#i love ironies and metaphors and symbolisms and and

[podoro-vines]

🌻: “please… hug me”

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing References: For the Poets

A List of: Terminology Part 1 2 3 4 5 ⚜ Genres

Forms: Tercet ⚜ Quatrain ⚜ Cinquain ⚜ Sixaine ⚜ Septet

Forms: Ottava Rima ⚜ Spenserian Stanza ⚜ Sonnet

Found Poetry ⚜ Hamartia & Hubris ⚜ Meter ⚜ Mood & Motif

Imagery ⚜ Irony ⚜ Common Metaphors ⚜ Mixed Metaphors

Symbolism ⚜ Theme ⚜ Tone (Examples)

How to Write Poetry ⚜ How to say, "I love you"

Famous Lines

For last year’s words belong to last year’s language, and next year’s words await another voice (T. S. Eliot)

He was my North, my South, my East and West (W. H. Auden)

"Hope" is the thing with feathers (Emily Dickinson)

I wandered lonely as a cloud (William Wordsworth)

She walks in beauty, like the night (Lord Byron)

‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all (Tennyson)

To be or not to be: that is the question (Shakespeare)

Poetry Prompts

Poetry is... ⚜ First Lines ⚜ Last Lines Part 1 2

List Poem ⚜ Persona Poem ⚜ Poetic Map ⚜ Portrait of a Poet

Lemons ⚜ No Words ⚜ Rewrite ⚜ Untitled

Talking to Art ⚜ The Invisible ⚜ The Persona ⚜ The Same Thing

Writing Notes

Emotions ⚜ Fossil Words ⚜ Palindromes ⚜ Writers' Sleep Habits

George Orwell: On Poetry ⚜ Nonsense Poetry

Virginia Woolf: On Words ⚜ Sensory Words ⚜ Terms of Endearment

Symbolisms: Colours Part 1 2 ⚜ Food ⚜ Numbers ⚜ Storms

[spottheantisemitism]

Magneto and Holocaust Inversion (Many Such Cases)

Case #1: He who fights monsters ( UXM #150 I, Magneto - Chris Claremont)

So this was my first X-men comic I got at a con at a discount so THIS was my introduction to Magneto. I love this comic to bits. It's a great scene

While this sudden breakdown is quite good there's the pieta symbolism between two jews and there's the distinct implication of "I'm no better than the Nazis" in his breakdown (you are allowed to fight me on this as not counting as holocaust inversion)

to pivot Magneto this much Claremont pretty much had to do something akin to holocaust inversion because Lee and Kirby wrote him as a fascist coded character and Claremont couldn't not have Jewish (and Romani?*) holocaust survivor who was likely sonderkommando not realize the irony of his actions.

Also we get more Magneto backstory and depth in ONE PAGE than any comic before and most comics since

Case #2: No equals (Magneto Rex episode 3- Joe Pruitt)

Listen the Genosha metaphor was clumsy when Claremont wrote it but the hands of Joe Pruitt, it sounds like a Soviet psyop about the evil colonizer Jews who like apartheid.

While Pietro is one of the few people who get to say the "you're making us look bad" line and it landing in and out of universe the way it's presented is the most simplistic argument possible

The implication of "he's gone full circle and become the oppressor" is clear and this time painfully intentional. The fact that these people are imprisoned for having legacy virus- the x-men equivalent of aids just makes it all worse

Case #3: A mad old terrorist twat (New X-men: Planet X -Grant Morrison)

^ tw for misgendering Grant Morrison who used he/him at the time of publication but use they/them now.

Many people have pointed out that part of what stings when Morrison separates McKellen from the "schizoid-conflicted" Hitler reborn terrorist twat Magneto is the former is a gentile and therefore more deserving of their respect. The implications that Magneto is like that because his ideas are dumb and out-dated mirrors the way antisemites claim that Jews are gentiles over "their made up fairy tales".

I don't think Morrison is so much an antisemite as the kind of fanenby hypocritical chud who loves the silver age (bad era to fandomize and idolize, Grant) exactly as it was. They love when THEY get to make Beast or Ice man gay but hate when a Jewish writer makes a wannabe dictator a Jewish holocaust survivor. We get it Grant, rules for thee but not for Jews. No, no they'll rewrite the character as literally Hitler to show that only Morrison gets to re-write X-men comics, antisemitic implications be damned.

Well you made one thing clear, Grant sweaty, you hate retcons and the art of Jewish writers whose politics and visions you dislike.

screenshot source:

Case #4: when your boyfriend invokes Godwin's law (House of M: Civil war #3)

I feel like Charles only gets away with this because they're such close friends (who canonically share a room) and he's been through a lot in this issue.

To be fair "you twisting semantics won't save people from fanatics who want genocide" is the BEST comeback to holocaust inversion I've seen in an X-men comic

the framing here is both of them are wrong and Magnus (that's one of Magneto's human names) is clearly in the right about this. The humans may think he's Mutant Hitler but that's because they're projecting

(sorry for making you read sideways and making you read something I took a picture of IRL)

Case #5: The oppressed becomes the oppressor (X-men 97 episode 2)

Magneto's speech in X-97 has been said as a watered down version of his speech in Uncanny X-Men 200

What is pointed out many times is the line where he claims "his own people joined the nazis to betray him". Never expanded upon, never brought up again. There are no other Jewish character in 97, no foils. It feels almost gross and tokenistic, like Marvel wanted Magneto be the good token self-hating Jews. Since at that was the only acceptable type of Jew in early 2024.

I do hope to see a course correction seasons 2 and 3 as something as simple as showing a flashback of his past or just showing a character like Kitty would go a long way to dispel the accidental implication that Magneto thinks all other Jews are evil

*While Magneto's children Wanda and Pietro are explicitly Jewish-Romani everywhere BUT the MCU in some universes like House of M, so is he. These intermarriages happened in Weimar Germany all the time so these universes are quite plausible

[frostyblustar]

First off: I absolutely LOVED „stray, the wolf will eat your head“!!

Second: PLEASE DO TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE DETAILS AND SYMBOLISM IN IT!!

Oh my god where do I even start with this fic?? I’m just gonna talk about random things that pop in my head as I scroll through (this is gonna be long)

The Path is literally called ‘dull’ ‘straight’ and ‘boring’ but also ‘safe’. This alludes to the Path being a metaphor for straightness.

Why is the forest filled with seemingly random objects/places-? They pertain to Nico’s identity, but also queerness can seem confusing.

The singular boot represents Nico’s initial loneliness. They come in pairs, and he has no Bianca or Percy at this time. He feels utterly alone, and feels alone in his own struggles and initial feelings about the forest.

Why is Bianca mentioned to have a more gray dress than white when she’s based on the Girl in White from The Path?… Because it would make her ‘The Girl in Gray’ but I don’t think anyone has catched on to that. Also she represents a sense of innocence before venturing into the world/experiencing a traumatic event, similar to The Girl in White from The Path.

The wolf will eat your head is essentially saying if you trust a wolf, you’re brainless. They take away your wits. There is also the scarecrow with no head in the flower field that is kind of a mockery of this.

Where is Bianca’s body?

Her bones are in the scarecrow in the flower feild. Since she serves as a strawman for a lot of people arguing against the forest. She was stuffed in there by one of those people long after her death. She is resentful of her lover who left her body to rot.

How did she die?

Dirt. A mudslide. Yeah the line ‘You make it sound like the dirt killed your family.’ is supposed to be irony, but since Bianca’s death is never mentioned it’s not really anything you’d catch onto, just background info.

The sword in the stone reference is just based on Nico’s love for stories, but he also gains a means of defending himself through it if needed. I believe this could mean he finds stories like these fuel his curiosity and give him wits to hold up on his own? But really it’s just a fun thing.

Dianthus and green carnations are the two flowers in the flower field. Dianthus mean ‘Flowers of the gods’ while green carnations represent homosexuality.

The powerlines between two poles represent Percy and Nico having a connection.

Piano and flute. The piano is supposed to represent Italian heritage while the flute is a symbol of nature. Also, I looked up ‘gay instruments’ and a lot of people think flute players are stereotypically gay so… Yeah…

Why does Percy wear blue? Well cause boy in blue cmon I CANNOT PASS THAT UP! Blue also represents a lot of things like freedom, open spaces like the sky, and a lot of the times sadness.

Who is Percy referring to when he says he knew someone who knew flowers well? Honestly, probably Calypso, but it’s 100% an ex he had to leave after being treated like shit for being bisexual. That’s all I had written out for that. If you don’t like Calypso, I also thought Jason might fit this ex role.

Spotted feathers, from what I found, represent a scattered mind (which is why they bother Nico specifically after Percy is talking) I also used removing them as a way of showing Nico rebelling against society/tradition.

