frames is absolutely interesting thematically; although there is the aforementioned emotional point in his worldview, he tends to operate on a sort of unrelenting vicious logic when it comes to humanity that leaves little to no room for stragglers. He places a lot of value in his judgement and where he stands so as to make [what he perceives to be] the correct choices both strategically and when it comes to justice and comeuppance. He puts an insane amount of pride in his ability to ‘see clearly’, so both the fact that he willingly discards that and sees it as absolutely necessary to trust the others as his comrades goes to show that he believes himself to be impeding on his judgement to take that leap.

That said, Eito’s perspective, while very extremist, is absolutely a necessary counterbalance to the war effort and the predatory nationalism of the Last Defense Academy. Takumi states time and time again that he dreads learning new truths, often wishing he never learnt them at all. Eito, on the other hand, actively searches for the harsh reality of the aforementioned war effort even if it comes from a place of bad faith. Just the introduction of skepticism goes a long way, and it’s that that allows the others to humanize the Futurans instead of giving in to the rampant propaganda presented by the Academy. At the end of the day, it’s about reaching this middleground: “humanity can be terrible, we have been made to do something terrible for the sake of survival, but that doesn’t define our future — we can take the initiative to right the wrongs of our predecessors.”

Anyways, when it comes to Eitaku, there’s a definite push-and-pull dynamic here. They have the mutual ability to bring out the best in each other just as they have the ability to bring out the absolute worst. As stated, a defining part of Eito’s character is his need for autonomy and control when the circumstances of his birth were outside of it (control is a facet of Takumi’s character, albeit in a different way — ‘Its your future!’). By killing Eito, Takumi is both corroborating Eito’s cynicism regarding humanity and completely removing his agency — his opportunity to redeem himself.

In ways of the former, it’s about bringing each other to the very brink of hate-filled insanity as a twisted form of companionship (Eito absolutely sees Takumi as his nemesis, but up until then was seen more like a roadblock to work around for Takumi. Multiple Eitos revolves around actualizing the former until it’s mutual. This, in itself, is a form of understanding. For Takumi, dropping down to Eito’s level; for Eito, radicalizing Takumi up to his). As for the latter, the Multiple Eitos Route is exactly about repaying that in kind (literally taking over Takumi’s body, denying him the ability to save his friends, making his time-traveling escapades effectively moot).

What’s neat about Multiple Eitos is that it is technically a foil to Goodbye Eito and the True Route. While Multiple Eitos showcases Takumi’s capacity to be rationally cruel to the point of irrationality, the latter routes are case studies in Eito’s ability to display genuine kindness (it’s so important to Goodbye Eito that it’s children that Eito encounters in the perimeters, especially when there’s both a certain sort of childishness to his ideals, and the fact that he killed whomever tried to befriend him as a child; he is given the opportunity to perpetuate the cycle of hatred and isolation he suffered as a child but chooses not to, encouraging them to find community. In a way, the true route encompasses ideas of breaking such cycles, Takumi doing a similar thing when he and the group voluntarily accepts death to stop the massacre of the Futurans — when Nozomi chooses kindness by reaching out to them in spite of the tragedy of her situation).

Tldr; I guess what it really boils down to; I can fix him… or I can make him worse.

[fujii-draws]

The Great Dusknoir (but human)

[biasomnia]

1st image is stolen from Twitter, 2nd and 3rd are stolen from my instagram. As someone that was excited for Ibuki, I was disappointed (but as a HiiroP and just Amagi bro fan, unsurprised) and it was egregious enough to need to demand change. As a RyuseitaiP, this hurts me so deeply. These are the characters I can see myself most in, the unit based on holding onto what you love and never letting go of it, and protecting it. Shinobu would not wave it off, his unit wouldn’t wave it off. Not only does it mischaracterize Shinobu, but it a way that mischaracterizes the rest of the unit.

Give the superhero unit their autism back, let him love his interest deeply and cry when it’s hurt or taken away. Let us love enstars deeply and cry when you hurt it, Happy Elements.

