#mmmm thoughts thoughts thoughts…

[paruparuparuparu]

UNHOLY ALLIANCE SPOILERS (again, I can’t stop yapping about this update):

Either I’m the slowest person alive, or I just think too much (though it’s fun to do so). BASICALLY I was just playing my game and thought over the Bishop’s final quest until I realized all of their dialogue had a connection to their injuries. I’ll start from the most obvious to the more vague.

First up- Leshy

In this dialogue, he makes the connection to his blindness and his ignorance, being so out of touch with reality that he didn’t know the extent of what he was getting himself into.

Narinder’s plans were not at all a bother to him, having his own cult to run and experiment with. He relished in the devotion his chaotic ways had to offer, and because of his foolishness, he lost his sight; hence see no evil.

Now for the genocide. Once again, he explains he didn’t know the full extent of what he was getting himself into, more focused on what had happened rather than what will happen. Therefore he thoughtlessly agreed, seeing how his siblings were compliant to Shamura’s orders.

He never saw the evil in the actions of his peers until it was too late, his eyes acting as both a symbol and punishment for his ignorance to all around him.

Next- Kallamar

This can be easily skipped if you didn’t pay attention to the dialogue, but he explains that all of which he has heard he wishes to unhear.

I already explained this in my other post, but he knew of Narinder’s plans, and instead of speaking out, he cowers and wishes he never knew of it in the first place. Unlike Leshy, who remained ignorant on the matter, Kallamar knew too much.

For the genocide (Which might explain the Mystic Sellers description of Kallamar), he hesitates when he hears of Shamura’s orders to kill all Lambs. A part of him knows that what they’re doing is wrong, but rather than listening to his sense of justice, he complies. An action in which he regrets.

He hears too often, and wishes to not hear. He listens, and yet doesn’t listen to himself. His ears act as a symbol and punishment for his cowardice and lack of self.

Now- Heket

This one is a little less obvious than the previous ones, but only a small part admits it. Heket shows her love for her siblings quite often despite being the cruelest of them. So imagine her despair once everything fell out of order.

For Narinder’s plans, she was most likely unaware of them before it was too late. And once everything started falling out of order, she was demanding for everything to go back to normal, urging her siblings for all that has gone wrong to right itself, and finally in her most vulnerable state, begged for the family she once knew to come back together, knowing that it never would.

After being left vulnerable, her despair turned into rage targeted at Narinder. She was determined to protect her remaining siblings, and in turn, immediately agreed upon hearing Shamura’s orders to carry out the slaughter of all Lambs. She heard the lambs scream and beg with their lungs, cry for lost loved ones, and demand justice for those who have been wronged. Though, she showed no remorse; for she knew there was none.

She screamed and begged for her family, and in turn heard others scream for their own. Her throat symbolizes and acts as punishment for the injustice she faced herself, and for the injustice she caused others.

Finally- Shamura

Shamura’s dialogue is the longest of the Bishops, as well as the most confusing for me to pick apart.

Shamura knew of Narinder’s plans, and yet decided to tell nobody. They knew of the risks of supporting such practices, yet went along with it anyways until the consequences were apparent. Then and there, they decided to put a stop to it all, banishing Narinder to his own realm.

This part would just be a guess in order to connect the dots, but I have a feeling that Shamura and Clauneck conversed one day. On that day, the cards were drawn, telling of a lamb that would slay all the Bishop and set the Chained One free. Shamura didn’t accept this, and politely dismissed themselves, almost immediately thinking on how to avoid such a fate.

One day after resting for years, they come up with a solution- that solution is of course, to destroy all lambs. They order their remaining siblings to hunt them down, spreading propaganda, putting bounty’s on their heads, and spreading plauge and famine across the lands.

They feed their siblings lies about the prophecy, twisting and molding their fate to bring a sense of hope to their siblings. Eventually, they start believing their own lie, convincing themselves that blood must be spilled in order to preserve the Old Faith.