A lot of the language used is supposed to be transferrable into a different context. Replacing the forest with homosexuality makes things super obvious. Honestly too much of the dialogue is supposed to be like that.

Anyways that’s all I got off the top of my head, thanks for reading. Ask any more questions if you want, start a thread even! I can definitely elaborate on even things I’ve already brought up if you want that.

The link to the fic I’ve been talking about by the way.

[incorrectly-quoted-queers]

Stolas, Blitz, and the Full Moon

The painful dramatic irony I feel about Stolas and Blitz having their meetings on the Full Moon haunts me every time I think about Helluva Boss (which seems to be often, lately).

So get on your literary tinfoil hats, because we're doing a literary tinfoil hat kind of ramble.

So let's talk about why—the full moon in particular—is such a *choice* for their monthly tryst.

For some quick science. The full moon is when the moon is completely illuminated by the sun. In turn, the moon also reflects that light to earth and back at the moon. They are in full alignment and shine their brightest.

So, metaphorically, this does well represent how when Stolas and Blitz started their contractual agreement, they were in full alignment: they each got what they wanted from the deal and it worked for them. Also, Blitz is ostensibly of lower class than Stolas, so putting Stolas in the place of the sun and Blitz as the moon is a pretty apt way to symbolize the distance in status and power between them (more on that later).

Over time, though, it has become more and more of a strain on both of them because, unlike the moon, they are no longer in alignment. Stolas doesn't want contractual, he wants love. Blitz is growing increasingly uncomfortable with what he feels beyond the contract and every time Stolas pushes those boundaries, he lashes out. So, when the full moon once was this very effective metaphor for their dynamic, things are shifting and turning their meeting from an apt moon metaphor to the dramatic irony it is now. Because while Stolas and Blitz don't notice how fraught the situation is, we, the audience, know that these two, regardless of whatever feelings and potential they may have, are not in alignment anymore. They are not a full moon. And it's no surprise that the upcoming episode, "Full Moon" seems to be all about that misalignment finally catching up to Stolas and Blitz.

So, if you think I'm painting curtains blue, it's time we gotta talk about "Look My Way".

The best evidence that all these moon shenanigans have been at least subconsciously purposeful and very clear to the fans and creators is this music video.

Let's start with the owl man context. Stolas is already a lifelong scholar of the stars, placing him in the perfect position for the cosmos to be a way he relates himself to others (also see any and all of his exchanges with Octavia).

In "Look My Way", Stolas enters this imagined cosmic space. At first, he's among the stars as a godly, large being, representing his status as a prince and a "watcher of these ancient rites". He's far from others, especially people like Blitz. However, as the song goes deeper into his feelings for Blitz, not only does he begin to cradle one small, moon-like celestial body, but in the next scene he's suddenly below that body as it floats above. He's gone from godly omniscience to a man on earth, looking up at the stars.

This is Stolas realizing Blitz isn't just some little rock that reflects his light and makes him feel good (circling back to that moon science). Instead, he's realized that like the puny humans of earth, the moon makes him feel small and illuminated. And these size changes all are symbols of the power dynamic (at least in Stolas' eyes; we can talk til the cows come home that objectively Stolas' status always has him in control. But let's roll with the bird man on this and focus on emotional control). Here, Stolas realizes his depth of feeling for Blitz and how desperately he wishes to be more.

Then, Stolas imagines a world where they are on the same plane. The moon isn't so small or so large, and he can reach out and touch its contents—Blitz.

Now, the video ending with him trying to fly up to the moon and falling is clear: He's resolved to try to put them on that equal footing and is willing to risk failing, falling, and losing it all if it means he might have that more equitable relationship as Blitz. If they might have find their full moon again, but a different kind.

But, can they find a full moon without one of them reflecting on the other?

This is the kicker that stirs up so much fan shenanigans. Because yeah, the full moon being a representative of their relationship is *painfully* apt. Let's go back to the science for a second. If you look at a full moon, you're looking at a version of the moon lit up by the sun's light. What you're seeing is not the moon all on its own. And on the flip side, the sun disappears behind the moon, fully eclipsed by night and the moon, losing itself in this configuration. And you can see the problems with this kind of alignment as a metaphor for a relationship.

Because if they were on the same footing, they wouldn't be a full moon anymore. To be the kind of relationship Stolas wants and Blitz is afraid to want, their alignment has to change entirely. Not one body reflecting on the other, not one disappearing behind the other, not a star and a moon. But, instead, side by side. *They have to become different celestial bodies entirely.* And understandably that's a huge fucking leap. It's why this fandom gets in very heated debates about whether their relationship could work or not, because there do have to be so many large, inherent changes in themselves as people and the way they interact to become the kind of relationship they both want.

But I guess we will just have to wait and see if they can pull it off or not.

Anyway, given I spent 30 minutes writing this, I'm going to stop listening to Helluva Boss music or I'm just gonna keep doing this all day.

[revelisms]

This is probably a reach (and I'll bet someone's already said something about it before), but I think about this every time I hear this song.

So: some over-analysis on 'Our Love' in Arcane.

(long post, spoilers abound)

Like most of the soundtracks in the series, this song serves as a narrative vehicle. It bookends the beginning of the events that act as the catalyst for Episode 3—Powder and Vi's separation, Silco and Vander's reunion, and the foreshadowing of Vander's death—while describing, through two narrators, a type of love that cannot be broken.

At first glance, one would assume the song is serving as a metaphor for Powder and Vi. The scene in the bar opens with this shot of a record displaying two girls/sisters. This hints that the song is a allegory to their relationship, and how nothing can change the bond that they share—no matter the hardships that will come their way.

In the same vein, however, it also serves as our introduction to Vander's connection to Silco. The scene lays the groundwork for the confrontation in the streets that will continue into Episode 3, and transitions into the closing credits right before Silco's monologue.

While the song plays, the visuals cut between Powder, Vander, Vi, and Grayson's entourage—the beginning stages of Vander's arrest, and the interception we know will come from Marcus, Deckard, and Silco. Later on, that scene eventually ends on Silco's reveal to Vander (with the implication that, like Benzo, Vander won't walk away from this alive).

What I find interesting is that while the lyrics provide a dissonant tone to the images we see on screen—a warm, soulful and loving tune, while enforcers comb the streets for a body to blame—they're also eerily predictive of what we see in the series, down the line.

Not only does this feel intentional, perhaps, on the show writers' part ('Dirty Little Animals' both follows and tells of a new Zaun beneath Silco's rule; 'Dynasties and Dystopia' opens with Ekko on a throne, laying out his and their people's climb against a higher order; 'What Could Have Been' matches nearly shot-for-lyric with the season's closing scene)—but it's cleverly juxtaposed: twisted into a cruel irony.

'OL' doesn't feel strictly about sisters and Powder's/Jinx's relationship to Vi—but, rather, as something more nuanced.

I read it as less about romantic or familial devotion, and more about the inherent complexity (and potential for destruction) in unconditional love: that the most intense, genuine, and protective forms of love can also be born out of the most primordial fears of loss, abandonment and betrayal; that love everlasting and bottomless as the ocean can also be instinctive, irrational, and violent.

The main thing here is that we don't see the same visual parallels with Powder and Vi, as the series progresses. Minus the design of the record and the opening shots of the scene, their narratives essentially unravel on their own terms (with 'WCHB' really cementing their final fray, by the end).

But dig into the shots of Silco and Vander throughout the series, and we get several images that the lyrics match almost explicitly to.

Our love is a bubblin' fountain That flows into a sea Deeper than any ocean For eternity

(Where do we see a fountain in the show? Where do we see a tangible ocean?)

(Hmm?)

What's interesting to me is that we see Jinx in some of these—which makes a subtle suggestion that both her and Silco are, in themselves, connected through these experiences, whether covertly or by coincidence—but we never see Vi.

Which leads me to wonder: whose perspective is being shown through the song? The savior ("lover")—or the betrayed?

For Silco, these images are all symbolic of returning to something else—a memory, place, personhood.

In Episode 3's monologue, he's returning to a different lens of that experience—back to the "peace" he felt, the sensation of the water holding him when he was drowning. At the river with Jinx, he is also returning to that place: literally washing himself down, in both a ritualistic and arguably spiritual sense, to re-experience that sensation. And at the fountain, he's returned to Vander's image—again, back to a body of water—and speaks to him.

All of which are connected to his betrayal.

Later on in the song, we get this double-edged lyric:

While the world turns around He holds me down, for sure

There's an implication here that the other person in the song is grounding the narrator: helping to keep them from falling off the earth while it turns—or, more literally, forcing them to stay down.

(And yeah, it's a stretch, shh I know—but where have we also seen that imagery before?)