[magikkittenz]

I think it’d be funny if Spy fell hard for this guy

[pureanonofficial]

LES MIS LETTERS IN ADAPTATION - Preface (Les Miserables - Takahiro Arai)

So long as there shall exist, by virtue of law and custom, decrees of damnation pronounced by society, artificially creating hells amid the civilization of earth, and adding the element of human fate to divine destiny; so long as the three great problems of the century—the degradation of man through pauperism, the corruption of woman through hunger, the crippling of children through lack of light—are unsolved; so long as social asphyxia is possible in any part of the world;—in other words, and with a still wider significance, so long as ignorance and poverty exist on earth, books of the nature of Les Misérables cannot fail to be of use. HAUTEVILLE HOUSE, 1862.

[emily-escott]

Rapidly made this to send to @dramaticeyerolls (the topic of conversation maaaaaay have been an actual, full length comic she miiiiiiiiiight be helping me develop)

[synchodai]

Pet peeve: I am so miffed by "Why are all the villains in BG3 men?" takes, because it usually involves downplaying the narrative importance and villainy of the female antagonists we do have. Sometimes they'll acknowledge Orin but actively ignore Mizora, Minthara, Z'rell, Viconia, Shar, the godsdamned Elder Brain. "But the Elder Brain isn't woman—" Look, if you classify the Emperor as a "man" in your gifset showing off all the male villains, I don't see why the Elder Brain can't be a woman.

[mousemannation]

what- all three of them?!?!?

[walkman-cat]

gatsby costume designs part 3!!

it’s him….. the great gatsby………….

i don’t really have much to say about this one other than the year 11 playing gatsby is Not Pleased that he has to wear a pink suit and have a middle part lol

[fellhellion]

and if i have something to say abt that henry defending hans scene.

[naamah-beherit]

Fuck it, sneak peek Sunday.

Yet unnamed Hualian fic:

He puts a hand over his heart. “Here, too.” “They didn’t—” “Not at the temple. The dowel in the coffin.” The handle of the brush cracks, but doesn’t break. “What should it look like?” “Round. About…” Blunt pressure against his skin. Over him, Lang Qianqiu’s face, contorted and tear-streaked, teeth bared in a snarl befitting an animal more than a prince. A hit of a hammer and an explosion of pain and then—nothing. For a while, at least. It never lasted.

Chapter 2 of god better save the queen because the eye definitely won't:

They are assigned a handler, one Miss Virginia Bennett: a tall, stern woman with light-brown eyes and a frown that seems to be permanently etched into the forehead of her triangular face. She resembles a cat more than a person, which is why Jon immediately takes a liking to her. “Mr Magnus and Mr Magnus’s Archivist,” she announces, eyes fixed somewhere between Elias and Jon’s heads as they come to a stop in front of her. She’s holding a calendar thick to bursting with sticky notes and bookmarks. “Welcome.” Elias pointedly clears his throat. “It’s Bouchard, actually. Elias Bouchard. Jonah Magnus was the esteemed founder of our Institute. It would hardly be possible for a man dead for two hundred years ago to come to your aid, Miss Bennett.”

Chapter 2 of the crown you've placed upon my head:

Before, in coma, Jon was an epitome of stillness. His brain activity was at the minimal acceptable levels. His heartbeat was steady, save for a few erratic spikes during surgeries that put his broken bones together with metal and Martin’s hope. His breathing never wavered, regulated by the ventilator pushed down his throat. Whenever Catherine allowed it, once Jon passed the threshold of on the bring of death into just critical, Martin sat by his bedside and watched like a hawk for signs of activity that wasn’t machine-induced. But there are signs now: twitching of fingers, erratic throat movements, fluttering eyelids of half-closed eyes. With a heart in his throat—stupid, stupid Martin and his baseless fears—he glances at Jon’s rapidly moving eyes.

Chapter 14 of of death, and love, and absolution:

“Gege!” Yan Hai cries out like the overbearing idiot he is and makes a move towards Xie Lian, and Hua Cheng acts before he thinks. In one moment, Yan Hai is advancing with his arms outstretched, and in the next he hits a tree a dozen bu away. It took no effort, not even a flick of hand. Around him, the realm itself lingers in waiting for his command. “Is that Yan Hai?” Xie Lian asks in the silence fallen between them. The ghost fires, having skittered away, slowly return, but remain behind him, keeping distance from Hua Cheng. “That’s me, gege,” Yan Hai calls out from the heap of limbs he’s crumpled in under the tree. One questing branch slips into his hair; he flicks it off and clambers to his feet, his flickering form unsteady and slightly transparent. “Has Xiao Hua—oh shit.” Hua Cheng sees the exact moment in which Yan Hai realises who stands beside him, who took him in with the rest of the fires, who cared for them all without ever expecting a word of gratitude, whom exactly have they been calling ‘gege’ for lack of a better form of address and a face to go by. His eyes widen, his eyebrows shoot up, his mouth hangs open, and Hua Cheng would have cackled if only he didn’t dread next words that would come out of Yan Hai’s mouth like he hardly dreaded anything in his life before.

