#the concept of corrupted devotion being beautiful

[bookwyrminspiration]

what do you mean you don't understand cannibalism as erotic devotion. what do you mean you don't care that god is a jealous lover and we make a holy temple of our bedroom with our carnal desire. babe please

[bunnybird-afk]

i actually have a few ideas in mind for a modern au for the graveborns :D

Niru

• A military doctor (based on his lore) that constantly works day in and day out, becoming the dad who went to get the milk (body counts) to the point where he just sleeps at the hospital if so desired.

• He's also obsessed with the anatomies of a human body to the point where he had intrusive thoughts of wanting to.. 'inspect' on it more

Viperian

• Goes by Victor in this AU, a college professor who teaches biology/chemistry for foundation students, you could say that he's very great at explaining the concepts as he goes VERY into details, which makes him one of the profs that the students go for if they have any questions, despite his creepy appearance

• Little did they know that he has been having a secret past time of kidnapping people and experiments on them at midnight... (He also does this with Niru when they got the time, theyre practically besties)

Cecia

• An opera singer (based on her beta lore) that went viral on socials due to her beautiful voice and pretty appearance, guys and gals would be head over heels for her, if she were to be in any opera stages, tickets would sold out quickly

• Though, she's kinda a brat, she's too arrogant to the point where she would mistreat her butler, Mr. Carlyle (not that he mind, he's devoted to her) and takes her fans for granted

Ludovic

• Rich man in Whiteridge, holding a high title as he owns the place, fancy clothed, looks very serious and stern, with a hint of sadness in his eyes

• Though that sadness goes away when you see him painting a very beautiful landscape or portrait based on his self-grown flower field and his family... He looks the happiest in there. He would also give flowers occasionally to his people! Ah, such a great heart at a young age

(Also he's the type of person to watch a streamer/hear music while painting I don't make the rules)

Igor

• Works as a daycare attendant (and a good one at that) since he likes to play with children, the other workers there said that he has a himbo energy when they met him, his mind may be empty but his care for the children is very devoted. Their first impression of him is quite different though,,, (they crapped themselves seeing him because of how ridiculously tall he is + he has a menacing look)

• At night I'd imagine he'd become a faceless streamer (based on Ranboo), where he'd engage in horror content and silly goofy games, might also chat about funny things that happened during his life. (And yes his Vtuber is a zombie knight like in AFKJ. Again i dont make the rules)

Yeah that's all I could think off atm, i'll write the other characters if I got time

I love the idea of the graveborn nobles lowkey being from like, old money families. Especially Cecia, Thoran and Ludovic.

Also, if this was a mystery thriller/dating sim like the arcana, bodies going missing from morgues and hospitals would be one hell of a plot point. Especially if we work with @twilight-melodys lore about Hogan being a former FBI agent and Valen being his subordinate. Like imagine Hogan asking his old friend (former work partner?) for help investigating a case because he can't actually get involved in an official capacity but he trusts their abilities.

Cue Merlin and Valen investigating and realizing that this conspiracy goes way deeper than they initially thought. The local Forestry Department (the Wilders) reporting weird things happening to the local fauna, some Maulers going missing inexplicably, the local gang boss (Sonja) coming forward about what happened to her sister, and realizing the corruption that runs deep in the towns upper-class socialite society. You could go absolutely insane with this idea. At that point a romance sub-plot is probably the least of Merlin's worries (though personally I'm going a little feral over the idea of Valen in an FBI uniform).

Also, love the idea of Igor just minding his own damn business and not getting involved with all the drama. Hydrated (he's a gamer so probably not) , staying in his lane and thriving, as it should be.

[drift-phonk]

Starscream Week Day 2 Prompt: Relationships / Trine / Love - (Very) briefly touches on Starscream's relationship with the rest of his Trine, before he develops something stronger with Punk. ( OC x Canon, sort of.)

---

Love. A concept that had never been something he would even entertain. The war was too important - the cause was too important - to worry about anything else. Skywarp and Thundercracker were the only two mechs he would even consider himself close with in any regard; they were the Elite Trine, three of the strongest Decepticons to grace the battlefield. A battlefield that was ever moving, ever shifting, as the remainder of energon left on Cybertron dwindled into nothing.

Harmonex was an unimpressive city, made even less so by the war. Where tall buildings once stood, there was only ruin. Where lithic crystals used to sing, there was only silence. And where he expected desolation, he saw a sign of life.

It wasn’t much, and at first he thought it was just a figment of his imagination. Harmonex had been destroyed half a million years ago; who in the world could remain, to dig through the rubble for any scraps of energon that may remain? The only bots that had been here had been the Decepticons, scrounging for any leftover fuel that may have been hidden in the remnants of a once beautiful city.

Still, his curiosity gets the best of him, and he heads in for a closer look.

It’s a single, lone mech, with a handful of small energon cubes in their arms. And, really, it was more a case of them finding him, instead of the other way around. He’d found where they’d been hiding, and he’d been looking through their things when they arrived. The workshop was a nightmare; half-finished blueprints scattered about on anything that could be classified as a table, projects barely out of conception that were abandoned. Paintings, works in progress that had been sitting around for so long that the colors had started to dull and dust had begun to collect on their surfaces.

When he locked eyes with them, their expression grew to one of surprise. The stranger puts their energon cubes on a small pile of blueprints and kneels, trying to clean up some of the mess in their hidden space underneath the city.

Instead of walking away, or killing them, he stayed to talk. To figure out their story. Their name was Daft Punk - a name that, he muses, sounds typical of a bot that grew up in a city like Harmonex. “Punk” was what they usually went by, they told him, before they asked for his name in turn. “Starscream,” he replied. “Commander Starscream.” And he told them of the Decepticon cause, of how they sought to free all of Cybertron from the corruption that the Senate had put in place. How they fought for the ability to choose one’s path in life, instead of it being dictated by one’s function.

Punk already seemed sold on the idea well before he’d finished telling them about it. He couldn’t help but smile to himself; always an opportunist, he offered them a place among the Decepticon ranks. Their skills could be invaluable to the cause, he told them, and they were short on scouts. They’d agreed without hesitation, taking his offered hand and getting to their feet. Anything was better than staying here and wasting away, they reasoned.

Punk was the third mech he let himself get close to. But they were different than his brothers; they were far more loyal. They rarely questioned the orders he gave to them. They put their trust in him, and only him; and Starscream knew that they would never betray him. For a time, he reasoned that they were good to have around. They were an asset, a tool for him to use in his quest for power. An extra set of eyes and ears, that could report Megatron’s every move to him.

But as years turned to decades, decades to centuries, centuries to millennia… he found himself closer to them than to the rest of his Trine. There was something special about them, he just couldn’t place what it was. Their devotion had never wavered; whenever he had a plan, they were there to help. Whenever Megatron had one of his tantrums, Punk would wordlessly help patch up his wounds. They buff out his dents, and fix his paint, without ever complaining. He’d started to notice a quiet fury in their eyes whenever it happened, but he knew it wasn’t directed at him. Never at him.

Something began to stir in his spark, near the end of the war. Something unfamiliar, something that made his circuits feel like they were about to catch fire. It was a feeling that he kept hidden under his carefully crafted facade; he couldn’t allow himself to get attached. Attachment meant weakness, and weaknesses could be exploited. So he would keep Punk at a safe distance, never letting them too close.

But he couldn’t deny that, perhaps, this was what love felt like.

[hiding1ntheforest]

In Devotion to the One: Theurgy, Neoplatonism & Ritual

Theurgy is derived from the Greek words “theos” meaning “God” and “ergos” meaning “working”, resulting in “God-working.” The word was first used in the Neoplatonist text the “Chaldean Oracles” and refers to the process of working through the several divine emanations in order to achieve henosis, or unity with the One. I personally find theurgy to be an extremely fascinating though equally as complex topic, and I aim to explain it’s origins, philosophy, and practical application in this blog post.

Origins

Theurgy itself is rooted in early Neoplatonism and each emanation is described by its founder, Plotinus. The One, also referred to as God or in some cases the Godhead, is the origin point of all things. A popular neoplatonist symbol is that of a dot encircled by a larger circle- the One is that dot and the larger circle is all other multitudes of emanation. The one is inherently good and beautiful and this goodness may descend through each level. The Nous, also referred to as the Intellect, is the conscience of the cosmos, and the Soul may refer to that of the individual or the universe. The Soul is the unified life-form of all living things. Theurgy was an essential element of the Hellenic faith, though can also be found in various sects of Christianity as well as Gnosticism.

Philosophy, Porphyry vs. Iamblichus

Perhaps the most prominent figure contributing to the practice and philosophy of theurgy is the Syrian philosopher Iamblichus. He was a Neoplatonist, although he differed from earlier Platonic thinkers as he emphasized the necessity of ritual for union with the divine. Porphyry, another Neoplatonist philosopher whom Iamblichus studied under, argued for a more ascetic approach and the salvation of the soul. He also believed that unification with the One was a contemplative, introspective process, and that ritual was a distraction from this goal. Porphyry along with Plotinus felt that material was impure and could essentially corrupt the immaterial. Plotinus also stated that matter was an ontological evil. Matter was a product of the Soul which generated all life, and through the action of creation, generated matter as well. Iamblichus adopts a somewhat different approach to theurgy, arguing against Porphyry’s view of solitude and intellectualization as being what motivates the outcome of theurgy while highlighting the practical use of rituals. Furthermore, he opposes Porphyry’s denunciation of the Hellenic and Egyptian rites, which he writes of extensively in his work “On the Mysteries of the Egyptians, Chaldeans, and Assyrians.” Iamblichus reasoned that one can reach this synthesis with God by purifying oneself and navigating the various multitudes of emanation through devotional acts towards the divine and the use of symbols, characterizing this process as being cosmogonic and anagogic in nature.

Ritual

Before beginning a theurgic ritual, or any ritual involving communion with the divine, it is important to purify oneself. This is recorded extensively in various pieces of Hellenic literature at the time. The Hellenes believed in a concept called Miasma, which is a state of spiritual impurity. Miasma is accumulated through disrupting the natural order of things or going against the Gods. There is both lesser and greater miasma. For example, lying or any non virtuous act would be a form of lesser miasma. Greater miasma would include something such as killing somebody, which is why soldiers were believed to have more severe miasma. To become spiritually pure, one may enter katharsis through performing katharmos or using khernips. Katharmos is typically used when one has accumulated more serious miasma and there are records of soldiers performing it. However, khernips is used when someone has only lesser miasma. Khernips is a type of sacred water used to wash oneself in order to get rid of these impurities before ritual. The water is typically made using water from a natural source and then burning and submerging herbs into it. It is also important to note that this did not mean the Hellenes viewed themselves as naturally impure, dirty beings. As I had written earlier, the good and the beautiful descend through each level of emanation, including us. There are metaphysical vices that one must cleanse themself from. You may then wash your hands with this while repeating hymns or calling out to the divine in some way. Sunthemata, or tokens containing sympathies of the divine in the material realm, were also used to invoke a certain deity. According to Iamblichus, these tokens were intentionally weaved into the universe by the divine. Sunthemata can include anything from herbs to visual symbols. Epithets of the gods and nomina barbara are also forms of vocal sunthemata. You may also use an idol or anything containing a physical depiction of the deity. A theurgic ritual is typically a highly euphoric and fulfilling experience where one’s connection to the divine is truly centered and fully explored. Another important thing to keep in mind is Iamblichus wrote that every theurgist should perform a ritual to the extent that they can. This means, do what feels comfortable to you and what you’re confident in and be aware of your skill level. A theurgic ritual will only be effective if you have the ability and means to make it, so do not attempt to do anything extremely complex or above your level of knowledge and experience.

Relevance to Germanic paganism

Theurgy did not only exist amongst the Greeks and Egyptians, as many different cultures across the globe understood the importance of uniting with their creator. Since this account focuses heavily on Germanic paganism, it would only make sense to discuss the relevance of theurgy within these cultures. Acts of devotion are a significant part of any pre-Christian religion, especially those of sacrifices. Although I did not discuss it in this post, animal sacrifice was a crucial element to theurgy according to Iamblichus and Julian the Apostate later attempted to revive this custom. Of course, the Germanic tribes were no stranger to sacrifices whether they be for a good harvest or simply as a dedication to the Gods. This is further demonstrated when we look at the etymology of the word blót, which translates to “serving God” in Gothic. Moreover, there are several instances of deities being invoked in various charms, as I have discussed in previous articles. Idols and effigies were also used, sometimes in quite theatrical processions. For the sake of length, I won’t linger on this too much, but the idea of “God-working” is certainly there. Seeing that all Indo-European religions are interrelated in some way, it’s understandable that each culture would have some conception of uniting with God. This will be further discussed in my next blog post!