(And again, with the parallels to Jinx—when her world is tipping, when she's remembering Vi, when she loses her confidence in being able to work on the gemstone, Silco brings her to the water. To the place of his own trauma, where he took a harrowing experience and reframed it. And—in a very twisted, but tender way—he lowers her into the water, and holds her down too, to pass on the same lesson.

These two. *drags hands down face*)

Anyway.

If we keep following the thread of Silco and Vander here, 'OL's chorus serves as a callback to the fountain and the imagery around the water; the point of Silco's death and rebirth—and point of no return—at the hands of someone he trusted, envied, loved.

Later on, the song also makes explicit references to rain, which suggests weathering through a difficult period: a setting that Episode 3 is building up to, right from the beginning.

And after all The rain will fall on us too

Not only does that message of hardship and perseverance feel closely aligned, in Silco's case—but it's also the reason Powder's first meeting with him tips the way it does. Because they both see the hardship in each other; see themselves in each other. Someone who has equally been betrayed.

(And where does that point of connection happen?)

(Singin' in the rain~)

That moment is visceral, and it lends itself to its own devotion. With Vander and Vi gone, these two are left to make an active decision on whether or not they'll choose each other, now.

And they do.

But I'll keep movin' on Proud and strong with you

Later on, Silco verbalizes this commitment—You're my daughter; I'll never forsake you. But it's clear, even from that shot of them before the fire, before Vander's own corpse, that that devotion (and unconditionality, despite both of their faults) was a path he was already turning himself to: something along the lines of, I will not betray you like he betrayed me.

(Ergo: We will not be what they were.)

(We know how that ends, unfortunately.)

The abridged version of what I think I'm trying to get at is: the placement of this song is genius.

It sets us up to assume Powder and Vi will never be torn apart (as Vi herself tries to reaffirm to Jinx, by the end), since their love is one that will last evermore—but, in reality, they are torn apart; their love is conditional, and the fallout of it, perhaps, is intentional—a mirror to a story that has yet to be told.

Because at the end of the day, Powder/Jinx and Vi are ultimately a reflection of Silco and Vander's own mistakes, hardships, and heartache—and proof that even after betrayal, even after a vendetta enacted and finished, there is still a longing to have something of what was: still a love there, eternally, despite it all.

[merrivia]

I feel like one of the things I enjoy most about the Captive Prince trilogy is where you really glimpse the hidden complexity of the books, those flashes of the engineering under the bonnet which Pacat only allows us glimpses of, here and there. There’s so many moments like that, but I feel like the idea of Auguste as a protector and Laurent’s hero-worship of his brother, has particularly stuck with me and made me want to delve into it more today.

We know Auguste is quite a bit older than Laurent; Laurent was 13, and Auguste 25, when he died at Marlas (Pacat loves her doubling and mirroring; it’s no coincidence to Laurent’s developing feelings for him, that Damen is a mirror image of Auguste in many ways, and symbolically 25 at the start of Captive Prince, like a dark resurrection, living the life Auguste should have had in Laurent’s eyes). We know that Auguste is a doting older brother; allowing Laurent to win against him when they horse raced, that they had brotherly discussions over sexuality and relationships, August giving Laurent advice (sweetly, we can assume Auguste also gave him The Talk, and that Laurent no doubt explained primly that thank you but he had already read all about That). We know that Laurent idolised Auguste, and that it was common knowledge that the two were “devoted” to each other. Even in the mind of the reader, Auguste seems special and golden; we know so little about him, and yet we love him too, especially for how much he loved Laurent. We know that tragically, Damen’s killing of Auguste, metaphorically killed Laurent also- his heart broken by the loss of Auguste compounded with the killing off of his childhood, all of his innocence, and the locking away of all the softer sides of himself, as he is abused and manipulated by his uncle.

I think a particularly heartbreaking part of it all is the rumour of Laurent having unnatural feelings for his brother.

Obviously, the source of this was the Regent, and it goes without saying that the Regent’s corruption is so malignant, that he invented this rumour to take the cleanest, purest love in Laurent’s life and turn it into something disgusting, to undermine Laurent psychologically, to disrupt his grieving process and to manipulate the political landscape. As soon as that rumour was floated, whenever it was, to grieve too much too openly, to try to honour his brother’s memory in any public way, would feed into the rumours of incest (and I am sure the Regent liked the neatly villainous irony of the fact that it is he who had the incestuous desires, and he gets to displace that onto the innocent Laurent). That’s perhaps one of the reasons why Laurent’s grief turns into such rage; firstly, there is the loss, secondly, his grief is manipulated into sexual abuse but thirdly, he was never allowed to openly grieve as he would have liked. Like a wound that festers, Laurent cannot heal as a consequence.

The really tragic thing here is that the Regent got to have Auguste; he took him so completely away from Laurent, that even in death, Laurent was denied his brotherly relationship to him, to completely and utterly emotionally isolate him. The Regent in doing so, got complete control- he could subtly destabilise any hold the memory of Auguste had over the Council and court which would transfer to Laurent, and instead cleave himself to the image of Auguste. He became the only one who gets to mention the perfect golden prince, weaponising him against Laurent, using him to highlight Laurent’s shortcomings, and his own strengths. 

And poor, poor Laurent is just not completely isolated in general, which is bad enough- he also has no-one to even talk to about his brother, it seems (especially someone who he can confide in, who might be the same or similar rank as him, which is what he needs). Even before the incest rumours, that would be a fine piece of manipulation against Laurent- boys are weak and grieve and need to talk about how they feel, where men are strong and keep hold of their emotions. And so any sign of his grieving too much, would weaken Laurent further politically. The only thing that he has then, is revenge. Revenge is his grief. I think in a way, one of the reasons why Laurent could never quite beat his uncle at his own game, was not just because he always underestimated how evil he was, but also how he was always split in two- to revenge himself on Damianos is his only way of holding onto the memory of Auguste, and yet he also needs to beat his uncle, which divided his goals. Yet I also think his rage sustained him, gave him a goal to keep living, to keep training his body hard, when he must have felt so worn out and afraid and helpless against the power of The Regent. In a way, Damen has always kept Laurent alive, whether as a shadowy figure of hate that motivated him, or as a warrior guardian, powerful enough to throw a two handed sword and impale a fellow Akielon to save him or, finally, as the man who loves him and will kill to protect him.

So Laurent’s mother died, and his father paid no real attention to him, and it is clear in the novels, that Auguste’s presence was the one barrier that stood between him and the Regent. Who guarded Laurent’s bedroom door? The Prince’s Guard under Auguste? At first I wondered whether Laurent noticed his uncle’s attentions previous to Marlas; whether in subtle ways, he went to his brother for protection. But that doesn’t fit with the phrasing Laurent uses about himself as a young teenager (”think of the greenest innocent you have ever tumbled”). Incidentally, it is heartbreaking that he cannot see the idea of a youthful boy and/or himself at that age unless it’s on sexual terms; it is a reminder of how to be young for Laurent means to be sexually exploited and how the abuse traumatised him, took away his childhood, and shaped him into this razor-sharp blade of a man in the form of a beautiful prince (it also shows how insidious it is that the Regent keeps calling him a boy, to try and reduce him over and over to the abused child he controlled). So I don’t think Laurent did see it; was too young to see it. In fact, I don’t think Laurent saw what was going to happen, until the first time he was forced onto his knees by the Regent. But I wonder whether Auguste did.

Laurent does mention that Auguste is like Damen-  as Laurent says ”“He had no instinct for deception; it meant he couldn’t recognise it in other people.”. But as I have discussed before, being an honourable warrior doesn’t mean you’re stupid, and the sexual proclivities of the Veretians doesn’t quite fall into the same category as political machinations to me. Even Laurent can recognise that yes, his uncle is a paedophile, a predator, but he can’t seem to believe that the Regent would kill his own brother or kill him till there is stark evidence to prove it. It stands to reason then that Auguste may have never thought the Regent would do as he did, but that he could see the signs of his prurient interest in Laurent. 

This also might tie into Laurent being so beautiful, and how Veretian beauty standards glorify young males (from pre-pubescent onwards). He tells Damen that he has been the recipient of offers for “as long as he could remember”- a highly disturbing statement, which suggests as a minor, Laurent was sexually propositioned over and over. Auguste must have stood in the way of that, silenced the mouths of any man who dared speak about his brother like that. Perhaps just knowing that Auguste would cut the hand off of the man who touched his brother was enough to keep Laurent safe. Did Auguste actually explicitly stop the Regent abusing him, though?

