#kyrie is questioning (in this anyways

[cosmikazie-arts]

happy pride month

[hopeinthebox]

tagged by the exceptional @cordiallyfuturedwight and @cosmicdreamgrl thanks ever so much my loves <33

now tagging some heroes @aprylynn @thvinyl @visionsofgideontheninth @hoseeok @btscontentenjoyer @jihopesjoint @monismochi @raplinenthusiasts <333 and everyone else

[starswallowingsea]

every time i reblog that tumblr and discord pfp locked in a room together post its so funny bc ive had the same hoyoung icon for like almost 2 years now but i change icons on here every month so its just putting hoyoung in situations

[simlit]

Chosen of the Sun | | dawn // thirty-six

next / previous / beginning

ELION: Rough night? KYRIE: Why are you asking? You already know. ELION: laughs Mm. Power like yours costs a pretty penny. Though, it’s not a rare gift, being able to force someone to do what you want. I can do that trick too. But mine is free. KYRIE: What are you suggesting? I walk in and threaten the Duke’s life? ELION: No, I’m suggesting I walk in and threaten the Duke’s life. KYRIE: No. And why are you so keen to help me, anyways? You didn’t hesitate at all offering to settle things with the King’s healer. What do you get out of it? ELION: What? Can’t I foster your favor without any ulterior motives? KYRIE: Wasn’t it just a few hours ago you were going on about “due respect”? ELION: Fair point. Let’s say I do want something from you. Are you willing to hear me out? KYRIE: I said I don’t want what you’re offering. ELION: Really? Come now. You know you can’t keep that spell up forever. Your mana will weaken, you’ll slip up, etcetera etcetera, and the Duke will go running his mouth about everything he remembers. KYRIE: If he remembers. He was pretty drunk ELION: So you’re banking on luck, then? KYRIE: sighs What more can Elora do to me? If you haven’t noticed, you’re already here. She can’t lock me up so long as the trials are on. ELION: And afterwards? KYRIE: She… wouldn’t do that. ELION: Are you sure? KYRIE: …No. ELION: Hm. I expect my offer is starting to sound more appealing. KYRIE: I don’t condone the use of violence to get what you want. I never wanted to hurt the Duke. ELION: And he won’t be. So long as he complies. And given that he seems particularly proud of himself, I imagine he’ll want to avoid pain as much as possible. A little threat never hurt anyone. KYRIE: And what do you want in return? I gave you my cooperation. ELION: Reluctantly, yes. But no. What I want has nothing to do with you. Not directly, anyways. KYRIE: So, are you going to tell me or just keep beating around the bush? ELION: The Witcher. What do you know of her home? KYRIE: Eira? Why do you want to know? ELION: What difference does it make to you? It’s a simple question. KYRIE: Nothing that outlandish can ever be simple. Besides, it’s no secret. She’s School of the Viper— ELION: Not that home. Where was she born? KYRIE: I don’t understand. Eira was born in a village in the far north. Near Tir Tochair. But she wasn’t raised there. She has no connection to the place, far as I could see. ELION: So it is… How curious. KYRIE: That’s it? That’s all you wanted? ELION: Yes. For now. KYRIE: Why her? ELION: She… reminds me of someone. Someone I once knew, long ago. KYRIE: What? Don’t tell me you have a heart under all that bravado. ELION: A heart? In this profession, hearts are nothing but currency.

[prototypelq]

DMC Questions Anon here!

A little bit ago it was Father's Day (for me anyways)! Now I want you to tell me how DMC characters celebrate Father's Day.

Hi Ember! I am, as usual, very timely with my answers. Thanks for continuing to give me food for thought despite that 💚

Father's Day is actually the series' favourite holiday, given how 3/5 games give us an opportunity to murder someone's dad! xD

But, uh, yeah, no joke, parents are a big part of DMC themes so it's genuinely an important holiday for the characters, whether they like it or not. And about half of them don't like it probably.

Obviously, Lady and the twins hate it. Sparda's absence was the event that made the childhood of brothers come crashing down, and no matter how mature they are, I don't think that is something they can ever forgive. Outwardly, they might be neutral about it, or try to excuse Sparda even, but deep down I think they will always be resentful about it.

It's also the reason I adore the fics where Sparda somehow returns. I think this upsets the whatever careful balance and peace post-hell twins can achieve, but without anything life-threatening happening. Pure family drama and I'm a sucker for that xD (Sparda's definitely getting a violent welcome from the twins tho). Plus, Nero gets a grandpa!

For Lady, Trish and Lucia I don't think Father's day is salvageable. Not for Lady for sure, and neither Trish nor Lucia really Have a figure they could celebrate so yeah.

Returning to more canon/my-fanon territory, (nodding at Nero and Patty) I think Father's day might become a pleasant day for the twins)))

(headcanon that Patty started bringing Dante small gifts for Father's Day a long time ago, she got away with it because Dante didn't pay attention to dates or holidays for most of his life, and she did it without fanfare)

We don't know what Kyrie's situation is, but I imagine she and Nero could honor her and Credo's parents.

Nico is probably the one character who has a genuine great and uncomplicated day with Rock. I think they go fishing or maybe camping or smth. Nico's in just because her dad likes it, but she enjoys the activity with him.