Summary

Theurgy, which translates to “God-working,” is reaching henosis or unity with the One by working through the multitudes of emanation. It’s philosophy was heavily influenced by Neoplatonist thinkers such as Plotinus and Porphyry while it’s practice was largely shaped by Iamblichus. The former argues for asceticism and contemplation while the latter pushed for the use of rituals. The Hellenes believed a theurgic ritual could be carried out upon cleansing oneself of all spiritual impurities, or miasma. This was achieved by entering Katharsis. Although theurgy specifically is of Hellenic origins, many other pre-Christian cultures all had their own idea of and method of uniting with the divine.

[cruelfeline]

I have such a deep love for this scene.

First because just funny. Frey has the magical gift of Not Taking Cuff Seriously, which I feel is instrumental to her ability to handle being bound to him. And Cuff is just... the dumbest? He is hundreds, possibly thousands of years old, yet he has the maturity of a five year old. Basically a "I know you are, but what am I?" level of maturity. It's ridiculous. He is so old, so dangerous, so... I don't know... supposedly dignified? And yet here he is trying to mimic Frey's accent and failing spectacularly, succeeding only in sounding like a dork.

I love him. He's so stupidly endearing, I just cannot.

And in terms of more serious concepts, two things:

Foreshadowing, for one. Ow that we know what Cuff is, we know that this is a humorous nod to the reveal. So that's nifty.

And for another, there's Cuff even mentioning this concept in the first place. This concept of destruction and corruption being beautiful things.

Like... he's not really wrong, y'know? The specifics of what he's doing are horrible, but in terms of the overall flow of nature, he's spot on. Fungi decomposing dead material to provide substrate for new life; wildfires burning forest to the ground to allow new plants to to germinate; the corpse of a whale settling to the bottom of the ocean, creating what is essentially a new ecosystem that will feed others for potentially years to come. These are all things that have to happen to allow life to continue in our world.

I wonder if that's - at least in part - how he views his duty. Second to the "vengeance" aspect. As a necessity in the overall flow of nature, so to speak. Or... well, at least the part of nature inhabited by Athia.

Still, no matter how he personally views it, it seems like a stupid thing to mention to Frey. At best, he gets the response he got: a snarky rebuff. At worst, he might blow his cover, or at least get her to trust him less. So why do it?

There's even a banter that's kind of similar: Cuff mentioning something along the lines of ruins being beautiful. And sounding almost dejected, disappointed, when Frey doesn't understand.

It honestly gives this sense of... like... him trying to fish for a connection. Trying to see if this woman might understand him in some way. Maybe not eventually be repulsed by what he's doing?

Sometimes - especially during these types of dialogues - Cuff comes off as so isolated and lonely. Like it truly bothers him that he's alone in this endeavor, despite his apparent "patriotism" and dutiful devotion.

There's a sort of sadness to it, underneath the foreshadowing and snarky humor. Like a lot of Forspoken, I think.

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

omg!! tbh i was shy in sending you this because i wasn't sure if you'd like it, hence the anon ask. but yes... I have thoughts and ideas and feelings. hurt/comfort angsty shit is my thing. i think how he'd feel bittersweet of noticing changes in knight reader's behavior as time goes on, mostly in the beginning. and they get more used to it. violence has always been there, so why would they change? there's a difference when you're part of it as a victim and when you're the one responsible for it, he understands. he notices a certain darkness growing in them. stiff shoulders, scars and rougher hands from restless training. how their eyes are heavier, way darker than before, filled with a promise of harm. a silent warning. he'd take these little observations to himself quietly. like tragic events you can only watch and do nothing about because it isn't in your control. Prince Gojo knows the weight of the responsibility they've chosen. Knight reader has become so efficiently good at it, it's strange to him. the day he realizes what they're capable of unforgivable acts. red filling his sight, he could almost believe that the sky had changed colors as well. a warm atmosphere of thick blood that's difficult to breath in, uncomfortable, unnatural. for a second he saw no light in knight's eyes, which he's so fond of. duty. the promise of protection much louder in knight's ear than the scream of the men ahead that'll soon fall to the ground. those changes certainly make his heart ache. specially when knight reader, who's covered in dirt, sweat and blood denies touching him as to not stain his perfectly clean skin and clothes. or when knight reader says that it's too disgusting to touch and smell, so he should stay far from them. but we know Gojo would not care and indulge in his heart desires, in the hunger to comfort and clean them from such events. as if he could steal knight reader from everything and everyone. offer them all of his truly undying love. away from sharp edges. a place where there's nothing but softness and the brightness of gojo's smile.

@softgirlgonehaywire MICKEYYY COME LOOK COME LOOK WE ARE BEING FED

GOSH your brain!!!!!! your beautiful clever brain!!!!!! yes. just yes. u get them so well!!! i agree w literally everything u said……. U WROTE THIS SO BEAUTIFULLY TOO HHH THAT JUST MAKES IT HURT MORE….;;;;;;; T_T

first of all; im sorry to bring satosugu into literally everything (it will happen again) but like. i think what will always break me is the fact that suguru is canonically compared to a setting sun because all gojo could do was helplessly watch him fade away AND THATS JUST…… yeah. the idea of him failing to protect the One person he loves no matter the universe is so soulcrushing to me.

and the idea of him being forced to watch as his knight grows more cynical, as they start to become more and more infected by duty, duty, duty (if i ever finish the knight!sugu fic im cooking up ill definitely dissect this concept more but to me duty is like. almost a Disease in this world. something that corrupts.)… it’d break his heart a bit. he would definitely pull some strings to try and ease their duties and burdens but there’s only so much he can do :( (more motivation for him to become king so he can protect u properly!! tbh i think king!gojo would be twice as protective maybe a little manic… or maybe it would get him to relax a bit more… who knows who knows (<- thinking many thoughts))

but. gosh. the way u phrased this im literally going rabid……… ”violence has always been there, so why would they change?” / ”(…) filled with a promise of harm. a silent warning.” / ”the promise of protection much louder in knight's ear than the scream of the men ahead (…)” <- THIS ONE ESPECIALLY OHHH U GET IT U DO!!! placing satoru’s safety above everything else…. ruining themselves bc of that devotion…….. ur writing is so pretty btw im in awe

AND GODDDDD u know the way to my heart!! the guilt knight!reader feels, not wanting satoru to stain his own hands w the blood on theirs… they just see him as being so far above, like the sun in the sky, and thats also why i think they would feel some sort of urge to keep their distance… they’d rather die than dirty him, literally or figuratively. (but in reality i think prince!gojo is already a bit twisted and dirtied on his own and thats what knight!reader might not completely realize…) its literally just this:

if u listen closely u can hear the sound of me falling to my knees. both of them are a little sick in the head but they love each other so dearly, not even romantically, just as individuals…. they’re just in love w each other’s existence i think. it’s a very pure kind of love!!!

as if he could steal knight reader from everything and everyone. offer them all of his truly undying love. away from sharp edges. a place where there's nothing but softness and the brightness of gojo's smile.

^ AND FINALLY THISSSSS ohhh u r killing me…. this is exactly it too!!! that desire to just steal them away and make sure theyre safe. he wouldnt do it bc he knows they wouldnt want that, but he rlly does just want them to be happy and safe all the time…. i think gojo is kind and mature enough to realize that hes being selfish and he wouldnt act on those desires but theyre very much there. all he can do is keep smiling for them, trying to get them to realize that its okay to depend on him too 🥺🥺

its so funny bc they rlly do both have a severe hero/savior complex LMAO its like two people-pleasers trying to decide what to have for dinner… nono you choose, you choose, im fine with anything!! you want whatever i want? but i want whatever you want…. silly little geese. i love them!!

[petrichorium]

PLUVI I NEED TO KNOW… Capitano thoughts/opinion

Do you want him to be human? Or some sort of human eldritch monster thing?

I, personally, am a monster fucker. I hope that his face is just a void and that he has claws for hands. If they made him human I would cry. But what are ur thoughts?

KDNFKENF I answered like. This exact question a month ago ngl but I’m happy to answer it again 🙏🏻

Realistically I think he’s going to be a boring old normal human 💔 esp if he’s playable. I said last time that frankly we’ll be lucky if he’s not a twink :( but iirc he’s canonically been stated to be “the strongest human in teyvat” which v much sounds like he won’t even be a fun dragon dude as it’s implied we’ll be getting from Natlan :(

So setting that aside, my personal take on him. While I do adore the whole…… the helmet is his real face/there’s just nothing under it concept bc. Incredibly sexy dear lord, I unfortunately don’t subscribe to the full-on eldritch monster idea solely bc that “strongest human in teyvat” title fucks hard and I think him being entirely non-human monster kinda takes away from it, so my take on him is v much corrupted human over anything else

Like, covered in both normal healed scars and these gaping shadowy wounds…….. hair that almost seems to writhe and twist and fade away like smoke if he gets too excited……… clawed hands that fade to black at the ends…………. Probably like black sclera w glowing irises……….. v much a fan of his mouth appearing almost normal but then he can open it so so wide and he’s got far too many fanged teeth and a big ol tongue 🫣 things that can v much be covered up and/or hidden away temporarily but are impossible not to notice eventually esp if you’re spending a lot of time w him. Vibes of like. Just what has this man done to himself in pursuit of strength? How far until he’s more monster than man? And the beauty of that take is I can maintain it if we never get a face reveal yk

But again full-on eldritch abomination is incredibly good as well. The only real requirement is I need him incredibly sopping wet and terrifyingly devoted in a twisted, horrible way 🫠 and I will cry if he’s not the first harbinger I refuse to believe it if they say he’s the tenth

[outeremissary]

9 People You'd Like to Get to Know Better

Tagged by @turbulentpumpkin43. Thanks for thinking of me! I know I haven't been around much (for reasons we don't need to get into), but truly nothing summons me faster than the email notification about a tag game where I know I'm going to have to say something horribly embarrassing about myself.

Three Ships: I mean, if we're counting stuff with OCs then obviously anyone following my knows Balthazar and Tristian (and the wonderful polycule with Vio) is my number one. Aside from that, the latest volume of Witch Hat has fully converted me into an Agott/Coco true believer. I actually did like the Coco/Tarteh vibe but Agott's special brand of slowly changing rival just has me by the throat. Aside from that? Ummm. Elliot and Leo from Pandora Hearts? Does that count? I did my full reread of Pandora Hearts while afk in September and those two have had me since like 2012 or 2013 or whenever they were introduced in the English release. But now that I'm older and more mature I can better appreciate what the messy later arcs had to give, and that's the beauty of a relationship between equals corrupted by a growing imbalance no one has the strength to acknowledge and devotion so deep it tears both of their lives apart. That's awesome. 11/10, everyone read Pandora Hearts and I'm not even joking

First Ever Ship: Gamers, back in early 2012 when I was in middle school and could only see images on the computer at school because searching for anything visual online was mega bad for rural internet, a friend of mine used a science classroom computer to discover you could find non-canon images of The Legend of Zelda if you searched terms like "Link blue" and scrolled down a couple rows. I distinctly remember this as the first ever time I really understood the concept of "fan art," and more importantly as my entry into fandom as we all began to realize many of these came from the same site: a place called "DeviantArt." Some of these contained such salacious and unthinkable things as two boys holding hands and blushing, and also both of those boys were Link. I was so captivated by these mysterious images that I followed them to their Four Swords Adventures manga RP fandom source, where I am not proud to say the first "ship" I adopted as such was Vio (Violet Link for people who spent their time doing better things at thirteen) and Shadow (Shadow Link, of course). That's right, everyone! It was edgy Link selfcest yaoi between a traitor and an angsty villain all the way down!!! And you know what? When I write that I don't think my taste has changed. Except the selfcest. Mostly.

The other, more respectable first ship I remember not long after that was Ulquihime. What can I say, there's just something about the Stockholm syndrome of it all.

Last Song: No title - REOL. Narrowly missed this being edgy early Vocaloid. I've been revisiting old favorites recently.