They spin and mold the web to their liking, though eventually it will all come apart, and all that they’re left with is guilt. Their skull symbolizes the strings they pulled. The lies they fed. The guilt of knowing. The guilt of deceiving. All of it. For it is the way they will be punished.

All of these are basically my take on the whole thing, and are not confirmed besides the dialogue. I just enjoy piecing everything together because this game is just so amazing!! Also if you made it to here, thank you for reading all of that, and if you have any thoughts or corrections, feel free to comment and or repost!!

[nauti-ca]

boyfriends .. and girlfriends!!!

[keferon]

The tac net crash chapter is one of my favorites so far~

Ah and. Guess what. I just discovered that including this post, I made 50 pieces of fanart for Mistakes on mistakes until.. I’m so sane and normal about this story can you tell👍

[babacontainsmultitudes]

Oh yeah, I really liked Francis' nervous little "yeah you should... you should see the other guy" when Kelsey points out the blood on his legs. What's the matter Francis? You're not feeling guilty over what happened to Shane, are you? Or are you worried about Kelsey finding out what you did? That's how I read it anyways. I think it's a fun direction for his development, and to me personally much more interesting than him simply becoming increasingly trigger happy without any remorse or regret. I hope it eats away at him more and more the longer he holds it in (with appropriate mechanical consequences) 🤞.

[zimtlees]

I'm still thinking about that "Immoral Orel" au where Orel never broke the cycle and just became like Clay lol

[kihteyu]

If Hunter was pulled out of the ground as a toddler and Golden Guard by the time he was 16, then imagine how young he was when he was first forced into scout training. What age did Hunter’s childhood end? How old was he when he scaled that mountain? Were any of the other scouts hesitant to spar with him when he was half their height? I imagine child soldiers aren’t really as stigmatized on the Boiling Isles but did that still apply when it was a ten year old in a mask that kept slipping off his head because it was still a little too big? A cape he kept tripping over because it was still a little too long? Did anyone see that little, magicless boy trying to fight alongside adults and think anything was wrong with it but was forced to keep their mouth shut because it was the Emperor’s will? Did anyone care? Did anyone think to ask their god why he needed children to fight his battles?

[inkclover]

💖💛Girliepops be vibing heyo!☀️🏓

They have me in such a chokehold y’all don’t even know—

[1hot-mess-express1]

Hii!!! 💕your post about nerdy men did something to me.

I don't think even Levi himself is aware of the power he holds because he's too busy rambling while you're still trying to recover. 😵‍💫😵‍💫

Hmm, I see your oblivious Levi, and I raise you handsy Levi rambling about TSL

Walk with me here

You're perched on Levi's lap while he sits at his desk, the game long forgotten as he rambles about people's wrong opinions in his opinion about the character development in TSL or, more so, the perceived lack thereof. If you're being completely honest with yourself, however, you haven't been able to understand a word he's saying as his hand seems to have a mind of its own, reaching under your skirt and squeezing the fat of your thigh, everyone in a while brushing against your core. Meanwhile, his other hand is fully up your shirt, tracing circles over your hard nipple as you try desperately not to make any noises other than the occasional "uh huh," "yah," "mm?" in hopes that he doesn't catch on to the absolute wreck you've become thanks to him effectively teasing you for the last hour. He, however, is blissfully unaware of his movements as he continues to talk into your ear, lips grazing over the shell of it as his hot breath fans out over your neck. He can't help but be glad that his girlfriend is such a good listener when really you're just a slut for your absolute nerd of a man.

[b-yyearns]

the urge to makeout is strong in this one

[0vergrowngraveyard]

thinking about how amy tried to stop sonic from double checking the wreck after the ship crashed….thinking about how tails was still in there….