If you don't mind, I'll also insert Mother's day answer here.

A couple of weeks ago (listen I was lazy okay) it was Mother's Day (for me anyways)! Now I want you to tell me how DMC characters celebrate Mother's Day.

Same way as the Father's day is...complicated for most of the cast, Mother's day is pretty somber for most of the cast.

The twins, Kyrie and Lady spend the day honouring their respective mothers.

I imagine this would be a good date for the twins to Talk TM with Nero about their family history. Maybe they visit the mansion again, if only for some emotional closure, as pretty much nothing there survived.

(crossing fingers for more fanon Witch Eva)

Trish has had a complicated time on this day, but I think she's better about it now and probably ignores it.

Patty and Lucia spend the holiday with their moms, I think the whole cast can only be happy for them.

(free space to insert some unpopular opinions regarding parents:

- I don't think Nero and Kyrie fulfill the parental roles for the orphans they host, as they are not ready for that themselves. They take care of those children, sure, but it's out of sympathy (and relatability) of their situation. It's not a permanent arrangement, nor is it parenting.

- A tutorship of new Devil Hunters would fix Lady, maybe with some unwanted responsibility and parental feelings for her students involved

- demonic pets for twins au reminder. pets aren't children and pet owners' aren't parents, but it's close)

[v-existing-archive]

DMC Questions Anon here!

A couple of weeks ago (listen I was lazy okay) it was Mother's Day (for me anyways)! Now I want you to tell me how DMC characters celebrate Mother's Day.

Dante and Vergil probably get Nero, Kyrie, Trish and Lady to visit their mother’s grave with them. They probably cry but don’t admit it

[nyaagolor]

Finished Episode 4 and got through the first few chapters of Episode 5, so I’m back with some theories / questions / thoughts. I realized I probably should have been adding the spoilers tag to my posts so that will be rectified soon!! But anyway:

Theories:

1. Who is the person who called Natsuhi on the phone?

We have already established that Natsuhi is likely hallucinating based on her scenes with Kinzo and Beatrice, so I don’t think the kid is real. (She could also be lying but I’m biased in her favor bc I like her). If said child is actually 19, that would put him as a year older than Jessica, smack in the middle of when Natsuhi was having fertility issues. I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch that in her extremely heightened state of anxiety around the family conference (all about inheritance / family / lineage), she might be haunted (both metaphorically and literally) by her miscarriage / fertility issues. I’ve been under the assumption that Jessica is not Natsuhi’s child— she’s Krauss’ kid by another woman, but Natsuhi raised her for image related reasons (Krauss didn’t want to get a divorce or admit his wife’s “failure”, but wanted an heir regardless). The person on the phone might be the ghost (literal or metaphorical) of Natushi’s final unsuccessful pregnancy, especially if she was far along before the miscarriage— he ends up being a representation of her trauma and guilt at her fertility issues

2. What happened on the island with Ange?

Her bodyguard actually followed her, sniping and killing the blacksuits and Kyrie’s bitch of a sister whose name I’m forgetting. He kills Ange at the end because Okonogi would be the next person to get the inheritance and that’s what he’s been after in the first place

3. Why could Ange revive Sakutaro?

Maria was mistaken, Sakutaro is not homemade. Rosa bought a factory plushie and passed him off as homemade, so Ange just bought another one. My theory is that Rosa will die by my blade

4. What the fuck did Battler do?

I was initially under the impression that Kyrie killed Asumu to get her man (slay queen or whatever) but now that I think about it it’s not impossible that Battler did it. Did he drive her to suicide? Accidentally kill her and it was made to look like a suicide? Why does he not remember? Why does him not remembering make Beatrice suicidal???? Is Beatrice Asumu???? Is she a ghost that Battler made up in his grief? actually probably not I don’t think they would do that. whatever

Da Rules! (or at least the way I understand the rules of the game to work)

- Magic can only do things that are also possible by humans, meaning every magical act has some kind of trick

- Only the outcome as Battler sees it matter. In essence, everything before the catbox is opened does not need to be taken as fact

- “Mystery” is not “Anti-Fantasy” and shouldn’t be treated as such. “Mystery” is too restrictive, and nuance is important

- Everyone has the potential to be an unreliable narrator. Some are outright lying (hideyoshi + eva in chapter 3), some genuinely believe what they are seeing (Maria, possibly Natsuhi), and some I just don’t trust on principle (Kyrie, Rosa, the limited omniscient narrator)

Questions I still have:

- How did Asumu pass off Kyrie’s kid as her own. Like genuinely what the fuck is the logistics of that??????

- What do I have to do to convince Natsuhi to get a divorce

- When are Battler and Beatrice finally going to make out. I’m waiting.

[rose-reads-visualnovels]

Quick question for when you wake up - how do you think Kyrie fits thematically. She really behaves differently from the other women in the ushiromia family. Most of them are desperately trying to cling to any shread of power in this misogynistic structure, while Kyrie is very confident in her power. Yet despite seeming to not care for it, she never points out that it's bullshit, not saying a peep when Eva rips into natsuhi

That plus her creepy behaviour makes her really stand out

What's up with her?

Hmmm see. You have three “in laws” so to speak. Let’s see what’s up with them as a group.