Last Movie: I'm pretty sure it was Surf's Up. For whatever reason my friend decided we should rewatch it when I visited him a few weeks ago. Holds up better than it should, but I've rewatched it twice in little over a year and truly that is my Surf's Up limit. That trip was also when my friend forced me to watch Barbie and the D&D movie. Look at me catching up on relevant pop culture only for fucking Surf's Up to be what made this list.

Currently Reading: I'm pretty sure this came up last time, but because I haven't gotten started on a better book since then I'm unfortunately still periodically chipping at The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn. This book fucking sucks. Don't read it. If we could manga and stories that are actually good I recently did a Witch Hat Atelier reread after getting volume 11!!! That volume is. So painfully personal.

Currently Watching: Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and Jujutsu Kaisen season 2. JJK is with my friend for weekly hangout, but Edgerunners is a solo endeavor because it was bumming him out way too much. Good show though. Also JJK was way more of a bummer than expected in ways that caught me off guard??? I'm not getting over what happened to that girl, I really got fucking got by that scene. Jesus

Currently Consuming: Nothing. Just finished dinner, where I had a chicken sandwich and fries. I need groceries. It's dire.

Currently Craving: doing something creative, but that would require moving the giant zine pile on my chair........ this is how I'm procrastinating

I'm sorry, but I'm actually not tagging anyone on this tonight! I haven't been on enough lately to know who has or hasn't done it, and frankly I'm not ready to be back on Tumblr enough to map that out. If you're seeing this and want to do it, please go ahead and do it. Tag me like I tagged you, we are collaborators in this and I want to see what you say.

[qjamsndkeuxndhsbd172649]

A reflection on the issue of racism in "Othello"

Choose a scene from Othello that speaks to you (a scan or text - you will find the play online): choose a global issue and write a reflection on how it is shown in the fragment that piqued your interest.

link to Act 1, scene 3: https://shakespeare.folger.edu/shakespeares-works/othello/act-1-scene-3/

"Othello" is one of William Shakespeare's most famous and widely consumed plays, written around 1603. It follows the tragic story of the eponymous Moorish commander on his gradual descent into madness following his marriage to Desdemona, the young daughter of Barbantio, a disapproving Venetian senator. The play begins with Iago, Othello's malicious ensign, expressing his hatred towards his superior and his plans to seek retribution. Through a calculated and well-orchestrated chain of events, Iago manipulates Othello into believing his wife's unfaithfulness, which ultimately leads to the tragic and fatal collapse of their relationship. In the play, all characters, including the central couple, are mere pawns in Iago's evil, envy-fueled mind game. And while jealousy is a prominent theme in the play, other issues such as manipulation, love, betrayal, gender roles, and racism are also embedded in the complex plot. This essay will focus on the latter global issue, racism, particularly in Act 1, Scene 3, where it is most notably displayed. 

The scene begins with the duke and senators anticipating the Turkish fleet’s attack on Cyprus when in walk Barbantio, Othello, Cassio, Iago, and Roderigo. The distraught father-in-law sorrowfully expresses his “particular grief” [1.3.65] over Desdemona’s new relationship with a man of Moorish descent. Offended by the couple's racial dissimilarity, he insists that his daughter was “abused, stolen” [1.3.73] and “corrupted by spells and medicines bought of mountebanks.” [1.3.73-74]. By accusing Othello of deception through the use of magic and drugs, he implies that Desdemona would never willfully associate herself with a Black man. Furthermore, he perpetuates the eurocentric view of blackness as mysterious and exotic, and its subsequent association with the supernatural, and evil. Despite the commander’s denial of such claims, Barbantio stubbornly persists, stating: “to fall in love with what she feared to look on!” [1.3.116], thus invalidating Othello’s rebuttal and reassurance of lack of foul play by expressing his view of Black people as aesthetically inferior, making an interracial relationship “against all rules of nature” [1.3.119]. He, therefore, reinforces his racist theory of Othello being a malicious sorcerer, who used magic to seduce his daughter.

A heated dialogue ensues after which all but Roderigo and Iago exit. The two are left to discuss Roderigo’s secret affection for the Moor’s wife and Barbantio’s daughter, Desdemona. Two-faced Iago, when in the presence of his superior, Othello, is fully devoted to him, however, he suddenly shifts his demeanour upon his departure. Aware of Roderigo’s desire to court the young beauty, he begins to belittle the Venetian army’s general. Similar to how Barbantio does earlier in the scene, he makes use of negative racial stereotypes and preconceived concepts of Black people and their culture to turn Roderigo against Othello. Iago reassures him that “It cannot be long that Desdemona should continue her love to the Moor … nor he his to her” [1.3.384-387] giving the justification that “These Moors are changeable in their wills” [1.3.389-390]. Here, Iago is communicating the harmful stereotype that Black people are unpredictable and insatiable in their sexual desires and subsequent endeavours. Overexaggerated promiscuity and sexual prowess are platitudinous and bigoted traits attributed to Black individuals, often resulting in their dehumanization, which can also be observed in this scene when the antagonist proceeds to call the Moor an “erring barbarian” [1.3.398], in other words, a sinning savage. 

The treatment of Othello by his associates in the play serves as a stark example of how marginalized individuals often face negative remarks regarding their appearance and character due to their skin colour and ethnicity. Throughout the play, Othello is repeatedly subjected to derogatory comments about his appearance and character, such as Barbantio's accusation of sorcery based on his blackness. Even seemingly supportive comments can be rooted in racist stereotypes, as evidenced by the Duke's statement that Othello is "more fair than Black." [1.3.331]. While this is an attempt to take Othello's side and flatter him, it reinforces the prejudiced assumption of Black people being morally corrupt, suggesting that Othello is a rare outlier. Such race-based comments can have a harmful impact on marginalized individuals, weakening their self-esteem and causing shame about their heritage and ethnicity. The damaging effects of exposure to racist remarks are illustrated by Othello's response to Barbantio's accusation. He begins his defence with the self-deprecating statement "Rude I am in my speech" [1.3.96] acknowledging his lack of refinement in comparison to the Venetians due to his status as a “barbarian” [1.3.398] outsider. This illustrates how even someone as accomplished as Othello can internalize negative comments about his ethnicity, leading to a diminished sense of self-worth and belonging.

In conclusion, "Othello" is a powerful play that explores multiple global issues, among which is racism. The issue of racism is particularly prominent in Act 1, Scene 3, where it is evident how Othello, the play's central character, is subjected to derogatory comments and prejudiced assumptions about his character due to his appearance. The treatment of Othello by his associates in the play serves as an example of how marginalized individuals often face negative remarks due to their skin colour and ethnicity, leading to a diminished sense of self-worth and belonging. Shakespeare's play, while set in the distant past, still resonates today, reminding us of the harmful impact of racism and prejudice on individuals and society as a whole.

[trthfck]

“ no sense in pulling a mad dog’s tail. ” ( to any of the trailblazers! ☀️ )

⸻ outlast. accepting. ( @knghted )

𝖗𝖚𝖑𝖊𝖘 𝖆𝖗𝖊 𝖒𝖆𝖉𝖊 𝖙𝖔 𝖇𝖊 𝖇𝖗𝖔𝖐𝖊𝖓. ⸻  caelus would not consider himself a mad dog. he barely would consider himself a dog, if not for the loyal traits he pursued. march had called him a puppy once, when he first joined the express, due to his habit of sticking by her ( and to a lesser extent, dan heng ) as they traversed the strange new worlds of jarilo-VI and the luofu. now that he had come into his own, he spoke more, laughed more, cried more, and most importantly . . . got angry more.

the frustration that sits on his face, on his boyish features, is only silenced by the man standing in front of him. argenti was such a baffling man, at least to caelus. to devote yourself to the concept of beauty was something new to explore for the trailblazer, as frankly, caelus didn't know what he found beautiful, if anything. was beauty something only shown to those deserving of it? or had caelus not been in this world long enough to have his own preferences? was it, like his voice, something he had to learn again?

no sense in pulling a mad dog's tail, argenti says, standing in front of caelus. whatever it was they had been in altercation with had retreated and caelus, ever the protector, tried to pursue it, only to be stopped by the other man's weapon. the idiom made caelus step back, for he originally believed he was the mad dog that argenti was referencing, but as the zone in front of them calmed, the relaxing sound of silence settling in, caelus dismissed his lance, frowning in disapproval.

" they insulted you, " he says, and even though it's a somewhat monotone statement, the intention of inquiry is clear: why are you not doing anything about it? it is protectiveness that tinges his words with a question; he had not known argenti for long, but the offering of self-sacrifice struck a nerve with the trailblazer, reverberating into his chest: was caelus so selfless that he, too, would sacrifice himself in pursuit of his beliefs, or would he prefer the company of those he kept close, locked inside the place where the stellaron exists, corrupting away his very being. " don't you . . . i don't know, want to preserve your honor, or whatever knights like you talk about? it wasn't like that was a small insult either, argenti. they insulted beauty, your beliefs. and still you . . . let them go? do you expect them to come back ? "

sure, the two men had given the antagonists a thrashing, but the job wasn't finished. they were still standing. ( why was he so accustomed to fighting until the other party broke? be it by the mind's broken consciousness or the last breath of death? where did his once-loved mercy go? ) " are. . . " caelus continues, his voice soft, his expression confused. " . . . are you sure this is what you want , argenti  ? "

[janumun]

I imagine being captured by Overblot Malleus would feel like a mixture of sleeping beauty's and Rapunzel's lifes. Like we all know Mal absolutely doesn't want Yuu leaving. This dude is the heir to a dark fae throne, so he likely has some empty buildings or towers around for his uses. Overblot Mal probably locks us in there. And he probably goes extra miles as well. Depending on how resistant we'll be and what exactly the situation is when he overblots, he probably has a little cage in the shape of a coffin he puts us in from some weird, cursed magic mumbo-jumbo (CUZ COFFINS ARE HIS CHARACTER Ill DIE ON THAT HILL. This would work out as a pretty interesting episode/lesson.

Malleus going overblot under extreme corruption of stress and fear of denial from his most important person, Yuu being very concerned for their love interest, going to check on him only to see his room a total mess, when their guard is down Malleus walks out of the shadows to use his magic to put his dear under a sleep spell, putting them in a magic coffin of thorns that protects their being from the intruders he knows will come very soon, Deuce and Ace hearing their friend was kidnapped by the dragon from his the dorm's members, so they have to get some help and save Yuu before Malleus takes over Twisted Wonderland and does something...quite undesirable to his prisoner! :O It'd be curious to see how the group works together to bring down Mal.

Gods I am having so much rot over this (And the potential hentai anime this would make don't look at me I am allowed to dream! Overblot Mal in love is a fucking yandere we all know. Super handsome evil dragon fae man kidnapping his true love and claiming them to show them how pent up his desires became when he met them AAAA >;O).

Your mind and dream are A+++ and valid, Nonny. Your concept of a coffin (?!) for his choice of prison is also stellar. Rescuing Yuu, however. Would they even be able to? 🥰 I don’t think it would be possible, unless the minds of individuals like, say Leona and Azul, could be put together, to use. If they ever agreed to cooperate, that is. That is a delicious brain-rot LOL thank you for sharing.

If it’s any comfort, I think even the usual Malleus has the propensity for darker impulsions. I count him among the few characters in twst, with a nice, untapped yandere potential, were you to ever trip him that way [on purpose, kind of like Mystic Messenger’s bad ends] LOL. Withstanding the delectable fact that any of the boys can be flipped over, under the proper, guiding… circumstances 😌 they’re villains, ahem

How I see fae, in particular; they do not share the same inclinations and morals as humans do, nor are they bound by some of our – what fae consider foolish – ideals.

Also going via canon, you see Lilia far used to, and knowledgeable of the ways of humankind, while Malleus still finds their certain habits odd and fascinating. And when he does, I believe he genuinely cannot fathom why humans do the particular things they do, and often turns to Lilia for his insight on their strange customs.

This is more of a personal thought but I also believe the fae cannot lie, as have been depicted via various fictional iterations, throughout the ages. I immensely enjoyed myself, exploring that particular inhumane aspect of fae, a bit, in a recent spicy Lilia story I posted, but in short, since they are incapable of lies, their quick-witted, devious natures lead them to carving other, effective alternatives. And any who consider their incapability to lie, a spot to exploit, would soon find themselves proved very, very wrong, if not… dead. 😇

They honor and respect one who is true in tongue and spirit. And when one is genuine of heart, and in their love, why ever would they shy away from expressing that love? Among the fae, they value honesty, above all, after all. No pride of his is scarred or belittled in Malleus’ frank display of devotion and adoration towards you, and who is to say there would ever be... inhibitions set into place, or even considered, in his love?

