#something just activated in my brain

[rainbowolfe]

Random Fun Fact, In Massive Monster's Merch Section, there's a Goat T-Shirt that if you look closely has Shamura on there. Specifically you can see them on the Goat's robes. Not sure if that means anything, since Lamb's T-Shirt has Mini-bosses instead of Narinder. But it's kinda sus that we got two separate occasions where Shamura's seemingly connected to the Goat.

hmm hm.

I've never looked very hard at the Unholy Merch cause I think the "metal" art style is... ugly, but that is weird. It's commissioned artwork so its pretty up in the air if the meaning is intentional or not, but I'll proceed as if it is!

Knowing that Goat and Lamb are meant to be parallels [duality, Two sides of the same coin, etc], the meanings we can derive from the Lamb's shirt are going to mostly apply to the Goat's shirt too.

They're both wearing a sash—specifically a stole. These sashes represent their religion/beliefs and are typically made of silk. In denominations that have them, stoles are worn by priests, deacons, or bishops. In denominations that don't, they're worn by higher-ranked members of the church. Effectively, disciples. Those who have been anointed with consecrated oil. [eyeballs emoji]

Stoles that are embroidered/decorated are called "vesper stoles" and worn for special events of the same name. Vespers is a communal ritual of evening prayer that begins around sunset. In certain Roman rites, it would last the entire night.

What Haborym and Eligos are classified as in-game are "non-believers" (Aka skeptics), which distinguishes them from the cultists and the Bishops, who are classified as Heretics.

They're both the second boss for their respective realms. And, they're both "hybrids". Eligos is a frog-bat (and has ~things~ growing inside of her), while Haborym is an octopus-jellyfish mix. I think. Even still, he's very clearly two or three beings sewn together.

There's the implication that they weren't always Like This, but were turned into monsters solely for the sake of fighting for their cult leader.

The Lamb's sash has the basic pentagram on it associated with the Old Faith, while the Goat's sash has the crossed-out circle associated with Wrath and The One Who Waits.

What I'm hearing is that the Unholy Lamb is Heretic Red (who worships the Lamb) and that the Unholy Goat is Heretic White (who worships themselves/worldly pleasures). [These titles are from the kickstarter] What I'm also hearing is that this Lamb is associated with Anura and Anchordeep, while this Goat is solely associated with Silk Cradle.

When it comes to the comparison being made between Shamura and Eligos/Haborym, it seems like further reinforcement that Shamura is 2+ entities that have been combined into one thing. And that Shamura wasn't always this monstrous spider, but was turned into this using the blood of the Great Ones/a ritual involving it.

What stumps me is how Eligos and Haborym are representative of the worship of the Lamb. There's just not enough info available to deduce that. Were they previous lambs? Previous Red Crown vessels?

Also, this Goat is our (Narinder's? The Crown's?) enemy. And is likely the figure depicted in the bone sculpture. If not simply just part of that entity's group. The entity associated with doubled lifespans.

What's extra interesting is that Lamb's background is a half circle. This is most likely the half-moon symbol that is notably absent from the Bishop's lineup. The Unholy Lamb's colors are red and orange. Instead of a collar, their bell is attached to a beaded necklace.

This means the Unholy Lamb is the Heretic Lamb. (The beaded necklace and the way their sash is worn unevenly may also be implying the Heretic Lamb was also the Anchorite) Also known as the Ignoble Lamb.

The Unholy Goat's colors are magenta and white. Their background seems like it's calling on the funeral/ascension rituals. This Goat is also, notably, dead/undead. Their head is alllll bone. Their bell doesn't seem to be attached to anything at all.

The Lamb of Death, and the Goat of Conquest. Two sacrifices, one more into it than the other. The pinnacle of obedience, and the pinnacle of rebellion. Potentially both actively possessed by their respective deities.

//squints

Conquest's Goat addresses the God of Death. But Shamura addresses the Ignoble Lamb. (which means Shamura's initial death/near death experience was caused by/involved the Heretic Lamb)

Follower of Death -> Lamb of Death -> God of Death -> Death Death being the horseman, and the God being their vessel. Meaning a Lamb isn't necessarily always a vessel.

