#the metaphors here are basic but i would LOVE to hear what other people see

[frajer-00]

Guess, guess, guess, guess, guess, guess, guess, guess

[artistmarchalius]

Innit VS In’t - a PSA

I’ve seen some confusion in Hobie fics around the word “innit” and I think I’ve figured out why: aside from general confusion about the use of the word, I believe some people are occasionally mixing it up with “in’t”.

So let’s dive into it!

Innit - isn’t it

Can be used at the end of a sentence to make it a question or for emphasis.

E.g. “That’s a load of rubbish, innit?” Or “I’m Spider-Man, innit.” (The latter is an example of emphasis. It’s not grammatically correct but using slang isn’t always about being grammatically correct).

“Innit” can also be used in the middle and at the beginning of sentences (in place of “isn’t it”).

E.g. “Innit lovely out here?” Or “You told me that a Vulture variant was loose in Holborn, but innit true you’ve been tellin’ porkies?”

In’t - contraction of “isn’t”

You can use “in’t” in place of “isn’t”.

E.g. “In’t that the guy who was in here earlier?” Or “That’s a metaphor for capitalism, in’t it?” (You could also use “innit” in the second example).

It can be a bit confusing to a non-English ear to distinguish between “innit” and “in’t”, especially when they’re spoken quickly. For example: if you think you’re hearing someone say something like “Innit that right?” (which would be saying “Isn’t it that right?”, then you’re probably actually hearing them say “In’t that right?”

But wait!

Couldn’t you just use “ain’t” instead of “in’t”?

Sure!

“Ain’t” is a very versatile contraction. It can mean: am not, are not, is not, have not, has not, do not, does not and did not.

E.g. “I ain’t a liar!” Or “He ain’t done his homework.” Or “Ain’t that the truth.” Or “It ain’t right.”

Fun facts:

The earliest records of “ain’t” are from the 1700’s but it was popularised by Dickens’ representation of Cockney dialect.

“In’t” originates from Northern England.

So why use “in’t” instead of “ain’t”?

Personal preference, innit?

And there you have it, a dive into the world of “innit”, “in’t” and “ain’t”!

As always, I’m not an expert, I just wanted to share the knowledge that I do have. There may be other ways to use these words, depending on what part of the country you come from, but this should cover the vast majority of them (if not maybe all of them)! Hopefully someone will find this helpful, informative or entertaining at the very least. I know a lot of this seems basic, but there are a lot of non-native English speakers in the fandom so I wanted to cover all my bases.

Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like me to cover and I’ll see what I can do! If you’re using “innit” or “in’t” in your writing but aren’t sure if you’re using it right, I’m happy to look over any sentences you’d like me to!

Happy writing!

[aislebewithshu]

𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 loveit?

x gender neutral reader.

wc: 468

cw: yandere, mentions of cannibalism (in a metaphorical sense), character death, dismemberment (but not too graphic), vomit/throwing up, dark content basically. DIRECT references to the song loveit? and love eat and also based on the revenge theory bcs ppl have different interpretations towards this song lmao (and it made a dent in my brain forever. thank u to that one that came up w the theory).

dead dove, do not eat.

author notes: hi it's been a while since i last wrote anything.. i mean anything at all.. this (obviously) might not be the accurate representation to the songs HNFF pls i tried considering other theories... thank u for reading!! scroll away if uncomfy <3

red. It is the color he could only see.

how putrid, he thinks. seeing so many people surrounding you, it irks him. how could you talk to these… lowly creatures undeserving of your presence? he eyes you like a predator, watching your possible next move. oh, how he loves that horrified look you have for a second the moment you laid your eyes on him.

“come on, eat it, darling."

he urges you as you hesitantly look at the ‘food’ served to you, then back at the male. what could he put here that he insists that you eat the meal he prepared? you take a bite, and he smiles.

it was the meat of the person you last talked to, he whispered. the moment he said that to you, you immediately threw up, not letting said human meat inside your system. disgusting, vile, even uncanny.

he was pleased, after all, you wouldn't let anyone in your life except for him, would you? the first question in your mind was, why? why, would he go lengths, as to butcher one's body just because you talked with them? he hates that you're giving all your attention and affection to that insignificant pest.

he also has to stake claims to you - a mark that you are his. that's why he proceeded to gouge out your right eye. it was excruciating, but what mattered to him is that he put a mark on you forever, and he plans to do more.

after all, love makes everyone blind, even to those who think they've seen what true love looks like.

"i'm going to eat you, sexually unrestrained."

oh, why can't you say anything? you're not fighting him back, so you must like the pain he's inflicting from you? poor thing, but he loves you too much to let you go. he promises to eat you up, deep into the marrow, flesh and blood.

that is, until you snap.

cupping his cheeks with your stained hands, you gaze into his eyes. it is uncharacteristically loving, to the point that it freezes him on the spot. what are you going to do next? he thinks.

bringing your lips to his, he indulges in the sick, yet passionate kiss, as you bring your hand to take his knife. you wrap your arms around him as he does the same, tracing lines at his back with the knife you're holding, bringing your beloved to his beautiful demise.

"you're loveit in human form."

surely you haven't lost your mind? of course, love does make everyone blind, even him. your ultimate intentions— on why you had to indulge in his twisted whims, why you didn't fight back, it all made sense to him now. after all, he fell into the fake love you presented before him, a punishment you endowed on him for killing your actual beloved.

enstars - shiina niki, tenshouin eichi (hear me out), fushimi yuzuru, saegusa ibara, shino hajime, sakuma ritsu (honestly i cld put the whole niki's kitchen circle here)

twst - trey clover, jade leech, jamil viper

bllk - mikage reo, kaiser michael, bachira meguru (hear me out pt. 2)

hsr - jiaoqiu

+ your faves.

©AISLEBEWITHSHU on tumblr. do not repost / feed to AI.

[ikementally-deficient]

Advice On Writing

I have a couple of writing friends who keep asking me for advice (which is extremely flattering and I love to infodump, please don't stop), but I thought getting my thoughts down on the metaphorical paper and putting them out into the world might be helpful for others as well.

I mostly had fanfiction in mind when I wrote this, but honestly I think the vast majority of it will be applicable to any kind of creative writing.

I would love to get feedback or have conversations about this, so if you want to squawk at or with me, please don't hesitate!

The Bare Minimum

Write

Write as often and as much as you can. If you manage to do nothing else on this list, just writing consistently and continuously will eventually improve your skills, even if it takes a long time.

The Basics

2. Read

Find things you enjoy, and read them. Read as much as you have time for. Things that speak to you and make you feel things (words, turns of phrase, tropes) will all work their way into your subconscious and feed your own writing.

3. Read Critically

Re-read the things you enjoy, and consciously think about why you enjoy them. Why did this scene manage to express such a clear sense of desolation? What about this interaction between characters made me relate to them so much? How did this story give me such a sense of satisfaction and coming full circle? Highlight the phrases you really love. Look for and circle the small details that foreshadow later developments. Identify the things you don’t like as well (nothing is perfect). How would you have done this differently? Do you hate the purple prose, or is it killing you that these scenes aren’t more detailed? Look up the words you don’t understand - maybe the author chose their words poorly, or maybe you’re one of the lucky ten thousand who gets to learn a new vocabulary word today.

The Cringe Parts

4. Ask for constructive criticism

This part is really hard, but vital. While you will inevitably find some of the weaknesses of your own writing, you won’t find all of them. An outside perspective is invaluable. If you’re frightened of constructive criticism, start small. Ask one person to look at SPAG (spelling, punctuation, and grammar). Pick one paragraph or scene to show someone and ask them how it flows. Have someone review your outline for plotholes instead of giving them prose. Brace yourself for things you don’t want to hear. Sit with any and all criticism for a few days before reacting. It’s okay to decide that someone just didn’t get what you were going for, but make sure that’s actually true instead of just a knee-jerk reaction to hurt feelings or a bruised ego. Listen to what your reviewer or beta is actually saying - ‘this part confuses me’ doesn’t mean your writing is bad, it means that your head holds the entire picture and you just didn’t put enough of that down on paper so your reader can see it too.

5. Re-read your own work

Every once in a while, go back and see how what you wrote six months ago or last year holds up. You’ve been writing for a while, you’re a stronger writer, so give yourself the perspective of seeing how far you’ve come. And see if there are any weak areas that are still giving you trouble; you can focus more on those in your next piece of writing.

6. Edit for other people

Editing is a skill. No one falls out of the sky able to give useful and actionable feedback. The act of reading and criticising something you have a little cognitive distance from is far easier than criticising your own work, but it’s still a muscle you need to build. Start with basic proof reading (SPAG). Ask questions: “Why did you choose this word, it seems obscure?” Explain your feedback: “I can’t tell who’s speaking here, I think the dialogue went back and forth one too many times without a tag.” Instead of “I don’t like this,” explain why: “This description feels like something I’ve seen too many times already and feel cliché, but I bet you can change it up.” Learning to give that feedback in a kind and helpful way is something you can bring back to your own writing. Remember that if someone asks you to beta read or edit their work, they too are trying to get better. Don’t just blow sunshine up their ass, give them the respect of being honest about elements that aren’t working. Just don’t be an asshole about it. 

Some resources on being a good beta reader - these also are handy guides for writers on how to communicate their needs effectively to a beta reader:

How to Be a Great Beta Reader and Give Helpful Feedback (dianaurban.com)

What makes a good beta reader? (smallbluedog.com)

Tips on how to beta read, from a beta reader : FanFiction (reddit.com)

Advanced Class

7. Try new things

Try a different format. If you mostly write long, multi-chapter works, aim for a short story. Write some poetry. Change up your genre. Consciously try to imitate someone else’s style. Stretch out of your comfort zone. Feel like you write too much descriptive detail? Force yourself to write nothing but dialogue, like Isaac Asimov. Feel like your characters are always floating in empty space? Indulge in some Robert Jordan, down to every detail of what the characters are wearing. This is going to be difficult, and the results might not be something you want to share publicly, but it’s still worth the effort.

