#which. i think is the most likely option so far

[paralleljoys]

Leona Thoughts! Big Big Leona Thoughts!

I’m only going off of snippets of the chapter described by others and the one video on youtube that is still in Japanese so this might be inaccurate but for right now this is my opinion on why Leona’s dream played out like it did.

[TLDR: Leona’s pride, loneliness, and self-doubt is so strong that his dream cannot become canon-divergent without risking waking him up.]

We already know that the dreamer’s can only dream when the “reality” of the dream is sustained. And that “reality” bends depending on how imaginative or delusional the dreamer is. Which gets us things like Doodlebob!Floyd and Buff!Epel. We know that the magic of the dream will work to keep the dreamer asleep.

“Leona is the type of person to know when he’s dreaming” was what Idia said and I think that he was right.

When we get a dreamer like Leona, who is so rooted in reality and how he knows the world to work, his wildest and happiest dreams would absolutely bend the dream to the point of waking him. So his dream is reality.

To become king in reality, Leona’s talents would have to be recognized or he’d have to be the only option. If he was recognized then he’d be king already so the reality where he is chosen over his father, Falena, or Cheka doesn’t exist.

So, they get in an accident, his father succumbs to his illness, no other choice is available but Leona. It’s not how he wanted to get there, but in “reality” that is the only option for Leona.

And he stays realistic throughout his dream. He’d be king by circumstance and no one would want him. He’d enact his plans but no one will support him. He’d fail as a king and his people will reject him. Looking at who Leona is, I personally think this wouldn’t be true. The Savanaclaw students trust him as their leader for a reason, why wouldn’t there be people in his country willing to listen to him?

Regardless, in Leona’s wonderfully pessimistic worldview he will continue to be unwanted, even when he has what he wanted most. Leona understands both himself and others to the point that he subconciously recognizes how his pride would be his downfall but he can’t acknowledge it yet. He’d push everyone away until only the hyenas are left.

This understanding pushes itself into the way that the people close to Leona manifested. The people didn’t support him because why would they? He’s a replacement for Falena, not their chosen King. He can keep the hyenas with him, but the moment the food is gone he knows they wouldn’t stick around. The fact that Ruggie appeared as a protestor in the crowd instead of someone at his side shows how transactional Leona views their relationship to be. Then there’s Kifaji, his caretaker who stayed with Leona his whole life and arguably the closest character to Leona. The man will beg and plead for him to be a proper king, no matter how far from it Leona strays, because Kifaji is diligent or better yet, tenacious. Either way a truth is that Kifaji will not abandon the King. Meaning that even at his worst he believes Kifaji would never leave him, so long as he’s King.

But what did Lilia admonish him for in Chapter 2? Not for attacking Diasomnia, but for having a sensitive ego that directs his anger at his retainers. That is what Lilia says makes Leona unfit to rule.

And in his dream he takes the abuse from his people. He takes the rejection and the insults. He is still King. He is still King until he tries to hurt one of his people, Ruggie. That’s when Kifaji stops him. Because he is no longer King when he turns his anger on his people. And that’s when he runs away. That’s when he sinks deeper into his dream.

[Thank you for reading this far but that’s all I have to say! It’s more my delusions but it’s there nonetheless. I wish I had gotten into the Lion Guard because I know there’s themes from that that could explain more aspects of Leona and his dream.]

[tapestryundone]

yknow what why not. have this from last night

(just the text under the cut)

IM INTRIGUED BY WHATEVER HE HAS GOING ON bc he likes fun but seems also deeply unhappy with himself which FEELS like it contradicts his whole being Like That but it makes Sense. why is he so self consious

it FEELS related to him as a voice being like. a desperate desire for agency at all costs. to be able to have fun in an extremely stressful situation. im struggling to put my finger on it but its liek

all of the voices are tied to complex emotions and hes like. the epitome of trying to get someone to leave you alone by doing anything you can to piss them off. like hes decided he Likes to do that, actually, and its NOT a desperate attempt to gain control in a situation where he has none, bc hes genuinely compassionate but it gets hidden behind the fact that he wants to upset hte narrator. hes the opposite of the opportunist in that he doesnt want to appeal to people who have power over him, he doesnt want to fight them or run away from them, all he wants is to aggravate them because he doesnt think he CAN do anything else. its pestering someone bc its the most power you can exert against people and situations you dont wanna be in, and then convincing yourself that its what you wanted in the first place