If the Regent’s victims start as young as 11, then that was a few years of sexual interest he may have had in Laurent, which Auguste may have thwarted. And just like Damen wouldn’t hear of a word against Kastor, I wonder whether Auguste knew his father wouldn’t hear a word against the Regent- after all, Aleron trusted his brother’s word so much, he marched his army on to the field at Marlas instead of keeping to the security of his fortress, a tactic that made no sense and led to his assassination. We only see the court of Vere as the Regent’s court too- was he ever so open about his child pets before the death of Aleron? We know he had them, as Paschal was the Regent’s physician and tended to them (and the medical attention they might need to their too-young bodies is another layer of quiet horror), so perhaps we can assume that it was something that everyone knew about, but simply turned a blind eye to. 

My feelings are it could be either way- Auguste may have seen the Regent’s paedophilia and kept him away from Laurent instinctively, or he may have seen him openly display sexual interest and thwarted him deliberately, or he may have simply stood in the way of anyone who tried to get to Laurent and the Regent steered clear as a consequence. We will obviously never get a clear answer on this, so I think what’s more important is simply that Auguste was a barrier and how that feeds into Laurent’s beliefs. The reader can imagine that Auguste would perhaps never have said anything too openly to him about such things (beyond advice...I can picture him sternly telling Laurent to never go anywhere alone with an older man at court or to tell him if anyone said anything inappropriate him or tried to touch him), but Laurent can see that no-one dared harass him before Auguste’s death and then after...well. Abuse at night, we assume, and at Chastillon, and any number of attempts at ‘seductions’ in the day. All Laurent knows is that the abuse wouldn’t have happened had Damen not killed his brother, so in his mind, Auguste as the shining golden protector-hero is so sacrosanct that he cannot, even after all this time, truly believe or accept that Damen beat him. It’s why, when they fight in King’s Rising, Laurent says the “ludicrous” words that Auguste would have “stopped” Damen, when we all know he didn’t (yes there is the argument that 19 year old Damen had not been fighting for hours, was fresh from the sidelines, and that played into his victory, but the point is moot...). Laurent knows what he’s saying is absurd, but Auguste is perhaps semi-mythical to him at this point, this lodestar of an ideal to live up to, the ultimate white knight, brightly alive still in his mind, who would/could/should have saved him.

The Regent’s plan to kill his brother, King Aleron, must have included a secondary plan to kill Auguste, as an obstacle to the throne, even though we don’t know what that was. Damen coming along to kill him, neatly did this for him. I wonder if it added another layer to the victory over his brother and nephew killed, to finally have access to Laurent at, horrifyingly, just the right time, less than a year before true puberty would hit and the Regent’s sexual desire in him would fade. Very little of the inner life of The Regent is revealed to us, everything being layer upon layer of machinations, facade after facade, to hide his utter cruelty, but you do wonder whether this abuse of Laurent made him feel particularly gleeful. Or whether it was simply to kill two birds with one stone- to get a man (boy) underneath you is the ultimate power play, and thus the Regents gets to both enjoy Laurent’s beauty sexually, and set up a dynamic which will ruin Laurent in the present and future and allow the Regent to have a power over him that fits in very nicely to him getting the throne. It is breathtakingly cruel I think, that the ruination of Laurent on a personal level was probably secondary, a mere byproduct of a wider plan.

One of the beautiful things about Damen and Laurent’s relationship is he can talk about Auguste again, even with the memory of his death at Damen’s hands casting a long shadow between them. Laurent does this naturally, almost unthinkingly, before he even admits to himself that they’re in love. I think the reason why is Damen’s sense of morality, his pure, uprightness. As he awkwardly says in response to Laurent trying to make clear that what Govart said was a lie, he never believed that to be true. This is a man to whom incest is unfathomable, where there is no suspicion, no cynicism, no reading into Laurent’s words to try and find the incest that isn’t there because there is no smoke without fire. Laurent finally can talk about how much he loved his brother, without being dragged in the mud for it, restoring it back, openly, in words spoken out loud, to the purity it had.

[27-royal-teas]

Analyzing the meaning of the song 27 when we line it up with what  we know about the 27 club

So, for context, nobody thought pete would really live past 27. the 27 club is a group of celebrities in the arts that died at age 27 (Amy Winehouse, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, etc), usually from their own self-imposed destruction. But fall out boy and their history is so inexplicably tied to this number that I absolutely had to write an essay about it. this song is a complete masterpiece in its own right and it's definitely up in my top three fob songs of all time

The song starts like this:

“if home is where the heart is then we’re all just fucked

i cant remember, i cant remember

And i want it so bad id shoot the sunshine into my veins

I cant remember the good old days”

The first line feels almost like begging. Hes wondering where he belongs, because he doesnt feel safe at home, and this song was during the time where the band was fighting a lot, and they were kind of his home as well. so if home is where the heart is and he doesnt feel safe at any of his homes, if he cant belong, then will he ever? Anywhere? A kerrang feature interviewing pete said that this song was him trying desperately to hold the band together, which is expressed with this first opening line (“if home is where the heart is then we’re all just fucked”). Clearly he is clinging on with a single thread, and this was shown when the band went on hiatus not long after.

‘And i want it so bad id shoot the sunshine into my veins’ obviously a drug reference, of being so desperate that youd do anything to get the good feeling back, and here it is linked to ‘i cant remember the good old days’ because it feels almost like a desperate kind of longing. this might relate to the line ‘you were the sunshine of my lifetime’ which repeats multiple times through fob’s eighth studio album, So Much (for) Stardust. In the context that this is referring to a person (anyone, but likely patrick; pete keeps his lyrics vague for a reason) it would be overexposing yourself to something that gives you temporary happiness but in the long run can kill you. hm just something to consider but i know they probably didnt plan that far ahead lyricwise lol

“And it’s kind of funny,

The way we’re wearing anchors on our shirts

When being anchored aboard just feels like a curse”

A lot of folie is actually linked to this sort of nautical theme (what a catch especially) and i think this references ‘they say the captain goes down with the ship’ because anchors are usually on nautical themed shirts or the shirts of sailors, but pete is saying he hates being tied down to the ‘ship’ which can be interpreted as the band maybe possibly. either way hes definitely pointing out the irony of wearing something that symbolizes stability when he is DEFINITELY not stable (who ever looked at pete wentz and thought ‘this man is stable’?) (i digress)

then comes the chorus. i love this chorus so fucking much it is interpretation goldddd

“My mind is a safe, and if i keep it then we all get rich

my body is an orphanage, we take everyone in

doing lines in dust and sweat

on last night’s stage 

just to feel like you” 

ok so obviously petes referring to his mind as the safe because hes the one who makes the lyrics and thus hes the one who earns the band the profit. Its a safe because he is inscrutable. It is also a safe because he only takes out what he wants, and only he has the key. ‘My body is an orphanage, we take everyone in’ COULD refer to how hes kind of promiscuous but more than that fall out boy was known for being the band that didnt really care who their fans were. They were marketed towards teenage girls and for that they were looked down upon. His body could be a metaphor for the band itself, and taking everyone in could mean that they accept the people that other bands dont typically want as fans. 

‘Doing lines in dust and sweat on last night’s stage just to feel like you” this is a reference to the 27 club, and refers to stars doing drugs to be able to function/feel normal and human again. Idk. i just really like this line its so great

“The m-m-milligrams in my head burning tobacco in the wind

Chasing the direction, chasing the direction you went”

Im going to break this verse in half specifically because patrick fucking does NOT ENUNCIATE and also its long (how many times did i think ‘and youre a bottled star’ was ‘and you’re a bathroom stall’ rip)

The milligrams and the tobacco are pretty self explanatory- more drugs. 27 club connections via the drugs. burning tobacco gives way to the vision of trying to cling on to a high with desperation, and he’s chasing it- chasing the direction it went. 

“youre a bottled star, the planets align, youre just like mars

You shine in the sky, you shine in the sky”

pete uses a TON of star and sky metaphors in his writings, this song included. A bottled star would mean a person who is repressing their talent. It could also mean a celebrity who is drowning their problems in liquor. Mars is the roman god of war and often a symbol of masculinity (although im not sure how relevent the second part is). It means raw, unbridled energy. here pete is saying (in his vague, vague writing voice ://) that when the person he is talking about drinks, they lose all control and are pretty much unstoppable. drawing this to the 27 club, a lot of the members died by alcohol or drug abuse, so it makes sense.

The use of star and sky metaphors throughout this song really bring it home- yes, the stars may be bright and pretty, they might shine and sparkle, but at the end of the day they will burn away and self combust. So we have to hold it together if we want to keep our own worlds in once piece. 