Hideyoshi: a businessman. He understands money but he’s not the best at being cutthroat. He’s an affable liar who uses said skills to smooth things over and keep the air from getting too thick. He has his own restaurant chain and invests a lot of love and labor into it. If it weren’t for the mistake of not looking out for board members trying to kick him out of his own company, he couldn’t care less about Kinzo or the Ushiromiya problems beyond them bringing out the worse in his wife. He just needs a lot of money right now.

Natsuhi: married to the Ushiromiya Successor. It’s her job to bear him children and she has been called a walking womb on more than one occasion by other family members. She takes her duty very seriously. She’s coping hard by making her title of Wife and Mother her whole identity. It’s either this or kill herself at this point.

Kyrie: not married to the Successor nor a possible Successor herself (like Eva who’s inhaling copium since she was born). The sexual dominant in their relationship. Has her own thing going on: shady business with Rudolf and taking care of Angie who’s either a baby or a toddler.

I really don’t think Kyrie is an oddity. The only women clinging like crazy to the Ushiromiya Patriarch and his structures of power are people who have a chance at raising their standing within the hierarchy. Kyrie does not care. She does not think the world revolves around Kinzo. She’s here because she’s Rudolf’s wife but that’s bc she’s /his/ emotional support.

Now about your question as to why she doesn’t challenge Eva when she’s treating Natsuhi like shit… why would Kyrie care? Kyrie has been married to Rudolf for 6 years while the Eva/Natsuhi humiliation rituals have been going on since before fucking George was born. She’s not a naturally empathetic person. She’d just dispassionately watch it happen in front of her and go “the dinner is getting cold” if it takes too long.

Anyways. Yeah. That’s my current Kyrie interpretation.

— Rose, the Revolutionary Witch

[thebluerose]

Hey nero! Question for ya! So I was wondering if maybe we could burn stuff together? Maybe get something for that special lady of yours? Maybe torture @pizzalover8969 and get to know @thebestsonofsparda with some things he might like? Then we get @the-thunder-chicken and cook him!!!!

I still wish I could have pet shadow she was so pretty and beautiful God I love cats

I’m starting to see a reoccurring theme of lighting things on fire and I am unsure if I like it or not. Eh, whatever. Sure, we can go burn some shit (in moderation, Kyrie might not approve otherwise and I can’t have that), especially marshmallows if you want to torture Dante at the same time. Apparently the guy hates burnt marshmallows.

Coward.

Anyways, yes on getting something for Kyrie. I’m always looking for an excuse to give her stuff.

As for my old man, good luck, because the guy is insanely hard to read. I know he had other interests than poetry and demonic power but trying to figure them out without interrogating the guy can be difficult.

I’m making some progress though. It’s just so damn slow!

And well, hey, I’m happy to help put that birdbrain in the oven. Especially after he tried to sabotage my proposal.

And yes, I can confirm Shadow was a good girl. Very soft. She will be missed.

[midnightkolrath]

Oh boy, its thinking time again.

Though this time, I'm thinking about Mainline Dante and the "Black Sheep" for most fans, DmC Dante. Personally, I don't mind him and he grew on me in some cases. As much of a mess DmC is, playing through it recently after several years....I've seen crumbs of what could've been better than what we were given.

Of course, there's other things about the game that fairly rubs off on hardcore fans and I'm not gonna excuse the bad parts...[ahem] but there's things I like. The world building, parts of the lore....what they were trying to do with Dante as a character in the world setting...alas, I'll probably go on a talk about that stuff another time.

On topic of what I was going to talk about though. I was thinking back on the common reception of DmC and the fanarts of Main Dante beating the shit out of DmC Dante and I got to thinking...what if they actually DID meet each other? Would they respond similarly to these fan vent interpretations accordingly to their characters?

The answer, I think, would be a yes.

Not in the violent and aggressive "I hate you immediately" way, though. For this, I'm going to use DMC5 Dante for Main Dante, for the sake of how I've proccessed this inner question for myself.

For those who've played DmC and know of that Dante (and have paid attention to the story despite the icks), we know he's a fighter. He's been raised in the world that way due to his tragic and shitty upbringing. Same with him having anger issues amongst other things. He shares the impulsive nature Dante used to have back in Pre-DMC1 and DMC3, but cranked up abit.

He'd likely see Main Dante and purposely try to start shit cause he is a little shit like that. He's a teenager who's been through so much shit that he does not meld with people at all at first. He hates authority, is full of spite...yeeeeah....

I think Main Dante would entertain him and be willing to throw down with him because hell, man also loves a good fight and knowing this kid is another version of him? He'd be all over that to see just what the kid's made of.

Though I'd take this fight as Main Dante also trying to help the kid let off some steam, similar to how he handled Nero back in DMC4 when he was steamed and keen to rescue Kyrie and helped him regain a cool head before continuing on his quest.

The big difference between Nero and DmC Dante though, is that DmC Dante has even BIGGER anger issues. He's more violent. More spiteful. Fueled by how much worse he had it growing up. Had to watch his mother's heart get ripped out by Mundus, got seperated from his twin brother and had his memory sealed away....then he also had to deal with being in an orphanage ran by demons, in several foster homes and correction facilities (also, no surprise, ran by demons) so he went through alot of abuse growing up. Its how he knows the usual procedure of being detained and tries to give Kat advice as she's being arrested later on in the game.