Chapter 14 of Shades of Flame:

‘Perhaps’ is an uncertainty, and Ghost has never done well with it. Nameless is a blank, unreachable spot in their perception. The flame sat in the depths of Ghost’s Void is churning with echoes of the faraway unease of the Nightmare’s Heart. The skittering of the wyrm’s many claws against the polished floor of his den is gnawing on their self-control one step at a time. Grimmchild’s absence is akin to a hole ripped in their side. Grimm swings from charming to threatening at the speed Ghost has never experienced before. The spider queen by their side reeks of blood lust. There will be violence done here, and the only question is who will be left standing at the end.

[pigeon-butch]

I certainly have my own concerns about the treatment of moo deng but um. well i think some of you may just be racist

[capseycartwright]

never been to a concert solo before may of this year and now i am at my third. that’s character development baby

[surreal-duck]

the farmer, the drawing and spring onions

Quitting his job was easy enough. Throwing everything away to follow his late grandfather's letter to a small town in the middle of nowhere, not so much.

It's been a couple weeks since Midori had moved into Stardew Valley. The old, abandoned farm was a piece of work, nothing like Midori remembered when his grandfather was still alive. Looking over the field, he could clearly recall his grandfather's figure, hunched over and hard at work among the season's harvest. After his retirement, and Midori's parents setting up shop by the city instead, the place eventually fell into disrepair. Instead of the carefully planted crops and lovingly cared for fields, in his view was a thick, overgrown forest, scattered boulders and logs, and an only growing invasion of weeds.

Trudging along the dirt path with the morning harvest, Midori made his way into the nearby town. Birdsong filled the air, the crunching of fallen leaves beneath his feet offering accompaniment. Upon arrival, a familiar voice called out to him.

"Midori-kun! Already hard at work this morning, huh?" Black hair with red streaks bounded towards him.

"Just the usual, Tetora-kun," Midori sighed, "I didn't think managing a farm on my own would be this much work..."

Between wrangling the ever-expanding weeds, tripping over rocks and fending off crows, he could only wonder how his grandfather had dealt with it all on his lonesome. An especially nasty one had nipped at his hands in a show of challenge. How gramps put up with this for decades remained a mystery to him.

His friend laughed, "Well, if you ever need any help, just give me a shout! I'm sure Shinobu-kun wouldn't mind lending a hand either."

The townsfolk were nice, and he had made a few friends already, like Tetora and his friend Shinobu. The saloon's bartender Morisawa had given him a hearty welcome despite Midori's protests, and his partner Shinkai was... rather eccentric, having beckoned Midori to the beach with a barely legible soaked note in the mailbox, only to appear out of the water to hand him a fishing rod and float away. He tried not to think much of it.

Parting with Tetora, Midori watched as his new friend raced away to the side of tall, slightly intimidating, muscular man. Must be the chief he's talked so much about, he thought.

Midori stopped by the bulletin board hanging outside the general store on a hunt for new requests. With the farm needing repair, money for buying new crops and setting aside any change for food, any extra funds would help. Whether its slaying slimes, mining copper pieces or fishing for sea cucumbers, he'll take them if it's within his ability.

The board was as crowded as usual, fresh papers stacked on top of the torn, weathered ones. Midori's eyes skimmed through the calendar, taking notes on the few upcoming birthdays of the various townspeople. Maybe he'll pick up a present or two if he had the time.

That was when a certain poster caught his eye.

Obscured by and tucked away behind several other fliers, a request for spring onions was put up, accompanied by a crudely drawn illustration. Shaky lines drawn haphazardly, a misshapen silhouette, and something curiously akin to a pair of eyes. One might have mistaken it for a sort of cursed talisman, it was almost as if some malevolent aura was emanating from it.