“Are all the good times getting gone

they come and go and go and and come and go, oh yeah

ive got a lot of friends who are stars but some are just black holes”

For this verse lets work our way backwards. more space and star metaphors. stars clearly refers to his friends in the industry, but black holes could mean they have an almost deafening energy, or are on their way to becoming a part of the 27 club itself. The good times coming and going represents the sort of panic thats felt in the entertainment industry as a whole; the competition against time itself, for fear that when youre old people wont want to know what you have to say. So often the people who act and sing are so unbearably young, and once they pass thirty two they arent marketable anymore. pete is putting to words the worry and the scramble to get things done- to make a name for yourself- before your time is up. And AGAIN relating to the number 27, its quickly approaching 30, so you better move fast if you want to become famous. 

The rest of the verses from here are just chorus repeats, so let’s talk about how tangled fall out boy is with the number twenty seven. other than the 27 club, what’s so important about it? It’s not a prime number. Theres really nothing out of the ordinary about it. 

Except, there is. 

Everyone celebrated when pete made it past his 27th birthday. In 2011, patrick wrote his Confessions of a Pariah blog post. He and joe were both 27 at the time, and i think that might have been a deciding factor in what inspired pete to reach out. He didn’t want his best friend to give into depression, much less when he was 27. 

The band got together again not long after that. the first track off Save Rock and Roll, My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark, dropped February 5th, 2013. The rest is pretty much history. 

I don’t know. All speculation. But the number 27 is definitely linked with fall out boy, although it’s not relevant right now, and i just think its so damn interesting

[caliburn-the-sword]

first cress thoughts!!! and reactions!!! and everything else!!!

i am so sorry that it's literally the first paragraph of the first page but "It was a prison that came with an endlessly breathtaking view" literally no view is breathtaking once you get used to it enough why would a CHILD be banished

omg this poor girl is named after the MOON?? the irony. she literally hides from the moon when she sees it. i would go on about the symbolism and stuff but i'm not going to because my brain is too tired to function rn

cress IS a shell. but then why isn't she dead?? they're meant to be killed. erland mentioned that he lost his daughter and would be about cinder's age, but did he actually SEE it happen?? if not then i reckon she's his daughter (again cause i'm braindead obsessed with ouat not because i'm serious. i'm only 25% sure of this). but i also reckon that she's VERY valuable if she HASN'T been killed. link it to rich people having one rule for themselves and one for everyone else. so either she's useful. or someone wants her alive and is bending the rules for her. otherwise they would not be going to ALL this effort of the satellite

looks like my spy theory in the eastern fed is null - but to be fair cress might just not know about it yet. it's not exactly like she would be trusted with all state secrets and what not

"felt almost like a mother's approval" metaphorically or is sybil ACTUALLY her mother???

i love that despite the stress of having to face off against the queen, figure out how to deal with genetically engineered soldiers and all the weight they have on their soldiers they're still able to act their age and tease each other - except poor cinder

omg does cress have a little crush on thorne??? she is LITERALLY the same as those braindead gen z's on tiktok that simp for killers and stuff

OMG CRESS WAS THE ONE THAT CLOAKED THE SHIP ALL ALONG HOW DIDN'T I REALISE THAT

"Cress was convinced that she knew more about Carswell Thorne than anyone else alive" stalker alert!!! lines are blurred tho because this is literally war

oh no. scarlet has a french accent. jail. (but then is everyone speaking the same language?? or does everyone have a universal translator chip inserted???)

"said Cinder, and Scarlet could have kissed her" i KNOW it's figurative language but also i like diagnosing characters with bisexual/too damn hot disease so scarlet is now bi. if it was wolf that i called bi as well then they're bi4bi. but also i don't want to reread the entire first half of scarlet to try and remember which guy it was i decided was bi and for what reason

between cress playing like 10 different video games at once she's basically an ipad kid. her attention span has been fucked up by tiktok (just like me fr) she can't read or watch anything without subway surfers playing beneath it

also something i haven't said before now: i LOVE how all the girls of tlc have noun names. they're just like me fr. it's so gnc of them. i love their names SO much. it's giving nonbinary. evocative but like in a whimsical way~ it's somehow so fantasy but so futuristic at the same time and i live for it

DAMMIT I FUCKING DELETED AN ENTIRE PARAGRAPH OF THOUGHT. gonna paraphrase here cause i'm too lazy. i'm very curious that cress calls the people of the moon lunars, mainly because she's lunar herself. like imagine i pass by a car and unironically think "oh there go the humans". it's strange. maybe it's her separation?? or is she part human and thus doesn't see herself as fully lunar??? i don't think it's because she's a shell. since the whole shell eugenics thing is a stand in for the lunar equivalent of poc, people with disabilities, minority religions, queer people etc who are all STILL human beings, hence the shells are still LUNAR. i'm sticking with my partial human theory until proven otherwise.

how FUNNY would it be if cress was completely wrong about thorne and he was just a douchebag and he was just lying after all that for sympathy. however given the textual evidence from scarlet, it would completely explain how he was completely open minded and down to support a lunar cyborg. honestly it makes him a lot more three dimensional. that said cress is still delulu

YES after what happened in scarlet i'm GLAD to see scarlet's mixed feelings towards wolf and his place in what happened to granny. forgiveness doesn't come easy!! love is hard. and yes, he has a dark side!! and she's just a normal girl. she's having one of the most human reactions i've ever seen to that kind of thing in fiction. i would have lost so much respect for her if she just ran back into his arms after all that, even tho i don't fully blame him. thanks miss marissa meyer for not just writing idiot lovesick teenagers. i can't wait to see him earn that trust back

@eddisfargo @francforever @winterrhayle @winterpinetrees

[tokyogruel]

hellos!! is there any frame in triage where shidou Does have the same patterned scarf-thing(?) his sons and wife wear? actually do you know what those mean? (<- i only now noticed them skldjlsd)

hello anon! hola!

to answer your question,, well,, no. not really. but also- well, kind of?

the pattern youre thinking of is called paisley. it has a lot of symbolic meaning that i will get to in this post, but.. shidou doesnt really wear it. kind of

i went through triage again and want to point a few things out:

shidous family wears paisley in 3 different places

his wife, around her waist. shidou mimics this with his apron

his youngest, around his neck. shidou mimics this with his jacket(? why are you wearing it like that idiot)

his eldest, around his waist. shidou mimics this almost exactly- except his cloth belt is light blue, not grey, and plain- no paisley

there is, however- one very brief scene where it could be debated that shidou's belt has a paisley pattern. it moves very quickly- and is heavily obscured by light

the pattern is incredibly faint- but look closely. you can see the paisley. this is the only scene that shidou is shown wearing paisley even remotely explicitly.

(and, before i get into the symbolism of paisley- i find it's important to note that triage has a floral-pattern overlay over the entire video. it is subtle, and you can see it better on a higher-resolution screen. but it is there, and it distorts the video slightly, yet entirely)

but, well. why is paisley so important anyway?

paisley, or Boteh-Jegheh (بته جقه), is a design that has been used for centuries, it originates from Iran (considered "Persian")

"So what is behind paisley’s incredible longevity? Its symbolic power has probably played a part. The original Persian droplet-like motif – the boteh or buta – is thought to have been a representation of a floral spray combined with a cypress tree, a Zoroastrian symbol of life and eternity. The seed-like shape is also thought to represent fertility, has connections with Hinduism, and also bears an intriguing resemblance to the famous yin-yang symbol. It is still a hugely popular motif in Iran and South and Central Asian countries and is woven using silver and gold threads on to silks and fine wools for weddings and other celebrations." (source)

"in paisley people have seen resemblances to a lotus, a mango, a leech, a yin and yang, a dragon, and a cypress pine. Ancient Babylonians likened it to an uncurling date palm shoot. Providing them with food, wine, wood, paper, hatch, and string—all of life’s necessities—date palms symbolized prosperity and plenty. Paisley began its life as the privilege of cosseted, powerful men." (source)

"The circle of paisley’s irony is now complete. A pattern of exclusive royal privilege in the East becomes the pattern of Western capitalist longing. It trickles down on humbler fabrics to working men, gay men, gang members, and Boy Scouts. It signifies free love and forbidden love, belonging and exclusion—a seemingly impossible range of human experience." (source, same as above)

(source)

"In Ancient Egypt, for instance, paisley designs were often used on wall paintings and pottery vessels as symbols of life and rebirth; while in Persian culture they represented heavenly gardens filled with lush vegetation and flowing watercourses – a metaphor for paradise itself. Similarly, this pattern became an integral part of Hindu iconography; being used to depict gods such as Shiva or Ganesh." (source)

"The iconic design consists of intricate swirls and floral motifs which are believed to represent life’s cycle of birth, death and rebirth. It also represents fertility and abundance – qualities that were greatly valued by our ancestors who lived off the land they farmed. In many parts of Asia it was even thought that the paisley patterns had magical properties that could ward off evil spirits." (source, same as above)