He spent his entire life basically having to fight for it with no other choice.

As much of an edgy mess DmC is, it had so much messed up backstory for Dante himself...like aside from all the painfully forced edge of the setting most of the time....I can appreciate what they've molded in the cracks for the setting. Its fucked because the world he's in is fucked.

Anyway. Main Dante would probably let him get so much venting out through fighting, maybe try and try and help him work out his issues. Especially if this is seasoned DMC5 Dante. He's done it with Nero, he would do it again. It'd take alot and I mean ALOT of time I'd feel and I think Main Dante would even snap at DmC Dante over a few things, buuuut....I also feel like it'd eventually simmer down to a mutual understanding. Hell, Main Dante would likely see abit of his Pre-DMC1 and DMC3 selves in him. Kid's just abit more messed up and would need things drilled in more, but it IS stated that DmC Dante has a big heart buried beneath all that he displays. Hell, he shows it a few times in the game. He has a few moments.

I won't try and change minds on how people see him because I know DmC is a touchy subject for most hardcore fans and I get it, but you know. Personally, with it being an alternate reality at this point now that's still recognized by Capcom officially, I see it as harmless nowadays. We got mainline DMC swinging back, so its pretty much just there, haha.

I won't go into powerscaling (because that's a whole other beast of a rabbit hole I don't wanna poke into yet, even if I do think our Mainline Dante would win...the details of it will be thoughts for another time), but considering the circumstances of their characters and how situational it may be.....its just a thought. I dunno, the braincells just decided to think about this topic tonight, lmao.

[construingseacats]

Umireread: Legend of the Golden Witch - Chapter 10: The Six Chosen by the Key   

Sun, Oct 5 1986 - 6:00AM

The following contains spoilers for the entirety of Umineko. Please do not read if you are yet to finish it.

I’m so excited for this chapter, you have no idea.

Extremely funny mental image of Yasu going to Natsuhi’s room, seeing the charm, then deciding “well if she’s off the table then I’m killing that asshole who gave me night duty while he did his crossword”. Of course, she probably had to kill Gohda to help avoid any incriminating testimony from her changing her assigned position last night, but it’s still funny to think about.

Since the rest are the adults, it’s easy to think about Gohda being an odd one out and the obvious replacement for Natsuhi, but given the above I wonder who the unfortunate backup was. Maybe Rosa? Or potentially one of either Rudolf or Kyrie, originally intending to only kill one of the adults per pair?

I love how Genji goes “Sorry. The Telephones are down” then “By the way Gohda is missing”, and completely neglects to mention that Natsuhi’s door is coated in bloodstains. Just leave the most obvious detail as something for her to find out for herself, you know.

“Natsuhi had a pretty good idea” is SUCH a funny line. Not even concerned by the horror movie trope, she already suspects which family member did it. I wonder who her mind immediately jumps to - although let’s be real, it’s probably Eva.

Eva tries to check on Kinzo and Natsuhi immediately shoots her down. It’s really funny how blatant the cover up is. Like, you’re unlikely to question it, since we keep getting fantasy scenes of Kinzo in his study, but it sure is there if you go looking for it.

Speaking of - the moment we see Kinzo in the office here, we’ve accounted for 17 of our 18 (with 5 known missing). Good game Shannon, we have our six chosen by the key.

Natsuhi, alone in the study, worries about how much Eva is going to tear into her, and then immediately makes up a pep talk to make herself feel good. I’m telling you, these study scenes are a goldmine.

Yeah, Eva absolutely would have been the one to leave bloody scratch marks all over Natsuhi’s door.

Here we go

HERE WE GO

…Okay, you can have that one. Saying it’s a sigh of relief right as they uncover the bodies is very cheeky, but the irony balances out how tense the scene is. It’s a breather for the reader as well.

We actually get a breather with the kids as well. Final moments of innocent Battler caught on tape.

Chills. Full chills.

And here it is. 

Allow me to indulge for a moment.

When I was a kid, my first anime was The Haruhi of Melancholy Suzumiya. I watched it through low-resolution fansubs that had been posted on a YouTube that was still in its youth, with each episode awkwardly split into three parts since you couldn’t upload videos longer than ten minutes. I probably watched that at an age that was slightly too young for it, but as a kid who only knew the world of animation through the veneer of kids cartoons and Matt Groening shows (except maybe that one time I watched Spirited Away when I was 5 - which also left a stark impression on me), it really opened my eyes to a world of new media that I hadn’t even conceived of before. I really wanted to see what else there was.

Anyway, my second anime was Higurashi no naku koro ni.

If I was slightly too young for Haruhi, I was definitely too young for Higurashi. But that was part of the appeal, I suppose - the prepubescent desire to cast away the shackles of childhood and prove your maturity. That you’ve grown up. I legitimately remember 10 or 11 year old me showing a friend the scene of Rika stabbing herself in the head while going “look at what I’m watching now! Look how mature I am!” - admittedly, this was to a friend who had allegedly already seen all manner of films rated 15 or 18, so it arguably would have been relatively tame to them, and boasting about your maturity is undoubtedly the most immature thing a person can do.