as a guy who likes fun DOES make him clash w the tones of a LOT of the game but i think its like. easy to look at the other voices and pinpoint what survival mechanism they are and then contrarian shows up and its less obvious

but hes a persons NEED to have fun, similar to cold. where cold has rejected the notion of emotions but still seeks novelty, contrarian NEEDS to experience joy and is trying to force it to happen, even if it involves goading the others or making bad long-term decisions. hes a very emotion-heavy voice and i think thats probably WHY hes quick to feel guilt and shame, bc it stems from teh same need to feel satisfied with actions and your environment, because in a situation like this, you CANT get entertainment from yourself. but he cant entertain anyone but himself. but he cant actually do that because its weak, poorly executed attempts at levity that falls apart under pressure

idk if this makes ANY sense im just intrigued by him. bc the stranger route started as a joke but it seems to serve as the BIGGEST outlier of a chapter in the whole game to teh pt where it can give you an entirely new ending that even goes so far as to include a second voice in the ending which makes me feel like he has to be important SOMEHOW

maybe its just the underlying emotions of it all. above all else, people want to enjoy life. it doesnt matter if life is stagnant, or if life is a unending cascade of changes, because its only bad if the people it affects do or dont enjoy it. because what the world does and doesnt need revolves around if it makes you feel good. hell i feel like theres a case for the fact that the contrarian ALWAYS gives you new, novel options. he ADDS change wherever he goes. hes the among the most connected to the shifting mound of the voices in that what he wants changes by the moment because what he wants above all else IS change and novelty. and hes a persons need for joy in life, something that is so distinctly mortal, to not just exist but to ENJOY existing, something that the narrator gave the long quiet and the shifting mound. he just extremely represents choices that are Out There. and the fact that the contrarian ascribes "the courage to do things that others may not do" as being him is ALSO interesting to me. maybe hes not just a persons ability to seek joy but also a persons ability to push back against outside pressure. a complement to the heros desire and conviction for agency, being the ability to push back when that agency is denied, to be able to live and feel fulfilled through ones OWN choices, not someone elses

and in an environment that so often denies that agency, his Whole Deal is trying to wrench back that agency even if he knows it wont work. the Trying IS the point. but in spending so much time trying to wrestle agency back you dont really pay attention to situations where you dont need to do that. because as far as hes concerned, you dont have agency, cant have agency, and wont have agency, so the best he can do is be a dick about it. as far as hes concerned, choices dont really matter. if everything is changing, if you can make EVERY choice, then do those choices matter? which always shocks him when they DO. because as an entity that exists to try to piss off those denying you agency, you dont realize where the line between 'choices that dont matter' and 'choices that have effects' are. but by his nature he ALWAYS forces his actions to matter without realizing it. maybe THATS why the knife never comes back after he throws it away. because it is in his nature to allocate agency where there previously was none. to the detriment of Literally Everyone

guy who makes agency exist but doesnt realize hes causing that and keeps acting like his choices dont have consequences

and that in itself is like. his comment abt EVERYTHING being as bad as nothing. feels like it rly strongly is tying him to what tlq and tsm once were. because they used to be the combination of everything and nothing. but now they are everything and nothing, apart. and maybe thats part of where contrarians weird self consciousness comes from, because his very existence is to force EVERYTHING to be possible, to do EVERYTHING, to cause as much change as possible, but its still not what he wants, he wants a balance that doesnt exist anymore

idk if this is making ANY sense i feel like ive accidentally talked into circles like 50 times but out of all of the voices the context of his purpose intrigues me the most actually bc i think everyone else has pretty straightforward purposes and then theres. This Guy who JUST causes problems. but its weirdly sincere about it. and i think its intentional bc blacktabbygames does not shy away from making Guys Who Are Just Obnoxious and unwavering in their goals, and for how much each of the voices so adamantly resist yet desire change, contrarian and hero are both the most malleable and changing

[anthurak]

Sinsmas Theories of Varying Plausibility

So I thought I’d go over a few theories of what we might be seeing in Sinsmas, in order of how certain I am/how much evidence I can find for them:

First off, we have the scenes and lines from the trailer that haven’t heard yet, and thus really HAVE to assume we’ll be seeing them in the finale.