"Additionally, the paisley flower is believed to represent the cycle of life, death, and rebirth in many cultures. The intricate design of the paisley pattern is said to symbolize the twists and turns of life’s journey, with each curve representing a different phase of life. The paisley flower is also associated with the concept of inner peace and tranquility, making it a popular choice for meditation and spiritual practices. Overall, the paisley flower holds deep spiritual significance and is a beautiful symbol of life’s journey and the eternal nature of the soul." (source, i recommend reading this page in full- foliagefriend is a site i use often as a resource, and their articles are in-depth and pleasant to read.)

so... thats about it, then!

there have been a few other elements pointed out in these articles though, so ill leave a few resources below to read up on, if youre interested :>

paisley (wikipedia page)

cypress (foliagefriend) // cypress (spiritualunite) // cypress (silentbalance) // cypress (artofmourning) // cypress (meaningsymbolism) // cypress (groovingtrees)

"On the Complexity of Using the Mango as a Symbol in Diasporic Literature"

"In Myth and Literature, the Mango Remains King"

"Leeches in modern medicine"

"Leeches are still used in medicine—yes, really. Here’s why." (this article discusses transplanted tissue)

leeches (wikipedia page, the link directs you towards the medical section of the age)

dragons (worldbirds) // dragons (athsq) // dragons (givemehistory)

yin and yang (wikipedia page) @mukuberry heres your 0510 b/w parallels again

ankh (wikipedia article)

date (allaboutpalmtrees) // date (desertempirepalms) // date (groovingtrees) // date (bateel)

phoenix (wikipedia page)

shiva (wikipedia page)

ganesh (wikipedia page)

gray (colorpsychology) // gray (colorpsychologymeaning)

blue (colorpsychology) // blue (colorpsychologymeaning)

white (colorpsychology) // white (colorpsychologymeaning)

purple (colorpsychology) // purple (colorpsychologymeaning)

(ps. shidou has consistent themes of fertility, ovaries, motherhood, birth/rebirth... the ovarian imagery is very persistent in Throw Down!)

[captain-cargoshorts]

bromeo! speak on your thoughts about Angel Heart! i loved that movie!!

Oh man, where to start? The symbolism! The power games Cyphre plays! The layers and layers of imagery demonstrating how thoroughly isolated Angel is! The fans and the elevators and the ceiling leaks the chickens and the dark figure! "I know who I am!"

I do remember someone (Mr Krusemark?) using the pseudonym Edward Kelley and pausing the movie to talk to Mom about the real life man with that name who was a 16th century occultist and creator of Enochian, the supposed language of angels. Angels, like our guy!

She was very patient with me and only laughed a little at how long it took me to get that Louis Cyphre was thee literal devil (he's fucking called Lucifer and I didn't notice bc I was too busy thinking about Johnny Favorite! Agh!), but in my defense everyone has an obviously fake name and I was like oh cool, he's making no attempt at truly hiding his identity, we'll figure it out later in the movie. Which we did! I got it when we got the scene with the close up of his ring and his scary long nails peeling the egg. The dramatic irony kicked in just in time for me to laugh when Angel threw the salt over his shoulder. It's far too little far too late and in the wrong direction

Also, all I knew about the movie going in to it was that it was a noir detective mystery. I wasn't surprised at the supernatural presence, I just didn't know the flavor or the extent to which it was literal vs metaphorical.

10/10 I want to watch it again

[msbhagirathi]

IPKKND LIVE BLOG - Season 1 [Episode 1]

Sooooooooooooo, I thought of live blogging the show, coz I have not yet watched the whole series at one go. Yeah, I know that's a little weird, coz what the hell then how the fck do you call yourself a fan then see the thing is from the very first time I used to skip a lot of episodes in between of watching only the 'interesting ones' *cries*. I KNOW OKAY !?!?! I RUINED THE EXPERIENCE MYSELF BY HITTING A KULHARI IN MY OWN LEGS!?!!??! But how would I have known that I would be hooked to this show like this, like obsessively hooked, like what the fck. Okay, in some other post I will share my first impression of this show and my POV for ITV today(altho no one asked for it *presses a tight lipped smile*) Let's start the epi thennnnnnn, come onnnnnnnn.

Hmm. Lucknow. Gomti Sadan (Since 1943)

Buaji's very first 'Haye Re Nandkisore' makes an appearance.

"Arre Khussi ka mauka hai." Irony. I might be over analyzing it but this sounded like it's Khushi's chance today(at luck? at love?) maybe because today she will meet him for the first time. Also the next dialogue we hear is from a silhouette of Khushi.

Payal doubts their decision to negotiate this with 'jijaji'. Khushi is shown from the back. Then, eyes. Then, back. Then, eyes. Then, lips. Then, again eyes.

Buaji is in the mood to dance. Babuji is worried about the dowry, but one look at his Payalia smiling and now the only thing important for him is his daughter's happiness. I realized that I loved this scene. There's something special about a father beaming with joy on seeing his daughter smiling that makes him forget all about his worries.

Khushi tying her laces of the tennis shoes while looking down at the dance sequence going on.(What was that song, was it an OST? I couldn't find it anywhere) Tennis shoes. Hmm. we all had that same shoe for PT uniform.

Ads. Ads. ADS.

Khushi is revealed in full at the mandir in front of her best friend, Devi Maiyya.

'Maaf kijiye kaka ji abhi thodi si jaldi hai, baaki ki maafi laut kar maangte hain." Lol. Nothing. Just Khushi being herself for 10 seconds straight.

Dowry. 10 Lakh in cash and his shop papers for another 10. Babuji already doubtful (very rightfully so!) of the kind of family that they are getting Payal married into. Garima trying to erase those doubts by her sick 'excuses'.

Lol. Khushi, in a green and pink lehenga, driving a scooter having milk canisters attached to it, and guess what, everyone, literally EVERYONE, in the road is staring at her. Ughhh. Girls facing eve-teasing in India, unfortunately a very common thing.

A cute scene is here, guys. Like wow. Look at her excuse. She is going to school for a drama competition looking like princess. "Then where is your prince?", asks that kucchi-mucchi kid(yeah I feel like pulling his cheeks.)

Khushi looks up, to the kid, at the question ANDDDDDDDDDDD FINALLY GUYSSSSSSSS.

The bg score changes to an-introductory?-'important?'- instrumental. And there comes the first scene of Sobti flying in, in a helicopter. Lol. I remember an interview where he said this that he still remembers that first scene, and later getting demoted to SUVs. Lol.

Anyways, homies. Get ready. Drone shot of Lucknow and then-

UGHHHHHHHH. ADS. HOTSTAR WHAT IS THIS BEHAVIOR!?!?!!?

Sheesh Mahal.

There aren't even enough guards to stop the media from running further towards the helipad. They can easily do so but- maybe they were given a warning for not crossing a line. Who knows? *shrugs*

ASR revealed. His ASR BG playing in its full bloom. Full bloom. Lol. Does that even make sense? I hope it does.

Is it only me or anyone else also feels that there is a huge distance between where Bitwa is standing and where the reporters are? *shrugs*

Btw he seems like he does not even give a fck to what they are saying.

We get a glimpse of Arnav's traumatic past. And the scene cuts to Arnav getting jolted out by-a Dove?- Coincidence? I think not. Dove is a symbol of peace. Metaphor playing at its best. As today he will also meet the person who will become his solace for forever.

Also, that transition from Arnav to ASR. Take a bow, Mr. Sobti. *bows down with joined hands*

Chachaji. Epitome of Hypocrisy. Talking about morals. Arnav's face is like 'Just shut the fck up, chachaji.'

Here, chachaji thought he would be getting the money. But, to clear his doubt, Arnav shuts the suitcase and passes it to Khan Saheb, indicating the opposite.

Arnav's first dialogue.

He said two lines, here. I think the first line clears the air for chachaji that things are serious, and the second line was a hint given to him to realise who he is dealing with, that is, his late brother's son. Arnav hinted at his greed for money and property. But, for him money is his occupation, his business. "Paisa mera shauk nahi, pesha hai." But, unsurprisingly chachaji did not get it.

Khan Saheb reveals that he has sold the Sheesh Mahal to Raizada Sa'ab. Chachaji's face is worth looking at.

D-dddd-did you see the contrast in their opinions about zameer, asul aur paisa....???? My goshhhhh. Like they are exact opposite, poles apart.

Okay a little glossary here : Zameer- conscience Asul(or usul, both are the same, only accent is different)- morals paisa- money

He finally let his chachaji know who he is. Lol. Look at his (chachaji's) face.

Fashion Show.