While the initial appeal there was that Higurashi was “mature”, it was still really interesting. There was good intrigue there, the plot had me hooked, and from start to finish it was a really good piece of media. I’m pretty sure my younger self saw the scene where the sound of gunshots are covered up by fireworks at the local festival and thought it was the smartest plot point in any piece of media ever. Anyway, a short while later, I heard that there was going to be a sequel anime to Higurashi - a new show, called Umineko.

Now, I had a fine time with the Umineko anime. I would have been 12-13 as it was airing - still eager to consume media I was too young for - and, with no bar for quality, I enjoyed it. There was cool gore! The mystery was exciting! The red truth was such a neat concept and the witch fights were badass! Sure, it may not have had as much of a lasting impact on me as Higurashi, but it was still good, right?

Well, it wasn’t good. In fact, pretty much all the anime reviews I saw for it were negative. There were still a few fools like myself who had enjoyed it, but there was one thing I kept seeing - a sentiment that was effectively universal. A simple statement.

“The Visual Novel is so much better.”

I held onto those words for a few years.

I don’t know what the instigator for it was, but somewhere down the line, I decided to act on it. I bought the original japanese version of Episodes 1-4 and 5-8 through what I believe was the old Witch Hunt site - quite possibly one of the dodgiest deals I’ve ever made, as anyone who procured Umineko back in the old days can attest to - and applied the fanmade english patch. The PS3 sprite mod looked so much better than the original sprites, so I installed that as well. And, 10 years ago, I started playing.

It was… fine. I wasn’t a huge fan of how the text covered the whole screen, rather than appearing in text boxes, like it did in the other VNs I’d played. I say that as if I’d actually played any VN other than Katawa Shoujo at that time. But, I remembered liking Umineko, so I pressed on. I pressed on through the boring introductions, through the boring discussions of the inheritance, waiting to get to the cool parts where Beatrice showed up and the magic fights started happening.

But then, we got to this scene.

There I was, sitting with my laptop on holiday, with my cheap earphones plugged in, as the cousins approached the gardening shed. As the adults told them not to get any closer. As they did so anyway.

What followed is some of the most unrelentingly raw reactions to a visceral scene like this that I’d ever seen in any piece of media, ever. This wasn’t the dulled impact that the anime had hit me with - this was a full, unfiltered, uncensored dive into the immutable affliction of being human. They’ve got no faces - you could feel Battler’s unmitigated despair oozing from it all. These weren’t just characters reacting to a scene in a book. This was something more.

This was the moment that I fell in love with Umineko.

Perhaps I gave too much background to that statement - perhaps I’ve fallen afoot of the same criticisms I levied against the earlier parts of the tale for not getting to the point quicker. But that is the play-by-play of how, 10 years ago, this scene went straight for the jugular and bled me dry. This is where I knew I wasn’t just reading another version of that anime I’d seen the years prior, I was reading something special.

I would be remiss to say this is entirely down to the writing - a lot of this is also heavily driven by the blaring tones of goldenslaughterer. If Umineko was simply a series of 8 books, it wouldn’t have had the same effect on me as it has done for the past decade. If this scene wasn’t equipped with one of the most perfect aural accompaniments imaginable, I don’t think it would have stuck with me as much as it did. But the palpable emotion dripping from each word - the killer performances from each of the VAs (Jessica’s screams are INCREDIBLE) - and the musical storytelling doing just as much heavy lifting as the writing is… it’s an inimitable experience. This is what everyone was telling me that I was missing out on back in the halcyon days of 2009. They were right.

Perhaps it was for the best that I did give it those few extra years, so that I could truly appreciate the masterwork being crafted before me. I can’t imagine even beginning to comprehend the themes or the mystery of this tale at age 13, when I scarcely did so at 17. But regardless of the what ifs, this is the path that led me to what I consider, with no exaggeration, a pivotal moment in my life. It’s hard to describe the emotions that were stirred as I approached this scene for the reread - if I had to approximate it, then it would be unbound excitement mixed with trepidation, a great interest in re-experiencing such an important scene tempered by a fear that it may not have been as good as I remembered.

Of course, it wasn’t going to hit me in the exact same way that it did the first time round - you cannot recreate the sensation of a sucker punch when you know that it’s coming. But I can say, with certainty, that this scene was just as good as I remembered. That it still hit all the points that made me fall in love with the story originally.

I cannot wait to keep reading the rest.

Honestly, after what I’ve just said (and my feelings at large), it feels sacreligious to stop and dissect this scene. It’s something you want to just let play out, to absorb the experience - part of me wants to just skip straight to the end.

But still, I’d feel remiss not to mention Nanjo’s acting here - he goes into doctor mode and then realises “wait, I need to be more emotional” before dropping it immediately. One of those moments that doesn’t arouse suspicion on a first read but feels super blatant afterwards.

In for a penny, in for a pound. Hideyoshi looks and sounds so pained having to perpetuate the crucial lie over here. You can really feel the thoughts running through his head of “do I expose it? Is it worth it?”

AND THEN WE GET HIT WITH WORLD END. I cannot stress how much music matters to me and accentuates the experience; a sound novel utilised to the full extent of the medium can truly produce a story that no traditional paper novel ever can.