8. Read about writing

There are university courses on this stuff. Check your local library for a copy of the Little, Brown Handbook - it’s aimed at academic writing, but it’s a great resource on grammar and syntax and planning and revising your work. Look for fun ones like The Transitive Vampire and The Well-Tempered Sentence, or Eats, Shoots & Leaves. Centre for Fiction has a great list of books on creative writing by writers, and industry professionals (if publishing for profit is a goal of yours). 

Back to the Beginning

9. Keep writing

You might not be the next Stephen King, or Jude Devereaux, or Isaac Asimov. Cool, me neither. You don’t have to be. As long as writing is still giving you joy, keep doing it. 

[rey-jake-therapist]

Haladriel : power play

I keep reading that Sauron didn't stop manipulate Galadriel for all season 1, that she's a poor victim, that she was abused by the big bad guy, yada yada.... It's false. Lol sorry but for most of season 1, it was Galadriel who pulled all the strings and Sauron, though reluctant at the beginning because he wanted to stay in Numenor and take the path of repentance, was happy to play along. "She wants me to be a king ? Alright, I'll be her king. Let it be my GIFT to her." The Lord of gifts is back, baby !

This dynamic changed during the finals though. I find Haladriel fascinating because there's always one who tops and the other who sorry, one who leads and the other who follows. In season 1, it was clearly Galadriel who was the leader in their dynamic. Can't escape the sexual metaphor I'm afraid 🤣, she was basically the dom. She gave orders, antagonized everyone starting with him, manipulated both him and Miriel, lied, gained time...

And he just happily followed, basically, mostly amused by this little young Elf (yeah she was baby if you think of it, Sauron's ancient lol) who bossed everyone around and thought she knew everything. I don't think he expected her to use his own tricks on him, and he was pretty much upset first because she was tempting him into a path he didn't want to go back to (oh the irony of Sauron being tempted into doing something bad...), but I think he was also impressed. He had just told her a couple of hours before how to use people's greatest fears to control them, and here she was.... Just doing it. On him !! The temptation to give her a good spank while whispering congratulation words for being such a good listener must have been.... Very strong.

The dynamic started to change the day Galadriel suspected Halbrand was not who she thought he was. One thing I always wondered is : did Sauron hope that Celebrimbor would repeat these words, "power over flesh", in front of Galadriel, because he wanted to prepare her for the revelation he intended to make when the rings would be ready ?

Anyway, to me the dynamic changed at this very moment :

I wrote a meta dedicated to "Sauron, Galadriel and touching" here. At the risk of sounding like a pretentious person who loves to hear her own voice, I'll do something I never do, quote myself :

Now, back to Sauron. While during all season 1 he was never touchy with Galadriel, in episode 8, he suddenly is. Not only that but he's also very flirtatious, like... more than usual. Galadriel seems surprised with this unsolicited touching, and iffy, because she doesn't trust him anymore. She has just asked one of her fellow Elves to look in the catacombs of Eregion for everything they had about the Southlands and their royal lineage; after she heard Celebrimbor talk about "power over flesh" and seen Sauron enthusiastically offer his aid to the smith, she starts suspecting that Halbrand may be not who he claims to be. Coincidence ? I think not. Even if she remained discreet, Sauron probably felt that something was off. He's very observant, and he knows her mind. If she changed of attitude with him, if she seemed even a little bit wary of him, there's no doubt he noticed it. He certainly planned to tell her the truth about him very soon, at that point, but he also wants the rings to be forged so he could show her what they'd do with them. So this, imho, is Sauron buying time. He knows she's attracted to him, he may even know she's in love with him... I think he's trying to breach her defenses, here.

Like I said in my linked post, so far Sauron never touched Galadriel umprompted. It is a first. And he was flirtatious before, but the way he leans in to whisper in her ear... That's something else. It's Sauron turning the tables and taking control of their dynamic. After this scene, up until the fight, we only see Galadriel in a retreat position, literally sidelined while Sauron found himself a new playmate (Celebrimbor), and she can do nothing but observe what is happening; she can't reveal her doubts as long as she doesn't get the confirmation she asked for. Of course, she hates it.

Then the finals. Galadriel confronts Sauron, who not only doesn't deny anything, but makes fun of her previous claim that she's much older than he is, by revealing he's himself older than the world. Notice how their behavior has changed, compared to how they were during the previous episodes : he's the one being sure of himself and controlling the situation, while she's confused and has lost all her composure, as all her certainties fall into crumbles.

Then she tries to stab him, but he effortlessly parries her attack.

Then she loses consciousness as he takes literal control of her mind. Starting from here, and up until the one, he's the dom dominating the situation ! He masquerades as her brother to manipulate her feelings, then brings her back to the raft, appeals to her temptation for power, offers her the moon and more. Then when she refuses, he makes himself indispensable by reminding her that without him, her people are doomed, presses where it hurts ("they cast you out"), and appeals to her pride ("what will they do when you tell them that you were my ally ?").

NOW that's some manipulation. Only then, did we get a glimpse of the tactics he would use on Celebrimbor in season 2.

As for their dynamics in season 2 finals, do I really need to spell it out ?

Galadriel tries to reverse the dynamics when she kicks Sauron in the face and tells him "the door shut", but ultimate fails. Oh, wait, does she ?

Galadriel almost gives in to Sauron in this finals. I know it's a popular interpretation that she was totally faking it when she took off Nenya and handed it to him, but it simply doesn't make sense with the music and the atmosphere of this scene. And if the "new bond" theory is true, it makes it even more impossible because there's no way she could pretend anything while being newly bound to Sauron. She looks captivated and ready to give in because she is, imho. This is her "last temptation". And Sauron believes that as well, because he saw it in her mind. He believes he won her over, because he almost did, indeed.

He looks so happy, I could almost feel sorry for him... What Sauron wanted Galadriel to understand, was that he wanted to heal Middle-Earth, to let him do that by giving him Nenya. He looks so happy here because he believes he has achieved that, at last.

I think Galadriel is also convinced that he wants to heal Middle-Earth, but she can never approve his methods, so... She lets herself fall off the cliff to escape him and by doing so, reverses the dynamics and takes power again, even at the risk of losing her life in the process. Sacrificing yourself not to let your toxic ex win you over is the ultimate power move if you ask me.

I know there's a new popular theory that wants Nenya to be the one who made Galadriel snap out of it, but sorry, I strongly disagree with this idea. One, because it takes off Galadriel's agency : she was saved by Elrond, saved by Arondir, and now Nenya ? I can't deny it's a personal bias as I want Galadriel to save herself in this one, and I won't go and claim it as a fact.. but sorry, it's a no for me. I've been told about the "Nenya sound" playing during this scene. Well, precisely, this sound tells me exactly the opposite of this theory, because it is heard when Galadriel is handing Nenya to Sauron, and stops exactly when she snaps out of it to say "Heal yourself".

It seems to me that Nenya wanted to go to Sauron, and not the other way around. Sauron said, "the rings are mine". I thought for a while that he meant only the Nine, but no, he considers that all the rings, including the Elven ones, are his. He thinks of himself as "their master". But he also knows that Nenya picked Galadriel as her bearer (or was it him ?), so she's also Galadriel's ring. That's why he wants her to give Nenya to him, as a sign of submission to him. The way I see it, when he asked Galadriel to give him Nenya, he expected Nenya to push her in this direction, and I think that's what Nenya indeed did, hence the sound.

Except that Galadriel resisted. It left Sauron confused. Then he thought about the Dwarves rings, whose owners also refused to be controlled by him even though he had more input in the creation of their rings than he had in the Elven ones'. So he will forge the One Ring, that will allow him, he believes, to take such a tight control on his rings that their bearers will no longer be able to resist him. The Elves will realize that pretty fast and will reluctanctly take off their rings, for all the time that Sauron will wear the One Ring.

"But the Elves were not so lightly to be caught. As soon as Sauron set the One Ring upon his finger they were aware of him; and they knew him, and perceived that he would be master of them, and of all that they wrought. Then in anger and fear they took off their rings." [The Silmarillion].

Interesting fact : the One Ring never seeme to affect the Dwarves. Their rings made them more greedy than they already were, but forging the One Ring didn't allow Sauron to control them. It has been suggested that it could be because they weren't aware of its power/didn't understand it :

The Dwarves used their Seven Rings to establish their treasure hoards, but Sauron was unable to force the Dwarven bearers to submit. It is believed that the dwarves' natural hardiness, and the fact that it was only the more powerful dwarf lords who possessed them, made them resistant to Sauron's control, yet allowed them to accumulate treasure. The final ring to leave the possession of the dwarves occurred when Thráin II was captured. Source

If a Tolkien expert is in the room and can provide some context, it'd be very nice...

Funny how Galadriel's "I resisted" sounds delusional in retrospect. She really believes she did, doesn't she ? She believes that, because when Sauron offered her to be his queen (a fact which for *cough* some reasons *cough* she chose to hide from Elrond, Gil-Galad and of course, Adar himself...), she said 'no'.

The thing is, she indeed vocally resisted to the temptation of joining him, but everything she did afterwards showed Galadriel actually doing exactly what he wanted her to do.

I mean, who wanted rings ? Sauron. She knew that Sauron worked for Celebrimbor for weeks, knew he was the one who came up with the idea of a "power over flesh", knew it was his idea to tap into the unseen world, knew he had put his evil hands literally everywhere in the forge, including the mithril and her own dagger... And yet, she.... wait, she did exactly what Sauron disguised as Finrod told her to !

Sauron wanted these rings to be made, and she complied. To paraphrase Elrond, she gave him what he wanted and thanked him for that, I mean look at how happy she was to have a ring :

And if you're not convinced, there's the forewarning vision of Celebrimbor that Galadriel had in early S2, with Sauron calling her name and Celebrimbor asking her "are these not the seeds you planted ?", before being suffocated to death by roots looking like snakes :

There are no subtitles for what Celebrimbor said in black speech so here's the translation :

"Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky, Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die"

This vision showed almost exactly what would happen: the rings that Sauron would forge, and Celebrimbor's death. Even the way he dies in the vision is identical to his actual death. Galadriel believes it's a warning sent by Nenya and that she has to go to Eregion to save Celebrimbor, but wasn't it another trick of Sauron, who as Elrond suggested, probably wanted her in Eregion ?