We have both Octavia’s “You don’t love momma and you don’t love me! You love HIM!” line, and this shot of her. Basically I think it’s a safe bet we’re getting both a big confrontation between Octavia and Stolas and likely a song from her as well, either a solo number or a duet with Stolas. While the latter might be more likely, I think the former option is particularly interesting, as it would emphasize Octavia growing up and becoming independent of her father.

Then we have these two shots of Andrealphus powering up looking generally pissed and what is almost certainly him about to crush Stolas and Blitzo. Now this is ESPECIALLY interesting after last episode, considering that Andrealphus basically got everything he wanted. So why exactly is he flying off in a murderous rage at Stolas (with Blitzo likely caught in the crossfire) NOW?

Well I think it’s a safe bet that Stolas and co. manage to actually get some kind of win over Andrealphus, and I mean a BIG win. As I’ve said in previous posts, this shot of Andrealphus has massive vibes of ‘bad guy who just got all his plans foiled and is flying into a sore-loser-fuck-you murderous rage on the heroes’.

Now what this 'win' might actually be is a bit hard to say at this point. It could be Octavia turning on Stella and Andrealphus? Or maybe some legal loophole that strips Andrealphus of the power he was hoping to get from Stolas? Maybe I.M.P. and friends tracked down Striker and beat a proper confession out of him that, while perhaps not exonerating Stolas, DOES strip Andrealphus of any right to take his power?

Which of course brings us to this shot of Blitzo and Stolas. Which, as I’ve said in previous posts, has ALL the hallmarks of a ‘these characters are about to die and get saved at the last second by someone else’ reveal. Whether it be Octaiva, Loona, or perhaps someone else…

That someone of course potentially being Vassago, which brings us to our second category of ‘stuff I have a good hunch on’.

See, while Vassago had a very prominent introduction last episode as basically the ONLY Goetia actually on Stolas’s side, he also didn’t get the chance to really help Stolas in any way. Which I have a feeling is setting Vassago up to have a more important role next episode.

Like I think it’s easy to imagine Vassago tracking down Stolas and winding up actually being quite helpful and even vital in getting him in contact with Octavia, which of course in turn creates some VERY interesting/spicy conflict with Blitzo, especially if Vassago ends up able to be MORE helpful to Stolas than Blitzo. Not to mention I imagine Vassago is a VERY likely candidate for saving Stolas and Blitzo from Andrealphus.

Which of course brings us to all the Stolitz drama which I am fairly certain we are FAR from done with. As in, despite ending on a cute note, Blitzo and Stolas didn’t actually RESOLVE or even communicate on any of their real issues, and in fact are even CONTINUING a number of trends that destroyed their relationship in the first place. Such as Stolas going straight to self-sacrifice for Blitzo or the fact that the power-imbalance between them is now essentially just reversed and in some ways even MORE pronounced.

Basically, Stolitz is by NO MEANS out of the woods yet and this seemingly cutesy ending could easily be a fake-out for things falling apart next episode. Most notably, Stolas grappling with the fact that he just threw away EVERYTHING, most notably his DAUGHTER, for Blitzo. Which could easily make things VERY dicey for these two next episode, especially if Blitzo proves unable to help Stolas getting in touch with Octavia, which would only be FURTHER complicated if Vassago shows up to prove much more helpful in this regard.

Really, the issue of Octavia is something that could very well break Blitzo and Stolas apart (seemingly*) for good next episode. As in, we may very well see Stolas being forced to essentially choose between his daughter’s safety and happiness, or his being with Blitzo. And as much as Stolas absolutely LOVES Blitzo, I think we can all agree he would probably choose his daughter of Blitzo.

And the best part is that as much as Blitzo LOVES Stolas right back and would be absolutely torn apart by this decision, he would still one-hundred percent UNDERSTAND Stolas’s choice. After all, he’s a father too.

Finally, and this is admittedly more of a ‘fingers-crossed, something I’m hoping for’ idea more than something I can point to any specific evidence for…

But I am seriously hoping that LOONA winds up being the surprise MVP of the episode through her friendship with Octavia. As in, Octavia metaphorically and/or literally slams the door on Stolas, and it’s ultimately Loona who brings her around. Basically representing a follow-up to their scene together back in Seeing Stars.