The first two models walk in with ASR. The right one's dress was fine, but. Umm. Look at the left one. They simply took a red dress and stitched a net dupatta to it. wOw. fAsHiOn. And this is nothing. There's more to come. Just wait till ASR's introduction speech is over.

Raizada Show, the biggest annual show. Collection name was- Sonar?- can anyone decode it? Why did Sobti had to mumble it?

First personal question. Ignore. Second personal question. Lashes out politely. Third personal question. Just shut the fck up and mind your own business. Very apt representation of Indian Media, today.

Chicky?-Tricky?-Chicken?- Textiles', What the hell did you mumble Mr. Sobti???? have introduced a new technology, then obviously i-is it only me or anyone else as well that seriously didn't understand what did he mumbled here-?? But guess what, Anjali Di understood it. DI PLEASE TELL USSSSS. PLSSSSS.

His sister can read him so well. Even tho he MUMBLES everything he says. Which is also not very much.

Arnav is saying that he has already moved on long ago while getting teary eyed about getting reminded of his past. The most painful scene. No, bitwa you haven't moved on you have just suppressed all your emotions under this tight lid called 'ASR'.

Every one at Gomti Sadan is worried about Khushi and the papers' absence.

It took Khushi almost the whole day to reach Sheesh Mahal. Arnav what is this behaviour??? Why didn't you send a car for your wife?? Heh. Lol. JK.

Khushi proves that she is a child trapped in a body of a late teen here. Lol. Look at her. "Bhool bhoolaiya, chale hai paiya, raah bata do mori maiyya, aaj batado humko rasta, tumhe khila dun puri khasta." while turning round and round for the hint of the correct 'direction'. And Devi Maiyya directed her straight to her prince.

Tears pooling in her eyes, lips taking devi maiyya's name continuously, closes her eyes. Khushi has absolutely no idea what is she expected to do. She is just standing and waiting for something to happen.

This sequence is the eye sequence. You might already know the symbolization. Khushi closed her eyes for strength and support just as Arnav opened his to open a new chapter of his life.

Arnav is quite shocked and angry as well. And then the famous fall and catch happens.

Here, Arnav, on getting a close up of Khushi's face, kind of likes what he sees. Guys, Khushi's fingers clutching on Arnav's collar is just- *takes a deep breath and starts hyperventilating*

He looks at the eyes. Hazel brown. Then, looks down at the lips. Pink gloss. Shiny. Trembling. Back to the eyes. quite the same rhythm that they followed while introducing Khushi.

The Aesthetic of the scene is so beautiful. Arnav's face, Khushi's face, them in an intense eye lock along with the Golden lights and sparkles in the background. Khushi taking a look at his lips in turn. *sighs dreamily*

Screen fades. Precap starts. *quickly pauses it* I am not a huge fan of spoilers so I generally don't watch them.

P.S.: Okay so the other dresses weren't that bad. I am sorry I doubted your skilz, bitwa. You are bhery talonted.

I hope you loved it coz I had a lot of fun doing this. :)

Next Episode!

[castlebyersafterdark]

I can't really imagine them going further than blowing each other (full on anal sex with probably no prep beforehand and also in the middle of the end of the world? Not happening lol!)

Like it won't be shown onscreen (they literally can't show it because of the shows rating being TV-14, feel like people forget this)

the absolute contrast between this scenario and the one about mike's bare ass! one is like an old school love scene from Titanic or something, classy and mature, and then this description is maybe why people cannot envison byler having sex. Yes, they're teens, but the tone of their storytelling prevails over this mere fact. Will doesnt want to gross Mike out?! That's realistic irl and lovely in fanfic, but that's not at all going to be a major concern of Will Byers in this show once he knows Mike is reciprocating. By the time Will and Mike are together intimately, Will will be in the process of accepting that his sexuality is possibly the purest, most wonderful part of him - and that's why he has such pain and conflict til then, because society tells him its not.

Also full on gay sex in the middle of the apocalypse is exactly the kind of dramatic and overblown shit the duffers are highly capable of, because ST is about the spiritual experience of being queer, not the hyper specifics like a show like heartstopper where they buy lube on screen. ST is about subtle metaphor, not literal didacticism. Mike and Will finally having emotional, intense sex intercut with a horde of witchhunting townsfolk spilling out of a church would be a montage full of symbolism and dramatic irony that i can totally see the duffers doing.

I also cannot fathom thinking that the reason they won't literally show a blowjob in television is because of a rating. Ratings can change - why assume they won't for s5?! - but mostly, that's literally porn and the actors would in no way be asked to do that.

See, even here, we all have such different reads of this show, its fascinating.

Sharing more takes on this from the other day!! I really enjoy reading everyone's ideas of what could potential transpire on screen for a potential love scene between these two. It's the fact that it's suuuuch uncharted territory for the show's story telling and it's incredibly unpredictable what may happen. But oh, how fun is the speculation and interpretation. We can go in circles all day every day about what they might do or not do physically regarding the dirty details, and if there's a sex scene, it probably wouldn't be so hyper specific and we can interpret what's happening. I doubt if this got a TVMA rating it would be for sex, horror more likely. But I change my ideas and mind every time we talk about this topic and I love reading all the different thoughts. 😁

[feuerspirit]

27 "as a suggestion" for brocedes pretty pleaaase 🥰

Lewis would like to say that he doesn't remember the last time his path crossed with Nico, but that would be a lie. This is Spain, always Spain for some reason, as if a part of both of them remained forever tied to Barcelona from the moment when their relationship finally fell apart, broken, like their cars, by the ruthless rivalry of 2016. They spoke for the first time here, for the first time since the moment when Nico left (ran away, as Lewis believed at the time), in 2020, at a distance of 1.5 meters, as required by the then strict security rules of the world going crazy with fear of a new disease, their faces were covered with thick masks, for which Lewis was grateful. He wasn't sure he was ready to see Nico's face, even the sight of his expressive eyes was already a little too much for him.

The distance between them then was iconic, almost a symbol of what happened between them, what they did to each other: an unquestionable distance and masks hiding any emotions.

They haven't met since, although it was… not bad, maybe even a little nice. Lewis isn't looking, and Nico has probably already accepted over all these years that Lewis continues to slip away, and yet fate brings them together again in a closed park, baptized by the shadow of red and yellow flags with the royal coat of arms.

Nico in shining white, Lewis in familiar black, they're again chess antagonists of their own lives, a metaphor for the eternal inevitable confrontation for everyone, and yet this time Lewis sees all the nervousness written on his face, the tension in his posture, the tremor in his voice when he suddenly stutters, cutting himself off in the middle of a phrase, before before he has time to say something embarrassing. It would be almost funny how even after seven years they're still able to have such an impact on each other if he didn't feel this crazy disturbing energy under his skin.

He knows he shouldn't worry so much, he's had countless podiums, an incredible career in racing, he's given so many interviews that he often couldn't remember them after a few hours. But this is Nico, who knows him to the bone, saw him from every side before Lewis learned to hide himself in front of too many stares. This is Nico, who has always been able to get under his skin, and Lewis knows what a journalist's job is, what their bosses and fans expect from them. Lewis is afraid of what Nico might do with his weakened but still existing power over him.

But Nico, contrary to his expectations, is careful and even caring, he is clearly impressed by Lewis' podium, his race, and this is obvious to everyone who has at least half an ear, although Nico's face shines so when he looks at him (Lewis tries not to think how he smiles in response to the emotions in his voice) that even seeing them would be enough to understand. Lewis leaves, waving gratefully to the stands for the love they showed, and gives way to the next person in front of the microphone.

Nico finds him after, Barcelona is much smaller than they think, but maybe, just maybe, Lewis himself was scurrying around without much thoughts and hopes. They smile awkwardly at each other, not knowing how to communicate with each other now that cameras and thousands of curious eyes are no longer directed at them, not understanding whether their normal communication was a pretense or a sign that they had hope to close this gestalt.

They exchange a few meaningless phrases and fall silent, unable to find words, before Nico sighs and gently reaches out to him. Lewis's hand meets his palm halfway.

"Lewis, listen, I know it's… it's late, but maybe it's better late than never?" he laughs awkwardly, betraying his excitement.

"Is this your peace offering?"

Lewis asks cautiously. His therapist said he should have overcome it long ago, but it seems there was always only one peaceful path for both of them. After years of arguing, there was irony in it, but also justice for the years of close friendship they shared. Nico nods.

Lewis smiles, still hesitant, this is shaky territory.

"I dunno, after so many years, maybe we won't succeed. But I accept it," Lewis suddenly pulls their clasped hands to him and presses a kiss to their intertwined fingers.

"Even if it's just your friendship," Nico replies in a dry voice, as if his throat is constricted from an excess of emotions, "that will be enough for me."

Nico kisses him on the cheek for a long moment, closing his eyes.