I was divided on this point until the finals really, where Sauron turned into Celebrimbor and repeated the exact same sentence she had heard in the vision: "Aren't they the seeds you planted ?".

How could Sauron know about that, if he wasn't the one who sent her the vision ? For the record, it wasn't a mind palace case like in season 1, where he invaded Galadriel's mind and used her memories of her brother. Halbrand's words, her own words, they all came from his memories. So in all logic, so did vision Celebrimbor's.

Sauron also wanted Galadriel not to reveal his identity : check.

Instead of telling Celebrimbor and Elrond the truth about Halbrand, she just inexplicably chose to keep her mouth shut, and left Eregion without informing Celebrimbor that the nice human he had worked with for weeks was actually Sauron, the Great Deceiver. She rather took the risk of letting Sauron come back in Eregion (I mean, telling Celebrimbor not to work with Halbrand again wasn't enough of a warning, be serious Gal !), than admit she had let a demon in his walls ; because of her pride, exactly as Sauron wanted. This bastard looked so smug about it when he realized she had done exactly what he expected her to :

If she had told Celebrimbor the truth, he would have never been allowed to even pass the door. This tolerance told him everything he needed to know.

But apart from that... She "resisted".

I'm very curious to see what will be the dynamics for season 3. Who will lead the dance this time ? My bet is on Galadriel.

[flowers-of-io]

Destinytober - Dream, Tree

Read on Ao3 with proper formatting

There is a garden at the end of the world. It's just a children's story, some people would tell you, but that's not true--I've been there. It's a gorgeous place, filled with birdsong and the sweet scent of fruit trees in bloom, awash in pink-golden light. Its inhabitants, in their broad variety, wade in the lush grass, picking at scraps and building new things from it.

The garden, you see, is a little like a landfill. All things failed and discarded end up here. From the smallest krill to the mightiest warrior--everyone who could not bear the weight of existence, here finds solace and respite from their burdens.

I can already hear you accusing me of overmetaphorising. There is no end of the world! The cosmos is infinite and Guardians make their own fate. Even the radiolaria in their little bronze caskets may soon have to make peace with this fact. This is the beauty of existence: it keeps going on, and on, aimlessly and for no reason other than it just does. Arte pro arte--but oh, what beautiful art it is indeed! We have always appreciated this majesty, me and her. You could say it was the love of life which brought us together. Would you believe that?

(You'd do well brushing up on your Symmetrist writings. The sword and the bomb share some very basic principles.)

And now the children's story (and a holy story, because believers are a lot like children): in the garden at the end of the world, there is a tree. It grows tall over the hedges and flowerbeds, spilling shadow over the ground and enticing birds with its sprawling branches. But no birds that choose to nest in its boughs ever emerge back into the sunlight. There's a terrible power in its heady scent, the way it inspires violence in anything that breathes it in; its leaves are ruin, the bark disaster, and of the seeds... well. Its roots sink in piles of bloodied feathers.

It is a cautionary tale, teaching children that curiosity can kill, and believers--that there is no end to conflict, even in paradise. The unshakeable rule of existence, caught in a parable and give shape.

But did you know it had been a gift? One of the first she'd given me, back before everything became complicated. A proof of love, you might say. It's still ruinous, of course--but I do wonder if it has changed your perspective a little, me admitting this? Do you think of it in gentler terms, now that you know it had been a mark of affection? A crime of passion is still a crime, but has a nicer ring to it. You could compare the splatters of blood to a rose garden and still get away with the metaphor.

Of course, were you to tell this fable to a scholar, their first question would be, "why does the tree incite violence?" But as I said, it's a children's story. And that is not something a child would ask. Children understand stories better than adults do: they accept there is a set of rules that cannot be questioned unless the whole world falls apart, and the essence of the tale trickles out through the cracks and sinks into the ground. There's no use asking how the hag could ever have an oven inside a gingerbread house; it is an axiom, and while you could waste time trying to dissect it, it wouldn't do much beside ruining the entire point of the story. The tree incites violence because it does. Taking this statement apart doesn't deny the reality it describes. There are still dead birds on the ground.

It's just as I said--life goes on, and on, with no aim or meaning, directionless and unfettered and entirely without a point. It is, for all intents and purposes, what it is.

But I will let you in on a secret: the Symmetrists are wrong. There is no other tree, in some different corner of the world, that would inspire in its beholders a proclivity towards peace and mercy. Not every rule of the universe has a mirrored rule; and however far you might look, the number of wicked witches and brave maidens will never be equal. Sometimes--to assume your very shallow and constraining human perspective--evil simply wins.

But then again, what do I know. Maybe it's just a children's story.

[nyaagolor]

Howdy again, if it's the meta world VS "real world" thing in Umineko that's got you stumbling, don't worry. The assumption Ryukishi and co. seem to be going with is that the meta world IS real, and everyone's just chilling in a happy magic afterlife post-series (hence how episodes 7, 8, and 9 can even happen). The "07th Expansion All Characters Settings Collection" guidebook even has little epilogue blurbs for the cast, I can link you the translation hosted on the wiki if you want. It's still bleak in the sense that, yknow, everyone was dead from the start and the whole journey was more of a "coming to terms with what happened" kind of deal, but I think it works given stuff like the Divine Comedy references going on (if you read Battler as Dante and Beatrice as uh, Beatrice, a lot of Umineko'll start to make sense). The way I see the split is kind of an "as above, so below" type deal - while Tohya is down in the land of the living trying to write and solve things, Battler and friends really are up there fighting for their lives in purgatory, and the two reflect each other. Of course if that's not the problem you have, I'd love to hear what you're thinking!

hiii thank u for the ask!! (sorry this will be a Long One). I'll admit the meta world / real world stuff tripped me up at first, because looking at episodes 4 and 8 it really seemed to be implying that the metanarrative was the coping mechanism of Ange+Tohya and their way of pretending like their loved ones got the happy endings they didn't get in life rather than something we can actually assume happened. However extra content implies this is not the case, Ryukishi doesn't feel like the author who would do that especially after the thesis of Higurashi, and tbh even if he did there was enough plausible deniability that I would just imagine the Golden Land as real because You Gotta Cope Somehow. I love the "as above so below" vibes too, that's a fun new aspect to incorporate

My biggest hangup with the ending was basically in the idea that Sayo's narrative is fundamentally doomed. I was under the impression that the boat scene was implying that Sayo couldn't be happy even if she did escape due to the burden of the truth / her trauma. The positive framing of the catbox remaining at the bottom of the ocean initially struck me as a "her death is the happiest ending you can hope for because of how fucked up this all is" which is already a nihilistic narrative but downright unbearable when given to an intersex trans woman. I just don't vibe with hopeless trans narratives at all, and felt like I had misinterpreted smth bc Ryukishi isn't really a nihilistic guy. I'll admit I got a little soured to the narrative as a whole when I looked around online and saw people talking about how Sayo getting a happy ending was "missing the point".

After talking to @heartgold I realized that I had reversed the causality a bit. I was under the impression while playing that Ryukishi's insistence that "things had to happen this way" was him not just saying "oh everyone is already dead, the end result is already the same bc we're looking back at past events" but also "it doesn't matter what individual actions people took, it was always going to end in tragedy". I realize now it's more of a "this was totally preventable in so many ways but it already happened and now we have to grieve and cope in whatever way we can manage" kinda thing rather than a "this is fate and Sayo was screwed regardless", so I'm cool with that aspect. (Also I won't lie I prefer to imagine the boat scene as almost entirely metaphorical and more of a representation of the fragmentation of Battler's consciousness due to trauma in a similar way as what happened to Sayo, but that's neither here nor there)

The other part of it, and the thing I'm still really hung up on, is the question of whether or not the Golden Land is actually a happy ending and, if it is real, whether we're supposed to view it as a sorta perverse tragedy. On one hand, the alters are all implied to be separate people and they get their happy endings (yay), but on the other hand that doesn't really fix nor address Sayo feeling like she needs romantic love to be fulfilled (also The Incest(?) I'm genuinely unsure if the whole "alters becoming separate entities" negates the incest or not). The idea that Sayo was so far gone that even the fantasy created from her best memories does not allow her to truly be happy is just so insanely depressing to me, so I find myself stuck with that friction of wanting Sayo to have her prince and her white horse and her fantasy happy ending while also not wanting to downplay the truth. Having this little moral dilemma feels like the point of Episode 8 and really gets us into Tohya's head, which is awesome, but also gives me a lot of mixed feelings. Knowing that Sayo's truth literally has Beatrice married to Battler makes it even tougher bc I can't just use plausible deniability and say they're platonic bc they are uh. very much not as far as Ryukishi is concerned. I'm still working out my feelings on it, mostly because I desperately want Sayo to have everything she's ever wanted but also having to contend with the little part of me that's whispering "it can't and shouldn't happen and you know it". Alas. Umineko.

PS: thank you for telling me about the character booklet, that's SO cute!!! I love the little details about everyone and the cat-ear Bern is everything I've ever wanted

[vexingwoman]

Uh not actually here to hate but to say thanks???? Ive been thinking alot on my self expression and trying to figure out how to word it, and seeing some of your comments with other people really helped to put in perspective what I was trying to come to terms with. Ive always struggled with my gender but acknowledge fully that I'm biologically female. (Stay with me here till the end please i know lol) I genuinely dont care what pronouns I'm called either and none have ever felt right if I'm honest and nothing I've read or tried has been adding up for me over the years to help me feel any better.