Oh, humans, with their silly little peculiarities 😇

Lilia certainly won’t be one to stand in the way of his precious ward’s first, and only, beloved.

[raeynbowboi]

Elder Scrolls VI Ideas: Dibella

I’ve done a lot of posts about what I want from Elder Scrolls VI, but now I’m going to put my money where my mouth is and actually put out my own ideas that are deeper than concepts and loose thoughts. And I’m starting with something I wanted in Skyrim that wan’t possible, actually joining Dibella’s temple in Markarth as a playable faction. So, this is like an ideal construction of what I’d do for The Elder Scrolls VI with regards to Dibella in the gameplay. If this post does well, I’ll do more with the same concept.

Like in Skyrim, Dibella would have a shrine in the Temple of the Divines in the capital city of Wayrest, while a separate Temple of Dibella would likely stand in either Daggerfall or Evermore (due to being the biggest cities) or Menevia or Koegia (due to the highest devotion). Unlike High Rock, Hammerfell has a different Pantheon, but a temple could be found in Tigonus, where her worship is popular among Redguard women.

At the start of the game, the player would be allowed to select their gender, pronouns, and sexual orientation before being given a selection of starting points. One of those options would be to be a Prophet or Chosen Champoin for the player’s choice of higher being: Aedric, Daedric, or otherwise. The player would choose the path of Dibella. While Dibella is more often associated with women and female priests, the game would not block male characters from serving Dibella. The player would then be allowed to choose whether they are a native to the High Rock/Hammerfell regions, or a foreigner coming to these lands for the first time. The game would then start either with Dibella speaking to the player in their mind, or with a quest prompting the player to travel to the Temple of Dibella. Once in contact with the goddess, she would inform the player that she senses great turmoil in the future of both High Rock and Hammerfell. Daedric cults have begun to spring up across the region, and High Rock and Hammerfell are rife with corruption. Dibella tasks the player with riding High Rock and Hammerfell of these wicked influences. More specifically, Dibella urges the player to weed out the Cult of Mephala, who is responsible for the corruption and chronic backstabbing in that threatens the land, while she has a personal spite to want to weed out the Cult of Namira, who represents decay, cannibalism, and revulsion, all things which infuriate the goddess of beauty. The Reachmen that dwell at the border of High Rock and Skyrim would likely also be minor antagonists. Due to choosing the Champion of Dibella route, the Cult of Namira becomes the main antagonists to the player, while cultists of the other daedric princes, necromancers, assassins, and other generic antagonists operate similarly to Skyrim and other games, filling out the villain roster, while keeping the Cult of Namira as your biggest enemy in the game. Narmia’s Cult will be far more aggressive and active in the story than any other starting point, as only Dibella would care that much about Namira’s cultists. Namira’s cultists would likely be corrupting the environment in order to warp and destroy the beauty of High Rock. Corrupted spriggans, a daedric plague, rotting landscapes, spoiled crops and starvation, and an infestation of creepy crawlies would likely be among your main storyline beats for dealing with the Cult of Namira. While there would certainly be other things to do besides just stopping Namira’s cult, it would take center stage as the main storyline of this optional route.

Outside of the main quest, there would also be a Faction for Priests, either specific to each god, allowing you to join Dibella’s faction, or there’d be a blanket priest faction for the Eight Divines. Preferably, the player would be able to join the House of Dibella and/or the Order of the Lily in order to serve her, but if not, they might be able to join the Temple of the Divines and serve all of the Aedra as a blanket faction. The priests would supply the player with quests and tasks to progress their faction storylines. Unlike the main quest, it would be entirely possible to join the House of Dibella or play as a Priest of the Divines without needing to play as the Champion of Dibella. The two storylines are completely separate. As Dibella is the goddess of Beauty, Lust, and Pleasure, her faction questlines would likely revolve around such things. A few examples of faction plotlines: the priestesses keep being threatened by creepy stalking men, and the player is tasked with defending the priestesses from unwelcome advances. A disreputable cult of Dibella worshippers have taken to worshipping Dibella through unsavory and deviant debaucheries such as skooma, which has angered the goddess, and the priestesses task the player with snuffing out this disgrace to Dibella. Or, her worshippers are being unfairly discriminated against, calling her worship vulgar. Likewise, if the Priest Faction is more of a blanket faction that serves the whole Eight Divines, then the player would receive quests from the temples and priests of every Aedra.

The aiding of Dibella through main storyline quests and Faction quests would grant the player unique benefits, such as the Agent of Dibella passive from Skyrim. The player could get from Dibella and Aedric worship a number of features that are either passive boons or new unique spells: The passive features would include: Agent of Dibella (gender of romantic preference deal 10% less damage and offer 10% better prices), Sybil of Dibella (10% damage reduction from all genders, 10% better prices with all merchants), Dibella’s Kiss (Speechcraft +25), Divine Inspiration (Crafting and Enchantment +15), Dibella's Charm (illusion spells cost less Magicka to cast), Dibellan Arts (illusions work on higher level foes), Dibella's Craft (improved results when brewing potions, food, and beverages), Beauty Sleep (sleep cures Diseases and other ailments), Divine Protection (immune to diseases and curses, such as Vampirism), Unrivaled Devotion (deal 0.1% more damage for every npc with a Friendly disposition towards the player), and Strengthening Bonds (player is stronger when joined by a Companion, heightened further if the Companion is also their Spouse). It would also provide unique spells such as: Stunning Beauty (stun nearby enemies), Aedric Spear (skewers enemies with a thrusting spear of radiant light), Radiant Charm (better reputation = more damage), Mirror Image (creates 4 ethereal copies, enemies miss player more, 10% chance to reflect damage back at opponent), Dibella’s Wrath (Calls the power of Dibella to smite nearby enemies), Dibella’s Embrace (temporarily reduces incoming damage), Radiant Ward (temporarily blocks all incoming damage), Oppressive Dawn (deals massive Sun damage, extra damage to undead and daedra), Restoring Light (temporary health regen intensifies greatly), and Rebuke the Wicked (when hurt, enemy takes radiant damage). And those are just some that I managed to think of. There’s probably even more cool ideas I didn’t even think of.

On top of the unique spell list from being the Champion of Dibella and serving the House of Dibella, Dibella would also have a complete list of armor unique to her, so that a player could completely deck themselves out in her gear if they so choose. The gear of Dibella would include: The Robes of Dibella (Robes, +100 Magicka, Magicka regen +100%, Restoration costs 20% less to cast.), The Circlet of Dibella (Headgear, +50 Magicka, +15% damage reduction), Amulet of Dibella (Necklace, +25 Speechcraft, +10 Health and Magicka for every Aedric gear equipped), Ring of the Lily (Ring, Health +50, Health Regen +100%), Shoes of the Passion Dancer (Shoes, Muffle, Immune to slowed movement and traps). There would also be two full armor sets: The Dibellan Armor Set (Light Armor), and the Opalescent armor set (Heavy Armor). There would also be the Divine Crusader Armor Set that includes the Divine Crusader’s Helmet of Dibella. There would also be a branch of weapons which would be Aedric Weapons (ie, Aedric Daggers, Aedric Battle-Axes, etc.). Dibella would also have a unique divine Aedric Artifact: the Brush of Truepaint. In the past, this allowed people to enter into paintings. Instead, the Brush of Truepaint can be used to magically forge documents or alter one’s appearance to gain entrance to places normally off-limits to the player, though it can also be used to enter paintings. Similar paintings would exist in various places across the game. For instance a similar painting in a noble’s home in Wayrest may also hang in an Inn in Daggerfall, allowing the player to enter the painting in Daggerfall and emerge inside the noble’s home in Wayrest.

[spunkypigeon]

Diabolik Lovers A Certain Prophet’s Fate Analysis

What I found when reading through the lyrics, is that the story being told could be Reiji’s thoughts and perspective - the song may act as his inner thoughts and him trying to articulate them in a metaphorical way. The song itself is quite beautiful to listen to but I wanted to address the lyrics and their hidden meanings in relation to Reiji’s character. We know that Reiji likes to use his intellect to his advantage; so it can be argued that he wouldn’t outright admit his state of mind within this song, naturally, he’d create a more elaborate way to let his ‘story’ unfold, and I think this is what we see here.

So, shall we begin ?

Note: I wanted to post the song separately too since I know my HDB analysis is long, and posting it separately would also be convenient if you just want to read the song analysis on its own.

Word Count: 7,492 words

In the dense black forest of Schwarzwald, In doting adoration of a virgin, riding on a unicorn’s back

First of all, Schwarzwald simply means 'Black Forest' in German; it relates to a forest so dense that almost no sun ever reaches the forest floor - those who enter are surrounded by darkness -. This can create quite dark imagery, not just physically but also metaphorically as the darkness contrasts with the imagery of light - "a virgin, riding on a unicorn's back" - and this can be implied to relate to the story of Faust as well as the character of Yui. 

Within the story, we’re introduced to two virgins, one being named Gretchen and the other is the Virgin Mary herself - both contain imagery of purity and religion, Gretchen prays to God for her soul to be cleansed and Mary carried the son of God. What I wanted to draw parallels on is how that imagery applies to Yui, she was raised in a church - showing that she’s a child of God, and we know that her religion plays a rather big part in her life; she prays to God quite frequently, and - in the literal term - she is also virginal. Virginity can connotate to a multitude of things, such as physical virginity (the hymen is intact) but also religious virginity - purity - and not being ‘tainted’ by darker forces at play. If we take the “virgin” to mean Yui - someone pure of heart and spirit, someone who’s not been corrupted by the dark side of humanity and holds truth in her beliefs - then what does the unicorn signify ? 

Unicorns can often be linked to purity, freedom, gentleness, virginity, innocence, divinity, and magic. Christians believe that the unicorn symbol is that of Christ and Mother Mary themselves - both being devoted children of God -. By posing the imagery of “a virgin, riding a unicorn’s back”, it could be implied to symbolise Yui and her many virtuous traits - or, to put it simply, Yui is riding on the back of her virtues -. Additionally, symbols such as unicorns and virginity can also be implied to carry imagery of light - the concept of unicorns are more often than not depicted as being pure white and flying up to the Heavens - past the white clouds and into paradise, a place that is also depicted as white or ‘pure’ -. Virginity can also contain those same ‘white’ qualities as white lilies are typically the symbol of virginity. The reason I’m honing in on the colour white is due to it’s connotations of purity, innocence and light. To put it plainly, purity represents light, and Yui (in this context) represents that purity.

That being said, if Yui is the second part of that phrase, it’s likely to imply that the first relates to Reiji himself. “Dense black forest”, let’s unpack that: both “dense” and “black” contain connotations of darkness and something impenetrable; it contrasts the imagery of light and purity we’ve just discussed. Themes of light are often representative of religion and themes of darkness represent those of hellish qualities; if Yui represents ‘light’ in this case, then Reiji must consequently represent the “dark”. The “forest” could connote to Reiji’s emotional state as traditionally, the forest has come to represent being lost, exploration and potential danger as well as mystery and ‘other worldliness’ - all traits we see within Reiji -. Due to Reiji being the narrator (since he’s singing) it can be implied that he’s metaphorically describing his internal struggles, he’s stuck within his own turmoil - and emotions such as this are often referred to as a ‘dark place’, which links us to the symbolic imagery of the “black forest”. It not only symbolises his Vampiric nature - something not of God nor Heaven but the darker depths of Hell itself; hence why they originate from the Demon World within the Diabolik Lovers canon - but it also symbolises his emotional distress and his inner darkness that he oppresses Yui with. The light and dark imagery reflect Yui and Reiji as well as their religious counterparts - Yui represents light, and Heaven, whereas Reiji represents the dark and therefore Hell.

The noun “adoration” could imply that Reiji desires to be ‘free’ of his traumatic ties while Yui rests atop her kindness. However, it could also imply that Reiji wishes to drag Yui down into the “dark forest” with him and corrupt her pure nature.