Like more than any of the hackneyed ‘wholesome sisters’ headcanons that the fandom has pigeonholed them into by now, I think this would be where a friendship between these two has some FASCINATING potential. For example, what if Loona brings Octavia around not by convincing her to ‘forgive’ Stolas, but rather simply convincing her that it’s not worth burning that bridge. Something that Loona may well have personal experience with herself.

Basically, while the other stuff is what I think might happen, the Loona and Octavia focus is what I’m HOPING will happen.

--

To clarify, as I have stated in all my other theory posts on Stolitz potentially not being together at the end of the season; I fully expect that Blitzo and Stolas WILL in fact get together by the end of the series. Instead, this is theorizing on the show essentially saying that Blitzo and Stolas don’t work as a couple right now, and end the season not together, though still on good terms as friends.

[morganski-19]

So I've been going back to this post I made, where I talked about what I think Eddie's arc is going to be this season while looking at the classic three-act structure that is popular in most media.

Which I will put here again, but this time, with what I think has happened already, and what still needs to happen

The red marks things that have already happened, while the blue marks what is yet to come.

The inciting incident happened in episode 4, during the conversation with Weston's dad. Eddie talks about the situation with someone else, and after seeing how resigned and closed off Chris was back in episode 1, this is a good continuation for the set up.

Then, the conversation with Father Brian in episode 6 starts plot point one. This allows Eddie, and the audience, to recognize that he is not allowing himself to try and reconnect with Chris because he does not feel like he deserves forgiveness. This completes the setup stage, as it completes telling the audience of Eddie's inner turmoil, while also establishing the outward conflict between Eddie and Chris.

The rising action then starts, I would say, in that same episode as well, where Eddie reintegrates joy back into his life. This would spark him to try and reconnect with Chris more, now that he is more open to accepting forgiveness, and may even start to forgive himself.

And then it carries through to the midpoint, which is the midseason finale. There is still the outward conflict that was established in episode 1, Chris being kinda closed off, but more importantly, Eddie being kept out of Chris' life. This makes Eddie to want to make a change in order to keep himself in the loop, which is the decision to move to Texas.

Of course, this is not going to happen long term. Personally, I hope they don't go as far as Eddie actually buying a place and selling his house because that would not only cause a lot of problems with the storyline but also with the production as they would need to build new sets and stuff. There is also the problem with Gavin's filming schedule, so I can see them keeping the face-timing aspect for a while longer. So, I can see him almost getting a house, but then something happens to stop it.

But anyway, that ends the red circles and starts my speculation on what will happen with the blue circles. I am going to be focusing just on Eddie and Chris' relationship, and then go into what would happen if they explore Eddie's sexuality this season.

I think that whatever the decision is with Eddie's move to Texas will be plot point 2. Whether that is buying a house, or realizing he can't move, it is not the actual climax.

The pre-climax would be the build to the climax, and would include Eddie trying to reintegrate himself back into Chris' life.

The actual climax would be getting Chris home. Placement-wise, I can see this happening somewhere in the last 4-5 episodes, since there is the whole moving plot, as well as the plots of all the other characters. Personally, I hope the climax includes a confrontation between Eddie and his parents, but knowing this show and the incessant need to have unearned redemptions, I wouldn't be surprised if that didn't happen.

So, plot point two wraps up the house storyline, and the climax wraps up the Chris in Texas storyline, which leaves us with the resolution.

The resolution would be both Eddie and Chris getting back to where they used to be. Eddie opening up and sharing his side that he never got to share, and Chris expelling his anger in a much better route than moving in with his grandparents. I can also see therapy as an option, as Eddie has always been more open to therapy when it comes to Chris. Do I think he himself will be in therapy, no, but I can see that being a route for Chris.

That is what I think will happen with the Eddie and Chris situation, and this is what I think will happen if they explore Eddie's sexuality.

Exploring Eddie's sexuality is something I personally want to happen, and from the clues they've given throughout the season, is a storyline that I think is going to happen. Whether that be in this season, or the next, who's to say really.

But, after the scene with Weston's dad that was heavily alluding to Eddie's own relationship with his father, to his conversation with Father Brian and the first time he's ever said he's straight, the signs are there that they might change something. Especially the latter point, straight people don't have to come out. It's only stated when it is going to be explored, just look at how much Buck said he was an ally while actively on a date with a man.

So, how do I think they could play this out.

From what I've seen from interviews (i haven't read them all fully myself, these are just certain clips I've seen taken out of them) the end of either episode 9 or 10 will leave the character's lives changed. And, I think, in episode 11, Buck's abandonment issues are coming to a head, which is played heavily with the Eddie Texas plot.