Kinda realizing over the past year or so that I just have this deep ingrained idea from being surrounded constantly my whole life in a woman hating environment that I just have a *really* heavily masked hatred for what general society treats women as and was trying to remove myself from it hoping itd somehow save me from the terrible shit we all go through daily. And it just made me feel even more alienated doing that to myself. Its been a long time of coming around to this and I know how it sounds but I dont wanna consider any of my time wasted. I dont remember what it was but something you said to someone in a long ass comment fight clicked for me and rn I'm sleep deprived and wont even remember what it was in the morning either but I feel like some kind of weight has been eased off me. Im doing my best to unlearn the sexist misogynistic bs ive had shoved down my throat my whole life that made me think being a woman was something to be shameful of and better off without.

Its been hard trying to look into this radfem community and find someone who didn't immediately just insult and exclude ppl that werent already on the ball agreeing. Basically I appreciate your ranting with strangers. Amd indulging some of their curiousity as clearly as you can+defining everything you say constantly so I dont get lost in a whirlwind of hard to understand metaphors. Idk you get it. Something clicked and i dont feel ashamed for the time gone bc I know it was heavily influenced by the oppression of all things normal-human-womanly around me. I hate that we're all so tied into these stereotypes. Its painfully hard to unlearn. Thanks for the help. Have a fat block of text as thanks cause I'm not sure how to sound as genuine as I feel rn. Have a nice day and an even better tomorrow. Im gonna get some sleep now💀(stayed up WAY too late painting lol) bye!

This is so wonderful to hear. I know how dreadful it is doing serious introspection and making yourself aware of how deeply and unconsciously your internalized sexism runs. I’ve been there, and I know it’s even more difficult to deconstruct the subtle sexist attitudes which have been ingrained into to us since birth. Often it seems as hopeless as chasing smoke, because some of our internalized sexism is so deep that it’s invisible, and worse, inarticulable.

Some women will never think on these subjects beyond their surface level—will never dissect their preferences, will never concede that their choices are influenced by sex-based socialization, will never seriously reflect on why they are so desperate to identify out of womanhood. And in a strange way, I sympathize with these women, because I understand that it’s easier to shut your eyes and convince yourself that you were born in the wrong body than it is to open your eyes and acknowledge how much sexism has seeped into and corrupted our own minds.

Basically, I’m proud of you for putting yourself through the pain of deconstructing your own internalized sexism. You are better for even attempting it, and I hope you continue to do so.

P.S. I know exactly which long-ass comment fight you’re referring to, because I only put myself through that once. At least someone benefited from the literal month I spent arguing with that stranger. They blocked me, so unfortunately I can’t even go back and analyze the conversation if I ever wanted to. I would love to know what you took away from it, if you ever do remember.

[skaruresonic]

Remake!James is such a prick, I hate him so fucking much.

In the In Water ending, his justification for driving his car into the lake isn't that he no longer has anything to live for without Mary, but that he can't forgive himself for what he's done.

That in and of itself wouldn't be so bad---a lack of self-forgiveness is also implied in the original version of In Water. But the real odiousness lies less in what James says and more in the implications underpinning his sentiments.

Bloober cut the original dialogue between Mary and James - the scene where he admits his mixed motives, that he both hated her for taking away his life and that he also wanted to end her suffering, and where Mary notes that he looks sad despite his shame - and instead has James monologue at Mary's corpse.

What was originally a dialogue between two parties - or, more figuratively, two sides of James making equally valid points - becomes, instead, a one-sided soliloquy where he prioritizes his wishes over those of his dead wife because "you're dead anyway, what do you care."

And no, I am not kidding. Bloober has removed most metaphorical and figurative exchanges in this game in favor of a more literal, "realistic" interpretation of events.

Here, James is quite literally talking to Mary's corpse in the back seat when he says:

...and everybody clapped because omg "'Mary's corpse was rotting in the back seat the whole time' theory confirmed, In Water must be the canon ending now." shoot me.

"I tried. I really did. But I can't... I just can't go on without you. I can't forgive myself for what I've done. I know this isn't what you'd want. But I guess it doesn't matter anymore. You... You're not here. Are you?"

So Mary's wishes would only matter to you if she were alive to protest, huh, James? You wouldn't abide by them out of honor for her memory or on general principle because you, idk, loved her?

You know for a fact that she wouldn't want you to kill yourself, so you're not even going to try? Your wish to die matters more than her wish to see you live? Because you didn't exactly give her a choice in the matter, either.

In fact, I'm sure Mary would be pretty angry to hear how you value life so little that you're just gonna throw away yours out of an inability to deal with your guilt. You should feel guilty, and you should have to live with that guilt and find a way to work through it, because you murdered her.

This would be a shitty thing for James to say even if Mary had died naturally, but the fact that he murdered her makes him saying "well you're not here anymore, so fuck it" a hell of a lot skeevier. He is not going to even attempt to own up to his guilt aside from a token "sowwy, I can't fowgive myself uwu"; he can't even admit the truth, that he might have done it at least partially out of resentment. The original's nuance is eroded in favor of making In Water seem more like a classically "bad" ending, when it reality it should only be one plausible ending among multiple.

There's a reason we don't just toss people into ditches once they kick the bucket because "they're not here anymore lol." Have some fucking decorum, James, you selfish bitch.

And if you, dear reader, are thinking I'm being inordinately vitriolic towards James, I'm really not, because he maintains a self-centered attitude to the various deaths he witnesses.

He has nothing to say, zip, about Maria's first death or Eddie's death. Can't even be bothered to drum up the basic decency to offer a perfunctory "Damn, that was fucked-up."

At least Original!James was horrified at the prospect of murdering a "human being" in Eddie, a horror which jostled him into wondering whether Mary truly died three years ago (hence why the letter's writing disappears from the inventory; his delusions are slowly fading away). At least when Maria died in Brookhaven, he lamented that he "couldn't do anything to help."

The way he speaks in the remake, on the other hand, centers everything around him. It's all about his image, his ego, his feelings, and rarely, if ever, about Mary, let alone others.

This is not the first time Remake!James flaunts his ego, but it is exemplative of his attitude throughout the game. Bloober characterize him as an egotistical jerk via his dialogue and general attitude, and sometimes in the things he chooses not to say even when he should. And I cannot figure out for the life of me whether that was intentional, to push some gender-essentialist Men Bad(tm) message, or if Bloober are so shit at writing that they don't realize they've made him 100x more unlikable than before.

[sheshe-cartoonlover]

Heyy! Here I'll uploading my sketches of different cartoons!!

Orrrr...

Different ideas or thoughts of different cartoons :D

Well, things like that...

Almost all about cartoons :))

Also... Can you see my pfp? 'Cause I uploaded It many times, but I can't see It TvT

Sooo... I forgot to upload my description and I prefer to write what I'd write there directly here!

About me:

You can call me... Basically any way you like, SheShe Is okk too :))

Orrr... You call me Rain or something like that... I usually use that! It's my art name...? Kind of...

Okk, let's move on!! I'm 15yo... Too much... Too much... I think I've missed two or three birthdays, because sometimes I wake up thinking I'm 12yo... Yeahh, that's It! Just ignore all the "..."! It's just not really how I talk irl, but I can't really talk how I talk irl, maybe I'll leave a vocal thingy here someday, since I desperately want to talk!! My English Is bad, remember that! I'm a B2, I think?? I don't really know my level, I just know I can read B2/C1 books, well, I usually mess up with few/little and many/much... When writing or speaking. Talking about my pronounce, It Is well, really meh... You'll hear that laterrr!

I wrote this poem just for saying that I'm 15yo! Oh, my!

ANYWAY, yeah, I know I repeat things often, I'm totally self-conscious about that and I apologise! But... I TRY, but I can't not do It!!! It's sooo hard! It's like talking slowly! Who on earth Is able do that?

Oh, let's come back to myself ✨

I'm Italian and I'm REALLY can't take It anymore with all the hotness hereee! It's like 40°C degrees, I hate the Sun! Sorry, Sun, I love your complexion... But not your role, still don't explode, pleeeeeease!

After that little talk to myself with the Sun, you probably stopped reading, I'm not even asking myself why! If you are still reading, I think you must know that you're not even halfway, because I may have been lacking of social interactions these days and when that happens... I talk to myself, so why don't be even crazier! Talk to random people who may encounter my post In this sea of posts (worst metaphor ever, I know) and ask themselves why? Why would she do that?

OHHH, RIGHT!! I'm a girl! Pronouns She/Her, I don't really like to be referred as He/Him, so please remember that, I won't be mad If you don't, but... Don't be offended If I'm having a bad day and I tell you something, like "I'm actually I girl!!", I apologize here, sorryyy 😓😓...

Let's move onto Sexuality, should we? (Yeah, we definitely should, I know, I'll tell you how many words are there In this poem at the end, which Is... Uhm... Pretty far!)...

ANYWAY (I'll using a lot of anyways to reconnect myself to the MAIN conversation here, yeah, I know It's just a conversation with MYself!)... Counting of anyways at the end!!

ANYWAY, I'm In the ARO/ACE Spectrum, I know for sure I'm Apothisexual but... What about romantic orientation? Something In the ARO Spectrum for sure, just not Apothiromantic, since, I'm not romance-repulsed... I mean, I don't like romance on myself, like kisses are a big no and, I'm not perfectly fine with physical touch either... But, I really love others romance!! Literally like every fangirl!! But I don't know If Apothiromantic to that!? So I'll be sticking to Aromantic or [Fictoromantic], even though I prefer Apothiromantic, referring to how I feel about romance with ME...

I'm a cartoon addicted, I don't watch anything If not cartoons!! (No, but I mean for real)... I'm starting to become real-people-repulsed, well not for real, I love my friends, but, I just wish we were, like, animated better? It's difficult to explain, maybe I'm just weird... I literally can't watch shows with real people If not at the theatre, because I feel like repulsed... I get bored In some minutes...

ALSO, things for which I'll probably get bullied at school If I tell anyone, I'm afraid of blood, like a lot... Not mine... But others'... Yes.. Even If It's just the slightest sight of blood... If It's drawn I still have problems, but less, like I can convince myself that It Isn't blood, so my head doesn't start going crazy and almost fainting or... I just look away :D!