[wallpaper-inside-my-heart]

You're losing me - Ianthony

Okay, so I know that I already rambled a bit about this one over on @beanie-twink s blog 😅

However 

Listening to “You’re Losing Me” after that letter video hits even worse, so I need to talk about it again, in more detail!

"You say, "I don't understand," and I say, "I know you don't"

We thought a cure would come through in time, now, I fear it won't"

→ Anthony feeling the rift between them growing but also not really finding the tools to repair it 

→ also the irony about this part of the letter

“But I don't think there is a point of no return for friendships as deep as ours was. I am reaching out to you as an ex-best friend. I want to talk about things and lay them all out there so we can possibly mend things.”

→ and him never actually reaching out to fix it

(not meant to blame him here, it was obvi very complicated; just pointing out the parallel)

"Remember lookin' at this room, we loved it 'cause of the light

Now, I just sit in the dark and wonder if it's time"

→ just the whole image of them creating smosh together, sharing their apartment for a while and then also the office space that Defy made available to them when they sold the company to them and how amazed they were at the professionalism back then

→ and all of that just turning more and more bleak over the years, as the work demands and exhaustion accumulated

→ but also with him now describing Ian as the sun! and the room loosing its light just like he was loosing his friendship with Ian!!! 

(I am so normal about all the metaphor opportunities Anthony has created for us with that simple comparison!!)

"Do I throw out everything we built or keep it?

I'm getting tired even for a phoenix

Always risin' from the ashes

Mendin' all her gashes

You might just have dealt the final blow"

→ so while part of this chorus still fit Anthony so well!

→ like him mourning leaving the company behind that he built with his best friend

→ I also want to talk about how well this fits Ian again!

→ not at the same time, but especially during the defy collapse

→ like in such a short amount of time he had lost both his best friend and it was looking like he was going to loose his company as well

→ just imagining how much it must have hurt for the universe to treat him so horribly back then

→ and how he had to keep fighting and reinventing both himself and the channel → aka a sort of rebirth/phoenix situation → again sun/fire symbolism!

"Stop, you're losin' me

I can't find a pulse

My heart won't start anymore for you

'Cause you're losin' me"

→ I don’t even know what to say 

→ like to me this just summarizes the letter and Anthony’s apparent emotional state prior to leaving really well

"Every mornin', I glared at you with storms in my eyes

How can you say that you love someone you can't tell is dyin'?

I sent you signals and bit my nails down to the quick

My face was gray, but you wouldn't admit that we were sick"

→ this verse just explaining all the resentment that was building up in anthony and how he wanted Ian to actually react to what he was doing

→ especially regarding the part where he mentioned the failed conversation attempt about his bad ex-relationship

→ and Ian just not knowing how to react and in general continuing to act (and maybe even believe) that they were still fine

"And the air is thick with loss and indecision"

→ the perceived loss of the friendship and him being unsure whether he should finally leave or not

"I know my pain is such an imposition"

→ Anthony writing in the letter about worrying if he ever put Ian through emotional turmoil

"Now, you're runnin' down the hallway

And you know what they all say

"You don't know what you got until it's gone""

→ I feel like the last line can be both read towards Ian → in the sense that he didn’t realize what it would be like without anthony around or more precisely him not expecting them to just “looe” all contact with eachother

→ and also how valuable Anthony was to him as both friend and creative partner

→ but it also fits so well with Anthony saying this to himself

→ since he talked about how he didn’t realize “how important Ian really was for what smosh was able to accomplish” until he managed to get some distance from the situation

"[...]

"Who only wanted you to see [him]"

→ all this time Anthony just wanted Ian to recognize what he did without ridiculing it

(again, no blame either side, I’m just referring to the following line: “The snide remarks about anything I made that put my true emotions out there for the world”)

"And I'm fadin', thinkin'

"Do something, babe, say something"

"Lose something, babe, risk something" 

"Choose something, babe, I got nothing" 

"To believe, unless you're choosin' me""

→ Anthony asking Ian to leave smosh with him; to risk just leaving it all behind

→ and then seeing Ians refusal to “choose him” as the sign that the friendship he had once believed to exist between them had now faded beyond recognition...

[queerwritersingerdramaqueen]

And now it is time for ~random annotations from that one fic I wrote self-indulgently with no context in order of appearance~

"the snake and medusa symbolism is there too"

"you're in a mirror situation of my own design"

"first to get on the train, last to get off"

"dichotomy bitches, i'm giving you so much whiplash"

"I want to make it so obvious this is fictional and should in no way inform any real-life scenarios."

"Still trying to figure out who actually asked who to be their lighthouse." (and directly after this one) "Hehe, nice extended metaphor"

"Jesus Christ Liam, he just said living without you would kill him"

"way to set up the dramatic irony sir"

"Please excuse me I designed her when I was 13 and the teenage angst was kicking."

(this one might require context of the fic but it sounds slightly unhinged on it's own so) "This is why I write like this, to settle the ever-present fact that shit could have and still can go sideways so quick because I was born when I was."

(Also might need context but) "Please imagine this little doctor running down to the apartment, banging on the door until they realise Sherlock is incapacitated, running halfway across town to get Billy cause their afraid something's wrong and he's the only one with a key, coming back just to realise Sherlock forgot to unlock the door and basically did their job for them XD."

"Billy: You fucking Twat! Also Billy: is that a baby?"

"Nice Double entendre, is he going to let go of the fear or let go of Liam, OoOoOh"

"How the fuck do children talk???"

"not subtle at all, you may as well just tell him he's his mama by that point"

"so you have chosen death"

"I'm very proud of this little thing I do where a character will ask a question about why they do something and then it immediately cuts to the reasonTM"

"still kind of proud of this one"

"and so it begins, the older brother-fication of the only child" (directly after) "and there's the middle child"

"Don't mind me just throwing random coffee orders out there."

"I really like going all in on the symbolism huh?"

"Aka. "When did you two fuck?"

"It's called dramatic irony"

"stimmmmmmming"

"I'm demi, ok? I don't know what waking up sex would feel like and I'm not sure I want to know but that sounds romantic to me ok? Shut up"

"1. can babies inherit ocular albinism but not full albinsim? 2. this feels like it would happen but what do I know"

"me too dude, me too"

"URGH, right in the heart"

"And that's what it's all about"

(the = is my equivalent of the shaking hands meme) "Mycroft = Louis: Why are you going for the guy who could fuck you up?"

"bEtRaYaL"

"Let it be known that Albert may be the first one to get on the train of redemption but he is far from the first on to get off."

"Fred just grinning in the corner"

"yes on the purity but my book says nothing about rebirth"

"CAtch me if you can"

"Can you tell I was super into The Moon Will Sing at this point?"

"Don't know how he's not dead, the plot armour is strong on this one"

"I cannot stress enough that this should not be taken as reality. I as the god of this universe have strung together enough circumstantial and well thought out plot for them so they can be together again without the toxicity and I'll explore this later. This should be catharsis for all the peeps who are going through breakups where they want to go back but can't. Live vicariously through these two, don't go back to your ex unless the circumstances are almost suspiciously in your favour and even then, don't."

"and not rationality as in "oh I can't live without Liam," NO, rationality as in "this baby has RIGHTS""

"I'm not afraid to admit this came at the height of my Girl, Goddess, Queen hype"

"Because any decent man who can understand where he might have gone wrong in gaining your trust will not continue to be unworthy of your trust. If he does not continuously try to earn your trust earnestly, toss him."

"we love a self-aware man who can own up to his mistakes"

"AGAIN, FICTION"

"Mycroft and Albert Holmes, William and Sherlock Moriarty. I rest my case."

"at the end of the day, it's a name and he's happy to know it."

"who thought sending the two year old was smart? *looks in the mirror*"

"still crying over this"

"Babies' have no right smelling so cute when all they do is poop and vomit"

"I won't lie. he was probably thinking of ways to murder him for making fun of their kid"

"The Bloodline Continues"

"Liam, you're catharting. After a year and a half of basically being on your own, you're finally having simple human contact and it's nice."

"le gasp"

"Moran slander is fun I don't know what you're talking about"

"FICTION, I CAN'T STRESS THIS ENOUGH"

"Relationships are all good and well until your isolated with only one person you can truly let go with"

"I don't know what kind of relationship Americans had with British people at this time but this seemed most plausible"

"Cana two year old have a thought process like this???"

"priorities"

"wouldn't that be crazy *laughs in polyamory*"

"i like this metaphor"

I had to cut out a few that were actual notes about the story and if it hadn't become abundantly obvious, it's yuumori kidfic. I make myself laugh and I'd never write anything I didn't find enjoyment in myself so HERE YOU GO. I hope my ridiculous ramblings make someone laugh today.