Phenomenal work from the VA here - they clearly got the memo that this is a panicked “no” of not wanting the lie to be unveiled, rather than one of sincere desire to protect George. Again, you can still interpret it as the latter, so you’re unlikely to pick it up on a first read, but absolutely there on the reread.

There’s an incredible parallel made here of George holding onto Shannon’s smile, while Battler is doomed to remember the gored faces of his parents. Not only is this great by itself, it’s yet another example of fantasy versus reality, with George being able to hold onto happy memories by being ignorant to the truth (even if that truth isn’t a real truth in this case).

“Proved beyond doubt”, the narrative says, about the one body that we should doubt.

No commentary - this is just a great line and I wanted to highlight it.

And so all the associates chime in to cover it up.

I feel like it’s fairly easy to miss how well Eva is taking the whole thing in this scene. Everyone else is traumatised, and she’s holding up remarkably well.

Interesting how it’s the associates setting up the howdunnit as well! I suppose Yasu wants to make sure that element isn’t missed by the would-be detectives.

And so Umineko tells you to your face that this is the story about a serial killer who wants to be discovered. I suppose there’s already elements of that in the letter to solve the Epitaph, but it’s really made explicit here.

I’m still riding the high of the first twilight. I’m not sure if there’s any other scene in Umineko that I’ll gush about to that extent, but I know there’s plenty of moments yet to come that won’t fail to blow me away.

I know it’s integral to the story, and it wouldn’t work otherwise, but I do have to say that the howdunnit hook adds so much to Umineko that wouldn’t be there otherwise. Some of my fondest memories from the first readthrough was trying to figure out how it was all done (without ever considering the scenes that were lying to us, oops). I’m really looking forward to going through that all again, with the lens of love.

[ohbutwheresyourheart]

dante and/or the whole dmc 5 crew for the blorbo meme? :)

oh ho HO thank you for this, I love the DMC gang and don't talk about them enough

disclaimer/note to begin with: they all have pretty privelege and they all need to stop being put in situations, because that's just who they all are as people/chew toys of fate

second disclaimer: I made this post while drinking a big old bottle of beer so if this commentary goes off the rails the further you go down the post then that's why

also I'm putting these under a cut bc this got really long

first up: dante!!!

fewer boxes crossed off than I was expecting but when I sat down and thought about it there were some I couldn't justify, e.g. in my heart I want to believe I can fix him and he needs me but let's be real the only thing that ever had the power to fix Dante is getting his bro back </3

also I say most fandom takes are incorrect bc my main contact with the DMC fandom was back in the day where it was very common to portray Dante as this LOL SO RANDOM horndog (i.e. as if his projected persona was his... actual deep-seated personality) and I am a depression Dante truther. not sure what the current fandom mentality on Dante is, if things have moved on then disregard

next up: nero!!!

gonna be honest, I wasn't too fussed about Nero until DMC 5 and then he quickly leapfrogged into my heart because oh my god this poor, poor, POOR kid. born to be the straight man in a universe of wackos. trying SO HARD to keep this mess of a family on track but if you push him so help him sparda he WILL turn this car around.

I need more Nero. I need more Nero and Kyrie, specifically. I need to see them just living their average everyday lives where Nero slops his way home covered in demon guts and sluices off then puts a load of laundry on and helps Kyrie with dinner.

also hahahahahaa definitely nothing in there about growing up feeling like an outcast so thoroughly one might as well have had a fucked up demon appendage, nope, nothing like that!!!

V aka DOUBLE BINGO

I have a thing for pasty ass dark haired skinny twink vaguely feeble romantic poet creatures okay even though I would get so frustrated the tenth time I asked him a simple question and he replied with a blake quote

but also HE WAS HIS OWN PERSON he was REAL he was ALIVE and now he's NOT because he WASN'T VERGIL, he was HIMSELF, he was HUMAN, and now he's GONE but also he lives on but also V as an individual is GONE but they'll still see glimmers and hints of him in Vergil and be reminded of him but but but (bites fingers and screeches)

THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA

okay so all of my years of fangirling aside I have to be upfront that if I ever met Vergil I would want to tear his smug disdainful face apart with my bare hands in a matter of minutes

HOWEVER in the realm of fandom, the only reason he ranks lower than V is because V exudes that high fructose twink timothee chalamet energy

I cannot fix him. he does not need me. and yet. whomst among the ranks of Vergil fancreatures has not sat up late at night in their early/mid-teens frantically typing barely-disguised self-insert fanfic where we DO fix him, where we are the ONLY ones who can fix him, where we are the Eva to his Sparda, washing away the sins of his past and anointing him with love?

Vergil is the most anti-hero of all time. he has it all. he's a genocidal maniac, except maybe he isn't because maybe the qliphoth was going to grow there anyway and he just got in on the demonic gentrification scheme at the right moment. he literally has an unspeakably tormented and tortured past.

he has mommy issues. he has daddy issues. he has brother issues. he has son issues. he's a weeaboo. he loves poetry. he hates you, both generally and specifically. he has the hauteur and arrogance of christian fifty shades. underneath it all he just wants desperately to be loved and protected. his idea of bonding is a no-holes-barred beatdown.

he has an extremely weird obsession with his brother, whom he hates, but loves, but hates, but loves, but hates, but wants to spend forever with, but hates, but would kill anyone if they tried to hurt him. literally every bad thing he's ever done originally stemmed from the need to be strong enough to protect what he cares about (DANTE) because he can't go through losing his family again.

i love him <3

[dante-winning-archive]

DMC Questions Anon here!