The brightly shining moon, a stirring breeze, With the fairies’ boisterous rituals, driving pounding hearts ever faster

The adverbial phrase “brightly shining moon” could posses connotations of light - referring to Yui as we’ve previously implied - however, the word “moon” could imply that the ‘light’ is pale, and it’s cold as opposed to the warm light associated with the sun - they both can also be associated with God as he created both the sun and the moon; they both produce Heaven’s light however, one is pale and cold in comparison to the other, leading darker forces to claim the night -. Within the Bible, night represents a lack of faith in God. With this symbolism in mind, it can be implied that once the cover of daylight has faded, Yui is vulnerable, and the “dark forest” would consequently grow ‘stronger’ - which is something we see within the route as Vampires are canonically weaker within daylight.

Conversely, the phases of the moon can symbolise immortality, eternity, enlightenment and the dark side of nature itself. Something that clearly applies to the character of Reiji - Vampires are immortal and spend their eternity feeding into their trials and tribulations, their ‘enlightenment’ in this case, is to be killed and be set ‘free’. It could be implied that as the moon shines, not only is Yui vulnerable in her faith, but Reiji is biding his time to strike her down into his ‘eternity’.

Fairies are often associated with plants and springtime, depicted as pure figures who possess magical powers. However, in the tales of fairies, they are, more often than not, mischievous creatures with dark and evil intentions. The Latin root word for fairy is ‘fay’ meaning fate; this could signify the purpose of fairies within myths, fairies in stories are constantly messing with the fates of humans. Fairies in these myths may be of the more cartoonish variety and signify simply love, magic and springtime, but most signify things like death, sexual depravity, abduction and general immorality. I wanted to draw attention to the imagery of fairies and their ‘rituals’ as their connotations can vary from divinity to Satanism.

It can be implied that this section refers to Yui, as within the first interpretation of fairies, they symbolise purity and life - and given Yui’s age at the beginning of the story, her youth displays the life her body has and the life it can give, she’s pure, untainted and brimming with life. However, ‘fairies’ could also relate to the brothers. With the interpretation that fairies can also derive from a darker ilk, and like to cause mischief, it could represent the brothers - they each have dark intentions for Yui no matter who’s route you play, and they do it for their own entertainment and their own benefit. Reiji purposely dehumanises Yui and turns her into a loyal pet. Reiji’s “ritual” is to strip Yui of her virtues so that she’ll play into his incessant need for control, driving her pounding heart even faster - what I mean by this is fear, throughout the beginning of Reiji’s route, Yui was undoubtedly afraid of Reiji and the threat he posed to her; he implemented fear into Yui in order to break her.

Conversely, this line can also be interpreted to contain sexual connotations. We’ve dived into how fairies can also be symbols of sexual intimacy and depravity; if we take into account that sadism can also occur within intimate situations like this, it could link back to Reiji. By him essentially breaking Yui, it can be implied that he gains gratification from doing so; “driving pounding hearts ever faster”, Yui’s heart could be inferred to be beating from fear whilst Reiji’s could be implied to be pounding from the pleasure his sadism grants him.

While unknowing that the contracted “Devil” follows after—

This line could serve the implication that while Yui’s vulnerable in the night, she still holds that naivety; she hasn’t figured out the situation she’s in and Reiji’s closing in on her. I’ve interpreted the “contracted ‘Devil’” to relate to Reiji - a narrative self-reference, if you will -, he’s referring to himself while posing the situation that Yui is unaware of his darker intentions for her. She holds firm to her beliefs in God yet she is ignorant to her state of vulnerability.

Ah, such a foolish thing you are, little girl (Falling to ruin) That glass mask of yours is (beginning to crack) Decide, without looking back at the promises shredded by your sins

Firstly, I’d like to point out that Yui is referred to as a “foolish thing”. This noun phrase could insinuate that Reiji’s chastising her naivety, and the fact that she was blissfully unaware and ignorant to the position she was in. To add to this, the noun “thing” also displays the difference in power as it’s established early on in Reiji’s route that ‘sacrificial brides’ are merely nothing more than blood bags - right from the get-go Yui is beneath Reiji -. However, from a psychological standpoint, it’s clear to say that when one person intends to ruin another’s life in some way, shape or form, they tend to distance themselves - either physically, emotionally or both - as it’s easier to hurt someone when you barely view them as a person at all; and I think this is what that line means, Reiji’s pushing Yui into “falling to ruin” - she’s falling to her (spiritual) ‘death’, she’s losing herself and who she is.

The second line strikes me as ironic as the phrase “glass mask” can predominantly refer to a person’s façade. In the context that Reiji is implying Yui’s innate kindness to be a façade of some form, he could be posing the implication that those who are kind often ‘hide away’ their darker counterparts; their ‘sinful’ side. Throughout most of Reiji’s route, Yui has been posed with the question that she should let her dark and carnal self prevail - proving to Reiji that in all her humanity, Yui is nothing more than a pet, an animal who thrives on her carnal instincts, and we see this within the second ending, when Yui poses herself as Cordelia - enslaving Reiji - and essentially living at the ‘top of the food chain’. In that ending, Yui lets her darker side prevail and - in the context of this particular phrase - it therefore poses the implication that her ‘kindness’ was simply a façade, her “glass mask”. The noun “glass” can have connotations of fragility; that the ‘face’ she ‘prefers’ to show is not how she actually feels. The overall implication that Reiji is giving us, is that Yui expresses feelings that are not her own; and the ‘mask’ she wears is as fragile as glass, and once she’s distracted or vulnerable, that mask will break and her ‘true’ self will show.

This is obviously very ironic since Reiji is the one to hide away his true feelings - he plays the role of a ‘polite butler’ yet we know he is anything but that - he uses abuse and manipulation to cover up his own insecurities and turmoil. If anything, he is the one who wears a mask of glass. Glass is fragile, much like his ego and self-esteem, and that mask beings to crack as his route develops - indulging in Yui’s naïve compassion.

The third line could be implied to mean that Yui must make her decision to stay with him - commit to Reiji without hesitation, without the desire to run and give in to her carnal sins with him. He’s asking Yui to take the plunge into sin with him, revoke her religion and commit to him.

“You still do to that extent, even though I’ve told you so firmly.”

This dialogue strikes me as odd, it doesn’t refer to much within the song, however, it could pair with the second piece of dialogue, implying that Yui is still trying to run from her situation; she’s not ready to fully commit from God to the “Devil” - the “Devil” in this case being Reiji, and quite obviously, “Devil” has quite sinister connotations; given that Yui was raised by the church, her commitment to something demonic (and vampiric) is not going to be an easy or nice feat for her.

It can also be implied that this is taking place throughout the beginning of her ‘training’ as it can be inferred that she’s still resisting him even though he’s “told [her] so firmly”, further insinuating that she still has her willpower at this point. She’s not fully succumbed to Reiji’s abuse yet.

A single enraged horn, able to thrust its way up to the heavens Like a chaotically blooming rose, it’s splattered across your face

This first line could posses many different interpretations, the first could relate back to Faust, a man who sold his soul to the Devil yet still tried to force himself into Heaven, only to fail. However, it could also relate back to the relationship between Reiji and Yui, and insinuate something of a sexual nature. Not only are horns associated with devils and demons, but the noun “horn” can posses connotations of a phallic symbol and sexual imagery. Within Greek mythology, strength, power and supremacy are a part of the symbolism of horns. The other connotation is virility - procreative vigour. Within the story of the ‘Plough’, even the use of the oxen to pull the plough had its sexual connotation. The plough drew its furrow in the soil, and was pulled by reins attached to the oxen's horns. The horns were the force behind the plough’s coitus with the earth; therefore, horns grew a sexual connotation. Alongside the noun “horn” the verb “thrust” also contains sexual connotations; with this semantic field in mind, it could imply that “heavens” relates to Yui’s purity and virginity. Additionally, the imagery of roses also feeds into this interpretation as white flowers are a common symbol of virginity; the imagery of a flower blooming can often be associated to metaphorically represent becoming a woman (losing your virginity) and the flower turns from white to red as the blood pours - and roses are often red or at least associated with the colour red as opposed to white.

Conversely, it could also refer to Yui and Reiji’s emotional relationship, and the dark and light imagery could be a metaphysical representation of that. It could imply that Reiji’s abuse is starting to infect Yui - a child of God being corrupted by something demonic -. It can also link back to her “glass mask” as the corruption allows Yui’s kind nature to drop and her weak and vulnerable state to be “splattered across [her] face”. It could insinuate that the “blooming rose” is Yui’s corruption starting to grow and infest her; yet she’s still trying to fight it - she’s infected by Reiji, and the rose imagery could represent that. Roses are often associated with love and throughout Reiji’s route, we see Yui start to fall into the categories of Stockholm Syndrome and co-dependency, that ‘love’ is starting to bloom yet it is a twisted form of love.

This deep crimson curse is our family’s fate A damned soul, never again to…

The imagery of a “deep crimson” can connote to blood, and not necessarily just Yui’s. the notion that it’s referred to as a “curse” and “family’s fate” offers the interpretation that Reiji views his heritage as a source of evil and misfortune and that tribulations are inevitable and unavoidable for him. It not only relates to each brother’s misery and the misery they force upon Yui, but it also relates back to their mothers and Karlheinz himself as Christa dealt with severe mental illnesses, Cordelia suffered from a multitude of issues and Beatrix was severely bullied by Cordelia - and Karlheinz foresaw all of this and made it his personal experiment to cause each one misery and make sure that instability was passed down onto each brother; with that information in mind, it would be natural for Reiji to interpret this recurring theme to be something akin to a family curse, a terrible privilege that each of them share. In addition to this, “A damned soul, never again to...” could be a self-reference from Reiji, if he views his heritage as a “curse”, then it’s likely that he appoints himself as a “damned soul” - with “damned” giving connotations of misery and turmoil -. I’d like to bring attention to the aposiopesis found within this line as what Reiji aims for is left ambiguous, however, what I interpret this unfinished phrase to mean, is that he’s a “damned soul, never again to” reach the ‘light’ and achieve happiness and genuine love and affection. If Reiji interprets himself as a cursed child, it would be natural for him to crave the love and stability he was never given, he wants what he can’t have and he can’t have it because he’s “damned” to be awarded nothing but tribulations, turmoil and misery.

“You know you can never escape!!”

I’ve interpreted this section of dialogue to link to the other - it uses the passive voice. The passive voice is used to show interest in the person or object that experiences an action rather than the person or object that performs the action. In other words, the most important thing or person becomes the subject of the sentence, for example: ‘the plate was dropped by Yui’ rather than ‘Yui dropped the plate’. The most important part of this sentence is that “[Yui] can never escape”, yet it comes secondary to “I’ve told you so firmly”  - which is the least important part of the phase, yet it is spoken first; further implying that Reiji is using the passive voice to ‘chastise’ Yui into submission. 

The phrase itself could pose a few interpretations, one being that she can never escape from Reiji - Yui’s his prey and he’s not going to let her go idly by -. The second is that she can never escape her fate; I think this is the overall theme of Reiji’s song. Reiji is fated to live out a torturous, Vampiric existence, and Yui is damned to be tied to Reiji’s fate due to her father’s involvement. Yui’s fate was decided once Cordelia’s heart was instilled in her; she was damned from the beginning and I believe Reiji knows this - he’s trying to drag her into damnation with him.

A dying science,

Your impressions destroyed, at the hand of a shameless fist

The first line here could be interpreted as an oxymoron, as science is often connected to discovering something new or creating something new - discovering a new ‘life’ so to speak - and this connotation would naturally contrast with “dying”. Science can relate to a multitude of things, biology, chemistry, physics and psychology to name a few. this phrase could link to both Reiji and Yui if we take the psychological approach - the phrase itself could be metaphorical of Reiji breaking Yui’s self-worth. Throughout his route, Reiji has undoubtedly used Yui as an ‘experiment’ of sorts, a ‘science’ to explore and break down into its basic fundamentals; her “impressions” - impressions of herself, those around her and trying to help them as best as she can - are “destroyed”, her self-worth and confidence are decimated by Reiji’s cruelty, by the “hand of a shameless fist”.

However, it could be interpreted in a more literal sense and instead link back to when Cordelia inhabited Yui’s body and chose to destroy Reiji’s laboratory; and in turn, destroy the potion he was devoting himself to that would resurrect Beatrix, devoting himself to a “dying science” if you will. In that moment, Reiji’s impressions of coming to terms with his CEN were destroyed by Cordelia’s self-importance - her “shameless fist” destroyed the very thing (aside from Yui) that was pivotal to him.