TPD doesn't have much blood, luckily and... Only on dark scenes, most of the times, so I say to myself: "It Isn't blood... It's Isn't blood..."

That's like:

Me: "It Isn't blood... It's Isn't blood..."

Viren: "The Son's Blood..." or "The Blood of The Soon...", I'm not sure!

Anyway!!

Me: "IT'S NOT BLOOD! IT'S NOT BLOOD!"

So, well, sometimes I actually believe It... And It's working! When Viren did that disgusting hearth thingy I don't wanna remember, at first, I didn't even think It was blood... Well, then yes, so I started looking away or looking at the background ehe...

This Is starting to feel like a personal diary-

ANYWAY, where were we? I don't even remember...

Oh. Right!!! My lucky number Is 17!!!

I won't tell you ALL my personality typings, just know I'm a ENFP E2w3, ok?

Wanna know something? Ask In the comments below!!

And no, It's NOT the end... Just lemme find a topic, because I really want to talk... You can see how crazy I am by the fact that I literally have a chat with myself on TextingStory free version, 'cuz I have no money ✨✨

Wanna see some of the chat???

I guess not, but I wanna show y'all!!

Nevermind, It's more embarrassing than this whole thing...

I'm working on MLP tarots with myself, anyway!!! I have just 2 cards ready for now, well "ready"... I have just 2 doodles of the concepts... I have 0 - The Fool - Discord and I - The Magician - Trixie, but I have to color them digitally and It's gonna be a pain since... Well, let's say I'm not the best with digital art... But still, I should be able to trace and color, right?? Yeah, I don't think so neither, but we'll see after I have all the 78 cards ready!!!

My idea Is to give each card a different character, according to their story or just something near to their story, since finding 78 DIFFERENT characters was hard... Actually 85, but shhh, just because two cards need 2 characters and one needs 3... Not really the best things ever... Finding the Kings was the worst ehe... At least now I can say my favourite seed Is CUPS!! And that If you get 5 Is bad... Also Death!! Death Is worse... I already decided all the characters yesterday, did I already tell you that?

Anyway...

I know It's bad, I just tried... Ahahahaha

They are the same size anyway, don't let yourself be fooled by the pictures and for the King/Queens and Empress/Emperor you'll see... I'm not a PEDO!!! I don't actually ship them! They are just characters that fitted In, Kings and Queens are not related! Nor are the Empress and the Emperor!!

Fun fact: I have 8 full notebooks I made In 3-4 years... Maybe 2? It feels so weird... I didn't change In these notebooks, just In the last ones, I understood myself better... Since I write as Rain, not as She... Yeah, She Is a real life nickname people give me, so well, SheShe too... I really became more mentally ill In these years... But also a lot more like In this post... In my notebooks, I put all my weirdness and I feel happy about It, I don't know If It's good or not...

I'm also dark, sometimes, thought, honestly... Like I really want my parents to divorce, like I want It, I'd be happy and out there there are people who maybe have PTSD due to their parents divorce... I feel cruel for this...

ANYWAY!!! LET'S TALK OF LIGHTER THINGS!! Even thought, my playlist playing "Different Beast" creeps me out, If the next It's "Monster", I'd be sad for my own cruelness... I'm trying soo hard to be KIND, KIND AND KIND... People say: "Don't be kind or you'll be used!", but what If I like being used??? What If I'm fine with It and I take joy In being used, because I know that my being used does something good to others, while my not being kind, hurts them? Like sometimes I don't understand people, I usually thought that this thing of using was realistic and helpful, but some months ago I realised I wrong I was! Anyway, yeah, people use me or think about using me, even not voluntarily... One time, one of my classmates told me: "You do everything people tell you, you're so usable"... I told him "I know" and I laughed, "It doesn't bother me" - I said.

Anyway my YouTube FYP, because yes

Sorry, It's In Italian 😓😓

Anyway, "No Longer You" Is playing, It's even more even depressing than "Monster"...

Anyway, even If It's the song which scares me the most In all EPIC, "Monster" Is my favourite song In The Musical!!!

Anyway, my current favourite cartoon Is MLP: FIM, well, actually from a lot of years, but... Still love It!!!

I'll finish this ✨ Poem ✨ later

I'M BACK! I'M BACK!!

OK, so I thought you may be asking why In my notebook I have a date of day that still has to come (5/4), I wish It was because I'm from the future, but It's because I'm a dummy... In my notebooks, I always put dates that has to come, It's because they're Rain's notebooks, not She's notebooks and In Rain's world the time works different... It's never the same date as today, It's always the future, but really random... Like sometimes In a day I put 2 or more different dates orr, one day I put the date of 2 days after and some days even a week or a month... This started with a date of months later, but I was busy, this date arrived and well, the dates came nearer ehe...

I'm loving writing this essay, like It's really awesome, It's like a therapy!!! Quite like VAT7K, which helped and Is helping with my loneliness and fear of abandonment... See, I don't know If you want to read my psychological talk... There aren't a lot of who would want to... At least, when I talk about that with my Mom I feel worse than before... But, maybe with you? I talked about It with other friends... Really... Almost everyone, even If I tried to make It seem A LOT less a pain than It really was, because... Because that's what my Mom makes me think... Like, I don't wanna become a drama queen and give the impression that ONLY I suffer, I don't know, my Mom always says that "No one wants to be your (mine) friend, because you're (I'm) always like this"...

Like, I love to talk about psychology and things I like, but when I talk with my Mom or my Grandma, my Dad... I feel so non listened and dumb for even having started that dumb conversation that... I started to not talk about my Interests with my friends or, even when I do It, I feel like even If they reply... They seem Interested... Their smile Is fake and they are just annoyed, bored and uninterested just because of me, so I stop... And change topic...

ANYWAY, I'm making this whole thing seem like It's my Mom fault, but no, she's good!! She doesn't just realise she's not really the mother she wishes to be and I'm not the daughter she wants ehe... But she's a lot of fun!!! I definitely prefer her to those bratty Moms all about pretty dresses and ugly long nails... Augh... (SORRY IF I ACCIDENTALLY INSULTED YOU!! If I don't like long nails or dressing pretty It's just me, not you, you are not a bad personality to me just because of that, you're even better than me, because you actually care about you look, while I don't... Well, I do... But In my ways... Anyway, I love y'all anyway!! Remember, It doesn't matter how you dress, y'all are still beautiful!!! I just don't want a Mom who tells me to dress pretty, while I don't to ♥️)!

Hey!! Wanna know I dress and how I WOULD dress If I could?

I'll show some things from Pinterest!!! You're completely free to not like It, of course, I have not seen anyone with my style so far... Well, maybe my BFF, but I'm... Well, even more colourful and self expressive than her!!

Ohhh, I can't wait to show youuu! I need to find someone with my style!!!

First, this kind of oversized hoodies, all with bunnies images like this one! But, figure them In a different colour, like... Dark or Light Pink/Lavender/Red and with a big pocket right below the bunny!!!

This would be a good example of a T-shirt I'd wear, same colours (Dark or Light Pink/Lavender/Red, some white), always with Bunnies!!!

Always long shirts.

I'd wear this kind of shirts/hoodies with cartoon characters too, but It's too embarrassing ehe...

For the pants, sweatpants or leggins!

Same colours are before, you know Dark or Light Pink/Lavender/Red... Ehe... They are my colours... Yellow too, thought!

-

Now It's summer here, soo, I just wear this kind of shorts, but with the colours you know, but I'll repeat: Dark or Light Pink/Lavender/Red...

And I also wear singlets like these, same colours (Dark or Light Pink/Lavender/Red)!

For the HOT SUN I also always have this...

NO WAYYY, 10 IMAGES LIMIT?? THIS IS INSANE!?

Sorry, guys, I'll delete the MLP picture... 🥲

Yeah, I wear this and I probably look dumb and really funny, but It's really useful (yes, I got the idea from that MLP episode)...

And a fan!!! I always bring my fan!!! Oh, and I always bring my rucksack!!! I have to make you see It!!! I'll delete the leggings image... You know how leggings are made, after all, right?

I have to give you an idea of how my rucksack looks like, sorryyy!!

It's similar to this, but It has longer ears and It's more colourful, It had mixed light blue, lavender and light pink... Mine also has a tail and paws... The base colour In the back, which here Is light pink, In mine Is lavender... Also mine has A LOT of keychain... AHHH!! I HAVE 2 MLP KEYCHAINSS!!! 1 Scootaloo and 1 Twilight, they arrived two weeks ago, then an heart carved In wood, two bracelets from the Camping I go on Holiday since I was born: one from last year (ocean blue), and one I'm using this year (Pinkie's mane pink)... Also 2 Scooby-Doos, which are those things with Intertwined threads, I don't know?? I translated this word, Imma be honest here! Also there I have a Marmot small-sized plushie with a tiny bow, a lavender butterfly 🦋 and my school's keychain!! It should be everything... You don't wanna know what's inside, but sure there are plenty sticks... I'll probably use them to make magic wands once I get home, since I need some!! Did I mention I'm Into witchcraft!!!

All the photos are from Pinterest!!!

I got an Ideaaa!! I'll make my own diary on Wattpad, best therapy ever!!! Maybe I'll make some friends too...!! I can't wait!! Even If as a format... I love Tumblr more... But... YOU CAN PUT JUST 10 IMAGES IN A POST??? WHATT??

Anyway, I can't count the words or the anyways like I promised, 'cause I can't copy the Intere text... TvT

I'm so sorry...

This Is probably the end, but see you In my new Journal on Wattpad, I'll probably write about my life here too and I'll register those promised vocals... :))!!

Anyway, I changed my mind... Tumblr Is A LOT better than Wattpad, so I'm gonna use this both as a Journal and to post drawings... Well, still a Journal and this was my Intro :))

[gerrymike]

I LOVE your writing style. The details you think of to include and how you can go from something so poetic and profound I’m knocked on my ass directly to something that has me rolling and they feel absolutely congruous? your WORDS. The PICTURE YOU PAINT. It’s a delight to read, and I was wondering if you had any advice to offer on achieving something like that in my own writing? I struggle to abstract from literal details a lot of the time (and find myself beholden to run on sentences more often than not) and if you had any tips for that I would be delighted!