>therefore Conquest's God/Vessel would be the God of either Pestilence or Chaos. >therefore Conquest's Goat doesn't have a Crown of their own. But maybe had one. >Conquest's Goat killed the God of Death's four other siblings to prevent a prophecy. They lose this fight at the last boss lmao >The ignoble Lamb is also a Death God, considering they wear the Red Crown. They also stole/wield the Fanatic's Crown. >Alternatively, Conquest's Goat succeeded in their mission and killed the fifth boss, but the Crown then went to the Ignoble Lamb instead of being destroyed. Since the God of Death makes explicit reference to having a Lamb of their own.

The question that remains is if the Goat in the trailer is Conquest's Goat. A gentle maybe.

The Goat 2's Crown is Purple, but it contains pink inside of it. So it could just be a borked resurrection. Or Goat 1's ticket out of Purgatory/Hell was letting this funky-eyed nuisance pilot them like a mech. This Goat also wields an axe, so that makes them an apostate, which tracks with everything else so far.

hum.

Kinda sounds like the Goat's the Fanatic.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

MDZS Severance AU: Get me out of here.

[proxycrit]

What if I redesigned some horses to fit MY favorite narrative trope: fallen gods and forgotten myths of old? Anyways.

Twilight’s mentor is a strange one. In a world of twilit planes forever shrouded in mystery, the older unicorn Lest and her adopted student Twilight are one in many common travelers, migrating the pitted wastelands and eeking survival within settlements that spring up around the glowing meteor shards. Despite living with Lest for the last four years, Twilight can’t help but seek answers to where her brother has gone— and in the process, perhaps dig a bit too deeply into the complexities of gods far older and dangerous then she can truly fathom.

On the otherhand, Celestia “Lest” Sol is having a terrible millenium. Her sister is no longer her sister, her student teleported herself halfway across the continent, and she got herself kidnapped by an old rival trying to attune with the elements of harmony to overthrow the current ruler of Equestria.

At least she gets a toxic yuri moment.

Meanwhile, Chrysalis is having a great time. She’s got kingdoms to conquer and people to feed and a waning god to taunt.

(The Selene Grace hates the sun monarch they deposed five centuries ago as they stay chained to their post, keeping the lunar and solar bodies from crashing into each other. Luna misses her sister, and the easier world where they haven’t hurt each other beyond reparation. Nightmare Moon misses their monstrosity, trapped in a host who’s grief has poisoned them with empathy.

Things are bound to tip. The celestial bodies are not bodies, but prisons, and the amalgamations we call alicorns the key. And something desperately wants to be freed…)

Anyways:

My mane 6 redesign here!

And my luna and celestia redesigns here!

[danzinora-switch]

FAM!!!!!

I was rewatching 'Bug Busters' and TELL ME WHY THE GATEWAY TO THE BATTLE NEXUS LOOKS LIKE THIS!

This was like, THREE YEARS before we knewwwwwww!!

[canisalbus]

Is there any animal or dog that you just cannot seem to get right? I used to be very obsessed with horses, would draw them all the time, and I know many artists struggle to draw them. I was curious because I've seen you draw lots of different animals and dogs and was wondering if there was one in particular that made you put down the pencil and ask yourself, "Why do I do this to myself?" I've definitely had those moments myself.

Horses are very, very challenging. Whenever I look at almost any animal I haven't drawn before or have very limited experience with, I tend to think to myself "okay, I can figure this out, I have references, it's just a little extra effort".

Trying to draw a horse sucks all the artistic self-confidence out of me and makes me feel like I have zero clue what I'm doing. When it comes to drawing, very few things make me feel the icy touch of impostor syndrome the way horses and human faces do.

[mbirnsings-71]

guys I'm not gonna lie to you- I just wanted to draw wings today-

[somegrumpynerd]

I love ur artstyle they all look so squishy and cute <3

Ahksbjdbkjbdkjbdkj thank you!! ;-; I do want everyone to look kinda round and squishy and plush and I'm really glad you like it ^^

Also, because I actually had time for once and I wanted to do a doodle, attempted squishery:

[stopmyhearts]

"the american accents in this story are so bad I can barely watch it"

Me, genuinely: there were american accents?????

[caeslxys]

I’ve mentioned this elsewhere but it feels relevant again in light of the most recent episode. Something that’s really fascinating to me about Orym’s grief in comparison to the rest of the hells’ grief is that his is the youngest/most fresh and because of that tends to be the most volatile when it is triggered (aside from FCG, who was two and obviously The Most volatile when triggered.)