As these sins pile up like the falling snow, there is no hope of redemption Their height surpassing even your castle walls, it’s far too late to even pray to God

This section here could be implied to be metaphorical and represent Yui’s inner self and her emotional walls and boundaries. First of all, comparing sins to snow alongside with the sibilance in both can be implied to connote to something light and cunning; the ‘s’ sound can also give off snake-like imagery - which takes us back to the religious themes threaded throughout the game and this song. The snake that bit Eve (the Devil) and ‘awakened’ her can make quite a nice parallel to Reiji and Yui. Throughout this song, it can be inferred that Reiji references himself to be the “Devil” - he’s not the Devil but he is demonic - and Yui (throughout the games) is named Eve in relation to her ‘awakening’; both the Adam and Eve theme threaded throughout More Blood, and the other games hold quite Biblical references and imagery. 

Snow also continues this religious imagery as it often symbolises purity, which could mean that this contrast is posing the implication that Yui’s sins are pure (as in [something] is pure envy or [insert sin here]’. However, snow tends to fall slowly and lightly, which could imply that Yui’s submission into Reiji’s abuse is slow and light at the beginning but like snow, it culminates over time. We could even go as far as to compare her submission to the sin of sloth. Sloth has been defined as a failure to do things that one should do; in this case - or rather, in Yui’s case - that failure is the failure to overpower her abuser.

The second part to the first line - “there is no hope of redemption” -  could apply to both Reiji and Yui. Yui has no hope for redemption once she submits to Reiji - to submit to Reiji, a vampire, a demon, she is effectively turning her back on her faith; she’s made peace with her fate and therefore, there is no redemption for her in Yui’s own eyes. As for Reiji, he has no hope for redemption due to the abhorrent cruelty he bestows on Yui; his treatment of not only her, but Shuu, Beatrix and Edgar too. Reiji cannot achieve redemption because he cannot accept when he is at fault. His behaviour towards others and his sadism prevent him from becoming better; therefore, for him, there is no redemption. At least, redemption cannot take place just yet, remember, this is a story being told by Reiji about Yui - his perception of her is going to be vastly different from ours as the audience; therefore, he cannot see ‘redemption’ for her, and in his own way of thinking, he poses the question that maybe she cannot see redemption for herself either.

The imagery of Yui’s sins growing higher than her “castle walls” could be implied to be metaphorical. When a person hides away their feelings, we often use the phrase ‘putting up walls’ to describe their emotional cut off. I believe this can be referential to Yui as throughout the beginning of Reiji’s route, we often see Yui hide away her deeper affections; she keeps her larger thoughts and feelings to herself most of the time - her distaste, longing, uncertainty is wrapped away in her mind (we as the audience see those thoughts and feelings, but Reiji doesn’t). In order to keep herself from facing Reiji’s uglier tendencies, she’ll sometimes lock her emotions away (not all of them, but quite a few). Overall, it could be implied that Reiji’s influence is starting to take a hold of her internally and she can’t block it out or subdue it, and because it’s festering in her mind, it’s already in her subconscious; therefore, it’s “too late” for her to pray to God to help her. Reiji’s wormed himself into Yui’s mind and her faith in God cannot overpower that.

Unable to grasp that ‘nothingness,’ that eternal price—

The noun “nothingness” can connote to the state of being nothing, something that is non-existent, lack of being, unconsciousness or death and I think the latter is the main connotation for this noun within the context of the song and Reiji as a character. We know that Vampires within the DL universe crave death, and being killed is the ultimate way for someone to confess their ‘love’ - to die is something that all Vampires crave. This line, to me, could imply that Reiji longs for death, to have the misery end and finally rest for eternity; we know from following Kanato’s route that he [Kanato] is jealous of humans since we can die quite easily whereas he cannot - he can’t grasp that “nothingness” that is death - and I think this can apply here. It can not only be implied that Reiji wants to - in some capacity - die, but that he’s almost chastising Yui for the fact that she can reach death easier than him. The dash (or hyphen) at the end of this sentence poses the inference that he’s being ‘cut off’ or ‘cut short’, not by his brothers or Yui, but by himself; he’s purposely cutting his sentence short and I think this links back to his internal struggle of opening up and lowering his front. Throughout Reiji’s route, his character has always been to-and-fro with his emotions - he’s reserved yet malicious - however, I think this line in particular allows us to see into his head more and could even pose the theory that Reiji’s suffering from depression just like his brother(s). Neglect, abuse, perfectionism, paranoia (of being ‘outed’ for his feelings and of Yui leaving him - this is seen throughout Cordelia’s interference), they all add up one on top of another and paired with his need to impress his father and prove his worth, it all culminates to him possibly wanting to be the “nothing” that he feels - that his childhood made him feel -. He’s giving us insight into his mind yet at the same time, it could be implied that he’s scolding Yui for how easily she can die and fade into that “nothingness” yet he is unable to do so himself.

Aah, the punishment you dreamed of (Why did I see it?) This spiral labyrinth is (never-ending) In conclusion, unless I suck you dry, the rules of logic won’t survive

Linking back to the previous line, the “punishment” Reiji’s mentioning could be death. Again, this is a story from Reiji’s point of view and we know for a fact that he implements his own views and beliefs onto Yui; it would be no different how he would force his views of death onto her too. Consequently, it could then be implied that he also believes Yui to crave death as much as he does - which would then make sense as to why he says “the punishment you dreamed of”. As the audience, we know that Yui doesn’t want to die, but Reiji can’t accept that and instead views it as her denying her ‘true feelings’ - he needs to have that corrupt control over her mind in order to relax around her -.

Ironically, the very word “labyrinth” is often used to illustrate confusion and complexity. As such, the symbol of the labyrinth can represent an enigma, a puzzle and confusion. Some view the labyrinth as a metaphor for a spiritual journey, with the entrance representing birth and the centre symbolising God, knowing or enlightenment. Getting to the centre requires a long, arduous journey of growth. First of all, the spiral is a symbol of change, as all things in this world must change over time. Nothing can live and be stagnant, and as scary as change is, it is also wonderful, because that means that everyday we have a new chance, a new choice, to change ourselves. I think this overall line is Reiji speaking out about his subconscious, he as a person is constantly changing and conflicting with himself - and this is mainly brought about by Yui -. He’s trapped pondering the same path and as he walks on, he delves deeper into his own psyche; however, this “spiral labyrinth” is “never-ending” because he can’t come to terms with who he is - who he is underneath his trauma, his privileges, his race and status - because, in my interpretation, that person is something Reiji would see as weak and powerless, which is the same thing he loathes in Yui - which brings us back to the interpretation that in some ways, Yui subconsciously represents Reiji’s inner self, and his childhood. Due to Yui possibly representing these things, the spiral never ends because Yui’s representation is something Reiji wants to run away from, but no one can run from their past, and until he learns to accept the better things about himself and the things he’s done out of spite and hatred, he can never fully leave that labyrinth.

The third line links more to what we see during the route, which is him biting Yui. However, in this subliminal context, this line could be implied to implement the power dynamic - and the importance of said dynamic -. Overall, this phrase basically states that if Reiji doesn’t drink Yui’s blood, then logic won’t survive; this could imply that Reiji has to drink from Yui in order to continue the power dynamic between them, he needs to be the one in control, the predator, and Yui needs to stay in the position of weak prey. By furthering this interpretation, it could imply that in regards to their races, predator and prey is the only logical dynamic to establish and for that to be disturbed would imply that logic no longer exists; it would mean that Yui has the upper hand, and not Reiji, he would no longer hold the control he desires. If we compare this interpretation to the Manservant Ending, we see that power dynamic flip. Instead of Reiji instigating the blood sucking, this time it’s Yui - she’s in control and she does as she pleases, he can’t drink the amount he wants (he can’t suck her dry) - and therefore, all logic has disappeared, the prey has become the predator and logic has died, Reiji’s control has died, and his self-worth has died.

Following Reiji’s route, we quickly learn that Reiji is a man who values intelligent and logic - his intellect fuels his self-esteem - and unless he has Yui at his mercy (with the threat of draining all her blood) the logic of the Vampire/Human dynamic won’t survive, it’ll die along with his frail ego.

“Kukuku…Or rather, would you like to die right now?”

This piece of dialogue links to the previous ones we’ve seen throughout the song; it’s a string of dialogue weaved into the story, a cross between Reiji’s ‘fantasy’ and reality. He’s told Yui that she can never escape and now he’s giving her the ‘option’ of dying - in reality, there is no option, it’s reverse psychology of giving her the choice of doing something that he knows she would protest against (that being death). It acts as Reiji essentially keeping Yui under his control.

Additionally, the fact that Reiji laughs when saying this could imply that he doesn’t take Yui seriously enough to consider her a threat; furthermore, it could be implied that he’s choosing to mock her in her time of distress - Yui wants to leave but she can’t and Reiji’s taking this opportunity to laugh at her misfortune.

In a storm driven mad with desire, my mind calms, all thoughts cut off Like a vanishing rose, cutting across my mind

When you think about a storm, you probably don’t have many pleasant meanings to connect to it. It’s a symbol of chaos, negativity, trauma, difficulty, weakness, and even depression. Storm symbolism also signifies change and transition since storms are only temporary. However, in literature, storms play a completely different role. They’re used as elements of foreshadowing, which is the act of predicting the future in the story. It’s a very frequently used symbol that can be used in almost any setting. Normally, it predicts something unpleasant, tragic, or even scary.

The storm itself could be implied to represent Reiji’s inner turmoil; how by focusing on that one specific thing can in fact calm him, his mind is steady - it could be interpreted as ‘ordered chaos’, which refers to a complex situation or process that appears chaotic while still having enough order to achieve progress or goals. The idea of “organised chaos” is more than saying you know where everything is in your messy bedroom or office, even if no one else can make sense of it. It’s also the idea of a looser set of rules and giving yourself a little more freedom to find your own success. it can be inferred that the “storm” is Reiji’s subconscious, or at least his mental state, yet his mind is able to be calm due to him being able to navigate that chaos - it’s something only he can understand, both giving him the satisfaction of surpassing everyone else’s psychological skills but also the satisfaction of being able to hide the mess that is his mind so well.

The last line of this phrase could be implied to mean that Reiji’s mind has become blank, his usual thoughts of resentment and jealousy have ceased, they’ve vanished and so, his mind has become blank. Additionally, ‘blank’ can have connotations of calmness - since the mind has become devoid of thoughts and emotions, it becomes oddly calm in its emptiness. Here we also see the noun “rose” make another appearance, however, roses not only symbolise love and purity, but it also has other connotations too. In the Middle Ages, roses were hung from the ceilings of meeting rooms; it was understood that everyone under the roses was sworn to secrecy. With this in mind, it could be implied that the noun “rose” symbolises secrecy, Reiji’s desires and detriments are to remain a secret - a secret that he and Yui will later share but a ‘secret’ nonetheless -. However, the notion that the rose is “vanishing” could imply that his unchecked mind is starting to dissipate; the thoughts that haunt him so much are ‘disappearing’ from his conscious mind. However, the verb “cutting” gives off the interpretation that his vanishing thoughts are quite abrupt, as though Reiji’s trying to forcefully forget the chaos in his brain - implying that Reiji’s trying to forget his turmoil in order to calm his mind.

This memory is our family’s fate A damned soul, never again to…

Memory can often connote to both remembrance and forgetfulness however, it can be interpreted that “memory” relates to the previous line, of Reiji trying to forget his tribulations. Each person that holds a substantial relationship with Karlheinz is dealt with nothing but despair - whether that relationship is founded from genetics or courtship is of no relevance, as each person is given their own cruel hand by “fate” -. Therefore, it’s possible to assume that Reiji’s memories of pain is shared throughout the family; each brother is wallowing in their own trauma, yet they cannot talk about it or cope in a healthy way, they each let their emotions fester and try to forget their memories, and because that mechanism of trauma is passed through the family, it has therefore become their “fate”.

Here we also see the repetition of the line “A damned soul, never again to…”. The adjective “damned” can have connotations of  being condemned or doomed, especially to eternal punishment - which is quite similar to how the brothers view their long-lasting lives. With this in mind, we can again imply that Reiji is ‘doomed’ to suffer the consequences of ‘fate’s’ cruel hand; he can never again revert to the past, before his trauma was dealt to him, and that is his family’s fate. 