Thank you kindly! This is a real nice message and pretty helpful to get because I’ve been blocked recently and probably should get my facts straight too so I can get back into the swing of writing. You mentioned ‘abstracting from literal details’ and imagery in general - I thought about it and hope my advice coheres.

I don’t think these are skippable even though they may not seem immediately relevant, but my first Considerations:

- Know your speaker. I find writing in close third person or first person the most rewarding for getting interesting imagery. Essentially, you’re in a character’s head, and they see everything based on what they know, what’s familiar to them, and what they believe. Different people interpret literal details differently

These are Mike Crew examples probably because to date he’s my favourite close third person to write in. #1 is almost low hanging fruit - cracked spine of a book, he sees lightning where Gerry might see a wrinkle in the skin of an old woman. Being intimate with someone he doesn’t really care for, there is no metaphor: just “large hands” - “a face on his face”. You don’t always need abstract because it really depends on how much your character is willing to abstract something. If you make sure not to overload on your metaphors/abstractions/pretty images, they punch a bit harder when they’re there.

For #2 it’s a chunky example because it’s a montage paragraph - equivalent of quick cuts in a movie. I like to think of my writing as cinematic firstly. To me, sentences that go on for days are fine (my roots were the Donna Tartt school of commas). But they should have new information for each lengthening clause - and it’s even better if you can end it with a picture that stands out from the rest. Here Mike goes to uni in a lulling sequence of “and…and…and…” except the very last and is him lying in bed in absolute terror watching the Lichtenberg lurk outside his window.

There’s also a trick I abuse in #2. Which is the Dream. Sometimes you want a more surreal picture to flavour the images you evoke. Enter the Dream, where you can basically make your characters witness anything you like. I gave him “camphor and crystals on his feet”, because where else could you use the word “camphor” in your Magnus archives fanfiction? But honestly I am/used to be a very vivid dreamer and I think there’s an inexplicable texture to dreamscape images that can be used to very satisfying effect.

So it definitely helps to be very familiar with the character whose perspective you’re using. I do try to balance the poetic with the lighthearted/funny and I’m glad you like it! I think, again, it mostly comes from character work, like how they speak to each other, interpret situations, etc. I liked the previous Mike excerpt #2 where after a very dramatic “I’ve lost something and I can never get it back” (paraphrased) he tells us “I tried smoking but it gave me sore throat. So I stopped.” It’s not too out-there or comedic, but it’s definitely more chill than the existential anxiety from before. Picture him coughing and making faces and deciding he’s not THAT tortured that he’s gonna keep having nicotine. So…

- Listen to people talking

People can be pretty funny. A lot of my insp comes from just hearing what people will say - especially those people who will simply say shit, filterless. I dislike writing where everybody sounds the same, or worse, sounds like they’ve all had therapy (though my own Achilles heel is that everybody I write sounds like they were a joy to have in English class). But I digress honestly

Now for the main thing - Painting pictures

In my opinion metaphors should 1) sound good 2) be the tense surface layer of a deeper body of water, instead of just oil sliding around on it. Sounding good is a matter of typical linguistic features - consonance, assonance, alliteration, pretty words, etc. being good is different.

So ask yourself: What’s under the metaphor? I’m gonna do a cop out real quick and attach someone else’s opinion here. Ocean Vuong on metaphors - I’m not the majorest fan of his work and he’s actually frequently corny but he is 90% accurate here

You get the gist…..!

And to end off. My Quick Inspiration Notes:

those old Tumblr “choose an aesthetic” posts, where they list items like: “white-hot sunlight. black-eyed glares. a pin in the sole of your foot. chequered picnic blankets. promises you won’t keep. the slow creeping approach of sundown. a hand running over the sharp comfort of a buzzed head.” It was THE shit back then, and the idea is you just have pictures and pictures of things that form a coherent whole while being different images that introduce new dimensions and ideas. I ate these UP back in 2017. This is a good example of how I might portion out my painted pictures: nothing that repeats, only things that redefine, or even contrast with what’s already there.

Colour/texture/pattern fashion advice. This goes - if an outfit isn’t interesting by colour, it has to be interesting by texture…if it’s not interesting by texture, it has to be interesting by pattern…. Okay what the hell, you get the idea. You could rephrase this also but saying it like, for a really good outfit, you need an interesting colour, an interesting texture, and an interesting pattern. Now apply this to your writing - you are describing the literal detail of a person’s face. For eyes, you might go for colour. “Old moss” for green - but psych! That’s also texture. That’s also kinda pattern. You suggest softness, wiseness, maybe darker flecks in the iris. You can start from “green”, think up something else green, then work your way through all the implications until the final picture works the way you want it to. Just like dressing yourself in an outfit based around one item of clothing.

And movies…for contrasting pictures, the way people talk and walk and sit down. Photography helps too in terms of visual stimulus. I like to think of my writing as being the written equivalent of old school 35mm film, muted colours, grain. It’s up to you what type of picture you want your writing to evoke. Black and whites, or sharp digital focus, or blurred surreal avant garde… anything really!

[craqueluring]

Hi!!! <33333 Love your blog as someone who sometimes has difficulty grasping metaphors in hannibal because they all talk so weirdly and english is not my first language and sometimes im genuinely dumb </33 anyway i wanted to ask you what do you think was going inside hannibals when he took mason verger to will’s house, abondoning will even though he was unconcious in enemy grounds, and fed his dogs mason’s face?? Like what is he thinking “hi honey welcome home hope you like my surprise you wanted to punish him right tee hee <3” and will just gets turned on by this? LIKE WHATS GOING ON?😭😭😭😭😭 its one of my fav scenes and i dont even get… like the meaning of it, or their motivations, or what it worked as a metaphor? Like if could you maybe share your opinions on that scene or maybe an analysis would be nice? want to hear your thoughs 🥰 thank you so muchh hope u have a nice day!!

(there is a tldr at the end of this!)

okay first of all thank you for all your kind words they absolutely made my day <3333333 i so appreciate people asking me for my thoughts on specific scenes like u dont even know. and LOL yes that scene is really weird and when i first saw this i had to talk it through with my friend bc i was like…. yeah wait what WAS he thinking? LMAO but here is my best answer:

this whole episode is basically will taunting hannibal (telling mason hannibal wants to kill him, putting a "snare around [his] neck", asking hannibal if hannibal can tell what will's intention are, telling hannibal he did this because he was "curious what would happen," etc). i could even go so far as to say hes giving hannibal a taste of his own medicine. i find the decision to make a hannibal lecter-esque scene of will preparing his homemade dog food (which ive always assumed was randall tier's remains) directly before he gets picked up by mason a curious parallel, maybe even making a point that will is starting to act like hannibal? or just foreshadowing that will's dogs are gonna be fed some weird shit later lol, or both.

anyways, the scene of mason being high on whatever hannibal gave him, and cutting his face off and feeding it to the dogs before getting his neck broken, is directly taken from the actual book. i think theres a few different things that are significant about hannibal deciding to do this specifically in will's house, though:

first is theatricality, obviously. hannibal loves shock value. 

second, it could be a symbol of hannibal's unending and pervasive presence in will's life and mind — this is the first time we've seen will and hannibal in will's own home at the same time. hannibal’s presence in will’s life extends to will’s home. i think the only other time we see them together in will's home is when hannibal saves will from the verger estate, and will rejects hannibal.

third, alana has always said that will's dogs represent the best of will. by hannibal making mason feed his face to will's dogs, this could be like hannibal "tainting" the best parts of will. soaking into every corner of his mind, his life, his soul. also to my point, hannibal says that he "broadened [will's dogs] palates, as [he] broadened [will's]." — there is no corner of will's life that hannibal doesn't touch. 

however, just as that scene could be representative of hannibal having a very large amount of power over will's life, the rest of the episode could be representative of will having just as much power over hannibal. hannibal was quite literally helpless in that straitjacket, a direct result of will's actions (unless hannibal is a magician too and knows how to escape one… which i honestly wouldn't be surprised by). and only escaped because will cut him free. similar to how will was helpless in prison, and only got out because hannibal let him go. will can be a puppet master just like hannibal. they are in equilibrium, to a point. before, will was always on the short end, being manipulated by hannibal, being in prison, etc, but in this half of the season we see them (almost) being equals. as hannibals says earlier in the episode, they understand each others minds, and so hannibal has "the capacity to deceive [will], just as [will] has the capacity to deceive [hannibal]."

as for their motivations:

multiple times in this episode, hannibal is trying to gauge how willing will would be to kill with hannibal. "would you join me at the table?" when talking about eating mason verger, and killing him being a "savage pleasure [they] can share." each time, will avoids the obvious propositions. hannibal taking mason to will's house could also be him trying to gauge how will would react when they are in the same room with a potential victim (if will would share the 'savage pleasure' with him?). at this point, i dont think that had ever happened before. will killed randall tier alone, lied about killing freddie alone, shot hobbs alone. they've never been together in this situation. and aren’t in this situation again until the dragon fight. hannibal probably brought mason to will's house knowing this would happen, and so he could really gauge how will feels about killing together, or at least in hannibal's presence.

not to mention will obviously wants mason dead. will likes doing bad things to bad people because it makes him feel good. thats why he makes that face in 2x07 when he has a gun to hannibal's head in hannibal's kitchen, and why he makes that same face when he has a knife to hannibal's throat earlier in this episode. i could maybe go so far as to call him a sadist. he likes having that feeling of power, as he tells abigail in 1x12. 

i think this is why he looks "turned on" (lol) as you said. he enjoys seeing bad people in vulnerable positions, especially when he holds the power. i think hannibal knows this, too. maybe this was some kind of gift from hannibal? maybe he didn't want to kill mason without will present; giving will the chance to kill the man he knows will hates so much. but also because hannibal, of course, was curious what will would do.

but now will is curious what hannibal will do as well, so he tells hannibal to "do what [he] thinks is best for [mason]," and hannibal obliges easily. he doesn't choose murder or mercy for mason, though, and breaks his neck and leaves him alive in that terrible state. will looks… pleased? by this, i think. (again, sadist). he and hannibal smile at each other as hannibal walks to mason to break his neck. hannibal seems pleased as well at will's reaction and the outcome of the situation.

as i said before, they are, in a way, equals for the first time in this part of the season (which is also symbolized by them being happy little cannibals together at the end of 2x10). this episode is partly them getting to fuck with each other and will reciprocating the fuckery that hannibal was disproportionately doing to will before this point, to be crass. will is, as alana says in 2x06 "playing a game, and he's not scared. not anymore." hannibal bringing mason to will’s house was part of the game they’re playing with each other.