So, somewhere in that span, something is happening to change Eddie's life. Whether that is connected to the rest of the team, or solely from his own storyline, we don't know.

Assuming it's from his own storyline, it would be not necessarily a feelings realization, but an inclination toward something different. Maybe something happens and Eddie is assumed gay, and that sparks something. Maybe something happens to Buck and that sparks something. I'm not sure. But, I do think something will cause a spark that leaves Eddie to have to figure out something about himself.

Which I think will play into plot point 2, and either moving away from LA or deciding to stay.

Then, if the climax includes a confrontation with his parents, his coming out can be a part of that. Or, it can be a part of opening up with Chris. Again, I'm not sure.

It could also be part of the resolution, as now that the outward conflict is dealt with, it leaves only Eddie's inner conflict.

Overall, there are a few ways I can see this going, but all of them include the rest of the season. I don't think there is going to be a specific Buddie feelings realization until the latter half of 8b, as it would set up a good storyline to tide audiences over another break. And given how they've ended seasons with certain couples either getting together, realizing their feelings, or having a brand new storyline introduced, I could see that as a large possibility.

I have more thoughts about what I think is going to happen in 8b, but this is really what I think will happen between Eddie and Chris, and what I hope will happen with Eddie's sexuality arc.

[pinkytoothlesso11]

Reasons why Jinx is alive– A fully comprehensive evidence analysis

Right. So I've seen a lot of people with conflicting views on if Jimx survived at the end of Arcane season 2, and I have been itching to do a meta post on the subject, so here it goes!

The first piece of evidence that I found particularly noteworthy was the explosion itself. By going frame by frame it was possible to see this:

It's a blink and you miss it kind of scene, but this is right after the explosion, and you can see the clear pink line going into one of the vents. Now why is this important? Well, it's simple, it's the shimmer effect that happens when Jinx is moving very fast! I know that Warwick was holding onto Jinx, but in a explosion its perfectly plausible for her to get out of that grip using the explosion of her monkey bomb.

Then we have the scene where Caitlyn is inspecting the plans for the Hexgates.

There is literally no reason for her to look at these plans. Not unless she thought there was something she missed...

There's no dialogue here, so it's really just based on what she does and how she reacts. Most notably what she's holding.

It's the head of one of Jinx's notorious monkey bombs. What's more, it's clearly damaged and singed. So likely this is the very same monkey bomb Jinx used in the Hexgates. This also suggests that Caitlyn might have been searching for evidence of Jinx's dead body... and clearly didn't find it for her to be holding Jinx's bomb head and then searching on the plans. Which brings me to the focus changing to this:

The vents we see the streak of pink shimmer light go inside correlate to the plans as shown above. The vents connect to the air ducts which connect to the outside. After this, the camera goes back to Caitlyn and we see her look at the monkey bomb head and then smile.

Then we get to the most telling piece of evidence that Jinx survived and left Zaun and Piltover behind, which is definitely a controversial choice on the writers part and does come across that they just want the option to bring in Jinx whenever they want in later stories taking place in Noxus, Ionia and Demacia. Which is very Marvel like lol. This is namely the air blimp at the end shot of the show.

What I find interesting is the fact it mirrors exactly the very first time we see Powder in episode 1 of Arcane season 1 when we see one of these air blimps.

The difference in these shots is that the one from season one is going TOWARDS Piltover, and the one from end of season 2 is going AWAY across the sea. The only difference in the ships themselves is the streak of blue you can just about see on the side of the hull. Maybe a further hint that Jinx is indeed on board that blimp.

Obviously it is what Powder says about the air blimp in season one that truly gives some solid evidence Jinx escaped on the air blimp heading for the sea:

Well, it seems Powder was right about that... the shots being so similar is clearly not a coincidence.

This is made all the more evident with the very last seconds of screen time of the show. It ends with Jinx's signature scribbles taking over the screen for three seconds with the words 'The end' written across.

Some people I've seen commenting on the fact the letter E on 'the' is reversed, but I think that's just a style choice in line with Jinx's graffiti so far. What is significant here is the fact it's so evidently Jinx's mark straight after the air blimp that resembeled the one in the first episode of Arcane season one.

Annnnd there's just one more thing now. I promise I'm almost done lol.