Today we are talking about remakes! Would you like to see any of the games remade, if so which one(s)? What would you change and how would you make it?

I've talked about DMC1 Remake, so today I'll go with DMC4!

I haven't played it myself yet, but just from watching playthroughs the game feels unpolished. The bosses are repetitive and characters like Kyrie and Credo feel underdeveloped. I had to read the novel to gain more appreciation for the story and while I love reading the novels, I think the games should have a satisfying enough story for players who aren't going to seek out supplemental materials.

And honestly? They could keep the same graphics style, just update them a little. The fabric textures in that game are absolutely infuriating. The eyes of the characters are a little uncanny in the way that's typical for games of that time (I'm mostly thinking about Assassin's Creed).

Anyway, yeah. Just flesh out what's already in the game. I'm sure the combat could use some QOL updates but again I haven't played it myself so idk.

[simlit]

Chosen of the Sun | | dawn // seventy-two

| @maladi777

next / previous / beginning

HIGH PRIESTESS: I don’t want to have to resort to threats, Kyrie. You leave me no choice. I wish you would understand I only do what I do to protect you. KYRIE: You’re protecting yourself. I wish you would just say so. You’ve only ever had influence because of us. But I expect no better from the Church. HIGH PRIESTESS: And what do you mean by that? KYRIE: I— ASTER: Well, pardon the interruption! KYRIE: Aster? ASTER: The door was unlocked, so I let myself in! Hope you don’t mind. Anyways, I’ve got to speak with Ol’ Saint Sees-A-Lot, so if you’ll excuse us… HIGH PRIESTESS: Wait— ASTER: Sorry! Very important Chosen business! Quite private! Toodles! ASTER: Well, that was quite the confrontation. Sure glad we got outta there when we did! KYRIE: I’m… confused. You needed to speak with me? ASTER: Oh that? Just a ruse to get you out of there. You know, I’m not usually one for eavesdropping— I pride myself on minding my own damn business— but I couldn’t leave you in there with that old beastie, could I? Us orphans have to stick together! KYRIE: You were just… helping me? ASTER: Not exactly the damsel saving type, but if the opportunity arises… KYRIE: In that case, thank you, Aster. Can’t say I don’t appreciate it. ASTER: Ah, just in the right place at the right time. Though, never cared for people like your “mother”. Something, something abuse of authority… But it’s especially unpalatable when that abuse comes at the expense of her own child. KYRIE: I doubt Elora ever saw me as her son. A prop, certainly, a meal ticket… that’d be more apt. ASTER: Oh, I don’t doubt that. Though, she’s hardly the first cleric with questionable morals, especially if our theories about the whole affair are correct. KYRIE: I didn’t think you were so invested. ASTER: I wouldn’t say that I am, but it’s sort of hard not to care when these people keep clipping my wings at every given opportunity. I wasn’t even supposed to be here, you know! KYRIE: sighs Aster, you know that’s not true. You’re Chosen for a reason. ASTER: No need for the sympathetic monologue, Your Grace. I believe you believe that. But the fact of the matter is, what I really want is to get the hells out of this place, and I’ll only manage that if we get to the bottom of this mess. My money’s on the eleven of us figuring it out before those poor sods. KYRIE: I don’t disagree at all. ASTER: Mm, well, then allow me to pass on the word. The Valkyrie is organizing a shindig tonight. We’ve all been invited, but I expect I’m just the first to get to you. KYRIE: How very Åse of her… KYRIE: Thank you again, for the message and for… that matter. ASTER: No need to thank me, Your Grace. It’s the least I could do.

[prototypelq]

DMC Questions Anon here!

How do you think the characters in DMC feel about snow? How do they react to it?

Contractually obligated to answer this one today, because it's been a helluva snowstorm outside, and I wasn't expecting it this far down february (nervous chuckle looking at the date of the ask, anyway)

Disclaimer: I think the weather really doesn't bother the sparda idiots that much. If Cerberus, King Cerberus and Berial is anything to go by, then Hell has all kinds of extreme temperatures going on, so the loser hybrids should be resistant to it all. This has pretty much been the main reason why I could not think of anything to write on the topic. However, today's snowstorm has reminded me of an important note:

The Vibes

Weather makes the vibes, so this answer is not literal 'do the twins feel cold', but more of a 'what weather do they vibe with'.

Sooo, we have the Winter and Summer camps to divide characters into.

Dante goes into Summer category - he doesn't mind the snow too much, but if his clothing choices are to go by then he likes warmer temperatures. Vergil is in the middle - cause a certain beloved mutual of mine (p.s. all of my mutuals are my beloveds, I'm just calling out a specific one here) has pointed out Vergil haven't experienced actual sunlight in about twenty years, so I imagine he would love both to warm up in the sun and the wintery vibes. Unlike Dante, who has 5 pieces of clothing in total, and doesn't care too much about his looks, Vergil likes to dress for the occasion and I think he loves his scarfs, he seems very much like a scarf guy, so yeah he'd dress properly in winter at least.