“…─I will never let you go”

Once more, we are presented with Reiji’s dialogue, however, this phrase has both sorrowful and threatening connotations. The phrase “…─I will never let you go” has obvious menacing implications, since Reiji’s holding Yui hostage in this overall situation - if Yui tries to leave, then he’ll punish her, or he’ll kill her. This threat enables Reiji to carry on implementing his control over Yui and bending her to his will - breaking her in the process -. Conversely, this threat can also possess quite sorrowful and forlorn connotations. Following Reiji’s route, it can be implied that Yui’s inadvertently and subconsciously helping Reiji come to terms with the type of person he is; without Yui, his bitterness will only fester to a higher capacity, and his abuse tactics and sadism will only grow - thus, it could be implied that Reiji can’t let Yui go because of this, and when you think about it that way, it’s quite melancholic.

“Kukuku… You should understand by now, right?”

“It is your fate to continue to have your blood sucked by me.”

Reiji yet again insults Yui’s intelligence by condescending to her that she should be able to understand the situation she’s in, and how it’s her “fate”. Throughout the entirety of Reiji’s route, his use of language towards Yui is typically demeaning, and here is no exception. 

The noun “blood” can have many different connotations and symbolisms, one of which is that it represents life - this is mainly derived from the fact that blood is the very substance that flows through our veins in order to keep us alive; with this connotation, it could be implied that Yui’s “fate” is to have her life drained by Reiji for his own satisfaction. However, blood can also be seen as something that’s a person’s ‘essence’. If there’s something that is so core to your sense of identity or your beliefs, you could say that “it’s in my blood”. This interpretation could imply that Reiji intends to finish ‘training’ Yui until every last part of her has been taken away, her ‘core’ has been “sucked” out by Reiji in his attempts to perfect her - all her aspirations, hope, pain and suffering have been removed by Reiji, as blood can also connotate to pain and suffering; something that can be implied to be Reiji’s fate - his fate is to suffer, and he will inflict that same punishment upon Yui, since her fate is to become broken and damned along with him.

“…─This prediction is absolute.” “……So, wake up…”

Firstly, the line “This prediction is absolute.” could imply that both Reiji and Yui’s fates are “absolute”, they’re established and universally decided upon that this is the path they must both follow. The noun “prediction” carries connotations of both science and philosophy. The first comes from the fact that during an experiment, predictions are made in relation to the outcome - the experiment at hand however, can range from physical chemicals to the inside of someone’s mind. Additionally, “prediction” can also connote to something being prophesied. The inference that I’m trying to make, is that both connotations are linked; though this insinuation is mainly derived from More Blood and Dark Fate due to us learning more about Karlheinz and how he’s monopolised his bloodline. Both Reiji and Yui’s fates have already been decided due to Karlheinz effectively using his sons as ‘experiments’ - therefore, the life that Reiji and Yui are to live, has already been prophesied and predicted; thus, it is ��absolute”.

The phrase “wake up” is honestly quite a strange line to include in this song however, it could imply that Yui needs to wake up from the dainty person she was, and accept her fate - a ‘wake up’ call if you will -. Conversely, it also reminds me of a darker theme within dreams, that to ‘die’ (in a dream) is to “wake up”; with that in mind, it could infer that Yui’s past self needs to ‘die’ in order for her to “wake up” and accept who she is now, who she is presently while being under Reiji’s control. No longer is Yui pure and untainted, and so from Reiji’s perspective, she needs to “wake up” from that ‘act’.

“Awaken and become a part of our family.” “In the darkness, unable to see anything, with you…” “…─I want to feel it!”

Following my interpretation that Yui needs to let her past self die in order to “wake up” could link to this section here, and it could imply that Reiji believes that Yui needs to let herself go, let her religion, beliefs and self-worth diminish and die in order for her ‘true’ self to “awaken” - let Reiji remould her to his desire and welcome her ‘retrained’ self into his arms. 

We’re brought back to this imagery of darkness, and this imagery could link back to the “dense, black forest” we saw in the beginning, showing the song’s cyclical structure. Much like the beginning, the theme of darkness could infer that Reiji desires Yui to fall from her ‘heavenly grace’ and join him in his misery - “unable to see anything” but despair and longing -. Throughout Reiji’s route, it’s been made clear that Reiji wishes to shatter Yui as a person, and rebuild her to his design; therefore, Reiji wants Yui to fall into despair with him, so that he’s no longer alone in his turmoil. The last line of “…─I want to feel it!” could reinforce this implication, that Reiji wishes to have company in his damnation and he wants to know and feel that every part of Yui belongs to him - from her determination to her compassion, he wants to feel ‘loved’ by her, yet he wants to break her in that process so that she can never escape from his abuse.

A single enraged horn, able to thrust its way up to the heavens Like a chaotically blooming rose, it’s splattered across your face

Here the cyclicity of the song is made clear with the repetition of the chorus - it reinforces Reiji’s desire to corrupt Yui and drag her down to ‘Hell’ with him. Conversely, it may simply be the poetic voice (Reiji) attempting to reiterate a certain point, reflecting the continuing nature of time, entrapment through repetition and re-living events - re-living Yui’s downfall and her entrapment in Reiji’s cruel schemes.

This deep crimson curse is our family’s fate A damned soul, never again to… A damned soul, never again to…

Again, this section is repeated, implying that it’s significant, that Reiji’s “fate” and turmoil is significant - and it is, it’s significant to Karlheinz. Each brother’s fate is significant in one way or another as it all ties into Karlheinz’s ‘plan’, their fates have been preordained; therefore, they’re all “damned souls”, they have been from the beginning and Yui is no exception to this, and I think Reiji knows this. The last line is repeated twice, and contains the same wording and grammar; this gives the impression that the ending is inevitable and nothing can be done to stop it. The sense of repetition created through this element of the structure also creates a sense of hopelessness, reflecting the lack of choices that Yui has in this position and how Reiji will inevitable dictate her entire existence.

“…─Have you understood? Very well, in that case, become mine for all eternity.”

This first line is in fact a rhetoric, Reiji’s not asking a genuine question to Yui, he’s establishing their power dynamic and that she should already know to obey his every whim. He’s patronising her intelligence just like how he does throughout his route - it infers that overall, nothing has changed and Yui is still hopeless and Reiji is still bitter and resentful towards others and towards himself.

The very last line however, displays that even though Reiji is as heinous as they come, he still wishes for Yui’s company while he waits for his “fate” to consume him. The pronoun “mine” shows Reiji’s possessiveness and how he wants Yui’s compassion to himself - implying that she gives him the comfort and ‘love’ he’s so desperately wanted throughout his life. He’s dragged Yui down into the pits of despair and she’s had no choice in whether she wanted that or not, that is her “fate”. Though Reiji’s bitterness may not have changed, and his abuse may not have corroded, this line implies that he wishes to have Yui’s company throughout his misery; to not be completely alone.

To conclude, this song is overall, quite sad and it gives us insight into Reiji’s mind; how he wants to corrupt Yui for his own gain, yet he doesn’t want to lose her company because he doesn’t want to be alone. The song doesn’t justify any of Reiji’s actions towards Yui - instead it shows how cruel he can be - but it also shows just how alone he feels, and by the end of this story’s analysis, the overall feeling that comes to mind, is pity.

[cedriiii]

Might be a bit late but i have some takes, mostly Corruption servant Korekiyo propaganda, under the cut

Corruption most encapsulates themes of obsessive devotion, unhealthy attachment and codependency, central to Korekiyo's character. Dependence on his sister is what dooms him, but he welcomes being consumed by it.

Moreover, his arc heavily features being enamored with macabre and taboo topics, and being fascinated with concepts that are considered repulsive in the eyes of others - another corruption adjacent theme.

Being consumed/becoming one with the thing you love being the whole theme of corruption is very close to how he feels about the world, as Korekiyo considers love one of the most important - if not the most important - things in his life, the fact that it's something that is taking over all aspects of his life negatively is part of the appeal. According to him, love is something cultivated inside oneself, which almost invokes a parasitic theme. Cultivating something that feeds off of you inside, because you love it, because you are one with it. He also literally "becomes his sister" in certain ways, changing the way he looks to represent aspects of her, believing she posesses his body and all.

Themes of cleanliness and hospitals are featured in his storyline because his sister died of an illness and he probably spent most of his childhood in medical environments. Him wearing a mask also adds to this visually, even though it's purpose is practical/cosmetic rather that medical, but who knows. Terminal illnesses relate to the End more than the Corruption, probably.

He is an academic and an observer, however his studies don't really relate to the Eye's knowledge for knowledge's sake ways and undying curiosity, in my opinion. It's more of an all-consuming interest, once again based on love, on finding meaning through experiencing the "beauty of humanity" in all of its aspects. So i attribute it more to the Corruption than anything else as well.

A close second would probably be the End, since a special interest of his inside the overall studying humanity thing is topics related to death, coping with mortality, and what lies beyond the realm of the living. Korekiyo is well-versed in the occult, believes in the afterlife, has practiced spiritual seanses to speak with the dead (and necromancy, if you count a throwaway line from Danganronpa S). I don't know whether his beliefs on death might be contradictory the "everything will end and cease to exist an a meaningful way" aspect of the End, because all of his efforts are actually aimed at preserving someone that died and believing in the eternity of the afterlife rather than accepting that someone central to his life can just cease to exist.

The Slaughter also might be fitting, because of the cerial murder and the military aesthetic, but it fits only if he is an unwilling servant, unlike the other two mentioned before. The Slaughter stands for violence with no meaning or lost meaning, unpredictable, unmotivated, just happening for nothing. Korekiyo's murders fit a very clear structure and criteria (so not quite unpredictable) and there is a clear motive behind it that he doesn't seem to stray from. It also lacks an "endless" quality, because he had a number of people to kill in mind, a number that he didn't seem to want to go over. He is a murderer not because he finds a purpose through violence but because he's making sacrifices to something he considers important and meaningful.

I can see him slipping into the Slaughter unwillingly and without realising it, however, because his "motive" is ultimately a delusion, and the purpose is overshadowed by violence that he inflicts. Is there a point where the weight of the "sacrifice" overshadows the motivation, rendering it meaningless? If he reaches that point he might be considered a Slaughter servant without realising it.

[POLL WITH REST OF THE FEARS HERE]

[leagueoflegendsimagines]

| Myrmidon Pantheon | SFW & NSFW | 1 |

Hello my lovelies! While I am still sick, I hope I feel well enough to at least bring out some pieces of writing. This is not request - I've been thinking about writing something that includes Myrmidon Pantheon for quite a long time, as I love the skin and the concept behind it.

I used to be a huge lover of mythology but my knowledge has been getting quite rusty. It's been a long time since I improved what I know on Greek mythology. It's hard to do so when university gets so demanding.

Anyways - the reason why I have chosen this particular topic is because I got my hands on the skin recently, from a reroll. And for the first time in my time playing league, I had the most kills in my team. As a support. It was an incredible experience, to play Pantheon support and actually carry the game. My adc was just behind chilling while I was destroying Yasuo in 1v1s lol.

Enjoy this and more will come soon! Hopefully.

~ Your floral, ethereal town was a modest one. You lived far away from the huge, colorful cities - brimming with life, light and chaos. That's what your father had told you, at the very least. A veteran in many wars. A man who has retreated to the happy little town you lived in now. The town where he fell in love with your mother, a strong and proud woman who refused to leave her home and go to the vain, corrupted lands of the cities.

~ You grew up happy and oblivious to the struggles your parents were forced to face at your age. That didn't make you boastful or spoiled. You were grateful for what you had.

~ For the simple but spacious house built at the edge of the forest, facing the vast and bountiful fields of golden light. For your loving and still youthful parents. For your sweet little siblings, two brothers and a sister. For the good health you were blessed with - long, beautiful hair and dewy eyes, bright with life and sparkling with a thirst for living that surprised even your energetic parents.

~ When you reached your the tender age of 17, they didn't try to marry you off. No - you were their little treasure, their oldest child. They wished for you to have good future, of course.

~ But as a couple who married out of love - not for money or beauty - they were the last parents in the world who would arrange a marriage for their children. In their eyes, love was more important than anything else.

~ To be blessed by the Gods in such a wonderful way - it was pure blasphemy to ignore their gift.