Horrendous as it may be to anyone else, Midori was awestruck at the masterpiece before him. Was it hand drawn? Who was responsible for such a work of art? How could anyone hide it away like that? He was brimming with curiosity. After a few moments of admiring the drawing, he turned his attention the the words below, where 'Please contact Fushimi Yuzuru' was handwritten in a neat font.

Midori couldn't recall meeting a Fushimi Yuzuru before. Maybe he missed someone while greeting the townsfolk? Pelican Town wasn't very big, but the possibility remains.

I'm sure I have some spring onions with me from yesterday... Midori rummaged through his bag, confirming as such, and proceeded to enter the store. Though, instead of the old geezer that usually manned the cash register, he was met with the sight of a dark blue-haired man, one who seemed not much older than him.

With his back turned towards the door, he had yet to acknowledge Midori's presence. He wore a gentle smile as he talked into the phone by his ear.

"...Yes, Young Master, I understand. Are you eating well? If I so much as catch word of you slacking on your studies, please bear in mind I won't hesitate to head there myself and whip you back into shape." A few audible protests spilled from the speaker as the man only chuckled. "Then, have a good day, Young Master. You know you can always give me a call. I know you weren't very thrilled by the rooming arrangements beginning this semester, but please do try your best to get along with Tsukasa-sama."

Having noticed Midori's arrival, the unknown cashier quickly ended the call and turned towards him with a polite smile.

"How may I help you?"

"Oh, um, I have some crops from my farm I wanted to sell..."

Midori quickly unloaded the contents of his bag, looking up for a moment at the young man as he priced his crops accordingly. Upon closer inspection, he found that his slightly messy blue hair, long eyelashes and the mole under his right eye were rather... attractive?

He said something about a young master... is he from some well off family? Assorted theories crossed Midori's mind. What would someone like that be doing out here in the middle of nowhere?

Midori snapped out of his thoughts once the young man spoke up.

"You must be the new farmer, I presume?"

"Ah, yes! It's Takamine Midori."

"Then, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Takamine-sama." He handed Midori a sack of coins in exchange for his crops, once again with that perfect customer service smile of his.

Takamine-sama? "A-ah, same here..."

Midori turned to leave the store, before suddenly recalling the request for spring onions he had taken earlier. Whipping his head back to the sales counter, he asked, "Actually, before I go, do you know anyone who goes by Fushimi Yuzuru here?"

The cashier stared at him with slight surprise. "Yes, that would be me. Is there something you need from me?"

Midori's face quickly morphed into that of surprise, and then awe and excitement. He attempted to stutter some sort of reply, to no avail, before remembering his original goal. After a few moments of fumbling around his bag, Midori took out the spring onions and held them towards him.

"Um, I saw you were looking for these from the request you put up outside, and I just happened to have foraged some last night, so...!"

"Oh! Why, thank you very much."

Yuzuru inspected the the vegetables closely, brushing off dirt here and there, before returning to meet Midori's gaze with the brightest smile of the day. He took a handful of extra coins from his apron pocket, much more than what was initially promised on the poster.

"Do keep the change. I've left that request up for a few days now, and was beginning to doubt anyone would take it." A drop of sweat trickled by his face. "Perhaps adding the illustration wasn't the brightest idea..."

Midori's eyes widened.

"Wait, so... you really did draw it yourself?"

"Hm? Yes, why?"

He squeezed the poster a bit closer. Midori couldn't believe his ears. Here, right here in front of him, was the very genius whose undoubtedly skillful hands had drawn the most awe-inspiring piece he had ever laid his eyes on. A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth, any sign of his usual tired expression was now wiped away with the pure, unbridled excitement he displayed. By no means would he let the chance of a lifetime slip right past.

A few onions were knocked aside as Midori fervently reached across the counter. Taking Yuzuru's hands in his, not even the man's startled face could deter the sparkling eyes focused solely on him.

If there was anything Midori knew at that moment, it was that he'd want nothing more than get closer to the wonderful artist before him.

"Fushimi-san— no, Master Artist!"

"...Pardon?"

[thatsrightice]

hey fellow aviation enthusiasts, everyone point and laugh at Boeing with me

and my personal favorite…