[dreamsy990]

not to get all analytical about a ship that is at the end of the day the consequences of our desire for toxic yaoi but i think the reason shuake works so well (even in a platonic context) is that it just. works well with the themes of the game. like in a game about defying authority and ideas of predestination ofc the idea of the "fated rivals" deciding to be anything else is good. its a strong thematic choice! enemies by fate and friends by choice is actually a very good dynamic in that context i think. anyways thats it just saying things

[choiraugur]

yippey

[kindalikerackham]

something i adore about Flint's character is his love for classic books. because like, when he's thinking of talking to his men, his frame of reference isn't the easy personable comradery that grows on people naturally (like Gates, Billy, Silver). he was an outcast in the navy! a poor upstart nerd! a whipsmart career man!

what he does know is the grandeur of the classics. he knows how to speak to Men, how to channel the rage of a collective moment. he knows the romantic swell of a great narrative. when he stands before then, he speaks as a part of that swell. when he stood with Thomas, they spoke in that swell together. Their romance was as much to themselves as to the inherent humanity of people they hadn't even met

And just as the Greatest of Men in the novels don't do things by halves, neither did James McGraw, neither does Flint.

but a man does things by halves. a man will chat and bend their morals and earn trust and friendship by the way they float through others' rules and orders. a man will sully himself and his own narrative and it will be messy

And Flint, James, doesn't think of himself as one of them

this is made all the clearer when Flint says something awkward, something stupid. Because he isn't talking like he's a person. he's talking like he's a Hero, a Villain. he's talking to prop up a greater narrative. and when a man or a woman he's interacting with doesn't see The Narrative he's driving, he can look utterly ridiculous

Flint is embroiled in A Grand, Classic, Romantic Narrative the common man doesn't see

and the writers of Black Sails carefully unfold it to us, the audience

(and to Silver)

[blorbologist]

i am a known and confirmed Anna Ripley (reportedly Dr., though what cereal box she got her PhD out of no one knows) hater, but can't deny the bitch has style

"Hand over the Vestige and I may let you live." "Which one?"

?????? baller line. she's cool I hate it here

"There's nowhere to run Ripley. You're all alone." "Oh - that's the thing, Percival. I'm never alone."

?????????????????? come ON get OUT of my HOUSE-

[gotta-bail-my-quails]

(ch366 spoilers) ok but seriously, i have some thoughts on this that are maybe too long to put in one go but essentially, I don't think Iruma will take up Mephisto's offer on the basis of him being the "king-maker", rather I think he would ask for his guidance more like as a teacher. Especially since Sullivan has already told Iruma becoming the demon king is only one path he has of many, and Iruma himself saying he's still a student when Mephisto originally (jokingly) named him king of the Many-Ears. Plus him being a teacher now and always admiring the teachers of Babyls.

(Although personally I think school + action shounen that results in the MC becoming a techer is hit or miss. Like Assassination Classroom made sense because the whole point was the teachers and students' relationship to each other not the killing. And how people are kinda hating on MHA's ending for yoinking Deku's power [idk that's what I heard] and making him a teacher even though personally I think the ending makes sense from a pure narrative structure perspective though it perhaps doesn't have the same context that makes it satisfying since AssClass was a very small enclosed world centered around the school and MHA did not, afaik. Anyway, I think it would work with Iruma, and I could definitely see him being both a teacher and demon king--it's very greedy but it fits M!IK's themes perfectly)

on the other hand, Mephisto's declaration is basically saying he has chosen who he supports as the next demon king, so regardless of what Iruma decides, Baal will absolutely not overlook it. Obviously, because he has gotten Princess Shura's support seemingly to become king himself, but what if Iruma becoming king will help his goal to (as it seems) extract Delkira's power? Ali only gets stronger as Iruma's rank goes up, so who knows what will happen if he passes Scala here. Maybe Delkira's power will manifest enough for Baal's goals. And now that I think about it, does Iruma even know Baal is trying to kidnap/use him? If Baal ends up showing his support for Iruma and Iruma doesn't realize his malicious intent...

[morgansplace]

fool!lasko but instead of a confident dom guy he's a dick™️ and he and dear have some weird rivalry going on while still being painfully into each other