As in: prior to the attack on Zephrah, Orym was leading a normal, happy, casual life! with family who loved him and still do! Grief was something that was inflicted upon him via Ludinus’ machinations, whereas with characters like Imogen or Ashton, grief has been the background tapestry of their entire lives. And I think that shows in how the rest of them are largely able to, if not see past completely (Imogen/Laudna/Chetney) then at least temper/direct their vitriol or grief (Ashton/Fearne/Chetney again) to where it is most effective. (There is a glaring reason, for example, that Imogen scolded Orym for the way he reacted to Liliana and not Ashton. Because Ashton’s anger was directed in a way that was ultimately protective of Imogen—most effective—and Orym’s was founded solely in his personal grief.)

He wants Imogen to have her mom and he wants Lilliana to be salvageable for Imogen because he loves Imogen. But his love for the people in his present actively and consistently tend to conflict with the love he has for the people in his past. They are in a constant battle and Orym—he cannot fathom losing either of them.

(Or, to that point, recognize that allowing empathy to take root in him for the enemy isn't losing one of them.)

It is deeply poignant, then, that Orym’s grief is symbolized by both a sword and shield. It is something he wields as a blade when he feels his philosophy being threatened by certain conversational threads (as he believes it is one of the only things he has left of Will and Derrig, and is therefore desperately clinging onto with both bloody hands even if it makes him, occasionally, a hypocrite), but also something he can use in defense of the people he presently loves—if that provocative, blade-grief side of him does not push them—or himself—away first.

(it won’t—he is as loved by the hells as he loves them. he just needs to—as laudna so beautifully said—say and hear it more often.)

[theswedishpajas]

I don’t think I ever posted this but he’s here now about a week late 🦇✨✨✨

[tecnestheim962]

Is it just me or is the RG side of the fandom having a collective relapse of Rosegarden brain rot?

[kiyomitakada]

what if kiyomi was the first Kira and misa was still second Kira

i wonder!

(bleh that's one of my older ficlets it's before i realized L is polite to literally everyone except light… so it ought to be takada-san but that's fine.)

anyway this ^ was my first attempt at the idea but it has been plaguing me for months and it looks very different in my head now. here are some Thoughts:

kiyomi as first kira

kiyomi is a very outspoken character who is relegated to the most passive position in the narrative. i don't think this was intentional, i think it was Misogyny of the Author, but it is very interesting to me in the context of this AU. i imagine she picked up the notebook fully intending to throw it away but hung onto it for instincts unknown (light also says in canon that "that notebook has a power that makes you want to try it"; i don't really subscribe to the idea that the notebook controls you but i feel like it's fair enough to say it has some kind of weak draw), and then didn't try it until ryuk showed up and she freaked out.

ryuk would be like well if you don't want to use it then just give it back to me. kiyomi "superiority complex" "control freak" takada refuses immediately. i think she'd rather die than get her memory wiped (i have not thought far enough to get to yotsuba arc yet. don't worry about it) and the idea that ryuk dropped it randomly and giving it back might result in some ~mass murderer~ getting it would be horrifying to her.

so of course she has to use it.

i actually have a different post in my drafts about how i think each dn character would use the death note but here is what i have for her

kiyomi: picks up the death note out of curiosity, scoffs, fully intends to throw it away but forgets until ryuk shows up. at which point she starts killing specific government officials at a rate of about one per day (she can't stomach indiscrete killing the way the others can). all the officials are found with a fingerprint-less knife stuck in their chest, so the police suspect a mundane serial killer, but no level of protection has been enough to save any of them yet. kiyomi probably tries to make them write down political demands as her "calling card" and then gets mad when she can't do that (the death note doesn't allow people to write things they don't know). instead she has to send tapes to sakura tv, where she interns, to get her manifesto out. the one time a knife isn't immediately available, the death note makes the politician die of a heart attack, which the media naturally attributes to stress. but Something Feels Off to L… do you know how much i would pay for the protagonist kiyomi takada version of death note do you KNOW she'd be so insane in a completely different way

i stand by this. kiyomi is way more politically minded than light, she talks to him and mikami about supporting kira entirely of her own volition, her first move when light tells her to start airing her own opinions is to talk about how she thinks the education system should start teaching kids about kira and how kira should instruct the army on how to act. kiyomi takada is fucking terrifying. Do Not Let This Girl Into The Government.