The lyrics to the song Wasteland that plays during episode 8, when Jinx is about to try and end her life are as follows:

This world is a wasteland where nothing can grow

I used to have strength but I ran out of hope

I know it’s my fault that I'm here all alone

This world is a wasteland

Please let me go, go, go, go, go, go, go

But then the lyrics change in the last chorus, they go from Jinx preparing to end her life for good, to THIS:

This world is a wasteland where nothing can grow

If it weren’t for you I’d be here all alone

I know in my heart this is where we belong

This world is a wasteland

Don’t let me go, go, go, go, go, go, go

Don't let me go

I feel it's likely that the line 'if it weren't for you I'd be here all alone' is referring to Ekko. Because it's Ekko who stopped Jinx from killing herself. And then of course the biggest change, from 'please let me go' to 'don't let me go' Jinx isn't ready to say goodbye. She wants to stay living. And I think it's this that plays in her 'sacrifice' scene with Warwick. It's not her giving up on life, it's her accepting that her life has changed and she needs to break the cycle by moving on. Not for anyone else, but for herself.

Let me know in the comments or reblogs your thoughts on this! And thank you for reading if you got this far lol.

[tokiro07]

Ichi the Witch ch.12 thoughts

[Badger, Badger, Badger, Badger...]

(Topics: speculation - narrative progression)

I blame @wickedsick for making me think that Kindake was going to challenge the Death for Death concept; I might never have even considered that angle on my own, and now my previously non-existent expectations have been dashed. Thanks, Wick, you lovely clown you

But seriously, I do think that's an angle that Nishi is going to need to tackle sooner or later, but now just wasn't the time, I guess. Given how it's been established that Togeice's plan is to prevent Ichi from hunting wholesale, I think it's safe to say that the intention isn't to put Ichi in a hopeless situation

However

Spoke Too Soon

From a narrative perspective, it might actually have been better for Ichi to have the deck stacked against him. If Kindake was a bad matchup for Ichi philosophically and Togeice was a bad matchup competitively, then Ichi would be overcoming both internal and external challenges that would force him to grow as a person

Instead, he's quite literally hunting a mushroom, when he's apparently an expert at mushroom hunting, against a woman with no sense of direction. Togeice is clearly at a tremendous disadvantage based on the necessary skillset, so while her own skills may still prove surprisingly challenging for Ichi, we're going into this challenge with the expectation that it's going to be a breeze for Ichi

That is what actually worries me most. There has to be some kind of twist or surprise that makes this more of an obstacle for Ichi to overcome, but while it would be easy enough to have Togeice simply prove to be more of a threat than she's so far let on, again, I don't think it would make sense to have Togeice actually win the contest

For the sake of making Ichi experience failure without being so disproportionately punished, I think the best option is for this contest to end in a draw, possibly forcing Ichi to still go to school but under more relaxed circumstances than Togeice intends. He might even willingly go to school because of how he fails, but that's speculation for later

For now, I'm more interested in what's going to cause him to fail, and I think Nishi has telegraphed her intentions quite clearly

White They Spotted

Ichi's ability to sense ill intent has been well documented by this point, so for Ichi to have so much confidence that he's basically just ignoring Togeice but to suddenly have his attention stolen by this random stranger, this is obviously someone dangerous

Togeice established that the only legal outcome for this challenge is for either her or Ichi to acquire Kindake, but she meant that neither of their respective teams could interfere. She clearly has no expectation that a third party could interfere, and Ichi's flashback in this chapter showed him taking out a competing predator that was too distracted with its prey to notice him: we're being told directly that the two of them are going to be too caught up with each other to keep this third dog from running off with the bone

As I said, this would be a big enough blow to Ichi's ego that he could learn just how little experience and understanding of magic he has and motivate him to go to school without giving Togeice grounds to rob Ichi of his freedom. A best of both world's scenario, I would say

Most of the responses I've seen have taken this character to be another male Witch, which was definitely my first thought, but it's difficult to tell with Shirozaki's art style if they're just androgynous at the moment. This could easily be a woman, so I'm not going to worry about the implications of that right now

The more immediately interesting implication to me, though, is this character's outfit. Not only are they dressed more like an Eastern monk, they also have what look to be deer-hooved boots. These design choices bring to mind Minakata, who comes from an island to the east and wears a deer skull. I think it's safe to say that this person is from the same nation as Minakata, and may even have a direct connection to him

Again, it's too early to speculate on what that connection is, but I'm getting the feeling that the recurring deer imagery is symbolic of this nation's equivalent to Mantinel that I projected last week. Maybe they'll be villains, maybe they'll be allies, maybe they'll justifiably challenge Mantinel's position and prompt Ichi to go against them. I don't expect these answers any time soon, but I'm looking forward to getting them sooner or later!