TLDR: hannibal taking mason to will's house could be for theatricality, a symbol of hannibal's presence in will's life (even invading his home), and tainting the "best parts of will" (his dogs). as for hannibal's more personal motivations, hannibal is gauging how will would act while they are in the same room with a potential victim (first time this ever happens, and last until dolarhyde), and possibly be a gift from hannibal because he knows will wants mason dead? as for will's feelings in this moment, he was definitely feeling good because a "bad thing" was being done to a "bad person" and he likes being in that position of power. will putting hannibal in the position (straitjacket in the verger estate) where will has that power over hannibal is will fucking with hannibal, and yet again lets himself get so close to killing hannibal, because he enjoys the feeling. hannibal reciprocates this fuckery by bringing mason to will's house. they are both orchestrating these situations because they are both curious about what will happen, and they are doing this as equals.

edit: not the first time theyve been together with a potential victim, i forgot about clark ingram, but it is the first time theyve been together with a potential victim which ended up harmed/dead by either of their hands! unless im forgetting someone else lol

[ryuichirou]

Hi! You guys have converted me to the Kalijami ship. Your headcannons have been great and I've been enjoying them a lot. I'm glad you agree with shipping bottom!Jamil with Kalim. Most fics have it the other way around which is fine but I mostly want content with the opposite. Thank you for the food 🤭��

I kinda wanna hear your headcannons for Time travel!Kalijami. Lately I've been reading those villainess mahnwa where they re-do their life. I think Jamil would probably regret how he went about separating himself Kalim. He literally tried to kill him, granted he was overblotting. Point is I think he'd regret taking his frustration on the Master-Servant system on Kalim. So when he gets the chance to repeat it, he takes it and makes some changes.

Plot twist: The butterfly effect proceeds to kick him in the metaphorical ass. He ends up raising/turning Kalim into a yandere for him. I think I want a more villainous take on Kalim cause I think he has the potential. This boy DID end up in NRC, papa Asim's generous donation was just a bonus. You don't have to make major changes to his personality which could make this even creepier in Jamil's perspective once he realizes. I think you can also show a more competent side to Kalim here cause I think that would be one of the first things Jamil changes. He would encourage Kalim to be more independent and sly in getting what he wants when being nice doesn't work. This new approach will backfire on Jamil hard 😉

It would be even better if Jamil doesn't realize the web Kalim has been spinning around him. It could start small, Kalim could start lowkey convincing people that the idea of Kalijami wouldn't be so bad. I think people would enjoy the forbidden romance aspect and its just like the fairytales. For Kalim's parents, he could emphasize to them how loyal and devoted Jamil is. If the subject of children come up, he can just handwave it- surrogacy or magic as a solution.

I'd like to hear your ideas on the idea. If you have any NSFW! headcannons for this too, I ain't gonna complain 🤫

Anon! Sorry for such a late reply. I feel like it’s already a given that it takes me ages to reply, but I still want to stress that I appreciate your patience and all the asks we receive.

I am very happy you like our KaliJami content and especially like bottom!Jamil lol, their dynamic is very nice like that, it works well with their power dynamic and unusual relationship. So it’s great that we could post something that you enjoy and don’t get to see often, even though we ourselves don’t post KaliJami often…

I like how well you’ve thought your idea through lol, you clearly have a vision and a story, so I wouldn’t really want to influence it with our own interpretation of the ship. Despite our love for yandere!Kalim and darker themes related to him, I guess we still tend to write him with some naiveté. Like, he isn’t totally stupid of course and he is charismatic and sometimes uses his charisma in surprisingly impressive ways, but I don’t really see Kalim as cunning, even if Jamil influences him and teaches him things. It’s not impossible to write this type of story believably, but I guess I personally have a bit of a hard time imagining it because of how we view Kalim and his inner darkness. I guess we tend to make him blunt, stubborn and spoiled, and boy oh boy how spoiled he would be if Jamil never lashed out on him and never told him about how he felt…

I’ll share a couple of thoughts, but then again, it could really differ from what you wanted to read. Sorry in advance for that.

If Jamil does this thing, he would really get a whiplash because of the butterfly effect. First of all, he would get surprised by just how much his relationship with Kalim has changed: now Kalim basically expects him to have sex with him for some reason. Are they together? When did the line dividing them disappear? And why is Kalim so pushy? (And Kalim, being even more spoiled that he already is, is super pushy)

Kalim could definitely find a way to make his family accept the fact that he and Jamil are together, so Jamil would suddenly enter the world in which everyone thinks they are a couple, even though he himself never agreed to it. It feels almost sinister, as if Kalim is doing it maliciously, which is a huge contrast to the way Kalim talks about this: being his usual sunny self. He decided for both of them, and he doesn’t listen to anything Jamil has to say. All of the arguments against their relationship that Jamil had (their status, future children, all this) are already invalid: Kalim destroyed them with his surprisingly sound and mature sounding reasoning. But Jamil just couldn’t shake off the feeling that behind this maturity and understanding hides a spoiled kid is too used to getting anything he wants and just doesn’t even register the fact that Jamil isn’t sure about this… and it’s not like he can say something about it now that everyone is congratulating and hugging them.

Ahem, well, that’s all I can. Once again, thank you for sharing and sorry for the disappointing reply, but I hope you had some fun reading it anyway.

[stuffymcstuffsworld]

A child I love

You spent your time with Murmur-san during the heartbreaker event. He was hoping for a non combat group, but that wasn't the case. You had found Goemon's team. At first, you were both fine watching the team, which basically took itself apart for you.

But you were concerned. Your usually positive and peppy child looked tired and more stressed than you had ever seen them before as he tried to calm down his juniors. Then you saw Murmur-san make a move. It was the wrong move to make.

It certainly increased discord with the group, but you saw that it had pushed your child too far. Goemon was about to have an evil cycle in front of his Kohai's. You quickly threw your cape over the two, covering their eyes. It was too late for you to close yours however.

The number one rule of the Gaap household. Never show your true face. It made more sense to you now as you stared at the boy in front of you. It wasn't a metaphor.

Underneath the lovely silver fur was a morphed and grotesque figure. Twisted and mauled in an unsettling way. It was honestly what you would compare to a living nightmare.

No... that couldn't be right. He was one of your babies. So full of energy and egar to try new things and meet new people. So, how could you possibly think that description matched that of the child you knew?

You tried opening your mouth, but nothing came from it. It was as if you had been silenced. You could only stare at the true face of your distressed child and do nothing. It was heartbreaking.

You couldn't move even as you knew Murmur-san had knocked your child out with his magic. You could one stare paralyzed by what you had seen. Everything soon became a blur.

You woke up in the med tent. You woke up hearing a panicked Goemon and a calm Murmur-san. You carefully got out of bed, making sure to keep your balance. Why was your baby upset? Why was Murmur being an ass and saying that he couldn't see you?

You flug the curtains open and punched the bastard in the jaw. "Leave my baby alone! Of course, he can see me, I don't care if I'm on my death bed. You don't dictate if they can or can't come in!"

Looking towards Goemon, he seemed to stiffen. He was crying and scared. Quickly, you wrapped your arms around your furry child. He squirmed and tried to push away.

That was odd he had never tried to avoid your affection before. "I'm sorry, so sorry. I shouldn't have, I didn't mean to, I-I" His hiccups sobs made you squeeze tighter.

He whined, but you held firm. "I think we need to have a little chat, dear." You proceeded to move him back towards the divider for a small sense of privacy. "I never wanted y-you to see, I just wanted them t-to stop fi-fighting." He wheezed out as you sat him on the bed.

A jumbled blurr of images past through your mind. That face in particular. Oh... realization hit you. You cupped his furry cheeks. "Goemon. I'm not scared, I'm right here, I'm not gonna run away or stop loving you."

"But how I acted was so shameful!" You let out an amused huff. "Baby, if you hadn't noticed. Nobody in this family is all prim and proper. We all have faults." You petted his fur.

"And so what if you got upset? You had every right to be. There you were with two unrelenting and disagreeing parties trying your best to prevent infighting, and they just ignored you completely."

You scowled remembering the two first years. You were going to have to scold the later. "You are one of my children, one of my boys! How you acted wasn't shameful."

His fur tickled your hands as he started to nestle into your touch. "You don't think I should give up?" He asked quietly. "Why should you give up on your goals? So you reached a bump in the road. It's okay, you can learn from this."

Resting your heads together, you sighed. "The truth is, not everyone can get along with each other. And it's not like you can agree with someone about everything. There will be times when you argue or times when you part ways on bad terms."

You watched him slump a bit before nudging him. "But that makes those you do stay with those you can past arguments and understand their differences all the more special. Cause you decided that they were worth understanding. And they thought you were worth it too."

He seemed to perk up at that. Their he was your positive child. "You- you think I'm worth staying for?" The amazement in his voice as he quickly threw his arms around you. You laughed.

"All my children are worth staying for. Even if they cause trouble everywhere they go." You teased. Ruffling up his fur. "Thank you." You didn't respond to that. You didn't need to. You had said enough.

That image still flashed in your mind from time to time. But despite the harsh features and the rather hideous appearance... it was still your son. They say there are some faces that not even a parent can love. Well, shame on them for missing out on great kids like Goemon! You would love that face if no one else would.

[ogata77]

¡The Power of a Name!