"but she supports the canon kira so wouldn't she act like him?"

well the problem is kiyomi has the intention but never has the resolve until pressed

(i have the manga panels to prove this but i can't be bothered to dig them up right now. sorry. One Day i will write a full kiyomi analysis and it will even be decent)

in this way she is much like chapter 1 light yagami. light going on a murder spree because he thinks his soul is about to be taken = kiyomi shaking and bloody in the back of mello's truck thinking i have to judge as many people as possible right now.

so in this scenario, since she didn't start killing until ryuk showed up and explained things to her, kiyomi is not motivated by fear for her life but rather fear for her memory + her canon support for killing everyone + "if someone else had this they'd do much worse than me" (just like light, with that one) (who else would have the guts?). so she does kill people but not as many. she puts thought into each one. ideally she wants to kill as little as possible for maximum impact.

i think she wavers between staging these deaths as suicides (invoking the societal stigma around them & so that there would naturally be a suicide note, etc) or making them obvious murders and would eventually go with the latter because she . also has a god complex. i mean nooo obviously it's because politicians will be more scared if they know someone's out there to get them!

anyway

what the fuck does the first arc look like

kiyomi imo gets just as mad as light does about being called evil. but unlike light she has more experience being called a cold bitch, snake, little miss perfect, etc, so she sees lind l tailor and does deep breathing exercises because killing him on air would do nothing but traumatize generations of children

so basically the broadcast ends and nothing happens until sometime around midnight lind l tailor drops dead of a heart attack

interpol was originally very mad at L for staging this whole thing because he has far less evidence that the killings are supernatural in this one, but they're kind of creeped out by this because of that other politician who had a heart attack — tailor was in the prime of his health and everything (L picked the death row inmate with the least history of cardiac disorders)

anyway [sighs really hard] this whole plot has to be reworked from the bottom up because kiyomi doesn't have access to police information and, unlike light, is not invested in The Game as much as she is societal change, so she wouldn't want to draw L out and eliminate him in the first place.

(i think kiyomi and light share the same fundamental loneliness in their souls — "if you were smarter this could've been interesting" / "you're the only man i've ever actually admired" — but kiyomi is drawn not just to intelligence but to people who share her principles, whereas light is drawn to people who can beat him at his own game. this is one area where they are different! thank god!)

(you could argue kiyomi is too, considering her reaction to misa, but her immediate response when misa starts getting under her skin is trying to leave)

(and besides i'm not even sure if kiyomi ever realizes lind l tailor was a scheme. like presumably she knows L is still alive and panics the day after when L is like hi. im still here. but since her killing was time-delayed L might not be able to get as much information and so he has no reason to gloat.)

anyway kiyomi's not giving L any clues so basically things are going to be a lot harder for L

but she's also going to spread kira's message through news stations so…………… more information source there? better not fuck up with that voice modulator kiyo

misa as second kira

oh thank god, l lawliet thinks, a development, i was about to die of stagnation

thankfully no matter how things shake out in first arc i think misa would still try to use the tv stations & the fake diary to get to kira, so that doesn't change. although since kira's voice is already becoming established she might have to do it in a more roundabout way (remember she also didn't want the cops to figure out she wasn't the first kira)

maybe this is how we can get manga misa to sing i'll only love you more????

anyway. they meet in aoyama, still. kiyomi went for the same reason light did: she has to size up her threat (see: inviting misa to dinner)

light & kiyomi significant difference no. 2: perceived gender

misa voice kira is a GIRL?!?!?!?!

she still buys all the information she can get on kiyomi. ("kiyomi takada… what a boring name.") (fun fact kiyo's pretty much the only character in death note with an entirely normal name; this is why her death is so shocking)

so misa shows up at her house all casual-like

light & kiyomi significant difference no. 3: where light's thought is "this girl isn't as stupid as i thought" kiyomi's thought is "this girl is the most dangerous person i have ever met"

like as far as kiyomi knows L is kind of useless. misa is the first direct challenge she has ever faced. misa can kill just by looking at a person. misa has a death note and she is sure as hell not giving it to kiyomi.

because if you interpret kiyomi this way, she hasn't avenged misa's parents

(i wonder if i could come up with a reason for her to do that because i admit the whole misa arc doesn't make as much sense otherwise… but let's assume not for now)

so why does misa want to meet up with her anyway?