~ To ignore Cupid's arrow. ~ And so you lived on through the early years of your life, blissfully unaware of the cruelty of the world. A child blessed by Apollo himself, smiled upon by the Gods and favored by the everlasting touch of the nature around you.

~ And you loved the Gods. You loved them as much as you loved your own parents. You venerated them with pure devotion, bringing them offerings of fruits and vegetables and flowers, carefully grown by your nimble and soft fingers. Your love for them was that of a daughter, quiet and full of wonder and excitement.

~ You never expected something back. And you would have never guessed that the soft glow of your skin, the endearing beauty of your imperfections - you would have never guessed that their blessings might be so nimbly hidden in the human nature of your being.

~ But those around you could easily see it. They could see the almost divine aura that rested upon you. Not in the perfect beauty the Gods themselves possessed - you were not perfect by any means - but by the beauty that could be found in the imperfect existence of humanity.

~ You were breathtaking through your whole being. And your parents weren't surprised when young boys started gathering around you, trying to court their eldest into marriage.

~ But you never gave them any attention. Like a priestess of Vesta, you proved to be fully unbothered by their growing efforts to gain your attention.

~ They never learned. Old ones would leave, new youngsters would come along over the years of your teenagerhood.

~ But you never gave in to their efforts, no matter how handsome or strong they were.

~ To your mother, it almost seemed like you were waiting for something. Someone. A person you had never met. But such a deep yearning touched your soul... it was impossible to ignore it.

~ You couldn't quench that thirst with the love of another man. ~ And it made you feel ashamed. Yearning for a person you didn't even know, ignoring all the attention you were blessed with.

~ During those times you would pray to Apollo, the God you venerated through your studies and sharp mind - you begged him to forgive you for how ungrateful you were to what the Gods gave you.

~ Your prayers would always remain unanswered. But your heart felt lighter afterwards.

~ When you were 19 years old, the wars started. You didn't know where or when exactly. But it brought worry and wrinkles to your parents' eyes and foreheads.

~ The war made them look old. You hated it for that. ~ As the newly appointed assistant of the town's healer, you saw soldiers pass on the main road. Men and young boys you have known your whole life, full of life and optimism. You hated thinking about it - knowing that they might die out there, alone. On the battlefield.

~ You....

~ You didn't expect them to come. After all, you were only a small town. Prosperity boomed in this small Paradise, yes - but no one was truly interested in settling here, away from the raw power and energy of the cities. Nobles would come during summer and leave after only a few months, ready to embrace the heart of civilization again.

~ Your skin prickled when you first caught sight of them. They were so different from the people you knew. They were...

~ The Myrmidons.

~ A gasp left your mouth as you dropped the large jar of healing balm you were holding. The loud sound of shattering glass escaped your ears. Your eyes remained glued on the marching troops, strong and bigger than any men you've seen up to this point.

~ They were regal. They possessed a sense of strength impossible to match by the simple folk of your people. You trembled in fear and awe at the sight of them. ~ The kind-hearted healer, old but as sharp as ever, came to your side to gently scold you. Even if there was an abundance of ingredients and herbs, it was bad practice to waste any of the blessings offered by the Gods. He stopped when he followed your gaze out the window, a loud gasp leaving his dry and chapped lips.

~ "By Zeus... it's them." His words were a reverent whisper next to you.

~ It pulled you from the spell of their power.

~ "Are they going to hurt us? Why are they here, Argus? What could they possibly want from us?" The words tumbled from your lips, louder than they should've been. They were marching just outside the open door, after all. They were loud - but not loud enough to fully drown your panicked words. " Why would they bring their petty wars here?!" You went down on your knees, shaky fingers gathering the remains of the broken jar.

~ Your teacher didn't give you an answer. You raised your eyes, wishing to continue your little ramble - when you caught sight of the door. A man was standing just outside the house. ~ He was even bigger than the rest of them. Broad shoulders, incredibly well toned - he was the prime example of dominance, authority and godly power. His attire was different. You paled when you realized that he must be of some great importance - a leader, perhaps?

~ The leader?

~ It only made you pale further. Did he hear your words? His eyes were pure magma, staring into your very soul. Impossible to read. Impossible to decipher.

~ His stare made you shiver. It made your breath catch violently in your chest, crushing you with the intensity of his presence. And you didn't talk. You couldn't utter another word.

~ He washed you in waves of heat and ice simultaneously. ~ Then his gaze moved abruptly to your teacher. ~ "We have wounded men, healer. We will pay you well for your services." ~ His voice. Molten lava. Burning amber. Pines and fresh rain. It left a taste of ash and cold, crisp winds on the back of your tongue. It felt invigorating and frightening at the same time. ~ Were they all like this? Were they all so... powerful? Would they all shake your very being?

~ You watched as he gave you one last, lingering look before he followed his men in the same strong, disciplined march. Head held high, spear in one hand and his shield in the other - muscles rippling with tension under skin, taunt and permanently prepared for a vicious fight.

~ His skin... it was grey. The color of ashes. ~ Your working day finished much later than it usually did. On normal days, you'd leave your teacher's house early in the evening. You would pass by the market to buy some fruits and talk to your old friends, most of them swollen with babies or holding toddlers on their hips. You'd play with their children, cooing at them lovingly before you took your slow and patient walk home through the quiet fields. It wasn't a long walk - but it was enough for you to daydream about a stranger that you'd love. About a home and children of your own.

~ But now... by the time you finished patching the wounds of patient and kind soldiers, it was well past midnight. You were shocked by how polite and well-spoken these men were, different from the stories you've heard about soldiers. They didn't rape, destroy or steal. They were disciplined and intelligent. Almost regal in their silent suffering, grateful for your gentle and healing touch.

~ But they didn't compare to that man you'd seen earlier in the day. And you tried your best to ignore the way his memory made your heart clench with tension, the way your whole body would surge up with a nervous energy. ~ It left you incredibly troubled and confused. And you refused to think about it. ~ When you returned to the healer's house to grab the shawl left behind by your younger brother - sent that evening by your parents to search for you after you failed to make it in time for dinner -, everything seemed to succumb to a calm, dark silence. There were few lights on the street. But the moon was enough to guide your uncertain steps as you grew more and more worried at the prospect of returning home at such a late hour. After all, it might be for the best to remain at your teacher's house until morning. He had insisted on it, saying that it wasn't safe for a young girl like you to go running around in the late hours of the night.

~ And then you saw him. Waiting in front of the door. Unmoving. A statue made out of flesh and blood.

~ It stopped you in your track and, for a few long moments, all you could hear was the erratic beating of your heart. Why was he here? Why was he waiting in front of the door? Would he hurt you?

~ The old healer appeared in the doorframe. "Here you are! Come closer, dear child. The general has offered to walk you home - it's not good for you to travel alone in the dark hours of the night. The soldiers are honorable, of course. But there are many men that wouldn't harbor good thoughts." You shivered at his words - and you saw the general tense at their bluntness.

~ "I will take care of her, healer." The words were clipped but still polite as the broad man gave your teacher a curt bow and turned to face you. He was still wearing his armor - his graceful helmet -, holding a bright torch with his right hand. His left one held your basket and the summer shawl made by your youngest sister. The sharp steel of the spear glinted behind his shoulder. The shield was nowhere in sight.

~ You didn't wait for him to tell you anything. Instead, you approached him with unsteady and frightened steps, too nervous to gaze into his eyes again. How could your teacher leave you alone with this man? You'd die of nerves before reaching the comfort of your home.

~ As you reached for the shawl with softly spoken words of thanks, your chilly fingers brushed against his heated ones. It made your insides quiver. It made your entire being shiver. He was so close to you. He radiated heat. He smelled of fire and ashes. Of pines and dirt. Of thunderstorms. ~ You blinked away the sleep settling on your heavy eyes as you wrapped the shawl around your naked shoulders, hiding a soft yawn behind your hand. ~ And you followed him on the empty, quiet road. A hand resting on his arm to keep steady on the uneven path, you could barely keep your fingers from trembling. ~ It was hard to keep steady and calm. Not when he was so, so close to you - not when you could feel the heat of his skin, the strong ripples of muscle underneath. ~ He kept his pace steady, matching yours. ~ And it felt... different. The strong breeze of the late summer night, the soft rustle of the wind through the fields and the leaves of trees scattered around in the darkness. To feel the touch of a man so close to you. To actually feel bothered by such a proximity. No one -boy or man - had ever made you feel in such a way. ~ He made you feel alive. He made you feel like a woman. He filled you with something very similar to anticipation, knitting the nerves in your stomach and chest in such a strange manner. He made your skin prickle with an electric feeling.

~ And you didn't even know his name. ~ You only knew he was their general. ~ The Myrmidon.

[sleepnotfoundyet]

My Personal Favourties

you lit a fire in my soul by  Yikes (CoralFlower)

“Do you have a face behind that mask, Dream?”

His head tilts to the side in what you’ve learned to interpret as a smirk, and a breeze rustles the leaves.

“Do you have a heart beneath that skin?” he asks you, putting his hand on your chest. You breathe in sharply, and he chuckles at you. He’s touching you. You find that you like that quite a lot.

A beautiful fanfiction about Dream, a being or man who hides his face behind a white mask and about George, a man who is used to being by himself. They slowly get to know each other over time and suddenly they find themself in a state where they both can’t exist without the other. 

"I hate the rain." by Anonymous

(Dream x George, SapNap x Dream, jealousy)

Dream and George are inseparable, and Sapnap can’t help but feel left out.

Or, Dreamnap has a Moment™ while George snores in the background.

It’s short but it’s great! The charachters are really well written, the jealousy isn’t too much and doesn’t make me cringe the slightes.

The Inconsistency of Nothingness by  icycas

(Dream x George, contains also F/M, smut/lemon warning, homophobic language warning)

The Dream Team is an up-and-coming band with many devoted fans. The three boys are longtime friends who are beloved by many for their chemistry and history together. The stars glimmer in front of their fans, but even starlight can be obscured by clouds.

A band au fanfiction! What a cute concept! The fanfic has great character development and good backstories.

The stars are out tonight by  Chicken_Nuggets800

(Dream x George, TechnoDream Friendship, WIP)

As a child, Clay was taken in by Templars. They raised him, trained him, gave him a home and a place to belong. It was all he and his friends had ever known.

But when someone from his past finds him and throws his whole world on its head, he finds himself questioning what is really right.

Are the Templars all they claim they are?

One of my favorites in this fandom. Even if you don’t know much about Assasins Creed it’s pretty simple to understand. Please for the love of Prime Church give it a try it’s so good. 

Here is a short explanation for the conflict between templars and assasins:

The Templars want to create a perfect world but their interpretation of this world contracts the one of the Assassin brotherhood. The Assassins want to create a utopia through a gradual process of learning tolerance and mutual understanding. Templars think that isn’t possible because humanity is too corrupt for that, so they think they need a New World Order, they want humanity led by an enlightened society of people- or them.

I’m Not Ready to Say Goodbye… by NightRiser ( Dream x George, Depression, Angst)

Dream is sick. As far as doctors are concerned, there is no cure and he has a limited time left to live. However Dream isn’t ready to go, he has so much he wants to do, so much he wants to say and a certain someone he wants to be with forever…Too bad forever is coming to an end. He’s determined to spend his time making the most of it.

get ready with some tissues. I loved this fanfic.

A Bumpy Ride by icycas

(Dream x George, smut/lemon warning)

The boys are on the road trip to finally spend some quality time together, and all face-to-face for the very first time. They all expect to have some crazy adventures in the cabin and to bond, but let’s just say Clay and George experience the wildest ride on the drive there.

do you have to be an ocean away? by orphan_account 

(Dream x George, Movie Au, Pirate x Prince,smut/lemon warning)

based off of the animated movie sinbad: legend of the seven seas

in which dream returns.

Hot Pink Love by KassyFrost

(Dream x George, Omegaverse Au!, slight Technoblade x Dream, jealousy, angst with a happy ending)

Omegaverse for DreamNotFound mixed with College Universe and oh my god they were roomates.George and Dream get into an argument. Dream says some things he shouldn’t have said.Featuring Dream and SapNap being best bros.the 2nd omegaverse fanfic for this fandom. 

well written with very cute moments, the angst feels real and the plot connects at the end

I will update this from time to time. If anyone wants me to delete their work from here contact me!