Until next time, let's enjoy life!

[ph0bia-archives]

Interpretation is entirely personable and I do not mean to argue against your own opinions and views but. Personally cannot see DiMA as some manipulative monster. This is just me ranting cause he’s one of the best written fallout 4 characters imo. Obviously spoilers ahead :3

For one— he doesn’t maliciously manipulate Kasumi. From the sounds of it, he just asks her questions that lead her to believing she’s a synth. She was isolated, and felt that she stood out even in her own family. She wanted a reason to leave, to think that she was connected to machinery more than it being a personal comfort. Acadia is a refuge for synths. It makes no sense for DiMA to lure normal people there?

For two— of course he acts like the institute! His whole existence is to form a personality around experience. He grew up in the institute, taking in their methods and morals. The only expressed reason he grew disillusioned to them is because Nick suffered. But that’s still all his first experiences. The institute, and people hurting synths.

For three— I don’t think it’s ever explicitly said what far harbor was like before the sole survivor gets there/before synth Avery. Maybe they were hostile towards synths, or Acadia. At the very least, they’re still hostile towards the children of atom, a group who 1. Before Tektus we’re (if I’m not mistaken) relatively peaceful, and 2. Did not react negatively or with hostility towards Synths. This is a simple baseline, but remember. DiMA went from only knowing people who hurt synths for their own gain to sitting alone in a cave for a year, to people who didn’t want to hurt him. The safety of synths is his first priority. Replacing Avery is extremely fucked, yes, it’s exactly what the institute does. Because that’s the first things DiMA knows. If far harbor was aggressive against Acadia, what should DiMA have done? Probably definitely not murdered a woman and replaced her, but from his perspective, that was probably the least damaging option, rather than letting his synths die, or killing the harbormen. He removed the memories likely because that’s how the institute functions! He was acting like them! The people who hurt the person he considered family!

Four— I didn’t actually choose/explore the routes where you’re with the institute or the brotherhood of steel, so. Can’t really say for certain my thoughts on his reactions, but. I think it would make most sense for him to act peacefully if you say that before giving him the tapes, because he wouldn’t have an idea of how he’d reacted previously. He wouldn’t know he had the experience of combatting groups who’d want Acadia exterminated, he doesn’t know the extent he’d go to preemptively keep Acadia safe.

Five— with the replacing tektus plan, it goes back to perhaps WHY he removed the memory of replacing avery. That’s what the institute does. If he remembers that experience of doing the same thing as his creators, maybe he’d integrate that into his personality. I don’t know if it’s fleshed out HOW DiMA’s mind works, if it’s like an actual person who can pick and choose what they learn from, or if it’s all turned into gained knowledge, or if I’m a dummy who needs to brush up on lore (good time to say that most of my interpretations came from my play through of far habit which I didn’t know existed until I accidentally started it, so. If anything I say or think is in contradiction to another route or such. Blame the naivety). But after he has that tape, he knows this is 1. Something that worked and 2. Something he’s willing to do with all the same reasoning as before. So he does it again.

Over all. I think if DiMA is hypocritical it works. He’s a machine over a hundred years old. That’s a lot of experience for a mfer who’s mind is supposed to develop and base itself on experience! His mind likely grows and changes rapidly based on events that happen to him. I can’t imagine he’s hypocritical without being written that way. Everything bad he does is for Acadia. I cannot interpret him as some malicious leader who wants to wipe out the other factions. Just someone who’s learned that sometimes the ends justify the means.

Anyways sorry autism rant OVER

Fo4 Far Harbor DLC spoilers

Replaying Far Harbor and watching vids abt the different lore it’s impossible to see DiMA as anything but an evil, hypocritical, and downright stupid monster. I don’t get how so many people love him.