well. who else is there who would understand.

anyway i kind of picture them close to this yagamane dynamic (sorry yagamane i'm stealing your valor). misa doesn't have any reason to be grateful to kiyomi, but she does want to be useful still, wants to have a purpose. wants to have people she can talk to in perfect honesty, but also has kiyomi's real name dangling over her head at all times and wants her to know that

also. crucially. she wants to have a perfect family because of course she does. in canon light is her gateway to this: by becoming his girlfriend she can integrate into the family dynamic. calls soichiro her dad, calls sachiko her mom… but this doesn't work with kiyomi because she's a girl and misa, as we all know, is totally one hundred percent heterosexual.

so. so:

Kiyomi sighs. "Okay. I… I suppose it's a deal." "Yay!" Amane jumps up and flings her arms around Kiyomi's neck; she's warm and unexpectedly bony and smells like artificially flavored shampoo and Kiyomi's heart spasms in her chest. It's been a long time since anyone's hugged her like this. She's a mature young woman and that means she doesn't hug people. "You won't regret this, Kiyo-chan!" "I am already," Kiyomi mutters. It's far too mean, far too revealing, but — oh, who cares, Amane already knows she's a serial killer. Amane's triumphant smirk as she pulls away carves its way into her skin regardless: she knows Kiyomi didn't mean to say that. "I'm so happy," Amane keeps going, patting her dress down like she's worried Kiyomi's gotten lint on it. "I've always wanted a little sister!" Kiyomi stares. "What." The look Amane casts her is pitying. "Didn't you know? You're a year younger than me." "That is not the problem here," Kiyomi hisses. (It is sort of the problem.) "I'm an only child!" "I know," Amane says very patiently, "I bought all your records, remember? I'm an only child too!" Is this a bonding moment? Is Kiyomi finally experiencing Lady Macbeth insanity? "We don't look anything like each other," she points out. "If you're planning on another disguise—" Amane rolls her eyes. "Ugh, you're so serious all the time. Lighten up a little! I'm joking! We can just be sisters from different mothers, or whatever they say. Together forever, you know? Through thick and thin? You won't die on me, will you?" Kiyomi, being an only child, is not entirely sure what having a sibling is like, but she's pretty sure the rage(?) coiling in her stomach isn't it. "…Not unless you kill me." Amane smiles. It's not as wide as usual. "Well, that's a start."

[mangobeast]

look don't get me wrong i love the walking pancaked ass twig that is crowley, looking like he could blow away in the wind. but also i love athletic crowley with a lean bit of meat on him. not gym bro jacked but lithe and sinewy, just on the side of active and sporty

[tavina-writes]

I have been recently thinking about NHS and JGY's relationship, especially as it pertains to how much they understand each other, and I'm pretty sure the conclusion I'm coming to is that JGY doesn't actually understand NHS at all except like, in vague superficiality?

This is not an argument about whether or not JGY cared about NHS (though he seems to have some pretty big blind spots on what is actually good for NHS or what he actually desires, which, again come back to not really understanding what makes NHS tick) because I don't think you can spend well over a decade cleaning up someone else's problems without caring for the person in question. But more like, the events of the Temple and the Discussion Conference prior to the Temple and indeed anything leading up to the Temple at all would not have occurred if JGY actually understood? NHS? at all?

Like, obviously NHS was concealing the truth and acting while he proceeded with his revenge scheme, JGY (who presumably had some amount of time to think about who could possibly want him dead/disgraced/fleeing off to Dongyin) doesn't even begin to suspect that the person who wrote the letter and arranged all of this might be NHS until LXC's already stabbed him.

That's a pretty big fucking blind spot considering the whole thing is being unearthed because of NMJ's murder corpse put together shenanigans. Like he knows to hide Chifeng-zun's head but not to suspect Chifeng-zun's brother???

Like I think this might go beyond "doesn't understand anything about this other person besides on a very superficial level" to "might genuinely have some pretty big MISconceptions about who this person is or what they're like."

[arrgh-whatever]

[pinkyjulien]

━ JULY of Passion | 2021/22/23/24

Looking back at some sets from past July(s) 👁👄👁

Everything was so damn orange in 21 HGHFHGF goddamn My fav from that bunch gotta be the third one 👀 popped off with those colors and that light ouuughhh hhh