Nero is a Summer boi for sure, he doesn't really get cold in winter, but he always Feels cold the moment temperature drops below 15 C outside. I like to imagine him puffing with wingclaws when they're out in winter xD. He loves shorts, slippers and tank tops for summer walks.

Kyrie is a Winter girl. We have no canonic idea on what the hell the climate of Fortuna is, but based on irl Italy i imagine it gets both warm in summer and cold enough for some snow in winter. Kyrie would try to spend as much time possible when there's snow around (driving Nero a little bit crazy), she loves gluhwein and maybe ice skating. Yeah I can easily picture her dragging Nero (and Nico) to the city ice ring when it's up. She also likes cycling in other seasons.

Not sure, but Nico also goes into the Summer camp too.

Trish is the same as Vergil, she's ambiguous, she mostly just likes the natural weather phenomena of human world without their destructive properties, when compared to Hell.

Lady goes into Winter camp for me. She dresses for the weather, but the winter vibes suit her better I think. Probably would be good at ski running...now that I think about it, she'd be awesome at biathlon... I also think she runs in other seasons, I mean, she has to be constantly training in the background to be able to keep up with demons, right? sports-obsessed Lady headcanons go

Lucia is ambiguous because she likes both seasons, though I imagine winter and proper snow would be uncommon for her. Another gluhwein fan for sure. She probably likes stretching in the summer.

Patty is a definitive Summer lover, but she likes snow-related activities too, and has the common sense to dress properly. Likely a skiing fan, when the cold is mild. I also think she really likes swimming, or some other water-related activity in summer.

Sparda likely liked Summer more, just because he didn't have to worry as much about his family getting sick, but on his own had no preference. Probably liked reading outside in good weather though. Eva is a summer person in my eyes too, though I don't yet have a concrete picture in my head as to why. Maybe because she misses her garden and is locked inside the mansion with two literal hellion children in wintery seasons xD

Thank you for the ask Ember! This has been fun to think about)

[icanseethefuture333]

This is out of absolutely nowhere but is it weird that I want Nicki Minaj to divorce that dusty man? Like girly, please deal with your childhood trauma from your daddy and realise that your man is a dustyyyyyy. The dustiest of dusties ugh. I think that maybe because of all of the trauma in her family and how she was raised, she doesn’t think much of it and thinks it’s normal but no girl, noooo. Like she’s grown up around problematic men (her dad literally set the house on fire with her mom inside it) so that’s her norm. She could do SO MUCH BETTER UGH. Like Nicki you’re PRETTY. YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL AND YOU GOT OPTIONS STOP SETTLING FOR WHAT YOU THINK YOU DESERVE. And she gets so defensive about this dusty because she thinks she deserves him and it makes her look bad like omg Nicki stop, this ain’t it. Sorry I had to vent about this lollll

No because I was a big a fan of Nicki since I was a little girl and her marrying that man honestly broke my heart and I haven't looked at her the same since. Now I just use her for memes because thats just how I honestly view her, her behavior is a joke. All these female celebrities I noticed are big fat liars. They claim to be feminists but then will date men who talk to women terribly then on top of it they will date sex offenders and women beaters. It disgusts me. I know we can be trauma bonded to people because of childhood trauma but I just feel like Nicki at her grown age should know better. Even if it was true, like let's say her husband was falsely accused, why be with a man who has a negative reputation anyways? I feel like if I was dating someone and they got accused or was accused of SA, I wouldn't be with them no matter how much I love them because 1. I'm dismissing the victim 2. I'd be ruining my own reputation in the process. There's plenty of fish in the sea, why stay with a man who's accused of a felony? I definitely do think her childhood is a major factor and I even believe her relationship with Lil Wayne was toxic in some aspects as well. She idolizes him and when she heard him talk about women's bodies and big butts, she felt pressured to get plastic surgery. That's so awful for a young woman to go through. In some ways, Nicki is a very lovely person, but the negative and problematic things she's done out weighs that for me (being anti black with her comments, working with a blackfisher and betraying as well as attacking Leigh Anne on social media right after she just gave birth to twins, and made multiple songs with Chris Brown, I'm sure there's even more that i'm forgetting or don't know about). What I've learned is that unfortunately most celebrities will have to do things that are questionable due to their labels and PR pushing them to do things because they're binded by contract, or they get so fucked up and let the money get to their head. One person I admire to this day is Tinashe. I felt like she should of been a big superstar because her talent is exceptional, but I think universe saved her and protected her from that lifestyle fr. She has a loyal fanbase that loves her and she doesn't have to work with dusties anymore. Tinashe was forced to make a song with R.Kelly when she was only 22. On top of that being forced to make a song with Chris Brown when she didn't want to. She defended Kehlani when Chris Brown was bashing her when Lani was falsely accused of cheating on Kyrie Irving (when they weren't even together smh). Tinashe could of stayed silent and I'm glad she (as well as Zendaya!) came to her defense. I want genuine girl power and feminism back. I have been missing Destiny's Child because I miss girls being friends and being empowered together. I hope Flo in some way can have take over their crown.