Never had a name had so much power literally and metaphorically speaking, not at least in saezuru. We only hear "Chikara" from Doumeki's own mouth while answering Yashiro's interrogation at the beginning of this story and from his mother while visiting him in the hospital when the first arc ends, so it only remains to think how close Doumeki and they can become that woman so she can call him the same. For this reason it is not uncommon for Yashiro to be so surprised and jealousy to break out within him.

The first theory of someone who does not know this story in depth would be to believe that both have maintained a loving relationship during these 4 years and that Doumeki has calmed his basic needs while waiting to meet Yashiro again, but someone who has really read what happens in saezuru can't believe in such a basic idea at least I don't. Doumeki told Yashiro "I want this body not to want anyone else", this phrase speaks of exclusivity and I can't imagine him asking for something that even he can't fulfill, on the contrary, I think he makes the request because it's his way of seeing love with Yashiro, he does not want him to be with anyone else and in his heart there is no room for another person so much so that he covers his hands with gloves at the precise moment that he begins his new life as a yakuza declaring: I am here but my feelings they will be preserved until the time when Yashiro returns to my life but let's leave the story of the gloves for another time.

An important detail that makes me curious is why in the scene where Doumeki enters the woman's apartment Yoneda leaves Inami's dialogue: "As always, you don't stop", is it perhaps a clue to tell us that in the same way as Yashiro he gets turned on by no one but Doumeki himself, he is still powerless and only Yashiro can turn him on. If the above is correct, the romance with the woman would be completely ruled out.

So if we eliminate the idea of ​​a romance between the two, I can only think about the importance of this woman as an informant. Mama-san owns a bar where yakuza people usually meet to have fun, close deals, etc. therefore it is not uncommon for you to have important first-hand information to use at your convenience. Now, but where this closeness between the two comes from, the only clue we could have is the concept that Yoneda delivers through the conversation that Kamiya has with Yashiro in the bathroom of the Sakuraika house where he clearly explains what the intentions of the "women of the night", the protection of a man. Doumeki has not forgotten what he learned at the police academy and knows that information and contacts are pure gold, especially in the world of the mafia, he is also the "problem solver" assigned to that bar, that means he protects those who work there then it is ultimately a win-win relationship: information for protection.

Don't think that I have these thoughts to defend Doumeki with a romantic ideal, of course not, because if Yashiro could continue looking for other men in these 4 years then why couldn't Doumeki take refuge in someone too. It's just that to me the character's devotion to staying in the yakuza for love and putting this whole plan together for all this time doesn't fit with there now being a third person in the story.

On the other hand, what happens to Yashiro when he hears the name of Doumeki from this woman is a ticking time bomb. Yashiro has a theme with women that Yoneda is always developing throughout the manga, from his earliest childhood the most important woman in his life abandoned him to his fate with his stepfather, then in adolescence he realized his masochism by to have sex with a girl and from that moment he began to frequent places where yakuzas met to obtain the violence that aroused him, but many times these same men reminded him that his destiny would have been different if he were a woman.

Ryuzaki mentions that if he had been a woman he would have been able to protect him, Misumi tells him that it reminds him of his wife, the man with whom he has a relationship in his early years in the yakuza and who is expelled because of him, constantly treats him like a girl and all this blows up Yashiro. But when Yashiro and Kamiya have a conversation in the bathroom of the Sakuraika's house, Yashiro realizes that in the world of the yakuza women still need a man to protect them and it seems to me that for a moment he thought that if he had been a woman as everyone told him, now he would be without so many problems with Doumeki.

Yashiro has all this going around in his head and when he sees the closeness that Doumeki and mama-san have, it's obvious that everything fits and his jealousy explodes. I can't leave out the scene from this last chapter when everyone is eating in the restaurant and Kamiya makes Doumeki see how gentle he is with women, to which Doumeki replies: "I can be gentle with Kamiya too." This for Yashiro is the straw that breaks the camel's back, the kindness to mama-san, the kindness to women, the kindness to Kamiya and the kindness that Yashiro craves so much, where is he?

Yashiro no longer imagines men raping him in a group, now he dreams of Doumeki chasing him, kissing him and letting him lie on his legs like in the past, that's what Yashiro wants at this point in his life, but he believes that everything that is held by other people close to Doumeki. The place that Yashiro occupied in Doumeki's life is no longer even as his boss, from the moment they met again after these 4 years Yashiro has realized how much he lost and how much he wants to get it back, that's why he goes out on he looks for Kido to self-sabotage again and run away from what is happening to him with Doumeki.

This chapter focused on jealousy and how much damage it can do to us, they say that a person can hide any feeling except when they are jealous and it became clear that neither Yashiro nor Doumeki can run away from this feeling anymore.

If there are errors in the text, it's Google's fault hahaha I'm sorry but I hope it's understood. Thanks for reading my ramblings.

[redfoxdude07]

Golden Freddy, The Vengeful Spirit of a Kidnapped Child (a long and kinda uncomplicated theory)

Midnight Motorist is an interesting topic.

Considering how all of the Minigames in 6 are focused on a character's origin story, the fact that we were given a minigame that makes literally no sense, lore wise, for any character there, says something, especially when UCN was originally supposed to be part of 6 as a DLC.

If we take that into account, then we can assume whoever Midnight Motorist is about is the one in control of the whole UCN operation since that would have no clear explanation otherwise within that game, which was supposed to be the final part of that chapter.

Now, I know someone is going to be like, "But William is the Orange Guy!" And all I have to say is when was William ever implied to be an alcoholic? Not to mention how William randomly being orange makes no sense in the context of his character. Based on what the other universes tell us about him, William was always crazy and murderous, so him changing color isn't a metaphor for him losing it. Him being Orange does nothing but overcomplicate a relatively simple narrative you could make here, and if his car being purple is supposed to mean something, it's probably supposed to be an intentional red hearing, one the in universe police fell for, as the suspect for the MCI was arrested. Orange Guy having the same car as William, is seemingly telling us that he's the one people THINK is responsible.

The person who ran off is a he, so we can rule out any female characters we know. Coincidentally (or maybe not), the vengeful spirit is also a he. While his voice actor is feminine presenting, it's not unusual for AFAB people to do little kid voices, as their voices are typically higher pitched.

With the introduction of the Tales books in more recent years, along with the implications from SL, we know Afton most likely set up the whole Fnaf 4 situation at some point in the past. Whether or not we play that simulation is an entirely unrelated conversation I don't want to have. The most likely person to go through these experiences was Mike, but him being the vengeful spirit seems kind of stupid, especially since we just ruled out William being Orange man, so who else do we have?

We have the kid from the Tales books currently going through the simulation, but he wasn't killed by William, so he's ruled out. Cassidy could have been an interesting conversation if we actually knew who that name fully belonged to, even if it was the ghost you're probably thinking of, their pronouns are She/Her so she's out.

That just leaves one option that makes total sense, Andrew.

Now I know people who think the books are parallels are going to disagree at first, but hear me out. If Cassidy isn't the Golden Freddy kid, who is? Andrew is implied to be in the Golden Freddy suit in Frights, so it's probably him based on deductive reasoning.

We see him actively torturing William in Frights. He uses He/Him. He was murdered by William in some way that was unique from his other victims.

He fits the bill perfectly.

Even if you don't believe the Frights stories are in the game universe, we still don't have 100% confirmation on if Golden Freddy IS Cassidy, so we literally don't have another option here + with all this extra lore Andrew has, even if he's not in the games, someone similar definitely is.

Also, something interesting I haven't seen brought up before is that in the Fnaf 2 minigame, 'Give Gifts, Give LIfe', Golden Freddy is never given a gift, he's left alone on the ground, no mask to wear. Charlie never got to give him his gift, and based on what Frights tells us about ghosts, something tells me that would leave him confused and afraid.

So here's my basic theory:

Andrew grew up in an abusive household with an alcoholic father. One day, he went to Freddy's and loved every second of it. It was his safe place, and he'd sneak out often to go there. One night, Spring Bonnie shows up at his window and becons him to come outside. Andrew breaks his window because his family locks him in, wanting him to stop sneaking off to Freddy's, and runs off with Bonnie, unaware he's going to suffer a terrible fate.

William shoves him into the nightmare chambers, testing early prototype versions of the funtime animatronics on him until William realizes he doesn't need him anymore.

William, being the sick bastard he is, springlocks Andrew inside Fredbear, killing him. Later on, when the missing children's incident happens, Andrew's family finally realizes he's not coming back, and if Andrew went to Freddy's when this all happened, he's probably one of those missing kids now. So he's finally reported missing at the same time Gabriel and Jeremy probably are, leading to the case of 3 from the fnaf 1 newspaper.

Andrew's father (Orange Guy) gets arrested for the MCI, as someone spotted a purple car similar to his speeding away from Charlie's murder. That paired with his constant abuse of his son and being an awful person in general just made him a walking red flag, one perfect for William to frame.

Charlie gave gifts to the other children, the gift of understanding that they're dead, the gift of being aware, all except for one. Andrew was stuck in a limbo like state. He was scared and alone, living in his memories of Freddy's, stuck in the past. It took him a while to realize what happened, but eventually, he became aware, on his happiest day. The kids all worked together to gift him his cake, his memories of his death fixed together and allowing him complete understanding.

While the other kids all got endoskeletons that functioned perfectly, Andrew was stuck with a busted down yellow bear, limp and alone. He doesn't remember much of what William did to him, but he knows he hurt him. William hurt him BAD. So much so that he feels he suffered worse than the others have...

Leading him to be angry...

Vengeful even...

Andrew is the Vengeful Spirit, Golden Freddy, and an MCI kid all at once.

He's literally the answer to all of the questions...

Thank you for reading, I hope this made a somewhat amount of sense. I personally think this is a pretty solid explanation that fills out some confusing things in the narrative. Basically, I'm just trying to tie the loose plot lines together, and I feel like this actually makes perfect sense. This feels like the story Scott was trying to tell imo. I was also very tired writing this, if that wasn't obvious.