He’s a murderer who had plans to obliterate an entire people and who did murder and replace an innocent woman. When you confront him about those memories that he purposefully removed bc he couldn’t live with how evil he is he’s like “I can’t believe I did that :’( we should totally do it again tho that’s a really good idea.” And then you can!!! It’s literally the exact same horrible things that the Institute does! He manipulates Kasumi (who we can determine by talking to the Institute, the people she knows, and by killing her in an Institute quest is not a synth) into believing she is a synth and lures her to the island with this manipulation!! He manipulates many others like this too to get his evil desires done in pretty obvious ways. I would count many of his synths, Nick, and the player among his targets.

If you’re sided with the Institute and you tell him and his synths to come back to it he says no but that he will not run and will not attack you. He condemns all of the synths in his “sanctuary” by taking not action and allowing you to go report back their existence to the Institute so that coursers can come reclaim or kill everyone there!! Same thing happens if you tell him you’re with the Brotherhood and synths existence is an affront to humanity he’s like “okay but we’re not gonna leave still” and then you can bring the Brotherhood forces to murder them all.

If you blow up some of the factions on the island he’ll be like “You’ve only brought death here >:( I hope you can live with yourself you monster!” Like that wasn’t his WHOLE ASS PLAN that he removed his memories of bc he couldn’t live with himself!!! Fucking hypocrite!!! This is only a few of his crimes. He is so evil and stupid it hurts.

[lwieserce]

pale princess and the six pygmies continues to haunt my mind as an incredibly lore relevant book that we can't really decode right now, the number 6 hasn't been signigicant anywhere in the game as far as i am aware but i do have an idea who the pygmies might be.... a very vague one based only on the assumption that the pale princess herself is istaroth

[commanderfreddy]

people are discoursing about the laios and shiro fight bc that was always going to happen but i do hope that wave crests quickly and we can all come to see it as what it is: literally one of the best written fights between two people who are both entirely justified in their actions and acting without any malice or cruelty of all time

[wasabikitcat]

I think it's interesting how Spamton and Jevil don't have dialogue portraits despite being pretty important characters. I might be looking too far into it, but I kinda wonder if the implication is meant to be that they were never meant to be important characters, they were initially just regular NPCs that stumbled into something they weren't supposed to. This is more noticeable with Spamton, since we see multiple other Addisons that also don't have dialogue portraits, and he was supposedly just like them at first, so it makes sense he wouldn't have a dialogue portrait in that case. This might be why Spamton and Jevil had such negative consequences for whatever happened to them; maybe bad things happen when a background NPC is forced into a role they weren't meant for against their will. They are anomalies, glitches in the program, and glitches tend to cause instability. It only makes sense that this would cause major psychological (and some implied physical) instability to the characters affected by the glitch.

[toytulini]

im not brave enough to wear it myself yet so I'll just put this idea out there for free:

drag outfit (i guess?) leather codpiece. with a horrible little Scrunched Up Face on it. Like this?

but its a codpiece instead of a fanny pack?

[springcatalyst]

thinking oc thoughts. everything comes back to milo being a storyteller

[moe-broey]

I've never been a "born in the wrong generation" type of guy because for So Many reasons I would be dead. Full stop like I would have died during childbirth I would have died of appendicitis age 8 and that's not even factoring in my queerness and neurodivergency and ultimately my mental health (carefully maintained thanks to support/modern advances in medicine and treatment). On Top Of That my hobbies include The Video Game and many such things that are of modern invention (adjacently: including The Device I'm typing this out on right now which has become my main avenue of communication to the outside world)

But I'm just saying that. It WOULD be nice. To exist in a world where fluorescent lighting doesn't exist and everything is possibly 99% less overstimulating all of the time forever.

[coquelicoq]

today is the first time since i started playing that i think i might not be able to solve le mot wordle...i've got the first and last letter and i'm running through all the french phonotactic rules i know and i'm coming up with nothing. got two rows left but i don't even have any guesses. ô dictionnaire ne me déçois pas quand je suis dans le besoin...

[fatcowboys]

tonsillectomy has fucked my sleep schedule and also I am craving every food under the SUN rn but won't be able to enjoy most of them for like another week I have list of foods I'm gonna eat once I'm able to

[mokeonn]

Currently I have so many bg3 saves bc I refuse to delete my old ones that will likely never be finished (first ever gameplays, not optimized, everytime I open one I get overwhelmed and stop), but also because I keep making new games with the specific purpose of romancing a certain companion, seeing special dialog, doing a specific style of run, or getting an achievement on steam.